One week is in the books, and the first week of CFSL action gave us some answers as to several teams. Some exciting matchups, and some surprising outcomes all in the opening week of action. And there’s a lot more we could discuss than what’s here, but these are the major takeaways from week one.
1) TEXAS AIN’T ALL TATUM
This may be an odd take, but the concerns with Texas were not in their offense. Tatum passing for nearly 400 yards and putting up five touchdowns doesn’t surprise us anymore. What did catch many by surprise was the Longhorn defense. Texas lost linebacker Justin Boudreaux to the pros, leaving the question of how linebacker Howard Cook would fill into this defense. Well, not only did he lead the defense in tackles with 11, but he also tallied three tackles for a loss and a sack. On a night where Texas held a strong Washington offense to just 20 points and a third down conversion rate of 16%. This defense is just as strong as ever, now can they maintain it?
TEXAS 49, WASHINGTON 20
2) FLORIDA: ASK ABOUT OUR FOX
We all expected Kingston Fox to look good, but the early returns might be more than Florida even anticipated. Kingston Fox put up 368 yards with four passing touchdowns and an interception. Now, he didn’t run as much as Gator fans might have expected or hoped for, but he looked fantastic through the air. That said, we need to slow our roll just a tad. It was week one and against Penn State’s defense. If Fox can come even close to these numbers against a team like Texas or Clemson then Florida’s in great shape.
FLORIDA 45, PENN STATE 17
3) BRUTAL BUCKEYES
So, the expectation for Ohio State’s defense was certainly high. But, I think they blew expectations away against Miami this week. It’s not often that a defense can force four turnovers in a game, even less often that they’re two fumbles and two interceptions. Even better for Ohio State fans is that the Buckeyes capitalized on most, if not all, of those turnovers. Two of them came early in the game, allowing Ohio State to put up 21 points in just over a minute of game time. That’s an absurd number, and it’s why the rest of the Big Ten has got to be alert to just how much damage the Ohio State defense can do.
MIAMI 20, OHIO STATE 37
4) RIFF RAM, YES WE CAN
Ignore the final score of that TCU game for just a moment. The Horned Frogs were stellar on offense, putting up points, and their defense looked good too. After all, it’s tough to argue with the game opening up with a pick six from the Horned Frog defense. There was evidence that halfback Koda Adok could provide the running game that TCU needs in order to be successful this season. I get it, three interceptions are difficult for any team to overcome, and quarterback James Kovach left his team in a tough spot. But in spite of those turnovers, TCU was still in position to make the comeback. In part because of the defensive efforts, on this team. TCU can make a run for the SEC throne this season, they just have some quirks to work out.
TCU 27, OREGON 44
5) CAPTAIN CLEMSON
The infamous Game Manager landed in Atlanta to kickoff the CFSL campaign. Quarterback Javon Mack’s transfer to Clemson left ripples across the entirety of the CFSL, and then he opened up his CFSL season by doing what he did Tuesday night. 210 passing yards for Mack on just 16 completions. Now, Mack didn’t score through the air, but he was efficient. The key, though, was his 16 carries for 108 yards with a rushing touchdown. Vintage Mack is in Death Valley, and the Tigers have to feel good about their chances to go back-to-back seasons with a title win. Especially when halfback Mike Chadwick put up 181 yards on 25 carries with three rushing touchdowns. Watch out, because Clemson isn’t slowing down.
NOTRE DAME 31, CLEMSON 37
Your five key takeaways for the first week of action is here. Look, there’s more we could have touched on, like what Auburn did to Michigan, but this is a good start. Week one in the books, week two on the horizon, and plenty more for us to learn about each team as we move forward in this fifth season in the CFSL. Buckle up, because who knows how wild this will get.
