The first full weekend of the college football season came with plenty of excitement, and while it didn't give us any major upsets we've become accustomed to seeing, there was certainly plenty of intriguing action. We're here to break it all down in this week's College Football Final:
Big games
#1 Alabama outlasts #3 Florida State for 24-7 win
This game was all about defense and special teams. After a back-and-forth first half that saw Alabama take a 10-7 lead into the break thanks to a 53-yard TD catch from Calvin Ridley, their defense took over, limiting FSU to just 65 yards in the second half. They intercepted FSU quarterback Deondre Francois twice, forced a fumble on a kickoff and blocked two kicks.
.@minkfitz_21 blocks the FG to preserve Alabama's 10-7 lead at the half! #FSUvsBAMA pic.twitter.com/3O8z70jNel
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) September 3, 2017
Damien Harris (@DHx34) flies in to block the punt for Alabama! #FSUvsBAMA pic.twitter.com/ImUFTaYDxt
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) September 3, 2017
A full recap of the game can be found here.
#11 Michigan's defense dominates #17 Florida for 33-17 win
Michigan's defense took control of this game from start to finish and never let up. The Gators led 17-10 in the first half after recording pick sixes on back-to-back possessions, but that was where the scoring stopped. The Wolverines limited Florida's offense to 192 total yards, including just 11 on the ground, and three points. Those are elite numbers to put up against anyone, let alone the No. 17 team in the country. Here's a full recap of the game:
Upset alert
Maryland shocks #23 Texas, 51-41
This was the only game of the day in which a ranked team fell to an unranked opponent. Texas' defense looked just as bad as they did last year, giving up nearly 500 total yards to the Terps, including 263 yards on the ground. Texas knew they were going to have problems in the secondary, but their front seven really struggled against Maryland's option attack. Holes were wide open up the middle that the linebackers simply weren't there to plug. It was clear Texas was fooled easily by motion and read option plays, leaving those holes open.
51 points is the most Maryland has ever scored against a ranked opponent. That sums up how poorly Texas' defense played in this game. Plus, Maryland had some special teams help.
CRAB CAKES AND FOOTBALL! #Maryland blocks a FG and returns it for a TD!!#Texas is FIRMLY on #UpsetAlert. pic.twitter.com/0ayorE1BqZ
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) September 2, 2017
"I told our guys to never get used to this feeling, but that if we all thought that we were going to come in here and in nine months, sprinkle some fairy dust on this team and think that we've arrived, then we're wrong," Texas head coach Tom Herman said after the game. It's clear the Longhorns have some work to do.
Liberty upsets Baylor, 48-45, on the road
Speaking of work to do...Baylor was upset - AT HOME - by FCS-level Liberty. Defense was the major issue for the Bears as they gave up 585 yards to the Flames, including 447 passing yards.
The game was also never really in doubt. Baylor only led twice in this game and never led by more than four points. In fact, they trailed by double digits with less than six minutes left.
Though they're not ranked, this much is clear - Baylor could be one of the worst teams in the Big 12 this year.
Near upsets
Texas was the only ranked team that lost, but several others only narrowly avoided the same fate.
#4 USC was able to hold on and beat Western Michigan 49-31, but the score was tied 28-28 in the fourth quarter. The Trojans actually trailed for most of the game before pulling away in the final minutes.
#16 Louisville and reigning Heisman winner Lamar Jackson (more on him later) thought they were in for an easy victory against Purdue, but that couldn't have been further from the truth. The Boilermakers led throughout the entire game before the Cardinals scored two touchdowns in the final nine minutes to get the 35-28 win.
#19 South Florida struggled for the second consecutive week as they were unable to take the lead for good until the fourth quarter against FCS Stony Brook. The Bulls won 31-17.
Other top 25 results
#2 Ohio State 49, Indiana 21 (Thurs.)
#5 Clemson 56, Kent State 3
#6 Penn State 52, Akron 0
#7 Oklahoma 56, UTEP 7
#8 Washington 30, Rutgers 14 (Fri.)
#9 Wisconsin 59, Utah State 10 (Fri.)
#10 Oklahoma State 59, Tulsa 24 (Thurs.)
#13 LSU 27, BYU 0
#15 Georgia 31, Appalachian State 10
#18 Miami 41, Bethune-Cookman 10
#20 Kansas State 55, Central Arkansas 19
#21 Virginia Tech vs. #22 West Virginia (Sun.)
#24 Washington State 31, Montana State 0
#25 Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech (Mon.)
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Best performances
Missouri's Drew Lock gets the nod for performance of the night as the Tigers quarterback threw for 521 yards and tied an SEC record with seven touchdown passes.
#Mizzou's Drew Lock (@DrewLock23) ties the #SEC record with 7 TD passes! pic.twitter.com/HJd0H5F9fx
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) September 2, 2017
You can view a full list of today's top performers here.
Heisman update
Stock up
Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma - 19/20, 359 yards, 3 TDs
Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State - 14 rush, 172 yards, 2 TDs
Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville - 30/46, 378 yards, 2 TDs, 107 rush yards
Derrius Guice, RB, LSU - 27 rush, 122 yards, 2 TDs
Stock down
Sam Darnold, QB, USC - 23/33, 289 yards, 2 INTs
Jake Browning, QB, Washington - 17/30, 284 yards, 2 TDs
Jalen Hurts, QB, Alabama - 10/18, 98 yards, TD, 55 rush yards
Top plays
The ol' flea-flicker-pass-back-to-the-QB play gives Western Michigan the lead! #USC is officially on #UpsetAlert! pic.twitter.com/LfXizuZF4L
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) September 2, 2017
#SouthCarolina's @JakeBentley19 avoids the rush and throws a DIME to @Uno_Captain, who reels in the incredible one-handed catch! pic.twitter.com/LlQqxPEvqT
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) September 2, 2017
One incredible juke and one huge stiff arm later, @big_ave21 is in the end zone after an 81-yard punt return! #BoiseState pic.twitter.com/rsKATnvFOh
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) September 2, 2017
#Michigan's defense seals the WIN with a sack-fumble-TD! #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/xdX80RvHvq
— Chat Wolverines (@ChatWolverines) September 2, 2017
Next week's biggest games
Here are the biggest games we have to look forward to next weekend, and what an amazing slate of games it is:
#2 Ohio State vs. #7 Oklahoma
#4 USC vs. #14 Stanford
#5 Clemson vs. #12 Auburn
#15 Georgia vs. Notre Dame
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