Week 3 of college football delivered plenty of action, featuring a thrilling showdown between Georgia and Kentucky, a top-25 showdown at Missouri and a shocking Memphis win against Florida State. Here’s a recap of how it all went down:

No. 1 Georgia outlasts Kentucky 

No. 1 Georgia narrowly escaped unranked Kentucky with a 13-12 win in a defensive battle. Kentucky led 9-6 after three quarters, but Georgia took the lead early in the fourth with a 3-yard touchdown run by Branson Robinson. The Wildcats closed the gap with their fourth field goal of the game but couldn’t score a touchdown. Georgia caught a late break with a fumble recovery that led to a crucial first down, sealing the victory and preserving its unbeaten season.

No. 16 LSU rallies to beat South Carolina

No. 16 LSU escaped South Carolina to win, 36-33, avoiding overtime after the Gamecocks missed the game-tying field goal as time expired.

LSU’s window for a win looked miniscule following the first quarter. Down 17 points, battling an amplified Gamecocks fan base and a constant rooster crowing sound, the Tigers were on their back heels. 

Although down only 24-16 at halftime, LSU couldn’t stop South Carolina on the ground. The Tigers gave up 153 rushing yards in the first half, highlighted by quarterback LaNorris Sellers 75-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

Both offenses cranked up the heat in the second half. The Tigers scored back-to-back touchdowns on their second and third possessions after the break, while the Gamecocks added nine points on back-to-back possessions early in the fourth quarter. With 10 minutes remaining, South Carolina led 33-29. 

The Gamecocks nearly put the game away with six minutes to go. At South Carolina’s 13-yard line, LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier threw an interception to Nick Emmanwori in the end zone, running it back for a touchdown. The pick-six was called back, though, due to an unnecessary roughness call. 

South Carolina gets pick-6 called back for a personal foul on the LSU QB after the int. Right call or bad call? pic.twitter.com/DMBtJB2ceV

— Heavens! (@HeavensFX) September 14, 2024

Nussmeier made up for the mistake on the next drive, carrying the Tigers to an eight-play, 55-yard scoring drive to help LSU regain the lead nearing the last minute.

Following Sellers’ right ankle injury earlier in the contest, backup Robby Ashford tried to will the Gamecocks to victory, driving the offense down to LSU’s 32-yard line with 4 seconds left. Kicker Alex Herrera couldn’t send the contest to overtime, however, missing the 49-yard game-tying field goal by inches. 

South Carolina for the tie…. Just misses 😱

LSU takes down South Carolina in a nail biter
pic.twitter.com/zTKxkSpzTA

— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) September 14, 2024

No. 6 Missouri defeats No. 24 Boston College 

No. 6 Missouri hung on against No. 24 Boston College, 27-21, after a rocky start.

The Eagles jumped out to a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter following a 67-yard touchdown pass from Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos on a broken play. 

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The Tigers would go on to post 24 points in a row to take a 27-14 lead with under six minutes to go in the game. However, the Eagles took advantage on another broken coverage play from the Tigers, cutting the lead to just six with under four minutes to play. But the comeback effort fell short as the Tigers chewed up the clock to end the game. 

Luther Burden III was the X-factor once again for Mizzou, tallying 117 yards and a touchdown on just six receptions, including 74 yards after the catch. 

.@lutherburden3 is UNSTOPPABLE pic.twitter.com/A1FkfHLN7X

— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) September 14, 2024

Boston College could not get its run game going against the Tigers after recording 284.5 rushing yards per game entering the game. Bill O’Brien’s squad averaged 1.9 yards per rush. 

Conversely, Tigers running back Nate Noel recorded 121 yards on the ground, averaging 5.5 yards per rush. Missouri’s veteran quarterback Brady Cook had another solid day, completing 21 of his 30 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown. He also added one more score on the ground. 

The Tigers improved to 3-0, travelling to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt next week. Boston College was handed its first loss of the season — the same week the Eagles were ranked in the top 25 for the first time since 2018. O’Brien’s squad will look to bounce back next week at home against Michigan State. 

Memphis stuns Florida State

Memphis shocked Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium with a 20-12 victory, starting strong and forcing a fumble on just the second play of the game. The Tigers capitalized early, kicking a field goal in the first quarter and ending it with an interception, keeping the Seminoles scoreless. In the second quarter, quarterback Seth Henigan connected with running back Greg Desrosiers Jr. for a touchdown, extending Memphis’ lead. Florida State finally got points on the board with a field goal, but Memphis answered with another, heading into halftime up 13-3, with 158 total yards compared to Florida State’s 67.

Memphis came out firing again in the third, as Henigan found tight end Anthony Landphere for another touchdown. Florida State finally responded with their first touchdown of the game from running back Roydell Williams. Florida State then grabbed an interception. A fourth quarter field goal cut the deficit, and the Seminoles’ defense held Memphis scoreless for the remainder of the game. However, it wasn’t enough to make the comeback, as the preseason top-10 Seminoles dropped to 0-3.

Toledo shocks Mississippi State

Toledo routed Mississippi State, 41-17, behind its offensive clinic from start to finish — dropping over 450 total yards of offense. 

It was the MAC’s first win against an SEC opponent since 2015.

The masterclass began during the Rockets’ first offensive possession. After the Bulldogs three-and-out to start the contest, Toledo put together a 12-play, 70-yard scoring drive and didn’t look back.

By halftime, the Rockets had busted the game wide open. Toledo scored on three straight drives compared to Mississippi State’s single field goal to lead 28-3 and picked up an interception entering the break.

The Rockets didn’t let their foot off the gas pedal in the second half, rather, the defense applied even more pressure. The group forced two more turnovers that gave the offense multiple short fields, resulting in 10 points.

Although the Bulldogs showed signs of life with two touchdowns late in the third and fourth quarters, Toledo’s cruise control was already in high gear. Quarterback Tucker Gleason’s 285 passing yards and three-touchdown performance added to his already electric 2024 campaign. He entered the contest with the sixth-most passing touchdowns in FBS. 

Toledo moves to 3-0 for the first time since 2017.

Just a little wide.

One college football fan was humbled after trolling kickers’ football abilities.

ESPN’s “College GameDay” was on South Carolina’s campus ahead of the team’s heartbreaking 36-33 loss to No. 16 LSU on Saturday, and a fan named Jousha Watson — a sophomore business major at South Carolina — took on panelist Pat McAfee’s kicking contest with $120,000 on the line.

Before he kicked, however, Watson took a moment to ridicule kickers.

“All the time,” Watson responded when McAfee asked if he had ever said anything bad about kickers. “It’s just so easy, it’s not a sport.”

After telling McAfee that he had never kicked a football before, Watson said: “I’m gonna make it, because it’s easy.”

But Watson’s shoe made it farther than the ball.

He badly shanked his kick, and his right shoe went flying into the air as the ball sprayed to the left.

“Worst kick of all time,” McAfee said in the immediate aftermath. “This kid sucks.”

“We’ve had some s—-y kickers, that was embarrassing,” panelist Kirk Herbstreit said in a subsequent video McAfee posted on X.

Each week, McAfee picks one fan and challenges them to make a 33-yard kick for a a cash prize that increases as the season continues.

For Watson, $45,000 was initially on the line.

But country singer Darius Rucker, who was a guest on the show, offered to add another $15,000 to sweeten the pot.

Then, McAfee and Rucker noticed Watson’s shirt, which said “Walk-On for Jake,” in honor of the Jake Panus Scholarship, which awards a South Carolina walk-on with an athletic scholarship.

They decided to add another $60,000 for the fund if Watson made the kick, bringing the total to $120,000 at stake.

After Watson missed the kick, McAfee said they would still donate the $60,000 to the foundation.

The nation will have eyes on South Carolina vs. LSU in Week 3, having been the choice for ESPN College GameDay to host after the Gamecocks dominated Kentucky 31-6 on the road last weekend.

Despite winning the SEC opener in impressive fashion, South Carolina is still an underdog to the Tigers on their home turf. With the odds stacked against them, College GameDay host Kirk Herbstreit believes South Carolina’s efforts on Saturday begins with the fans in the stands.

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“That’s the key,” Herbstreit said, motioning to the crowd piled around the ESPN College GameDay set. “They’ve got to be able to have their defense playing with their hair on fire, and they’ve got to win special teams. But Shane beamer is known for it, it’s got to be that kind of game for South Carolina where they play complimentary football. They get turnovers, they get a short field.

“They run the football with Rocket Sanders. Their quarterback plays smart, but it is going to start with their defense.”

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South Carolina didn’t have have the full force of Williams-Brice Stadium backing their abilities against Kentucky in Week 2. They were still able to controll the game in every phase, particularly in the second half.

Sanders took 13 carries for 54 yards and a touchdown during the contest, while quarterback LaNorris Sellers threw his first two touchdown passes of the season.

Defensively, it was the defensive line that made the game so lopsided. True freshman EDGE Dylan Stewart led the way, forcing the Wildcats to call 18-straight run plays due to the fact quarterback Brock Vandagriff had no time to breathe in the pocket. The unit finished with five sacks on the day.

“In the SEC, the defensive linemen, they can be game changers,” Herbsreit continued. “They’ve got eight guys they rotate trying to stay fresh. Allow this defense to do what they do, make it tough on Garrett Nussmeier and this LSU offense. You’re asking me how they win the game? That’s what they have to do, is take advantage of being right here in Columbia, South Carolina.”

The Gamecocks escaped their home opener in Week 1 with a 23-19 win against Old Dominion, but Herbstreit’s fellow College GameDay host, Nick Saban, said that South Carolina is the most improved team from Week 1 to Week 2.

How they’ll fare against their stiffest competition yet in the LSU Tigers remains to be seen. Kickoff is set for Noon ET live on ABC.