College Football Week 0: Box Score Review

With Week 0 in the books, we’re going to recap the college football slate, giving the most important takeaways from each contest. Let’s dive in.

College Football Week 0: Box Score Review

North Carolina defeats TCU (N)

This game wasn’t the gem most wanted it to be.  The first quarter was a good back-and-forth affair, but the quality of play dropped off significantly after that.  Overall, the game was relatively even, with UNC holding a slight 40-yard edge in total yards. However, they significantly outperformed TCU with 5.6 yards per play compared to 4.0 and 6.9 yards per pass compared to TCU’s 4.4. 

UNC won the box score in the passing game, while TCU won the ground game, with Jermy Payne rushing for 142 yards (5.7 yards per carry). The name of the game here was missed opportunities, for both sides.

TCU committed a special teams safety on a high snap, fumbled the ball inside of their own 40-yard line to start the second half, and then turned the ball over on downs twice to follow, both inside of the UNC 10-yard line.

UNC had their own issues, fumbling the ball around midfield to end the first half, fumbling inside of their own red zone in the third quarter, and missing a 42-yard field goal.

Takeaways

Quarterback Billy Edwards and the UNC receivers looked good. Yet, whether that is a positive for them or a red flag for the TCU secondary can be argued.

The TCU rushing attack looked efficient if you take out all of the negative lost yards on sacks, but the passing game left a lot to be desired. Harvard transfer quarterback Jaden Craig looked overwhelmed against a pretty decent UNC defense. However, it was his first start at the FBS level, so there should be some grace allowed. With that said, his future performances will deservedly be put under the microscope and TCU could have quarterback issues moving forward if Craig doesn’t progress.

San Jose State falls against USC

USC did what they wanted in the first half against San Jose State, leading 28-0 at halftime. Jayden Miava played very well, going 25-of-29 for 286 yards. The running back unit looked average, but the freshman wide receivers for USC really stepped up, with Trent Mosely leading the team with seven receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown.

San Jose State didn’t really show up until USC went further into their depth at the end of the third quarter. However, Hawaii quarterback transfer Luke Weaver made an impression, going 21-of-32 with 234 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and led the team in rushing with 42 yards, while also adding a rushing touchdown. San Jose State’s passing attack was also a bright spot, going for 7.1 yards per pass, albeit against the USC backups.

Takeaways

The Spartans going to throw the ball a lot. Outside of the Luke Weaver runs, the running backs only touched the ball 15 total times compared to 32 passing attempts.

USC’s skill position underclassmen looked promising in their first action, but how will it translate when the competition stiffens up later down the line?

NC State decimated by Virginia

NC State was flat out embarrassed in this game. Quarterback CJ Bailey played very poorly, only going 12-of-23 for 84 yards, an interception, and a fumble inside of the UVA red zone. Whether his performance is a mark against him or the lackluster running backs and wide receivers he has around him, is another story. However, this NC State offense did nothing all game.

The defense for the Wolfpack was also extremely poor, giving up 400+ yards in total, 6.1 yards per play, 12.1 yards per pass, and could not contain UVA quarterback Beau Pribula on the ground, especially in key down and distance situations.

Pribula looked composed and healthy again, throwing for a very efficient 9-of-11 for 155 yards, and two touchdowns. He also added 110 yards on the ground at 7.3 yards per rush. 

The UVA defense seemed to pick up where it left off last season, but that could be more of a product of how bad the NC St. offense was.

Takeaways

NC State is going to need to find help on offense with their skill position players and will need significant help defensively. CJ Bailey isn’t going to be able to carry the team every game, even with far better performances. 

The UVA offense was humming yesterday, and credit to Pribula in the passing game. Yet, how will the offense look if they can’t open the field with Pribula’s legs moving forward?

Jacksonville State loses to North Dakota State

The North Dakota State defense was too much to handle for Jacksonville State, and the loss of star running back Cam Cook was very evident. 

The North Dakota State defense held Jacksonville State to 170 total yards. And the Gamecocks had just 2.7 yards per rush, too. Jacksonville State hurt themselves as well.

They were unable to capitalize on a North Dakota State red zone interception, gave up a huge 45-yard touchdown to end the half, threw an interception of their own, had a fumble returned for a touchdown, and missed a field goal to start the fourth quarter. 

North Dakota State’s offense wasn’t too shabby. They rushed for 5.6 yards per carry and put together an efficient passing attack for 6.1 yards per pass.

Takeaways

Jacksonville State lost too much of their offensive identity heading to play a tough defense on the road. And, the defense couldn’t stop the bleeding and contain the NDST ground attack. 

North Dakota State played very well, but will their defense travel well? Plus, how will offense play against more stout defensive lines and without the advantage of several self inflicted wounds by the opponent?

Sacramento State squeaks out a win over Eastern Michigan

Sacramento State is going to be a pass-first team. Quarterback Carson Conklin threw the ball a whopping 46 times yesterday compared to only 17 rushing attempts. The quarterback and receivers did most of the damage for Sac State, while the running backs only rushed for 2.9 yards per attempt. The defense played pretty well against the run, but the secondary has some work to do. 

It looks like Eastern Michigan could be a pass-first team as well, as Noah Kim threw 38 times. Yet, they had a much more balanced attack with 30 rushing attempts. Although, the ground game wasn’t great, but credit to Sac. State on that. Quarterback Kim played well yesterday, but the pass catchers were the stars of the show, returning a good top two wide receivers and a solid tight end. Eastern Michigan should have done a better job at handling business at home, but punted four times in the first quarter before finally putting a touchdown on the board. 

Keep a close eye on the EMU special teams going forward. They had a punt blocked and also missed a 28-yard field goal to end the half.  Sacramento State wasn’t able to get out of their own way either, fumbling the ball in the second quarter in the middle of back-to-back touchdowns allowed in a three-minute span. However, they were fortunate enough to recover a fumble and return it for a touchdown.  This game could have been much worse if it wasn’t for the EMU mistakes that will need to be cleaned up moving forward.

Takeaways

Sacramento State will be able to move the ball through the air, especially against poorer defensive backfields. Both teams need to find a more stable rushing attack to relieve some of the pressure put on the quarterbacks in the passing game. And, both team’s secondary play did not impress. They may be in store for some high-scoring games.

Hawaii falls short against Stanford

This game played much to the script of last season’s game. Stanford goes up big, starts to bleed on defense, and the game gets too close for comfort. However, this time, Stanford was the recipient of the good fortune. They scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter and then returned a fumble for a touchdown to ice the game in a play that was very significant to some.

Stanford ran the ball pretty well with Micah Ford and Sedrick Irving, especially considering there were some offensive line questions heading into the game. Hawaii’s defense doesn’t look good, and is going to be a problem that continues throughout the season. The defense gave up 468 yards, 6.5 yards per play, and 8.4 yards per pass against a quarterback that hasn’t played since being benched in 2024.

Hawaii quarterback Micah Alejado played admirably and the receiver unit found some bright spots on the field without wide receiver Pofele Ashlock. However, outside of the quarterback and receivers, there was absolutely nothing going on on the ground. The team rushed for 46 total yards at 2.1 yards per carry.

Takeaways

Stanford looks better put together and coached this season. Transfer quarterback Davis Warren looked pretty good in his first starting action in a while, albeit against a very poor Hawaii defense. Stanford will need to continue to push on offense, as the offensive lulls were the reason why the game was flipped in Hawaii’s favor late.

Hawaii is going to be in some shootouts this season, but should be able to move the ball through the air. However, if anything happens to quarterback Alejado and he has to miss time like last year, their season is over.

New Mexico State falls to Florida State

Furman transfer quarterback Trey Hedden played very well for New Mexico State yesterday. The overall team improvements talked about before seemed to show up. However, this isn’t about New Mexico State. It is about Florida St.’s performance, or more so, the lack of. 

The positives are that FSU ran the ball very well (opponent taken into consideration) and Ousmane Kromah looks the part of a true RB1, rushing for 8.2 yards per carry and 115 total yards. Ashton Daniels was also able to use his legs for 30 yards rushing and touchdown, but the passing game just wasn’t there. Daniels was only 17-of-27 with a bad interception. 

The Seminoles just didn’t look good overall, and there are more questions in the secondary and with an offensive line that didn’t pass block well, either. FSU’s first game of the season was a competitive home game against New Mexico State. With games against SMU and Alabama on deck, is it time to sound the alarm already or is this just a classic example of overthinking the first game of the season?

Takeaways

It doesn’t seem like Ashton Daniels is the guy for the job. He was outclassed at home, and his reads weren’t great. If it wasn’t for his ability to run, he probably wouldn’t be at a P4 starting quarterback level. 

New Mexico State did very well in the pass game and also returned some good receiving options. It will be interesting to see if the rushing attack can get up and going when they aren’t punching up in competition.

Memphis surges past UNLV

Memphis was just better and more efficient than UNLV in this Week 0 college football matchup. Even though they were outgained 460-418, the Tigers held an edge in yards per play (7.0-5.8), yards per pass (8.0-5.5), and yards per rush (5.7-4.1). West Florida transfer Marcus Stokes looked good in his FBS debut, throwing for 223 on 15-of-26, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Memphis ground game was also solid, with Southern Miss running back transfer, Jaylin Carter, running for 6.5 yards per attempt and Stokes adding in 45 yards on the ground, as well. 

UNLV quarterback Jackson Arnold was about the only bright spot on the offense. He passed for 291 yards and two touchdowns, leading the team in rushing with 54 yards and adding a rushing touchdown. Last year’s 1,000-yard back, Jai’Den Thomas, was a no show in the backfield, but was the team’s leading receiver in yards, targets, and receptions. The UNLV receivers were able to snag a couple of explosive plays through the air, but other than that, it wasn’t an impressive performance. It looks like UNLV is still looking for answers in that area, as 11 receivers had catches. The Rebels’ defense also doesn’t look improved. The defense only had one sack and the secondary got beat or blew coverage multiple times.

Takeaways

The Memphis defense still has some work to do, but the DL showed up, tallying six sacks. For UNLV, Jackson Arnold played very well and should fit in this offense nicely, but the defense looks like it could regress this season. It is also worth noting the running backs, Jaylon Glover and Jai’Den Thomas, combined for nearly 100 yards on just 17 carries. Should they be getting more of the rushing workload instead of Arnold, who only ran for 2.6 yards per attempt on 21 carries, or is that a byproduct of a bad offensive line performance?