September 18, 2024
CFB InsiderSome Dogs Went Barking
Lone Star Player of the Week Candidates
Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed - The surprising A&M starter led the Aggies to a thorough demolition of the Florida Gators on the road in Gainesville - 178 yards and two TD passing, 83 yards and a TD rushing.
Kansas State QB Avery Johnson - Johnson led the Wildcats to a dominating 31-7 win over #20 Arizona, rushing for 110 yards and throwing for 156 yards and two touchdowns.
UCF RB R.J. Harvey - The dynamic Knight star ran 29 times for 180 yards and two touchdowns, plus a 29-yard TD catch, in a 35-24 comeback win over TCU.
Texas QB Arch Manning - Replacing an injured Quinn Ewers, Manning threw for 223 yards and four TD, ran for 67 yards for another score in 56-7 win over UTSA
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In week three of the CFB season, some dogs went barking, while the number one team nearly got knocked off. Plus, the Texas Longhorns finally needed some backup to knock off a nouveau riche state program. It was a potpourri of greatness as it always is.
Let’s look back at week three in college football, then turn our attention to the start of conference season with some gargantuan matchups in the Big 12 and the SEC.
Texas Bowl Team of the Week - LSU - The trip to Columbia, SC to take on the feisty South Carolina Gamecocks couldn’t have started any worse. Down 17-0 to start the game, LSU fought back behind RB Caden Durham’s 98 rushing yards and two touchdowns and QB Garrett Nussmeier’s 285 yards passing and two touchdowns. RB Josh Williams pounded the rock into the end zone with 1:12 remaining to finish the come from behind victory 36-33 on the road.
Texas Bowl Honorable mention Team of the Week - Kansas State - In one of only two matchups of ranked teams, Kansas State DISMANTLED Arizona from the opening quarter through the final play. In a 31-7 win over Arizona, QB Avery Johnson put on a show but the defense was the story, holding the Cats to seven points in a 24 point victory.
Texas Bowl Player of the Week - Texas QB Arch Manning - Dr. Pepper’s commercial with Quinn Ewers is one of the funniest I’ve seen, but the Texas Longhorns DID need some backup against UTSA after Ewers went out with an injury. The Legacy came into the game and was brilliant, throwing for 223 yards and four tuddies. But, he set the internet in flames as he RAN for a 67 yard TD run. When Ewers is back, Manning will probably go back to the bench, but if Manning has to stay the starter, he, and the Longhorns, are going to be just fine.
Texas Bowl Honorable mention Player of the Week - UCF RB R.J. Harvey - The dynamic Knight star ran 29 times for 180 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-24 comeback win over TCU. He also added a 29-yard touchdown reception too. Harvey has really been the player of the month, really. He has three games of 126+ rushing yards and eight total rushing touchdowns.
National Team of the Week - Toledo - All Jason Candle’s team did on Saturday was travel into SEC territory and beat an SEC team by 24. The Rockets thumped Mississippi State in Starkville 41-17 for one for the most impressive wins of the weekend. A 21 point 2nd quarter put the Rockets up 28-3 and they never looked back. Toledo beat an SEC team for the first time since 2015 and it put the spotlight squarely on the MAC one week after MAC power NIU beat Notre Dame in South Bend.
Honorable Mention National Team of the Week - Indiana - The Hoosiers flew out to LA to start B1G play in the most un-B1G type of place - the Rose Bowl. But, first year IU head coach Curt Cignetti had the Hoosiers ready to rock and roll against the UCLA Bruins. Former Ohio QB/current Hoosiers QB Kurtis Rourke threw four TD passes in a dominating performance and 42-13 win over the Bruins out on the west coast.
National Player of the Week - San Jose State WR Nick Nash - Surprise! Nah, not really. Nash is no surprise to those west coast college football fans. He leads the nation in every single receiving category through three weeks of play - 34 catches for 485 yards and six TD. Against Kennesaw State on Saturday, Nash went OFF - 17 catches for 225 yards and three touchdowns.
Honorable mention National Player of the Week - Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke - As I noted above, Rourke threw four TD passes in a 29 point blowout win in Los Angeles over UCLA. Hoosier fans are starting to really believe in Rourke/Cignetti in Bloomington.
Quick Kudos
…to Arizona State and head coach Kenny Dillingham for their third straight win, a 31-28 win over Texas State, to start the season. The Sun Devils had three wins in each of the last two seasons. Dillingham and Sun Devils have three through three games.
…to Barry Odom and undefeated UNLV for a gutty win at Kansas for win number three on the season.
…to K.C. Keeler and his Sam Houston Bearkats for a thorough trouncing of Hawai’i at Bowers Stadium…and the best drone show I’ve ever seen. Sam Houston WR Qua’Vez Humphreys had four catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
…to Colorado WR/DB Travis Hunter for a 100 yard receiving/1 INT performance. Just a special athlete who we need to appreciate before he departs for the NFL next year.
…to Texas A&M for their first road win since 2021. Mike Elko’s Aggies hammered the hapless Florida Gators, leading at one point 33-7 before Florida tacked on two meaningless TDs in the fourth quarter.
…to Memphis for a third straight win in the 2024 season, an upset of Florida State in Tallahassee (yikes, Seminoles!)
…to Texas Tech for scoring three touchdowns in less than 60 seconds against North Texas. In fact, the Red Raiders scored 52 in the first half and 66 in total.
…to Pitt QB Eli Holstein leading the Panthers to a come from behind 38-34 win against West Virginia. He finished with three TDs and over 300 yards passing.
…to Willie Fritz and the Houston Cougars for winning the Bayou Bucket at home, his first career win as a Cougar, beating Rice 33-7.
…to LSU edge rusher Bradyn Swinson who finished with 3.0 sacks of South Carolina QBs in the Tigers hard fought win in Columbia.
…to Vanderbilt and Georgia State for scoring 36 of 68 points in the 4th quarter in a wild game, a win for Georgia State.
Week 4’s Big games
#6 (3-0) Tennessee at #15 (3-0) Oklahoma - Former Oklahoma QB/current Vol head coach Josh Heupel takes his HOT Volunteer squad into Norman for the first time since 2014. Oklahoma’s offense hit some rough spots against Houston and Tulane, but it needs to be at full volume against QB Nico Iamaleava and the potent Volunteer attack.
#12 (3-0) Utah at #14 (3-0) Oklahoma State - This matchup is why I was excited when Utah joined the Big 12, starting this season. These two teams haven’t played a game since 1945 when the Cowboys were known as the Aggies. Utah QB Cam Rising should be back for this one, so it should match two 7th year Van Wilders at QB - Rising v. Oklahoma State’s Alan Bowman. But, there’s so much to love about this matchup and Stillwater should be HOPPING!
#11 (2-0) USC at #18 (2-1) Michigan - It’s not the Rose Bowl. It’s a B1G matchup in Ann Arbor. Yep, whole new college football world. This is Michigan’s chance to save the season and the pressure of this game will fall on the broad shoulders of QB Alex Orji, named starting QB earlier this week. The Trojans got some much needed rest before entering B1G play and they’ll need it against an angry/wounded Wolverine squad in the Big House. It’s the first regular season meeting since 1958, a game Michigan won 20-19. Now, it’s a conference game.