Week 4 - Sunday Storylines
Texas Tech trounces Utah, Clemson is cooked and Indiana is a blunt object.
Instant Replay
What did we just watch?
Money talks - After an offseason of big spending, Texas Tech made it rain on Utah, knocking off the 16th-ranked Utes 34-10.
The Texas Tech defense squeezed the life out of the Utes’ offense, holding them to a little over 260 yards, while forcing four turnovers. Utah QB Devon Dampier had a tough outing. He struggled pushing the ball down the field, and it really limited what Utah wanted to do on that side of the ball.
Special shoutout to Texas Tech backup Will Hammond, who won Tech the ballgame after Behren Morton exited the game injured. Hammond finished 13-of-16 for 169 yards and two touchdowns, looking every bit the part of a frisky, gamer quarterback.
Indiana is a blunt object - Curt Cignetti’s boys blew the absolute doors off of Illinois 63-10 in a game that wasn’t even that close.
The Hoosiers’ defense sacked Illinois QB Luke Altmyer seven times and held the Fighting Illini to just two rushing yards. Talk about an ass-kicking.
Fernando Mendoza was excellent, looking every bit the part of an NFL quarterback.
This year’s Indiana? It’s Indiana.
Nebraska comes up short - Nebraska got dominated at the lines of scrimmage, allowed way too many big runs and did a poor job of finishing in its 30-27 loss to 21st-ranked Michigan. The Wolverines made life hell for Nebraska QB Dylan Railoa, sacking him seven times on the afternoon.
Year 3 Matt Rhule teams notoriously turn the corner, but this team just was not ready for the moment on Saturday.
Entering the season, I thought Nebraska would need a lights-out offense to compensate for a defense that had taken a step back. Right now, neither side of the ball is good enough to beat good teams.
If it weren’t for a flukey Hail Mary before halftime, this is a two-score game. Nebraska has a lot of work to do moving forward if it wants to truly take a step beyond just being a bowl team.
Clemson is cooked - Dabo Swinney, this ain’t it.
Entering the season, Clemson looked like a shoo-in for a College Football Playoff appearance. At the time of writing, the Tigers might be lucky to get an invite to the Raising Cane’s Bowl.
The offense is sluggish, the defense can’t get stopped and Dabo can’t stop looking like a disappointed father on the sidelines.
Say it with me now: 7-5 Clemson.
TCU wins the Skillet - In the 104th and final rendition of the Battle for the Iron Skillet, TCU gets forever bragging rights after notching a crucial 35-24 win.
This game was awesome and featured a good back-and-forth shootout between Kevin Jennings and Josh Hoover, with the pair combining for almost 700 yards and eight touchdowns.
Josh Hoover is a dawg, and I don’t care who knows it. I’d ride into war for that guy any day.
SEC darkhorse Missouri - Don’t look now, but Mizzou just might be an SEC title contender.
The Tigers manhandled South Carolina at the LOS and peeled off 285 rushing yards in their 29-20 win over the Gamecocks Saturday night. South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers made some dazzling throws, but he just never seems to get enough help from his teammates.
I called this in the preseason, but man, oh man, does Ahmad Hardy look fantastic for Mizzou. He is HIM and might be one of the top running backs in all of college football.
Trinidad Chambliss is QB1 - Ole Miss has a QB controversy on its hands.
Trinidad Chambliss was incredible for the second week in a row, rattling off 307 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and two rushing scores in the Rebels’ dismantling of Tulane.
Move over, Austin Simmons. Oxford is officially on Island Time now.
Quick Hits
Luke Fickell, Mike Gundy, Sam Pittman and Billy Napier all appear to be heading towards a mid-season firing. This coaching cycle is gonna be BANANAS.
I’m ready to hit the Panic Button on Notre Dame DC Chris Ash. If Notre Dame wants to be serious for the rest of the season, the Irish need to rehome Ash.
Bill Belichick got outcoached by Scott Frost…and that is not a sentence I was prepared to type in the Year of Our Lord 2025. The Chapel Bill Era is a disaster thus far.
Memphis is the real deal, y’all. The Tigers are 26-5 over their last 31 games and have won their last four games against P4 opponents. Ryan Silverfield is doing a damn good job after a shaky start.