The second week of college football has concluded. The week finished with upsets for some of the biggest brands in the country. Other programs were able to get their first win of the season but still did not look like their usual selves. Today, we shall list and break down four takeaways from Week 2 of the 2021 college football season.
1. The Pac-12 Looks Like a Major Player in the Landscape of College Football
For the second week in a row; a Pac-12 conference team knocked off one of college football’s elite programs. During Labor Day weekend, UCLA’s physicality dominated the LSU Tigers for all four quarters. The Bruins performance would be followed by the Oregon Ducks going down to Columbus to knockoff the Ohio State Buckeyes 35-28. By far, it was the biggest upset of the college football season, and it was only Week 2.
It is becoming evident that the conference could send a program to the college football playoffs. Teams such as UCLA and Oregon are the clear-cut front runners to win the conference. We will find out more about both teams as the season moves forward. The Bruins and the Ducks face each other on October 23. Hopefully, both teams can remain undefeated before they face each other on that date.
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2. Texas is Still Not Back Yet
Every time the Texas Longhorns come off a string of victories or the start of a new regime, the saying that “Texas is back” gets thrown around often. Unfortunately, after last Saturday’s beatdown by old conference rival, the Arkansas Razorbacks, folks may have change their tune on the team being back. The Longhorns had no answer for how the Hogs defense performed against their offense.
The game turned out to become a typical miss-match when Big 12 and SEC teams face each other. The outcome usually ends with the physicality of the SEC being too much for a Big 12 squad to handle for an entire football game. The Longhorns can get better because of this game, but they are still not back in the mainstream of the college football elites.
3. Something is Off With LSU
The LSU Tigers were able to bounce back from their defeat that occurred on the West Coast by UCLA. They defeated McNeese State 34-7 in Tiger Stadium. While the score reflected that LSU won the game, their performance on the field showed that they are struggling to find their identity.
There were moments in the game where the Tigers struggled to put up points against the Cowboys. ”Not good enough offensively,” Coach Orgeron said. ”It starts with protection; we must protect the quarterback better. We have to continue to improve, and hopefully, we will get better when we get some of our linemen back.”
Despite quarterback Max Johnson throwing three touchdown passes, the Tigers offense only generated 262 yards of total offense through the first three quarters. LSU’s next opponent will be against Central Michigan. The game versus Central Michigan will be another opportunity for the Tigers to improve as a complete football team. The gauntlet of their LSU schedule begins on September 25, when they take on Mississippi State. Last season, the Bulldogs threw for over 600 yards against the Tigers’ defense.
4. Florida State Was Still Overwhelmed With Emotions From the Prior Week
The Notre Dame versus Florida State matchup that occurred during Labor Day weekend was the most viewed game for college football. It was also a game filled with emotions for the Seminoles. When quarterback Jordan Travis left the game with an apparent injury, backup McKenzie Milton entered the game.
Milton had not seen action ever since suffering a devastating injury while he was under center at UCF. The efforts of Milton allowed the game with Notre Dame to go into overtime, but unfortunately, FSU would lose to the Irish.
The conversations online and throughout the media were that Florida State was back and had found a starting QB with Milton. The Seminoles failed to bring the same intensity for Saturday’s game against Jacksonville State, an FCS opponent.
With six seconds remaining, the Gamecocks attempted a last-minute effort to pull something off against Florida State. The result would be a last-minute touchdown pass by Gamecocks QB Zerrick Cooper to Damond Philyaw-Johnson. Before the loss to Jacksonville State, Florida State was 26-0 when facing FCS teams at the time.
Whether professional or college, teams have always had these types of letdowns after coming off a game filled with emotions the prior week. That is why good coaching plays a critical in a team’s short and long-term success.
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