KNOXVILLE, TN – Were you not entertained on Saturday with a college football slate that certainly delivered? If you weren’t, I don’t know what to tell you, or how you should go about the rest of the season.
Whether it was the chaos in Knoxville between Georgia and Tennessee, or the wild fourth quarter in South Bend with Texas A&M and Notre Dame, we had ourselves a weekend.
Oh, and how about the Vanderbilt Commodores beating No. 11 South Carolina? A monster day for Clark Lea, who voluntarily put in his backup QB for Diego Pavia late in the fourth quarter.
Tennessee Whiskey Needed: SEC Is Wide Open After Georgia Escapes Knoxville With Overtime Victory
Are we living in some type of multiverse!? A 31-7 drubbing of the Gamecocks, who were without LaNorris Sellers in the second half due to an injury, though he wasn’t playing defense when the Commodores were running up and down the field.
Let’s take a look back at a wild Saturday.
Georgia, Tennessee Delivered. LSU Humbles DJ Lagway
I have no idea what Florida quarterback DJ Lagway was doing on Saturday night, throwing five interceptions against an LSU defense that wasn’t giving him much time to breathe in the pocket. It was bad, and even had ESPN announcers questioning whether Lagway should be the starter moving forward.
I’ve got news for you, it’s not much better behind DJ, with Harrison Bailey next in line. Now, the questions continue about this Florida football team under Billy Napier, who once again looked stagnant on offense, with him calling plays as well, though it wasn’t him throwing the ball five times to the opposing team.
As for the Georgia vs. Tennessee game, this one had it all in Knoxville. I also think it’s fair to say that the SEC is WIDE open this season. Credit to Gunner Stockton for coming up clutch in the final minutes, leading Georgia to the game-tying touchdown drive, with a beautiful pass to Landon Humphreys, followed up by a 2-point conversion.
Also, let me just say that this was the most impressive offensive outing for a Tennessee team against Georgia during the Josh Heupel era in Knoxville. Joey Aguilar had four touchdowns, with three of them going to Chris Brazelle, when the Vols were taking on water from the Bulldogs’ 17-0 run.
And, the Vols were a 43-yard field goal away from defeating Georgia for the first time in eight years, but the football gods were not allowing Tennessee to get this one on Saturday night. Once regulation ended with the shank, you could tell the air had been sucked out of Neyland Stadium. Hell, the Vols scored 38 points against a Georgia defense, and still lost.
Oh, and AMERICA!
Right now, and credit to Georgia for getting this massive win, it feels as though the SEC is up for grabs. Outside of LSU, and they have their own problems, this conference feels like a crapshoot, especially with Texas struggling mightily.
Notre Dame Messed Around, And Texas A&M Let Them Find Out
Thankfully, we had ourselves a great ending in South Bend, as Texas A&M went on the road and pushed Notre Dame until the very last whistle. Even a little banged up, Aggies QB Marcel Reed had over 360 yards of total offense, while CJ Carr passed for 284 yards for Notre Dame.
This one had everything, from crazy runs to Notre Dame fumbling the snap on the extra point that followed the touchdown to take the lead with 2:45 remaining. But, the 40-34 Irish lead would be tested, as the Aggies drove the field behind Marcel Reed and won the game on a HUGE play from the quarterback in the final seconds.
And yes, Notre Dame will need to win out if they plan on making the college football playoff.
Congrats to Alabama on the 38-14 win over Wisconsin, with Ryan Williams making Badger defenders look as though they were playing on roller-skates.
Hey Texas, What’s Up?
I really don’t know what’s going on with the Texas Longhorns right now, but quarterback Arch Manning is looking pedestrian. I tried to warn folks about overhyping the young man before the season, but some folks just couldn’t help but have him as the No. 1 QB in next year’s NFL Draft, or the favorite for Heisman Trophy betting.
Going 11-25 for 114 yards and 1 touchdown against UTEP is not going to give fans in Austin a lot of hope right now, though he will obviously continue to grow as a quarterback. But, I’ll say that my prediction of Texas finishing the season 9-3 is not looking too bad right now. They’ve got work to do, before a game against Florida in a few weeks.
Miami Brings USF Back To Reality
Credit to South Florida for what they accomplished over the previous two weeks, defeating Boise State and Florida. But, they ran into a category five Hurricane on Saturday afternoon, losing 49-12 to Miami, with Carson Beck passing for 340 yards and 3 TDs. Yes, I know he had 2 interceptions, but I’ll let that slide.
I’m liking what I am seeing from Miami right now, with a game against Florida next up. I don’t see the Hurricanes having much of a problem with the Gators.
Coming Up Next, A Pivotal Weekend For Some
Ok, while we might not have a plethora of ranked matchups, this will be a crucial week four slate for some. Don’t forget that some of the wildest games come when we least expect it.
- No. 9 Illinois @ No. 22 Indiana
- South Carolina vs. No. 25 Missouri
- No. 23 Michigan @ Nebraska
- No. 21 Texas Tech @ No. 20 Utah
- No. 24 Auburn @ No. 12 Oklahoma
So, we do have plenty of interesting ranked showdowns next week, and I can promise you we’ll have some sort of chaos that comes out of nowhere.
After Saturday’s chaos, capped off by that crazy ending that saw Texas A&M defeat Notre Dame in the final seconds, I would say we had another great weekend of college football.
And thank goodness, we’re just getting started.
