Football Whisperer's Week 0 College Football Review

North Carolina 15 TCU 10

The Tar Heels under Bill Belichick finally showed some fight yesterday in Ireland, surprising TCU in a close one. North Carolina looked like the better prepared team and preparation as we all know is a staple of the Bill B brand. The kids from Chapel Hill played disciplined, sound, and tough on both sides and while they were far from spectacular in any phase of the game, I think the restless natives can settle down a bit: for now.

What Stood Out: The TCU offense never looked like it had a clear plan. They lacked imagination and every move they made it seemed like a man in Tar Heel blue was right there waiting for them to make it. I get the Frogs were without their top receiver, Jordan Dwyer and the offense was breaking in a new quarterback in Jaden Craig. But if this is what the Frogs have for us, it’ll be a long year in Fort Worth.

USC 42 SJSU 26

To be honest, USC always starts the year off like this. They look good on offense, putting up points with ease against an overmatched opponent, whetting the appetites of college football fans in the City of Angels and beyond. But this game had a little something different: the Trojans defense looked like it was ready for a return to prominence, even though they were missing Jakheem Stewart. Trent Mosley looked like he’s capable of handling the lead receiver duties which should bring a sigh of relief to the entire offensive side of the staff.

What Stood Out: Despite allowing 23 points in the 4^th quarter long after the game had been put to bed, that USC defense showed significant improvement from last year and I’m sure the addition of Garry Patterson to the sideline is at the heart of those gains. Defenders took proper angles, showed aggression, and play with intensity: things that the Trojan defense has lacked for quite some time. They weren’t perfect, but as they become familiar with the Patterson scheme, we should see more improvements.

Virginia 34 NC State 8

Beau Pribula looked special yesterday. Was it because he was going up against a subpar Wolfpack defense … might have had something to do with it. But I also think a large part of what we saw on that field yesterday is a young man who has finally found a football home. Looking forward to seeing how the Cavaliers stack up to conference favorites SMU and Miami.

What Soot Out: CJ Bailiey’s performance stood out for all the wrong reasons. He has all the tools but after passing for a paltry 84 yards … I’m starting to wonder if he’ll ever put them all together.

 Memphis 27 UNLV 21

I almost picked the Tigers to win this one. I knew it would be a close one, but I figured Jaxon Arnold, the much traveled, former five-star recruit who spent time at Oklahoma and Auburn would find a way at home. I was wrong. The Tigers are off to a 1-0 start and in the AAC, they might have the momentum to push the voters and make a CFP push in the end.

What Stood Out: The fire the Tigers played with was what jumped off the screen for me. Regardless of what UNLV threw at them, Memphis always had an answer, a true mark of a team moving in the right direction. I’ll be interested to see how new coach Charles Huff builds off this win and who this team becomes moving forward.

Florida State 34 New Mexico State 17

Don’t be fooled by the final score, this was a hard-fought win for the Seminoles and that in and of itself is troubling. There was a time when Florida State would’ve put up 34 points on New Mexico State in the first quarter, but those days, at least for the time being, are gone. I’m still not trusting the quarterback situation in Tallahassee. Ashton Daniels is the man for now, but his performance did nothing to deter my thinking that at some point, Kevin Sperry will lead the offense.

What Stood Out: Former Texas running back Tre Wisner only got 4 carries, totaling 34 yards. Wisner was the bell cow in Austin, and my thinking was that he’d do the same for the Seminoles. The season is young and just like the aforementioned quarterback position, I’m thinking Wisner will have the loudest say in the success of that Seminoles running attack.

North Dakota State 33 Jacksonville State 7

The question coming into the season was whether or not North Dakota State would wilt now that they’re an FBS program, competing in the Mountain West Conference. Their performance against Jacksonville State answered all those questions.

What Stood Out: Pundits picked North Dakota State to finish last in the Mountain West Conference. Quarterback Nathan Hayes took that personally and last night, he came out and made Jacksonville State pay. The real test will come in two weeks when they pay conference favorite Air Force a visit.

A Few Extra Points.

Belichick might have this college thing figured out, but Weeks 3 and 4 bring Clemson and Notre Dame so we’ll know a lot more after those. Florida State welcomes SMU to town next week. This will be the opener for the Ponies, game 2 for the Seminoles … upset looming? USC plays defense, despite giving up 23 points during garbage time. TCU has a lot; I mean a ton of work to do on that offense. Beau Pribula … you have my attention sir.