Week 3 in the College Football universe did not bring as many top-tier match ups as weeks 1 and 2, but it did bring in some games with last second finishes and crazy late heroics. Top it off with a night cap BCS rematch, it was a solid Saturday. Let’s take a look of what went down over the weekend.
Let’s start with Tennessee vs. Florida (26-20) – In the past three seasons, this game has come down to the final minutes, sometimes seconds. This years version of the Vols vs. Gators didn’t start off like the barn burner most wanted. Florida Quarterback Feleipe Franks struggled to connect to most of his targets in the first half, and the Volunteer defense was able to get enough pressure on the young quarterback to make him unsettle. On the other side, the Volunteers handed their offense off to running back John Kelly who totaled 19 carries and 141 yards with 1 touchdown for the day. At half time, the gators were up 6-3. Yes, 6-3. Florida has had a rough time getting anything going on offense…until the fourth quarter of this game. With 9 seconds in the 4th quarter, trailing the Vols 20-17, Franks threw a 63 yard bomb to Tyrie Cleveland to win the game. I’m not exactly sure what Coach Jones was trying to do defensively, but he is probably kicking himself about that one.
Texas vs. USC (27-24 2OT)- Tom Herman brought his Longhorns to the coliseum Saturday night for the rematch a decade in the making. Herman gave the reigns of the offense to Sam Ehlinger who replaced a struggling Shane Buechele. The freshman looked exactly like one, throwing two picks and missing open receivers most of the night. Ehlinger did start to put things together late in the game as he connected to Amarti Foreman to give the Longhorns a 17-14 lead late in the 4th. USC’s Sam Darnold however put the game on his shoulders. Darnold connected to Deonte Burnett to give the Trojans a 24-17 lead in first overtime. The Longhorns tied the game and pushed for second overtime and then the incredible happens-fumble. Finally, 
USC’s Chase McGrath drilled a 45 yard field goal to put the final nail in the coffin to the Longhorns. Not exactly the Hollywood ending we got in 2006, but a great game nonetheless.
Clemson vs. Louisville (47-21)- The Lamar Jackson hype machine came to a sudden stop Saturday night. The cardinals hosted the Clemson Tigers in a rematch from last season that came down to the wire. The Clemson defense set the tone early in this match up. Jackson was either missing targets, running away from defenders, or throwing the ball away. The Tiger D held the Cardinals to only 116 yards rushing. Through three quarters, the cardinals only scored 7 points. The Clemson offense had no problem moving the ball as Junior signal caller Kelly Bryant put on his best performance so far this season. Bryant connected for 22 of 32 passes and threw for 316 yards with one touchdown run. It was a true team effort by the Tigers who look like a team who has not missed a beat since the National Championship game a year ago.
Notable Upsets: Northern Illinois over Nebraska. Memphis over UCLA. San Diego St. over Stanford.
JDubb's Sideline Report 