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.
Related: 5 Things to watch in college football week 2
Michigan defeated Western Michigan on a hail mary on the last play of the game in week 1. It was after a second was added following a review. For most of the game, Western Michigan looked like the better team, which had people doubting how good Michigan could be this season, especially with a big game against Oklahoma in Week 2.
Oklahoma came into the game ranked no. 11 and with a nasty defense. Michigan’s defense outplayed them and helped the Wolverines win the game 17-10. Oklahoma had just 289 yards of total offense. Bryce Underwood passed for 111 and rushed for 87 yards on the day to help lead Michigan to a win. A week after they looked like a dead team walking, Michigan showed plenty of life in week 2.
Oregon didn’t exactly blow the doors off Boise State in week 1, but most thought they would fare a bit better in week 2. The Ducks played at Oklahoma State, against a team that lost to Tulsa in week 1. Unfortunately for the Ducks, their performance didn’t improve and they lost 39-31.
The loss means that Oregon has to figure a lot out. Their defense was largely ineffective despite having plenty of talent on the roster. Not only do they have to fix that, and quickly, the schedule won’t get much easier for the Ducks. They still have some tough games on the schedule: at USC, vs. UCLA, at Illinois, at Ohio State, vs. Michigan and vs. Michigan. If the Ducks want to build on the past few seasons of success, they will have to play better and win some very tough games.
Last season, Alabama couldn’t sustain a running game, which really hurt their offense. Ty Simpson did his best at quarterback to manage without a running game, but ultimately, the offense wasn’t well-balanced. Improving the running game was something Alabama wanted to focus on this offseason and it appears to be working.
In Alabama’s week 2 game against Kentucky, Alabama proved to be able to run the ball. Running back Daniel Hill rushed 18 times for 104 yards and a touchdown. The team ran for 155 yards overall and even have the threat of a running game from the quarterback position with Keelon Russell playing. Russell was sacked, so his rushing yards were negatively impacted, but he made a few key runs. If Alabama can keep up that effectiveness running the football, they will have a big dimension of offense that was unavailable to them last season.
Texas was down early to Ohio State. It took a great comeback late in the game for the Longhorns to come back and defeat the Buckeyes. Arch Manning wasn’t playing well (although he didn’t have a ton of help), in the first 3oish minutes of the game. After that point, Arch started scrambling and using his legs to extend plays. And it worked.
Arch was sailing throws and not playing with much touch throughout the game. When he started to run a bit and use his athleticism, things really opened up for the Texas offense. For his long-term future, he needs to continue to progress as a pocket passer, but for this team to really compete, they need him to use his legs. Once he started making plays out of structure, Arch locked in and that is something Texas is going to need later in the season.
Despite losing to Oregon in week 1, Boise State still has a chance to make the CFP. Those chances just increased after week 2. The Broncos hosted Memphis, another group of six contender for the CFP, and Boise State was able to come away with a victory. The win gives them a quality win and also a tiebreaker of sorts over Memphis.
While there are other group of six contenders, Memphis was the frontrunner heading into the week. Boise State plays one of the other contenders, Western Michigan, later in the season. The Broncos have a good chance to win that game and the new-look Pac-12 Conference. If they can keep winning, they will likely be the group of six team in the CFP this season.
Make sure to check out our college football page for more news and updates 5 Things Learned from College Football Week 2!
You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports writers from great TGH writers!
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
