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MONDAY SHOCKWAVES

Five Week 0 Observations

1️⃣ Iowa State passes the first test  

Through the first half, Saturday’s Farmageddon felt less like a football game and more like the first day of middle school—nervy, clunky, and very unsure of itself. 

With a rainy, mucky backdrop, a brace-faced Kansas State muffed the first punt return of the game. Iowa State returned the favor with an errant toss sweep that led to a turnover. The two teams lost just 11 fumbles all of last season, yet they combined for four in a 14-point first half.

But as the third quarter inched toward the fourth, everything changed. What started with the jitters of the first day of middle school ended with Rocco Becht and Avery Johnson looking like the cool, confident eighth graders who run the hallways.

Both quarterbacks went shot-for-shot with big passing touchdowns, spinning the game on its head. Then came arguably the biggest call of the night: Kansas State’s choice to go for it on fourth down deep in its own territory. Iowa State’s defense stuffed Johnson, swinging the momentum back in the Cyclones’ favor.

Then, with 2:26 remaining on fourth-and-three from the Wildcats’ 16-yard line, headmaster Matt Campbell put his stamp on the game. With the game hanging in the balance, Campbell elected not to attempt a field goal to go up six, instead opting to try and slam the door shut. Becht came up clutch once again—nailing running back Carson Hansen on a swing pass to emphatically ice the game and vault the Cyclones to the head of the Big 12 class. 

It feels extreme to label an opening game as “make or break,” but it sure had that feel down the stretch. With the win, Iowa State takes a big step forward in its hopes of returning to the Big 12 championship game, whereas trendy title pick Kansas State has some ground to make up.

2️⃣ Jalon Daniels delivers

There’s not a defense Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels hasn’t seen. He seemingly has the answers to every test. But if Kansas is going to push its way up the Big 12 standings, Daniels needs to aim for that perfect attendance award by staying healthy for every game.

On Saturday, Daniels was a smooth operator, finishing the Jayhawks’ 31-17 victory with three passing touchdowns and just two incompletions. Kansas rushed for 207 yards and made light work of a Fresno State team with a lot of new faces.

In the context of a long season, this was a nice first step for the Jayhawks. Entering the year, KU fans were hoping new co-OCs Jim Zembrowski and Matt Lubick would get this offense right, and through one game, that unit looked formidable.

If Daniels can stay healthy, I think Kansas has almost as good a shot as any team to hang around in the Big 12.

3️⃣ What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas

UNLV just narrowly avoided being voted the Week 0 Class Clown.

The Runnin’ Rebels needed every bit of four quarters and 532 yards to outlast Idaho State 38-31 in Dan Mullen’s debut. 

The offense, Mullen’s calling card, put on a show, in large part due to running back Jai’Den Thomas, who tallied 147 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Anthony Colandrea had a solid debut, too. But, man, oh man, that defense was putrid.

The defense was on its heels. That group looked unorganized. And it just didn’t get nearly enough stops against an FCS opponent. Giving up 555 yards to a team like Idaho State (with all due respect) is just unacceptable.

A win is a win, but I feel a little uneasy about the praise I heaped on Mullen and this team in the newsletter earlier this week. This group needs to make fixes in a hurry if it hopes to make it back to the Mountain West title game.

4️⃣ Western Kentucky did it again

Seventh-year WKU head coach Tyson Helton is no stranger to plug-and-play offense. In recent years, he’s become the architect of poaching OC-QB combos from lower levels, bringing them to Conference USA, and unleashing them for hundreds of yards per game.

On Saturday evening, the Hilltoppers debuted their most recent coup in former Abilene Christian OC Rick Bowie and QB Maverick McIvor. WKU lit up a Sam Houston defense that was littered with new faces en route to a reasonably comfortable 41-24 win. 

McIvor looked like a capital-D DUDE, finishing with 401 passing yards and four total touchdowns. 

WKU should be a tough-out in the grand scheme of Conference USA. I can’t believe Tyson Helton did it again.

5️⃣ All Hail Micah Alejado

In true Billy Madison fashion, Hawaii had a “if peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis” sort of start to the 2025 season. 

The Rainbow Warriors gave up a quick three points to Frank Reich’s Stanford team before: 

• Fair-catching the ensuing kickoff on their own 1-yard line

• Getting sack fumbled for a touchdown on the very next play to fall behind 10-0 early in the first quarter

It was Week 0 for everyone!

That said, the Hawaii-Stanford game had such a fun, you-only-get-this-in-college-football type of finish that it almost made me forget about all of that.

Despite suffering a tough foot injury mid-game, Hawaii quarterback Micah Alejado limped his way to 210 yards and two touchdowns. He also orchestrated a pair of sick, back-to-back nine and 10-play drives that led to a pair of field goals, kicked by a guy who learned the art of field goal kicking by watching YouTube videos. College football, never change.

This was a nice first step for Timmy Chang’s Hawaii team. The Rainbow Warriors have a decent chance of cracking the six-win threshold with this win in hand. For Stanford, it was a rough way to lose in Frank Reich’s debut. Many have projected Stanford to be one of the worst P4 teams in the country, and I’m not sure I saw anything tonight that would dissuade me from thinking that.

THE PODCAST

Your Week 0 Recap + Jenny Dell!

College football is officially underway! We broke down Iowa State's 24-21 victory over Kansas State in Dublin, including the sloppy conditions, key fourth-down decisions, and what the Clones' win means for the Big 12 race.

Plus, we were joined by Jenny Dell, the lead college football reporter for CBS Sports, who gave us incredible behind-the-scenes insights from the sidelines. From her 20-second storytelling challenges to Brad Nessler's shocking pre-game eating habits, Jenny discussed the difference between covering the SEC and Big Ten, sneaky injury tent investigations, what it's like to catch players and coaches in their most vulnerable moments, and much more.

We also read the most important email to ever grace our inbox, potentially with long-term ramifications for the Solid Verbal family.

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