College Corner- Week 1 College Football Recap
By Christian S Rauh & Brian Pezon
September 7th, 2017
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College Football is back! Man was the first week exciting! We had blowouts, upsets, and possible college football playoff previews. All in the first week! If this is any indication of how this season is going to be, we are in for quite a treat! Let’s break down the Top 25 team’s games, as well as a few notables.
Saturday Aug 26th
#19 USF 42 San Jose St. 22
We start off with 19th rank South Florida taking on San Jose St. Former Texas head coach Charlie Strong gets himself a win in his first game as head coach of the Bulls, but it started off shaky. South Florida was down 16-0 and held to only 22 yards in the first quarter, but found a way to overcome it. South Florida wound up with a 315-yard rushing night, and had fast tempo offense, and they looked good doing it. Quarterback Quinton Flowers threw for 186 yards, 2 TDS, 1Int. He also ran for 67. South Florida looks to create their first winning streak in the Charlie Strong era as they host FCS team Stony Brook for there home opener. San Jose St. is 1-24 in there past 25 games against ranked teams, they will face FCS Cal-Poly next weekend, after that they face Texas.
#14 Stanford 62 Rice 7
The Stanford Cardinals started there season off great with an impressive 62-7 beating over Rice University. NFL first round draft pick and former Stanford Cardinal Christian Mccaffrey was replaced by Bryce Love, who has proved himself already as a number 1 in the backfield rushing for 180 yards and touchdown. Cameron Scarlett had a successful game in the backfield for the Cardinals as well, finishing with 3 touchdowns and 59 yards. Quarterback Keller Chryst looked solid as well with 253 yards and 2 touchdowns. Rice University will hope to bounce back as they take on Texas-El Paso next. For Stanford, a harder matchup indeed, they head into USC and battle the Trojans.
Thursday Aug 31st
#2 Ohio St 49 Indiana 21
This game was way more interesting than the score shows. Until the end, we almost had a top 5 upset, but head coach Urban Meyer and The Ohio State University did not allow that to happen. Indiana would control the first half and led 21-20 late into the third quarter, but the Buckeyes took over in proved why they were ranked preseason #2. Freshman running back J.K. Dobbins broke a 15 year school record by rushing for 181 yards in his OSU debut. Quarterback J.T. Barrett went 20/35 for 304 yards, 3TDs. He also rushed for 61 yards and 1TD. Wideout Parris Campbell was impressive in this one as well, he went 6 receptions, 136 yards, 1TD. Although we saw a late game lead blown by the Hoosiers, we saw great play from quarterback Richard Lagow who had an incredible 40 completions on 65 attempts, and throwing for 3TDs, 2Ints. WR Simmie Cobbs was on the other end for 11 of those receptions for 149 yards and 1TD. Indiana will travel next week to take on Virgina. OSU will be in primetime once again on Saturday night, as they take on Oklahoma.
#10 Oklahoma St. 59 Tulsa 24
Oklahoma State played a fantastic game against Tulsa Thursday, led by Quarterback Mason Rudolph. He went 20 for 24, 303 yards and 3 TDs. Oklahoma States backfield was outstanding led by Justice Hill who rushed for 132 yards, and 1 TD. Hill was assisted by freshman running back JD King with 95 yards and a touchdown, and redshirt freshman running back Ladarren Brown for 92 yards and a touchdown. This running back by committee could be the way Oklahoma State makes their way up the ranks. Tulsa also had success in the run game as Corey Taylor II rushed for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns. Tulsa will look to get into the win column this week as they take on Louisiana, Oklahoma will look to continue their success as they head to South Alabama.
Friday Sept. 1st
#8 Washington 30 Rutgers 14
University of Washington squeaked by one of college footballs oldest team, Rutgers on Friday. The Huskies were only up 10-7 on the Scarlet Knights who were only 2-10 last season at the half. Washington’s Quarterback took some big hits by Rutgers defense, one causing a fumble and turnover. He did improve however, especially in the second half and showed why he was 6th in the Heisman race last season by going 17 for 30 284 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Receiver Dante Pettis had 85 yards on 3 receptions and took a punt return to the house right before the half. Running back Myles Gaskin was consistent rushing and receiving as he had 59 rushing, and 79 and a touchdown through the air. Rutgers Kyle Bolin passed for 178 on 24 completions 2 touchdowns, but also threw two picks. Bolin, who is a recent transfer from Louisville, will take his Scarlet Knights next week back to Rutgers to face Eastern Michigan. As for Washington, they also will go home, for there opener against Montana.
Utah State 10 #9 Wisconsin 59
This game got ugly quick in Wisconsin, as Quarterback Alex Hornibrook and an explosive Badgers Offense led their team to a blowout victory. Hornibrook went 15 for 23, 244 yards, and 3 touchdowns. A majority of his yards came from tight end Troy Fumagalli who had 105 yards and a touchdown on 5 receptions. Bradrick Shaw and freshman Jonathan Taylor dominated for Wisconsin on the ground. Shaw had 84 yards, 1 TD, and Taylor had 87 and 1TD. The Badger were impressive to say the least, and it will be interesting to see if they can play at this level vs ranked competition. They won’t get an opportunity yet however, they will host Lane Kiffin and Florida Atlantic. Utah State will go home to play Idaho State.
Saturday Sept 2nd
#3 Florida St. 7 #1 Alabama 24
This game was probably the most anticipated game since we had the National Championship game last January. Alabama who is coming off a loss in the Championship game to Clemson, beat the Tigers and the rest of college football for the preseason number 1 ranking, and they proved it in this one against number 3 Florida State. This game was very even for the first half, with both defensives looking fantastic. There were plenty of big hits in this one, especially from the Crimson Tide. Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts played better than his stats look. He went 10 for 18 for 96 yards, and one touchdown. Hurts also rushed for 55 yards, against a strong Seminole defense. The connection Hurts had with wide receiver Calvin Ridley all night was a sight to see. Ridley went for 83 yards and a touchdown on 7 receptions, but each catch always seemed to be crucial for the Alabama offense to continue moving the ball down the field. The success of Tide running game also didn’t disappoint in this one, as Damien Harris ran for 73 yards and a touchdown. Bo Scarbrough also helped out with 40 yards of his own, but it took him 15 attempts to get there, he was mostly shut down by the Noles. One of the biggest stories of the game was the Alabama special teams. They managed to get a blocked punt, block field goal, and they recovered a fumble on a FSU kick return, these events were the reason Alabama won this one. The other major story in college football’s game of the week was Florida State quarterback Deondre Francois. Francois, was brilliant in the first half, and keep the Noles in it all the way until late third quarter. He then threw 2 interceptions, and his luck got even worse. Francois was injured in the fourth quarter and had to leave the game. It was later found out, that he will be out for the rest of the season, a huge hit to Florida State. They will start a freshman quarterback this week, who came in this game when Francois went down, but did no throw a pass. The Seminoles will return home to play Louisiana-Monroe, as for Alabama, they will stay at home, and face Fresno State.
Western Michigan 31 #4USC 49
The Trojans hosted Western Michigan on Saturday, and started off very rocky for Sam Darnold and USC. The Trojans started the first half off very shaky, and then exploded, starting in the third quarter to win by more than two scores. Darnold ended the night 22 for 33 for 289 and two interceptions. There is without a doubt reporters will be talking about his NFL draft stock after this one. Deontay Burnett was fantastic catching Arnold’s passes however, going for 142 yards on 7 receptions. The story of the game however was the running game on both sides. USC Ronald Jones ran for 159 yards, scoring 3 touchdowns and averaging over 8 yards a carry. For the Western Michigan side of the house, LeVante Ballamy had 102 yards, and Jamauri Bogan rushed for 77 and a touchdown. Cornerback Darius Phillips had an explosive 100 yard kick return for a touchdown in this one as well. The Trojans cannot have a shaky start this week, as they look to take on Stanford, who is highly ranked. Western Michigan also has another tough game, with in state rival Michigan State.
Kent State 3 #5 Clemson 56
The defending National Champions keep the impressive play going through week one as they dominated Kent State 56-3. Kelly Bryant quickly filled the shoes of now Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson as he went for 236 yards and a touchdown vs Kent State. He also rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown. Freshman running back Travis Etienne also had a fantastic outing as he averaged over 8 yards a carry with 81 yards and a touchdown. The Tigers only allowed 120 total yards against the Golden Flashes, with only 1 passing yard. The TIgers look to continue there impressive game play as they play highly ranked Auburn this week. The Kent State Golden Flashes will hope to earn a little more yardage, especially in the air, as they take on Caylin Newton and Howard University.
Akron 0 #6 Penn St. 52
Another blowout this week, as the Nittany Lions crushed the Zips. This beating was led by running back Saquon Barkley, who put his name in the early Heisman talk after this outing. He had 172 rushing yards for two touchdowns, and 54 receiving yards. PSU’s Trace McSorley threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns and an interception. Both of his touchdowns came from hooking up with tight end Mike Gesicki, who had six receptions for 58 yards. Penn State is no joke this year, and they look to continue there explosive play against Pittsburgh, and Akron will look to eliminate that goose egg when they play Arkansas-Pine Bluff, both Saturday.
UTEP 7 #7 Oklahoma 56
The Sooners looked incredible in there season opener, as they easily took down UTEP. Baker Mayfield had a pro performance day, going 19 for 20 329 yards and 3 touchdown, he had only one incompletion, and he only played the first half! Tight End Mike Andrews had 134 yards on 7 receptions and a touchdown. Mayfield has opened a lot of eyes this week, and I’m sure he will be on NFL radars even more. (Just a reminder, if you remember BenchCasters editor Brian Pezon’s, projected Preseason All Americans, he chose Mayfield as the Quarterback. Here at BenchCasters, we know what we are talking about!) UTEP who only had 167 total yards, looks to improve as they host Rice, as for Oklahoma, they are set to travel to Ohio State, where they will take on the Buckeyes in Saturday night primetime.
#11 Michigan 33 #17 Florida
Michigan and Florida was a great game Saturday. We saw some good play, and bad play from each team. The Wolverines, were the better team however, and deserved the win. Quarterback Wilton Speight looked shaky for Michigan as he threw two interceptions for touchdowns in less than two minutes. They did have good play from freshman wide out Tarik Black. Another Freshman in the mix in this one was Florida’s Quarterback Feleipe Franks, who only went 5 for 9 for 75 yards, as they played two quarterbacks. (Malik Zaire was the other) Both teams have work to do, especially on the Gator side of the football, so we will look to see how next week pans out. Florida will see Northern Colorado, and Michigan will play their home opener against Cincinnati.
Georgia Southern 7 #12 Auburn 41
Auburn Tigers took on Georgia Southern in a no contest match, there isn’t much to talk about in this one, it was super one sided. Auburn defense only gave up 41 total yards to the Eagles. The running game for Auburn was impressive from both Kam Martin and Kerryon Johnson, and oddly enough, each of them ran for 136 yards and a touchdown. Georgia Southern is a good ball club, so they will bounce back, they test there luck this week home against New Hampshire. The Auburn Tigers are set to face defending National Champions Clemson, on Saturday.
BYU 0 #13 LSU 27
LSU gets a shutout against Brigham Young, and the running game was also the big story. Running backs Derrius Guice and Darrell Williams both ran incredible for a total of over 200 yards and 3 touchdowns. Guice went 122 and two, and Williams went 92 yards and a touchdown. BYU will look to bounce back and create more than 97 total yards as they are set to play Utah. LSU will play its home opener against FCS team of Chattanooga.
Appalachian St. 10 #15 Georgia 31
No upsets for Appalachian State this week, as they lose to the Bulldogs. Appalachian State’s Taylor Lamb did look impressive however, as he went 18 for 27 128 yards, and rushing for 66 and a touchdown. Georgia’s running game was dominate, led by Nick Chubb. Chubb rushed for 96 yards on 15 attempts and scoring twice. The Bulldogs are set to play the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame Saturday night. Appalachian St. will face Boone, North Carolina.
#16 Louisville 35 Purdue 28
Louisville started off to a rough start, but sneaked out with a win against Purdue. Lamar Jackson had 30 completions for 378 yards and two touchdowns. It didn’t stop there, for Jackson’s near perfect performance, he also rushed for 107 yards. Jackson distributed the ball well too, getting one receiver over 100 yards, (Jaylon Smith 117 yards) and one very close to that mark. (Freshman Redshirts Dez Fitzpatrick 95 yards, 1 TD) Purdue has some good receiver play from a redshirt freshman of there own, as Jackson Anthrop went for 82 yards, and 2 TDs. Purdue stayed in this game for the majority of this one, and they will win some important ball games this year, they will Play Ohio on Friday. Louisville will open its ACC play as they head to North Carolina on Saturday.
Bethune-Cook 13 #18 Miami(FL) 41
The U is back! Signal Caller Malik Rosier, and an explosive backfield wins it for the Hurricanes. Rosier went for 217 and 3 touchdowns in this victory. The backfield of Miami was split, but both successful. Mark Walton had 148 yards and two touchdowns, and Travis Homer ran for 103 yards. The Miami defense was also on point as they forced two turnovers on the Wildcats. Bethune-Cook will play Louisiana, and the Hurricanes will play Arkansas State.
Stony Brook 17 #19 USF 31
Southern Florida played for a second game, and wins verse Stony Brook. Quinton Flowers was great again as he passed for 212 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a touchdown and 70 yards. Running back D’Ernest Johnson for the Bulls ran for 99 yards and 2 touchdowns. Stony Brook threw two interceptions and were only 5-17 on 3rd down, the biggest reason they couldn’t stay in the game.
Central Arkansas 19 #20 Kansas State 55
Kansas State quarterback Jesse Ertz went off! 333 yards and 4 touchdowns to defeat Central Arkansas 55-19. He helped create two 100 yard receivers for the Wildcats, as Byron Pringle went for 121 yards and touchdown, and Isaiah Harris went for 118 and a score. The Wildcat did let up 421 yards, so that will need improvement if they want to battle against ranked opponents. Kansas State continue their season next against Charlotte, as Central Arkansas will go back to the FCS and play Murray State.
#22 West Virginia 24 #21 Virginia Tech 31
This was one of the best games of the week by far. Virginia Tech, led by Freshman quarterback Josh Jackson, proved why he was the first freshman named starter for the Hokies since Mike Vick in 1999. He threw for 235 yards and one touchdown, and was also explosive on the ground rushing for over 101 yards and a touchdown. Jackson was named ACC Rookie of the week. He connected with wide out Cam Phillips to create a dynamic duo for 7 receptions, 138 yards and a touchdown. West Virginia had a great game as well, but just fell behind in the end. Quarterback Will Grier, who was making his first start since being suspended at Florida University in 2015 passed for 371 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also had a good connection with both Gary Jennings and David Stills. Jennings went off going for 189 yards on 13 receptions and a score, Still had 94 yards on 9 receptions and two touchdowns. Both teams will remain ranked after this game, and look to constantly improve their chances at making the playoffs. West Virginia will return home and face East Carolina, as the Hokies will face FCS opponent Delaware.
**Upset Alert** Maryland 51 #23 Texas 41
The Longhorns were the first top 25 team to go down this season, as they lose to unranked Maryland. The Terps were led by running back Ty Johnson who had 132 yards and a touchdown. Signal Caller Tyrrell Pigrome threw for 175 and two scores, he also rushed for a touchdown on 64 yards. Antoine Brooks Jr. had a blocked field goal return for a touchdown as well. For the Longhorns, not all was lost as Steve Buechele threw 375 yards and 2 TDs. Collin Johnson was over 100 yards receiving as well with 125 yards and a score. The Longhorns have some work to do, to get them back into the top 25, but that might take some time. They are set to play San Jose State. Maryland will host Towson.
Montana St. 0 #24 Washington St. 31
Another Shutout in our top 25 games, as Washington State beats Montana State. Washington State quarterback Luke Falk had a stellar game with 311 yards and 3 touchdowns. He threw 13 times to running back James Williams who had 163 receiving and two scores. Montana State were no match for this Washington State team only earning 143 total yards.
#25 Tennessee 42 Georgia Tech 41
We had one hell of a finish on Labor Day, as Tennessee and Georgia Tech needed extra time to decide a winner. After each team scoring multiple times in overtime, Georgia Tech decided to go for 2, and end it. The Yellow Jackets were unsuccessful and the Volunteers won. Tennessee has great play from running back John Kelly who had 19 attempts, 128 yards 4TD. Wideout Marquez Callaway had 115 yards receiving as well, with two touchdowns. Georgia Tech’s Traquon Marshal rushed for 5 touchdowns, and 245 yards, the Volunteers had an issue with Tech’s option all night, but they squeaked out a victory here, and they look to continue their luck as they host Indiana State this week. As for Georgia Tech, this won’t be the last time you hear about them. They played a great game, and they could make some noise in the games to come, they look to restart against FCS Jacksonville State.
Other important games to note:
Texas A&M 44 UCLA 45
UCLA had one amazing comeback against Texas A&M on Sunday night. UCLA’s Josh Rosen threw for 491 yards and 4 touchdowns, he was absolutely outstanding. He also created three receivers over the century mark in receiving. Tight end Caleb Wilson had a game to remember catching the ball 15 times for 203 yards. He was followed by another great performance in wide out Darren Andrews who when for 137 yards on 12 receptions with 2 touchdowns. Jordan Lasley had 100 yards with a touchdown as well. Texas A&M earned the lead for most of this one, they did this a different way however, the ground game. A&M’s Trayveon Williams ran for 203 yards and 2 scores, as Keith Ford rushed for 114 yards and 3 touchdowns. Both teams had fantastic games offensively, and will look to lower the yards allowed. Texas A&M will face Nicholls State, and UCLA will host Hawaii.
NC State 28 South Carolina 35
This east coast battle came right down to the battle in South Carolina. The Gamecocks squeak by with a win, and enjoyed great play from their quarterback Jake Bentley who went 17 for 29 and 215 yards. He threw 3 touchdowns. NC State had an opportunity to tie the game at the end of the ball game, but were unsuccessful. Ryan Finley, NC State quarterback had 45 completions for 415 yards and two touchdowns. Wideout Tyshun(Deebo) Samuel caught both touchdowns for 83 yards. He also had a kick return touchdown for 97 yards. North Carolina State will look to rebound and get in the W column for the first time this season against Marshall. As for the Gamecocks, they will travel to play Missouri.
Temple 16 Notre Dame 49
The Fighting Irish beats Temple after great play from entire offense. The Irish led by quarterback Brandon Wimbush went for 184 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for 106 and a score. The offensive line for Notre Dame kept up the fantastic play for there running backs as well. Running backs Josh Adams (161, 2TDs) and Dexter Williams (124, 1TD) both ran over the century mark. Notre Dame is set to face Georgia on Saturday night. as Temple, they will hope for strong play once again from quarterback Logan Marchi, who threw for 245 yards and two scores against the Irish defense. They will face Villanova.
Howard 43 UNLV40 45PT underdogs win
Howard University wins in an upset to UNLV Saturday. Caylin Newton, younger brother of Cam Newton went for 140 yards in the air, and 190 rushing for 3 total touchdowns, as he led his team to a victory. Howard was a 45 point underdog, and overcame. I feel we will hear more of Newton in games to come.
Other notable players who had fantastic starts to there seasons are listed below:
- Navy QB- Zach Abbey 3/10 110yd 1TD,1INT, 32 attempts 235 yards 2TD
- Mizzou QB- Drew Lock 21/34 521 yards 7TD 1INT
- Mizzou WR- J’Mon Moore 4rec 187 yards 2TD
- Oregon HB- Royce Freeman 23 attempts 150yds 4TD
- Oregon HB-Kani Benoit 7att 107yd 3TD
- Nebraska HB- Tre Bryant 31 attempts 193 yards 1TD
- North Texas HB- 12att 176 yards 3TD
- California WR- Vic Wharton 5 receptions 156 yards 1TD
- Michigan St. QB- Brian Lewerke 22/33 250yd 3TD
- Massachusetts TE- Adam Breneman 18 attempts 305 yards (126yd and 179yd games)
- Ole Miss QB- Shea Patterson 28/35 429yds 4TD
- Ole Miss WR- AJ Brown 8rec 233 yards 2TD
- TCU QB- Kenny Hill 18/23 296 yards 4TD 1INT
AS you can tell, we are in for one hell of a season, and we here at BenchCasters are looking forward to it! We hope you enjoyed our recap, check out all of our content on www.benchcasters.com
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