College Football’s Biggest Week 4 Disappointments: Oklahoma’s SEC Debut, the State of North Carolina

Oklahoma waited 38 months between its announced departure from the Big 12 Conference and its debut in the SEC. The culmination of more than three years of eager anticipation resulted in a sluggish 25-15 loss at home, one that was uglier than the final score suggests.

The Sooners kicked off their SEC membership under ideal conditions: a top 10-ranked opponent coming into Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, the return of a prodigal son as the visiting head coach, and a prime-time television kickoff.

However, Oklahoma managed only 222 total yards—just 36 on the ground—and went the game’s first 51:45 without a touchdown. Meanwhile, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, who quarterbacked Oklahoma to its last national championship, watched as his Vols built a 19-3 halftime lead.

Under Heupel, Tennessee has been known for its explosive offense, and they showed flashes of that in Norman, particularly with Nico Iamaleava’s 66-yard touchdown pass to Dont’e Thornton Jr., which ignited a run of 19 unanswered points.

But it was Tennessee’s swarming, physical defense that stole the spotlight. This was perhaps an appropriate welcome to the SEC, given the conference’s reputation for defensive toughness.

With the setting and Heupel on the sideline, Tennessee evoked memories of Oklahoma’s 2000 Bowl Championship Series title team. That it was the Sooners’ inability to move the ball against a team coached by a former OU assistant, fired from his offensive coordinator post in 2014, only compounds the disappointment of an underwhelming SEC debut. 

Tennessee’s emphatic win wasn’t disappointing for everyone in the state of Oklahoma, though. Heupel’s mother, Cindy, who drove from Aberdeen, South Dakota, to Norman for Sooners games during the Vols coach’s playing days, died in May. 

“She was looking forward to this game. She’s got a lot of friends across the state who knew she was looking forward to it,” Heupel said in his postgame press conference. “It was unique for this to be a road game for me but a home game for a lot of my family.” 

Carolina Blues

If Hubert Davis’ North Carolina Tar Heels basketball team faced fellow 2024 NCAA Tournament qualifier James Madison, it’s likely the UNC hoopers would hold JMU to fewer points than the 70 Mack Brown’s gridiron Tar Heels allowed on Saturday.

“Embarrassing day. Shocking day,” Brown said in his postgame press conference. “You shouldn’t be at North Carolina and lose to a Group of Five team, period.”

It wasn’t just that the Tar Heels lost, especially to a program fresh off a Top 25 season. North Carolina allowed 611 yards, effectively launching a Heisman Trophy campaign for JMU quarterback Alonza Barnett III.

Barnett passed for 388 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for another 99 yards and two more scores. Not since Dalton Knecht dropped 37 points at the Dean Dome last basketball season had a visitor made such an offensive impression on Chapel Hill.

North Carolina’s anemic defensive showing, combined with NC State’s dismal outing at Clemson, made North Carolina college football the epicenter of disappointment in Week 4.

While the Wolfpack’s rout at Death Valley wasn’t surprising—NC State came into the game as a 17-point underdog—the 59-35 final score was one touchdown and an extra point more than that spread.

Saturday marked a low point in what has been an all-around disappointing start to NC State’s season. The Pack opened the year ranked in the Top 25, looking poised to break into the upper echelon of the ACC after several solid seasons under Dave Doeren.

Instead, NC State has backslid. A 41-point loss to Tennessee in Week 2 paled in comparison to Saturday’s debacle. Had Dabo Swinney not called off the dogs with Clemson ahead 52-7 in the third quarter, the final score could have been even worse.

Things deteriorated to the point where ESPN color commentator Greg McElroy lamented that the Pack’s “terrible” tackling was “unrecognizable” compared to past Doeren-coached teams.