Bouncebacks. Upsets. Near upsets. Second half comebacks. Rivalry renewals. You name it, the third week of the 2023 college football regular season had it.
Whether it was the “tale of two halves” for Wake Forest on the road and top-ranked Georgia at home, near collapses by heavy favorites Florida State and Colorado, or a 61 yard walk-off field goal, there was plenty of drama and excitement across the nation in week three.
BOONE BOUNCE BACK: APP STATE DOWNS ECU
In front of a record crowd at Kidd Brewer Stadium, App State bounced back in a big way in Boone. The Mountaineers were coming off a heartbreaking double-overtime loss at 17th ranked North Carolina, and East Carolina was the unfortunate victim of a team bound and determined to get back in the win column.
It was the Pirates’ first trip up the mountain since 1979, and the second in a four-game series between the two schools that began in 2021. Both teams traded punches early. The Pirates punched in a 9 play, 75 yard drive to start.
The Pirates punched in a 9 play, 75 yard drive to start. App State responded in just two plays in the form of the nation’s leading rusher, Nate Noel. His 68 yard mad dash on the Mountaineer’s second play from scrimmage padded his stats even more. Noel currently leads all of FBS with 145 yards per game rushing. He finished the day Saturday averaging 7.7 yards per carry for a game total of 193.
ECU looked to have the edge and the momentum at halftime, going into the break with a 21-16 lead. Shawn Clark, though, wasn’t about to let an old in-state rival or rain dampen the spirits of 40,000 raucous fans at The Rock.
App State boat raced the Pirates in the second half, scoring 33 of the game’s final 40 points en route to a 43-28 victory. Freshman quarterback Joey Aguilar quickly overcame a pick six right before halftime, slinging three touchdowns and running for a fourth all in the second half.
DEACS DRAG OUT ROAD WIN OVER ODU
Wake Forest faced a myriad of struggles in its first road game of the season. It was a true road test, too, against a formidable Old Dominion squad in Norfolk, VA. The Monarchs had consistent pressure on Demon Deacon quarterback Mitch Griffis all afternoon long, highlighted by an 80-yard strip-sack-scoop-and-score in the second quarter.
Dave Clawson’s Deacs battled through offensive line struggles, inconsistency and a stingy opponent to eke out a 27-24 victory. Griffis finished with three touchdown passes in an up and down day for the Wake Forest offense. Wake trailed 17-0 at halftime, but came out impassioned and determined in the second half.
The Deacs outscored ODU 27-7 the rest of the way for a gritty road victory.
FLUKE OR FORESHADOWING? FLORIDA STATE SURVIVES SCARE AT BC
The ACC’s early season favorites had to get up early for a noon kickoff, and it certainly showed. The lunchtime start against Boston College, arguably the worst team in the league, nearly took a huge bite out of the conference title hopes of Mike Norvell’s Florida State Seminoles.
Sleepwalking through the first quarter and trailing 7-3, FSU blitzed BC in the next two frames, The Seminoles outscored the Eagles 28-9 in the second and third quarters.
The same issues that plagued the ‘Noles in the first quarter came back in full force in the fourth, and nearly cost them the game. Norvell’s defense took an afternoon nap, and if it wasn’t for a costly facemask penalty by Boston College in the last two minutes, FSU may very well have fallen victim to an embarrassing defeat.
The only question stemming from the loss, was this a fluke or foreshadowing? Was this just a blip on the radar for Florida State, or a crack in the Seminole armor?
OTHER NATIONWIDE HEADLINES: GEORGIA, MIZZOU, COLORADO
Top ranked Georgia also fell into the “tale of two halves” category, trailing South Carolina at home between the hedges 14-3 at halftime. The Dawgs found both their bark and their bite in the second half, outscoring the Gamecocks 21-0 in the second half en route to a 24-3 win in their SEC opener.
Missouri knocked off 15th ranked Kansas State on a wild walk-off field goal of 61 yards for the biggest play and upset of the weekend.
The story of the weekend was Colorado’s double-overtime victory over in-state rival Colorado State. Coach Prime and company got everything they could handle and more from the Rams, eventually outlasting them in 2OT. It took a 98 yard drive led by Shedeur Sanders at the end of regulation just to force overtime.
