National Review: Week One

This week's marquee matchup was a blowout. There were no huge upsets among the ranked teams, but more close games than you might have expected. While it wasn't a largely exciting weekend, it's comforting to know that football is back.

Game of the Week: (13) Michigan State 17 - (24) Boise State 13

Andrew Maxwell, who was supposed to pick up right where departed Spartan quarterback Kirk Cousins left off, threw three interceptions in the first half, but it didn't matter because running back Le'Veon Bell took on a man's load Friday night, running the ball 44 times for 210 yards in knocking off Boise State in their annual opener against a highly-ranked team that takes them too lightly. Outside of Bell, the Spartan defense was the key for the home team as they allowed only 206 yards of total Bronco offense which included 169 yards passing to new quarterback Joe Southwick, who took over for NCAA wins leader Kellen Moore.

Other Notable Games

(9) South Carolina 17 - Vanderbilt 13

Marcus Lattimore scored twice in his return to the field from surgery and Jadeveon Clowney almost killed multiple Vanderbilt players in the Gamecocks win. Vandy quarterback Jordan Rodgers (little brother of Aaron) threw for 214 yards and a touchdown, but it wasn't enough to beat the Steve Spurrier rushing attack. It must the Ol' Ball Coach to hear those words.

(2) Alabama 41 - (8) Michigan 14

As Jared said in the Big Ten rundown, this was never a game. As much as a B1G win would have helped the league's reputation, since I didn't get to see the game as I was too busy drinking on a roof overlooking the Texas Tech game, I don't mind that I didn't miss much. Alabama put the game away early with a 21-point first quarter and never looked back. A.J. McCarron threw for 199 yards and 2 TD's while freshman running back T.J. Yeldon came out of nowhere for a 100-yard rushing performance when Eddie Lacy was thought to be leading the Bama offense this year. Roll Tide.

(14) Clemson 26 - Auburn 19

Despite the absence of Sammy Watkins, Clemson was able to get the bad taste of last year's Orange Bowl out of their mouths with a win over Auburn on Saturday night. Andre Ellington ran for 231 yards while receiver DeAndre Hopkins caught 13 balls for 119 yards to pace the offense. Along with Louisville's win over Kentucky, the ACC and the Big East each brought home a win over the SEC while the Big Ten was handled with anything but care by Alabama. Welp.

Best of the Rest

(1) USC 49 - Hawaii 10

(4) Oklahoma 24 - UTEP 7

(5) Oregon 57 - Arkansas State 34

(6) Georgia 45 - Buffalo 23

(19) Oklahoma State 84 - Savannah State 0

(23) Florida 27 - Bowling Green 14

LOL Pitt: Youngstown State 31 - Pittsburgh 17

Any other week and Pitt fans would be having a field day with Penn State losing to a MAC school. But when you are handed a two-touchdown loss by a FCS school, you tend to keep quiet until the next Saturday.

Follow @BSDtweet on Twitter
And join us on Facebook
All BSD community members should review our current Posting & Commenting Policies before creating any posts or commenting.