With two highway wins towards Energy 5 competitors by means of three weeks, No. 23 Penn State has taken care of enterprise in September and set a course for 9 or extra wins through the common season.
Saturday’s 41-12 win at Auburn even included magnificence factors. To begin with, successful by 29 factors towards an SEC opponent at the same time as downtrodden because the Tigers speaks for itself.
Add in an offense that gained 477 yards, averaged 6.3 yards per carry and 10.1 yards per move try. Two freshmen working backs with excessive potential, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, mixed for 176 yards and 4 touchdowns — one, Singleton’s 54-yard rating within the fourth quarter, put a dent within the idea of SEC pace.
Defensively, PSU compelled 4 turnovers, hassled Auburn quarterback T.J. Finley and held the Tigers’ working sport to only 119 yards on 36 carries.
Extra so than the slender season-opening win at Purdue, the victory validates the Nittany Lions’ place within the USA TODAY Sports activities AFCA Coaches Ballot and hints on the rising risk that PSU might land within the New 12 months’s Six.
To get into certainly one of these main bowl video games, the Nittany Lions should keep away from stumbling towards the third and fourth tiers of the Huge Ten — Northwestern, Indiana, Maryland, Rutgers — and earn a break up within the 4 video games that can decide whether or not they earn any kind of nationwide respect: Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State and Michigan State.
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After two middling seasons below James Franklin, the win not less than ensures that PSU deserves to be included among the many greatest groups within the convention. For Auburn, there’s just one approach this factor goes to finish: in a training change.
The Nittany Lions, Tigers and others lead the record of winners and losers from Week 3 of the 2022 season:
Winners
Oregon
No. 24 Oregon will regain some credibility and earn a spot close to the highest of the Pac-12 energy rankings after handing No. 14 Brigham Younger a 41-20 loss. Bo Nix and the Geese’ offense had 439 yards, 24 first downs and 11.4 yards per move try, delivering the second very robust efficiency in two weeks after starting the 12 months with a blowout loss to Georgia. Whereas that defeat could linger within the minds of some voters, topping the Cougars by three touchdowns ought to reinforce Oregon’s place as one of many groups to beat within the convention race.
Alabama, Georgia, and so forth.
One other weekend of video games towards overmatched competitors resulted in a collection of lopsided wins for the most effective of the most effective within the FBS. 4 of the highest groups in motion Saturday afternoon — No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Georgia, No. 5 Michigan and No. 6 Oklahoma — received by a mixed rating of 219-28. One week after struggling to place away Texas, the Crimson Tide had three non-offensive touchdowns in a 63-7 win towards Louisiana-Monroe.
Washington
The Huskies are not a secret after a 39-28 win towards No. 9 Michigan State. Sneaking below the radar after an uneven two seasons below former coach Jimmy Lake, UW remained neglected following straightforward wins towards Kent State and Portland State however is destined for this week’s High 25. New coach Kalen DeBoer has made a direct affect on the standard of the Huskies’ offense and particularly on quarterback play: Indiana switch Michael Penix Jr. had 4 touchdowns towards the Spartans, giving him 10 on the season with only one interception.
LSU
It is attention-grabbing to consider the vibe round LSU had the Tigers misplaced to Mississippi State and fallen to 1-2 in Brian Kelly’s first season. Not good, proper? As an alternative, the 2-1 Tigers scored 21 factors within the fourth quarter and beat the Bulldogs 31-16 to safe Kelly’s first SEC win. With New Mexico and Auburn up subsequent, LSU needs to be 4-1 earlier than assembly Tennessee on Oct. 8.
Appalachian State
On the identical day the college performed host to ESPN’s “Faculty GameDay,” the Mountaineers pulled off probably the most unbelievable end of the season’s opening month. Together with his crew trailing Solar Belt rival Troy 28-26 with two seconds left and the ball close to midfield, Appalachian State quarterback Chase Brice’s desperation heave was tipped by a gaggle of Troy defenders and deflected into the arms of broad receiver Christan Horn, who caught the ball across the 7-yard line and weaved round the best aspect to finish the unbelievable win. It has been a memorable week for the Mountaineers, who upset Texas A&M final Saturday.
Kansas
The Jayhawks are the most effective story in school soccer. Now 3-0 after topping Houston 48-30, Kansas is approach forward of schedule below second-year coach Lance Leipold and in vary of this system’s first bowl bid since 2008. This teaching employees has performed an enormous position within the improvement of third-year quarterback Jalon Daniels, who had 281 yards of whole offense, 123 approaching the bottom, and 5 touchdowns within the upset of the Cougars. That KU is surging will put Leipold on the record for each important job opening within the Huge Ten footprint, starting with Nebraska.
Texas A&M
The No. 22 Aggies had been in a position to proper the ship towards No. 13 Miami (Fla.), because the protection locked down a 17-9 victory that reinserts some optimism right into a season that would’ve run off the rails with a loss. The offense appeared higher at occasions behind new beginning quarterback Max Johnson, the previous LSU switch who changed a struggling Haynes King, however was nonetheless slowed down by usually conservative and unimaginative play calling and design. Whereas the Hurricanes deserve some credit score, the Aggies gained simply 265 yards
Losers
Auburn
Auburn coach Bryan Harsin is the subsequent Energy 5 coach going through extraordinarily dire job safety after the Tigers’ ugly loss at dwelling. Whereas the primary lack of Auburn’s season, the efficiency Saturday comes simply seven days after the Tigers struggled to place away San Jose State and simply because the crew turns to SEC play. Auburn takes on Missouri subsequent weekend in essential sport earlier than going through LSU, Georgia and Mississippi.
Notre Dame
The primary win of the Marcus Freeman period very practically wasn’t: Notre Dame was in a position to sneak previous California 24-17 after pulling down the Golden Bears’ potential game-tying heave into the tip zone as time expired. Whereas the win ought to relieve some stress amid a really poor begin to the 12 months, points on offense stay a serious concern. The Preventing Irish gained simply 297 yards on 64 performs towards an opponent that ranked fiftieth nationally in yards allowed per play regardless of going through UC Davis and UNLV to open the 12 months.
Brigham Younger
Beating Oregon would’ve given BYU two wins towards groups which will find yourself successful a Energy 5 championship, becoming a member of final week’s double-overtime victory towards No. 19 Baylor. That might’ve despatched the Cougars rising up the Coaches Ballot and in place to crash the Faculty Soccer Playoff with an unbeaten common season, particularly with high-profile video games nonetheless to return towards Notre Dame and Arkansas. Whereas nonetheless in vary of a nine-win season, BYU will not be an element within the race for the highest 4.
Nebraska
With interim coach Mickey Joseph on the sidelines rather than Scott Frost, Nebraska scored the primary and final factors in a non-conference rivalry sport towards No. 6 Oklahoma. Sadly, these two touchdowns merely sandwiched a 49-point scoring barrage that represents the most recent low level for this stumbling program. Led by one other 100-yard sport from working again Eric Grey, the Sooners put up 580 yards of whole offense and had 31 first downs whereas holding Nebraska to only 4.3 yards per play.
Georgia’s protection
Effectively, the Bulldogs gave up a landing. It took till the ultimate moments of the fourth quarter of the blowout of South Carolina and concerned the backups to the backups protection, snapping Georgia’s run of touchdown-free play to start out the 12 months at 179 minutes and seven seconds. The Bulldogs have now given up 10 factors in three video games. How embarrassing, proper?