Ole Miss Spoils Kiffin's Return, Texas A&M Stumbles
Updated: Oct 31
Week 3 of the college football season delivered on every front. Between a heavyweight clash in Mississippi, a stunning upset in Texas, a near-empty stadium in Arkansas and several favorites who were pushed to the brink, here's a look back at a thrilling weekend that kicked off on Friday night.
Ole Miss Takes Down LSU in a Top-10 Showdown
The game of the night was in Oxford, and it carried extra weight. It was the first top-10 meeting between the two programs since 1962, and above all it marked the return of Lane Kiffin, who left Ole Miss for LSU just before the Rebels played in the 2025 College Football Playoff.
The game lived up to the hype. Trinidad Chambliss threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns and ran in the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter as Ole Miss (No. 8) beat LSU (No. 7) 32-24. The symbolism was hard to miss: it was Kiffin himself who recruited Chambliss out of Division II last year and turned him into a star.
Still, nothing came easy. Down 24-7 at halftime, the Tigers rallied to tie the game before Chambliss led a 75-yard drive without star running back Kewan Lacy, who left with a left shoulder injury. On a fake handoff, the quarterback ran 14 yards against the grain, beating safety Ty Benefield to the pylon, and a two-point conversion put the Rebels up eight with 6:14 remaining.
LSU had one last chance after driving to the 6-yard line, but on fourth down, Sam Leavitt's pass deflected off Kam Franklin's helmet and was intercepted by Jaylon Braxton in the end zone, with Kiffin nearly collapsing to his knees on the sideline. Leavitt, whose status had been uncertain all week, finished with 153 passing yards and a touchdown, plus 63 rushing yards and a score. The Rebels (3-0, 1-0 SEC) could now climb as high as No. 4 in the rankings.
The Huskies Finally Break Loose
After two sluggish offensive performances, including a narrow 16-14 win over Utah State that knocked them out of the AP poll, the Huskies needed a confidence boost. They got one. Washington wrapped up its nonconference schedule at 3-0 with a 48-16 win over Eastern Washington, outgaining the Eagles 546 to 315.
Demond Williams starred, going 27-of-33 for 373 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Dezmen Roebuck was his favorite target with 9 catches for 121 yards, while tight end Baron Naone piled up 103 yards on just two receptions. Jordan Clay and Trez Davis both scored their first touchdowns as Huskies, and Brian Bonner chipped in 81 yards on six carries. On defense, Jacob Manu led the way with nine tackles and a sack. Next up: Minnesota at Husky Stadium next Saturday to open Big Ten play.
Texas A&M Humbled at Home
This was the upset of the day. Kentucky, a 13.5-point underdog, beat No. 9 Texas A&M 31-21 at Kyle Field, handing the Aggies their first loss and giving first-year head coach Will Stein a potentially season-defining win. Just a week earlier, the Wildcats had watched a halftime lead vanish in a 45-17 home loss to Alabama.
The key was the third quarter, when the Wildcats outgained the Aggies 196 yards to 20. Running back CJ Baxter scored twice from close range during that stretch, pushing the lead to 28-7. Marcel Reed cut into the deficit, but kicker Adam Zouagui answered with a 52-yard field goal.
Kenny Minchey completed 14 of 18 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns.
Former A&M assistant Jay Bateman, now running Kentucky's defense, found a way to frustrate his old team: Reed was held to 236 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. It was a historic result: Kentucky's first win over the Aggies since Bear Bryant's team did it in 1952. For A&M, the path to the Playoff now looks much tougher, with LSU, Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Texas still on the schedule.
Arkansas Falls in a Near-Empty Stadium
In Fayetteville, the atmosphere was surreal. With the program in crisis after a 2-10 record and an 0-8 SEC mark last season, followed by a 43-10 blowout loss at Utah last week, fans organized a boycott. One protest, called "Empty Out the Stadium," urged fans to stay home, with some demanding the firing of athletic director Hunter Yurachek. Golfer John Daly, a devoted Razorbacks fan, had posted a message the day before criticizing the boycott, arguing that empty seats would mean less money for NIL.
It didn't matter. The day opened with a skunk running through the stands, a few fans wearing paper bags over their heads, and the band spelling out "CASH" at halftime. No. 2 Georgia rolled 45-17 in a nearly empty Razorback Stadium, handing the Razorbacks their 12th straight loss to an FBS opponent, a school record. The official attendance of 66,123 masked a different reality: it was mostly Georgia fans who stayed for the second half in near-100-degree heat, with many home fans heading for the exits at halftime with their team trailing 21-3.
Chauncey Bowens ran for three touchdowns and the Bulldogs defense held Arkansas to 17 rushing yards. The unrest goes beyond the field: the university's board of trustees passed a resolution on Friday calling for a review of the program's competitiveness. Georgia, meanwhile, has now won 51 straight games against unranked opponents.
Alabama Survives a Wild One
Keelon Russell threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a fourth as No. 10 Alabama erased a 15-point deficit to beat Florida State 50-36. The win still raises questions: the Crimson Tide flirted with disaster before an offensive explosion following a weather delay, without ever truly putting the game away. It echoed the previous week, when Alabama trailed 17-13 at halftime at Kentucky before a 32-0 second half.
Oklahoma Edges Malik Aliane's Lobos
The New Mexico Lobos, whose roster includes Frenchman Malik Aliane, a senior offensive lineman (No. 51) born in Rouen, gave Norman a scare in the first meeting between the programs in more than 90 years. John Mateer overcame a rough start with two touchdown passes, and No. 24 Oklahoma leaned on its defense for a 14-6 win to avoid back-to-back nonconference losses.
The Lobos forced three first-half turnovers, including two Mateer interceptions, but couldn't capitalize, and were held to 69 rushing yards, 185 total yards and two field goals. The turning point came when defensive tackle David Stone stuffed Scottre Humphrey on fourth-and-1 at the Oklahoma 17 with 2:58 left. It was a strong showing for New Mexico, which came in off a win over Central Michigan and a 70-7 rout of Mercyhurst. The Sooners head to Georgia next Saturday.
Utah Wins the Battle of the Brothers
There was no drama in Salt Lake City as the rivalry returned to Rice-Eccles Stadium for the first time since 2015. No. 17 Utah dominated Utah State 33-0 in the 114th edition, improving to 3-0 while the Aggies fell to 0-3, and outgaining them 480 to 188. Devon Dampier opened the scoring on the first possession with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Braden Pegan, a former Aggies receiver, before Byrd Ficklin added a 9-yard run. After Grady Brosterhous was intercepted in the end zone, Daniel Bray broke loose for a 63-yard touchdown.
The Utes defense allowed just 10 rushing yards in the first half and 58 for the game, spoiling Bronco Mendenhall's rivalry debut. The one dark moment: linebacker Harrison Taggart was taken off in an ambulance after being injured making a tackle. Through three games, the Utes have outscored opponents 142-24.
Miami: Mensah Perfect, Defense Closes It Out
On Friday night, Darian Mensah set an ACC record with 24 consecutive completions in a performance that finished with 220 yards and three touchdowns, as No. 5 Miami won 33-20 at Wake Forest. He went 30-of-34 without an interception, and his streak reached 35 straight completions dating back to the previous game against Florida A&M. He came within two of the FBS single-game record, held by East Carolina's Dominique Davis with 26 in 2011.
The Hurricanes led 31-7 in the third quarter before their offense stalled, with four straight three-and-outs and several injuries. The defense took over: a safety forced under pressure, two fourth-down stops, and finally an Ethan O'Connor interception in the red zone with 2:24 left.
Oregon Bounces Back by Crushing Portland State
A week after its stunning loss at Oklahoma State, No. 21 Oregon rolled to an 84-0 win over Portland State on Friday, with Dante Moore throwing for 280 yards and four touchdowns. It was the largest margin of victory in Autzen Stadium history, and the Ducks' 12 touchdowns set a program record. The Ducks led 49-0 at halftime, and Dylan Raiola, making his debut for the program in the second half, completed all 11 of his passes with three touchdowns. Next up is a trip to USC next Saturday.
Texas Tech Holds Off Houston
In Friday's other big game, a Big 12 opener, No. 13 Texas Tech beat No. 22 Houston 28-26 after Conner Weigman's game-tying two-point attempt came up inches short with 49 seconds left. The quarterback broke to his left and lunged with the ball extended, but his knee touched down before the ball crossed the goal line, a call confirmed by replay. Down 10-0 early, the Red Raiders turned it around with second-half rushing touchdowns from J'Koby Williams and Cameron Dickey, while Will Hammond added 257 passing yards. It was their 10th straight home win.
Vanderbilt: The Wildest Finish of the Season
In Nashville, NC State led 31-28 with six seconds left, facing fourth down from its own 5-yard line. Quarterback CJ Bailey tried to scramble in his own end zone to run out the clock before taking a safety, but Miles Capers knocked the ball loose and cornerback Cayden Daniels recovered it in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown, 35-31. According to ESPN, teams leading with the ball in the final 10 seconds of regulation had gone 1,046-1 over the previous 20 seasons.
Around the Country
No. 23 Louisville beat No. 16 SMU 41-31 behind 163 yards from Keyjuan Brown. USC survived a scare at Rutgers (42-35), Iowa crushed Northern Iowa 55-0, and Michigan, down 14-7 at halftime, pulled away from UTEP 52-17. Florida won 44-39 at Auburn, Penn State beat Buffalo 55-13, and Notre Dame won by 17 points over Michigan State, which was held to 167 yards. Finally, Jeremiah Smith became Ohio State's all-time leader in receiving yards during a 56-point win over Kent State.
