Category: Week 1

Boise State Football: First Look At The Washington Huskies

The Broncos will get a big test right away this fall on the road against the Huskies. Here’s a first look at Washington.

Boise State Football: First Look at the Washington Huskies

The Broncos will get a big test right away this fall on the road against the Huskies. Here’s a first look at Washington.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire

A big-time opportunity.

Boise State Football: First Look at 2023 Non-conference Opponents

Washington | UCF | North Dakota | Memphis

Nearly every football team in the Mountain West challenges themselves in non-conference play for one reason or another every year, but perhaps no team has set a bigger challenge for themselves in 2023 than Boise State’s Week 1 trip to Washington.

Location: Seattle, Washington

Conference: Pac-12

Series History: Washington leads the all-time series against Boise State, 3-2.

2022 Record: 11-2 (7-2 Pac-12)

Head Coach: Kalen DeBoer (second year; 11-2 at Washington, 90-11 overall). After leaving Fresno State for Washington, it didn’t take long for DeBoer to hit the ground running. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s followed his career to this point, though: After compiling a 67-3 record and winning three national titles at NAIA Sioux Falls in the mid- to late 2000s, he later guided Eastern Michigan out of the abyss as the team’s offensive coordinator from 2014-16 and subsequently engineered dramatic turnarounds with the Bulldogs and at Indiana before getting his first shot as a FBS head coach in 2020.

After two more relatively successful seasons at Fresno State, the Huskies came calling and, in year one, they finished oh-so-close to a season for the ages. Only a pair of one-score losses on the road to UCLA and Arizona State kept Washington from an unbeaten season, but they finished 11-2 and could be even better in 2023 because they return 71% of last year’s production.

Key Players

Michael Penix Jr., QB

If you’re putting together a list of potential Heisman Trophy candidates this summer, Penix Jr. has to be on it. He first broke out in 2019 under DeBoer’s tutelage at Indiana, but injuries hampered his ability to stay on the field for a full season until 2022 when, reunited with DeBoer, he completed 65.1% of his throws for 4,641 yards (a single-season UW record) and 31 touchdowns against a 1.4% interception rate. The lefty from Tampa is going to be difficult for anyone to slow down this fall.

Jalen McMillan, WR

After two seasons as a starter, McMillan might be the best slot receiver in the country. He made seven starts in 13 total games but finished second in the Pac-12 with 79 receptions, third with 1,098 receiving yards, and in a tie for first with nine receiving touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, he was also one of just 16 FBS players to force at least 16 missed tackles, so the Broncos will need to have their fundamentals down pat to keep him from running wild.

Rome Odunze, WR

There’s a chance that McMillan is not even the best pass catcher on the Huskies roster, though, while Odunze is around. Like McMillan, Odunze had a breakout 2022 with 75 catches for 1,145 yards and seven touchdowns but, unlike his peer, he was a first-team all-Pac 12 selection and led the team’s wide receivers with an overall PFF grade of 79.1. He’ll cause plenty of problems for opposing defenses this year, too.

Bralen Trice, DE

2022 marked Trice’s first full year as a starter and that proved to be a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks and running backs. Another of Washington’s first-team all-conference selections last year, he finished third in the Pac-12 with nine sacks and in a tie for fourth with 12 tackles for loss, posting an overall PFF grade of 88.5 that ranked second among all conference defenders.

Troy Fautanu, OT

It would be difficult for Penix Jr. and company to get anything done without reliable protection, but Fautanu anchored the blind side for Washington in 2022 without much trouble. He allowed zero sacks and two quarterback hits in 949 total snaps, the fifth-most in the Pac-12, and earned a second-team all-conference nod for his efforts.

Overview:

Offense

If you needed one word to describe the Washington offense in 2022, it would be “potent”. The Huskies tied for first among all FBS teams in averaging 3.76 points per drive and stood alone in earning 69.3% of available yards per drive. With a star quarterback and his top five pass catchers back in the fold, could they be even scarier this fall?

One thing that would help is to replace top running back Wayne Taulapapa, though Cameron Davis and Richard Newton both return after combining to average 4.84 yards per carry. Davis, too, had 13 rushing touchdowns, though that duo could be pushed by incoming transfers Daniyel Ngata (Arizona State) and Dillon Johnson (2,062 career all-purpose yards at Mississippi State).

Odunze and McMillan, meanwhile, headline a deep crew of pass catchers that could be the envy of nearly everyone in the country. Ja’Lynn Polk finished third among Pac-12 receivers with 16.9 yards per catch as a redshirt freshman while tight ends Jack Westover and Devin Culp (combined 60-608-2) give defenses plenty to think about over the middle.

If there’s one yellow flag on this unit, it’s the offensive line. Fautanu and Roger Rosengarten provide the Huskies with a pair of reliable tackles, but they’re the only starters back from last season. Considering that Washington allowed the lowest overall sack rate in the nation, finding the right combination of newcomers will be key to maintaining the high-flying passing game.

Defense

Stopping opponents wasn’t really Washington’s strong suit last year. Where the offense paced the country in points per drive and available yards percentage earned, the Huskies finished 102nd and 108th by those same metrics despite finishing second in the Pac-12 in allowing 5.53 yards per play.

They did a few things well, though, like getting after the quarterback (8% sack rate, 27th in FBS), but star defensive end Jeremiah Martin was a big reason for that and he’s gone for 2023. Trice returns, as do the defensive tackle tandem of Faatui Tuitele and Tuli Letuligasenoa, so experience is on their side up front.

The linebackers could play a big role in shoring up that pass rush, too, given that Edefuan Ulofoshio should be healthy after missing most of 2021 and 2022 with injury, Alphonzo Tuputala (71 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks) proved he can disrupt, and Ralen Goforth (17 starts at USC) is in from the transfer portal.

In the secondary, the Huskies will look for improvement from a veteran unit that got pushed a bit in 2022, allowing 7.8 yards per attempt and a 62.9% opponents’ completion rate. Dominique Hampton, Kamren Fabiculanan, and Asa Turner give them a solid trio of safeties, but the big difference maker might be Jabbar Muhammad, who transferred in from Oklahoma State after earning an all-conference honorable mention with nine pass breakups and one interception.

Early Prediction

Boise State might be the most talented team overall in the Mountain West, but it’s difficult to envision them containing the powerful Huskies offense for four quarters. They’re strong enough on offense themselves to push back often, but they may not have the same kind of weapons to match Washington in a track meet.

Washington 42, Boise State 31

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Fresno State Football: First Look At The Purdue Boilermakers

The Bulldogs will hit the road to open 2023 against the defending Big Ten West champions. Here’s a first look at Purdue.

Fresno State Football: First Look at the Purdue Boilermakers

The Bulldogs will hit the road to open 2023 against the defending Big Ten West champions. Here’s a first look at Purdue.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire

New coach, same upstart attitude.

Fresno State Football: First Look at 2023 Non-conference Opponents

Purdue | Eastern Washington | Arizona State | Kent State

Fresno State football’s “anyone, anytime, anywhere” mantra will take them to the Midwest to begin the 2023 season, where the Bulldogs will face off with Purdue. One of the toughest assignments in the Big Ten, the Boilermakers have nonetheless demonstrated a knack to surprise from time and time and certainly did so in 2022, winning the Big Ten West division title for the first time.

That success bred a major overhaul, however, as Purdue heads into the fall with a new head coach, new quarterback, and many more new faces on their roster. Don’t mistake that newness with a lack of talent, though: The ‘Dogs could be in for a fight.

Location: West Lafayette, Indiana

Conference: Big Ten

Series History: This will be the first meeting between Fresno State and Purdue.

2022 Record: 8-6 (6-3 Big Ten)

Head Coach: Ryan Walters (first year). Just 37 years old, Walters’s ascension to the head job in West Lafayette was well-earned. He got his start as a defensive backs coach at Arizona in 2011 and bounced around for a time, linking up with Barry Odom at Missouri in 2015 and becoming co-defensive coordinator a year later. According to defensive SP+, the Tigers climbed as high as 18th during the 2019 season, though it wouldn’t be until 2021 that Bret Bielema courted him to Illinois.

That move paid major dividends for the Illini, who finished 19th and 3rd by defensive SP+ during Walters’s two seasons in Champaign. He’ll have a big challenge ahead of him at Purdue, where the Boilermakers had a charmed 5-2 record in one-score games last year, but he’s generated a lot of excitement in replacing Jeff Brohm.

Key Players

Devin Mockobee, RB

Where Purdue made most of its hay in the passing game, Mockobee proved to be a lifesaver after stepping into a starting role midway through the 2022 season. When all was said and done, he’d set a program record for freshmen with 968 rushing yards and scored nine touchdowns. Now that his grasp on the RB1 job is more secure, expect the Boonville, Indiana native to be featured early and often throughout 2023.

Hudson Card, QB

A former four-star recruit for the Texas Longhorns, Card made five starts and appeared in 22 games over three seasons but was never able to win the starting gig in competitions against Casey Thompson and Quinn Ewers. He could be exactly what the Boilermakers need, though, considering he’s completed 65.5% of his 194 career throws and averaged 7.9 yards per attempt with 11 touchdowns and a minuscule 1% interception rate.

Sanoussi Kane, S

One of the few veteran holdovers on defense, Kane made his first stint as a starter in 2022 count for a lot. He paced that unit with 72 total tackles and also contributed 4.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups, and two forced fumbles and could be a centerpiece for the defensive-minded Walters this fall.

Nic Scourton, LB

No one on the Purdue roster generated more buzz this spring than the sophomore from Bryan, Texas, so big things are expected of Scourton after he racked up 22 tackles, two sacks, and 11 stops (per Pro Football Focus) on 265 total snaps in 2022.

Gus Hartwig, C

Before a November injury cut his 2022 campaign short, Hartwig played like a key piece in Purdue’s explosive offense. He set a new career best and earned his third straight all-Big Ten honorable mention honor with a 71.9 overall PFF grade, allowing zero sacks and two quarterback hits in 809 total snaps.

Overview:

Offense

Despite the presence of quarterback Aidan O’Connell, wide receiver Charlie Jones, and tight end Payne Durham, the Boilermakers were more good than great overall on offense last year, ranking ninth in the Big Ten in averaging 5.34 yards per play and, among all FBS teams, 82nd with 1.97 points per drive and 63rd with 46.3% of available yards per drive earned. The big task now is, well, multiple tasks: The Boilermakers need to find replacements for all three of the aforementioned standouts after they were each selected in the first five rounds of the NFL Draft earlier this spring.

Card’s arrival from Texas should have settled things at quarterback and Mockobee will lead a running back committee that also brings back Dylan Downing and Tyrone Tracy Jr., though who else steps up in the passing game remains to be seen. TJ Sheffield (46 catches, 480 yards, four TDs) and Mershawn Rice (23-283-1) should lead the way, though it shouldn’t come as a shock if no one can singularly replace Jones’s 2022 production.

The better news is that the offensive line around Hartwig and sophomores Mahamane Moussa and Marcus Mbow should be in good shape. Purdue was active in the transfer portal here and brought in both Preston Nichols (71.2 PFF grade at UNLV) and Jalen Grant (27 starts at Bowling Green) to shore up its depth. If they can keep Card on his feet as well as they did for O’Connell last season (4.6% sack rate allowed, 35th in FBS) and open holes for Mockobee more consistently (44.7% opportunity rate, 109th), the Boilermakers could surprise once again.

Defense

The Purdue defense was something of a rollercoaster without a true calling card in 2022, allowing more than 7.0 yards per play in four different games and fewer than 5.0 YPP in five others. They also had a modest 6% sack rate which ranked just 71st nationally and a 15.6% stuff rate which was 96th, so even in spite of the personnel turnover it seems likely Walters will expect more in year one of his given his background.

The front six or seven has potential, though, not just in Scourton but in defensive end Isaiah Nichols, who transferred in from Arkansas, and linebackers Kydran Jenkins and Khordae Sydnor (14.5 combined tackles for loss, 8.5 combined sacks in 2022). On the back end, Kane and three-time all-conference honorable mention pick Cam Allen (49 tackles, six pass breakups, three interceptions) lead a unit which could skew a little younger depending on how competitions shake out.

Early Prediction

Both Fresno State and Purdue head into the fall with some similar questions to address, like breaking in a new quarterback and replacing big pass-catching talents, but Fresno State should catch the rebuilding Boilermakers at the right time to steal a road win thanks to a potent defense which could frustrate Card in his first start.

Fresno State 31, Purdue 24

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New Mexico Football: First Look At The Texas A&M Aggies

The Lobos will hit the road to open 2023 in SEC country against the Aggies. Here’s a first look at Texas A&M.

New Mexico Football: First Look at the Texas A&M Aggies

The Lobos will hit the road to open 2023 in SEC country against the Aggies. Here’s a first look at Texas A&M.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire

The heat is on in College Station.

New Mexico Football: First Look at 2023 Non-conference Opponents

Texas A&M | Tennessee Tech | New Mexico State | UMass

When it comes to feverish expectations in college football, few programs do it quite like Texas A&M. After more than a decade in the Southeastern Conference at this point, it’s hard to say whether things are going according to plan but last year, the program’s first losing season since 2009, was far below the 12th Man’s aspirations.

The pressure figures to be as intense as ever in west Texas, but the Aggies will look to turn over a new leaf much like their first opponent of 2023, the New Mexico Lobos.

Location: College Station, Texas

Conference: SEC

Series History: Texas A&M leads the all-time series against New Mexico, 5-0.

2022 Record: 5-7 (2-6 SEC)

Head Coach: Jimbo Fisher (sixth year; 39-21 at Texas A&M, 122-44 overall). To say the Fisher era at Texas A&M has been disappointing would be an understatement to many of the Aggie faithful. Last year marked his first losing campaign in five years at the helm though close game misfortune certainly played a part: A&M had a 2-5 record in games decided by eight or fewer points.

For a coach who’s paid $9.5 million a year after a recent contract extension, that level of outcome won’t do even if it remains to be seen whether the Aggies can re-establish themselves as a dark horse SEC title contender.

Key Players

Ainias Smith, WR

One of the most electric playmakers in the country, Smith’s 2022 season ended up getting mostly wiped out by injury but he still found a way to make an impact in four games, catching 15 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns. He’s made 25 starts for the Aggies dating back to 2019 and has 22 career scores as a receiver, runner, and punt returner, so he’ll be a primary focus of the offense should he have a clean bill of health.

Walter Nolen, DT

Rated as the second-best overall high school recruit in the entire 2022 class, Nolen wasted little time finding his way onto the field for the Aggies, appearing in ten games while making four starts. According to Pro Football Focus, he only played 289 snaps but posted a respectable 68.1 overall grade with 29 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. He could be in line to do much more and lay waste to opponents’ best-laid plans more frequently in 2023.

Conner Weigman, QB

Like Nolen, Weigman saw a fair bit of playing time as a true freshman but, unlike his defensive peer, it certainly wasn’t by plan. Injuries and ineffectiveness gave him a shot to start four of the last five contests and it went mostly okay, completing 55.3% of his 132 attempts for 896 yards and eight touchdowns against zero interceptions. He’ll still have to win the job out of fall camp, but his ability to take care of the football could be a valuable asset.

McKinnley Jackson, DT

Where Nolen is the young star on the defensive interior, Jackson is the veteran mainstay lined up alongside him. He made seven starts and notched 37 total tackles, including seven tackles for loss and two sacks, meaning that the 6-foot-4, 325-pound Lucedale, Mississippi native could be in a position to improve his stock for next year’s NFL Draft.

Demani Richardson, S

Richardson spent 2022 as one of the busiest defensive backs anywhere in the SEC, playing a team-high 782 snaps and picking up 74 total tackles, 2.5 TFLs, five pass breakups, and an interception. Heading into his fifth year as a starter for the Aggies,

Overview:

Offense

This side of the ball has been a problem for some years now, but key injuries made the Aggies reach new lows in 2022. By points per drive and available yards percentage earned per drive, Texas A&M posted its worst marks ever by ranking 97th (1.73) and 92nd (41.6%) by those respective efficiency measures. They also averaged 5.73 yards per play, ninth among SEC offenses, which will put pressure on new offensive Bobby Petrino, who bolted for College Station after a brief sojourn to UNLV, to turn things around.

It’ll start at quarterback, where three different players started a game last year and two of them, Weigman and Max Johnson (60.6% completion rate, 517 yards, three TDs, zero INTs), return for the fall. Four-star recruit Marcel Reed and Fresno State transfer Jaylen Henderson could also factor in if things get messy.

The situation at running back, on the other hand, is more clear and arguably has more potential. Amari Daniels and Le’veon Moss combined for just 63 carries last year, but they managed 4.98 yards per carry between them and also have former Colorado State starter David Bailey and five-star recruit Rueben Owens at their disposal, as well.

Among the pass catchers, Smith’s injury actually enabled other youngsters to establish themselves, a bit of good news for whomever emerges as QB1. Sophomore Evan Stewart (53 catches, 649 yards, two TDs) and junior Moose Muhammad (38-610-4) are the headliners, but don’t be shocked if sophomore tight end Donovan Green (22-233-2) makes a big leap.

Better health on the offensive line should factor into improvements here, as well, especially after center Bryce Foster and guards Aki Ogunbiyi and Jordan Spasojevic-Moko each missed at least six games with season-ending ailments. They’ll hope greater continuity leads to greater results after finishing in the middle of the pack nationally with a 6.3% sack rate allowed (64th in FBS) and below it by allowing a 19.9% stuff rate (101st).

Defense

Where the offense scuffled, the Aggies defense mostly played well as a bend-but-don’t-break unit in 2022, ranking 34th in FBS with 1.93 points per drive allowed and 15th by defensive SP+ despite giving up 48.1% of available yards per drive (76th) on average. It also happens to be one of the most experienced units anywhere in the country headed into this fall, bringing back 79% of last year’s production.

Any rebound is likely to start on this side of the ball and that rebound is likely to start up front, where Jackson and Nolen headline a young but wildly talent-rich bunch on the defensive line. Fadil Diggs (28 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks), Shemar Turner (32 tackles, 4.5 TFLs), and Shemar Stewart (23 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks) are each capable of disrupting any given play and their ranks can only be bolstered by the arrival of five-star blue chip David Hicks.

Linebacker, by contrast, figures to be the most experienced group here with Edgerrin Cooper and Chris Russell Jr. back in the fray after combining for 127 total tackles and 15 tackles for loss last season. The secondary, meanwhile, restocked around Richardson with the transfer portal by bringing in Tony Grimes (28 starts at North Carolina), Josh DeBerry (14 TFLs, 19 PBUs in 39 games at Boston College), and Sam McCall (Florida State) to compete with holdovers like sophomores Bryce Anderson (28 tackles, 3.5 TFLs), Deuce Harmon, and Jacoby Matthews.

Early Prediction

Even if the Lobos are vastly improved from a year ago, the Aggies are still most likely to win this one going away.

Texas A&M 42, New Mexico 10

Want to learn more about Texas A&M football? Be sure to visit our friends over at Aggies Wire.

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UNLV Football: First Look At The Bryant Bulldogs

The Rebels begin their 2023 campaign at home against Bryant. Here’s a first look at UNLV’s upcoming FCS opponent.

UNLV Football: First Look at the Bryant Bulldogs

The Rebels begin their 2023 campaign at home against Bryant. Here’s a first look at UNLV’s upcoming FCS opponent.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire

The Rebels draw a potentially dangerous foe.

UNLV Football: First Look At 2023 Non-conference Opponents

Bryant | Michigan | Vanderbilt | UTEP

Note: Headline photo provided courtesy of Bryant Athletics.

At the beginning of a season that will arrive with high expectations, UNLV football will open 2023 at home against the Bryant Bulldogs. It’s a game that the Rebels won’t take for granted considering the program’s recent track record in such matchups, losing to Howard in 2017 and Eastern Washington in 2021, and because the Bulldogs might have the talent to surprise people this year.

Location: Smithfield, Rhode Island

Conference: Big South

Series History: This will be the first meeting between UNLV and Bryant.

2022 Record: 4-7 (2-3 Big South)

Head Coach: Chris Merritt (fifth year, 17-21 overall). Following a long and decorated tenure as head coach at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, Merritt’s four years leading the Bulldogs have had their share of ups and downs. After leading the Bulldogs to a 7-4 record in 2021, that record flipped last year in large part to hard luck in close games: After losing a one-point, four-overtime heartbreaker on the road against Florida International to open 2022, they dropped a six-point decision to Brown in double overtime two weeks later and would eventually finish with a 2-5 record in games decided by eight or fewer points.

Key Players

Zevi Eckhaus, QB

Eckhaus has spent the last two seasons as one of the top young signal-callers at the FCS level. In 2021, he landed on the all-Northeast first-team offense and earned that conference’s Offensive Rookie of the Year honor while finishing as a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, given annually to the top freshman at that level. Last year, he followed that up by completing 60.8% of his throws for 3,228 yards and 26 touchdowns with a 3.6% interception rate, scoring a spot on the all-Big South second-team offense and cementing himself as a potential problem for secondaries everywhere.

Anthony Frederick, WR

Frederick might be listed on the roster as a wide receiver, but he does most of his damage as one of the best return specialists in the country. The Big South’s reigning Special Teams Player of the Year ranked third in the FCS by averaging 30 yards per kick return and 14th with 141.4 all-purpose yards per game, so he’s exactly the kind of athlete who could flip the contest on a dime.

Oh, but he’s also averaged 15.4 yards per catch and snagged 14 touchdowns in his career with the Bulldogs. Frederick is very good.

Kenny Dyson Jr., DL

Bryant’s best defender has been a problem for opposing quarterbacks for a couple of years now, cracking the starting lineup in 2021 and never looking back from there. In that time, he’s notched 24.5 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks, and 55 quarterback hurries, meaning that Doug Brumfield will want to know where #8 is at all times.

Landon Ruggieri, WR

After making four starts back in 2021, Ruggieri exploded onto the scene with a breakout 2022. He set a school record by catching 65 passes for 986 yards and six touchdowns, earning his way onto the all-Big South first-team offense. If his senior year goes as planned, he could leave Bryant as an all-time program great.

Ethan Gettman, K/P

Gettman began his Bulldogs career as the team’s punter in 2021, but adding kicker responsibilities to his repertoire is what really allowed him to shine. He averaged a net of 34.7 yards per punt and landed 6-of-22 attempts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line last season but, more importantly, he also connected on 14-of-15 field goal tries which included a Bryant-record 56-yard bomb. That helped him take home the Fred Mitchell Award as the top kicker among the FCS, Division II, and Division III ranks, so he’s a singular weapon who could be a difference maker in a tight game.

Overview:

Offense

The Bulldogs knew their offensive identity and stuck with it through thick and thin, finishing 12th among FCS teams with 449 team pass attempts and averaging 7.76 YPA in the process. That enabled them to convert 50% of their third-down tries, one of only eight offenses to reach that mark, and score 33.3 points per game.

Nearly all of last year’s major contributors are back to improve upon those numbers, with Eckhaus set at quarterback and Ruggiari, Frederick, and tight end Jihad Redmond (25 catches, 274 yards, five touchdowns) as his primary targets. The situation with the ground game is a little less certain as last year’s leading rusher, Ishod Byarm, has moved on, though the trio of Ryan Clark, Fabrice Mukendi, and Kyle Cichanowsky combined for 124 carries in 2022. Their primary focus will be to improve upon the 4.1 yards per carry they averaged last season.

Bryant will also benefit from an offensive line that returns all five starters from last season, as well. Senior guard Jamichael Watts was the lone member of that group to finish 2022 as an all-conference selection, but he, Trevor Smith, and Michael McNish are all multi-year starting veterans up front.

Defense

If the Bryant offense was powerful, its defense was a bit shaky, allowing 5.85 yards per play and 30.1 points per game. Defending the pass was a particular concern since the Bulldogs allowed 8.13 yards per attempt and a 60.8% completion rate to opponents.

Additionally, the defense also has a couple of major disruptors, star linebackers Joe Andreessen and Ryan Saddler, to replace in the front seven. Dyson Jr. will set a tone up front, but Ben Silver is the only other Bulldog defender here for 2023 who had more than one sack last season. Considering they posted 27 sacks as a team last year, finding reliable contributors in the front seven will be paramount.

The secondary returns largely intact and the seasoned group, led by TJ Butler (28 tackles, 2 pass breakups), Jayvis Rayside (49 tackles, 1.5 TFLs), and Lake Ellis (44 tackles, eight pass breakups, two INTs) will get a chance to improve after being pushed early and often a year ago.

Early Prediction

The Rebels might get pushed more than anyone expects by a talented Bryant offense, but the reality is that they will probably have an edge over the Bulldogs on defense, anyway, which should allow them to keep things from getting too dicey.

UNLV 38, Bryant 20

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Air Force Football: First Look At The Robert Morris Colonials

The Falcons will begin their 2023 season by hosting the FCS Colonials. Here’s a first look at Robert Morris.

Air Force Football: First Look at the Robert Morris Colonials

The Falcons will begin their 2023 season by hosting the FCS Colonials. Here’s a first look at Robert Morris.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire

Air Force’s customary tune-up looks to bounce back.

Air Force Football: First Look at 2023 Non-conference Opponents

Robert Morris | Sam Houston State | Navy | Army

Note: Headline photo provided courtesy of RMU Athletics.

Throughout his long and decorated tenure, Air Force football under Troy Calhoun have often made quick work of a FCS opponent to begin each season. Last season’s romp over Northern Iowa marked 16 years in a row that the Falcons came out on top in their opener.

The Robert Morris Colonials hope to be the team that ends the streak, but it could be an uphill battle after a tough 2022 campaign.

Location: Moon Township, Pennsylvania

Conference: Big South

Series History: This will be the first meeting between Air Force and Robert Morris.

2022 Record: 0-11 (0-5 Big South)

Head Coach: Bernard Clark (sixth year, 13-34 overall). Since making their lone appearance in the FCS playoffs back in 2010, things haven’t always come easily for RMU. Clark inherited a program that had gone 2-9 the year before his arrival and guided them to a 7-5 finish in his second season in charge, 2019, but the program has gone 4-20 in the past three years.

Last year’s winless campaign must have felt particularly galling since the Colonials opened 2022 with a pair of one-score losses to Dayton and Delaware State and a competitive loss to Miami of Ohio in the season’s first month. RMU only managed to score at least 20 points in two contests all year, though, which explains why they were outscored on average by 24.4 points per game and finished 128th among FCS teams in overall SP+.

Key Players

Joe Casale, LB

The Colonials have one all-conference player from last season back for 2023, but Casale is a solid anchor in the middle of their defense. After transferring in from Albany, he settled in to lead the team with 69 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 74.1.

Tony Brown, LB

Casale’s primary running mate at linebacker, Brown had a fairly productive 2022 himself by racking up 68 total tackles, five tackles for loss, and one forced fumble. According to Pro Football Focus, he also finished second to Casale in making 27 stops while missing just 11.8% of tackle attempts.

James Westry, WR

Westry has had an interesting collegiate career thus far, spending three seasons at Robert Morris which culminated in catching 35 passes for a team-high 460 yards with four touchdowns in 2021. Last May, however, he transferred to nearby Lackawanna College and finished the 2022 season with 31 receptions, 528 yards, and a touchdown before returning to RMU with a second transfer.

Robert Carter Jr., CB

Westry’s return wasn’t the only big prize that RMU landed from the transfer portal, though. Carter Jr.’s arrival from Division II University of Virginia-Wise could be a boon in more than one way considering that he was an all-South Atlantic selection as both a defensive back and a return specialist in 2022, grabbing a program-record six interceptions (including two pick-sixes) while returning one kickoff for a score and averaging 21.4 yards per return.

Luke Beltavski, C

Arguably the best center in the Big South, Beltavski held that position down for the Colonials last year after being elevated to the starting lineup late in 2021. That move paid dividends as the Cleveland native tallied an overall PFF grade of 71.4, allowing one sack and seven hurries in 720 total snaps.

Overview:

Offense

The Colonials struggled mightily on this side of the ball in 2022, finishing dead last among all FCS teams in scoring 9.9 points per game, averaging 3.55 yards per play, and converting 24.4% of third-down opportunities. It’ll be a titanic challenge for first-year offensive coordinator Josh Firm to turn things around.

At the top of the to-do list: Settle on a quarterback. Senior Anthony Chiccitt and sophomore Zach Tanner combined to complete 49.4% of their throws for slightly under five yards per attempt, with five touchdowns against 14 interceptions a primary culprit for the offense’s stumbling. The Colonials also need to replace their top two running backs from 2022, though transfer portal additions Zachary Bair (870 rushing yards in two seasons at Dartmouth) and DJ Moyer (Elon) should have every opportunity to compete with incumbents like Kimon O’Sullivan for carries.

Westry’s return gives the passing game one reliable option and slot receiver Parker Fetterman (20 catches, 237 yards, one touchdown) provides another, but it remains to be seen who else will step up as outside options and at tight end.

Along the offensive line, Beltavski leads a quartet of starters back for 2023, including the entire left side: senior tackle Diego Turcios and junior guard Dante Thompson. Collectively, one point of emphasis will be to allow fewer sacks since the 36 they gave up in 2022 were the most in the Big South.

Defense

Considering the Colonials on this side of the ball often got little help from their offensive counterparts, you can take some of last year’s numbers with a grain of salt. RMU had just 13 sacks as a team, the fewest in their conference, but did manage 17 total takeaways and gave up a respectable 5.99 yards per play.

There’s plenty of work left, however, most notably on a defensive line that needs to replace the majority of its disruption. Fifth-year seniors Daunte Boudy and Garret Fairman could lead the charge after combining for ten tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks a year ago, though Noah Stevenson may also factor in after he led this unit with 522 snaps and tallied nine hurries from the interior.

The linebackers could be a strength with Casale, Brown, and Donovan Parham (35 tackles, 4.5 TFLs) all returning. As for the secondary, the big challenge revolves around replacing all-conference cornerback Sydney Audiger, though veterans like Dakari Cabell (60 tackles, three TFLs) and William Barber (33 tackles, two TFLs) could mesh with newcomers like Carter Jr., Dee Pierce (Miami of Ohio), and Travell Cook (St. Francis).

Early Prediction

Even if the Falcons aren’t yet sure what they will do at quarterback and fullback, it is likely they’ll be able to roll over RMU pretty easily.

Air Force 49, Robert Morris 3

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Hawaii Football: First Look At The Stanford Cardinal

The Warriors host the rebuilding Cardinal in non-conference action this fall. Here’s a first look at Stanford.

Hawaii Football: First Look at the Stanford Cardinal

The Warriors host the rebuilding Cardinal in non-conference action this fall. Here’s a first look at Stanford.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire

A new era at Stanford begins on the Hawaiian islands.

Hawaii Football: First Look at 2023 Non-conference Opponents

Vanderbilt | Stanford | UAlbany | Oregon | New Mexico State

College football has long been ruled by its bluebloods, but the rise of the Stanford Cardinal just over a decade ago proved that just about any program can move toward prominence with the right people in place. Beginning with Jim Harbaugh and continuing with David Shaw, the Cardinal followed a streak of seven consecutive losing seasons with ten straight winning campaigns from 2009 to 2018.

Everything ends, though, which is why the Cardinal are turning to a new head coach to rebuild the roster for another run at revelance in the near future. For 2023, though, it marks a perfect opportunity for the Hawaii Warriors to prove they’ve progressed in their own rebuild under head coach Timmy Chang.

Location: Palo Alto, California

Conference: Pac-12

Series History: Stanford leads the all-time series against Hawaii, 3-0.

2022 Record: 3-9 (1-8 Pac-12)

Head Coach: Troy Taylor (first year, 30-8 at Sacramento State). Shaw’s tenure was far and away the most successful in program history, punctuated by two Rose Bowl victories in three appearances, but the cracks began to show in 2019 when his Cardinal had their first losing season on his watch. Things didn’t get much better from there and narrow wins against Notre Dame and Arizona State, by a combined three points, kept Stanford’s record from being much worse.

Now it’s Taylor’s turn at the helm and he brings a strong track record with him from Sacramento State, where in four seasons his Hornets twice clinched a share of the Big Sky title and won it outright a third time. He’ll have his work cut out for him right away, however, as Stanford projects to be 95th by preseason SP+ and returns only 35% of last season’s production.

Key Players

Benjamin Yurosek, TE

Stanford has a quarterback quandry on its hands right now, but whoever wins that job will have at least one reliable target to whom they can throw. Over the last two seasons, Yurosek has caught 92 passes for 1,103 yards and five touchdowns, earning an all-Pac 12 second-team nod in 2022. At 6-foot-4 and 242 pounds, he’ll be a focal point of the revamped Cardinal offense in some capacity.

Joshua Karty, K

For as many questions that exist elsewhere on the roster, Stanford might just have the best kicker in the country. A first-team all-conference selection and a Lou Groza Award finalist in 2022, Karty made all 18 of his field goal attempts, including 13 from 40 or more yards, to become the first kicker to be perfect on that many attempts since 2013.

David Bailey, LB

A four-star recruit from California high school power Mater Dei, Bailey didn’t need much time to find the field as a true freshman and he became the first such Stanford player to start a season opener under David Shaw. He appeared in 11 games altogether, starting nine of them, and made 46 total tackles while leading the Cardinal with 8.5 tackles for loss and chipping in 2.5 sacks. Bigger things could be ahead for the Irvine native.

Jaxson Moi, DE

The lone 300-pound defender on the current roster, Moi was another Cardinal true freshman who had a busy 2022. Unlike Bailey, he only made one start but did appear in all 12 contests and played slightly more snaps, anyway, collecting 22 total tackles, 4.5 TFLs, and two pass breakups in 453 reps. Moi should be the linchpin of a young defensive line going forward.

Gaethen Bernadel, LB

Stanford doesn’t take advantage of the transfer portal very often, but recruiting Bernadel from Florida International could be a big deal for the defense. Last season, he finished sixth among all Conference USA defenders with 103 total tackles and added eight TFLs and 1.5 sacks for good measure.

Overview:

Offense

The last several years of the David Shaw era saw a steady decline in Stanford’s offensive efficacy and reached new lows in his final year. They ranked 94th among FBS teams in averaging 5.27 yards per play, 102nd in earning 40% of available yards per drive, and 108th with 1.65 points per drive.

Unfortunately, the Cardinal doesn’t have a ton of definitive playmakers whom Taylor can lean upon. For instance, at a minimum, the battle to replace quarterback Tanner McKee could involve Ari Patu, who has spent the last two seasons as a backup; Ashton Daniels, who played in ten games as a true freshman; and Justin Lamson, a Syracuse transfer.

Things are a little rosier at running back, where injuries took a toll last season. EJ Smith, the son of NFL legend Emmitt Smith, began last year as the starter and ran for 206 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries, but he played in just two games before a season-ending ailment. Casey Filkins (800 all-purpose yards, five total touchdowns) took over from there before another serious hurt ended his year. Assuming both are healthy, they could see a lot of work.

Outside of Yurosek, the passing game doesn’t have many answers. Senior John Humphreys (29 catches, 348 yards, one touchdown) is the veteran wide receiver of note, but this is a unit that could skew pretty young with players like sophomore Mudia Rueben and true freshmen Tiger Bachmeier and Ahmari Borden all theoretically capable of carving a role to see 20-30 targets.

That’s also true of an offensive line which brings back just one starter from 2022: senior guard Levi Rogers. The transfer portal could pay dividends here, however, as Stanford was able to bring in Harvard tackle Alec Bank and Penn guard Trevor Mayberry, both of whom were multi-year starters in the Ivy League. It could be tough to improve on last year’s finish, when the Cardinal allowed an 8% sack rate (98th in FBS) and a 19.9% stuff rate (102nd).

Defense

Where the offense limped along in Shaw’s final year, the bottom really fell out of his defense. Stanford coughed up 3.04 points per drive and 59.7% of available yards per drive, both of which ranked 124th in the country and were the worst such marks since BCFToys.com’s Brian Fremeau began tracking those metrics in 2007. The good news is that last year’s trials by fire gave Taylor’s new crew a bit of much-needed seasoning.

In the front seven, Bailey, Moi, and Bernadel headline a group that returns three of four starters on the defensive line and at least a little bit of returning experience at linebacker. For the former, defensive tackles Tobin Phillips (34 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks) and Anthony Franklin help anchor the interior while, for the latter, Tristan Sinclair returns after starting a pair of November contests.

As for the secondary, well… that’s anyone’s guess. Senior safety Alaka’i Gilman, and fifth-year cornerback Zahran Manley provide some veteran experience with seven combined starts across the last two seasons, but Stanford could easily decide upon a youth movement headed up by the likes of Colin Wright and Jimmy Wyrick. Considering this unit was actually a relative strength in 2022 — Stanford led the Pac-12 in opponents’ completion percentage and finished fourth in allowing 7.2 yards per attempt — such uncertainty doesn’t bode well for their chances of repeating that.

Early Prediction

Both teams are going to have plenty of questions on their plate headed into this Week 1 matchup, but Stanford is in a much worse place, at present, compared to Vanderbilt a year ago. It strikes me as exactly the kind of game where defense could be optional, which could make it the optimal proving ground for Hawaii’s newly revamped run-and-shoot offense.

Hawaii 38, Stanford 35

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Utah State Football: First Look At The Iowa Hawkeyes

The Aggies will have a big road test in 2023 against the defensive-minded Hawkeyes. Here’s a first look at Iowa.

Utah State Football: First Look at the Iowa Hawkeyes

The Aggies will have a big road test in 2023 against the defensive-minded Hawkeyes. Here’s a first look at Iowa.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire

Can the Aggies survive Iowa?

Utah State Football: First Look At 2023 Non-conference Opponents

Iowa | Idaho State | James Madison | UConn

One of the most beautiful things about college football is that there’s no right way to play the game.

Say what you will about the Iowa Hawkeyes, but the program has built a reputation around creating defensive fistfights, not always pretty to the casual viewer but a process that has helped them string together ten winning seasons in a row. It’s also helped them remain unbeaten against Mountain West opponents since the conference formed in 1999, a streak that the Utah State Aggies will hope to end this fall.

Location: Iowa City, Iowa

Conference: Big Ten

Series History: Iowa leads the all-time series against Utah State, 2-0.

2022 Record: 8-5 (5-4 Big Ten)

Head Coach: Kirk Ferentz (25th year, 186-115 overall). Starting the season with a 7-3 victory over eventual FCS champion South Dakota State and a 10-7 loss to rival Iowa State in a truly memorable El Assico should have told Iowa fans everywhere they were in for a heck of a rollercoaster last year. Following losses to Michigan and Ohio State early in conference play, though, the Hawkeyes kept themselves in play for the Big Ten crown until the bitter end, allowing 13 or fewer points during a four-game winning streak that was abruptly halted by a home loss to Nebraska at season’s end.

Despite concerns about stagnation, Ferentz’s program keeps chugging along, anyway, projected by ESPN’s Bill Connelly’s SP+ metric to possess the best defense in the country while the offense… is what it is.

Key Players

Cooper DeJean, CB

DeJean enters 2023 with a reputation as one of the best overall defenders anywhere in college football. He tallied an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 88.5 by making 75 total tackles, breaking up eight passes, and grabbing five interceptions (three of which he returned for touchdowns, by the way), putting him in the conversation to be a first-round selection in next year’s NFL Draft.

Tory Taylor, P

It makes perfect sense to talk punting when thinking about Iowa football, especially since Taylor has a reputation for being one of the best in the business. Taylor had an average of 45.4 yards per punt in 2022, with a net of 41.1 YPP which ranked 15th in FBS, which helped him earn All-American honors from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Phil Steele, and Pro Football Focus. Should the Hawkeyes call on him to flip the field, he can do it.

Cade McNamara, QB

One of two high-profile transfers to arrive in Iowa from Michigan, McNamara will compete for the starting job with a reputation as a solid winner in hand. He made 16 starts for the Wolverines but is best known for leading that team to the College Football Playoff in 2021, a season in which he completed 64.2% of his passes for 2,576 yards (at 7.9 yards per attempt) with 15 touchdowns and a 1.8% interception rate.

Erick All, TE

The other big Michigan transfer? That’s All, folks.

In 2022, the Fairfield, Ohio native only saw time in three games before an injury cut his season short, but he had been a major factor in the team’s CFP run the year before, catching 38 of 48 targets for 437 yards and two touchdowns. Iowa seems like a natural landing spot considering the program has previously developed George Kittle, T.J. Hockenson, Sam LaPorta, and others, meaning that the 6-foot-5, 250-pound tight end could be a matchup nightmare for numerous opponents.

Mason Richman, OT

The Hawkeyes have had a number of offensive line standouts over the years, but Richman’s steady presence in the last two seasons has kept things from getting worse for the offense. He earned the highest overall PFF grade, 66.4, of any Iowa lineman by allowing three sacks and six quarterback hits. Regardless of who wins the quarterback competition, he’ll be key as the blindside protector.

Overview:

Offense

Few coaches in college football have been as divisive in recent memory as Hawkeyes offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz. It’s not hard to understand why: Though Iowa finished 2022 with a net of +0.21 points per drive, their offense ranked 121st by that metric, right between Western Michigan and Nevada, while they finished 126th in available yards percentage earned per drive.

On paper, though, they’ve made at least one key upgrade by bringing in McNamara, though incumbent QB1 Spencer Petras (55.9% completion rate, 6.1 yards per attempt, five touchdowns, five interceptions) will compete to keep his job. Sophomore running back Kaleb Johnson could also build upon a strong first year (779 rushing yards, 5.16 yards per attempt, six TDs) with Leshon Williams back as a key depth piece.

Better quarterback play should also benefit Iowa’s pass catchers, not just All but fellow tight end Luke Lachey (28 catches, 398 yards, four TDs) and wide receiver Nico Ragaini (34-386-1). Improved offensive line play will help, too: Though the Hawkeyes bring back a trio of starters with Richman, center Logan Jones, and guard Nick DeJong while adding transfers like Rusty Feth (34 starts at Miami of Ohio) and Daijon Parker (Saginaw Valley State), they must improve a 9.6% sack rate which ranked 120th in the country and a 23.3% stuff rate that was 125th if they hope to compete for the Big Ten West title.

Defense

Sure, Iowa’s offense had problems but its defense was downright lethal last year. They led the nation by allowing just 1.10 points per drive and finished third in giving up just 32.3% of available yards per drive, which was the fourth straight season they finished in the top ten by both measures.

In spite of being tasked with replacing a trio of NFL Draft selections across this unit, they could defy regression yet again. Up front, it’ll start with Joe Evans, Noah Shannon, and Deontae Craig, who combined for 27.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks in 2022. Defensive tackle Logan Lee could continue to cause problems, as well, because he had the highest overall PFF grade (74.5) of anyone on the Hawkeyes defensive line last season on the strength of eight TFLs and three sacks.

Linebacker is a bigger question mark with the departure of All-American Jack Campbell. Virginia transfer Nick Jackson, a second-team all-ACC performer last year, and Jay Higgins, who made a pair of starts as a part-timer, should lead the charge in replacing his production.

Meanwhile, the secondary remains in good shape with DeJean locking down one cornerback position and Jermari Harris, who had four interceptions in 2021, covering the other after an injury wiped out his 2022 campaign. Sophomore safety Xavier Nwankpa could be the next big Iowa star after announcing himself with a pick-six in last year’s Music City Bowl, his first career start, but at a minimum he could pair with senior Quinn Schulte (71 tackles, six pass breakups, one interception) to give Iowa a tandem with high upside.

Early Prediction

Utah State might be improved on offense this year, but it probably won’t matter against an Iowa defense likely to put them in a chokehold and then keep them at arm’s length for four quarters.

Iowa 24, Utah State 7

Want to learn more about Iowa football? Be sure to visit our friends over at Hawkeyes Wire.

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Mountain West Football: First Look At The Oregon State Beavers

The Beavers surged in 2022, but their staying power will be tested by two of the Mountain West’s top teams in 2023.

Mountain West Football: First Look at the Oregon State Beavers

The Beavers surged in 2022, but their staying power will be tested by two of the Mountain West’s top teams in 2023.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire

Can the Mountain West breach the newly bolstered dam?

San Diego State Football: First Look at 2023 Non-conference Opponents

Ohio | Idaho State | UCLA | Oregon State

San Jose State Football: First Look At 2023 Non-conference Opponents

USC | Oregon State | Cal Poly | Toledo

If you’ve been wondering these days whether patience is a virtue, look no further than Oregon State football for your proof. Though it took five seasons to accomplish, the Beavers solidified their overall identity in 2022 and nailed down their first ten-win campaign since 2004.

While the likes of USC, Oregon, and Washington are deservedly considered front-runners for the Pac-12 crown this fall, OSU has built a foundation strong enough to challenge that projected order. That could mean the Beavers will be a difficult assignment for both San Diego State and San Jose State in non-conference play.

Location: Corvallis, Oregon

Conference: Pac-12

Series History: Oregon State leads the all-time series against San Diego State, 3-2, and leads the all-time series against San Jose State, 4-2.

2022 Record: 10-3 (6-3 Pac-12)

Head Coach: Jonathan Smith (sixth year, 26-31 overall). Oregon State had bottomed out with a 1-11 season in 2017 under Smith’s predecessor, Gary Andersen, but the Beavers made strides year after year before a big leap forward in 2022 which included wins over Boise State, Fresno State, and rival Oregon (and which could have been even better if not for three-point losses to both USC and Washington).

Now that the bar has been raised, the expectation is that they’ll remain a dangerous foe for those at the top of the Pac-12, a belief buoyed by the fact OSU returns 64% of last year’s production (including 76% on offense) and projects 30th by preseason SP+.

Key Players

Jake Levengood, C

If you’re thinking to yourself, “A center? Really?”, consider that Levengood spent two seasons as one of the best guards in the Pac-12 before moving to center in 2022 and thriving there, too. He finished tenth among all FBS centers with an overall PFF grade of 79.2, allowing zero sacks and just one quarterback hit in 807 snaps. Don’t be shocked if he makes a run at the Rimington Trophy this fall.

Damien Martinez, RB

If you’re trying to identify the top young running back in college football, Martinez has to be on the shortlist. The Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and first-team all-conference running back ran for 982 yards and seven touchdowns on just 161 carries, a performance that included six straight games in which he earned over 100 yards. Given the turnover at the position in his conference, he might already be the best running back in the Pac-12.

Kitan Oladipo, S

The Beavers secondary played at a high level in 2022, but Oladipo is one of the few holdovers back for this season. They’re surely glad to have him, though, considering he finished last year ranked tenth among Pac-12 defenders with a PFF overall grade of 79.9 on the strength of 81 total tackles, four tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and six pass breakups.

DJ Uiagalelei, QB

One of the highest-profile names to switch schools through the transfer portal this off-season, Uiagalelei is almost certainly one of the country’s biggest X-factors headed in 2023. After landing in the public consciousness as a true freshman in 2020, he lost his grip on the starting job at Clemson following numerous struggles over the past two years, finishing his career with the Tigers having completed 59.8% of 861 pass attempts for 5,681 yards and 36 touchdowns against a 1.9% interception rate.

The former five-star prospect still has the physical goods to make the Beavers offense dangerous, however, as he also rushed for 913 yards and 15 touchdowns in three seasons at Clemson. If he rediscovers his touch, Uiagalelei could be one of the best quarterbacks in the nation.

Jack Velling, TE

Oregon State always seems to have one or three quality tight ends on their roster at any given moment, which means that Velling could be in for big things after making seven starts as a true freshman and grabbing 16 of 24 targets for 281 yards and three touchdowns. That 17.4 yards per reception ranked fourth among all FBS tight ends with at least 20 targets, so linebackers and safeties beware.

Overview:

Offense

The Beavers continued their recent run of strong performance on offense last season, finishing in the top 50 among all FBS teams by points per drive for the fourth straight year (2.68 PPD, 31st) and earning 51.7% of available yards per drive (40th). That came on the strength of an offensive line that knew how to open running lanes (54.2% opportunity rate, 9th) and protect the quarterback (4.3% sack rate allowed, 27th) and a trio of running backs who combined to run for 2,023 yards, at 5.6 yards per carry, and 18 touchdowns.

All three members of that trio — Martinez, DeShaun Fenwick, and Jamious Griffin — are back for 2023. The offensive line, headlined by Levengood and tackles Taliese Fuaga (80.4 PFF grade, 25th among FBS tackles) and Joshua Gray (79.9 PFF grade), also brought in Nevada transfer Grant Starck (76.0 PFF grade) and could very well make another collective run at the Joe Moore Award.

The bigger questions surround the passing game, where Uiagalelei will have to prove he’s a definitively better option than Ben Gulbranson, who stepped up when called upon as a redshirt freshman in 2022 and completed 62.4% of his throws for 1,455 yards (7.5 yards per attempt), nine touchdowns, and a 2.5% interception rate. Pass catchers will need to step up in order to replace the star trio of Tre’Shaun Harrison, Tyjon Lindsey, and Luke Musgrave, as well, though the good news is that Silas Bolden (23 catches, 305 yards, four touchdowns), Anthony Gould, and Velling all return to provide a few proven options for whoever emerges at quarterback.

Defense

Where the offense maintained, the OSU defense took a major step forward by rising to the top of the Pac-12 by allowing 5.19 yards per play and vaulting to 17th and 26th, respectively, in points per drive allowed and available yards percentage per drive allowed. That marked their best overall performance on this side of the ball since arguably 2012.

They have a few pressing questions to answer heading into 2023, though. First, for as good as they were last season OSU managed a team sack rate of only 4.4%, which ranked 119th in the country. Where defensive linemen Sione Lolohea and James Rawls combined for 16 tackles for loss, they also managed just 3.5 sacks; Wyoming transfer Oluwaseyi Omotosho (6.5 sacks) could help with that, but they should remain stout against the run with veteran defensive tackle Isaiah Hodgins also back in the fold.

At linebacker, the major question is how they’ll replace the tandem Omar Speights, who transferred to LSU, and Kyrei Fisher-Morris. They do return Easton Mascarenas-Arnold (37 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss) and John McCartan (34 tackles, 4.5 TFLs) while bringing in transfers like CJ Hart (Illinois) and Mason Tufaga (Utah), but battling regression here could be tough.

That’s also true of the secondary to a certain extent, which brings back Oladipo, Akili Arnold, Alton Julian, and nickelback Ryan Cooper but will need to replace a trio of productive veterans. Is it likely that they’ll have more interceptions than touchdowns against them again? Maybe not, but they’ve built a modest reputation for development and can’t be overlooked.

Early Predictions

The Beavers won’t sneak up on anyone this year but, despite the lingering defensive concerns at present, the potency of Oregon State’s offense might be too much for both the Aztecs and Spartans to contain for sixty minutes.

Oregon State 35, San Diego State 20

Oregon State 30, San Jose State 24

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Mountain West Football: First Look At The USC Trojans

The Trojans look well on their way to becoming a Pac-12 power again, but they’ll first contend with two Mountain West teams in 2023.

Mountain West Football: First Look at the USC Trojans

The Trojans look well on their way to becoming a Pac-12 power again, but they’ll first contend with two Mountain West teams in 2023.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire

Unlike some bluebloods, USC might actually be “back”.

Nevada Football: First Look at 2023 Non-conference Opponents

USC | Idaho | Kansas | Texas State

San Jose State Football: First Look At 2023 Non-conference Opponents

USC | Oregon State | Cal Poly | Toledo

After several years in the wilderness, the USC Trojans announced their return with an exclamation point in 2022.

First came the shocking hire of head coach Lincoln Riley. Then, quarterback Caleb Williams followed Riley from Oklahoma to Los Angeles. Then came a wealth of other incoming transfers and, when all was said and done, the men of Troy were back in a New Year’s Six bowl game for the first time since 2017.

The expectation to write a Hollywood ending remains as high as ever, however, which means that Nevada and San Jose State will tangle with a very talented and motivated Trojans roster in non-conference play.

Location: Los Angeles, California

Conference: Pac-12

Series History: USC leads the all-time series against Nevada, 5-0, and leads the series against San Jose State, 5-0.

2022 Record: 11-3 (8-1 Pac-12)

Head Coach: Lincoln Riley (second year; 11-3 at USC, 66-13 overall). Riley’s sudden exit from Norman sent shockwaves across the college football landscape, but he hit the ground running at USC thanks to a Heisman-winning quarterback and a defense with a knack for creating lots of turnovers. The only real blemishes were an inability to defeat Utah, who stunned the Trojans twice last season, and letting a 15-point, fourth-quarter Cotton Bowl lead slip away against Tulane.

Heading in 2023, USC is one of the few teams nationally which could claim missing the College Football Playoff will qualify as a disappointment. Considering the Trojans are projected 7th overall by preseason SP+ and return 76% of last year’s production, they’re certainly loaded for bear.

Key Players

Caleb Williams, QB

What can you say about Williams that a Heisman Trophy wouldn’t say for you? Williams posted an overall PFF grade of 91.7 on the strength of 52 total touchdowns (42 passing, ten rushing), a 66.6% completion rate through which he averaged 9.1 yards per attempt, and a minuscule 1% interception rate. He’s already widely considered a candidate to be selected first overall in next year’s NFL Draft, so it’s really more a matter of containing his talent rather than stopping it.

Emmanuel Pregnon, OG

The Mountain West has seen a number of talented players leave for the Power 5 over the last couple years, but Pregnon’s exit from Wyoming is nothing but good news for the Trojans. In his lone season as a starter for the Cowboys, Pregnon allowed just two sacks and four hurries in 625 total snaps, finishing fourth among Mountain West guards with an overall PFF grade of 73.9.

Calen Bullock, S

Since starting as a true freshman two years ago, Bullock has done nothing to dispel the belief that he’s one of the top safeties in the country. Pro Football Focus tabbed him as a first-team All-American last year after he earned a 82.5 overall grade with 48 total tackles, five pass breakups, and five interceptions.

Tajh Washington, WR

Yes, Caleb Williams has a comical amount of weapons at his disposal, but Washington is a difference maker out of the slot. 87.4% of his snaps came inside last year and he finished second to Jordan Addison in receptions (50), receiving yards (785), and receiving touchdowns (six). With Addison off to the pros, he could be in line for more than the 70 targets he saw in 2022.

Mason Cobb, LB

Cobb is far from the only new Trojan slated for a big role this fall, but the Oklahoma State transfer is a strong candidate to be the best of that bunch. He racked up 13 tackles for loss last season, tied for fifth-most among Big 12 defenders, and 96 total tackles, which ranked in a tie for seventh. Pro Football Focus also credited him with 51 stops (third in Big 12), so chances are you’ll hear his name early and often on Saturdays this fall.

Overview:

Offense

We can keep this one simple: USC’s offense was sick in 2022. The Trojans tied for first among all FBS teams by averaging 3.76 points per drive and ranked fourth in earning 65.9% of available yards per drive, though it might suffice to note that they were one of just five offenses to average seven yards per play.

It might be setting an absurdly high standard to expect USC to do it again… but they could. Williams is as good an engineer as you’ll find in college football and Washington is just one of the many pass-catching talents at his disposal: Mario Williams (40 catches, 631 yards, five touchdowns) and Brendan Rice (39-611-4) are both back and the Trojans added Dorian Singer (66-1105-6 at Arizona) from the transfer portal. It’s a true embarrassment of riches.

There are more questions at running back and offensive line but — surprise! — the Trojans have loaded those units, too. Travis Dye, last year’s top running back, is gone but Austin Jones (135 carries, 705 yards, six total touchdowns) returns and USC courted MarShawn Lloyd (111-573-9 at South Carolina) from the transfer portal. It’s the same story up front, as well: Andrew Voorhees and Brett Neilon have moved on, but Pregnon, Jarrett Kingston (Washington State), and Michael Tarquin (Florida) could all step in alongside senior swingman Justin Dedich (79.1 PFF grade) and junior tackle Jonah Monheim to keep things rolling along.

Oh, did we also mention this offense is adding the top wide receiver prospect (Zaccariah Branch) and the top tight end prospect (Duce Robinson) from the 2023 recruiting class? This unit could crack 40 points a game again without breaking a sweat.

Defense

For as often as the offense dazzled, the defense had stars but often gave up a ton of ground. Where the offense ranked in the top five by points per drive and available yards percentage per drive, USC’s defense ranked 111th and 116th, respectively, and while their team sack rate was a respectable 7.6% (34th) and a +21 turnover margin paced the nation, it’s very telling that they also finished 124th in yards per play allowed.

Needless to say, defensive coordinator Alex Grinch has been a very divisive figure who’s now tasked with finding success in more sustainable ways. Up front, the defensive line is likely to revolve around a number of incoming transfers like Kyon Barrs (39 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss at Arizona), Jamil Muhammad (44 tackles, five TFLs at Georgia State), and Anthony Lucas (Texas A&M), though holdovers like Solomon Byrd, Romello Height, and former #1 overall recruit Korey Foreman could also factor in.

The linebacker unit should also be fully stocked with veterans like Shane Lee (78 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks) and Eric Gentry (71 tackles, four TFLs, two sacks) joining forces with Cobb and highly-regarded freshmen like Tackett Curtis.

In the secondary, Bullock and Max Williams (79 tackles, five pass breakups, two interceptions) give the Trojans a reliable safety tandem, but how things will shake out at cornerback is a little less clear. Youngsters like Ceyair Wright and Domani Jackson will sort that out alongside Arizona transfer Christian Roland-Wallace (58 tackles, six pass breakups, two forced fumbles) and others, and it’ll take a group effort to improve upon the 63.7% completion rate and eight yards per attempt they allowed to opponents in 2022.

Early Predictions

Nevada could be much improved and San Jose State may look like a conference title contender as 2023 progresses, but it’s doubtful either of these games will be close.

USC 59, Nevada 7

USC 45, San Jose State 17

Want to learn more about USC football? Be sure to visit our friends over at Trojans Wire.

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Mountain West Football: First Look At The Idaho State Bengals

The Bengals are once again starting from scratch and will contend with San Diego State and Utah State in non-conference action.

Mountain West Football: First Look at the Idaho State Bengals

The Bengals are once again starting from scratch and will contend with San Diego State and Utah State in non-conference action.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire

A familiar foe, but can they be more than a tune-up?

San Diego State Football: First Look at 2023 Non-conference Opponents

Ohio | Idaho State | UCLA | Oregon State

Utah State Football: First Look At 2023 Non-conference Opponents

Iowa | Idaho State | James Madison | UConn

Life in the FCS isn’t always an easy existence. Just ask the Idaho State Bengals.

It’s been five years since the Bengals have had a winning campaign and 40 years since they made their last appearance in the playoffs, signifiers of a difficult job that remained so when Charlie Ragle spent 2022 as ISU’s head coach, finished a turbulent 1-10, and promptly resigned in order to bolt to Arizona State. With a new leader in tow, however, Idaho State might finally be ready to construct their path out of the Big Sky’s cellar… but not before hitting the road to face both San Diego State and Utah State in non-conference play this fall.

Location: Pocatello, Idaho

Conference: Big Sky

Series History: San Diego State leads the all-time series over ISU, 2-0, while Utah State holds an 18-2 all-time advantage.

2022 Record: 1-10 (1-7 Big Sky)

Head Coach: Cody Hawkins (first year). After Rob Phenicie mustered just one winning season in five years at the helm, it was thought that Ragle’s arrival from Cal might be the fix ISU needed, but after a season in which the Bengals finished 118th in scoring offense and 108th in scoring defense, the program now turns to Hawkins.

If that surname sounds familiar, it’s because he played quarterback for his father, former Boise State head coach Dan Hawkins, at Colorado in the late 2000s before later coaching under him at UC Davis beginning in 2017. He served in a handful of roles on staff over the years, most notably as the team’s offensive coordinator in 2021-22, and now returns to the Gem State with hopes of engineering the turnaround of a long-suffering program.

Key Players

Hunter Hays, QB

Three different players threw at least 39 passes for the Bengals in 2022, but Hays had the most success when given the opportunity to take the field. He finished the season completing 63.5% of his passes for 1,251 yards with five touchdowns and six interceptions, though Pro Football Focus notes that he had just 2.49 seconds to throw on average, the sixth-lowest figure in the Big Sky, and took 18 sacks. With better protection in front of him, the junior could help shepherd ISU’s attack in the right direction.

Josh Alford, CB

After being named a team captain as a sophomore last year, Alford built upon his 2021 campaign and has a strong case as ISU’s best overall defender. He notched a team-high nine pass breakups and added one interception to go along with 47 total tackles, numbers which could put him in the conversation for an all-conference nod with another step forward or two this fall.

Calvin Pitcher, S

No one on the Idaho State roster had a busier 2022 than the Corona, California native Pitcher, who played a team-high 701 snaps and returns to the fold as the Bengals’ leading returning tackler after collecting 62 last season. When targeted, he held opposing receivers to just 8.8 yards per reception, so he’ll be counted upon to continue as a solid anchor in the secondary.

Raiden Hunter, RB

In an offense with few established contributors, Hunter’s junior season could be a busy one. Last year, he led the Bengals with 451 rushing yards on 93 attempts, though he only scored once while playing within a committee. The brighter news: According to PFF, Hunter also forced 25 missed tackles on that modest workload.

David Rowe, DL

Rowe has quietly emerged for ISU over the past two seasons, setting career bests in 2022 with 47 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks while pacing the Bengals defense with an overall PFF grade of 77.4.

Overview:

Offense

There’s no getting around the reality that this unit struggled mightily in 2022, averaging only 4.87 yards per play while scoring more than 21 points just one time. Three different quarterbacks combined to throw 11 touchdowns and 16 interceptions while the offense’s top two scorers, Xavier Guillory and Benjamin Omayebu, transferred this off-season to Arizona State and Tarleton State, respectively.

It could take time, then, for Hawkins to turn this around because there are questions everywhere. Hays is the nominal QB1 for now, but the Idaho State Journal’s Greg Woods noted this spring that the competition is wide open and could include others like Keegan Thompson and Mikey Zele. It wouldn’t be a huge shock if ISU operated in a timeshare when they take the field against SDSU later this fall.

The news in the backfield is at least a little more promising, at least, with both Hunter and Keoua Kauhi back to lead the charge at running back. Finding a field stretcher to replace Guillory won’t be easy, but the Bengals do boast a couple interesting big targets: Wide receiver Christian Fredericksen (14 catches, 217 yards, two touchdowns) is listed at 6-foot-4 while 6-foot-3 tight end Cyrus Wallace (33 catches, 249 yards) returns as the team leader in receptions and yards from a year ago.

As for the offensive line? Well, there’s nowhere to go but up after allowing 31 sacks, the most in the Big Sky, but they’ll have to figure out how to replace four starters in the trenches. Guards Syr Riley and Jacob Angel provide at least some continuity but they only played roughly 500 combined snaps in 2022. Solving this puzzle could unlock a lot more production.

Defense

Despite the best efforts of Rowe, Alford, Charles Ike and others, things often weren’t much better on this side of the ball than they were on offense. In 2022, ISU gave up 6.18 yards per play and a whopping 48.7% third-down conversion rate to go along with 36.5 points per game, but are things looking less grim headed into 2023?

Perhaps. Losing linebackers Ike and Jack Genova and safety Quantraill Morris-Walker will hurt, but the cupboard isn’t totally bare. The defensive line trio of Rowe, Cortland Horton, and Spencer Tatafu (18 combined tackles for loss, six combined sacks) will need to help perk up a pass rush that managed only 21 sacks last season.

The secondary, meanwhile, seems in reasonably good shape with Alford, Pitcher, and Jihad Brown (32 tackles, five pass breakups, one interception) back for another round. If they can get help in front of them, the Bengals should be able to improve on the 7.65 yards per attempt they allowed last year.

Early Predictions

Hawkins heads to Pocatello as one of the youngest head coaches anywhere in college football, but it seems most likely that he’ll have to hope the long rebuild won’t age him prematurely against the Aztecs and Aggies, both of whom should win their contests handily.

San Diego State 45, Idaho State 10

Utah State 38, Idaho State 13

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