Ohio State vs. Texas
Summary
The matchup between Ohio State and Texas was the undisputed big game of college football’s Week 2 slate. The Buckeyes entered the game ranked #1 in the AP Poll and the Longhorns were sitting at the #4 spot. Texas was far from an “underdog” but Ohio State was a definite favorite.
And the game’s first half leaned heavily in favor of Ryan Day and the Buckeyes. Ohio State shut out Texas 10-0 in the 1st quarter and 10-3 in the 2nd quarter. The 3rd quarter was pretty quiet for both squads, with Ohio State knocking through a field goal and Texas going scoreless. And then the universe shifted. The Texas Longhorns scored 21 points in the 4th quarter, held the Buckeyes to zero and walked away with an 24-23 upset victory.
Major Stat Lines
Ohio State out earned Texas +36 in total yards. The Buckeyes logged 372 total yards, compared with the Longhorns’ 336 yards.
Ohio State had the overall passing advantage during the game. The tallied up 278 yards through the air while Texas was only able to put up 195 passing yards. But Arch Manning and Texas were more accurate in their passing attack. Texas made 37 total attempts with a 62% completion rate while Ohio State finished with 32 attempts and a 53% completion rate.
The rushing yard differential was +47, in favor of Texas. The Longhorns walked away from their Week 2 win with 141 rushing yards while the Buckeyes were held to 94 yards earned on the ground. Neither team was particularly efficient, though. Texas had 41 rush attempts and averaged 3.4 yards per attempt while Ohio State had 31 carries with 3 yards earned per carry.
| Ohio State | Texas | |
| Total Yards | 372 | 336 |
| Passing Yards | 278 | 195 |
| Rushing Yards | 94 | 141 |
Impact Players
Julian Sayin (Ohio State) and Arch Manning (Texas) finished the game with similar, big picture stats. Sayin had a QBR of 88.3 and Manning’s QBR was 83. Both quarterbacks threw a touchdown and an interception a-piece.
Ohio State sophomore running back Bo Jackson led the team in rushing, with 19 carries, 74 yards earned on the ground and an average of 3.9 yards earned per carry. Texas junior running back Hollywood Smothers had similar production stats. He finished the game with 21 rush attempts, 74 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Buckeye wide receiver and Heisman top contender Jeremiah Smith had a big performance. Smith pulled down eight catches for 164 yards and one touchdown. No other Ohio State ball catcher had more than 36 yards earned through the air in the loss.
Texas had a committee of receivers account for their receiving production.
- Emmett Mosley V (Wide Receiver; Junior): 5 catches, 65 yards
- Emaree Winston (Tighet End; Sophomore): 3 catches 39 yards
- Cam Coleman (Wide Receiver; Junior): 3 catches, 35 yards
- Hollywood Smothers (Running Back; Junior): 3 catches, 29 yards
- Ryan Wingo (Wide Receiver; Junior): 4 catches, 22 yards
Nerd Profile
| Ohio State | Texas | |
| Region | Columbus, OH | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos |
| Regional Population | 2,242,028 | 2,620,945 |
| County | Franklin | Travis |
| County GDP | $111,942,917 | $165,671,955 |
Oklahoma State vs. Oregon
Summary
The Oklahoma State vs. Oregon matchup was an unexpected game of interest during Week 2.
The 1st quarter was relatively quiet, with the Ducks outscoring the Cowboys 7-3. But things ratcheted up significantly, in favor of Oklahoma State, during the 2nd quarter. The Cowboys went 21-10 to close out the half and guaranteed that folks would have to stay tuned in to see if the upset would take place. The Ducks had a 7-6 scoring advantage in the 3rd quarter and Oklahoma State’s 9-7 4th quarter run was enough to lock them in as the 39-31 victors.
Major Stat Lines
The score differential was much closer than the yardage differential. Oklahoma State was +273 in total yards, putting up 554 yards compared with Oregon’s 281 yards.
The Cowboys were +126 in passing yards. They logged 317 yards through the air while Oregon was held to 191 passing yards. Oklahoma State completed 60% of their 43 pass attempts while Oregon was only able to find 48% success on its 29 pass attempts. The only real knock of the Cowboys in this area were the two interceptions thrown.
Oklahoma State was +147 in rushing yards. They tallied up 237 yards on the ground while Oregon was only able to string together 90 rushing yards by game close. The cowboys averaged 5.9 yards per carry on their 40 total carries and the Ducks averaged 3 yards per attempt on their 30 total rush attempts.
| Oklahoma State | Oregon | |
| Total Yards | 554 | 281 |
| Passing Yards | 317 | 191 |
| Rushing Yards | 237 | 90 |
Impact Players
Oregon’s senior quarterback Dante Moore finished his Week 2 game with a highly disappointing 20.6 QBR. He managed to throw two touchdown passes but only went 14 for 29 and an average of 6.6 yards per attempt. Sophomore Drew Mestemaker had a much better stat performance, walking away from the win with a 80.6 QBR. Like Moore, he threw two touchdown passes but went 26 for 43, which helped to offset his two interceptions from an analytics lens.
The Ducks’ sophomore running back, Dierre Hill Jr., carried much of the team’s rushing load. He finished Week 2 with 15 carries, 74 yards and an average of 4.9 yards earned per carry.
Sophomore running back Caleb Hawkins led the Cowboys in rushing production. Carried the ball 23 times for 110 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per attempt and recording one touchdown on the ground. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker wasn’t far behind Hawkins in rushing production. He had six rush attempts for 109 yards, averaged 18.2 yards per attempt and logged one rushing touchdown.
Cowboy wide receiver, Wyatt Young, was the game’s leading ball catcher by a wide margin. He walked away from the win with five catches for 121 yards and one of Oklahoma State’s two receiving touchdowns.
Nerd Profile
| Oklahoma State | Oregon | |
| Region | Stillwater | Eugene-Springfield |
| Regional Population | 83,889 | 381,584 |
| County | Payne | Lane |
| County GDP | $3,527,641 | $18,362,925 |
Arizona State vs. Texas A&M
Summary
The Arizona State vs. Texas A&M contest was another unexpected game of interest.
The two teams tied each other 7-7 in the 1st quarter and the Aggies went up 10-3 in the 2nd quarter. The Sun Devils came out of the locker room and turned things around in the 3rd quarter, out scoring A&M 10-7. But the Aggies put their foot on the gas in the 4th quarter and closed out with a 24-0 run to seal in the 48-20 win.
Major Stat Lines
Despite the loss, Arizona State was +114 in total Yards. The Sun Devils tallied up 369 overall yards while the Aggies were held to only 255 total yards.
Arizona State was +91 in passing yards, going 254-163. Both teams posted similar completion rates, 62% on 34 attempts for the Arizona State and 60% on 25 attempts for Texas A&M. The defining difference was two interceptions thrown by the Sun Devils and only one interception thrown by the Aggies.
The Sun Devils were +23 in rushing yards, logging 115 yards on the ground compared with 92 yards for A&M. Arizona State averaged 4 yards on 29 attempts while Texas A&M averaged 2.6 yards on 35 carries.
But Arizona State closed out the game with nine penalties for 62 yards and A&M only had one penalty for five yards.
In a similar vein, Arizona State had four total turnovers, compared with only the one for A&M.
| Arizona State | Texas A&M | |
| Total Yards | 369 | 255 |
| Passing Yards | 254 | 163 |
| Rushing Yards | 115 | 92 |
Impact Players
It wasn’t a stunning stats performance for either of the teams’ starting quarterbacks. Arizona State junior Cutter Boley had a 62.4 QBR and A&M senior Marcel Reed’s QBR was 43.9. Boley threw two touchdowns and two interceptions while Reed finished the game with three touchdown passes and one interception thrown.
Arizona State senior wide receiver, Reed Harris, had the biggest stat game of all the offensive skill players. He walked away from Week 2 with nine catches for 189 yards and bringing down both of the Sun Devils’ receiving touchdowns. Texas A&M senior wide receiver, Isaiah Horton, only had three catches for 33 yards but closed out with two touchdown passes caught.
Nerd Profile
| Arizona State | Texas A&M | |
| Region | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | College Station–Bryan |
| Regional Population | 5,228,938 | 287,476 |
| County | Maricopa | Brazos |
| County GDP | $329,775,922 | $12,496,050 |
Michigan vs. Oklahoma
Summary
The Michigan vs. Oklahoma game didn’t provide a tone of action or incredible stats but will likely mean a lot through the season’s stretch. The Wolverines bounced back from a controversial win over Western Michigan during Week 1, with a slim 17-10 victory over the #11 ranked Sooners.
Michigan shut out Oklahoma 7-0 in the 1st quarter and 3-0 in the 2nd quarter. The sooners turned thing around in the 3rd quarter, going 7-0 but weren’t able to close things out. They were outscored 3-7 in the 4th quarter.
Major Stat Lines
Oklahoma had a +26 advantage in terms of total yards. They logged 289 overall yards and held Michigan to 263 total yards.
The Sooners had a +78 passing yard advantage, finishing with 189 yards through the air compared with 111 passing yards for Michigan. Oklahoma completed 52% of their 33 pass attempts while Michigan was able to find success on 53% of its 17 pass attempts.
Michigan had a +52 rushing yard advantage. They tallied up 152 rushing yards while Oklahoma was only able to string together 100 yards on the ground. Neither team was overwhelmingly efficient running the ball. The wolverines averaged 3.7 yards on 41 carries while Oklahoma averaged 3.4 yards on 29 attempts.
Both teams had significant damage inflicted on them by the officials. Oklahoma fared better, with nine penalties for 76 yards. Michigan caught the brunt, though, with 11 penalties for 90 yards.
Oklahoma also was on the wrong end of the comparative turnover line. Michigan didn’t turn the ball over at all while Oklahoma had two turnovers, one fumble lost and one interception thrown.
| Michigan | Oklahoma | |
| Total Yards | 263 | 289 |
| Passing Yards | 111 | 189 |
| Rushing Yards | 152 | 100 |
Impact Players
Sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood was Michigan’s star skill player on offense. He had a QBR of 74.4, went 9 for 17 and 11 yards earned through the air. But he also led the team in rushing. Underwood walked away from the Week 2 win with 18 carries, 87 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
Senior quarterback John Mateer and senior tight end Rocky Beers were Oklahoma’s main offensive producers. Mateer posted a 61.6 QBR, went 17 for 33 in pass attempts and earned 189 yards through the air. Similar to Michigan’s Underwood, he also led his team in rushing. He tallied up 13 carries for 45 yards. Rocky beers pulled down six catches for 94 yards.
Nerd Profile
| Michigan | Oklahoma | |
| Region | Ann Arbor | Oklahoma City |
| Regional Population | 370,214 | 1,512,813 |
| County | Washtenaw | Cleveland |
| County GDP | $28,092,107 | $9,660,151 |
Alcorn State vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Summary
Most of the SWAC teams faced off against Power 4 opponents during Week 2 but there was an in-conference game played.
Alcorn State walked away with a 53-51 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a game that was settled in overtime. The Alcorn Braves out earned the Pine Bluff Golden Lions 12-3 in the 1st quarter and Pine Bluff rallied with a 14-6 run in the 2nd quarter. It was a quiet 3rd quarter, with Pine Bluff outscoring Alcorn 7-0. The Braves rebounded and closed out the 4th quarter 20-14 to tie things and send the action into overtime. They edged out the Golden Lions 15-13 in OT to clinch the victory.
Major Stat Lines
Alcorn State had a significant +274 total yard advantage, putting up 699 overall yards compared with 425 yards for Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Much of that overall advantage for the Braves was concentrated on the passing side of things. The team tallied up 485 yards through the air while Pine Bluff was held to 167 passing yards. Alcorn completed 71% of their 45 pass attempts and Pine Bluff was only 50% successful on their 24 pass attempts.
Pine Bluff had a +44 rushing yard advantage. They finished Week 2 with 258 rushing yards, averaging 6.5 yards per carry. Alcorn closed out things with 214 yards on the ground and an average of 4.8 yards per attempt.
| Alcorn State | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | |
| Total Yards | 699 | 425 |
| Passing Yards | 485 | 167 |
| Rushing Yards | 214 | 258 |
Impact Players
Both teams’ quarterbacks were prolific. Alcorn State senior Jaylon Tolbert logged 485 passing yards and threw five touchdowns. Arkansas-Pine Bluff sophomore Garrison Davis closed out with only 167 passing yards but four touchdown passes thrown.
Senior running back, Ernest Temple, led Alcorn State’s rushing charge with 28 carries, 144 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Three of Pine Bluff’s ball carriers had major impacts. Senior running back Jaylen Jennings led the group with 16 carries, 98 yards and one touchdown. Junior running back Za’Marion Webber had 10 carries for 85 yards and one rushing touchdown. Quarterback Garrison Davis finished the game with 11 carries and 67 yards.
Alcorn’s senior wide receiver, Tyree Kelly, was the game’s top ball catcher. He pulled down six catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman wide receiver D’Avery Robinson was the games WR #2. Robinson walked away from Week 2 with four catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns.
Nerd Profile
| Alcorn State | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | |
| Region | Natchez | Pine Bluff |
| Regional Population | 54,045 | 70,211 |
| County | Jefferson (MS) | Jefferson (AR) |
| County GDP | $110,739 | $2,665,308 |
Nerd's Guide to College Football 