The Draft "Expert" - Wk 1 2026 NFL Draft Quarterback Prospect Rankings
- Logan Blackman
- Sep 5
- 48 min read
Hello everyone and welcome to the first officially official blog post for the 2026 NFL Draft! Oh my goodness ladies and gentlemen, it feels so damn good to have college football back, and though this particular blog might mean absolutely nothing by the time we reach October or November, it is always fun to make these!
Compared to last year's draft, this year's quarterback class has a few different players who could wind up being first round draft picks. Obviously that can change throughout the course of the season, but as things stand right now I've seen people talk about six or seven different quarterbacks who could be taken with a first round pick (fyi, I'm not saying six or seven will go in the first round, I'm just saying I've seen six or seven names be mentioned as possible first round picks).
Now, it can be somewhat hard to gauge a quarterback after just their week one performance, as yes some played better or much better than others, but in the same breath some quarterbacks played much tougher opponents. Like, it's hard to compared Drew Allar's performance against Nevada to Garrett Nussmeier's performance on the road against number four Clemson.
All in all I'm just excited to get back to doing this as this is truly my favorite thing to do throughout the year. I love watching football, and especially the quarterback position, so I do hope you enjoy our officially official week one quarterback prospect rankings for the 2026 NFL Draft!
Podcast Links
1. Drew Allar, Penn State
Wk 1 - 22/26 217 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/6 carries 20 yds 0 touchdowns v Nevada (46-11 W)
Season - 22/26 217 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/6 carries 20 yds 0 touchdowns
Going into this season, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar really divided opinions from fellow draft "expert's" out there. Some, including myself, think he's got all the tools to be the best quarterback in this upcoming draft class, whereas others think that he's still too raw or inconsistent to be considered as a top tier prospect. Regardless of where you view Allar as a prospect right now, one thing we can all agree on is that how far Penn State goes this season will depend on how good Allar plays, as the Nittany Lions brought back damn near everyone from a roster that made it to the College Football Playoff semi-finals. Though I don't think he was as bad as his Playoff numbers suggest, Allar's inconsistencies as a passer did rear their ugly head against teams like SMU, Boise State, and Notre Dame, three games where he failed to complete more than 60% of his passes. Again, if Penn State are going to do anything this year, it starts with Allar's continued development as a passer. Though the Nittany Lions didn't face an insanely tough opponent in week one, Allar still put up an impressive stat line of 22/26 with 217 yards and a touchdown, to go along with 20 yards on the ground in a 46-11 home victory agains the Nevada Wolfpack. Allar didn't to do too much on Penn State's opening drive following a Ky Woods fumble, connecting with Kyron Hudson for 13 and six yards and Nicholas Singleton for five before getting them down to the one yard line using his legs to help set up a Singleton touchdown run to put them up 7-0 late in the first quarter. Despite being set up with excellent field position again on their following drive following a Zane Durant interception return that would set them up at the Nevada four yard line, a snap would go through Allar's hands and push them back to the 10 before settling for a 28-yard field goal from Ryan Barker to extend their lead to 10 with less than two minutes to go in the opening quarter. Allar would connect with Trebor Pena for 14 and Kyron Hudson for 18 before hitting Pena again for 12 to help set up a 12-touchdown run on a jet sweep by Kaytron Allen to put them up 17 at the 10-minute mark in the second quarter.
Penn State would have to settle for a field goal on their following drive despite a 73-yard kick return by King Mack that would set them up at the Nevada 18-yard line (that being said Allar would pick up 11-yards with his legs to make it fourth and three following back-to-back plays for negative yards). Nevada would punt the ball away after going three and out on their following drive, and with a minute and a half left in the second Allar would lead an eight play 64-yard touchdown drive to make the score 27-3 just before the half. After connecting with Devonte Ross for four yards on fourth and two, Allar would hit Kyron Hudson in the end zone from 31-yards out to give them that aforementioned score before halftime.
This is just a fantastic throw from Allar. After scanning the right side of the field, Allar turns his attention back to the left and steps up in the pocket before uncorking one to Hudson in the end zone for the score. Such an effortless throw here from Allar, throwing against his body and hitting the receiver in the end zone for the score, got to love it. Allar would do a nice job at evading potential sacks on Penn State's opening drive of the second half, hitting Hudson for 14 and Kaytron Allen for three (as well as connecting with Trebor Pena for 18 and 13-yards on back-to-back plays) to help set up a 32-yard field goal from Ryan Barker to make it 30-3 midway through the third. Allar would connect with Pena in the flat for a 15-yard gain following another Nevada turnover, which would help set up a one yard touchdown run by Nicholas Singleton to further extend their lead in the third (failed two point conversion). Allar's final drive of the game would see him connect with Singleton out of the backfield for 22-yards, helping set up another Barker field goal before Ethan Grunkemeyer would see the game out as Penn State would come away 46-11 victors in their home opener. This was just a nice and simple game from Allar and co. as they handled their business against a far inferior opponent in Nevada. Things could look fairly similar next week as the Florida International Panthers come to town. Despite their 1-0 record, I don't think Allar and the Nittany Lions will struggle too much in that one.
Wk 1 - 1
Wk 2 - v Florida International
2. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
Wk 1 - 28/38 230 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/4 carries 2 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.4 Clemson (17-10 W)
Season - 28/38 230 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/4 carries 2 yds 0 touchdowns
One of the more highly anticipated week one match-ups saw LSU travel up north to Clemson, South Carolina to take on the fourth ranked Tigers, in a battle for namesake and stadium naming rights. Though they came into the season ranked ninth, some people out there were nervous about how LSU would fare against a team that boasted one of the best defensive lines in football. I mean, any team in college football would and should be wary about facing TJ Parker and Peter Woods, but LSU came into this game with a completely new look offensive line in every sense of the word, with the Tigers losing four of their five starters from last season to the NFL, namely fourth overall pick Will Campbell. Not only that, but the team lost some key receivers this offseason as well, meaning a lot of LSU's success would be placed on the shoulders of quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. Dawning the famous 18 jersey this season, Nussmeier has widely been considered as one of the best signal callers in the country, being given the third best odds (per ESPN) to come away with the Heisman Trophy. A potential first round draft pick last season, Nussmeier's decision to return to school has given LSU a massive boost going into this season, and he looked really good as the Tigers came away with a 17-10 road victory against Clemson this past Saturday, going 28/38 with 230 yards and a touchdown. Though things would ultimately end well for LSU, things didn't start off the greatest as they'd be forced to punt the ball away after six plays on their opening drive before a Bauer Sharp fumble on the second play of their following drive would set Clemson up at the LSU 24-yard line. Thankfully for the offense the defense would step up and hold them to a field goal midway through the first, but LSU would be forced to punt the ball away again on their next drive, this one finishing after just five plays. That being said they would finally get on the scoreboard on their following drive, thanks to a 52-yard Damian Ramos field goal. On that drive Nussmeier would make some pretty impressive throws, connecting with Aaron Anderson for 11-yards on a slant before hitting Zavion Thomas for a further 19 to get them down to the Clemson 33.
Great job here by Nussmeier at scanning the entire field, going from right to left before firing it into Thomas down the center of the field in the face of pressure for a 19-yard gain. Though that play was impressive, Nussmeier would take a 12-yard sack two plays later that would push them back to the 44-yard line. Thankfully for them though, Nussmeier would hit Ju'Juan Johnson on a screen that would go for nine yards, getting them back into field goal range which would lead to the aforementioned try by Ramos to tie the game up at three less than five minutes into the second quarter. Following a Clemson touchdown, Nussmeier would flash the athleticism by picking up 10-yards on the ground on second and 10, while also connecting with Barion Brown on the run for 14 and Caden Durham in a collapsing pocket for a further 10-yards. Despite getting the ball all the way down to the Clemson 12-yard line, on fourth and two LSU would decide to go for it, with Nussmeier hitting Chris Hilton Jr. in the flat a yard behind the line of scrimmage with nine seconds left in the quarter. After catching the pass, Hilton would turn up field but would have the ball punched away from him, leading to Clemson recovering it and seeing out a 10-3 lead as the first half expired. On their opening drive of the second half, following a Clemson missed field goal, Nussmeier would hit Aaron Anderson along the line of scrimmage that would ultimately result in a 39-yard gain for the Tigers, getting them all the way down to the Clemson 40-yard line. A few plays later on third and six, Nussmeier would fit a ball through a very tight window and find Anderson for a further 14-yards to get them to the Clemson 26-yard line.
With pressure in his face, Nussmeier does an excellent job at remaining calm in the pocket before firing it into Anderson in between three Clemson defenders for another big time gain to push them deeper into opponents territory. Sure it was a low throw, but with three defenders again in the area, Nussmeier just let his receiver make a play, which of course he did. A few plays later on third and six, Nussmeier would hit Kyle Parker for 16-yards on the run to get them down to the Clemson five yard line.
Excellent job here by Nussmeier at getting outside of a collapsing pocket before finding an open Parker across the middle for a nice gain on third and six. With a couple Clemson defenders in his face, Nussmeier delivers a confident ball for the first down, just a really nice play overall. A couple plays later Caden Durham would punch it in from two yards out to tie the game up at 10 midway through the third quarter. LSU would get set up with excellent field position on their next drive following a Cade Klubnik interception, unfortunately the offense couldn't capitalize as not only were they forced to settle for a field goal, but kicker Damian Ramos would miss his ensuing 46-yard attempt to keep the score tied at 10 with less than five minutes to go in the quarter. That being said, LSU did look to have scored on their third to final play of the drive as Nussmeier was thought to have hit Barion Brown on a beautifully thrown ball to the front pylon.
Unfortunately it would be reviewed and would be ruled incomplete, but that shouldn't take away from how impressive this throw was. Like, at the time I thought they were reviewing it for a potential touchdown as he was initially ruled down at the one, but like I mentioned a few seconds ago this would ultimately be ruled as an incomplete pass, with Ramos missing the aforementioned 46-yard attempt a couple plays later. Following a three and out by Clemson Nussmeier would lead a 11-play 73-yard drive to give LSU their first lead of the game less than three minutes into the fourth quarter, ultimately finding Trey'Dez Green on a jump ball from eight yards out to make the score 17-10. Not too much else would happen throughout the remainder of the game as neither team would really be able to sustained anything on offense as LSU would hold on for a 17-10 road victory. This was a massive win for Nussmeier and co., as they beat a team on the road who many would consider to be one of the favorites for the National Championship. This was a big statement win for the Tigers, as Nussmier played a really clean and composed game. They should have a much easier go of things in their next match-up against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.
Wk 1 - 2
Wk 2 - v Louisiana Tech
3. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
Wk 1 - 12/19 209 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/13 carries 25 yds 1 touchdown v Virginia Tech (Atlanta) (24-11 W)
Season - 12/19 209 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/13 carries 25 yds 1 touchdown
If you are looking for this year's "quarterback prime," look no further than South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers. Standing at 6'3" and weighing in at 240 lbs., the 20 year old redshirt sophomore can do so many different things with the ball in his hands. With arguably the highest ceiling throughout this entire draft process, there are some out there that think Sellers could be better served by staying another year in Columbia, as though he is immensely talented, there is still some rawness to his game, especially in the passing department. But, if he's able to real everything in there's no doubt in my mind that he could be the first overall pick in this year's draft, let alone in 2027. With South Carolina losing some key pieces on both sides of the ball, a lot of their success (and failures) will be placed on the broad shoulders of Sellers, with their week one match-up against Virginia Tech having the whole nation's attention. A Sunday afternoon kick, everybody was tuned in to this one, which saw the Gamecocks come out 24-11 victors down in Atlanta, with Sellers going 12/19 with 209-yards and a touchdown to go along with 25-yards on the ground and another touchdown to boot. Things couldn't really have started off much better for Sellers and co., as after connecting Maurice Brown II for 14-yards and Brady Hunt for 20-yards on little dump off passes, Sellers would find the end zone on a quarterback draw from 15-yards out to give South Carolina the early 7-0 lead.
Undoubtably the toughest quarterback to tackle in the open field in all of college football, when Sellers' number gets called this close to the end zone more often than not he's going to score. Like I mentioned before, the dude is 6'3" 240 lbs., you're not going to bring him down by tackling high. Sellers would flash the athleticism again on the Gamecocks' next drive, picking up 13-yards on the ground to pick up a first down on third and 11.
Like I stated just a little bit ago, good luck trying to tackle LaNorris Sellers when he gets out into open field. Great contact balance by Sellers here as well as he didn't fall out of bounds after the Tech linebacker hit him by the sideline. Unfortunately nothing would really come from this play as the Gamecocks would be forced to punt the ball away a few plays later. Things wouldn't get much better for South Carolina's offense as though the defense came away with an interception at the two yard line to stop a solid drive by Virginia Tech, Sellers would get sacked in the end zone on their second play from scrimmage, making the score now 7-2 with less than five minutes to go in the opening quarter. The next couple drives wouldn't be much better as the Gamecocks would go three and out combining for eight total yards of offense. Their following drive though they would put together a nice 13-play 70-yard drive to come away with a field goal with about four minutes to go in the half. Prior to the field goal attempt though Sellers would be drilled while dropping back to pass, coughing up the football and making it a tough second and 33 situation. Thankfully Rahsul Faison would pick up 30-yards on the ground to make it a third and three situation which would then see Sellers hit Nyck Harbor for 15 more yards while rolling out to his left. Sellers and Harbor would nearly connect a few plays later on third and goal, with Harbor failing to come down with a beautifully thrown ball by Sellers that would've given them six before halftime.
Like I said before, this pass would wind up being ruled incomplete as Harbor was unable to control it through the contact, but I still think this is a very well placed ball from Sellers and it deserves a mention in this blog post, at least in my opinion. A play later William Joyce would score from 27-yards out to make the score 10-5 late in the quarter. South Carolina's first two drives of the second half would see them punt the ball away after six and four plays, with Sellers connecting on passes for 15, 15, and 21-yards, with his last one to Donovan Murph being the best out of the trio.
With pressure in his face and a Tech linebacker breaking on the ball, Sellers has very little room for error on this pass. This is just a very well placed pass by Sellers, fitting it into Murph before the defender can either intercept or break up the pass. Though the drive would end three plays later with Sellers taking two 10-yard sacks, this was still a very nice throw. Thanks to a 80-yard punt return touchdown by Vicari Swain, the Gamecocks would boast a 17-11 lead with nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter. South Carolina would further extend their lead on their following drive, as on their third play Sellers would hit Nyck Harbor down the field for a 64-yard touchdown to make it 24-11 midway through the quarter.
Sellers was going nowhere else with the football, and can you blame him? Like if you saw how shallow the safeties were playing mixed with the fact that your 6'5" 235 lbs. freak wide receiver was on an island, you'd make that throw too. Just an easy play for South Carolina and a fantastic deep ball from Sellers to make the score 24-11 midway through the fourth. Following a Virginia Tech interception South Carolina would try to see the game out, and on third and 13 after back-to-back negative rushing plays, Sellers would break off an insanely impressive 16-yard carry to get them to the Hokie side of the 50.
Like I've stated a few times before, LaNorris Sellers is the hardest player to bring down in all of college football. Taking what should have been a sack (or two) and turning it into a 16-yard gain is nothing short of spectacular. He's just so big, physical, and gifted, which helped the Gamecocks ultimately see out the 24-11 victory. What a way to start the season for Sellers and co., with him showing why he's considered one of the top quarterbacks in not just the draft, but in all of college football. I assume we're going to see more highlight reel plays next weekend as the Gamecocks host the South Carolina State Bulldogs.
Wk 1 - 3
Wk 2 - v South Carolina State
4. Arch Manning, Texas
Wk 1 - 17/30 170 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/10 carries 38 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.3 Ohio State (14-7 L)
Season - 17/30 170 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/10 carries 38 yds 0 touchdowns
One of the most highly anticipated season openers in quite some time, as then top ranked Texas Longhorns travelled up to Columbus to take on the then third ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Like, not only was this the first time we've ever had a top three match-up to kick off a season, but we also had the much anticipated start of the Arch Manning era in Texas. I don't think I'm going to sound crazy when I say this, but I don't know if I've ever heard so much preseason hype going into a season than I have this year for Manning. Now we've had some hyped players in the past, but for Manning (who had just two starts to his name up to this point) it just felt different. Whether it be his name, the school, or his natural talent, everyone and their moms were excited to see him start against the Buckeyes on Saturday. Unfortunately for him and all the moms out there, Manning and Texas didn't put on the performance many were expecting, as the Longhorns fell 14-7 with Manning going 17/30 with 170-yards and a touchdown and an interception to go along with 38-yards on the ground. Though he didn't have the greatest performance, can we appreciate that the Buckeyes have one of the best defenses, and one of the most daunting home crowds in all of college football? Like, it's not like Texas was going up against the sister's of the blind or anything like that. But I think we all knew, regardless of what the outcome was, the reactions to Manning's play would be either he's the greatest quarterback of all time and should be given the Heisman Trophy right now, or he's the worst quarterback of all time and was super over hyped. As you can tell by the reactions on social media we are very much dealing with the latter. As for the game itself things didn't start off the greatest for either team, as Texas failed to convert on fourth down on their opening drive before going three and out on their following two drives, with Manning missing a couple receivers in the process. Texas would punt the ball away after eight plays on their opening drive of the second quarter, with Manning flashing the athleticism by picking up nine on the ground on a designed quarterback keeper before picking up a first down on third and three with an Ohio State defender giving chase. Texas' final drive of the half would be more of the same as they'd go three and out and be forced to punt the ball away again. That being said they would put together a nice 15-play 70-yard drive to opening things up in the second half, with Manning flashing the athleticism again by picking up 15-yards with his legs on second and 13.
Very nice job by Manning at sliding up in the pocket when he sees the defender crashing in before hitting the corner and turning it upfield for the aforementioned 15-yard gain. I know they said this about 1,000-times throughout the broadcast, but he definitely didn't get his athleticism from his uncle's. Texas would eventually get the ball all the way down to the Ohio State one yard line, but on fourth and goal Manning would get stuffed at the line of scrimmage trying to punch it up the middle, meaning Texas would turn the ball over again on downs to kick off the third quarter. Things wouldn't get much better for the Longhorn offense on their next possession, as Manning would register his first interception of the season.
This was just a really late throw from Manning, as the defender was able to make a break on the ball and jump the receiver to come away with the interception. Dude pretty much ran the route of the receiver. I don't know if the defender at the line of scrimmage caused Manning's throw to go array or something, but regardless this just wasn't a good throw, giving Ohio State the ball back which they would eventually capitalize on to make the score 14-0 to kick off the fourth quarter. On their next drive Manning would connect with Parker Livingstone along the near sideline for 15-yards before nearly throwing another interception across the middle of the field. Thankfully for him and the rest of the Texas offense, Sonny Styles was ultimately unable to come down with it. That being said, though the interception would fall incomplete, Texas would ultimately turn it over on downs as Manning would just miss Livingstone in the end zone on fourth and three from the Buckeye nine yard line.
Though this pass wound up falling incomplete, this is pretty good ball placement from Manning. I don't know if some people realize how hard of a throw this is to make, throwing from the far hash back to the near sideline. The ball was placed where it was needed to, Livingstone just failed to come down with it. Though they wouldn't find the end zone here, they would punch it across the goal line on their following drive, which was kicked off by Manning hitting Ryan Wingo up the seam for a 28-yard gain.
This is a really good throw here from Manning as he drives it up the seam to Wingo for the big time gain. There isn't much room to work with with the safety playing overtop, so Manning smartly puts this ball right on Wingo's body so that not only does it eliminate the defender from making a play on the ball, but also allows Wingo to brace for the incoming hit. Manning would then connect with Quintrevion Wisner out of the backfield for five yards before hitting Parker Livingstone in the end zone from 32-yards out to make the score 14-7 late in the fourth quarter.
Very nice job by Manning at scanning the entire field before getting the ball off to Livingstone in the end zone for six. Now, great job by Livingstone at coming back to the ball and coming down with the catch through the defender. It's just a solid overall play that helped bring Texas back into the game. Following an Ohio State three and out on their next drive, Texas would get the ball back with less than three minutes to go to either steal the game or force overtime. Despite starting at their own 15, Manning would be able to find Jack Endries up the far sideline for a 30-yard gain to get them closer to Ohio State territory.
You can say what you want about his game as a whole, but that is an elite throw right there from Arch Manning. With a defender matching Endries stride for stride, and another defender coming in overtop, there is so little room for error and yet Manning still makes an insanely accurate throw for a big time gain. Though that throw was impressive, unfortunately for Texas this drive would end like a few others that we saw throughout the game, as they'd ultimately turn it over on downs before Ohio State could see it out and come away with an impressive 14-7 victory. Like I mentioned before, Manning did not have a great game, but he also didn't have as bad of a game that many out there on social media would like you to believe. Yes he missed some receivers, and the interception was far from ideal but I still think he made some solid plays throughout the game, it just so happens that they were going up against one of the best defenses in college football on the road to kick off the season. He may not have been great here, but I do expect both him and Texas to bounce back against San Jose State at home.
Wk 1 - 4
Wk 2 - v San Jose State
5. Cade Klubnik, Clemson
Wk 1 - 19/38 230 yds 0 touchdowns 1 interception/8 carries 1 yd 0 touchdowns v no.9 LSU (17-10 L)
Season - 19/38 230 yds 0 touchdowns 1 interception/8 carries 1 yd 0 touchdowns
Out of all the other teams I will mention throughout this blog post, very few have had more preseason hype then the Clemson Tigers. After somewhat flying under the radar across the past couple seasons the Tigers are back in the national spotlight after finishing last season with an ACC title and a trip to the College Football Playoff. Though a good amount of hype comes from the defensive side of the ball with players like TJ Parker, Avieon Terrell, and Peter Woods all projected to be first round picks, the confidence in this team also comes from who they have lining up under center in the form of third year starter Cade Klubnik. Last season, much like the Tigers as a whole, Klubnik put forth a very good statistical season despite not receiving much national attention, throwing for over 3,600-yards with 36-touchdown to just six interceptions, not to mention he registered a further 463-yards and seven touchdowns on the ground as well. Many are expecting big things from Klubnik, as he opened the season with the second best Heisman odds (behind Texas' Arch Manning). With the hype behind him, many out there were looking forward to Clemson's week one match-up against LSU, who are quarterbacked by another Heisman favorite in the form of Garrett Nussmeier. Despite coming in with higher team expectations, while also playing at home, the Tigers fell 17-10 with Klubnik going 19/38 for 230 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. Not the most ideal way to kick off the season, especially when you notice that Klubnik did not complete a pass until about the three minute mark in the first quarter. On Clemson's first two drives of the game, the Tigers registered a whopping -10-yards, though they did manage to register a field goal on their second drive thanks to a Bauer Sharp fumble that set them up on the LSU 24-yard line. On their third drive of the game Klubnik again would register his first completion of the game, hitting Bryant Wesco Jr. while rolling to his right for a 16-yard gain. Unfortunately not much would come after that play as Clemson would be forced to punt the ball away for the second time in the quarter. Though they struggled in the first, the Tigers would be able to find the end zone on their opening drive of the second quarter, with Klubnik hitting T.J. Moore on a slant that would go for 26-yards on third and five before flashing the athleticism and picking up another first down on second and six. He would then connect with Bryant Wesco Jr. along the line of scrimmage on a crossing route that would go for a further 21-yards on fourth and two before Tyler Brown for 13-yards on a hitch that would help set up a one yard touchdown run by Adam Randall to give Clemson a 10-3 lead with less than five minutes to go in the opening half. On their opening drive of the second half Klubnik would hit Olsen Patt-Henry for 19-yards on third and four, with Patt-Henry skying up to come down with the high pass, controlling it through a hit in the process as well. Klubnik would hit Bryant Wesco Jr. down the near sideline for a further 19-yards but the Tigers would ultimately come up short as Nolan Hauser would miss a 48-yard field goal attempt three plays later. Things wouldn't get much better for Clemson on their following drive as on their second offensive play Klubnik would register his first interception of the season.
With pressure in his face Klubnik over throws and misses his intended receiver, with Mansoor Delane securing the pass at the LSU 46-yard line. This just wasn't a good ball by Klubnik would again just completely missed his intended receiver. A couple drives later, following a three and out and an LSU touchdown to make the score 17-10, Klubnik and co. would put together what would seem like a pretty good drive, with Klubnik rolling out to his right and hitting Adam Randall for 11-yards for a much needed first down on third and four.
With three to four LSU defenders giving chase, Klubnik does an excellent job at remaining calm and delivering a nice catchable ball to Randall for the aforementioned 11-yard gain. Klubnik would connect with Christian Bentancur for a further 20-yards on the next play, as he remained tall in the pocket and hit his big tight end in stride for the nice gain (helps that the defender fell over as well, but still a nice ball). Though those plays were nice, Clemson's drive would ultimately stall out as Klubnik would fail to connect with T.J. Moore across the middle on fourth and five, giving LSU the ball back midway through the fourth. Clemson would go three and out on their following position, but after the defense stepped up and forced LSU to go three and out as well Klubnik came out firing, hitting Moore for a 19-yard gain despite taking a nice little shot to the mouth.
This is what you love to see from your quarterback. Knowing damn well that he is going to take a decent shot from the defender, he is still able to remain tall and calm in the pocket, delivering a nice ball to Moore for the first down. Was Moore open? Yes, but again, it's more about him not being afraid to take a hit in that moment, while also delivering an accurate ball to the sideline. A few plays later Clemson would have the ball at the LSU 15-yard line, unfortunately for them they'd come up short as Klubnik would not be able to find anyone open on fourth and four, with his pass falling incomplete, thus giving LSU the win. Far from a perfect game from Klubnik, but I do think there were some positives to take away from a game like this, and I think he will come out better for it. This coming week though I expect a much less tightly contested game, as the Tigers host the Troy Trojans.
Wk 1 - 5
Wk 2 - v Troy
6. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Wk 1 - 18/31 193 yds 0 touchdowns 0 interceptions/6 carries 33 yds 1 touchdown v Old Dominion (27-14 W)
Season - 18/31 193 yds 0 touchdowns 0 interceptions/6 carries 33 yds 1 touchdown
Indiana was college football's Cinderella story last season. A program that had never registered a 10+ win season went on to finish the season with an 11-2 record and a trip to the College Football Playoff. Sure they looked over matched against teams like Ohio State and Notre Dame, but I don't know if I can truly use those games as barometers for why they should or shouldn't have made the Playoff as those two teams would go on to face each other in the National Championship game. As a whole, Indiana beat the absolute living piss out of every team barring those two and Michigan, with head coach Curt Cignetti talking his shit the entire season. One of the main reasons behind Indiana's success revolved around who they had at quarterback, as Kurtis Rourke would go on to throw for 3,000+ yards with 29-touchdowns to just five interceptions. He would also go on to finish eighth in the Heisman Trophy race, all with a torn ACL that he suffered all the way back in week two. So, if the Hoosiers wanted to come anywhere close to replicating their successes from last season they'd have to find a suitable replacement at quarterback, enter in Cal transfer Fernando Mendoza. At 6'5" 225 lbs., Mendoza has all the tools you'd want in a high level quarterback. Great size, elite arm, and good athleticism make him a potential upgrade (on paper at least) of the outgoing Rourke. Now as the hunted rather than the hunter, people out there were intrigued to see how Mendoza and the Hoosiers would do week one against an Old Dominion team that have never been afraid to beat power four conference teams to kick off the season. I mean, they only lost to South Carolina by four week one last season. In the end, the Hoosiers would come out on top by a score of 27-14, with Mendoza going 18/31 with 193-yards to go along with 33-yards on the ground and a touchdown there to boot. Now the game didn't really start off how Indiana would have liked, as Old Dominion would score on their opening play from scrimmage while the Hoosiers would get stuffed at the one yard line after putting together an 11-play 69-yard drive. The defense would come up big for Indiana on their next drive, forcing Old Dominion to punt the ball away, but the Hoosier offense would give it right back as Lee Beebe Jr. would fumble the ball away after what looked like another solid drive. Following a 91-yard Jonathan Brady punt return touchdown to end the first quarter that would tie the game up at seven, Indiana's offense would put together a solid drive after the defense came away with an interception. Mendoza would be able to connect with E.J. Williams Jr. for 22-yards after the receiver skied up to bring it in, but like there first couple drives they would ultimately stall out, only this time they'd settle for a field goal as Nico Radicic would make it from 22-yards out to give Indiana their first lead of the game with 10-minutes left in the second quarter. Mendoza looked to have registered his first passing touchdown of the season on their next drive, but Omar Cooper Jr. would ultimately drop it on his way to the end zone, leading to Indiana punting the ball away again.
Really can't ask for much more on this play from either Mendoza or Cooper, as Cooper has a step or two on his defender and Mendoza hit him perfectly in stride for what should have been a walk in touchdown. Unfortunately Cooper failed to complete the catch, which again led to Indiana punting the ball away on their next play. Though they couldn't find the end zone there, following an Old Dominion interception, Indiana would get the ball back the the Monarch five yard line. Then on third and goal, Mendoza would call his own number and take it into the end zone for Indiana's first offensive touchdown of the game. Mendoza would flash the athleticism again on their following drive, picking up nine yards on the ground to pick up a first on third and four, but unfortunately the drive would eventually stall out before Nico Radicic would miss his ensuing 52-yard attempt, keeping the score at 17-7 at the end of the second quarter. Indiana would find the end zone again on their following drive as Mendoza would connect with Elijah Sarratt for 11 and Omar Cooper Jr. for a further 46-yards before Kaelon Black would punch it in from two yards out to make the score 24-7 less than four minutes into the third quarter. The Hoosiers would have to settle for a field goal on their following drive to make it 27-7 with three minutes to go in the third before turning it over on downs to kick things off in the fourth quarter. They would then be forced to punt the ball away after going three and out on their next drive before putting together a nice 12-play 64-yard drive to end the game, a drive which saw Mendoza connect with Elijah Sarratt for 22-yards on a flea flicker.
I'm sure there's some people out there that feel like Indiana shouldn't be running trick plays while up 14 with two minutes to go in the game but here's the thing, if you don't like it than stop it. Indiana is going to be Indiana regardless of who they're playing no matter what the score is, and this was a very nice throw and catch between Mendoza and his number one receiver, well placed to the outside and away from the defender. All that being said Indiana would ultimately decide to run the ball three straight times, seeing out the game and coming away with a 27-14 home victory. Though it wasn't pretty, the Hoosiers got the job done. As for Mendoza I'm not too concerned about his numbers as he was mostly asked to hit the shorter routes while they ran the shit out of the ball (57-carries for 309-yards). His numbers would have been better had Cooper not dropped that walk in touchdown but hey, what can you do? I don't expect Indiana to have as many problems next week against Kennesaw State, who are quarterbacked by a former Hoosier in the form of Dexter Williams II. I'm sure he'd love to upset the Hoosiers, but I just have a hard time seeing it happening.
Wk 1 - 6
Wk 2 - v Kennesaw State
7. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
Wk 1 - 25/39 257 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/7 carries 73 yds 2 touchdowns v Northern Arizona (38-19 W)
Season - 25/39 257 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/7 carries 73 yds 2 touchdowns
Much like I talked about before with Fernando Mendoza and the Indiana Hoosiers, Sam Leavitt and the Arizona State Sun Devils are in a completely different position than they were a season ago. If we go back to last season, Arizona State was projected by many to finish near the bottom of the Big 12 Conference, if not finish dead last all together. Though that's what people thought throughout the preseason, the reality was the the Sun Devils were a much better team than people thought, taking home a Big 12 title in dominating fashion against Iowa State before losing double overtime against a really good Texas team in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff. Arizona State was a damn good team last season, and a big reason behind that was because of their quarterback Sam Leavitt. Before anyone says anything I know running back Cam Skattebo was the driving force and the heart and soul of the team, but Leavitt put up really good numbers in his first year as the starter. So going into this season without Skattebo, with all the preseason hype, many out there, including myself are very intrigued to see how Leavitt and co. do this season. And though it was probably closer than people thought, the Sun Devils came out 38-19 victors in their first game of the season against Northern Arizona with Leavitt going 25/39 for 257-yards with two touchdowns and an interception while also putting up a team leading 73-yards on the ground with two more touchdowns to boot. Things would start off pretty good for Arizona State as Leavitt would acrobatically find Kyson Brown in the flat for nine yards and Jordyn Tyson while rolling out to his left for a further 12 to help set up a six yard touchdown run by Raleek Brown to put the Sun Devils up 7-0 less than five minutes into the first quarter. Leavitt and Tyson would connect again on Arizona State's next drive, this time going for 22-yards as Leavitt hit an open Tyson while rolling to his right. Then after a fake punt got them all the way down to the Northern Arizona 19-yard line, Leavitt would hit Tyson on a screen pass who would take it in the aforementioned 19-yards for the score, making it 14-0 with five minutes to go in the first. The next three drives would not reap the same rewards as the Sun Devils would go three and out on each of those drives, gaining a combined 0-yards in the process. Things would start to pick up on their next possession, as Leavitt would roll out to his left and hit Malik McClain on third and six for 20-yards down the near sideline for a first down.
One thing Leavitt does better than a lot of quarterbacks in college football is his ability to make something out of nothing. With no one initially open down the field, and pressure in his face, Leavitt is able to reverse spin out of the pocket and hit his receiver for a big gain, knowing damn well he's going to take a shot along the sideline from the defender. Due to offsetting penalties though the play wouldn't end up counting, but Leavitt would hit Jordyn Tyson on a screen to the top of the field that would go for 13-yards and pick up the first down regardless (though Tyson tried to give the ball away on the play by fumbling it, thankfully Jalen Moss recovered the ball). Arizona State would ultimately get the ball down to the Northern Arizona four yard line thanks to a 19-yard run by Raleek Brown, but a 15-yard Leavitt sack would drive them all the way back to the 19, forcing them to settle for a 36-yard field goal from Jesus Gomez, which he would convert to make the score 17-3 with less than two minutes to go in the first half. Following a Northern Arizona make and an Arizona State miss from 52-yards, the score would be 17-6 going into the break. On their first drive of the second half Leavitt would connect with Kyson Brown for 16-yards on a little touch pass before taking it into the end zone himself from 52-yards out to further extend their advantage less than three minutes into the third quarter.
Like I mentioned before, Sam Leavitt has an innate ability to make something out of nothing, turning what could or should have been a sack into a 52-yard rushing touchdown, which is good for the longest run of his career. He just remains calm in the face of pressure and again makes something out of nothing for the score. Leavitt would hit Raleek Brown out of the backfield for a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of their next drive, but an offensive holding call would bring the play back. On the very next play Leavitt would connect with Malik McClain down the middle of the field for a 64-yard gain, only for that play to be called back as well for an illegal man downfield penalty. So on that drive alone, Arizona State would account for 139-yards, just for both plays to get called back. What makes it worse is that they would ultimately be forced to punt the ball away a couple plays later. Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson would connect on an insane play for 15-yards on their next drive before hitting him for 17-more yards a couple plays later to get them down to the Northern Arizona 18-yard line. A couple plays later Leavitt would take it in himself, pulling it from the running back going into the end zone untouched for his second rushing touchdown of the game, making it 31-13 with 11-seconds to go in the third quarter. Things wouldn't go as smoothly on their next couple drives as they'd turn it over on downs on their following drive before Leavitt would throw a pretty rough interception with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
This is just not a smart decision here by Leavitt. I know he has a good arm, but there's very few quarterbacks out there who can fall back and throw a ball off their back foot and hit their intended receiver down the sideline. Like, it's hard enough to do that in the pocket, let alone when you're 10-15 yards behind the line of scrimmage with a defender screaming in your face. Again, just not smart decision from Leavitt, who is normally very good about not putting the ball in harms way. Thankfully for Leavitt and the offense Arizona State's defense would come up big with an interception of their own, and three plays later the offense would find the end zone again with Leavitt tossing up a perfect fade ball to Jordyn Tyson from 16-yards out to further extend their lead in the fourth.
You really couldn't ask Leavitt to throw a better ball than he did right here. Much like the interception he's throwing this off his back foot but with this time two defenders in his face. This time though he gets enough on it to lead Tyson perfectly, who's able to track it and haul it in despite a defender being in the area. Just a perfect play from arguably the best quarterback/wide receiver duo in all of college football. Northern Arizona would find the end zone on their next and final possession of the game before Arizona State who kneel it out to come away with a 38-19 home victory. Sam Leavitt is one of the most fun quarterbacks to watch in all of college football, and every reason why that's the case was on display in this game. Sure the interception was bad but his athleticism and play making ability were both on display throughout the game. This coming week though they're on the road against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, who though are coming off a season where they won just two games, they could pull some surprises out (unlikely but still) for the Sun Devils if they're not careful.
Wk 1 - 7
Wk 2 - @ Mississippi State
8. Carson Beck, Miami (FL)
Wk 1 - 20/31 205 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries -2 yds 0 touchdowns v no.6 Notre Dame (27-24 W)
Season - 20/31 205 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries -2 yds 0 touchdowns
Prior to last season starting, then Georgia quarterback Carson Beck was widely considered to be the best overall quarterback in the 2025 draft class, with him and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders really splitting the minds of the draft community. I mean, the dude was coming off a season where he nearly threw for 4,000-yards with 24-touchdowns and just six interceptions. Sure he wasn't anything spectacular or anything, but in a weaker quarterback class he was again seen as arguably the top guy. The only problem for him is that last season happened, and all the hype that he had built on throughout that season was completely wiped out. We knew losing guys like Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey would be rough, but it seemed like Beck's confidence just nose dived after his performance against Alabama in week four. He just failed to find any rhythm after that, registering 10-touchdowns to 12-interceptions in Georgia's first seven games of SEC play (he threw 3 interceptions in each game against Alabama, Florida, and Texas). The end of the season though, Beck seemed to look more like the Beck we saw in 2023, registering 11-touchdowns and 0-interceptions in the final three games of the regular season before his season ended with an arm injury against Texas in the SEC Championship game. With his confidence seemingly shot, Beck "took his talents" to South Beach, in an effort to replace Cam Ward at quarterback. A lot of eyes were on Miami's first game of the season at home against the them sixth ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, and Beck and co. delivered coming away with a 27-24 victory. In the game, Beck went 20/31 for 205-yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, you really couldn't have asked for a better debut from him than that, especially when you consider Notre Dame was returning seven starters from a defense that ranked in top four in scoring and passing last season. Things didn't start off incredibly smoothly for the Hurricane offense, as though Beck was able to connect with some receivers for decent gains, they would ultimately be forced to punt the ball away after seven plays to start the game. Then despite them starting at the Notre Dame 24-yard line following a fumble, they were again unable to come away with any points as the Miami holder couldn't hang onto the ball while they were trying to attempt a field goal from the Notre Dame 10. Though they failed to score on their first two drives, Miami would strike first in the game thanks to a 28-yard pass from Beck to Malachi Toney to make the score 7-0 less than a minute into the second quarter.
Beck does an excellent job at sliding in the pocket while keeping his eyes down the field. Then with two defenders right in his face, he's able to throw a very nice ball to Toney off his back foot for the score. Just staying calm and tall in the pocket, we love to see that from Beck. Side note, what we don't really love to see is the ball spinning, I had a habit of doing it myself but we don't want/need any unnecessary movement when throwing the ball. Not the biggest deal, but I feel it's worth point out. Miami wouldn't really get much going on their next drive as they'd be forced to punt the ball away after going three and out. Following Notre Dame's first touchdown of the game, Miami would get the ball back with just over five minutes to go until halftime. Beck would go on to do a nice job at taking what the defense gave him, hitting his backs out of the backfield or hitting his receivers on slants and crossing routes, just not putting the ball in harms way. Then, with 12-seconds to go in the half Beck would hit CJ Daniels who would go on to make one of the most ridiculous catches you'll see this season, giving Miami a 14-7 lead going into the break.
I don't really know what all to say about this play. I guess from Beck's perspective he did a good job at putting it in his receiver's area code, allowing his playmaker to make a play, but I don't think he ever thought Daniels would make a catch quite like that. Like, fully stretched out, one handed, in the rain, in between two Notre Dame defenders, how the hell does that even happen? Just a ridiculous play to end the half for the Hurricanes, giving them and Beck their second touchdown of the game. On their first drive of the second half Beck would connect with Elija Lofton for 15-yards up the far sideline as well as hitting Malachi Toney on a crossing route on third and eight that would go for a further 16-yards and get them down to the Notre Dame nine yard line. A couple plays later CharMar Brown would punch it in from five yards out to give Miami a 21-7 lead to kick things off in the second half. Miami's next couple drives wouldn't go as well as the previous two, as they would be forced to punt the ball away after going three and out on their next two drives, before a Notre Dame interception would help set them up at the Irish 28 which would lead to a 38-yard field goal by Carter Davis to make it 24-14 midway through the fourth. They would again go three and out on their following possession before Carter Davis would convert on a 47-yard field goal with just over a minute to go in the game to ultimately give Miami a 27-24 home victory against the then sixth ranked Fighting Irish. In his first game with his new team, I thought Beck looked more like his old self, throwing with confidence and just taking what the defense gave him. I expect him to have even more success this coming week at home again against Bethune-Cookman.
Wk 1 - 8
Wk 2 - v Bethune-Cookman
9. John Mateer, Oklahoma
Wk 1 - 30/37 392 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/7 carries 24 yds 1 touchdown v Illinois State (35-3 W)
Season - 30/37 392 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/7 carries 24 yds 1 touchdown
New Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer has had quite the eventful offseason. From transferring from Washington State to the aforementioned Oklahoma, to get caught up in a whole sports betting scandal, I'm sure Mateer was happy to finally get back on the field and just play some football. Last season in Pullman Mateer put on a show, throwing for 3,100+ yards with 29-touchdowns and seven interceptions to go along with a further 826-yards on the ground with a further 15-touchdowns there as well. Mateer was one of only two returning players in all of college football last season to register more than 40-total touchdowns, with the other being Clemson's Cade Klubnik. The thing is though that all those numbers were put up at Washington State, a program who plays in a two team conference and only played one ranked team all season. People knew that Mateer had talent, now it's just a matter of doing it on a much bigger stage, which is what brought him to Oklahoma. Now in the SEC, way more eyes will be on the former Cougar, and with the Sooners wanting to improve on their rough 6-7 season last time out, Mateer will need to be at his best to get them back to relevance. Though week one was against Illinois State, it was still nice to see Mateer put up his usual crazy numbers, throwing for 392-yards with three touchdowns (and an interception) to go along with 24-yards on the ground and another touchdown there as well. Now, things didn't really start off the greatest for the Sooners, as after going three and out on their first drive Jaren Kanak would cough up the ball after Mateer would hit him for 21-yards up the middle, gifting the ball back to the Redbirds midway through the first.
It's really annoying that Kanak fumbled the ball away because this was a really solid throw from Mateer. With his tight end going across the middle, and with Illinois State in zone coverage, Mateer could have easily tried to lead him which would have ended up with an incomplete pass at best, an interception at worst. But, Mateer smartly puts the ball on Kanak's body in the middle of the two Illinois State defenders for what should have been a nice drive extending play on third and eight. Unfortunately though again, it would wind up being a turnover. Things would get a little better for the Sooner offense their next time out. Despite starting on their own six yard line, Mateer would hit Deion Burks on a beautifully thrown ball up the far sideline for a 28-yard gain.
I know I gave credit to Mateer earlier, but man what concentration by Burks to bring this ball in with a defender all over him for the aforementioned 28-yard gain. Mateer though, with a defender jumping right in his face, is able to deliver an absolute peach of a ball for his receiver to make a play on, which of course he did. Can't really ask for much more from your quarterback and your wide receiver on this one. After a few run plays Mateer would connect with Jacob Jordan for a 27-yard gain to get the Sooners down to the Illinois State two yard line.
Much like the pass play I brought up before, Mateer does a very nice job at beating the zone setup by Illinois State, having Jordan come back to the ball slightly in between four defenders to help pick up the nice gain. A couple plays later (following a false start penalty) the Sooners would find the end zone, thanks to a seven yard run by Mateer to finally give them their first score of the game. Mateer and co. would follow this touchdown drive up with another, as he would connect with Jaren Kanak for 48-yards before hitting Deion Burks from 27-yards out to double their advantage three minutes into the second quarter. Mateer would mostly hit on screens and other shorter passes on Oklahoma's following drive, helping them get down to the Illinois State five yard line, where Tory Blaylock would punch it in to give the Sooners a 21-0 lead with less than a minute to go until halftime. Really solid 15-play 81-yard drive to end the half as they took up a whopping seven and a half minutes in the process. Love to see that if you're an Oklahoma coach, player, and/or fan. Though they ended the first half on a high note, the start of the second half would be more of a struggle as they'd go three and out on their opening possession before Mateer would throw his first interception of the season midway through the quarter.
Not the greatest throw in the world here from Mateer as he throws this ball off his receiver's back shoulder, thus landing in the grateful arms of the Illinois State defender. Now, you could make the case that Mateer threw this ball where his receiver should have been, but none the less all interceptions count the same, and the Redbirds would register a field goal a few plays later to make it 21-3 with six and a half minutes to go in the quarter. Mateer would more than make up for the interception on their next drive, leading the Sooners on a 12-play 77-yard drive that would end with Mateer hitting Keontez Lewis across the middle of the field for a 28-yard touchdown, giving them a 28-3 lead less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Mateer and Lewis would connect for a touchdown again on Oklahoma's next drive, hitting him from 20-yards out with the defender in coverage falling over to make it 35-3. Mateer would make a couple solid throws on the drive, connecting with Will Huggins for 15 and Lewis across the middle for 15-more prior to the touchdown pass. That would pretty much wrap up the game as the Redbirds would fail to really get anything going on their next drive, thus allowing the Sooners to run the ball out and see out the 35-3 home victory. Again, I know it was against Illinois State, and a team like Oklahoma should handle a team like that with ease, but it was still nice to see Mateer make plays and put up good numbers in the win. Sure the interception wasn't ideal, but there's still a good amount of positives to take away from this one. The real test will be this coming week against the 15th ranked Michigan Wolverines and their defense that forced three turnovers in their opening game against New Mexico. Should be a really fun one down in Norman come Saturday.
Wk 1 - 9
Wk 2 - v no.15 Michigan
10. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
Wk 1 - 27/48 419 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/4 carries -19 yds 0 touchdowns v Auburn (38-24 L)
Season - 27/48 419 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/4 carries -19 yds 0 touchdowns
This was one of the tougher week one match-ups out of all the quarterbacks in here. Sure it wasn't two top-10 teams facing off against each other, but Baylor playing host a good Auburn team on a Friday night definitely was a good one to look out for. Last season, Baylor ended the year rattling off six consecutive wins to end the regular season, winning by double digits in all but one of those games (beat TCU 37-34). Now, they did come up short against LSU in the Texas Bowl, but Baylor was definitely built some momentum coming into this season, especially given the fact that they returned a lot of starters from last season. The biggest returner though was quarterback Sawyer Robertson, who started last season as a back-up before an injury to Dequan Finn opened up the door. Robertson finished the year with 3,000+ yards through the air with 28-touchdowns and eight interceptions, while also registering 230-yards and four touchdowns on the ground as well. With a full offseason taking reps with the ones, many out there were excited to see how both him and Baylor as a team would do this season, with the aforementioned match-up against Auburn being a great way to start the season. Despite the fact the Tigers returned most of their secondary and hadn't given up more than 300+ yards all last season, Robertson went out there and threw for a whopping 419-yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Despite his best efforts Baylor still came out on the wrong side of things, falling 38-24 in their home opener. That being said things would start off pretty solid for the Bears, as Robertson would connect with Michael Trigg across the middle for 16-yards on third and 16, as well as hit on a few screen passes that would help set up a 36-yard field goal attempt by Connor Hawkins to give them an early 3-0 lead. Robertson would flash the arm talent on Baylor's next possession, hitting Kole Wilson up the far sideline with a defender in his face for a nice 57-yard gain.
With a defender coming around the edge, getting a hand in his face, Robertson is still able to deliver an inch perfect ball to Wilson for the aforementioned 57-yard gain. Though Wilson had a step on the corner, with two defenders in the area there's really little to no room for error, but like I said Robertson placed it right in the bucket, in stride for the nice gain to get them down to the Auburn eight yard line. Though they would end up getting it down to the three, Baylor would ultimately come up short as Robertson would fail to connect with Michael Trigg in the end zone as the Bears would turn the ball over on downs. Their next couple drives really wouldn't go much better as they'd go three and out to kick things off in the second quarter before turning it over on downs after five plays midway through the quarter. That being said, Robertson would connect with Ashtyn Hawkins through a tight window with a defender in his face for 12-yards on their first play of that drive.
Before anyone else says it, yes I know this was just a simple stop route and the ball only traveled through the air five yards passed the line of scrimmage, but given the fact that there are two defenders in coverage and there's a defender directly in his face after he pushes the left tackle right into Robertson's lap, I would say this is a very solid throw. Again, it's nothing truly highlight worthy, you're not going to see it on Sports Center or anything but I still think it shows Robertson's poise and zip to get that ball in there for the eventual first down. Though a good throw, it wouldn't amount for much as again they'd eventually turn it over on downs. Things would go a little better for the Bears on their next drive as Robertson would find Kobe Prentice open down the seam for a 33-yard touchdown, capping off an impressive eight play 75-yard drive. Robertson would nearly throw an interception on their final drive before the half, followed by an 18-yard completion to Louis Brown IV, with Baylor going into the locker room down 17-10. The Bears would punt the ball away after four plays on their opening drive of the second half, despite Robertson connecting with Michael Trigg for 17-yards on the first play of the said. Robertson would connect with Ashtyn Hawkins on a screen that would wind up going for 36-yards before finding him again across the middle for a further 13 to get them to the Auburn 25-yard line.
With the defensive end dropping back into coverage, Robertson needed to adjust on the fly in order not to throw an untimely interception. He does a nice job at place this ball right on Hawkins' body, seemingly giving him time to pick his head up and try to make a move with the ball, before he's inevitably ripped down at the 25-yard line. A few plays later, on fourth and goal from the Auburn four yard line, Robertson would hit Caden Knighten out of the backfield in the flat for a touchdown, making the score 24-17 with less than a minute to go in the third quarter. Following an Auburn kickoff return touchdown on the ensuing kickoff, Baylor would need to find the end zone again to get back to within one score of the Tigers. On the second play of the following drive, Robertson would connect with Josh Cameron on a slant that would go for 27-yards on what would be the final play of the third quarter.
What an Auburn defender blocking his site line, Robertson zips this ball over the top of him and into the arms of Cameron. Credit to Cameron on this one as he's able to see the ball in despite the linebacker blocking his view of Robertson and the defender draped across his back, not to mention the incredible effort he showed after making the catch. Tight window for Robertson? No problem, as again the pair hook up for an eventual 27-yard gain. Robertson would then connect with Kole Wilson down the far sideline for a further 22-yards (on a throw where he allowed his receiver to make a play) before finding Michael Trigg from four yards out to bring the score back to 31-24 just over three minutes in to the fourth quarter.
Though this is only a four yard pass, Robertson did an excellent job at re-routing his receiver, flipping him to the outside and away from the defender to give him more room to come down with the ball in the end zone for the score. It may not look like much, but this is a very nice play here from Robertson to bring them back to within one score. Auburn would unfortunately find the end zone again on their next drive meaning Baylor would have to find the end zone quickly to try and make this thing a game. After a couple shorter completions Robertson would find Josh Cameron off his back foot across the middle for would end up being a 27-yard completion on first and 20.
Much like most of the game, Robertson makes this throw with a defender screaming right in his face. Half rolling to the right, he is able to zip this ball across the middle of the field off his back foot to Cameron for the first down. Couldn't really ask for much more from your quarterback or receiver on this one. Robertson would later connect with Michael Trigg for a 12-yard gain on third and 13, which would help set up a fourth and one situation from the Auburn 11-yard line. On fourth down, Robertson would try and hit Trigg in the back of the end zone for a touchdown, but Trigg would fail to come up with it, giving Auburn the opportunity to see out a 38-24 victory on the road. Despite the loss, I think Robertson and the Bears put on a good show on the offensive side of the ball. Though the offensive line got pushed around a decent amount Robertson remained tall and calm in the pocket, able to deliver strong throws in the face of pressure for some big time gains. Unfortunately for Baylor things don't get much easier this week as they travel to Dallas to take on SMU, a team that boast the ACC's best total and scoring defense just a season ago. Hopefully Robertson and co. are up to the task.
Wk 1 - 10
Wk 2 - @ no.17 SMU
Others
Rocco Becht, Iowa State
Wk 0 - 14/28 183 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/12 carries 18 yds 1 touchdown v no.17 Kanas State (24-21 W) (Ireland)
Wk 1 - 19/20 278 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/5 carries 15 yds 0 touchdowns v South Dakota (55-7 W)
Season - 33/48 461 yds 5 touchdowns 0 interceptions/17 carries 33 yds 1 touchdown
Taylen Green, Arkansas
Wk 1 - 24/31 322 yds 6 touchdowns 0 interceptions/9 carries 41 yds 0 touchdowns v Alabama A&M (52-7 W)
Season - 24/31 322 yds 6 touchdowns 0 interceptions/9 carries 41 yds 0 touchdowns
Eli Holstein, Pitt
Wk 1 - 15/23 215 yds 4 touchdowns 1 interception/7 carries 41 yds 0 touchdowns v Duquesne (61-9 W)
Season - 15/23 215 yds 4 touchdowns 1 interception/7 carries 41 yds 0 touchdowns
Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee
Wk 1 - 11/22 136 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/13 carries 47 yds 0 touchdowns v Utah (43-10 L)
Season - 11/22 136 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/13 carries 47 yds 0 touchdowns
Darian Mensah, Duke
Wk 1 - 27/34 389 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/4 carries -10 yds 0 touchdowns v Elon (45-17 W)
Season - 27/34 389 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/4 carries -10 yds 0 touchdowns
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