Week 4 college football winners and losers: Clemson, Tennessee celebrate; Miami, Oklahoma flop
Under heavy scrutiny since the start of last season, No. 5 Clemson’s offense drove a 51-45 win against No. 16 Wake Forest that may represent a major turning point as the Tigers attempt to return to the top of the ACC and the College Football Playoff.
The face of Clemson’s struggles on offense, junior quarterback DJ Uiagalelei threw for 371 yards and five touchdowns to keep pace with Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman, who finished with 337 yards and a school-record six scores.
Asked to lead the Tigers to a must-have win, this offense delivered a second 500-yard game in a row — doing so for the first time since 2020 — and a resounding response to the questions and doubts that had been gathering for more than a year.
Uiagalelei’s performance was his best since his freshman year, when he had two superb starts as the replacement for an injured Trevor Lawrence. Sophomore running back Will Shipley ran for 104 bruising yards and a touchdown, his seventh.
Talk about a shift in the conversation: Clemson now might face more issues on defense than on offense after failing to keep Hartman and the Demon Deacons under wraps.
SWEET WIN:Clemson earned its doughnuts with wild defeat of Wake Forest
TOP 25 RUNDOWN:Scores and results from the biggest games in Week 4
An inexperienced and thin secondary is the Tigers’ weakest link after giving up at least 250 passing yards for the third game in a row. Wake is the third team to throw for at least four touchdowns without an interception against Dabo Swinney-coached Clemson and the second with six scores, joining Ohio State in the 2021 Sugar Bowl.
reversed years of futility in the rivalry and beat No. 22 Florida 38-33, putting even more wind into the Volunteers’ sails in what is shaping up to be a breakout second season under coach Josh Heupel. His work with Hendon Hooker is what really stands out: After failing to get off the ground at Virginia Tech, he’s thrown 39 touchdowns and just three interceptions since arriving in Knoxville, including 349 yards and two scores against the Gators. Tennessee had topped Florida just once since 2005.
Ohio State
If not key an outright upset, Wisconsin’s defense was supposed to test the No. 3 Buckeyes and quarterback C.J. Stroud. There may be a team out there capable of doing just that — it just won’t be the Badgers, who didn’t even force a punt until midway through the third quarter. Stroud had 281 passing yards, TreVeyon Henderson ran for 121 yards, tight end Cade Stover had two touchdowns and the Buckeyes stormed out to a 28-0 lead and romped over Wisconsin 52-21. This offense is scary.
Southern California
Late heroics from quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Jordan Addison brought No. 7 USC past Oregon State 17-14 to remain unbeaten in Lincoln Riley’s first season. Down 14-10 with under five minutes left, the Trojans took the lead on Addison’s 21-yard touchdown grab to cap an 84-yard, 11-play drive. After three easy wins to get started, USC was forced into a dogfight with a legitimate Power Five opponent — that the offense sputtered is a concern, but that the Trojans won the battle with the very underrated Beavers is a good sign.
Kansas stayed unbeaten by beating Duke 35-27 behind another red-hot Saturday from quarterback Jalon Daniels, who has played his way into early Heisman Trophy contention. Daniels completed 19 of 23 throws for 324 yards, ran a team-leading 83 yards and had five touchdowns, giving him 15 scores and just one turnover on the year. Picked to improve in coach Lance Leipold’s second year but still top out around four wins, the Jayhawks are now headed for bowl eligibility and Leipold becomes one of the hottest coaches on the market.to a 41-34 win against No. 6 Oklahoma. Far too cautious during his first three starts — avoiding turnovers but overly conservative as a passer — Martinez played loose against the Sooners, ending with 234 passing yards, 148 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Late in the fourth quarter, his 55-yard run to convert a key third down sealed the win. After a miserable four years at Nebraska, Martinez has the chance to write a positive ending to his college career.suffered a 45-31 loss to Middle Tennessee that confirms the Hurricanes’ place among the biggest disappointments in the Bowl Subdivision. With his team already relegated to non-factor status, Cristobal must tackle another major situation early in his first year: Tyler Van Dyke was pulled in the third quarter after completing just half of his throws with two interceptions. That he’s taken a step back after a huge freshman season reflects poorly on the new staff.
Arkansas
The Razorbacks missed an emotional, come-from-behind win by inches. Down 23-21 with under two minutes left, Arkansas lined up for the go-ahead field goal from 42 yards out from sophomore Cam Little, one of the top young kickers in the country. But Little’s kick was pushed right and barely struck near the top of the right upright before bouncing back into the end zone. The loss takes some juice out of next weekend’s matchup with No. 1 Alabama.
fumbled away the likely game-winning touchdown in the first overtime to lose 17-14 to an Auburn team seemingly playing out the string under embattled coach Bryan Harsin. Instead, the nature of the ugly loss will put Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz on a hot seat as the Tigers head toward a losing finish.