Rivalry week is just one week away and we are so close to finding who the four teams that will make up the College Football Playoff are. It already has been a very fun season, but the popcorn should still be fresh as the season nears its end.
But, before we move on, we have to look back at what happened around the college football landscape in week 12.
WSU vs. Colorado
Starting the week off, “Coach Prime” and the Buffaloes came to Pullman to play under the bright lights of Martin Stadium in a Friday night matchup. It was pure domination from the Cougs from the start and on their senior night, the team finally looked like they were back to their early 2023 season days.
Cam Ward finished with 288 yards and four total TDs, two on the ground and two through the air, and Brennan Jackson led the defense with two scoop and score fumble recoveries. Overall, the defense suffocated everything Colorado tried to do, continually getting in the backfield and disrupting the passing attack of Colorado.
Michigan vs. Maryland
The Wolverines had a 23-10 lead at the half, but Maryland never went away. The Terrapins outscored Michigan 14-6 in the third quarter and had multiple opportunities to steal the game away. Their defense took J.J. McCarthy out of the game, holding the QB to just 141 yards through the air and intercepting one of his 23 pass attempts.
Taulia Tagovailoa played decent, throwing for 247 and completing nearly 68% of his passes, but his two interceptions made the difference in the close loss.
Louisville vs. Miami
Lousiville is a legit team. The 10-1 Cardinals have secured their spot in the ACC Championship after taking down Miami 38-31 in what immediately became a shootout. The two teams were tied 14-14 after one quarter and both teams scored in every quarter from there on out.
Jack Plummer went 24-of-37 passing for 308 yards and three TDs to one interception in the win, but both teams had severe success in both passing and on the ground.
Utah vs. Arizona
Before the season, this result was projected, but it was projected to be the other way around. A 42-18 final score, but it was Arizona who took the win. The Utes’ Bryson Barnes threw 53 passes in the loss, completing 31 of them for 320 yards, two TDs and two interceptions.
For the Wildcats, each passing week proves the decision to bench Jayden de Laura to be the best choice they could have made to save their season. Noah Fifita has played lights out, continuing his dominant performance against a stout Utah defense. He went 22-of-30 passing for 253 yards and two TDs.
Arizona’s defense played quite well, forcing the two turnovers of Barnes and holding the Utah offense to just 4.9 yards per play.
Washington vs. Oregon State
Where College Gameday should have been, the Huskies and Beavers played in elements that WSU fans also found themselves in when they took on Stanford at home. In the pouring rain, UW survived Corvallis, Oregon, as they won a 22-20 thriller.
Oregon State outscored Washington 10-0 in the second half and Washington did not get a first down until after the game was pretty much decided late in the fourth quarter.
Michael Penix Jr. completed less than 50% of his passes. Neither did DJ Uiagalelei. Both teams had fumbles due to the rain and in general, the game was very sloppy on both slides. While OSU’s Damien Martinez did everything he could, as he carried the ball 26 times for 123 yards and two TDs, it was not enough to get his team the win.
