The Week 1 college football slate was loaded with some of the best games to kick off the season.
The Notre Dame-Ohio State game lived up to the hype, but others did not.
Utah fell in the swamp while Alabama looked unstoppable. USC put up a lot of points in the first game of Lincoln Riley's tenure, while LSU lost a game for the first time in Brian Kelly's tenure.
College football is back, and with it comes the weekly power rankings. The first round of rankings is here.
Georgia may be able to win a national title with its quarterback. It's just a joke. Bennett, a former walk-on, proved last season that he is a good leader when he led the team to a national title. Bennett is emerging as one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC in his third year with Todd Monken. He completed 25 of 31 passes for a career-high 368 yards and two touchdown in the win. He ran for a second score. He's proving that his accuracy and arm strength aren't bad, even though his mobility has always been underappreciated.
The next game is against Samford. The SEC Network is available on the app.
Bennett ran for a touchdown and threw for two in Georgia's win overOregon.
There was only one unusual thing that came out of the Alabama's win over Utah State. Young scored five times in the first half to start his defense of the trophy. It was anticipated after last season. His 100 yards rushing were more than double his previous career best.
Next up is at Texas on Saturday.
The offense, which was the best in the country last year, fell well below expectations. They struggled to find a rhythm for most of the game, and it didn't help that their leading wide receiver, record-setting Jaxon Smith-Njigba, took a hard hit in the first quarter that forced him to leave the game. C.J. Stroud showed why he's one of the best in the country, as he used his speed to get away from pressure and keep enough plays alive to win the game.
The next game is against Arkansas State on Saturday.
It might not be a better season opener for a head coach than when his team wins easily but has some problems. Eric Gray ran for 102 yards and the defense recorded six sacks as the Sooners romped to a 45-13 victory over UTEP. The Sooners fell asleep in the second quarter and allowed the Miners to stay close. It was a good day at work when you average 8.1 yards per play and your opponent averages 3.8.
The next game is against Kent State. There is an hour and a half on the ESPYS.
In the first half, Gabriel threw two touchdown passes
Last season's starter, J.J. McCarthy, is competing with last season's backup, J.D. McNamara, for the starting job. McNamara completed 9 of 18 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown in Michigan's 514-7 win over Colorado State. McCarthy ran for 50 yards on three attempts and scored a touchdown on the ground after playing in the second half. The offense scored over 40 points, but it wasn't a great show. The defense held Colorado State in check and created pressure with seven sacks.
The next game is against Hawai'i. The Big Ten network is on.
In the fourth quarter, when it mattered the most, Notre Dame was unable to stop a 14-play, 95-yard touchdown drive that ended with a score. The Irish will have to get more out of their running game in order to have more options. The 21-10 loss wasn't the result of a lack of preparation for the playoffs, but the fact that the Shoe held a 10-7 halftime lead against a possible playoff team.
The next game is against Marshall on Saturday. The program is hosted by NBC.
The Aggies opened the season with a 31-0 win over Sam Houston, their first win in an opener in more than 20 years. It wasn't always pretty and included a nearly three-hour rain delay, but the biggest story was the offensive output under Haynes King, who was making just his third start after being lost for the season. King had the second most passing yards in a season opener in Texas A&M history, including two touchdown passes of more than 60 yards, the first time an A&M quarterback has ever done that. The defense has a lot of things. The outlook for the season looks better if the A&M offense continues to play well.
The next game is against Appalachian State. The app is available on theESPN2/ESPN app.
The man went to the bench after getting his work done. The new starting quarterback for the Bears was 17-for-20 for 214 yards and two scores and threw his last pass in the first half. The Great Danes were overwhelmed by the Bears from the start, as they gained 130 yards and scored two times. Dave Aranda's squad made short work of its chance to get ready.
On Saturday, 10:15 p.m., you can see the next one. The app is available on the Disney/ESPN website.
Lincoln Riley could have drawn it up better. USC picked off four of Rice's quarterbacks, including three pick-sixes, and scored the most points it had in a game since 2008 in the victory. Even though Rice is the easiest opponent the USC will face this season, the 66-14 final will look good on the new resume. The defense was able to step up in such a way that it boded well for USC. It's possible that the expectations for the USC will be raised even more.
On Saturday, 7:30 p.m., there will be a screening of the film. The ABC/ESPN app is available.
Last year's rebuild proved that it was not a one-off, and the Razorbacks now expect to win games. They got the ball back with 5:49 left and ran out the clock. The Arkansas Razorbacks handed the Cincinnati Bearcats their first regular-season loss of the season, thanks to the steady guidance of KJ Jefferson.
The next game is against South Carolina.
The Gators have a chance to exceed expectations now that Anthony Richardson is behind center. The offensive line played well and Richardson had three touchdown. The defense struggled to contain Utah quarterback Cam Rising and their terrific tight ends, but Amari Burney made the play that needed to happen to seal the victory.
The next game is against Kentucky. The app is available on the Disney/ESPN website.
Week 1 didn't give you the evidence you were looking for to conclude that the offensive problems of the team were solved in 2020. The Tigers pulled away late for a 41-10 victory over Georgia Tech, thanks in part to one score set up by a blocked punt and another by a blue-chip freshman QB, but starting QB DJ Uiagalelei still went through long stretches of ugly play. The good news is that the defensive front looks good, as long as K.J. Henry, Barrett Carter, and company continue to dominate.
The next game is against Furman. The network and app are available on the internet.
The start of the Mario Cristobal era was great. The Hurricanes ran for six touchdown and forced three turnovers. The result is encouraging despite the fact that it was supposed to be easy for Miami. Josh Gattis wants to run more effectively than the Canes were able to do.
The next game is against Southern Miss.
Gilbert Frierson did Antonio Brown's dance after he came up with a pick-six.
It wasn't much of a problem for Wisconsin in its opener. Quarterback Graham Mertz completed 14 of 16 passes for 219 yards and one touchdown and was able to sit out most of the fourth quarter. Braelon Allen picked up where he left off last year, running for 148 yards and two touchdown in the win. The defense held Illinois State to under 250 yards of offense.
The next game is against Washington State. The program is hosted by Fox.
In-state rival Western Michigan was defeated by Michigan State 35-13 on Friday. It was the fourth time in his career that he had thrown four touchdown passes. The Spartans were able to pull away from the Broncos thanks to Berger's 120 rushing yards. Berger ran for a 1-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Michigan State's defense recorded seven sacks and was led by four sacks from senior LB Jacoby Windmon.
The next game is against Akron. The Big Ten network is on.
After a 29-26 loss to the Florida, the Utahs have to be sad about the missed opportunities. Utah dominated the Gators up front on the offensive line, but failed to score any points on multiple trips inside the Florida 6-yard line. There were two other trips that ended in field goals. With a chance to tie or win, Cam Rising threw an pick-six in the end zone, which was an unlikely finish considering how well he played.
The next game is against Southern Utah. The conference's network is on thePac-12 Network.
Oklahoma State's offense is back. The second player in Big 12 history to throw for 300 yards and three touchdown and rush for two scores in a single half was Spencer Sanders against Central Michigan. He kicked off the second half with a 45 yard bomb. The Pokes put this one away early as CMU scored a lot of garbage time points.
The next game is against Arizona State. The app is available on theESPN2/ESPN app.
Pitt did not make it easy in front of the home crowd in a 38-31 victory over West Virginia in the renewal of the backyard brawl. In the final 3:41 of the game, the panthers scored two touchdown to pull out the victory. The quarterback led a 92-yard game tying drive. M.J. Devonshire's 56-yard pick-six was the difference in the game. There is a lot for Pitt to clean up heading into Week 2.
The next game is against Tennessee. The ABC/ESPN app is available.
After a slow start, Kentucky pulled away in the second half for a 37-13 victory over Miami. Chris Rodriguez Jr., the star running back, was not on the field for the game. Will Levis passed for over 300 yards and three touchdown, and the Cats scored one touchdown on special teams, thanks to Keidron Smith's fumbled ball, and set up another touchdown.
Next up is at Florida on Saturday. The app is available on the Disney/ESPN website.
It was the type of performance that should slow down the hype surrounding the program, as the Wolfpack somehow found a way to beat East Carolina. They failed to score four times from the goal line on a series that could have been their downfall. East Carolina was almost able to win. The Pirates lost the game because of missed extra points and field goals at the end of regulation. Dave Doeren is not going to take a win for granted since NC State has been on the other side of these types of games. He knows that his veterans didn't play up to their full potential in the first week.
The next game is against Charleston Southern. There is an hour and a half on the ESPYS.
It was the running game that stole the show in the Ole Miss victory over Troy at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Evans and Judkins both rushed for over 100 yards on the ground. They averaged 6.4 yards per carry as Ole Miss led 28-3 in the third quarter, but didn't do much else on offense the rest of the way. The coach said that the fans probably got bored in the second half and that he would do the same. There was a transfer from USC to start at quarterback. Next week, Altmyer will start against Central Arkansas.
The next game is against Central Arkansas. The SEC Network and the SEC Network+ are available on TV.
The Ole Miss Rebels got three rushing touchdown and a turnover-happy defense as they took down Troy.
There wasn't a slow start here. Before the first quarter was over, the game was already out of reach, as the team scored 38 points in the first half. There was no stopping the rushing game in the 50-21 win as quarterback Jaren Hall had a big, efficient game. The big-time opponents coming in the weeks ahead will set the tone for the rest of the season.
The next game is against Baylor on Saturday. The app is available on the Disney/ESPN website.
The Longhorns got off to a bad start, but they settled down nicely in their pre-Alabama tuneup. The Longhorns scored on offense, defense, and special teams in a 52-10 victory over Louisiana-Monroe. Ewers executed a mostly safe plan and allowed his teammates to do most of the work The defense kept ULM out of the end zone.
The next game is against Alabama on Saturday.
The LSU game in New Orleans was supposed to be a road game for the Seminoles, but they hung tough, particularly quarterback JordanTravis, who evaded the pass rush and took a number of shots on the way to an impressive 260 yards and two touchdown passes through the air. The defense generated four sacks, blocked a pair of kicks and recovered two fumbleds in the 24-23 win. Mike Norvell will take a 1-point win and a 2-0 start to the season even though it was close.
There is a 7:30 p.m. game at Louisville. The app is available on the Disney/ESPN website.
Few teams play as fast or score as fast as Tennessee, and the Vols were true to form in their season- opening 59-10 win over Ball State. The stadium was rocking less than a minute into the game. In the first half, Hooker had two touchdown passes and two touchdown runs. Tennessee has scored 45 or more points in four straight games for the first time in 25 years. Tennessee gave up 343 yards on defense, but forced three turnovers and held Ball State to 5-of-16 third and fourth downs.
Next is at Pitt on Saturday. The ABC/ESPN app is available.
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