10 Takeaways: Week Seven

For those reading on e-mail: click 'view in browser' to see the full contents of today's post

1. An awful sports weekend to be Colton Denning

My sports fandom took uppercut after uppercut this weekend. Ryan Day did what Ryan Day does in big games as Ohio State lost to Oregon. Colorado played their hearts out with no Travis Hunter for the majority of the night vs. Kansas State, somehow got the lead late in the fourth quarter, but lost a gut-puncher. The Cowboys got smashed by the Lions at home. (I wrote that sentence before the game even started, by the way.) The baseball team I grew up rooting for (Padres) got eliminated from the MLB playoffs. Finally, the Colorado Avalanche got pumped in their first two games to start the NHL season. I even lost in fantasy football, which our group chat was kind enough to point out:

I hope your sports weekend went better than mine, because I'm down bad in an all-time way right now.

2. Oregon beats Ohio State on the margins

I'll do my best to go over the Ohio State-Oregon game without Buckeye-tinted glasses as much as I can. It was an instant classic that lived up to the hype, and I don't think anyone would be shocked if we see it again in the Big Ten Championship. It was about as even a game as you'll see, which meant it came down to who won on the margins. Unsurprisingly, the team with Ryan Day on their sideline lost that battle.

Two moments stand out to me the most in that regard:

• Oregon's missile onside kick in the second quarter:

A facemask penalty on Oregon's touchdown gave the Ducks the option to kick off from the 50, and Dan Lanning's decision –and the execution itself– here was a major turning point. Ohio State held Oregon to a field goal, but the Ducks stole a possession out of thin air, and those three points were obviously crucial in a one-point win.

• This is what happens when you have a head coach willing to exploit every loophole and gain any advantage against a head coach who leaves a one-point loss in a top-five showdown with a timeout still in his pocket:

What impressed me most about Oregon was how their offense attacked through the air. They lived on short stuff through their first five games, but were intent on attacking Ohio State down the field, and it paid off in a big way - especially to receiver Evan Stewart, who had seven catches for 149 yards and a touchdown:

It was a game that could've easily gone the other way, but the Ducks' attention to detail is what ultimately gave them the win. If you want to see me talk about Ohio State's lack of attention to detail, check out Bulletpoints for my full thoughts on the Buckeyes:

Bulletpoints: Oregon

Some thoughts on another excruciating big-game loss for the Buckeyes.

Two Stripes with Colton DenningColton Denning

3. You OK, Alabama?

A week after their stunning loss to Vanderbilt, Alabama didn't look much better against South Carolina. The fallout from their 27-25 win is focused on whether the Tide can actually make a serious playoff run, and how they gave the Gamecocks every opportunity possible to pull the upset. They're legitimate talking points, but the last 4:30 of the first half is what I'm focused on. That told me everything about what Bama's trying to work through in trying to find who they are under DeBoer.

A short Jalen Milroe touchdown run gave the Tide a 14-0 lead with 4:30 left, and although they hadn't played their best, they were firmly in control. That is, until their defense gave up a 36-yard TD on fourth-and-nine with less than two minutes to go:

Whether it was a busted coverage or a great playcall (or both!) is above my paygrade, but it let South Carolina back into the game.

On the first play of Bama's ensuing possession, Milroe took one of the most unnecessary safeties on an intentional grounding you'll ever see:

Somehow, it wasn't even Milroe's worst play of the day. After forcing a South Carolina fumble, this is what he did with ten seconds left in the half:

South Carolina kicked a field goal, flipping what should've been (at least) a 14-0 deficit at half into 14-12 in under two minutes of game time. It was a complete meltdown - one the likes that I haven't seen from Bama in a long time.

Things were just as shaky in the second half. South Carolina took the lead on their first drive, Milroe threw another brutal pick in the redzone, Bama gave up another long TD in the final minute, got bailed out by a bad throw on the two-point conversion, and let South Carolina recover the onside kick.

Nick Saban built the greatest dynasty in the history of the sport by having more talent than anyone, but what really set Alabama apart from everyone else was that they were always more detailed than their opponent. (Notice a theme in this column?) The last two weeks are a clear indicator that advantage doesn't exist for the Crimson Tide anymore.