Samples: A look back at Week 2 in college football
By CHUCK SAMPLES
ISL Correspondent
What we learned in Week 2 of the college football season:
1. Ho-hum for Alabama. At least for the early, nonconference portion of the schedule. Things change this weekend.
2. Think Arkansas wasn’t looking past Louisiana-Monroe to the Tide? Questions now are (1) how John L. Smith guides the Bacon over the next few days and (2) how many Razorback fans spent the second half of the game screaming for Bobby Petrino’s return. The “I Smell Bacon” sign held up by some ULM fans was classic.
3. Welcome to the SEC, Missouri and Texas A&M. Both teams put up credible showings in their conference openers, although the Missouri-Georgia score was more lopsided than the game itself. Bumpy next couple of years ahead are all but guaranteed, but also look for some SEC powerehouses to overlook Mizzon and A&M — and get second-degree burns in the process.
4. Nice job of settling down the fan base by Virginia Tech. After winning a game they easily could have lost at home against Georgia Tech, Hokies rumbled past an overmatched Austin Peay squad.
5. Oh, Purdue fans. You didn’t expect to see visions of Tommy Rees dancing in your heads — and now, obviously, you’re stuck with them.
Teams thankful to gain wins over the weekend:
1. USC. May sound strange to say this, but if Robert Woods doesn’t become All-World (200 all-purpose yards and two TDs)…the Trojans were scuffling against Syracuse, but Woods helped take the pressure off.
2. Wake Forest. Heartstopping wins over Liberty and North Carolina don’t help anybody on heart meds, but hey — the Demon Deacons are 2-0.
3. Washington State. Could never put away Division 1 FCS Eastern Washington. Air Raid offense hasn’t exactly taken off yet.
Teams crying at the training table Sunday:
1. Big Ten’s losers. Nebraska looked pretty overrated in loss to UCLA. Bruins’ game plan of stretching Huskers worked to a T, and the Big Red Offense was, well, pretty offensive when it counted. Wisconsin? Oy. Only 35 yards rushing against Oregon State? There was also Purdue’s near-miss against Notre Dame, Penn State’s heartbreaker at Virginia and Iowa’s 9-6 field goal-fest against in-state rival Iowa State. Cyclones will eventually be responsible for Kirk Ferentz losing his job.
2. Arkansas. OK, OK. I won’t beat that dead horse again.
3. Miami (Fla.). Looked thoroughly unready for K-State. Wildcats, meanwhile, looked like they did in the fourth quarter against Missouri State. Hurricanes were hoping for the ‘Cat team that muddled through the first three periods of that game.
4. Oklahoma State. A school-record 167 yards in penalties, many of the “what were you thinking” variety, were more than enough to offset some 630 yards in total offense against Arizona. Four turnovers, three by freshman QB Wes Lunt, didn’t help.
5. Houston. Losing to Louisiana Tech despite 580 yards of total offense has Cougar fans flying off the bandwagon. Two stops would have won the game — and kept La Tech from gaining almost 700 yards.
6. UNLV. Had 14-0 lead against D-I FCS Northern Arizona at home and lost. Wasn’t this team good a couple years ago?
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