Freshman 15 College Football: Tar Heels outlast TCU, Buffs stampede into Atlanta 

Although Week 0 of the college football season didn’t have a large slate, it did provide some close calls and unexpected outcomes. Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels grinded out a tough win overseas. Meanwhile, a new-look Cavaliers team convincingly beat down a conference rival to end a four-game losing streak against NC State. Also, one player helped himself tremendously out of the gate in the Heisman chase. Plus, we look ahead to some key games this week and this week’s Upset Special.

College Football: Recap of Week 0

Saturday Spotlight: UNC vs. TCU

If you were expecting a lot of points, sorry you were disappointed. UNC vs. TCU proved to be a fistfight between two teams leaning on their defense to lead them to a win. However, there were some fireworks.

UNC tight end Jelani Thurman paced the Tar Heels offense with four receptions for 94 yards. The 6-foot-6 Ohio State transfer made huge plays in the passing game to showcase his athleticism.

Xavier Lewis was disruptive and made a home in the TCU backfield, recording 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. He also helped stifle the run on a key 4th-and-1 deep in the red zone.

Offensively, UNC didn’t have much of a running game and Billy Edwards far from perfect but he didn’t give the ball up. Once UNC got their final stop on fourth down, that was the nail in the coffin. North Carolina chewed up the remaining four-plus minutes to get the win. Bill Belichick and his team got off on the right track and have a break between East Tennessee State and a big game versus Clemson. For TCU, they need to find a way to invigorate the passing for the remainder of the season.

Upset Special: NC State over UVA

This game wasn’t even close. At one point, UVA scored on three straight drives and capitalized on short fields handed to them by CJ Bailey and the NC State offense. Before you could blink, it was 24-0 after Beau Pribula delivered a 47-yard bomb to Da’Shawn Martin. Briefly, NC State flirted with the idea of a comeback after drawing within two scores but soon that dream led to a nightmare drive by UVA.

The Cavaliers went on a demoralizing 23-play, 12:15-minute drive that lasted from the third quarter until approximately the middle of the fourth quarter to give Virginia an unsurmountable lead. UVA bottled up Jayden Scott (7 carries, 20 yards), and CJ Bailey had one of his worst games, averaging 3.7 yards per pass attempt. Pribula owned the Wolfpack defense through the air and on the ground as he ran for over 100 yards. The Cavaliers defense was swarming from the opening whistle and only let up after everything was long decided.

Who helped themselves the most in Week 0?

While it wasn’t straight out of a movie, Jayden Maiava stepped up to lead a new cast of characters to a convincing win over San Jose State. It won’t draw national attention; in fact, it drew a sparse crowd at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. However, Maiava did what he was supposed to and did it well. He had help from true freshman Trent Mosley, who had seven receptions, 118 yards, and a touchdown. Maiava carved up the Spartans’ defense, completing 25 of his 29 attempts for a QBR of 80.4 and had his team comfortably ahead by the end of the third stanza.

If there’s a candidate who crashed the party for the Heisman, it’s Maiava, especially now more comfortable in Lincoln Riley’s offense and backed by what could be a big-time playmaker in Mosley. Maiava getting the win, with stellar numbers, ensured that he is the one who helped himself the most in Week 0.

College Football: Week 1 Spotlight and Upset Special

Saturday Spotlight: Colorado at Georgia Tech

Colorado is in a must-win situation this year, especially for Coach Prime. After falling to 3-9, the team is back to ground zero. All of the excitement and electricity have left Boulder, and it’s forced the program to start from scratch. The team welcomed 43 new transfers, and it’s going to be a lot to ask of the players to form chemistry in order to be competitive in the Big 12. Julian Lewis, a highly touted freshman quarterback, is now in charge of Colorado’s go-go offense catered to generate explosive plays. Their defense has been porous over the last few years, and they too are experiencing a change at defensive coordinator with Chris Marve. This lines up as a great first test against Georgia Tech’s exotic running attack.

Indiana transfer Alberto Mendoza takes over for Haynes King as the leader of the Yellow Jackets offense. For Colorado, if they can withstand Georgia Tech’s running physicality led by Haynes King and Malachi Hosley, that should give Lewis chances to look for big plays on the board. Georgia Tech is a quality opponent to open the season, and for Sanders, he has to present better than he did last year. The Saturday Spotlight comes a few days early with this Thursday’s throwdown in Atlanta.

College Football Upset Special: Clemson over LSU

Right now, everyone is burying Clemson, and it’s the least anyone has expected out of the program in a long time. The Tigers and Dabo Swinney need to remind everyone of who they are once again. They still have terrific defensive talent led by linebacker Sammy Brown and edge rusher Will Heldt. Expect them to make Sam Leavitt uncomfortable in his first game with LSU.

Offensively, they are playing an unknown commodity in Christopher Vizzina at quarterback. However, Chad Morris returns to lead the offense. Morris was the architect of Clemson’s explosive offenses during the Tajh Boyd era and returns to a program where he previously helped establish the offensive identity that preceded the Deshaun Watson era. Their wide receiver group has size and length to match with LSU’s big secondary. Clemson isn’t going to win a shootout, but what they can do is limit big plays by LSU, take care of the football, and allow their receivers to move the chains and give their receivers a chance to win 50-50 opportunities. Expect a low-scoring contest as Clemson’s path to a win.

Also, some background information: These two programs have a strange history. Although very limited, with only four meetings in the past, (LSU 3-1 all-time vs. Clemson) LSU adopted the Death Valley moniker at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge after beating Clemson in the 1959 Sugar Bowl. Clemson gets their nickname and swagger back as they take down their Tigers counterpart in LSU’s Death Valley in this week’s upset.