Elms' Essentials: Week 6

Oh boy, how about this week, huh?

I think it’s reasonable to say that there were upsets galore this week, including one particularly demoralizing one for a team that fancies themselves as national championship contenders. There were a ton of unpredictable results for a number of teams in the Top 25. There were continued struggles from some…other…teams that have underwhelmed offensively so far this year. I’m not hinting towards any team at all!

Oh well, let’s jump right in. This week was a treat to watch.

Georgia had a much-needed get-right game against Kentucky

Now there’s the Georgia we’ve come to expect over the past few years.

Following the Bulldogs’ frustrating loss last week to bitter rival Alabama, I have to imagine that they were angry and looking to impose their will over their next opponent.

Well, consider that done in their 35-14 win over the Kentucky Wildcats.

The Bulldogs’ offense was good, not great, as Gunner Stockton went 15-for-23 for 196 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, but he also posted a 92.8 QBR and made some really solid throws throughout the game. He also added 48 yards and two scores on the ground. He’s done a lot of growing up this season, and the improvement has been tremendous to see.

However, the real story of this game was the play of Georgia’s defense. They absolutely shut down Kentucky’s offense on the ground, as the Wildcats totaled just 45 rushing yards all game long. Quarterback Cutter Boley did throw for 225 yards and a couple of touchdowns, but he also threw an interception and posted a 76.9 QBR.

But the fact that Kentucky could get absolutely nothing going on the ground made the offense one-dimensional, and Boley was forced to do all he could to keep the Wildcats in the game. That one-dimensional offense becomes pretty easy to predict as a defensive coordinator, and that was part of the reason that Kentucky only managed 14 points in this game.

But for Georgia, this is a gratifying win in front of your home crowd and a nice bounce-back following the Alabama loss.

Michigan is quietly 4-1

With all the chaos that went on this week, the Michigan Wolverines took care of business against Big Ten foe Wisconsin and are a quiet 4-1.

Michigan rode a solid performance from Bryce Underwood and a relentless ground game to a 24-10 win over the Badgers. Underwood connected on 19 of his 28 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown. And his connection with Donaven McCulley is legit, as McCulley hauled in six passes for 112 yards and the aforementioned score.

However, the Wolverines’ running game was absolutely spectacular in this one. They ran all over the Wisconsin defense, and Justice Haynes continues to look like one of the best transfer portal acquisitions of the offseason, as the Alabama transfer ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.

Michigan’s defense was also incredibly solid, although Wisconsin honestly looks like they’re going nowhere fast. The Badgers are now 2-3 and winless in Big Ten play. But even though the Wolverines only won by 14, the score was not really that close, as this was a contest dominated by Michigan throughout.

And why do I call the Wolverines’ record quiet? Well, it feels like they aren’t getting much love from the national media. This team is a contender in the Big Ten and they may very well be a sleeper pick for a potential College Football Playoff berth. It’s not that crazy!

BYU needs some more national respect too

Hey, remember how good BYU was last year? Even though they didn’t quite make the College Football Playoff, it was undeniably a fantastic year under starting quarterback Jake Retzlaff.

But then, Retzlaff hit the transfer portal and was gone from the program. Game over, right? Surely a stiff regression was incoming.

Well, no one told the 2025 iteration of the BYU Cougars that, because they are now 5-0 following a home win over West Virginia.

It seems like everyone is making impacts and playing well on this roster. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier, who wears No. 47 (yes, that is actually his name, and no, I did not make up the fact that he wears that jersey number, he actually does), has played like a top quarterback in the country. He’s thrown for just over a thousand yards with seven touchdown passes and just one interception.

And the running game has gotten in on the action, too. In Friday’s win over the Mountaineers, running back LJ Martin ran for 90 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. Bachmeier added 43 yards and a score on 12 rushes.

But BYU is continuing to win games, and it doesn’t really matter all that much how they’ve had to do it. The only thing that matters in the end is the final score. And as long as they keep winning, they will be a surefire contender in the Big 12, and maybe even some College Football Playoff love as the season goes on.

Again, kind of like Michigan…it’s not *that* crazy at this point. Is it?

Arch Manning (and Texas too) might just stink

Do you think Texas fans miss Quinn Ewers and the 2024 offense yet?

I know this may be jumping the shark just a teeny tiny bit, but based on what we have seen from this Texas offense so far this season, is it even that insane to say anymore?

The fact of the matter is that Texas’ offense has flat out underwhelmed. And in their 29-21 loss to a middling Florida team, there was so much to be desired from this offense and, more specifically, from quarterback Arch Manning.

Manning went 16-for-29 for 263 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions and had a QBR of 70.5. A good number, but not anything too spectacular.

However, one aspect of this game that was even more damning for Texas was their complete lack of a running game. When Arch Manning is your leading rusher (37 yards on 15 carries), and your starting running back racked up a grand total of *checks notes* 11 yards all game, that is a problem. A large problem.

And the defense was largely carved up by DJ Lagway, a guy who had thrown five interceptions in a game just a few weeks prior. Admittedly, Lagway was pretty darn good in this one. It turns out that when a quarterback has all his top receivers across from him, good things typically happen on offense.

Lagway went 21-for-28 with 298 yards and two touchdown passes. The only real blemish was an interception about halfway through the fourth quarter, but the Longhorns offense couldn’t do anything with it.

And that, right there, was a huge reason why this game culminated in an L for Texas. The missed opportunities offensively. There were too many of them, and it ended up costing them, particularly on the final drive of the game, where it stalled out around Florida’s 40-yard-line.

The offense has too much talent to be this inconsistent. There’s a reason they’re unranked now. And that underwhelming offense is a big reason why Texas is now 3-2 with their College Football Playoff hopes on life support.

Alabama is (also quietly) one of the most consistent teams in the country

Going into the Crimson Tide’s highly-anticipated showdown with Vanderbilt in Tuscaloosa, I was kind of expecting a potential hangover following an emotionally gratifying road win over Georgia.

I guess Alabama got that message, because despite a slow start and a tied score at halftime, Alabama put their foot on Vanderbilt’s throats in the second half and came away with a 30-14 win in front of their home fans.

Ty Simpson shook off an early interception (his first of the season), and had an excellent performance from there on out. Simpson ended the game going 23-for-31 with 340 passing yards and two touchdowns, along with the one interception.

He also did a great job spreading the ball around to different receivers, as three Alabama wideouts had at least 50 receiving yards. Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard each had a touchdown reception.

For Vandy, Diego Pavia was okay, as he threw for 198 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, and he also added 58 yards on the ground. But the Commodores did virtually nothing offensively in the second half, and that was all Alabama needed to officially put this game away.

But Alabama has recovered nicely from all the bad vibes that surrounded last year’s team. Head coach Kalen DeBoer has brought in guys that he wants, not necessarily layovers from Nick Saban’s final year. Ty Simpson is playing like one of, if not the, best quarterback in the country. Yeah, folks, the Tide might be back.

Oh yeah, and there was more Kaydn Proctor offense. Remember, the offensive tackle from last week? We all love to see that!

If Alabama is getting first downs with their offensive tackles on a (somewhat) consistent basis, look out.

And last but not least…

PENN STATE?!?!?!?!?! (derogatory)

This was…wow, I mean…this was really bad. Almost indescribably bad.

Penn State was coming off a heartbreaking home loss to Oregon (during their annual “white-out” game) and were looking for a get-right game on the road against a winless UCLA team. Should normally be a smooth, painless victory, right?

Well, as we’ve all apparently learned by now, Penn State is not normal.

This may very well be the worst loss that any team has suffered so far in the 2025 college football season. The Nittany Lions lost this game 42-37 to UCLA, and it seemed like James Franklin’s club was one step behind the Bruins’ offense all game long.

Penn State’s defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who had just come over from Ohio State (the same Ohio State team that had won the national championship the year prior), proceeded to give up 446 total yards of offense (!!) to the Bruins offense. Oh, did I mention that UCLA did not have a win yet this season up to that point?

On the Nittany Lions’ side, Drew Allar was fine, as he ended up going 19-for-26 for 200 yards and two touchdowns. But the offense only really started turning it up in the second half, because at halftime, this game was 27-7 in favor of UCLA.

That’s right. 27-7.

And when Penn State found themselves in that kind of hole, it forced them to have to throw the ball all over the yard in order to get back in the game. Admittedly, they did do a pretty good job of fighting back. But clearly it wasn’t enough. Their defense continued to underperform, being torched by new Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (hey, remember him?) as Iamaleava threw for just 166 yards, but ran for 128 (!) yards and three (!!) touchdowns. He also posted a 97.4 QBR.

For all of the bad things I’ve said about Penn State’s performance in this game, the result was hanging in the balance late in the fourth quarter, but a critical fourth-down stop by the UCLA defense and a game-ending fumble by the Nittany Lions at the buzzer sealed the victory for the Bruins.

But Penn State’s College Football Playoff hopes are officially on life support. And after this result and the way that the Nittany Lions lost to one of the worst teams in the Big Ten, James Franklin needs to be fired. If not now, then absolutely at the end of the season. Because there are no guarantees for this Penn State team from this point forward.

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