10 most notable headlines from Week 2 of college football
5. No. 18 Arkansas falls to Toledo at home
Following his comments about Ohio State’s weak schedule last week, Bret Bielema forgot to remind his Razorbacks that no team should be overlooked. Former Alabama quarterback Phillip Ely led Toledo to a 16-12 upset victory against the No. 18 team in the country. Despite throwing for 412 yards, Arkansas QB Brandon Allen was unable to put points on the board. I think it’s safe to say the SEC is losing major power in the top-25 after this.
4. No. 23 Tennessee blows big lead vs. No. 19 Oklahoma
Another SEC let down came at the hands of the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday. The Volunteers had their stadium draped in checkered orange and white, as Tennessee finally looked to sustain their relevance in the national polls for the first time in what seems like forever. They started hot, taking a 17-point lead into the fourth quarter. Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield led the Sooners back into and hit Sterling Shepard for a 5-yard touchdown pass with 40 seconds remaining in regulation. After both teams scored on their first possessions in overtime, Mayfield hit Shepard again for a 17-yard touchdown in double OT for the game-winning score.
3. No. 6 Auburn dodges a bullet against FCS Jacksonville State
The Auburn Tigers were many people’s pick to win the SEC, but they do not seem to be living up to the hype early in the season. The team is still undefeated, but their Heisman hopeful quarterback Jeremy Johnson now has five interceptions in his first two games. The Gamecocks of Jacksonville State were in the entire game, taking a 10-7 lead into halftime. They were up by a touchdown with just over two minutes remaining when a 17-yard punt sailed out of bounds at the Gamecocks 31-yard line, setting Auburn up for a game-tying drive. Johnson hit Melvin Ray in the corner of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown to tie the game with less than a minute on the clock. Two missed field goals in regulation and a huge mistake in overtime spoiled what could have been a monumental upset for Jacksonville State as the Tigers held on to win 27-20.
2. BYU’s Tanner Mangum remains clutch
One week following his epic Hail Mary touchdown pass to defeat Nebraska, 21-year-old freshman Tanner Mangum has officially asserted himself into the minds of football fans everywhere. Mangum started the game with an 84-yard bomb to Mitchell Juergens to put the Cougars up on No. 20 Boise State. After the two teams battled back-and-forth throughout the game, BYU found themselves down 24-21 with less than a minute left in regulation. Mangum was clutch again with a 35-yard touchdown to Juergens to take the lead with 45 seconds remaining. Kai Nacua sealed the victory with a pick-six on the Broncos’ following possession. Amazingly, it was Nacua’s third interception of the game.
1. No. 9 Notre Dame avoids upset with late-game TD
Speaking of backup quarterbacks performing big in important moments, Notre Dame backup DeShone Kizer had to come in for the injured Malik Zaire as the Fighting Irish were trying to avoid being upset by the Virginia Cavaliers. Virginia was up 27-26 with under 30 seconds remaining, and the Irish were marching down the field. Kizer channeled his inner-Tanner Mangum and launched a 40-yard bomb to Will Fuller for the go-ahead touchdown with 12 seconds left as No. 9 Notre Dame went onto win 34-27.
