Florida State is already one of many largest disappointments in current Bowl Subdivision historical past.
Really, disappointment is simply too smooth a phrase. The Seminoles must be thought of a flat-out catastrophe after dropping 20-12 at residence to No. 25 Memphis, dropping the Seminoles to 0-3 after coming into the 12 months No. 10 in US LBM Coaches Ballot. Amid intense expectations on the heels of final 12 months’s ACC championship and unbeaten common season, Florida State is the second staff up to now 35 years to open the 12 months within the high 10 in the course of the ballot period and lose its first three video games, becoming a member of 2020 Penn State.
The Tigers are the highest staff within the Group of 5 and the selection at this level to land within the 12-team Faculty Soccer Playoff. The Seminoles may very well be there, too — they’re going to simply have to purchase tickets like the remainder of the nation.
As in final week’s loss to Boston Faculty, the numbers on offense had been ugly for reeling Florida State.
The Seminoles transformed simply two of 12 third-down makes an attempt. They gained 37 yards on 24 carries when counting sacks, a mean of 1.5 yards per tote. The offense turned the ball over thrice and failed to attain a landing till halfway by way of the third quarter.
The simplest clarification for Florida State’s intense swoon since final season could be tied to the switch portal. Mike Norvell and his workers had performed higher than most with transfers, bringing in skills resembling eventual All-America defensive finish Jared Verse, however this 12 months’s haul has fully didn’t fill spots on the two-deep and preserve this system’s trajectory.
Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei encapsulates the Seminoles’ switch woes. The senior has been a misfire from the beginning, rapidly reverting again to his Clemson-era play after a really strong one 12 months because the starter at Oregon State. Uiagalelei hit on 16 of 30 makes an attempt for 201 yards and an interception in opposition to Memphis, leaving him with extra picks (2), than touchdowns (1) by way of three video games.
In the meantime, Memphis senior Seth Henigan accomplished 65.7% of his throws for 272 yards and two touchdowns. In terms of school soccer in 2024, you solely go so far as your quarterback can take you; whereas Henigan has the Tigers aimed for the playoff, Uiagalelei and FSU are going to stomach flop onto the listing of faculty soccer’s all-time largest duds.
Florida State, Memphis and Alabama cleared the path for the most important winners and losers of Week 3:
Winners
Memphis
Northern Illinois has made some noise. UNLV is 3-0 after Friday night time’s win at Kansas. Coastal Carolina’s unbeaten, although in opposition to a flimsy schedule. All these different contenders can take a backseat: Memphis is the unquestioned favourite for the Group of 5’s playoff spot. The preseason hype has performed out to the letter for the Tigers, who broke out final season with 10 wins and a bowl victory in opposition to Iowa State. Whereas it will not be simple to go unbeaten by way of the American, Memphis has the respiratory room to lose as soon as and even twice in the course of the common season and nonetheless make the 12-team discipline so long as it captures the AAC crown.
Alabama
No. 4 Alabama had 407 yards of offense in opposition to Wisconsin however made virtually each inch depend, averaging 7.3 yards per play throughout 56 snaps and burying the overmatched Badgers 42-10. This included one other run of splash moments from quarterback Jalen Milroe, who went 12 of 17 for 196 yards and three scores with a team-best 75 speeding yards and one other two touchdowns on the bottom. Two extra traits have developed by way of the primary three video games of the Kalen DeBoer period. One is the eye-popping play of true freshman Ryan Williams, a 17-year-old receiver who had 78 receiving yards and a landing. Williams already has 10 receptions for 285 yards (28.5 yards per seize) and 4 scores. The second is the efficiency of the Crimson Tide protection, which clamped down on Wisconsin and is giving up simply 3.4 yards per play.
Missouri
Whether or not beating Boston Faculty 27-21 finally ends up shifting the needle with the playoff choice committee will not be recognized till that group convenes in early November. (It positively will not damage, you may say now.) However there are some good optics round a non-conference win in opposition to an opponent that had made some early noise and inched onto the doorstep of the Prime 25. Make no mistake: Missouri might use the assistance. The Tigers play two ranked groups — Alabama on the street and No. 13 Oklahoma at residence — however miss the SEC’s better of the perfect, so topping the Eagles might find yourself being a giant increase to the staff’s at-large playoff hopes. The win featured one other dynamic sport from star wideout Luther Burden III, who had 117 yards and a landing whereas persevering with to make even defenders look silly within the open discipline.
Notre Dame
Let’s not make an excessive amount of out of trouncing hapless Purdue, even with this many fashion factors: Notre Dame led 42-0 and had a jaw-dropping 278 speeding yards at halftime earlier than cruising to a 66-7 win. However this bounce-back efficiency is step one towards overwriting final week’s upset at residence to Northern Illinois and profiting from a schedule that might nonetheless go away the Preventing Irish within the thick of the playoff chase in November and December. The Irish completed with 362 speeding yards on 8.2 yards per carry and 6 touchdowns, the staff’s most in a single sport since six in opposition to South Florida on Sept. 19, 2020.
Oregon
After two weeks of less-than-impressive wins in opposition to Idaho and Boise State to get issues began, No. 6 Oregon regarded the half in a 49-14 romp in opposition to rival Oregon State within the (now non-conference) Civil Conflict. The Geese did it behind a balanced assault, with 306 yards by way of the air and 240 on the bottom, and regardless of racking up all that yardage throughout 59 performs confronted solely six third downs — and transformed 4 of them for good measure. Rolling over the Beavers in Corvallis is a very constructive signal based mostly on how Oregon had regarded out of the gate and what’s forward in Huge Ten play, starting with acquainted face UCLA on Sept. 28.
Arch Manning
With Quinn Ewers sidelined early within the second quarter with what Texas coach Steve Sarkisian referred to as a “strained stomach,” Manning bought his first style of prolonged motion since becoming a member of the Longhorns final season and confirmed why he’s this system’s subsequent in line beneath middle. You’d heard that Manning was extra athletic than his uncles, Peyton and Eli, and there you go: On his first full sequence within the lineup, the redshirt freshman wiggled and weaved 67 yards by way of the Texas-San Antonio protection for a landing, marking the longest run by a Texas quarterback since Vince Younger in 2005. You’d additionally heard he might sling it, and that he did: Manning completed 9 of 12 for 223 yards and 4 touchdowns as Texas beat the Roadrunners 56-7. There may be not and won’t be a quarterback controversy in Austin, but it surely’s a consolation for Sarkisian to know that Manning can hold the offense rolling and is growing right into a future starter.
Indiana
Are the Hoosiers, uh, sorta good? That is the texture by way of the primary three video games of the Curt Cignetti period, which has kicked off with some main offensive fireworks. Beating Florida Worldwide 31-7 and Western Illinois 77-3 was the setup for Indiana’s Huge Ten opener in opposition to new convention pushover UCLA, a 42-13 rout that claims a bit in regards to the Bruins (my goodness, they’re horrible) whereas highlighting the Hoosiers’ possibilities of attending to a bowl sport in Cignetti’s debut. Cignetti clearly is aware of offense, and with a number of strong starters at his disposal might steer this staff to 6 wins and the postseason. Shoot, the Hoosiers’ subsequent three video games are in opposition to Charlotte, Maryland and Northwestern, so they might lock down a bowl sport by early October.
Losers
Florida
That is getting uglier and uglier, leaving virtually little doubt by any means that Florida is about to embark on one more teaching search after one more failed rent in 4 seasons or much less. Should you’re protecting monitor, each UF coach since City Meyer resigned (once more) in 2010 has been canned inside that time-frame: Will Muschamp (2011-14), Jim McElwain (2015-17), Dan Mullen (2018-21) and now Billy Napier. Saturday’s 33-20 loss at residence to Texas A&M was by no means even aggressive regardless of being as near a must-win sport as you may discover on the schedule. Attending to a bowl sport with out beating the Aggies? The 1-2 Gators have primarily no likelihood at getting to 6 wins given the nastiness of this 12 months’s schedule and the staff’s apparent lack of expertise, drive, consistency. And hope. Hope can be in very quick provide.
Michigan
The No. 16 Wolverines did beat Arkansas State 28-18 to kick off a brand new successful streak after final week’s lopsided loss to No. 3 Texas, however the points on offense have come to a head after one other subpar efficiency from quarterback Davis Warren. The previous walk-on had three interceptions with no landing and was changed by backup Alex Orji, signaling the excessive chance of a quarterback change within the close to future. Will that make a distinction? The offense is clearly a multitude for brand new coach Sherrone Moore, making it tougher and tougher — if not outright unattainable — to image how the defending champs cobble collectively a playoff push.
Washington
Down 24-19 with simply over a minute left and dealing with 4th-and-goal on the Cougars’ 1-yard line, Washington went with the choice … and bought stuffed for a lack of two. Cue the jubilation for Washington State, which bought left behind with the disintegration of the Pac-12 however bought a small sliver of revenge by beating Washington on the street. This smells like simply the primary lack of a number of for the new-look Huskies, clearly in a level of rebuilding mode after reaching final 12 months’s nationwide title sport however coming into this season with a brand new coach, new quarterback, new receivers, new linemen and simply two returning starters.
West Virginia
A wild-and-wacky Yard Brawl lived as much as expectations with six lead modifications, a heavy sprint of bitterness and a go-ahead landing with 32 seconds left that sends West Virginia staggering into Huge 12 play at a discouraging 1-2. Up 34-24 with just below 5 minutes left, the Mountaineers allowed Pittsburgh to attain on a five-play drive, went three and out after which punted again to the Panthers, who went 77 yards in six performs for the win. West Virginia coach Neal Brown acquired a really modest one-year contract extension this offseason however is rapidly shifting again onto the new seat amid the staff’s sluggish begin. Alternatively, Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi’s standing is trending in the proper route after going 3-9 a 12 months in the past. He is discovered an actual participant in redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Holstein, an offseason addition from Alabama.
Mississippi State
And Mississippi State followers thought dropping to Arizona State was unhealthy. One week after dropping a 30-23 resolution in Tempe, the Bulldogs performed host to MAC energy Toledo and promptly went down 28-3 at halftime on the way in which to a 41-17 loss. Sorry, that is not only a loss — that is an entire and utter embarrassment. New coach and supposed offensive mastermind Jeff Lebby orchestrated a sport plan that netted 385 yards of offense, the bulk with the sport now not doubtful, and a pair of.4 yards per carry. Should you’re searching for the worst staff within the SEC, have a look at Vanderbilt. (The Commodores misplaced on Saturday to Georgia State.) However in the event you’re searching for a staff that might give Vandy a run for its cash on the backside of the convention standings, the Bulldogs aren’t far behind.