2020 College Football Insider | Week 3

2020 - Week 3 COLLEGE FOOTBALL

INSIDER | 2020 | WEEK 3

Quote of the week “We didn’t want to let the Sun Belt down. Hopefully people back on the East Coast were awake to see it.”

- Coastal Carolina Head Coach Jamey Chadwell after the upset victory over Kansas

team TO WATCH: Georgia Tech Georgia Tech entered 2020 with some unknowns. How will the transition from option offense to spread work?

How will true freshman quarterback Jeff Sims hold up?

Those questions, for now, were answered in a 16-13 come-from-behind victory on Saturday at Florida State.

The win was Georgia Tech’s first road opening victory since 1996.

Sims held up under pressure, throwing for 277 yards and two touchdowns while adding a team-leading 64 yards on the ground. After throwing two early interceptions, the Yellow Jackets were down 10-0 going into halftime.

The defense rallied and the offense got back on track before freshman kicker Jude Kelley connected on a 32-yard field goal with just under nine minutes left to seal the game.

Georgia Tech opens its home schedule this week against 2018-19 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl participant No. 14 UCF. Kickoff is set for Saturday at 12:30 PM (AZ Time) on ABC.

team of the week: Louisiana For the first time since 1943, the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns find themselves in the Associated Press Top 25 after pulling off the upset of the weekend with a 31-14 win at then-ranked No. 23 Iowa State. The victory was the Ragin’ Cajuns first Top 25 road victory after going 0-26 in previous matchups.

Special teams was well, special, for Louisiana.

Sophomore running back Chris Smith ignited his team with a 95-yard kick return to tie the game early in the second quarter. Junior cornerback Eric Garror followed suit with an 83-yard punt return in the fourth to cap things off.

The Ragin’ Cajuns’ defense came up big in Ames, limiting the Cyclones passing game to 145 yards and forcing two turnovers.

Louisiana will look to keep its Top 25 honor next week as it takes on Georgia State on September 19.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2020 | WEEK 3

games of the week

AP Week 3 Rankings

TULSA AT #11 OKLAHOMA STATE

1. CLEMSON

6. LSU

2. ALABAMA

7. NOTRE DAME

9.19 | 9 AM | ESPN

3. OKLAHOMA

8. AUBURN

4. GEORGIA

9. TEXAS

5. FLORIDA

10. TEXAS A&M

SOUTH FLORIDA AT #7 NOTRE DAME 9.19 | 12:30 PM | USA

#14 UCF AT GEORGIA TECH 9.19 | 12:30 PM | ABC

Where is College Gameday?

College Gameday is headed to Louisville, Kentucky, to see the only Top 25 matchup of the week as No. 17 Miami takes on No. 18 Louisville. Will the turnover chain make an appearance on the road or

THE CITADEL AT #1 CLEMSON 9.19 | 1 PM | ACCN

will the Cardinals defend their home turf?

Gameday looked a bit different last week but fans were still able to participate online and send in their best Gameday Signs on Twitter.

Fans will be able to join in on the fun by heading to

#17 MIAMI AT #18 LOUISVILLE 9.19 | 4:30 PM | ABC

collegegameday.com for a chance to join virtually and rep their team.

College Gameday airs Saturday, September 12 at 6:00 AM AZ Time.

For a full schedule of Week Three games, click here. (All times in AZ)

Bowl Predictions ESPN Bonagura: Auburn vs Texas ESPN Schlabach: Oklahoma State vs Cincinnati CBS: Texas A&M vs Cincinnati Sporting News: Cincinnati vs LSU USA Today: Texas vs Cincinnati 247 Sports: UCF vs Texas

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2020 | WEEK 3

1980 – A Decade of the Fiesta Penn State and Ohio State battled in one of the outstanding bowl match-ups of the 1980 season.

The game could have gone either way, as both teams had several opportunities to win.

But it was the Nittany Lions defense that held their ground in the second half to help PSU overcome a 19-10 halftime deficit and post a 31-19 victory in front of a then-record crowd of 66,738.

alumni highlight: Trevor Lawrence The 2019 Fiesta Bowl Offensive Player of the Game kicked off his 2020 campaign in a big way, dominating Wake Forest 37-13. The Heisman Trophy frontrunner threw for 351 yards on 22-of-28 passing. The story of his game, however, came on the ground as the junior rushed for two touchdowns.

While some may be surprised at Lawrence’s rushing ability, Fiesta Bowl fans are not after watching him burn the Ohio State defense for a 67-yard rush in one of the Fiesta Bowl’s defining plays.

Lawrence’s performance earned him ACC Quarterback of the Week honors and was the first time a Clemson player had 350-plus yards passing and multiple rushing touchdowns since Tajh Boyd in 2012.

Lawrence and the Tigers remain No. 1 in the polls and get ready to take on The Citadel on Saturday at 1 PM on ACC Network.

The game had several fireworks, and it didn’t take long to set them off. On Penn State’s first play from scrimmage, Curt Warner took a handoff off left tackle and sprinted 64 yards for a touchdown for a 7-0 advantage.

It didn’t faze Ohio State, however, as the Buckeyes promptly scored 19 straight points. Quarterback Art Schlichter completed 15 of 22 first-half passes for 244 yards and three touchdowns. Two of his TD tosses went to split end Doug Donley and the other to Gary Williams.

Penn State came out of the locker room like gangbusters in the second half, scoring a touchdown in less than five minutes on a three-yard quarterback keeper by Todd Blackledge.

PSU then turned to its ground game. Jonathan Williams had a four-yard TD run to give PSU the lead, and Booker Moore added a 37-yard dash to secure the win in the 1980 Fiesta Bowl.

A little-known fact is that Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban coached in this game as defensive backs coach for Ohio State.

EPISODE 10 - Mack Brown This episode we are joined by College Football Hall of Fame and current North Carolina Head Coach Mack Brown. Brown joins us to talk his return to coaching, Matthew McConaughey stories from Texas, what leadership means to him and his 2009 Fiesta Bowl victory.

We’ll bring you a new interview-style conversation twice a month with some of the biggest names in college football and college athletics.

Please subscribe and keep an eye out for our updated episodes.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2020 | WEEK 3

MORE THAN JUST A GAME® Fiesta Bowl Charities: Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers More than 80 years after being founded by 15 Arizona educators with $78.75, Desert Financial has joined with the Fiesta Bowl to become title sponsor of the Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers program For the fifth consecutive year, the Fiesta Bowl Organization will honor, celebrate and support Arizona teachers with the opening of applications for the Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers program.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Volunteer Spotlight: Kailey Warren

All Arizona K-12 public and charter school teachers are eligible, with the application period open through October 16. Fill out the online application at www.wishesforteachers.org, detailing the teacher’s school or classroom need. After meeting the criteria, wishes are selected at random for 200 teachers to each receive a $2,500 grant.

One of the favorite memories Kailey Warren has of her younger self is as a seven-year old, sitting in a Hummer with her dad, Yellow Jacket Committee member Rick Warren, as they took in the Fiesta Bowl Parade, with all the excitement and pageantry swirling around her.

Kailey was also proudly alongside her father at events such as the Fiesta Bowl Hole-in-One Challenge and the Duck Race.

But one thing always bothered her.

“When she was younger, she used to make fun of the color of my jacket,” Rick said. “It was something she saw all the time, and as a little kid she used to tease me about my yellow jacket.”

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2020 | WEEK 3

JAN. 2, 2021 S TATE FAR M STAD IUM

D ATE & TIME TBD C HASE FIE LD

FIESTABOWL.ORG /FIESTABOWL

@FIESTA_BOWL

/CACTUSBOWL

@CACTUSBOWL

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2020 | WEEK 3