NCAAF: Week 1's Biggest Takeaways
Sports Opinion by Josh Blatt
What a crazy weekend of College Football, as I write this intro- LSU just had the potential game-tying extra point blocked by Florida State to fall 24-23. This was an exciting game, but there was something missing... the implications. We may learn down the road that LSU's potential lone loss against FSU could cost them a chance at the playoff, but that's all speculation. Let's take a dive into this past weekend's most telling games and look for a few takeaways.
#3 Georgia's defense hasn't lost a step.
After losing eight defensive starters from last year's National Championship squad to the NFL Draft, including FIVE first round selections and another first round talent in 2021 Butkus Award winner Nakobe Dean, the Bulldogs' defense still looked ruthless. They run this fantastic Nickel based 'Tite Front' that may genuinely take over the game in the next two to three years. It may come as a shock to some people that were posing the same question as I was. Well the defense can still be good, but how good? The answer is pretty damn great. It doesn't make sense until you watch the film back, but their defense can shift, cover, or blitz at anytime without a plethora of substitutions and that versatility is what makes them great. Granted, they could afford to sub guys out during their absolute beatdown of #11 Oregon in a 49-3 game where Georgia was dominant wire to wire. I originally thought this team can only go as far as the defense takes them, but Stetson Bennett IV and the rest of the offense's talent and impact on the game can't be understated. My way too early predictions are leaning toward Georgia hoisting another trophy or two this season.
#2 Ohio State needs to capitalize.
In a game that was projected to be a statement victory for Ohio State at -16.5, the offensive fireworks we expected to see weren't visible. Yes, the Buckeyes racked up yards, yes their defense stifled #5 Notre Dame, and yes C.J. Stroud still has the ability to be THAT guy. However, I expected more from the Buckeyes. There's no reason to hit the panic button. I think that they'll pick it up, but the lack of capitalization seemed to be the issue. They dominated the game in almost every possible statistic and only managed to reach the end zone three times against an Irish squad that I didn't expect too much out of this weekend. OSU went 7-13 on third down compared to ND's 3-13, and they didn't turn the ball over. Considering the Buckeyes put up 395 yards whilst the Irish put up a measly 253 (with 177 of those coming through the air) it seems strange that the final score was only 21-10. Ohio State will need to pick up their scoring production in order to have the strong season that nearly the whole country believes they can. The biggest silver lining in the close game (besides picking up the win) was that they held Notre Dame to 76 rushing yards on 30 attempts.
Florida has a team built for upsets.
In recent memory there has been a loose outline of how to beat teams that overpower yours. A duel threat quarterback that can be accurate, a strong rushing attack to burn clock and move the ball up the field, and late down efficiency. Florida has all three. The 6'4 232lb sophomore quarterback for the Gators, Anthony Richardson was impressive in a tight game on Saturday. He showed poise under pressure and utilized his legs better than any other quarterback during week one of the season (Mike Wright was great in week zero against Hawaii, but didn't rack up nearly as many rushing yards against Elon). Richardson put up 106 rushing yards on 11 carries to pair with three rushing touchdowns. Considering he completed 70.8% of his 24 pass attempts, I think Florida has a real quarterback. The Gator may not have won the time of possession battle against #7 Utah, but their run game was outstanding, picking up 283 rushing yards on 38 attempts. The biggest factor in Florida's 29-26 victory over Utah was the ability to convert on 7-12 third downs and on 2-2 fourth downs. That type of efficiency on almost all fronts is something that can help spoil a team like #6 Texas A&M or even rival #3 Georgia's season.