HOFB: Week 1 top performances
Best CFB highlight-reel moments: No. 1 Shedeur Sanders
Selecting the most memorable performances in CFB Week 1 action is admittedly subjective. Although we had as many as six screens going simultaneously, we didn’t see everything — yet. I am still watching some replays.
Regardless, I am going on a limb to say that Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, still performing under an avalanche of defenders (as he did last season), was as impressive as any college quarterback I can remember.
OK, maybe that’s hedging because although I’ve been covering college football since UCLA’s Gary Beban stole the Heisman Trophy from some cross-town running back in 1967, that memory thing is a bit, ah, selective.
I recall Cam Newton pulling the rabbit out of the hat in 2010, his only season at Auburn, and a freshman Johnny (Manziel) Football running around with his hair on fire at Texas A&M, and Joe Burrow, a one-time bench-warmer at Ohio State, becoming the poster child for transfers with his mind-boggling 2019 season at LSU. They each won a Heisman.
And I can even remember with some clarity all the way back to 2023 when six quarterbacks were impressive enough to be among the first 12 players taken in the draft. Jayden Daniels impressed me the most, although he was drafted No. 2 overall (after USC’s Caleb Williams went No. 1 to Chicago). Like Burrow, Daniels transferred to LSU and won a Heisman.
I will preface this by agreeing it is premature to make strong statements about most players, especially quarterbacks, after one week of a season. There is even more reluctance to take a stand on players at Colorado, which fell apart after a fast start last year and appears susceptible to another nosedive this year despite overusing the transfer portal.
If you have a candidate you like better in Week 1, let us know in comments.
Meantime …
I was stunned by Shedeur Sanders’ game last Thursday in a so-what win, 31-26, over North Dakota State. Even his dad, Coach Prime, was impressed. It wasn’t just the numbers, which included hitting 26 of 34 passes for 445 yards and four touchdowns. After all, that was against only an FCS-level team whose best defender — hybrid S/OLB Cole Wisniewski — was out with a foot injury.
Last year, Sanders was overworked behind a horrific offensive line and played the role of George Custer with a plot twist. Sanders survived. He looked damned good at times. He has put on weight, up from 190-something to about 215, and, again, stood up to a relentless pass rush that allowed him an average of only 2.91 seconds to pass. He fired 12 of his 26 completions while being mauled in a manner that would be illegal outside of football.
Here is what stood out.
— His focus was laser sharp, regardless of the pressure.
— While he doesn’t have his Dad’s old fancy footwork, Shedeur moved smoothly and efficiently to buy time to pass.
— His accuracy, especially under pressure, rivals the best GPS available.
— But mostly, his arm talent was extraordinary. Unlike many quarterbacks, Shedeur gets his shoulder and elbow high to create an excellent release point, and that extension adds leverage to the throw — length makes strength.
“That was one of the most impressive performances I have seen in college football,” offered a former NFL GM and personnel director. “Under the circumstances, he was astonishing. And, mind you, Colorado plays a pro-style offense.”
Still, this season will be tough for Sanders and his team. The offensive line could be indicted as co-conspirators in an assault of Sanders. The whole team will be tested next week at Nebraska.
The game is a rematch from Week 2 of last year when Colorado took down the Huskers in Matt Rhule's first season as Nebraska head coach, a 36-14 rout at Folsom Field. This year, Nebraska features freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, who completed 19 of 27 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-7 win over UTEP.
Looking at more top Week 1 performances, we can stay with Colorado.
First, there was defensive back/wide receiver Travis Hunter, who played 136 snaps, including 72 on defense, mainly in the left corner, where he gave up two completions for 14 yards. On offense, he was targeted eight times and caught seven for 132 yards and three touchdowns, two of which were highlights that deserve to be shown for a long time.
Then there was Jimmy Horn Jr., who was targeted nine times, usually when his speed (4.38 seconds in 40 yards) put 10–15 yards between him and a defender. He caught seven for 198 yards and a touchdown. It is possible that NDS’s defense missed Wisniewski, who often picked up receivers coming across the middle. As it was, he was on the sideline and still at times possibly the closest NDS defender to Horn.
Other big Week 1 performances:
— Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty was dazzling in a 56-45 win over Georgia Southern. Jeanty, a 5-9, 210-pound junior, reminded our film scout Justyce Gordon of Kareem Hunt. I like Jentry’s LaDanian Tomlinson-style jump cut and can’t-touch-this moves of a moth in a windstorm. Entertaining stuff.
—No. 1 Georgia’s Carson Beck, the top-rated QB by many but No. 2 at Hall of Football, took a while to warm up, then hit 23 of 33 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-3 win over No. 14 Clemson.
— WR Tetairoa McMillan of No. 21 Arizona was spectacular in a 62-39 win over New Mexico, with ten catches for 304 yards and four touchdowns, including a non-scoring grab of 78 yards.
— Quarterback Kyle McCord, in his first organized game without otherworldly wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., had the best initial start in Syracuse history, completing 27 of 39 for 354 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-22 win over Ohio. McCord (6-3, 220) is currently rated by HOFB as the No. 5 quarterback in the 2025 Draft, a fourth- or fifth-rounder, but he may be ascending. He was a battery mate at St. Josephs Prep (N.J.) and Ohio State with Harrison Jr.
— True freshman Jeremiah Smith, Hall of Football’s top-rated prep in the 2024 class, introduced himself to Buckeye fans with six catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns in a 52-6 win over Akron.
— Quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Through the miracle of transfers, injuries and maybe help from some college COVID rule, Gabriel became the starter at Oregon this year after spending parts of three seasons with UCF and two with Oklahoma. He went into the opener against Idaho with 49 career starts, within shooting distance of predecessor Bo Nix’s CFB record 61. Against Idaho, Gabriel completed 41 of 49 passes for 380 yards and two touchdowns.
Results and links to stats on games involving Top 25 teams in Week 1 (Through Sunday’s 27-20 last minute, upset win by No. 23 USC over No. 13 LSU):
Thursday, Aug. 29
Friday, Aug. 30
Saturday, Aug. 31
No. 25 Iowa 40, Illinois State
Sunday, Sept. 1