Bleacher Report's College Football Ultimate Guide to Week 4
Take it away, Pac-12. The stage and spotlight are all yours.
Week 4 was constructed to showcase the wonderful football gifts you have to offer. And after a magnificent and suspenseful Week 3—one ripe with marathon upsets and one colossal California surprise—there is ample pressure to deliver a quality encore. (Seriously, the Alabama-Ole Miss game ended roughly three hours ago. What day is it? Where am I?)
The Week 4 lineup is indeed a showcase of the West Coast brands, although the intrigue is not geographically exclusive. The state of Texas will provide a game that could break the scoreboard. The SEC will not go quietly into that good night and will offer a handful of matchups poised to teach us more than we already know, which isn't much, really. And Michigan will attempt to secure its first statement win of the khaki era.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Oh, there is much to discuss and explore: games, freshmen you need to watch, coaches on the anti-hot seat and a matchup so horrific that it'll be historic. Let's begin.
The Buffet: Previewing the Top 5 Games of the Week
5. BYU at Michigan (Saturday, noon ET, ABC)
Tanner Mangum's Hail Mary-charmed life suffered its first bump in the road last Saturday. After spectacular victories in the first two games of the season, BYU fell just short of heavily favored UCLA, 24-23.
Mangum threw the ball 47 times, completing 30 of those throws for 244 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Senior running back Adam Hine, who has quietly delivered two excellent games in a row, ran for 149 yards. He'll have his work cut out for him to duplicate that effort this weekend against a Michigan defense that has allowed a combined 14 points in the past two weeks.
The whole throwing-the-football thing is still a tremendous work in progress for the Fightin' Harbaughs. But the defense has been excellent, as expected, and appears to be getting better. The running game, after being dormant for so long, has also shown some life.
Can Michigan protect the football? What will BYU's offense muster up against a spectacular front seven? Will there be a Hail Mary? How about two?
This game will reveal quite a bit about the next direction of both of these programs.
4. Tennessee at Florida (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)
Florida is a perplexing team in its current state. I'm not sure how else to put it. One week the head coach is filmed delivering a supreme sideline tirade. The next the offense struggles mightily. And yet, here are the Gators at 3-0, poised to be a sneaky 4-0.
Now, it's worth noting the three wins have come against Kentucky, East Carolina and New Mexico State. That part is important. But there's also an edge to this team that starts in a familiar place: the defense. More specifically, it starts with cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, who picked off a pass Saturday and looks as advertised.
Tennessee, meanwhile, has watched its boiling buzz return to room temperature after losing to Oklahoma at home. That's not to say Tennessee is suddenly not worth our attention—in terms of overall talent, the Vols probably have the edge in this matchup. They certainly have the more explosive offense.
Turnovers. Keep an eye on those. In a matchup that feels strangely even, mistakes will likely be pronounced and may prove to be the undoing for one sideline.
3. TCU at Texas Tech (Saturday, 4:45 p.m. ET, Fox)
Before you sit down for this game Saturday, I want you to take a brief moment and think about the poor, overworked scoreboard operator. I want you to think about the work he's going to put into this particular game and all of the calories he's going to burn during eight hours of football. His Fitbit may short-circuit.
Welcome to the game poised to break everything—mainly the defenses. In three games this season, Texas Tech has scored 163 points. TCU, in that same time frame, has scored 149.
The Red Raiders didn't just beat Arkansas in Week 3. They beat the Hogs on a night when quarterback Pat Mahomes actually made some mistakes. Then head coach Kliff Kingsbury went out and poured gasoline on the opposing sideline.
TCU didn't offer up the same fireworks. It eventually surged past lively SMU, although it did so at a price. TCU was already dealing with significant injuries across the defense, and starting cornerback Ranthony Texada was the latest Horned Frog to go down.
For those keeping score at home, that is six defensive starters out for next week. At some point, maybe as soon as now-ish, that will become a problem. But there is still Trevone Boykin—TCU's outstanding quarterback who threw for 454 yards and accounted for six touchdowns last Saturday. As long as he's in, the Horned Frogs will have a pulse.
This game could be wild.
2. Utah at Oregon (Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET, Fox)
Without Vernon Adams Jr. taking snaps, the Oregon offense looked, well, fine. Of course it did.
For starters, the Ducks played Georgia State. And despite Adams' absence due to his broken finger—call it timely rest, for now—there is still plenty of firepower on that roster. Quarterback Jeff Lockie had a brilliant spring, so again, this isn't exactly a dire backup situation. Regardless of what happens, Oregon will be operational.
Still, playing against an aggressive defense and an offense that can really move the ball, Adams' presence will be one of the weekend's biggest storylines. When asked about his quarterback's availability after the game, head coach Mark Helfrich didn't budge. (This is just my opinion, but something tells me that young man will be playing, broken digit and all.)
Utah has a similar situation with quarterback Travis Wilson, who could return this week from an injury that kept him sidelined. Regardless, this is a dangerous offense with an elite running back. If you have not familiarized yourself with Devontae Booker yet, do so now. There aren't many offensive players better than him.
Home-field advantage helps a great deal, although don't be surprised if Utah pushes back. This is a much better opponent than many give it credit for.
1. UCLA at Arizona (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, ABC)
The invincible Josh Rosen is human, which should come as no surprise considering he was a high school student not long ago. After back-to-back weeks in which the frosh phenom has looked merely mortal, UCLA hits the road for one of its most interesting tests of the young season.
Lost in the Rosen madness is the performance of running back Paul Perkins, who remains frustratingly underwatched. Against BYU in Week 3, Perkins—the Pac-12's leading rusher from a season ago—ran for 219 yards and a touchdown on only 26 carries. In the past two weeks, he has tallied 370 yards rushing and is averaging more than eight yards per carry.
In the early season, the Arizona offense has racked up some impressive totals to counter. Quarterback Anu Solomon has been nearly perfect—accounting for 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions. Running back Nick Wilson has averaged seven yards per carry and scored five touchdowns.
Offense will be the story, although defense will ultimately make the difference. And as we learned this week, UCLA's best player, linebacker Myles Jack, will be out for the year after sustaining a knee injury.
Of all the injuries this season, this might be the most crushing.
On the other side of news of this magnitude, Arizona might get back Scooby Wright—the nation's best linebacker—for this matchup. His presence alone could completely reshape Arizona's defense.
"I don't know if he'll be able to play Saturday or not," Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez told reporters earlier this week. "It's been killing him. He hates to miss a play, let alone a game."
The Dumpster Fire Bowl: Kansas at Rutgers (Saturday, noon ET, BTN)
I implore you to watch this game, only because you'll be able to tell your grandchildren about it one day. You'll be able to tell them that, instead of doing chores or being productive with your life or spending time with family, you sat down on a random Saturday and watched these two programs play a game of actual football.
One is without a coach. That coach, Kyle Flood, was suspended after making contact with a professor through a rogue email account regarding a player's eligibility.
The other, Kansas, is enduring the rebuild of all rebuilds. It is hitting rock bottom in order to surface, at least eventually. The end result is a timely out-of-conference game that is essentially the anti-Super Bowl.
That's one hell of an endorsement. Do watch.
The Odd Road Trip of the Week (Year?): LSU at Syracuse (Saturday, noon ET, ESPN)
The Carrier Dome parking lot is about to smell like SEC elitism and jambalaya, which is not something this lovely upstate New York hangout typically experiences on fall Saturdays.
Yes, LSU is traveling north—way, way north—to take on its next opponent. It will undoubtedly bring its ravenous, food-obsessed fanbase with it.
Oh, and running back Leonard Fournette will be there, too. That's really unfortunate news for Syracuse fans and players alike. He's been busy lately.
On the bright side, jambalaya.
The Surprisingly Meaningful Matchup That Shouldn't Generate Laughter: Indiana at Wake Forest (Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, ESPN3)
In 2014, Wake Forest rushed for 479 yards. That is not a typo. For the season, on 383 carries, that was the total output. This season, the rejuvenated Demon Deacons have already rushed for 420 yards through only three weeks.
Indiana is coming off a thrilling win over Western Kentucky, and that is not an attempt at humor. The Hilltoppers can play. The offense is cooking.
Now, despite all narratives and preconceived notions, we have teams at a combined 5-1 playing against one another for a chance to build something. Appreciate the growth and performance when you can.
The Young Pups: True Freshmen Who Are Playing Nothing Like True Freshmen
Daylon Mack, Texas A&M (DT)
In high school, Texas A&M's freshman defensive tackle played some running back/fullback and regularly ran away from everyone. Now, in his first month of collegiate football, Daylon Mack is single-handedly changing the way offenses approach the Aggies. Mack has four tackles for loss in three games, and he also managed to tackle the Nevada running back and quarterback at the same time. Seriously, watch this kid:
Christian Kirk, Texas A&M (WR)
Yes, we're doubling down on Texas A&M, although Christian Kirk's inclusion on this list is perhaps the most obvious of them all. In three games, Kirk has caught 16 balls for 269 yards and two touchdowns. He has also returned four punts for 149 yards—good for an average of 37.25—and another touchdown. Quite simply, at this point, few players are capable of matching what he can do with a football in the open field. I say that fully aware he has played only three games. Seriously, watch this:
Saquon Barkley, Penn State (RB)
After his first three collegiate games, Penn State freshman Saquon Barkley is averaging a cool 9.1 yards per carry. After only logging one touch against Temple in Week 1, Barkley has carried the ball 33 times for 310 yards the past two weeks—scoring three touchdowns in that time. And while this debut is awfully impressive, wait until the Nittany Lions take advantage of his hands. He will be a tremendous pass-catcher for them in time. Until then, enjoy his hurdling:
Malik Jefferson, Texas (LB)
The overall team product is a tremendous work in progress, but don't let that take away from this fantastic individual effort. Yes, the Texas defense is, well, struggling. But freshman linebacker Malik Jefferson is every bit the player the Longhorns thought they were getting. In three games, Jefferson has recorded 27 tackles. That puts him third in the Big 12. He also has 3.5 tackles for loss. Oh, and he scored a touchdown against Rice. (He's good.)
The Anti-Coaches Seated on Warm Chairs: Week 4 Installment
Instead of talking about coaches whose teams are playing them onto the hot seat, let's examine the exact opposite. Here are the coaches suddenly throwing a giant cup of cold water on their seating apparatuses.
Les Miles, LSU
I never quite bought in to the whole Miles hot seat talk, although plenty of others drove this cruise ship around looking for passengers. The reality right now, however, is that no one really wants to play LSU. Even though this team has yet to find its passing identity through two games, the running game and the defense have been superb. The Tigers aren't perfect, but they are certainly on to something right now. Miles is in fine shape.
Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
Like Miles, I never believed Pat Fitzgerald was in any real danger of losing his job prior to the season. However, after a string of difficult, injury-filled seasons, Northwestern was inching further out of the picture. Fitzgerald has combated that movement with an impressive 3-0 start with out-of-conference wins over Stanford and Duke. It hasn't been a masterful work of art on offense, but it has been good enough. This will be a tough team in conference play.
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
In the most important season of his coaching life, Kirk Ferentz has the 3-0 start he desperately needed. Now, wins over Illinois State, Iowa State and Pittsburgh aren't exactly contract extension-worthy. That story is still to be written. Still, there is buzz and life in the program that has been somewhat dormant in recent years. To truly get comfortable in familiar digs, however, Iowa will have to sustain this welcomed start a little longer.
Parting Shot
Let's Stop Burying Alabama for a Moment, Shall We?
Here's the thing about playing college football in a major conference. It's hard. The week-to-week grind of the regular season is a lot to ask of a group comprised of 18- to 22-year-olds.
As a result, upsets and weirdness creep into the picture, and we often justify these developments knowing that winning every game—no matter what the helmet says or who that coach might be—is difficult.
And yet, every time Alabama fails to win a football game we throw dirt on its grave. "The dynasty is now, for real, officially dead," we write, maybe even editing the same column we wrote on the subject a year ago. These thoughts were relayed en masse following Alabama's loss to Ole Miss last Saturday.
In many ways, Nick Saban has set the bar too high. The run of national championships and success was so above and beyond anything the sport has seen in some time that all reasonable expectations have been abandoned. Every loss now prompts deep thoughts.
Is Alabama done? Is Saban done? Is the NFL next?
View Alabama's dynasty however you please, although do so with an appreciation of what has been done, the robust talent currently in place and the open-ended nature of the season still at hand.
Perhaps the Alabama you once knew is a thing of the past and Nick Saban will leave to coach the New York Knicks at year's end. Or maybe his team will rally, settle on a quarterback and make the playoff (sort of like it did last season).
Only time will tell. But, for once, let's allow it to tell us.
Alabama plays Louisiana-Monroe this weekend. If the Crimson Tide lose that game, you have my permission to pronounce this whole thing dead.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
