The Draft "Expert" - Wk 2 2026 NFL Draft Quarterback Prospect Rankings
- Logan Blackman
- Sep 12
- 48 min read
Updated: Sep 13
YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t-HYKO9wbM
Hello everyone and welcome to the officially official week two quarterback prospect rankings for the 2026 NFL Draft!
Maybe it's just me, but can you guys believe we are actually entering week three of the college football season? Like, it's just so nice to have college football back, especially since we've seen some very good quarterback play to kick things off up to this point!
Hopefully that remains consistent throughout the entirety of the season but as of right now, players like Oklahoma's John Mateer and Baylor's Sawyer Robertson (just to name a couple) have looked excellent, with the latter ranking second in the nation in passing yards despite only playing two games.
I know I said this a lot this offseason, and it's not some ridiculous hot take or anything, but this class is absolutely loaded with quarterback talent, and I am very intrigued to see who ultimately comes out on top as the season progresses.
Without any further delay, I Logan Blackman, host of the Logan Blackman Show and self proclaimed Draft "Expert," am proud to present to you my week two quarterback prospect rankings for the 2026 NFL Draft! Enjoy!
Podcast Links
1. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU (+1)
Wk 2 - 26/41 237 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/3 carries -27 yds 0 touchdowns v Louisiana Tech (23-7 W)
Season - 54/79 469 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/7 carries -25 yds 0 touchdowns
Coming off of an emotional and hard fought road victory against the then fourth ranked Clemson Tigers, many out there thought the LSU Tigers would come out this weekend and absolutely lay the wood against a vastly inferior Louisiana Tech Bulldogs team (no offense). Like, if they were able to beat Clemson on the road, then they should blow Louisiana Tech out of the water, especially with it being the home opener. On one hand that makes sense, as the Tigers were 36.5-point favorites, but on the other hand there was bound to be a little bit of a "fall off" if you will, as again so much was put into beating an insanely tough team on the road, but I don't think many were thought LSU wouldn't score their first touchdown until there was 12-seconds to go in the first quarter. That being said, a win is a win, as the Tigers came out 23-7 victors on their home opener with quarterback Garrett Nussmeier going 26/41 for 237-yards with one touchdown and an interception. With that being said things wouldn't start off the greatest for Nussmeier and co., as on their fourth play from scrimmage he would register that aforementioned interception trying to connect with Barion Brown down the near sideline.
Just a poor throw here from Nussmeier as he had Brown open down the field, just didn't get enough on it which allowed it to be intercepted. Who knows, if Nussmeier is able to get more on that it's probably a touchdown for the Tigers, but unfortunately he again under threw it and it wound up being intercepted. Things wouldn't get much better on their next drive as after being pushed back to a fourth and 13 position, kicker Damian Ramos would miss his 51-yard attempt to the right, keeping it deadlocked at zero midway through the first. The LSU defense would stop Louisiana Tech after four plays on their next drive, but their ensuing punt would pin the Tigers back on their own two yard line. That being said on third and eight Nussmeier would find Barion Brown across the middle who would make a nice leaping catch and pick up 16-yards to help extend the drive for the Tiger offense. The next play we'd see Nussmeier escape pressure in the pocket by rolling out to his right before finding Zavion Thomas down the far sideline for a 15-yard gain.
Despite not being the most fleet footed quarterback out there, Nussmeier does a very nice job at getting around the edge rusher and getting outside the pocket before firing it to Thomas for the first down. Just a very good overall play from Nussmeier which helped further extend LSU's drive. A few plays later, following a 48-yard run by Thomas, Nussmeier would register his first touchdown of the game, finding Nic Anderson in the back of the end zone from seven yards out to give the Tigers their first score of the game, capping off a 98-yard drive.
Very nice job from Nussmeier at scanning the entire field, allowing Anderson to get open before firing it in between two defenders for the score. You really can't ask for much more from your quarterback, showing a great job at processing while being able to fit it through a smaller window for LSU's first touchdown of the game. Following another Bulldog punt that would pin the Tigers back deep in their own territory, Nussmeier would connect with Barion Brown for a 14-yard gain, picking up a first down on second and 11 from their own eight yard line.
Much like I spoke about before with the touchdown to Anderson, Nussmeier is one of the best and quickest processors in the country. With his eyes starting to the left, he notices a free rusher coming in from the Bulldogs. He quickly turns back to the right and fires it to Brown, knowing he's going to take a shot from said defender for a 14-yard gain. It's all about knowing where your receivers will be as he flips it to him right as his eyes catch him, great play for a first down. Nussmiers would hit on a couple more passes throughout the drive, ending up with them settling for a 23-yard field goal from Damian Ramos to go up 10 midway through the second quarter. The Tiger offense really wouldn't get much going on their next couple drives. Despite them going for seven and nine plays, LSU would be forced to punt the ball away. They would finally find the end zone again later on in the third quarter, as Nussmeier would hit Barion Brown for 11 and Aaron Anderson for 13 to help set up an eventual three yard touchdown run by Caden Durham to further extend their lead to 17 with less than two minutes to go in the third. Nussmeier and Anderson would connect for 21-yards on LSU's first drive of the fourth quarter, as the pair would help them pick up a much needed first down on third and 11.
Knowing damn well he's going to take a shot from the defender, Nussmeier is able to stay calm while backing up to his left before firing an accurate ball to Anderson for the aforementioned 21-yard gain. I know I've said this before, but you really cannot ask for much more from your quarterback, this is just a great overall play from Nussmeier to again pick up a much needed third down. A couple plays later Nussmeier would connect with Barion Brown across the middle of the field on a pass that was nearly intercepted, but would end up going for 19-yards and another first down on first and 20.
I really don't understand how this pass wasn't intercepted. Like, the Louisiana Tech defender jumped the route, but somehow the ball managed to find it's way through to Anderson for what would end up being a 19-yard gain. The risky throw pays off for Nussmeier, and a few plays later (following a loss of five yards on the ground and a nine yard sack taken by Nussmeier) Damian Ramos would capitalize from 46-yards out to make it 20-0 less than four minutes into the fourth quarter. After a three and out by the LSU offense and Louisiana Tech's first score of the game, Ramos would convert on another field goal attempt, this one from 19-yards thanks in large part to a 43-yard run by Harlem Berry to make it 23-7 with less than two minutes to go in the game. That would pretty much be it as the Bulldogs would go three and out on their next possession, allowing the Tigers to just kneel it out and take home a 23-7 victory. It wasn't pretty, but a win is a win. As for Nussmeier, though he missed on a few throws (including the interception) I thought he made some really good ones throughout the game, most notably his touchdown pass to Anderson and his 21-yard completion to Anderson (again) on third and 11. This weekend they take on a Florida team that is fresh off a loss to USF. I'm really intrigued to see how Nussmeier and co. do against a (hopefully) motivated Gator team come Saturday night.
Wk 1 - 2
Wk 2 - 1
Wk 3 - v Florida
2. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina (+1)
Wk 2 - 11/19 128 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/8 carries 23 yds 0 touchdowns v South Carolina State (38-10 W)
Season - 23/38 337 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/21 carries 48 yds 1 touchdown
Last weekend against Virginia Tech, South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers put on quite the show. Sure he didn't pass or rush for an insane amount of yards, but he made some big time plays for the Gamecocks as they came out 24-11 victors in Atlanta. I mean, the dude shrugged off multiple would be sacks before picking up 16-yards on third and 13, as well as hitting receiver Nyck Harbor on a beautifully thrown deep ball down the field for a 64-yard touchdown. He made a lot of highlight worthy plays in that game, but you can still tell that there's still room for him to grow, more so in the passing game than anything. This game against South Carolina State, we were looking to see how he continues to develop as a thrower from the pocket, and though he didn't put up other worldly numbers he still helped the Gamecocks come away with a 38-10 home victory while going 11/19 with 128-yards and one touchdown to go along with a further 23-yards on the ground. Things didn't really start off so good for Sellers and the South Carolina offense though, as they went three and out on each of their first three drives of the game, accumulating -2-yards of total offense in the process. Things would start to pick up for the Gamecock offense at the start of the second quarter as after Harbor took a reverse 12-yards for a first down, Sellers would call his own number and pick up a further 11 to give them their first two first downs of the game.
With the pass game still developing, one thing Sellers does better than most is utilizing his legs to break off decent gains. After scanning the field, he notices nothing is open and decides to call his own number to help extend the drive for the offense. The only thing I would say negatively is that he needs to quiet his feet, as he's chopping them the entire time he's in the pocket. You want to have quiet feet when you're back there as it will help smooth everything else out, which is something he'll continue to learn as he develops as a passer. Despite moving the ball for the first time this game, the drive would wind up coming short as William Joyce would eventually miss a 45-yard attempt to tie the game up at three midway through the quarter. Thankfully for the offense the defense and special teams units would bail them out, as the defense would force the Bulldogs to punt the ball away on three straight drives, with all three of them ending with them going three and out. On two of those drives, Vicari Swain would take them to the house for touchdowns, with one return going for 65 and the other going for 42 to make it 14-3 with just over three minutes to go until halftime. The offense would finally take the field again with about a minute and a half to go in the quarter, with Sellers kicking things off by hitting Donovan Murph up the near sideline for a 27-yard gain.
What a throw from Sellers to Murph to give the Gamecocks their biggest gain of the day. With a defender in his face, Sellers does a nice job at remaining tall and calm in the pocket, delivering a beautiful pass to Murph for the first down. There are times where he tries to use his legs when a defender jumps in his face, or he'll take a sack, but this time he looks like an experienced passer, which shows his continued development. That throw would eventually help set up a 46-yard field goal attempt by William Joyce, which he would make to make the score 17-3 at the break. The Gamecocks would continue to have success moving the ball on their first drive of the second half, with Sellers finding Michael Smith open in the middle of the defense for 13-yards before picking up 16-yards with his legs on third and two to eventually help set up a Oscar Adaway III touchdown run from five yards out to make it 24-3.
Though the drive would again be capped off with a five yard touchdown run by Adaway, I have absolutely no idea how Sellers didn't find the end zone on this play. I mean, he did an excellent job at keeping his balance at the line of scrimmage before breaking out into the open field. Then for some reason he cuts to the outside instead of taking up all the free real estate to the inside. Like, even he couldn't believe he didn't score. Oh well, at least the drive ended with a touchdown, the offense's first of the game. The Gamecock offense would go three and out on their next possession, but much like before the defense would come up big, with Jaron Willis returning a Bulldog fumble back 46-yards for the score to make it 31-3 later on in the third quarter. The offense would ultimately get their stuff together on their next drive, with Sellers connecting with Vandrevius Jacobs for nine yards on fourth and two before finding him again wide open down the field for a 35-yard touchdown to make it 38-3 with about two and a half minutes to go in the quarter.
You can't really for a much easier touchdown pass here if you're LaNorris Sellers. With South Carolina State playing zone, and with their safeties so shallow to defend the run, Jacobs is able to get behind the defense with ease, with Sellers hitting him in the end zone for the score to again make it 38-3 in the latter stages of the third. This would ultimately be Sellers' final contribution to the game as Luke Doty would come in in the fourth quarter to see out the 38-3 home victory. Overall I would say this was a messy game for the South Carolina offense, as the defense and special teams units registered more touchdowns than they did in the win. As for Sellers, I thought he did some good things with his arm and his legs, but again still needs to find more consistency as a passer. This next weekend will be a tougher one for the Gamecocks as they take on a 2-0 Vanderbilt Commodores team fresh off of a 44-20 victory against Virginia Tech. We could be in for a barn burner in Columbia.
Wk 1 - 3
Wk 2 - 2
Wk 3 - v Vanderbilt
3. Drew Allar, Penn State (-2)
Wk 2 - 19/33 200 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries -11 yds 0 touchdowns v Florida International (34-0 W)
Season - 41/59 417 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/8 carries 9 yds 0 touchdowns
Like a few teams in college football, the start to Penn State's schedule serves more as a preseason, as (no offense) they're playing teams that they should really have absolutely no problems with. Much like last week, the Nittany Lions took care of business at home, beating the Florida International Panthers by a score of 34-0, giving them a two week aggregate score of 80-11. Now, I'm not one to try and predict the future, but I expect to see the gap between points scored and points allowed grow next week against the Villanova Wildcats. Again like last week Penn State quarterback Drew Allar put forth a solid effort, going 19/33 for 200-yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Nothing spectacular, but in these types of games you don't really need that from your quarterback, just take what the defense gives you and don't force the issue. Though Penn State would turn the ball over on downs on their first drive of the game, Allar would help lead a nice 10-play 87-yard touchdown drive to put the Nittany Lions up seven later on in the first quarter. Despite the drive resulting in Allar's first touchdown of the game, through the first two drives he struggled to really find a rhythm, starting 1/5 before completing an 11-yard pass to Luke Reynolds on third and seven that would lead to him finding an open Khalil Dinkins (while rolling to his right) in the end zone on the following play from nine yards out to again give them their first lead of the game. Allar would come out on the next drive completing a couple passes for 10+ more yards as he would hit Devonte Ross for 13 and Kyron Hudson for 12 before Penn State would ultimately turn the ball over on downs again after failing to convert on fourth and two from the FIU 22-yard line. The offense would continue to struggle on their next drive, going three and out midway through the second quarter. Thankfully for them though their ensuing punt would pin the Panthers back at their own two yard line, and following a punt of their own (plus a 17-yard return by Devonte Ross) the Nittany Lions would get the ball back at the Florida International 37-yard line. Despite the good field position, Penn State would really fail to get anything going, being forced to settle for a 41-yard field goal with less than a minute to go in the first half. They would get another chance to register points before the break after a quick three and out by FIU would give Penn State 22-seconds to get down the field again. Though Allar would connect on a few passes and help get them down the field, Ryan Barker's ensuing 53-yard attempt would be blocked, keeping the score at 10-0 at halftime. Penn State would put together a nice 12-play 60-yard drive their first time out on the first in the second half, with Allar hitting Luke Reynolds for seven on third and four before they'd eventually have to settle for a 34-yard field goal from Ryan Barker to go up 13-0 five minutes into the third. Allar would register his second passing touchdown of the day on their next drive, after hitting Trebor Pea on a hitch that would go for 30-yards after the catch he would hit Devonte Ross who would make a fantastic catch through contact from 42-yards for give Penn State a 20-0 lead later on in the third. It would have been 21-0 on a fun two point conversation play that saw Allar hit one of his offensive lineman in the flat, but it was unfortunately taken back for holding, forcing them to settle for an extra point. The Nittany Lion offense wouldn't really do a whole lot else the rest of the way, as they would go three and out on their next two possessions before scoring on the first play of their following two drives thanks to a 67-yard run by Kaytron Allen and a five yard run by Nicholas Singleton that was set up by Chaz Coleman as he returned an FIU fumble back 39-yards to set them up on the aforementioned five yard line. All in all Penn State would come out 34-0 victors. It was far from pretty, but a win is a win. As for Allar, he just didn't play with the same rhythm that we saw from him in week one, but again in these types of games you don't need a spectacular performance from your quarterback, though you would expect him to look better than what he did. Hopefully he can rediscover that rhythm against Villanova, who are coming off a 24-17 win against Colgate despite going in as 20-point home favorites.
Wk 1 - 1
Wk 2 - 3
Wk 3 - v Villanova
4. Arch Manning, Texas
Wk 2 - 19/30 295 yds 4 touchdowns 1 interception/4 carries 23 yds 1 touchdown v San Jose State (38-7 W)
Season - 36/60 465 yds 5 touchdowns 2 interceptions/14 carries 61 yds 1 touchdown
I don't think anyone was in a bigger need of a 'wash' than Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns after their 14-7 loss in Columbus to the Ohio State Buckeyes last week. Not necessarily because they played horrible or anything, but because the narratives surrounding Manning and the team were not anywhere near positive. Like I said last week though, did Manning play good? No, but did he play as bad as most people on social media would make you believe? No to that as well, so everyone was waiting to see how he'd respond (both good and bad) against San Jose State back at home. I mean, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell you that there is a massive gap between Ohio State (the now top ranked team in America and reigning National Champions) and San Jose State (a team who started the season off with a 16-14 loss to Central Michigan), but people still wanted to see Arch bounce back, which he did going 19/30 for 295-yards with four touchdowns and an interception with 23-more yards on the ground and another touchdown there to boot. Not saying this changes the newly placed general population's narrative on him or anything, but it's definitely a start. That being said things didn't start off the smoothest for Manning the Longhorn offense as they were forced to punt the ball away on each of their first two drives after four and five plays. Manning would bounce back on Texas' third drive of the game, hitting a wide open Parker Livingstone for an eventual 83-yard touchdown to give them their first lead of not just the game, but of the season, going up 7-0 with less than three minutes to go in the first. Then on the next drive, following a few CJ Baxter runs after a San Jose State interception set Texas up at the Spartan 34-yard line, Manning would hit Livingstone again for a touchdown, this one coming from three yards out on a slant to further extend Texas' lead with 12-seconds to go in the first. The floodgates would continue to pour out as following another Spartan turnover the Longhorn offense would get the ball at the San Jose State 36-yard line. On Texas' first play Manning would hit Jack Endries between the numbers and the hashmarks for a 36-yard touchdown, giving Manning his third passing touchdown of the game 15-seconds into the second quarter. Would you believe me if I told San Jose State would turn the ball over again on their next drive? Fumbling the ball away with Texas taking it all the way down to the one yard line. CJ Baxter would punch it in on their first play but it would get taken off the board due to a chop block. Now at the 16-yard line following the penalty, Manning would hit Endries across the middle for his fourth passing touchdown of the game with just under 13-minutes to go in the second. San Jose State would then end their streak of consecutive drives with a turnover by coming up with a touchdown of their own. Texas wouldn't know how to react to this drastic change and would punt the ball away on their next two drives after five and three plays. On their next drive though, following another San Jose State fumble, Manning would throw his first interception of the game with 38-seconds to go until halftime.
I know his arm got hit on the throw, but this is still not a great decision from Manning. Like, even if he's able to get the throw off cleanly, he is still throwing this ball up into double coverage, the hit just made it an easier ball to pick off as it was fluttering through the air. He has to throw this thing away, or at least at the feet of his running back out of the backfield. Situational awareness is key as it was just an overall bad play and it ended what could have been another touchdown drive for Texas right before the half. Things would start off better for the Longhorn offense on their opening drive of the second half, which was kicked off by a 13-yard run by Christian Clark before Manning would flip it upfield to Ryan Wingo for a further 16-yards to get them to the San Jose State 30-yard line.
Excellent job here by Manning at extending the play after noticing nothing was open down the field. Also, great job by Wingo at giving his quarterback an option down the field, just a good overall job at adjusting by both Manning and Wingo which again helped them get deeper into San Jose State territory. Though this drive wouldn't end with Texas scoring a touchdown, it would still end with a kick as Mason Shipley would convert from 43-yards out to make it 31-7 less than five minutes into the third quarter. The Longhorns would go three and out on their next possession but would find the end zone again on the following drive as Manning would take it into himself from 20-yards out to make it 38-7. Prior to the score though, Manning would connect with Parker Livingstone for 42-yards to help them get down to the San Jose State 20-yard line (after a illegal block in the back penalty), helping set up Arch's eventual score.
Just a nice and easy connection here between quarterback and wide receiver as Manning does a nice job at scanning the field, stepping up in the pocket, and delivering a good throw with pressure coming off the edge with Livingstone making a nice catch down the sideline for the nice gain. The following play Manning would flash the athleticism by taking it in himself from 20-yards out to further extend Texas' lead with less than a minute to go in the third.
You love to see this from Manning. As nothing is seemingly open down the field, he decides to step up while keeping his eyes up before cutting up the field and scurrying around a couple defenders for what would wind up being essentially a walk in touchdown. He didn't really need to turn on the after burners or anything, but it's always nice to know that Arch has these types of plays in his arsenal. Manning would have a coupe sack evading passes on Texas' next drive, the first one going to Jordan Washington for 22-yards and the second going to Emaree Winston for a further 33 to push them down to the San Jose State 33-yard line.
I know I only have the first of the two pass plays available for your viewing pleasure but again, on both Manning does a very nice job at stepping up while avoiding a couple sack attempts for two 20+ yard plays. The one that I have available I feel is more impressive as the pocket completely collapses around him, yet he's still able to throw a dart across the middle of the field to Washington for a 22-yard gain. The second one he steps up to the right and hits an open Winston for a further 33-yards, just two really nice and mature plays from Manning. Unfortunately the drive would end with Texas punting the ball away as multiple penalties would push them back to a fourth and 25 situation. That drive would Manning's last of the game as Matthew Caldwell would come in and help see out a 38-7 home victory. Statistically, this was a much better showing from Manning than what we saw last weekend. That being said he still has some growing to do in regards to his overall game, which will come in time. The dude is insanely talented, now it's just a matter of staying consistent. Next week Texas will play host to a 1-1 UTEP team who are quarterbacked by former five star Malachi Nelson, which could make this game slightly more interesting than originally thought.
Wk 1 - 4
Wk 2 - 4
Wk 3 - v UTEP
5. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana (+1)
Wk 2 - 18/25 245 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/3 carries 20 yds 0 touchdowns v Kennesaw State (56-9 W)
Season - 36/56 438 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/9 carries 53 yds 1 touchdown
If you polled the great college football landscape last weekend, I think most would say that they were disappointed in Indiana's 27-14 victory against unranked Old Dominion. I mean, the AP voters thought as much as they dropped the Hoosiers three spots down to 23 in the second poll of the season. Now, do I think Indiana could have executed better against the Monarchs in week one? Yes, as they turned the ball over on downs twice, fumbled the ball away, and missed a field goal attempt right before halftime, with both turn over on downs happening inside the Old Dominion 10-yard line. That being said the Monarchs are no slouches, as they've never been one to back down from a road challenge against a power four school (I am intrigued about their week three match-up against Virginia Tech). But again, Indiana should have still executed better. I mean, Fernando Mendoza left the game with zero passing touchdowns, even though he should have had a walk in one to Omar Cooper that the receiver dropped with no defenders really around him. That being said, Mendoza would get his fair share of touchdowns this weekend as he threw four to go along with registering 245-yards through the air on 18/25 passing in a 56-9 home victory against Kennesaw State. Now, things didn't start off as smoothly as they could have for Indiana on offense, as they'd go three and out on their opening drive with Mendoza had his pass to Elijah Sarratt broken up down the sideline on third and three. The Hoosiers would get things rolling on their second drive though, which was kicked off by Mendoza hitting E.J. Williams Jr. for 14-yards on second and four.
On this play Mendoza does an excellent job at scanning the whole field before firing it in to Williams for the aforementioned 14-yard gain. Not only did he fire it in there, but he put the ball in a spot where only his receiver could make a play on it as he told the 6'4" Williams to sky up for it, which he did. Great throw and great placement from Mendoza on that one to pick up a first down. Mendoza would then connect with Elijah Sarratt down the near sideline for a further 13-yards before hitting Omar Cooper Jr. on a little hitch that he would take 40-yards to get them down to the Kennesaw State one yard line. Three plays later Riley Nowakowski would punch it in from a yard out to give the Hoosiers their first lead of the game. Indiana would come out firing on their next drive as well as after Mendoza would connect with Nowakowski out of the backfield for 14-yard he would find Sarratt in the back of the end zone on a beautifully thrown fade ball from nine yards out to double their lead in the first.
You can't really ask for a much better fade ball than that from Mendoza, putting it in a spot where only his intended receiver could make a play on it, which of course Sarratt did. Just a great all around play which again helped double Indiana's lead later on in the first quarter. Mendoza would help the Hoosiers pick up a first down using his legs on third and eight, picking up seven yards before punching it up the middle himself to move the chains. Mendoza would also nearly complete a nice pass to LeBron Bond on the run that could have gone for a big gain, but the ball fell through Bond's hands which forced Indiana to punt the ball away. The Hoosiers would turn it over on downs on their following drive as Mendoza's pass to Elijah Sarratt only went for two measly yards on fourth and 12. On that same drive Mendoza would try to hit E.J. Williams Jr. on a slant that could have possibly gone for six, but like the throw to Bond the ball fell right through Williams' hands. We'd go back to our regular scheduled programing on their next drive as after Mendoza would connect with Sarratt for 13-yards on a hitch and a further 27 on a slant, Lee Beebe Jr. would take it in from 11-yards out to make the score 21-3 with less than four minutes to go in the first half. The touchdowns would keep rolling to start the third quarter as Mendoza would hit a wide open Sarratt from three yards out, following some very nice runs by Kaelon Black to further extend their lead in the second half. The Hoosiers would only need only play to find the end zone again on their next drive, as Mendoza would pitch it back to Omar Cooper Jr. (who was coming behind him on a jet sweep) who would take it 75-yards for the score, making it now 35-9 midway through the third quarter. Indiana would have another short touchdown drive following a Kennesaw State interception, on where Mendoza would fire a ball down the middle of the field to an open Elijah Sarratt for the 20-yard score.
Mendoza just has a friggin hose attached to his right shoulder, as this thing is zipped in there with authority, hitting Sarratt in stride for the easy touchdown. Things would continue to go Indiana's way on their next drive, as after Mendoza's check down to Roman Hemby went for 25-yards he would seemingly hit Charlie Becker in stride from 17-yards out for his fourth passing touchdown of the game. Unfortunately thanks to an offensive pass interference call the touchdown was wiped off the board. Then, a few plays later following a defensive pass interference call, Mendoza would fire it into EJ Williams Jr. from eight yards out between a couple Kennesaw State defenders for his official fourth passing touchdown of the game.
Wk 1 - 6
Wk 2 - 5
Wk 3 - v Indiana State (Friday)
6. Cade Klubnik, Clemson (-1)
Wk 2 - 19/24 196 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/5 carries -4 yds 0 touchdowns v Troy (27-16 W)
Season - 37/62 426 yds 2 touchdowns 2 interceptions/13 carries -3 yds 0 touchdowns
Like I brought up before with Garrett Nussmeier and LSU, a slight lull in performance can be accepted after a game like the one we saw last week. Playing host to the then ninth ranked team in the quarterback, Cade Klubnik and the Clemson Tigers fell short against LSU by a score of 17-10. Despite Clemson falling up short, a lot of emotion and energy was put into that game, meaning that a slight drop could be happening, even though they were going up against a team they really should have no problem with in the form of the Troy Trojans. Like, this is a Trojan team that finished last season with a rough 4-8 record, though they did win three of their final four games. Regardless of what they did last year Clemson, with all the preseason hype and expectations, should have realistically beaten Troy by a bigger margin instead of coming out only 27-16 victors. I mean hell, Clemson came into this game as 29.5-point favorites, so to only come out on top by 11 was slightly disappointing. Even worse, they found themselves down 16-3 going into halftime. Now, as for quarterback Cade Klubnik, though he completed a higher percentage of passes than he did in week one, he only registered 196-yards with a touchdown and a rough interception midway through the second quarter that was ultimately returned for a touchdown. Like I said before, a slight lull was expected, but I didn't think it'd be this much of a struggle for Clemson to get a win over Troy in this one. I mean things really couldn't have started out much worse for the Tigers as after the Trojans opened the scoring on the opening drive of the game after five plays, Clemson would be forced to punt the ball away after going three and out. Though they would put up a little more of a fight on their next drive, the end result would be the same as they'd punt the ball away again after nine plays. Clemson would get the ball back with excellent field position on their next drive following a Troy interception. Unfortunately for them Adam Randall would fumble the ball away after picking up seven yards on the ground on fourth and two, which Troy would recover and take it from their own 22 all the way down to the Clemson 32-yard line to end the first quarter. Now down 10-0 in the second Klubnik would find Tyler Brown in the flat who would go on to pick up 23-yards on first and 20, but after a false start penalty and an 11-yard sack of Klubnik, Clemson would be forced to punt the ball away again with 10-minutes to go until halftime. Things would only get worse for the Tigers on their next drive as after a Troy punt pinned them on their own eight yard line Klubnik's pass would be deflected at the line of scrimmage and land in the grateful arms of a Trojan defender, who would take it back for a score to further extend their lead midway through the second.
This is just an unfortunate play here from Klubnik as his pass was batted at the line of scrimmage before landing in the waiting arms of a Troy defender who again, would take it back four yards for the score. Though they would miss the ensuing extra point, that defensive touchdown would put the Trojans up 16-0 midway through the second quarter. A situation that no one saw coming, regardless of if again you thought Clemson would down tools or not. On their next drive Clemson would find themselves in a third and six situation, only this time Klubnik would come up big with a nice throw to Bryant Wesco Jr. who would take it 35-yards to get them to the Troy 13-yard line.
This is a really good throw from Klubnik to pick up a nice gain on third and six. Like I've spoken about before, Klubnik is the most accurate quarterback in this class when it comes to throwing outside of the numbers. With pressure in his face and two defenders in the area, he is able to place it right on Wesco who makes a nice catch and move up field for the 35-yard gain. Yes the safety fell over, but even if the safety had been there I still think this would have been a good enough throw to fit it in. Klubnik could hit Tristan Smith on a screen that was initially ruled a touchdown for the Tigers, but after review it was ruled that his knee was down and they'd have to settle for a 25-yard field goal from Nolan Hauser to give them their first score of the game, making it 16-3 with just over four minutes to go in the second quarter. Clemson would find the end zone for real on their first drive of the second half, with Adam Randall taking it in from a yard out to make it 16-10 less than four minutes into the third. The Clemson defense would come up big on Troy's first drive of the second half, picking off a pass off the ass of the defender at the 26-yard line. Klubnik would register his first passing touchdown of the game on the first play of the following drive, hitting an open Wesco on an RPO for a 26-yard score, giving the Tigers their first lead of the game. The defense would come up big again on Troy's next possession picking off Goose Crowder's pass and returning it back to their own 28-yard line. The offense though wouldn't fully capitalize on the plus field position, eventually settling for a field goal despite Klubnik connect with Wesco again for 11-yards to get them to the Troy 14-yard line on second and seven.
I've said this probably a thousand times before, but sometimes I think it gets lost on people about how far of a throw this is. Like Klubnik let this thing go from the near hash eight yards behind the line of scrimmage to the far sideline, placing it perfectly away from the defender for Wesco to make an uncontested play on it. Can't really ask for much more from your quarterback but again, the drive would ultimately stall out and they'd be forced to settle for a 30-yard field goal by Nolan Hauser to extend their lead to four midway through the third. The Clemson offense wouldn't see the field again until about the 12-minute mark in the fourth quarter following a failed fake field goal attempt by Troy after putting together 16-play drive. The Tigers would find the end zone once again on their next drive, with Klubnik connecting with (guess who?) Wesco again for a 34-yard touchdown.
With pressure directly in his face Klubnik throws this ball to where his receiver should be, hitting Wesco in stride in the end zone for the 34-yard score. Off his back foot and everything, like I said before, can't really ask for much more from your quarterback as he helped give Clemson a double digit lead midway through the fourth quarter. That would pretty much be it for this one as Troy would punt the bal away after eight plays, allowing Clemson to run it out with Adam Randall to give them a 27-16 home victory, their first win of the season. I'm sure this was an insanely unsettling game for all Clemson fans out there, as I don't think they went into this game thinking that they'd find themselves down at any point, let alone down 16-3 at halftime. Regardless, a win is a win. As for Klubnik I thought he made some nice throws when he needed to as apart from the interception (which is again unfortunate) he really just took what the defense gave him. This week the Tigers travel to Atlanta to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets who are 2-0 following wins against Colorado and Gardner-Webb. Despite Clemson being ranked 12th in the nation, and open as 3.5-point favorites, ESPN's match-up predictor gives Georgia Tech a 55.9% chance to take home a dub. This could be a very interesting one come Saturday.
Wk 1 - 5
Wk 2 - 6
Wk 3 - @ Georgia Tech
7. John Mateer, Oklahoma (+2)
Wk 2 - 21/34 270 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/19 carries 74 yds 2 touchdowns v no.15 Michigan (24-13 W)
Season - 51/71 662 yds 4 touchdowns 2 interceptions/26 carries 96 yds 3 touchdowns
I said this all offseason, if there was a more fun quarterback to watch last season than John Mateer, I would love to see it. I promise you, you will never be bored watching Mateer play the quarterback position. The only thing that was "holding him back" from being higher on this list going into this year was the fact that he played at Washington State, a school in a two team conference that played one ranked team all last season (Boise State). Like, it's not completely uncommon for a player to come in and hit the ground running at a new school right away, but going from that to the SEC with all the eyeballs that are going to be on you as the quarterback at Oklahoma, people can struggle. So far this season Mateer has been fantastic, the eyeballs and national attention haven't effected him at all as the Sooners have started the season 2-0 and are coming off an impressive 24-13 home win against then 15th ranked Michigan. In this one Mateer went 21/34 passing with 270-yards and a touchdown and an interception to go along with a team high 74-rushing yards on 19-carries with two further touchdowns. Things started off about as good as they could have for the Oklahoma offense as on third and nine from their own 26-yard line Mateer would connect with Jaren Kanak down the middle of the field for a 31-yard gain to get them all the way down to the Michigan 43-yard line.
With the safeties splitting Mateer is able to hit Kanak down the middle of the field who is able to make a terrific one handed catch for a 31-yard gain on third and nine. Just a great throw and great catch by Kanak, helping get Oklahoma to the Michigan side of the 50. Mateer would come up with another big time completion again on third and nine later on in the drive, hitting Deion Burks between two defenders for a 21-yard gain.
What a hole shot throw here from Mateer, being able to fit it into Burks for the aforementioned 21-yard gain in between two Michigan defenders. Also, great job at getting a couple linemen to jump offsides, as well as making a really strong and accurate throw despite a defender screaming in his face. Like, this is what all coaches would love to see from their quarterbacks, and it helps get the Sooners deeper into Wolverine territory, placing them at the Michigan 21-yard line. Mateer would register his first touchdown of the game a few plays later, connecting with Burks who was coming on a jet sweep with a pop pass that he would take nine yards into the end zone for six, giving Oklahoma an early 7-0 lead with 10-minutes to go in the first. Despite putting together an impressive 12-play 75-yard touchdown drive to open the game, Oklahoma's next couple drives wouldn't really see the same success, as they'd be forced to punt the ball away after just four plays on their next drive (though Mateer would connect with Burks on a slant for 34-yards) before Mateer would throw his first interception of the game, coming on the second play of that drive with less than 30-seconds to go in the quarter.
Some interceptions are easier to explain than others and this would be one of them. Long story short, Mateer just missed this throw. Trying to hit Jaren Kanak down the middle of the field the ball just sails on him as he threw it behind him, leading it to land in the grateful arms of the Michigan defender. Thankfully for him nothing would come from that interception as the Wolverines would punt the ball away on their next drive after going three and out. Oklahoma would follow suit on their next drive as well, punting the ball away after eight plays with Mateer completing two passes for 10-yards. That being said, following a missed 32-yard field goal by Michigan, Oklahoma would put together a nice 10-play 80-yard drive that would culminate with Mateer picking up his first rushing touchdown of the game. Prior to, Mateer would connect with Keontez Lewis for 11-yards on third and six before hitting Deion Burks while rolling to his right for what would result in a 22-yard completion, putting them at the Michigan four yard line. Following a two yard run by Jovantae Barnes Mateer would punch it in himself on the quarterback keeper to give Oklahoma a 14-0 lead with 22-seconds left in the first half. On their second drive of the third quarter (after going three and out on their opening drive) Mateer would make another big time play on third down, escaping pressure to the right and throwing an absolute dot to Isaiah Sategna III for 36-yards that would get them down to the Michigan 13-yard line.
I've said this a thousand times, but John Mateer is an absolute gamer. First off, excellent job at getting out of what should have been a sack seven yards behind the line of scrimmage. Second, what a job at not only getting outside of the pocket, but delivering an absolute strike down the field to Sategna for the aforementioned 36-yard gain. Great catch by Sategna as well, but there aren't many quarterbacks in college football better at making something out of nothing than Mateer. Two plays later Mateer would take it in himself untouched from 10-yards out to give the Sooners a 21-7 lead with about 10-minutes to go in the third quarter. It would be a little bit before the offense would take the field again as Sategna would cough up the ball on a punt return at their own 31-yard line. Thankfully though for him Michigan would have to settle for three, making it now 21-10 midway through the quarter. Oklahoma wouldn't really get much going on their next drive though after they were forced to start at their own seven yard line after as Jaydn Ott bobbled the ensuing kickoff return. Though Mateer would connect with Jaren Kanak for 11-yards on first down, the Sooners would be forced to punt the ball away after Mateer took a sack on third and four. Oklahoma would have to settle for a field goal attempt on their following drive despite Mateer helping pick up two third downs on the drive. Despite getting it all the way down to the Michigan 24-yard line Tate Sandell would miss his 42-yard attempt to the left to keep the score at 21-13 less than three minutes into the fourth quarter. With Michigan punting the ball away on their following drive after five plays, Oklahoma would get the ball back with 10-minutes left in the fourth. On the first play of said drive, Mateer would flash the athleticism and pick up a nice 19-yard gain (while managing to stay in bounds) to get them from their own 19 to the 38-yard line.
Just another example of Mateer showing off his athleticism as he's able to pick up 19-yards on the ground on their first play of the drive. What looks like a busted play at the start, Mateer cuts it outside and gets around a couple of defenders to not only pick up the first, but stay in bounds as well which is just a smart heads up play from him. Like I said before, he's the best at making something out of nothing. That play would be the catalyst for Oklahoma on this drive as they'd put together a nice 16-play 78-yard drive that would go on to take up a whopping eight and a half minutes, culminating with a 21-yard field goal from Tate Sandell to make the score 24-13 with less than two minutes to go in the game. Michigan would turn the ball over on downs on their next drive which would ultimately seal the game as Oklahoma would come out 24-13 home victors. This was just a good all around game for the Sooners, as they dominated most statistical metrics in the win. As for Mateer, he put forth a very strong showing both through the air and on the ground, making some key drive saving plays on multiple third downs. I don't really foresee him and Oklahoma struggling too much in their game against Temple this weekend. Though it's on the road, I expect the Sooners to come out with a fairly convincing victory.
Wk 1 - 9
Wk 2 - 7
Wk 3 - @ Temple
8. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor (+2)
Wk 2 - 34/50 440 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/6 carries 20 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.17 SMU (48-45 2OT W)
Season - 61/98 859 yds 7 touchdowns 0 interceptions/10 carries 1 yd 0 touchdowns
Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson is quietly having one of the best seasons in all of college football. Despite the team starting 1-1, Robertson has put up some ridiculous numbers, ranking second in the nation in passing yards (though the current leader has played three games) while also registering seven touchdowns and zero interceptions. Those numbers are impressive enough on their own, but when you look at the teams he's done it gets it becomes more impressive. I mean, Robertson threw for 419-yards against an Auburn team that had not allowed any passers to register more than 300-yards against them all last season. As for week two, Robertson went 34/50 with 440-yards and four touchdowns to no interceptions against an SMU team that allowed the second lowest completion percentage while also gathering in the second most interceptions last season in the ACC. Not to mention this game was on the road, as Robertson and Baylor came out on top in double overtime by the score of 48-45 to register their first win of the season. Though they would end up coming out on top, things didn't really start off the best for the Bears as the Mustangs would come out the gates firing with Kevin Jennings and Romello Brinson connecting for a rather insane 75-yard touchdown on their first play from scrimmage. Robertson would connect on a few screens and shorter passes on Baylor's opening drive of the game, helping get them down to the SMU 29-yard line. Unfortunately a pop pass from Robertson to Kole Wilson would take them back six yards which would lead to them going for it on fourth and nine at the SMU 35. To make matters worse Robertson would be sacked, giving the ball back to SMU, who would register a field goal following an eight play 31-yard drive. Now down 10-0 midway through the first, Baylor would need to string some plays together to get back in the game. They would wind up going for it again on this drive, only this time Robertson would hit Michael Trigg for 13-yards on fourth and four to get them deeper into SMU territory.
Great job by Robertson at getting out of a would be sack after the Mustang defender got around his right tackle. Not only that, but Robertson was able to keep his eyes down the field and find an open Trigg who was able to create separation from his defender by smartly cutting up field to give Robertson an option. Just a good overall play for the Bears, unfortunately not much would come out of that as they would fail to convert on another fourth down conversation as Bryson Washington would get stuffed at the line as they tried to go for it on fourth and one. Following an SMU punt Baylor would get the ball back trying to register their first score of the game. On the first play of the drive, Robertson would zip a ball to Josh Cameron through a few Mustang defenders for a 17-yard gain.
This is just a really good throw from Robertson, zipping it into Cameron with three SMU defenders around. Such a tight window to work with, especially with the edge rusher dropping back into coverage. I just like how Robertson threw his receiver open, letting this ball go while Cameron was still behind the defender. Great anticipatory throw from Robertson, and it resulted in a nice gain on first down. Following a couple short to intermediate passes from Robertson, he would find Kobe Prentice from 28-yards out to give Baylor their first score of the game.
On third and one with a defender diving at his feet, Robertson is able to drop this ball right in the bucket, perfectly in stride for Prentice to run under for the score. Prior to the throw though, Robertson does an excellent job at looking the single high safety off to the right before flipping his eyes back to the left before again hitting Prentice. Just a great overall play from Robertson to kick things off in the second quarter. Robertson would come out firing on Baylor's next drive as well, hitting Ashtyn Hawkins quickly on the hitch for what would result in a 19-yard gain. Robertson and Hawkins would hook up again on the following play for a slant that would go for a further 10 before hitting Josh Cameron for a 34-yard touchdown to bring the game back to within three midway through the second.
With SMU playing zone with a single high safety, Robertson knows he has to get this ball out quick and on a line, otherwise that aforementioned safety will come over and make a play on the ball. After Robertson fit it in there, Cameron does a nice job at making the safety fly by on the tackle attempt before making his way to the end zone. That touchdown would bring them back to within three, making the score 17-14 but only for a short time, as the SMU offense would come out and register their second one play 75-yard drive with Jennings hitting an open Jalen Cooper for the score. Now down 24-14 with less than five minutes to go until halftime, Robertson would come out and connect on a few 10+ yard passes before Bryson Washington would punch it in from seven yards out to make it 24-21 with about 30-seconds to go in the half. With Baylor receiving the ball to start the second half Robertson would hit Kole Wilson for a 27-yard gain on their first play from scrimmage, making it seem like they really had something cooking to kick off the second half. Unfortunately the Bears would fail to convert on fourth down again as Washington would get stuffed on fourth and one, giving the Mustangs the ball back at the SMU 46-yard line. Thankfully for the offense, the Baylor defense would come up big and hold the SMU offense to a field goal. Even more thankfully Collin Rogers would miss the ensuing 51-yard field goal to keep it 24-21 with about 10-minutes to go in the quarter. The Baylor offense would come out firing on their next drive as Robertson would hit Ashtyn Hawkins down the far sideline for a 28-yard gain to get them to the SMU 38-yard line.
Really good throw here from Robertson, placing the ball over Hawkins' outside shoulder and away from the defender for the nice gain. Maybe you could say that he placed this ball too far to the outside, but I still think it's a very nice throw that again resulted in a 28-yard gain. Robertson would then pick up eight yards with his legs on third and three and a further 10 to get them deeper into SMU territory, which would eventually help set up a 26-yard field goal by Connor Hawkins to tie the game up with five minutes to go in the quarter. The Bears defense would come up big later on in the quarter as Jennings would be picked off in the end zone to keep the score tied late in the third. Unfortunately the Baylor offense wouldn't be able to make SMU pay for the turnover as they'd eventually be forced to punt the ball away which would eventually lead to an SMU score as T.J. Harden would take it in from 40-yards out to re-give them the lead at the start of the fourth. Things would seemingly get worse for the Baylor offense as Bryson Washington would fumble the ball away at their own 35-yard line. It would take the Mustangs eight plays to make the Bears pay for the turnover, with Harden carrying it from five yards out to give them a 14-point lead midway through the third. Now down double digits, Robertson would connect with Kole Wilson for 27-yards before eventually tossing one up to Josh Cameron for what would result in a 48-yard touchdown with about five and a half minutes to go in the fourth. Robertson would come up big for the Bears on their next drive as well following a Mustang punt, as after hitting an open Ashtyn Hawkins for 28-yards on their second play of the drive, he would zip a ball into Kobe Prentice for a 21-yard touchdown with 34-seconds left in the quarter.
Robertson absolutely zips this in to Prentice in between four SMU defenders for the 21-yard score. Given the situation, given the defenders in the area, you can't really ask for much more from your quarterback. Just an absolute strike to force overtime (after SMU missed a potential game winning 52-yard field goal as time expired). Both teams would score touchdowns in the first period of overtime, but in the second the Baylor special teams unit would come up big in more than one way as they would block the Mustangs field goal before making one of their own to come away with a 48-45 road victory. Following a tough week one home loss to Auburn, this showed how good this Baylor Bears team can be, battling back from 38-24 down in the fourth to eventually take it in double overtime. The main reason for their success was because of the arm of Sawyer Robertson, making numerous fantastic throws and coming up big when Baylor needed him most. After playing back-to-back power four conference teams, I'm sure it'll feel nice for Baylor to take on an 0-2 Samford Bulldogs team.
Wk 1 - 10
Wk 2 - 8
Wk 3 - v Samford
9. Carson Beck, Miami (FL) (-1)
Wk 2 - 22/24 267 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/0 carries 0 yds 0 touchdowns v Bethune-Cookman (45-3 W)
Season - 42/55 472 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries -2 yds 0 touchdowns
The Carson Beck resurgence train continues on to it's next destination. Now before you say anything yes, I am aware this past game was against Bethune-Cookman, but it's still nice to see Beck play with confidence and with joy this season. I mean, none of us were really expecting a different result following their week one win against Notre Dame, right? Sure like I brought up before sometimes there's a slight dip in performance following an emotional and hard fought victory, but no offense to the Wildcats, Miami really could have done anything this past weekend as they came out 45-3 home victors. As for Beck he put forth another solid statistical performance, going 22/24 with 267-yards and two touchdowns with zero turnovers. To make it even better, Beck was rested after Miami's first drive of the second half, with him leading Miami to five touchdowns on five drives. A perfect score, can't really ask for much more from your transfer quarterback. The Hurricanes would come out throwing on their first drive of the game, connecting on a few short to intermediate passes before taking the top off the defense with a beautiful throw to CJ Daniels that would result in a 40-yard touchdown to put Miami up 7-0 midway through the first quarter.
Can't really make a much better throw there if you're Beck, placing this ball right in the bucket for Daniels despite there being a defender draped all over his back. Just a great overall play that helped the Hurricanes take their first lead of the game. Miami would prioritize the run game more on their next drive, though Beck would connect on a couple passes throughout the drive, most notably hitting an open Tony Johnson for a 20-yard gain to get them down to the Wildcat 21-yard line. Two plays later Mark Fletcher Jr. would take it in from 16-yards out to double their advantage with less than three minutes to go in the first quarter. Beck would come out firing on Miami's first drive of the second quarter, hitting Malachi Toney across the middle for an 11-yard gain.
With pressure coming from the left side of the offensive line, Beck does a very nice job at rolling slightly to the right and letting it go with another defender in his face to Toney for the 11-yard gain. Toney also does a very nice job at coming back to the ball, and not waiting for it to come to him. Overall just a solid play between quarterback and wide receiver that would go for a first down. Beck would then hit Ray Ray Joseph on a bubble screen to the far sideline that would go for 18-yards before Elija Lofton a yard of so beyond the line of scrimmage that would for a further 11-yards that would help set up a two yard touchdown run by CharMar Brown to push Miami's lead to 21 with less than 10-minutes to go in the second quarter. Following a Bethune-Cookman field goal Beck would help lead Miami on another scoring drive. Hitting on a few shorter passes, dink and diming them down the field before hitting CJ Daniels in the corner of the end zone on a beautifully thrown fade ball from five yards out to further extend their lead with about 30-seconds to go until halftime.
Now, I'm generally not the biggest fan of fades to the end zone, that is unless they're thrown like this. From the far hash, Beck is able to put this ball in a spot where only his receiver could make a play on it on the near sideline. This is just a really good overall play for the Hurricanes, as Beck and Daniels register their second combined touchdown of the game to make it 28-3. Beck's final drive would come on the first of the third quarter. On the drive he'd connect with Malachi Toney in the flat that would result in a 24-yard gain before hitting Luka Gilbert down the middle of the field for a further 20-yards to get them down to the Wildcat one yard line that would ultimately set up a one yard touchdown run by Mark Fletcher Jr. to give them a 35-3 lead less than five minutes into the quarter. Again, Beck's day would be done after leading five consecutive touchdown drives for the Hurricanes. Back-up Emory Williams would then come in and see out the rest of the game as Miami would come out 45-3 victors. Like I said before yes, I know it was against Bethune-Cookman, but it's still nice to see Beck playing with confidence and joy again. He looked really good in this game, which hopefully allows him to continue building confidence as the season goes on. This weekend though the Hurricanes play host to the now 18th ranked South Florida Bulls, a team that is coming off back-to-back wins against top-25 opponents. Though Miami should win, they definitely can't afford to take USF for granted.
Wk 1 - 8
Wk 2 - 9
Wk 3 - v no.18 South Florida
10. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State (-3)
Wk 2 - 10/22 82 yds 1 touchdown 2 interceptions/8 carries 25 yds 0 touchdowns @ Mississippi State (24-20 L)
Season - 35/61 339 yds 3 touchdowns 3 interceptions/15 carries 98 yds 2 touchdowns
I hinted at it last week, but I for one am not surprised that Mississippi State upset the then 11th ranked Arizona State Sun Devils this past weekend. Sure both teams were polar opposites when it came to team success last season, but going on the road in the SEC (regardless of who it is) is a really tough task, and even more so at night. Now, though I'm not surprised that the Bulldogs were able to pull off the upset, I did not think that the Sun Devil passing attack would look as bad as it did. Quarterback Sam Leavitt struggled immensely in this one, going 10/22 for just 82-yards with one touchdowns and two interceptions. The normally calm, cool, and collected Leavitt was chaotic at best, making quite a few poor decisions throughout the course of the game. Like, I know that Mississippi State and Northern Arizona are two completely different styles of opponents but again, I was not expecting to see such a drastic change in play from one of the better quarterbacks in all of college football. Things started off insanely slow for the Sun Devil offense as they would punt the ball away after five, three, three, and four plays on their first four drives of the game. Unfortunately for them their fifth drive would not be much better as that would be when Leavitt would throw his first interception of the game, and it was a brutal one.
I mean, on third and 18, this throw was pretty much as good as a punt, right? I guess that's a positive way to spin this but if we're speaking facts, this was just a brutal interception from Leavitt. I know there was a defender jumping in his face, but I can't tell if he was trying to hit the receiver behind the defender or one of the two in front of him. Regardless, it's just a bad decision, which is something we don't normally see from him. Things would start off better on their next drive, going from their own 38-yard line to the Mississippi State 34. The only issue was that the drive would ultimately stall out as the Sun Devils would turn it over on downs trying to go for it on fourth and five, though it initially looked like Leavitt would pick it up on the ground after making a few defenders miss in the backfield. Leavitt would come up with a big time throw on Arizona State's next drive, hitting Jordyn Tyson while rolling to his right for an eventual 23-yard gain.
Leavitt absolutely zipped this ball to Tyson for the nice gain, fitting in between a couple Bulldog defenders in the process. He did a great job at stepping up in the pocket and rolling to the right before throwing a strike for the first down. The Sun Devils would eventually get the ball down to the Bulldog 34-yard line, which would lead to a 51-yard field goal attempt from Jesus Gomez to make it 17-3 at halftime. Arizona State would come out firing on their first drive of the second half with Leavitt kicking things off by flashing his athleticism, making a few defenders miss while picking up nine yards on first and 10.
Leavitt may have struggled getting things going through the air, but one thing we can always count on is his athleticism. Much like I've spoken about before, Leavitt is one of the best quarterbacks in the country at making something out of nothing, exactly like what he did on this play. A few plays later Kanye Udoh would punch it in from six yards out to make the score 17-10 less than five minutes into the third quarter. The Sun Devils would be forced to punt the ball away after five plays on their next drive but they'd be able to find the end zone again to kick things off in the fourth quarter, a drive that was kicked off by Leavitt finding an open Jordyn Tyson down the far sideline for a 21-yard gain. A few plays later Leavitt would connect with Tyson while rolling to his left from two yards out to tie the game up at 17 two minutes into the fourth quarter. Arizona State would be put in a tough situation to kick off their next drive as they'd be forced to start at their own four yard line. Though the drive would mostly be dominated by the rushing attack, Leavitt would come up big on third and seven, hitting Tyson across the middle for a 12-yard gain on what would be his first pass on the drive.
This is exactly what you want to see from your quarterback. Given the situation, and given the fact that there's two defenders in his face when he lets this ball go, you can't really ask much more from Leavitt. Sure Tyson had to sky up for the ball, but I'd say Leavitt gave his top receiver a chance to make a play, which he did. Just a great overall play, which would ultimately help set up an 18-yard field goal attempt by Jesus Gomez to give them their first lead of the game with less than two minutes to go in the game, capping off an insane 17-play 95-yard drive that took 8:54 off the clock. Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, the Bulldogs would go 77-yards in five plays on a drive that was capped off with a 58-yard touchdown from Blake Shapen to Brenen Thompson with 30-seconds left. With 21-seconds now left in the game, Leavitt and the offense would be given the chance to try and steal the game. It's a good idea in theory, in practice is another story as Leavitt would register his second interception of the game, ultimately sealing it for Mississippi State.
I've watched this play multiple times, and for whatever reason I can't tell why the ball flew out of his hand like that. It's just a bad throw. I'm assuming he was trying to hit Tyson but he completely missed him, again gifting the ball back to the Bulldogs and ultimately giving them the 24-20 win. Like I said before, I'm not shocked that Arizona State was upset in this one, but I again didn't expect Leavitt to struggle this much. He can always make plays with his legs, but the passing side of his game was widely inconsistent, though he did make a couple really solid throws throughout the game. Hopefully he smooths things out for this coming game against a solid Texas State Bobcats team.
Wk 1 - 7
Wk 2 - 10
Wk 3 - v Texas State
Others
Rocco Becht, Iowa State
Wk 2 - 18/27 134 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/5 carries 11 yds 0 touchdowns v Iowa (16-13 W)
Season - 51/75 595 yds 6 touchdowns 0 interceptions/22 carries 44 yds 1 touchdown
Taylen Green, Arkansas
Wk 2 - 17/26 239 yds 4 touchdowns 2 interceptions/9 carries 151 yds 1 touchdown v Arkansas State (56-14 W)
Season - 41/57 561 yds 10 touchdowns 2 interceptions/18 carries 192 yds 1 touchdown
Eli Holstein, Pitt
Wk 2 - 21/28 304 yds 4 touchdowns 1 interception/4 carries 36 yds 0 touchdowns v Central Michigan (45-17 W)
Season - 36/51 519 yds 8 touchdowns 2 interceptions/11 carries 77 yds 0 touchdowns
Nico Iamaleava, UCLA
Wk 2 - 29/41 255 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/11 carries 59 yds 1 touchdown @ UNLV (30-23 L)
Season - 40/63 391 yds 2 touchdowns 2 interceptions/24 carries 106 yds 1 touchdown
Dante Moore, Oregon
Wk 2 - 16/21 266 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries 11 yds 0 touchdowns v Oklahoma State (69-3 W)
Season - 34/44 479 yds 6 touchdowns 0 interceptions/5 carries 29 yds 0 touchdowns
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