Week 1 is now in the books and football is finally back. All is well with the world.
Georgia is still a juggernaut, LSU still can’t win a season opener, and Vandy is still winning! Wait, Vandy is winning?
You read that right. The Vanderbilt Commodores scored what is likely the best win of the weekend as they beat Virginia Tech in overtime in Nashville. Other than that, there were a lot of cupcake games in the conference as a lot of teams looked to dip their feet into the pool instead of diving in on the deep end.
Some teams did decide to dive in on the deep end, though. Florida hosted Miami, Georgia took on Clemson, Texas A&M hosted Notre Dame and LSU took on USC in Las Vegas. Only one of those teams came out with a win and it is exactly who you would think it is. Georiga put a beat down on Dabo. Mike Elko’s Aggies lacked offensive firepower as they lost to Notre Dame, Miami dominated Florida in every aspect, and Brian Kelly let a fourth-quarter lead slip away in the final eight seconds.
Here’s a rundown of how each team fared in Week 1.
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The Arkansas Razorbacks are off and running in the 2024 season as they manhandled Arkansas Pine Bluff 70-0 on Thursday. Taylen Green looked great at quarterback as he finished the game 16-for-23 with 229 yards and two touchdowns passing.
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In another Thursday night matchup, the Missouri Tigers defense put on a clinic against Murray State. The Tigers defense only allowed 85 total yards of offense to the Racers. Brady Cook had another good game as well as Missouri got off to a 1-0 start.
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The Sooners got off to a fast start in 2024 as they took care of business against the Temple Owls on Friday night. Jackson Arnold is the new quarterback for the Sooners and he finished the night with 141 yards passing and four touchdowns.
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The biggest win of the weekend and likely one of the best games of the weekend goes to the Vanderbilt Commodores. Vanderbilt welcomed the Virginia Tech Hokies into Nashville on Saturday morning and the Commodores came out on top 34-27 in overtime for a huge first win.
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“They are who we thought they were.” – Dennis Green. Green made that comment about the Chicago Bears in 2006, but that statement remains true today for the Georgia Bulldogs. The Dawgs are the No. 1 team in the country for a reason. They put a beatdown on Dabo and the Clemson Tigers on Saturday morning in Atlanta.
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Nico Iamaleava made his first start for the Vols against Chattanooga on Saturday and he looked great. He finished the game 22-for-28 for 314 yards and three touchdowns. Dylan Sampson and Dont’e Thorton Jr. also had great games for the Vols.
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It was not a fun day for the Gator faithful in Gainesville on Saturday afternoon. Cam Ward and the Miami Hurricanes rolled into town and dominated Florida in every facet of the game. Graham Mertz left the game with a concussion and his status for next week remains uncertain. Hey, at least you aren’t Florida State.
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Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning put on a show through the air as the Longhorns got a huge win over the Colorado State Rams on Saturday. The Longhorns are hoping for a great year one in the SEC.
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Can you say, struggle win? Old Dominion hit a field goal with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter to take a 19-16 lead over the Gamecocks. Carolina would then score a touchdown with six minutes left to win. The Gamecocks have a lot of things to get sorted out if they want to win in the SEC this year.
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Blake Shapen had a great night for the Mississippi State Bulldogs as he finished the game going 15-for-20 for 247 yards and three touchdowns as the Bulldogs beat Eastern Kentucky in Starkville.
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Hollywood is here. The Kalen DeBoer era in Tuscaloosa started how many thought it would, with a ton of offense. The Tide finished the night only a touchdown short of scoring 70 points (a feat Nick Saban had not accomplished in 17 years). It showed off the high-powered offense DeBoer has run wherever he has gone. Ryan “Hollywood” Williams had two receptions for 139 yards and two touchdowns as he took home SEC Freshman of the Week honors.
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The Ole Miss Rebels put on an offensive clinic as they shut out the Furman Paladins 76-0 on Saturday night in Oxford. Jaxson Dart finished the game 22-for-27 with 418 yards and five touchdown passes. Lane Kiffin is still a man of his ways.
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In another marquee game for the SEC, the conference put up a dud. Connor Weigman had a rough night going 12-for-30 for 100 yards and two interceptions as the Aggies lost 23-13 to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in College Station. The Mike Elko era started out slow but it’s just Game 1.
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Hugh Freeze and his offense put up explosive numbers as the Tigers looked good against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs. Auburn had 628 total yards of offense as they look to bounce back from their struggles last season.
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The Kentucky Wildcats were not able to finish their game against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on Saturday night due to weather, but they did get credited with a 31-0 win. Brock Vandagriff finished the night 12-for-18 with 169 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.
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For the fifth year in a row, the LSU Tigers started off the season with an 0-1 record. The Tigers entered the fourth quarter with a 17-13 lead but were unable to fend off Miller Moss and the USC Trojans. USC scored with eight seconds remaining to take a 27-20 lead and send the Tigers home with their tails tucked.