Another weekend of college football is in the books, so let’s go through who was great on the gridiron with my Week Four Heroes:
Indiana: It’s fair to say that the Hoosiers aren’t exactly a football power, and they went into Columbia, Missouri on Saturday afternoon in a game that many thought would be an easy win for the SEC’s Tigers, but Big Red had other ideas. They shocked Missouri 31-27, thanks to a D’Angelo Roberts touchdown that came with just twenty-two seconds left. A week after the Hoosiers lost to Bowling Green of the Mid-American Conference, this was a win that came from absolutely nowhere. QB Nate Sudfeld was great, 18-33 for 252 yards and a score.
Georgia Tech: For the first time since 2006, the Yellow Jackets won the ACC battle of the Tech schools, going into Lane Stadium to beat the Virginia Tech Hokies 27-24 to open the season 4-0. Kicker Harrison Butker was the hero, kicking the game-winning field goal as time expired.
Arizona: The Wildcats escaped a wild Pac-12 battle with Call – but only by the very slimmest of margins. It took that great football roll of the dice, the Hail Mary, for Arizona to score a 49-45 win. Wildcats QB Anu Solomon connected receiver Austin Hill on an unlikely 47-yard scoring pass. Unlikely because it was thrown into triple coverage, yet none of the Cal defenders seemed to want to knock the football away. The Wildcats scored actually trailed 28-6 at the half, but outscored the Bears 43-17 in the second for a memorable win.
Washington State: No, they didn’t win, but Mike Leach’s embattled program hung tough with Oregon – something that not many teams can lay claim to – in a 38-31 Ducks victory. As far as good losses go, this might be one for the Cougars. There’s plenty they can take away from this game. Their defense, particularly, was great, repeatedly sacking Ducks QB Marcus Mariota. Coogs fans shouldn’t be too disappointed.
Mississippi State: The biggest win in recent program history. It isn’t easy to go into Death Valley and beat Louisiana State, but when you do it by rolling up 570 yards of offense, it’s even more impressive. This was a game where the score line – it ended 34-29 – didn’t accurately portray just what a dominant win Dan Mullen’s Bulldogs had.
A few late scores, including one from a bad Mississippi State snap that led to a turnover made it a more respectable loss for the Tigers, but they were well and truly out-played on their home field, which isn’t something you can often say about LSU. The Bulldogs might just be sneaky SEC West contenders.
Wisconsin: Yeah, sure, it was only against Bowling Green, but Wisconsin’s ground game was flat-out scary on Saturday, as the Badgers rolled up a whopping 644 rushing yards en route to a 68-17 win. Star RB Melvin Gordon ran for a career high 253 yards (and five touchdowns, with an average of 19.5 yards per carry), QB Tanner McEvoy for 158 (and two touchdowns).
Second- and third-string running backs Corey Clement (111 yards and 2 touchdowns) and Dare Ogunbowale (94 yards) also starred. Nothing Bowling Green tried worked. It was an ominous display that likely sent tremors through the rest of the Big Ten.
Brigham Young: Down 16-13 to Virginia at the half, QB Taysom Hill stepped up, running and throwing for touchdowns in the second half and the Cougars, helped by a timely 99-yard kick-off return midway through the final quarter, ended up outlasting the Cavaliers in a wildly entertaining game, 41-3. Another crucial win against a pretty good ACC opponent, and with it, Hill’s Heisman stock keeps rising.
East Carolina: A week after beating Virginia Tech, the Pirates rolled through, around and over North Carolina, notching up 789 total yards of offense in a 70-41 smashing. Pirates QB Shane Carden went a 30-of-48 for 438 yards, four touchdowns, one pick, and now has 1,469 yards and 11 touchdowns in four games, including three against teams then ranked in the AP Top 25. Not bad.
Iowa: They lost to Iowa State last week, and I didn’t think they stood much chance against Pitt, whose running game has been on-song all season. Turns out, I was wrong. Iowa played a great game on the road, in stark contrast to their performance seven days ago. They turned up huge on defense, especially late, but the win probably belongs to back-up quarterback C.J. Beathard who replaced ineffective starter Jake Ruddock and went 7-8 for 178 yards in the 24-20 win. Huge momentum gainer for the Hawkeyes.
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