Texas and Miami make statements, as Oregon and UNC survive close calls in Week 2 of college football

No. 20 Ole Miss 37, No. 24 Tulane 20

Lane Kiffin has likely never been so grateful for a false start. With his Ole Miss offense preparing for a crucial 4th-and-1 and the play clock ticking dangerously close to zero, the Rebel offensive line flinched ahead of a play that saw quarterback Jaxson Dart stuffed at the line of scrimmage. 

Taking the five-yard penalty, Kiffin elected for a 56-yard field goal try leading by seven. Kicker Caden Davis drilled the lengthy field goal, and a subsequent scoop-and-score saw the Rebels emerge from New Orleans with a massive top-25 road win. 

No. 22 Colorado 36, Nebraska 14

The nearly-robotic Colorado offense fans embraced in Week 1, which scored 48-points in an upset victory over TCU, seemed to face a much stiffer test against Nebraska early on Saturday. The Buffaloes managed just 50 yards on their first four drives, all punts, but ultimately jumped out to a first-half advantage thanks to a string of Nebraska mistakes. Four fumbles and an interception, all courtesy of Husker QB Jeff Sims, translated to consistently excellent field position and ultimately 13 points. 

There was nothing flukey about Colorado’s second-half surge, however, which saw Colorado score on four consecutive possessions and quarterback Shedeur Sanders rack up nearly 400 yards passing in a blowout victory against the Huskers. 

No. 12 Utah 20, Baylor 13

Top-15 Utah rushed into the den of a wounded bear Saturday — Baylor suffered an embarrassing home defeat to Texas State in Week 1 — and was, expectedly left tending to a fair few desperate scrapes.

With the continued absence of starting quarterback Cam Rising, Utah’s adopted ground-and-pound approach proved much less effective in Waco than in the Utes’ Week 1 rout over Florida. Utah failed to broach 150 yards in an offensively-challenged first half, resorting to four punts and misfiring on an interception.

Baylor managed to claim a 10-point lead early in the second half and managed to stay ahead of the Utes until the final two minutes. Nate Johnson finally punched home a seven-yard carry to cap off Utah’s 15-play, 88-yard drive, and the Utes would find the end zone again less than two minutes later after forcing an interception deep in Baylor territory. 

No. 1 Georgia 45, Ball State 3

A slow start for the Bulldogs quickly turned into a long afternoon for Ball State, as 31 second-quarter points for Georgia helped UGA built a dominant advantage at the break. 

Georgia’s sputtering offense was sparked by its always dominant defense and special teams, opening the scoring early in the second quarter with a punt return touchdown before two-successive interception led to 14 points and a blown-open ballgame. 

The Bulldogs tacked on a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter and narrowly missed out on their shutout after Ball State knocked in a field goal midway through the fourth quarter. 

Southern Illinois 14, Northern Illinois 11

The Salukis continue their impressive of FBS performances together in recent years, knocking off Northern Illinois to secure their third win against higher-level competition in four attempts.  

Southern Illinois’ defense completely suffocated a Huskies offense that hung 27 points on the ACC’s Boston College in Week 1, holding NIU to just three points and 2.3 yards per carry through the opening three quarters. An accurate and poised performance from quarterback Nic Baker, paired with two lengthy receptions from Aidan Quinn, helped the Saluki’s build a 14-3 lead heading into the final stanza.

NIU quarterback and Michigan State transfer Rocky Lombardi finally managed to burn the Saluki’s over the top, connecting on a 62-yard TD that narrowed the deficit to three, but SIU held off their in-state rivals to claim a massive win.

Iowa 20, Iowa State 13

The traditionally-defensive Cy-Hawk series certainly lived up to its billing in 2023, with Iowa staving off a late surge from its in-state rivals to escape Ames with a win. A grounded first quarter consisted of just three drives, seeing Iowa cap off their 70-yard series with a short field goal to take an early 3-0 lead. Iowa would travel 80 yards the following possession, this time finishing the drive with a touchdown, while Iowa State was forced into four straight punts. 

After Iowa’s Cade McNamara was picked off late in the first half, the Cyclones would immediately throw an interception of their own to Sebastian Castro, who returned the ball 30 yards for a touchdown. Iowa State slowly shaved down its 17-0 halftime deficit, ultimately regaining possession down just seven within the final two minutes, but a midfield 4th-and-1 stop secured Iowa’s victory

James Madison 36, Virginia 35

After hours of weather delays and 65 combined points, James Madison entered the final minute of Saturday’s marathon with a golden opportunity to best their in-state rivals nearly five hours after the opening kickoff.

Trailing by 11 entering the fourth quarter and in desperate need of points, back Ty Son Lawton struck 40 of his 79 yards together on consecutive plays to earn the Dukes a quick-fire touchdown. JMU would force a Virginia punt near midfield and assumed possession at the 20 yard line with three minutes remaining. 

A missile from Jordan McCloud helped JMU overcome a disconcerting second-and-20 before he managed to hook up with Kaelon Black for six with less than a minute remaining in the game to secure the Dukes’ victory.