Gridiron glory and gaffes: Week 2's must-see moments

Last Friday's Duke versus Northwestern game wasn't pretty. It was a sloppy turnover and a miscue-filled mess. The game did have an exciting ending though as the Blue Devils beat the Wildcats in double overtime. However, this contest was notable for one thing.

In the early stages of the third quarter, a cute rabbit scurried onto the field. Northwestern's mascot Willie seemed to have fun with the moment, looking like he was trying to catch it. Then, the Wildcats fumbled the ball. What a weird sequence!

SMU suffered a terrible loss to BYU last Friday. Has the team proved that they deserve to be in the power conference like the ACC? Most likely they didn't. However, that's not to say there wasn't a positive for Mustangs fans.

They as well as the entire country got a nice treat on Friday night, as we got a pick from a big guy. Early in the fourth quarter, Jared Harrison-Hunte came up with his first interception of the year and was four yards away from a score. I wish he took it all the way,

We have an FCS clip for you at home! This past Saturday, the Valparaiso Crusaders found themselves on the social media airwaves. In the second quarter, Valpo quarterback Caron Tyler made one of the top plays of the season.

He took a direct snap from the shotgun formation and faced an immediate pass rush. He scrambled to his right and dove for the endzone. He bounced off a few Youngstown State defenders and got himself an incredible TD run. I'm sure this reminded some of playing with Michael Vick back in Madden 2004. Unfortunately, Valpo lost the game in a blowout.

There's nothing better than seeing the son of a former NFL star following in his father's footsteps. That's exactly what Minnesota fans saw last Saturday against Rhode Island from the FCS. In the third quarter, the Gophers looked to put the Rams away from six yards out.

Max Brosmer found Christian Driver, who scampered for his first collegiate touchdown catch. Christian is the child of former Packers receiver Donald Driver. Donald played 14 years in the NFL. He's a three-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl Champion. Hopefully, his son has the chance to do the same and maybe more.

Penn State did not look good in their last matchup against Bowling Green. This was supposed to be a cakewalk for the Nittany Lions. They needed a second-half rally just to avoid being embarrassed by the national media. Stuck in the mess was quarterback Drew Allar, who was okay at best. He did throw two scores but also an interception.

In the early stages of the third quarter, he also made a fool of himself when trying to escape the Falcons pass rush. He was stumbling around the field before being brought down. Needless to say, he doesn't have great dance moves.

Syracuse found themselves on the radar with an upset win over No. 23 Georgia Tech. There were plenty of great highlights on this one, especially by the quarterbacks. Both Haynes King and Kyle McCord lit up the JMA Wireless Dome. The two combined for seven total touchdowns. In the first quarter, the Georgia Tech speedster pulled a rabbit out of a hat to tie the game for the Yellow Jackets.

It was an incredible run. That was then answered in the second quarter when Syracuse retook the lead. McCord threw four touchdown passes last Saturday, having the best individual performance by a quarterback in week two. His second touchdown toss was the prettiest as Trebor Pena leaped up and came down with the catch.

This was an absolute dime and McCord was pumped up about it, having an NSFW moment on live television.

Who doesn't love game-winning kicks at the end of regulation? They are by far the most anxious but exciting game plays. If you Make it, you win. If you miss it, you take a big fat L.

Even people have gotten nervous at clutch kick attempts when their team is not in the game. No doubt those keep you still while looking at the TV screen. Many of these guys shined this week, as they kicked their teams to big-time victories.

Ben Sauls put the finishing touches on the Pitt Panthers completing a massive comeback against Cincinnati in the River City Rivalry. They were down 27-6 late in the third quarter before scoring 22 unanswered points to improve to 2-0. Sauls' kick was even more clutch knowing that Pitt failed on two two-point conversions. He would've been in this position if they made both of them. Final score, 28-27.

Kyle Konrardy had a monster fourth quarter to help Iowa State complete its hard-fought comeback over Iowa. The Cyclones and their fans have earned the Cy-Hawk Trophy back thanks to the foot of Konrardy. He nailed a 46-yarder to cut Iowa's deficit to two. Then he hit the 54-yarder to win it. Brock Purdy liked it for sure. Iowa State won, 20-19.

And of course, we have the one heard around the world. Northern Illinois has officially become the early darlings in college football. They took down No. 5 Notre Dame for the program's and MAC's first victory over a top-10 team. Kanon Woodill made it happen.

Illinois win over then No. 19 Kansas was an underrated gem on the week two slate. For those who chose this over the hyped NC State debacle, they enjoyed a treat. The upset might not have happened if Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels hadn't thrown three picks.

The Illinois offense did put together two great fourth-quarter drives after struggling. However, this game had so the wideouts shine, especially for Illinois.

Jalon Daniel's only touchdown pass was a result of his most reliable wideout, Luke Grimm making a big adjustment.

Zakhari Franklin had one of two crazy catches, This was on a critical third-down conversion late in the first half, which set up an Illinois field goal. One-handed down the near sideline.

Pat Duval leaped in the air and made a great catch in the fourth quarter with two defenders over him. This was a money throw from Luke Altmyer.

Zakhari Franklin showed up again! Late in the fourth, he made an insane leaning snag that prolonged a nearly seven-minute drive. It led to a field goal that put the game out of reach.

What can you even say? This catch leaves your jaw dropping. Yes, Marshall got blown out by Virginia Tech. But, Christian Fitzpatrick has the most acrobatic grab of week two.

This snag by Jayden Higgins looked like this should've been picked in the endzone. He stripped the ball away from his man to swing the game in Iowa State's favor. They don't win without this. Also, Iowa punter Rhys Dakin pinned an incredible punt inside Iowa State's 5-yard line in the first quarter. This reminds me of being a major sweat when playing the coffin corner punt mini-game on Madden '04 back in the day. Sick punt Darkin!

Kent State is going to need a prayer. The Golden Flashers were somewhat of a mid-major gem just a few years ago with Sean Lewis. Now, they are back to being at the bottom of the MAC and in the nation.

Kent State will be the worst team in the country at season's end, which is unfortunate. Their one chance to snag a win went south, as they lost to St. Francis(Pa.) from the FCS. Good luck against Tennessee next week.

Ball State doesn't look good either. They might not be too far off. They barely won against Missouri State. Their defense was the biggest problem as they couldn't stop a beach ball if they tried. And they looked just as foolish with horrendous mistakes like this pick-six off a bad throw.

WHAT HAPPENS HERE!? With the Cardinals up two scores late in the fourth, a timeout was called. Well after the referee placed the ball to be snapped, All but one BSU player was out on the field. How did the other players not know the timeout was over? This is a reflection on bad coaching. Should this have counted too? Ball State was flagged for offsides but shouldn't have been a free play?

This is a reflection on bad coaching. That has been a problem ever since Mike Neu was hired in 2015. BSU has been a team riddled with undisciplined play as they've been flagged a lot. In this game, they got penalized seven times. And it seems like they don't know in-game situations. Their one winning season with Neu in 2020 showed that infamously against Western Michigan.

It's time to give some Division II football some love. We had a couple of crazy moments this week with the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers. They are located in Golden, Colorado and that's what they are. Pure gold.

They have 25 total conference championships and two National Championship game appearances, in 2022 and 2023. And, they have the best college mascot in the state. Move over, Ralphie! Say hello to Blaster The Burro baby!

How about this 80-yard bomb of a punt that was pinned at the 1-yard line!? What a job by Blake Doud! He's a two-time D2 All-American punter. The fifth-ranked Orediggers blew out West Texas A&M, 41-13.

Nebraska improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2016. They dominated Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes right from the opening kickoff. The Cornhuskers enjoyed a double-digit, 28-10 victory on Saturday. In the game, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders dug the grave for his team early, by throwing an ill-advised pick-six from the back of his endzone.

In the middle of the second quarter, Dylan Raiola throw a pass right on the money to put the Cornhuskers in position to score their third touchdown of the first half.

Then, with under a minute left in the first half, Raiola looked to be throwing a clear interception. Instead, the ball took a funny bounce and found Rahmir Johnson's hands over the middle to effectively end the game. Deion Sanders was probably thinking what he got himself into on the sideline.

Tennessee demolished North Carolina State. In a hyped-up, top-25 showdown, the Volunteers made the supposed ACC dark horse contenders look like fools in Charlotte. The game wasn't even close. Tennessee's Will Brooks broke the game open when NC State was threatening to score. He took a Grayson McCall pick 85 yards to the house.

In his first collegiate start, D.J. Lagway gave Florida fans a glimpse of what was to come. The former super five-star recruit lit up Gainesville. Against Samford, Lagway threw for over 400 yards and three touchdowns. One of those scores was this 41-yard bomb to Aidan Mizell in the third quarter.

The No. 20 Arizona Wildcats received a major scare from the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks of the FCS. The Big 12 representative faced a 10-6 deficit at halftime. Luckily, Arizona pulled away with a great second half. However, that was after this amazing pick by NAU's Mikale Greer in the second period. The ball was tipped in the air and Greer came away with it with only one hand.