B/R's College Football Weekly Awards: Week 12
The penultimate week of the 2023 regular season has set the stage for a dramatic finish in college football.
But what a Saturday it was.
Washington highlighted a quartet of teams to clinch a spot in a conference championship game. Missouri used a clutch drive to stay in a hunt for a major bowl, and Appalachian State—ever a spoiler—happily put a blemish on one of this season's most fascinating stories.
Michigan also made college football history as a showdown with Ohio State beckons next weekend. Georgia became the first team to accomplishment a unique feat in the SEC, too.
Also, for the second darn weekend in a row, please stop dropping the football at the goal line.
If you're new here, hi! B/R's Weekly Awards is an often-lighthearted review of what happened in college football over the weekend.
Fifth-ranked Washington went to No. 11 Oregon State as a slight underdog and emerged as a slim winner.
At this point of the season, "whatever it takes" is good enough. And as the Huskies' recent penchant for close victories is legitimately a concern, they continue to find themselves on the right side of the outcome.
Saturday night, Washington squeaked out a 22-20 victory that also clinched a berth to the Pac-12 Championship Game.
The most impressive part is how UW's defense withstood an exhausting second half. Oregon State had possession for more than 20 minutes after the break, yet the Huskies ceded just 10 points and made a pivotal fourth-down conversion in the closing minutes.
Washington ends the regular season at home against rival Washington State before meeting Arizona or Oregon for the Pac-12 title.
I thought James Madison would win, sure. I'm also zero percent surprised that Appalachian State emerged as the villain.
The program is best known for shocking then-No. 5 Michigan in 2007. App State was a quality lower-division team at the time but joined the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2014.
And the Mountaineers have remained an absolute thorn.
Against power-conference teams alone, App State has defeated North Carolina (2019), South Carolina (2019) and Texas A&M (2022) and put serious scares into Tennessee (2016), Wake Forest (2017), Penn State (2018), Miami (2021) and UNC (2022 and 2023).
That's the long version of setting up App State's 26-23 overtime win at JMU, which saw an unbeaten 10-0 record turn to 10-1.
On what could've been a thoroughly iconic day in JMU history—that undefeated mark, the campus hosting College GameDay—the Mountaineers, once again, spoiled a party.
App State travels to Clemson in 2024, by the way. No reason.
For a few nerve-wracking moments, it seemed Missouri's excellent season would regress to merely a memorable year.
After losing quarterback Graham Mertz to a shoulder injury, Florida saw backup Max Brown lead a valiant charge. He guided the Gators out of a nine-point hole to a 31-30 advantage with 1:36 left in the fourth quarter.
Mizzou picked up a first down on the ensuing drive, but a false start, a two-yard loss and two incompletions put the Tigers in a desperate spot. Facing a 4th-and-17, they needed a minor miracle. Fortunately, star wideout Luther Burden III came through with a 27-yard completion to UF's 40-yard line.
Given that kicker Harrison Mevis drilled a 61-yarder this season, Mizzou was in field-goal range. But with 30 seconds to spare, the Tigers weren't finished.
Brady Cook hit Mekhi Miller for 11 yards and Mookie Cooper for 17 more, setting up the "Thicker Kicker" for a 30-yard attempt.
Mevis drilled the kick, handing Mizzou a dramatic 33-31 victory. If the Tigers beat Arkansas next weekend, the program will be headed to a New Year's Six-caliber bowl for the first time since 2013.
It's a bummer Michigan has created so much self-inflicted adversity. The sign-stealing saga—which cannot end soon enough—has tempered the excitement of an awesome moment for the Wolverines.
Seriously, this is supposed to be remarkable!
Never before had a program won 1,000 games, but Michigan became the founding member of that exclusive club on Saturday.
As head coach Jim Harbaugh served the second of his three-game suspension, the Maize and Blue clipped Maryland 31-24. Star running back Blake Corum scored two more touchdowns, and a few clutch defensive stops carried the Wolverines to a tight win.
However, it's fair to say they are most concerned about No. 1,001.
Michigan (11-0) hosts Ohio State (11-0) in a showdown to decide which team advances to the Big Ten Championship Game—and, in all likelihood, the College Football Playoff.
When you make a conference championship game, you should be celebrated. Along with Washington, three more programs clinched their spots in Week 12.
Louisville (ACC): First-year coach Jeff Brohm has propelled the Cardinals to a stunning place. They clipped Miami 38-31 and sealed a trip to the ACC Championship Game against Florida State, which lost quarterback Jordan Travis to a gruesome leg injury. Louisville could finish 12-1 with an ACC title and a seat in the College Football Playoff discussion.
Iowa (Big Ten): Kaleb Johnson's late 30-yard touchdown run helped Iowa survive Illinois 15-13. While the CFP is an impossibility for the Hawkeyes, they could be a massive spoiler. They'll face an undefeated team—either Michigan or Ohio State—in Indianapolis.
Miami (MAC): Toledo punched its ticket last week, and Miami's 23-10 win against Buffalo set up a rematch with the Rockets. Toledo won the regular-season clash 21-17. Miami last won a MAC title in 2019.
A shame, really.
Backup quarterback Ty Simpson entered Alabama's rout of Chattanooga for some garbage-time snaps in the second half. On his second possession, he impressively scampered 78 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown...but the problem is he actually needed 79.
Simpson dropped the ball before he crossed the goal line, creating a...um...teaching moment for Nick Saban and another exasperating moment on a Saturday for yours truly.
The object of the sport is scoring points! Protect the ball until you have definitely scored! And then drop the ball!
I am begging you!
Encore of the Week: New Mexico State Crushes Auburn
The biggest reason we created Weekly Awards is so any team in any conference could be highlighted. Last week, I highlighted New Mexico State, because I wanted to ensure the Aggies would be recognized for a fantastic season that includes a trip to the Conference USA title game. They weren't done, though. NMSU demanded a second mention with an emphatic 31-10 upset at Auburn, earning the first win over an SEC team in program history.
Box Score of the Week: Arkansas State's Massive Win
My favorite part of ASU's 77-31 triumph? Texas State outgained the Red Wolves 539-487! There's a simple reason for it, though: Arkansas State scored four non-offensive touchdowns, including two pick-sixes, one kick return and one punt return. Ja'Quez Cross ran back that kickoff and scored three times as a running back, finishing with 320 all-purpose yards to help ASU earn bowl eligibility.
Golf Clap of the Week: Georgia Makes History
If you're not a fan, I understand if you're tired of Georgia's dominance—like others were with the NFL's New England Patriots or NBA's Golden State Warriors, for example. But the Dawgs' excellence should be celebrated, too. Georgia cruised to a 38-10 win over Tennessee and became the first SEC program to finish 8-0 in conference play in three straight years.
