College Football: 25 Things We Learned in Week 2
Just when you thought college football couldn't get any better after what we saw last weekend, it seemed to get that much better this past Saturday.
We saw great matchups, upsets and teams that shocked us the way we didn't think we'd get shocked.
There were big performances, big-time plays and teams doing exactly what we thought they would do.
So, without further ado, here are 25 things we learned in Week 2 of the college football season.
Virginia Tech Was Overrated
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Prior to its Week 1 matchup against Boise State, there was a lot of talk about Virginia Tech and how good of a football team it is.
For most of the game, they showed a prolific offense that could move the ball up and down the field at will. But, in the end, they couldn't hang on against the Broncos.
Fast forward to Week 2 and their home opener against James Madison, a game they couldn't possibly lose, not after losing a tough game against Boise State.
Four quarters later and we were left wondering what happened. James Madison took the upset 21-16.
Two games, two disappointing results.
Boise State Took a Hit Without Playing a Game
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Boise State stayed home and watched everything that was going on in the college football world. When the day was over, the Broncos took a devastating hit without playing a single down.
With Virginia Tech's loss, their win over the Hokies doesn't look near as impressive as they would have hoped.
Alabama's Defense Is Just As Good As Last Year
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The battle between Penn State and Alabama was a game that a lot of college football fans were looking forward to watching in the days leading up to the game.
This was supposed to be a back-and-forth battle between two solid teams. Alabama's defense had other ideas.
They shut down Penn State's offense, allowing just 283 yards of total offense and forced four turnovers while the Tide "rolled" up 409 total yards and took an impressive 24-3 win over the Nittany Lions.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Kansas Was a Different Team Than In Week 1
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After an embarrassing loss in Week 1 to North Dakota State, most thought Kansas wouldn't recover, especially not against Georgia Tech in Week 2.
The Jayhawks inserted Jordan Webb at quarterback and the 'Hawks impressed all day long, coming away with a 28-25 over the 15th-ranked Yellow Jackets.
USC Continues To Look Unimpressive
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After two weeks, the USC Trojans just don't look impressive at all, though they did come out with wins in both games.
In Week 1, they gave up 36 points and 588 total yards to Hawaii but came out with a 49-36 win. In Week 2 against Virginia, the Trojans were penalized 13 times for 140 total yards and their defense gave up 340 total yards to the Cavaliers. But somehow they came out with a 17-14 win.
Two wins, but neither was pretty.
Florida State Shell Shocked In Norman
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I had a lot of commentators tell me I was crazy for picking Oklahoma over Florida State, that the Seminoles had one of the best offenses in college football.
Well, Florida State went to Norman and got rolled by the Sooners. So much so that this game was over at halftime.
Oklahoma wins 47-17.
The ACC Coastal Went Winless In Week 2
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Prior to this season starting, the ACC Coastal was supposed to be the second-best division after the SEC West. Well, in Week 2, they looked anything but that.
The conference had five games on Saturday, but no wins.
Idaho Quarterback Nathan Enderle Had a Tough Day Against Nebraska
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Idaho's quarterback got more than he bargained for during his trip to Lincoln. In Week 1 against North Dakota, Nathan Enderle threw 46 times and was intercepted just once.
Against Nebraska, Enderle was intercepted five times. Hard to get into a rhythm when you're having to face that kind of a defense.
UCLA Looks Bad Against Stanford
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Not sure if you can say that Stanford is that good or UCLA is that bad, but the Bruins didn't look good at all against the Cardinal.
They mustered just 81 yards passing and 152 on the ground in a 35-0 beatdown at the hands of Stanford.
Denard Robinson Is the Real Deal
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If you didn't think Denard Robinson was a Heisman candidate after accumulating 383 total yards against UConn in Week 1, you should be convinced after 502 total yards against Notre Dame in Week 2.
Dayne Crist, Not Nate Montana, Notre Dame's Leader
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After Dayne Crist led Notre Dame to an early first quarter touchdown, he was pulled after an injury and replaced by two quarterbacks, one of whom was Nate Montana, who couldn't have been worse at leading the offense.
Crist came back in and almost brought the Irish all the way back to a win.
Notre Dame's Defense Still Needs Work
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Notre Dame had grabbed a late lead over Michigan in the fourth quarter and all its defense needed to do was get one more stop.
Unfortunately, that stop never came and Michigan ran right down the field to get the win over the Irish.
Miami Can't Make Good On Their Guarantee
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Miami's Damien Berry guaranteed that the Hurricanes were going to beat the Buckeyes in Columbus this past Saturday. In fact, Berry told the media, "It's not if we win, but when."
When are players going to learn not to give the other team bulletin board material before a big game?
Anything stupid you might have said can and will be used against you on the football field.
LaMichael James Makes Us Remember Last Season
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Just when you thought a one-game suspension might hinder Oregon running back LaMichael James from having a solid first game of the 2010 season, he proves everyone wrong, rushing for 134 yards, including an incredible 72-yard scamper that you have to see to believe.
Oregon Looks Like a Top-Five Team
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While two games are only a small example of how good this Oregon team has been, their offense has dominated in each of their first two games against both New Mexico and Tennessee.
Say what you want about how lackluster the Vols might be, but playing like that on the road is not easy for any team no matter who it is.
If they keep winning like this, they'll be in the top five in no time.
Dan Hawkins On the Hot Seat
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After getting dominated by Cal this past Saturday, that hot seat is getting a little warmer for Colorado head coach Dan Hawkins.
Rich Rodriguez Safe for One More Week
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Michigan picked up a much-needed win over Notre Dame this past Saturday, which gives head coach Rich Rodriguez a little bit of breathing room. For now at least.
TCU Shows No Signs of Slowing Down
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After a season-opening win over Oregon State at Cowboys' Stadium, the TCU offense went into an even higher gear, albeit against Tennessee Tech, 62-7.
Say what you want about TCU or the conference they're in; they're beating the teams in front of them and doing so convincingly.
Marcus Lattimore Could Be One of the Nation's Underrated Running Backs
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South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier has never been known as a run-first head coach. This season, he's been just fine handing the ball to freshman running back Marcus Lattimore and watching him carry the load.
Lattimore carried the ball 37 times for 182 yards. It was the second-highest total ever for a freshman running back at the school.
Texas Shows Signs of Struggling This Season
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While the Texas Longhorns have won each of their first two games and scored a combined 68 points, there's still some indication that they may struggle when they begin conference play.
Their first two opponents have been Rice and Wyoming, not exactly your prototypical powerhouses. That may come back to bite them against a team like Oklahoma, which threw a beating on Florida State.
Big 12 South Still the Dominant Division in the Conference
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Week 2 saw the Big 12 South continue to show that it is the dominant division in the conference. Out of six teams, each one is still unbeaten.
Air Force Ends BYU's BCS Hopes
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After all the talk that surrounded BYU going independent and leaving the Mountain West, you would have thought it would have wanted to leave with a bang.
The only bang that was heard was Air Force taking the Cougars to task, 35-14, and ending any hopes of a BCS game for BYU.
Forget Kellen Moore. How About Colin Kaepernick?
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I got taken to task for calling Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick a "young" quarterback, though I'm not sure when 23 becomes old.
So, instead of calling him young, I'll call him one of the most underrated quarterbacks not only in the WAC but also in college football.
After throwing for 306 yards and two scores and running for two more against Eastern Washington, he outdid himself this past Saturday against Colorado State. He threw for 241 yards, ran for another 161 and had a combined four touchdowns for the second straight game.
San Diego State Could Be a Factor in the Mountain West
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This might be going out on one of the smallest limbs on a tree, but San Diego State has been impressive in its first two games.
Over the past two seasons, the Aztecs had at least two losses in their first three games, even dropping their first three in 2008 including a loss to Cal Poly in the opener.
This year, however, the Aztecs have wins in their first two games against Nicholls and New Mexico State. Not powerhouse teams, but SDSU will take whatever wins they can get.
While they may not be favorites in their conference, a win against Missouri next weekend would go a long ways.
Iowa Could Be a Challenger In The Big Ten
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The Iowa Hawkeyes' offense has been consistent from the very start. While the first four games on their schedule aren't ones that someone would look at with admiration, they've been convincing in their first two wins.
While you can beat the soft teams and look good doing it, consistency is what Iowa could use to shake up the top of the Big Ten conference in 2010.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
