Michigan vs. Everybody … except maybe Georgia, which proved it’s CFB’s best team in Week 11
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David Hale, ESPN Staff Writer
Michigan played its fourth game of the season without head coach Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh began serving his second suspension of the season after the Big Ten imposed a three-game ban for breaking sportsmanship rules against on-site scouting of opponents’ signs. And the Wolverines played, for the first time this season, against an opponent that actually seemed as if it might have a shot to win.
All of this constituted potentially seismic shifts in the Big Ten’s power structure, and yet, when the dust settled on Michigan’s 24-15 win, we were left with the same story we’ve seen all season.
Michigan won, and although the game was ostensibly close for much of the way, the Wolverines were never in real danger.
Penn State lost, and James Franklin is now 4-16 against Michigan and Ohio State in his career in Happy Valley.
Harbaugh’s future remains in doubt, but his impact was felt all the same, as Michigan’s players spent Friday on social media promising to send a message and spent Saturday on the field at Beaver Stadium emphatically punishing Penn State for perceived crimes against them levied by — well, as their beanies and T-shirts indicated, everybody.
Blake Corum and other Michigan players wearing “Michigan vs Everybody” beanies today. pic.twitter.com/SGFdyO6b7g
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) November 11, 2023
(If you’re keeping track, it’s “Michigan vs Everybody” and “Ohio State vs. the world.” We’re not entirely sure either side wants to take on the SEC, though.)
The Wolverines were relentless on offense, running the ball again and again and again — at one point on 20 straight snaps — against an exhausted Penn State defense. They moved the ball a few yards at a time, methodically demoralizing the Nittany Lions, death by a thousand paper cuts, until Blake Corum sniffed the end zone and ended the misery.
Penn State was listless on offense, ignoring, once again, any thought of a downfield passing game and leaving Drew Allar to dance around the backfield, looking off one target after another before checking down for another lost cause. If Michigan overwhelmed Penn State 3 yards at a time, the Nittany Lions demoralized their own fans by moving the ball 3 inches at a time.
Even if Michigan had all of Penn State’s signs, a CliffsNotes version of the Lions’ playbook and James Franklin’s ATM pin code, none of it would’ve been necessary.
So after a season in which Michigan’s first nine games were little more than batting practice before Saturday’s showdown with Penn State, this should feel like something significant, an official announcement that, in spite of any schedule-based skepticism, Michigan is a championship contender.
But no. The story is about Harbaugh, a story written in court filings and message board furor and breaking news alerts.
It was a story told through Sherrone Moore, working as interim coach Saturday, sobbing (and dropping a few curse words) in his postgame interview. It was, depending on your perspective, an emotional catharsis or yet another moment of Michigan victimizing itself.
It’s a story that will be shrouded in mystery, such as where Harbaugh will spend game days from now through the showdown against Ohio State. We assume he spent Saturday in his underground lair, perfecting the space laser he’s designing to blow up the moon, but really, anything is possible.
It’s a story that will be adjudicated — by the Big Ten, by fans, by media, by courts, by Connor Stalions’ vacuum company investors — with only a passing nod to due process, objective truth or reasoned context.
After all, it’s OK to discern the opponent’s signs from TV copy, or the all-22, or to call up former graduate assistants to dish on their old team, but it’s not OK to buy a ticket, sit in the stands and watch. Whether that makes sense might be a worthy question, but the only issue at hand is whether Michigan broke a rule — a literal written rule and, perhaps, the unwritten rule in which gamesmanship is OK unless it’s overly convoluted, entirely stupid and executed by a guy with a hilarious name. (Of note: Our solution is a college football “Purge Day,” in which all cheating is legal for one Saturday a year.)
How the scandal ends is, at this point, more interesting than how Michigan’s season ends, and that’s a shame.
Because J.J. McCarthy remains a Heisman Trophy candidate, but one whose success comes with an asterisk due to this scandal.
And Corum, as he announced after Saturday’s game, returned to the field to do something special, but any accomplishment will come with a “yeah, but …” from fans outside Ann Arbor.
And Michigan proved against Penn State that neither the weak schedule nor the Mr. Bean-level spying were the underpinnings of its success. But that’s the story that will be remembered from the 2023 season, no matter where things go from here.
The Wolverines can keep winning, and the scandal will likely follow them as far as they’re able to go.
Georgia states its case
There will be a moment, probably some time in late December when we’re searching for ways to start an argument with our relatives rather than watch another Hallmark movie, when someone will note that Georgia was down 14-3 at the half to South Carolina this season. Heck, they might even bring up the fact that Georgia was tied with Auburn late in the fourth quarter, too. And if they’ve had a few glasses of wine, maybe they’ll even suggest Georgia’s 30-21 win over Missouri was closer than the final score suggested.
All of that will be objectively, unassailably true, and yet it would be like judging Robert De Niro’s career by his work in “Little Fockers” and “Bad Grandpa.” Sometimes, you’re just there to cash a check.
On Saturday, Georgia wasn’t phoning anything in. This was a statement that the two-time defending champs are still the team to beat.
Carson Beck threw for 306 yards. Kendall Milton ran for two scores. Brock Bowers returned after missing a month with either an ankle or injury or possibly while battling Mothra, and hauled in three catches and a touchdown.
Georgia’s offensive line absolutely dominated Ole Miss up front.
Georgia’s defense played havoc with Jaxson Dart and the Rebels’ attack.
Short of some superhuman feats of athleticism, Ole Miss had no answers.
0:30
Ole Miss’ Dayton Wade stretches for an unreal one-handed grab
Ole Miss QB Spencer Sanders passes to Dayton Wade, who makes an unbelievable one-handed catch in the fourth quarter.
It was, in short, the best team in the country clicking on all cylinders — ostensibly in a win over the No. 9 team in the country, but also in a message to everyone ranked ahead of Ole Miss, that the road to the national title still runs through Georgia.
After the contenders wrapped up Week 11, the committee appears poised to simply cut and paste the top third of the rankings from the past two weeks, as the favorites all prevailed once more. But if there’s a debate to be had about any meaningful positions, it might be over No. 4.
On Saturday, Florida State moved to 10-0, but it largely slogged its way past rival Miami, 27-20, in a game in which the Canes often overwhelmed FSU’s offensive line and had a chance to tie on their final drive.
Washington, too, is 10-0, and like Florida State, it endured more than earned its latest win, a 35-28 victory over Utah. Washington had endless chances to put the game away and managed to use its foot for target practice instead.
1:26
Washington’s egregious fumble, safety highlight chaotic sequence
Washington appears to have a pick-six but celebrate too early and fumble at the 1-yard line, but make up for it on the next play with a safety against Utah.
For Florida State, Jordan Travis did just enough to survive, throwing for 265 yards and a touchdown. He relied more on his run game (Trey Benson had two scores) and the ACC’s replay booth that might still be using Windows 98.
For Washington, Michael Penix Jr. delivered just enough darts to keep the Huskies in charge, throwing for 332 yards and two touchdowns, but still needed his defense to record one final interception of Bryson Barnes to secure a win.
One was a game in which Florida State never appeared to be truly in danger, but also never seemed to find its rhythm.
The other was a game in which Washington seemed like it was always on the verge of an insurmountable lead, but kept leaving a door open for Utah.
Neither looked great. Neither looked bad. Both were essentially like dinner at Sbarro — fulfilling but regrettable.
FSU and Washington both have a case to be ranked in the top four, but for the time being at least, there’s room for just one of them.
A week ago, Washington leapfrogged Florida State in ESPN’s strength of record metric, moving into the No. 2 spot. The Huskies now have wins over ranked Arizona, Oregon and Utah, plus a solid W vs. USC.
Florida State has been a victim of an ACC that has slid into mediocrity after a strong start. Its best win, vs. LSU, remains impressive, but Clemson, Duke and Miami aren’t the power players the Noles might have anticipated.
So what is the committee to do?
It ultimately might not matter. If both teams keep winning, they’re all but certain to make the final cut. Indeed, if Georgia doesn’t land the No. 1 overall seed, there might be value in finishing fourth. But as résumés are parsed for another week of a season that’s been nearly all chalk, FSU’s is trending in one direction, and Washington’s in the other.
But it sure would be good for Florida State to win a few of these games with a bit more emphasis, to flex all its muscles and leave the committee assured there’s no smoke and mirrors here.
And it would certainly behoove Washington to get back to its September dominance rather than pulling one rabbit out of a hat after another. The narrow escapes could certainly be categorized as a tribute to the Huskies’ resolve or a case of a team playing with fire when the committee has a long history of ignoring the ashes of the Pac-12.
There remains the familiar refrain that the committee’s job ultimately gets easier as attrition takes its toll, and contenders fall by the wayside. “Just keep winning” makes for an effective mantra. But attrition has been scarce this season, and sometimes looking good is every bit as important as actually being good.
Milroe scores six
Since being benched in Week 3, Jalen Milroe has completely rewritten his — and Alabama‘s — season.
In Saturday’s dominant 49-21 win over Kentucky, Milroe threw for 234 yards, ran for 36 more and found the end zone six times — three through the air and three on the ground.
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Jalen Milroe makes Alabama history with 6-TD performance
Jalen Milroe becomes the first Alabama player to pass for three touchdowns and rush for three touchdowns in a dominant performance vs. Kentucky.
Milroe’s line over the past six weeks: 67% completions, nearly 11 yards per attempt and 21 touchdowns accounted for.
What’s been most impressive about Milroe’s evolution is how he and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees have slowly added more and more into the repertoire. The bulk of Milroe’s early success came on the deep ball (he entered Saturday with 22 completions on throws of 20 yards or more, disproving Penn State’s theory that the field is actually just 6 yards long), but he has added in more and more of the ground game in recent weeks, making life near impossible for opposing defenses.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Milroe is just the third SEC QB with back-to-back games with three rushing touchdowns in the past 20 years. The other two? Cam Newton and Jayden Daniels. Not bad company.
While Milroe has garnered the headlines for Alabama, it’s also worth noting the Tide’s defense has blossomed, too.
After hearing its share of criticism in 2022, the Crimson Tide’s D carried the team in the early going and has only gotten better since. On Saturday, the Tide pressured Kentucky QB Devin Leary on 41% of his dropbacks, according to ESPN Stats & Information, which resulted in just five completions, three sacks and an interception.
The win officially punched Alabama’s ticket to the SEC championship game, and if you’re on the playoff committee, you’re praying Nick Saban doesn’t make your life impossible by actually winning it.
Heisman Five
Part of what makes the Heisman interesting is that there’s not a true formula for how to award it. Yes, it’s ostensibly for the best player in college football, but how to define “best” is a subject of great debate. So, for this week’s Heisman Five, let’s look at five different arguments for what the Heisman actually means, and who would win the award in each case.
The best stats: LSU QB Jayden Daniels
There’s a good case to be made that Daniels is flat-out the best player in college football, period. But LSU’s three losses likely mean he’s playing to an inside straight when it comes to winning an award that recent history suggests is reserved for playoff contenders. Still, it’s impossible to argue with the results. Daniels has played six top-50 defenses this season (by SP+). His numbers against those teams: 68% completions, 21 touchdowns, three interceptions and 453 yards of offense per game.
The best player: Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
With apologies to Daniels, there’s been no player whose impact has been felt in big games more often this season than Harrison. In Saturday’s steamrolling of Michigan State Spartans, Harrison caught seven balls for 149 yards and two touchdowns. He now has multiple TD receptions in three straight games and has scored in six straight. He is clearly Ohio State’s primary weapon, and every opponent puts its best DBs on him, and yet he’s remained unstoppable.
The most valuable player: Florida State QB Jordan Travis
His numbers stand on their own merit: 64% completions, 27 touchdowns, more than 3,000 yards of offense. Perhaps more important than those, Travis has turned the ball over just twice this season. But more than anything, Travis is the beating heart of a Florida State program that has followed his lead in rising from college football’s ashes and is now 10-0.
The most clutch performer: Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.
We saw it a half-dozen more times Saturday against Utah: Every time Washington has needed a big throw, Penix has made it. His numbers largely mirror Travis and fall short of Daniels, but when it comes to the sheer number of throws that have helped decide a season, Penix is your guy. His five TD passes and 32 first down throws in the second half of one-score games put him squarely among the country’s best.
The best player on the best team: Georgia QB Carson Beck
At no point this season has it felt like Beck was actually all that impressive, and yet take a step back and look at the numbers. He’s fifth nationally in Total QBR, has thrown for more than 3,000 yards and has 21 touchdowns with just three INTs. He’s done much of that with Ladd McConkey, a man just waiting to inherit his dad’s dental practice, as his most consistent offensive weapon. Perhaps we need to give Beck a bit more credit.
Iowa scores points
The total for Iowa’s game against Rutgers closed at 27.5, a full field goal less than had previously been allowed for a game to qualify for family viewing. Indeed, Iowa has owned the top of the low total standings the way your drunkest college friend had every top score on Golden Tee.
The 5 lowest totals in the past 30 years all involve the Iowa Hawkeyes… and the UNDER has hit in all of them ?
U27.5: Iowa-Rutgers (2023) ✅
U30.5: Iowa-Minnesota (2023) ✅
U31.5: Iowa-Northwestern (2023) ✅
U31.5: Iowa-Minnesota (2022) ✅
U31.5: Iowa-Kentucky (2022) ✅ pic.twitter.com/z6LYyz1p09— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) November 12, 2023
But to credit the Hawkeyes, it wasn’t their fault this game went under.
Iowa won 22-0, topping 400 yards of offense for the first time in 32 games. Tory Taylor punted only three times, which was a low enough number to technically qualify him as a missing person for much of the game. Indeed, Saturday might have been offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz’s finest hour.
And yet, the under was still never in real jeopardy thanks to Iowa’s defense, which held Rutgers to just 127 yards and seven first downs and helped the Hawkeyes climb to 8-2 and snag a share of the Big Ten West title.
Iowa remains college football’s version of Rebecca Black’s “Friday” — so bad, it seems impossible to believe mere incompetence is responsible for its awfulness, and yet so inescapable that, eventually, it worms its way into the cultural zeitgeist … or the Big Ten title game.
Upon further review
Checking in on a number of other big games around the country on Saturday …
Bo Nix threw for 415 yards and four touchdowns which would seem pretty impressive if it hadn’t come against USC‘s defense. Nevertheless, Nix kept his Heisman hopes and Oregon‘s playoff hopes alive, dealing the Trojans their third straight loss, 36-27. USC was a 15-point underdog in this game — the biggest line featuring the Trojans as an underdog since 2011 (also against Oregon). USC pulled the upset in that game. Not so much Saturday. Either way, we look forward to Lincoln Riley being fired at an airport luggage carousel in two years. Ultimately, we’re left with one of the great what-ifs of the season: What if USC’s D-line had gone through this in reverse back in August?
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) November 12, 2023
Roll out the hospital bed and open up your DMs because Hugh Freeze is going bowling. It’s hardly been a stellar first season on The Plains for Freeze, but Auburn thumped Arkansas 48-10 on Saturday, securing a bowl bid and possibly putting the final nail in Sam Pittman’s coffin.
Washington State lost a showdown with Cal 42-39 in large part because of its problematic execution of the Brotherly Shove.
It’s a scoop n’ score for Cade Uluave pic.twitter.com/3CQcq4xqnm
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) November 11, 2023
UCF donned its Space Game uniforms, which are made entirely out of an alien substance imported from Area 51 designed to blind predators, and mopped the floor with Oklahoma State, 45-3.
Locker room is set for @UCF_Football‘s Mission VII Space Game vs. Oklahoma State on ESPN at 3:30pm ?https://t.co/mlJINPlf1X pic.twitter.com/DhnmvfW3td
— UCF Equipment (@UCF_Equipment) November 11, 2023
Chalk it up to an old-fashioned Oklahoma hangover, which usually involves more Wild Turkey but in this case was simply the Pokes still riding high off last week’s Bedlam win and looking utterly unprepared for UCF. Ollie Gordon‘s sleeper Heisman campaign likely came to an end as he managed just 25 yards on 12 carries, and Alan Bowman threw three picks in the loss.
How good was Missouri‘s defense in a 36-7 win over Tennessee on Saturday? Good enough for head coach Eli Drinkwitz to break out some salty language.
No lies detected from Eli Drinkwitz after the Tennessee win:
“Our defense kicked their ass tonight.”
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) November 11, 2023
We assume Drinkwitz preceded this comment with, “I do declare!” and dramatically fanned his face, but his point is well taken. The Tigers held Tennessee to just 350 yards and 5-of-13 on third down. Meanwhile, Missouri’s Cody Schrader caught five passes for 116 yards and carried 35 times for 205 yards in the game, becoming the first player in SEC history to post 200 yards on the ground and 100 receiving.
Tyler Loop booted a 24-yard field goal as time expired after Noah Fifita led Arizona on an 11-play, 67-yard drive to beat Colorado 34-31. Fifita threw for two touchdowns, and Jonah Coleman ran for 179 yards on just 11 carries. Buffs coach Deion Sanders then replaced his defensive playcaller with Sean Lewis just to see what would happen.
Purdue won big over Minnesota 49-30 in a game that feels like it should have a trophy that’s, like, a silver mop or a bowl of soup or something. But apparently it’s not a rivalry game at all. Feels like a missed opportunity. Anyway, Purdue held the Gophers to just 4-of-14 on third down, despite Minnesota employing stealth technology in its uniforms (something UCF could only dream of doing).
.@nocontextcfb ? pic.twitter.com/iSYevf0SiD
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) November 12, 2023
Syracuse QB Garrett Shrader was “limited” Saturday, which meant he couldn’t throw much, but he could run and, when called upon, flip.
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Syracuse QB backflips during team’s trick play
Syracuse runs a trick play, and quarterback Garrett Shrader does a backflip as a diversion.
Indeed, Syracuse coach Dino Babers dove deep into his bag of tricks and unearthed a cavalcade of trick plays (as well as an old TV Guide and a half-eaten bologna sandwich). The Orange used Shrader as a runner (96 yards and a touchdown) and a decoy, while handing the ball frequently to LeQuint Allen, who ran for 102 yards on 28 carries, and putting tight end Dan Villari at QB, where he completed three balls for 12 yards but ran for 154 and a touchdown in the 28-13 win over Pitt.
Babers’ game plan for next week involves a ladder and a baby panda.
LSU racked up 701 yards of offense — 11.5 yards per play — in a 52-35 win over Florida. And yes, we checked: Todd Grantham was not coaching the defense for the Gators. This was all Jayden Daniels, who racked up 372 yards passing, 234 rushing and five total touchdowns, marking a signature performance in his amazing career. It was all enough to overshadow Trevor Etienne‘s three-touchdown day, and it sets up Florida with two final games against top-12 teams — Missouri and Florida State — needing to win one to make a bowl game. Florida is now 10-21 in its last 31 games against Power 5 opponents which feels like the Will Muschamp Era Part IV.
Quinn Ewers returned from either an injury or a brief European tour with his Foreigner cover band (Fauxreigner) to throw for 317 yards and a touchdown in a 29-26 win over TCU. Texas actually led 26-6 entering the fourth quarter and nearly saw the lead disintegrate in the final moments — which is also more or less what happened last week against Kansas State, too. And that came two weeks after nearly blowing a 21-0 lead against Houston, which came one week after blowing a 30-27 lead with 1:17 to play against Oklahoma. We’re not saying there’s a pattern here, but we are suggesting Steve Sarkisian reconsiders his bullpen use.
Texas A&M is going bowling after walloping Mississippi State 51-10. The Aggies were without starting QB Max Johnson, though a bit of pregame subterfuge may have been in order, too.
There is a player on the field in No. 14 for Texas A&M who is throwing left handed, but consensus in the press box is that is not QB Max Johnson. Decoy?
Wearing a hat and everything. pic.twitter.com/tnoMCHVm1C
— ?????? ?. ????? (@Travis_L_Brown) November 11, 2023
Mississippi State sniffed out the ruse, however, by noticing that, unlike Johnson, a suburban dad, this QB wasn’t wearing grass-stained New Balance sneakers or standing next to the groundskeepers discussing proper lawn-watering techniques. In actuality, A&M AD Ross Bjork said it was all an honest mix-up when a walk-on borrowed Johnson’s shirt for warm-ups. The walk-on was immediately offered a scholarship and a fake mustache by Michigan.
Oregon State scored roughly the equivalent of the average Stanford freshman’s SAT score Saturday, as Damien Martinez carved up the Cardinal’s defense for 146 yards and four touchdowns in the Beavers’ 62-17 win. It was Oregon State’s most points in a Pac-12 game since 2012.
Oklahoma snapped a two-game losing streak by embarrassing West Virginia 59-20 behind five touchdown passes and three TD runs from Dillon Gabriel. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Gabriel is the first player with five TD passes and three TD runs in a game since Clemson Tigers‘s Tajh Boyd did it vs. NC State in 2012, and he tied Geno Smith (2012 vs. Baylor) and B.J. Symons (2003 vs. Texas A&M) for the most TDs in a game in Big 12 history. It’s also amazing how often that Baylor-West Virginia game in 2012 comes up in trivia like this.
Grayson Loftis had a chance to ensconce himself as North Carolina‘s clear-cut second-most-hated Grayson in Duke history Saturday — no one will ever top Grayson Allen — but his final throw in double overtime sailed out the back of the end zone, allowing the Tar Heels to escape 47-45.
Loftis, making just his second career start led a nine-play TD drive, scoring with just 41 seconds left to take a three point lead, but Drake Maye responded, completing his final four passes to set up a tying field goal. Both teams traded touchdowns in overtime, but Maye’s two-point try found tight end John Copenhaver, while Loftis’ just missed.
On the plus side, Duke doesn’t have to worry about finding space in the equipment truck to lug the Victory Bell trophy all the way back to Durham.
Under-the-radar play of the week
The official scale of highlight plays goes from 0 (Mark Sanchez’s butt fumble) to 10 (Odell Beckham Jr.’s one-handed stretch), and on Saturday, Clemson‘s Tyler Brown delivered something awfully close to a perfect 10.
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Clemson’s Tyler Brown goes full OBJ on this TD catch
Check out how Tyler Brown’s one-handed touchdown catch compares with Odell Beckham Jr.’s.
The Clemson freshman did his best OBJ impression to haul in a touchdown grab from Cade Klubnik, as the Tigers pummeled Georgia Tech 42-21 in what might’ve been their most complete game of the season.
Klubnik threw for a career-high four touchdowns. Will Shipley returned from a concussion to post 107 yards and a score. And Dabo Swinney led a raid of a local QT, where he now controls the region’s supply of grab-and-go pizzas.
Our leader ? pic.twitter.com/tnUigkxbz0
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) November 11, 2023
But no moment from Saturday’s win was bigger than Brown’s grab, which felt like both the Tigers’ top highlight of the season and a fresh reminder that, yes, this team still has some ridiculous talent. The win also ensured Clemson will be bowl eligible this season, and moves the Tigers to 2-0 since Swinney ripped into a caller on his radio show.
Of note: It’s time for James Franklin to start planting some callers to his radio show each week.
Kansas‘ offense slumps
A quick headline suggestion designed to appeal to the young demographic: Without its Bean, Kansas has no magic.
OK, we’re being told we went too young on that one. Apologies.
Down to its third QB, Kansas ran out of anything approaching offensive firepower in a 16-13 loss to Texas Tech on Saturday.
The Jayhawks entered play ranked No. 16 by the College Football Playoff committee, their best ranking in any poll since 2009, but it was short lived.
Jason Bean, who’d been playing in place of injured Jalon Daniels, was banged up at the end of the first quarter. He returned to play briefly in the second, but it was clear he couldn’t go. Cole Ballard went the rest of the way and completed just 9 of 20 throws for 124 yards and a pick.
Under-the-radar game of the week
It’s certainly understandable if your FCS focus was entirely on the twin showdowns of 0-9 Indiana State vs. 0-9 Western Illinois and winless Wofford traveling to the winless Citadel (or is it winless The Citadel?), but don’t overlook — as so many people have over the years — the action in the Ivy League.
Penn and Harvard battled to a draw in regulation, after which, according to Ivy League rules, the winner is determined by net wealth or in overtime. Given the markets were closed, the two teams went ahead and played OT, trading field goals before moving to 2-point tries (and, should it be required after five OT frames, trading “Yo Mama went to Brown” jokes).
Thankfully, Harvard opted for a dramatic “Philly Special” — or, as they call it at Harvard, “a gentleman’s bootleg” — fooling the Penn defense easier than a bunch of SEC regulators, with Cooper Barkate hitting QB Jaden Craig for the score to win it 25-23 in triple overtime.
0:33
Harvard’s dramatic 2-point conversion defeats Penn in 3OT
Harvard’s 2-point conversion gives them a 25-23 win vs. Penn in triple overtime and at least a share of the 2023 Ivy League championship.
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Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff Writer
Four-star Florida State quarterback pledge Tramell Jones pulled his commitment from the Seminoles Thursday morning, marking the sixth departure from Mike Norvell’s 2025 class across the program’s 1-9 start to the regular season this fall.
Jones, a 6-foot, 190-pound passer from Jacksonville, Florida, is ESPN’s ninth-ranked dual-threat quarterback prospect in the 2025 cycle. The longest-tenured member of Florida State’s 2025 class, Jones’ decommitment arrives five days after Norvell fired three members of his coaching staff on Sunday following the program’s 52-3 defeat at Notre Dame, headlined by the exit of offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Alex Atkins.
Jones’ move represents the latest blow to a Seminoles’ class that’s taken a series of hits this fall as Florida State has followed its 13-1 in 2023 with a disastrous 2024 campaign. A previous lynchpin in the program’s 2025 class, Jones follows ESPN 300 prospects Myron Charles, Javion Hilson, Malik Clark, Daylan McCutcheon and CJ Wiley among the top recruits who have left Norvell’s incoming class since the Seminoles’ Aug. 24 season opener. Jones’ exit leaves Florida State with 12 prospects left committed in 2025, including five ESPN 300 pledges led by five-star offensive tackle Solomon Thomas, ESPN’s No. 13 overall prospect in the 2025 cycle.
Florida State sat at No. 37 in ESPN’s class rankings in 2025 prior to Jones’ decommitment Thursday with further movement expected out of the Seminoles’ class in the coming weeks.
With his recruitment reopened, Jones stands as one of the top uncommitted quarterbacks in the final weeks of the 2025 cycle. A four-year starter at Florida’s Mandarin High School, Florida has remained in contact with Jones this fall, and sources within the Gators’ program are optimistic that Florida will ultimately land Jones in the final weeks of the cycle following the school’s decision to keep Billy Napier as head coach beyond 2024.
Florida is set to host a series of high-profile recruits when the Gators host LSU at 3:30 p.m. on ABC Saturday afternoon. Florida State is off in Week 12 before a Nov. 23 visit from Charleston Southern.
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Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer
BARBARA WEITZ SAT at a Nebraska Board of Regents meeting over the summer, when thinking about ways to generate revenue to help mitigate recent university budget cuts, she blurted out an idea.
Without much thought or research, Weitz wondered aloud whether passionate Nebraska fans would pay money to have cremated remains stored in a columbarium, a standalone structure with cubbies that house said remains. Even better, with a grass field set to be installed at Memorial Stadium in 2026, what if that columbarium was built underneath the football field as part of the renovations?
“Then grandma or grandpa or sister or brother could be a Husker supporter forever,” Weitz said.
Her fellow regents laughed her out of the room. Nobody liked the thought of games being played above a de facto burial ground. The idea was impractical, anyway. If the columbarium was built under the field, they would also have to construct an underground entrance for people to be able to visit, and how exactly would that work?
Feeling discouraged, Weitz went about her other work. But the meeting was public, and soon a newspaper article published her idea. Before long, the emails started coming in. One came from a casket company in Kansas interested in helping make the hypothetical columbarium. Another came from a company in Ireland claiming to have done a similar thing already, for a rugby and soccer club in the United Kingdom. She also learned someone was trying to build a columbarium in South Carolina, near Williams-Brice Stadium, but plans had stalled.
The idea gained enough traction that at a recent football game, someone stopped Weitz and said that if the columbarium became a reality, she would pay to have her husband’s ashes housed there. Weitz got plenty of emails from Cornhusker fans to the same effect.
When she blurted out her idea, Weitz did not know just how often fans spread the cremated remains of their friends and loved ones at college football venues across the country, mostly without permission. Choice Mutual, a company that offers insurance policies to cover end-of-life expenses, conducted a survey that asked Americans where they would want their ashes spread if they choose to be cremated.
The survey, published in July, listed the top choice in all 50 states. Sports venues topped the list in 11, including college football stadiums in Arkansas, Idaho, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. Anthony Martin, owner and CEO of Choice Mutual, said in an email, “We were definitely surprised by the prevalence of sporting venues as the target. We assumed some sporting venues would show up, but not this many.”
“Let’s face it. Fan is short for fanatic,” said Chris Gerbasi, who helped spread the remains of his good friend, John Burr, at Michigan Stadium in 2005. “He was a diehard, no pun intended. It made perfect sense for him to want his ashes to be on the field. He would have laughed his ass off at us being able to achieve that.”
MOST SCHOOLS HAVE strict rules prohibiting the spreading of ashes onto playing surfaces, both to preserve the grass and also simply to limit trespassing. But when you are determined to complete a final wish, you simply find a way.
Like Gerbasi did. He and three others set out for Michigan Stadium in July 2005 to honor Burr, who died following complications from an accident at age 41. Gerbasi and Burr attended Michigan together in the 1980s and went to the 1998 Rose Bowl that clinched a national championship season for the Wolverines.
When Gerbasi was a student, Michigan Stadium was easy to enter. But when he and his companions arrived that summer night, they encountered one locked gate after another. They walked around the stadium, until, Gerbasi says, “It was almost like seeing the light.”
A bright light was coming from the east side of the stadium, where renovations were underway. They saw a way in, down the ramp where players walk from the locker room to the field, and made their way to the 50-yard line.
“I don’t get excited about too many things, but it was awe-inspiring for the four of us to be standing on the 50-yard line in an empty Michigan Stadium,” Gerbasi said.
Burr’s brother handed Gerbasi a bag with the ashes.
“There just happened to be a little gust of wind, and I kind of twirled the bag in the air a little bit, and all the ashes flew out, and the wind caught ’em, and they flew down the field,” Gerbasi said. “Looking back on it now, it was cool as hell. It was like somebody opened up this door for us.”
Parker Hollowell had a similar idea for his dad, Dean Hollowell, who died in 2015 following a car accident at age 72. Dean was a lifelong Ole Miss fan and took Parker to games his entire life. When his stepmom said his father was going to be cremated, Parker knew what he needed to do.
He waited until dusk one night in August that year and drove to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, the place where he and his dad shared so many memories. A new field was being put in, and though workers were still around, nobody said a word to Hollowell and a friend as they made their way to the 50-yard line.
Hollowell said a few words to his dad as he spread the ashes, while his friend took a video.
“I thought it was a tribute to my dad,” Hollowell said. “That was our life, that’s what we’ve done as a family. Period. Now my dad’s got a 50-yard line seat. He’s right there with me when I go to games. I don’t see anything wrong with it.”
Having done it for his dad, Hollowell now has his final resting spot picked out.
“I am going to ask my son to put me in the end zone. Where Tre Harris scored on LSU [last year],” Hollowell said.
Ann and her husband, Johnny, had a similar conversation at their dinner table in North Carolina years ago. Ann, who asked that her last name not be used, cannot remember how they got on the topic, but they started discussing where they wanted to be buried.
Johnny asked to be cremated and have his ashes scattered in three spots. First, the beach. Easy enough.
Second, Carter-Finley Stadium, home to his beloved NC State Wolfpack. Slightly more challenging, but OK.
And, if possible, Kenan Stadium, home to North Carolina, as friend Theo Manos recalled, “so he could haunt those MFers.”
“I thought he was kidding,” Ann said. “But then I realized he was serious.”
Ann figured she would have time to plan it all out. But Johnny died unexpectedly at age 52 in 2007. A “total shock,” Ann said.
She decided she would sprinkle his ashes in their longtime tailgating spot outside Carter-Finley, a picturesque area filled with trees. They had a tight-knit tailgating group — some had been friends with Johnny since kindergarten. On the day they spread his ashes, they formed a circle, said a few prayers and then Ann placed his remains near a spruce tree.
The spot has become a resting place for several others, including their son, Allen, who died in 2017. “I thought that was a good sentimental thing to do,” Ann said. Johnny’s sister, Nancy, also has some of her remains there, as well as another tailgater in their group.
She noted the spruce tree “shot up out of nowhere” after placing Johnny there. But last year, NC State cut down many trees in their tailgating area — including that beloved spruce. Ann still brings flowers to every home game and places them on the spot where she sprinkled the remains of her husband and son. The group pours a drink on the ashes and says, “Here’s to you, Johnny.”
As for Kenan Stadium, let’s just say Johnny did make his way onto the field. How and when, well, Ann says that must remain a mystery. But it should be noted NC State is 6-2 in Chapel Hill since Johnny died.
WHEN JASON FAIRES was in his first year as Oklahoma director of athletic fields and grounds in 2019, he spotted a man in the south end zone holding a paper grocery bag, without gloves on, taking handfuls of something unidentifiable and dropping it on the ground.
“I start to lose it, and ‘I’m like, ‘What the hell are you doing?'” said Faires, now golf course superintendent at Dornick Hills Country Club in Ardmore, Oklahoma. “He goes, ‘This is my dad. Just spreading his ashes out here, like he wanted me to.’ I’m like, ‘Did you get permission to do this?’ He didn’t think he needed permission, and he’s just dropping clumps. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen ashes. It’s not just ashes, it’s frickin’ bone and everything.
“So out of respect for him, I said, ‘OK.’ As soon as he left, I had to go out there and kick him around, spread him out. I felt weird doing that. I started telling that story at a meeting, and they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, that happens a lot.'”
Plenty of field managers across conferences have stories about encountering fans evading gates, waiting out security personnel or downright trespassing in their quest to make it onto the field to spread ashes. While it is not technically illegal to scatter ashes, most states require permission be granted if remains will be spread on private property — like football stadiums — or on public property or national parks. Some states require a permit to spread ashes in public areas.
“When I worked at LSU in 2007, it was about 2:30 in the morning after the Virginia Tech game and we saw someone leaning up against the goal post,” said Brandon Hardin, now the superintendent of sports turf at Mississippi State. “We were like, ‘Hey, what’s this guy doing?’ He had a book in his hand, and he opened it and dumped ashes out on the ground and had his moment. Then he turned around and walked off. Never saw him again.”
At Texas A&M, too, where Nick McKenna serves as assistant athletics director of sports fields. He recalled the time the Yell Leaders at Texas A&M had a former leader’s ashes spread at Kyle Field without permission, upsetting their longtime facility manager.
“So he had the head field manager go out, vacuum them up, put them in a jar, and he took them to the Yell Leader and said, “Y’all left someone out there on the field the other day. Just wanted to return him to you,” McKenna said.
Another time, someone had spread ashes in the outfield before a baseball game.
“I remember having to talk with our center fielder because there was this cloud ring of remains,” McKenna said. “He was like, what in the heck? I was like, ‘You’re out there basically playing in a ring of death.'”
As all three turf managers explained, fans are unaware of how much goes into caring for the fields across all their athletics venues. That includes resodding the fields after a set amount of time. Oklahoma, for example, resodded the field last summer. Texas A&M does it every 12 to 15 years.
“So the majority of these relatives who have been spread on that field are down on the left side of the driving range at the OU golf course because that’s where all the material goes when we redo the field,” Faires said. “You don’t say that or anything, but you kind of feel bad for them.”
When grounds crews see ashes that have been left on a field, they quickly work to limit the damage. The ashes are either vacuumed up or blown around with a backpack blower. Some will run water through them to flush them through. What grounds crews want to avoid is their sophisticated and expensive lawn mowers picking up bone fragments, which could damage the equipment.
Hardin says he has gained a newfound perspective on spreading ashes to fulfill a loved ones’ request, after he did it for his dad last November in the Arkansas mountains.
“It’s very special to the person that does it, so we try to be very understanding,” Hardin said. “We tell people no, and then they still find a way to do it, because it was somebody’s last wish. People need that closure.
“It’s not going to hurt the grass, but if you ask certain people within organizations or schools, it gives you the heebie-jeebies knowing that it’s there and visible.”
That makes the columbarium idea all the more appealing to Weitz. She has tried to brainstorm other ideas than having it under the field — could it be outside the stadium? In the tunnel leading to the field?
“These responses I got after the meeting said to me this is creative and there are ways to do these things,” Weitz said. “So it really encouraged me in a lot of ways, but I haven’t come up with any new ideas.”
Putting a columbarium under the field might not be practical, but burial grounds for mascots do exist both inside and outside stadiums. In fact, Mex, a brindle bulldog who was Oklahoma’s mascot in the 1920s, is buried in a casket under the football stadium. Bully I, Mississippi State’s first mascot, is buried on stadium grounds. Other Bully mascots have had their ashes spread on the football field.
Texas A&M has a burial ground for its Reveille mascots on the north end of Kyle Field. A statue of the SMU mascot, Peruna, is on the burial site of Peruna I outside Ford Stadium. Sanford Stadium has a mausoleum dedicated to its UGA mascots.
McKenna remembers reading about Weitz and her columbarium idea over the summer.
“I don’t know where you would put it logistically, but as somebody who’s encountered people spreading ashes and understands how often it happens and the nuances, it’s not the worst idea in the world,” he said.
Weitz will keep thinking about it. Others will keep finding ways to honor their loved ones and their passion for college football. Loved ones such as Fred “The Head” Miller, who once asked former Florida State alumni association president Jim Melton if his head could be buried underneath the Seminole logo at midfield.
“True story,” Melton says.
Miller played fullback at Florida State from 1973-76 and then became the ultimate super fan — painting the Seminoles logo on his bald head for every home game, beginning in 1981. Hence his nickname.
He died in 1992 at age 38 of a heart attack and was cremated. Miller asked his family to scatter his ashes at Doak Campbell Stadium.
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