We are just four weeks into the 2024 College Football season and its been a roller coaster already. I expect it will continue to be a crazy season all the way to the end. So lets get to the interesting stories from this past weekend.
There Were Some Close Wins This Week In College Football
Rutgers won a close game over Virginia Tech, 26-23. They surprisingly won with the passing game with Monangai having just 84 yards rushing. Virginia Tech is a disappointing 2-2. Michigan also won a close one over USC. They had 290 yards rushing as a team and threw for just 32 yards. Woody Marks went over 100 rushing yards for the first time this season. Miller Moss played well overall, but also threw a pick-6.
FSU finally won a game….barely over Cal. 14-9. They won mostly with defense and a little bit of the running game. Also Texas A&M barely beat Bowling Green 26-20. Connor Weigman didn’t play Marcel Reed got the start and got it done in the air and the ground.
There Were Also Some Big Wins This Weekend…
There was a big overtime win for Colorado over Baylor to go 3-1. Shedeur Sanders was his usual self. He threw for a lot of yards, but also got sacked 8 times. It seems to be a weekly happing, but Travis Hunter had another big game. He had 7 catches for 130 yards and also had the game ending forced fumble in overtime to win the game. FCS Monmouth beat Florida International 45-42. FIU is just a middle of the road Conference USA school, but they should still have beaten a middle of the road FCS school. Iowa is 3-1 after beating Minnesota 31-14 and passed for just 62 yards as a team. Which is something that is not likely sustainable.
Football Can Come Down To The Offense Or The Defense Sometimes
SMU blew out TCU 66-42. Both teams relied on different strengths on their offenses. SMU relied on their rushing game versus TCU and their passing game. Josh Hoover threw for almost 400 and three TDs, but also threw two picks. SMU rushed for 238 yards on the ground as a team, with Brashard Smith collecting most of it with 127 yards. James Madison blows out North Carolina. Mack Brown the head coach for UNC threatens to quit after the game, but quickly backpedaled and said he would be in the office on Sunday. Jacolby Criswell threw for 475 yards with Alonza Barnett putting up 388 yards with 5 TDs and 13 carries for 99 yards.
On the defensive side Arkansas is 3-1, and won a defensive battle against Auburn. Virginia is a surprising 3-1. They won 43-24 over Coastal Carolina. They rushed for 384 yards as a team with Xavier Brown being responsible for 171 yards on just nine carries. Clemson also hammered NC State 59-35. There was almost 270 yards rushing as a team by Clemson. NC State and Clemson so far this season have both played like mid-tier programs, but Clemson showed why they should still be taken seriously.
The Biggest Story Is How Many Teams Are Still Undefeated.
For starters Indiana is 4-0 first time since 2020. Kurtis Rourke and their running committee are getting it done, Four backs had at least 30 yards rushing. BYU beat previously undefeated Kansas State. BYU’s red zone defense didn’t allow a TD and that seems to be what did it. Utah has done it even without Cam Rising. They rushed for almost 250 yards against Oklahoma State. Dorian Singer also had his first big game in awhile, seven catches for 95 yards. Both Alan Bowman and Ollie Gordon did not play well.
Penn State and Miami are undefeated. Cam Ward had 404 yards passing. They beat USC and it seemed to be a battle of slot receivers with Sean Atkins catching 11 for 125 and Xavier Restrepo going six for 99. Missouri is 4-0. Brady Cook played ok, but Nate Noel went off for 24 carries 199 yards. Tennessee is a surprising 4-0, beating Oklahoma. Nico Iamaleava playing solid and has been solid most of the season so far. Jackson Arnold got benched after having three turnovers, but that didn’t help as his replacement didn’t play that well either. Texas is 4-0 after Arch Manning got his first start. He had some nice throws, but also looked like a redshirt freshman with two INTs against Louisiana Monroe and Ewers is better right now.
Liberty surprisingly is still undefeated. They have done it on the backs of Kaidon Salter and Quinton Cooley and should be ranked. Washington State is 4-0…but who have they played? other than a decent, Washington team. Illinois beats Nebraska in overtime to remain undefeated. True freshman Dylan Raiola is still playing well for Nebraska, and it seems to have entered a new era. Jahmal Banks and Isaiah Neyor combine for almost 200 yards 2 TDs. Navy and Army still undefeated and still winning their way. Iowa State beat up Arkansas State 52-7 to go 3-0. Tight end Benjamin Brahmer had three catches for 73 and they had 237 yards rushing as a team. Louisville beats Georgia Tech 31-19 to move to 3-0. Their passing game with two touchdown passes from Tyler Shough and a solid defense
Random Interesting Stories From This Week Of College Football
Notre Dame is 3-1 with win over Miami (OH) this past Saturday. Riley Leonard who has had his share of struggles this season rushed for 143 yards in the win. ASU lost their first game to Texas Tech. Tulane won on the ground, 41-33 over Louisiana. They had 276 yards as a team with 166 of those coming from Makhi Hughes, Darian Mensah has plateaued the last two weeks. Kansas is 1-3, with a loss to West Virginia this past Saturday. Jalon Daniels has really been struggling this season and it shows in their record. South Alabama is racking up the points this season. They have scored 193 points so far this season.
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