Week 8 of the 2024 college football season gave us the most anticipated game of the season — Georgia vs. Texas. Although many were expecting a different result, the game was very revealing along with the rest of the games of the week.
Here’s a look.
Georgia manhandles Texas
The most anticipated game of the season did not live up to expectations as No. 5 Georgia beat No. 1 Texas, 30-15, in Austin. The Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1 SEC) had their way all night, battling not only the Longhorns (6-1, 2-1) but also the fans.
The game began on an ugly note for Georgia with quarterback Carson Beck tossing two interceptions on the Bulldogs’ second and third drives of the game.
The defense stood tall, forcing a fumble deep in the Longhorns’ territory. This led to the opening score of the game with running back Trevor Etienne finding pay dirt from two yards out.
This gave Georgia the lead which they would not relinquish for the rest of the game.
Heading into halftime, the Bulldogs led the Longhorns 20-0 after two field goals and another touchdown.
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers was briefly replaced by freshman Arch Manning at the end of the first half. The Longhorns, however, remained fruitless on offense.
Texas scored on their first drive of the second half to cut the lead to 12, but they could not build on the momentum as they fell behind 23-8.
Chaos ensued at the end of the third quarter, leading fans to throw trash on the field. Texas caught its third pick of the night, but it was initially negated due to a pass interference. The fans trashed the field, and the officials ruled that there was no interference, securing the interception for Texas.
Each team scored one more touchdown, and the final was 30-15 with the Bulldogs prevailing.
The SEC fined Texas $250,000 for the fan rowdiness, and the university suspended all fans who threw trash from attending sporting events for the rest of the year.
Beck finished the contest with 23 completions, totaling 175 yards but also three interceptions. Etienne amassed 87 yards on 19 carries and had three touchdowns.
Ewers completed 25 of his passes for 211 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also lost two fumbles in the effort. Matthew Golden was the Longhorns’ leading receiver, catching three passes for 77 yards.
Georgia will have a bye week in Week 9 before they return to play Florida in Jacksonville. Texas will look to bounce back against the No. 25 Vanderbilt Commodores.
Miami outlasts Louisville
Cam Ward strengthened his Heisman case, passing for four touchdowns in the No. 6 Hurricanes’ 52-45 win over the Louisville Cardinals.
The game was back and forth all day, with the largest lead coming late in the fourth quarter when Miami (7-0, 3-0 ACC) took a 52-38 lead. The Cardinals (4-2, 2-2) were resilient, scoring a touchdown to cut the lead to seven with less than a minute left in the game.
Louisville was forced to kick an onside on the final possession which was recovered by the Hurricanes to secure the win and start their season 7-0 for their best start since 2017.
Ward finished the contest with 21 completions for 319 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receivers Samuel Brown and Xavier Restrepo both finished the game with over 100 yards and a touchdown. Brown caught three balls for 125 yards and Restrepo managed 101 yards on seven catches.
Louisville’s Tyler Shough had a stellar game, though less efficient than Ward. He completed 31 of his 51 throws for 342 yards and four touchdowns as well. Wide receiver Caullin Lacy finished with four catches for 57 yards but also had a 100-yard kick return touchdown.
Next week the Hurricanes will host the struggling Florida State Seminoles. The Cardinals will face a short week since they travel to play Boston College on Friday night.
BYU scores late to beat Oklahoma State
No. 13 BYU defeated Oklahoma State in a late-night thriller, winning 38-35 after scoring a touchdown with 10 seconds remaining. The Cougars (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) remain on top of the Big 12 after the win over the underwhelming Cowboys.
Oklahoma played well, despite losing the three preceding games, heading into halftime up 21-14. The Cougars got back on track in the second half, scoring on all four of their possessions to close the game.
The most crucial of these scores came late in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys scored to go up 35-31 with just 1:13 remaining in the game. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff commanded the offense well on the last possession, rushing for a 27-yard pickup, passing for picking up 48 yards and the winning touchdown with 10 seconds left.
Retzlaff finished the game with 218 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He added 81 yards with his legs and a score. BYU’s LJ Martin rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns in the victory.
Oklahoma State had three players log a passing touchdown. Alan Bowman, Garret Rangel and Brennan Presley all managed to find pay dirt through the air. Bowman played most of the game as quarterback after Rangel went down with an injury in the first half.
Bowman finished with 85 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also managed 11 receiving yards and a touchdown. Running back Ollie Gordon II had 16 carries for 107 yards and two touchdowns. He also added a receiving touchdown in the effort.
Both teams will travel in Week 9, with the undefeated Cougars heading to UCF. Oklahoma State will look to snap its four-game losing streak against Baylor next week.
Week 9 of the college football season will be highlighted by unusual matchups. No. 12 Notre Dame will travel to East Rutherford to play the No. 24 Navy Midshipmen. No. 21 Missouri will travel to Tuscaloosa to face to No. 15 ranked Crimson Tide.
