10 Storylines-Week 2

Posted on September 13, 2015 Updated on October 31, 2015

After an upset-filled week 2, I will breakdown the first 5 storylines of the week. Sorry there was not a post after the week 1 preview. I was a little sidetracked with high school football. Here is the recap from week 2:

1. Ducks Are the Main Entree in East Lansing: The Spartans gained their revenge on the #7 Oregon Ducks, winning 31-28 in a nail-biter. The running game fueled Michigan State’s offense. Freshman back Madre London rushed for 103 yards, but the real hero was another freshman,LJ Scott, who rushed for 76 yards and 2 tds. Defense was also the order of the day, picking off Oregon’s quarterback Vernon Adams twice. The Spartans defensive line pressured the Ducks on fourth downs, only converting 2 of 6. On the other side, Michigan State QB ,Connor Cook, threw for 192 yards and 2 TDs. The down-the-wire game contributed to the Spartans’ rise in the AP Top 25, moving from 5 to 4. MSU also received 2 first place votes. The loss dropped the Ducks into 12th. Oregon’s back in Eugene to face Georgia State, who won a close game against New Mexico State. #4 Michigan State stays in East Lansing to face the Air Force Falcons, who are 2-0.

   

2. Notre Dame Squeaks By Virginia Without Zaire: A comeback looked to be the story of the day for the Cavaliers as they took the lead with under 2 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Then Irish qb, Malik Zaire, went down with an ankle injury, and is deemed out for the season. In comes, DeShone Kizer, never the favorite to win Notre Dame’s quarterback battle, and throws a 40-yard bullet to Will Fuller. Kizer’s heroics helped lift Notre Dame to a 34-27 win over Virginia. The victorious Fightin’ Irish rose from 9 to 8 in the AP Top 25 Rankings. Next week, Notre Dame faces #14 Georgia Tech Saturday, who defeated Tulane last week.
3. Harbaugh Earns First Win In Home Opener: Michigan made Coach John Harbaugh very happy with a 35-7 rout of Oregon State. Wolverines running back, De’Veon Smith, rushed for 126 yards and 3 TDs. Quarterback Jake Rudock threw for 180 yards but did not throw a touchdown. The Wolverines’ offensive linemen contributed heavily in opening holes for Smith and the rest of Michigan’s running backs. On the other side, Oregon State found it hard to jump start their offense. The Beavers’ freshman QB, Seth Collins, threw for only 79 yards and a touchdown. Up next for Michigan is UNLV, who lost to UCLA last week. Oregon State is back home against San Jose State on Saturday.

   

4. Toledo Upsets #12 Arkansas For Schools First SEC Win: Little Rock, AK did not look like the Razorbacks’ home on Saturday. Phillip Ely, an ex-Alabama backup QB, threw for 237 yards and a touchdown, as Toledo upset Arkansas 16-12.  Razorback QB, Brandon Allen, threw an interception on third down in the second quarter. The Rocket’s next drive would result in a Damion Jones-Moore touchdown run. The upset dropped Arkansas out of the Associated Press Top 25 Rankings. Coming into the week, all SEC West teams were ranked. Only 5 out of the 7 teams are still up there. Arkansas faces Texas Tech, who blew out UTEP last Saturday. Look for Razorbacks’ QB, Brandon Allen, to throw the short ball more against a Red Raiders defense that is best at zone coverage, in a deep ball situation.

   

5. Auburn Survives Jacksonville State’s Hiccup With OT Win: Going into Auburn, AL, Jacksonville State had under a 5% chance of defeating the SEC’s top teams, let alone tying the game. Peyton Barber was the reason Auburn fans breathed a big sigh of relief, scoring the game deciding touchdown in OT to lift the Tigers over the Gamecocks, 27-20. At one point, the Gamecocks lead 10-6 at the end of the first half. The lead in the second half would go from a 13 tie to a 20-13 Jacksonville State lead. The igniter in the second half for the Tigers, was QB Jeremy Johnson’s 51 yard pass to sophomore tailback, Roc Thomas. Johnson would finish off the night with a pair of touchdowns. However, this almost upset dropped Auburn from #6 to #18 on the AP Top 25 Rankings. Up next for the Tigers is an SEC West matchup against #13 LSU, who defeated Mississippi State by 2 points last week. Keep an eye out for that game.

Big Games:

6. Stanford at # 6 USC Saturday 8:00 pm- The Trojan horse is not star QB Cody Kessler, but is running back Ronald Jones II. Home is where Jones’ heart is, as the freshman power back rushed for 169 yards and a pair of touchdowns. With the excellent blocking of the Trojans’ offensive line, the Texas native depends on the long run, something Stanford is decent at stopping. The Cardinals will have to make major adjustments when Kessler throws the ball, he threw for over 400 yards against Idaho. On the flip side, USC will have to limit Stanford’s play caller, Keith Hogan’s long ball, and force him to throw screen passes. This is a tough game to predict, but I am certain it will be a close one. The two Californian rivals will not fail to disappoint.

7.  #15 Ole Miss at #2 Alabama Saturday 9:15 pm- If you want to view a high offensive game, this SEC West matchup is the one to watch. Ole Miss’ QB, Chad Kelly, threw for 346 yards and 4 touchdowns in a blowout 73-12 win over Fresno State. Kelly’s favorite targets? Wideouts ,Quincy Adeboyejo and Cody Core, are the centerpieces of the Ole Miss offense. Each have rushed for over 100 yards in the season. On the flip side, the Crimson Tide’s defense has done a great job defending the deep ball. Expect Kelly to integrate a mix of slip screens for his running backs and Adeboyejo. Core will most likely be used in the slot, as the number 2 receiver. On the Alabama side, QB Jake Coker will have to throw the deep ball more, facing a solid pass defense in USC.

8. Rutgers at Penn State Saturday 8:00 pm- Rutgers has been in hot water the past two weeks. First, with the investigation regarding head coach, Kyle Flood, and an ineligible player, then a home invasion where 5 players were dismissed from the university, and recently the indefinite suspension of star wideout, Leonte Carroo. The Scarlet Knights need players to step up against Big 10 rival Penn State. QB Chris Laviano and Janarion Grant can step up offensively. Laviano threw for over 200 yards and a touchdown in the Washington State loss last week. Expect Laviano to throw short passes to  Matt Flanagan, Carroo’s backup. Grant shined in special teams by running a 100-yard kickoff return and a 55-yard punt return to the end zone. This earned him the weekly Big 10 Special Teams Player of the Week. On the Penn State side, Christian Hackenberg has not had the same numbers as Laviano. Hackenberg has thrown only one touchdown in two games. Last season, Penn State ran away with the win in the fourth quarter last season, in Piscataway. Rutgers looks to bring its superb special teams into State College against a Nittany Lions special teams that has not yet returned a kickoff or a punt for a touchdown. Expect a quality game from both Big 10 schools.

9. Favorable matchup:

#22 MIZZOU Secondary vs. UCONN Backfield- The Huskies will have to rely on sophomore back, Ron Johnson, who only rushed for 39 yards against Army last week. Johnson faces a tough secondary in Missouri. The Tigers’ star linebacker, Kentrell Brothers, is a major threat to the Huskies back. Johnson likes to run either to his left or right, if the offensive line creates enough holes for him, where Brothers would be camped out and ready for a stop. He can also assist on tackles, helping out on 14 tackles this season.  Expect Johnson to run up the gut to throw off the Tigers’ secondary.

10. Unfavorable Matchup:

Tanner Mangum QB(#19 BYU) vs. #10 UCLA pass defense- BYU QB, Tanner Mangum, is well known to college football fans. Following his heroic fourth quarter Hail-Mary in week 1 against Nebraska, Mangum threw a 35-yard touchdown to give the Cougars the lead with 1 minute remaining against Boise State. He will need to impress again this week, when BYU visits Hollywood. Although the Bruins’ pass defense is decent, they cannot defend the long ball. Tanner Mangum will have to resort to throwing his deep ball, as per usual.