{"id":791213,"date":"2021-09-19T12:59:08","date_gmt":"2021-09-19T16:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=791213"},"modified":"2021-09-19T12:59:11","modified_gmt":"2021-09-19T16:59:11","slug":"week-three-college-football-recap-top-10-teams-survive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/week-three-college-football-recap-top-10-teams-survive\/","title":{"rendered":"Week Three College Football Recap: Top 10 Teams Survive"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fweek-three-college-football-recap-top-10-teams-survive%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=791213&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/GettyImages-1341176356.jpg?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.3.0\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span>Week three of the college football season had some incredible finishes. There were also some head-scratching and bizarre moments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Every team in the top-ten won \u2014 though survived might be the more appropriate word \u2014 and the Pac-12 had a rough end to the day, with both UCLA and ASU losing.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Let\u2019s start with a wild finish.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Down 37-33 with six seconds left in the fourth quarter, SMU somehow found a way to win.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"4.647619047619\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">SMU WINS ON A HAIL MARY<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XcKj6ViHU2\">pic.twitter.com\/XcKj6ViHU2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The Sporting News (@sportingnews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sportingnews\/status\/1439369319092297730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 18, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>And then there was the bizarre.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In Happy Valley, Penn State somehow lost a down, forcing them to punt instead of attempting a third-and-11. In the second quarter, Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford completed a 5-yard pass to Jahan Doctson on second-and-16. It should have been third-and-11 but it was marked as fourth down and Penn State was forced to punt.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI talked to all of [the officials], and they said, look, they all agreed on the call and so did the replay [official],\u201d Penn State head coach James Franklin <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-football\/story\/_\/id\/32233188\/apparent-officiating-mix-sec-crew-costs-penn-state-forces-premature-punt\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201cThey all agreed. I kept bringing them over and saying, \u2018It\u2019s not accurate.\u2019 I don\u2019t know what else I can tell them, but they all concurred, all the officials, they got on the headset, they talked to each other, and they all agreed. They ran it by replay, and they all agreed as well. I don\u2019t know what else I can do or say.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It was just one example of some very questionable officiating in the game that included a horrendous intentional grounding penalty on Clifford and a brutal ejection for targeting that went against Auburn.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Speaking of Penn State, let\u2019s take a look at their game against Auburn as well as other games of note from a wacky Saturday in college football.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Penn State Outlasts Auburn In Whiteout Game<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>If you ever need to point to a reason why college football is truly a special sport, Saturday night in Happy Valley is your talking point.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>109,958 screaming fans all dressed in white showed up for the top-25 matchup between No. 10 Penn State and No. 22 Auburn.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"5.7631578947368\">\n<p lang=\"und\" dir=\"ltr\">1\u20e30\u20e39\u20e3,9\u20e35\u20e38\u20e3 \ud83d\udc40 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ncckGSr2L7\">https:\/\/t.co\/ncckGSr2L7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PennStateFball\/status\/1439411353890983937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 19, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>The Nittany Lions defense held twice late in the fourth quarter and quarterback Sean Clifford was 28-32 for 280 yards and two touchdowns as Penn State held on late to win 28-20.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Auburn quarterback Bo Nix had a chance to get Auburn into the endzone with three seconds left, but his pass was batted down by Jaquan Brisker at the Penn State five, sending Beaver Stadium into a frenzy.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"5.0864197530864\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ball. Game.<\/p>\n<p>No. 10 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PennStateFball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@PennStateFball<\/a> holds on for the 28-20 win over No. 22 Auburn. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/SZEUHIOMuH\">pic.twitter.com\/SZEUHIOMuH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BigTenNetwork\/status\/1439426876028559363?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 19, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cI was ready,\u201d Brisker <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-football\/recap?gameId=401282070\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201cWhen you come to Penn State, you expect to play in front of big crowds like this. You\u2019ve got to take it in for 10 seconds, then it\u2019s back to reality.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The final defensive stop came after the Penn State defense held on fourth and goal late in the fourth quarter.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>With 3:12 left in the fourth and Auburn down eight, head coach Bryan Harsin drew up a highly questionable fade on fourth-and-goal that never had a chance.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"6.860824742268\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Auburn went for it on 4th-and-goal, and it challenged <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PennStateFball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@PennStateFball<\/a> star <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JaquanBrisker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@JaquanBrisker<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The result: Incomplete <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PLXB44C8dh\">pic.twitter.com\/PLXB44C8dh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BigTenNetwork\/status\/1439424092625534986?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 19, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cI think we have a really good mentality on defense,\u201d Franklin <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-football\/recap?gameId=401282070\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201cI think our leadership is really good. I think we\u2019re a mentally tough football team. I think we\u2019re a physically tough football team.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>No. 1 Alabama Holds On In Gainesville<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>Maybe Alabama isn\u2019t a shoo-in to win the National Championship. Or maybe Florida is a really good football team.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Crimson Tide jumped on Florida early, quickly grabbing a 21-3 lead in the first quarter on three touchdown passes from quarterback Bryce Young. It looked like we were heading for the romp many predicted, but Florida\u2019s rushing attack produced 245 yards on the ground as Florida gave Nick Saban and company all they could handle.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The second half was a back and forth affair, with Florida cutting the Alabama lead to 21-16 on a three-yard touchdown run by Dameon Pierce to start the third quarter. Alabama responded with a touchdown of their own late in the third, and Florida was pinned at their own one-yard line after Ja\u2019Markis Weston muffed the ensuing kickoff.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Quarterback Emory Jones and the Gators responded with an 11-play, 99-yard drive to send the game into the fourth quarter down just five.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Gators got a 17-yard touchdown run from Pierce with 3:10 left in the fourth quarter to cut Alabama\u2019s lead to two, but the two-point conversion failed, and the Crimson Tide escaped Gainesville with a 31-29 victory.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cCrazy atmosphere,\u201d Alabama quarterback Bryce Young <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-football\/recap?gameId=401282071\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201cThose fans were really loud. We knew it was going to be a hostile environment coming in and they lived up to it for sure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>No. 3 Oklahoma Beats Nebraska In Rivalry Game Renewal&nbsp;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s been 50 years since \u201cThe Game of the Century,\u201d and Oklahoma and Nebraska did not disappoint as the two schools renewed their rivalry for the first time since 2010. It turns out the bad blood between the two schools hasn\u2019t cooled, as the two teams had to be separated before kickoff.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"4.6792452830189\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The rivalry is real \ud83d\ude33 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/CUgTS21cLx\">pic.twitter.com\/CUgTS21cLx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CFBONFOX\/status\/1439254101892681728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 18, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>The Sooners held on late for a 23-16 victory, but both of their wins against FBS schools have been shaky, and there\u2019s work to be done in Norman.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Huskers and Scott Frost put forth a valiant effort, but special teams was a major problem for the Huskers. Kicker Connor Culp missed two field goals and the Sooners returned a blocked extra point from their own end zone for two points late in the third quarter.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But Nebraska held OU to just 23 points \u2014 its worst offensive performance since 2016 \u2014 giving the Husker faithful hope that Frost has the program on the right track.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI\u2019m so proud of our players with how they fought and competed with that type of team on the road,\u201d Frost <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nebraska.rivals.com\/news\/final-take-saturday-showed-us-the-potential-of-what-nebraska-can-be\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span> following his team\u2019s 23-16 loss. \u201cI told them after the game everything they want to accomplish is right in front of them. We are going to get more opportunities to win a big game.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIf they play like that, like we did today all year, and fight that hard all year, we are going to have a chance in a lot of games. As disappointed as I am, I\u2019m happy with the way they competed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Heisman-hopeful Spencer Rattler was 24-34 for 214 yards and a touchdown and Oklahoma rushed for 194 yards on the ground. It wasn\u2019t pretty, but OU moved to 3-0 on the season as they enter Big 12 play.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt was just a hard-fought game,\u201d Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-football\/recap?gameId=401282798\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201cYou knew it would be. There\u2019s a lot of pride in these two programs. Both these programs have won a lot of games, a lot of championships. To bring this game back \u2014 I think everybody sensed how special it would be. Both teams rose to the occasion and gave us a great college football game.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>I\u2019ll leave you with the play of the day \u2026 You may never see an interception like this again.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"4.972972972973\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">PICKED OFF!<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/OU_Football?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@OU_Football<\/a>&#8216;s defense comes up with an incredible INT! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/sKFUa8167A\">pic.twitter.com\/sKFUa8167A<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CFBONFOX\/status\/1439300102028468225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 18, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><b>No. 8 Cincinnati Passes Their First Test Of The Season In Bloomington&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>Head coach Luke Fickell has had to deal with rumors surrounding the opening at USC, but the Bearcats overcame a slow start by quarterback Desmond Ridder to beat the Hoosiers on the road 38-24.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt\u2019s huge for us,\u201d Fickell <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-football\/recap?gameId=401282725\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201cIt\u2019s a little different world for us just because it\u2019s a little bit of a spotlight, a little bit of a bull\u2019s eye. I\u2019m not saying it\u2019s any more of a spotlight or a bull\u2019s eye than anyone else who\u2019s ranked. But for us as a program it\u2019s a little different than what we\u2019ve experienced and our guys are finding a way to really handle it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. struggled mightily, finishing the day just 17-40 with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Indiana also gave up a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to Tre Turner with 3:41 left in the third quarter.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"6.4451612903226\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Cincinnati takes the lead back with a 99 yard kick return from Tre Tucker \u26a1\ufe0f<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zHtUORv6m9\">pic.twitter.com\/zHtUORv6m9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 PFF College (@PFF_College) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PFF_College\/status\/1439302216364482560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 18, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>Cincinnati\u2019s biggest test of the season comes October 2 in South Bend against a Notre Dame team that has looked anything but dominant to start the season.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Other scores:&nbsp;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>The Pac-12 conference was coming off a solid start to the season, with UCLA beating LSU in Pasadena and Oregon going into Columbus, Ohio and taking down Ohio State. But just in case you went to bed early, Saturday night ended in a bad way for the conference.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Chip Kelly and No. 13 UCLA suffered their first loss of the season, losing to Fresno State 40-37. No. 19 ASU lost to No. 23 BYU 27-17 as the Cougars won their third straight game against a Pac-12 school to start the season.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Michigan State took down No. 24 Miami as the Hurricanes fell to 1-2 on the season. The Spartans \u2014 led by coach Mel Tucker \u2014 have a good chance of moving into the top-25 for the first time since 2019.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt was a good team win for us on the road against a good opponent,\u201d Tucker <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-football\/recap?gameId=401282629\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201cCredit to our entire organization \u2026 everyone had a part in this. We had a lot of challenges that we knew we would have to overcome to get this done.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i>Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to&nbsp;<\/i><i>sports@dailywire.com<\/i><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><em>The views expressed in this piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a&nbsp;<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><i>member<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Week three of the college football season had some incredible finishes. There were also some head-scratching and bizarre moments.Every team in the top-ten won \u2014 though survived might be the &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-791213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=791213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791213\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=791213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=791213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=791213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}