Five Takeaways from Week 2 of the College Football Season
- Alabama escapes Austin and the Longhorns
Apart from Bryce Young, Alabama, a nearly 3-TD favorite, arrived in Austin on Saturday. Alabama won thanks to a late field goal. However, some new questions have arisen as a result of this performance.
The game appeared to be heading in Alabama's favor early on after they broke an 81-yard touchdown run. But sloppy Alabama play and 15 accepted penalties, the most ever under Nick Saban, kept it close. The Longhorns, on the other hand, played an excellent game, stepping up in several situations to give Alabama everything they could handle. UT quarterback Quinn Ewers looked great early on, and Alabama had no answer for him. He was 9 of 12 for 134 yards before leaving the game with a shoulder injury sustained from a late hit. Texas took the lead late in the fourth quarter with a field goal, but Alabama and Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young orchestrated some clutch fourth-quarter drives and made a game-saving scramble on a perfectly timed cornerback blitz by UT to take the lead and win the game.
The game was marred slightly by a contentious call in the endzone on 3rd and 7 at ALA 4. UT appeared to have Bryce Young sacked for a safety, putting the Longhorns up 12-10. However, the officials ordered Young to be targeted. The targeting was reviewed and waived off, but the officials also ruled that the pass was incomplete, which was incorrect. The ruling should have been grounding, and a review revealed that Young was down in the endzone. However, because the ruling was an incomplete pass, there was no way to check. It was initially regarded as one of the worst targeting calls in college football history, causing widespread outrage on social media. Alabama also played the sloppiest game under Nick Saban's tenure, racking up 15 penalties for 100 yards.
- The Sun Belt conference knocks off two Goliaths
What do you get when you pay 1.5 million and 1.25 million dollars for scheduled games with the Sun Belt?
You get losses. The Sun Belt Conference had two David vs. Goliath upsets.
Appalachian State, a known giant killer, went into College Station and defeated #6 Texas A&M.The Aggies played uninspired in a classic Jimbo Fisher look ahead game, and their recruiting class was far from the best in the country.In classic SEC bias, the Aggies didn't even drop out of the top 25 either. Appalachian State played a dominating game, controlling the clock for just over 40 minutes of game time. The scenes coming out of Boone, North Carolina were amazing as fans went ballistic celebrating the win.
The Marshall Thundering Herd, a 20.5 point dog, arrived in South Bend. They achieved a complete victory. turning the Irish over three times. Because he is the first Irish coach to start 0-3 in his team's first three games, Marcus Freeman's honeymoon period may be coming to an end. The Irish played poorly at quarterback and appeared lost. Marshall kept the ball under control, secured it, and earned the victory.
The Scott Frost era in Nebraska came to a close, as the Cornhuskers managed to accomplish something that had never been done. Nebraska was 214-0 when it scored more than 35 points. The boosters fired Frost and started looking for a new head coach after they lost on a last-second field goal on Saturday to Georgia Southern.
The Sun Belt at one point Saturday was 11-1 ATS. A $100 ML parlay on Georgia Southern, Marshall and Appalachian State would have netted you $180,281.25.
- College Kickers
This past weekend, the college kicker rollercoaster was in full swing. On Saturday, fans from Wisconsin, Texas A&M, BYU, Texas, and countless other teams were on edge.
There were a variety of blocks, hooks, shanks, and other items. There is no love lost in place kicking, which remains one of the most difficult jobs in sports. At the end of the day they're just kids and as pressure packed as college football is, you're bound to see it burst pipes or in this case hit uprights.
Here was our favorite from the weekend from the Appalachian State v.s. Texas A&M game.
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- #20 Kentucky upsets #12 Florida in The Swamp
The Anthony Richardson Heisman campaign took a hit on Saturday when he struggled mightily against Kentucky. Richardson completed 14 of 35 passes for 143 yards and two interceptions. Because he only had 4 rushing yards, there was some concern about an injury. Richardson's mobility is one of his strongest assets.
Kentucky was 1-9 in their last ten games in The Swamp, but thanks to mayonnaise-eating Will Levis and some great defense, they prevailed in Gainseville with a dominant second half performance.
The Wildcats are now on a 2 game winning streak against The Gators and have their first back to back wins since 1976.
The Wildcats were a popular underdog ML pick this week and returned a nice +185 to +200 win.
- Is USC back?
USC went into Stanford and put on a show. Lincoln Riley, who leads the league in transfers, has restocked the cupboard shelves in Los Angeles and has the team rolling on offense.
The defense, on the other hand, remains a problem. Stanford annihilated USC on the ground and was the beneficiary of four total turnovers, two of which were inside the 5-yard line. The game was much closer than the 41-28 final score suggested. While they have the offense to compete with anyone, if they want to be a factor in the College Football Playoff, they must improve their defense.
USC returning to the upper echelon of college football is a good thing because it is a storied program. They bring a huge fan base and major TV market. However, as we've seen with programs like Texas and Michigan in the past, anointing them "back" too soon leads to failure. Something to keep an eye on in the future. Can Riley keep the team from reading their press clippings and stay focused on bringing his team to the playoff?