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MONDAY SHOCKWAVES

Ten Takeaways from Week 2

1️⃣ John Mateer’s got a little bit of Baker Mayfield in him  

Oklahoma fans, you can exhale now. You’ve found your next folk hero quarterback. 

Mateer was half man, half amazing in Saturday’s primetime showdown against 15th-ranked Michigan. He made timely throws. He evaded pressure like Houdini. And he obliterated a stout Wink Martindale defense on the ground, finishing with a team-high 74 yards and two touchdowns in the Sooners' convincing 24-13 victory.

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood played pretty well, all things considered. Those things considered being the hellacious nature of Oklahoma’s defense, Brent Venables’ diabolical blitzes, and a raucous Sooner crowd. Underwood looks like the real deal, but he needs some serious help outside. The Michigan receivers leave a lot to be desired.

The Sooners have a notably brutal upcoming schedule, and absolutely had to have this one. If Mateer plays like he did tonight, I see no reason why Oklahoma can’t make a serious push in the SEC race.

As it pertains to Michigan, are we sure head coach Sherrone Moore is long for this job?

2️⃣ A nightmarish finish for Florida

Saturday’s 18-16 home loss to USF was just one of a string of recurring nightmares for Florida fans in recent years. 

In this nightmare scenario, USF quarterback Byrum Brown is the Boogie Man. Brown was a menace, throwing for over 200 yards and a touchdown, while adding 66 rushing yards on 17 carries. 

More than anything, Florida’s performance was a bed-wetting if I’ve ever seen one. Quarterback DJ Lagway was off. Head coach Billy Napier made some puzzling clock management decisions. The Gators even committed 11 penalties, one of which was a spitting-ejection incident that extended the game-winning drive for the Bulls. It was an all-around terrible performance for a promising Gators team.

Moving forward, USF suddenly looks like the crème de la crème of the G5 Playoff contenders. Florida, on the other hand, looks like it might be searching for a new head coach sooner rather than later. 

3️⃣ StarkVegas steals the spotlight

12th-ranked Arizona State went on a 17-play, 95-yard drive that ate up 8:54 to kick what many thought was the game-winning field goal against Mississippi State. Then college football happened. 

With little left in the tank, Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen needed a moment of magic. He took the snap, stood tall in a quickly collapsing pocket, and uncorked a heave downfield. Bulldog receiver Brenen Thompson wormed his way past broken coverage, hauled in the deep pass, and raced to paydirt for a 58-yard touchdown to cap a stunning 24-20 upset in StarkVegas. 

This is a program-defining win for Mississippi State and head coach Jeff Lebby. 

For Arizona State, this is a troubling loss, even against a much-improved Bulldogs team. It was just one of a few difficult losses for the Big 12 Conference on the day. 

4️⃣ Iowa is stuck in the same cycle

In therapy, doing “the hard work” usually means facing uncomfortable truths and breaking old patterns. Iowa swore it did that work this offseason, rethinking the offense, acquiring a promising quarterback, and refusing to go back to the old Iowa. And yet here we are.

In Saturday’s annual Battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy, Iowa erased all of the goodwill it built up before the season. The offense was inept. Quarterback Mark Gronowski looked out of place. And the defense couldn’t get off the field when it mattered most. All of those shortcomings resulted in yet another gut-punch, close-game loss to in-state rival Iowa State. 

What is there left to say about Iowa State? Three games into a still-young season, and the Cyclones look like perhaps the toughest out in the Big 12 Conference. Quarterback Rocco Becht is such a gamer. When he’s in your corner, you feel like you can’t lose.

Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell deserves a ton of credit for actually doing “the hard work” by constructing a team that consistently wins in late-game situations. Iowa State looks like it could once again make a run for the Big 12 title. Iowa, on the other hand, can’t seem to shake those old habits. 

5️⃣ Duke can’t get out of its own way

Part of therapy is learning how to get out of your own way. If Saturday is any indicator, Duke needs more practice. 

Despite outgaining 11th-ranked Illinois and committing fewer penalties, the Blue Devils handed the game away with five turnovers in the 45-19 loss.

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer deserves a ton of credit for being the steady hand that steers the ship. He had a good game, finishing with 296 yards and three touchdowns. The Fighting Illini’s defense gave up a lot of yards, but stood tall when called upon. And there’s something to be said about that.

Duke needs to clean up some stuff to be somewhat seriously taken in the ACC. At the time of writing, this feels like a 7-5 team that does some fun stuff. 

6️⃣ Missouri found its quarterback

Transitions are rarely smooth, whether in life or on the football field. They often require time, patience, and a lot of deep breaths.

Don’t look now, but I think Missouri has successfully navigated its transition from the Brady Cook Era to the Beau Pribula Era. Pribula was incredible on Saturday afternoon, finishing with 334 yards and three touchdowns in the Tigers’ massive 42-31 win over Border War rival Kansas.

Pribula made some serious, big-time throws and looked every bit the part of a good SEC quarterback. This development feels important for a number of reasons, chief among them being that Missouri has a very manageable 2025 schedule. 

Kansas looked great out of the gate with a 21-point first quarter, but had a miserable time running the ball and sustaining drives. KU finished with three rushing yards on 19 carries. Big yikes.

The Jayhawks feel like a fun but flawed Big 12 team. If Pribula and that Tiger defense continue to play like they did today, Missouri could be a tough out in the SEC 

7️⃣ Defense optional in Dallas

Who could blame SMU’s defense for waking up a cold sweat tonight after what Sawyer Robertson did to them? 

Robertson was prolific in the Bears’ 48-45 2OT win over SMU. He hung tight in the pocket when things got dicey, he fit balls into tight windows, and at every turn, he looked unbothered by whatever the Mustangs threw at him. He finished the day with 440 yards and four touchdowns, and frankly, that stat line doesn’t do him justice. He’s an incredibly impressive quarterback, and Baylor is fortunate to have him. 

At multiple turns, SMU looked like it had this game in the bag. The defense just did not hold up its end of the bargain. 

With the win, Baylor saves a little face after a season-opening loss to Auburn. SMU needs to figure some stuff out defensively if it hopes to make another appearance in the ACC title game.

8️⃣ Clemson survives a scare

Learning to cope with a loss is an important skill for a college football team. Dabo Swinney, take notes.

Clemson, still appearing hungover after last week’s loss to LSU, fell into an early 16-0 hole at home before rattling off 27 straight points to beat Troy in Death Valley. 

Something just feels off about this Clemson team. I just can’t quite put my finger on it.

9️⃣ Kansas State loses a clunker

Speaking of something being off…I think it’s time to panic if you’re a Kansas State fan.

A week removed from flirting with disaster against North Dakota, Kansas State dropped a 24-21 home loss to Army, a team that just a week prior lost to Tarleton State. 

There’s no other way to put it, Kansas State is just not a good football team right now. The Wildcats mustered just 74 rushing yards against a team it outweighs and should be able to out-physical. Let’s keep an eye on Chris Klieman moving forward. If things keep trending this direction, a coaching change could be on the horizon

🔟 Oregon puts its money where its mouth is

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy made headlines this week, publicly complaining about Oregon’s massive, Nike-backed NIL warchest. So what do the Ducks do? 

They put their money where their mouth is, hammering the Cowboys in a 69-3 rout that was over midway through the first quarter. 

Oregon looks like the real deal. Oklahoma State looks poorly coached and devoid of talent. 

THE PODCAST

Our Week 2 Reaction Special is live!

Join us as we deep dive into a wild Week 2 that left fan bases across the country questioning everything they thought they knew about their teams. Oklahoma’s John Mateer looked like a folk hero in Norman, while USF stunned Florida in The Swamp on a last-second field goal.

Plus, we cover the wild shootout between Baylor and SMU that went to double overtime, Army’s shocking upset over Kansas State, and how many teams like Penn State and Georgia looked surprisingly sluggish despite comfortable wins. From Missouri’s Border War victory to Illinois’ impressive road performance at Duke and Arizona State’s road loss to Mississippi State, we give our instant reactions to all the biggest storylines from the weekend that reminded us why college football remains beautifully unpredictable.

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