College football Week 3 top plays: Ohio State leads, No. 1 Georgia holds off South Carolina

Week 3 of the college football season was filled with highlight plays, superstar performances and plenty of thrilling finishes.

Drew Allar and No. 7 Penn State kicked off the action with a 30-13 win over Illinois to open up Big Ten play, while No. 14 LSU took down SEC foe Mississippi State, 41-14.

In an exciting upset, Missouri defeated No. 15 Kansas State, 30-27. The game was sealed by a 61-yard field goal by Harrison Mevis, the longest field goal in SEC history. In other SEC action, No. 1 Georgia came back from a 14-3 halftime deficit to defeat South Carolina, 24-14.

In the afternoon, No. 6 Ohio State got its offense on track, winning 63-10 over Western Kentuck, No. 8 Washington walloped Michigan State, 41-7, and No. 10 Alabama made another quarterback change en route to a sluggish 17-3 win against USF.

Later on, No. 11 Tennessee was upset by Florida in The Swamp, 29-16, while TCU took down in-state rival Houston, 36-13. Rounding out the day, Deion Sanders and No. 18 Colorado beat Colorado State in double overtime, 43-35.

Here are the top moments!

FINAL: No. 18 Colorado 43, Colorado State 35

Sanders arrives

Colorado coach Deion Sanders wore all the attire that Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell criticized him for wearing in front of the media earlier in the week.

Pick-six!

Colorado State quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi was intercepted by Colorado safety Shilo Sanders, who ran the pick back 80 yards for a touchdown.

What a response!

On the second play of the ensuing drive, Fowler-Nicolosi hit wide receiver Louis Brown down the field for a 46-yard completion. On the very next play, Fowler-Nicolosi threw a pass behind the line of scrimmage to wide receiver Tory Horton, who then hit tight end Dallin Holker in the back of the end zone for a 30-yard score.

Scoop-n-score!

Travis Hunter made a couple of defenders miss before fumbling the ball on his way to the ground. Colorado State defensive back Jack Howell picked it up and ran it back for a touchdown.

Buffaloes strike back

Colorado’s offense broke through late in the first quarter when Sanders hit wide receiver Xavier Weaver for a 24-yard touchdown.

Rams came to play

Faced with a second-and-goal at the Colorado 15-yard line, Fowler-Nicolosi connected with Brown through a tight window for a 15-yard Colorado State touchdown — and Brown decided to imitate the Buffaloes head coach after the score. The Rams led 21-14 at halftime.

Travis Hunter out

The two-way superstar was sent to a local hospital after taking a rough hit in the first half.

Blocked field goals

The second half started off slow as Colorado State had a 52-yard field goal blocked. Then, Colorado had a 39-yard field goal blocked on the next drive.

What a catch — and run!

After Colorado got a field goal on the board, Colorado State pushed its lead to two scores in the fourth quarter. Faced with a third-and-7, Fowler-Nicolosi hit Holker, who caught the pass at his ankles and ran his way into the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown. The Buffaloes responded with another field goal, trailing 28-20 with 7: 33 remaining in the fourth quarter.

TIE GAME

Colorado State pinned Colorado at its own 2-yard line with 2: 05 remaining in the fourth quarter. Then Sanders and the Buffaloes went 98 yards for a touchdown with the quarterback hitting wide receiver Jimmy Horn for a 45-yard score. They then converted the game-tying two-point conversion. The game went to overtime.

Buffaloes win in overtime!

Colorado and Colorado State both scored touchdowns on their first overtime possessions. The Buffaloes then scored a touchdown and converted the required two-point attempt in the second overtime, whereas the Rams didn’t reach the end zone.

FINAL: TCU 36, Houston 13

I’m open!

On the sixth play of the opening possession, TCU wide receiver Warren Thompson got behind the Houston defense, and quarterback Chandler Morris hit him in stride for the 33-yard touchdown.

Big throw sets up FG

Houston got the ball downfield when quarterback Donovan Smith hit wide receiver Samuel Brown for a 53-yard gain. Four plays later, kicker Jack Martin connected on a 44-yard field goal.

Not the way you draw it up

After TCU got a field goal on the board, Houston attempted a flea flicker, but Smith’s pass was intercepted by safety Bud Clark near the sideline. TCU later got a 53-yard field goal off the interception.

NOT going down!

On the ensuing kickoff, Matthew Golden ran out of a series of tackle attempts and then all the way to the house for a Houston touchdown.

Making ’em dizzy!

After working its way into Houston territory, TCU running back Emani Bailey zigzagged his way into the end zone for a 16-yard score.

WHAT. A. CATCH.

Morris threw up a deep pass to the left side, and TCU wide receiver Savion Williams hauled it in with only his left arm for a 31-yard touchdown. TCU missed the extra point, though.

Running away with it

Trey Sanders ripped through Houston’s defense for an 18-yard rushing score, giving TCU a 36-13 lead.

FINAL: Florida 29, No. 11 Tennessee 16

Strong start for Tennessee

Florida had its field goal attempt blocked on the opening possession of the game, and Tennessee kept the momentum going shortly thereafter. One play after Joe Milton flicked a 41-yard pass to Squirrel White, the quarterback hit Ramel Keyton for an 11-yard touchdown.

Later!

On the fourth play of the ensuing drive, Florida running back Trevor Etienne thundered through the Tennessee defense for a 62-yard rushing touchdown. With that said, the Gators’ extra point attempt was blocked.

Lead change

After forcing Tennessee to punt, Florida found the end zone once again. On the 14th play of the drive, Montrell Johnson got the call on the run for the 4-yard score, but the Gators failed to convert a two-point attempt.

Rough INT leads to 6

About to get hit by the Florida pass rush, Milton unloaded a deep ball, but cornerback Devin Moore was the only player in the area, and he intercepted and ran the ball back to the Tennessee 9-yard line. Three plays later, Florida quarterback Graham Mertz ran in a goal-line score.

I’m gonna get in that end zone

Tennessee went three-and-out after the Florida score, and the latter put the ball in the end zone again on its next drive. After working their way into the red zone, Mertz hit Johnson on a screen pass, and the running back refused to go down, slicing and dicing his way through Tennessee’s defense for an 18-yard touchdown. Florida led 26-7 at halftime.

Getting back in it

Trailing 29-10 midway through the fourth quarter, Milton connected with wide receiver Bru McCoy on a 55-yard touchdown pass. Tennessee failed to convert the two-point attempt, though. 

No. 6 Ohio State 63, Western Kentucky 10 

Try to stop TreVeyon

TreVeyon Henderson found room along the sideline and hit the jets for a 21-yard score to give Ohio State the first touchdown of the game. 

Two TD TreVeyon 

The Ohio State running back added his second touchdown of the game when he navigated his way through blockers before getting into the end zone for a 7-yard score to extend the Buckeyes’ lead to 14-3 in the second quarter. But prior to that play, Henderson leaped over a Western Kentucky defender to help set up Ohio State for the score. 

Western Kentucky works its way into the end zone

The Hilltoppers ran a screen pass from the Buckeyes’ 2-yard line, with Austin Reed connecting with Malachi Coley to score a touchdown to cut Ohio State’s lead to 14-10 in the second quarter. 

The marvelous Marvin

In its first play with the ball back, Ohio State hit a home run, with Kyle McCord finding Marvin Harrison Jr. open deep for a 75-yard score to give the Buckeyes a 21-10 lead.

Oh, look at all of those Ohio State TDs

The Buckeyes went on a major scoring run to close out the first half, scoring a touchdown on four consecutive drives to give them a 42-10 lead going into the break. 

Following Harrison’s touchdown, Chip Trayanum scored on a 40-yard run up the middle with ease to extend Ohio State’s lead to 28-10. 

Emeka Egbuka followed that up with two touchdowns of his own. First, he caught a pass over the middle and ran in for a 15-yard touchdown.

Then, Egbuka added another touchdown with eight seconds left in the half, catching a fade pass from McCord for a 14-yard touchdown as Ohio State’s offense finally found a rhythm. 

Tate time

Five-star freshman Carnell Tate scored his first collegiate touchdown in the second half, connecting with Devin Brown for the second-half score as the Buckeyes continued to pile it on the Hilltoppers. 

FINAL: No. 8 Washington 41, Michigan State 7

Bernard payback

Germie Bernard opened the scoring in Saturday’s game by rushing in for a 1-yard score on the end around, scoring against his former team to put Washington up, 7-0. 

Just how they drew it up

Michael Penix’s pass over the middle in the second quarter looked prime to be intercepted, but the deflected throw bounced into the arms of Ja’Lynn Polk, who caught the ball and ran into the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown to put Washington up, 21-0. 

Penix piles on in first half

The Washington QB made a strong Heisman statement in the first 30 minutes of play, completing 20 of 25 passes for 375 yards and four touchdowns to help give the Huskies a 35-0 lead at the break. His deep pass from his own end zone to Rome Odunze for a 50-yard gain was just one of the many highlight throws Penix made in the first half. 

No. 1 Georgia 24, South Carolina 14

Game on, Gamecocks!

South Carolina opened up the scoring in Saturday’s game when Spencer Rattler connected with Antwane Wells on a screen pass that went 17 yards for a touchdown, putting No. 1 Georgia in an early hole. 

UGA says ugh

Georgia looked to cut South Carolina’s 7-3 lead with a chip shot field goal in the second quarter, but the kick went wide left, keeping the score intact. 

South Carolina scores again

The Gamecocks added a second touchdown when Dakereon Joyner took the direct snap out of the shotgun and ran it two yards for the score, giving South Carolina a 14-3 lead right before halftime. 

Bulldogs bulldoze into the end zone

Georgia finally scored a touchdown in the third quarter, marching down the field in the opening drive of the second half before Daijun Edwards charged ahead for a 7-yard score, cutting into South Carolina’s lead to make it 14-10. 

Bulldogs battle back

Georgia quickly took the lead in the second half, scoring on each of its first two drives of the third quarter to take a 17-14 lead. Dillon Bell added the second touchdown of the game for the Bulldogs when he rushed in for a 3-yard score. 

Cashing in the lead

Georgia extended its lead to 10 early in the fourth quarter when Cash Jones sprinted along the outside for a 13-yard touchdown, giving it breathing room to avoid a potential upset. 

No. 14 LSU 41, Mississippi State 14

Too little, too late

A quick pass from QB Mike Wright to TE Antonio Harmon resulted in a 4-yard TD for the Bulldogs in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough to overcome the large deficit. 

Roaring on

The Tigers made it 41-7 adding a 1-yard rushing TD from Daniels on first-and-goal. Another deep connection with Nabers set up the scoring play.

5 for No. 5

Daniels’ added to his day with a 5-yard rushing TD in the third quarter. The senior was shaken up earlier in the quarter after a hit, deemed targeting, was placed on him by Mississippi State safety Shawn Preston who was subsequently disqualified.

It’s good!

Ramos nails a 41-yard FG and put the Tigers up by 20.

Before the half

Lideatrick Griffin got his first career rushing touchdown, and gave the Bulldogs their first score of the game, running 9 yards into the end zone right before the half.

3rd & goal 

RB Josh Williams rushed for a 1-yard TD, giving the Tigers a 24-0 lead.

Run it back

It was déjà vu for Daniels and Nabers as the two connected again for another TD to push the Tigers to a 16-0 lead. The extra point was good, making it 17-0.

Touchdown!

Jayden Daniels found Malik Nabers for a 26-yard TD pass to give LSU a 9-0 lead late in the first quarter. The Tigers were first on the board following a 22-yard FG from Damian Ramos early on and ended the quarter 10-0.

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