Week Zero Thoughts: The Rams Stole the show

By Pmlydon - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7936316

While everyone was excited heading into the opening weekend of college football, the opening weekend of games was not the greatest slate ever. Other than a tough to rate Hawaii win over UMass, it was blowout city in feeling if not fully on the scoreboard. In total, six teams from G5 conferences kicked off their seasons on Saturday.

Rice 7, Stanford 62

This one was even uglier than everyone expected. The Owls made the trip from Texas to Australia to get their doors ripped off by an unproven yet talented Stanford squad. The Cardinal was on point in the first half, taking a total of 23 plays to score four touchdowns and race away for a dominant win.

• The Good: Despite nearly giving up a first down on a third and 27, the Owls bowed up and forced an incompletion with 7:31 left in the first half to preserve their 28-0 deficit. That defensive stop was the only series in which Rice held the Stanford starting offense off the board.
• The Bad: 656 yards of total offense and 62 points allowed. If Rice is to be competitive in CUSA this season, it will be from good play on the defensive side of the ball. This defensive group was completely dominated by a more physical Stanford team and has to prove that this was more of an aberration than how the 2017 season will go.
• The Ugly: Making it home. It has been tough for the Owls to make it back to Houston due to Hurricane Harvey. They are currently forced to relocate to TCU until they are able to make the trip back home. Talk about adding insult to injury. Let’s hope the Owls make it home soon. 

#19 South Florida 42, San Jose State 22

For a quarter, the Bulls faithful were certain that the curse of Charlie Strong was in the process of wrecking their program in the very first game. SJSU jumped to a 16-0 lead and looked like a team prepared to slow down the vaunted USF offense. 28 second quarter points later, the Bulls cruised to a 20-point win.

• What South Florida did well: Controlled the game from the defensive side of the ball. The USF offense was expected to garner headlines, but a solid defensive effort that included three interceptions and only 2.9 yards allowed per rush gave the Bull a chance to recover from a dreadful start to the game.
• What San Jose State did well: A quick start to the game. The Spartans special teams were dominant in the opening moments of the game, forcing a 19-yard punt and blocking another in route to a 16-0 lead. The three scoring drives were a total of 58 yards and gave the MWC program hope that they could pull an upset. During that time, the Spartans held USF to a total of 18 first quarter yards. While South Florida rolled in the final three quarters, it was an impressive first 15 minutes to the season. 
• How does South Florida look moving forward? The Bulls are still in great shape despite looking like they forgot how to play football in the opening quarter. They took care of a tricky cross country season opener and have FCS program Stony Brook waiting in the wings before a trip to a very much rebuilding UConn on September 9. This game will serve as a wakeup call that they cannot take any game lightly this season.
• How does San Jose State look moving forward? Better than expected. It was an up and down game for sophomore quarterback Josh Love. He struggled with making bad decisions in the passing game, but that is expected for such a young starter. All eyes have to be on fellow sophomore Bailey Gaither. After catching only four passes in 2016, he caught six for 100 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. The Spartans will have a tough time getting to a bowl, but this team showed signs of life.

Colorado State 58, Oregon State 27

In arguably the most dominant performance of the young season, the Rams scored 34 points in the second half in route to a win over the Pac-12. Nick Stevens was impressive with 334 yards and three passing touchdowns, the run game looked dominant at times, and Michael Gallup beat constant double coverage for 11 catches and 134 yards. The storyline of the game was a CSU defense that took a dramatic step forward in the second half and totaled five takeaways on the day.

• The Good: A great mix on offense. Passing 39 times and rushing 43 allowed the Rams to keep Oregon State on their heels for a majority of the game. Dawkins and Boddie looked like a very solid duo with multiple other players getting experience in the backfield. Including Stevens, five different players had carries for the Rams. Eight different players caught passes, led by Gallup’s game-high 11.
• The Bad: Multiple personalities on defense. Is Colorado State the defense that completely shut down the Beavers in the second half or the one that was lucky to only give up 20 points in the first half? There were signs that the defense figure things out in the second half, but the next few weeks will determine just how good the CSU defense can be this fall.
• The Ugly: Seven turnovers. Look, we know that with no preseason slate, the season opener for most teams tends to be a bit of a mess. This game was a mess with Oregon State turning it over five times and Colorado State adding two of their own. The two CSU turnovers resulted in 10 points while Colorado earned 27 points from turnover, including a 44-yard pick-six by Tre Thomas.

Hawaii 38, UMass 35:

While Colorado State had the best performance of the day and South Florida was the most talented team on Saturday, it was Hawaii and UMass that put on the best show. UMass looked at times like they were ready to pull away, but the Rainbow Warriors kept within striking range before pulling out the three point win.

• What Hawaii did well: Found a #1 receiver. Sophomore John Ursua had a solid first season in 2016 with 652 yards receiving on 53 catches. He proceeded to catch 12 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown in the win. Those stats accounted for 22.6% of his catches and 41.7% of his receiving yards from last season. That, my friends, is a breakout game.
• What UMass did well: Stuck with a balanced offense. The Minutemen never tried to get into an aerial shootout with Hawaii, doing a great job of keeping the Warrior defense honest. Junior Marquis Young will not earn any headlines but earned a key 83 yards on 20 carries to give UMass a shot at the win. In the end, getting outscored 17-7 in the final quarter was the downfall of a more than capable UMass team. Hopefully, this is the start of something good for this program.
• How does Hawaii look moving forward? Hopeful. This schedule, with a streak that includes UCLA, Wyoming, Colorado State, and Nevada, needed a season opening win to keep bowl hopes alive. Now that they only need five more wins, there is a bit more relaxation on the island with Western Carolina headed into town for Labor Day weekend.
• How does UMass look moving forward? Frustrated. This was a game that the Minutemen faithful will look back at and wonder “what if?” They held a 14-point lead in the third quarter with the Warriors having lost their last 58 games in that situation. Expect lots of work on the punt return game after a muffed punt allowed Hawaii to tie the game at 28 just a few moments into the fourth quarter. A win over new FBS program Coastal Carolina is essential as they will not be in a winnable situation again until October 21 versus Georgia Southern. 

Stats Central:

• Passer: Dru Brown, Hawaii: 25-35, 391, 3TD
• Rusher: D’Ernest Johnson, South Florida: 22/99/2TD
• Receiver: John Ursua, Hawaii: 12/272/1TD
• Tackler: Ethan Aguayo, San Jose State: 14 tackles
• Sacker: Jahlani Tavai, Hawaii: 2.0 sacks
• Interceptions: 8 players tied with 1 interception
• Field Goals: Two kickers tied with 1-1 FG attempts.
• Punting: Michael Carrizosa, San Jose State: 44.5 average