Week 1 of the 2015 NCAA football season left an indelible smile on the face of every fan lucky enough to witness the glorious spectacle.
There were some astronomical highs, a few devastating lows, new beginnings and old rivalries renewed throughout the opening weekend of action.
Without further ado, it’s time to wrap up with the biggest takeaways from Week 1.
Heisman pressure may be getting to Trevone Boykin
Boykin entered the 2015 NCAA football season as a heavy favorite to win this year’s Heisman Trophy.
However, the dual-threat quarterback kicked off his Heisman bid with a rocky start against Minnesota on Thursday night. While there were some positives to take away from the performance, Boykin looked awfully tight.
He finished the game against the impressive Golden Gophers having completed 26 of 42 passes for just 246 yards (5.86 yards per attempt) with one touchdown and one interception. He overthrew wide-open receivers on a number of occasions, suggesting excitement, or perhaps nerves, were to blame. He never did get into a groove in the passing game.
Not surprisingly, Boykin’s natural athleticism shined through and helped make an otherwise mediocre night into a tolerable success. He added 92 yards on 18 rushing attempts, scoring a touchdown on a nifty dash in the third quarter.
With a 23-17 win over Minnesota, No. 2-ranked TCU’s playoff hopes are still alive and well. Boykin’s Heisman bid is also still alive and kicking, but he’ll need to quickly put his shaky performance behind him in order to remain one of the favorites going forward.
Baylor’s high-flying offense in mid-season form
The Bears may have the most explosive offense in college football once again in 2015 after scoring more points on average than any team in the FBS last season. No. 4-ranked Baylor was unstoppable on Friday night against SMU, scoring 56 points with four touchdowns in both halves of play.
The scary part for the rest of the Big 12? Seth Russell was actually off his game.
Russell only completed half his throws (15 of 30) but still managed to pass for 376 yards. Four of his receivers caught passes longer than 40 yards, helping boost his yards-per-attempt average to a gaudy total of 12.5.
Baylor’s rushing attack was equally potent, with three backs gaining at least 71 yards. In total, the Bears gained 300 yards on the ground, averaging 8.1 yards per carry.
SMU’s defense isn’t comparable to the elite units of the college football landscape, so it’s fair to wonder what Baylor will do when it takes on the likes of Oklahoma and TCU later in the season. That said, when you consider there is plenty of room for improvement, Baylor’s offense is clearly in a league of its own.
Michigan State in trouble with Oregon looming
Stifling defense has been the hallmark of Michigan State football for years. However, heading into Week 2, there are legitimate questions regarding this year’s squad—particularly its pass defense, which gave up 365 yards through the air to Western Michigan on Friday night.
The Spartans were downright putrid in the second half of the contest, and not just on defense. If not for a torrid start to the game, with 20 points in the first quarter, an opening-week loss could easily have been in play. Instead, they squeezed out a 37-24 win.
The Broncos outscored MSU 14-10 after halftime, out-gaining the Spartans 229 to 181 in total yards. By the end of the game, Western Michigan had put up 24 points and chewed up 383 total yards while winning the time-of-possession battle.
Connor Cook didn’t have his best game, either. The senior completed less than half his passes (15 of 31) for 256 yards, though he didn’t turn the ball over while throwing two touchdowns.
This performance by the Spartans is troubling with the mighty Oregon Ducks looming in Week 2. Michigan State better get its act together, because another performance of this nature will result in a blowout loss next weekend at Spartan Stadium.
Stanford in big trouble after getting manhandled by Northwestern
It’s safe to say No. 23-ranked Stanford will lose its status as a top-25 team heading into Week 2 after getting abused by Northwestern on Saturday.
The Cardinal struggled to wake up in an early game on the East Coast, and quite honestly never did. The Wildcats were the more physical team from the opening kickoff until the final whistle, earning an impressive 16-6 win over Stanford, which appears to have some systemic issues to overcome going forward.
Senior quarterback Kevin Hogan has never been anything more than adequate for the Cardinal, and he was downright hapless in this contest. He finished with just 155 passing yards on 35 attempts (4.4 yards per attempt), failing to throw a touchdown while turning it over with one interception.
Stanford’s rushing attack didn’t fare much better, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry to finish with just 85 total yards on the ground.
Perhaps just as alarming is the fact that the Cardinal allowed Northwestern to rush for 225 yards on the day.
Head coach David Shaw could be looking at a miserable campaign if he and his staff can’t get things turned around quickly. Stanford hosts UCF next weekend before traveling south to face USC in Week 3. If the issues that showed up in Week 1 aren’t cleaned up quickly, than an 0-3 start isn’t out of the question.
Clayton Thorson and Justin Jackson have bright future at Northwestern
While Stanford struggled to do anything right against Northwestern, the Wildcats proved they have a couple of dynamic playmakers in the backfield who have a chance to develop into something special this year and beyond.
Thorson, the team’s true freshman quarterback, and Jackson, its sensational sophomore running back, combined for 202 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The dynamic duo made big plays all game long against a tough Stanford defense that is going to give offenses trouble all year long.
The freshman did struggle to consistently make plays through the air, completing just half his passes (12 of 24) for 105 yards. However, he made good decisions and didn’t turn the ball over once—a praiseworthy accomplishment in his first college start.
If Northwestern can get this kind of flawless performance out of Thorson, then you can be sure the Wildcats will continue to make noise in the Big Ten the rest of the season.
Jeremy Johnson Heisman hype needs to simmer down
It’s easy to understand why Johnson was so hyped this summer when you watch him make big plays like this one—his first and only touchdown pass of the game on Saturday against Louisville.
However, after watching him struggle (badly) with turnovers on Saturday against Louisville, it’s time to press the pause button on any talk of Heisman contention.
Johnson completed just 11 of 20 passes for 140 yards, throwing one touchdown and three interceptions. His turnovers helped keep Louisville in the game, even though the Cardinals were obviously overmatched early on, falling into a 17-0 hole at halftime.
As it happened, the Tigers barely hung on to win the contest by a score of 31-24, thanks in part to an inexplicable timeout by Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino at the end of the game.
No doubt Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn will need to take a conservative approach in Week 3 when he takes his program into Baton Rouge in Week 3 to face LSU.
UCLA’s Josh Rosen is legitimate Heisman contender
Flawless is the perfect word to describe Rosen’s first career start for UCLA.
Completing 80 percent of his passes (28 of 35) for 351 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, Rosen led the Bruins to a big 34-16 win over Virginia, much to the delight of the home crowd. The crowning highlight of his performance was undoubtedly this gorgeous 30-yard dime to Thomas Duarte in the second quarter.
True freshmen quarterbacks often struggle to adjust to the challenge of playing at the college level, but Rosen’s debut was eye-opening against a very good Virginia defense. He completed at least one pass to a whopping 11 different receivers on Saturday. This kind of distribution and decision-making is rarely seen in someone so young.
After this auspicious beginning to the 2015 season, there is no doubt Rosen belongs in the conversation as a Heisman hopeful in 2015.
Alabama and Notre Dame weren’t messing around
Alabama has the look of a championship contender this season after dismantling a very good Wisconsin team at AT&T Stadium in Dallas on Saturday night.
The Crimson Tide dominated both sides of the ball, racking up 494 total yards while allowing just 268 to win handily 35-17. Running back Derrick Henry shredded Wisconsin’s defense with 147 yards and three touchdowns on just 13 carries to lead the offense.
The defense was downright oppressive against the run (40 yards allowed), completely shutting down hyped Wisconsin back Corey Clement to the tune of just 16 yards on eight carries before he had to leave with a groin injury.
Wisconsin didn’t have a chance after tying the game up 7-7 in the second quarter. From that point on, ‘Bama rolled on without looking back.
Similarly, Notre Dame abused Texas, which was hopelessly doomed from the start.
Junior quarterback Malik Zaire was phenomenal, passing for 313 yards on 19 of 22 passing with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also added 16 yards on the ground, and the Golden Domers finished with 527 total yards compared to just 163 from Texas.
It was so bad, even Texas head coach Charlie Strong was stunned.
As bad as Texas was, Notre Dame deserves a fair share of credit for putting the Longhorns away in grand style.
Vernon Adams was the correct choice for Oregon
Adams was named the starting quarterback for Oregon’s program by head coach Mark Helfrich after joining the team just two weeks ago as a graduate transfer. He went through a crash course to learn the team’s offense, leading many to wonder if he’d be able to make a smooth transition on Saturday night against his former team, Eastern Washington.
Nobody need wonder any longer. Adams was clearly the correct choice over Jeff Lockie.
Oregon’s offense is just as explosive with him behind center as it was with Mariota before him. The Ducks cruised to victory, winning 61-42. Adams passed for 246 yards, completing 19 of 25 throws with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also added 94 yards on the ground, and the Ducks ran for an astounding 485 yards as a team.
The Ducks needed all those points, too, because the defense struggled to keep Eastern Washington’s passing attack at bay. Whether or not the defense is going to be a liability going forward is a question that will need to answered, but at least Oregon knows Adams and the vaunted rushing attack will keep the offense moving like a well-oiled machine for the foreseeable future.
Arizona State not as good as advertised
Coming into Week 1, ASU was being hyped as a potential sleeper pick to sneak out of the Pac-12 South, and quarterback Mike Bercovici was tabbed as a darkhorse Heisman candidate. Both projections are looking sketchy at this point after the Sun Devils were smoked on the road against un-ranked Texas A&M.
From the get-go, ASU was overmatched.
Bercovici, who has a cannon for an arm, played more like Kellen Moore than Cam Newton, averaging just 4.9 yards per attempt. He finished the game having completed 25 of 41 passes for just 199 yards. He did manage one touchdown pass, but ASU’s offense was stagnant throughout.
Making matters worse, the Sun Devils rushed for just 92 yards on 41 carries for an abysmal average of just 2.2 yards per attempt.
The offensive line was a sieve, the defense was abused to the tune of 425 yards and the special teams allowed a punt return for a touchdown. In all three phases of the game, Arizona State proved itself inferior. Head coach Todd Graham has a lot of work to do in order to get his team in order after this embarrassing showing.
The Everett Golson era at FSU looks promising
Golson has a new lease on life after transferring from Notre Dame four months ago, and after Week 1 it’s clear he is taking full advantage of the opportunity.
The Seminoles took down the Bobcats with ease on Saturday night at home, winning 59-16. Golson shined in his debut with Florida State before finally being replaced by Sean McGuire when the game was out of hand late in the fourth quarter. He completed 19 of 25 passes for 302 yards (12.1 yards per attempt) with four touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Impressively, all four touchdown passes went to different receivers, as Golson showed off his vision and accuracy throughout the evening in Tallahassee.
Nobody will mistake Texas State for Clemson, so while Golson’s performance was impressive, it remains to be seen how he will perform under more difficult circumstances for FSU.
BYU vs. Nebraska: College football is still as thrilling as ever
There is never a shortage of drama in college football, and Week 1 provided an amazing moment to stoke the already raging fire of excitement about the new season.
BYU and Nebraska battled all game long in a back-and-forth contest that was thrilling from beginning to end. Along the way, the Cougars lost starting quarterback Taysom Hill to a season-ending injury, forcing backup Tanner Magnum into the game.
Magnum’s name is now famous after he threw a 42-yard Hail Mary to Mitch Mathews with zeros on the clock to beat the mighty Cornhuskers 33-28.
Interestingly, Nebraska actually paid BYU $1 million to play this game. That’s going to leave a mark.