College Football, Week 2: Games, players, to watch

Happy Saturday New York Giants fans, and welcome to Week 2 of the college football schedule!

The college football schedule makers were kind to us, giving us a pair of match-ups between ranked opponents. The first is a showdown between the top-ranked Clemson Tigers and 12th ranked Texas A&M — which would normally be a marquee game for the weekend. Stealing that title is the SEC showdown between LSU and Texas, but both games will feature future NFL players on both offense and defense.

So with that said, let’s get to the games!

Iowa (20) vs. Rutgers

Fox Sports 1 - noon

Iowa is a program I wanted to get to early this year, and very well could circle back to later in the season. The Hawkeyes have a pair of players who will likely be drafted early in the 2020 NFL draft in OT Tristan Wirfs and DL A.J. Epenesa. Wirfs could become the top offensive tackle in the upcoming draft class and not only has years of experience at right tackle, he played well when forced to play left tackle by a foot injury to starting LT Alaric Jackson. The 6-foot-5, 320-pound tackle is also one of the best athletes in college football and ranked out as the freakiest athlete in the nation on Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks” list.

Epenesa isn’t far behind, either. The 6-6, 280-pound defensive end would be a good fit for a multiple defense, able to play the 7-technique, 5-technique, or 3-technique depending on package and alignment. He has the power you would expect to see from a player his size, but also brings surprising burst and bend to win with speed off the edge and flatten around the corner when rushing the passer.

Players to watch

Rutgers

• Raheem Blackshear (RB)
• Damon Hayes (CB/S)

Iowa

• Tristan Wirfs (OT)
• A.J. Epenesa (DL)

Clemson (1) vs. Texas A&M (12)

ABC - 3:30 p.m.

Normally if you are the twelfth ranked team in the land, you should be pretty confident in your ability to win the second game of the year. The Aggies, on the other hand, have a tall task ahead of them as they face Clemson, the top ranked team and reigning national champs.

While the focus of the game will be Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence as the next great signal caller (for the 2021 draft at the earliest), Texas A&M will have their hands full stopping Clemson running back Travis Etienne. Etienne isn’t a big back, but he is a home-run hitter with vision, agility, explosiveness, speed, and a frame (5-foot-10, 200 pounds) that reminds of former Giant David Wilson. Etienne has averaged 8.6 yards per carry over the last two years at Clemson, and had 205 yards and 3 touchdowns in their season opener — on just 12 carries.

Players to watch

Texas A&M

• Kendrick Rodgers (WR)
• Kellen Mond (QB)

Clemson

• Travis Etienne (RB)
• Tee Higgins (WR)
• Isaiah Simmons (S)
• A.J. Terrell (CB)

Texas (10) vs. LSU (6)

ABC - 7:30 p.m.

For the second week in a row we get a promising match up between ranked teams as sixth-ranked LSU takes on No. 10 Texas in the prime time game. This should be a good matchup between Texas QB Sam Ellinger and WR Collin Johnson take on LSU safety Grant Delpit, cornerback Kristian Fulton, and LSU’s talented defensive front.

Of all the players on the field tonight, Delpit is the one to watch. He is a smart, rangy, and instinctive safety with a knack for making plays. He should be the top ranked safety, defensive back, and of the highest graded players, in the 2020 NFL draft.

Players to watch

LSU

• Grant Delpit (S)
• Kristian Fulton (CB)
• K’Lavon Chaisson (EDGE) *sophomore
• Rashard Lawrence (iDL)
• Jacob Phillips (LB)
• Lloyd Cushenberry III (OC)

Texas

• Brandon Jones (S)
• Collin Johnson (WR)
• Zach Shackleford (iOL)