College football top plays: Texas A&M stifles Miami, USC wins

Week 3 of the college football season is in the books, and the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners kicked off the day with a dominant victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Elsewhere, No. 17 Baylor stifled Texas Tech in a massive scoring outburst. No. 12 BYU fell to No. 25 Oregon on FOX, while No. 22 Penn State defeated Auburn.

Later, No. 3 Ohio State beat Toledo. No. 13 Miami (FL) floundered against No. 24 Texas A&M in College Station. Closing things out, Fresno State lost on the road to No. 7 USC.

Here are the top plays from Saturday’s Week 3 slate.

No. 7 USC 45, Fresno State 17

USC strikes first

Caleb Williams hit Jordan Addison for a touchdown on the game’s opening possession.

Don’t get too comfortable

The Bulldogs managed to get within two possessions following an electrifying run by Erik Brooks in the second.

Never say Dye

Running back Travis Dye charged through a bevy of Bulldog defenders and into the endzone to put USC up 35-17.

No. 24 Texas A&M 17, No. 13 Miami (FL) 9

Texas A&M finds the end zone first

The Aggies capitalized on a muffed punt by Miami, as LJ Johnson ran in a one-yard touchdown. They would hang on to win the low-scoring affair.

Washington 39, No. 11 Michigan State 28

Washington gets early lead

The Huskies scored on the game’s opening possession, as Michael Penix connected with Ja’Lynn Polk.

Washington takes command

The Huskies found the end zone for a third time, as Penix hit Wayne Taulapapa for a 19-yard score. Washington missed the extra point.

Spartans still fighting

Michigan State put together a fourth–quarter touchdown drive, finished off by Elijah Collins. The Spartans failed on a two-point conversion attempt.

Take the field!

Despite the Spartans’ attempt at a comeback, Washington’s lead proved too big to overcome. Fans were rightfully hyped to celebrate.

No. 25 Oregon 41, No. 12 BYU 20

Leave it up to me 

Oregon’s offense began making waves in a hurry to open the affair. Bo Nix kept it himself on a 2-yard scamper to round out a four-play, 64-yard drive for the Ducks’ opening score.

Made ya look 

BYU got itself on the board as QB Jaren Hall faked left, faked right and then found tight end Isaac Rex for the TD.

What a grab!

Just throw the ball in the vicinity of Troy Franklin. He’ll go up and get it. Franklin’s huge 50-yard catch set up a two-yard QB dive from Nix to push Oregon ahead, 17-7.

The rout is on

Fresh off a touchdown to begin the second half, Oregon found the end zone again on its next possession. Nix connected with Ferguson on a 9-yard passing score, giving the Ducks a commanding 38-7 lead.

No. 22 Penn State 41, Auburn 12

Fireworks abound!

Penn State QB Sean Clifford is going to think twice about running after a massive hit from Auburn’s Owen Pappoe.

Shifty season

Freshman Kaytron Allen notched the first TD of his college career with a nifty cutback at the goal line to walk in to the end zone unscathed. The play capped an 11-play, 68-yard drive, and helped the Nittany Lions take a 14-6 lead into halftime.

Nicholas Singleton does it himself

The Nittany Lions gave Singleton the ball three times on what became a three-play scoring drive. Singleton started the drive with a 53-yard run and later punched in a 1-yard score. 

No. 6 Oklahoma 49, Nebraska 14

Dillon Gabriel showing off the wheels

Nebraska struck first, but it didn’t take long for the Sooners to answer right back. Gabriel stepped up in the pocket, kept it himself and took it 61 yards to the house.

Unorthodox 

This isn’t the traditional way we see teams score touchdowns, but Oklahoma’s having itself an extraordinary party on the road. Gabriel threw a screen pass to tight end Brayden Willis, who then threw a perfect 24-yard strike to a wide–open Marcus Majors for the score.

No. 17 Baylor 42, Texas State 7

Right up the GUT!

Baylor running back Richard Reece took the handoff and went right up the middle, untouched for a 14-yard score to give the Bears an early 7-0 lead.

Walking the tightrope

Baylor doubled its lead early in the second quarter as running back Craig Williams took the handoff and turned on the jets, taking it 30 yards for the score. Williams did an impressive down of staying in bounds as his run gave the Bears a 14-0 lead.

Put a bow on it

Reese was the star of the show Saturday, and he capped his spectacular day with a pair of big romps for six. Reese finished the matchup with 156 yards on 19 carries (8.2 yards per carry), and three scores on the ground.

BEST OF THE REST

It was a beautiful scene at Notre Dame Stadium ahead of the team’s matchup against Cal.

Former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o was noticeably emotional as he was honored ahead of the game during the pregame presentation to the color guard. 

Te’o addressed the home crowd before kickoff. He received a roaring ovation from Irish fans.

Hollywood swingin’

Jackson State has been on a roll to start the season, and Shane “Hollywood” Hooks said “keep the cameras on” with this acrobatic, one-handed grab against Grambling State.

Rallying the troops!

The probability of Indiana winning this football game was incredibly low. The Hoosiers trailed for most of the second half, and even fell behind by 11 in the fourth quarter. 

But a clutch turnover, late game score, and colossal two-point conversion forced the game into OT, where the squad came up with this pair of powerful plays to steal it.

Bring the house down!

Syracuse kept its unbeaten record in the final seconds vs. Purdue to go 3-0 for the first time since 2018. Garrett Shrader and Oronde Gadsden II had the heroic hookup with seven seconds left, completing a 25-yard back-shoulder fade to propel Syracuse to a 32-29 victory. 

DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES!?

Trailing 28-26 with 0:02 remaining on the clock, Appalachian State QB Chase Brice dropped back and heaved a Hail Mary pass, which was tipped and landed in the hands of Christan Horn for the game-winning touchdown!

No. 3 Ohio State 77, Toledo 21

Touchdown, Buckeyes

The Buckeyes continue the electric passing game with Julian Fleming reeling in a nimble touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud.

Toledo staying in it

DeQuan Finn ran in a 23-yard score to cut Ohio State’s lead to 14.

Ohio State gets seventh TD

The Buckeyes capitalized on a Ronnie Hickman interception, as Mitch Rossi ran in a goal-line touchdown.

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