There was a dreary forecast for Week 2 of college football.
The Sun Belt rose to the occasion as Marshall knocked off then top 10 Notre Dame 26-21 and Appalachian State upset Texas A&M in College Station. Georgia Southern's win over Nebraska resulted in a coaching change in Lincoln. It's not bad for a dull week.
Unfortunately for college football fans, Week 3 only features two games where both teams are ranked but, if last week is any indication, the storylines will be abundant Saturday.
What will the Nebraska-Oklahoma game look like? How do Jimbo's A&M bounce back after a loss? Will we find out who the true Oregon Ducks are when they play a game against a ranked team?
We are getting ready for another week of football.
The Oklahoma Sooners are playing the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
The conversation surrounding Nebraska this week has been less about the game against Oklahoma and more about the future of the program.
Mickey Joseph, a former Nebraska quarterback and interim coach, said his main focus has been to make changes that will help the team play better than it has so far. There are a number of defensive changes, including tackling in practice and Chinander working more closely with the safetyties.
The Cornhuskers allow an average of 499 yards per game in their total defense, which is atypical of their nickname. In last week's loss to Georgia Southern, Nebraska gave up 622 yards. The Oklahoma team is one of the most difficult to defend.
Joseph told reporters in Lincoln that they are going to play faster. In practice, we are going to tackle. We are going to tell you what we are doing with our children. Our kids are going to be held accountable.
One of the many games the Cornhuskers lost was against Oklahoma, which they lost 23-17. Being involved in so many close games is one of the reasons why Joseph thinks there is still a chance to save the season. A win over Oklahoma would help build confidence and belief.
Joseph said that everything is moved to the past. They understand the first opportunity is this weekend against OU because we have nine more opportunities.
Saturday, 3:35 p.m. The program is hosted by Fox.
With a chance to make another statement, the team heads to Eugene with a chance to make another statement. At a minimum, a New Year's Six bowl with the College Football Playoff is a reasonable objective if the Cougars win a game.
During its last year as an independent before joining the Big 12 there are plenty of decent opponents left on the schedule.
The challenge will be a good defining moment for the guys, according to the coach.
He's right that it's odd to hear the stakes this early in the season. The national conversation would be wiped out by a loss. Conferences are problematic due to that dynamic. It's rare for a game to have a big impact deep into the season. A win would prolong the possibility of a special season.
Oregon is an unknown despite a 45 point loss and a win. The game on Saturday will be a good indication of the type of team Dan Lanning's first-year squad will be.
Students and fans storm the field after the team sealed the deal with great defense in the second overtime to win.
The Penn State Nittany Lions are playing the auburn tigers. The program is hosted by CBS.
Bryan Harsin doesn't back down from a fight and doesn't flinch under the most dire of circumstances.
After the inquiry into the program and coup to run him out of town failed, he said everything they went through was bulls---. Let's be clear, that's not true. Our tent is not folding.
There weren't many people on the Plains who thought Harsin would be around for another season. The most important game of his auburn career will take place on Saturday when Penn State visits Jordan-Hare Stadium.
If the Tigers are going to improve on last season's 6-7 finish, they will need to beat this game. A win over Penn State would set up a very manageable path for auburn to be perfect and open the season at home. The next two weeks will be spent at home for the tigers.
The situation for James Franklin and Penn State is similar to that of Harsin. Franklin signed a 10-year contract extension in November of last year. The Nittany Lions didn't fare as well on the field as the tigers did. Penn State went 4-7 in 2020.
Both coaches and teams could use wins to build confidence.
Harsin is the first person to say that the offense needs to make more plays in the passing game. Two quarterbacks have combined for one touchdown pass. It would be easier for Penn State to stack the line of scrimmage because they wouldn't have to throw the ball as much. In the 24-16 win over San Jose State, no auburn wide receiver caught more than three passes.
I challenge our offense. Harsin challenged his team. We have to make plays when we have the chance.
The key will be how auburn defends the passing game. Sean Clifford isn't likely to be rattled by a crowd that can be loud. He overcame a fourth-quarter pick-six in the season opener to lead Penn State on an eight-play, 80 yard touchdown drive. He had 281 yards and four touchdown.
In Penn State's 28-20 win over Auburn a year ago, the quarterback was 28-of-32 for 280 yards, two touchdown and an intercept.
The strength of the defense is its front, but it hasn't forced a turnover in the first two games. The quick passing game has been used by teams.
There are a lot of guys who can get after the passer Derick Hall, who had seven sacks a year ago, said that they need to be consistent and not get frustrated when they throw quick routes.
One of the big developments for Penn State last week in its 46-10 win over Ohio was freshman running back Nick Singleton, who broke out with a 179-yard rushing appearance, including two touchdown runs. Since Week 6 of the 2020 season, Penn State has never produced a 100 yard running back. If the Nittany Lions establish the run early, it will make it hard for the Tigers to hold onto the ball.
You saw what he brings to the offense. It was just a matter of time.
The Michigan State Spartans are at Washington. The ABC/ESPN app is available on the App Store.
Michigan State coach Mel Tucker used the transfer portal to quickly rebuild his roster and was able to take the team to an 11-2 season in 2011. He brought in some key transfers and is off to a good start.
One of the highlights so far has been the play of Windmon, who leads all players in sacks and forced turnovers. This season, Windmon has been a big part of the Spartans defense.
He understands the opportunities and is a mature player. Tucker said that he understood what it took to play great football. The foundation of what we do is that our players are in the best shape. You don't have to give 100 percent when you're in shape. He plays that way when you watch him. He has success on the field because he knows what to do and he plays hard.
Washington has allowed two sacks this season, but the Spartans have 12 as a team, which is the most in the nation. The pass rush and defense will be a big part of the game, and which team has success, but Michigan State will have to contend with Washington's defense as well. The Spartans are giving up an average of 121.5 pass yards per game so far this season, and they might have a banged up player at receiver. Tucker wasn't sure if Reed would play on Saturday.
Tucker said the man was sore. He will be ready when he is.
Tucker said the team has focused on mitigate any effects from traveling across the country, in addition to the potential of Reed playing. The players were asked to go to bed an hour earlier this week to prepare for the trip.
"Our sports science team and strength coaches laid out some points of emphasis for our players and some protocols that we're going to use this week and on the trip." We're going to make sure those things get done and make sure we're in the best position to be able to compete at a high level and be at our best physically and mentally.
The UTSA Roadrunners are playing the Texas Longhorns.
The Longhorns can't afford to dwell on their 20-19 loss to top-ranked Alabama. The Roadrunners may be a UT system school but the Longhorns don't think they'll be able to win.
There's still some uncertainty about who will start at quarterback for Texas, with Hudson Card suffering an ankle injury against the Tide, and coach Steve Sarkisian saying that that's for him. Third-stringer Charles Wright would be next up if Card couldn't play, and the backup running back was an All-American in high school.
One of the hottest teams in the country last year was the Roadrunners, who went 12-2 and won the Conference USA title before being ranked in the AP poll.
"If you watch the tape of UTSA, you get your attention quickly with their schemes, personnel and the way they play the game," he said.
Frank Harris leads the nation in total offense at 394.5 yards per game, and he is coached by Jeff Traylor, a former Texas assistant under Charlie Strong. Traylor knows what he has to do with his players.
I think it's the University of Texas. Traylor spoke to the sports network. I don't think every player came in to play for me. Everyone knows that they were overlooked. Everyone in the state knows they would go there, but they didn't want them. It's a great motivator for people to know that they don't want to play for that team.
The Miami Hurricanes are playing the Texas A&M Aggies. The app is available on the Disney/ESPN website.
There is no easy fix for Texas A&M after it was upset. Jimbo Fisher, who was once hailed as a quarterback guru, now faces questions about whether or not he will continue calling plays.
Maybe one day, but not right now.
There is a chance that we could see a change at quarterback with Miami coming to town.
After winning the job out of preseason camp, Haynes King has failed to impress. He threw two picks up in the opener. He threw for less than 100 yards against App State and did not have a single touchdown or interception.
King's total QBR is the lowest in the SEC.
There have been calls for Max Johnson to take his place.
The most likely pick would be Johnson, he has 14 career starts and has thrown 27 touchdown and six interceptions. Fisher said after the loss that he considered putting Johnson in.
Fisher is not giving up anything. He told reporters that it was possible they would make a change.
He said they would evaluate everything this week.
He was asked if Johnson was working with the first team in practice, but he only said that they were repping them.
The waiting game is what it's called.
Whoever it is is going to have a hard time. In order to reach bowl eligibility, the Aggies will have to win seven of their final 10 games, including each of the next four.
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