Big Ten & SEC Week 2 Preview
Early on in the season, members of the Florida Citrus Sports Team Selection Committee are out on the road to meet with fans of our partner schools to spread the word about our two bowl games in the new Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium.
Iowa (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) heads to Iowa State (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) for the 63rd meeting between the two schools. Iowa comes off a 31-14 win against Illinois State where junior quarterback C.J. Beathard threw for 211 yards and a touchdown and junior LeShun Daniels Jr. rushed for 123 yards. Iowa State enters the game after a 31-7 victory against in-state foe Northern Illinois. Senior Orlando native Sam Richardson threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. Iowa holds a 40-22 advantage in this series but the schools are split over the last decade, with Iowa State winning three of the last four including last year’s game in Iowa City.
Oregon State (1-0, 0-0 Pac-12) travels to Michigan (0-1, 0-0 Big Ten) in Oregon State head coach Gary Andersen’s return to the Big Ten. Andersen coached Wisconsin the last two seasons before leaving for Corvallis. In his debut last week, the Beavers defeated Weber State 26-7. True freshman Seth Collins threw for 92 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. For Michigan, Jim Harbaugh also made his debut as head coach last week, leading the team on the road against another Pac-12 team, the Utah Utes. His arrival was not as successful as Andersen’s, however, ending in a 24-17 loss for the Wolverines. Senior Iowa transfer Jake Rudock threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns but was picked off three times, including a fourth quarter interception returned for a touchdown that ended up as the deciding score.
No. 7 Oregon (1-0, 0-0 Pac-12) is on the road at No. 5 Michigan State (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) in a Saturday night showdown on ABC. Oregon is coming off a 61-42 win at home against Eastern Washington. Senior transfer Vernon Adams threw for 246 yards and ran for 64 in the win. Michigan State kept it close but finally pulled away from Western Michigan 37-24. The Spartans were led by senior Connor Cook who threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns. This game is a rematch from last year when the Spartans lost to Oregon on the road 46-27.
Washington State (0-1, 0-0 Pac-12) heads east to New Jersey to face off against Rutgers (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) after a disappointing loss in week one. The Cougars lost at home to FCS team Portland State 24-17 last week despite 289 yards from their sophomore quarterback Luke Falk. Rutgers put up 63 points on Norfolk State in a 63-13 win. Six different players scored touchdowns for Rutgers. Last year Rutgers went on the road and defeated Washington State 41-38.
No. 14 LSU (0-0, 0-0 SEC) travels to No. 25 Mississippi State (1-0, 0-0 SEC) to open SEC play. LSU’s first game of the year, against McNeese State, was canceled last week due to inclement weather, making this game against their SEC West rivals a de facto season opener. Mississippi State is coming off a 34-16 win on the road against Southern Mississippi that put the Bulldogs in the Top-25. Last year, the Bulldogs snapped a 14-game losing streak in the series with a 34-29 win in Baton Rouge, propelling them into the Top 25 for the remainder of the 2014 season.
Kentucky (1-0, 0-0 SEC) heads southeast to face-off against SEC East foe South Carolina (1-0, 0-0 SEC). The Wildcats are coming off a 40-33 victory at home against Louisiana-Lafayette thanks to junior Patrick Towles’ 257 yards and three touchdowns. South Carolina is coming off a 17-13 win over North Carolina in neutral-site game in Charlotte. Kentucky defeated South Carolina 45-38 last year in Lexington.
No. 10 Georgia (1-0, 0-0 SEC) heads to Vanderbilt (0-1, 0-0 SEC) in the Saturday afternoon CBS timeslot. Georgia is coming off a 51-14 win over Louisiana-Monroe that saw sophomore Nick Chubb rush for 120 yards and two touchdowns and junior quarterback Greyson Lambert throw for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Vanderbilt is coming into the week off a shocking 14-12 loss to Western Kentucky. Last year Georgia defeated Vanderbilt 44-17.