Week 1 has already exposed a few transfer quarterbacks who arrived with plenty of buzz and left with more questions than answers.
The early slate of college football gave teams their first real look at new faces, new systems and new coaches, and some of those debuts came up short. For a handful of highly touted transfer QBs, the opener looked less like a fresh start and more like a hard reset.
Drew Mestemaker was the headliner of that group at Oklahoma State. Eric Morris brought much of his North Texas operation with him to Stillwater, and Mestemaker came in as the most talked-about piece after a strong season.
But Tulsa may have cooled that excitement fast. Mestemaker finished 29 for 49 for 241 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, and with Oregon next on the schedule, the degree of difficulty only goes up from here.
Byrum Brown’s first outing at Auburn came with a familiar feel for anyone who watched him at USF. The version Auburn got was the one that struggled against Power 4 competition.
Brown went 21-30 for 193 yards, threw three interceptions and absorbed five sacks. The raw passing total looks passable at first glance, but the bigger issue was how little he pushed the ball - just 92 air yards on 30 throws.
Auburn is going to need far more downfield punch once SEC play arrives.
DJ Lagway’s debut at Baylor also left plenty to sort through. Dave Aranda took the gamble in a year that matters for both sides, and the first results showed a quarterback still working through a long development curve.
Lagway completed only half of his 54 passes, threw two touchdowns and turned it over twice. Baylor’s defense appears to be in better shape, but if Lagway can’t lift his game, the pressure on Dave Aranda will keep rising.
Jaden Craig’s start at TCU was another reminder that replacing a proven quarterback is never simple. Sonny Dykes clearly valued Craig’s care with the football, but in Week 0 he looked like a clear drop-off from Josh Hoover.
Craig managed just 175 passing yards and was sacked three times. TCU will need him to take more chances, though the offense should get a boost once Jordan Dwyer returns from injury.
In Other News...
Auburns Injury Picture Up Front Just Got A Lot More Interesting
Auburns injury outlook up front is starting to clear after the season-opening bruising against Baylor. Head coach Alex Golesh said three of the four trench players banged up in that game are expected to be available for the matchup with Southern Mississippi, with offensive linemen Cole Skinner and Jacob Strand both on track to play and edge rusher Chris Murray confirmed healthy.
The one lingering question is DaShawn Womack, who remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Golesh said Womack could return to practice later in the week, leaving Auburn with at least some much-needed stability in the trenches as it tries to get through the early part of the season without losing more depth up front. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Has A Real Chance To Expose Floridas Biggest Early Problem
Auburn comes into SEC play with a little momentum after edging Baylor 17-16 in the Aflac Kickoff Game, and that kind of early-season win can sharpen a teams edge before the league schedule starts to bite. Alex Golesh has already leaned into the idea of accountability and togetherness after that result, which is usually a good sign for a group trying to carry a close escape into something sturdier when the conference games start stacking up.
Florida, meanwhile, is still trying to settle the feel of its defense after a shaky showing against Florida Atlantic, and the next test will not be gentle. Auburns home atmosphere and DJ Durkins pass rush figure to put quarterback Aaron Philo in a difficult spot, giving the Tigers a real chance to make Florida answer some uncomfortable questions early in the season. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Pass Rush Concern Isnt As Simple As It Looked
Auburns pass rush number looked thin on the surface after the Tigers got to Baylor quarterback DJ Lagway 18 times and came away with only one sack, an early first-quarter takedown by Xavier Atkins. But the fuller picture was more complicated, because the defense was built to handle the run first, with a light box and a willingness to play underneath pass windows instead of selling out for sacks.
Golesh said that approach was intentional, and the results backed it up in other ways. Auburn held Baylor to 2.3 yards per carry and still managed to make life uncomfortable for Lagway by condensing the pocket and dropping rushers into coverage, which is why the pressure count may tell a better story than the sack total alone. [Read more 🡒]