2024 College Football: Week 2 Takeaways
Week 2 always brings us some crazy outcomes. A top-10 team went down at home, and so did Notre Dame! Two FCS teams earned wins against “mismatch” opponents. Given that so many unheralded teams made noise, I thought we’d make this week’s theme about the underdogs. Aside from my first section, which addresses a game we simply must cover, and a draft nugget, this article is going to be devoted to the teams that simply weren’t supposed to win but wrote their own scripts instead. These are the games that make college football exciting, so let’s find out what we learned in my week 2 takeaways!
(3) Texas Embarrasses Defending Champs (10) Michigan at Big House
When you love double-digit players to the NFL, it’s hard to replenish all that talent. With that in mind, you could have reasonably expected a drop-off from Michigan this year following their title run last season. New HC Sherrone Moore taking over for Jim Harbaugh doesn’t make the transition any easier. However, even the most pessimistic Wolverine fans couldn’t have imagined this type of performance. I want to make clear that I’m not blaming Moore; if anything, Harbaugh saw the incoming players that he recruited and subsequently bolted, leaving poor Moore holding the bag.
The primary issue with the Wolverines is their QB situation. Projected starter Alex Orji can’t throw, so he lost the job to former 0-star walk-on Davis Warren. One problem: he isn’t a good passer either, so he threw 2 INTs and only had 204 yards in a game with more than a quarter of garbage time. That allowed Texas to feast by selling out to stop the run, and they won 31-12 in a contest that wasn’t nearly as close as even that 19-point margin. Michigan won’t be returning to the playoffs this year with a leaky defense and no passing game. They’ll be lucky to remain ranked for more than another couple of weeks.
If you’re Texas, you couldn’t be happier with how your team looked in a hostile road environment. QB Quinn Ewers (24/36, 246 yards, 3 TDs) played a really clean game and made music with TE Gunnar Helm (7/98/1). The running game only had a 3.5 YPC average, but it had plenty of timely big runs to move the chains. Defensively, the Longhorns forced 3 turnovers, and they looked superior in all 3 phases. Texas is coming to the SEC to make noise, not fade into irrelevance in their new tougher conference. With a core that made the CFP last season, this bunch is building on that success so far in 2024.
Northern Illinois Shocks (5) Notre Dame in Program-Best Victory
Don’t give me an excuse to talk about MACtion this early in the season because I’ll take it! The number 5 team in the country probably went into this game thinking they were about to have a leisurely afternoon. NIU plays in what many consider the worst conference in the FBS and has never defeated a top-10 opponent. How much of a threat could they possibly be? Apparently they were too dangerous to overlook, especially on defense. Thomas Hammock’s bunch made life miserable for the Fighting Irish. By holding ND to 14 points, NIU gave their own offense a chance, ensuring that 16 points would be sufficient.
Notre Dame showed some offensive weakness last week against Texas A&M. That was a ranked SEC foe though, not a 7-6 MAC team. ND actually looked worse this week, particularly at QB. Riley Leonard was supposed to be the team’s missing piece when he came over from Duke. He looked pedestrian last week and abysmal this time around. Leonard (20/32, 162 yards, 2 INTs) misfired numerous times, sometimes wildly. He got support from Jeremiyah Love (11/79/1) and the running game, but he couldn’t muster more than one additional score in a supposedly easy home game.
The Huskies played this game brilliantly. Knowing the talent disparity between the two teams, especially in terms of size on offense, Hammock made the contest a defensive struggle. QB Ethan Hampton (10/19, 198 yards, TD) managed the game and made no crucial mistakes. NIU ran the ball 45 times at 4.5 yards per clip, ensuring a 9-minute time of possession advantage. By shortening the game, they minimized their margin for error. The real star was K Kanon Woodill, who connected on 3 of 4 FGs, including the game-winner from 35 yards out. I’m happy that the school got themselves a program-defining win.
ND probably needs to recalibrate their expectations. They haven’t looked like a playoff-caliber team, and without a conference to win, they can’t afford any other slip-ups. If it’s any consolation, this almost wasn’t the only MAC upset over a top-10 team. Bowling Green fought tooth-and-nail against (8) Penn State, falling 34-27 after their talent gap became insurmountable. RB Nicholas Singleton (13/119/1; 1/14/1 receiving) and TE Tyler Warren (8/146; see below for more on him) saved the Nittany Lions, but nobody bailed the Fighting Irish out. That fact has ND in a precarious position, with few options to lean on when times get tough.
Three FCS Teams Beat FBS Opponents on the Road
Every year, the first few weeks of the season feature FBS teams inviting FCS teams to their homes. This is done to provide teams with easier opponents to practice against and build confidence. That privilege doesn’t come cheap; the FCS teams are paid to play in these inherently unfair contests, sometimes more than $1M each. Due to the nature of these games, the FBS teams are not only expected to win but to dominate. This week, three schools’ matchups were squeakers, and neither went their way. Idaho, St. Francis, and Southern Utah all claimed victories for the SEC ranks, shocking Wyoming, Kent State, and UTEP, respectively.
Idaho, paid $425K to participate, should not have been taken lightly by the Cowboys. They played Oregon tough in Eugene last week, falling by just a touchdown against the widely lauded CFP contender. Wyoming was a 9-win team last year, but they lost QB Andrew Peasley (no eligibility remaining) and HC Craig Bohl (to retirement). They were blown out by ASU a week ago and seemed ripe for another upset. This time, Idaho finished the job. They weren’t good on offense, but their defense was suffocating, with DE Keyshawn James-Newby earning 3 sacks. The Vandals’ relentless pressure earned the FCS playoff team a 17-13 win.
Frankly, the other two FCS victories came against teams that are generally considered two of the worst in the FBS. Kent State and UTEP are probably closer in quality to these FCS teams that beat them than to other members of their own conferences. Both got destroyed by mediocre opponents in week 1, and they combined for 4 wins in 2023. The Golden Flashes were barely competitive against St. Francis in their 23-17 loss; a 14-point 2nd-quarter outburst gave the illusion of a close game. The Miners at least battled, taking the Thunderbirds to OT. A missed 32-yard FG at that point sealed their fate: a 27-24 defeat. Any team on any day!
Bottom of Top 25 Facing a Major Shake-Up
In the early part of any college football season, the rankings often shift as we learn about the teams and stop basing our opinions on projections. We usually don’t have THIS many ranked teams go down though in the latter half of the top 25. Furious comebacks by (17) Kansas State and (19) Oklahoma State kept this from being an even bigger story, but four of their competitors weren’t so lucky. We’ll put (24) NC State’s loss to (14) Tennessee aside, even if it was extremely ugly, because (14) beating (24) is a reasonable outcome, and we’re focusing on the underdogs this week!
(19) Kansas beat themselves more than Illinois did. The Jayhawks lost 23-17, but they committed 4 turnovers on the road. It’s a minor miracle that they didn’t lose by more. QB Jalon Daniels was responsible for all four of them, with 3 INTs and a fumble. You simply can’t do that and expect to beat a quality opponent. Illinois was offensively-challenged as well, but their defense did enough to keep the Illini in the game until the offense found its way. This was basically coach Bret Bielema in game form for Illinois: win with defense and ball control, providing just enough scoring to pressure the opponent into mistakes.
The in-state matchup between Iowa State and (21) Iowa was another defensive affair. We’ve spoken at length about Iowa’s offensive struggles. The hope was that the return of Cade McNamara from injury would help. It didn’t. McNamara (13/29, 99 yards, 2 INTs) was terrible, and Iowa only took a 13-0 lead on the back of RB Kaleb Johnson (25/187/2). Iowa State was worse until they finally got in the board in the 3rd, but Iowa responded to take a 19-7 lead. Iowa wouldn’t score again, and their implosion was complete upon K Kyle Konrardy’s GW 54-yard FG, handing the Cyclones a 20-19 win. The Hawkeyes never seem to change.
The only team to defeat a ranked opponent by actually taking the victory from them was Syracuse. Facing (23) Georgia Tech, who was already 2-0 after an impressive start to their season, QB Kyle McCord became the QB the Buckeyes wished he’d be when he started last year for Ohio State. McCord was virtually flawless, finishing 32/46 for 381 yard and 4 TDs with no turnovers. The Orange led 31-14, but things got a little dicey when Ga. Tech scored a TD, recovered an onside kick, and then scored another TD. Syracuse didn’t relinquish the ball again, holding on 31-28. As these teams show, nobody is guaranteed victory in college football!
How High Can Penn State TE Tyler Warren Go in the Draft?
I wanted to revisit that Penn State game for a minute. When I watched it, I thought that the Nittany Lions were unimpressive for the most part. However, one player repeatedly caught my eye: TE Tyler Warren. We discussed his 146-yard receiving day briefly above, but he’s a complete player with excellent blocking skills as well. That made me look into him more. He’s a 5th-year senior who did very little aside from blocking his first 3 years, taking a backseat to Theo Johnson. His production jumped in 2023, when he caught 34 passes for 422 yards and 7 TDs, all career highs. Essentially, he turned more opportunities into more production.
Warren’s first two games so far this year appear to be a continuation of his upward trajectory. I decided to see what draft grades people were giving him. The bulk of the grades seem to reside in the 4th and 5th rounds. That feels low to me, especially given Penn State’s reputation for producing athletic specimens, even if they enter the NFL underdeveloped. A 6’6″, 249-lb TE with speed and power is not common, especially ones with Warren’s level of skill. Looking at the other TEs who are likely to enter the 2025 draft, I consider Warren TE1 right now. If he rises on other boards beyond mine, he’s looking at a day-2 draft slot, not day 3.