College Football Week 3 Odds and Sods: Death, Taxes and Mark Richt Letting Down on the Road

As the SEC turns…

You guys won’t believe this, but Mark Richt’s Georgia team dropped a close game on the road to a less talented team. There were questions about clock management and play-calling. It was crazy. The Dawgs averaged 8.7 yards/attempt and 5.7 yards/carry. They had two fewer turnovers. They stopped seven of nine South Carolina third down attempts and lost. Dylan Thompson completed 21/30 for 271 yards and four total touchdowns and probably made the difference. Classic Richt. Classic Spurrier. Cue the Sandstorm.

Beating Georgia is massive for South Carolina. In perception, it washes away the stain from the Texas A&M game. In reality, it preserved the Gamecocks’ hopes for a trip to Atlanta. The win leaves them tied with Georgia, with the head to head tiebreaker. A loss would have left them two games behind, without the tiebreaker. Both teams still play Auburn. The difference may be the other West draw. South Carolina already lost to A&M. Georgia faces Arkansas.

A bloodless Will Muschamp survived against Kentucky, barely. His Gators outlasted the Wildcats 36-30 in overtime at the Swamp, to preserve a 28-game win streak. They were fortunate not to receive a delay of game on a vital fourth down overtime touchdown. The effort, in Florida’s first true contest, was unimpressive, but the W may prove vital.

It was hard to envision a scenario where Bill in Gainesville would have kept his job with a loss to Kentucky. Beyond that embarrassment, Florida still has Alabama, LSU, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida State left on the slate. Not to mention Missouri and a trip to Knoxville. The Gators cannot afford to drop a game they should win. Even playing well they could end up 7-4, and that’s not guaranteed to get Muschamp to 2015.

Jim Delany urged everyone not to judge the Big Ten after weekend two. Weekend three offered another unpalatable sampling. Minnesota lost by three touchdowns to TCU, Illinois lost by three touchdowns to Washington, Maryland lost 40-37 to West Virginia and Iowa lost the Cy Hawk trophy to Iowa State 13-10, resulting in shirtless dudes celebrating on their field. Sweet troll though.

We’d be remiss not to mention Indiana lost another B1G-MAC challenge to Bowling Green. Gary Patterson jumped in off the top rope. But, hey, Purdue kept it within two scores against Notre Dame!

There’s one more shot for B1G programs to redress the narrative next weekend, sort of. Iowa (Pitt), Maryland (Syracuse) and Indiana (Missouri) have non-conference road games. Michigan (Utah) and Nebraska (Miami) host two more big five teams. Can the B1G go 3-2? Kirk Ferentz’ 10-game conference schedule looks more inviting with each successive week.

In positive news, the Terps are proving a definite cultural fit…

The Good…

Looks Aren’t Everything… Arkansas did exactly what Texas Tech expected. The prone Red Raiders were in no position to stop it. The Razorbacks ran for 438 yards and seven touchdowns on 68 carries. They left the Jones with a three-touchdown win, the most impressive of the Bielema era. It was reminiscent of Bielema’s Wisconsin. Things do appear to be coming together in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks may be a couple years away from something. Whether “something” will be enough to crash through the ceiling in the SEC West is uncertain.

Like Father Like Son… Jerry Neuheisel came on for an injured Brett Hundley, completed 77 percent of his passes for two touchdowns and held things together for a 20-17 come-from-behind Bruin win over Texas. Summer Hype Champions UCLA are 3-0 as anticipated, though wins against Virginia, Memphis and Texas have each come by one score. Things are about to get real for the Bruins, who still play four Top 25 teams, not to mention Utah, Arizona and Washington.

Steve MF Addazio… Boston College upset USC 37-31 at home, popping Sark’s balloon before it had fully inflated. The Eagles were a savvy spread bet, with the Trojans traveling across the country in a letdown spot after grinding it out a punishing, physical opponent. But no one anticipated the beat down Boston College delivered along both lines. BC ran for 452 yards on 54 carries. USC amassed just 29 on 20 carries.

The Not so Good…

Oh Charlie… Kansas is right where many expected them to be in year three under Charlie Weis, losing 41-3 to Duke. Blue Devil running back Shaun Wilson ran for 245 yards and three touchdowns…on 12 carries. We could dissect the futility further, but what’s the point? Weis is owed $5 million guaranteed after this season. What magnitude of terrible will it take for Kansas to buy him out? We’re about to find out.

First Win… Vanderbilt anchored down at home for their first win of the Derek Mason era. They scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to overcome a double-digit second-half deficit and win 34-31. They were playing UMass in football at home. To be fair, the Commodores have resolved their turnover issues. They’ve just been really bad at playing football.

More of the Same… South Florida picked right up where they left off last season. Actually, they were a little better the second half of last season. The Bulls lost 49-17 at home to N.C. State, who barely beat Georgia Southern and Old Dominion the previous two weeks. That scoreline was courtesy of 10 late garbage points against backups. The Bulls gained just 154 total yards on offense, with 75 coming on one play. Jim Harbaugh and members of his coaching tree are not off to a stellar start for 2014.

In a Losing Effort…

USC lost to BC, but it wasn’t Cody Kessler’s fault. He completed 31/41 for 317 yards and four touchdowns on the road. That’s normally more than enough from a quarterback.

GIFs of the Week…

Florida’s win over Kentucky was disconcerting for a few in attendance.

Thwarted Quote of the Week

Steve Spurrier directed a patented zinger at Paul Finebaum.

The HBC had not watched SEC Nation that morning.

[USA Today Sports]