Week 2 handed college football its usual mix of chaos and reality checks, and a few of the sport’s biggest names walked away looking worse for it. Upsets hit, performances unraveled, and several coaches and players saw their stock drop fast. Here are the five biggest losers from the weekend.
- Brent Key, head coach, Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech’s rise over the last two seasons had made Brent Key look like one of the better success stories in the sport. But without OC Buster Faulkner, the picture has changed quickly.
The Yellow Jackets are 0-2 after losses to Colorado and Tennessee, and the offense has struggled to find any rhythm at all. Right now, it looks like Key may not have the roster or the staff to keep pulling off the same kind of magic.
- Greg Schiano, head coach, Rutgers
Rutgers is staring at a rough start and Greg Schiano is the one catching the heat. After losses to UMass and Boston College, the Scarlet Knights are 0-2, and the optimistic talk about a revamped defense helping them compete in the Big Ten has faded fast. The schedule does not appear to offer many easy answers, and Schiano’s manageable buyout only adds fuel to the idea that Rutgers could eventually decide it’s cheaper to move on than keep losing.
- John Mateer, quarterback, Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s defense was supposed to be the safety net, but John Mateer became the problem in a game the Sooners needed to handle. With so much attention on Bryce Underwood’s struggles earlier in the week, it was Mateer who looked like the quarterback who didn’t belong, and it cost Oklahoma the game. The defense is still loaded, but the Sooners won’t have a high ceiling until Mateer starts showing he can deliver in big moments.
- Ryan Day, head coach, Ohio State
For three quarters, Ohio State looked like it was rolling toward another statement win over Texas. Then the offense went cold in the fourth quarter and the defense fell apart, allowing Texas to reel off a 21-0 run and steal the game. Blowing a 20-point lead is brutal for a roster this talented, and Ryan Day now has Oregon, Indiana, Iowa, USC, and Michigan ahead with no room for another slip if the Buckeyes want to avoid a second loss and stay in the Playoff mix.
- Dan Lanning, head coach, Oregon
Oregon gave Dan Lanning everything a coach could want: money, talent, and the core of a College Football Playoff team brought back together. After a shaky Week 1, the Ducks then imploded against Oklahoma State, with two tipped Drew Mestemaker passes that turned into touchdowns standing as the only thing that kept the game from becoming a blowout.
The bigger issue is that Oregon looks flawed in a major way, and Lanning may have missed on both coordinator hires. If that’s the case, he could wind up wasting the most talented team he ever coaches.
In Other News...
Former Alabama Player Jaylen Mbakwe Was At Center Of A Scary Scene
A frightening moment overshadowed part of Georgia Techs game against Tennessee when Jaylen Mbakwe and Jordan Walker both went down after Mbakwes helmet collided with Walkers knee. Medical personnel rushed in quickly, and both Yellow Jackets needed assistance to leave the field, turning a routine play into a scene that quieted the stadium in a hurry.
Mbakwe was eventually transported by stretcher to an ambulance after being taken off on a cart, but he offered a thumbs-up to teammates and coaches as he was escorted away, a reassuring sign that he was conscious. For Georgia Tech, the immediate concern shifted far beyond the scoreboard, with the health of two players suddenly the only thing that mattered. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Has One Bright Spot In A Loss That Raised Bigger Concerns
Georgia Techs home loss to Tennessee left a familiar kind of frustration: one bright moment, then a long stretch of problems that were hard to ignore. The Yellow Jackets were outplayed on both sides of the ball in a 45-24 defeat, managing only two offensive touchdowns while their defense spent much of the afternoon chasing Tennessees ground game. Special teams briefly gave the home crowd something to cheer about, but it was not enough to change the tone of a game that raised more questions than answers.
The larger concern came from how easily Tennessee controlled the line of scrimmage and how little Georgia Tech could do to slow it down. Alberto Mendozas interceptions added to the strain, and the Yellow Jackets never found much rhythm after their early spark. The one encouraging sequence mattered because it showed a unit capable of creating a big play in a tough spot, but for Georgia Tech the bigger issue now is whether that was a one-off highlight or the start of something more dependable. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Already Has Problems Fans Can't Ignore
Georgia Techs home date with No. 18 Tennessee quickly turned into another reminder of how much work still sits in front of this team, as the Yellow Jackets fell 38-17 and dropped to 0-2 on the season. The offense never found much rhythm, the quarterback was under pressure often enough to absorb four sacks, and Tennessee controlled the line of scrimmage on the ground with 299 rushing yards.
There were still a few individual bright spots, with defensive lineman Tawfiq Thomas finishing with seven tackles and two tackles for loss, but the bigger picture was hard to miss. Mendoza passed for 221 yards and a touchdown, yet the turnovers and the long stretches without offensive production left Georgia Tech chasing the game in a way it could not sustain, even after a brief chance to close the gap. [Read more 🡒]