WEEK 5 // 2024
QUOTE OF THE WEEK QUOTE THE WEEK
“We like to say ‘grind the meat’ and we were just grinding meat the whole time, killing clock and getting down there.”
- Michigan running back Kalel Mullings after running for 80 yards on the Wolverines’ game-winning drive to defeat USC, 27-24
TEAM TO WATCH
tennessee
No. 5 Tennessee moved up a spot in the AP rankings after a huge 25-15 road win at Oklahoma. Tennessee flexed its defensive muscles in its Southeastern Conference opening victory, limiting then No. 15 Oklahoma to only 222 total yards.
The Vols have now held each of their last five opponents to under 250 yards total offense, dating back to their Citrus Bowl win over Iowa in January. The Vols forced three first-half turnovers and held the Sooners to -4 yards between the second and third quarters. Linebacker Arion Carter led the charge defensively, recording six tackles, including one for loss, and a pass breakup.
The win carried extra meaning for Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel, who is the last Oklahoma quarterback to win a national title.
After a week off, the 4-0 Volunteers continue SEC play on the road at Arkansas on Saturday, October 5.
TEAM of the week
BYU advanced to 4-0 on the season and 1-0 in the Big 12 Conference with a historic 38-9 victory over No. 13 Kansas State Saturday night. BYU’s 29-point win is the largest margin of victory over a top-15 ranked team in program history.
BYU’s defense forced three consecutive Kansas State turnovers bridging the second and third quarters. Each resulted in a Cougars touchdown as BYU blew the game open with 31 unanswered points in a 6:25 stretch of game time. The Cougars defense held the Wildcats without a touchdown in a game for the first time since 2020.
Parker Kingston’s 90-yard highlight-reel punt return touchdown gave BYU special teams touchdown returns in back-to-back weeks for the first time since 1996.
Fresh off moving into the AP Top 25 at No. 22, the Cougars travel to Baylor this Saturday, September 27, for another Big 12 matchup. Kickoff is set for 9:00 a.m. PHX on FS1.
GAMES Watch to
For a full schedule of Week 5 games, click here. (All times in PHX)
GAME OF THE WEEK
#2 GEORGIA AT #4 ALABAMA
One of the most anticipated matchups of the entire season will pit two top contenders to win the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff this year and winners of five of the last nine national championships. This Saturday, No. 2 Georgia travels to Tuscaloosa to take on No. 4 Alabama.
Georgia went 12-0 in the regular season last year but its 27-24 SEC Championship Game loss to Alabama advanced the Crimson Tide to the Playoff and left the two-time defending national champion Bulldogs out, ending their chances of a three-peat.
Georgia is averaging 31.7 points per game and is the only team in the country that has not allowed a touchdown yet. The Bulldogs defense will face a tall task against an Alabama offense averaging 49 points per game.
The 4:30 p.m. PHX game on ABC will also feature two of the nation’s top quarterbacks in Georgia’s Carson Beck and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe.
highlight alumni
notable performances andy dalton
The Carolina Panthers earned their first win of the season defeating the Las Vegas Raiders, 36-22, behind veteran Andy Dalton. Dalton made his first start of the season and engineered an effective Panthers offense with 437 total yards while producing the team’s second highest point total in the past five seasons.
Dalton completed 26-of-37 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns, connecting with Diontae Johnson, Adam Thielen and Chuba Hubbard on touchdown passes. The 14-year veteran became the first NFL quarterback this season to throw for at least 300 yards with three touchdowns.
In 2010 when Dalton was commanding TCU’s offense, he completed 25-of-44 passes for 272 yards and one touchdown in the Fiesta Bowl. He became TCU’s all-time passing leader with 7,396 career yards following his performance against Boise State.
Dalton will look to lead Carolina to a second straight win, hosting Cincinnati on Sunday, September 29, at 10 a.m. PHX on FOX.
alonza barnett IIIjames madison university
Alonza Barnett III set a James Madison single-game program record with seven total touchdowns in a 70-50 victory over North Carolina. The victory was James Madison’s first over North Carolina in four all-time meetings.
Barnett III was 22-of-34 for 388 yards and five passing touchdowns, and he ran 13 times for 99 yards and two touchdowns. JMU lit up the scoreboard early, scoring a school-record 53 points in the first half alone. The 70 points scored matched the most UNC has ever given up in a game.
Barnett III was named AP National Player of the Week and became the first JMU player to garner Walter Camp National FBS Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Cam ward - miami
Cam Ward threw for 404 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the 13th player in NCAA history to surpass 15,000 career passing yards while leading the Mami Hurricanes to a 50-15 victory over South Florida.
No. 7 Miami improved to 4-0 on the season. A week after Ward threw for five touchdowns and Miami amassed a school-record 750 yards total offense in a 62-0 win over Ball State, his three touchdown passes against USF raised his season total to an FBS-leading 14.
Ward, in his first season at Miami following two seasons at Washington State, also ranks second nationally with 1,439 passing yards.
big news
The Guaranteed Rate Bowl will once again feature Bowl Season’s only Big Ten vs. Big 12 matchup at a new afternoon time of 3:30 pm on Thursday, December 26. As we eagerly await kickoff in downtown Phoenix, we’re bringing you weekly game highlights, player reports and other updates from the two conferences. Here’s the BIG news for Week 5:
BIG TEN BIG 12
• Ohio State’s No. 3 ranking leads six teams in the AP Top 25, including No. 8 Oregon, No. 9 Penn State, No. 12 Michigan, No. 13 USC and No. 19 Illinois
• Week 5 features a full slate of Big Ten Conference games for the first time this season, including conference openers for Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers and Wisconsin, plus the Big Ten debut for Oregon and first Big Ten home game for USC
• Of the 26 teams who remain undefeated, six reside in the Big Ten: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State and Rutgers
• A pair of Big Ten games went down to the wire last week, as Illinois topped Nebraska in overtime, while Michigan bested USC on a game-winning touchdown in the final minute
• Illinois’ Luke Altmyer and Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson shared Offensive Player of the Week honors. Altmyer went 21-for-27 for 215 yards passing and four touchdowns, as the Illini improved to 4-0 for the first time since 1951. Johnson recorded a career-high 206 yards on 21 rushes with a careerhigh three touchdowns in Iowa’s road win at Minnesota
• Five Big 12 teams are ranked in this week’s AP Top 25. Leading once again is No. 10 Utah, followed by No. 18 Iowa State, No. 20 Oklahoma State, No. 22 BYU and No. 23 Kansas State. It’s the fourth time in five polls this season that five Big 12 programs have been ranked
• Big 12 programs are 14-4 overall this season when ranked in the Top 25
• Four of six Week 4 Big 12 games were decided by one score, the most one-score games of any conference
• Colorado’s Travis Hunter is one of only two FBS players in the country to surpass 100 yards receiving in four different games this season
• Oklahoma State’s Trey Rucker leads the Power Four in total tackles with 53. Four other Big 12 defenders join Rucker in the top 12, including Matt Jones and Keaton Thomas (Baylor), Nick Martin (Oklahoma State) and Myles Rowser (Arizona State)
• BYU has held two Power 4 opponents without a touchdown this season, joining Georgia as the only teams to accomplish the feat twice
news in the foundation news in the foundation
2005 Fiesta Bowl MVP Alex Smith to be Inducted into College Football Hall of Fame
The trajectory around Alex Smith and the Utah football program changed dramatically following the Utes’ perfect season that ended with a Fiesta Bowl victory in 2004-05. While the Utes have since transitioned from the Mountain West to the Pac-12 to the Big 12, Smith went from lightly recruited quarterback to Heisman Trophy finalist to the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Smith, the 2005 Fiesta Bowl Co-Offensive Most Valuable Player, will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December, becoming the first Utes student-athlete and second-ever inductee.
To read more about Smith and the 2004-05 Utah football team, click here.
CHARITy spotlight
PALO VERDE FIESTA BOWL CHARITIES WISHES FOR TEACHERS
After a record-breaking season in 2023, the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers program returns this fall to deliver $1.25 million straight into Arizona classrooms. In Arizona’s most robust teacher support program, 500 teachers will receive $2,500 each for the second consecutive year as the program enters its ninth year overall.
All Arizona K-12 public and charter school teachers, staff and coaches are eligible to receive much-deserved funding for their classrooms. The application process is simple, requiring only a few minutes to fill out how a teacher will use a $2,500 wish to help fill a need for students. Accessible through WishesForTeachers.org, the application is open through next Monday, September 30, at 10 p.m.
CFP QUARTERFINAL AT THE Vrbo FIESTA BOWL
DECEMBER 31, 2024 | 5:30 PM GUARANTEED RATE BOWL
DECEMBER 26, 2024 | 3:30 PM