Throughout this season, there have been many teams that were in tough spots. Many of those team have stayed in those tough spots, but some have managed to dig their way out. In this article, I will talk about teams that have made large improvements this season and how it has happened.

Michigan

After two sloppy wins and a blowout loss at the hands of Wisconsin, Michigan’s football program was not held in very high regard. They clawed out wins over Iowa and Illinois, but things still were not looking great. When they fell behind 21-0 in the second quarter at Penn State, it looked like all hoe was lost. Surprisingly, the Wolverine mounted a comeback in that game and while they fell short 28-21, there was reason for optimism. In the four games since then, Michigan is 4-0 and has outscored opponents 166-45 or 41-11 on average. The team has been the recipient of quite a bit of hype recently, so much so that many people are saying they can upset rival Ohio State.

One of Michigan’s main goals this season was to modernize their offense and better use their talent. The offense got off to a slow start as the team, especially quarterback Shea Patterson who became quite turnover happy. Patterson has started to really put it all together recently as he has thrown for over 350 yards in each of Michigan’s last two games, when his season high was 276 yards before then. While it might seem like it was just a small sample size, those games featured Patterson’s second and third highest total in pass attempts. These last two games have also seen Patterson throw nine of his 21 total touchdowns. The opening up of the passing game has really elevated this offense as they average 41 points per game since the Penn State game and averaged 29 points per game before that. Michigan also has not had a player get 100 receiving yards in game until their two most recent outings. Ronnie Bell had 150 receiving yards against Michigan State and Nico Collins had 165 yards against Indiana. The emergence of Bell and Collins as solid receiving threats has definitely been a catalyst in Michigan’s offensive improvement.

Michigan also has improved their ball security in their last few games. After the Penn State game, the Wolverines have turned the ball over just twice in four games and are 4-0 in winning the turnover battle. Before that, they had 14 turnovers in seven games and only won the turnover battle once (it was a tie four times though). By improving ball security, the Wolverines are able to keep more drives alive and can create less disadvantageous spots for their defense. Their defense has also reaped those benefits as they went from giving up 19 points per game in their first seven games and just 11 points per game in their most recent four.

Michigan’s football program has recently been defined by their inability to beat rival Ohio State. While the fact that they have lost seven straight and fourteen out of the last fifteen matchups against the Buckeyes definitely has to sting, I think Michigan needs to recognize the progress that is being made and the facelift the program has had under Jim Harbaugh. While it is hard to measure up with Ohio State, that program is a juggernaut and one of the three or four most successful programs this decade. I think Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Josh Gattis are taking quite a lot of steps in the right direction.

Tennessee

After losses to Georgia State and BYU to open up the season, it looked like the wheels were really falling off for Tennessee. Blowout losses to Georgia and Florida made the Volunteers 1-4 on the season. Signs of improvement began to show a bit after a 20-10 win over Mississippi State as Tennessee did very well against the run. A 35-13 loss at the hands of Alabama might not look too great, but the Volunteers had the ball on the goal line down 28-13 with seven minutes to go. The wind was sucked out of Tennessee as they fumbled the ball on the goal line after quarterback Jarrett Guarantano made the decision on the line to not run it with their running back but keep it himself and not call the audible. That plan backfired as Alabama’s Trevon Diggs tipped the ball out of his hands and returned it for a touchdown. After that game, I felt as though it was likely that Tennessee would fall apart and that Guarantano would never start for them again. Tennessee and Guarantano looked to redeem themselves a bit the next week with a 41-21 win over South Carolina. The train was kept rolling with a win over UAB. At 4-5, getting bowl eligibility seemed at least possible, which was far from the case after week two. Wins over Kentucky and Missouri did just that as Tennessee snagged their sixth win for the first time since 2016. With a weak Vanderbilt team looming in rivalry week, it seems likely that Tennessee will end their season on a five game winning streak and with seven wins. This mid season turnaround under head coach Jeremy Pruitt has been nothing short of remarkable.

Almost as impressive at Tennessee’s turnaround is the same turnaround surrounding quarterback Jarrett Guarantano. After coming out victorious in quarterback battles in 2017 and 2018, I believed that Guarantano would take a major step up this season. Unfortunately, that was not quite the case early as he was given a run for his money as the starter by true freshman Brian Maurer. After his goal line fumble against Alabama, it looked as though Guarantano lost the trust of the coaching staff and I thought it might be a while before he got the start under center. Thankfully for him, he got to play some against South Carolina and threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns. While his first actual start again was not until the Missouri game last week, he has seen action in every game and has played quite well. This was all capped with against Missouri where he threw for 415 yards in a 24-20 win that secured bowl eligibility for the Volunteers. During their four game winning streak, they have also seen improvement in every offensive facet. Tennessee’s leading rusher surpassed 70 yards only twice in their first seven games, but it has happened three times in their last four games. Receiver Jauan Jennings has had 408 receiving yards in his last four games when he had 478 in the prior seven. Fellow receiver Marquez Callaway has 325 of his 597 total this season over the last four games. In their first seven games, Tennessee had just three instances of a player going over 100 receiving yards. There were three players who went over 100 yards just last week against Missouri.

It looks as though head coach Jeremy Pruitt is beginning to make an impact on the program during his second season in Knoxville. I think Pruitt was a very good hire after all the controversy surrounding Tennessee’s 2017 coaching search. I think this hire will only continue to pay dividends.

Virginia Tech

This past Saturday was surely an emotional game for Virginia Tech football and their fans. Defensive coordinator Bud Foster, who has been on staff since 1987 and the defensive coordinator since 1995, coached his last game at Lane Stadium as he will retire at the end of the season. Foster, who has held the defensive coordinator position in Blacksburg longer than any current FBS head coach has been at their job, has done an amazing job with the Hokies while developing his patented lunch pail defense that will always out-hustle and outwork their opponents. The game on Saturday was a very appropriate send-off for Foster as the Hokies came away with a 28-0 win. This shutout victory was not only symbolic of Foster’s tenure as defensive coordinator, but also the major turnaround the Hokies have had this season.

Virginia Tech seemed to be in the middle of a tailspin as a program during the past offseason. After their first losing season since 1992, 16 players left the program via the transfer portal and it was reported that many players hoped the Hokies would lose their last regular season game so the season could end and would not be extended by a bowl berth. All of this background information meant that Virginia Tech looked to be on the verge of a collapse and head coach Justin Fuente’s seat was appearing to start getting warm.

Virginia Tech started 2019 off with a loss to Boston College. This was followed by an uninspiring win over Old Dominion, a seven point win over FCS foe Furman, and a 45-10 home loss to Duke. While the Hokies were 2-2, their wins did nothing to raise confidence. It looked likely that there would not be a bowl appearance this season for the first time since 1992, and that Fuente would likely be on his way out. Wins over Miami and FCS foe Rhode Island were nice, but still did little to raise confidence. Where the tide really started to change was when the Hokies switched to Hendon Hooker at quarterback. His first start was against Rhode Island but he soon went down with an injury in his second start. He returned to action against Wake Forest and threw for 242 yards on over 10 yards per attempt. Wins over Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh improves Virginia Tech to 8-3 and 5-0 in games where Hooker got the start. On the season, Hooker has thrown for 1,134 yards in five game appearances. He also has thrown for 10 touchdowns without throwing an interception on 10 yards per attempt.

The Hokies have also improved tremendously on defense recently. In the first five games of the season, their defense gave up 30 points per game and have cut that number to 14 in their last six outings. Linebacker Rayshard Ashby leads the team in tackles like he did last season, but has also emerged as a playmaker, leading the team with 14.5 tackles for loss. Nickel back Chamorri Conner has also stepped up as a playmaker as he is second on the team with 10.5 tackles for loss and leads the team with 5.5 sacks. Their secondary has also done quite well this season as Caleb Farley and Jermaine Waller have four and three interceptions respectively while linebacker Dax Hollifield has three.

While Clemson clearly holds the title of top dog in the ACC, the title of second best team has been up for grabs this season. Virginia Tech definitely has tried to claim that. They will clearly take hold of it if they beat Virginia for the Commonwealth Cup on Friday as that will secure them a berth in the ACC Championship.

Cal

After a golden age in the mid to late 2000s, Cal’s football team has really plateaued. The Golden Bears fell by the wayside to rival Stanford and started an eight game losing streak to them in 2010. While this season has not always been a great success, they ended their losing streak to Stanford with a 24-20 win on Saturday and really look to be going in the right direction as a program. After mostly wasting the career of number one overall draft pick Jared Goff and sporting a losing season without him, Sonny Dykes was let go by the Golden Bears and Wisconsin defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox was brought on starting in the 2017 season. After a 5-7 season in 2017, the Golden Bears went to a bowl game, which was nice progress. This past season, Cal started off 4-0 but things soon took a wrong turn when quarterback Chase Garbers went down with an injury. Without Garbers, the offense floundered. While it can be easy to play the what if game, Cal is 5-0 in games where Garbers played the whole time and 1-5 in games where he left with an early injury or did not play at all. While Garbers is not an elite quarterback, he can run Cal’s offense well and can keep them in games. If he was healthy this whole season, I think the Golden Bears likely steal a couple of their losses.

Where Cal has been elite this season is on defense. Linebacker Evan Weaver has racked up an astounding 163 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles on the season. Weaver has been the leader of the defense for the last two years and has a real nose for the ball. Fellow linebacker Kuony Deng has also added 106 tackles of his own. Safeties Ashtyn Davis and Jaylinn Hawkins have also been terrific playmakers. Cal’s defense is very good and their group of linebackers and secondary is among the best in the country. Defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter has done a very good job of developing the defense. I think offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin might be on his way out as he has not done the best, but if the offense can just establish an identity, I think this team could become one of the higher tier teams in the Pac 12.

Oregon State

Oregon State had a tough loss last week. Their win probability against Washington State got as high as 98% in the fourth quarter but they allowed Washington State to drive all the way down the field and bring home a 54-53 win as they ran in a touchdown with four seconds left. This loss was especially tough for Oregon State as a win would have secured bowl eligibility and the loss means they will have to beat rival Oregon in Eugene to make a bowl game for the first time since 2013. While the loss to Washington State will sting, Oregon State is in a good spot as a program and I am excited to see their path to improvement in the next few years.

Head coach Jonathan Smith was hired after the 2017 season after spending the last four seasons as the offensive coordinator at Washington. Smith, a former quarterback at Oregon State who was MVP of the Fiesta Bowl in 2000, has really turned the offense into one full of weapons. Quarterback Jake Luton might not be the most athletic player, but he takes care of the ball well. Luton has thrown for 2,714 yards this season and a touchdown to interception ratio of 28/3. Jermar Jefferson has been a bit hampered by injury this season but he still has 604 rushing yards in his eight game appearances. Jefferson’s injury has given Artavis Pierce a chance to shine as he has 849 rushing yards on the season. The star of the show on offense this season has definitely been receiver Isaiah Hodgins who has amassed 1,086 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns on 78 catches. The defensive side of the ball was where the Beavers really struggled last season. While they still have a ways to go, they have improved and have done enough to keep them in games. The best player on the defense is definitely linebacker Hamilcar Rashed. Rashed has an eye popping 22.5 tackles for loss and 14 sacks this season. Fellow linebacker and Nebraska transfer Avery Roberts has been another solid contributor on the defense.

Oregon State has been in a very tough spot recently. Jonathan Smith has really elevated the program and I think they will only get better.

Some Random Thoughts

1. Miami Ohio linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. might have just had the game of his life. Pace, a true freshman who will likely redshirt as this was just his fourth game of the season, had six sacks in a 20-17 win for the Redhawks over Akron. Pace had just four solo tackles on the season and zero sacks before the game.

2. Georgia Tech had a nice moment during this rebuilding season last Thursday night as they beat North Carolina State 28-26 to improve to 3-8 on the season. The Yellow Jackets were led by three touchdown passes from quarterback James Graham and 141 rushing yards from Jordan Mason. While Georgia Tech should be happy with the win, North Carolina State is in the midst of a tough season.

3. The matchup between Ohio State and Penn State was not only the site of ESPN’s College GameDay, but also Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff, the cheap knockoff of College GameDay that Fox Sports does. While the idea of both sites being at the same game is a bit interesting, I think we can all agree that it is disappointing that a brawl did not occur like in Anchorman.

4. Illinois was unable to channel the same inexplicably great performance they had against Michigan State as they lost a gritty game to Iowa 19-10. Iowa was led by 308 passing yards from Nate Stanley, three pass deflections and an interception by defensive back Matt Hankins, and four field goals from kicker Keith Duncan.

5. West Virginia looks to have found a new quarterback in Bowling Green transfer Jarret Doege. Doege, the brother of former Texas Tech quarterback Seth Doege, has completed 69% of his passes for 660 yards and five touchdowns through three games.

6. Ohio State remains undefeated after surviving a third quarter storm from Penn State as they won 28-17. JK Dobbins really established himself again as he ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Chase Young had a monster game of his own with nine tackles, three sacks, four tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles.

7. Air Force is 9-2 on the season after a 44-22 win over New Mexico. Quarterback Donald Hammond threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns on just 10 passing attempts. Benjamin Waters and Giraud Sanders were the only receivers to catch passes as they had 171 and 156 receiving yards respectively.

8. USC’s offense fully exploded in their 52-35 win over rival UCLA. Quarterback Kedon Slovis threw for a school record 515 passing yards and four touchdowns. USC also had four receivers with over 100 yards. Drake London led the team with 142 receiving yards, while Michael Pittman led with 13 catches. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Tyler Vaughns were the other two guys to surpass 100 yards. While Clay Shelton should be fired as head coach, they need to retain Graham Harrell as offensive coordinator.

9. After their 24-10 loss to Baylor, I am honestly just disgusted with Texas as a fan. Tim Beck must go as offensive coordinator. The team has continued to underperform and it just is sad to see this talent get wasted.

10. Malcolm Perry had a huge day for Navy as they beat SMU 35-28. Perry threw for 162 yards and ran for another 195 as he had three total touchdowns.

11. Jonathan Taylor had a nice game for Wisconsin as he ran for 222 yards in a 45-24 Badgers win over Northwestern. Wisconsin will take on Minnesota Saturday with the Big 10 West title on the line.

12. Wisconsin kicker Zach Hintze also deserves a shoutout as he hit a 62 yard field goal.

13. LSU’s offense exploded in their 56-20 win against Arkansas. Joe Burrow threw for 327 yards while Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran for 188 yards on just six carries.

14. Boise State scored a touchdown against Colorado State while running the Statue of Liberty, reminiscent of the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. The Broncos beat Colorado State 56-21.

15. Charlotte is bowl eligible for first time in school history after a 24-13 win over Marshall. Will Healy has done well in his first season with the 49ers and they need to hope he does not get poached by a better program.

16. FIU notched a very nice win over Miami on Saturday as the 30-24 score made the game seem way closer than it really was. This win over an in state foe surely was great for FIU especially since this win bumped them up to six wins. This is Miami’s third loss this season as a 20 point favorite.

17. After two straight losses, Wake Forest’s win over Duke has to have been a relief. Jamie Newman had a big day with 284 passing yards and 144 rushing yards. Former quarterback Kendall Hinton has his best game of the season at receiver with 189 receiving yards.

18. Arizona State ruined Oregon’s playoff hopes on Saturday as they ended their four game losing streak with a 31-28 win over the Ducks. Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels really established himself as a future star. The true freshman completed 22/32 passes for 408 yards and three touchdowns. Brandon Aiyuk has 161 receiving yards including an 81 yard touchdown that helped ice the game for the Sun Devils. Oregon still has clinched their division and is awaiting Utah in the Pac 12 Championship.

19. Oklahoma escaped with third straight one possession win in Saturday as they beat TCU 28-24. Jalen Hurts was a major impact on the ground as he ran for 173 yards and two touchdowns in addition to his 145 passing yards. Kennedy Brooks ran for 149 yards of his own. The Bedlam game against Oklahoma State looks to be an interesting one for Oklahoma.

20. Washington State’s win over Oregon State was an absolutely wild game. On Washington State’s last drive, Washington State converted on a fourth and eight on a pass from Anthony Gordon to Tay Martin. They also converted a third and 10 on a 20 yard pass from Gordon to Easop Winston. Max Borghi ran in a touchdown to give the Cougars a 54-53 win with just four seconds left in the game. Gordon threw for 606 yards and six touchdowns in the win. Borghi is also the perfect air raid running back and I can already see him playing a James White-esque role in the NFL.

21. Utah improved to 10-1 on the season as they beat Arizona 35-7. Zack Moss ran for 203 yards in the win. The Utes are still in playoff contention and have a matchup with Oregon in the Pac 12 Championship (that is if they beat Colorado which they should) that looms large.

22. Hawaii clinched the title for the West division of the Mountain West with a 14-11 win over San Diego State. The Rainbow Warriors did very well against the run in their win and will play Boise State at the blue turf in the Mountain West Championship. Hawaii lost to Boise State 59-37 in the regular season but Boise State beat Fresno State in the regular season last year before losing to them in the Mountain West Championship so a victory is not impossible.

23. This week’s cool uniform award goes to Air Force and Baylor.

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