Hello one and all and welcome back to yet another fantastic Draft "Expert" blog post! As you can probably tell by the title, this blog will be going over our week 11 quarterback prospect rankings for the 2025 NFL Draft!
I'm going to be honest, this week was one of the more fun weeks I've had watching back, as this was the first time in a while where every single quarterback in the top 10 played a game! I know it doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but coming from where we were a week ago where we only had five quarterbacks play, this week was really nice.
I know I mentioned this last time out but with each passing week we edge closer to the end of the college football season. As sad as that is, it means we are getting ever so close to the NFL Draft! Got to look at the positives here!
With all that being said I Logan Blackman, host of the world famous Logan Blackman Show and self proclaimed Draft "Expert" am proud to present our week 11 quarterback prospect rankings! Enjoy!
Podcast Links
Pictured: Cam Ward, Miami (FL); Quinn Ewers, Texas; Drew Allar, Penn State
1. Cam Ward, Miami (FL)
Wk 11 - 25/39 348 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/5 carries -5 yds 0 touchdowns @ Georgia Tech (28-23 L)
Season - 241/361 3,494 yds 32 touchdowns 6 interceptions/50 carries 182 yds 3 touchdowns
I'm not going to lie, I'm not really surprised that Miami's undefeated season came to an end this past weekend, as they fell to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on the road 28-23. I hear you, why am I not surprised Miami (a team ranked fourth in the country and boasting a 9-0 record) lost to a Georgia Tech team that had lost their previous two games by double digits and were sitting around .500? To put it simply, it was coming. Miami had been flirting with the devil for too long now, it was about time someone actually made them pay. Like don't get me wrong, Miami is a good football team, but you can't find yourself down that often in games and expect to always come out on top. It's just not sustainable. Now, there was a part of me that thought Miami would pull off the second half comeback after finding themselves down 28-16 in the fourth quarter, but again, I'm not surprised they didn't. Now, as for quarterback Cam Ward, he put forth another solid statistical performance, throwing for 348-yards while also registering three touchdowns and no interceptions (though he did have a very costly turnover late in the game, but more on that later). In a game where he broke the Miami single season touchdown record (passing Steve Walsh's 1988 record of 29), I'm sure he thought the Hurricanes would be able to come out on top. Despite Georgia Tech marching right down the field on their opening drive for a touchdown, things would start off near perfect for the Miami offense as Ward would hit Elijah Arroyo on a perfectly thrown seam route for a 74-yard touchdown on their second play from scrimmage.
What a perfectly timed through by Ward to hit Arroyo in stride for the 74-yard score. Like, Arroyo is just briskly jogging down the field, with Ward hitting him right in the number before he even has a chance to get his head up. I'm not going to lie I was initially confused watching this live as the slant route going underneath made me lose sight of the ball, but this thing was perfectly placed and it ended up being a walk in touchdown for Arroyo to open up the score sheet for Miami. The Hurricanes would follow that drive up with a field goal, with Ward helping set it up by hitting Sam Brown Jr. for 14-yards down the near sideline to get them closer to the Yellow Jacket side of the 50.
With the blitz coming in late, Ward stays nice and calm before delivering a strike down the near sideline to Brown for the aforementioned 14-yard gain. I've mentioned this before, but I don't think most people understand how difficult it is to throw from the far hash 14-yards down the field to the near sideline, especially when there's a a defender in the area. This is a big time throw from Ward and like I also said before, it helped them get closer to the Georgia Tech side of the 50. Ward would come up with another big time throw a couple plays later, this time throwing from the near hash to the far sideline to hit Xavier Restrepo for a 21-yard gain.
Again, near hash to the far sideline, 21-yards down the field, that's not an easy throw. Though Restrepo has a step on his defender, Ward still does a very nice job at placing this ball more towards the sideline in a spot where only his receiver could get it, making for a really nice gain and getting Miami to the Georgia Tech 28-yard line. The drive would ultimately stall out after that, with the Hurricanes being forced to settle for a 41-yard field goal attempt by Andres Borregales to go up 10-7 midway through the first quarter. Miami would struggle to really get things going on their next few drives, punting the ball away after five plays on their next drive before failing to convert on fourth down after getting it all the way to the Yellow Jacket 23-yard line. Their final drive of the first half would be more of the same, punting it away after five plays, going to the locker room down 14-10. Things wouldn't start much better for the Hurricanes in the second half as they'd fail to convert on fourth down yet again, with Ward throwing only one pass on the drive which fell incomplete on fourth and one. Miami would finally be able to string a scoring drive together their next time out, with Ward hitting Isaiah Horton on a slant to pick up 14-yards and get the Hurricanes to the Yellow Jacket side of the 50-yard line.
Just an absolute strike from Ward to fit this ball into Horton for the first down. With the linebacker dropping back into coverage once the ball is snapped, Ward knows he's got to get this thing out in a hurry in order to get the ball to his intended receiver. Not only that, but Ward also has to put this more on Horton's body rather than lead him up field as the pass could potentially be intercepted. All around, this was a really nice play for Miami, with Horton doing a nice job at holding onto the ball after taking a shot from the aforementioned linebacker. Ward would then be able to find Xavier Restrepo down the near sideline for an 18-yard gain to get them down to the 22-yard line before throwing a beautiful fade ball to Horton for an eight yard touchdown.
This is just a near perfect throw from Ward to hit Horton in the end zone for the score. You've got to be deadly accurate when you're throwing the ball inside the 10-yard line as there's less room to work with which makes the passing lanes even smaller. Not to mention with the defender coming off the edge Ward knows he not only needs to place a near perfect ball but also knows to get the ball out quick or else he'll get sacked and potentially lose the ball. Ward put this ball in a spot where only his receiver could get it, over his outside shoulder and towards the sideline. You really can't ask for a better play if you're a Miami fan as this touchdown brought the game back to within five (following a missed two point conversion attempt) with just under three minutes to go in the third quarter. Ward would hit on a few 10+ yard passes on Miami's next drive, connecting with Jacolby George for 23 and 22-yards before finding Mark Fletcher Jr. out of the backfield for a further 14-yards. Though he strung some decent passes together, Ward would ultimately get sacked with Miami trying to go for it on fourth and 16 from the Georgia Tech 22, turning it over on downs for the third time this game. Miami would be forced to go for it again on fourth down on their following drive, only this time it came on fourth and eight from their own 24-yard line. Unlike the previous three times, Ward would connect with Jacolby George for 16-yards to pick up the first down and further extend their drive. A couple plays later Ward could connect with Xavier Restrepo for a 38-yard touchdown to make the score 28-23 with six minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Just a nice and easy toss between quarterback and wide receiver for this 38-yard touchdown. Nothing much to really write home about here as Ward is able to get out to his left and find an open Restrepo for the score. Though they were still down by five, Miami still had a chance to steal this game following a Georgia Tech punt. The only problem is Ward would get strip sacked on their second play from scrimmage, fumbling the ball away with Georgia Tech recovering it at the Miami 15-yard line.
This was just one of those situations where Ward is trying to do too much. I get he wants to push the ball down the field and avoid a sack as there's not a lot of time left, but the smart play would be to just throw this ball out of bounds, or check it down to Elijah Arroyo and just live to fight another play. It may not be what you initially wanted to do, but at least Georgia Tech doesn't come away with the football with less than two minutes to go in the game. The Yellow Jackets would ultimately see out the game following the fumble, gifting Miami their first loss of the season by the score of 28-23. Like I mentioned before, Miami losing here didn't surprise me too much. You can only play with fire so many times before you get burned, and that's exactly what happened here. As for Ward, apart from the fumble he put forth another solid performance. I'm hoping Miami is able to correct some things over the bye week before taking on Wake Forest on the 23rd.
Preseason - 8
Wk 1 - 5
Wk 2 - 5
Wk 3 - 4
Wk 4 - 4
Wk 5 - 2
Wk 6 - 1
Wk 7 - 1
Wk 8 - 1
Wk 9 - 1
Wk 10 - 1
Wk 11 - 1
Wk 12 - BYE
2. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Wk 11 - 30/43 291 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/9 carries 16 yds 1 touchdown @ Texas Tech (41-27 W)
Season - 250/343 2,882 yds 24 touchdowns 6 interceptions/70 carries -2 yds 4 touchdowns
I'm not going to lie, in a weird way it's kind of funny to see how well Colorado are doing this season. Like, at this point last season the Buffaloes were 4-6, were losers of six of their previous seven games, and had only one win in conference play. With the whole media and college football world centered on them they struggled, which honestly shouldn't have been a surprise given the fact that they pretty much had a whole new roster and had won one game the previous season. This time around, with more people hate watching them then cheering them on, they sit at 7-2, are coming off of their third straight conference win, and are currently ranked 17th in the latest College Football Playoff poll. I could say this is an indictment on how trash of a conference the Big 12 is now that Texas and Oklahoma are gone, or I could just give credit to where credit is due and talk about how much the Colorado Buffaloes have improved from last season. I think you could make a case for both, but I will give more credit to Colorado as they're not only winning games but have also showed a willingness to fight back from adversary that we just didn't see last year. Like, when they were down (which happened a lot) they would just fold before moving on to the next eventual loss on their schedule. This year though when down they fight and claw back. Even in their 31-28 loss to Kansas State they found themselves down 21-7 at the start of the second half and 24-14 at the start of the fourth quarter, and yet they were able to claw their way back. Sure they ended up losing, but that type of fight just wasn't there a season ago, which makes them a fairly dangerous team, as Texas Tech found out this past weekend. Despite being 13-0 midway through the second quarter, the Buffaloes were able to claw their way back and come away with a nice 41-27 road victory, with quarterback Shedeur Sanders throwing for 291-yards and three touchdowns with a further 16 on the ground with a rushing touchdown to boot. These are the types of games we as neutral fans like to see, though I'm sure it was pretty stressful watching as a Colorado fan after punting on your first four drives while going three and out twice. That being said once things got going, they really got going as Sanders' first touchdown pass would be on a bubble screen to LaJohntay Wester who would take it in from 23-yards out to make the score 13-7 midway through the second quarter. Sanders would connect with Travis Hunter a couple times on Colorado's next drive, going for 17 and 22 before he'd call his own number on fourth and six and pick up a first down with his legs. Though it was a well orchestrated 12-play drive the Buffaloes would ultimately have to settle for a field goal, with Alejandro Mata making the 25-yard attempt to make it 13-10 with 30-seconds to go in the first half. Sanders and co. would come out firing on their opening drive of the second half, as Sanders would connect with LaJohntay Wester for 16-yards across the middle on second and 12 from their own 23-yard line.
This is a really good throw from Sanders, fitting it into Wester in between two Texas Tech defenders for the first down. This throw needed to be as close to perfect as possible, which it was. There just wasn't a whole lot of room to work with as Sanders zipped this ball in there for the 16-yard gain. A few plays later Sanders would call his own number from seven yards out, giving him his first rushing touchdown and Colorado's first lead in the game with 11-minutes to go in the third quarter. Just a really nice drive by Sanders and co. to take their first lead of the game. Sanders would respond to Texas Tech's latest touchdown by coming up with one of his own, this time hitting Will Sheppard on a well thrown fade ball to the end zone to give the lead back to Colorado with about four and a half minutes to go in the third.
Like I said, this is a very well thrown fade ball by Sanders to find Sheppard in the back of the end zone for the score. Also have to give credit to Sheppard as he was able to bring this ball in with one hand. Overall this is just a very nice play on a very nice drive, with Sanders connecting with Travis Hunter and Sheppard again a couple different times en-route to the score. With Texas Tech failing to convert on fourth down from their own 31, Colorado only needed to run four plays to find the end zone again, with Sanders connecting with LaJohntay Wester on a screen for 22-yards before hitting Travis Hunter on a screen to the opposite sideline for a 24-yard touchdown, giving Sanders his third passing and fourth total touchdown of the game. Colorado would only need five plays to come away with another field goal following an interception thrown by Behren Morton to go up 34-20 midway through the fourth. Those three points would be the last thing the Colorado offense would really need to do for the rest of this game, as they'd go three and out on their next three possessions before the defense came away with a scoop and score touchdown to put the final nail in the coffin, coming out 41-27 road victors. Like I mentioned before, I really like seeing the fight in this year's Colorado team, coming back from being down double digits early to win by double digits themselves. As for Sanders, I thought he played a smart game, not really forcing the issue and took what the defense gave him. Though a lot of his passes came on screens, when he needed to push the ball down the field he was able to do so, and it helped the Buffaloes see out their third straight win. This week Colorado host a 4-5 Utah Utes team that is coming off a controversial 22-21 loss to BYU. Losers of their last five, I'm sure many out there believe Colorado will make light work of the Utes, but given how they lost last week I'm sure they'll be more motivated than ever in this one. Regardless of the outcome, we should be in for a fun one come Saturday.
Preseason - 2
Wk 1 - 1
Wk 2 - 2
Wk 3 - 1
Wk 4 - 1
Wk 5 - 1
Wk 6 - 1
Wk 7 - 2
Wk 8 - 2
Wk 9 - 2
Wk 10 - 2
Wk 11 - 2
Wk 12 - v Utah
3. Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Wk 11 - 12/18 109 yds 0 touchdowns 0 interceptions/12 carries 185 yds 4 touchdowns @ no.15 LSU (42-13 W)
Season - 149/221 2,046 yds 13 touchdowns 6 interceptions/114 carries 565 yds 16 touchdowns
There's really no other way to say this, but the weather played perfectly into Alabama's hands last Saturday night, as the Crimson Tide took advantage of the Baton Rouge rain and came away massive 42-13 victors. Now, why do I say that the weather worked in Alabama's favor? Well it's simple, Alabama, outside of the military schools has the best running quarterback in college football in Jalen Milroe. Mixing that with a powerful rush attack featuring two running backs that average over five and a half yards per carry, you've got yourself set up perfectly for a torrential downpour, something LSU seemingly wasn't really prepared for. Whether it was raining or not, this was the type of performance everyone wanted to see out of Alabama, especially after some suspect performances following their home victory against Georgia back on September 28th. This was just a good old fashioned ass kicking that saw Milroe put forth one of his best performances since that aforementioned Georgia game. Though he didn't put ridiculous numbers in the passing game (only registering 109-yards) he did end up rushing for an impressive 185-yards to go along with a season high four rushing touchdowns. With those four scores Milroe set a new Alabama record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season, breaking Jalen Hurts' record of 13 which he set back in 2016. Though the rushing numbers are obviously impressive, scouts out there want to see him throwing the ball, as that's the biggest question mark surrounding his game as we edge closer to the draft. Despite only completing 12-passes and totaling again 109-yards through the air Milroe still had to come through and make throws when he was asked to, like on Alabama's opening drive where he evaded would be tacklers and hit an open Ryan Williams on the far sideline for a 19-yard gain on second and 14.
Though Williams is open down the sideline it's just impressive that Milroe was able to get this ball out there in the first place, especially following the wonky snap. Not only was he able to coral the low snap, he was also able to get around the free LSU defenders and get the ball out to his receiver for the first down. This play wasn't pretty, but it somewhat encapsulates what Milroe can bring at the quarterback position, being able to make something out of nothing. A few plays later Milroe would punch it into the end zone for his first rushing touchdown of the game, calling his own number and taking it in from 39-yards out for the score.
The explosiveness from Milroe on this play is really impressive. After patiently following his running back up the hole he is able to burst past the last line of defense for an eventual walk in touchdown. Like I brought up before, apart from the military schools Alabama has the best running quarterback in college football, and it's pretty clear to see why on this run. Milroe would come close to registering his first passing touchdown of the game on Alabama's next drive, but his six yard pass to Jam Miller came up a yard short of the goal line, leading to Justice Haynes punching it in from a yard out to give the Crimson Tide a 14-3 lead with just over two minutes to go in the first quarter. On said drive Milroe would have a couple passes pick up 10 or more yards, i.e. hitting Ryan Williams and Miller again on screen passes that would go for 10 and 20-yards respectfully. Milroe would nearly come up with another touchdown pass on the first play of their next drive, but it would fall incomplete as Williams couldn't bring in the deep ball down the middle of the field. That being said Alabama would be forced to punt after a delay of game on fourth down would push them out of field goal range before failing to convert on fourth down with less than four minutes to go in the second quarter. The touchdown drought would come to an end on Alabama's next possession as Milroe would take it in from 10-yards out following an LSU fumble to give the Crimson Tide a 21-6 lead on their final drive of the half. After a face mask penalty kept their opening drive of the second half alive, Milroe would find the end zone again for his third rushing touchdown of the game.
Much like I brought up with his first rushing touchdown Milroe does an excellent job at staying patient and following his back before exploding between a couple LSU defenders for the 19-yard score. Just as easy as you'd like, really. Alabama would put forth another quick drive their next time out, as Milroe would register his fourth rushing touchdown of the game, this one coming from 72-yards on the opening play of the fourth quarter to give the Crimson Tide a 35-6 lead.
Not a lot of quarterbacks can break off runs like this, and that's what makes Jalen Milroe such a pain in the ass to game plan for. He would play one more drive after this (Alabama went three and out) with the backups seeing out an impressive 42-13 home victory against the LSU Tigers. Like I mentioned before, this may not have been the game scouts out there were looking for in regards to seeing Milroe the passer, but Milroe the runner was on full display in the win, showing why he causes so many headaches for opposing defensive coordinators. Though he made throws when he needed to (most of them barely going past the line of scrimmage) people are still going to want to see more from him as an overall passes. Like I said before, that's where most of the question marks lie in his game. Maybe we'll see a more complete performance from Milroe this coming week as the Crimson Tide host the Mercer Bears. Though they're 9-1 this season, I don't see a world where Alabama really struggles to have their way. In their one loss Samford quarterback Quincy Crittendon threw for a season high 378-yards and four touchdowns (and three interceptions, but that's not important here) so again, I expect to see a complete performance from Milroe on Saturday (I know Alabama and Samford are completely different teams but still, I thought it was semi-important to bring up Crittendon's stats).
Preseason - 6
Wk 1 - 6
Wk 2 - 6
Wk 3 - 6
Wk 4 - 6
Wk 5 - 3
Wk 6 - 3
Wk 7 - 4
Wk 8 - 3
Wk 9 - 3
Wk 10 - 3
Wk 11 - 3
Wk 12 - v Mercer
4. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
Wk 11 - 27/42 239 yds 1 touchdown 2 interceptions/6 carries 8 yds 0 touchdowns v no.11 Alabama (42-13 L)
Season - 235/375 2,866 yds 21 touchdowns 11 interceptions/19 carries 21 yds 3 touchdowns
This wasn't necessarily the best game for Garrett Nussmeier and the LSU Tigers as they fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide 42-13 at home this past Saturday night. For whatever reason, these past couple week have been rough for the LSU quarterback, throwing three touchdowns and five interceptions in back-to-back double digit loses. That's not really what you want to see from a supposed top draft prospect as you would rather see them step up to the occasion rather than let the occasion get the better of them. Yes, we saw him step up in a big way against Ole Miss a few weeks ago, but to some people, as the old saying goes, you're only as good as your last game, and these last couple haven't been great. I'm hoping he's able to get out of this little slump in the coming weeks but for now, let's focus on this game against Alabama. Like I brought up with Jalen Milroe before, this game played perfectly into Alabama's hands as the downpour made this more of a game from the 60s as the Crimson Tide pounded the rock 46-times for 312-yards and six touchdowns, with Milroe registering 185-yards and four touchdowns himself in the win. Alabama was averaging around seven yards a carry, absolutely having their way with the LSU defense. The problem with this is when the defense can't stop a nose bleed, despite knowing exactly what the opposing team is going to do, it adds even more pressure on the offense. With Alabama scoring at will LSU would be forced to throw the ball in order to catch up as they just don't have the tools to run the ball as effectively as Alabama (the Tigers have the worst rush offense in the conference). Playing from behind when the defense knows what you're going to do is hard, doing it in the rain is even harder, and it showed on Saturday. That being said, Caden Durham did pick up 45-yards on their second play from scrimmage to get them to the five yard line, but they'd ultimately have to settle for three as the drive would stall out. Though they'd be forced to punt after six plays on their next drive, the Tigers would register another field goal on their second drive of the second quarter which was kicked off by Nussmeier hitting Mason Taylor for 26-yards down the far hash mark.
This is a really solid throw from Nussmeier, placing it perfectly in between four Alabama defenders to hit Taylor for the first down. It must be said as well, great finger tip catch by Taylor, picking up 26-yards and getting them out from the shadow of their own end zone. Nussmeier would connect with Josh Williams out of the backfield for 16-yards a couple plays later but the drive would ultimately stall out with the Tigers having to settle for their second field goal of the game, making the score 14-6 midway through the second quarter. After the defense held Alabama on fourth and one, the LSU offense would take the field at their own side of the 50 at the 40-yard line. With decent field position most out there expected to LSU to finally find their way into the end zone, unfortunately Nussmeier would be strip sacked on the very first play of the drive, gifting Alabama great field position which they would capitalize on three plays later to take a 21-6 lead with two and a half minutes left in the half. The Tigers would have one more chance to register some points before the break, a drive that was kicked off by Nussmeier hitting CJ Daniels down the far sideline for a 14-yard gain.
These weird thing about this pass is that it was only Nussmeier's second completion past the line of scrimmage, the only other one being the aforementioned 26-yard completion to Mason Taylor earlier in the second quarter. Regardless, this is still a very solid throw from Nussmeier as he put the ball in a spot where only his intended receiver could get it, high and outside away from the Alabama defender. Much like the completion to Taylor before, very nice job by Daniels at bringing this ball in for the decent gain on second and nine. Nussmeier would register a few more completions on the drive but once again the drive would stall out, only this time LSU would fail to register any points, going into the locker room down 21-6. Nussmeier would flash the athleticism on LSU's opening drive of the second half, picking up a first down on third and four which a few different Alabama defenders giving chase behind him.
If you couldn't tell just by watching this isn't something you see all too often from Nussmeier. Though that may be the case, it's still impressive that he was not only able to evade a couple would be tacklers in the backfield, but also be able to get back up field and pick up 14-yards and a first down in the process. Nussmeier would come up big a couple other times throughout the drive, i.e. picking up two yards on a quarterback sneak on fourth and one while also hitting Mason Taylor while on the move on fourth and four to get them down to the Alabama 26-yard line.
With pressure coming off the edge, this is a really nice job by Nussmeier at extending the play and finding Taylor in the middle of the Alabama defense for a 12-yard gain on fourth and four. Everything just seemed to be working for Nussmeier and co. on this drive, especially after he'd hit Kyren Lacy down the near sideline for a 21-yard gain to get them down to the five yard line.
Again, this is a really good throw from Nussmeier, on the move to the left and hitting Lacy on the sideline for a very nice gain. Everything just seemed to be working on this drive for LSU, that is until it wasn't as Nussmeier would throw his interception of the game, turning the ball over with LSU within five yards of the end zone.
This is just a brutal decision from Nussmeier. I know there's less room to work with when you're closer to the goal line so the windows are tighter but you just can't throw that pass. Maybe he through the defender would get more thrown off his assignment after Lacy hit him but still, this would've needed to be a crazy throw from Nussmeier in order to get the ball through to Daniels. After struggling to put points on the board, the last thing you want is to turn the ball over inside the oppositions five yard line, but that's exactly what happened on this play. The Tigers would be forced to punt the ball away on their next drive before failing to convert on fourth and five. Just like that, Alabama hand themselves a 35-6 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Things wouldn't get much better for LSU as Nussmeier would register his second interception of the game with less than eight minutes to go in the fourth.
I don't really know how to explain this one as I don't know if he was throwing this ball to where Daniels was going to be (as he slipped) or if this was just a bad throw. Regardless the pass was still intercepted, and Alabama would find the end zone again to make it 42-6 with just over two minutes to go in the game. Now, LSU would finally find the end zone on their final drive, as Nussmeier would hit Kyren Lacy from 12-yards out to make the score a little more respectable with 11-seconds left.
Though this is a really nice throw and catch between Nussmeier and Lacy the damage was already done, as Alabama would come away with a 42-13 victory against the Tigers, giving Brian Kelly his first home night loss at Tiger Stadium since he took over in 2022. This was a rough game for everyone wearing purple, as the offense couldn't finish drives and the defense couldn't stop a nosebleed. I thought the LSU offense put together some solid enough drives but again, they couldn't finish them so it really doesn't matter. That interception at the five yard line was really a killer, as a touchdown there could've seen at least some momentum swing back in LSU's favor. Hopefully they're able to brush this game off and rectify their mistakes against a Florida team that is coming off a 49-17 road loss to Texas, in a game that saw Quinn Ewers throw for 333-yards and register five touchdowns. I fully expect Nussmeier to put forth a better performance against a Gator team that possesses the fourth worst passing defense in the conference. LSU should be able to get back to winning ways this weekend after dropping their last two.
Preseason - 10
Wk 1 - 9
Wk 2 - 8
Wk 3 - 8
Wk 4 - 8
Wk 5 - 7
Wk 6 - 7
Wk 7 - 6
Wk 8 - 4
Wk 9 - 4
Wk 10 - 4
Wk 11 - 4
Wk 12 - @ Florida
5. Quinn Ewers, Texas
Wk 11 - 19/27 333 yds 5 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries 0 yds 0 touchdowns v Florida (49-17 W)
Season - 149/215 1,722 yds 19 touchdowns 6 interceptions/23 carries -50 yds 1 touchdown
For the first time in 84-years the Texas Longhorns took on the Florida Gators. I don't know about you guys, but I'm pretty sure Florida wouldn't have minded that streak continued to 85-years after Texas took down the Gators 49-17 on Saturday with quarterback Quinn Ewers having a career day, throwing for 333-yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions (which is the first time he's gone a game without throwing an interception since Texas beat Michigan back on September seventh). This game was just a good old fashioned ass kicking, ironic that it came a day or two after the Florida athletic department announced that head coach Billy Napier would be the head coach going forward. Not the greatest time to drop an all time stinker against a conference foe on the road but that's neither here nor there at this point. Regardless of Napier's future this was a great all around performance from Ewers and the Longhorns who went out and dominated this game from the jump, finding themselves up 35-0 at halftime (and it could've been even more had Bert Auburn not missed a 51-yard field goal on their first drive of the game). On their opening drive Ewers would hit on a few swing passes out of the backfield as well as a 12-yard slant to DeAndre Moore Jr. before hitting Gunnar Helm for 20-yards down the near sideline to get the Longhorns to the Gator side of the 50. Following a seven yard pass to Quintrevion Wisner on first down to get them to second and three Texas would just go backwards, as Wisner would lose seven on the ground on the next play before Ewers would take a sack to push it back to fourth and 19, with Auburn missing the aforementioned 51-yard field goal. Ewers would nearly throw an interception on the second play of Texas' next drive but would pick up nine yards on the ground to get them to a fourth and one situation, which Jerrick Gibson would convert with a two yard run. Texas would pick up 44-yards on an insane misdirection play to get them down to the Florida 30 before Ewers would hit a wide open Matthew Golden for a 29-yard touchdown to give the Longhorns their first lead of the game. After a Florida fumble set Texas up on the Gator 22, Ewers would get the ball out quickly to Gunnar Helm for a 22-yard touchdown, doubling their lead less than a minute after initially taking it.
Very quick release from Ewers to get this ball out to Helm before he takes another big sack. With Florida showing blitz, Ewers not only knew that he needed to get the ball out quick, but he also knew Helm would be freed up and wide open in the middle of the field for the easy touchdown. This was just as quick and easy of a touchdown as you would like which again, doubled Texas' advantage later on in the first quarter. Things wouldn't go as smoothly for the Longhorns on their next couple of possessions, punting each of their next two drives while going three and out on the first. That being said Ewers would hit an open Isaiah Bond on third and seven for 19-yards, but it again wouldn't lead to anything as they'd be forced to punt a few plays later. Though that long pass didn't lead to anything, Ewers and co. would come out swinging on their next possession, with Ewers connecting with Quintrevion Wisner in the backfield on the first play of the drive for a 50-yard touchdown with less than six minutes to go in the second quarter. Ewers and Jaydon Blue would connect on a swing pass out of the backfield for 45-yards on their next drive, before Ewers would hit Matthew Golden in the end zone for a 32-yard touchdown.
Back foot throw that just made it to Golden for the score. Maybe not the greatest pass of all time but hey, not every pass needs to be the prettiest thing of all time, sometimes they just need to reach their destination, much like this one did to Golden. Like the old saying goes, they all count the same, with Texas now finding themselves up 28-0 with just under a minute and a half to go in the second. Though there was only a minute and a half or so to go in the half Texas would find the end zone again after yet another Florida turnover. After Ewers hit Silas Bolden and Jaydon Blue (both for 20-yard pickups) to get them to the Gator five yard line, Blue would punch it in to give the Longhorns their aforementioned 35-point lead going into the break. It wouldn't take Texas long to find the end zone again, as after Florida quarterback Aidan Warner threw an interception on their second play of the half, Ewers would hit Isaiah Bond on a screen to the far side of the field who would take it in 34-yards for the score, putting the Longhorns up 42-0 five plays into the second half. Ewers' day would be done following that last touchdown pass as Arch Manning and co. would see out a 49-17 home victory. Just a really easy game for everyone wearing burnt orange on Saturday with Ewers tossing five touchdowns in the win. After watching what Jaxson Dart and co. did to the Arkansas Razorbacks secondary a week ago, I'm sure Ewers is licking his lips at the opportunity to stack impressive conference performances, this time coming on the road. With the Razorbacks ranking dead last in passing defense, I do expect Ewers to put up some solid numbers again on Saturday.
Preseason - 5
Wk 1 - 4
Wk 2 - 3
Wk 3 - 3
Wk 4 - 3
Wk 5 - 5
Wk 6 - 5
Wk 7 - 5
Wk 8 - 6
Wk 9 - 6
Wk 10 - 5
Wk 11 - 5
Wk 12 - @ Arkansas
6. Drew Allar, Penn State (+1)
Wk 11 - 20/28 220 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/3 carries 12 yds 0 touchdowns v Washington (35-6 W)
Season - 149/212 2,006 yds 13 touchdowns 5 interceptions/47 carries 172 yds 3 touchdowns
Coming off a tough home loss to Ohio State the previous week, Penn State needed put on a convincing performance against a 5-4 Washington team that was coming off of their first win since early October. Despite their recent run of form Washington still possessed the Big Ten's top passing defense, though they hadn't really faced a quarterback to the caliber of Drew Allar up to this point in the season. Coming off one of his worst statistical performances of the season against the aforementioned Buckeyes, I was really intrigued to see how he'd bounce back against the conferences top rated pass defense. Though he may not have put up other worldly numbers in Penn State's 35-6 home victory, he still was able to register 220-yards through the air with a touchdown to go along with 12-rushing yards, which is actually the only number that went down this week as opposed to last week. So all in all I would say this was a pretty successful bounce back performance for not just Allar but for Penn State as a whole, as they were able to come away with touchdowns on each of their first four drives of the game, finding themselves up 28-0 going into halftime. On their first drive of the game Allar would complete a couple passes, both to Harrison Wallace III for five and 20-yards, with the latter coming on third and five. The rest of the drive would be dominated by the run game, with back-up quarterback Beau Pribula punching it in from eight yards out to give the Nittany Lions their first lead of the game. Allar and Wallace would connect again on third down on Penn State's next drive, this time going for 19-yards on third and six to get them closer to the 50-yard line.
Really nice strike down the field from Allar to Wallace for the 14-yard gain on third and six. With the safety coming down late and pressure coming through the line, Allar does a nice job at allowing his receiver to get open down field before delivering an aforementioned strike for the first. Allar and Wallace would connect again a few plays later, this time for 12-yards to get them inside the red zone for the second time up to this point in the game.
Very nice job by Allar at breaking outside the pocket and extending the play once he saw nothing open down field. Also, nice job at keeping his head and eyes up to find an open receiver past the line of scrimmage, ultimately hitting Wallace for a 12-yard gain and a first down. Allar may not necessarily be the most fleet footed guy in the world, but he's no statue either and can make plays on the move when required, like he did here on this play. Allar would later connect with Tyler Warren for a first down after the ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage on third and five to get them down to the Washington four yard line before Warren would jump over the line a couple plays later to give Penn State a 14-point lead midway through the second quarter. The Nittany Lions' next drive would be more of the same as Allar and Warren would connect again, this time for 21-yards, before Warren punched it into the end zone again on the ground from two yards out to further extend Penn State's lead with about three and a half minutes to go in the quarter. Allar would register his first passing touchdown on Penn State's next drive, hitting Julian Fleming on a slant from eight yards out to continue their seemingly never ending run of touchdowns, this one coming with 23-seconds left in the half. Up 28-0, the Nittany Lions would look to continue their scoring ways on their first drive of the second half, unfortunately not only would a Nick Singleton kick off return touchdown get call back for holding, Tyler Warren would fumble the ball away on Penn State's second play from scrimmage, giving Washington the ball at the Nittany Lion 34-yard line.
What sucks is that this is a really good throw from Allar, fitting the ball into Warren in between two Washington defenders for what would have been a really solid gain and a first down. Whether you think it should have been ruled a fumble or not doesn't matter here as the call on the field was a fumble, which is very unfortunate. But again, good ball placement by Allar on this throw, just a shame it ultimately resulted in a turnover. Though that play ended Penn State's drive, Allar would throw a strike to Harrison Wallace III for 28-yards to extend their next drive on third and three.
Again, what a strike from Allar to fit it in to Wallace for the big time gain. Just perfect ball placement from the Penn State quarterback, couple with a great catch by Wallace for the first down. Allar would try to make another play on third down later in the drive but escaping pressure to his right, his throw to Tyler Warren ultimately fell short, with Penn State having settle for a field goal with less than six minutes to go in the third quarter.
It sucks that Warren wasn't able to come up with this ball because this would have been a really nice highlight for both him and Allar. That being said, great effort by both quarterback and tight end to try and make something out of nothing, as the play looked dead pretty much right after the ball was snapped with two Washington defenders breaking through the line of scrimmage. Like I brought up before, Allar may not be the most insane athlete, but he can make plays on the move when required, just came up short on this one. To make matters worse Ryan Barker would miss the ensuing 44-yard field goal, so Penn State would come up scoreless for the second consecutive drive. Though they didn't score there, Allar would orchestrate a really solid 16-play drive for the Nittany Lions their next time out, which was kicked off by him connecting with Liam Clifford up the seam for a 20-yard gain on second and 10.
Nice little seam shot by Allar to Clifford for the nice 20-yard gain to get them to the Washington side of the 50. Apart from a nine yard shovel pass to Tyler Warren, the rest of the drive would be dominated by the rushing attack as the Nittany Lions would register their fifth touchdown of the game and go up 35-6 with less than five minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Washington would turn the ball over on downs on their following drive before Corey Smith would pick up 87-yards on Penn State's final drive of the game to see out a 35-6 home victory. This was the type of game Penn State needed following the heartbreaking loss against Ohio State, dominating in multiple facets of the game to come out massive double digit winners in conference play. As for Allar, this was a very solid bounce back performance as he could do pretty much whatever he wanted from the pocket in this one. This week Penn State travels to West Lafayette to take on the Purdue Boilermakers, a team who are coming off a rough 45-0 road loss to the aforementioned Buckeyes. Though it's at home, I have a hard time believing Penn State will struggle in this one.
Preseason - 4
Wk 1 - 3
Wk 2 - 4
Wk 3 - 5
Wk 4 - 5
Wk 5 - 6
Wk 6 - 6
Wk 7 - 7
Wk 8 - 7
Wk 9 - 7
Wk 10 - 7
Wk 11 - 6
Wk 12 - @ Purdue
7. Carson Beck, Georgia (-1)
Wk 11 - 20/31 186 yds 0 touchdowns 1 interception/8 carries -20 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.16 Ole Miss (28-10 L)
Season - 210/321 2,488 yds 17 touchdowns 12 interceptions/38 carries 39 yds 0 touchdowns
I don't know what is going on with Carson Beck, but I do know it's not good. Going into the season Beck was seen by many (including myself) as the draft's top quarterback prospect with Colorado's Shedeur Sanders. I know we've discussed this before but as each week passes the further and further Beck looks from that preseason projection as once again he puts forth a suspect performance on the road in SEC play, throwing for just 186-yards with no touchdowns and an interception, his 12th on the season. So far this season, against conference opponents on the road, Beck has registered three passing touchdowns and seven interceptions, with those three touchdowns all coming in the second half against Alabama back in September. Like, I don't know if this is getting blown out of proportion on social media (as things usually tend to do) but I've seen some Georgia fans on Twitter asking for Beck to be benched. Again, who would have ever thought that'd be the case going into the season? And to be 100% honest, at this point I don't really blame them. I understand it was a rainy mess in Oxford this past Saturday, and I understand Georgia doesn't really have the offensive talent they did last year (as one of the top quarterbacks you have to be a tractor not a trailer) but that's no excuse to put forth yet another rough performance, as the Bulldogs came out on the wrong side of a 28-10 game. I know I'm singling out Beck (as this is a quarterback based blog post) but this game was just rough for Georgia all around, as they were out gained 396 to 246 in regards to total yards in this game. Not necessarily the most ideal situation to be in. That being said things did look good for them early as they forced a Dart interception on the third play from scrimmage before punching it into th end zone via a Nate Frazier two yard run on a seven play drive that saw Beck throw the ball one time, completing a six yard pass to Trevor Etienne to set up the touchdown run. Too bad the 'good start' didn't go past the first drive of the game as the Bulldogs punted on their next four drives, going three and out on two of them as Ole Miss would take a 16-7 halftime lead. Though they didn't register any points on their final four/five drives of the first half (their fifth drive was one play) Beck was still able to make some semi-decent throws, i.e. this 14-yard completion to Lawson Luckie on first and 10.
Weirdly, this was only Beck's third completion up to this point in the game. Regardless, it was still a nice throw in between a triangle of Ole Miss defenders for the first down. Well placed and well timed throw from Beck that helped push Georgia closer to the midfield marker. Beck would also hit Dillon Bell for 15-yards on a hitch and Dominic Lovett on a screen for 12 but again, Georgia would be forced to punt the ball away each of their final four drives of the first half following their opening drive touchdown. Beck would hit on a few 10+ yard passes on their opening drive of the second half, with the biggest gain going to Cash Jones out of the backfield on a halfback wheel route for 29-yards, which would helped set up a Peyton Woodring 23-yard field goal a few plays later to make to the score 16-10 early in the third quarter. Following an Ole Miss touchdown, Beck would be asked to make a big throw on third and three to hopefully get Georgia there second touchdown of the game, hitting Dominic Lovett across the middle for a 20-yard gain to get them to the Ole Miss 32-yard line.
After seeing his first read wasn't there Beck does a very nice job at turning his attention back up the field, finding Lovett somewhat open in the middle of the field who picked up a good amount of yards after the catch. This play looked to potentially help spur on the Bulldogs, the unfortunate thing is that Nate Frazier would fumble the ball away a couple plays later, ending what could've been a positive drive for Georgia. Thankfully for the offense the defense would come up big and force Ole Miss to punt the ball away. Though they started the drive at their own nine yard line, Beck and co. were able to string some decent plays together, eventually getting the ball to the Rebel 27-yard line (thanks to a face mask penalty after Beck was strip sacked). Despite putting together a nice 15-play drive, it would end with a Beck interception, with the Rebels defense stifling the Bulldog offense once again well inside their own territory.
This is just an unfortunate situation for Beck, as the deflection at the line of scrimmage threw off the path of the ball and saw it land in the arms of a grateful Ole Miss defender. Who knows, maybe this is a touchdown if Beck is able to complete this pass. Sucks though cause we'll never know, as the interception killed what could've been yet another promising drive for the Georgia offense. To make matters even worse, Beck would get strip sacked for the second time in this game on their following drive, only this time it would be recovered by Ole Miss, gifting them the ball at the Georgia 19-yard line. The Rebels would capitalize on the field position by converting on a 32-yard field goal before the Bulldogs would turn it over on downs on their final drive of the game, thus ending it with Georgia coming out 28-10 road losers. Like I said before this was a rough game overall for the Bulldogs, but the offense more so continues to flatter to deceive with Beck turning the ball over twice in the loss. Hopefully Beck and co. are able bounce back at home against a Tennessee Volunteer team who have won their past four games, including a 24-17 home win against Alabama back in October. Last season Beck threw for 298-yards and registered three touchdowns in a 38-10 road win against Tennessee, I'm hoping he can even replicate even half of that performance this time around.
Preseason - 1
Wk 1 - 2
Wk 2 - 1
Wk 3 - 2
Wk 4 - 2
Wk 5 - 4
Wk 6 - 4
Wk 7 - 3
Wk 8 - 5
Wk 9 - 5
Wk 10 - 6
Wk 11 - 7
Wk 12 - v no.7 Tennessee
8. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana (+1)
Wk 11 - 17/28 206 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/5 carries -28 yds 0 touchdowns v Michigan (20-15 W)
Season - 171/238 2,410 yds 21 touchdowns 4 interceptions/30 carries 17 yds 2 touchdowns
If you would have told me at the beginning of the season that when Indiana took on Michigan that one team would be ranked eighth and undefeated while the other was languishing at 5-4, I wouldn't have been insanely surprised. What I would have been surprised about is when you told me Indiana was the undefeated team and Michigan, the reigning National Champions, were 5-4. Now, I must say that I didn't have any faith that the Wolverines would be able to repeat their championship winning success this time out, but I also didn't think they'd be around .500 going into a late season road match-up against undefeated eighth ranked Indiana, but I guess that's the reality in which we live. To make things even crazier, Indiana came into this game as -14.5-point favorites, which is just another thing preseason Logan wouldn't have thought possible. That being said, as we got closer and closer to kickoff the more it felt like the Hoosiers would have their way with the Wolverines. I mean, Indiana hadn't won a game by less than 10-points all season long, with their closest win being decided by 14-points in wins against Maryland and Washington, with quarterback Kurtis Rourke missing the latter with a thumb injury. Speaking of Rourke, he put forth another solid performance in the home win, throwing for just over 200-yards with two touchdowns, though he did also register his fourth interception of the season in the second half, but more on that later. I guess you could say Rourke's game was really divided into two halves, as to me his first half display was much better than his display in the second half. Not saying he was brutally bad or anything, it's just that after Indiana's first half showing I thought they were going to route Michigan, as they found themselves up 17-3 with the Wolverines only having one drive that went longer than six plays. That's not to suggest that Indiana came out the blocks firing as they were forced to punt after six plays on their opening drive before finding themselves down 3-0 after Michigan put together a nice 14-play 66-yard field goal drive to take the lead early. After that though things started to swing back in Indiana's favor, with Rourke completing a beautiful pass to Ke'Shawn Williams down the near sideline for a 26-yard gain.
This is an absolutely perfect throw from Kurtis Rourke, putting it high and outside, forcing his receiver to make a play on the ball, which of course he did. As the old saying goes, you can't defend a perfect pass, which sucks for Michigan as the defender had pretty good position on the play. Just can't beat a perfect throw and catch combination, which helped get the Hoosiers to the Wolverine 20-yard line. Rourke would register his first touchdown of the game a few plays later, hitting Omar Cooper Jr. from seven yards out to give Indiana their first lead of the game.
Again, just a perfect throw from Rourke to find Cooper in the end zone for the score. Like, it was fairly obvious that he was throwing to the right but again, you cannot defend a perfect throw. Once again, Rourke did a nice job at throwing this ball to the outside, away from the defender in a spot where only his receiver could get it. Great concentration shown by Cooper on this play as well as it again helped Indiana gain their first lead of the ballgame late in the first quarter. Rourke and co. would come out swinging on their next drive as after converting on a couple third and one situations, Rourke would hit an open Elijah Sarratt for a 35-yard score to double their advantage less than three minutes into the second quarter.
With pressure in his face, Rourke does an excellent job at driving this ball down the field to an open Sarratt for the score. Now, it helps to have a receiver that open when you just chuck it down the field but still, nice throw from Rourke to give the Hoosiers a 14-3 lead early on in the second quarter. Rourke would nearly register his third passing touchdown of the game on Indiana's next drive as he'd hit Omar Cooper Jr. across the middle in the face of pressure for a 41-yard gain, taking them from their own 28 to the Michigan 31.
Nice job by Rourke at standing tall in the pocket and waiting for his receiver to get open before delivering a strike down the field for a very nice gain. Like I mentioned before, if Cooper hadn't been tripped up this could've maybe been Rourke's third passing touchdown of the game. Allas he'd get stopped after picking up 41-yards, which I'm sure Indiana would have taken as they now had the ball in plus territory. Unfortunately for them the drive would stall out and they would only go backwards on their remaining three plays (with Rourke getting strip sacked), turning the ball over on downs after finding themselves in a fourth and 12 situation. Definitely not where they thought they'd be after the big completion between Rourke and Cooper. The pair would nearly connect on a back shoulder throw on Indiana's next drive. Though it would fall incomplete, a pass interference call would help extend the drive. That being said, that call may have helped them there but it would hinder them later as Cooper would get called for offensive pass interference after Rourke hit Myles Price on a slant that would've gotten them down to the Michigan two, putting them in striking distance of the end zone. Instead, the Hoosiers would have to settle for three, giving them a 17-3 lead before halftime. Indiana's first drive of the second half wouldn't breed much success as on the very first play from scrimmage Rourke would throw an interception, setting the Wolverines up at the Hoosier seven.
Rourke just got baited into making this throw. I'm sure initially he thought the Michigan defender would follow the outside receiver, instead he stayed locked on to his initial receiver, just baiting Rourke into making a poor decision. Like, the ball left Rourke's hand in a hurry, it's just a shame that the defender read him like a book and picked off the pass. Thankfully for Indiana the defense would come up big with their backs against the end zone, as they'd hold Michigan to a field goal, making it 17-6 midway through the third quarter. Indiana would really struggle to move the ball on their next few drives, registering -14 and -4-yards on two of their next three drives with Rourke facing constant pressure from the Michigan defense. The Hoosiers would finally be able to string together some solid plays on their last 'real' drive of the game, coming away with a field goal. That being said they should have been able to come away with a touchdown as Rourke hit Elijah Sarratt on a perfectly thrown back shoulder ball to get them down to the Michigan two or three yard line, but Sarratt wouldn't be able to control the ball once he hit the ground, leading to an incomplete pass on third and six.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Kurtis Rourke throws the best back shoulder ball in all of college football, it's just a shame on this one that his receiver wasn't able to come down with it. Speaking of, Sarratt absolutely has to make this catch. It's a perfect throw that would get you again all the way down to the Michigan two or three yard line. Thankfully the Hoosiers were able to still come away with some points in the form of a field goal but still, as the teams leading receiver you have to make that catch. The Indiana defense would come up big on Michigan's next offensive possession, forcing them to turn the ball over after failing to convert on fourth and 10. Following that turnover the Hoosiers would just run the ball and see out the game, coming away with a 20-15 home victory. Like I mentioned before, it looked like we could be in for another typical Indiana route after the first half, but Michigan's defense came to play in the second half so credit where credit is due. As for Kurtis Rourke he put forth another solid showing, making some ridiculous throws to help Indiana see out their 10th win of the season. They may have a bye this week, but a trip to the Horseshoe to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes awaits them the following week. I don't think many people were expecting to be excited about that game going into the season, but here we are. I cannot wait for November 23rd (screw the Big Noon Kickoff)!
Preseason - N/R
Wk 1 - N/R
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - N/R
Wk 4 - N/R
Wk 5 - H/M
Wk 6 - H/M
Wk 7 - N/R (bye week)
Wk 8 - 9
Wk 9 - 9
Wk 10 - 9
Wk 11 - 8
Wk 12 - BYE
9. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss (-1)
Wk 11 - 13/22 199 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/8 carries 50 yds 0 touchdowns v no.3 Georgia (28-10 W)
Season - 211/298 3,409 yds 22 touchdowns 4 interceptions/85 carries 304 yds 3 touchdowns
Much like the LSU v Alabama game, this match-up between Ole Miss and Georgia was a rainy mess. Unlike that game the home team was able to come out on top, with the Rebels taking down the Bulldogs by the score of 28-10. Despite Georgia coming into this game as -1.5-point favorites and coming off their fourth straight conference win where they scored 30 or more points, some out there (including myself) weren't too surprised with how this game turned out. The only thing that was semi-surprising was the fact that Ole Miss ended up winning this game by 18-points, with quarterback Jaxson Dart battling an ankle injury throughout most of the game after throwing an interception on their opening drive. We'll get to the interception here shortly, but as a whole Dart played a fairly solid game given the circumstances, throwing for just under 200-yards while registering a touchdown through the air and 50-yards on the ground, the first time he has done so up to this point in the season. It may not have been the same blistering performance that we saw last week on the road against Arkansas but hey, it was good enough to help the Rebels get a double digit dub against the then number two team in the nation. Back to the game and focusing on Ole Miss' first drive of the game, Dart would be sacked on their second play from scrimmage for a six yard loss (while getting rolled up on) before throwing an interception on third and 15, gifting the Bulldogs the ball on their own 21-yard line.
This is just unfortunate because Dart did have a receiver coming across the middle of the field, it just so happens that his arm was hit when he let the ball go which caused it to go haywire and land in the grateful arms of a Georgia defender. After getting rolled up on the previous play, Dart probably wasn't feeling the greatest, and probably even more so after the Bulldog offense found the end zone seven plays after the interception. Dart would sit out Ole Miss' next drive to get his ankle worked on and taped up, with his back-up Austin Simmons leading a 10-play touchdown drive to tie the game up at seven midway through the first quarter. Dart would go back in following a Georgia three and out and would orchestrate a nice six play 44-yard drive to give kicker Caden Davis a chance to give them their first lead of the game. Davis would capitalize on the opportunity, with Ole Miss taking a 10-7 lead with three minutes to go in the first. Dart and Ulysses Bentley IV would connect on the first three plays of Ole Miss' next drive, accounting for seven, 31, and seven again to get them down to the Georgia 32-yard line to close out the quarter. The Rebels wouldn't really move the ball too much further after those gains as Davis would have to come on once again and attempt a 43-yard field goal, which he would make to further grow Ole Miss' advantage. Dart would come out firing from his own end zone on their next drive, connecting with Jordan Watkins for 16-yards on third and 10 from the one yard line before finding him again for 33-yards on the very next play to get them down to the 50-yard line.
With the confusion pre-snap by Georgia, Dart zips this ball into Watkins for the big 33-yard gain to get them ever closer to the Bulldog side of the 50. It's even nicer when you notice a defender coming in late to disrupt Dart. It's not like he was getting hit as he was letting the ball go but sometimes that late defender can throw off the pass, but it didn't here and it helped keep the drive alive. Much like the last drive, the Rebels would struggle to move the ball much further down the field after moving it pretty well earlier in the drive, leading to yet another Davis field goal attempt, this one coming from 53-yards to give Ole Miss a 16-7 lead less than three minutes to go in the second quarter. The Rebels would go three and out on their final drive of the half, but they would find the end zone again on their opening drive of the second half with Dart hitting Cayden Lee for 23 and 26-yards before finding Antwane Wells Jr. in the end zone from 10-yards out to get their lead back to double digits following Georgia's opening drive field goal (they failed to convert on the two point conversion).
Though it may not have accounted for the same amount of yards as his two previous completions to Lee, this 10-yard pass from Dart was much more impressive. Like I talked about before with Nussmeier in regards to there being less room to work with, Dart had to fit this ball in a rather tight spot in order register his first touchdown of the game. With a Georgia defender in really good position the throw needed to be near perfect, which it was. Also, great concentration by Wells to come down with this ball as this was far from an easy catch given the defender's positioning and the weather conditions. Just a really nice play overall for the Rebels offense. Dart would pick up 21-yards on the ground on Ole Miss' next drive, as well as nearly throw another interception, but the Rebels would ultimately be forced to punt the ball away after the Georgia turnover. Dart would flash the athleticism again on Ole Miss' next drive, picking up a 28-yards to get them well inside Georgia territory.
I prefer this run much more than his previous 20+ yard attempt, as the first one saw him pretty much jog down the field as there wasn't a Bulldog defender within 10-yards of him. This run though, Dart had to step up in the collapsing pocket while breaking a couple ankle tackles before going down the sideline for the big time gain. This is a pretty impressive run in general, let alone on a bum ankle. That being said, Ole Miss would have to settle for a field goal once again, with Davis making two more kicks to see out the Rebels' 28-10 home victory against Georgia. Weather wise, this was a disgusting game, but Ole Miss definitely looked the better team with Dart putting forth a very solid performance, despite having an ankle injury. It wasn't the 515-yards and six touchdown performance we saw last week but it was effective and it helped Ole Miss get an impressive double digit win at home. Hopefully Dart gets well rested during the bye week, as they have a pretty fun trip to the Swamp in a weeks time to take on the Florida Gators. Again, given Ewers' performance, I expect Dart to put up some very solid numbers against this Gators defense.
Preseason - 9
Wk 1 - 7
Wk 2 - 7
Wk 3 - 7
Wk 4 - 7
Wk 5 - 8
Wk 6 - 8
Wk 7 - 8
Wk 8 - 8
Wk 9 - 8
Wk 10 - 8
Wk 11 - 9
Wk 12 - BYE
10. Riley Leonard, Notre Dame
Wk 11 - 14/27 215 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/11 carries 70 yds 2 touchdowns v Florida State (52-3 W)
Season - 145/225 1,575 yds 9 touchdowns 3 interceptions/96 carries 609 yds 13 touchdowns
The downfall of Florida State needs to be studied for generations. I'm pretty sure most people out there (including myself) thought that they'd dip at least a little bit after losing some very key pieces this past offseason, but I don't think people saw this level of implosion happening. This team stinks, like really stinks, to the point where I'm starting to question whether or not we've got another Bishop Sycamore situation on our hands. All of that being said, after throwing the biggest bitch fit of all time after getting left out of the College Football Playoff in favor of Alabama and Texas (which was the right call by the way) I don't feel sorry for them. You the reader may feel sorry for Florida State but to me, this is what we call karma. This is just a whole new level of embarrassing that I was not mentally prepared for going into the season and every week it just gets worse and worse. Like, Florida State has lost six games this season by double digits, including five or their last six games in general. Apart from a four point home win against conference foe Cal, the Seminoles have been the doormat for the ACC which again, I am thoroughly enjoying. This week, Florida State traveled to South Bend to get ass blasted by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish by the score of 52-3, with the Irish coming in as whopping -25.5-point favorites. That's just crazy. As for quarterback Riley Leonard he put forth another impressive performance both through the air and on the ground, registering 215-yards through the air with a touchdown with a further 70-yards and two touchdowns on the ground. I know it's only Florida State but still, this was another good showing for the former Duke quarterback. Things started off pretty nicely for Leonard and co. with him connecting with Aneyas Williams for 28-yards on third and six on a pass out of the backfield before registering an insane 34-yard touchdown run to give the Irish their first lead of the game.
This is something Leonard does on quite a regular basis. I don't necessarily know if this was designed quarterback draw play or Leonard just called his own number but regardless, once he gets out into open field he's damn near impossible to stop. It may look clunky at times, but he's always able to through an effective juke down the field before cutting up and picking up even more yards. In this scenario, not only is Leonard able to pick up a good chunk of yards on the ground, but he's also able to go airborne and leap into the end zone for Notre Dame's first score of the game. The Irish wouldn't have the same success on their next couple drives, going three and out on each of their next two drives. Now they would find the end zone again at the start of the second quarter, only needing three plays to do so with Jadarian Price picking up 17, two, and 65-yards on the ground en-route to another Notre Dame touchdown. They would be forced to punt on their next drive before Mitch Jeter would miss a 42-yard field goal to further extend their lead with just over two and a half minutes to go in the second quarter. That being said, Leonard would help orchestrate a nice 12-play 77-yard drive to find the end zone just before the half, finding Mitchell Evans from 12-yards out with 17-seconds to go.
If you know me you'd know that I'm not the biggest fan of fade routes to the end zone, that being said this is a really nice throw by Leonard to hit Evans for the 12-yard score. Along with that, this was a nicely orchestrated drive by Leonard who had a couple 10+ yard plays on this drive, i.e. picking up 10-yards with his legs on fourth and two and hitting Jordan Faison for 22-yards one play before the touchdown. Just a really solid drive to end the half, putting the Irish up 21-3 going into the locker room. Leonard would call his own number on Notre Dame's first drive of the second half, taking it in from six yards out to further extend their lead following a Florida State interception. Leonard would connect on a couple screen passes to Jaden Greathouse for 10 and 20-yards respectfully to ultimately help set up the aforementioned six yard score. Leonard would only throw the ball twice on Notre Dame's next drive, with his first pass being completed to Jayden Harrison for a big gain down the far sideline. A play that was further boosted by a roughing the passer call on Florida State.
This was a really well placed back shoulder throw by Leonard. Like I mentioned before, if you know me, you'd know how much I love a good back shoulder throw. With the defender matching Harrison stride for stride, Leonard knows that the best and most effective way to complete this pass is by placing it on his back shoulder. The throw, mixed with the concentration by Harrison, led to a nice gain that was again helped by the roughing the passer call on Florida State. Though that pass was nice, the drive would ultimately stall out with Mitch Jeter making a 28-yard kick to make it 31-3 late in the third quarter. Leonard would complete a decent number of passes on Notre Dame's next drive as he'd hit Jeremiyah Love for 13 on a well thrown ball across the middle before throwing a great fade ball to Jaden Greathouse for 26-yards to get them down to the Florida State one yard line.
Great check and throw by Leonard and great concentration by Greathouse to see that ball in over the Florida State defender. Sucks that this play didn't result in a touchdown but that would come a play later as Jeremiyah Love would take it in from a yard out to give Notre Dame a 38-3 lead with just under 11-minutes to go in the fourth quarter. With that being said, that would be Leonard's final contribution to the game, as Steve Angeli would come in and see out an impressive 52-3 home victory for Notre Dame. Like I said before, Florida State are just a sad sight to behold, and the Fighting Irish took full advantage of that last Saturday night. This week Riley Leonard and co. take on a Virginia Cavaliers team that just upset a then one loss Pitt team on the road. Virginia may be 5-4 but they're no push overs, so I hope Notre Dame doesn't look over them come Saturday.
Preseason - 7
Wk 1 - 8
Wk 2 - H/M
Wk 3 - H/M
Wk 4 - 10
Wk 5 - 10
Wk 6 - 10
Wk 7 - 10
Wk 8 - H/M
Wk 9 - 10
Wk 10 - 10
Wk 11 - 10
Wk 12 - v Virginia
Others
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
Wk 11 - 23/34 183 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/4 carries 28 yds 0 touchdowns v Maryland (39-18 W)
Season - 237/320 2,848 yds 22 touchdowns 5 interceptions/43 carries 148 yds 6 touchdowns
Will Howard, Ohio State
Wk 11 - 21/26 260 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/9 carries 7 yds 1 touchdown v Purdue (45-0 W)
Season - 171/231 2,237 yds 22 touchdowns 5 interceptions/62 carries 122 yds 6 touchdowns
Cade Klubnik, Clemson
Wk 11 - 16/34 211 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interceptions/15 carries 30 yds 0 touchdowns @ Virginia Tech (24-14 W)
Season - 195/309 2,275 yds 24 touchdowns 4 interceptions/68 carries 300 yds 4 touchdowns
Kyle McCord, Syracuse
Wk 11 - 31/48 392 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/7 carries -13 yds 0 touchdowns @ Boston College (37-31 L)
Season - 275/429 3,153 yds 23 touchdowns 12 interceptions/47 carries -61 yds 2 touchdowns
Maalik Murphy, Duke (NEW)
Wk 11 - 22/31 245 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/3 carries -6 yds 1 touchdown @ NC State (29-19 W)
Season - 211/352 2,366 yds 22 touchdowns 8 interceptions/17 carries -71 yds 1 touchdown
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