Final Week 4 thoughts: Auburn survives, Florida rolls and chaos follows

Final Week Four Thoughts From Auburn and Across the Land

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Auburn

• The Tigers secured what may prove to be a season-defining win against a pesky Vanderbilt team on homecoming Saturday on the plains. A loss against Vandy could have been the start of an all too familiar slide in conference play that marred the last three Auburn football campaigns. First year head coach Alex Golesh and his team deserves credit for finding a way to win a game that would likely have been lost in recent years. The Tigers were outgained by the Commodores 311-279 and possessed the football for fifteen fewer minutes than the visitors. The play of the game was surely the blocked punt by sophomore running back Omar Mabson II. The former Auburn High School star flew through the Commodore’s punt unit and took the football off the foot of Vandy’s Tyler Ebel. The ball then waited for Cade Carlson, who scooped it up and took it into the end zone. Despite its frustrations for much of the afternoon in not moving the ball effectively, Auburn's offense closed out the final 6:20 of the game, after Vandy cut the lead to 21-15. Running back Jeremiah Cobb showed great toughness on that drive. Despite being bottled up much of the game, the senior converted a 3rd and 1 that allowed the Tigers to continue chewing the clock, then sealed the game with a 21-yard burst around left end. The Tigers now head to Knoxville for their first road game of the season, where the Tennessee Volunteers await. Since 2003, the Tigers are 7-1 against the Big Orange. It will be a major challenge and a major opportunity for this football team.

Oregon

• Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola was thrown into the fire Saturday night after Oregon’s starting quarterback Dante Moore was viciously knocked out of the contest against USC. Raiola, who was once compared to Patrick Mahomes, took over the reins and led the Ducks to a huge Big 10 conference road win against the Trojans. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning was less than gracious in victory Saturday night remarking, “if you’re interested in winning football games and you’re from this area (Los Angeles) you should go to Oregon. If you want to go to a Chris Brown concert, go here.” USC head coach Lincoln Riley, currently being compensated to the tune of $11.5 million a year, now sports a 39-19 record in 58 games as the Trojan’s head man. His predecessor, Clay Helton, was 37-21 after 58 games.

Iowa

• Former Auburn quarterback Hank Brown played the role of hero Saturday afternoon. With two seconds left, Brown threw a beautiful back-shoulder game-winning touchdown that propelled the Iowa Hawkeyes over the previously, and I’ll use this term loosely, unbeaten Michigan Wolverines, 20-19. There would be no assist from the officials this time, as Iowa left the Big House 4-0. Hawkeye head coach Kirk Farentz won the Big 10 in 2002 and 2004. He has also won three division titles since 2015. His squad will host Ohio State this week, and that game will go a long way to determining whether this season will be a special one in Iowa City.

LSU

• Lane Kiffin got his Bengal Tigers back on track Saturday night, a week after losing to his former team in Oxford. LSU easily dispatched Texas A&M Saturday night in Death Valley. The camera again found Kiffin performing his patented throw the arms up before the play is finished and tossing his play sheet high into the air, when quarterback Sam Levitt found Jackson Harris on a 57-yard 3rd quarter touchdown pass that put LSU up 21-3 and essentially sealed the victory.

Florida

• Those previously unbeaten Ole Miss Rebels ran into the same buzz saw that Auburn encountered at Jordan-Hare Stadium the week before, falling to the Gators 52-28. It was actually a similar sequence to Hugh Freeze’s Ole Miss team back in 2015. A week after knocking off #1 Alabama and riding high, Freeze took his team to Gainesville, where they were clobbered 38-10 by Jim McElwain's Gators. These Rebels sported a #4 national ranking after toppling LSU, only to be blown out by Jon Sumrall and company, who shredded Pete Golding's defense. This Florida team has scored over 200 points in four games, including 96 points in two SEC games. That is absurdly good. Let the Buster Faulkner sweepstakes begin.

Other headlines

• Georgia is probably still the team to beat in the SEC. They humiliated Oklahoma on Saturday. It was a disastrous performance by Sooner QB John Mateer, who pulled a Jameis Winston, then threw a pick 6 for good measure. The darling of the 2025 portal quarterback class could well be benched soon.
• Mississippi State appears to be a legitimate contender, moving to 4-0 after defeating #25 Missouri Saturday night. Bulldog quarterback Kamario Taylor is a special player. State hosts Alabama on Saturday.
• After going 0-12 last season, the UMass Minutemen are now 4-0 after defeating Sacramento State on Saturday. This is the most wins for the program in a season since moving up to FBS.
• Lastly, PJ Fleck smeared one of his player’s blood on his face after his Minnesota Golden Gophers flew out to Seattle and defeated Washington 27-24. No words.

Until next week…

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