Canuck U: Rourke’s Indiana falls to No. 10 at Ohio State, Benefield’s No. 11 Boise State riding edge of CFP

For the first time this season, No. 10 Indiana has fallen.

Quarterback Kurtis Rourke, from Oakville, Ontario, had one of his worst statistical games of his career in the 38-15 loss to No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday. He completed just eight of 18 pass attempts for a 44.4% completion rate, threw for 68 yards with no touchdowns, and was sacked five times.

This was the first game in which Rourke threw for less than 100 yards with at least 10 attempts since the first game of last season — when he was still with Ohio — on Aug. 26, 2023, when he threw for 75 yards and went eight-for-10 in a 20-13 loss to San Diego State. He’s only thrown for sub-triple-digit yardage with at least 10 pass attempts three other times in his college career: once in 2021 and twice in 2020.

Indiana was bumped down five spots to No. 10 in the College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday night, dropping from No. 5.

Rourke and the Hoosiers will look to bounce back in the team’s season finale this Saturday in the Old Oaken Bucket game against Purdue. Purdue owns the all-time series lead, 77-42-6, in a state rivalry game that’s lasted since 1925. Despite not having a single series victory since 2019, 10-1 Indiana is the heavy favourite against 1-10 Purdue, a winless team in conference play this season.

Ty Benefield’s No. 11 Boise State in 3rd straight Mountain West championship

Ty Benefield, a Boise State sophomore safety from Vancouver, British Columbia, is going to his second consecutive Mountain West championship game in two seasons, and the team is going to its third straight since 2022 on Dec. 6.

The Broncos moved up a spot to No. 11 in Tuesday night’s CFP rankings after a 17-13 win over Wyoming on Saturday. Benefield had another big game, leading the Boise State defense with seven solo tackles, finishing with eight total. This came just a week after the Canadian created two turnovers against San Jose State.

Boise State is projected to take the No. 4 position and enjoy a first-round bye in the 12-team CFP bracket as the fourth-highest potential conference champion, behind No. 1 Oregon (Big Ten), No. 3 Texas (SEC) and No. 6 Miami (ACC).

The last time Benefield played in the Mountain West championship in 2023, Boise State beat UNLV 44-20, winning his first and the team’s fourth since 2014 — the championship has only been active since 2013. Fellow Canadian safety Jett Elad, from Mississauga, Ontario, was a junior on that UNLV team, but didn’t play in the game due to an injury. There will be a championship rematch if UNLV beats Nevada on Saturday.

Benefield and Boise State have one more contest ahead of the Mountain West title game, playing Oregon State on Friday. Boise State is on the edge of the College Football Playoff picture and will need a win to keep their national championship hopes alive against an Oregon State team fighting for bowl eligibility.

Akheem Mesidor’s No. 6 Miami maintains CFP top 10 status

Akheem Mesidor, a defensive lineman from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada’s capital city, keeps making his presence known across the Miami defensive line.

Shifting back from interior lineman to edge defender on Saturday, Mesidor made seven tackles — three of them solo — and recorded a sack in Miami’s 42-14 ACC thumping of Wake Forest.

The Hurricanes jumped from No. 8 to No. 6 in Tuesday’s CFP rankings, and are expected to be No. 3 as the third-highest-ranking potential conference champions in the 12-team bracket.

Miami has Syracuse next to end its 2024 regular season. A Miami win earns a berth in the ACC championship, but a loss pits Clemson and SMU against each other for the title.

Christian Veilleux’s Georgia State rebounds after 7-game skid

Another Ottawa product, QB Christian Veilleux, won a big game in his own right this week.

After losing seven straight games since Sept. 28, Veilleux lifted Georgia State past Texas State, 52-44. The big Canadian arm threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns, and didn’t record a single interception or sack. Veilleux also rushed five times for 13 yards.

This is Veilleux’s third 250-plus-yard game this season, and first with that yardage and no interceptions.

Georgia State will end its 2024 season at home for senior day against Coastal Carolina on Saturday.

Bowling Green’s Ali Saad wreaks havoc in Ball State backfield

Ali Saad, from Windsor, Ontario, was a force on the Bowling Green defensive line in the team’s 38-13 clipping of Ball State on Saturday.

The six-foot-four, 285-pound defensive end had a season-high four solo tackles, a strip sack and a tackle for loss — the second time in the last three games where the Canadian has forced a fumble.

Bowling Green’s game against Miami (Ohio) on Friday will determine who gets a berth in the MAC championship game. The Falcons can still make it in a loss, as long as both Ohio and Buffalo lose this week, too.

More Canadian Week 13 performances

Isaiah Bagnah, a No. 19 BYU Cougars DL from Lethbridge, Alberta, made four tackles — three of them solo — in a 28-23 loss to No. 21 Arizona State. The Albertan will be one of the 20 seniors honored at BYU’s senior day on Saturday when the team faces the other Cougars: Houston. BYU can’t go to the Big 12 championship without a win and some help from Kansas State and Arizona this week.

Jaylen Smith, a North Texas Mean Green linebacker from Hamilton, Ontario, had a career-high 16 tackles — 10 solo — in a 40-28 loss to the East Carolina Pirates. Trying to snap a five-game losing streak, North Texas has to beat Temple on Saturday to be bowl-eligible.

Dariel Djabome, a Rutgers Scarlet Knights LB from Longueuil, Quebec, made six tackles — four solo — in a 38-31 loss to No. 24 Illinois. Rutgers is already bowl-eligible, but the team it's playing this week, Michigan State, isn’t without a victory Saturday. The Spartans are looking to stop the Scarlet Knights from winning their seventh game of the season; something Rutgers hasn’t done in 10 years.