College Football Corner: Maryland, Navy, Virginia and James Madison begin 2024 season with big wins
Dave Preston is an AP Top 25 voter. Read his latest rankings here.
Welcome back to the wild world of college football!
Like any overblown Labor Day picnic (where for some reason there are too many dishes to choose from), the first weekend involves mostly nonconference games with plenty of FBS-FCS showdowns in the equation. And once again the dreams of an Annapolis-College Park doubleheader were dashed with Navy and Maryland kicking off at noon.
While Week 1 isn’t over just yet (Florida State-Boston College wraps things up Monday night), it has already given us quite a bit to chew on. First, No. 1 Georgia looks every bit the part after a 34-3 dismembering of No. 14 Clemson as the Tigers were held to their lowest point total since 2008. Defending champ Michigan needed a second-half surge to put away frisky Fresno State (can’t wait for the Wolverines to take on Texas in Week 2).
Beyond the elite, we got to see Rutgers run up the score against Howard by scoring on the final play of a blowout (the joke is on the Scarlet Knights who as a 38.5-point favorite won 44-7), while Minnesota kept the spirit of the defunct Big Ten West alive by missing a last-second game-winning field goal but misfiring its victory cannons. Even Iowa scored points. When the Hawkeyes were up 6-0 in the first half, many thought it was three safeties at first.
Let’s rinse and repeat for Week 2.
Maryland (1-0) unveiled their new starting quarterback on the first offensive drive against UConn. Billy Edwards Jr. directed the Terrapins to a 75-yard march over eight plays that ended with an 18-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tai Felton. Edwards and Felton would put on a show throughout the rest of the 50-7 win.
Terrapin Triumphs: Edwards threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns, both to Felton, who finished with 178 yards receiving on seven catches. The revamped offensive line with five new starters didn’t allow a sack and helped the ground game gain over five yards per carry. The defense tallied two interceptions while special teams recovered a fumble.
Terrapin Troubles: The offense converted just 6-16 third downs, keeping the game closer than it needed to be in the first half (23-0 at intermission), while the defense coughed up completions of 27 and 37 yards. But it’s easier to clean things up when you win by 43 points.
Next: Saturday at 3:30 p.m. against 1-0 Michigan State on the Big Ten Network.
Navy (1-0) took a while to get going against Bucknell as I’m sure an early Bison touchdown gave fans in Annapolis uncomfortable flashbacks of the 2022 loss to Delaware. But fullback Daba Fofana’s 49-yard touchdown run put the Midshipmen on the board and they’d score three more times in the first half on the way to a 49-21 victory.
Midshipman Medals: The new-look offense converted 10-16 third downs as Navy posted its highest point total since 2022 (53 against Tulsa). Blake Horvath threw for 108 yards and two touchdowns, with Eli Heidenreich (four catches for 74 yards and two scores) emerging as his top target. Luke Pirris led the defense with eight tackles along with one-and-a-half sacks.
Midshipman Miscues: Seven penalties for 55 yards are not going to sit well, while two turnovers will keep the offense from feeling too good about itself. And the defense didn’t just allow Bucknell to reach the end zone on their first possession, surrendering 337 total yards to an FCS school.
Next: The AAC season kicks off Saturday with a home game against 0-1 Temple at 3:30 p.m. on the CBS Sports Network. Do the Mids and Terps have to have the same kickoff time every week?
Virginia Tech (0-1) played Vanderbilt at noon, which meant that the kickoff in Nashville, Tennessee, occurred at 11 a.m. local time. But it was the Hokies who took a while to wake up, falling behind the Commodores 17-0 before storming back. And after taking a fourth-quarter lead they’d allow two more touchdowns to Vandy, one that forced overtime and the other that provided the final margin in a 34-27 loss.
Hokie Highlights: Kyron Drones passed for 322 yards and two touchdowns. Keli Lawson tallied nine tackles. Peter Moore averaged 46.3 yards per punt.
Hokie Humblings: Drones was sacked four times while the ground game managed just 75 yards, which is not ideal for an offensive line that returned all five starters. The defense coughed up points the first three times they were on the field and after finding its footing surrendered a pair of late drives that almost ended the game in regulation (Vandy missed a 43-yard field goal). And having multiple players who wear the number “zero” on the field at the same time turned a punt into a 53-yard field goal for Vanderbilt.
Next: Saturday at 4:30 p.m. against 1-0 Marshall on the CW Network.
Virginia (1-0) began their game with Richmond by scoring on their first five possessions en route to a 34-13 victory over the Spiders. But once again an early-season game against a nonconference in-state foe gets delayed by lightning. Perhaps they should plan on playing on the road or neutral sites moving forward.
Cavalier Congrats: Anthony Colandrea threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns while Kobe Pace gained 93 yards rushing before taking a seat in the blowout. Malachi Fields notched five catches for 100 yards. Safety Jonas Sanker may have led the team with eight tackles, but four of the six top tacklers on the team were defensive linemen. Daniel Sparks had punts of 53 and 56 yards.
Cavalier Concerns: The offense moved the chains on just 3-11 third downs and a missed 36-yard field goal didn’t haunt them this time, but against ACC foes it very well might.
Next: Saturday on the road against 1-0 Wake Forest at 7 p.m. on ESPN2 in the ACC opener for both as the margin for error diminishes.
James Madison (1-0) trailed Charlotte 7-3 late in the first half before Chris Fitzgerald intercepted a pass at the 49ers’ 33-yard line with 54 seconds left in the second quarter. On the very next play, Alonza Barnett III hooked up with George Pettaway for a 33-yard strike, giving JMU the lead for good in a game they’d win 30-7.
Duke Do’s: Barnett threw for 219 yards and two scores while adding 89 yards rushing as the offense that was held in check for most of the first half scored three touchdowns after intermission. The defense tallied three takeaways in the first half.
Duke Dont’s: Thank goodness the D earned an A in the first half because JMU went 1-6 on third down in the first two quarters, including a pair of attempts inside the Charlotte red zone. They also lost a fumble that led to the 49ers’ only points of the night.
Next: Saturday against 0-1 Gardner Webb at 6 p.m. (ESPN+).