2021 · Week 9 COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 9
Quote of the week “I completely hate candy corn. Gummy bears for sure but it’s got to be the Haribo ones.” - Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach when asked his favorite Halloween candy
TEAM TO WATCH:
Ole Miss
After a decisive 31-17 win over LSU, Ole Miss entered the AP’s Top 10 for the first time since 2015. The Rebels’ outstanding defense and rushing attack ensured their victory. LSU took an early 7-0 lead and almost made it 14-0 when Ole Miss freshman cornerback Tysheen Johnson intercepted a fourth-down pass on the Rebels’ one-yard line to end the first quarter. From there, Ole Miss scored 31 unanswered points.
TEAM OF THE WEEK:
Rebels running backs Snoop Conner, Jerrion Ealy and Henry Parrish led the offense with a combined 272 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries. QB Matt Corral contributed to the offense, completing 18-of-23 passes for 185 yards and one touchdown.
Illinois
Second in the SEC West with only a loss to Alabama, Ole Miss is determined to stay in top CFP New Year’s Six consideration. Its next big challenge will be against No. 18 Auburn on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 4:00 p.m. (AZ Time) on ESPN.
The defense dominated in this low scoring game. The two teams scored only one touchdown and one field goal during 60 minutes of regulation time. Overall, Illinois held Penn State to 227 yards.
The Fighting Illini went the distance on Saturday, defeating then-No. 8 Penn State 20-18 after a recordingsetting nine overtimes.
Both teams exchanged field goals in the first and second overtimes before having to go for two points in each consecutive possession under the new NCAA rule. After five failed 2-point attempts in a row, both teams scored in the eighth overtime. Then, the longest football game in college football history ended after 4 hours and 10 minutes when Illinois broke up a pass from Penn State QB Sean Clifford and scored the game winning conversion with a pass from backup QB Brandon Peters to WR Casey Washington. With the win, Illinois knocked Penn State to No. 20 in the rankings. The Fighting Illini will now host Rutgers on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. (AZ Time) on the Big Ten Network.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 9
games of the week #9 IOWA AT WISCONSIN 10.30 | 9:00 AM | ESPN
TEXAS AT #16 BAYLOR
1. GEORGIA
6. MICHIGAN
2. CINCINNATI
7. OREGON
3. ALABAMA
8. MICHIGAN STATE
4. OKLAHOMA
9. IOWA
5. OHIO STATE
10. OLE MISS
For the full AP Top 25 Rankings, click here.
10.30 | 9:00 AM | ABC
#1 GEORGIA FLORIDA
AP Week 9 Rankings
AT
game of the week
10.30 | 12:30 PM | CBS
#6 MICHIGAN AT #8 MICHIGAN STATE This rivalry matchup between No. 6 Michigan and No. 8 Michigan State will end with one team receiving its first loss of the season. Michigan is favored to win by 4.5 points but Michigan State has the home field at Spartan Stadium. The over/under opened at 51.
#10 OLE MISS AT #18 AUBURN 10.30 | 4:00 PM | ESPN
#20 PENN STATE #5 OHIO STATE
AT
10.30 | 4:30 PM | ABC For a full schedule of Week Nine games, click here. (All times in AZ time)
The in-state showdown is Michigan’s first crack at a ranked opponent this season. The Spartans took down then-No. 24 Miami back in week three. Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh believes both teams are going into this matchup with an “elimination mindset.” Whichever team wins will advance in the rankings and College Football Playoff contention. The Wolverines and Spartans will battle it out on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. (AZ Time) on FOX.
2021-22 Bowl PREDICTIONS: PLAYSTATION ® FIESTA BOWL
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ESPN Bonagura – Pittsburgh vs. Texas-San Antonio
ESPN Bonagura – Texas Tech vs. Maryland
ESPN Schlabach – Pittsburgh vs. Notre Dame
ESPN Schlabach – Texas Tech vs. Maryland
CBS – Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh
CBS – West Virginia vs. Indiana
USA Today – Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh
USA Today – Wyoming vs. Maryland
Action Network – Ole Miss vs. Cincinnati
Action Network – Kansas State vs. Maryland
The Athletic – Michigan vs. Kentucky
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 9
SEASON TICKET MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:
TINAMARIE BARRAZA First year as Season Ticket Member: 2020 Why did you become a Season Ticket Member: We love collegiate football and the Fiesta Bowl is well recognized. What’s more, the Fiesta Bowl organization helps our community and the work they do is so appreciated. What’s your favorite Fiesta Bowl Memory: Watching my alma mater, University of Arizona, play Boise in 2014. I was not happy that my team lost but the anticipation and environment of the game was so exciting.
ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT:
Brock Purdy
The defending PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl champions picked up a big Big 12 Conference win thanks to the offensive effort of Gilbert Perry graduate Brock Purdy. Unranked Iowa State defeated then-No. 8 Oklahoma State, 24-21, and re-entered the Top 25 at No. 22.
Who is your favorite college football team? Louisiana State University (LSU) Dream PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl matchup: LSU vs. Clemson
Purdy completed 27-of-33 pass attempts and threw for 307 yards with two touchdowns. It was his first 300-yard passing game this season. Calm and collected, Purdy’s leadership helped the Cyclones answer every Oklahoma State touchdown with one of their own and, at the end of the game, only a field goal set the two teams apart. For his performance, Purdy was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week. Last year, Purdy was named Offensive Player of the Game after he led Iowa State to victory over Oregon during the 50th Annual PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl. Purdy went 20-of-29 passing for 156 yards and a touchdown. He also tacked on a rushing touchdown with 39 total rush yards.
Football Feature It will be the 28th straight meeting as Big Ten rivals when No. 5 Ohio State plays host to No. 20 Penn State this Saturday in Columbus. Prior to 1993, the two football powers only met eight times despite their campuses being located less than 350 miles apart. The last non-conference matchup was in 1980 and proved to be the most memorable as it was the Fiesta Bowl’s 10th annual game and was the first time the Bowl hosted a team from the Big Ten Conference. Read More
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 9
CHARITY SPOTLIGHT:
A NEW LEAF / KABOOM! On Monday, October 11, the children of A New Leaf’s East Valley After School Program arrived at their Mesa location to find a brand new, state-of-the art playground. What started off as a small grassy connector between buildings became a shining red and gold play space - with two climbing walls, two wavy bridges and two slides - thanks to help from KABOOM!, the efforts of more than one hundred volunteers and funding from Fiesta Bowl Charities and Salt River Project (SRP). At the East Valley After School Program, A New Leaf provides a safe space for children to learn positive coping skills and move past personal challenges, which is one of the reasons why the location was chosen for a KABOOM! build. KABOOM! works nationally to bring safe play spaces to children who may not otherwise have access to them, uniting communities through volunteerism along the way. To read more about the new playground and the lifechanging work done by KABOOM! and A New Leaf, click here!
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT:
GOLF NOW
BIG NEWS The Guaranteed Rate Bowl features Bowl Season’s only Big Ten vs. Big 12 matchup. As we eagerly await the Dec. 28 kickoff, we’re bringing you weekly game highlights, player reports and other updates from the two conferences. Here’s the BIG news from week eight:
BIG TEN • No. 5 Ohio State leads the nation in total offense (559.7 ypg) and has scored more than 50 points in its last four games. On defense, the Buckeyes have only allowed six touchdowns in their last four games and have not allowed a rushing touchdown since week two • Five Big Ten teams appear in the Top 25 this week – No. 5 Ohio State, No. 6 Michigan, No. 8 Michigan State, No. 9 Iowa, No. 20 Penn State • Illinois RB Chase Brown was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 223 yards, the most rushing yards ever by a player in a game at Beaver Stadium • Wisconsin upset then-No. 25 Purdue 30-13. Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Leo Chenal led the Badgers defense with nine tackles. His career high sacks (3.5) and tackles for loss (5.5) were the most recorded in a single game by any Big Ten player this season.
BIG 12 • No. 4 Oklahoma’s nation-leading win streak remains unbroken at 17 games after the Sooners defeated Kansas 35-23 • Four Big 12 teams appear in the Top 25 this week – No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 15 Oklahoma State, No. 16 Baylor, No. 22 Iowa State • Iowa State DE Will McDonald IV joins Brock Purdy as a Big 12 Player of the Week on the defensive side. McDonald was credited with five tackles in the Cyclones’ upset over OSU, including back-to-back sacks in the fourth-quarter. McDonald now has 25.0 career sacks, only one shy of the school record • Baylor LB Dillon Doyle is the first player in program history to record a rushing TD, a receiving TD and a sack in the same game
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 9
JA NUA RY 1 , 2022
DE CE M B E R 28, 2021
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2021 | WEEK 9