The second week of college football surprised all of us to at least some extent. Who were the studs, duds and thuds from Week 2?
With two weeks of the 2019 college football season in the books, we are finally getting the answers to some key questions. Expectations are turning into fact or fiction. We are learning who the best teams in the country are, and we’re also learning about some key players and coaches.
With that being said, which teams were studs, duds and thuds in Week 2?
To clarify, studs performed well, duds did not live up to the hype and thuds simply played poorly.
Studs
LSU’s spread offense
Joe Burrow looked good in his opening game, but we wanted to see how it would translate against one of the top teams in the country. Against Texas, Burrow shined again. He threw for 471 yards and four touchdowns against the Longhorns. This was still a Big 12 defense, but it appears that LSU finally has an offensive system that relies on more than a work horse running back, and it suits the Tigers well.
Jonathan Taylor
Wisconsin’s offense is looking good so far, and it is mostly thanks to Jonathan Taylor. In two weeks, the man already has eight touchdowns. It’s unfair to expect him to keep up that pace, but just imagine if he can get somewhere around 30-35 touchdowns in the regular season. He might not win the Heisman Trophy, but he’d definitely earn a trip to New York. Wisconsin will take a week off before playing Michigan, a team that will later make this list for a bad reason.
Alabama’s receivers
We went into the season expecting Alabama‘s receivers to be good. However, they are more than that. This is a historic group for the Tide. Their first game saw Jerry Jeudy, Jaylen Waddle and Devonta Smith go off for big games. The one star that didn’t have a great game on the stat sheet was Henry Ruggs. What did Alabama do on their very first play against New Mexico State? Throw a pass to the flat to Henry Ruggs for a 75-yard score. In Alabama’s offense, everybody eats. That goes for all of their receivers, too.
The Tyler Trent Student Gate
Last season, Tyler Trent’s story warmed all of our hearts. The Purdue super-fan passed after a fight with bone cancer, but his mark on the Boilermaker program will always be felt. They decided to name the student gate after him, and the ceremony was held before their game against Vanderbilt. In the game, they played incredibly well and ended up winning.