We thought Week 2 of the college football season would be mundane, but it certainly was not.
The No. 13 Florida Gators suffered a painful relapse, falling to South Florida with a last-second 18-16 loss that could doom coach Billy Napier. He will need some massive victories in Southeastern Conference play to overcome this face plant against a regional rival.
Napier acknowledged his predicament.
“Yeah, we created it, we deserve it,†Napier said. “So, if you play football like that, you’re going to be criticized. It comes with the territory, right? So, the only thing you can do is go get it fixed. That’s what we’ll start working on tomorrow.â€
Meanwhile the Mississippi State Bulldogs did the SEC proud by upsetting No. 12 Arizona State 24-20. That stunner in Starkvegas served fair warning to the conference schools, like Missouri, on their schedule this season.
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The Tigers were up against it Saturday against Kansas with a quick 21-6 deficit, but clutch quarterback play from Beau Pribeau, bold coaching by Eli Drinkwitz, and an SEC-ready ground game got Truman over the top.
That comeback victory in an electrified atmosphere gives Missouri considerable early-season momentum.
In other notable games in the SEC, Texas A&M impressed while dispatching Utah State, No. 20 Ole Miss scored a necessary conference victory at Kentucky, and Vanderbilt rolled over Virginia Tech.
Once again SEC season is going to be an absolute war,Â
And how about Big Ten contender Illinois? Duke challenged the Fighting Illini for one half with coach Manny Diaz dialing up defensive pressure, but Illinois persevered for an impressive 45-19 road victory that bolstered its College Football Playoff case.
Illinois forced and converted turnovers to break open what had been a tense game.
“It was good for us to face some adversity coming into the locker room and evaluating and going through that whole process,†Illinois quarterback Luke Altymer said. “That does a lot to our confidence. Excited to move forward with this group. We know we can overcome. We're resilient, and we have such a great mindset and approach to the game.â€
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE
Questions to ponder while Illinois football basks in the glory of its Top 10 ranking:
- How much additional money will Mizzou football raise with its booster-pleasing victory over KU?
- Has Billy Napier begun exploring his investment options for that looming $19.4 million buyout?
- After taking a 69-3 flogging at Oregon, where does Oklahoma State go from there under Mike “I’m a man!†Gundy?
THE GRIDIRON CHRONICLES
Here is what else folks were writing about college football:
Paul Myerberg, USA Today: “No. 12 Illinois is surging into this season and beginning to develop the resume needed to earn an at-large College Football Playoff appearance. After breezing through Western Illinois in the opener, Illinois rode a plus-five edge in turnover margin and beat Duke 45-19, outscoring the Blue Devils 31-6 in the second half to notch an impressive win against a very solid Power Four opponent. This is a huge one for the Illini. Lopsided wins against Power Four competition in non-conference play are always noteworthy, especially against teams also battling for eight or more wins in the regular season. But with this year's Big Ten schedule featuring tough road trips to Indiana and Washington in addition to home games against Ohio State and Southern California, a loss to the Blue Devils could've ended up being extremely costly in the selection committee's final comparison of at-large teams.â€
Chris Wright, Saturday Down South: “I made a preseason oath that I was gonna lay off Billy Napier, primarily because, at this point, I’m merely choosing different words to fire the guy. And then came Saturday … Every single problem that has existed since he took over Steve Spurrier’s football program was on display in what has to be a tenure-ending loss to USF. Play-calling? Check. Poor clock management? Good grief. Inexplicable lack-of-discipline penalties at the most inopportune time? Spitting on guys? Two days after the entire world watched an NFL lineman get ejected for spitting on somebody? Seriously? I’d say it’s over for Napier, but it’s been over. His postgame press conference all but confirmed he knows it, too. He sounded like a politician conceding after losing an election. Nice guy. Admirable character. Obviously cares. Overmatched in this setting. It happens.â€
Stewart Mandel, The Athletic: “The Oklahoma offense wearing those familiar crimson jerseys Saturday night against No. 15 Michigan bore no resemblance to the one that could barely complete a first down last year. Highly hyped Washington State transfer John Mateer threw for 270 yards and a TD while running 19 times for 74 yards and two TDs in the 18th-ranked Sooners’ 24-13 victory over the Wolverines. He made several highlight plays, like throwing a rope down the sideline 36 yards to Isaiah Sategna III (Arkansas) or weaving around eight Wolverines defenders on a 19-yard run. Mateer was hardly perfect. He was intercepted on an overthrow late in the first quarter and was less effective in the second half than in the first. But he was dangerous enough against one of the Big Ten’s best defenses to suggest OU could be a factor come SEC play. Especially when you combine offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle’s unit with what looks like another stingy Brent Venables D.â€
David Hale, : “Mississippi State, which had been in danger of being relegated to the title of "new Vandy," had won just one of its past 17 games against Power 4 competition, but when No. 12 Arizona State rolled into Starkville on Saturday, the Bulldogs were ready. Quarterback Blake Shapen threw touchdown passes of 48 and 47 yards and, with 30 seconds remaining in the game and trailing by 3, a 58-yarder to Brenan Thompson to seal the 24-20 win. What followed was utter euphoria unseen in Starkville since they announced the opening of a new Bass Pro Shops. The fans stormed the field, pulled down the goalposts, and, we assume, carried them off to be displayed at the town's most sacred shrine: the Chili's off Route 12.”
Will Backus, : “Many were quick to write Tennessee off when it lost incumbent starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava to the transfer portal right after spring practice ended. The Vols had to scramble to find a replacement and ended up swapping quarterbacks with UCLA by landing former Appalachian State star Joey Aguilar, who spent his spring in Los Angeles. Even then, it was easy to write off Tennessee's offense. Aguilar had less than four months to learn the playbook, establish chemistry with his wide receivers and jell with the team before the 2025 season began. Two weeks into that season and it's becoming apparent that Iamaleava's departure was a gift for the Vols. He was largely ineffective as a starting quarterback at Tennessee. Yes, the Vols won 10 games in 2024 and made their first College Football Playoff appearance in program history, but Iamaleava was hardly the reason why. His performance, at times, justified a potential benching. But Tennessee spent way too much on him out of high school to just easily cast him off. He solved that problem by leaving of his own volition.”
Patrick Stevens, Washington Post: “For fun, here is the full list of teams the Ducks have beaten by 66 points or more, in chronological order: Portland (by 95 in 1898), Pacific (by 70 in 1902), Puget Sound (by 115 in 1910), Willamette (by 97 in 1916), New Mexico (by 72 in 2010), Portland State (by 69 in 2010), Nevada (by 71 in 2019) and Portland State again (by 73 in 2023). Go ahead and add Oklahoma State. No. 6 Oregon clobbered the Cowboys, 69-3, in a game that arguably could have been worse, seeing as how the Ducks didn’t score in the fourth quarter. Coach Dan Lanning’s bunch surpassed 300 yards rushing and passing, and it had a pair of interception returns for touchdowns in the third quarter. Oregon averaged a first down per snap, notching 10.2 yards per play. It also had more points than plays run (62).â€
MEGAPHONE
“It's not good enough. We've got work to do. You guys know it. I know it. Anybody that watched it knows it. We got to take ownership of it, and we got to go back to work. That's it.â€
Beleaguered Florida coach Billy Napier.
