Week 6 College Football Recap: A Red River Masterpiece, USC Survives, Alabama Rolls, Notre Dame Falls

We had some stunning results in Week 6.

Miami fumbled away a victory as 21-point favorites. Colorado barely held on to beat Arizona State and Kansas, with its backup QB, defeated UCF by 29 points.

But these were not the biggest games of the day. While some turned out to be lop-sided. Georgia beating Kentucky 51-13 for instance. But others did live up to the hype. So, we will look at a few of them and review what it might mean for some of the top teams.

No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners: 34, No. 3 Texas Longhorns: 30

In the final Big-12 version of the Red River Rivalry, Both Oklahoma and Texas came out to play.

With the Texas State Fair as the backdrop, this game went down to the final gun as Oklahoma avenged its 49-0 loss from 2022. The difference? Dillon Gabriel.

Yes, the defense made an enormous difference as well -- picking off Quinn Ewers twice. But Gabriel was the star of the game. He became the first Oklahoma QB since 2019 Jalen Hurts to throw for more than 200 yards, rush for more than 100 yards, and have a rushing and passing touchdown.

Oklahoma (+5.0) force Quinn Ewers’ second interception of the season 🤯

pic.twitter.com/rlYSmT59u0

— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) October 7, 2023

This was a remarkable effort. One which allowed Oklahoma to look poised and composed when down by three points with one minute left in the game. Instead of playing for the tie, which could have been smart with the Sooners offense sputtering in the fourth quarter, coach Venables decided to go for the win and trust Gabriel to throw to WR Nic Anderson -- a player who has caught six touchdowns on his nine catches on the season.

Gabriel ended the day with 285 passing yards and 113 rushing yards to lead the Sooners to this important victory. The Oklahoma schedule is a cakewalk in 2023. This win will almost guarantee them a spot in the Big 12 championship game, where they might just meet Texas one more time. With a playoff berth on the line. Texas played well in most aspects of the game. Unfortunately, in two key areas, it faltered.

First, the offensive line was unable to hold up under pressure. It allowed five sacks of Ewers while the Texas defense only managed one sack on Gabriel. The other area Texas struggled with was an area of concern all season: red zone efficiency. Coming into the game, Texas ranked 108^th nationally in that aspect.

In this game, it finished with just three points out of all its red zone trips. This is not suitable against a good team in Oklahoma. The Sooners used this poor play to its advantage. While the Longhorns scored just three points inside the red zone, Oklahoma scored 34 of its points in this part of the field. If Texas had been able to convert one drive into a touchdown, this game would have turned out different and Texas would be heading home undefeated with an argument to be ranked No. 1 in the country.

No. 9 USC Trojans: 43, Arizona Wildcats: 41 (3 OT)

Coming into the game as 21-point road underdogs, Arizona was supposed to roll over for USC and QB Caleb Williams. Unfortunately for USC, no one told this to Arizona.

After going down 17-14 entering halftime, the Trojans were able to come back and tie the game, sending it to overtime.

Caleb Williams was outdueled by Noah Fifita. Williams finished with 219 passing yards and just one touchdown. Fifita finished with 303 yards and five touchdowns.

Arizona has improved immensely under Jedd Fisch. USC has improved its offense under Lincoln Riley, but the defense is an absolute mess. Despite the victory, USC dropped two spots in the polls. It might not be far enough. This team has a defense which will turn out to be its fatal flaw.

Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch must go. But it is on his good friend Riley to make the move. And even if he does, will he allow the next defensive coordinator to succeed? Or will his all-gas, no-brakes attitude be the undoing of anyone brought into the fold?

This is quite possible and something USC will need to get figured out. As it enters Big Ten play in 2024, USC is going to be playing far more physical teams -- teams who will beat down the weak lines USC has currently rostered. USC takes on a physical Notre Dame team in Week 7.

#USC Caleb Williams runs it in and wins it in triple overtimepic.twitter.com/mtoI3jb83F

— BSGsports (@BSGsportsmedia) October 8, 2023

No. 25 Louisville Cardinals: 33, No. 21 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 20

Notre Dame was dismantled in this game. Coach Jeff Brohm completely outcoached Marcus Freeman and the scoreboard showed so.

This game started with Sam Hartman throwing his first interception in a Notre Dame uniform. Stopping the longest streak to start a career at Notre Dame of any QB. This led to the first Louisville TD.

The Irish defense, along with the Cardinals defense were both able to clamp down as the game went to halftime tied 7-7.

Louisville was able to establish the run, an area Notre Dame struggled in. The Cardinals outrushed the Irish 185 to 44 which, with QB Jack Plummer not having a great night, was key to the Cardinals' win.

Jeff Brohm, a former QB himself, would love for the Louisville offense to look like it did during his time playing there. But he is smart enough to know this team has the horses in the backfield and not at the QB position. Plummer is exactly what Louisville needs this season, a game manager.

After the first interception for Hartman, things just ballooned as he finished with three on the night. Louisville’s defense pressured Hartman all night, finishing with five sacks. It’s the first five-sack game of the season. This pressure forced Freeman into a coaching mistake with three minutes left in the game. With three timeouts left and a fourth and 11 on their own 35, Freeman went for it instead of punting. This led to a field goal by Louisville and put the game out of reach.

ICYMI: Recap & highlights from the Cards win over Notre Dame!

Recap: https://t.co/BG0B9IimBS#GoCards pic.twitter.com/jQLrNT7JXh

— Louisville Football (@LouisvilleFB) October 8, 2023

Louisville remains undefeated in the ACC with a chance to get to the conference championship game. While it may not be a playoff contender, it cannot be ignored with its upcoming schedule -- a schedule that does not include games against Florida State, Clemson, or North Carolina.

Notre Dame fell to 34-2 in its last 36 games against the ACC. It also falls completely out of any playoff contention and must face USC on Saturday. This will be a make-or-break game for USC. But it could also be a turning point for the Irish. A win and the fanbase will remain behind Freeman for a bit longer. A loss and the fans and more importantly, the recruiting class, might start to desert the golden domes.

No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide: 26, Texas A&M Aggies: 20

Texas A&M and Jimbo Fisher did exactly what was expected of them late in the game. Trailing and facing a fourth and one, offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino figured the team would go for it. Jimbo Fisher had other plans and sent the punt team out on the field. He then, down by 9 and needing two scores, used a timeout to go for a field goal. Ugh. I feel sorry for Aggies fans.

Alabama on the other hand actually produced a passing game. Something which it has been unable to do all season. Jalen Milroe managed to pass for 321 yards and three touchdowns. 197 of those yards and two touchdowns went to last season's Georgia transfer Jermaine Burton on nine receptions.

Jermaine Burton is putting up DeVonta Smith type numbers today pic.twitter.com/W8amURJxCA

— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) October 7, 2023

Alabama, with this win, has planted itself atop the SEC West. With a home win against LSU, it will be the representative against Georgia in Atlanta in December. Despite having his least talented team in a decade, the win Saturday gives Nick Saban exactly what he wants every season -- a chance at the playoffs and a national championship.

On the other side, the Aggies can still finish with a solid season. But not the season for which they were hoping. Fisher continues to struggle with in-game decisions, and he continues to dare Texas A&M to do something about it.