Sports
Why don’t all teams use the unstoppable tush push? Do Eagles have a ‘secret ingredient’?
THE ATLANTA FALCONS, protecting a 7-3 lead, faced a fourth-and-1 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ 47 with 9:03 left in the first half of their Week 1 matchup.
For the Philadelphia Eagles, the playcall would have been automatic: the tush push. And the result would have been nearly automatic: a first down. They’ve converted the play 96.6% of the time in fourth-and-1 scenarios since 2022. It has become so unstoppable that nearly two-thirds of NFL teams voted to ban it.
But Falcons coach Raheem Morris is no fan of the tush push, questioning its legality and wanting it banned. So instead, he called for a handoff to star running back Bijan Robinson, who was stopped for no gain. The Bucs scored on the ensuing possession en route to a 23-20 NFC South victory.
“There’s just no other play in our game where you can absolutely get behind somebody and push them,” Morris said. “I never really understood it, why that was legal. So, I’ve definitely been one of those guys voting against that.”
Morris is not alone in his skepticism. Only nine teams have run the play 10 or more times since 2022. Four teams — the New Orleans Saints, Washington Commanders, Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins — have never attempted one.
Even the Indianapolis Colts under Shane Steichen, who was at the forefront of implementing the play when he was with the Eagles, have attempted push plays just three times since he was hired in Indianapolis in 2023. None of those attempts produced a first down.
The play is as simple as it is effective. At a basic level for the Eagles, it involves quarterback Jalen Hurts taking the snap and diving forward behind a powerful offensive line while being pushed from behind by teammates lined up in the offensive backfield.
The Eagles have attempted it 116 times since 2022, including six times in Sunday’s victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. That tied for the most attempts by the Eagles in a single game. And it was juxtaposed against the Chiefs’ failure on a critical third-quarter fourth-and-1 play in which running back Kareem Hunt was stuffed after a handoff.
The NFL is often described as the ultimate copycat league, so why don’t more teams try to duplicate the Eagles’ signature play? The league average success rate for a fourth-and-1 non-tush play is 67.0% since 2022, while the league average for a tush push is 84.8%. And the Eagles’ rate is nearly 12 points higher, but the teams opposed to the play have a variety of objections, including avoiding injury risk to quarterbacks or not having personnel ideally suited to running the play. Meanwhile, the Eagles keep pushing along, and it’s not sitting well with some teams, including Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who accused Eagles linemen of false starts.
“We’ve tried it at other places, and it’s not the same replication that it is in Philly,” said Saints coach Kellen Moore, who was the Eagles’ offensive coordinator this past season. “They’re the ones that are doing it, and all of us have tried to replicate it in some way. And, usually, at the end of the day, it’s their play.”
The Eagles’ dominance hasn’t been well received by everyone. The Green Bay Packers proposed banning the play, but that proposal narrowly failed during contentious league meetings in May. There are still many vocal proponents of banning it, with the measure falling just two votes short of passage. But, for now, the only thing standing between the Eagles and more successful tush push plays are NFL defenses. And those defenses have yet to devise reliable ways to stop them.
“There’s some secret ingredient that they got going on over there compared to everybody else,” Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said.
STEICHEN REMEMBERS VIVIDLY the revelatory moment when he discovered the tush push might become a go-to tactic.
He was Philadelphia’s playcaller on Oct. 9, 2022, when the Eagles included the current version of the play in their game plan for the first time (they had used a variant of it sparingly in 2021). It was originally intended to be one of several short-yardage plays in their offensive catalogue.
With 8:06 remaining in the first quarter of that day’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, the Eagles faced a first-and-goal from the Cardinals’ 1-yard line. It was an ideal scenario to roll out their newest play. Worst case, the Eagles would have additional chances to convert if the experiment failed.
Ultimately, those fears were unfounded.
Hurts, behind a surge from his offensive line — and with tight end Dallas Goedert pulling Hurts from the front and running back Kenneth Gainwell pushing him from behind — barreled across the goal line for the first points of the game.
“We hit the first one, and I’m like, ‘All right, that was pretty nice, let’s do it again,'” Steichen said. “And, so, we did it again. I don’t even know how many times we ran it in that one game.”
All told, the Eagles attempted the play six times in the victory over Arizona. They converted first downs on five of those attempts.
That was the day everything changed.
The play became the singular focus of the Eagles’ short-yardage offense. The offensive coaching staff routinely held weekly 90-minute meetings about short-yardage situations before employing the tush push, Steichen said. But the instant success of the push play reduced those meetings to about 10 minutes.
“We’d look at each other and say, ‘So, are we good?'” Steichen said. “If there wasn’t anything else, we’d just say, ‘All right, we’re done.'”
The staff began adding layers to the play, like drawing up alternative plays they could run out of the tush push formation. Eventually they added a second pusher in the backfield after initially drawing up the play with just one. But mostly, coaches were inclined to not fix something that wasn’t broken.
Since 2022, other teams have had ample opportunity to duplicate the play. But only the Bills have used it with any regularity, converting 51 out of 57 attempts — with any down and distance — for an 89.5% success rate. The Chicago Bears (16 attempts) are the next closest team.
Are the Eagles just smarter? More talented? Tougher? It’s much more nuanced than that.
Not surprisingly, the offensive line plays the most fundamental role in a successful tush push. Without a powerful unit capable of creating significant upfront push, the play isn’t even viable. And yet, four of the top five teams in run block win rate from 2024 never attempted a push play this past season. The fifth, the Baltimore Ravens, tried it just five times.
So, having a formidable line does not automatically make a team a good candidate to run this play. You have to have the right personnel with the right skill sets. The ability of the interior offensive linemen to create significant push and get lower than the defensive linemen in the scrum is key. Now-retired Eagles center Jason Kelce was particularly good at this.
“You’ve just got to have the perfect technique,” Tennessee Titans center Lloyd Cushenberry III said.
BUT THERE ARE other factors to consider, even for teams with top offensive lines.
Take Washington, for example. The Commanders were third in the NFL this past season in rushing yards per game and ranked second in collective run block win rate. But their slender rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels (6-foot-4, 210 pounds), is not as powerfully built as Hurts, who is a compact 6-1 and 223 pounds and famously squats nearly 600 pounds.
“I’m assuming they don’t want me to do it,” Daniels said of the Commanders’ aversion to the play. “I guess that’s the reason why. If I need to do it, I’ll do it.”
Therein lies another component of this equation: It is Hurts’ lower-body strength and overall power combined with the Eagles’ skilled offensive line that makes it all come together.
In Jacksonville, new Jaguars coach Liam Coen said he has included the tush push in the playbook in part because of 6-6, 220-pound quarterback Trevor Lawrence. But Coen admits to never considering it in his previous role as Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator with smaller quarterback Baker Mayfield (6-1, 215).
“We didn’t do a ton of [quarterback] sneaks because Baker was not the biggest, even though he’d probably bust my chops for saying that,” Coen said. “But he can get them, too, though. It’ll be a part of the [Jaguars’] scheme.”
To that end, Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said he might consider using the tush push with rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe, who showed himself to be a powerful runner at Alabama. The Seahawks successfully executed one in the preseason with Milroe under center and could deploy it again.
“You’ve seen him,” Macdonald said. “He’s a strong person.”
Instead, the Seahawks ran one with tight end AJ Barner on Sunday against the Steelers, and they converted.
There’s a final variable to consider, and it’s also related to the quarterback: instincts.
Hurts has developed such a knack for finding the openings in that split second after the snap on push plays that it has made him difficult to stop. In that 2022 game when the Eagles attempted the tush push for the first time, the hole Hurts attempted to push through never materialized. But he ably slid slightly to his left and found an alternative path to the end zone.
“The quarterback has to have a tremendous feel for it,” Steichen said.
Some have that, some don’t.
Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay makes no pretense about which category his quarterback, Matthew Stafford, falls into.
“We always joke, he’s a terrible sneaker,” McVay said. He added, “You won’t be seeing much tush push from the L.A. Rams.”
THERE ARE SOME in NFL circles who are opposed to the tush push on principle because of the pushing element. Many of those individuals participated in those heated debates earlier in the year.
But there are coaches who choose not to run the play based on mere philosophy. For them, there are other ways to gain a single yard in a short-yardage scenario.
“We don’t live in that world,” Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said. “Schematically, we feel we have our own ways of getting to that quarterback sneak, even if it’s not that play.”
The Chiefs have in recent years employed tight ends on standard quarterback sneaks, using pre-snap shifts to move them under center. Three-time MVP Patrick Mahomes had a right patellar (kneecap) dislocation on a sneak in 2019 and missed two games, which likely influenced the team’s philosophy. The Chiefs’ short-yardage approach has been relatively successful as they ranked 16th this past season in converting third and fourth downs with a yard or less to go for a first down (71.7%).
Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer has a similar view.
“We have different ways of what I would say attacking the A-gaps and things like that,” he said. “And we have some plays that we feel like we’ve perfected that are different than that.”
Another obstacle, some say, is the inability to safely replicate the play in practice. Even Steichen admitted calling the tush push as often as the Eagles did is what helped them perfect it — not practice. Some coaches are understandably reluctant to call a play they haven’t adequately rehearsed.
“We’re obviously not going to create a bunch of scrums on the practice field with our own defense and risk injuries,” New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said.
The Eagles are proof that the best way to improve at running the play is to run it more often. But you can only afford to do so if it’s actually working.
“It’s about them doing it over and over and over again,” Steichen said. “They’re getting the reps on the field on game day, and that’s their practice — doing it.”
A final philosophical objection might be one of the most obvious: Not every team wants to subject its quarterback to potential punishment. It’s a different question from whether the quarterback is actually good at running the tush push. Hurts inevitably gets hit on the play, even though it hasn’t resulted in an injury for the reigning Super Bowl MVP.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray‘s position on the concept is simple: Count me out. And he told former Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury as much.
Murray recalled running a quarterback sneak early in his career against the Falcons. He converted the first down, he said, but defenders were in the pile “f—ing with my fingers and messing with me and stuff. I told Kliff … ‘Yo, I’m not doing that s— again.’ But I would do it if we needed to do it. I would definitely do it.”
Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores said “exposing the quarterback” to injury is, in his estimation, the biggest reason more teams don’t run the tush push.
“It’s a violent play, I would say,” he said. “There’s certainly a lot of contact on that particular play.”
Colts center Tanor Bortolini was recently discussing the idea of a tush push with quarterback Daniel Jones, formerly of the New York Giants. Jones’ position was unambiguous.
“In New York, he said they ran it one time and he got smoked by a linebacker,” Bortolini said. “He was like, ‘I never want to run that again.’ And I was like, ‘You know what? That makes sense.’
“You really hate to put your quarterback in a spot where he can just get drilled like that.”
THERE REMAINS SIGNIFICANT opposition to the tush push. During the May league meeting, 22 teams voted for the Packers’ proposal to ban it (passage required 24 votes). That means roughly two out of three owners were convinced the play is worth eliminating.
League officials posited that it’s a dangerous play and should be removed from the game.
“I think we owe it to our players,” Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “It’s not about success, it’s about safety here.”
1:23
Schefter: ‘Eagles have mastered the tush push’
Adam Schefter explains how the Eagles have mastered the tush push, leaving defenses and officials unsure how to manage it.
There was also criticism in the Eagles’ game Sunday, with Fox analyst Tom Brady and Reid suggesting Eagles offensive linemen were getting off the line of scrimmage before the snap but weren’t penalized.
“If guys are moving early, then you’ve got to call that,” Reid said. “[The league] will go back and look at that and see what their evaluation is of it. It could be different than mine. I felt like the guys [were] moving, and that’s why I was griping about it on the sideline with the officials.
“But sometimes people see things differently. I’ll be curious to see what the response is.”
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said of the Chiefs, “I would argue that they were in the neutral zone a lot and taking every inch that they had.” Still, the questions might create renewed scrutiny of the play.
But, for now, the play is perfectly legal and is available to every team. And yet, there is minimal momentum toward wider usage.
In Week 1 of this season, just two teams ran a tush push of any sort. To no surprise, it was the same teams that have long been doing it successfully: the Eagles and the Bills (two attempts each).
It’s just the latest evidence of what has been clear all along: The rest of the league still hasn’t cracked this code, and the Eagles, in particular, stand alone.
“I can’t hate that they mastered it,” Titans defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day said. “Shout[out] to their coach, shout[out] to their players. They just got it down. They got it down to the T.”
Contributing: Todd Archer, Sarah Barshop, Turron Davenport, Rob Demovsky, Mike DiRocco, Brady Henderson, John Keim, Marc Raimondi, Mike Reiss, Kevin Seifert, Nate Taylor, Katherine Terrell and Josh Weinfuss.
Trent Alexander-Arnold made a tribute to Diogo Jota outside Anfield on Monday night.
Alexander-Arnold and his Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso laid flowers in memory of Jota at the Liverpool stadium before their Champions League clash.
Jota, aged 28, and his brother André, 26, died in July in a tragic car crash in Portugal.
A Real Madrid contingent — including Jota’s former teammate Alexander-Arnold, and ex-Liverpool midfielder Alonso — paid their respects 24 hours before Tuesday night’s match.
Alexander-Arnold wrote a heartbreaking message which read: “My mate Diogo, you are so missed but still so loved.
“Yours and Andre’s memory will always live on.
“I smile every time I think about you and will always remember the great times we shared.
“Miss you mate, every day. Love Trent and family. Forever 20. YNWA.”
Real defender Dean Huijsen and club legend Emilio Butragueno also joined the tribute on Monday.
Liverpool retired the No. 20 in honour of Jota after his death.
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Alexander-Arnold and Jota helped Liverpool win the Premier League, the FA Cup, two League Cups and the Community Shield.
Alexander-Arnold makes his return to Anfield play against Liverpool on Tuesday in the Champions League.
Rival right-back Dani Carvahal is injured, but Real also have the option of using Fede Valverde in Alexander-Arnold’s position.
Pakistan won the toss and opted to bowl first in the first one-day international (ODI) of a three-match series against South Africa at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on Tuesday.
Pakistan skipper Shaheen Afridi said the decision was influenced by the freshness of the wicket and the long interval since Faisalabad last hosted an ODI.
South Africa captain Matthew Breetzke said that the surface appeared dry, predicting dew would impact play later in the evening.
Playing XIs:
Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Agha, Hussain Talat, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi (c), Naseem Shah, and Abrar Ahmed.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Tony de Zorzi, Matthew Breetzke (c), Sinethemba Qeshile, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Bjorn Fortuin, Lungi Ngidi, and Lizaad Williams.
The three-match ODI series is a part of the Proteas tour of Pakistan, featuring an all-format series. The two-match Test series was shared by both teams 1-1, while Pakistan won the three-match T20I series 2-1.
With the first ODI, international cricket has returned to Faisalabad after 17 years. The remaining matches will be played on 6 and 8 November at the same venue.
The last international match at the Iqbal Stadium was played on April 11, 2008, when Pakistan defeated Bangladesh in an ODI by seven wickets. The historic venue has hosted 16 ODIs to date, including four World Cup matches – one in 1987 and three in 1996.
Pakistan have featured in 12 ODIs at this ground, winning nine and losing three. South Africa, on the other hand, have played five ODIs here, winning two and losing three. Across all ODIs between the two sides, Pakistan and South Africa have met 87 times, with Pakistan winning 34 and South Africa emerging victorious in 52 encounters. In Pakistan, both teams have won eight matches each out of 16.
In Faisalabad, Pakistan and South Africa have contested in three ODIs. Pakistan have won on two occasions (in 1994 and 2007), while South Africa secured victory in one (2003).
Arch Manning kept the ball on a run-pass option, knowing a big hit was coming his way. The Texas quarterback waited until the last possible second before firing the ball to a leaping Emmett Mosley V in the end zone.
Manning’s third touchdown pass gave Texas a 24-point lead over Vanderbilt, and the Longhorns held on for a 34-31 win. The much-scrutinized Manning, who entered his first season as a starter with outsize expectations and struggled to meet them for seven games, had settled into a nice rhythm. Manning has 674 passing yards and six touchdowns in his past two starts, and he enters the stretch run brimming with confidence.
Quarterbacks improve and so do offenses overall, as Texas has shown in recent weeks. Offenses and quarterbacks also regress, as Carson Beck and Miami have with losses in two of the past three games.
But November provides the stage for offenses to make strides and ideally peak in the most important games. Weather and injuries will factor in for some teams, as will schedule strength. Our latest power rankings examine the top 25 and what each team can do to improve on offense during a pivotal month. — Adam Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 1
The Buckeyes had a strong performance on the ground in the 38-14 win over Penn State. But the running game has been middling for much of the season, even with quarterback Julian Sayin and wideouts Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith buoying arguably the most lethal passing attack in the country. The Buckeyes rank 10th in the Big Ten with 153 rushing yards per game and ninth with 4.64 yards per carry. Ohio State is eighth in the league in yards before contact per rush (1.73) and 11th in yards after contact per rush (2.84), suggesting the issues lie both with the offensive line and the running backs. Still, the more carries freshman Bo Jackson has gotten, the better the running game has been. And last season, Ohio State’s revamped offensive line found its groove in the College Football Playoff after struggling during the regular season. Against Penn State, Jackson rushed for 105 yards on 13 carries for his first 100-yard game since Sept. 13. That could prove to be a springboard for Ohio State’s running game down the stretch. — Jake Trotter
Previous ranking: 2
Like many aspects of coach Curt Cignetti’s team, the offense is difficult to nitpick. The Hoosiers entered Saturday’s game at Maryland ranked third nationally in scoring and fifth in yards per contest. Indiana continued its machinelike efficiency against the Terrapins, leaning on its running game with Kaelon Black and Maryland transfer Roman Hemby. Despite not having starting offensive lineman Drew Evans and losing standout wide receiver Elijah Sarratt to a hamstring injury in the first half, Indiana still finished with 55 points and 588 yards in its latest win. IU has displayed tremendous offensive balance throughout the season, and the run game has really come on strong across the past two weeks after a brief dip. The Hoosiers need to maintain that approach the rest of the way. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 3
The duo of Mario Craver and KC Concepcion changed everything for the Aggies’ offense this season by creating space with big-play threats, which was seriously lacking last season. The transfers have combined for 76 catches, 1,261 yards and 11 touchdowns as compared with last season’s leading receivers Noah Thomas and Jabre Barber, who racked up 77 catches for 955 yards and 10 TDs over the entire campaign. Despite losing last season’s leading rusher, Le’Veon Moss, to an ankle injury, the Aggies have used the legs of quarterback Marcel Reed (349 yards, six TDs) to supplement running back Rueben Owens II. And as of late, ball carrier Jamarion Morrow, who scored twice against LSU, has given Texas A&M another wrinkle. The Aggies are humming along. But one area for improvement? They rank 123rd in penalties per game (7.9), and coach Mike Elko has challenged his team to be more disciplined. After a bye week, the Aggies will be headed to Missouri with ESPN Research’s best strength of record, which suggests the average playoff contender would have only a 5% chance to go 8-0 against A&M’s schedule to date. — Dave Wilson
Previous ranking: 4
The Crimson Tide have surged since losing to Florida State in the season opener thanks in large part to the development and poise of quarterback Ty Simpson. The biggest area that needs improvement is the run game, which has not been nearly as consistent or explosive as that of past Tide teams. Alabama is averaging just 118.9 yards per game and 3.6 yards per carry, ranking among the bottom third in the country. Alabama has one 100-yard rusher in Power 4 games, and multiple times its leading rusher was not a running back. Some of that is because ball carrier Jam Miller has been banged up, but the offensive line has not been nearly as good at run blocking as projected. If Alabama is going to make it through the rest of its schedule and a possible CFP run, there is no question it will have to figure out a way to run the ball better and more consistently. — Andrea Adelson
Previous ranking: 8
A bye for the Ducks this past week allows them to get some extra time to prepare for what might be one of their trickiest matchups left, against Iowa on the road this Saturday. Oregon’s offense ranks 10th in SP+, but its passing game has lagged behind its running attack, which is one of the 10 best in the country. The final stretch will put more pressure on quarterback Dante Moore, who is coming off what appeared to be a nose injury that sidelined him during the Oct. 25 home victory against Wisconsin. (It does not appear he will miss significant time.) After a really strong start to the season, Moore struggled in Oregon’s loss against Indiana but bounced back with his best statistical game at Rutgers. Something to watch: If the Ducks are able to get wide receiver Evan Stewart back after being out for most of the season with a serious knee injury he suffered in June, it could be a huge development for their unit heading into a potential playoff run. — Paolo Uggetti
Previous ranking: 6
It’s difficult to nitpick an Ole Miss offense that ranks third in the SEC in passing (289.2 yards) and total offense (476.8 yards) and is fourth in scoring (36.2 points) and rushing (187.6 yards). The Rebels weren’t at their best in Saturday’s 30-14 home win against South Carolina. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, the Division II transfer from Ferris State, has been one of the best stories in college football this season. He completed 12 of 21 passes for 159 yards with one touchdown and one interception. It wasn’t his best effort.
“I felt like our fans and defense showed up today,” Rebels coach Lane Kiffin said. “Our offense in the passing game didn’t. Inconsistency in the passing game started in the third quarter. They started to play a lot of man and stopping the run. Gotta beat them in the passing game when they do that, didn’t for a little bit there.” — Mark Schlabach
Previous ranking: 10
BYU has found itself in a familiar position: 8-0 and the front-runner to win the Big 12. The Cougars were here a year ago (9-0, actually), only to drop a pair of late games and lose out on the tiebreaker to play for the conference title. BYU had a well-timed bye over the weekend ahead of this week’s trip to Texas Tech in what is the biggest game of the week in college football. The Cougars have appeared vulnerable at times, but this is a team that has won 19 of its past 21 contests. — Kyle Bonagura
Previous ranking: 5
The Bulldogs didn’t have their finest effort on offense in a 24-20 victory against rival Florida in Jacksonville on Saturday. But once again, Georgia’s offense made big plays when it needed it most in the fourth quarter. After running for 221 yards in a 43-35 win over Ole Miss on Oct. 18, the Bulldogs didn’t have as much success on the ground against the Gators. Georgia ran 39 times for 138 yards, averaging just 3.5 yards per carry. Florida’s defense did a good job of containing quarterback Gunner Stockton, who has hurt many opponents with designed keepers this season. Running the ball was a point of emphasis for coach Kirby Smart this past offseason, after his Bulldogs ranked next to last in the SEC with 124.4 yards per game, the lowest average in his tenure. Georgia has been better this season; it ranks sixth in the league with 184 yards per game. But Smart wants even more out of his ground game in the final month of the season. — Schlabach
Previous ranking: 12
If Texas Tech wants to reach the playoff, this week’s game against BYU feels like a must-win. The Red Raiders could lose and still reach the Big 12 title game for a chance to play its way back into the 12-team field, but with as many teams still in the mix in the conference, the tiebreaker game could get tricky. The Red Raiders are undefeated when quarterback Behren Morton is available, which is something the committee would take into account come selection time. When he’s healthy, Texas Tech usually looks like the best team in the Big 12. — Bonagura
Previous ranking: 13
A ho-hum 25-10 win over Boston College is nothing to get excited about, but for Notre Dame, it was probably a good example of what a middling effort looks like. That the Fighting Irish perhaps overlooked BC is not a shock; the Eagles have been awful. But even amid a less-than-stellar outing, Notre Dame’s offense still flexed its two most impressive muscles. Jeremiyah Love ran for 136 yards and a pair of scores, while CJ Carr threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns. Dig a little deeper, however, and there was at least one reminder of Notre Dame’s early-season issues. Of Love’s 136 yards, 94 came on one play. Jadarian Price had just 12 yards on nine carries. The ground game, aside from Love’s long run, averaged just 2.4 yards per carry. Balance will be essential against better foes, and with Love and Price, Notre Dame should never have to worry about an ability to move the ball on the ground. — David Hale
Previous ranking: 19
The most productive scorer in the Sooners’ first road win over a ranked opponent since 2019? Kicker Tate Sandell. The big-legged redshirt junior knocked in four field goals, including three over 50 yards, in Oklahoma’s 33-27 win at Tennessee. As important, Oklahoma got its running game going at Neyland Stadium. Xavier Robinson‘s 115 yards marked the most by a Sooners running back in 2025. And with another 80 yards on the ground from quarterback John Mateer, Oklahoma turned in its best rushing performance against a power conference defense this fall. The Sooners were still outgained 456-351 in Week 10. But even base-level production on the ground at Tennessee made a game-changing impact for an offense that struggled mightily across much of October. It was enough to help keep Oklahoma’s playoff hopes alive. The Sooners will need to keep that same rushing attack cranking when they visit Alabama on Nov. 15. — Eli Lederman
Previous ranking: 14
For the Cavaliers to make it to the ACC championship game, they will have to make sure their run game is the best it can be down the stretch. They were able to run the ball more effectively in a 31-21 win over Cal, gaining 194 yards on 44 attempts. That was a huge priority after struggling to run it last week in an overtime win over North Carolina. Virginia is at its best when it runs to set up the pass, and that is what the Cavs did so effectively at the start of the season while rushing for more than 200 yards in their first three Power 4 games. Running back J’Mari Taylor is having an All-ACC caliber season, and Harrison Waylee has proved to be a nice change of pace back. Quarterback Chandler Morris can help in the run game, as well. — Adelson
Previous ranking: 22
After Arch Manning‘s second straight 300-yard passing game, coach Steve Sarkisian said the improvement of Texas’ offensive line, along with the experience and maturity of Manning at quarterback, means he can get his offense more in attack mode. The one-two punch of Quintrevion Wisner and CJ Baxter returning allows the Longhorns to open up the play-action game, like they did against Vanderbilt as Manning went 12-of-15 for 166 yards and three TDs on play fakes. Texas gets a bye week to heal up before a Nov. 15 showdown in Athens against No. 5 Georgia followed by home games against Arkansas and Texas A&M. Key stats for Texas’ playoff hopes: Sarkisian has 12 wins over ranked teams over the past three campaigns, second only to Kalen DeBoer (13); and Texas is 17-1 at home during that same span, tied for fewest home losses in the FBS. — Wilson
Previous ranking: 16
Late in the 28-16 win over Virginia Tech, Cardinals running back Isaac Brown came up limping near the sideline. Brown has been on fire as of late, and he had another 130 yards on the ground Saturday. But he also has been Louisville’s only consistent big-play threat, and if he is to miss any time, it’s easy to wonder what this Cardinals offense would look like without him. Quarterback Miller Moss has been mediocre for much of the season, and Saturday’s outing was a microcosm of larger concerns. Moss threw a pick and averaged just 4.9 yards per pass. Moss’ 66.1 Total QBR ranks 54th nationally, and he has had at least one turnover in six of eight games this season. Moss was never likely to be as prolific as Tyler Shough had been a year ago for the Cardinals, but Moss probably needs to be a tick or two better than he has been if Louisville wants to make a serious push for the playoff. — Hale
Previous ranking: 7
The Yellow Jackets’ struggles against the run finally caught up with them in Week 10 against NC State, which ran for 243 yards in a 48-36 win. Quarterback Haynes King was still exceptional, accounting for 511 of Georgia Tech’s 559 yards, but some of the cracks in the offensive facade showed through, as well. The rushing attack came up short multiple times in the red zone, forcing Georgia Tech to settle for too many field goals, and the receivers had several key drops. In all, Tech’s offense remains one of the better groups in the country. But the dependence on King to be the superhero was on display in the loss to NC State, and the struggles in stopping the Wolfpack on defense was a reminder that no matter how dynamic King is, someone still needs to stop the other team too. — Hale
Previous ranking: 11
The Commodores clawed back against Texas but were in too big of a hole, starting the fourth quarter down 34-10 before scoring 21 unanswered. The biggest reason was the lack of protection for Diego Pavia, who had been sacked just seven times all season before Texas got to him six times. Vanderbilt also entered the game averaging 203 yards rushing, but it was held to just 58, the lowest output in two campaigns since offensive coordinator Tim Beck arrived (along with Pavia). Pavia was 7-for-12 for 86 yards when he was pressured against Texas but 20-of-26 for 279 when he wasn’t, so solidifying things up front is key for the stretch run. Vandy has home games against Auburn and Kentucky then an end-of-year trip to Knoxville to take on Tennessee. ESPN Research currently gives the Commodores a 25% chance to make the playoff — but a 94% chance if they win out. — Wilson
Previous ranking: 24
The Utes’ offensive turnaround this season has been remarkable. When they’re clicking, they have one of the most fun offenses to watch in college football. The playcalling is creative, and there are huge gaps to run through. It’s pleasing to the eye. In the two games the Utes were stifled — by Texas Tech and BYU — the offensive line just wasn’t able to get the same push, and it threw off the timing of everything. At its finest, Utah might be the best team in the Big 12. But with two conference losses — to teams it trails in the standings — Utah will need a lot of help to reach the title game. — Bonagura
Previous ranking: 18
With Beau Pribula out with a dislocated left ankle, Missouri got a bye week to prepare freshman Matt Zollers for his first career start against No. 3 Texas A&M this Saturday. Zollers was a smooth-passing top-100 recruit, and he went a decent 14-for-23 for 138 yards and a touchdown while nearly leading a comeback against Vanderbilt. But Mizzou needs to do him some favors by reestablishing a solid run game. It’s a lot easier to run than throw against A&M anyway, but after earning early-season All-American hype, Tigers back Ahmad Hardy has averaged only 3.7 yards per carry over his past three games. If Hardy can’t get going again (and the offensive line can’t help a bit more than it has of late), beating a top-five team is going to be awfully difficult. — Bill Connelly
Previous ranking: 9
The Hurricanes have found themselves in quite a pickle headed into the stretch run: All but eliminated from ACC title game contention, they still have an outside shot at an at-large CFP berth. With that in mind, how will Miami fix its offensive issues over the final four weeks of the season? Penalties — in particular pre-snap flags — have killed drives and sapped momentum in losses to Louisville and SMU. But more than that, when the run game stalls, Miami has not done a good enough job stretching the field with explosive plays in the passing game. Some of that is because the Hurricanes do not have a reliable receiver outside of Malachi Toney. CJ Daniels showed he could be that earlier in the year, but he missed the SMU game with an injury. Against a Mustangs defense that had given up its fair share of big passing plays, Miami could not get the ball down the field consistently enough and lost. — Adelson
Previous ranking: 25
The Trojans had a bit of a role reversal in their 21-17 win against Nebraska as the defense was able to will them to a hard-fought road victory while the offense appeared to regress. Until this week, USC’s offense under quarterback Jayden Maiava had been one of the most potent units in the nation (and it still ranks third in SP+). But Maiava struggled, completing only nine passes for 135 yards and throwing one interception. USC has playoff hopes that are very much within its grasp, but it likely needs to trust its own run game even more than it is currently (202 rushing yards against Nebraska) down the stretch. Despite injuries to its top two backs in Eli Sanders and Waymond Jordan, walk-on King Miller has been a revelation, rushing for 357 yards over the past three contests. If the Trojans are set to make a true run at the CFP, both Maiava and Miller will need to be at their best. — Uggetti
Previous ranking: 21
The pregame image of Justice Haynes, the Big Ten’s leading rusher, with a boot on his foot and needing a scooter to get around would be daunting for some teams, but not Michigan. The Wolverines are set up to run the ball productively regardless of who is logging carries. Jordan Marshall stepped in for the injured Haynes and had a career performance against Purdue, finishing with 185 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 25 attempts. Michigan’s growth on offense remains with its passing game and freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, who contributed to the rushing attack but registered only 145 passing yards along with one interception. Michigan will look for more from Underwood and his pass catchers this month. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: NR
The Tigers smoothly navigated a potential Friday night trap game at Rice, riding a 31-point first half to a straightforward 38-14 win in Week 10. The first half of Memphis’ season was all about the run game: The Tigers averaged 237.8 yards rushing per game across their 6-0 start. Over the past month, however, things have flipped. Quarterback Brendon Lewis and Memphis’ passing game came to life in October, most prominently in Lewis’ 307-yard performance in the program’s Week 9 win over South Florida. The Tigers have shown they can win in multiple ways on offense. The question now is whether Memphis can get things clicking on the ground and in the air at the same time. If so, coach Ryan Silverfield & Co. will hit the business end of the campaign with a complete offense capable of lifting an American Conference title and, in turn, potentially clinching a spot in the playoff field. — Lederman
Previous ranking: 15
Not including sacks, Tennessee averaged 5.6 yards per carry and 37.4 rushing attempts over its first seven outings. Over the past two: 31.5 carries and 3.4 yards. The run game has abandoned the Volunteers as of late, and in Saturday’s 33-27 loss to Oklahoma, their backs rushed 24 times for just 69 yards. After scoring 10 points on its first three possessions, Tennessee suffered a drought of seven points across seven drives thanks to a one-dimensional attack and a couple of poor decisions from quarterback Joey Aguilar. With a bye week to prepare for the last three games of the season — New Mexico State, at Florida, Vanderbilt — the Vols will need to rediscover the run and give Aguilar more support for any hope of winning out and maybe, with help, salvaging a playoff berth. — Connelly
Previous ranking: NR
That the Huskies have managed to lose only to Michigan and Ohio State is indicative of the quality of the team and the talent they do have, especially on offense and specifically with quarterback Demond Williams Jr. The sophomore has thrown for over 2,000 yards and completed 73% of his passes, and he boasts a 14-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio as well as 429 rushing yards. (In fact, he has twice been the Huskies’ leading rusher.) Williams and his offense have had their way against equal and lesser defenses, but their worst two performances have come in those two losses facing elite defenses. (Williams threw three of his four interceptions to date against the Wolverines.) If Jedd Fisch’s team is hoping to keep surprising and rising up the rankings, the rest of its season presents a road map that is within reach, as Washington likely will be favored in three of its final four contests, with the exception being its Nov. 29 home game against Oregon. But it will require the best version of the Huskies’ offense and ask players such as running back Jonah Coleman to step up and help Williams too. That final regular-season matchup against the Ducks will feature one of the best defenses in the country trying to stop it. — Uggetti
Previous ranking: NR
The Hawkeyes are 68th in offensive EPA (expected points added), a considerable jump from last season, when they ranked 88th. If only Iowa could generate a few more big plays in the passing game. The Hawkeyes rank last among Power 4 offenses with just 5.64 yards per passing attempt. Iowa has completed only 14 passes for more than 20 yards and none for over 50 yards. The Hawkeyes did get two big completions (29 and 28 yards) in their resounding 41-3 victory over Minnesota last weekend. They’ll need to find a way to get a lot more of those over these next two weeks if they’re going to knock off Oregon and USC to hang on in the Big Ten title game picture. — Trotter
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