College football week 0 is in the books. After every week fans can take away things from what happened on the field. Here are 5 things learned from college football week 0.
As mentioned in the preview of the weekend, Scott Frost needed to win the season-opening game against Northwestern. Not only did Nebraska lose, it was in a heart-breaking fashion. The Cornhuskers were up by 11, tried and missed out on recovering an onside kick. Then they blew the lead, which is something that has happened a decent amount during the Scott Frost-era.
The schedule won’t be easy for the Cornhuskers to turn things around. They have to play Oklahoma in the non-conference schedule and will also have some tough games in the Big Ten. Nebraska will have an uphill battle making a bowl game and ultimately that could be the thing that Frost needs to make in order to keep his job.
In Vanderbilt’s first game of the year, they traveled to Hawaii to take on the Warriors. They dominated the game and won 63-10. Mike Wright was a new starting quarterback and validated the decision of the coaches to start him over the returning starter Ken Seals. He passed for 146 yards and rushed for 163 yards en route to four total touchdowns.
Wright might not be the best thrower of the football, but his legs can change things up for Vanderbilt. They will have a tough time winning games in the SEC, but keeping defenses honest with quarterback runs should open up more of the offense for the Commodores. Keep an eye on Wright this season.
College football fans likely knew there was an issue at Hawaii after Todd Graham was fired and plenty of players transferred out. The result was Timmy Chang being hired as head coach and only having a few returning key players. In week 0, they lost to Vanderbilt by 53 points.
Chang has a mess to clean up, as Graham didn’t leave the program in a great state. It could take years for the Warriors to rebuild the program and make a bowl game. Chang was a good quarterback and knows the air raid system, but he has a lot of work to do.
Illinois hasn’t had the best seasons in recent memory. Bret Bielema is in his second year with the program and is trying to turn things around. He was able to lead the Fighting Illini to a win over Wyoming in week 0. One of the stars of the game was running back Chase Brown. He rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns in the opener.
After rushing for over 1,000 yards last season, Brown has a good start to the 2022 season. He struggled to get going early last season so he is in store for a massive 2022 season. Brown can make an All-Big Ten team and help Illinois turn the program around.
North Carolina named Drake Maye the starting quarterback over Jacolby Crisswell to start the season. Maye showed that the coaches made the right decision so far, as he led the Tar Heels to a 56-24 victory. In the process of winning the game, he passed for 294 yards and five touchdowns.
Florida A&M won’t be the best competition that the Tar Heels face, but it is a good start for Maye nonetheless. The quarterback has a good rapport with star receiver Josh Downs, which should blossom throughout the season. After losing Sam Howell to the NFL Draft, it looks like the Tar Heels are in good hands.
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