College Football: Week 3 Recap, Pick Results and Final Thoughts

College football fans got more than they expected on a Saturday full of wild finishes. There were game-winning plays and drives along with huge upsets. 

After nearly an hour-and-a-half weather delay, rivals Georgia and South Carolina faced off in what would be the best game of the day.

Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks felt they had been backed into a corner after a blowout loss to Texas A&M and an unimpressive win over East Carolina in the last two weeks. South Carolina appeared to be ready for this one though, as quarterback Dylan Thompson picked apart the Georgia secondary and helped give his team a 24-13 lead heading into halftime.

The Dawgs clawed their way back into the game with help from workhorse running back Todd Gurley, who finished the game with 131 rushing yards and one touchdown. 

Both teams exchanged blows throughout the second half. With South Carolina leading 38-35 with almost five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Thompson threw an interception to senior cornerback Damian Swann. Swann returned the interception to the Gamecock 6-yard line, and it appeared Georgia was going to silence the crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium with a come-from-behind victory. 

However, an intentional grounding penalty by Georgia quarterback Hutson Mason on first down backed the offense up to the 14-yard line, putting one of the best field-goal kickers in the country, Marshall Morgan, in for a 28-yard field goal. Morgan, who had an SEC record of 20 consecutive made field goals, missed his second field goal of the day. South Carolina eventually managed to get a first down on 4th-and-inches on the next drive and sealed a much-needed 38-35 win. 

The night would continue with more drama, as both UCLA and Penn State snuck out close victories. 

Bruin quarterback Brett Hundley injured his left elbow in the first quarter, leaving the offense up to Rick Neuheisel’s son, Jerry. Neuheisel’s 33-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Payton with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter gave UCLA a 20-17 victory over Texas.

The Nittany Lions got all they could handle from a Rutgers squad that led 10-0 heading into the second half. Penn State battled back with two field goals and eventually made an impressive game-winning drive led by sophomore quarterback Christian Hackenberg. The drive ended with a five-yard touchdown run from Bill Belton for a 13-10 Penn State win. 

Speaking of intense finishes, a much-improved Kentucky team gave Florida all it could handle at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. In a must-win situation for the Gators, they escaped with a triple-overtime 36-30 victory over the Wildcats. Kentucky lost its 18th consecutive game at Florida and has not won in "The Swamp" since 1979. 

East Carolina went into a hostile Lane Stadium and upset No. 17 Virginia Tech 28-21, but the biggest upset of the weekend was Boston College running all over a No. 9-ranked USC team which had defeated Stanford 13-10 just a week ago. The trip east for the Trojans didn’t go as planned, as a subpar Eagle team rushed for an astounding 452 yards. Florida-transfer quarterback Tyler Murphy accounted for 191 rushing yards and one touchdown in a 37-31 win. 

Iowa State also pulled off a 20-17 upset road victory at Iowa on a game-winning 42-yard field goal from Cole Netten as time expired. 

Pick Results

Overall Record: 8-7

Week 3 Record: 3-2

Note: Team in bold indicates author’s pick

Prediction: Georgia 38, South Carolina 31

Result: South Carolina 38, Georgia 35

Prediction: Iowa 20, Iowa State 16

Result: Iowa State 20, Iowa 17

Prediction: Oklahoma 42, Tennessee 17

Result: Oklahoma 34, Tennessee 10

Prediction: UCLA 35, Texas 13

Result: UCLA 20, Texas 17

Prediction: Penn State 24, Rutgers 21

Result: Penn State 13, Rutgers 10

Final Thoughts 

We’re only three weeks into the college football season, but there are already questions surrounding the competition in the Pac-12 South Division. 

Heavy division favorite UCLA has won its first three games by an average of only six points. Not to mention that it's unclear how Hundley will be affected by a left-elbow injury he suffered in the first quarter against Texas Saturday night.

Myles Jack and the Bruin defense stepped up against Texas, but so did backup quarterback Jerry Neuheisel and running back Paul Perkins. The Bruins are still 3-0, which means something, but will this win be the confidence-booster it needs heading into Arizona State on Sept. 25? 

After an impressive win at Stanford just a week ago, USC’s defense was manhandled by Boston College. The 37-31 score doesn’t even indicate how much the Trojans were outplayed Saturday night in Chestnut Hill. They recorded only 20 rushing yards and gave up 24 unanswered points to the Eagles. Steve Sarkisian’s squad will look to bounce back at home against Oregon State on Sept. 27.

Arizona State is hoping to make it back to the Pac-12 Championship game for a second consecutive year, but starting quarterback Taylor Kelly was injured in the second half in a 38-24 win at Colorado. Kelly was shown using crutches and wearing a walking boot on his right foot. If it’s an injury that will keep Kelly sidelined for awhile, it will be a devastating blow to the Sun Devil offense.

The team that could have the opportunity to make a run at the South Division title right now could be the Utah Utes. They’ve won their first two games by an average of 37 points and are averaging 57.5 points per game. Junior quarterback Travis Wilson has passed for 446 yards and six touchdowns this season as well. The Utes will travel to Michigan next week and then begin conference play the following week at home against Washington State. 

Plan on the Pac-12 South not being decided until the final week of Pac-12 Conference play on Nov. 29. Chances are it could be a three- or four-team race.