by  Jack Kerwin  |  ydkjack1@gmail.com
Before jumping all in to Week 2, here's a look back at the fun and festivities we’ve seen thus far ...
GOT YOUR HEISMAN RIGHT HERE
Take your pick on a current or former Alabama quarterback – Tua Tagovailoa or Jalen Hurts – and you’d be wrong. Same thing with Clemson prodigy and reigning national champ signal-caller Trevor Lawrence.

You wouldn’t be wrong with choosing Lawrence’s backfield mate, though. Tigers junior tailback Travis Etienne, with his far more publicized teammate really struggling, unloaded against ACC rival Georgia Tech last week, finally showing his full arsenal of speed, power and elusiveness in a positively electric 12-carry, 205-yard, three-TD performance.

Tough to go against Hurts in particular, considering he accounted for 508 total yards and six scores. But, fair or not, the perception is that any QB is going to put up ridiculous numbers in Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley’s system, and, frankly, the eyes here really didn’t see any difference in his Hurts’ game other than A) opportunities afforded him and B) plays geared toward his strengths.

Etienne’s game jumped off the screen. Hurts’ numbers did.

HEY, YO, WE'RE NUMBER 1
They may never reach the mountaintop in college football, or even get more than a passing, somewhat appreciative glance from the consensus in their own town, but the Temple Owls, for one week at least, reign as the nation’s best offense.

Yes, seriously.

In Rod Carey’s first game as head coach, the Owls racked up the most real estate in the country – 695 yards. That topped American Athletic Conference rival Central Florida by a single yard, Texas Tech by four and Hurts and his fellow Sooners by 9 … and Penn State fans thought their squad had a big-time opening.

Hah, eat your heart out, Nittany Lions Nation … with your boys in blue and their measly 673 yards.

Kidding aside, the excitement around Temple’s effort can be tempered a bit, since it occurred against an FCS-level squad, and a pretty weak in Bucknell at that. Reality check comes next week against Maryland of the Big Ten.

HOT SEAT ... FRONT AND CENTER
Willie Taggart, Florida State: Built a nice program at South Florida, then bolted first chance for greener pastures at Oregon. Lasted one year there before he bolted for what he thought were greener pastures at Florida State. He is now 5-8 with the Seminoles and the, ummm, mastermind behind turning a 31-13 lead last Saturday less than five minutes before halftime – at home, mind you – into a 36-31 loss to Boise State.

Jeff Brohm, Purdue: He was a good player at Louisville, a very good coach at Western Kentucky and always a great interview, which, unfortunately, explains why most treat him as a godsend in West Lafayette, Ind. The reality is, he’s now 13-14 directing the Boilermakers, having lost five of his last seven, including last Saturday’s absolute meltdown at Nevada, which highlighted his stubbornness to adapt even as the walls were closing in, leading to Purdue blowing a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead and losing 34-31 on a 56-yard field goal by now-scholarship kicker Brandon Talton of the Wolfpack.

Will Muschamp, South Carolina: Have never understood why this guy gets, and maintains, head-coaching gigs – at Southeastern Conference schools no less. After managing to turn Florida into a mediocre mess, he somehow lands the job in Columbia, S.C., and has produced just 22 wins in 40 games, last Saturday’s abomination against North Carolina being a classic “effort,” as the Gamecocks completely shut it down in the final 15 minutes, turning an 11-point lead into a 24-20 loss.

Mario Cristobal, Oregon: OK, got it. His reign at Florida International (27-47 record) is kinda hard to hold against him, the school’s program, really, just in its infancy back then, and he did post a 9-4 mark last season. Still, his teams show an annoying habit of collapsing, especially when they’re in position to get that “big win.” Last Saturday’s colossal cave against Auburn was the ultimate case in point as the Ducks, up 21-6 in the third quarter, allowed the Tigers to score the game’s final 21 points. Brutal.

WORTH PRICE OF ADMISSION
Best game of the young season took place last weekend in Winston-Salem, with host Wake Forest prevailing, 38-35, in a back-and-forth battle against Utah State. The Demon Deacons scored the winning TD as Jamie Newman hit Kendall Hilton from two yards out with 1:08 remaining. Newman and the Aggies' Jordan Love, who is being talked about as a potential first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, both threw for 400-plus yards and three TDs. Love, though, also got picked three times while the Deacons only turned over the ball once. The game’s biggest star, ironically enough since the teams combined for better than 1,100 yards of offense, happened to be a defender – Utah State junior linebacker David Woodward, who racked up 24 tackles, 3.5 of 'em for losses, including a sack.
 

by Jack Kerwin  |  ydkjack1@gmail.com
Been awhile. With a “lifetime move,” surgeries on both arms and restrictive braces subsequently attached to them for the long recovery process, yours truly has been a bit remiss on here.
 
But it’s time to ease back into it a bit, and, with that, what better topic to touch on than college football — my favorite.
 
In fact, let’s hit on a few things within that realm — hit or miss style.
 
So, without further ado …
 
HIT: Temple hiring Manny Diaz as its new coach
 
The Owls, and anyone who happens to support them, had to be reeling pretty bad after Geoff Collins opted to bolt for his “dream job” at Georgia Tech after seeming to grow some program roots in North Philly a mere two years into his first head-coaching gig. That continued the pattern set by Al Golden, who jumped ship for what he figured were greener pastures in Miami after five years at Temple.
 
Steve Addazio followed with a two-year stint before taking his “dream job” at Boston College, and then Matt Rhule headed to Baylor after his own five-year run on Broad Street.
 
With the Owls’ job being Diaz’s first as the top dog, most worry about when he’s going to leave, since, hey, it’s inevitable.
 
Here’s the thing, though — why bother worrying? The program is better now than when Golden left … and when Addazio left … and, gasp, even better than when Rhule left. The reason being all those guys, as well as Collins, along with some major cash flow directed its way by the school’s administration, elevated the program every step of the way the last decade and change.
 
True, it’s not the “end game” destination spot. Not yet. But it is a destination spot. For people who see potential — both in themselves and Temple. You think Diaz was unhappy in Miami. Dude is a native. His dad was mayor of the city. He’s had great success as defensive coordinator there the past couple years. Had he stayed, he likely would have replaced Mark Richt as the Hurricanes head coach.
 
But — cheesy, retro reference to an old commercial — he chose Temple.
 
Yo, Diaz wasn’t the only name out there interested in the position, either. There were other prime-time coordinators in the college game inquiring about the job, including a proven head-coaching commodity at this level in Greg Schiano, currently the defensive coordinator at Ohio State.
 
Plus, coaches are not the only ones with vision when it comes to Temple. Recruits are more “ready for prime time” with the Cherry & White than ever before. Say what you want about Addazio and Collins, but they rocked on the recruiting front, and Rhule was pretty damn good, too.
 
Diaz? Aside from directing the country’s second-ranked defense at Miami this fall, he obviously connects with people. Within two days of his taking the Temple reins, six recruits bailed on their commitments to the Hurricanes.
 
At this point, Temple, and athletic director Pat Kraft, have proven that they have “hire a head football coach” down pretty good. They’re 4-for-4 in my book dating back to Golden’s hiring in 2006 — with the Owls 73-53 in the last 10 years, two conference title-game appearances, one conference title and a seventh bowl game coming up later this month.
 
What makes anyone think Diaz will break that pattern of success?
 
MISS: Illinois extending Lovie Smith
 
Sorry, but at some point AD Josh Whitman has to accept that his helacious cut at recapturing Illini glory with a name somewhat beloved in not-exactly-next-door Chicago was nothing more than a whiff. Smith is 9-27 in three years at the helm, including just 4-23 in Big Ten play, and, no, the program does not appear to be on the upswing — aside from fundraisers buying into what Whitman is selling.
 
The on-field product, mostly, is just bad, if not overmatched … and that falls on Smith, regardless of whether coaches he chose stick it out with him or not.
 
The one thing you thought Smith would have brought to the program was some cachet, with the thinking it would convince a few more blue-chippers to head the Illini’s way. That really hasn’t happened.
 
Frankly, anyone making a case that the program was in better shape under Tim Beckman, even as he was being run out the door prior to the 2015 campaign, wouldn’t exactly be off-base. Illinois went 12-25 in his three years, and improved every season, culminating with a bowl appearance in his final season. Even Bill Cubit’s 5-7 hiccup in 2015 was better than anything seen during Smith’s current term.
 
Besides, neither of those guys — individually or combined — would be costing Illinois the $4 million per year that Lovie does.
 
HIT: Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray winning the Heisman
 
With apologies to Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, and their fans, the voters got it right.
 
Hurray.
 
As good as the latter two were, and for the most part they were awesome, they did show themselves to be human at times — either for long stretches in games (Haskins vs. Penn State, Nebraska and Michigan State) or entire games (Tagovailoa vs. Georgia).
 
Murray did not.
 
He was superb throughout. Plus, he brings an athleticism to the position that is rare. Not only was he the nation’s top-rated passer, he also ran for 892 yards and 11 touchdowns.
 
Numbers wise, he tops both rather easily. Total yards. Total touchdowns. You name it.
 
But, really, the true measure is this — take either of those other two off their teams and Alabama probably goes 13-0 this fall and Ohio State 12-1 just the same. Take Murray off Oklahoma? Sooners would be lucky to have won 10 games, never mind find themselves in the national semifinals against Tagovailoa and the Crimson Tide.
 
MISS: Florida’s 2-for-1 offer to play Central Florida
 
This may be one of the most arrogant, out-of-touch discussions seen outside of the White House briefing room.
 
Depending on which way the wind blows, the Gators are willing to host the Knights in Gainesville twice in exchange for one neutral-site contest … or, gasp, a game in Orlando.
 
Wow.
 
How generous it is of Florida, AD Scott Stricklin and head coach Dan Mullen to present such a “wonderful opportunity” to UCF — a program riding a 25-game winning streak, owner of two straight conference titles, and, ahem, a higher national ranking than the Gators.
 
The Knights currently check in at No. 8 in the country and Florida No. 10. That comes on the tail of last season’s final ranking of No. 6 for UCF … and, what was the Gators’ again?
 
Oh, yeah, they weren’t ranked. At all.
 
Programs that go 4-7 usually are not.
 
Thing is, we all get it. Florida is old school. It has the history. It’s in the SEC. It has the 85,000-seat stadium. UCF is new school. It plays in a league that is not the SEC. It has a 45,000-seat stadium.
 
But it’s coming on, and, frankly, has had the better team two years running now. It even beat one of Florida’s SEC rivals, Auburn, in the Peach Bowl to cap last season.
 
It might be wise to show UCF a little respect — because it has been earned.
 
Just a tad more. Maybe even offer a 3-for-2 (three home, two away), or even a 2-1-1 (two home, one away, one neutral). Or even just one game — at Gainesville or a neutral site.
 
That’d be something.
 
At least knock it off with trying to shame UCF into accepting your current offer, Florida.
 
Jeezus.

by Jack Kerwin  |  ydkjack1@gmail.com
The irony is almost palpable.
 
You hear James Franklin speak Saturday night, you listen to his words, you take a moment or two to let them sink in, take a deep breath … and, then, well, you kinda chuckle.
 
Here he was, minutes after seeing his Nittany Lions’ hopes at a College Football Playoff berth implode before the month of October kicked off, the type of body blow that would leave many a contender doubled over and unable to continue, and the head coach who embodies arrogance and boorishness straight out of the Donald Trump School of Elitism was more concerned with how he and his charges were viewed than accepting what just happened.
 
Yeah, damn right the Lions are not elite … and reason No. 1 is the coaching staff’s performance at crunch time. Led by Mr. Great But Not Elite himself, Franklin.
 
Exhibit A came on Penn State’s final offensive play against Ohio State — a fourth-and-five at the Buckeyes’ 43 that saw running back Miles Sanders get swallowed up for a two-yard loss almost simultaneously with him taking the handoff. Ballgame over.
 
The call was not one borne of ingenuity. The Lions run that play ad nauseam with Sanders, and did so Saquon Barkley, too. It rarely has worked with either, especially in key moments. Looks kinda like a delay. Sorta like a run-pass option. But all it is, is some lame blast up the gut that never seems to catch anyone by surprise, except Franklin’s coaching staff when it doesn’t work.
 
Keep in mind that PSU quarterback Trace McSorley may have audibled into the play after waiting through timeouts by both teams and then surveying the OSU defense. Thing is, that’s still on Franklin and his staff because they have it drilled into the kid that the play works, or that it’ll catch defenses off-guard.
 
It hasn’t, and it won’t.
 
It was ridiculous that play was even on the table at that point, with the host Lions down one, having blown a 12-point lead with just eight minutes to go, and McSorley proving to be PSU’s best and most creative option all night, having made the Buckeyes look silly more often than not when scrambling out of the pocket.
 
Plain and simple, that situation called for a run-pass option, with one guy, and one guy alone, running the show: McSorley. He’d already ran for 175 yards and passed for another 286, frankly, looking like a far more legit Heisman candidate than his overly ballyhooed former backfield mate now with the New York Giants ever did.
 
Here’s the reality of it all: Franklin entered the game believing he had the lesser team, and at every juncture when OSU was ready to fold, the Lions blinked in a way that modeled their coach’s faith, or lack of it.
 
Could’ve blown out the Buckeyes in the first half.
 
Could’ve put them away multiple times in the second half.
 
Could’ve cut their hearts out with a conversion on that aforementioned fateful play.
 
Never happened. Not once.
 
PSU had the better quarterback, the better receivers (despite the hype), the better ground game, the better passing game, the better defensive line … going into the game.
 
But, really, you’d never know it because there always seemed to be an underlying fear in how things were called from the sidelines, and then played out on the field.
 
So, please, next time — and there will be a next time, no doubt — spare us the post-game Brett Kavanaugh act.
 
ALMA MATTERS
 
You want irony, here it is…
 
While Franklin and Co. could be ripped for overthinking and sticking to the “traditional” running attack, Temple and Illinois, my two schools, could be ripped for the exact opposite.
 
Sure, only the Owls were in action this past weekend, but both coaching staffs have been brutal with either A) not sticking with the run or B) not sticking with the hot hand on the run.
 
Temple is far more guilty of A; Illinois B. Either way, they’re annoying.
 
Yo, Geoff Collins, you got a big-time, NFL-caliber stud at tailback in Ryquell Armstead. Truth be told, he’s better than the guy you just faced in Boston College’s AJ Dillon. Use him. Keep using him. None of this Anthony Russo misfire after misfire thanks to his erratic arm and the receivers’ erratice hands when you got Armstead going for 7 or 8 yards a pop.
 
Kid had 171 yards and four TDs on 24 carries against the Eagles.
 
Illinois has two quality backs in Reggie Corbin and Mike Epstein (both average 6.8 yards per carry). The perform best when they’re both on the field. So, Lovie Smith, just keep them both on the field at the same time and knock it off with trying to cross up teams.
 
THIS AND THAT ...
 

• Got no issue with Kelly Bryant wanting to leave the Clemson program after getting benched for Trevor Lawrence. Also got no problem with head coach Dabo Swinney benching Bryant, or the Tigers learning how to cope through the adversity of Lawrence getting hurt this past Saturday. That’s the game. That’s life. Nothing wrong with any of it.
• McSorley thrust himself into Heisman contention with his Herculean (or Vince Young at Texas-type) performance Saturday night, then saw any chance of a trip to New York City disappear with that one handoff.
• Notre Dame was the most impressive team these eyes saw all weekend. It’s not that they’re now improved at quarterback with Ian Book, but the move seems to have inspired the rest of the squad. Seventh-ranked Stanford was no match for the No. 8 Irish.
• Still see West Virginia quarterback Will Grier as the leader in the Heisman race, especially after another three-TD effort while winning on the road at a ranked opponent. But the best player in the country really may be Colorado wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr., a 6-2, 220-pound sophomore who just abuses defensive backs and linebackers athletically and physically.
• Nebraska may turn its program around at some point, but Scott Frost made a dreadful decision to leave what he created at Central Florida in the hopes of recapturing past glory with the Huskers that is gone forever.

 

by Jack Kerwin  |  ydkjack1@gmail.com
Upon further review …

• Notre Dame is worthy of a top-10 ranking, if not better. All it took to confirm that was for bull-headed coach Brian Kelly to make the switch at QB to the better player — Ian Book — and the Irish looked like a different team offensively at Wake Forest on Saturday. Kid was so good he got the Demon Deacons DC fired on Sunday. For those holding out hope for a three-loss, middling-bowl season, sorry, the Brandon Wimbush Experiment finally, mercifully, is now over.  
• Penn State may contend for a playoff spot just yet. After almost ruining their chances in Week 1, the Lions have gone all “Alabama” ever since, outscoring their next three opponents by a combined 177-40, including a mind-boggling 42-0 stretch run at Illinois on Friday night after falling behind 28-24 in the third quarter. Frankly, prefer Miles Sanders as a feature RB over Saquan Barkley … because he doesn’t disappear for any stretches, never mind long ones.  
• There are no “outliers” capable of beating the system to claim a berth in the national semifinals. Both my picks shared a week ago — Virginia Tech and Mississippi State — were solid choices, and both went down in flames, the Bulldogs at SEC rival Kentucky and the Hokies at Old Dominion, an FCS-level outfit that entered the game 0-3. Things got so bad with Tech that star DE Trevon Hill got dismissed from the team Sunday.
  
• The ACC is the goofiest conference in the country anymore. You never know what you’re going to get, even with pied-piper Clemson still leading the way. Boston College earns a ranking for the first time in 10 years, then loses — bad — at previously winless Purdue. Syracuse is 4-0, N.C. State is 3-0 and we already mentioned Virginia Tech. Did you know 4-0 Duke smoked the same Army squad that just took then-No. 6 Oklahoma to OT?  
• Oregon QB Justin Herbert is the real deal — every bit as much as Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa. Plus, he’s 6-foot-6, 240.  
• West Virginia QB Will Grier remains my guy for the Heisman. These 5-TD passing games are getting routine.

 
ALMA MATTERS
 
For the fourth straight week, my two schools went a combined 1-1. How positively “meh” of them.
 
With Illinois, still waiting for Lovie Smith to walk out the door — by his choice or not. At this point, excusing the players’ inexperience is not an option anymore. Nor is pointing at their lack of talent. That ain’t the issue. Coaching is. Game-day coaching.
 
Exhibit A: Friday night, at home, against then-No. 10 Penn State, the Illini are keeping pace behind the tag-team running of Mike Epstein and Reggie Corbin. They’re down 21-17 at half. Epstein, coming off back-to-back 100-yard rushing games, has 72 yards on 12 carries. Has a couple receptions, too. First possession in the second half, he gets a break and before OC Rod Smith can get him back in there, Illinois manages to pull off a 75-yard drive to take a three-point lead. Fair enough.
 
But then the kid doesn’t see the field the rest of the third quarter, even as the wheels start coming off faster than you can “three-and-out” while the Lions catch fire. By the time Smith goes back to him, it’s too late. Damage done.
 
The Illini had no “feel” for using him against South Florida a week earlier, either, which resulted in them blowing a 19-6 lead in the fourth.
 
Can we stop rejoicing over M.J. Rivers II play at QB, too? Great, we get it, he’s a freshman. Can’t expect too much. Yeah, but we can expect him to feel pressure once in a while, and this guy can’t even sense the sharks circling a step away and the blood swirling all over.
 
Temple? Yo, take the win and just keep running Ryquell Armstead. Enough said.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
 
This upcoming weekend may be the best for big-time matchups thus far, and could serve as the “yay” or “nay” final say for several teams with playoff hopes.
 
No. 4 Ohio State travels to No. 9 Penn State in the featured, prime-time contest Saturday night, but it ain’t the only one with major implications. No. 7 Stanford visits No. 8 Notre Dame the same night (and time) as well. No. 12 West Virginia has to go on the road at No. 25 Texas Tech, which just dismantled then-No. 15 Oklahoma State on its own field, and No. 11 Washington hosts No. 20 Brigham Young, which already dropped then-No. 6 Wisconsin at its place this season, in the other biggies.