DEION SANDERS PICKS EXPERIENCE OVER YOUTH AT QB FOR COLORADO’S SEASON OPENER, KAIDON SALTER TO START
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Colorado coach Deion Sanders went with experience over youth at quarterback in choosing Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter to start the season opener.
Salter will take over the offense for Shedeur Sanders when the Buffaloes kick off the season Friday night against Georgia Tech at Folsom Field. Salter emerged with the job after a close race with teenage freshman and five-star recruit Julian “JuJu” Lewis. They’re different styles of quarterbacks, with Salter more of a dual threat and Lewis a pocket passer.
Deion Sanders said Tuesday he gave the edge to Salter because, “he’s the guy at this point.” Sanders added he hopes to work Lewis, who doesn’t turn 18 until next month, into the game as well.
It’s going to be a different look on offense with Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter now in the NFL. Sanders, who set numerous single-season team records last season, was drafted by the Cleveland Browns.
Salter made big plays with his arm and his running ability while at Liberty. He was responsible for 66 touchdowns over the past two seasons — 47 passing and 19 rushing.
“He’s done it before,” Deion Sanders said of picking Salter to start.
Lewis has a quick release and poise in the pocket. He spent three seasons at Carrollton High School in Georgia, throwing for 11,010 yards. He arrived on campus after his high school season in an effort to get a jump-start on learning the offense.
VIRGINIA TECH LB CALEB WOODSON ARRESTED ON DWI CHARGE
Virginia Tech junior linebacker Caleb Woodson is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 9 after his arrest on a charge of misdemeanor driving while intoxicated.
Woodson, 21, was arrested Saturday in that incident.
He also has a Sept. 16 court date for a reckless driving citation in which he reportedly was going 96 mph in a 70-mph zone on July 30.
“We are aware of an incident involving Caleb Woodson,” Virginia Tech said in a statement on Tuesday morning. “We take this matter seriously and will handle it according to athletic department policy and university policy. As this is a legal matter, we will have no further comment until the process is complete.”
Hokies head coach Brent Pry told reporters on Tuesday that there has yet to be a determination about the status of Woodson, a captain, for the team’s season opener against No. 13 South Carolina on Sunday in Atlanta.
“We removed his captain status with the opportunity to earn it back,” Pry said.
Woodson recorded 72 tackles, two sacks and an interception in 13 games (11 starts) last season.
MICHIGAN STATE MOTIVATED TO SHIFT TRAJECTORY, READIES FOR WESTERN MICHIGAN
When Michigan State kicks off its season Friday night in East Lansing against visiting Western Michigan, it won’t just be the start of another fall campaign. It’ll be a litmus test for Jonathan Smith, who kicks off his second year as head coach of the Spartans.
After his team lost four of its last five games and finished 5-7 in 2024, Smith is embracing the challenge of goals that include bowl eligibility and beyond for a program hungry for relevance.
“Our guys are focused in their prep of Western Michigan,” Smith said. “This is our first opportunity. We’re only guaranteed 12 of those (games). Obviously, we want to be playing more than 12, but we’re only guaranteed 12.”
A great deal of the Spartans’ success will depend on the improvement of quarterback Aidan Chiles. He followed Smith from Oregon State and became the Michigan State starter in 2024. He completed 59.4 percent of his throws for 2,415 yards and 13 touchdowns — with 11 interceptions — and rushed for 225 yards and three scores, with four lost fumbles.
Chiles showed flashes of promise last season but struggled with ball security — something Smith hopes will improve with another offseason in the system.
“I want (Chiles) to operate and trust what he sees, and take what they give you, get us in the right play and compete,” Smith said of his expectations in the opener.
Chiles will face a Broncos team that brought in 33 transfers and 14 freshmen during the offseason after finishing 6-7 last season.
“It’ll be a great challenge and opportunity for us on Friday night, one that we’re looking forward to embracing,” said Western Michigan coach Lance Taylor. “Our focus has really just been on worrying about the process of getting better every single day, and not trying to get too high or too low, riding that emotional roller coaster.”
With Hayden Wolff gone, the Broncos will rotate two quarterbacks: redshirt sophomore Broc Lowry and JUCO standout Brady Jones. Lowry, last year’s backup, brings familiarity with the system. Jones arrives from Riverside Community College, where he lit up defenses with 4,456 yards passing, including 44 touchdowns.
“They’ve both done an excellent job really commanding the offense, being great teammates, being great leaders, and when they’ve had opportunities, they’ve been efficient, they haven’t put the ball in jeopardy, and really done a nice job leading our offense,” Taylor said.
Western Michigan has lost 13 straight games to the Spartans.
NO. 7 OREGON EMBRACES FRESH START, GIVING DANGEROUS FCS FOE DUE ATTENTION
With 17 new starters and an opponent Oregon last played in the 1940s, Ducks head coach Dan Lanning is embracing the novelty factor around the opening game of the 2025 season on Saturday in Eugene.
The last time he prepared for a game, Lanning and the Ducks were undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the College Football Playoff, headed to the Rose Bowl to face Big Ten rival Ohio State.
After a 20-point blowout to the eventual champions and immense roster turnover, Lanning and the Ducks are pining for another shot at the playoff.
“I think regardless of result or whoever we are on Saturday, I hope it’s not remotely close to who we become, right?” Lanning said Monday. “And you always talk about becoming, you know, the best version of yourselves. And I think we’re a long ways away from what we could become, but I think this would be a good starting point to assess exactly where we’re at.
It won’t be an easy start for No. 7 Oregon.
The Ducks open the season Saturday against Montana State — ranked No. 2 in the most recent AFCA FCS coach’s poll — while trying to reset their own identity.
The Ducks were an offensive powerhouse in 2024 scoring at least 30 points in all but three games. They finished 13th in the FBS in passing offense, and 22nd total offense with Heisman Trophy finalist Dillon Gabriel at quarterback.
Lanning still has yet to officially name his starting quarterback for Saturday, but all signs are pointing toward Dante Moore.
A transfer from UCLA, Moore hasn’t started a game since his true freshman season. In 14 career games Moore has 1,659 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Lanning and Moore will be keen to extend their nation-leading non-conference home winning streak, but will have to do so against a stout Montana State team.
“I think there’s a lot of respect for this team that we’re about to play,” Lanning said. “There’s some unknowns about the opponent, because it is game one, and they have some changes just like we have. So can you make sure that you have sound rules again for your players and let them execute at a really high level.”
While Oregon was on a dominant run last season, the Bobcats were on an equally explosive tear at the lower tier of college football.
Montana State is coming off of a 15-1 season which ended in a heartbreaking three-point loss in the FCS national championship game. The Bobcats had just three games decided by fewer than 14 points, and are looking to continue that dominance.
Fifth-year Montana State head coach Brent Vigen remains focused on a ground-and-pound offense. The Bobcats led the FCS in rushing offense in 2024, finishing with nearly 1,200 yards more than the next closest team.
Vigen has a strong running back room, headlined by 1,000-yard rusher Adam Jones and a smash-mouth starting quarterback.
Vigen deploys Stanford transfer Justin Lamson, a run-first quarterback with more career rushing attempts than passing, as the Bobcats’ starting QB on Saturday.
“From the time (Lamson) got here late spring his work ethic has been his biggest priority,” Vigen said Monday. “When you have that and you don’t assume anything in our culture you’re going to fit in just fine.”
Lamson started a game against Oregon in 2023, a 42-6 Ducks win. He was 11-for-20 passing for 106 yards and had 22 rush attempts for 32 yards.
Jones is one of 30 players on the Walter Payton Award watchlist, an honor given to the top FCS offensive player each season.
He was the 2024 Big Sky Freshman of the Year and 2025 Preseason Big Sky MVP honors, and gained 1,172 yards on the ground last season.
These teams last played in 1947.
NO. 2 PENN STATE POINTS POWER-PACKED BACKFIELD AT NEVADA
Second-ranked Penn State is on the short list of national championship contenders as the Nittany Lions roar into the 2025 opener.
Penn State is propelled by a roster loaded with experience and returnees from a 13-3 season that ended in the College Football Playoff semifinals. The Nittany Lions are resounding favorites as they face Nevada in a nonconference game on Saturday afternoon at University Park, Pa.
Penn State bowed out of its first-ever CFP appearance with a 27-24 loss to Notre Dame. The other two losses were to eventual national champion Ohio State and another playoff participant, Oregon.
Quarterback Drew Allar threw a costly interception in the CFP semifinal to set up the Fighting Irish’s winning field goal. Now Allar believes the Nittany Lions are ready to take the next step.
“We know what those situations feel like,” Allar said. “We know what it’s like to be on both ends of it, the winning side or the losing side. So channeling that and flushing bad moments and staying in the present when big moments come.”
Penn State coach James Franklin hears the critics but is attempting to keep everything in perspective.
“People were pissed and disappointed, and most programs around the country would die to have that type of season,” Franklin said. “So there’s more talk going on nationally. I get that. But within our program, I don’t really sense a difference.”
Penn State lost two prolific All-Americans in defensive end Abdul Carter (national-best 23.5 tackles for loss) and tight end Tyler Warren (tied for second with 104 receptions) but still is loaded with talent.
Allar passed for 3,327 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions and also rushed for six scores last season. He is third in school history with 53 career touchdowns and sixth with 6,302 passing yards.
The star-studded backfield of Nicholas Singleton (2,912 career rushing yards) and Kaytron Allen (2,877) is more than a crutch for Allar. Both backs have a shot at surpassing the school rushing record held by Evan Royster (3,932 from 2007-10). Allen rushed for 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns and added two receiving scores last season. Singleton rushed for 1,099 yards and 12 touchdowns and had five scoring catches.
The Wolf Pack are all but assured a heavy dose of Singleton and Allen. Nevada ranked just 113th in rushing defense (192.8 yards per game) last season and only four teams allowed more rushing touchdowns (31).
“We’re going to be tested tremendously Week 1 because they’ve got two of the better backs in the country coming back at Penn State,” Nevada coach Jeff Choate told reporters.
Defensive tackle Zane Durant (17.5 career tackles for loss) and defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton (15 career sacks) lead the Nittany Lions defense.
Nevada ended last season with six straight setbacks and has experienced three consecutive 10-loss campaigns.
The Wolf Pack went 2-10 twice in a row under Ken Wilson before Choate took over and got three wins out of an often overmatched team.
Choate is well aware things could get a little dicey in Happy Valley.
“They’re on par with the national championship caliber program,” Choate said of Penn State. “That’s really what you see. They don’t have a drop-off. To make a national championship type of run, you build around a quarterback, who is elite. Coach Franklin and that organization is committed to winning a national championship.”
Chubba Purdy will be Nevada’s starting quarterback. He played in seven games last season and started once — a 34-13 road loss at Hawaii in which he passed for 155 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
The younger brother of San Francisco 49ers standout quarterback Brock Purdy has bounced around. He played two seasons at Florida State (2020-21), two at Nebraska (2022-23) and is in his second with Nevada.
Purdy has thrown seven touchdown passes and eight interceptions in 188 attempts during his college career.
This is the first meeting between the teams.
NEW QBS PILOT MINNESOTA, BUFFALO INTO 2025 SEASON
Drake Lindsey spent his freshman season watching and learning from the sidelines.
One year later, Lindsey is ready to take the reins for Minnesota. The sophomore quarterback will make his starting debut when the Golden Gophers face Buffalo in the season opener for both teams Thursday evening in Minneapolis.
Lindsey attempted only five passes last season, completing four of them for 50 yards and a touchdown. Previous starter Max Brosmer now is competing for a roster spot on the Minnesota Vikings, and the Golden Gophers placed their trust in Lindsey rather than acquiring a veteran in the transfer portal.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun to watch where this all goes,” Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said. “I said this at Big Ten Media Days: It’s not about just Drake Lindsey. It’s about how well the supporting cast can do around him. That’s ultimately going to be the story of the 2025 offense.”
Minnesota is coming off an 8-5 campaign that included a season-ending 24-10 victory over Virginia Tech in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. The Golden Gophers started 2-3 and finished the season on a 6-2 run.
Buffalo is eager to provide a nonconference test to the Golden Gophers. The Bulls went 9-4 last season, including a 6-2 mark in the Mid-American Conference, and they also finished on a winning note after knocking off Liberty 26-7 in the Bahamas Bowl.
Buffalo’s Pete Lembo set a school record for most wins by a first-year coach. He was rewarded with a pay increase and a contract extension, and he will look to build upon his success in year two.
“This is a group of guys, this is a team in my opinion that has done all the right things,” Lembo said. “We’ve won some games maybe when a lot of people didn’t expect us to. We’ve been out and about in the community. … Obviously, we’ve got a big challenge on the road to open the season. we’ve got a lot of work to do here in the coming days to keep preparing and get ready for that challenge.”
Quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson will make his first career start for Buffalo. Roberson transferred from Kansas State, where he completed three of seven passes for 18 yards last season.
Buffalo’s top threat is running back Al-Jay Henderson, who eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing in 2024. Henderson enters this season on the watch list for the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Award.
Minnesota also boasts an elite running back in Darius Taylor. He led the Golden Gophers with 1,336 all-purpose yards last season, including 986 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.
Golden Gophers defensive back Koi Perich will look to take another step forward after an impressive freshman season. Perich notched five interceptions, made 46 tackles and served as the team’s primary kickoff returner and punt returner.
This will be the third time Minnesota has played Buffalo in program history. The Golden Gophers won 41-17 in the initial matchup in 2002, and they won 17-7 when the programs met again in 2017.
