The season isn't supposed to get this exciting until the leaves begin falling from the trees in a few weeks.
Week 3 was highlighted by rare early season thrillers involving the nation's top two teams, Nebraska and Florida State -- both of which had to fight harder than anyone expected to keep their vanity intact. The unfortunate reality for the rest of the Big 12 and ACC is that those tests tend to make the truly powerful teams even stronger.
The Pac-10's resurgence continued, with Washington's "upset" of Miami in Seattle leading the way. Of course, it would have been nice if a couple of other potential surprises had broken the conference's way; Oregon was a few plays away from knocking off Wisconsin and Arizona had its shots against Ohio State.
Elsewhere, the thrilling and the bizarre seemed to rule the day. Georgia's Quincy Carter finished with a single-game interception total (five) just one shy of his number for last season against suddenly mighty South Carolina. North Carolina State came back from the dead to stun Indiana in the fourth quarter. USC (vs. Colorado) and UCLA (vs. Fresno State) both escaped serious challenges in the final minutes. Auburn withstood a rally from Ole Miss to prevail.
| Week 3 Recaps |
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| (1) Nebraska 27, (23) Notre Dame
24, OT |
| Matchup |
Key Stat |
Game Recap
Game Summary |
10: Total number of passes completed by starting QBs Eric Crouch and Arnaz Battle in this ground-dominated game. |
| Player of the Game |
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Eric Crouch, RB, Nebraska. Once again, Crouch did it all for his team. He rushed for 80 yards and threw for 103, scoring three touchdowns on the ground.
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| CNNSI.com's Analysis |
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Credit, first of all, has to go to the Irish. Notre Dame's season-opening win over Texas A&M was nice, but those weren't the old, dominant Aggies. This was supposed to be a reality check for Notre Dame, and the Domers came out looking pretty strong. The sheer speed and creativity of Crouch are difficult for anyone to slow down, but the Irish hung in there. Battle did his job running the ball, but the Irish could have used a little more than 3 of 15 passing from their QB. All in all, Nebraska should feel lucky, and Notre Dame should be proud -- and use this as a springboard for the rest of the season.
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| (2) Florida State 26, Georgia Tech 21 |
| Matchup |
Key Stat |
Game Recap
Game Summary |
14: Florida State's current winning streak, which is now the nation's longest after Marshall's loss Saturday. |
| Player of the Game |
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Chris Weinke, QB, Florida State. It's all about the old guy, who just keeps rewriting his already impressive personal record book. Those 443 yards were helpful, weren't they? |
| CNNSI.com's Analysis |
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Normally, you'd think the fact that Weinke became FSU's career passing leader (6,433 yards) would be the main story in an ACC game, but not this time. FSU was sluggish offensively, especially in the middle of the game, and the Seminoles' defense somehow allowed George Godsey to do a Joe Hamilton impersonation. The Jackets were 22-point underdogs but stuck around longer than anyone expected, apparently on force of will alone. For a while, it looked as if they wanted it far more than the Seminoles did. But, as usual, Bobby's boys won out.
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| (3) Michigan 38, Rice 7 |
| Matchup |
Key Stat |
Game Recap
Game Summary |
3: First-half passing touchdowns by Michigan quarterback John Navarre, who now has a total of seven TD passes in two games. |
| Player of the Game |
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Anthony Thomas, RB, Michigan. The A-Train's strong start continued as he amassed 131 yards and two TDs on only 14 carries before taking the second half off. |
| CNNSI.com's Analysis |
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This one wasn't supposed to give the Wolverines much trouble, and it didn't. Michigan was up 28-0 before the end of the first quarter and had time to get most of its roster into the game by the third quarter. Perhaps the Wolverines could have used a stiffer test before going to UCLA next week, but they certainly can take solace in another strong effort from Navarre, who completed 10 of 15 passes for 129 yards.
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| (15) Washington 34, (4) Miami 29 |
| Matchup |
Key Stat |
Game Recap
Game Summary |
37:28: Time of possession for Washington, nearly 15 minutes more than Miami. |
| Player of the Game |
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Marques Tuiasosopo, QB, Washington. Gave his customary running and throwing performance, with 223 yards and a TD through the air and 45 yards and a TD on the ground.
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| CNNSI.com's Analysis |
| Things got a little dicey for the home-standing Huskies in the third quarter, when they squandered a 21-3 halftime lead, but Washington just had too much firepower in the end. Tuiasosopo showed why he is considered one of the savviest QBs in the nation with his all-around performance, and the Husky defense kept Miami away from its favorite toy: the big play. The longest of the Hurricanes' scores was a relatively pedestrian 21-yard TD pass.
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| (5) Wisconsin 27, Oregon 23 |
| Matchup |
Key Stat |
Game Recap
Game Summary |
3: Interceptions by Wisconsin All-American Jamar Fletcher in his season debut. Call it one for each game he'll miss due to suspension. |
| Player of the Game |
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Michael Bennett, QB, Wisconsin. Sort of a no-brainer with those 290 rushing yards, isn't it? |
| CNNSI.com's Analysis |
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Barry Alvarez looks like a pretty smart guy after bringing back Fletcher and some other big guns for this game, rather than having them serve suspensions. The Badgers needed everything in their arsenal to hold off a plucky Oregon group that had its chances down to the very last play. On paper, the Ducks shouldn't have been close, but they hung in there in an intimidating environment, and only their inability to stop Bennett kept them from pulling the massive upset.
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| (6) Texas 52, Louisiana-Lafayette 10 |
| Matchup |
Key Stat |
Game Recap
Game Summary
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5: Number of Texas players to score points (four TDs and a field goal) in the Longhorns' 31-point second quarter.
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| Player of the Game |
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Major Applewhite, QB, Texas. He didn't get the start, but he did the job, throwing for 315 yards and four touchdowns.
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| CNNSI.com's Analysis |
| Mack Brown might have made the wrong call to start the game, going with Chris Simms at quarterback, but the Longhorns bounced back well from a 10-0 first-quarter deficit. Applewhite looked comfortable and certainly solidified his standing in the QB race. The Ragin' Cajuns were sadly overmatched in this one, but at least the Longhorns were able to try some things out.
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| (8) Florida 55, Middle Tennessee State 0 |
| Matchup |
Key Stat |
Game Recap
Game Summary |
5: Turnovers for Middle Tennessee State.
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| Player of the Game |
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Rex Grossman, QB, Florida. The latest Gator signal-caller impressed with three touchdowns in nine completions after coming off the bench. |
| CNNSI.com's Analysis |
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Ever wonder what the Gators get out of all this? Besides more headaches for Jesse Palmer, that is. It was another demolition for Florida, but it's difficult to imagine how the experience gained Saturday will help against Tennessee next weekend. Florida didn't give up any points, so that's nice after last week's struggles against Ball State. But does it really matter? One more week... One more week...
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| South Carolina 21, (9) Georgia 10 |
| Matchup |
Key Stat |
Game Recap
Game Summary
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5: Interceptions thrown by Georgia's Quincy Carter, who had six all of last season. |
| Player of the Game |
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Derek Watson, RB, South Carolina. Coveted by Georgia during the recruiting process, the sophomore ran for three touchdowns for his home-state team.
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| CNNSI.com's Analysis |
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In a word, the Bulldogs looked bad. Georgia had better worry about getting its own act together before it resumes preseason chatter about knocking off Tennessee and Florida down the line. Carter had perhaps the worst game of his career, and South Carolina's offense did just enough to put the Gamecocks over the top -- and continue their winning streak. And, with Eastern Michigan on the schedule next weekend, South Carolina's roll could continue.
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| (10) Virginia Tech 45, East Carolina 28 |
| Matchup |
Key Stat |
Game Recap
Game Summary |
31: Points scored by Virginia Tech in the first half, to zero for East Carolina. |
| Player of the Game |
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Lee Suggs, RB, Virginia Tech. With Michael Vick a little off, the tailback showed his strength and speed with 11 carries for 122 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown scamper. |
| CNNSI.com's Analysis |
| There's no denying the talent at East Carolina, led by remarkable quarterback David Garrard, but the Pirates' special teams lost this game. Bad snaps on ECU's first two punts of the game gave the Hokies an edge in momentum and on the scoreboard, and an 87-yard punt return touchdown by Andre Davis put ECU away by halftime. Garrard, to his credit, never let his team quit. Don't be surprised if the Pirates make some noise this year -- perhaps against Syracuse in two weeks.
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| (11) USC 17, Colorado 14 |
| Matchup |
Key Stat |
Game Recap
Game Summary |
6: Consecutive passes completed by USC's Carson Palmer on the game-winning drive. |
| Player of the Game |
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Carson Palmer, QB, USC. You want efficiency, even before the flawless drive in the final minutes? Try 25 of 30 for 275 yards.
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| CNNSI.com's Analysis |
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Two games, two heartbreakers for the Buffaloes. Colorado had its chances in this one, with the key blow being a missed field goal by Mark Mariscal with two minutes to play. A couple of debatable calls didn't help Colorado at all, but the officials had nothing to do with Palmer's brilliance. This was a much better showing for the quarterback than he gave in the Penn State game, and the Trojans would like to see it become a regular occurrence. If it does, USC will be in the Pac-10 mix all season.
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| (13) Alabama 28, Vanderbilt 10 |
| Matchup |
Key Stat |
Game Recap
Game Summary |
16: Consecutive Tide wins over Vandy. |
| Player of the Game |
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Tyler Watts, QB, Alabama. Came in to energize the Tide after Andrew Zow proved ineffective.
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| CNNSI.com's Analysis |
| Alabama may have picked up a win, but the Tide still didn't look like contenders for much of anything in this one. Zow was shaky from the beginning, and only a strong day from Watts and new starting tailback Ahmaad Galloway (79-yard TD) kept the team from another upset. Yes, Alabama pulled away late, but you have to wonder what might have happened if the Commodores had been awarded a crucial second-half fumble that was ruled down, or if their defensive stalwarts Jamie Winborn and Jimmy Williams had played.
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| (14) Purdue 45, Kent State 10 |
| Matchup |
Key Stat |
Game Recap
Game Summary |
192: Total yards in the first half for Purdue's Vinny Sutherland. |
| Player of the Game |
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Drew Brees, QB, Purdue. It's hard to argue with the Heisman candidate's performance, which featured two TDs through the air and on the ground.
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| CNNSI.com's Analysis |
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Ho-hum, another stat builder for Mr. Brees. It'll be nice to see how the Boilermakers do when they get out of their conference -- that's Mid American Conference -- schedule and play some real opposition. What can you say? Brees came through, though the two rushing touchdowns were a new twist (he had nine in 33 previous games), and Sutherland showed what he can do. Let's work on that schedule, Coach T!
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| (16) UCLA 24, Fresno State 21 |
| Matchup |
Key Stat |
Game Recap
Game Summary |
26: Fresno State's rushing yardage -- on 23 carries, no less.
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| Player of the Game |
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DeShaun Foster, RB, UCLA. The Bruins needed every bit of their powerful back's 140 yards and two fourth-quarter TDs to win. |
| CNNSI.com's Analysis |
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Letdown? You could say that. This Fresno State team didn't give Ohio State much trouble, and UCLA might have been thinking a little much of itself after its season-opening upset of Alabama. The Bruins got some breathing room in the fourth quarter, but had to withstand a late surge to win. UCLA might not want to make those Rose Bowl reservations just yet, but the Bruins can use this as a lesson as they move on to a crucial game with Michigan next week at home.
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| (17) Clemson 62, Missouri 9 |
| Matchup |
Key Stat |
Game Recap
Game Summary |
3: Number of 1-yard touchdown runs for Clemson, which spent basically the entire game in the red zone.
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| Player of the Game |
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Woodrow Dantzler, QB, Clemson. He actually had a few passes fall incomplete this week, but don't hold it against him. Woody finished with 188 passing yards and 2 TDs, along with 65 rushing yards.
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| CNNSI.com's Analysis |
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Ouch. Clemson is beginning to look tough, even without threatening opposition in its first two contests. Dantzler will never put up those Drew Brees-like numbers, but he has a great feel for the Tigers' offense and knows how to use the weapons he has, like tailback Travis Zachery (three TDs). Keep an eye on the Tigers as they begin their ACC schedule next week; Tommy Bowden could be onto something.
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| (18) Ohio State 27, Arizona 17 |
| Preview |
Key Stat |
Game Recap
Game Summary |
12: Number of punts by Arizona, which managed only 194 total yards and 11 first downs. |
| Player of the Game |
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Steve Bellisari, QB, Ohio State. After looking ordinary in the Buckeyes' opener against Fresno St., Bellisari was impressive in Tucson, completing 12 of 20 for 240 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception.
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| CNNSI.com's Analysis |
| Arizona's loss put a damper on what was an otherwise spectacular day for the Pac 10. Ortege Jenkins was sacked eight times by the aggressive Buckeyes defense. Jenkins hit on 11 of 23 for 137 yards and one touchdown, and was held to 3 yards on 19 carries. Bellisari helped Ohio State rally from a 17-10 halftime deficit to score 17 unanswered points in the second half, but it was the defense that starred Saturday night for the Buckeyes in the desert.
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| Auburn 35, (19) Mississippi 27 |
| Matchup |
Key Stat |
Game Recap
Game Summary |
8: Number of consecutive SEC openers lost by Ole Miss.
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| Player of the Game |
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Rudi Johnson, RB, Auburn. The SEC's newest cult hero continued his run with 165 yards and two TDs.
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| CNNSI.com's Analysis |
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Tommy Tuberville got the ol' ride off the field on his players' shoulders after the win -- the best return to Oxford he could have asked for. Neither marquee running back in the game disappointed, with Johnson doing his thing and Deuce McAllister racking up 257 all-purpose yards. Auburn QB Ben Leard's poise was obvious; he kept his team on top despite constant counter-punching from Ole Miss. The Tigers could beat some people this year.
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| (20) Oklahoma 45, Arkansas State 7 |
| Matchup |
Key Stat |
Game Recap
Game Summary |
35: Career touchdown passes for Josh Heupel, barely into his second year at Oklahoma, tying the school record. |
| Player of the Game |
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Josh Heupel, QB, Oklahoma. The Sooners' top gun did it again, throwing for 301 yards and 3 TDs, then adding another score on the ground.
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| CNNSI.com's Analysis |
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The Indians didn't provide much of a test for Heupel and his band of merry men, who went through glorified pass skeletons with an audience. The Sooners have a bye next week, and don't play a challenging game until going to Dallas on Oct. 7 to face Texas, so this was as good a way as any to ease into a little down time.
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| (21) Illinois 49, San Diego State 13 |
| Matchup |
Key Stat |
Game Recap
Game Summary |
4:19: Span in the second quarter during which Illinois scored three touchdowns to break the game wide open.
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| Player of the Game |
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Antoineo Harris, RB, Illinois. Ran for 117 yards and three TDs, complementing Rocky Harvey's 15-carry, 124-yard performance.
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| CNNSI.com's Analysis |
| Kurt Kittner continued his efficient play for the Illini, completing 18 of 25 passes for 148 yards and 3 TDs. Illinois scored on five of its first seven possessions to jump out to a 35-6 lead at the half, and then just coasted home for the easy win. Aztecs quarterback Jack Hawley left the game in the fourth with a strained neck, after completing only 13 of 28 passes for 113 yards, with one interception. The Illini return home next week to face Cal, before Michigan visits Champaign on Sept. 23.
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| (22) TCU 41, Nevada 10 |
| Matchup |
Key Stat |
Game Recap
Game Summary |
11: Rushing yards for Nevada.
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| Player of the Game |
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LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, TCU. The big man got his Heisman campaign off to a good start with 176 yards rushing and three TDs.
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| CNNSI.com's Analysis |
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Tomlinson, Tomlinson, Tomlinson. That's all you're going to get from TCU this year, so get used to it. Then again, that's not such a bad thing. Scoring on runs of 1, 8 and 43 yards, the star tailback did exactly what he was supposed to do as the Horned Frogs successfully pummeled the first creampuff on a schedule loaded with them. Nevada does its thing through the air, and the Wolf Pack gave their best shot with it Saturday, but they couldn't stop LT.
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| (24) Michigan State 34, Marshall 24 |
| Matchup |
Key Stat |
Game Recap
Game Summary |
219: Career-high rushing yardage total for Michigan State's T.J. Duckett. |
| Player of the Game |
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Jeff Smoker, QB, Michigan State. Pressed into the fire after an early injury to starter Ryan Van Dyke, the Spartans' prized true freshman was a steady 16 of 24 for 138 yards, a TD and an interception.
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| CNNSI.com's Analysis |
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Marshall's winning streak didn't end without a fight. The Thundering Herd gave a more than respectable showing in East Lansing, but just didn't have the big bodies up front to withstand the hard running of the 250-plus-pound Duckett in the second half. Marshall's offense also had trouble getting things going, and a gutty performance by Smoker lifted the Spartans to the victory. |
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