Every week, TeamFB7 spotlights the 10 best individual performances across college football, awarding “Game Balls” to the select group that makes the cut.
After crunching the tape and scouring box scores from around the country, the “Game Balls” department found a nice cross-section of worthy candidates from Week 2 of the college football season.
Ultimately, two quarterbacks, three running backs, three wide receivers, a tight end, a linebacker and a defensive back made the final cut. Does that add up to 11? Yes, yes it does, but a pair of teammates are sharing one of the honors so it works.
And yet, there were so many other worthy performances, which is what makes the “Game Balls” list so prestigious (we think so, at least). At the bottom, we’ll recognize a full separate list of 10 honorable mentions.
But first, the 10 Games Balls for Week 2 go to …
1. Oklahoma State QB Drew Mestemaker
Drew Mestemaker is no stranger to “Game Balls” as a multi-time honoree during his incredible redshirt-freshman season at North Texas last year, when he led the entire FBS with 4,379 passing yards.
Well, he’s at it again, now at Oklahoma State as one of several North Texas stars who followed coach Eric Morris to Stillwater.
After the Cowboys took a discouraging 24-10 loss to Tulsa in their opener, with Mestemaker throwing for just 1 touchdown with 2 interceptions, it was night-and-day different in Week 2.
Oklahoma State pulled off the biggest upset of the week in a 39-31 win over then-No. 6 Oregon, and Mestemaker led the way with 317 passing yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs and 6 carries or 109 yards and a score.
That included going “Full Mendoza” to score the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard scramble on third-and-8 in which he hurdled a defender near the goal line and went full airborne into the end zone while weathering a big hit.
2. Texas QB Arch Manning
It’s not all about raw stats here at Game Balls HQ, otherwise Arch Manning would not be on this list after a rather pedestrian overall line of 195 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT and 24 net rushing yards.
Big moments and clutch performances count as much as anything, and there was nothing bigger in college football last week than No. 4 Texas entering the fourth quarter down 23-3 and rallying to stun No. 1 Ohio State, 24-23.
Per Texas’ sports information department, the Longhorns became the first team to erase a 20-point deficit against an AP No. 1 team in the last 22 seasons, with No. 1 teams previously 197-0 when holding a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter since 2004.
It was far from all Manning, but he converted some pivotal first downs, kept the chains moving when it mattered most and will serve as the Texas representative in this case.
Starting late in the third quarter, Manning led the Longhorns on three touchdown drives in their final three possessions, completing 13 of 18 passes for 124 yards and his lone touchdown and rushing for 35 yards over those drives.
That included:
-a 9-yard completion to tight end Emaree Winston on fourth-and-9 from Texas’ own 42, a 13-yard strike to Emmett Mosley V on third-and-8 and then a 3-yard TD to Ryan Wingo on a 15-play, 91-yard drive to start the comeback.
-a 12-yard completion to Mosley on fourth-and-6 from the Texas 32 on the Longhorns’ subsequent 13-play, 72-yard touchdown drive.
-a 19-yard pass to Mosley down to the Ohio State 1 with about a minute left to set up Hollywood Smothers’ go-ahead TD run.
Also, for what it’s worth, Manning’s stat line should have looked even cleaner as his early interception was about as flukey as any turnover can be and should have instead been a long completion inside the red zone. Take a look …
3. Cal DB Kingston Lopa
Redshirt-sophomore safety Kingston Lopa had a performance he’ll never forget in Cal’s 21-18 win over Syracuse, recording 3 interceptions (and 5 tackles), including scoring the go-ahead touchdown on a 24-yard pick-6 with under 5 minutes to play.
All of Lopa’s interceptions came in the second half to help swing a game that Cal was losing 12-7 at halftime.
He returned his first pick 53 yards to the Syracuse 29 early in the third quarter, setting up a short go-ahead touchdown drive for his offense.
But Cal was trailing again in the fourth quarter, 18-14, when Lopa delivered the go-ahead pick-6. He later sealed the win with his third interception coming on what would be Syracuse’s final play before the Golden Bears ran out the clock.
Lopa, an Oregon transfer who followed coach new Bears coach Tosh Lupoi to Berkeley, leads college football with 4 interceptions in just two games.
4. Oregon State WR Jesse Legree
One of the underrated stories of the college football season so far is what first-year Oregon State coach JaMarcus Shephard is doing for the Beavers.
Shephard, formerly the co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Alabama the last two years, has the Beavers ranked third nationally in passing offense (396.5 YPG) a year after the program ranked 66th (225.8 YPG). What makes that feat even more notable is that Oregon State has opened the season against two ranked Big 12 teams known for their defense in Houston and Texas Tech.
The two biggest pieces to that passing attack have been sophomore QB Braden Atkinson, a transfer from FCS-level Mercer and an honorable mention on our list this week, and true freshman receiver Jesse Legree.
Legree, listed at 5-foot-10, 172 pounds, was a low-three-star recruit ranked the No. 1,712 prospect in the country by the 247SportsComposite, but that’s certainly not how he’s playing.
Legree had 8 catches for 240 yards and 2 TDs in Oregon State’s very respectable 35-24 loss to Texas Tech.
That included a 75-yard touchdown to tie the game midway through the second quarter and a 37-yard score as the Beavers tied it again, 21-21, late in the third quarter.
All of Legree’s catches went for at least 12 yards: 18, 17, 75, 18, 41, 22, 37 and 12.
Incredibly, he nearly added a 37-yard go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter — on fourth-and-long, no less — but he came down just out of bounds in the end zone after a spectacular grab.
Legree is up to 13 catches for 373 yards and 3 TDs through the first two games of his college career.
5. Duke RB Nate Sheppard
Nate Sheppard becomes our first repeat Game Ball recipient of the season, meriting mention for the second straight week.
The true sophomore is leading college football in rushing at 187 yards per game through two contests, averaging 39 more yards than the next-closest player.
That included 24 carries for 147 yards and a TD in a 31-27 road win at Illinois in Week 2, but that was just part of Sheppard’s impact in the notable non-conference victory. He also had 5 catches for 41 yards and 2 TDs.
Sheppard was overshadowed a bit last season by star QB Darian Mensah and the Duke passing attack, but he was one of the top true freshmen in college football with 1,132 rushing yards (on 5.7 yards per carry) and 11 TDs plus 286 yards and a TD receiving. With Mensah (and Blue Devils’ leading receiver Cooper Barkate) transferring to Miami, Sheppard is the star of the show this year.
He’s averaging 6.3 YPC and looks headed for a special season.
6. Florida Atlantic QB Caden Veltkamp And WR Easton Messer
Florida Atlantic scored a big 38-30 win over Navy in Week 2, with quarterback Caden Veltkamp and wide receiver Easton Messer leading the way.
Veltkamp was remarkably dialed in all day, completing 27 of 32 passes 386 yards, 5 TDs and 0 INTs, while Messer was his favorite target with 8 catches for 179 yards and 2 scores (averaging 22.4 yards per reception).
The duo got it started early with a 76-yard touchdown strike on the second play of the game.
Veltkamp also had TD passes of 36 (to Messer), 30, 13 and 5 yards to build a 38-7 FAU lead late in the third quarter before Navy tacked on points late.
Veltkamp needs to be on NFL prospect lists with his big arm and mobility.
A fifth-year senior, Veltkamp broke out in 2024 at Western Kentucky with 3,108 passing yards, 25 TDs and 10 INTs (plus 7 rushing TDs) and then posted a 3,641-24-17 line (with 4 rushing TDs) in his debut at FAU last year. If he cuts down on the interceptions, he could generate a lot of buzz for himself in his final season.
He’s up to 662 passing yards (fifth nationally in yards per game), 6 TDs and 2 INTs through two games.
Messer, meanwhile, is also a fifth-year senior who started out at Western Kentucky, followed his QB to FAU and broke out last season with 104 receptions for 1,052 yards and 6 TDs. So far in 2026, he has 15 receptions for 252 yards and 2 scores.
7. Boston College LB Anthony Palano Jr.
For a Boston College team that went 2-10 last season with just one win over an FBS opponent, any victory is a big one.
The Eagles celebrated a 28-21 win over Rutgers last weekend to even their record at 1-1, and the star of the day came on the defensive side.
Linebacker Anthony Palano Jr. had 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, a sack and 2 interceptions in the win.
Both interceptions came in the fourth quarter, including one near midfield with 1:47 left in a one-score game to help seal the victory.
8. Boise State RB Dylan Riley
After getting stifled in Week 1 for 50 yards on 17 carries in a narrow 34-27 at then-No. 2 Oregon, Dylan Riley made sure he left his mark on Boise State’s showdown with Memphis in Week 2.
Riley didn’t get in the end zone but he rushed for 206 yards on 19 carries plus 11 receiving yards in the Broncos’ 38-20 win — a notable one in a matchup of two of the more intriguing Group of 6 teams.
Boise State was down 17-3 in the second quarter, but Riley started the ensuing drive with a 22-yard burst to spur a touchdown drive. And after the Broncos defense took the ball back on an interception, Riley ripped off a 71-yard run on the next play, down to the Memphis 19 to set up the game-tying score at the time.
Riley is up to 256 yards through two games after a breakout 2025 season with 1,125 rushing yards and 12 total TDs.
9. Tulane RB Jaylin Lucas
Lucas was one of the more notable individual stories of Week 2.
A redshirt-senior, he spent two seasons each at Indiana and Florida State while never finding the opportunity he wanted. His best season came back in 2023 for the Hoosiers when he totaled 275 rushing yards, 247 receiving yards and 4 total TDs. He had just 27 carries for 160 yards last year with the Seminoles and decided to hop back in the transfer portal, moving onto Tulane for his final season.
Lucas then got just 3 carries for 3 yards and a short reception in the Green Wave’s season-opener vs. Duke.
So there wasn’t much to signal what the 5-foot-9 running back had in store for Week 2.
Lucas turned 11 carries Saturday into 214 yards and a TD in a 28-24 win over South Alabama, essentially forcing the coaches to put him on the field.
Receiving just two touches over Tulane’s two first quarter possessions, Lucas hit for gains of 7 and 32 yards. He didn’t touch the ball on the team’s next two offensive series, though, so when he got his next chance near the end of the first half Lucas turned 3 carries into gains of 8, 54 and 16 yards down to the 3-yard line to set up a Tulane touchdown.
Despite his production, Lucas didn’t touch the ball again until the end of the third quarter when he broke off an 80-yard TD run to give Tulane 21-17 lead.
Perhaps, the Tulane coaches will see fit to give Lucas more chances moving forward after he averaged 19.5 yards a carry in this one.
10. Memphis TE Hunter Tipton
It takes a truly special effort to earn a Game Ball in a loss, but we simply couldn’t ignore what Hunter Tipton did against Boise State.
A tight end catches 9 passes for 229 yards and a TD? Yeah, that qualifies.
All but one of Tipton’s receptions went for at least 10 yards, including an 87-yard touchdown and big gains of 41 and 37 yards.
Playing for his third team in three years after stops at Louisiana Tech and Middle Tennessee State, Tipton had never had more than 68 yards in a game before this breakout and had 5 catches for 62 yards and a TD combined over Memphis’ first two games.
Honorable Mentions
-Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith (8 catches for 164 yards and a TD in a 24-23 loss to then-No. 4 Texas)
-Illinois WR Collin Dixon (11 catches for 166 yards and 3 TDs in a 31-27 loss to Duke)
-Oregon State QB Braden Atkinson (putting a scare in No. 13 Texas Tech with 413 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT in a 35-24 loss)
-Colorado State RB Mel Brown (171 yards and 2 TDs on just 9 carries in a 58-24 win over Southern Utah)
-Tennessee RB DeSean Bishop (147 rushing yards and 2 TDs, 15 receiving yards in a 45-24 win at Georgia Tech)
-Arizona State WR Reed Harris (9 catches for 189 yards and 2 TDs in a 48-20 loss to Texas A&M)
-Florida WR Vernell Brown III (punt return TDs of 64 and 70 yards just 3:25 apart in the second quarter, plus 3 catches for 43 yards and a TD in a 52-3 win over FCS-level Campbell)
-Missouri QB Austin Simmons (292 passing yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs in a 38-21 road win over archrival Kansas)
-Wake Forest QB Gio Lopez (225 passing yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 58 rushing yards, 2 TDs and the game-winning two-point conversion run in a 38-36 double-overtime win at Purdue)
-Iowa kicker Caden Buhr (3 for 3 on field goals, including a 42-yard game-winning with 15 seconds left to beat rival Iowa State, 16-13)
Editor's Pick
AP Top 25 Poll: Five Takeaways From Week 2