The college football season demands perfection. Every week there are landmines but the teams that survive them are the ones that will be playing in the BCS Playoff. There were a number of those teams that entered Week 2 with high aspirations but exited with a disheartening loss. Here is a look at the four most disappointing losses from Week 2.
LSU Handles Mississippi State
Mississippi State’s loss to LSU is going to be a tough pill to swallow for the Bulldogs. They probably should have won and very likely would have won if it wasn’t for a disorganized finish.
The Bulldogs got the ball back on their 11-yard line with 1:32 remaining and drove the ball quite effectively. However, they stalled once they got into field goal range and seemingly lost their rhythm.
They had been in a game-winning field goal when a delay of game penalty pushed them out of field goal range with eight seconds left on the clock. The resulting five-yard penalty pushed them from a 47-yard attempt to a 52-yarder and Devon Bell just couldn’t connect. Their season isn’t over by any stretch but this is a win they let slip away.
Toledo Stuns Arkansas
Everybody knows that Arkansas head coach Brett Bielema is outspoken but he bit off more than he could chew when he criticized Ohio State’s schedule for being too easy. He should have been focusing in on what’s in front of him as his Razorbacks – once deemed a team on the rise in the SEC – lost at home to Toledo last Saturday.
Former Alabama backup Phillip Ely threw for 237 yards and a touchdown and the Rockets defense held Brandon Allen and company to a measly 12 points in one of the most shocking upset of the season. The Razorbacks rushing attack never did get going as they finished the day with just 103 yards on 31 carries. Allen had 412 passing yards but had zero touchdowns and was pathetic in the red zone, including a painful end zone interception.
Wildcats Push Gamecocks Down A Few Rungs In The SEC
Has Kentucky moved ahead of South Carolina in the SEC power rankings? It sure looks like it. After opening the year with a win over North Carolina, the Gamecocks looked poised to take another step forward against Kentucky in Week 2 but things went south for them in a hurry. They lost 26-22 in a game where the final score wasn’t even their biggest loss.
South Carolina will be without starting quarterback Connor Mitch (separated shoulder) the rest of the season. They certainly weren’t prepared for that blow as it was already a position of weakness. Their running game performed well, collecting 195 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries, but they’ll shoulder a lot more of the burden the rest of the way.
As for Kentucky, the win reemphasized that this team is no longer an SEC doormat and is a program on the rise in the SEC. We’ll know more in the coming weeks (vs Florida and at Missouri) but this team has started 2-0 and has a lot of confidence right now.
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The Vols Blow It In Primetime
Tennessee opened the season with a 59-30 win over Bowling Green and a win in Week 2 would have been a coming out party of sorts. They looked poised to do exactly that when they took a 17-0 lead on No. 19 Oklahoma at home but things unraveled in a hurry from there. The Volunteers gave away that 17-0 lead with touchdowns on back-to-back fourth quarter drives by Oklahoma. After exchanging touchdowns in overtime, the Vols eventually conceded the game-winning score in the second overtime frame to lose 31-24.
The program-defying win that Butch Jones’ Volunteers had been waiting for turned in to another brutal loss. The Volts fell to 2-30 against ranked opponents since 2008. The SEC entered Week 2 of the college football season with a record 10 teams ranked in the AP Top 25 but Mississippi State, Arkansas and Tennessee all dropped out after brutal losses with all three of them among the most disappointing for Week 2.
