CFW Week 2 Results – Florida drops out of Top 25
From the nailbiters and thrillers
to back on the hot seat again
We had it all Saturday – the good, the bad and the ugly. Through it all, we had the thrillers, the nailbiters, the barn burners, the donnybrooks, the stunners and more.
Trailing SMU, 38-24, with less than six minutes to go, Baylor scored two touchdowns to tie the score at 38-38. Overtime. After one overtime, the score was 45-45. After the second overtime, Baylor, who had never led throughout the game, beat SMU, 48-45.
At halftime, Iowa State led Iowa, 13-10. After three quarters, the score was tied, 13-13. In the fourth quarter, with 1:52 on the clock, Iowa State kicked a 54-yard field goal. The Cyclones held on to beat Iowa, 16-13.
Hold onto your seat. Underdog Mississippi State jumped out to an early 17-0 lead over Arizona State. The Bulldogs led the Sun Devils, 17-3, at halftime. But Arizona State scored a touchdown in the third quarter to cut Mississippi State’s lead to 17-10. Then the Sun Devils scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 17-17. Following a 12-minute stalemate, Arizona State kicked an 18-yard field goal with 1:38 on the clock to take its first lead in the game, 20-17. It turned out to be a briefly held lead. With just 30 seconds remaining, Mississippi State scored a touchdown on a 58-yard pass from Blake Shapen to Brenen Thompson. Mississippi State won 20-17.
In Raleigh, North Carolina, Virginia and NC State were in a donnybrook. For two and a half quarters, the game was tied twice and Virginia held leads of 3, 7 and 10 points. NC State never led. Finally, with 6:39 to go in the third quarter, the Wolfpack took its first lead at 28-24. One and a half minutes later, Virginia retook the lead at 31-28. Four and a half minutes later, NC State went back up 35-31. After all of that scoring, neither team scored in the fourth quarter. NC State beat Virginia, 35-31.
Early in the second quarter, Kentucky led Ole Miss, 10-0. At halftime, Ole Miss led Kentucky, 17-13. Late in the third quarter, the game was tied 20-20. As the fourth quarter came to an end, Ole Miss beat Kentucky, 30-23.
Four minutes into the game, Missouri led Kansas 6-0. Eight and a half minutes later, still in the first quarter, Kansas led Missouri 21-6. Then the fight began. At halftime, the game was tied, 21-21. Late in the third quarter, Kansas went up 24-21. Even later in the third quarter, Missouri went up 28-24. Midway through the fourth quarter, Kansas retook the lead at 31-28. Four and a half minutes later, Missouri went back up 35-31. The Tigers scored again with less than two minutes left in the game. Missouri beat Kansas, 42-31.
As last season came to an end, Florida coach Billy Napier was back in the saddle again. Florida won its last four games and finished the season 8-5. After the second game of this season Saturday, Napier was back on the hot seat again. Florida lost to South Florida, 18-16. The Bulls kicked a 20-yard field goal as time expired to pull off the win. Florida fans were chanting “Fire Billy” as they exited Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
You’ve heard of Helen of Troy. How about Hell of Troy? That’s who Clemson coach Dabo Swinney almost met – Hell of Troy. Midway through the second quarter Saturday, Clemson trailed Troy, 16-0. At halftime, Troy led Clemson 16-3. It wasn’t looking good for the Tigers. Fortunately for Swinney, Clemson woke up in the second half, outscoring Troy, 24-0. The Tigers beat the Trojans, 27-16. Clemson had the turnovers in the first half – 2. Troy had the turnovers in the second half – 3.
That’s just a sampling of the donnybrooks, barn burners, knock-down drag outs, nailbiters and thrillers we experienced on Saturday. There were more. Trailing Kansas State 21-14 in the fourth quarter, Army scored 10 unanswered points to beat K-State, 24-21. Trailing Connecticut 17-6 in the fourth quarter, Syracuse scored 12 unanswered points and went on to beat UConn in overtime, 27-20 (OT). In a game that was tied on six different occasions, Michigan State outlasted Boston College 42-40 (2OT).
College football Week 2 began Friday night with four games. In the first of the four games, Louisville rallied in the second half to beat James Madison, 28-14. In the final game of the night, Boise State got back on the winning track, beating Eastern Washington, 51-14.
Two Big Ten teams were victorious in the other two games – Northwestern squashed Western Illinois, 42-7, and Maryland got by Northern Illinois, 20-9. Northwestern’s offense racked up 526 total yards.
The best passer Friday night was Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen with 307 yards. The best rusher was Boise State running back Dylan Riley with 123 yards. Boise State had the best total offense with 637 yards.
There were the thrillers on Saturday. Then again, there were the other extremes. What you might call the non-thrillers. For example, Florida State 77, East Texas A&M 3; Texas Tech 62, Kent State 14; Minnesota 66, Northwestern State 0; Ohio State 70, Grambling 0, and Oregon 69, Oklahoma State 3.
Also, Tennessee72, East Tennessee 17; Utah 63, Cal Poly 9; UCF 68, North Carolina A&T 7; Nebraska 68, Akron 0; Alabama 73, ULM 0, and Washington 70, UC Davis 10.
Dan Mullen is 3-0. UNLV beat UCLA, 30-23. Virginia Tech is 0-2. Vanderbilt downed the Hokies, 44-20. And Bill Belichick won his first game as a college coach. North Carolina beat Charlotte, 20-3.
After you went to bed Saturday night, Arizona beat Weber State, 48-3; Washington State downed San Diego State, 36-13; BYU conquered Stanford, 27-3, and Hawaii beat Sam Houston, 37-20.
In this week’s AP Poll, Ohio State (2-0) is the #1 team, followed by #2 Penn State (2-0), #3 LSU (2-0), #4 Oregon (2-0), and #5 Miami (2-0). South Florida (2-0) at #18 is the highest-ranked and only Group of Five team in the AP Poll. Florida dropped out of the Poll.
The NCAA Oversight Committee has voted in favor of a single transfer portal window, replacing the current two transfer window portals. The winter portal would be retained. The spring portal would be eliminated. The winter portal would begin on January 2 and run for 10 days through January 11. The NCAA Administrative Committee is expected to approve the single portal system by October 1, 2025. The new single portal system would go into effect on January 1, 2026.
“One toke over the line, sweet Jesus. One toke over the line….” Singer-songwriter Tom Shipley died on August 24. Shipley was a co-member of the folk-rock duo Brewer & Shipley. They enjoyed their peak success in the late 1960s and 1970s. Their greatest commercial success was the song “One Toke Over The Line” from their 1970 album “Tarkio.” “One Toke Over The Line” peaked at No. 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in the spring of 1971. A native of Mineral Ridge, Ohio, Tom Shipley was 84. “….Sitting downtown in a railway station. One toke over the line.”
MLB player and manager Davey Johnson died on September 5. Johnson played second baseman from 1965 to 1978, most notably with the Baltimore Orioles. He also played briefly with the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs. Johnson was an MLB manager from 1984 to 2000, most notably with the New York Mets. A mathematics major in college, he attended Johns Hopkins University, Texas A&M and graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. A native of Orlando, Florida, David Allen Johnson was 82.
“Imagine me and you. I do. I think about you day and night. It’s only right….” Vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Mark Volman died on September 5. He is best known as a founding member of the 1960s rock band The Turtles. The Turtles had nine Top 40 hits in the mid and late 1960s. Their biggest hit was “Happy Together,” which peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in the spring of 1967. Other hits by The Turtles include “It Ain’t Me Babe” (1965), “You Baby” (1966), “She’d Rather Be With Me” (1967), “You Know What I Mean” (1967), and “Elenore” (1968). A native of Los Angeles, California, Mark Randall Volman was 78. “….To think about the girl you love. And hold her tight. So happy together.”
“College football, it’s a pepper thing.”
Touchdown Tom
September 8, 2025
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
The next posting of College Football Week – CFW – Week 3 Forecast – will be released Thursday morning, September 11.
Week Two Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Boomer is back – Oklahoma 24, Michigan 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 28, Michigan 24). Oklahoma coach Brent Venables needed this win, and he got it. OU is a much improved team over last year. The Sooners jumped out to a 14-0 first half lead and held off Michigan in the second half. OU maintained its lead in spite of two turnovers to none for Michigan. OU’s defense all but shut down Michigan’s offense, holding the Wolverines to 12 first downs. The Sooners had 22 first downs. OU was 9-for-17 in third down efficiency. Michigan was 3-for-14. Attendance in Norman: 84,107
RUNNER-UP: Spitiful – South Florida 18, Florida 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 30, South Florida 20). And spit awful. The Gators looked awful and defensive lineman Brandon Bett was ejected from the game for spitting on a South Florida player. Florida coach Billy Napier is not only on the hot seat again, but also, he needs to go back and teach Discipline 101 to his players. Florida had 11 penalties. South Florida’s offense was led by their quarterback Byrum Brown who was 23-36-0, passing for 263 yards, and 66 yards rushing. Florida had a 9-minute edge in time of possession. But the Gators couldn’t reach the end zone. Florida led and never trailed in the first half. The score was briefly tied. USF took the lead in the third quarter, going up 13-9 and then 15-9. Florida regained the lead at 16-15, early in the fourth quarter. The Bulls game-ending field goal clinched the victory for South Florida. After two games, Florida is an enigma. Attendance in Gainesville: 89,909
REST OF THE BEST: Turnover Devils – Illinois 45, Duke 19 (Touchdown Tom said: Illinois 31, Duke 20). Through three quarters, this was a good game. Illinois 14-13 at the half and 28-19 after three. Then all hell broke loose. The Banned Indians outscored the Dookies 17-0 in the fourth quarter. Duke actually had more total yards – 438 to 423. But the Dookies only had 82 yards rushing. Illinois was more balanced on offense. And the Banned Indians had a 13-minute edge in time of possession. But the big difference was turnovers. Duke had 5 and Illinois had none. You can’t win when you have 5 turnovers. Illinois quarterback Luke Altmeyer was 22-31-0, passing for 296 yards and three touchdowns. Attendance in Durham: 23,893
It ain’t over till it’s over – Mississippi State 24, Arizona State 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona State 27, Mississippi State 26). Just when you thought Arizona State had come back and pulled this game out, Mississippi State scored on a 58-yard pass play with 30 seconds on the clock. Sloppy defense for ASU. Miss State had no running game – 72 yards. ASU had no passing game – 82 yards. Miss State quarterback Blake Shapen was 19-33-0, passing for 279 yards and three touchdowns. The Sun Devils had a 15-minute edge in time of possession but couldn’t capitalize. Poor play calling prevented ASU from getting a touchdown on the Miss State goal line in the closing 90 seconds. The Sun Devils had to settle for a field goal. But the field goal was good, but not good enough insurance. Attendance in Starkville: 50,808
Bears rebound – Baylor 48, SMU 45 (2OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 30, SMU 28). This game was literally a shootout. The teams combined for 1,059 total yards. Baylor had 601 of those yards. Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson was 34-50-0, passing for 440 yards and four touchdowns. Baylor receiver Josh Cameron had 9 receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Attendance in Dallas: 34,852
Cyclones are 3-0 – Iowa State 16, Iowa 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa State 20, Iowa 17). This was a typical low-scoring, close Cyclones-Hawkeyes ball game. Combined, the teams only had 452 total yards. Iowa only had 83 passing yards. The hero of the game for Iowa State was quarterback Rocco Becht. Becht was 18-27-0, passing for 134 yards and one touchdown. Becht was steady, stable and made no mistakes. Attendance in Ames: 61,500
No cigar for the Wildcats – Ole Miss 30, Kentucky 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 30, Kentucky 15). Last year, Kentucky upset Ole Miss. The Wildcats nearly did it again this year. The second quarter was the Magnolias winning quarter. Scoring 17 points, they outscored Kentucky by 11 points. Ole Miss had two turnovers. Quarterback Austin Simmons threw two interceptions. Kentucky had no turnovers. Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy rushed for 138 yards and one touchdown. Attendance in Lexington: 58,346
Second-half Cardinals – Louisville 28, James Madison 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Louisville 30, James Madison 21). James Madison led Louisville 7-6 at halftime. The Cardinals rallied in the second half, outscoring JMU, 22-7. JMU was hampered by penalties – 12 for 95 yards, and turnovers – 2. The Dukes had a 17-minute edge in time of possession. They also had 7 more first downs than Louisville. Louisville running back Isaac Brown was the leading rusher in the game with 104 yards. Attendance in Louisville: 48,717
Truman didn’t pass the buck – Missouri 42, Kansas 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Missouri 34, Kansas 33). It looked like Kansas was going to run away with this game. Before you could say Jayhawk, Kansas had a 21-6 lead. Then Mizzou got into the ball game. The Tigers totally dominated the stats. Mizzou had 28 first downs to 13 for Kansas. Mizzou has 595 total yards to 226 for Kansas. The Jayhawks had a big 19-minute edge in time of possession. Kansas hardly had the ball. The Jayhawks only had 3 yards rushing. Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula looks good – darn good. He was 30-39-0, passing for 334 yards and three touchdowns. Mizzou running back Jamal Roberts rushed for 143 yards and one touchdown. Attendance in Columbia: 57,321
Howling in Raleigh – NC State 35, Virginia 31 (Touchdown Tom said: NC State 28, Virginia 27). Virginia had an early edge, but the Cavs couldn’t break away from the Wolfpack. NC State hung in there and it paid off. Virginia was an impressive 13-for-19 in third-down efficiency. Virginia running back J’Man Taylor rushed for 150 yards and three touchdowns. NC State running back Hollywood Smothers rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Attendance in Raleigh: 56,919
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Sad day for the Eers – Ohio 17, West Virginia 10 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 31, Ohio30). This may be a long season for the Mountaineers. I mean a long, long season. It’s hard to tell what WVU has and what the Eers don’t have. But I have a feeling they don’t have a lot. WVU came out and took an early 7-0 lead. Then the Mounties went to sleep. A deep sleep. By halftime, Ohio had put 17 points on the board. All the scoring, except for a single WVU field goal, was done in the first half. Ohio had a big second quarter, scoring 14 points. Except for a spurt or two here and there, neither team looked all that good. Ohio had a 21-minute edge in time of possession. WVU could never maintain a drive. Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro threw three interceptions. WVU couldn’t take advantage. Attendance in Athens: 26,740
The Zips got zipped – Nebraska 68, Akron 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 38, Akron 6). Nebraska literally crushed, I mean crushed, Akron. The Huskers led in first downs – 31 to 13. In total yards – 728 to 175. Nebraska played three quarterbacks. Dylan Raiola was 24-31-0, passing for 364 yards and four touchdowns. Backup T.J. Lateef was 6-7-0, passing for 128 yards. Huskers running back Emmett Johnson rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Nebraska receiver Jacory Barney had 7 receptions for 132 yards. It was a red letter day in Lincoln. Attendance in Lincoln: 86,439
Uga’s mind was elsewhere – Georgia 28, Austin Peay 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 49, Austin Peay 9). This game suffered from a weather delay. Georgia suffered from having its head on next week’s game – Tennessee. The Dawgs defense played well. The Dawgs offense was taking a vacation. Austin Peay was held to 45 yards rushing. Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton was 26-34-0, passing for 227 yards. All four of Georgia’s touchdowns were rushing touchdowns. Attendance in Athens: 93,033
Bevo is happier this week – Texas 38, San Jose State 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 45, San Jose State 3). This game was marred by six turnovers – 4 by San Jose State and 2 by Texas. The Spartans only had 85 yards rushing. Arch Manning was 19-30-1, passing 295 yards and four touchdowns. Attendance in Austin: 100,841
Boilers looking steamy – Purdue 34, Southern Illinois 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Purdue 30, Southern Illinois 10). I know the competition has been weak, but I’m thinking Barry Odom has the Boilers looking up. Purdue did give up 14 points to SIU in the first quarter. The score was 14-14 after one. Then the Boilers kept SIU out of the end zone for the remainder of the game, except for a field goal in the fourth quarter. Purdue had a good running game, which is saying something for the Boilers. Attendance in Champaign-Urbana: 54,663
Week 2 Results: 12 winners, 3 fumbles (80 percent)
For the Season: 24 winners, 9 fumbles (72.7 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Florida State 77, East Texas A&M 3 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 65,430
Penn State 34, FIU 0 – Attendance in University Park: 103,818
West Florida 28, Kentucky Wesleyan 7 – Attendance in Owensboro: 400
Stetson 59, Warner 13 – Attendance in Deland: 1,617
Florida Atlantic 56, Florida A&M 14 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 21,029
UCF 68, North Carolina A&T 7 – Attendance in Orlando: 44,009
Miami 45, Bethune-Cookman 3 – Attendance in Miami Gardens: 60,617
Superlatives
Week Two’s Best Passers:
Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson – 34-50-0-440 (4TDs); Syracuse’s Steve Angeli – 33-53-1-417 (2TDs); Boston College’s Dylan Lonergan – 34-45-0-390 (4TDs); Georgia Tech’s Aaron Philo – 21-28-1-373 (1TD); Oregon State’s Maalik Murphy – 31-48-2-371 (4TDs), and Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola – 24-31-0-364 (4TDs);.
Also, Missouri State’s Jacob Clark – 21-31-1-359 (3TDs); Arizona’s Noah Fifita – 17-22-0-353 (5TDs); Liberty’s Ethan Vasko – 19-29-335 (2TDs); Missouri’s Beau Pribula – 30-39-0-334 (3TDs); Duke’s Darian Mensah – 23-34-1-334 (2TDs), and Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby – 17-24-0-333 (2TDs).
Week Two’s Best Rushers:
Jacksonville State’s Cam Cook – 195 yards (2TDs); Appalachian State’s Rashod Dubinion – 194 yards; Wake Forest’s Demond Claiborne – 193 yards (3TDs); Navy’s Blake Horvath – 168 yards (1TD); USC’s Waymond Jordan – 167 yards (1TD); Toledo’s Chip Trayanum – 163 yards (2TDs); UTSA’s Robert Henry – 159 yards (2TDs); UCF’s Jaden Nixon – 156 yards (2TDs); Arkansas’ Taylen Green – 151 yards (1TD), and Virginia’s J’Man Taylor – 150 yards (3TDs).
Quotes of the Week
“I am a Mountaineer at heart. They are who I grew up watching. I’m all for the Mountaineers,” former Alabama coach Nick Saban.
“There is a rivalry between the Big Ten and the SEC. That cannot be denied,” former Alabama coach Nick Saban.
“Most people picking Texas to win the SEC. They’ve got Arch Manning already winning the Heisman Trophy. My question is: If he was this good, how come they let Quinn Ewers play all that time last year? And Ewers was a 7th round pick,” former Florida coach Steve Spurrier, on Arch Manning.
“Not good enough. And it’s my responsibility,” Florida coach Billy Napier, after the Gators loss to South Florida.
Touchdown Tom
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but in mid-September as the college football season was underway, the number one song in the country…
…85 years ago, this week in 1940, was “I’ll Never Smile Again” by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra
…80 years ago, this week in 1945, was “On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe” by Johnny Mercer and The Pied Pipers
…75 years ago, this week in 1950, was “Goodnight Irene” by Gordon Jenkins and His Orchestra
…70 years ago, this week in 1955, was “The Yellow Rose Of Texas” by Mitch Miller
…65 years ago, this week in 1960, was “It’s Now Or Never” by Elvis Presley
…60 years ago, this week in 1965, was “Help” by The Beatles
…55 years ago, this week in 1970, was “War” by Edwin Starr
…50 years ago, this week in 1975, was “Rhinestone Cowboy” by Glen Campbell
…45 years ago, this week in 1980, was “Upside Down” by Diana Ross
…40 years ago, this week in 1985, was “St. Elmo’s Fire” by John Parr
…35 years ago, this week in 1990, was “Blaze Of Glory” by Jon Bon Jovi
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