It’s finally here. We made it.
After a depressing offseason — unless you’re a television executive — filled with existential crises for many programs around the country, we finally kicked off a ball on Saturday to begin the last season of college football as we’ve known it.
Week 0 was, admittedly, a bit thin on substance. However, we did see a pair of ranked teams in action for the first time as No. 13 Notre Dame easily took care of Navy in Dublin, Ireland, while No. 6 USC and defending Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams won its season opener against San Jose State in a game that featured 84 combined points.
To cap off the night, Hawaii gave Vanderbilt quite a scare on its home field/active construction zone.
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) August 27, 2023
Talking season is finally over, and we have some real, honest-to-God college football to break down. With that being said, here are the winners and losers from the first weekend of the college football season.
Winner: Notre Dame's new-look offense
Notre Dame made one of the biggest transfer portal splashes of the offseason by pulling quarterback Sam Hartman away from Wake Forest. Hartman made his Fighting Irish debut on Saturday, and it was quite a showing.
He completed 19 of 23 passes for 251 yards and four touchdowns, two of which went to true freshman receiver Jaden Greathouse. Audric Estime had a huge day on the ground, as well, taking 16 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown.
This Navy defense was bad, there’s no doubt about it, and with Notre Dame hosting Tennessee State this weekend, we may have to wait until the Irish travel to take on NC State in Week 3 to know just how much Hartman raises this team’s ceiling.
Still, it was a good first impression for new offensive coordinator Gerad Parker, who was promoted from within to replace Tommy Rees after the latter left for Alabama.
It's been too easy today for Sam Hartman
— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 26, 2023
Loser: A USC defense that still needs some work
Despite boasting one of the best offenses in the country and the Heisman Trophy winner, USC missed the playoff due to a defense that struggled quite a bit.
Saturday’s 56-28 win over San Jose State was never really in doubt, but even after adding a massive group of transfers on that side of the ball, the Trojans still seem to have some work to do.
Williams did typical Williams things, but the Spartans outgained USC by more than 100 yards, rushing for just shy of 200 in total while Chevan Cordeiro, one of the better quarterbacks in the Group of Five, threw three touchdown passes.
This could be a crucial year for defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, and his team will have to face the country’s best collection of quarterbacks in conference play.
It’s a small sample size, but it’s clear the defense still needs some work before the team hits the meat of its schedule.
Chevan Cordeiro DEALING pic.twitter.com/vZMJuCeqYj
— Joe Broback (@joebroback) August 27, 2023
Winner: A Hawaii team that could be ahead of schedule
The Rainbow Warriors didn’t win in Nashville on Saturday night, but aside from the result, the game couldn’t have played out more differently compared to last year’s 63-10 blowout loss at home.
Trailing 35-28, Hawaii had the ball with a chance to tie it in the final minutes before an interception ended their hopes. Still, there were some real signs of optimism here.
It outgained the Commodores, and quarterback Brayden Schager threw for 351 yards on a 27-of-35 outing. He also tossed three touchdowns, though he had a pair of interceptions as well. True freshman receiver Pofele Ashlock was the real star of the show, catching seven passes for 127 yards and a touchdown.
The Rainbow Warriors will drop some games this season, but coach Timmy Chang has quickly built a passing attack that could be worth paying attention to. He took on what is fairly inarguably the most extensive rebuild in college football, and he seems to have his alma mater well ahead of schedule in Year 2.
Just the beginning for 8️⃣6️⃣…@PofeleAshlock x #BRADDAHHOOD pic.twitter.com/jVTE4PKSFr
— Hawaii Football (@HawaiiFootball) August 28, 2023
Loser: Ohio QB Kurtis Rourke
Perhaps the most intriguing matchup on paper this weekend came in the Group of Five ranks with Ohio traveling to take on San Diego State. However, an early injury to star Bobcats quarterback Kurtis Rourke ended his game after he started 8 of 10 for 75 yards.
Backup CJ Harris completed just 18 of 41 passes and tossed three interceptions in a 20-13 loss.
It’s a tough way to start the season for Rourke, the reigning MAC MVP whose 2022 season ended with a torn ACL in November. Luckily, the injury doesn’t seem to be particularly severe.
"He is on schedule to go this Saturday."@CoachAlbin says that Kurtis Rourke will return to action this Saturday against Long Island University pic.twitter.com/M2Ffa1FqzR
— WOUB Bobcat Showcase (@BobcatShowcase) August 28, 2023
The Oakville, Ontario, native is considered a top CFL draft prospect, but he could find himself playing on Sundays. His older brother and former Ohio quarterback Nathan Rourke was the architect behind one of the most impressive plays of the preseason for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Who’s ready to watch Nathan Rourke play football tomorrow?
pic.twitter.com/hXq70m1FfC— Jordan de Lugo (@jordandelugo) August 18, 2023
Quick Hitters
- Winner: UMass. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more hopeless job in the FBS, but coach Don Brown inserted some life into the program to kick off Year 2 of his second stint with the Minutemen by taking down a New Mexico State team that won a bowl game last year.
- Loser: New Mexico State. On the other hand, it’s hard to feel good at all about falling by double digits to a program that earned just its fourth win since 2019, especially considering the Aggies will compete in Conference USA this season after several years as an independent.
- Winner: Jacksonville State. It’s hard to ask for a better start at the FBS level than winning a conference game. Sure, it came against a pretty bad UTEP team, but it’s an early encouraging sign that Rich Rodriguez’s Gamecocks can make an early impact at the next level.
- Loser: Florida International. The Panthers squandered a two-touchdown lead against Louisana Tech after allowing 19 unanswered points. Florida International won this game last year, and this seemed like one of the more winnable games on the conference slate for coach Mike MacIntyre’s team.
- Winner: Vanderbilt. In addition to winning the actual football game thanks to a three-touchdown performance from sophomore quarterback AJ Swann and some timely turnovers, the Commodores donated a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales to provide relief to the victims of the recent Maui wildfires. To donate to the Maui Strong Fund, click here.
