SMQ: The best games from each week of the 2019 college football season

Week 1: Oregon vs. Auburn (in Arlington)

Meeting for the first time since their duel in the 2011 BCS national championship game, Auburn and Oregon both came into their contest at AT&T Stadium in Arlington with hopes of national contention. It was a game of missed opportunities for the Ducks, as they fell once again to the Tigers in what turned out to be the top billing among the best games of Week 1.

Justin Herbert entered the contest with Heisman aspirations, and the Eugene native threw for 242 yards and a touchdown on 28-of-37 passing. Herbert fumbled in a goal-to-go situation, though, and the Ducks squandered multiple scoring opportunities. The Oregon ground game struggled to move the ball against a tough Auburn front seven. CJ Verdell ran for 76 yards and a touchdown, but the Ducks finished with only 90 total rushing yards as a team.

Herbert’s counterpart, true freshman Bo Nix, had a rough start to his college career — yet still emerged the hero of this contest. Nix completed only 13 of his 31 passing attempts and finished with 177 yards through the air. The freshman threw two interceptions as well. A switch flipped in the second half, though, as Nix threw touchdown passes to Eli Stove and Seth Williams.

The latter of those scoring strikes, with just nine seconds remaining, allowed Auburn to steal away victory on a day where Oregon never returned to the red zone on their final six drives of the game.

Honorable Mentions

• Iowa State 29, FCS Northern Iowa 26 (3OT)
• North Carolina 24, South Carolina 20
• Boise State 36, Florida State 31