College football is back! In the aftermath of an eventful opening Saturday in the world of CFB, some players stood out more than others.
Bryce Love disappointed, Texas and Michigan were both knocked off, and all of a sudden, everyone knows a little more about how this season will go than they did a week ago. Let’s take a look at the best players from around the country this weekend.
QB: Will Grier, West Virginia
With so much hype around the WVU signal caller coming into the year, it was hard to believe he’d live right up to it in Week One, but he did just that. 429 yards marks a new career high for the Heisman favorite, and five touchdowns were more than enough in a 40-14 drubbing of poor ole Tennessee.
RB: Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M
Williams put up historic numbers in one of the opening games of the season Thursday, with 240 rushing yards and three scores. Regardless of the fact the game was against Northwestern, the numbers count the same, and they catapulted Williams near the top of the early Heisman conversation.
RB: Mike Weber, Ohio St.
Boom. Just when you thought JK Dobbins was the guy for the Buckeyes, Mike Weber bursts onto the scene with 186 rushing yards and four touchdowns, and just when you thought Oregon State could beat a ranked team, well, they didn’t. I’m just joking about that last part, by the way. Any team that goes 0-9 in the Pac-12 doesn’t deserve a football team, as the Beavers did a season ago.
WR: JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Stanford
Bryce Love who? Stanford set out to prove that they weren’t just a running threat and that they did, aided by the breakout of Arcega-Whiteside. Finally armed with a competent quarterback in the years following Andy Luck’s departure, Stanford may just find themselves in playoff contention.
WR: Jeshaun Jones, Maryland
What. A. Story. In his first-ever collegiate game, Jones was instrumental in an upset victory over Texas. Jones scored on all three of his initial three touches, totaling a rushing, passing, and receiving touchdown before Texas knew what to do with him. How’s that for a coming out party?!
WR: Laviska Shenault Jr, Colorado
Colorado Sophomore Laviska Shenault Jr. put up big numbers in a big rivalry win over Colorado St. His 12 catches and over 200 yards receiving already blow away his 2017 numbers, albeit in six fewer games. Shenault is a player to watch for the hopeful Buffaloes squad.
D-Line: Ed Oliver, Houston
Get used to seeing Oliver’s name atop these type of lists. The third-year standout and projected top-5 pick added to his Heisman case on Saturday with 13 tackles and a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss in Houston’s 45-27 win over Rice.
LB: Pat Jasinski, Central Florida
After putting the world on notice with an undefeated 13-0 season a year ago, the UCF Golden Knights figure to be even more hungry to prove last season was not a fluke, and Senior linebacker Pat Jasinski stands among the very hungriest. With 11 combined tackles and a forced fumble in UCF’s blowout triumph over Connecticut, Jasinski proved just that.
