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Texas is not again. Nor is Florida State nor USC.
After spectacular openers, the ones groups have been dealt a beneficiant dose of truth in Week 2. The Longhorns have been manhandled by means of Arkansas, the Seminoles misplaced to an FCS program for the primary time within the worst method possible and the Trojans regarded uninspired in an unpleasant loss in opposition to Stanford on the Coliseum that led to train Clay Helton’s dismissal Monday. So, in hindsight, we would possibly have got over excited with our Week 1 overreactions.
That is why we like school soccer, a recreation during which Iowa State is a Faculty Soccer Playoff danger one week and nonetheless the second-best workforce in its house state the following.
Listed below are a couple of extra overreactions from Week 2:
Michigan will beat Ohio State
Ohio State hasn’t regarded this susceptible in fairly some time, following Oregon‘s surprising 35-28 highway win on the Horseshoe on Saturday. Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud and the offense are not the issue; he threw for 484 yards with 3 touchdowns and one select on 35-for-54 passing. However the protection is a multitude below first-time defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs, who was once employed after Jeff Hafley left to transform Boston Faculty‘s head trainer in 2020. Coombs has lengthy had the popularity of being a really perfect recruiter and succesful defensive backs trainer, but he had by no means referred to as performs above the highschool degree. Ohio State’s protection wasn’t excellent final season and it appears to be like worse this 12 months.
“I am accountable,” Coombs informed journalists Saturday. “That is my task, so we need to play higher. Once we say we need to play higher, I am not blaming the gamers. The usual of our protection is certainly one of excellence, and I’ve to do a greater task.”
The entire blame does not fall at Coombs’ ft. Within the 2017 and 2018 recruiting categories, Ohio State signed 11 defensive gamers ranked within the most sensible 100 of the ESPN 300. They incorporated Chase Younger, Shaun Wade and Jeff Okudah. After City Meyer handed over Coombs to rent Alex Grinch as co-defensive coordinator in 2018, Coombs left this system to enroll in the Tennessee Titans workforce and, in flip, the Buckeyes’ recruitment on protection slipped dramatically. They signed only one defensive participant ranked within the most sensible 100 of the ESPN 300 within the 2019 and 2020 categories (defensive finish Zach Harrison, who has but to become a real celebrity). That is the conundrum dealing with present head trainer Ryan Day: The defensive struggles could be as a lot concerning the X’s and the O’s because the Jimmys and the Joes.
Nonetheless, let’s now not get over excited about Michigan after all beating Ohio State, which hasn’t came about since Nov. 26, 2011. Sure, the Wolverines regarded excellent in Saturday’s 31-10 win in opposition to Washington, however they will want extra from quarterback Cade McNamara and the passing sport to overcome a workforce of OSU’s caliber. The Buckeyes, in the meantime, have greater than two months to recuperate on protection.
Texas is not going to live to tell the tale within the SEC
As we warned you final week, pump the brakes on the ones “Texas is again” proclamations. After having a look so excellent in a 20-point victory in opposition to Louisiana within the opener, the Longhorns misplaced 40-21 at Arkansas on Saturday. The Hogs piled up 471 yards of offense, together with 333 dashing, whilst averaging a whopping 7.1 yards in line with elevate. 5 Arkansas gamers had no less than 40 dashing yards. The Longhorns have been held and not using a sack and had best two quarterback pressures.
“Over the years, they roughly wore us out so our protection was once out at the subject … it roughly wore us out,” Texas trainer Steve Sarkisian stated. “40-seven rush makes an attempt. We by no means put any power on them to throw the ball. I believe a part of that [was] we simply did not get it finished offensively to take any power off the protection.”
At the different facet of the ball, Texas’ offensive line could not rise up in opposition to what was once regarded as a below-average SEC defensive position (however could be significantly better than that). Texas celebrity Bijan Robinson was once held to simply 69 yards on 19 makes an attempt with one ranking, and the Longhorns even struggled to run in opposition to three-man fronts.
After best two video games, it is too early to mention Sarkisian would possibly not be triumphant. It is method too early to mention the Longhorns will be unable to compete each time they transfer from the Giant 12 to the SEC, whether or not that is in 2025 or quicker. Between at times, Sarkisian and his workforce must improve the skill on each traces of scrimmage, dramatically. Since 2008, Texas has had 3 offensive linemen decided on within the NFL draft, none within the first spherical. All the way through that span, Alabama had 19 offensive linemen drafted, together with 8 first-rounders. Even worse, Vanderbilt had six such gamers drafted since 2008, together with one first-rounder. And Texas fanatics questioned why former Longhorns All-American Blake Brockermeyer’s dual sons, James and Tommy, signed with the Tide.
Iowa goes to make the CFP
After blasting Indiana within the opener, the Hawkeyes as soon as once more rolled previous Iowa State within the Cy-Hawk sport, profitable 27-17 at the highway. Defensively, Iowa is excellent sufficient to problem for a Giant Ten name and probably a place within the CFP. The Hawkeyes have compelled seven turnovers in two video games and transformed them into 37 issues (20 in opposition to Iowa State). They have not allowed 25 issues in 24 consecutive video games, the longest streak amongst Energy five groups. Iowa had six interceptions within the first two video games and an FBS-best 70 since 2017. Punter Tory Taylor is a field-position weapon.
“There is no secret formulation, we play protection the way in which we play it,” Iowa trainer Kirk Ferentz stated.
And there is not any secret to Iowa’s offense. As is normally the case below Ferentz, there is not anything flashy on that facet of the ball. It ran 39 instances for 67 yards and averaged five yards in line with move in its 6th directly victory over its in-state rival. The Hawkeyes will want a lot, a lot more from their offense to get during the Giant Ten. The excellent news: They do not play Ohio State or Michigan within the common season and so they get Penn State at house. An Oct. 30 travel to Wisconsin could be the most important closing impediment.
Arkansas is the second-best workforce within the SEC West
Alabama is obviously the most productive workforce within the SEC West, and nobody else is even shut. LSU stays a multitude and trainer Ed Orgeron could be in bother if issues do not recuperate in a rush. The Tigers introduced Monday that working again John Emery Jr. would possibly not play this season, reportedly as a result of lecturers. LSU averaged best Three.five yards in line with elevate in a 34-7 win in opposition to FCS foe McNeese State on Saturday (the Department II West Florida Argonauts averaged four.eight yards in a 42-36 victory in opposition to the Cowboys every week previous).
No. 7 Texas A&M‘s educate slowed a bit of with Monday’s information that beginning quarterback Haynes King will leave out an undetermined time period with a decrease leg harm. Sophomore Zach Calzada was once a bit of shaky in a 10-7 win at Colorado. After a less-than-impressive opener in opposition to Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State‘s protection was once stout in a 24-10 win as opposed to NC State.
Nonetheless, Arkansas’ victory in opposition to Texas was once probably the most spectacular remark within the SEC West this previous weekend. Are the Hogs excellent sufficient to complete proper in the back of the Tide in trainer Sam Pittman’s moment season? Most certainly now not. However what the 59-year-old former offensive line trainer has finished in this kind of couple of minutes is fairly spectacular. He waited 3 a long time to transform a head trainer and already has the Hogs purchasing into what he is promoting. Take into account, he took over a program that had long gone 1-23 in SEC video games. After going Three-7 final season, taking the Hogs to a bowl sport in 12 months 2 can be a huge step, and they are greater than able to doing that.
Georgia has a quarterback controversy
Georgia beginning quarterback JT Daniels did not play in final week’s 56-7 rout in opposition to UAB as a result of an indirect harm. Bulldogs trainer Kirby Good stated Daniels was once coping with the harm sooner than the opener in opposition to Clemson, however then irritated it all through that sport and aroused from sleep in ache the following day. On Monday, Good stated Daniels felt higher after a few further days of remedy, however his standing for Saturday night time’s sport in opposition to South Carolina (7 p.m. ET, ESPN and the ESPN App) is unsure.
“The method is relaxation, restoration and remedy, and now we have finished the most productive we will be able to with that,” Good stated. “The most important factor that now we have been informed is you do not need to worsen it.”
In Daniels’ absence, former walk-on Stetson Bennett had a record-setting day in opposition to the Blazers, throwing 5 touchdowns within the first part. He’s obviously Georgia’s No. 2 quarterback, however Daniels’ harm would most likely must linger, or he must battle mightily in his go back, for Bennett to reclaim the beginning task. Bennett performed smartly every now and then final season, however faltered in losses in opposition to Alabama and Florida. In his protection, he was once coping with accidents in each video games, however the backlash on social media was once so unhealthy Bennett ditched his iPhone. He could be the one pupil at the UGA campus the use of a turn telephone.
