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Week 4 knee-jerk reactions: Arch Manning isn't ready for primetime yet, QB controversy brewing at OU?
The college football season is in full swing as conference play kicked off for most of the field on Saturday.
Here are some knee-jerk reactions from the Week 4 action:
Arch Manning's time will come, but he may not be ready yet
Making his first college start in place of injured QB Quinn Ewers, Manning's performance overall was impressive in Texas' 51-3 win over ULM. However, there are parts of his game that need improvement.
Manning finished 15-of-29 for 258 yards (8.9 YPA), throwing for two scores. But he also threw two picks and didn't look nearly as polished in the pocket as the man ahead of him on the depth chart.
QB controversy brewing at Oklahoma?
After QB Jackson Arnold turned the football over three times in the first half, Oklahoma turned to true freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. to steer the ship in the second quarter against No. 6 Tennessee. That didn't necessarily solve the problem in a 25-15 loss to Tennessee, but it may have created a new one.
Hawkins was more productive than Arnold, finishing 11-of-18 for 132 yards (7.3 YPA) and a touchdown. Now, Oklahoma heads into a Week 5 battle at Auburn with more questions than answers at the QB position.
Michigan may abandon passing attack altogether following win over No. 11 USC
After benching QB Davis Warren in favor of Alex Orji, No. 18, Michigan leaned heavily on the run game in Saturday's 27-24 win over USC. The Wolverines rushed 46 times for 290 yards, paced by RB Kalel Mullings (159 yards, 17 carries, 2 TDs), RB Donovan Edwards (74 yards, 14 carries, 1 TD) and Orji (43 yards, 13 carries).
Orji finished with only 32 yards (7-of-12, 2.7 YPA), the fewest by the Wolverines since 1996, per ESPN. It'll be interesting to see if the strategy against Minnesota, who entered the week ranked 20th against the run, holding opponents to 2.6 YPA.
Ohio State RB Quinshon Judkins is approaching elite territory
A week after recording 108 yards (9 carries) and two touchdowns against Western Michigan, Judkins had his breakout game as a Buckeye in Saturday's 49-14 win over Marshall. The junior did whatever he wanted, rushing for 143 yards (14 carries), averaging 12.4 yards per carry with a pair of scores.
A three-star recruit in high school, Judkins proved himself with two 1,000-yard seasons at Ole Miss before landing at Ohio State. Now, he's inching closer to being considered among the elite backs in college football.
Georgia Tech let one slip away against No. 19 Louisville
Georgia Tech gave Louisville all it could handle, out-gaining them 410-326. But two crucial mistakes ultimately resulted in a 31-19 loss.
In the first half, leading 7-0, a sloppy lateral from QB Haynes King from their own nine-yard line led to a fumble recovery in the end zone by DL Roman Puryear. Then, trailing 24-19 with 7:16 to go, DB Tayon Holloway blocked a field goal attempt, returning it 60 yards for a touchdown.
It's a hard pill to swallow as, without those errors, they may have clinched their second victory over a top-ranked opponent this year.
First-year HC helping Buffalo make noise
Buffalo improved to 3-1 under first-year head coach Pete Lembo, posting a shocking come-from-behind 23-20 upset over No. 23 NIU on Saturday. Trailing by 11 at halftime (14-3), the Bulls forced three punts and an interception in the second half, outscoring the Huskies 17-6 to clinch the victory.
Since a one-sided 38-0 loss to No. 9 Missouri, Buffalo has responded with two wins, including arguably the most important in the program's history.
More must-reads:
- Michigan's win over USC was old-school, power football
- Watch: Michigan takes early lead vs. USC with long TD run
- The 'College football championship coaches' quiz
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Takeaways from Black Friday's biggest college football games: Texas A&M loses chance at SEC championship
Florida's reputation takes another hit after reportedly striking out on Lane Kiffin
The Florida Gators aren't what they once were. On Friday, ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel shared that Florida has pivoted in its coaching search from Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin to other candidates, a sign it no longer believes it's a candidate. That's despite, as Thamel noted, the Gators having previously "offered [Kiffin] a deal to put him among the highest paid coaches in college football, which included significant incentives." Florida Gators whiff on Lane Kiffin after aggressive pursuit Florida's failed pursuit of the former Alabama assistant highlights just how far the program has fallen in the decade-plus since its last national championship in 2008. The Gators have more losing seasons (six) than 10-win seasons (five) in the 17 years since. Thamel's report suggests Kiffin whittled his decision on where to coach in 2026 down to Ole Miss and LSU, which have aggressively pursued him in the weeks since the firing of Brian Kelly. It also forces Florida to settle on Plan B. Thamel described the Gators as "optimistic" about the search after interviewing "roughly a dozen" candidates, though from the outside it's hard to view the process as a success after whiffing on their top candidate. Florida must once again recalibrate its expectations for the program. It isn't the clear promotion it may once have been viewed as; instead, it is seen as a lateral move (if that) from a place like Ole Miss. The search could get even worse if Tulane coach Jon Sumrall withdraws from consideration or accepts Auburn's opening, a decision expected to come Sunday. The Gators swung for the fences after firing Billy Napier but didn't even reach the warning track. The program has fallen hard since its heyday as a national power, and while the next head coach might be able to alter its fortunes, that won't be Kiffin.
Details emerge on Francisco Lindor's alleged incident with Mets teammate
Mr. Smile apparently wasn’t smiling too much about one of his teammates last season. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor had a "heated confrontation" with teammate Jeff McNeil last June, Mike Puma of the New York Post reported on Friday. Puma writes that Lindor began verbally attacking McNeil on June 20 over a defensive lapse that McNeil had during that day’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The confrontation, which was only verbal and never got physical, came in the midst of a seven-game losing streak by the Mets at the time. Puma also reports that the flashy Lindor clashed personalities during the year with the business-like Juan Soto during the season as well. Interestingly enough, the five-time All-Star Lindor also had a confrontation with McNeil in the dugout during a game in the 2021 MLB season. That confrontation did turn physical, and Lindor later offered an extremely unconvincing excuse for the incident. Meanwhile, the incident last June underscored the Mets’ struggles to get on the same page with one another during the 2025 campaign. Despite having a mammoth $342 million payroll, the Mets completely collapsed in the final weeks of the season and missed the playoffs altogether. Now there are rumors that the Mets could make some big changes this offseason, including a potential trade of McNeil. After another apparent confrontation between the veteran utilityman and the four-time Silver Slugger Award winner Lindor, it is clear that something is not quite working right now in that clubhouse.
Jerry Jones claims Jets turned down absurd trade offer involving Micah Parsons, Quinnen Williams
Hal Steinbrenner’s comments on Yankees’ profits point to a larger issue
Over Thanksgiving week, New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner provided fans with plenty of news to digest. Among notable items that are circulating, four things stand out: his resolve to lower the payroll below $300 million, the insinuation that the Yankees are not a profitable ballclub, the assumption that the Los Angeles Dodgers’ astronomical payroll played no part in their dominance and his purported support for a salary cap. When seen together, these four items seem to suggest a severe reluctance to spend. Steinbrenner made it clear he wants to come in under the luxury tax threshold. Interestingly, he called the correlation between spending and championships weak, alluding to his Yankees as well as the New York Mets as examples of teams with high payrolls and limited success. However, this opens up a discussion about how said money was spent. The Mets notably dumped a record sum on signing Juan Soto, but did little elsewhere. But what about the Yankees? When asked if it was fair to say the Yankees turned a profit after engrossing over $700 million in revenue, Steinbrenner had this to say, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch: “That’s not a fair statement or an accurate statement. Everybody wants to talk about revenues. They need to talk about our expenses, including the $100 million expense to the City of New York that we have to pay every February 1, including the COVID year. So, it all starts to add up in a hurry. “Nobody spends more money, I don’t believe, on player development, scouting, performance science. These all start to add up.” Altogether, the Yankees spent slightly under $305 million on players’ salaries in 2025. For a breakeven season, the Yankees would have needed to spend over $395 million elsewhere. Where did it all go? Steinbrenner mentioned the $100 million expense to New York City. As for the bulk of their expenses, the Yankees owner pointed towards player development, scouting and performance science. This raises a more serious question about mismanagement. The Yankees are overspending on failing analytics If most of the money was spent on development, scouting and performance science, one could easily argue that the cost has outweighed the benefits. Despite having spent so much, these efforts have produced very little. Over the years, the Yankees have seen more failures than success stories when developing major league talent. Promising players and top prospects like Gary Sanchez, Clint Frazier, Deivi Garcia, Miguel Andujar, Domingo German, Chance Adams, Justus Sheffield, Oswald Peraza and Estevan Florial, among many others, never panned out. The team also gave up on Carlos Narvaez and Agustin Ramirez in favor of Austin Wells, who underperformed the pair of rookie backstops this past season. Another catching prospect, Yankees 2018 first-round draft pick Anthony Seigler, who struggled during his time in the Yankees’ farm system as recently as last year, excelled with the Milwaukee Brewers in Triple-A this year. Anthony Volpe, Will Warren, Luis Gil and Jasson Dominguez are four current works in progress. It might also be fair to say the torpedo bat craze the Yankees started has officially ended. Of their recent triumphs, the Yankees boast Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler. Going further back, one might add Gleyber Torres and Aaron Judge to the list; however, Judge’s swing was actually developed by famed hitting coach Richard Schenck, not the Yankees. Spending on these efforts is by no means a waste; nonetheless, it’s clear the Yankees are grossly overspending for something that isn't even working. Whether it means an organizational shakeup or reallocation of funds to target proven major league talent, Steinbrenner’s approach needs to change.
Massive injury news in Buffalo gives Steelers a huge advantage
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a very crucial game coming up, as they face the Buffalo Bills in a contest that could have strong playoff implications down the road. After all the bad news and reports of dysfunction coming out of the locker room, they need this win to turn everything around and prove that they aren't just a total mess. Not only that, but a win would also set them up to take back control of the AFC North, especially with a date with the Baltimore Ravens just around the corner. The Steelers may have an advantage with a mismatch in the trenches. Joe Buscaglia, a beat writer for the Bills on The Athletic, explained how Buffalo could be put in a rough situation due to an injury to right tackle Spencer Brown. "Losing that level of talent [from Spencer Brown] is bad enough, but it’s multiplied by the disparity of on-field results between him and his likely backup, Ryan Van Demark," Buscaglia wrote. "Van Demark’s best position is left tackle, and when he’s subbed in at right tackle, it has led to some real opportunities for the opposition." Buscaglia also gave examples of how backup tackle Ryan Van Demark had his issues in the Bills' Week 12 loss, when he seemed to have no chance against elite edge-rusher Will Anderson. He was a big part of quarterback Josh Allen getting sacked eight times, and if he has to play against the Steelers' pass rush, there may be some big problems there. In fact, the Bills have not only ruled out Brown, but now left tackle Dion Dawkins is officially out with a concussion. Both tackles will be backups. Buscaglia noted that Van Demark is more comfortable at left tackle, but now they have a conundrum on the other side. He mentioned that Chase Lundt has only been active once for the Bills in 2025, and now he may have to start against TJ Watt. That is a nightmare matchup for anyone, let alone someone as inexperienced as Lundt. Either way, this is going to be a massive challenge for the Bills' offensive line. Two backup offensive tackles will be going up against a very strong pass rush. Van Demark will have his battles with Alex Highsmith, and both him and Lundt will have to try and slow down Nick Herbig as well, as he can wreak havoc on both sides of the line. Steelers and Bills will be intense coaching battle Head coach Sean McDermott and offensive coordinator Joe Brady will have to help this makeshift offensive line in any way they can. Watt is still the most chipped player in the NFL currently, and there is no reason to not expect at least four hands to be on him on every single snap. Priority No. 1 is keeping these great edge-rushers from taking full advantage of the Bills' injuries in the trenches. Meanwhile, many teams have figured out how to slow down Mike Tomlin's defense, whether the opposing offensive line is at full strength or not. If the Bills successfully shut down the Steelers' pass rush, Tomlin will have to find a way to make adjustments and throw new things that these inexperienced tackles have not seen, like certain stunts and personnel shifts. Despite all the talent on both teams, coaching will most likely decide the victor.
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