Dawgs Mollywhopped Rebs, Bama Plays Pissed Off, Notre Dame Gets Signature Win

Dawgbone Jr's Weekend Observations: Born barkin', raised on Kirby's domination of rivals, and fueled by SEC and National championships - Dawgbone Jr recaps the weekend's biggest games all season long.

Dawgs Mollywhopped Rebs, Bama Plays Pissed Off, Notre Dame Gets Signature Win

#9 BYU 20, #3 Utah 28

In the biggest Holy War of all time, the Utes got the job done in a game full of momentum swings. BYU lost this one themselves. QB Bear Bachmeier had a horrendous night, throwing four interceptions, all of them straight to the defense. He also threw several passes that Utah defenders dropped. Bachmeier has been great during his time at BYU, but he cost his team the game. The Utes offense struggled at times, but it also had moments where it looked incredible. QB Devon Dampier did not do much through the air, but he was tough to stop on the ground, rushing for 89 yards and two touchdowns. He has been a weapon in the run game all year. Head coach Morgan Scalley has done an incredible job in his first year, and he has the Utes eyeing a Big 12 title and a spot in the CFP.

#7 Texas 34, #18 Missouri 20

Even though the refs slightly helped the Longhorns all day, they were still the better team, and they continue to play great against top 25 opponents. Missouri has had lots of success running the ball this year, but Texas did a great job shutting that down. The Tigers rushed for just 84 yards and averaged 3.5 yards per carry. Texas did not do much on the ground either, so the game was in the hands of the quarterbacks. Arch Manning has had a rough year, but he played one of his best games. He threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns, and most importantly, zero interceptions. Manning has given the ball away too many times this year, but he was safe with it on Saturday, which is the reason Texas won. In the past, head coach Steve Sarkisian has struggled in big games, but his team has played its best football this year in ranked matchups.

#5 Alabama 31, #14 LSU 13

All week, Bama was told how overrated they are and that they shouldn’t be ranked so high. The Tide definitely played pissed off because of all the outside noise, and they dominated LSU late. LSU moved the ball down the field a lot, but the Bama defense would not break. Every time the Tigers looked like they were about to score, the Tide’s defense boxed them up. LSU also could not run the ball at all, so it was all on QB Sam Leavitt, which is a recipe for disaster. Bama couldn’t run the ball either, but QB Keelon Russell was on fire. In the last 18 minutes of the game, Russell threw three touchdowns and put the dagger in LSU himself. Tennessee still 100 percent deserves to be ranked ahead of Bama, but the Tide looked like a top five team in Baton Rouge. For LSU, they still could make the playoffs at 9-3, but there is no way they win out because they just aren’t that good.

#23 Oregon 41, #12 Ohio State 28

This was by far the most shocking result of the day, made even more shocking by the fact that the Buckeyes jumped out to a 14-0 lead. Ohio State looked like they were about to get a monster bounce-back win, but once Oregon ran a fake punt, it was all downhill. The fake punt was a theme for the Ducks, who played aggressively all night. At the end of the first half, they had two seconds left on the two-yard line, and instead of kicking a field goal, they called a ballsy QB sneak with their TE, and it worked perfectly. QB Dylan Raiola has had some ups and downs this year with the Ducks, and this week was a major up. He threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns. The Oregon defense was suffocating and completely shut down Jeremiah Smith until garbage time. The Ducks also made the Buckeyes young QB throw the ball 50 times, which is not something a young QB should have to do. With this loss, Ohio State is eliminated from playoff contention, and Buckeye fans are starting to get tired of Ryan Day.

#1 Miami 24, #11 Notre Dame 31

After the committee dropped the Fighting Irish to #11 on Tuesday, they needed to win this game. Marcus Freeman has struggled in big games in the past, so there was some concern heading in, but Notre Dame played an incredible game. QB CJ Carr played probably the best game of his college career, going 29/40 for 319 yards and three touchdowns. WRs Micah Gilbert and Jordan Faison gave Miami’s defense problems all night, combining for three receiving touchdowns. Fun fact: Faison is a former walk-on and he won a national championship in lacrosse with Notre Dame in 2024. Miami QB Darian Mensah struggled without top receiver Malachi Toney, but he played great down the stretch during Miami’s comeback attempt. His two top targets, TE Elija Lofton and WR Cooper Barkate, were unstoppable in the second half, except for one play. Miami might have gotten screwed on the fourth-down throw to Lofton in the end zone that would have tied the game, but the refs have helped them all year, so they had it coming.

#2 Dawgs 42, #10 Ole Miss 7

Last year’s Sugar Bowl loss was one of the most heartbreaking losses in recent UGA history, so it was sweet to get revenge on Saturday. The Dawgs did not just win, they took the soul out of Ole Miss right from the start. Mike Bobo and the offense were ultra efficient. Gunner Stockton had struggled over the past couple of games, but he played great against the Rebels defense, throwing for 186 yards, running for 28, and accounting for five touchdowns. The run game was on fire as well, with Nate Frazier rushing for over 100 yards. WR Talyn Taylor had one heck of a night, catching just four passes but scoring three touchdowns and totaling 140 receiving yards. The defense completely shut down a QB who gave them nightmares last year. Trinidad Chambliss threw for only 170 yards and finally threw an interception against the Georgia defense. He was never sacked in the two games last year, but he went down five times Saturday night. The Rebels also had zero chance of a positive gain when they ran the ball. Each week the loss to Auburn looks more shocking, but it made this team better. Go Dawgs!!!

Other Thoughts

Kentucky is a massive fraud.
Tennessee will make the playoffs and might make the SEC title game.
This year’s UCLA is 2024 Indiana.
QB Thomas Castellanos has made Texas Tech’s offense look unstoppable.
LaNorris Sellers has been playing like a Heisman contender recently.
I would not be surprised if Wake Forest won the ACC.
Florida needs to get a QB from the portal for next year.

Week 11 Game Predictions (9-5 last week)

Illinois 21, UCLA 23
Northwestern 17, Ohio State 27
Wake Forest 38, SMU 28
Missouri 17, Dawgs 31
USC 17, Indiana 24
Texas Tech 45, Oklahoma State 48
Tennessee 23, Texas A&M 13
Ole Miss 27, Oklahoma 23
Florida 20, Kentucky 21
Texas 28, LSU 27
Utah 28, Arizona 31

Dawgbone Jr (aka Bennett Wiggins)