Week Zero is designed to be the appetizer for the upcoming college football season. Well, the appetizer, for the most part, was delicious, as Saturday’s games provided a bit of suspense, as well as whetted our appetites for more.
Northwestern, thanks to a questionable decision by Nebraska coach Scott Frost, delivered the first upset of the year, beating Nebraska ,31-28, in Dublin, Ireland. Dating back to last year, the Cornhuskers have lost eight straight, turning the heat up on the embattled Frost even higher.
Closer to home, in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Florida A&M, despite a depleted roster due to eligibility issues, sliced up North Carolina’s secondary, but lost 56-24. Entering the fourth quarter, seven different Florida A&M receivers had at least one catch of 15 or more yards, and Rattlers quarterback Jeremy Moussa had 262 yards passing. UNC led only 35-24, before simply wearing down FAMU.
Down in Tallahassee, FSU, as expected crushed Duquesne 47-7 behind a dominating rushing attack. The Seminoles produced three 100-yard rushers. Interesting fact, it was Florida State’s first season-opening win since 2016. FSU scored on eight of its first nine drives, and quickly showed its offensive identity – running the ball at win.
Illinois, an early-season opponent of Virginia, breezed past Wyoming, 38-6. The Illini wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard. Only 41 seconds elapsed before running back Chase Brown found his way into the endzone, clenching on to a 14-yard pass from quarterback Tommy Devitto. Brown finished with 151 yards rushing while Devitto completed 27-of-37 passes for 192 yards and two scores.
Austin Peay had a solid shot of pulling off the first FCS-over-FBS upset of 2022, before falling to Western Kentucky, 38-27. Connecticut, led by first year coach Jim Mora, gave defending Mountain West champion Utah State a battle, before losing, 31-20. UConn running back Nathan Carter had 190 yards rushing.
Perhaps the head-scratching game of Week Zero was Vanderbilt’s blowout win over Hawaii, 63-10. Leading 21-10 at intermission, the Commodores used a 35-point third quarter to pull away. Vanderbilt rolled up 601 yards of total offense, including 400 yards rushing. It was the Commodores’ first win since Oct. 2, 2021.
While Week Zero of the 2022 season may not have provided any must-see contests, some of the games did provide entertainment, and that was the objective.
Nebraska fans that made the trip to Dublin to see a conference game saw the same old struggles continue to Scott Frost and the Cornhuskers.
Illinois, and second-year coach Bret Bielema, had to be encouraged in the Illini’s performance against Wyoming. Running back Chase Brown may be in store for a huge season.
Vanderbilt took a long trip across the country and Pacific Ocean to face Hawaii. The Commodores were businesslike in dismantling the Rainbows. The good news for Vandy? They look much improved. The bad news? Vanderbilt still plays in the SEC.
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