Kirk Herbstreit lists top performing teams from Week 2 action

Week 2 of the college football season provided plenty of thrilling games and elite performances from numerous teams across the country. And following the weekend, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbsteit revealed who he believed were the top performing teams of Week 2.

Herbstreit’s top-performing team may not come as surprise following one of the biggest marquee matchups of the entire football season, but there’s no question that many other squads posted elite performances on Saturday.

Check out Kirk Hebstreit’s top seven teams from Week 2 below, along with an analysis of all the team’s performances from the weekend.

1. Texas

The Texas Longhorns may have secured the biggest win of the entire college football season, getting revenge from last year’s loss at home to the Crimson Tide with a 34-24 win in Tuscaloosa. The Longhorns made history on Saturday night, handing Alabama their first double-digit loss at home since the 2003 season.

Star quarterback Quinn Ewers had a stellar three-touchdown performance that has many fans in Austin believing that ‘Texas is back’. And their new ranking sure says so too, as the Longhorns have jumped from the No. 11 team in the country to No. 4 following Saturday’s win.

2. Miami

Similar to Texas, Miami got revenge in a non-conference matchup that they took a loss in last season, defeating Texas A&M 48-33 in a high-scoring affair in Coral Gables. The Hurricanes have now started the season 2-0 for the second straight season and secured their first win over a ranked opponent since the arrival of head coach Mario Cristobal.

Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke stole the show for Miami with an amazing performance, throwing for 374 yards and a career-high five touchdown passes on Saturday. Wideout Jacolby George also had a career day as the recipient of three of TVD’s touchdown passes along with 94 yards on the day.

3. Washington State

The Washington State Cougars pulled off the upset at home on Saturday defeating Wisconsin 31-22 in Martin Stadium in front of an electric home atmosphere. The Cougars entered the game unranked as they took on the No. 19 team in the country, but have now found themselves ranked No. 23 in the polls after the win.

Cameron Ward further proved that the Pac-12 is loaded at quarterback, finding 10 different pass catchers on his way to a 212-yard, two-touchdown performance, also leading the team in rushing with 43 yards on the ground. The Cougars’ defense was stout all day as well, never letting the Badgers take a single lead in the game after the offense struck first in the first quarter.

4. Cincinnati

Cincinnati secured their first Power 5 win under new head coach Scott Satterfield in Week 2 defeating Pittsburgh on the road 27-21. The Bearcats got off to a hot start in the first half, but despite letting the Panthers creep back into the game held off Pitt to close out the contest.

The Bearcats had a dominant day on the ground as running back Corey Kiner rushed for 153 of the team’s 216 yards on the ground. On the flip side, they excelled at stopping Pitt’s rushing attack, holding the Panthers to just 83 rushing yards on their way to a win.

5. Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish have been rolling since Week 0 of the season, and continued to so in Week 3. They secured their first win over a Power 5 opponent this weekend handling NC State in a 45-24 win on the road.

Transfer quarterback Sam Hartman has continued to shine for Notre Dame, delivering a 286-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Wolfpack. Him paired with the rushing attack led by Audric Estime has looked nearly unstoppable this season, as he rushed for 134 yards and two scores on Saturday.

6. Oregon

The Oregon Ducks were pushed in Week 2 in front of a hostile road crowd. But thankfully for them, they were able to pull of the come-from-behind win against Texas Tech this weekend with a 38-30 win over the Red Raiders.

The Ducks were on the ropes entering the fourth quarter, finding themselves down 27-18 heading into the final period of the game. But their offense caught fire in the fourth, scoring 20 total points to keep their record flawless on the season.

7. Kansas

Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels missed the Jayhawks’ Week 1 outing versus Missouri State. But he definitely made up for lost time in the team’s 34-23 win over Illinois this weekend.

Daniels produced 301 yards of total offense between his arm and legs on Saturday with two touchdown passes, finding the end zone twice in the first quarter. And despite Illinois scoring the final two touchdowns of the day, the Jayhawks managed to hold them off for the win.

There’s no question that multiple teams delivered top-level performances in Week 2, and it will be interesting to see if any of these squads find themselves back on Herbstreit’s list as the season continues.