After another phenomenal weekend of college football action, the contenders and pretenders are starting to sort themselves out.
Week 4 was a veritable smorgasbord of offensive firepower, for those who appreciate high-scoring affairs and outstanding individual performances.
There were certainly a few surprises on the menu, as well, with some ranked teams going down hard to what appeared to be — on paper, that is — lesser competition.
These are the top takeaways from all the action around the nation.
1. Leonard Fournette continues to stake his claim to the 2015 Heisman Trophy
One or two games like the past couple from Fournette and you can just ship him the Heisman Trophy already.
The LSU (No. 8) star running back has made minced meat out of a couple formidable defenses the past couple of weeks, and his latest offering against Syracuse — a program that had the nation’s No. 2 run defense before the game — could have been even better if not for a 90-plus yard run that was called back on a penalty.
Fournette finished his afternoon against the Orange with 244 yards on 26 carries with two touchdowns, carrying the Tigers to a 34-24 victory over Syracuse.
The past two weeks he’s rushed for 472 yards and five touchdowns. At this point the Heisman is his to lose — everybody pretty much agrees on this point, including Shaquille O’Neal, who tweeted out his support and deemed the race already over.
We’re not going to argue with the big guy.
2. Duke deserves more national respect after taking down Georgia Tech
The Blue Devils are incredibly underrated, but after they took down Georgia Tech (No. 20) on Saturday, this needs to change. With a record of 3-1 — the only loss coming against a very tough Northwestern (No. 17) squad — Duke is well on its way to earning a bowl bid later this year.
In Week 4, the Blue Devils impressively shut down the powerful rushing attack of the Yellow Jackets to the tune of just 173 yards, allowing just 2.9 yards per carry. This was better than what Notre Dame was able to do in Week 3, and considering the Yellow Jackets averaged 377 yards per game prior to Saturday to lead the nation, it was an especially noteworthy accomplishment.
Running back Shaquille Powell was extremely proud of the team’s performance.
“We showed ourselves that we can step it up when we need to, and how we need to be to compete for championship sand win the ACC,” Powell said, via ESPN.com. “It showed the team that we can do something great.”
If Duke can continue pounding the rock and playing outstanding defense, then Powell’s goal of winning the ACC is certainly achievable.
3. Michigan is already legit under Jim Harbaugh
Leading up to Michigan’s matchup against BYU (No. 22), many wondered if the Wolverines would be able to continue rolling at home.
Tanner Mangum and the Cougars, fresh off a tough loss against UCLA (No. 9) had a lot to fight for. Unfortunately for them, they ran into a juggernaut that would not be stopped.
Utilizing the same formula that’s been working the past couple of weekends, Harbaugh’s Wolverines pounded BYU into submission with a clock-eating rushing attack and an oppressive defense. In the end, Michigan tallied 448 total yards and shut the Cougars down to the tune of just 105 yards and eight first downs.
“It feels good to finally beat a ranked team,” running back De’Veon Smith said, per ESPN.com. “We have to keep the momentum going and keep making statements.”
It was as dominant a performance as we’ve seen in a long time at The Big House against a ranked opponent, and it showcased the power of Harbaugh, who has already turned this program around in just a few months.
However, in true Harbaugh fashion, he was quick to point out what a long way he and his players still have to go: “We’re not getting out in front of our headlights and patting ourselves on the back,” he said.
4. Injuries could be a problem for Michigan State
Michigan State (No. 2) won handily, 30-10, over Central Michigan, but injuries could be a concern heading into the middle of the season.
Offensive tackle Jack Conklin was taken out of the game with a knee injury, cornerback RJ Williamson was knocked around a couple of times and tight end Josiah Prince had to use crutches to get around on the sideline late in the game. Combined with the season-ending injuries to linebacker Ed Davis and cornerback Vayante Copeland, the Spartans are missing some key players right now.
Another concern has to be the lackluster offensive output produced by Connor Cook and Co. The Spartans only generated 143 passing yards and were kept afloat by the running game.
If not for a couple of blocked kicks in the first quarter and the stellar play of defensive end Shilique Calhoun, who racked up 2.5 sacks and one of the blocked kicks, the Chippewas would have been much closer on the scoreboard in the end.
While wins are always welcome no matter how they look, the Spartans aren’t exactly inspiring confidence heading into Week 5. Thankfully they have some time to clean things up and hopefully get healthier before the more difficult part of the schedule arrives in late October and beyond.
5. Big 12 offenses on fire
Baylor (No. 5) got the Big 12 scoring party going first with a tremendous burst of offensive firepower over Rice.
Thanks to some precision passing by quarterback Seth Russell, who threw six touchdown strikes on just 16 attempts, Baylor scored 21 points in each of its first three quarters. The running game was unstoppable as well, racking up 427 yards and three touchdowns. The Bears earned a huge blowout victory, 70-17, over the Owls, who looked like they weren’t quite awake yet so early in the day.
While the Baylor blowout was wrapping up, Texas Tech and TCU got into a high-scoring slugfest and traded touchdowns from the opening kickoff until the final whistle.
TCU escaped Lubbock, Texas with a narrow 55-52 victory, and the Red Raiders almost pulled off a miracle finish with time expiring.
As it was, just 23 seconds earlier Trevone Boykin hit Aaron Green with a miracle play of grand proportions on a pass that was originally intended for receiver Josh Doctson, who had 18 catches on the day.
All told, between the two Big 12 teams there was 1,357 yards and 105 points in this game. Needless to say, offensive production doesn’t seem to be a problem in this conference.
As for defense? Well, that’s a story for another day.
6. Texas special teams not so special at end of games
For the second weekend in a row, a special teams mistake cost Texas a chance to win a tightly contested game. Against Cal in Week 3 it was a shanked field goal that would have tied the game in the waning seconds. On Saturday against Oklahoma State, it was an embarrassing mishap with the punter, who let a perfectly good snap go right through his hands and then awkwardly attempted to save his gaffe — to no avail.
Thanks to this horrible mistake, Oklahoma State was able to win the game, 30-27, shortly afterwards with a short field goal, leaving Texas Football and its fans with a sinking feeling that won’t soon go away.
At least there is a silver lining in all this, which is the simple fact that Texas is close to competing now and should continue to get better.
7. Texas A&M shows tremendous grit in win over Arkansas
Texas A&M (No. 14) only had the ball for roughly 20 minutes in this overtime affair, but the quarterback Kyle Allen made every second count. Arkansas tried to keep the high-scoring Aggies offense off the field, utilizing a relentless rushing attack spearheaded by running back Alex Collins. The Razorbacks completely controlled the clock, and Collins rushed for 151 yards on 26 carries.
Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema’s strategy almost worked, too. However, late in the fourth quarter, with the game on the line and the Razorbacks moving the ball near the 50-yard line towards field-goal range, pass-rusher Myles Garrett got around the corner and sacked quarterback Brandon Allen, stripping the ball and giving the Aggies new life.
Just to make things interesting, after the A&M got into field-goal range for the game-winner, kicker Taylor Bertolet shanked the try, sending the game into overtime.
On the road, after such an emotional setback, it would have been easy for the Aggies to lose momentum, but Allen wasn’t having any of it. He made quick work of his team’s first overtime try, hitting receiver Christian Kirk on a 20-yard strike for the game-winning touchdown pass.
Arkansas couldn’t answer, giving the Aggies an incredible 28-21 road victory.
8. Josh Rosen is growing up fast for UCLA
After a couple of rough outings against UNLV and BYU, true freshman quarterback Josh Rosen showed some maturity on the road on Saturday night against Arizona (No. 16). Overcoming his own nerves — which had been quite evident the past couple of starts — and the raucous crowd at Arizona Stadium, Rosen shined in the blowout 56-23 win for UCLA (No. 9).
Finishing with 284 yards on 28 attempts, Rosen threw two touchdowns and didn’t turn the ball over once in his first Pac-12 road game, leading the Bruins to a 4-0 record. He even scored on a read-option play, fooling Arizona’s defense, which hadn’t expected the lanky quarterback to consider running.
Combined with a punishing rushing attack, led by Paul Perkins, and a stout defense that continued to play well even without inside linebacker and team leader Miles Jack, the Bruins are certainly in the conversation as the best team in the Pac-12 right now.
9. Utah rising, Oregon dropping like a pile of rocks
Talk about a dramatic display of contrast. This game was a microcosm for the way things are playing out for both programs as the season chugs along towards its conclusion. Utah (No. 18) absolutely decimated Oregon (No. 13) in front of the loyal Ducks fans at Autzen Stadium on Saturday night, winning 62-20.
Vernon Adams Jr. was so ineffective he didn’t make it to halftime as the starting quarterback, going 2-of-7 for just 26 yards — with one touchdown — before getting benched in favor of Jeff Lockie, who didn’t do much better. Combined, the two quarterbacks completed just 46.7 percent of their passes for 178 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
The running game caught fire late in garbage time, but Utah’s defense tamped down the Ducks for the most part in this department through three-and-a-half quarters.
Conversely, Utah imposed its will on Oregon’s Swiss cheese defense, gaining 530 total yards, 25 first downs and scoring seven total touchdowns.
The Ducks are going backwards right now, having lost both games in which they faced ranked opponents this year. Without a stout defense, and with the offense failing to click, Oregon is clearly not playing at the same level we’ve grown accustomed to seeing the past handful of years. No doubt, this program will be near the bottom of the top-25 rankings after this stinker.
On the other side, Utah — which was left out of the top 25 to open the season — should see its stock continue to rise after such a dominant performance on the road.
10. USC shows tremendous resilience in blowout over ASU
After getting bullied in Week 3 by Stanford, USC (No. 19) showed what a championship mentality looks like by coming out guns blazing against Arizona State.
From start to finish, the Trojans dominated the Sun Devils, winning by a score of 42-14.
Quarterback Cody Kessler was brilliant, but then again, so were his receivers. He piled up 375 yards and five touchdowns before being pulled out of the game midway through the fourth quarter when the victory was secure.
USC’s defense stymied ASU quarterback Mike Bercovici all game long, and the Sun Devils never could get into a rhythm offensively.
It was a good, old fashioned Pac-12 butt-kicking.
When rumors of a post-game fight between two USC players in the tunnel following the loss to the Cardinal came out, it was natural to wonder if this program was going to stay strong in the face of adversity. That’s no longer a valid question, as Steve Sarkisian’s team displayed a singular focus throughout the contest.
ASU, on the other hand, was as discombobulated as any major program that played in Week 3, and if head coach Todd Graham doesn’t get his ship turned around quickly he might be looking for a new job sometime soon.