Nick Fitzgerald had a 182-yard rushing day for Mississippi State.
Texas A&M was in an advantageous position when the first College Football Playoff Rankings were announced last Tuesday.
The Aggies had just one loss on their record and were in the No. 4 position, putting them within the playoff structure, while No. 5 Washington was on the outside.
Texas A&M went on the road in Week 10 for a severe test against Mississippi State. It was an examination that did not go well for the Aggies as they were beaten by a 35-28 margin.
Mississippi State took charge early in this game with its running attack, and it never let up throughout the game. Nick Fitzgerald ran for 182 yards and two touchdowns, and Aeris Williams, who added a career-high 140 rushing yards, complemented his performance.
| Winner | Score | Loser | Key Stat |
| Mississippi State | 35-28 | Texas A&M (4) | Mississippi State: 365-117 edge in rushing yards. |
| Wisconsin (8) | 21-7 | Northwestern | Wisconsin: 40:25-19:35 time of possession edge. |
| Louisville (7) | 52-7 | Boston College | Lamar Jackson: Seven touchdowns, third time this season. |
| Auburn (9) | 23-16 | Vanderbilt | Auburn: RB Kamryn Pettway, 25 carries for 173 yards |
| North Carolina (21) | 48-20 | Georgia Tech | North Carolina: 636 yards of total offense. |
| Michingan (3) | 59-3 | Maryland | Michigan: 660 yards of total offense; Had just five third-down plays throughout the game. |
| Clemson (2) | 54-0 | Syracuse | Clemson: 9.3 yards per pass; Syracuse: 4.3 yards per pass. |
| Arkansas | 31-10 | Florida (11) | Arkansas: 223-12 edge in rushing yards. |
| Oklahoma State (18) | 43-37 | Kansas State | Oklahoma State: Mason Rudolph, 457 passing yards, five touchdowns. |
| TCU | 62-22 | Baylor (22) | TCU: 431-133 edge in rushing yards |
| Washington State (25) | 69-7 | Arizona | Washington State: 6-1 advantage in TD passes. |
| Virginia Tech (19) | 24-21 | Duke | Virginia Tech: Outscored Duke 14-0 in second quarter. |
ESPN.com
Mississippi State put the game away with a 14-play, 73-yard drive that culminated with Fitzgerald pounding the ball into the end zone from four yards out. That touchdown allowed the Bulldogs to stretch the lead to 35-21 with just 3:08 remaining.
In addition to suffering the loss in this game, Texas A&M quarterback Trevor Knight was knocked out of the game in the second quarter with what appeared to be an injured right shoulder. He was not able to return.
Billie Weiss/Getty Images
Stars of the Week
QB Lamar Jackson, Louisville
Jackson has been one of the names mentioned as a Heisman Trophy contender throughout the season. He may have changed that status to Heisman Trophy favorite with his performance in Louisville’s 52-7 victory at Boston College Saturday.
The Eagles had no answers for Jackson’s speed, quickness and all-around ability as he had a hand in seven touchdowns.
Jackson carried the ball 15 times for 185 yards and three touchdowns, and he also completed 12 of 17 passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns.
Lamar Jackson keeps making history, becoming the 1st Louisville QB to ever rush for 1,000 yards in a single season pic.twitter.com/Y1oBZICsM7
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 5, 2016
Jackson started his memorable offensive day by rushing for a 69-yard touchdown on the third play from scrimmage. He also added a 53-yard scoring run in the second half.
Jackson suffered from cramps midway through the game, but came back in impressive fashion.
Boston College coach Steve Addazio blamed his team’s mistakes in the blowout, but he acknowledged the talent on the Louisville side and Jackson’s game-breaking ability.
“(Louisville) is one of the top three talented teams in America. That quarterback is electric,” Addazio told the Associated Press after the game (h/t ESPN.com). “When you play a great football team, you can’t have self-inflicted mistakes like we had.”
James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
RB Elijah Hood, North Carolina
Quarterback Mitch Trubisky gets most of the headlines for the North Carolina Tar Heels, but he is not a one-man team.
He received tremendous support form Hood in North Carolina’s impressive 48-20 victory over Georgia Tech. Hood carried the ball 12 times for 168 yards and three touchdowns.
168 yards.
3 TDs...in just 12 carries for @TarHeelFootball ?
Have a day, @So_Hood34! pic.twitter.com/VDURLDV8yW
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) November 5, 2016
Hood opened the scoring with a one-yard TD run early in the first quarter, and he added a 36-yard TD run before the end of the opening period. He also added a touchdown in the third quarter that gave the Tar Heels a 14-point lead.
They would not be challenged after that.
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
QB Wilton Speight, Michigan
The Wolverines continue to pile up blowout victories this season, and the latest victim was Maryland. The final count was a 59-3 devastation.
The Terrapins marched into Michigan Stadium and were hit with a 35-point blitz in the first half. While Michigan was dominant in every area, Speight was razor-sharp in the passing game.
He completed 19 of 24 passes for 362 yards with two touchdowns while keeping it clean on the interception side of the ledger.
Michigan had 402 yards of Total Offense in the First Half #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/7i2wXuX1QK
— Michigan Football (@UMGoBlog) November 5, 2016
Speight opened the scoring with a 34-yard TD pass to wideout Amara Darboh, and then stretched the lead to 14-0 with a 10-yard TD run later in the first quarter.
Speight also hit Jehu Chesson with a 33-yard TD pass in the final minute of the first half, and that allowed the Wolverines to go to the locker room with a 35-0 lead.
Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports
RB Kyle Hicks, TCU
Nobody expected the TCU Horned Frogs to walk into Baylor and compete with the 14th-ranked Bears for 60 minutes.
Perhaps TCU could stay with the hosts for a half or even longer, but picking up a win in Waco, Texas, did not seem likely.
Someone forgot to tell the Horned Frogs as they rolled over their hosts with a 62-22 victory. Hicks was sensational, as he ran for 192 yards and five touchdowns. Hicks scored three of his touchdowns in the second quarter, when TCU registered a 28-7 advantage.
