It looked like it was going to be a relatively calm weekend in college football - then all hell broke loose in Happy Valley as Penn State upset #2 Ohio State. They were the second top 10 team to lose with #6 Texas A&M falling to #1 Alabama in a blowout, meaning there will be a major shakeup at the top of the rankings. There were also plenty of other notable happenings across the country, so here is everything you need to know from the weekend:
#2 Penn State upsets Ohio State
It happened in the most bizarre of ways, but the Penn State Nittany Lions got the biggest win of the James Franklin era with an impressive 24-21 comeback win over the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Ohio State appeared to have finally taken control of this defensive battle in the fourth quarter, and speedster Curtis Samuel ripped off a 72-yard touchdown run to give the Buckeyes a 19-7 lead, which they pushed to 21-7 after a safety.
Then, Penn State's offense finally came to life. After struggling all night, they put it together for one drive that resulted in a two-yard touchdown run from quarterback Trace McSorley, then their special teams took their time in the spotlight.
A blocked punt set up a PSU field goal, cutting the score to 21-17. On the ensuing drive, Ohio State looked like they were going to extend the lead with a field goal - then this happened:
Penn State blocks the FB, then returns it for the touchdown to take the lead! Happy Valley is HYPED right now! #OSUvsPSU pic.twitter.com/PdNFn5kmzB
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) October 23, 2016
Marcus Allen blocked the kick, and Grant Haley picked it up and ran it 60 yards for the touchdown. Penn State then ended Ohio State's comeback attempt with two straight sacks on third and fourth down.
#1 Alabama flexes their muscle
The Alabama Crimson Tide have been tested time and time again this season, and every time, they have passed with flying colors. Texas A&M was poised to provide the toughest test yet, but Alabama's defense stepped up and led them to a convincing 33-14 win.
It was a shaky start for the Tide, who had over 300 yards of offense in the first half, but only managed to find the end zone once after stalling in the red zone on several occasions. With Alabama leading 13-0, Texas A&M finally got something going offensively on their final drive of the half, going 80 yards in less than two minutes.
The Aggies also got the ball to start the third quarter, and they took advantage. In just over two minutes this time, quarterback Trevor Knight found Christian Kirk for the 25-yard touchdown - giving them a shocking 14-13 lead.
.@AggieFootball QB Trevor Knight throws an absolute DIME to Christian Kirk to take the lead. https://t.co/BhXcsexKGe
— SEConCBS (@SEConCBS) October 22, 2016
However, that was where Texas A&M's momentum stopped. Alabama took the lead back with a short touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts to Calvin Ridley, then put the game away with defensive lineman Jonathan Allen picking up a fumble and returning it 37 yards to put the Tide up 26-14:
Jonathan Allen....FAT GUY DEFENSIVE TOUCHDOWN!! #TAMUvsBAMA #RollTide pic.twitter.com/GQkGzYp5YZ
— Chat Tide (@ChatTide) October 22, 2016
It was a historic touchdown for Alabama. They have now scored a non-offensive touchdown in 10 straight games dating back to last season, and have scored 12 of those non-offensive touchdowns this season (and they've only given up 13). Hurts added a 37-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to add to Alabama's lead.
Lamar Jackson reasserts himself as the Heisman favorite
After a loss to Clemson and less-than-stellar performance against Duke, Louisville's Lamar Jackson looked like the dominant force we all expected him to be. In just over a half of work against NC State, Jackson passed for 355 yards and three touchdowns while running for 75 yards and another score:
Lamar Jackson out here doing Lamar Jackson things pic.twitter.com/dKURm7P4i3
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) October 22, 2016
UPDATE: Lamar Jackson can throw, too. #Heisman pic.twitter.com/xfy0Sr4HHi
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) October 22, 2016
#Louisville Update: Lamar Jackson has four total TDs (including this dime) as the Cardinals lead NC State 44-0...at halftime. pic.twitter.com/XZjvMg6IsR
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) October 22, 2016
Jackson now has 3,069 total yards and 34 total touchdowns on the season. Louisville won this game, 54-13.
Leonard Fournette is BACK
Remember when Leonard Fournette was last year's Lamar Jackson? A disappointing start for LSU and an ankle injury had basically taken Fournette out of the spotlight all season, but in his return after missing two games, Fournette made everyone take notice:
Leonard Fournette may have just murdered a man. pic.twitter.com/pN9C2Xedon
— LSU Tigers (@ChatLSU) October 23, 2016
In all, Fournette finished with a LSU-record 284 yards and three touchdowns on just 16 carries (he had 249 yards on his first seven carries). LSU won the game over Ole Miss, 38-21.
#11 Houston falls to SMU
The only other ranked team to lose to an unranked team this weekend, Houston was blown out by SMU, losing 38-16. The Mustangs were able to severely limit Houston QB Greg Ward, holding him to just 258 total yards. It is Houston's second loss in three games, and SMU's first win against a team ranked #11 or higher since 1982.
Cruise control
Many other ranked teams had fairly easy wins in their games on Saturday:
#3 Michigan 41, Illinois 8
#5 Washington 41, Oregon State 17
#8 Nebraska 27, Purdue 14
#10 Wisconsin 17, Iowa 9
#12 West Virginia 34, TCU 10
#16 Oklahoma 66, TCU 59
#21 Auburn 56, #17 Arkansas 3
#19 Utah 52, UCLA 45
#20 Western Michigan 45, Eastern Michigan 31
#22 North Carolina 35, Virginia 14
#24 Navy 42, Memphis 28
Next weekend
While this weekend was devoid of many matchups between top teams, we will get plenty next Saturday. Here's what we have to look forward to:
#5 Washington at #19 Utah
#8 Nebraska at #10 Wisconsin
#21 Auburn at #23 Ole Miss
#4 Clemson at #13 Florida State