Inside The College Football Boxscores Week 3 – Part 3

Fargo looks past the top line scores and goes deep into the box scores to get a better picture of what really happened for all of the FBS games the past weekend.

Iowa 47, UMass 7

Iowa scored its most points since it put up 51 points against Maryland in 2021 as it put up 20 points in the first quarter and never looked back. After three and outs on its first three possessions, UMass blocked a punt and got it down to the Iowa 21-yard line and scored four plays later and that was it as the Hawkeyes put up 27 unanswered points after that. They outgained the Minutemen 435-119 while going 10-16 on third down with the defense not allowing a third down conversion in 12 tries.

Texas A&M 41, Notre Dame 40

It was another tough loss for Notre Dame as a muffed snap on an extra point proved costly. Notre Dame struck first with a blocked punt for a touchdown but Texas A&M responded with an 86-yard touchdown pass. The first half closed with two Aggies scores as they took their first lead and after Notre Dame got the lead late in the fourth quarter but missed the point after, Texas A&M got the game winner with 13 seconds left. The Aggies won the yards 488-429 but 13 penalties for 86 yards set them back some.

Kentucky 48, Eastern Michigan 23

Kentucky jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead and while Eastern Michigan added a pair of field goals after, the Wildcats sandwiched those with two more touchdowns for a 28-6 lead but the Eagles made it a game with 10 points before halftime. The Wildcats then scored 20 straight points before a garbage touchdown from Eastern Michigan. The Wildcats outgained the Eagles by only 31 yards but Eastern Michigan was just 5-18 on third and fourth down and settled for too many field goal attempts.

LSU 20, Florida 10

The defenses dominated the entire game with LSU leading 13-10 at halftime and both stop units did not allow a point in the second half as it was the Tigers defense that sealed the game with a 58-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter. The Gators outgained LSU 366-316 but they ran 28 more plays and a total of five interceptions killed any offensive momentum as their last seven drives ended with four interceptions and three punts. LSU won the yppl 6.1 to 4.8.

Louisiana Tech 49, New Mexico State 14

It was all Louisiana Tech early as it opened up a 24-0 lead early in the second quarter but New Mexico St. made a game of it with a pair of touchdowns before the Bulldogs hit a late field goal to take a 13-point lead into halftime. After no scoring in the third quarter, the Bulldogs scored on a 20-yard fumble recovery, part of a 22-0 fourth quarter. Louisiana Tech outrushed the Aggies 353-27 (5.4-1.6 ypc) as it ran 35 more plays thanks to an 11-minute edge in time of possession.

East Carolina 38, Coastal Carolina 0

The Pirates pitched a shutout as they gave up 239 total yards and allowed Coastal Carolina in the redzone only once as they forced five turnovers, five punts and a missed field goal. The East Carolina offense struggled early as it got inside the Chanticleers redzone four times in the first half but came away with only 10 points. The Pirates backed it up with four second half touchdowns and overall they finished with 497 total yards but that was on 86 plays for just 5.8 yppl so it was not great.

Vanderbilt 31, South Carolina 7

Vanderbilt came out strong as it went 73 yards in nine plays on its opening possession but South Carolina responded with a 75-yard drive to tie the game but it was all Commodores after that. The Gamecocks lost quarterback LaNorris Sellers in the second quarter and while the offense kept up, they committed four turnovers that wiped out 132 yards while turning over on downs twice. Vanderbilt got outgained by South Carolina by five yards, 328-323 while yppl were dead even at 5.2.

Navy 42, Tulsa 23

Navy started sloppily as it ran 12 plays in its first three possessions, all of which resulted in turnovers and two of those allowed Tulsa to jump out to a 14-0 lead. The Midshipmen were able to right the ship as they tied the game and eventually took a lead into halftime, part of a 28-0 run that put the game away. Navy scored touchdowns in six of seven drives following those turnovers and overall they outgained the Golden Hurricane 461-329 as it rushed for 367 yards on 63 carries (5.8 ypc).

Tulane 34, Duke 27

Tulane took a 24-3 lead late in the second quarter as it scored on four of its first five possessions but Duke made a game of it as it went on a 75-yard touchdown drive before halftime and recovered a fumble three plays into the second half and scored another touchdown to make it an eight-point game before the Green Wave pulled away. The Blue Devils outgained Tulane 452-426 but ran 12 more plays and was outgained 6.8 to 6.0 in yppl and 124 of the Duke yards came on its last two drives.

Utah 31, Wyoming 6

Despite holding just a 3-0 lead at halftime, Utah dominated as it had 257 yards but missed three field goals and fumbled at the Wyoming three-yard line. The Utes turned things around as they scored a touchdown on all four second half possessions. Utah outgained the Cowboys 541-229 as it had an 11-minute edge in time of possession which led to running 29 more plays. In the Cowboys first eight possessions, they punted six times and turned it over twice with the touchdown coming in garbage time.

UAB 31, Akron 28

It was a first half shootout as it was back and forth until UAB eventually pulled ahead by 11 points at the break. Akron was able to pull within three points as it scored early in the fourth quarter, the only points from either side in the second half. The Zips had the ball with 1:44 remaining at their own 20 but threw three incomplete passes and was sacked on fourth down. It was pretty even along with the score as Akron outgained UAB 441-421 and had a slight edge in yppl 5.7 to 5.5.

Utah State 49, Air Force 30

Utah St. recovered a fumble on the Falcons first drive and converted that into a 27-yard touchdown drive and the Aggies led the entire way. Air Force cut the lead to 14-10 at halftime but trailed by double digits the remainder of the game after Utah St. went 75 yards for a touchdown on its opening second half possession. The Aggies outgained Air Force by just 28 yards but ran 28 fewer plays and outgained the Falcons 8.4 to 5.3 in yppl and took advantage of three turnovers that led to 14 points.

Arizona State 34, Texas State 15

Arizona St. and Texas St. traded first quarter field goals and then the Sun Devils ran off 24 unanswered points between the second and third quarters to pull away. The Bobcats got hardly anything going early as they had 137 yards in their first seven possessions while putting up 166 yards in their final three possessions when the game was already decided. Arizona St. won the yardage 433-303 and outgained Texas St. 6.5 to 3.9 in yppl while winning the turnover battle 2-0.

Stanford 30, Boston College 20

Stanford opened with a pair of field goals but Boston College seized control with 17 unanswered points. The Cardinal cut the lead back to four points following a 69-yard touchdown pass and then picked off a Boston College pass two plays later and returned it for a touchdown. The Stanford defense forced four second half punts and recovered a fumble in their own endzone when the Eagles were going for the tie. Boston College outgained Stanford by 10 yards but were -3 in turnover margin.

California 27, Minnesota 14

There were seven combined punts in the first eight possessions between California and Minnesota with the Golden Bears able to break through with a late first quarter touchdown. Minnesota took its first lead late in the third quarter before California scored the final 17 points of the game. The Golden Bears outgained Minnesota by only five yards but it was a bad second half for the Golden Gophers as in their five possessions, they tossed an interception, missed a field goal and turned it over on downs twice.

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