Week 5 National Notebook

Oregon State — The Beavers had been outscored in their previous two games against BCS foes by a combined score of 81–42 but somehow, some way, pulled off the upset of the season against the seemingly mighty Trojans from USC. Diminutive true freshman tailback Jacquizz Rodgers ran for 186 yards and two scores on 37 carries to lead the surprisingly effective Oregon State ground game. And the Oregon State defense, lit up in losses to Penn State and Stanford, limited USC to 313 total yards and allowed only two third-down conversions. The Beavers, now 2–2, have a difficult trip to Utah this weekend before returning to Pac-10 play with winnable games against Washington State and Washington.

High honorable mention

Ole Miss — The Rebs rebounded from a heartbreaking loss at home to Vanderbilt by knocking off SEC superpower Florida in Gainesville. Ole Miss lost the total yardage battle 443 to 325 but did everything else well — made big plays on offense, created turnovers on defense and came up with clutch special teams play. Quarterback Jevan Sneed, who was picked off four times vs. Vanderbilt, didn’t put huge numbers (9-of-21, 185 yards), but he only threw one interception. Ole Miss fans will be quick to point out that the Rebels are only a few plays away from being 5–0; they are also one play away from being 2–3.

Honorable mention

Alabama — The Tide have been tested twice this season and passed each test in extremely impressive fashion. Most recent, Nick Saban’s club dropped a 31–0 bomb on Georgia in the first half en route to a 41–30 statement-making victory. There isn’t anything Alabama is not doing well through the first four games of the season. There will be more tests down the road, but I wouldn’t blame any zealous Alabama fans who might be checking into airfare to South Florida for early January.

Disappointments of the Weekend

Clemson — The Tigers find themselves in this spot far too often. Blessed with a ton of talent, Clemson somehow manages to lose too many games it should win. The latest disappointment was a 20–17 come-from-ahead loss at home to Maryland. The Terps are proving to be much better than expected, but this is simply a game Clemson has to win — especially after leading 17–6 at the half.

Texas A&M — Ordinarily, this spot is reserved for a team coming off a loss, but Texas A&M should be ashamed of itself after only beating Army 21–17. The Black Knights entered the game with an 0–3 record and an offense that had scored a total of 20 points against Temple (7), New Hampshire (10) and Akron (3). Against A&M, Army rolled up a season-high 284 yards of offense and scored more than one touchdown for the first time this season.

Wyoming — There are plenty of other candidates for this spot (Georgia, USC, Virginia, to name a few), but Wyoming can’t be feeling too good after losing 45–16 at home to Bowling Green. The Cowboys are 2–3 overall, but one win was over Division I-AA North Dakota State by a 16–13 score and the other a one-point decision at home vs. Ohio. Joe Glenn is a solid coach who won big at Montana, but he could be out of a job in November if the Pokes can’t find a way to muster up some offense.

Player of the Week

Manuel Johnson, Oklahoma — Johnson only caught five passes, but he made them count, scoring on receptions of 73, 55 and 63 yards in the Sooners’ 35–10 win over TCU. Johnson, who ended the game with a career-high 203 yards, is averaging 17.9 yards per reception this season.

Freshman of the Week

Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State — Rodgers was the difference-maker in the Beavers’ stunning win over No. 1 USC. The true freshman from Texas rushed for 186 yards and two scores on 37 carries.

Highs & Lows

• Boston College rolled past New Hampshire 42–0, yet the Wildcats had more first downs, 19 to 17.

• Tulsa’s Courtney Tennial had three rushing attempts in Saturday’s 62–34 win over Central Arkansas — each for a touchdown and each for one yard.

• Army completed one pass for four yards in its 21–17 loss at Texas A&M.

• Washington State has lost its four games vs. BCS foes by an average score of 53–12.

• Rice scored eight touchdowns — all on offense — in the first half of a 77–20 win vs. North Texas.

• Duke won an ACC game for the first time since Nov. 13, 2004. The Devils took advantage of five second-half turnovers to roll past Virginia 31–3 in Durham.

• Michigan State’s Javon Ringer leads the nation with 187 rushing attempts in five games — 41 carries more than UConn’s Donald Brown.

• Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno had a career-low 34 rushing yards in the Bulldogs’ 41–30 loss to Alabama. Moreno carried the ball nine times, only the third time in his career he has not had at least 10 carries.

• Vanderbilt stands alone atop the SEC East standings even though the Commodores rank last in the SEC in total offense and last in total defense. Bobby Johnson’s team leads the league (and nation) in turnover margin (+2.25), has been nearly perfect in the red zone and has not missed a field goal or extra point.

• Tennessee is the only team in the top 25 nationally in total defense with a losing record. The 1–3 Vols are allowing only 258.0 yards per game, good for 17th.