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Kirk Herbstreit watched plenty of college football over the weekend, but only a select few made the cut for his “Coaches of the Week.” At the top, 2 SEC coaches made the list.
Florida’s Billy Napier and Georgia’s Kirby Smart headlined Herbstreit’s list from Week 1. The other names included Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, current Duke head coach and former Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko, Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer and Old Dominion head coach Ricky Rahne.
Napier, who was hired in the offseason to replace Dan Mullen, picked up the biggest upset of the win over No. 7 Utah. Led by quarterback Anthony Richardson, the Gators put up 451 yards of total offense en route to a 29-26 win. Richardson, a native of Gainesville, became the first Florida quarterback since Tim Tebow in 2008 to throw for 100 yards and rush for 3 touchdowns.
Hmm here are my top performing coaches of Week 1! ?
1. Billy Napier @GatorsFB
2. Kirby Smart @GeorgiaFootball
3. Jim Knowles @OhioStateFB DC
4. Mike Elko @DukeFOOTBALL
5. Kalen DeBoer @UW_Football
6. Ricky Rahne @ODUFootball pic.twitter.com/8qavQYj0hn— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) September 6, 2022
Smart, fresh off a national title in Athens, didn’t miss a beat in his return to the sidelines. Georgia totaled 571 yards of total offense and averaged 9.7 yards per play on the way to a 49-3 win over No. 11 Oregon. Bulldogs QB Stetson Bennett threw for 368 yards and 2 touchdowns while averaging 11.9 yards per pass attempt.
Herbstreit wasn’t the only one paying attention to Georgia and Florida over the weekend. In the latest edition of the AP Poll, Georgia jumped into the No. 2 spot, leapfrogging now-No. 3 Ohio State. Florida, meanwhile catapulted its way into the top 15, finding itself ranked No. 12 entering Week 2.
Cole Thompson is a freelance writer for Saturday Football who has covered college football and the NFL for multiple websites. Thompson is currently based in Houston, Texas, and also can be heard daily on SportsMap National Radio's 'Just Sayin It' from 3am-6am.
