Pok’s Week in Review: College Football Begins

After a long wait, the college football season kicked off in full force with a full slate of Week 1 games. The schedule provided some incredible matchups and big-time standouts. They also produced some severe disappointments and storylines to monitor over the coming weeks.

There is so much to get into, and I do not want to waste any more time! The column is back for the regular season, and it is time to get off and running. Without further ado, it is time for another edition of Brandyn’s Football Week in Review!

College Football Week 1 Recap

FIU Starts on the Right Foot

The Willie Simmons Era is off to a great start in Miami.

After a bit of a rain delay, the FIU Panthers dispatched Bethune-Cookman by a score of 42-9. FIU was able to dictate the terms of engagement on both sides of the ball. They got whatever they wanted, executed at a high level, and easily ran away with the game against an inferior opponent.

On offense, the Panthers ran that rock, and they ran it very well. FIU had three separate players average over 6.0 yards per carry, and that does not include the two touchdowns from stand-out quarterback Keyone Jenkins.

Kejon Owens, the veteran of the group, has the all-around ability to be one of the better featured backs in Conference USA. Against the Wildcats, Owens had 71 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. He recorded three missed tackles, 38 yards after contact, and accounted for five first downs.

Outside of Owens, Devonte Lyons had a very good day as an explosive option for the Panthers. Taking the ball on a perfectly designed concept, the running back raced into the end zone without a single defender getting a hand on him for a 35-yard touchdown.

The last member of the three-headed monster, Anthony Carrie, might have had the best all-around performance. He racked up 49 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while also adding 33 yards on three receptions as a pass-catcher.

Although he did not have the best game, I was a fan of how Jenkins played from an overall perspective.

As a runner, Jenkins showed that he can get the job done when pressured or called upon in that area. Not only did Jenkins make defenders miss, but he also ran through them to pick up critical yards. It was an aspect of his game that seemed to have leveled up in 2025. And combined with the other running backs, it could make the FIU rushing attack very deadly.

As a passer, Jenkins displayed his trademark escapability, great pocket awareness, and quick decision-making. Jenkins found a way to keep the chains consistently moving. The quarterback threw for 187 yards, completed 18-of-30 passes, had one big-time throw, and managed to have an ADOT of 11.3.

 

Friday’s win was not a firework display from the passing attack. Yet over the course of the season, expect this offensive scheme to unleash a passing attack that is very hard to stop on a consistent basis.

 

From an overall perspective, this was a great first step for the Panthers. The offense and defense, while having some things to fix, set a great foundation to build upon. This week’s game against Penn State will be fascinating to watch; if they can compete on a reasonable level for this matchup, the Panthers will be in a great spot ahead of their matchup against FAU.

USF Provides a Statement Win

Did the USF Bulls have the best win of Week 1? There is a huge argument for it, but regardless of that discussion, the Bulls started their 2025 season with a statement.

Facing off against a nationally ranked Boise State team, USF dismantled the Broncos by a score of 34-7. It was one-sided from the second quarter of the game forward. On both sides of the ball, USF showed the talent of their roster and the upside they could have in 2025.

On offense, one thing was crystal clear: Byrum Brown is back.

The quarterback, who missed the majority of 2024 with injuries, was a force in both the passing and running games. In the air, he had 16 completions for 210 yards and two big-time throws. Most impressively, though, was that Brown had zero turnover-worthy plays. Thanks to his efforts, the quarterback notched an 81.1 PFF passing grade.

As a runner, though, Brown was exceptional. The quarterback racked up 70 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries, forcing two missed tackles and notching 36 yards after contact. This does not even count a touchdown where Brown ran through five defenders that called back due to penalty.

Facing Florida and Miami in the next two weeks will be a great test for Brown and the Bulls. If he is able to play at a high level, USF has a great chance to surprise people. And, Brown has a fantastic chance to build himself up as a rising NFL draft prospect.

Byrum Brown was not the only player to have some success on offense, though.

Running back Alvon Isaac ripped off a 49-yard run and showed off some great pass-catching work. Meanwhile, Cartevious Norton showed impressive power as a downhill rusher. Chas Nimrod and Keshaun Singleton looked like a budding dynamic duo at wideout, with Singleton arguably having the play of the game on a leaping pass from Locklan Hewlett on the fake punt. And the Bulls’ offensive line, led by Cole Best, Zane Herring, and Cole Skinner, had some great reps as pass blockers.

The overall unit is going to be tested on a major level in these next two games. But if they compete and find some success against the Gators and Hurricanes, USF could have one of the best offenses in the American Conference in 2025.

As much as the offense helped seal a key victory for the Bulls, the defense was arguably just as important.

Starting with the linebackers, Jhalyn Shuler and Mac Harris were both incredible in every area of the game. Both players had at least six tackles, with Shuler leading the team with 12 overall. Both also had at least three defensive stops, with Shuler also leading that category with six. Harris, on top of his great run defense, had a forced fumble and lockdown coverage, only allowing 12 yards on four receptions.

The duo was, outside of those two game wreckers at Ohio State, arguably the best linebacker duo in the country in Week 1. Harris made PFF’s Team of the Week, while Shuler won the American’s Defensive Player of the Week. They literally did everything for the Bulls, and if this continues, they will help USF have one of the better defenses in the country.

The great production for the Bulls continued to the secondary, too.

Jonas Duclona, De’Shawn Rucker, and James Chenault locked up wideouts and made big-time tackles. All three players were absolute thumpers all night, as they each recorded at least three tackles. Fred Gaskin had some of the bets coverage of any player on the field for the Bulls, while Jarvis Lee Jr. and Tavin Ward both produced as well. It was refreshing to see the defensive backs hitting and playing so physically. Against their next two opponents, this play style will definitely come in handy.

I do not want to forget the defensive line’s contributions, too. Josh Celiscar and Ira Singleton continuously chased after the quarterbacks, with Singleton racking up six quarterback pressures by himself. Rico Watson III had three pressures himself, while also contributing some of the best overall run defense on the team. and that does not include multiple other players that flashed as potential rotation pieces.

The Bulls have some impressive talent, experience, and upside on this unit. And if USF plays like this on defense all year and puts it all together, something special could be happening in Tampa in 2025.

FAU Struggles Immensely

The Florida Atlantic season did not start the way most people expected it to. And in all honesty, that is more than ok.

Maryland is a Big Ten opponent with a budding star at quarterback (more on him shortly) and a roster growing better with time. For a Week 1 matchup, it was always going to be a tall task for the Owls to pull this one out.

However, it is very concerning, in my opinion, that FAU got completely blown off the field by a score of 39-7.

There, as always, were some positives for the Owls. The linebacker duo of Leon Hart Jr. and Tyler Stolsky made a ton of plays to stop Maryland drives and initially keep the Owls in the game. Defensive back Terez Reid did a nice job in coverage, limiting damage and playing very tight against a very talented Terrapins wideout room. And on offense, Easton Messer and Asaad Wasseem looked very impressive as pass catchers.

Yet, there is a reason the Owls got blown out, and it falls to the quarterback and the offensive line.

As a whole, FAU could just not hold up in the offensive trenches. In the run game, the Owls ran the ball to the tune of 3.7 yards per carry and 107 total yards. Those numbers were bolstered by a long run from Gemari Sands at the end of the first half, meaning that they should likely be lower. And to make matters worse, no player on the Owls’ entire offense graded out better than a 61.3 as a run blocker.

In the passing game, FAU was arguably even worse at blocking. Despite some solid individual performances, the Owls gave up 13 pressures, five sacks, and five quarterback hits.

This, obviously, did not help quarterback Caden Veltkamp. Running for his life against a good handful of players, the WKU transfer finished with 221 yards, a touchdown, and four interceptions. And if not for penalties, that number could have been five or six. Veltkamp was inaccurate, skittish, and simply not on the same page with his wideouts for the majority of the game.

Is there a true reason to panic about the Owls, yet? No.

FAU was always a team that would take some time to mesh. There is truly so much talent on both sides of the ball on this roster, and it is just a matter of time before they mesh together to win some football games.

However, no one expected the offensive line and quarterback to look this bad. The Owls cannot win games without a productive offense, and for that to occur, both Veltkamp and the trenches have to be much better.

In Week 2, the Owls need to make a statement. With it being their home opener, Coach Kittley needs to have Veltkamp locked and loaded to light up the scoreboard. And at a minimum, the Owls need to win by 20 points. With a tough Shula Bowl matchup and an absolute war of a conference schedule on the horizon, the Owls need to click together and fast.

The potential for success is still here in Boca Raton. Without some key improvement starting this week, though, there could be some trouble for FAU on the horizon.

The Standout Seven: My Favorite Players from the Week

With the column shifting to more of an in-season college football format, I wanted to do something called the “Standout Seven.”

This will be the area of the column that highlights a combination of the best players I watched in person in a week or some players from the overall college football landscape who stood out to me in a major way. In other words: this is my list, do not feel a certain type of way of you disagree!

It may stay at seven players, it may eventually expand to 10. I have no clue what the final number will “ultimately” be, just like the College Football Playoff! With that said, I am excited for the first group of players to highlight this week!

• QB Jaron-keawe Sagapolutele: Star. Superstar. However you want to describe the freshman standout for Cal, it is likely correct. I could try to describe what Sagapolutele played like on Saturday, but I’ll leave the video below for your viewing pleasure. In a short, though, this kid is going to be amazing, and I can’t wait to see how he plays over the course of the year for Cal. 
• QB Byrum Brown: Unleashing a Superman-like performance, Brown is the real deal for USF. His Week 2 matchup against Florida is going to be a REAL treat to watch.
• LB Jhalyn Shuler: This could have went to him or Harris. Shuler was fantastic in every sense of the game for USF and played a huge role in shutting down the Broncos. But back healthy again, the linebacker looks primed to lead the Bulls to a very successful 2025 season.
• WR Keshaun Singleton: Yes, he caught the amazing fake punt pass for the touchdown. But as a full-blown wideout, Singleton is the real deal. If USF is going to have success against Florida on Saturday, he will be a major part of it.
• LB. Johnny Chaney Jr.: You cannot be named the “Chanesaw” without being a monster on the field. Chaney Jr. is a baller at linebacker.
• RB Kejon Owens: Owens is a great all-around rusher of the football who has untapped upside in the screen game as a passer. After a great start to 2025 against Bethune-Cookman, I honestly expect Owens to surprise some people and have a very solid game against Penn State this weekend.
• QB Malik Washington: Maryland has itself a good one. I loved how Washington attacked down the field once he got settled, and he made my jaw drop with a good handful of his throws. There is so much room for him to grow, too. If this is what the game one version of Washington looked like, I am buying all of the stock in this kid.

Honorable Mention: Gemari Sands, Jonas Duclona, Eric Nelson, Kyle McNeal, Anthony Carrie/Devonte Lyons

College Football: Week 1 Quote of the Week

QB Byrum Brown on his team’s mentality: “We were preaching ‘4 quarter game’ the whole week of practice. That is the standard. Whether we are down or we are up, we have the same mentality. We are going to play harder for longer, and we are going to put our foot on their necks.”

A Look Ahead

With so much football on the horizon, here is what I am looking ahead to!

• I will be at USF vs. Florida! This should be an awesome, all-around football game that is a huge test for the Bulls. Stay tuned for my live coverage!
• FIU travels to play Penn State. I am fascinated to see how close the Panthers can keep it, and more importantly, how this game flows into prep for the Shula Bowl against FAU.
• Speaking of FAU, can they bounce back in a big way? I want to see the offense flowing for the Owls and the overall team get off on the right foot at home.
• NFL time! I cannot wait for Jets vs. Steelers this weekend, among all of the other games.

That wraps things up here! Enjoy your full slate of football, and I will catch you back here soon!