Week Four Review
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By Tim Letcher
NCAAFootball.com
The LSU Tigers got a better-than-expected offensive output, and the defense was stellar once again, as LSU beat Auburn 26-21 at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday night.
Before the game, most experts thought the defenses would rule the game, but the Tigers produced enough offense to pull out the big SEC West victory.
Quarterback Jarrett Lee came in, after Andrew Hatch was injured, to lead the Tigers on scoring drives in the second half.
So the defending national champions survived their first big SEC challenge on the road. LSU now faces Mississippi State at home before visiting Florida on October 11.
Elsewhere over the weekend:
Teams on the rise
1. Boise State – Chris Petersen’s team posted an impressive win, beating No. 17 Oregon 37-32 in Eugene. The Broncos have a chance to run the table and, perhaps, be the BCS buster again this year.
2. Wake Forest – Huge ACC win for the Demon Deacons on Saturday night, as they beat Florida State 12-3 in Tallahassee. This is the third straight win for Wake over FSU.
3. Colorado – The Buffs beat No. 21 West Virginia 17-14 in overtime to go 3-0 on the season. However, Dan Hawkins’ team can’t rest on its laurels, as they travel to Florida State this week.
4. Vanderbilt – The Commodores are 4-0 for the first time since 2005 after winning 23-17 at Ole Miss on Saturday night. If Bobby Johnson’s team can scratch out two more wins, they might be in a bowl for the first time since 1982.
5. Northwestern – After beating Ohio 16-8, the Wildcats are also 4-0 on the season for the first time since 1962. Northwestern opens Big Ten play this weekend at Iowa.
Teams needing to regroup
1. East Carolina – After surviving the first three weeks, the Pirates were upset by N.C. State in overtime. The BCS dream is probably gone, but Skip Holtz’s team can still win Conference USA.
2. Mississippi State – While most of the SEC continues strong play, the Bulldogs have stumbled to a 1-3 start after losing 38-7 to Georgia Tech. This comes after a bowl appearance last year. Things don’t get any easier for Sylvester Croom’s Bulldogs, as they face LSU this week.
3. Florida State – Bobby Bowden’s team never got the offense going against Wake Forest, losing 12-3. It should be disturbing to the Seminoles faithful that, in a huge ACC game, Florida State managed only a field goal.
4. Southern Miss – The Golden Eagles were stunned by Marshall, 34-27 in Hattiesburg. Southern Miss will have to get things straightened out to stay competitive in Conference USA.
5. North Carolina – The Tar Heels had gotten off to a 2-0 start, but couldn’t quite get over the Virginia Tech hump on Saturday. Now, Butch Davis’ team travels to its coach’s old stomping grounds to face rejuvenated Miami.
Players making a name for themselves in week two
1. Glen Coffee, Alabama – Rushed for 162 yards on only ten carries and scored two touchdowns as the Tide pounded Arkansas 49-14. Coffee’s touchdowns were 87 and 31 yard runs.
2. Kellen Moore, Boise State – Connected on 24-of-36 passes for 386 yards and three touchdowns in the upset win over Oregon.
3. Jarrett Lee, LSU – Subbing for injured quarterback Andrew Hatch, Lee led the Tigers to a huge SEC West win at Auburn.
4. A.J. Green, Georgia – The true freshman had a huge game as the Bulldogs beat Arizona State in Tempe. Green caught eight passes for 159 yards and a score as Georgia beat Arizona State 27-10.
5. MiQuale Lewis, Ball State – The Cardinals thumped Indiana 42-20 behind Lewis, who carried the ball 29 times for 166 yards and four touchdowns.
Five questions heading into this week
1. Is Alabama for real? – The Tide has looked the part thus far in the season, but a huge challenge awaits this week with a visit to Georgia.
2. How good is Penn State? – The Nittany Lions are 4-0, but it has come against a fairly soft schedule. This week, Joe Pa’s boys face Illinois.
3. Has Clemson found its game? – After getting pounded by Alabama in its opener, the Tigers have won three in a row and have looked like a better football team.
4. Which non-BCS team could crash the party? - Right now, BYU and Boise State both appear to be in pretty good spots, but there's a long way to go.
5. Will anyone step up to challenge USC in the Pac-10? - The two teams that figured to be contenders, Oregon and Arizona State, are both stumbling at this point. So, either one of those two teams needs to get it going, or another team needs to step forward.
Five big games for this week
1. Alabama at Georgia – A matchup of undefeated SEC teams that are both ranked in the top ten nationally. Nick Saban will match wits with Mark Richt in a huge game.
2. Illinois at Penn State – Joe Paterno’s Nittany Lions are unbeaten, but they will get a big challenge from Juice Williams and the Illini.
3. Wisconsin at Michigan – This game provides a chance for Rich Rodriguez to get a signature win in his first season at Michigan. But the Badgers, who may be the best team in the Big Ten, will be looking to remain undefeated.
4. Arkansas at Texas – This former Southwest Conference rivalry will be played in Austin. Bobby Petrino’s Hogs are coming off of a crushing loss to Alabama, while Mack Brown’s Longhorns remain unbeaten.
5. USC at Oregon State – The top-ranked Trojans face a Pac-10 road test in Corvallis against Mike Riley’s struggling Beavers.
FCS Headlines
No. 5 James Madison came from behind to beat top-ranked Appalachian State 35-32.
No. 24 Furman upset sixth-ranked Delaware 23-21 in Greenville, S.C.
Division II Headlines
No. 14 California (Pa.) beat No. 23 Edinboro 35-31 in a key PSAC battle.
Top-ranked Valdosta State rolled over Ouachita Baptist 29-6.
Division III Headlines
No. 1 Mount Union rolled past 25th-ranked Ohio Northern 44-7. Cecil Shorts scored three touchdowns for Mount Union.
St. Olaf outlasted St. Thomas 29-23 in six overtimes.
