Week 2 Analysis: The Film Doesn’t Lie
It was a weekend of milestone victories for some teams and heart-breaking losses for others. Whether your teams’ win streak was extended or losing streak snapped, week two of college football had everyone on the edge of their seats and provided boat loads of entertainment. As the season progresses, it’s clear to see that teams are starting to separate and solidify themselves as contenders while others are being exposed as pretenders. Even the newly hired Power 5 coaches are raising a few eyebrows with their records early on. Florida’s Dan Mullen, Arkansas’ Chad Morris, Tennessee Jeremy Pruitt, Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher and Florida State’s Willie Taggart are all 1-1. Oregon’s Chip Kelly, Arizona’s Kevin Sumlin and Nebraska’s Scott Frost are winless. Meanwhile, Mississippi State’s Joe Moorehead and the biggest surprise of the season thus far, Arizona State’s Herm Edwards are both 2-0. Let’s all take a quick look back at week two and see what teams, players, and plays stood out and why we can’t wait for what’s in store for all the college football fanatics for week three.
Notre Dame: Talk about a hangover. Regardless of the matter, there’s no reason why the No. 8 team in the country let in-state, little step-brother Ball State take them far into the fourth quarter at home. Notre Dame really struggled running the ball and Brandon Wimbush threw three interceptions. With those odds, along with being held scoreless in the fourth quarter, the Irish was lucky Ball State only pulled within a touchdown. Pull that same nonsense on offense against a hungry Vanderbilt team this upcoming Saturday and Notre Dame will see how quick its luck can run out.
ACC
Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia Tech got defeated in week two, otherwise the ACC had a pretty impressive showing in non-conference play. Miami had a record-breaking performance and Duke pulled off a road upset. Florida State continues to struggle on both sides of the ball and Clemson’s all-star defense showed some chink in its’ armor on the road at College Station. Overall the ACC is looking like the third-best Power 5 conference through week two.
Boston College: Its been against two cupcakes but the Eagles have been impressive on offense thus far. After a lack luster performance by his standards last week, AJ Dillon showed up in a big way against Holy Cross finishing with 149 rush yards, three touchdowns and averaged a jaw-dropping 24.8 yards per carry. The Eagles must continue to keep opposing defenses from keying in on Dillon and three different receivers caught touchdown passes. The secondary only allowed Holy Cross to pass for 66 yards.
Clemson: The Tigers were lucky to leave out of College Station unscathed, but Kyle Field is one of the toughest stadiums in the nation to play in. The defense didn’t look as dominant as advertised, but Clelin Ferrell showed why he’s one of the best pass rushers in the game and will be an NFL first-rounder come spring. Although the Tigers offense was held scoreless in the fourth quarter, there’s no doubt about who’s the No. 1 quarterback after the performance by Kelly Bryant. Sophomore wideout Tee Higgins hauled in three balls for 123 yards and a score.
Duke: The Blue Devils went into Ryan Field and crushed the Wildcats for the second straight year and snapped their Power 5 leading nine-game win streak. The offense wasn’t flashy and rushed for only 97 yards, but the Blue Devils played turnover-free football. Daniel Jones played great and threw for nearly 200 yards and three touchdowns. Dukes’ defense had two interceptions and held Northwestern scoreless for the last three quarters.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets finished with 602 yards, including 419 on the ground, but let the Bulls score 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. TaQuon Marshall rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown and Clinton Lynch hauled in three balls for 111 yards and a score. All of it was overlooked because of Georgia Tech’s three turnovers on offense and KirVonte Benson suffered a season-ending injury.
Florida State: The Noles played uninspired football again and needed a fourth quarter rally to beat an FCS team at home. Florida State secondary got torched for nearly 500 yards through the air, but came up with four interceptions and held Samford to just 50 yards on the ground. Deondre Francois is starting to ease back into his 2016 form, throwing for 320 yards and three touchdowns. Still, it’s evident that the players and coaching staff are having a difficult time buying into Willie Taggart as coach.
Louisville: It’s hard to believe that a Bobby Petrino-coached offense struggled throwing the ball, but that’s exactly what took place. Starter Jawon Pass was ineffective mainly because of a toe injury and freshman signal-caller stepped in and got the offense on track. Louisville’s defense held Indiana States’ offense to 37 pass yards and scoreless for the last three quarters.
Miami: The Hurricanes let out all of their frustration from a disappointing performance against LSU on Savannah State. The Hurricane defense allowed only 78 total yards, forced four turnovers and got the shutout. Miami’s 77 points tied for for the programs’ most points in a single game and the win was largest margin of victory in school history.
NC State: Ryan Finley threw for 370 yards and two touchdowns. Thayer Thomas and Kelvin Harmon combined for 17 receptions, 243 yards and a touchdown. NC States’ defense held Georgia State scoreless for the last three quarters.
North Carolina: This team is starting to fall apart fast and its unclear if Fedora will even survive through the regular season. North Carolina gave up 510 total yards to East Carolina, including 220 on the ground. The Tar Heels are 0-2 to start the season for the second straight year, but get an unexpected bye-week due to Hurricane threats. The time off will be needed because that visit from Central Florida would’ve guaranteed the team an 0-3 start.
Pittsburgh: After competitive play during its last two games against rival Penn State, Pitt got crushed at Heinz Field. The Panthers turned the ball over three times, passed for only 55 yards and were held scoreless for the last three quarters. Qadre Ollison was the lone bright spot for the offense and finished with 119 yards on the ground and a score.
Syracuse: This offense has found its groove and continues to light up the scoreboard. Senior signal-caller Eric Dungey threw for 218 yards and five touchdowns and added 44 more on the ground. The defense is what needed tinkering before opening up conference play gauntlet and Syracuse held Wagner to 10 points, 41 rush yards and picked off three passes. The Orange are now 2-0 for the first time since 2015.
Virginia: The Cavaliers played a tough competitive game but couldn’t stop the Hoosiers ground game, giving up 237 rush yards. Virginia needs more production out of the passing game after finishing with only 106 yards through the air. Bryce Perkins threw for two touchdowns and added 123 on the ground, but needs to become a more effective passer after completing only 50 percent of his passes.
Virginia Tech: No hangover from the Hokies having played two games in six days and still racked up 586 yards of total offense, including 305 on the ground. Josh Jackson threw for 217 yards and a score. Damon Hazelton caught four balls for 107 yards and a touchdown. Bud Fosters’ defense was stingy against the run and held William & Mary to 34 yards on the ground.
Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons lit up the scoreboard for 51 points, 582 total yards, including 340 on the ground and held Towson scoreless in the second half. Cade Carney rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown. Wake Forest defense was stingy against the run and only allowed Towson to rush for 65 yards. This is a good sign, considering the Demon Deacons got A.J. Dillon and Boston College visiting Saturday.
Big Ten
The Big Ten took a hit in week two, with Purdue, Northwestern and Nebraska all losing at home to non-conference foes. Michigan State’s close win in week one wasn’t a fluke as the Spartans got exposed in their loss down in Tempe. Penn State and Michigan both performed better than what each team displayed in week one. Maryland continues to be resilient and Wisconsin won its 41st consecutive non-conference game at home. Ohio State has boat loads of firepower on offense and Iowa may have the best defense in the Big 10 this season. No one thought Minnesota and Illinois would be two of the four unbeaten teams in the West division after week two.
Illinois: The Fighting Illini are 2-0 for the first time under Lovie Smith and fifth time in the last six seasons. The win came at a cost and Illinois lost starting signal-caller A.J. Bush to injury. Freshman quarterback M.J. Rivers II filled in and completed 9-of-16 passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Mike Espstein rushed for 105 yards and Illinois rumbled for 238 yards on the ground. Illinois defense allowed only 66 rush yards, forced three turnovers and held Western Illinois scoreless during the fourth quarter.
Indiana: Patrick Ramsey threw for 150 yards and two touchdowns. The Hoosiers steamrolled the Cavaliers on the ground for 237 yards. Stevie Scott rushed for 204 yards and a score. Indiana held Virginia scoreless for the fourth quarter. The victory mark the program’s 13th win in their last 14 regular season non-conference games, including five straight overall and nine of their last 10 at home
Iowa: The Hawkeyes posted their fourth-straight victory over their in-state rivals. Sophomore defensive end A.J. Epenesa has made a name for himself after setting career highs with five tackles and 2.0 sacks. Iowa held Iowa State to 19 yards rushing, the fifth-lowest total allowed in the Kirk Ferentz era and the Cyclones were left scoreless for the last three quarters.
Maryland: The Terrapins racked up 565 total yards, including 444 on the ground. Maryland running backs Ty Johnson and Tayon Fleet Davis combined for 226 rush yards and three touchdowns and the Terrapins scored 38 unanswered points. Maryland’s defense held Bowling Green to just 15 rush yards and scoreless during the second half.
Michigan: What a bounce back week the Wolverines had, rushing for 308 yards and limited the Broncos to 83 yards through the air. Michigan held Western Michigan scoreless for the first three quarters and snapped its four-game losing streak with the win. Shea Patterson had a great game and threw for three touchdowns and Karan Higdon finished with 156 yards on the ground and a score.
Michigan State: The Spartans followed up last week’s struggle against Utah State with a loss to the Sun Devils.The Spartans defense held the Sun Devils to 44 rush yards, but gave up 380 through the air. Brian Lewerke thew for 314 yards and Cody White caught nine balls for 113 yards and a score. Michigan State was held to just 63 yards on the ground and let Arizona State score 10 unanswered points in fourth quarter.
Minnesota: The Golden Gophers defense stepped up and held Fresno State to 87 rush yards. Seth Green ran for two touchdowns, including the game-winning three-yard score late in the fourth quarter, and Antione Winfield Jr. sealed the game with an interception off a trick play in the end zone. P.J. Fleck has the Gophers 2-0 for the second-straight season.
Nebraska: Scott Frost debut didn’t go as planned. Nebraska’s offense lost two fumbles on their first two drives, that resulted in two Colorado touchdowns. The Huskers nearly doubled the Buffaloes in total yards and had 329 yards on the ground. Nebraska’s defense held Colorado to 44 rush yards and sacked the quarterback seven times, but gave up 351 yards through the air and created no turnovers. Husker quarterback Adrian Martinez had 304 total yards and three touchdowns, but suffered a leg injury late in the fourth quarter and never returned.
Northwestern: The Wildcats fell to the Blue Devils for the second-straight year, snapping their Power 5 leading nine-game win streak. The offense struggled to put points on the board but Jeremy Larkin rushed for 121 yards and a score and Flynn Nagel caught 12 balls for 133 yards. Clayton Thorson threw for nearly 200 yards, but had no touchdown passes and an interception. Northwestern defense played well enough to win and held Duke to 97 yards on the ground and scoreless over the last three quarters.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes have looked very impressive on offense over the last two weeks, ranking second nationally in both scoring and total offense. Quarterbacks Dwayne Haskins and Tate Martell combined to complete 30-of-33 passing attempts for 354 yards and five touchdowns. That included a school-record 10-for-10 performance by Martell. On the season, Haskins ranks third nationally in completion percentage. The Buckeyes defense dominated and held Rutgers offense to just 134 total yards and picked off two passes. Ohio State has seven straight wins in conference-openers.
Penn State: The Nittany Lions were a completely different team in week two, lighting up the scoreboard for 51 points in their 99th meeting with the Panthers. Trace McSorley threw for two touchdowns and Miles Sanders rushed for 118 yards. Penn States’ defense forced three turnovers, limited Pitt to 55 yards through the air and held the Panthers scoreless during the last three quarters. Penn State’s 45-point win was its largest margin of victory over its rival since 1968.
Purdue: The Boilermakers have lost two-straight heart-breakers at home to open up the season. Purdue held Eastern Michigan to 69 yards on the ground, but gave up 347 through the air. The Boilermakers ran the ball well, piling up 341 rush yards. Running backs Markell Jones and D.J. Knox combined for 261 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Two costly fumbles turned out to be the difference in a tight game.
Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights were out-gunned and out-manned in the lopsided loss to the Buckeyes. On the bright side, Rutgers did put three points on the board and didn’t get shutout by Ohio State like the past two years.
Wisconsin: The Badgers dominated another inferior opponent, racking up 568 total yards, including 417 on the ground. Sophomore sensation Jonathan Taylor rushed for 253 yards and three touchdowns. A.J. Taylor caught five balls for 134 yards and a score. Wisconsin’s defense held New Mexico to 77 yards on the ground and forced three turnovers, including two interceptions. Senior safety D’Cota Dixon led the Badgers defense with nine tackles, including one from behind the line of scrimmage.
Big 12
Oklahoma continues to be the leader of this conference and showed it by a making a Pac-12 team look like an FCS foe. Kansas State and Iowa State both struggled against other Power 5 teams and gave the conference its only two blemishes over the weekend. West Virginia may have the best passing attack in the Big 12 this season. The Jayhawks was the weekend’s biggest surprise and finally got the monkey off of their backs with a road win. Texas is still looking average and will need to get everything in place before USC comes to Austin this Saturday.
Baylor: The Bears racked up nearly 500 yards of total offense, including 403 through the air. Charlie Brewer threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns. Receivers Jalen Hurd and Denzel Mims combined for 16 catches, 269 yards and two scores. Baylor limited Texas San-Antonio to just 98 yards on the ground.
Iowa State: The Cyclones got completely shut down on offense, with only 19 yards on the ground and were held scoreless during the last three quarters. Iowa State lost its fourth straight to Iowa and fifth of its last six games to its in-state rivals.
Kansas: The Jayhawks snapped their 46-game road losing streak, which was the longest in FBS history. Kansas limited Central Michigan to 103 yards on the ground, forced six turnovers, including four interceptions and held the Chippewas scoreless in the first half. Peyton Bender threw for 130 yards and a touchdown and Pooka Willams rushed for 125 yards and two scores.
Kansas State: If last week wasn’t an indication of how mediocre the Wildcats are right now, then the whipping by the Bulldogs exposed everything. Kansas State struggled mightily on offense and finished with only 213 total yards. The Wildcats defense gave up 538 yards, including 384 yards on the ground. Kansas State had no answers for Mississippi State’s front seven and the Wildcats were held scoreless during the second and fourth quarter.
Oklahoma: The Sooners offense continues to flourish, piling up nearly 500 total yards on the Bruins. Kyler Murray threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns and added 46 yards on the ground and two rushing scores. True sophomore wideout Cee Dee Lamb hauled in seven balls for 146 yards and a touchdown. The only setback for the Sooners was that star running back Rodney Andersn suffered an injury and didn’t return. Oklahoma handed Chip Kelly his second-straight loss and now has 32-straight wins against unranked non-conference opponents.
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys racked up 617 total yards, including 453 through the air. Wideouts Tylan Wallace and Tyron Johnson combined for 15 catches, 303 yards and a touchdown. Taylor Cornelius threw for 428 yards, but had two interceptions. Oklahoma State’s defense limited South Alabama to 214 total yards, including 78 on the ground and scoreless the entire second half.
TCU: The Horned Frogs took their old Southwest Conference rival to the woodshed. TCU rushed for 247 yards and scored 28 unanswered points in the second half. The Horned Frogs’ defense limited SMU to 111 yards through the air and kept the Mustangs scoreless the entire second half. A clash with Ohio State this Saturday will be a good measuring stick for TCU.
Texas: Not the blowout everyone was expecting the Longhorns to deliver on an inferior team. After shutting Tulsa out in the first half, Texas let the Golden Hurricanes pull within a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Longhorns’ offense rushed for 241 yards and the defense had two interceptions. Sam Ehlinger threw for 237 yards and two scores. Lil’ Jordan Humphrey had seven catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. With an average USC team visiting this Saturday the Longhorns will find out how far they’ve come along in year two under Tom Herman.
Texas Tech: The Red Raiders desperately needed a win for coach Kliff Kingsbury and made a statement on both sides of the ball with their first shutout since 2006 and scored their most points since 2005. The defense forced four turnovers, including three interceptions. Texas Tech scored 77 points, racked up nearly 700 total yards, scored seven touchdowns on the ground and won their 19th consecutive home-opener. All of the impressive stats were against Lamar, but the Red Raiders needed a tune-up before Houston comes to Lubbock this Saturday.
West Virginia: The Mountaineers were magnificent on offense again, with 625 total yards, including 289 on the ground. Will Grier threw for 332 yards and four touchdowns. Leddie Brown rushed for 115 yards and a score. Receivers Marcus Simms and Greg Jennings combined for 14 catches, 216 yards and three touchdowns.
Pac-12
Arizona and UCLA blowout losses on the road gave the Pac-12 a black eye for non-conference action. Luckily Herm Edwards’ Sun Devils pulled off the upset over the Spartans to show the conference has depth. Arizona State is now 9-0 against Big 10 teams at Sun Devil Stadium. Colorado snapped its three-game losing streak to its rival Nebraska and Stanford looks like the team to beat in the North division. Surprisingly, Washington State is looking great on defense while USC is looking as mediocre as ever. Oregon State finally got back on the winning track and Washington took out its anger on an FCS foe. Oregon might have the best offense in the conference this season.
Arizona: Kevin Sumlin’s homecoming back to Houston didn’t go as planned. The Wildcats gave up 31 points and went scoreless in the first half, had three turnovers, including two interceptions and got steamrolled for nearly 300 rush yards by Houston’s ground attack. Khalil Tate threw for 341 yards, but had no touchdown passes and was ineffective running the ball. Wideout Shawn Poindexter hauled in seven balls for 134 yards. Luckily for Arizona an FCS team comes to town this Saturday and Sumlin can make some much needed adjustments on both sides of the ball.
Arizona State: Edwards has silenced all of his critics at the moment. Edwards told his team during pre-game warm-ups to leave it all on the grass and the Sun Devils took down the No. 15 team in the nation. Arizona State started out the gates slow, going scoreless in the first half, but scored 13 points and held Michigan State scoreless in the fourth quarter. The Sun Devil defense limited the Spartans ground game to just 63 rush yards. Manny Wilkins threw for 380 yards and touchdown and Kyle Williams caught seven passes for 104 yards.
California: The Bears are 2-0, thanks to their stingy defense. In a hard-fought close game California limited BYU to 91 yards on the ground and intercepted two passes. The Bears offense racked up nearly 400 total yards and Chase Garbers threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns.
Colorado: The Buffaloes stormed into Lincoln to renew their rivalry with the Huskers and left out of Memorial Stadium with a nail-biting win. Colorado struggled to run the ball, but Steven Montez torched Nebraska’s secondary for 351 yards and three touchdowns. Shane Laviska caught 10 balls for 177 yards and a score. The Buffaloes defense forced three turnovers and held the Huskers scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Oregon: The Ducks offense continues to roll, racking up 562 total yards, including 296 on the ground. Oregon’s defense held Portland State to 66 yards on the ground and scoreless in first and third quarter. Justin Herbert played magnificent and threw for 250 yards and four touchdowns. The Ducks had two 100-yard rushers in Tony Brooks-James and CJ Vedrell and both backs combined for three touchdowns.
Oregon State: The Beavers snapped their 11-game losing streak and got the team’s first win under Jonathan Smith. Oregon State’s offense racked up 649 total yards, including 360 on the ground. Conor Blount threw for 226 yards and a touchdown and Jermar Jefferson rushed for 224 yards and four scores.
Stanford: The Cardinals snapped its two-game losing streak to the Trojans with a convincing win. Bryce Love got his groove back and rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown. K.J. Costello threw for 183 yards and a score. Stanford’s defense was the tell of the day, with two interceptions and held USC scoreless in the first half and fourth quarter.
UCLA: Chip Kelly probably wants to hit the reset button on the Bruins season after starting 0-2. The offense struggled again in week two and was held scoreless the entire first half. True freshman signal-caller Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw for 254 yards and a score and Bolu Olorunfunmi had two rushing touchdowns. On the bright side, UCLA didn’t commit any turnovers and scored 14 points in the fourth quarter.
USC: The Trojans are a hot mess right now on offense. JT Daneils threw two interceptions, the run game was held to 114 yards and USC scored its fewest points in a game since 1997. The defense is really struggling against the run and gave up 300-plus yards in week one and let Love rush for 100-plus in week two. The marquee game at Texas this week will tell how far the men of Troy have fallen or blossomed to.
Utah: The Utes are playing great defense at the moment and had two turnovers, including a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown and limited Northern Illinois to 228 total yards and scoreless during the second and third quarter. The offense started off slow and didn’t get on the scoreboard until the second half. Tyler Huntley threw for 286 yards and Britain Covey hauled in eight catches for 129 yards.
Washington: The Huskies took out their frustration on North Dakota after their disappointing loss to Auburn in week one. Washington racked up 632 total yards, including 437 through the air. Jake Browning threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns, but was intercepted twice. Washington’s defense held North Dakota to 101 pass yards and scoreless in the first half and fourth quarter.
Washington State: The Cougars carried the momentum from their win at Wyoming in week one and put together a dominant performance against San Jose State in their home-opener. Washington State racked up 544 total yards, held San Jose State to 109 total yards, including just nine on the ground, sacked the Spartans quarterback five times and the defense pitched a shutout. The 109 yards the Cougars allowed were the fewest since a 1994 win against Oregon. Gardner Minshew threw for 414 yards and three touchdowns, with two interceptions.
SEC
The SEC had a great showing in non-conference play for week two besides Arkansas’ embarrassing loss at Colorado State. Texas A&M surprisingly gave Clemson all it could handle and every other SEC team dominated their non-conference foe. Gator coach Dan Mullen has to go back to the drawing board after Florida lost to Kentucky for the first time since Ronald Reagan was president. Georgia showed it’s a contender and exposed South Carolina as a pretender. Week two showed college football fanatics enough to have everyone anticipating blockbuster SEC games this Saturday for week three.
Alabama: The Tide continues to roll and lit up the scoreboard for 57 points and racked up 599 total yards over Arkansas State. Tua Tagovailoa continues to impress and threw for 228 yards and four touchdowns. Najee Harris rumbled for 135 yards and a score. The Tide’s defense surprisingly gave up nearly 400 total yards to the Red Wolves, but held the team scoreless in the first half and fourth quarter.
Arkansas: The Hogs traveled to Fort Collins and got upset by a winless Rams team. Arkansas’ defense got torched through the air for 389 yards and let Colorado State score 25 unanswered points to pull off the program’s first win over an SEC team. The Hogs rushed for 299 yards, but threw two interceptions. Cole Kelly had two passing touchdowns and Devwah Whaley finished with 165 yards on the ground and a score.
Auburn: The Tigers defense continues to flourish and held Alabama State to 205 total yards, including 47 on the ground, four turnovers and scoreless in the first and fourth quarter. Auburn lit up the scoreboard for 63 points and rushed for 429 yards, with two 100-yard rushers in JaTarvious Whitow and Shaun Shivers. Jake Stidham threw for 113 yards and a touchdown.
Georgia: The Bulldogs showed that they are the beast of the SEC East after laying a whooping on South Carolina. Georgia’s offense steamrolled for 271 yards on the ground and scored 24 unanswered points to lead by 31 heading into the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs defense held the Gamecocks to 54 rush yards and had two interceptions. Jake Fromm threw for 194 yards and a touchdown and Mecole Hardman caught six balls for 103 yards and a score.
Florida: After the loss to the Wildcats the Gators are no longer the bully of the SEC East and the Swamp isn’t as intimidating of a place to play. The once proud Florida defense gave up 303 yards on the ground to Kentucky and the offense turned the ball over twice and was held scoreless in the first and third quarter. Feleipe Franks threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns, but had an interception. Prior to the loss to the Wildcats, the Gators had won 13-straight conference openers.
Kentucky: Mark Stoops has Kentucky on the upswing and the Wildcats racked up 454 total yards and snapped their 31-game losing streak to the Gators. Terry Wilson had 251 total yards and three touchdowns and Benny Snell added 175 yards on the ground.
LSU: The Tigers showed no signs of a hangover after their upset win over Miami and dominated little brother Southeastern Louisiana. LSU limited its FCS foe to 65 yards on the ground, three turnovers and pitched a shutout. Joe Burrow threw for 171 total yards and three touchdowns and Nick Brossette added 137 rush yards.
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs took a rare trip up north to Manhattan and dominated the Wildcats. Mississippi State racked up 538 total yards, including 384 on the ground. Nick Fitzgerald returned from suspension and had 313 total yards, including 159 rushing and two touchdowns. Kylin Hill rumbled for 211 yards and two scores. Mississippi State’s defense held Kansas State’s offense to 213 total yards and scoreless in the first and fourth quarter.
Missouri: The Tigers displayed their offensive firepower and racked up 601 total yards, including 398 through the air. Drew Lock had four touchdown passes and Emanuel Hall hauled in 10 catches for 171 yards and a score. Missouri’s defense held Wyoming to 88 yards on the ground and scoreless in the first half.
Ole Miss: The Rebels continue to look impressive on offense, racking up 646 total yards, including 479 through the air and 76 points on the scoreboard. Jordan Ta’amu threw for 448 yards and five touchdowns and Scottie Phillips had 107 rush yards and two scores. Ole Miss receivers A.J. Brown, Braylon Sanders and DK Metcalf combined for 19 receptions, 384 yards and four touchdowns. The Rebels defense forced three turnovers but gave up 629 total yards.
South Carolina: All the off-season talk about the Gamecocks challenging Bulldogs for the SEC East came to a screeching halt after their 24-point loss at home. South Carolina was limited to 54 yards on the ground and turned the ball over three times. Jake Bentley threw for 269 yards and a touchdowns, but also had two interceptions. Bryan Edwards caught seven balls for 111 yards and two scores. Will Muschamp is now 1-6 all-time against Georgia.
Tennessee: The Vols didn’t hold back on their FCS foe and racked up 414 total yards and scored 59 points. Tennessee scored on a run, pass, interception return, field goal and a blocked kick. Tennessee’s defense held East Tennessee State to 69 yards through the air, forced three turnovers, including two interceptions and scoreless in the first half and fourth quarter.
Texas A&M: The Aggies showed heart and outgained Clemson in total yards and took the Tigers down to the wire. Quarterback Kellen Mond had his coming out party and torched the Tigers defense for 430 yards and three touchdowns. Kendrick Rogers had a monster game and caught seven balls for 120 yards and two scores. The Aggies defense limited the Tigers rushing attack to 115 yards and scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Vanderbilt: The Commodores are the SEC’s best kept secret, especially on defense. Vanderbilt limited Nevada to 34 yards on the ground, forced four turnovers and held the Wolf pack scoreless in the second half. Kyle Shurmur thew for 258 yards and two touchdowns. Don’t look now, but Vanderbilt’s game at Notre Dame will have national attention with two unbeaten teams.
