College football week 2 is in the books. After every week fans can take away things from what happened on the field. Here are 5 things learned from college football week 2.
1. Mark Stoops has built Kentucky to Last
Marks Stoops has been talked about on a lot of these weekly recaps. He has taken a program from nothing and made them a consistent solid team in the SEC. At Kentucky he has built the team for long-term success and that was proven when they defeated no. 12 Florida in The Swamp, which gave the Wildcats their second straight win over the Gators.
The Wildcats were very thin at running back in this game, as starter Chris Rodriguez was suspended and several others were injured. Rodriguez is one of their best players, but Kentucky found a way to win without him, even with some struggles running the ball in the first half. In past years, if Kentucky couldn’t run the ball, they would lose, as they had no passing attack, but Stoops continues to bring in NFL minds to improve the offense. Over his tenure, there may not be a person that turned around a program more (especially considering the length of the success following the rebuild) than Stoops.
2. Don’t Mess With the Sun Belt
The Sun Belt proved to be one of the more successful conferences in week 2. Their conference saw huge upsets over ranked teams and big brands to get some national attention. Marshall went on the road and defeated Notre Dame, which was a top 10 win. Appalachian State rebounded from their loss to North Carolina and defeated top 10 Texas A&M. Georgia Southern was a triple option team a year ago, but found a way to move the ball through the air and defeat Nebraska in Lincoln.
Over the years, the level of play in the Sun Belt has increased and now they are luring teams from the FCS and other FBS conferences to join. Between Appalachian State’s success and Coastal Carolina’s recent run, they can produce some solid teams. Teams should be concerned when scheduling some of these teams in the future.
3. Texas isn’t too far off
While the “Texas is back” talk would have been crazy had the Longhorns defeated Alabama, they still played well and deserve some recognition. Specifically their defense really slowed down Alabama. Their offense could have been more productive had Quinn Ewers not been injured in the first half of the game. The Longhorns needed to use this game as a measuring stick and it turns out they are headed in the right direction, despite the loss.
After finishing 5-7 last season, it is hard to believe Texas won’t improve this season after their performance in week 2. Ewers looks like the star he has been hyped up to be in the preseason. Bijan Robinson is a star at running back. The defense did better than many would’ve imagined. Texas isn’t back, but they are on the right track.
4. BYU is a Tough Team
BYU had a tough game scheduled this weekend with Baylor. It took overtime, but the Cougars were able to prevail over Baylor. The Cougars showed they could be physical, but they also can score some points, which might be even more true when some of their receivers get healthy. The win puts the Cougars on a great path for the rest of the season.
Will BYU be able to make it out of the year unscathed? Probably not. The Cougars do have a tough schedule and could pick off some other notable teams this season. They still have games against Oregon, Notre Dame, Arkansas and Boise State. Keep an eye on BYU in the College Football Playoff rankings if they defeat Oregon in week 3.
5. College Football is the Best Sport
Any other diehard fans already know this, so it isn’t really learned, but rather reminded for people after a good day of college football. Here is a quick list of some of the major things that happened in college football in week 2.
Texas almost beat Alabama, Marshall upsets Notre Dame, Washington State upset Wisconsin, App State upset Texas A&M. Tennessee and Pittsburgh played an overtime game. Kentucky upset Florida. Georgia Southern shocked Nebraska. Weber State (FCS) upset Utah State. Kansas defeated West Virginia. Eastern Kentucky (FCS) beat Bowling Green in 7 overtimes. Texas Tech beat a ranked Houston team. Incarnate Word (FCS) upset Nevada. Holy Cross (FCS) upset Buffalo. Oregon State defeated Fresno State on the road. BYU beat a top 10 Baylor team.
The crazy part is that there is probably more that could’ve been listed here. It’s always great to have a weekend like this to remind everyone how awesome and nuts the sport can be.
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