Was it worth the wait? After spending all day on my couch watching college games, the last seven football-free months seemed to just melt away. In week one of the season we have had all the excitement a fan could ask. The week saw several FCS teams upsetting FBS squads, BCS schools losing to NON-BCS challengers and a few exciting top-ten contests. Now, let’s get straight into some news, results and thoughts from around the College Football Nation:
1. ALABAMA 35 VIRGINIA TECH 10: After watching Tech’s first offensive series I thought they would never cross the line of scrimmage all day. Tech ultimately tried to make a game out of it, but Alabama’s special teams rolled and put the game out of reach. On a positive note for Tech, they held Alabama to less than 100 yards rushing and that is something Nick Saban definitely will not be happy about. Is Tech’s defense that good? Or is Alabama’s running game going to struggle this year?
2. OHIO STATE 40 BUFFALO 20: Braxton Miller started off his Heisman campaign with a win, but Ohio State’s defense needs some work. How do you give up 20 points to Buffalo? They are awful. Ohio State could be involved in some shootouts this season, so that defense may spell trouble. Ohio State struggled a bit with their MAC opponent this week, but Michigan manhandled their’s 59-9. I can already see the late-season Ohio State vs. Michigan game ending with a 48-45 score.
Is this how You pack for game day?
3. OREGON 66 NICHOLLS STATE 3: Chip who? Helfrich christened his Oregon coaching career with a win and school record for total offense in a game. Everyone is happy in Eugene, while up the road in Corvallis, Oregon State fans are wishing the season had a Mulligan after losing 49-46 to FCS Eastern Washington. Don’t worry Beaver fans, you can commiserate with Kansas State who also lost to an FCS opponent, North Dakota State 24-21. Never overlook an opponent. How many times must most football players have heard that warning? I guess one time to few.
4. TEXAS A&M 52 RICE 21: During the first half, all Aggie fans could think about was how much they missed Johnny Manziel. Once “Johnny Football” entered the game, following his first half suspension, he did not disappoint. Manziel ripped off several impressive runs and threw a few touchdown passes putting the game out of reach. Unfortunately, the real highlights were Manziel’s trash talking and “denying” autographs for Rice’s defensive line. Grow up kid! I hope Alabama knocks the trash out of you.
5. GAME OF THE NIGHT, CLEMSON 38 GEORGIA 35: This was an amazing game and delivered on the hype. Lots of scoring and many highlights. The most important take away — Clemson is for real! Tajh Boyd’s Heisman stock just sky rocketed after beating a very talented Georgia squad. Speaking of Georgia, Mark Richt will feel his seat getting hotter after a loss like that. He faces LSU and South Carolina in the next three weeks, and that seat could be red hot by the end of September.
6. FLORIDA 24 TOLEDO 6: You want to watch some unimpressive football, and who doesn’t? Then watch Florida on offense. It is the most conservative and boring thing you will ever watch. How did they win 11 games last year? Florida was not the only team “lacking” on offense. Oklahoma State beat Mississippi State 21-3. Both teams are known for offense and neither had it working. Might as well throw Notre Dame in there for only winning 28-6 against Temple. Notre Dame will be going through some offensive growing pains this year after losing starting quarterback Everett Golson over the summer. You could also put Texas in the “bad offense” category based on their first half. However, in the second half they got it going against New Mexico State and pulled away big, winning 56-7.
College football is back!!!
7. Speaking of offense: Wisconsin’s Coach Gary Andersen had a good showing in a 45-0 victory over UMASS. Tennessee also showed some signs of life by shutting out Austin Peay 45-0. Oregon fans better not sleep on Tennessee. Oklahoma seems to have picked the right quarterback and won 34-0 over Louisiana-Lafayette. Maryland, NC State and Cincinnati look to carry impressive Week 1 performances into Week 2. Also, props to Ole Miss for winning a nail-biter over Vanderbilt 39-35. Both teams looked to start the season off right, and Ole Miss did. Vanderbilt better regain focus and not let this last-second loss ruin their whole season.
8. SOUTH CAROLINA 27 NORTH CAROLINA 10: Good Week 1 win for South Carolina, even though all the attention was directed towards Jadeveon Clowney’s lack of conditioning. Give the guy a break. He is going to be double and triple-teamed all season and that’s just plain exhausting, even for a physical “freak” like Clowney. I still think he is an amazing athlete, but not sure anyone could live up to all that off-season hype. Guess my prediction of North Carolina upsetting South Carolina was wrong. Oh well.
So much more has happened, and more games lie ahead. We can all agree this is the best week of the year. Our favorite sport has returned and we must enjoy it while it’s here. If the ending to that Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt game is any indication of the season to come, then all I have to say is . . . WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NATIONAL NEWS:
1. Nebraska has problems
2. USC still needs a quarterback
3. Penn State is thankful for freshmen
4. College football mailbag
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Jeff Hostetler may not have won a Super Bowl with the Giants ( though his uncle of the same name did). He has been an obsessed college football fan living in Florida ever since the Gators beat FSU in the Sugar Bowl to earn the UF’s first national championship.
Ever since Jeff has immersed himself in everything possible related to college football. He enjoys watching, writing, playing, and otherwise obsessing over all things football. A graduate of the University of Florida, he brings a perspective to FishDuck free of our extreme green & yellow homerism glasses to look at the current landscape of collegiate athletics.
