Sports Four newbies shined in college football’s opening week.
Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola, Ohio Explain huge receiver Jeremiah Smith, Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava and Alabama huge receiver Ryan Williams each and every had standout performances on Saturday that had the school football world buzzing. Raiola threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns in the 40-7 salvage over UTEP. Iamaleava, who’s a redshirt freshman after backing up Joe Milton III supreme year, threw for 314 yards and three touchdowns, playing in easiest one half of of Tennessee’s 69-3 salvage over Chattanooga.
As for the receivers, Smith had six receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns in Ohio Explain’s salvage over Akron. He also made a spotlight one-handed grab in the salvage. Williams easiest had two receptions in opposition to Western Kentucky, however the 17-year-outmoded turned into both catches into touchdowns for a complete of 139 yards in the 63-0 salvage.
So, let’s play a shrimp sport with each and every of them known as, “If this, then that,” to ponder how they may be able to each and every impression their respective team’s ceilings for the 2024 season.
Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola I deem Raiola will bear the excellent impression of these four gamers. If he’s good a accumulate obvious for Nebraska, then the Cornhuskers would per chance be playing meaningful games for the College Soccer Playoff when November arrives.
That is in actuality the traditional for Nebraska. Each person’s been talking about Raiola per chance being this system’s savior and rescuing Nebraska from where it be been. But whilst you in actuality watched and studied what Nebraska did in 2023, you would per chance per chance look that this team turned into as soon as very shut a year prior to now with accumulate harmful quarterback play. If it would now not turn over the ball as vital because it did supreme year, Nebraska is a much diversified team, as a minimal from a document standpoint. Nebraska would’ve been three or four wins higher.
Judge it this vogue: Nebraska turned into as soon as minus-17 in turnover differential supreme year, the worst of any Energy 5 college. The Cornhuskers lost 5 games by one ranking supreme year, with four coming by three functions and the diversified being an additional time loss. In these games, they had 16 turnovers, with 14 of them coming from the quarterback.
Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. UTEP Miners Highlights Whenever you extrapolate that out and teach, “If Dylan Raiola is nice a accumulate obvious and never a accumulate harmful; if he’s good taking care of the football,” then these games per chance change into wins. If that will get cleaned up, there may per chance be absolute self assurance that Nebraska would per chance be playing meaningful games this season with the schedule it has forward.
I turned into as soon as in a shrimp little bit of a “wait-and-look” mode with Raiola sooner than Saturday’s sport. He confirmed some flashes. So, I focus on he’s in actuality appropriate, but he good must be a accumulate obvious for Nebraska to be a CFP contender unhurried in the season.
How gigantic is that this Saturday’s sport in opposition to Colorado in Lincoln? I focus on it be the variation between Nebraska having a loss (per chance two) or per chance being undefeated when it faces Ohio Explain on Oct. 26. If Nebraska loses to Colorado, it can be in one more one-ranking sport in opposition to a Rutgers-esteem team (which has vastly improved below Greg Schiano) and you believe you studied it may per chance per chance well lose a sport to that caliber of opponent. If the Cornhuskers beat Colorado, then there is now not any one else that for sure scares you because it proves you would per chance per chance beat two unheard of gamers in Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders.
How did Colorado’s salvage affect the outlook for the team this season? If Nebraska remains undefeated till the Ohio Explain sport, it may per chance per chance well also be 7-1 getting into the supreme four games of the season. Nebraska needs with a conception to beat UCLA the next week sooner than closing the year with games at USC, dwelling in opposition to Wisconsin and at Iowa. If the Cornhuskers are 8-1 getting into that stretch and salvage two of these games, they’ll now not easiest bear an exterior shot to play in the Immense Ten title sport, but they’ll also bear an exterior shot to be in the College Soccer Playoff.
Due to the this Raiola’s emergence is such a large vogue in now not easiest Nebraska, but also in the school football landscape.
Ohio Explain WR Jeremiah Smith Each person turned into as soon as talking about Smith all spring, and rightly so. Of route, Ohio Explain has been searching out for to decelerate some of this hype. He turned into as soon as very hyped getting into Columbus and Ryan Day had that tell of reduction at the rostrum when he sent his letter of intent to the Woody Hayes Center supreme December.
Smith’s stat line from Saturday may per chance well well now not blow your solutions, but a few of the catches he made did. The form of the catches Ohio Explain turned into as soon as going to Smith for turned into as soon as also noticeable. If he turned into as soon as one-on-one, Smith turned into as soon as getting the ball. That tells you everything that it be well-known to understand in regards to the thought Ryan Day, Chip Kelly and Will Howard bear in Smith. Even Howard turned into as soon as pronouncing that Smith is the form of player you salvage the ball to if he’s in a single-on-one coverage.
What does that mean for the Buckeyes? Wisely, if Smith’s him (as the formative years teach), then he’ll be the tide that rises all boats for Ohio Explain and its offense. If Smith is now not at that stage, defenses can commence up to cheat and commit sources to stopping the scuttle whereas making Howard’s life vital extra complex.
Dylan Raiola & Jeremiah Smith: Can they rob Nebraska and Ohio Explain to the next stage? But when Smith can continue to play at that stage, defenses can bear a subject. He’s per chance commanding a double-team with the safety up excessive. If the safety’s up excessive, then Ohio Explain can block each person in the scuttle front, as a minimal to that facet of the football. With Quinshon Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson and even Howard, that scuttle sport can in actuality salvage loose. Bet who also may per chance well well be single-covered or has the coverage ratio in their favor if Smith is double-teamed? Emeka Egbuka.
We most continuously easiest glance quarterbacks as the tide that rises all boats as huge receiver is continuously a dependent space. But when Smith is impacting the structure of the defense sooner than the snap, he turns into the tide. We seen it a shrimp bit with Marvin Harrison Jr. in the supreme couple of seasons.
Ohio Explain’s offense may per chance well well now not must ranking 40 functions in a sport thanks to what it will enact defensively. But when Smith is him, then ponder out.
Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava If Iamaleava is the valid deal, then Tennessee may per chance well well be the 2022 model of itself, now not the 2023 model.
Iamaleava regarded amazing on Saturday, granted it turned into as soon as in opposition to Chattanooga and you can even make a identical comment about Smith’s opponent. But these are gamers who’re colorful when getting a possibility to play. I do know Iamaleava performed in Tennessee’s bowl salvage supreme year, but Tennessee turns into a ingredient if he’s the valid deal. The 2022 model turned into as soon as a subject in the SEC.
It wasn’t good that Iamaleava set apart up amazing numbers in neutral 30 minutes of football, both. His receivers did now not want to adjust loads to his throws. In a few of the movie I watched, Iamaleava turned into as soon as throwing the ball so accurately and driving it down the subject.
In point of fact apt one of our “Immense Noon” colleagues, Matt Leinart, has identified Iamaleava for a truly lengthy time due to their California connection. Leinart has continuously acknowledged that Iamaleava is believed to be one of essentially the most, if now not essentially the most, impressive younger passers of the football that he’s considered. That got right here to fruition for Tennessee in Week 1.
If Iamaleava retains it up, the Volunteers will make it a deep scuttle in the SEC, corresponding to what Miller Moss did for USC in the Immense Ten on Sunday. Tennessee’s schedule is highly complex, with matchups in opposition to Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma. On the opposite hand, Tennessee has also change into a huge subject for these teams, too. How does each and every navigate the Volunteers? If Iamaleava is that appropriate, Tennessee can compete for a teach in the SEC title sport.
Alabama WR Ryan Williams If Williams is as appropriate as he confirmed on Saturday, then Kalen DeBoer has solutions at receiver for the Crimson Tide.
That hasn’t been the case for Alabama in the supreme two years. Whenever you requested me what I conception the excellent distinction turned into as soon as with Alabama the supreme two years and the diversified seasons in the Reduce Saban technology, it may per chance per chance well also be its lack of a premier talent at huge receiver. Courting the total intention encourage to Saban’s early years on the job, Alabama continuously gave the impression to bear a sort of fellows, whether or now not it turned into as soon as Julio Jones, Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith or Jameson Williams.
If Williams is him, Alabama has one more receiver of that mold again and an elite playmaker on the out of doors. Now now not easiest would Alabama bear that talent, but you are also pairing Williams with DeBoer. Correct ponder at what DeBoer did with Rome Odunze supreme season. He good went to the nationwide championship sport because he had that talent at receiver. I do know Michael Penix Jr. turned into as soon as noted, too. But rather a number of that turned into as soon as from elite receiver play.
Kalen DeBoer explains his route to salvage to Alabama and why he’s exciting to appear at the GOAT Reduce Saban So, if Williams is an elite player, ponder out for Alabama because DeBoer is conscious of what to enact with a receiver room esteem that. Williams can grow into that and change into DeBoer’s recent Odunze.
That must be a scary conception for each person.
Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ lead college football sport analyst and the host of the podcast ” The Joel Klatt Present. ” Observe him on X/Twitter at @joelklatt and subscribe to the “Joel Klatt Present” on YouTube .
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