Week 1 of the college football season claims a number of key players as the BYU Cougars, Virginia Tech Hokies and Arizona Wildcats all suffered big losses. More bad news came for teams in Week 2 as a number of other big-time starters hit the injured reserve.
These injuries are starting to shape the college football season, so let’s look back and recap the biggest ones from Week 2.
Malik Zaire, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Quarterback
Notre Dame absolutely dominated Texas with a 38-3 win in Week 1 but they were far less impressive in Week 2. They needed a miracle to survive Virginia in Week 2 and it came after starting quarterback Malik Zaire suffered a gruesome ankle injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the season.
The junior quarterback completed 19-of-22 passes for 313 yards and three touchdowns against Texas and while he struggled early on against Virginia, he still had over 200 total yards and a touchdown when he was forced to the sidelines with a fractured ankle. DeShone Kizer came in and saved them with a 39-yard touchdown pass with just 12 seconds remaining.
The Fighting Irish have one of the most talented rosters in college football but they have already dealt with a couple of notable injuries and will now have to survive the rest of the season without their original starting quarterback and running back.
Connor Mitch, South Carolina Gamecocks
Quarterback
There seemed to be a glimmer of hope for South Carolina when it opened the season with a close win over North Carolina in Week 1 but any optimism surrounding the program faded quickly when they suffered a 26-22 loss to Kentucky in Week 2.
Adding even more insult is the news that their starting quarterback Mitch is likely done for the season after he suffered a separated shoulder. Freshman Lorenzo Nunez and junior Perry Orth both played some snaps in relief with Orth throwing for 179 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Considering the Gamecocks quarterback situation was already a concern before Week 1, it has to be a major problem now. Head coach Steve Spurrier will have some important decisions to make as it looks like it could be another long season in the SEC for South Carolina.
There’s no question he’s been great for the program but they have seemingly plateaued over the last couple of seasons.
Darrion Owens, Miami Hurricanes
Linebacker
Miami improved to 2-0 with a 44-20 win over Florida Atlantic but it wasn’t without suffering a major blow as their star linebacker Owens suffered a season-ending knee injury. The versatile sophomore had played multiple positions for the Hurricanes in their season opener and was considered a key piece in a reloaded front-seven that had the potential to be a major strength this season. Now the Hurricanes are down two key players with the losses of Owens and running back Gus Edwards heading in to a key Week 3 showdown with Nebraska.
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Andrew Nelson, Penn State Nittany Lions
Left Tackle
The good news for Penn State is that its star left tackle Nelson will not miss the rest of the 2015 season after suffering an undisclosed injury against Buffalo in Week 2. The bad news is that the team isn’t sure when they will have him back.
Head coach James Franklin admitted that he is unsure about the time table for his potential return. Franklin revealed that Nelson has been dealing with an injury since the beginning of the year and while there is some optimism that he will be back soon, there is a good chance that whatever he is dealing with could be a lingering issue all year.
Penn State has already had a pedestrian start to the season with quarterback Christian Hackenberg struggling to get the passing game going. This type of loss is not going to make things any easier.
