What season is it?
When we think of football, we usually have a mental picture of a cold overcast day. Week two of the 2022 College Football Season was anything but cold and overcast. It was a sunny day as in Sun Belt. The Sun Belt Conference without a doubt had a bright sunny day as it resulted in an overcast day for Notre Dame, Nebraska, and Texas A&M. APP State 17 and A&M of Texas 14; Georgia Southern 45 and Nebraska 42; Marshall 26 – Notre Dame 21. We should have paid more attention to the weather forecast from week one. In week two we witnessed a hot day in Blacksburg where the Old Dominion Monarchs of the Sun Belt Conference won 20 to 17 over Virginia Tech, putting an early big win under their belt – Sun Belt.
The big news emerging from week two came from Nebraska of the Big Ten. The loss to Georgia Southern sealed the doom of Cornhuskers’ head coach, Scott Frost, and produced another scratch your head moment for Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren. This following the announcement of the Alliance (unity, working in one accord) a few months ago with the Big Ten, PAC 12 and ACC only to witness shortly thereafter USC and UCLA being plucked from the PAC 12 for the Big Ten. Then a few weeks ago he crowed about how the Big Ten schools were the best at retaining their coaches; so, the first coach to go in 2022 is from the Big Ten.
With week three just ahead, we wrap up week two with a peek back at the six featured games Bunn Sports had targeted, and wow we were not disappointed!
Alabama 20 Texas 19: Hotly contested game
On a hot Texas day, the Crimson Tide escaped the corral of the ornery Longhorns to sneak out of Austin with a one point, 20-19, win. Texas was delt a blow when starting QB Quinn Ewers left the game in the 1 st quarter with a shoulder injury. Hudson Card relieved Ewers and played inspired both passing and running on a gimpy ankle. The Tide defense did seem to adjust as the game went on but received no help from the offense as the Longhorns held the Tide to 6 straight 3 and out in the 2 nd and 3 rd quarters.
However, the old saying that “it takes 60 minutes to beat Alabama” certainly rang true in the capital city on Saturday. Simply put, Bryce Young had a masterful 4th quarter and led the Tide to the point of setting the stage for a 31-yard game winning Will Reichard field goal with a mere 10 seconds remaining to flood Darrell K. Royal stadium crimson.
Kentucky 26 Florida 16: Impressive performance
In another indication that Kentucky’s football program continues to improve under head coach Mark Stoops’ leadership, the Wildcats defeated Florida 26 to 16 on Saturday night. Going into the Swamp and emerging victorious, as Utah found out a week earlier, is not easily accomplished. Kentucky’s defense impressively took the football away from Florida at key times and consistently stopped the Gators on third downs.
As the final score reveals, this win by Kentucky was not a fluke. Though a lot of football remains to be played, this game will likely be looked back upon as one of the SEC’s most impactful when the regular season is in the books.
Tennessee 34 Pittsburgh 27: Johnny would be proud of both teams
Johnny Majors is a legend at both Pittsburgh and Tennessee, so it’s only fitting that the two schools would meet for the second straight year for the “Johnny Majors Classic.” The game did not disappoint as the Volunteers outlasted the Panthers 34-27 in overtime.
Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker had a huge day, but two lost fumbles hampered the team from the Smokies. Pittsburgh was able to tie the game with 2:23 remaining in regulation. But it was the Volunteer defense who stood tall in overtime turning back the Panthers in order to preserve the victory.
It is still early in the 2022 college football season but finding a way to win over Pittsburgh is certainly reason for optimism on Rocky Top.
BYU 26 Baylor 20: Outstanding game
LaVell Edwards Stadium offered a decidedly advantageous home field setting for BYU against Baylor, and the Cougars needed it as two overtimes were required to decide this game, which did not end until well after 2:00 AM on the east coast.
Points were scored at a premium throughout the contest. BYU led 10-6 at halftime. Both defenses demonstrated why the Cougars and the Bears were ranked to start the season. The two offenses combined for only 650 total yards. 26 to 20 was the final score after a three-yard BYU touchdown run in the second overtime which ended a thriller.
Some other notable games: Duke 31 – Northwestern 23, Texas Tech 33 – Houston 30, Iowa
State 10 – Iowa 7 and Arkansas 44 – South Carolina 30
Next Week:
After week three, we will begin to see who the contenders are and some would be contenders will be exposed as pretenders. All games are important. Each game is of interest to its fan base and should be enjoyed for the great performances by individual players and teams. After all, it is College Football! Mississippi State at LSU, Penn State at Auburn, Miami at Texas A&M.
What season is it?
When we think of football, we usually have a mental picture of a cold overcast day. Week two of the 2022 College Football Season was anything but cold and overcast. It was a sunny day as in Sun Belt. The Sun Belt Conference without a doubt had a bright sunny day as it resulted in an overcast day for Notre Dame, Nebraska, and Texas A&M. APP State 17 and A&M of Texas 14; Georgia Southern 45 and Nebraska 42; Marshall 26 – Notre Dame 21. We should have paid more attention to the weather forecast from week one. In week two we witnessed a hot day in Blacksburg where the Old Dominion Monarchs of the Sun Belt Conference won 20 to 17 over Virginia Tech, putting an early big win under their belt – Sun Belt.
The big news emerging from week two came from Nebraska of the Big Ten. The loss to Georgia Southern sealed the doom of Cornhuskers’ head coach, Scott Frost, and produced another scratch your head moment for Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren. This following the announcement of the Alliance (unity, working in one accord) a few months ago with the Big Ten, PAC 12 and ACC only to witness shortly thereafter USC and UCLA being plucked from the PAC 12 for the Big Ten. Then a few weeks ago he crowed about how the Big Ten schools were the best at retaining their coaches; so, the first coach to go in 2022 is from the Big Ten.
With week three just ahead, we wrap up week two with a peek back at the six featured games Bunn Sports had targeted, and wow we were not disappointed!
Alabama 20 Texas 19: Hotly contested game
On a hot Texas day, the Crimson Tide escaped the corral of the ornery Longhorns to sneak out of Austin with a one point, 20-19, win. Texas was delt a blow when starting QB Quinn Ewers left the game in the 1 st quarter with a shoulder injury. Hudson Card relieved Ewers and played inspired both passing and running on a gimpy ankle. The Tide defense did seem to adjust as the game went on but received no help from the offense as the Longhorns held the Tide to 6 straight 3 and out in the 2 nd and 3 rd quarters.
However, the old saying that “it takes 60 minutes to beat Alabama” certainly rang true in the capital city on Saturday. Simply put, Bryce Young had a masterful 4th quarter and led the Tide to the point of setting the stage for a 31-yard game winning Will Reichard field goal with a mere 10 seconds remaining to flood Darrell K. Royal stadium crimson.
Kentucky 26 Florida 16: Impressive performance
In another indication that Kentucky’s football program continues to improve under head coach Mark Stoops’ leadership, the Wildcats defeated Florida 26 to 16 on Saturday night. Going into the Swamp and emerging victorious, as Utah found out a week earlier, is not easily accomplished. Kentucky’s defense impressively took the football away from Florida at key times and consistently stopped the Gators on third downs.
As the final score reveals, this win by Kentucky was not a fluke. Though a lot of football remains to be played, this game will likely be looked back upon as one of the SEC’s most impactful when the regular season is in the books.
Tennessee 34 Pittsburgh 27: Johnny would be proud of both teams
Johnny Majors is a legend at both Pittsburgh and Tennessee, so it’s only fitting that the two schools would meet for the second straight year for the “Johnny Majors Classic.” The game did not disappoint as the Volunteers outlasted the Panthers 34-27 in overtime.
Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker had a huge day, but two lost fumbles hampered the team from the Smokies. Pittsburgh was able to tie the game with 2:23 remaining in regulation. But it was the Volunteer defense who stood tall in overtime turning back the Panthers in order to preserve the victory.
It is still early in the 2022 college football season but finding a way to win over Pittsburgh is certainly reason for optimism on Rocky Top.
BYU 26 Baylor 20: Outstanding game
LaVell Edwards Stadium offered a decidedly advantageous home field setting for BYU against Baylor, and the Cougars needed it as two overtimes were required to decide this game, which did not end until well after 2:00 AM on the east coast.
Points were scored at a premium throughout the contest. BYU led 10-6 at halftime. Both defenses demonstrated why the Cougars and the Bears were ranked to start the season. The two offenses combined for only 650 total yards. 26 to 20 was the final score after a three-yard BYU touchdown run in the second overtime which ended a thriller.
Some other notable games: Duke 31 – Northwestern 23, Texas Tech 33 – Houston 30, Iowa
State 10 – Iowa 7 and Arkansas 44 – South Carolina 30
Next Week:
After week three, we will begin to see who the contenders are and some would be contenders will be exposed as pretenders. All games are important. Each game is of interest to its fan base and should be enjoyed for the great performances by individual players and teams. After all, it is College Football! Mississippi State at LSU, Penn State at Auburn, Miami at Texas A&M.
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