The month of November this college football season is here.
Last Saturday provided a jam-packed slate of football games, and perhaps the two biggest games involved offensive shootouts in Southern California and Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
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No. 5 Washington prevailed 52-42 over then-No. 20 USC in a high-powered game that featured five passing touchdowns between Michael Penix Jr. and Caleb Williams.
On the other side of the country, No. 8 Alabama and No. 14 LSU engaged in a shootout of their own, and the Crimson Tide took the victory 42-28. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe had four rushing touchdowns in the win.
Here are some of the top statistical performances from Week 7.
Alan Bowman, Oklahoma State
Alan Bowman didn’t have to throw for 605 yards on Saturday like he did while at Texas Tech during the 2018 season.
What he did have to do, though, was take on an Oklahoma team ranked inside the top-10 in what will be known as the final “Bedlam” game before the Sooners depart for the Southeastern Conference next season.
Bowman did more than enough, as the Cowboys thwarted Oklahoma’s comeback efforts and dealt the Sooners a 27-24 defeat, their second loss of the season.
Bowman had 334 passing yards and completed 67% of his passes. While he didn’t have a touchdown through the air, he did have a 13-yard rushing score early in the second quarter.
Oklahoma State ran for three touchdowns and 146 yards, and Stat Pack frequent running back Ollie Gordon II topped 100 rushing yards for a sixth-straight game by recording 137 yards and two touchdowns including the go-ahead score midway through the fourth quarter.
TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
Top-ranked Ohio State found itself trailing at Rutgers during halftime on Saturday, and the Scarlet Knights had already gotten a boost from their running back Kyle Monangai.
TreVeyon Henderson had opportunity to put the game on his back garnering the Buckeyes carries, and he made the most of it in as many ways as he could.
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Henderson rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown across 22 carries. It marks back-to-back weeks of at least 125 rushing yards as Henderson also had 162 yards at Wisconsin last week.
Henderson began to really heat up in the second half. As the Buckeyes saw a 9-7 deficit entering the third quarter, Henderson provided an insurance boost on a 9-yard touchdown run with 2:39 left in the third quarter.
Henderson’s second half saw runs of 27, 20, 9 and 8 yards. He also caught a team-high five receptions for 80 yards, a new career-high, as Ohio State came back to beat Rutgers 35-16.
Will Howard, Kansas State
In one of this week’s closest showdowns, No. 23 Kansas State took No. 7 Texas all the way to overtime
Wildcats quarterback Will Howard keyed together big drive after big drive to will Kansas State back into the game. The Wildcats scored 20 unanswered points to tie the game at 27 points with 12:37 left in the fourth quarter.
Howard finished 26-of-42 for 327 passing yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Three of his touchdown passes came in the second half.
Howard went 11-21 from the fourth quarter thereafter including a stretch of six-straight completions. He went 4-of-9 on the final drive of regulation that led to Kansas State kicker Chris Tennant making the game-tying field goal from 45 yards out.
Howard’s 327 passing yards are a career-best and his four passing touchdowns tied the school record.
Dillon Johnson, Washington
It was a shootout in Southern California, and the undefeated Huskies prevailed over the Trojans 52-42.
Johnson played a major part in the victory for Washington, rushing for a career-high 256 yards and four touchdowns. Johnson’s 256 rushing yards led all running backs this week.
It was the first 200-yard game or four-touchdown performance by a Washington player since the 2017 season.
Johnson took 26 of Washington’s 42 handoffs, and he averaged 9.8 yards per carry. His longest went 53 yards, and his longest touchdown run came from 52 yards midway through the second quarter.
All four of Johnson’s final carries either went for a first down or a touchdown. His final score came from the 1-yard line and gave Washington its final bit of insurance to put USC away.
Joe Milton, Tennessee
No. 17 Tennessee had homecoming last weekend, and the Volunteers did everything they could to make sure they spent the weekend on a positive note.
Tennessee defeated UConn 59-3 to win their 14th-straight home game. The Volunteers scored three defensive touchdowns, a school record.
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Quarterbacking the Volunteers was Joe Milton III, who went 11-of-14 for 254 yards and two touchdowns. Milton’s 78.6% completion is his highest in a win this season and third-best in a game this year overall.
Among Milton’s passing touchdowns came on a 60-yard heave to wide receiver Ramel Keyton. Milton now has a passing touchdown in his past 13 games, and Tennessee has won five of its past six games.
