top 5 to watch this weekend & more
The CFB season is quickly heading into week five and we’ve got plenty to preview. However, let’s look back at a wild week four.
Week 4 Look Back
Team that made the biggest statement - Florida - The fightin’ Gators, led by first year head coach Jon Sumrall, put a hurting on Ole Miss in The Swamp. OC Buster Faulkner threw everything he had in the playbook at a bewildered Ole Miss defense and put up 52 points in the process. RB Jadan Baugh had 142 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, while his partner in the backfield RB Duke Clark had 126 yards and a touchdown in the 52-28 win over the Rebels.
Players that showed out
Texas edge Colin Simmons - five, FIVE sacks vs. Tennessee in Knoxville
Missouri edge Daeden Hopkins - 3.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks in losing effort at Mississippi State
Wake Forest WR Carlos Hernandez - nine receptions for 194 and a touchdown
Wisconsin TE Jacob Harris - five receptions for 105 yards, one 75-yard GW TD
Alabama QB Keelon Russell - 21 of 27 for 365 yards, four TD in win over South Carolina
Texas Tech LB Austin Romaine - two pick sixes on consecutive plays in win v. Sam Houston
Best Game of the Weekend - #24 Mississippi State - 31 vs. #19 Missouri - 24
Mississippi State QB Kamario Taylor led his Bulldogs back from behind with 14 unanswered in the fourth quarter. MSU RB Fluff Bothwell had 122 rushing yards, one rushing TD and one receiving TD. Missouri took a 24-17 lead in the fourth quarter, but Taylor led the undefeated Bulldogs back to a huge win in StarkVegas.
Like the Draft? Here’s your guy that showed out - Tennessee LB Arion Carter - Finished the Texas game with 11 tackles, five solos and 0.5 TFL. He can be a three down player tomorrow at the next level.
“John’s Crush Roster” Member i.e Player I’m still crushing on - Georgia LB Raylen Wilson Jr - plenty of social media were talking about speedy ILB Chris Cole this weekend, but I’ve had my eyes on Wilson for a long time. He’s not as physically gifted as Cole, but he’s ferocious, hunts the ball and can be a factor in the pass rush in the blitz game.
Week 5 Look Ahead
Team that can make the biggest statement - #16 Mississippi State - Jeff Lebby’s Bulldogs get a visit from #7 Alabama and Starkville will be rocking…with more cowbell.
Player(s) to Watch - Indiana WR Charlie Becker and Rutgers WR KJ Duff - Indiana should go to Piscataway, NJ and get a win, but this might be the best WR matchup all weekend long. This one is straight fire.
Best Game of the Weekend - #5 Ohio State at #14 Iowa - ESPN GameDay will be in Iowa City for the first time in 20 years and after last week’s Miracle in Michigan, the Hawkeyes are flying high. Will Ohio State bring them down to earth?
Like the Draft? Here’s your guy to watch - Georgia S KJ Bolden - Oh my goodness, Bolden is a heat seeking missile with range to play in the middle of the field too. He gets to face a true freshman QB this week (Vandy’s Jared Curtis) as well, so he should get eyeballs…and numbers.
John’s Top 3 - Best defensive players in college football - Each week I’ll give a quick top 3 on any topic, and this week, it’s the best defensive players in America.
3. UCLA LB Sammy Omosigho - He’s a tackling machine right now, totaling 40 on the season - averaging ten a game. He also leads the Bruins in sacks (3.0) and TFL (7.5). I racked my brain to find my third, but one and two were very easy.
2. Notre Dame CB Leonard Moore - There are great corners and there’s THE lockdown corner. Moore is the best complete cornerback in the country.
1. Texas edge Colin Simmons - my goodness, he’s getting BETTER every time that he’s on the field. I didn’t think that was possible. Celebration aside, he completely took over the
The Big 12 Pulse - Who’s rising, who’s slipping, who to watch
Oklahoma State QB Drew Mestemaker had a lousy opening game against Tulsa in an inexplicable 24-10 loss. Since then, the gunslinger has been on FIRE. He led the Cowboys to win over top five ranked Oregon. Last week, he lit up West Virginia in Morgantown - 20 of 27 for 389 yards and three TDs. I was skeptical watching him in the opener, but he’s moving me over to his side, that’s for sure.
The SEC Pulse - Who’s rising, who’s slipping, who to watch
Georgia is dismantling teams in the SEC, just taking them apart. Now, Arkansas and Vanderbilt are not Alabama and Florida, but they toyed with both of those programs. They are deep on both sides of the ball, fast and physical. They were doing DL drills during TV breaks in the win over Arkansas because they didn’t feel as though everyone was getting enough work. Vandy has the misfortune of being the next in line in Athens.
Top 5 to Watch - This will give you an idea of where my eyes will be this weekend
5. Sneaky hot in H-Town - A 11 am CST game doesn’t always get your attention, but a UCF-Houston matchup should most definitely do that.
4. Florida on Upset Watch? - Historically, Columbia, MO hasn’t been the kindest place in the world to ranked foes, so could Florida be next on the list?
3. Can Clemson save their season? - The #4 ranked Miami Hurricanes travel to Clemson for a matchup that could change the entire trajectory of the Clemson Tigers’ season, if they can pull the upset.
2. Coach Prime needs one - Since Colorado beat Georgia Tech on the road in the opener, the Buffaloes haven’t beaten an FBS opponent. Texas Tech is no normal FBS opponent, so Coach Prime and company have a tough one in Boulder to get back on track.
1. Kirk Ferentz for the win…again? - Can the venerable long-time leader of the Hawkeyes engineer another upset win this week, this time against Ohio State? Oh, I’m cheering for him to do it.