While Week 3 was not filled with many of the big-time games, there was enough action to showcase who is a real contender and who is a pretender. While Alabama did not lose, they did show a human side and you saw a moment of weakness from Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide. Clemson barely scraped by Georgia Tech in a game they were projected to win by 25 and CJ Stroud from Ohio State looked less like a Heisman candidate then initially thought. We are going to break down some of the key things fans should take away from Week 3.
Michigan State at Miami
First, I am going to lead things off by saying I will be shocked if Manny Diaz will still be Miami’s coach come Thanksgiving. After a fumble on the opening drive, the Canes seemed to lose any momentum they had and the first quarter finished a 0-0 tie.
While MSU QB Payton Thorne threw for 4 touchdowns, the real problem area for the Canes was RB Kenny Walker who rushed 27 times for 172 yards. The Canes had no answer for Walker who seemed to be able beat them any way he wanted.
The win was impressive and unexpected by the Spartans, it seemed to speak more about the lack of heart and discipline shown by Miami. Manny Diaz even noted it on a weekly radio show saying “I think there are too many guys that are sitting around and watching D’Eriq and not playing with the same desperation that he has”.
Additionally, the Canes defense was not tackling and allowed MSU players to slide right on by gaining those extra yards which eventually led to their downfall. Even Diaz admitted that “Miami couldn’t tackle”. Diaz certainly needs to right this ship otherwise it will be a long season which will only end with him searching for a new job.
Alabama at Florida
As many of my readers know, I always say it is Ala-freaking-bama and you should always take them minues the points; however, the Crimson Tide and Nick Saban looked human in their narrow escape from the Swamp. I thought, and bet, that this would be another notch in the belt for Saban on his way to a perfect season; however, I give the Gators credit as they fought and clawed and kept it close.
Bryce Young did go 22/35 and 3 TD’s yet he still managed to look shaky in the 2-point win over Florida. The offense did show that they are going with a true rookie and miss having the likes of Tua and Mac Jones behind center.
I think this game more than anything showed that Florida is a good team and not to be taken lightly. It may be a 3 team SEC race for the CFP spot, but there is still a lot of football left to be played.
Auburn at Penn State
As always, in a big road game, Bo Nix completely fell apart. My article last Thursday called for just that. Nix was 21/37 and only threw for 185 yards. I am sorry, but that will not beat a top 25 opponent. With as good as Florida and Bama are playing, will you even be in that game?
On the other hand, PSU QB Sean Clifford had a near perfect game in leading the Nittany Lions over the Tigers. Clifford went 28/32 for 280 yards and 2 touchdowns. In my preview, I knew the quarterback position would be the challenge for both teams; however, Clifford showed up when the game mattered and looked phenomenal.
Georgia Tech at Clemson
Another perennial College Football Playoff favorite snuck past a far inferior team on Saturday. Clemson squeaked out a 14-8 win against Georgia Tech in a game where DJ Uiagalelei’s struggles continued. The Clemson Quarterback hit 18 of his 25 passed, but only managed 126 yards. This was a game where Clemson was predicted to win by at least 25 points.
While there are a lot of new pieces in play for the Tigers, they are a much better team the GT and the game should have never come down to a 7-3 lead going in to the 4th quarter. The Clemson Tigers need to step up their offensive production as they head in to another ACC game against the NC State Wolfpack.
Tulsa at Ohio State
While you wouldn’t usually expect to see a game that was won 41-20 on the “not so hot” list of College Football, there were a lot of questions left unanswered, especially coming off a loss to Oregon the previous week. Keep in mind, Tulsa was within a touchdown with less than 4 minutes left in the game.
Ohio State’s defense, which had a lot of questions following the Oregon, game gave up 487 total yards to Tulsa of which 428 came through the air. Not to take away anything from Tulsa QB Davis Brin who finished the game 31/54 for 428 yards and 2 TD’s; however, for a Buckeye’s team that is fighting to prove they deserve a spot in the Final Four, their D needed to show up. Allowing 428 passing yards is not showing up!
On top of that, CJ Stroud’s issues continued to showcase themselves as he went 15 for 25 for 185 yards, 1 TD, and 1 interception. Had it not been for true freshman, TreyVeyon Henderson, and his 277 yard and 3 touchdown performance, this could have been a very different ball game.
As I said, it is rare when a 41-20 win gets you on the shit list; however, they did advance and survive and this early in the season, that may be all that matters.
Summary
With Week 4 not showing a lot of big-time games, it will hopefully give these teams, coaches, and players an opportunity to reflect on what they have been doing and try to get their game back. Unfortunately, in NCAA Football, all it takes is one bad loss and you can blow your entire season. And for many of these teams, they have been dancing a little too close to that bad loss.