Sep 11, 2018

Big Ten & SEC Week 2 Recap: Georgia impresses, Iowa claims CyHawk crown

Standings and Results

Big Ten

SEC

AP Top 10

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Georgia
4. Ohio State
5. Oklahoma
6. Wisconsin
7. Auburn
8. Notre Dame
9. Stanford
10. Washington

Michigan State drops heart-breaker

Arizona State scored 13 unanswered fourth-quarter points and kicker Brandon Ruiz made a 28-yard field goal as time expired to give the Sun Devils a 16-13 win over No. 15 Michigan State on Saturday night in Tempe.

The win improved the Sun Devils to 2-0 under new coach Herm Edwards, while the Spartans dropped to 1-1 on the season. With the victory, Arizona State also improved to 10-0 all-time at home against Big Ten opponents.

Following a low-scoring first half, the Spartans took control of the game in the third quarter, as Matt Coghlin hit a 28-yard field goal and Brian Lewerke and Cody White connected for a 31-yard touchdown pass to put the Spartans up 13-3. That would mark the end of the scoring for the Spartans, however, and Arizona State used a 24-yard Ruiz field goal and a 27-yard touchdown pass from Manny Wilkins to N’Keal Harry to tie the game with 8:45 to play, setting up Ruiz’s game-winner.

Wilkins finished with 380 yards passing and a touchdown while Harry finished with six receptions for 89 yards. Michigan State will try to regroup during a Week 3 bye before starting Big Ten play against Indiana on Sept. 22, while Arizona State pays a visit to San Diego State this week.

Georgia makes statement at South Carolina

Georgia passed its first big test of the 2018 season, notching a 41-17 road win over 24th-ranked South Carolina 41-17 on Saturday. The 41 points marked the most ever scored by Georgia in Columbia and marks the first time Georgia has opened the season with two straight 40-point games since 2012.

Georgia opened the game with a defensive touchdown, as Juwan Taylor scooped up a Deandre Baker interception return in the endzone after Baker dropped the ball prior to crossing the goal line, and took a 20-10 lead into halftime before exploding for 21 unanswered points in the third quarter.

The Bulldogs three-headed rushing attack combined for 185 rushing yards and three touchdowns as each of the tailbacks (Elijah Holyfield, D’Andre Swift, and Brian Herrien) found paydrit. Quarterback Jake Fromm, meanwhile, finished 15-18 with 194 yards and a touchdown.

Georgia now leads the all-time series between the programs 51-18-2, and the Bulldogs have won the last four meetings between the two teams.

Iowa wins fourth straight in CyHawk Series

After holding Northern Illinois to seven points last week, the Hawkeyes defense posted a strong showing again on Saturday, holding in-state rival Iowa State to just 188 total yards in a 13-3 win over the Cyclones.

Iowa State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, but Iowa kicker Miguel Recinos responded with a 31-yard field goal, as the teams went into the locker room tied 3-3. Recinos added another field goal from 48 yards out in the third quarter, and Mekhi Sargent punched in a 2-yard rushing touchdown with 4:47 left in the fourth to seal the win for Iowa.

The Hawkeyes have now won the past four meetings between the in-state rivals — the most consecutive Iowa wins in the series since the Hawkeyes won 15 straight from 1983-97 — and lead the all-time CyHawk series 44-22. The Hawkeyes will look to stay perfect next week as they face Northern Iowa, while the Cyclones will focus their attention toward No. 6 Oklahoma.

Colorado defeats Nebraska in Frost’s debut

After a Week 1 cancellation, Scott Frost made his long-awaited debut as Nebraska’s head coach on Saturday but fell to Colorado 33-28 in front of a sellout at Memorial Stadium.

In a game not lacking in drama, Colorado jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead after the Huskers lost fumbles on both of their opening possessions, but Nebraska was able to respond with 21 straight points and took a 21-17 lead into the half. Colorado then cut the lead to one with a field goal early in the third quarter, but Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez connected with wide receivers JD Spielman for a 57-yard touchdown reception to put the Huskers up 28-20.

Four minutes later, Buffaloes quarterback Steven Montez closed the gap to one again on an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jay MacIntyre, and with 1:06 left in regulation, Montez connected with Laviska Shenault Jr. on a 40-yard touchdown pass to steal the road victory.

The win was Colorado’s first over Nebraska since 2007 and came despite 329 rushing yards for the Huskers, the most by the team since 2014. Martinez had 117 yards on the ground before leaving the game with an injury in the fourth quarter, and Greg Bell added 104. Nebraska is now 50-1 at home and 75-3 overall when having two rushers go for 100 yards in the same game.

Vote for the Play of the Week!

Week 2 was filled with memorable plays and moments in the Big Ten and SEC. Here were two of our favorites. Make sure you vote for the best in the poll below

1. Ole Miss wide receiver Alex Weber uses a Southern Illinois DB’s back to make an insane grab

2. You won’t see many interceptions better than this game-saver from Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield, Jr.

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