TERRY MOSHER
TOP OF THE TOWN ‑ The two big surprises for me in the first week of college football, and I’m excluding the stunning victory of Duke over Clemson (28-7), is how easily Washington rallied to demolish Boise State, the favorite to win the Mountain West this season. The Huskies 56-19 victory was astonishing in the wake of most experts expecting a real tussle, a back and forth game. The second one for me was Colorado’s upset of TCU 45-42. I’m not the only one who was shocked Colorado won in coach Deion Sanders first game with the Buffaloes. Most impressive for the Buffaloes were quarterback Shedeur Sanders, yes, the son of Deion, and two-way player (wide receiver/ cornerback) Travis Hunter. Sanders was quick with his passes and very accurate, throwing for over 500 yards and four touchdowns. Hunter caught 11 passes for 119 yards and had one interception. Sanders was quickly placed on the Heisman Trophy list. You know the story of Deion, who is called Prime Time (He arguably is the best CB to play in the NFL) He kicked just about the complete roster he inherited off the team and brought in his guys. It was a very non-traditional way of remaking a roster. Most, maybe all experts, panned what he did. So they, like me, were shocked the Buffaloes played so well. At this point, they have shook up the Pac-12, and while it’s just one game, it likely will have an impact on the conference race. Speaking of race, the Washington Huskies fell behind 6-0 after one quarter to a roused Boise State before finding its tempo and roaring to a big victory before a large crowd at Husky Stadium. Quarterback Michal Penix Jr. was absolutely brilliant, throwing for 450 yards and five touchdowns. He didn’t hurt his Heisman hopes with this performance. Of course, Washington has the best receiving corps in the country in Jalen McMillan, Rome Odunze, and Jalynn Polk. Odunze and Polk both had over 100 yards receiving and McMillan just missed the century mark. McMillan also had a rushing TD. Germie Bernard also looked good. One of the polls that came out today (Tuesday, Sept. 5) had Washington moving up two spaces to No. 8. I may be too quick with his, but I believe the Huskies are a top five team right now. Elsewhere, experts are making the Seahawks the co-favorite with the 49ers to win the NFC West. I think their rating is done by default. Arizona and the Rams have taken big steps backward and that leaves the 49ers and Hawks as the only real contenders. But the NFL being the NFL, you can’t take anything for granted. Injuries play a big role in the NFL. So don’t bet the farm on the Seahawks winning the West. It’s a 17-game season with a lot of hurdles. That’s it for today. Stay safe.
Be well pal.
Be careful out there.
Have a great day.
You are loved.