Week 3 wrapup: A look at all the key action from Saturday
Here’s a look at all the key games from Week 3 of the season.
Fresno State upsets No. 13 UCLA
Jake Haener threw a 13-yard scoring pass to Jalen Cropper with 14 seconds left to lift visiting Fresno State (2-1) to a 40-37 upset of No. 13 UCLA (2-1). The TD pass finished off a six-play, 75-yard drive that took 40 seconds and came right after UCLA had scored to take a 37-33 lead.
There were five touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including three in the final 2:55. The last four TDs produced lead changes.
Haener was 39-of-53 for 455 yards and two TDs, and Bulldogs running back Ronnie Rivers rushed for 136 yards and two scores on 21 carries. Cropper had 14 receptions for 141 yards and the TD. Fresno State finished with 569 yards of offense.
UCLA struggled to move the ball on the ground, rushing for just 117 yards. The Bruins had averaged 227.0 rushing yards in their first two games.
The Bruins’ loss means that three weeks into the season, every Pac-12 team expect Oregon has a loss.
Penn State holds off Auburn
No. 10 Penn State got its second win over a ranked opponent this season, holding off No. 22 Auburn 28-20 in the Nittany Lions’ annual “White Out” game.
The Nittany Lions had some problems stopping Auburn’s rushing attack. But the defense did rise up and force the Tigers to turn the ball over on downs at Penn State’s 2 with 3:08 left in the game. Auburn got the ball back at its 38 with 38 seconds remaining and moved it to Penn State’s 26 in the final 10 seconds, but a pass into the end zone on the final play was broken up.
Penn State had trouble running the ball, finishing with just 94 yards, but Sean Clifford was sharp, going 28-of-33 for 280 yards and two TDs. Standout wide receiver Jahan Dotson had a career-high 10 receptions for 78 yards and a score, and tight end Brenton Strange had four catches for 71 yards and a TD.
The Tigers had success on the ground, finishing with 182 yards and two rushing TDs. Both TDs were by Tank Bigsby who rushed for 102 yards. But Auburn’s passing attack was limited and that hurt; Bo Nix was 21-of-37 but for just 185 yards as the Tigers couldn’t find many chunk plays in the air.
Penn State opened the season with a victory at Wisconsin. The next time they get a ranked team almost certainly will be October 9 at Iowa in what now looms as one of the key games of the entire season.
Clemson squeaks past Georgia Tech
No. 6 Clemson overcame an almost two-hour weather delay and a poor offensive performance to beat Georgia Tech 14-8. The Tigers (2-1) needed a goal-line stand in the final minute to come away with the win, with James Skalski stopping Dylan Deveney on a fourth-down shovel pass at the 2.
Clemson finished with just 284 yards of offense and failed to recover an onside kick after a 22-yard Tech field goal with 1:19 left. A roughing-the-passer penalty, a 22-yard pass play and two runs covering 13 yards moved the ball from Tech’s 47 to Clemson’s 3. But the Tigers’ defense stepped up to avoid what would have been an embarrassing loss to a 28-point underdog.
In two games against FBS opponents, Clemson has managed 17 points and 464 total yards; the Tigers averaged 43.5 points and 502.3 yards per game last season. Clemson plays at NC State next Saturday.
Cincinnati’s Playoff dream remains alive
It took a while, but No. 9 Cincinnati eventually woke up and blew past host Indiana 38-24 to stay atop the Group of 5 heap.
The Bearcats (3-0) are off next week, then travel to Notre Dame on October 2 for their other game this season against a Power 5 school. Before the season, the Bearcats were seen as the most likely Group of 5 team to earn a New Year’s Six bowl bid, but the Bearcats want more.
They didn’t look anything like a Playoff team — or even the best team in the Group of 5 — for much of the first half. But the Bearcats scored 10 points in the final 1:33 of the half to trail just 14-10 at halftime. The third quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with IU (1-2) taking a 24-23 lead into the final period. But the Bearcats dominated the fourth quarter, taking the lead for good three minutes into the period, then putting it away on a 7-yard run by quarterback Desmond Ridder with 2:37 remaining.
Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. threw three picks and the Hoosiers also fumbled once. In addition, IU was just 3-of-6 in the red zone; Cincinnati was 5-of-5 and scored 32 points on those trips.
Oklahoma wins ugly
In the 50th anniversary season of maybe the greatest college football game ever, Saturday’s Nebraska-Oklahoma game won’t go down as a classic. But it may be remembered as a game where the third-ranked Sooners showed a lot of offensive flaws that eventually would catch up to them.
The Sooners (3-0) fended off Nebraska 23-16 in a contest in which OU’s defense was the key. Oklahoma had five sacks and an interception in holding off a Huskers team (2-2) that lost to Illinois in its opening game and was a 23-point underdog. OU was helped by Nebraska’s horrendous kicking: The Huskers missed two field goals (granted, one was a 50-yard attempt) and had an extra point blocked and returned for two points by OU.
Oklahoma did have 408 yards of offense, but the passing attack lacked explosive plays and OU averaged just 5.9 yards per play. Sooners quarterback Spencer Rattler was 24-of-34 but for just 214 yards; that’s 8.9 yards per completion and 6.3 yards per attempt, a full 2 yards fewer than his season average and 3.3 yards fewer than last season.
While there are legitimate questions about the competition level in the Big 12, Oklahoma has played two FBS teams — Tulane and Nebraska — and won those games by a total of 12 points. The Sooners begin Big 12 play next week against West Virginia, which beat No. 15 Virginia Tech on Saturday; OU then goes on the road to play Kansas State, gets Texas in Dallas and then TCU at home.
Michigan State pulls away to beat Miami
The seat was a bit warm for Miami coach Manny Diaz, and it’s even warmer after Michigan State (3-0) beat the host Hurricanes 38-17.
The Spartans dominated the fourth quarter, scoring three TDs thanks to two UM turnovers in the period. Miami (1-2) had four turnovers for the game, Michigan State none.
UM’s rushing attack was stymied, with the Hurricanes finishing with 52 rushing yards. That put too much pressure on quarterback D’Eriq King, who was sacked three times and harassed for much of the day. King did throw for 388 yards, but he attempted 60 passes.
No. 15 Virginia Tech goes down at WVU
West Virginia kept Virginia Tech out of the end zone to win 27-21 after the Hokies had first-and-goal from the 3 in the final minute.
The Mountaineers (2-1) looked to have the game under control after they took a 27-7 lead midway through the third quarter, but the Hokies (2-1) rallied.
The final drive was set up by an interception by Jarret Doege at his 28. Jermaine Waller returned it 11 yards and the Hokies were set up at the WVU 17 with 2:11 left. Two runs got the ball to the 3, but the Mountaineers stiffened. Another run gained nothing, then another lost a yard. Braxton Burmeister then threw two incompletions to turn it over on downs.
WVU plays at Oklahoma next week in a game that, given OU’s play thus far, seems more winnable than it did three weeks ago. The Hokies play their next four at home, including an October 9 visit from Notre Dame.
BYU makes history
No. 23 BYU downed No. 19 Arizona State (2-1) 27-17, marking the first time in school history the Cougars (3-0) beat ranked teams in back-to-back weeks. BYU beat archrival Utah last week.
BYU (3-0) dominated the first half and led 21-7 at halftime. But the Sun Devils turned things around in the third period, scoring 10 points to trail just 21-17 entering the fourth quarter. But that was as close as ASU could get.
The Sun Devils committed four turnovers and 16 penalties (for 121 yards).
BYU’s three wins all have come against teams in the Pac-12 South (the Cougars beat Arizona in the opener). The Cougars still have four games remaining against Power 5 opponents: Baylor, Washington State, Virginia and, in the regular-season finale, USC. All but Virginia are on the road.
Wake drops FSU to 0-3
Wake Forest (3-0) rode a powerful rushing attack and a stout run defense to a 35-14 won over Florida State, which is 0-3 for the first time since 1976. That was Bobby Bowden’s first season with the Seminoles.
The Seminoles committed six turnovers, including three fumbles; one came on a Hail Mary at the end of the first half. FSU’s last three drives ended in turnovers.
The Demon Deacons ran for 259 yards and two touchdowns, and held FSU to just 92 yards on the ground. Wake’s Sam Hartman also threw for 259 yards and two scores as the Demon Deacons held the ball for 39 minutes.
K-State runs to win
Backup quarterback Will Howard accounted for three touchdowns as host Kansas State (3-0) rolled past Nevada (2-1) 38-17.
Howard, starting because Skylar Thompson is injured, threw a TD pass and rushed for two scores as the Wildcats rode a devastating rushing attack to the win. K-State rushed for 269 yards and attempted just 10 passes. Nevada’s Carson Strong threw for 306 yards and a score, but the Wolf Pack managed just 25 rushing yards.
K-State’s next three games: at Oklahoma State, then home games against Oklahoma and Iowa State.
USC wins first game post-Helton
USC fell behind 14-0 early, then took control in the third quarter and blew out host Washington State 45-14 in the first game since Clay Helton was fired as coach.
The Trojans scored in the final minute of the first half to trail 14-7 at halftime, then scored four TDs in the third quarter.
Trojans starting quarterback Kedon Slovis was injured early, but five-star true freshman Jaxson Dart more than ably filled in. Dart was 30-of-46 for 391 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Dart’s favorite target was Drake London, who had 13 receptions for 170 yards and two touchdowns. USC rushed for just 48 yards.
UNC runs wild to beat Virginia
Ty Chandler, a transfer from Tennessee, rushed for 198 yards and two TDs as North Carolina had 699 yards of total offense in beating Virginia 59-39.
The Tar Heels (2-1) ran for 392 yards and dominated the second half in downing the Cavs (2-1) in an ACC Coastal Division matchup. The Cavaliers led 28-24 at halftime, but UNC scored three TDs in the third quarter to take control.
UNC’s Sam Howell attempted just 21 passes but five went for touchdowns. Josh Downs had eight catches for 203 yards and two scores. Howell also rushed for a career-high 112 yards.
Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong threw for 554 yards and four TDs; it was the most passing yards ever against North Carolina. UVa rushed for only 21 yards, though.
SMU wins on final play
Tanner Mordecai threw a tipped 33-yard TD pass to Reggie Roberson on the final play of the game as SMU downed host Louisiana Tech 39-37. It was the fifth TD pass of the game for Mordecai, an Oklahoma transfer.
Louisiana Tech, which blew a 20-point fourth-quarter lead and lost by one in Week 1 at Mississippi State, had taken a 37-36 lead on a 47-yard field goal by Jacob Barnes with 36 seconds left. SMU took over on its 26, and the Mustangs covered 74 yards in six plays. Mordecai ran for 15 yards and was 3-of-5 passing on the drive; both incompletions were spikes to stop the clock.
Louisiana Tech quarterback Austin Kendall threw for 351 yards and four TDs. He began his career at Oklahoma, then moved on to West Virginia and finally to Louisiana Tech.
Other games of interest
+ San Diego State won its seventh in a row over Pac-12 opponents by beating Utah 33-31 on a two-point conversion play in the third overtime. Utah scored with 16 seconds left to tie it at 24 and send the game to overtime. Both teams scored TDs in the first extra period and both were scoreless in the second. A new rule has teams attempting two-point conversions starting in the third OT, and the Aztecs converted to move to 3-0. It was the second loss in a row for the Utes (1-2). Greg Bell ran for 119 yards and two TDs for SDSU, which won despite throwing for just 44 yards.
+ Western Michigan (2-1) rolled up 516 yards to upset host Pitt (2-1) 44-41. Kaleb Eleby threw for 336 yards and three TDs to help the Broncos overcome 11 penalties for 117 yards. Western Michigan ran effectively and had the ball for 40 minutes. WMU needed all those minutes because Pitt’s Kenny Pickett threw for 382 yards and six TDs. WMU ran 86 plays, Pitt 58.
+ Minnesota’s defense turned in a dominant performance as the Golden Gophers (2-1) cruised to a 30-0 win at Colorado (1-2). It was Minnesota’s 21st consecutive non-conference win, the longest such streak in the nation. Colorado had just 63 total yards, including 7 in the first half. Minnesota had 441 yards, led by a 121-yard performance from running back Trey Potts. Potts also rushed for three touchdowns.
Under the Friday night lights
+ Both Friday night games were decided in the final minute. Maryland won 20-17 at Illinois on a 32-yard field goal by Joseph Petrino with 47 seconds left. The win gives the Terps their first 3-0 start since 2016. Two fumbles and eight penalties hurt the Terps, who scored 10 points in the final 2:13 to get the win. And Louisville (2-1) scored on a 66-yard pick-six by true freshman linebacker Jaylin Alderman with 12 seconds left to beat UCF (2-1) 42-35. The TD came one play after Louisville’s Malik Cunningham was intercepted. Of more importance: UCF QB Dillon Gabriel suffered a fractured collarbone on the final play, and while he doesn’t need surgery, he figures to miss at least a few games. His backup is true freshman Mikey Keene, a three-star recruit from Chandler (Ariz.) High, in the Phoenix suburbs.