The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Oklahoma makes a 73-point statement
Colorado lives up to ‘Prime Time’ hype, while Gators sputter and Huskies roll.
College football season has kicked off in earnest with the year’s first full slate of games. Here are the week’s winners and losers so far:
1. Washington (winner)
So much for the Huskies facing a stern test with Boise State coming to town. With Michael Penix Jr. shredding the Broncos for 450 yards and five touchdowns, Washington rolled to a 56-19 victory in its opener.
It was a fine continuation of last season, when the Huskies won their final seven games and finished first nationally in passing offense (369.8 yards a game), second in total offense (515.8) and seventh in scoring offense (39.7 points per game). And as long as Penix is piloting things, it appears Washington will remain plenty explosive.
Also helpful: A posse of receivers that includes Rome Odunze (seven catches, 132 yards and a touchdown), Ja’lynn Polk (three catches, 101 yards and a score) and Jalen Mcmillan (eight receptions for 95 yards and two touchdowns).
The mid-afternoon window Saturday was full of snoozers. At least in the case of Washington, it came against a defense with enough credibility to believe this sort of showing can be replicated against quality Pac-12 teams later in the season.
2. Oklahoma (winner)
There’s no reason to get too carried away by demolishing Arkansas State, which is fresh off a 3-9 season. But the Sooners needed to wash away the taste of their own middling run in Brent Venables’s debut, and a 73-0 thrashing of the Red Wolves on Saturday certainly counts.
Dillon Gabriel threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns, and five different Oklahoma players rushed for touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Sooners limited Arkansas State to just 208 yards. Oklahoma led 28-0 after a quarter and 45-0 at the half.
Sure, a classic Sooners squad would have hung half-a-hundred in a half, but Saturday’s work was close enough. Next week — with Southern Methodist coming to town — will be more challenging. But Oklahoma started well a year after going 6-7.
3. Colorado (winner)
It is immensely difficult to separate the substance of the Buffaloes’ season from the hoopla generated by a showman of a firstyear head coach who has excelled throughout his adult life at drawing attention to himself and thoroughly overhauled his new team’s roster within months of arriving in Boulder.
(Worth mentioning: Given his skills at commanding and charming an audience, Deion Sanders is a perfect fit for the digital age. He was arguably born too soon. Imagine him in his athletic, um, prime today).
But let’s attempt to briefly size up the football aspect of it all.
Colorado’s 45-42 victory at Texas Christian was already an unqualified success for the Buffaloes at halftime. They are clearly skilled. They are more-than-competent, a massive upgrade over last year’s chronic inadequacy. And they schemed in ways that hid their shortcomings.
On the road against a real program, the Buffaloes turned in an immensely entertaining performance. There are flaws there, and it isn’t a team bound for an undefeated season. But they’ll be interesting, and that’s significant progress.
4. Boston College (loser)
Every year, there is at least one team that suffers a loss that obliterates any good feelings around a program before Labor Day arrives.
The Eagles are an immediate candidate after a 27-24 overtime setback at home against Northern Illinois.
Boston College was 3-9 last season (as was Northern Illinois), and there was considerable optimism the Eagles might field something that resembled a modern offense.
Instead, quarterback Emmett Morehead was benched after two series and Boston College compiled 314 total yards against a midpack Mid-american Conference defense.
The schedule is still manageable for Boston College (five of its next nine opponents didn’t play in a bowl last season), but it was a dreary and unpromising way for the Eagles to start what could be a pivotal fourth season for Coach Jeff Hafley.
5. Florida (loser)
In fairness to the Gators, a lot of teams are going to be rendered one-dimensional (or no-dimensional) against Utah. And a team losing a quarterback who was a first-round pick (Anthony Richardson) probably isn’t poised to look its best in its season opener.
Still, the 24-11 loss in Salt Lake City on Thursday was not a source of encouragement. The Gators managed 13 rushing yards and more or less abandoned the run once they found themselves in a 24-3 headlock early in the third quarter. It won’t be the last good defense Florida contends with: Georgia, LSU and Florida State (among others) are still to come.
The Gators have gone 6-7 the past two seasons, and it’s fair to wonder already how much better this bunch is going to be in Billy Napier’s second season in charge in Gainesville.
6. Arizona State (loser)
Yes, technically the Sun Devils won their opener Thursday night. But given the headaches surrounding the program and a performance that can fairly be categorized as unremarkable (a 24-21 defeat of Southern Utah, a Football Championship Subdivision program that went 5-6 last season), Arizona State didn’t exactly do much to whip up enthusiasm about the program in the past week or so.
Credit to the players for putting together a solid defensive performance, and to freshman quarterback Jaden Rashada for effectively running a four-minute offense to close out the game. But it still happened in the shadow of the school imposing a one-year bowl ban on itself after the Sun Devil-may-care approach to the rule book during former coach Herm Edwards’s tenure.
Maybe it was an intentionally vanilla approach in new coach Kenny Dillingham’s debut, but the first impression (coupled with the absence of postseason opportunities) suggests this isn’t a team likely to be relevant this fall.
7. The Oregon Duck (loser)
Note the singular. The Oregon Ducks had a fine day, walloping Portland State 81-7.
But The Duck? As in the mascot? Well, that’s a lot of pushups.