Iowa State captured a 24-21 win over Kansas St. to start Week Zero across the pond in Dublin.
The next kickoff took place in Las Vegas, where the Dan Mullen Era got off to an inauspicious start when Idaho St., an FCS program that posted a 5-7 straight-up record in 2024, jumped out to a 10-0 lead at UNLV.
The Rebels’ quarterback Alex Orji, a transfer from Michigan, coughed up a fumble at the goal line on his team’s first drive. The Bengals recovered in the end zone for a touchback, and then they promptly drove 80 yards for a touchdown and a 10-0 advantage.
UNLV’s second drive resulted in a three and out and the third ended in kicker Ramon Villela’s 30-yard missed field goal. Mullen’s team finally got on the board with 10:34 left in the second quarter on a 39-yard TD run by Jet Thomas, one of only 17 lettermen who returned from the Rebels’ 11-3 team from last season.
Thomas, who was a second-team All-Mountain West Conference selection when he had 918 rushing yards, seven TDs and a 5.6 yards-per-carry average in 2024, gave UNLV a 14-10 lead with a 70-yard TD run later in the second quarter.
Although UNLV’s defense gave up a concerning number of yards (555) and first downs (30) for 60 minutes, it did come up with big plays as well. CB Laterrance Welch, a transfer from Arizona St. who started his career at LSU, had two interceptions with 27 return yards.
With UNLV leading 21-17 lead midway through the third quarter, Idaho St. had driven 72 yards in eight plays to set up a first-and-goal play at the UNLV 3. That’s when Welch came up with one of his picks in the end zone.
With the Rebels trailing 31-24 early in the fourth quarter, Virginia transfer QB Anthony Colandrea connected with Pitt transfer WR Daejon Reynolds, who was recruited to Florida by Mullen before leaving UF to play for the Panthers, for a nine-yard TD pass to tie the game at 31-31.
Three plays later, UNLV LB Marsel McDuffie, the only returning starter for the Rebels on defense, intercepted Idaho St. QB Jordan Cooke to set his team up at the Bengals’ 20.
Next, on a fourth-and-one play from Idaho St.’s 11, Orji ran for an 11-yard TD to give UNLV the lead for good.
Another turnover gave the Rebels a chance to take a two-possession lead, but Villela missed a 41-yarder. Nevertheless, UNLV got a fourth-down stop and then ran out the clock to win a 38-31 decision.
The 69 combined points inched ‘over’ the 68-point total. UNLV never threatened to cover the 30.5-point spread.
Thomas finished with 147 rushing yards and three TDs on 10 carries, while Colandrea ran for 93 yards on 13 attempts. Orji had 34 rushing yards and one TD on six totes.
Colandrea completed 15-of-21 passes for 195 yards and one TD without an interception. Orji hit all three of his pass attempts for 37 yards. WR Jaden Bradley has six receptions for 131 yards.
UNLV plays at Sam Houston on Friday night. As of Monday morning, the Rebels were 10-point road ‘chalk’ with a total of 60.5. The Bearkats were +290 on the money line. (more on the Bearkats below)
Kansas struggled to a 1-6 record in seven one-possession games last year, but it salvaged the season somewhat by ripping off three straight wins over ranked opponents in early November and finished 5-7 both SU and against the spread.
The Jayhawks brought back senior quarterback Jalon Daniels, who is second in program history in career passing yards. However, the offense lost its top-seven pass catchers and RB Devin Neal, who is the program’s all-time leader in career rushing yards (4,343).
Nevertheless, Daniels appeared to have excellent chemistry with his new WRs in KU’s 31-7 win over Fresno St. as a 14-point home favorite Saturday at its newly renovated stadium, ‘The Booth.’ The Jayhawks easily covered the spread despite playing without DE Dean Miller, WR Bryson Canty, CB DJ Graham and LB Joseph Sipp.
Miller was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2024 when he had 9.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, four QB Hurries and three passes broken up. Sipp is a transfer from Bowling Green who garnered first-team All-MAC honors last season when he recorded 79 tackles, 12 TFL’s and seven sacks.
Canty was a first-team All-Ivy selection at Columbia in 2024, while Graham had 42 tackles and two interceptions for Utah St. last year. KU head coach Lance Leipold said he expects Miller to be back for Friday’s home game vs. Wagner.
Kansas led 24-7 at halftime to cover then number for first-half bets as a 7.5-point favorite. The Jayhawks also cashed tickets for second-half wagers as 6.5-point ‘chalk’ (-23.5 adjusted).
Daniels was nearly perfect throwing the ball, connecting on 18-of-20 passes for 176 yards and three TDs without an interception. His incompletions were a drop and a Hail Mary pass to end the first half. Daniels also had 47 rushing yards on eight attempts.
Ball St. transfer WR Cam Pickett, who was a third-team All-MAC pick in 2024, thrived out of the slot with six receptions for 77 yards and two TDs. RB Daniel Hishaw had 69 rushing yards on 13 carries, and Iowa transfer RB Leshon Williams had 57 rushing yards and one TD on just six totes. (Per Leipold, Williams is ‘questionable to doubtful’ Friday vs. Wagner.)
KU’s Bangally Kamara recorded four tackles, two TFL’s and one sack, while Trey Lathan had a team-best eight tackles and 0.5 TFL’s.
Fresno St.’s EJ Warner completed 18-of-29 passes for 179 yards, but he was intercepted twice and coughed up a fumble.
Western Kentucky won a 41-24 decision over Sam Houston to hook up its backers as a 10-point home favorite. The 65 combined points went ‘over’ the 61.5-point total when QB Maverick McIvor scored on a four-yard run with 10:17 remaining.
The Hilltoppers, who also covered the number for first-half bets as 6.5-point favorites when they went to halftime with a 20-10 lead, scored 21 unanswered points to end the game.
The Bearkats cut WKU’s lead to 20-17 early in the third quarter on Alton McCaskill’s two-yard TD run. They took a 24-20 lead a few plays later on DE Jamair Diaz’s 43-yard fumble return for a TD.
McIvor and the ‘Tops responded by going 87 yards in nine plays to take the lead back on a nine-yard TD pass to K.D. Hutchinson. They extended the lead to 34-24 on McIvor’s 22-yard TD pass to RB Marvis Parrish, who had 52 rushing yards on 12 attempts.
Parrish also had six catches for 58 receiving yards, while WR Matthew Henry hauled in seven receptions for 148 yards and one TD. WR Moussa Barry caught six balls for 90 yards.
McIvor completed 33-of-51 passes for 401 yards and three TDs without an interception. McIvor was making his WKU debut after transferring from Abilene Christian. He came with his offensive coordinator Rick Bowie, who was hired away from ACU by Tyson Helton.
Judging by McIvor’s debut, Helton might have struck gold again like when he lured Bailey Zappe to WKU along with his Houston Baptist OC several years ago.
McCaskill had 72 rushing yards and one TD on 11 attempts. Since rushing for 961 yards and 16 TDs with a 5.1 YPC average as a true freshman for Houston back in 2021, McCaskill had only 21 carries over the last three years.
The 2021 AAC Freshman of the Year sustained a season-ending injury prior to the 2022 campaign. Then McCaskill transferred to Colorado before spending last year at Arizona St.
Western Kentucky hosts North Alabama on Saturday before going to the Glass Bowl to face Toledo in Week 2.
Stanford jumped out to a 10-0 lead at Hawaii thanks to a field goal and defensive TD on the first two possessions of the game. The Rainbow Warriors battled back, though, and went to halftime with a 14-13 lead thanks to a pair of TD passes from redshirt freshman QB Micah Alejado.
Alejado, a product of national powerhouse Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, threw for 469 yards and five TDs without an interception to lead Hawaii to a 38-30 home win over New Mexico in last year’s regular-season finale.
Alejado didn’t put up those sorts of numbers against the Cardinal, but he demonstrated his toughness gene and ability to make plays at crunch time. He suffered a lower-body injury early in the third quarter, causing him to limp around, albeit effectively, for the rest of game.
Trailing 17-13, Stanford chewed up nearly 10 minutes of clock on a 20-play, 85-yard drive that was capped by Micah Ford’s TD run to put his team ahead 20-17 with 9:47 remaining. The Cardinal forced a three and out and was on the move again in Hawaii territory after QB Ben Gulbranson hit Chico Holt for a 36-yard completion.
Next, Ford ripped off a 17-yard run to put Stanford at Hawaii’s 24. However, Gulbranson was intercepted on the next play.
A 25-yard pass from Alejado to Pofele Ashlock and a 12-yard scramble by Alejado set up Kansei Matsuzawa’s game-tying 37-yard field goal with 2:01 remaining. Then the Rainbow Warriors forced a three and out and took over at their own 28 with 1:31 left.
Alejado completed his first four passes of the drive before spiking an incomplete pass with his team at Stanford’s 45 with 46 seconds remaining. Next, he connected with Landon Sims for a 24-yard gain into field-goal range.
Matsuzawa, who learned how to kick by watching YouTube videos while growing up in Japan, buried his third field goal of the game in walk-off fashion from 38 yards out to give Timmy Chang’s squad a 23-20 win as a 2.5-point home favorite.
The Rainbow Warriors also covered the spread for first-half bets by the hook when they led by one as 0.5-point favorites. The 43 combined points stayed ‘under’ the 50-point total.
Alejado completed 27-of-39 throws for 210 yards and two TDs without an interception. He added 36 rushing yards on 10 attempts.
Ashlock had nine catches for 69 yards and one TD, while Jackson Harris had six receptions for 59 yards and one TD. Cam Barfield had a team-high 45 rushing yards on six attempts.
Hawaii plays at Arizona on Saturday. As of early Monday night, the Wildcats were 21.5-point home favorites. Meanwhile, Stanford has an open date before playing at BYU in Week 2.