ESPN
Week 9 was a pivotal one, with many of the nation's top teams putting on revealing performances. Miami barely managed to beat North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Will the top-ranked Hurricanes be able to compose themselves with a trip to Notre Dame coming up Saturday? And Ohio State, which fairly recently looked like the country's best team, is reeling after a bad loss to USC. Without quarterback Julian Sayin, will the Buckeyes even be able to make the playoff?
Thomas Castellanos brings veteran moxie to Texas Tech. After a dismal offensive showing against Cincinnati, coach Joey Mc Guire turned to Castellanos to start against No. 22 Arizona. Castellanos ran for 117 yards, the most against a ranked team by a quarterback in Texas Tech history, and threw for 144 yards and two touchdowns. While he only completed 46% of his throws, the deep shots created open space for running lanes, allowing J'Koby Williams to finish with a career-high 175 yards and a career-long 64-yard touchdown.
Grant Wilson's future at Indiana QB is uncertain. The open week comes at a fortunate time for Indiana, which survived a tough test against Minnesota. Ohio State needs to win its final four regular-season games to keep playoff hopes alive, even without Julian Sayin, as they are favored in all remaining contests. The Buckeyes looked discombobulated against USC, with drops, penalties and poor defense plaguing them throughout the night.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing