College football was ushered in this past weekend in the grandest of fashions.
It came complete with a rousing shutout courtesy of the MSU Bulldogs and their Psycho Defense and a couple of games that many would argue were much closer than they should have been.
The weekend could very well be an early indication that football fans are in for an exciting season indeed, especially those of us here in Starkvegas.
With teams gearing up for week two here are a few observations from the weekend that was.
1. Early Heisman Favorite
Georgia running back Todd Gurley could not have dreamed of a better night statistically himself than when he stepped between the lines to face the Clemson Tigers. By the game’s climax, he had set a school record for all-purpose yards with 293 total, 100 of which came from a kickoff the junior took to the house. The performance showed that after an injury-plagued sophomore year, Gurley still has not lost a step. Not only that but it vaulted him well above the rest of the Heisman hopefuls. Georgia could be a very dangerous team should Gurley remain healthy. After the UGA Bulldog’s open date this weekend, look for a similar or possibly greater performance from him in week three against a South Carolina defense coming off an embarrassing home loss to Texas A&M.
2. SEC West Frontrunner
After lackluster performances from what many consider the best two teams in the SEC West – Alabama and LSU – a cloud of uncertainty hangs over the division. Alabama showed its secondary still has quite a ways to go after being shredded by West Virginia’s offense, and LSU just managed to squeak by Wisconsin in comeback fashion. Many would give the nod to Texas A&M, but that may be a tad premature. Auburn got its first win in blowout fashion thanks to its outstanding offensive play, but there are still questions to be posed concerning the defense. Add the fact that the other hopefuls, Mississippi State and Ole Miss, posted blowouts against subpar competition and you have quite the tossup for the SEC Western division crown.
3. Is Kenny Hill for real?
After Texas A&M’s surprising blowout win over favored South Carolina, most sports pundits had one question: Who the hell is Kenny Hill? The sophomore recently dubbed “Kenny Trill” had a lights-out performance against South Carolina, amassing over 500 yards through the air against a soft South Carolina secondary. After handing South Carolina Head Coach Steve Spurrier the embarrassing defeat, many are ready to put Hill in Heisman conversations and A&M in the SEC West champion talks. Not so fast! Let’s see Mr. Trill excel against a top-tier SEC defense before we heap so much praise on him.
 4. Auburn’s offense remains explosive.
 It has become apparent that this offense, with or without Heisman hopeful Nick Marshall, will still be extremely dangerous. Marshall’s backup Jeremy Johnson handled the reigns of the machine that is the Auburn offense masterfully before handing them back to the true starter in the second half. Marshall made his impact known immediately with a 19-yard scamper for his first score of the year. The defense was shaky in the first half, but the offense alone make for a promising season for the Tigers.
5. Mississippi State is a hungry team.
Those fans who braved the elements to arrive at the newly renovated Davis Wade Stadium early were greeted by a welcome sight – Jay Hughes, along with a few of his teammates, in his pregame best hyping up the crowd. Hughes appeared to need little motivation on this night, and he carried that same intensity onto the field with him, tallying an interception and returning a blocked punt 68 yards for a touchdown in his return to play after an Achilles tear cost him the final 12 games of last season. His mentality and gameplay was indicative of the defense’s mantra: play hard, relentless football every play. That can be a difficult task against a team of obviously lesser talent, but the Bulldogs certainly seemed up to the job last week. This performance by this team says one thing : We are hungry, and we are coming. Across the board Mississippi State exuded exactly that. The defensive line and its well of depth is impressive, the receiving corps is coming into its own, the running backs run with a chip on their shoulders on every carry and Dak Prescott looks poised for a career year after shaking off the tough start in the first quarter.  If McKinney, Hughes, Love, Calhoun and and company  continue to play this well against SEC play, the Bulldogs could make a run at the SEC championship in Atlanta. To that I say this: Go Dogs! We still believe.