Fansided

College Football Week 1: Top performers of the week

By Brad Weiss

Sep 1, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Teammates celebrate with Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) after scoring a touchdown agains the Charlotte 49ers during the first quarter at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Teammates celebrate with Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) after scoring a touchdown agains the Charlotte 49ers during the first quarter at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next

Week 1 of the college football season is in the books, and we look back on the top five performers from around the nation.

The first week of the college football season brought a bunch of upsets, some incredible performances, and a few head-scratching moments. The preseason Top-25 rankings are already in shambles, and a couple of big name players failed to show up in Week 1. It is only one week, but some players have already established themselves as ones to watch in 2016.

Here are the top five performers for Week 1 of the 2016 college football season.

El PASO, TX -SEPTEMBER 6 : Aaron Jones #29 of the UTEP Miners tries to get by J.J. Gaines #3 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders during game action on September 6, 2014 at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. The Texas Tech Red Raiders defeated the UTEP Miners 30-26. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
El PASO, TX -SEPTEMBER 6 : Aaron Jones #29 of the UTEP Miners tries to get by J.J. Gaines #3 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders during game action on September 6, 2014 at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. The Texas Tech Red Raiders defeated the UTEP Miners 30-26. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

5. RB Aaron Jones, UTEP Miners

For Aaron Jones, the start of the 2016 college football could not come soon enough. After starring for UTEP as a freshman and sophomore, Jones appeared ready to take it to another level in 2015. However, he suffered an ankle injury in the second game of the season, and saw his season end due to surgery

This past March, Jones was arrested on suspicion of DWI, just a week before spring practice. He has put all of that in the past, and on Saturday, took his aggression out on the New Mexico State defense. It was just a small sample of what should be expected from Jones throughout the 2016 season.

Jones carried the ball 31 times for an FBS-best 249 yards. He ran all over New Mexico State, scoring twice in the process. He also caught three balls for 43 yards, giving him nearly 300 all-purpose yards for the game. UTEP is not known to be a big-time football school, but they definitely have a big-time back in Jones

UTEP has some tough sledding in their next game, as they travel to Austin, Texas to play the upstart Longhorns. Texas is coming off an emotional upset victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and should have a good game plan for Jones. He likely won’t come close to the totals he had against New Mexico State, but he should be able to break 100.

If he can put together a nice game against Texas, he could be a player to watch going forward.

Next: 4. Deondre Francois

Home/College Football