Vanderbilt- 24 vs Massachusetts- 7
Surprisingly, Vanderbilt was only able to score 24 points despite having their starters in for the entire game. They could not get much going on the ground, but also had issues dominating through the air. Austyn Carta-Samuels was 18 of 27 with two touchdowns, but it was accompanied by an interception. Luckily, their defense came to play and allowed less than 250 yards and only seven points.
North Texas- 21 vs (9) Georgia- 45
Early on, North Texas was giving the prestigious Bulldogs a run for their money. At the half, Georgia was only up by seven against their inferior opponent. The most shocking aspect was Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall’s inefficiency as they only totaled 107 yards on 29 carries. Although, Gurley had a touchdown as well, it was a rather disappointing performance. To make up for it, Aaron Murray threw for 400-plus yards and three touchdowns. Not only did he throw for three touchdowns, he scored once through the ground as well.
Tennessee- 17 vs (19) Florida- 31
In the middle of the first quarter, Gators quarterback Jeff Driskel broke his right leg, but not all was lost. In fact, it was revitalizing for the Florida offense. Jeff Driskel had already thrown an interception that was returned for a touchdown and was looking just like he always did: incompetent. When Tyler Murphy stepped into the game, everything changed. Murphy was eight for 14 with his attempts, accumulating 134 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions. Not only was he a passing threat, but he had also ran for 84 yards, including a seven yard touchdown run.
Although Florida had success with their second quarterback, Tennessee could not say the same. Starting quarterback Nathan Peterman threw two interceptions with his eleven passes and had only four completions for five yards total. Jason Worley, who had eventually relieved Peterman, completed 10 of his 23 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. Parallel to Peterman, Worley also threw two interceptions as well.
Arkansas- 24 vs Rutgers- 28
Arkansas’ season opening undefeated streak finally comes to an end at the hand of Rutgers. The success of Rutgers came ultimately from quarterback Gary Nova. Despite throwing an interception, he connected with his receivers for 346 yards and three touchdowns. Surprisingly, only 25 of those yards came from future NFL receiver Brandon Coleman, but Leonte Carroo accounted for 80 yards and two of Nova’s three touchdowns.
In comparison, Arkansas’ AJ Derby only threw for 137 yards and a single touchdown. Their true downfall was not being able to establish dominance through the ground. Rushing is the staple of their offense and Rutgers shut it down, holding them to 101 yards through a combined 34 carries with no touchdowns.
SMU- 13 vs (10) Texas A&M- 42
As expected, Johnny Manziel gave the Aggies a comfortable enough lead for them to be able to put in the backups, such as backup quarterback Matt Joeckel who went four of seven for 63 yards passing. Although, it was Manziel’s efforts of 346 total yards and three touchdowns that was the headline of the box score. That being said, the elusive Ben Malena and his 71 yards and two rushing touchdowns can not go overlooked.
While Manziel’s 244 passing yards only took 21 passes, Garrett Gilbert’s 310 passing yards for SMU came through 62 attempts, virtually triple the amount of throws Manziel had. Considering the copious amounts of passing plays, SMU only had 17 total rushes that went for a total of 93 yards.
Colorado State- 6 vs (1) Alabama- 31
Despite winning with a 25 point differential, the Crimson Tide was disappointing against their lesser opponent. To be fair, the defense was on point, as usual, but the offense struggled. Alabama is known for their relentless, overpowering rushing attack, but were held to a measly 66 yards on 21 carries and only scored through the ground once. Fortunately, AJ McCarron was an efficient 20 of 26 passing, good for 258 yards and a touchdown. Overall, Alabama’s 338 yards was only 59 more than Colorado State’s 279 total yards.
Troy- 7 vs Mississippi State- 62
Quarterback Dak Prescott lead Mississippi State to a much needed blowout victory. His 286 total yards along with his three touchdowns accounted for a third of his team’s points. Mississippi State’s strength was not only the effectiveness of their rushing attack, but the depth was phenomenal. Six different players had at least five carries and the five total rushing touchdowns came from four different players (Dak Prescott had two). On defense, Mississippi State was able to hold Corey Robinson to 105 passing yards through 25 attempts while also shutting down Troy’s rushing attack, which was only able to rack up 47 yards on 26 carries.
Auburn- 21 vs (6) LSU- 35
LSU running back Jeremy Hill by far had the most impressive individual performance. His balance and lower body strength is unparalleled. Hill slashed through Auburn for 183 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. Although, Auburn’s Tre Mason did a superb job keeping up with Hill. On 26 attempts, Mason had 132 yards and scored two touchdowns.
The rushing attacks may have been impressive, but the passing duel was not anything of note. Zach Mettenberger threw for 229 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, while Auburn’s Nick Marshall had 224 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions. Not only that, but he only completed 17 of his 33 passes.
Missouri- 45 vs Indiana- 28
Missouri’s James Franklin was the “X factor” for their success. His efforts alone accounted for 404 yards (343 passing, 61 rushing) and three total touchdowns. Running back Russell Hansbrough also had himself a career day as well. On only 13 carries, he rushed for 104 yards and scored once. Missouri’s high powered offense was certainly important, but their demolishing of Indiana’s first of two quarterbacks set the tone. Nate Sudfeld was intercepted three times, one of them being returned for a touchdown by Kony Ealy.