Week 4 is upon us and the injury bug is starting to hit. Great players such as Myles Jack and Malik Zaire are lost for the years and other stalwarts such as Carl Lawson are out for a significant amount of time. While each of their teams is sure to feel the effects of such huge losses, it is up to the next man in line to step up and take their place.

This week is devoid of many big matchups, as there will only two games taking place between teams ranked in the top-25; however, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some good individual matchups that will be taking place this week in college football. Without further do, let’s take a look at some of those key individual clashes that evaluators will have their keen eye on this week.

Su’a Cravens vs. D.J. Foster

One of the marquee matchups that will be taking place during the Arizona State and Southern California game will be between offensive weapon D.J. Foster and outside linebacker Su’a Cravens.

Foster is a jack-of-all-trades weapon who can line up at running back or wide receiver at any given moment. Arizona State is at its best when it gets Foster the ball in space where he utilizes his game-breaking elusiveness and speed to slice his way through defenses. The man who will primarily be responsible for stopping him is the talented playmaker, Cravens. On a USC defense that has underachieved this season, Cravens has been one of the lone bright spots.

In this matchup, Arizona State will have to be crafty in the way they get Foster the ball because his route-running isn’t polished enough for him to have his way with a fluid athlete like Cravens. However, Cravens will have to be smart throughout the game and not fall for the variety of traps that Arizona State lays for opposing defenders.

Overall, Cravens should have the advantage in this matchup because of his intelligence and awareness in space. If Arizona State can’t get the ball to Foster early on in space, expect Cravens to find a way to make a couple of big plays to turn the tide in USC’s favor.

Devontae Booker vs. Joe Walker

In a matchup between two of the most underrated prospects in college football, Devontae Booker and Joe Walker will meet as Utah faces off against Oregon.

Booker is a great all-around running back who displays fantastic conceptual awareness to go along with nifty elusiveness and excellent vision. Walker is an athletically limited linebacker who excels with great instincts and knowledge of the fundamentals. He is always around the ball and he makes a ton of plays that players with his athleticism shouldn’t be making.

Walker will be primarily tasked with stopping Booker throughout the game, which will be vital to Oregon’s chances on Saturday. Utah will look to control the clock and keep the ball out of the high-powered Oregon offense’s hands. This means that Oregon will likely see a heavy dosage of Booker both in the run game and pass game.

It will be extremely important that Walker reads his keys and diagnosis the play early so that he can flow into Booker’s running lanes and make the tackle. If he doesn’t Booker will find the open running lane and gash the Oregon defense repeatedly.

Trevone Boykin vs. Pete Robertson

TCU against Texas Tech looks like a mismatch on paper, as the Horned Frogs are a vastly super team in almost every phase of football. Nevertheless, Texas Tech may have a chance if their talented pass-rusher, Pete Robertson can have a big day bringing down TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin.

That won’t be an easy task as Boykin is extremely hard to sack because of his elite speed and elusiveness for a quarterback. Robertson will have to stay disciplined when he is attacking the quarterback because if he comes in wild, Boykin will make him miss with ease.

Boykin does a masterful job of running TCU’s offense as he can beat opponents with his legs or arm; however, he has shown that he has a tendency to get rattled if he gets hit a few times. This is where Robertson will have to make an impact with his speed around the edge. Neither of these players are top-flight prospects, but both can add to their resume to become mid-to-late round players with a big day on Saturday.