Weekend Walk-through: Week 1, 2022

Here’s a quick walk-through of things we are watching this weekend in games we did not preview individually. Items will appear in the order they will appear on your televisions this weekend.

Will a #1 Receiver Emerge for Purdue?

Since the 2018 season Purdue has been blessed with great wide receiver play from Rondale Moore then David Bell. Milton Wright was the most likely guy to carry the torch in 2022, but he was ruled academically ineligible this off-season. This leaves the Purdue offense in a bind, they were not very good running the ball last season and that was with Bell and Wright there to threaten the defense. Quarterback, Aidan O’Connell will need a new go-to receiver to step up and soon as Purdue opens the season with a Big Ten match-up against Penn State. Two players who could fill that role are sophomores Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen and Collin Sullivan. Time will tell if they or anyone else on the roster is ready to step-up, but Purdue needs it to happen.

Is Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim Healthy?

New Mexico State is not expected to challenge Minnesota, but this will be the first game action for Mohamed Ibrahim since last year’s season opener. He was off to a great start against Ohio State, before suffering a season ending injury. Ibrahim is Minnesota’s best offensive weapon and is critical to the team’s success this season. Hopefully he does not have to play deep into this game, but it will be nice to see him show the same burst, cutting ability and power he did last year and help the Gophers build a big lead.

More RB Transfer Magic for Michigan State?

Michigan State struck gold in the transfer portal before the 2021 season, when they landed RB Kenneth Walker. Walker had a remarkable season but has moved on to the NFL, so the Spartans are trying a similar formula again. This time they have added two transfer running backs and either or both could play a key role this fall. Jarek Broussard had a big year at Colorado in 2020, but struggled to replicate that success last season. Jalen Berger also showed promise in 2020 averaging over 5 yards per carry at Wisconsin, but did not see significant playing time last year and made the move to Michigan State. Both juniors will look to imitate what Walker did at Michigan State and revive their career, but it remains to be seen if either player is up to the task.

Sonny Dykes Brings His Offense to TCU

Gary Patterson had a successful tenure at TCU, but did so behind the strength of his defense. That defense fell off in 2021 and the Gary Patterson era came to an end, as well. Enter Sonny Dykes, the offensive mastermind whose SMU teams had been lighting up the scoreboard in nearby Dallas the last few seasons. There’s excitement about the offense he could bring to TCU with weapons like Quentin Johnston, Taye Barber and Kendre Miller. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that Dykes has not named a starting quarterback or running back on his first depth chart. Colorado is a solid first game for the offense Dykes will be unveiling at TCU Friday night, no one will be surprised if it’s an exciting show.

North Carolina is in for a Test at Appalachian State

North Carolina beat Florida A&M comfortably in week 0, but that was a shorthanded Florida A&M team that was already over-matched. The good news is Drake Maye looked fantastic at quarterback in his first start for the Tar Heels as did true freshman running backs Omarion Hampton and George Pettaway, who could one day form a thunder and lightning duo in the backfield. The competition will by much tougher in week 1, Appalachian State is a quality team that has won at least nine games in each of the last seven seasons. They beat North Carolina in 2019 and will be at home for the match-up on Saturday. This game will tell us a lot more about the Tar Heels than the tune-up in week 0 did.

How Good are Cincinnati and Arkansas This Year?

Cincinnati had an incredible run in 2021, they ran the table through a challenging regular season schedule and made the College Football Playoff. 2021 was a dream season, but waking up in 2022 may prove tough. The Bearcats are replacing star quarterback Desmond Ridder and eight other NFL draft picks, including first round cornerback Sauce Gardner. That is a ton of talent and production to replace, it would be unrealistic to expect Cincinnati to be as good as they were in 2021, but how steep will the drop off be.

Sam Pittman led Arkansas to a nine win season in 2021, that’s two more wins than the Razorbacks had the three previous seasons combined. While the Razorbacks return plenty of talent, including star quarterback KJ Jefferson, they did lose their top receiver and play-maker, Treylon Burks. Burks was far and away the best receiver on the team and his departure leaves a huge void in the Arkansas offense. Arkansas did add Jadon Haselwood from Oklahoma to help makeup for the lost production, but Burks will be missed in Fayetteville.

Cincinnati and Arkansas do not get a tune-up game to get ready and figure out what they have in 2022, they will face off against one another in the season opener and we will find out quickly how ready these teams are to build on their success from 2021.

Utah’s Potential Playoff Run Can’t Happen Without a Win at Florida

The Utah football program reached new heights in 2021. The Utes won the Pac-12 and played in the Rose Bowl for the first time in program history. With quarterback Cam Rising back to lead an offense that returns eight starters, there is hope Utah can make a playoff push in 2022. The defense returns talent in the secondary but only has five returning starters overall. Billy Napier would love to grab a big win in his first game at Florida and will try to create mismatches for his offense to exploit against an inexperienced Utah defense.

Despite the inexperience on defense (and humidity in Florida) Utah should be able to follow their quarterback’s lead and get a much needed road win. The Pac-12 has been left out of the last five College Football Playoffs and a loss Saturday would make it difficult for Utah to find their way back into the discussion, but a win would be an excellent first step on that journey.

Army will be a tough match-up for Coastal Carolina

Army has won 9 games each of the last two seasons. The Black Knights have not had the success Coastal Carolina has enjoyed recently, but they have been very good running the triple option and grinding out wins. Where Coastal Carolina wants to let Grayson McCall loose, Army will attempt to grind the game out and limit the number of times the Chanticleers get the ball. That style puts pressure on opponents to take advantage of their opportunities or watch the game melt away. McCall and Coastal Carolina are expecting to have a big year but this is a tough season opener.

LSU and Florida State Looking to Regain Past Glory

Florida State won the national championship in 2013 but has not won more than seven games since 2016. LSU‘s most recent championship came in 2019, but the Tigers have not been over .500 the two seasons since. Both programs are used to success and want to show the college football world they have righted the ship this Sunday. Mike Norvell is in his third season with the Seminoles and has had limited success so far in his tenure. Brian Kelly is making his debut at LSU after a strong stretch at Notre Dame, he will try to engineer a quick turnaround in year one.

Florida State has their starting quarterback in Jordan Travis, he is a dangerous runner and improved his passing last year. Unfortunately for the Seminoles, LSU’s defense has a strong defensive front led by BJ Ojulari and Jaquelin Roy that will put pressure on the quarterback. The Tiger’s will test the Florida State offensive line and disrupt the offense as a whole with the pressure they create. LSU will have a new quarterback (probably Jayden Daniels), but Kayshon Boutte leads a talented group of receivers that should lead the way for the Tigers. The match-up seems to favor LSU, but there is a lot of uncertainty about this game. A win will not prove either program is “back”, but it will show which one is closer to achieving that goal.

Is DJ Uiagalelei Going to Bounce Back?

DJ Uiagalelei struggled mightily in 2021 as Clemson‘s starting quarterback. Without much competition in the quarterback room, he was able to make it through the season as the starter but never found his rhythm. In 2022, he will be pushed by true freshman, Cade Klubnik who was one of the top quarterback recruits in the country in the class of 2022. Uiagalelei is the starter to begin the year but it would behoove him to get off to a good start against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have not been very good recently, but they did give Clemson a scare last year. Uiagalelei only averaged five yards per attempt that game and only threw for 126 yards. If he struggles again this year, it won’t be long until Klubnik takes over behind center.

Other Previews

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