College Football's All-Week 1 First Team: Top Performers at Every Position
The opening weekend of the 2015 college football season gave us five days of football—and five days of incredible individual performances.
First-game jitters weren't a problem for the players on the following slides. With standout performances ranging from a brand-new starting quarterback on a potential championship contender to a return man who broke a conference record that had stood for more than 75 years, these athletes shone the brightest from the first play of the season.
Each week, we'll pick out the top performers at each position and create an All-American team.
We don't choose these players solely for their eye-popping statistics—although those help out a lot. We also consider the impact on their respective games and the quality of their opponents. The bigger the stage, the bigger the bonus for a player's chances on making the cut.
Of course, in cupcake-heavy Week 1, several players who dominated the box scores against overmatched opponents are represented on this team. Take a look at college football's All-Week 1 squad and some very honorable mentions on the second team.
Quarterback: Josh Rosen (UCLA)
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28-of-35 passing for 351 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs
Josh Rosen lived up to the hype and then some Saturday in UCLA's season-opening 34-16 victory over Virginia at the Rose Bowl. In his first collegiate game, the true freshman completed an impressive 80 percent of his passes and had a few highlight-reel touchdown tosses—including this beautiful leading ball to receiver Thomas Duarte.
"He showed off the big arm and looked remarkably comfortable," Bleacher Report's Adam Kramer said. "The thing I really liked was that deep ball. Even his misses were on point."
Rosen was the biggest question mark on a UCLA team that returned almost every other starter from the 2014 season. In a week marked by several underwhelming performances from top quarterbacks, this 18-year-old Bruin exceeded high expectations and picked apart a Power Five opponent.
Second Team: Malik Zaire (Notre Dame)
19-of-22 passing for 313 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs
Malik Zaire picked up right where he left off late last season by dominating the Texas defense and posting the nation's third-best completion percentage (86.4) of Week 1 in a 38-3 win. If Zaire can keep this up—especially after running back Tarean Folston's season-ending MCL injury—the talented Irish will be a serious contender.
Running Backs: Royce Freeman (Oregon) and Derrick Henry (Alabama)
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Freeman: 21 carries for 180 yards and 3 TDs
Although the Oregon defense didn't impress in Saturday's 61-42 victory over Eastern Washington, Royce Freeman posted a career high in rushing yards while adding three touchdowns on the ground for the Ducks.
What's even more impressive is that he posted that much yardage even though Oregon spread the wealth among four different running backs. According to Oregon's official website, Freeman didn't have a single carry that went for negative yardage.
The competition was at an FCS level, but Freeman still made the most of his chances—and Oregon needed him to create those big plays, as the visiting Eagles matched the Ducks step for step offensively for a while.
Henry: 13 carries for 147 yards and 3 TDs
With the prime-time spotlight on No. 3 Alabama on Saturday, Derrick Henry delivered for a Crimson Tide offense going through a transition in the passing game and along the offensive line. The 6'3", 242-pound bruiser of a running back ran all over what was a great Wisconsin defense last season to the tune of 11.3 yards per carry.
"He's a physical specimen," Alabama cornerback Cyrus Jones said, per John Talty of AL.com. "Any time you can get a chance to put a guy like that in front of a defense, you know they aren't going to want to tackle that guy for a whole 60 minutes in the game."
Two of Henry's touchdowns were particularly impressive, as he opened the scoring with a 37-yard sprint and had a 56-yarder early in the third quarter. As the new No. 1 running back in Alabama, Henry went above and beyond in the Crimson Tide's 35-17 victory over No. 20 Wisconsin.
Second Team: Marcus Marshall (Georgia Tech) and Ray Lawry (Old Dominion)
Marshall: Eight carries for 184 yards and 2 TDs
Lawry: 28 carries for 223 yards and 4 TDs
The second team features a rusher who excelled with less and another who did it with more. The former, Georgia Tech's Marcus Marshall, recorded 23 yards per carry in an incredible 69-6 rout over Alcorn State. The latter, Old Dominion's Ray Lawry, led the nation in yards and touchdowns this week in a 38-34 victory over Eastern Michigan.
Wide Receivers: Braxton Miller (Ohio State) and Keevan Lucas (Tulsa)
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Miller: 2 receptions for 78 yards and 1 TD; 6 carries for 62 yards and 1 TD
Braxton Miller might not have had the spectacular numbers of some other playmakers across the country, but he had the biggest impact for the defending champions with the entire college football world watching Monday night.
With No. 1 Ohio State trailing Virginia Tech by three early in the third quarter, Miller caught a pass near the sideline and displayed an incredible balancing act to finish a 54-yard touchdown—his first as an H-back/receiver. Later in the quarter, he extended the Buckeyes' lead and set social media ablaze with one of the sickest spin moves in recent memory.
He also had a clutch diving catch for his first reception.
Miller showcased the incredible athleticism that made him a two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and looked like a natural in his new role. If he can continue to put up impressive performances like his all-purpose third quarter, Miller will go back to being a fixture of national award conversations.
Lucas: 10 receptions for 193 yards and 2 TDs
Keevan Lucas was one of my picks to click in Week 1 action, and he delivered by filling up the stat sheet for Tulsa in a dramatic 47-44 overtime victory over Florida Atlantic.
Lucas was quarterback Dane Evans' top receiver in the first game under new Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery—a former Baylor assistant—leading the team in receptions, yards and receiving touchdowns. His 193 yards were the second-most nationally in Week 1, just behind Kenny Golladay of Northern Illinois.
The Tulsa wideout was one of the most productive players at his position last season, but his team suffered through a miserable campaign. In Montgomery's offense, Lucas showed he has the potential to get a lot more big plays and even more national attention.
Second Team: Corey Coleman (Baylor) and Corey Davis (Western Michigan)
Coleman: 5 receptions for 178 yards and 1 TD
Davis: 10 receptions for 154 yards and 1 TD
Big-play receiver Corey Coleman recorded a 60-yard reception Friday night, and he had a 57-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter in Baylor's 56-21 win over SMU—a short pass and a long run down the sideline.
And while Western Michigan couldn't pull out the huge upset of No. 5 Michigan State, Corey Davis exploited some holes in the Spartans secondary for an impressive performance.
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Tight End: David Morgan II (UTSA)
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9 receptions for 109 yards and 1 TD
David Morgan II had the best receiving performance in UTSA's young football history in the Roadrunners' 42-32 loss against No. 22 Arizona on Thursday night.
Per Zack Rosenblatt of the Arizona Daily Star, his nine catches were a school record, and he found the end zone against the Wildcats early in the second quarter. No other tight end in the country had a busier Week 1 than the 6'4" target from UTSA.
The Roadrunners, who also played a close game with Arizona in 2014, are one of the most inexperienced teams in the country this season. If they can continue to get good production from Morgan, though, they might surprise some opponents.
Second Team: C'yontai Lewis (Florida)
2 receptions for 44 yards and 2 TDs
C'yontai Lewis played a good-sized role in Florida's offensive explosion under new head coach Jim McElwain—a 61-13 home rout of New Mexico State. The freshman's first two career catches both went for touchdowns, and the Alabama native looks like he could be a real playmaker for the Gators this season.
Offensive Line: Georgia Tech
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553 yards of total offense, 1 sack allowed
Since excellent offensive line play is attributed to a cohesive unit more often than individual players, this season's All-Week teams will highlight entire lines.
While Georgia Tech dominated an FCS opponent Thursday night, the Yellow Jackets offense deserves a first-team spot for what it did in a 69-6 rout. Georgia Tech averaged 9.7 yards per play—fourth-best in Week 1—behind the pulling and punishing performances of its front five.
"The first-team starters could've scored 100 in the game and had time left on the clock," Tyler Duke of SB Nation wrote. "True freshman Marcus Marshall could've ran for as many yards as he wanted behind an offensive line that was an absolute force on basically every single play."
Second Team: Oregon
731 yards of total offense, 1 sack allowed
The Ducks' new-look offensive line kept Vernon Adams upright against his former team and opened up big holes for a dominant rushing attack. Oregon led the nation in yardage in Week 1, and a lot of that success was because of the play up front.
Defensive Ends: Daeshon Hall (Texas A&M) and Drew Ott (Iowa)
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Hall: 7 tackles (4 for loss), 4 sacks and 2 forced fumbles
Myles Garrett is the bigger name on Texas A&M's talented defensive line, but Daeshon Hall stole the show in Houston on Saturday night with a national-best four sacks of Arizona State quarterback Mike Bercovici. Hall was the biggest performer for new defensive coordinator John Chavis, who once recruited the pass-rusher to play at LSU:
"3 yrs ago #TAMU recruited Daeshon Hall bc they saw him as one of those long, fast LSU DEs. In Chavis' 1st game as an Aggie, Hall has 4 sacks
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) September 6, 2015"
With Hall and Garrett leading the way for a defense that recorded a stunning nine sacks against the Sun Devils in a 38-17 win, Texas A&M is looking more and more like a team that could seriously challenge in the SEC this season.
Ott: 3 tackles (2 for loss), 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble
Illinois State, which ran all the way to the FCS national championship game last year, was a sneaky upset pick heading into Saturday's game against Iowa. The Hawkeyes ruled that out with a dominant defensive performance led by senior defensive end Drew Ott.
"When you’re facing somebody who can be disruptive like that, it’s uncomfortable," Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said, per Steve Batterson of HawkMania.com. "… Somebody has to give you energy out there. I thought Drew gave us that kind of juice."
The Nebraska native was a constant menace in the Redbirds' backfield, as his two sacks went for a loss of 20 yards. Ott forced a fumble and then bloodied his nose in the second half, but it didn't keep him off the field for too long.
Second Team: Jamal Palmer (Baylor) and Brian Womac (Rice)
Palmer: 9 tackles (4 for loss) and 1 sack
Womac: 4 tackles (4 for loss), 1 sack and 1 forced fumble
Both Jamal Palmer and Brian Womac joined Hall as some of the few players to record at least four tackles for loss in Week 1 of the season. Palmer had nine total tackles for Baylor in its 56-21 win over SMU, while Womac was all over the field in the Owls' 56-16 victory over Wagner.
Defensive Tackles: Robert Nkemdiche (Ole Miss) and Sheldon Day (Notre Dame)
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Nkemdiche: 3 tackles, 1 blocked kick and a 31-yard receiving TD
Ole Miss destroyed UT-Martin 76-3 with an offense that did whatever it wanted to do, but the biggest highlight to come out of Oxford on Saturday was Robert Nkemdiche's do-it-all show.
The former No. 1 overall recruit showed off some serious wheels on offense with a 31-yard receiving touchdown out of the backfield, and he later blocked a kick to keep the Skyhawks off the scoreboard in the second quarter.
Add three tackles—and a quarterback hurry—and you have a fine season opener for a defensive lineman pushing 300 pounds. Hopefully, Hugh Freeze draws up more ways to involve Nkemdiche in areas other than just terrorizing offensive lines.
Day: 1 sack
Sure, Sheldon Day's stat line doesn't compare to the others on this All-Week 1 team. But anyone who watched Notre Dame's 38-3 rout of Texas saw just how dominant Day was in the middle of the field for the Irish's defense.
"After spending all offseason wondering how Notre Dame would get pressure on the quarterback, [Tyrone] Swoopes and [Jerrod] Heard were constantly under pressure," Keith Arnold of NBC Sports wrote. "Sheldon Day may only have notched one tackle—a sack—in the box score, but he was in the backfield all day, with Swoopes continually pressured by the Irish senior."
Day is one of the most talented defensive tackles in the entire country, and he proved that Saturday night in the Irish's huge win over the Longhorns.
Second Team: Montravius Adams (Auburn) and Trevon Coley (Florida Atlantic)
Adams: 7 tackles (1.5 for loss), 1 sack and 1 forced fumble
Coley: 7 tackles (3 for loss), 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles
Montravius Adams was Auburn's best defensive lineman in a close 31-24 win over Louisville on Saturday, and Bleacher Report's Michael Felder raved on Twitter about his quickness off the ball.
Trevon Coley was an impressive stat-sheet stuffer in an overtime loss to Tulsa, constantly pressuring the Golden Hurricane backfield.
Inside Linebacker: Riley Bullough (Michigan State)
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9 tackles (3 for loss) and 3 sacks
Michigan State's new leader at middle linebacker had a strong performance Friday night despite the defense's underwhelming showing against Western Michigan. Riley Bullough recorded three sacks and made several big plays when the Spartans needed them most.
But Bullough wasn't completely satisfied, especially considering the next challenge the Spartans must face when Oregon comes to East Lansing.
"I think, in the first half, we did a good job of stopping the run," Bullough said, per Jeff Seidel of the Detroit Free Press. "We just have to focus on each drive, where we are staying intense and we are staying confident. Myself, I missed a few tackles that I want back ... We will learn some things on the film, and we'll be ready Week 2."
Second Team: Skai Moore (South Carolina)
10 tackles and 2 interceptions
In the Thursday night opener, South Carolina got two clutch interceptions in the end zone from starting middle linebacker Skai Moore in a 17-13 win over North Carolina. While the Gamecocks have a lot of work to do this season, they can be confident in their playmaker down the middle of the defense.
Outside Linebackers: Tyler Matakevich (Temple) and Calvin Munson (SDSU)
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Matakevich: 7 tackles (3 for loss) and 3 sacks
One of the nation's best linebackers and a pure tackling machine, Tyler Matakevich started his senior season on a high note in Temple's 27-10 victory over in-state foe Penn State.
Matakevich didn't have his usual double-digit performance in tackles, but he set a new career high in sacks with three against a woeful Nittany Lions offensive line. The Owls sacked Christian Hackenberg 10 times, and Matakevich led the all-out assault on the Big Ten program's backfield.
Temple's veteran defense had a terrific performance in one of the school's biggest wins in decades. If college football fans didn't know of Matakevich before Saturday, they all should know him by now.
Munson: 11 tackles (2.5 for loss), 1 sack, 2 INTs and 2 TDs
FCS program San Diego tossed five interceptions in its loss to in-city FBS rival San Diego State on Saturday, and the Toreros would especially like back the ones Calvin Munson grabbed.
The San Diego State linebacker took both of his interceptions to the house in the Aztecs' season-opening 37-3 win. Last season, only 11 FBS players recorded a pair of pick-sixes for the entire season. Munson matched those numbers in just one game.
Munson, who also kept busy with plenty of tackles in the SDSU win, was named the Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week on Sunday, per Brett McMurphy of ESPN.com. It's going to be hard for a linebacker to top a feat like Munson's this season.
Second Team: Joe Schobert (Wisconsin) and Dominique Tovell (UL-Lafayette)
Schobert: 13 tackles (4 for loss) and 2 sacks
Tovell: 7 tackles (5 for loss) and 2 sacks
Alabama put up 502 yards of offense against Wisconsin, but Joe Schobert was a bright spot on an otherwise gloomy night for the Badgers with his big plays in the Tide backfield. Dominique Tovell led the entire country in tackles for loss as his Ragin' Cajuns came close to knocking off Kentucky in a 40-33 loss.
Cornerbacks: Vernon Hargreaves III (Florida) and Damontae Kazee (SDSU)
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Hargreaves: 4 tackles and 1 INT
While Florida's offense dominated headlines in a 61-13 rout of New Mexico State, the Gators defense continued its excellent play from the Will Muschamp era by holding the Aggies to just 200 yards.
Vernon Hargreaves III was once again his excellent lockdown self at cornerback, notching a highlight-reel interception of Teldrick Morgan. New Mexico State completed only 50 percent of its passes Saturday night, and Hargreaves played a huge role in making that happen.
The All-American cornerback also got the ball in his hands with a six-yard reception, and head coach Jim McElwain said the team has packages to use him on offense, per Pete Thamel and Thayer Evans of Sports Illustrated. There's a chance this athlete could make a Robert Nkemdiche-like impact in the end zone sometime soon.
Kazee: 3 tackles (2 for loss) and 3 INTs
Damontae Kazee didn't record a defensive touchdown like his teammate Calvin Munson, but he still had a huge game for the Aztecs in the win over San Diego.
Kazee had three interceptions by himself, becoming only one of two players to pull off that feat in the opening weekend of action. The All-Mountain West cornerback lived up to his big-play billing by adding a pair of tackles for loss against the FCS-level Toreros.
The junior entered Saturday's game with only two career interceptions, and he more than doubled that total in just one evening of work. While other teams struggled with FCS opponents in Week 1, San Diego State recorded an emphatic victory thanks to its strong pass defense.
Second Team: Corn Elder (Miami, Florida) and Justin Thomas (Utah)
Elder: 3 tackles (2 for loss) and 1 sack
Thomas: 4 tackles, 1 INT and 1 TD
Corn Elder blew away opponents with his speed Saturday night, as he recorded a huge sack from the cornerback position against Bethune Cookman and later had two huge punt returns. Justin Thomas' pick-six virtually sealed a high-profile victory for Utah over Jim Harbaugh and Michigan on Thursday night.
Safeties: Karl Joseph (West Virginia) and Tiquan Lang (Marshall)
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Joseph: 8 tackles and 3 INTs
Karl Joseph's eight tackles Saturday night weren't all that surprising. The senior is one of the best hitters in the entire country, and he has the experience to make plays all over the West Virginia defense.
But his three interceptions, which all came in the third quarter, make for an outstanding stat—especially considering the opponent. West Virginia shut out option-running Georgia Southern, 44-0, at home, and Joseph killed any hopes of a comeback with a quarter to remember.
Joseph joined the aforementioned Damontae Kazee as one of only two players to record three interceptions in Week 1. He set the tone for a West Virginia defense that needed to improve, and this could just be the beginning of a huge playmaking season.
Lang: 17 tackles, 2 INTs and 2 TDs
Of course, Calvin Munson and Kazee weren't the only Group of Five players who had eye-popping stat lines in Week 1. In the lone game Sunday, Tiquan Lang joined Munson in recording a pair of pick-sixes—one on the first play of the contest and the other to seal a home victory over 41-31 Purdue.
"What a player. He’s got 'it,'" Marshall head coach Doc Holliday said, per John Raby of the Associated Press (via the Washington Times). "You talk a lot of times about the 'it' factor. He’s not extremely big. He’s not extremely fast. But … he makes plays and he sure did today."
Lang also added an astounding 17 tackles for the Thundering Herd, who found themselves embroiled in a back-and-forth, turnover-filled game with the Boilermakers. But Marshall overcame a late deficit, and Lang's second defensive touchdown of the afternoon cemented a memorable home victory for the defending C-USA champions.
Second Team: Josh Harvey-Clemons (Louisville) and Donovan Wilson (Texas A&M)
Harvey-Clemons: 14 tackles and 2 INTs
Wilson: 8 tackles (3 for loss), 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles
Although Louisville didn't get the victory over Auburn, Josh Harvey-Clemons stood out by leading the Cards in tackles and grabbing a pair of interceptions. Donovan Wilson led the nation's corners in tackles for loss, providing huge play after huge play for a highly successful Texas A&M defense.
Kicker: Jaden Oberkrom (TCU)
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3-of-4 on field goals (long of 53), 2-of-2 on extra points
When No. 2 TCU's offense stalled against Minnesota on Thursday night, Jaden Oberkrom mostly delivered for the Horned Frogs. He drilled a 53-yard field goal to open the scoring for TCU and later knocked down a pair of second-half attempts from 45 and 33 yards out to stretch the Horned Frogs' lead to 13 points.
"Jaden Oberkrom is going to singlehandedly ruin the #CollegeKickers movement.
— David Ubben (@davidubben) September 4, 2015"
Now, Oberkrom missed a 29-yard field goal in the TCU win, but it didn't end up hurting the Horned Frogs in the long run. After all, hitting any attempt while staring down this massive gopher is a real challenge.
Second Team: Daniel Carlson (Auburn)
1-of-1 on field goals (long of 56), 4-of-4 on extra points
Daniel Carlson knocked down the longest field goal of Week 1, a 56-yarder inside the Georgia Dome. He continued to be automatic on extra points, too, which were useful in Auburn's tight win over Louisville.
Punter: Jonny Linehan (BYU)
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5 punts (long of 77) with an average of 51.0 yards
In his first collegiate football game, former BYU rugby star Jonny Linehan played an important role in the Cougars' dramatic 33-28 road win over Nebraska.
"Linehan had five punts for 255 yards, with two over 50 yards and two downed inside the 20-yard line," Jeff Call of the Deseret News wrote Saturday. "He uncorked a 64-yarder in the first half into the wind."
Linehan had the longest recorded punt of the opening weekend, too, by booming a 77-yarder that traveled into the end zone for a touchback. If that's what the Cougars' new punter is capable of after just one game of experience, the sky is literally and figuratively the limit for his massive punts.
Second Team: Drew Kaser (Texas A&M)
6 punts (long of 64) with an average of 52.8 yards
The #Kaser4Heisman campaign opened 2015 with a bang, as Drew Kaser led the nation in punting average Week 1 with 52.8 yards per boot. Five of them traveled longer than 50 yards, and two traveled inside the 20-yard line of Arizona State.
Returner: Will Likely (Maryland)
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8 punt returns for 233 yards (29.13 average) and 1 TD
Maryland's defense forced plenty of punts out of FCS opponent Richmond on Saturday afternoon. And when Will Likely got his hands on them, he made the most out of his chances.
Likely's 233 punt-return yards in a single game broke the Big Ten record set by Iowa legend Nile Kinnick all the way back in 1939. He had returns of 67, 47 and 35 in the Terrapins' 50-21 home win over the Spiders.
"[Maryland's return team] did a great job of not letting guys get downfield quickly and giving me a shot," Likely said, according to Roman Stubbs of the Washington Post. "Once I saw grass, I just went."
Second Team: Darius Phillips (Western Michigan)
4 kick returns for 185 yards (46.25 average) and 1 TD
Darius Phillips opened WMU's game against Michigan State with a 70-yard kick return and followed it up with a 100-yard touchdown on the Spartans. Making P.J. Fleck sprint down the field like a mad man on that touchdown earned Phillips special second-team honors this week.
All stats courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruit rankings provided by 247Sports.
Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
