The college football world saw near-upset scares and overtime thrills.
Week 3 presented a solid slate of games that saw just one Associated Press Top 25 team lose its contest. Florida, which entered this week’s AP poll at No. 25, defeated then-No. 11 Tennessee handily at home 29-16.
Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. once again is this week’s leading passer, surpassing 400 yards for a third-consecutive week. He topped out at a season-high 473 yards on the road at Michigan State and added four touchdowns.
The No. 1 Bulldogs were on upset alert for a brief point on Saturday. South Carolina built a 14-3 lead over Georgia before it scored 24 unanswered points.
Here are some of the top statistical performances from Week 2.
Jayden Daniels, LSU
First up is a pair of LSU teammates who had big roles in the Tigers 41-14 win in their Southeastern Conference opener.
Daniels adds to his early Heisman Trophy bid after a disappointing start to the season. LSU fell in Week 1 to No. 4 Florida State, and the setback has set up for an interesting start for LSU.
Daniels went 13-for-13 to start the game and finished 30-for-34 with 361 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Daniels even went on to lead his team in rushing with 64 yards on 15 carries. He played a big role in 49 plays on LSU’s offense.
Malik Nabers, LSU
One of Daniels’ favorite targets caught a big game against Mississippi State.
Nabers hauled in 13 receptions for 239 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday. His big box score numbers lit up the team’s big offensive day.
Nabers caught touchdowns on back-to-back LSU drives in the first through second quarters. He first hauled in a 26-yard score with less than four minutes to go in the first period and later brought down a 33-yard touchdown less than one minute into the second.
According to LSU Athletics, Nabers’ first half totals tied him for best half in program history, and he had four catches of 25-plus yards for the first time since Ja’Marr Chase in 2019.
Portland State
The Vikings completely dominated this game on Saturday.
Portland State defeated North American 91-0, scoring by far the most points of any game this season. The Vikings scored 13 touchdowns, seven rushing, four passing, an interception return and a punt return.
Portland State quarterback Dante Chichere threw three touchdowns and 74 passing yards. Both running backs Quincy Craig and Jobi Malary scored twice on the ground.
Running back Chrisitian Grubb had a 60-yard punt return near the end of the third quarter.
To boot, Portland State scored all of its points by the end of three quarters.
And by the way, Portland State set the previous Football Bowl Subdivision record when it scored 105 points in 1980.
Shilo Sanders, Colorado
In one of the biggest games of the week, Shilo Sanders stood out with one impressive defensive play among others.
Sanders got No. 19 Colorado on the board in the first quarter against Colorado State with an 80-yard pick-six. He dove on the ball thrown by Rams quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and returned it to give the Buffaloes a 7-0 lead.
Sanders totaled four tackles in Colorado’s 43-35 overtime win over the Rams. His pick-six set the tone for Colorado early although Colorado State led for most of the first half.
Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes’ belief didn’t run out, however, they came up with the plays necessary to keep in the ball game.
Garrett Schrader, Syracuse
This week’s rushing leader happens to be a quarterback.
Garrett Schrader and the Orange rode their way to a 35-20 win over Purdue on the road, thanks in large part to the quarterback’s legs.
Schrader gave Syracuse an early 14-0 lead after touchdown runs of 3 and 35 yards.
He later returned to the end zone and scored twice in the fourth quarter, first on a 1-yard rush and second on a 35-yard punch.
Schrader totaled 195 rushing yards on the day. He ran for 17 more yards than the next closet rusher, Nate Noel of Appalachian State who had 178 rushing yards in the win against East Carolina.
That’s not all Schrader did on Saturday. He got it done with his legs and added 184 more yards through the air on 50% completion.
Truly a dual-threat quarterback.
