Saturday Scoreboard: Week 4

Written By Tucker Harlin

By Tucker Harlin

How are we already a third of the way through college football season?

Week 4 treated us to many early high stakes conference battles and four ranked matchups, the true introduction to the best part of the college football season.

Upsets were at a premium this week, but a lack of upsets in no way means the weekend wasn’t entertaining.

This is the leaner cut of an action packed weekend of college football

#24 ILLINOIS 31 @ #22 NEBRASKA 24 (OT)

Yes this was on a Friday, but it’s the second Friday in as many weeks to feature a Top 25 matchup.

Poor Nebraska. Remember the graphic that said it lost 25 one score games over a five year period at the beginning of 2023? You can go ahead and add another five to it.

via @PFF_College

Dylan Raiola didn’t have his best work on display for the Cornhuskers.

Raiola made nice throws over the middle throughout the game, but the mistakes snowballed toward the end of the game. The pick he threw in the end zone wasn’t his fault as the Illini defender wrested away the ball from Isaiah Neyor, but Raiola was bailed out on a couple of occasions for fumbles he put on the ground by his offensive line.

Illinois lost a fumble with just over eight minutes to go, giving Nebraska an opportunity to take a lead. The Huskers milked the clock for about five minutes but were unable to convert a 3rd and 3, opting to settle for a field goal. John Hohl hooked the 39-yarder, leaving the Nebraska defense to play for overtime.

A 21-yard run by Kaden Feagin set up the go ahead score for the Illini, forcing the Cornhuskers to score a touchdown to keep the game alive.

I hate using this term, but Raiola made “freshman mistakes” with some of the sacks he ran himself into. Don’t get yourself into a 2nd and 42 if you can avoid it.

On the other side, what a win for Illinois. Luke Altmeyer went 21/27 for 215 yards and four touchdowns through the air, and Bret Bielema has the Illini sitting at 4-0 for the first time in 13 years.

Looking at the remaining eight games, the Illini are in good position to make a bowl. It doesn’t sound like much but Illinois has just three appearances in bowls over the last decade.

FLORIDA 45 @ MISSISSIPPI STATE 28

The Gators were victorious in the Dan Mullen and Scott Stricklin Classic in a battle of two teams desperate for a meaningful win.

The challenges were minimal for Florida’s offense as it threw just two incompletions all day and ran for 226 against a porous Mississippi State defense.

Ball movement wasn’t a huge issue for the Bulldogs either as they finished the day with 240 yards in the air and on the ground. But ball movement can’t cover up a bevy of red flags for Mississippi State in the loss.

As I previously stated, the Bulldogs offered no challenges to Florida with their defense, and that’s a Florida offense that’s been suspect all season.

Second and worst of all, Blake Shapen is now expected to miss the entire season due to the injury he left with in the second half.

Neither side should leave this game feeling spectacular about itself.

ARKANSAS 24 @ AUBURN 14

Another week, another gross power four matchup on the plains.

Auburn got its hopes up with what appeared to be a tune up performance against New Mexico last week.

Hank Brown went from throwing four touchdown passes against the Lobos to throwing three interceptions against the Razorbacks this week and getting benched for Payton Thorne.

The Tigers were fortunate to have one scoring drive in the middle of the third quarter and a nice coverage bust later on for another score, but the offensive output was horrific.

Before I start to give Arkansas credit, Taylen Green finished his day a crisp 12/27 for 151 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. In fact, there was a point at the end of the first half in which three interceptions were thrown in the span of 26 seconds.

Green was fortunate to find a wide open Isaiah Sategna in the end zone on a 3rd and 19 prayer from his own 42, but that was about the only highlight he had through the air.

Another game where neither team leaves feeling great about itself.

UCLA 17 @ #16 LSU 34

The outcome in Death Valley this weekend was of no surprise.

LSU let UCLA hang in there for about two and a half quarters, but the Bruins didn’t have the offensive firepower to match the Tigers.

The two were tied at 17 headed into the third quarter, but two time consuming, 90 plus-yard touchdown drives from the Bayou Bengals took the wind out of the Bruins’ sails. Garrett Nussmeier continues to be a consistent threat at quarterback for LSU, slinging it around for 352 yards and three touchdowns Saturday.

Ethan Garbers showed some improvement to follow the Bruins’ 42-13 home loss to Indiana, but he still put the ball on the ground twice (losing one) and threw an interception. Garbers also took five sacks on the day.

It was a nice win for LSU, but UCLA isn’t firing on all cylinders in its first season as a Big 10 member.

#11 USC 24 @ #18 MICHIGAN 27

Exclusively running the football still appears to be the way of the Big 10.

Michigan quarterback Alex Orji only threw for 32 yards in the Wolverines’ win, but more importantly, he didn’t put the ball in harm’s way like Davis Warren.

Aside from the final quarter, USC was playing from behind all game. Michigan running backs Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards both ran for 40 plus-yard touchdowns in the opening half, and Miller Moss threw a pick six for about that distance to star corner Will Johnson.

Trailing 20-17 in the middle of the fourth quarter, the Trojans’ defense was able to recover a fumble in plus territory. Three plays later, Moss connected with receiver Ja’Kobi Lane for 24-yard go ahead score.

The teams traded punts, but it was about to get ugly for the Trojans again.

On a 3rd and 1 deep in his own territory, Mullings burst for a 63-yard run to the USC 17-yard line. Mullings got the ball several more times on the possession, including the 1-yard rush touchdown to seal the game.

This was a rough “Welcome to the Big 10” moment for USC but a heavy confidence booster for a struggling Michigan team.

#12 UTAH 22 @ #14 OKLAHOMA STATE 19

Utah has always been known for its adaptability under Kyle Whittingham, and it put that on display once more in an important early season Big 12 tilt.

The Utes were without Cam Rising in Stillwater, turning to Isaac Wilson (brother of Zach) to run the offense while relying heavily on their defense.

The defense caused much frustration at quarterback for the Pokes.

Alan Bowman was lackluster in the first half, throwing a pick in the final minutes. Mike Gundy elected to go a different route to start the second half, bringing in Garrett Rangel at quarterback. Rangel went 3/11 in his two possessions before Gundy decided it was time to bring back Bowman.

The Pokes also cleaned up the final score a bit in the last five minutes. Wilson found Brant Kuithe to take a 22-3 lead with just under seven minutes to play.

It wasn’t the prettiest day for Wilson in the air, but Micah Bernard’s 182 rush yards were a big help in the Utes’ win.

VANDERBILT 27 @ #7 MISSOURI 30- OT

Vanderbilt might be the hardest team to read in the college football universe.

It trailed Georgia State basically all game last week, but it didn’t trail against #7 Missouri until the middle of the third quarter.

The Commodores came back and scored a touchdown in the closing seconds of the third quarter to tie the game up at 20 apiece. The fourth quarter went scoreless as both teams combined for a trio of missed field goals.

Vandy scored the first touchdown in overtime, but the Tigers only needed one play for Brady Cook and Luther Burden to connect for a touchdown. Mizzou got the ball to start the second overtime but had to settle for a field goal, and Blake Craig was able to brush aside the three missed field goals and nail it.

Vandy was also forced to kick a field goal, but Brock Taylor didn’t have the same luck as he hooked his kick left.

Again, I still have no idea what to think of Vandy, but Mizzou is not a Top 10 team.

GEORGIA TECH 19 @ #19 LOUISVILLE 31

Non-offensive touchdowns played an important role in Louisville’s victory over Georgia Tech Saturday.

The Yellowjackets held a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when they were forced into a 3rd and 8 deep in their own territory. Haynes King began to run, and he tried to throw a backwards pass to avoid a hit, but the pass was batted into the end zone for the Cardinals to recover.

This moment led to 17 straight points scored by the Cardinals, but the Yellowjackets would claw back and tie the game at 17 in the third quarter.

However, Louisville struck back with a 57-yard touchdown pass to JaCorey Brooks, a play the Georgia Tech defender just gave up on after committing a pass interference penalty.

Later, the Yellowjackets scored a safety to cut the deficit to five and had an opportunity to cut it to two on a field goal attempt. But disaster struck once more as the Cardinals blocked the field goal and returned it for a touchdown, essentially putting the game out of reach.

Louisville now sits at 3-0 and has proof it deserves its rank, sitting at #15 in the new poll.

#6 TENNESSEE 25 @ #15 OKLAHOMA 15

Josh Heupel displayed a rare conservative side as a coach in his homecoming to Norman.

Knowing the limitations in his offensive front, Heupel opted to primarily run the football against a stout front and occasionally take deep shots down the field.

In other words, the offense wasn’t pretty. But the defense sure was.

The Vols turned Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold over three times in the first half and finished the night with 11 tackles for loss, only surrendering 36 rush yards.

The Sooners turned to backup quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr in the second half, who was able to claw back from a 22-3 deficit to end the game at its final score albeit against a prevent defense.

For Josh Heupel, a decade-long revenge story was complete. For Tennessee, it was the first Top 15 road win in 18 years.

Oklahoma joins South Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri, and Texas A&M as additions to the SEC to have lost to prior members in their first conference game. Essentially, it’s up to Texas next week to end that streak.

#13 KANSAS STATE 9 @ BYU 38

What happened in Provo late Saturday night was one of tiny number of upsets in college football this weekend.

The Cougars were treated to a myriad of momentous plays that helped them cruise to a victory over #13 Kansas State, starting with a 30-yard scoop and score to put them up late in the second quarter.

Two plays into the next possession, Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson was picked off on a low throw by defensive lineman Tyler Batty. The BYU offense made Johnson pay for it two plays later with a pass touchdown, taking a 17-6 lead to the locker room.

The cycle repeated itself as Johnson threw another pick and the Cougars scored another touchdown to go up 18 at the start of the second half.

K-State was forced to punt on the very next possession, but the Cougars were able to return the punt for a touchdown, going up 31-6 early in the third quarter.

With the dominant outing, BYU has found its way into the Top 25 for the first time in almost two years.

Tucker Harlin
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