Week 3 roundup: Colorado classic, UF stunner and more

Week 3 saved much of its madness for the late-night window, with a top-15 upset, Texas and Colorado's struggles against Group of Five opponents and one of the sport's fiercest rivalries all pushing up against the stroke of midnight. 

For all the early risers in the college football world, here's a look at the biggest storylines you might've missed from Saturday night:

Colorado, Coach Prime escape in double overtime, remain perfect

Colorado’s typically dynamic offense wallowed in a penalty-ridden and, as coach Deion Sanders put it midweek, “personal” first-half affair against in-state rivals Colorado State. 

Despite benefiting from a whopping 128 CSU penalty yards, Colorado’s offense was limited to just seven points and a sold-out Folsom Field celebrated its first College Gameday this century in stunned silence trailing 21-14. 

CSU twice looked set to extend its advantage from the Colorado red zone, thwarted by a Shilo Sanders forced fumble and a blocked field goal respectively. The Rams would briefly extend their lead to two scores — Brayden Fowler-Necosi’s third passing score was sandwiched by a pair of Buffs field goals — and a perfectly-executed pooch punt pinned Colorado inside its own two-yard line. 

Trailing by eight with just two minutes to drive the entire field, early Heisman candidate Shedeur Sanders executed a near perfect drive. The former FCS phenom was 5/6 through the air for 106 yards, — for the bemused mathematicians out there, CU committed a pair of false starts — the final 45 of which came on a touchdown connection with Jimmy Horn Jr. just thirty seconds before the final whistle. 

Colorado would convert the subsequent two-point conversion, sending the game into overtime, and emerge with a decisive stand in double OT to remain perfect on the year.  

Gators shut down No. 11 Tennessee for first SEC ranked win since 2019

It was like gazing into a cathartic mirror for frustrated Florida fans Saturday, as No. 11 Tennessee struggled with Floridian pitfalls Saturday in a thorough 29-16 defeat in Gainesville. 

A return to sea level seemed to heal the sputtering offense Florida trotted out against Utah in Week 1, opening the game with a seven-minute drive to the fringes of Tennesee's redzone. But as kicker Adam Mihalek's 41-yard effort was blocked and Tennessee surged in front 7-0, looking for its first win at the Swamp in two decades, Florida's offense opted for a more direct approach on its second try — running back Trevor Etienne caught just a glimpse of the distant orange-end zone and refused to be denied, bowling over Volunteer DB's en route to a game-changing 62-yard touchdown. 

Poor tackling and penalties, of which the Gators committed nine against the Utes in Week 1, continued to swing unfamiliarly in UF's favor. On a short pass from QB Graham Mertz, Montrell Johnson shedded a hapless Vol defender, pushing UT near a dozen missed tackles in the first half, and scored on his second TD of the game to give the Gators a resounding 26-7 lead at half. 

The Gators largely chewed clock and relied on their defense for a pair of crucial fourth-down stops, allowing just a consolation Joe Milton touchdown in the final minutes to ice a thorough, SEC-opening win.

South Alabama routs Oklahoma State for second Power 5 win in program history

South Alabama has enjoyed a meteoric rise since playing its first ever football game just over 14 years ago against Hargrove Military Academy, continuing its ascent Saturday with the most impressive result in program history, battering Oklahoma State 33-7 Saturday

USA surged to a stunning but fully deserved 23-0 halftime lead in Stillwater, employing a balanced offensive attack — the Jaguars out-gained OSU at half 232-70 behind an almost even division of passing and rushing yards — and limited the rotation Cowboy quarterbacks to a collective 7/17 performance. 

Carter Bradley, meanwhile, capped off his stellar half off football under center with his finest moment of the stanza, finding a streaking Caulin Lacy down the right sideline for a 57-yard touchdown grab that extended the Jaguar lead to four scores. 

Oklahoma State would finally find its way into the endzone, as Jaden Nixon plunged in on 4th and goal, but scant hopes of a Cowboy comeback were promptly stamped out by ten USA points in just two minutes. 

No. 4 Texas avoids upset, pulls away late from Wyoming

Mired in a 10-10 deadlock against Wyoming entering the fourth quarter, quarterback Quinn Ewers gathered his No. 4 Texas team and implored his teammates to make a difference in the final period of play. 

So as Longhorn wide receiver Xavier Worthy caught a screen pass along the line of scrimmage and turned upfield he internalized his quarterback's message, shedding a tackle, sprinting along the right sideline and making a final defender miss to restore Texas' lead. 

Texas' defense would summarily rally behind Ewers' words and Worthy's tour de force — after being bullied last time out on a game-tying, 10-minute Cowboy drive, the Longhorns rallied to force two punts and a backbreaking pick six. UT had added another touchdown before defensive back Jerrin Thompson's crib call, putting Texas up 31-10 and dashing Wyoming's spirited upset bid.

West Virginia shuts down Pitt, Jurkovec in rivalry win 

Few have termed the "Backyard Brawl" rejuvenating throughout its fierce, nearly 130 year history, but it was exactly what a troubled West Virginia defense needed, stifling local rivals Pitt 17-6 Saturday in Morgantown. 

West Virginia slotted in as just the 116th best defense in America last season, surrendering nearly 33 points per game and yielding 419 yards of average opposing offense. 2023 opened with a similar story, falling 38-15 against Penn State while forcing just a single punt, but the Mountaineers defense looked rejuvenated by a sold-out and full-voiced crowd. 

Pitt quarterback Phil Jurkovec looked improved early after a difficult outing against Cincinnati, leading the Panthers 67 yards on their opening drive for a chip shot field goal and an early 3-0 lead. West Virginia stiffened thereafter, however, forcing two punts and an interception to give the Mountaineers a 7-6 halftime advantage. 

More handsy defending from the Mountaineers forced another Jurkovec interception out of the locker room, growing the WVU lead to 11. West Virginia would enjoy a benign fourth quarter, limiting the Panthers to just 30 yards and cruising to a massive rivalry win.

It's Coach Prime's world tonight but Colorado State surely has the time as they are putting up a fight against the No. 18 Buffaloes. Colorado State's QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi is nearing 200 passing yards at the half and the people are talking.

Check this out: Four minutes left into the second quarter and Ram's redshirt freshman QB is taking chances as he connected with Louis Brown for a 15-yard TD pass.

LB has the time 😉

📺 @espn https://t.co/yKYZC9ca8l pic.twitter.com/59y8btyODc

— Colorado State Football (@CSUFootball) September 17, 2023

Texas finally cracked the AP top-5 Sunday after 14 years of mediocrity and agitation in Austin, a distinction the Longhorns have seemed to struggle with through their opening half of football against Wyoming. 

The Cowboys announced their competitive intentions within the first few minutes, as Wyoming back Harrison Waylee found a stretch of green along the right sideline and tightroped his way into the endzone for a 62-yard touchdown score. 

UT managed a response four minutes later, knocking through a field goal to trim the deficit to four before ultimately assuming the lead on a one-yard TD pass early in the second quarter. These were rare bright spots for a sputtering Longhorn offense, however, as Texas was forced into three first-half punts and quarterback Quinn Ewers managed just 57 yards and a sub-50 completion percentage. 

Syracuse's QB Garrett Shrader has been solid enough through the air, nearing 150 passing yards at the halftime break, but it's the senior quarterback's legs that have made the defense look truly silly. 

14 carries totaled more than 100 yards on the ground for Shrader, who duped the entire Purdue defense with a fake handoff at the three-yard line, rolled out right and waltzed into a gaping endzone to give the Orange an early 7-0 lead.

Had em all fooled 👀@GarrettShrader6
pic.twitter.com/yq1Nv4x810

— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) September 17, 2023

Shrader's next score was all speed, as he stepped up in the pocket and took off down field. The shifty Shrader shimmied past the helpless Purdue safety and barreled into the endzone for another impressive score.

Shrader shredding the defense for his 2nd rushing score pic.twitter.com/Fs63hmSaMy

— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) September 17, 2023

Sharing the love down near the goal line this time, Shrader would hand the ball off to LeQuint Allen for a two-yard score minutes before halftime, restoring Case's two-score advantage. 21-7 Syracuse 

Houdini must be among the raucous 90,000 fans packed into the Swamp Saturday evening, as the Gator ball-carriers have made Tennessee tacklers look silly through 30 minutes of football. 

Florida quarterback Graham Mertz turned toward Montrell Johnson on the swing pass and the former All-Sun Belt star pushed the Vols near a dozen missed tackles, easily dispatching of his defender with a stiff arm and surging past the pylon for six. 

Another TD by Montrell Johnson Jr.

26-7, #Gators

They’re putting it on these boys 👀

LIVE UPDATES: https://t.co/xBfkW0NzPV pic.twitter.com/KVOVTuY3O9

— Zach Abolverdi (@ZachAbolverdi) September 17, 2023

Florida scored a touchdown on its final four drives of the first half, transforming an early 7-0 deficit into an assured 26-7 lead heading into the locker room.

Florida running back Trevor Etienne caught just a glimpse of the orange-and-blue "Gators" printed on the distant end zone and refused to be denied, bowling over Volunteer DB's en route to a game-changing 62-yard touchdown. 

THERE GOES TREVOR ETIENNE🐊🔥

pic.twitter.com/GKPoDZCgEo

— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 16, 2023

The Gators remained behind by just one following a blocked PAT attempt, but a return to sea level seems to have healed the sputtering offense Florida trotted out against Utah in Week 1. Florida averaged 68 yards on its opening three drives, the latter of which ended with a four-yard touchdown rush from Montrell Johnson to give UF its first lead of the evening — a failed two-point conversion kept the tally at 12-7. 

After a lengthy interception return, quarterback Graham Mertz converted a short field into six with a one-yard touchdown run. 19-7 Florida as The Swamp looks poised to claim another marquee victim early. 

Michael Penix Jr.'s elite accuracy is even guiding tipped passes toward Husky receivers! The early heisman candidate has been nearly perfect in his stiffest test of the early season, completing 17/21 passes thus far at Spartan Stadium for over 300 yards in the first half alone. 

Leading 14-0 early in the second quarter, a rare mistake from the lefty gunslinger met the outstretch hands of a Michigan State linebacker. The ensuing tip, often primed for interceptions, fell fortunately into the arms of Ja'Lynn Polk, who took full advantage of his opportunity by shedding a tackle and diving into the endzone for six. 

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!?! 😳🤯pic.twitter.com/vORDPW7JvX

— Washington Football (@UW_Football) September 16, 2023

Penix would tack on another passing TD minutes later, extending Washington's lead to 28-0 before halftime.  

A shoreside get-right game for Alabama after a disappointing defeat against Texas has turned into a dogfight, as the Tide just entered the locker room deadlocked at three. A checkered start from Jalen Milroe under center against the Longhorns in week 2 saw the sophomore gunslinger benched for Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner.

New blood only worsened Bama's offensive woes, as in five possessions the Tide were forced into five punts and limited to just 78 yards overall. Gifted a short field via a USF fumble deep in Bulls territory, Alabama coach Nick Saban rolled out his third-string QB Ty Simpson, but the freshman was limited to an incompletion and a sack as the Tide settled for a field goal. 

Questions swirl Saban's camp, facing an uncomfortable deadlock against USF and a full-blown quarterback controversy. 

Game-winning field goals, interception mania and Group of Five upsets have defined a thrilling afternoon of Week 3 football.

Here's a quick rundown of everything you need to know so far through five hours of Saturday football.

Top-ranked Georgia trails by two scores at half

South Carolina is no stranger to stunners at Sanford Stadium, and the Gamecocks seem to be working their magic once again through 30 minutes of football. No. 1 Georgia entered Saturday with the longest active winning streak in FBS football at 19 but fell behind inside six minutes Saturday. 

Spencer Rattler, who was limited to just 112 yards in his first crack at the Bulldogs last season, has looked much improved Saturday, completing an impressive 16/18 of his passes for 152 yards and broke the early deadlock with a 17-yard touchdown pass. An incisive, half-ending drive for South Carolina took just five plays, including a 35-yard connection with Xavier Leguette, and ended with a two-yard TD score to give the Gamecocks a 14-3 lead. 

Mizzou's Harrison Nevis drills 61-yard field goal to walk-off No. 15 K-State

After a 34-yard score from Mizzou's Luther Burden III, who excelled from the receiver position with over 100 yards, was answered by a K-State field goal, the Tigers used the final seconds of Saturday's see-sawing affair to mount a heroic drive into the expansive range of place kicker Harrison Mevis. MU's narrow window of opportunity appeared to evaporate, however, after a thoughtless delay of game penalty drove them back another five yards. 

Coach Eli Drinkwitz used the ensuing confusing to ruminate a now 61-yard field goal try and ultimately entrusted his sure-legged kicker. The senior fired his try end-over-end through the uprights, leading a sold-out Memorial Stadium to pour onto the field in celebration as the Tigers picked up their first ranked win in nearly three years. 

Wisconsin, Penn State defenses combine for 11 turnovers, pull away late

Upset-inclined fans around America began to shift their attention toward Penn State and Wisconsin, with both programs entering the third-quarter in tight affairs against Illinois and Georgia Southern. 

However, each team's leaned on their high-powered defenses — the Badgers and Nits would snag five and four interceptions respectively along with a fumble a piece — as Wisconsin scored 21-straight points to top GSU 35-14 while Drew Allar came on late to power Penn State past Illinois 30-13.

A quick glance at the numbers would have you believe Georgia State is well on its way to a monumental upset at Camp Randall — the Eagles have outgained UW by more than 100 yards for four more first downs. 

However, the Georgia Southern passing attack has found a familiar pitfall: the eager arms of Wisconsin's DBs. GSU quarterback Davis Brin has now tossed his fifth interception, misfiring his end zone pass toward diving Wisconsin safety Hunter Wahlor Saturday for the second time Saturday. 

Hunter is HIM. 🤯

pic.twitter.com/xkmnC7G3hW

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) September 16, 2023

Wisconsin once again turned defense into offense, with Wisconsin's famous offensive line opening up GSU's downtrodden front seven through a dominant 80-yard drive. Running back Braelon Allen managed to waltz through a gaping hole and into the end zone, doubling Wisconsin's lead. 28-14 Badgers heading into the fourth quarter.