Hello everyone and welcome back to yet another Draft "Expert" blog post! No your eyes don't deceive you, this is the officially official quarterback rankings from week six of the college football season!
Now, this weeks rankings have a little different feel that last weeks, as with Alabama losing to Vanderbilt some people out there are looking at quarterback Jalen Milroe a little differently. Like dude was coming off a potential Heisman Trophy winning game against Georgia to losing against Vanderbilt, it initially raised some concerns for me in where he'd wind up on the list.
Not only that but we may or may not have a new face sitting atop the rankings, which I kind of feel bad about because Colorado's Shedeur Sanders didn't have a chance to defend himself as the Buffaloes were on a bye. But hey, shit happens, right?
With all that being said I do hope you enjoy this weeks rankings! Please don't hate me too much if you don't agree! But without any further delay, I am proud to present our week five quarterback prospect rankings! Enjoy!
Podcast Links
Pictured: Jalen Milroe, Alabama; Cam Ward, Miami (FL); Carson Beck, Georgia
1. Cam Ward, Miami (FL) (+1)
Wk 6 - 35/53 437 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/6 carries 15 yds 1 touchdown @ Cal (39-38 W)
Season - 148/214 2,219 yds 20 touchdowns 5 interceptions/28 carries 161 yds 3 touchdowns
After watching this game I'm sure most of you out there can agree, conference realignment is both the dumbest and funniest thing to happen to modern college football. Like, how the hell are Cal (short for California, which is on the west coast/Pacific ocean) able to participate in the ACC (which of course stands for the Atlantic Coast Conference)? I know it was unlikely, but there was a reality where both Cal and Stanford both make the ACC conference championship game, thus being forced to travel across the country to play each other in Charlotte, North Carolina. If you look at a map the schools are just over an hour apart (or 46.7-miles), but would have to travel 2,708-miles to play each other for the right to be called conference champions. If you were to drive the distance it takes to get from Berkley to Charlotte, it would take you about 39-hours without traffic, as Google tells me. That's ridiculous. But again, it's also kind of funny because we get a nice conference match-up between Cal and Miami, with the latter being one of the hottest teams in all of college football right now (though there have been some who have questioned how 'real' this Hurricanes team truly is). Spear heading their great run of form is quarterback Cam Ward, who continues to push towards a trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony with yet another solid outing, throwing for a season high 437-yards while also registering three total touchdowns in an insane 39-38 road victory. Though he ended up putting forth some nice numbers things didn't start off so hot for him and the Hurricane offense as they were forced to punt after just six plays on their opening drive, with Ward hitting on a few screen passes before taking a sack on third and four to push Miami back to their own 37. Thankfully for them, the defense would force the Golden Bears to go three and out, with Cal registering -10-yards on the drive. In turn, Miami's offense would come back on the field and make up for their opening drive struggles as a 28-yard run by Mark Fletcher Jr. would get them to the Cal side of the 50 before Ward would hit Xavier Restrepo for 18-yards across the middle to get Miami into the red zone. A few plays later, Fletcher would punch it in from three yards out to give the Hurricanes their first lead of the ballgame midway through the first quarter. Cal would follow suit on their next drive tying the game up at seven. Miami would fail to convert on fourth down on the following drive but not before we'd see Ward hit a nice hole shot to Samuel Brown for 21-yards up the far sideline (though an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty would push them back 15-yards after the play).
This is excellent play recognition by Ward. With the corner crashing down to guard the speed out, Ward does a very nice job at getting the ball out quickly to Brown before the safety could come over and make a play on the ball. What's also nice about this is that Ward put this ball on a line, he didn't try to float it into his receiver because if he did, again, the safety would've very likely either broken up the pass or would've come away with an interception. This was a very nice play overall from Ward though it wouldn't do much for Miami's drive as a whole as they'd fail to convert on fourth down, with Elijah Arroyo getting chopped down one yard short of the first down marker. Though Miami would fail to find the end zone on their next drive as well they would still be able to come away with some points thanks to a 46-yard field goal from Andres Borregales. Before the field goal attempt we'd see Ward hit on a nice little backside RPO to Isaiah Horton for 18-yards before finding Horton again on third and six for nine yards to further extend the drive.
Nothing insanely insane from Ward on this play, but this again shows his innate ability to extend plays and make accurate throws when on the move. It doesn't matter if the window is small or if he has to completely change his arm angle to make the throw, this is just something Ward does on quite a regular basis, helping Miami further extend the drive thus setting up the aforementioned 46-yard field goal from Borregales. Though getting back on the scoresheet is nice you'd much rather find the end zone, especially since Cal is putting together these short yet explosive drives that would see them take a 21-10 lead into halftime. Despite the offense not being able to register anymore points after the field goal, Ward would still show off his playmaking abilities, hitting Xavier Restrepo for 14-yards with less than three minutes to go in the half.
Again, just another example of Ward extending the play before delivering a nice catchable ball to his receiver for the first down. Nothing too flashy, just Cam Ward being Cam Ward if that makes sense. Like I said before though, Miami wouldn't be able to register any more points in the first half as Ward would take a massive 18-yard sack to push the Hurricanes out of field goal range, taking them from the Cal 37 to their own 45. Not ideal. What would make matters worse though is that Ward's first pass attempt of the second half would get picked off. Only thing is, not only was it picked off, it was returned 40-yards for a Cal touchdown, giving the Golden Bears a healthy 28-10 lead less than two minutes into the second half.
You know how I have continuously mentioned how great Cam Ward is at extending plays and making smart throws down the field? Well, this is kind of the opposite. Sure Ward does do a nice job at getting outside the pocket after it collapsed, but man, rule number one in quarterbacking is never throw the ball across your body, especially when you're throwing back into the middle of the field. It's just an impossible task. This is one of those plays where you just have to throw it out of bounds and live to fight another day, especially given the fact that this ball was housed going in the opposite direction. On their next drive, despite Ward hitting Jacolby George on a screen pass for 26-yards, Miami would be forced to punt the ball away again. To make things even worse, Cal would find the end zone again, giving the Golden Bears a 35-10 lead midway through the third quarter. Thankfully for the Hurricanes Ward and the offense would wake up, scoring touchdowns on each of their next four drives. On their first scoring drive of the second half Ward would make some pretty nice throws on critical downs, with one going to Jacolby George for 15-yards on third and five.
Ward had to put a decent amount on this throw in order to hit Georgia before either of the two Cal defenders made a play on the ball. Like, number zero for Cal was centimeters away from breaking up this pass, let alone the defender coming in once the ball made contact with George's chest. Just a very nice throw by Ward, again, helping extend the drive and pushing Miami to the Cal side of the 50. Ward would then connect with Samuel Brown for seven yards on third and 10 before hitting Isaiah Horton on the outside for five more yard on fourth and three. Ward and Brown would connect again, this time for 16-yards to get them to the Cal 14 before Ward would roll out to the left and find Damien Martinez for a 13-yard gain to get down to the one, which would help set up a one yard touchdown run by Martinez a play later, making the score 35-18 after the two point conversion with just over three minutes to go in the quarter. Miami's defense would hold Cal to a field goal, which the offense would thank them by finding the end zone again on their next drive, with Ward registering his first passing touchdown of the game. After Ward and Xavier Restrepo connected for seven yards on fourth and six, Ward hit Elija Lofton up the seam for a nice 24-yard gain to get them to the Cal 19-yard line.
First off, I think it's funny that you can see Ward pointing to the Cal defender getting off the field late before delivering a great ball to Lofton for the first down. I know it's nothing major, but I do think it shows how calm Ward is in the pocket. Like if any other quarterback did that it'd throw them off completely as it takes their attention off the read(s), but Ward manages to stay calm and find his intended receiver in the middle of five Cal defenders for the aforementioned 24-yard gain. Ward and Restrepo would connect on the following play for 13 to get them down to the Cal six. Unfortunately an offensive pass interference call would push Miami back to the 18 on third and goal, but Ward would still hit Isaiah Horton for the score to make it a 38-25 game.
Very nice job by Ward just ripping it to Horton for the touchdown. With a few different Cal defenders in the vicinity there's not a ton of room for error, especially when you're inside the red zone, but Ward makes no mistake by just firing this right at the peak of his drop back. He stays calm in the pocket with a couple defenders in his face and delivers a nice pass for the score. Much like the previous drive Ward would have to make some plays on crucial downs for Miami, hitting Xavier Restrepo for 13-yards on fourth and 10 after a false start pushed them back. It's clear watching Miami play that Ward trusts Restrepo in every situation, and he came up big on this fourth down conversion. A few plays later we'd see Ward call his own number, registering his first and only touchdown run of the game from 24-yards out to get the Hurricanes to within six with less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Though it was from 24-yards out, this may be the easiest touchdown run Cam Ward has ever had. Like, not only did he not get touched on his way into the end zone, but I'm not sure if he actually ever got into first gear on this run. Just a nice brisk jog down the near hash to find his way into the end zone to make the score 38-32. What I like about this though is that he wasn't initially looking to run. You can see him scanning the field and once he sees nothing is there he rolls out to the left and makes a play with his legs. Like I said last week, Ward may not be looked at in the same breath as Jalen Milroe in regards to a runner, but when he gets out into open space he can make you pay. On Miami's opening play of their next drive Ward would connect with a wide open Xavier Restrepo (shocker) for a 77-yard hook-up that would take the Hurricanes from their own eight all the way to the Golden Bear 15. He would then hit Damien Martinez on the move to get Miami all the way down to the Cal three yard line.
This is a very smart decision from Ward. Some quarterbacks after seeing nothing open down the field on third and 20 would either launch it into the end zone and hope someone would come down with it or try to pick up as many yards as they can on the ground. Though it initially looked like Ward was going to attempt to pick up as many yards as he could with his feet, he smartly dumps it off to his running back sitting near the sideline who has much more room to work with as Cal was playing zone. A couple plays later Ward would hit Elijah Arroyo for the five yard touchdown, helping Miami gain their first lead since scoring on their second drive of the game.
At first glance you may think this was a bad read by Ward as he has a defender right in his face right as he's about to throw the football. Though it looks like that initially, Cal did a nice job at stacking pressure off the edge, as Ward's pull/give read key crashed and followed the back, which means to pull, but there was a second defender in his face following right after the first, forcing him to have to adjust and make a play while getting smacked in the head. Still, if he did give it I think Martinez may have found the end zone, especially since he held his hands up after Ward pulled it. All in all, six points is six points, with this touchdown (and extra point) helping Miami keep their undefeated season alive with a 39-38 road victory. As for Cam Ward, this was yet another solid performance. Sure the interception broke the first rule of quarterbacking but he more than made up for it by registering three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Ward's calmness in the pocket and ability to make plays on the move really make him a threat at the quarterback position. Right now, you would be hard pressed to find a quarterback who is playing better than Cam Ward, with his stock seemingly on the rise each and every week. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I wouldn't be too surprised if Ward ended up being the first quarterback selected in next April's draft. Time will tell of course, with us having to wait an extra week to see Ward and this electric Miami offense take the field again as they are on a bye this week. Though they're coming off two straight loses Louisville is no slouch, so I hope the Hurricanes come ready to play post bye.
Preseason - 8
Wk 1 - 5
Wk 2 - 5
Wk 3 - 4
Wk 4 - 4
Wk 5 - 2
Wk 6 - 1
Wk 7 - BYE
2. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado (-1)
Wk 6 - BYE
Season - 138/197 1,630 yds 14 touchdowns 3 interceptions/40 carries 25 yds 1 touchdown
Preseason - 2
Wk 1 - 1
Wk 2 - 2
Wk 3 - 1
Wk 4 - 1
Wk 5 - 1
Wk 6 - 1
Wk 7 - v no.18 Kansas State
3. Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Wk 6 - 18/24 310 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/7 carries 10 yds 1 touchdown @ Vanderbilt (40-35 L)
Season - 80/109 1,274 yds 11 touchdowns 2 interceptions/59 carries 283 yds 9 touchdowns
I'm not going to lie to you, this may be the craziest result I've ever seen in my life. Sure there have been upsets throughout the history of college football that saw bigger spreads but nothing, and I mean nothing prepared me to see the Alabama Crimson Tide lose to the Vanderbilt Commodores last Saturday night. Off the top of my head, the biggest upset in modern college football history would have to be Appalachian State going to the Big House and coming away 34-32 victors against the Michigan Wolverines. Like, that game was so monumental that they even made a wikipedia page for it. How many other week one match-ups have their own wikipedia pages? As big as that upset was, I was arguably more shocked watching Alabama lose to Vanderbilt. I know that may seem a little crazy and somewhat reactionary but Vanderbilt has been the doormat of the SEC for God knows how many years, with Alabama constantly wiping their feet on them every single time they played. Before last Saturday, Alabama had won the last 23-meetings against Vanderbilt, with their last loss coming all the way back in 1984. I never thought I'd see this score, never. I don't care how much better Vanderbilt is than previous years, it's still Vanderbilt and it's still Alabama. Do we not remember Alabama beating Georgia the previous week? Maybe they looked past the Commodores, maybe they were just coming off an emotional high and a drop off was inevitable, but not against Vanderbilt. The game started off as bad as it possibly could have for Alabama and quarterback Jalen Milroe, as after Vanderbilt scored on their opening drive, Milroe would get picked off by Randon Fontenette who would take it 29-yards in the opposite direction to make the score 13-0 midway through the first (extra point was missed).
This play was kind of jacked up from the start, from the high snap to the slip by Ryan Williams, everything was off on this play. Like, I don't know if I can really blame Milroe for this interception. Maybe it's a tad bit late but he did let go of the ball when his receiver was exiting his route but the slip hindered Williams' ability to fully break back towards the ball giving the Vanderbilt defender a bigger opportunity to make a play on the ball, leading to the interception. Again, was about as rough as a start as you could've asked for from an Alabama perspective, though they would be able to bounce back on their next drive with Milroe completing some big passes that lead to a eight yard touchdown run by Jam Miller. On their second play of the drive, Milroe would hit his tight end CJ Dippre up the seem for a nice 46-yard gain.
Nice little seem shot from Milroe, throwing it right off the inside shoulder of the Vanderbilt defender. Sure Dippre was decently open, but I like that Milroe took some off that pass and hit him more on his body as the safety was crashing down attempting to make a play on the ball. Thanks to the placement of this pass, Dippre was able to whip his head around, make the safety miss, and pick up a really nice gain to get Alabama well inside enemy territory. A few plays later, on third and six, Milroe would connect with Josh Cuevas for 17-yards, getting the Crimson Tide down to the Commodore nine yard line.
I really like the Milroe threw this ball to Cuevas' back shoulder, as with a linebacker guarding the seem and three other defenders in the area there's not really a whole lot of room to work with. In a tight window, Milroe puts the ball in a spot where only his intended receiver could get it, though dude did take a massive shot after seeing the ball in, so credit to him for not dropping the football as it again helped Alabama register their first points of the game a couple plays later. Alabama would struggle to move the ball their next time on the field as they were forced to go three and out (with Ryan Williams dropping what would have been a first down catch). That being said Alabama would find the end zone again on their final drive of the first half (discounting the kneel down), though they'd find themselves down 23-7 as that drive started. Though he wouldn't throw it too many times on this drive, Milroe would connect with Kobe Prentice for 15-yards on third and five, helping Alabama get to the Vanderbilt side of the 50.
With a lot of traffic in the pocket, Milroe does a nice job at just staying calm and working through his progressions before hitting Prentice in stride for the first down. Much like the completion to Cuevas, dude took an absolute shot after catching the ball, so much so that they even reviewed this play for targeting. So like I said before, great job at holding on to the ball through the hit, as this was another key third down pick up for Alabama that would see them claw back into this game. A few plays later a 32-yard run by Jam Miller would get Alabama down to the Vanderbilt three yard line, where Miller would punch it in for his second touchdown of the game, making the score 23-14 with less than two minutes to go in the first half. Things would seemingly pick up for the Crimson Tide after Miller's second rushing touchdown as they would come out swinging on their first drive of the second half with Milroe taking it into the end zone from 14-yards out to get Alabama to within two. The drive leading up to the score was dominated by Milroe as he went 4-4 before his rushing touchdown, with my favorite pass coming on second and three with Milroe hitting Robbie Ouzts for eight yards and a first down.
Sure it only went for eight yards, but I still like how Milroe remains calm despite there being a defender in his face pretty much right as he reverses from the fake. He doesn't try to do anything too fancy on this play, he doesn't try to make the defender miss or try to pick up more yards with his feet, he just stays calm and delivers a nice pass around the defender to Ouzts for the first down. A few plays later, after hitting Ryan Williams for 13 and 11-yards, Milroe would take it in from 14-yards out on the quarterback sweep to make the score 23-21 early on in the second half.
Just a simple jet sweep from Milroe to punch it into the end zone to get the Crimson Tide back to within two. I've said it before but Milroe is at the top of the class in regards to natural athleticism and running ability, as when he turns the corner and kicks into second and third gear he's damn near impossible to stop in the open field. That being said this was a fairly easy touchdown for him, as he didn't really come close to being touched on his way to the end zone. Alabama would struggle to move the ball on their next possession, going three and out again, but Milroe and co. would strike fairly quickly on their drive following the punt, as he'd hit Ryan Williams for a 58-yard score with about a minute to go in the third quarter.
I don't understand Ryan Williams. Like, how does a true freshman wide receiver have that much body control? To not leaping in the air to make the catch, but also the awareness to know where he is on the field at all times. We saw it against Georgia last week and we see it again here this week. As for Milroe this is a fairly solid throw up the far sideline, as he may have had to take a little bit off of it due to the safety being in the area, you can't really afford to lead Williams up field too much with him there. Solid throw mixed with a fantastic overall play from the receiver led to Alabama cutting back into Vanderbilt's third quarter lead. Alabama's drive would be pretty interesting, and not in a good way as though Milroe made a couple really nice passes to CJ Dippre for 20-yards and Germie Bernard for 16, he would get strip sacked on the third play of the drive, turning it over right before they had a chance to take their first lead of the game.
I know it didn't end up counting for much but this is still a very nice throw from Milroe to Dippre for the 20-yard gain. It just sucks that this drive ended with Milroe getting strip sacked because it really did look like Alabama was going to take the lead here in the fourth quarter. Milroe didn't see the edge rusher coming at all as his attention was turned the near side of the field. The tackle got completely beat on the play but Milroe has to be more aware of the oncoming pass rusher as again, this spot a really solid looking drive for Alabama dead in it's tracks. To make matters worse, Vanderbilt would capitalize on the Milroe fumble, making the score 40-28 midway through the fourth quarter. Alabama would find the end zone on their next drive thanks to a two yard run by Ryan Williams but it wouldn't be enough as Vanderbilt would see out the game and come away 40-35 home victors. Like I said before, this is one of the craziest results I've ever seen in college football. I don't care how much better Vanderbilt is this year than previous teams, they should never beat Alabama. Coming off an emotional win against Georgia I'm sure there were some Alabama players who completely overlooked Vanderbilt, and they paid the price for it. I wouldn't say Milroe was bad by any means in this game, but he definitely took his hand back off the Heisman Trophy. This was beyond anything I expected, and I just hope for their sake Alabama comes ready to play against South Carolina this coming weekend. Do I think the Crimson Tide should struggle against the Gamecocks on Saturday? No, not really, but after last week I understand that anything is possible in college football, so who really knows?
Preseason - 6
Wk 1 - 6
Wk 2 - 6
Wk 3 - 6
Wk 4 - 6
Wk 5 - 3
Wk 6 - 3
Wk 7 - v South Carolina
4. Carson Beck, Georgia
Wk 6 - 23/29 240 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/3 carries -15 yds 0 touchdowns v Auburn (31-13 W)
Season - 106/161 1,359 yds 12 touchdowns 3 interceptions/22 carries 49 yds 0 touchdowns
Last week will go down as one of the best, if not just one of the most fun college football games in recent memory. Though for Georgia fans and quarterback Carson Beck it was really only fun for a half, especially after Alabama got out to an insane 28-0 lead early on in the game. For Carson Beck, his tape really showed that football is a game of two halves. In the first half against Alabama many out there were questioning whether or not Beck really should be taken in the first round, let alone be involved in QB1 conversations. I'm not sitting here and saying he was lights out or anything in the second half but his play drastically improved once he and the Bulldogs offense came out on the field for the second half. In some aspects that's what you like to see. Sure you have a really rough first half but how do you bounce back from that? Do you let it swallow you whole or do you rise above it and give your team a chance to win the game? Thankfully for Georgia fans and draft "expert's" out there Beck chose the latter, helping Georgia not only get back in the game but also take the lead with just over two and a half minutes to go in the game (after being down 30-7 no less). Beck's second half performance got people back on track after that aforementioned rough first half, and his game against Auburn this past weekend would make sure people stayed on that track, throwing for 240-yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers, being very safe and efficient with the ball in his hands as well. Things would start off smoothly for Beck and the Georgia offense, as after a pass to Lawson Luckie went for 33, mixed with a few other short passes, the Bulldogs would find the end zone courtesy of a two yard run by Trevor Etienne. Though they found the end zone on their first drive the Bulldogs would be forced to punt the ball away on their two following drives, with Beck getting sacked for 12 and four on their final offensive play of each drive. That being said, after a 23-yard run by Etienne that would take them inside the red zone, Beck would find Dominic Lovett from 11-yards out to give Georgia a 14-3 advantage with 17-seconds to go in the first half.
If I'm being honest, I don't know who Beck was intending to throw to on this play. Initially it looked like he was aiming for Dillon Bell, but with the ball over shooting him and landing in the arms of Lovett I'm sure Beck would love to claim he was intending to throw to the former. In the end it doesn't really matter who was was or wasn't targeting, the fact of the matter is that Georgia was to find the end zone just before the half, so I'm sure Beck and the coaching staff will take it (though that was a bad throw if he was actually targeting Bell). Georgia would go three and out on their opening drive of the second half but would find the end zone again their second time out, with Etienne registering his second rushing touchdown of the game, this time coming from just a yard out. Beck wouldn't be asked to do too much on this drive as apart from a quarterback sneak on fourth and one he would only complete two passes on this drive, one to Dillon Bell for seven and the other down the near sideline to Colbie Young for 27-yards, taking them to the Auburn 23-yard line.
Though this is a pretty solid throw from Beck, what's more impressive is that adjustment by Young to come down with this ball down the sideline. Beck put this ball in a spot where only his intended receiver could come away with it and Young gave Beck a window to throw the ball into. Overall just a nice play for the Bulldogs offense which again helped set up another Trevor Etienne touchdown run, growing Georgia's lead to 11 later on in the third quarter. Though he wasn't used too much on the previous drive, Beck would go 3-3 on Georgia's five play drive while also coming away with his second passing touchdown of the game, which saw Beck hit Dillon Bell on a slant from three yards out after pulling it from his running back. Georgia wouldn't be able to find the end zone for the rest of the game. That being said Beck would lead a nice 12-play field goal drive with him hitting London Humphreys for 25-yards on third and 10 to get Georgia to the Auburn side of the 50.
Very nice pocket awareness by Beck, who slides to his right before delivering a very nice ball down the field to Humphreys for the first down. Like he sees the pressure, slides to the right, re-adjusts his feet/base before zipping it down the field, that's very nice to see, especially on third and 10. The offense wouldn't be asked to do much more as Beck and the Bulldogs bounced back from their 41-34 road loss to the Crimson Tide by beating a different team from Alabama in the form of the Auburn Tigers. Like I said before, Beck wasn't asked to do too much throughout this game, but when he needed to make big throws he made them. This was a nice 'get right game' for both him and the team, and I expect their winning ways to continue into this week as they take on a struggling Mississippi State team who has lost their last three games by double digits, including a 41-17 home loss to Toledo. With Mississippi State having one of the worst pass defenses in the conference, I fully expect Beck and co. to thoroughly dominate this game at home.
Preseason - 1
Wk 1 - 2
Wk 2 - 1
Wk 3 - 2
Wk 4 - 2
Wk 5 - 4
Wk 6 - 4
Wk 7 - v Mississippi State
5. Quinn Ewers, Texas
Wk 6 - BYE
Season - 58/79 691 yds 8 touchdowns 2 interceptions/6 carries 1 yd 0 touchdowns
Preseason - 5
Wk 1 - 4
Wk 2 - 3
Wk 3 - 3
Wk 4 - 3
Wk 5 - 5
Wk 6 - 5
Wk 7 - v no.18 Oklahoma (Dallas)
6. Drew Allar, Penn State
Wk 6 - 17/24 237 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/4 carries -3 yds 1 touchdown v UCLA (27-11 W)
Season - 73/101 1,101 yds 9 touchdowns 1 interception/26 carries 89 yds 3 touchdowns
I don't really think too many people out there thought Penn State would lose last Saturday to UCLA. Though they've made things interesting for a little while in a few games this year UCLA just isn't a good football team, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I am aware they have played against four (now) ranked teams through their first five games but still, they're just not very good. That being said, though they aren't the greatest, I didn't necessarily think Penn State would come out and beat them by 40-points, that's just not who they are. Like they came into this game as -29.5-point favorites, who in their right minds after watching Penn State play to this point in the season thought they'd beat another Big 10 team by damn near 30-points? Regardless of how bad the Bruins are, -29.5 is a crazy spread even in Happy Valley, a place where Bowling Green led at halftime and only lost by seven after being -35.5-point underdogs in their own right. Penn State is a good football team but they aren't going to really run the score up on anybody, though their 27-11 victory is a little unfair to how much they controlled this game. As for individual performances quarterback Drew Allar had himself a very solid game, throwing for 237-yards with one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown. This is also the third straight game where he has completed over 70% of his passes while also not throwing any interceptions. Everyone knows he's got the talent to be a top tier quarterback, the only 'real' issue with his game was consistency, which is something he's starting to find through five games so far this season. Now, UCLA does have an aforementioned bad defense, most notably in the passing department as we discuss in the last blog post, but Allar still took care of business in the win. Though the Nittany Lions were forced to punt the ball away on their first two drives, Allar would lead a nice 16-play touchdown drive their third time out, with him punching it in from a yard out to give Penn State a 7-0 lead in the second quarter. Before the touchdown though we'd see Allar flash his arm talent, hitting Liam Clifford up the seam for a 26-yard gain.
What an absolute laser from Drew Allar to hit Clifford for the first down. Dude threw this ball on an absolute rope, throwing it right over the top of the UCLA defender while also putting it in a spot where only his intended receiver could get it. Just a great throw from Allar. A couple plays later we'd see him hit Tyler Warren up the far sideline for a nice 15-yard gain to edge the Nittany Lions even closer to the red zone.
One thing about Drew Allar, he loves hitting these back shoulder throws to Tyler Warren. Was it necessary? No not really, but with a defender somewhat in the area Allar takes the safe bet and hits his tight end up the sideline for the nice gain. Allar would also help Penn State pick up a third down with his legs before handing it off to running back Kaytron Allen four of their next five plays, getting them down to the UCLA one yard line where Allar would punch it in for six. With Allar being as big as he is, it's pretty much a guarantee that they're going to score when they're inside the one, right? I guess anywhere on the field if Penn State needs to gain a yard or two just have Allar punch it up the middle on a quarterback sneak, seems pretty fool proof. The Nittany Lions would find the end zone again just before halftime with Allar hitting on a couple very nice passes leading to the score. He would hit Khalil Dinkins for six yards, changing his arm angle to get around the defender, before zipping one down the field to Liam Clifford for a 24-yard gain.
When everything is clicking and lined up there aren't a lot of quarterbacks better at hitting receivers up the seam than Drew Allar. He's got so much talent and a ridiculously strong arm, if he continues to develop like he has this year he could be truly deadly at the quarterback position. Like, that was his second perfect seam shot of the game, ironically with both going to Clifford. He puts the ball where only his receiver can get it, beating any defenders to the ball by putting a good amount of touch and zip on it, just a really good play from Allar. Dude would hit Julian Fleming for 12 up the far sideline and Harrison Wallace III on a cut off slant route for 25 before hitting an open Tyler Warren in the end zone from five yards to give Penn State a 14-3 lead going into halftime. After starting their opening drive of the second half at the UCLA 47 Penn State would move the ball with relative ease, with Allar completing two passes for nine and seven yards that would help get them all the way down to the eight yard line. Though they moved the ball well, they would have to settle for a field goal as the drive ultimately stalled out. Though they settled for three there, Penn State would find the end zone on their next drive with Allar connecting with Julian Fleming for 15-yards to get them down to the UCLA one yard line.
Really good job on the initial read by Allar as the UCLA defender crashes down to following Allen. After pulling it, Allar again does a nice job at not panicking and delivers a nice ball to Fleming for what initially looked like his second passing touchdown of the game. Allas, the Nittany Lions would have to wait one more play to find the end zone, with Kaytron Allen punching it in from a yard out to give Penn State a 24-3 lead in the third quarter. Though Penn State would go three and out on their next drive they would register a field goal on their first real drive of the fourth quarter, with Allar hitting Liam Clifford for a whopping 57-yard gain to get them from their own 14 to the UCLA 29.
What an effortless throw by Drew Allar. Like I said a little bit ago, the dude has all the arm talent in the world and once he fully gets things clicking he could be truly special. Here though, it's just like he was throwing a dump off to his running back. He really didn't put anything on this ball and yet it traveled from the Penn State five/six yard line to the UCLA 46, that's again what we in the business call 'arm arrogance.' Unfortunately they would struggle to move the ball after the 57-yard pass play, settling for three once again. That being said that would be the last time we'd really see Penn State's offense take the field as their only other contribution for the rest of the game was kneeling it down after a 16-play scoring drive by UCLA to make the loss a little more respectable. Overall just an easy game for Allar and the Nittany Lions, coming away 27-11 home victors. Like I said at the beginning, Allar was smart and efficient with the ball in his hands, all while showing off his limitless arm talent more than a couple times throughout the course of the game. From on LA team to another, Penn State's next match-up will be on the road against the USC Trojans, who are fresh off of their second conference loss of the season after losing 24-17 to Minnesota last weekend, dropping them completely out of the top 25 after being ranked 11th going in. Now, this is not the same USC team from the previous years. They may not be as explosive on offense but they are much better defensively, boasting the fifth best passing defense in the Big 10. With that, I wouldn't be too surprised if Penn State leaned on the running game, especially since Nick Singleton should be returning to partner Kaytron Allen in the backfield. I'm intrigued to see how Allar does in his first Big 10 road contest of the season, should be fun.
Preseason - 4
Wk 1 - 3
Wk 2 - 4
Wk 3 - 5
Wk 4 - 5
Wk 5 - 6
Wk 6 - 6
Wk 7 - @ USC
7. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
Wk 6 - BYE
Season - 139/199 1,656 yds 15 touchdowns 4 interceptions/6 carries -5 yds 2 touchdowns
Preseason - 10
Wk 1 - 9
Wk 2 - 8
Wk 3 - 8
Wk 4 - 8
Wk 5 - 7
Wk 6 - 7
Wk 7 - v no.9 Ole Miss
8. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
Wk 6 - 14/27 285 yds 0 touchdowns 0 interceptions/8 carries 44 yds 0 touchdowns @ South Carolina (27-3 W)
Season - 127/173 2,100 yds 13 touchdowns 2 interceptions/44 carries 156 yds 3 touchdowns
These past couple weeks haven't necessarily been the kindest to Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. Maybe that's a little mean to say but after coming out of the gates swinging, averaging 388.5-passing yards per game with 14 total touchdowns, Dart has failed to register more than 300-yards passing in the Rebels' first two SEC games while also registering just one touchdown, which came last week in Ole Miss' home loss to Kentucky. I know they didn't play a bunch of world beats through their first four weeks, but I did think that Dart would be able to put forth some solid showings against two conference opponents that Ole Miss should realistically beat (no offense). Now, as a team, the Rebels took care of business last Saturday, bouncing back from their aforementioned loss to Kentucky by coming away 27-3 victors, with Dart throwing for 285-yards to go along with a season high 44-yards on the ground. So again, maybe I'm being harsh, but not going to lie I expected a little more (from a statistical aspect). Now, things didn't necessarily start off the smoothest for Ole Miss as they went three and out on their first drive of the game with their only positive play being an offsides by South Carolina, though it only got them from third and 18 to third and 13. That being said (following a failed fake punt by the Gamecocks) they would score quickly on their following possession with Dart connecting with Cayden Lee twice for two and 20-yards, helping them get down to the South Carolina 14. After three Henry Parrish Jr. runs Ole Miss would take a 7-0 lead early on in the first quarter. On the first play of their next drive Dart would hit Antwane Wells Jr. for 29-yards to help get Ole Miss to the South Carolina side of the 50.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, it is always nice to see a quarterback remain calm and tall in the pocket in the face of pressure. With pressure barreling down on him Dart still is able to deliver a very accurate strike down the field, knowing damn well he's about to take a shot from the South Carolina defender. Not only that, but he also gets off a cheeky spin of the football right after he fakes it to the back, so you know he's relaxed back there regardless of how unnecessary the spins are. Dart would then connect with Jordan Watkins for 10 and 13-yards, helping get Ole Miss down to the South Carolina four yard line. JJ Pegues would punch it in a couple plays later to double Ole Miss' advantage in the game. The Rebels would struggle to move the ball on their next couple drives, going three and out on their next drive before turning it over after failing to convert on fourth down near the 50-yard line. Dart would make sure things wouldn't end the same on the next drive as he'd hit Tre Harris down the far sideline for a whopping 57-yard gain, getting them down to the Gamecock four yard line.
First off, really nice route by Harris to absolutely toast the defender but again, I really like seeing quarterbacks not being afraid to get walloped while delivering a ball down the field, which is exactly what Dart did here, once again. Though the offense wouldn't be able to punch it in from the four yard line they would still come away with some points thanks to a 24-yard field goal by Caden Davis, further extending their advantage midway through the second quarter. Though they were forced to punt after five plays their next time out, their following drive Dart would again connect on a deep ball down the far sideline just before halftime, this time with Jordan Watkins for 41-yards to get them down to the two yard line.
It's one thing getting the ball off before the defender hits you, it's another thing to throw an accurate ball down the field while your base is getting taken out from underneath you. Sure maybe if the defender was looking back at the ball he could've made a play on it, but he wasn't so we can only take into account what we saw and it turned out to be a very solid play for the Ole Miss offense. Two plays later JJ Pegues would take it in from a yard out to give them a 24-3 lead just before halftime. Dart would hit on another big pass attempt on the Rebels first drive of the second half. After hitting Caden Prieskorn in the middle of the field for 13-yards on third and 10, Dart would connect with an open Antwane Wells Jr. around the first down marker, with Wells taking it 66-yards to inside the South Carolina five yard line. The only problem is that Wells would lose control of the ball around the five with it going out of the back of the end zone for a touchback. Really unfortunate for the Ole Miss offense. Though they didn't come away with any points there they would register yet another field goal on their following drive with Dart flashing the athleticism by picking a first down and more with less than three minutes to go in the third quarter.
Though I'm sure his teammates loved seeing it, I don't think the coaching staff was too thrilled to see Dart lowering his shoulder and trying to run over the defender. In that situation you'd much rather have your quarterback slide and take less damage than try to lay boom. Again, I'm sure his teammates loved it but best just to slide next time. Dart would then miss on his next three pass attempts, forcing Ole Miss to settle for a 44-yard field goal which Caden Davis drilled to give the Rebels a 27-3 lead. That would be their final points of the game, though they would go for it on fourth and 11 with Dart heaving it towards the end zone but it fell incomplete. All in all this was a fairly comfortable victory for Ole Miss who avenge their loss to Kentucky from the previous week. This one may have been comfortable, but I'm really looking forward to their match-up this weekend against the LSU Tigers and quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. We should be in for a fun quarterback battle Saturday night in Baton Rouge.
Preseason - 9
Wk 1 - 7
Wk 2 - 7
Wk 3 - 7
Wk 4 - 7
Wk 5 - 8
Wk 6 - 8
Wk 7 - @ no.13 LSU
9. Will Howard, Ohio State (NEW)
Wk 6 - 21/25 209 yds 4 touchdowns 1 interception/10 carries 28 yds 1 touchdowns v Iowa (35-7 W)
Season - 93/130 1,248 yds 12 touchdowns 3 interceptions/24 carries 64 yds 4 touchdowns
Welcome back to the top 10 Ohio State's Will Howard! This has been a common trend up to this point in the season where Howard either finds himself amongst the top 10 or on the outside looking in. Like, if I was ranking the 15-best quarterbacks in the draft than Howard, more likely than not, would have featured in each and every blog post. Compared to some of the other top quarterback prospects in this class I think Howard is the one people are hyper analyzing the most, if that makes sense. What I mean by that is because of Ohio State's insane wrath of talent at the running back and wide receiver positions (hell even the offensive line) people are going to be looking more at what he does wrong than what he does right. If he does anything wrong it's on him, but if he does anything right than it's because of the talent around him, does that make sense? People are expecting Howard to put up solid numbers due to those aforementioned weapons, but how does he look when he does it? Well in this game, mostly in the second half, I thought Howard put forth a very impressive performance against a very solid Iowa defense. Throwing for just over 200-yards while also registering more total touchdowns than he did incompletions in their 35-7 home victory. His size and dual threat ability makes him an intriguing prospect in this year's draft, and it was on display throughout the course of this game. On Ohio State's first drive of the game we'd see Howard fit a ball to Bryson Rodgers in between two Iowa defenders on third and seven, picking up seven yards and a first down in the process.
This was a pretty dangerous throw by Howard but he still managed to fit the ball through a very tight window for the first down. Could the Iowa defenders have done a better job at making a play on the ball? Sure, but it's still an impressive shot from Howard to help pick up a first down. Howard would complete a few more passes on Ohio State's opening 14-play drive that would culminate with him throwing his first of four touchdowns of the game, hitting Emeka Egbuka from 14-yards out to give the Buckeyes the early 7-0 lead.
Just a nice and simple throw after pulling it from the back to again give Ohio State the lead later on in the first quarter. Though they pretty much had their way on that opening drive, it wouldn't be until the second half when Ohio State would find the end zone again, finding all types of ways to end drives throughout the rest of the first half. Their first drive following the touchdown would see them fail covert on fourth down as Howard was stuffed at the line of scrimmage trying to jam it up the middle. The following drive would see Jay Higgins strip wide receiver Jeremiah Smith after what was a 23-yard gain, giving the ball away deep into Iowa territory. The Buckeyes would then punt the ball away after eight plays on their next drive before Howard would throw his first and only interception of the game, this one coming at the Iowa 38-yard line.
I actually don't think this is a bad decision from Howard. Yes I am aware the pass got intercepted, but if the pressure didn't come and he didn't get hit right as he let go of the ball I wouldn't have been shocked to see Howard complete this pass to Egbuka. Sure it would've had to have been placed near perfectly but Egbuka did create some separation and did have some room to work with between Sebastian Castro and the sideline. Like I said before, this would be Howard's first and only interception of the game, though it would be his third in his third straight game which is less than ideal. Thankfully for everyone involved the first half would come to an end shortly after the interception. Unfortunately for Iowa Ohio State's talent began to show, with Howard growing more and more as the game went on. The Buckeyes first drive of the second half would see them register their second touchdown of the game with Jeremiah Smith making a ridiculous one handed catch on a fade route to go up 14-0. The play before we'd see Howard and Smith hook-up again, this one coming on a 53-yard pass up the far sideline. Ohio State would continue to stack touchdowns on their next drive as Howard would take it in himself from four yards out. Not only would his rushing touchdown make the score 21-7 early on in the third, but it would also be the first rushing touchdown Iowa had given up all season, which is pretty crazy to think about. Howard would connect with Brandon Inniss for 21-yards on fourth and three their next time out following yet another Iowa turnover before tossing up a beautiful ball to Emeka Egbuka in th end zone to further extent the Buckeyes lead with just 13-seconds left in the third quarter.
This is just a good example at taking advantage of a favorable match-up as Emeka Egbuka, one of the top receivers in college football is being guarded by a linebacker. No offense to Kyle Fisher but Egbuka is going to win that match-up 10 times out of 10, and Howard did an excellent job at floating it into him for six. Howard and Egbuka would connect for six again on their next drive following yet another Iowa turnover, this time though coming from three yards out with just over 11-minutes to go in the contest.
This touchdown isn't really match-up based, as Sebastian Castro is one of the best corners in college football, but more shade based as Castro is about two to three yards off of Egbuka's inside shoulder. With Howard knowing the route he'll be running, he doesn't waste time at getting him the ball with relative ease for six. Again, just a really simple play and it helped Ohio State continue to put more nails in the proverbial coffin. That touchdown would be the last contribution by Howard in this game as the Buckeyes would come out 35-7 home victors against the Hawkeyes. Though they didn't have the greatest first half things really clicked for them in the second half on both sides of the ball. I thought Will Howard played a very efficient game, taking what the defense gave him more time than not while registering five total touchdowns, shockingly a season high. I'm intrigued to see how him and the rest of the Buckeyes do this weekend traveling out west to take on the Oregon Ducks, the third ranked team in the nation. Autzen Stadium is historically a tough place to play, lets see if Howard and Buckeyes are up to the task.
Preseason - N/R
Wk 1 - H/M
Wk 2 - 10
Wk 3 - 10
Wk 4 - 9
Wk 5 - H/M
Wk 6 - 9
Wk 7 - @ no.3 Oregon
10 Riley Leonard, Notre Dame
Wk 6 - BYE
Season - 82/126 750 yds 3 touchdowns 2 interceptions/59 carries 374 yds 7 touchdowns
Preseason - 7
Wk 1 - 8
Wk 2 - H/M
Wk 3 - H/M
Wk 4 - 10
Wk 5 - 10
Wk 6 - 10
Wk 7 - v Stanford
Others
Cade Klubnik, Clemson
Wk 6 - 19/33 235 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/11 carries 62 yds 0 touchdowns @ Florida State (29-13 W)
Season - 92/143 1,219 yds 14 touchdowns 2 interceptions/28 carries 168 yds 4 touchdowns
Kyle McCord, Syracuse (NEW)
Wk 6 - 40/63 355 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/4 carries 22 yds 0 touchdowns @ UNLV (44-41 W)
Season - 154/240 1,814 yds 17 touchdowns 6 interceptions/22 carries 6 yds 1 touchdown
Miller Moss, USC (9)
Wk 6 - 23/38 200 yds 1 touchdown 2 interceptions/2 carries -9 yds 0 touchdowns @ Minnesota (24-17 L)
Season - 129/200 1,398 yds 9 touchdowns 4 interceptions/15 carries -20 yds 1 touchdown
Kurtis Rourke, Indiana
Wk 6 - 25/33 380 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries -2 yds 0 touchdowns @ Northwestern (41-24 W)
Season - 118/160 1,752 yds 14 touchdowns 2 interceptions/21 carries 44 yds 2 touchdowns
Conner Weigman, Texas A&M (NEW)
Wk 6 - 18/22 276 yds 0 touchdowns 0 interceptions/5 carries 33 yds 0 touchdowns v no.9 Missouri (41-10 W)
Season - 41/66 501 yds 2 touchdowns 2 interceptions/16 carries 98 yds 0 touchdowns
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