(20) Boise State 30, Air Force 19
Boise State was able to pull away from Air Force in the 4th quarter after a very close game. After a scoreless first quarter, the Broncos ended the first half tied at 10. The Falcons got on the board first with an 8-yard touchdown run by junior QB Donald Hammond III. A 36-yard touchdown pass from Broncos QB Hank Bachmeier and a field goal by each team tied the game. A 28-yard touchdown pass from Bachmeier to junior TE John Bates at the end of the third quarter gave Boise State a lead they would never relinquish. Broncos junior RB Robert Mahome had two 10 yard rushing touchdowns in the fourth to pad the lead. Bachmeier goes 19 for 26 with 263 yards and 2 touchdowns as Boise State stays undefeated at 4-0.
The 10th ranked Utes got upset by USC on Saturday afternoon after a stellar performance by the Trojans junior QB Matt Fink. Fink went 21 for 30 with 351 yards and 3 touchdowns. USC took the lead early with a 29-yard touchdown pass hauled in by junior WR Tyler Vaughns to put the Trojans up 7-0. Utah would respond with a 17-yard touchdown run junior RB Devonta’e Henry Cole. The first half would end with Utah trailing 14-10, and they would never be able to catch back up. Fink threw a 77-yard touchdown pass early on in the 3rd to put the Trojans up 21-10. After two field goals from Utah that put them within 1 point of the lead, USC responded with a safety and a 4-yard touchdown run from freshman RB Markese Stepp would help the Trojans secure the upset on Friday night.
Cal QB Chase Garbers put on an impressive performance against Ole Miss, but it’s the Golden Bears defense that is getting all the hype. Ole Miss had a 14-13 advantage at halftime after 2 field goals and a 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore QB Matt Corral. Garbers put his team on his back in the second half with touchdown passes including a 60-yard bomb to sophomore TE Jake Tonges. Garbers went 23-35 with 357 yards and 4 touchdowns and 1 interception on the day, but that performance would be shadowed by a controversial goal-line play. After it looked like Ole Miss had scored, they were ruled short of the line of gain and after a goal-line stand including a game-saving tackle, Cal comes away victorious and stays perfect at 4-0.
(13) Wisconsin 35, (11) Michigan 14
Looks like the Harbaugh hype train has officially run out of steam. A much-anticipated matchup turned sour very quickly as the Badgers dominated Michigan on Saturday afternoon. The first half was dominated by Wisconsin’s run game, finishing the day with 356 yards on the ground. Junior RB Johnathan Taylor had two touchdowns in the first quarter, and with the help of the weak Michigan defense and the strong Wisconsin O-Line, Taylor was able to find a hole and take it 72 yards to the house, (his other touchdown was 1 yard, but this one makes the highlight reel). Junior QB Jack Coan kept up the dominance of the run game with two rushing touchdowns in the second quarter, putting the Badgers up 28-0 at halftime. Michigan was able to get on the board in the 3rd quarter after a 6-yard touchdown pass from senior QB Shea Patterson and a successful two-point conversion, but that would be nowhere near enough as the Wolverines get embarrassed and fall 2-1.
The struggles for the Vols continued early Saturday afternoon against the Gators. It looked like Tennessee had (at least somewhat) found their footing last week after a blowout against Chattanooga last week, but their matchup against Florida proved that to be false. Gators’ junior QB Kyle Trask got Florida rolling early with a 19-yard touchdown pass that was brought in by sophomore TE Kyle Pitts. Florida finished the first half with a 1-yard rushing touchdown as time expired by senior Lamical Perine, giving them a 17-0 lead. The Vols would get their only points of the day off of a 40-yard field goal from junior kicker Brent Cimaglia. Tennessee would finish with only 239 yards of offense, with a dismal 88 yards of rushing offense. Tennessee falls to 1-3 and Florida moves to 4-0.
The Tigers had a record-breaking day with their rout of Vanderbilt. Joe Burrow broke the record for most passing touchdowns in a single game for an LSU QB with 6 touchdowns and 398 yards. Vanderbilt scored first with a 5-yard touchdown run by senior RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn, and that was the last time Vandy would see the lead. LSU answered with 4 touchdowns in the first quarter, including a 64-yard touchdown pass caught by sophomore WR Ja’Marr Chase. Chase would finish with 3 touchdowns on the day as LSU dominated yet again. LSU is ranked 2nd in the SEC in defending the run, allowing just over 80 rushing yards a game. The Commodores had 145 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns but it wasn’t enough to keep up with LSU who moves to 4-0.
(2) Alabama 49, Southern Miss 7
Tua Tagovailoa continues to lead the Tide to victory after another dominating performance. Tagovailoa went 17 for 21 with 293 yards and 5 touchdowns, and he has yet to throw an interception this season. Alabama flexed their muscles early with junior WR Henry Ruggs III who hauled in a 45-yard touchdown and a 74-yard touchdown. USM was able to score before the end of the half after a 4-yard touchdown pass from junior QB Jack Abraham, but the damage was already done with Alabama up 28-7. The second half was pretty quiet for Alabama’s standards, with a 20-yard touchdown pass caught by junior WR Jerry Jeudy, a 6-yard rushing touchdown by junior RB Brian Robinson Jr, and a 5-yard touchdown run by freshman RB Jerome Ford. The Tide finished with 514 yards of total offense, and the defense picked up 2 sacks, 1 interception, and 1 fumble recovery. The 2nd ranked tide cruised to another victory as they stay undefeated at 4-0.
The newly ranked TCU fell short on Saturday against SMU. The Mustangs proved to be competitors early on after putting up 18 points in the first quarter. SMU Coach Sonny Dykes took a gamble early to keep his team on top by going for two (and succeeding) on a 1-yard touchdown run by senior RB Xavier Jones. TCU played catch-up all day, starting with a 14-yard touchdown run by senior RB Darius Anderson, cutting SMU’s lead to 15-7. The Horned Frogs inched closer to the lead after a 3-yard touchdown run by Anderson to put TCU within 4. But SMU would keep pushing the momentum in their direction, having an answer for anything TCU threw at them. SMU had a 31-17 lead at halftime, and the only scoring play in the third quarter would be from a 13-yard touchdown pass by freshman QB Max Duggan, cutting their deficit to 31-24. But SMU would answer with a 3 yard touchdown pass from junior QB Shane Buechele to pad their lead to 38-24. TCU’s late comeback including a 13 yard touchdown brought in by sophomore TE Pro Wells wasn’t enough as the Mustangs were able to sneak away with another win at 4-0.
After a strong performance against Hawai’i last week the Huskies were hungry for more against BYU. And they did just that but securing a strong lead early. After two 17 yard touchdown passes from junior QB Jacob Eason, Washington quickly had a 14-3 lead in the first quarter. To pad that lead even more, senior LB Brandon Wellington had a 69-yard fumble return touchdown to push Washington to a 21-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. BYU tried to cut that lead down in the second quarter after a 1-yard touchdown run by senior RB Emmanuel Esukpa and a 54-yard field goal by freshman kicker Jake Oldroyd. The Cougars were hopeful for a comeback, being down by only 12 at the start of the second half but Washington kept their foot on the gas. Senior WR Andre Baccellia secured a 35-yard touchdown reception and senior WR Aaron Fuller had an 88-yard punt return which added to the Huskies lead to help them seal the win and improve to 3-1.
After coming up short against Penn State last week, Pitt was looking for redemption against the undefeated UCF Knights. Pitt came out of the gate with fury, securing a 21-0 lead towards the end of the first half. The Panthers spread the ball around for their first-half scoring, including a 2-yard touchdown run by junior RB A.J. Davis, a 2-yard touchdown pass reception by senior WR Maurice Ffrench, and an 18 yard blocked punt return by freshman LB Wendell Davis. UCF took the lead after 31 straight points expanding from the end of the second quarter into the middle of the third quarter, including an 87-yard punt return by junior RB Otis Anderson. Pitt finally broke the scoreless streak after a 6-yard touchdown pass from backup freshman QB Nick Patti, cutting their deficit to 31-28. UCF cushioned their lead with a 28-yard field goal by senior kicker Dylan Barnas, making their lead 34-28. But Pitt pulled out the trickery with a minute to go in the fourth. Pitt ran The Philly Special (it’s not the “Pitt Special”, sorry Pitt fans) and secured the upset with a 35-34 victory, handing UCF their first regular-season loss since 2016.
(8) Auburn 28, (17) Texas A&M 20
Auburn built a steady lead early, going up 14-0 in the first after an explosive 57-yard touchdown run by sophomore WR Anthony Schwartz and a 6-yard touchdown pass (his only pass on the day) from freshman QB Joey Gatewood. The Aggies only scoring play in the first half would come from a 33-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Seth Small. The only scoring play in the third quarter came from a 9-yard touchdown pass from freshman QB Bo Nix, caught by sophomore WR Seth Williams. The Aggies tried to come back in the fourth quarter with two passing touchdowns from junior QB Kellen Mond and another field goal by Small, and despite 335 yards of offense in the air (compared to Auburn’s 106), they would come up just a score short as they move to 2-2 and Auburn stays undefeated at 4-0.
(6) Ohio State 76, Miami (OH) 5
The Redhawks took the first lead of the day after a team safety and a 21-yard field goal by senior kicker Sam Sloman in the first quarter, but that was the end of their scoring for the day. Ohio State took the lead they’d never relinquished for their first score of the day off of junior RB J.K. Dobbins’ 26-yard touchdown run. The Buckeyes proved their dominance in the second quarter with 6 touchdowns, including four passing touchdowns from sophomore QB Justin Fields, including a 53-yard touchdown reception hauled in by senior WR K.J. Hill. Ohio State rested Fields for the rest of the day, spreading the scoring in the third and fourth quarter with senior QB Chris Chugunov and senior QB Gunnar Hoak. The Buckeyes defense held the Redhawks to 130 total yard of offense and an impressive 5 sacks, including 2 by junior DE Chase Young. Ohio State is averaging 53.5 PPG as they have yet to add to the loss column this season, sitting at 4-0.
(7) Notre Dame 17, (3) Georgia 23
Arguably one of the best games this weekend did not disappoint as the Bulldogs and the Irish battled it out in Georgia on Saturday night. After a scoreless first quarter, senior QB Ian Book got Notre Dame on the board first after a 1-yard touchdown to junior TE Cole Kmet. The Bulldogs leading rusher on the day was junior RB D’Andre Swift, who had 98 yards and Georgia’s first touchdown after a 3 yard run on 2nd and goal in the 2nd quarter. Notre Dame went into halftime with a 10-7 lead after a 27-yard field goal as time expired by junior kicker Jonathan Doerer. Georgia took their first lead of the game after two field goals by senior kicker Rodrigo Blankenship, giving the Bulldogs a 13-10 advantage going into the fourth quarter. Junior QB Jake Fromm helped Georgia cushion their lead after a 15-yard touchdown pass to senior WR Lawrence Cager, and after a 43-yard field goal by Blankenship, Georgia had a 23-10 lead after a slow start. Notre Dame almost pulled off the comeback after a late fourth-quarter 4-yard touchdown pass to senior WR Chase Claypool, but the Irish would come up short as Georgia walks away victorious at 4-0 and the Irish get their first loss of the season at 2-1.
(24) Arizona State 31, Colorado 34
The newly ranked Sun Devils were handed their first loss of the season against Colorado. Buffaloes senior QB Steven Montez put on a strong showing going 23 for 30 with 337 yards and 3 touchdowns, including a 29-yard pass to senior WR Tony Brown which gave Colorado a 14-0 at the end of the first. Arizona State finally found the endzone after a 53-yard touchdown pass from freshman QB Jayden Daniels and after a 1-yard touchdown run from junior RB Eno Benjamin, ASU was able to tie the game. But the Buffaloes had an answer with a 31-yard touchdown reception for Brown’s 2nd touchdown of the day. The Sun Devils tied it again with another rushing touchdown by Benjamin, but it would be Colorado would the lead at the end of the 1st half after a 25-yard field goal by junior kicker James Stefanou. This game would continue to be a battle in the second half after another field goal by ASU and Brown’s 3rd touchdown in the third quarter to give the Buffaloes a 31-24 lead going into the 4th. Junior WR Frank Darby hauled in a 39-yard touchdown pass to help ASU tie in the fourth, but a 44-yard field goal from Stefanou would win the game for Colorado as each team leaves with a 3-1 record.
(19) Washington State 63, UCLA 67
A late-night historic comeback ended in UCLA getting its first win of the season. The Bruins had the early lead after a 14-yard touchdown pass from sophomore QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a 31-yard field goal from senior kicker JJ Molson, giving them a 10-7 advantage. Washington State then took the lead in the second after 4 passing touchdowns by senior QB Anthony Gordon. In the midst of all that, UCLA had a 100-yard kickoff return by junior WR Demetric Felton. It looked like WSU had the victory secured after leading 49-17 in the third quarter, but an unprecedented scoring series by UCLA. The Bruins scored 4 straight touchdowns, including a 94-yard touchdown reception by Felton for his 2nd of 3 touchdowns of the day. UCLA cut their deficit to 49-46, but Washington State tried to get some insurance after a 33-yard touchdown reception by senior WR Easop Winston Jr, who had 4 touchdown receptions in the loss. UCLA took the lead back at 60-56 late in the fourth quarter after a 3-yard touchdown run by Thompson-Robinson and a 69-yard punt return by freshman WR Kyle Philips. The Cougars took the lead back after a 65-yard touchdown reception by sophomore RB Max Borghi. But a last-minute touchdown reception for Felton secured the record-breaking comeback for UCLA. In the most points ever scored in a Pac-12 game, Gordon went 41 for 61 with an insane 9 touchdown passes and 570 yards, but WSU defense couldn’t keep up as they fall to 3-1.
(12) Texas 36, Oklahoma State 30
Junior QB Sam Ehlinger put together another impressive performance for Texas to give his team a narrow victory over Oklahoma State. Oklahoma State struck first with a 20-yard field goal by senior kicker Matt Ammendola. Ehlinger gave the Longhorns two quick touchdowns in the 2nd quarter with a 6-yard pass to senior WR Devin Duvernay and a 17-yard pass to freshman WR Jake Smith. The Cowboys would get their first touchdown of the day from a 7-yard run by freshman QB Spencer Sanders. Ehlinger connected again in the 2nd quarter for a 73-yard bomb to sophomore WR Brennan Eagles, but a 1-yard touchdown run with 11 seconds left in the first half by OKST’s sophomore RB Chuba Hubbard would cut Texas’ lead to 1 point at halftime. OKST would take the lead back with a 27-yard field goal in the 3rd, but Ehlinger would take it back with a 25-yard touchdown reception by junior TE Cade Brewer, give the Longhorns a 28-23 lead heading into the 4th quarter. A 2-yard rushing touchdown by freshman QB Roschon Johnson would add to Texas’ lead that would help them secure the win as they add to the win column at 3-1.
(21) Virginia 28, Old Dominion 17
Old Dominion tried to build an early lead after a 21-yard field goal by junior kicker Nick Rice and a 10-yard rushing touchdown by junior QB Stone Smartt in the first quarter and a 47-yard touchdown reception by sophomore RB Matt Geiger. Virginia would begin their comeback efforts with an 8-yard touchdown run by senior QB Bryce Perkins. A 22-yard interception return by junior LB Zane Zandier, a 7-yard rushing touchdown by sophomore RB Wayne Taulapapa and a 25-yard touchdown reception by senior WR Joe Reed combined with 6 sacks from the Virginia defense would help push the Cavaliers past the Monarchs as they impressively stay undefeated at 4-0.
Senior QB Justin Herbert’s 3 touchdowns, 259 yards with 19 completions on 24 attempts helped Oregon cruise past Stanford. A 36-yard touchdown reception by junior WR Jaylon Redd gave the Ducks a 7-3 at the end of the first quarter. A 16-yard touchdown reception by senior TE Jacob Breeland helped Oregon build a 14-3 cushion at the end of the first half. Stanford would try to minimize the damage in the fourth quarter with a 38-yard field goal by senior kicker Jet Toner, but the Ducks 320 combined offensive yards and 5 sacks by the defense would be too much for the Cardinals to overcome as Oregon earns another win to improve to 3-1.
The National Champion Tigers used 3 different quarterbacks in their blowout victory against Charlotte. Trevor Lawerence got the scoring campaign started for Clemson with a 58-yard touchdown pass to junior WR Tee Higgins. After a 66-yard interception return by senior safety K’Von Wallace, a 22-yard field goal by sophomore kicker B.T. Potter, a 2-yard touchdown reception junior WR Cornell Powell, and a 2-yard rushing touchdown by junior RB Travis Etienne, the Tigers would have a 31-0 lead to work with. Sophomore kicker Jonathan Cruz got the 49ers on the board with a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter. Sophomore QB Chris Reynolds would have an 8-yard touchdown run in the third quarter but that would be nowhere near enough to take down dominant Clemson who had 466 yards of total offense as they extend their win streak to 19, now sitting at 4-0.
Fan Review
This weekend was full of ups and downs, with comebacks and upsets galore. The College Football world was surely entertained on Saturday, and the only downside from an objective fan prospective is the continued blowouts from the top 6 teams, and we won’t get more competitive matchups across those 6 teams until at least week 7.
Game Of The Week: UCLA vs WSU. Even though most East-Coast fans were asleep and missed this historic comeback, this is a game that surely will be talked about for quite a while. It looked like the Bruins were about to become 0-4 until they pulled off the impossible and you can’t help but feel for and be impressed by Washington State QB Anthony Gordon who did anything and everything to help carry his team who came up just short.
Player Of The Week: Washington State QB Anthony Gordon. No surprise here. Even with the heartbreaking loss, it’s awfully hard to overlook 9 touchdown passes with almost 600 passing yards. Gordon now sits on 21 touchdowns with 4 interceptions and 1,894 yards and an 80.0 QBR after Saturday night’s loss. The senior QB will surely be looking for redemption next weekend as the Cougars head to Utah for what should be an exciting game.
Next Week’s Best Matchup: (21) Virginia vs (7) Notre Dame: After a heartbreaking loss to Georgia, it’s safe to say the Irish will be looking for redemption in front of their home crowd next Saturday. Meanwhile, the Virginia Cavaliers are determined to continue to prove the doubters wrong as they hope to stay undefeated as they head into Indiana to battle with the Irish.
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