College Football Week 4 Standouts
Week Four of the 2022 college football season provided one of the most action-packed Saturdays this year. Here are some of the top standout performers from Saturday's games.
Jalon Daniels, QB, Kansas
The Jayhawks' quarterback is possibly the best player on the team and has shown all season. Kansas is off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 2009 Many knew Daniels could run, but he's been incredible as a passer as well. He currently ranks first in the country in QBR and has thrown 11 touchdown passes against just one interception. He finished Saturday against Duke with 324 passing yards and five total touchdowns.
Adrian Martinez, QB, Kansas State
I've been critical of Martinez as a passer, but K-State adjusted its strategy to fit his running abilities in its road upset over No. 6 Oklahoma. It's difficult enough for defenses to stop Deuce Vaughn, and that opens up opportunities for others. Martinez was a decent passer in this one but did most of his damage on the ground-- running for 148 yards and four scores. If Kansas State sticks with this strategy, it can be a dangerous team in the Big 12.
DJ Uiagalelei, QB, Clemson
Since his big coming-out party in the 2020 overtime loss at Notre Dame, Uiagalelei's play has gone considerably downhill, but he had his best performance since then on Saturday. In a matchup between ranked ACC foes and possible conference title contenders, the junior quarterback hung 371 yards and five touchdowns on the Wake Forest defense in a double-overtime win.
Sam Hartman, QB, Wake Forest
Although his team lost, Hartman went toe-to-toe with Uiagalelei. This guy is one of the criminally underrated players in the country and takes the Wake Forest team up a level by simply being available to play. His 337-yard and six touchdown performance was a huge reason this game was so close, and it came against an elite defense.
Chase Cunningham, QB, Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee got plenty of great performances in its upset over No. 25 Miami, but Cunningham's may have been the most important. As a passer, he was incredibly efficient with 408 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception on 16 of 25 passing. He also added a rushing touchdown and showed incredible poise against a superior opponent.
Donovan Smith, QB, Texas Tech
The 3-1 Red Raiders have been playing well since Smith replaced injured starter Tyler Shough in Week Two. They have defeated two ranked teams in Lubbock and made things close on the road against a now-No. 10 North Carolina State. Smith has been a big part of both upset victories but was more consistent, poised, and efficient on Saturday against Texas--particularly when it came to interceptions.
Bo Nix, QB Oregon
Nix took a ton of heat from his performance in the season-opener against Georgia, but he seems to have turned a corner since. In the Ducks' past three games, he has thrown for nearly 1,000 yards with 10 touchdowns and only one interception. On Saturday, he had his best game of the year with 428 yards and three touchdowns and was a huge factor in Oregon's come-from-behind win.
Cam Ward, QB, Washington State
While Nix won the game, Ward was impressive as well. I recently said on the podcast that he needed to be more of a factor in deciding games going forward, and he stepped up on Saturday. Yes, he did throw some interceptions late that inevitably lost the game, but his overall play was very good. Plus, he can use the late mistakes as a learning experience for the rest of the year.
Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee
Hooker is firmly in the Heisman race as Tennessee enters the top 10 at 4-0, and the Vols needed every part of his game to defeat Florida. While Anthony Richardson could be listed here after throwing for 453 yards (by far his best yet), it was Hooker who led his team to a big lead. He only had six incompletions on the night with 461 total yards and three touchdowns, which are really only numbers you see in high school games.
Blake Corum, RB, Michigan
Maryland battled Michigan for most of this game, but it was Corum's performance that bailed the No. 4 Wolverines out of trouble. The Terrapins' defense had no answer for him, and he gained yards in CHUNKS at a time. He finished the day with 243 yards and two touchdowns-- including a 47-yard touchdown to ultimately end any chance of an upset.
Devon Achane, RB, Texas A&M
A&M scored the upset, and, while there's plenty going around about Arkansas's missed field goal, the game doesn't reach that point without Achane. While he only had one score, Achane's speed was extremely evident as he torched the Razorbacks' defense for 159 yards on the ground.
Travis Dye, RB, USC
The Oregon transfer had his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game as the Trojans narrowly escaped Oregon State in Corvallis, He had a season-high 133 yards and scored the first touchdown of the game for either team.
Kendre Miller, RB, TCU
The Horned Frogs running back ran for 142 yards and a touchdown as TCU reclaimed the Iron Skillet and head coach Sunny Dykes won his first matchup over his former team. It was his first 100-yard performance of the year and his touchdown helped the team establish an early 14-0 lead.
DJ England-Chisolm and Jaylin Lane, WRs, Middle Tennessee
As is often the case, when a quarterback has a big game, a couple of his receivers did as well. In this case, Middle Tennessee's pair of receivers combined for 299 receiving yards, while England-Chisolm caught two touchdowns. Add in a 69-yard score by Elijah Metcalf, and the Blue Raiders' receiving corps had an outstanding day at the office.