The second week of the college football season definitely did not disappoint. From upsets to injuries, this was a jam-packed weekend of news. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories of the week.
Big Upset In Week 2
There have already been a lot of big upsets in the early season, but one of the biggest of Week 2 saw the Oregon Ducks defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes 35-28.
In the win, Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns while CJ Verdell led the way both on the ground (20 rushes, 161 yards, two touchdowns) and through the air (three receptions, 34 yards, touchdown).
For the Buckeyes, C.J. Stroud was fantastic. He threw for 484 yards and three touchdowns, but a costly interception late in the game was the dagger for the Buckeyes.
Amazingly, for head coach Ryan Day, this is his first loss during the regular season with the Buckeyes.
The win now moves the Ducks to fourth in the AP Top 25 while Ohio State comes in at ninth.
Currently, the Buckeyes are still the favorite to win the Big Ten Championship at -175. The Ducks are the favorites to win the Pac-12 at +200.
Injuries Piling Up For Oregon
Despite their victory over Ohio State, the Ducks did suffer some setbacks, particularly on the defensive side.
With defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, expected to be one of the top picks in next year’s NFL draft, already dealing with an ankle injury, the Ducks received some more bad news this weekend.
First, according to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, linebacker Justin Flowe is likely done for the regular season. Flowe did not play in Week 2 against Ohio State due to a lower-body injury, and he now seems to be done for the foreseeable future.
In his one game against Fresno State, Flowe had 14 tackles and one forced fumble.
The Ducks could also be without linebackers Dru Mathis and Jackson LaDuke in the short term as they are dealing with injuries as well.
Texas A&M Loses Quarterback
Unfortunately, the Ducks aren’t the only ones dealing with injury concerns. Texas A&M will be without quarterback Haynes King for a while. According to head coach Jumbo Fisher, King fractured his leg in the Week 2 game over Colorado.
This season, King has thrown for 300 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions.
As his replacement, Texas A&M will turn to Zach Calzada. The sophomore threw for 207 yards and a touchdown after replacing King against Colorado.
Texas A&M, who is ranked seventh in the AP Top 25, currently has the third-best odds of winning the SEC at +2500. They are +6000 to win the National Championship.
Boston College Also Loses Quarterback
The Aggies were not the only team to lose their quarterback over the weekend. Boston College is likely to lose quarterback Phil Jurkovec for the season after sustaining a hand injury in their 45-28 win over UMass this weekend.
This season, Jurkovec has thrown for 325 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Boston College is currently +30000 to win the ACC.
Helton Out At USC
We might only be through two weeks of the season, but the hot seat was burning for USC head coach Clay Helton. In fact, USC has decided to part ways with the coach after an ugly 42-28 loss to Stanford this weekend.
In his stead, cornerbacks coach Donte Williams has been named as interim head coach for the Trojans.
Helton was named coach back in 2015. In his first two full seasons, he went 21-6, but in the next two, he went just 13-12.
While Williams tries to right the ship for the Trojans, the USC brass now has an opportunity to get a leg up on the competition when it comes to searching for the next head coach.
