Week 3 // 2025
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
The game is not always going to be perfect, you just have to go back to your training. I can’t even explain how happy I am for all my teammates sticking together with each other to get this win.
Mississippi State safety Hunter Washington after 24-20 upset of thenNo. 12 Arizona State in home opener
TEAM TO WATCH TEAM oF THE WEEK
OREGON SOUTH FLORIDA
In a dominant performance from start to finish, the Ducks defeated Oklahoma State 69-3 for the Cowboys’ largest margin of defeat in over a century. In front of the home crowd at Autzen Stadium, Oregon extended its nation-longest active nonconference home winning streak to 36 games.
Head Coach Dan Lanning’s offense racked up 631 total yards (312 rushing, 319 passing), the most yards in a game for the Ducks in two years. New starting quarterback Dante Moore completed 16-of-21 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns, while running back Noah Whittington led the Ducks with 91 rushing yards on four carries, including a touchdown.
Oregon, at No. 4 in the AP rankings, opens Big Ten Conference play on Saturday at Northwestern at 9 a.m. PHX on FOX.
In its second top 25 upset in as many weeks, South Florida shocked then-No. 13 Florida in an 18-16 victory in Gainesville. USF has defeated ranked opponents in back-to-back games for the first time in school history and entered this week’s AP poll at No. 18.
South Florida found itself in a one-score game in the fourth quarter, where the Bulls defense forced two punts on Florida’s final two drives while trailing 16-15.
After the Bulls defense forced a three-and-out to get the ball back with 2:52 remaining, USF went on an 87-yard drive that put kicker Nico Gramatica in position for the 20-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.
South Florida heads to Hard Rock Stadium to visit No. 5 Miami on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. PHX on The CW Network.
GAMES WATCH to
For a full schedule of Week 3 games, click here. (All times in PHX)
2025 BOWL PREDICTIONS
CFP SEMIFINAL Vrbo FIESTA BOWL
ESPN Bonagura – No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 1 Ohio State
ESPN Schlabach – No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 2 LSU
Pro Football Network – No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 5 Clemson
USA Today – No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 3 Penn State
College Football News – No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 6 Oregon
GAME OF THE WEEK
#6 GEORGIA AT #15 TENNESSEE
With both teams entering conference play 2-0 and ranked in the top 15, there’s a marquee matchup in Knoxville on Saturday as No. 6 Georgia travels to No. 15 Tennessee. Kickoff is at 12:30 p.m. PHX on ABC.
Georgia is coming off a 28-6 victory at home against Austin Peay. The Bulldogs had two fumbles but cleaned up on offense as running backs Chauncey Bowens and Nate Frazier each scored two touchdowns. Along with Dwight Phillips, Jr., the backfield combined for 180 rush yards on 32 carries.
The Volunteers picked up a commanding 72-17 win over ETSU, where they scored 48 points in the first half alone. Three different quarterbacks led scoring drives and passed for a combined 458 yards, led by Joey Aguilar’s 288 yards. Tennessee had a school record 41 first downs in the win.
RATE BOWL
ESPN Bonagura – Kansas vs. Iowa
USA Today – Baylor vs. Wisconsin
Sports Illustrated – Kansas vs. Minnesota
Pro Football Network – BYU vs. Nebraska
College Football News – TCU vs. Nebraska
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
J.J. McCarthy
Down 11 with 12:13 left in his NFL debut, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy found fellow Fiesta Bowl alumnus Justin Jefferson for a crucial touchdown to cut Chicago’s lead to five. McCarthy, who missed his rookie season with a torn meniscus, was playing his first game since January 8, 2024, where he led Michigan to a national championship. After the Jefferson touchdown, it was all McCarthy and the Vikings. With 9:46 left to play, he connected with running back Aaron Jones Sr. for a 27-yard reception to give Minnesota its first lead of the game. Approaching the two-minute warning, McCarthy rushed 14 yards for the Vikings’ third touchdown of the night. Despite a late Bears touchdown, the Vikings held on for the 27-24 win
McCarthy, who played in the most recent CFP Semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl in 2022, reached CFP semifinals or beyond in all three of his seasons at Michigan. McCarthy and his Vikings look to improve to 2-0, with their home opener on Sunday night against Atlanta at 5:20 p.m. PHX time on NBC.
notable performances
Beau Pribula – Missouri
Quarterback Beau Pribula threw for a career-high 334 yards, including 30-of-39 passing and three touchdowns, in the Tigers’ comeback 42-31 victory against archrival Kansas. Last weekend’s matchup in Columbia was the first time the Jayhawks and Tigers faced each other since 2011.
Trailing 24-21 in the third quarter, Pribula found Brett Norfleet to give the Tigers their first lead since early in the first quarter. The Jayhawks regained the lead early in the fourth quarter, but Missouri went up for good on another Pribula to Norfleet touchdown pass with 4:14 remaining.
Sawyer Robertson– Baylor
In Baylor’s double-overtime win over then-No. 17 SMU, quarterback Sawyer Robertson threw for 440 yards and three touchdowns as the Bears upset the Mustangs in Dallas. It marked the third-straight game Robertson threw for 400-plus yards, after accomplishing it against LSU to end last season and Auburn in Week 1.
SMU held a 38-24 lead when Robinson passed to Josh Cameron to make it a one-score game with 5:23 left. With 34 seconds remaining in regulation, Robinson found Kobe Prentice to even the game 38-38 and send it to overtime. Baylor and SMU traded points in the first overtime before the Bears had a walk off field goal to win the game in the second overtime.
BIG NEWS
The Rate Bowl will once again feature Bowl Season’s only Big 12 vs. Big Ten matchup at a new time of 2:30 p.m.
MST on Friday, December 26. As we eagerly await kickoff in downtown Phoenix, we’re bringing you weekly game highlights, player reports and other updates from the two conferences. Here’s the BIG news for Week 3:
BIG 12 BIG TEN
• The Big Ten has six teams ranked in the AP Top 25 as Ohio State and Penn State take the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, followed by Oregon (No. 4) and Illinois (No. 8) rounding out the top 10. Indiana is ranked No. 22 while Michigan holds the No. 23 spot
• Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles claimed Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors after leading the Spartans to a 42-40 double overtime win over Boston College. Chiles recorded a career-high four touchdowns and had 270 yards in the win
• Michigan State additionally earned Defensive Player of the Week honors as linebacker Jordan Hall had a career-best nine solo tackles and added a forced fumble
• Five Big Ten teams scored 60 or more points in Week 2, with Ohio State, Minnesota and Nebraska outscoring their opponents 206-0
• Washington had its second Co-Offensive Player of the Week in consecutive weeks as running back Jonah Coleman tied the Washington record with five rushing touchdowns in the Huskies’ 70-10 win over UC Davis
• In the Buckeyes’ 70-0 win over Grambling State, quarterback Julian Sayin completed a school record 16 consecutive passes and finished with 18 completions in 19 attempts. Sayin earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week Honors as he threw 306 yards and four touchdowns
• Iowa State, Utah and Texas Tech occupy the No. 14, 20 and 21 spots in the Week 3 AP rankings
• Four Big 12 teams begin conference play on Friday evening, with Colorado traveling to Houston and Arizona hosting Kansas State
• Iowa State won the Cy-Hawk Trophy for the second consecutive year and the third time in the past four years. Kicker Kyle Konrady kicked a 54-yard field goal with 1:52 left to give the Cyclones the 16-13 win over Iowa and received Co-Special Teams Player of the Week honors for the second week in a row
• Baylor kicker Connor Hawkins was named Co-Special Teams Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week after he had the game-winning kick from 27 yards in his third career game in a 48-45 win at SMU
• Iowa State defensive lineman Tamatoa McDonough recorded back-to-back sacks on the final drive of the game in the 16-13 victory over Iowa and earned Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors
• After becoming the first Texas Tech player since 2003 to return an interception for a touchdown, defensive lineman Skyler Gill-Howard was named Co-Defensive Player of the Week. Gill-Howard tallied a 55-yard interception return along with having four tackles, including one for a loss, in the Red Raiders’ 62-14 win over Kent State
news in the foundation
FIESTA SPORTS FOUNDATION FULLY LAUNCHES NEW BRAND IDENTITY TO REPRESENT BREADTH OF YEAR-ROUND LIVE EVENTS, EXPERIENCES AND CHARITABLE INITIATIVES
To fully signify the comprehensive year-round community impact, elite college football postseason games and engaging live events and experiences it organizes, Fiesta Sports Foundation has refined its identity to be more representative of its holistic service to communities across the State of Arizona.
This progression preserves the historic Fiesta Bowl brand as an iconic postseason game within the College Football Playoff, while connecting all events, programs and initiatives performed by the organization under a unified brand.
charity spotlight
PALO VERDE FIESTA SPORTS FOUNDATION WISHES FOR TEACHERS INCREASES GIVING TO RECORD $1.5 MILLION TO STATE’S EDUCATORS
The Palo Verde Fiesta Sports Foundation Wishes for Teachers program – Arizona’s largest direct support initiative for teachers – returns for its 10th year with a record total of $1.5 million in funding to directly benefit classrooms across the state.
This year’s increased program funding will support a record 540 Arizona teachers, each receiving a $2,500 grant to bring a classroom wish to life. Past program wishes have included robotics kits, musical instruments, adaptive learning tools, classroom libraries, athletic gear and a variety of other resources to enhance the learning experience for students.
Arizona K–12 public and charter school teachers are invited to complete a brief online application detailing their $2,500 classroom wish. Applications open Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, and close Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, at 10 p.m. MST. Applications may be found at www.WishesForTeachers.org.
