This week in college football was labeled as "Statement Saturday" following the first College Football Playoff rankings being revealed this past week. The fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines stayed red hot in conference play, rolling to their eighth straight win, 42-7, over No. 14 Penn State. Shea Patterson threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, as the Wolverines won their past third straight game by a total score of 101-27. And those three wins are against Wisconsin, Michigan State, and now the Nittany Lions, with two of those wins coming at the Big House.
Karan Higdon stayed hot on the ground with 132 yards and a score and he has run for 100 yards in seven straight games, one shy of the program record set by Mike Hart in 2007. Patterson threw for 144 yards, as the Wolverines improved their Big Ten record to 6-0. They are looking to earn their first Big Ten Championship since 2004, their first appearance in the Big Ten Title Game, and their first ever College Football Playoff spot.
Penn State had to score with 1:59 left to avoid getting shut out for the first time since 2001 against Michigan. This win comes one season after Penn State beat Michigan, 42-13, as head coach James Franklin said of Saturday's game "defensively, they kicked our butts." The Wolverines can earn a playoff spot by winning out, and that includes against Ohio State in the season finale. But next, they will host Rutgers, while Penn State will visit Wisconsin.
In the SEC, the sixth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs bounced back from a tough loss by clinching the SEC East Division with a 34-17 win over No. 9 Kentucky. They do operate with a running back by committee, but on this day, it was all D'Andre Swift on the ground. Swift ran for 156 yards and two touchdowns on just 16 carries, helping the Bulldogs overcome their first loss a week ago. Swift's rushing yards set a personal career high, as Georgia led by as many as 25 on the road.
Elijah Holyfield also had a big game in the backfield, running for a career-high 115 yards on 18 carries, and scored on a four-yard touchdown in the third quarter. The combination of Holyfield and Swift helped Georgia total 331 rushing yards as a team, which is a season high, as they will face Alabama in the SEC Title Game. That will take place on December 1st in Atlanta, Georgia, making it a home game for the Bulldogs.
The loss for Kentucky drops them to 7-2 overall, and 5-2 in conference play, as they have been held out of the SEC Title Game since 1992. Saturday's game was the first time that their defense has allowed over 20 points all season long. They had also allowed more than 75 yards rushing from an opposing player only once, which was Trayvewon Williams of Texas A&M, who had 138 yards in an overtime win over Aggies.
Karan Higdon stayed hot on the ground with 132 yards and a score and he has run for 100 yards in seven straight games, one shy of the program record set by Mike Hart in 2007. Patterson threw for 144 yards, as the Wolverines improved their Big Ten record to 6-0. They are looking to earn their first Big Ten Championship since 2004, their first appearance in the Big Ten Title Game, and their first ever College Football Playoff spot.
Penn State had to score with 1:59 left to avoid getting shut out for the first time since 2001 against Michigan. This win comes one season after Penn State beat Michigan, 42-13, as head coach James Franklin said of Saturday's game "defensively, they kicked our butts." The Wolverines can earn a playoff spot by winning out, and that includes against Ohio State in the season finale. But next, they will host Rutgers, while Penn State will visit Wisconsin.
In the SEC, the sixth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs bounced back from a tough loss by clinching the SEC East Division with a 34-17 win over No. 9 Kentucky. They do operate with a running back by committee, but on this day, it was all D'Andre Swift on the ground. Swift ran for 156 yards and two touchdowns on just 16 carries, helping the Bulldogs overcome their first loss a week ago. Swift's rushing yards set a personal career high, as Georgia led by as many as 25 on the road.
Elijah Holyfield also had a big game in the backfield, running for a career-high 115 yards on 18 carries, and scored on a four-yard touchdown in the third quarter. The combination of Holyfield and Swift helped Georgia total 331 rushing yards as a team, which is a season high, as they will face Alabama in the SEC Title Game. That will take place on December 1st in Atlanta, Georgia, making it a home game for the Bulldogs.
The loss for Kentucky drops them to 7-2 overall, and 5-2 in conference play, as they have been held out of the SEC Title Game since 1992. Saturday's game was the first time that their defense has allowed over 20 points all season long. They had also allowed more than 75 yards rushing from an opposing player only once, which was Trayvewon Williams of Texas A&M, who had 138 yards in an overtime win over Aggies.
