There was surely no lack of excitement in Week 3. From record-breaking performances, to incredible upsets, let’s take a look at what we learned from Week 3.
Oklahoma turned some heads
It seems like so long ago that Trevor Knight led the Sooners to an incredible win to upset Alabama in the 2014 Sugar Bowl. The future seemed bright for Knight and Oklahoma going forward. Even Katy Perry bought in to the Knight hype, telling the quarterback to call her on College Gameday. The next season Knight struggled and was eventually replaced, leaving a question mark at the quarterback once again. In steps Texas Tech transfer Baker Mayfield. Against SMU last weekend, Coach Stoops let Mayfield sling it. Mayfield was 32-38 passing, for 487 yards and four touchdowns. He proved he can get it done with his feet as well, rushing 13 times for 85 yards and two touchdowns. This adds up to 572 total yards and six touchdowns, a new record. Samaje Perine got it done on the ground as well, rushing 22 times for 152 yards and a touchdown. I like what I’ve seen from the Sooner offense, but their defense is what could hold them back. They really needed Mayfield’s performance, as the defense gave up 38 points to Tulsa. I’m not bashing Tulsa, but they’ll face better offenses than Tulsa’s. I would love to see Oklahoma be near the top of the Big 12 again, but I’m not sure if their defense will let them.
LSU looks like a playoff team
Every year you can’t have a discussion about contenders in college football without hearing LSU. LSU always has a great defense, just as they do this year. While their quarterback Brandon Harris scares me, I think they can be contenders if he just doesn’t turn the ball over. Their game plan is obviously to run the ball with Leonard Fournette, who as accumulated 387 yards and six touchdowns in two games, and the Tigers have defeated two top 25-ranked teams in as many weeks. Remember down the stretch that when many teams were playing small schools, LSU played Mississippi State and Auburn in that stretch. As of right now, LSU is my pick to win the SEC, at least until Fournette shows signs of being human.
Rosen is human, Perkins to the rescue
Until last week, the true-freshman Josh Rosen could do no wrong. He looks like the real deal and has been nicknamed “the Rosen One.” Rosen played like a true-freshman against BYU, throwing for just 106 yards and a touchdown to go with three interceptions. Junior running back Paul Perkins stepped up big and lead the way for the Bruins to defeat BYU 24-23. Perkins ran the ball 26 times for 219 yards and a touchdown. Having Perkins will be great for Rosen’s development, as now he knows the offense can move the ball in other ways. This has to take some of the pressure off his shoulders. The outlook for the Bruins isn’t all good however, as the team lost arguably their best player and projected top-10 pick Myles Jack. Jack’s official position is linebacker, but is a jack of all trades, as he’s been asked to run the ball in the past. I’ve liked Jack for a few years now and was sad to find out he would miss the rest of the season. This surely shakes up the Pac-12 a bit.
Ole Miss has Alabama’s number
For the second-straight year, Ole Miss upset Alabama. This time, you could argue the upset was even less likely, the game being in Tuscaloosa. Ole Miss had been putting up points in their previous two contests, so people were eager to see if Chad Kelly is the real deal and can hold his own against quality SEC opponents. Despite a late comeback attempt by the Tide, Ole Miss looked in control most of the game. They have the projected number one pick in Robert Nkemdiche, who delivered quite the hit to Alabama quarterback Jake Coker. I’m excited to see how the battle for the SEC shakes out this season. After upsetting Alabama, the Rebels moved up 12 spots to number three in the AP Poll.
