There are plenty of first-year starters who have played well, most notably Jameis Winston.
Tyler Buchner showed enough accuracy and ability last year to give the coaches every reason to think, a year later, he would be even better. And (sorry to be a broken record) Drew Pyne did not have a great start to the Cal game, likely due to nerves, but once he got settled in he did pretty good. Give him another game or two to see how he handles being the starter.
As for Rees, I don't buy the "he only knows Kelly's system" rant or "he's not experienced enough" rant. He's spent most of his life in football. He frequently changed plays at the line of scrimmage for Notre Dame. He spent a whole year learning the Chargers system and a year at Northwestern. That's more than adequate time to learn other philosophies. Having said that, we (including I) are all disappointed at the offense's struggles this year. It can't be a lack-of-experience thing, or "Hiestand is coaching out all the bad habits of the O-line," as other teams with lesser-talented players are not having these same issues. So what is up with Rees? My best guess he's playing too safe and predictable, perhaps because of his own limited abilities as a QB.
As a golf teacher, I see the same fault in other golf teachers, that if something works for them, then it must work for all their students, too. I'm hopeful Al Golden and maybe Gerad Parker, who spent two years as West Virginia's OC, are offering some input. I still think Rees has the mind and acumen to be great, but he definitely needs to change something.