College Football Top 25 Review
College Football Top 25 Review
No. 1 Alabama 35, Western Kentucky 0
Just like it did in Week 1, Alabama overwhelmed its opponent in a game where the outcome was never in doubt. Quarterback AJ McCarron threw for 219 yards and four touchdowns, freshman T.J. Yeldon (pictured) rushed for 25 yards and the Crimson Tide defense simply stifled Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers totaled a meager 226 total yards in Alabama's 35-0 rout.
No. 2 USC 42, Syracuse 29
The Trojans took a while to pull away, but used a 21-point fourth quarter to defeat Syracuse 42-29. Matt Barkley tossed for 187 yards and six touchdowns, and Silas Redd carried the ball 15 times for 107 yards. USC's big-name receivers also rose to the occasion. Marqise Lee made 11 catches for 66 yards and three touchdowns, while Robert Woods (pictured) made 10 grabs for 93 yards and two scores.
No. 3 LSU 41, Washington 3
No. 3 LSU had its way with visiting Washington on the ground in Saturday's 41-3 win in Baton Rouge. Alfred Blue rushed for 101 yards, including a 21-yard score, and the Tigers utilized a handful of running backs to take out the Huskies. The 2-0 Bayou Bengals finished with 242 yards on the ground. LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger also put together a 12-of-18 night of passing for 195 yards and one touchdown through the air.
No. 4 Oregon 42, Fresno State 25
Senior running back Kenjon Barner took over in the fourth quarter and finished with a career-best 201 yards as No. 4 Oregon dismantled Fresno State 42-25. Barner tallied three touchdowns on the evening, including the Ducks' only touchdown of the second half with a 16-yard scamper with 3:51 remaining in the contest. Oregon shot out of the gate early and held a commanding 35-6 halftime lead.
No. 5 Oklahoma 69, Florida A&M 13
Damien Williams put on a record-setting performance for Oklahoma. The No. 5 Sooners trampled Florida A&M 69-13 behind Williams' 156 yards and four touchdowns. Williams' rushing total stood as the most by a player in his first game at the Sooners' Owen Field. Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones threw for 252 yards and two scores to pace the Sooners under center.
No. 6 Florida State 55, Savannah State 0
Tabbed as more than 70-point favorites entering the game, Florida State was only able to muster 55 points -- in a game called with 8:59 remaining in the third quarter. Inclement weather shortened the matchup between the Seminoles and the Tigers, but that didn't stop several Florida State standouts from putting up huge numbers. EJ Manuel completed 11-of-13 attempts for 161 passing yards and a touchdown, and Devonta Freeman, Chris Thompson (pictured) and James Wilder Jr. all added rushing scores. Rodney Smith headlined the receiving corps with three catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.
No. 7 Georgia 41, Missouri 20
Georgia made sure Missouri knew what it was getting into by joining the SEC. The No. 7 Bulldogs survived a back-and-forth contest to score 32 second-half points and top the Tigers 41-20 despite trailing 19-9 early in the third quarter. Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray threw three touchdown passes as the Bulldogs ruined Missouri's first-ever SEC contest.
Louisiana-Monroe 34, No. 8 Arkansas 31 (OT)
And down went the Razorbacks. Louisiana-Monroe quarterback Kolton Browning ran in a 16-yard touchdown in overtime to lift the Warhawks over No. 8 Arkansas 34-31. Browning registered 481 yards of total offense, including four touchdowns, in helping La.-Monroe to its first victory over an SEC team since 2007 when it defeated Alabama. Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson did not play in the second half because of a head injury suffered in the first half.
No. 9 South Carolina 48, East Carolina 10
No Connor Shaw, no problem for South Carolina. Sophomore quarterback Dylan Thompson took control under center to lead the Gamecocks to a 48-10 victory over East Carolina. Thompson completed 21-of-37 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns, and star running back Marcus Lattimore added 13 carries for 40 rushing yards and a score. Rory Anderson and Bruce Ellington (pictured) both hauled in four receptions for South Carolina, Anderson for 90 yards and two touchdowns and Ellington for 63 yards.
No. 11 Michigan State 41, Central Michigan 7
First-year starter Andrew Maxwell appeared significantly more comfortable under center in Week 2, as the Spartans' junior signal-caller completed 20-of-31 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-7 win over Central Michigan. Workhorse Le'Veon Bell added 62 rushing yards and two scores, and junior Bennie Fowler led all wideouts with eight receptions for 100 yards and one touchdown.
No. 12 Clemson 52, Ball State 27
Clemson went on the attack early and often against Ball State, racking up more than 500 yards of total offense in a comfortable Week 2 victory. Tajh Boyd passed for 229 yards and three touchdowns, running back Andre Ellington (pictured) a rushed for 41 yards and two scores and wideout DeAndre Hopkins made six catches for 105 yards and three touchdowns. After beating Ball State, the Tigers will host Furman next week with a chance to improve to 3-0.
Oregon State 10, No. 13 Wisconsin 7
Tabbed as one the of the Big Ten's top teams in the preseason, Wisconsin certainly hasn't lived up to the billing during the first two weeks. After narrowly escaping Northern Iowa, the Badgers were completely shut down against Oregon State, failing to score until the closing moments in a 10-7 loss. Montee Ball was limited to just 61 yards on the ground, and quarterback Danny O'Brien went just 20-of-38 through the air. For the Beavers, Sean Mannion (pictured) tossed for 276 yards and a touchdown.
No. 14 Ohio State 31, UCF 16
It was close early, but Ohio State broke away in the second half en route to a Week 2 win over UCF. Braxton Miller (pictured) turned in a star-worthy performance, collecting 155 passing yards, 141 rushing yards and four total touchdowns, and the secondary stepped up big for the Buckeyes. Travis Howard, Orhian Johnson and Etienne Sabino all hauled in interceptions.
No. 15 Virginia Tech 42, Austin Peay 7
After edging past Georgia Tech last Monday, Virginia Tech cruised to a much larger margin of victory against Austin Peay. Quarterback Logan Thomas completed 16-of-24 attempts for 220 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Michael Holmes (pictured) scampered for an additional 40 yards and two scores. Ten different Hokie receivers caught passes in the victory.
UCLA 36, No. 16 Nebraska 30
Brett Hundley put together a successful Rose Bowl debut. Hundley tossed for 305 yards and four touchdowns in his first outing in Pasadena and UCLA jumped on No. 16 Nebraska with a 36-30 upset. The Bruins sacked Huskers' quarterback Taylor Martinez for a tie breaking safety late in the fourth quarter and improved to 2-0 under new coach Jim Mora.
No. 17 Texas 45, New Mexico 0
Quarterback David Ash was 16-of-22 for a career-high 221 yards in helping his Texas team stomp New Mexico 45-0. Ash threw for two touchdowns and rushed for one more as the Longhorns blanked the Lobos. New Mexico starting quarterback B.R. Holbrook left the game in the second quarter after a head injury.
Arizona 59, No. 18 Oklahoma State 38
Arizona fellinto an early 14-0 hole to No. 18 Oklahoma State, but the Wildcats scored the next 30 points as the Cowboys suffered through 15 penalties throughout the evening. Coach Rich Rodriguez notched his signature win for Arizona as quarterback Matt Scott tossed 320 yards and two touchdowns.
No. 19 Michigan 31, Air Force 25
It was close throughout, but Michigan escaped with a 31-25 victory over Air Force in Week 2. Denard Robinson (pictured) rushed for 218 yards, passed for 208 yards and scored four total touchdowns, and freshman wide receiver Devin Funchess broke out with four catches for 101 yards and a score. The Woverines will look impove to 2-1 while hosting UMass next weekend.
No. 20 TCU 56, Grambling State 0
TCU has its Big 12 era off to a strong start. Quarterbacks Casey Pachall and Trevone Boykin completed all 17 passes they attempted as the Horned Frogs overwhelmed Grambling State. Coach Gary Patterson won his 110th career game for TCU while the Horned Frogs also scored on special teams and defense.
No. 21 Kansas State 52, Miami 13
After routing Missouri State in Week 1, Kansas State notched an even more convincing victory in Week 2. The Wildcats raced to a 24-3 first-half lead before cruising past Miami, 52-13. Senior quarterback Collin Klein (pictured) was particularly impressive. He passed for 210 yards, rushed for 81 yards and collected four total touchdowns.
No. 22 Notre Dame 20, Purdue 17
Notre Dame once held a 17-7 lead against Purdue, but the Irish required a last-second field goal to clinch a 20-17 victory in Week 2. Everett Golson (pictured) led Notre Dame with 289 passing yards and a touchdown, while Tyler Eifert paced the pass-catchers with four receptions for 98 yards. Tommy Rees orchestrated the Irish's final drive, which culminated in a 27-yard Kyle Brindza kick.
No. 23 Louisville 35, Missouri State 7
Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater impressed for the second consecutive week, and the Cardinals improved to 2-0 with a 35-7 victory over Missouri State. Bridgewater threw for 345 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Senorise Perry (pictured) paced the ground attack with 72 rushing yards and a score. Most impressive of all? Bridgewater's completion percentage. Through two games, he's completed 49-of-60 attempts, a 81.7 percent mark.
No. 24 Florida 20, Texas A&M 17
The Texas A&M crowd was rocking for its SEC debut, but Florida emerged victorious during the teams' Week 2 matchup. Trailing 17-10 at the half, the Gators scored 10 unanswered second-half points to earn the win. Quarterback Jeff Driskel completed 13-of-16 passes for 162 yards, and running back Mike Gillislee (pictured) rumbled for 83 yards and two touchdowns.
No. 25 Stanford 50, Duke 13
This was the tune-up game Stanford needed. One week before matching up against No. 2 USC, the Cardinal slammed Duke 50-13 on the heels of Drew Terrell's 75-yard punt return for a touchdown and 19-yard touchdown catch. Replacing Andrew Luck, Josh Nunes completed 16-30 passes for 275 yards in his second start, while the Stanford defense held Duke to only 27 yards on the ground.