YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qhw_R94UFc
Hello everyone and welcome back to yet another Draft "Expert" blog post, this one of course will be going over our week eight quarterback prospect rankings for the 2025 NFL Draft!
I'm not going to lie, I had really no idea how I was going to approach this weeks list. Like, this may have been one of the roughest weeks I can remember in regards to filling out a top 10 as some of the quarterbacks in this list really struggled this past weekend, with one of them even getting benched right before halftime.
That being said, though there were some rougher performances that doesn't mean there weren't still solid performances as well, as Cam Ward threw for four touchdowns in a 52-45 road win in conference play as well as a new face entering the top 10 after having a dominating first half against another conference foe.
All that being said I hope you take the time to read through the descriptions for each quarterback and don't have me too much if my rankings look different to yours. All in all, I am proud to present to you our officially official week eight quarterback prospect rankings! Enjoy!
Podcast Links
Pictured: Kurtis Rourke, Indiana; Cam Ward, Miami (FL); Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
1 Cam Ward, Miami (FL)
Wk 8 - 21/32 319 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/7 carries 29 yds 0 touchdowns @ Louisville (52-45 W)
Season - 169/246 2,538 yds 24 touchdowns 5 interceptions/35 carries 190 yds 3 touchdowns
Cam Ward continues to put forth an excellent season for the Miami Hurricanes, as they came out 52-45 road victors against the Louisville Cardinals last Saturday. To some out there this could've been considered a trap game for Miami. Despite them being undefeated, some out there have questioned how legit this Miami team actually is, mostly about their ability to play a complete game. Like if you look at their past two games (three if you want to include the USF one) they found themselves down against teams that they realistically shouldn't have too many problems with. Last week on the road against Cal they found themselves down 35-10 midway through the third quarter, needing four straight touchdown drives and some stops on defense to pull off the victory. Then against Virginia Tech, Miami found themselves down 27-17 at the start of the second half and down 34-24 at the start of the fourth quarter, needing two Cam Ward touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull out that one. Even against USF, despite winning 50-15, the Hurricanes found themselves down 15-14 with Ward throwing an interception on Miami's second drive of the game. All in all I can't really blame people for doubting them as a team to a certain extent, but one person you can never doubt is Cam Ward who in this game against Louisville registered 319-yards passing to go along with four touchdowns, the second time he has done so in the past month and the third time this season where he's registered four or more passing touchdowns (throwing five against Ball State). As of right now, Ward leads the nation in both passing yards and passing touchdowns, with Miami boasting one of the most high octane offenses in all of college football as the Hurricanes average a national leading 577.3-yards per game. When Ward is on, which is often, Miami's offense is damn near impossible to stop, and that was fully on display in this game, scoring on each of their first three drives. Though they only got a field goal on their first drive Ward would still make some nice plays for Miami as they moved down the field, i.e. hitting Samuel Brown for 17-yards on their first play from scrimmage, picking up a first down with his feet on third and eight, and making a few defenders miss on a third and 26 play which helped get Miami back into field goal range. Miami would punch it into the end zone their next time out, as after a few first down runs by Mark Fletcher Jr., Ward would hit Jacolby George in the end zone from 27-yards out to give Miami the lead again following the Louisville touchdown.
What a throw by Cam Ward. Last week my dad told me he hadn't really seen a lot of Ward this season for whatever reason, so I not only let him know when this game started, but I also let him know why Ward is, in my opinion the top quarterback in this class. This throw right here is exactly why. Rolling out to his left, Ward places the ball perfectly in the back of the end zone for George to make a play on it, which he does. Though the throw was spectacular, I have to give credit to George for making himself available for Ward to hit. Like, George was on the near hash when Ward start rolling out, ending up in the back corner of the end zone on the far sideline. That's great effort shown by George, making a catch that would've been good in the NFL, getting both feet in bounds for the score. Miami would find the end zone again on their next drive which was kicked off by Ward hitting his main guy, Xavier Restrepo for an 18-yard gain. Then after a couple Damien Martinez runs, Ward would hit Samuel Brown in the middle of the field for a 49-yard touchdown.
One thing I love about Ward more than anything is how calm he is when he's back to pass. He never looks fazed or frazzled when he's dropping back, just allowing his receivers to get open so he can hit them down the field for big gains. On this one, Ward just patiently waits for Brown to create separation before just floating it into him over top for the 49-yard score. Just a very simple pitch and catch between quarterback and wide receiver, stuff you love to see as an offensive coaching staff. Though they'd convert on a fourth and one on their next time out, a couple of Ward sacks forced Miami to punt the ball away after getting caught in a very unfavorable third and 24 situation. That being said Miami would still register points, it would just come on the defensive side of the ball as they took a Louisville fumble back for a touchdown. As for the offense, their last drive of the half would end with them going three and out, taking a 24-17 lead into the locker room. That being said Miami would string together a long and solid drive on their opening possession of the second half, going 75-yards in 14-plays to give themselves a 31-17 advantage. Though they started the drive pounding it up the middle, Ward would come threw on a well thrown ball to Isaiah Horton on third and nine, picking up 12-yards and a first down before hitting Xavier Restrepo from nine yards out to give the Hurricanes their aforementioned 31-17 lead.
Very well placed throw by Ward but what a play by Restrepo to come down with this ball for the Miami touchdown. Like the dude went full extension on this play, as Ward put this ball in a spot where only his receiver could make a play, which he of course did. I've brought this up before but Ward and Restrepo have very good chemistry between one another as Ward will always try to get it to Restrepo whenever Miami needs a big play. I guess you could say Restrepo is kind of his safety net, which is always nice for a quarterback to have regardless of how experienced they are. Things wouldn't go so well for Miami on the next few plays, as after Louisville housed the ensuing kickoff following the Restrepo touchdown Mark Fletcher Jr. would fumble the ball away on Miami's first play of their next possession, which would lead to another Louisville score just three plays after that. So essentially four or five plays after Miami went up 31-17 Louisville would tie the game up. Like Miami had a double digit lead with 8:21 left in the third quarter, at the 6:59 mark the game was tied, crazy. That being said it wouldn't take Miami long to find the end zone once again, with Ward completing a two yard pass to Isaiah Horton for the score with around three minutes to play in the quarter. One play before the touchdown though Ward would connect with (guess who) Xavier Restrepo for a 63-yard gain, getting the Hurricanes all the way down to the Cardinal two yard line.
Again, Ward is just so calm with the ball in his hands, getting the ball off right as the Louisville defender is closing in on him. With Restrepo being as open as he was all Ward needed to essentially do was not miss him, which he of course didn't. This is just a great overall play for the Miami offense, setting up a two yard connection between Ward and Horton on a slant for six. Miami would continue to stack touchdowns their next time out, this time with Ajay Allen taking it in from two yards out which was set up by Ward hitting Brown on a slant for a 59-yard gain, taking them all the way down to the 21-yard line.
Should this play have really gone for 59-yards? No, not at all but sometimes that's how the cookie crumbles. If you refuse to tackle the receiver, despite having four to five defenders in the area, than whatever happens after is on you, and Miami will certainly take it. Really nice throw from Ward, showing nice anticipation by releasing this ball when Brown was behind a Louisville defender. Just a great play all around which again helped set up another Miami touchdown just a few plays later. After the defense came up big forcing Louisville to punt the ball away after four plays, the offense would come out and find themselves in a precarious third and 17 situation after Ward was sacked on second and 10. No need to fear though as Ward would use his legs and pick up 22-yards on the ground the help extend Miami's drive.
Like I've always said, he may not be as electric as Lamar Jackson or Jayden Daniels but when called upon Cam Ward is not afraid to pick up big gains using his legs. He may never rush for over 100-yards in a game or anything, but if you give him that much open space he's going to make you pay, even on third and 17. A few plays later Damien Martinez would take it in from 30-yards out. Though Louisville would score on their final drive Martinez's touchdown run ultimately sealed the game with Miami coming away with a 52-45 road victory. Like I said before, some people thought this could be a game for Miami to slip up as Louisville, despite their record, are a really tough team to beat, especially at home. Regardless of what you thought going into last Saturday Miami's offense led by Cam Ward proved to be too much, with Ward further showing why he's the top quarterback in this class, at least for me. This week Ward and the Hurricanes play the much maligned Florida State Seminoles, who are reeling after getting beat by Duke a week ago. Though it's a rivalry game, and though crazier things have happened I just have a hard time seeing Miami struggling against Florida State this weekend, especially since they're back at home for the first time since September.
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 - v Florida State
2 Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Wk 8 - 23/33 250 yds 2 touchdowns 2 interceptions/7 carries 6 yds 1 touchdown @ Arizona (34-7 W)
Season - 195/270 2,268 yds 19 touchdowns 6 interceptions/56 carries -19 yds 2 touchdowns
One thing is for certain this year, Colorado is actually a pretty good football team. Like I know they haven't necessarily beaten a bunch of world beaters so far this season but they've putting together some very solid performances ever since their week two loss on the road against Nebraska. Even in the loss to Kansas State a week ago, Colorado showed more fight in that one than they did at any point throughout the previous season. Maybe I'm wrong but I can't really see last year's Colorado team come back from either 21-7 or 24-14, especially in the second half. It feels like every single week people throughout the college football world expect Colorado to come crashing back down to Earth, but again they continue to play good football and have beaten some perceived good teams by double digits. After winning their first Big 12 road match-up 48-21 after being -12.5-point underdogs against UCF, some people thought that this weekends game against Arizona would bring them back down again, especially coming off an aforementioned loss against Kansas State. Road underdogs again, this time -2.5, Colorado not only came away with another road conference win, but a dominating 34-7 win, with quarterback Shedeur Sanders throwing for 250-yards with two touchdowns (though he did also register a couple interceptions along the way as well). He was also able to register a rushing touchdown, his second of the season and his first one since their overtime victory against Baylor back in September. Things really couldn't have started much better for the Buffaloes as after they recovered the Wildcats' opening onside kick, Sanders would hit LaJohntay Wester for a 46-yard gain on third and 15, helping set up a one yard run by Isaiah Augustave to give Colorado the early 7-0 lead.
Just an effortless throw by Sanders to hit Wester all the way down at the Arizona five yard line. I guess you could say Sanders should've put a little more on this ball, leading Wester more upfield which may have resulted in six. Ifs, buts, and, maybes am I right? Regardless, I think this is a very solid throw by Sanders which again helped set up Colorado's first touchdown of the game. Following a three and out by Arizona, Colorado would march right back down the field and find the end zone again, this time with Sanders under hand tossing it to Drelon Miller for the one yard score. Very Kansas City Chiefs esc. play, wasn't it? Sanders would hit on a few 10+ yard balls throughout the scoring drive, with his best one going to Wester for an 11-yard gain across the middle on third and four. Arizona would respond with a touchdown of their own but the Buffaloes would continue to stack touchdowns with Sanders registering his second one of the game on their following drive. Sanders would come up big on fourth and 10 on the drive, hitting Travis Hunter in the middle of the field for a 14-yard gain before throwing a beautiful fade ball to Will Sheppard from 16-yards out to give Colorado back their 14-point advantage early on in the second quarter.
Though initially ruled incomplete, this is a damn near perfect throw by Sanders to hit Sheppard perfectly in the end zone for six. What I really like about this play is that the play is not really designed to go to the far side of the field as the fake is back towards the near side, but Sanders' pre-snap read allows him to see that the defender guarding Sheppard is in press man coverage, giving him a favorable one-on-one match-up down the far sideline. Though it's played well, one thing you can never defend is a perfect throw, which is exactly what Sanders displayed on this play. After an Arizona missed field goal Colorado had a chance to add to their ever growing advantage with Sanders completing passes of 14 and 16-yards to help get the Buffaloes all the way down to the Wildcat 22-yard line. Unfortunately the drive would be cut short as Colorado's center would snap the ball before Sanders had even gotten up under center which would lead to a turnover, saving Arizona for the time being. Why I say that is because Arizona would fumble the ball away themselves just two plays after Colorado's blunder, giving the Buffaloes a new lease on life at the Wildcat 19. The thing is the turnovers would keep on coming as Sanders would throw his first interception of the game trying to get the ball to LaJohntay Wester on third and 16.
Though Sanders will get credit for the interception, Wester's route is supposed to carry him in front of the safety which is where Sanders puts the ball. The problem is that Wester didn't cross the safety, giving the Arizona defender a really easy interception just three plays after their own offense turned the ball over. After a solid punt return to get them back to the Arizona 31, Colorado would find the end zone again as Sanders would call his own number from six yards out to give the Buffaloes a 28-7 lead with just over a minute to go in the first half. Colorado would continue their scoring ways on their first drive of the second half with Alejandro Mata making a 28-yard field goal to further extend their lead midway through the third quarter. After that though Colorado would struggle to move the ball, punting it after going three and out on their next drive before Sanders would throw his second interception while attempting to go for it on fourth and three from the Arizona 18-yard line.
This is just an unfortunate interception for Sanders as Arizona read the play perfectly to force the turnover. The thing that is kind of a saving grace I guess for Sanders and the Buffaloes is that regardless of if this pass fell incomplete or was intercepted, Arizona would still take over regardless. If you want to look at this in a ridiculous way than you could say Arizona actually got worse field position by intercepting this ball, just something to think about I guess, right? All jokes aside this is just a pretty helpless feeling, just sitting there as the ball pops into the air before landing in the grateful arms of an Arizona defender. I give Sanders credit for trying to break it up but it ultimately was to no avail. Colorado would go three and out on their next possession as well but would hit on a 34-yard field goal following another Arizona turnover that would set Colorado up well at the Wildcat 23-yard line. The Buffaloes wouldn't really do much after that, seeing out an impressive 34-7 win on the road in conference play. Like I said last week this year's Colorado team feels different than last year's. Sure they probably had more hype but this team actually has fight and balls, which is something that couldn't really be said a year ago. So far this season they've had two road games in conference play coming out with a combined score of 82-28, pretty impressive stuff. As for Sanders, though this wasn't his best game he still put forth yet another solid effort in the win. This week Colorado is back at home and hosting the 5-2 Cincinnati Bearcats who are fresh off of a nice 24-14 win against Arizona State. With the Bearcats having one of the lesser pass defenses in the conference, I expect Sanders and co. to have themselves a nice little game Saturday night.
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 - v Cincinnati
3. Jalen Milroe, Alabama (+1)
Wk 8 - 25/45 239 yds 1 touchdown 2 interceptions/14 carries 11 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.11 Tennessee (24-17 L)
Season - 121/177 1,722 yds 13 touchdowns 6 interceptions/91 carries 330 yds 11 touchdowns
I'm pretty sure I started this section the same way last week but good Lordy, things just seem to be going from bad to worse for Jalen Milroe and the Alabama Crimson Tide. I keep coming back to it but after Alabama beat Georgia in Tuscaloosa with Milroe registering 491-yards of total offense with four touchdowns I thought for sure that he had placed one hand on the Heisman Trophy. Like, how many times do we see a performance like that against a team like that? I know Georgia may not be a stingy defensively this season as they have in previous years but still, they hadn't lost a regular season game since 2020, and Milroe made them look like they were standing still. Ever since that game though things have again just continued to go downhill, starting with the embarrassing road loss to Vanderbilt the following week. Previous Alabama teams would've bounced back and buried the next team in their path, but this year's team gave a then 3-2 South Carolina team (fresh off of a 27-3 home loss to Ole Miss) every chance to win, with Milroe throwing two interceptions and giving up a safety in the two point home win. It just hasn't been good enough, and their rough form followed them into this past weekends match-up against a Tennessee Volunteers team that needed overtime to beat a Florida Gators team who were playing a true freshman quarterback (though he is talented) after Graham Mertz left the game with an ACL injury. According to former head coach Nick Saban Tennessee is the game Alabama always gets up for. If that's truly the case (which I highly doubt it is) they failed to showcase it here as they fell 24-17 on the road, with Milroe throwing for 239-yards while registering just one touchdown to two interceptions. Though Milroe was bad, overall this was just a shit show of a game. Like it took Alabama until the fourth quarter to register a second touchdown, with their first one coming with 13-minutes to go in the first half. Alabama going three and out on their opening drive of the game should've been a sign of things to come, right? That being said, following a Tennessee fumble on their opening possession Alabama kind of strung some decent plays together, with Milore nearly taking a quarterback sneak to the house on third and one from their own 27-yard line. Like, if he didn't get tripped up by the last Tennessee defender he would've been gone. Milroe would also connect with Ryan Williams for 15-yards on third and five, but a false start penalty followed by a couple incomplete passes would lead to Alabama punting the ball away from the 50-yard line. Milroe would hit Williams again their next time out for 16-yards before pitching it forward to Kendrick Law for a further 20 to get Alabama all the way down to the Tennessee 15-yard line. Milroe would find Justice Haynes for 11-yards on third and 10 to get them down to the four yard line, but would register his first interception of the game a couple plays later with Jermod McCoy returning it all the way to the Alabama 46-yard line.
Much like last week against South Carolina, this is just a rough throw to the end zone from Milroe. In my opinion this ball has to be thrown towards the back of the end zone as McCoy had the upper hand the entire time, making for a rather easy interception for the Tennessee defense with it nearly resulting in a touchdown going the other way. After a missed field goal by Max Gilbert Alabama would get the ball back at their own 36-yard line. Though they found themselves in a third and 12 situation a defensive pass interference call would help extend the drive, with Milroe flashing the athletic ability picking up a first down with his legs on second and six.
I know this didn't go for a monster gain or anything but this is where Jalen Milroe is at his best, making defenders look silly in the pocket while picking up a modest gain for the first down. Milroe would then hit Germie Bernard on a bubble screen to the far side of the field which picked up 21-yards and got them down to the Tennessee five before connecting with Ryan Williams on a fade route to give Alabama their first lead of the game with two minutes gone in the second quarter.
Now, this is not the greatest throw by Milroe, but as the old saying goes, they all touchdowns count the same. But still, when the defender has bad position and never turns his head you can afford to make somewhat 'sub-par' throws, especially when you're throwing to the freshman phenom known as Ryan Williams. Like they said during the broadcast, with McCoy playing it perfectly on the opposite end of the field, why not hit the other side and see if that works. As we know now, it worked. Alabama's next couple drives would end in very different ways as they were forced to go three and out both times which amounted -15-yards, definitely not ideal. Alabama would string some decent plays together on their last drive of the half, going 32-yards in 10-plays, but the end result would be a missed 54-yard field goal by Graham Nicholson. After a kneel down by Tennessee, both teams would head to the locker room with the score tied at seven. Alabama would rely solely on the run on their first possession of the second half, with Jam Miller carrying the ball each of their first four plays. Unfortunately for them nothing would come out of that drive, punting after eight plays. After the aformentioned Alabama punt Tennessee would drive the length of the field to go up 14-7. The Crimson Tide would respond by hitting a 35-yard field goal, getting them back to within three midway through the third, with Milroe hitting on a few short to intermediate passes throughout the drive. Tennessee would score again their next time out, this time though Alabama would respond with a touchdown of their own which was set up by Milroe hitting Germie Bernard for 28-yards on third and 11 to get them down to the Tennessee seven yard line.
Nice job by Milroe at hitting an open Bernard in stride for the nice gain to get them within seven yards away from another score. One play later Justice Haynes would punch it in to give the Crimson Tide a 17-14 lead early on in the fourth quarter, their touchdown since the second quarter. The next few drives would be rough for Alabama as they'd go three and out twice before turning it over on downs after trying to go for it on fourth and 22. I know it's been done before, but if you're going to try and pick up 22-yards on a screen play you better have some blockers in place, which of course Alabama did not, with Justice Haynes getting stopped nine yards short of the first down marker. After turning it over on downs, Tennessee would capitalize on the plus field position with a 41-yard field goal, making the score 24-17 with about a minute and a half left in the game. I say that, when in reality the game would be over on the very next play, as Jalen Milroe would register his second interception of the game, thus sealing the victory for Tennessee in the process.
Just not a great throw from Milroe as the pass was well behind his intended receiver. This was played really well by the Tennessee defense as the pass rush coming off the right definitely caused Milroe some problems along with the safety reading his eyes the entire time and jumping at the ball right as it left his hand. A rough way to end a rough game for Milroe as Alabama falls for the second time in three games 24-17. Like I mentioned before, after the Georgia game I thought Milroe was a shoe in for the Heisman Trophy. Since then though his play has just gradually gotten worse. Not to say he's been astronomically bad or anything but he has been far from his best in recent weeks which has definitely coincided with Alabama's struggles as a team. It's unfortunate but that's just how it works out sometimes. That being said I do think Milroe and co. should be able to bounce back against Missouri at home. Opening at -14-point favorites, I think this could be a good bounce back opportunity for the Crimson Tide.
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 - v no.21 Missouri
4. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU (+2)
Wk 8 - 23/34 233 yds 0 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries 5 yds 0 touchdowns @ Arkansas (34-10 W)
Season - 183/283 2,222 yds 18 touchdowns 6 interceptions/10 carries 16 yds 2 touchdowns
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 - 3
Wk 9 - @ no.14 Texas A&M
5. Carson Beck, Georgia (-2)
Wk 8 - 23/41 175 yds 0 touchdowns 3 interceptions/4 carries 8 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.1 Texas (30-15 W)
Season - 165/250 1,993 yds 15 touchdowns 8 interceptions/27 carries 65 yds 0 touchdowns
In a highly anticipated match-up against the then number one ranked team in the nation, Carson Beck and the Georgia Bulldogs came out of Austin with a convincing 30-15 victory. When I say convincing I more mean from the defensive side of the ball, as the Bulldogs' defense was at it's annoying and pestering best on Saturday, causing both Texas quarterbacks to 'see ghosts' just before halftime. They may have not said anything like Sam Darnold did a few years ago, but the look on their face was straight fear. As for the offensive side of the ball for Georgia, things didn't necessarily start off as smoothly as they may have liked, going three and out on their opening drive of the game before Carson Beck threw back-to-back interceptions on the two drives that followed, with their first score coming late in the first quarter thanks to a forced fumble by the Georgia defense. Individually Beck did not have his best game, throwing for 175-yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions with two of them, again, coming on Georgia's second and third drives of the game. Through the first three games of the season Beck had accounted for seven touchdowns and no interceptions with Georgia beating the likes of Clemson, Tennessee Tech (I know), and Kentucky on the road. Since then, in four games, he has registered eight touchdowns which is solid, but in the same breath he has also thrown eight interceptions, throwing six against Alabama and Texas. I know both games were on the road in hostile environments, but like I've brought up before if you're a top tier quarterback you have to rise above the occasion. Like, I don't want to see a potential top 10-pick throw three touchdowns and six interceptions combined against the two toughest teams he's faced. Maybe I'm being a little harsh here but I wanted to see much better performances from Beck, despite Georgia coming away with a double digit win against Texas last weekend. Like I mentioned earlier, Beck's struggles came early as he'd throw a his first interception on Georgia's fifth play of the game, giving Texas the ball on their own side of the 50.
Though this was a great play by the Texas defender Beck has to be more aware and notice that defender is about to make a break on the ball. Like sure, if the defender doesn't make that play than it's probably a big gain for the Bulldogs, unfortunately we can't work with maybe's we can only go off of what we know which is that this ball was in fact intercepted because there was a defender there. But again, this is a great play by the Longhorn defender, recognizing where the ball was going to go and reacting to it with great speed and timing. The thing is though Texas would get the ball back in Georgia territory they would go three and out, with Georgia getting a second chance at life starting at their own 20-after the touchback. With that new lease on life Beck and the Bulldogs would put a decent drive together, with him completing a nice 21-yard pass to Lawson Luckie to get to the Texas side of the 50.
With two defenders biting on the pump fake Beck was able to hit Lawson in the hole on a well place back shoulder ball. I like that he placed this on Lawson's outside shoulder, placing the ball in a spot where only his intended receiver could get it, on the sideline and away from the defender. A few plays later though, after Georgia had gotten all the way down to the Texas 18, Beck would over shoot his intended receiver and would be intercepted by Jahdae Barron on third and eight.
Could this ball have been caught? I guess, but this ball comes in high and fairly hot, making this a really tough catch for Lawson to make. Like if this ball is just a few inches lower than it's a first down and potentially more. If you subscribe to the notion that if a receiver gets his hands on the ball it should be a catch fine, but this interception, in my opinion, falls at the feet of Carson Beck as he has to make a better throw on third and eight. That being said following a Quinn Ewers fumble Georgia would get the ball back at the Texas 13-yard line, and a few plays later Trevor Etienne would take it in from two yards out to give Georgia their first lead of the ballgame with six seconds left in the first quarter. Georgia would come through with a field goal on their next drive to go up 10 before Etienne would punch it in from 15-yards out following another Ewers turnover to further extend their lead with about eight and a half minutes left in the first half. Texas would go three and out on their next possession which would lead to yet another Georgia field goal with less than five minutes to go in the second quarter. The Bulldogs would go three and out their next time on the field but after yet another Longhorn turnover they'd manage to squeak in another field as time expired, giving them a comfortable 23-0 lead going into the locker room. Georgia would punt the ball away after six plays on their opening possession of the second half before Beck would register his third interception with three minutes left in the third quarter.
Now Beck was almost saved from throwing his third interception of the contest due to a ridiculous pass interference call that saw numerous Texas fans throw whatever they could onto the field in protest of the decision. In fact they threw so much stuff on the field that it actually convinced the refs to over turn the decision even after Georgia was already lined up to snap the ball again. Regardless of how you feel about people throwing shit on the field the fact of the matter is that the correct decision was ultimately made with Texas being awards the football after the interception. As for the throw, it wasn't great. I don't know if there was a miscommunication between Beck and the receiver or not as Beck threw this to the outside despite the receiver cutting back inside. Regardless of why it happened the result still remained the same as Beck again registered his third interception of the game, giving Texas great field position with three minutes to go in the third. It only took two plays for Texas to capitalize on said field position as Ewers would register his second touchdown pass of the game, making the score 23-15 with just over two minutes to go in the quarter. Georgia would respond with a touchdown of their own their next time out, driving 89-yards in 11-plays to regain their double digit advantage. On the drive Beck would hit Arian Smith for 21-yards on third and 10 from their own 11-yard line before hitting a wide open Oscar Delp for 43-yards after a reverse pitch back to Beck. Beck would come close to registering his first rushing touchdown of the season but it would ultimately be Etienne punching it in from a yard out to give Georgia a 30-15 lead at the start of the fourth quarter. Beck wouldn't really be asked to do a whole lot the rest of the game as the Bulldogs would ultimately see out a 30-15 road victory, picking up their second ranked win of the season. Georgia's defense dominated this game, and Etienne's contributions on the offensive side of the ball helped the Bulldogs come away with the double digit win. As for Beck this was far from his best performance this season, registering three interceptions for the second time this season. Like in his last two games Beck has registered a combined five interceptions, which is definitely not ideal for someone in the first round conversation. I don't really know what to make of Carson Beck right now, when he's on he's on but when he's off he's really off. I hope he corrects what he needs to correct during the bye week before Georgia's next game against Florida in Jacksonville. Beck put forth a solid outing against the Gators last year, lets hope he can replicate that form 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 - BYE
6. Quinn Ewers, Texas (-1)
Wk 8 - 25/43 211 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/6 carries -34 yds 0 touchdowns v no.5 Georgia (30-15 L)
Season - 103/151 1,101 yds 11 touchdowns 4 interceptions/16 carries -30 yds 1 touchdown
We already talked about Carson Beck's rough performance, now it's Quinn Ewers' turn, who was on the wrong side of a 30-15 loss to Beck and the Georgia Bulldogs last Saturday night. Like I said in last weeks blog post, Texas' home match-up against Georgia would be their toughest test of the season by far, and that proved to be the case. Yes I am aware that Michigan was ranked 10th when they traveled to Ann Arbor, and I know Oklahoma was ranked in the top 20 when they faced off in Dallas but if we're being honest, both of those teams were vastly over ranked at the time those games took place. Like, if we look at the current rankings neither Michigan or Oklahoma are in the 25, as the Wolverines are fresh off their second straight road loss after losing to Illinois 21-7 and the Sooners are licking their wounds after getting blasted by South Carolina 35-9 at home. Combined Oklahoma lost their last two games by a score of 69-12 so again, obviously Georgia was going to be Texas' biggest test to this point in the season, regardless of if it was being played in Austin or Athens. Back to the game itself, Georgia's defense was truly the main difference in this game as it looked like both Ewers and Arch Manning were seeing ghosts as we approached halftime last week. Like I mentioned before, Ewers struggled, going 25/43 with 211-yards passing with two touchdowns and three total turnovers (one interception and two fumbles), with two of those three happening deep inside their own territory, resulting in points for Georgia just a few plays later (Arch Manning would also fumble it away right before halftime). Things wouldn't really go too smoothly for Texas early on, as they'd be forced to punt on their first two drives despite picking off Carson Beck on the Georgia side of the 50. Their third drive out, after yet another Beck interception, would result in Ewers being blasted and fumbling the ball away at their own 28-yard line. Georgia would find the end zone four plays later, going up seven with six seconds to go in the first quarter. Texas would be forced to punt again on their next drive before Ewers would turn the ball over again midway through the second, this time getting picked off at the Texas 34-yard line.
Ewers got absolutely baited into making this throw as the Georgia defender disguised to make Ewers think he was playing man before switching to zone and pouncing on the ball once Ewers let it go. Just a well read play by Daylen Everette who would help set up another Georgia touchdown, with the Bulldogs needing only three plays to find the end zone again to go up 17-0. Texas would go three and out on their next possession, which would be Ewers' final contribution to the half as he would get pulled in favor of Arch Manning. In the defense of Ewers Manning didn't fair much better against the Georgia defense, getting strip sacked himself with just 25-seconds to go in the first half. Down 23-0 at the half, Ewers would come out as Texas' quarterback to start the second half, leading the Longhorns down the field for their first points of the game, hitting Isaiah Bond on a short pass from two yards out to make the game a little more respectable. With the two point conversion, which was also to Bond, Texas would make the score 23-8 early on in the third quarter. Ewers would connect with Matthew Golden for 34-yards on the opening play of their next drive, but the drive would end after nine plays with Ewers nearly throwing an interception on fourth and seven at the Georgia 31. But following yet another Beck interception (that was nearly called off due to a BS pass interference penalty) Ewers would hit Jaydon Blue out of the backfield for a 17-yard touchdown to get the Longhorns back to within eight with just over two minutes to go in the third quarter.
If you know your running back is going up against a linebacker in man coverage you have to throw him the ball. No offense to any linebackers out there, but this is a nice and easy read for Ewers to make, which is something he desperately needed given how the game had been going up until that point. Back to within eight, some out there may be forgiven for thinking Texas had the momentum and were going to steal a victory away from the Bulldogs. Unfortunately Georgia responded by scoring a touchdown of their own, and on Texas' next drive Ewers would get strip sacked again, this time on fourth and six from the Georgia 42-yard line. The game was pretty much done after that, as though Ewers would complete a few nice passes he had pressure in his face damn near every time he threw the ball, with Texas turning it over on downs on their next two drives. All Georgia would need to do now was just kneel it out and take home a 30-15 road victory against the then top ranked team in the nation. This was just a defensive onslaught from the Georgia Bulldogs as they had both Ewers and Manning fearing for their lives as soon as the ball was snapped. Normally I would say Texas has a nice 'get right' game this weekend against Vanderbilt but the Commodores are a tough team to beat and could potentially cause the Longhorns some problems this weekend. I'm just hoping Ewers is able to bounce back in at least some capacity after this performance.
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 - @ no.25 Vanderbilt
7. Drew Allar, Penn State
Wk 8 - BYE
Season - 103/146 1,492 yds 11 touchdowns 4 interceptions/30 carries 121 yds 3 touchdowns
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 - @ Wisconsin
8. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
Wk 8 - BYE
Season - 151/215 2,384 yds 14 touchdowns 3 interceptions/59 carries 183 yds 3 touchdowns
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 - v Oklahoma
9. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana (NEW)
Wk 8 - 17/21 189 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/3 carries 1 yd 0 touchdowns v Nebraska (56-7 W)
Season - 135/181 1,941 yds 15 touchdowns 3 interceptions/24 carries 45 yds 2 touchdowns
Welcome to the top 10 of the Draft "Expert's" officially official quarterback rankings Kurtis Rourke! This honestly shouldn't come as too much of a surprise to see Rourke mentioned among the top 10 quarterbacks and honestly, it maybe should've happened sooner. I don't want to sound too big headed or anything but it took me a little bit to actually understand how good of a season Rourke and the Indiana Hoosiers are having. Like, who in their right mind thought that Indiana of all teams would be sitting here at 7-0 fresh off of a 56-7 home win against the Nebraska Cornhuskers? Not me, especially after Nebraska beat up on Colorado week two, with many people out there bringing up the possibility of Nebraska being 7-0 when facing the Ohio State Buckeyes. The fact of the matter is that Indiana, led by former James Maddison coach Curt Cignetti, are an insanely fun team that don't care if your feelings are hurt if/when they run the score up on you. They have a very nice mixture of confidence and pettiness that comes out damn near every single press conference. Like this past weekend Cignetti took to Twitter responding to an ESPN tweet saying, 'I guess we passed that test!' Indiana is on smoke, and to be honest I'm here for it. As for quarterback Kurtis Rourke he has had himself a fantastic season, throwing for just under 2,000-yards with 15-touchdowns to just three interceptions. For those who watched him at Ohio, this shouldn't come as much of a surprise as during his Junior season he threw for 3,256-yards with 25-touchdowns and just four interceptions. He's always had the talent, just now the whole college football world is here to appreciate it. Despite only playing in the first half due to a thumb injury Rourke was on one against Nebraska. Sure he threw an interception (which came on a heave towards the end zone on the final play of the half) but he also accounted for 189-yards passing and a touchdown, all while only missing on four passes. In one half Rourke nearly equaled the numbers Shedeur Sanders put up against Nebraska, finishing just 55-yards behind the Colorado signal caller. Rourke and the Hoosiers would find success early in this game, scoring on their opening drive thanks to a five yard run by Justice Ellison. Though he didn't come up with the touchdown, Rourke did connect with Miles Cross for a nine yard gain to pick up a first down on fourth and one and help set up the aforementioned touchdown.
This may not seem like the greatest throw of all time, cause it's not, but given the situation Rourke throws a very accurate ball in the middle of the field hitting Cross in the chest for the first down. I've talked about this before, but when a receiver is coming across the middle and there's a safety over top, it's best to just put this ball right on his body rather than lead him up field. That way the receiver has enough time to get his head up and brace for the hit rather than get his head taken off by the oncoming safety. Plus, it's just a safe throw overall, don't want that thing to get picked off too. Rourke went 6/6 on Indiana's opening drive, with this throw again helping set up a five yard rushing touchdown. Unfortunately Indiana wouldn't have the same success on their second drive, with Rourke getting sacked on fourth and two as the Hoosier tried their luck again on fourth and two. Not to worry Indiana fans as the offense would get things clicking again on their next drive as Rourke would register his first touchdown of the game to make it 14-0 early in the second quarter. Prior to the touchdown Rourke would make some very nice throws down the sideline, first hitting Elijah Sarratt for 28-yards on the opening play of the second quarter.
If you know me you'd know how much I love back shoulder fades, even more so when they're run as smoothly as this one was. The reason I like this play so much is because literally everything has to be in sync for it to work. The quarterback and receiver have to be on the same page otherwise this ball is going out of bounds or it's being picked off. Not necessarily on this exact play but you get what I'm saying. Rourke did an excellent job at placing this ball towards the sideline in a spot where only his intended receiver could get to it, with Sarratt making an excellent play on the ball as well. A couple plays later Rourke would hit Omar Cooper Jr. down the opposite sideline for a massive 36-yard gain to get Indiana to the Nebraska seven yard line.
Everything that I said about the previous throw could apply to this one. Just a perfect throw from Rourke and an excellent catch by Cooper (through the contact) to pick up 36-yards. One play later Rourke would hit Myles Price behind the line of scrimmage who would take it in from seven yards to further extend Indiana's advantage to 14 with just over 13-minutes to go in the first half. Indiana would continue to stack touchdowns with Ty Son Lawton taking it in from a yard out after Rourke helped orchestrate a nice 10-play drive that would see him connect with Elijah Sarratt on another back shoulder throw, this one resulting in a 22-yard gain for the Hoosiers and get them to the Nebraska side of the 50.
Another clip, another fantastic back shoulder throw by Kurtis Rourke to help Indiana pick up a big gain for a first down. Much like another Indiana quarterback who wore number nine (though most of his success came at another school) Rourke is one of the best back shoulder throwers in the country and it was fully on display in this game, putting the ball exactly where it needed to be in order for his receiver(s) to make a play, which they consistently did. Rourke would hook up with E.J. Williams Jr. for a 12-yard gain on the next play before Indiana rush attack finished off the drive with Lawton, again, taking it in from a yard out to give the Hoosiers a 21-7 lead midway through the second quarter. Indiana's rush attack would carry the offense on their following drive, with Rourke even getting in on the action via a six yard run to open up the drive. He would complete an eight yard pass to Myles Price but Indiana would find the end zone thanks to a 31-yard run by Justice Ellison, set up by a 29-yard run by Ty Son Lawton to further add to Indiana's advantage. Though Rourke would throw an interception on the final play of the half (again, it was a heave towards the end zone) (which would also be his final play of the game) he would still put forth yet another excellent outing under center for the Hoosiers who would come out 56-7 victors. This offense has been on an absolute tear so far this season and though Rourke is questionable going into this week with a thumb injury, I expect Indiana to handle business against a Washington Huskies team that is coming off of a 40-16 loss to Iowa. Like I mentioned before I am absolutely loving Indiana's season so far, I just hope they remain undefeated until the Ohio State game on November 23rd. It would be a truly awesome site.
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 - v Washington
10. Will Howard, Ohio State (-1)
Wk 8 - BYE
Season - 121/165 1,574 yds 14 touchdowns 3 interceptions/33 carries 77 yds 5 touchdowns
Preseason - N/R
Wk 1 - H/M
Wk 2 - 10
Wk 3 - 10
Wk 4 - 9
Wk 5 - H/M
Wk 6 - 9
Wk 7 - 9
Wk 8 - 10
Wk 9 - v Nebraska
Others
Jalon Daniels, Kansas (NEW)
Wk 8 - 16/21 247 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/7 carries 58 yds 1 touchdown v Houston (42-14 W)
Season - 103/182 1,312 yds 10 touchdowns 8 interceptions/45 carries 189 yds 4 touchdowns
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
Wk 8 - 21/25 290 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/5 carries -11 yds 0 touchdowns @ Purdue (35-0 W)
Season - 174/226 2,080 yds 15 touchdowns 4 interceptions/33 carries 92 yds 4 touchdowns
Cade Klubnik, Clemson
Wk 8 - 23/35 308 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/6 carries 29 yds 0 touchdowns v Virginia (48-31 W)
Season - 146/219 1,839 yds 20 touchdowns 3 interceptions/41 carries 227 yds 4 touchdowns
Riley Leonard, Notre Dame (10)
Wk 8 - 20/29 203 yds 0 touchdowns 1 interception/10 carries 51 yds 2 touchdowns @ Georgia Tech (31-13 W)
Season - 118/177 1,182 yds 6 touchdowns 3 interceptions/75 carries 456 yds 10 touchdowns
Miller Moss, USC
Wk 8 - 34/50 336 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/3 carries -6 yds 0 touchdowns @ Maryland (29-28 L)
Season - 183/284 1,954 yds 14 touchdowns 6 interceptions/19 carries -30 yds 1 touchdown
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