The college football season is officially underway! I know, this isn’t the first weekend of games, but this was the first weekend with meaningful games. With meaningful games comes meaningful moments and players. These are the players that stood out in the official Week 1 of 2020’s college football season.
Trevor Lawrence, Junior, QB, Clemson
Given the hype around him, Trev-Dawg has to do a lot to stand out and he did just that against Wake Forest. Lawrence threw for 351 yards and a touchdown while also punching in two rushing touchdowns near the goal line. Lawrence is a Heisman favorite and will be on display again this Saturday against The Citadel Bulldogs – maybe only for the first half though.
Sam Ehlinger, Senior, QB, Texas
Sam Ehlinger returns to Texas for what feels like his sixth season in Austin and was very impressive in Week 1. Ehlinger led the Longhorns to their first win of the year with five passing touchdowns and 426 yards before letting the young guys run the offense. Ehlinger will get a bye week before taking on Texas Tech on September 26th.
Spencer Rattler, Redshirt Freshman, QB, Oklahoma
We saw Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray transfer to OU and win the Heisman. We saw Jalen Hurts transfer in and finish second in Heisman voting. But we’ve all been wondering what it would look like if head coach Lincoln Riley got his hands on a freshman QB and molded him for two to three years. As a Texas fan, let me tell ya, I’m nervous. Rattler looked very good, albeit against a poor Missouri State team, in his first start as the OU signal caller – throwing for 290 yards and four touchdowns. Rattler and the Sooners will take on Kansas State, which just got torched by Arkansas State, on September 26th.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Redshirt Junior, LB, Notre Dame
Owusu-Koramoah, whose teammates call him Wu, has been on the radar all offseason but really stood out on the Notre Dame defense in their first game. Wu plays all over the field – edge, linebacker, safety, nickel corner and anywhere else they need him. Wu looked and played bigger than his listed 215 lbs while making plays all over the field for the Irish. Wu will be skyrocketing up draft boards after a great opening weekend.
Kyren Williams, Redshirt Freshman, RB, Notre Dame
Sticking with Notre Dame, freshman running back Kyren Williams was somewhat unknown headed into the season but burst onto the scene to the tune of 112 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Notre Dame needs someone to take the pressure off quarterback Ian Book and I think they found that guy on Saturday.