3 Stars of College Football: Week 1

As the 2019 NCAAF season is underway, there were plenty of standout players. With that, here are three in particular who stood out:

1) Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma

20/23, 332 Yds, 3 TD; 16 Att, 163 Yds, 3 TD

Wearing the same #1 jersey that Kyler Murray wore last year, Hurts started off the campaign exactly the way you would expect from a school and coach that have produced back-to-back Heisman winning transfer quarterbacks. The 508 total yards he put up against Houston was good for fifth-most in school history, and his 176 rushing yards is the second-highest total for an Oklahoma QB, behind Thomas Lott’s 195 yards in 1976. The Heisman hype for Hurts has started, and he’ll have a chance to put up similar numbers next week against South Dakota.

2) Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson

12 Att, 205 Yds, 3 TD

On a night where Trevor Lawrence wasn’t stellar, Etienne ignited the Clemson offense with touchdown runs of 14, 48, and 90 yards as the Tigers beat Georgia Tech 52-14. As a team, Clemson rushed for a total of 411 yards on 49 attempts, paced by Etienne’s 17.1 yards per carry on just 12 attempts. The Tigers get Texas A&M next week, so we’ll see what Etienne can do as a follow up against an SEC defense.

3) Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin

16 Att, 135 Yds, 2 TD; 2 Rec, 48 Yds, 2 TD

A game that some people had pegged as an upset alert, Taylor ran all over South Florida, and even had his first two career receiving touchdowns en route to a 49-0 Badgers win. Of his 28 career games at Wisconsin, Taylor had eclipsed 100 yards in 23 of them, and he looks to be a good bet to lead the nation in rushing once again. The Badgers return home next week to face Central Michigan; a game where Taylor should be expected to rush for 100+ yards again.

Honorable Mentions

Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State: 18/25, 234 Yds, 4 TD; 12 Att, 61 Yds, TD

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama: 26/31, 336 Yds, 4 TD

Joe Burrow, QB, LSU: 23/27, 278 Yds, 5 TD

Isaih Pacheco, RB, Rutgers: 20 Att, 156 Yds, 4 TD

Chuba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma State: 26 Att, 221 Yds, 3 TD

Mekhi Sargent, RB, Iowa: 14 Att, 91 Yds, TD; 4 Rec, 65 Yds

Cedric Byrd II, WR, Hawai’i: 14 Rec, 224 Yds, 4 TD

Lujuan Winningham, WR, Central Arkansas: 8 Rec, 222 Yds, 2 TD

Isaiah Hodgins, WR, Oregon State: 9 Rec, 170 Yds, 2 TD

Brandon Talton, K, Nevada: 4/4 XP, 2/2 FG, GW 56-Yard FG, 1 Scholarship