Week 4 Recap

There were some great games this week! There were a lot of near upsets and a couple upsets. We learned the SEC West is still up for grabs with Mississippi State going into Death Valley and stealing one from LSU under the lights. Michigan is still falling like a stone and the Jameis-less Seminoles were able to just get by Clemson. Arkansas had another very good showing against a good NIU team and is set up for a major SEC West showdown with Texas A&M next weekend. But before we start looking too far ahead, lets go over what happened in week 4.

How I Fared: (4-3, 17-8 overall)

Notable Games
1Florida State 23 22Clemson 17 OT; The major storyline going into this game was the lack of Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston for the Seminoles. After (another) off the field incident, he was suspended for the game. His antics nearly cost FSU the game. Luckily for him and his team, Clemson was unable to capitalize in the red zone. FSU backup QB Sean Maguire was at the helm for the defending National Champs. He was 21/39 for 305 yards, a 74-yard TD to Rashad Greene to tie the game with 6 minutes left, and 2INTs. Mario Pender rushed for a TD and the game-winner in OT came courtesy of Karlos Williams. Kicker Roberto Aguayo also hit a 50-yard FG in the first quarter. For Clemson, freshman QB Deshaun Watson was 19/28 for 266 yards and a rush TD. DJ Howard rushed for a TD for the Tigers as well. Kicker Ammon Lakip was just 1/3 on FGs for the night. Clemson had 3 unsuccessful red zone trips, missing 2FGs and losing a fumble near the end of regulation. Florida State was lucky to get this win.

2Oregon 38 Washington State 31; This was a surprising outcome. Washington State hasn’t looked great this year and Oregon has looked really good. But teams like Oregon will get the best everyone has to offer. Washington State nearly pulled off a major upset in front of their home crowd. But the Ducks ended up being too much. QB Marcus Mariota was a stellar 21/25 for 329 yards and 5TDs. Devon Allen tallied 142 receiving yards and 2TDs, one of which went for 80 yards. Keanon Lowe ended the night with 104 receiving yards and two scores and Pharaoh Brown also caught a TD. The Cougars sacked Mariota 5 times in the first half of the game and the explosive Oregon offense was held to just 210 yards. For WSU, QB Connor Halliday was 43/63 for 436 yards and 4TDs. River Cracraft and Rickey Galvin each caught TDs and Dom Williams caught 2. Turnovers cost the Cougars in this game, a fumble and a unsuccessful 4th down try each led to TD drives for the Ducks. WSU made it to the Oregon 38, but a sack on 4th and 13 ended the Cougar’s hope of an upset.

5Auburn 20 20Kansas State 14; This game was a lot closer than I expected it to be and a lot closer than it should have been. And not just because Auburn is a better team than Kansas State, but because the Wildcats gave the Tigers every chance to blow them out. Kansas State missed 3FGs, had 2INTs and a fumble. I don’t know if Auburn wasn’t up mentally for the game, but they did not impress. But a win is a win, and that’s what they got. QB Nick Marshall was 17/31 for 231 yards, 2TDs and an INT. D’haquille (who shall from now on be called Duke) Williams had another impact performance for Auburn ending with 110 receiving yards and a TD. The other TD ended up in the hands of Ricardo Louis (he caught the “Prayer at Jordan-Hare”). Kicker Daniel Carlson was 2/2 on the night as well. The Tigers were held to just 128 rush yards and 359 total yards. For KSU, QB Jake Waters was 24/40 for 245 yards and 2INTs. Demarcus Robinson and Charles Jones each ran for a TD and Curry Sexton accumulated 121 receiving yards. Kicker Jack Cantele was 0/3 on FGs. Auburn was able to get out of Manhattan with the win, but they need to take advantage of turnovers to win on the road in the SEC.

Mississippi State 34 8LSU 29; I might have picked LSU to win this game, but if any team in the SEC was going to get upset, LSU was my pick. LSU did make a push to get the win late, but it just wasn’t enough to overcome the 24-point 4th quarter deficit. If you didn’t know who Dak Prescott was before this game, you should by now. The Bulldog QB is probably one of the best dual-threat QBs in the country. He was 15/24 for 268 yards, 2TDs, 105 rush yards and a 56-yard rush TD. Jameon Lewis had 116 receiving yards and a 74-yard TD. De’Runnya Wilson also caught a TD pass. Josh Robinson rushed for 197 yards and a TD. Kicker Evan Sobiesk was 2/2 on the night. LSU used two QBs for the game. Anthony Jennings started for the Tigers and was 13/26 for 157 yards and Brandon Harris was 6/9 for 140 yards and 2TDs, but threw a game sealing INT to Will Redmond. Malachi Dupre was on the receiving end of both TDs (both coming a 30 second span at the end of the 4th quarter) with Kenny Hilliard adding another score on the ground. Danielle Hunter had a 25-yard fumble return for a TD to open the 2nd half. The Tigers were unable to complete two 2-point conversions in the 4th quarter. Mississippi State seems to be the real deal this season, and they have the chance to make some noise in the SEC.

Indiana 31 18Missouri 27; This is something that just can’t happen to an SEC team. I know Mizzou won the East last year, but c’mon man! An SEC team losing to a Big 10 team? Not ok. At least it wasn’t an FCS team (*cough* Florida *cough*). The stats were pretty even in this game, but Indiana was 1-14 on 3rd down. Indiana QB Nate Sudfeld was 18/33 for 252 yards and a TD. J-Shun Harris II caught a TD, Tevin Coleman rushed for 132 yards and a TD with D’Angelo Roberts adding two more scores on the ground, one of which was the game-winner with 22 seconds remaining in the game. Kicker Aaron Del Grosso was 1/2 on FGs for the game. For Missouri, QB Maty Mauk was 28/47 for 326 yards, 2TDs and an INT. Jimmie Hunt and Sean Culkin each caught TD passes. Russell Hansbrogh rushed for 119 yards including a 68-yard TD. Kicker Andrew Baggett was 2/2 on FGs. Missouri needs to get a lot better to compete in the SEC again this year.

21BYU 41 Virginia 33; Once again Virginia has played very well with a quality, ranked opponent. Everyone should be watching out for the Cavaliers this season. They could be poised for some major wins. As for this game, BYU was too much for UVA to handle for all 60 minutes. Taysom Hill was 13/23 for 187 yards, 2TDs and a rush TD. Mitchell Juergens had a 50-yard receiving TD, Jordan Leslie caught a TD pass, Jamaal Williams rushed for a score and Adam Hine ran back a kickoff 99 yards for the game sealing TD. Kicker Trevor Samson was 2/2 on FGs. For the Cavaliers, QB Grayson Lambert was 21/35 for 188 yards, an INT and a rush TD. Matt Johns was 14/23 for 139 yards and a TD to Kyle Dockins. Khalek Shepherd rushed for a TD with kicker Ian Frye going 4/4 for FGs, keeping UVA in the game. Virginia was unable to recover the onside kick after coming within a score, leaving BYU with the chance to run out the clock.

Georgia Tech 27 Virginia Tech 24; For the second week in a row, Virginia Tech has lost at home. And for the second week in a row, Georgia Tech has barely won. Georgia Tech scored 17 points in the 4th quarter to win this game Yellow Jacket QB Justin Thomas was 7/18 for 125 yards and a TD to DeAndre Smelter as well as rushing for 165 yards and a TD. Paul Davis also had a pick 6 for GT. Kicker Harrison Butjer was 2/3 on FGs, one came as time expired to win the game. On the other side, QB Michael Brewer was 28/39 for 297 yards, 3INTs and a rush TD. Marshawn Williams rushed for a score for the Hokies and kicker Joey Slye was 3/4 on FGs. After beating Ohio State in Columbus, Virginia Tech hasn’t done well. It shouldn’t be much of a surprise to fans who keep up with the Hokies. They tend to do this every season.

Utah 26 Michigan 10; As if things couldn’t get worse in Ann Arbor… The Wolverines look to be having a down season. This loss saw no offensive TDs, even though they were in the Big House. The Utes, on the other hand get a great win on the road. QB Travis Wilson was 14/20 for 172 yards and a TD and Kendal Thompson was 4/7 and threw a pick 6 to Willie Henry. Dres Anderson caught a TD and Kaelin Clay ran a punt back 66 yards for the score. Kicker Andy Phillips was 4/5 on FG attempts. The offense wasn’t very productive for the Wolverines. QB Devin Gardner was 14/26 for 148 yards and 2INTs, Shane Morris was 4/13 with an INT. Kicker Matt Wile was 1/1 on FGs. This Michigan team really isn’t very good.

Wyoming 20 Florida Atlantic 19; That’s right. I’m bringing you a MW vs C-USA recap. But why not? These two teams went back and forth the entire game. This game brings the Cowboys of Wyoming to 3-1 (loss to Oregon). QB Colby Kirkegaard was 10/23 for 161 yards, Shawn Wick had 111 rushing yards and a TD and DJ May also rushed for a TD. The MVP for WYO was kicker Stuart Williams, who hit an 18-yd FG with 15 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter. For the Owls, QB Jaquez Johnson was 14/28 for 99 yards and a rush TD. Jay Warren rushed for 108 yards and kicker Greg Joseph was a perfect 4/4 on FGs, but it wasn’t enough to get the W in Laramie, Wyoming.

Southern Miss 21 Appalachian State 20; The Golden Eagles of Southern Miss have already doubled the wins of their last two seasons combined. The ending to this game was almost unbelievable. Appalachian State was poised to send the game into OT after scoring with just 6 seconds left to play, but USM blocked the PAT and won the game. For Southern Miss, QB Nick Mullens was 22/35 for 286 yards, a TD and 2INTs. George Payne caught a TD and also rushed for 2TDs for USM. For the App State Mountaineers, QB Taylor Lamb was 28/40 for 264 yards, 2TDs and 2INTs. Simms McElfresh and Malachi Jones each caught TDs and Marcus Cox rushed for 119 yards and a TD. Kicker Zach Matics was also 0/3 on FGs for App State. As far as I’m concerned, this is already a successful season for USM.

Arkansas State 21 Utah State 14 OT; I really thought Utah State was going to win this game. They are a good team, and I thought they would be better than the Red Wolves. Utah State outgained ASU by almost 100 yards, but had 11 penalties for 100 yards to even the stats out. Arkansas State lost 3 fumbles in this game. ASU QB Fredi Knighten was 19/33 for 190 yards, the game winning TD to Dijon Paschal, and an INT. Johnston White rushed for 100 yards and the game-tying score and JD McKissie also rushed for a TD. Aggie QB Darell Garretson was 27/46 for 268 yards, 2TDs and an INT. Hunter Sharp accumulated 130 receiving yards including an 81-yard TD and Ronald Butler also caught a TD. Two different kickers missed FGs for the Aggies. Both of these teams could do very well in their respective conferences.

Arizona 49 California 45; The award for most exciting ending of a game probably goes to the “Hill” Mary that won this game. If you are confused, let me give you some context. Arizona capped an amazing 4th quarter comeback with a 47-yard Hail Mary from Anu Solomon to Austin Hill. Amazing is probably an understatement. The Wildcats scored 36 points in the 4th quarter. ARI QB Anu Solomon was 47/73 for 520 yards, 5TDs and 2INTs. Cayleb Jones had 186 receiving yards and 3TDs, Austin Hill had 127 receiving yards and 2TDs and Terris Jones-Grigsby rushed for a TD. Kicker Casey Skowron was 3/4 on FGs. For Cal, QB Jared Goff was 18/30 for 380 yards, 3TDs and an INT. Bryce Treggs had 119 receiving yards, including an 80-yard TD, Chris Harper and Stephen Anderson each caught TDs as well. Daniel Lasco carried the ball 20 times for 123 yards and a score with Khalfani Muhammad rushing for two more. Kicker James Langford was 1/2 on FGs. This, my friends, is why you never leave a game early. Don’t be like those Miami Heat fans. You are cooler than that. If you are going to spend the time and money to go to a game, stay until the clocks hit zero. You never know what could happen.

Arkansas 52 Northern Illinois 14; I like to root for Northern Illinois. I really liked Jordan Lynch. But, I am so glad my Hogs ended their 17-game road winning streak. And not only that, but they did it with a balanced attack (215 passing yards and 212 rushing yards). This was the best game I have seen Arkansas play thus far. I know I say that every week, but that means they are doing something right. Korliss Marshall came back and made an impact, running the opening kickoff back 97 yards for a TD. The Razorbacks never looked back. QB Brandon Allen was 15/22 for 199 yards, 2TDs and a rush TD. Keon Hatcher had 107 receiving yards and a TD with Jared Cornelius catching the other. Jonathan Williams added another rushing TD and Korliss Marshall had a rush TD as well. The Hogs got it done on defense too, with Darius Philon returning a fumble for a TD. For the Huskies, QB Drew Hare was 18/29 for 179 yards and a TD each to Joel Bouagnon and Aregeros Turner. The Hogs go to Jerry World next week to face the Aggies of Texas A&M. They need to have another game like they did against Texas Tech. They need to control the time of possession. And we need some better play out of our secondary.

Top 25
3Alabama 42 Florida 21
4Oklahoma 45 West Virginia 33
6Texas A&M 58 SMU 6
11Michigan State 73 Eastern Michigan 14
13Georgia 66 Troy 0
14South Carolina 48 Vanderbilt 34
19Wisconsin 68 Bowling Green 17
24Nebraska 41 Miami, FL 31

Other Games
USF 17 Connecticut 14 (Fri)
Iowa 24 Pittsburgh 20
Old Dominion 45 Rice 42
Maryland 34 Syracuse 20
Wake Forest 24 Army 21
East Carolina 70 North Carolina 41
Houston 47 UNLV 14
Cincinnati 31 Miami (OH) 24
Kansas 24 Central Michigan 10
Rutgers 31 Navy 24
Illinois 42 Texas State 35
Northwestern State 30 Louisiana Tech 27
New Mexico 38 New Mexico State 35

Stats and Scores from ESPN.com