Even with the expected letdown from a wild week one in college football, week two delivered some thrilling performances and upsets. Central Michigan and Oklahoma State delivered an absolutely epic game to remember and it should be no surprise that the Chippewas are represented on this list. Here is a look at the top college football performances from Week 2.
Lamar Jackson, Louisville Cardinals
The star freshman quarterback followed up his eight-touchdown performance versus Charlotte with another ridiculous outing versus Syracuse, throwing for 411 passing yards, rushing for 199 rushing yards and scoring five total touchdowns in a 62-28 win. No other FBS quarterback had ever thrown for 400 yards and run for 175 yards in the same game before Jackson did it and the fact that he fell one yard short of posting a 400-200 split through just three quarters is absolutely incredible. Jackson has put himself in the Heisman conversation with an outstanding two weeks and all eyes will be on him again when the Cardinal clash with No. 2 Florida State this Saturday in Louisville. Jackson is probably the front runner for the Heisman Trophy right now.
James Conner, Pittsburgh Panthers
Conner led the way for Pittsburgh in its 42-39 win over Penn State, rushing for 117 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. The Panthers as a team had registered 328 rushing yards heading in to the fourth quarter, already topping the previous record-high surrendered by a team coached by James Franklin. Quadree Henderson and quarterback Nathan Peterman chipped in with a combined 110 rushing yards as the Pittsburgh ground attack clearly had its way against the Nittany Lions in what ended up being a close finish. Conner has been an inspiration to so many people across the country, so it’s great to see him not only fully recovered, but back on the field performing in dominant fashion.
Kalen Ballage, Arizona State Sun Devils
The Sun Devils’ star running back tied an FBS record with eight touchdowns versus Texas Tech, racking up 185 total yards while scoring on more than half of his 15 touches in a 68-55 win. The Red Raiders aren’t a strong defensive team by any means but that didn’t make Ballage’s ridiculous performance any less impressive. Ballage has averaged 8.4 yards per carry for 193 rushing yards through his first two games and he should have another opportunity to pad his stats in a date with Texas San Antonio this weekend.
It will be interesting to see how good this Sun Devils team really is when we get into Pac-12 play. Yes, they beat Texas Tech, which is a credible win, but the Red Raiders are a run of the mill Big 12 program these days. Can Arizona State actually compete with the Oregons and the Stanfords and the USCs of the world? We’ll find out in the coming weeks. For now, they’ve looked good and Ballage has helped them shine.
Central Michigan Chippewas
We were close to giving quarterback Cooper Rush this spot before making the decision to recognize the entire Chippewas roster for their upset of No. 22 Oklahoma State. Down 27-24 in the final seconds, Rush launched a Hail Mary pass that was caught at the nine-yard line by Jesse Kroll, who managed to flip it to teammate Malik Fountain as he was being tackled. Fountain caught the lateral and punched in the game-winning touchdown with no time left on the clock in one of the most thrilling finishes of all-time.
What’s interesting is that this was all set up by a ridiculous penalty that extended the game. The Chippewas last pass of the contest was actually just an incomplete pass, but the Cowboys were penalized for a roughing the passer penalty. As a result, the Chippewas moved 15 yards closer and also got an untimed down.
It was an outstanding finish to an entertaining game and it’s definitely one that college football fans will never forget. The Chippewas will return home to host UNLV this weekend and it will be interesting to see whether they build on the upset win or suffer a letdown following that incredible ending.
