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MONDAY SHOCKWAVES

Ten Takeaways from Week 3

1️⃣ Texas A&M stuns Notre Dame in the final seconds  

On a night where two titans of the sport went punch for punch in a fight that would’ve made Canelo Alvarez and Terence “Bud” Crawford proud, it was Texas A&M that landed the final blow in the Aggies’ stunning 41-40 win over Notre Dame in South Bend. 

After a demonstrative 12-yard Jeremiyah Love touchdown run that capped a 12-play, 75-yard drive to take a six-point lead, it felt like the Fighting Irish had the game all but wrapped up. Then the unthinkable happened. Holder Tyler Buchner botched the PAT, taking away a presumed precious point, leaving the Fighting Irish with just a six-point lead with less than three minutes to play.

On the following drive, Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed orchestrated a masterful drive, culminating in a critical, fourth-and-goal, game-on-the-line situation. Reed rolled out and pinged a pinpoint pass to blocking tight end Nate Boerkircher, who hauled it in for the game-tying touchdown. Unlike the Fighting Irish, Texas A&M iced the PAT and notched its first road win over a ranked non-conference team since 2014. 

The Aggies immediately vault toward the top of the SEC contenders tier. Notre Dame suddenly finds itself at 0-2, sweating out its College Football Playoff future.

2️⃣ Saturday belonged to college kickers

Rough and rowdy Georgia Tech’s pronounced 24-21 victory over 12th-ranked Clemson was a firm reminder that stars don’t always tell the whole story. 

The game had numerous ebbs and flows—a quick start by Tech, a spirited rally by Clemson, and a few too-cute spurts from the Tech offense. Haynes King was incredible, dragging the Yellow Jackets’ offense through the fire all afternoon.

The game’s defining moments included a Yellow Jackets’ 13-play, 90-yard drive that included a Philly Special two-point conversion and a walk-off, fire drill, 55-yard field goal from Georgia Tech kicker Aidan Birr. 

Birr’s game-winning kick was so preposterously cold I’m sure it sent a shiver up the spine of the East Atlanta Santa himself. 

With the win, Tech cements itself as an ACC title contender, while Clemson is left searching for answers after another shaky offensive performance in a big game. 

Across state lines, sixth-ranked Georgia reminded Tennessee that if you want to be the man, you’ve got to beat the man. 

Arguably the best game of the slate, the ‘Dogs and Vols traded haymakers from the get-go. Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar looked every bit the part of an SEC quarterback, tuning up the vaunted Georgia secondary for four touchdowns and almost 400 yards through the air. 

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton held his own and then some, throwing for over 300 yards and two scores, including a 28-yard dime ball back shoulder touchdown to tie it with the game on the line. 

Tennessee managed the final drive of regulation perfectly, giving its kicker a chance to walk it off in sensational fashion. Vols kicker Max Gilbert hooked the would-be game-winner in regulation before knocking down an eerily similar attempt in overtime. In the extra frame, Georgia leaned on its run game and won the 44-41 barnburner on a walk-off one-yard touchdown by Josh McCray. 

Ultimately, Georgia’s still the top dog in the SEC, while Tennessee looked formidable but flawed in late-game situations. 

3️⃣ LSU’s defense gets the last laugh

If Saturday night was a boxing match, Florida quarterback DJ Lagway had his punches telegraphed. Once a five-star prodigy, Lagway turned in a five-interception disasterclass in the Gators’ 20-10 loss to third-ranked LSU.

Lagway’s terrible decision-making aside, the Gators remain a wildly undisciplined and uninspiring football team. Nothing about this program feels like it's heading in the right direction at this moment. 

LSU is a confusing team in its own right. The Tigers have notable wins over Clemson and Florida, and have put up three-straight killer defensive games. The problem? The offense can’t seem to get out of first gear. Garrett Nussmeier hasn’t lit it up, the offensive line looks far from a sure thing, and this unit still can’t sustain a run game. 

The Tigers still have lofty College Football Playoff dreams on their mind, while Gator fans are hoping to soon wake up from this dreaded Billy Napier nightmare. 

4️⃣ Rich Rodriguez gets revenge

The Backyard Brawl lived up to every bit of its name for much of Saturday afternoon, with Pitt and West Virginia duking it out in a gritty, low-scoring first half that felt more like a street fight than a football game. 

But like any good scrap, it ain’t over ‘til it’s over. West Virginia rallied and scored a game-tying touchdown with 11 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Then in the extra frame, Mountaineer running back Tye Edwards chipped in his third score of the game for the go-ahead touchdown and the 31-24 win.

This result was sweet, sweet revenge for Rich Rodriguez, who saw his WVU Dynasty upended by Pitt eighteen years ago. West Virginia still faces an uphill climb for bowl eligibility, but this one’s got to feel good. For Pitt, this loss felt like a major indictment of quarterback Eli Holstein and his ability to lead this team to any sort of charge up the ACC ranks. 

5️⃣ Miami’s defense delivers

Fresh off back-to-back upset wins, all eyes were on Coral Gables Saturday afternoon to see if the surging South Florida Bulls could take down Miami. Many thought that if things broke just right, USF had a puncher’s chance. 

But like prime Mike Tyson, the ‘Canes evaporated those chances and then some, instead walloping South Florida 49-12 to move to 3-0. 

There’s no other way to say it: Miami looks like the ACC’s best team. The Hurricanes are stout on the lines of scrimmage. They’ve found some playmakers on the outside. And quarterback Carson Beck looks like the Carson Beck of two years ago.

The Mario Cristobal element is always a factor. But the ‘Canes look primed and ready to seize the moment and make a serious run at an ACC title and College Football Playoff appearance. 

6️⃣ Vanderbilt punishes the South Carolina defense

In a world of giants, Vanderbilt has Diego Pavia—the scrappy David who refuses to put the rock down. Saturday night, the Commodores picked off their latest ranked SEC foe in a convincing 31-7 win on the road at South Carolina to notch their largest win over a ranked team since 1955.

Pavia was effective if not excellent, finishing with 177 yards and two touchdowns in the rout. South Carolina looked ready to rumble before star quarterback LaNorris Seller exited the game with an injury and did not return. 

Give a lot of credit to Clark Lea’s boys. The Commodores resemble a team relishing these big-game opportunities instead of running away from them. Don’t look now, but this is the second-straight season that Vanderbilt has picked off a Top 12 SEC team. South Carolina needs to get Sellers healthy and fast, with a big game on the road against Missouri next week. 

7️⃣ Brent Pry has had a big problem

Saturday night against Old Dominion, Brent Pry’s Virginia Tech team looked like a boxer out of gas. No legs, no fight left, just waiting for the final bell. The suddenly 0-3 Hokies got throttled 45-26 in a game that wasn’t as close as the scoreline. 

On Sunday, Virginia Tech opted to relieve Pry of his head coaching duties.

Virginia Tech feels like an awfully difficult job at the moment. It’s a sad state of affairs for a once proud program.

8️⃣ Tulane wins the Darian Mensah Bowl

The grass is not always greener on the other side. 

This offseason, former Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah transferred to Duke in what was one of the more high-profile QB moves in college football. But on Saturday night, it was Mensah’s old team that got the last laugh as the Green Wave beat Duke 34-27.

Fellow transfer quarterback Jake Retzlaff was the difference maker in this one, finishing with 245 yards through the air and four rushing touchdowns. 

For all the talk about USF being the G5 College Football Playoff darling, keep an eye on Tulane. The Green Wave currently sits at 3-0 and has a monster game against Ole Miss next weekend. There’s a path to the CFP if you look closely.

9️⃣ Nico Iamaleava is going out sad

Speaking of transfer quarterbacks, remember Nico Iamaleava? The guy that, if he hadn’t made a big NIL stink, would’ve led Tennessee out of the tunnel against Georgia. He made headlines for all the wrong reasons Friday night, as his UCLA Bruins team was beaten handily at home by New Mexico.

Iamaleava is officially the “He Got Paid, But At What Cost?” player of the 2025 season.

To make matters worse, head coach DeShaun Foster was fired on Sunday. This program feels totally lost at the moment.

🔟 Cal found themselves a Golden Boy

I wrote about it in this week’s preview newsletter, but how impressive is Cal freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele? In the wee hours of Sunday morning, JKS led the suddenly frisky Cal Bears to a statement 27-14 win over visiting Minnesota. 

JKS finished 24-of-38 for 279 yards and three touchdowns. If it weren’t for Michigan’s Bryce Underwood, I’d be ready to definitively say JKS is the best freshman quarterback in college football. And even then, he just might be. 

THE PODCAST

Our Week 3 Reaction Special is live!

Week 3 delivered the kind of college football chaos we live for, and we're here to break it all down. We witnessed Texas A&M pull off a stunning road upset at Notre Dame in a 41-40 thriller that came down to the final seconds, with Marcel Reed and the Aggies finding a way to steal one in South Bend. Meanwhile, Georgia and Tennessee went to overtime in what might have been the game of the week, with Gunner Stockton making an absolutely ridiculous fourth-down throw to tie it at the end of regulation.

The madness didn't stop there. We saw Georgia Tech shock Clemson on a walk-off 55-yard field goal, LSU's defense stifle Florida's DJ Lagway in a 20-10 win, and the next chapter in Vanderbilt's surprising start with a dominant road win at South Carolina. From the SEC's wild weekend to surprising performances across every conference, we’re breaking down the biggest storylines, the unexpected heroes, and what it all might mean for the playoff picture. Plus, we dive into our Dude Alerts and the most entertaining listener reactions from a week that had everything.

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