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<b>SteemSports Presenter:</b>@thesportsguy
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<b>SteemSports Editor:</b>@scottybuckets
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The first full week of College Football action is in the books, and there were some surprises, some near upsets (Penn State, Michigan State we're looking at you), some dominant performances, and some nail-biters.  As the dust has settled on an action-filled holiday-weekend of college football, there are a few key takeaways to be had coming out of the full-slate of opening week action:
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1  LSU MAKES A STATEMENT
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The Tigers came into their showdown with the Miami FL Hurricanes at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX ranked # 25 in the inaugural Coaches Poll, and that's about where they found themselves in most publications' preseason rankings - around 25 or just out of the top 25.  The Hurricanes came in ranked in the top 10 with playoff aspirations after a terrific 2017 campaign that ended with 3 straight losses after a 10-0 start.
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LSU ran the ball effectively, got consistent enough play out of new starting QB Joe Burrow (11/24 for 140yds, 0TDs, but no turnovers), and got great play from their defense, including a 45-yard interception return from Jacob Philips.  Transfer kicker Cole Tracy went 4/4 on field goal attempts, including matching a school-record 54-yarder and LSU was well in control after his fourth field goal late in the 3rd quarter made it 33-3.  A couple of 4th quarter touchdowns salvaged something for the Hurricanes, but it was a dominant statement win for LSU to start the year.  They made a substantial jump in the rankings as well and have a chance at another statement win in two weeks when they take on the Auburn Tigers.
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2  AUBURN'S DEFENSE IS FOR REAL
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Speaking of the Auburn Tigers, they limited Jake Browning, Myles Gaskin, and company to just 3 points total in the second half of their 21-16 opening victory over the fellow-top-10 ranked Washington Huskies.  While both were slightly lower ranked in our preseason poll, both are quality football teams and the Auburn defense showed it was for real.  For the game, they piled up 5 sacks and 9 tackles for loss as a unit.  
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Washington struggled to get a sustained attack going for much of the game, finishing just 5-14 (35.7%) on third down, and were held to just 3.1 yards per carry by the Tigers defensive front on 33 carries.  They also forced two turnovers that were key parts to the impressive opening victory.  Auburn QB Jarrett Stidham out-played fellow QB Jake Browning, and HB Kam Martin was just as effective as Huskies' star HB Myles Gaskin.  It was an impressive opening victory for the Tigers, as their defensive front caused all sorts of problems, especially in the second half, for a very good Washington offensive line.
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3 NO BAKER NO PROBLEM
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Baker Mayfield may be off to the NFL and waiting in the wings to take over as the QB of the Cleveland Browns, but that didn't stop the Oklahoma Sooners from completely blowing up the Lane Train in Norman this past Saturday.  New QB Kyler Murray was incredibly impressive in his debut - completing 9/11 for 209yds and 2TDs.  He and HB Rodney Anderson combined to be an incredibly potent 1-2 punch for the Sooners' offense.  Anderson reeled off 100 yards and 2TDs on the ground on just 5 carries before exiting for the game as Oklahoma completely shredded Florida Atlantic's defense and jumped out to a 42-0 halftime lead.
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By the time the dust settled on the 63-14 shellacking, wide receiver Marquise Brown had 6 catches, 133 yards, and a TD himself and the Sooners completely thrashed a solid Florida Atlantic squad to the tune of 650 total yards of offense.  The Owls were not expected to be a push-over despite the 21-pt game-line, as they won 11 games last year, and are expected to win the Conference USA crown for the second consecutive season.  Star HB Devin Singletary was held in-check, finishing with just 69 yards and a TD on 18 carries.  While normally a home-win over Florida Atlantic to start off your season won't normally get you many accolades, this performance was impressive over a squad that was expected to contend for the "Group of 5" conferences spot in a "New Year's Six" Bowl.  
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4 TROUBLE IN HAPPY VALLEY?
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It took overtime for the Nittany Lions to get past Appalachian State on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.  It wasn't so much that Penn State needed overtime at-home over a team that belongs to the Sun Belt Conference, but it was <i>how</i> it all played-out.  The Nittany Lions led 24-10 heading into the 4th quarter and 31-17 with 11:17 to play in the game, only to have the Mountaineers come storming back to score three unanswered touchdowns and take a 38-31 lead with just 1:47 to play.  It took a 15-yard touchdown pass from Trace McSorley to KJ Hamler with just 0:42 left to get the game into overtime.  
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Surrendering 28 points at-home to a huge underdog in the 4th quarter and blowing a 2 touchdown lead is not a good look to start the season, especially with a very difficult Big TEN slate awaiting.  Penn State did enough to get the victory in the end, and Appalachian State is anything but a push-over and have been there before when they upset top-5 ranked Michigan 12 years ago in Ann Arbor as a member of FCS (formerly I-AA).  That being said, the Mountaineers are one of the youngest teams in football, and without that much experience, should not be able to go into Happy Valley and hang 28 on a premium defense that is expected to contend for a possible playoff spot.  Penn State got the win, but they need to clean some things up defensively before Big TEN action, or it could be a longer season than expected.
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5  VIRGINIA TECH GETS BIG WIN TO START SEASON
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The Hokies' 24-3 victory over the Seminoles in Tallahassee on Monday night was a huge way to start the season for a team hoping to make some noise in the ACC this year.  They went 9-4 a year ago in head coach Justin Fuente's first season, and the "upset" over a Florida State team that finished 7-6 last year and is transitioning to new coaches and new schemes on each side of the ball, maybe isn't as much of an "upset" as it appears.  That being said, the Seminoles were thought highly enough of to start the season ranked 20th in the inaugural coaches poll, and to start your season by going to one of the toughest venues in all of college football and getting a huge conference road victory, is enough to represent a big statement for the Hokies.
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Florida State's inexperience showed, and they assisted the Hokies with several key miscues in the game that set-up scoring opportunities that allowed Va Tech to control the game.  They still held FSU to just 3 points in their own building, and even got a blocked-punt TD - something they particularly excelled at during former coach Frank Beamer's tenure, with his Beamer-ball brand of special teams football.  What it all added up to was an impressive start to the Hokies' season, and it gives them a leg-up on both the Seminoles and the Hurricanes in the ACC, and cements them firmly into the top 10.
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Thank you for following @steemsports and you can find me @thesportsguy
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