Athlon Sports’ most interesting stats from Week 2

Numbers and statistics are a huge part of college football. Every Sunday, reading updated box scores and stats is like Christmas for fans and media members. Some stats like total offense and total defense are overrated, but each help paint a picture for a team or particular game.

Whether the stats are historic, advanced or just an observation from a box score, Athlon Sports brings the most intriguing, important, historic and bizarre stats from around the weekend of college football action:

11: Total Yards Allowed by Boston College Against Howard

As expected, Boston College had no trouble with Howard in Week 2. The Eagles thoroughly dominated the Bison on both sides of the ball. The offense accumulated 76 points, averaged 8.8 yards per play and recorded 347 rushing yards. But the most impressive effort from Saturday’s game has to be the defense. Howard managed only 11 total yards of offense, with five drives in the first half resulting in negative yardage.

4: Key Notre Dame Players Out for the Year Due to Injury

The injury bug has hit Notre Dame hard this season. The Fighting Irish was considered by some to be a playoff contender, but coach Brian Kelly’s team has a lot to overcome if it wants to be one of the four teams playing for a national championship. Starting quarterback Malik Zaire was lost for the year with an ankle injury against Virginia, which means Notre Dame will enter Week 3 with a new starting backfield after running back Tarean Folston suffered a season-ending knee injury against Texas. Additionally, defensive tackle Jarron Jones and defensive back Shaun Crawford suffered season-ending knee injuries prior to the first game. That’s four key players missing from coach Brian Kelly’s team after two games.

22: Kentucky’s Road Losing Streak in SEC Play Ends in South Carolina

Kentucky’s rebuilding effort under third-year coach Mark Stoops and its bowl hopes for 2015 got a huge boost with a 26-22 win over South Carolina on Saturday night. The victory in Columbia snapped a 22-game losing streak for the Wildcats in SEC play. This will be an intriguing team to watch over the next few weeks, as the Wildcats host Florida and Missouri before a matchup against Eastern Kentucky, followed by a home date against Auburn on Oct. 15.

2: Touchdowns Scored by Ole Miss DT Robert Nkemdiche on Offense in 2015

Who knows how much time Nkemdiche will spend on offense once the Rebels hit SEC play, but the defensive tackle already has two touchdowns through two games. Nkemdiche caught a 31-yard touchdown pass in the 76-3 win over UT Martin in the opener and scored on a one-yard plunge against Fresno State in Week 2. Nkemdiche’s two touchdowns are more than two teams – Akron and North Texas – have scored so far in 2015.

17-0: Tennessee’s Largest Blown Lead in a Home Loss in School History

With a 17-0 lead in the second quarter, everything pointed to a Tennessee victory against Oklahoma. However, the Sooners rallied in the second half and clinched a win after Zack Sanchez intercepted Joshua Dobbs’ pass in the second overtime. The 17-point comeback by Oklahoma was the largest blown lead in a home loss in school history for the Volunteers.

2: Wins by MAC Teams Against Power 5 Opponents

MACtion was in full effect on Saturday, as two teams – Bowling Green and Toledo – scored upset wins over Power 5 opponents. The Falcons’ explosive offense accumulated 692 total yards against the Terrapins, while quarterback Matt Johnson passed for 491 yards and six scores in the upset. Toledo contained Arkansas’ powerful ground attack to just 103 yards and limited the Razorbacks to just three points in four red zone trips in the second half.

1988: Eastern Michigan’s Last Non-Conference Road Win

Eastern Michigan is one of the toughest jobs in the nation, but second-year coach Chris Creighton seems to have the program on the right track. After a close loss to Old Dominion in the opener, the Eagles won 48-29 at Wyoming on Saturday, which was the program’s first non-conference road victory since 1988.

0-10: Mountain West’s Non-Conference Record in Week 2

It was a forgettable weekend of action for the Mountain West. Air Force – in a conference matchup against San Jose State – was the league’s only winner, as the Mountain West went 0-10 in non-conference games. The losses weren’t unexpected according to the Vegas spreads, but the conference missed an opportunity to score key victories. Boise State’s 35-24 loss to BYU is a small setback for the Broncos’ hopes of being the top Group of 5 team this season, while Nevada and Colorado State were unable to take advantage of a home matchup against a Power 5 opponent.

2: Last-Minute Wins on Fourth Down Touchdown Passes by BYU

Two games, two last-minute wins by Hail Mary touchdown passes. That’s quite a way for BYU to open the season. After Tanner Mangum hit Mitch Mathews for a 42-yard score on the final play of the opener against Nebraska, the Cougars’ offense delivered once again versus Boise State on Saturday night. Mangum connected with Mitchell Juergens for a 35-yard score on fourth down with less than a minute remaining to give BYU a 28-24 lead over the Broncos. The Cougars later added an interception return to win 35-24.

412: Combined Rushing Yards by Dalvin Cook and Joseph Yearby

Cook and Yearby were former high school teammates at Miami Central, and this duo had two of the top rushing performances in the ACC in Week 2. Cook carried the Florida State offense against USF by recording 266 yards and three touchdowns on 30 attempts. Yearby rushed for 146 yards and a score in Miami’s 44-20 victory over FAU. Both players averaged at least eight yards per carry and are two of the nation’s biggest rising stars at running back.

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Watch for more rankings, previews and predictions from the good folks at Athlon here on Dr. Saturday. And don’t forget to follow @YahooDrSaturday and @AthlonSports for all your college football information.

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