Hello everyone and welcome to yet another Draft "Expert" blog post! We are quickly approaching the end of the college football season, with this blog post going over our top 10 quarterbacks from week 13!
I think I've said this numerous times before but it's just sad that the college football season is almost over. Like, this has been one of my favorite seasons in recent memory. I don't know what it is or was, but this season was just a lot of fun to watch on a multitude of different levels.
Whether it be the excitement of the new 12-team Playoff, the questions regards the Heisman race, or the countless upsets, this season has again just been a lot of fun!
Though the season in general has been fun, scouting the quarterback position this year has been interesting as apart from the top two guys in the class, we've had some top level performances with some absolute stinkers coming in the following week. For lack of a better term, it's been chaotic, and I can't say I necessarily hate that because it certainly makes things interesting!
Now, with all that being said I, Logan Blackman, host of the Logan Blackman Show and self proclaimed Draft "Expert," am proud to present to you my week 13 quarterback prospect rankings for the 2025 NFL Draft! Enjoy!
Podcast Links
Pictured: Carson Beck, Georgia; Shedeur Sanders, Colorado; Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
1. Cam Ward, Miami (FL)
Wk 13 - 27/38 280 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/3 carries -5 yds 1 touchdown v Wake Forest (42-14 W)
Season - 268/399 3,774 yds 34 touchdowns 7 interceptions/53 carries 177 yds 4 touchdowns
Fresh off a bye and their first loss of the season, everyone and their mom were waiting to see how Cam Ward and the Miami Hurricanes would respond this past weekend against Wake Forest. Not saying that the Demon Deacons are a true threat to the Hurricanes (especially in Miami) but if this past weekend in college football tells us anything it's that any team can be beaten (more on that a little later). Miami though, they were hot. After starting the season with an impressive 9-0 record, their aforementioned loss against Georgia Tech may have changed some people's minds about what kind of team this was. Hell, some out there may even say that that loss was coming, as they had been playing catchup in most of their wins throughout that nine win stretch. Games against Virginia Tech, Cal, Duke, and even South Florida to a certain extent push the Hurricanes to their limits, even finding themselves down 35-10 in the second half against Cal. Going undefeated is always impressive, but going undefeated for a whole season in that fashion just isn't sustainable long term which is again why some out there felt a loss coming. Though the Yellow Jackets were 5-4 when the game kicked off, they did boast a decently stout defense that saw them rank in the top five in total yards per game and rush yards per game in the conference. Despite quarterback Cam Ward not registering an interception, his fumble on Miami's final drive of the game ultimately sealed their fate as they fell 28-23. Maybe that was the kick in the ass they needed because they came out and beat Wake Forest by the score of 42-14, with Ward throwing for 280-yards with two touchdowns (and an interception) to go along with his fourth rushing touchdown of the season. It may not have been the prettiest ass kicking, but it was an ass kicking none the less as Miami out gained Wake Forest 508 to just 193 in total yards, as the Demon Deacons didn't get over the century mark in either the passing or rushing category as a team. All that being said things started off pretty great for Miami, with Ward dinking and dunking it down the field before throwing a perfect ball to Jacolby George from 13-yards out for their first score of the game.
I've mentioned this before in previous blog posts but I don't think most people understand how hard of a throw this truly is. Sure the pass only technically traveled 13-yards, but throwing this ball from the near hash to the far pylon is far from easy, despite Ward making it look as such. With the corner playing so far back Ward knows he has a surefire touchdown if he just puts the ball where it needs to be. As you could see there he clearly did as Miami would take a seven point lead midway through the first quarter. A nice 13-play 84-yard touchdown drive to kick things off for the Hurricanes. Ward and George would connect again on Miami's next drive, only this time it went for 34-yards down the middle of the field to get them all the way down to the Wake Forest 10-yard line.
It may not have resulted in six, but this is a near perfect throw from Ward to hit is intended receiver for a nice 34-yard gain. Dude put the ball exactly where it needed to be and George did an excellent job at climbing the ladder and bringing the ball in despite there being a defender in the area who gives him a decent shot after he makes contact with the ball. Though Ward would have that throw and a couple 13-yard completions to Elijah Arroyo, the Hurricanes would be forced to settle for three with Andres Borregales capitalizing on the 40-yard attempt to give Miami the lead once again with less than two minutes to go in the first quarter. Despite Wake Forest putting together a 17-play drive their next time out, quarterback Hank Bachmeier would be picked off by Mishael Powell at the line of scrimmage who would take it back the opposite way for six, giving Miami a 17-7 lead at the start of the second quarter. That being said, following a 100-yard kick off return touchdown by Demond Claiborne to make it 17-14, Cam Ward would register an interception of his own on Miami's eighth play of the drive from the Demon Deacon 27-yard line.
This was just set up to be a nice and easy screen pass to the tight end. Unfortunately Wake Forest played it really well and in Cam Ward fashion he tried his best to make something out of nothing, and this time nothing came up as the defense was able to come away with the interception. From the defense covering it well, to Arroyo not being ready, and Ward somewhat forcing the issue, it lead to a turnover after what looked to be another solid drive for the Hurricane offense. Ward and Arroyo would connect for a decent 31-yard gain on Miami's next drive, with Ward taking what the defense gave him before the Hurricanes would have to settle for three just before the half to go up 20-14. Things wouldn't start off so smoothy for the Hurricane offense at the start of the third quarter as they would have to punt the ball away after eight plays on their opening drive before Xavier Restrepo would fumble the ball away at the Miami 37-yard line. They would then go three and out on their third possession and would punt the ball away after just five plays on their fourth possession of the second half. Again, things didn't really start out the smoothest for the Miami offense. That being said they would turn to the run game their next time out as Mark Fletcher Jr. and Damien Martinez would get them down to the Wake Forest one yard line before Ward would drive it up the middle on a quarterback sneak to give Miami their first points of the second half which would come at the midway point of the fourth quarter, making the score 28-14 (following a successful two point conversion). The Deacons would gift the ball right back to the Hurricanes after fumbling on the ensuing kickoff return. Miami would only need three plays to find the end zone again, this time with Jordan Lyle taking it in from 18-yards out to further extend their advantage in the fourth. Lyle would come up big again on Miami's next drive as he'd set them up nicely at the Wake Forest 17 after a 61-yard run. A couple plays later Ward would hit Jacolby George on a screen pass who would take it in from 15-yards out to make the score 42-14 with less than two minutes to go in the game. That would pretty much be the end of it, with the Hurricanes bouncing back after their first loss of the season with a double digit home win against Wake Forest. It was far from pretty, but anytime you can get a double digit win in conference play you'll take it. This week Miami travels up north to Syracuse to take on the Orange who are a team that can put up points in bunches. Along with that Syracuse also boasts a top three passing defense in the conference, but a bottom three rush defense as well. Much like we saw against Florida State this could be a game where Ward is asked to do a little less with Miami leaning more on the run game. I'm sure he'll be just fine as long as they come out on top.
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 - @ Syracuse
2. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Wk 13 - 23/29 266 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/4 carries 26 yds 0 touchdowns @ Kansas* (37-21 L) (Arrowhead Stadium)
Season - 303/413 3,488 yds 30 touchdowns 7 interceptions/81 carries 15 yds 4 touchdowns
Unless you haven't been paying attention these past couple weeks, Colorado losing to Kansas last Saturday in Arrowhead shouldn't come as too big of a surprise. As I've talked about before on the show, Kansas are a much better team than what their record shows, as prior to their upset win against Iowa State the Jayhawks had been in every single game they played, only losing by double digits once despite their six loses. Like in games on the road against teams hovering in and around the top 25 in Illinois, Arizona State, and Kansas State, Kansas would only lose those games by scores of 23-17, 35-31, and 29-27. Again, they were a better team than their 3-6 record showed prior to their match-up against Iowa State, and since that game the Jayhawks have gone on a three game win streak against each of the top teams in the conference in Iowa State, BYU (on the road), and most recently, Colorado. Though the Buffaloes were coming off of a very impressive showing against on of the conferences top defenses in Utah, this game against Kansas had all the makings of an upset. Like, even Vegas thought so as the then 8-2 Buffs were only a -1.5-point favorite against the 4-6 Jayhawks. Colorado is good, much better than they were last year, but this was a typical trap game which saw the Buffaloes fall 37-21 on the road in Arrowhead Stadium with quarterback Shedeur Sanders throwing for 266-yards and three touchdowns to go along with 26-yards on the ground. Things started off rough for Colorado as they found themselves down 17-0 midway through the second quarter, going three and out and failing to convert on fourth down on their first two drives of the game. Their third drive of the game though would bear some fruit as they would be able to find the end zone with Sanders hitting Travis Hunter on a screen pass who would take it 51-yards to the house to get the Buffaloes on the board. Prior to the score, Sanders would flash some athleticism by picking up 17-yards on the ground on second and five, but the explosiveness shown by Hunter on the touchdown reception stole the spotlight from Sanders' effort, and rightfully so. Colorado would stack touchdowns their next time out with Sanders orchestrating a nice five play drive with four passes that went for 15+ yards, including his pass to Drelon Miller for the 19-yard score (dude got his legs taken out from underneath him on one pass, toughness has always been one of his strengths).
With the safety drifting over to help guard Hunter and the slot receiver's route carrying him across the face of two defenders, Sanders knows he has a window to work with to fit it to his running back for the score. That being said with Miller lining up in the backfield as a natural receiver, Sanders also knows that he'll have a favorable match-up against a linebacker, making this an easy read and throw for the score. Great job at standing tall in the pocket by Sanders with an even better catch from Miller to make the score 20-14 with less than two minutes to go in the first half. Following a Kansas field goal to make it 23-14 at the break, Colorado comes out on their first drive in the third and finds the end zone once again, with Sanders hitting Travis Hunter down the far sideline for a 26-yard touchdown to get them back to within two less than five minutes into the quarter.
With the safety drifting towards the middle of the field and the corner playing in zone or cloud coverage, Sanders knows he has a relatively easy shot to hit Hunter down the sideline. Plus, with a defender coming in relatively untouched Sanders has to get this ball out quick, floating into the hole created by the defense to hit Hunter who would make a defender miss before finding his way into the end zone for six. Nice job by Sanders at making Hunter come back to the ball rather than lead him up field, as if he attempted the latter the pass may have been picked off or broken up. Overall, just a very nice play for the Buffalo offense, again bringing them back to within two to start the second half. Unfortunately for Colorado that would be their final score of the game as they'd go three and out on their next possession before turning it over on downs with less than six and a half minutes to go in the game. Sanders would have a couple nice throws on Colorado's final drive, i.e. connecting with Travis Hunter for eight on third and three after escaping pressure as well as a near touchdown to Will Sheppard that was also nearly intercepted on third and 17. In the end the Buffaloes fell to the Jayhawks by a score of 37-21, giving Kansas their third consecutive win against a Big 12 title hopeful. As for Sanders I thought he played a pretty efficient game, taking what the defense gave him while totaling three touchdowns through the air, just a shame it came in a losing effort. This week Colorado hosts the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Black Friday. I don't think the Buffaloes should have too many problems against a Cowboy team that has the second worst passing defense in the conference while also sitting at 0-8 in conference play this season.
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 - v Oklahoma State (Friday)
3. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU (+1)
Wk 13 - 28/37 332 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/1 carry -6 yds 0 touchdowns v Vanderbilt (24-17 W)
Season - 290/459 3,458 yds 23 touchdowns 11 interceptions/29 carries -38 yds 3 touchdowns
On a night where they decided to rock yellow jerseys, Garrett Nussmeier and the LSU Tigers got off the snide with a 24-17 home win against the Vanderbilt Commodores. This was a much needed victory for the Tigers who had lost each of their last three games, all by double digits, with the worst of them coming via a 42-13 home blowout against Alabama. The thing that really hurt them throughout that losing streak was that they refused to show up in the second half as they were beating Texas A&M and tied with Florida at the half before losing both games by again, double digits. Another thing that hurt LSU was keeping quarterback Garrett Nussmeier upright throughout the games. Prior to the game against the Aggies Nussmeier was sacked just twice, both of which came against South Carolina back on September 14th. Since then, prior to this week, he had been sacked 11-times, with a whopping seven coming against Florida last week. I know the Gators have the players to get after the quarterback, but seven times in one game is crazy. This week though Nussmeier was able to stay upright, only getting sacked once while throwing for 332-yards with a touchdown and no interceptions, this being the first time this season where he hasn't thrown an interception in back-to-back games. Though he ended up putting up very solid numbers things didn't necessarily start off the smoothest, as the Tigers were forced to punt after going three and out on their opening drive of the game. That being said Nussmeier would orchestrate an 90-yard eight play drive their second time out, which was kicked off with him hitting Mason Taylor for 10-yards on the opening play. Nussmeier would also find a wide open Kyren Lacy for a 30-yard gain before Josh Williams would take it in from 20-yards out to give LSU their first points of the game. Nussmeier would show off his play making abilities on the Tigers' next drive as he'd hit Taylor for a 24-yard gain on third and nine after getting out of what looked like a potential sack.
Though it hasn't necessarily been on display these past few weeks this is normally one of the stronger parts of Nussmeier's game as he is usually fairly calm when the pocket breaks down, being able to deliver a strike down the field from said pocket or roll out and make a play on the run. Obviously in this situation he chose the latter as he was able to deliver a strike to Taylor for the 24-yard gain on third and nine. I must say though, I don't really know what the Vanderbilt defender was doing in coverage, not that anyone on LSU will care too much. Though they would ultimately turn it over on downs trying to score from the Commodore three yard line, Nussmeier would make a couple nice throws to Kyren Lacy that would go for 16 and Trey'Dez Green that would get them down to the aforementioned three yard line. Even his pass on fourth down that was intended for Green was good, just went through the receiver's hands. The offense would go three and out on their next possession but would be able to find the end zone again with Josh Williams picking up his second 20+ yard rushing touchdown of the game to go up seven with less than a minute to go in the first half. Prior to the score Nussmeier would be able to draw the defense offsides while hitting CJ Daniels on a well thrown back shoulder ball for 14-yards on third and two. They would continue their touchdown run on their opening drive of the third quarter, with Nussmeier orchestrating a nice 10-play 77-yard drive to grow their lead to 11 midway through the third. Before the score he'd hit Daniels a few yard past the line of scrimmage who would pick up a first down on third and nine before tossing a perfect ball to Aaron Anderson for 21-yards to get them to the Vanderbilt side of the 50.
Like I said, perfect throw from Nussmeier to hit the open Anderson before the defender could make a play on the ball, picking up a decent 21-yards in the process. Nussmeier would come back and fire a strike down the middle of the field to CJ Daniels for 24-yards on fourth and five, getting them down to the Vanderbilt 12-yard line.
Like I brought up before Nussmeier is usually very good at stepping up in the pocket, staying tall, and delivering strikes for big gains down the field. Dude delivered a very nice ball less than a second before a Vanderbilt defender was able to get his hand on him and potentially disrupt the pass. A play later Nussmeier would register his first passing touchdown of the game, hitting an open Kyren Lacy from 12-yards out for the score, going up 21-10 midway through the third quarter.
Just an easy throw from Nussmeier to hit the aforementioned wide open Lacy in the end zone for the score. Like I said, Lacy was open, but I still like how Nussmeier released this ball. Is that weird to say? Am I doing a little too much? Possibly, but still, it doesn't get much easier than this, really well orchestrated drive by Nussmeier to further extend LSU's advantage late in the third quarter. The Tigers offense would put together another long drive their next time out following a Vanderbilt three and out. On the final play of the third quarter, Nussmeier would again stand tall in the pocket and deliver a strike to Aaron Anderson for an 18-yard gain, getting them closer to the Commodore side of the 50. Nussmeier would also dump it off to Josh Williams for a further 18-yards to get them to the Vanderbilt 21 before tossing up a beautiful ball to Anderson in the corner of the end zone on third and 10.
Though it was initially ruled as a touchdown, replay would step in and say that the pass was incomplete, forcing the Tigers to settle for a 28-yard Damian Ramos field goal to go up 14 less than five minutes into the fourth quarter. Regardless of if this counted as a touchdown or not, this is still a near perfect throw from Nussmeier, placing it directly in the bucket for Anderson to come down with it. Again, just a shame that it was ultimately ruled incomplete, nullifying a fantastic touchdown in the process. Though Vanderbilt would score a touchdown with just over five minutes to go in the game, Nussmeier and co. would ultimately see out the game, thanks in part to this dot from Nussmeier to Kyren Lacy for a 21-yard gain down the near sideline.
I sound like a broken record but Nussmeier's ability to remain calm and stand tall in the face of pressure is really impressive. Even on the previous throw to Anderson, with a defender breaking past the line with a free shot at him, dude is still able to deliver accurate balls down the field. Sure Lacy was fairly open, but how many times have we seen quarterbacks miss these types of throws with pressure barreling down on them? All in all a few plays later the Tigers would see out a 24-17 home victory, ending their losing streak at three going into the last week of the regular season. This was a very impressive showing from Nussmeier as all of his best traits were on display throughout the course of the game. Whether it be his pocket presence or fade balls, he was really on one in this win. This week LSU takes on an Oklahoma Sooners team that is fresh off of a shocking 24-3 home win against Alabama, a game that saw them force quarterback Jalen Milroe to throw three interceptions. The Sooners may be all over the place as a collective, but their defense is one of the better ones in the conference. Though it's a night game at home, this game could prove tough for Nussmeier and co..
Preseason - 10
Wk 1 - 9
Wk 2 - 8
Wk 3 - 8
Wk 4 - 8
Wk 5 - 7
Wk 6 - 7
Wk 7 - 6
Wk 8 - 4
Wk 9 - 4
Wk 10 - 4
Wk 11 - 4
Wk 12 - 4
Wk 13 - 3
Wk 14 - v Oklahoma
4. Jalen Milroe, Alabama (-1)
Wk 13 - 11/26 164 yds 0 touchdowns 3 interceptions/15 carries 7 yds 0 touchdowns @ Oklahoma (24-3 L)
Season - 171/263 2,396 yds 15 touchdowns 9 interceptions/135 carries 615 yds 17 touchdowns
I can't lie, there wasn't an ounce of me that actually thought Oklahoma would beat Alabama last Saturday night. I did not care that it was at Oklahoma nor did I care that this Alabama team isn't the same as years gone by, no part of me thought the Sooners would come away with a win, let along a 24-3 double digit victory. To put things in perspective Oklahoma is currently sitting with a 6-5 record, losing four of their previous five before their match-up with Alabama. That lone win came against the now 5-7 Maine Black Bears who are famously from the FCS level. Oklahoma's last win against an FBS opponent came all the way back in week five when the Sooners took down the Auburn Tigers on the road by a score of 27-21. That game was all the way back on September 28th, it is now November 25th, that's an insanely long time to go without beating an FBS team. But as I alluded to before, this year's rendition of the Alabama football team are in a much more giving mood than in previous years as not only did they gift Oklahoma their first top level win since the last weekend in September, but they also let lowly Vanderbilt beat them for the first time since 1984, ironically on September 29th. I just did not see any of this coming, especially after the Crimson Tide beat the Georgia Bulldogs 41-34, with quarterback Jalen Milroe throwing for 374-yards with a further 117 on the ground and four total touchdowns. Not only did I think Alabama was for real, but I also thought Milroe would be a shoo-in for the Heisman Trophy. Much like Alabama's season as a whole, since that game Milroe has drifted further and further away from that award, with this past weekend being his worst performance of the year. In the aforementioned 24-3 loss Milroe threw for 164-yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions, all while totaling just seven yards on the ground. Unfortunately this isn't something new from the passing game perspective from Milore, as in Alabama's last four games (including this one) he has registered just two touchdowns through the air, with both coming last week against Mercer. Not only that but again in these last four games Milroe has completed less than 20-passes in each of them, with his highest being 16 against Missouri back on October 26th. You can say that it was a downpour against LSU and that he only played a half against Mercer but still, that's no excuse to go 11 for 26 against Oklahoma. I know most of his strength comes in the run game, but Milroe is too damn talented to but putting forth that bad of a stat line. Now that being said, Milroe did flash some arm talent on Alabama's second drive of the game as he'd hit Germie Bernard up the middle for 32-yards on third and 16 following an Oklahoma fumble.
Very nice job by Milroe at getting this ball over the top of the safety and fitting it into Bernard who made a fantastic catch to pick up the big gain and the first down. With Josh Cuevas open on the opposite side of the field, it seems like Oklahoma just wanted Alabama to pick up the first down on third and 16. Regardless this is still a very nice throw from Milroe which again helped the Crimson Tide pick up a really nice gain and a much needed first down after going three and out on their opening possession. Milroe would connect with a fairly open Ryan Williams for a 30-yard gain on third and 10 a few plays later which would help set up a 22-yard field goal attempt from Graham Nicholson to give Alabama their first lead of the game. The Tide would struggle to put together solid drives following the field goal, going three and out on their following possession before punting it away after five plays and going into the locker room down 10-3, with Oklahoma scoring their first touchdown of the game with 37-seconds left in the first half. Alabama would continue to struggle on their opening drive of the third quarter, only this time Milroe would be picked off trying to hit Williams on a screen pass on just their third play of the half.
You just hate to see this happen. It's bad enough throwing an interception in general, but throwing it on a screen is one of the worst feelings in the world. Like there's no read involved, it's just about getting the ball out of your hand as quick as possible and into the hands of the intended receiver. Only problem is that the Oklahoma defender was able to break through the blocks with little to no effort, stepping in front of the pass and returning it to the Alabama 14-yard line. Five plays later, the Sooners would have a 17-3 advantage, less than five minutes into the third quarter. Things wouldn't get much better for Milroe and the Alabama offense their next time out. If anything it got much much worse as Milroe would not only be picked off again, but would see it go the opposite direction for a pick six, further extended Oklahoma's advantage midway through the third.
Forget about the interception for a second, what the hell is that effort from Milroe on the tackle? A slide tackle, really? This isn't soccer, go in and actually try bring the defender down after gifting him an easy interception. This was just a poor throw from Milroe. Sure he may have had a window there initially, but the ball left his hand late and ended up right in the path of an Oklahoma defender who again, would return it 49-yards for the score. The interceptions would stop on Alabama's next drive, though they would still end up punting the ball away after just five plays. Their next drive though would see Milroe pick up a first down with his legs on third and eight before hitting Germie Bernard on a screen play for eight more yards to get them inside the Oklahoma 40-yard line. Though the Tide would ultimately turn it over on downs, Milroe would come oh so close to registering his first passing touchdown of the game, hitting Ryan Williams in the end zone for what would've been a 36-yard score if not for an illegal touching penalty on Williams.
It's a damn shame this play didn't end up counting because it's a fantastic throw from Milroe and an even better catch by Williams that would have given the Crimson Tide their first touchdown of the game. I don't care if it didn't count, I still want to bring attention to it because this was the best play of the game, for either team if I'm being honest. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Ryan Williams' body control is insane to me, especially when you consider the fact that he was born in 2007. Again, just a shame this didn't count, especially since Milroe would register his third interception of the game on Alabama's final drive of the game.
This is probably the easiest interception Woodi Washington will have in his life. You just hate to see this because Milroe was none the wiser about the oncoming defender, as his vision is locked in to the far side of the field. I've brought this up before in previous blog posts but this is one of the most helpless feelings for a quarterback. Getting hit while you throw and watching the ball sputter in the air before landing in the grateful arms of a defender. Again, you just hate to see these types of interceptions (unless you're the fan of the team on defense, obviously) especially since it would be Jalen Milroe's final contribution to the game as the Crimson Tide would fall 24-3 on the road to the now 6-5 Oklahoma Sooners. Like I brought up before, not a single part of me thought Oklahoma was going to win this game. Sure it may not be the best Alabama team team the Sooners have looked bad pretty much all season, so I was shocked as I was seeing this game unfold. For Alabama you'd think this all but keeps them out of the new 12-team playoff, but with the committees' clear hard on for the Tide we can't be too careful. Focusing on the near future I'm intrigued to see how Alabama bounces back against a now 5-6 Auburn team that is coming off of a 43-41 four overtime thriller against Texas A&M this past weekend. The Tigers may not have the best record but they've played a few close games against ranked opponents. Fighting for their bowl lives, I'm sure they'd love nothing more than to push Alabama to 8-4 which would be their worst season since 2007, or in other words Nick Saban's first season at the helm.
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 - v Auburn
5. Drew Allar, Penn State
Wk 13 - 21/28 244 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/9 carries 8 yds 1 touchdown @ Minnesota (26-25 W)
Season - 187/259 2,497 yds 17 touchdowns 5 interceptions/60 carries 202 yds 4 touchdowns
I said it in last weeks blog post, Penn State's road match-up against Minnesota could prove to be a tricky one as the Golden Gophers ranked near the top of the conference in regards to total defense and points per game. Despite losing their most previous game to Rutgers, Minnesota had won each of their last four games all while forcing seven interceptions to just three passing touchdowns for each of those teams starting quarterbacks. Though none of those aforementioned quarterbacks are as highly rated as Penn State's Drew Allar, it gave us a little look in to see how their defense could potentially match-up against the 6'5" signal caller, especially since he hadn't really been tested since the Nittany Lions' 20-13 home loss to Ohio State. In games against Washington and Purdue, Allar missed on just 10-passes while throwing for 467-yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions (the dude had two touchdowns before he threw an incomplete pass against Purdue last week). With him not really being tested all too much maybe Minnesota could throw some new things at him and throw him off in this road Saturday afternoon match-up. Unfortunately for them they could not, as Allar finished with 244-yards and a touchdown all while going 21/28 to go along with eight yards on the ground and another touchdown to boot (the first time he's registered a rushing touchdown since week five against UCLA). All that being said things didn't really start off the best for Allar and the Penn State offense as they'd be forced to punt after going three and out on their opening drive before punting it again after six plays their second time out and turning it over on downs on their third time with Allar taking a 12-yard sack on fourth and five. The Nittany Lions would finally find the end zone on their opening drive of the second quarter, with Allar hitting a wide ass open Omari Evans from 45-yards out to get them within three less than five minutes into the quarter.
Just a simple pitch and catch between quarterback and wide receiver for the score. Like Allar was just getting set up when he let the ball go. Corner thought he hand safety help, he did not, and the Penn State offense took full advantage to again bring the game back to within three at the start of the second quarter. Though the defense would come up big with an interception return that would set the offense up at the Minnesota 23, they would have to settle for a field goal as Allar would be sacked on second down before missing his receiver on third and 15. Thankfully Ryan Barker would make the ensuing 45-yard attempt, tying the game up at 10 midway through the second quarter. The Nittany Lions would go three and out on their next possession, though they would find the end zone again just before halftime thanks to a four yard run by Allar with 18-seconds to go in the half. Prior to the touchdown though, Allar would hit Tyler Warren up the seam on a well thrown back shoulder ball to get the offense down to the Minnesota 10-yard line.
Again, just a really well placed ball by Allar to hit Warren for the 28-yard gain. Though most people associate back shoulder throws with throws along the sideline, but sometimes they are needed up the seam as well and you know me, I'm a sucker for a good back shoulder throw, and this was one of them. A couple plays later Allar would step up in the pocket and take it into the end zone himself from four yards out. Though you would think that would tie the game up at 17, Minnesota would block the extra point attempt and return it the other way for two points, making it instead a 19-16 game going into halftime. After being forced to punt the ball away after seven plays on their opening drive Penn State would find the end zone again on their second drive of the second half, with Nicholas Singleton taking it in from 12-yards out to give Penn State their first lead of the game, going up 23-22 with less than four minutes to go in the third quarter (the extra point was good). Allar would come close to registering his second passing touchdown of the game on Penn State's next drive following a Minnesota turnover, with his pass to Tyler Warren falling incomplete in the end zone on third and 10.
It's a shame that this wasn't completed because this was a very nice throw from Allar in the face of pressure. There was no second guessing about where Allar was going with this ball as arguably the nation's top tight end was being guarded by a freshman. Again, just a shame this fell incomplete, though I'm sure they're still thankful to have come away with some points as Ryan Barker would make the ensuing 32-yard field goal attempt. Minnesota would respond with a field goal of their own to bring the game back to within one with less than six minutes to go in the fourth quarter. On their final drive of the game Penn State would convert on multiple fourth down attempts with Luke Reynolds taking a fake punt 32-yards down the field and Allar punching it up the middle on fourth and one before Allar would connect with Tyler Warren for 11-yards on fourth and one to really put the final nail in the coffin.
Very nice job by Allar at buying some time in the pocket before hitting his open tight end on a play that would ultimately seal the win for Penn State as they'd come out 26-25 road victors. It wasn't easy and it wasn't pretty, but at this point of the season on the road in conference play you'll take wins however you can get them. Against one of the better total defenses in the Big Ten I though Allar really held his own, taking what the defense gave him whether that be on shorter dink and dunk passes or deep balls for touchdowns, I thought he put forth yet another solid outing. That being said I'm expecting similar things this coming weekend as the Nittany Lions play host to the Maryland Terrapins, a team who has lost each of their last four games including a 29-13 beatdown by the Iowa Hawkeyes. Bad against the run and even worse against the pass, I don't really foresee Penn State having too many problems in this one.
Preseason - 4
Wk 1 - 3
Wk 2 - 4
Wk 3 - 5
Wk 4 - 5
Wk 5 - 6
Wk 6 - 6
Wk 7 - 7
Wk 8 - 7
Wk 9 - 7
Wk 10 - 7
Wk 11 - 6
Wk 12 - 5
Wk 13 - 5
Wk 14 - v Maryland
6. Carson Beck, Georgia
Wk 13 - 20/31 297 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/5 carries 5 yds 0 touchdowns v Massachusetts (59-21 W)
Season - 255/392 3,132 yds 23 touchdowns 12 interceptions/46 carries 76 yds 1 touchdown
Much like I talked about last week with Alabama's late season match-up against FCS level Mercer, the now 9-2 Georgia Bulldogs played host to a now 2-9 Massachusetts Minutemen team that has weirdly faced off against three different SEC opponents this season (the other two being Missouri and Mississippi State). Though they kept it close against a solid Liberty Flames team the long and short of it is that Massachusetts is not a good football team, and under no circumstances should be taking on a potential College Football Playoff team this deep into the season. This is honestly the dumbest 'tradition' (I guess you could call it) in sports. I don't care how tough you think the SEC is, nor do I care who they played earlier in the season, there is no reason for a team like Georgia to be playing a team like Massachusetts in week 13, it's beyond ridiculous at this point. What is the point of these types of games, really? Because in the case of Alabama, they followed up their win against Mercer with a shocking 24-3 road loss to Oklahoma, a team that hadn't not beaten an FBS opponent since week five, that was all the back on September 28th. These glorified bye weeks do absolutely nothing for me as they're not even really confidence boosting games as Georgia should always expect to boat race Massachusetts. Though the Minutemen went up 7-0 after their first drive, the Bulldogs came out and won by a score of 59-21, with quarterback Carson Beck throwing for 297-yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions (those four passing touchdowns are the most he's had in a game since week two against Tennessee Tech, where he had five) (also, this is the first time Beck has gone back-to-back games without throwing an interception since week three). Massachusetts aforementioned seven point lead wouldn't last very long as Beck would orchestrate an eight play 75-yard drive to tie the game up with just over five minutes to go in the first. After hitting Lawson Luckie for 15 and Sacovie White for eight, Beck would connect with Oscar Delp in the flat who would take it 17-yards for Georgia's first points of the game. Beck would come out swinging on Georgia's next offensive possession as he'd hit Arian Smith down the middle of the field for a nice gain that would get assisted by a roughing the passer call to get them to the Minutemen side of the 50. Then after a couple Nate Frazier runs Beck would hit Cash Jones out of the backfield who would take it in from eight yards out to give the Bulldogs a 14-7 lead with just 10 and a half minutes to go in the first half. It wouldn't take Beck much longer to register his third passing touchdown of game as after a Massachusetts fumble set them up at the 28-yard line, Beck would find Lawson Luckie for a 14-yard gain before throwing a very nice ball to Dominic Lovett in the end zone from 15-yards out to further grow Georgia's first half advantage.
Very nice throw from Beck but also a really nice job by Lovett to see this ball in coming over his shoulder. I'm not necessarily the biggest fan of fade routes, but when they come off as nice as this it's hard not to be a fan as this connection again further extended Georgia's lead midway through the second quarter. Beck would help lead another touchdown drive before the half, coming up with a 10-yard rush on third and three before hitting Cole Speer between a couple defenders for a nice 20-yard gain to get them to the Massachusetts side of the 50.
In the face of some pressure, Beck is able to deliver an absolute strike down the field to Speer between a couple defenders for a nice 20-yard gain and a first down. Those are the types of throws we love to see from Beck, just driving it down the field and putting it in a spot where only his intended receiver could get it. Also, nice job by Speer at holding on to the ball through the contact as it again helped pick up a nice gain for the offense. A couple plays later Beck would hit Arian Smith down the middle of the field for a 34-yard touchdown, giving him his fourth of the game.
It may not have been the prettiest throw but like I always say, when a receiver is decently open your job as a quarterback is to just not miss him, which Beck didn't here as it again gave him his fourth passing touchdown of the game. At the end of the first half with Georgia up 28-14, Beck had more touchdowns (four) then incompletions (three), with all of his touchdowns going to different receivers. I would say that would constitute a fairly solid first half showing from the Georgia quarterback, am I right? Though their touchdown streak would end there, the Bulldogs would still be able to come away with three points on their opening drive of the half, with Beck hitting Dwight Phillips Jr. out of the backfield for 15 and Arian Smith on the following play for 27 after hitting him in the flat on a screen pass. Beck would come away with a very nice completion to Dominic Lovett for 16-yards on their following drive, with Nate Frazier ultimately taking it in from nine yards out to give Georgia a 38-21 lead midway through the third quarter. The Bulldogs would convert on a couple fourth down attempts on their next drive as Frazier would punch it into the end zone again, this time from 15-yards out to further extend Georgia's advantage with less than two minutes to go in the third. Beck would go 1/4 on Georgia's next possession as they'd fail to convert on fourth and eight from the Minutemen 38-yard line. Those four passes would be Beck's final contribution(s) to this game as back-up Gunner Stockton would come in and see out a 59-21 home victory. As expected this was a very solid game from Beck as his four touchdowns again were the second most he had thrown in a game this season. This week Georgia hosts the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Black Friday, a game where Beck struggled in a year ago as he registered a season low 175-yards with a touchdown and an unfortunate interception in the red zone. With the Yellow Jackets upsetting the Miami Hurricanes a couple weeks ago I don't think it'd be wise for the Bulldogs to completely look past their in state rival, as a loss here would certainly keep them out of the College Football Playoff, right?
Preseason - 1
Wk 1 - 2
Wk 2 - 1
Wk 3 - 2
Wk 4 - 2
Wk 5 - 4
Wk 6 - 4
Wk 7 - 3
Wk 8 - 5
Wk 9 - 5
Wk 10 - 6
Wk 11 - 7
Wk 12 - 6
Wk 13 - 6
Wk 14 - v Georgia Tech (Friday)
7. Quinn Ewers, Texas
Wk 13 - 20/31 191 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/4 carries -9 yds 0 touchdowns v Kentucky (31-14 W)
Season - 189/278 2,089 yds 23 touchdowns 6 interceptions/32 carries -64 yds 1 touchdown
Another week, another double digit win against a subpar conference opponent for Quinn Ewers and the Texas Longhorns as they came out 31-14 victors at home against the now 4-7 Kentucky Wildcats. This is starting to become fairly standard operating procedure for the Longhorns as this is their fifth double digit win in conference play so far this season, and their sixth overall. I could looking at this the wrong way, but Texas has done a very nice job at beating up on who they're supposed to beat up on while struggling against the better teams, i.e. a 30-15 loss to Georgia where Ewers was benched for Arch Manning and a road win against Vanderbilt that saw them come away three point victors. If we're being honest with ourselves Georgia is really the only good team Texas has faced all season as both Michigan and the aforementioned Vanderbilt (who were both ranked at the time of the game) currently sit with 6-5 records. Even Arkansas, a team that I thought Texas would boat race after watching their secondary against Ole Miss, is also 6-5. With all that being said I guess the main thing I'm getting at is that I don't know how good Texas really is. The same could be said for my feelings about their starting quarterback who finished this game against Kentucky with 191-yards through the air with two touchdowns and no interceptions (we'll discuss this later, though it would technically be the third straight game where he has avoided throwing an interception). Regardless, he did enough against a top three pass defense for Texas to come with yet another double digit victory in conference play. Unlike most Texas games, this one was won on the ground, with Quintrevion Wisner finishing with 158-yards and Jaydon Blue finished with 98. In total, the Longhorns finished with 251-yards on the ground, as opposed to Kentucky's measly 21. Though the run game mostly carried them through this one, it was Ewers who kept Texas' opening drive alive by getting a ball out quick to Matthew Golden for a 19-yard gain on third and 11.
Though I said I'm not necessarily the biggest fan of Ewers, one thing I really like about him is how quick the ball leaves his hand. This is a prime example of that as he not only lets this ball go before the receiver is out of his break, but he also places it on his outside shoulder, turning his momentum away from the defender to pick up more yards after the catch. A very nice throw from Ewers which again helped keep Texas' drive alive on third and 11. After connecting with Matthew Golden on a screen pass that would go for 20-yards and get them down to the Wildcat 11, Ewers would scramble around before finding an open Gunnar Helm in the end zone on fourth and two from the three yard line, giving Texas their first lead of the game with 10-minutes to go in the first quarter. The offense wouldn't really have the same success their next couple drives as they'd fail to convert on fourth down after eight plays before punting the ball away with penalties really killing them on that drive. Texas would find the end zone on their first drive of the second quarter which was kicked off by Ewers lobbing one over a defender and fitting it into Isaiah Bond for a 17-yard gain on second and three.
Again, just floating it over the outstretched arm of the Kentucky defender, dropping it in a bucket for Bond to come away with it for the nice gain and first down. Though they weren't directly on top him the four defenders in the area does make for a little less room for error so again, nice job by Ewers on this pass, getting just enough on it to get it to his intended receiver. That would be Ewers' last pass on the drive as Texas would rely on the run game to get them across the goal line with Jaydon Blue taking it in from five yards out to help the Longhorns regain the lead midway through the second quarter. Ewers would register his second touchdown pass of the game on Texas' next drive following a Brock Vandagriff interception, hitting Gunnar Helm from 17-yards out for the score.
With Helm's route carrying him towards the middle of the field, Ewers more or less puts this on a line rather than throw where his route is going as there's a safety in the area that could potentially make a play on the ball. Just a smart throw by Ewers which resulted in his second passing touchdown of the game, putting Texas up 21-7 with just over three minutes to go in the first half. Ewers would connect with Helm a couple times and Silas Bolden for 16 on their final drive of the half, ultimately setting up a 49-yard field goal attempt for Bert Auburn to further extend their lead just before the break. The offense would struggle mightily to kick off the third quarter as they would go three and out on their opening drive then would fumble the ball away twice on their second and third possessions, with the latter being returned for a touchdown as Ewers was strip sacked at the Texas 25-yard line.
Fumble, interception, don't matter. Ultimately what matters is that Kentucky was able to take this ball back for six with the Longhorns again struggling mightily to kick things off in the second half. Though he would connect with Gunnar Helm on a screen pass for 17-yards on their next drive, Ewers would almost fumble the ball away again as he'd take his eyes off the ball after the center snapped it. Thankfully for him he was able to throw it away and out of bounds, avoiding any further catastrophes in the process. Though one was avoided there, Bert Auburn would miss the ensuing 47-yard field goal at the start of the fourth quarter. Ewers would throw the ball exactly zero times on Texas' next possession, as they'd travel 86-yards in 15-plays via the ground game and find the end zone thanks to a one yard run by Quintrevion Wisner to go up 31-14. That would pretty be the end of things in Austin with the Longhorns moving their record to 10-1 on the season. The big question going into this week for Texas surrounds the health of quarterback Quinn Ewers as he could be sidelined with an ankle injury. We'll have to wait and see about that but this weekend Texas is taking on their former Big 12 rival Texas A&M, a team who are fresh off of a four overtime loss to Auburn. I know the Kyle Field crowd is eagerly awaiting the return of the Texas Longhorns.
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 - @ no.20 Texas A&M
8. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss (+1)
Wk 13 - 24/41 323 yds 2 touchdowns 2 interceptions/14 carries 71 yds 0 touchdowns @ Florida (24-17 L)
Season - 235/339 3,732 yds 24 touchdowns 6 interceptions/99 carries 375 yds 3 touchdowns
I think the best way I can describe this game is just by calling it interesting. I'll get more in-depth about why I feel that way here in a little bit but for now I just want to go over the chaos that Florida has been causing in recent weeks. Sure, you look at their record and see that they are now 6-5 and are bowl eligible, good for them. But if you look a little closer they sure did cause some problems for some of the best teams in the SEC, most recently being the LSU Tigers and the Ole Miss Rebels. Starting with LSU, they were coming into their match-up with Florida off of a two game losing streak against Texas A&M and Alabama. Despite that, a win in the Swamp against Florida would've thrusted them back into not only the SEC Championship conversion, but would also give them an outside shot at making the College Football Playoff. Obviously none of those things are on the cards now as the Gators took down the Tigers 27-16. As for Ole Miss they saw themselves ranked in the top 10 and were coming off of a bye week and a 28-10 home win against the Georgia Bulldogs. Despite their two loss record everything was seemingly all to play for, that is until they also marched into the Swamp and came away with a 24-17 loss. In this interesting game Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart put forth some solid numbers, throwing for 323-yards with two touchdowns (and two interceptions, more on those later) with a further 71-yards on the ground off of 14-carries, both being top marks for the Rebels on offense. Besides the 515-yard display against Arkansas, those 323-yards are the most Dart has registered in a game since Ole Miss beat Georgia Southern 52-13 back on September 21st. Along with that, his 41-pass attempts is the second most attempts he's had up to this point in the season, with the most coming against LSU where he threw the ball 42-times in their 29-26 overtime loss. As for the game itself things didn't really start off the smoothest for both teams, as both were held scoreless until the second quarter. For Ole Miss, they were forced to punt the ball away after six plays to open the game before turning it over on downs after failing to convert on fourth and one from the Florida 11-yard line. Prior to the failed fourth down attempt Dart would be able to string some completions together, connecting with Cayden Lee on the opening play of the drive for 15 and Dae'Quan Wright for 19 on second and eight to get them to the Florida side of the 50. Dart would pick up 11-yards on the ground on the first play of Ole Miss' next drive before hitting Tre Harris on a beautifully thrown deep ball from 43-yards out to tie the game up at seven early on in the second quarter.
Like I just said, this is a beautifully thrown ball by Jaxson Dart, hitting Harris perfectly in stride with two defenders on him from 43-yards out for the Rebels' first points of the game. This just looked like a practice rep as this ball was dropped right in the bucket for the score. Dart would come up big for Ole Miss again on their next drive, as on fourth and two he was able to buy time in the pocket and float a nice ball into Jordan Watkins for a 25-yard gain and a first down.
Really nice job by Dart at remaining calm in the pocket on fourth and two. With no one initially open, some quarterbacks may have tried to pick up the first down with their legs, which Dart is definitely more than capable of doing. Here though again he stays calm and delivers a catchable ball to Watkins for the 25-yard gain. A play later Jaxson would throw a dart (see what I did there?) to Cayden Lee down the middle of the field for a 22-yard score, giving Ole Miss their first lead of the game midway through the second quarter.
Like I said, absolute dart from Jaxson Dart to hit Lee in stride for the 22-yard touchdown. The dude made no mistake about it, once he gathered himself he just fired it in between a few different Florida defenders to Lee, who made a great hands catch in the process as well. Dart would hit on a couple 25+ yard plays to kick off their next drive as he'd hit an open Antwane Wells Jr. on a hitch for 25 and find Dae'Quan Wright for a 30-yards gain on the very next play, getting them down to the Florida 20-yard line.
Much like I brought up before with the fourth down completion to Jordan Watkins, Dart does a very nice job at just staying calm in the pocket and waiting for something to develop down the field. In this case, Wright created enough separation in Dart's mind to hit him for a 30-yard gain. With defenders jumping in his face, and another coming around the left side of the offensive line, Dart was able to deliver a very nice ball down the field for a big time gain to get them inside the red zone. Unfortunately the drive would stall out after the completion to Wright, and to make matters worse Caden Davis would miss the ensuing 34-yard field goal, meaning the game stayed tied at 14 with just over five minutes to go in the second quarter. The Rebels would be forced to punt the ball away after five plays their next time out, thus going into the locker room with the score again tied at 14. It would take a little time before the offense could take the field at the start of the second half as after the defense forced Florida to go three and out, Micah Davis would fumble the ensuing punt return, gifting the Gators the ball at the Rebel 37-yard line. After holding Florida to a field goal following the fumbled punt, the offense would take the field with Dart orchestrating a nice 13-play drive that saw him pick up 20-yards on the ground on second and 11.
Like I mentioned before Dart is a very capable runner when called upon, as seen on this play as he's able to pick up 20-yards and a first down in the process. With the pocket collapsing and nothing really open down the field, Dart smartly decides to tuck it and pick as many yards as he can before coming into contact with a Florida defender. Very nice gain which was followed up by another rush attempt from him, as he was attempting to pick up a first down on third and 10 with the ball at the Florida 19-yard line. Despite coming up a yard short the offense stayed on the field. Much like the first time they went for it on fourth down, they came up short with JJ Pegues getting stuffed at the line of scrimmage for no gain. Dart would come up with another 20+ yard play to kick off Ole Miss' next drive only this time it came through the air as he'd hit Cayden Lee for a 23-yard gain on first and 20 (following a holding call).
A very well waited pass right there from Dart, being able to hit Lee between four Florida defenders to pick up 23-yards and a first down after the aforementioned holding penalty pushed them back 10-yards. As impressive as that pass was it unfortunately wouldn't lead to a touchdown as Dart would take a seven yard sack a few plays later on first and 10, putting them in another precarious position that they wouldn't be able to overcome. Though a touchdown wasn't on the cards, Caden Davis would make a 42-yard field goal to tie the game up at 17 with 45-seconds left in the third quarter. Now, remember when I said I'd consider this game interesting, well, things certainly got more interesting as the fourth quarter started. After going three and out on their opening drive of the quarter and punting after just four plays on their second, Jaxson Dart would do something that I don't think I've ever seen before as he threw three interceptions across the course of a minute or so, give or take. Now, one of them would get called back, but he would throw an interception on the play following the penalty. The first one would come at the 1:32 mark, as he tossed it into triple coverage trying to hit Antwane Wells Jr. for what would've been a game tying touchdown.
Throwing into triple coverage is usually not a good idea, but it's even worse when you see Florida shift their coverage to the left side of the formation. With the shift in coverage Dart had a receiver on an island to the far side of the field, but with him locked on Wells it led to an easy interception for Florida. The Ole Miss defense would come up big their next time out, forcing Florida to punt after going three and out, leaving 1:03 on the clock for the offense to work with. To kick things off Dart would hit a very nice seam shot to Cayden Lee for 19-yards on second and 11, getting them down to the Florida 48-yard line.
This is a really good throw from Dart, getting it over the outstretched arm of the Florida defender and into the path of Lee for the 19-yard gain following the sack on first down. Unfortunately that would be the last positive play for the Ole Miss offense, as Dart would throw his second (and third I guess) interception in as many drives to ultimately seal the game for Florida.
This is seemingly a miscommunication between quarterback in wide receiver, as Dart thought the receiver would carry his route more upfield rather than cutting it a few yards short. Though this one would get ruled incomplete, the football gods made sure that Florida would win this game.
Just an unfortunate turn of events as again these interceptions would ultimately seal the game up for the Gators, who would come out with a 24-17 home win against another playoff hopeful. With Ole Miss dropping to 14 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings I'd say their chances of making it after this loss very slim. As for Jaxson Dart, interceptions aside he played a really nice game, finding holes in Florida's defense with some big gains down the field, with the creme de la creme coming on that 43-yard touchdown pass to Tre Harris. Though this game didn't end how he would've liked I fully expect him to bounce back against Mississippi State on Black Friday. Last season, on the road, Dart managed to register only 96-yards through the air, but with the Bulldogs boasting the second worst pass defense in the conference I fully expect him to light them up. Should be a fun one.
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 - v Mississippi State (Friday)
9. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana (-1)
Wk 13 - 8/18 68 yds 0 touchdowns 0 interceptions/7 carries -33 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.2 Ohio State (38-15 L)
Season - 179/256 2,478 yds 21 touchdowns 4 interceptions/37 carries -16 yds 2 touchdowns
In a game that no one expected anything from at the beginning of the season, the second ranked Ohio State Buckeyes hosted the fifth ranked Indiana Hoosiers this past Saturday. Sure, many out there would've probably thought Ohio State would be one of the top two teams in the country around this point in the season but nobody, and I mean nobody thought Indiana would be anywhere close to even the top 25, let alone be ranked as the fifth best team in college football. Like, Phil Steele projected Indiana to finish 12th in the Big Ten. I know that's just one person, but how many do you know actually thought Indiana would be one of the top teams in the country? I'm holding my hands up because I sure as hell didn't. That's why I don't really care about who Indiana has played this season because no one thought they'd be in this position at the start of the season, even though they had the exact same schedule. If they were sub .500 (like usual) no one would've batted an eye. But because they were undefeated, now their schedule is too easy. See what I'm saying? And it's not like they were beating said teams by single digits, no, they were pile driving teams to hell, with their only single digit win coming against Michigan two weeks ago. With all that being said, as for this week I didn't have a whole lot of faith in the Hoosiers leaving the Horseshoe with a win. It's not necessarily about the skill level of Indiana, it's more about the fact that the Horseshoe is one of the toughest places to play in college football and Ohio State has arguably the best roster in the country, pound for pound. I wanted Indiana to win more than anything, but in the back of my mind I knew the score would be similar to this as Ohio State came out 38-15 victors with Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke completing just eight passes with just 68-yards through the air and no touchdowns. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell you that this was Rourke's worst game of the season by some distance as the Buckeyes just hounded him relentlessly throughout the game, sacking him five times while being in his face damn near every time he tried to throw the ball. With that, Indiana would be the team to strike first, as Rourke would connect with Myles Price for 13-yards on third and nine before hitting Elijah Sarratt for a further 19-yards on third and six.
Two big time third down conversions for the Indiana offense with the latter being the better of the two, in my opinion. On this throw, Rourke does a very nice job at throwing it off of the inside shoulder of the Ohio State defender, throwing Sarratt open with no defenders able to make a play on it. A strong throw from Rourke to help extend Indiana's fairly impressive opening drive. A few plays later Ty Son Lawton would punch it in from two yards out to give the Hoosiers their first lead of the game midway through the first quarter. Rourke would come up with a big throw from his own end zone on their next drive, hitting Sarratt for nine yards.
Again, just a strong throw from Rourke literally out of his own end zone to give the offense some breathing room early on in the drive. Good timing and good placement on the throw as well, again picking up nine yards in the process. They would end up picking up the first down on third and one but unfortunately they'd be forced to punt the ball away just a few short plays later after Rourke would get sacked for an 11-yard loss. Rourke would take another big sack on third down on their next drive as well only this time he'd lose control of the football, gifting it back to Ohio State at the Indiana 18-yard line. Indiana's defense would force an interception following the fumble but the offense sputter out and forced to punt the ball away. Only problem is that the punter couldn't control the snap, meaning Ohio State would get the ball in plus territory once again, only this time they'd manage to find the end zone just before halftime. Indiana's problems would continue into the second half as the Buckeyes would house a 79-yard punt return after the Hoosiers went three and out, making it 21-7 at the start of the third. Indiana would go three and out again their next time out as well before punting it away after five plays on their third drive and going three and out for the third time on their fourth drive of the half. Indiana would be able to put forth a solid 15-play touchdown drive their next time out as Rourke would flash the athleticism a couple times before Ty Son Lawton would take it in from two yards out to make it 31-15 with less than two minutes to go in the game. The Buckeyes would manage to find the end zone again on their final drive making the final score 38-15, gifting Indiana their first loss of the season. Like I said before, as much as I wanted Indiana to win this is what I thought would happen. I love the story of Indiana this season but Ohio State just proved to be too much for them. As for Rourke he's just going to want to scrap this game. Going 8/18 with only 68-yards is not great, but I think he'll be able to get his numbers back up this week against a 1-10 Purdue team who have the worst defense in the Big Ten. I don't Indiana should face too many problems in this 'email game.'
Preseason - N/R
Wk 1 - N/R
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - N/R
Wk 4 - N/R
Wk 5 - H/M
Wk 6 - H/M
Wk 7 - N/R (bye week)
Wk 8 - 9
Wk 9 - 9
Wk 10 - 9
Wk 11 - 8
Wk 12 - 8
Wk 13 - 9
Wk 14 - v Purdue
10. Riley Leonard, Notre Dame
Wk 13 - 10/13 148 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/8 carries 30 yds 0 touchdowns v Army* (49-14 W) (Yankee Stadium)
Season - 177/271 1,937 yds 14 touchdowns 4 interceptions/112 carries 671 yds 13 touchdowns
Well it was fun while it lasted. I think all of America can agree that it was really fun and cool to see the top military schools have as much success as they did up to this point in the season as both Army and Navy boasted undefeated records after week six of the college football season. Though Navy's run ended the following week, Army was able to keep their undefeated ways alive, finding themselves with an impressive 9-0 record while also being ranked 19th going into this past weekend. Apart from being military schools both Army and Navy have something in common, which is the fact that both of their perfect seasons ended at the hands of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. I think everyone in America was rooting against Notre Dame in both of those games, unfortunately the Irish were just too much for the military schools to handle as they beat Navy 51-14 and Army 49-14 in their most recent match-up at Yankee Stadium. Like I just got done saying, Notre Dame was just too big and too fast for the military schools to handle, so I'm not at all surprised about how the games ended up. But still, it doesn't mean that I couldn't dream of a world where both schools come out on top against one of the bad boy schools in college football, right? Regardless, Notre Dame handled their business once again with quarterback Riley Leonard putting up solid numbers once again throwing for 148-yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions (while only missing on three passes) to go along with 30-yards on the ground. Things would start off as good as they could have for Leonard and co. as he'd show off the quick release by kicking it out to Jaden Greathouse for 12-yards on second and five before hitting Jordan Faison for a 28-yard touchdown to give the Irish the early lead.
A really simple throw and catch between quarterback and wide receiver on this play. With Army playing man to man, with no safety help, Leonard finds the most favorable match-up with Faison on an island against the Army corner. Once he breaks towards the outside it's over, as Leonard hits him for the easy touchdown to open up the game. Notre Dame would find the end zone quickly on their next following a blocked punt as they'd only need three plays before Leonard would hit Jeremiyah Love out of the backfield from six yards out to double their advantage with six and a half minutes to go in the first quarter. The Irish would turn it over on downs as they failed to punch it into the end zone from a yard out on their next drive before Love would take it in from 14-yards out to go up 21-7 later on in the second quarter. Leonard would connect with Kris Mitchell for 28-yards on their next drive before he'd call his own number on a quarterback draw on third and nine, picking up 13-yards in the process and getting Notre Dame down to the Army one yard line. A few plays later Jadarian Price would take it in from a yard out to further extend their advantage with less than a minute to go in the first half. The Irish would take little to no time to score on their first drive of the third quarter as Love would take it 68-yards for the score on their opening play. Though they'd miss a field goal on their next drive, Leonard would connect with Mitchell Evans for 18-yards to get them down inside the Army 17-yard line.
Solid throw from Leonard to fit it into Mitchell between a couple Army defenders for the nice 18-yard gain. I like the little trickeration from Notre Dame in the backfield as well, making the defense worried about where the ball could end up going, whether it be on a run or a pass. Again, solid throw here from Leonard, just unfortunate that they wouldn't come away with any points as Mitch Jeter's ensuing 30-yard attempt would be blocked. That would be Leonard's final contribution to the ballgame as Steve Angeli would see out Notre Dame's eventual 49-14 win at Yankee Stadium. Like I brought up before, as cool as it was to see both Army and Navy have undefeated seasons, they're just not up to the standard to fully compete with the likes of Notre Dame. When the triple options works it's damn near impossible to stop. But when it doesn't work, then you're in serious trouble, which is exactly what happened in those two games. As for Leonard I thought he put forth a solid game, though he didn't really need to do a whole lot as Army really didn't pose any real threats to the Irish throughout the game. This week though Notre Dame travels to Los Angeles to take on the USC Trojans who are in a weird spot despite winning their last two games against Nebraska and UCLA. Though the Trojans have one of the worst defenses in the Big Ten, I don't think Notre Dame can just sleep walk through this game as USC has some playmakers on offense that could make them pay if they're not careful. This should be a fun one come Saturday afternoon.
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 - @ USC
Others
Brady Cook, Missouri
Wk 13 - 15/20 268 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/8 carries 16 yds 0 touchdowns @ Mississippi State (39-20 W)
Season - 173/269 2,080 yds 9 touchdowns 2 interceptions/62 carries 106 yds 4 touchdowns
Noah Fifita, Arizona
Wk 13 - 29/44 284 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/5 carries -14 yds 0 touchdowns @ TCU (49-28 L)
Season - 246/401 2,832 yds 17 touchdowns 12 interceptions/62 carries 15 yds 1 touchdown
Will Howard, Ohio State
Wk 13 - 22/26 201 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/5 carries -1 yd 1 touchdown v no.5 Indiana (38-15 W)
Season - 208/281 2,685 yds 26 touchdowns 6 interceptions/68 carries 121 yds 7 touchdowns
Kyle McCord, Syracuse
Wk 13 - 37/47 470 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/6 carries 1 yd 1 touchdown v UConn (31-24 W)
Season - 341/522 3,946 yds 26 touchdowns 12 interceptions/58 carries -44 yds 3 touchdowns
Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
Wk 13 - 13/24 186 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/6 carries 43 yds 1 touchdown @ LSU (24-17 L)
Season - 156/260 2,029 yds 16 touchdowns 3 interceptions/165 carries 671 yds 6 touchdowns
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