After the Vigor

We all saw what happened in Michigan Stadium on Saturday night. Western Michigan put together a 60-minute effort and beat the Michigan Wolverines. My children will grow up knowing what happened on 9/5/26. You can choose to do the same. Here are our takeaways from the weekend. Phantom clock aside, it was an egregious error by Western Michigan to rush just four players on the final* play of the game (they rushed only three players on Michigan's first attempt). This is something that has infuriated me for years, with defenses just conceding a clean pocket to quarterbacks who need about 4.5 seconds for their receivers to get in position downfield. Instead of rushing that process against an offensive line they had success against all night, Western Michigan decided it was smarter to stick a QB Spy five yards from the line of scrimmage. What are we doing here? What is this preventing? Is Bryce Underwood going to run 50 yards untouched? Anybody care to guess what happened on this play in the UAB-Illinois game? Good gravy, the Oklahoma State hype train sure came to a screeching halt. We all got played for fools. It was curtains for Mike Gundy after Tulsa beat his team in 2025. One year later, and it seems like little has changed in Stillwater. There are 92 new players in the program this year, and we all just thought that was a normal and workable thing. Let's pause the Drew Mestemaker first-round pick discussion until further notice. Alright, not actually, but the comparisons between Curt Cignetti and Bob Chesney were already easy to make before UCLA put together a fantastic showing on Saturday night. After playing a close game through three quarters, the Bruins scored three touchdowns in the final nine minutes to win 45-24. UCLA's rushing attack was a force with Wayne Knight and Anthony Woods combining for 198 yards on 16 carries, Nico Iamaleava was efficient enough, and the Bruin defense held Cal to a success rate of just 36%, forcing two interceptions and two turnovers on downs in the Bears' final four drives. The Bruins showed signs of life that point to a competitive Year 3 in the Big Ten. The first?A deeply concerning performance by RT Phillip Daniels that will be giving Ohio State fans nightmares for at least the next week and likely the next four months. An offensive line is only as good as its weakest link, and it's increasingly obvious where defenses will look to exploit the Buckeyes. Colin Simmons awaits next Saturday. We'll see if any changes get made. The second?Legend Bey. In a (mostly) good way. His first rep - a kick return from the endzone to the 16 yard line - felt like a freshman letting his excitement get the best of him. His second return to just the 10 yard line was inexcusable and cemented my opinion that he cannot be trusted to return kicks in Austin next week. The stakes are too high to be ignoring your teammate pleading with you to take a knee. Bey's recruitment was a reality TV show, his first fall camp began with a two-day suspension, and I'm sure Ryan Day will be addressing his first two reps at practice this week. With all of that said, everything else Bey did on his eight touches from scrimmage on Saturday was sensational. We haven't seen athleticism like that in the Shoe since the likes of Braxton Miller and Ted Ginn Jr. He is simply too talented to ease into the gameplan and instantly becomes a nightmare for opposing defenses. He should get plenty of touches on Saturday if Ohio State intends on winning. If it wasn't for an idiotic timeout taken by Spencer Danielson late in the first half that gave Oregon time to make a stop and pull within 3 points at half, Boise State was set to enter the second half with a 10-point lead and may have had enough cushion to pull off the upset. Noah Eagle made a comment on the NBC broadcast that it felt like a 'Big Ten game' had broken out on Saturday night in Ann Arbor. It wasn't. It was a MAC program having their way against a college football blue blood and their $15 Million quarterback who can't seem to set his feet when throwing the football. Western Michigan put together a 20-play, 13:40 drive in the second half, methodically picking apart a supposedly strong Michigan front. We haven't seen a drive like that in Michigan Stadium since thelast game playedin Michigan Stadium. Remember these two performances when the G6 representative takes heat for losing by multiple touchdowns in this year's Playoff. It won't happen every week, but the top of the G6 is full of talented players who are capable of competing with the biggest programs in the sport. After a couple hiccups in the first half, Chambliss dazzled against an overwhelmed Louisville defense. 261 of his 336 yards came in the second half, including a pair of dimes to Deuce Alexander for 62-yard touchdowns. The slow start was a reminder that the Trinidad Chambliss experience can be a roller coaster. There will be times when his decision making puts the Rebels in tricky spots, but when Trinidad is playing sharp, Ole Miss has an offense that will outpace with anyone in the country. Lane Kiffin's return to Oxford on September 19th could be the game of the year. The Dabo era is officially dead. Pack it up. Fox broadcasts still sound more like podcasts than football games. I couldn't see anything in the washed out Oregon broadcast on CBS. I struggle to hear the announcers in the ABC games. It's all very bad. Keelon Russell will collect a Heisman before his career is over. Stop scheduling Tarleton State. Brian Hartline might be a disaster at USF. If we could pick any unranked P4 team to make the Playoff, it is Florida. Week 2 Vigor Index: Indiana Notre Dame Texas Miami Ohio State Oregon LSU Ole Miss Georgia Texas Tech USC Texas A&M Oklahoma BYU Penn State Washington Alabama Louisville Iowa Tennessee SMU Utah Florida Memphis Western Michigan Subscribe now