Coop’s winners and losers- Week 5

Cooper+Locket

Margaret O'Neil

Cooper Locket

Winner- Ohio State: Despite trailing by 14 in the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes found a way to win on the road at Penn State. Dwayne Haskins started slow, but improved throughout the game. He ended up tossing three touchdowns and one interception. Given Michigan and Michigan State’s early season struggles, Penn State will likely be Ohio State’s hardest regular season test. By winning on Saturday, Ohio State took one big step toward the BIG 10 title.

Winner- Clemson: Senior quarterback Kelly Bryant left the team mid week, the tigers defense started slow, Freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence got knocked out of the game with a concussion, and Amari Rodgers muffed a punt. This left Clemson down 10 with a third string quarterback in the game, and 12:58 left to salvage something. They did just that. The defense rose up. Chase Brice threw a strike to Tee Higgins on 4th and 6 to save the game. Then Travis Etienne punched in a two yard go-ahead touchdown with 41 seconds to go, and to cap it off Freshman pass rusher Xavier Thomas buried quarterback Eric Dungey in the backfield sealing a 27-23 win for Clemson. The game showed a lot about the Clemson football team, they recovered where most teams would have crumbled. It wasn’t a pretty win, but it was a game that required a lot of heart and character to win.

Loser- Penn State: For the second year in a row, the Lions had Ohio State on the ropes and couldn’t finish them off. Penn State had a chance to go into the driver’s seat in the BIG 10 and let it slip through their fingers, and now they have to win out and hope that Ohio State stumbles.

Loser- Stanford: Stanford couldn’t stay with Notre Dame in their 38-14 loss. Bryce Love had a slow day, and Stanford looked unconvincing throughout the night as they took a back seat to Washington in the PAC 12.