The second string of college gridiron games shed light on some things to know, like the Fighting Irish, the Ducks, and the Nittany Lions posing as false contenders. Upstarts like the Jayhawks and the Wildcats of Arizona are not ready to contend for a title or a spot in the playoffs. Or either Northern Illinois, Illinois, or Iowa State are prepared to take a big step in capturing greatness. Are the Texas Longhorns really that good, or did the Michigan Wolverines become really bad? Can we declare the Nebraska Cornhuskers coming back to football prominence yet? Like the NFL, a college football season is a marathon, not a sprint, and a season is never concluded in just two weeks. But it's still fun to gain a sense of what could happen down the line based on what has just been witnessed from this past week of college games. Here are my takeaways from this past Saturday of college football.
Ewers is Ahead of the Heisman Race
Quinn Ewers' performance in Ann Arbor at the Big House against the Wolverines last Saturday was a masterclass in how to play quarterback. Against one of the best defenses in the country at one of the toughest stadiums to get a win at, Ewers orchestrated a symphony of intelligent reads, clever signal calls, and beautiful throws in the pocket and on the move. Quinn Ewers only took the opportunities Michigan's defense left open for him and would take them as soon as they were presented. The pocket broke down on him numerous times, but he showed mobility to elude the pressure and find open targets for positive yards and eventual six-pointers. He threw the ball 36 times and only had 12 incompletions and three touchdowns.
Ewers displayed the type of decisiveness that makes him the perfect quarterback prospect. If he didn't see anything open and the rush coming at him, he just threw to the stands. He never tries to force a big play to happen; he just waits for the opportunity to show up and shoots at the opportunity. This statement over the 10th-ranked Michigan Wolverines puts him ahead of the Heisman race and the Longhorns a spot closer to number one in the top 25. His Heisman stock should skyrocket if he performs like this when it's time to face Oklahoma and Georgia in back-to-back games at the start of October.
Tulane Wants to be Elite
This Tulane Green Wave squad has been on the edge of becoming a college football powerhouse since their turnaround season of 2022 was capped off with a Cotton Bowl win over USC. Just like with 18th-ranked Kansas State this past Saturday, they came close to upsetting 17th-ranked Ole Miss last year but lost 20-37 and lost the AAC title to SMU due to turnovers and mental errors in that game. Tulane jumped on the Wildcats 14-0 to start the game and matched their offense blow for blow in the second half until Tulane's offense threatened to break the 27-27 tie in the fourth quarter around eight minutes. Quarterback Darian Mensah was stripped and sacked by Kansas State's Austin Romaine, turning into a scoop and score for the Wildcats. Behind 34-27, penalties, including a controversial pass interference called on Tulane's wide receiver Dontae Fleming during a late-game touchdown grab by Yulkeith Brown that would've sent the game to overtime.
For the entire game, Tulane's offense put up 95 more total yards than Kansas State while only having two turnovers; both turnovers came in the 4th quarter. New head coach Jon Sumrall is keeping this team on the right track to becoming one of college football's elite programs, and Darian Mensah, being only a redshirt freshman, has a lot of time to progress as he has thrown four touchdowns and 547 yards, and a completion percentage of 70 during the first two games. With capable pass catchers and sharing the backfield with another young rising star, Makhi Hughes, Mensah is expected to display more of his talents that would be reminiscent of another great number 10 worn with the Green Wave three decades back, Shaun King, during the school's undefeated season of 1998. They will get another chance to gain respect from the nation as they will face the 15th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners in Norman.
Oklahoma Has a Defense?
As Jason Arnold and the offense couldn't generate much against Houston last Saturday, the Sooners' defense brought some extra boom for a sloppy 16-12 win over the Cougars. Tulane allowed just 318 total yards and 18 first downs for the entire game despite Houston's offense having more possession time than Oklahoma's offense, which had 35 minutes and 3 seconds. They forced the Cougars to 15 third down situations and only allowed them to convert four times. The defense took the ball away twice and had a game-saving safety tackle by defensive tackle Gracen Halton in the fourth quarter, leaving a minute and forty-two seconds left. Currently, Oklahoma is rated 15th in the country for points allowed per game with 7.5. The defense's first real challenge comes this Saturday in the Tulane Green Wave, and then they will head to Knoxville for their first SEC matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers. So far this season, their defense seems built for Southeastern Conference football.
Keep An Eye Out for Kyle McCord and the Orange
Kyle McCord has been playing like the most underrated transfer in college football. During the first two games with the Syracuse Orange, McCord has thrown for four touchdowns and more than 350 yards in each of them while throwing just one interception. He has made NFL passes with tight-window throws and nicely touched-back shoulder throws. Kyle puts the right amount of air under his passes and shows off his great anticipation in his throws. He is letting the football go to the spot where he expects his targets to be about 2-3 seconds before the receiver makes the turn on his route.
His football intelligence and arm talent have impacted this Syracuse offense tremendously, as this offense is rated as the No. 4 passing offense in the FBS and the 18th highest-scoring offense in the FBS. Their trio of pass catchers, including Oronde Gadsen, Trebor Pena, and Umari Hatcher, have been outstanding targets for Kyle McCord. The rest of their schedule is considerably in their favor, except when they play the Miami Hurricanes in the last game of the regular season. Their statement win over 23rd-ranked Georgia Tech may not be enough for the rest of the nation to give them respect to put them in the top 25. Still, it was enough to put them under the microscope because of Kyle McCord's excellent play and his control of Syracuse's offense.
Cornhuskers Football's Back Declaration Still Remains Being Fool's Gold
Saturday's 28-10 win over the Colorado Buffalos revealed their best defensive performance in a long time. They sacked Shedeur Sanders six times and intercepted him for six points. Freshman phenom Dylan Raiola has been making outstanding throws and managing this offense as a wise veteran. No turnovers against Colorado, and all their 28 points came in the first half. They step into this week as the number 23rd-ranked team in the nation, the first time they've been ranked in the top 25 since Week 1 of the 2019 season. Their margin of victory in their first two games is tremendous: a 40-7 win over UTEP and then a 28-10 victory over Colorado.
After all, they only played UTEP and Colorado, one team where the school is better known for public research than athletics and the other being a program that could only beat an FCS team by five points. Nebraska had six sacks against one of the worst offensive lines in college football. The declaration that Nebraska Cornhuskers football will be back will remain fool's gold for another week, as they will play NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner's alma mater this Saturday, Northern Iowa.
Take Back Your Concerns for the Clemson Tigers
After witnessing Northern Illinois taking down 5th-ranked Notre Dame with a blocked field goal, the Cyclones taking down the 21st-ranked Hawkeyes by a last-second field goal, and 8th-ranked Penn State dodging a fast one by the Bowling Green Falcons. Viewers watching this game between 25th-ranked Clemson and Appalachian State had a sure feeling that Clemson would be the next upset victim this past Saturday. Knowing Clemson's lackluster offense that only put up three points against Georgia in the season opener and the Mountaineers of Appalachian State having a big track record of causing chaotic upsets. Clemson's offense busted out with the first 35 points being scored in the first quarter and 21 more being scored in the next. The Tigers would finish off the Mountaineers 66-20, as the defense was never a concern.
The same defense did a spectacular job in giving Georgia's Heisman candidate Carson Beck a hard time by holding him and the Bulldogs' offense to just two field goals and 126 yards of passing offense during the first two quarters. Cade Klubnik had his career-best game with five passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns, and 378 yards through the air. Clemson is fine; Georgia is just a great team and maybe still the best in the country. This is a great confidence booster for Clemson and a great way to head into the bye week so they can have time to refresh and adjust for their quest to take back what was theirs, the ACC.
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