CFW Week 4 Results – Wild things occur in final second at Big House
After four weeks, who’s the best?
Georgia in the SEC, Ohio State in
the Big Ten, Miami in the ACC,
the Big 12 is wide open, and….
Notre Dame may be better than all the above.
The SEC and the Big Ten each had two defining games on Saturday. In the SEC, it was Texas 20, Tennessee 17, and Florida 52, Ole Miss 28. In the Big Ten, it was Iowa 20, Michigan 19, and Oregon 41, USC 27.
The Texas-Tennessee game reminded us that in spite of recent high scores, defense is not dead in the SEC. The Texas and Tennessee defenses played their hearts out. Texas linebacker Colin Simmons even played his private parts out, pretending to urinate on the field. But instead of winning an Oscar, Simmons received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Yes, the Texas-Tennessee game had a little bit of everything – the President, the entire Manning family (except Eli), the meeting of two undefeated teams, a Tennessee touchdown with 1:22 on the clock, a recovered onside kick and more. But most of all it had defense. Texas only had 14 first downs. Both teams each had less than 265 total yards. Both teams each had no more than 70 yards rushing.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning had a disappointing game. Manning threw an interception and had no touchdown passes. On the positive side, Manning did lead Texas on an eight-play, 60-yard drive early in the fourth quarter that ended in a touchdown. A touchdown that increased the Texas lead from 13-10 to 20-10. A touchdown that ultimately was the difference in the game.
But still, Manning was inconsistent at best. With the likes of Darian Mensah, Malachi Toney, Jeremiah Smith and Jadan Baugh out there, I think it is a pretty good bet that Manning won’t be in New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation in December.
The Ole Miss-Florida game reinforced our recent belief that defense may be dead in the SEC. The Magnolias and the Gators combined for 80 points – 11 touchdowns and one field goal. The two teams combined for 52 first downs and 924 total yards.
The Ole Miss-Florida game matched two undefeated teams. It pitted Trinidad Chambliss, who may be the best quarterback in the country, against a Florida defense that gave up 39 points to Auburn last week. Ole Miss entered the game, coming off its big win over LSU. The Magnolias left the game with their first loss of the season.
Texas-Tennessee and Ole Miss-Florida may have been defining games in the SEC, and they were. But perhaps the most revealing game was Georgia 41, Oklahoma 13. That told me that Georgia is the team to beat in the SEC. Georgia plays offense and the Dawgs play defense.
As mentioned, Iowa-Michigan and Oregon-USC were the two defining games in the Big Ten on Saturday. Iowa and Michigan were both undefeated. Both teams were playing good defense. Neither team had been thriving on its offense.
As expected, the Hawkeyes and the Wolverines were locked up in a low-scoring game. Coming down to the closing minutes and the closing seconds, Michigan led Iowa 19-14. With less than two minutes left in the game, Iowa went on a 91-yard drive. With time left for only one play, Iowa was on the Michigan 16-yard line.
Remember on opening weekend Michigan beat Western Michigan when an extra second was magically found by the referees to allow the Wolverines to throw a second Hail Mary pass and win the game? Well, there was no extra second for Michigan on Saturday. Iowa quarterback Hank Brown threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Reece Vander Zee as time expired. The Hawkeyes beat Michigan, 20-19. Karma!
Unlike Iowa-Michigan, the Oregon-USC game in the Big Ten was expected to be a high-scoring game. And it was. The teams combined for 68 points. Together they had 8 touchdowns and four field goals. The Ducks and the Trojans combined for 950 total yards. Where Iowa-Michigan was similar to Texas-Tennessee, Oregon-USC was similar to Ole Miss-Florida.
Last week, USA Today sports columnist Matt Hayes wrote that USC coach Lincoln Riley was facing a now or never moment. It turned out to be a never moment for Riley. The score was 27-27 about halfway through the fourth quarter. Oregon scored two unanswered touchdowns in the final 8:35 of the game. Ultimately, it may turn out to be a career-ending moment for Riley. Oregon beat USC, 41-27.
Iowa-Michigan and Oregon-USC may have been the defining games in the Big Ten, and they were. However, the most revealing game may have been Ohio State, 42-19. That told me that Ohio State is the team to beat in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes play offense and defense. Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith had 12 receptions for 217 yards and four touchdowns.
Clemson over California, 24-10, and Wake Forest over Louisville, 30-27, were defining games in the ACC. But, until proven differently, Miami is the team to beat in the ACC. Saturday, quarterback Darian Mensh was 23-27-0, passing for 338 yards and three touchdowns. Receiver Malachi Toney had 6 receptions for 120 yards. The Canes beat a weak Central Michigan team, 52-3. Still, tell me Miami isn’t the best team in the ACC.
It’s still unclear who is the team to beat in the Big 12. Sitting at the top of the pack are Utah, BYU, Texas Tech, and Cincinnati – all undefeated. And there are no less than 8 one-loss teams. It may take some time for the dust to settle in the Big 12.
Last but not least, there is Independent Notre Dame. The Irish are 4-0. Notre Dame is beating its opponents by an average score of 42-8. The Irish could be the best of the entire pack. Stay tuned!
One-third of the season is down. We still have two-thirds to go. But the picture is taking shape. That’s clear to see.
Week 4 college football began Thursday night in Conway, South Carolina. Liberty beat Coastal Carolina, 34-17. Liberty quarterback Deshawn Purdie was 11-16-0, passing for 216 yards and two touchdowns. Liberty running back Kam Davis rushed for 166 yards.
Friday night was a busy night for a Friday night. Five games were on the docket. In the first contest, Army scored a touchdown with 1:41 remaining in the game and beat Temple, 21-17. Temple racked up 459 total yards but still managed to lose.
Rutgers finally found a team it could beat. And did it ever. The Scarlet Knights clobbered Howard, 58-7. Rutgers running back Antwan Raymond rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns. In the third game, UAB upset Navy, 24-20. Navy, picked to win the American Conference at preseason, is 0-2 in conference play.
The two big games Friday – Northwestern at Indiana and Clemson at California – were the last two games of the night. Indiana won its 20th-straight game. The Hoosiers held on to beat Northwestern, 29-23. And while you were asleep Friday night, Clemson downed California, 24-10. The Tigers’ running back Gideon Davidson ran for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns.
In other action Saturday, Virginia Tech and Boston College battled in the rain and wind of a nor’easter in suburban Boston. Trailing Boston College, 14-6, Virginia Tech rallied for back-to-back touchdowns in the final eight minutes of the 4th quarter to beat the Eagles, 21-14.
Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel threw six touchdown passes in Pitt’s 59-0 win over Bucknell.
Under first-year coach Bob Chesney, undefeated UCLA continues to amaze. Saturday, in College Park, the Bruins blasted Maryland 54-3. Also in the Big Ten, Wisconsin entered the 4th quarter of its game against Penn State in State College, trailing the Nittany Lions, 20-10. With less than 4 minutes to go in the game, the Badgers still trailed 20-10. Wisconsin then scored back-to-back touchdowns in the final 3:31 of the game to beat Penn State, 24-20. The Badgers had three turnovers in the game and still won.
SMU struggled to beat Missouri State, 34-24.
In the Big 12, Cincinnati knocked off Kansas State, 31-26. And in the SEC, Kentucky had three running backs each run for 100 or more yards. The Wildcats downed South Alabama, 45-21.
While you were asleep Saturday night, Stanford beat Georgia Tech, 34-27. Stanford quarterback Davis Warren was 22-36-0, passing for 396 yards and 3 touchdowns. And Minnesota slipped by Washington, 27-24. Washington suffered its first loss. Minnesota improved to 3-1.
After only four weeks into the season, Illinois coach Bret Bielema fired his defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck. Of 138 FBS schools, Illinois is 101st in the country in points allowed per game.
The Top-12 teams in this week’s Top-25 AP Poll are: 1. Texas (4-0), 2. Georgia (4-0), 3. Notre Dame (4-0), 4. Miami (4-0), 5. Ohio State (3-1), 6. Indiana (6-0), 7. Alabama (4-0), 8. Florida (4-0), 9. Ole Miss (3-1), 10. BYU (3-0), 11. LSU (3-1), and 12. Texas Tech (4-0).
College and NBA basketball player Bob Pettit died on September 23. In college, Pettit played for LSU (1951-1954). In the NBA, he played for the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks (1954-1965). He won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award in 1956 and 1959. The 6-foot-9-inch Pettit had 12,849 rebounds during his 11 seasons with the Hawks, averaging 16.2 rebounds per game. He had 20,880 career points , averaging 26.4 points a game. A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Robert Lee Pettit was 93.
Touchdown Tom
September 28, 2026
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Burnt orange rules – Texas 20, Tennessee 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 23, Tennessee 17). Hats off to the defenses of both teams. They played one heck of a game. Tennessee was held to 70 yards rushing. Texas was held to 61 yards rushing. There were 14 punts – 7 by each team. Texas never trailed in the game, but the Longhorns never led by more than 10 points and that was only for about 4 minutes and 20 seconds. The game was briefly tied for about 2 minutes in the third quarter. The contest got wild near the end. Tennessee scored with 1:22 on the clock to pull within 3 points at 20-17. Then the Vols recovered their ensuing onside kick. But Tennessee couldn’t capitalize. Neither quarterback was bad but neither played a great game. Texas all but tried to give the game away. The Longhorns had 2 turnovers and 11 penalties for 115 yards. Tennessee had no turnovers and 7 penalties for 55 yards. Attendance in Knoxville: 101,915
RUNNER-UP: Ole missed – Florida 52, Ole Miss 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 30, Ole Miss 28). Florida never trailed in the game, but the game never got out of hand until the Gators, leading 38-28, scored back-to-back touchdowns in the final nine minutes of the game. Both quarterbacks threw an interception, but both had good games. Trinidad Chambliss passed for 298 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for 44 yards and two touchdowns. Aaron Philo passed for 196 yards and one touchdown. The star for Florida was Jadan Baugh who rushed for 142 yards and three touchdowns. Ole Miss receiver Deuce Alexander had 7 receptions for 134 yards. The Gators were a respectable 6-for-10 in third down efficiency. The Gators dominated ball possession – 36:59 to 23:01. In spite of Florida’s impressive offensive play, there were times in the game when the Gators were sloppy and undisciplined. Florida had 8 penalties for 92 yards. Penalties that potentially could have caused Florida to lose the game. Last week, against Auburn, Florida had 16 penalties for 138 yards. (Although, all visiting teams at Auburn get a lot of penalties.) That’s 24 penalties in two games. Two weeks ago, Florida had 8 penalties for 95 yards. That’s 32 penalties for 293 yards in three games. In spite of the penalties, Florida coach Jon Sumrall says that penalties aren’t that harmful. The Gators do need to clean up their act. Attendance in Gainesville: 90,683
REST OF THE BEST: Woof-woof – Georgia 41, Oklahoma 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 20, Oklahoma 19). Georgia simply dominates its opponents. The Dawgs led 28-0 at halftime and built its lead to 41-6 in the second half. Neither quarterback had a great game. Each threw an interception. There were 6 turnovers – 4 by Oklahoma and 2 by Georgia. The Dawgs had 306 total yards. Georgia’s defense held OU to 65 yards rushing. When Georgia had the ball, the Dawgs scored quickly. Georgia only had possession of the ball for 24:03. Attendance in Athens: 93,033
Raiola saves the day – Oregon 41, USC 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 34, USC 33). This one was a tight game in the first half. Oregon led at the break, 13-10. The teams scored 45 of their 68 points in the second half. USC’s only lead was 7-3 early in the second quarter. The game was tied twice – 10-10 late in the second quarter, and 27-27 early in the fourth quarter. In the second quarter, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore took a dirty targeting hit to the head as he was sliding to the ground at the end of a run. He was put on a stretcher and taken to the hospital. Former Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola entered the game and quarterbacked the Ducks to the end. Raiola passed for 289 yards and two touchdowns. Oregon receiver Jamari Johnson had 7 receptions for 119 yards. Neither team had much of a running game. Attendance in Los Angeles: 75,500
Tigers bounce back – LSU 35, Texas A&M 6 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 27, Texas A&M 24). LSU led 14-3 at halftime and blew out the Aggies 21-3 in the third quarter. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter. For the second-straight week, Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed had a bad game. He passed for 106 yards, completing only 38% of his passes and throwing an interception. LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt had a better game than last week. Leavitt was 17-23-1, passing for 312 yards and 2 touchdowns. LSU receiver Jackson Harris had 6 receptions for 163 yards and 2 touchdowns. LSU had 506 total yards to only 197 for A&M. Attendance in Baton Rouge: 102,321
No extra seconds required – Iowa 20, Michigan 19 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 17, Michigan 14). It’s not often a Big Ten team goes into The Big House and comes out a winner. But Iowa did Saturday and on the last play of the game. The Hawkeyes scored on a 16-yard touchdown pass as time expired. Iowa quarterback Hank Brown passed for 227 yards and 2 touchdowns. Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood passed for 276 yards and two touchdowns. Underwood also threw an interception. Wolverines receiver J.J. Buchanan had 5 catches for 130 yards and 2 touchdowns. Michigan’s defense held Iowa to 58 yards rushing. Michigan tallied 429 total yards. Attendance in Ann Arbor: 111,126
Super Kamario – Mississippi State 31, Missouri 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Mississippi State 31, Missouri 30). Miss State jumped out to a 14-0 second quarter lead. Missouri closed the gap to 14-10 at halftime. The Tigers took their first lead – 17-14 – early in the third quarter. The Bulldogs tied it up at 17-17 still in the third. Near the end of the third quarter, Missouri went back up 24-17. The score remained 24-17 until 7:09 to go in the fourth quarter when Miss State scored the first of back-to-back touchdowns. Miss State quarterback Kamario Taylor was 27-38-1, passing for 360 yards and 3 touchdowns. Bulldogs receiver Anthony Evans had 8 receptions for 114 yards. The teams combined for 913 total yards. Miss State had 499 of those yards. Attendance in Starkville: 60,417
Hoosiers get a scare – Indiana 29, Northwestern 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Indiana 28, Northwestern 22). Indiana won the first half 12-0. Northwestern won the second half 23-17. Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles was 22-29-0, passing for 293 yards and two touchdowns. Northwestern receiver Luke Dehnicke had 7 receptions for 140 yards. Indiana running back Lee Beebe rushed for 203 yards and one touchdown. Indiana racked up 472 total yards. The Hoosiers defense held Northwestern to 32 yards rushing. Neither team had a turnover. Attendance in Bloomington: 54,593
Cocks abide the Tide – Alabama 49, South Carolina 18 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 35 South Carolina 26). Nothing slow about the Tide Saturday. Bama got out to a 14-0 first quarter lead and a 35-10 halftime lead. Then Bama went to sleep in the third quarter. They woke up in the fourth quarter to score two more touchdowns. Tide quarterback Keelon Russell was 21-27-0, passing for 365 yards and 4 touchdowns. South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers was inconsistent – up and down. Bama had 489 total yards. South Carolina had 419 total yards. Bama’s defense was a little loose. The Gamecocks also had 2 turnovers which hurt. The Gamecocks out rushed Bama 216 yards to 124 yards. Attendance in Tuscaloosa: 100,077
Cowboys have a rodeo – Oklahoma State 41, West Virginia 24 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 40, Oklahoma State 35). So much for “We’re back.” Whatever worked last week against Virginia failed to work Saturday against Oklahoma State. The Mounties got off to a good start. They took a 7-0 first quarter lead. WVU continued to lead until 9:33 in the third quarter. That’s when Okie State tied the score at 21-21. Six minutes later WVU went back up 24-21. The Cowboys took their first lead – 28-24 – at the 2:40 mark in the third quarter and never trailed again. Okie State quarterback Drew Mestemaker was 20-27-1, passing for 389 yards and three touchdowns. He had one interception. Cowboys Caleb Hawkins had 180 yards rushing and one touchdown. Receiver Wyatt Young had 8 receptions for 192 yards and one touchdown. WVU running back Cam Cook had 193 yards rushing. The teams combined for 1,076 total yards. Okie State had 609 of those yards. Attendance in Morgantown: 57,756
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Irish keep on rolling – Notre Dame 49, Purdue 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 34, Purdue 20). Notre Dame led 35-0 at halftime and went on to a 49-3 lead. It was Notre Dame’s third win over a Big Ten team this season. Irish quarterback C.J. Carr passed for 237 yards and three touchdowns. ND racked up 444 total yards. The Irish defense held Purdue to 40 yards rushing. Attendance in West Lafayette: 52,273
No mercy – Duke 62, William & Mary 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 35, William & Mary 13). The Dookies showed no mercy. Duke led 38-7 at halftime and scored another 24 points in the second half. Duke quarterback Walker Eget was 16-22-0, passing for 182 yards and 2 touchdowns. Running back Nate Sheppard had 116 yards rushing and one touchdown. Duke racked up 638 total yards to 170 yards for W&M. Duke had 28 first downs to 7 for W&M. The Dookies were 8-for-13 in third down efficiency. William & Mary only had 17 yards rushing. Attendance in Durham: 22,003
One down, eight to go – Nebraska 31, Michigan State 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 20, Michigan State 17). The game was tight for much of the first half. Nebraska led 17-10 at the 6:07 mark in the second quarter. Then the Huskers added a touchdown with 0:02 before halftime. The defenses took over in the second half. State added 3 points in the third quarter. Nebraska added 7 points in the fourth quarter. There wasn’t a lot of offense. The Huskers held State to 39 yards rushing. The Spartans suffered from 3 turnovers. Attendance in East Lansing: 68,161
Week 4 Results: 12 winners, 1 fumbles (92.3 percent)
For the Season: 49 winners, 13 fumbles (79 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Florida State 34, Central Arkansas 7 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 67,277
UCF 21, TCU 13 – Attendance in Orlando: 43,212
South Florida 14, Bowling Green 6 – Attendance in Bowling Green: 22,265
FIU 20, Long Island 3 – Attendance in Miami: 17,003
Miami 52, Central Michigan 3 – Attendance in Miami Gardens: 65,338
West Florida 20, SE Missouri 17 – Attendance in Cape Girardeau: 5,236
South Carolina State 31, Bethune-Cookman 21 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 4,750
Alabama A&M 40, Florida A&M 21 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 11,380
Florida Atlantic 42, ULM 17 – Attendance in Monroe: 15,326
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Pitt’s Mason Heintschel – 29-37-0 for 403 yards (6TDs); Stanford’s Davis Warren – 22-36-0-396 (3TDs); Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker – 20-27-1-389 (3TDs); Marshall’s Carlos Del Rio Wilson – 26-38-1-386 (3TDs); Ohio State’s Julian Sayin – 27-36-0-367 (4TDs); Alabama’s Keelon Russell – 21-27-0-365 (4TDs); Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor – 27-38—360 (3TDs); East Carolina’s Emory Williams – 25-36-1-341 (3TDs), and Miami of Florida’s Darian Mensah – 23-27-0-338 (3TDs).
Also, Appalachian State’s Malachi Singleton – 26-38-0 for 317 yards (2TDs); Florida Atlantic’s Caden Veltkamp – 30-39-0-313 (2TDs); Miami of Ohio’s David McComb – 19-28-0-312 (2TDs); LSU’s Sam Leavitt – 17-23-1-312 (2TDs); (4TDs); Western Kentucky’s Rodney Tisdale – 19-23-0-309 (4TDs); UTSA’s Owen McCown – 20-30-0-303 (3TDs); Missouri’s Austin Simmons – 23-39-0-295 (3TDs), and Northwestern’s Aidan Chiles – 22-29-0-293 (2TDs).
Also, UNLV’s Jackson Arnold – 17-29-0 for 290 yards (3TDs); Oregon’s Dylan Raiola – 19-25-0-289 (2TDs); Toledo’s John Alan Richter – 16-22-0-284 (3TDs); Georgia Southern’s Max Johnson – 23-38-0-284 (3TDs); Virginia’s Beau Pribula – 24-28-0-279 (4TDs); North Texas’ Tayven Jackson 16-8-0-270 (1TD); Texas State’s Brad Jackson – 17-20-0-244 (5TDs), and Arkansas State’s Trey Owens – 24-31-0-244 (1TD).
Also, Houston’s Connor Weighman – 17-22-0 for 239 yards (4TDs); Wake Forest’s Gio Lopez – 12-19-0-225 (1TD); Fresno State’s Jayden Mandal – 22-34-0-210 (3TDs); Utah’s Devon Dampier – 18-27-0-206 (2TDs); Boise State’s Maddux Madsen – 16-23-0-204 (3TDs), and UCF’s Keyone Jenkins – 19-20-0-160 (1TD).
Impressive Rushers:
Virginia Tech’s Jerry Overton – 209 yards (1TD); Indiana’s Lee Beebe – 203 yards (1TD); Tulane’s Maurice Turner – 200 yards (2TDs); West Virginia’s Cam Cook – 193 yards; Oklahoma State’s Caleb Hawkins – 180 yards (1TD); Utah’s Wayshawn Parker – 174 yards (2TDs); Air Force’s Liam Szarka – 171 yards (2TDs).
Also, Clemson’s Gideon Davidson – 159 yards (2TDs); Kentucky’s C.J. Baxter – 149 yards (1TD); NC State’s Jayden Scott – 148 yards (2TDs); Buffalo’s Messiah Burch – 146 yards; South Florida’s D.J. Crowther – 143 yards (1TD); Florida’s Jadan Baugh – 142 yards (3TDs), and Rice’s Jacurri Brown – 141 yards (1TD).
Quotes of the Week
“Texas doesn’t look right. Something feels off,” CBS Sports columnist John Talty, after the Texas win over Tennessee.
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 1941, was “Blue Champagne” by Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra
…80 years ago, this week in 1946, was “Five Minutes More” by Frank Sinatra
…75 years ago, this week in 1951, was “Because Of You” by Tony Bennett
…70 years ago, this week in 1956, was “Hound Dog/Don’t Be Cruel” by Elvis Presley
…65 years ago, this week in 1961, was “Take Good Care Of My Baby” by Bobby Vee
…60 years ago, this week in 1966, was “Cherish” by The Association
…55 years ago, this week in 1971, was “Maggie May/Reason To Believe” by Rod Stewart
…50 years ago, this week in 1976, was “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry
…45 years ago, this week in 1981, was “Endless Love” by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
…40 years ago, this week in 1986, was “Stuck With You” by Huey Lewis and The News
…35 years ago, this week in 1991, was “I Adore Mi Amor” by Color Me Badd
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