College football Week 2: Players to watch

Heading into this season, Arizona State fans were pummeled with taunts about Herm Edwards being the head coach and how rival Arizona had the Heisman front-runner. Well, against UTSA, N'Keal Harry looked the part of a Heisman candidate. "Unreal N'Keal" caught just six passes, but they went for 140 yards and two touchdowns. On one score, he seemed to break tackles from every defender on the field. With Michigan State coming to town, a lot of eyes will finally be on Harry and the Sun Devils.

When you think of the Iowa-Iowa State rivalry, you think of tough line play and physical action. You need to also think of Hawkeyes tight end Noah Fant. Fant's stats may not wow you (last week he caught just three passes for 10 yards) but he's effective. (One of those catches was a touchdown.) A preseason All-American, Fant caught just 30 passes in 2017, but 11 of those went for touchdowns. 

Fine is one of those gems who pines in a Group of Five conference. Last season he threw for over 4,000 yards and 31 TDs. This year has gotten off to a great start, with a 40-of-50 passing effort and 444 yards in a win over SMU. Upcoming is Incarnate Word where Fine should continue to put up huge numbers. 

Fitzgerald was suspended for the opener against Stephen F. Austin, but his backup, Keytaon Thompson, had himself a good time in his place (364 yards passing, five TDs, 109 yards rushing, two TDs). While Fitzgerald cannot be expected to replicate those numbers, it does show that this offense under new head coach Joe Moorhead is working. Fitzgerald should feel confident to step back in behind center at Kansas State this week. 

It's just Week 2, but Stanford has a huge Pac-12 game against USC on tap. If the Cardinal wants to win, they'll need a lot more from their Heisman candidate, Love. The running back ran for just 29 yards in their win over San Diego State last week, so you know he's itching to have a big showing this Saturday. 

Amazing how the top teams in the country still aren't sure who their starting quarterbacks are. Clemson is one of those teams. Freshman Lawrence had a good showing in his first college game, even if he did so coming off the bench. He threw for just 137 yards but connected on three touchdown passes in the Tigers win over Furman. Bryant will most likely start against Texas A&M this week, but it looks like Lawrence provides more offense. 

When the Nittany Lions' game...heck their season...was on the line late against Appalachian State last week, McSorley made an adjustment at the line and picked up a huge fourth down conversion. McSorley can put up some big numbers, but his poise in the clutch may be what separates him from many college quarterbacks. He goes up against in-state rival, Pittsburgh, this weekend, and he'll be called on to shoulder the load. He will need to play better if the Lions are to knock off the Panthers. 

Murray played in just the first half of the Sooners' blowout win over Florida Atlantic last week, but he performed well. He completed nine of his 11 passes for 209 yards and two TDs in that half and looked poised enough to replace Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield. UCLA heads into Norman this week, so we should get an even better look at Murray. 

Oliver received a lot of buzz heading into the season, and he delivered last week against Rice. He had 13 tackles, including 3.5 for a loss, in their win over the Owls. This week he gets to go against the offensive player who may have gotten the most buzz this offseason:  Arizona's Khalil Tate. Should be an outstanding matchup.

Devin White is the LSU linebacker who opponents fear, but it was Phillips who exploded last weekend against Miami. Phillips was all over the field and capped off a magical night with a 45-yard pick-six that sent White into tears. The competition lowers a bit this week (at home against Southwestern Louisiana), but Phillips is ready to explode into a force for the Tigers each week. 

Robinson went nuts last week against Southern. He threw three touchdowns and ran in another two in the win, further cementing his standing as the starting quarterback after a tough battle in practice. Robinson will get a chance to shine in primetime in the Thursday night ESPN game against SMU. 

One of the best matchups to keep an eye on this weekend is South Carolina's electric wideout Deebo Samuel going up against Georgia's stud defensive back Deandre Baker. Last year Samuel got off to a fantastic start to the season before breaking his leg and missing the rest of the year. His first game back against Coastal Carolina last week featured a one-handed touchdown grab that had Gamecock fans salivating in anticipation of a big season. 

Tate had a really poor opener against BYU. The Cougars bottled him up (only 14 yards rushing), and he had a bad night passing the ball (17-of-34 for 197 yards) which resulted in a shocking Arizona loss. Next up is another set of Cougars...Houston...with all-everything defender Ed Oliver. Look for Tate to have a big game.

Weber was a steadying influence for an offense that was breaking in a new quarterback. He ran for 186 yards and three touchdowns in the blowout win over Oregon State (he also added a 3-yard TD run). The Buckeyes, in their Big Ten opener, go up against a Rutgers squad that has had trouble stopping explosive offenses.

Williams had a stunning game against Northwestern State last Saturday (270 yards rushing, three TDs), but he's going to go up against a much better foe this week. Williams' Aggies face the Clemson Tigers and that vaunted defensive line. If A&M is to pull off the upset, Williams will be needed to come through with another big game.