Eight worst performances of week 3 in college football

Week 3 reminded us that September is merciless. Young stars struggle, a top-10 team can have their season derailed by one snap, and a head coach (or two) can have the locks changed to their office by Sunday. Let's take a look at the brutal showings that defined the weekend.

Florida QB DJ Lagway

Florida QB DJ Lagway's five-interception night at LSU was the weekend's headline performance — for all the wrong reasons. The Gators actually tied it 10-10 late in the second quarter, but Lagway threw picks on five different drives, including a 58-yard pick-six by safety Dashawn Spears, in a 20-10 defeat. A Florida touchdown was also wiped out by a holding call, which was fitting for a mistake-filled night. Lagway finished 33 of 49 for 287 yards with one touchdown and the five interceptions.

QB Arch Manning

Texas won, but Arch Manning's slump got louder. The No. 7 Longhorns beat UTEP 27-10, yet Manning went through a run of 10 straight incompletions and threw an end-zone interception. He was 11-of-25 for 114 yards and one score, and the home crowd booed during a first-half three-and-out. "I"ve got to play better," Manning said afterward (although he did have 2 rushng TDs for the sake of being fair).

Texas fans booed Arch Manning and the Longhorns after struggles in the first half

(via @tjmcaloon) pic.twitter.com/rQQ8eRZ4qf
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) September 13, 2025

Late game special teams — QB Tyler Buchner and K Max Gilbert

Notre Dame's special teams miscue was the difference in a one-point loss. Up 40-34 with 2:53 left, the Irish botched the snap on the extra point after a touchdown — a small mistake that loomed large when Texas A&M drove for the winning touchdown with 13 seconds remaining to steal a 41-40 win in South Bend. The loss dropped Notre Dame to 0-2 but the Irish remained ranked, a rarity for a winless team two games into a season (has not happened since Michigan in 1988).

Tennessee also suffered a similar late-game fate due to a special teams play. This one wasn't a mistake but instead just a sad part of reality that many teams — and kickers – run into. Vols kicker Max Gilbert missed the GW 43-yard FG attempt to give his team their first win over Georgia since 2016. Gilbert did end up making a 42-yard attempt in OT, but it was too little too late as the Bulldogs then scored a TD and closed the game.

South Carolina Football — Clemson Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks

Clemson's offense sputtered and Georgia Tech made them pay. Aidan Birr drilled a walk-off 55-yard field goal to beat the No. 12 Tigers, 24-21. Cade Klubnik committed two turnovers (one interception at the GT 7, plus a fumble), and Clemson fell to 1-2 — then fell out of the AP Top 25 on Sunday.

South Carolina's meltdown to Vanderbilt checked every box of a disaster-class: a home upset, four turnovers, a star quarterback knocked out, and a 16-game series streak snapped. The Commodores controlled the game in a 31-7 win in Columbia, forced four takeaways, and saw LaNorris Sellers leave after a helmet-to-helmet hit (the defender was ejected for targeting). The Gamecocks also tumbled out of the AP poll.

South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Head Coach Job Security

Virginia Tech's defense was overrun, and the fallout was immediate. Old Dominion sliced the Hokies for 527 total yards — including 334 before halftime — and led 28-0 at the break on the way to a 45-26 upset in Blacksburg. It was ODU’s first road win over a Power 4 team and on Sunday, Tech fired Brent Pry after an 0-3 start (he left with a 16-24 record).

UCLA's 35-10 home loss to New Mexico proved decisive for DeShaun Foster’s job security. The Bruins dropped to 0-3, and the next day the school dismissed Foster, who finished 5-10 across two seasons. The loss capped an 0-3 start that included back-to-back defeats against Mountain West teams.

Temple's offense

Temple's offense had maybe the worst performance of any offensive unit in all of college football in their game against Oklahoma. The Owls managed just three points in a 42-3 loss and were held to 78 passing yards and 27 rushing yards — 105 total — while allowing 228 rushing yards to the Sooners. That combination of no points after halftime and a head-turning lack of yardage earns a spot on the Week 3 dud list.

AP Voters

All #APTop25 week 4 ballots: pic.twitter.com/e4EGDgNzS8
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) September 14, 2025

There has been an online crusade of checks and balances for the AP voters in the Top 25 as of late. If you are a voter, you do not want to be featured. Unfortunately, this week there were three that probably deserve a dishonorable mention.

The first goes out to KOIN-TV's Brenna Greene for making the mistake of putting South Carolina at No. 10 and not having Vanderbilt ranked. She admitted that she thought the Gamecocks won and worked 25 of 32 hours over the weekend, so it was just an honest error. WLNS TV's Ian Kress' Week 4 ballot placed Clemson at No. 25 and South Carolina at No. 23 while leaving Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt out. Kress owned up to his decisions as well. Then, Koki Riley, who covers LSU football and baseball for The Advocate, put Alabama above FSU and ranked Arizona State while leaving Mississippi State off the ballot. Maybe next week will be better.

Indiana State

It feels weird to include Indiana State because they are an FBS team playing a top-25 program in Indiana, but Saturday was bad. The Sycamores were held to 77 total yards in a 73-0 loss at No. 22 Indiana, which saw Fernando Mendoza throw five first-half touchdown passes and Omar Cooper Jr. tie a program record with four TD catches. For an overmatched opponent, that's as rough as it gets.