Week 2 of the college football season has no shortage of blockbuster matchups, of course, headlined by No. 10 Texas traveling to face No. 3 Alabama. But down in South Beach, the No. 23 Texas A&M Aggies will face the Miami Hurricanes in a highly-touted rematch from last season.
According to USA TODAY Sports, Saturday’s matchup between the Aggies and Hurricanes is on the must-watch list for the Week 2 slate. If you can’t get the action on screen, at the very least you’ll want to keep an eye on the scoreboard.
As for the justification, the quarterback battle is among the many reasons why Saturday’s bout is a must-watch:
Are the Aggies finally ready to live up to their seemingly annual billing? The same question could be asked of the Hurricanes. Both teams handled overmatched opponents as good teams should in Week 1, setting up what could be an interesting clash in the Sunshine State. A&M defeated the Hurricanes in a lackluster 17-9 contest last season, but both teams appear to have more competence on the offensive side this time.
Aggies QB Conner Weigman torched New Mexico for five TD passes without a pick under new coordinator Bobby Petrino. Hurricanes QB Tyler Van Dyke wasn’t quite as prolific against the other Miami from Ohio last week, but RBs Henry Parrish and Mark Fletcher lent plenty of ground support.
The Hurricanes have some intriguing playmakers in Van Dyke, Parrish, and Leonard Thompson. But make no mistake that the casual college football viewer will be tuning in to see whether the Aggies’ high-octane offense is for real. And in order to instill more confidence, it means fending off a more competitive foe in Miami.
After Conner Weigman looked poise and at ease en route to tossing five touchdowns with Week 1’s best-recorded QBR, another solid performance on Saturday could mark an unofficial start to a dark-horse Heisman campaign. Of course, the Aggies will take it week-by-week with their foremost goal being a rebound season. But if the sophomore quarterback continues to toss dimes on the regular, it will become impossible to ignore the noise he’s making when it comes to Heisman chatter.
Bobby Petrino’s offense, and namely his rapport with Jimbo Fisher, will again be under the microscope on Saturday. Truth be told, cynics will be searching for even the most minute “hiccup” between these two. But a resounding win over Miami would quiet the commotion on that front, at least for another week.
No. 23 Texas A&M will face Miami on Saturday, Sep. 9 from Hard Rock Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT and will air on ABC.
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