I’m sure there will be more weeks like last week to come, but wow!
Texas, who was a 20-point underdog, took #2 Alabama to their limit until a Game-winning FG with 15 seconds left gave the Tide the victory. And two huge upsets occurred, App State does it again, this time against #6 Texas A&M at College Station (see below), and Marshall takes down #8 Notre Dame in South Bend.
With only two games featuring ranked opponents playing each other this week, maybe we will be in store for some more Cinderella upsets. As always, CJ Lang and Britt Sanders will guide you this college football season through all the storylines, player profiles and game previews you need. Enjoy!
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Favorite Storylines
Appalachian Station (CJ)
We all remember the 2007 upset win that App State pulled off in the Big House of Michigan against the fifth-ranked Wolverines. Some people call it the greatest upset of all time. This past Saturday’s game may not be that highly remembered, but it sure will be by App State and Texas A&M fans. App State went into College Station as an 18.5-point underdog and came out with a 17-14 victory against the sixth-ranked Texas A&M Aggies.
And to be honest, the game was never really that close. App State dominated on defense, holding A&M QB Haynes King to 97 yards passing and zero TDs, and the A&M rushing attack to just 97 total yards. And that is just indicative of how their offense has been playing. After two weeks, the A&M offense ranks 103rd in Total Offense and has the 63rd passing offense and 114th ranked rushing offense in the nation.
It’s not like App State’s defense is lights out, either. In Week 1, they gave up 63 points and 567 yards to North Carolina. Yet, the play calling for A&M was questionable at best. It even led the media post-game to ask A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher if he would give up play-calling duties, to which he answered, “possibly could.” Whatever he decides to do, they better do it quickly because the upcoming schedule is rough. Their opponents for the next four weeks are a combined 8-0 and three of them are ranked (#13 Miami, #10 Arkansas and #2 Alabama). Time to lace those boots up, Cadets!
Laser Guiding USC to the Playoffs (Britt)
It’s been two weeks, and thus far, USC seems like the real deal on offense. Granted, they faced Rice and Stanford, who lack any real “firepower” on either side of the ball. The remaining question for the Trojans is how their defense will handle itself without winning the turnover battle.
Last week, USC had a few red zone turnovers to help bolster their win. Luckily for the Trojans, they likely won’t have to fret over that subject too much until they face #14 Utah next month. This is why USC may be on the “Yellow Brick” road to the college playoffs. Their current schedule suggests they likely go 13-0 or 12-1. The two hurdles for the Trojans are Utah and Notre Dame. Notre Dame has lost its luster since the season’s beginning. In reality, the hypothetical question becomes, can USC overcome Utah’s defense twice? If the answer is yes, they may see themselves playing with the big boys in December.
Player Spotlights
Quarterbacks
Sam Hartman (SR – Wake Forest) 6-1, 208 lbs. (Britt)
Sam Hartman was originally never slated to play this year after a troubling report regarding his medical condition. Thankfully, Hartman overcame what is now called a blood clot and is playing for the Deacons. Hartman is a fifth-year senior thanks to the COVID-19 year. He has a career passer rating of 141.2 and a touchdown to interception ratio of 76:29. He also has shown an ability to scramble outside of the pocket, racking up 364 rushing yards last year.
While Hartman is not likely a top-tier prospect in 2023, he possesses the requisite talent to be a day-two pick in this draft class. If he can continue his hot start this year, there is an outside shot he sneaks into the first round. He has some exciting challenges this year, but he gets to face Liberty this week. I am excited to see it, mainly because it should ramp him up nicely to face #5 Clemson next week.
Taulia Tagovailoa (Redshirt JR – Maryland) 5-11, 200 lbs. (CJ)
I know the last name looks familiar to all you devy fanatics because this is Tua Tagovailoa’s younger brother. Taulia transferred from Alabama for more playing time to Maryland two years ago and has been doing well for himself. He has broken almost all of Maryland’s QBs single-season records and was ranked in the top 10 in FBS in passing yards, completions per game and completion percentage last year. Last season he threw for 3,860 yards, 26 TDs, and 11 INTS, but interestingly only had 81 rushing yards meaning he did all of his damage from behind the line of scrimmage.
Many of the new-age gun-slinging QBs are scramblers as well as throwers, but Taulia has more of a pocket presence than those who have one read and then run. This week he has a tough matchup with the SMU Mustangs. Both teams put up a lot of total yards and have leaky defenses, so I’m not surprised by the 73.5 O/U spread. With #4 Michigan and #11 Michigan State up next for the Terps, they need this game to keep the momentum going.
Running Backs
Nicholas Singleton (FR – Penn State) 6-0, 218 lbs. (Britt)
Freshmen are fun for a multitude of reasons. Nicholas Singleton is a fantastic example encapsulating those reasons. He is a young, new talented running back in a major conference, everything that makes a fan’s heart rate elevated just thinking about it. Singleton has had a stellar start to his career, averaging 10.5 yards per carry.
Last week against Ohio, he showed what I consider an “ah ha” moment. He took a broken run and turned it into a 45-yard touchdown. You can watch it here. His speed turned good angles into bad ones in a hurry. This is one instance against a lower-competition team, but it shows that he has the juice.
This week he gets to go head-to-head with 2023 running back Tank Bigsby. I am hoping, manifesting and projecting that Penn State head coach James Franklin has seen enough to give Singleton the bell cow role. Singleton with more than 10 carries a game will be a beautiful thing to watch. I am hoping that begins this week.
Evan Hull (Redshirt JR – Northwestern) 5-11, 210 lbs. (CJ)
Have a day, Evan Hull! Last week vs. Duke, he had 17 rushes for 65 yards and 14 catches for 213 yards and two TDs. I’m not even sure who is a valid comp to him. Dalvin Cook is his exact height and weight, but Hull plays much differently than Cook. He doesn’t have breakaway speed and won’t run people over, but he has great footwork and, as witnessed last Saturday, can do a lot of damage catching the ball.
He is on the Doak Walker and Maxwell Watchlists following his 1,009-yard rushing season in ’21. He has already eclipsed his previous season receiving totals after just two games and is the first Big Ten player since 2000 to have 200+ receiving yards and 50+ rushing yards in a game. This week the Wildcats take on Southern Illinois, who have given up at least 189 rushing yards in each game this season. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald has already said he plans to hand the ball off a lot because he doesn’t want his QB to throw 60 times in a game for once. Keep your eye on Hull all year as he challenges TreVeyon Henderson for the Big Ten rushing title.
Wide Receivers
Rashee Rice (SR – SMU) 6-2, 203 lbs. (CJ)
Do you know who Rashee Rice is? His worse game stat-wise this season was when he had eight catches, 166 yards and one TD. A three-star recruit from the 2019 class, he had offers from every Power-5 conference but landed in Dallas at SMU. Over the past two seasons, he has averaged 676 receiving yards and seven TDs, and this year is off to a great start. He is currently third in FBS in receiving yards (298) and third in receiving TDs (three).
He is the WR1 on an SMU team with the 22nd-best passing offense in the nation. They have a shootout this weekend at College Park against the aforementioned Taulia Tagovailoa and the Maryland Terrapins. He has a great rapport with QB Tanner Mordecai, and I expect him to continue this pace all year en route to a 1,000-yard receiving season and a Reese’s Senior Bowl invite.
Marvin Mims (JR – Oklahoma) 5-11, 183 lbs. (Britt)
Oklahoma has not taken the downturn I expected with the departure of QB Caleb Williams and head coach Lincoln Riley. New head coach Brett Venables has done a great job getting the program on track quickly. Marvin Mims has been a benefactor of the quick turnaround. Mims, if you remember, was one of my Devy Stallers this year. While I still believe that to be in the realm of reason. What he has done this far, albeit poor competition, has been impressive. He has 10 receptions for 244 yards and two TDs. In those games, he has a 46-percent receiving yard share, a 43-percent dominator and a smashing 4.78 yards per team pass attempt.
Mims should continue his hot start by facing Nebraska this week. A team that surely will be on its heels now in the post-Frost era. Mims will face his first “real” test next week against Kansas State, a much more stout defense than what he has faced thus far. I will be monitoring Mims this season to see how he continues to develop and just how much of this hot start he can maintain.
Tight Ends
Luke Musgrave (JR – Oregon State) 6-6, 250 lbs. (CJ)
Luke Musgrave had made a name for himself on the Beaver’s special teams unit. But this year, he is slotted in as their primary TE. Last season he got some exposure and had 22 catches for 304 yards and one TD. This season he already has half of those numbers after two weeks with 11 catches for 169 yards and a TD.
Musgrave currently leads all TEs in FBS in receiving yards and is locked in this week for a key matchup against the fourth-ranked FCS powerhouse Montana State Bobcats. Both teams are 2-0, and the game will be played at an MLS stadium in Portland. With the toughness of this week’s opponent, I think we see Musgrave remain a big part of the offense.
Dalton Kincaid (SR- Utah) 6-4, 242 lbs. (Britt)
Through two games, Dalton Kincaid has turned just nine receptions into 136 yards for 15.1 yards per reception and two TDs. Tight ends are always difficult to project or even manage in any format. What Kincaid had done in two games is extremely encouraging from an efficiency standpoint, and he is sitting very well at 2.06 yards per team pass attempt. San Diego State University has traditionally had a strong defense and should provide a reason for watching this game. Kincaid is beginning to have the makeup to be an NFL tight end with possible fantasy consequences.
Games Of The Week
#13 Miami vs. #24 Texas A&M (-5.5) (CJ)
Texas A&M is coming off an embarrassing and maybe one of their worst losses as a program following their 17-14 defeat at the hands of App State in College Station. Yet, somehow they are still a 5.5-point favorite.
On the flip side, Miami is off to one of its better starts and looks the part this year with star QB Tyler Van Dyke leading the Canes. They have outscored their opponents 100-20 so far and have potential first and second-round 2023 NFL draft picks on both sides of the ball. New Miami head coach Mario Cristobal has his troops ready to try to win their first non-conference away game against a ranked opponent since 2006.
A&M, on the other hand, needs this game. They need to prove that last week was a fluke and that this is the same team that beat Alabama last season and one that can still compete for the SEC title and CFP this year. Turning right around and beating a top-15 team would help persuade some naysayers, but it will be a long road. And as I mentioned before, no two-loss team has ever made the CFP. The result of this game could be the nail in the coffin for A&M and a rocket ship for the Canes.
#12 BYU (+3.5) vs #25 Oregon (Britt)
BYU has been an exciting team to watch, primarily based on how quickly they’ve been able to fill the Zach Wilson void. QB Jarren Hall has been leading the Cougars this year and last week conducted an upset win without their top two playmakers. While WRs Nacua and Romney are not guaranteed to start this week, this game still holds some excitement.
Oregon has largely been a disappointment this year, dropping a game in vanishing fashion to Georgia and putting up an underwhelming trouncing against Eastern Washington University. The Oregon crux, pinch yourself if you’ve heard this before, hangs on QB Bo Nix. Every year Nix lets people ponder a reality where he can create a sustainable offense, and every year it fails spectacularly.
What I am most excited about is just how good Oregon is in a Pac-12 world. Oregon always has been the big dog in conferences but the little brother against the premier conferences. This will be the first test to see how much Oregon has regressed this offseason. BYU’s game is a great defense and ball control on offense. This should provide a fascinating test for both teams to show just how far they have come or have fallen.
