College Football Saturday: LSU Stars Again As Okie State, Clemson Win Big

Watch as Jeff Demps makes Kentucky’s defense look like ... okay, fine it’s just Kentucky’s defense, but still.

Florida blog Alligator Army attempts to make some sense of it all.

That sprint was crucial on the scoreboard and for momentum, as the Eers had just gotten their crowd back to full throttle by pulling within six points. While West Virginia had to construct drives from deep in their own territory just to get anywhere near the goal line, over and over LSU set its offense up for success.

Think of their non-offensive ball movement the way we used to think of their flair for late-game miracles: it’s not exactly a fluke if it happens every week.

With the AP and Coaches Poll set to be released on Sunday morning, here’s a look back at some of the matchups that mattered this week. Be sure to visit our College Football Saturday StoryStream for highlights and scores from around college football.

No. 2 LSU 47, West Virginia 21. I know teams atop the polls are rarely unseated without a loss, but LSU has a serious case for the top spot. Three wins over ranked teams away from home, with a cupcake sandwiched in between, is probably the best resume around. And the Tigers have looked dominant in the process.

The Toledo Rockets hit a last-second field goal at the Carrier Dome on Saturday afternoon, knotting the game at 30 and forcing overtime with the Syracuse Orange. It should’ve been the game-winner. Just minutes earlier, following a Syracuse touchdown, the Orange were credited with a successful extra point try that actually wasn’t. Even after officials reviewed the play, the wrong call was upheld.

Here’s the video from Saturday, which shows the ball passing in front of the uprights.

For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Oregon blog Addicted To Quack and Arizona blog Arizona Desert Swarm. Here’s this week’s college football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation’s college football news hub for more.

(thanks to @bubbaprog for the GIF of Burfict assaulting Dennis Erickson with Powerade)

USC falls to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the Pac-12 with the loss, while ASU improves to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the Pac-12.

In just 30 minutes of play, Moniz has completed 30 of 40 passes for 424 yards and seven touchdowns. Let that sink in for a moment. Moniz has thrown 40 passes in the half and picked up 424 yards already. And, of course, those seven touchdowns. That’s a prolific game, and it’s only the half.

The yardage difference is astounding, as well. While Hawaii has gained 486 yards, UC Davis has just 51 yards of total offense. This just isn’t even fair. We’ll see if Moniz finishes the game, because if he does it could get way out of control. Even if he doesn’t, Hawaii is on pace to put up an outlandish yardage total.

For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Oregon blog Addicted To Quack and Arizona blog Arizona Desert Swarm. Here’s this week’s college football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation’s college football news hub for more.

For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Oregon blog Addicted To Quack and Arizona blog Arizona Desert Swarm. Here’s this week’s college football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation’s college football news hub for more.

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↵H/T SBN Arizona

Nothing was working right for the USC Trojans in the first half and it shows on the scoreboard. The Trojans have yet to find the end zone in Tempe, settling for three field goals as the Arizona State Sun Devils opted for touchdowns. At the half, the Sun Devils lead the Trojans, 21-9.

It’s not as though Arizona State is doing anything spectacular, instead just taking advantage of USC miscues. On the first drive of the game, Cameron Marshall, running on a bum ankle, broke free and outran the defense for 70 yards and the touchdown. USC answered with a field goal before Arizona State put another touchdown on the board with a two-yard strike from Brock Osweiler to Gerell Robinson early in the second quarter.

The story of the game: special teams. That’s not really a story. It’s a pair of words. Here’s the story: LSU’s special teams play was far, far better than WVU’s was. The Eers started inside their own 20 on seemingly every drive, and LSU scored a 99-yard kick return touchdown that killed West Virginia’s last charge. That plus four forced turnovers, and Dana Holgorsen’s productive offense essentially did a whole lot of nothing.

Just goes to further show how much talent this LSU team has. Every player that takes the field, even on special teams, feels like a threat to change the game. The Tigers have put themselves to the test more than any other team in the country, and they’ve yet to show any signs of struggle in doing so.

Missouri jumped out to an early lead, outscoring the Sooners by a 14-10 margin in the first quarter while giving the No. 1 team in the land a momentary scare. But Oklahoma rattled off 21 unanswered points, turning a close game into a comfortable 31-14 lead heading into the final frame.

For more on this game, visit our Missouri blog Rock M Nation and our Oklahoma blog Crimson and Cream Machine.

It’s the year of Robert Griffin III in college football and we’re all along for the ride. The Baylor junior continued his outstanding season on Saturday as the Bears easily put away Rice, 56-31. But it was Griffin’s stats that, once again, deserve attention.

Griffin completed 28 of 32 passes for 332 yards and five touchdowns against the Owls while also rushing for 51 yards and a score. His ability to shred a secondary with his arm has been almost mind-boggling, and certainly entertaining to watch. While we’re just three games in, Griffin III is compiling stats at an impressive pace.

With the deck stacked against them, the Eers are going to have to come up with enough big plays to make up for another quarter’s worth of likely rotten field position.

For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit SB Nation’s Nebraska blog Corn Nation and its Wyoming blog, Cowboy Altitude.

For more news, notes and coverage on this game, visit our Florida blog Alligator Army and out Kentucky blog A Sea of Blue.

Here! Take a look! (Click to animate, via @bubbaprog)

A quick check of the games nobody wanted to watch, and for good reason:

Sam Houston State 48, New Mexico 45. At least it was high scoring, but come on Lobos. I guess we should praise them for putting up 45 or something.

They’ve lost by two to Southern Miss and one to Houston, with their only win coming against Central Arkansas. If only for a bounce or two going differently in each game, Sonny Dykes’ crew might have a wholly different record right now.

For more on this game, pay your respects at Mississippi State blog For Whom The Cowbell Tolls.

Vanderbilt intercepted Garcia for the fourth time at the start of the fourth quarter, but the Gamecocks defense held strong and forced a three-and-out.

For more news, notes and coverage of this game, visit our Vanderbilt blog Anchor of Gold and our South Carolina blog Garnet and Black Attack.

Sure, they were just beaten 36-31 by Louisiana-Lafayette, but you didn’t know that was going to happen.

For more on this game, visit our Missouri blog Rock M Nation and our Oklahoma blog Crimson and Cream Machine.

Just like a Simpson episode.

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You can see the video here:

Recall that in 2010, the Tigers defeated the Sooners, 36-27. The Sooners were No. 1 at the time and picked up their first loss.