There were three in-state matchups and a few conference openers in week three. Big shake ups in the power rankings ensued at Saturday’s conclusion. Here are the recaps of each game.

Baylor Bears (2-1)
Baylor def. Air Force 31-3

Despite a sluggish first half, Baylor found their groove and dismantled the Air Force Falcons. The Falcons’ run-only offense failed to score against Baylor, netting only 193 yards on 56 combined running attempts. Air Force passed eight times for 25 yards and an interception. Redshirt junior Sawyer Robertson got the start due to Dequan Finn’s rib injury, throwing for 248 yards on a 75% completion percentage. The Bears’ offensive star was Bryson Washington, who scored one touchdown and averaged 8.8 yards per carry en route to 106 total yards. On Baylor’s defense, Matt Jones canvassed the entire field for 13 tackles, including one tackle for loss. Corey Gordon Jr. came up with the game’s sole interception. Things started slow, as Baylor only mustered a field goal in each of the first two quarters. Air Force kept it within three at the half thanks to a Matthew Dapore 26-yarder. In the third quarter, however, the run game carried Baylor to two straight touchdowns, first Washington then Robertson. One field goal later, and Baylor ended the third quarter up 23-3. Early in the fourth, junior Richard Reese rushed for a score of his own. Baylor took the game 31-3 and now sits at 2-1. They face an away matchup against Coach Prime and the Buffs in week four.

Houston Cougars (1-2)
Houston def. Rice

See Rice below.

North Texas Mean Green (2-1)
Texas Tech def. UNT 66-21

See Texas Tech below.

Rice Owls (1-2)
Houston def. Rice 33-7

A battle of Houston colleges resulted in the Cougars triumphing over the Owls. Donovan Smith (12-21, 142 YDS, TD) picked up an additional two scores on the ground while leading the Cougars to a win, whereas Rice quarterback EJ Warner (12-21, 50 YDS, INT) couldn’t find the end zone. Both teams failed to score on their first two drives, until Houston broke the tie with a Stacy Sneed 65-yard rushing touchdown. The Owls punted yet again on the following drive, and Houston receiver Mekhi Mews dashed and darted 75 yards on the return for the score. They struck again in the second when Stephon Johnson collected a screen pass from Smith and took it 44 yards for a touchdown. In the second half, Smith used his legs to extend the lead, running it in from the one-yard line and the 37-yard line for a 33-0 lead. Dean Connors rushed it in at garbage time to prevent a shutout, but Rice ultimately took a thrashing from the Cougars, who secured their first win of the season. Houston heads into a big rivalry week, facing Cincinnati in a Battle of the Cats, while Rice begins AAC play with a game against Army.

Sam Houston Bearkats (2-1)
Sam Houston def. Hawaii 31-13

Only three-point favorites, Sam Houston made a statement by defeating Hawaii 31-13. Hunter Watson completed 15 of 23 passes for 163 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. On the ground, Jay Tucker gained 148 yards, including an 86-yard rumble in the fourth quarter. Qua’Vez Humphreys (4 REC, 106 YDS, 2 TD) was the Bearkats’ leading receiver. The Bearkats scored first on a pass-heavy drive, capped by an over-the-shoulder snag from Humphreys in the corner of the end zone. Both defenses held firm until the second, when Hawaii finally found the scoreboard on a 33-yard field goal. Ife Adeyi responded with a 9-yard rush into the end zone, and an interception by Caleb Weaver allowed kicker Christian Pavon to tack on a field goal for a 17-3 halftime lead. Hawaii made it a one-score game in the third, but Sam Houston quickly made it 24-10 on a John Gentry receiving touchdown. Hawaii got a field goal at the end of the third, but after Humphreys struck for his second touchdown, the Rainbow Warriors were put out of commission. A Sam Houston run defense that struggled in earlier games this season silenced Hawaii’s ground game, allowing only 56 total yards on 21 attempts. The 2-1 Bearkats will begin play in Conference USA against the New Mexico State Aggies in week four.

SMU Mustangs (2-1)
IDLE

Week Four Matchup: SMU vs. TCU

SMU didn’t play, but made waves in college football news by officially benching Preston Stone in favor of Kevin Jennings at quarterback. Jennings has two career starts, and will be making his third against SMU’s biggest rival, the TCU Horned Frogs, in week four.

TCU Horned Frogs (2-1)
UCF def. TCU 35-34

TCU blew an early lead against the Knights, thus suffering their first loss of the season and their first conference loss. Things were looking splendid for the Horned Frogs in the first half, as quarterback Josh Hoover (35-52, 402 YDS, 4 TD) picked apart the Knights for three early scores. Hoover had two touchdown passes to Savion Williams (4 REC, 37 YDS, 2 TD) and one to Eric McCallister (4 REC, 54 YDS, TD), as TCU jumped out to a 21-7 lead. Neither were TCU’s top receiver though; that would go to senior Jack Bech, who torched the Knights for 200 yards on nine receptions. UCF’s lone first-half score came from a 29-yard pass from quarterback KJ Jefferson to RJ Harvey. Harvey would prove to be the x-factor in the comeback, netting 180 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on top of his second-quarter score. A TCU field goal was sandwiched between touchdowns from Harvey and Kobe Hudson (6 REC, 145 YDS), narrowing the Horned Frog lead to 11 points. After Harvey’s second rushing touchdown, the Knights managed to pull within three on a shovel pass to Harvey for the two-point conversion. TCU drove down the field to connect on a field goal, making the score 34-28, Frogs. In the closing seconds, however, Jefferson and the UCF offense completed a masterful comeback drive, going 72 yards on 10 plays and finding Hudson in the end zone for his second score and their first lead of the game with only 0:36 on the clock. TCU, now 2-1, will head across the Metroplex for a rivalry match against SMU.

Texas Longhorns (3-0)
Texas def. UTSA 56-7

See UTSA below.

Texas A&M Aggies (2-1)
Texas A&M def. Florida 33-20

A weather delay didn’t prevent the Aggies from taking down the Gators in The Swamp. Thanks to their 33-20 win, the Aggies moved back into the AP Top 25, sliding into the 25th spot. Marcel Reed took over at quarterback due to Conner Weigman’s injury and excelled, completing 11 of 17 passes for two scores and 178 yards. He also showed an ability to scramble, collecting 83 yards and a touchdown with his legs. Le’Veon Moss also had a strong performance, averaging 6.1 yards per carry on 18 attempts. The big story for Texas A&M, though, was the defense, which forced four turnovers and only surrendered 52 rushing yards. Randy Bond had two field goals and Reed had two touchdowns for a quick 20-0 first-half lead. Reed’s first strike was a bullet up the middle to a wide-open Theo Melin-Öhrström. A 47-minute lightning delay ensued in the first half, but by the second, the weather was clear for the remaining duration of the game. Florida scored on a passing touchdown from Graham Mertz to open the second, which was instantly followed by a 73-yard touchdown from Reed to Cyrus Allen. The defense joined the party when Bryce Anderson nabbed a 45-yard pick-six, extending the Aggie lead to 26. A pair of late Gator scores proved irrelevant as Texas A&M held on for an impressive road win. They should be in for an easy week four, as they come back home to face Bowling Green.

Texas State Bobcats (2-1)
Arizona State def. Texas State 31-28

Texas State suffered their first loss Thursday at the hands of the Arizona State Wildcats. It was a true back-and-forth battle, as the teams exchanged blows up until the Wildcats’ go-ahead field goal in the fourth. Despite the loss, Jordan McCloud had an admirable performance, passing for 268 yards and 4 touchdowns while adding 45 yards on the ground. ASU’s Cam Skattebo drew first blood with a one-yard rush on the Wildcats’ first drive. However, the Bobcats responded by rattling off three unanswered touchdowns, each to a different receiver. Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt connected with Jordyn Tyson for a 52-yard score and ran one in on his own to tie the game at 21 apiece. In the third, McCloud connected with Jaden Williams (4 REC, 75 YDS, 2 TD) for his second score of the night, but Skattebo doubled his own scoring effort shortly after to tie it once again. Tragedy struck for the Bobcats in the fourth when Ismail Mahdi fumbled on the Texas State 23-yard line, setting up the go-ahead field goal from Arizona State’s Ian Hershey. Texas State gets a bye in week four before heading to NRG Stadium to take on the Sam Houston State Bearkats.

Texas Tech Red Raiders (2-1)
Texas Tech def. UNT 66-21

The Red Raiders pounced on the Mean Green, taking UNT down 66-21. Behren Morton was near-perfect for Texas Tech, completing 15 of 19 throws for 273 yards and four touchdowns. On the other hand, UNT’s Chandler Morris continued to struggle with turnovers, throwing three picks on 15 of 28 passing. While North Texas’ top rusher ran for 31 yards, Tahj Brooks of Texas Tech led the Red Raiders with 108 yards and a score. Texas Tech got off to a monster first half, as Josh Kelly hauled in a touchdown pass from Morton and Gino Garcia knocked in a field goal for a quick 10-0 lead. Wyatt Young housed a screen pass from the Mean Green’s own 25-yard line, bringing the game within one score. The rest of the half could only be described as a massacre; Tech rattled off six unanswered touchdowns, five from the offense and one on a Bralyn Lux pick-six. Up 52-7, Texas Tech made substitutions in the second half and cruised to a 66-21 victory. They will begin Big XII play on Saturday against Arizona State, while North Texas will try to bounce back against Wyoming.

UTEP Miners (0-3)
Liberty def. UTEP 28-10

UTEP is still in search of their first win following their week three loss to Liberty. Skley Locklear threw two picks in the loss but completed 60% of his passes for 244 yards. Jevon Jackson rushed for 70 yards, and redshirt sophomore Kenny Odom caught the Miners’ lone touchdown. On defense, senior Kory Chapman racked up 11 tackles and a sack. He and teammate Dorian Hopkins are tied for seventh in total tackles among all FBS programs (33 TT). UTEP was actually the first to the scoreboard, as Buzz Flabiano lasered a 25-yarder through the uprights in the first quarter. Liberty back Billy Lucas (21 ATT, 106 YDS, 3 TD) rushed for a first-quarter score, and UTEP responded by squandering two interceptions, the latter of which set Lucas up for his second of three touchdowns in the contest. Odom went sixty yards on his score, but Lucas’s third TD and a passing touchdown from Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter sent the Miners packing. Down 0-3, UTEP has a date with the 1-2 Colorado State Rams in week four.

UTSA Roadrunners (1-2)
Texas def. UTSA 56-7

The Longhorns kept rolling, effortlessly defeating UTSA at home 56-7. It came at a loss though, as Quinn Ewers (14-16, 223 YDS, 2 TD, INT) went down with an oblique strain. This opened the door for Arch Manning to see the field more, and he delivered; gaining 223 yards on only nine passes, throwing for four touchdowns and running for another. The redshirt freshman looked like a veteran, and with Ewers questionable for week four gives head coach Steve Sarkinsan the wonderful problem of choosing between two, top-tier quarterbacks. Texas scored precisely two touchdowns in every quarter, broken up only by UTSA running back Robert Henry’s 53-yard score in the second. UTSA’s gunslinger, Owen McCown, threw the ball accurately (21-29) but could only muster 132 passing yards. UTSA combined for all of 260 offensive yards, as opposed to Texas’s 614. UTSA, now losers of two straight, will look to right the ship against Houston Christian. Texas on the other hand will welcome the University of Louisiana-Monroe to Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.