B/R's College Football Weekly Awards: Week 4

Perhaps the best way to describe Week 4 is Sleepwalking Saturday.

Early on, top-ranked teams like Georgia and Michigan avoided losses but didn't look overpowering. The trend continued throughout the day, and the upsets finally arrived with Kanas State in Oklahoma and Middle Tennessee in Miami.

And there were comebacks. So, so many comebacks. Appalachian State squandered a 25-point lead, Washington State wasted an upset chance and Arkansas couldn't put away Texas A&M in a contest that also produced a bizarre defensive touchdown.

This edition of B/R's Weekly Awards is largely focused on those comebacks and upsets, but we also have the saddest CFB state of September, trend-breakers and plenty more.

Redemption, thy name is DJ Uiagalelei.

The beleaguered quarterback came through in a major way for Clemson on the road at Wake Forest. Uiagalelei hit 26 of 41 throws for 371 yards and five touchdowns with no turnovers, adding 52 rushing yards.

Clemson trailed 28-20, 35-28 and 38-35 in the second half, but Uiagalelei marched the offense down the field for game-tying scores each time. Then in overtime, he tossed a gorgeous touchdown to Beaux Collins and a well-placed ball that allowed Davis Allen to outmuscle a Wake defender for the winning score.

Wake Forest came up agonizingly short of snapping a 13-game skid to Clemson. Moral victories matter less, but the Demon Deacons showed they're a strong New Year's Six bowl contender while star quarterback Sam Hartman had a brilliant day. He set a program record with six touchdown passes.

Clemson has an opportunity to secure another key ACC victory next weekend at North Carolina State.

It was deja vu all over again in Norman.

Kansas State quarterback Adrian Martinez, who transferred from Nebraska this offseason, played the game of his life. He propelled the program to a remarkable third victory over Oklahoma in the last four seasons.

The dual-threat quarterback completed 21 of 34 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown and gashed the Sooners for 148 yards and three scores on the ground. Most notably, Martinez ripped off a 55-yard run on 3rd-and-16 late in the fourth quarter. That scamper set up his game-sealing touchdown two plays later.

Oklahoma has only 11 regular-season losses since 2015, but the Sooners cannot seem to shake K-State.

Subsequently, the Wildcats have entered the AP Top 25 at No. 25. They've now appeared in the poll during all four seasons of Chris Klieman's tenure, adding to the second-longest Top 25 streak in program history.

Make no mistake about the Blue Raiders' victory at Miami: They earned absolutely every piece of this win.

From the very beginning, Middle Tennessee was the better team.

The defense intercepted Tyler Van Dyke's first two throws of the day—returning one for a touchdown—recovered a fumble on the third possession and generated two turnovers on downs after Miami drove inside the MTSU 10-yard line. Van Dyke threw for just 138 yards on 32 attempts before getting benched.

On offense, the Blue Raiders toasted the 'Canes vertically time and again. Middle Tennessee had three touchdown passes of 69-plus yards and added another 89-yard passing play. Chase Cunningham racked up 408 yards on only 16 completions.

Middle Tennessee, a 25.5-point underdog, entered the game winless in 24 tries against ranked opponents. But on this stunning day in South Florida, the Blue Raiders handed Mario Cristobal the type of inexplicable loss that has plagued Miami for the last half-decade.

As the clock dropped below seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Washington State jumped ahead of Oregon 34-22. Wazzu's win expectancy climbed to 99.8 percent, per ESPN.

But the visitors found a miracle.

Oregon rattled off 22 consecutive points and stunned the Cougs in their building. Bo Nix connected with Cam McCormick to trim Wazzu's advantage to five, and Troy Franklin caught the go-ahead touchdown after UO's defense forced a three-and-out.

On the ensuing drive, Mase Funa intercepted a screen pass and effectively iced the incredible comeback. Washington State scored in the closing seconds of the game, but Oregon won 44-41.

Oregon quarterback Bo Nix continued his recent tear, passing for 428 yards and three touchdowns in the epic victory.

Rather than falling to 2-2 and opening conference play on a negative note, the Ducks remain squarely in the Pac-12 title hunt.

Here's a totally unsustainable fact: James Madison has never lost a game as a member of the FBS.

The first-year top-division program began the season with two painless wins. After a 37-point rout of Middle Tennessee—yes, the same MTSU that shocked Miami—the Dukes blasted FCS school Norfolk State 63-7.

But we're mostly mentioning JMU because of what happened in Week 4.

In true New England Patriots fashion, the Dukes engineered a 28-3 comeback to stun Appalachian State. JMU quarterback Todd Centeio accounted for three scores, and Kaelon Black capped the 25-point resurgence with a four-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Coastal Carolina is still a premier threat to take the East Division of the Sun Belt, but JMU is officially a contender to win the conference in its debut FBS season.

September was a nightmare for football fans in Colorado.

As the month ends, only three of the 131 Football Bowl Subdivision teams are winless. Two are from the Centennial State.

The disastrous part isn't simply that Colorado and Colorado State are each holding 0-4 records. No, the problem is both programs haven't even been competitive.

Colorado's run defense has been an absolute sieve, surrendering 323.3 yards per game and 16 total touchdowns. Meanwhile, CSU has mustered 43 points on the young season and just lost 41-10 to FCS school Sacramento State in Week 4.

The lone redeeming team was Air Force, which trounced Nevada on Saturday and improved to 3-1. But the Falcons also opened Mountain West action with a loss to Wyoming as a 16.5-point favorite.

Hey, at least the Denver Broncos are... nevermind.

Play of the Week: Texas A&M's Wild Touchdown

If this doesn't happen, would the Aggies have beaten Arkansas? We don't know the answer, but it's certainly not controversial to suggest Arkansas could've protected a 21-7 lead. Before it could happen, however, the Razorbacks lost a fumble at the goal line. They appeared to corral Texas A&M's Tyreek Chappell, but he handed the ball to Demani Richardson, who sprinted 82 yards to the house. Texas A&M later won 23-21, largely thanks to this touchdown and Arkansas' late missed field goal.

Nightmare of the Week: Missouri's Collapse at Auburn

Missouri kicker Harrison Mevis, who'd buried 45 of 51 career attempts, stunningly pushed a 26-yard field goal to gift Auburn an extra chance in overtime. Missouri then jumped offsides on Anders Carlson's missed 44-yard kick, and he buried the 39-yarder. Nathaniel Peat sprinted past the Auburn defense for a should-be touchdown but lost control of the ball when he stretched it toward the pylon. What a brutal loss for Mizzou.

Golf Claps of the Week: The Trend-Halters

Among this group, Tennessee landed the most headlines. Florida owned a five-game winning streak over UT and had notched 16 victories in the last 17 matchups, but the Volunteers held off a last-minute charge to down Florida. UNLV snapped a six-game skid against Utah State, and Minnesota stopped Michigan State's five-game run. Plus, both Texas Tech and Louisiana-Monroe ended four-game streaks opposite rivals Texas and Louisiana, respectively.

No. 4 Michigan at Iowa (Noon ET, Fox)

Kinnick Stadium has been unkind to Michigan, which has dropped four straight games in Iowa City. Overall, the Wolverines haven't won at Iowa since 2005. Granted, that trend is less worrisome since Michigan smoked the Hawkeyes 42-3 in last year's Big Ten Championship Game.

No. 7 Kentucky at No. 14 Ole Miss (Noon ET, ESPN)

Neither team is the favorite in its respective SEC division. Both programs are undefeated, however, and a victory on Saturday should provide a nice boost to a postseason resume—no matter if the College Football Playoff or a different New Year's Six bowl is ultimately at stake.

No. 2 Alabama at No. 20 Arkansas (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)

Alabama survived last season's showdown with Arkansas thanks to 559 yards and five touchdowns from quarterback Bryce Young. Bama is favored, but a physical Arkansas team—one looking to recover from a disappointing loss to Texas A&M—figures to test the Crimson Tide.

No. 9 Oklahoma State at No. 16 Baylor (3:30 p.m. ET, Fox)

Baylor is set to host a rematch of last season's Big 12 Championship Game. Because of Oklahoma's loss in Week 4, the winner in Waco will likely be considered the early Big 12 favorite. At the very least, it'll be the conference's highest-ranked team.

No. 10 North Carolina State at No. 5 Clemson (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

Clemson can't legitimately seal the ACC Atlantic with a victory, but it's difficult to envision the Tigers not winning the division if they defeat NC State this weekend. In theory, Wake Forest and NC State are Clemson's top competitors in 2022. Beat 'em in consecutive weeks, and the Tigers will be in terrific shape.

Note: Odds references from Vegas Insider.