The Draft "Expert" - Wk 15 2026 NFL Draft Quarterback Prospect Rankings
- Logan Blackman
- 1 day ago
- 26 min read
YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHcjWiN0xtA
Hello everyone and welcome to the FINAL pre-bowl season 2026 NFL Draft quarterback prospect blog post. I know I've spoken about it a fair few times before, about how close we were to the end of the season, but now we're actually here, and I don't like it.
Sure, bowl season is a really fun time where we as fans can watch teams we never usually get to see, yelling at the TV even though we had no prior connection to the team(s) in question. Bowl season is a ton of run, but can be made hell if your team just decides not to show up, then you have to wait til August of next year to get that nasty taste out of your mouth.
Not only that, but the Heisman Trophy results will be revealed tomorrow, with one of the quarterbacks here in the top-10 finding himself not only amongst the finalists, but as the favorite going into the weekend.
As much fun as the festivities that are approaching us are, it still doesn't change the fact that it signals the end of the college football regular season, meaning that we are a month away from losing the sport we all love for months. I'm pretty sure I've said this before but I will say it again, we can't cry because it's over, we should smile because it happened.
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 15 quarterback prospect rankings for the 2026 NFL Draft! Enjoy!
Podcast Links
1. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana (+2)
Week 15 - 15/23 222 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/5 carries -3 yds 0 touchdowns v no.1 Ohio State (13-10 W) (Big Ten Championship)
Season - 226/316 2,980 yds 33 touchdowns 6 interceptions/69 carries 240 yds 6 touchdowns
I can't speak for everyone out there, but how insane is it that this is the reality in which we live in right now? Like, if you would have told me just three years ago that Indiana would not only lose only two games (so far) across the next two seasons, but finish one completely undefeated and as Big Ten Champions I would have called you crazy. There was zero, and I mean zero part of me that ever thought that this would happen and yet, here we are. This past Saturday Indiana took home their first conference championship since 1967. taking down the undefeated and top ranked Ohio State Buckeyes by the score 13-10. Imagine hearing that sentence however many years ago. Indiana beating Ohio State is something that not only you or I have not seen, it's something that the oldest person living has ever seen as the Buckeyes had won the previous 31 of 32-match-ups (they tied 27-27 in 1990) between the two teams. Now I must say that the two teams have only faced off since 1989 but still, the point stands that this is something no one would have ever seen coming, or would have believed would ever happen in their life times. Another crazy thing about this game is that is seemingly locked up the Heisman Trophy for quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who went 15/23 for 222-yards with one touchdown and an interception. Are they the prettiest numbers out there? Probably not, but when you see the throws he was making when he was making them, it's hard not to say that he not only deserves to take home the most prestigious individual honor in all of college football, but also be taken first out of all the quarterbacks in the upcoming Draft. Obviously I could wind up being wrong in both cases, but the dude has put forth an insanely impressive record setting season that again helped the Hoosiers finish the regular + conference championship season undefeated with their first title since 1967. Now that all being said things did start off pretty rough for Mendoza and co., as he was drilled on the very first play of the game after hitting Elijah Sarratt across the middle while rolling to his right for the nine yard gain.
You absolutely hate to see your quarterbacks take hits lit this, but that being said it says a lot about Mendoza not being afraid to take said hit and deliver an accurate ball on the run for a nine yard gain. An important trait for quarterbacks is not being afraid to take shots in the pocket, which is something Mendoza has proven time and time again throughout the course of the season. Thankfully for everyone wearing crimson and cream, Mendoza was able to come back in a few plays later, dumping it off to Charlie Becker after sucking the defense in to his left for a 10-yard gain on third and four.
I know this may not look like much at first glance, but I love how Mendoza, after leaving the game due to injury, was able to come back in and take another shot while delivering a nice ball to Becker for the first down on third and four. He did an excellent job at getting outside the pocket when pressure came from the right before sucking in two Ohio State defenders and taking the easy pass for again for the first down. Unfortunately that would really be the final positive play of the drive as the Hoosiers would be forced to punt the ball away on fourth and 12 a few plays later with 10:35 to go in the first (Mendoza would miss Omar Cooper for what could have been a touchdown). The Indiana defense would come up big on Ohio State's first possession of the game, picking off quarterback Julian Sayin and returning it back 12-yards to set the offense up at the Buckeye 23-yard line. Though Mendoza would come out and hit Elijah Sarratt along the far sideline for an 11-yard gain on second and nine, the Hoosiers wouldn't fully take advantage of the plus field position as they would have to settle for a 29-yard field goal from Nico Radicic to give them their first lead of the game with 6:51 to go in the quarter. Indiana would really struggle to find a rhythm on offense their next couple of possessions, with Mendoza registering his first interception of the game with less than two minutes to go in the first quarter from their own 28-yard line.
This is just an insanely unfortunate play for Mendoza, as the Ohio State defender in coverage made a play on the ball before Riley Nowakowski could even come close to throwing a block. The dude just read this play perfectly, breaking up the pass that would ultimately land in the arms of another Buckeye defender for a rather easy interception, with the Ohio State offense now taking over at the Indiana 25-yard line. It would only take them three plays to find the end zone on said drive, with Julian Sayin connecting with Carnell Tate for a nine yard touchdown to give them a 7-3 lead with 46-seconds to go in the opening quarter. Indiana would utilize the run game almost exclusively on their next possession, with one of Mendoza's two drop backs seeing him sacked for a two yard loss on third and six from the Buckeye 19-yard line, forcing them to settle for another field goal. Unlike the last time though, kicker Nico Radicic would fail to convert from 39-yards out, leaving the score at 7-3 less than two minutes into the second quarter. Ohio State would capitalize on Indiana's missed field goal by coming away with one themselves on their following drive. The Hoosiers would respond with a field goal of their own their next time out to make it 10-6, with Mendoza hitting on a few short to intermediate passes along the way, his best going to Charlie Becker for a 10-yard gain on third and six early on in the drive. Not much more would come from the first half as the Buckeyes would take a 10-6 lead with them into the locker room. Indiana's first drive of the second half would see them start from their own 12 following an Ohio State punt to open things up. Despite the poor field position it wouldn't take long for the Hoosiers to find the end zone, needing seven plays to drive 88-yards for the score with Mendoza helping accelerate the drive by hitting Becker deep down the middle of the field for a 51-yard gain, taking them from their own 20 to the Buckeye 29-yard line.
Can you have asked for a much better deep ball than this from Mendoza? I mean with a defender directly in his face, the dude is able to hit Becker in stride with a defender all over him for a 51-yard gain. Everything about this play was perfect, especially given the situation, completely flipping the field and taking them from their own 20 to the Ohio State 29-yard line. A few plays later Mendoza and the Hoosiers would register their first touchdown of the game, with him hitting Elijah Sarratt on a trademarked back shoulder throw to put them up 13-10 midway through the third quarter.
Much like the guy he replaced at quarterback, Mendoza is undoubtedly the best back shoulder thrower in all of college football, and it's not particularly close. In just one season, Mendoza has built up fantastic chemistry with his receivers, none more so then the aforementioned Elijah Sarratt. This is just a fantastic throw, and could not have come at a better time given that it was third and eight with around eight minutes to go in the quarter. The throw was perfect, and the adjustment by Sarratt made it that much better to again give the Hoosiers a 13-10 lead with 8:02 left in the third. Mendoza would hit on passes for 12 and 15-yards on their next drive, but ultimately they would be forced to punt the ball away after nine plays to start the fourth quarter. The next time the offense would touch the ball again would be with 2:44 to go, right after Ohio State put together an impressive 15-play 81-yard drive to get them all the way down to the Indiana nine yard line. Only issue for them is that kicker Jayden Fielding would miss the ensuing 27-yard field goal, leaving the score at 13-10 with less than three minutes left in the fourth. The Buckeye defense would nearly come to the aid of the offense on the Hoosiers next drive, only for Mendoza to hit Charlie Becker down the field for a 33-yard gain on third and six to get them to the Ohio State 43-yard line.
Whenever Indiana needed Mendoza to step up and make a play on a crucial down he did so, once again hitting Becker on a field flipping pass on third down. I love how Mendoza and Becker's chemistry has built throughout the latter part of the season, with the receiver becoming one of his most trusted targets in these types of situations. I mean, if you look back at three of Indiana's previous four games, Becker has registered over 100-yards receiving in each of them, with the only one coming against Purdue where the Hoosiers really just ran the crap out of the ball. He has come up massive for the Hoosiers these past couple weeks, and it's easy to see why Mendoza trusts him in these types of situations. What an inch perfect throw down the field to pretty much put the game on ice with around two minutes to go in the game. Indiana would wind up punting the ball away with 18-seconds left, and the defense would come up massive and stop the Ohio State offense to hold onto an insanely impressive 13-10 victory in the Big Ten Championship. Like I mentioned before, no one would have ever predicted this outcome before Curt Cignetti waltzed into Bloomington, Indiana. This is one of the greatest stories in all off college football, with them now sitting with a 13-0 record and their first conference title since 1967. As for Mendoza this game pretty much locked up the Heisman Trophy for him, at least in my opinion. He has the moments, the numbers, and performances to come away with the trophy, it just pains me thinking that he may end up getting taken by the Jets in the draft.
Wk 1 - 6
Wk 2 - 5
Wk 3 - 3
Wk 4 - 3
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 - 3
Wk 15 - 1
Bowl - BYE
2. Dante Moore, Oregon (-1)
Wk 15 - BYE
Season - 227/313 2,733 yds 24 touchdowns 6 interceptions/57 carries 191 yds 1 touchdown
Wk 1 - N/R
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - 5
Wk 4 - 4
Wk 5 - 2
Wk 6 - 2
Wk 7 - 3
Wk 8 - 3
Wk 9 - 3
Wk 10 - 3
Wk 11 - 3
Wk 12 - 3
Wk 13 - 3
Wk 14 - 1
Wk 15 - 2
Bowl - v no.24 (12) James Madison (College Football Playoff; Round 1)
3. Ty Simpson, Alabama (-1)
Wk 15 - 19/39 212 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/6 carries -28 yds 0 touchdowns v no.3 Georgia (28-7 L) (SEC Championship)
Season - 275/428 3,268 yds 26 touchdowns 5 interceptions/81 carries 98 yds 2 touchdowns
For what was essentially the entire season, I thought Alabama's Ty Simpson was the best quarterback in this year's draft class. From week seven all the way to the final week of the regular season, Simpson sat pretty much unchallenged atop of my rankings. Now that's not to say guys like Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and Oregon's Dante Moore weren't great quarterbacks in their own right(s), I just felt like Simpson made the most "NFL ready" plays out of the three of them. Despite only having a season's worth of starts under his belt, Simpson's ability to remain calm in the face of pressure was second to none. His pocket awareness/mobility made him hard to defend against, as he would constantly push the ball down the field with insanely accurate throws that only a few guys in the NFL could make. I truly believed all of this throughout most of the college football season, but then things started to slip and the "inexperience" started to show. Though he wasn't perfect in Alabama's 23-21 loss to Oklahoma, he still made a good amount of plays to keep them in the game, throwing for over 300-yards with a touchdown (though he did also throw an interception (could have been two)). The game that made me the most nervous about Simpson's game came against Eastern Illinois, an FCS team that currently sits with a 3-9 record and have lost each of their last seven games (including the one to Alabama). I'm not saying that I expected him to throw for a thousand yards or anything as I was pretty sure he'd see very little time in the game (which was correct) but I did expect him to play better than he did. Sure you can try and play devil's advocate on the interceptions and sure he got the Tide inside the Panther five yard line numerous times, but to go 11/16 for 147-yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions is pretty depressing. He followed that up with a shaky performance on the road against Auburn before playing his worst game of the season against Georgia in the SEC Championship. In the game Simpson would go 19/39 for 212-yards with one touchdown and one interception while Alabama fell by the score 28-7. I'm not saying I was expecting a performance similar to his first one against Georgia, but I was expecting much better than that. Long story short the Tide got rolled, though it wouldn't effect their Playoff spot as they became the first team in the history of the Playoff (four and 12-team) to not drop a single spot despite getting blasted in their conference championship game. Got to love it, right? Regardless of that Alabama would really struggle to move the ball, going three and out on their first possession before punting the ball away after four plays on their next drive. Said punt would then get blocked by Georgia, with their offense only needing four plays to find the end zone to give them their first lead of the game with 4:36 to go in the first quarter. Simpson would initially come up big for Alabama on their next drive, connecting with Ryan Williams for a 20-yard gain on third and four. Unfortunately nothing would come from said 20-yard gain, as Simpson would register his first interception of the game a few plays later.
Two third down plays, two completely different outcomes for the Alabama offense. On the first one Simpson did a nice job at scanning the field and climbing the pocket before hitting Williams a couple yards past the first down marker who would turn up field and pick up 20-yards on third and six. It wasn't the most amazing throw of all time, but I like how Simpson was able to remain calm given the situation and hit the open receiver for a nice gain. The second one he just flat out missed his receiver, throwing it high and right into the arms of the Georgia defender. Same down and distance as the first one but like I said before, a completely different outcome for the Alabama offense. Long story short it was just a bad throw from Simpson, which would set the Georgia offense up with decent field position near the 50-yard line (would have been better field position if not for the 15-yard face mask penalty). The Bulldogs would eventually find the end zone following the interception, putting together a 14-play drive that would take up 7:44 to give them a 14-point lead midway through the second quarter. Simpson would hit Ryan Williams in the flat on the opening play of their next drive that would wind up going for 13-yards, but the Tide would ultimately have to punt the ball away after just four plays with Simpson missing on each of his next three passes. Their next few drives would see more of the same, as they would go three and out on each their next four drives, with their next first down coming via a 21-yard pass from Simpson to Kaleb Edwards with seven seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Like I mentioned at the very beginning of this section, one of Simpson's best traits is his ability to maneuver the pocket, with his overall pocket awareness being far better than most quarterbacks that share his limited number of starts. Here, Simpson does a nice job at sliding to his right and evading the oncoming pressure before hitting the open Edwards who would be able to turn up field and pick up a good amount of yards after the catch on the final play of the quarter. Really solid play from Simpson to help get them out of the shadow of their own end zone. Simpson and Edwards would connect again a couple plays later, with Edwards seeing in a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage and picking up 13-yards to get them to the Georgia side of the 50. Simpson would then nearly connect with Ryan Williams in the end zone for what should have been a touchdown on second and 10 from the 23, before hitting Germie Bernard underneath would could make a few defenders miss before taking it into the end zone from 23-yards out to make the score 21-7 with 12:33 to go in the fourth.
I really just threw in the touchdown pass from Simpson to highlight Bernard's ability to make people miss in the open field. I mean, when you have a player like Bernard on your team you just have to find ways to get him the ball, and motioning him out of the backfield is a pretty good way to do that. The first one, though it resulted in an incomplete pass, the throw from Simpson was inch perfect, it's just a damn shame that Williams has seemingly forgotten how to catch the ball at random points throughout the course of a game. Honestly you couldn't have really asked for a better throw, and Williams should have come down with it for the score. Alabama's touchdown should have come a play sooner, but as the old saying goes "they all count the same," and regardless of how easy or difficult the throws were, Simpson still registered a touchdown all the same to make the score 21-7 with 12:33 left in regulation. Alabama would turn the ball over on downs on their next possession following an incomplete pass from Simpson on fourth and two from their own 12-yard line. Unsurprisingly it wouldn't take long for the Bulldogs to capitalize on the shorter field, needing only three plays to make the score 28-7 with 6:51 to go in the fourth. Simpson would connect on a few short to intermediate passes on their next drive, even helping the Tide pick up a couple fourth down conversions before needing to make a play on fourth and 10 from the Georgia 17-yard line. Despite making a couple of defenders miss and firing a strike to Germie Bernard in the end zone, the ball would ultimately bounce off his receiver's chest and fall incomplete.
Much like I've mentioned a couple times so far, Simpson's pocket awareness is insanely impressive given his limited number of starts. On fourth and 10 with pressure right in his face, Simpson smartly rolls out to his right, reverse spins away from another defender before firing an accurate ball through traffic and right to the chest of Bernard, who was unable to bring it in for what would have made the score 28-14 with 3:22 to go in the fourth. With that pass being dropped the scoreline would look a lot less favorable for Alabama, as Georgia would take over and see out an insanely impressive 28-7 victory in the SEC Championship game. I'm not saying that I thought Alabama would necessarily win this game or anything, but I did not expect the game to go like this at all. I mean, Georgia utterly dominated the game, with the scoreline not properly showing how in control they were throughout the game. With that Simpson struggled, constantly getting pressured while missing on throws he's normally made. Now he did make some impressive throws that wound up falling incomplete, but as impressive as they were they didn't help Alabama's overall case in this game. I'm intrigued to see how they match-up against Oklahoma in the first round of the College Football Playoff. After falling to them at home a few weeks ago, let's see how Simpson and co. react to going on the road. Should they be in the Playoff? I'm not going to say yes or no to that exactly, but I will say that they are the first team in the Playoff era to not drop a single spot in the rankings after losing (more like getting blown out) in their conference championship game. Do with that what you will.
Wk 1 - N/R
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - N/R
Wk 4 - N/R
Wk 5 - 7
Wk 6 - 4
Wk 7 - 1
Wk 8 - 1
Wk 9 - 1
Wk 10 - 1
Wk 11 - 1
Wk 12 - 1
Wk 13 - 1
Wk 14 - 2
Wk 15 - 3
Bowl - @ no.8 (8) Oklahoma (College Football Playoff; Round 1)
4. Jayden Maiava, USC
Wk 15 - BYE
Season - 247/373 3,431 yds 23 touchdowns 8 interceptions/51 carries 150 yds 6 touchdowns
Wk 1 - N/R
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - N/R
Wk 4 - N/R
Wk 5 - N/R
Wk 6 - N/R
Wk 7 - 8
Wk 8 - 10
Wk 9 - N/R
Wk 10 - N/R
Wk 11 - 7
Wk 12 - 4
Wk 13 - 4
Wk 14 - 4
Wk 15 - 4
Bowl - v TCU (Valero Alamo Bowl)
5. Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati
Wk 15 - BYE
Season - 207/336 2,800 yds 27 touchdowns 5 interceptions/100 carries 580 yds 9 touchdowns
Wk 1 - N/R
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - N/R
Wk 4 - N/R
Wk 5 - N/R
Wk 6 - N/R
Wk 7 - N/R
Wk 8 - N/R
Wk 9 - 8
Wk 10 - 8
Wk 11 - 8
Wk 12 - 8
Wk 13 - 8
Wk 14 - 5
Wk 15 - 5
Bowl - v Navy (AutoZone Liberty Bowl)
6. Darian Mensah, Duke
Wk 15 - 19/25 196 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/5 carries 0 yds 0 touchdowns v no.17 Virginia (27-20 OT W) (ACC Championship)
Season - 305/449 3,646 yds 30 touchdowns 5 interceptions/55 carries -53 yds 1 touchdown
I know I brought this up a little bit last week, but it is just ridiculous to me how the Duke Blue Devils were able to take part in this season's ACC Championship game. Not saying that I think Duke are a horrible team or anything by any stretch of the imagination, but given how they ended the regular season behind the likes of Virginia, SMU, Miami (FL), Pitt, and Georgia Tech and still made an appearance makes no sense to me. Hell, it doesn't make sense to me either how Virginia had a 7-1 record in conference play yet both of their losses in the regular season came against ACC teams (NC State and Wake Forest). The ACC made absolutely no sense to me this season, with this conference championship game being one of the more least hyped games I can remember for a power four conference. I know most people out there view the ACC as the worst of the power four conferences, but I feel like I heard more hype for the American Conference Championship than I did for the ACC. Now I can't say I didn't get it, as only Virginia had a real chance at making the College Football Playoff between the two schools but still, in a normal world that shouldn't be the case, right? As for me, I was decently excited for this game, as I was actively rooting for a Duke win just for the off chance that the Playoff committee stuck them in, as they once harped on having the conference championship from each top conference in the Playoff. Obviously with a 7-5 record going in, there had to be a less than one percent chance Duke could get in. Though there was an insanely small percentage, the Blue Devils controlled what they could control and came out with an impressive 27-20 overtime victory over then 17th ranked Virginia. In the win quarterback Darian Mensah put forth a solid display, going 19/25 for 196-yards with two touchdowns and an interception, numbers that were far better than the first time these two teams played (barring passing yards). Things would start off pretty good for Mensah and the Duke offense, with him connecting on a few shorter passes along the drive before firing one into a tight window to Landen King for a 16-yard gain on fourth and two from the Virginia 25-yard line.
Something Mensah has done really well throughout the course of the season is come up big for the Duke offense on third and fourth down situations. Here, the safety to the far side of the field bites on the fake handoff, opening up a window just big enough for Mensah to get the ball into his tight end. Reading it the whole way Mensah gets the ball out quick and into King before the aforementioned safety can track back and before the high safety can come in over top. Just a fantastic throw from Mensah to not only help Duke pick up the first down on fourth and two, but also again take them down to the Virginia 25-yard line. A few plays later Mensah would register his first passing touchdown of the game, hitting Jeremiah Hasley underneath on a tight end screen for what would result in a 12-yard touchdown, capping off a 15-play drive to help the Blue Devils take their first lead of the game with 10:40 to go in the opening quarter. Things would not go anywhere as well for them on their next possession, with Mensah throwing his first (and only) interception of the game on just the second play of the drive from their own 24-yard line.
Long story short, Mensah never saw the defender to the far side of the field, as he was trying to hold the most inside linebacker to the middle of the field before throwing it to the outside. Only problem is that the outside linebacker burst out to the right side of the formation right as he was about to throw it. That mixed with an under thrown ball lead to a pretty easy interception for the Virginia defense, helping set the offense up at the Duke 23-yard line. Three plays later their offense would find the end zone, tying the game up at seven to kick things off in the second quarter. Duke's offense would emit all types of emotions on their next drive, finding themselves in two fourth and short situations as well as Mensah getting strip sacked on second and five from the Virginia 44-yard line. Thanks to a fake punt and a run up the middle by Anderson Castle, they find ways to keep the drive alive, with Mensah connecting with Sahmir Hagans down the far sideline for a 35-yard gain on the very first play following the fumble, picking up a much needed first down on third and 14.
What a throw here by Mensah, helping pick up the lost yardage on the fumble and so much more on third and 14. With three receivers to the right and one safety in the middle of the field, Mensah knows that he's going to have one-on-one coverage with Hagans to the far side of the field. Holding the safety with his eyes, Mensah drops a beautiful ball right in stride to Hagans who was able to make a nice diving-ish catch to bring it in for the aforementioned 35-yard gain, taking them from their own 47 to the Virginia 18-yard line. Two plays later running back Nate Sheppard would take it into the end zone from 16-yards out, giving them a 14-7 lead with 6:14 to go in the second quarter. The Blue Devils would struggle to move the ball on their final two possessions of the first half, going three and out before punting the ball away after just five plays as time expired. Things would start picking up for them again on their opening drive of the second half, with Mensah hitting Cooper Barkate down the near sideline for a 38-yard gain.
Like I've spoken about before numerous times on other blog posts, I love seeing when quarterbacks manipulate the defense using their eyes to free up who they really want to throw to. Here, Mensah starts with his eyes to the left, keeping the safety to the near side of the field inside just enough to make for a bigger window to Barkate. After that Mensah tosses up a beautiful pass down the sideline to his favorite receiver for a 38-yard gain on second and three, taking them all the way down to the Cavalier 15-yard line. Despite the big play Duke would ultimately have to settle for a field goal, with kicker Todd Pelino converting from 29-yards out to make the score 17-10 with 3:53 to go in the third quarter. Duke would turn to the run game on their next possession following a turnover on downs by Virginia. Mensah would only register two pass attempts on the drive, both coming on the final two plays, though I guess you can't really count the first of the two as he was strip sacked once against around the 50-yard. Thankfully for them they were able to recover before punting the ball away and pinning Virginia all the way back at their own one yard line. Things would only get worse for the Cavaliers on offense, as three plays into the drive quarterback Chandler Morris would be picked off at the 33-yard line, with Duke taking over with a chance to ice the game with 7:21 to go in the fourth. Duke wouldn't take much time in trying to make Virginia pay, with Mensah firing it down the near sideline to Cooper Barkate for a 30-yard gain, taking them all the way down to the three yard line.
Someone order up another beautifully thrown deep ball down the sideline? Goodness gracious I love when teams push the ball down the field, which is made so easy when you have a quarterback who can easily make those throws as Mensah can. Unlike the previous two that I've mentioned so far, this one was a back shoulder throw, and you all know how much I love me some back shoulder throws. With the corner tight in coverage and the safety coming over the top, the throw here from Mensah needed to be perfect in order to avoid a potential turnover or pass breakup, which of course it was. You really could not have asked him to throw a much better ball than this, which helped set up another Todd Pelino field goal to make the score 20-10 with 5:02 to go in the fourth quarter (semi-annoying they couldn't punch it in for a touchdown but still, points is points, right?). Virginia would come back with a field goal of their own to make it 20-13. Duke would respond by punting the ball away after just six plays on their next possession, but not before Mensah would pull a rabbit out of his hat to pick up a first down on third and four earlier in the drive.
Deciding to throw the ball on third and four while risking an incomplete pass to stop the clock was risky, that is it would have been if their quarterback wasn't Darian Mensah. Starting to his left, Mensah steps up into the pocket and is met by a Virginia puss rusher. He then reverses out to his left before he's met by another defender, forcing him to then roll to his right and find an open Barkate down the field for a 15-yard gain on third and four. What a play by Mensah to help Duke pick up the first down, just a shame that they would be forced to punt the ball away a few plays later. With the game seemingly over as the Cavaliers would start their next drive from their own four yard line with less than two minutes to go, the Blue Devils would commit a couple costly penalties to aid Virginia as they drove down the field before finding the game tying touchdown with 22-seconds to go in the fourth. That drive could have really been a turning point for the Cavaliers, as the momentum was firmly on their side now as we entered overtime. Not to worry for Duke though as Mensah would roll to his right and find Jeremiah Hasley in the end zone from a yard out to give them a 27-20 lead on the opening drive in overtime.
What did I say before when it comes to Mensah and third and fourth down conversions? Multiple times throughout the season Mensah has come up massive for the Blue Devils in these types of situations, none bigger than right here as Duke faced a fourth and goal on the opening drive of overtime in the ACC Championship game. What's cool about this play is that Hasley wasn't Mensah's first read, as he's trying to get the ball to the outside. The thing is that he does an excellent job at keeping his eyes up, scanning the field while rolling out and firing it to his open tight end for the easy touchdown. It may have taken them four tries to get it in from the one yard line, but once again Mensah comes up massive on fourth down to help them take the lead in overtime. I guess I should say the win, as the defense would pick off Chandler Morris on the very first play of Virginia's next drive, securing a 27-20 overtime win in the ACC Championship game for the Blue Devils, giving them their first conference title since 1989. Though they tried their hardest to choke it away at the end, what a way for Duke to end the season (prior to bowl season, obviously). I don't want to sound too extreme here, but I believe this was Darian Mensah's best game of the season. Sure he may not have eclipsed the 200-yard mark on the game, but the dude made numerous big time throws throughout, hitting the likes of Barkate and Hagans for multiple 30-yard gains down the sideline. He came up big when they needed him to, which again resulted in them taking home their first conference title since 1989. Though they didn't wind up making the College Football Playoff, I am excited to see how Duke does against Arizona State in the Sun Bowl. Currently sitting as -2.5-point favorites, I think we're going to have a fun and evenly fought match-up on our hands come December 31st.
Wk 1 - N/R
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - N/R
Wk 4 - N/R
Wk 5 - N/R
Wk 6 - 9
Wk 7 - 9
Wk 8 - 7
Wk 9 - 7
Wk 10 - 5
Wk 11 - 5
Wk 12 - 5
Wk 13 - 5
Wk 14 - 6
Wk 15 - 6
Bowl - v Arizona State (Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl)
7. Carson Beck, Miami (FL)
Wk 15 - BYE
Season - 263/352 3,072 yds 25 touchdowns 10 interceptions/38 carries 39 yds 1 touchdown
Wk 1 - 8
Wk 2 - 9
Wk 3 - 7
Wk 4 - 8
Wk 5 - 8
Wk 6 - 7
Wk 7 - 7
Wk 8 - N/R
Wk 9 - N/R
Wk 10 - N/R
Wk 11 - N/R
Wk 12 - 10
Wk 13 - 7
Wk 14 - 7
Wk 15 - 7
Bowl - @ no.7 (7) Texas A&M (College Football Playoff; Round 1)
8. John Mateer, Oklahoma
Wk 15 - BYE
Season - 221/356 2,578 yds 12 touchdowns 10 interceptions/130 carries 416 yds 7 touchdowns
Wk 1 - 9
Wk 2 - 6
Wk 3 - 6
Wk 4 - 5
Wk 5 - 5
Wk 6 - 6
Wk 7 - 6
Wk 8 - 6
Wk 9 - 5
Wk 10 - 6
Wk 11 - 6
Wk 12 - 6
Wk 13 - 6
Wk 14 - 8
Wk 15 - 8
Bowl - v no.9 (9) Alabama (College Football Playoff; Round 1)
9. Josh Hoover, TCU
Wk 15 - BYE
Season - 272/413 3,472 yds 29 touchdowns 13 interceptions/55 carries 4 yds 2 touchdowns
Wk 1 - N/R
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - N/R
Wk 4 - 9
Wk 5 - N/R
Wk 6 - 10
Wk 7 - N/R
Wk 8 - 9
Wk 9 - N/R
Wk 10 - N/R
Wk 11 - N/R
Wk 12 - N/R
Wk 13 - N/R
Wk 14 - 9
Wk 15 - 9
Bowl - v no.16 USC (Valero Alamo Bowl)
10. Cade Klubnik, Clemson
Wk 15 - BYE
Season - 235/353 2,750 yds 16 touchdowns 6 interceptions/74 carries 107 yds 4 touchdowns
Wk 1 - 5
Wk 2 - 6
Wk 3 - 9
Wk 4 - N/R
Wk 5 - N/R
Wk 6 - N/R
Wk 7 - N/R
Wk 8 - N/R
Wk 9 - N/R
Wk 10 - 10
Wk 11 - 10
Wk 12 - 9
Wk 13 - 10
Wk 14 - 10
Wk 15 - 10
Bowl - v Penn State (Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl)
Others
No other "top" prospects played during conference championship week*
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