CFB Week 1: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

After a small opening weekend, college football is headed towards the most anticipated opening weekend in the history of the sport. Every week this year we are going to bring you a look back at The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from the college football weekend.

The Good: Football Starts With a Fourth Quarter Thriller

 The first college football game of the season, Austin Peay vs. Central Arkansas, was a turnover-filled snoozer for the most part and you would have been forgiven if you turned it off before the fourth quarter. However, you also would have regretted that decision. 

Central Arkansas held a 13-10 lead entering the fourth quarter and the teams traded punts until Central Arkansas managed to get a field goal on the board with 7:44 to go to take a 16-10 lead. The game seemed close to over after Central Arkansas forced a punt with six minutes to go, but Austin Peay quickly forced a three and out. With four minutes to go, Austin Peay marched 60 yards in seven plays and 2:36, capping the drive with a one-yard touchdown to take a 17-16 lead.

Central Arkansas took over at their own 22 and responded with a six-play, 78-yard drive and scored on a beautiful fade route from 10 yards out and got the two to take the lead back at 24-17 with 34 seconds to go. 

But Austin Peay wasn’t done yet. 

Following a 25 yard pass and an 18-yard run, the Governors found themselves at the Bears’ 27 with a shot at the endzone to tie the game. Quarterback Jeremiah Oatsvall dropped to pass, found himself under pressure, but got a pass off... unfortunately, it came up short of the endzone and was intercepted and we were robbed of OT in the first game. But the two teams provided a fourth-quarter worthy of a college football kickoff. 

The Bad: Rescheduling Begins

Oklahoma State vs. Tulsa? Baylor vs. La. Tech? 

If you are checking your notes for the final scores from these games, you are looking in the wrong place. Want to know the score? COVID-19 2, The Teams 0. 

Before reaching kickoff we’ve already started seeing games moved one way or another and even if it’s not because of a rash of COVID-19 outbreaks, it’s still the main cause and the games are on the move.

Tulsa paused their workouts in mid-August after eight players tested positive for COVID-19. That move led them to lose critical practices to get ready for the opener. Now, the two teams will look to play on Sept. 19.

As for Baylor and La. Tech, the Bears website said that the teams, “have agreed to monitor dates throughout the season to potentially make up the game.” 

So it’s not so much the sickness, but the reach of those who were around someone who was sick that creates a whole new hurdle for the 2020 season.

"We are obviously very disappointed that we will not be able to open the season this weekend at Baylor," said Louisiana Tech Director of Athletics Tommy McClelland. "However, with the number of recent positive COVID19 results and contact tracing, it is simply not possible. We would be putting our student-athletes at risk.

It’s safe to say every schedule in America should be written in pencil.

The Ugly: BYU sinks Navy 55-3

This was not the game the Naval Academy expected to have out of the gates in 2020. The Midshipmen didn’t tackle during fall camp and in all honesty, they didn’t tackle much against BYU on Monday night.

Head Coach Ken Niumatalolo has a lot to fix at Navy and took 1000% of the blame after the loss. 

"Boy, that game was 1000 percent my fault," Niumatalolo said about the game. "Obviously, we weren't prepared. One team was playing football. There's nobody to blame but myself. I erred on the side of trying to keep our guys safe. I'd say it's the worst Navy football game we ever played."

BYU racked up 580 yards on offense and stifled Navy to a meek 149, the second-lowest in Niumatalolo’s 13 seasons as the Midshipmen’s coach.

Navy faces Tulane on Sept. 19 and they have a lot of work to do between now and then.

Comment with your Good, Bad, and Ugly moments from this past weekend below! We’d love to hear from you.

Enjoy tonight’s game between Miami and UAB. The season is almost here!