First-week Lessons

LAST SATURDAY, Hawaii provided a strategy for future USC opponents who might be wondering how to slow the Trojans: Keep their powerful offense off the field. Thanks to the Warriors' two time-consuming drives to open the game (the first of which ended abruptly on USC safety Darnell Bing 's interception and 65-yard return for a touchdown), Heisman-winning quarterback Matt Leinart didn't take his first snap until 1:24 remained in the first quarter. From then until his exit two quarters later, however, he threw for 332 yards and produced five touchdown drives in a 63-17 victory.

But not every ranked team came away from its opener on such a high:

? Texas will be fine without running back Cedric Benson , now with the Chicago Bears . Using a tailback committee of junior Selvin Young , sophomore Ramonce Taylor and freshmen Jamaal Charles and Henry Melton, the Longhorns rushed for a total of 418 yards in a 60-3 rout of Louisiana-Lafayette.

? Tennessee 's two-quarterback system has become a distraction. After sophomore starter Erik Ainge struggled against heavy underdog Alabama-Birmingham (5 of 14, two interceptions), steady senior Rick Clausen (17 of 24, 217 yards) helped the Vols escape with a 17-10 win. So who will start Tennessee 's next game, Sept. 17 at Florida ? "It doesn't matter," Vols coach Phillip Fulmer insisted.

? Virginia Tech will be as dangerous as Marcus Vick is. After a lackluster first half against N.C. State 's swarming defense, Vick danced out of trouble numerous times after intermission--looking a lot like his brother Michael--and threw a perfect 19-yard touchdown pass to lift his team to a 20-16 win.

? Georgia can't be dismissed from the SEC title race. Projected to slip on defense after losing three standouts and coordinator Brian VanGorder to the NFL , the Bulldogs looked as dominant as ever against Boise State , holding a Broncos offense that averaged 48.9 points and 492.7 yards last year to 13 and 292, respectively. Quarterback D.J. Shockley , meanwhile, turned in a near-flawless performance (374 total yards, six touchdowns) in his first start.

?Auburn misses departed running backs Ronnie Brown and Carnell Williams , and quarterback Jason Campbell --all first-round draft picks--even more than it expected. New quarterback Brandon Cox threw four second-half interceptions in a 23-14 loss to Georgia Tech . On the ground Auburn gained only 50 yards on 23 carries. "Wow," said Tigers running back Tre Smith, "that's way worse than I thought it was." -- Stewart Mandel

? For instant analysis from Stewart Mandel after Saturday's games and more coverage throughout the week, go to SI.com .