Week 3 of the College Football season was incredibly exciting, in part due to all of the Conference games in the SEC. Georgia Vs Tennessee gave us an instant classic, while games like LSU vs Florida, Ole Miss vs Arkansas, and South Carolina Vs Vanderbilt gave us incredible storyline games. SEC play has truly begun, and some of these massive clashes have given us great indications of where each team lies.
Other important storylines in the SEC this weekend included Alabama demolishing Wisconsin, Arch Manning continuing to struggle, and an All-Time rushing attack by Missouri. As we're three games into the season, it's getting easier to stack each team but, seeing each team play an SEC game will make a massive difference.
Georgia dethrones LSU with massive win over Tennessee
There was a reason that everyone wanted to see Arkansas put up its ridiculous numbers against a real opponent, as it's easy to beat up on bad teams, but it's much tougher to win in the SEC. The Razorbacks' offense wasn't the issue as they racked up 35 points with Taylen Green rushing for 115 yards and passing for 305 yards. The Razorbacks allowed Ole Miss' backup quarterback to account for 415 total yards, as the defense is clearly an issue.
The Kentucky Wildcats bounced back nicely from their loss to Ole Miss by picking up a win over Eastern Michigan. Redshirt Freshman Cutter Boley got to make the start, and he looks like the clear best quarterback as he passed for 240 yards and a pair of touchdowns while rushing for 24 yards. The Wildcats are going to need the offense to continue developing, as it's their only chance at being frisky in the SEC this season.
The Florida Gators came into the season with so much hope of making the College Football Playoff behind DJ Lagway, and he's turned into their biggest issue. After the loss to USF, where the offense couldn't get anything going, Lagway followed his performance up with a 5-interception game, giving the Gators no chance of winning this game. The defense did its job as Lagway gave away 10 points himself, but in the end, it was the quarterback who cost his team the game.
After a 2-10 season in 2024, Jeff Lebby has already surpassed his win total from last season with a 3-0 start to the season. Everything clicked for Jeff Lebby's team in a dominant 63-0 win over Alcorn State. The Bulldogs have a chance to completely flip the sentiment around the program, and they should be able to get to 4-0 before they kick off SEC play.
The South Carolina Gamecocks lost LaNorris Sellers to an injury suffered on a targeting call in the second quarter, and from that point, everything fell apart. Luke Doty struggled to create big plays, and the rushing attack wasn't much help as the Gamecocks were shut out in the second half. The defense fell apart, allowing the Commodores to score 17 points in the second half to put the game well out of reach. The offense hasn't clicked yet this season with Sellers in the lineup, and this team may just not have the pieces to go on a run this season.
The Vanderbilt Commodores are 3-0 for the first time since 2017, and they got there by knocking off one of the contenders in the SEC. LaNorris Sellers was knocked out of the game early, and the Commodores' defense was able to control the game with Luke Doty under center. Diego Pavia added two touchdowns to his totals, and the Commodores should now find themselves in the Top 25.
When it was revealed that starting quarterback Austin Simmons was out for this game, it could've been a nightmare, but the Rebels may now have a quarterback controversy. Trinidad Chambliss was electric passing for 352 yards and a score while rushing for another 62 yards and 2 touchdowns. The defense has a ton of questions as they allowed 35 points, but if they can start to develop, this could end up being a dangerous team.
After a heated rivalry win over Kansas, Missouri took a step back from the tough games to demolish the ULL Ragin Cajuns. Ahmad Hardy was a human highlight reel, picking up 250 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns while the team rushed for 427 yards as a whole. The defense put together an impressive game, holding ULL's quarterbacks to a 2-14 game for just 4 passing yards. The Tigers may not be the most talented team in the league, but their ball control style of football will frustrate every team they play.
The Texas Longhorns still appear to be a long way from fielding a competent offense as Arch Manning struggled once again in a game against UTEP. Manning finished the game 11-25 for 114 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while he did rush for 2 scores. The defense continues to be the reason to believe in Texas but, until Manning finds some rhythm, it's impossible to put this team with the best in the league.
When the season is over, we may look back at Alabama's loss to Florida State as the best thing that happened to Kalen DeBoer's group, as they've shown a new focus. The Crimson Tide demolished Wisconsin behind an incredible day by Ty Simpson, who went 24-29 for 382 yards and 4 touchdowns while running for a team-high 25 yards. Ryan Williams returned and was unstoppable for the Crimson Tide, and with Germie Bernard, this group is impossible to guard when they're clicking.
The Auburn Tigers didn't look nearly as sharp in this game, in what was a classic look-ahead spot with Oklahoma looming next weekend. The offense continues to be driven by the rushing attack despite all of the talent on the outside, as the Tigers scored three of their four touchdowns with runs from Jackson Arnold and Jeremiah Cobb. The defense is going to have to tighten up, as if they play the way they did against South Alabama, it'll cost them against John Mateer and Oklahoma.
Not being able to end the losing streak against Georgia will sting for Tennessee fans, but this game showed they're right on the same level with the Bulldogs and should compete for a Playoff bid once again. Chris Brazzell II was the star of the game, catching 6 passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns, but they weren't able to capitalize. The defense will only get better once Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson III return from injury, as the deep pass killed them at times in this game.
The Oklahoma Sooners went on the road in a strange away game against the Temple Owls and dominated. John Mateer and Tory Blaylock dominated on the ground, combining for 163 yards and 3 touchdowns while Mateer added another score and 282 yards passing. The Sooners' defense continues to dominate, and they head into next weekend's game against Auburn with a chance to make another massive statement.
The Texas A&M Aggies went on the road to South Bend and picked up one of the biggest wins a team could get as they knocked off Notre Dame. The defense gave up a go-ahead touchdown late, but a botched extra point gave the Aggies the chance to go win the game. Marcel Reed delivered finding Nate Boerkircher for his first catch of the game for a game-winning touchdown, and this team is now a legit College Football Playoff contender.
Through three games, the LSU Tigers have survived games against Clemson and Florida, which were toss-ups coming into the season, but they're now well on their way toward a College Football Playoff berth. The Tigers' defense is easily the best of Brian Kelly's LSU tenure, and on Saturday Night, they forced DJ Lagway to throw 5 interceptions. The lone concern is the offense, which has struggled to find any rhythm despite all the weapons on the outside and Garrett Nussmeier at quarterback.
The Georgia Bulldogs looked dead in the first quarter as Tennessee couldn't stop scoring with three early touchdowns. Kirby Smart and his staff ended up making the adjustments that they needed and held Tennessee to 17 points the rest of the way. Gunner Stockton finally showed he's willing to air the ball out, and it led to 304 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The defense was shaky, but this was the first opponent that could test them, and it'll only get better with time.
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