dawgbonejr

Dawgbone Jr's Weekend Observations

Born barkin', raised on Kirby's domination of rivals, and fueled by SEC and National championships - Dawgbone Jr recaps the weekend's biggest games all season long.

11.09.25

Week 11: Red Raiders Topple BYU, Indiana and Oregon Survive, Aggies Remain Flawless

#2 Indiana 27 - Penn State 24

The Hoosiers came into this matchup as big favorites since the Nittany Lions have had a terrible year so far, but it did feel like a trap game. It was tight early, but a late turnover by the Penn State offense gave Indiana a 10-point lead heading into halftime, which felt like too much for Penn State to overcome considering how poorly their offense was playing. The score remained a 10-point game after the third quarter, but in the fourth, Penn State came out firing. Two rushing touchdowns by Nic Singleton gave them a 24-20 lead, and the defense got a stop that gave the Nittany Lions the ball with a chance to seal the win with a few first downs. The reason Penn State fired James Franklin was because he couldn’t win big games, so there was a different energy surrounding the final minutes. Well, for Indiana, no Franklin meant no problem. With 40 seconds left, Fernando Mendoza threw a great ball with pressure in his face to Omar Cooper Jr., who made the catch of the year in the back of the end zone to give Indiana the win and keep them unbeaten. Some might say this performance from the Hoosiers was suspect, but I believe this tight, resilient win shows that they are a great team, and a game like this will help them in tight situations come playoff time.

#5 Dawgs 41 - Mississippi State 21

It has been a season of tight ball games for the Bulldogs, but Saturday was a massacre. It was no surprise that Mississippi State scored on the opening drive to take a 7-0 lead, but then the Dawgs scored 38 straight points and dominated the rest of the way. Gunner Stockton had another solid performance, but the real story was the running game, led by Nate Frazier. Frazier had 12 carries for 181 yards and a touchdown, the best game of his career. Once again, Zachariah Branch got plenty of touches, as he should, and Noah Thomas finally got it going with three catches, including a 64-yard touchdown. The Georgia defense looked the best it has all year, allowing only 14 points with the starters in. It has been a rough year getting to the quarterback, but the Dawgs sacked Mississippi State three times and recorded six tackles for loss. Another huge play came from Quintavius Johnson, who forced a fumble after a Dillon Bell turnover. Despite a rough day for Mississippi State, they have much to look forward to with freshman quarterback Kamario Taylor, who will become the face of the program in the next few years.

#7 BYU 7 - #8 Texas Tech 29

Despite the 11 a.m. kickoff, Lubbock was rocking for one of the biggest games of the season so far. Texas Tech delivered its most complete performance of the year, suffocating BYU in a defensive masterclass. The Red Raiders’ expensive defensive line dominated up front, holding BYU to a season low in total yards and allowing just one garbage-time touchdown. It wasn’t Behren Morton’s best performance, but he took care of the ball and threw an incredible touchdown pass in the first quarter. The Red Raiders’ offensive success came on the ground, as running backs Cameron Dickey and J’Koby Williams combined for 198 yards, including a touchdown from Dickey. BYU, who has run the ball well all season, was held to just 67 yards and 2.5 yards per carry. This dominant win shows that Texas Tech is by far the best team in the Big 12. They will easily win the conference, make the playoff, and are very capable of making a run at the National Title.

#3 Texas A&M 38 - #22 Missouri 17

The Aggies came into Columbia with a perfect record and left with it still intact after another dominant performance on both sides of the ball. From the opening kickoff, it was clear that Texas A&M’s physicality was going to overwhelm Missouri. Marcel Reed played another efficient game, throwing for over 200 yards and two touchdowns, continuing to prove himself as a Heisman contender. Running back Rueben Owens carried the load, rushing for over 100 yards and scoring on a 57-yard touchdown that gave the Aggies a 21-point lead. The real story of the game was the A&M defense. Missouri quarterback Matt Zollers went 7-for-22 with 77 yards. While he was the third-string quarterback to start the year and is a freshman, A&M completely shut him down. The Tigers actually ran the ball well, as Jamal Roberts and Ahmad Hardy both topped 100 yards and scored once each, but to beat the Aggies, you have to throw and run effectively. This win solidifies A&M as a playoff team, and I believe they will go undefeated in the regular season, beating Texas on the road on Black Friday.

#9 Oregon 18 - #20 Iowa 16

Saturday brought a sloppy, rainy, and cold day in Iowa City, which on paper gave the advantage to the Hawkeyes. The weather showed its impact early, as both teams struggled to take care of the ball. On Iowa’s second punt, the ball went over the punter’s head for a safety, and shortly after, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore threw an interception deep in Iowa territory. Because of the rain, ball security was key in this game. It started to get intense late in the third quarter. Iowa was down 12-7 late in the third but fumbled deep in Oregon territory, which led to a Ducks field goal that extended the lead to eight. The Hawkeyes answered with a field goal and, a few minutes later, scored a touchdown to take a one-point lead with under two minutes to go. The Iowa crowd came alive, but Dante Moore, who had struggled all game, delivered a beautiful sideline pass to Malik Benson that set up the game-winning field goal from Atticus Sappington. Like Indiana, this was a tight, resilient win for the Ducks that will help them in upcoming big games. Oregon will finish 11-1 and make the playoff for the second year in a row.

LSU 9 - #4 Alabama 20

Two teams that have given us classics in recent years produced a boring, sloppy performance on Saturday. The Tigers’ offense continues to look horrible and incapable of moving the ball. LSU benched Garrett Nussmeier in the middle of the game for Michael Van Buren Jr., who also struggled against a stout Crimson Tide defense. The Tigers had no run game, finishing with only 59 yards on 26 carries. Alabama’s offense also struggled. Ty Simpson didn’t play poorly, but he wasn’t as sharp as usual, and the Tide continued to struggle running the football. The big difference in this game was the constant mistakes LSU kept making. The Tigers had ten penalties, while Alabama had only two. The Tide sacked LSU three times and recorded seven tackles for loss. LSU also failed to protect the ball, turning it over twice. This has been a brutal season for LSU, and it continues to spiral with a coaching staff that seems lost. LSU needs a home run hire this offseason to get the program back where it belongs. For Alabama, this was a big rivalry win, but they have to get the run game going if they want to win an SEC or National Championship.

Dawgbone Jr’s Top 25

1. Ohio State

2. Texas A&M

3. Indiana

4. Alabama

5. Georgia

6. Texas Tech

7. Oregon

8. Ole Miss

9. Texas

10. Oklahoma

11. Notre Dame

12. Vanderbilt

13. BYU

14. Utah

15. Georgia Tech

16. USC

17. Miami

18. Michigan

19. Pittsburgh

20. Virginia

21. Louisville

22. Iowa

23. Tennessee

24. Cincinnati

25. USF

Georgia’s Top Dawg of the Week: Nate Frazier

The Dawgs have been a run-first team this year and have run the ball much better than last season. Both Chauncey Bowens and Nate Frazier have split carries this year, and the Dawgs usually go with the hot hand. The hot hand on Saturday was Nate Frazier, who ran all over the Mississippi State defense. Frazier carried the ball 12 times for 181 yards with a 59-yard touchdown to start the third quarter. He also had runs of 31 and 33 yards. Frazier struggled early in the year with ball security, but now he has turned into his true form and had a performance reminiscent of Sony Michel. This running back room is turning into one of Kirby Smart’s best.

Dawgs vs. Longhorns Preview

Next weekend in the great city of Athens will feature a monster SEC matchup between two teams and fanbases that do not like each other, as the Texas Longhorns come into Sanford Stadium to play the Georgia Bulldogs in primetime. Texas already has two losses, so they need to win Saturday to keep their playoff hopes alive. Texas is coming off one of their best performances of the year against Vanderbilt, and the Dawgs are also coming off one of their best games against Mississippi State. The Dawgs went 2-0 against Texas last year, beating them in Austin and again in Atlanta for the SEC Championship, so Texas will be out for revenge. This game will come down to both offenses. I believe both teams will have some trouble scoring because of the opposing defenses. The Dawgs have to go up against one of the best pass-rushing teams in the country, while Texas has to face a strong run-stopping defense and the Sanford crowd. Late in the game, the Dawgs will have a long offensive drive where they pound the rock with Frazier and Bowens, leading to a late touchdown to win the game.

Score Prediction: Dawgs 24 - Longhorns 17

Bennett Wiggins (aka Dawgbone Jr)