Week 3 of the college football season came with plenty of heroes and a few goats as well. College Football 24/7 takes a look draft prospects who made some noise, for better or worse.
Winners
Jabrill Peppers, LB, Michigan
It's safe to say the Wolverines' most versatile player has settled into his new role as a linebacker. Peppers tallied 9 tackles on Saturday against Colorado, with 3.5 of those for losses, including a sack. Michigan won, 45-28, thanks not only in part to Peppers' play on defense, but to his 54-yard punt return for a touchdown, as well. Just another Saturday for one of the game's most remarkable athletes.
Lamar Jackson QB, Louisville
Jackson critics spent the week pointing out that the exciting sophomore's wondrous start to the season was a function of playing outmanned defenses from Charlotte and Syracuse. If they aren't believers now, they'll at least have to find some other reason to doubt Jackson after he shredded the Seminoles defense in a 63-20 win on Saturday. With 146 yards rushing and 216 passing, it was the kind of performance that made Michael Vick take notice.
Brad Kaaya, QB Miami
A week after struggling against Florida Atlantic, the Hurricanes' star junior rebounded at Appalachian State with 368 yards passing and three touchdowns, completing 21 of 27 passes in a 45-10 win. With the win, UM improved to 3-0 in non-conference play before an idle date next week, with its ACC opener coming at Georgia Tech on Oct. 1.
Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina
Jones' team might have lost to South Carolina, 20-15, but nobody can say the Pirates receiver didn't do all he could to make the upset happen. Jones caught 22 passes, a new school record and just one short of tying the FBS record, and finished with 190 yards receiving. Yet, for all that action, Jones somehow didn't score a touchdown on the day.
James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State
While Jones was doing his damage in the catch department, Washington did it by yardage. The Cowboys star had a whopping 296 receiving yards in a 45-38 win over Pittsburgh, accounting for more than half of QB Mason Rudolph's passing production (540 yards). Washington did it on just nine receptions (32.9-yard average) and scored a pair of touchdowns. It was the breakout game Washington had to be looking for this season after pedestrian performances in the first two weeks of the season against Southeastern Louisiana and Central Michigan.
Losers
Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
While Lamar Jackson deservedly got a lot of the credit for Louisville's 63-20 win, the Cardinals' defense was plenty impressive in bottling Cook to the tune of 16 carries for 54 yards. That could easily end up being the season-low for the junior who rushed for 1,691 yards a year ago. Meanwhile, FSU's offensive line remains a work in progress, one that has yet to spring Cook for a 100-yard game so far this year.
Ahmaad Harris, WR, South Carolina State
You won't find a bigger mental error on the day in college football than this one: Harris fielded a kickoff in the end zone, and pitched it to the official without taking a knee first. The loose ball was recovered by Clemson for one of its eight touchdowns in a 59-0 rout.
Coach Mark Helfrich, Oregon
In the Ducks' 35-32 loss to Nebraska, Oregon tried for a two-point conversion on all five of its touchdowns, and converted only one of them. The net loss of three points, versus what five successful PATs would have provided, proved to be the margin of victory. A couple of Helfrich's best athletes left the game with an injury: RB Royce Freeman and WR Devon Allen.
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