Table of Contents
Game of the Week
North Carolina took their 1-0 team into Appalachian State after a Week 0 victory over Florida A&M. Although they had a win under their belt, the Tar Heels came in as three-point underdogs in this matchup. In what appeared to be a game controlled by App State through the first quarter and a half, a 21-7 lead was quickly erased by three second-quarter North Carolina touchdowns as momentum shifted, and the Tar Heels took a 28-21 lead into the half.
The third quarter was more of the same, with three UNC drives ending in points, extending their lead to 20 going into the fourth quarter of a game that appeared to be getting out of hand. After two quick touchdowns by App State, the UNC lead was cut to six with over ten minutes remaining. In what turned into a shot-for-shot affair, App State was able to tie the game at 49 a piece with four minutes left. This is where things got even more enjoyable. UNC would score again on their next drive to take a seven-point lead, followed by an App State touchdown with 30 seconds left and a big decision to make. The Mountaineers kept their offense on the field for a two-point conversion to take the lead.
The gamble would not pay off, and an onside kick recovery appeared to be the only way App State could avoid a 56-55 defeat. The onside kick attempt, recovered by UNC, was then returned for a touchdown in a very questionable decision to give UNC a 63-55 lead with 28 seconds to go. Had UNC recovered the kick and not scored, it would have been no problem to run the clock out and leave with a win. However, this touchdown return gave App State one last drive to tie the game, and Chase Brice threw his sixth touchdown with nine seconds left.
After what seemed to be an impossible scenario, the Mountaineers were two yards away from sending this wild game to overtime. Unfortunately, they came up just short, and UNC went home victorious after a 40, yes 40 point 4th quarter attack from Appalachian State. What a game.
Honorable Mention – Pittsburgh v West Virginia
Top Performers
Passing – Tanner Mordecai, SMU – 23/32, 432yds, 4TD
Rushing – Anthony Grant, NEB – 23car, 189 yds, 2TD
Receiving – Ricky White, UNLV – 8rec, 182yds, 2TD
Defensive Performance – Georgia, 3 points allowed to Oregon(11)
Best Moment – ‘Puke Six’
With just under nine minutes left in the fourth quarter of a tightly contested game between Purdue and Penn State, an overthrow by PSU’s Sean Clifford appeared to be the turning point Purdue needed. Defensive back Chris Jefferson intercepted the errant pass and took it back 70 yards for the leading score. It appeared that Jefferson’s adrenaline wore off once he reached the sideline after the score, as when the camera focused on Jefferson, he was keeled over, throwing up. Now dubbed the ‘Puke Six,’ a moment like this proves that college football is back in full force.
Don’t Sleep On… Florida
The world of college football was introduced to Anthony Richardson on Saturday, as his stellar performance played key in Florida’s upset victory over seventh-ranked Utah in the Swamp. Richardson totaled 168 yards passing but most impressively had 106 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 11 attempts. This Gators team will be exciting to watch as the season continues, with their next opponent being another ranked team in Kentucky. Although it is early, I would watch for Florida to be the SEC team on the outside looking in that can play a potential spoiler to a heavy conference champion favorite.
Honorable Mention – Rutgers
Not So Fast… Oregon(11)
It appears that the Bo Nix experiment may be coming to an end sooner rather than later. The coveted Auburn transfer joined Oregon for this season, bringing high expectations to a program looking to get back to its dominant ways. With a week one matchup against defending champion Georgia, this served as the perfect opportunity to get back on track and give Nix comfort in a new offense. This game was anything but comfortable for the Ducks, as Georgia’s defense held Oregon to three points en route to a 49-3 rout. Nix’s two interceptions were just the beginning of a dominant performance by the Bulldogs. Many are questioning the legitimacy of Oregon’s talent while being left without a doubt about the threat Georgia poses to the rest of the country.
Honorable Mention – Utah(7)
Pay Day
In what may have been the most exciting game this weekend, Iowa defeated FCS school South Dakota State by a score of 7-3. Those who took SDSU +10.5 and the under on total points scored had a relatively stress-free weekend. Iowa scored 7 points the hard way as the Hawkeyes defense tallied two safeties, outscoring both offenses. A first-quarter Iowa field goal and second-quarter SDSU field goal was the only action on the offense side of the ball for each school. More impressive to me was the 936 yards coming from 21 combined punts. Either way, both teams will have to address offensive woes and continue to build upon strong defensive performances.
Honorable Mention: NC State- 21 v East Carolina- 20 (+12.5)
Projecting the Top 25
- Alabama
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- Clemson
- Texas A&M
- Michigan
- Oklahoma
- Baylor
- Notre Dame
- Oklahoma State
- USC
- Michigan State
- Miami
- Florida
- Utah
- Pittsburgh
- Wisconsin
- Arkansas
- Kentucky
- Ole Miss
- Wake Forest
- Oregon
- NC State
- BYU
- Tennessee
