Week 0 winners, losers: Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman, UMass take flight while UTEP falls flat

Hartman finished 19-of-23 for 251 yards and his four passing touchdowns tied for the most in a quarterback's debut in program history (Jack Coan, Ron Powlus). Per The Athletic, the 2023 season-opener marked Hartman's 31st consecutive game with a touchdown pass, the longest active streak among FBS quarterbacks.  

Loser

Navy's meaningless field goal in a blowout: The Midshipmen avoided a shutout by kicking a worthless field goal with 3:37 left. To be fair, a touchdown would have been equally useless. Still, any team settling for a field goal when down six touchdowns deserves a rebuke. Go for it. No one will think any worse of you if you miss.

Winner

Jacksonville State's FBS debut: The Gamecocks' FBS debut was a rousing success. The former ASUN member, playing its first FBS and Conference USA game, pulled off a thrilling 17-14 win over UTEP. Jacksonville State wasn't overpowered by its established FBS foe, averaging 4.7 yards per carry to UTEP's 3.6 yards per carry.

In a postgame interview on the field, Jeremiah Harris, who came up with the game-sealing interception, said "We comin'." After Saturday night, they're here.

Loser

UTEP playcalling: Miners head coach Dana Dimel and first-year offensive coordinator Scotty Ohara unearthed a dud early against Jacksonville State. An early fourth-down look in the first quarter needs to be scrapped from the playbook.

A lot happened on that play and none of it was good. Why line up as if about to run a "tush push" on a fourth-and-3? Quarterback Gavin Hardison seemed justifiably confused, looking to the sideline for guidance before hurrying to get off the snap. 

The Miners threw out of the formation and had eight players in pass protection, yet somehow the Jacksonville State pass rush was still able to get through, thanks to two Miners blocking one defender and another not stopping anyone.

Later, the offense needed to gain one yard to keep its final drive alive and Dimel inexplicably called for back-to-back passes on third and fourth down, a deep fade and Harris' interception.

Winner

Arizona Cardinals:  Arizona has a great shot of landing the No. 1 pick in 2024 and Caleb Williams, the likely first pick in next year's draft, showed what his potential next team has to look forward to with this unreal 76-yard touchdown, throwing a dime off his back foot after fumbling the snap.

 Get excited, Cardinals fans. After this season, you'll have earned it.

Loser

Special teams: No weekend of college football is complete without some wild special teams gaffes. This week, we present a 0-yard punt by Hawai'i and an Ohio field goal attempt at San Diego State that landed on Coronado Island.

Winner

UMass lives!: What got into the Minutemen? Taisun Phommachanh, that's who. The former Clemson and Georgia Tech quarterback led UMass to a 41-30 win over New Mexico State after it averaged 12.2 points a game last season, the worst in the country. 

Phommachanh converted a key fourth down with a 26-yard run and connected with Christian Wells on this 68-yarder as the Minutemen scored their most points since 2018. 

Loser

This ref's face: