We’re tracking all the top teams, plays and story lines in college football Week 3. Follow along with each slate on another busy Saturday in the sport.
Night
-Texas A&M feels like it’s on the brink of disarray, but still pulled out a home victory over Miami. The Aggies were reeling off the upset loss to Appalachian State, changed quarterbacks, suspended some players, still struggled badly on offense—but they did beat the Hurricanes, 17–9. New starting QB Max Johnson threw for a pedestrian 140 yards and a touchdown, which means A&M is still under 250 total passing yards in two games against FBS competition. Is this team ready for SEC competition? It has to be, because the annual neutral-site game against Arkansas in JerryWorld is coming next weekend.
-The weekly references to #CollegeKickers missing key place kicks is rampant in college football, but South Florida can lament both its #CollegeSnapper and #CollegeHolder for costing it a potential landmark upset of Florida. Easily in tying field goal range in the final minute, the Bulls were sent 20 yards backward by low shotgun snap, then had their holder botch the job of setting up kicker Spencer Shrader. Somehow, he still nearly made the thing:
-The Anthony Richardson–centric offense at Florida continues to struggle badly. After showing promise in the season opener against Utah, Richardson was completely ineffective against Kentucky and has had a brutal second half tonight against South Florida. Richardson threw an interception in the end zone to help USF preserve a 28–24 lead. The Bulls have scored the last 18 points of the game, as Florida has flailed. For the night, Richardson is 10 of 18 for 112 yards and two interceptions, and has not been a major factor in the running game, either.
-Missouri State has a seven-point lead and the ball in Arkansas territory entering the fourth quarter. Rev your Harley, Bobby Petrino. As many bad losses as the Razorbacks have had in recent years, this would be worse than any of them. (The Hogs rallied with a 21-point fourth quarter to win, 38–27.)
-Over in the Tennessee-Akron game … (Calloway was subsequently ejected).
-A fumbled punt has turned the game around abruptly in Baton Rouge. LSU was trailing Mississippi State by six and punted to the Bulldogs, but it was fumbled and the Tigers recovered inside the MSU 10-yard line. They scored quickly to take the lead, 17–16, and have tacked on two more touchdown drives while the Bulldogs’ defense has stalled. Brian Kelly is close to his first significant victory at LSU.
-Marshall has plummeted from the penthouse to the outhouse, going from a stunning win at Notre Dame last week to losing at previously winless Bowling Green this week in overtime. The Thundering Herd jumped to a 21–7 lead and then lost their juice, as if the reservoir of emotion ran dry after expending so much of it in South Bend. It’s back to reality now for the Herd, and it should make Notre Dame feel even worse about the way that game went down on Sept. 10.
-Washington is threatening to run Michigan State into Puget Sound. The Huskies lead the Spartans 16–0 and have a 197–16 total yardage advantage. Indiana transfer QB Michael Penix Jr. and his receivers have been explosive, and the Washington defense has dominated the line of scrimmage. The Huskies had good players last year but were poorly coached and in disarray. They’re in much better shape now and look capable of competing with Oregon for Pacific Northwest supremacy.
- There was a multi-patient incident in Boone‚ home of Appalachian State—following its win. Fans rushed the field and multiple traumatic injuries were reported.
Midday
- Give Oregon credit for being the Bounce-Back Team of the Year to date. The Ducks were destroyed in the season opener by Georgia, 49–3, but that now looks more like a commentary on the Bulldogs’ prowess than a warning sign about Oregon. Since then, rookie head coach Dan Lanning has won two games by a combined score of 111–34. Quarterback Bo Nix, an Auburn transfer, had a fourth consecutive struggle against Georgia but since then has been sharp. He passed for 222 yards, ran for 35 and had five total touchdowns.
- Appalachian State’s joy ride continues, thanks to the wildest walk-off touchdown of the day (so far).
Chase Brice’s Hail Mary pass didn’t reach the end zone, but it did deflect into the hands of receiver Christian Horn, who circled around a cluster of players to the right to score the winner over Troy on the last play. (Troy contributed to its own demise by taking an intentional safety, having to then kick from its own 20-yard line, and squibbing the kick. Sometimes games are lost as much as won.) App’s last week: shock Texas A&M, hosts ESPN's College GameDay.
- Current scores involving the downtrodden state of Colorado: Minnesota 49, Colorado 7 (fourth quarter); Washington State 28, Colorado State 0 (at halftime). And the best team in the state, Air Force, was upset Friday night by Wyoming. Ski season can’t arrive soon enough.
- Marcus Freeman had to endure one … two … three … four tips on a Hail Mary pass by Cal on the final play before getting his first victory as a head coach. Notre Dame won 24–17, but not before giving the Golden Bears every last opportunity to tie or possibly win at the end. A blatant targeting foul by linebacker J.D. Bertrand kept Cal’s final drive alive, then a fumble-return touchdown by the Fighting Irish was overturned (correctly) because Cal QB Jack Plummer’s knee was down and ended the play. That gave the Bears a last heave into the end zone, and at least two Cal receivers got their hands on the ball before it fell to the turf. Playing with its backup quarterback, Notre Dame is a long way from good—but at least it is no longer winless.
- And with that, Marcus Freeman gets his first win as Notre Dame's head coach:
- South Alabama let an upset win at UCLA slip away at the end, in part by committing this crime against football:
- Penn State QB Sean Clifford thus in the first half at Auburn: 117 yards passing, 14 yards and a touchdown rushing (and survived a massive hit on a scramble), and how about in this 25-yard reception?
- BYU has missed three of its last four field goals, with all of them inside 40 yards.
That includes two misses against Baylor last week, which helped extend that game into multiple overtimes.
- You may see this pick and think it’s a bad play for Auburn, which it certainly is, but adding insult to injury is the fact that the play probably shouldn’t have happened at all. The clock hit triple zeroes presnap and neither the replay booth nor the Tigers realized it
Noon
- Ok, so Purdue hit that go-ahead TD and the proceeded to commit seven penalties, six of which were accepted. It allowed Syracuse to march for a short game-winning drive to setup a chipshot kickoff of their own. An unhinged finish gives the hometown Orange an improbably electric win after a 9–3 halftime score.
Good news for Purdue: they had a go-ahead touchdown late in the game at Syracuse. Bad news: they had 30 yards of penalties which set up an interesting ensuing kickoff. As Syracuse drove to try and win, the Boilermakers committed another penalty to extend their drive.
- Aidan O’Connell doesn’t let the pick hold him down. He comes right back to first this deep.
- OH NO PURDUE NOT LIKE THIS. Thicc six, Cuse goes up 10.
- Northern Illinois is up 31–17 over Northwestern off the turnover late, and that is not great for the Wildcats.
- We got us a good one in Syracuse. The Boilermakers were "no tackling, just vibes," which helped the Orange score on a busted play and add a two-point conversion to go up three late over Purdue. Syracuse had struggled to score a touchdown all game and has added two already in the second half.
- If you wanna hop on a plane and head to the Rose Bowl there are plenty of good seats to be had!
- There was a late fumble for Northwestern if you’re looking for an upset in this slate. The Wildcats are in a tight game with Southern Illinois and despite a decent drive, coughed the ball up to their spoiler-minded opponent with around eight minutes left.
- Not great when you make a conference opponent look like UConn
- Annnnnd it didn't take long for Gamecocks fans to decide that this one was over:
- Here's another one from Bowers ... wow:
- It seems some Nebraska fans have an opinion on the future of the coaching staff
- BROCK. BOWERS. Dawgs on top 21-0.
- South Carolina’s Kai Kroeger played quarterback in high school, so it should be no surprise that as a punter, he can work a safety like this on the fake. It was a great play to prolong the drive, but Georgia’s defense still kept them out of the end zone.
- Georgia’s defense is good enough that you can’t give them the gift of a turnover like this, but South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler underthrows this wheel route and the Dawgs took over using a subsequent drive to take a 14-point lead.
- Gotta keep on the QB draw! Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel takes this one 61-yards to the house
- Behold, perhaps the most adventurous fair catch decision you’ll see all season.
Midday
BYU vs. Oregon (-3.5), 3:30 p.m.
As mentioned earlier, Oregon got punked by a supremely physical Georgia team in Week 1. BYU will also try to play a brand of bully ball against the Ducks, and as Oregon tries to establish an identity in the Dan Lanning era, a win over a solid Cougars team would be a great start.
Penn State vs. Auburn, 3:30 p.m.
The Nittany Lions go on the road for the rematch of last year’s tight game in Happy Valley. Both these teams boast talented defensive fronts and quarterback situations that span between average and borderline experimental. Auburn is still fiddling with how to deploy its two quarterbacks (sometimes doing so at the same time) and struggled to dispatch San Jose State last week at home. Penn State’s Sean Clifford is established as a starter, and you know what you’re getting with him. The Nittany Lions feel that’s fine for now, although talented freshman Drew Allar waits in the wings.
