Week 3 of the college football season produced a large array of interesting and unexpected results, with many top 25 matchups taking place on Saturday, Sept. 13.

The noon games were headlined by AP ranked #12 Clemson University going up against the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) Yellowjackets. The Clemson Tigers were coming off a less than ideal victory over the Troy Trojans, after losing to the Louisiana State Tigers the week before. The Yellowjackets went up 13-0 early in this matchup, but Clemson was able to tie the score at 21-21 with a little over three minutes remaining in the game. After a drive led by Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King, the Yellowjackets were able to kick a 55-yard field goal as time expired to win. King led Georgia Tech to this major upset by throwing for 211 yards and rushing for 103 more and a touchdown. This was the Yellowjackets’ first time defeating the Tigers since their 2014 matchup.

The afternoon window featured a battle of two Southeastern Conference (SEC) giants, the #15 University of Tennessee Volunteers and the #6 University of Georgia Bulldogs. The Volunteers were up 21-7 after the first quarter, but after a lackluster performance through the second and third quarters, Georgia was able to tie the game 38-38 with a late touchdown. With two and a half minutes left, Tennessee drove down the field and attempted a 43-yard field goal, but kicker Max Gilbert missed it and sent the game to overtime. In their opportunity with the ball, Tennessee hit a field goal, but when Georgia got the ball, Josh McCray ran the ball in for a touchdown to give the Bulldogs the 44-41 win.

Simultaneously, the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and the West Virginia University Mountaineers faced-off in the Backyard Brawl rivalry. West Virginia came into this game after falling to the Ohio Bobcats the previous week, in a shocking loss for head coach Rich Rodriguez’s team. The game remained close until Pittsburgh took a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, forcing West Virginia to respond. The Mountaineers kicked a field goal to make it a 24-17 game and drove down the field to score a touchdown, tying the game with 11 seconds left. As the game entered overtime, West Virginia scored a touchdown to take the lead and was able to stop the Panthers from scoring on their possession, winning 31-24.

The afternoon window also saw the #4 ranked University of Miami Hurricanes taking on the University of South Florida Bulls, who entered with high expectations after starting their season off with two ranked upsets. The game was delayed for nearly two hours in the second quarter due to lightning, resuming around 7 p.m. Despite the potential of another upset, the Hurricanes were able to stifle the Bulls, holding their dual-threat quarterback Byrum Brown to just two rushing yards. Miami quarterback, and Heisman hopeful, Carson Beck threw for 340 yards, and two touchdown passes, dealing South Florida its largest loss against a ranked opponent in program history, 49-12. 

The SEC powerhouse matchup between the University of Arkansas and No. 13 University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) turned into an offensive showcase, with backup quarterback Trinidad Chambliss shining in the Rebels’ victory. 

Ole Miss struck first in the opening quarter when Kewan Lacy punched in a 2-yard touchdown run after a pass interference penalty against Arkansas extended the drive. The Razorbacks answered late in the first when quarterback Taylor Green connected with wide receiver O’mega Blake for a 30-yard touchdown, tying the game at 7-7. Ole Miss held a 31-28 lead going into halftime. The Rebels extended their advantage in the third with back-to-back touchdowns before play was halted after Arkansas defensive back Kani Walker took a knee to the back of the head and remained on the field unmoving. Walker gave a thumbs-up while being carted off the field. 

Once play resumed, Ole Miss added another touchdown, and Arkansas responded on the following drive. But the Rebels sealed the 41-35 win late in the fourth quarter when Lucas Carnerio was stripped of the ball, closing out the Razorbacks’ comeback hopes.

At 7:30 p.m., the University of Florida Gators visited the Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers in an SEC matchup. The #3 ranked Tigers intercepted Florida quarterback DJ Lagway five times, ultimately leading to a 20-10 win over the Gators. While both offenses stalled, the Tigers were able to lean on their defense to set them up in scoring positions.

“LSU won the football game! Won the game! I don’t know what you want from me. What do you want? You want us to win 70-0 against Florida to keep you happy? Those are ridiculous questions. And I am getting tired of it. That football team just worked their tail off to get an SEC win and you want to know what’s wrong? Give them some respect. How about that? Instead of micro-analyzing every little thing,” LSU head coach Brian Kelly said when asked about his team’s offensive struggles after the game.

Shortly after the start of the Ole Miss-Arkansas game, the University of Duke Blue Devils faced the Tulane University Green Wave. Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff, transfer from Brigham Young University (BYU), rushed for four touchdowns, setting a school record and propelling the Green Wave to a 34-27 win. Duke scored 24 of its 27 points in the second half, but Tulane was able to hold onto the 24-3 lead that it built early by scoring on four of its first five possessions. Duke quarterback Darien Mensah threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns, but the Green Wave offense proved too much for the Blue Devils, who lost consecutive nonconference games for the first time since 2010. 

The Vanderbilt University Commodores went on the road to play the #11 University of South Carolina Gamecocks in another one of the week’s SEC matchups. The game was tight in the first half, with the Commodores leading 14-7 at halftime. In the second half, Vanderbilt was able to shut the Gamecocks out and put up 17 more points to upset South Carolina, 31-7. This victory was enough to catapult Vanderbilt to #20 and knock South Carolina out of the AP poll completely.

Commodores quarterback, known for upsetting highly ranked teams after shocking Alabama last season, threw for 177 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

No. 16 Texas Agricultural & Mechanical College (Texas A&M) defeated No. 8 University of Notre Dame in a back-and-forth thriller Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium, earning its first win over a top-10 opponent since defeating Auburn in 2001. The Irish struck first when Taye Johnson returned a blocked punt for a touchdown. The teams traded scores throughout the night, and Notre Dame held a 40-32 lead with less than three minutes remaining. A botched snap on the extra point attempt left the door open for the Aggies. Texas A&M then marched 74 yards, and on 4th-and-goal with 12 seconds left, quarterback Marcel Reed found tight end Nate Boerkicher for an 11-yard touchdown to seal the 41-40 victory. 

Week 4 will be a major week as many teams begin conference play with #17 Texas Tech University traveling to #16 University of Utah, #22 Auburn University going to #11University of Oklahoma, and #9 University of Illinois heading to play #19 Indiana University.