Saturday Scoreboard: Week 2
Credit: Northern Illinois University Athletics
By Tucker Harlin
Week 2 of the college football season is officially in the books and I can confidently say it provided more competitive matchups than what we saw in Week 1.
Once again, most of these were marquee matchups, although there are a handful that were either much closer than expected or outright upsets.
#23 GEORGIA TECH 28 @ SYRACUSE 31
Ryan Day is going to have a wine cellar full of champagne from Fran Brown by the end of this season.
Kyle McCord is absolutely in the conversation with Cam Ward for best quarterback in the ACC. He threw for 381 yards and four scores against the Yellowjackets, who we’re assuming is one of the better bunches in the ACC.
The Orange led 31-14 with just over eight minutes to go, but the Yellowjackets scored a pair of touchdowns to tighten the gap to a field goal with just 2:30 left.
Syracuse picked up a pair of first downs and got out with the win on the final possession.
If we’re operating under the assumption Georgia Tech is an upper half ACC team, then Syracuse is suddenly a contender in a pretty weak conference.
#3 TEXAS 31 @ #10 MICHIGAN 12
I had Texas winning this game for about four months and it was either going to be a tight defensive bout or a blowout.
It was Option B.
Quinn Ewers didn’t have the best outing of his career against the Wolverines, but you don’t need that against an offense that has a quarterback crisis on its hands.
When you put a team as slow as Michigan is into a three score hole, it doesn’t know how to adjust. If Davis Warren is really the best Michigan has at quarterback, there are four more games the Wolverines could seriously struggle in during Big 10 play.
I can’t say Michigan gets booted from the Top 25 because Texas is the #3 team in the country, but it’s hard to imagine it gets close to the Top 10 if it continues to struggle on offense the way it did against Texas.
ARKANSAS 31 @ #16 OKLAHOMA STATE 39- 2OT
Arkansas had everything going its way in the first half of this one.
The defense stuffed Ollie Gordon while running the ball potently with both Ja’Quinden Jackson and Taylen Green. A pick six was the only time the Razorbacks surrendered a score in the first half.
But ultimately, the final score read otherwise because the Hogs repeatedly shot themselves in the foot.
In addition to the pick six, Arkansas muffed a punt, put the ball on the ground in the backfield, missed field goals, and committed a very boneheaded personal foul in the second overtime to set the Pokes up for the go ahead touchdown.
Oklahoma State didn’t play its best either, but I think this is indicative of the Big 12 being a step below the SEC in terms of conference depth.
#17 KANSAS STATE 34 @ TULANE 27
Kansas State was another Big 12 contender in trouble this weekend.
Don’t get it twisted, Tulane very well could be among those vying for the group of five spot in the College Football Playoffs. Willie Fritz left a few useful pieces behind in New Orleans, and Jon Sumrall brought over a few strong pieces from his 2023 Troy squad. K-State also lost 17-10 in Manhattan to the Green Wave back in 2022.
Green Wave quarterback Darian Mensah put the ball on the ground early in the fourth quarter and the Wildcats scooped and scored for their first lead of the game.
The Green Wave had a drive in progress to tie the game and send it to overtime, but Mensah threw a pick in the end zone to seal it.
Kansas State was able to win the Big 12 championship in 2022 after having lost to the Green Wave, so I wouldn’t overreact to this one.
If anything, this is proof Tulane is still relevant among group of five powers.
SOUTH CAROLINA 31 @ KENTUCKY 6
I did not have a Mark Stoops meltdown against the ticking bomb of South Carolina on my Week 2 bingo card.
The first half of this game was an ugly one on both sides. LaNorris Sellers hooked up with Mazeo Bennett on the second possession of the game for the only touchdown in the first half.
All hell broke loose for the Wildcats in the third quarter.
The Gamecocks scored a pair of touchdowns on consecutive drives, and safety Nick Emmanwori housed a pick six to start the final quarter, putting the game out of reach.
It’s clear Brock Vandagriff has some staleness to him at quarterback after sitting at Georgia for three seasons.
I thought South Carolina was bad in Week 1, so what does this say about Kentucky?
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 16 @ #5 NOTRE DAME 14
Alright, I’ll admit it.
The Texas A&M win had me drinking the Notre Dame Kool-Aid with the defensive performance the Irish put on, and in all honesty, poor defense is not why Northern Illinois left South Bend victorious.
The 2024 Notre Dame Fighting Irish is to college football what the 2023 New York Jets were to the NFL.
The defenses play at championship levels while middle school offenses can execute better than what they put on the field.
I’m a believer in what Riley Leonard can do on the ground, but he’s far from the first quarterback I’d take to make a big throw with the game on the line. He put that sentiment on display by throwing an interception to set up the Huskies’ go ahead field goal.
Maybe Marcus Freeman felt the same way I do when he trotted out his kicker for a 62-yard field goal instead of letting Leonard chuck it.
One thing’s for sure: Notre Dame is going to find its way near the bottom or just completely out of the Top 25 this week.
IOWA STATE 20 @ #21 IOWA 19
Maybe Kirk Ferentz should’ve just hung it up while he was suspended last week.
The Hawkeyes led 19-7 early in the second half. Running back Kaleb Johnson dashed for 187 yards and two scores, one of the better performances we’ve seen out of an Iowa skill player recently.
Brian Ferentz is gone, but that offense is still pretty terrible. It wasn’t able to build past the 12-point lead, and quarterback Cade McNamara had an ugly 99 yards and two interceptions through the air.
Iowa State scored a touchdown, but the two field goals its kicker made were what lifted it past the stout Hawkeyes defense.
We’ve seen Iowa bounce back from losses like this once it enters Big 10 play, and I’m sure it’ll piece together at least enough to become bowl eligible.
But don’t be fooled, this is the same Iowa it’s been throughout Ferentz’s tenure.
CAL 21 @ AUBURN 14
I was certain Auburn would beat the Golden Bears on the plains by double digits, but I was wrong again.
The Tigers had a chance to take a lead after Cal missed a short field goal, but Payton Thorne threw a pick on the very first play of the possession.
That was the first of four interceptions Thorne would throw in front of a stunned crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Auburn was given a shot to make it a game at the end but that’s when Thorne threw two of his four interceptions.
Now that Auburn has increased its depth in the receiving game, it’s clear what’s holding it back now.
#19 KANSAS 17 @ ILLINOIS 23
I’ve been a big believer in Lance Leipold’s offense over the last two seasons, but this was a concerning outing from a team I thought could compete for the Big 12 title.
Kansas came out and threw a pick on the first possession that led to an Illini field goal to start the game.
The Jayhawks had a 10-6 lead but threw a pick six to put them down at the half.
Big 10 Bert/Bret Bielema’s bunch did enough on defense to contain the Jayhawks in the fourth quarter.
I’m not ready to say Illinois is better than it was in 2023, but I think it’s telling of how much better the Big 10 is right now than the Big 12.
#14 TENNESSEE 51 vs #24 NC STATE 10 (Charlotte)
This might have been the most casual 41-point victory you’ll see all year.
Tennessee once again ran the ball well, but the defense shined the brightest in the Vols’ win.
Safety Will Brooks had the momentum shifting pick six in the second quarter, and Dominic Bailey and Jeremiah Telander recovered a pair of fumbles in the second half deep in Wolf Pack territory.
I kind of figured Grayson McCall wouldn’t translate as well as Wolf Pack fans would hope in power four football, and K.C. Concepcion was the only real offensive skill threat to Tennessee it had.
Nico Iamaleava left quite a bit to be desired in the win. He overthrew Bru McCoy on an early interception and was hit as he threw a pick six in the third quarter.
Fortunately for Nico, Tennessee led by 34 at that point.
Another example of the top of the either the SEC or Big 10 far out matching the play of the best of the ACC and Big 12.
HOUSTON 12 @ #15 OKLAHOMA 16
Houston was horrific in its 27-7 loss to UNLV to open the season.
The Cougars didn’t do anything to show they had improved on offense in Norman, but Oklahoma should’ve blasted them instead of letting them hang around.
The Sooners scored two touchdowns in the first half and appeared to have a firm grasp of the game. But the remainder of the game played out like one of those grotesque Big 10 noon games where neither team has a pulse on offense.
Both teams finished with double digit rush yards, not something you can bank on to win games.
The Sooners were favored by four touchdowns in this game, but this is the definition of a win’s a win. Not super encouraging two weeks ahead of SEC play.
COLORADO 10 @ NEBRASKA 28
Nebraska did all the damage it needed to in the first half of this one.
You aren’t going to run the ball as much when you’re down as much as 28, but Colorado just flat out refuses to run the ball.
We know who Colorado is at this point. It’s all about Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, and if you can even slightly throw those two out of a rhythm, the Buffs are in serious trouble.
The early pick six Sanders threw in front of a hostile, hungry Nebraska crowd was the top of a slippery slope the Buffs would slide down.
On the other hand, Nebraska got a big win in a fashion we haven’t seen much in the last 10 years.
BOISE STATE 34 @ #7 OREGON 37
I thought Vegas was a little off when it favored the Ducks by 20.
Ashton Jeanty caused all kinds of trouble for Oregon, running for 192 yards and three touchdowns, one of which was a go ahead score in the second half.
The Ducks answered right back with a kickoff return touchdown to tie it at 34, and Ducks kicker Atticus Sappington hit the game winning field goal in the closing seconds.
I don’t think any less of Oregon for letting Boise State hang tight because that’s what the Broncos have done over the years against power conference opponents.
But playing two close games in a row against non power conference foes makes me wonder if the Ducks have what it takes to go toe to toe with Ohio State here in about a month.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 23 @ ARIZONA STATE 30
The better part of the first three quarters was a horror movie for Mississippi State.
The Sun Devils scored on every offensive possession in the first half. They recovered a scoop and score in the middle of the second quarter, an added bonus to their 27-3 halftime lead.
But the Bulldogs didn’t quit. They scored 20 in the final half, including an 80-yard touchdown pass on their final possession of the game.
The Bulldogs have a get right game against Toledo before jumping into SEC play.
On the other hand, the potent 359 Arizona State ran for is encouraging for things to come in its first year as a Big 12 squad.
