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College Football’s Best Head-To-Head Matchups For Week 3
College football's best head-to-head matchups for Week 3 feature top individual battles from Ohio State-Oklahoma, Alabama-Ole Miss, and more.
September 15, 2016
College football’s best head-to-head matchups for Week 3 feature top individual battles from Ohio State-Oklahoma, Alabama-Ole Miss, and more.
Who’ll be the big winners and who’ll be hanging their heads in disgust by the end of Week 3? Plenty will hinge on which side prevails in these crucial unit and player clashes.
10. LSU RB Leonard Fournette vs. Mississippi State MLB Richie Brown
The Bulldogs’ plan for upsetting the Tigers in Baton Rouge is predicated on forcing inconsistent quarterbacks to beat them through the air. Executing that blueprint will require an “A” game out of Brown, one of the team’s senior leaders in the middle. He was instrumental in last weekend’s shut down of South Carolina, but a healthier Fournette presents a far more significant challenge for the Mississippi State defense. Brown must fill gaps, wrap up in space and force LSU into third-and-long situations.
9. Cal QB Davis Webb vs. Texas CBs Davante Davis and Holton Hill
The Bears have one shot to derail the Horns’ fast start to the season—a monster game from Davis Webb and his favorite target, Chad Hansen. Webb has already thrown for 963 yards and nine scores in his first two games with the program. And the Texas secondary, while loaded with potential and getting back sixth-year senior Sheroid Evans, did yield five touchdown passes to Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer in the opener. The Horns will want Davis to blanket Hansen in order to force another Cal receiver to step up for the first time this month.
8. Pitt DE Ejuan Price vs. Oklahoma State LT Victor Salako
The Cowboys are experiencing issues in keeping the pocket clean, having allowed seven sacks in just two games. And it’s affecting the production of quarterback Mason Rudolph and wideout James Washington, who’ve yet to erupt up to their usual potential. Life won’t get any easier in Week 3 for Salako and right tackle Zach Crabtree. Price is undersized and explosive, often too explosive for blockers the size of Salako. Oklahoma State might need to commit another lineman to No. 5, who’s highly skilled at backside strip sacks.
7. Auburn RBs Kerryon Johnson and Kamryn Pettway vs. Texas A&M DTs Hardreck Walker and Kingsley Keke
The Tigers rammed the ball down the throats of Arkansas State last week, and the entire offense responded with its best performance in ages. Auburn wants to do the same thing this Saturday against 2-0 Texas A&M. The Aggies have a top-flight bookend in Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall, and they’ve already had success stopping the UCLA ground game in Week 1. But they’re a little softer on the interior, which the Tigers are hoping to exploit, particularly behind left guard Alex Kozan.
6. Oregon RB Royce Freeman vs. Nebraska MLB Josh Banderas
Royce Freeman is easily one of the most overlooked backs in the country. This week, he gets a higher profile opportunity to turn heads in Lincoln. Freeman is averaging more than nine yards a carry after shredding the Virginia defense for 207 yards and two scores on 21 carries. Banderas and the Huskers have been stout through the first two games, allowing only 2.8 yards per carry, but it remains to be seen how routs of Fresno State and Wyoming will translate to a visit from the high-powered Ducks.
5. Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey vs. USC ILB Cameron Smith
Christian McCaffrey is one of this year’s dynamic playmakers and a Heisman frontrunner. Smith is an emerging from the interior of the Trojan 3-4. Their meeting this weekend on The Farm will go a long way to determining the final outcome. Obviously, the Cardinal want to spring McCaffrey, especially since quarterback Ryan Burns is starting for just the second time. But Smith is an instinctive, hard-hitting run stopper who leads USC with 22 stops, 13 last weekend versus Utah State.
4. Michigan State NT Malik McDowell vs. Notre Dame C Sam Mustipher
The Spartans will arrive in South Bend with a chip on their shoulders and something to prove after a listless debut with Furman. McDowell will be leading the charge from the interior of the defense. He’s a classic gap-buster, with the quickness and the strength to blow up opposing backfields. Mustipher will have his hands full creating lanes for backs Josh Adams and Tarean Folston, so Brian Kelly will likely give the sophomore additional support from guards Quenton Nelson and Colin McGovern.
3. Florida State DE DeMarcus Walker vs. Louisville OTs Geron Christian and Lukayus McNeil
Walker is a huge reason why the Seminoles rallied in the opener to beat Ole Miss and remain ranked in the top 5. He tore through the Rebel front for 4.5 sacks in an epic display of clutch second-half pass rushing. If Christian and McNeil are unable to contain Walker, it’s going to impact the rhythm and timing of quarterback Lamar Jackson. And, yeah, Jackson is far more agile than Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly, but he’s still young and still prone to mistakes when forced to improvise under pressure.
2. Alabama DE Jonathan Allen vs. Ole Miss OTs Rod Taylor and Sean Rawlings
The Rebels couldn’t contain Florida State DE DeMarcus Walker on Labor Day, which caused the offense to wilt after halftime. Jonathan Allen is better than Walker. In fact, he might be better than any other unpaid end in America. And if Ole Miss can’t neutralize him, as well as the Tide outside linebackers, sustaining drives will become extremely difficult. The Rebs don’t have a surefire feature back, so the onus for scoring points falls squarely on Kelly’s ability to check down and locate open receivers.
1. Oklahoma RB Samaje Perine vs. Ohio State MLB Raekwon McMillan
When Perine and McMillan lock horns on Saturday, it’ll result in the biggest collision of Week 3, if not the entire season. Perine is a load and McMillan is a power puncher at the center of the Buckeye D. The Sooners understand the importance of establishing a power running to complement the improvisational skills of quarterback Baker Mayfield. Ohio State, though, is very strong up the middle, and coordinators Luke Fickell and Greg Schiano are determined to exploit an OU front wall that was so-so in the Houston opener.
