Voices of victory: Lincoln Riley, Ryan Day lead quotes from college football's opening weekend

College football is back -- and so are its best quotes.

After a long offseason of preparing for opening week, most college football teams got their 2024 campaigns underway over the weekend. And after the games, new and old coaches alike held court to reflect on what they saw.

From USC looking at home with its new conference affiliation to standout freshmen, here were the top quotes from the opening weekend of the 2024 college football season.

"Pretty good Big Ten football"

A Week 1 win in prime time is always good for spirits, and Lincoln Riley kept the mood light after a go-ahead touchdown helped the USC Trojans take down the LSU Tigers in Las Vegas.

Last season, both squads were known for high-scoring affairs -- the Tigers finished first in points per game, while the Trojans clocked in at third. Both squads also brought in new defensive coordinators over the offseason, and the matchup of revamped defenses led to a much more modest 27-20 final score.

The victory was USC's first while representing the Big Ten after officially joining the conference -- which boasts a reputation for hard-nosed, defensive football -- in early August.

"I should send Ryan Day a bottle of champagne"

Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord's first game leading the Syracuse Orange offense couldn't have gone much better.

The senior looked right at home at the JMA Wireless Dome, throwing for 354 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-22 win over the Ohio Bobcats. McCord's four touchdowns were the most by a quarterback in their Syracuse debut in school history.

After the game, Orange head coach Fran Brown joked that he owed Ryan Day -- who coached McCord last season in Columbus -- a gift for allowing the signal-caller to join him in Syracuse.

"4 plus 2 does equal 6"

Sometimes quarterback/wide receiver chemistry is as basic as simple math.

Highly touted freshman wideout Ryan Williams wasted no time establishing a connection with Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe in the first game of the Kalen DeBoer era. Milroe found Williams for scores in the first and second quarters of Alabama's game against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, with both plays covering more than 50 yards.

Williams cited the duo's respective jersey numbers as a sign that touchdowns were all but destiny for him and Milroe.

"You don't think he's quite human"

While Williams flashed in Tuscaloosa, another blue-chip freshman receiver was also getting their collegiate career off to a hot start.

Jeremiah Smith turned heads in his Ohio State Buckeyes debut, catching six passes for 92 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Buckeyes cruised to a season-opening victory, and Ryan Day marveled after the game at the talent of his rookie sensation.

"It's never not going to be personal"

When Clark Lea took over as head coach of the Vanderbilt Commodores at the end of the 2020 season, he faced one of the biggest uphill climbs in college football -- the team had won a total of five SEC games in the previous four seasons.

And while generating momentum under Lea has been difficult -- the Commodores finished winless in conference play for the second time in three years in 2023 -- the fourth-year boss scored a landmark victory Saturday in Nashville.

Vanderbilt's 34-27 upset of the Virginia Tech Hokies was the school's first season-opening win against a power conference opponent since 2005. Lea, who holds two degrees from the school, didn't back away from what the win meant for him and his team after the game.

ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this story.