conspectus
\ kən-ˈspek-təs \
noun
1: a usually brief survey or summary (as of an extensive subject) often providing an overall view
Each week, Greg Brandt and/or Brad McDaniel will write a conspectus from the week of football that was. We finally had a full slate of college football, so we have plenty of news and performances to analyze.
USC Loses JT Daniels For the Season:
The Trojans lose sophomore starting QB JT Daniels to a torn ACL and meniscus. Daniels started 11 games in 2018 as a true freshman. The combination of Offensive Coordinator Graham Harrell and Daniels was one I was looking forward to seeing in 2019. USC will turn to true freshman Kedon Slovis, who took over in relief Saturday night. Slovis was only a 3-star recruit but received rave reviews upon arriving on campus.
True Freshman QB Debuts:
Bo Nix got the honor of making his first career start in a prime time game against the Oregon Ducks. Nix struggled most of the game but led the Tigers to a late TD to pull ahead of the Ducks. Nix only completed 42% of his passes for 177 yards, 2 TDs, and 2 INTs.
Max Duggan didn’t get the start for TCU, but he outperformed Alex Delton on Saturday night. He completed nearly 70% of his passes for 165 yards and a TD. Duggan appears to be on track to start sooner or later for the Horned Frogs.
Bo Nix wasn’t the only QB that had some late magic in his debut. Sam Howell capped off a late comeback against South Carolina with two late touchdown passes. Howell completed 63% of his passes for 245 yards and 2 TDs.
Hank Bachmeier wouldn’t be outdone by his fellow freshmen QBs on Saturday. Boise State had a large deficit at halftime. Led by the arm of Bachmeier, the Broncos made a major comeback. Attempting 51 passes on the day, Bachmeier completed 59% of his passes for over 400 yards.
Jayden Daniels kicked off the true freshman QB play on Thursday night. Daniels completed over 60% of his passes for 284 yards and two TDs but did take five sacks on the night.
SEC East Woes:
The SEC’s East division took some significant blows on opening weekend. After an already weak performance during Week 0 from Florida. The East saw Missouri, South Carolina, and Tennessee all lose out of conference games. Tennessee let a 2-10 Georgia State team come into Neyland Stadium and move the ball up and down the field. South Carolina is now in year four of the Jake Bentley experiment, and it still isn’t going too well. The fourth-year starter only completed 50% of his balls for 142 yards and a whopping 4.7 yards per attempt. Missouri allowed Wyoming to rush for nearly 300 yards on its way to a 38-31 upset. Vanderbilt also lost but lost to fellow SEC East team, Georgia.
Jordan Whittington out 4-6 Weeks
The Longhorns’ freshman RB is flying to Philadelphia today to have a sports hernia surgically repaired. He is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. That’s a considerable blow for the Texas offense with a matchup vs LSU up next.
Matthew Baldwin is Eligible After All
The NCAA initially ruled Ohio State transfer Matthew Baldwin ineligible at TCU. News broke yesterday when Gary Patterson said TCU won the appeal and the former four-star QB is now eligible for the 2019 season. Max Duggan might have separated himself from Alex Delton Saturday, but this news, while great for Baldwin, likely muddies the QB pecking order for the Horned Frogs.
Top Catches from the Weekend
We witnessed several great one-handed catches this weekend. Here they are in one place.
