Week 9 of the college football season brought unexpected results and key developments. Matt Hayes delves into four significant stories from Saturday’s matchups.

First Down: Penn State’s critical doubts in a B1G week

Meet Beau Pribula, a player who joined Penn State alongside the highly-rated five-star quarterback, Drew Allar.

Now Pribula may need to step up to turn around Penn State’s season.

Allar, the junior quarterback for No. 3 Penn State, damaged his left knee late in the first half during the Nittany Lions’ 28-13 victory over Wisconsin, leaving his availability uncertain for the critical match against No. 4 Ohio State next week in Happy Valley. Though Pribula had a solid performance against the Badgers, facing Ohio State will present a whole new challenge.

Penn State’s coach, James Franklin, refrained from guessing about the severity of Allar’s injury due to a lack of details. Allar was seen on the sidelines in the second half, wearing a brace on his left knee.

“It really came down to Drew once he came out,” Franklin noted at the postgame conference. “I asked him to be truthful, and he felt he couldn’t play. You could see it was difficult for him to throw at the end of the half.”

This isn’t reassuring as the team heads into a crucial matchup, especially given Franklin’s history at Penn State during pivotal games.

Penn State holds a 1-9 record against Ohio State under Franklin, and stands at 3-17 against ranked teams. Although they may not need a victory to reach the College Football Playoff, a loss to Ohio State could severely hinder their chances of competing for the Big Ten championship.

This is why Allar’s potential absence is so crucial. While Penn State found a way to overcome Wisconsin, using direct snaps to running back Kaytron Allen or tight end Tyler Warren likely won’t suffice against Ohio State’s formidable defense.

Eventually, Pribula, who was not rated by 247Sports in the 2022 recruiting class (Allar was the top-rated player regardless of position), must step up in the passing game. New offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, a notable hire from Kansas this offseason, has one week to determine how to best utilize Pribula and exploit an Ohio State defense that allows just 12.7 points per game.

Even if Allar is cleared to play, he will likely be limited. He was not rested in the second half simply as a precaution; the Lions were down 10-7.

Kotelnicki must prepare either quarterback (or both) for the challenge against a top 10 pass defense, which gives up an average of 172 yards per game. The Buckeyes recently held Nebraska’s quarterback Dylan Raiola to 152 yards with no touchdowns and one interception during a 21-17 victory.

Second Down: Texas navigates the SEC road

In its inaugural season in the SEC and first real conference road game, Texas learned an essential lesson: winning is all that matters — no matter the circumstances.

This is especially crucial in their quest for a spot in the SEC championship game.

Texas bounced back from a humiliating loss to Georgia last week, narrowly defeating Vanderbilt 27-24 thanks to a crucial fourth-down stop with five minutes left.

The Longhorns are realizing that it’s games like these, which they are expected to win, that are pivotal in contending for a conference title despite the perils of SEC road games.

They have two more SEC road contests ahead: on Nov. 16 at Arkansas, and in the regular season finale on Nov. 30 against Texas A&M.

Against a resurgent Vanderbilt squad that had previously upset Alabama, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers threw two interceptions that led to 14 points for Vanderbilt, resulting in a somewhat disjointed performance from the Longhorns on both sides of the ball.

However, the Longhorns consistently stepped up when it mattered most in the fourth quarter.

They executed a defensive stand after the Commodores closed the gap to 24-17, intercepted a pass on a crucial fourth-and-two play, and Jaydon Blue’s 23-yard run on third-and-nine allowed them to run down the clock before a short field goal sealed the victory.

These are the kinds of critical but often overlooked plays that define SEC road games. It illustrates how to recover from two interceptions and a scoring drought exceeding 20 minutes in the second half.

Ultimately, it showcases how to secure wins and progress towards the SEC championship game.

Third Down: Notre Dame’s resurgence with Riley Leonard

It’s not about hitting rock bottom, it’s all about how you bounce back.

Welcome to the transformation of Riley Leonard at Notre Dame.

He marked Notre Dame’s surprise home loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2 as his lowest point — but he has since rallied, delivering the most impressive stretch of his career. This time, against an undefeated Navy team, Leonard passed for 178 yards and 2 touchdown throws, while also rushing for 83 yards and another touchdown in a convincing 51-14 win.

This victory marked their sixth consecutive win.

Since their loss to NIU, the Irish have dominated their last six games, winning by an average margin of 31.3 points. Quarterback Leonard has been impressive, completing almost 70 percent of his passes and contributing to 18 touchdowns, with 10 of those being rushing.

While there are several factors affecting the lack of deep passes in their offense—like receiver inconsistency, offensive line protection issues, and Leonard’s adjustment to new offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock—it’s encouraging to see more explosive plays emerging.

Against Navy, Notre Dame recorded five explosive plays (10+ yards) and had nine the week prior against Georgia Tech. As the pass game begins to develop, Notre Dame is in a position where winning all remaining games is crucial to qualify for the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2020.

Any loss in the last four games—against Florida State, Virginia, Army (at Yankee Stadium), or Southern California—especially against weaker opponents, would be a significant setback.

Fourth Down: Indiana’s Backup Strategy

Three years ago, he left Indiana as a highly sought-after recruit, seeking a fresh start at Tennessee. However, Tayven Jackson found himself back in Bloomington, Indiana, just under an hour away from Greenwood, where he played high school football, surrounded by excitement.

Memorial Stadium was packed, and the game was crucial for the Big Ten standings. It was a pivotal moment in Jackson’s college journey.

The Hoosiers’ backup quarterback successfully threw a touchdown and added another with his legs, leading unbeaten Indiana to a 31-17 victory over Washington, keeping their College Football Playoff hopes alive.

First-year head coach Curt Cignetti brought in Ohio transfer and Heisman candidate Kurtis Rourke to strengthen Indiana’s quarterback lineup, which included Jackson, who had split time during his first season after transferring from Tennessee.

With Rourke still recovering from thumb surgery, Jackson stepped in and played well, avoiding critical mistakes and showing he could be a dependable backup if Rourke, expected to return next week against Michigan State, needs more time to heal.

“He executed some good plays,” Cignetti remarked in the post-game press conference. “But there were also opportunities he missed.”

This means Indiana will need more from Jackson if Rourke can’t play or if he’s needed throughout November as the schedule toughens with games against Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State, and Purdue.

Nevertheless, the path remains open for the Hoosiers since they could potentially lose only to Ohio State and still make the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.