College football Week 2 winners, losers: Texas may really be back, Alabama seems in trouble
Say it with me: Texas is back. OK, probably. Texas is probably back. Maybe?
We’ve been burned before. But if there was ever a result to justify the faith, this is it: No. 10 Texas 34, No. 3 Alabama 24.
The Crimson Tide’s first home loss in 22 games and the program’s first non-conference loss in the regular season since 2007 doubles as the biggest win for the Longhorns since … when?
While an imperfect performance, Texas stayed the course, fended off Alabama’s comeback effort and delivered the sort of victory against the type of opponent that can change the entire direction of a program.
After injuring in shoulder late in the first quarter of last year’s 20-19 loss to the Tide, third-year quarterback Quinn Ewers completed 24 of 38 attempts for 349 yards and three scores. Crucially, he avoided any turnovers. His opposite, new Alabama starter Jalen Milroe, flashed an obscenely athletic skill set but was far less polished in comparison. Milroe finished 14 of 27 for 255 yards with two touchdowns and two critical interceptions, adding 44 yards on the ground.
At no point Saturday night did Alabama come across as the more talented team, the faster team, the more aggressive team or the better-coached team. That's at least partially a statement about the Tide, who are not currently equipped to win the national championship and must address several key areas of concern — quarterback play, line play, the pass rush — to advance through the SEC and into the College Football Playoff.
In fact, it was Texas who played the bully, bloodying Alabama's nose in a way no non-conference opponent has ever done in the regular season during the Nick Saban era and bursting any lingering sense of invincibility the Tide still retained after being replaced by Georgia as the class of the SEC and Bowl Subdivision.
The Longhorns and Crimson Tide lead the list of winners and losers from Week 2 of the 2023 season:
Winners
Colorado
It's taken Deion Sanders two games to top Colorado's 2022 win total. After sneaking past TCU in the season opener, the Buffaloes had less trouble with historic rival Nebraska, scoring a 36-14 win behind another 393 yards and two scores from Sanders' son, Shedeur. While the Cornhuskers are mired in offensive ineptitude and remain miles away from the US LBM Coaches Poll, Sanders inherited another one of worst programs in the FBS and has quickly imbued the Buffaloes with energy, enthusiasm and confidence to reverse a generation of misery. Instead of taking multiple years to rebuild the roster and making this a mulligan season, Sanders has torn down Colorado's flimsy foundation to the studs and remade the entire program. The results speak for themselves.
Quinn Ewers
Ewers shouldn't book his trip to New York just yet, but he might want to keep the second Saturday free on his calendar. You know, just in case. Winning at Alabama is basically a ticket to the Heisman Trophy ceremony and even the ultimate feather in your cap as a contender: Joe Burrow, Johnny Manziel and Cam Newton beat the Tide on the road and went on to lift the Heisman. Barring injury or a post-Alabama collapse, Ewers is set to be a major Heisman contender.
Oregon
No. 13 Oregon was tested by Texas Tech but ultimately prevailed 38-30 thanks in large part to three turnovers, including a game-clinching pick-six with under a minute left. The Ducks had to see this coming: Tech lost in overtime last week to Wyoming and was desperate to get back on track in what was pegged as a possible breakout year under coach Joey McGuire. Oregon struggled to get things going on the ground, averaging just 3.6 yards per carry, but got 359 passing yards and two scores from quarterback Bo Nix.
Utah
After topping future Big 12 cohort Baylor 20-13, No. 12 Utah has now won two non-conference games against Power Five competition without starting quarterback Cam Rising, who is still on the mend after last year's knee injury. With Bryson Barnes struggling as the temporary starter, redshirt freshman Nate Johnson stepped up and threw for 82 yards, ran for 32 yards and led the Utes to a pair of touchdown drives in the final two minutes. While a better effort than last week's embarrassing loss to Texas State, Baylor has now dropped six games in a row under coach Dave Aranda dating to last season.
Notre Dame
Notre Dame taking apart an ACC opponent? Sounds about right. In their first test of the season after snoozers against Navy and Tennessee State, the No. 11 Fighting Irish beat North Carolina State 45-24 behind another four touchdowns from quarterback Sam Hartman and an explosive offense. Notre Dame had three scoring plays of at least 35 yards, including an 80-yard run from Audric Estime to open the second quarter. The Irish are now 40-7 against ACC teams since the start of the 2015 season.
Travis Hunter
While other superstars have dabbled in both side of the ball — including Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson and Deion Sanders himself — Hunter is doing something that college football really hasn't seen since Dick Butkus was earning All-America honors at linebacker and center for Illinois in the early 1960s. After playing 129 snaps against TCU, he logged another 125 snaps against the Cornhuskers and is truly a two-way player. There are miles to go until the finish line and other players deep in the mix, including Ewers, but Hunter is currently the Heisman frontrunner.
The ACC
The ACC has made some noise against the best conference in the country. The league is now 4-1 against the SEC after pulling down wins from Miami (Fla.), which beat No. 23 Texas A&M 48-33 behind five touchdowns from quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, and Wake Forest, which topped Vanderbilt 36-20. Last weekend, No. 5 Florida State beat No. 14 LSU and No. 16 North Carolina defeated South Carolina. The lone blemish was Tennessee's 49-13 rout of Virginia in Week 1.
Washington State
Off the field, Washington State is trying to navigate through a very uncertain future with the demise of the Pac-12. The Cougars and Oregon State are the two remaining members with no future home in the Power Five, raising the odds both programs join the Mountain West beginning in 2024. On the field, the Cougars are again a pretty tough out. Cam Ward had 255 yards of total offense and two scores as Washington State took advantage of three takeaways to beat No. 19 Wisconsin 31-22, revealing the Badgers as a major work in progress under first-year coach Luke Fickell. Even in a tough conference, the Cougars and coach Jake Dickert should get back to six wins and bowl play.
Losers
Alabama
It wasn't that Texas was the better team, or even the faster team. The Longhorns were the more physical team and the better team on the line of scrimmage, and there only a few opponents — Georgia, Clemson for one night — who have done that Alabama. That makes this one extremely tough to swallow. If the end is nigh for this dynasty, we'll look back on Saturday night's loss and recognize this as the moment the Crimson Tide became mortal. There is blood in the water, folks, and plenty of sharks left on this year's schedule. While we've written the program's obituary before, this time feel different.
Nebraska
Old habits continue to die hard for Nebraska and first-year coach Matt Rhule. Turnovers? You betcha. Sloppy quarterback play? Lord, yes. An offense that seems unfamiliar with the concepts of winning football? Bless their hearts. The loss to Colorado will undoubtedly leave the Nebraska fan base awake at night repeating the same question: If the Buffaloes can do it, why can't we? Rhule's coaching track record during very successful stops at Temple and Baylor suggested Nebraska would struggle to put together wins this season, especially given the major issues with personnel, but improve dramatically as the year progressed; maybe we shouldn't be too surprised by the 0-2 start. But that doesn't diminish the pain of watching Sanders turn Colorado into an immediate success.
Texas A&M
A&M went from up 17-7 two minutes into the second quarter to down 31-20 with five minutes left in the third and then saw things get out of hand in the fourth quarter against Miami. For the Hurricanes, the win gives the Mario Cristobal era a huge boost; for the Aggies, this erases a lot of the good vibes that came out of a season-opening romp against New Mexico. Give plenty of credit to Miami, which has very good speed and seem to be much stronger at the point of attack. But this is a big miss for the A&M, a trendy favorite to climb up the SEC West standings and make a New Year's Six run, and puts the spotlight right back on coach Jimbo Fisher with the most brutal part of the schedule still to come.
Tulane
Losing 37-20 to No. 20 Mississippi won't prevent the No. 22 Green Wave from reaching another New Year's Six bowl as the best team in the Group of Five. There's also very little left for Tulane to prove after last year's 12-win finish, capped by one of the best wins in program history against Southern California in the Cotton Bowl. But there's something about beating the neighboring Rebels that would've moved the needle even more for the program and really opened some eyes about the quality of play in the American. The Green Wave struggled without veteran quarterback Michael Pratt, who missed the game due to injury. Backup quarterback Kai Horton completed 15 of 37 throws for 231 yards with a touchdown and two turnovers.
Brian Ferentz
As mentioned last week, Iowa has to win at least seven games and average at least 25 points per game for Ferentz to return to his prior two-year rolling contractual agreement. From a scoring perspective, that would amount to 325 points scored on offense, defense or special teams over the course of a 13-game season — the Hawkeyes could win the Big Ten West and play 14 games, but let's take things a day at a time. So let's update the board: Iowa scored a 20-13 win against rival Iowa State, leaving the Hawkeyes at 2-0 but Ferentz at just 44 points through two games.
Appalachian State
Appalachian State did a nice job on North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye but couldn’t corral running back Omarion Hampton in a 40-34 overtime loss. Maye was held without a touchdown for just the third time in his career but did avoid any turnovers after tossing two interceptions in last week’s win against the Gamecocks. A sophomore who entered Saturday with 438 career rushing yards, Hampton went for 234 yards on 26 carries with a long of 68 yards. This was the second year in a row Appalachian State has taken UNC gone down to the wire and beyond, joining last year’s 63-61 epic loss that saw the two teams combine for 63 points in the final quarter. Hey, Tar Heels: Maybe you should stop scheduling the Mountaineers.
Boston College
The Eagles sneaked past Holy Cross with a 31-28 win to avoid one of the worst titles you can give to a college football program: the worst team in Massachusetts. There's still little evidence to suggest they aren't the worst team in the Power Five, though, especially after Northern Illinois followed up last week's 27-24 win in Chestnut Hill with a 14-11 loss to Southern Illinois.
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