Week 4 Analysis: The Film Doesn’t Lie

In week four we all were able to witness most teams open up conference play. Several programs have come out of nowhere and raised some eyebrows by remaining undefeated. Some teams are getting stronger as the season goes along, while others are waiving their white flag. As the last Saturday of September approaches it will be clear to see who the contenders and pretenders are.

Notre Dame: The Irish racked up 56 points and 566 total yards, including 241 on the ground. Junior signal caller Ian Book threw for 325 yards two touchdowns and no interceptions and added 43 yards on the ground and three rushing scores.

ACC

Virginia Tech gave the conference a black eye with the loss on the road to Old Dominion. Boston College got humbled on the road at Purdue. Besides Clemson, Duke, Syracuse and NC State remained undefeated. Syracuse’s offense looks better every week and Florida State is still a hot mess. There’s still a lot of question about the teams in the ACC. It’s starting to look like a down year for the conference.

Boston College: The Eagles stay in the Associated Press Top 25 was short-lived after suffering the team’s first loss of the season on the road to a winless Purdue squad. Sophomore quarterback Anthony Brown threw four interceptions, running back AJ Dillon was limited to 59 yards on the ground and Boston College was held scoreless in the second and third quarter.

Clemson: The Tiger’s offense racked up 480 total yards, including 248 on the ground. True freshman signal-caller Trevor Lawrence passed for 176 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. True sophomore running back Travis Etienne rushed for 122 yards and a score. Clemson’s defense did a great job against Georgia Tech’s triple option attack and held the Yellow Jackets to 146 rush yards.

Duke: The Blue Devil’s offense piled up 628 total yards, including 372 on the ground and 55 points. Junior quarterback Quentin Harris threw for 202 yards three touchdowns and no interceptions. Sophomore running back Brittain Brown rushed for 118 yards and two total touchdowns. Duke’s defense held North Carolina Central’s offense to 187 total yards, including 51 through the air, 13 points and scoreless in the second half to remain unbeaten on the season.

Florida State: The Seminole’s offense had 473 total yards, including 352 through the air, but turned the ball over four times. Junior quarterback Deondre Francois threw for 352 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Florida State’s defense held Northern Illinois to a mere six yards rushing.

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets were ineffective throwing the ball and didn’t have no consistent ground game. Georgia Tech’s defense did intercept two passes but couldn’t stop Clemson’s rushing attack.

Louisville: Life without Lamar Jackson has been tough on the Cardinals. Bobby Petrino has one of the best offensive minds in the game, but his offense had three turnovers, was held scoreless in the first half and fourth quarter and could only put a field goal on the board.

Miami: The Hurricanes used their cross town rival for target practice and the defense held the Panthers scoreless for the first three quarters before giving up 17 points in the fourth. Freshman quarterback N’Kosi Perry passed for 224 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Junior running back Travis Homer rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown.

NC State: The Wolfpack’s offense racked up 502 total yards, including 377 through the air on the Thundering Herd’s defense to remain undefeated. Senior signal-caller Ryan Finley threw for a touchdown and junior wideout Kelvin Harmon caught six passes for 150 yards. NC State’s defense held Marshall’s offense to 54 yards on the ground and forced three turnovers.

North Carolina: After having their third game cancelled because of Hurricane Florence the Tar Heels finally got their first win of the season over Pitt. The offense finished with 486 total yards, including 313 through the air. Junior quarterback Nathan Elliott threw had two touchdown passes and junior running back Jordon Brown rushed for 114 yards and two scores. Sophomore receiver Dazz Newsome hauled in six passes for 110 yards.

Pittsburgh: The Panthers offense finished 402 total yards, including 228 on the ground. Sophomore quarterback Kenny Pickett passed for 174 yards and two touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough. Pittsburgh defense couldn’t slow down North Carolina’s offense.

Syracuse: The Orange offense is on fire, scoring 31 points in the first half, piling up 636 yards and 55 points for the game. Senior quarterback Eric Dungey threw 286 yards and two touchdowns. Junior running back Moe Neal had 116 yards on the ground and junior wideout Sean Riley hauled in six balls for 120 yards and a score. Syracuse defense forced three turnovers.

Virginia: The Cavaliers defense dominated, holding Louisville’s offense to 214 total yards, including 66 on the ground. Junior quarterback Bryce Perkins passed for 197 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies got embarrassed and lost their first game of the season at Old Dominion. The offense racked up 600 total yards, but starting quarterback Josh Jackson was injured in the fourth quarter and is out indefinitely. Senior running back Steven Peoples rushed for 156 yards and two touchdowns and Damon Hazelton caught five balls for 154 yards and a score.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacon’s offense couldn’t keep up with the Irish, but did rumble for 259 yards on the ground. Wake Forest defense allowed 566 total yards and gave up 56 points.

Big 10

Purdue knocked off a ranked team at home and Iowa, Minnesota and Indiana suffered its first loss of the season. Nebraska continues to look horrible on both sides of the ball with no solution in sight. Urban Meyer is back like he never left and Ohio State keeps rolling. Wisconsin rebounded from last week’s home loss with a tough conference road win. All eyes will be on Penn State’s “White Out” against the Buckeyes this Saturday.

Illinois: The Fighting Illini showed some fight and kept the game close through the start of the third quarter, but the defense gave up 35 fourth quarter points. Freshman quarterback MJ Rivers threw for 149 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Indiana: The Hoosiers suffered their first loss of the season. The running game struggled and the offense had two turnovers. Sophomore quarterback Peyton Ramsey threw for 272 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Sophomore wideout Whop Philyor hauled in 13 passes for 148 yards and a score.

Iowa: The Hawkeyes suffered their first loss of the season. Iowa’s offense finished with 404 yards of total offense. Junior signal-caller Nathan Stanley threw for 256 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Sophomore T.J. Hockenson hauled in three passes for 125 yards.

Maryland: The Terrapins had a nice bounce-back win. Maryland’s offense finished with 432 total yards and scored 45 points. Freshman quarterback Kasim Hill threw for 117 yards and a touchdown. Running backs Ty Johnson and Anthony McFarland combined for 235 yards on the ground and three scores. The Terrapins defense limited the Gophers to 94 rush yards and scoreless in the  first and fourth quarter.

Michigan: The Wolverines dominated on both sides of the ball against the Huskers. The offense scored 39 points in the first half and the defense forced two turnovers and held Nebraska to 132 total yards and scoreless in the first half. Junior quarterback Shea Patterson threw for 120 yards and a touchdown. Senior Karan Higdon rushed for 136 yards and a score.

Michigan State: The Spartan’s defense played their best game of the season, limiting the Hoosier’s offense to 29 yards on the ground, intercepted two passes and held the team scoreless in the first and third quarter. Junior quarterback Brian Lewerke threw for 272 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Minnesota: The Gophers offense struggled with three turnovers and scored only 13 points on the road. Freshman quarterback Zach Annexstad threw for 169 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Minnesota’s defense got steamrolled for 315 yards on the ground.

Nebraska: According to Huskers Head Coach Scott Frost the team has hit rock bottom. Nebraska was never in this game and the offensive line couldn’t protect the quarterback and the defense got mauled by the Wolverines rushing attack. It’s all bad for Nebraska right now.

Northwestern: The Wildcats had the week off, but suffered a big blow on offense, with leading rusher Jeremy Larkin giving up football for health reasons.

Ohio State: Urban Meyer returned to the sidelines and the Buckeyes lit up the scoreboard for 42 points in the first half and finished with 570 total yards of offense. Ohio State’s defense limited Tulane’s offense to 157 yards through the air and held the team scoreless in the first quarter and second half. Sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins passed for 304 yards and five touchdowns. Senior receiver Parris Campbell caught eight balls for 147 yards and two scores.

Penn State: The Nittany Lions played a tight game with the Fighting Illini early on, but opened up a can of whipping in the second half. The offense finished with 591 total yards, including 387 on the ground. Penn State’s defense intercepted two passes from Illinois and held the team scoreless in the fourth quarter. Senior quarterback Trace McSorley passed for 161 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Junior running back Miles Sanders rushed for 200 yards and three scores.

Purdue: The Boilermaker finally got their first win of the season. A team that could easily be 4-0 sits at 1-3. Purdue dominated the game from the start and threw for 296 yards on offense. Purdue’s defense came alive and shut down AJ Dillon and Boston College’s rushing attack, intercepted four passes and held the Eagles scoreless second and third quarter. Senior quarterback David Blough threw for 296 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. True freshman receiver Rondale Moore hauled in eight passes for 110 yards and two scores.

Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights have been blown out the past three weeks, this time against Buffalo. The offense could only manage 284 total yards. Senior quarterback Giovanni Rescigno passed for 129 yards. Rutgers defense had two interceptions, but gave up 442 total yards and 42 points.

Wisconsin: The Badgers recovered from their home loss to BYU with a conference road win. Wisconsin’s defense forced three turnovers and held Iowa’s offense scoreless in the first and fourth quarter. Junior Alex Hornibrook threw for 205 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Sophomore running back Jonathan Taylor finished with 105 yards on the ground.

Big 12

Oklahoma needed overtime to beat Army. Texas is looking stronger every week. Oklahoma State suffered it first loss of the season. Don’t look now but Kliff Kingsbury has Texas Tech playing great football. West Virginia has an unstoppable offense and the two Kansas schools look like the worst teams in the conference.

Baylor: The Bears had a nice bounce back win after losing at home to Duke in week three. Baylor’s offense racked 448 total yards and had no turnovers. The Bear’s defense held the Jayhawks scoreless in the first half and fourth quarter. Sophomore quarterback Charlie Brewer threw for 221 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Iowa State: The Cyclones dominated on defense, holding the Zips to 244 total yards, including 91 on the ground and scoreless in the fourth quarter. Sophomore quarterback Zeb Noland threw for 233 yards and a touchdown. Junior running back David Montgomery rushed for 107 yards and a score.

Kansas: After winning two straight games, the Jayhawks came up short on the road at Baylor. Kansas offense finished with 271 total yards. Senior signal-caller Peyton Bender threw for 105 yards and a touchdown.

Kansas State: The Wildcats have dropped two straight games and can’t get any consistency on offense and put up just six points against the Mountaineers. Sophomore quarterback Skylar Thompson threw for 145 yards and junior receiver Isaiah Zuber caught 10 balls for 133 yards.

Oklahoma: The Sooners received a major scare from Army and needed overtime to get the win. Oklahoma’s defense held Army scoreless in the fourth quarter and in overtime. Junior quarterback Kyler Murray threw for 165 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. True sophomore running back Trey Sermon had 119 yards on the ground.

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys suffered their first loss of the season. The offense couldn’t get any consistency from the ground game. Senior quarterback Taylor Cornelius threw for 258 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Junior running back Justice Hill rushed for 111 yards and a score and sophomore wideout Tylan Wallace had 123 reception yards.

TCU: The Horned Frogs have lost two straight and the offense had too many turnovers against Texas. Sophomore quarterback Shawn Robinson threw for 197 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

Texas: After their season-opening loss at Maryland the Longhorns have won three straight. True sophomore signal-caller Sam Ehlinger threw for 255 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Junior wide receiver Collin Johnson hauled in seven passes for 124 yards and a score. Texas defense forced four turnovers and held TCU’s offense scoreless in the fourth quarter.

Texas Tech: Suddenly Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury has the Red Raiders playing good football. Texas Tech has two straight wins and ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. The Red Raiders offense racked up 621 total yards, including 397 through the air. Junior running back Demarcus Felton rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns.  Texas Tech’s defense forced two turnovers and held Oklahoma State’s offense scoreless for the entire second half.

West Virginia: The Mountaineer’s offense racked 464 total yards, but had four turnovers and still won by 25 points. West Virginia’s defense held Kansas State’s offense scoreless in the first half. Senior quarterback Will Grier threw for 356 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Junior receiver Marcus Sims caught five passes for 136 yards and a score.

Pac-12

USC finally got a win, but nearly let it slip away. Washington State suffered its first loss. Two undefeated teams had a bye-week. Oregon outgained Stanford in yardage and still couldn’t win at home. Stanford is the only that has a legitimate chance to make a run at the College Football Playoff. The conference title will come down to Washington and Stanford.

Arizona: The Wildcat’s defense played their best game of the season, holding the Beaver’s offense to 97 yards on the ground, 14 points and scoreless in the second and third quarter. Arizona’s ground game mauled Oregon State’s front seven for 442 yards. Junior quarterback Khalil Tate threw for 152 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Sophomore running back J.J. Taylor rushed for 284 yards and two scores.

Arizona State: The Sun Devils struggled to throw the ball on offense and finished with 268 total yards. Sophomore running back Eno Benjamin rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown. Head Coach Herm Edwards will be looking for answers after Arizona State dropped its second straight game.

California: The Golden Bears had a bye-week.

Colorado: The Buffaloes had a bye-week.

Oregon: The Ducks played well and outgained Stanford in total yards, but couldn’t make enough plays down the stretch when they needed to. Oregon finished with 524 total yards. Junior quarterback Justin Herbert threw for 346 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Freshman running back CJ Verdell rushed for 115 yards and a score and junior receiver Dillon Mitchell caught 14 balls for 239 yards.

Oregon State: The Beavers struggled on offense and finished with 238 total yards. Sophomore quarterback Conor Blount threw for 137 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, but it wasn’t enough to get Oregon State its first conference win of the season.

Stanford: The Cardinal struggled to run the ball consistently, but was still able to pull out a tough win on the road against the Ducks to remain undefeated. Sophomore signal-caller K.J. Costello threw for 327 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Junior receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside had two reception touchdowns. Stanford’s defense did enough to slow down Oregon’s offense and forced two turnovers.

UCLA: The Bruins had a much needed bye-week.

USC: After dropping two-straight games the Trojans were able to win a conference game over the Cougars. True freshman signal-caller JT Daniels threw for 241 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. The offense finally put a lot of points on the scoreboard and had no turnovers.

Utah: The Utes had a bye-week.

Washington: The Huskies continue to play great defense and limited the Sun Devils to 104 yards through the air to remain undefeated in conference play. Senior signal-caller Jake Browning passed for 202 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Washington State: The Cougars played well enough to win at USC but fell just short. The offense racked up 435 total yards, including 344 through the air. Senior quarterback Gardner Minshew threw for three touchdowns and junior receiver Easop Winston hauled in six passes for 143 yards and two scores.

SEC

Alabama and Georgia continues to take down quality opponents. Kentucky is undefeated and ranked for the first time in a while. Tennessee continues to struggle and Mississippi State suffered its first loss. LSU continues to roll and Ole Miss rebounded with a terrific offensive performance against a MAC team.

Alabama: The Crimson Tide continues to dominate on offense and finished with 524 total yards, 415 through the air and put 45 points on the scoreboard. True sophomore signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa played brilliant and threw for 387 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions and a rushing score. Alabama’s defense forced two turnovers.

Arkansas: The Hogs offense continues to be a non-factor and finished with 290 total yards, had two turnovers and could only score a field goal. Junior Ty Storey threw for 141 yards and an interception.

Auburn: The Tiger’s offense racked up only 225 total yards, but scored 34 points, thanks to a 96 yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Junior quarterback Jarrett Stidham threw for 134 yards and the offense had no turnovers. Auburn’s defense forced two turnovers and held Arkansas scoreless in the first half and fourth quarter.

Florida: The Gators controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Sophomore quarterback Feleipe Franks threw for 172 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Florida’s defense forced six turnovers.

Georgia: The Bulldogs offense racked up 445 total yards. True sophomore signal-caller Jake Fromm threw for 260 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Georgia’s defense forced three turnovers, including a fumble recovery for a touchdown and slowed down Missouri’s high-powered offense to pull out the road win and remain undefeated.

Kentucky: The Wildcats shocked everyone by upsetting the Bulldogs. Kentucky’s offense rumbled for 229 yards on the ground. Junior running back Benny Snell rushed for 165 yards and scored all of the Wildcats touchdowns. Kentucky’s defense held Mississippi State’s offense scoreless in the first quarter and second half.

LSU: The Bayou Bengals played a closer than expected game with their in-state foe. LSU’s offense racked up 409 total yards, including 218 on the ground. Junior quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 191 yards and running backs Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Nick Brossette combined for 214 rush yards and five touchdowns. LSU’s defense held Louisiana Tech’s offense to 87 rush yards and forced two turnovers.

Mississippi State: The Bulldog’s offense struggled and only put seven points on the scoreboard. Senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald threw for 165 yards and an interception. Mississippi State’s dominant ground game was held to a mere 56 yards.

Missouri: The Tigers high-powered offense was limited to 393 total yards and was held scoreless in the second quarter. Senior quarterback Drew Lock threw for 221 yards and an interception.

Ole Miss: The Rebels rebounded from their blowout home loss to the Crimson Tide with a 21-point win over an inferior opponent. Ole Miss offense racked up 651 total yards, including 442 through the air. Senior quarterback Jordan Ta’amu passed for three touchdowns and junior running back Scottie Phillips finished with 112 yards on the ground and a score. Sophomore DK Metcalf caught five balls for 102 yards and a touchdown. Ole Miss defense held Kent State’s offense scoreless in the first and fourth quarter.

South Carolina: The Gamecock’s offense racked up 534 total yards, including 273 on the ground. Junior quarterback Jake Bentley threw for 261 yards, one touchdowns and an interception. Junior running back Rico Dowdle rushed for 112 yards and a score. Sophomore receiver Shi Smith caught five balls for 119 yards and a touchdown. South Carolina’s defense held Vanderbilt’s offense to 284 total yards, forced two turnovers and held the team scoreless in the first quarter and second half.

Tennessee: The Volunteers offense continues to be awful and had six turnovers. Sophomore signal-caller Jarrett Guarantano threw for 164 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.

Texas A&M: True sophomore quarterback Kellen Mond finished with 294 total yards and two touchdowns, but threw two interceptions. The Aggies defense couldn’t stop the Crimson Tide’s passing attack, forced no turnovers and gave up 45 points through the first three quarters.

Vanderbilt: The Commodores offense was held to 92 yards on the ground. Senior quarterback Kyle Shurmur threw for 180 yards, one touchdown and an interception.