Kyle McCord, Syracuse welcome Stanford to ACC
The Cardinal (1-1, 0-0 ACC) are now part of a 17-team league that features a recognizable face in Cal, another newcomer in SMU and the 14 returning teams from a season ago. The Orange (2-0, 1-0) are included in that latter group and are coming off a big victory against another veteran ACC foe, Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets, then ranked No. 23, visited the Orange two weekends ago and left with a 31-28 loss. McCord threw for 381 yards and four touchdown passes for Syracuse, giving him 735 yards and eight TD strikes through the first two games of the season.
"I'm very thankful, of course, and the team is thankful to have him as our quarterback," Orange coach Fran Brown said of the Ohio State transfer.
Meanwhile, Stanford trounced FCS foe Cal Poly its last time out, posting a 41-7 victory as Ashton Daniels and Elijah Brown combined to complete 26 of 30 passes for 318 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
"So much of a quarterback is just experience and knowing what to expect," Cardinal coach Troy Taylor said of Daniels, "and he just continues to grow in that area. He's a dynamic runner, he's a physical runner and he gives us a chance (to win). ... I'm sure glad he stuck around to stay with us."
Special teams could be key in determining the winner of this one. Stanford returned a punt for a touchdown, blocked a field goal and converted a fake punt in its last game, while Syracuse had a punt blocked, had a field goal blocked and failed to recover a Georgia Tech onside kick in its most recent contest.
"Those things are momentum changers," said Cardinal cornerback Collin Wright, who recorded an interception in the Week 2 win.
This is the first ever meeting between the teams.
Report: Wisconsin QB Tyler Van Dyke (knee) out for year
Van Dyke, a fifth-year senior who transferred from Miami, was hurt on a third-down scramble on the seventh play of the game during the Badgers' 42-10 loss to visiting Alabama.
After a visit to the medical tent, Van Dyke was carted to the locker room and reappeared during the second half with crutches and a knee brace.
Braedyn Locke played the rest of the game and figures to be the No. 1 quarterback for Wisconsin going forward.
Van Dyke completed 43 of 68 passes for 422 yards and one touchdown while adding a rushing touchdown in parts of three games this season. In four years at Miami, Van Dyke threw for 7,469 yards, 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions over 32 games.
Arch Manning may get first start as No. 1 Texas faces ULM
Texas (3-0) ascended to the top of the Associated Press Top 25 poll this week after a 56-7 win over UTSA on Saturday. The Longhorns, who were No. 2 in the previous ranking, moved ahead of Georgia after the Bulldogs struggled to beat Kentucky later that evening.
It's the first time Texas has headed the poll since midway through the 2008 season, after which the Longhorns ended up 12-1 and No. 4 upon beating Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said his team has had little discussion of the ranking and would not dwell on it.
"Back in the day, the polls were huge because they dictated who got to play for a national championship, and ultimately who won the national championship. Now you've got to go earn it," Sarkisian said. "Our guys, I don't even think they talk about it. They're not sitting in the locker room talking about it. They're focused on what they need to improve."
The Longhorns rang up a 614-260 advantage in total yardage in the win over UTSA in a coming-out party for freshman quarterback Arch Manning, perhaps the most ballyhooed backup signal caller in the nation.
Manning entered in relief of the injured Quinn Ewers and threw a touchdown pass on his first snap, one of four he amassed in about two quarters. Manning completed nine of his 12 throws for 223 yards; he also ran 67 yards for another score that had Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium shaking at its foundation.
On Monday, Manning was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week for his performance. He appears likely to start Saturday against ULM after Sarkisian labeled Ewers as questionable with a strained oblique.
"We're going to monitor (Ewers) day to day and see what this looks like," Sarkisian said.
The Warhawks (2-0) have been better this season under first-year coach Bryant Vincent but will have to take a huge jump forward this week to be anything but fodder for the deep and talented Longhorns.
ULM had an open week on Sept. 14 after producing a 32-6 home win over UAB on Sept. 7 behind a dominating second half.
The Warhawks tallied 296 yards of offense, including 209 on the ground. They capped the win with 22 consecutive points that included a safety in the third quarter and a 30-yard pick-six by Car'lin Vigers early in the fourth.
"We have built a culture here in a short amount of time," Vincent said. "We have tremendous relationships with our players. Our players play for each other, they play for (Monroe, La.) and they play for our coaches."
ULM defeated Jackson State in its season opener. It's the second consecutive year that the Warhawks have started their campaign with two victories; last year's team ended up 2-10.
"We have to understand what got us to this point and the work and preparation and focus that got us here," Vincent said. "There's no need to change."
ULM might not have a quarterback as famous as Manning, but it does have one with a unique name - General Booty. The junior QB has passed for a total of 191 yards and a score in the Warhawks' first two games.
Jaxson Dart, elite defense lead No. 5 Ole Miss vs. Georgia Southern
Off to an outstanding start in a less-than-challenging nonconference schedule, the No. 5-ranked Rebels will host the Georgia Southern Eagles in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday night in their final game before eight straight SEC matchups.
And when the opposition has had the ball against Ole Miss in 2024, it has been lights out play by the Rebels' defense.
In three victories and 180 minutes of football, defensive coordinator Pete Golding's unit has not allowed one opponent to cross the goal line as the squad has dominated the other side on the scoreboard by a 168-9 margin.
No TDs surrendered. No garbage score late in one of the three blowouts, no freak play like a tipped ball or player slipping, no broken coverage or backups wearing unfamiliar numbers showing why they are where they are down the depth chart.
It's the first time since 1961 that an Ole Miss squad has done that.
The Landshark defense is tied with Ohio State in scoring defense (3.0 points per game), leads in rushing defense (33.3 yards) and is tied for third in tackles for loss (10.0).
Linebacker TJ Dottery said the success stems from stopping the run.
"Our D line. Our backers and even our safeties have been coming down, hitting and being physical," said Dottery, a sophomore who played for Clemson in 2022. "We say it a lot, âOn our road games, we pack our defense and our run game.' It's really hard to win without running the ball."
Coach Lane Kiffin said the current defensive front is a major upgrade.
"(This group) is completely different than any time we've been here. Since the Georgia game, that was a priority," the coach said, citing the Bulldogs' 52-17 home rout of the then-8-1 Rebels last Nov. 11.
Transfer linebacker Chris Paul Jr., who played for Arkansas last year, tops the team with 19 tackles and shares the lead for tackles for loss (4) with defensive tackle JJ Pegues. Safety Trey Washington has a unit-best three pass breakups.
After this Saturday, the Rebels' attention will turn to the conference opener at home against Kentucky.
First, the Sun Belt Conference's Eagles (2-1) have next in the Grove.
After losing a home-opening 56-45 shootout with Boise State, coach Clay Helton's group has rallied with wins over Nevada (20-17) and South Carolina State (42-14).
Against the latter, running back OJ Arnold ran for a score and caught a TD pass while fellow backfield mate Jalen White rushed for a pair.
A fifth-year senior from Daleville, Ala., White is a reliable workhorse for Helton, who is in his third season as head coach in Statesboro, Ga.
The 6-foot-1, 220-pound running back has carried the ball 31 times for a team-high 97 yards and five touchdowns.
Helton considers White his most reliable option in short-yardage situations.
"Just a warrior, and he's not 100 percent," the former Southern Cal coach said. "We need him, and you see what he brings to the table - not only in tough running but in goal-line runs where you're always one short.
"I'll bet my whole life on 25 (White) when it's one-on-one."
Notre Dame loses two starting linemen for season
Starting center Ashton Craig and defensive lineman Jordan Botelho were injured on consecutive series in Saturday's 66-7 win at in-state rival Purdue. Starting guard Billy Schrauth will also miss a few weeks with a right ankle injury.
Botelho had a sack, two quarterback hurries and 12 tackles in three games this season for the Fighting Irish (2-1). He'll be replaced by Boubacar Traore in Saturday's game against Miami (Ohio) in South Bend, Ind.
Pat Coogan will draw the start at center this week and Rocco Spindler will start for Schrauth at right guard.
With QB Grayson McCall out, NC State tabs CJ Bailey
Doeren told reporters at his weekly news conference that McCall is "day-to-day" after suffering an undisclosed injury in the second quarter of a 30-20 weekend win against Louisiana Tech.
McCall, who has a history of concussions, was hit by Louisiana Tech's blitzing linebacker Zach Zimos with just over 5 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter and was slow to get up. He was 9-of-13 passing for 54 yards and rushed four times for 22 yards before exiting.
"We're going to take our time, and when he's ready, he'll be ready," said Doeren, who declined to get into specifics regarding McCall's injury but said it wasn't season-ending. "CJ is ready to play."
In relief of McCall, Bailey went 13-of-20 passing for 156 yards and an interception against Louisiana Tech. He also rushed for a touchdown in the comeback victory for the Wolfpack (2-1).
"I was really proud of the way that the team rallied around CJ," Doeren said. "At halftime, when he knew it was his time to play, he was ready for the moment."
As NC State seeks its first win at Clemson in 22 years, Doeren is eager to see what Bailey can do with his opportunity in the ACC opener for both teams.
"They've got a great defensive line, and they do a lot of blitzing, so we've got to give them all the looks -- not just him, the O-line and the protections with the backs," the Wolfpack coach said. "Obviously, crowd noise is going to be a part of what we're doing every day, and making sure our cadence functions in the noise that we're going to be dealing with.
"Then just schematically, doing the things that he's best at, and then letting him play ball. That's the one thing about him. He's a football player. That kid understands the game. He's a winner, and he's excited. I'm excited for him."
Arch Manning preps to start for No. 1 Texas with Quinn Ewers questionable
Coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday that Ewers' abdominal injury happened on a non-contact play. Manning had four touchdown passes and a 67-yard TD run in relief of Ewers in Texas' 56-7 weekend win over UTSA.
"We're going to monitor him day to day and see what this looks like. But he would be questionable for Saturday on the report for next week," Sarkisian said of Ewers' status.
Even if Manning takes the QB1 reps in practice, there's still a chance Ewers would play if he is medically cleared. Sarkisian said Ewers' makeup and professional approach to the position leaves the door open for his return.
"He's always staying dialed in," Sarkisian said of Ewers. "Even when he's healthy and the twos go in, he's always watching the twos. He's always taking the mental reps. I think that's the natural trait he has."
When it comes down to naming a starter for Texas (3-0) against Louisiana-Monroe (2-0) on Saturday night, Sarkisian said both quarterbacks just want what's best for the team.
Texas hosts ULM and Mississippi State in Austin before a bye week ahead of the annual Red River Rivalry game on Oct. 12 against Oklahoma. The Longhorns host No. 2 Georgia the following Saturday (Oct. 19).
"Arch is a selfless teammate," Sarkisian said. "He cares about the guys on the team. He cares about Quinn. They've got a great relationship. He works his tail off. He wants to play good football for them because he knows how hard everybody's working."
