College football Week 4: 15 players to watch

Though the Cavaliers lost a high-scoring game to North Carolina last week, it doesn't diminish how great Armstrong played. The junior completed 39 of 54 passes for 554 yards and 4 TDs in the loss, his second straight game of at least 400 yards and 4 TDs passing (he put up 405 yds and 5 TDs against Illinois). He's tied for the national lead in pass attempts over 20 yards, so Virginia is able to create big plays routinely, which they did against the Tar Heels. UVa hosts surprising Wake Forest on Thursday night.

When Haynes King went down with a lower leg injury, Calzada got his chance at the starting job. Calzada lost the pre-season quarterback battle to King, which may be due to King's dual-threat ability as much as Calzada's less impressive showing. He struggled a big when he came in against Colorado, but did lead the Aggies to a game-winning drive late. He looked a bit more comfortable last week in a 34-0 win over New Mexico, throwing for 275 yards and 3 TDs. The competition gets a lot tougher this week, as A&M takes on No. 16 Arkansas in Arlington, Texas. 

Clifford was efficient in the Nittany Lions' win over Auburn last week. He completed 28 of 32 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns, marking his most impressive showing of the young season. Penn State has shot up the rankings due to their tough defense and improved passing game, and this week they get a bit of a break by hosting Villanova. Look for Clifford to air it out a bit more.

Corum has been on a tear this season. He has rushed for 407 yards in three games, including his 125 yards and 3 TDs against Northern Illinois last week. The Wolverines lead the nation in rushing yards per game (350.3 yds) and look like a team that could contend for their first Big Ten championship since 2004. Up next is Rutgers and their improving defense ... though the program has lost 46 of their last 53 league games. 

The Tar Heels offense finally broke out in a big way against rival Virginia. The offense piled up 699 yards, with 203 of them coming to Downs through the air ... including one of the best layouts for a touchdown  you'll ever see. He also caught a quick pass and ran 75 yards for another touchdown and seemingly finding a nice groove with quarterback Sam Howell. North Carolina heads down to Atlanta to face a stingy Georgia Tech defense that gave up just 14 points to Clemson this week. 

Goodson has rushed for a touchdown in all three Iowa wins this season. Last week against Kent State, he exploded for 153 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns against the Golden Flashes, giving the No. 5 Hawkeyes their highest ranking since 2015. Goodson is the workhorse in Iowa City, responsible for over half of the team's carries this year, and the key to an offense that's still trying to find its way. Iowa hosts Colorado State on Saturday. 

How could you not root for Jake Haener after watching his gutsy performance against UCLA last week? He was absolutely crushed by a defender when making a deep pass and was noticeably hurt as he got back to the huddle. He continued to play despite grimacing in pain, leading the Bulldogs to a late drive to win the game against the Bruins. Haener transferred to Fresno after his freshman year at Washington and has been nothing short of fantastic. He threw for over 2,000 yards and 14 TDs last season in six games and has already passed for nearly 1,500 yards (currently leading the nation) and 10 TDs in four games this season. Fresno State gets a bit of an easier task than Oregon or Washington this week as they host UNLV on Friday night. 

Henderson went off against Tulsa last week, rushing for 277 yards and 3 TDs in the win over the Golden Hurricane, breaking Archie Griffin's freshman school record for rushing yards in a game. His big day may have kept the Buckeyes' season from going off the rails as Ohio State struggled to shake Tulsa. His two long runs (48 and 52 yards) for touchdowns seemed to settle down the offense. He should eat well this coming week as the Buckeyes face Akron, one of the worst teams in the FBS. The Zips gave up 313 rushing yards to Auburn earlier this season 

Jefferson has had a fantastic start to the 2021 season. A dual-threat running back, Jefferson showed how good his arm can be by tossing for 366 yards and 3 TDs against Georgia Southern last week -- more than what he passed for in the first two games combined. His running has also been on point, averaging 7.5 yards per carry and second on the team in rushing yards. The Razorbacks are one of the best rushing teams in the nation, making their showdown with Texas A&M in Arlington a must-see if you want to see a physical match-up that should go down to the wire. 

London has had two huge games already this season. In the Trojans opener against San Jose State, the junior caught 12 passes for 137 yards. Last week at Washington State, he caught 13 passes for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns. All of this despite the team going through a coaching change and the Trojans losing starting quarterback Kedon Slovis against the Cougars. London did all his damage with backup Jaxson Dart taking over for Slovis. USC hosts Oregon State on Saturday. 

Jalen Berger was thought to be the clear starter for the Badgers entering into the season but didn't play in the opener against Penn State and has seemingly lost his starting gig to Clemson transfer Mellusi. Mellusi got the most carries for Wisconsin in their blowout of Eastern Michigan last Saturday, though Berger did get 15 carries. Mellusi broke through for a 60-yard run and would score the game's first touchdown (Berger scored as well). With the Badgers facing Notre Dame in Chicago this week, look for both guys to get a fair share of carries. But it looks as if Mellusi ... who is averaging 5.7 yards-per-carry for his career ... is the one who will be the featured back. 

It's not a secret that the Clemson Tigers are struggling on offense. Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne -- both now of the Jacksonville Jaguars -- are not walking through that door. As DJ Uiagalelei develops, it seems that Shipley may be relied on more and more going forward. Last week against Georgia Tech was an example of that, as he received 21 carries (he has 12 total in the Tigers' first two games) and rushed for 88 yards and 2 touchdowns -- the second straight week he's found the endzone twice. That's not Etienne-level production, but Shipley seems to be settling in as a major contributor and as a reliable option on a surprisingly weak offense. Clemson heads up to play NC State in one of the more dangerous games on their ACC slate. 

Verdell followed his epic performance against Ohio State (161 rush yards, 3 total TDs) with a light day against Stony Brook (54 yards on 11 carries) but will get back into the saddle again against a bad Arizona team. The Wildcats are 0-3 and just lost to Northern Arizona, so Verdell and the No. 3 ranked Ducks should have a big day. 

Two weeks ago, Wake Forest transfer Kenneth Walker III made this list and he has continued to shine. That time, he was coming off a 264-yard-4-TD showing against Northwestern; this week is after him piling up 172 yards on Miami. He's the nation's leading rusher (despite having a light load against Youngstown State in Week 2) and has the Spartans ranked in the top 20 this week. Michigan State hosts flailing Nebraska on Saturday, one of the worst run defenses in the Big Ten.

As the Fighting Irish find their way offensively, Williams is just a constant that head coach Brian Kelly can count on. He hasn't had that dominating game you may have expected, but he's doing his thing week in and week out. Last Saturday against Purdue, he got just 14 touches but ended up with 91 rushing yards, 47 receiving yards, and a touchdown both on the ground and in the air. Williams will be going up against a Wisconsin defense that has given up just 66 rushing yards in two games this season.