Five biggest upsets of Week 1 for college football
Week 1 of the college football season has officially come and gone, and it did not disappoint. There were big hits, controversies, verbal jabs in the media and, above all else, a number of thrilling and completely unexpected upsets.
In fact, there were enough upsets to fill several lists, but we’re going to whittle them down to the top five. Which, admittedly, wasn’t as easy as it would seem on the surface.
Let’s take a look at who made the cut.
5. South Alabama defeats Mississippi State, 21-20
Dak Prescott is now with the Dallas Cowboys and currently riding a hype train the likes of which the NFL hasn’t seen in quite some time. Unfortunately for Mississippi State, his departure was felt immediately.
In what will go down as their biggest win in program history, South Alabama upset the Prescott-less Mississippi State Bulldogs by a score of 21-20 on Saturday.
As four-touchdown underdogs, the Jaguars took a one-point lead with 57 seconds remaining following a Dallas Davis four-yard touchdown pass. But MSU quickly drove the ball back down the field for what would have been a game-winning chip shot from only 28 yards out.
The football gods had a different plan on this day, however, as a Westin Graves attempt would sail left, securing the wildly improbable victory for Southern Alabama.
South Alabama upsets Mississippi State 21-20 after Westin Graves missed the GW 28-yard FG off the left upright pic.twitter.com/voUNvbZTcM
— Lee Harvey (@MusikFan4Life) September 3, 2016
“To win a ballgame like this is a blessing,” South Alabama head coach Joey Jones said, via Yahoo! Sports, after the game.
The Jaguars’ victory is their first ever against an SEC program (0-4 coming into the game) and the first win for a Sun Belt team against an SEC team since 2013 (Western Kentucky defeated Kentucky).
4. Texas A&M defeats No. 16 UCLA, 31-24 (OT)
Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett is an early projection to go No. 1 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, and he showed why on Saturday afternoon.
Garrett was repeatedly in the face of Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen, who is likely to be the No. 1 overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, and it paid dividends over the long haul.
“We didn’t have any chit-chat or trash talk,” Garrett told The Houston Chronicle after the game. “I just knew I was going to be in his face a lot.”
As a result of the Aggies’ relentless pass rush, which included one Garrett sack, Rosen was forced into three first half turnovers, which allowed Texas A&M to take a 10-9 lead into halftime.
“I played an absolutely awful first half,” Rosen said. “It’s a quarterback-driven sport, and you can’t have a quarterback play that bad in the first half and expect to win. Three picks is completely unacceptable.”
In the third quarter, the Aggies turned things on, scoring 14 points before the Bruins finally started to punch back, tying the game up with 15 points in the fourth quarter.
Going into overtime, Texas A&M decided they were there for the victory and went for the throat on a fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line. Quarterback Trevor Knight faked a handoff and then scamper into the end zone for the go-ahead score.
But as it had been from the start of the game, it was ultimately the Aggies’ defense that stood tall and closed things out.
Facing a first-and-goal from the seven-yard line, Garrett and the Aggies defense allowed only two yards before forcing one final Rosen pass to fall incomplete. It was game, set, match for Texas A&M, which secured the upset over No. 16 UCLA.
3. Richmond defeats Virginia, 37-20
The Richmond Spiders didn’t just defeat the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday — they demolished them. And for first-year Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall, the shocking upset was what nightmares are made of.
“I think I’ve clearly given this particular group too much and need to look hard at what they’re capable of and give them the best chance to help our team win,” Mendenhall told the Virginia Pilot after the game. “And again, that’s my responsibility.”
On the opposite end of the spectrum, it was pure elation for the FCS Spiders, who had only two lifetime victories against UVA going into Saturday’s game and none since 1946.
“Our team expected to win when we left Richmond [on Friday], and we expected to win when we took the field at the start of the game,” Spiders head coach Danny Rocco told the Roanoke Times.
Richmond finished the game having gained an impressive 524 offensive yards, which included a 264-yard, three-touchdown performance courtesy of first-time starting quarterback Kurt Benkert.
Although Richmond is widely accepted as a good football team, the nature in which they pushed around Virginia was remarkable. And when all was said and done, it was historic for the Spiders.
You better believe they’ll be roasting some pig in honor of this upset.
2. No. 15 Houston defeats No. 3 Oklahoma, 33-23
Houston had a little hype building as the college football season kicked off, but few were certain they’d be able to live up to it. Right out of the gate, the Cougars proved it was all completely warranted, pulling off one of the top shockers of the weekend by downing No. 3 Oklahoma, 33-23.
The turning point of the game came in the third quarter when return man Brandon Wilson caught a missed 53-yard field goal attempt and brought it back a record 109 yards to the house.
Houston with a Kick Six. What a play! pic.twitter.com/4tPy4L9zM5
— Dr. Saturday (@YahooDrSaturday) September 3, 2016
Houston never looked back.
“That was the game-changer,” Cougars linebacker Matthew Adams told ESPN after the game. “We had the momentum from there.”
Houston tacked on another touchdown later in the third quarter on a Greg Ward Jr. two-yard touchdown pass to Tyler McCloskey, while the Sooners managed only another six points late in the fourth quarter.
The impact of Houston’s upset could be far-reaching. Not only could it alter the course of the College Football Playoff with the Cougars now potentially controlling their own destiny, but it could also help expand the Big 12, costing ESPN and FOX upwards of $80 million.
The Big 12 wants to expand because, as first reported by the SportsBusiness Journal, ESPN and Fox would have to pay a combined $20 million annually for each school that joins the Big 12. Houston is one of the schools the conference. The conference is considering adding up to four schools to return to expand to 14 teams. Among the other schools being considered are Brigham Young, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Houston, Memphis. All of the teams, save BYU (independent), are part of the American Athletic Conference.
Ultimately, Houston’s victory isn’t just a tremendous upset, it sends ripples up and down the college football world.
How’s that for an impactful shocker to start the college football season?
1. Wisconsin defeats No. 5 LSU, 16-14
The Wisconsin upset over No. 5 LSU on Saturday is what makes college football such a remarkably entertaining sport.
Staring in the face of relentless criticism and doubt, the Badgers took the field at Lambeau Field confident that they not only stood a chance against the Tigers, but also believing they were about to shock the world.
That confidence ultimately bred reality.
“It was electric, man, everything I thought it would be and more,” Wisconsin linebacker Vince Biegel told the Chicago Tribune. “I’m used to this stadium being green and gold. For it to be red and white was special.”
Unfortunately, the incredible upset that could have significant ramifications for the College Football Playoffs was marred by a vicious cheap shot courtesy of Tigers offensive lineman Josh Boutte.
Boutte would be ejected from the game, and it soured what would have otherwise been an amazing moment for college football fans across the country.
“I grabbed him right away,” LSU coach Les Miles told ESPN after the game. “I’m going to have to see the film, but he’s an offensive lineman in protection and what happens downfield sometimes is you’re protecting beyond the play. … Again, I’ll have to check this, but it’s very logical that he did not even know [Dixon] had gone down and was just running [with the ball].
“He’s not a malicious guy. I just can’t imagine that he saw him go down and then made it back.
D’Cota Dixon, who was on the receiving end of the shot, was too elated with the upset victory to care about the personal foul, although he did take a small jab at Boutte after the game.
“I didn’t see it coming, I didn’t see the hit or anything,” Dixon told ESPN. “I was shocked a little bit, but it’s all right. I’ve been hit harder. I understand. It’s part of the game. He was frustrated, probably. I’d be frustrated too.”
Cheap shot aside, it was a tough loss for LSU, but a survivable one. If they run the table, they can find their way back into the hunt. However, another loss would essentially be a death sentence for the Tigers.
On the opposite side of the coin, Wisconsin now has a ton of momentum moving forward — momentum they’re going to need with games coming up against Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Iowa after two softer games against Akron and Georgia State.
Photo: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
