5 Things Learned From College Football Week 0

5 Things Learned From College Football Week 0

Time Stamp: August 27, 2023 8:22 AM
Source Node: 2848036

College football week 0 is in the books. After every week fans can take away things from what happened on the field. Here are 5 things learned from college football week 0.

Related: 5 Things to watch in college football week 0

1. Notre Dame’s Passing Offense is Improved

Last season, Notre Dame struggled to move the ball through the air. They hit the transfer portal and lured Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman to South Bend in order to try to improve their passing attack. They played Navy in week 0 with a chance to show off if the offense could be more successful this season.

While Navy won’t be the toughest defense they play this season, Notre Dame and Hartman had great games. Hartman went 19-23 passing for 251 yards and four touchdowns. The offense showed they could be more balanced this season, at least to start, after having 251 passing yards and 193 rushing yards. Notre Dame will want to build on this when they play Tennessee State in week 1.

2. Jacksonville State is FBS Ready

In 2022, Jacksonville State had a great season to wrap up their time in the FCS. They moved up to the FBS level this season, joining the C-USA. In week 0, the Gamecocks had a conference game against UTEP and proved they belong at their new level with a 17-14 win.

Rich Rodriguez’s program got their first win as a member of the FBS in their first attempt. They beat a UTEP team that went 5-7 last year and likely will still be competing to make a bowl game later in the season. It was an ugly game, but Jacksonville State’s defense held strong. While they won’t be eligible for a bowl game this season, the Gamecocks can be competitive in the C-USA.

3. USC’s Defense Could Still be a Problem

During the 2022 season, USC’s offense was great, but the defense struggled. This offseason, USC hit the transfer portal hard to try and improve on that side of the ball. If they want to compete better on a national level, the defense has to improve. After week 0, it was clear that the defense still has a lot of improving to do.

Against San Jose State, USC allowed 28 points. That was more than the Spartans’ average of 27.4 points per game last season. While the Trojans won the game, it would have been more encouraging to see the defense play better in week 0. If USC struggles later in the season, changes will be made on the defensive side of the ball.

4. Taisun Phommachanh Can Give UMass a shot at bowl eligibility

UMass has not been great historically, as they have two bowl game appearances in their history. They hit the transfer portal to get former Clemson and Georgia Tech quarterback Taisun Phommachanh to try and help their chances of getting back to a bowl game this season. In week 0, the Minutemen played well and won on the road against New Mexico State.

While New Mexico State isn’t the stiffest competition, UMass still picked up an important road win. They have tougher games against Auburn and Penn State this season, but do have some games they can win. With games against Miami (OH), Eastern Michigan, New Mexico, Arkansas State, Toledo, Army, Merrimack, Liberty and UConn, there is a chance that Phommachanh and head coach Don Brown can help UMass make their third bowl game in program history.

5. Hawaii at Vanderbilt was Perfectly Crazy

Hawaii traveled to Vanderbilt for week 0. Vanderbilt’s FirstBank Stadium was under construction and featured a scoreboard that was being held up by cranes. There was a lightning delay of two hours.While it was interesting to watch a game in a stadium currently under construction, the game featured some more craziness.

The game featured a punt attempt that went 0 yards. It also had a nice kickoff return by Vanderbilt early and a good comeback attempt by Hawaii that resulted in a 35-28 win for the Commodores. Part of the reason college football is great is the stuff that isn’t seen very often. A Mountain West team challenging an SEC team on the road in a work-in-progress stadium is peak week 0 football.

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