Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like opening weekend featured far better games and more competitive matchups than usual. More of this, please!
Things We Learned In College Week 1
-One game I expected to be a competitive one was South Carolina-Texas A&M. I was wrong, although I can’t imagine I was alone in expecting a much better game. The Gamecocks were converted just two of nine third downs and gave up 680 yards of total offense, 511 of it through the air. I’m thinking the Aggies may not miss Johnny Football as much as we thought they would.
-West Virginia certainly put a scare into Alabama. That game was much closer than I thought it would be. There’s definitely a bit of a rebuild going on for the Tide. The defense allowed over 300 passing yards to an unranked Mountaineers squad, and Nick Saban can’t have been happy with some of the penalties, particularly on the offensive line. ESPN showed senior guard Leon Brown getting a stern talking-to on the sidelines after his third flag.
-One other thing to watch for Alabama will be how many games, if any, wide receiver DeAndrew White misses. White left the game with a shoulder injury.
-Georgia and Clemson played a very exciting game for a little over a half before Georgia pulled away. Both defenses were inconsistent in the first half, with some excellent stops and some “what were they doing on THAT play?” moments. Defensive end Vic Beasley and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett looked very good early on for Clemson.
-Auburn, like Georgia, survived a close game early on to pull away late. Auburn, however, was playing an Arkansas team that won three games last year. Early-season kinks probably played a major role, but the Tigers will be a team to keep a critical eye on as the season progresses.
-I’d be remiss not to mention Ohio State as I’m discussing teams that survived scares yesterday. With a young quarterback making his first-ever start, and it being the first game of the season for everybody, it’s not really surprising that the Buckeyes got off to a shaky start. Full credit to them for settling down and taking care of business in the second half.
-And of course, there’s UCLA only beating Virginia by eight and only scoring one offensive touchdown. I’m definitely going to make it a point to watch the Bruins’ next game or two.
-Finally, I just noticed that Washington—ranked #25 in the preseason polls- only beat Hawaii 17-16. Is Hawaii better than expected, or was Washington overrated? Of course, it’s probably just another early-season aberration, but it’s something I’ll be keeping an eye on in the next few weeks.
-I always think it’s a bit crazy that there even is a Heisman conversation this early, but there always is, and Georgia running back Todd Gurley needs to be in it. Clemson had no answer for Gurley, not even early on when they generally looked good. He finished with 198 yards and three rushing touchdowns, averaging 13.2 yards per rush, AND a 100-yard kick return.
-Jameis Winston’s athleticism is just ridiculous. Seriously, what planet is this dude from?
-Watching the full LSU-Wisconsin game is on my agenda for today, but from the highlights, it looks like LSU’s defensive backs played a big role in their come-from-behind win. So what else is new?
-Seven years later, Michigan gets revenge for the game the Maize and Blue faithful refer to simply as The Horror. I’ll be interested to see what the Wolverines look like against stronger competition, because they looked pretty good yesterday.
Don’t forget to check back next Sunday for coverage of next week’s games, plus the “bonus” Sunday and Monday night matchups from this week! Happy Labor Day everyone!
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