Dan Mullen names top QB performances from Week 1

As the college football season got fully underway in Week 1, multiple quarterbacks stole the show. ESPN analyst Dan Mullen pointed out a few as he named his top QB performances from the first full slate of games.

One of the most notable showings came in Gainesville where new Miami quarterback Cam Ward put together a huge day. He led the charge as the Hurricanes handled Florida with ease as they debuted their new-look roster.

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Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia also had a huge Commodores debut to help engineer a huge upset over Virginia Tech in Nashville. The former New Mexico State quarterback looked strong in his first game with Vanderbilt and earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts.

Another big performance came on Sunday when Miller Moss helped lead USC to a huge win over LSU in Las Vegas. That earned him a spot on Mullen’s list, as well.

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Pavia, Ward and Moss were just a few of the names on Mullen’s list, though. Here are his top quarterback performances from Week 1 of the 2024 season.

Cam Ward, Miami

Cam Ward put together a memorable Miami debut after arriving as the crown jewel in the transfer portal. He threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns as the Hurricanes cruised past Florida in the season opener.

Ward initially declared for the NFL Draft before announcing his commitment to Mario Cristobal and Miami. He offered a strong look at what he brings to the table after arriving as the No. 8 overall player in the portal, according to the On3 Industry Transfer Rankings.

Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt

After winning Vanderbilt’s quarterback competition, Diego Pavia rose to the occasion to help the Commodores to a huge Week 1 victory. He threw for 190 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 104 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Pavia arrived in Nashville after two impressive seasons at New Mexico State under Jerry Kill, who’s now on staff at Vanderbilt. He put together a strong debut to give the Commodores plenty of momentum heading into Week 2 against Alcorn State.

John Mateer, Washington State

As Washington State entered a new era, John Mateer showed out. He shined in the Cougars’ resounding season-opening victory over Portland State in Week 1 and became one of Dan Mullen’s top performing quarterbacks.

Mateer threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns after beating out Zevi Eckhaus for the starting quarterback job on The Palouse. He already topped his passing yards from last year as Wazzu lifted the curtain on the first year of the two-team Pac-12.

Kyle McCord, Syracuse

It didn’t take long for Kyle McCord to settle in at Syracuse. He put together a career day in his Orange debut, which ended with a victory over Ohio.

McCord threw for a career-high 354 yards to go with four touchdowns in his first game after transferring from Ohio State. Afterward, Fran Brown expressed his gratitude after McCord joined his program and the rebuild got off to a strong start.

Miller Moss, USC

In last year’s Holiday Bowl, Miller Moss appeared to cement himself as Caleb Williams’ successor at USC. Sunday’s win over LSU proved he was worthy of the QB1 spot.

Moss threw for 378 yards and a touchdown as the Trojans stunned the Tigers in the final seconds in Las Vegas. That helped him snag the final spot on Dan Mullen’s top quarterback performances list for Week 1, and perhaps signaled what’s to come in the Big Ten this season.

It was a big week for quarterbacks across the country as part of a thrilling first full slate of college football. The sprint to the College Football Playoff is officially on, and the table is set.