Five Things Feeding My Soul: Week 4 College Football Highlights
The euphoria surrounding Ole Miss’s revenge win against LSU in Week 3 was dented by a resurgent Florida team that put 52 points on the Rebels in Gainesville. LSU meanwhile, dusted themselves off with a resounding home win against a sorry looking Texas A&M.
Michigan have ridden their luck at times in an unbeaten start to the season. It ran out against Iowa. Penn State, who have started well under new coach Matt Campbell surrendered a 17-point lead, while the top two ranked teams in the country remained unbeaten.
A third of the way through the regular season, the contenders are beginning to separate themselves.
1. Florida shocks Ole Miss at the Swamp
No. 21 Florida 52, No. 4 Ole Miss 28
A week after Ole Miss got its revenge on Lane Kiffin, the Rebels ran into a Florida side who were disrespectful of their top-four ranking.
The Gators racked up over 500 yards of offense and held Ole Miss to just six first-half points.
Florida, now 4-0 under new coach Jon Sumrall, were impressive on the ground, with both Jadan Baugh and Duke Clark both passing 100 rushing yards. This was a big win for a sleeping giant who have been a perennial disappointment since the glory days of Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow circa twenty years ago. How good is this Florida team? We will know by the end of October, when the now No.8 Gators face current No.1 Texas and No.2 Georgia in consecutive weeks.
For Ole Miss, this loss doesn’t overshadow the LSU win, but does make it harder to read Pete Golding’s team. Trinidad Chambliss and the Ole Miss offense found their groove in the second half. Chambliss ran in two touchdowns and passed for another, but the Rebels’ defense couldn’t make the stops needed to close the gap.
LSU bounces back with big win over a sorry Texas A&M
No. 10 LSU 35, No. 23 Texas A&M 6
Lane Kiffin’s LSU shrugged off a headline loss to Ole Miss with an emphatic 29-point win over Texas A&M at Death Valley, holding the Aggies to six points.
LSU, now 3-1, have lifted themselves back into the SEC conversation and kicked the Aggies out of the Top 25. For Texas A&M, the season has taken a bleaker turn. This, after Kentucky beat them at home in Week 3, was their second consecutive loss. Four weeks into the season, they can ill afford another one. Teams with three losses typically don’t make the Playoff.
Michigan lose to last gasp Iowa score
No. 17 Iowa 20, No. 18 Michigan 19
Michigan had home advantage, gained more yards and were seconds from winning. Iowa won.
Hank Brown found Reece Vander Zee for the decisive touchdown as time expired, completing a remarkable finish at the Big House. The play before set it up. A tipped pass was hauled in by tight end Addison Ostrenga and kept the Hawkeyes alive long enough to take one final shot.
Michigan had overcome Western Michigan with a last-gasp Hail Mary in their season opener. Their luck ran out against Iowa and they drop out of the Top 25.
The Hawkeyes have moved to 4–0. Suddenly a visit from No.5 Ohio State now looks like one of Week 5’s most intriguing fixtures. The Wolverines will lick their wounds ahead of a visit from Minnesota.
4. Behind Ohio State, The Big Ten is hard to predict
Wisconsin 24, No. 13 Penn State 20
No. 20 Oregon 41, No. 12 USC 27
Wisconsin's 14-point run in the last three and a half minutes punctured Penn State's unbeaten start to the season and added another twist to one of the most intriguing conferences in college football.
After a close win over Boise State and a surprise loss to Oklahoma State, Oregon are hitting form again and upset the rankings with a 41-27 win on the road at USC. Given Iowa's win over Michigan and Indiana's closer than expected 29-23 win over Northwestern, suddenly, the Big Ten race behind Ohio State looks wide open.
5. Texas and Georgia stay at No.1 and No.2, with different paths to victory
No. 1 Texas 20, No. 14 Tennessee 17
No. 2 Georgia 41, Oklahoma 13
The top two teams retained their place in the rankings after taking slightly different journeys through Week 4.
No.1 Texas held off a spirited Tennessee team who scored a late touchdown before nicking a vital three-point win in Knoxville. Throw in the exciting Week 2 win over Ohio State and it seems that this Longhorns team is learning how to win under pressure. Collin Simmons put himself firmly in Heisman contention with a stunning five-sack performance, a single-game record for the SEC.
No.2 Georgia coasted past Oklahoma with a 41-13 win in Athens. Chris Cole recovered two fumbles from Sooners quarterback John Mateer, returning on 85 yards for a touchdown. Oklahoma, ranked No.15 in preseason, have endured a difficult start. A 17-10 loss to Michigan in Week 2 and close win over New Mexico preceded this second loss.
The Bulldogs will have tougher tests to come, likely in Tuscaloosa in two weeks when they travel to also unbeaten Alabama, 49-18 victors over South Carolina. Oklahoma take on Texas next, in the Red River Rivalry, on 10th October.
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