Welcome to your Week 2 Headlines in Review, written by the Three Technique Team. This week, the Texas Longhorns stamp their mark on the young season, the SEC West has more questions than answers, and we nearly had one of the more chaotic weeks in college football history. Let us know what your biggest storyline was, and what headlines jumped out to you from another great weekend in college football. 

Texas Rolls the Tide in Statement Win

The times they are a-changing. For nearly two decades, college football has known what it’s like to enter Tuscaloosa with hopes and dreams of doing something special. Unlike so many teams that left with those dreams broken apart by one crimson wave after another, the Texas Longhorns emerged victorious. Not only does the win signal a changing of the guard at the top of college football, but it puts the fate of the SEC West into total question. 

Quinn Ewers finally had his breakthrough, tossing for 349 yards and three touchdowns in a confident performance. The Longhorns won the game in the trenches, sacking Jalen Milroe five times, while only allowing two tackles for loss themselves. Anthony Hill Jr. became a known commodity, tracking down Milroe on multiple occasions to eliminate the threat of Jalen’s legs. Saturday night didn’t just represent a victory for Texas, it was a domination. 

Is the SEC West in Trouble? 

Alabama was dominated, LSU was routed last week, Texas A&M was blitzed to death in Miami, and Auburn struggled with Cal on the road. Only Ole Miss looked fairly competent in its win against a feisty Tulane team. We’re not used to having so many questions about the most elite division in the most elite conference. And yet, here we are. The SEC has just two wins over Power Five opponents so far. 

The question of consistent quarterback play still hangs over the conference like the storm clouds over the East Coast in Week 2. A new question about the veracity of once formidable defenses has also joined the queue. It used to be referred to as Murderer’s Row…now, we’re searching the lexicon for the right term. Maybe “average” is the right word? 

North Carolina, Utah, and Oregon Dodge Major Upsets

How radically could the championship standings have looked on Sunday morning? No. 12 Utah escaped Baylor with two touchdowns in the final two minutes to win 20-13. Even then, the Utes needed a pretty obvious missed call on the final play to sneak out of Waco victorious. 

No. 13 Oregon bolted out of Lubbock with the 38-30 win (and cover…woof) after mounting a desperate comeback in the fourth quarter. With the Red Raiders driving for the win in the waning seconds, a well-timed blitz and pick six gave us one incredible bad beat for Red Raider backers. 

No. 17 North Carolina got weird a year ago up in Boone, barely beating Appalachian State 63-61 in a thriller. In 2023, the score wasn’t as high, but the drama certainly was. A back and forth game nearly ended when UNC had TWO separate 39-yard field goal attempts to walk off the Mountaineers. 

Fortunately for Tar Heel Nation, Drake Maye and the offense won it in double overtime, 40-34. Not today, App State, not today. 

Sam Hartman Makes History

Sam Hartman’s march to New York is well and truly underway. He’s looked bullet proof through his first three games of the season, including a rain-delayed victory over NC State on Saturday afternoon. Hartman threw four more touchdown passes, bringing his season total to 10. He has yet to throw an interception this year. With the effort, Hartman moved into 10th place in FBS history with 120 touchdown passes thrown in his career. The former Demon Deacon is closing his college career with a bang, but can he hoist the Heisman at the end of the year? It’s looking like it could be a real possibility.