Hello everyone and welcome to the FINAL quarterback prospect prediction blog post for the 2025 NFL Draft! Now, I'm pretty sure I said this exact same thing back in November (which feels like such a long time ago) but this will be the actually final post as we have no more college football games to talk about.
Obviously we'll still have blog posts covering the NFL Draft, with some positional rankings getting released throughout the offseason but this again will be the last one solely about quarterbacks. Though again we may not have any more games (which is sad) we still have the 'All Star games,' the Combine, and Pro Days to look forward to!
Now, this blog post is a little more interesting than the previous ones as these quarterbacks all took part in their bowl games at completely different times, with some even playing in multiple due to the new 12-team College Football Playoff. With that, the rankings were adjusted after each game, so if you see someone a lot higher (or lower) than they were last time, just keep that in mind (especially with a few prospects going back to college).
All in all I hope you guys enjoy our final final quarterback prospect rankings for the 2025 NFL Draft! A lot of effort went into this so I hope you guys take the time to read through at least some of the dissertations! That's ok if you don't though, I guess I can't force you, but you'd be a bad person and it'd hurt my feelings.
Without further adieu, here it is! Enjoy!
Podcast Links
1. Cam Ward, Miami (FL)
Bowl Game - 12/19 190 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries 8 yds 0 touchdowns v no.18 Iowa State (42-41 L) (Pop-Tarts Bowl)
Season - 305/454 4,313 yds 39 touchdowns 7 interceptions/60 carries 204 yds 4 touchdowns
The final game of Cam Ward's illustrious colligate career came in a losing effort against the Iowa State Cyclones in the Pop-Tart Bowl, falling by a score of 42-41. Despite only playing in the first half, Ward was to set a new NCAA record more most combined passing touchdowns in a career, registering a quite astonishing 158 touchdowns between his time at Incarnate Word, Washington State, and most recently Miami (all time record for FBS specific touchdowns is 155, held jointly by Case Keenum and Dillon Gabriel). Though the season may not have ended the way Ward and the rest of his teammates would have liked, it was still a successful season all things considered. Constantly in and around the College Football Playoff conversations, Miami loss to Syracuse on the final day of the regular season would ultimately see them kept out of the big dance despite Ward having the season he did. Along with setting a new combined record for touchdowns, Ward was also the recipient of the Davey O'Brien Award for the best quarterback in the country while also finishing fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting (somehow finishing below another quarterback despite being named the countries top passer). He was also named ACC player of the year as well as being named first-team all conference and a consensus All-American for the first time in his career. Despite his and many others efforts, Miami would have to sit back and watch the College Football Playoff like the rest of us, which I'm sure really sucked as well watched the conference counterparts drop stinkers against the likes of Penn State and Texas in the first round, losing by a combined score of 76-34 (Clemson scored 24). Regardless, given how rough they were last season (despite a 7-6 record) Miami can hold their heads high with their first 10-win season since 2017. As for the Pop-Tart Bowl in particular I'm sure the Hurricanes would like to have some plays back, like when they fumbled not just on their opening drive of the game, but their opening play that would ultimately help Iowa State take an early 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the first quarter. That being said the offense would clap back pretty quickly as Damien Martinez would take their opening play of their next drive 75-yards to the house to tie the game back up at seven. The Hurricanes would be a little more methodical following another Cylcone touchdown, with Ward kicking things off by hitting Elija Lofton for 17-yards on second and three to get them to the Iowa State side of the 50.
Just a nice and easy throw for Ward on the move as he's able to hit Lofton in stride for the nice 17-yard gain. Again, I know this is a fairly easy throw for Ward to make, but I always love how calm he stays while he's waiting for his receiver to exit his break and get open. Just calmly back peddling before delivering a nice catchable ball for a first down. A couple plays later Ward would hit an open Jacolby George coming across the formation for a 20-yard gain that would get them down to the Iowa State four yard line, helping set up Ward's first passing touchdown of the game as he'd soft toss one to George in the back of the end zone for the easy score to tie the game up at 14 with just over four minutes to go in the quarter, setting a new NCAA record in the process. Following yet another Iowa State touchdown Ward and co. would be faced with a third and seven to start the second quarter. Thankfully for them they would convert as Ward would evade a potential sack before delivering a very nice ball to Elijah Arroyo for a 24-yard gain to get them to the Cyclone 37-yard line.
Like I brought up just a little bit ago, Ward's calmness in the pocket is something that truly separates him from some of the others in the class. With a free rusher in his face, Ward does an excellent job at evading the rusher and getting the ball out before another Iowa State defender can get a hit on him. As for the throw itself, it's a perfect ball, thrown right in the bucket for an aforementioned 24-yard gain. Again, Ward is able to stay very calm in the face of pressure before delivering a very nice ball down the field for a solid gain. A couple plays later on third and 13 Ward would hit Joshisa Trader across his body for what would result in a 40-yard touchdown pass, giving Ward his second of the game.
Excellent job by Ward at getting outside the pocket once it started to collapse. Again, nice job at remaining calm and allowing a receiver to get open down the field. Just a very solid play overall that would help Miami tie the game up again at the start of the second quarter. On their next drive, following yet another Iowa State touchdown and a couple runs by Damien Martinez that would go for eight and 31 respectively, Ward would hit Elijah Arroyo from 33-yards out to register his third passing touchdown of the game, thus tying it up at 28 with less than 10-minutes to go in the second quarter.
Nothing much to really say about this one, just a nice job by Ward at looking off the defender to the left (with the safety sucking down) thus opening up a hole in the secondary where he finds an open Arroyo for the aforementioned 33-yard score. Just an easy throw and catch between quarterback and tight end, giving Ward his third and final passing touchdown of the first half. Ward would pick up a first down on third and two with his legs their next time out before hitting Mark Fletcher Jr. with a flat footed pass for a seven yard gain on third and seven. Unfortunately Fletcher would fumble the ball away, giving Iowa State the ball at their own 39-yard line (following a personal foul penalty). Following the Cyclones turning the ball over on downs the Hurricanes would get the ball at their own 33 with just under four minutes to go until halftime. Ward would connect with Shemar Kirk and Joshisa Trader on back-to-back plays for 15 and 13-yards on deep out routes to the far and near sidelines respectfully. Those throws mixed with a few run plays would help set up a 30-yard field goal attempt by Andres Borregales, which he would make to give Miami their first lead of the game with 16-seconds to go in the first half. Ward would not see the field the rest of the game as Emory Williams would come in after the break and see out a 42-41 loss for Miami, throwing a game sealing interception with the Hurricanes deep in Cyclone territory. The reaction to Ward's decision to sit out the second half unsurprisingly saw a mixed reaction on social media, with some not really caring whereas others felt it could potentially tank his draft stock. I fall more in line with the former, his decision to sit out the second half doesn't bother me in the slightest. Now, if this was a Playoff game or something then yeah I'd be a little upset, but this isn't something new in this new age of college football. Just last year former LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers played the first half of LSU's bowl game against Wisconsin just to break the single season receiving record. Once he managed to do that, he sat out, much like Ward did. Hell, LSU's then quarterback Jayden Daniels didn't even suit up for the bowl game. So again, I have zero issue with Ward sitting out the second half against Iowa State and I think it will have absolutely no impact on his draft stock. All things considered, as we stand right now Cam Ward is the best quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft and looks to be the favorite to go first overall to Tennessee. Of course time will tell, but it's hard to argue against with the season Ward just had.
Preseason - 8
Wk 1 - 5
Wk 2 - 5
Wk 3 - 4
Wk 4 - 4
Wk 5 - 2
Wk 6 - 1
Wk 7 - 1
Wk 8 - 1
Wk 9 - 1
Wk 10 - 1
Wk 11 - 1
Wk 12 - 1
Wk 13 - 1
Wk 14 - 1
Wk 15 - 1
Postseason - 1
2. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Bowl Game - 16/23 208 yds 2 touchdowns 2 interceptions/9 carries -34 yds 0 touchdowns v no.17 BYU (36-14 L) (Valero Alamo Bowl)
Season - 353/477 4,134 yds 37 touchdowns 10 interceptions/100 carries -50 yds 4 touchdowns
This is not the way many out there, including myself thought this season would end for the Colorado Buffaloes. Hell, I guess you could say not many people expected Colorado to be in this position in the first place. After finishing with an abysmal 4-8 record that saw them go 1-8 in conference play, I think most people out there thought the Buffaloes would struggle to adapt to new life in their former conference, especially after they got beat 28-10 against Nebraska during the second week of the season. Despite their dismal record they always seemed to take first priority in most water cooler conversations around the nation which pretty much turned them into the Yankees of college football, meaning that they were always on television (regardless of how good they were) and you either loved them or hated them, there was rarely an in-between. Like, I get that it was sometimes annoying always seeing people talk about Colorado, with some sports betting apps even comparing them to the 2019 LSU Tigers, but why do people outside the Big 12 really give two shits about Colorado? I mean really? For me, I couldn't care less. They've never effected me enough to really feel either way about them (apart from being them on my NCAA 12 sim). Though that being said, I did enjoy watching quarterback Shedeur Sanders play this year. This past season Sanders was able to improve upon almost each and every stat from the season before, throwing for 4,134-yards (3,230) with 37-touchdowns (27) and 10-interceptions (4). Along with the solid numbers, Sanders was also able to pick up the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation's top upperclassman passer as well as being named first-team all conference and the Big 12's offensive player of the year while leading Colorado to their first nine win season since 2016 where they finished 10-4. I'm sure Sanders and co. would've loved to match the 2016 team's 10-win season, unfortunately they fell well short in the Alamo Bowl losing 36-14 to conference foe BYU, with Sanders registering a season low 208-passing yards and a joint season high two interceptions. Things wouldn't really start off great for the Buffaloes as they'd fail to convert on fourth and one after six plays on their opening drive before going three and out on their second drive. BYU would then recover an onside kick attempt after going up 10 with two minutes to go in the first, though quarterback Gerry Bohanon would be picked off four plays later with five seconds left in the quarter. Sanders would connect with Travis Hunter on third and 12 following an illegal formation penalty about seven yards past the line of scrimmage which would see Hunter pick up a whopping 58-yards and get them down to the BYU 14-yard line. Despite eventually getting all the way down to the seven yard line, Sanders would take a massive 23-yard sack to push them all the way back to the BYU 30, leading to a missed field goal by Alejandro Mata from 48-yards out. Sanders would take a massive 16-yard sack on third and seven on their next drive following another BYU interception. The Cougars would then return the ensuing punt for a touchdown to further grow their advantage to 17 with around five minutes left in the second quarter. Sanders would be able to pick up 11-yards on the ground on the opening play of their next drive but the end result would be much more of the same, with Colorado punting the ball away after just four plays. Down 20-0 at halftime, Sanders would register his first interception of the game just two minutes into the second half.
The thing that kind of sucks about this for Sanders is that this is actually a fairly solid throw, hitting Horn on a back shoulder throw between a couple of BYU defenders. It's a damn shame that Horn wasn't able to come away with this because it ultimately led to the pass being picked off with an impressive diving play made by Evan Johnson. Again, I don't think this is a bad throw, it just sucks that it ended up in the defenders hands. To make matters worse the Cougars would capitalize on the turnover, making the score 27-0 midway through the third quarter. Thankfully for the Buffalo offense Sanders would come back and register his first passing touchdown of the game, hitting Travis Hunter on the run for what would result in a 43-yard score to bring them back to within 20 with just over six minutes to go in the quarter.
Really nice job by Sanders at getting outside the pocket with the BYU defender breaking through the line with relative ease. Not only that, but on the run he is also does a nice job at getting this ball over the outstretched arm of the defender in front of Hunter, putting it on him thus allowing the Heisman Trophy winner to make a few defenders miss before finding his way into the end zone for six. Colorado would go three and out on their next possession following yet another BYU interception before Sanders would register his second of the game midway through the fourth quarter.
Unlike his first interception, this is not a very good throw from Sanders. I know it's tough, especially when you're down 33-7 in the final game of your colligate career, but you've got to throw this ball away. With two BYU defenders giving chase, the best thing you can do is just toss this ball out of bounds and live to fight another play. Now, if this throw was on time this may have been a completion and a first down. But with it being so late due to the pressure in the backfield it comes out very late, allowing the defenders to adjust and make a play on the ball, which is exactly what happened here. The defense would ultimately hold the Cougar offense to a field goal attempt despite the good field position, and the offense would respond with their second touchdown of the game with Sanders finding Sav'ell Smalls from two yards out with about two minutes to go in the fourth. Prior to the touchdown pass, Sanders would hit LaJohntay Wester down the near sideline for 19-yards before hitting Dallan Hayden out of the backfield for what would ultimately result in a 38-yard gain. Then on the following play, Sanders and Wester would connect again, this time for 25-yards to get them down to the BYU two yard line.
This is a really good throw here by Sanders, finding Wester between a couple of BYU defenders for a 25-yard gain that would again get them down to the two yard line, ultimately setting up their second touchdown of the game. With Wester's route carrying him towards the safety on the far hashmark, Sanders does an excellent job at placing this ball more on his receiver's body rather than lead him into the aforementioned safety's path. Also, very nice job by Wester at holding onto the ball through the contact, just a really solid overall play for the Buffaloes, though it ultimately wouldn't matter as BYU would see out the rest of the game and come away with a 36-14 victory. Like I mentioned before, given how they looked last year I don't know if many thought Colorado would be within a game of finishing with their first 10-win season since 2016. The season may not have ultimately ended they way they would've liked, but this was a very successful season for the Buffaloes that are likely to see two players drafted in the top five in this year's draft. As for Sanders, individually this was a very solid season, setting new career highs in every single passing category while also growing overall as a passer throughout the season. Sure he still has some things to work on like holding onto the ball too long but I'm sure that can get smoothed out at the next level. He may not be QB1 for me, but it wouldn't shocked me if Sanders wound up being the first overall pick in the draft.
Preseason - 2
Wk 1 - 1
Wk 2 - 2
Wk 3 - 1
Wk 4 - 1
Wk 5 - 1
Wk 6 - 1
Wk 7 - 2
Wk 8 - 2
Wk 9 - 2
Wk 10 - 2
Wk 11 - 2
Wk 12 - 2
Wk 13 - 2
Wk 14 - 2
Wk 15 - 2
Postseason - 2
3. Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Bowl Game - 16/32 192 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/16 carries 7 yds 0 touchdowns v Michigan (19-13 L) (ReliaQuest Bowl)
Season - 205/319 2,844 yds 16 touchdowns 11 interceptions/168 carries 726 yds 20 touchdowns
Well, this game certainly had less fanfare than it did a season ago. At this time last year, we saw Alabama and Michigan play each other in the Rose Bowl, fighting for a chance to appear in the National Championship game. In a game where the Wolverines came out 27-20 victors in overtime Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe put up some solid numbers, going 16/23 with 116-yards with a further 63 on the ground. Though his numbers were solid, most people only really remember the final play of the game, where Milroe was stuffed after attempting a quarterback draw on fourth and goal from the three yard line. With Michigan going on to win the National Championship in convincing fashion against Washington, I'm sure many Alabama fans felt some type of way about how their team finished the season, giving them something to play for the following season. With former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer replacing longtime coach Nick Saban this offseason, many were expecting the aforementioned Milroe to take a big step forward in his overall development as a quarterback. Insanely athletic with a really strong arm, Milroe just really needed to work on his decision making and his intermediate accuracy. Early in the season it looked like we were watching a future Heisman Trophy winner with Milroe throwing 10-touchdowns with a further eight on the ground in their first four games of the season which included a 491-yard four touchdown (total) explosion against the then second ranked Georgia Bulldogs. Everything seemed to be clicking for Milroe and the Crimson Tide offense, that is until they went to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt, falling 40-35 for the first time since 1984. Despite registering 10-passing touchdowns through their first four games, Milroe only totaled six passing touchdowns for the rest of the season, though he did break the single season school record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 20. The talent is there, clearly, but the consistency hasn't always been there, and that showed in the bowl game, with Alabama losing to Michigan again by the score of 19-13, despite being whopping -16.5-point favorites. Not only was this loss tough to swallow for Alabama fans, but even more so for the SEC loyalists out there that claimed they should've made the College Football Playoff over teams like Indiana, despite them losing two (now three) games to unranked opponents (four loses in total). As a non-SEC loyalist, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the SEC's downfall throughout bowl season, especially since we could very well be treated to an all Big Ten National Championship game, but I digress. As for Milroe, he completed the same number of passes he did in the Rose Bowl, only he attempted nine more passes with a touchdown and an interception while only picking up seven yards on the ground on 16-carries. Against a bad, and I mean bad Michigan team (by their standards), this result sent shockwaves through college football, especially after Alabama's first few drives of the game that saw them fail to convert on fourth and four and fumble the ball away on the snap on the opening play of their next drive (in a monsoon) before Milroe registered his first interception of the game on the second play of their third drive.
No doubt the wet ball had something to do with this wayward pass from Milroe but regardless it was still late, meaning that it probably would have been picked off whether the ball was wet or dry. Just not a great decision from Milroe which would ultimately help set up Michigan's first touchdown of the game, making the score 13-0 with about four minutes to go in the first quarter. Things wouldn't get much better for Milroe and co. as on the very first play of the next drive he'd turn the ball over again, getting strip sacked at their own 25-yard line that would set up yet another Michigan score, making it now 16-0 with two minutes left in the quarter. That fumble by Milroe marked his third turnover on Alabama's last three drives, with the offense totaling just four plays and -20-yards. After bitching and moaning about not making the Playoff, I don't think you could've really asked for a worse start, gifting the Wolverines a double digit advantage early on in the outing. Though they'd actually gain yards on their next drive the end result was still a punt, making this their first drive that did not end in some sort of turnover (they turned it over on downs their first time out). So I guess we can count that as a sad win for the offense, right? Alabama would be forced to punt the ball away after six plays on their next drive as well but would finally find the end zone with about four minutes to go until halftime, finding an open Robbie Ouzts for the 25-yard score.
As the old saying goes, if the receiver (or tight end in this case) is that open, you're main job as a quarterback is just to not miss him, which Milroe didn't and it resulted in his first touchdown pass of the game. That being said, though Ouzts was relatively open Milroe still did a nice job at remaining calm in the pocket despite the pressure coming off of the left side of the offensive line. Just a nice and easy throw for the score, making the score 16-7 later on in the second quarter. Milroe would flash the athleticism on Alabama's next drive, picking up a whopping 41-yards on the ground on third and one to get them all the way down to the Michigan 46-yard line.
These are the types of plays that make Jalen Milroe so dangerous from the quarterback position. I've brought it up numerous times before, but Milroe does a great job at reading his blocks before exploding down the field for a massive gain. He is so explosive and is an overall match-up nightmare when he has the ball past the line of scrimmage due to his size and speed. Like, I think it gets lost on some people of just how big he is, standing at 6'2" and weighing 225 lbs., he's damn impossible to stop in the open field. A play later he'd hit Germie Bernard for a 40-yard gain down the far sideline, getting them down to the Wolverine six yard line.
Just a nice and easy throw and catch between quarterback and wide receiver here following the 41-yard run by Milroe. With pressure coming around the edge and with another defender jumping up as he releases the ball, Milroe floats this ball nicely into Bernard for the 40-yard gain. This again is just a nice simple play for Alabama, which would ultimately help set up a 24-yard field goal attempt by Graham Nicholson to make the score 16-10 with four seconds to go in the first half. Milroe and Bernard would connect for 18-yards on their opening play of the second half but they would ultimately be forced to punt the ball away after just four plays. The Tide would go three and out on their next possession before failing to convert on fourth down again on their following drive, with Milroe throwing back-to-back incompletions on third and fourth down. Milroe would hit Jam Miller on the near sideline for eight yards and pick up a further nine with his legs that would ultimately help set up another Nicholson field goal attempt, this one being good from 51-yards to make it 19-13 with less than five minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Following a Michigan punt on their next drive, Alabama would get the ball with a chance to potentially steal the game with two minutes to go in the ballgame. On this drive Milroe would nearly hit Ryan Williams on a very well thrown ball down the near sideline, just unfortunate that Williams wouldn't be able to get his foot down in bounds as it would've pushed Alabama all the way down to the Michigan seven yard line (or so). He would then find Jam Miller on a screen pass that would go for 25-yards and get them down to the Wolverine 15 before throwing four straight incomplete passes thus ending the game as Alabama would fall 19-13 in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Just an unfortunate way to end the season for everyone wearing crimson on New Year's Eve, especially after the tears after being kept out of the College Football Playoff. As for Milroe, though there were some decent moments sprinkled throughout this was far from his best game, leading some out there to completely change their tune surrounding the Alabama quarterback. It sucks but that's the nature of the beast sometimes. As for me my opinion about him hasn't really changed all too much. I think the dude has a lot of potential with his size, arm strength, and athletic ability but again, he's still got much to work on. I'm very intrigued to see how he looks as a pro, he could potentially be very fun to watch.
Preseason - 6
Wk 1 - 6
Wk 2 - 6
Wk 3 - 6
Wk 4 - 6
Wk 5 - 3
Wk 6 - 3
Wk 7 - 4
Wk 8 - 3
Wk 9 - 3
Wk 10 - 3
Wk 11 - 3
Wk 12 - 3
Wk 13 - 4
Wk 14 - 4
Wk 15 - 4
Postseason - 3
4. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
Bowl Game - 27/35 404 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/12 carries 43 yds 0 touchdowns v Duke (52-20 W) (TaxSlayer Gator Bowl)
Season - 276/398 4,279 yds 29 touchdowns 6 interceptions/124 carries 495 yds 3 touchdowns
I'm not going to lie, as much as I'm going to miss college football, I will not miss Lane Kiffin and the rest of the SEC loyalists out there talk about how great their conference is. Sure I loved watching those people eat crow following the SEC's porous bowl record, but that time frame from when the College Football Playoff was first announced to the end of the Tennessee vs Ohio State game was borderline unbearable. Now, I'm not going to sit here and act like Indiana played and beat all the toughest teams in the country, but I'm also not going to sit here and act like any of Alabama, South Carolina, or Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss deserved a shot at a National Championship more than them. The days where the SEC can think they run college football are finally starting to come to an end, and to quote Master Yoda, 'not soon enough it was.' That being said Ole Miss did handle their business in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, beating up on a then 9-3 Duke team by the score of 52-20, with quarterback Jaxson Dart throwing for 404-yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions with a further 43-yards on the ground. If you've listened to my show throughout the college football season you'd know how much, or how little I rate the Duke football team. Sure their record was good but man, they had some really rough games throughout the season, at least on the offensive side of the ball, ranking in the bottom three in total offense in the ACC. Without starting quarterback Maalik Murphy (who's not really that great and also entered the transfer portal and is heading to Oregon State) they were going to struggle, which they did, totaling 280-yards of offense compared to Ole Miss' whopping 589. It was just a demolition, and it looked that way early after Dart hit Dae'Quan Wright for a 30-yard gain to get them down to the Duke 16-yard line.
Getting hit while he throws with pressure in his face, Dart is able to throw a beautiful ball to Wright for the nice 30-yard gain. Getting the ball over the outstretched arm of the Duke defender despite him having good position. Usually when a quarterback gets hit on throws like this the pass ends up getting intercepted but again, Dart gets enough on it to get it Wright for the first down. Despite helping set them up in scoring position Ole Miss wouldn't actually come away with any points, with kicked Caden Davis throwing an interception in the end zone to bail Duke out of trouble midway through the first. That being said it wouldn't take the Rebels long to find the end zone following the Blue Devils failing to convert on fourth down, with Ulysses Bentley IV picking up 18-yards on the ground before Dart would hit Caden Prieskorn for a further 18 to get them to the Duke 32-yard line.
Very nice throw in traffic here by Dart, fitting it into his tight end between two or three Duke defenders. Also nice job by Prieskorn at seeing this ball in despite being surrounded by those aforementioned defenders. That pass from Dart would lead to him registering his first of the game as he'd hit Antwane Wells Jr. on a slant for what would end up being a 32-yard touchdown, putting them up seven a minute or so after the interception. Following a three and out by the Duke offense Dart would lead a nice 13-play touchdown drive for double their advantage with two and a half minutes to go in the quarter. Hitting on a couple short and intermediate throws down the field before Bentley would punch it in from a yard out to again give them a 14-0 lead. Dart would flash the athleticism on Ole Miss' next drive, picking up a first down with his legs on third and 19 at the start of the second quarter.
He may not be as quick twitch as someone like Jayden Daniels, but Jaxson Dart is very dangerous when he's running with the football, able to break off impressive runs like this for first downs. I love that he didn't think twice about taking off and running when he saw the free rusher coming in on him. Some quarterbacks in that situation would've froze and/or taken a sack. Dart is not only able to avoid the sack and cut up field but also make some defenders miss before diving for the first down. He would follow that up with a 12-yard run a couple plays later before hitting Dae'Quan Wright up the far sideline for a 22-yard gain on second and 10.
One thing I love about Dart is that he's really tough and isn't afraid of contact (though sometimes I'd like him to slide rather than lower his shoulder). He takes a pop to the mouth on this throw, and though I'm not always the biggest fan of tossing it up and praying the receiver comes down with it, he puts it in a good spot despite knowing he's going to take a shot and his receiver is able to come down with it. Caden Davis would make a 28-yard field goal a few plays later to push their lead to 17 with less than 10-minutes to go in the second. Duke would finally find the end zone with six minutes to go, Dart and co. would respond by scoring yet another touchdown before the half. Prior to the score, Dart would throw a nice little dump off to Ulysses Bentley IV on third and nine that would go for 15 while also connecting with Cayden Lee and Jordan Watkins for 13 and 20-yards respectfully before hitting Dae'Quan Wright in the end zone from 21-yards out to make it 24-7 with less than two minutes to go in the half.
Much like the earlier throw to Wright that went for 22-yards to help set up the field goal, Dart is able to deliver a strong throw despite knowing he's going to take a little shot from the defender. With that, this is a perfect throw from Dart. Near hash from the 21 to the front pylon on the far sideline is far from an easy throw, yet Dart is still able to put this thing right on the money. Honestly you can't ask for a much better throw from your quarterback, which again helped them take a 24-7 lead on their final real drive of the half (they ran one more play after the touchdown before halftime). Ole Miss would not have the same success to start the second half, going three and out on their opening possession with Dart taking a six yard loss on third and five. Though the offense couldn't find the end zone the defense would, picking off Duke quarterback Henry Belin IV and taking it back 50-yards for the score, making it 31-7 midway through the third. The Rebel offense wouldn't take the field again until around the three minute mark, and they wouldn't take much time to score after Dart would find Jordan Watkins for a 51-yard gain to get them to the Duke three.
It really doesn't get much better than this, does it? With pressure again in his face, Dart is able to roll out to his left and throw an absolutely beautiful ball down the sideline to Watkins would makes a terrific catch for a 51-yard gain. You really cannot throw a ball much better than that. The only thing that sucks is that it didn't result in six but don't worry, Bentley would eventually punch it into the end zone to push their lead to 38-7 with about a minute to go in the third quarter. Ole Miss would go three and out on their next possession but would find the end zone again on the drive that would follow, with Dart connecting with Watkins for 21 and Cayden Lee for 12 before hitting Watkins on a screen from a yard out to make it 45-7 midway through the fourth quarter. The Rebels would find the end zone again on their next drive as Dart would hit Watkins again, this time for a 69-yard touchdown with a minute and a half to go in the game.
This is another fantastic throw from Dart to hit Watkins for the 69-yard score. With Watkins beating his defender off the line and with a safety playing over top, Dart knows this ball has to be on a line, and he zipped that son of bitch in there for the big time gain, with a Duke defender coming in late no less. You really can't ask for a better throw from your quarterback, and that's why it ultimately resulted in six more points for the offense. Ole Miss would find the end zone again as time expired, but that throw to Watkins would be Dart's final contribution to the game as Ole Miss came out 52-20 victors in the Gator Bowl. Despite all the bitching and moaning from Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss played a heck of a game on both sides of the ball. The best player though was by far Jaxson Dart, who set new team records in passing yards and total yards of offense for a season. The dude made numerous impressive throws and kept the ball out of harms way, which is exactly what you want to see from your quarterback. Like most I'm intrigued to see where Dart falls in the draft, I could really see things heating up for him the closer we get to the month of April.
Preseason - 9
Wk 1 - 7
Wk 2 - 7
Wk 3 - 7
Wk 4 - 7
Wk 5 - 8
Wk 6 - 8
Wk 7 - 8
Wk 8 - 8
Wk 9 - 8
Wk 10 - 8
Wk 11 - 9
Wk 12 - 9
Wk 13 - 8
Wk 14 - 9
Wk 15 - 8
Postseason - 4
5. Will Howard, Ohio State
First Round - 24/29 311 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/5 carries 37 yds 0 touchdowns v no.7 (9) Tennessee (42-17 W) (First Round College Football Playoff)
I know this is pretty self explanatory, but at the time of writing there is not a hotter team in America than the Ohio State Buckeyes. Mind you that this is being written before their semifinal match-up against Texas, so unless the Longhorns come away with a upset over the Buckeyes the point will still remain, no team in America is playing better than Ohio State. Bout time too, right? I mean, if you're looking at the top teams in America, there aren't many that have as much fire power as the team based in Columbus. From players like Quinshon Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka, and Jeremiah Smith on the offensive side to players like JT Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles, and Tyleik Williams on the defensive side, the Buckeyes are just packed to the brim with talent. That being said throughout the course of the season is hasn't felt like they've really dominated teams like they should. Just look at the Michigan game as a prime example. Despite being a whopping -20.5-point favorite at home against a bad Wolverine squad, the Buckeyes came out on the wrong side of a 13-10 game, thus kicking them out of the Big Ten Championship and a potential rematch against the Oregon Ducks (more on that later). That game was horrible on all fronts, but the person who took the brunt force of malice was quarterback Will Howard. I guess you could say that about most of this season for Howard, seemingly every time something way wrong for the Buckeyes Howard was first in the firing line. I can't say I'm surprised as not only is quarterback the most highly praised yet scrutinized position on the field, but the quarterback he replaced, Kyle McCord was having a record setting season while at Syracuse. While Howard and co. were losing to Michigan, McCord and the Orange were upsetting the then sixth ranked Miami Hurricanes. It was really the worst time to have a loss like that. All that being said though, that loss against Michigan not only spurred on the team, but Howard as well, as he's been on an incredible run so far through the Playoffs. Starting with their first game, Howard threw for an impressive 311-yards with two touchdowns and an interception with a further 37-yards on the ground in a dominating 42-17 win against the Tennessee Volunteers. This game was never close, and it was kicked off with Howard hitting Jeremiah Smith for a 37-yard score following a nice 21-yard completion to TreVeyon Henderson less than two minutes into the game.
Starting with the throw to Henderson, Howard does a very nice job at putting this ball on a line rather than float it into his running back. With the safety over top and the flat defender dropping back into coverage this is really the only spot to place this ball, and Howard did a nice job at doing so. As for the touchdown pass Howard makes a very nice throw from the near hash to the far numbers to Smith for the 37-yard score. This is a really simple read for Howard, you see your top receiver is matched-up one-on-one on the outside you have to throw him the ball. Solid throw from Howard and nice job by Smith at controlling the ball despite contact from the defender. Ohio State came out the gates swinging, needing just five plays to travel 75-yards and it'd be more of the same the next time out, though they only needed to travel 68-yards this time to find the end zone again midway through the first. Leading to the score, Howard would dump it off to Smith for a 18-yard gain before finding Emeka Egbuka for a 40-yard gain to get them all the way down to the Tennessee six yard line.
First off, nice job at checking the play at the line of scrimmage before delivering a nice ball to Egbuka for the aforementioned 40-yard gain. Maybe he could have put a little more loft on it to lead him into the end zone rather than put it on a line but I still think this is a good throw from Howard mixed with excellent concentration by Egbuka to bring the ball in despite the defender trying to block his site of the ball. A couple plays later Quinshon Judkins would punch it in from a yard out to further extend the Buckeyes advantage to 14 midway through the first. Ohio State would continue their scoring ways on their next drive with Howard connecting with Egbuka for a nice 16-yard gain on the near sideline on third and five that would help set up a 29-yard rushing touchdown by TreVeyon Henderson to push their lead to 21 with about three and a half minutes to go in the opening quarter. The Buckeyes would put together a nice 12-play drive following yet another Volunteer punt, and though Howard would connect with Jeremiah Smith for 10-yards on fourth and four and third and three, he would end up throwing his first interception of the game trying to hit the aforementioned Smith in the end zone from 20-yards out.
This is just an unfortunate interception for Howard as it's not something we see all too often. Though there were some question marks about whether or not this was really an interception, that was the call on the field so it stands. I would usually not recommend throwing into double coverage, but when you're throwing to Jeremiah Smith you can sometimes afford to make those type of throws (I wouldn't make a living off of it though). The end of the half wouldn't breed much more success for the Buckeyes as they'd go three and out on their next drive before Jayden Fielding came up short on a 56-yard attempt before halftime. Though they wouldn't get any points to end the half they would come out swinging to start the second half with Howard connecting with Emeka Egbuka for seven yards on third and two and his tight end Gee Scott Jr. for a further 26-yards before tossing up a beautiful ball to Jeremiah Smith for a 22-yard touchdown, his second of the game.
Much like the first touchdown, if you see Jeremiah Smith on an island you have to get him the ball. In this case, just 'getting him the ball' turned into a pitch perfect pass from Howard to further extend Ohio State's lead to kick things off in the second half. You really couldn't have asked for a better throw from Howard, which again made the score 28-10 midway through the third quarter. Howard wouldn't be asked to throw the ball too much on their next drive as Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson carried the load, with Judkins ultimately punching it in again from a yard out to make it now 35-10 with just over a minute to play in the third. After Tennessee turned it over on downs at their own 39-yard line Ohio State would only need five plays to find the end zone again, with Henderson taking it in from 24-yards out to further extend their advantage with about 10-minutes to go in the fourth. The Buckeyes wouldn't really do too much after that on offense, going three and out on their next two drives before seeing out the game with some James Peoples to finish with an impressive 42-17 dominating win against the Tennessee Volunteers. Like I said before, this game was never really close, and quarterback Will Howard put forth arguably his best game to the season at that point. Sure the interception wasn't ideal but two touchdowns with 311-yards through the air is still impressive, especially when you consider that Tennessee has a top six defense nationally and a top five passing defense in the SEC. These are the games we love to see from Howard, especially after the Michigan loss. Time will tell if he's able to continue this form against the top ranked Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl.
Quarterfinal - 17/26 319 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/5 carries -3 yds 0 touchdowns v no.1 (1) Oregon (41-21) (College Football Playoff Quarterfinal)
Like I brought up in the begging of the first section, Ohio State is truly the hottest team in all of college football, and they more than proved that in this game against the number one team in the nation in Pasadena, California. I don't know about you, but this for me was one of the most highly anticipated games of the season. Looking back to their first match-up in October, the Buckeyes were a Will Howard slide away from potentially upsetting the third rated Ducks in Eugene. I'm not saying their kicker would have made it, but if Howard is able to get down a second or so earlier than maybe, just maybe, the Buckeyes are able to come away with a victory. Instead, Howard was the victim to a lot of online abuse, with some even going as far as sending the Ohio State quarterback death threats. I remember scrolling on Twitter the day after the game and I couldn't really believe what I was seeing in regards to Howard. Again, if he slides a second or so earlier than maybe the story is changed. Unfortunately for him though we can't redo the past, so we've got to turn our focus to what's in front of us, right? Like I mentioned before, not a lot of quarterbacks throughout college football have received as much hate as Howard has this year. Whether it be the Oregon game or the aforementioned Michigan game, Howard never seemed to have a safe space on social media. But, much like his performance following the Michigan game, the next time he and the Buckeyes would meet up with Oregon he'd make sure to leave nothing to chance. In the Rose Bowl against the now top seeded Ducks, Howard threw for 319-yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers as the Buckeyes came out with a resounding 41-21 victory. Again, much like the Tennessee game Ohio State came out swinging, with Howard connecting with Gee Scott Jr. for 30-yards on their opening play before dumping it off to Jeremiah Smith a few yards past the line of scrimmage for what would end up being a 45-yard touchdown, taking the lead with a minute off the clock. Though they'd be forced to punt the ball away after six plays on their next drive, Howard would connect with Smith again for 29-yards on a great leaping effort in between two Oregon defenders. Following the punt Howard and the offense would come back swinging, with him throwing an absolute seed to Emeka Egbuka for a 42-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter.
I don't say this lightly, but this is an absolutely perfect throw by Will Howard to hit Egbuka in stride between three Oregon defenders for the score. Again, throws don't come much better than this, especially with the ball going right over the defender's left shoulder and into the waiting arms of the receiver. It also must be said that Egbuka did a great job at seeing this ball in despite it making contact with the defender's arm. Just a great overall play that doubled Ohio State's advantage in the first. Howard would continue to make impressive throws on their next drive, as on third and four from their own 15 he would hit Jeremiah Smith for a 32-yard gain down the near sideline.
With the single high safety playing overtop, Howard does a really nice job at looking him off to the right before delivering a perfect ball to Jeremiah Smith for the nice gain and the first down. Like I mentioned before, if Jeremiah Smith is on an island, give him the ball, which Howard did in excellent fashion to again pick up the first down. Howard would connect with Emeka Egbuka to pick up another first down on third and five before the Buckeyes would have to settle for a field goal as Jayden Fielding would convert from 46-yards to make it 17-0 at the start of the second quarter. Howard would pick up third touchdown of the half their next time out, hitting (you guessed it) Jeremiah Smith for a 43-yard score.
I never understand how you, as a defense, can let a receiver as good as Jeremiah Smith get that wide open. Oh well, you don't see Will Howard complaining about it too much as it further extended the Buckeyes lead to 24 with still 10-minutes to go in the second quarter. Just a nice simple pitch and catch between quarterback and wide receiver right here, love to see it (unless you're an Oregon fan of course). Howard and the passing offense wouldn't be needed at all on their next drive as TreVeyon Henderson would take it in from 66-yards out on their opening play of the drive to make it a whopping 31-0 midway through the second quarter. Howard wouldn't really be needed on their next drive as well as they'd ultimately settle for a field goal with three minutes to go in the half to put them up 34-0. The Buckeyes would go three and out on their opening possession of the second half but would find the end zone again after six plays on their following drive, with Howard helping set up the score with a 16-yard completion to Jeremiah Smith.
Despite the offensive linemen falling over at the snap, Howard is able to put this ball in a spot where only his intended receiver can get it. That mixed with the pressure Oregon brought and the fact that he's throwing back towards his right despite rolling to his left makes this a very nice throw from Howard. That being said, the leaping effort by Smith is a tad more impressive, wouldn't you say so? A couple plays later TreVeyon Henderson would take it in from eight yards out to make it 41-15 late in the third quarter. Ohio State wouldn't do much on offense following that touchdown as they'd punt the ball away after four, six, and five plays on their final three drives, ultimately seeing out a dominant 41-21 victory against the top seeded Ducks. This was an ass kicking that I don't think a lot of people saw coming. Sure there were people out there who thought the Buckeyes could come out on top, but not like this. As for Howard he put forth an excellent outing against Oregon, giving him some much needed revenge in the process. In two games now against the Ducks, Howard has accounted for 645-passing yards with six total touchdowns and no interceptions, that pretty damn impressive if you ask me, especially given the fact that both games were played on the west coast. Like I've brought up before he's playing lights out right now, so lets hope for Buckeye fans sake he's able to keep it up against Texas, a team that boasts one of the best defenses in all of college football. We should be in for a really fun one down in Arlington for a chance to go to the National Championship.
Semifinal - 24/33 289 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/7 carries 4 yds 0 touchdowns v no.3 (5) Texas (28-14 W) (College Football Playoff Semifinal)
After putting together back-to-back fantastic performances against the likes of Tennessee and Oregon, Will Howard and the Ohio State Buckeyes arguably face their toughest match-up so far throughout the playoffs, taking on the Texas Longhorns. I know on paper Oregon is the toughest team Ohio State has had to face as they were the only undefeated team at the FBS level while also boasting an explosive offense led by a Heisman candidate at quarterback along with a solid defense. I get all that, but Texas came into this game a top three defense nationally in regards to yards allowed per game as well as ranking inside the top 10 in passing yards and points allowed per game. They also have an explosive offense that can throw a bunch of different looks at you, whether that be formations, motions, or whatever. Being led by a coach and quarterback that made it to the semifinal a year ago and you start to see why the Longhorns may be the Buckeyes toughest test. That being said with how hot the Buckeyes have looked in their previous two games, I don't know if there were a lot of people out there who thought Texas would be able to pull off the upset. Like, in their two previous games Ohio State totaled a whopping 973-yards of total offense, with quarterback Will Howard putting forth some excellent performances, throwing for 311-yards and two touchdowns against Tennessee and 319-yards and three touchdowns against Oregon. I know the Buckeyes can boast a vast array of five star talent on both sides of the ball, but if they were going to continue their hot streak they needed Howard to continue making big time throws. Though he didn't have the same production against Texas he still put up 289-yards with one touchdown and an interception in Ohio State's 28-14 victory in the College Football Playoff semifinal. Things would start off pretty good for Howard and co. on their opening drive, as after connecting with Emeka Egbuka for five yards on third and three he'd hit Carnell Tate for 14 to push them to the Texas side of the 50.
Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, as the late drop back by the Texas edge rusher could've seen Howard register his first interception of the game. Thankfully for both him and the rest of the Buckeyes the defender wouldn't be able to come away with the ball, with Howard fitting it into Tate for the aforementioned 14-yard gain. Howard would connect with Egbuka again for 11-yards on third and six before hitting him for another first down on the following play for a 14-yard pickup.
This is a really solid throw in a tight window from Howard to hit Egbuka before the linebacker can make a play on the ball. Like I always talk about, in these types of situations when the window is that tight you have to put it more on the receiver's body, which is exactly what Howard did to help further extend Ohio State's drive. Quinshon Judkins would take it in from nine yards out two plays later to give the Buckeyes their first lead of the game midway through the first quarter. Though they'd be forced to punt the ball away after eight plays on their next drive Howard would still make some decent throws to push the Buckeyes down the field, connecting Carnell Tate for 13-yards and TreVeyon Henderson out of the backfield for a further 22 before hitting Gee Scott Jr. between a few Texas defenders for a 14-yard gain.
Nice pump fake to suck some defenders down before delivering a nice ball into Scott between three Texas defenders for the first down. Much like the pass to Egbuka, Howard does a nice job at putting this ball more on his tight end's body rather than lead him into the path of the defender. This is a strong throw from Howard that again helped further extend Ohio State's drive. Unfortunately the drive wouldn't last too much longer as they'd again be forced to punt the ball away after eight plays. Their next few drives would be more of the same, being forced to punt after five plays (Howard should've had a nice completio to Egbuka) before going three and out on back-to-back drives with the final one coming with less than two minutes to go in the half. Though Texas would find the end zone on their next drive, the Buckeyes would strike quickly as Howard would hit TreVeyon Henderson on a screen that he'd take 75-yards to the house to help the Buckeyes regain their seven point advantage before the break. Howard would connect with Egbuka for 13-yards on their first play of the second half, but a few plays later he'd throw his first interception of the game.
To be honest, regardless of if there was pressure coming or not this is still a very late throw from Howard and would've probably been intercepted regardless. This is one where Howard wishes he was a little more lucky because the chances that this pass would've been completed was slim to none. Just a bad decision from Howard that gifted the ball back to Texas at the 30-yard line. Ohio State's next couple drives wouldn't see much success either, as they'd be forced to punt after going three and out on their next drive before punting after four plays on their following drive. Following that last drive though the Buckeyes would find the end zone, with Howard helping orchestrate a nice 13-play 88-yard drive that would take almost eight minutes off the clock. Faced with a third and eight situation on said drive, in the face of pressure, Howard would deliver a nice ball to Carnell Tate for an 18-yard gain to pick up the first while also getting them closer to the 50-yard line.
Can't ask much more from your quarterback on this play. With Texas bringing a shite ton of pressure, Howard calmly slides to his left before delivering a very nice ball to Tate for the aforementioned 18-yard gain, even getting it over the outstretched hand of the initial Longhorn defender. Just a really solid play from Howard to evade the pressure while also delivering a strike down the field for the first. Howard would then connect with Quinshon Judkins out of the backfield for 11-yards before hitting an open Gee Scott Jr. for seven yards on third and nine. Two yards short of the first down marker Howard takes it up the middle himself for a 18-yard gain, which could've been more had he not tripped over his own feet. After an eight yard completion to Egbuka and a six yard run by Quinshon Judkins Ohio State would punch it into the end zone from a yard out, making it 21-14 with Judkins registering his second of the game. The Buckeye offense wouldn't really see the field after that score as Jack Swayer would strip sack Quinn Ewers and take it back 83-yards for the touchdown to give them a 28-14 lead with just over two minutes to go in the game. The defense would then put the final nail in the coffin by picking Ewers off with a minute 44 left to give Ohio State a 28-14 victory. It wasn't as easy as the first two games, but the Buckeyes can hold their heads high as they register their third straight double digit victory in the Playoffs. Now on to Notre Dame in the National Championship!
National Championship - 17/21 232 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/16 carries 57 yds 0 touchdowns v no.5 (7) Notre Dame (34-23 W) (College Football Playoff National Championship)
Season - 309/423 4,010 yds 35 touchdowns 10 interceptions/105 carries 206 yds 7 touchdowns
The dream season for Will Howard and the Ohio State Buckeyes has finally been completed, coming away with the first National Championship in the history of the 12-team College Football Playoff! To be honest, I don't know whether or not I should have expected this or if I should have been surprised. Now, this has nothing to do with what we've seen throughout their Playoff run, but rather what took place prior to the Playoff starting. On paper Ohio State boasts some serious talent on both sides of the ball, with the likes of TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins, Emeka Egbuka, Josh Simmons, Donovan Jackson, Seth McLaughlin, Tyleik Williams, Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau, Cody Simon, Denzel Burke, Davison Igbinosun, and Lathan Ransom being talked about as some of the best players in their respective positions for the upcoming draft. They are loaded to the brim with five star and NFL level talent, with wide receiver Jeremiah Smith not able to go to the NFL for another two years (sorry rivals). This team is so ridiculously loaded that it would only make sense for them to come away with a National title, right? Despite all the talent, some out there have had their reservations about head coach Ryan Day. A coach who has done a great job at beating the teams he should beat, but losing in most of the biggest games, namely 'The Game' against their fierce rivals in Michigan. Since taking charge as head coach in 2018 after Urban Meyer was placed on administrative leave, the Buckeyes have beaten the Wolverines twice, losing to them each of the last four seasons (despite being higher ranked in each of those four loses). With that, out of all the seasons to lose to them this was the worst, as Michigan had struggled all throughout the season, going into the game with a 6-5 record. Despite being -20.5-points favorites at home, Ohio State still fell by a score of 13-10, with Howard throwing two interceptions. A mixture of Ryan Day and Will Howard really put a damper on what people thought this team could do, especially with the guy Howard replaced throwing for 380-yards and three touchdowns against then sixth ranked Miami (FL) the same day they lost to Michigan. All in all Howard and co. can hold their heads high as they came out and beat Notre Dame by a score of 34-23 in the National Championship. The offense would get things cooking early and often, as they had throughout the Playoff with Howard connecting with Jeremiah Smith on a little swing pass from eight yards out to tie the game up at seven early on in the second quarter. That was so crazy, wasn't it? Like, when was the last time we've seen teams have only one drive in the first quarter? Notre Dame would go three and out on their next possession following their 18-play opening drive, and the Buckeyes would come back out and put together a nice 10-play drive for their second score of the game. Following a 13-yard run by Emeka Egbuka, Howard would hit Carnell Tate for a further 15-yards to get them to the Notre Dame side of the 50.
Very confident throw here from Howard to find Tate for the nice 15-yard gain. With a defender in his face and another in front of Tate, Howard does a nice job at getting this ball over the outstretched arm of the defender(s) while also taking enough off of it to put it right in his receiver's path. Again, just a confident throw for another first down. Howard would then pick up a first down with his legs on third and five before connecting with Egbuka a couple yards past the line of scrimmage that would result in a 12-yard gain. A few plays later Quinshon Judkins would take it in from nine yards out to give the Buckeyes a 14-7 lead midway through the second quarter. Ohio State would get the ball back following another three and out by Notre Dame, and though they found themselves in a third and seven situation, Howard would hit Brandon Inniss for an 19-yard gain to extend the drive.
Like I've talked about a thousand times before, it's always nice to see your quarterback standing tall in the pocket and delivering a strong ball despite their being pressure right in his face. Inniss may have created a decent amount of separation but Howard did an excellent job at staying tall and delivering a strike for the first down. Howard would then connect with Carnell Tate across the middle for a further 20-yards to get them to the Notre Dame side of the 50 before finding Jeremiah Smith for 15-yards after taking a sack on first down. Howard would pick up 11-yards on the ground on second and 10 a few plays later, then would hit Quinshon Judkins in the back of the end zone from six yards out for his second passing touchdown of the game.
Nice job by Howard at not only keeping the play alive by getting outside the pocket but also sucking the defenders in to free up Judkins in the back of the end zone for the score. I know it's a simple six yard touchdown pass but the playmaking from Howard here was really nice to see, which helped the Buckeyes further extend their advantage just before halftime. Ohio State would strike quickly to start the second half as Judkins would take his opening carry 70-yards to get them down to the Notre Dame five yard line before eventually taking it in himself from a yard out to register his third total touchdown of the game, making it 28-7 just over two minutes into the third quarter. The Buckeyes would be set up with fairly solid field position following a failed fake punt by the Irish, starting their next drive at the Notre Dame 29-yard line. Despite the field position the Buckeyes would be held to just a field goal, though it would make the scoreline 31-7 midway through the third quarter. It looked like Ohio State would come away with another score on their next drive following a Notre Dame touchdown, but following a little pop pass from Howard to Emeka Egbuka that would go for 24-yards the receiver would fumble the ball away at the Notre Dame 21-yard line, giving them life to start the fourth quarter. Despite the new lease on life, kicker Mitch Jeter would eventually miss a 27-yard attempt that would've made it 31-18 with nine and a half minutes to go in the game. The Buckeyes would punt the ball away after five plays on their next drive and the Irish would respond with a touchdown to make it 31-23 with about four minutes to go in regulation. On their next drive Ohio State would seemingly just try to see out the game by running the ball. But after a few runs by Howard the Buckeyes would find themselves in a third and 11 situation. Only up by one score with just less than three minutes to go, Howard would hit Jeremiah Smith on a 56-yard bomb down the near sideline to get them inside the Notre Dame 10 while seemingly icing the game in the process.
What a play to again ultimately seal the game up for the Buckeyes. With Jeremiah Smith on an island, Howard throws a perfect ball, placing it right in the bucket for what wound be a 56-yard pickup. A few plays later kicker Jayden Fielding would convert on a 33-yard field goal attempt to make it 34-23 with 26-seconds left. Notre Dame would have little to no time to do anything and the Buckeyes would come away with their ninth National Championship in school history. Like I said before, despite all the five stars I don't know if a lot of people thought this would be the outcome to the first ever 12-team College Football Playoff. A rough loss to Michigan with Ryan Day seemingly coaching for his life, Howard and the Buckeyes put on a run for the ages to lift the first title of the Day Era. With Howard taking a lot of shit throughout the season I loved his performances throughout the Playoff. He made some big time throws that helped the Buckeyes scale to the top of the college football pyramid, drastically boosting his draft stock in the process. This run mixed with his size, arm talent, and athleticism should see him go much higher than what was expected prior to the Playoff. I don't know where he'll end up, but he definitely made some money after this run.
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 - H/M
Wk 10 - H/M
Wk 11 - H/M
Wk 12 - H/M
Wk 13 - H/M
Wk 14 - H/M
Wk 15 - H/M
Postseason - 5
6. Kyle McCord, Syracuse
Bowl Game - 24/34 453 yds 5 touchdowns 0 interceptions/4 carries -7 yds 0 touchdowns v Washington State (52-35 W) (DirecTV Holiday Bowl)
Season - 391/592 4,779 yds 34 touchdowns 12 interceptions/67 carries -65 yds 3 touchdowns
What a season is was for Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord. After getting scapegoated and run out of Columbus this past offseason, McCord transferred up to a Syracuse team that lost seven of their final nine games the previous season. A team that had never had a 4,000+ yard passer, a quarterback with 30+ touchdowns, nor a bowl win since 2018, McCord led the team to new heights as not only did he eclipse the 4,000-yard mark and break the 30+ touchdown barrier, but he set the ACC's all time single season passing record as well as helping Syracuse register their first bowl win since the aforementioned 2018 season with a resounding 52-35 win against Washington State. Again, McCord really lit the world alight in his first and only season in northwest New York, throwing for a pretty staggering 4,779-yards with 34-touchdowns and 12-interceptions (only throwing one interception since registering a whopping five against Pitt back on October 24th). Not only did he break school and conference records en route to their first 10-win season since again, 2018, but he silenced a lot of doubters in the process, making some change their opinions entirely about who and what he was as a quarterback. As I brought up before with Will Howard, that same week Ohio State embarrassingly lost to Michigan, McCord and co. were in the process of ruining Miami's season, beating them by a score of 42-38 while also kicking them out of not just the conference title game, but also the College Football Playoff. That win mixed with McCord's performance really got people again thinking about who he was as a quarterback. I know this doesn't mean all too much but I for one am proud of the season McCord put together after all the shit he took during the offseason. He may not be playing for a National Championship like the guy who replaced him, but this was a very successful season for McCord and the Orange as a whole. That being said their bowl game against Washington State didn't start out as smoothly as they may have liked, as they found themselves down 21-14 after the first quarter. Prior to the end of the quarter McCord would put forth some nice throws, connecting Darrell Gill Jr. down the far sideline for 29-yards before hitting Trebor Pena on a back shoulder throw from 19-yards out to get them to within one through the first (they ended up failing on a two point conversion).
As I've said a hundred times before, I love a good back shoulder throw. The defender had absolutely no chance to make a play on this ball as McCord got it out a half second after he faked it to the running back. Just a really solid throw and catch between quarterback and receiver that again would get them to within one (following the failed two point conversion) midway through the first. McCord would connect with Jackson Meeks on back-to-back back shoulder throws for 19 and 18-yards that would ultimately help set up a 12-yard touchdown run by LeQuint Allen to tie take the lead with two and a half minutes to go in the opening quarter (they would convert on a two point conversion, making it 14-7). Washington State would then get two touchdowns in quick succession with quarterback Zevi Eckhaus hitting Kyle Williams for a 66-yard touchdown before blocking a Syracuse punt and returning it for a touchdown following a three and out by the Orange offense to take a 21-14 lead with 17-seconds to go in the first. McCord would connect with Oronde Gadsden II for 23-yards on a slant to start the second quarter before connecting with him again a few plays later for a 18-yard touchdown to tie it back up at 21.
Nice job by Gadsden at making the defender thinking he's going to the outside by pumping that way before cutting back inside, creating a fairly easy throw for McCord to again help tie the game up at 21 early on in the second quarter. McCord and Gadsden would find each other again on Syracuse's next drive following a Washington State interception, with McCord hitting his tight end up the hash for a 28-yard gain on third and 10.
With pressure in his face McCord is still able to deliver a nice ball to Gadsden for the nice 28-yard completion. Though there's a little separation between Gadsden and the closest defender, with four in the area with one deep and one shallow there's not really that much room for error from McCord's standpoint, making this a much more difficult throw than it initially looked. McCord would follow that up with a 17-yard completion to Darrell Gill Jr. before LeQuint Allen would punch it in from two yards out to give the Orange the lead midway through the second quarter. McCord would flash the athleticism on Syracuse's next drive, picking up 17-yards after rolling to his right once he saw no one open down the field. That run would get them to the Washington State side of the 50. That mixed with a pass interference and personal foul penalty would help get the Orange down to the Cougar five yard line, where McCord would hit Gadsden in the end zone for his third passing touchdown of the game with 13-seconds left in the second quarter.
This may very well be just a five yard pass, but the closer you get to the end zone the margin for error shrinks. McCord does a nice job at getting this ball out quick with some zip on it to get it to his tight end for the touchdown that would give them a double digit lead going into halftime. If McCord doesn't get this ball out quick then the Washington State defender gets a hand to it and breaks up the pass. The window he put this ball in is pretty small, so despite it being a five yard pass, it's still impressive from McCord, giving them a 35-21 lead. McCord would hit the Cougars hard on their first play of the second half, connecting with Darrell Gill Jr. for a 50-yard play down the near sideline.
This is a very well thrown deep ball down the sideline to hit Gill for the 50-yard gain. Who knows, if Gill is able to keep his feet (asking a lot) maybe we're talking about a big time touchdown for the Orange to start the half. For Syracuse's sake I wish that was the case as the drive would pretty much stall after that beautiful throw from McCord, as kicker Jackson Kennedy would miss a 39-yard field goal attempt midway through the third quarter to keep it at 35-21. Washington State would find the end zone on their next drive to make it 35-28, but the Orange would respond quickly as on the second play of their next drive McCord would hit Trebor Pena on a screen pass to the near sideline for what would result in a 45-yard touchdown to reclaim their double digit advantage. Following a Cougar interception, McCord and co. would find themselves in a third and 21 situation. Thankfully for them McCord would roll out to his right and hit Gill for a 49-yard gain, getting the ball to him before the safety overtop could make a play on it (sometimes it's better to be lucky than good). McCord would then connect with Jackson Meeks on a slant for an 15-yard gain to get them down to the Washington State three yard line but again the drive would stall out, only this time Kennedy would convert from 30-yards out to make it 45-28 with around nine minutes to go in the fourth. On their next drive McCord would connect with Meeks on a shallow crossing route that would go for 41-yards before hitting LeQuint Allen on a screen pass for a 33-yard touchdown, making it now 52-28 with three and a half minutes to go in the game. Washington State would find the end zone one more time but the damage was already done as the Orange would come out with a resounding 52-35 victory. Apart from the first quarter Syracuse had full control of this game with Kyle McCord for 453-yards and a season high five touchdowns, breaking the ACC single season passing record in the process. What a bounce back season for McCord. His numbers are crazy and he possesses a decent arm and quick decision making, I don't know where he'll go but I think he'll make a team in the later rounds pretty happy.
Preseason - N/R
Wk 1 - N/R
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - N/R
Wk 4 - N/R
Wk 5 - N/R
Wk 6 - H/M
Wk 7 - H/M
Wk 8 - N/R
Wk 9 - H/M
Wk 10 - H/M
Wk 11 - H/M
Wk 12 - H/M
Wk 13 - H/M
Wk 14 - 10
Wk 15 - 10
Postseason - 6
7. Quinn Ewers, Texas
First Round - 17/24 202 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/4 carries -3 yds 0 touchdowns v no.16 (12) Clemson (38-24 W) (First Round College Football Playoff)
This section is going to be a little interesting because Texas and quarterback Quinn Ewers have taken part in multiple games so far this postseason. Though that is the case, I'm going to try my best and word each individual section as if I don't know what's gone on to happen. Does that make sense? No? Well, I guess we don't really have a choice but to make it make sense, right? Well, as for this game Texas absolutely took care of business, beating the 12 seeded Clemson Tigers in Austin by a score of 38-24. This was an interesting game for Ewers as he wasn't really asked to do too much in the grand scheme of things, as the Texas rushing attack led by Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner totaled 292-yards and four touchdowns, with the aforementioned pair totaling 256 of those yards (146 for Blue and 110 for Wisner) and all four of those touchdowns. If you remember back to when we did the preview that was the way to beat Clemson. As a defense they were fairly solid against the pass but left things open when facing a solid rushing attack. For Texas who has a very solid running back tandem, this game was pretty much over before it started, just as long as they didn't make too many mistakes or turn the ball over throughout the course of the game. Not to mention this game again took place down in Austin, with the ruckus crowd giving the Longhorns a very strong advantage here in round one. As for Ewers, he put forth a fairly solid display, throwing for 202-yards with a touchdown and an interception on 17/24 passing. But again, with Texas running the ball 48-times, Ewers wasn't really asked to do the most with Wisner and Blue capping off their first three drives with rushing touchdowns (Wisner accounted for two). That being said Ewers would come up with a nice 43-yard completion to Matthew Golden that would ultimately help set up Wisner's second rushing touchdown of the first half.
Nice little pump fake here by Ewers to free up more space for Golden down the field for the big time gain. Maybe he could've gotten more on the pass, but give credit to his receiver for being able to hold onto the ball through the contract from the Clemson defender. A really solid play for the Longhorn offense which would again help set up a 16-yard touchdown run by Wisner to give Texas a 21-7 advantage midway through the second quarter. Their next drive wouldn't see the same success as though they picked off Cade Klubnik deep inside Clemson territory they'd fail to convert on fourth down rather than settle for the chip shot field goal, bailing the Tigers out with the ball at the 17-yard line. Clemson would fumble the ball away a couple plays later before Ewers would get involved in the turnover action by registering his first interception of the game on Texas' following drive.
The touchdown wouldn't end up counting due to a block in the back penalty but this is just an unfortunate interception here for Ewers as the ball just bounced right off the chest of DeAndre Moore Jr. and into the grateful arms of the Clemson defender. It's not a bad throw or anything, it's just one of those things that unfortunately happens from time to time. Thankfully for Texas Ewers would be able to bounce back as after connecting with Jaydon Blue out of the backfield for 21-yards he'd find his tight end, Gunnar Helm in the end zone from 19-yards out with 28-seconds left in the first half to extend Texas' lead to 28-10 going into the locker room.
Just a nice and easy throw for Ewers here, finding his tight end open in the back of the end zone for six. Can't really say much more about the touchdown other than that, it's just the type of play you love seeing your offense make, everything working how it's supposed to and resulting in another score. What makes it even better is that Texas would get the ball to start the second half, and though they wouldn't be able to punch it into the end zone the offense was still able to put forth a nice 14-play drive that would ultimately result in a 22-yard field goal by Bert Auburn to further extend their advantage midway through the third. The Longhorns would be forced to punt after going three and out on their next drive before failing to convert on fourth down after five plays on their following drive, even after Ewers and Helm would connect for a 16-yard playing on their opening play of that drive. Texas would find the end zone again on their opening drive of the fourth quarter as Jaydon Blue would take it 77-yards on their second play to give them a 38-24 advantage with about 10-minutes left in the contest. After stuffing Clemson's offense at the one yard line Texas would put forth an 11-play drive to essentially see out the game, with Ewers connecting with Blue for 10-yards on third and nine to pick up a first deep in their own territory. Though they would again put forth an extended drive Arch Manning would get stuffed on a fourth and one attempt with less than two minutes to go. That being said it would not really matter as Texas would take home a nice 38-24 home victory in the first round of the Playoff. Again, Ewers wasn't asked to do too much given the effectiveness of Texas' rush attack but I thought he put forth a solid outing in the win. One would expect Ewers' role to grow in their next match-up against Arizona State, especially since the Sun Devils boast the Big 12's top rushing defense. It's very unlikely that the Longhorns will have the same success on the ground in the quarterfinal as they did in the first round, so I'm intrigued to see how Ewers will handle it.
Quarterfinal - 20/30 322 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/6 carries 1 yd 1 touchdown v no.12 (4) Arizona State (39-31 2OTW) (College Football Playoff Quarterfinal)
To be 100% honest with you I really didn't know what to expect from this game. Out of all the second round match-ups this was the one that I thought had the best chance of seeing an upset. Though they came in as the lower seed, Texas actually came into this game as a whopping -13.5-point favorite against the defending Big 12 champions. The last two champions of the conference meeting in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal, who would've thought? Especially with one of those teams being Arizona State, the team that most out their thought would either finish last or at least near the bottom of the conference going into the season. But with the dominance of running back Cam Skattebo, and one of the conference's top defenses, the Sun Devils really ruined a lot of people's preseason predictions, including my own as I was one of those idiots who thought Arizona State would finish bottom in their first year in the new conference. Can you blame me though? They finished 3-9 last season, I can't be the only one who didn't expect them to not only finish with 11-wins, but also make the College Football Playoff, right? I don't want to take anything away from the Sun Devils this season, they were awesome, and though I thought they had the best chance of pulling off the upset I didn't know how good of a chance they'd actually have. As the game started the more and more it looked like Texas would pull away, especially once they found themselves up 17-3 at halftime. As for quarterback Quinn Ewers, who is who I'm supposed to be focusing on, he put forth a solid outing, throwing for 322-yards with three touchdowns to one interception, while also adding a rushing touchdown to his total as well. Things would start off as perfectly as they could have for Ewers as he'd connect with Matthew Golden for 54-yards on their first play from scrimmage before hitting DeAndre Moore Jr. for a 23-yard score on just their second play, traveling 77-yards in two plays taking just 45-seconds off the clock.
Just two really solid throws here from Ewers that got Texas off to a red hot start. I think on both throws he did a solid job at keeping the receivers away from the Arizona State defenders, letting the ball go right off of Golden's break and keeping Moore from getting his head potentially taken off by the safety by slowing his route down for the score. On the touchdown, that one kind of falls under the 'just don't miss him' category as Moore had a step or two on his defender before Ewers let the ball go. Again, just two really nice plays for Texas that saw them take the lead midway through the first quarter. It would be a little bit before the Longhorn offense would take the field again as Silas Bolden would take an Arizona State punt back 75-yards for a touchdown to further extend their advantage in the first. When they'd get back on the field though the offense struggled to get things moving, going three and out on their final drive of the quarter. Though that drive would be short lived the offense would come back and put forth a nice 13-play drive that would end with a field goal to kick things off in the second quarter. They would go three and out again on their real final drive of the first half (they knelt it out on their final final drive of the half) finding themselves up again 17-3 going into the locker room. Their start to the second half wouldn't be as smooth as their start to the first half. Sure it would be a short drive, but a short drive that saw them go three and out with Ewers getting sacked on first and third down. Things would continue to not go Texas' way at the start of the new half as on the first play of their next drive as Wisner would get popped and lose the ball in the end zone which would ultimately result in a safety after the defense held the Arizona State offense out of the end zone despite them getting the ball down to the Texas two yard line. The Sun Devils would follow the safety up with a field goal to make the score 17-8 with less than a minute to go in the third quarter, which the Longhorns would respond by putting together a nice 13-play touchdown drive to extend their lead in the fourth quarter. Prior to the touchdown, Ewers would connect with Matthew Golden down the near sideline for a 29-yard gain on third and 10 to get them to the Arizona State nine yard line.
This is just a beautiful throw here by Ewers. With the defender essentially matching Golden stride for stride, Ewers has to put this ball where only his receiver can get it, which he did as he threw it to Golden's outside shoulder away from the defender for the nice 29-yard gain. These are the types of throws you want to see Ewers make more consistently, because when everything is clicking it can look really nice. A few plays later Ewers would call his own number from five yards out, registering his first rushing touchdown of the game and giving Texas a 24-8 lead with 10-minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Though Ewers and the Longhorns put together a very nice drive there, their next drive wouldn't breed the same success as on their second play Ewers would throw his first interception of the game, coming with less than six minutes to go in the quarter.
I know everyone was bitching about the 'targeting' call more towards the end of the game, but I didn't see anyone complain when this one wasn't called. Regardless, this just wasn't a great decision or throw by Ewers. With two safeties high and the receiver running his route in between them, Ewers has to either push this ball either down the field more or just take something shorter, especially when you're up 24-16 late in the fourth quarter. This was ultimately an easy interception for the Arizona State defender which helped keep the momentum on the Sun Devils side. Three plays after the interception, Arizona State would tie the game up at 24. Texas would put forth a solid nine play drive, setting kicker Bert Auburn up with a 48-yard attempt. Unfortunately it would go wide right, keeping the game tied up with Arizona State getting the ball back with a minute and a half to go in regulation. Texas would get one more short following a Sun Devil punt, with Ewers connecting with Ryan Wingo for 27-yards to get them down to the Arizona State 24-yard line.
This throw and catch between Ewers and Wingo would ultimately help set Auburn up with a chance to become the hero with a 38-yard field goal. Unfortunately, much like the last one Auburn would fail to convert, doinking it off the left upright as time expired, meaning we are going to overtime to decide who gets the chance to go to the College Football Playoff semifinal. Following an Arizona State touchdown to start overtime, Ewers and Texas would respond with one of their own as he'd find Matthew Golden in the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown. Then, on the first play of the second overtime Ewers would hit tight end Gunnar Helm for the 25-yard score.
Ewers would connect with Golden again on the two point conversion play to give them a 39-31 lead, which would ultimately be the final score as the Texas defense would pick off quarterback Sam Leavett to book their ticket to the aforementioned College Football Playoff semifinal. As expected, I thought Ewers played a much more complete game against Arizona State than he did against Clemson. A lot of that goes to the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents rushing defense, but I thought Ewers put forth a solid outing in this quarterfinal match-up, despite two of his three touchdowns coming in overtime. In their next match-up Ewers and co. will be taking on a red hot Ohio State Buckeyes team that has won their two previous Playoff match-ups in dominant and convincing fashion. Both teams can score the ball at will, but I'm intrigued to see how Ewers handles the pressure of facing the nation's number one defense. I know any team can be beaten, but I just have a hard time envisioning the Buckeyes losing this one. Prove me wrong Texas, prove me wrong (this section was actually written before the game).
Semifinal - 23/39 283 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/5 carries -18 yds 0 touchdowns v no.6 (8) Ohio State (28-14 L) (College Football Playoff Semifinal)
Season - 293/445 3,472 yds 31 touchdowns 12 interceptions/57 carries -82 yds 2 touchdowns
Much like the season before, Quinn Ewers and the Texas Longhorns came up one game shy of the National Championship game. Last year they lost to Washington by a score of 37-31, this time around they lost to Ohio State by a score of 28-14, with a 83-yard scoop and score ultimately being the final nail in the coffin. This is just not the way you want to lose games, not that you want to lose them in general but getting strip sacked and watching your former roommate seal your fait is the ultimate gut punch in my opinion. Despite the loss, Texas can really hold their heads high for the season that they just had. Sure they lost in the semifinals again but in their first year in a new conference they finished with a 13-3 record and a trip to the SEC Championship game. I know that the Longhorns didn't necessarily play the toughest schedule in America, but they beat who they were supposed to and it resulted in a successful season. Texas is so close to reaching the pearly gates, and quarterback Quinn Ewers played a big part in the Longhorns' resurgence. Look, I may have some gripes with Ewers as an overall player, and may think he's been a little over hyped, but he still put forth very solid showings throughout his three years in Austin that saw him have to work with a completely new skill position group this year. Last offseason Texas lost the likes of Jonathon Brooks, Adonai Mitchell, Xavier Worthy, Jordan Whittington, and Ja'Tavion Sanders on the offensive side of the ball, not to mention Byron Murphy II, T'Vondre Sweat, and Jaylan Ford on defense. I didn't think Texas would be bad by any stretch, but I didn't think we'd see them in the conference championship game let alone the College Football Playoff semifinals with all the players they had to replace. So again, despite my holdups, credit to Ewers and his time at Texas. As for this game in particular, Ewers went 23/39 with 283-yards and two touchdowns with an interception (that unfortunately sealed the game). Things looked to be starting out alright for the Texas offense, especially after Ewers connected with Matthew Golden for a 24-yard gain on third and two to get them to the Ohio State side of the 50 on their opening drive of the game.
Really nice ball placement while on the run here by Ewers. With arguably Ohio State's best corner on him, Ewers knows he doesn't have a lot of room to work with to get this ball to his receiver. Throwing it to the outside, Golden is able to make a fantastic one handed grab to again give the Longhorns the first down and get them to the Buckeye side of the 50. Unfortunately for Texas their drive would stall out as Ewers would try to connect with DeAndre Moore Jr. on fourth and three but the pass would hit the dirt and fall incomplete. Ewers and Moore would connect on their next drive on a hitch route that would ultimately go for 15-yards before hitting Ryan Wingo on a screen to the far sideline that would go for a further 22-yards to get them to the Ohio State 42-yard line. The Longhorns wouldn't be able to move the ball much after that last first down, ultimately punting the ball away after six plays with a false start and a sack pushing them back to fourth and 16. Their next few drives would see more of the same, punting the ball away after four, five, and five plays with Ewers' longest pass through those drives going for eight yards to Isaiah Bond (speaking of Bond, he would have a ridiculous drop on third and five on that same drive). Texas' fortunes would start to change on their next possession, with Ewers picking up nine yards with his legs on third and 10 to set up an eight yard run by Arch Manning to get them into Ohio State territory before he'd connect with an open Silas Bolden for 24-yards to get them inside the red zone for the first time in this game. A couple plays later Ewers would hit Jaydon Blue on a wheel route out of the backfield for an 18-yard touchdown to tie the game up at seven with 29-seconds left in the first half.
Really well designed play executed to perfection by both quarterback and running back for the 18-yard touchdown. Great separation created by Blue and a nice and easy throw from Ewers helped tie the game up with less than 30-seconds to go in the half. Unfortunately for Texas Ohio State would score on their very first play on their next drive, making it 14-7 with 13-seconds left in the first half. The Longhorns would try to push down the field with the little time they had remaining but the clock would hit zero before they could do anything, meaning they're going into the locker room down 14-7 after thinking it would stay tied after their own touchdown. The Texas defense would come up big to start the second half, picking off Will Howard less than two minutes into the third quarter. The offense wouldn't do much of anything with the ball despite the turnover, punting it away after just four plays on their opening drive. That being they would be able to find the end zone their next time out, with Ewers helping keep the drive alive by tossing the ball to Quintrevion Wisner that would result in a 14-yard pickup on third and 10.
Excellent heads up play here by Ewers to get this ball out to his running back before he takes a big sack on third and 10. I know it's behind the line of scrimmage, but this is a very impressive play from Ewers which again helped keep the drive alive despite it not looking possible a half second before he let go of the ball. A few plays later Ewers would find Jaydon Blue again on a wheel route out of the backfield for another score, this one coming on third and seven from 26-yards out.
With the Buckeyes sending pressure, Ewers remains calm and delivers another nice ball to Blue for a 26-yard touchdown. Despite there being a defender in his face on third and seven, Ewers is able to hit his open running back out of the backfield, tying the game back up at 14 with just over three minutes to go in the third quarter. Texas would fail to stack scores on their next drive, punting the ball away after going three and out to kick off the fourth quarter. Ohio State in turn would out together a nice 13-play 88-yard drive to re-take the lead midway through the fourth quarter. On their following drive Ewers would come up with very nice throws, hitting Gunnar Helm for 34-yards to get them to the Ohio State 25 (before an unsportsmanlike penalty pushed them back 15-yards) before connecting with a wide open Matthew Golden for a further 27-yards to get them to the 13-yard line. Then, after a couple defensive penalties and an ill-advised halfback toss Texas would be face with a fourth and goal situation from the eight. On this play Ewers would be stripped of the ball, with his former roommate Jack Sawyer taking it back 83-yards for a potential game sealing touchdown with just over two minutes to go in the game. Though that play would hurt, the final nail in the coffin would come on Texas' following possession, as Ewers would be picked off by Caleb Downs with a minute 44 remaining in the contest.
Just not a good throw at all by Ewers as he soft tossed it into double coverage with Downs again coming away with the game sealing interception, as the Buckeyes would come out 28-14 victors in the College Football Playoff semifinal. Just the absolute worst way to end the season, to come up one game short of the ultimate prize for the second consecutive year sucks, especially with Ewers turning the ball over twice on Texas' final two drives of the game. Overall I would say Ewers played a fairly solid game but as the old saying goes, people will remember the last thing you did more than anything and for Ewers, that would be a game sealing interception. Again, it's unfortunate but that's sometimes the nature of the beast. I know it's inevitable unfortunately but I hope he didn't receive too much hate from fans out there as again Ewers was the starting quarterback that really brought Texas back to relevance. Not Sam Ehlinger, not Shane Buechele, not David Ash. Ewers may divide opinions overall, but he put forth a solid career at Texas and I'm intrigued to see where he ends up going in the Draft.
Preseason - 5
Wk 1 - 4
Wk 2 - 3
Wk 3 - 3
Wk 4 - 3
Wk 5 - 5
Wk 6 - 5
Wk 7 - 5
Wk 8 - 6
Wk 9 - 6
Wk 10 - 5
Wk 11 - 5
Wk 12 - 7
Wk 13 - 7
Wk 14 - 7
Wk 15 - 6
Postseason - 7
8. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
Quarterfinal - 29/41 299 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/12 carries -43 yds 0 touchdowns v no.6 (8) Ohio State (41-21 L) (College Football Playoff Quarterfinal)
Season - 326/447 3,857 yds 30 touchdowns 6 interceptions/75 carries 149 yds 7 touchdowns
Well, this certainly wasn't how I or many others out there thought Oregon's season was going to end. Throughout the entire course of the season the Ducks looked like the best team in the nation, being the only FBS program to finish the regular season with an undefeated record. I'm not going to lie, apart from their match-up against Ohio State and that little blip against Wisconsin back in November, it looked almost certain that the Ducks would waddle away with their first ever National Championship (which is actually pretty crazy to think about). It felt like every single time they took the field they had control. They won nine games by double digits and were rarely down through the course of the games they played, with quarterback Dillon Gabriel playing the best football of his long career, setting new career highs of completions, attempts, completion percentage, and yards. A season that saw him finish third in the Heisman Trophy race (behind Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty) as well as setting new FBS career records in total (189) and passing (155, joint with Case Keenum) touchdowns and most points accounted for (1,130) as well as ranking second in passing yards (18,722) and seventh in completions (1,376). All in all it's clear to see that Dillon Gabriel put forth an excellent colligate career, it's just a shame for him and those wearing green that the season again had to end the way it did, as Oregon fell 41-21 in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal to the Ohio State Buckeyes. As the old saying goes, 'it's hard to beat the same team twice,' and given how the game ended the last time these two met I'm not too shocked that the Buckeyes came out on top, it's more the gap in points that is the surprising part. Like this game was never really that close with the Ducks getting within 19-points of the Buckeyes at best, which came after their first drive of the second half. As for Gabriel he had a fairly solid stat line, throwing for 299-yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, though he did get sacked a whopping eight times and totaled -43-yards on the ground, the least amount of yards he's totaled in a game throughout his entire career (his next lowest was -36 back in 2019 when he got sacked six times against Pitt). Things started off about as bad as they could've for the Ducks as they went three and out on their first two possessions and before you knew it the Buckeyes were up 14-0, with both touchdown drive totaling just three plays each. Though the offense would put together a couple seven play drives they'd be forced to punt the ball away again before turning it over on downs, with Gabriel nearly throwing an interception trying to convert on fourth and three. The three and outs would come back following the failed conversion on back-to-back drives before they'd finally find the end zone before the half to make it 34-8. Prior to the score Gabriel would connect with an open Traeshon Holden down the near sideline for what would end up being a 44-yard pick-up on third and 16 before hitting Noah Whittington out of the backfield for a eight yard pick-up on third and one from the 13. A couple plays later Gabriel would hit in the back of the end zone from five yards out to give them their first score of the game as time expired in the first half, again making the score 34-8 following a successful two point conversion following the touchdown. The Ducks would be able to find the end zone again to start the second half, but before then Gabriel would have to scramble around the backfield before delivering a ball down the field to Justius Lowe for a 21-yard gain on third and 22 to help keep the drive alive.
What a great job by Gabriel at keeping this play alive as that was far from a simple task given the pressure he had faced already throughout the game. Usually taking a 12-yard sack on second down to put yourself in a third and 22 situation from your own 13-yard line means the drive is pretty much done but again, Gabriel keeps the play alive and delivers a very nice ball to Lowe who is able to get his feet inbounds a yard short of the first down marker to give them a chance to convert on fourth and one. Gabriel would pick up the first himself on the following play before he'd connect with Terrance Ferguson on a crossing route for what would end up being a 17-yard pickup on first down. A few plays later Gabriel would stand tall in the pocket and deliver a nice ball to Traeshon Holden for what would be a 15-yard pickup on third and five.
Despite not being the biggest quarterback out there Gabriel is still able to stand tall in the pocket and fit a ball into Holden for a much needed first down. While getting pushed back with a defender in his face, mixed with a defender pretty much attached to Holden, this is an impressive and calm throw here by Gabriel. The next play would see him connect with Ferguson on a little roll out to the left that would end up going for a further 25-yards and get the Ducks down to the Buckeye three yard line. A couple plays later Noah Whittington would punch it in from two yards out to make it 34-15 midway through the third. Oregon would go three and out on their next possession following back-to-back sacks of Gabriel before punting the ball away after four plays despite Gabriel hitting Kenyon Sadiq on a screen for a 10-yard gain to open up the drive. Gabriel and Ferguson would connect on third and four for 10-yards before hitting Traeshon Holden for a 27-yard touchdown with 10-minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
With pressure in his face again, Gabriel is able to deliver a very nice ball to Holden for what again would result in a 27-yard touchdown. Though it wouldn't matter for the grand scheme of the game, that touchdown would tie Dillon Gabriel with Case Keenum for the all time career FBS touchdown record, which is still cool regardless of the outcome of the game. Still though, I love that despite pressure constantly in his face, Gabriel is still able to deliver good balls down the field. That would pretty much be the end of things for Oregon as they'd really run one more drive before falling to Ohio State by a score of 41-21. Again, not the way that many thought Oregon's season would end, but I would still say that it was an overall successful season for Gabriel and the Ducks. They may have fallen short of the ultimate goal Oregon again finished the regular season as the only team to finish undefeated, won the conference title in their first season, and sent someone to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony (one of five finalists in school history). As for Gabriel, with all the accolades and numbers I'm intrigued to see where he ends up going in the draft. His size and overall arm talent may see him slide a little bit but the dude oozes experience and is as consistent as they come. The dude is a gamer and could really help a team out in the later rounds.
Preseason - N/R
Wk 1 - H/M
Wk 2 - H/M
Wk 3 - H/M
Wk 4 - H/M
Wk 5 - H/M
Wk 6 - H/M
Wk 7 - H/M
Wk 8 - H/M
Wk 9 - H/M
Wk 10 - H/M
Wk 11 - H/M
Wk 12 - H/M
Wk 13 - N/R (BYE)
Wk 14 - H/M
Wk 15 - 9
Postseason - 8
9. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana
First Round - 20/33 215 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/5 carries -10 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.5 (7) Notre Dame (27-17 L) (First Round College Football Playoff)
Season - 222/320 3,042 yds 29 touchdowns 5 interceptions/46 carries -35 yds 2 touchdowns
Let's be honest with ourselves for a little bit, neither you nor myself expected this game to ever take place. Sure I guess we could've seen this coming from a regular seasons perspective, but never in a postseason game and definitely not in the College Football Playoff. Though the first round was fairly predictable overall, games like this really got us excited for the first year of the new 12-team playoff format. As we love to say when the month of March rolls around, this seasons Indiana team was truly a 'Cinderella story.' I know some out there (mainly weirdo SEC loyalists) say that the Indiana Hoosiers, despite their record, didn't beat anyone worth noting throughout the course of the season. Though that may be somewhat true given the fact that they beat zero top-25 teams throughout the season, but no one out there thought they'd have the season they did. I didn't matter who they played, hell it could've been the sisters of the blind school, no one in their right mind thought that Indiana would ever finish the regular season with 10-wins. Not to be too mean but c'mon, it's Indiana for crying out loud. Prior to this year, Indiana was one of three teams (along with Iowa State and Vanderbilt) to never boast a 10-win season. To put things in perspective, Indiana has had a football program running since 1887, that was the same year the Eiffel Tower was constructed. So again, it doesn't matter who they did or didn't beat, the fact of the matter is that no one thought this would happen, so I am beyond thrilled that they took part in the College Football Playoff, despite not posing any real threat to Notre Dame, losing the game 27-17. Despite the loss, Indiana and quarterback Kurtis Rourke can hold their heads up high, especially since the latter came ninth in the Heisman Trophy race. As for this game in particular, Rourke finished with 215-yards with two touchdowns and an interception, with that interception coming on just Indiana's second drive of the game. Following a three and out on their opening possession, the Hoosiers would be set up nicely at the Irish 41-yard line following a Riley Leonard interception. Prior to the interception, Rourke would connect with Elijah Sarratt for a 28-yard gain on third and 14 to get them down to the Notre Dame 17-yard line.
Really solid throw by Rourke to get the Hoosiers deeper inside Notre Dame territory. Though he may not have gotten as much on the pass as he may have liked, I still think it's a good throw from him. What's arguably even better though is the concentration shown by Sarratt to see his ball in despite the defender pretty much blocking his sight of the ball. Good play though unfortunately the good times wouldn't last long as Rourke would be picked off on the following play from the Notre Dame 17-yard line.
Not the greatest decision here by Rourke as his intended receiver had two Notre Dame defenders (and the ref) on him when he let this ball go. Instead of trying to put this ball on the receiver he instead tries to lead him, which he does too much and sees the ball go past him and into the grateful arms of an Irish defender. It was a really tight window and Rourke missed it, which would unfortunately lead to a 98-yard touchdown run by Jeremiyah Love on Notre Dame's first play from scrimmage. Indiana would be forced to punt on their next two drives after eight and six plays with Rourke completing one pass, which went to Ke'Shawn Williams for 10-yards on the second of those two aforementioned drives. They would finally manage to register some points their next time out as Rourke would connect with Elijah Sarratt for 15-yards on third and 10 and Myles Price for 12-yards on second and 10 that would ultimately help set up a 34-yard field goal attempt by Nicolas Radicic to make it 14-3 with three and a half minutes to go in the second quarter. That would be their final real drive of the first half (they'd run one more play before halftime) and on their first two drives of the second half we'd see them go three and out, totaling -7-yards in the process. They would be forced to punt after five plays their next time out before Rourke would help lead a nice 13-play touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter. On the drive he'd connect with Ke'Shawn Williams and Myles Price for 16 and Sarratt for 17 before hitting Price on a screen pass from seven yards out to give him and the Hoosiers their first touchdown of the game (Rourke would also connect with Sarratt for the two point conversion). Following an onside kick recovery Indiana would have a chance to make the game a little more respectable. After hitting on a couple shorter passes Rourke would hit Omar Cooper Jr. on a beautiful back shoulder throw for a 23-yard touchdown with 25-seconds left in the game.
As I've talked about before in previous blog posts, Kurtis Rourke throws a really good back shoulder ball. Much like another Indiana quarterback who wore the number nine, Rourke may be the best back shoulder thrower in this year's draft class. He just seems to hit on it every time, with him and his receivers seemingly always in sync. I know it doesn't amount to much in the grand scheme of things but it was still a good throw and catch that again made the game a little more respectable. Notre Dame would see out the game on their following possession, taking home a pretty convincing 27-17 victory. I know it only ended up being a 10-point win but the Irish were in complete control throughout the game as Indiana's only touchdowns came with less than five minutes to go in regulation. As for Rourke he had a hard time really getting things going. Sure he had a couple nice throws but Notre Dame's defense caused him and the rest of the offense a lot of grief throughout the game. Though they lost, it should not take away from the season that Rourke and the Hoosiers had, as they again became the first team in school history to get to the 10-win mark. I don't care who they played, neither you nor myself thought this was possible, so I'm happy. With Rourke having offseason surgery to repair a torn ACL (dawg) I'm intrigued to see where he ends up going in April's draft. He may not be the most fleet footed, but the dude can make every throw on the field. He should make a team very happy in the later rounds.
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)
Wk 8 - 9
Wk 9 - 9
Wk 10 - 9
Wk 11 - 8
Wk 12 - 8
Wk 13 - 9
Wk 14 - 8
Wk 15 - 7
Postseason - 9
10. Riley Leonard, Notre Dame
First Round - 23/32 201 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/11 carries 30 yds 1 touchdown v no.8 (10) Indiana (27-17 W) (First Round College Football Playoff)
Despite falling to Northern Illinois at home earlier this season, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were able to run the table the rest of the way and get themselves a ticket to the first ever 12-team College Football Playoff. I'm not going to lie, I had no idea what to expect from the Irish after the first two games of the season. After week one I thought we'd be looking at a season like we're seeing now, with the Irish going into Kyle Field and upsetting the then 20th ranked Texas A&M Aggies. Fast forward a week later and their losing to Northern Illinois and now I'm thinking they'll be lucky to win eight games. Crazy how much things change throughout the season, right? As I brought up just a little bit ago, after that embarrassing week two loss Notre Dame not only ran the table, but beat every team apart from one by 10 or more points (they beat Louisville by seven). The defense was playing out of it's mind and the offense was doing it's job as the Irish beat four ranked teams en route to finishing with a impressive 11-1 regular season record. One thing that I found most enjoyable to watch from a neutrals perspective was the development of quarterback Riley Leonard. A transfer from Duke, Leonard possesses all the traits you want in a top level quarterback. He has the build, arm strength, athleticism, and dawg in him to be a truly special player, but he has battle some consistency issues throughout his colligate career. That being said Leonard was very efficient post week two, throwing just three interceptions to 16-touchdowns while also totaling an impressive 13-touchdowns on the ground as well (he had one against Northern Illinois). Though he hasn't thrown for an astonishing amount of yards, Leonard has put Notre Dame is the best chance to win, and this in-state match-up against Indiana made for an exciting first round tie, especially since the Hoosiers were coming off of their first 10-win season in program history. Despite that Notre Dame thoroughly handled business, coming out 27-17 victors with Leonard throwing for 201-yards with one touchdown and an interception to go along with 30-yards on the ground and a touchdown there to boot. That interception would come fairly early in the contest, as after the defense forced Indiana to go three and out on their opening possession, Leonard's pass would get hit at the line of scrimmage and land in the grateful hands of a Hoosier defender on just their second play from scrimmage.
This is just an unfortunate situation for Leonard as he watches the ball fall helplessly into the arms of an Indiana defender after it's hit at the line of scrimmage. Just not a lot you can do in that situation as a quarterback except to just hope and pray that the defender somehow makes a meal of it and drops it. Unfortunately that's not the case here, though the Notre Dame defense would respond with an interception themselves, keeping the Hoosiers out of the end zone despite them getting it down to the Irish 17. With the ball at their own two following the pick, Jeremiyah Love would take it all the way from 98-yards out, registering the shortest touchdown (to that point) in the history of the 12-team playoff to give the Irish a 7-0 lead with less than 11-minutes to go in the opening quarter. From a one play drive to a 16-play (over nine minute) drive, Notre Dame really had thing clicking their next time out on the field. On that long drive Leonard would connect on a few short to intermediate passes for first downs to the likes of Beaux Collins for 10 on third and six, Aneyas Williams for five on second and two, and Jordan Faison for nine on second and eight before hitting a fairly open Jayden Thomas for the easy five yard touchdown pass to give the Irish a 14-0 lead just over two minutes into the second quarter. The Irish would be forced to punt after just four plays their next time out, though they would still be able to come away with some points before the half, with Leonard helping keep the drive alive by hitting Jordan Faison for a 10-yard gain and third and six.
Leonard does a very nice job at staying tall through the contact before delivering a catchable ball to his receiver for the eventual first down. The word 'catchable' is subjective of course, but I do think Leonard puts this in a spot where only Faison could come away with the ball (fantastic catch by Faison). I'm not saying it's an amazing throw or anything, but given that it was third and six and that they needed a first down, this is a really good play from Leonard to keep the drive alive. Leonard would then make some defenders miss to pick up a first down with his legs on second and four. That mixed with a 12-yard run and five yard catch by Aneyas Williams would help set up a 49-yard field goal attempt for Mitch Jeter, which he would convert to make it 17-3 going into the locker room. Notre Dame would be forced to punt after going three and out on their opening possession of the second half. Leonard would hit on a couple passes their next time out, helping get them to the Indiana four yard line before a loss of four and a delay of game penalty pushed them back to the 15. From there Jeter would attempt another field goal, this one from 33-yards out to further extend the Irish's advantage with just over four minutes to go in the third quarter. Leonard would connect with Beaux Collins for eight, Mitchell Evans for nine, Jeremiyah Love for 10, and Jaden Greathouse for eight on their next drive, helping set up yet another Jeter attempt, this one from 37-yards out. The difference here is that this kick would be blocked, giving the Hoosiers some life with 12-minutes still to go in the fourth quarter. That 'life' would be very short lived as they'd be forced to punt the ball away after just five plays. Notre Dame would bounce back from the blocked field goal by scoring their first touchdown sicne the 12:52 mark in the second quarter, as Leonard would hit Jordan Faison on a well thrown ball to pick up 44-yards and get them down to the Indiana one yard line.
Though this didn't end up counting for six this is still a very impressive throw from Leaonrd to hit Faison down the field for the 44-yard pickup. Prior to the throw, Leonard does an excellent job at sliding with the protection, avoiding the rush before launching it down the field. Despite knowing he's going to take some sort of shot from the Indiana defender he still stays calm, which is exactly what you want to see from your quarterback. Two plays later Leonard would take it in himself, giving the Irish a 27-3 lead with just under five minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame's offense wouldn't see the field for the rest of the game as after Indiana scored with a minute and a half left they recovered an onside kick, scoring after that to make the final score 27-17. Though it wound up being a 10-point game, Notre Dame again thoroughly dominated the game. The defense was suffocating and the offense made smart plays to come out on top. As for Leonard, he did a nice job at taking what the defense gave him, whether that was an eight to 10-yard pass or a 44-yard bomb down the field. He didn't necessarily do anything jaw dropping per se, but I thought he put forth a very solid effort in the win. Let's see how him and the rest of the Irish are able to handle the Georgia Bulldogs in the next round.
Quarterfinal - 15/24 90 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/14 carries 80 yds 0 touchdowns v no.2 (2) Georgia (23-10 W) (College Football Playoff Quarterfinal)
What a match-up we have in store for the second round of the College Football Playoff. Notre Dame, fresh off of a home win against in-state foe Indiana is now tasked in facing the second seeded Georgia Bulldogs. Despite the Bulldogs having to start back-up Gunner Stockton to replace the injured Carson Beck, Georgia still boasts some elite talent on the defensive side of the ball that could cause quarterback Riley Leonard and co. some problems. Though they may not be at their dazzling best, players like Nazir Stackhouse, Mykel Williams, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Jalon Walker, Smael Mondon Jr., Daylen Everette, and Malaki Starks still make up one of the more formidable defenses in all of college football, with Williams, Walker, and Starks all being considered high first round draft picks in this April's draft. Though I liked what I saw from the Irish against the Hoosiers, and though they came in as -1.5-point favorites, for some reason I just had a hard time thinking that the Bulldogs would come out on the losing side of things. I get the whole back-up quarterback thing, but Georgia again still boasts some of the best and most athletic players in all of college football. Though it may not have been as dominant as their game against Indiana, Notre Dame took care of business once again, beating Georgia by the score of 23-10. In this one Irish quarterback Riley Leonard was relatively held in check in regards to the passing game, only totaling 90-yards through the air with a touchdown. On the ground game though, he was in his element as he led Notre Dame with 80-rushing yards in the 13-point victory. That being said things didn't start out the smoothest for them on offense as they went three and out on their first possession before punting after five plays their second time out, though Leonard did connect with Jordan Faison for a 14-yard gain on second and seven. Leonard and Faison would find each other on their next possession for five yards before Leonard cut up the middle and take the ball 32-yards down the field to the Georgia 29-yard line.
Much like I've talked about with Jalen Milroe, if you give Leonard space on the ground he will absolutely torch you, as he did right here picking up 32-yards on the ground. It's not a fancy play design or anything, Leonard just runs right up the middle for a big gain to get to the Georgia side of the 50. Unfortunately Notre Dame wouldn't move much further as they'd have to settle for a 44-yard Mitch Jeter field goal to tie the game up at three midway through the second quarter. Leonard would be the Bulldogs on the ground again two drives later, fighting through a tackler to pick up 11-yards on first and 10.
With nothing open down the field Leonard smartly cuts it up between the center and guard to again pick up 11-yards and a first down, breaking an ankle tackle in the process. Again, the dude is dangerous when you give him space to work with. He would pick up 10-more yards on second and 21 after taking a bad sack on first down, helping get the Irish back into field goal range for Jeter to give them their first lead of the game with 39-seconds left. That wouldn't be the last time Notre Dame would register points as the defense would come away with a huge strip sack of Stockton, gifting the offense the ball back at the Georgia 13-yard line. One play later Leonard would register his first passing touchdown of the game, hitting Beaux Collins with 27-seconds to go in the first half.
This is ultimately a fairly easy touchdown pass for Riley Leonard, as the Irish again further their advantage following the Georgia turnover. With two tight ends in the formation and one motioning across, Georgia is more or less expecting a run here by Notre Dame. Because of this, the safety ultimately sucks down, freeing up a gap in the secondary for Leonard to hit for the score. Great play design and it again helped them take a double digit lead going into the locker room. Then, in the blink of an eye, thanks to a Jayden Harrison kickoff return the score would now stand at 20-3 to kick things off in the second half. Isn't it just crazy how fast things can change in football. From being tied up at three with 45-seconds left in the first half to being 20-3 about a minute later is absolutely crazy. Georgia would strike back with a touchdown of their own their second time out following a Notre Dame three and out to make it 20-10, putting the pressure back on the Irish to make sure they don't blow their double digit lead. With Notre Dame turning it over on downs it looked like that scenario may be coming true. But wait just a minute sports fans, the Bulldogs would follow suit by failing to convert on fourth down as well. Leonard would help move the Irish down the field with some short run plays before Mitch Jeter would have to come out to attempt a 47-yard attempt, which he would convert to make it 23-10 to start the fourth quarter. Notre Dame would put forth a solid 12-play drive to pretty much see out the game (with Leonard making a sick play to pick up a first down on third and seven), giving the Irish a nice double digit victory in the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff.
This is why I and so many other people out there love Riley Leonard. On third and seven, needing a first down to help see out the game, he's not only able to get to the outside of the defense, but leap over a defender in the process to pick up the first. Leonard is a dawg, and his teammates rally around him because of that. All in all I don't know how many people would've predicted this outcome after the Northern Illinois game, but here we are, as the Irish move on to the semifinal to take on a tough Penn State team that boasts a great defense led by the nation's top pass rusher, Abdul Carter.
Semifinal - 15/23 223 yds 1 touchdown 2 interceptions/18 carries 35 yds 1 touchdown v no.4 (6) Penn State (27-24 W) (College Football Playoff Semifinal)
After dispatching the likes of Indiana and Georgia with relative ease the Fighting Irish faced arguably their toughest test of the season in the College Football Playoff semifinal, taking on the Penn State Nittany Lions. Not to discredit the two teams I mentioned previously, both deserved to be in but yet both were held back by Notre Dame's methodical approach on offense and relatively suffocating defense. Why this game could be considered the Irish's toughest test is because Penn State plays in a fairly similar ilk to that of Notre Dame. What I mean by that is that on the offensive side they have good quarterback play bolstered by a solid rushing attack and good tight ends. On the defensive side of things they are as stout as they come, with both teams boasting top 10 defenses nationally in regards to points and yards allowed per game. The only difference is that Notre Dame doesn't have a player quite like Abdul Carter coming off the edge. That's no diss towards the Irish defense, it's just that Carter may very well be the best defensive player in the country, so there aren't many teams out there that can rival them in regards to that star player. Out of all the games throughout the playoff this was one I was very much looking forward to, because of all the things that I mentioned before. The main thing though is because of the quarterbacks involved. If you've read my blog posts or listened to my show long enough you know how much admiration I have for the likes of Drew Allar and Riley Leonard, two of my favorite quarterbacks in the country. Though they have their flaws, I think the pair have a lot of talent and could be truly unleashed at the next level (if drafted by the right team of course). In this section though we are here to focus our attention on the latter, with Leonard throwing for a near season high 223-yards with a touchdown and two interceptions with another touchdown coming on the ground. He may not have lit the world alight, but Leonard made plays when Notre Dame needed him to and it helped them eventually secure the win. Things would seemingly start off pretty good for Leonard and co. as on third and seven he'd throw a very nice back shoulder throw to tight end Mitchell Evans for a 32-yard gain to get them down to the Penn State 43-yard line.
Like I brought up when talking about the quarterbacks, if you know me or have read my blogs posts or listened to my show or whatever, you know how much I appreciate a good back shoulder throw. It's poetry in motion on the football field and it shows the chemistry between quarterback and receiver (or in this case tight end) as everything has to be aligned for it to work. In this case, it worked as Evans was able to see the ball in from Leonard through the defender before picking up some more yards after the catch to get them to the Penn State side of the 50. Unfortunately the Irish would be forced to punt a few plays later, and on their next drive we'd see Leonard register his first interception of the game.
With Carter coming off the edge, Leonard attempts to slide up in the pocket and deliver a strike down the field. Unfortunately the ball ends up sailing on him, landing in the grateful arms of the Penn State defender. It sucks because if it was lower it may have been a solid throw, but alas it was high and the Nittany Lions would take over at their own 42-yard line. The Irish would be forced to punt after eight plays on their next drive before ending the half with a 41-yard field goal attempt by Mitch Jeter to make it 10-3 at the break. Prior to the field goal Leonard would be forced out due to a head injury. Though back-up Steve Angeli performed well in his absence, Leonard would come back at the start of the second half and help Notre Dame find the end zone for the first time just over four minutes into the third quarter, which was helped set up by Leonard hitting Aneyas Williams for a 36-yard gain down the near sideline.
This is a really strong throw from Leonard to hit Williams down the sideline for the nice 36-yard gain. Weirdly that was his first throw since being taken out of the game with the aforementioned head injury, and what a way to re-announce yourself, am I right? These are the types of throws you want your quarterback to make, especially with a defender jumping up in his face. After a 15-yard run by Williams got them down to the Penn State four, Leonard would punch it in after back-to-back run plays to tie the game up at 10 just four minutes into the new half. Really nice way to start the half for Leonard and co. after looking fairly anemic throughout the first half. That being said they would be forced to punt the ball away after four plays on their next drive, though they would be able to find the end zone at the start of the fourth quarter, with Leonard connecting with Jaden Greathouse for 17-yards on third and nine to help extend the drive.
Despite Penn State bringing a decent amount of pressure, Leonard is able to remain calm and put this ball in a spot where only his intended receiver could make a play on it. The ball placement from Leonard despite the blitz is impressive, especially with the safety playing overtop. Good overall play that would again help set up Notre Dame's second touchdown of the game, courtesy of a two yard run by Jeremiyah Love to make it 17-10 a minute into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately they would be unable to follow that touchdown up with another, as on the first play of their next drive Leonard would throw his second interception of the game.
This was just a tough spot for Leonard as he's trying to hit Mitchell Evans on the wheel route. The problem is that there's a safety playing over top, meaning the ball is going to have to be on a line. The only issue with that is that Penn State dropped a lineman back into coverage, blocking the path to Evans, which led to the interception. All that being said, Leonard was locked in on throwing that ball, and there was very little chance that this thing was ever going to be completed. Not a great decision that gifted Penn State the ball back deep inside Notre Dame territory. Unsurprisingly the Nittany Lions were able to find the end zone, thankfully for them the offense would be able to respond as Leonard would hit a wide ass open Jaden Greathouse for a game tying 54-yard touchdown.
This will probably go down as the easiest passing touchdown Riley Leonard has had throughout his colligate career. With the defender tripping over his own feet, all Leonard needed to do was not miss his intended receiver, and if he made the safety miss it'd be a walk in touchdown. Guess what? That's exactly what happened. Good accurate throw from Leonard and nice move to shake the safety by Greathouse to ultimately wind up in the end zone for the score. Penn State and Notre Dame would trade punts following that touchdown, giving the Nittany Lions the ball with less than a minute to go in the game. Unfortunately for them and fortunately for the Irish Drew Allar would get picked off at the Penn State 42-yard line, giving Notre Dame the ball back in plus territory with very little time remaining in the game. With Leonard connecting with Greathouse again for 10-yards on third and three, the Irish were set up to take home the win. A few plays later Mitch Jeter would make a 41-yard field to give them the 27-24 lead, which would ultimately be the final as the Irish would book their trip to the National Championship! It wasn't perfect from Leonard but again, when he needed to make plays he made them, which helped Notre Dame secure the win. Though it wasn't the highest scoring affair, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this game, and I'm even more excited to see them in the National Championship.
National Championship - 22/31 255 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/17 carries 40 yds 1 touchdown v no.6 (8) Ohio State (34-23 L) (College Football Playoff National Championship)
Season - 269/403 2,861 yds 21 touchdowns 8 interceptions/184 carries 906 yds 17 touchdowns
Like what I said during the Indiana section of Riley Leonard's dissertation, how many people at the start of the season actually saw this coming? Notre Dame, a team who lost to Northern Illinois at home, would be playing for a National Championship in the first year of the 12-team Playoff. Sure it was a fun idea to think of after they beat Texas A&M as most people thought it'd be fairly straight forward for them to finish the regular season with an undefeated record. After the Northern Illinois game things certainly changed. Like, if you lose to Northern Illinois in your first home game of the season, what are you going to do when you go up against teams like Louisville, Florida State (preseason view), and USC? Everything was pretty much on the table, especially when you look at Leonard's performances through those first two games, throwing for less than 200-yards in each while register no touchdowns through the air with two interceptions. Even in Notre Dame's 66-7 drubbing of Purdue the next week he failed to register a passing touchdown. Yes I know he rushed for over 100-yards and totaled three touchdowns but we already knew what he could do as a runner, people wanted to see Leonard's development as a passer, especially those in the Draft space like myself. After those games though Leonard started to turn it on, registering six passing touchdowns and no interceptions in the three games that followed and would end the regular season with 16-touchdowns to just five interceptions (only three after week two). With Leonard continuing to develop as a passer Notre Dame's offense got more scary, as adding that to his running ability and Jeremiah Love in the backfield allowed the Irish to routinely score more than 30-points per game (averaged 36.1 points per game). In the Playoffs Leonard continued to look good, despite only registering 90-yards through the air against Georgia. His best game came against Penn State as he made a few big throws to help the Irish come back from a 10-point deficit. Now in the National Championship, everyone out there was intrigued to see how him and the rest of the Irish would do against a star studded Ohio State team. Many thought they could pull off the upset following their opening drive, as Leonard would orchestrate an 18-play touchdown drive that would take 9:45 off of the clock. Leonard would connect with Kris Mitchell for 10 and Eli Raridon for 14-yards on the drive but it would be his legs that would cause the most damage, calling his own number on five of their final six plays of the drive to punch it into the end zone to give them the early seven point lead. Notre Dame would have no where near the same level of success their next few times out, going three and out on their next two possessions before Leonard would connect with Beaux Collins for seven yards on the final play of the first half. Things wouldn't get much better to start off the second half as they'd go three and out again, only this time they'd attempt a fake punt that would ultimately fall incomplete at their own 33-yard line. Notre Dame would finally find the end zone again following an Ohio State field goal that would give them a 31-7 advantage, with Leonard hitting Jaden Greathouse on a slant that he would take 34-yards to the house to make it 31-15 (they'd make the two point conversion).
Almost all of the credit on this play goes to Greathouse who did an excellent job at making multiple defenders miss on his way to the end zone. But with Ohio State bringing pressure, Leonard does a nice job at remaining calm and allowing his receiver to get open before delivering the ball for the eventual score. Following an Emeka Egbuka fumble the Irish would be gifted another chance at life, and on third and nine Leonard and Greathouse would connect for what would end up being a 30-yard gain.
This is a really strong throw by Leonard. Despite there being a defender right in his face he's able to deliver a very nice ball down the field to Greathouse for the 30-yard gain (while also getting hit). These are the throws you love to see your quarterback make. Third and nine with a defender barreling down on you, a situation where you have to convert, and Leonard does just that. Leonard would come up big later in the drive, hitting Greathouse for a further 11-yards on fourth and five. Ultimately though the Irish would settle for a field goal, and unfortunately kicker Mitch Jeter would miss the 27-yard attempt, leaving the score at 31-15 midway through the fourth. Thankfully the defense would force Ohio State to punt the ball away after five plays, giving the offense another chance with just over six minutes to go in the game. To kick things off Leonard again would be faced with heavy pressure, though he'd be able to evade it and hit Beaux Collins for a 12-yard gain.
Again, very nice job by Leonard at moving around the pocket to avoid the pressure before getting the ball out to Collins for the aforementioned 12-yard gain (while getting hit again). Leonard would then hit Mitchell Evans across the middle for a further 33-yards on second and six before tossing up a beautiful deep ball to Jaden Greathouse down the near sideline for what would result in a 30-yard touchdown to bring them back to within eight (follow another successful two point conversion attempt).
What a throw here by Leonard to hit his favorite receiver in the end zone again for what would result in a 30-yard touchdown, giving them each their second of the game. You really can't ask for a much better throw from your quarterback as Leonard did that a few times throughout this touchdown drive to get the game back to within one score. Unfortunately they wouldn't be able to do much more, as the Buckeyes would convert on a 33-yard field goal, seeing the game out by the score of 34-23. Like I said before, not many people actually thought Notre Dame would be here, and after finding themselves down 31-7 in the third quarter, I don't think a lot of people expected them to come away with 23-points. It may not have been the end result they were hoping for, but Leonard and co. put forth a valiant effort in the National Championship. As for Leonard's draft stock the dude has all the physical tools you want in a franchise quarterback, but like I brought up before consistency in regards to his passing game has always been the biggest red flag towards his game. The dude is an absolute gamer, and if he gets that part of his game smoothed out he could be a real threat at the next level. I am a big fan of Leonard and I'm excited to see what he can to in the NFL.
Preseason - 7
Wk 1 - 8
Wk 2 - H/M
Wk 3 - H/M
Wk 4 - 10
Wk 5 - 10
Wk 6 - 10
Wk 7 - 10
Wk 8 - H/M
Wk 9 - 10
Wk 10 - 10
Wk 11 - 10
Wk 12 - 10
Wk 13 - 10
Wk 14 - H/M
Wk 15 - H/M
Postseason - 10
Others
Max Brosmer, Minnesota
Bowl Game - 18/29 211 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/4 carries -2 yds 0 touchdowns v Virginia Tech (24-10 W) (Duke's Mayo Bowl)
Season - 268/403 2,828 yds 18 touchdowns 6 interceptions/71 carries -36 yds 5 touchdowns
Brady Cook, Missouri
Bowl Game - 18/32 287 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/14 carries 54 yds 0 touchdowns v Iowa (27-24 W) (TransPerfect Music City Bowl)
Season - 201/321 2,535 yds 11 touchdowns 2 interceptions/87 carries 223 yds 5 touchdowns
Graham Mertz, Florida
Bowl Game - OUT v Tulane (33-8 W) (Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl)
Season - 72/94 791 yds 6 touchdowns 2 interceptions/18 carries 56 yds 1 touchdown
Cam Miller, North Dakota State
FCS Second Round - 20/29 274 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/5 carries 7 yds 1 touchdown v (15) Abilene Christian (51-31 W)
FCS Quarterfinal - 16/25 259 yds 2 touchdowns 2 interceptions/11 carries 40 yds 1 touchdown v (7) Mercer (31-7 W)
FCS Semifinal - 13/19 179 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/15 carries 93 yds 1 touchdown v (3) South Dakota State (28-21 W)
FCS National Championship - 19/22 199 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/18 carries 121 yds 2 touchdowns v (1) Montana State (35-32 W)
Season - 258/351 3,251 yds 33 touchdowns 4 interceptions/145 carries 631 yds 12 touchdowns
Tyler Shough, Louisville
Bowl Game - OUT v Washington (35-34 W) (Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl)
Season - 244/389 3,195 yds 23 touchdowns 6 interceptions/42 carries 19 yds 1 touchdown
Thank you for taking the time to read through the list! Hope you enjoyed it! If you did, give the article a like and comment down below how you felt!
While you're at it, go subscribe and/or follow me on all forms of social media!
Facebook: The Logan Blackman Show
Instagram (personal): @blackmanlogan
Instagram (show): @theloganblackmanshow1
LinkedIn: Logan Blackman
TikTok: @theloganblackmanshow
Twitter: @logan_blackman
YouTube: The Logan Blackman Show
コメント