Friday Night Recap, W. Johnson OUT, and More!

CFB Roundup – November 9, 2024

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YESTERDAY’S RESULTS:

Winner

Loser

Cal: 46 (5-4)

Wake Forest: 36 (4-5)

UCLA: 20 (4-5)

Iowa: 17 (6-4)

Memphis: 27 (8-2)

Rice: 20 (3-7)

New Mexico: 21 (4-6)

San Diego State: 16 (3-6)

TODAY’S SCHEDULE:

Betting Information as of time of writing

Away

Home

Time (ET)

Channel

Spread

Total

Purdue (1-7)

#2 Ohio State (7-1)

12 PM

FOX

OSU -38

53.5

#4 Miami (9-0)

Georgia Tech (5-4)

12 PM

ESPN

MIA -10

63.5

Florida (4-4)

#5 Texas (7-1)

12 PM

ABC/ESPN+

TEX -21.5

47.5

Minnesota (6-3)

Rutgers (4-4)

12 PM

NBC

MINN -5.5

46.5

Syracuse (6-2)

Boston College (4-4)

12 PM

The CW

BC -2

52.5

West Virginia (4-4)

Cincinnati (5-3)

12 PM

FS1

CIN -4

54.5

Texas State (4-4)

UL Monroe (5-3)

12 PM

ESPNU

TXST -8

50.5

Navy (6-2)

USF (4-4)

12 PM

ESPN2

NAVY -3

56.5

Liberty (5-2)

Middle Tennessee (3-6)

1 PM

CBSSN

LIB -12

54.5

UConn (6-3)

UAB (2-6)

2:30 PM

ESPN+

CONN -7.5

55.5

Marshall (5-3)

Southern Miss (1-7)

3 PM

ESPN+

MRSH -12.5

53.5

#3 Georgia (7-1)

#16 Ole Miss (7-2)

3:30 PM

ABC/ESPN+

UGA -1.5

54.5

Michigan (5-4)

#8 Indiana (9-0)

3:30 PM

CBS

IU -14

48.5

#17 Iowa State (7-1)

Kansas (2-6)

3:30 PM

FS1

ISU -2.5

51.5

#23 Clemson (6-2)

Virginia Tech (5-4)

3:30 PM

ESPN

CLEM -6.5

53.5

#25 Army (8-0)

North Texas (5-3)

3:30 PM

ESPN2

ARMY -2.5

62.5

Duke (6-3)

NC State (5-4)

3:30 PM

ACCN

NCSU -3

51.5

San Jose State (5-3)

Oregon State (4-4)

3:30 PM

The CW

ORST -2.5

56.5

Georgia State (2-6)

James Madison (6-2)

3:30 PM

ESPN+

JMU -15.5

53.5

#20 Colorado (6-2)

Texas Tech (6-3)

4 PM

FOX

COLO -4.5

62.5

Kennesaw State (1-7)

UTEP (1-8)

4 PM

ESPN+

UTEP -3.5

42.5

Temple (2-6)

Tulane (7-2)

4 PM

ESPNU

TULN -27

49.5

South Carolina (5-3)

Vanderbilt (6-3)

4:15 PM

SECN

SC -6.5

45.5

Jacksonville State (5-3)

Louisiana Tech (3-5)

4:30 PM

CBSSN

JVST -10

55.5

Arkansas State (5-3)

Louisiana (7-1)

5 PM

ESPN+

UL -14.5

60.5

Western Kentucky (6-2)

New Mexico State (2-6)

6 PM

ESPN+

WKU -18

52.5

Maryland (4-4)

#1 Oregon (9-0)

7 PM

BTN

ORE -23.5

58.5

Mississippi State (2-7)

#7 Tennessee (7-1)

7 PM

ESPN

TENN -24.5

62.5

UCF (4-5)

Arizona State (6-2)

7 PM

ESPN2

ASU -2.5

55.5

Oklahoma State (3-6)

TCU (5-4)

7 PM

FS1

TCU -11

67.5

Florida State (1-8)

#10 Notre Dame (7-1)

7:30 PM

NBC

ND -24.5

42.5

#11 Alabama (6-2)

#15 LSU (6-2)

7:30 PM

ABC/ESPN+

ALA -2.5

58.5

Oklahoma (5-4)

#24 Missouri (6-2)

7:45 PM

SECN

OU -3

41.5

Washington (5-4)

#6 Penn State (7-1)

8 PM

Peacock

PSU -13

46.5

Nevada (3-7)

#12 Boise State (7-1)

8 PM

FOX

BOIS -23.5

60.5

Virginia (4-4)

#18 Pitt (7-1)

8 PM

ACCN

PITT -7.5

56.5

UNLV (6-2)

Hawaii (4-5)

9 PM

CBSSN

UNLV -13

50.5

Fresno State (5-4)

Air Force (1-7)

9:45 PM

FOX

FRES -9.5

40.5

#9 BYU (8-0)

Utah (4-4)

10:15 PM

ESPN

BYU -3

40.5

Utah State (2-6)

#21 Washington State (7-1)

10:30 PM

The CW

WSH -20.5

69.5

UCLA Outgains Iowa by 150 Yards, Squeaks Out 20-17 Win at Home

UCLA outgained Iowa 415-265, thanks in large part to outrushing the Hawkeyes 211-80, as the Bruins downed the Hawkeyes 20-17.

UCLA RB TJ Harden led the charge as leading rusher in the game with 125 rushing yards, as Keegan Jones and Jalen Berger also combined to add another 68 rushing yards on 13 combined carries.

For Iowa, it’s running game was held in check, largely, as the Hawkeyes finished with just 80 rushing yards (and 2 touchdowns) on 31 carries. Kaleb Johnson was stymied most of the night, finishing with just 49 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. With a long of 15, Johnson finished with 2.7 yards per carry and just 2 yards per carry on rushes that were not his long for the game.

It should also be noted that Iowa lost QB Brendan Sullivan in the 3rd quarter with the score at 17-10 in UCLA’s favor following an ankle sprain. Sullivan finished 6-for-9 with 157 yards, a pair of interceptions, and a fumble lost. Backup QB Jackson Stratton finished 3-for-6 with 28 passing yards and 14 rushing yards on 1 attempt.

The leading receiver in this one was actually an Iowa WR, as Jacob Gill notched 6 catches for 138 yards.

UCLA QB Ethan Garbers finished 21-for-34 with 204 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and a fumble lost. Garbers’ most frequent target was Logan Loya, who finished with 5 catches for 94 yards and a touchdown while leading all Bruins’ pass catchers.

The loss from Iowa here effectively removes the Hawkeyes from Big Ten contention as they fall to 4-3 in conference play. Though Penn State, Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana all had fewer losses than Iowa entering the night (with Minnesota also at 4-2), there was still some semblance of hope, however small, for the Hawkeyes to make the conference championship. That’s gone now, though.

For UCLA (4-5), this means the Bruins just need to win 2 of 3 against Washington (away), USC (home), and Fresno State (home).

New Mexico Wards Off San Diego State 21-16 to Keep Bowl Dreams Alive

New Mexico got past San Diego State 21-16 to improve to 4-6 and keep its bowl dreams alive on the road.

Neither team turned the ball over, and both were fairly solid on conversion downs (5/12 for UNM, 11/20 for SDSU).

Where New Mexico really outclassed San Diego State was on a per-play basis, especially on the ground.

New Mexico finished with 300 rushing yards on 35 carries, good for 8.57 yards per carry. This is in contrast to San Diego State who finished with just 146 yards on 46 carries, only 3.17 yards per carry. Overall, New Mexico outgained San Diego State 475-341 on 29 fewer plays.

In other words, San Diego State averaged just 3.88 yards per play compared to 8.05 yards per play for New Mexico. And yet, the Aztecs took a 16-14 lead into the 4th quarter as New Mexico had a first half drive end in a turnover on downs, and 2 second half drives ended in a punt despite the two drives combining for over 100 yards gained on just 15 combined plays. Ultimately, each team only had 4 drives in the second half, and with one touchdown compared to one field goal, New Mexico did just enough when it mattered most.

For New Mexico, RB Eli Sanders finished with 173 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 16 carries, while QB Devon Dampier also added 127 rushing yards on 17 carries. Dampier finished 16-for-24 with 175 yards and a passing touchdown to Ryan Davis, who led all Lobos with 47 receiving yards and a touchdown on 5 catches.

For San Diego State, RB Marquez Cooper finished with 123 rushing yards on 35 carries. He also added a receiving touchdown and 6 yards on 3 catches. QB Danny O’Neil was 26-for-41 with 195 yards and a touchdown while also contributing 21 rushing yards.

New Mexico State hosts ranked Washington State next week in a game it needs to win to keep the bowl dream alive. Then, the Lobos have a bye week before traveling out to Hawaii for a late-night Hawaii test.

As for the Aztecs at 3-6, they travel to UNLV and Utah State each of the next two weeks before hosting Air Force. Ultimately, it’s that game against UNLV that will be the biggest hurdle to making another bowl.

Cal Earns First Ever ACC Win At Wake Forest, 46-36

Thanks in large part to a hot start, Cal improved to 5-4 on the season and notched its first ever ACC victory as the Golden Bears downed Wake Forest 46-36.

After a 54-yard field goal from Ryan Coe to go into the half, Cal held a 29-14 lead over the Demon Deacons, tied for the largest lead Cal would hold all game.

Some stats went in Wake Forest’s favor, like conversion downs (44.4% for WF, 33.3% for Cal) or penalty yardage (7/83 for Cal, 2/15 for WF).

But the biggest difference is that Cal was +3 in turnover differential against Wake Forest. Not only did Wake Forest throw 3 interceptions and give up a scoop-and-score fumble TD, all of the interceptions were in the 2nd half, with the final 2 coming on Wake’s final two possessions when it was still close late.

Cal QB Fernando Mendoza finished 40-for-56 with 385 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception while also leading the Cal rushers with 51 yards and a touchdown. Jaydn Ott was largely held in check, as he finished with 23 rushing yards on 14 carries with a long of 19. That means he had 4 rushing yards on his other 13 carries. Ott did add 19 receiving yards, so that’s at least something else.

For Wake Forest, QB Hank Bachmeier was 19-for-36 with 274 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 unfortunate interceptions. RB Demond Claiborne led all rushers in this one with 113 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. He also added 51 receiving yards and a touchdown on 3 catches. WR Taylor Morin led all pass catchers in this game, hauling in 9 passes for 110 yards for the Demon Deacons.

All of Xavier Carlton, David Reese, and Hunter Barth finished with 2 sacks and 2 TFLs as Cal finished with 7 total sacks on Bachmeier.

This means Cal is only one win away from bowl eligibility as it hosts Syracuse and Stanford each of the next two weeks before traveling to SMU for the season finale.

Wake Forest, at 4-5, needs two wins as they travel the next two weeks to North Carolina and Miami, before ending the season by hosting Duke.

Memphis Improves to 8-2 With Back-and-Forth 27-20 Win Over Rice

Memphis won a somewhat messy game against Rice last night, 27-20, in a game that saw Rice eliminated from bowl contention and saw Memphis improve to 8-2.

For a 7-point game that was made a 7-point game with a late Rice touchdown, these two teams were incredibly well-balanced on a down-to-down basis for all 60 minutes last night.

Rice finished with 367 yards. Memphis had 366.

Rice finished 7-for-17 on conversion downs. Memphis was 8-for-16.

Rice turned the ball over once. Memphis turned the ball over once.

Rice had time of possession of 30:11. Memphis had time of possession of 29:49.

Ultimately, Memphis was able to outrush Rice 207-121 as RB Mario Anderson Jr. led all rushers with 144 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Largely on the back of Anderson, Memphis was able to do just enough to get past the Rice Owls. With 2 losses, Memphis is still technically alive in the conference championship hunt, though they need a lot of help with Army and Tulane still unbeaten in conference play, and Navy (who has a head-to-head win over Memphis) sitting at 4-1 in conference play.

Michigan CB Will Johnson OUT vs. #8 Indiana

Michigan is expected to be without star CB Will Johnson when it takes on #8 Indiana later today, Pete Nakos of On3 confirmed.

Johnson suffered an injury against Illinois back on October 19th and has yet to play in any of the 3 games since then. Since the injury, it’s sounded like both Coach Sherrone Moore and Johnson were confident that Johnson would return and that his season would not be over.

But, it’s still unclear when Johnson can be expected to play next.

CB Jyaire Hill is also dealing with some injuries, though it sounds like Hill is trending towards being able to play against Indiana.

Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin on Key to Stopping Georgia

Coach Kiffin shared that for him, one of the biggest keys is not making the game too big and focusing on preparation. He shared that it’s about the next meeting, the next walk-through, the next practice, etc. and focusing on doing a good job to prepare in each of those.

Coach Kiffin also spoke a little on the momentum that Georgia is able to build at times, and both withstanding and limiting how they’re able to go on runs and build momentum: “I think we’re going to have to control when they have their runs. You know, this is a great team. You saw what they did when they got down at Alabama and how they started the Texas game. So we’re going to have to handle those runs when their great players make plays.”

Florida QB DJ Lagway Game-Time Decision Against #5 Texas

Multiple sources are saying that Florida QB DJ Lagway is considered a game-time decision with a hamstring injury that required Lagway to be carted off the field against Georgia just one week ago.

The hamstring injury is a Grade 2 hamstring strain that Lagway has reportedly been progressing back from all week. At the beginning of the week, Lagway’s status was questionable with a “slim chance” of playing. But as the week has gone on, that status has improved even though his official status has remained questionable for the purposes of the official SEC injury reports.

Texas is 21.5-point favorites over Florida for a Noon kickoff in Austin that will be televised on ABC.

3-Star DL Stephon Shivers Decommits from Georgia

3-Star DL Stephon Shivers decommitted from Georgia yesterday after committing to the Bulldogs back on March 22nd when he chose Georgia over Oregon, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and others.

Since that commitment, he has picked up pursuit from Florida, Alabama, Texas, and others. Relevantly, he is currently working on scheduling an official visit for Florida’s next home matchup on the 16th when the Gators host LSU.

Shivers is rated highest by ESPN, who narrowly rates him a 4-star and has him as the 24th ranked DL in the country. According to the On3 industry composite, however, Shivers ranks 443rd nationally and 40th at the DL position.

Georgia still has 24 commitments for the 2025 class, of which 21 are Blue Chip commitments, for a class which still ranks 3rd nationally and 2nd in the SEC.

3-Star WR Jamar Browder Flips from NC State to Michigan

3-Star WR Jamar Browder flipped his commitment from NC State to Michigan yesterday following a visit to Michigan this past weekend.

Browder has now been on Michigan’s campus twice this fall, and the second visit was enough to land the Wolverines his commitment. Browder is a south Florida guy, and it was evident that the connections between Michigan and south Florida mattered, as did the coaches being “super down to earth and high energy.”

Browder is ranked highest by Rivals, who ranks him as the 79th ranked WR in the 2025 class. According to the On3 industry composite, Browder ranks 714th nationally and 113th at the WR position.

Michigan is now up to 19 commitments total for a 2025 class which ranks 10th nationally and 3rd in the Big Ten behind only Ohio State and Oregon.

Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia Sues NCAA, Seeking TRO Allowing Extra Year (or Two) of Eligibility

Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia filed a lawsuit yesterday against the NCAA in an effort to receive an extra year (or two) of eligibility.

Pavia is seeking a temporary restraining order against the NCAA for not letting him play next season due to his attendance at a JUCO in 2020 and 2021. The crux of his argument is that the JUCO and NCAA rules do not allow do not allow JUCO athletes to get 4 years of college athletics and they, therefore, miss out on NIL opportunities.

The lawsuit, in relevant part, argues that “JUCO Eligibility Limitation Bylaws restrict the ability of athletes who begin their college football careers in junior colleges from having the same opportunity to profit from NIL as students who enter an NCAA institution as freshmen.”

The lawsuit continues, “specifically, the JUCO Eligibility Bylaws limit athletes who begin their college careers at junior colleges to only two or three seasons of NCAA Division I football, as opposed to the four seasons of competition (and NIL Compensation opportunities) available to all other NCAA Division I football players. … Pavia brings this action to put a stop to the unjustified anticompetitive restriction on universities who seek to compete for college athletes, and to restore freedom of economic opportunity for himself and other college football players.”

Other Commitments/Decommitments

2026 3-Star (85) LB Braylon Outlaw commits to Tennessee

3-Star (83) S Charger Doty decommits from Washington State

3-Star (83) WR D’Angelo Hagans commits to Colorado State

Unrated P Andy Quinn commits to Boston College

Unrated CB Jalil Tucker commits to Oregon State