Hello everyone and welcome back to yet another Draft "Expert" blog post, brought to you by me, Logan Blackman, host of 'the Logan Blackman Show!' Like I always say at the start of these blog posts, I think you understand why I've gathered you here, as in this blog post, we will be going over the top 10 quarterbacks from week five of the college football season.
Now, we are back to our normally scheduled programing, as we have 10, and only 10, quarterbacks in this post, which doesn't seem like a very common occurrence within these nowadays. But hey, I'm really trying my best to consistently come up with 10, but sometimes there's more that deserve a spot in the top 10.
In this post, apart from there being only 10 quarterbacks, there isn't a ton of changes from the previous post, which caused me to really think about actually posting a list this week.
That being said, I couldn't leave all you loyal fans disappointed, so, I, Logan Blackman, the self proclaimed Draft "Expert," am proud to present to you our week five quarterback prospect rankings. Enjoy!
Podcast Links
Pictured: Caleb Williams, USC; Michael Penix Jr., Washington; Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
1. Caleb Williams, USC
Wk 5 - 30/40 403 yds 6 touchdowns 1 interception/5 carries 12 yds 0 touchdowns @ Colorado (48-41 W)
Season - 105/141 1,603 yds 21 touchdowns 1 interception/26 carries 83 yds 3 touchdowns
One of the more highly anticipated games of the season would see the USC Trojans and Caleb Williams take on the Colorado Buffaloes and Shedeur Sanders, in a match-up that would put two of the nation's top quarterbacks against each other in a game that certainly did not disappoint. If you listened to last Saturday's episode of the Logan Blackman Show, the game almost went how we expected it to. USC would jump out to a pretty nice lead going into halftime before Colorado would turn it on in the second half, making it at least somewhat of a game. Though the final was a little closer than expected, Colorado, led by Sanders, put forth an excellent effort in the second half, giving them a fighting chance against the then eighth ranked team in the nation. The only problem was Caleb Williams was having one of the best games of his career, which made it even harder for Colorado to make the full blown comeback. On the day, Williams threw for over 400 yards with an impressive six touchdowns, which is the joint most he's thrown a game so far through his illustrious college career, with the other coming against Texas Tech during his Oklahoma days. Williams was definitely on one last Saturday, which helped USC secure the 48-41 victory in Boulder, and it would start on their first drive. After Williams hit a few intermediate passes to the likes of Brenden Rice and Luke McRee, running back MarShawn Lloyd would find the end zone from 27-yards out, putting the Trojans up 7-0 early. Though USC would be forced to punt on their next drive, we'd see Williams register his first passing touchdown of the game, hitting a wide open Tahj Washington on the near hash mark, who would take it in 71-yards for the touchdown.
This is actually very well covered by Colorado. That being said, since they're so pushed back, Williams has enough time to scramble around the pocket before finding an open receiver for the score. Williams' ability to scramble and buy time in the pocket allows the Washington to create separation from his defenders, which is why he ends up being so wide open. I'm not even really going to mention Williams' ability to contort his body and throw on the run because that's been on display more than once so far this season. Just a great overall play from Williams, and Washington to get open, which extended USC's first quarter lead to 14. Williams would lead USC to another touchdown on their next drive, finding Dorian Singer eight-yards out for the score. Nothing wild here, as Singer just ran a crossing route which created a good amount of separation between him and the defender, and Williams found him for the touchdown. That being said, Williams would have a sneakily good throw prior to the touchdown, hitting Singer again, this time for a 10-yard gain on second and nine.
At face value it may not look like a whole lot, but the speed Williams gets this ball out with is impressive. Not to mention the arm angle he gets this out on is impressive as well. I know, I'm tired of hearing about 'arm angle' as well, but when it's on display, people are going to talk about it because it is impressive, whether you like it or not. Then, after punting on their next drive, USC would be gifted a short field after blocking Colorado's punt, which they would capitalize on, with Williams hitting Mario Williams up the seem for a 24-yard touchdown pass. Colorado just left the middle of the field wide as open. When the safeties are playing that high and that wide, all Williams needs to do is not miss the open receiver and they'll further extend their lead. That being said, Williams did do a nice job at getting the ball around the Colorado linebacker surveying the middle of the field, throwing right off his inside shoulder and hitting Mario Williams in the end zone for six. Unfortunately USC would fail on the extra point, only putting them up 27-7 in the second quarter. After a few short passes that would eat up a lot of yards of their next drive, Williams would show off the quick release again, hitting Brenden Rice in the flat, who would take it 26-yards in for the score.
Again, on face value this may not seem like anything that crazy, but again, the awareness, the quick release, and arm angle are all on display on this play. Now, most of the credit goes to Rice on this play, as this really shouldn't have been a touchdown, but Williams' skill set was on display, though the ball only travelled maybe five-yards past the line of scrimmage. But again, staying calm, knowing a blitzer is coming off the edge, and arm quickness were both very impressive traits from Williams. After a one-play drive to end the half, USC would come back on the field in the second half and punt the ball away, going three and out. That being said, Williams would connect with Rice again for another score on their next drive, hitting him on a very well run slant route from six-yards out to go up 41-14 midway through the third. Nothing insanely special on this drive from Williams, though he did hit Mario Williams down the field for a nice 28-yard gain, but it really wasn't one of Williams' best throws. Williams would nearly fall victim to hero ball on USC's next drive, which saw him try to force a ball to Rice up the near sideline. Though the pass was ultimately picked off, a pass interference call bailed Williams and USC out, as the Trojans would march right down the field and score another touchdown, with Williams finding a fairly wide open Jude Wolfe for the three-yard score. The quick release and awareness was on display here again from Williams. Though the Buffaloes had a rusher come free off the edge, not biting on the play action fake, Williams was still able to dump the ball off to Wolfe for the touchdown, giving him six passing touchdowns on the day. Though their last drive resulted in Williams' sixth touchdown pass of the game, the next drive would see him throw his first interception of the season, and it wasn't a good one.
This is an example of Williams trying to play hero ball. Sure, Mario Williams was behind the Colorado defenders, but you don't need to go for it all on one play. Look, I understand he's got a lot of confidence in his arm, and I do too, but that throw was too late and too short to result in anything significant for the Trojans. Just got to take the short route to the flat or throw it out of bounds, live to fight another play. Thankfully for Williams and the Trojans, Colorado's comeback would come up short, as USC came out 48-41 victors. This game was insanely fun to watch, as both quarterbacks put on insanely impressive performances. For Williams, he put up another Heisman worthy performance, again, with over 400-yards passing and six touchdowns. Sure the interception wasn't great, but Williams had a fantastic game overall, and I'm expecting him to put forth a valiant effort against Arizona, though the Wildcats did keep Williams' main Heisman rival, Michael Penix Jr., out of the end zone, only losing the game by a score of 31-24. It'll be an interesting one but again, Williams and co. should come out with another victory back at home.
Preseason - 1a
Wk 0/1 - 1
Wk 2 - 1
Wk 3 - 1
Wk 4 - 1
Wk 5 - 1
Wk 6 - v Arizona
2. Drake Maye, North Carolina
Wk 5 - BYE
Season - 96/132 1,187 yds 5 touchdowns 4 interceptions/38 carries 119 yds 3 touchdowns
Nothing much to see here, as Drake Maye and the North Carolina Tar Heels were on a bye this week, fresh off their 41-24 win over conference foe Pitt. This coming week, they take on a Syracuse Orange team fresh off their first loss of the season, losing 31-14 to Clemson. Though the Orange are a very solid defensive unit, I expect Maye and co. to come away with another victory, setting up a fun match-up against 17th ranked Miami on October 14th.
Preseason - 1b
Wk 1 - 2
Wk 2 - 2
Wk 3 - 2
Wk 4 - 2
Wk 5 - 2
Wk 6 - v Syracuse
3. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Wk 5 - 30/45 371 yds 4 touchdowns 1 interception/14 carries 50 yds 1 touchdown v no.8 USC (48-41 L)
Season - 160/214 1,781 yds 15 touchdowns 2 interceptions/49 carries -43 yds 2 touchdowns
As we mentioned before with Caleb Williams, the game between USC and Colorado this past Saturday was a really fun one to watch. Sure the Buffaloes came out on the losing side of things, but one thing is for sure, there's no quit in this team, especially from their quarterback, Shedeur Sanders. Again, as we mentioned with Williams, Sanders put forth an excellent showing from the quarterback position, throwing for 371-yards with four touchdowns through the air, with a further 50-yards in the rushing department with another touchdown to boot, giving him five total on the day. They may have lost the game, but Sanders showed why he should be considered one of the top quarterbacks in this draft class. All that being said, things didn't really start off smoothly for Sanders and the Buffalo offense, as they went three and out on their first drive, missed a 41-yard field goal on their next drive, before Sanders tossed his second interception of the season on their third drive. Speaking on their second drive, we'd see Sanders lead a 16-play drive, which would show him hitting a few short and intermediate throws, mostly to Xavier Weaver, before Jace Feely missed the field goal. Their third drive, again, would see Sanders toss his second interception of the season.
Much like most of his throws this season, Sanders really didn't really have a ton of time to throw the football, rolling out slightly to his right in order to just get something off. Unfortunately, with a defender right in his face, Sanders' throw went awry and was ultimately picked off by the USC defender. A throw Sanders would definitely want to have back. Sanders would bounce back on Colorado's next drive though, as he'd lead a seven-play drive that would result in him finding Jimmy Horn Jr. for a 30-yard score.
Though it was a well thrown ball, great pre-snap recognition from Sanders, who saw the safety coming down, which ultimately freed up Horn over top for the score. Not to mention good job at staying calm with a USC defender coming in on him. Just a well run play all around by Sanders, who brought Colorado to within 14 early in the second quarter. Colorado's next two drives would end in punts, with one of them getting blocked, but the Buffaloes would manage to find the end zone before halftime, as Sanders would flash the athleticism and sprint in from 25-yards out for the score.
We would see him pick up a nice first down with his legs earlier in the drive, but this run was Sanders' second longest run of the season, but this time it resulted in six. Good job by Sanders though of realizing there's nothing really open down field, and rather than stand in the pocket and take a sack, he smartly goes right up the middle of the USC defense, getting to the end zone relatively untouched. Though he hasn't put up a ton of numbers in the run game this season, Sanders does have that in him every once in a while. At least when he's not being brought down in the backfield for a sack, a category where he currently joint-leads the nation in (25, tied with Hawai'i's Brayden Schager). Speaking of getting sacked, two of Sanders' three sacks in the game came on Colorado's first two drives of the second half, with both coming on third down, forcing the Buffaloes to punt the ball away. That being said, Colorado would score on their next drive, via a Anthony Hankerson two-yard run, but it was all set up by Sanders hooking up with Omarion Miller for a 65-yard gain. Though a very long throw from Sanders, Miller did almost all of the heavy lifting, making the USC defender miss on the tackle a few yards short of the first down marker, before sprinting down the near sideline for a massive gain. The Buffaloes would follow that up with another touchdown, as Sanders would find Michael Harrison for the 21-yard score. Much like the 65-yard play to Miller, Sanders hit his tight end in the flat, who made the first defender miss before taking it to the house for six. That being said, Sanders would flash the arm strength a few plays later, hitting Miller again down the sideline, this time for 44-yards which would help set up the touchdown.
Great concentration by Miller, who had an unbelievable game, but really nice throw from Sanders who placed the ball perfectly for his receiver to catch it for the big gain. Miller almost came up big again on Colorado's two-point conversion play, but couldn't manage to get his foot down for the score. Still, great effort from Miller, and really nice throw from Sanders to at least give Miller a chance to make a play with two-USC defenders around him. Then, after a Caleb Williams interception, Sanders would lead Colorado on another touchdown drive, which would end with Sanders finding Miller again for a nine-yard score. Though the drive was mostly dominated by the run game, Sanders threw a damn near perfect ball to Miller for the score.
I say 'damn near,' but really, that's a perfect throw from Sanders, especially when considering that he did this on the run and on fourth down. I think this angle does it the most justice.
Again, great throw, but also great job by Miller at going low to make the catch. Like we alluded to earlier, Omarion Miller was really on one this game, and that throw-catch combination truly shows that off. Sanders and Miller would hook up again on Colorado's next drive, once again picking up a big gain in the process.
This may not look like much at first glance, but notice where Sanders places that ball. He throws it to Miller's outside shoulder, which forces Miller to spin away from the defender who's coming from the inside, in order to pick up the big gain. Though he probably should've scored, especially given the fact Colorado's drive would ultimately stall out, but still a nice play. A very well placed ball from Sanders. Colorado's last drive of the game would result in points, though it would be too little too late for the Buffaloes in their comeback attempt. Sanders would hit Miller, again, for a first down, picking up 14 on third and four. Again, a very well thrown ball from Sanders that he released even before Miller was out of his break, which is what you want, especially when a defender is barreling down on you. Sanders would show off the elusiveness again a few plays later, hitting you know who down the far sideline for a nice 21-yard gain on third and six.
Great job by Sanders at escaping the ankle tackle by the USC defender before hitting Miller down the sideline. Great off balanced throw from Sanders, showing off really nice ball placement, getting it around a few USC defensive backs. Not to mention a fantastic toe tapping catch from Miller. Sanders would ultimately find Jimmy Horn Jr. up the middle from 16-yards out but again, it was too little too late, as USC came out on top 48-41. Though they lost the game, Sanders and co. put forth a very good performance against one of the best teams in college football, with Sanders going pretty much toe-to-toe with the best player in all of college football. A great overall game from Sanders, but I'm sure he would've much rather come away with a victory. Though they've lost their last two games, I expect them to get back on winning form against Arizona State. Sure it's on the road, but Colorado should be able to come out on top against a Sun Devils team that has lost their last four games, with three of them being at home.
Preseason - NR
Wk 1 - 5
Wk 2 - 3
Wk 3 - 3
Wk 4 - 3
Wk 5 - 3
Wk 6 - @ Arizona State
4. Riley Leonard, Duke
Wk 5 - 12/27 134 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/18 carries 88 yds 0 touchdowns v no.11 Notre Dame (21-14 L)
Season - 79/126 912 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/47 carries 326 yds 4 touchdowns
Well, it was fun while it lasted. Duke's undefeated run has finally reached it's conclusion, losing to 11th ranked Notre Dame 21-14 this past Saturday. It's kind of weird, because if this was Duke basketball I, and everybody else out there, would be celebrating their undefeated season coming to an end, at home no less. The truth is I have absolutely no distain for Duke football, if anything, I was rooting for them to not only beat Notre Dame, but try their best to burst into the top 10, which is something I don't think I've ever seen in my lifetime. I'm not saying they'd vault into the top 10 by beating Notre Dame, but being undefeated with two wins against top 15 teams would make for a fairly solid resume, wouldn't it? Like, could you imagine a Duke v North Carolina top 10 match-up, in football? I know that game doesn't take place until November (on my birthday) and technically a top 10 match-up between the pair could still happen, but wouldn't it have been neat to have both teams undefeated going in to that game? It would be like when second ranked Kansas took one fourth ranked Missouri, it isn't just something that happens everyday. We were robbed, thanks Notre Dame. All in all though, this was a pretty rough game, especially for Duke and quarterback Riley Leonard in the first half, scoring zero points, punting three times, missing two field goals, and throwing an interception, which came on a really bad read from Leonard.
The defender just completely read Leonard's eyes on that play, jumping the route and getting a decent return afterwards as well. Didn't help at all that there were defenders right in Leonard's face at the time he threw the football but still, an ill-advised throw from a guy who's done a solid job at not forcing the issue so far this season. Granted, that can be rather easy when, outside of Clemson, you're not playing the biggest and best schools in the country. We skimmed over this to point out the interception, just to start of with a negative, but Leonard did have a really nice back foot throw to Jordan Moore on their very first play from scrimmage.
Given that pressure was in his face right as he snapped the ball, forcing him to throw off his back foot, this is an impressive throw from Leonard, who has struggled at times this season hitting those deep balls. Great catch from Moore too, going up and making a very nice catch over the Notre Dame defender, picking up a nice 27-yards on the play. Two of Duke's next three drives would see them go three and out, with the second of those three drives only going two plays longer, where Leonard would hit Jalon Calhoun on an out route which would ultimately pick up 21-yards. Like we alluded to before, it was a very rough start from the Blue Devils offense. Though those drives were short, Leonard would help lead Duke on a nice 10-play drive just before the half, with Leonard hitting Sahmir Hagans on a nice throw on the run, picking up 12-yards and a first down.
This is a very nice play from Leonard. Good job by him at stepping up in the pocket after feeling the pressure and an even better job at knowing the situation and hitting the open receiver rather than tucking it and running, that would come a play later.
This is another great job by Leonard at knowing the situation. Usually, when Leonard runs the ball, like Josh Allen in a sense, he wants to make contact with the defender, as he is very good at picking up yards after contact. In this situation though, down 10 going into the half, the smart play is to just get out of bounds. With Notre Dame bringing pressure while playing man-to-man, Leonard smartly tucked it, found a lane and picked up an impressive 21-yards in the process. Leonard would hit Jordan Moore again on an 11-yard slant route to get them down to the 11-yard line, but Leonard would fumble the ball on third and five, though Duke recovered, it ultimately forced them to settle for three, which, as we alluded to before, they missed, going into halftime down 10. Duke would go three and out on their first drive of the second half, but would find the end zone on their second drive, thanks in no small part to the run game, especially Jaquez Moore, who had runs of 34 and 12 on this drive. With that being said, Leonard would only complete one pass on this drive, though it would help Duke pick up a very important fourth and one.
Great job by Leonard at sucking the defense in on the roll out, which allowed Sahmir Hagans to get open, who Leonard would hit for the first down. Great use of the pick play as well, but Leonard staying calm, sucking in the defenders due to his running ability, and dumping it off to Hagans was good to see. Duke would score via a Jordan Waters one-yard run a few plays later. After punting on their next drive, Leonard would lead Duke down the field for their second touchdown of the game, starting with him hitting Jordan Moore for a nice 26-yard gain.
That is an insanely well thrown ball from Leonard, hitting Moore right as he gets around the defender in the slot and just before the linebacker can get a hand on the ball. Leonard placed that ball in the exact right spot, helping Duke pick up a massive gain and extending the drive on third and six. Leonard would then show off the running ability on the very next play, picking up a nice 33-yards.
It's pretty common knowledge by now, but Riley Leonard is fantastic athlete at the quarterback position. His ability to hit the edge full speed, out running defenders, is very impressive, which again would help set up Duke's second touchdown, which would also be Leonard's first and only of the game, hitting a wide open Jordan Moore from three-yards out to take the lead in the fourth quarter. The defense just didn't cover Moore on the jet sweep, giving Leonard acres of spaces to hit Moore in the end zone for six. Trying to burn time, Duke's next drive would only see them run the football. Though they had a designed pass play, Leonard smartly decided to tuck it and pick up a first down on third and five. Ultimately though, Duke would be forced to punt, as Leonard pinned Notre Dame all the way back at their own five-yard line on a well executed pooch punt. Unfortunately, Notre Dame would march right down the field and score with 31-seconds left, and to make matters worse, Leonard would get rolled up on on their next drive, which caused him to fumble to football, gifting Notre Dame the win. As expected, this was a tough game for Riley Leonard and the Blue Devils offense, going against a team that possesses one of the top-15 defenses in college football. With Leonard being diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, the bye week really couldn't come at a much better time. Hopefully he's good enough to go in Duke's next game, where they go against NC State. Leonard did some good things in this game, but there's still definitely areas to improve on.
Preseason - 3
Wk 1 - 4
Wk 2 - 4
Wk 3 - 4
Wk 4 - 4
Wk 5 - 4
Wk 6 - BYE
5. Michael Penix Jr., Washington
Wk 5 - 30/40 363 yds 0 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries -5 yds 0 touchdowns @ Arizona (31-24 W)
Season - 133/178 1,999 yds 16 touchdowns 2 interceptions/8 carries 9 yds 0 touchdowns
I'm not going to lie, this game surprised me a little bit. Like, I was going into this game fully expecting Washington to come out massive victors in this game, as they've done in every other game they've played this season. Though we understood Arizona would be a tougher test for the Huskies than their most recent opponents, especially at home, I just fully expected Washington and their high powered offense to have very little struggles in this game. What I wasn't expecting was Michael Penix, who has been on fire so far this season, would leave the desert with zero touchdowns to his name. How many people thought that would happen before the game started? Certainly not me, especially since he tossed four in Washington's last win against Cal. That being said, he didn't throw an interception this game, so I guess we left the game with at least one positive note, didn't we? All that being said, though Penix didn't register a touchdown, Washington were still able to score on each of their three offensive drives in the first half, with the only drive not resulting in points being their last one of the half. On Washington's first drive of the game, when they weren't running the ball, Penix would mostly hit shorter dump off passes, though he did throw a decent ball to Rome Odunze, who ran a comeback, on the Huskies second play from scrimmage. Again, though he didn't register a touchdown on this drive, Penix orchestrated a very solid drive for Washington, going from their own five-yard line to the end zone in 12-plays. Washington's second drive would end with a Germie Bernard three-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep, with Penix again just mostly taking what the defense gave him, which would be shorter passes, mostly behind the line of scrimmage, that would eat up a lot of yards after the catch was made. Penix would then quarterback another 12-play touchdown drive for Washington, which would see Will Nixon score from five-yards out to put the Huskies up 21-7 in the second quarter. On this drive, Penix would find Bernard on third and 14, picking up 15-yards after a holding penalty pushed them back.
Very nice job by Bernard at knowing exactly where the first down markers are, and nice job by Penix at just absolutely ripping this ball to him over the middle for the first. It's nothing awe inspiring or anything, but that's a throw you have to absolutely zip in there to avoid a defender breaking it up or worse, intercepting it, especially since the Wildcats were trying to keep everything in front of the marker. After Jack Westover almost fumbled the drive away, Nixon would again find the end zone to further extend Washington's lead. On Washington's only drive that didn't result in any points, we'd see Penix throw a very nice ball to Ja'Lynn Polk for a first down, picking up 13-yards in the process.
This throw needed to be damn near perfect in order to pick this gain up, which it was. With the defender further up the field, a pass that was thrown with less velocity could have been picked off, but Penix threw that ball with everything he could, not only picking up the first down, but also getting Polk to go out of bounds to stop the clock even further. Penix would hit Germie Bernard on a 23-yard play on third and 10 to extend the drive, which again showed Penix absolutely ripping a ball to his receiver for the first down.
Penix absolutely ripped this ball to Bernard for the big gain. Unfortunately again this drive would stall out, as Washington wouldn't try for the end zone on their next play, rather Penix would dump it off the Bernard about four-yards past the line of scrimmage, picking up a measly six-yards on the play in total. Then, after punting on their first drive of the second half, Washington would find the end zone via a four-yard Dillon Johnson run. That being said, though the drive ended with a rushing touchdown, most of the yards on this drive were picked up by Penix in the passing game, hitting his tight end, Josh Cuevas, on a 57-yard play.
The broadcast angle does a better job at showing the full route, but what I like from this angle is that you can see Penix fooling the defense with his eyes, going from the right side of the formation before flipping back and hitting a fairly wide open Cuevas for the massive play. Look at number seven for Arizona, he's starting right at Penix when the ball gets snapped. Once he sees Penix's attention is to the right side of the formation, he follows Odunze up the middle, as he has been one of Penix's main 'go to's' this season. Unfortunately for him, Cuevas' route takes him right through where number seven was, leaving the linebacker with no real help, thus allowing the big play to happen. That's why eye movement is so important from the quarterback position, you can completely fool a defense by just where you're looking, and it worked out very well for Penix and co. there. Penix would throw a very nice back shoulder ball to another tight end, this time in the form of Devin Culp, which would help the Huskies pick up a first down on third and 16.
With the defender matching Culp stride-for-stride, the only place Penix could put the ball was on his back shoulder. Great catch by the tight end as well, but great decision and great throw from Penix to pick up the first, setting up the aforementioned Dillon Johnson touchdown run on the very next play. Washington's next drive would result in a field goal, but Penix would hook up with Bernard again on this drive, picking up a nice 24-yards to get them inside the red zone.
Great job by Penix at fitting the ball between three Arizona defenders, and an even better job by Bernard at slipping by the same three defenders to pick up an extra 10-15 more yards on the play. Again though, the Huskies would have to settle for just a field goal a few plays later, though would extend their lead to 31-17 near the start of the fourth. That would be Washington's final points of the game, as after a massive 28-yard run by Dillon Johnson, Germie Bernard would fumble on the jet sweep, turning the ball over at the Arizona five-yard line. Then, after going three-and-out on the next drive, and after an Arizona touchdown, Washington would ultimately just seal the game up running the football, coming away 31-24 victors on the road. Maybe it wasn't the dominating performance some out there were expecting, but Penix still put forth a very solid performance despite not throwing a touchdown. He made a lot of good throws throughout the game that would help set up rushing touchdowns, which is sometimes all you can ask for. Going into the bye week, Washington can get fully prepared to take on an insanely tough Oregon team, who statistically have the best defense in the PAC-12. Should be a very fun game, too bad we have to wait an extra week.
Preseason - 8
Wk 1 - 7
Wk 2 - 7
Wk 3 - 5
Wk 4 - 5
Wk 5 - 5
Wk 6 - BYE
6. Quinn Ewers, Texas
Wk 5 - 25/35 325 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/7 carries 40 yds 2 touchdowns v no.24 Kansas (40-14 W)
Season - 97/146 1,358 yds 10 touchdowns 1 interception/25 carries 74 yds 5 touchdowns
I sure as hell don't want to jinx anything for Longhorn fans, but Texas may very well be back. Now, this'll be really funny if Texas goes out and loses to Oklahoma on Saturday, but from everything I can tell, Texas looks like a very good football team that are very fun to watch, especially with Quinn Ewers at the helm. Though he did throw his first interception of the season, coming on Texas' last drive of the first half, Ewers still put forth a very solid performance against then 24th ranked Kansas, throwing for 325-yards with a touchdown and a further 40-yards on the ground and two rushing touchdowns. I know I've said this before, but Ewers' new found abilities in the run game give Texas an added threat on the offensive side of the ball, and it's been really fun to see that development from him. Speaking of his running ability, Ewers would register Texas' first touchdown of the game, scoring from 30-yards out to put them up seven early on.
This is just something he wasn't doing last year. Like we've mentioned in previous blog posts, Ewers' commitment to getting more in shape this offseason has truly paid off, losing about 20 lbs. prior to the season starting. Though running back Jonathan Brooks has been very good for Texas this season, Ewers is in fact tied with him in rushing touchdowns with five which again, is something I wasn't expecting going into the season. As for this individual play though, Ewers does an excellent job at surveying the field, stepping up into the gap in the pocket, and taking off when nothing was open down field. He would have a decent throw to Adonai Mitchell across the middle which picked up 20-yards, but the main thing to focus on here is Ewers' continued improvement in the run game. Ewers would lead Texas down the field on an impressive 14-play drive, though that only resulted in a field goal, but it was started off by Ewers hitting the aforementioned Jonathan Brooks on a little screen pass that would pick up 23-yards. Texas would pick up 23-yards again on the very next play, as Ewers would hit Xavier Worthy on the near sideline for another nice gain.
As we've stated before in previous posts, this is a very long throw to make. Going from the hash mark to the opposite side line is not an easy throw, but Ewers makes it look routine, hitting Worthy right off his break to pick up the big gain. Ewers would hit a few intermediate throws after back-to-back big gains, but again, Texas would have to settle for three after a few missed shots to the end zone. All in all though, a 14-play drive that ends with points is nothing to be too upset about. Texas would again settle for three on their next drive as well, as a 67-yard Jonathan Brooks run would set them up well within the red zone, but the drive would stall out three plays later, forcing the Longhorns to settle for three once again. The run game would eat up a lot of yards on Texas' next drive as well, as the first three plays went for eight, eight, and 12 thanks to more Jonathan Brooks runs. Ewers would also find a fairly wide open Adonai Mitchell on the near hash mark, picking up 14-yards and a first down on second and five. Much like the previous two drives, Texas would have to settle for three, only this time Bert Auburn would miss the 50-yard attempt, keeping the score at 13-7 later on in the second quarter. Texas' next drive wouldn't be any better, as we would see Ewers first interception of the season, which came on a pretty bad read from Ewers.
The problem with this play is that Ewers just stared down his receiver the entire time, making it a very easy read for the Kansas linebacker. Though he may have had him for about a split second, Ewers has to be aware of the linebacker watching his eyes roaming the middle of the field, making for a very easy interception. The sad thing is that Ewers made a couple very nice throws before that interception, like on his throw across to Mitchell that picked up 22-yards on third and seven or the ball he floated in to Jordan Whittington for 11-yards the play before the int, just a shame that's how their final drive of the half had to end, and a shame Ewers' non-interception streak was now over. Texas would come back swinging in the second half though, with Jonathan Brooks scoring from 54-yards out to give Texas a 20-7 advantage. Ewers would have a nice little 10-yard run to pick up a first down on third and eight, but the main focus of that drive has to go to Jonathan Brooks, who registered his second 50+ yard play of the game. After a Kansas touchdown, Texas would come back onto the field with Ewers quarterbacking a nice 12-play drive, though like their second to last drive of the first half, it would result with yet another missed field goal. That being said, Ewers would have some nice plays on this drive, namely when he hit Xavier Worthy on a well thrown quick out route to pick up a first down.
Again, throws from the hash to the opposite sideline are not easy throws, and yet Ewers seems to complete them with relative consistency. With a defender underneath and another coming from over top, Ewers has to put this right on Worthy and hope that he can pick up enough yards for the first. After taking a nice little shot, Worthy did enough to pick up the first down, extending Texas' drive. Ewers would have another very well thrown ball to Johntay Cook II on a slant route that would pick up a nice 26-yards. Though it wasn't the most insane throw, Ewers still did a nice job at finding Cook in the pocket created by the defense, which allowed him to turn up field and pick up a nice gain. Ewers would also hit Adonai Mitchell on a decent 14-yard play, but it wouldn't nearly be enough for the first, which led to the field goal unit coming out, resulting in Auburn's second miss of the game. Thanks to a Kansas fumble though, Texas would be set up with decent field position, running the ball five-times ending with Brooks punching it in from a yard out, giving Texas a 26-14 lead (two point conversion was not successful). Ewers would hit a fairly wide open Xavier Worthy on their next drive, finding him by the far hash mark near the Texas 47-yard line, which would result in a nice 39-yard gain, setting up Ewers' first and only passing touchdown of the game.
Sure it was only from nine-yards out, but this is still a well thrown ball from Ewers to find Mitchell in the corner of the end zone for the score. It must be said, great job by Mitchell at creating a decent amount of separation, which definitely eased the burden on Ewers for this throw. I didn't put the play in because I can't find a good replay angle, but Ewers should off nice ball placement again a few plays before the touchdown, hitting Xavier Worthy for nine-yards on a slant route with a defender all over his back, helping Texas pick up the first down. Texas' next and final drive would also result in a touchdown, with Ewers registering his second rushing touchdown of the game, beating the Kansas defender to the pylon after a fake handoff for the score. Before then, Ewers would hit a couple shorter passes that would go for big gains as well as some intermediate throws, but the rushing touchdown was again very nice to see. Good fake from Ewers and an excellent job at diving towards the pylon rather than trying to make a move on the defender for six, and ultimately the win. This was a nice game for Texas to open up conference play, and a good game to have before taking on bitter rival Oklahoma this Saturday. Last season, Ewers had the best game of his career up until that point, tossing four-touchdowns as Texas came out massive 49-0 victors. Though I think Texas will win, Oklahoma looks a much better team than they did a season ago, so this should make for a really fun one down in Dallas.
Preseason - 5
Wk 1 - 5
Wk 2 - 6
Wk 3 - 6
Wk 4 - 6
Wk 5 - 6
Wk 6 - v no.12 Oklahoma
7. JJ McCarthy, Michigan
Wk 5 - 12/16 156 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries 30 yds 1 touchdown @ Nebraska (45-7 W)
Season - 83/105 1,071 yds 10 touchdowns 3 interceptions/16 carries 116 yds 1 touchdown
I was very intrigued to see how JJ McCarthy and the Michigan Wolverines would do last Saturday traveling to Lincoln to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers. On face value, this looked like a game Michigan would steamroll through, which they ultimately did, but before hand, I was expecting a somewhat closer game. I'm not at all saying I thought Nebraska would win this game, but I was under the impression that they may be able to cover the spread. I know I sound crazy with the gift of hindsight, but last season against Nebraska McCarthy somewhat struggled. Sure he finished with three total touchdowns, but he was very inconstant with his accuracy, only completing eight passes on the day. That, mixed with the fact Michigan hadn't really played the greatest so far this season, though they've won ever game by double digits, made me think Nebraska, at home, would be able to cover the -17 point spread. As you can tell be the score, that came nowhere near close to happening, as Michigan pound the ball down their throat 51-times in a 45-7 route. As for McCarthy, he really wasn't asked to do a whole lot, and it's clear to see why. When the running game is that effective, why change anything? As Hayden Fry used to say, 'scratch where it itches,' and Michigan did that to the tone of 249-yards. For McCarthy as a whole though, he was a lot more consistent with his accuracy, only missing on four passes while registering three total touchdowns in the victory. Michigan's first drive would of course be dominated by running the football, with McCarthy only throwing it three times on a 12-play drive. That being said, McCarthy's third and final pass of the drive came on a 29-yard touchdown toss to Roman Wilson, putting Michigan up seven early in the game.
With Nebraska really only sending two rushers, McCarthy had all the time in the world to get this ball off, eventually hitting Wilson in the back of the end zone for the score. This play is much more down to Wilson than it is to McCarthy, as Wilson had absolutely no business coming down with this ball. Maybe not his best throw, or really his best decision, McCarthy still allowed his favorite receiver to make a play, which he of course did. Following a Nebraska interception on their second play from scrimmage, Michigan would punch it in via a Kalel Mullings 20-yard run. Though he didn't really do anything apart from hand the ball off that drive, McCarthy would register a rushing touchdown of his own on Michigan's next drive, scrambling in from 21-yards out to further extend Michigan's advantage.
Somewhat similar to the Ewers play, McCarthy does a nice job at surveying the field, quickly realizing no one is open before finding a lane a running in for the score. Though the touchdown was impressive, McCarthy had a very nice throw to Cornelius Johnson two plays prior to the score, which picked up 20-yards and first down for Michigan.
Just a really well thrown low, driven ball from McCarthy to hit Johnson across the middle for a nice gain. With the defender all over Johnson's back, and another one lurking a little further up the field, McCarthy threw that ball the only place his receiver could get it, damn near perfect throw from the Michigan quarterback on that play. McCarthy would then have two of his four incompletions on Michigan's next drive, which would result in the Wolverines going three and out, but he would come back and lead Michigan to a touchdown right before halftime, finding Wilson again for the score, going up 28-0 just before time expired in the first half.
This was a really nice play from McCarthy showing off the athleticism by spinning away from the oncoming pass rush before delivering a strike, on the run, to Wilson in the end zone for six. Really nice job by McCarthy at not panicking when the Nebraska defender cut through the line of scrimmage, and even better job at staying calm when he was giving chase. Now, it's not lost on me, great catch in the end zone as well by Wilson, knowing exactly where the out of bounds marker was at and making an impressive toe tapping catch for six. McCarthy would only play one more drive for Michigan in this game, which would again lead to a Wolverine touchdown. Though the drive was mostly dominated by the run game, McCarthy would zip some balls into his receivers, namely hitting Darrius Clemons on a 19-yard play across the middle of the field. Once again, with a defender on his receivers back, a low driven throw was required by McCarthy, who zipped it in there for the nice gain. A few plays later, Michigan would punch it in from a yard out, thanks to Blake Corum, and would ultimately go on to win the game 45-7. Overall, just a very easy game from the Wolverines, both on offense and defense. As for McCarthy, though he wasn't asked to do a tone, he still put forth a very solid showing, which is all you can ask for in a game like this. Against Minnesota I'm mostly expecting more of the same. Though it's on the road, JJ McCarthy and co. should be able to come away with yet another comfortable win. The games against Penn State and Ohio State can't get here soon enough.
Preseason - 4
Wk 1 - 4
Wk 2 - 5
Wk 3 - 7
Wk 4 - 7
Wk 5 - 7
Wk 6 - @ Minnesota
8. Cameron Ward, Washington State
Wk 5 - BYE
Season - 106/142 1,390 yds 13 touchdowns 0 interceptions/41 carries 109 yds 3 touchdowns
Much like we discussed with Drake Maye before, Cameron Ward is also fresh off a bye week. After quarterbacking two wins against two top-25 opponents, Ward and co. face a pretty tough test in UCLA, a team who currently hold the distinction of having the second best defense in the conference, and a top-10 defense nationally. The Bruins may be coming off a loss to Utah, but they're also coming off a bye, so it'll be a battle of two well rested teams going into the Rose Bowl on Saturday.
Preseason - NR
Wk 1 - NR
Wk 2 - NR
Wk 3 - 10
Wk 4 - 8
Wk 5 - 8
Wk 6 - @ UCLA
9. Bo Nix, Oregon
Wk 5 - 27/32 290 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/3 carries 18 yds 0 touchdowns @ Stanford (42-6 W)
Season - 131/163 1,459 yds 15 touchdowns 1 interception/19 carries 87 yds 1 touchdown
To be 100% honest, I was absolutely flabbergasted by home this game started. If you would've told me, to start this game, one team would have a 15-play touchdown drive, while the other went three and out and punted, I would've guessed Oregon was the team that had the 15-play drive and Stanford, arguably the worst team in the PAC-12, went three and out. To the shock of literally everyone, it was the exact opposite. In fact, not only did Oregon go three and out on their first drive, but they followed it up by going three and out on their second drive as well, whereas Stanford put forth another 10+ play drive, this time running 13-plays. Absolute bananas out there in Stanford, California last Saturday. Well, at least to start the game, as Oregon woke up after their second drive, going on to scoring a touchdown on six of their next seven drives, with the only drive not resulting in a touchdown being their drive right before the half, where kicker Camden Lewis missed a 38-yard field goal. As for quarterback Bo Nix, he didn't register his first passing touchdown until Oregon's first drive of the second half. What makes that even crazier is that he'd end up with four on the game. Just overall, this was a very odd game. With Oregon starting so slow, Nix wouldn't actually complete a pass past the first down markers until the nine-minute mark in the second quarter, hitting Troy Franklin on a nice comeback route down the near sideline, picking up 13-yards on the play. Two plays later, Jordan James would run it in from 30-yards out to give Oregon the 7-6 advantage over Stanford. Like we alluded to before, the route was pretty much on after that. Oregon's next drive would see Bucky Irving take it in from 17-yards out, but not before Nix found Troy Franklin in the middle of the field, after scrambling around, for a decent 15-yard play, setting up the touchdown. Nix would register a couple nice completions and a nice 10-yard carry, trying to set Oregon up with some sort of points before the half but again, they missed the 38-yard try. Not to fret though, as again, Nix would register his first passing touchdown of the game, hitting Terrance Ferguson in the end zone from eight-yards out on fourth and two to extend their lead to 21-6.
First off, very nice fake from Nix. Secondly, really solid ball placement from Nix. Knowing his big tight end is matched up against a smaller defender, all you have to do is lob it up to him and hope he comes down with it. Again, allow your playmakers to make plays. Noticing the match-up pre-snap and hitting Ferguson over the top was very nice from Nix. Though the touchdown was the main play, Nix did a nice job at taking what the defense gave him, which was a lot of short passes, but they all ate up a bunch of yards after the catch. Plus, he did have a decent throw to Gary Bryant Jr. later on in the drive, a nice low driven throw with a defender right in his face. Maybe he didn't get as much on it as he would've liked, but still decent given the circumstances. Nix's next touchdown would be more impressive than the first, hitting Troy Franklin down the near sideline for a 46-yard score.
Excellent use of the pump fake on this play from Nix, who completely froze the corner who was originally guarding Franklin at the line of scrimmage. The pump fake allowed the hole between Franklin and the defender to open up just a bit more, making it a little easier throw. Good placement as well from Nix, who knew not to lead Franklin, as the defender was still over top. With the defender playing like that, it's got to be on a line, which it was, and allowed Franklin to pick his head up, make a move around the defender, and basically score on a walk-in touchdown. Good overall play from Nix and Oregon. Then, after a 37-yard run by Jordan James, Nix would find Franklin again, this time in the flat, for an easy five-yard score. Just a simple screen play from Oregon, really as easy as you like to go up 35-6 late in the third quarter. Nix's final touchdown would come on a very well thrown slant route from nine-yards out, hitting Traeshon Holden between two defenders for the score.
Look, I understand it was only from nine-yards out, but still, this was excellent ball placement from Nix on this throw. With the defender right one Holden's back, and another playing spy, Nix had to put this ball pretty much right on Holden in order to fit it in the window. The misdirection from Oregon was nice too, faking the hand off to the opposite side before flipping around and zipping it into your intended receivers chest. Again, really nice play and really nice placement from Nix. That would be Bo Nix's last contribution to the game, leading Oregon to a dominant second half victory over Stanford. Sure it wasn't as smooth as they would've liked, but a dub is a dub, and Nix looked solid throughout. Much like we mentioned with Michael Penix earlier, the bye week couldn't come at a better time, as both Washington and Oregon are getting an extra week to prepare for one another. That has all the makings to be one of the best games of the college football season, and I cannot wait.
Preseason - 7
Wk 1 - 9
Wk 2 - 8
Wk 3 - 8
Wk 4 - 9
Wk 5 - 9
Wk 6 - BYE
10. Jayden Daniels, LSU (+1)
Wk 5 - 27/36 414 yds 4 touchdowns 0 touchdowns/15 carries 99 yds 1 touchdown @ no.20 Ole Miss (55-49 L)
Season - 117/160 1,710 yds 16 touchdowns 2 interceptions/60 carries 292 yds 3 touchdowns
By far the most exciting game from this past weekend, which saw Jayden Daniels and the LSU Tigers go on the road to take on the Ole Miss Rebels. That statement shouldn't be a great surprise to most people out there, as both LSU and Ole Miss have some of the most talented players in college football on the offensive side of the ball. In total, both teams combined for 104-points and a ridiculous 1,343 yards of total offense, that is insane, is it not? Though that's how the game finished, it certainly didn't start that way, as three of the first four drives of the game, between the two teams, resulted in punts and turnovers, with Daniels fumbling the ball away after getting absolutely decked by an oncoming Ole Miss defender. Unfortunately for Daniels and the Tigers, the Rebels would capitalize on the turnover, taking a nice 14-0 lead late into the first quarter. Daniels would bounce back on LSU's next drive though, starting off with a very nice pass across the middle to Malik Nabers for a 23-yard gain.
I know Nabers was ultimately open in the pocket created by the defense, but Daniels still had to make this throw with multiple Ole Miss defenders separating him from his intended receiver. Really solid throw from Daniels which again, picked up a nice 23-yards on the play. Daniels would throw a near perfect fade route to Brian Thomas Jr. from 20-yards out a few plays later to bring the game back to within seven.
Again, this was just a perfect throw from Daniels, putting it only where his 6'4" wide receiver could get it, placing it to the far corner of the end zone and telling Johnson just to go up and get it. Daniels gave him a chance, and Johnson delivered, great play for LSU, which would not be the last time Daniels and Johnson would hook up this game. That being said, it would't come on the Tigers next drive, but Daniels would show off the speed and athleticism by picking up a nice 55-yards on a quarterback keeper, which would ultimately set up a Logan Diggs one-yard touchdown run.
Now, this shouldn't be too surprising, as Daniels is easily one of, if not the fastest and most athletic quarterback in this draft class. Going back to his days at Arizona State, Daniels would do this with a decent amount of regularity. That being said, it does feel more impressive since it's coming against an SEC defense. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's just how it feels. Again, LSU would punch it in a few plays later. Daniels would come out on LSU's next drive and deliver an absolute shot to Malik Nabers across the middle of the field, picking up 39-yards and a first down on second and two.
With a defender barreling down on him, Daniels does an excellent job at standing tall in the pocket and delivering a shot to Nabers over the out stretched arm of the Ole Miss linebacker. Put it exactly where it needed to be, allowing Nabers to pick up a very nice gain, getting them all the way down to the Ole Miss 29-yard line. Daniels would throw another near perfect fade route to Brian Johnson again, this time from 11-yards out to bring the game back to within seven.
Damn near the exact same play they ran on Daniels and Johnson's first connection, and another perfectly thrown ball from Daniels, leading his receiver perfectly to the corner, away from the defender, for the score. Unlike the last one though, Johnson didn't need to make some sort of ridiculous catch, as Daniels just placed it right in the bread basket for six. What's the common theme with Daniels' first two touchdown passes? (besides both of them going to Brian Johnson)
It's that they're absolute dime pieces. Again, what a throw by Daniels, leading Kyren Lacy perfectly for the 29-yard score. Once again though, it was pretty much the same play they ran on the previous two touchdowns though, all coming on slot fades. That being said, the throws are still absolutely perfect from Jayden Daniels, as the Tigers pull it to within three just before the half. LSU's first drive of the second half would see them take the lead for the first time in the game, as Daniels would call his own number on a quarterback sneak to punch it in from a yard out. Throughout the drive though Daniels would only attempt and complete one pass, hitting Logan Diggs for an eight-yard play. The rest of the drive was dominated by the running game, as you may have figured, with Daniels registering runs of 14 and 11 before punching it into the end zone, drawing a nice little unnecessary roughness penalty on his 14-yard scamper. His 11-yard run saw him dart in a few different directions before ultimately being brought down one-yard short of the goal line. Though again, he'd punch it in on a quarterback sneak a play later. Daniels would have a few nice short and intermediate throws on their next drive, with his best coming on a pass to Mason Taylor on a roll out that picked up 22-yards, which set up Logan Diggs' second rushing touchdown of the game, this time from 12-yards out. After going three and out on their next drive, Daniels would register his fourth and final passing touchdown of the game. Though it was semi-controversial, Daniels still placed it in a really nice spot, which Johnson of course snagged to give LSU a nice little cushion midway through the fourth.
What do you think? Was that a completed pass or should that have been incomplete? I'm not here to say either or, all I can tell you is that it counted in favor of LSU, putting them up 49-40 in the fourth. Who knows, maybe the football gods ultimately intervened because not only would this be LSU's final score of the game, Ole Miss would go on to score two-touchdowns in the final eight minutes to take home the victory. Daniels would hit a few crossing routes and other intermediate passes on LSU's final drive to try and steal victory from the jaws of defeat, but ultimately, his final toss to the end zone would fall incomplete and again, LSU would come up just short. Though the lost the game, Jayden Daniels had himself one heck of a performance, with this game again being the best overall game from that college football weekend. Unfortunately things don't get any easier for LSU, as they travel to Columbia to take on the Missouri Tigers. Though LSU are the favorites, this is a very solid Missouri Tigers team who have already taken down a top-25 team at home this season. They're very solid defensively, which could cause some problems for Daniels and the offense, but ultimately, I think the Tigers have too much going for them and will be able to bounce back after this tough loss.
Preseason - 10a
Wk 1 - NR
Wk 2 - NR
Wk 3 - 9
Wk 4 - 10b
Wk 5 - 10
Wk 6 - @ no.21 Missouri
Others
Joe Milton III, Tennessee
Wk 5 - 21/32 239 yds 1 touchdown 2 interceptions/2 carries 4 yds 0 touchdowns v South Carolina (41-20 W)
Season - 101/160 1,164 yds 9 touchdowns 3 interceptions/24 carries 139 yds 4 touchdowns
Michael Pratt, Tulane
Wk 5 - 14/23 184 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/6 carries 40 yds 0 touchdowns v UAB (35-23 W)
Season - 46/61 668 yds 8 touchdowns 1 interception/26 carries 112 yds 1 touchdown
Spencer Rattler, South Carolina (10a)
Wk 5 - 24/35 169 yds 0 touchdowns 1 interception/11 carries 19 yds 1 touchdown @ no.21 Tennessee (41-20 L)
Season - 119/163 1,411 yds 7 touchdowns 3 interceptions/43 carries 83 yds 2 touchdowns
Jordan Travis, Florida State
Wk 5 - BYE
Season - 74/121 1,028 yds 10 touchdowns 1 interception/23 carries 94 yds 2 touchdowns
Tyler Van Dyke, Miami (FL)
Wk 5 - BYE
Season - 74/99 1,042 yds 11 touchdowns 1 interception/6 carries 43 yds 1 touchdown
Previous Rankings
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