2022 College Football Insider Week 7

Quote of the week

TEAM TO WATCH: Texas

Texas’ 49-0 throttling of Oklahoma—and Big 12 Newcomer of the Week Quinn Ewers’ performance— raises the question of whether Ewers’ injury was the only thing standing between the Longhorns and a 6-0 start. Ewers lived up to his status as the topranked quarterback of his recruiting class in his third collegiate start, throwing for 289 yards and a careerhigh four TDs. Running back Bijan Robinson, a Tucson native, posted 130 yards and two TDs. Texas’ defense earned its first shutout of OU in nearly 60 years. The Longhorns recorded two interceptions and held the Sooners to a 20% third down conversion rate. Oklahoma had just two first downs and 24 yards the second half.

With Ewers back at the helm just in time for the Longhorns’ difficult remaining schedule, we’ll soon see whether Texas is the true contender in the Big 12. Texas hosts Iowa State at 9 a.m. PHX on ABC.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: UCLA

The Bruins came out on top of last week’s Caesars Sportsbook Game of the Week, taking down Utah 42-32 to improve to 6-0 and clinch bowl eligibility. UCLA is 6-0 for the first time since 2005.

UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw his 76th career touchdown, a new school record. Running back Zach Charbonnet had a career day too, running for 198 yards to set a new personal best. The win snapped UCLA’s five-year losing streak to Utah.

Linebacker Darius Muasau was UCLA’s defensive standout as he recorded an interception and a forced fumble on Utah QB Cam Rising. Both of Muasau’s plays were turned into Bruins touchdowns.

After a bye this week, No. 11 UCLA will travel to Eugene to take on No. 12 Oregon.

“I can’t even put it into words, it just feels so good. It’s been a long time coming. Guys like [backup quarterback Trenton Bourguet] stay down, wait their turn. Big-time players show up.“

- Arizona State defensive lineman Nesta Jade Silvera on how it feels to upset No. 21 Washington

#10 PENN STATE AT #5 MICHIGAN

9:00 AM

#8 OKLAHOMA STATE AT #13 TCU

12:30 PM

ABC

#4 CLEMSON AT FLORIDA STATE

10.15

4:30 PM

ABC

#16 MISSISSIPPI STATE AT #22 KENTUCKY

10.15

4:30 PM

#7 USC AT #20 UTAH

10.15

SEC Network

the full AP Top 25 Rankings,

here

5:00 PM

FOX

For a full schedule of Week Seven games, click here . (All times in MST)

Bowl

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

SEMIFINAL AT THE VRBO FIESTA BOWL:

game of the week

#3 ALABAMA AT #6 TENNESSEE

This SEC matchup could have more playoff implications than any. Tennessee looks to snap a 15-year losing streak to Alabama to improve its stock before facing Kentucky and Georgia. Alabama could solidify itself as a CFP team with a win over its highest-ranked opponent yet— but the Tide might be without Heisman-winning quarterback Bryce Young (shoulder), who did not play last week against Texas A&M.

This will be the first time since 2016 that both teams are ranked going into the storied Third Saturday in October matchup. Kickoff at Rocky Top is at 12:30 p.m. PHX on CBS.

GUARANTEED RATE BOWL:

ESPN

Ohio State vs. Alabama Sports Illustrated

USC vs. Clemson College Football News

USA Today

Ohio State vs. Oregon

Ohio State vs. Alabama

ESPN Bonagura

ESPN Schlabach

Iowa vs. Texas Tech

Iowa vs. Kansas

College Football News – Iowa vs. Oklahoma

USA Today

Maryland vs. Oklahoma

CBS

Ohio State vs. Alabama Action Network

Ohio State vs. Georgia

CBS

Wisconsin vs. Kansas

Action Network

Wisconsin vs. Kansas State

Justin Tucker

In the 2009 Fiesta Bowl, freshman Justin Tucker (Texas) recorded a 46.8 yards per punt average, which still holds the Texas bowl game record. His record-setting didn’t end at Texas, as the Baltimore Ravens kicker holds the NFL record for the longest field goal ever made at 66 yards.

Tucker and the Ravens faced fellow Fiesta Bowl alum Joe Burrow and his Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, with Tucker responsible for 13 of the Ravens’ 19 points. Down 16-10, the Bengals scored a touchdown inside the second half’s two-minute warning to push them up 17-16. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson led a drive to set up a 43-yard FG for Tucker, which soared right through the middle of the uprights as time expired to lift the Ravens to 3-2 on the year. The Ravens take on the 4-1 Giants on Sunday at 10 a.m. PHX.

Big NEWS!

The Guaranteed Rate Bowl features Bowl Season’s only Big Ten vs. Big 12 matchup. As we eagerly await the Dec. 27 kickoff, we’re bringing you weekly game highlights, player reports, and other updates from the two conferences. Here’s the BIG news for week seven:

Big Ten Big 12

•

The Big Ten has four teams in the AP Top 25 heading into week six: No. 2 Ohio State, No. 5 Michigan, No.10 Penn State and No. 24 Illinois. Purdue, Minnesota and Maryland also received votes.

• Of the 15 FBS teams that remain undefeated, three are from the Big Ten: Penn State, Michigan and Ohio State.

• In Ohio State’s 49-20 win over Michigan State, quarterback C.J. Stroud tied an Ohio State record with six touchdown passes. The Buckeyes scored on their opening drive for the fifth straight game.

• Wisconsin safety Kamo’l Latu was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after recording two interceptions, including his first career pick, in the Badgers’ 42-7 win over Northwestern. Latu is the first Badger to record two interceptions in the same game since November 2021.

•

The Big 12 has five teams in the AP Top 25 this week: No. 8 Oklahoma State, No. 13 TCU, No. 17 Kansas State, No. 19 Kansas and No. 22 Texas. Baylor also received votes.

• Of the 15 FBS teams that remain undefeated, two are from the Big 12: Oklahoma State and TCU. One will go down this week as the two teams square off in Fort Worth.

• In TCU’s win at Kansas, quarterback Max Duggan found wideout Quentin Johnston 14 times for 206 yards, which is the most since 2016 by a Horned Frogs receiver. Kansas backup QB Jason Bean, who replaced an injured Jalon Daniels in the second half, became the first KU QB since Todd Reesing in 2008 to throw four TDs in a half.

• The Big 12 is one of two conferences in which at least 90% of teams have a .500 or better record. Fifty percent of teams have had a starting QB miss game time due to injury: Kansas, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas and Texas Tech.

MORE THAN JUST A GAME ®

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: JASON DE LUIGI’S CONTRIBUTIONS GO BEYOND BOX SCORE

When the Beaver County (PA) Sports Hall of Fame was ready to announce its 2020 class, the pandemic caused the ceremony to be rescheduled three times. For Fiesta Bowl Yellow Jacket Committee Member Dr. Jason De Luigi, the hall’s third inductee in the sports medicine field, it was worth the wait.

De Luigi earned a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2001. He joined the Army after medical school and was twice-awarded an Army Commendation Medal (2007, 2010) and a Bronze Star Medal (2009).

He began a sports fellowship at Georgetown University following his military service, paving the way to roles like Head Team Physician with the Washington Wizards and Medical Director and Head Team Physician with the Washington Mystics.

He moved to Arizona in 2018, where he now works for the Mayo Clinic, Phoenix Rising, and will soon serve as the Medical Director of the 2023 Waste Management Phoenix Open. He joined the Fiesta Bowl Organization in 2019, immediately impressed with the organization’s charitable impact.

“This is much more than a football game,” said De Luigi. “It is a major impact on the community. This is a terrific way for me to be part of the game but also be more part of the community.”

CHARITY SPOTLIGHT: NOTMYKID

Each year, more than 100,000 youth and adults from the Valley of the Sun receive services from notMYkid such as drug prevention, early intervention, peer and one-on-one counseling, and intensive outpatient treatment. Founded in 1999, the organization—one of 40 Fiesta Bowl Charities grant recipients for 2022-23—educates and helps families maintain positive and healthy kids.

Before the pandemic, notMYkid was only a prevention organization. Given the changing educational environment, notMYkid quickly adapted to provide much-needed mental health services for children given COVID’s lasting impact on student performance and mental health. In 2021, it opened a 13,000 square-foot campus in Scottsdale where families can receive treatment and services.

“We realized we needed to create that space to have families come to us,” said Sarah Grado, Grants and Contracts Administrator for notMYkid. “We have to offer all services because these kids are going to need [it]. We knew the healthcare system was not ready to handle this wave of adolescent mental health needs.”

With the help of the Fiesta Bowl Charities grant, notMYkid provides mental health services to children at their campus and through school programs.

“We’ve wanted to partner with Fiesta Bowl Charities for a really long time,” said Grado. “We were just waiting for the right opportunity. They are all about being active and helping and how physical health is tied to mental health.”