After a long offseason, the college football season returned in Week 0 with some harrowing storylines and last-second finishes. That included a gutsy win in Honolulu and countless near-misses in a conference showdown in Ireland. This week, Syracuse looks to upset Tennessee in a Week 1 college football matchup. Plus, we may see a few great games on the horizon. Before we look ahead to this week’s slate, here’s a quick look back at Week 0.
College Football: Recap of Week 0
Saturday Spotlight: Kansas State vs. Iowa State
Farmageddon started as sloppily as the weather in Dublin for both teams. It could have been attributed to the two teams traveling internationally for the first game of the season, as well as the rainy conditions on the field.
There were two turnovers in the first five minutes of the game before Iowa State broke the 0-0 tie with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Rocco Becht to Dominic Overby. Yet, Kansas State has no one else to blame but themselves as they squandered several opportunities to score.
The Wildcats went 1-of-4 on fourth down attempts. Jerand Bradley dropped a would-be first down on 4th-and-8 as Kansas State was on the fringe of the red zone. Then later, Avery Johnson was stuffed on a 4th-and-1 on their own side of the field.
Meanwhile, Iowa State was a perfect 3-of-3 in that area, including a crucial 4th-and-3 pickup to Carson Hansen to seal the win for the Cyclones. The call was especially gutsy since it would have given Kansas State the ball back and a chance to tie the game at the end of regulation.
Instead, Iowa State decided not to give Kyle Konrardy another chance at a field goal after he had previously missed from 49 yards.
Carson Hansen’s fourth down conversion was huge, but he was also critical in the win with 71 tough yards on the ground. If it had not been for splash plays by Jerand Bradley and Jase Brown, the contest would have appeared to be a lot more one-sided.
Hats off to the Iowa State defense for limiting Avery Johnson to a mere 21 rushing yards on eight attempts (2.6 yards per carry). The Cyclones get a big win to open the season.
Upset Special: Hawaii vs. Stanford
Although on paper, Stanford was the bigger, stronger team, the element that was accounted for was the heart of Hawaii. That all started with Michal Alejado.
After a critical turnover in the end zone that gave Stanford a 10-0 lead, Alejado bounced right back. Aside from an early mistake, he got the ball out of his hands quickly, extended plays on the ground, and played through pain. When he got folded backwards and momentarily left the game, you thought that was it for Hawaii. And, the injury did impact his accuracy. However, seeing him spring back to his feet and will his team to a game-winning drive was special. On one foot, he was still willing to leave the pocket to move the chains and sacrifice himself for his team.
This is a freshman quarterback who feels that type of responsibility to lead his team to a win. And at the line of scrimmage, he’s got excellent command. Hawaii is still a very long way from competing for a title in MWAC, but Alejado so far looks as good as advertised.
Meanwhile, Stanford ran the ball well, but otherwise were limited offensively. Ben Gulbranson didn’t make enough plays in the passing game. The opportunities they did have, they didn’t take advantage of. It’s a shame because Micah Ford had a solid game and should be the centerpiece of the offense going forward.
The mental mistakes are what held back the Cardinal, mostly. A costly penalty by Clay Patterson nullified a tackle for loss that likely takes points away before the half for Hawaii. Instead, the penalty extended a drive because of an excessive celebration, and Hawaii goes into the half with a lead.
Sam Roush also could have made a catch that likely was a touchdown throw by Gulbranson. However, he wasn’t strong enough at the catch point.
Stanford also had a field goal blocked. Overall, the Cardinal had the pieces to win but didn’t pay enough attention to detail and lacked discipline where it mattered most.
Who hurt themselves the most in Week 0?
Frank Reich and his decision to stick by Ben Gulbranson has to be the culprit here. Stanford, as a program, is in an unenviable position.
The program lost so much talent that they were not able to replenish this offseason. The transition to Andrew Luck as the general manager and Reich as the head coach is haphazardly slapped together, and is scrambling for hope after three consecutive 3-9 seasons. Yet, with their veteran experience, they convinced themselves that Ben Gulbranson was their best choice at quarterback.
Even when at Oregon State, Gulbranson was gun-shy and averse to making risky throws down the field. That was the case on Saturday, and he held back the offense in doing so.
Stanford had open receivers running intermediate routes downfield, and Gulbranson would not throw the football. His skittish feet at the first sign of pressure grounded the offense to a screeching halt. Gulbranson threw for only 109 yards on 30 attempts and had a QBR of 13.2.
After a 36-yard connection with Chico Holt on a perfect call against the blitz, Stanford was in possession to seal the win. Yet, Gulbranson throws a game-altering interception to Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen.
Hindsight is 50-50, clearly. However, backup quarterback Elijah Brown makes quicker decisions and has better ball placement. The offense needed a shot in the arm, and Reich stood by as he allowed Gulbranson to sink the ship off the coast of the Hawaiian Islands.
College Football: Week 1 Spotlight and Upset Special
Saturday Spotlight: FAU at Maryland
After three straight bowl wins under coach Locksley, Maryland took a step back, falling to 4-8 in 2024. This year, they start over again with renewed hope under center and a new offensive play caller. Although the team hasn’t named a starting quarterback, the buzz is that true freshman Malik Washington will get the starting job. He’s compared to Joshua Dobbs, and it’s easy to see why.
People around the team rave about his maturity. He’s also a great prospect as a passer and a runner, running in the 4.6’s as a high school athlete. Washington is somebody who was highly touted and passed up offers from Big Ten rivals Penn State and Oregon to stay and play for his home state Terrapins. The Maryland offensive line struggled in pass protection last year, so the mobility of Washington could be the great equalizer to get its offense on track.
Expect Nolan Ray to have a substantial role in the offense at tailback, as he is one of the more elusive backs in the conference.
Defensively, Maryland has to be better at rushing the passer than they were last season. They were last in the conference in sacks, and that has to change.
For Florida Atlantic, they are also starting fresh with a new staff. That begins with their head coach, Zach Kittley.
Kittley is the youngest coach in FBS football at only 34 years old. However, he comes to Florida Atlantic with a proven track record offensively. He had success running the Air Raid offense at Western Kentucky and, most recently, Texas Tech.
Caden Veltkamp joins Florida Atlantic after Conference USA Player of the Year honors at Western Kentucky last season. The key for Maryland will be containing Eason Messer, another transfer from Western Kentucky, who is very shifty and a friendly target for quarterbacks.
FAU has also beefed up its defensive line, and styles make fights. If Maryland can corral Veltkamp, that’ll be a huge boost. Also, if the Terps can open holes for Ray, they can control the pace and FAU’s Air Raid on the sideline.
The transition of one of the Big Ten’s sudden success stories, which saw their growth come to a stop, makes them one of the more intriguing storylines in the conference. The curiosity to see how they and a new-look Owls team come out in Week 1 makes them worthy of a watch in this week’s Saturday Spotlight.
College Football Upset Special: Syracuse vs. Tennessee
For Syracuse, it seems like Fran Brown’s hard work is starting to pay off. Since landing with the Orange, he has done a great job of working the transfer portal and bringing talent to central New York. Syracuse feels like a college football team that can surprise many, and they could do so in Atlanta against Tennessee.
Quarterback Steve Angeli is no stranger to big moments. For his short career, he has always been the next man up. Last season with Notre Dame, he came in for an injured Riley Leonard during the Orange Bowl versus Penn State and went 6-of-7 to keep the offense afloat. Angeli can extend plays. However, he’s not much of a runner, opting to keep his eyes downfield.
Another potent playmaker who could change the game is Texas transfer Johntay Cook. The former five-star receiver has tremendous talent. Cook has a great burst in and out of his cuts, and he can be a nightmare after the catch. Plus, he has terrific body control with exceptional speed to get downfield and locate the football. Expect him to get plenty of targets from inside the slot or on the outside.
Defensively, the wild card for the Orange is Devin Grant. He’s rangy, very tall, and athletic. He can alter a game in different spots. Grant can cover from the slot and on the boundary. And, in addition to being a good run support defender, he can blitz effectively from the slot.
From one team that thrived from the transfer portal to another that was decimated by it is the Tennessee Volunteers. The shocking departure of Nico Iamaleava over an NIL dispute left the Volunteers with a gaping hole at quarterback.
Also, Tennessee has to replace top receivers Bru McCoy, Dont’e Thornton, Squirrel White, and running back Dylan Sampson. There are a lot of questions Tennessee has to answer Week 1 against an opponent with a confident swagger, and that’s why Syracuse gets the upset win.
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