CFB Blitz: Week 3 early takeaways

College Football Blitz recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward

Georgia found an offense ... and it might need it

Georgia stole victory from the jaws of defeat Saturday thanks to a missed game-winning field goal at the gun by Tennessee. The end result was a dramatic 44-41 win for the Bulldogs in overtime - one that Kirby Smart admitted the Volunteers probably deserved. However, if they end up asking "how?" at the end of the season, the answer may well be Gunner Stockton. The first-year starter delivered in the clutch with one of the best throws you'll see this campaign for a late fourth-quarter touchdown to tie the contest. He rose time and again for the Bulldogs with a 304-yard passing, 38-yard rushing performance that accounted for three touchdowns. A clear takeaway from Saturday is that Georgia has a quarterback it can rely on in the clutch. That's a great sign because the defensive showing suggests the Bulldogs are gonna need Stockton.

Georgia's defense looked like a shell of its usual dominant form under Smart, getting gashed over and over by Tennessee's attack. The Vols averaged over 7 yards per play on the day, finding explosive gains through the air to Chris Brazzell. The Bulldogs' defensive line also sacked Joey Aguilar only once. Georgia may have escaped this time, but major changes are needed before Alabama comes to Athens at the end of September.

Tennessee upgraded at QB

Look, Tennessee ain't in the business of consolation prizes. Still, in this case, the Vols can hold up a trophy for Aguilar's performance against Georgia. He started his day by becoming the first SEC quarterback to go 14-for-14 in one quarter of action in the last 20 years. By the time the dust cleared, Aguilar had a 371-yard passing day with a total of five touchdowns against what's thought to be one of the nation's top defensive units. Not bad for a guy who Tennessee only brought in after Nico Iamaleava bailed to UCLA due to an NIL dispute prior to the season.

They didn't get the win, but Vols fans can revel in Aguilar balling out in a thriller. The fact that it came less than 24 hours after Iamaleava's Bruins were embarrassed at home 35-10 by New Mexico probably doesn't hurt either.

Brent Key doesn't see ranking

There are three guarantees in life in 2025: Death, taxes, and Brent Key's Georgia Tech taking down a ranked ACC opponent. The Yellow Jackets added the latest ranked trophy to their case Saturday, walking off No. 12 Clemson with a 55-yard field goal at the gun to beat the Tigers for the first time in 10 tries. The win pushes Key's record to an outrageous 7-1 versus ranked conference foes and reinforces that he's one of the best college coaches when the odds are against him. Georgia Tech has been an underdog 22 times in Key's tenure, emerging with 12 outright wins in those.

If Key is the architect of the ranked upset, quarterback Haynes King is certainly the foreman of the crew. King dominated an opponent with his arm and legs again, throwing for 211 yards and rushing for 101 yards and a touchdown. His running was especially key on multiple third-down conversions to keep crucial drives alive, including the final one to set up the winning kick.

How far can Georgia Tech ride this momentum? The Yellow Jackets will likely be favored in every game leading up to the season finale against Georgia. Provided they can avoid a slip-up, it's probably time to consider a playoff involving Georgia Tech. Ranked teams, beware.

Clemson's a paper tiger

Look, there's no shame in admitting that you're not the same as you were 7-10 years ago. Things that used to feel easy are now a struggle, and it takes us much longer to recover from what used to feel routine. No, this isn't a conversation about an aging adult's performance in beer league sports, but rather an honest look at the Clemson football program. There's no doubt the Tigers used to rightfully hold a large piece of real estate in any conversation about the nation's top team. Those days now feel ancient, and the likes of Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence ain't walking through that door.

Saturday's loss to Georgia Tech dropped Clemson to a dismal 1-4 mark over its last five games versus power conference competition. The common theme across the letdowns is simple: the offense isn't up to the task. Garrett Riley's attack averaged just 17.25 points in those losses, which is likely significantly less than what the school expected from a coordinator earning a $1.75 million annual salary.

Clemson snuck into the playoff last year based on its narrow ACC title win over SMU, but it finished with four losses for the second straight season. Dabo Swinney went 11 years without that happening, only to see it occur in back-to-back campaigns now. With two losses already on the resume, it seems a safe bet that another four-loss finish is on the way.

Miami owns the south of Florida

The Bulls might have the name on their helmet, but there's no question the best football team in southern Florida resides in Miami. In fact, after three weeks of the season, the Hurricanes might be the most impressive team in the nation. Mario Cristobal's squad added a second ranked win to its resume with a 49-12 blowout of darling USF.

While the Carson Beck transfer has been a massive hit, the addition of Corey Hetherman as the new defensive coordinator might be even more important. The Canes went from an absolute turnstile on defense to one of the best units in the country. The defensive line combo of Akheem Mesidor and Ruben Bain Jr. again dominated Saturday, combining for 12 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and endless quarterback pressures. The Bulls averaged an eye-opening 1.5 yards per rush in the contest, only finding the end zone once with the game out of reach in the fourth quarter.

With the south of Florida now claimed, the Hurricanes turn their attention further north to the team from Gainesville, with the Gators next on the slate. Win that, and Miami will enter the bulk of its ACC schedule as the hottest team in the country.

Texas officially has an Arch problem

OK, so high school recruiting rankings might not be the most reliable way to evaluate talent. That's definitely one big takeaway from Saturday's matchup between UTEP and Texas - a game that shouldn't have even required our attention. On one sideline was the No. 1 quarterback in the class of 2023, Malachi Nelson, now at his third stop on his collegiate journey. On the other sideline was the second-ranked passer in that class, Arch Manning. With all due respect to Nelson, this isn't about him. He threw for almost 100 yards more than Manning, but that's not a lofty achievement considering Texas' signal-caller posted just 114 passing yards.

For the third straight start, Manning underwhelmed when throwing the football, at one point tossing 10 consecutive incompletions in the 27-10 home win against the Miners. On the road at Ohio State is one thing, but competition like UTEP was supposed to be Manning's opportunity to get things right before the SEC schedule begins. Instead, the opposite is true, and the final stat line reads 11-for-25, 114 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and a million questions.

Manning again showed his excellent running ability with 51 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. That part of his game has lived up to the hype, but that was supposed to be part of the elite package - not THE whole thing.

Simpson's an elite homer

Ty Simpson loves him some home cooking in Tuscaloosa. The first-year starter for Alabama may have seemed overwhelmed in the season-opening loss at Florida State, but he looked every bit the part of an elite quarterback at home. Though he wasn't perfect like last week's 17-for-17 performance versus Louisiana Monroe, Simpson was damn close to a repeat showing against Wisconsin. He finished with a sparkling 24-of-29 throwing day for a whopping 382 yards and four touchdowns.

Perhaps the best sign for Alabama fans was the return of electric playmaker Ryan Williams. Coming back from a concussion, the second-year receiver stepped into a starring role, recording five catches for over 160 yards and two scores, including the latest reminder that most humans don't move like him.

Virginia Tech, WYD?

If you're a real estate agent in Blacksburg, Virginia, you might wanna pop a business card in Brent Pry's mailbox. After yet another Virginia Tech home embarrassment at Lane Stadium, it's become a matter of when, not if, the coach loses his job as the Hokies' frontman. Last week, Vanderbilt shut out Virginia Tech 34-0 in the second half. This week, Old Dominion stormed out to a 28-0 lead in the opening 30 minutes. That's a jaw-dropping 62-0 run allowed over a 60-minute stretch - all at home. That alone should be enough to signal the end of Pry's tenure with Virginia Tech.

Sherrone's away, Bryce gets to play

With coach Sherrone Moore away serving the first of his two-game suspension, interim boss Biff Poggi turned the keys of the Michigan car over to freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood. The No. 1 player in the 2025 class was largely heralded as a dangerous dual-threat quarterback, but he rushed just five times for minus-6 yards in the opening two weeks of play. With Poggi the captain now, Underwood took to the ground to pile up a whopping 114 yards rushing and two scores in a 63-3 blowout of Central Michigan. While it's only natural that Underwood is a work in progress as a passer with the local product just months out of high school, his running ability translates to any level and should be a heavy part of the package next week against Nebraska.

Backyard Brawl never fails

The return of the Backyard Brawl in 2022 after an 11-year hiatus was great news for fans who love chaos in college football. Although it's not one of the nation's most followed rivalries, the game between Pitt and West Virginia typically devolves into mayhem in some capacity. Saturday's playing in Morgantown was no exception. The Mountaineers raced to an 11-point lead before Pitt flipped the script despite doing almost nothing on offense in that span.

That helped Pitt push to a 24-14 lead with less than half the fourth quarter to play - enough to win most college games, but not the Backyard Brawl. West Virginia responded with 10 points in the final 5:03, including the game-tying touchdown with 11 seconds left to keep the madness going into overtime. A touchdown and a defensive stand later, and the couches were ready to be lit in Morgantown for the Mountaineers' win.

The numbers underscore the madness in one of the most ridiculous games of the season: five different players had passing attempts, and the teams combined for over 160 plays, 20 penalties, nine sacks, and 16 tackles for loss. Now it's up to the schedule-makers to ensure we never go another year without the Backyard Brawl.