Week 4 reactions from six Top 25 matchups: Dylan Raiola saves Oregon; Texas, Florida make SEC statements

Week 4 reactions from six Top 25 matchups: Dylan Raiola saves Oregon; Texas, Florida make SEC statements

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Week 4 reactions from six Top 25 matchups: Dylan Raiola saves Oregon; Texas, Florida make SEC statements

Week 4 reactions from six Top 25 matchups: Dylan Raiola saves Oregon; Texas, Florida make SEC statements originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Week 4 of the college football season marked a celebration of the schedule with six matchups between AP Top 25 teams. 

Half of those matchups were undercut by a series of personal fouls and unsportsmanlike behavior calls, which prompts the coaching-point question: "What were they thinking?" 

Start with the matchup between No. 1 Texas and No. 14 Tennessee. Longhorns edge rusher Colin Simmons set a school record with five sacks in a 20-17 victory, but that performance was side-tracked by an unsportsmanlike penalty for "simulating using the restroom." Simmons apologized afterward, and it did not cost Texas the game. 

No. 18 Michigan was not as fortunate. A personal foul on cornerback Zeke Berry gave No. 17 Iowa a first down – and helped set up a walk-off TD pass from Hank Brown to Reece Vander Zee for a 20-19 victory. Berry's penalty negated what would have been fourth-and-12. Maybe another "Michigan Miracle" would not have happened. 

The matchup between No. 20 Oregon and No. 12 USC turned ugly when Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens II knocked Ducks quarterback Dante Moore out of the game with a dirty hit that resulted in an ejection. Stephens' hit was bad – and his reaction on the sideline was worse. Oregon went on to a 41-27 victory in Big Ten play. 

Those plays helped shape the largest reactions from Week 4. 

Dylan Raiola saves Oregon's season 

Raiola – a Nebraska transfer – put the Ducks back in the Big Ten mix with a fantastic performance against the Trojans. Raiola threw the go-ahead TD pass to Dakorien Moore with 8:35 remaining in the fourth quarter. He converted a fourth-and-3 with a 15-yard pass to Evan Stewart on the next drive. 

Those two TD drives confirmed that Dan Lanning still has USC's number, and the Trojans' defense still can't finish under coach Lincoln Riley. Who knew Raiola – the former top quarterback recruit – would be the hero by hitting 19 of 25 passes for 289 yards and two TDs.

Oregon won its fifth straight matchup against USC. The Trojans face the same-old questions heading into the rest of the Big Ten schedule. The hit on Moore helped set all that up. 

Lane Kiffin, Sam Leavitt bounce back 

No. 10 LSU did not have an emotional hangover from last week's 32-24 loss at Ole Miss. The Tigers bounced back in style under coach Lane Kiffin with a 35-6 disposal of No. 23 Texas A&M at Tiger Stadium. 

This battle of one-loss SEC teams wasn't much of a battle at all. Sam Leavitt – playing through injuries – finished with 312 passing yards, 22 rushing yards and two TDs. That go-for-broke style with Leavitt helped Arizona State win the Big 12 and make the College Football Playoff in 2024. It makes LSU a lot better and little more likable. 

On Saturday, it helped the Tigers get revenge for a 49-25 loss to the Aggies on Oct. 25, 2025 that led to the end of the Brian Kelly era the following day. 

Kiffin gets a reset. Ole Miss is in the rear-view mirror, and LSU flashed the top-10 form from the Week 1 blowout against Clemson. The Tigers play McNeese in Week 5 before that SEC grind continues – and the "Kiffin Experience" will heat up again in November. 

Kamario Taylor fever continues in Starkville 

No. 24 Mississippi State beat No. 19 Missouri 31-24 behind yet another outstanding effort from Kamario Taylor, who has emerged as more than just a Heisman Trophy sleeper in September. 

Taylor, who finished with 360 passing yards and three TDs, hit Sanfrisco Magee for the go-ahead 24-yard TD pass with 3:57 remaining, and Fluff Bothwell added 122 rushing yards and a TD. The Bulldogs are 4-0 – one of five remaining unbeaten teams left in the SEC. There is no doubt they are the most surprising of the bunch. 

Taylor can make his Heisman signature moment in Week 5 against No. 8 Alabama. This is the best matchup between the teams since No. 5 Alabama beat No. 1 Mississippi State – led by Dak Prescott in a 25-20 thriller on Nov. 16, 2024. Taylor has created that level of buzz in Starkville.

Jon Sumrall, Coach of the Year? 

No. 21 Florida hammered No. 4 Ole Miss 52-28 at The Swamp in Week 4. The Gators are 4-0 and could move into the top-10 under first-year coach Jon Sumrall – who is the early front-runner for Coach of the Year. 

It's an era of "Fun 'n' Run." Florida finished with 302 rushing yards. Jadan Baugh – who had 142 yards and three TDs – has 600 rushing yards and 11 TDs through four games. Duke Clark added 12 carries for 126 yards and a TD. Quarterback Aaron Philo has a 72.4% completion percentage. 

Florida will have to handle success at No. 19 Missouri next week, and the real tests come in back-to-back matchups against No. 1 Texas (Oct. 17) and No. 2 Georgia (Oct. 31), but the path to a 10-win season is there. Sumrall, who has won over the fan-base with his charismatic presence, promised afterward, "We're gonna get there. It's coming. I promise. I didn't come here for us to be average." 

Iowa shakes up Big Ten race

How significant is Brown's 16-yard TD pass to Vander Zee that gave Iowa the victory against Michigan at the Big House? It changes the structure of the Big Ten race for College Football Playoff spots. 

The Wolverines will not get through their schedule with only two losses. Wisconsin upset No. 13 Penn State 24-10 in Week 4. Now, the Hawkeyes have the look of a potential third- or fourth-wheel in the Big Ten race under 71-year-old coach Kirk Ferentz. 

Iowa's often-mocked offensive approach produced a 91-yard TD drive in the final minutes against the Wolverines, and Brown (21 of 35, 227 yards, 2 TDs) is a functional quarterback behind a patient running game and sound defense under long-time defensive coordinator Phil Parker. No. 7 Ohio State visits Kinnick Stadium – where the Buckeyes lost 55-24 on their last visit on Nov. 4, 2017. Imagine if the Hawkeyes score upset against the "Big Two" – a term Ferentz knows well – in consecutive weeks. 

Texas won September – what about January? 

If there were College Football Playoff rankings to start October, then the Longhorns would be No. 1 based on victories against Ohio State and Tennessee. 

The Longhorns beat Tennessee at Neyland Stadium on Saturday and flashed a pass rush that totaled 10 sacks. Edge rusher Simmons had 10 pressures in – and Texas has a SEC championship caliber defense under coordinator Will Muschamp. 

Arch Manning, however, took six sacks and was pressured on 14 of 30 drop-back attempts. The running game wasn't quite the same without Hollywood Smothers, who was out with a lower leg injury. The Texas vs. Georgia debate won't be answered in the regular season, and the Longhorns schedule features six teams that were ranked heading into the weekend. That does not include Oklahoma – which is up next on Oct. 10 at the Red River Rivalry. 

Texas needs to clean up the penalties after 11 for 115 yards against the Vols – but Steve Sarkisian put together an impressive September given the expectations. That said, national titles aren't won in September. 

Quick hits 

– Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith is the "September Heisman" winner. He had 12 catches for 217 yards and four TDs in a 42-19 victory against Illinois. Through four games, Smith has 33 catches on 47 targets — a 70.2% catch percentage – for 617 yards and seven TDs. Is there a more automatic player in the FBS? 

– UCLA could be ranked after a 4-0 start under first-year coach Bob Chesney. The Bruins rushed for 266 yards and forced five turnovers in a 54-3 blowout at Maryland. UCLA has a bye week before a matchup against Oregon on Oct. 10. The Ducks have won the last five meetings in the series. 

– Pitt beat Bucknell 59-0, and Virginia Tech rallied to knock off Boston College 21-14. That means the Panthers and Hokies will meet in Week 5 in a matchup of 4-0 teams. Pat Narduzzi and James Franklin have a history, too, from the Pitt-Penn State rivalry.

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