Football has kicked off, but there is still a long way to go. Each week more is learned about each team, even though not everything can be known. Putting the pieces together on college football each season is part of why fans love it. With that being said, here are five things learned from week one.
Oklahoma lost one of its all-time greats in Baker Mayfield, who is now a Cleveland Brown. In their opening game against Florida Atlantic, it didn’t seem like they will be missing Mayfield as much as a lot of people thought. Kyler Murray took over at quarterback and helped lead the Sooners for a 63 point outburst.
Murray completed 9-11 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 23 yards rushing and did a great job of avoiding the pass rush. He has the playmakers to be a star for Oklahoma for the season and possibly lead them back to the College Football Playoff.
Tom Herman (photo by kvue.com)
Texas was thought to be back on track, but after the first week, it is apparent that they have a long way to go. They lost their first game to Maryland by five points. The Longhorns had all offseason to prepare for this game and failed to do so well.
Maryland is not a great football team, they have been dealing with a trying time with the loss of a player and didn’t have their head coach on the sidelines for game one. Texas still wasn’t able to win. Tom Herman has his work cut out for him before he can bring Texas back to its former glory. He also now has a rabid fanbase breathing down his neck.
Auburn got a huge win over Washington in Atlanta. This win not only shows what they are capable of, but also should set them up well if they are in the College Football Playoff discussion. Washington is a very good team so any player who performed well should be confident moving forward.
Stidham is in his second year running the Auburn offense. His numbers are not eye-popping, although he has played well. Against Washington, a great defense last season that returned nine starters, Stidham played extraordinarily well. He threw for 273 yards and one touchdown on 72.2% completion and didn’t turn the ball over. There are a lot of tough defenses in the SEC West, so the good performance this week could be a sign of things to come in Auburn’s other big games on the schedule.
Nick Brossette (Photo by theadvertiser.com)
LSU didn’t just win a big game in week one, they dominated Miami. The Hurricanes were a preseason top 10 team and LSU was able to control the game from start to finish. The narrative around the Tigers’ program the last few seasons has been that they can’t win big games, but that might be changing after Sunday.
The Tigers showed they can beat a good team, but a lot more was answered with their win. Their defense only allowed three points through three quarters, as they look to stay strong on that side of the ball. The offense did just enough to help them win the game. New quarterback Joe Burrow protected the football, although he didn’t complete a high percentage of his passes. Running back Nick Brossette was able to rush for 125 yards on 22 carries for two scores. They’ll need to step it up, but it’s a good start for their season.
Notre Dame had a big rivalry game with Michigan to open up their season. They were able to hold on to a 24-17 game to win the game. The offense for the Fighting Irish struggled to move the ball, but made big plays. Their defense was the more impressive thing on Saturday night.
Michigan by no means is a great offensive football team, but Notre Dame did a lot of good things in this game defensively that look good moving forward. Defensive lineman Khalid Kareem helped the Irish keep constant pressure on the quarterback with his two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss. Linebackers Te’Von Coney and Drue Tranquil flew to the football. The secondary might have a new star in safety Alohi Gilman, who transferred in from Navy. This was just one game, but there are plenty of good things for Notre Dame to build on moving forward.
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