CFB Blitz: Early Week 5 takeaways

College Football Blitz recaps the most important developments from the day's top games and examines their significance moving forward.

First Lane wins, then he trolls

You can argue where Lane Kiffin ranks among the top coaches in college football, but there's no question he's No. 1 when it comes to trolling.

First, let's cover the football, which is exactly what Ole Miss did at a very high level Saturday to hand No. 4 LSU its first loss of the season. The final score shows a five-point win, but make no mistake - this wasn't a close contest. Led by Division II transfer Trinidad Chambliss, Kiffin's electric offense piled up 480 yards on one of the top defensive units in the nation. In three starts, Chambliss has successfully risen multiple levels of college football, and he's already cooking at an elite level under Kiffin. After Saturday's result, it's clear the Rebels have their replacement for Jaxson Dart.

Now, let's get into the fun stuff. Less than 30 minutes after the contest, Kiffin took to social media to post a quote from LSU head coach Brian Kelly earlier in the week stating the Tigers would win the Magnolia Trophy.

Kiffin also took a playful shot at LSU star linebacker Whit Weeks during the postgame interview after Kiffin's daughter hard-launched her relationship with the Tigers captain days earlier.

This Ole Miss team might just be Kiffin's best so far, with an emerging star at quarterback proving the perfect catalyst for his offense. We're just not sure the world is ready to handle playoff-level trolling from Kiffin should the Rebels get there.

Kelly's offense offering no answers

He may want to wait a few days to let Brian Kelly cool off, but I implore Michael Cauble of WBRZ-TV to once again ask the Tigers' coach about the team's offensive issues. By now, you've likely seen the video of Kelly unloading on the reporter for questioning the 4-for-14 performance on third down versus Florida two weeks ago.

"It’s one game," Kelly said Sept. 13. "Last game, we were great on third down."

Let's just say Kelly won't be too pleased when he checks the box score Saturday night. A 2-for-11 showing on third down against Ole Miss means LSU's offense is now 10-for-36 on those plays versus power conference competition this season. That figure would rank 131st nationally.

Cauble also asked following the Florida game why the Tigers couldn't run the ball - something Kelly refuted heavily based on a 51-yard scamper in the final minute to ice the game.

"We can run the ball," Kelly added. "Did you see the last play of the game? That’s all you need. You just need one. Those are ridiculous questions. And I’m getting tired of it."

Again, let's hit the box score for some evidence that, no, LSU absolutely can't run the ball. Take away the yardage lost to sacks and the Tigers gained 65 yards on the ground at an average of 3.1 yards per carry - a mark that would sit 124th nationally.

You could wonder whether the timing of the questions posed to Kelly two weeks ago was appropriate, but nobody will raise an eyebrow this time around. Following next week's meeting with South Carolina, LSU faces a trio of ranked opponents as SEC play heats up. Unless the Tigers start moving the ball on the ground and keeping the offense on the field, it's hard to see them navigating that gauntlet, no matter how dominant the defense can be.

Auburn wasting money on offense

Imagine paying three highly respected chefs millions of dollars to run your restaurant and then equipping the kitchen with an oven that doesn't work and a fridge that won't keep food cold. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to Auburn's offense. There aren't many offensive players in the country collecting more NIL money than Jackson Arnold, Cam Coleman and Eric Singleton Jr. this year, but their talents are being wasted due to an offensive line that can't block anybody. A week after allowing 10 sacks in the loss to Oklahoma, the Tigers gave up five more in a narrow 16-10 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday.

Just how bad did Auburn's offense look on the road? As Jesse Palmer said on the ESPN broadcast during the second half: "If Auburn's offense had just stayed at the hotel, I think they would still have a chance to win."

That's both a shot at the offense and a nod to how incredible the defense performed drive after drive. Even the Tigers' lone touchdown came from an interception that put them at the 2-yard line.

Auburn grabbed preseason headlines with the news that it would implement three different play-callers on offense - one for each down. Clearly whoever is calling the plays on third down needs to be stripped of their duties, as the unit went 0-for-13 versus the Aggies.

Notre Dame shows tough Love to Arkansas

Two things we already knew were confirmed early Saturday: Jeremiyah Love is the best running back in college football, and the Razorbacks' defense is arguably the worst at the power conference level. Notre Dame absolutely torched Arkansas on the road, leaning on Love during a ridiculous first half that featured him reaching the end zone four times.

Given the state of the Razorbacks, let's not make sweeping conclusions on how good quarterback CJ Carr may be. Ah, forget that. He's unquestionably on track to be the first pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Okay, maybe not, but his brilliant play in just his fourth career start has added a passing element to the Irish attack that we aren't accustomed to seeing. With 354 yards and four touchdown passes Saturday, Carr is now averaging 272 passing yards on the season and has a 9-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Having two losses already, the Irish might need some help to make the playoff. However, their offense is capable of taking out anybody in the country.

Speaking of being taken out - that's exactly what will happen to Sam Pittman as the head coach at Arkansas. It's officially a matter of when, not if, he's relieved of his duties following another embarrassing loss. His tenure started with such promise, but it's clear that change is needed in the program.

Ohio State might be allergic to upsets

The logic of "It's college football, upsets are a virtual guarantee" likely doesn't apply to Ohio State this year - expect maybe when it faces Michigan, but that almost doesn't count as an upset at this point. The Buckeyes' defense simply won't allow it, with Saturday's road performance against Washington supplying the latest evidence. Ohio State held Demond Williams Jr. and the Huskies' offense to just 234 total yards, sacked the talented quarterback six times, and posted nine tackles for loss. Caden Curry and Kayden McDonald, in particular, lived in the backfield, combining for five sacks and a whopping eight tackles for loss by themselves.

With the defense nearly pitching a shutout, Julian Sayin didn't have to do much on offense in his first road start. You'd never know he hadn't done it before, as the former five-star recruit completed 22 of 28 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown. Sure, it helps throwing to freaks like Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, and Brandon Inniss, but Sayin's pocket presence resembles that of an NFL veteran, not a first-year starter.

New year, same USC

You didn't think USC had changed, did you? The faces may differ year to year, but once again the Trojans' defense simply couldn't secure a crucial victory. This time, the defeat came at the hands of Illinois, a team fresh off a 53-point beatdown loss to Indiana. The Illini ran up over 500 yards of total offense on the Trojans before kicking a game-winning field goal at the gun.

There's no question Lincoln Riley is an offensive genius who could probably get 250 passing yards and two touchdowns out of you or me. His latest star quarterback, Jayden Maiava, took advantage of a depleted Illinois secondary with 364 yards through the air. It didn't matter. Wideout Makai Lemon again showed he's a virtual cheat code with 11 catches for 151 yards and two scores. It didn't matter.

Whether it was Luke Altmyer's 328 passing yards or the Illini rushing for 171 on the ground, time and again the Trojans couldn't get stops. That was never more evident than during the final drive, as they allowed 55 yards in the last 1:51 to set up the winning kick.

The Trojans will score plenty of points this season, with Maiava and Lemon sure to garner Heisman attention. However, as long as the defense remains a liability, that's the only hardware they'll have a shot at.

Elliott-Morris marriage a dream for Virginia

It might've taken three full seasons, but the Tony Elliott hire appears to be paying off for Virginia. Elliott jumped to the Cavaliers following a highly successful run as Clemson's offensive coordinator with the promise of lighting up scoreboards in Charlottesville. That's finally happening, thanks to transfer quarterback Chandler Morris. After hanging 46 points on Florida State on Friday, Virginia is now 11th in the nation in scoring, having put up at least 45 in all four home games thus far. Morris' addition has completely changed the trajectory of the program after the offense ranked outside the top 90 in scoring each of the past two seasons. Anything can happen in the ACC, but the Cavaliers have a dream schedule the rest of the way with zero ranked teams on the slate. Perhaps the only thing more impressive than their offense is the efficiency in which the student body storms the field.

Don't bail on Florida State

Look, does it stink to go on the road and get field-stormed in conference play? Absolutely. But if you were high on Florida State before Friday's loss, you should remain firmly in your seat on the Seminoles' bandwagon. If Duce Robinson holds onto a perfect toss by Tommy Castellanos in overtime, we might be having a different conversation now. However, we should have a discussion about how much Castellanos is too much Castellanos.

Gus Malzahn's offense has always leaned heavily on its quarterback, but there's no world where 32 passing attempts and 14 rushes is a winning mix for the starting QB. Not surprisingly, the increased number of passing attempts led to two interceptions by Castellanos. With Miami's vaunted pass rush coming to Tallahassee next week, look for Malzahn to emphasize the ground game in an effort to bounce back.