College football is here and the opening weekend was nothing short of exciting. The opening game of the weekend between Iowa State and Kansas State came down to the final minutes, and we had a Conference USA game that was a shootout. But the majority of Saturday was taken up by games that featured Mountain West teams. In this edition of “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly,” we are going to take a look at how each of the three Mountain West teams in action did.
The Good
Hawaii
It wasn’t always pretty, but the Rainbow
Warriors showed grit and determination in their win over Stanford. This was a much needed victory for Hawaii head coach Timmy Chang. Chang has lacked a signature victory during his tenure on the islands. The win was obviously huge for a team that desperately needs a winning season, but we also saw the emergence of two stars. Freshman quarterback Micah Alejado was solid completing 27 of 39 passes for 210 yards. He showed a ton of heart coming back into the game after suffering a leg injury that looked like it would keep him out of action for an extended period of time. Hopefully, the injury does not prove to be significant and Alejado is able to play in Hawaii’s next game. Alejado’s emergence was expected, but there was an unexpected hero for the Rainbow Warriors. Kansei Matsuzawa is a Japanese kicker that learned his craft on YouTube. He made all three of his field goal attempts, including the game winning kick as time expired.
The Bad
UNLV
The playoff expectations in Las Vegas might need to slow down after UNLV was fortunate to leave week zero with a 38-31 win over an Idaho State team that isn’t expected to do much at the FCS level. There was a lot to take away from this game, so let’s start with the good for the Rebels. Running back Jai’Den Thomas is the real deal and will be a force in the Mountain West this season. Quarterback Anthony Colandrea looked solid and could end up being one of the best quarterbacks in the conference by the end of the season. On the other side of things, I am really concerned about this team’s offensive line. Colandrea was under consistent pressure and the team surrendered three sacks and seven tackles for loss. There are also a number of things to be concerned about on the defensive side of the ball. The Rebels gave up 555 yards, had major breakdowns in the secondary, and missed a number of tackles. If it wasn’t for a couple of late interceptions, the Rebels would have opened the season with a loss that would have devastated their season. Luckily, a win is a win. But I would be concerned if I were a Rebel fan.
The Ugly
Fresno State
I was feeling pretty optimistic after Fresno State’s first drive. They were able to drive down the field and new quarterback EJ Warner looked efficient leading the team to a touchdown. Unfortunately, that drive was the highlight of the game for a Bulldog team that failed to score the rest of the game and left Kansas with a 31-7 loss. New head coach Matt Entz made it clear that he wanted to build a physical team that could run the ball. The team managed only 37 yards on 29 carries. This may be a new coaching staff, but the weaknesses the Bulldogs showed in this game looked eerily similar to what we saw last season. The offensive line was pushed around, allowing three sacks and ten tackles for loss. If this team is going to be a legitimate contender in the Mountain West, they will need to be much better in the trenches.
What stood out to you from week one? Are any of the teams that were in action a legitimate contender? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
