After a wild Week 3 of college football that saw many stunning upsets and one harrowing finish in Knoxville, Week 4 wasn’t as drama-filled. However, it revealed a bit more about some surprise teams this season, and have set up two teams to keep climbing up the rankings in the polls.
Georgia Tech coasted against Temple, while Vanderbilt dominated 70-21 versus Georgia State. Both programs could be on Cinderella runs. And, with some luck, they could have big roles to play at the end of the season and how the College Football Playoff gets shaped.
Last week’s Upset Special and Saturday Spotlight weren’t as close as some might have expected. Yet before we look ahead to this week’s slate of important conference games, let’s take a look back at last week’s Saturday Spotlight and Upset Special.
College Football: Recap of Week 4
Saturday Spotlight: Texas Tech vs. Utah
To both teams’ credit, they kept the game close for most of the contest. The defenses did very well to shut down the opposing offenses well into the second half. Offensively, it was a lot of sloppy football with fumbles and untimely penalties. The starting quarterbacks had it the worst.
Behren Morton and Devon Dampier combined for four interceptions and two fumbles. The tide really shifted once Morton went out with an injury. Will Hammond took over early in the third quarter. It took him a while, but he was the spark the Red Raiders’ offense needed.
He led the offense to 24 points in the fourth quarter as he was 13-of-16 with 169 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. Morton should be okay to return after the bye, but I’m not sure that Hammond didn’t all of a sudden create a controversy with an excellent performance on the road in relief. However, it was an statement win for the Red Raiders to remain undefeated.
Upset Special: Illinois over Indiana
What a statement win by Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers. Hosting a surging Illinois team, you thought that Indiana may have a hard time handling the Illini offense that expanded a bit more to involve the passing game. Not even close.
Indiana throttled the Fighting Illini from the first quarter onward. Fernando Mendoza was terrific. He was 21-of-23 for 267 yards, throwing for five touchdowns with a QBR of 93.6. His go-to guys, Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper, found the end zone three times between the two of them. The defense was equally impressive.
Indiana’s defense recorded seven sacks and held Illinois to 1-of-10 on third-down conversions. Even more impressive, they allowed only two rushing yards on 20 attempts. Indiana is creating a very successful formula of a team that can rush the passer, run the football, and have a great quarterback who can make all the throws. This is a very fun group to watch.
Who hurt themselves the most in Week 4?
As far as who hurt themselves the worst, the Clemson Tigers might be the most obvious choice. Clemson losing to Syracuse at home practically buries the Tigers’ chances at making the CFP, as they placed themselves in a deep hole after the loss last Saturday. Dabo Swinney appears to be in very hot water. It is questionable if he will survive the season if Clemson continues to perform as poorly as they have. However, perhaps not who hurt themselves the most this week, but the most disappointing, is John Mateer from Oklahoma.
The Sooners announced that Mateer will miss a month with hand surgery. His timeline to return would be after the Sooners play against Texas and Arch Manning, missing a big-time showdown against their longtime rivals. Mateer has done a great job of managing games amidst a 4-0 start for Oklahoma. Without him, Oklahoma will hand the reins to Michael Hawkins Jr. and hope he can keep the ship afloat. With their great start, the Sooners have a chance to make some noise in the SEC. Yet if Mateer is out for longer than expected, it could be a big loss in the standings for Oklahoma.
College Football: Week 5 Spotlight and Upset Special
Saturday Spotlight: USC at Illinois
In the Saturday Spotlight, we have USC traveling to Illinois to play the Fighting Illini. It will be played at noon on the east coast (9AM PST), which will certainly be an adjustment for the Trojans. USC has had an easy start to the season with games against Missouri State, Georgia Southern, and Purdue. Last week they played a more quality opponent and came out on top versus Michigan State. Once again, they are having another test in the conference.
This week, they play an Illinois team that, despite opening their passing game up more, wants to pound the football. How does USC respond in this type of contest, where the opposition wants to slow the game down with their rushing attack? Also, how does Illinois respond after last week’s embarrassing loss?
USC Linebacker Eric Gentry may not be a scout’s favorite type of prospect because of his lean body type. However, he’s going to be a key factor in the game if USC hopes to corral the Illinois running game. USC is currently undefeated and needs to continue to stack good wins. After Illinois, they play against Michigan, Notre Dame, and then Nebraska before a late-season clash with Oregon.
Jayden Maiava has been stellar to start the year, and safety Bishop Fitzgerald has been a ball magnet with three interceptions already on the season. The Trojans could emerge as a surprise team in the Big Ten, but first, they need to handle business on the road against Illinois, and hence, this is this week’s Saturday Spotlight.
Upset Special Oregon over Penn State
For many, Oregon versus Penn State would be their game of the week. Yet technically, there’s an upset brewing this Saturday at Beaver Stadium. While some people have circled Fernando Mendoza as their Heisman favorite, Dante Moore has also entered that conversation. Moore was a great pickup for the Ducks, coming from the college football transfer portal via UCLA.
With Moore, you knew that if he got a little more time to develop, he had the tools to be an impact player. You’re seeing that now. He’s thrown 11 touchdowns to just one interception, and he’s got playmakers to get the ball in space to work with.
Five-star freshman Dakorien Moore has been as good as advertised. Moore has 17.3 yards per reception with a score from 65 yards out, underlining his big play potential. He’s a big-time playmaker, and Oregon also can run the football behind a backfield that features Makhi Hughes and Jayden Limar, who have gotten off to hot starts.
For Penn State, Drew Allar hasn’t been as sharp, and it has been running backs Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton anchoring the offense for the Nittany Lions.
Oregon has size along the interior to shrink the run lanes for Penn State’s running backs. If there was a concern, it’s that many of Oregon’s key players don’t have that much experience playing in a hostile environment. Yet, James Franklin is 4-20 against top-10 opponents since 2016, giving a slight nod that Dan Lanning’s team can sneak past Penn State on the road.
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