Looking back at the chaos of the 2007 college football season

Week 4: September 20-22, 2007

Week 4 began on Thursday night with yet another upset, as unranked Miami hosted No. 20 Texas A&M. The Hurricanes doubled up the score on the Aggies, as Miami’s defense held A&M to 252 total yards of offense. Kyle Wright completed 21 of his 26 passing attempts for 275 yards and two scores, and each of the Hurricanes running backs punched in touchdowns in the 34-17 win.

Once Saturday rolled around, No. 2 LSU managed to survive No. 12 South Carolina at home. The Tigers put together a team rushing effort that netted nearly 300 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. Matt Flynn completed just eight of 19 attempts for 70 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. But the LSU defense held the Gamecocks to 17 total rushing yards on 27 carries, and pulled away for a 28-16 victory.

Eyeballs stayed focused on the SEC throughout the day. No. 3 Florida fended off a second-half comeback attempt to beat Ole Miss. Then No. 21 Kentucky moved to 4-0 on the season with a 42-29 takedown of Arkansas. But it was the showdown in Tuscaloosa between No. 22 Georgia and No. 16 Alabama that had the biggest impact.

The visitors jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the first half, with Matthew Stafford throwing a touchdown pass and the Georgia defense clamping down on the Tide. Halftime adjustments, though, turned the tables as Alabama came back in the second half to tie things up. The Bulldogs had a chance to win in regulation, but Brandon Coutu’s 47-yard field goal attempt missed. Georgia would have to wait until overtime to walk away winners from Tuscaloosa, after responding to Leigh Tiffin’s field goal with a Stafford touchdown pass on Georgia’s first play.

The Big Upset of the Week

Three weeks earlier, Michigan had been left for dead after falling to the eventual three-peat FCS national champions and Pac-10 contender Oregon. Chad Henne was injured in the second loss, forcing head coach Lloyd Carr to turn to true freshman quarterback Ryan Mallett. It seemed like the Wolverines were doomed to tumble down the Big Ten standings as a result.

That prognosis was premature, however, as the Wolverines came back from their losses to take down rival Notre Dame 38-0 in Week 3. Mallett completed just seven of his 15 attempts for 90 passing yards, though he did throw three touchdowns. The takedown of Notre Dame was a welcome change of fortunes, but Michigan was still a heavy underdog as they welcomed No. 10 Penn State to the Big House.

The turnaround was largely the result of two factors. First, the defense suddenly clicked as it pitched a shutout against the Fighting Irish. Penn State had averaged 45 points per game coming into the showdown against Michigan. But the Wolverines forced three fumbles and held Penn State under 300 total yards of offense. More importantly, they held the Nittany Lions to field goals the entire game.

Second, Carr and the offensive staff continued to lean on senior running back Mike Hart after Henne’s injury. Hart had rushed for 188 yards and three scores in the loss to Appalachian State. He followed that up with 127 yards against the Ducks. Against Notre Dame, Hart racked up 187 yards and two scores. Despite rushing against a stacked Penn State defense, Hart pounded the ball 44 times for 153 yards and a touchdown in the 14-9 win.

The end result was that Penn State dropped from No. 10 to No. 21 in the AP poll, while Michigan set itself up for a return to the polls in mid-October. Joe Paterno’s losing streak extended to nine games against the Wolverines, the longest losing streak Paterno would endure against a single team during his career.