In this case, its the morning after the morning after. While the triad took care of business this weekend in their respective matchups, I put together a week 1 that would put me firmly in the first polling position for the Heisman and as such, a lot of recovery was needed. I wouldn’t expect for this column to be recurring so let’s just enjoy the time we have together now.
Notre Dame:
Someone wise was telling me that defense travels and that would be the reason why the Irish would pull of the W in College Station. Oh wait, that was me who was telling anyone who would listen. Notre Dame’s defensive front was impenetrable and the secondary came up with two huge interceptions. The entire defense however made this game a living nightmare for Connor Weigman which resulted in 13 points for A&M. I think Notre Dame is seeing the benefit of having a gamer at QB. Riley Leonard, having not practiced in the spring, made the plays necessary to get the win. When there is a new OC, new QB, RB’s and OL there will undoubtedly be growing pains but Riley Leonard show he has the ability to just make the plays the team needs to win. Phenomenal showing for the Irish. Next up: Northern Illinois
Penn State:
Drew Allar? Drew Allar! Despite only having seventeen passing attempts Drew Allar made consistent vertical throws previously unseen as the relationship between him and his new OC Andy Kotelnicki got out to a wholesome and promising start. Really it’s a simple formula at least early, do what you have to in order to marry the output of Singleton and Allen and let Allar get more comfortable in the offense. The defense had a hold on the mountaineers rushing attack limiting Donaldson, White and the rest of the wvu rushing attack to under a hundred yards. Next up: Bowling Green
Pitt:
After a shocking 3-9 season in 23 and a fair amount of coaching and player turnover there was apprehension coming into the matchup against Kent State. Redshirt Freshman Eli Holstein dazzled for 335 as the panthers did indeed play fast and score faster. Despite losing Rodney Hammond to an unknown eligibility issue on Friday, Western Carolina transfer Desmond Reid taking a punt back in the first quarter and showing his shiftiness and breakout speed throughout the game. The defense was back to its aggressive ways generating 5 sacks and coming up with one pick. It was 6th year man Brandon George leading a young linebacker group that was swarming to the ball all game that impressed defensively. Truthfully, as one shouldn’t complain about a 31 point victory, there were plenty of things to clean up as penalties and mental errors were prevalent throughout the game but it is reassuring to know that it seems there is still a ton of room to grow. Next up: Cincinnati
Outside of the triad:
Southern Cal battled against 13th ranked LSU as both Miller Moss and Garret Nussmeier made their anticipated debuts. This is game where I am holding out judgement until I see more from both teams before I make any takes on this outcome. Preseason media sweetheart Virginia Tech lost in OT to Clark Lea’s Vanderbilt Commodores. Again its too early to tell but I think everyone was expecting more out of a hokie defense that was supposed to take the next step. However the other side of the coin is Clark Lea might have something going at his alma mater. Dabo’s stubbornness might be his undoing as Clemson got handled by Georgia. The tiger’s defense did all it could but it doesn’t seem like QB Cade Clubnick has progressed much at all. Oregon struggled with Idaho coming out as victors in a 24-14 game. I am going to walk back my Big Ten prediction a bit as I think it is going to take a while for Dillon Gabriel and the ducks offense to click. Auburn and Ole Miss both won by >=70 (enjoyable). Kalen DeBoer enjoyed his first game as the Alabama Head Coach as they beat Western Kentucky 63-0. Robert Morris defensive back Rob (lol) Carter Jr has the lead for interception of the year against Utah State. There are two young quarterbacks Dylan Raiola (Nebraska) and Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee) whose names will quickly become household after the performances they had on Saturday. All in all it was a fantastic start to the 2024 College Football season.