Every year there is one Saturday in college football where we see multiple upsets. Fortunately, upset Saturday happened came early this year.
Marshall stuns #8 Notre Dame
Coming in after a close loss to #3 Ohio State, Notre Dame was expected to roll into week 2 ready to dominate. Notre Dame didn’t expect Marshall to come in a be more physical than them.
In the 26-21 loss, Marshall rushed for over 219 yards on 50 carries. Last week against Ohio State, the Buckeyes were able to muscle their way to a win over Notre Dame the same exact way.
The Irish have a problem stopping the run. On offense, QB Tyler Buchner threw 2 interceptions in a horrible performance on the day. His backup Drew Pyne didn’t do much better either. He too would throw an interception which sealed the victory for Marshall.
Unfortunately, the 0-2 start might knock the Irish out of the top 25 completely. The Irish need to find a way to get the passing game going and the run defense active. The season doesn’t get easier as the Irish takes on Cal next week.
Appalachian State rocks #6 Texas A&M
The Texas A&M Aggies were expected to be college football playoff contenders, that all changed Saturday. QB Haynes King had a terrible performance to say the least.
King was 13/20 for just 97 yards passing and no touchdowns. The offense could not move the ball at all. If it wasn’t for running back Davon Achane the Aggies wouldn’t have scored all night. Achane scored the lone offensive touchdown on the day and a kick off return.
Surprisingly, App State’s upset over Texas A&M comes just 15 years after they upset #2 Michigan in the big house when they were in the FCS division.
Furthermore, former Clemson backup QB Chase Brice played a better game than King. Just 15/30, but he threw for 134 yards and 1 touchdown. Also, the running game for the Mountaineers had their way as well.
Running back Cameron Peoples rushed for 112 yards on 19 carries on the day. Overall, the Mountaineers just looked like the tougher team and got the win because they were.
Next week, Texas A&M will face #15 Miami Hurricanes. The Canes come in 2-0 after beating Southern Miss 30-7 in a sloppy game. We can expect both teams to come in next week with something to prove.
Unfortunately, the game next week for the Aggies is a must win game for sure. To lose two non-conference games going into SEC play would be a terrible start to what was expected to be a title contending team.
#20 Kentucky over #12 Florida
The Anthony Richardson show from week 1 was nowhere to be found in week 2 for the Gators. Kentucky pulled off the victory last season in Lexington last year and again in Gainesville.
Surprisingly, the Gators entered this game ranked #12 after starting unranked and playing just one game. Kentucky on the other hand were a pre-season favorite to challenge the defending champs Georgia to represent the SEC in the SEC Championship game.
Lead by projected 1st-round pick Will Levis, the Wildcats moved the ball well against the Florida defense as the game wore on. With the Wildcats defense keeping Florida QB Richardson in check in the pocket, the Wildcats almost crushed to a win.
Levis was 13/24 for 202. yards, 1 passing and 1 rushing touchdown, and 1 interception. Not Levis best performance, but it was a performance that got the win. As for Richardson, he was 14/35 for 134 yards and 2 interceptions.
At on point in the game, Richardson was 4 for 16 to start the game. The Wildcat defense kept a spy on Richardson and forced him to beat them with his arm. Although Richardson has a strong arm, he wil need to develop a intermediate to short passing game.
The strong throws are great for deep balls, unfortunately for him, the game of football is won throwing short passes with touch. Last week, Richardson’s athletic ability got him the win. This week, Kentucky strategy won the day.
Final thoughts
Today’s upsets should not have come by any surprise. Many of the ranked teams who lost to lesser ranked or unranked opponents had relatively new staffs or young rosters. Notre Dame and Florida’s staffs are new, and the Aggies have a very young but athletic team.
All three teams suffered from poor quarterback play and it cost them today. The days of walking into a game and expecting an easy win are over. Too many top players are recruits are transferring a year or two after signing to Power 5 programs.
Today should be a lesson to all programs for the rest of the season, come ready to play no matter who it is because any given Saturday you can lose.
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