College Football Rankings Week 3: B/R's Official Top 25
How great was Week 2 of the college football season? It was so full of amazing games and awesome performances that our Top 25 poll has had to swell by one extra team.
In fact, the results from this past weekend's action combined with our voters' observations resulted in a pair of ties in the latest poll, one at the bottom and one at the top that was decided by first-place votes. Meanwhile, a couple of teams that were in the top 10 a week ago have tumbled down the rankings, while another two have dropped out and been replaced by some rising powers.
The Bleacher Report Top 25 is voted on by 20 members of Bleacher Report's college football team: writers Keith Arnold, Ben Axelrod, Phil Callihan, Michael Felder, Justin Ferguson, Andrew Hall, Kyle Kensing, David Kenyon, Ben Kercheval, Adam Kramer, Brian Leigh, Brian Pedersen, Barrett Sallee, Brad Shepard, Erin Sorensen, Marc Torrence and Greg Wallace, as well as editors Eric Bowman, Hunter Mandel and Max Rausch.
Each voter submits his or her ballot based on observations made during the just-completed week's games. Teams receive 25 points for a first-place vote, all the way down to one point for being ranked 25th. And then the top 25 vote-getters are ranked in order of their point totals.
Check out Bleacher Report's Week 3 poll, then give us your thoughts in the comments section.
Others Receiving Votes
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A total of 39 teams earned votes in this week's poll, including three-time FCS champion North Dakota State as well as up-and-comers like Pittsburgh, Tennessee and Utah.
One or more of these could jump into the Top 25 with another win or two, as Tennessee heads to Oklahoma, and Utah visits Michigan on Sept. 20.
- Louisville (41)
- Oklahoma State (37)
- Mississippi State (35)
- Penn State (19)
- North Carolina (12)
- Pittsburgh (10)
- Duke (9)
- Utah (9)
- Tennessee (7)
- Washington (7)
- Arizona (6)
- Marshall (3)
- North Dakota State (2)
Dropped out: No. 23 North Carolina, No. 24 Texas
25. (Tie) Nebraska Cornhuskers
2 of 27
Week 2 result: Won 31-24 vs. McNeese State
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 13 at Fresno State
Poll points: 56
Last week's ranking: 18
Nebraska needed its best player to make a play, but no one could have expected Ameer Abdullah to come through the way he did to prevent the Cornhuskers from suffering a massive upset.
Abdullah turned a short pass from Tommy Armstrong Jr. into a game-winning 58-yard touchdown with 20 seconds left, breaking numerous tackles along the way to seal the victory. Abdullah finished with 150 yards of total offense and two touchdowns. In Week 1 versus Florida Atlantic, he rushed for 232 yards on 21 carries.
Armstrong paced the offense, throwing for 242 yards and two touchdowns while adding 131 rushing yards and a one-yard TD run.
25. (Tie) BYU Cougars
3 of 27
Week 2 result: Won 41-7 at Texas
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 11 vs. Houston
Poll points: 56
Last week's ranking: Not ranked
BYU rolled into Austin and rolled over Texas, handing head coach Charlie Strong his first loss with the Longhorns in blowout fashion.
The Cougars forced four turnovers to turn a 6-0 halftime lead into a runaway with 28 third-quarter points, holding Texas to 258 yards and just three third-down conversions on 15 attempts. That was balanced by quarterback Taysom Hill's 280 yards of total offense, which featured 99 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
BYU gained 429 yards and has outscored its first two opponents 76-17 on the road.
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24. Missouri Tigers
4 of 27
Week 2 result: Won 49-24 at Toledo
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 13 vs. UCF
Poll points: 64
Last week's ranking: 25
Missouri made coach Gary Pinkel a big winner on the road against his former program, riding quarterback Maty Mauk's huge day to victory.
Mauk threw for 325 yards and five touchdowns, offsetting a pair of interceptions. The sophomore connected with four different targets for the TDs, hitting Jimmie Hunt twice for scores, and he added a one-yard TD run that gave the Tigers a 21-7 lead in the second quarter.
Russell Hansbrough rushed for 84 yards and a TD in Missouri's first road game of the season. It was a homecoming for Pinkel, who coached Toledo from 1991-2000 before taking over the Tigers' program.
23. Florida Gators
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Week 2 result: Won 65-0 vs. Eastern Michigan
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 13 vs. Kentucky
Poll points: 69
Last week's ranking: Not ranked
Florida had to wait an extra week to unveil its new offense, but the delay was worth it for Gators fans after watching their team steamroll to 655 yards and Florida's most points since 2008.
The Gators—who had their opener against Idaho canceled by lightning—scored 17 points in a span of 1:56 in the first quarter and never looked back. And in the process they notched their first shutout since blanking Jacksonville State in November 2012.
Jeff Driskel threw for 248 yards and a touchdown, while backup Treon Harris completed both of his passes for fourth-quarter TDs and 148 yards. Florida rushed for 259 yards, with Kelvin Taylor and Matt Jones combining for 133 rushing yards and three scores.
Florida forced five turnovers (with Duke Dawson scoring on a 36-yard interception return) and held Eastern Michigan to 125 yards.
22. Wisconsin Badgers
6 of 27
Week 2 result: Won 37-3 vs. Western Illinois
Week 3 matchup: Bye
Poll points: 81
Last week's ranking: 20
Tanner McEvoy rebounded splendidly from his rough debut as Wisconsin's quarterback the week before, leading the Badgers through the air and on the ground in a blowout win over FCS Western Illinois.
McEvoy threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns on 23-of-28 passing, and he added 55 rushing yards and a nine-yard scoring run. He hooked up 10 times with receiver Alex Erickson, including on a 10-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter that was part of Erickson's 122 receiving yards.
Melvin Gordon, who saw limited action in the second half of last week's loss to LSU because of a hip injury, had just 38 rushing yards on 17 carries. He did catch a touchdown pass, which was more than enough offense thanks to a Badgers defense that held Western Illinois to 162 yards.
21. Clemson Tigers
7 of 27
Week 2 result: Won 73-7 vs. South Carolina State
Week 3 matchup: Bye
Poll points: 85
Last week's ranking: 22
Clemson used FCS South Carolina State as its punching bag to get things right on both offense and defense, piling up 735 yards and allowing just 44 in scoring its most points since 1981.
The Tigers threw for 467 yards, 302 of that coming from Cole Stoudt on 22-of-31 passing. He threw one touchdown pass, while Deshaun Watson added three along with 154 yards on just 8-of-9 passing. Artavis Scott caught TD throws from both quarterbacks and finished with 164 yards on six catches.
The only points Clemson allowed came on a 35-yard fumble-return score by South Carolina State with four minutes left. Otherwise, it would have been the Tigers' first shutout win since blanking the same Bulldogs team 54-0 in 2008.
Clemson notched four sacks, recorded a safety and got a 60-yard interception-return TD by Jadar Johnson.
20. Ohio State Buckeyes
8 of 27
Week 2 result: Lost 35-21 vs. Virginia Tech
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 13 vs. Kent State
Poll points: 95
Last week's ranking: 11 (tied)
Ohio State saw its 64-game home winning streak against unranked nonconference opponents come to an end in the first-ever meeting with Virginia Tech, as quarterback J.T. Barrett struggled mightily.
Barrett threw for 219 yards but completed just nine of 29 passes with one touchdown and three interceptions. He was picked off twice in the fourth quarter, though he also rushed for a team-high 70 yards with a touchdown.
The Buckeyes trailed 21-7 late in the third quarter before scoring twice to tie the game, but then Tech took the lead for good with 8:44 left. The comeback attempt ended abruptly after Barrett's pass in the final minute was returned 63 yards for a score by Tech's Donovan Riley.
19. South Carolina Gamecocks
9 of 27
Week 2 result: Won 33-23 vs. East Carolina
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 13 vs. Georgia
Poll points: 98
Last week's ranking: 21
Steve Spurrier earned his 200th win as an SEC head coach, but it wasn't an easy one as his team trailed by six points twice in the first half before taking control.
Mike Davis rebounded from an injury-limited performance in the Gamecocks' season-opening loss to rush for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries while adding 28 yards on three catches. Quarterback Dylan Thompson recorded 266 yards passing and a touchdown.
South Carolina's pass defense got exploited again, this time by East Carolina's Shane Carden, who threw for 321 yards and a touchdown. But the Gamecocks also intercepted Carden twice to help seal the win.
18. Kansas State Wildcats
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Week 2 result: Won 32-28 at Iowa State
Week 3 matchup: Bye
Poll points: 110
Last week's ranking: 19
Kansas State won its Big 12 opener in dramatic fashion, scoring the game's final 19 points (after watching Iowa State score 28 unanswered) and taking the lead with 90 seconds left.
The Wildcats led 13-0 before allowing ISU to take control of the game. The Cyclones went from down 13 to up 15 in less than a quarter of play, getting a touchdown reception, a punt-return score and a TD pass all from senior wide receiver Jarvis West. But after West threw a 29-yard TD pass to Allen Lazard late in the first half, it was all K-State.
Quarterback Jake Waters scored the first of his two rushing TDs just before halftime, then added the game-winner on an eight-yard run with 1:30 remaining in the game. Waters finished with 377 yards of total offense, including 138 on the ground on 20 carries.
17. Virginia Tech Hokies
11 of 27
Week 2 result: Won 35-21 at Ohio State
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 13 vs. East Carolina
Poll points: 155
Last week's ranking: Not ranked
The Hokies earned one of their biggest road wins in school history, riding the arm of quarterback Michael Brewer and a swarming defense to pull off the upset at Ohio State.
Brewer threw for 199 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning score on a 10-yard pass to Bucky Hodges with 8:44 remaining.
Virginia Tech's defense forced Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett into three interceptions, the last of which was brought back 63 yards for a touchdown by Donovan Riley in the final minute. Barrett only completed nine of 29 passes and was sacked seven times.
16. Arizona State Sun Devils
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Week 2 result: Won 58-23 at New Mexico
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 13 at Colorado
Poll points: 199
Last week's ranking: 17
Arizona State jumped out to a 22-0 lead, then after a second-quarter hiccup cruised to a convincing road win while shutting down New Mexico's triple-option offense.
The Sun Devils gained 621 total yards, 423 of those coming on the ground. D.J. Foster paced the rushing attack with 216 yards on 19 carries with a touchdown, one of six rushing touchdowns for ASU.
Kalen Ballage scored two TDs, while quarterback Taylor Kelly ran for 84 yards and a touchdown while adding 192 passing yards and two TDs through the air.
New Mexico managed only 3.6 yards per carry on 57 rushes, and after pulling to within 29-21 with 4:49 left in the first half, it managed only two points on a return of a blocked extra-point attempt in the fourth quarter.
ASU forced and recovered three fumbles to help its cause.
15. Stanford Cardinal
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Week 2 result: Lost 13-10 vs. USC
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 13 vs. Army
Poll points: 200
Last week's ranking: 9
Stanford played well enough on defense to win, but an inability to convert on numerous scoring chances caused it to lose its conference opener for the first time since 2007 and end a 17-game home winning streak.
The Cardinal outgained USC 413-291, with Kevin Hogan outdueling Cody Kessler through the air to the tune of 285 passing yards to 135. But Stanford lost a pair of fumbles, including deep in Trojans territory with under 20 seconds left, and managed just two scores despite making nine trips inside USC's 30-yard line.
"Bottom line is that we didn't convert in the red zone," Stanford coach David Shaw told David Lombardi of Fox Sports. Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News tweeted that Shaw felt responsible for the struggles, saying "the problem in the red zone is me."
Two drives ended with missed field goals by Jordan Williamson, whose 33-yard kick with 10 seconds left in the first half was Stanford's final scoring play of the game.
14. Ole Miss Rebels
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Week 2 result: Won 41-3 at Vanderbilt
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 13 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
Poll points: 214
Last week's ranking: 16
Ole Miss obliterated Vanderbilt on the road, posting its biggest SEC margin of victory since 2008 behind 320 passing yards and a touchdown from quarterback Bo Wallace.
The Rebels gained 547 total yards and allowed just 167, surrendering only a fourth-quarter field goal. Commodores quarterback Stephen Rivers completed just six of 25 passes for 60 yards, with Cliff Coleman returning an interception 39 yards for a second-half touchdown for Ole Miss.
The win marked the second year in a row Ole Miss opened SEC play with a road victory over Vanderbilt. Last year's game was the season opener, with the Rebels rallying late to win 39-35.
13. UCLA Bruins
15 of 27
Week 2 result: Won 42-35 vs. Memphis
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 13 vs. Texas (in Arlington, Texas)
Poll points: 246
Last week's ranking: 13
A week after having to rely on its defense to rescue a sluggish offense, UCLA needed every piece of scoring and production to hold off a surprising Memphis team.
The Bruins trailed by a point twice in the first half, and after building a two-touchdown lead through three quarters they saw Memphis knot the game at 35 with two touchdowns in a 37-second span early in the fourth. UCLA scored the game-winner with 10:52 left when Thomas Duarte caught a 33-yard pass from Brett Hundley.
Hundley threw for 396 yards and three touchdowns, with two of those going to Duarte as part of his four receptions and 110 yards. Jordan Payton had seven catches for 104 yards, while Paul Perkins rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns.
UCLA allowed 469 yards.
12. Michigan State Spartans
16 of 27
Week 2 result: Lost 46-27 at Oregon
Week 3 matchup: Bye
Poll points: 269
Last week's ranking: 4
Michigan State squandered a nine-point second-half lead, falling apart in the game's final 25 minutes as it had no answer for Oregon's balanced spread attack.
The Spartans were outscored 28-3 after halftime, making it "a second half to forget," according to Bryan Fischer of NFL.com. MSU had rallied from a pair of 11-point deficits to lead at the half thanks to a 17-0 run paced by quarterback Connor Cook. Cook threw for 343 yards on 29-of-47 passing, hooking up 11 times for 133 yards and a TD with Tony Lippett.
MSU wasn't able to rush the ball effectively, with Jeremy Langford needing 24 carries to gain 86 yards, and its defense wore down in the second half and yielded 491 total yards. The 46 points allowed were the most given up since Alabama scored 49 on the Spartans in the 2011 Capital One Bowl.
11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
17 of 27
Week 2 result: Won 31-0 vs. Michigan
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 13 vs. Purdue (in Indianapolis)
Poll points: 290
Last week's ranking: 15
Notre Dame put an emphatic and triumphant stamp on the end of its series with Michigan, posting its first shutout victory of the 41-game series.
Despite being outgained 289-280, the Fighting Irish used four Wolverines turnovers to hand their opponent their first scoreless result since 1984. The streak of 376 straight games was the longest stretch in FBS history and resulted in just the second win in the last six meetings for Notre Dame.
"It was a total butt-kicking, all the way around," Michigan coach Brady Hoke told Sports Illustrated's Brian Hamilton.
Everett Golson threw three touchdowns, completing 23 of 34 passes for 226 yards, while Cam McDaniel added a scoring run.
10. Baylor Bears
18 of 27
Week 2 result: Won 70-6 vs. Northwestern State
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 12 at Buffalo
Poll points: 312
Last week's ranking: 8
The Bears were without several key offensive players, but you wouldn't know it based on the way they dominated FCS Northwestern State. Baylor racked up 720 yards and reached 70 points for the fifth time in its last 14 games.
Backup quarterback Seth Russell, starting for the injured Bryce Petty, threw five touchdown passes in the first half and finished with 438 yards on 16-of-25 passing while also rushing for a TD. Russell connected with KD Cannon for three touchdown passes in the first quarter, and Cannon ended up with six catches for 223 yards.
Johnny Jefferson ran for 107 yards and a touchdown, while Silas Nacita rushed for 104 yards and two scores. Baylor held Northwestern State to 202 yards of total offense.
9. LSU Tigers
19 of 27
Week 2 result: Won 56-0 vs. Sam Houston State
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 13 vs. Louisiana-Monroe
Poll points: 316
Last week's ranking: 10
LSU registered its first shutout since 2010 and racked up 584 yards in its home opener, rushing for 334 yards in the process.
The Tigers got 188 passing yards and three touchdowns from Anthony Jennings, with Brandon Harris also tossing a score. The pair combined to complete 11 of 18 passes for 250 yards, with three of those completions resulting in touchdowns to receiver Travin Dural.
Dural opened the scoring with a 94-yard TD catch from Jennings less than 90 seconds into the game.
True freshman running back Leonard Fournette scored his first career touchdown and finished with 92 yards on 13 carries. Also running well for LSU was Darrell Williams, who gained 65 yards and had a touchdown.
Sam Houston State was held to 206 total yards and committed three turnovers.
8. Texas A&M Aggies
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Week 2 result: Won 73-3 vs. Lamar
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 13 vs. Rice
Poll points: 341
Last week's ranking: 11 (tied)
Texas A&M didn't slow down from its opening-week offensive onslaught, scoring its most points in 11 years while gaining 630 yards.
Kenny Hill followed up his record-setting effort at South Carolina with another strong outing, though he wasn't in there long. Hill threw for 283 yards and four touchdowns on 17-of-26 passing and was relieved by true freshman Kyle Allen. Allen threw for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 12-of-16 passing.
Eleven different Aggies caught passes, with six of them hauling in a touchdown catch. The running game generated 225 yards, with James White scoring two of the team's four TDs on the ground.
Lamar was held to 243 yards of total offense.
7. USC Trojans
21 of 27
Week 2 result: Won 13-10 at Stanford
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 13 at Boston College
Poll points: 349
Last week's ranking: 14
A week after setting offensive records, USC had to rely on defense and kicking to win a critical Pac-12 road game and claim its first victory at Stanford since 2008.
J.R. Tavai's sack of Kevin Hogan with 19 seconds left forced a fumble, which was recovered by USC's Scott Felix at the Trojans' 27-yard line. That came just over two minutes after Andre Heidari nailed a 53-yard field goal to give USC the lead, marking the second straight year Heidari kicked a game-winning field goal to beat the Cardinal.
USC managed only 291 yards on 59 plays, a week after gaining more than 700 yards on a conference-record 104 offensive snaps against Fresno State. Cody Kessler threw for just 135 yards, while Javorius Allen carried the load by gaining 154 of the Trojans' 156 rushing yards on 23 carries.
The Trojans held Stanford to just 10 points despite the Cardinal reaching USC's 32-yard line on every offensive possession, according to Fox Sports' Stewart Mandel.
6. Oklahoma Sooners
22 of 27
Week 2 result: Won 52-7 at Tulsa
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 13 vs. Tennessee
Poll points: 414
Last week's ranking: 5
A potential pitfall visit to in-state foe Tulsa instead was a walkover for Oklahoma, which scored in the game's first minute en route to 580 yards of total offense.
The Sooners led 31-0 at the half and got balanced contributions from all over their offense. Trevor Knight had 299 passing yards and two touchdowns and also scored on a 31-yard run. Sterling Shepard caught eight balls for 177 yards and a 15-yard TD. Blake Bell, the former Oklahoma quarterback, caught his first pass as a tight end and made it count with a seven-yard score.
And Oklahoma's run game churned out 261 yards, with Alex Ross scoring on an 82-yard run and Keith Ford rushing 10 times for 87 yards and two scores.
Oklahoma's defense shut down Tulsa, which a week before had 438 passing yards from Dane Evans but in this game was held to 328 total yards as a team. The Sooners forced four turnovers, three by Evans, including an interception that Geneo Grissom brought back 38 yards for a touchdown.
5. Auburn Tigers
23 of 27
Week 2 result: Won 59-13 vs. San Jose State
Week 3 matchup: Bye
Poll points: 419
Last week's ranking: 3
Auburn got three first-half rushing touchdowns from Cameron Artis-Payne as part of a 358-yard team effort on the ground to steamroll San Jose State.
The Tigers scored three touchdowns in a 4:35 span in the second quarter to turn a 7-7 game into a runaway victory, with Artis-Payne scoring twice to bookend a 55-yard punt-return touchdown by Quan Bray.
Quarterback Nick Marshall, in his first start of the year, threw for 101 yards and ran for 103 and had a touchdown through each discipline.
Auburn held the Spartans to 65 rushing yards and forced three turnovers.
4. Alabama Crimson Tide
24 of 27
Week 2 result: Won 41-0 vs. Florida Atlantic
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 13 vs. Southern Mississippi
Poll points: 425
Last week's ranking: 7
Alabama's home opener was such a mismatch it didn't even warrant finishing, as a lightning delay ended the game midway through the fourth quarter. All the extra time would have allowed for was to see if the Crimson Tide could hold on to their 11th shutout in the past four seasons.
Blake Sims started for the Tide and threw for 214 yards and two touchdowns on 11-of-13 passing, also adding a rushing score, while Jake Coker was 15-of-24 for 202 yards and a touchdown pass.
Both passers targeted Amari Cooper often, allowing him to tie the school record for receptions in a game with 13. His catches went for 189 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown from Sims midway through the first quarter.
'Bama held the Owls to 145 yards of total offense.
3. Georgia Bulldogs
25 of 27
Week 2 result: Bye
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 13 at South Carolina
Poll points: 433 (one first-place vote)
Last week's ranking: 6
Georgia was the lone team in our poll not to play in Week 2, enjoying some rest between the physical season-opening win over Clemson and next week's huge showdown at South Carolina.
The Bulldogs have lost their last two games at Williams-Brice Stadium, losing 35-7 in 2012 (after entering the game 5-0) and falling 17-6 there in 2010.
They've managed just 13.2 points per game in the last nine trips to Columbia compared to 27.5 points per game in home matchups with the Gamecocks during that span.
2. Oregon Ducks
26 of 27
Week 2 result: Won 46-27 vs. Michigan State
Week 3 matchup: Sept. 13 vs. Wyoming
Poll points: 485 (nine first-place votes)
Last week's ranking: 2
Down nine points early in the second half, Oregon erupted with four touchdowns to run away from Michigan State in the biggest game on the Week 2 schedule, one that had major College Football Playoff implications.
The Ducks got 360 yards of total offense from quarterback Marcus Mariota, who threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns despite almost constant pressure from Michigan State's defensive front. Touchdown passes to Devon Allen and Keanon Lowe during a three-minute stretch in the third quarter turned a nine-point hole into a five-point lead for Oregon.
Mariota's effort makes him the clear leader at this point for the Heisman Trophy, according to Chris Huston of HeismanPundit.com. "This was a signature win against an elite defense," Huston tweeted.
Oregon finished with 491 yards, getting two late touchdown runs from Royce Freeman, while Ifo Ekpre-Olomu intercepted a tipped pass late in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
1. Florida State Seminoles
27 of 27
Week 2 result: Won 37-12 vs. Citadel
Week 3 matchup: Bye
Poll points: 485 (10 first-place votes)
Last week's ranking: 1
The defending national champions breezed to an 18th straight win, jumping out to a 34-0 lead midway through the third quarter and then putting it into cruise control.
The Seminoles gained 494 yards, with Jameis Winston completing 22 of 27 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns. He was aided by a much more effective run game, getting 210 yards on 35 carries, with Dalvin Cook (67 yards, one TD) and Karlos Williams (66 yards, one TD) leading the charge.
FSU did allow Citadel to rush for 250 yards, but the Bulldogs managed just 72 yards through the air on 5-of-14 passing.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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