The first weekend of college football is in the books, so let’s go through who was great on the gridiron with my Week One Heroes:
Kenny Hill: Not much that wasn’t A+ about the performance of Texas A&M’s quarterback on Thursday night. Playing in Williams-Brice Stadium, as hostile an environment as there is in the SEC, Hill lit up the South Carolina defense like he was a fifth year starter. He was calm, smart, accurate and everything that Aggies fans were hoping he could be, going 44-60 for 511 and three scores to help rout the Gamecocks 52-28. The country is on notice.
Devin Funchess: The hulking Michigan receiver, obviously Devin Gardner’s favourite target, broke some Wolverines history at the Big House on Saturday afternoon, becoming the first player in a Michigan season opener to haul in three touchdown catches. The Wolverines beat Appalachian State comprehensively, 52-14.
Rutgers: There are few tougher assignments for a team coming from the east coast and flying north-west to Seattle to take on Washington State’s potent offense, but the Scarlet Knights, in their first game as a member of the Big Ten conference, managed to control the Cougar’s air-raid system and escape with a narrow, but gritty 41-38 win.
Todd Gurley: The Georgia running back was a weapon for the Bulldogs in their 45-21 victory over Clemson. Not only did he score three touchdowns as part of a 198-yard game on the ground, but he also took a kick-off back 100 yards – right from the back of the end zone – to set the crowd at Sanford Stadium alight. The kid has speed for days, and once he’s gone, you can shut the gate.
Christian Hackenberg: The Penn State quarterback, last seen in 2013 doing a demolition job on Wisconsin in Madison, opened the 2014 season with a giant bang, setting a Penn State record, going 32-47 for 454 yards and one touchdown, becoming the first Penn State quarterback ever to pass for more than four hundred in one game. The Nittany Lions won in Ireland, 26-24 over Central Florida.
Connor Cook: the Michigan State quarterback had a pretty good outing on Friday night. Yeah, I know, it was only against hapless Jacksonville State, but when a guy goes 12-13 for 285 yards and three scores before taking a seat, it deserves to be recognised. So does Cook’s QB Rating, 352.6. Not that you doubted it, but Sparty won big.
Bo Wallace: The most experienced returning quarterback in the SEC shrugged off a shocking first half, in which he threw three interceptions, to lead Ole Miss to a commanding 35-13 win over a sloppy Boise State Broncos squad in Atlanta. Wallace went 25-36 for 387 yards and four scores. A bad first half, a brilliant second. Wallace and the Rebels will be ones to watch this year.
North Dakota State: For the fourth straight season, the Bison, who lost twelve starters and their head coach after winning the Division II/FCS national championship a year ago, but managed to run roughshod over the Big Twelve’s Iowa State, winning convincingly, 33-14, thanks in large part to RB John Crockett, who tallied 138 yards and three scores. Of opening week is anything to go by, the Bison look the goods at FCS level again this year.
Taysom Hill: the duel-threat quarterback for Brigham Young had a big game to start the season, leading the Cougars to a 35-10 victory over Connecticut. Hill passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more, throwing for 308 yards and adding another 97 on the ground, making him the team’s leading rusher.
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