Hello one and all and welcome to the Draft "Expert's" first week of officially official quarterback prospect rankings for the 2024 NFL Draft! As you may have noticed, we posed out preseason quarterback rankings on our YouTube channel, with that hoping to be a common occurrence as the season progresses. Obviously though, for this one, it's just the blog post, as those stupid NFL preview videos took a lot longer to record and edit than we initially thought.
That being said, we had to get something out for you today, as it didn't sit right with us that there wouldn't be a week one blog post, especially after all the great performances we saw last week. Sure it's getting posted the same day week two starts, but at least it's out now, right?
With all those aforementioned performance it made this list a little harder to come up with, because no o's performance really warranted them to be dropped down, but unfortunately that's the nature of the beast. So we may see some new names and people a little lower than expected, but this should still turn out to be a very solid read for all of you!
So, without any more delays, we're proud to present to you the Draft "Expert's" week one quarterback prospect rankings for the 2024 NFL Draft! Enjoy!
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Pictured: Caleb Williams, USC; Shedeur Sanders, Colorado; Riley Leonard, Duke
1. Caleb Williams, USC
Wk 0 - 18/25 278 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/8 carries -2 yds 0 touchdowns v San Jose State (56-28 W)
Wk 1 - 18/24 319 yds 5 touchdowns 0 interceptions/3 carries 42 yds 0 touchdowns v Nevada (66-14 W)
Season - 36/49 597 yds 9 touchdowns 0 interceptions/11 carries 40 yds 0 touchdowns
I know it's still early in the season, and USC haven't really played anybody of note, yet, but I have a hard time believing Caleb Williams will be passed up at any point throughout the rest of the campaign. Like, every time you turn on a USC game, and they're on offense, you'll see Williams make some sort of ridiculous play. Now, the Trojans have already played two games, so we've had more opportunities to see Caleb Williams make a play more than others, but it's still impressive none the less. Starting off with USC's week zero match-up against San Jose State, which saw a fairly predictable 56-28 victory for USC, the electric factory that is Caleb Williams was on full display. The one play everyone will turn to when talking about this game is that one highlight in the second quarter. This play, which started off with Williams dropping a fairly routine shotgun snap from the center, saw the reigning Heisman winner throw a ball, off his back foot, from the USC 12 all the way to the opposite 40-41 yard line. Scrambling back to get the ball, defenders in his face, with no time to reset, Williams threw a near perfect ball to Tahj Washington for a 76-yard touchdown, putting USC back on top 14-7. Did Washington need to come back for the ball? Slightly, but when you look at where and how Williams got that ball off, it's a near perfect throw. Like, there are only a handful of quarterbacks who can do that in the NFL, let alone the college level. And yes, it was against San Jose State, but that shouldn't take away from the impressiveness of that throw. Throughout the rest of the game Williams was consistently making throws off his back foot, which is very impressive. And it's not just the fact that he's doing it, it's more about how accurately he's doing it. Even when he wasn't, he was zipping balls into th receivers chests, picking up big gains in the process while absolutely killing the Spartans in the RPO. We saw similar things against Nevada as well, though he did drop a snap again later in the second quarter, it wasn't followed up by any 76-yard bomb, much to my disappointment. But, we did get a little 'hook shot' action along the sideline, which saw Williams escape the pressure to his right, stiff arming a defender the whole way with a further three to four giving chase, before tossing it down the sideline for the nice 30-yard gain to Dorian Singer. To cap off the drive, we saw Williams show off some nice touch on a 22-yard pass to Zachariah Branch, putting USC up 7-0. The rest of the game was followed up by similar-ish plays from the San Jose State game, eating up yards with the RPO and back foot throws, as well as a nice 46-yard run by Williams which set up an easy back foot lob throw to Michael Jackson III from 15-yards out to go up 28-7 in the second. His most impressive drive of the game probably came in the third quarter, which saw him survey the whole field before deliver a ball up the seem to MarShawn Lloyd, who made a nice adjustment on the catch while picking up 54-yards before scrambling around for about 30 seconds before delivering a strike on the run to a stand still Brenden Rice for a 16-yard touchdown, expanding their lead to 35-7. He ended his game with a very nice 45-yard yard pass down the left sideline to Tahj Washington for a touchdown, giving him a very impressive stat line through his first two games. Again, Caleb Williams is just a special talent from the quarterback position. His ability to make something out of nothing is special, whether that be making plays in the run or pass game, and I expect that to continue this week as USC play Stanford. He still should be considered the favorite for the Heisman, just as long as 'voter fatigue' doesn't get in the way.
Preseason - 1a
Wk 0/1 - 1
Wk 2 - v Stanford
2. Drake Maye, North Carolina (-1)
Wk 1 - 24/32 269 yds 2 touchdowns 2 interceptions/4 carries 25 yds 0 touchdowns v South Carolina (31-17 W)
Season - 24/32 269 yds 2 touchdowns 2 interceptions/4 carries 25 yds 0 touchdowns
Drake Maye may not be QB1b to Caleb Williams' QB1a, but he's still one of the top quarterbacks in all of college football, and he put forth a pretty solid display in North Carolina's double digit win against their rivals to the south in South Carolina. That being said, Maye did throw a couple interceptions on back-to-back drives in this game, one coming late the third quarter and the other near the start of the fourth. The first one came when Maye rolled out of the pocket to his right. He first did a nice job at avoiding the pressure, but threw the balling leaning back with a few Gamecock defenders in his face, which led to a not so great throw and an interception. Well read by O'Donnell Fortune of South Carolina, who jumped the route and helped the offense wind up with a field goal. The second one came again, on the next drive, which saw Maye try to hit a receiver with a deep ball down the right sideline. Pretty standard play, nothing too out of the ordinary and honestly, the receiver probably should've come down with the ball. Sure it was kind of awkward for him, but the ball still ended up going right through his hands and into the waiting arms of a USC defender. Other than that though, again, Maye looked fairly solid, showing off some nice escapability and good ball placement, apart from the interceptions. Near the start of the second quarter, Maye showed off his aforementioned abilities as an escape artist, analyzing the field before rolling to his left then reversing slightly to his right before delivering a ball to Bryson Nesbit for a first down on third and four. Like, Maye pretty much did a 360 once he let go of the ball, as the defender was diving for his ankle once he reversed slightly back to his right. Would that be a smart throw for most quarterbacks? No, probably not, but Drake Maye's not 'most quarterbacks,' processing the arm strength to zip the ball in there before the defender could get in front of his intended receiver. Later on in the game, he would deliver one of the prettiest deep balls to a fairly wide open receiver, Kobe Paysour, for a 34-yard touchdown. As pretty and as easy as you'd like. Maye, again, would later show off further escapability by again, rolling to his left, but this time delivering a short side armed pass to tight end John Copenhaver who picked 16-yards on the play. Again, off script plays are big for the likes of Williams and Maye, and though they do it a little differently, they're both extremely effective. Maye would later find Copenhaver again, but this time in the end zone, hitting him on a 18-yard touchdown pass. With two defenders barreling in on him, Maye makes this throw from an incredibly unbalanced base, back foot and all, using only his arm to make this throw. Though Copenhaver had to come back to the ball, and maybe it could've been picked off had the defender read it better, but still, not a lot of quarterbacks have the arm strength to make it that far throwing from that base. All in all, UNC came away 31-17 victors, with an interesting game abasing Appalachian State looming. Don't sleep on the Mountaineers now, this is a team that almost took it to North Carolina last year, losing the game 63-61, dropping 40 of those points in the fourth quarter. Being back at home, the Tar Heels should be able to take care of business, but this could be tough game for Maye and co..
Preseason - 1b
Wk 1 - 2
Wk 2 - v Appalachian State
3. Riley Leonard, Duke
Wk 1 - 17/33 175 yds 0 touchdowns 0 interceptions/8 carries 98 yds 1 touchdown v no.9 Clemson (28-7 W)
Season - 17/33 175 yds 0 touchdowns 0 interceptions/8 carries 98 yds 1 touchdown
When looking at the other quarterbacks in this draft class, or at least the ones on this post, Duke's Riley Leonard may stand out a little bit. Most of that is due to the fact that his numbers, most notably in the pass game, are a decent amount lower than everyone else's here. Not to mention his completion percentage was relatively low as well, coming in at just 51.5%, which is clearly the lowest out of the quarterbacks mentioned here, so why is he so high on this list? So why did he stay at the same spot from a week ago? Well, most of that comes down to who the Blue Devils played on Monday night. Sure they may not be the same Clemson team that were challenging for National Titles and stuff like that, but they're still an incredibly solid defensive unit that that beat down by Leonard and the Duke offense, namely in the run game, with Leonard breaking off a very impressive 44-yard run for a touchdown, which ultimately sealed Clemson's fate and saw Duke come away with their first top-10 victory since they beat Clemson back in 1989, my dad's senior year of high school. Not to mention that 21-point victory was Duke's largest over a ranked opponent since they beat no.9 Colgate back in 1942 34-0. Leonard's 98-yards on the ground, which averaged him 12.3 yards a carry, were crucial in this victory. In our preseason quarterback rankings video, we compared Leonard's running style to that of Josh Allen. Nothing flashy, no jukes or anything, but he'll absolutely burn you if you're not carful. During that run, Leonard was almost initially dragged down by a couple Clemson defenders, but was able to dig his hand in the dirt, or turf, and keep moving. After that near scare, Leonard just beat the defenders for speed to the end zone, showing off great awareness as well on knowing where the sideline was on this run. Again, his running proved effective for Duke in this one, even picking up a first down on third and 10 early on in the second quarter. As for the pass game, I definitely wouldn't say it was his best showing, by any means, like there were some throws early on that Leonard needed to take some stuff off of, namely towards the end zone. But, I do think there were some nice moments, like his cross field throw to Jalon Calhoun late in the second quarter, which saw Duke pick up a first on fourth and seven just before halftime. Though that drive would stall out due to a fumble, the throw put Duke in a nice spot to get some points before the half. All in all for Leonard, I think there's clearly some things to work on, but we knew that going into the season. I think going up against Clemson's defense week one will skew some peoples views on him early on, but I expect his touch to improve as the season progresses, as he does throw a really nice deep ball when everything is clicking. Drops and not necessarily having the cleanest pocket did him no favors either, but I think Leonard will put forth a much better statistical performance against Lafayette on Saturday. I expect the 21st ranked Blue Devils to come away with a dub, and for Leonard, I'm looking for those aforementioned improvements in the passing game. Solid performance week one though.
Preseason - 3
Wk 1 - 3
Wk 2 - v Lafayette
4. JJ McCarthy, Michigan
Wk 1 - 26/30 280 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/1 carry -2 yds 0 touchdowns v East Carolina (30-3 W)
Season - 26/30 280 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/1 carry -2 yds 0 touchdowns
Was there any real surprise Michigan, led by second year starter JJ McCarthy, absolutely dominated East Carolina on Saturday? Like, this is a Michigan team that absolutely ran through the Big 10 last season, beating the likes of Iowa, Penn State, Michigan State, and namely Ohio State by double digits last season, en route to a second straight Big 10 crown where they, again, beat Purdue by double digits. Did they fair well in the Playoff? Not necessarily, though they did put up a decent fight against TCU, who wound up getting absolutely ass blasted by Georgia in the National Championship game. All in all, Michigan is a very good football team, and look poised to run through the Big 10 again en route to a possible third title in a row and a third straight trip to the College Football Playoff. Though they have arguably the best rushing attack outside of the triple option schools in the country, Michigan also has very solid play at quarterback, with JJ McCarthy getting better and better each time he steps onto the field. Like Riley Leonard before him, does McCarthy have things he needs to work on? Absolutely, but the talent is there for sure, and we saw it on display against a much more out gunned East Carolina team who had a fairly below average defense last time out a season ago. Again, McCarthy was very solid in his 2023 debut, showing off the arm strength and athleticism straight away, as he threw a dot to Roman Wilson, who ran a nice little 15-yard out route, which later set up McCarthy first touchdown pass of the game to Wilson, who had all three touchdowns on the day. Though he was close to being beyond the line of scrimmage, McCarthy ran up in the pocket and on the run, zipped it to Wilson for six, putting Michigan up 7-0 early. Again, McCarthy puts a lot of zip on his throws, though that causes some to go high, as we saw Saturday, it does benefit him for the most part, being able to throw balls while back peddling into receivers chest with some ease, as we saw when he hit Cornelius Johnson across the middle to pick up a first on third and 11. He would later find Wilson, again, for his second touchdown. Throwing on the move, once again, and throwing the ball across his body to Wilson for the score. Decent athleticism on display there. His final touchdown toss of the day was by far his best, as he hit Wilson on a beautifully thrown post corner route which saw him high point the ball between two East Carolina defenders to put the game even more out of reach at 30-0 in the third. Again, what a picture perfect ball from McCarthy, as that is one of the hardest throws to make on the football field. Dude did a great job at hitting those outside routes throughout the game, hitting a few of those on the drive that led to that final touchdown. Sure it was against East Carolina, and I'm sure he'll do similar-ish things against UNLV, but it's still impressive nonetheless. I expect him to build on this performance as the season progresses, which makes Michigan an even more scary outfit for the teams ahead.
Preseason - 4
Wk 1 - 4
Wk 2 - v UNLV
5. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado (NR)
Wk 1 - 38/47 510 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/5 carries -32 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.17 TCU (45-42 W)
Season - 38/47 510 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/5 carries -32 yds 0 touchdowns
What a game for Shedeur Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes last Saturday. Like, what more can you say? This was an absolutely electrifying performance from the Buffaloes that I don't think a lot of people saw coming. To most out there, including myself, Colorado was just a very tough read going into this season. The talent they had was obvious, with players like the aforementioned Sanders and Travis Hunter lining up for them, but it was a matter of when everything would fully click. Like, this was a team that won one game a season ago, one. So that mixed with all the new faces coming in the door, it made them a really hard read going into the season, with some expecting everything to click right away whereas others were more cautious. If I'm honest, I was more airing on the side of caution. Like I said before, I knew the talent they possessed, I saw it at Jackson State on numerous occasions, but this was a bad team as season ago, like really bad, so I had my reservations in regards to early success. After last Saturday's game against TCU through, like Deion said, they're not coming, they're here, with Shedeur Sanders putting forth one of the best opening game performances I've seen in a while, throwing for 510 yards and four touchdowns with no turnovers, can't really be much better than that. Maybe the numbers are shocking, but Shedeur being a really good quarterback shouldn't surprise anyone. Like, this dude had some major offers coming out of high school, and while he obviously went to Jackson State, the dude is insanely talented, and it has carried over from high school, to Jackson State, to now. As for this game in particular, there's a lot to be excited about. Though his first drive and passing touchdown were relatively straight forward, his pass that ultimately didn't actually result in six was a very impressive throw. With Travis Hunter lined up against Josh Newton, TCU's stud corner, Sanders throw a beautifully placed ball, in a spot where only Hunter could get it. Sadly, it was ruled Hunter didn't come down with it, though the Buffaloes would score on the ground shortly after. Another solid throw to Hunter came very late in the second quarter, where on third down and nine, he hit Hunter on a nicely run comeback route, which Shedeur hit from the opposite hash. For those unaware, that is a very impressive throw, not an easy throw by any means. That would lead to a field goal as the first half expired. Fast forward to the third, we have another great incompletion from Sanders. Throwing from his own end zone, Shedeur threw an absolute dime to receiver Jimmy Horn Jr., who may have been gone had he not dropped a pass that was placed perfectly down the near sideline. Really effortless throw from Sanders as well, going from his own aforementioned end zone to the 45 with relative ease. On Colorado's next drive, Sanders would try something similar, this time hitting Xavier Weaver on a nice 44-yard pass and catch. Again, beautifully thrown ball. In the fourth, on third and 16, Sanders would fin Hunter down the middle for another insane gain. Maybe not the greatest throw from Sanders but still, putting the ball where his receiver could make a play. Later he would find Horn in the end zone on a nice 26-yard pass. His last touchdown pass came on a little swing route on fourth and two in the fourth quarter, which was ultimately the final nail in the coffin as Colorado upset 17th ranked TCU 45-42. Really fun game to watch, and what a performance by Shedeur Sanders. Now, does TCU have the worlds greatest defense? Not by any means, but Sanders made great plays throughout and, like we said, the talent is clearly there, and I hope he puts up similar yards this week against Nebraska. Apart from Iowa beating Iowa State, nothing could really make me happier.
Preseason - NR
Wk 1 - 5
Wk 2 - v Nebraska
6. Quinn Ewers, Texas (-1)
Wk 1 - 19/30 260 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/8 carries 12 yds 1 touchdown v Rice (37-10 W)
Season - 19/30 260 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/8 carries 12 yds 1 touchdown
This game didn't really start off the way Texas had intended it going in. After being hyped up all offseason about how this offense will look so amazing this season with Ewers at the helm, to come out flat footed against Rice wasn't really on the cards for a lot of people. That being said, Texas did ultimately right the ship beating Rice handily by a score of 37-10, but it still doesn't shake the fact that it was 7-3 after the first quarter and 16-3 at the half, with only two of Texas' first four drives ending in six. They cannot afford to come out like that against Alabama, on the road, and Ewers will definitely need to be on his a-game when the Longhorns take the field against the Crimson Tide. Now, as for Ewers, like Texas, it took him a little bit to get going, and definitely grew as the game progressed, though he did manage to throw a touchdown on Texas' first drive of the game. Before that though, he made some nice throws throughout the drive, with a nice out route and a nice ball kind of across the middle, both to Worthy. On the second throw, Ewers did a nice job at stepping up in the pocket before delivering a nice ball to Worthy for the first down, though he did get his legs whipped out from underneath him. Another thing Ewers did well was stand tall in the pocket before taking a small shot from the Rice defender. Got to stay calm in the pocket with pressure in your face, regardless of how hard you get hit (though he did sell it a little bit). The touchdown would happen a play later, which saw Ewers roll slightly to his left before reversing and hitting Jonathan Brooks in the flat for a 37-yard touchdown. Ewers could've had a second toss on Texas' next drive, but Brooks dropped the ball which would've easily saw Texas go up 14-3, instead they settled for a field goal to go up 10-3. On that drive, Ewers would hit Jordan Whittington across the middle on the first play of the second quarter for a decent gain. Ewers showed off the quick release on the throw which would help set Texas up in the red zone but again, they would have to settle for three. One thing Ewers hasn't really been known for throughout his time at Texas was his mobility, but he was able to pick up a nice first down on third and eight just before halftime, which would help the Longhorns pick up three more points, going into halftime with a 16-3 lead. Ewers showed some good field awareness on that play, as he didn't try to force the issue in the pass game, saw nothing was open so he tucked it down and picked up a decent gain. He would do the same thing again on Texas' first drive of the second half, picking up a nice gain on third and eight, again, which would keep their drive alive and see Ewers throw his second touchdown of the game, this time hitting Adonai Mitchell on a nine-yard slant. Ewers would get his third and final touchdown of the game later on in the third on a decent dump over the middle to Ja'Tavion Sanders on a 44-yard catch and grab. Again, nothing remotely fancy about this play, just a nice dump off by Ewers which would close out the game for the Longhorns. Ewers would make another nice throw down the near sideline though, hitting Whittington on a well run/thrown wheel route, which would set up Quinn Ewers' first and only rushing touchdown of the game, scrambling in from one-yard out to put Texas' tally at 37. The throw to Whittington was again an impressive one. With the defender coming in from the top of the field, there was a chance the route would get jumped, but Ewers did a very nice job at throw the ball slightly behind Whittington to keep it away from the defender. Great ball placement by Ewers there which again, set up another touchdown. Ewers wouldn't see the field after that, sitting out the fourth quarter after securing Texas' first win of the season. This wasn't the prettiest of performances, but Ewers was effective in both the pass and run game, which is a nice added element to his game. It'll be interesting to see how he does in week two on the road against Alabama. He looked really good before blasting his shoulder last year, let's hope for his and Texas' sake he's able to carry that over into tonight.
Preseason - 5
Wk 1 - 6
Wk 2 - @ no.3 Alabama
7. Michael Penix Jr., Washington (+1)
Wk 1 - 29/40 450 yds 5 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries -2 yds 0 touchdowns v Boise State (56-19 W)
Season - 29/40 450 yds 5 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries -2 yds 0 touchdowns
Michael Penix was a man on a mission last Saturday against Boise State. That being said, the game didn't start off as fast as Washington would've liked, as they found themselves down 6-0 nothing at the end of the first quarter. Sure Boise State's got a nice history, but if Washington is truly as good as we think they are, they have to put away unranked teams like Boise State. With that, Washington would ultimately end up dispatching the Broncos last Saturday, beating them by a score of 56-19. Now that's what I call taking care of an unranked opponent at home. As for Penix, he made some solid throws in the first half, but his first touchdown toss didn't come until the start of the second quarter, where he tried his hand at doing a Caleb Williams impression by bobbling the snap before delivering the ball into the end zone for six. Was it a 76-yard touchdown pass? No, but they all count the same, don't they, with Penix hitting McMillen in the back of the end zone on a skinny post for six. Washington would find themselves down against shortly after, with Boise State converting a field goal to make it 9-7, Penix would hit McMillen again, this time on a 38-yard throw down the post. I would analyze this a little more, but Penix hit Polk on the exact same play a drive later, extending Washington's lead to 21-9. Again, it was pretty much the exact same play, both were fantastic throw by Michael Penix, who was showing off his arm strength on both throws, leading both receivers well, both resulting in six. His best throw up to this point though may not have even resulted in a touchdown, but rather was just a well placed ball on the near sideline, hitting Rome Odunze between two Boise State defenders for a first down. With a defender in front or and behind Odunze, it was very impressive to show the mixture of touch and arm strength on this throw, as he has to make sure to get it around the first defender while also making sure the second defender doesn't make a play. Penix would find his tight end Jack Westover for an easy 20-yard touchdown. Nothing fancy about it, but still resulted in points for Washington. Penix would show off the arm strength once again early on in the third, hitting Polk, again, for a deep ball down the sideline. Unfortunately that throw didn't result in six, but still, Penix threw a very beautiful deep ball down the far sideline to Polk. That being said, Penix would hit Odunze for a beautifully thrown fade route to the corner from the opposite hash. That's a very tough throw, but the ball placement from Penix was superb on that throw, forcing Odunze to make a play, which he did. Penix would show off some nice ball placement later on in the fourth, though McMillen couldn't get his feet down, Penix did a nice job rolling out to his right before floating the ball into the end zone for what was almost six. That being said again, Washington would score a few plays later. Penix's day would be done after that, with his back-up finishing up the game with Washington coming away with a 54-19 dub. Overall, this was a very solid out for Penix, who continued his form from last season into this one. I would expect that to continue against Tulsa, who shouldn't pose too many threats to Washington, especially with the game being in Seattle.
Preseason - 8
Wk 1 - 7
Wk 2 - v Tulsa
8. Joe Milton III, Tennessee (-2)
Wk 1 - 21/30 201 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/9 carries 33 yds 2 touchdowns v Virginia (49-13 W)
Season - 21/30 201 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/9 carries 33 yds 2 touchdowns
If you listened to the Logan Blackman Show a couple weeks ago, you would know that Virginia was my pick to finish dead last in ACC, so if I'm honest, watching Tennessee absolutely have their way with the Cavaliers was no surprise to me. For me, this wasn't really about watching the game as a whole, as I was fairly certain of the result before a ball was even kicked, I was just excited to see Tennessee's new big armed quarterback, Joe Milton. If reports are to believed, Joe Milton can apparently throw a football 100-yards, and though I don't know if I necessarily believe that, I can say with the upmost certainty that he may have the strongest arm I have ever seen. Yes, that includes the likes of Josh Allen and Anthony Richardson, Milton has an absolute hose for an arm, which makes this offense even more exciting to watch. Though we didn't necessarily get to see it on Milton's first touchdown drive, which saw him connect with Dylan Sampson for a nine-yard touchdown, we got it in all it's glory on the Volunteers third drive of the game. Though it should've 100% been caught, it ultimately didn't result in anything on that single throw, but good lord what a throw it was. With just a flick of the wrist, Milton threw the ball from his 14-yard line to the opposite 24, like, are you kidding me? It was one of the most effortless, perfectly thrown balls I had ever seen, which makes it even worse that Ramel Keaton dropped it. He would though connect with Keaton for a big gain midway through the second quarter. Though it wasn't as big of a hitter as that first one would've been, it was still a nice 41-yard gain for Tennessee, which was a decently well thrown ball from Milton. Tennessee would score on a rushing touchdown later on in the drive. Looking forward to the third quarter we'd see Milton throw another strike down the field, though this one would only go for 14-yards, Milton was still able to zip the ball to Bru McCoy between two Virginia defenders, getting down to the one and setting up another rushing touchdown just a play later, which was scored by Milton on a QB keeper. Milton would get his second and final touchdown pass a little later, hitting Jacob Warren on a 11-yard pass which was again, yep, you guessed it, absolutely zipped in there by Milton. Not a crazy throw or anything by any means, but still, very nice throw with a ton of velocity behind it. With Tennessee up 42-10, Milton ultimately wouldn't play in the fourth quarter, ending a very strong opening game debut for Tennessee's new signal caller. To me, with how good Tennessee was running the ball, we didn't get to witness the whole Joe Milton experience. His athleticism and arm talent are ridiculous, and I only expect him to continue to get better as the season goes on. I don't know how much of it we'll see this week against Austin Peay, but I'm sure he'll be ready to fire against Florida in a weeks time. Fun game from Milton and co..
Preseason - 6
Wk 1 - 8
Wk 2 - v Austin Peay
9. Bo Nix, Oregon (-2)
Wk 1 - 23/27 287 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/0 carries 0 yds 0 touchdowns v Portland State (81-7 W)
Season - 23/27 287 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/0 carries 0 yds 0 touchdowns
I don't know about you, but 81-points is a lot. I don't care who you're playing, if you're able to drop 81-points on someones head you're doing something right, and that's exactly what Bo Nix and co. did last Saturday against Portland State. Like, I can't imagine the Vikings went into Autzen Stadium thinking they were going to come away with a massive upset victory, especially since they finished 4-7 last season, but 81-points is quite a lot, and some may even describe as mean. There's not really a lot to even say about Bo Nix's performance as it was pretty straight forward, didn't register a carry, didn't get sacked, and literally just took what the defense gave him, which was pretty much everything. Not only that, but Nix played only one drive in the second half, which happened to the first one of the third quarter, and that was it. When Nix left the game, the score was 57-7. Absolute craziness. As for his passing performance again, he just took what the defense gave him. Like, his first two touchdowns were as easy as you like. He did have a very nice throw to Kyler Kasper which almost resulted in six. Though they ruled Kasper didn't have full control of the ball, and Oregon did end up scoring a play later, it was near perfect ball placement from Nix that definitely deserved six points. After that, the only real noteworthy throws were his one to Troy Franklin down the far sideline, which saw Nix use his mobility to get outside the pocket and deliver a throw on the run, and his throw to Gary Bryant Jr. which, similar-ish to his throw to Kasper, was a very well placed ball to the outside shoulder of the receiver, away from the defender, but this time it actually resulted in six for Oregon, putting them up 57-7 with 14 minutes left in the third. Nix's day was done after that. Again, just a fairly simple day at the park for Nix and co., though I'm expecting them to face a little harder challenge against the 0-1 Texas Tech Red Raiders, in Lubbock no less. Everything was super easy for the Ducks, lets see if they can continue down this path of absolute destruction.
Preseason - 7
Wk 1 - 9
Wk 2 - @ Texas Tech
10a. Jordan Travis, Florida State (-1)
Wk 1 - 23/31 342 yds 4 touchdowns 1 interception/7 carries 38 yds 1 touchdown v no.5 LSU (45-24 W)
Season - 23/31 342 yds 4 touchdowns 1 interception/7 carries 38 yds 1 touchdown
This was one of the more highly anticipated match-ups on the week one docket for college football, a rematch of last year's 24-23 thriller in Atlanta that saw a block extra point become the difference in the game. Like last year, this game was on a Sunday, unlike last year, both Florida State and LSU were ranked, with both teams having a decent amount of expectation(s) placed on them before the season even started. For LSU, a team that lost to Georgia in the SEC Championship game last season, they were some peoples dark horse to out and win the conference, potentially being the SEC's representative in the College Football Playoff. As for Florida State, this year is expected to be their 'welcome back' year. With a two studs at wide receiver, a solid rush attack, a great defense spear headed by Jared Verse, and a Heisman hopeful at quarterback in Jordan Travis, Florida State definitely let the football world know they were back week one with an impressive 45-24 victory over the LSU Tigers, this time in Orlando. Again, Florida State brought a fairly stacked roster into this game, and were on a nice run of form dating back to last season, but I don't think there were a lot of people expecting FSU to come away with a 21-point victory. And of all the studs Florida State had at their disposal, Jordan Travis probably put forth the best game. Now, throughout his fairly long Florida State career, Jordan Travis has been mostly known for his running ability and athleticism more than his abilities in the pass game, but as we saw as the season progressed last year, and from what we saw in this game, his abilities as a passer are continuing to improve. Like on the Seminoles first drive of the game, when he first got to Florida State, do you think he could've made that throw to Johnny Wilson on third and five? Driving the ball low, away from the defender, and to only where Wilson could get it to pick up a first? I'm not so sure. Don't get me wrong, his athleticism is still very key to his game, as he made multiple throws throughout where he used his skills as a runner to escape the LSU pass rush. Even scored a rushing touchdown in the game to put Florida State up 24-17 later in the third quarter. It looked like LSU completely blew up the play, but Travis took it upon himself to pull the ball from his running back's stomach and scammer in from one-yard out to take the lead. His first passing touchdown of the game though came on their first drive of the game, hitting Michigan State transfer Keon Coleman on a slant route for a 40-yard pitch and catch touchdown, putting Florida State up 7-0. Now, Travis would end up throwing an interception a little later, which was just a really bad decision on his part. LSU had a free rusher come in from the near side, which screwed up Travis' timing on the screen play. The rush made Travis step up further in the pocket but instead of just eating it and living another play, Travis forced the ball to Coleman who was jumped by an LSU defender, which resulted in a big turnover for Travis and the Seminoles. Thankfully LSU would punt after the pick but still, really dumb throw by Travis that should've been taken advantage of by LSU. And to be honest, he should've thrown another one a little later, with one LSU defender breaking it up from another defender. Travis got a little too overzealous on the play. While he's getting him, he tried to get the ball off from the most awkward angle, just a really dumb play from Travis all around, definitely a bad decision. He would make up for it a little later, hitting Coleman in the end zone on a decent throw to the corner of the end zone. Was it the greatest throw? Not really, but Travis did put it only where Coleman could get it, with dude making a great catch over the LSU defender. Though it wouldn't be for a touchdown, he would find Coleman again a little later down the middle on second and 14 deep in their own territory. Though it was slightly behind, Travis did a nice job of letting Coleman go out and make a play, which is sometimes all you can ask for. Travis would score his aforementioned rushing touchdown a couple plays later. Then, after an LSU turnover, Travis would pick up a third down with his legs before hitting Coleman, again, on a fade route to the far side of the field, extending Florida State's lead to 31-17. Travis would get his final touchdown a drive later before Florida State would close out the game, winning the tie 45-24. In this game, Travis mostly showed why he was considered a Heisman candidate before the start of the season. Sure he made some dumb plays, but overall you would say Travis had a solid outing against a top five team. The mistakes should be out the window for the Seminoles next game against Southern Miss, which should see Florida State come away with a nice little victory in their first home game of the season.
Preseason - 9
Wk 1 - 10a
Wk 2 - v Southern Mississippi
10b. Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
Wk 1 - 30/39 353 yds 0 touchdowns 0 interceptions/13 carries -22 yds 0 touchdowns v no.21 North Carolina (31-17 L)
Season - 30/39 353 yds 0 touchdowns 0 interceptions/13 carries -22 yds 0 touchdowns
I know some people out there won't share my sentiment but man, I felt kind o bad watching Spencer Rattler drop back to pass against the North Carolina Tar Heels last Saturday. I can't be alone in that though, right? Like, dude throws for over 350 yards with only nine incompletions all while getting sacked a whopping nine times. Nine times, and that's against North Carolina's defense, which is not even comparable to some of the defenses the Gamecocks will be seeing as the season progresses. Like I've said before, the talent is clearly there for Rattler, it's just a matter of if he can fully realize it. Even on the first drive of the game it was there. Sure it ended with South Carolina going three and out, but on their third and 12 play, with the Gamecocks offensive line letting only three rushers by with ease, Rattler was still able to escape and deliver an at least catchable to his receiver past the first down marker. Though it ended with an incompletion, it was still impressive to see his mobility on display. Even on their next drive, the offensive line let free rushers in on Rattler, yet he was still able to deliver a nice pass for a first down, on third and nine, all while getting smacked in the mouth by a UNC defender. He continued on making nice throws on after that, with a decent deep ball down the near sideline and then another third down conversion with a strike to Trey Knox for a first to set up their first touchdown of the game a play later. Rattler would have some throws a little later that would either be dropped or just broken up, i.e. a potential fourth down conversion on a short little out route on their first drive of the second half. He would though show off some running ability, picking up a first down down the far sideline before getting sacked, again, just a few short plays later. He would do this again later on in the third quarter, picking up a first down with his legs on a third and nine. This was followed by a decent deep ball down the near sideline, which would ultimately set up a field goal, or in other words, South Carolina's last points of the game. This is a game that South Carolina really could've won. There was a point in the game where the Gamecocks were up 14-10, but they just couldn't contain North Carolina's constant pressure on Rattler. If he was being sacked he was getting hurried, which just threw off a lot of things on the offensive side of the ball. I think Rattler put forth a solid performance given the circumstances, but I kind of fear for him when South Carolina takes on the likes of Georgia in a weeks time. This week though, Rattler should be able to put forth a pretty straight forward performance, taking on Furman. For his sake, I hope he stays upright for a least some of the game today.
Preseason - 10b
Wk 1 - 10b
Wk 2 - v Furman
Others
Jayden Daniels, LSU (10a)
Wk 1 - 22/37 346 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/15 carries 64 yds 0 touchdowns v no.8 Florida State (45-24 L)
Season - 22/37 346 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/15 carries 64 yds 0 touchdowns
KJ Jefferson, Arkansas
Wk 1 - 18/23 246 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/5 carries 11 yds 1 touchdown v Western Carolina (56-13 W)
Season - 18/23 246 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/5 carries 11 yds 1 touchdown
Michael Pratt, Tulane
Wk 1 - 14/15 294 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/11 carries 39 yds 0 touchdowns v South Alabama (37-17 W)
Season - 14/15 294 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/11 carries 39 yds 0 touchdowns
Austin Reed, Western Kentucky
Wk 1 - 29/50 336 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/3 carries 27 yds 1 touchdown v South Florida (41-24 W)
Season - 29/50 336 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/3 carries 27 yds 1 touchdown
Cameron Ward, Washington State
Wk 1 - 37/49 451 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/13 carries 40 yds 1 touchdown @ Colorado State (50-24 W)
Season - 37/49 451 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/13 carries 40 yds 1 touchdown
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