2021 · Week 5 COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 5
Quote of the week “Those are the moments that you come to a school like this for, and those are the moments that the big players rise up in, and great teams win in those moments.” - Oklahoma wide receiver Mike Woods on the game-winning drive to defeat West Virginia
TEAM TO WATCH:
Baylor
Before Saturday, Baylor had lost 15 consecutive games against ranked opponents. That drought came to an end when the Bears defeated then No. 14 Iowa State 31-29, dropping the Cyclones out of the Top 25 and moving into the rankings at No. 21. Iowa State couldn’t hold off Baylor early in the game. Bears QB Gerry Bohanon rushed for one touchdown and threw for two more in the first half. Bears RB Trestan Ebner dealt a big blow to Iowa State in the third quarter with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Two fourth-quarter interceptions by the Bears, including a last second interception on a two-point conversion attempt, sealed the game. The Bears will have a big opportunity this weekend when they face No. 19 Oklahoma State in a key Big 12 matchup. Both are undefeated and were unranked before this week. The two will be eager to prove they belong in the Top 25 when they faceoff on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 4 p.m. (AZ Time) on ESPN2.
TEAM OF THE WEEK:
Arkansas
The Razorbacks staged an upset of then No. 7 Texas A&M. Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson threw two touchdowns – an 85-yarder to WR Treylon Burks and a 48-yarder to RB AJ Green – to end the first quarter and start the second. The Razorbacks defense took over from there, almost holding the Aggies scoreless heading into halftime. The Razorbacks played most of the second half without Jefferson, who exited the game with an injury. They were able to keep Texas A&M at bay, despite a 67-yard touchdown run in the third quarter by Aggies RB Isaiah Spiller. Arkansas won the game, 20-10. The No. 8 ranked Razorbacks will now face No. 2 Georgia, which hosts ESPN College GameDay in Athens. The game will air on ESPN on Oct. 2 with kickoff set for 9 a.m. (AZ Time).
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 5
games of the week #14 MICHIGAN AT WISCONSIN 10.2 | 9:00 AM | FOX
#7 CINCINNATI AT #9 NOTRE DAME 10.2 | 11:30 AM | NBC
AP Week 5 Rankings 1. ALABAMA
6. OKLAHOMA
2. GEORGIA
7. CINCINNATI
3. OREGON
8. ARKANSAS
4. PENN STATE
9. NOTRE DAME
5. IOWA
10. FLORIDA
For the full AP Top 25 Rankings, click here.
#12 OLE MISS AT #1 ALABAMA
game of the week
10.2 | 12:30 PM | CBS
#8 ARKANSAS AT #2 GEORGIA The No. 2 Bulldogs are 18.5-point favorites at home against the No. 8 Razorbacks, with the over/under opened at 49 points.
#21 BAYLOR AT #19 OKLAHOMA STATE 10.2 | 4:00 PM | ESPN 2
Georgia is bringing one of the best defenses in the country into this game. The Bulldogs are number one by allowing only 5.8 points per game, 181.8 yards per game and 4.6 yards per pass attempt. With the status of Arkansas’s starting QB, K.J. Jefferson, uncertain after an injury, the Razorbacks’ offense will be tested even further.
ARIZONA STATE AT #20 UCLA 10.2 | 7:30 PM | FS1
The Bulldogs will have to score themselves and Arkansas’ defense is also one to be reckoned with. It sits right behind Georgia in yards per pass attempt (4.7) and at 11th and 10th in points per game (14.5) and yards per game (267.3), respectively. Arkansas has defeated ranked opponents already, including
For a full schedule of Week Five games, click here. (All times in AZ time)
Texas and Texas A&M, and will be eager for another upset. Fiesta Bowl fans can bet online NOW with Caesars Sportsbook. Download the app today and place your bets!
2020-21 Bowl PREDICTIONS: PLAYSTATION ® FIESTA BOWL
GUARANTEED RATE BOWL
ESPN Bonagura – Ohio State vs. Cincinnati
ESPN Bonagura – Iowa State vs. Purdue
ESPN Schlabach – Ohio State vs. Cincinnati
ESPN Schlabach – TCU vs. Rutgers
CBS – Iowa vs. Cincinnati
CBS – Baylor vs. Nebraska
USA Today – Penn State vs. Cincinnati
USA Today – West Virginia vs. Purdue
Action Network – BYU vs. Cincinnati
Action Network – West Virginia vs. Indiana
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 5
SEASON TICKET MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:
LAURA TOMLINSON First year as Season Ticket Member: 2016 Why did you become a Season Ticket Member: After my husband attended a Fiesta Bowl Kickoff Luncheon that featured Lou Holtz as the keynote speaker, we decided it was time for us to become Season Ticket Members. We made a great decision!
ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT:
Justin Tucker
Many believe Justin Tucker is the kicking GOAT and it is hard to argue otherwise. The Ravens kicker is the most precise in NFL history, converting 90.6 percent of his field goal attempts. He was the fastest kicker to reach 100 field goals and 1,000 points scored. Tucker has been perfect under pressure, going 16-for-16 on field goals in the final minute of regulation. That was the case Sunday, when Tucker made
What’s your favorite Fiesta Bowl Memory: 1971, the first Fiesta Bowl pitting ASU against the Florida State Seminoles, the Scottsdale Comancheros Pop Warner Football of which I was a cheerleader, got to play following the Fiesta Bowl. It was my first experience with a big college football game and to be able to stand on the same field was truly a great memory. Dream PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl matchup: ASU vs. Clemson What is your favorite PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl game? ASU vs Penn State, 1977
NFL history with a 66-yard field goal in the final seconds to secure Baltimore’s 19-17 win over the Detroit Lions. The record-breaking kick bounced off the bottom post before it went through the uprights. Tucker was setting records even as a freshman at the University of Texas. In the 2009 Fiesta Bowl, Tucker averaged 46.8 yards on five punts, an average that is still best in Longhorns’ bowl game history. The Longhorns defeated Ohio State, 24-21.
Helmet Giveaway Be sure you follow the Guaranteed Rate Bowl on Twitter (@RateBowl) for your chance to win an authentic TCU helmet signed by Head Coach Gary Patterson! You just have to follow the Guaranteed Rate Bowl on Twitter, retweet the post and wait for the random selection. It couldn’t be easier. The Guaranteed Rate Bowl and Fiesta Bowl social media accounts will be doing giveaways all season, so be sure to follow on all platforms for your chance at one-of-a-kind prizes.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 5
MORE THAN JUST A GAME® CHARITY SPOTLIGHT:
KABOOM! PLAYGROUND BUILD Fiesta Bowl Charities, along with partners SRP and KABOOM! are building a new, innovative 2,000 square-foot playground at A New Leaf in Mesa. This will be the 10th location for a Fiesta Bowl Charities playground legacy project. Over 100 volunteers from Fiesta Bowl Charities, SRP and KABOOM! will come together to build the state-of-the-art playground for the hundreds of children that attend the East Valley After School Program at A New Leaf.
2021 MAYO CLINIC:
COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), in association with The Associated Press (AP), the Fiesta Bowl Organization and Mayo Clinic, have selected three college football student-athletes— Justyn Ross, a junior wide receiver at Clemson University; Avery Samuels a sophomore offensive lineman at Stetson University; and Corey Sutton a super senior wide receiver at Appalachian State University—as nominees for the 2021 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Earlier this year, children from the surrounding community created the concept of their dream play space and shared their artwork with project organizers. The drawings were used as inspiration for the playground design. Now those dreams are becoming a reality. Volunteers are still needed for this event from October 6-8. VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES CAN BE FOUND AT FIESTABOWL.ORG/VOLUNTEER
The previously announced nominees are: Terrel Bernard (LB, Baylor); Yohance Burnett (LB, Tulsa); Jack Coan (QB, Notre Dame); Aidan Hutchinson (DE, Michigan); Brian Kearns, Jr (RB, Stonehill College); and John Mitchell (TE, Florida Atlantic). In December, three of the 30 nominees will be chosen as winners of the Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award and will be recognized at a special ceremony during the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl on Saturday, January 1, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 5
JA NUA RY 1 , 2022
DE CE M B E R 28, 2021
F I E S TA B O W L . O R G /FIESTABOWL
@FIESTA_BOWL
GUARANTEEDRATEBOWL
@RATEBOWL
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 5