Glory Days and Nightmare Games: Who won and who lost big in Week 4?

The Stanford Cardinal impressed many last week with their Friday night win over Syracuse. Is Syracuse a powerhouse? No, but this can still be a breakthrough moment for Stanford. They were part of a massive landscape chance in college football this past summer.

They were one of the many schools to leave the PAC-12 for 'greener pastures' and became part of a three-team expansion into the ACC.

Their first ACC conference tilt was against the Orange. Syracuse was celebrating the 44th anniversary of the first football game ever played at the iconic Carrier Dome. Stanford spoiled it by claiming one of the most clutch wins of the year.

In a tight battle, Stanford got a big performance from kicker Emmet Kenny, who was perfect. He made both extra points and all four field goal attempts, including the winner. What a great inaugural ACC win for the Cardinal. They sit atop the conference.

Well... I guess that's the end of fun for Northern Illinois. The Huskies became one of the biggest early darlings this season. A few weeks ago, they stunned the college football world by defeating a Notre Dame team that was ranked fifth in the nation. That close win got them into the national rankings for the first time since the Jordan Lynch days of 2013.

The Huskies ranked 23rd at the time, hosted lowly Buffalo in the MAC opener. In a shocking twist of fate, Northern Illinois got upset themselves, in overtime. Buffalo took a 20-17 lead late in the fourth quarter. Then Kanon Woodill, the hero of NIU's upset over Notre Dame, nailed a 27-yarder to send the game into the extra session. However, as we all know, the momentum didn't carry over.

Despite the offense racking up 359 yards of total offense, they were dreadful on third downs. They went 9-for-22 in third-down efficiency. Quarterback Ethan Hampton threw one interception.

Also, Northern Illinois tight end Tristen Tewes committed a fumble that was lost. NIU dominated many statistical categories and even held Buffalo to under 200 yards of total offense. However, it wasn't enough. The balloon for NIU has been deflated.

Is it safe to assume Illinois is back on the football map? The Fighting Illini have become one of the biggest surprises this season. One of the Big Ten's more mediocre football programs has raced out to a shocking 4-0 start. It's no doubt that their victory last Friday is one of the signature moments for their program. They went on the road and silenced Nebraska's 400th consecutive sellout crowd.

Illinois entered the game as a ranked team for just the third time since 2010. Nebraska was the favorite and early in the fourth quarter, the Cornhuskers took a 24-17 lead. Luke Altmyer, who already led two touchdown drives, threw a third scoring pass to tie the game with 10:36 left. Nobody would score throughout the rest of the quarter and the game had to go into overtime.

Illinois needed just one play, a fourth touchdown pass from Altmyer, to take the lead in overtime. Their defense would then get the stop on the ensuing possession to preserve the win. Both teams had similar numbers for certain team statistical categories.

However, Illinois' defense forced a Dylan Raiola interception. They also sacked him six times and held Nebraska to 49 rushing yards. Illinois is 4-0 for the first time since 2011. There's no doubt this is a monumental moment in their football history.

Do you want to talk about an all-around embarrassment? Well, look no further than TCU. They became an embarrassment starting at the beginning of last week, when the Frogs became petty on social media, regarding the network they were playing on. They then looked completely outclassed by a team that has been struggling in their new alliance with the ACC.

SMU completely dominated the contest. "The Battle For the Iron Skillet" became a laugher pretty quickly. SMU raced out to a 17-0 first-quarter lead. TCU pulled to within a field goal with five minutes left in the first half. However, SMU would run away from there, as they scored another 17 unanswered points. At halftime, the Mustangs led 41-21 and would never look back.

TCU looked competent on offense as they racked up 480 yards of total offense. However, four turnovers and 13 penalties undid them. Josh Hoover threw for nearly 400 yards and three scores but was the main contributor to the turnovers. He threw two picks and lost two of the five fumbles TCU committed.

Their defense got torched on the ground, allowing 238 rushing yards and nearly six per carry. It was just an ugly day and TCU has looked vastly different in their two straight losses, compared to how they started the year. Plenty of questions are looming around the Horned Frogs right now.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights had a breakthrough moment last Saturday. The school dubbed "The Birthplace of College Football" hasn't had an illustrious history. RU has had decades of mediocrity, especially after becoming a Big Ten member in 2014. However, it seems as if the dark skies have brightened. The Knights took down former Big East rival Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.

It's the program's signature win since a 2012 victory against Arkansas. You could even argue that it's the first big win for the schools since they infamously upset No. 3 Louisville back in 2006. Regardless of what your take is, one thing is clear in 2024. This program now has pure momentum. Head coach Greg Schiano has been working towards this moment since his second RU tenure began in 2020.

The Scarlet Knights have officially been put on the radar after last week's win. They stuck true to their identity of old-school, smashmouth, ground-and-pound football. The tailback duo of Kyle Monangai and Samuel Brown V led the way, combining for 144 rushing yards. They also produced all three of the teams' touchdowns.

The defense also played to their usual selves. They forced three turnovers, including the game-sealing interception by Robert Longerbeam with 1:24 left. Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones got sacked once which resulted in a safety. The pass rush got after him all afternoon.

At the end of the third period, RU led 23-7 but some questionable play-calling in the final period led to the Hokies storming back. They tied the game with 4:35 left.

However, Rutgers put together a five-play, 68-yard drive that ended in a Jai Patel field goal that proved to be the winning points. The team has notched their fourth consecutive 3-0 start and has plenty of energy in the early stages of the 2024 season. They have earned the right to be on the watchlist moving forward.

The Kansas State Wildcats dropped from the No. 13 ranking to the No. 23 ranking after their dismal loss to BYU this past Saturday. The huge drop-off is justified as the Wildcats didn't look great against the unranked Cougars in Provo. This was the first truly ugly performance by K-State this season. Hopefully, for their fans, this will be the last time they look this bad.

Nothing went right for the Wildcats. Quarterback Avery Johnson has a subpar performance. In the contest, he threw two interceptions. Running Back D.J. Giddens also lost a fumble. All three turnovers led to BYU Cougar touchdowns.

The floodgates opened after K-State took a 6-0 lead. From the 2:10 mark of the second quarter to the 10:45 mark of the third, BYU scored 31 unanswered points to break the game open.

The special teams unit for the Wildcats also made a major mistake. Six points of that surge by BYU came after a punt was returned 90 yards by Parker Kingston. The team also showed a lack of discipline, committing eight penalties. Like said earlier, this was an ugly showing, marked by plenty of errors. That needs to get cleaned up as KSU takes on No. 20 Oklahoma State.

There's a good reason as to why Sam Pittman was fired up following Arkansas' win over Auburn. Entering this season, Pittman was on the hot seat radar. For now, he's been taken off that list. Arkansas is 3-1 for the second time in three years. However, what makes this 3-1 start more special is the fact that the Razorbacks notched a critical SEC road win against Auburn.

Arkansas is now off to a great start in SEC play and has established itself as a solid, second-tier squad in college football's best conference. What stood out the most in their victory, was the performance of the defense. The unit forced five Auburn Tiger turnovers. Four of those were interceptions.

Auburn coach Hugh Freeze inexplicably benched starter Payton Thorne for freshman Hank Brown. Brown threw three of those interceptions. Arkansas also recovered a fumble that was committed by Tigers running back Damari Alston. They also notched two sacks in the contest. Offensively, Arkansas had a balanced attack. Quarterback Taylen Green showed his dual-threat ability once again.

He threw for 151 yards and led the team in rushing with 80 yards. Green did throw two interceptions, which can't happen against future opponents such as Texas A&M, Tennessee, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas, and Missouri.

However, if the defense continues this type of performance, it won't be much of an issue. With the tough schedule ahead, this win means a lot for Arkansas. They have put themselves in a position to play in a big bowl game.

I don't think many people know what to make after North Carolina's dreadful loss to James Madison. A loss by 20 points is a familiar sight for Tar Heels fans. Last year, UNC lost by 19 to North Carolina State in the regular season finale. In the Duke's Mayo Bowl, they lost by 20 to West Virginia. However, this defeat might be the worst. North Carolina was favored by 11.5 points against their foes from the Sun Belt.

North Carolina has more holes in its defense than a Connect 4 board. The score says it all. The Dukes notched 611 yards of total offense. Quarterback Alonzo Barnett III carved up the Tar Heel secondary, throwing for nearly 400 yards and five touchdowns. He also added 99 more yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Other than the horrendous defense, North Carolina also committed nine penalties and five turnovers. The turnovers was the biggest backbreaker. Signal-caller Jacolby Criswell was the cause for three of those turnovers as he threw two picks and fumbled once. Conner Harrell and Christian Hamilton also coughed up the ball once.

Three of those errors led to JMU scores. UNC was also inefficient in moving the chains. The Tar Heels also gave up a touchdown off a blocked punt in the first quarter. Needless to say, Mack Brown's squad made way too many miscues to start 4-0. They do have a decently favorable schedule going the rest of the way, but more performances like this will cost them.

The Virginia Cavaliers have been in a rebuilding phase ever since Bronco Mendenhall left after the 2021 season. UVA has been one of the more underwhelming teams in the ACC under Tony Elliot and the program also had to deal with a horrible tragedy in the process. There was a dark cloud over the program. There was so much uncertainty. Now, things are looking bright.

Elliot has gotten the Hoos off to a 3-1 start, the best beginning to a year the team has seen since the 2019 Orange Bowl season. Nobody saw this coming before the 2024 season kicked off. Yet, here we are. UVA defeated Coastal Carolina with a sizable cushion and looked great. They claimed a 27-10 lead at the half and never looked back. The start of the game was an omen of things to come.

On the opening kickoff, the Chanticleers fumbled the football and gave possession to UVA. They would turn that into an early score. They would then get another turnover, an Antonio Clary interception off of CCU passer Ethan Vasko. They would also convert that into a touchdown. Virginia was carried by their ground game as they racked up 384 of their 525 yards of offense.

Xavier Brown had a career day, rushing for 171 yards on only nine touches. The Cavs defense held Coastal Carolina to just 84 rushing yards and made them go 4-for-13 on third-down efficiency. Virginia also dominated the time of possession. Nobody predicted UVA going to a bowl game this year.

However, at 3-1, they have a great chance to do so, even though they play three opponents currently ranked. They enjoy a bye week before playing Boston College on October 5th.

Here we go again. A week after Mississippi State got destroyed by Toledo at home, they laid another egg. In their SEC opener, the Bulldogs made a case for them being the worst team in the SEC this year. They got manhandled once again, this time by mediocre Florida. If I were the athletic director in Starkville, I don't know how I wouldn't have the urge to just make a major change in the coaching staff.

There was no reason to believe Mississippi State would look this bad. Yes, nobody saw them competing for an SEC title but they have been worse than many thought they would be. Getting blown out by the MAC's top contender is one thing. It's embarrassing but Toledo is a rock-solid squad. But to look like this against Florida is inexcusable.

Now, the offense improved from the Toledo game. They looked competent as they racked up 480 total yards. Both the passing and running game contributed 280 of those yards. They moved the chains 55 percent of the time. Blake Shapen was sharp, throwing for 140 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, he left the game with a shoulder injury and is out for the remainder of the year.

In reality, it was the defense that stunk up the joint. They allowed the Gators to reach 500 yards of total offense. The secondary got burned but Graham Mertz. He threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for a score. The defensive line failed to generate any semblance of a pass rush. The Florida passing attack averaged 10 yards per completion. That's just stinky.

They also allowed Florida to average 6.3 yards per carry on the ground. With the Bulldogs sitting at 1-3, there is plenty of angst among the Mississippi State faithful. In this already challenging season, injuries are becoming more of a problem moving forward.

By looking at their schedule, it's fine to assume that things won't be getting better. MSU plays six opponents currently ranked, including Texas next week. They also have to play Georgia, Tennessee, Missouri, and Ole Miss. Good luck.

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