Ten Takeaways: Week Three

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For my Ohio State subscribers: Check out my full thoughts on the Buckeyes' 59-3 win over Kent State in Bulletpoints:

Bulletpoints: Kent State

Thoughts on the Buckeyes’ 59-3 win over Kent State.

Two Stripes with Colton DenningColton Denning

1. Who's at fault for NC State's all-time situational football fail?

NC State Head Coach Dave Doeren said the plan for the Wolfpack's final play against Vanderbilt was for QB CJ Bailey to roll out and take a safety, while running off as much clock as possible - without taking a hit. Bailey did well to adhere to the first three parts of that plan for three seconds, before completely disregarding the final piece of it. So, which one of them is ultimately at fault for what can only be described as a once-in-a-lifetime loss?

Both! Bailey's a veteran QB with almost 30 career starts. He's played far too much football to believe killing six seconds is possible inside his own endzone, or that he should ever put himself in position to take a hit in that situation. The failed execution of the play falls squarely on his shoulders.

Meanwhile, Doeren earns at least an equal share of the blame -if not significantly more– for even allowing the possibility of it happening. Why would you ever entertain the idea of trying to run off six seconds on fourth down, backed up into your own endzone? Your genius plan is a rollout to the short side of the field? Line up in shotgun, take a knee, or run out the back of the endzone while killing a couple seconds of clock! You don't have to win the game on this play! Was Doeren truly that fearful of putting the ball back in Vanderbilt's hands for what would either be a lateral-induced kick return or a 70+ yard offensive play? You know a loss is catastrophically bad when it's grouped with, "TROUBLE WITH THE SNAP!"

I can see why some people would put all of it on Bailey, because of how it played out. It's 70-30 for Doeren in my eyes, simply for overthinking it. Regardless of who is truly at fault, I think I know the one situation every team in the country is practicing this week.

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2. Lane Kiffin got exactly what he deserved

I have to give Lane Kiffin some credit. He got me on Saturday in a way only the best villains can. When Ole Miss went up 24-7 on LSU right before halftime, I fully believed the rout was on. I thought the Rebels were about to deliver the type of bloodbath their fanbase spent the past eight months dreaming of when this game was announced. Like any great villain, though, Kiffin and the Tigers stuck their hand out of the dirt, sat up, went on the attack, and gave me a good scare.

Trinidad Chambliss' early third-quarter interception was the, "Don't worry, it's just one play," moment I brushed off. The ensuing short-field TD from LSU to cut it to ten made me gulp. Then, Rebels RB Kewan Lacy exited the game with an injury, and usually-nails kicker Lucas Carneiro pushed one wide from 53. Uh-oh. By the time LSU capped a 7-play, 64-yard drive to make it 24-21 less than three minutes later, you could feel it in the stadium through the TV. With 11:21 left in fourth, it was tied. Surely after all the chaos he caused, Kiffin wasn't going to be rewarded with an all-time middle-finger comeback win, right?

I should've had more faith, because just when it looked like they'd lost all control of the game, Ole Miss responded exactly the way you're supposed to when it's time to kill off the villain. The Rebels cooly executed a 13-play, 75-yard drive, which included a fourth-and-short that would've given LSU the ball near midfield had they not converted. Just like he has since the start of last season, Chambliss came through in the clutch:

Ole Miss Coach Pete Golding also deserves some major props for how he handled this sequence. Instead of kicking the extra point, Golding went for two and an eight point lead. It helped that the Tigers took two consecutive penalties to make the eventual conversion a bit easier, but I love that Golding put it all on the line before Kiffin potentially got the chance to go for two himself. You don't take out the villain by hanging on and hoping for the best - you go for the kill before they do.

Ultimately, the Rebels' defense still had to make a final play in their own endzone to seal the game. It made for a dicier finish than Ole Miss fans –and Kiffin haters like myself– would've liked, yet you can't tell me it isn't sweeter when the villain goes down like this:

In true villain form, Kiffin made sure to get one last dig in - even in defeat:

3. A Big 12 Title preview in Lubbock?

I wouldn't mind watching Texas Tech and Houston play again in early December after the heavyweight fight they gave us Friday night. Their matchup had just about everything, including a final two-point conversion stop by mere inches that was the final difference in Tech's 28-26 win:

Tech doesn't look as strong across the board as they were last year. They still might be the best team in the conference, and this win puts them in the early driver's seat to make it back to Arlington. It isn't a cakewalk the rest of the way –they've still got Arizona State, Arizona, West Virgnia, and Oklahoma State (road) left– but they don't play either of Utah or BYU.

Houston taking the L here doesn't change what I think of them. Conner Wiegman is as dynamic as any QB in the Big 12, and Coach Willie Fritz has them in a great spot moving forward. The Big 12's upper crust (Tech, Houston, Utah, BYU) paired with what's shaping into a fun second tier (Arizona, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Arizona State, West Virginia) is going to be fun to watch over the next two months.

4. Player of the Week: Florida RB Jadan Baugh