Beat Downs And Blow Ups – Week Four CFB Review

Once again, we’ve reached that point in the week where I highlight some of the best things I saw in my weekly college football review. Ironic that in week four, we could yell FORE! as if we were at the President’s Cup watching the United States beating down the International squad. We won’t do that though, but instead will just add another finger to the three already raised from last week. We’re not trying to symbol the fourth quarter, but instead start our journey in the review of week four.

ACCountability Issues

Like week three, this week four Friday night was another ACC matchup. This was the first time that the Virginia Cavaliers have made the journey to Syracuse to play in the Carrier Dome, and a forgettable first at that. If it wasn’t for some underwhelming kicking from Brendan Farrell, then the Cavaliers would be back in Charlottesville with a 3-1, not 2-2 record.

Head coach Tony Elliot may have gone a little too far in yelling at his kicker, but he should know the temperament of his players. A chewing out on national television doesn’t always work as intended for some players, and I didn’t really care for it. I felt the same way the week prior when watching Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and his explicit freak out over the phone to quarterback Drew Pyne. There’s a fine line between coaching and berating, and crossing it is never fun to watch.

A Tropical Depression

As a 25.5 point favorite, nobody even bat an eye at the Miami Hurricanes and Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders game. Especially after dropping a close one to Texas A&M last week, many thought the Canes would come out angry and bury the Blue Raiders. Turns out, that was definitely not the case.

I had mentioned on the radio show last week that Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was overhyped and inaccurate. His pick six early in the first that put them down 10-0, and seemed to completely derail the whole team. That, along with Blue Raider wideout, DJ England-Chisolm’s TD receptions of 71 and 98 yards, helped pull off this upset. The Hurricanes getting out-gained 507-367 is a disgrace to this program.

Not So Feisty Tigers

If you fell asleep watching the Auburn Tigers against the Missouri Tigers, then nobody would blame you. Much like the week one circus we watched in New Orleans, with LSU and Florida State trying to give each other the game, Missouri tried to do the same thing…and succeeded.

Kicker Harrison Mevis missed a 26 yard field goal at the end of regulation to put it away. Then, Mizzou was offsides as Auburn kicker Anders Carlson missed his overtime kick. That granted him a second shot which was successful. The icing on the cake was Nathaniel Peat fumbling the winning score through the back of the end zone as he reached the ball out. You just can’t make up that bad of luck, and it really makes you feel for the Missouri fan base.

Anyone Have A White Flag?

Regardless of it being a FCS game, the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks chopped up their opponents to tiny pieces. The Warner Royals, a NAIA affiliate, were absolutely steamrolled, 98-0. They should have shut the game down when it was 59-0 at half, but that’s not how it works as the Lumberjacks came out swinging again in the second half to drop 39 more points. Savages.

Kansas, The Football Program?

After a hot 4-0 start to the season, the Jayhawks are getting a ton of national attention. Fresh off their National Championship in basketball in April, the football program seems to be feeding off the momentum. Head coach Lance Leipold is earning tons of praise, and has been the name mentioned for the newest vacancies at Nebraska and Georgia Tech. Why leave, though?

So far this season, he’s beat West Virginia, avenged the Duke loss from last year and even took down Houston, who is coming to the Big 12 next season. Quarterback Jalon Daniels is in the running for conference player of the year, as he’s on pace for roughly 3,500 pass yards and 1,300 rush yards. I don’t see them bringing home a conference title this season but the improvement is astonishing.

Beaver Ball

The Oregon State Beavers were only a few plays away from taking down the top 10 USC Trojans at home. Even though they didn’t come away with a win, it was awesome to watch Corvallis rocking, making life hard for Trojan quarterback Caleb Williams. Constricting the Trojan gunslinger to a 16-36 effort should keep this team building momentum, while also knowing that a PAC-12 North crown is still possible.

Gettin’ Badgered

In the prime time matchup between the #3 Ohio State Buckeyes and the Wisconsin Badgers, we were supposed to see the Buckeyes offense get tested by a solid defense. Well, in just under 17 minutes of game time, the Bucks opened up a 28-0 lead and scored all the points they would need to get the win. A 539 yard effort with ease put the rest of the conference, and even the nation, on notice that maybe this Buckeye team is indeed different from last year.

Blue Turf Blunders

Is it fair to say that the Boise State Broncos are now an afterthought? I believe so, as now they are 2-2 to start the season, and are fresh off one of their worst seasons since the turn of the century. Since 2001, the Broncos have never finished worse than second place in their conference, and just last year they broke the streak finishing third with a 7-5 overall record.

The program seems so far away from when Chris Petersen was head coach, capturing multiple BCS bowl game wins. Also, the blue turf in Boise doesn’t seem to be as cool as it once was back in the early 2000s. Without making a bid to join the Big 12 with its reshuffle, the only hope they have to return to prominence is joining in on a PAC-12 expansion, after USC and UCLA leave.