2019 College football look ahead: Week 5

by Chris Asbrock

College football has always provided classic games and that has been the case so far this season. Last weekend, saw two classic primetime matchups. Like with every season, the top teams are starting to separate themselves from the rest of the group. Last week saw Ohio State and LSU put up 76 and 66 points respectively, while the Texas/Oklahoma State and Georgia/Notre Dame games went down to the wire. Those were some of the big items coming out of last weekend.

Two big storylines to watch this weekend:

1. How will Ohio State fare against the Huskers on the road in primetime?

This season, the Buckeyes have yet to face a real challenge from their opponents, outscoring them 215-36. It was expected that the Indiana Hoosiers would have put up a fight against Ohio State but that expectation fell well short of reality, as Ohio State went into Bloomington and pounded Indiana 51-10. This week looks to be the toughest test for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes, as they head west to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers in primetime, at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. Coach Scott Frost and the Huskers are looking to get back to national prominence. Nebraska was a kick away from being undefeated heading into this matchup, but the overtime loss on the road to Colorado derailed that. Now coming off two straight games scoring over 40 points, Nebraska looks to do the same to an Ohio State defense that has yet to give up more than 21 points this season. This game will be the toughest test for both quarterbacks in this game. Georgia transfer Justin Fields has been nothing short of phenomenal this season for the Buckeyes, throwing for 880 yards and 13 touchdowns, adding 150 yards on the ground as well. This Nebraska defense could pose some problems for the Sophomore signal caller. On the other side, Adrian Martinez has been great for the Huskers this season. Throwing for 1,052 yards and 7 touchdowns, Martinez is coming into this game fresh off of two solid passing performances. Will he be able to do the same this week? That is the big question and Ohio State will certainly look to make Martinez’s life a living hell tonight.

2. How do the Notre Dame Fighting Irish rebound against the surging Virginia Cavaliers?


This matchup is slated as one of the bigger games this weekend. Coming off a tough 23-17 loss on the road at #3 Georgia, the Fighting Irish look to get things back on track against a surging and undefeated Virginia Cavaliers team. Already this season, Virginia has knocked off Pittsburgh and Florida State en route to a 4-0 record so far. Senior quarterback Bryce Perkins has led the Cavaliers offensively this season. Perkins has thrown for 843 yards and 6 touchdowns but has 4 interceptions to go along with that. Perkins also leads the Cavs in rushing too. He has carried it 51 times for 193 yards and two touchdowns, making him a true dual-threat. The Notre Dame defense will obviously need to key in and target Perkins, making him ineffective. For Notre Dame, Ian Book is the man for the Irish. Through three games this season, Book has thrown for 828 yards and 8 touchdowns. Against Georgia, Book tossed for 275 yards and 2 touchdowns. Book’s only two interceptions this season came against Georgia, so look for him to come out and make a statement against the Cavaliers. Notre Dame leading rusher Tony Jones Jr., will need to have a big game in terms of supporting Book because this season has been a one-man-show. Jones has rushed for only 148 this season, being held to 21 and 17 yards on the ground in the last two games. Jones must step up and help ease the pressure on Ian Book for Notre Dame to have success against Virginia.