Keeping up with the SEC after Week 1 of the college football season
We finally made it. College football is back.
The first Saturday of college football was an eventful one ranging from Jack Harlow and his interesting appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay to Georgia pulling out the old Nintendo and getting every achievement in Duck Hunt.
Before we get into every game from Week 1, here are my quick thoughts: Georgia is still really good even though it lost a lot of players, and Stetson Bennett IV is a great quarterback. Anthony Richardson may have had the best performance of the week as the Gators knocked off Utah in the Swamp to start the Billy Napier era. Heisman voters will be keeping an eye on him after that performance.
Alabama, meanwhile, is who we thought it was. The Death Star is alive and well. Bryce Young looks like he is trying to win back-to-back Heisman Trophies.
Here’s a complete rundown of how the SEC looked in Week 1 — excluding LSU, obviously, which begins its season on Sunday night against Florida State.
Tennessee 59, Ball State 10
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This one was over by halftime. Hendon Hooker and the Vols destroyed Ball State as Hooker went 18-for-25 for 221 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for two touchdowns. I know it’s only Ball State, but Tennessee looked pretty good. It will be interesting to see how they hold up as the season wears on.
Missouri 52, Louisiana Tech 24
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Like Tennessee, the Missouri Tigers were so excited for the 2022 season that they started a couple of days early. Brady Cook was the starting quarterback for the Tigers and he went 18-for-27 for 201 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed seven times for 61 yards and a touchdown. Missouri made it look easy in Game 1. We will see how they fare in the East this year.
No. 6 Texas A&M 31, Sam Houston State 0
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All those recruits and all of that talk from Jimbo Fisher, yet the Aggies came out and put on a sleeper in their first game of the season. The game was 17-0 at halftime as A&M didn’t impress anyone. Haynes King got the start for the Aggies, going 20-for-31 for 364 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. That performance drew mixed reviews from the Aggie faithful, with many questioning, “If this is how it is going to be against an FCS school, how are we going to beat Alabama?” Although, the silver lining is that the defense was great.
No. 19 Arkansas 31, No. 23 Cincinnati 24
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This game was all that it was hyped up to be. KJ Jefferson had a great day going 18-for-26 for 223 yards and three touchdowns while also running for 62 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Sam Pittman and the Hogs got a huge win over a Cincinnati team that made it to the College Football Playoff last year. Jefferson is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the SEC.
No. 21 Ole Miss 28, Troy 10
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Jaxon Dart got his first start as a Rebel in this game as Lane Kiffin and the Rebels took down the Troy Trojans. They didn’t win by a lot, but the Trojans are a good football team that is known to sneak up on Power Five programs and beat them. If anyone knows that, it’s LSU. Dart went 18-for-27 for 154 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
No. 3 Georgia 49, No. 11 Oregon 3
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If you went into this game with the mindset of Georgia being a one-hit-wonder which is now over, not so fast, my friends. The Mailman (Bennett) was surgical, going 25-for-31 for 368 yards (a career-high) and two touchdowns. Bo Nix (or should I say Bo Pix) was still seeing the ghosts of SEC past as he went 21-for-37 for 173 yards and two interceptions. It doesn’t matter if you move across the country, the Dawgs will hunt you down.
Auburn 42, Mercer 16
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There may be a new sheriff in town for the Auburn Tigers, and I am not talking about TJ Finley. I am talking about Robby Ashford. The transfer from Oregon definitely looked like the best quarterback on the roster going 4-for-7 for 100 yards. Finley got the start and went 9-for-14 for 112 yards one touchdown and two interceptions. Ashford looks like the quarterback of the future for the Tigers. My only question is, what happened to Calzada?
Vanderbilt 41, Elon 31
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I looked at the score of this one at halftime and saw it was 28-10 and that Mike Wright was having another great game as he went 18-for-29 for 245 yards and four touchdowns. I thought the Commodores would run away with this one, but Elon actually outscored them 21-14 in the second half. Nevertheless, Vandy got the job done, and it starts the season 2-0.
South Carolina 35, Georgia State 14
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The Spencer Rattler era has begun in Columbia, South Carolina, and it started with a win over the Georgia State Panthers. Rattler finished the game 23-for-37 for 227 yards one touchdown and two interceptions. He didn’t have the best game, but he got the job done. Beamer ball was back, but I’m not talking about Virginia Tech. The Gamecocks blocked two punts that they returned for touchdowns in the second half to pull away in this one.
Mississippi State 49, Memphis 23
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Mike Leach and the Bulldogs could pretty much sleepwalk through this one. It was business as usual as they took a 28-3 lead into halftime and got to play some younger guys in the second half. The biggest story from this game is the weather delay that forced the game to be finished after midnight. So, when I say they were sleepwalking through the game, I mean it.
Kentucky 37, Miami (Ohio) 13
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It was closer than expected as it was only 13-10 Kentucky at the half, but the Wildcats shifted into another gear in the second half as they took down Miami Ohio. Will Levis finished the game 21-for-32 with 303 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Tayvion Robinson had a career day with six receptions for 136 yards. The ‘Cats are going to be a good team in the SEC East.
Florida 29, No. 7 Utah 26
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Hello, Heisman voters, Anthony Richardson would like to have a word with you. It was AR’s moment in the swamp as the Gators knocked off the No. 7 Utah Utes. Richardson went 17-for-24 for 168 yards and had 11 carries for 106 yards and three touchdowns. He was in command of the offense all night long and every time he touched the ball it seemed as though magic would happen. The fact that Mullen had Jones starting over him should get him a jail sentence. Richardson is the real deal. What a way to start the Billy Napier era in Gainesville.
Alabama 55, Utah State 0
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They are who we thought they were. Reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Bryce Young had a great day for the Tide going 18-for-28 for 195 yards and five touchdowns, and he had five carries for 100 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Will Anderson is still a menace, and the Death Star is still rolling along to the tune of the imperial march.
