College Football Live - CFB Live - 9/9 - Week 2 Recap

Episode Date: September 9, 2025

Our crew Zubin Mehenti, Sam Acho, Tom Luginbill and Pete Thamel on College Football Live today. They'll recap week 2 games and give us a look ahead on what to expect going into week 3. Is John Mateer the next big thing for Oklahoma? What should we expect from Michigan with head coach Sherrone Moore out the next two weeks? Should we be paying attention to what's happening down in South Florida? A lot of questions and more, tune in! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Texas still out ahead of them. This ain't the same old South Florida, my brother. Send the border war. I'm home with us. It is his first win at the collegiate level. And this is what makes college football so special. The night belongs to Oklahoma. It's a big land for this program.

Chris and Kirk, you said it. The night belongs to Oklahoma, and this afternoon is going to belong to Oklahoma. Welcome inside college football live at Tom Luggenville. Sam Mato. I'm Zubin Mahentie. Pete Dammel will hopefully join us here in a little bit. There's been plenty of news and nobody better to have Pete on the show to break that down. So hang tight for him. Out of the gate, let's take a look at this week's college football rankings.

Brought to you by Allstate. You kind of heard Chris and Kirk mention Oklahoma. They're not in the top 10. These teams are, but notably OU moves up five spots to number 13 in what is a huge season for Brent Venables. He's got a 10-win-seasoned sandwich between a couple of six-win seasons. So far so good. Let's start the discussion here talking about the Sooners. And Tom, I want to begin with you.

They've been clicking on all cylinders on both sides of the ball. But there is one thing that you have said is notably lacking for the Sooners. A big omission, it is what? Oklahoma's inability to run the football without quarterback John Mateer. And I think that's something going forward. They are going to have to remedy that because it is a long season. Is it dynamic and exciting as John Matier is? when you attempt 40 rush attempts in this game, which they did,

and John Mateer has half of them, that may not be sustainable for the length of the season. I love how Oklahoma scheming people. I love their gap run game where they include John Mateer. They are dynamic. They are uber difficult to defend. But at some point or another, Giovante Barnes, Jadenott, the Cal Transfer,

and that offensive line are going to have to come up with ways of moving the line of scrimmage that don't include John Mateer because you're going to have to preserve him and you need him late. Yeah, there's some truth to that statement, Loux, but I want to double down on John Matery's athleticism. There are some runs that he made in the game last week and stuff he did last year at Washington State

that make you watch and say this guy looks more like a running back than a quarterback. His level of athleticism within the gap. I mean, he has vision. The ways you would describe it would be things you would describe as a running back, quickness, acceleration, speed. And so even though the running game outside of the quarter, quarterback run isn't as effective.

I think you could actually double down on John Materer's run game because of what he's able to do to avoid hits, to avoid some of the big-time targets that he may get as a runner as a quarterback. You know, Sam, I just got off the phone with Jake Dickert, who is his head coach of Washington State the last couple of years. Now will be a Wake Forest this week taken on NC State. We asked him specifically about John Matier, and his first comment was, that's the best player in college football.

And if you're questioning what he brings to the table, it's not just the athleticism that you pointed out. It's not just the gun-slinging ability in the passing game. It's what he does to the rest of the football team, how he affects the huddle, how he's able to bring along through maturity and experience, competitive temperament, mental toughness, and add an identity to the offense that Oklahoma was lacking a year ago.

And I totally agree with you about the value of him running. I just want to be able to see him still doing that in week 11, 12, and 13. Yeah, and one thing I will say, we're talking a lot about John Mater, which is positive. But if Oklahoma's going to go where they want to go, I think it's going to be because of their defense. What's set out to me just as much, if not more, than the way that John Materer played, was Oklahoma's defense. This is what I expected when Brent Venables first showed up a few years ago, a defense that was aggressive, a defense that was attacking, a defense that was intimidating, that made tackles. We hadn't seen this kind of defense over the last several years in Oklahoma.

We saw a defense that had a lot of busted assignments, a lot of mistackles, a lot of players in the wrong position. Whereas last week, what we saw was a defense that will intimidate their opponent. If the defense plays like this, down the line, Oklahoma can win some of the games that people may have thought they would have lost. Yeah, Sam, they were dialed in. They were all over it. They leveraged the football.

Their run fits were better. They were able to create a line of scrimmage presence that allowed for zero or negative yardage plays. and then in turn, I think that Michigan got a little bit protective. Listen, Oklahoma had advantages here. If you're going to play Michigan right now with a true freshman quarterback, get them at home with a veteran defensive play caller in Brent Venables where you can try to confuse him, try to get him to hold onto the ball. Second guess what he's seeing.

It's a steep learning curve for any true freshman. You go on the road in Norman versus Oklahoma like that. You had to expect some potholes in the road. They were able to run the football effectively, but clearly playing Bryce Underwood now versus maybe Bryce Underwood six weeks from now, advantage Oklahoma. There is no doubt. Chip Lindsay, their offensive coordinator, did indicate after the game that he wasn't throwing everything out there for fear of what Underwood could

or maybe could not handle in that environment. Speaking of Handle, Sam, let's talk about what's up next for Oklahoma. They have the toughest four-game stretch. I think of any team in college football this season right on deck. Take a look at what is on the dot. It's an incredible run for them here. So the question really turns into, from one standpoint, what is their ceiling in a year that some people say is a make or break year for Brent Venables?

Well, the ceiling has, it's almost like the root was that those kind of cars that have the roof that could open up. I don't know what made back, whatever it is. Like, their roof is opened up not just based off of what the defense and off and material looks like, but look at what the other teams are doing. Texas on offense isn't what we thought they were going to be. You talk about a young quarterback in a young environment. Imagine Arch Manning getting his first start in the Red River rivalry

versus the defense that's playing like Brett Venables did when he was at Clemson and in Oklahoma. Imagine that atmosphere. Imagine even going forward a couple weeks to Ole Miss. Ole Miss has some questions of quarterback. Austin Simmons didn't look great last weekend. Also, he got injured. And so as much as we thought that when the season started, I thought that, man, Oklahoma's ceiling is six, seven wins. All of a sudden, based off the landscape of the teams in which they're playing,

that roof has just opened up and I can see them being more much more competitive in the SEC. Yeah, he's 24 and 17. Well, you know, go ahead, Tom. Yeah, excuse me, Zoom. And I think when you look at that schedule, the important thing to note is where are their open dates? And their open dates fall in perfect alignment for what you'd like to have. You split up the first six and the latter part of it and then you go another four. Now you've got another open date.

I think that's smart scheduling right there, the way that laid out. And listen, you look at the road contest, you look at the quarterback play of those road contests, you better be prepared to win one possession game if you're Oklahoma. Think about that. Texas, South Carolina, Ole Miss Tennessee. That was the four-game stretch I'm talking about. We'll see how they fare before they get there. As I mentioned, Pete Dammell is now joining college football live.

Pete, great to have you here. Last year, I think a lot of people that were supportive of Jackson Arnold or Michael Hawkins Jr. turned around and said Oklahoma's top five receivers were all out for a good portion of the season. What did you expect from the quarterback? All the guys here talked about Mateer before you joined us. You want to talk about one of the guys Mateer's thrown to. Well, yeah, Zuban, Oklahoma as a team last year had eight touchdown catches by receivers. This is a very, very low number. They had the worst passing offense in the SEC. Dionne Burks was a paragon of hope for them last year. He's a transfer from Purdue.

Scouts had told me they thought he could be a top 50 pick, first round pick in the NFL draft. He was one of those receivers dogged by injuries. Well, Berks flashed on Saturday night. And again, in this narrative of Oklahoma recalibrating itself to compete in the SEC, as important as John Matere is, Dionne Burks is right there with the Sooners for an explosive playmaker. We clearly saw that through the first two games. We saw it time and time against Michigan on Saturday night. Look for Burks to continue to ascend in the end.

SEC. No question. Great point. Pete and I should mention just a little extra wrinkle there. Birx's high school teammate, Bryce Underwood. It's a nice little post script from that story and game on Saturday. Let's keep it on the Michigan tip, Pete, while you're here. Seems like the latest suspension fallout is about

to begin for Michigan. Sharon Moore is going to be suspended. We know for the next two games against Central Michigan and Nebraska. Take us through what's going to happen here over the next couple weeks for the Wolverines. Well, Zubin, Compared to Jim Harbaugh's two suspensions that bookended Michigan's championship season,

they're in the regular season, obviously. Sharon Moore's suspension has some different nuance to it. He will coach the team in practice this week before handing things over to interim Biff poaching. He will not be able to coach practice all next week between the Central Michigan game and the Nebraska game. And then he'll rejoin the program after the game in Lincoln. And this is a big difference. Remember, that's an offensive line, which is Sharon Moore's specialty, that looked out of sorts at Oklahoma on Saturday night.

So more will be away from the team, which is different for Michigan. No doubt. Poggi, long time, Michigan man, took the Charlotte job, didn't end up working out, but this is not his first rodeo with the Wolverines, and we'll see him on the sidelines on Saturday. It's time for our Capital One, rewarding performance. Take a look at this. Does anybody deserve it more? Then you bet.

South Florida. with an upset at the swamp, looking absolutely terrific. I'll give you a couple numbers. Through 40 games, Dan Mullen was 31 and 9. Through 40 games, Billy Napier's 20 and 20. But the story isn't the Gators. The story is the Bulls and how bullish people are, that they're going to end up being the group of 5-slash-6 team

that's going to end up making the college football playoff that are one-of-way favorite at the moment. The poll started in 1936, and in that time, USF is the fourth teams to start 2-0 with both wins against ranked teams while being unranked. Up next, ranked Miami. And head coach, Alex Golish, knows exactly what they're up against. And on the other side of the ball, the defensive front, man,

really, really big, powerful, strong, fast. Like, that will be the matchup that for us to have, to be able to have success. We're going to have to equalize in some way, shape, or form. 430 local kick. It'll be 85 degrees and there is expecting some rain. All right, Sam, bottom line, I think I know everything about, you know, a lot of our viewers know about Carson Beck.

They know about Castellanos. They know about Lagway. But there's a fourth quarterback in the state of Florida that's balling out that not a lot of people know about. Tell me about Mr. Byron Brown. Yeah, Byron Brown is a problem still waiting to be solved. He's the heart and soul of this South Florida offense, and everyone knows he's going to keep the ball.

They just can't do anything about stopping him. The quarterback run game is elite. Last year when he was healthy, this team was on a trajectory of having a much better season. Then he got injured, and they kind of sunk. Well, this year, there's a confidence level with Byron Brown. When it's third and one or fourth and three, you know he's going to keep the ball and you just can't do anything to stop him. The problem, at least another team is going to face from facing the South Florida team,

is that they are confident. They believe that they belong on the football field, whether they're playing Florida, Miami, it doesn't matter. And that's going to be an issue for whoever's on this South Florida schedule. Yeah, you know, he reminds me, and after seeing him in person, he reminds me of what Dante Cole Pepper looked like in college. And I'm old enough to know that because I actually played against him when he was a true freshman, and I was a senior in college in this big six-foot-three, 235-pound raw athlete was out there

just slinging the ball, running it, trucking people. The thing that South Florida does that puts such strain on you is they spread you out formationally to try to thin the box to have advantage with the numbers. And then when you add in the quarterback run element, you're likely to be short a hat on defense. So watch their formations this week against Miami. You're going to see guys lined up outside of the numbers. And then they're going to use Byron Brown to throw the ball horizontally to get Miami running sideline to sideline. Next thing you know, quarterback run game pops and he's out the gate. Yeah, you saw him

Time. Another thing about South Florida. Go ahead, Sam. Another thing about South Florida is that not only do they spread you out, but they also speed you up. You'll notice when you watch them play against Miami, they'll do a lot of tempo and so they'll go quick, hurry up to the line of

scrimmage. And oftentimes teams will speed you up to run the ball or quick passing game. But no, this offense, they will speed you up. Then they'll take a shot down the field. So be alert, be aware of the confidence level. Even if they don't hit, you have to be on your P's and Q's because this offense going to try and take shots behind their quarterback, Byron Brown.

Yeah, and I was just going to say Luke saw him just less than two weeks ago. So he saw the real deal, the most up-to-date version and the progress this guy has made. All eyes will be on him Saturday afternoon in the state of Florida as they look for another huge win over a Florida powerhouse. On the way here on college football live, we're going at the mic where Davo is calling out his offense. Josh Heiple is chill as can be. And Kirby Smart has his eye on one player in. particular, plus our week two memorable moments. We'll have those after the break,

but it's going to be hard to believe anybody could have had more memorable moment than Florida State. Linebacker Ethan Pritchard was shot about six days ago, and then after six days later, his dad in the locker room, breaking the rock, his father, Earl, with his teammates around him. His son still in the hospital looking to recover, hoping for the best. What a moment for the Knowles.

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Let's take a look at what's on the docket. A lot of people looking at Clemson and Georgia Tech. Dabo Sweeney knows what you're thinking. What in the world is up with our office? We've got to just clean up the execution part from an offensive standpoint. That's just not played with great rhythm and guys got to make the plays that are there. That's where it starts. You know, whether it's the quarterback or it's catching the ball, you know, just getting every week.

We got too many nine out of 11 guys doing their job and that's not going to be a great offense when that's the case. So play two games, got two different experiences and two opportunities to learn and teach and grow. you grow. Our job to go get better. Well, Tom, how do you have a guy like Cade Club, Nick? I realize he plays LSU in the opener, but what's with the uninspired offensive play here? They just don't seem to be on the same page, Zubin. There's hesitancy. There's a lack of decisiveness and anticipation from the quarterback position. Likely that's coming from him and the targets, not being quite on the same page, being maybe slightly unsure with what they're seeing. I know they had injuries, obviously the Antonio Williams, some in the offensive line,

but they got to get back in rhythm and start getting the ball out of their hand. On Saturday, Clemson will play Georgia Tech. Pete, I want to bring you in here. Haynes King, he's like a hockey player. He had a lower body injury, which kept him out late against Gardner Webb. What is his status for Saturday and what's setting up is a huge game in the ACC? Well, Zubin, Brent Key is leaving an aura of mystery around Haynes King's status. He said he's going to practice this week and a decision will be made late in the week. I will say Zuman, if you look at the history of Haines King, who has played through a lot of injuries,

he could barely lift his shoulder last year. He was out there going. It's hard for me to see Haines King missing this game, but we'll monitor it throughout the week and probably give you an answer on game day on Saturday morning. It's a huge game. The biggest one so far early of Brent's era for sure. Also, Notre Dame, Texas A&M. Elko knows what Freeman and Company can bring.

We handled these two games the way you have to handle these two games, you know, we were all aware of what was coming. It certainly isn't lost on this group what's coming next week. It's a chance for us to, again, see how good we are versus a really good opponent, just like it was week one, right? It was a top 10 matchup. This is any no different, a top 25 matchup, and we get a chance to go out in Notre Dame Stadium

and see how well, how much we've improved from the start of the season to now, which is week three in college football. Sam, I think people have seen Notre Dame. name, not so much of A&M considering their opponents the first two weeks. What are you looking for here? I'm looking for the offensive line of A&M to try and support the running game and the quarterback. Running game, Rubin Owens, Levion Moss, both back healthy.

The quarterback, Marcel Reed, has a new weapon in Casey Concepcion, the transfer from NC State. He's electric. But why I say offensive line is that they got beat a little bit last week in their matchup. And so look for the offensive line to try and protect to allow Marcel Reed to get the ball down the field. Meanwhile, college game day,

will be at Georgia and Tennessee. Kirby Smart, envious of Josh Heifle's quarterback. Really efficiently. He's got great armed talent. He's a really good athlete. You can tell he understands the system. He gets the ball out quickly. Made plays with his legs,

which you have to do in this league at quarterback. And he's been very, very impressive in the two games they've played. You're going to have to defend the entire field in this one. But middle of the field is important. I feel like we've done a good job. There's a couple things that we've given up. you know, a couple of weeks ago on some third downs in particular that we can play better than some of our zone principles, pattern reading, those types of things.

But all in all, it's been sound. Pete, to you on this, first things first is the secondary in this game. There's some issues here. Yeah, Zubin, Tennessee is again going to be without its two starting corners, All-American Jermad McCoy, and then Ricky Gibson, a very good player on the other side. Both will be out this week against Georgia. McCoy tours ACL in January. There's still a little ambiguity over his timeline to return.

And Josh Heipel has said that Gibson is going to be out for an extended period of time. Colton Hood, a Colorado transfer, has played very well in their place. Let's get to some news and notes. Northwestern couldn't be picking a worse time to play Oregon. Not there's a good time to play Oregon, but they've got some devastating injury news on tap here today. Yeah, Cam Porter, the starting tailback. And the program's leading Russia and really heartbeat. the last few seasons is out for the remainder of the season.

David Braun announced that recently. And with the ducks coming to town, that's a huge issue for a Northwestern offense that needs to get going. And in Colorado, Ryan Stobb, the third-string quarterback, came off the bench for a command performance against Delaware on Saturday. Sources have told me that he's the expected starter on Friday night against Houston. Coach Prime is playing coy a little bit, but I've been told that internally, people have been notified that it will be Staw, making a second career start on Friday night. No doubt he was Shador's backup last year.

And after he threw a touchdown pass over the weekend against Delaware, he did the old tapping the watch that Shador did. Pete, thanks. Next chance to see the buffs. Colorado, second Friday night game of the year. This time they'll be at Houston, who's had a resurgent year 200 Willie Fritz. College football countdown. Get you going at 7 p.m. Eastern.

On the way, we've got some memorable moments from week two in including an entire town that got dissed by the opposing head coach and let them know about it by storming the field and moving the goalpost at a Davis-Wade Stadium. And somehow, even after a win, the winning team in the ACC had to, guess what, do laps and sprints? What in the world is this about? Win and do gassers. The logic behind the madness next. College Football Live is brought to you by Popeyes.

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Kenny Dillingham may have dissed the opposing city, Starkville. Tom, Syracuse head coach, Fran Brown, dis at his own team, making him do wind sprints after a win? What's this about? I thought I was watching Miracle.

I was ready to see Herb Brooks coaching some college hockey. Fair enough. It was a miracle that Syracuse did survive because you kind of had that game in the bag, for sure, if you were watching. We'll see you tomorrow for more college football.