Football the unthinkable can happen on any college on Saturday, even if there are no games involving teams ranked in the US LBM Coaches Poll and as many games between Power Five and Championship Subdivision opponents as there are non-conference games between two Power Five schools. South Carolina led No. 1 Georgia 14-3 at halftime, and the two-time reigning national champions were on the ropes.
What Kirby Smart said to the Bulldogs in the locker room is between Smart and the Bulldogs, albeit the language most likely crossed the line into TV-MA zone. The message was both delivered and received. Georgia held the Gamecocks scoreless in the second half and won 24-14 behind Carson Beck’s 269 yards on 7.7 yards per pass and Daijun Edwards’ 118 running yards. Even last year’s juggernaut had to overcome a pair of double-digit deficits, including one in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Ohio State. After easing into the season with wins over Tennessee-Martin and Ball State, Georgia faced a different level of quality and athleticism and needed two quarters to catch up.
The crisis has been averted. The winning run continues. The Bulldogs will remain atop the Top 25 and continue their march towards college football immortality, attempting to become the first programme in modern history to threepeat. This week’s wins are led by the Bulldogs. Another SEC powerhouse was not so fortunate.
Here are the finest and worst moments from Saturday:
Darren Grainger passed for 461 yards and three touchdowns as Georgia State defeated Charlotte 41-25 on Saturday.
Charlotte came back from a 34-10 deficit to end the third quarter within nine points. Jalon Jones scored on a 58-yard run with 2:21 remaining in the third quarter. Then, less than a minute later, after holding the Panthers to a three-and-out, Henry Rutledge returned a punt 46 yards for a score.
Grainger and the Panthers’ offence replied by moving 75 yards in eight plays and clinching the victory with a 38-yard touchdown pass to Robert Lewis with 12:57 remaining. On its last drives, Charlotte punted and turned the ball over on downs. Georgia State’s (3-0) Grainger completed 26 of 32 pass attempts. Lewis finished with 220 yards and two scores on six catches. Tailique Williams has 129 yards receiving and five touchdown receptions.
Charlotte’s Trexler Ivey was 20-for-28 passing for 257 yards with a touchdown and interception for Charlotte (1-2).
Football winners
LSU
Two weeks after falling easily to No. 3 Florida State in the season opener, No. 14 LSU responded with a resounding 41-14 win against Mississippi State. Jayden Daniels completed 30 of 34 passes for 361 yards and four touchdowns, with wide receiver Malik Nabers leading the way with 13 catches for 239 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, the Tigers held Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers to 11 completions in 28 attempts for 103 yards and allowed only 94 running yards, 52 of which came on a single play. This was the type of balanced performance that speaks to the Tigers’ ability to defend their SEC West title and make the playoffs.
Missouri
An unbelievable, blood-curdling delay of game penalty with seconds left seemed to doom Missouri’s chances of beating No. 15 Kansas State in regulation and, if the Tigers lost in overtime, could have put coach Eli Drinkwitz under a white-hot spotlight even before SEC play began. But it was the kicker who rescued the day: Harrison Mevis, the 245-pound senior known as the “Thicker Kicker,” hit an SEC-record 61-yard field goal with space to spare, lifting Missouri to a 30-27 victory. Isn’t that how Drinkwitz imagined it? Missouri improves to 3-0, with Memphis and Vanderbilt on the horizon, keeping the Tigers in contention for a Top 25 place before playing LSU on Oct. 7.
Ohio State
The offence has resurfaced. No. 4 Ohio State scored 35 points in the second quarter and defeated Western Kentucky 63-10, amassing 562 yards of offence and 9.4 yards per play against one of the Group of Five’s stronger teams. After a difficult start to the season due to the loss of standout quarterback C.J. Stroud, the Buckeyes appear prepared to reclaim a spot among the top teams in the Big Ten and Power Five behind All-America wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and Stroud’s replacement, Kyle McCord. Harrison finished with 126 yards and a 75-yard touchdown, while McCord completed 82.6% of his throws for 318 yards and three touchdowns.
Brian Ferentz
We’ve discussed the metrics imposed on Iowa’s embattled offensive coordinator several times this season, but a quick refresher: the Hawkeyes must win at least seven games and average at least 25 points per game, for a total of 350 points over the course of a 13-game season, in order for Ferentz to be reinstated on his previous two-year rolling contract. Iowa tacked on a meaningless touchdown with 33 seconds left to rout Western Michigan 41-10, the program’s largest point total since dumping 51 points on Maryland in 2021. This brings the Hawkeyes’ season total to 85 points, or 28.3 points per game, and things are looking good for Ferentz.
Football losers
Alabama
Remove the helmet. If you can, ignore the scowling Nick Saban on the sideline. Forget about national titles, history, reputation, and a successful legacy. Would this squad be sniffing the Top 25 if it wasn’t Alabama — say, Auburn — next week? One week after losing at home to No. 4 Texas, the Crimson Tide were drawn into a dogfight against South Florida and barely escaped with a 17-3 win, raising yet another set of difficult questions about the state of the offence under new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and what Saban intends to do at quarterback.
He replaced Jalen Milroe with Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner, who struggled, completing only 5 of 14 passes for 34 yards before handing the ball over to redshirt freshman Ty Simpson, who connected on 5 of 9 throws for 73 yards and might be the starter moving forward. While Alabama avoided consecutive losses for the first time in 189 games, this is not a squad capable of winning the SEC West, let alone returning to the playoffs and winning the national title. Through three games, Saban’s team is the weakest and most flawed he has fielded since his first season in 2007.
Iowa State
A disastrous preseason that saw the programme and wider athletics department entangled in a gambling controversy has spilled into a miserable start for Iowa State, which is currently 1-2 following a 10-7 loss at Ohio. The Cyclones have lost 14 of their previous 21 games and are once again among the weakest teams in the Big 12, having finished last in the league a year ago. Matt Campbell’s reputation has taken a significant knock since the start of last season. He was once one of the hottest names in coaching, linked at times to openings at Michigan and others.
Virginia Tech
In Blacksburg, things are looking bleak. Virginia Tech is currently 1-2 after allowing 256 running yards on 7.5 yards per carry in a 35-16 loss to Rutgers, bringing second-year coach Brent Pry’s record against Power Five opponents to 1-9. The Hokies excel at nothing, including fundamentals like blocking, tackling, running, and passing, and are destined to finish near the bottom of the ACC this season. Again.