Sept. 13 West Virginia 40, at Maryland 37 
And You Care Because … Josh Lambert nailed a 47-yard field goal to give West Virginia the win in a wild shootout. Clint Trickett threw for 511 yards and four touchdowns with scoring plays to Mario Alford from 43 and 36 yards out, but Maryland came back from down 28-6 helped by a 75-yard C.J. Brown touchdown run along with a slew of Mountaineer special teams mistakes. William Likely tied the game for the Terps on a 69-yard punt return for a score midway through the fourth, but the two offenses finally slowed down until Trickett led WVU on a 13-play drive leading to the Lambert game-winner. 
What Else? West Virginia QB Clint Trickett completed 37-of-49 passes for 511 yards and four touchdowns with a pick. Kevin White caught 13 passes for 216 yards and a score, and Mario Alford caught 11 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown. 
– Maryland QB C.J. Brown completed 19-of-35 passes for 241 yards and a score with a pick, and ran 18 times for 161 yards and a touchdown. 
– Special teams almost killed West Virginia with a muffed punt, a punt return allowed for a score, and a missed field goal, but a blocked punt led to a key safety to give the Mountaineers a three point lead. 
– West Virginia LB Nick Kwiatkoski made 12 tackles with two broken up passes and three tackles for loss. 
Game Rating: A 

Sept. 13 Georgia Tech 42, Georgia Southern 38 
And You Care Because … The Yellow Jackets blew a 35-10 halftime lead, but rallied for the win on a Justin Thomas to Deon Hill touchdown pass with 23 seconds left in the game. The teams, which run a similar style of offense, combined for more than 600 yards on the ground. It was a must-win for oft-criticized Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson, who could ill-afford a loss at home to a Sun Belt team. 
What Else? Thomas was not the problem on this day. He led the Yellow Jackets with 137 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while adding an un-Tech-like four touchdown passes. 
– The Georgia Tech defense was a disaster in the second half, but credit Eagle QB Kevin Ellison with the rally. He not only rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown, but also completed 7-of-10 for 164 yards and a touchdown operating Willie Fritz’s new spread attack. 
– Coordinator Ted Roof must fix a defense that got whipped at the point of attack over the final 30 minutes. The Yellow Jackets’ tackling and instincts were awful today. 
– Georgia Southern needs to get the ball in the hands of sophomore RB Matt Breida more often. He’s averaging almost 10 yards a carry this season, including 111 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just 11 touches Saturday. 
Game Rating: A 

Sept. 13 East Carolina 28, at Virginia Tech 21 
And You Care Because … East Carolina got up to a 21-0 first quarter lead, but needed a one-yard Shane Carden run with 16 seconds to play to pull off the win. Carden threw three touchdown passes to three different receivers to cap off three long drives for the big lead, but Virginia Tech woke up and came back with 21 straight points on three Michael Brewer touchdown passes including two to Isaiah Ford from 21 and 15 yards out. ECU had one last drive, and Carden came through with two long pass plays to Cam Worthy, and helped by two penalties, to down to the one for his game-winning score. 
What Else? Virginia Tech’s defense was ripped apart early, but it made the changes needed and allowed the offense to get back in the game. It wasn’t enough, but the Hokie offense ended up holding on to the ball for 36:40 with Michael Brewer throwing 56 times for 298 yards and three scores with two picks. 
– East Carolina QB Shane Carden was magnificent early and late, completing 23-of-47 passes for 427 yards and three scores, and running for 13 yards and the game-winning touchdown. 
– ECU star WR Justin Hardy caught four passes for 47 yards. Cam Worthy was the star, catching six passes for 224 yards including the two key plays on the game-winning drive. 
– East Carolina stalled way too often because of penalties. The team committed 13 for 114 yards. 
Game Rating: A- 

Sept. 13 at Virginia 23, Louisville 21 
And You Care Because … Ian Frye nailed a 42-yard field goal in the final minutes and the defense held on as Virginia got by Louisville in a mistake-prone day. The Cardinals turned it over four times, Virginia three, with the winning field goal coming off a muffed punt return by UofL’s James Quick. The Cavaliers got up to a 20-7 lead going into the fourth helped by two Frye field goals and a ten-yard touchdown run from Greyson Lambert, but Louisville roared back in the fourth with two decent scoring drives with a short touchdown run from Dominique Brown and a four-yard catch from Quick for a 23-21 lead before Frye was able to get the job done. 
What Else? Neither offense got too much going with both running games held to just 2.9 yards. Virginia’ Kevin Parks ran for 66 yards on 22 carries, while Louisville’s Dominique Brown ran 20 times for 74 yards. 
– Virginia QB Greyson Lambert ran for a score, but he was under pressure for most of the game, completing just 13-of-24 passes for 162 yards and a score with a pick. Louisville’s Will Gardner had a rough day, completing 14-of-34 throws for 164 yards with two touchdowns and a pick. 
– Louisville FS Gerod Holliman came up with six tackles, a forced fumble and two picks. 
– Virginia DE Eli Harold made three tackles with two sacks, and LB Max Valles made four tackles with four broken up passes. 
Game Rating: B 

Sept. 13 Pittsburgh 42, Florida International 25 
And You Care Because … Pitt shook off a slow start, erasing an early 16-0 deficit to zip past Florida International. The Golden Panthers pulled to within 26-19 early in the fourth quarter, but the Panthers pulled away for good on a safety and two James Conner touchdowns over the final eight minutes. Pitt showed resiliency, albeit versus a weaker opponent, to run its record to 3-0. 
What Else? Conner continued to run like an All-American, carrying the Panthers with 177 yards and three scores on 30 carries. He’s yet to be slowed down by any of Pitt’s first three opponents. 
– Florida International got a spark on offense from young QB Alex McGough, who subbed nicely for starter E.J. Hilliard. The rookie hit on 17-of-32 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns. 
– For a time, it looked as if this might be the signature win Golden Panther coach Ron Turner has been seeking. While FIU couldn’t close the deal, there were hints of progress for the program in its second year under Turner. 
– If someone figures out how to corral Conner, Pitt is in trouble. The passing game has been impotent so far with Chad Voytik at the controls, producing just 98 yards and a touchdown versus a bad Conference USA team. 
Game Rating: C 

Sept. 13 at Miami 41, Arkansas State 20 
And You Care Because … Brad Kayya threw four touchdown passes finding Phillip Dorsett on two 63-yard scoring plays, and Duke Johnson and Gus Edwards each ran for long scoring runs in a relatively easy win. ASU stayed alive on a Fredi Knighten one-yard touchdown run and a 19-yard catch, but the second Dorsett touchdown catch. 
What Else? Miami QB Brady Kaaya completed 16-of-24 passes for 342 yards and four touchdowns with a pick
– Arkansas State QB Fredi Knighten completed 22-of-40 passes for 217 yards, was held to five yards on 19 carries, and caught a 19-yard touchdown pass. 
– Miami WR Phillip Dorsett caught four passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. 
– Penalties: Miami 11 for 93 yards – Arkansas State 9 for 84 yards. 
Game Rating: C- 

Sept. 13 NC State 49, at South Florida 17 
And You Care Because … NC State’s offense exploded, and the defense came up with three takeaways, in the easy blowout. The Wolfpack to up 49-7 with Bra’Lon Cherry scoring three touchdowns from 17, 17 and three yards out, and Matt Dayes taking off for a 34-yard touchdown. USF tied the score at seven on a 75-yard Ryeshene Bronson touchdown catch, but didn’t get back on the board until the final minutes, getting the only other touchdown on a 46-yard pick six from Lamar Robbins with 46 seconds to play. 
What Else? NC State WR Bra’Lon Cherry caught three passes for 50 yards and a score, and ran twice for 20 yards and two touchdowns. 
– Other than the 75-yard Ryeshene Bronson touchdown catch, USF managed just 84 yards of total offense. 
– NC State QB Jacoby Brissett completed 20-of-29 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns. 
– USF quarterbacks combined to complete 5-of-20 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown with two picks. 
Game Rating: D+ 

Sept. 13 at Duke 41, Kansas 3 
And You Care Because … Duke jumped out to a 17-0 first quarter lead with a 36-yard Max McCaffrey touchdown catch and a 69-yard scoring dash from Shaun Wilson. Kansas came up with a 34-yard Matthew Wyman field goal late in the first quarter, but then it was all Duke scoring 24 unanswered points including Wilson touchdown dashes from 68 and 45 yards out and a ten-yard McCaffrey catch. 
What Else? Duke RB Shaun Wilson ran 12 times for 245 yards and three touchdowns averaging 20.4 yards per carry. 
– Kansas QB Montell Cozart completed 11-of-27 passes for 89 yards and two picks. He also ran eight times for 30 yards. 
– Kansas P Trevor Pardula averaged 51.8 yards per punt on his eight attempts putting two inside the20. 
– Duke outgained Kansas 511 yards to 297.
Game Rating: D 

Sept. 13 Syracuse 40, at Central Michigan 3 
And You Care Because … It was a very impressive win for the Orange, which came out of its bye week refreshed and sharp. Syracuse thoroughly dominated a Central Michigan team that beat Purdue—in West Lafayette—just a week earlier. The Orange and coach Scott Shafer corrected the problems it had with Villanova in the opener, and now looks like a team that can nab one of the ACC’s automatic bowl berths in December. 
What Else? The Orange controlled the line of scrimmage throughout, outgaining the Chippewas on the ground, 289-34. Adonis Ameen-Moore rushed for 106 yards, and QB Terrel Hunt scored three times on the ground. 
– While it probably wouldn’t have impacted the outcome, Central Michigan was without two of its best weapons, RB Thomas Rawls and WR Titus Davis. Davis is injured, while Rawls was mysteriously scratched on Friday. 
– Hunt didn’t stretch the Central Michigan defense in this one, but he didn’t have to either. He went 20-of-30 for 175 yards, a touchdown to Brisly Estime and no interceptions. 
– While the loss doesn’t rest on the shoulders of Cooper Rush, it’s clear the young quarterback can lead the offense without the help of Rawls. Rush had just one completion beyond 20 yards, and the Chips were 1-of-10 on third downs.
Game Rating: D-