College football Week 2’s Saturday slate was jam-packed with ranked matchups. Texas vs Michigan was the headliner, but only one team showed up to play in The Big House. With Saturday’s college football schedule wrapped up, it’s time to look at the biggest winners and losers from the weekend.
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Some of the choices are obvious because it’s hard to hide from a dud. But there are others who deserve extra recognition for their standout performances. Let’s examine who stuck out the most.
Winner: Quinn Ewers, Texas Longhorns
Quinn Ewers wasted no time dissecting Michigan’s highly-touted defense, putting Texas in scoring position on his first five drives. Ewers put some great film on tape, completing 66% of his passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns. Saturday’s showing undoubtedly boosts his NFL Draft stock toward becoming a first-round pick.
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Loser: Michigan Wolverines’ defense
The Michigan Wolverines’ defense has two players who could be selected among the first ten picks of the 2024 NFL Draft. However, Mason Graham and Will Johnson couldn’t do anything to slow down the Texas offense. The Longhorns outgained the Wolverines 389 yards to 284, which says just as much about Michigan’s offense as it does about their defense. This team misses J.J. McCarthy and Jim Harbaugh.
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Winner: Syracuse’s Kyle McCord
A year ago, Kyle McCord was replacing CJ Stroud as the new Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback. Now, he’s leading the Syracuse Orange. So far, McCord’s time with the Orange is off to a much better start, racking up 735 yards and eight touchdowns in his first two games. His latest feat included knocking Georgia Tech out of college football’s top 25 rankings with a 31-28 win at home.
Loser: Georgia Tech’s moment in the Top 25 is done
Georgia Tech’s short-lived place inside the AP top 25 comes to an end just one week after they arrived. The Yellow Jackets found a way to defeat Florida State in a one-possession game but couldn’t do the same against Syracuse as Kyle McCord tore them to shreds. Georgia Tech didn’t turn the ball over once, but they couldn’t stop the Orange’s scoring attack either, leading to a close loss on the road.
Winner: Thomas Hammock, Northern Illinois Huskies
The Northern Illinois Huskies have been playing college football for 57 years. Thomas Hammock has been their head coach for six seasons. Yet, neither Northern Illinois nor Hammock had ever beaten a team ranked in the top 10. But Northern Illinois just toppled a fifth-ranked Notre Dame team 16-14 in what was an emotional post-game scene for Coach Hammock, a Huskies alum.
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Loser: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
A week after a convincing 23-13 win over a ranked Texas A&M team, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish fall to an unranked Northern Illinois Huskies squad that no one believed in. This win won’t look good for coach Marcus Freeman, but quarterback Riley Leonard should shoulder the blame after a two-INT performance.
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Winner: Iowa State Cyclones’ Kyle Konrardy’s 54-yard game-winner
The Iowa State Cyclones don’t typically beat the Iowa Hawkeyes, yet Matt Campbell did it two years ago, and he’s done it again. Iowa still leads the all-time series 48-30, but this one has to feel good for the still-undefeated Cyclones. Kicker Kyle Ronrardy may only be in his first season, but the freshman already had a moment many Iowa State fans will never forget: a 54-yard game-winning kick to beat Iowa 20-19.
Loser: Iowa Hawkeyes’ Cade McNamara
This is not what the Iowa Hawkeyes expected to get from Cade McNamara. The former Michigan QB couldn’t find any success through the air, completing 46.4% of his passes for just 99 yards and an interception. Running back Kaleb Johnson was incredible, going off for 187 yards and two touchdowns, but it was McNamara who let the team down immensely.
Winner: Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State Buckeyes
They might’ve done it again. Marvin Harrison Jr. was one of the best wide receivers in college football in the last 10 years. Talent like that just doesn’t come along often. Unless you’re the Ohio State Buckeyes. A five-star true freshman wideout, Smith is already over 200 receiving yards this season and he’s scored at least 1 touchdown with 90-plus yards in both games. He’s going to be a big, big, big problem for opponents the next three years.
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Loser: Alabama Crimson Tide offensive line
A great coach and quarterback can take you very far in college football and there are few combos for difficult for collegiate defenses to stop. That is, unless the offensive line doesn’t give the quarterback and coach time to do anything. It was an evident problem for the Alabama Crimson Tide in college football Week 2 and the woes came against the South Florida Bulls. If USF can do this to Alabama, we can’t fathom what teams like Georgia, Tennessee, Missouri, LSU and Oklahoma will be able to accomplish. Yes, Alabama faces them all in 2024.
Winner: Matt Rhule and the Nebraska Cornhuskers
A great quarterback can make all the difference. In 2023, the Nebraska Cornhuskers certainly had the defense to win 8 games, but quarterback woes proved costly with three 13-10 losses. That’s why landing Dylan Raiola was so critical to Nebraska’s future. The Cornhuskers are already one of the 20 best teams in college football right now and we’re just seeing Raiola scratch the surface of his potential. Kudos to Rhule, who is proving he always belonged in college football.
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