Five biggest college football surprises of Week 4

The 2016 college football season has been wildly entertaining from the onset, and that was no different in Week 4.

In continuing with the theme of previous weeks, there were stunning upsets, crippling losses, big plays, major letdowns and all sorts of controversy.

Here’s a look at the five biggest surprises of Week 4 — not all of which are upset victories.

5. Huge offensive performances dominate the week

Big-time offensive numbers aren’t often a surprise during any particular week of the college football season, but in Week 4, there were some truly mind-blowing statistics put up in mass.

There were 11 quarterback who threw for more than 400 yards (four who went over 450 yards on the day and one who went over 500 yards); four receivers who eclipsed 200 yards receiving (eight who went over 150 yards on the day); and there were four running backs who eclipsed 200 yards rushing (14 who went over 150 yards on the day).

If yardage doesn’t get it done for you, touchdowns might. Six quarterbacks threw five or more touchdown passes, 42 different players scored two or more rushing touchdowns and 22 different players scored two or more receiving touchdowns.

By those standards alone, it was the single most productive week for top-end performers of the entire season.

Here’s a quick look at the top overall individual performers:

Total touchdowns – Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson (7)
Passing touchdowns – Memphis quarterback Riley Ferguson (6)
Rushing touchdowns – Six players tied with 3
Receiving touchdowns – Missouri wide receiver J’Mon Moore (4)
Passing yards – Louisiana Tech quarterback Ryan Higgins (504)
Rushing yards – Florida State running back Dalvin Cook (267)
Receiving yards – Syracuse wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo (270)

Even by college football standards and the Tecmo Bowl-like numbers that are sometimes put up, the Week 4 statistics were quite surprising.

4. Tennessee storms back to break the Florida curse

After trailing 21-0 in the second quarter and 21-3 at halftime, it appeared to be more of the same for Tennessee against Florida.

The Vols were getting beaten on both sides of the ball and the crowd was beginning to get restless. Coming in as the No. 14 team in the nation, the belief was that Tennessee would knock out their 11-game losing streak to Florida in dramatic fashion, but instead they were inching closer and closer to consecutive loss No. 12.

Then came the third quarter. And in a complete reversal, the Gators got sloppy, the Vols got tough, and early in the fourth quarter they finally took a lead.

With blood in the water and relief from a decade of disappointment in sight, Tennessee kept their foot on the pedal and began to roll. When all was said and done, the curse was broken as the Vols walked away with a 38-28 victory.

“I told the team before we came to the Vol Walk,” Tennessee’s senior defensive tackle Danny O’Brien told The Tennessean after the game. “When you have a dude drowning, you stick the hose in their mouth. I told them we have to go out and take that, ain’t nobody going to give us nothing.

“So we went out and took it. We put the hose in their mouth at the end.”

Despite the much-needed victory over Florida, the Vols took very little time to celebrate. By the time they got settled in their locker-room, they were already looking ahead to Georgia.

3. Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio vanishes into thin air

Mind-bending magic and college football don’t normally mix, but fans were treated to that surprising combination on Saturday afternoon. Kind of.

After his team completely vanished against Wisconsin, getting walloped 30-6, Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio decided he wanted to do a disappearing act of his own. And with Big Ten Network cameras on him, he did exactly that on live TV.

Alakazam!

Obviously it’s nothing more than a trippy coincidence, but the vanishing act was so impressive it probably made Philadelphia Eagles long-snapper and America’s Got Talent magician Jon Dorenbos proud.

Dantonio just wishes he could have pulled the same disappearing act during the postgame news conferences when he had to answer for his team’s horrid performance and stunning defeat.

2. Auburn-LSU ends in truly bizarre fashion

“What the heck happened at the end of the Auburn-LSU game?”

Those exact words were made into headlines, tweets and even some text messages coming the way of yours truly. In fact, the ending of the SEC rivalry game was so surprising and so bizarre it’s likely to be discussed for quite some time.

The fact that Auburn eventually walked away the winner isn’t necessarily the shocker — they have a strong defense and were playing at home — but it’s the way in which they won that has people floored.

On a fourth-and-six from the Auburn 10 and with less than 20 seconds remaining in the game, LSU quarterback Danny Etling connected with receiver Travin Dural for an eight-yard gain to the Auburn 2. However, flags were thrown and LSU was called for an illegal shift. The ball was pushed back five yards and with only a single second remaining, LSU was left with only a wing and a prayer.

For a brief and fleeting moment, it appeared as if those prayers were answered.

After being flushed from the pocket, Etling rolled out to his right and fired to the endzone, connecting with receiver D.J. Chark, who made an incredible catch and managed to get a foot down in bounds. The referees signaled a touchdown, and the scoreboard read LSU 19 – Auburn 18 with :00 remaining.

LSU’s sideline erupted and players began celebrating a last-second comeback victory. But then the referees announced “the last play is under review.”

In crushing fashion, officials determined LSU did not get the ball off in time and that play had expired prior to the touchdown. It was a shocking comeback victory that turned into a stunning upset loss in the literal blink of an eye, and it ultimately led to the firing of Les Miles and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.

1. Duke stuns Notre Dame in South Bend

Even at 1-2, there was no possible way Notre Dame would take a home loss to Duke on Saturday. At least that’s what the Vegas oddsmakers thought, listing the Fight Irish as three-touchdown favorites.

Before the game, Blue Devils head coach David Cutcliffe fed into those odds, claiming it would be, by far, the biggest win in Duke football history if they were able to walk away with the upset.

With that in mind, hearty congratulations are in order to the Duke Blue Devils for the biggest win in program history.

“It’s a new era for Duke football,” Cutcliffe told NBC on the field after his 50th win as the team’s coach.

Duke stormed the field at South Bend, and from the opening minutes of the game until the final seconds ticked off the clock, proved without a shadow of a doubt they were there to compete. They took it to Notre Dame from the onset and came away with a big defensive stand with under a minute remaining, securing an improbable 38-35 victory.

After the game, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly ripped into his players, but also took a moment to offer his kudos to Duke on a job well done.

“They deserved to win today,” Kelly said via ESPN. “They had a grittier, more determined approach to finding a way to win. In college football, it’s find a way to win. And my hat goes off to them and coach Cutcliffe finding a way to win today.”

When the Blue Devils return home to Durham, they’ll momentarily steal the spotlight from their basketball program and rightfully so. It was a huge upset and easily the most surprising moment from an entertaining weekend of college football.