Week 2 Recap - The Upset and the Comeback

How can a person sit in front of their television for 14 hours of college football last Saturday and then have the audacity to say that college football is boring?

They can't. They're wrong.

After the chaos of Week 1, Week 2 brought stronger matchups, higher stakes, and plenty of opportunities for us hardcore fans to settle in for a full day of football. And boy, did it deliver.

From the slugfest in Ann Arbor, to the shocker in Stillwater, all the way to the unbelievable finish in Austin, there was no shortage of football to enjoy in every corner of the country.

So, if you somehow still think college football is boring, allow me to introduce you to Week 2.

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The Comeback

With 2:21 left on the clock in the third quarter and the score 23-3 in favor of Ohio State, the Texas Longhorns were faced with a fourth-and-nine on their own 42-yard line.

I was ready.

I was ready to rip into Texas once again. With all the hype and talk surrounding the Longhorns, this year had to be different. Yet, it was the same. Arch Manning started off slow and looked uncomfortable the entire first half. There were unexplainable turnovers, like the 50-yard pass through the air that Cam Coleman couldn't corral, only for it to land perfectly in Ohio State cornerback Jaylen McClain's arms.

There were times when Arch Manning delivered perfect balls to a wide-open Ryan Wingo in the end zone, only to have them bounce off his hands. Plays like these made you think that Texas would never be back. They would always find a way to lose in the most peculiar fashion.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, Julian Sayin hadn't been spectacular, but he had done his job. Getting the ball to Jeremiah Smith was their main goal, and they were executing with ease. At that point in the game, Smith had eight catches for 164 yards and a touchdown.

It was as bad as it could get for Texas, and I couldn't believe that I had fallen for the preseason Texas trap for a second straight season.

The Longhorns would go on to convert that fourth down, just by the hair on their chin, and seven plays later, punch it into the end zone for their first touchdown of the game. Still down by two scores with just over 14 minutes to go, it seemed that this was too little, too late.

The Longhorns' defense had also woken up. After stuffing two run plays, they broke up a pass intended for Jeremiah Smith, forcing a three-and-out. Manning would then execute a 13-play, 72-yard drive capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run from Hollywood Smothers to cut the game to 23-17.

At this point, I still wasn't going to fall for any comeback. This was the Texas team of the last year. They would play badly for three quarters, and then Manning and company would figure things out before making it a one-score game late, only to fall short and lose. We've seen it time and time again. The discussions were always about how, if Manning and Co. had started strong, they would have won and just needed time to warm up, never about the fact that they were terrible for the first half of the game. I was seeing it live right in front of me, and I could already see all the headlines and hear the discussions that were going to be had.

With seven minutes left in the game, Ohio State had a prime chance to milk some clock and ice the game with a score. They had moved the ball with ease all game, so why should right then be any different? It wasn't at first. Five plays later, they already found themselves on the Texas 33-yard line. With second-and-three, it looked like they could easily pick up another first down and continue to milk the clock while getting deeper into Texas territory.

A run up the middle that was stuffed presented a third-and-four on the Texas 34-yard line. Instead of calling a play to pick up the first down, Ryan Day called a deep shot to the goal line. Smith was covered nicely, and it left the clock stopped and an attempt at a 45-yard field goal as the only option.

Ring a bell for any big Ohio State kicks?

Wide left.

With over four minutes left, Texas was very much alive in this game.

A picture-perfect, methodical drive led by Arch Manning saw the Longhorns march down the field with almost no resistance from the Buckeyes. Being able to burn the Buckeyes' timeouts while moving the ball was key for the Longhorns, as they found themselves in first-and-goal with under a minute to go.

Two plays later, Hollywood Smothers once again took the ball into the end zone, this time via a vertical jump over the line.

With no timeouts and only 25 seconds left, it was all but over for the Buckeyes. Two plays later, it was official: Texas had come back from down 23-3 and won the game, scoring 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to stake their claim as the best team in the country.

Let's talk about what this means for both teams.

We'll start with the losers of this game, Ohio State. In no way is this the end of the world for the Buckeyes. One loss has never doomed a team, but this puts them on edge the rest of the season. With their Big Ten schedule still looming, they have reduced their margin for error. A 9-3 Ohio State team probably has one of the better claims to still be included in the playoff, but there is never a guarantee that it would happen. Games at Indiana, Iowa, and USC provide big tests on the road, while home games against Oregon and Michigan aren't cakewalks either.

What is most concerning about the Buckeyes is the fact that the first half and the second half were so dissimilar. It was almost as if there were two different teams on the field during the halves. One looked free and loose, while the other looked rigid and timid. Ultra-conservative play calls and, in reality, the abandonment of getting the ball to Jeremiah Smith were a concern. To have arguably the best player in college football and, in the final 20-plus minutes, target him twice? Unacceptable.

I get you're trying to keep the clock running, but run some screens, give him a pop pass, do anything! Get the ball in his hands. He makes plays happen, and he is your difference-maker. Taking the ball out of his hands is one of the biggest coaching blunders Ryan Day could make. Bless Bo Jackson and Julian Sayin, but they weren't the reason you were up 20. It was Jeremiah Smith. Rather than let Texas take him out of the game, Ohio State and Ryan Day did it themselves. Time to take a long look in the mirror and understand that is what cost them the game.

Now on to Texas.

Texas needed that win. Not for playoff necessity or rankings, but for morale. To prove to themselves that under Sark, they can win the big one. Yes, they had been to two playoff semifinals, but who had they truly beaten to get there? Every big game against Ohio State, Georgia, Washington, it was the same. Loss.

With all the hype behind Sark and Arch Manning, they needed this win more than anything to get off on the right foot and tell themselves that they are for real.

They now have one last tune-up game before entering their SEC schedule. Currently, six of their nine conference games are against ranked opponents, with a good chance of Mississippi State being ranked when they play them. Now, Texas is very clearly the favorite in all of these games, but that doesn't mean they'll be easy. The win on Saturday gave them a little more leash with their margin for error, but as we found out last year, 9-3 Texas doesn't mean you're automatically in.

If they can play their way to the conference title game, I think that will be enough, but that's a big if with the games they have coming. For now, Texas is in a good spot, and they are looking the part.

The Upset

Earlier in the day, just north of Texas, chaos ensued in a matchup that almost no one thought would result the way it did.

Just a week earlier, the Oklahoma State Cowboys traveled to in-state foe Tulsa, only to be embarrassed to the tenth degree. The loss was not only the second straight to Tulsa, but it meant that Oklahoma State had not had a win in well over a year and hadn't beaten an FBS opponent in nearly two. What was supposed to be a bounce-back year for the Cowboys had started off on the worst possible foot.

Meanwhile, Oregon had been coming off two of the best seasons in program history. Reaching the playoff in both years and losing to the eventual national champions each time gave them hope that this year would be theirs. After a Week 1 rock fight with Boise State, Oregon traveled to Oklahoma State with images of their 69-3 beatdown of the Cowboys just one year ago in their heads.

No team in college football history had broken at least a 10-game losing streak against a ranked opponent, and no one thought that would happen Saturday, as Oregon was a 24.5-point favorite before kickoff.

Maybe there was some magic in the rain and thunderstorm that delayed kickoff by an hour and a half because, as Oklahoma State came out of the gates, they were ready to go. Head coach Eric Morris and quarterback Drew Mestemaker were completely different characters from last week's loss to Tulsa.

The Cowboys looked to take a 10-0 lead before a tipped pass from Mestemaker found Ducks linebacker Devon Johnson, who returned it 96 yards to put the Ducks up 7-3. As most viewers assumed that's where the Cowboys' luck would run out, it didn't. Mestemaker responded and led two touchdown drives to retake the lead 17-7. They looked poised to score another touchdown when Mestemaker was once again picked off on a tipped pass, this time with the interception being returned to the 1-yard line. Oregon would score on the next play, but yet another methodical drive by the Cowboys led to a 24-17 lead at halftime.

In just 30 minutes of football, Oklahoma State had dominated Oregon in all aspects. Defensively, they had truly only allowed three points, and Mestemaker and the offense had been able to pick apart the Ducks' so-called outstanding defense. Take away the two tipped balls, and realistically, it was 38-3.

The Cowboys couldn't lean on what it could be, and they needed to focus on what it was. Oregon's offense wasn't going to stay dormant for the entire game, and they needed to continue to put points on the board. Two field goals in the third quarter saw the Cowboys lead 30-24 heading into the fourth, but an immediate touchdown by the Ducks gave them their first lead since it was 7-3.

Now down 31-30, Mestemaker needed to step up and show why he is one of the highest-regarded transfers in the country. With just over 10 minutes remaining, he scrambled and flipped into the end zone to give the Cowboys the 36-31 lead — one they would keep.

A three-and-out and then a failed fourth-down conversion deep in their own territory doomed the Ducks. With one last hope, down by eight, Dierre Hill Jr. dropped the pitch, and Oklahoma State recovered, ending the Ducks' hopes.

It was the spark Oklahoma State needed. The loss to Tulsa is now so far behind them that they can enter Big 12 play with this win on their mind and hopes of competing for a conference title. The offense and defense looked much improved in Week 2 compared to Week 1, and they must continue to build on this.

Now let's talk about Oregon.

This was bad.

Oklahoma State was down for the count after last week, and the Ducks were supposed to be the most complete team in the country. Boise State seemed to find cracks in the armor, and it looked as if Oklahoma State exposed them all. The offense was stagnant for most of the game, and the defense couldn't stop anything.

Everyone has been glazing Dan Lanning and the Ducks throughout the offseason and even after last week's win, and this is the wake-up call they needed. They aren't special. They are beatable. And if things don't change, it could be a long season for the Ducks.

Other Marquee Games

Oklahoma vs Michigan

Last week could not have gone worse for the Wolverines. Okay, well, maybe it could have gone one second worse, but nonetheless, they looked really bad against a subpar Western Michigan team.

Oklahoma looked sharp against UTEP and hoped to come into the Big House and get a statement win to start what they hope will be a great season. Their defense is one of the best in the country, and facing the sputtering Michigan offense was what made Oklahoma lick their chops this week.

Oklahoma, however, came out of the gate with an offense that was somehow worse than Michigan's. John Mateer and Isaiah Sategna were almost non-factors in the first half as Michigan held a 10-0 lead at halftime.

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood seems to have heard the comments made by his head coach about how his job isn't secure, even though he said he didn't, and broke out of the gate by rushing for a 38-yard touchdown in the first half.

Mateer looked like he found something in the third quarter as he connected with Mackenzie Alleyne for a 22-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 10-7. A field goal early in the fourth tied the game at 10-10, and Mateer found himself with the ball and just under 10 minutes to go in the game.

This was his chance to lead a game-winning drive in a hostile environment and put his name squarely in the Heisman conversation.

Nope.

He threw a bad interception on an out route.

Two plays later, Michigan scored, and their defense forced a punt and two turnovers on downs to end the game and secure the victory over the No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners.

Michigan is still what we think they are: great defense and bad offense. I'm not sure how much we can rely on them to win the big games when it matters, but their defense will certainly keep them in most games.

Oklahoma, on the other hand, is a reason for concern. Mateer was terrible, and no one else stepped up on offense to provide any production. They cannot expect to win SEC games with that offense, no matter how good their defense is.

Alabama vs Kentucky

Will Stein looked to kick off his Kentucky tenure with a bang. A win at home against Alabama would easily do that. Things looked great as they started off the scoring with a pick-six off Alabama quarterback Keleon Russell. Alabama would get their revenge with their own pick-six, courtesy of Luke Metz, to tie the game at 7-7.

Kentucky would dominate the rest of the first half, forcing Alabama to kick two field goals while they were able to score 10 points of their own to take a 17-13 lead into halftime. Kentucky had popped the Tide in the mouth and looked to extend their lead coming out of the half.

After two punts to start the half, one by each team, Alabama got hot. Five straight drives resulted in points, all while surrendering zero points, leaving the people in Lexington shocked. What moments before had been a 17-13 lead was now a 45-17 final score that saw the Wildcats lose.

In reality, this would have been a great start to Stein's career, but it was not a game they were supposed to win. Both teams played to their ability, and while it took Alabama a little while to get going, their offense showed its true colors in the second half.

Memphis vs Boise State

The Tigers traveled to the blue turf to take on the Broncos in what was seen as a pole-position game for the G6 playoff spot.

A back-and-forth first half saw Memphis take a 20-17 lead into the locker room for the break. Whatever happened in the first half that allowed Memphis to take the lead stayed in the locker room, because it was not the same team after that.

Memphis had five possessions in the second half, three of them ending with a punt and two ending with turnovers on downs. Meanwhile, Boise State scored a touchdown on their first possession, returned a punt for a touchdown, and then scored another touchdown on their second possession. In the span of one quarter, Memphis went from leading to down 18, all while running a total of 12 plays.

While Memphis isn't totally out of the playoff conversation, they no longer control their own destiny. The head-to-head win over Boise State will always loom large in the committee's mind.

Even with their loss to Oregon last weekend, Boise State looks poised to dominate the G6 conversation. In two weeks, the Broncos travel to take on the Western Michigan Broncos in another test against a highly touted G6 team. They start Pac-12 play after that game, and frankly, nothing has shown me that they should be scared of any other Pac-12 team.

Game of the Week: Texas 24 Ohio State 23

Feel like I have said my peace about this game, just needed to state that this was in fact the game of the week.

Player of the Week

Jesse Legree (Oregon State): 8 REC, 240 YDS, 2 TD

For the first time in the history of the newsletter, the Player of the Week goes to someone who didn’t win the game.

While Oregon State ultimately fell short against Texas Tech thanks to a highly questionable pass interference call late in the game, Jesse Legree put his name on the map with a performance that was simply too good to ignore.

He carved up the so-called best defense in the Big 12 for 240 yards and two touchdowns. He was a huge target for Beavers quarterback Braden Atkinson and simply could not be stopped. His performance was so impressive that it couldn’t be ignored.

While Legree takes home the honor this week, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give an honorable mention to Tulane’s Jaylin Lucas, who rushed for 214 yards to help the Green Wave beat South Alabama 28-24.

In Case You Missed it

Mississippi State Gunslinger

The Bulldogs have a quarterback.

If you haven't seen anything about Kamario Taylor yet, he's the real deal. He led the Bulldogs into Minnesota, where they dominated the Golden Gophers.

SEC Delusion

There was a lot of talk about how Arkansas, even as the lowest-ranked SEC team, was better than Utah, the third-ranked Big 12 school. The basis of the argument was that the recruiting and NIL funds poured into Arkansas made them a better team on paper.

Paper schmaper. What happened in the game?

Utah dominated 43-10.

Don't trust everything you read on paper.

Montana State

The Bobcats extended their winning streak to 17 games Saturday night, this week taking down FBS opponent Nevada. They did it fairly easily, winning 20-7.

The Bobcats look to repeat as FCS champions, and with North Dakota State now in FBS, it seems like their biggest test of the season will be November 21 in the Brawl of the Wild.

Illinois State

Speaking of last year's FCS championship, the runner-up Redbirds defeated Northern Illinois to earn the FCS yet another win over an FBS school this year. This win brings the total to five this season.

Kansas Quarterback

The Border War was Friday night, and despite Kansas's claim that Missouri was born out of racism and that Kansas is the good guy, they lost.

However, Kansas QB Isaiah Marshall hit a clean 360 no-scope pass while trying to spark a comeback.

AP Poll Reaction

The new AP Poll came out Sunday at noon ET, and honestly, I was pretty encouraged by what I saw.

For once, it felt like the voters actually reacted to what happened on the field. Texas took over the No. 1 spot after their comeback against Ohio State, while the Buckeyes dropped to No. 6. Oregon fell 15 spots to No. 21, Oklahoma dropped 13 spots to No. 24, and Michigan jumped back into the rankings at No. 19. Washington, meanwhile, fell out despite starting the season 2-0.

I actually like it.

The AP Poll should reflect what teams have done, not what voters expected them to do before the season. This week, the voters seemed to get that right.

As always my favorite part of college football on the internet is airing out each AP Voters choices, so have a look and try to guess which voters didn't even watch the games.

Will's Corner

Washington State 7, Kansas State 34

After last week’s Apple Cup, my takeaway was that the defense was pretty good, but the offense needed work. This week? We’re just bad.

The offense somehow got worse, scoring zero points on the afternoon. Caden Pinnick went 9-for-20 for just 65 passing yards, while the rushing attack totaled just over 100 yards. When you finish a game with 166 total yards in 60 minutes of football, you’re probably not going to score many points. Zero, to be exact.

Meanwhile, the defense gave up 487 total yards to the Wildcats. They couldn’t contain Avery Johnson and let Rodney Fields Jr. run all over them. Outside of Jaylen Thomas’ two interceptions—the second of which was returned for the Cougars’ only points—there wasn’t much good to take away from this game. None, really.

Something needs to change, or we could be looking at a Paul Wulff-like season. Head coach Kirby Moore needs to figure something out with this offense, because whatever they’re trying right now isn’t cutting it. The 0-2 start isn’t unexpected; it’s the way they’ve gotten there that is concerning. Eight quarters of football and just one offensive touchdown to show for it is not going to get the job done.

Might as well throw Jack Powell into the discussion of things that need to change, too, because going 1-for-4 on field goals isn’t exactly inspiring.

The Cougars host FCS Duquesne next week in what should be a much-needed get-right game. But if they don’t get right, it could be a very long season in Pullman.

BYU 28, Arizona 17

BYU used a strong second half to pull ahead and away from the Wildcats. The first half for the Cougars wasn’t bad, just a little slow. They managed two touchdowns and three punts, while their defense was also a little slow out of the gate.

Arizona scored a touchdown on its opening drive, added a field goal at the end of the first quarter, and found the end zone again in the second to take a 17-14 lead into halftime.

That lead didn’t last long.

BYU came out of the locker room firing, putting together a 75-yard touchdown drive to retake the lead. The Cougars added another touchdown in the fourth quarter, thanks to a 63-yard pass from Bear Bachmeier to star freshman Legend Glasker.

The final score of 28-17 doesn’t tell the whole story, though. Arizona managed just 82 yards of offense in the second half, and BYU had the ball inside the Arizona five-yard line when the game ended, choosing to take a knee rather than add to the final score.

It was a strong second-half performance from the Cougars, who now hit the road for the first time this season. Next up is a trip to Fort Collins to take on Colorado State.

Tennessee 45, Georgia Tech 24

The Volunteers ran the ball right down the Yellow Jackets’ throats. There wasn’t much Georgia Tech could do about it, and Tennessee exposed that weakness all afternoon.

DeSean Bishop rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns, Duane Morris added another 98 yards and a touchdown, while Javin Gordon and Faizon Brandon contributed another 25-plus yards each on the ground.

Even with 142 yards of penalties, Tennessee was able to dominate in Atlanta. Brandon added two more touchdowns through the air to round out an impressive non-conference road win for the Volunteers.

Tennessee now gets Kennesaw State in one final tune-up before things get serious. The Volunteers will host Texas at the end of the month, with the Longhorns presumably entering Knoxville as the new No. 1 team in the country.

Survivor Pool Update

After getting to see every team play at least once, we had a much better idea of who was actually good heading into Week 2. And thanks to that—or perhaps in spite of it—only one person didn’t make it through the second week.

Richie L. went with the logical pick: the 24.5-point favorite. A national title contender playing a team that hadn’t beaten a ranked opponent in four years. What could go wrong?

Well, this is college football. Weird things happen.

Oregon went into Stillwater and lost to Oklahoma State, sending Richie home with them.

Thanks for playing, Richie!

For everyone still alive, don’t forget to make your pick for Week 3!

Games to Watch Week 3

• 22.Houston @ 13.Texas Tech – Sept 18, 8:00 PM ET (FOX) - A Friday night matchup in Lubbock that has great implications in the early season standings of the Big 12. Does Texas Tech keep their run of dominance or is Houston here to stay?
• 16. SMU @ 22.Louisville – Sept 19, 3:30 PM ET (ESPN2) - Even with the close loss to Ole Miss, Louisville and SMU will be the battle between the two teams right behind Miami. The winner has the fast track to the ACC title game.
• Mississippi St @ South Carolina – Sept 19, 4:15 PM ET (SECN) - Two undefeated teams in the SEC that weren't picked too high to finish. However, each have outstanding QB's and lots to prove.
• 7.LSU @ 8.Ole Miss – Sept 19, 7:30 PM ET (ABC) - Do I need to even explain this one? Lane Kiffin is all you need to know.

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