While the University of Maine Black Bears were on a bye week, sitting at a perfect 2-0 record to start their season, the rest of the collegiate football world played on.
Highlighted by games between Louisiana State University and Auburn University, Boston College and Wake Forest, and Oklahoma University and Iowa State.
A fantastic showdown between the LSU Tigers and Auburn Tigers, who are now ranked No. 6 and 9 in the nation, respectively, came down to the wire as the superior Tigers of the evening were those from LSU, winning with a score of 22-21. LSU won right as time expired, when kicker Cole Tracy sent a 42-yard field goal through the uprights, capping off a lengthy drive that saw LSU eat up the last 5 minutes and 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Unable to productively run the ball against Auburn’s strong defensive front, averaging a poor 2.9 yards per carry, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow dropped back 34 times to pass the ball to drive the offense down the field on multiple drives. While he only completed 15 of his 34 attempted passes, Burrow’s arm was able to carry LSU to victory by not turning the ball over through the air. Comparatively, Auburn’s offense was also able to muster an aerial attack, as quarterback Jarrett Stidham had a solid 16 completions on 28 attempts for 198 yards. However, the key difference between the two quarterbacks that ultimately decided the fate of the game, were the two interceptions thrown by Stidham.
The Boston College Eagles continue to soar, defeating the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in an offensive showdown with a final score of 41-34. Eagles quarterback Anthony Brown put together an impressively efficient performance, completing 16 of his 25 attempted passes for 304 yards and five touchdowns. The offense, well rounded on the day, also had running back AJ Dillon to thank, who rushed the ball 33 times for 185 yards, averaging a strong 5.6 yards per carry. Unable to contend through the air, as quarterback Sam Hartman only completed 20 of his 45 pass attempts for 214 yards, a pair of touchdowns and a pair of interceptions, the Demon Deacons looked to their backfield as well. Running backs Matt Colburn and Cade Carney combined for 41 carries, rushing for 233 yards and averaging an equally strong 5.7 yards per carry. Though the running tandems’ effort was evident, the interceptions thrown by Hartman proved too much to overcome for the Demon Deacons offense in this shootout in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The Oklahoma University Sooners improved to 3-0 on the season this past weekend after defeating the Iowa State Cyclones 37-27 in a strong offensive showing by both teams. Sooners’ quarterback Kyler Murray led his offense through throwing efficiency, completing 21 of 29 attempted passes for 348 yards and three touchdowns. As if Murray’s strong performance through the air wasn’t enough, he also led the Sooners in rushing yards, tallying 77 yards on 15 carries. Not to be outshone by Murray, Cyclones quarterback Zeb Noland completed 25 of 36 passes for 360 yards and a pair of touchdowns. However, Noland wasn’t as efficient as Murray, throwing an interception late in the fourth quarter on the final offensive series for the Cyclones.
