In an otherwise uneventful third weekend in the world of college football, several key losses in the Top 25 have kept the rankings fluctuating and left the experts scratching their heads.
In Los Angeles, the No. 1-ranked USC Trojans validated all the experts' claims that the No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes would be run off the field after the Trojans' 35-3 routing of the Buckeyes Saturday night. After both teams went three-and-out on their first drives, OSU managed a field goal to take an unexpected early lead. From there, however, it was all Trojans, as USC showed its ability to score in bunches without controlling the time of possession. At times, USC quarterback Mark Sanchez seemed to be connecting with his speedy receivers at will, while tailback Joe McKnight casually penetrated a tough Buckeye defense that includes last year's Butkus Award winner in linebacker James Laurinaitis.
McKnight finished with 105 yards on only 12 carries while Sanchez threw for 172 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. OSU fans could take some comfort in the performance of true freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who was seven-for-nine passing with 40 rushing yards. Nevertheless, this game cemented USC's status as the team to beat and raised many questions about viability of a Beanie Wells-less Ohio State team.
Across the country, the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs faced an early SEC road test, a challenge for any team, regardless of rank. The unranked South Carolina Gamecocks pushed Georgia to the brink of upset on Saturday afternoon in Wallace-Brice Stadium in a game marred by play-clock malfunctions and constant penalties. In the end, it was the vaunted Georgia defense that got the job done in a 14-7 victory.
The Bulldogs held South Carolina to a second-quarter touchdown pass and managed to force two turnovers in the fourth quarter while the Gamecocks were driving in Georgia territory. Georgia's star tailback Knowshon Moreno rushed for a relatively modest 79 yards but had a beautiful second-effort touchdown run in the third quarter to give Georgia the lead for good. The Bulldogs may not have escaped with the victory if it wasn't for the absence of South Carolina's leading receiver Kenny McKinley, who sat out with a pulled hamstring.
Friday provided the country with an exciting offensive display from two of college football's top up-and-coming programs as the Kansas Jayhawks fell to the South Florida Bulls 37-34. In arguably the weekend's most exciting game, the No. 13 Jayhawks seemed to be on cruise control against the No. 19 Bulls, going up by as much as 17 points in the first half. South Florida then went into offensive overdrive, scoring 31 unanswered points beginning with a field goal toward the end of the first half.
Despite defeat, Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing was the game's biggest standout, throwing for 373 yards with three touchdowns and one pick. Reesing managed to tie the game with two touchdown tosses in the first quarter, but he threw what turned out to be the game changing interception, an errant pass that was caught by USF cornerback Nate Allen and returned to the Kansas 27 yard line. Bulls kicker Maikon Bonani barely tucked in a 43 yard field goal as time expired to win, sending the South Florida fan contingency in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium into a frenzy.
While Kansas ultimately came up short in its early season matchup, their Big 12 rival, the Missouri Tigers, showed why they continue to deserve their No. 6 ranking. Tiger wide receiver Jeremy Maclin was the fastest player on the field by a frightening margin as Mizzou pounded the Nevada Wolf Pack 69-17. Maclin's effort was matched only by that of the man charged with putting the ball in the speedster's hands, quarterback Chase Daniel, who was 23-28 for 405 yards passing. Six of those completions went to Maclin, who finished with 172 yards and three touchdowns. If Missouri's defense can maintain a decent level of protection, the Tigers have the offensive weaponry necessary to compete for the Big 12 championship and a potential BCS bid.
In one of the weekend's only major upsets, the unranked Maryland Terrapins took down the No. 23 California Golden Bears at Byrd Stadium in College Park, Md. One could not blame Cal for taking this game lightly, considering the Terps' loss on the road last week against the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. On the other hand, Cal was coming off of a 66-3 drubbing over the Washington State Cougars. Nevertheless, Maryland jumped to a 21-3 lead and withstood a late Bears rally to win 35-27.
This non-conference victory was valuable both for Maryland the ACC as a whole, which is fighting with the Big East to avoid the label of worst BCS conference. Meanwhile, Cal will have to regroup before jumping into the gauntlet that is the Pac-10 season.
