ACC—Navy was poised to score a touchdown on 4th and 1 with 34 seconds left in the game. The Maryland defense came up big and stopped Ricky Dobbs from getting into the endzone. Navy statistically dominated Maryland but would leave Baltimore regretting they did not settle for a field goal and overtime. For a team that went 2-10 last season, this was a huge victory. The Terrapin victory takes some of the heat off of The Fridge, at least for awhile.
Big 12—In front of the largest home opening crowd in Kansas State history, the Wildcats got a quality win over UCLA. Wildcat running back Daniel Thomas rushed for 235 of the Wildcat’s 377 total yards. Bill Snyder just may be able to bring K-State back to national relevance.
Big East—Syracuse won their season opener for the first time since 2003. The Orange had 431 yards of balanced offense. Syracuse is the only Big East team to beat a FBS opponent this week. Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, and Pittsburgh all dropped winnable games.
Big Ten—Northwestern defeated Vanderbilt 23-21 in a game where the Commodores outgained the Wildcats. Dan Persa showed he could fill the role of quarterback for the Wildcats going 19 for 21 and rushing 82 yards.
C-USA—The first in-conference game of the season was quite possibly the most exciting of the weekend. East Carolina and Tulsa went back and forth in a game that would be decided by whichever team had the last possession. East Carolina Dominique Davis connected with Justin Jones on a Hail Mary as time expired. Ruffin McNeill’s 51-49 debut at his alma mater proves that this may not be a rebuilding year for the Pirates.
MAC—Since I don’t award helmet stickers to teams that beat up on FCS teams and no MAC team beat a FBS team this weekend, Week 1’s helmet sticker will go to Bowling Green. Bowling Green was tied with Troy 27-27, driving toward the endzone with a little over a minute left in the game until Matt Schilz was picked off by Tony Davis. Troy went on to hit a 34-yard field goal with 4 seconds left to escape with the win.
MWC—In one of the biggest matchups of Week 1, Utah upset No. 15 Pittsburgh in overtime. Tino Sunseri was picked off by Utah’s Brian Blechen during the Panthers’ possession. The Utes kicked a field goal during their possession to take the victory. Utah outplayed Pitt, gaining 405 yards to Pitt’s 266 yards.
Pac-10—The Ducks blew out the Lobos 72-0 on Saturday, setting a school record with 720 yards of total offense. Back-up running back Kenjon Barner, who was filling in for the suspended Michael James, scored five of the touchdowns. Major credit should also be given to the Oregon defense for forcing 5 turnovers and maintaining a shutout. Mike Locksley is a worthless coach and needs to be fired.
SEC—Mississippi State gave the Memphis Tigers a 49-7 beatdown Saturday. In the Mississippi State victory, the Bulldogs scored the most points in a game since the 2002 season. Dan Mullen has his program on the right track.
Sun Belt—FAU was a 13.5 point underdog but pulled out a 32-31 win over the UAB Blazers. When it looked like the Blazers would hit a 28 yard game-winning field goal on the final play of the game, the Owls blocked it and came away with the W.
WAC—Fresno State was down 14-0 against Cincinnati early in the second quarter. The Bulldogs were able to regroup and tie the game 14-14 by the half. The Fresno State defense got itself in order in the second half, and Pat Hill's team came away with a 28-14 win against a team that played a BCS bowl in January. Fresno State is looking good.
