Week 0 College Football Review
Saturday Review on Sunday
Iowa State V Kansas State 24-21
A sloppy affair in Ireland dampened the Wildcats' Big 12 championship goal. Though the Wildcats will still be in the hunt, teams like TCU, Baylor, and Arizona State will be thrilled with the result.
The weather was a disaster in the first half in Dublin, with a few major turnovers, but ultimately by both sides (Kansas State muffed a punt, Iowa State fumbled inside the 5).
Kansas State's defense looked elite in the first half, but Iowa State's run game chipped away at the Wildcats. Iowa State had 3 drives of 10-plus plays in the second half; in the first half, they had 1.
Rocco Becht and Avery Johnson both looked solid despite a lack of consistent threat from WRs. Johnson's throwing mechanics and accuracy looked a touch dicey, but let's just keep an eye on that as the weather was poor, though that was a knock from a year ago.
Dylan Edwards' injury is one to watch for Kansas State.
Matt Campbell made a nice decision to ice the game on a 4 and 3. Becht ultimately made some big plays, including a 7-yard TD run and a 24-yard TD pass.
Hawaii vs Stanford 23-20
Man, Micah Alejado was gutsy, but damn, I hope that injury doesn't affect him for the foreseeable future(it didn't look great). Alejado threw for over 210 yards while mostly on one leg in the second half. He even gutted out 36 yards on the ground that just looked painful!
Head Coach Timmy Chang seemed almost emotional in the post-game presser. His first win vs. a power team clearly meant so much. He talked about the Warrior spirit of the group, and it truly showed. Peter Manuma and Jamih Oatis posted 8 tackles as the defense's leaders, and Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen got an absolutely critical interception in the fourth quarter to give the Rainbow Warriors a chance.
Hawaii's run defense looked porous at times. Micah Ford had 113 yards on the ground, and Stanford's 20-play drive looked ominous for Hawaii.
Hawaii's special teams were absolutely electric; Matsuzawa, the Japanese kicker, went 3-3 on the day. Gowers, their Aussie Punter and former AFL player, was booming punts to the tune of a55-yard average, with a long of 67!
Pofele Ashlock looked elite on the day; he and Alejado have a fantastic connection.
As long as Alejado's injury isn't too serious, the Rainbow Warriors looked like a solid Mountain West team. The lack of run defense could be scary vs. the likes of Air Force, but as long as the quarterback is healthy, this team could be frisky!
Kansas v Fresno State 31-7
The lottery team from the Big 12 preview was in fine form! HTTPs://shaneoneill27.ghost.io/ghost/#/editor/post/68a364997ffbd00001f0dbb3 Booth Stadium was renovated and had a fantastic atmosphere. It's cool to see how far this Jayhawks program has come. QB Jalon Daniels, the major reason it's hard to fully trust this team, was in fine form, throwing for 176 yards and 3 TDs. He talked after the game about how the atmosphere made a huge difference for the team.
Two backs for Kansas with over 50 yards rushing, we were curious how they would replace Neal, a good start.
Fresno State was a team I was very down on entering the season, and this didn't do much to change my opinion. Warner has a propensity for turnovers, and more of the same yesterday, throwing two picks.
Quick Hitters
Western Kentucky v Sam Houston 41-24
Maveric McIvor could be the next Hilltopper QB to put up gaudy numbers, 401 yards on his FBS debut for the former FCS All-American.
UNLV v Idaho State 38-31
We weren't super high on the Rebels heading into the season https://www.firstandgol.com/mountain-west-2025-predictions/, especially the defense and two-quarterback system. Game 1 did little to quell those fears of a challenging season incoming for Dan Mullen and co. FCS side Idaho State held the lead at halftime and in the fourth quarter.
Jai'Den Thomas, ironically one of the few returning players, was sensational, rushing for 147 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Anthony Colandrea is the main quarterback used. He put up 93 yards on the ground, which raised an eyebrow. Orji himself rushed for a touchdown.
Mullens's post-game tone was a touch concerning, seeming to hint at players not being too pleased about not getting the opportunities or having the engagement or enthusiasm on the sidelines. Something to keep an eye on with all the transfers!
Market Watch
Fresno State still has a 6.5 over under posted. After what we saw, I'm inclined to hammer that under.
UNLV has a juiced 8.5 still on DK. I certainly am leaning under, but maybe we should give this team another week or two to see if something gels.
Iowa State has a win total of 8.5 juiced to the under. I was intrigued at 7.5 before the season, now I might have to pound the table, I didn't see anything that wowed me in the win over Kansas State. Becht is certainly a good QB, but I think his lack of targets will still bite this team, 8-4 feels like the ceiling on this group.
