College football rolls on with Week 2 action highlighted by a huge top-10 meeting in Ann Arbor, Michigan and a top-5 upset. Here's what you missed:
Northern Illinois stuns No. 5 Notre DameĀ
Northern Illinois upset No. 5 Notre Dame, 16-13, with a game-winning 35-yard to claim their program's first-ever top 10 victory. A week after taking down No. 20 Texas A&M on the road, the Fighting Irish dropped to 1-1 on the season.
ND looked poised for another win early, putting together a methodical seven-minute scoring drive to start the game. The Huskies bounced back with urgency, though, with an 83-yard receiving touchdown to running back Antario Brown.
Northern Illinois quieted Notre Dame Stadium for the rest of the half, kicking two field goals to take the lead and blocking Notre Dameās field goal attempt entering the break.
Besides the Fighting Irishās 34-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter, the slugfest didnāt come back to life until the final minutes of the fourth.
Following ND quarterback Riley Leonardās interception with less than six minutes remaining, Northern Illinois multitasked ā working the clock while moving down the field ā and executed it perfectly. With 35 seconds left, NIU regained the lead, 16-14, after Kanon Woodill nailed a 35-yard field goal.
The Fighting Irish tried to bounce back and escape the catastrophe, completing a 19-yard pass and attempting a 62-yard field goal. However, the Huskies blocked Mitch Jeterās kick once again, handing Notre Dame its first loss of the season.
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No. 3 Texas routs No. 10 Michigan on the road
Texas secured an impressive 31-12 victory over Michigan in Ann Arbor during Week 2.
Texas came out strong, displaying dominance from the start. The Longhorns took over the first half, scoring three touchdowns while keeping Michigan out of the end zone. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers starred, completing 18 of 26 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. The Longhornsā 24 first half points matched the most any team scored against Michigan in an entire game last season.
In the second half, Texas maintained its intensity. The Longhorns scored another touchdown, secured an additional interception and held Michigan to just a field goal until the final two minutes, when the Wolverines managed to finally reach the end zone. Texas ended the game with 389 total yards to Michigan's 284, also forcing three turnovers.
Syracuse takes downĀ No. 23 Georgia Tech for ACC win
SyracuseĀ took down No. 23 Georgia Tech, 31-28, behind 381 yards and four passing touchdowns from Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord. New Orange head coach Fran Brown notched his first ranked win at the helm, upsetting the Yellow Jackets two weeks after they took down then-No.10 Florida State.
Syracuse and McCord jumped out of the gate against the Yellow Jackets, passing for a touchdown on three of the Orange's first four drives. However, Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King continued to showcase his legs, recording two 20-plus yard rushing touchdowns in the first half to head into the break only down seven. The Orange out-gained the Jackets 334 to 201 yards in the first half.Ā
A 33-yard field goal in the third quarter extended the Syracuse lead to 24-14 heading into the fourth. Georgia Tech recorded just 30 total yards in the third.Ā
The Orange forced a turnover on downs early in the fourth, resulting in another McCord passing touchdown. Georgia Tech drove 75 yards to cut the lead to 10, and the Yellow Jackets recovered the ensuing onside kick to extend their comeback effort. King and the Jackets put together another touchdown drive, slicing the lead to just three with a little over two minutes to play.Ā
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But McCord came through in the clutch, converting a 3rd-and-10 on his 25 with two minutes to play. The Orange ran the clock out to finally end Georgia Tech's rally. McCord finished 32 for 46 for 381 yards and four touchdowns. The Ohio State transfer now has over 700 passing yards and eight touchdown passes through his first two games with Syracuse.
As for Georgia Tech, it cracked the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2015 for this week, but it could drop right back out following the loss.
No. 16 Oklahoma State escapes Arkansas 2OT
No. 16 Oklahoma State came back to beat Arkansas in double overtime behind a 24-point second half performance.
The Razorbacks and running back JaāQuinden Jackson punched the Cowboys in the mouth in the first half. Between Jacksonās three rushing touchdowns and 351 total yards, Arkansas jumped out to a 21-7 lead at the break. OSU didnāt have an answer, mustering up just 77 yards the entire half and needing a pick-six in the second quarter to get on the board.
After a quiet third quarter from both sides, Oklahoma State kicked it up a notch in the fourth.
The Cowboys took the lead, 28-21, following a five-play, 80-yard drive midway through the fourth ā the teamās second touchdown of the quarter. Although the Razorbacks responded with their own scoring drive, OSUās 38-yard field goal with 55 seconds remaining seemed like the game was decided.
Wrong. Arkansas wide receiver Andrew Armstrongās 33-yard reception helped put Arkansas in range for a successful 45-yard field goal leading to overtime.
Neither team scored in the first overtime, but the Cowboys capitalized on their second opportunity through running back Ollie Gordon IIās 12-yard rushing touchdown. Even though Arkansas made it to OSUās 6-yard line, the Razorbacks got stuffed on 4th and 1 to end it.
Other top-25 upsets worth mentioning
A back-and-forth battle since the opening kick, Illinoisā four forced turnovers and 10-point fourth quarter helped them take down Kansas. It was the Fighting Illiniās first win against a ranked opponent at home since 2019.
The Cy-Hawk Trophy is headed back to Ames, IA. After not scoring in the first half, the Cyclones came back to shock the Hawkeyes with 20 second-half points and a 54-yard game-winning field goal as the cherry on top to win 20-19.
FCS teams upset FBS foes
Week 2 saw the continuation of FCS-over-FBS upsets.Ā First, Saint Francis (PA) took down Kent State 23-17. It's the first time the Red Flash have defeated an FBS opponent in program history and only the second time in FCS history that a team from the Northeast Conference has defeated an FBS opponent.
Idaho was the second team of the day to upset an FBS foe, holding off Wyoming 17-13. The Vandals have now won FBS games in back-to-back years. It's the first time Idaho has beaten Wyoming since 1921.
