The college football season returned triumphantly on Saturday, bringing with it some top-notch individual performances. The Week 0 slate was short in supply but high in demand, and the following players are our first 2021 College Football Team of the Week honorees.
To be considered for the Pro Football Network College Football Team of the Week, a player must have demonstrated high-quality play on the field and be in good standing in the classroom. Each player’s body of work was analyzed for how impactful they were in their respective game. The strength of the opponent was also a big determining factor as well as the time and situation of each game.
College Football Week 0: Team of the Week
The college football Week 0 National Team of the Week had fewer options than any other week will bring forth. Therefore, we’ve lumped some position groups together. In the future, PFN will award each individual position once there are enough games to determine an honoree.
First-Team Offense
We begin with the offense in our Week 0 Team of the Week.
QB: Jake Haener, Fresno State
After a lull in the first quarter, Haener took complete control of an up-tempo, fast-paced Bulldogs offense with ease in the second. His numbers are gaudy enough as is, completing 20 of 26 for 331 yards and 3 touchdowns. But when you break it down by quarter, it looks even more impressive.
Fresno State, as a team, was sluggish in the first quarter, achieving just one first down. Haener finished 5 of 8 for 14 yards in the first frame as they tried to find their groove. In the second quarter, however, Haener elevated himself and his teammates around him. He completed 12 of 15 passes for 285 yards and all 3 touchdowns in the second quarter alone.
If it weren’t for the 117-degree ‘feels like’ temperature on the field and cramps that sidelined him during the first drive of the third quarter, his numbers would’ve been even more impressive. If Haener can duplicate that second quarter for the course of an entire game next week, the Oregon Ducks are on upset alert.
RB: Ronnie Rivers, Fresno State
You don’t become your school’s all-time leader in total touchdowns scored without some national love. That’s just what Rivers did when he took a simple wheel route for 61 yards and a touchdown in the second quarter. Rivers’ 45 career touchdowns are now the new mark to beat at Fresno State, and he’s still got at least 11 games to increase that lead.
For the game, Rivers needed about 2.5 quarters worth of work to total 58 yards on the ground and 66 yards through the air. He’s even closing in on his dad’s second-place record for total rushing yards in Fresno State history. All around, a historic performance in what should become a historic season for Rivers.
RB: Zach Charbonnet, UCLA
Charbonnet has his offensive line to thank for some massive holes to run through against Hawaii, but he certainly did his fair share of the dirty work. He needed all of 6 carries to eclipse 100 yards, averaging 17.7 yards per carry in the process. He scored a touchdown on exactly half his carries in the game as Charbonnet’s statistical line looked like a video game.
Against Hawaii, he recorded 6 carries for 106 yards and 3 touchdowns. Charbonnet also caught a pass out of the backfield for 14 yards, giving him 7 touches for 120 yards. The Michigan transfer officially put the Pac-12 on notice.
WR: Jacob Cowing, UTEP
Cowing finished the game against New Mexico State with career-high numbers en route to a spot on our Team of the Week. He recorded his sixth game with at least 100 receiving yards and set a new career-best mark of 158 yards in the blowout. Cowing flashed big-play potential with multiple long receptions, including a 72-yard catch and a 59-yard touchdown strike from QB Gavin Hardison.
Behind Cowing and Hardison, UTEP ran out to a quick lead and could have built up even numbers had it not been for a quick touchdown just a minute into the second half. Cowing reached his new career-best 158 receiving yards on just 5 catches before most of the starters for UTEP sat out the majority of the second half.
WR: Jalen Cropper, Fresno State
The highlight of the Week 0 slate came from the legs of Cropper. Taking a slant route 86 yards will do that for you, but that doesn’t even tell the half of how impressive Cropper was on the play. In the stretch of Fresno State’s flurry of points, it was Cropper who dominated after the catch.
He hauled in a slant route 8 yards past the line of scrimmage, running an impressive 78 yards after the catch. At one point, Cropper had five UConn defenders essentially stonewalling him from going any further. He bounced off contact with three of them, forcing two to overpursue before outrunning the remaining defenders. Cropper finished the day with 3 receptions for 87 yards and 100 total yards of offense on just 4 touches.
WR: Oliver Martin, Nebraska
The only other receiver to break the 100-yard plateau, Martin did it in a losing effort for Nebraska. He hauled in 6 receptions for 103 yards and the lone receiving touchdown for the Huskers. Martin was solid over the middle, offering an escape for QB Adrian Martinez to find when his first read was taken away.
TE: Luke Ford, Illinois
It wasn’t some gaudy performance in the box score, but Ford did everything asked of him brilliantly on Saturday. During the victory, Ford became a valuable red-zone asset for backup QB Artur Sitkowski. The duo connected for the first score of the second half that essentially put the game out of reach.
He finished with 3 receptions for 30 yards and a touchdown, while Ford also proved to be an asset in the blocking game.
FLEX: Tyler Nevens, San Jose State
The big man from San Jose was a tough ask to bring down for Southern Utah defenders on Saturday night. Nevens recorded 114 total yards of offense on just 14 touches, scoring SJSU’s third touchdown of the first quarter in the process.
He totaled 91 yards on the ground, with another 23 yards through the air out of the backfield. It was a great debut for Nevens, who began his fifth year with San Jose State.
OL: UCLA Bruins
The Bruins’ offensive line combination proved too much for Hawaii’s defensive front on Saturday. They carved up rushing lanes and kept QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson clean for the most part. However, their work on the second level is what kept the UCLA rushing attack alive — and what got them on our Team of the Week.
The Bruins averaged 5.7 yards per carry for the entire game while starting running backs Zach Charbonnet (17.7 yards per carry) and Brittain Brown (6.0) each had terrific days behind this offensive line unit.
Kicker: Gavin Baechle, UTEP
The only kicker with multiple kick attempts who was perfect on the day was UTEP’s Baechle. He knocked home all 3 of his extra-point attempts while hitting 3 total field goals (27, 27, and 35 yards out).
Honorable Mention Offense
QB: Nick Starkel, San Jose State
RB: Brittain Brown, UCLA
RB: Mike Epstein, Illinois
WR: Charles Ross, San Jose State
WR: Jermaine Braddock, San Jose State
WR: Justin Garrett, UTEP
TE: Derrick Deese Jr., San Jose State
OL: UTEP Miners
K: Matt Mercurio, San Jose State