Bama Silences the Cowbells, Gators Get Humbled, Jeremiah Smith Is the GOAT WR

Dawgbone Jr's Weekend Observations: Born barkin', raised on Kirby's domination of rivals, and fueled by SEC and National championships - Dawgbone Jr recaps the weekend's biggest games all season long.

Bama Silences the Cowbells, Gators Get Humbled, Jeremiah Smith Is the GOAT WR

#7 Alabama 56, #16 Mississippi State 23

This QB battle was highly anticipated, but Alabama's Keelon Russell got the best of Kamario Taylor. The Crimson Tide offense is a wagon. Alabama could not run the ball at all last season, and they have completely fixed that in the offseason. The Tide ran for 179 yards, averaged 4.8 yards per carry, and scored four rushing touchdowns. Russell carved up the Bulldogs defense, throwing for 285 yards and accounting for four total touchdowns. Even in his first year as a starter, he looks like the best QB in the SEC and is already among the top Heisman favorites. This was about the worst possible day for Mississippi State. Not only did they get blown out, but Taylor and RB Fluff Bothwell both left the game injured. The two have been the core of the Bulldogs' offense this season, so Mississippi State needs them back as soon as possible. Through five games, this Alabama team looks far better than any of the others Kalen DeBoer has had in Tuscaloosa. The offense looks unstoppable, and the defense keeps getting much better as the season goes on.

Vanderbilt 14, #2 Georgia 38

It's not crazy to say Vanderbilt is the best team the Dawgs have faced so far this season, and this was the first time Georgia dealt with real adversity. With Jared Curtis out, QB Blaze Berlowitz came in and gave the Georgia defense some trouble. He ran the ball very well and made some great throws on the move. WR Junior Sherrill also gave the Dawgs' secondary problems all game. He did the same to SEC teams all of last year, and he continues to look like one of the best receivers in the conference. Vandy is the kind of team that could ruin someone's season in the SEC. For the Dawgs, there were more struggles than in any other game this year, but there were also things that looked great. QB Gunner Stockton went 25/32 for 295 yards and three touchdowns, including an incredible deep ball to WR Landon Roldan. It was one of the best games of Gunner’s career. Georgia did not run the ball much in the first half but started running it, and running it better, in the second half. It was also nice to see Nate Frazier back on the field for a few plays. The defense definitely had some struggles but was still too much for the Commodores' offense. Chris Cole continues to look like a freak athlete, and he will have a long and successful career in the NFL. The secondary got beat several times because of busted coverages and bad plays, but Ellis Robinson came up with what might be the interception of the season in college football. Next week will be an extremely tough game, and the Dawgs will need their A+ game if they want to beat the Tide in Tuscaloosa.

Dawgbones of the Week (Top Players of the Week)

QB Gunner Stockton: 25/32, 295 yards, 3 TDs
RB Dwight Phillips Jr.: 102 total yards, 1 TD
WR Landon Roldan: 2 catches, 57 yards, 1 TD
LB Chris Cole: 2 TFL
DL Jordan Hall: blocked field goal, 1 TFL
CB Ellis Robinson IV: 1 PD, 1 INT

#5 Ohio State 31, #14 Iowa 14

Iowa had a lot of hype after last week's miracle win over Michigan, but the Buckeyes were just too much for the Hawkeyes to handle. Once again, QB Julian Sayin had a very efficient day, going 20/27 for 324 yards and three touchdowns. But he was not the star. WR Jeremiah Smith is not only the greatest receiver in college football history, he's one of the greatest college football players of all time, and if he doesn't win the Heisman this year, he got robbed. Smith caught 11 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns. He is now first in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns in Ohio State history. People still wonder why Ohio State is the national title favorite. Jeremiah Smith is the reason. There is not a corner in college football who can keep up with him, and plenty of NFL corners probably couldn't either. Even with Smith going nuclear, the Iowa defense didn't play badly, but the offense gave them no help. The Hawkeyes have never had a solid passing attack, so the run game had to be good if they wanted to compete with the Buckeyes. Instead, they ran for 39 yards and averaged 1.9 yards per carry. The Ohio State run defense has been poor so far this year, but it was up to the task on Saturday. Iowa is the same old Iowa, and Ohio State is miles ahead of every other team in the Big Ten.

#8 Florida 17, #25 Missouri 45

This was by far the most shocking result of the week, as Florida got absolutely stomped by Eli Drinkwitz and the Mizzou Tigers. The Gators came in as the best rushing offense in the country. They ran all over Auburn and Ole Miss, and Jaden Baugh looked like the best RB in the country. Meanwhile, Mizzou had struggled to stop Mississippi State's rushing attack. Everything pointed to Florida running wild on the Tigers' defense, but that was not the case at all. The Gators ran for just 42 yards, and Baugh had 12 carries for 13 yards. Missouri's defensive line played pissed off and gave the Florida O-line hell. QB Aaron Philo was asked to do a whole lot and was not used to it at all. On the other side, Mizzou QB Austin Simmons was playing unconscious, going 23/30 for 340 yards and two touchdowns. WRs Cayden Lee and Donovan Olugbode combined for 204 receiving yards, and RB Jamal Roberts ran for 211 yards and three touchdowns. The Gators clearly have some of the same issues we saw under Napier. Jon Sumrall is definitely the right guy for Florida, but he might not have immediate success the way Curt Cignetti did. For Mizzou, this is by far the biggest win of the Drinkwitz era, and if they can play like this more often, they will be a very dangerous team in the SEC.

#4 Miami 41, Clemson 13

For the second time this year, Dabo Swinney and Clemson got embarrassed in primetime on national TV. The Clemson defense fought for its life on Saturday, but the offense gave it no chance. True freshman QB Tait Reynolds threw the ball 44 times, which is a recipe for disaster. The Tigers had zero success running the ball and were constantly crushed up front by Miami's defensive line. Hiring OC Chad Morris was a terrible decision by Dabo for this Clemson team. Miami's offense was banged up but still had success against a good Clemson defense. QB Darian Mensah took a lot of hits but kept throwing dots. WR Malachi Toney looked hurt as well, but other receivers stepped up. The Hurricanes' run game picked up solid five-yard gains all game and wore down the Clemson defense. Miami needs to get healthy, but they are a very balanced football team.

Other Thoughts

CJ Carr is going to be a solid NFL QB.
Bryce Underwood is one of the worst QBs in college football.
Auburn's offense sucks.
Tennessee has found its run game and may have found a new QB.
South Carolina is just like the Atlanta Falcons, constantly choking away games.
Texas Tech and BYU are overrated, and Oklahoma State is winning the Big 12.
USC beat a horrible Washington team.
DJ Lagway played the best game of his career against ASU.

Week 6 Game Predictions (5-1 last week)

Iowa 20, Washington 17
Indiana 38, Nebraska 21
Texas A&M 24, Missouri 31
South Carolina 20, Florida 41
Texas 24, Oklahoma 9
Ole Miss 34, Vanderbilt 24
UCLA 28, Oregon 35
LSU 24, Kentucky 27
USC 20, Penn State 23
Georgia 30, Alabama 28

Dawgbone Jr (aka Bennett Wiggins)