First shoutout goes to Tyler Matakevich, star linebacker for my Temple Owls and the Freddy Krueger to Christian Hackenberg's future attempts at peaceful sleep. Usually a tackle machine anyway, his current total of 362 tackles is the most among active FBS players, Matakevich was also living in the backfield last Saturday as evidenced by his 3 sacks for a net loss of 20 yards. The red-bearded wonder may not look like the most fearsome player on the field when he's getting off the bus, but put a helmet and pads on the guy, line him up across from American Conference offensive lines, and he transforms into Lawrence Taylor while looking absolutely nothing like Lawrence Taylor. I mean, how is that the most dominant LB currently playing college football (Scooby Wright III is injured, so yeah, I'm going for broke with my man Matakevich):
Next shoutout belongs to Derrick Henry, RB from Alabama. Henry, 6-3 and 243 lbs, churned out 147 yards and 3 TD's on just 13 carries, good for a stellar 11.3 yards per carry. Wisconsin, known for their rugged, stifling defenses, probably couldn't tackle Henry even if he tied his feet together and hopped his way to the end zone. Pretty much the exact opposite of Matakevich when it comes to natural, physical gifts, Henry is a beast of a back who possesses good lateral agility and top-end speed for a man of his size. If he doesn't hear his name called next April around the same time as Matakevich, it will likely be even sooner after the season I expect him to have as the Tide's unquestioned #1 back.
Final shoutout, of course, goes to Ohio State QB-turned-WR Braxton Miller, who snatched the title of best athlete in college football like it was an unnoticed $20 bill laying on the ground. The #Braxspin, courtesy of Mark Titus, was undoubtedly THE highlight of the entire Week 1 slate, and could conceivably already be named the play of the year. Effortlessness doesn't even do the ease with which Miller ended the lives of not one, but two (!) Virginia Tech defenders' lives justice. On the night, Miller compiled 140 total yards and 2 scores on a meager 8 touches. Almost unfathomable, until one remembers he was basically performing at this level before his unfortunate injury and "demotion" from starting QB to gadget player. Miller will not be denied, it seems, from making as large of an impact as possible on every single Buckeye game he suits up for despite the fact that he's not beginning each play with the ball in his hands. Salute to you, Braxton, for excelling immediately in a new role that could very possibly bode better for your fortunes at the next level better than playing quarterback ever would've.
Aaaaaaaand now onto my Week 2 picks (how was that for a transition?):
19 Oklahoma at 23 Tennessee (PK) - 6:00 PM ET (ESPN)
Per usual, Vegas nailed this line on the head. I've been staring at this matchup for 20 minutes now and I still can't figure out who's going to win. I'm honestly going to make my pick based on how I describe the two teams over the next few sentences. Let's see how this goes. Both teams lit up the scoreboard against inferior opponents last week, though the Vols defense did relent 36 points to VMI...not ideal. Tennessee was a popular preseason "breakout team" pick by many, and it's not hard to see why. Butch Jones has put together a couple really good recruiting classes, and all that talent is finally developed and out on the field. RB Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara are bonafide studs, WR Josh Malone is expected to step up in star receiver Marquez North's absence, and QB Josh Dobbs has proven to be a very capable leader of the offense. But man, how is that D going to stop Samaje Perine if VMI hung 36 on them? Who's Samaje Perine, you may be asking? Oh, I don't know, maybe the current FBS record holder for rushing yards in a single game (427). The Crimson Wrecking Ball, as only I call him, was only a true freshman when he delivered that performance a season ago, so expectations are sky-high for his sophomore campaign. He started the season off with a pedestrian 11-33-1 stat line, and is likely looking to return to his world-beating form from last year. The edge here is home field advantage, as I'm leaning toward Tennessee in this likely shootout.
7 Oregon at 5 Michigan State (-4) - 8:00 PM ET (ABC)
The unquestioned game of the week. Connor Cook vs. Vernon Adams. Mark Helfrich vs. Mark Dantonio. High-speed offense vs. physical, punishing defense. So many intriguing storylines to follow in this one, chief among them being the surprising clear edge that the Ducks have in the running game. Royce Freeman might just be the best overall running back to come through Eugene in years, yet it seems like no one is willing to give him that kind of credit. The Spartans will always showcase a powerful, successful running game, but I'll take Freeman over MSU's L.J. Scott any day of the week (especially Saturday). The winner of this game, though, will likely be the team that generates more turnovers, as Cook and Adams, while very good quarterbacks, should likely be on the hook for a couple mistakes here and there. Whichever defense capitalizes on those mistakes will prove to be victorious, so I'll take Shilique Calhoun and all those ballhawking defensive backs on MSU to edge the Ducks.
14 LSU (-4) at 25 Mississippi State - 9:15 PM ET (ESPN)
The Dak Attack has a hell of a task in front of him, as The Mad Hatter and his LSU Tigers come rolling into Starkville this week. I'm just going to get this out of the way now: there is no one on Mississippi State capable of checking Leonard Fournette. He's going to get his, no matter how much the Bulldogs stack the box. Where they have a chance, though, is in bothering young signal caller Brandon Harris enough to take the ball out of Fournette's hands and into Prescott's. The very underrated loss of Josh Robinson from Mississippi State's backfield must be remedied Saturday night, as it is imperative that either Ashton Shumpert or the diminutive Brandon Holloway steps up in a big way against a loaded (surprise, surprise) LSU defense. Leading the Tigers on that side of the ball is prime breakout candidate S Jalen Adams and heart-and-soul LB Kendall Beckwith, among others as well. The plethora of young, hungry, new starters will be tested by Prescott for sure, but I have a strong feeling Les Miles will have them prepared enough to return to Baton Rouge with a key early-season road victory.
20 Boise State (-2.5) at BYU - 10:00 PM ET (ESPN2)
There has to be one upset, right? Boise State, even post-Kellen Moore, has stayed remarkably consistent, adding 20 more wins over the past two seasons on top of the remarkable 50 that Moore collected during his time as a Bronco (making him the winningest QB in FBS history). Coach Bryan Harsin, OC of the Moore-led squads, leads a creative, efficient offense that tends to give the Mountain West fits every year. Only problem is, BYU is Independent. But that's not why their winning this game. The Cougars will topple Boise because of the incredible amount of team resiliency and unity they exhibited last week after starting QB/Longhorn slayer Taysom Hill went down yet again with a serious, season-ending injury that will sadly mark the end of an enigmatic career to say the least. Backup QB Tanner Mangum is a former Elite 11 darling, and perhaps the better passer between him and Hill. I'm not implying that Hill's injury will benefit the Cougars, but Mangum's presence should ease the concerns of any BYU fans ready to push the panic button on the 2015 season. Seeing is believing, though, and I'm sure after seeing Mangum light up an unsuspecting Boise defense on Saturday night, BYU fans everywhere will be plenty convinced that all hope was not lost with the tragic fate of their star QB.
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