CFW Week 1 Results – #1,#4, #6, #8 and #25 all go down to defeat
“They don’t have Nick Saban to save them.
I just don’t see them stopping me.”
Those were the words of Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos last June.
“Alabama will shove that comment down his throat.”
Those were the words of Paul Finebaum, responding to Castellanos last June.
Which one was right, and which one was wrong?
Saturday afternoon, Florida State beat Alabama, 31-17. Castellanos was 9-14-0, passing for 152 yards. Castellanos had 78 yards rushing, averaging 4.9 yards per carry, and scored a touchdown on a 9-yard run. He stuffed it down Alabama’s throat.
Finebaum wasn’t only wrong about Castellanos, he was wrong about another quarterback.
In early August, when asked who is going to win the Heisman Trophy, Finebaum said, “Come on, you know what the answer is. Here’s why. It isn’t because I am in love with the guy. It is because he is going to win that first game against Ohio State on the biggest stage in college football this year. Archmania is going to transcend the sport of college football.”
Saturday afternoon, Arch Manning and Texas lost to Ohio State, 14-7. Manning threw an interception and only completed 56% of his passes. He looked uncomfortable and lacked confidence throughout the game. Archmania died on Saturday. The media creation is over. It will have to be rebuilt. Manning won’t win the Heisman Trophy.
Paul Finebaum’s love affair with Arch Manning may be over.
Although Manning’s disappointing performance against Ohio State was a surprise, the outcome of the game itself wasn’t so much of a surprise. There were many, perhaps more, analysts who picked Ohio State to win. The Buckeyes were a two-point favorite by the oddsmakers. Even Lee Corso, in his final appearance on College GameDay, picked Ohio State to win.
The real shocker was the Alabama-Florida State outcome. No one, except Thomas Castellanos, expected Florida State to win. The oddsmakers had Alabama a 14-point favorite. Not in a long, long time have I seen an Alabama team look so bad. Auburn fans excepted, Kalen DeBoer has to be the most unpopular man in the state of Alabama. I wouldn’t want to be walking in his shoes right now. He needs to turn things around, and real fast.
Former UCF and Auburn coach Gus Malzahn has to be a happy camper. Malzahn took over as Florida State’s offensive coordinator during the offseason. The Gus Bus was rolling in Tallahassee on Saturday.
College football Week 1 began Thursday night with royalty in the house. Patrick and Brittany Mahomes, along with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce attended the Nebraska-Cincinnati game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas city.
Kelce played college football for Cincinnati, so we know who he was cheering for. Not sure who Mahomes was cheering for, but he did play football for a Big 12 school – Texas Tech.
Except for two games, opening night was lacking in excitement. In fact, it was downright boring for the most part. The two exciting games both involved Big Ten teams. In the game mentioned above, Nebraska edged Cincinnati, 20-17. In the closing minutes of the game, the Bearcats had their chance to tie the score or even win the game. However, with 34 seconds remaining the Huskers’ Martin Herzog intercepted Brendan Sorsby’s pass in the end zone. Game over for Cincinnati.
Still, it was a good game. And Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby was a better rusher than he was a passer. Sorsby only passed for 69 yards, but he rushed for 96 yards, averaging 7.4 yards per carry.
In the only other exciting game of opening night, Rutgers edged Ohio, 34-31. Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro passed for 239 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 93 yards and another touchdown. With 1:55 to go in the second quarter, Rutgers led Ohio, 31-14. It looked like a rout was on. However, with 4:07 to go in the third quarter, the score was tied, 31-31. Eight minutes later, Rutgers kicked a 26-yard field goal and went up, 34-31. Ohio had 11 minutes to win or tie the score, but every Bobcat drive stalled.
Trailing NC State, 24-7, at the end of the third quarter, East Carolina made a valiant comeback, but came up short, 24-17. Surprisingly, the game didn’t end in a brawl.
The biggest shock and surprise Thursday night was South Florida trouncing Boise State, 31-7. Boise State was ranked #25 at preseason. Bose State is no Top 25 team. Strangely, Boise State had more first downs, more total yards, more rushing yards, more passing yards and controlled the ball for 13 more minutes than South Florida. But the Broncos had three turnovers and South Florida had none.
The boring: UCF and Jacksonville State were 0-0 at halftime and 3-3 as the fourth quarter began. UCF won, 17-10. Wyoming led Akron 3-0 at halftime and 3-0 as the fourth quarter began. Wyoming beat Akron, 10-0. Wisconsin led Miami (Ohio) 3-0 at halftime. The Badgers beat the RedHawks, 17-0. Missouri romped Central Arkansas, 61-6.
The best passer Thursday night was Duke quarterback Darian Mensah. Mensah was 27-34-0 for 389 yards and three touchdowns. Duke beat Elon, 45-17. The best rusher was UAB running back Jevon Jackson. Jackson rushed for 166 yards. UAB downed Alabama State, 52-42. The best offense was Missouri. Missouri racked up 500 total yards in the Tigers’ 61-6 win over Central Arkansas.
Friday night, Tarleton State became the first FCS team to beat an FBS team in 2025. Tarleton State downed Army, 30-27 (2OT). Midway through the third quarter, Army led Tarleton State 24-10. But the Texans scored two touchdowns in the final 20 minutes of the game to tie the score at 24-24 at the end of regulation.
The two feature games Friday night – Georgia Tech-Colorado and Auburn-Baylor were both good contests. Tech and Colorado played on fairly even terms, with the Yellow Jackets coming out on top. Georgia Tech scored late to beat Colorado, 27-20. Auburn and Baylor kept things close until the Tigers put the game out of reach late in the fourth quarter. Auburn downed Baylor 38-24.
The best passer Friday night was Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson. Robertson was 27-48-0 for 419 yards and three touchdowns. The best rusher was Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King. King rushed for 156 yards and three touchdowns. The best offense was Kansas. Kansas piled up 631 total yards in the Jayhawks’ 46-7 win over Wagner. Appalachian State tallied 586 total yards in the Mountaineers’ 34-11 win over Charlotte.
After Friday night, the Big 12 was sucking wind. Cincinnati lost to Nebraska, Colorado lost to Georgia Tech and Baylor lost to Auburn.
Saturday night, LSU saved the day for the SEC. Following the SEC’s losses to Ohio State and Florida State, LSU came through and beat Clemson, 17-10. Clemson was a six-point favorite.
Tennessee got the better of the exchange with UCLA – losing Nico Iamaleava but gaining Joey Aguilar. Against Syracuse, Aguilar was 16-28-0, passing for 247 yards and three touchdowns. Tennessee beat Syracuse, 45-26. Against Utah, Iamaleava was 11-22-1, passing for 136 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. UCLA lost to Utah, 43-10.
Kent State got the monkey off of its back. The Golden Flashes were the only winless FBS team in the country last year, going 0-12. Saturday, Kent State beat Merrimack, 21-17.
Last week, Kansas State lost to Iowa State, 24-21, in Dublin, Ireland. Saturday, Kansas State scored a touchdown with 0:42 left on the clock to beat North Dakota, 38-35.
And while you were sleeping, Washington State kicked a 32-yard field goal with 0:03 left in the game to beat Idaho, 13-10. California blasted Oregon State, 34-15. Arizona pounded Hawaii, 40-6, and Washington scored the final 17 points of the game to down Colorado State, 38-21.
The best passer Saturday was Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer. Mateer was 30-37-1 for 392 yards and three touchdowns. The Sooners beat Illinois State, 35-3. The best rusher was Troy running back Tae Meadows. Meadows rushed for 186 yards and one touchdown. Troy beat Nichols, 38-20. Arkansas quarterback Talen Green threw six touchdown passes. Arkansas downed Alabama A&M, 52-7.
Action continued Sunday with two games. South Carolina downed Virginia Tech, 24-11, and Miami held on to beat Notre Dame, 27-24. The Gamecocks intercepted two Kyron Drones passes, while the Canes kicked a 47-yard field goal with 1:04 left to edge the Irish.
And finally, the five days of college football all came to an end on a star-studded, Labor Day Night in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Celebrities attending the TCU-North Carolina game included Michael Jordan, Mia Hamm, Lawrence Taylor, Julius Peppers, Eric Church, Chase Rice, Roy Williams and Blake Snell, among others.
Welcome to college football, Bill Belichick – TCU 48, North Carolina 14. Without Tom Brady, Belichick is a lousy football coach.
Yes, #1 Texas, #4 Clemson, #6 Miami, #8 Alabama and #25 Boise State all lost. I don’t believe that many ranked teams have ever lost on an opening weekend. Something tells me it’s going to be a wild, wild season. Stay tuned!
The 2026 Harvard-Yale football game will be played in Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox.
Army sophomore safety Larry Pickett and his father pulled a man from a crashed car just before it burst into flames near the U.S. Military Academy in West Point. On Sunday morning, Pickett and his father made a daring rescue, pulling the man out of the driver’s seat and carrying him away from the vehicle.
College and NFL football player Lee Roy Jordan died on August 30. Jordan was a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys for 14 seasons from 1963 to 1976. He played college football for Alabama (1960-1962). A native of Excel, Alabama, Lee Roy Jordan was 84.
And I close out with some quotes from Paul Finebaum, all made prior to the games over the weekend.
“Texas will blow out Ohio State.”
“Arch Manning is the best player since Tim Tebow.”
“Alabama is a national title contender. Ranking them #8 was far too low.”
“Chapel Hill will have a big and dramatic victory over TCU.”
Touchdown Tom
September 2, 2025
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Week One Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Just Sayin’ – Ohio State 14, Texas 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 27, Ohio State 20). Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin played with more competence and composure than Texas quarterback Arch Manning. But neither offense was overwhelming. The game was a defensive standoff. Combined, the teams only had 539 total yards. The first and third quarters were scoreless. Trailing 14-0, Texas never scored until 3:28 left in the game. That score came on a 32-yard Manning pass, which was the best pass he threw all game. Manning threw one interception and came close to being picked off on two other occasions. Attendance in Columbus: 107,524
RUNNER-UP: A real Cat fight – LSU 17, Clemson 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 24, LSU 23). LSU won its first season opener since 2019. Coming into the contest, LSU was 0-5 in season openers. Like the Texas-Ohio State game, this game was primarily a defensive standoff. Combined, the teams only rushed for 141 yards. The offense was generated by the passing of the two quarterbacks. It was a good quarterback battle between two of the best. Both quarterbacks threw for 230 yards. And both threw 38 passes. But LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier completed 74% of his throws. Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik completed 50% of his tosses. Klubnik also threw an interception. Clemson never trailed in the game until 12:18 to go in the fourth quarter. That’s when LSU went up 17-10. Attendance in Clemson: 81,500
REST OF THE BEST: Touchdown Jesus didn’t make the trip – Miami 27, Notre Dame 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 30, Miami 24). Notre Dame shot itself with two turnovers. Miami had none. That was the big difference in the game. The rest of the stats were roughly even. Miami’s Carson Beck completed 20 of his 31 passes. Notre Dame’s C.J. Carr completed 19 of his 30 passes. Attendance in Miami Gardens: 66,793
They’re back – Florida State 31, Alabama 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 28, Florida State 17). Yes, it looks like the Noles are back. As far as Alabama is concerned, the Noles are back. The game began as expected. Alabama went up 7-0 midway through the first quarter. Florida State tied the score at 7-7 just three minutes later. Alabama was never the same from that point on. FSU led 17-7 at halftime and 24-7 midway through the third quarter. Early in the fourth quarter, Alabama closed the gap to 24-17. Four minutes later, FSU added an insurance touchdown. FSU quarterback Thomas Castellanos was the Noles leading rusher with 78 yards. Tide quarterback Ty Simpson looked rattled during much of the game. Alabama receiver Germie Bernard had eight receptions for 146 yards. Alabama lost its first season opening game since 2001. The Tide had won 23-straight season openers. Just sayin’ but Alabama could have had Julian Sayin playing quarterback for them against Florida State. Attendance in Tallahassee: 67,277
Bears caught in a Freeze – Auburn 38, Baylor 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 27, Auburn 24). Auburn could run; Baylor couldn’t. Baylor could pass; Auburn couldn’t. But running controlled the game. Baylor’s leading rusher had 54 yards. Auburn had three runners who had more than 54 yards rushing. Baylor had a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter. Auburn went ahead 7-3 late in the first quarter and never trailed again for the remainder of the game. Auburn was 5-for-10 in third down efficiency. Baylor was 5-for-15. Auburn had a 7-minute advantage in time of possession. Attendance in Waco: 45,233
Nothing Hokie about Cocky -- South Carolina 24, Virginia Tech 11 (Touchdown Tom said: South Carolina 30, Virginia Tech 20). South Carolina took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and never trailed for the remainder of the game. The teams were even in the stats except for turnovers. Tech had two turnovers and South Carolina had none. The Hokies did have a nine-minute advantage in time of possession. Tech quarterback Kyron Drones only completed 43% of his passes. The Hokies failed to score a touchdown. Their 11 points came from three field goals and a safety. The Gamecocks had three touchdowns. Virginia Tech kicker John Love kicked a 56-yard field goal. Attendance in Atlanta: 55,531
Pal Joey – Tennessee 45, Syracuse 26 (Touchdown Tom said: Tennessee 23, Syracuse 20). Tennessee jumped out to a 17-0 first quarter lead and the Vols never looked back. The Vols had a balanced attack, racking up 493 total yards – 246 yards rushing, 247 yards passing. Can’t get much more balanced than that. Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar passed for 247 yards and three touchdowns. He threw no interceptions. Syracuse actually had a nine-minute advantage in time of possession. That was about the only advantage the Orange had. Star Thomas was Tennessee’s leading rusher with 92 yards. Yasin Willis had 91 yards rushing and three touchdowns for Syracuse. With 11:54 to go in the game, Tennessee led Syracuse, 38-26. Eight minutes later, the Vols added an insurance touchdown. Attendance in Atlanta: 45,918
Jordan Hudson must have been calling the plays for UNC – TCU 48, North Carolina 14 (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 27, North Carolina 24). The way North Carolina easily drove down the field and scored a touchdown on its opening series, it looked like the Tar Heels were going to have a good night. But as it turned out, that opening drive was the only good thing North Carolina did all night. TCU quickly turned things around, building up a 20-7 halftime lead. In the third quarter, the Horned Frogs extended their lead to 41-7. At this point, North Carolina fans couldn’t get out of Kenan Stadium fast enough. Early in the fourth quarter, the TCU lead was 48-14. At this point, there were no
North Carolina fans left in the stadium. TCU quarterback Josh Hoover was 27-36-1, passing for 284 yards and two touchdowns. The Horned Frogs led in first downs 29 to 10, and in total yards 543 to 222. Attendance in Chapel Hill: 50,500
Watch out for the Utes – Utah 43, UCLA 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah 28, UCLA 20). Utah totally dominated UCLA. The Utes had 30 first downs to 14 for the Bruins. Utah had 493 total yards to 220 for UCLA. The Bruins were held to 84 yards rushing. Utah had a 23-minute advantage in time of possession. Utes quarterback Devon Dampier was 21-25-0, passing for 206 yards. Dampier also had 87 yards rushing. UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava was a disappointment. Attendance in Pasadena: 35,032
The Jackets had a King – Georgia Tech 27, Colorado 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 27, Colorado 20). Georgia Tech all but gave the game to Colorado in the first quarter. The Yellow Jackets had three turnovers in the first eight minutes of the contest. Colorado only took advantage of one of those turnovers. The Buffaloes led 7-0 in the first quarter and 7-3 early in the second quarter. Georgia Tech went up 10-7 late in the second quarter and never trailed again for the remainder of the game. The score was tied on three occasions – 10-10 late in the second quarter, 13-13 midway through the third quarter and 20-20 midway through the fourth quarter. With the score tied at 20-20, Georgia Tech scored its winning touchdown with 1:07 to go in the game, on a 45-yard run by quarterback Haynes King. Attendance in Boulder: 52,868
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Slow start – West Virginia 45, Robert Morris 3 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 49, Robert Morris 10). West Virginia couldn’t hold onto the ball. Three fumbles alone in the first half. The fumbles held WVU to just a 10-3 lead at halftime. The Mountaineers added another fumble in the second half. Aside from the turnovers, it was total domination by the Eers. WVU had 625 total yards to 123 by Bob Morris. The Mounties had 26 first downs to eight for Bob Morris. WVU started Nicco Marchiol but played all three of its quarterbacks. Marchiol was 17-20-0, passing for 224 yards. WVU running back Jahiem White rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Receiver Cam Vaughn had seven receptions for 126 yards and one touchdown. Attendance in Morgantown: 57,093
Smooth going in The Swamp – Florida 55, LIU 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 56, LIU 3). Florida built up a 34-0 halftime and went into cruise control in the second half. The Gators shared time between two quarterbacks – D.J. Lagway and Tramell Jones. Both played well. Lagway was 15-18-0, passing for 120 yards and three touchdowns. Jones was 12-18-0, passing for 131 yards and two touchdowns. Florida led LIU in first downs (28 to 2) and total yards (451 to 87). LIU was limited to 38 yards rushing and 49 yards passing. Florida kicker Trey Smack made a 56-yard field goal in the game. When the game ended, my friend and CFW reader Kris Hansen posted on my Facebook page that Florida had 0 penalties, 0 points allowed and 0 turnovers. All this with 4 or 5 starters out. Kris added that Jones is a legit backup quarterback. Attendance in Gainesville: 89,451
Starstruck in Kansas City – Nebraska 20, Cincinnati 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 28, Cincinnati 26). Patrick Mahomes, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce attended the game in KC. Nebraska had a pretty good first half – 13 points. But the Huskers only managed 7 points in the second half. Conversely, Cincinnati had a rotten first half – only 3 points. But a much better second half – 14 points. The first nine points in the game were from three field goals. The final 28 points were from four touchdowns – two each by Nebraska and Cincinnati. Both of Nebraska’s touchdowns were short passes from quarterback Dylan Raiola. Both of Cincinnati’s touchdowns were runs by quarterback Brendan Sorsby. Cincinnati’s only lead was 3-0 in the first quarter. Nebraska tied the score at 3-3 early in the second quarter and never trailed for the remainder of the game. Three keys for Nebraska’s success were a better third down efficiency – 56% to 30%; no turnovers (Cincinnati had two turnovers) and a 19-minute edge in time of possession. Attendance in Kansas City: 72,884
The blue dress came on in the second half – Duke 45, Elon 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 35, Elon 14). This was a slow first half for Duke. The score was tied 10-10 at the break. Manny Diaz must have been mad. The Dookies came alive in the second half, outscoring Elon 35-7. The Dookies racked up 548 total yards – most of that on the passing of Darian Mensah. Mensah was 27-34-0 for 389 yards and three touchdowns. Attendance in Durham: 15,677
The Dawgs were barking – Georgia 45, Marshall 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 45, Marshall 10). Georgia came out strong scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter and leading 24-0 at halftime. The Dawgs basically went into cruise control in the second half. Georgia led Marshall in first downs 27 to 7 and in total yardage 488 to 207. Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton was the Dawgs’ leading rusher with 73 yards. Attendance in Athens: 93,033
Boilers are warming up – Purdue 31, Ball State 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Purdue 30, Ball State 18). Purdue was surprising. Instead of struggling to beat Ball State, the Boilers were fired up and won big time. This is the new Barry Odom coached Boilermakers. Still, Purdue struggled with the running game – 93 yards. But the Boilers made up for it with 340 yards passing. Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne was 18-26-0, passing for 311 yards and two touchdowns. Attendance in West Lafayette: 53,994
Week 1 Results: 11 winners, 5 fumbles (68.8 percent)
For the Season: 12 winners, 6 fumbles (66.7 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
South Florida 34, Boise State 7 – Attendance in Tampa: 34,707
UCF 17, Jacksonville State 10 – Attendance in Orlando: 43,043
FIU 42 Bethune-Cookman 9 – Attendance in Miami: 18,034
West Florida 49, Lenoir-Rhyne 21 – Attendance in Pensacola: 4,240
Maryland 39, Florida Atlantic 7 – Attendance in College Park: 35,067
Webber International 31, Stetson 21 – Attendance in Deland: 1,975
Superlatives
Week One’s Best Passers:
Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson – 27-48-0 for 419 yards (3TDs); Oklahoma’s John Mateer – 30-37-1-392 (3TDs); Duke’s Darian Mensah – 27-34-0-389 (3TDs); Appalachian State’s A.J. Swann – 31-46-0-368 (3TDs); East Carolina’s Katin Houser – 30-44-0-366 (1TD); Arkansas State’s John Raynor – 26-32-0-345 (3TDs); Ole Miss’s Austin Simmons – 20-31-2-341 (3TDs); North Texas’ Drew Mestemaker – 24-32-0-329 (3TDs), and Arkansas’ Taylen Green – 24-31-0-322 (6TDs);
Week One’s Best Rushers:
Troy’s Tae Meadows – 186 yards (1TD); Navy’s Braxton Woodson – 180 yards (2TDs); Old Dominion’s Colton Joseph – 179 yards (2TDs); Texas State’s Lincoln Pare – 170 yards (1TD); Fresno State’s Bryson Donelson – 167 yards (1TD); UAB’s Jevon Jackson – 166 yards (2TDs); Michigan’s Justice Haynes – 159 yards (3TDs); Georgia Tech’s Haynes King – 156 yards (3TDs); Tulsa’s Dominic Richardson – 142 yards (1TD); Minnesota’s Darius Taylor – 141 yards; Auburn’s Jackson Arnold – 137 yards (2TDs); and Wyoming’s Sam Scott – 132 yards.
Quotes of the Week
“Let’s finish the book before we judge him. That was one chapter,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian on his quarterback Arch Manning.
“Since 2007, in games when Alabama was favored by at least 14 points, Nick Saban was 131-2 and Kalen DeBoer is 4-4,” On3’s Brett McMurphy.
“Bring him back. Get him off the GameDay set. Bring him back today,” Paul Finebaum on Monday morning’s edition of Get Up on ESPN, hollering for Alabama to bring back Nick Saban.
“And just one more thing – Julian Sayin, the quarterback at Ohio State. He was on the Alabama roster when Kalen DeBoer got there. Kalen DeBoer mispronounced his name, and he was gone,” Paul Finebaum.
“And besides, Nick Saban is wasting his time on GameDay,” Paul Finebaum.
“Why wait? Fire him now. Get it over with. FSU’s 31-17 beat down was just a preamble of more horrors to come,” AL.com’s Joseph Goodman, saying Alabama should fire Kalen DeBoer now.
“If you have three more losses like that this year, he’s going to be fired. I don’t care how big the buyout is. It’s Alabama. You can’t go 8-4,” On3’s Andy Staples on Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer.
Touchdown Tom
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
The next posting of College Football Week – CFW Week 2 Forecast – will be released on Thursday morning, September 4.
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