Even in a week with a slimmed-down schedule, college football provided fans with a plethora of jaw-dropping, and historic, performances in Week 3.
This weekend’s action offered plenty of incredible performances that will be impossible to forget this season.
Across the country, we saw all kinds of explosive performances. From opposing wide receivers one-upping each other nearly every drive to a 600-yard performance by a freshman, this week had everything fans could dream of.
Here are the 15 most jaw-dropping performances in college football Week 3.
Anthony Brown, quarterback, Boston College Eagles
Brown didn’t have the chance to put up great numbers in Week 2 against Holy Cross because he was rested after the first quarter. Fortunately, Boston College provided him plenty of chances to make up for it on Thursday.
The redshirt sophomore only needed to complete 16-of-25 pass attempts to post the best numbers of his collegiate career. Brown set a career-high in touchdown passes (five) and passing yards (304) in a big win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
After a rough 2017 season that saw him throw 11 touchdowns, nine interceptions and completed only 51.9 percent of his passes, things are off to a much better start in 2018. Brown is just three touchdowns shy of surpassing his total from last year and has yet to throw an interception.
Darrell Henderson, running back, Memphis Tigers
After he rushed for over 200 yards on Sept. 8, Henderson delivered an even better performance on Friday against Georgia State.
He once again didn’t need many carries to produce a jaw-dropping line. In fact, Henderson actually improved upon his 16.3 yards per carry from the previous matchup to 16.6 yards per carry on Friday.
Following his 233-yard performance, Henderson now leads the nation in rushing yards (521) and yards per attempt (14.5). The junior rolled over Georgia State with runs like this one, and he could do the same next weekend against South Alabama, further pushing towards a 2,000-yard season.
Malik Rosier, quarterback, Miami Hurricanes
After two games, some started to wonder if it was time for a change at quarterback in Miami. The concerns over Rosier might be quieting down for a while after Saturday’s game.
The senior turned in an excellent performance, both as a passer and runner. Rosier completed 13-of-23 pass attempts for 205 yards and two touchdowns, marking his second consecutive week without an interception.
Ultimately, Rosier won this game with his legs. When Miami needed a big play to extend its lead, he came through with a 37-yard touchdown run to put the game away in the fourth quarter. Rosier finished with 80 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in a needed win over Toledo.
Marquise Brown, wide receiver, Oklahoma Sooners
As Kyler Murray settles in as Oklahoma’s quarterback, it’s clear he has a favorite target. When the Sooners need momentum, Murray knows he can always rely on Hollywood for the highlight plays.
We saw it again in Week 3 when Hollywood Brown roasted two of Iowa State’s defensive backs and took off for the 75-yard touchdown. For the third straight week, Brown found the end zone and showed his chemistry on the deep ball with Murray.
At the end of it all, Brown hauled in nine passes for a stunning 191 yards and the score. Now sitting at 412 receiving yards on the season, expect Brown to deliver another incredible performance against Army next week.
David Pindell, quarterback, Connecticut Huskies
In a game where touchdowns came in bunches, Pindell put the Huskies on his back and carried them to victory in this non-stop scoring fest.
Pindell certainly delivered as a runner, ripping off big runs and finding the end zone. The senior provided constant problems for Rhode Island’s defense on the ground and finished with 137 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
What really stood out from this game was how great he looked throwing the football. Pindell completed 20-of-27 pass attempts for a career-best 308 passing yards and four touchdowns. The senior seems to have finally settled in as a dual-threat weapons that opponents had better prepare for going forward.
Hakeem Butler, wide receiver, Iowa State Cyclones
In an exciting battle between the Sooners and Cyclones, we saw Butler emerge on the national stage as a wide receiver everyone should keep an eye on.
From his beast mode touchdown to start the game to his second highlight touchdown that lit up social media, Butler was simply unstoppable. He only needed five catches to rack up 174 yards on the day and he embarrassed plenty of defensive backs in the process. Football fans will want to monitor the Cyclones’ breakout star going forward.
Michael Dogbe, defensive tackle, Temple Owls
In a game where one of Temple’s defensive tackles scored a rushing touchdown, another stepped up with a monster performance on the defensive end.
It’s not often an interior defensive linemen gets to record a sack. Usually, he creates the interior pressure to free up a defensive end or linebacker, who records the sack. Instead, Dogbe did all of the work on Saturday.
The senior racked up 2.5 sacks on the day, and of his seven total tackles, half went for a loss of yards. Dogbe was simply relentless and seemed to destroy the Maryland Terrapins’ offensive line on nearly every play. This will not be a day either of Temple’s defensive tackles ever forgets.
Malcolm Perry, quarterback, Navy Midshipmen
While quarterbacks typically jump onto this list for jaw-dropping stats through the air, Perry makes the list because of his phenomenal performance as a runner.
Navy’s triple-option offense allowed Perry to be unleashed in Saturday’s win over Lehigh University. The senior repeatedly gashed Lehigh’s defense with a stunning 223 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.
From a short five-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to two 20-plus yard touchdown runs, Perry made everything look easy on Saturday. The Midshipmen’s star quarterback is brilliant in this offense, and he showed what electrifying speed and instincts can do.
Sione Takitaki, outside linebacker, BYU Cougars
Takitaki made the difference in a game that came down to the wire. He deserves an immense amount of credit for leading BYU to the biggest upset of the year.
The senior linebacker made plays all over the field, creating havoc for Wisconsin’s offense throughout the contest. He recorded a sack, two tackles for loss and had a nose for the ballcarrier with 12 solo tackles in the upset win.
This was simply a defensive masterpiece by Takitaki. Plenty of credit will go around in this win, but BYU would not be celebrating right now if it wasn’t for its senior linebacker’s jaw-dropping performance.
Alan Bowman, quarterback, Texas Tech Red Raiders
Bowman’s outing against the Houston Cougars could go down as the best in college football this entire season. It’s made even more insane given how inexperienced he still is at the college level.
Frankly, the freshman’s numbers in the first half alone were worthy of this list. Bowman threw for 383 yards and four touchdowns in the first half against Houston, routinely picking apart the Cougars’ secondary.
The freshman finished the day with 605 passing yards, five touchdowns and completed 43-of-59 attempts. He also set a Big 12 single-game record for passing yards. Bowman entered Saturday with 555 yards and three touchdowns for his career — marks he passed in less than four quarters against the Cougars.
D’Eriq King, quarterback, Houston Cougars
Saturday’s high-scoring affair between Houston and Texas Tech will go down as one of the most exciting games of the 2018 season.
While King’s squad may have fallen short, the junior did everything in his power to lead them to a victory. While he wasn’t as explosive on the ground this week, he still racked up 47 rushing yards and a touchdown. Where King shined is through the air with 431 passing yards and five touchdowns.
In any other matchup, King’s six total touchdowns would have earned him Player of the Game honors. Unfortunately, his defense made sure the Cougars never had a shot of winning this game.
Olamide Zaccheaus, running back, Virginia Cavaliers
It’s rare to see a running back be invisible in the running game but excel as a receiver, but that’s what happened on Saturday with Zaccheaus.
Time after time, the 5-foot-8 back would eviscerate Ohio’s defense with yards after the catch. No matter how many times Bobcats tried to account for Zaccheaus with more coverage, he would slip away from tackles and take off for the end zone.
The senior wrapped up Saturday’s festivities with 246 receiving yards — a UVA single-game record — on nine receptions. This is a dangerous pass-catching back, as his two 75-plus yard touchdowns showed, so future opponents may want to find ways to try and reduce his impact.
Antoine Wesley, wide receiver, Texas Tech Raiders
When a quarterback throws for 600 yards, there’s going to be one receiver who delivers a jaw-dropping stat line. In an incredible performance by Bowman, Wesley established himself as his go-to target.
No matter how many adjustments Houston’s defense tried to make in coverage, it simply couldn’t stop Wesley. He caught 13 passes for a jaw-dropping 261 yards and found the end zone three times. Whether it was on a deep ball or in the red zone, the Bowman-Wesley connection just couldn’t be stopped throughout the day.
On a historic day for his quarterback, Wesley walked away with Texas Tech’s record single-game receiving yards record.
Devin Singletary, running back, Florida Atlantic Owls
While most of these players rack up hundreds of yards, Singletary found his way onto the list because of the permanent home he made inside the end zone.
By the time the first quarter ended, the junior running back had already run for four touchdowns. Every time FAU got inside the 10-yard line, Lane Kiffin turned to Singletary to punch it in.
Singletary wasn’t done making stops into the end zone, as he picked up his fifth touchdown run in the second quarter. After he racked up five touchdowns in a half, Kiffin let the junior rack up the yards in the second half and he finished the night with 84 rushing yards in a needed win for FAU.
Nick Fitzgerald, quarterback, Mississippi State Bulldogs
After missing the 2018 opener then being outshined by his sophomore running back in Week 2, Fitzgerald finally had the first big moment of his senior season.
The dual-threat phenom made Saturday night a living nightmare for Louisiana Lafayette. As a passer, Fitzgerald completed 14-of-21 attempts for 243 yards, two touchdowns and an outstanding 11.6 yards per attempts. He did enough to win on Saturday as a passer, but it’s his legs that turned this into a blowout.
Fitzgerald decimated the Ragin’ Cajuns with 107 rushing yards and four touchdowns in three quarters. Now sitting at 3-0, Fitzgerald’s Bulldogs are ready to roll into a matchup in Kentucky next week.