The 2020 season is already off to a wild start.
This is technically the fourth week of the college football season, but it’s the third week of Power 5 action. Things got even more interesting this weekend when the SEC entered the picture, and we’re now less than a month away from some glorious Big Ten action.
The biggest story of the weekend? I honestly don’t even know where to begin, but it would have to start in Norman and Baton Rouge. And if yesterday taught us anything, it’s that this has the potential to be a wild season filled with upsets and plenty of surprises.
Kansas State 38, No. 3 Oklahoma 35
The 2020 edition looks far too familiar for the folks in Norman. The quarterback play and offense as a whole are both solid, but big plays continue to plague the Sooners’ defense. All of this went down while Kansas State was playing without seven players due to COVID-19 concerns. Needless to say, it was a tough showing for Alex Grinch, and OU fans have about 1.8 million reasons to be upset.
This is Oklahoma’s 6th loss as a 20-point favorite since the start of the 2009 season. No other team has lost more than three in that span.
— Chris Fallica (@chrisfallica) September 26, 2020
The Wildcats scored 31 points in a home loss against Arkansas State two weeks ago. They scored 24 unanswered in the second half alone to storm back and take down the Sooners. Skylar Thompson put up 344 yards of total offense with a passing score and three more on the ground. True freshman tailback Deuce Vaughn caught four passes for 129 and added a rushing score.
Spencer Rattler’s three interceptions didn’t help matters. The redshirt freshman threw for 387 yards and four scores to help get the Sooners out to a 21-point lead in the third quarter. He spread the ball around to nine different receivers, but it was Drake Stoops (son of the former Sooners’ head coach) who led the way with 93 yards and a touchdown.
Kicker Blake Lynch delivered the game-winning field goal with two minutes left on the clock. Rattler’s third interception killed any chance of overtime or a Sooner victory. This makes two years in a row that the Wildcats have come out on top.
Mississippi State 44, No. 6 LSU 34
Remember that time Mike Leach and K.J. Costello went to Baton Rouge to take on the reigning national champs and self-proclaimed “DBU?” I remember it like it was just yesterday. And if memory serves me right, the Bulldogs threw for 623 yards and five touchdowns to upset the Bayou Bengals. In was a heck of a debut for the duo as it took Leach and Costello exactly one game to set a new single-game passing record in the SEC.
I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t think Leach’s air raid offense would work in the SEC; especially against teams like LSU. And while it’s true All-American cornerback Derek Stingley was held out due to a medical issue, yesterday’s performance is inexcusable for any national power. Three different Bulldog wideouts went for 100+ yards. Osirus Mitchell caught seven passes for 183 yards and two scores. Kylin Hill went eight for 158 and a touchdown, and JaVonta Payton caught six for 122 yards.
DBU?????
— Jordan Fuller (@j_fuller4) September 26, 2020
No one’s expecting the LSU offense to look anything like it did with Joe Burrow and Joe Brady running things. Myles Brennan had his struggles despite putting up a decent stat line. The redshirt junior threw for 345 yards with three touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. Terrace Marshall Jr. is the team’s top remaining wideout, and it’s no surprise he lit up the Bulldogs with eight catches for 122 yards and two scores.
LSU lost more than any other team in the country. The 2019 edition had one of college football’s top quarterbacks of all time, the nation’s best offensive line, best wideouts (or at least on par with Alabama), and one of the top tailbacks in America. I think most…
Read More: Dumb Games: Alex Grinch & Oklahoma’s Defense Outmatched at Home, Defending