College football’s first full weekend brought about not only plenty of Week 1 Ohio State observations, but also a number about the sport as a whole.
While key members of the Buckeyes’ secondary saw their stock soar after strong performances against Indiana, the full breadth of college football’s new timing rules was witnessed in contests around the nation. A couple of teams outside Columbus also saw their respective stocks rise and fall in a big way over the weekend, and we’re looking at all of that in the post-Week 1 stock report.
Stock Up
Denzel Burke
Burke’s been searching for a resurgent season since an up-and-down 2022, when he allowed over three more yards per target than he did in 2021, per Pro Football Focus. Burke did his best impression of a blanket all afternoon against the Hoosiers and recorded two of Ohio State's four pass breakups. Indiana quarterbacks threw for a measly 82 yards against the Buckeyes' secondary, completing 42.9 percent of their passes.
Sonny Styles
Appearing in the “stock up” section for a second straight week, Styles’ first start at nickel for Ohio State showcased the potential and versatility of the sophomore, who made appearances all over the field against the Hoosiers. He stood out as the lone Buckeye to be in on multiple tackles for loss, recording a team-high 1.5 with four total tackles.
Chip Trayanum
Three different running backs logged at least seven carries for Ohio State against Indiana, but Trayanum was by far the most efficient. The former Arizona State Sun Devil picked up 61 yards on just eight rushing attempts, an average of 7.1 per carry. TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams, the other two backs who ran the ball at least seven times, averaged 3.9 and 3.6 yards per carry, respectively.
Florida State
A top-five win kicked off the season for the No. 8 Seminoles on Sunday. Not just a win, really, but a statement against No. 5 LSU. Mike Norvell’s bunch trailed 17-14 at halftime but dominated the Tigers in the second half for a 45-24 win in the weekend’s biggest game.
The Pac-12
This might be the last season before the Pac-12 implodes, but if this weekend was any indication, the conference could be going out with a bang. Colorado won a thrilling game over No. 17 TCU on the road in Deion Sanders’ debut as head coach and No. 14 Utah picked up a home win over Florida as the league went undefeated as a whole.
Stock Down
College Football Clock Rules
When coaches are openly complaining about a rule change during a halftime interview, it’s hard not to take notice of it.
Add UCLAs Chip Kelly to those who dont like the new clock rules. Hope you guys are selling a lot of commercials.pic.twitter.com/zX3PecCKit
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) September 3, 2023
The NCAA opted to keep the clock running after first downs starting this season in an effort to shorten games, which it said was to limit exposure to collisions for players. TV companies were never going to lessen the number of media timeouts to compensate, however. Math dictates there will be less action relative to advertisements moving forward.
Immediate Offensive Solutions
Those who thought Ohio State’s question marks at quarterback and along the offensive line would be fixed Week 1 were sorely mistaken. The Buckeyes managed just 23 points and 380 yards of offense against the Hoosiers, with 4.6 yards per rushing attempt and 6.6 yards per passing attempt. Those numbers are significantly below their averages of 5.4 yards per carry and 9.5 yards per pass in 2022. There’s time to adjust, but plenty of work needs to be done on the team’s attack.
Defensive Tackle Rotation
Collapsing pockets, logging an emphatic hit against Indiana quarterback Brendan Sorsby and drawing rave reviews from coaches during fall camp, one would think that Mike Hall would get the majority of defensive tackle snaps against Indiana. That assumption would be wrong. Tyleik Williams led all interior defensive linemen in snaps for the Buckeyes with 30, while Hall’s 26 narrowly edged Ty Hamilton with 25. That’s not a “lion’s share” for the “heart” of Ohio State’s defensive line.
Marv’s Heisman Chances
It takes ludicrous production for a wide receiver to be in the running for the Heisman Trophy. Two receptions for 18 yards against Indiana doesn’t scream ludicrous production. There’s no questioning the status of Marvin Harrison Jr. as one of the nation’s best receivers, but the last wideout to win the award, DeVonta Smith, averaged 142.8 receiving yards per game and caught 23 touchdown tosses.
Nebraska
Since 2021, the Cornhuskers are 2-14 in one-score games. That now includes its first game under the leadership of head coach Matt Rhule, a 13-10 loss to Minnesota Thursday on a last-second field goal.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
