When it comes to Week 0, there was actually a lot of excitement to watch. From blowouts to game winning plays, here are my reactions to what I saw in Week 0. Football is back baby!
ND does what it’s supposed to
Week 0 started in Ireland for the Fighting Irish. Coming in at -20.5 favorites, even as high as 21.5 point favorites, Notre Dame got right to work. Have success or better on 66% of their run plays. Between the offensive line and the five running backs that got carries, the ground game was too much for Navy to handle.
Hartman also had a solid outing, as he went 19-23 with 251 pass yards and 4 touchdowns. The one scare I did notice was there were a few plays Navy wide receivers ran past Notre Dame, but Navy could not capitalize. It was a good sign to see ND score as much as they did. The offense had major issues in the pass game last year, and it seems as if Sam Hartman will be able to help fix a lot of those woes.
Navy will look to get its feet back under them next week. There is a lot of talk that the fully new offense is one year away, but look for Navy to be more improved game by game.
Jax State makes debut in style
This was one of the more exciting games of the Week 0 slate. Jax State came into the game making its Conference USA and FBS debut. Jax State and UTEP was a back and forth affair that saw both sides make a whole lot of mistakes. Jax State’s quarterback had a lot of miss throws that could have had Jax State take a bigger win. Instead, it was a back and forth game that came down to the final drive.
3rd and 1 in enemy territory, UTEP decides to throw up a fade ball that is just missed in the endzone. Having used two of its timeouts, UTEP decides to use one more before the 4th and 1 play. I thought they would use the tush push like before and get it. Instead, there is a check at the line, and the 7th year defender for Jax State jumps the route.
When I tell you this got me out of my seat, boy was I juiced for it. With this win, Jax State has won their 12th home opener in a row. This was truly an awesome game to watch, and it may have helped me be on Jax State moneyline. This will be a team I could see being a covering machine this year with the fast past tempo and the effort they play with.
UMass has historic win
Under bettors, I am so sorry. Heading into the 4th quarter, the score was 13-10. The game would finish with UMass winning 41-30 in an explosive 4th quarter of play.
I was on the betting side of New Mexico -7. I would say about halftime I gave up on the cover, but thought maybe New Mexico would squeak it out. Instead, UMass wins its first road game since UConn in 2018. Along with that, this was their first FBS win in week one since 1973. What a huge week 0 for the Minutemen.
Vanderbilt hangs on to win
After some weather delays, Vandy was up 21-14 and half, and finished the 3rd quarter up 28-14. I was on the side of -17.5 and thought we would get a repeat of last year’s 63-10 route. Instead, Hawaii’s defense holds Vanderbilt scoreless after the 14:48 mark. While Hawaii lost 35-28, they already looked way better than last year.
Spending most of last year trying to change some things over offensively, I was not confident that Hawaii would be able to keep it close. Instead, they looked a lot more confident in year two of the system.
USC wins big, but San Jose covers
While it was a very rough and slow start to the game for USC, they played a lot better in the second half. After being up 21-14, USC outscored San Jose 35-14 in the second half to win 56-28. Caleb Williams did have an amazing play as well we will probably see highlights of all year.
Caleb Williams went 18-25 with 278 yards and 4 touchdowns. However, the star on offense this day may have been Zachariah Branch. The speed this guy has will be a real weapon for USC when it comes down to it.
The big issues for USC will be on the defensive end this year. Their defense did a bit better in the second half, but there were so many missed tackles. The depth may be a question as well, as many experts are not for sure how deep USC is. If they can make the defense more solid than last year, the offense is good enough to get them to the College Football Playoffs.
Other important scores and news
- Ohio loses to San Diego State. Ohio starting Qb is now injured
- Louisiana Tech rallies back to win 22-17 against FIU
Betting wise I went 3-2 on the weekend with the plays I gave out. Very excited for next weekend, as the rest of the College Football teams kick off.
Jaden Chandler-Parnell, or “JC” is a Sports & Sports Betting Insider for Stare Down Sports. You can Follow him on twitter @Jaden95Chandler
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