Sure, come-from-behind wins against the nation’s top-ranked team don’t happen every weekend, but Week 3 of the college football regular season lacked some of the pizzazz of its predecessor.
Especially in Texas, where of the state’s five AP Top 25 teams, three lost.
That doesn’t mean that there weren’t standout performances.
Here are the ones that caught our eye.
It was Texas Tech wide receiver Kenny Johnson, because: He was the breakout star of what might be Texas Tech‘s biggest game of the regular season. Johnson caught 4 passes for 113 yards and 1 touchdown in a 28-26 win vs. No. 25 Houston. The Pitt transfer established himself as a top option for the No. 11 Red Raiders (3-0), who, by the way, don’t have a single currently-ranked team on the remainder of their schedule this season.
It was Texas wide receiver Cam Coleman, because: Well, for all the hype, he should have games like this. Coleman caught 4 passes for 59 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 30-6 win vs. UTSA. He was the go-to guy in an off-game for quarterback Arch Manning with a catch-and-run 24-yarder for his first touchdown and a 3-yard jump ball in the corner of the end zone for his second. The 6-foot-3 wide receiver was considered the biggest skill position player prize in the transfer portal this winter, and reportedly, the No. 1 Longhorns (3-0) gave him a multi-million dollar deal. It’s been money well-spent thus far.
It was Baylor quarterback Nate Bennett, because: It’s pretty good when you have as many touchdowns as you do incompletions. Bennett completed 21 of his 24 pass attempts for 253 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 36-19 win vs. Louisiana Tech. He started in place of DJ Lagway, who has missed two games with an ankle sprain, and has made good on his opportunity with the Bears (2-1). The Westlake Village, Calif. native is now undefeated in his two games behind center.
It was SMU running back Kendrick Raphael, because: Three scores against a ranked team is good, right? Raphael rushed for 197 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 41-31 loss vs. No. 16 Louisville. He scored on runs of 25 yards, 12 yards and 2 yards for the No. 23 Mustangs (2-1) in their first loss this season. The senior was an All-ACC honorable mention at Cal last season, and if he keeps this up, he could draw more recognition than just that.
It was Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker, because: Boy, this guy can sling it, huh? Mestemaker completed 20 of his 22 pass attempts for 324 yards and 5 touchdowns in a 59-0 win vs. Murray State. The Austin native and North Texas transfer has largely looked worth the money thus far for the Cowboys (2-1). It’s hard to imagine what kind of numbers he would’ve put up in multiple years with the Mean Green before the transfer portal, NIL era.