Georgia Tech provides this week's walk-off drama at Florida State's expense
— -- Nothing big was supposed to happen in Week 8. But by Saturday night, we were once again left speechless and scratching our heads.
Georgia Tech, which had lost five games in a row and was considered one of the country's biggest disappointments, might have upstaged Michigan State's incredible heroics from a week earlier.
The Yellow Jackets' Patrick Gamble blocked FSU All-American kicker Roberto Aguayo's 56-yard field goal attempt with six seconds left, and then sophomore defensive back Lance Austin returned the ball 78 yards for a touchdown as time expired in a stunning 22-16 upset of the No. 9 Seminoles at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
"That's what it's all about," Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said. "It's college football."
On a day when there was exactly one matchup of ranked teams on the schedule (No. 24 Ole Miss beat No. 15 Texas A&M 23-3), two top-10 teams fell (in addition to FSU, No. 3 Utah was upended 42-24 at USC), two games were decided in four overtimes (Duke beat Virginia Tech 45-43 and Arkansas defeated Auburn 54-46) and once-proud Miami might have hit rock bottom (the Hurricanes lost 58-0 to Clemson, its worst defeat in school history).
So much for it being a mundane Saturday in college football. It ended up being another day we won't soon forget.
Pass me a stogie, Crimson Tide.
If Alabama's players and coaches smoked victory cigars after a closer-than-expected 19-14 victory over Tennessee, there might have been a cloud hanging over Atlanta on Saturday night.
A week after Michigan State's Jalen Watts-Jackson broke Michigan's hearts by returning a muffed punt 38 yards for a touchdown on the final play of a 27-23 win at the Big House, the Yellow Jackets stunned three-time defending ACC champion FSU with a walk-off miracle of their own.
How unlikely was Georgia Tech's victory? Aguayo, a two-time All-American and 2013 winner of the Lou Groza Award as the country's top kicker, had never missed a field goal in the fourth quarter.
"I thought I hit the ball well," Aguayo said. "I looked up and didn't see it flying down the middle. Then I saw it on the ground. A lot of their guys, a lot of our guys thought it was dead. It was kind of confusing."
While Austin's teammates celebrated, he scooped up the ball and ran for the left sideline. He picked up a few blocks and made Aguayo miss a tackle before running into the end zone.
"They blocked it, and I picked it up and just ran," Austin said. "I was aware of the clock. I knew the time had expired, so when I picked it up, I just ran. My teammates did great blocking, and I scored."
According to ESPN Stats & Information, it was the first time in at least the past 10 seasons that ranked teams lost in consecutive weeks on non-offensive touchdowns on the final play of games.
"It was our turn," Johnson said. "We've had so many this year that have gone the other way. I'm just so proud of our guys. They fought and fought and fought. We made a lot of mistakes, but we fought the whole game, came back and found a way."
The loss ended FSU's 28-game winning streak against ACC foes. It was the Seminoles' first defeat against a conference opponent since falling 17-16 at NC State on Oct. 6, 2012. FSU's only defeat since the start of the 2013 season was a 59-20 loss to Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl last season.
"In football, anything can happen," FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. "They couldn't catch him, didn't know where he was at. And then we just couldn't get him on the ground."
The Seminoles weren't the only top-10 team that fell on Saturday, but perhaps no one expected them to lose to the Yellow Jackets, who were limping through their longest losing streak since 1994.
Las Vegas oddsmakers pegged USC as a favorite over Utah, the lone remaining unbeaten Pac-12 team, and the sharp guys once again proved they know a lot more than the rest of us.
Utah quarterback Travis Wilson threw four interceptions, including three to USC freshman linebacker Cameron Smith, who returned one 54 yards for a touchdown near the end of the first half.
It was the Trojans' first victory under interim coach Clay Helton, who replaced fired coach Steve Sarkisian on Oct. 12.
"Obviously, we're disappointed to lose the game," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "In my opinion, that's the best team we've played all year long, certainly from a personnel standpoint. Give them credit."
With Florida State and Utah falling from the unbeaten ranks, there are only eight undefeated teams remaining in Power 5 conferences: Baylor, Clemson, Iowa, LSU, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State and TCU. That's three more than there were at this time a year ago; the Seminoles were the only unbeaten Power 5 team to make the playoff.
The final Saturday of October, which is Halloween, also is supposed to be uneventful, with four of the remaining unbeaten teams playing unranked opponents and four taking the weekend off.
However, if Week 8 taught us anything, that probably won't be the case.
Playoff teams after Week 8
1. Clemson : The Tigers crushed Miami 58-0, handing the Hurricanes their worst loss in school history. It was Clemson's largest margin of victory over an FBS opponent since beating Wake Forest 82-24 on Oct. 31, 1981. Clemson plays at NC State next week before hosting FSU on Nov. 7.
2. Ohio State : The Buckeyes looked pretty ordinary for a quarter and a half before routing Rutgers 49-7 on the road. Quarterback J.T. Barrett was very efficient in his first start of the season, completing 14 of 18 passes for 223 yards with three touchdowns. He also rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
3. Baylor : The Bears beat Iowa State 45-27 but finished the game without star quarterback Seth Russell, who fractured a neck bone. Baylor coach Art Briles said Russell will "probably be out awhile" but won't "find out for certain until Monday," when Russell meets with a specialist.
4. TCU : The 7-0 Horned Frogs had the weekend off to prepare for Thursday night's home game against West Virginia. TCU needed a 37-yard field goal as time expired to beat the Mountaineers 31-30 on the road last season.
Next four in contention
1. LSU : Who said the Tigers couldn't throw the football? Quarterback Brandon Harris passed for a career-high 286 yards with three touchdowns in LSU's 48-20 win over Western Kentucky. The Tigers pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Hilltoppers 34-13 in the final two quarters.
2. Michigan State : The Spartans broke open a close game by scoring three touchdowns in the final five minutes of a 52-26 victory over Indiana. Quarterback Connor Cook threw for 398 yards with four touchdowns on 30-for-52 passing.
3. Alabama : The Crimson Tide barely survived Tennessee for a 19-14 victory after needing Derrick Henry's 14-yard scoring run with 2:24 left to beat the Volunteers for the ninth consecutive time. Alabama gets a week off before its Nov. 7 showdown against LSU in Tuscaloosa.
4. Stanford : The Cardinal beat Washington 31-14 -- their ninth win over the Huskies in the last 11 meetings -- behind Christian McCaffery's 300 all-purpose yards. Since a 16-6 Week 1 loss to Northwestern, Stanford is averaging 42.7 points a game.
Heisman candidates
1. Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU: Western Kentucky's defense did an admirable job against Fournette, limiting him to 5.8 yards per carry. He still ran for 150 yards with one touchdown on 26 carries, his seventh straight game with at least 150.
2. Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU: Boykin got much-needed rest this weekend, after throwing for 2,539 yards with 25 touchdowns and five interceptions in the first seven games. He has also rushed for 440 yards with five scores.
3. Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor: Coleman had six catches for 85 yards with two touchdowns against Iowa State. He set the Big 12 single-season record with 18 touchdown catches through seven games, as well as a Baylor career record with 31 receiving touchdowns. He also joins former Texas Tech star Michael Crabtree as the only FBS players in the last 10 seasons with multiple touchdown catches in six straight games.
4. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State: Elliott ran 19 times for 142 yards in the Buckeyes' rout of Rutgers, his 13th consecutive game with at least 100 yards dating back to last season. The last Big Ten player to have such a streak was former Iowa running back Shonn Greene in 2008.
Tweets of the night
Former Miami players tweet their displeasure
Best moments
2. Before its game against Kansas State on Saturday, Texas honored late mascot Bevo XIV, who passed away on Oct. 17 from bovine leukemia. It was believed to be the first time the Longhorns played a home game without Bevo in attendance since 1939.
3. USC receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster got a little tired of the trash-talking from Utah cornerback Dominique Hatfield and decided to take matters into his own hands in the Trojans' 42-24 win. Said Smith-Schuster: "[Hatfield]. Probably the kid who talks the most trash in one game. Probably in one series. I'm like, 'Dude, I'm not even about that.' And it got to the point where I was like, 'OK, I'm about to embarrass you.' And what he said to me was, 'Don't put me on ESPN. Why are you trying to put me on ESPN?' I'm like, 'Dude, I'm just doing my job, trying to have fun.' On the one play and I'm like, 'OK, I'm just going to give you the stiff-arm and throw you out of bounds and then turn up.'"
4. ESPN's Lee Corso dressed up like James Madison before picking the FCS Dukes during Saturday morning's "College GameDay."
Best plays
1. Georgia Tech's Lance Austin returned a blocked field goal attempt 78 yards for a touchdown with no time remaining, ending Florida State's ACC winning streak at 28 games and almost assuredly knocking the Seminoles out of College Football Playoff contention.
2. Yes, this is how you execute a fake punt. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi rolled the dice from midfield and it paid off in a 23-20 win at Syracuse.
3. USF quarterback Quinton Flowers helicoptered into the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown run in a 38-14 win over SMU.
4. It wasn't quite the Iron Bowl, but Texas State pulled off its own "Kick Six" against South Alabama. Brandon McDowell caught a missed 53-yard field goal attempt on the fly and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown
Worst plays
1. Iowa State's Mike Warren looked like he had a big gain against Baylor -- until offensive tackle Brock Dagel's rear end got in the way.
2. Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. made an ill-advised throw off his back foot. Northwestern's Nick VanHoose returned it 72 yards for a touchdown during the Wildcats' 30-28 win.
3. Clemson needed only a two-man rush to sack Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya.
4. Heads up! Syracuse's Ervin Phillips took his eye off the ball -- but it kept its track on him.
Quotes of the night
1. "It's like Mama not being home for Sunday dinner." -- Baylor coach Art Briles, on defensive tackle Andrew Billings missing Saturday's game with a sprained ankle.
2. "I know it isn't far from outhouse to penthouse. I don't celebrate anything from Miami's bad day. I feel for him. I hate it, man. Al Golden is a great guy. I have a lot of respect for him. I have respect for this university." -- Clemson coach Dabo Swinney
3. "It really reminded me when I was a kid, watching Arkansas go into a bunch of seven-overtime games and pulling those out at the end. So, once we got past the first one, I felt like, 'OK, we're going to win this no matter how many it takes.'" -- Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen, on the Hogs' 54-46 win over Auburn in four overtimes.
4. "It's all about confidence, and the guys have to just believe in themselves. We didn't want everyone saying that [Oklahoma] game was a fluke." -- Texas coach Charlie Strong, about the Longhorns' 23-9 win over Kansas State.
Stats that matter
13: Nebraska fell to 3-5 in coach Mike Riley's first season after losing to Northwestern. The Cornhuskers have lost five games by a combined 13 points.
300: All-purpose yards for Stanford's Christian McCaffrey in a 31-14 win over Washington. He had 109 rushing, 112 receiving and 79 on kickoff returns with two touchdowns.
514: Passing yards by Washington State quarterback Luke Falk in a 45-42 victory at Arizona, the most passing yards ever allowed by the Wildcats. Falk threw five touchdowns, four of them to Gabe Marks.
38: Consecutive points scored by No. 19 Toledo in the second half of its 51-35 win at UMass. The Rockets trailed 28-10 at the half before scoring on seven consecutive possessions.
