College football scores, NCAA top 25 rankings, highlights in Week 3: Clemson rolls, UCF impresses in opener

There were five top-15 teams in action during Week 3 of the college football season, and three of them — No. 1 Clemson, No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 13 Cincinnati — combined to win their games by a total of 156-20. But No. 11 Oklahoma State and No. 14 UCF had to fight to avoid upsets in their season openers. 

The Knights ultimately outlasted Georgia Tech 49-21, but not without a struggle after the Yellow Jackets jumped out to an early 7-0 lead. UCF roared back to take a 28-7 lead, only to see Georgia Tech close the gap to 28-21 early in the fourth quarter. That’s when UCF found its prolific offensive attack again with three unanswered touchdowns to close the game. In the end, it was an encouraging debut for the Knights against an ACC foe that knocked off Florida State last week. 

Top-ranked Clemson, meanwhile, needed not to worry one bit as it cruised to a 49-0 victory over The Citadel to move to 2-0 on the year. In limited action, Clemson star QB Trevor Lawrence was 8-of-9 passing for 168 yards and three touchdowns as the Tigers racked up all 49 of their points in the first half over their FCS foe before taking the foot off the gas in the second half. The No. 1 team in the country will now enjoy a week off before hosting Virginia in Death Valley on Oct. 3. 

College football scores, schedule — Week 3

No. 11 Oklahoma State 16, Tulsa 7 — RecapNo. 25 Pitt 21, Syracuse 10 — Box scoreNo. 19 Louisiana 34, Georgia State 31 (OT) — Box scoreNo. 13 Cincinnati 55, Austin Peay 20 — Box scoreNo. 7 Notre Dame 52, South Florida 0 — RecapMarshall 17, No. 23 Appalachian State 7 — Box scoreNo. 14 UCF 49, Georgia Tech 21 — Box scoreNo. 1 Clemson 49, Citadel 0 — Box scoreNo. 17 Miami at No. 18 Louisville — 7:30 p.m. on ABC — Live game updatesCheck out the complete Week 3 scoreboard

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