Army fell short in its attempt to start the regular season on a two-game winning streak, losing to Duke, 35-19. The Black Knights still need five wins to qualify for the EagleBank Bowl. Army started out strong in the first half, but the Blue Devils pulled away after the intermission.
A slew of Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) teams scored wins over non-conference foes this past week, led by N.C. State drilling Murray State, 65-7. Maryland squeaked by James Madison in overtime, 38-35. Virginia Tech, fresh off a loss to Alabama in a clash of top 10 teams, avenged that defeat by crushing Marshall, 52-10.
North Carolina narrowly got by Connecticut, 12-10, while 2008 EagleBank Bowl winner Wake Forest defeated Stanford out of the Pac-10 Conference, 24-17. Nationally ranked TCU beat Virginia, 30-14; Boston College handled Kent State, 34-7; Florida State won by 10 versus Jacksonville State, 19-9; and Georgia Tech squeaked by Clemson, 30-27.
In Conference USA, Houston scored an upset over Oklahoma State, 45-35; SMU edged UAB, 35-33; Southern Mississippi beat UCF by a touchdown, 26-19; Tulsa won big over New Mexico, 44-10; West Virginia defeated East Carolina, 35-20; nationally ranked BYU destroyed Tulane, 54-3; Marshall lost to Virginia Tech, 52-10; Rice was no match for Texas Tech, losing 55-10; and Memphis fell to Middle Tennessee, 31-14.
The 2009 EagleBank Bowl will feature a team from the ACC against Army or an opponent from Conference USA, should Army not qualify for the post-season.
Week 2 Player of the Week
This is a no-brainer. Houston’s quarterback, Case Keenum, earned the National Offensive Player of the Week honor from the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
Keenum, in leading the Cougars to a big win over Oklahoma St., threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns. He has compiled some impressive numbers, throwing for at least 300 yards in 15 of his last 16 games. In two games this season, his stats are downright sick: 725 passing yards, seven touchdowns and only one interception.
Week 2 Upset of the Week
Another easy pick. Houston’s win over Oklahoma St., ranked fifth in the nation last week by the Associated Press, vaulted the Cougars into the top 25, a place that the team hasn’t found itself in since 1991, the last time it was ranked in a national poll.
ACC Record in Week 2 Non-Conference Play
8-1. Virginia’s loss to TCU represents the only blemish in an otherwise perfect week for the ACC against non-conference foes.
C-USA Record in Week 2 Non-Conference Play
2-5. And most of these games weren’t even close.
ACC Standings (Conference Play, then Overall)
Atlantic Division
Boston College: 0-0, 2-0
Maryland: 0-0, 1-1
N.C. State: 0-0, 1-1
Wake Forest: 0-0, 1-1
Clemson: 0-1, 1-1
Florida State: 0-1, 1-1
Coastal Division
Georgia Tech: 1-0, 2-0
Miami: 1-0, 1-0
North Carolina: 0-0, 2-0
Duke: 0-0, 1-1
Virginia Tech, 0-0, 1-1
Virginia, 0-0, 0-2
C-USA Standings (Conference Play, then Overall)
East Division
Southern Mississippi: 1-0, 2-0
UAB: 1-1, 1-1
East Carolina: 0-0, 1-1
Marshall: 0-0, 1-1
Memphis: 0-0, 1-1
Memphis: 0-0, 0-2
UCF: 0-1, 1-1
West Division
SMU: 1-0, 2-0
Tulsa: 1-0, 2-0
Houston: 0-0, 2-0
UTEP: 0-0, 0-2
Rice: 0-1, 0-2
Tulane: 0-1, 0-2
