CFW Week 3 Results – Texas replaces Georgia as new No. 1 team
Drama in the Columbias, while
Manning shines, Georgia escapes, the
Gus Bus is rolling and FSU loses again
Drama in not one Columbia, but two Columbia’s – Columbia, South Carolina and Columbia, Missouri.
Early in the second quarter, when South Carolina went up 17-0 over LSU, ABC/ESPN sportscaster Chris Fowler, calling the game, clamored, “The Gamecocks are cookin’.” They sure were. But after that touchdown, the Gamecocks went from cookin’ to coolin’. Less than eight minutes after that touchdown, the 17-0 lead dwindled to a 17-10 lead.
Even though South Carolina was coolin’, the Gamecocks managed to hold onto the lead until almost the end of the game. Almost. With 1:12 on the clock in the fourth quarter, LSU took its first lead. Trailing 33-29, the Tigers scored a touchdown and went up and on to win the game, 36-33. So close!
In the other Columbia – the one in Missouri – Boston College was leading Missouri, 14-3, halfway through the second quarter. As time expired in the first half, Missouri’s Blake Craig kicked a 56-yard field goal. The Tigers took their first lead in the game, 17-14.
During the second half, Missouri extended its lead to 27-14. But with 3:45 remaining in the fourth quarter, Boston College scored a touchdown and trailed by six – 27-21. The Tigers held on and beat the Eagles, 27-21. So close!
Last week, in Lexington, South Carolina beat up on Kentucky, 31-6. Saturday night in Lexington, Kentucky faced Georgia. The Dawgs came into the contest averaging 41 points a game. As the fourth quarter began, Georgia only had six points. At the 12:20 mark in the fourth quarter, the Dawgs scored their first touchdown of the game. They took their first lead over Kentucky, 13-9. With 8:01 remaining, the Wildcats Alex Raynor kicked a 51-yard field goal. Eight minutes to go and Kentucky trailed Georgia by one point. The Dawgs held on and escaped Kentucky, 13-12. So close!
Saturday night in Fort Worth, Texas, UCF faced TCU. At the 9:38 mark in the first quarter, the Horned Frogs took a 7-0 lead. By the 13:38 mark in the third quarter, TCU led the Knights, 28-7. With 5:03 to go in the third quarter, the Horned Frogs led UCF, 31-13. With less than 60 seconds on the clock in the fourth quarter, TCU led UCF by only six points – 34-28. The Gus Bus was rolling. At the 0:36 mark, the Knights scored a touchdown. UCF beat TCU, 35-34. So close!
In Austin, Texas, Saturday night, it wasn’t so close. Texas beat UTSA, 56-7. But early in the second quarter, with the Longhorns up 14-0, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers left the game with an oblique muscle strain injury. Enter Arch Manning. Manning picked up where Ewers left off. He was 9-for-12, passing for 223 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He even rushed for a 67-yard touchdown. The eyes of Manning are upon you.
And yes, it happened again. This time, Florida State lost to Memphis, 20-12. Florida State is 0-3. Including FSU’s 63-3 Orange Bowl loss to Georgia at the end of last season, the Noles are 0-4. FSU only had 37 yards rushing. There are 134 FBS teams in the country. Florida State is 133rd in rushing yards, averaging 52 yards a game. The Noles are 128th in total yards, averaging 274 yards a game. They are 124th in points scored, averaging 15.3 points a game.
College football Week 3 began on Thursday night with two games. In the first of the two, Texas State had many opportunities, but the Bobcats couldn’t capitalize. Arizona State beat Texas State, 31-28. Sun Devils kicker Ian Hershey kicked a 22-yard field goal with 6:35 remaining in the game and Arizona State held on to win.
In the other game, South Alabama scored an unbelievable 87 points, as the Jaguars beat Northwestern State, 87-10. South Alabama racked up 622 total yards.
College football Week 3 continued on Friday night with two more games. It wasn’t always pretty, but UNLV struggled, held on and upset Kansas, 23-20. Trailing 20-16, the Rebels scored their winning touchdown with 2:00 remaining in the game.
In the nightcap, Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson passed for 156 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 110 yards. Kansas State topped Arizona, 31-7.
The previous week, the SEC invaded the Big Ten when Texas went into Ann Arbor. The Longhorns prevailed over Michigan, 31-12. Saturday, the SEC invaded the Big Ten again. Alabama went into Madison. The Crimson Tide prevailed over Wisconsin, 42-10.
There are two coaches who need to be fired – Florida’s Billy Napier and West Virginia’s Neal Bown. Saturday, Florida lost to Texas A&M, 33-20. In his third season with the Gators, Napier is 12-16. With less than four minutes to go in the WVU-Pitt game, West Virginia had a 10-point lead over the Panthers – 34-24. WVU lost to Pitt 38-34. In his sixth season with the Mountaineers, Brown is 32-31.
In the two Pac-2 vs. Big Ten games, where former Pac-12 rivals met to settle their differences, Oregon and Washington State were the winners. Oregon downed Oregon State, 49-14, while Washington State beat Washington, 24-19.
All I can say is practice in South Bend last week must have been hell. After losing the previous week to Northern Illinois, 16-14, Notre Dame came out blasting Saturday. Notre Dame demolished Purdue, 66-7. The Irish were angry.
How ‘bout them Hoosiers? Coach Curt Cignetti has Indiana cookin’. The Hoosiers went into Pasadena and spanked UCLA, 42-13. Indiana, averaging 50 points a game, improved to 3-0.
In an intrastate rivalry, the Buffaloes took care of business. Colorado downed Colorado State, 28-9. It wasn’t much of a contest this year. Colorado State had four turnovers. Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was 36-for-49, passing for 310 yards and four touchdowns.
After you went to bed Saturday night, BYU beat Wyoming, 34-14, and California downed San Diego State, 31-10. Cal’s Javian Thomas rushed for 169 yards.
Four Mountain West Conference schools – Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State – have announced they will leave the MWC in 2026 and join Oregon State and Washington State in the Pac-12. The four schools will join the Pac-12 on July 1, 2026.
Multiple reports claim that Notre Dame’s top boosters have contacted Urban Myer about coaching the Irish. Getting rid of Marcus Freeman would be easy, as his buyout is only $4 million.
In yesterday’s latest AP Poll, Texas is the new No. 1 team, replacing Georgia.
Touchdown Tom
September 16, 2023
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Week Three Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: The buck stops here – Missouri 27, Boston College 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Missouri 30, Boston College 16). Boston College took an early command of the game – 14-3. But the Eagles could not sustain their lead. The BC running game that was so powerful against Florida State was non-existent against Missouri. The Eagles only had 49 yards rushing. Missouri’s Nate Noel rushed for 121 yards. Tigers quarterback Brady Cook was 21-for-36, passing for 264 yards and one touchdown. Missouri dominated time of possession: 35:46 to 24:14. Attendance in Columbia: 62,621
RUNNER-UP: Purple reign – Kansas State 31, Arizona 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Kansas State 27, Arizona 24). Kansas State is good. Arizona is not. Arizona scored first with 7:26 to go in the first quarter. They never scored again for the remainder of the game. Kansas State led 14-7 at halftime and outscored Arizona 17-0 in the second half. The Kansas State defense held Arizona to 56 yards rushing. Kansas State improved to 3-0. Attendance in Manhattan: 51,290
REST OF THE BEST: The cheese melted – Alabama 42, Wisconsin 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 28, Wisconsin 16). This was a good game in the first quarter – Alabama led 7-3. After that it was all Bama. The Badgers couldn’t hang with the Tide. Bama quarterback Jalen Milroe was 12-for-17, passing for 196 yards and three touchdowns. Milroe also rushed for 75 yards. Interestingly, Wisconsin controlled time of possession: 34:16 to 25:44. The Badgers had two turnovers. Alabama had none. Attendance in Madison: 76,323
Spurless in Columbia – LSU 36, South Carolina 33 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 23, South Carolina 16). This game had all the excitement. That’s for sure. South Carolina was the better running team. LSU was the better passing team. The Gamecocks Raheim Sanders rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns. The Tigers Garrett Nussmeier was 24-for-40, passing for 285 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. Attendance in Columbia: 79,531
The dam suffered an earthquack – Oregon 49, Oregon State 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 27, Oregon State 22). Close game in the first quarter – 7-7. Still pretty close at the half with Oregon up 22-14. Then the Ducks ran away from Oregon State in the second half, outscoring the Beavers, 27-0. Oregon racked up 551 total yards. Dillon Gabriel had a great game. He was 20-for-24 passing for 291 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 64 yards and another touchdown. Attendance in Corvallis: 38,419
There was no chalk on the rock – UNLV 23, Kansas 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Kansas 27, UNLV 25). UNLV trailed throughout the game. The Rebels never led until 2:00 remaining in the fourth quarter. That’s when they went up for the first time to pull out the victory. Neither team showed much offense, especially UNLV. The Rebels only had 86 yards rushing. Kansas had two turnovers. UNLV had none. UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka rushed for 124 yards. But he was only 7-for-18 passing. Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels had a terrible game. He threw two interceptions. Jayhawk running back Devin Neal rushed for 120 yards. UNLV improved to 3-0. Attendance in Kansas City: 21,493
The Cougars got the apple – Washington State 24, Washington 19 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 30, Washington State 26). Washington led twice – 7-3 in the first quarter and 13-10 in the second quarter. When Washington State went up 17-13 near the end of the second quarter, the Cougars never trailed for the remainder of the game. Actually, Washington quarterback Will Rogers had a decent game. He was 23-for-31, passing for 314 yards and one touchdown. The Huskies were hampered by 16 penalties for 135 yards. Attendance in Seattle: 57,567
The wheels are on the bus – UCF 35, TCU 34 (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 27, UCF 26). UCF was out of this game – down 28-7 early in the third quarter and 31-13 late in the third quarter. But TCU all but died in the fourth quarter. The Frogs, who scored 31 points in the first three quarters, only three points in the fourth quarter. UCF had 519 total yards. TCU quarterback Josh Hoover was 35-for-52, passing for 402 yards and four touchdowns. TCU receiver Jack Bech had nine receptions for 200 yards and one touchdown. UCF running back R.J. Harvey rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns. UCF receiver Kobe Hudson had six receptions for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Attendance in Fort Worth: 48,889
The Cats couldn’t bob the Devil’s tail – Arizona State 31, Texas State 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas State 35, Arizona State 33). Texas State came so close, but ultimately let the game slip through its fingers. The Bobcats led Arizona State 21-7 late in the second quarter. Then they let the Sun Devils score two back-to-back touchdowns in the final 3:46 of the second quarter. The game was tied three times – 7-7 in the first quarter, 21-21 at halftime and 28-28 at the end of the third quarter. Texas State suffered from three turnovers. For the most part, the stats – first downs, total yards, passing yards, rushing yards, penalties – were even all the way down to time of possession. Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson had six receptions for 120 yards. Attendance in San Marcos: 25,187
No dew in Pittsburgh – Pitt 38, West Virginia 34 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 27, Pitt 19). West Virginia had no business losing this game. The Mountaineers controlled time of possession 36:17 to 23:43. They held Pitt to 78 yards rushing. WVU led 34-24 with less than four minutes to go in the game. But in those final four minutes, the WVU players looked out of shape. They were gassed, pooped and sucking for air. They also looked confused. WVU quarterback Garrett Greene threw two interceptions. Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein was 21-for-30, passing for 301 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 59 yards. I would have to think this game is the demise of WVU coach Neal Brown. West Virginia has put up with his nonsense for too long. Enough is enough. Attendance in Pittsburgh: 66,087
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Chompless in The Swamp – Texas A&M 33, Florida 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 21, Florid 20). Texas A&M led 20-0 at halftime. The Aggies led 33-14 at the end of the third quarter. Florida stumbled all over itself. On offense, the Gators threw three interceptions (two by D.J. Lagway and one by Graham Mertz). And Florida only had 52 yards rushing. On defense, the Gators gave up 488 total yards and 27 first downs to the Aggies. Texas A&M controlled the ball: 37:46 to 22:14. Texas A&M was led by second-string quarterback Marcel Reed. Reed passed for 178 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for 83 yards and another touchdown. Attendance in Gainesville: 89,993
The Panthers were chased out of the cornfield – Nebraska 34, Northern Iowa 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 30, Northern Iowa 17). Northern Iowa got three points in the first quarter and that was all she wrote for the Panthers. When Nebraska had the ball, the Huskers scored quickly. Nebraska only had possession for 21:53. Northern Iowa controlled the ball for 38:07. But obviously, they couldn’t get it across the goal line. Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola was 17-for-23, passing for 247 yards and two touchdowns. Huskers backup quarterback Heinrich Haarberg saw action as well. Attendance in Lincoln: 86,546
Devils rally in the fourth – Duke 26, Connecticut 21 – (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 31, Connecticut 15). For a while, Duke was like South Carolina. The Dookies jumped out to a 17-0 second-quarter lead over UConn. Then the Huskies came back and took a 21-17 third quarter lead over the Dookies. Duke rallied with nine points in the fourth quarter to grab the 26-21 win. Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy was 28-for-43, passing for 267 yards and three touchdowns. Attendance in Durham: 20,174
Uga almost had a panic attack – Georgia 13, Kentucky 12 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 35, Kentucky 9). Go figure – Georgia only scoring two field goals and one touchdown. Only 262 total yards. And only 12 first downs. And against Kentucky. Georgia quarterback Connor Beck probably had his worst game ever. Still, Georgia won its 42nd-straight regular season game. Kentucky controlled time of possession: 35:02 to 24:58. The Wildcats had one turnover. Georgia had none. For the second-straight week, Kentucky showed no offense. Attendance in Lexington: 61,663
Beep-Beep was Peep-Peep – Texas 56, UTSA 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 45, UTSA 7). Quinn Ewers left the game early in the second quarter and Arch Manning took over. It was a smooth transition. Almost transparent. Manning picked up where Ewers left off. The Horns racked up 614 total yards – 427 passing yards. Attendance in Austin: 101,892
It was a Guinness day in West Lafayette – Notre Dame 66, Purdue 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 20, Purdue 17). Somebody lit a fire under the Irish. They exploded for 42 points in the first half. The Boilers stumbled all over themselves. Purdue had three turnovers. Notre Dame had none. The Irish racked up 580 total yards. ND quarterback Riley Leonard had 112 yards passing and 100 yards rushing. He scored three rushing touchdowns. In the second half, backup Irish quarterbacks Steve Angeli and Kenny Minchey saw action. Angeli passed for 100 yards. Purdue only had 162 total yards. Attendance in West Lafayette: 61,441
Week 3 Results: 11 winners, 5 fumbles (68.8 percent)
For the Season: 32 winners, 14 fumbles (69.6 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Memphis 20, Florida State 12 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 55,107
Furman 48, Stetson 7 – Attendance in Greenville: 7,917
Miami 62, Ball State 0 – Attendance in Miami Gardens: 51,564
Florida Atlantic 38, FIU 20 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 24,283
Western Michigan 59, Bethune-Cookman 21 – Attendance in Kalamazoo: 23,476
South Florida 49, Southern Miss 24 – Attendance in Hattiesburg: 23,537
Superlatives
Week Three’s Impressive Passers:
Middle Tennessee’s Nicholas Vattiato – 24-31-1 for 456 yards (3TDs); Appalachian State’s Joey Aguilar – 32-47-2-424 (2TDs); TCU’s Josh Hoover – 35-51-0-402, and Western Kentucky’s Caden Veltkamp – 27-30-0-398 (5TDs).
Also, Oklahoma State’s Alan Bowman – 24-31-1 for 396 yards (5TDs); Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart – 26-34-1-377 (2TDs); Akron’s Ben Finley – 28-43-1-358 (4TDs); San Jose State’s Emmett Brown – 26-38-0-355 (4TDs); Miami of Florida’s Cam Ward – 19-28-0-346 (5TDs), and Miami of Ohio’s Brett Gabbert – 23-33-1-339 (2TDs).
Week Three’s Impressive Rushers:
North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton – 210 yards (3TDs); Western Michigan’s Jaden Nixon – 189 yards (2TDs); UCF’s R.J. Harvey – 180 yards (2TDs); Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson 173 yards (2TDs), and California’s Javian Thomas – 169 yards.
Also, Michigan’s Kalel Mullings – 163 yards (2TDs); Auburn’s Jacquez Hunter – 152 yards (1TD); Ole Miss’s Henry Parrish – 148 yads (2TDs); Sam Houston’s Jay Ducker – 148 yards, and Arkansas’ Ja’Quinden Jackson – 147 yards (1TD).
Quotes of the Week
“Everything’s under evaluation,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell, after the loss to Memphis.
“We’re not getting the results on the field right now that we want. We have to play more competitive football. That’s my responsibility,” Florida coach Billy Napier, after the loss to Texas A&M.
“I don’t blame them,” Florida coach Billy Napier, responding to fans booing him.
“We played the run well. Unfortunately, they threw the ball more than they ran,” West Virginia coach Neal Brown, after the loss to Pitt.
Touchdown Tom
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
(The next CFW – Week 4 Forecast – will be posted Thursday morning, September 19.)
No comments:
Post a Comment