Notre Dame's surprise loss to Northern Illinois and Texas' statement in Michigan

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While you were sleeping…

No. 7 Oregon needed a walk-off field goal to beat Boise State — and Heisman candidate RB Ashton Jeanty — 37-34.

But that was by far not the most dramatic ending we saw on Saturday…

Surprise from Saturday

Hello, Huskies!

Week 2 brought us perhaps the biggest upset of the season. The Northern Illinois Huskies from my home state simply outdid No. 5 Notre Dame in South Bend with a 16-14 victory.

To put this surprise into perspective, we would like to introduce you to the NIU Huskies:

NIU QB Ethan Hampton was the nation’s 1,703rd-ranked recruit in the class of 2021. He hails from Elburn, Illinois, a city about 30 minutes from the NIU campus.
They have five wins over ranked teams since 2000 (this was their first since a 32-27 win over No. 24 Toledo in 2015).
Thomas Hammock returned to his alma mater as coach in 2019. After a 6-0 loss in the COVID-altered 2020 season, Hammock led NIU to a MAC championship in 2021 and their first bowl win in 12 years in 2023. His emotional postgame interview yesterday touched everyone deeply.

The Fighting Irish trailed 13-7 at halftime. Quarterback Riley Leonard threw two interceptions, including this brutal one in the fourth quarter that led to the Huskies’ game-winning drive.

But a big turning point in the game was that controversial call when Northern Illinois was called short on a third-and-2 (it looked to everyone like a clear first down), forcing the Huskies to kick a 35-yard field goal (which kicker Kanon Woodill made).

In three seasons, Marcus Freeman has lost at home to Northern Illinois, Marshall and a 3-9 Stanford team. Is it an exaggeration to say he’s on the hot seat? Here’s what our Notre Dame writer Pete Sampson told me:

“It’s an overreaction to say Marcus Freeman is on the hot seat today, but it’s not alarmist to wonder aloud where this is all going. Notre Dame was a CFP-or-bust program this season. Now it probably needs to win to make it. Next season, the Irish may be revamped after changing the defensive line. Freeman’s inability to win the games he should win — he’s now lost three times at home despite being up by at least 16.5 points — threatens to undermine his entire tenure. This season should have been one in which Freeman is no longer viewed as the ‘first head coach’ at Notre Dame. Instead, it was a harsh reminder of that fact.”

Pete wrote more about Notre Dame’s status here. And as for Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff hopes? The Irish can’t win a conference title. They’re banking on an at-large bid. And their reputation just took a major hit.

But Notre Dame wasn’t the only team tested yesterday…

Close decisions

Ranking teams on guard against surprises

My YouTube TV multiview yesterday showed three top-ranked teams simultaneously hunting for surprises. The lesson: Don’t let a good first week unsettle you too much.

Arkansas defeated No. 16 Oklahoma State to double overtime before the Cowboys won 39-31. It was a strange game with missed field goals, turnovers, a botched punt and unsportsmanlike conduct from QB Alan Bowman’s finger guns. And the strangest part? The Razorbacks beat Oklahoma State 648-385… and still lost.
No. 17 Kansas State defeats Tulane 34-27 despite trailing early in the fourth quarter. A controversial flag for offensive pass interference nullified the Green Wave’s tying touchdown with less than a minute left and ultimately led to a Kansas State interception that ended the game. Tulane coach Jon Sumrall did not seem happy: “I didn’t get a lot of good explanations from the refs in the second half,” Sumrall said, according to the Kansas City Star. “It left a lot to be desired. That’s probably all I can say. It was a Big 12 team, in case you were wondering.”
No. 8 Penn State escaped against Bowling Green with 34-27. The Nittany Lions defense — which looked like one of the best in the country last week — allowed more points (24) in the first half than in any regular-season game a year ago. It made the right adjustments at halftime to pull out the win, but questions arose about how trustworthy these Nittany Lions will be in key moments.
A safety in the final phase of the game ended No. 15 Oklahoma’s goal drought in the second half and helped the Sooners beat Houston 16-12.
🚨 STORM ALERT IN CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS. The Fighting Illini beat No. 19 Kansas 23-17 to start 2-0 for the first time under Bret Bielema (I couldn’t believe it either). Jayhawks QB Jalon Daniels threw three INTs. Illinois State moved to 5-0 in Division I play on Saturday. (It’s a good thing Western Illinois’ 77-3 loss to Indiana came on Friday.)

Texas Declaration

Michigan’s weaknesses clearly visible

No. 3 Texas did not fall victim to the blues of the second week and effortlessly beat No. 10 Michigan 31-12 in Ann Arbor. Quinn Ewers has proven he is the best quarterback in the nation, according to our own Chris Vannini. His stats: 24 of 26 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns. I haven’t stopped thinking about that particular throw.

Meanwhile, the Wolverines have been given a rude warning of what to expect. Few expected Michigan to build on last year’s championship, but the deficiencies seem to run deeper than just roster turnover. Most notably, Michigan has a major quarterback problem, and it’s not starter Davis Warren’s fault. The former walk-on does what he can, but as Wolverines writer Austin Meek put it, “A couple of years of recruiting failures and a lack of quarterback support from the transfer portal have put the Wolverines in a bind.”

Quick snapshots

Utah’s QB-Cam rises injured his right throwing hand in the No. 11 Utes’ 23-12 win over Baylor. Coach Kyle Whittingham said he doesn’t believe the injury is serious.

No. 21 Iowa gave a master class on how to screw up a football game, The athleteScott Dochterman wrote after the Hawkeyes suffered a 20-19 loss to rival State of Iowa.

No. 25 Clemson reacted from his lackluster week 1 to Defeat App State 66-20. Where do the Tigers stand in the postseason conversation? Justin Williams shares five things we know about the CFP Race from week 2.

What was supposed to be a battle of the quarterbacks turned into a dominance of the D-Line by No. 14 Tennessee in its 51-10 victory over No. 24 NC State.

Nebraska got what it needed in a crucial 28-10 win against ColoradoAre the buffs too broken for Deion Sanders to fix?

In Auburn’s 21-14 loss to CalHugh Freeze once again proved to be a coach who is difficult to trust.

Here you can buy tickets for any college football game.

Click here for streaming information on Fubo.

(Top photo: USA Today)