B/R's College Football Weekly Awards: Week 4
The first showdown-packed week of the 2023 season gifted the college football world with a wide range of theatrics.
Overtime? Florida State and Clemson had it. Last-second winner? Ohio State found that winning touchdown at Notre Dame. Blowout, shutout? Check and check, thanks to Oregon and Penn State, respectively.
Throw in three more matchups of Top 25 teams, and it made the latest browsing for Weekly Awards a straightforward task.
As always, though, the topics are not solely focused on the big-name teams and best games. No, you'll also find a bit of praise for Central Michigan, Northwestern and South Florida here.
But, uh, thanks for clicking. I do appreciate it sincerely. Just don't rat me out to Oregon coach Dan Lanning.
Team of the Week: Washington State Cougars
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Were you expecting someone else? We'll probably get there.
Through four weeks, though, Washington State has demanded a place in the national conversation. Two weeks ago, the Cougars took down No. 19 Wisconsin; this weekend, they toppled No. 14 Oregon State behind a very impressive display from the offense.
Cameron Ward threw for 404 yards and totaled five touchdowns, leading Wazzu to a 38-35 victory. Kyle Williams had 174 receiving yards, and Josh Kelly added 159 yards with three scores.
Since the Cougs had built a 21-point lead entering the fourth quarter, the outcome was never really in question.
Washington State is officially the Pac-2 champion.
In seriousness, that's an outstanding win for a program in flux—and the Cougs climbed to a No. 16 ranking in the process.
Although they avoid USC in the regular season, they play at UCLA, Oregon and Washington. Saying it'll be tough to keep up this unbeaten year is an understatement. But I am here for the chaos it would provide.
Statement of the Week: Oregon Hammers Colorado
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Never a doubt. My goodness.
Oregon put a smackdown on Colorado, racing out to a 35-0 halftime lead and posting an emphatic 42-6 victory.
Bo Nix totaled 285 yards and four touchdowns for the Ducks, which improved to 4-0 and held the Buffaloes to just 199 yards of offense. Oregon handed Deion Sanders his first loss as CU head coach.
Given that Colorado is headed to the Big 12 and Oregon is joining the Big Ten, we might never get a rematch of teams coached by Sanders and Lanning. But if the programs meet in a future bowl, it's safe to suggest the former will be out for some payback.
"You better get me right now," Sanders said afterward. "This is the worst we're going to be."
He's probably right. But, boy, did Oregon do exactly that.
Panic Alarm of the Week: Oklahoma State Cowboys
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Oklahoma State opened the season with moderate expectations at best. The departure of longtime quarterback Spencer Sanders complicated the Cowboys' outlook in 2023.
But this is really, really not good.
In the opener, the Pokes won 27-13 over lower-division Central Arkansas. Early jitters, right? No worries. Well, they needed a second-half comeback to outlast a suspect Arizona State team 27-15 in Week 2.
And then, South Alabama smoked OSU 33-7 last week. Iowa State—which just lost 10-7 to MAC program Ohio—racked up a season-high 34 points in Saturday's win.
Through four weeks, the Pokes rank 101st nationally in points per game and 113th in yards per play.
Oklahoma State opened the season with 17 straight years of seven-plus victories, and the schedule is favorable enough that a late surge is possible. But if OSU falls to Kansas State and Kansas following its upcoming idle weekend, it could be an atypically rough year in Stillwater.
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Game of the Week: LSU Survives Arkansas
4 of 7Perhaps lost in the mayhem of Saturday's top games, Arkansas gave LSU everything it could handle in Baton Rouge.
Let's fast-forward a bit: Arkansas held a 13-10 advantage entering the third quarter, but LSU's Brian Thomas Jr.—who caught a 49-yard touchdown in the last minute of the first half—reeled in another 49-yard score on the Tigers' opening drive.
And neither team would stop scoring.
Arkansas answered with a field goal, then LSU wideout Malik Nabers found the end zone to make it 24-16. Arkansas evened the score on a 59-yard pass from KJ Jefferson to Luke Hasz and a two-point conversion between the duo.
Jayden Daniels hit Nabers for another LSU touchdown, but Jefferson and Hasz responded once again.
LSU's next possession began with five minutes to play, and the offense calmly put together a nine-play drive that effectively burned the clock. Damian Ramos hit a 20-yard field goal to secure a 34-31 win.
Resume Win of the Week: Ohio State Clips ND
5 of 7It doesn't have to be pretty.
Notre Dame largely outplayed Ohio State in the opening half. Sam Hartman looked very comfortable, and the ND defense made a terrific goal-line stand. But the Buckeyes still carried a 3-0 lead to halftime.
It only has to be effective.
Ohio State opened up a 10-0 advantage before Notre Dame scored the next two touchdowns. In the closing moments of the game, though, the Buckeyes put together a 65-yard drive that ended with Chip Trayanum powering across the goal line for a one-yard score and 17-14 win.
While the Buckeyes still have plenty to prove in a stacked Big Ten East—both Penn State and Michigan are excellent teams—they're heading into an idle weekend with a 4-0 record.
Catch of the Week: Ricky Pearsall, Florida
6 of 7Once in a while, wide receivers make incredibly difficult things look remarkably routine.
Ricky Pearsall contributed one of the latest examples in Florida's nonconference victory over Charlotte.
Midway through the first quarter, Graham Mertz dropped back and lofted a perfectly thrown—yet still dangerous—pass toward the 6'1", 190-pound wideout. Pearsall went up and made a full-extension one-handed grab while swiping the ball away from his body.
As for the dangerous part, Pearsall hit the ground and immediately absorbed hits from two Charlotte defenders.
It was, in short, a preposterous catch.
Pearsall ended the contest with six receptions for 104 yards, and Florida improved to 3-1 with a 22-7 win.
Best of the Rest: Week 4
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The Unlikeliest Comeback: Northwestern Stuns Minnesota
This sequence may be familiar: You check a score. Whew, not a close game. Forget about it. Scanning results later, you notice the "wrong" team won. That's exactly what happened at Northwestern, which trailed 31-10 in the fourth quarter. But the Wildcats fought back and forced overtime thanks to a last-second touchdown pass from Ben Bryant, who found Charlie Mangieri for a 25-yard winner after Minnesota kicked a field goal. Northwestern won 37-34.
The Most Productive, Inefficient Day: Jase Bauer, Central Michigan
In a vacuum, tallying 55 yards on 15 carries—less than four yards per attempt—is objectively unimpressive. Nevertheless, Jase Bauer turned four of them into touchdowns, including a four-yard rushing score with 13 seconds left to give CMU a 34-30 upset win at South Alabama. Central entered the nonconference game as a 16.5-point underdog.
Golf Clap of the Week: Naiem Simmons' Massive Game
South Florida earned an indirect place in Week 3 headlines after Alabama stumbled to a 17-3 victory in Tampa. However, the Bulls entered the win column with a 42-29 triumph over Rice. Along the way, junior receiver Naiem Simmons—a transfer from Wagner—caught eight passes for a ridiculous 272 yards with one touchdown. Five of his receptions went for at least 40 yards, which doubles as the most 40-yard receptions for anyone in the season so far.
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