CFW Week 4 Results – Clemson and Florida are 1-3
Texas Tech, Indiana knocked my socks off,
while Clemson got its socks knocked off
What an amazing weekend! Where to begin?
How about the play of two quarterbacks? Two quarterbacks who play for the same team – Texas Tech. The quarterbacks are senior Behren Morton and freshman Will Hammond. Morton is the starting quarterback. During the third quarter of Texas Tech’s game against Utah, Morton left the game and was ruled out after receiving a jolt to his head from the turf and from the shoulder of a Utah player. At that point in the game, Texas Tech held a narrow 10-3 lead over Utah. Morton had passed for 142 yards, going 12-19-2. Enter Hammond, the backup quarterback and a freshman. Most teams would be worried after losing their quarterback early in the third quarter – especially with only a seven-point lead, and a freshman replacement. Not Texas Tech. The lead was reduced to three points – 13-10 – early in the fourth quarter. That’s when backup quarterback Hammond took over, leading Texas Tech to three-straight touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns were on passes from Hammond. Hammond was 13-16-0, passing for 169 yards. Texas Tech beat Utah, 34-10. Combined, Behren Morton and Will Hammond passed for 311 yards. Yeah, most teams would have been worried, losing their starting quarterback early in the third quarter with only a seven-point lead. But not Texas Tech. After all, Patrick Mahomes was once a backup quarterback at Texas Tech. Do you think he worried?
Last year, Curt Cignetti’s first at Indiana, the Hoosiers finished the regular season 11-1. Indiana was one of 12 teams who made the College Football Playoff. The Hoosiers were quarterbacked by Kurtis Rourke, who had transferred to Indiana from Ohio, during the offseason. Was Indiana’s surprising season a fluke? Were the 2024 Hoosiers a flash in the pan? It doesn’t appear that way. Saturday, the undefeated and 16th-ranked Hoosiers played undefeated and 9th-ranked Illinois. Well, you can forget the fluke. You can forget the flash in a pan. Indiana jumped out to a 35-10 halftime lead over Illinois. Indiana went on to outscore Illinois 28-0 in the second half, beating the Banned Indians, 63-10. The Hoosiers were unstoppable. They were amazing. And like last year, Indiana is quarterbacked by a transfer quarterback – Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza transferred to Indiana from California during the offseason. Looks like Curt Cignetti has started something in Bloomington.
What in the heck is going on at Clemson? The Tigers are snakebit. Clemson suffered its third loss on Saturday. Clemson is 1-3. The last time the Tigers began the season at 1-3 was in 2004. Clemson was the #4-ranked team in the AP Poll at preseason. Last week, they weren’t ranked in the Top 25. Saturday, Clemson lost to Syracuse, 34-21. This is the same Syracuse team who lost to Tennessee, 45-26. The same Syracuse team who struggled to beat Connecticut 27-20 in overtime. Even in Clemson’s one win this season, the Tigers had to rally from a 16-3 halftime deficit to beat Troy, 27-16. Yes, Troy. Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli left the game in the third quarter with a leg injury. But that didn’t even help Clemson. Backup quarterback Rickie Collins extended the Syracuse lead to 34-14 with an 18-yard touchdown pass. Clemson is not only snakebit, but the Tigers are a mystery – a real mystery.
There is good news on the horizon for Clemson. After an open week this week, the Tigers should break their two-game losing streak on October 4. Clemson plays North Carolina. Everybody beats Bill Belichick. Saturday, Belichick lost again. UCF beat North Carolina, 34-9. Scott Frost beat Bill Belichick.
And guess who else has begun the season at 1-3 – Florida. That’s right. The Gators are 1-3 for the first time since 1986. And the next two games for Florida are against Texas and Texas A&M. Wonder what Billy Napier will be doing next year? I’m sure Dabo Swinney may have a few openings on his staff.
Memphis (4-0) may be the best Group of Five team in the country. The Tigers rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat Arkansas, 32-31. Arkansas coach Sam Pittman needs to update his resume. The pink slip should be coming soon.
Michigan-Nebraska and Auburn-Oklahoma gave us a couple of thrillers. In Lincoln, the Wolverines and the Huskers were tied 17-17 at halftime. With 1:51 to go in the first half, Michigan’s Justice Haynes scampered down the field on a 75-yard touchdown run. The Wolverines were up 17-10. As time expired in the first half, Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola connected with receiver Jacory Barney on a 52-yard touchdown pass. Just like that, the score was 17-17. Michigan outscored Nebraska 13-10 in the second half and ultimately beat the Huskers, 30-27.
In Norman, Auburn gave Oklahoma all it could handle. The score was 3-3 as the second quarter began. It was 10-10 at halftime. With less than five minutes to go in the game, the Tigers led the Sooners, 17-16. But Oklahoma scored a touchdown and a safety in the final 4:54 to edge Auburn, 24-17.
It was a bad day for the state of South Carolina. Not only did Clemson lose its second-straight game, but also South Carolina lost its second-straight game. Missouri beat South Carolina, in a thriller, 29-20. As the fourth quarter began, South Carolina led Missouri, 20-18.
In Waco, Arizona State kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired to knock off Baylor, 27-24.
TCU receiver Eric McAlister gave Horned Frog fans plenty of excitement. In TCU’s 35-24 win over SMU, McAlister caught eight passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns.
College football Week 4 began Thursday night with Rice taking on Charlotte in North Carolina. The Owls were rude to their hosts, beating the 49ers, 28-17. Rice quarterback Chase Jenkins was 8-11-0, passing for 87 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for 71 yards and another touchdown.
The action continued Friday night with two games. In Stillwater, Oklahoma, Tulsa shocked Oklahoma State, 19-12. The Golden Tornadoes beat the Cowboys for the first time in 27 years, and for the first time in Stillwater since 1951. Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy will not survive the season.
In the second game Friday, Iowa scored back-to-back touchdowns in the final five and a half minutes to beat Rutgers, 48-28.
Notre Dame is no longer winless. Saturday, the Irish took out their anger on Purdue, beating the Boilermakers, 56-30. USC remained undefeated. The Trojans beat Michigan State, 45-31. I’m thinking Notre Dame and USC have two things in common. Both teams have a good offense, but neither team has a good defense. The Irish have given up 98 points in three games. The Trojans have given up 81 points in four games. Poor defenses have been a persistent problem for Lincoln Riley at USC.
Group of Five teams UNLV and North Texas are 4-0. But both struggled and were lucky to remain undefeated. In Oxford, Ohio, as the fourth quarter began, UNLV trailed Miami (Ohio), 38-24. UNLV scored 17 unanswered points in the final 13 minutes to beat Miami, 31-28. The winning points came on a 23-yard field goal with 0:15 remaining. Dan Mullen is still looking good. In Denton, Texas, Army took North Texas to overtime before the Mean Green prevailed, 45-38.
In the two intrastate rivalries of the Northwest (the Apple Cup and the Civil War), Washington beat Washington State, 59-24, and Oregon downed Oregon State, 41-7.
Vanderbilt put 70 points on the board, beating Georgia State, 70-21. The Commodores are 4-0. So are Georgia Tech and Maryland – 4-0.
While you were sleeping early Sunday morning, UTSA beat Colorado State, 17-16; Colorado downed Wyoming, 37-20, and San Diego State upset California, big time, 34-0.
In its season debut, the Ivy League got off to a good start, for the most part. Five of the Ivies won – Brown 46, Georgetown 0; Yale 28, Holy Cross 10; Dartmouth 27, New Hampshire 20; Harvard 59, Stetson 7, and Penn 24, Stonehill 21. But three of the Ivies lost – Lafayette 38, Columbia 14; San Diego 42, Princeton 35, and UAlbany 13, Cornell 10. “Boola Boola.”
After four weeks of football, the Top 5 teams in this week’s AP Poll are 1. Ohio State, 2. Miami, 3. Penn State, 4. LSU, and 5. Georgia. There are no Group of Five teams in the Top 25.
Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his Achilles in Saturday’s game with Clemson.
Arizona State and Kansas are in discussions to play next season’s matchup in London’s Wembley Stadium. The game would be played on September 19, 2026.
The ACC, which was headed to a nine-game conference schedule, appears to be backing away from that now – remaining at an eight-game conference schedule. Sounds like the ACC is afraid of its own shadow. The conference acts more like a Group of Five conference instead of a Power Four conference. Most likely, the ACC will go to an 8-2 format – eight conference games and two Power Four non-conference games. The other two non-conference games can be against FCS, Group of Five or Power Four teams.
Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker D.D. Lewis died on September 16. Lewis played 13 seasons for the Cowboys in 1968 and from 1970 to 1981. He sat out the 1969 season, doing military service. Lewis played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs (1965-1967). A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Dwight Douglas Lewis was 79.
Touchdown Tom
September 22, 2025
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: What a put down – Indiana 63, Illinois 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Illinois 31, Indiana 28). The Hoosiers had no mercy. The Banned Indians had no answer. Indiana racked up 579 total yards to 161 for Illinois. The Banned Indians only managed 2 yards rushing. Indiana had a balanced attack – rushing and passing. The Hoosiers also had a 19-minute edge in time of possession. Illinois was 1-for-10 in third down efficiency. Attendance in Bloomington: 56,088
RUNNER-UP: Quarterback U – Texas Tech 34, Utah 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah 28, Texas Tech 27). Morton, Morton he’s our man. If he can’t do it, Hammond can. When Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton left the game with an injury, backup quarterback Will Hammond stepped up to the job. Combined, the teams scored 13 points by the end of the third quarter. Then they scored 31 points in the fourth quarter – 24 of those points belonging to Texas Tech. Utah had four turnovers – 2 fumbles and 2 interceptions. Attendance in Salt Lake City: 52,236
REST OF THE BEST: Hugh froze – Oklahoma 24, Auburn 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 31, Auburn 27). The teams were even-Steven in the first half. Oklahoma owned the second half, 14-7. This one was truly a hard-fought game. OU fought a little bit harder. Sooners quarterback John Mateer had a great game. He was 24-36-0, passing for 271 yards and one touchdown. He rushed for 29 yards and another touchdown. Neither team had a ground game. Oklahoma only had 35 yards rushing. Auburn only had 67 yards rushing. Attendance in Norman: 83,639
No match – Ole Miss 45, Tulane 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 34, Tulane 24). Tulane was no match for Ole Miss, except for the third quarter. The third was the only quarter Tulane held Ole Miss scoreless. But the Green Wave didn’t take advantage because they were held scoreless too. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was 17-27-0, passing for 307 yards and two touchdowns. Chambliss also rushed for 112 yards. The Magnolias racked up 548 total yards. Attendance in Oxford: 65,644
Truman feasted on Coq au vin – Missouri 29, South Carolina 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Missouri 30, South Carolina 20). South Carolina led 14-12 at halftime and 20-18 at the end of the third quarter. Missouri outscored the Gamecocks 11-0 in the fourth quarter. South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers was 18-28-0, passing for 302 yards and two touchdowns. But Sellers was -28 yards rushing. Mizzou running back Ahmad Hardy rushed for 138 yards and one touchdown. The Gamecocks finished the game with -9 yards rushing. The Tigers had an 11-minute edge in time of possession. Attendance in Columbia: 57,321
It was Big Blue instead of Big Red – Michigan 30, Nebraska 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 28, Michigan 24). Michigan scored in every quarter. Nebraska only scored in the second and fourth quarters. Huskers quarterback Dylan Raiola was 30-41-1, passing for 308 yards and 3 touchdowns. Nebraska receiver Jacory Barney had 6 catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Michigan’s defense limited Nebraska to 43 yards rushing. Wolverines running back Justice Haynes had 149 yards rushing and one touchdown. Attendance in Lincoln: 87,278
The Trojans are 4-0 – USC 45, Michigan State 31 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 38, Michigan State 24). USC began the third quarter leading 31-10. The Trojans ended the third quarter leading 31-24. In the fourth quarter, USC extended its lead to 45-24. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava was 20-26-0, passing for 234 yards and 3 touchdowns. Trojans running back Waymond Jordan rushed for 157 yards. USC tallied 523 total yards. Attendance in Los Angeles: 67,614
Bad luck Bears – Arizona State 27, Baylor 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 27, Arizona State 24). Three turnovers killed Baylor’s chances. And ASU had a 13-minute edge in time of possession. Otherwise, the teams were pretty even. ASU won the game on a time-expiring field goal. It was Baylor’s second loss at home this season. Attendance in Waco: 40,964
Frogs get the Cast Iron Skillet – TCU 35, SMU 24 (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 31, SMU 28). Watch out for the Horned Frogs. They are quietly 3-0. TCU led by 11 points on three occasions – 14-3 in the second quarter, 21-10 in the third quarter, and 35-24 at the end of the game. SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings threw two interceptions. TCU quarterback Josh Hoover threw 5 touchdown passes. TCU racked up 519 total yards. SMU had no running game. Attendance in Fort Worth: 43,333
Schiano stumbles – Iowa 38, Rutgers 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Rutgers 18, Iowa 17). Iowa scored first on a 100-yard, opening kickoff return for a touchdown. Rutgers scored two minutes later to tie things up 7-7. The first quarter ended 14-14. At halftime, the score was 21-21. It was still 21-21 after three. Then Iowa took charge in the fourth quarter, outscoring Rutgers, 17-7. Rutgers had no running game – only 70 yards rushing. Scarlet Knights quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis was 24-40-1, passing for 330 yards and one touchdown. He also scored two touchdowns rushing. Rutgers receiver Ian Strong had eight receptions for 151 yards. Both Iowa and Rutgers are now 3-1. It sure is taking Rutgers coach Greg Schiano a long time to get the Knights’ program turned around. This is his sixth year back at Rutgers. Not much, if any, progress has been shown. Attendance in Piscataway: 55,942
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Sight for sore Eers – Kansas 41, West Virginia 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Kansas 27, West Virginia 24). West Virginia looked like an entirely different team from the one that beat Pitt last week. It’s going to be that type of season for the Mountaineers. WVU played decently until late in the second quarter, trailing 7-3. Then all hell broke loose. The Jayhawks scored 24 unanswered points. After three quarters the score was 34-3 in favor of Kansas. WVU’s offense was not to be seen. It was a sight for sore eyes. Two turnovers didn’t help the Mountaineers any. WVU was 3-for 15 in third down efficiency. Kansas running back Leshon Williams rushed for 129 yards and one touchdown. Attendance in Lawrence: 40,320
Napier’s demise – Miami 26, Florida 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Miami 24, Florida 13). Florida can play defense, but the Gators can’t play offense. They have no offense. Miami limited Florida to 141 total yards – 61 passing and 80 rushing. Meanwhile, the Canes had 349 total yards – 160 passing and 189 rushing. Miami had 21 first downs and Florida had 7. Miami also had a 13-minute edge in time of possession. With 4 minutes to go in the game, Miami just led 13-7. The Canes scored 2 touchdowns in the final four minutes. Florida quarterback D.J. Lagway only passed for 61 yards. The Gators leading rusher – Jadan Baugh – rushed for 46 yards. Attendance in Miami Gardens: 66,713
It was a Devil of a party – Duke 45, NC State 33 (Touchdown Tom said: NC State 30, Duke 27). The Dookies came to life this week. After dropping two-straight games, the Dookies woke up against the Wolfpack. And did they ever, scoring 45 points. Had it not been for 4 turnovers, NC State might have scored more than 33 points. The teams combined for 953 total yards. The Wolfpack had 535 of those yards. NC State quarterback C.J. Bailey threw 3 interceptions. Duke quarterback Darian Mensah threw 3 touchdown passes. NC State running back Hollywood Smothers rushed for 123 yards and 1 touchdown. Attendance in Durham: 30,022
Arch is alive and well in Austin – Texas 55, Sam Houston 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 45, Sam Houston 17). Well, Arch Manning does have a pulse after all. Following one lethargic game after another, Manning showed some signs of life, going 18-21-0, and passing for 309 yards and 3 touchdowns. Manning also rushed for 2 touchdowns. And he didn’t play the entire game. I’m sure he didn’t want to hear any more booing from the fans. But he did get an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Texas built up a 31-0 first half lead and continued to build it up in the third quarter (49-0), cooling off in the fourth quarter. The Horns racked up 607 total yards, limiting Sam Houston to 113 total yards. Texas had 26 first downs and Sam Houston had 7. Attendance in Austin: 103,003
How does it feel? – Notre Dame 56, Purdue 30 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 38, Purdue 13). After an 0-2 start, Notre Dame finally found a victory. It was a little close in the first half. That’s when Purdue scored 23 of its 30 points. But the Irish opened it up in the third quarter, outscoring Purdue 21-0. Irish running back Jeremiyah Love rushed for 157 yards and 2 touchdowns. Quarterback C.J. Carr threw 2 touchdown passes. ND finished with 539 total yards. Purdue only had 76 yards rushing. Attendance in South Bend: 77,622
Week 4 Results: 9 winners, 6 fumbles (60 percent)
For the Season: 42 winners, 19 fumbles (68.9 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
South Florida 63, South Carolina State 14 – Attendance in Tampa: 28,461
Harvard 59, Stetson 7 – Attendance in Deland: 1,400
Bethune-Cookman 35, Edward Waters 9 – Attendance in Dayton Beach: 7,927
Florida State 66, Kent State 10 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 67,277
UCF 34, North Carolina 9 – Attendance in Orlando: 44,206
Delaware 38, FIU 16 – Attendance in Miami: 11,705
West Florida 25, North Greenville 17 – Attendance in Tigerville: 3,000
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Southern Miss’s Braylon Braxton – 28-47-1 for 392 yards (2TDs); Virginia’s Chandler Morris – 23-31-0-380 (4TDs); TCU’s Josh Hoover – 27-40-1-379 (5TDs); UAB’s Jalen Kitna – t 38-51-1-364 (2TDs), and Clemson’s Cade Klubnik – 37-60-1-363 (3TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
UConn’s Cam Edwards – 194 yards (2TDs); Boise State’s Dylan Riley – 171 yards (4TDs); Akron’s Jordan Gant – 161 yards (3TDs); Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love – 157 yards (2TDs); Toledo’s Chip Trayanum – 153 yards (1D); Michigan’s Justice Haynes – 149 yards (1TD); Memphis’ Sutton Smith – 147 yards (1TD), and Jacksonville State’s Cam Cook – 147 yards (2TDs).
Quotes of the Week
“The Bill Belichick experiment at North Carolina is an even bigger disaster than expected,” 247 sports writer John Talty.
“Yeah, the ref came up to me. I was so scared. The ref ripped my ass. I apologized to the ref. I didn’t say anything to the guy. My mom was pretty mad at me. I think it was some built up frustration for the past two weeks,” Texas quarterback Arch Manning on being flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Manning was flagged for hovering over his opponent in celebration, following a 5-yard touchdown run.
“The Clemson-North Carolina game on October 4 will be at 10 a.m. on the Cartoon Network,” Jay Hardy.
Touchdown Tom
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but near the end of September, as the college football season was about to move into its second month, the number one song in the country…
…85 years ago, this week in 1940, was “I’ll Never Smile Again” – Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra.
…80 years ago, this week in 1945, was “Till The End Of Time” by Perry Como
…75 years ago, this week in 1950, was “Goodnight Irene” by Gordon Jenkins and His Orchestra
…70 years ago, this week in 1955, was “The Yellow Rose Of Texas” by Mitch Miller, and “Ain’t That A Shame” by Pat Boone.
…65 years ago, this week in 1960, was “The Twist” by Chubby Checker
…60 years ago, this week in 1965, was “Help” by The Beatles
…55 years ago, this week in 1970, was “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Diana Ross
…50 years ago, this week in 1975, was “Fame” by David Bowie
…45 years ago, this week in 1980, was “Upside Down” by Diana Ross
…40 years ago, this week in 1985, was “Money For Nothing” by Dire Straits
…35 years ago, this week in 1990, was “Release Me” by Wilson Phillips
The next posting of CFW – CFW – Week 5 Forecast – will be released on Thursday morning, September 25.
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