The Index, Week 3: Gunner Kiel's coming-out party and Texas's coin-toss woes
The Index is your definitive weekly guide to the real stories and controversies behind the latest college football headlines. This is everything you need to know, but on steroids.
College football's third week is officially in the books and a number of upsets headlined what was arguably the season's most exciting Saturday to date.
From Gunner Kiel's otherworldly college debut to Texas's confusion with how the coin toss works, here is The Index for Week 2:
We like...
Gunner Kiel
It’s understandable if you forgot about the former five-star recruit considering the redshirt sophomore did not play a regular season snap until Friday night. But after a breakout debut for the Cincinnati Bearcats that saw the Indiana native complete 25-of-37 passes for 418 yards and six touchdowns and no interceptions, we don’t expect you to forget about him anytime soon.
Kiel’s masterful performance against Toledo tied a school record and could help Cincinnati crack the AP’s Top 25 in the not-so-distant future.
Fun fact: Kiel was the second ranked quarterback coming out of high school in 2012 behind some guy named Jameis Winston.
Top 25 upsets
With Boston College, South Carolina, Eastern Carolina and Virginia all winning, Saturday featured a healthy number of upsets and we couldn’t be more pleased.
While Florida State, Oregon, Alabama, Oklahoma and Auburn seem to be locked in the top spots of AP’s Top 25, this weekend went a long way in showing that any team can be beaten, which should make for an exciting season going forward.
Because seriously, who doesn’t like rooting for the underdog.
Bryce Petty not getting hurt
There was a lot of concern when Baylor head coach Art Briles announced Bryce Petty would start Saturday’s game for the Bears, and rightfully so.
After all, the Heisman Trophy hopeful was planning on playing despite two cracked bones in his back (also known as transverse processes) - an injury he sustained in Week 1.
Despite playing through the injury, Petty was in top form against Buffalo as he threw for 416 yards and four touchdowns en route to a 63-21 blowout.
As long as he can stay healthy, the senior quarterback’s name should continue to be thrown around in the Heisman conversation throughout the rest of the season.
We don't like ...
Blown calls
There’s no doubt that being a referee is a tough job - especially at the college level. But there simply isn't an excuse for the non-call that took place in Saturday’s triple-overtime thriller between Kentucky and Florida.
To refresh your memory, the refs appear to have allowed the play clock to hit zero without a flag for a delay-of-game penalty on a fourth-and-seven in the game’s first overtime. The play resulted in a game-extending touchdown for the Gators.
The SEC later released a statement saying they found nothing was wrong with the process, but they clearly didn’t ask an Kentucky fans or most of the game’s viewers for their opinion on the matter.
That call wasn't the only controversy referees faced on Saturday, as critics panned the officiating crew in the East Carolina vs. then No.17 Virginia Tech game as favoring the Hokies.
In that game, this touchdown grab by Hokies wide receiver Isaiah Ford arguably made the biggest stir.
Screwing up a coin toss
There have been some really bad calls when it comes to the dreaded coin toss, but they usually involve the referees forgetting which side of the coin a team has picked.
On Saturday, Texas gave a whole new meaning to screwing up a coin toss when UCLA’s captains deferred the toss and Texas elected to kick, giving the Bruins the ball at the start of the game and the start of the second half.
Suffice to say Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong was pretty ticked off at his captains, who further proved that you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to play football.
Headbutting other players
We get that football is a rough sport, but there is no need to inflict extra pain on players after the whistle is blown.
That’s exactly what Georgia running back Todd Gurley did on Saturday, as the Heisman Trophy hopeful got away with headbutting a South Carolina linebacker after a play.
The reason for the ill-advised headbutt: the Gamecocks’ defenders were celebrating in front of him.
Good job, Todd. You sure showed them what a tough guy you are.
We’re unsure of...
Hugging the opposing kicker
Being a college kicker is one stressful job - especially when you shank a routine 23-yard field goal with six seconds left in the game that would have sent your team into overtime.
That’s exactly what happened to Massachusetts kicker Blake Lucas on Saturday. Vanderbilt defensive lineman Adam Butler clearly felt moved by the missed kick, as he did what none of Lucas’s teammates had the courage to do: Give him a big hug and tell him that everything was going to be alright.
OK, so maybe the latter didn’t happen, but the first part definitely did, and the result was hilarious.
Pity head rubs
Things got a little weird on College Gameday in North Dakota when a fan held up a poster that said “SAM PONDER PET MY MULLET.”
While the poster itself was creepy, the fact that Sam Ponder accepted the fan’s challenge on national television was just as, if not more, creepy.
We want...
Nick Saban to appreciate his O-Line
There were very few things to take from Alabama’s 52-15 thrashing of Southern Mississippi other than the fact head coach Nick Saban admitted he doesn’t like watching his offensive line in practice because they aren’t all that exciting.
"But those guys are really important. Really important," he added. "And I hug them and love them as much as I can, but I don't like to watch them practice."
Come on coach, it’s time to show some more love for the big guys up front.