The Draft "Expert" - Wk 5 2027 NFL Draft Quarterback Prospect Rankings
Hello one and all and welcome back to yet another Draft "Expert" blog post! As I'm sure you can probably tell by the title, in this week's post we will be taking a look at my week five quarterback prospect rankings for the 2027 NFL Draft!
Now before we really start getting into things, I would say that this week's post is quite a bit different than the others that I have done up to this point, and I would imagine that will remain the same throughout the rest of the season. I'm not saying that because there's been a ton of changes or anything, quite the opposite in fact, as only five of the 10-quarterbacks listed actually played last week.
That really caught me by surprise as I watched back games as I did not realize that that would be the case going in. I don't know about you, but this seems really early in the season to have that many teams off. Like am I crazy? Is that normal? Have I just never noticed that before? Regardless it still felt odd.
With that being said I did still make some changes from the previous week, as a new face enters the top-10 with some shifting taking place in the middle portion of the list to make way. Despite so little quarterbacks actually playing, this list features more movement than any other one this season (I did not double check that, it just feels that way).
With all that being said let's get right into it! I Logan Blackman, host of the Logan Blackman Show and self proclaimed Draft "Expert" am proud to present to you my week five quarterback prospect rankings for the 2027 NFL Draft! Enjoy!
Podcast Links
1. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State
Wk 5 - BYE
Season - 95/141 1,271 yds 11 touchdowns 5 interceptions/13 carries 106 yds 1 touchdown
business in a weeks time.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 2
Wk 3 - 1
Wk 4 - 1
Wk 5 - 1
Wk 6 - v UCF
2. Arch Manning, Texas
Wk 5 - BYE
Season - 73/115 862 yds 7 touchdowns 3 interceptions/32 carries 82 yds 0 touchdowns
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 1
Wk 3 - 2
Wk 4 - 2
Wk 5 - 2
Wk 6 - v Oklahoma (Dallas)
3. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
Wk 5 - BYE
Season - 102/144 1,222 yds 8 touchdowns 3 interceptions/28 carries 108 yds 4 touchdowns
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 6
Wk 3 - 4
Wk 4 - 3
Wk 5 - 3
Wk 6 - @ Vanderbilt
4. Dante Moore, Oregon
Wk 5 - BYE
Season - 69/99 926 yds 9 touchdowns 0 interceptions/10 carries -7 yds 0 touchdowns
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 3
Wk 3 - 3
Wk 4 - 4
Wk 5 - 4
Wk 6 - v no.21 UCLA
5. CJ Carr, Notre Dame (+1)
Wk 5 - 21/29 234 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/4 carries 15 yds 1 touchdown @ North Carolina (37-26 W)
Season - 88/124 1,197 yds 13 touchdowns 1 interception/12 carries 28 yds 3 touchdowns
Pound for pound, this past weekend's game that saw the Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the North Carolina Tar Heels may have had more "football guys" in it than any game in recent memory. When I say "football guys," I mean it more as football families and/or football legacies, because if you look down each roster and/or coaching staff you will see a whole lot of familiar names. Starting with the home team, North Carolina's coaching staff is filled with former NFL names, featuring the likes of Michael Lombardi, Natrone Means, Jamie Collins, Brian Simmons, Bobby Petrino, and of course head coach Bill Belchick (which will never not be weird to say). As for the Irish I would say it's less the coaches who have established football legacies and more so the children and/or grandchildren, with receiver Jerome Bettis Jr. (you could probably guess his dad) and most notably quarterback CJ Carr (grandson of Lloyd Carr). So again, in regards to footballing names and things of that sort, this game was filled with them. Despite North Carolina boasting a wider variety of names it would actually be Notre Dame who would come out on top (unsurprisingly) by the score 37-26. Now I can't speak for everyone else out there, but I was not expecting this game to be that close, as I was fully expecting the Irish to roll in Chapel Hill. In a way they definitely did as the offense put up 37-points, but I didn't really think North Carolina would be able to put up 26-points, regardless of how the got them. Now a big reason for those aforementioned 37-points was the play of quarterback CJ Carr, who put forth one of his best performances of the season, going 21/29 for 234-yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions while also registering a season high 15-yards rushing with another touchdown there to boot. That all being said success would not come to the Irish early on, as they would be forced to punt the ball away after just five plays on their opening drive of the game. Carr would come out firing on their next possession, connecting on passes of 11, 14, and 10-yards before firing a perfect deep ball to Jordan Faison in the end zone from 28-yards out to tie the game up at seven with 6:41 to go in the first quarter.
As I've said quite a few times before, there aren't a lot of quarterbacks out there at throwing the deep ball then Carr, who hits Faison perfectly in stride between two Tar Heel defenders in the end zone for a 28-yard score. This ball was thrown on a line with little room for error given the aforementioned defenders in coverage, but Carr made no mistake about it to help the Irish tie the game up at seven just passed the midway point in the first quarter. It wouldn't take long for Carr to register his second passing touchdown of the game, as a Billy Edwards Jr. interception would set the Notre Dame offense up at the plus 12-yard line. From there (on the first play from scrimmage) Carr would hit Jaden Greathouse on a well placed back shoulder ball to give them their first lead of the game with 6:26 to go in the first.
The accuracy and placement shown by Carr on this throw is really impressive, hitting Greathouse at the front pylon from the far hash for the 12-yard score. Much like I said with his first touchdown pass there was very little room for error here as there were two North Carolina defenders in the area. The placement of this throw needed to be perfect and it was, placed in a spot where only Greathouse could get it with the receiver doing a great job at contorting his body to bring in the score, putting Notre Dame up 14-7 less than a minute after registering their opening touchdown of the game. The Irish defense would come away with another interception their next time out which would lead to yet another Carr passing touchdown, with Jordan Faison making a fantastic diving catch for the 39-yard score, giving them a 21-7 lead on the opening play of the second quarter.
Complete bust in coverage by the North Carolina defense, allowing Faison to get in behind them for Carr to find for the 39-yard touchdown. When a receiver is that open down the field, your main job as a quarterback is to not miss him, and though this ball was slightly over thrown he still gave his receiver a chance to make a fantastic diving catch in the end zone for the score, helping the Irish extend their lead to 21-7 again on the opening play of the second quarter. Carr and the offense would seemingly put together another scoring drive their next time out, getting the ball all the way down to the Tar Heel two yard line. Though they looked destined to score, Carr's pass to Cooper Flanagan on fourth and goal in the end zone would fall incomplete, meaning they would turn the ball over on downs midway through the quarter. Things would start looking a little hairy for Notre Dame as North Carolina would turn a 21-7 deficit into a 21-20 game (muffed extra point attempt) before the Irish offense would next see the field, thanks to a 15-play 97-yard touchdown drive and an opening half kick off return for a touchdown. With that being said Notre Dame would put together a very solid drive to open up the third quarter as the run game would carry them 75-yards in 17-plays (14-total rush attempts) with Carr eventually taking it into the end zone himself from three yards out on fourth and goal to make it a 27-20 game (another muffed extra point) with 5:36 to go in the third. Notre Dame would find the end zone again on their next drive, with Carr eventually hitting Nolan James Jr. out of the backfield in the flat for a six yard score, making it a 34-20 game on the opening play of the fourth quarter. Carr would hit on a few short to intermediate passes on their next drive, helping lead to a 31-yard field goal from Spencer Porath to give them a 37-20 lead midway through the quarter. That field goal would really be the final nail in the coffin, as the Irish would hold onto a 37-26 wet road victory. Notre Dame's offense was really feeling themselves in this one, driving deep into North Carolina territory and coming away with a touchdown damn near every time. As for Carr he played yet another smart and efficient game, connecting on some very nice deep balls before the rain slowed down the passing game in the second half. This week the Irish are back at home, playing host to the Stanford Cardinal who are coming off of a 57-3 road loss to Wake Forest. I really don't foresee Carr and co. having too many problems in this one.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 4
Wk 3 - 5
Wk 4 - 6
Wk 5 - 5
Wk 6 - v Stanford
6. Darian Mensah, Miami (FL) (-1)
Wk 5 - 18/27 227 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/3 carries 27 yds 1 touchdown @ Clemson (41-13 W)
Season - 112/133 1,438 yds 15 touchdowns 0 interceptions/12 carries 79 yds 2 touchdowns
Out of all the games Miami has played this year, this one was easily the most highly anticipated. Now that being said this isn't the same Clemson team that was winning national championships during the mid to late 2010s, but they are a much better outfit (on paper at least) than each of the other teams Miami has faced so far this season. Prior to this one, through four games the Hurricanes matched up against the likes of Stanford, Florida A&M, Wake Forest, and Central Michigan, winning those games by a combined score of 207-30, with 20 of those points being scored by the Demon Deacons. It's been a really easy start for the Hurricanes, which has made it hard to truly judge them as a team, at least in my opinion. Now it's important to note that they're beating whoever is in front of them, and doing so in convincing fashion, but that's the least I would expect from the most loaded roster in the ACC. They have been beating the breaks off of teams, and to many people out there this week was their first "true test," as they traveled to Death Valley to take on the aforementioned Clemson Tigers. That being said Clemson has been far from a dominant team in their own right, as they were blown out 51-10 by LSU week one before failing to score over 30-points in three wins against Georgia Southern (22), North Carolina (28), and Cal (24). Still, they had the best odds to date for a team going up against Miami, coming in as a -14-point underdog. To say they failed to cover would be an understatement, as the Hurricanes beat down the Tigers by the score 41-13. In the win quarterback Darian Mensah put up his most "pedestrian" performance of the season as he went 18/27 for 227-yards with one touchdown and no interceptions while also registering a new season high in rushing yards (27) and his second rushing touchdown of the season. I say "pedestrian" tongue in cheek because this was the first time he's completed less than 85% of his passes and the first time he's registered less than three passing touchdowns in a game this season. That being said, they are still solid numbers. It wouldn't take long for Mensah and the offense to get going, with him hitting Cooper Barkate on a screen pass for what would result in a 61-yard touchdown on their unofficial opening play of the game (15-yard personal foul penalty on Clemson was the official opening play of the drive). The Hurricanes would put together a solid extended drive their next time out (12-plays) but would ultimately have to settle for a 50-yard field goal from Jake Weinberg to extend their lead to 10 with 3:11 to go in the first quarter. Clemson would respond with a field goal of their own to make it 10-3 on their next drive, but Mensah would make sure the lead would grow back to double digits by registering a 34-yard rushing touchdown to make it a 17-3 game a little over a minute into the second quarter.
Though Mensah isn't necessarily known for picking up big chunks with his legs, he can definitely make you pay if you give him space, which is exactly what happened here. With the linebackers clearing out Mensah had acres of space to work with in the middle of the field, spliting the defense before finding his way into the end zone for the score (got really lucky with the fumble). Miami wouldn't really have the same success moving the ball on their next couple drives of the first half as they would go three and out before punting the ball away after six plays with 3:58 to go until halftime. Their struggle would continue early on in the second half as Mensah's pass on fourth and three would fall incomplete, turning the ball over on downs at the Clemson 39-yard line. That being said Mensah would come up massive for the Hurricanes on their next drive, hitting Malachi Toney across the middle of the field for a 17-yard gain on third and 11 while getting sandwiched between two Tiger defenders.
This is an insanely impressive throw from Mensah, leading Kirk Herbstreit to say this may be his best throw of the season during the broadcast. Given the situation, it sure as hell isn't far off. One thing I've always said I love when it comes to quarterbacking is when they're able to stand tall and calm in the pocket despite knowing damn well that they're going to take a massive shot from the defender. Like before he gets it off there is a defender right in his face, and yet he is able to deliver a strong and accurate throw to Toney who makes an great diving effort to bring it in for the 17-yard gain. I mean Mensah again got absolutely sandwiched by two defenders, with his helmet even being jarred loose in the process. Given everything this may very well be his best throw of the season (so far). Mensah and Toney would connect again a few plays later, this time for a three yard gain to pick up a first down on fourth and one. A couple plays after that Mensah would find his former Duke teammate Cooper Barkate down the far sideline on a well thrown back shoulder ball for a 20-yard gain, helping get them down to the Clemson 16-yard line.
Though the ball may not have had a ton of juice on it, this was a really well placed back shoulder ball here from Mensah. As I've spoken about before this is a really long throw, going from the near hash to the far sideline and accurately placing the ball on his receiver's back shoulder for a 20-yard gain. The chemistry was on display here, as it helped them get down to the Clemson 16-yard line. Mark Fletcher Jr. would take it into the end zone from two yards out a few plays later, making the score 24-6 with less than two minutes to go in the third quarter. Miami would be set up with excellent field position on their next drive following a Clemson fumble. Starting from the plus 27-yard line, the Hurricanes would take it all the way down to the Tiger six, before a false start penalty would push them back to the 11 where they'd have to settle for a 24-yard Jake Weinberg field goal to extend their lead to 27-6 12-seconds into the fourth quarter. The run game would really carry Miami's offense the rest of the way as Fletcher and Javian Mallory would alternate touches before the former would punch it in from a yard out to give them a 34-13 lead with 6:14 to go in the fourth. The defense would come away with a pick six with 1:49 to go in the game, ultimately sealing it up as Miami would take home a 41-13 road victory. Another week, yet another double digit victory for the Hurricanes. As for Mensah, despite not putting up otherworldly numbers he still did enough to help Miami see out the win, registering two touchdowns while playing mistake free football (again got lucky on that fumble). This week Mensah and co. get a little rest, before playing host to the Florida State Seminoles. Though the Seminoles (like Clemson before) aren't the same team that's won all those national championships, that shouldn't take away from one of the best rivalries in college football.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 5
Wk 3 - 6
Wk 4 - 5
Wk 5 - 6
Wk 6 - BYE
7. Austin Simmons, Missouri (NEW)
Wk 5 - 23/30 340 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/3 carries 1 yd 0 touchdowns v no.8 Florida (45-17 W)
Season - 93/137 1,287 yds 13 touchdowns 0 interceptions/13 carries 2 yds 0 touchdowns
Welcome to the Draft "Expert's" top-10 Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons! To be honest before the season started I was kind of confused with how Missouri's offseason went, mostly because of their quarterback situation. After putting forth a solid-ish season last time out, then quarterback Beau Pribula surprisingly (at least to me) entered the transfer portal, ultimately winding up at Virginia. Maybe I missed something but there didn't seem to be a lot of smoke regarding Pribula's desire to leave Columbia, but I guess I should have put two and two together after he sat out of Missouri's bowl game against none other than the Virginia Cavaliers. Weird, huh? Now it's not like he lit the world alight or anything as his performances during the back half of the season left a bit to be desired, registering zero passing touchdowns in each of their final four regular season games. As for who was coming in to replace him, then Ole Miss quarterback Austin Simmons was coming off of a disappointing season that saw him lose his starting job to Trinidad Chambliss. I would say he only lost his job due to an ankle injury he suffered week two against Kentucky, but the injury could have actually accelerated his benching due to his poor play. Through two games Simmons registered three passing touchdowns to go along with four interceptions, finishing the year with another touchdown and another pic in eight total games. Despite entering the portal on January 2nd and signing with Missouri four days later, Simmons opted to remain with Ole Miss throughout their run in the College Football Playoff, even going 4/5 for 64-yards in their opening round game against Tulane. Simmons showed signs of potential throughout the few games he played in Oxford, his only real problem was his decision making and lack of consistency. At Missouri Simmons has improved on all fronts, showing off his massive arm while racking up some fantastic numbers through the first five games of the season. This past weekend was both his and the rest of the Tigers best display of the season, blasting a Florida team that beat down Simmons' former school by the score 45-17. A classic trap game (if you want to call it that) for the Gators, but even then I don't think anyone foresaw how good Simmons and co. would be in this game, with the quarterback going 23/30 for a season high 340-yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Things would start off pretty even, with both teams putting together 10+ play opening drives (Florida 15-play drive, Missouri 12-play drive) before settling for field goals to make the score 3-3 with 3:15 to go in the first quarter. Simmons would come out firing on Missouri's next drive, ripping one into Naeshaun Montgomery while rolling to his left for a 17-yard gain. Unfortunately that would be the only positive thing to come from that drive, as they would be forced to punt just three plays later. Their next drive would see them register the first touchdown of the game for either team, with Simmons firing down the field to an open Donovan Olugbode for what would result in a 47-yard touchdown, putting the Tigers up 10-3 with about 10-minutes to go in the second quarter.
Like I mentioned above Olugbode created a good amount of separation between himself and the closest defender, but for Simmons, to go from corralling a surprise snap to getting his eyes up and finding his open receiver was really impressive. Not only that but he threw this ball off of his back foot as pressure was on him before he really even had time to think. So again yes Olugbode was open down the field, but nice job by Simmons at making something out of seemingly nothing to help the Tigers register their first touchdown of the game. The Missouri defense would come up big on Florida's next drive, stopping the Gators on fourth and one to se the offense up at the plus 34-yard line. Unfortunately nothing would come from the positive field position, as kicker Blake Craig would fail to convert from 50-yards out to keep the score at 10-3 midway through the second quarter. Simmons would show off the arm talent on Missouri's next drive, connecting with Cayden Lee along the far sideline for a 29-yard gain before hitting Caleb Goodie Sr. in the end zone from 31-yards out to give them a 17-10 lead with about two minutes to go in the second quarter.
These are just two fantastic throws from Simmons, with the first one going to Lee on a double move for a 29-yard gain. With the Florida defender following the motioning Lee across the formation, Simmons knows that the defense is in man coverage. That's asking a lot for a defender to do, as he had no real chance to make a play once Lee cut upfield once he reached the sideline. Sure the ball kind of hung up there, but Simmons had to get the ball over the out stretched arm of the Florida defensive lineman, and with the defender in coverage falling over it made for an easy completion that would result in a 29-yard gain. Two plays later Simmons would register his first touchdown of the game, hitting Goodie in the end zone on a perfectly throw ball for the score. You couldn't have asked for a much better look if you were the Tigers as Goodie cooking his defender from the jump and Simmons dropped it in a spot where only he could bring it in. Again just two really solid throws from Simmons to help them take a 17-10 lead with 2:05 to go in the first half. Missouri would register more points before halftime following a three and out by Florida. Simmons would use both his arm and his legs to help get them down the field in a hurry, ultimately setting up a 50-yard field goal from Blake Craig as time expired to take a 20-10 lead into the locker room. Simmons would help lead another scoring drive to open up the second half, connecting on passes of 36 and 14-yards to set up a five yard touchdown run from Jamal Roberts to make it a 27-10 game less than three minutes into the third.
On the first one, great job by Simmons at scanning the field, going through his progressions before firing it to an open Goodie in the middle of the field for a 36-yard gain. On third and seven with pressure slowly coming down on him, Simmons was able to remain tall and calm in the pocket before again finding the open receiver for the big gain. The second one we see the linebacker suck in due to the action in the backfield, meaning Simmons has to pull the ball and get it out quick, which is exactly what he does. What makes this throw even more impressive, other than the fact that he fit this ball through a tight window, but the fact that he's left handed, meaning he's got to completely flip his hips around before firing it to Lee for the 14-yard gain. That was far from an easy completion, and yet it again helped set up a five yard touchdown run by Jamal Roberts to give the Tigers a 27-10 lead with 12:24 to go in the third quarter. Simmons would continue to perform on third down their next time out, connecting on passes of 21 and 10-yards to help keep the drive alive.
Though again Simmons helped the Tigers convert on a couple third downs, the first one is the one worth focusing on in my humble opinion. With Caden Lee motioning across the formation, Florida are once again asking a defender to track him the entire way, making for a match-up nightmare and something for Simmons to take advantage of. With that you could not throw a ball any better here if you're Simmons, putting this ball on a line with Lee making a fantastic diving catch to bring it in for the 21-yard gain. This was just a really good throw and catch from both quarterback and receiver, helping the offense convert on third and three. Unfortunately their luck on third down would eventually run out, as they would be forced to settle for a 52-yard Blake Craig field goal to make it a 30-10 game with 4:30 to go in the third quarter. The run game would carry the Tigers the rest of the way as running back Jamal Roberts would register gains of 77 and 80-yards on back-to-back drives, with the latter counting for a touchdown on the opening play to give them a 45-10 lead just under two minutes into the fourth quarter. Missouri wouldn't really move the ball a bunch their next couple drives but it's not like they needed to, coming away with an impressive 45-17 home victory. This was such a great way to follow up their disappointing road loss to Mississippi State the previous week, with Simmons showing why he should be considered as one of the top-10 quarterbacks in this year's draft class. This week Simmons and co. will be faced with another tough home test as they play host to the Texas A&M Aggies, who are coming off of their first win since the beginning of September. Despite their 3-2 record, the Aggies do boast one of the better pass defenses in the conference. I'm intrigued to see how Simmons and co. handle the pressure in this once Big 12 match-up.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - N/A
Wk 3 - N/A
Wk 4 - N/A
Wk 5 - 7
Wk 6 - v Texas A&M
8. Drake Lindsey, Minnesota (-1)
Wk 5 - 17/25 136 yds 1 touchdown 2 interceptions/5 carries 1 yd 0 touchdowns v Michigan (20-14 W)
Season - 105/157 1,087 yds 8 touchdowns 4 interceptions/12 carries -18 yds 0 touchdowns
Almost every Friday I make an appearance on a show title "The Drive" with Cole Bair. On each show we go through and make our "picks of the week," which I'm not going to lie I can be pretty hit and miss on. This week though I decided to do something I've never done before, and that is willingly pick the Minnesota Golden Gophers to not only cover, but win a football game. For those of you who don't know me I usually have a rule when it comes to picking games, and that is never pick any of your rivals to win a game. It doesn't matter if it's the regular season or a bowl game, it's very rare that I will pick one of Iowa's rivals to win a football game, regardless of if it's against Alabama or the sister's of the blind. But again this week I broke that rule, as I was genuinely really impressed by Minnesota's road performance against Washington. One of the toughest places to play in all of college football, the Gophers went into Husky Stadium and came away with a 27-24 victory, sacking Washington quarterback Demond Williams seven times in the process. This week I expected them to carry that momentum into a home match-up against an emotionally damaged Michigan Wolverine side that was coming off of a tough 20-19 loss to the aforementioned Hawkeyes, with Hank Brown hitting Reece Vander Zee on a beautifully thrown back shoulder ball as time expired in regulation. In the end my prediction proved correct, as Minnesota came away with a hard fought 20-14 victory, a game that saw the defense hold the Michigan offense to just 180-total yards while forcing three turnovers. Despite the win quarterback Drake Lindsey struggled, going 17/25 for 136-yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, both of which resulted in points for Michigan (but more on those later). That being said things would start off pretty good for Lindsey and co., with the quarterback hitting Noah Jennings down the far sideline on a well thrown back shoulder ball for 22-yards before connecting with an open Darius Taylor out of the backfield for a further 33-yard gain.
Two plays that helped the Gophers get down the field in a hurry, with the first one being a perfectly executed back shoulder ball by both quarterback and receiver to pick up a 22-yard gain. There was really nothing more the Michigan defender in coverage could have done as you just can't defend a perfect throw, which is exactly what this was. Lindsey put this ball in literally the only spot his receiver could make a play on it, with Jennings fighting through the contact securing the ball and getting a foot down inbounds for the nice gain. The second one sees a linebacker matched up on Taylor coming out of the backfield. With Michigan lining up in man coverage, Lindsey knows that he'll have his running back in a one v one situation with a linebacker, one who gets thrown off his path by the two crossing routes coming across the formation. You really couldn't have asked for a better look if you were Minnesota, as Lindsey floated this ball down the field to Taylor for the 33-yard gain. A couple plays later Taylor would take it into the end zone from two yards out, giving the Gophers a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter. Things wouldn't go as swimmingly for Lindsey and co. their next time out as the quarterback would register his first interception of the game, coming with 48-seconds to go in the quarter.
Long story short the blitz got the Lindsey, altering the flight of the ball with it ultimately landing in the waiting arms of the defender like a punt. Now it would have taken a pretty special throw to fit it into his receiver regardless, but the aforementioned blitz definitely threw off the pass more than it probably would have, leading to Michigan's first touchdown of the game just five plays into the following drive. Minnesota's offense would continue to struggle their next couple drives out, as they would go three and out before Lindsey would register his second interception of the game, with this one being taken back 79-yards for a Wolverine score, putting the Gophers in a 14-7 hole with 2:48 to go in the second quarter.
Much like the 33-yard pass play on their opening drive of the game, Lindsey tries to hit Taylor out of the backfield as he's matched up against a linebacker. In man coverage once again Lindsey likes his chances, but the pressure coming from the corner blitz causes him to throw this ball off of his back foot, taking air off the ball and giving the linebacker enough time to jump the route before taking it 79-yards in the opposite direction for the score. Just an unfortunate play for Lindsey and co. as his second interception of the game once again lead to touchdowns for the Wolverines, again making it a 14-7 game with less than three minutes to go until halftime. The Gopher offense would continue to struggle to move the ball their next couple times out, punting the ball away after four plays to end the half before punting it away again to kick things off in the second half. That second punt though would actually prove to be beneficial for Minnesota as the Michigan returner would fail to secure the catch with the punt team jumping on it at the plus 17-yard line. From their Minnesota would ultimately settle for a 31-yard field goal from Luke Drzewiecki to make the score 14-10 with 5:46 to go in the third quarter. The Gophers would come away with another Drzewiecki field goal on their next drive following a Bryce Underwood interception, getting them back to within one at the start of the fourth quarter. The defense would come away with another interception on Michigan's next possession, only this time Lindsey would eventually hit Darius Taylor out of the backfield from three yards out to give them a 20-14 lead with 13:44 to go in the game. From their neither offense would have great success moving the football down the field, with Minnesota ultimately holding onto a 20-14 home victory. It wasn't pretty, but they got the job done. As for Lindsey this was easily his roughest showing of the season, throwing a couple interceptions marking his third straight game of registering at least one. He's definitely going to need to tone down on those as the season progresses, and this week him and the Gophers travel to West Lafayette to take on the Purdue Boilermakers, who are coming off of an impressive 24-17 road win against Illinois. With Purdue possessing the second worst passing defense in the conference, I do expect Lindsey to bounce back, hopefully putting up a better individual performance in a win.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 8
Wk 3 - 7
Wk 4 - 7
Wk 5 - 8
Wk 6 - @ Purdue
9. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA (-1)
Wk 5 - BYE
Season - 62/99 820 yds 4 touchdowns 2 interceptions/35 carries 143 yds 1 touchdown
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - N/A
Wk 3 - 8
Wk 4 - 8
Wk 5 - 9
Wk 6 - @ no.13 Oregon
10. Jayden Maiava, USC (-1)
Wk 5 - 21/34 245 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/3 carries -3 yds 0 touchdowns v Washington (25-21 W)
Season - 131/191 1,744 yds 15 touchdowns 3 interceptions/18 carries -4 yds 2 touchdowns
Much like I said last week, this week we found ourselves in yet another "must win" situation for the USC Trojans. Sure I guess most people would have expected Oregon to win last week, but with the game being at home and throwing in the fact that quarterback Dante Moore was literally knocked out of the game, you had to take something from that game. That's been something that has been following Lincoln Riley throughout his coaching tenure as his teams can take care of business against the teams they're supposed to, but put someone in front of them that's better than them (even slightly) then more often then not they're going to fall short. Again, if there was any chance to beat an Oregon team it was this one, especially given how so many things teetered in the Trojans' favor. That all being said this week's match-up definitely swung more in USC's favor, as they played host to the Washington Huskies, a team coming off of a 27-24 home loss to Minnesota. Though I'm sure most people would blindly predict USC to beat Washington, weirdly enough the Huskies had won four of the last five match-ups, including each of the previous three. Again, this was a game Lincoln Riley and co. needed to win, and they did by the score 25-21, which is actually the most points they've scored against Washington since 2016 (where they scored 26). In the win, USC quarterback Jayden Maiava put forth a solid enough performance, going 21/34 for 245-yards with one touchdown and one interception, while registering his least amount of rushing yards in a game since week zero against San Jose State. Things would seemingly start off great for Maiava and the Trojan offense, taking the ball from their own 16 to the Husky nine yard line. Unfortunately they would fail to punch it across the goal line, ultimately settling for a 26-yard field goal from Caden Chittenden to give them a 3-0 lead midway through the first. Though they were able to come away with points on their first drive, things would slow down for the Trojan offense as they would go three and out their next time out before Maiava would register his first (and only) interception of the game early on in the second quarter.
This is just a really bad decision from Maiava, who has had a fair share of interceptions like this across the past couple seasons. One thing he has got to learn before taking it to the next level is just not to force it, especially when throwing off of his back foot. This was a completely avoidable turnover, killing what could have resulted in more points for the offense. Thankfully the USC defense would come up big, forcing Washington to punt the ball after going three and out. Maiava in turn would attempt to make up for the interception their next time out, hitting Zacharyus Williams down the hashmarks for a 40-yard gain, taking them from their own 41 to the Washington 19-yard line.
Really nice floated pass here from Maiava, making the nice and easy pass and hitting Williams in stride for what would result in a 40-yard gain. With the linebackers sucking in due to the action in the backfield, Maiava knows he'll have a decent sized window to work with in the secondary, finding his open receiver to help get the offense from their own 41 to the Washington 19-yard line. A few plays later running back Waymond Jordan would take it into the end zone from eight yards out to give the Trojans a 10-7 lead midway through the second quarter. Maiava would seemingly register an awesome passing touchdown on their next drive, only for it to be wiped away by an illegal formation penalty that saw them go from a 17-7 lead to punting the ball away after just six plays. USC would get one more chance to come away with points their next time out, with Maiava registering a couple 12-yard completions before they'd be forced to punt the ball away again with 53-seconds to go until halftime. The punting would continue on their opening drive of the second half, with the offense going three and out with an unsportsmanlike penalty pushed them from a potential third and eight to third and 22. Maiava would come up big for the Trojan offense their next time out, connecting with Zacharyus Williams for a 23-yard gain to pick up a first down on third and 11.
This is a very good anticipatory throw here from Maiava. With Washington sending pressure on third and 11, Maiava knows he's going to have to get this ball out in a hurry. Letting it fly before Williams had even made it passed the linebacker in coverage, Maiava threw a very nice back shoulder throw (keeping it away from the high safety) down the hashmarks for a 23-yard gain. A really smart and well placed ball from Maiava, helping the Trojans pick up a first on third and 11, taking them from the 24 to the 47-yard line. USC would slowly inch their way down the field following that third down conversion, registering a whopping seven rushes between zero and four yards before Maiava would register his first passing touchdown of the game, hitting Tanook Hines in the end zone from 10-yards out to make it a 21-16 game (failed two point conversion) with 6:30 to go in the third quarter.
If we're being honest here, this wasn't a great throw from Maiava at all, with most of the credit going to Hines for coming down with it in the end zone for the score. Had Hines not fought for it, this pass would have been intercepted. Maiava is all about making his playmakers make plays, but on this one it was just placed poorly, but that didn't stop Hines from corralling the ball to make it a 21-16 (again, failed two point conversion) game later on in the third quarter. The Trojan defense would come up big on the Huskies next drive, returning a Demond Williams fumble 48-yards to the house to give them a 22-21 lead (yet another failed two point conversion) with 4:40 remaining in the quarter. Following a Washington put, USC's offense would start their next possession at their own one yard line. Thankfully for them some defensive penalties would help them get out of the shadow of their own end zone, before Maiava would eventually hit Carson Tabaracci while rolling to his right for a 29-yard gain to get them to the plus 30-yard line.
After starting with his eyes to the left, Maiava is forced to evacuate the pocket due to pressure breaking through, Rolling to his right he does an excellent job at keeping his eyes down the field, eventually finding Tabaracci who would make a very nice high pointed catch to bring it in for a 29-yard gain. This is just a really good play from Maiava, evading pressure before firing one down the field to his tight end to help get them to the Washington side of the 50. As good as that play was the drive would pretty much stall out after that, with the Trojans ultimately having the settle for a 39-yard Caden Chittenden field goal to go up 25-21 midway through the fourth quarter. Not much would really come from the rest of the game for either team, with the game ultimately ending by the aforementioned score of 25-21. Though Washington may not be a national championship contender this was still a really big win for USC, bouncing back after that rough home loss to Oregon the previous week. On Maiava I wouldn't say this was his best performance, but he did step up for the Trojan offense a few times throughout the course of the game, ultimately helping them secure the win. This week Maiava and co. are on the road, traveling across the country to take on the Penn State Cyclones. Their second cross country road trip of the season, I do expect the Trojans to take care of business in this one.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 9
Wk 3 - 9
Wk 4 - 9
Wk 5 - 10
Wk 6 - @ Penn State
Others
Josh Hoover, Indiana
Wk 5 - 20/27 251 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/3 carries -3 yds 0 touchdowns @ Rutgers (47-15 W)
Season - 76/107 1,101 yds 15 touchdowns 0 interceptions/17 carries 18 yds 1 touchdown
DJ Lagway, Baylor
Wk 5 - 25/40 306 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/3 carries -4 yds 1 touchdown @ Arizona State (55-19 W)
Season - 71/133 860 yds 8 touchdowns 2 interceptions/8 carries -11 yds 1 touchdown
Sam Leavitt, LSU
Wk 5 - 18/23 176 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/0 carries 0 yds 0 touchdowns v McNeese (63-14 W)
Season - 92/139 1,220 yds 8 touchdowns 7 interceptions/45 carries 220 yds 6 touchdowns
Julian Sayin, Ohio State (10)
Wk 5 - 20/27 324 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/9 carries -1 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.14 Iowa (31-14 W)
Season - 103/142 1,530 yds 13 touchdowns 1 interception/25 carries 6 yds 2 touchdowns
LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
Wk 5 - 20/36 226 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/17 carries 147 yds 0 touchdowns v no.24 Kentucky (35-34 OTL)
Season - 92/152 1,059 yds 8 touchdowns 4 interceptions/53 carries 391 yds 1 touchdown
Thank you for taking the time to read through the list! Hope you enjoyed it! If you did, give the article a like and comment down below how you felt!
While you're at it, go subscribe and/or follow me on all forms of social media!
Apple Podcasts: The Logan Blackman Show
Facebook: The Logan Blackman Show
Instagram (personal): @blackmanlogan
Instagram (show): @theloganblackmanshow
LinkedIn: Logan Blackman
Spotify: The Logan Blackman Show
TikTok: theloganblackmanshow
Twitter: @logan_blackman
YouTube: The Logan Blackman Show
YouTube (podcast): The Logan Blackman Show Podcast
Comments