CFW Week 1 Results - Georgia, Miami make statements

 CFW Week 1 Results – Georgia, Miami make statements

Excitement was rare in a

frustrating and boring weekend

 

Hopefully, a brighter day is on the horizon.

 

The only thing worse than being a West Virginia fan on Saturday was being a Florida and a West Virginia fan. Saturday was not a good day, especially if you are a Mountaineer or a Gator. Even worse if you are both a Mountaineer and a Gator. It was not a pleasant day in our house. But it could have been worse. Thank goodness I’m not a Clemson fan.

 

Let’s start with Clemson. I don’t think anyone thought Clemson was going to beat Georgia, other than maybe the most diehard of Clemson fans. But I don’t think anyone thought Georgia was going to beat Clemson to the tune of 34-3. Not even the most diehard of Georgia fans.

 

Georgia not only beat Clemson, 34-3, but the Dawgs held the Tigers to only 46 yards rushing. In the ACC, Florida State and Clemson were the favorites at preseason to win the conference championship. Both Florida State and Clemson lost their opening games. The previous week in Dublin, Florida State was upset by Georgia Tech, 24-21. Saturday, Clemson was clobbered by Georgia.

 

That takes us to Miami. Based on the Canes’ performance Saturday, you have to believe Miami is now the favorite team to win the ACC. In case you missed Miami’s performance on Saturday, the Canes totally dismantled Florida, 41-17. Miami even kicked a field goal with only four minutes left in the game to rub it in. Florida was so discombobulated, the Gators were just 1-for-9 in third down efficiency.

 

And speaking of discombobulation, West Virginia was only 4-for-14 in third down efficiency in the Mountaineers, 34-12 loss to Penn State. West Virginia’s leading rusher only had 42 yards rushing. As the fourth quarter began, the Mountaineers still hadn’t scored a touchdown.

 

Between Florida and West Virginia, I don’t know who was more frustrating to watch. But I didn’t throw a brick at the flat-screen TV. It didn’t get to that level of frustration – almost, but not quite.  

 

As frustrated as I was, I still managed to hold the fort on Saturday. I kept a stiff upper lip. I held my chin up and continued to watch football until after midnight Saturday night. After all, this wasn’t the first time West Virginia and Florida have let me down. And it won’t be the last. But, regardless of the outcome, you hang with your team. You stick with them. That is what being a true fan is all about. A brighter day is on the horizon. Even if it is a little difficult finding the horizon right now.

 

Saturday night, Notre Dame and Texas A&M gave us, what I would call, a boring but exciting game. The score was 6-6 at halftime – all field goals, no touchdowns. The score was 13-13 late in the fourth quarter. The Irish got hot in the final two minutes and beat Texas A&M, 23-13.

 

Week 1 of college football got underway last Thursday night with three survivors and a romp. The survivors were Colorado, North Carolina and NC State. The romp was the Coastal Carolina-Jacksonville State game.

 

Trailing North Dakota State, 20-17, midway through the third quarter, Colorado rallied with two touchdowns to take a 31-20 lead over the Bison. Colorado held on to beat North Dakota State, 31-26. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders, wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and wide receiver Jimmy Horn were the stars of the game for Colorado.

 

Trailing Minnesota, 17-16, late in the fourth quarter and playing with a backup quarterback, North Carolina rallied with a 45-yard field goal and held on to beat the Gophers, 19-17. Minnesota missed a 47-yard field goal as time expired – wide right. Late in the third quarter, the Tar Heels lost starting quarterback Max Johnson to a leg injury. Johnson left the game with a broken leg and will be out for the remainder of the season.

 

Trailing Western Carolina, 21-17, early in the fourth quarter, NC State proceeded to score three fourth-quarter touchdowns. The Wolfpack went on to beat the Catamounts, 38-21. NC State racked up 521 total yards, as quarterback Grayson McCall passed for 318 yards.  

 

Coastal Carolina jumped out to a 31-3 second-quarter lead over Jacksonville State and went on to whip the Gamecocks, 55-27. Along the way, Coastal Carolina racked up 568 total yards. It was a disappointing season-opening, home-field loss for third-year Jacksonville State coach Rich Rodriguez. Either the game was a fluke, or Coastal Carolina is better than forecast, while Jacksonville State is worse than forecast.             

 

In some other games Thursday night, UCF had 639 total yards, beating New Hampshire, 57-3. Missouri’s defense contained Murray State to just 85 total yards, as the Tigers beat the Racers, 51-0. Utah quarterback Cameron Rising threw five touchdown passes, as the Utes downed Southern Utah, 49-0.

 

The best game in Friday night’s action was TCU-Stanford. The Frogs rallied in the second half to beat the Trees, 34-27. TCU never led in the game until late in the third quarter. That’s when the Frogs went up for the first time, 20-17. Halfway through the fourth quarter, Stanford retook the lead 24-20. Late in the fourth quarter TCU went back up 27-24. Then the Frogs extended their lead to 34-24. Stanford kicked a field goal with 0:36 left in the game. TCU receiver Jack Bech had six receptions for 139 yards.

 

In another Friday game, Western Michigan put up a good fight against Wisconsin, before falling late to the Badgers, 28-14. The Broncos led Wisconsin, 14-13, early in the fourth quarter.

 

Message to LSU athletic director Scott Woodward: Don’t schedule anymore neutral-site, season-opening games while Brian Kelly is still the coach at LSU. In 2022, Brian Kelly’s first season with LSU, the Tigers lost their season-opening game 24-23 to Florida State in New Orleans. In 2023, Kelly’s second season at LSU, the Tigers lost their season-opening game 45-24 to Florida State in Orlando. Sunday night, LSU, under Kelly, lost its season-opening game 27-20 to USC in Las Vegas. I think there is a pattern here.

 

The five-day Labor Day weekend came to an end last night in Tallahassee. Guess what? That’s right. Florida State lost again. Boston College beat the Seminoles, 28-13. FSU is 0-2 overall and 0-2 in ACC play. Mike Norvell needs to commiserate with Billy Napier.

 

I have to tell you, I was hard pressed to find an exciting game on Saturday. With scores like Louisville 62, Austin Peay 0; Purdue 49, Indiana State 0; Tennessee 60, Chattanooga 3; Ohio State 52, Akron 6, and Texas 52, Colorado State 0. That’s exciting, isn’t it? I mean, Alabama 63, Western Kentucky 0; Iowa 40, Illinois State 0; Ole Miss 76, Furman 0, and Auburn 73, Alabama A&M 3. What was one to do? And that’s only a few of the scores that were like that.

 

If you looked hard enough, there were some good games. Vanderbilt gave us a shocker, and excitement too. In Nashville, the Commodores upset Virginia Tech, 34-27 (OT). Vanderbilt came into the game 14-point underdogs.

 

Speaking of overtimes, and in Saturday’s only other OT, Texas Tech and Abilene Christian took the prize. Abilene Christian kicked a 21-yard field goal with 0:05 on the clock at the end of regulation to put the game into overtime – 45-45. Tech scored first in OT and went up 52-45. Then Abilene Christian scored a touchdown – TT 52, AC 51. Abilene Christian said what the heck and went for two. They failed. Texas Tech beat Abilene Christian, 52-51 (OT).

 

Boise State and Georgia Southern gave us an offensive thriller. The teams combined for 14 touchdowns and 1,118 total yards. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty rushed for 267 of those yards. In the end, Boise State beat Georgia Southern, 56-45.

 

South Carolina scored a touchdown with 6:11 on the clock to edge Old Dominion, 23-19. In spite of suffering four turnovers, Old Dominion kept it close – too close for Gamecock fans.

 

Nevada, who lost in the closing minutes, 29-24, to SMU last week, held on to beat Troy on Saturday. Early in the fourth quarter, Nevada led Troy, 28-17. But the Trojans kicked a field goal and scored a touchdown in the final six minutes of the game. The touchdown came with 0:21 on the clock. Trailing by two, Troy went for the two-point conversion. The Trojans failed. Nevada beat Troy, 28-26.

 

North Texas and South Alabama combined for 1,132 total yards – 878 yards passing. North Texas downed South Alabama, 52-38.

 

Surprisingly, Idaho kept things close with Oregon – too close for the Ducks. With less than six minutes to go in the game, Oregon was only up by three – 17-14. With 5:36 to go, Oregon scored a touchdown and beat Idaho, 24-14.

 

Late in the third quarter, UCLA trailed Hawaii, 13-7. In the final 16 minutes of the game, the Bruins kicked three field goals to beat Hawaii, 16-13. The final field goal came with 0:56 on the clock.

 

And, after you went to bed, Arizona beat New Mexico, 61-39. Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan had an amazing 10 receptions for 304 yards and four touchdowns. Arizona State downed Wyoming, 48-7 and Washington beat Weber State, 35-3.

 

After I went to bed, I dreamed of that brighter day on the horizon.

 

September 3, 2024

https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

 

(The next CFW – Week Two Forecast – will be posted Thursday morning, September 5.)

 

 

Week One Recap

 

GAME OF THE WEEK: Uga was supreme – Georgia 34, Clemson 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 28, Clemson 20). Georgia simply wore Clemson down. After the first quarter, the score was 0-0. It looked like it was going to be a close game – a defensive battle to the end. At halftime, Georgia led 6-0.The Dawgs got two field goals in the second quarter. The contest still looked like a close battle – a defensive struggle. But things began to change in the third quarter. Georgia scored two touchdowns; Clemson got a single field goal. The Dawgs led 20-3 at the end of three quarters. In the fourth quarter, Clemson was totally worn down. Georgia got two more touchdowns; Clemson got nothing. The Dawgs held the Tigers to 188 total yards. Without a doubt, Georgia verified its ranking as the No. 1 team in the country. Two teams really impressed me on Saturday and Georgia was one of them. For the record, Dawgs quarterback Carson Beck was 23-33-0, passing for 278 yards and two touchdowns. Kirby Smart and Georgia have not lost to a team coached by someone other than Nick Saban since 2020. Attendance in Atlanta: 78,827

 

RUNNER-UP: The Aggies need a quarterback – Notre Dame 23, Texas A&M 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 21, Notre Dame 17). The first half of this game was reminiscent of the Georgia-Clemson game. There were no touchdowns scored in the first half. Each team kicked two field goals. The game was definitely a defensive struggle. Notre Dame took charge in the second half, outscoring Texas A&M, 17-7. The Aggies could never get their offense motivated. Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman was sad. Weigman was 12-30-2, passing for just 100 yards and no touchdowns. Irish quarterback Riley Leonard only passed for 158 yards, and he had no touchdown passes. But Leonard did complete 60% of his throws and he threw no interceptions. Leonard also rushed for 63 yards. This was a disappointing debut for Mike Elko at Texas A&M. It was an impressive win for Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame. Attendance in College Station: 107,315

 

REST OF THE BEST: Luck be a Trojan tonight – USC 27, LSU 20 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 33, USC 26). This was the best game of the long weekend. Not because of who won or who lost, but because it was a well-played, exciting game. It had all the ingredients you want to see in a football game – the angst, the drama, the excitement. But the best ingredient, not one but two, was USC receiver Kyron Hudson’s two one-handed catches. They were amazing. The first one came early in the game. The second one came near the end of the game. Both catches were crucial, but the second catch kept USC’s drive alive for the game winning touchdown. The Trojans won the game on a 13-yard touchdown run by Woody Marks with 0:08 left on the clock. The game was thrilling throughout. The score was tied three times. Both teams led at one time or another, but neither team led by more than seven points. Both quarterbacks were good – USC’s Miller Moss and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier. Attendance in Las Vegas: 63,969

 

Garrett was green alright, very green – Penn State 34, West Virginia 12 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 30, West Virginia 23). This was the most built-up game of the week. The Pat McAfee Show was in Morgantown on Friday. FOX’s High Noon Kickoff was in Morgantown. After all that hype, West Virginia failed to show up. Before you knew it, WVU was down 20-6 at halftime and 27-6 at the end of three quarters. The Mountaineers’ offense stalled – 265 total yards. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar was 11-17-0, passing for 216 yards and three touchdowns. Nittany Lions receiver Harrison Wallace had five receptions for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Last year, WVU coach Neal Brown began the season on the hot seat – the hottest in the country. But after a 9-4 season, he was off the hot seat. Well, guess what? He’s back on the hot seat – big time. Attendance in Morgantown: 62,084

 

The Swamp was drained – Miami (Florida) 41, Florida 17(Touchdown Tom said: Florida 24, Miami 20). After one quarter, this looked like it could be a good game. Miami led 7-3 at the end of the first quarter. That all changed in the second quarter. Miami established its dominance. The Canes led 24-10 at halftime. The third quarter was worse – for the Gators. Miami led 38-10 after three. Florida only managed 161 total yards. Miami had 529 total yards. Miami quarterback Cam Ward passed for 385 yards. Florida quarterback Graham Mertz passed for 91 yards. Ward completed 74% of his passes. Mertz completed 55% of his throws. Mertz left the game in the fourth quarter with a concussion. He didn’t return. Up above, I said that Georgia was one of two teams that really impressed me over the weekend. Miami was the other team. As far as I’m concerned, the Dawgs and the Canes were the two most impressive teams in the country. They set the standard for the weekend. Mario Cristobal has finally arrived, while Billy Napier can start packing. Following the game, Gator fans trashed Napier on social media. Remember the song “Bye, Bye Baby?” In Gainesville, they are singing, “Bye-Bye Billy, Billy, Goodbye.” Attendance in Gainesville: 90,544

 

The Rabbits were hijacked – Oklahoma State 44, South Dakota State 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 31, South Dakota State 25). Either Oklahoma State is really, really good or South Dakota State isn’t so hot this year. The anticipated fight from the Jackrabbits was nonexistent. Oklahoma State quarterback Alan Bowman was 25-34-0, passing for 267 yards and three touchdowns. Cowboys running back Ollie Gordon rushed for 104 yards. Okie State showed good balance. Attendance in Stillwater: 52,202

 

Ralphie is the real Bison – Colorado 31, North Dakota State 26 (Touchdown Tom said: Colorado 30, North Dakota State 22). North Dakota State gave Colorado all it could handle. However, in the end the Bison couldn’t stop Colorado’s passing game. Of the Buffaloes 504 yards, 445 of the yards came from passing. Similar to last year, Colorado still has a problem with its running game – only 59 yards. And Colorado’s defense is suspect. North Dakota State had 449 total yards. Two Colorado receivers were outstanding. Jimmy Horn had seven receptions for 198 yards and Travis Hunter had seven receptions for 132 yards. North Dakota State dominated time of possession: 36:44 to 23:16. Attendance in Boulder: 49,438

 

P.J. can’t row anymore – North Carolina 19, Minnesota 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Minnesota 23, North Carolina 20). Neither North Carolina nor Minnesota could muster much offense. Together the teams combined for only 496 total yards. The game was a defensive battle. The teams were evenly matched in the stats. Tar Heels star running back Omarion Hampton had 129 yards rushing. Minnesota led 14-7 at halftime. All of the second-half scoring came on five fields goals. North Carolina kicker Noah Burnette kicked three of them – one for 52 yards. Minnesota kicker Dragan Kesich missed two field goals – both wide right. Attendance in Minneapolis: 50,805

 

Carolina coasted – Coastal Carolina 55, Jacksonville State 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Jacksonville State 27, Coastal Carolina 24). Looking at the results of this game, one thing appears to be certain. Rich Rodriguez will never coach a Power Five football team again. If he remains in coaching, it will only be at the Group of Five level. For a third-year coach, Rich Rod’s team was poorly prepared for the game. Coastal Carolina racked up 568 total yards. Jacksonville State was 1-for-10 on third-down conversions. The Chanticleers controlled ball possession: 39:51 to 20:09. Coastal Carolina led 31-10 at halftime and 41-10 at the end of three. Attendance in Jacksonville: 18,977

 

Vandy was no candy for the Hokies – Vanderbilt 34, Virginia Tech 27 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 27, Vanderbilt 19). Oh, what a big surprise this was in Nashville. No one was expecting this. Least of all Virginia Tech. The Commodores made hay and jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead. The Hokies woke up in the second half and outscored Vandy, 24-10. Vanderbilt held Tech to just 75 yards rushing. Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones was 22-33-1, passing for 322 yards and two touchdowns. Drones was injured in the closing minutes of regulation and replaced with backup quarterback Collin Schlee. Vandy quarterback Diego Pavia had a great game. He was 12-16-0, passing for 190 yards and two touchdowns. More impressively, Pavia rushed for 104 yards. Vandy dominated time of possession: 34:32 to 25:28. Attendance in Nashville: N/A

 

 

YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

 

All red – Nebraska 40, UTEP 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 35, UTEP 9). UTEP scored a touchdown in the first quarter. But the Miners never scored again for the remainder of the game. Meanwhile, Nebraska scored 30 points in the first half – 23 of them in the second quarter. The Huskers held UTEP to only 12 first downs and only 56 yards rushing. Nebraska tallied 507 total yards. The Huskers dominated ball control: 38:32 to 21:28. Nebraska played three quarterbacks in the game. Starting QB freshman Dylan Raiola was 19-27-0, passing for 238 yards and two touchdowns. Attendance in Lincoln: 86,072

 

Manny’s the man – Duke 26, Elon 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 24, Elon 14). Duke played good defense under previous coach Mike Elko. It looks like the Dookies will continue to play good defense under Manny Diaz. Both coaches are defensive geniuses. Elon’s three points came with 14 seconds left in the game. Duke held Elon to just 30 yards rushing and only 110 yards passing. Duke wasn’t much for rushing either – only 59 yards. But the Devils had 291 yards passing. Duke’s quarterback is Maalik Murphy, who transferred to the Devils from Texas during the offseason. Attendance in Durham: 18,466

 

Manning’s first TD pass – Texas 52, Colorado State 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 45, Colorado State 20). Backup quarterback Arch Manning threw the first touchdown pass of his college career. In a backup role, Manning was 5-6-0, passing for 95 yards and one touchdown. Starting quarterback Quinn Ewers was 20-27-1, passing for 260 yards and three touchdowns. The Texas offense racked up 547 total yards. Colorado State couldn’t get its offense cranked up. The Rams only had 74 yards passing. Attendance in Austin: 99,171

 

Boilers had the winning Card – Purdue 49, Indiana State 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Purdue 33, Indiana State 13). Purdue quarterback Hudson Card was near perfect passing. Card only had one incompletion. He was 24-25-0, passing for 274 yards and four touchdowns. The Boilers racked up 583 total yards, while holding the Sycamores to 154 total yards. Indiana State was 1-for-12 in third down efficiency. Attendance in West Lafayette: 59,488

 

Week 1 Results:  8 winners, 6 fumbles (57.1 percent)

For the Season:  9 winners, 7 fumbles (56.3 percent)

 

 

ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

 

UCF 57, New Hampshire 3 – Attendance in Orlando: 44,206

Michigan State 16, Florida Atlantic 10 – Attendance in East Lansing: 70,271

 

Indiana 31, FIU 7 – Attendance in Bloomington: 44,150

Stetson 41, Ave Maria 3 – Attendance in Deland: N/A

Florida A&M 22, South Carolina State 18 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 15,930

 

South Florida 48, Bethune-Cookman 3 – Attendance in Tampa: 36,694

Boston College 28, Florida State 13 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 51,719

 

 

Superlatives

 

Week One’s Best Passers:

 

Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders – 26-34-1 for 445 yards (4TFs); South Alabama’s Gio Lopez – 26-49-0-432 (3TDs); Arizona’s Noah Fifita – 19-31-1-422 (4TDs); Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart – 22-27-0-418 (6TDs; North Texas’ Chandler Morris – 32-41-0-415 (3TDs); Miami of Florida’s Cameron Ward—26-35-1-385 (3TDs); Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby – 22-31-0-383 (2TDs), and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel – 41-49-0-380 (2TDs).

 

Also, USC’s Miller Moss – 27-36-0-378 (1TD); Texas Tech’s Behren Morton – 30-42-0-378 (5TDs); TCU’s Josh Hoover – 28-42-0-353 (2TDs); Washington State’s John Mateer – 11-17-0-352 (5TDs); BYU’s Jake Retzlaff – 20-30-0-348 (3TDs); Central Michigan’s Joe Labas – 18-24-0-342 (3TDs); UTSA’s Owen McCown – 28-38-0-340 (3TDs); Pitt’s Eli Holstein – 29-39-1-330 (3TDs); Northern Illinois’ Ethan Hampton – 18-20-0-328 (5TDs), and Appalachian State’s Joey Aguilar – 22-37-0-326 (2TDs).

 

Also, Auburn’s Payton Thorne – 13-21-0 for 322 yards (4TDs); Virginia Tech’s Kyron Drones – 22-33-1-322 (2TDs); Georgia Southern’s J.C. French – 28-50-0-322 (2TDs); NC State’s Grayson McCall – 26-40-1-318 (3TDs); Arkansas State’s Jaylen Raynor – 24-47-1-317 (1TD); Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava – 22-28-0-313 (3TDs), and Maryland’s Billy Edwards – 20-27-0-311 (2TDs).

 

Also, Memphis’ Seth Henigan – 22-30-0 for 308 yards (2TDs); Also, Louisiana’s Ben Woodridge – 25-33-1-308 (3TDs); LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier – 29-38-1-304 (2TDs); Tulsa’s Kirk Francis – 23-30-0-299 (4TDs); San Jose State’s Emmett Brown – 20-34-1-298 (3TDs), and Virginia’s Anthony Colandrea – 17-23-0-297 (2TDs).

 

Week One’s Best Rushers:

 

Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty – 267 yards (6TDs); San Diego State’s Marquez Cooper – 223 yards (2TDs); Ohio’s Anthony Tyus – 203 yards (2TDs); Rutgers’ Kyle Monangai – 166 yards (1 TD), and Bowling Green’s Terion Stewart – 161 yards (3TDs).

 

Also, Oregon State’s Jam Griffin – 160 yards (2TDs); Texas State’s Ismail Mahdi – 156 yards (1TD); Oregon State’s Anthony Hankerson – 155 yards (2TDs); Pitt’s Desmond Reid – 145 yards (1TD), and UCF’s R.J. Harvey – 142 yards (2TDs).

 

 

Quotes of the Week

 

“I don’t have a ton of excuses for you. It’s embarrassing to be quite honest with you,” Florida coach Billy Napier, after the loss to Miami (Florida).

 

“It wasn’t pretty,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman, on his team’s win over Texas A&M.

 

“I’m not even joking – 2-10 is very much on the table for Florida. You can even make a case that 1-11 is on the table,” college football columnist and analyst Barrett Sallee.

 

Touchdown Tom

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