Published Sep 28, 2020
Around the NCAA: Week 4
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Marcus Horton  •  DottingTheEyes
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College football has officially arrived.

The first few weeks of play certainly felt like a warm-up period compared to what we saw on Saturday. The SEC began play, the Big 12 continued its streak of absolute chaos, and ranked teams lost. Quite a few ranked teams, actually.

It’s time for our weekly recap of the most important action around the NCAA this weekend- the most exciting weekend to date. Less than a month until Big Ten football.

Here we go.

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OU, Oh No

Kansas State lost to Sun Belt Arkansas State two weeks ago. AP No. 3 Oklahoma loomed in Week 4. Not an ideal beginning to 2020 for the Wildcats.

Or maybe it was?

It entered this weekend as four-touchdown underdogs to the Sooners, and that line looked accurate when Oklahoma extended its lead to 21 with time ticking away in the third quarter.

The rest of the game, Kansas State embarked on six drives. It scored 24 points on the first four of those trips downfield. Oklahoma had five drives for three punts, a fumble, and an interception.

Kansas State kicker Blake Lynch hit a 50-yarder with four minutes to play, giving his team a 38-35 lead that it would not relinquish.

Wildcats quarterback Skylar Thompson was outstanding in the comeback win, passing for 334 yards and a touchdown and running for three more scores of his own.

Oklahoma significantly out-gained Kansas State and recorded 18 more first downs than its opponent, but late-game turnovers were the reason for the upset Sooner demise. New Oklahoma man under center Spencer Rattler threw for just under 400 yards and four touchdowns, but his three interceptions proved costly.

"We're very disappointed, but the resolve is very strong," Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley said. "We know how to respond to a loss around here, and we'll do it, and it's going to take every single one of us."

Saturday marked the second-straight season in which Oklahoma has been upset by Kansas State. Last year, the Wildcats took down No. 7 Oklahoma at home, 48-41.

The loss by Oklahoma was the first by a top-10 team this season, but wouldn’t be the last of the day.

The (Championship) Hangover

It’s no secret what new Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach does best. He puts up points en masse and attacks defenses through the air.

In game No. 1 with the Bulldogs, taking on a No. 6 LSU team fresh off its undefeated championship season, Leach and his Stanford transfer quarterback K.J. Costello did not appear intimidated.

Costello threw for an SEC record 623 yards and five touchdowns on 60 attempts, and the Bulldogs blew past the defending champs, 44-34.

The conference passing record had been in place since 1993. Costello eclipsed it by 79 yards. His 623 yards are the most in a team’s first game this millennium.

"With this group, I don't feel like we ever lose momentum," Costello said. "I feel like we're always in the attack mode. That's just Leach's philosophy."

Even four turnovers and just nine total rushing yards weren’t enough to cost Mississippi State the win. It scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and sacked new LSU quarterback Myles Brennan seven times.

LSU had just three starters on the field from its record-setting 2019 season, and the lack of cohesion combined with a new starting quarterback led to the opening loss.

"I told the team to put this on me,” LSU head coach Ed Orgeron said. “I've got to coach better."

Mississippi State wide receivers Osirus Mitchell, Kylin Hill, and JaVonta Payton combined for 463 yards receiving and three touchdowns on 21 receptions in the victory.

LSU’s season-opening loss was the first by a defending National Champion since Michigan was downed by Notre Dame in its 1998 opener.

Ehlinger's Adventure

In one of the crazier contests of the season so far, No. 8 Texas shocked Texas Tech with a 63-56 overtime victory.

It didn’t look good for Texas late. After being up 10 at halftime, it was outscored 21-7 in the third quarter and trailed for almost the entire fourth quarter.

With barely three minutes to go in the game, the Texas Tech lead was extended to 15 when running back SaRodorick Thompson went 75 yards to the end zone. Texas Tech had appeared to pull away.

Then Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger led a 34-second touchdown drive and the Longhorns recovered an onside kick with plenty of time to attack. There was suddenly life.

Two minutes and a perfectly-timed drive later, Texas was back after an 18-yard touchdown toss and a two-point conversion, both thrown by Ehlinger. Tie game. Overtime.

In extra time, the senior Texas quarterback added another score through the air. Texas Tech was intercepted on its ensuing possession, and UT had completed the improbable comeback behind a heroic late-game effort from Ehlinger.

“You look around college football in 2020, there's some weird things going on," Ehlinger said. "All I can say is wow."

The quarterback finished with five touchdowns to just one interception. He added 69 yards on the ground and threw his team's final three touchdowns in the comeback effort.

"That's the Tom Brady of college football," Texas defensive tackle Keondre Coburn said of Ehlinger’s late-game performance. "That's the leader we have."

It was one of the wildest games of 2020. Beyond the 119 combined points and comeback effort, both teams recovered an onside kick and scored on a special teams play.

The Big 12 never fails to amaze.

Next week will be no less chaotic for these teams- Texas stays in-state to take on TCU, and Texas Tech travels to Manhattan to take on ever-unpredictable Kansas State.

Weekly Miami Update

A week ago, UCF declared itself the “best team in Florida” after mauling a Georgia Tech team that had already beaten Florida State.

That title may no longer belong to the Knights.

No. 12 Miami improved to 3-0 this season with a 52-10 annihilation of the Seminoles, giving The U one of its best starts in recent memory.

We won’t waste much time on this game, since Florida State has proven itself to be terrible already this season.

Miami quarterback D’Eriq King was stellar again, throwing for 267 yards and running for 65 more in the Hurricanes’ fourth-straight win over Florida State. It was the biggest margin of victory in the all-Florida battle since 1976.

Two weeks from now, Miami will truly have a chance to prove its resurgence when it travels to No. 1 Clemson.

Until then, that concludes the third-straight week with a Miami appearance in the national roundup.

This year sure is strange.

Ranked teams in Week 4
RankTeamResult

2

Alabama

W, 38-19 @ Missouri

3

Oklahoma

L, 38-35 vs. Kansas State

4

Georgia

W, 37-10 @ Arkansas

5

Florida

W, 51-35 @ Ole Miss

6

LSU

L, 44-34 vs. Mississippi State

7

Notre Dame

Game @ Wake Forest postponed

T8

Auburn

W, 29-13 vs. No. 23 Kentucky

T8

Texas

W, 63-56 @ Texas Tech (OT)

10

Texas A&M

W, 17-12 vs. Vanderbilt

12

Miami

W, 52-10 vs. Florida State

13

UCF

W, 51-28 @ East Carolina

14

Cincinnati

W, 24-10 vs. No. 22 Army

15

Oklahoma State

W, 27-13 vs. West Virginia

16

Tennessee

W, 31-27 @ South Carolina

18

BYU

W, 48-7 vs. Troy

19

Louisiana

W, 20-18 vs. Georgia Southern

20

Virginia Tech

W, 45-24 vs. North Carolina State

21

Pittsburgh

W, 23-20 vs. No. 24 Louisville

22

Army

L, 24-10 @ No. 14 Cincinnati

23

Kentucky

L, 29-13 @ No. 8 Auburn

24

Louisville

L, 23-20 @ No. 21 Pittsburgh