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College football Week 1 winners, losers: Georgia, Clemson lead way

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2 months ago

September 3, 2024

College football Week 1 winners, losers: Georgia, Clemson lead way

Proof that Clemson’s offense has lastly turned a nook should wait a minimum of one other week.

Dealing with off towards No. 1 Georgia, the No. 14 Tigers cobbled collectively simply 188 yards on 3.6 yards per play in a 34-3 loss. After spending simply two snaps inside opposing territory within the first half — one led to a loss, the opposite in a penalty — Clemson’s solely factors got here on a 26-yard discipline purpose about halfway by the third quarter, by which level the Bulldogs had constructed a 13-0 lead. Georgia would reply to the Tigers’ discipline purpose with a landing on the following possession to erase any sense of momentum.

After arising simply in need of the Faculty Soccer Playoff final season, Georgia seems constructed to smother groups on the way in which to a 3rd nationwide championship in 4 years. For the Tigers, even quick good points felt like accomplishments; any lengthy acquire felt like an absolute miracle.

Second-year beginning quarterback Cade Klubnik completed 18 of 29 for 142 yards, simply 4.9 yards per try, with an interception. His receiver corps struggled to get any separation towards the Bulldogs’ secondary whereas Clemson’s offensive entrance didn’t get any motion, leading to simply 46 dashing yards on 23 carries. Total, the efficiency could be stunning had we not seen it repeatedly these previous three seasons — a crippling run of unrealized manufacturing that has coincided with Clemson’s disappearance from the nationwide stage.

In fact, Georgia goes to do that to groups. The Bulldogs weren’t solely dominant defensively however unsurprisingly efficient on the offensive facet: Carson Beck was 23 of 33 for 278 yards and two scores, kickstarting his Heisman Trophy marketing campaign in model, whereas seven runners mixed for 163 yards and two touchdowns on 6.3 yards per carry.

Even when the Bulldogs are the No. 1 staff within the nation, that Clemson was completely dominated reveals how far the Tigers stand from true title competition. When these two groups met in 2021, a 10-3 Georgia win, you can’ve made the case that Clemson was solely a step or two behind the eventual nationwide champs. A number of years later, that hole has widened to miles and miles of what appears to be insurmountable house.

That makes Georgia the largest winner and Clemson the largest loser from Week 1 of the 2024 season. Here is the remainder of the checklist:

Winners

Penn State

The No. 9 Nittany Lions’ new-look offense delivered 457 yards on 7.6 yards per play, led by quarterback Drew Allar’s 216 passing yards and three touchdowns on 13.1 yards per throw, in a 34-12 win at West Virginia. This a fast validation of James Franklin’s choice to rent coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who beforehand labored wonders in the identical place at Kansas. The turning level was a late landing drive to finish the primary half, a 73-yard haul in simply three performs to place Penn State in entrance 20-6 on the break. After an prolonged climate delay, the Nittany Lions tacked on a pair of touchdowns within the second half for a convincing highway win towards Energy 4 opponent. After one week, the Nittany Lions seem like a really legit Massive Ten risk and one of many high contenders for the playoff.

Dylan Raiola

The five-star true freshman kicked off his faculty profession at Nebraska with a bang: Raiola accomplished 19 of 28 throws for 238 yards and two scores with out an interception because the Cornhuskers received began with a breezy 40-7 win at residence towards Texas-El Paso. One of many largest additions of the offseason within the Massive Ten, Raiola is a transparent improve over what Nebraska labored with in Matt Rhule’s first season and one of some the reason why the Cornhuskers are a classy decide for eight or extra wins.

Tennessee

It is solely Chattanooga, so let’s not get too excited. However the 69-3 win for No. 15 Tennessee was highlighted by a beautiful 2024 debut for redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava, a former five-star prospect who received his toes moist in 4 appearances final season. Iamaleava hit on 22 of 28 throws for 314 yards and three touchdowns, together with a 59-yard rating to Dont’e Thornton Jr., earlier than taking a seat for nearly all the remaining two quarters. All however considered one of his 314 yards got here within the first half to set a brand new program report for one half, breaking by one yard the earlier mark set by Tyler Bray towards Troy in 2012.

Ohio State and Texas

These two playoff favorites hit the bottom operating. New Ohio State quarterback Will Howard had 246 yards of whole offense and a number of other freshmen made a direct impression because the No. 2 Buckeyes poured it on within the second half to beat Akron 52-6. One rookie, five-star receiver Jeremiah Smith, led Ohio State with six grabs for 92 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman operating again James Peoples had 30 yards and a rating in six carries behind co-starters TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, who mixed for 120 yards on 21 touches. Texas rolled previous Colorado State 52-0 behind 545 yards of offense to arrange subsequent week’s big non-conference matchup towards No. 8 Michigan. The win included the primary profession landing go for redshirt freshman Arch Manning, who completed with 95 passing yards.

Ashton Jeanty

Boise State and Georgia Southern performed the wildest sport of Week 1, a back-and-forth shootout that noticed the 2 groups mix for 35 fourth-quarter factors within the Broncos’ 56-45 win. However the day belonged to Boise operating again Ashton Jeanty, who was already a dark-horse Heisman contender after operating for 1,347 yards with one other 569 yards as a receiver a yr in the past. Jeanty rewrote this system’s single-game report e book with 267 dashing yards and 6 touchdowns, two off the Bowl Subdivision report of eight in a sport.

Alabama

There was by no means any doubt that No. 5 Alabama would romp over Western Kentucky, so there’s nothing eye-opening concerning the 63-0 remaining in coach Kalen DeBoer’s debut. However that is nonetheless an important opener for the man tapped to switch Nick Saban, with all of the stress and a spotlight that entails. Jalen Milroe and the offense regarded snug within the Crimson Tide’s new scheme, dropping 42 factors within the first half with three touchdowns of 54 or extra yards. Two touring a mixed 139 yards went to true freshman receiver Ryan Williams, a 17-year-old phenom who reclassified from the 2025 recruiting class to hitch the Tide this season.

Notre Dame

The go-ahead landing drive within the fourth quarter of the 23-13 win at No. 20 Texas A&M was actually good things from No. 7 Notre Dame, which exterior of that spurt was fairly uninspired on offense (however predictably sturdy on protection). Duke switch Riley Leonard had 221 yards of offense and was at his greatest late, at all times signal. Can he take the bodily toll of the 12 carries on Saturday night time and keep wholesome? That query most likely defines how far the Combating Irish go in 2024. One other good query asks how good the Aggies actually are, and we can’t find out about that for a number of extra weeks. However you will not discover something however good vibes concerning the Irish after this form of win in possibly the hardest highway setting within the nation. In different phrases, when you had been considering 11-1 or so towards this yr’s schedule, this is not shaking your confidence.

Losers

Florida

The clock is ticking on Billy Napier after an unpleasant, hard-to-watch 41-17 loss at residence to Miami confirmed simply how far this system has fallen in his third season. In a must-win sport towards a bitter rival, the Gators had been barely aggressive. The schedule was at all times going to be an issue: Florida is slated to play eight ranked groups, together with 5 ranked opponents in a row to shut the common season. Whereas the Hurricanes have clearly taken a step ahead due to additions resembling new quarterback Cam Ward, who threw for 385 yards and three scores, that the Gators had been whipped within the Swamp is the strongest trace to this point that Napier’s time is numbered and that this yr’s staff might be simply the second since 1980 to lose eight or extra video games.

Virginia Tech

On the very least, an time beyond regulation loss at Vanderbilt evaporates all the optimism across the Hokies after a really sturdy near final season and and instantly tosses the Hokies out of any consideration for the Prime 25. Down 17-3 at halftime, Tech scrambled again to take a 27-20 lead earlier than the Commodores tied the sport with below two minutes left in regulation. Whereas not vital within the grander scheme of issues — any highway to the playoff has to incorporate an ACC title — falling to the Commodores is the form of loss that may come to outline a season, if not lower a promising yr all the way down to measurement earlier than entering into September.

ACC

Miami may’ve regarded the half, however that outcome was an outlier amid a foul first step for the ACC. Clemson was blasted by Georgia. Virginia Tech misplaced to Vanderbilt. No. 21 North Carolina State struggled to place away Western Carolina. Every week in the past, No. 10 Florida State received issues began for the ACC with a loss to Georgia Tech. It has been a reasonably terrible begin for the convention, which was already badly shedding a battle of public notion towards the Massive Ten and SEC. Down the road, unhealthy losses in non-conference play and sloppy showings from the league’s better of the perfect might maintain main sway with the playoff choice committee as they appear by a dozen or extra choices from the Energy 4 for the seven at-large bids.

Rice

The Owls have made clear progress below coach Mike Bloomgren, specifically in back-to-back bowl bids heading into this season. Rice remains to be dwelling on the perimeters of bowl eligibility. The 2022 staff went 5-7 within the common season however was chosen for the LendingTree Bowl by advantage of this system’s excessive rating within the Educational Progress Report. Final yr’s staff went 6-6 earlier than getting blown out by Texas State within the First Responder Bowl. So attending to the six-win cutoff means Rice has to win video games at residence towards groups resembling Sam Houston State, which as an alternative ran for 178 yards, compelled two turnovers and beat the Owls 34-14. The Bearkats went 3-9 final season as transitional FBS members and had been picked fifth within the Convention USA preseason ballot.