B/R's College Football Weekly Awards: Week 1
On the busiest Saturday of the 2023 college football season, Deion Sanders and Colorado stole the show.
The offseason overhaul in Boulder immediately produced an upset as the Buffs stunned TCU in Week 1. That victory is the undeniable headliner of the campaign's first full slate, along with Florida State's marquee win.
But if you've followed B/R's Weekly Awards, you know we're not simply focused on the big stuff.
Want to see someone give attention to Fresno State beating Purdue or Wyoming edging Texas Tech? Or maybe some gaudy stat lines by a couple of transfers in blowout wins? Or perhaps the wildest fourth-down conversion you've ever seen? We've got you covered.
The list of these awards, and the superlatives themselves, are entirely subjective. However, this is our unique way of scanning the entire college football globe for interesting stories.
Team of the Week: Colorado Buffaloes
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Because the Buffs have more than 80 new players on the roster, they entered as a truly unpredictable team.
But that? In the first game? That was absurd—in an amazing way.
Colorado unveiled an explosive offense led by Shedeur Sanders, who threw for a program-record 510 yards and four touchdowns in the 45-42 victory at No. 17 TCU. Four players—Dylan Edwards, Travis Hunter, Xavier Weaver and Jimmy Horn Jr.—surpassed 100 receiving yards, and Edwards totaled four scores.
On the defensive side, Shilo Sanders posted a team-high 10 tackles as both Hunter and Trevor Woods snagged vital red-zone interceptions. The defense often struggled yet forced a clutch turnover on downs in the last minute to seal the victory.
What happens from here is certainly a guess. But there's no question that Deion Sanders has earned everyone's attention.
Statement of the Week: Florida State Rolls LSU
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Seen worse openers, Florida State.
During the showdown of the weekend, the eighth-ranked Seminoles earned a commanding 45-24 win over No. 5 LSU.
Jordan Travis accounted for five touchdowns as the 'Noles outscored LSU 31-7 in the second half, and their transfer-infused offense put up plenty of impressive numbers.
Keon Coleman, who arrived from from Michigan State, gathered nine receptions for 112 yards and three touchdowns in his FSU debut. Top wideout Johnny Wilson surpassed 100 yards, and South Carolina transfer Jaheim Bell also caught two passes for 49 yards and a score.
The next major challenge looms in Week 4 at Clemson, but Florida State will be highly respected in the meantime.
Turnaround of the Week: UNC's Defense
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Will they sustain it?
That, of course, becomes the question around North Carolina's defense. For at least one night, though, the unit showed off remarkable improvement compared to last season.
After failing to generate much pressure in 2022—the Tar Heels totaled 17 sacks—they absolutely swarmed South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler on Saturday in Charlotte. They racked up 16 tackles for loss and nine sacks in a 31-17 victory.
Most impressively, Kaimon Rucker tallied 5.5 of those TFLs. He notched seven in all of 2022, for comparison.
Thanks to signal-caller Drake Maye, North Carolina will be an offense-driven team. But if the Heels can actually be a disruptive team defensively, they'll be a serious ACC contender.
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The Wildest 1st Down: Boston College
4 of 7Near the halfway mark of the fourth quarter, Boston College trailed Northern Illinois 21-7. The hopes of a comeback were starting to drift away, especially as BC faced a 4th-and-6 at its 46-yard line.
Thomas Castellanos took the snap, and he'd hardly received the snap as NIU's pressure broke through the line.
Two defenders chased Castellanos, who immediately retreated to the 25-yard line but still didn't have a window to throw. He reversed fields, dipping back another 10 yards before a couple of hesitation moves helped him evade that pressure. Castellanos scrambled back toward the middle of the field and ultimately whipped a pass to Lewis Bond for the most ridiculous 10-yard completion I've ever seen.
Boston College ended the drive with a touchdown, made a clutch defensive stand and then scored again to force overtime.
Unfortunately for BC, the magical play from Castellanos didn't lead to a win. Northern Illinois won 28-24 in OT.
Heart-Breaker of the Week: Nebraska's Loss
5 of 7So close, yet so far.
In the debut of Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, the Cornhuskers had a terrific chance to start on a high note. They hadn't played extremely well but held a 10-3 edge during the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.
Minnesota, though, ruined the evening in highlight-worthy fashion. On a 4th-and-10 at the 13-yard line, Athan Kaliakmanis lofted a pass toward Daniel Jackson in the left corner of the end zone. Jackson, although most of his body hovered out of bounds, deftly dragged his back foot to secure a game-tying touchdown catch.
Nebraska seemed to have an answer and quickly drove into Minnesota territory. But then, Jeff Sims threw an interception that allowed the Golden Gophers to set up a winning field goal as time expired.
All-Name Team kicker Dragan Kesich drilled the 47-yarder to hand Nebraska its fifth straight loss in the series.
Box Score of the Week: Emory Jones, Cincinnati
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Emory Jones headed to Florida as a prized recruit in 2018. He waited his turn behind Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask before earning the starting role for the Gators in 2021.
However, he shared snaps with Anthony Richardson that season and ended up transferring. He landed at Arizona State in 2022 but lost the QB1 spot to Trenton Bourguet midway through the season.
The sixth-year senior has a final chance at redemption in 2023.
Now at Cincinnati, he propelled the Bearcats to a 66-13 rout of Eastern Kentucky in Week 1. Jones hit 19-of-23 passes for 345 yards and five touchdowns, adding 26 yards and two more scores on the ground.
Sure, the competition level wasn't particularly high in his debut. But that'll change in Week 2 when Cincinnati travels to Pitt.
Best of the Rest: Week 1
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The Stat-I-Want-to-Share of the Week: Tre Harris, Ole Miss
As with Jones, it's fair to note the competition; Ole Miss cruised past lower-division Mercer for a 73-7 win. I like video-game numbers, though, and Tre Harris provided exactly that in his program debut. The transfer from Louisiana Tech reeled in six passes for 133 yards and four touchdowns.
Upset of the Week: Wyoming Clips Texas Tech
Thanks to a four-game winning streak to close 2022, Texas Tech entered the offseason as a breakout candidate. One loss doesn't ruin that potential, but falling at Wyoming—particularly after taking a 17-0 lead—wasn't in the Red Raiders' plans. Andrew Peasley totaled 217 yards and three touchdowns to help the Pokes spring the dramatic 35-33 upset in overtime.
Road Win of the Week: Fresno State Topples Purdue
Despite replacing much of its offense this season, Fresno State opened the 2023 campaign with a bang. Mikey Keene threw for 366 yards and four touchdowns, hitting Erik Brooks for 170 yards and two scores—including the 22-yard winner as the clock ticked below a minute remaining to give Fresno State a 39-35 victory at Purdue.
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