It’s game week football fans. The 2022 college football season officially kicks off on Saturday with 11 games on the slate. Here is a listing of the players to watch in Week Zero.
Players to Watch Week Zero
Austin Peay (6-5) at Western Kentucky, 11 AM (CST) on CBS Sports Network
Players to Watch:
Austin Peay: QB Draylen Ellis. Ellis led the Ohio Valley Conference in passing with 2625 yards and 19 TDs.
Western Kentucky: WR Malachi Corley-73 catches, 691 yards, and 7 TDs. His 73 catches were the 3rd most on a team that went 9-5 and were the runners-up in C-USA.
Nebraska (3-9) vs Northwestern (3-9) in Dublin, Ireland, 11:30 AM (CST) on FOX
Players to Watch:
Nebraska: QB Casey Thompson (transfer from Texas). Thompson passed for 2113 yards, 24 TDs, and 9 INTs. And, he added 4 rushing touchdowns.
Northwestern: RB Evan Hull. Hull rushed for 1009 yards and 7 TDs. He rushed for 216 yards on 22 carries and scored 2 touchdowns in a 35-6 win over Ohio.
This is a make-or-break game for Nebraska HC Scott Frost right out of the gate, AND it is a Big Ten Western Division matchup. So, there will be some pressure on the Cornhuskers. Look for the Wildcats to play loose.
Idaho State (1-10) at UNLV (2-10), 2:30 PM (CST) on CBS Sports Network
Players to Watch:
Idaho State: QB Hunter Hays-1066 yards passing 6 TDs, 7 INTs. Hays passed for 281 yards and 2 TDs last season in a 27-17 win over UC-Davis (the team’s only win).
UNLV: QB Cameron Friel-the 2021 Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year. He passed for 1608 yards, 11 TDs, and 6 INTs in 2021. Friel threw for 307 yards and 1 TD in a loss to UTSA.
UCONN (1-11) vs Utah State (11-3), 3:00 PM (CST) on FS1
Players to Watch:
UCONN: RB Nathan Carter-578 yards rushing and 2 TDs. The Huskies are coached by former UCLA head coach Jim Mora.
Utah State: QB Logan Bonner-Bonner earned the Mountain West Conference Championship Game MVP in a 46-13 win over San Diego State. He completed 69% of his passes in that game.
Bonner passed for a school-record 3628 yards and 36 TDs, and 12 INTs. He posted five games with four passing touchdowns, including three in a row. Bonner threw for 312 yards and five touchdowns in a 35-10 win over New Mexico.
Wyoming (7-6) at Illinois (5-7), 3:00 PM (CST) on Big Ten Network
Players to Watch:
Wyoming: RB Titus Swen-785 yards rushing and seven TDs. He carried 15 times for 169 yards and two TDs in a 44-17 win over Utah State.
Illinois: RB Chase Brown-1005 yards and five touchdowns. Brown rushed for 257 yards and 2 TDs in a 24-14 win over Charlotte. Two weeks later, he rushed for 223 yards and a score in a 20-18 win over Penn State.
Duquesne (7-3) vs Florida State (5-7), 4:00 PM (CST) on ACC Network
Players to Watch:
Duquesne: RB Billy Lucas-699 yards and 6 TDs. He rushed for 137 yards vs LIU. RB Garrett Owens-630 yards and 5 TDs. QB Darius Perrantes-1620 yards 17 TDs and 7 INTs. He threw for 316 yards and 3 TDs vs Bryant.
Florida State: QB Jordan Travis-1539 yards passing, 15 TDs, 6 INTs; 535 yards rushing 7 TDs. He threw for 251 yards and 3 TDs, and 0 INTs in a 26-23 win over Boston College.
Charlotte (5-7) at FAU (5-7), 6:00 PM (CST) on CBS Sports Network
Players to Watch:
Charlotte: QB Chris Reynolds-a 5th-year senior. He is the school’s all-time leading passer with 7726 yards and 62 TDs. In 2021, Reynolds passed for 2684 yards and 26 TDs, and 9 INTs. He completed 63% of his passes. Against La. Tech, he threw for 448 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT.
FAU: QB N’Kosi Perry-Last season, he passed for 2762 yards, 20 TDs, and 7 INTs. He threw for 332 yards and 4 TDs and 0 INTs in a 38-6 win over Georgia Southern. He completed 70% of his passes in that game.
Florida A&M (9-3) at North Carolina (6-7), 7:15 PM (CST) on ACC Network
Players to Watch:
Florida A&M: WR Xavier Smith-Named to the 2022 Walter Payton Award (Top Player in the FCS) Watchlist. Posted 713 receiving yards and ranked #21 nationally averaging almost six catches per game.
North Carolina: WR Josh Downs-Caught 101 passes for 1335 yards and eight TDs. He caught eight passes for 203 yards and two TDs in a 59-39 win over Virginia.
North Texas (6-7) at UTEP (7-6), 8:00 PM (CST) on Stadium Network
Players to Watch:
North Texas: WR Roderic Burns-58 catches for 802 yards and four touchdowns. Against SMU, he caught 12 balls for 141 yards.
UTEP: QB Gavin Hardison-Was the first UTEP QB to throw for over 3000 yards since 2009. He passed for 3223 yards, 18 TDs, and 13 INTs. Against Rice, he threw for 366 yards and 2 TDs in a 38-28 win.
Nevada (8-5) at New Mexico State (2-10), 9:00 PM (CST) on ESPN2
Players to Watch:
Nevada: RB Toa Taua-Accounted for over 1000 all-purpose yards. He rushed for 720 yards and had 296 yards receiving. He accounted for 7 touchdowns.
New Mexico State: QB Diego Pavia led the New Mexico Military Institute to the NJCAA National Championship. He passed for 1728 yards and 21 touchdowns, and only 1 INT. Pavia also added 658 yards rushing and seven more scores.
Vanderbilt (2-10) at Hawaii (6-7), 9:30 PM (CST) on CBS Sports Network
Players to Watch:
Vanderbilt: QB Mike Wright-1042 yards, eight TDs, and six INTs. He also added 373 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Hawaii: RB Deric Parson-He rushed for 618 yards and eight TDs, and had 279 receiving yards and a touchdown. He rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns (averaged 6.44 yards per rush) in a 48-34 win over New Mexico State.
This is the best time of the year, watching college football on Saturdays. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Thanks for reading.