With the college football season in full swing, Saturday featured its share of upsets with two top-10 teams falling from the ranks of the unbeaten:
Duke fails to impress in first matchup against ranked opponent
The Blue Devils fell to No. 23 Northwestern 19-10 at home Saturday in a sloppy game. In a contest, riddled with turnovers and missed opportunities for both teams, the two quarterbacks posted sub-20 quarterback ratings. The Wildcats opened the second half with a 98-yard kickoff return touchdown by Solomon Vault and never looked back. Vault-ing into the lead, Northwestern held strong and did not trail for the rest of the game. As a result, Duke’s aspiration of reaching the top 25 fell further out of reach.
Ole Miss rises to the occasion against Alabama
The seemingly indomitable power of the SEC West has fallen, and it is only Week 3 of the college football season. The Rebels downed the Crimson Tide by a score of 43-37 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. to make serious waves in the AP Poll. Five offensive turnovers and a couple of big plays by Ole Miss doomed the Crimson Tide. In the second half, Rebel quarterback Chad Kelly passed for 341 yards and three touchdowns, including a 66-yard miracle score by Quincy Adeboyejo. After fielding a high snap, and with the Alabama defense hot on his tail, Kelley flinged a desperation heave to a double-covered Ole Miss receiver. The ball was then deflected and caught by Adeboyejo for a third quarter touchdown that put the Rebels up by two scores. Ole Miss held on late and stifled a Crimson Tide comeback late in the game to secure the victory.
With the victory, the Rebels skyrocketed to No. 3 in this week's poll while Alabama dropped 10 spots to No.12.
Louisiana State crushes Auburn
Leonard Fournette was dominant yet again for LSU, rushing for a career-high 228 yards and three touchdowns. The Tigers held Auburn scoreless in the first half and took a 24-0 lead. Auburn played better in the second half and was able to get on the board but Louisiana State matched, and ultimately took home the win by a score of 45-21. Fournette is steadily establishing himself as the best running back in college football and a potential Heisman trophy candidate. LSU rose to eighth following its latest victory and knocked its SEC rival out of the poll.
Notre Dame beats Georgia Tech behind backup quarterback DeShon Kizer
Filling in for injured starting quarterback Malik Zaire, Kizer threw for 242 yards and one touchdown against the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech’s triple option rushing attack was strong as per usual, but the Irish’s ground game matched led by running back C.J. Prosise who finished with 198 yards and three touchdowns. Despite numerous injuries, Notre Dame continues to pile up impressive victories and rose to No. 6 in the poll.
Meanwhile, Yellow Jacket quarterback Justin Thomas struggled all game long and completed only one-third of his passes for 121 yards. The now 20th-ranked Yellow Jackets will travel to Wallace Wade Stadium to take on the Blue Devils this Saturday at noon.
Stanford pulls off a colossal upset in the Coliseum
In a West coast battle highlighted by outstanding quarterback play, the Cardinal toppled the Trojans 41-31 to start off on the right foot in conference play. Stanford's Kevin Hogan threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns, while Southern California's Cody Kessler posted 272 yards through the air along with three touchdowns. The Cardinal also excelled on the ground, as running back Christian McCaffrey— brother of current Duke wide receiver Max McCaffrey—accumulated 115 yards on 16 carries. Despite being double-digit underdogs and giving up a touchdown on the Trojans’ first possession of the game, Stanford played well in the first quarter and beat its Pac-12 rivals.
The Cardinal reentered this week's poll at No. 21, while USC's stay in the top 10 was short-lived as the Trojans fell to No. 19.
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Jacob Weiss is a Trinity senior. His column, "not jumping to any conclusions," runs on alternate Fridays.