The most noteworthy moment of the college football's mini-opening weekend -- Week Zero -- came not from the coach of a team that actually played a game, but from first-year Arizona State head man Kenny Dillingham.
Dillingham actively and candidly reacted to the news that Arizona State is self-imposing a 2023 postseason ban on itself -- for the transgressions of disgraced fired former head coach Herm Edwards and multiple members of a staff that thumbed its nose at NCAA rules -- particularly during COVID-19.
"I knew today would be shitty, I mean they received horrible news on a Tuesday practice in the morning before we meet for special teams," Dillingham told reporters, indicating the Sun Devils treated their Sunday practice as a standard Tuesday practice during game week because ASU opens its season Thursday night.
"To think that 18- to 22-year-olds are going to go out and have a good Tuesday practice is delusional. But I think the guys battled, the guys did the best they could do."
Dillingham brushed off a question that his team might now be unmotivated; he instead pointed to the group's internal makeup.
"What i just told the team is nobody cares about your circumstance," he said. "And in reality, most people in life would rather see other people fail so they don't have work hard and actually work hard enough to beat them. So everybody looks at this (and says), 'Oh, great. Arizona State's not going to be motivated anymore. That's a win.'
"That's how the majority of the world thinks, because nobody wants to work hard to achieve success. They want to bring other people down lower than them."
TIMMY CHANG'S RESOUNDING MESSAGE
Hawaii made the 4,300-mile journey from Honolulu to Nashville to open its season, and Year 2 under favored son Timmy Chang, at Southeastern Conference program Vanderbilt.
Though the Rainbow Warriors fell to the third-year Commodores of Clark Lea, 35-28, they showed plenty of mettle in the contest.
Down three scores in the second half, Hawaii trimmed the gap to the game's final margin with nearly five minutes left in regulation, but Vanderbilt held off the rally.
Still, Hawaii outgained the host 'Dores by almost 100 yards -- 391 to 297 -- and had more than 350 yards through the air.
Chang was fired up as he addressed his team in the locker room.
"We got a good football team, it's just the little things," Chang said. "And listen, what we've got to do, is stick together, just stick together and keep (blanking) fighting.
"That is (blanking) Hawaii football."
Ready to run through a wall!
— Hawaii Football (@HawaiiFootball) August 28, 2023
🗣 @CoachTimmyChang #BRADDAHHOOD x #GoBows pic.twitter.com/zJ4D2wn53K
LINCOLN RILEY: "Busted coverage on last play before half was inexcusable."
San Jose State had near-perfect offensive balance against No. 6 USC, amassing 198 yards equally with its ground game and passing attack.
In fact, the host Trojans held just a 21-14 halftime-edge after San Jose scored inside the final 10 seconds of the second quarter.
"The biggest disappointment was the end of half," Riley said. "We were really dominating the football game and to kind of have the two series of bad football, didn't move it there offensively, clock became an issue, had a pretty good punt, solid punt. Busted a coverage there on the last play before half was inexcusable.
"Finishing in those moments when you've played a solid half and to give a team momentum like that coming in was obviously very disappointing."
Riley, however, stressed his big-picture view of this year's team.
"The base-line for that group, the ceiling for that group, is much higher than it was 12 months ago," Riley said. "No matter what the score was, if it was a 3-point game, a 28-point game, a 50-point game, there's going to be that climb to the next step. And that's where our focus is going to stay.
"I love what we have in there. Lot of work to do, and we're the right people to get it done."
TOUGH DEBUT FOR BRIAN NEWBERRY, NAVY
The Midshipmen made the overseas journey to continue their long-standing series with Notre Dame in Dublin, Ireland, and it marked a new era of Navy football as Brian Newberry made his debut as head coach.
Newberry didn't mince words after his club was drubbed, 42-3, by the Irish, who scored touchdowns on all four of their first-half possessions and limited Navy to barely 50 second-half yards.
"They controlled the field," Newberry said. "Tough day on both sides of the ball. They just beat us. That’s the bottom line.
"We got our tails beat today.”