Opponent Watch: Week 1

Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY

Wondering what did Michigan's future opponents did in week 1? Well wonder no more. Plus...a handy W/L record chart at the bottom of this post for added convenience.

Oregon State (1-0, 0-0)
Week 1: W 26-7 vs Weber State
Next: @ Michigan
The Gary Andersen era got off to a slow but successful start in Corvallis with a modest win against FCS Weber State. QB Seth Collins won the starting gig with a 10/18, 92 yd and 2 TD performance. He also led OSU in rushing with 17 carries for 152 yards.

UNLV (0-1, 0-0)
Week 1: L 30-38 @ Northern Illinois
Next: vs UCLA
After jumping out at an early 17-3 lead, NIU ran havoc over the Rebel defense in the second half tallying 545 yards of total offense. QB Blake Decker led the way for UNLV going 21/39 for 319 yards, 2 TDs and a pick.

BYU (1-0, 0-0)
Week 1: W 33-28 @ Nebraska
Next: vs Boise State
The Cougars snagged easily the most dramatic win of week 1 when Mitch Mathews caught a 42-yard hail mary from backup QB Tanner Mangum with no time left to seal BYU's stunning victory in Lincoln. While the game ended on a high note, BYU lost their dynamic starting QB Taysum Hill in the 4th quarter to what is being considered a season ending foot injury sustained on a 21-yard TD run.

Maryland (1-0, 0-0)
Week 1: W 50-21 vs Richmond
Next: vs Bowling Green
For reasons passing understanding, Richmond couldn't help but keep punting the ball to Maryland's William Likely who set the Big Ten record yesterday for punt return yardage in a game. Likely returned 8 punts for 233 yards. RB Brandon Ross added 150 yards on the ground for the Terrapins. FCS Richmond was overmatched, and in the second half, Maryland poured it on for a comfortable win.

Northwestern (1-0, 0-0)
Week 1: W 16-6 vs Stanford
Next: vs Eastern Illinois
Probably one of the biggest upsets of the weekend. Northwestern used good old fashioned toughness to stop the typically robust Cardinal rushing attack. NU's running game was alive and kicking. Justin Jackson ran 28 times for 134 yards. Freshman QB Clayton Thorson added another 68 on the ground including an impressive 42 yard touchdown run. NU forced 2 Stanford turnovers while giving up none.

#5 Michigan State (1-0, 0-0)
Week 1: W 37-24 @ Western Michigan
Next: vs Oregon
In what I think MSU fans hope was a tune up game for Oregon next week, Michigan State held off a surprisingly hopeful Western Michigan squad for a 13 point win in Kalamazoo on Friday night. WMU racked up 383 yards of offense and 22 first downs against a usually tough MSU defense. Senior QB Connor Cook looked a little rusty completing less than 50% of his passes.

Minnesota (0-1, 0-0)
Week 1: L 17-23 vs TCU
Next: @ Colorado State
Either Minnesota looked pretty decent or #2 TCU struggled, time will tell. Either way, in a sloppy turnover prone game, TCU managed to edge out the upstart Gophers to kickoff their playoff campaign. UM had no answer for TCU's Trevone Boykin as he made plays with his arm and feet.

Rutgers (1-0, 0-0)
Week 1: W 63-13 vs Norfolk State
Next: vs Washington State
Rutgers was able to set aside all the distractions surrounding it's program to throttle the lowly Spartans of Norfolk State. The Scarlet Knights got off to slow start, but poured it on en route to an easy victory. WR Leonte Carroo, suspended for the 1st half, caught 3 touchdowns in the second half. Rutgers split QB time between Hayden Rettig and Chris Laviano (who was also suspended for the opening half), who both played well.

Indiana (1-0, 0-0)
Week 1: W 48-47 vs Southern Illinois
Next: vs FIU
It came down to a failed 2-point conversion by SIU that handed Indiana a narrow 1-point win in the Hoosiers 2015 opener. Despite the win, Indiana still allowed a stunning 659 yards of total offense (including 411 yards and 4 TDs through the air) and 26 first downs. In a game with absolutely zero defense by both sides, it's impossible to tell how good or bad Indiana really is...although I think we all know the answer.

Penn State (0-1, 0-0)
Week 1: L 10-27 @ Temple
Next: vs Buffalo
Temple not only beat PSU for the first time since before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, they dominated them. Temple's defense sacked Christian Hackenberg 10 times which kept Penn State from getting anything accomplished offensively. In what is being called the biggest win in Temple history, it was in doubt when PSU shot out to an early 10-0 lead. But in front of a raucous crowd, Temple played dominating defense against a lackluster Penn State offense...one that forced former PSU O-lineman Adam Gress to tweet out "(our) offensive coordinator sucks".

#1 Ohio State (1-0, 0-0)
Week 1: 42-24 @ Virginia Tech
Next: vs Hawaii
Cardale Jones got the start for Ohio State. While his passing stats were rather tame, he was quite effective on his 9 completions, accounting for 2 touchdowns. He also added 1 on the ground. QB turned H-back Braxton Miller stole the show with his dazzling foot speed on his 53-yard TD run and also managed to wow with his catching ability on his acrobatic touchdown catch. Oh, and backup QB JT Barrett, maybe the best QB in the B1G, threw one pass...a 26-yard TD strike to Michael Thomas. VT made is a game going into halftime with the lead, but then OSU outscored the Hokies 28-7 in the 2nd half. Just a sickening display of offensive firepower.

Handy chart...

Michigan's Opponent Records

	WK1	WK2	WK3	WK4	WK5	WK6	WK7	WK8	WK9	WK10	WK11	WK12	WK13	TOTAL
UTAH	W													1-0
ORST	W													1-0
UNLV	L													0-1
BYU	W													1-0
UMD	W													1-0
NW	W													1-0
MSU	W													1-0
MINN	L													0-1
RUT	W													1-0
IND	W													1-0
PSU	L													0-1
OSU	W													1-0
TOT	9-3													9-3