CFB top plays: Michigan tops Maryland; K-State stuns Oklahoma
Week 4 of the college football season got off to an outstanding start with a pair of exciting games.
Blake Corum rushed for a career-high 243 yards and two touchdowns as No. 4 Michigan kicked off the day with an impressive victory over Maryland at the Big House.
No. 5 Clemson followed that up with a thrilling 51-45 victory over No. 21 Wake Forest in double OT.
Meanwhile, No. 11 Tennessee defeated No. 20 Florida in Knoxville, while No. 15-ranked Oregon scored 29 points in the fourth quarter in a come-from-behind win over Washington State.
Later the No. 23-ranked Texas A&M Aggies bested KJ Jefferson and the No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks in a wild SEC showdown, No. 3 Ohio State dismantled Wisconsin in Columbus, and No. 6 Oklahoma suffered its first loss of the season against Kansas State. To close out the evening, No. 18 Washington rolled past Stanford.
Here are the top plays from Saturday's packed Week 4 slate.
No. 18 Washington 40, Stanford 22
Clear the runway …
So Washington running back Will Nixon can strut into the end zone. The redshirt freshman gave the Huskies a 7-0 lead with his first carry of the game, putting the finishes touches on a six-play, 58-yard drive.
Awareness on 100
Stanford looked poised to tie the affair after getting into the red zone on its second drive, but the Huskies cut the drive short with a wondrous takeaway by Cam Bright.
There's fast, then there's this.
Don't blink. You might miss Wayne Taulapapa torpedoing to the edge, and prancing past the pylons. His speedy scamper put Washington up 17-0 midway through the second frame.
Not out for the count
Stanford poked its head out of the gutter later in the first half, punching back with a timely TD, courtesy of this lob from Tanner McKee to Michael Wilson. The Huskies led 17-7 after two quarters.
Great pass, better catch
They say the perfect throw beats the perfect coverage, and they're not wrong. Rome Odunze hauled in Michael Penix Jr.'s beautiful strike for a 30-yard TD score, giving Washington a 30-7 lead late in the third quarter.
The rout is on
Washington scored on its first five second-half possessions. The latest was capped by a screen pass from Penix to Giles Jackson that went for 21 yards and a touchdown, as the Huskies went up 40-15.
Kansas State 41, No. 6 Oklahoma 33
All on my shoulders
Chris Klieman was adamant about Adrian Martinez's importance to the game if K-State was going to have a shot at winning, and Martinez seized control of early momentum with an early rushing TD to cap a 12-play, 75-yard drive.
On the money!
The Wildcats went up 14-0 in the first thanks to a TD throw from Martinez, but Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel showed his own playmaking ability with 56-yard bomb to Theo Wease just seconds later for OU's first TD.
Right where it needed to be
Marvin Mims Jr. has been a problem for defenses all season long, and he added to his hefty TD total early in the second quarter thanks to a beautiful leading pass from Gabriel. The pitch-and-catch was good for 50 yards, and tied the game at 14.
Right on QB time
Who you gon' call to score touchdowns? Adrian Martinez, if you're Kansas State. His second rushing TD of the night put the Wildcats ahead 21-14 midway through the second.
Football gloves, or boxing ones?
Things got testy between the two sides early in the third quarter, after a scrappy grapple spilled over onto the sideline.
Both teams added a pair of field goals following their touchdowns to bring the tally to 27-20.
Flex on 'em!
Well, the phones are certainly ringing off the hook. K-State continued to call Martinez's number, dialing up his third rushing TD with eight minutes to play in the fourth. Meanwhile, Oklahoma's defensive booth has the lines pinging furiously in efforts to find an adequate solution for Martinez's storm.
Man of the hour
And the week, as a matter of fact. That title goes to Adrian Martinez, who converted just the second third-down play of seven yards or more (in 20 attempts) for the Cats this season, busting through OU's defense again with a 55-yard run to stall any hopes of a comeback. He put K-State up 41-27 with another rushing score on a QB draw to effectually seal the win.
No. 23 Texas A&M 23, No. 10 Arkansas 21
Speed boost!
Arkansas got on the board first when Ketron Jackson Jr. took a quick screen pass 32 yards to the house, jetting past Aggie defenders to spark the Razorbacks.
Scoop 'N Score … with a twist
You may not see a play like this again all season. A&M looked abysmal in the first quarter as Arkansas put up seven more points to the Aggies' zero, but things changed in the second quarter. Devon Achane broke out a 63-yard burner to help key A&M's first TD, and late in the second quarter, the Aggies' defense made its mark on the tilt.
It turned the tide by forcing a huge fumble near its own goal line, with Texas A&M's Tyreek Chappell picking up the pigskin and taking it the other way. Just when it appeared that Chappell would be corralled by an adversary, he handed the ball off to Demani Richardson, who took care of the rest in an 82-yard dart to the end zone.
Lasso the lead
AT&T stadium was rocking and rolling after Achane's nine-yard scamper push the Aggies ahead 20-14.
Randy Bond's 31-yard field goal gave A&M a 23-14 lead heading into the fourth. Arkansas scored a lone TD in the quarter, and had a chance to seize the lead, but Cam Little's FG try from 42 yards out clanged off the uprights with under two minutes to play, sealing a crucial upset victory for the Aggies.
No. 3 Ohio State 52, Wisconsin 21
Both sides of the ball
After pouncing first with a quick six-play, 88-yard scoring drive, the Buckeyes bought themselves stellar field position after Miyan Williams picked off Graham Mertz.
Heat on the stove!
Buckeyes tight end Cade Stover entered the affair with zero career TD to his name. He now has two, thanks to his route-running prowess and a pair of dimes from C.J. Stroud.
No letting up
Ohio State's offense kept it trucking in the third quarter. Stroud completed his third TD pass of the night, this time to Julian Fleming, who reeled in his third TD grab of the season.
Heisman me
Is likely what C.J. Stroud is saying after yet another five-TD game. There just hasn't been an answer for him this season.
No. 15 Oregon 44, Washington State 41
Ward hits the speed stick
Washington State QB Cameron Ward got the Cougars on the board early as he took it in himself from five yards out.
The tables turn on Oregon
The Ducks were marching down the field and were poised to take a lead heading into the half. But Bo Nix got picked off and the Cougars returned it for pick-six.
Oregon hanging in
Jordan James pounded his way into the end zone to help Oregon cut Washington State's lead to 27-22.
OH. MY. WARD.
Holding onto a 27-22 lead early in the fourth quarter, Ward took matters into his own hands. The Cougars' signal-caller escaped pressure and broke a pair of tackles before completing an incredible pass while falling to the ground. That play set up a 1-yard TD pass from Ward to Robert Ferrell, which made it 34-22.
Ducks take the lead!
Oregon answered right back with a touchdown and then following a three-and-out from Washington State, the Ducks got the ball back and went right to work. Nix dropped back and connected with Troy Franklin, who broke a tackle and took off 50 yards for the score, giving the Ducks a 37-34 lead.
No. 11 Tennessee 38, No. 20 Florida 33
Broken tackles everywhere
The Gators scored the game's first touchdown as Anthony Richardson ran out of a couple would-be sacks before completing a pass downfield to Keon Zipperer, who broke three tackles himself to get into the end zone.
Hooker strikes back
Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker completed a 70-yard pass to open up the drive after Florida's first score. Two plays later, he ran it in for a 4-yard score.
Diving before scoring
Tennessee put together a 12-play, 99-yard touchdown drive right before halftime to take a 17-14 lead. The highlight play of the drive came when Ramel Keyton went all out to grab a deep pass from Hooker.
Hooker made another highlight play
The Tennessee QB was about to be sacked. Instead, he ran out of the tackle and gained 44 yards to get the Vols deep into Gators territory. Tennessee scored later in the drive to go up 24-14.
Massive decision paid off
Trailing by 10 and having no answer for Hooker, Florida opted to go for it on fourth-and-2 from their own 28-yard line. Richardson found Justin Shorter in one-on-one coverage to get the big first down.
Gators slip up
In a game that quickly turned into a track meet, Florida blew a prime opportunity when Richardson fumbled in the red zone and the Vols recovered.
Loo little, too late
Richardson connected with Ricky Pearsall for a 3-yard TD pass to cut Florida's deficit to 38-33. The Gators then recovered an onside kick with 17 seconds remaining in the game. However, Richardson was picked off on the final play of the game as Tennessee held on to win.
No. 4 Michigan 34, Maryland 27
D'oh!
Maryland gave away the opening kickoff as Tai Felton let the ball hit his helmet and bounce to a Michigan player, putting the Wolverines at the Terrapins' 10-yard line. J.J. McCarthy found Luke Schoonmaker on the following play to put Michigan up 7-0.
More like Toughailoa
Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa picked up a key first down when he scrambled toward Michigan's goal-line, getting his helmet knocked off in the process. Maryland scored two plays later to even the score at 10-10 before the first quarter ended.
Michigan gets a questionable interception
DJ Turner went all out to get the interception to end a promising Maryland drive. FOX Sports rules expert Mike Pereira questioned if it actually was an interception because the ball appeared to hit the ground. The play was not reviewed, though, and Michigan received the ball.
J.J. "Kyler Murray" gets the first down
Possibly inspired by the Cardinals QB's performance last week, McCarthy ran all over the field in order to get the first down.
Blake Corum blasts Michigan in front
The Michigan running back was on a tear in the first half, powering through the Maryland defense on a fourth-and-inches for 33 yards and a touchdown to give the Wolverines a 17-13 lead before halftime.
Wolverines starting to roll
After a scoreless third quarter, the Wolverines got off to a quick start in the fourth. McCarthy fired a picture-perfect throw to Roman Wilson for the touchdown, giving Michigan a 24-13 lead.
Terps hanging in there
After Michigan put together a solid drive to go up double-digits, Maryland went on one of its own. Tagovailoa found Felton wide open in the end zone to cut Michigan's lead to 21-19.
Corum with the dagger
The Michigan running back continued his dominant performance on Saturday, rushing for his second touchdown to put the Wolverines up double-digits with just a few minutes left.
No. 5 Clemson 51, No. 21 Wake Forest 45
Juggling into the end zone
DJ Uiagalelei threw a 41-yard dart to receiver Brannon Spector, who juggled the ball before securing the catch to give Clemson a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
The Demon Deacons wake up
Sam Hartman connected with Jahmal Banks for the deep touchdown pass to cut Clemson's lead to 14-7.
Clemson's tight end clears Wake Forest tackler
Tight end Davis Allen hurdled a Demon Deacon defender to get the first down. The play helped set Clemson up for a field goal that gave them a 20-14 lead at halftime.
Perfect throw for the touchdown
Hartman found Blake Whiteheart for a back-shoulder touchdown pass to extend Wake Forest's lead.
What a grab!
With the game tied late in the third quarter, Hartman wound up and connected with Donavon Greene, who kept his feet inbounds to give Wake Forest a 35-28 lead.
That's SIX TD passes for Hartman
After a short TD run for Clemson, the two teams traded field goals and ended regulation in a tie. On Wake Forest's first possession in overtime, Hartman connected with A.T. Perry for his sixth TD throw of the game, tying the ACC single-game record.
Ballgame!
Clemson answered back as Uiagalelei hooked up with Beaux Collins for a game-tying score in the first overtime session. The Tigers got the ball back and Uiagalelei showed off his incredible arm strength again, throwing a strike to Allen in the end zone, to take the lead in 2OT.
Wake Forest was unable to capitalize on its next drive as Clemson secured the 51-45 victory in double overtime.
BEST OF THE REST
USC avoids scare at Oregon State with late rally
The No. 7 Trojans trailed for the first time this season, and for much of Saturday evening. But they scored a go-ahead TD via Caleb Williams to Jordan Addison to earn a 17-14 road win. Previously unbeaten Oregon State held USC's explosive offense in check all game but was doomed by four interceptions.
Missouri blows chance at victory, twice
Missouri had a chance to beat Auburn in regulation. However, kicker Harrison Mevis shanked a 26-yard field goal as time expired, sending the game to overtime.
Missouri had another chance to win it in overtime. Down 17-14, running back Nathaniel Peat was about to run into the end zone for the game-winning score, but he lost the ball, and Auburn recovered to win the game.
Miami falls to Middle Tennessee
The No. 25 Hurricanes trailed by multiple scores for much of the game. Following a goal-line stand by Middle Tennessee, QB Chase Cunningham threw a 98-yard touchdown pass to DJ England-Chisolm to give the Blue Raiders a commanding 38-17 lead. They went on to win 45-31.