Y-Option's Go Go Go Awards - Week 1
Our distinct take on college football weekly awards and as always, seen through the lens of the West Coast
Week 1 is now in the books (well, mostly with Boston College visiting Florida State tonight) so its time to give out our new weekly awards with a very distinct West Coast flavor to them.
Introducing…. Y-Option’s Go Go Go Awards presented by 76.
So what exactly are these awards? They will honor the top players and coaches of the week through the eyes of the West Coast. The 4 honors we will give out every week:
“My 5-Star QB” - whether or not you were a 5-star recruit out of high school, you played like one this weekend.
“Go Go Gone” - the most explosive player of the week. Think big chunk plays as explosives and turnovers are the biggest predictor of wins and losses.
“That Dude!” - player who made an impact on either side of the ball. Not always about your numbers on the stat sheet.
“Headset Hero” - either a head coach or assistant coach who had their team ready and/or made the right in-game adjustments
So our Week 1 winners are…..
“My 5-Star QB” - USC’s Miller Moss
Growing up, it was Miller Moss’s dream to play QB at USC and in 2021 the 4-star recruit out of Bishop Alemany HS made it a reality. As a true freshman that year, Moss sat behind both Kedon Slovis and Jaxson Dart but still saw action in 2 games. Then Caleb Williams transferred from Oklahoma to USC and Moss sat behind the 2022 Heisman winner for 2 seasons but always ready for his opportunity as he explained to us this summer at the Elite 11.
Moss got his first career start in December’s Holiday Bowl after Williams declared for the draft. All he did in that game was set the Trojans’ record for touchdown passes in a bowl game (6) against Louisville. But there were still critics unsure of what Moss was capable of and this Sunday night in Las Vegas, the redshirt junior put those questions to bed.
Facing #13 LSU in Allegiant Stadium, Moss put on a Vegas worthy show by completing 27-of-36 for 378 yards and a score. His 28-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Kobi Lane gave the Trojans a 20-17 lead with just under 6 minutes to go in the game. Then after LSU tied the game with a field goal with 1:47 left, Moss led the team on an 8-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with a Woody Marks 13-yard GW TD run with 8 seconds to go. The USC signal-caller was 5-of-6 for 49 yards on that final drive.
“Go Go Gone” - Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan
A pair of 60+ yard receiving touchdowns will usually put you right at the top of this list every week. But for the Arizona wide receiver, that was just the tip of the iceberg that sunk New Mexico to give Brent Brennan a win in his first game as the Wildcats head coach.
McMillan racked up a school-record 304 receiving yards, breaking the mark set by Jeremy McDaniel in 1996, and was just 10 yards shy of the Big 12 record. His 4 receiving touchdowns tied the school record which was set just last season by his former teammate Jacob Cowing.
The junior got things underway on Arizona’s first drive of the game with a 69-yard grab from his high school teammate Noah Fifita. McMillan got the Wildcats in the end zone on their second drive, on a 17-yard reception, before dropping a 78-yard score in the 2nd quarter. T-Mac’s final score came with a 40-yard dash to the end zone in the 3rd quarter.
“That Dude!” - Utah’s Cam Rising
In 2021 & 2022, Cam Rising led Utah to back-to-back Pac-12 championships and a pair of trips to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. But in that loss to Penn State, Rising left the game in the 3rd quarter. While the injury was known to be serious, missing the entire 2023 season was unexpected.
“Bad Moon Rising” made his triumphant return to the Utes lineup last Thursday in a 49-0 win over Southern Utah. The senior finished up his night by halftime but still threw a career-high 5 touchdowns on just 10-of-15 passing for 254 yards. He becomes the first Utah QB to throw 5 scores in a game since Travis Wilson in 2014.
Rising’s return was not alone as one his favorite targets also suited up for the first time in over a year as tight end Brant Kuithe caught a career-best 3 of those touchdowns.
“Headset Hero” - Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham
At Big 12 Media Day this year, the media picked the Sun Devils to finish 16th, aka last in the conference. And while they’ve yet to play a conference game, their first game as a Big 12 school definitely left an impression.
While they were favored by a touchdown, Kenny Dillingham’s squad busted out a 48-7 win in the opener over a Wyoming team that won 9 games in 2023. ASU only allowed points in the closing seconds of the game as the Cowboys avoided the shutout.
Brian Ward’s defense forced 3 turnovers and returned 2 of them for touchdowns, ASU’s first game with multiple defensive scores since 2015. The Sun Devils limited Wyoming to 118 total yards overall while the Cowboys didn’t advance past their own 41-yard line in the first half.
Meanwhile new offensive coordinator, Marcus Arroyo, trusted a fellow newbie at quarterback in Michigan State transfer Sam Leavitt. Leavitt threw for 258 yards and a pair of scores while a balanced rushing attack picked up 241 yards on the ground.