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Three-Point Stance: Weekend CFB shine and shame, Tennessee's coaching woes

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s thought-provoking Three-Point Stance is here with Saturday Shine and Saturday Shame from the weekend as well as some bad coaching in the Vols-Gators game.

MORE: Impact players for top teams in AP poll | Rivals analyst roundtable

1. SATURDAY SHINE

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Kelly Bryant
Kelly Bryant (AP Images)

So what is Saturday Shine and Saturday Shame? Essentially it’s a look at the teams, and sometimes players, who should be proud or ashamed of their performances from the weekend. This includes Thursday and Friday games, of course. So let’s take a look at those who shined first…

- Clemson offense and defense: I doubted Clemson mainly because of the loss of DeShaun Watson, but I’m believing again. Quarterback Kelly Bryant looks better each week, the defense is an absolute terror and this is the most talented team in the country, Alabama included.

- Texas defense: After an embarrassing performances against Maryland in the opener, the Longhorns' defense looked much better against USC in a double overtime loss. They shut down the USC running game with excellent play on the edge and forced a few mistakes from quarterback Sam Darnold. This was a step in the right direction despite the loss.

- Mason and the Multiples: That’s the nickname I made up for the Oklahoma State offense. Quarterback Mason Rudolph looks awesome, Justice Hill is explosive and four different receivers had 100 yards or more against a team that isn’t terrible. Who’s stopping this offense?

- Baker and the Boys: Who’s stopping the Oklahoma offense as well? Receivers are running so wide open whether it’s against Tulane or Ohio State, and Lincoln Riley has things rolling.

- Mississippi State Moxie: They came to play, they came to protect their turf and they were more physical and much more efficient than a favored LSU team. They were also much more disciplined.

- Nick Fitzgerald: This guy needs more attention when it comes to his NFL potential. How many taller quarterbacks can move the pocket like he does, tuck and run and throw with accuracy from the pocket? He’s the latest Dan Mullen quarterback star.

- Dan Mullen: This guy should have his pick of some good jobs after this season. Not that StarkVegas isn’t where he wants to be, but he will be tempted by others (Tennessee, Texas A&M, others).

- Vanderbilt: Derek Mason and his team took Kansas State’s offense and slapped it around while doing just enough on offense to win the game. When I saw how low the line was, I thought something might be up, and as usual Vegas knows best.

- Aztecs: San Diego State, and not Memphis, is your best Group of Five program in the country because they play defense. Stanford was supposed to take it to them and be ticked off from the USC loss and the Aztecs simply handled everything that was thrown at them.

- Gators defense: Another defensive touchdown, another solid defensive performance, and the defense once against kept Florida alive to pull out a win. The Gators offense still stinks (see below), but the defense continues to bail them out.

- Tyrie Cleveland: I would be remiss not to add the star of the Gators win over Tennessee. Despite the horrible defense (see below), Cleveland got behind his man and made a clutch catch to win the game.

- Feleipe Franks: And Franks showed off that cannon of an arm we as scouts were enamored with when he came out of high school. What a laser.

- Riley Ferguson: On a big stage against much bigger name in Josh Rosen, the Memphis QB threw for six scores for Memphis and outdueled Rosen in an offensive showdown. The ex-Vols quarterback would look good in orange, right Tennessee fans?

- Jalen Hurts' passing – He’s completing 67 percent of his passes this season and looks much more comfortable throwing the ball. The last two opponents haven’t been great, but it’s clear he’s starting to become more confident as a passer - and we all know what he can do as a runner.

- Dante Pettis: Never ever kick to this man again, as he’s Washington’s best weapon as a punt returner.

- Alex Hornibrook: I’m not a big fan because of the arm strength (or lack thereof), but 18 of 19 in Wiscoinsin's easy win over BYU and looking much more decisive has me wondering. Has he taken a huge leap? Time will tell, but he looked good in this one.

- Cameron Phillips: He just quietly does his thing for Virginia Tech with all opponents trying to make sure he doesn’t hurt them. And he continues to hurt teams week after week. He’s one of the most underrated receivers in the country.

2. SATURDAY SHAME

Tanner Lee
Tanner Lee (AP Images)

- Tanner Lee and Nebraska: Yuck. Nebraska paid more than $800,000 to Northern Illinois so they could suck it up? Lee has been flat out awful, and his two pick sixes were killers. Nebraska is as far from a Big Ten West contender as possible right now.

- Vols' prevent defense: This is a joke, of course, because there was no prevent defense with nine seconds left in a tie game. Put seven defenders back and bat down a pass right? Nope, let’s put three deep and have one of them bite up on an intermediate route. Good gosh.

- Micah Abernathy: He let Cleveland behind him - that’s a cardinal sin, end of story.

- Butch and Bob: More below on Butch Jones and Bob Shoops and how they blew this game.

- Gators' offense: Yuck and more yuck. Will this offense ever be turned around? And don’t give me that garbage about how the fourth quarter could start a turnaround.

- LSU effort: For all his energy, Ed Orgeron’s team didn’t drink enough Red Bulls before the Mississippi State game as they came out flat and, most disturbingly, quit in the fourth quarter as they were getting hammered. Oh, and the penalties? That’s on the coaching staff as well.

- Jeffery Simmons: We had him as a five-star talent and we knew he was a freak, but should he be playing for Mississippi State after hitting a woman on video as a high school senior? Nope. But as many have said, if the Bulldogs punted him off the team, some other program would have picked him up quickly, and he was dominant in the win over LSU. But he still won’t be on my SHINE list anytime soon.

- Louisville defense: Jaire Alexander was out and that hurt, but how many times can you bite on double moves, and where is all the speed and talent?

- Pitt defense: Pat Narduzzi is supposed to be a defensive coach, right?

- Auburn effort: A 14-point win over Mercer? That’s ugly, and the offensive woes are still quite evident despite some gaudy stats.

- Kansas State: You went on the road and lost to Vanderbilt as the darkhorse to challenge for the Big 12. That’s awful.

- Stanford QB play: Keller Chryst scares no one, and if he remains the guy moving forward, Stanford could have a losing season.

- UCLA defense: Is there such a thing? This is downright embarrassing.

3. TENNESSEE'S COACHING WOES

Butch Jones
Butch Jones (AP Images)

OK, let’s get into it.

Butch Jones was outcoached badly in the Vols' embarrassing 26-20 loss to Florida and defensive coordinator Bob Shoop, who I’ve known for what seems like 20 years, ignored perhaps the simplest concept in all of football with nine seconds left - that pesky prevent defense.

But, alarmingly, there is more to just the final play of the game here in this loss. The Vols clearly had an advantage up front with an offensive line and running back in John Kelly that couldn’t be stopped. The Vols also have a quarterback in Quinten Dormady who is not very good with a very average arm and who struggles to get into a rhythm.

So why not feed Kelly unlike you’ve ever fed anyone else before? Instead of 19 carries, give him the ball 35 times, and instead of six catches (his key drop on a bad Dormady pass should have been a seventh catch and an easy score) target him 12 to 13 times out of the backfield.

Florida could not stop Kelly, that much was clear. So why didn’t Tennessee continue to feed him the ball, especially in a few key situations (first and goal from the 9 is one of many)?

Throw in three missed field goals and some puzzling play calling in the red zone (seven passes inside the 10 with zero runs), and you have a crushing loss and a coach now squarely on a much hotter seat.

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