The Week 3 college football slate looked strong, but delivered more than anyone could have expected. No. 13 Texas Tech survived a battle with No. 22 Houston in an instant classic in Lubbock, while No. 5 Miami got a nearly record-setting performance from QB Darian Mensah. Then, No. 23 Louisville beat No. 16 SMU to take control of the ACC title race, and Kentucky picked up its first top 10 victory under coach Will Stein.
But more than the wins, a few individual performances have defined the weekend, with more coming together as of publication. In the night slate, No. 7 LSU and No. 8 Ole Miss battle in the game of the weekend. Auburn and Florida are also locked in a fight, while BYU tries to outlast Colorado State in a highly competitive game.
But before those go final, here are the winners and losers of Week 3 early in the primetime slate. Usually, we wait until the end of the primetime games to include them as winners, but Trinidad Chambliss's start against LSU will go down in history. On a night where the spotlight was on former coach Lane Kiffin, Chambliss wrested it away with a magical performance.
The senior completed 15-of-19 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown as the Rebels took a stunning 17-0 halftime lead against No. 7 LSU. The numbers barely do credit to his brilliance as Chambliss bought time and created opportunities with his otherworldly ability to create on the run. Ole Miss has to survive a second-half onslaught against LSU -- perhaps the most expensive roster in college football.
But if they can, Chambliss's performance will be commemorated forever in Oxford. NC State put itself into hallowed territory with its loss to Vanderbilt: They pulled off arguably the worst final football play of all time. Leading by three points with seconds remaining, all the Wolfpack had to do was fall down.
A safety would all but clinch the win, and that appeared to be the call. Instead, quarterback CJ Bailey tried to make something happen with his legs to buy more time. Vanderbilt stripped the ball and recovered in the end zone with one second left on the clock to pull off a stunning 35-31 victory.
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