College football Week 2 players to watch: How will Texas run game fare against Ohio State?

After a Week 1 that included an improbable win thanks to an added second, a blowout in Baton Rouge that few saw coming and a power outage in Tallahassee, Week 2 of the 2026 college football season is here.

Here are your players to watch.

NC State LB Raul Aguirre Jr.

• Richmond at NC State, 7 p.m. ET Friday (ESPNU/DIRECTV)

Will the Miami transfer tackle everything in sight again on Friday night? Aguirre posted 18 total tackles in the Wolfpack's loss to Virginia in Week Zero. Granted, many of those stops were by necessity as Virginia just kept running the ball at the Wolfpack. The Cavaliers rushed 57 times for 258 yards as QB Beau Pribula threw just 11 passes. NC State is a heavy favorite against the Spiders; Richmond assuredly won't have that run-pass ratio. But the opportunity is there for Aguirre to post a big tackle number again.

Rutgers WR KJ Duff

• Rutgers at Boston College, 7:30 p.m. ET Friday (ESPN2/DIRECTV)

Duff was the lone bright spot for Rutgers in the Scarlet Knights' Week 1 loss to UMass. He had nine catches for 196 yards and three touchdowns. And Rutgers might need that type of production again in Week 2.

The loser of Friday night's game will be in the running for the title of worst power conference team in the country. Rutgers, perhaps understanding the magnitude of the moment, has already made a QB change. Dylan Lonergan started in Week 1. AJ Surace will get the start against Boston College. Lonergan threw two TDs to Duff, but he also threw three interceptions and had a fumble.

Oklahoma State QB Drew Mestemaker

• No. 6 Oregon at Oklahoma State, Noon ET Saturday (ESPN/DIRECTV)

It was not a seamless transition to Oklahoma State for Mestemaker and his former North Texas teammates who traveled up Interstate 35 to Stillwater. The Cowboys opened the season with a second consecutive loss to Tulsa, as the offense managed just 10 points.

After throwing for nearly 4,400 yards in 2025, Mestemaker was 29-of-49 passing for 241 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Now the Cowboys get an Oregon team that will be motivated after a close Week 1 win over Boise State. And the Ducks beat the Cowboys 69-3 last season.

Arizona State QB Cutter Boley

• Arizona State at No. 10 Texas A&M, Noon ET Saturday (ABC/DIRECTV)

The former Kentucky quarterback had a fantastic debut for the Sun Devils against Morgan State. Yes, ASU played an overmatched FCS opponent, but Boley was 21-of-27 for 387 yards and threw six touchdown passes.

Can he come close to replicating that performance against Texas A&M? If so, the Sun Devils have a chance to pull the upset as two-touchdown underdogs. Boley is already at 40% of his passing touchdown total from 2025 after he threw 15 touchdowns across 301 pass attempt for a Kentucky team that struggled offensively in Mark Stoops' final season.

Duke RB Nate Sheppard

• Duke at Illinois, 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday (FS1/DIRECTV)

Sheppard is the nation's leading rusher among players who have played in just one game so far this season. He got 35 carries for 227 yards in the Blue Devils' 17-3 win over Tulane.

With QB Darian Mensah at Miami, the sophomore rusher will be the centerpiece of Duke's offense in 2026 after he grew into his role as the Blue Devils' featured back in 2025. After five carries in each of Duke's first three games in 2025, Sheppard had at least 12 carries in every game the rest of the season and had more than 20 rushes over Duke's final four games of the year.

Still, 35 carries is by far a career high. That workload won't be sustainable, but Sheppard should get over 250 carries in 2026.

Iowa RB Kamari Moulton

• Iowa State at No. 21 Iowa, 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday (NBC/DIRECTV)

Moulton was the Hawkeyes' leading rusher with 878 yards a season ago and is well on his way to eclipsing that mark in 2026. The junior rushed for 183 yards on just 11 carries in a 40-0 win over Northern Illinois. Moulton had TD runs of 37 and 50 yards in the first quarter as the Hawkeyes ran for 289 yards as a team.

Moulton scored just five touchdowns a season ago and should find the end zone with far more regularity in 2026. He could be in line for another multiple-touchdown game on Saturday night against an Iowa State team that's basically brand-new in 2026 after coach Matt Campbell's departure to Penn State.

Clemson QB Tait Reynolds

• Georgia Southern at Clemson, 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday (ACC Network/DIRECTV)

How much will we see of the Clemson freshman against Georgia Southern? After earning the backup job in fall camp, Reynolds saw playing time in the Tigers' Week 1 blowout loss to LSU. It didn't go well, though it also didn't go well for anyone associated with Clemson in Week 1.

Reynolds was 4-of-6 passing for 22 yards and was sacked three times in relief of Christopher Vizzina, who was 10-of-16 for 83 yards and threw an interception.

After losing to LSU in Week 1 a year ago, Clemson also played a Sun Belt opponent in Troy. And that game wasn't a blowout. The Tigers won 27-16. Vizzina looks set to start again in Week 2, but if Clemson's offense struggles again or the coaching staff decides that it's time to play for the future, Reynolds could end up being the guy.

Texas RBs Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers

• No. 1 Ohio State at No. 4 Texas, 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday (ABC/DIRECTV)

It's the first great test of Texas' overhauled running back room. The Longhorns' lack of a consistent ground game was a bugaboo in 2025, and Brown (Arizona State) and Smothers (NC State) were brought in as part of Texas' big-dollar offensive remodel in the transfer portal.

The initial results were encouraging against Texas State. Smothers rushed 10 times for 70 yards and while Brown averaged just over three yards a carry, he scored two touchdowns. If they can force Ohio State to worry about the run game, that will open up more space for receivers Ryan Wingo and Cam Coleman to stretch the secondary.