Winners, losers from college football Week 6: Texas A&M, Alabama and Ashton Jeanty

By Andrew Buller-Russ

·Updated: October 5, 2024

College football Week 6 had it all. From upsets like Texas A&M crushing Missouri 41-10, to unranked teams stating their case to earn a place in this week’s college football rankings like SMU defeating Louisville 34-27, Saturday was packed with compelling matchups. But who were the biggest winners and losers from college football Week 6?

Related: Heisman Watch 2024

Winner: Le’Veon Moss and Nic Scourton, Texas A&M Aggies

The Aggies have had an eventful season, but Saturday was easily their best game yet. A week after struggling to get the offense going against Arkansas, Conner Weigman led an efficient scoring attack with just four incompletions all day. But the biggest contribution came from junior running back Le’Veon Moss, who racked up 138 rushing yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries. Defensively, potential first-round pick Nic Scourton was excellent, recording 2.5 TFL and 1.5 sacks on the day. Combined, they helped Texas A&M upset a ninth-ranked Missouri team in a 41-10 blowout.

Loser: Brady Cook, Missouri Tigers QB

So much for a perfect season. The Missouri Tigers probably never had a chance to maintain their early momentum, and Brady Cook made sure of it on Saturday by completing just 13-of-31 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown. To be fair, the Aggies came into the day allowing just 18 points per game, good enough for 34th in the nation, but Cook really dropped the ball here.

Winner: Kevin Jennings, SMU Mustangs QB

Before the SMU-Louisville matchup kicked off, it looked like one of the best games on this week’s college football schedule. It lived up to the hype, with SMU narrowly defeating Louisville 34-27 in a back-and-forth scoring affair. But SMU wouldn’t have stood a chance without dual-threat QB Kevin Jennings. The sophomore was efficient and explosive through the air, completing 21-of-27 passes for 281 yards. But he was equally as good as a runner, racking up 113 rushing yards and a touchdown on just 10 attempts. He was easily the game’s MVP, helping SMU improve to 5-1.

Winner: Will Howard, Ohio State Buckeyes QB

Credit: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Will Howard wasn’t worried about facing a 15th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes defense allowing 13.8 points per game. While he did throw one interception, Howard only had four incompletions on the day, which equaled his amount of touchdown passes. He also added a rushing score, accounting for all of Ohio State’s touchdowns in the 35-7 win over Iowa.

Winner: Kurtis Rourke, Indiana Hoosiers QB

Where would the Indiana Hoosiers be without transfer QB Kurtis Rourke? Not 6-0. As good as Rourke was with the Ohio Bobcats, now he’s leading an Indiana team that came into the week ranked 23rd. But after passing for 380 yards and three touchdowns without any turnovers in a decisive 41-24 win over Northwestern, Indiana’s stock will rise even more.

Winner: Walter Nolen, Ole Miss Rebels DL

Football fans can get used to hearing Walter Nolen’s name on their TV sets. The 6-foot-4, 290-pound defensive lineman is sure to end up in the NFL once his career at Ole Miss is done. For now, he’s terrorizing opponents in the SEC. On Saturday, it was a two-sack, three-TFL day to wreck South Carolina’s gameplan. He’s a big reason why the Rebels have a top-five defense in college football.

Related: Heisman Trophy winners

Loser: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama Crimson Tide

That’s arguably the most embarrassing loss in the history of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Losing to Vanderbilt, the team Nick Saban openly mocked just a few weeks ago, is a stain that will linger on Kalen DeBoer’s resume for years. It’s even worse that the Crimson Tide head coach had his players repeatedly committing unsportsmanlike conduct when Vanderbilt was in the victory formation and the result was already final. That attitude is a reflection on the head coach as is the coaching staff, including Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack. DeBoer’s honeymoon is over and it’s going to be a brutal rest of the year for him.

Winner: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State Broncos

This might need to be the year a running back wins the Heisman Trophy. It was already absurd that Ashton Jeanty entered college football Week 6 leading the nation in rushing yards (845), yards per carry (10.3) and rushing touchdowns (13) on 82 touches. He added to those absurd numbers on Sunday night, scoring three first-half touchdowns against Utah State and averaging over 12 yards per carry. Jeanty should be the Heisman Trophy front-runner right now.

Loser: Dave Aranda, Baylor Bears head coach

It’s probably over for Dave Aranda. He entered the season on the hot seat, but seemed to at least find a little steady ground following a 2-1 start. The Baylor Bears have now lost three consecutive games, with Saturday night seeing the program take a 14-3 lead and then get bullied by Iowa State the rest of the way. Aranda has already picked up four losses this season and another is coming. At the very least, he should have plenty of teams wanting him as a defensive coordinator in 2025.

Winner: Jaylen Royals, WR, Utah State Aggies

When college football Week 6 began, Utah State Aggies senior wideout Jalen Royals had a modest 280 yards in four games. He was coming off a season-best 112 receiving yards against Temple, returning to the form that delighted Utah State fans in 2023. He is all the way back now. Royals blew past the 200-yard receiving mark in three quarters, somehow keeping Utah State in a competitive game on a night when Boise State dropped a 60-burger. The Aggies didn’t win, but this was a phenomenal game.