The first full week of College Football had plenty of big performances and some disappointing performances as well. We will look at what happened in Week 1 and some players to watch out for in Week 2.
Week 1 in Review
D.J. Uiagalelei Clemson – The prime-time matchup was a close game but did not provide much offensive excitement. Georgia’s defense continued to send pressure, and DJU and Clemson struggled all game. Week 1 showed that DJU is still a young developing player, and better days will be ahead. Clemson should not see a defense like Georgia the rest of the regular season. DJU is still a huge Devy Asset but expectations were probably too high and this is going to be the lowest in value for him and a great time to buy low.
Bijan Robinson Texas – It is no secret how good Bijan is and how he is one of the top NFL prospects for the 2023 Draft. In Week 1, he did not disappoint with over 170 total yards and two TDs. In 2020 Robinson only had 15 receptions, but it looks that the new coaching staff at Texas plans to get him in the open space as much as possible. The Texas offense goes through Bijan, and it is going to be exciting to watch him throughout the season.
Desmond Ridder Cincinnati – Ridder continued where he left off in 2020, completing 80% of his passes for 295 yards and 4 TDs. One thing Ridder adds is the ability to gain big chunks of rushing yards at the QB position. The promising part of this game is that he rushed only 6 times and still had a very productive day. With the QB class of 2022 not looking great in week 1, there is room for Ridder to move up the QB ranks and possibly even sneak into the 1st Round.
Kenneth Walker III Michigan St – Walker transferred from Wake Forest and in one game at Michigan St, he is well on his way to blowing past his previous career production. On only 23 carries, Walker rushed for 264 yards, four TDs, and showed off his great speed on a 75 yard TD. He has yet to be a receiving threat in his career, but the Spartan offense should run through him all season. With an unproven passing game, Walker will continue to get a heavy dose of carries, and it will be interesting to see if he can continue to put up this kind of production.
Week 2 Preview
- Breece Hall Iowa St – Hall and the Cyclones did not have a great day against Northern Iowa. He only had 69 yards on the ground and just averaged 3 ypc. Hall will look to bounce back against their rival Iowa this week who only allowed 77 yards on 31 carries to Indiana. If Iowa St wants to be able to beat the Hawkeyes, Hall will have to have a much better game. A big outting this week could put him back on track to be one of the top RBs in the 2022 NFL Draft.
- Blake Corum Michigan – Corum was thought to be an intriguing Freshman at Michigan in 2020 but the offense was a mess and they did not utilize him very successfully. Through 1 week it looks like new RB coach Mike Hart may pay dividends. Corum finished with over 130 scrimmage yards and 2 TDs on just 16 total touches. It seems Corum and Hassan Haskins will share carries but with Corum’s big play ability he doesn’t necessarily need 20 or 25 touches a game. Washington may be down after the loss to Montana but another strong outting will help raise Corum’s future NFL value.
- CJ Stroud Ohio St – Stroud worked through some jitters and struggles against Minnesota in Week 1 to help Ohio St. to a double digit win. He ended up with almost 300 yeards and four TDs but the first half was somewhat alarming. Stroud looked indecisive and was very inaccurate to open receivers. Oregon has a strong defense, so this will be a good test to see which version of Stroud we will see for the rest of the 2021 season. Ohio St. will be at home so that should help the jitters and a strong performance could raise Stroud’s confidence for the rest of the season.
- Jayden Daniels Arizona St – Daniels and the Sun Devils played a shortened COVID season so not much could be taken from 2020. In his first game in 2021 against Southern Utah, Daniels had a mediocre game with 132 yards but only threw 12 passes. This week he will play UNLV who has finished 100th or worse in total yards allowed the last three years. If he struggles against this defense, it may be time to question Daniel’s NFL potential.
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