Welcome to the last word on college football, week three edition! This weekend was full of great games plus unexpected results along with exciting plays. Let’s take a look at the big takeaways, best stats as well as look ahead to next week.
Standout performances
Oklahoma State was particularly impressive in their 44-21 victory over Boise State. We knew their offense was likely to be highly productive. The defense for the Cowboys was the question leading into this matchup. They held up quite nicely, holding Boise State to only 34 yards of rushing. Oklahoma State also accumulated 10 tackles for loss and seven sacks along with two quarterback hurries en route to victory.
Another Big 12 team, Texas, got a massive win over USC by a score of 37-14. Not going to declare Texas back yet. Regardless, this was a major stepping stone for Tom Herman’s program. The maturation of Sam Ehlinger was evident in this game, as was the growth of the offensive line. With that being said, the defense was the key to the game. They were able to apply pressure on quarterback J.T Daniels, therefore forcing him to make quick decisions. They amazingly held USC to minus five yards rushing. Additionally, Texas registered 10.5 tackles for loss, five pass deflections along with four quarterback hurries. Also, it is fun to say Dicker the kicker. So, there is that.
Boston College is off to their first 3-0 start since 2007 when a guy named Matt Ryan was their quarterback. BC defeated Wake Forest 41-34 in large part due to their balanced offense. AJ Dillon still ran for 185 yards with a touchdown. Quarterback Anthony Brown is proving he has a quality arm to go along with his athleticism. He threw for 304 yards with five touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns went to the speedy receiver Jeff Smith. This team is a bigger threat than what many considered them to be coming into the season.
LSU is another team exceeding expectations thus far this season. They went to Auburn and picked up another important win, 22-21, behind Cole Tracy’s game winning field goal. The key takeaways for LSU are the following. One, quarterback Joe Burrow showed resiliency. He struggled mightily throughout much of the game, however he delivered a great fourth quarter performance. Secondly, the LSU defense frustrated Jarrett Stidham and the Auburn offense as the game wore on.
Underwhelming performances
Notre Dame had yet another lackluster performance behind Brandon Wimbush’s continued struggles against Vanderbilt. Vandy actually had a chance to win the game, but dropped a fourth down pass deep in Notre Dame territory. The Irish pulled out the victory 22-17.
Florida defeated Colorado State 48-10. However, they only outgained the Rams 341 to 310. The Gators ran for 222 yards in the game, but the passing game is still lacking. Their defense forced three turnovers which helped key the victory. Speaking of underwhelming, Florida visits Tennessee this week.
Oregon looked less than stellar in their 35-22 win over San Jose State. Justin Herbert threw two interceptions while completing only 16 of 34 passes. The Ducks ran for 134 yards as a team, however they only averaged 2.7 yards per carry. The leading rusher, CJ Verdell, had just 42 yards on the day. They will need to get some things figured out quickly with Stanford coming in this week.
Nebraska and Florida State equal: yuck
Nebraska has gotten off to their first 0-2 start since 1957 under new coach Scott Frost. Troy went into Lincoln and pulled off the victory 24-19. The Trojans from Troy tallied 10 tackles for loss during the contest. Amazingly, this is Nebraska 6th straight loss at home.
Certainly, Syracuse deserves credit for playing great football at home in their 30-7 win over Florida State. But 30-7? FSU could not make it a close game at least? Willie Taggart has his work cut out for him, despite a roster filled with four and five star players. One key issue appears to be with quarterback Deondre Francois. He looks incredibly skittish due to sustaining so many hits throughout his career. Might be time to get James Blackman in there.
Expect the unexpected
North Texas defeating Arkansas surely should have been expected. Beating them 44-17 while picking off six Arkansas passes was certainly unexpected however. Oh and that punt return.
Army has been really good in recent years, however Hawaii was off to a great start at 3-0. They were dominating offensively, so for Army to win 28-21 while out-gaining them 465 to 362 was highly unexpected.
Maryland was 2-0, which included a win over Texas. Temple was 0-2, losing to Villanova and Buffalo. So naturally Temple won the game 35-14, because of course.
Akron picked up their first win over a Big Ten team since 1894 with an impressive 39-34 win at Northwestern. Yes, you read that right, 1894. The Zips picked up three defensive touchdowns in the second half, which helped key the historic victory.
BYU continued their impressive start to the season by gutting out a rather unexpected road win at Wisconsin. The 24-21 BYU win snapped Wisconsin’s 41 game home winning streak over non conference opponents. Additionally, this was BYU’s first win over a top-10 team since a 2009 victory over Oklahoma. BYU simply matched Wisconsin’s physicality at the line of scrimmage. The Cougars are well on their way to a better than expected season.
Defense optional
Typically, we stick to FBS, but this was too dang good. On Thursday, FCS Davidson defeated D3 Guilford by a final score of 91-61! Davidson accumulated a whopping 964 yards of offense, including 685 on the ground. Meanwhile, Guilford tallied 698 yards of offense. Additionally in the FCS ranks, South Dakota State beat Arkansas Pine Bluff by a score of 90-6.
Additional shootouts took place this weekend, including UConn’s 56-49 victory over Rhode Island. The Huskies better be glad they had the ball for 11 minutes more than URI, otherwise they might have lost. UConn produced 573 yards of offense while URI accumulated 550. UConn QB David Pindell threw for 308 yards with four touchdowns while rushing for 137 and two touchdowns.
Surely, it would shock no-one that Texas Tech and Houston were involved in a shootout. Texas Tech won 63-49, thanks in large part to quarterback Alan Bowman’s Big 12 frosh record 605 yards along with five touchdowns passing. Impressively, he avoided throwing an interception. Despite D’Eriq King throwing for 431 yards along with five TD’s and no interceptions himself, Houston lost by two touchdowns. Thanks defense.
In case you were wondering, Bama is still good on D
We knew Alabama would put up at least 50 on that beleaguered Ole Miss defense. The question was, with eight new starters, how would the defense fare against the high flying Rebel offense? The Tide unequivocally and forcefully answered that question with a 62-7 victory in Oxford. Alabama held Ole Miss to just 248 yards while forcing three turnovers during the one sided affair.
Talking about Kansas, again?
Kansas beat the heck out of Rutgers 55-14. In case you are wondering, your eyes are not deceiving you. Kansas did, in fact, score 55 points. They also put up 544 yards, including 400 rushing. The defense chipped in with two pick sixes. Interestingly, this marks the first time the Jayhawks have toppled two FBS opponents in a row since 2009.
Hurricane Florence
Hurricane Florence was responsible for the postponement or cancellation of multiple games, which included: UCF at UNC, East Carolina at Virginia Tech, West Virginia at NC State, Marshall at South Carolina, Southern Miss at App State as well as Norfolk State at Liberty. Many programs are seeking options to fill the voids in their schedules.
Random ruminations
Ohio State defeated TCU 40-28 in Arlington, thanks in large part to two defensive TD’s. TCU made a cavalcade of errors during the second half, which contributed to their demise. Additionally, Dwayne Haskins continues to prove how dangerous he is.
Purdue’s unfortunate agony continued as Missouri kicked a game winning field goal to take the game, 40-37. Purdue has now lost three straight at home to begin the season. Not ideal.
Fresno State went into UCLA and controlled the second half en route to a 38-14 win. This marks the first time the Bruins have started 0-3 since 1971. Chip Kelly will eventually turn things around, just be patient Bruin fans.
Not saying that Kelly Bryant is playing poorly. Rather that he just simply has not improved compared to last season. Clemson’s offense seems to click with Trevor Lawrence taking the snaps. With the Tigers opening ACC play at Georgia Tech next week, will Lawrence be the starter or will they stick with Bryant?
Certainly, Jake Browning has to get better. Sure, Washington beat Utah 21-7. However, Browning made multiple questionable decisions during the game, including an ill advised interception. He was under pressure on that play, but basically threw a pass right into the hands of a Utah defender. Thankfully for him, Utah was unable able to take advantage of the Huskies offensive struggles.
Looking ahead to the upcoming weeks best games
Wisconsin at Iowa: Iowa is off to a 3-0 start. However, that is certainly not against the greatest of competition. Kinnick Stadium is one of the toughest places to play in America, and will be rocking on Saturday. Wisconsin comes into this game off of a loss to BYU. This certainly is a prove it kind of game for both squads.
Stanford at Oregon: Stanford will invade Autzen Stadium 3-0, which includes a victory against USC. Oregon is 3-0 as well, but this will clearly be their first actual test. At the end of this contest, we will know who can truly test Washington for superiority in the Pac 12 North.
Mississippi State at Kentucky: Weird to include this game as one of the biggest games of the week. Kentucky is 3-0, which includes their big win over Florida. Many experts have eyed Mississippi State as a potential surprise team. This certainly should be one of the weekend’s best games.
TCU at Texas: Texas definitely showed much improvement in their relatively easy win over USC. They also carry with them momentum, but with that, loftier expectations as well. TCU stumbles in after a loss to Ohio State, where they shot themselves in the foot a few times. This will undoubtedly be one of the most fun games on the slate.
Notre Dame at Wake Forest: There is little doubt that Notre Dame has looked shaky the last two weeks. Wake Forest is certain to provide a tough matchup for the Irish. To be certain, Wake has playmakers on offense along with one of the best corners in the nation, Essang Bassey. Plus they have a solid defensive line capable of getting pressure on Brandon Wimbush.
Other important games include: Texas Tech at Oklahoma State, Arizona State at Washington, Florida at Tennessee, Nebraska at Michigan, Kansas State at West Virginia, Texas A&M at Alabama
Stats
We continue the last word on college football, week three edition with a look at the week’s best stats.
Quarterbacks
Anthony Brown – Boston College – 16 of 25 for 304 yards 5 TD’s
Kyler Murray – Oklahoma – 21 of 29 for 348 yards 3 TD’s, 15 carries 77 yards
Malik Rosier – Miami (FL) – 13 of 23 for 205 yards 2 TD’s, 8 carries 80 yards 3 TD’s
David Pindell – UConn – 20 of 27 for 308 yards 4 TD’s, 26 carries 137 yards 2 TD’s
Taylor Cornelius – Oklahoma State – 15 of 26 for 243 yards 1 TD, 16 carries 41 yards 2 TD’s
D’Eriq King – Houston – 30 of 51 for 431 yards 5 TD’s, 11 carries 47 yards 1 TD
Alan Bowman – Texas Tech – 43 of 59 for 605 yards 5 TD’s
Bryce Perkins – Virginia – 25 of 30 379 yards 3 TD’s
Tyree Jackson – Buffalo – 21 of 26 for 325 yards 3 TD’s
Nick Fitzgerald – Mississippi State – 14 of 21 for 243 yards 2 TD’s, 15 carries 107 yards 4 TD’s
Gardner Minshew – Washington State – 45 of 57 for 470 yards 2 TD’s
David Blough – Purdue – 39 of 55 for 572 yards 3 TD’s
Dwayne Haskins – Ohio State – 24 of 38 for 344 yards 2 TDs, 1 rushing TD
Manny Wilkins – Arizona State – 31 of 46 for 341 yards 2 TD’s, 1 rushing TD
Khalil Tate – Arizona – 13 of 20 for 349 yards 5 TD’s
Running Backs
Travis Etienne – Clemson – 16 carries 162 yards 2 TD’s
Malcolm Perry – Navy – 19 carries 223 yards 3 TD’s
AJ Dillon – Boston College – 33 carries 185 yards 1 TD
Devin Singletary – Florida Atlantic – 19 carries 84 yards 5 TD’s
Darrell Henderson – Memphis – 14 carries 233 yards 2 TD’s
Ty Chandler – Tennessee – 12 carries 158 yards 1 TD
Pooka Williams Jr – Kansas – 18 carries 158 yards 1 TD
Mike Epstein – Illinois – 19 carries 113 yards 1 TD, 5 catches 56 yards
Ta’Zhawn Henry – Texas Tech – 24 carries 111 yards 4 TD’s
Justice Hill – Oklahoma State – 15 carries 123 yards 1 TD
Travon McMillian – Colorado – 15 carries 162 yards 2 TD’s
Larry Rountree – Missouri – 23 carries 168 yards
Marquis Young – UMass – 13 carries 83 yards 2 TD’s, 2 catches 47 yards, 3 kick returns 70 yards
Darius Anderson – TCU – 12 carries 154 yards 2 TD’s
Ahmari Davis – New Mexico – 21 carries 74 yards 4 TD’s
Myles Gaskin – Washington – 30 carries 143 yards 1 TD
Juwan Washington – San Diego State – 27 carries 138 yards 1 TD, 2 catches 26 yards
Receivers
Diontae Johnson – Toledo – 6 catches 119 yards 2 TD’s
Jonathan Duhart – Old Dominion – 7 catches 127 yards 1 TD
DeAndre Thompkins – Penn State – 4 catches 101 yards 1 TD, 3 punt returns 62 yards
Isaiah Zuber – Kansas State – 7 catches 144 yards 2 TD’s, 1 kick return 9 yards, 1 punt return 39 yards
Jeff Smith – Boston College – 6 catches 145 yards 2 TD’s
Hakeem Butler – Iowa State – 5 catches 174 yards 2 TD’s
Marquise Brown – Oklahoma – 9 catches 191 yards 1 TD
John Ursua – Hawaii – 6 catches 123 yards 2 TD’s
Tyler Johnson – Minnesota – 9 catches 133 yards 3 TD’s
James Proche – SMU – 11 catches 166 yards 2 TD’s
Jerry Jeudy – Alabama – 3 catches 136 yards 2 TD’s
Donovan Peoples-Jones – Michigan – 4 catches 90 yards 3 TD’s
Marquez Stevenson – Houston – 9 catches 177 yards 2 TD’s
Antoine Wesley – Texas Tech – 13 catches 261 yards 3 TD’s
Papi White – Ohio – 6 catches 131 yards 1 TD
Olamide Zaccheaus – Virginia – 9 catches 247 yards 2 TD’s
Jamarius Way – South Alabama – 11 catches 173 yards 1 TD
Blake Banham – Eastern Michigan – 9 catches 159 yards 1 TD
K.J Osborn – Buffalo – 7 catches 188 yards 3 TD’s, 2 punt returns 23 yards
Isaiah Hodgins – Oregon State – 14 catches 200 yards 2 TD’s
Cameron Green – Northwestern – 11 catches 125 yards 2 TD’s
Amon-Ra St. Brown – Southern Cal – 9 catches 167 yards
Rondale Moore – Purdue – 11 catches 137 yards 1 TD, 2 kick returns 56 yards
Defense
Deshaun Davis – Auburn – 13 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 pass deflection, 2 quarterback hurries
Michael Dogbe – Temple – 7 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks
Tre Watson – Maryland – 15 tackles, 1 tackle for loss
Darnell Savage Jr – Maryland – 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 interception return TD
Dontavious Jackson – Florida State – 14 tackles, 2 tackles for loss
Wyatt Ray – Boston College – 8 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 1 quarterback hurry
Zach Allen – Boston College – 5 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, 1 pass deflection, 4 quarterback hurries
Lawrence Garner – Old Dominion – 15 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 quarterback hurry
Clelin Ferrell – Clemson – 7 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks
Greg Eisworth – Iowa State – 14 tackles, 1 tackle for loss
Kenneth Murray – Oklahoma – 10 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 quarterback hurry
Tron Folsom – Troy – 14 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 pass deflection
Julian Love – Notre Dame – 3 tackles, 4 pass deflections
Troy Pride Jr – Notre Dame – 7 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, 3 pass deflections
Nico Sawtelle – South Florida – 13 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack
Grant Delpit – LSU – 10 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass deflection, 1 interception
Sione Takitaki – BYU – 13 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack
Malik Fountain – Central Michigan – 18 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack
De’Andre Montgomery – Miami (Ohio) – 15 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack
Doug Costin – Miami (Ohio) – 7 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 1 pass deflection
Calvin Bundage – Oklahoma State – 12 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sack
Jordan Brailford – Oklahoma State – 6 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks
E.J Ejiya – North Texas – 12 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 quarterback hurry
Jabari Zuniga – Florida – 5 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 quarterback hurry
Dakota Allen – Texas Tech – 9 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 pass deflections, 1 quarterback hurry
Ugo Amadi – Oregon – 8 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, 2 pass deflections, 3 punt returns 100 yards
Khalil Hodge – Buffalo – 14 tackles, 1 quarterback hurry
Chuck Harris – Buffalo – 8 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 pass deflection
Darreon Jackson – Arkansas State – 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 pass deflection
McKinley Whitfield – Tulsa – 14 tackles, 1 pass deflection
Brian Bell – Akron – 11 tackles, 5 pass deflections
Jared McGee – Northwestern – 8 tackles, 3 tackles for loss
Porter Gustin – Southern Cal – 7 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 pass deflection
Christian Rector – Southern Cal – 7 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass deflection, 2 quarterback hurries
Gary Johnson – Texas – 6 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 quarterback hurry
Dre’Mont Jones – Ohio State – 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 pass deflection, 1 interception return TD
Innis Gaines – TCU – 9 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2 pass deflections
Rhashaun Epting – New Mexico – 7 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 quarterback hurry
Javahn Fergurson – New Mexico State – 22 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks
Terrill Hanks – New Mexico State – 15 tackles, 1 interception return TD
Byron Murphy – Washington – 5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 4 pass deflections
Chase Hansen – Utah – 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss
Kyree Woods – San Diego State – 6 tackles, 4 pass deflections
Last Word
This was your last word on college football, week three edition. Certainly, week four will provide another amazing set of moments!
Main Image: Embed from Getty Images
