5 things we learned about the SEC in week 2: A superstar pass rusher in the making

Five things we learned about the SEC in week 2 of college football

College football is a funny sport, and in the SEC, fans are always eager to overreact to each game. With only two weeks under our belts this season, we're all quite anxious to be very definitive in what is going on with our teams and in the conference at large.

Of course, we have all many times looked back at early-season takes come a given October or November and laughed at what we thought—Kenny Trill and Joe Tess's now-infamous "Texas is back!" line are the two that jump to mind immediately from the last ten years.

That said, there are still things that SEC fans can glean from this week's games, even though several came against less-talented opponents. Here are five things we learned from week two of college football.

Five things we learned about the SEC: The best pass rusher in the conference is in Columbia, SC

If you don't know the name Dylan Stewart yet, you had better get educated. The five-star defensive end from the DC area was a major win for Shane Beamer's recruiting staff in the last cycle, and it appears to already be paying dividends for the Gamecocks.

Through two games, he is already looking like one of the best players in the entire conference. The man almost singlehandedly pulled USC back from the brink against the Old Dominion Monarchs, and the Kentucky Wildcats' vaunted offensive line didn't even have a prayer of slowing him down. Because of his influence, they elected to run the ball 18 times in a row rather than have Brock Vandagriff drop back for even just one moment.

With Kyle Kennard on the other side of the line, this Gamecock pass rush is beginning to harken back to the days of Jadeveon Clowney, Melvin Ingram, and Kelcy Quarles. I'm not sure anyone expected the pass rush in Columbia to look quite this good, but the upcoming test for the LSU Tigers down in SDC is beginning to appear much more daunting than it did previously.