College Football Weekly: Week 4 Winners and Losers

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RB Jonathan Franklin (23) and the Bruins ran roughshod over Texas (Ronald Martinez-Getty Images) Marquee Matchups Week 4 in the college football world set the stage for what we can expect in the always critical month of October. The first month of the season is done and we found a few pleasant surprises while some teams experienced some unpleasant ones. Here are the winners and losers from Week 4: Big Winners UCLAAfter losing a close game in Manhattan to Kansas State to start the season and getting thrashed at home 35-0 by Stanford, UCLA's season looked as if it would see no more than 3 or 4 wins. Things got going last week with a 33-7 win over previously ranked Houston. However, the Bruins made a huge statement this week by whipping Texas in Austin 34-12. Surprisingly, the Bruins were physical on both sides of the ball; rushing for 264 yards and holding Texas to only 85 yards rushing. All day, UCLA ball carriers like Johnathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman ran through gaping holes in Texas' defense. QB Kevin Prince only threw eight passes on the day, but his 38-yard TD scamper with less than a minute left in the third quarter was the score that put the game out of reach at 27-6. You have to figure that the Bruins won't contend for the Pac-10 title this year, but they can still be a factor. Auburn and QB Cam NewtonFor the second straight week as his team faced adversity, Cam Newton took his team on his back and led them to victory. He accounted for 334 yards of total offense and all of Auburn's scores (158 yards and 2 TDs passing, 176 yards and 3 TDs rushing) in the Tigers 35-27 win over South Carolina. After Gamecocks QB Stephen Garcia threw his second TD of the game to Alshon Jeffery to put South Carolina up 20-7 with six minutes left, Newton responded with two TD runs to give the Tigers the lead with six minutes left in third quarter. When Garcia and the Gamecocks answered on the ensuing drive to give South Carolina a 27-21 lead, it was Newton who threw two TD passes in the fourth quarter that provided the winning difference. In a game where his counterpart stepped up with a huge performance on the road, he shouldered the load and kept the process moving. NevadaThe Wolfpack have impressed all season long and the pollsters have noticed. For the first time since 1948, Nevada is ranked in the AP Top 25. After their 27-13 win over BYU Saturday, they are 4-0 for the first time since 1991. QB Colin Kaepernick continues to impress leading the Pistol offense, which is averaging 44.8 points per game in the young season. What may be more impressive is their defense is only yielding 18 points per contest, something which will be key in their continued pursuit of a late November showdown in Reno with WAC favorite and BCS-buster Boise State. Florida and QB Trey BurtonJust before they head into a critical matchup with top-ranked 'Bama next weekend, Florida unveiled a wrinkle and found a weapon in QB Trey Newton. Newton, the athletic freshman dual-threat, ran for 5 TDs and caught an 11-yard TD pass in the Gators 48-14 win over Kentucky. Newton tied a school record for touchdowns in one game set by Tim Tebow. Newton's athleticism and versatility can prove valuable when the Gators go to Tuscaloosa. Big Losers: TexasWith all apologies to the NBC phenomenon, Texas was this week's Biggest Loser. The Longhorns didn't exactly set the world on fire in beating Rice, Wyoming and Texas Tech. Their performances were uninspiring and their talent probably was the deciding factor in those contests. They faced a game UCLA squad that out-played and out-toughed them in every aspect of the game. The second-ranked rush defense in the country? Forget about it: UCLA chewed up the Texas D to the tune of 264 yards on the ground. You can never expect to win when you turnover the ball five times and have a punt blocked for a TD. Looking at the game and stats, it's surprising they didn't lose by a larger margin. The pollsters probably saw the Longhorn's flaws and treated them summarily by dropping them 14 spots in the polls. The reward for this loss?-it come next week in Cowboys Stadium against No. 8 Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. Good luck. GeorgiaForget about getting restless: the natives are already there in Athens. Since its opening day win over Louisiana-Lafayette, the Bulldogs have since dropped three straight conference games. Saturday's 24-12 loss at Mississippi State was a dismal offensive performance. Georgia's fumbling problems continued, losing two including a Washaun Ealey fumble just short of the goal line. QB Aaron Murray has performed well thus far, but he has suffered from the absence of All-American WR A.J. Green who was suspended for the first four contests after violating NCAA violations. Down three games in the ultra-competitive SEC East, things aren't going to get easier for the 'Dawgs. They still have Tennessee at home and dates with Florida and Auburn lined up later this season. Oregon StateThe Beavers continued to struggle offensively in their 37-24 loss to No. 3 Boise State. They gained only 237 net yards, had only 78 yards rushing with 2.4 yards per rush, and were a putrid 3-13 on third downs. QB Ryan Katz was off target most of the night, completing less than 50 percent of his passes, and was sacked four times. The Rogers brothers each scored, but in order for Oregon State to make the Pac-10 race interesting, they have to get better play for Katz and more consistency from role players. Credit the Broncos for a strong defensive performance, but the Beavers haven't played at an ultra-high level since the season started. For Boise State's and TCU's BCS hopes, they better hope that Oregon State gets it going. Other Winners: QB Russell Wilson-N.C. StateWilson's great start continued against the Yellow Jackets. He threw for 368 yards and accounted for 4 TDs as the Wolfpack stunned Georgia Tech in Atlanta 45-28 to move to 4-0. Wilson is having an All-American type season and people better start paying attention as to what's going on in Raleigh. Stanford's defenseAll the rage heading into Saturday's meeting with Notre Dame was on QB Andrew Luck and the Stanford offense. This matchup, the Cardinal D made the difference. They held the Irish to 44 yards rushing, 14 points and took a Dayne Crist pick back for six points in the 4th quarter. Most impressive about the unit's performance: the Irish could only muster a field goal off of three Stanford turnovers. RB Stevan Ridley-LSUOn a night where Tigers QB Jordan Jefferson struggled with two more interceptions, the running back took the load on offense, gaining 116 yards on 20 carries and the opening score as the Tigers held on the beat West Virginia 20-14 Other Losers Penn StateWhile Penn State had no trouble moving the ball against Temple, they had a bit of trouble scoring points. The Nittany Lions got off to a slow start yet again against the Owls. Their offense has not inspired confidence and will need to get better next week when they travel to Iowa. ArizonaHad it not been for Cal's Giorgio Tavecchhio and heroics of QB Nick Foles, Arizona would have suffered the ultimate letdown and a severe blow to its Rose Bowl chances. PurdueToledo came into their matchup with the Boilermakers last in FBS total offense. They put up 31 points and dealt an embarrassing loss to Purdue, who lost QB Robert Marve to a knee injury the second straight week.