Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker needed six years across two programs to finally get it right. But on a warm Saturday afternoon in Knoxville, Tennessee, Hooker cemented not only his place as a Vols legend but as the new leader in the 2022 Heisman Trophy race.
Hooker was downright magical against No. 3 Alabama, connecting on 21 of 30 passes for 385 yards and five touchdowns -- all of which were to Jalin Hyatt. He added 56 yards on the ground as the Volunteers hung the most points on an Alabama defense since the Tide lost a 54-4 game against Sewanee in 1907.
Most importantly, Hooker's monster effort led No. 6 Tennessee to its first win over Alabama since 2006, the year before Nick Saban took over the program. Historic stats? A signature performance? Guiding Tennessee back to contention for the first time in 15 years? A compelling story of transferring and waiting your turn? Hooker has all the pieces to become the new face of the Heisman race.
Here are more winners, losers and overreactions from an action-packed Week 7 in college football.
Winners
Utah: The Utes' season was nearly left for dead after losing to No. 11 UCLA by 10 points a week ago, but after edging No. 7 USC 43-42 behind a miraculous final drive without tight end Dalton Kincaid, No. 20 Utah is firmly back in the Pac-12 Championship Game race. The Utes started the 2021 season 1-2 before inserting Cameron Rising at quarterback and winning the league for the first time. While threading the needle against USC again is a tall ask, earning a tiebreaker could keep the Trojans out completely in Lincoln Riley's first season.
North Carolina QB Drake Maye: Don't look now, but Sam Howell's replacement is quietly providing UNC with some of the best quarterback play the program has had in recent years. Rival Duke jumped out to an early 21-10 lead over the Tar Heels, but Maye threw an 8-yard pass with 16 seconds remaining to drag UNC to 6-1 with 380 yards and three touchdowns to his name. He also led the team with 70 yards rushing. Barely halfway through the season, Maye already has nearly 2,300 yards passing, 400 yards rushing and 24 touchdowns. That's ridiculous!
Losers
NC State: The Wolfpack were a popular ACC championship pick before the season after returning the bulk of the defense and underrated quarterback Devin Leary. But after Leary suffered a season-ending injury, the Wolfpack proved offense won't come easy enough to compete with contenders in a 24-9 loss against No. 18 Syracuse. NC State mustered just 255 yards and 2.5 yards per carry against the Orange, which eventually pulled away behind a 14-3 run to close the game. It's only the second loss for NC State, but finding quality wins remaining on the schedule is a tough endeavor.
James Madison: The Dukes' magical run to start FBS play finally came to an end on Saturday as James Madison lost its first game since moving up from the FCS level in a 45-38 decision against Georgia Southern. Quarterback Todd Centeio threw for 468 yards, but three interceptions helped set up a monster day for Georgia Southern quarterback Kyle Vantrease, who finished with 578 yards passing and four touchdowns. The Dukes aren't eligible for postseason play or inclusion in the CFP Rankings, but an undefeated start to FBS play still felt like a nice consolation prize.
Overreactions
There are only two good Big Ten teams: OK, maybe we can add No. 24 Illinois to the list after beating Minnesota, but Ohio State and Michigan are the only other Big Ten teams that deserve our attention. Everyone else in the Big Ten is mediocre or worse. Penn State's 41-17 loss against No. 5 Michigan featured just 10 first downs and two scoring drives. It also featured an offense with no plan and a defense that could not get any meaningful stops against a good offensive line.
Outside of the Nittany Lions, there's not much to write home about. Purdue might be one of the top 40 teams in the country after edging Nebraska 43-37. Minnesota's hot start is coming to a close. Iowa vs. Wisconsin could set offense back decades.
Last season, Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State were excellent teams that had moments of vulnerability against quality conference foes. Those foes don't exist in 2022. The Big Ten will play a one-game conference season on Nov. 26, and we can tune out until then.
TCU is the Big 12 favorite: The No. 13 Horned Frogs shocked No. 8 Oklahoma State 43-40 in double-overtime to move to 6-0 for the first time in five seasons. But more importantly, the Frogs are the only undefeated team remaining in the Big 12 and a serious contender to compete for the conference championship.
No. 22 Texas was dubbed the new favorite after crushing a Dillon Gabriel-less Oklahoma 49-0 a week ago, but the Longhorns were a bungled targeting call away from losing against four-loss Iowa State. No. 17 Kansas State has played well but showed lows in a loss against Tulane. Oklahoma State might be back in the Big 12 title game, but a tiebreaker could box out the Pokes.
Right now, the path to the Big 12 championship runs through Fort Worth, Texas, for the first time ever. With a home game against Kansas State next week, the Frogs will have yet another chance to knock off a top contender in Fort Worth.
