College Football Top 25 review - Week 3

#3 Georgia @ Arizona State
Georgia left no doubt that they were a contender today, beating Arizona State soundly, 27-10. A complete turnaround compared to last week’s squeaker against South Carolina, the Bulldogs ran out to a 21-3 lead in the second quarter and did not relinquish it. Georgia kept tremendous pressure on ASU quarterback Rudy Carpenter, sacking him 4 times. They also absolutely locked down the Sun Devil run game. The ASU backs compiled a stunning 4 yards total. Without having to worry about the run, the Georgia secondary was free to roam the field, locking down Carpenter’s receivers and the linebackers blitzing at will. Carpenter found himself scrambling on most plays, trying to keep the play alive long enough to find an open target, often to no avail. Defensively, the Sun Devils stifled Bulldog running back Knowshon Moreno for part of the game but in the end could not fully contain him, as he scored twice and totaled 149 yards. Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford also had a very effective day, compiling 185 yards and one touchdown through the air.


#4 Florida @Tennessee
Gator quarterback Tim Tebow didn’t throw for very many yards but did throw for a pair of touchdowns as Florida left Tennessee with a 30-6 victory. The Vols out-gained the Gators 258 yards to 243 but turned the ball over three times, and that was three times too many against the efficient Florida offense. Even worse, two of the turnovers were in key areas of the field: a fumble at the two-yard line and an interception in the end zone. And even though the Vols ruled the overall offensive yardage totals, the Gators out-rushed them 147 yards to 96, controlling the pace of the game. Tennessee has struggled to start seasons before and rebounded, but will have to stop the mistakes if they hope to repeat that. Aside from the key turnovers, the Vols were called for nine penalties totaling 95 yards. The Gators were penalized for nine themselves and the teams sparred and fought numerous times, but when added to the other mental mistakes, the Vols were clearly hurt more than Florida.

Buffalo @ #5 Missouri
Tiger quarterback Chase Daniel’s career-best 439 yards and two touchdowns helped overcome three turnovers and allow Mizzou to remain undefeated. Daniel also set a Big 12 record for consecutive completions with 20. Buffalo kept it close for three quarters but it was death by inches as for every touchdown they scored, Missouri duplicated and added a field goal to boot. Buffalo wide receiver Ernest Jackson was the center of the Bulls’ offense, scoring all three of the team’s touchdowns; two by receptions of 32 and 3, and one on a spectacular 97 yard kick return. That return, as well as the two fumbles and a bad roughing the kicker penalty were huge reasons Buffalo hung around so long in the first half. But in the end, the 590 total yards Mizzou rolled up on Buffalo was too much and they eventually separated themselves for good from the Bulls.

#6 LSU @#10 Auburn
Auburn gave LSU everything it could handle – and almost more – but the LSU Tigers staged a second half surge and sealed the deal with a Jarrett Lee touchdown pass to Brandon LaFell with just over a minute left. Lee came in for starter Andrew Hatch and started off badly going 0-5 on his first series including an interception returned for a touchdown before turning things around in the second half.

Rice @ #7 Texas
The Longhorns scored 17 points in the second quarter and never looked back, whipping Rice to the tune of 52-10. Texas was lead by quarterback Colt McCoy who threw for 329 yards and four touchdowns, bringing his career total to 62, breaking Major Applewhite’s previous record of 60.


#9Alabama @ Arkansas
A pair of interception returns for touchdowns sparked a 49-14 domination of the Arkansas Razorbacks by the Tide, who had six of their seven touchdowns on plays of longer than 25 yards.

Massachusetts @#11 Texas Tech
Texas Tech ran away and hid from Massachusetts, hammering the visiting Minutemen 56-14. Quarterback Graham Harrell threw for 322 yards and four touchdowns while running back Shannon Woods added three on the ground.

#12 South Florida @ Florida International
South Florida took down the Panthers in their own house totaling 322 total yards in a 17-9 victory. SFLA linebacker Brouce Mompremier was airlifted to a hospital after colliding with teammate Carlton Williams during a tackle in the third quarter. Mompremier was seen slowly moving his arms, and was believed to be regaining some movement in his legs before they loaded him onto the helicopter. No other details are available at this time.

Troy @ #13 Ohio State
The Buckeyes made a change to bounce back from their devastating loss to USC by giving the start and nearly all the snaps to true freshman Terrelle Pryor, who led Ohio State with four touchdown passes to a 28-10 win over Troy.

Wyoming @ #14 BYU
BYU is on a mission to show the nation that they deserve every win, this time stomping Wyoming to the tune of 44-0. Quarterback Max Hall threw for 189 yards and three touchdowns in the Cougar’s 14th straight win, longest in the nation.

#15 East Carolina @ NC State
ECU became the latest ranked team to fall to an unranked school when they were stunned in overtime by the Wolfpack, 30-24. ECU Quarterback Patrick Pinkney’s fumble set up an Andre Brown touchdown for the NC State victory.

Temple @ #16 Penn State
Penn State leapt out to an early second quarter lead and never looked back as they trounced visiting Temple, 45-3. Running back Stephfon Green led the offense with 132 yards and one touchdown on the ground.

Boise @ #17 Oregon
I said in my Pac 10 preview on College Football Insider and NFLDraftbible that the Ducks needed to limit mistakes and not fall behind – neither was a goal they met as Oregon quarterbacks threw three interceptions and Boise State ran out to a 24 to 6 lead in the first half and never looked back. A late surge by Oregon was not enough this time as Boise quarterback Kellen Moore threw for 386 yards and three touchdowns in the 37-32 upset.

#18 Wake Forest @ #24 Florida State
The teams combined for five field goals as Wake Forest edged the Seminoles 12-3.

Sam Houston St @ #19 Kansas
The quarterbacks combined for 696 total yards passing but the Jayhawks’ were able to put the ball in the end zone more times as they defeated Sam Houston State, 38-14.

#20 Utah @ Air Force
Air Force put a scare into the Utes, but three second half touchdowns by running back Darrell Mack lead a come back victory to the tune of 30-23.

#21 West Virginia @ Colorado (Thursday)
West Virginia quarterback Pat White and his main running back Noel Devine ran up a total of 281 yards but it wasn’t enough as Buffalo’s Rodney Stewart ran for 166 yards and kicker Aric Goodman kicked a game winning field goal in overtime, sending West Virginia home with a heartbreaking 17-14 loss.

South Carolina St. @ #23 Clemson
Clemson running back James Davis ran for three touchdowns as the Tigers blanked the Bulldogs 54-0.

#25 Fresno State @Toledo
Fresno State held onto the win, 55-54, but may not hold onto their ranking as it took a knocked down 2-point conversion pass to get the win in the second overtime.