Week 3 Recap - The Rat's Return

If you have been paying any sort of attention to college football over the last 20 years, you know the type of person Lane Kiffin is. What transpired roughly nine months ago was no shock to anyone except the people in Oxford, Mississippi.

Like a bad relationship, you always hope that you can be the one to change the person. Maybe with me, they'll be different. That is never the case, and it wasn't with Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels.

In the world of viral hype videos, Ole Miss hit the mark this week. And in the wise words of Morgan Freeman, "At least a snitch is human, but a rat is a—rat."

That rat had to return to Oxford Saturday night, and the whole country was watching.

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The Rat Trap

Oxford, Mississippi had this date circled on its calendar the moment the official announcement came out that Lane Kiffin would be the new head coach of the LSU Tigers. This week was supposed to be a week of hate, and boy, was it.

Nothing was off the table. All week, videos and social media posts were flying off the presses so everyone could get their jab in. There was no mercy, and frankly, Lane deserved it for how he left the program.

All that he-said-she-said talk was nice and fun, but the only thing that really mattered was how each team played Saturday night when they finally spotted the ball.

The Ole Miss Rebels punched LSU in the mouth.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Ole Miss was up 17-0 on Lane Kiffin and LSU. The early energy of the crowd fueled Trinidad Chambliss and Ole Miss to three beautiful drives that resulted in a field goal and two touchdowns. Even after LSU finally answered with a touchdown drive of its own that took almost eight minutes off the clock, Chambliss showed no signs of stress or pressure. He executed a flawless two-minute drill and extended the lead once again to 24-7 at halftime.

An interception on Ole Miss's first drive of the second half was Chambliss's only mistake of the entire game, and a missed field goal on their next possession left the Rebels watching as Sam Leavitt led two touchdown drives of his own to cut the Rebels' lead to 24-21.

LSU added a field goal at the start of the fourth quarter, and suddenly, Lane Kiffin had brought his Tigers back from the dead and tied the game at 24-24.

Kiffin had brought so much with him from Ole Miss when he took the job at LSU—the offensive coordinator, key players, even the dog. But he wasn't able to bring Trinidad Chambliss. And in that moment, when he tied the game and knew the ball was going back into Chambliss's hands, I guarantee he was regretting that.

Trinidad Chambliss, just as he had throughout the first half, executed a flawless game plan and led the Rebels 75 yards down the field, capping off the drive with a 14-yard touchdown run.

Add the two-point conversion, and the Rebels had built an eight-point lead with just six minutes remaining.

As LSU had plenty of time to score, it was quite apparent that they weren't trying to score too quickly and give the ball back to Chambliss. Leavitt was able to lead the Tigers into a first-and-goal situation just under the two-minute timeout, but on third-and-goal, Leavitt missed a wide-open Zach Grace in the end zone.

That would turn out to be costly.

On the very next play, facing fourth down, Leavitt threw the ball off an Ole Miss lineman's head, and the fluttering ball was intercepted.

Ole Miss wins the return of Lane Kiffin.

Props to Pete Golding and the entire Ole Miss staff for not letting this moment of hatred toward Lane ruin the game plan or become too big. Usually, games rooted in hate don't turn out well for teams, but those teams usually don't have Trinidad Chambliss.

I am a little ashamed of how much I slept on Trinidad Chambliss this offseason. I'd like to use the excuse that I wasn't even sure if he was going to be able to play, but that isn't a good enough excuse.

He is a baller. Straight up. No caveats.

His poise and composure in the biggest moments set him apart and vault him to the top of my projected Heisman standings. Throwing for 363 yards and three touchdowns while facing off against the guy who gave you your big break in Division I football before leaving for another conference school takes big guts, and he never shied away from the moment once.

There is no doubt in my mind that when Lane Kiffin took the LSU job, he thought Chambliss was going to follow him. He didn't. And look where he is now.

If you're Lane Kiffin, you cannot lose that game. You just can't.

You left Ole Miss because it was easier to win a title at LSU and you had more resources, and you can't even beat them the next year? Give me a break.

He invited the entire country to clown on him, and rightfully so. His quarterback that he got through the transfer portal wasn't the quarterback he wanted, and after Saturday's game, he's only going to be daydreaming about what could have been with Chambliss even more.

While LSU isn't out of it with this loss, it hurts. It hurts Kiffin's pride, and it hurts the nation's perception of this year's LSU team. They won't be given the benefit of the doubt anymore and will need to continue to prove to the nation that they should be taken seriously.

Meanwhile, Ole Miss just earned the utmost respect of the country.

If they had lost this game, no one would have batted an eye. Of course they were supposed to lose—that's why Kiffin left in the first place.

But they didn't.

And by doing so, Chambliss stated that he is for real, and Golding stated that Ole Miss is once again vying for a national title.

Other Marquee Games

Houston vs. Texas Tech

The weekend kicked off Friday night as Houston traveled to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech. In what is currently Texas Tech's only game against a ranked opponent, it was important for the Red Raiders to get off to a good start if their hopes of repeating as Big 12 champs were going to continue.

However, it was Houston that got off to the hot start, jumping out to a 10-0 lead after the first quarter. This was in part thanks to Texas Tech starting Tommy Castellanos at quarterback over Will Hammond. Castellanos proceeded to try to throw the ball away on his first play, but didn't put enough on it and didn't even get it out of bounds. Instead, it found the arms of a Cougar defender.

Castellanos wouldn't attempt another pass in the game, and after some bad play from Texas Tech, the Red Raiders found out that Will Hammond is, in fact, their guy going forward.

The Red Raiders would get off the bus a little bit in the second quarter, but still found themselves down 17-14 heading into halftime. This was the first time they had trailed at halftime of a home game since 2023.

It wouldn't last long.

Tech came out of the half and immediately scored a touchdown to take a 21-17 lead.

With under five minutes to go in the game, Texas Tech found itself up 28-20 with a chance to put the game out of reach of the Cougars. Hammond couldn't convert on a third-and-three, and the Red Raiders were forced to punt with 2:45 remaining.

Conner Weigman hadn't led a touchdown drive since the first half, but he came through when it mattered, completing a 10-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Overmyer with 49 seconds remaining. Required to go for two, Weigman tried to convert it himself, but thanks to a replay review that upheld the ruling on the field, Weigman was centimeters short of the goal line.

Texas Tech escapes.

The Red Raiders now have what seems like another cakewalk to Dallas for the Big 12 Championship Game. Their gap between them and the rest of the Big 12 is gone, but that might not matter for now. Games against Arizona and Oklahoma State are intriguing, but games against Colorado, Cincinnati, Baylor, and TCU seem like snooze fests.

Meanwhile, Houston has a good shot to try to run the table and get a rematch against the Red Raiders. A trip to Salt Lake to take on the Utes on October 24th should give us a little more insight into just how legit this Houston team is.

Florida vs. Auburn

Florida marched into Jordan-Hare and dominated all aspects of the game to earn its first SEC victory of the year and start 3-0.

The Gators didn't punt the ball until midway through the fourth quarter. Head coach Jon Sumrall had his team ready for the battle, and they were simply the better team.

Gators quarterback Aaron Philo played well enough to give Florida what it needed in a road SEC game. He didn't have too many flashy plays that will show up all over social media, but he didn't make any major mistakes outside of an early first-quarter interception.

Jadan Baugh was the real workhorse behind the Gators' success, carrying the ball 26 times for 162 yards and three touchdowns.

Auburn just isn't quite there yet.

I think Alex Golesh is a good coach and can make Auburn better; it's just going to take a little longer. Byrum Brown isn't the high-level quarterback that an SEC team needs, and it was obvious when he had to deal with pressure and other high-level defenses. This was Auburn's chance to show that they shouldn't be an afterthought this year, and instead, they made themselves look like one.

Florida, on the other hand, showed that it can't be taken lightly this season.

The Gators now get to host Ole Miss, and Pete Golding better get his team ready because this Florida team isn't the same Florida team led by Sun Belt Billy.

Now ranked in the Top 25, Florida gets Missouri and South Carolina after Ole Miss—two games I think they should win. Depending on what happens this Saturday, we could be in for a huge collision course when Florida faces Texas on October 17th.

Mississippi State vs. South Carolina

Kamario Taylor is what South Carolina fans think LaNorris Sellers is.

Kamario Taylor is that dude. Sellers is not.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs walked into Columbia, South Carolina, and outplayed the Gamecocks in their own stadium. In the blink of an eye, South Carolina was up 16-0, and it looked like the Gamecocks and LaNorris Sellers were going to roll and start the SEC season on a high note.

Credit to Jeff Lebby for settling his team down and turning to a true Heisman contender to get them out of the hole.

Taylor threw an interception on his first play, but after that, he was almost perfect. His 251 passing yards and four touchdowns don't do his game justice. The beautiful throws and perfect reads helped the Bulldogs storm back and take the lead midway through the third quarter. Mississippi State didn't punt the entire second half until the game was already out of reach for South Carolina.

South Carolina, under Shane Beamer, is exactly what the media thinks they are.

Not good.

Beamer isn't a good football coach, and with the talent on that roster, there was no reason they should have lost this game. He shouldn't be the coach there in the future if they want to compete and actually win games, and this was just more proof. Mississippi State has now once again lapped South Carolina, and it is solely because of Beamer's coaching.

Mississippi State continues its tough schedule. Next week, the Bulldogs return home to take on Missouri. I think they should be able to beat Missouri, which would set the Bulldogs up to be undefeated when Alabama comes to Starkville.

I want to say it again because it needs to be said:

Kamario Taylor is HIM.

He is legit and should be viewed as a Heisman contender. It is because of him that Mississippi State is in the position it is in, and they will go as far as Taylor takes them.

SMU vs. Louisville

The Louisville Cardinals hosted the SMU Mustangs in what was predetermined to be the game that would decide the second-best team in the ACC. Neither of these two teams comes close to Miami, but they would play for the title of second-best.

A back-and-forth first half saw SMU take a 17-14 lead into halftime. I feel like having a 17-14 lead at halftime this year is the worst possible lead you could have. So many teams have blown 17-14 leads, and SMU would continue that trend as Lincoln Kienholz and company caught fire in the second half.

Louisville would score four touchdowns in the second half to run away from SMU, winning 41-31.

Despite Kendrick Raphael's 197 rushing yards and three touchdowns, quarterback Kevin Jennings had moments where he looked like an elite quarterback and others where he didn't. Unfortunately for SMU, the moments when he didn't outweighed the others in this game, and that was the difference.

SMU faces Notre Dame on November 21st, but there is a reason this was the game to determine the second-best team. Before that matchup, their toughest game looks to be when they host Virginia Tech.

Louisville's season is basically over, too.

The only team they play the remainder of the season that had a winning conference record last year is Georgia Tech, and the Yellow Jackets haven't looked too hot this year. There is always a chance for ACC teams like this to lose a game, but it would take a huge upset for that to happen to Louisville this season.

Kentucky vs. Texas A&M

Kentucky was coming off a heartbreaking second-half collapse to Alabama last week, while Texas A&M had pulled away from Arizona State in the second half of its game. The two teams couldn't have been more different coming into this one, with Texas A&M entering as a 17.5-point favorite.

Kentucky went into Kyle Field and simply out-physicaled Texas A&M.

What was a slow start for both teams saw each find the end zone in the second quarter. Coming out of halftime, Kentucky dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and eventually took a 28-7 lead—one they would not surrender on their way to a 31-21 victory.

A great win to start Will Stein's SEC career has me wondering what could have been if Kentucky had held on against Alabama last week. Nonetheless, they can move forward knowing they have the talent and skill to compete with other SEC teams.

Texas A&M got exposed for what they are—and, frankly, what they were last year as well.

Feasting off an easy SEC schedule, the Aggies knew they were going to have to play better this year to get to the same spot they reached last season. Nobody thought that humbling moment would come this early, though.

At LSU? Sure. At Alabama? Absolutely. Hosting Tennessee or Texas? Those all made sense.

But a home game against Kentucky when you were a three-score favorite? That did not.

Marcell Reed did not play well and was truly exposed as a mediocre quarterback in today's college football landscape. When the teams around you have quarterbacks like Chambliss, Manning, Taylor, Russell, and even Simmons and Philo, Reed has not shown that he can go toe-to-toe with them and hold his own.

He just can't.

And right now, that is what is holding Texas A&M back.

Game of the Week: Ole Miss 32 LSU 24

Once again, the game of the week is the marquee game of the weekend.

Player of the Week

John Alan Richter (Toledo): 36/51, 429 YDS, 4 TD

This was a tough choice for me this week, but ultimately, I decided that Trinidad Chambliss was going to get enough shine elsewhere in the Newsletter and that John Alan Richter deserved his praise.

Richter led the Toledo Rockets against the Temple Owls in a game where both offenses were flying around the field. The Owls led for virtually the entire game, taking a 42-28 lead with just over six and a half minutes remaining. With under three minutes to go, Temple still held a 14-point lead, but Richter led the Rockets on two touchdown drives in the final three minutes to tie the game at 42-42 and send it to overtime.

A 24-yard play on the first play of overtime set the Rockets up for a touchdown, and their defense held on Temple's ensuing two-point conversion attempt to win the game 49-48.

Richter's performance gave him the ninth-most passing yards in a game in Toledo history and the most since 2021.

In Case You Missed it

Grand Valley Beat Down

DII Grand Valley State in Allendale Michigan opened this week as a 94 point favorite... and covered.

The Lakers ended up beating NAIA Judson 96-0 Saturday Afternoon.

NC State...What are we doing?

The Wolfpack went to Nashville and dominated Vanderbilt for 59 minutes and 54 seconds. Leading 24-7 in the third quarter, it looked like NC State was going to walk away with a very respectable win over an SEC team.

Two fourth-quarter touchdowns got the Commodores within three points, but true freshman Jared Curtis threw an interception at the Wolfpack's two-yard line with a minute to go.

All NC State needed to do was fall forward, run out the clock, and head home with the win.

But on the last play of the game...

The Alabama Slow Starts

Once again, Alabama found itself in a rock fight with a team it was supposed to blow out of the building. This week, it was the Florida State Seminoles and all of their problems.

The Tide found itself down 21-6 midway through the second quarter. Just like last week, the slow start didn't last, and Alabama eventually came away with a 50-36 victory.

But still... oof.

Country Roads?

Does Rich Rod Have the Mountaineers Back?

West Virginia took on Virginia in North Carolina (cue the eye roll) on Saturday night, and the Mountaineers came away with a statement 38-27 victory over the No. 25 Cavaliers.

Mountaineers quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. put on a show, throwing for 190 yards and rushing for another 123. That's 313 yards of total offense, which is good. Add in the five total touchdowns, and it's great.

WVU now starts Big 12 play with a very favorable first half of conference play. Could the Mountaineers really be 8-0 when they head to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech on November 7th?

Cock Fight in the Tub

The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers took on the Delaware Blue Hens on Tubby Raymond Field. Hence...

Delaware outlasted Coastal Carolina 22-14 and won the first every Cock Fight in the Tub.

Bill's Cinderella Story

North Carolina was pounding Clemson right out of the gate, taking a 17-3 lead into the second quarter. The halftime break, followed by a lightning delay, did not help the Tar Heels.

Clemson came out of the second half firing, outscoring North Carolina 22-3 and putting an end to what I believed was the only hope for a Bill Belichick Cinderella run.

The Tar Heels now start ACC play 0-1 after opening the season with a promising 2-0 record.

International Fumbles

Dylan Edwards of Kansas has previously played for Kansas State and Colorado. Kansas played in London this past weekend, while Kansas State played in Ireland last year.

That means Dylan Edwards might be the first person in college football history to fumble in three different countries!

AP Poll Reaction

With the release of the AP Poll this week, there were plenty of changes compared to last week. Florida and Mississippi State entered the poll at No. 21 and No. 24, respectively, and honestly, it is well deserved.

Oklahoma falls out despite beating New Mexico 14-6, while Virginia free-falls after getting handled by West Virginia.

The big jumps of the week were Ole Miss climbing all the way to No. 4 and Louisville climbing seven spots all the way to No. 16.

BYU enters the Top 10 for the first time this year, while Texas A&M drops 14 spots all the way to No. 23.

Thanks to this week's poll, next week features six ranked-versus-ranked matchups, setting up for a great weekend of college football.

And, as always, check out which AP voter doesn't actually watch the games.

Will's Corner

Washington State 48, Duquesne 7

Don't worry, UW fans, your 2008 0-12 record is still safe for another year because the Washington State Cougars won a football game!

The Cougars hosted FCS Duquesne in their home opener with a good opportunity to work through some of the offensive woes that had plagued them through the first two weeks. It did not start well, as Caden Pinnick threw a pick on the second offensive play, and the game was tied 7-7 after the first quarter.

After yet another missed field goal by Jack Stevens (now 1/5 on the season), it looked like the offensive struggles would continue, even against a far inferior opponent. The Cougar defense held strong, though, and after a 19-yard scramble into the end zone by Pinnick, the Cougs took a 14-7 lead into halftime—not quite what fans were hoping for.

Head coach Kirby Moore made some good halftime adjustments, and the Cougs came out of halftime hot, scoring touchdowns on all three drives in the third quarter to blow the game wide open. After returning back-to-back punts for touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the Cougars led 48-7. Not only did their offense finally show some life, but their defense continued to hold strong—and they even covered the spread!

Hopefully, this gives Washington State some mojo heading into next week's matchup against Arizona in Pullman.

BYU 41, Colorado State 23

Contrary to Washington State and Tennessee, BYU used a strong first half to build a comfortable lead and coast to the finish in the second half.

After a short lightning delay, the Cougars scored on just the second play of the game, thanks to a 56-yard run from LJ Martin. On their second possession, Legend Glasker broke off a 70-yard touchdown run, and the Cougs had scored on two explosive plays to open the game. A more balanced drive saw LJ score once again, this time from eight yards out, to make it 21-7 at the end of the first quarter.

The Cougars added a field goal and yet another touchdown from Legend Glasker, this time on the ground, to make it 31-7 at halftime. Bear Bachmeier would lead yet another touchdown drive to open the second half, this time capped off by a five-yard Preston Rex rush to make it 38-7.

On their very next possession, Bear would lead the Cougars into the red zone again, but this drive ended with him throwing an interception in the end zone. Bachmeier's day would be done after that, and the Cougars coasted to a 41-23 victory with most of their second string on the field.

BYU now has a bye week before starting Big 12 play on the road in Fort Worth, taking on TCU on October 3rd.

Tennessee 42, Kennesaw State 9

The Volunteers got off to somewhat of a slow start in their tune-up game at Neyland Stadium Saturday night. Their opening drive resulted in a touchdown run by DeSean Bishop. While their second drive ended with a touchdown pass from Faizon Brandon, the 15-3 lead still felt like it could have been much more.

A punt and a fumble by the Vols in the second quarter left a taste of dissatisfaction in my mouth as they headed into halftime with a 21-7 lead. They came out of the half with some good adjustments, scoring three rushing touchdowns on their first three possessions of the second half, with all three coming from different players.

While the 42-9 victory wasn't as dominant to the eye as some of their other wins, the Vols pounded the rock and slowly suffocated the Owls on their way to victory.

Now, all eyes turn to next Saturday morning when the Longhorns come to Knoxville for a noon kickoff. It's time to see what Faizon Brandon is truly made of—and what this Tennessee season could become.

Survivor Pool Update

I want to congratulated everyone else remaining, because no one was eliminated during Week 3.

There were a few close calls, but ultimately, everyone picked correctly.

The competition starts to heat up now that conference play is in full force.

Don’t forget to make your pick for Week 4!

Games to Watch Week 4

• 1.Texas @ 14.Tennessee – Sept 26, 12:00 PM ET (ABC) - SEC play starts for both of these 3-0 teams. Neyland in never an easy place to play as these two face off for the first time since 1968.
• 4.Ole Miss @ 21.Florida – Sept 26, 3:30 PM ET (ABC) - Ole Miss coming off the emotional win over LSU. Florida coming off a great performance in Jordan Hare against Auburn. Can the Gators keep it rolling? Will the Rebels have a hangover?
• 17.Iowa @ 18.Michigan – Sept 26, 3:30 PM ET (CBS) - o/u is currently set at 37.5. Get your punters ready!
• 20.Oregon @ 12.USC – Sept 26, 7:30 PM ET (NBC) - Can Oregon bounce back from their head scratching loss against Oklahoma State or does USC continue their raise to prominence in the Big Ten.

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