The Draft "Expert" - Wk 6 2027 NFL Draft Quarterback Prospect Rankings
Hello everybody and welcome back to another beautifully written Draft "Expert" blog post! As I'm sure you can probably tell by the title, in this one we will be taking a look at my week six quarterback prospect rankings for the 2027 NFL Draft!
Unlike last week this week's list had damn near every quarterback participating. That being said there were still one or two that were off this past week, whether it be to a scheduled bye or an unscheduled injury. Whatever the reason, I'm just happy that we have more than five quarterbacks to talk about this week, am I right?
With that there were some pretty unexpected results from this past week as a couple highly ranked top-25 teams went down, mixed with some surprisingly dominant performances from some teams outside of the aforementioned top-25. Hell, some of the quarterbacks mentioned in this week's blog will have participated in some of those games.
As is a given each and every week, there will be some changes throughout the blog post from the previous week. Some of the moves you may love, some of them you may hate, but that's what makes these blog posts so fun, right? I mean, I hope you draw some sort of emotion after reading this.
That's enough from me now, 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 six quarterback prospect rankings for the 2027 NFL Draft! Enjoy!
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1. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State
Wk 6 - 19/28 304 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries 2 yds 1 touchdowns v UCF (42-28 W)
Season - 114/169 1,575 yds 13 touchdowns 5 interceptions/15 carries 108 yds 2 touchdowns
Coming off of a bye, Drew Mestemaker and the Oklahoma State Cowboys entered this week as the 18th ranked team in the country, moving up one spot despite again not participating last weekend. That's got to be one of the craziest stories of the college football world so far, right? Maybe that's a little over dramatic but after seeing Oklahoma State week one against Tulsa, I don't know if many people out there saw them entering their fifth game of the season with a 3-1 record and ranked inside the top-25. I don't know if that was some sort of Twighlight Zone incident or something, but the simple fact of the matter is that that team just does not exist, at least in this reality. Obviously the win against the then sixth ranked Oregon Ducks was and still is their most impressive win of the season, but following a massive ass win like that a crash down to Earth can certainly happen. Maybe not against the Murray State Racers, but definitely going into conference play, especially with their first one coming on the road in Morgantown. Not only have the Cowboys proved that their win against Oregon wasn't some freak thing, they have won convincingly in their aforementioned first two conference games of the season, beating the West Virginia Mountaineers 41-24 before taking down Scott Frost and the UCF Knights this past weekend by the score 42-28. Two games, two double digit victories. Though West Virginia and UCF may not be national powerhouses, they are still good enough to make Oklahoma State pay if they're not careful, and yet the Cowboys made light work of both of them by coming away with two double digit victories. The most impressive thing about these wins is the play of the aforementioned Mestemaker who registered his fourth 300+ yard passing performance of the season, going 19/28 for 304-yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions while also picking up another touchdown on the ground. Now that being said things wouldn't start off the greatest for the Oklahoma State offense, with running back Caleb Hawkins would cough the ball up on their second play from scrimmage, gifting the Knights excellent field position at the Cowboys 42-yard line. That being said that would come right after Mestemaker would make a strong throw to the far sideline while rolling to his right with a defender right in his face, registering a nine yard gain in the process.
Rolling to his right with a defender right in his face, Mestemaker was still able to get off a really strong throw to Miles Coleman along the sideline for a nine yard gain. Knowing he's going to take a little hit from the defender, Mestemaker is still able to accurately hit his mark, just a shame that Hawkins would again fumble the ball away on the following play. To make matters worse UCF would capitalize on the turnover, registering their first touchdown of the game after nine plays to take a 7-0 lead with about 10-minutes to go in the quarter. Mestemaker would come up big for Oklahoma State their next time out, connecting on passes of 23, nine, and 13-yards before taking it into the end zone himself from 11-yards out to tie the game up at seven with 6:19 remaining in the first.
Two really strong throws from Mestemaker that would again help set up his first rushing touchdown since week two. The first one I just love his willingness to attack the middle portions of the field, throwing it right off of the inside shoulder of the linebacker and right on the body of his running back for a 23-yard gain. As for the second one Mestemaker does an excellent job at standing tall in the pocket in the face of pressure, delivering a strong throw to Wyatt Young for a 13-yard gain on fourth and five. Two things I love seeing from quarterbacks is fearlessness when it comes to pushing the ball down the middle of the field, and a willingness to stand in the pocket and deliver the ball down the field all while knowing they're going to take a little shot from the defense. Mestemaker did all of those things very well on this drive, as it eventually helped the Cowboys tie the game up midway through the opening quarter. Oklahoma State would keep things cooking their next time out, with Mestemaker firing one into Justin Bowick who would make a fantastic one handed catch through traffic for a 12-yard gain.
Like I said above, what a fantastic catch here by Bowick, bringing this pass in with one hand despite there being two to three UCF defenders in the area. This pass really had no reason to be completed, but Mestemaker put it in a spot and his receiver came up big for a 12-yard gain, helping take the Cowboy offense to the Knight side of the 50. Mestemaker would flash the play making ability a few plays later, escaping pressure and rolling out to his left before firing it into Wyatt Young down the field for a 20-yard gain, taking them down to the UCF nine yard line.
It's become clear and obvious that Mestemaker can and will kill you from the pocket, but this is another area he's dangerous in as he can get the ball out from absolutely any arm angle. Escaping pressure while rolling to his left, Mestemaker is able to flip his shoulders and fire an accurate ball to the aforementioned Young for a 20-yard gain. It's just a really impressive play from Mestemaker, with a nice job by Young at giving his quarterback someone to throw to once he broke outside the pocket. A few plays later Morgan McPhaul would take it in from a yard out to help the Cowboys tie the game back up at 14 nearly two minutes into the second quarter. Things wouldn't go as swimmingly for the offense their next time out, as they would be forced to punt the ball away after just five plays. Their next drive would also only last five plays, only this time Mestemaker would let it rip, connecting with Terrence Lewis for a 26-yard gain before hitting Justin Bowick in the end zone from 18-yards out to give them a 21-14 lead with just over two minutes to go until halftime.
Two really strong throws here from Mestemaker, ultimately helping the Cowboys take their first lead of the game later on in the second quarter. On the first one Mestemaker just rips it to Lewis in the hole between three UCF defenders, right before the two defensive linemen could make a play in the backfield. Again, just a nice job by Mestemaker at remaining calm and tall in the pocket before delivering a strike to his receiver for what would result in a 26-yard gain. As for the second one it's just an example of busted coverage, with Bowick sneaking in behind for Mestemaker to hit in the end zone for the easy score, giving them a 21-14 lead with just over two minutes to go in the first half. Mestemaker would come out firing for the Cowboys to opening things up in the second half, connecting with Miles Coleman for a 48-yard gain on their second play of the drive.
Nice and easy pitch and catch between quarterback and wide receiver on this one. With Coleman hitting the defender with a double move to the outside, he found himself in a good amount of space for Mestemaker to hit for what would again result in a 48-yard gain. When a receiver is that open, the main goal for a quarterback is to not miss, which of course Mestemaker didn't to eventually help set up a 40-yard field goal from Sam Keltner to give them a 24-21 lead midway through the third quarter. Mestemaker would continue letting it fly on Oklahoma State's next drive, hitting Justin Bowick for gains of 19 and 32-yards to help set up another Keltner field goal (this one from 29-yards out) to make it a 27-21 game less than three minutes into the fourth quarter.
As you may have figured out by now, there's no such thing as too much pressure for Mestemaker. Like it doesn't matter how many defenders are in his face or barelling down on him, he will be able to get the ball off down the field, most of the time for a big gain. With Bowick's route carrying him towards the path of the outside defender, Mestemaker (despite the pressure/hit) puts this ball right on his receiver's body, putting it in a spot where the defender could not make a play on it. Just a really solid throw and play overall from Mestemaker and Bowick as their combination helped take them from their own 27 to the UCF 24-yard line. A few plays later (following some incompletions) Sam Keltner would convert from 29-yards out to make the score 27-21 with 12:11 to go in the fourth quarter. Things would continue to go Oklahoma State's way as the fourth went along, taking a Keyone Jenkins fumble to the house to make it 35-21 (following a successful two point conversion) before needing only three plays on their next drive with Mestemaker capping it off by hitting Wyatt Young in the end zone from three yards out to give them a 42-21 lead with 10:32 remaming in the quarter. That touchdown pass would really put the final nail in the coffin, as Oklahoma State would ultaimtely see out a 42-28 home victory, marking their second straight double digit conference win. One of the hottest teams in the country, there aren't many out there more fun to watch than the Cowboys. As for Mestemaker he is playing the quarterback position at an insanely high level, continuely separating himself as the top quarterback in this year's draft class. This week Mestemaker and co. will be back on the road, traveling to Houston to take on the 5-1 Cougars who's only blemish came via a 28-26 loss against Texas Tech, the reigning Big 12 champions. Despite their record Houston has one of the worst passing defenses in the conference, something I would imagine the Oklahoma State offense could take advantage of. We should be in for a fun one come Saturday night.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 2
Wk 3 - 1
Wk 4 - 1
Wk 5 - 1
Wk 6 - 1
Wk 7 - @ no.20 Houston
2. Arch Manning, Texas
Wk 6 - 19/31 260 yds 3 touchdowns 2 interceptions/7 carries 20 yds 0 touchdowns v Oklahoma (27-24 L)
Season - 92/146 1,122 yds 10 touchdowns 5 interceptions/39 carries 102 yds 0 touchdowns
At this point I don't really think it matters who they are playing, as Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns will always be one of the most hate watched games each and every week. The crazy part is that it was clearly already like that when it was just Texas, as they are one of the most universally despised programs in all of college football, but add Manning to the mix? You've got something really special on your hands. Though I completely get that Texas is universally hated by the general public, I really don't get why Manning catches so much shit. Maybe it's a mixture of a multitude of factors, varying from his last name to how much certain members of the media have hyped him up. The thing is though I find this discourse so annoying. Look, I'm not saying I have a soft spot for Texas or anything like that, but I feel like people look at Manning all they see is his last name, and give him little to no credit if/when he actually does play to his potential. Is he consistent? No, he's not all the way there yet. He has lapses in judgement from time to time, he can lock onto reads, he can hold onto the ball too long in the pocket and so on. He's got room for improvement for sure, but the dude can make plays and throws that very few other quarterbacks can in all of college football. In this game against Oklahoma we saw both the highs and the lows of Manning's play, as the then top ranked Longhorns fell to an unranked then 2-2 Oklahoma Sooners team by the score 27-24. Though I didn't think Texas was this unbeatable outfit, I did not expect Oklahoma and their much maligned offense to do anything against a top-15 nationally ranked defense. I mean to put things in perspective, Texas' defense gives up 264.4-total yards per game. For comparisons sake Georgia, who beat Oklahoma by the score 41-13, giving up 261.5-total yards per game. It's not like the Sooner offense went ballistic or anything, but they did enough to win, with the help of some unfortunate Manning interceptions. On Manning he would go 19/31 for 260-yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, while also racking up 20-yards on the ground. Things wouldn't start off the greatest for either offense in this one, as each team would go three and out on their first two possessions of the game. Texas' third drive of the game would be another short one, only this time we would see Manning hit Cam Coleman in the end zone from 41-yards out on the opening play of the possession to give them a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
After two consecutive drives that ended in three and outs, Manning made no mistake about it as he would hit Coleman in the end zone for six on the opening play of the drive. Excellent job by Manning at evading pressure to his left and keeping his eyes down the field (and not running) before launching it down the field to his best receiver who was able to grab it and hold onto it through the ground to again give Texas their first lead of the game with 6:56 to go in the first quarter. Unfortunately the offense would struggle to move the ball again on their next couple of drives, going three and out on back-to-back possessions with Oklahoma blocking a punt on the second one in the end zone and recovering it (before it went out for a safety) to tie the game up at seven less than a minute into the second quarter. Manning would come out firing on their next drive in response to that blocked punt, connecting on passes of 10 and 15-yards before hitting an open Ryan Wingo down the middle of the field for what would result in a 34-yard touchdown, giving Texas a 14-7 lead with about 10-minutes to go in the second quarter.
As I've stated in numerous blog posts before, I love when quarterbacks are fearless when it comes to throwing the ball down the middle of the field. Using his eyes to manipulate the defense on the first one, Manning starts with his eyes to the left before flipping back to the right and firing it into Coleman for a 15-yard gain. Really strong throw here from Manning to help get the Longhorns to the midfield stripe. As for the throw to Wingo Manning just makes no mistake about it, firing the ball right over the top of the outstretched arm of the Oklahoma linebacker and into the path of his receiver for the eventual walk in touchdown. Yes Wingo found himself open in a window in the secondary, but I would still say this was a well placed ball from Manning to ultimately help the Longhorns re-take the lead on third and five with about 10-minutes to go in the first half. Manning would come up big on another third down on Texas' next drive, rolling out to his right and hitting Emmett Mosley V for a 15-yard gain (though he bobbled it) on third and two, helping take them to the Oklahoma side of the 50.
Rolling to his right on third and two, Manning throws an accurate and well placed ball to Mosley along the sideline for what would result in a 15-yard gain, putting it in a spot where only his receiver could make a play on the ball. Though Mosley made it a little more difficult than it should have been by initially bobbling it, he would ultimately be able to bring it in to help the Longhorns extend the drive. Despite getting the ball all the way down to the Sooner five yard line, the offense would have to settle for a 23-yard field goal from Gianni Spetic to give them a 17-7 lead with 12-seconds remaining in the first half. Things would seemingly look really good for the Texas offense on their opening drive of the second half, as Manning would hit Ryan Wingo on a bubble screen to the flat for what would result in a 23-yard gain on the first play of the drive. Unfortunately they would register just one more yard of offense, with Manning seeing two of his passes hit the ground as they were forced to punt the ball away after four plays. Things wouldn't get much better on their next few drives as they would go three and out on each of their next three possessions going into the fourth quarter. Though they wouldn't go three and out for the fourth consecutive time their next time out, Manning would though register his first interception of the game. To make matters worse, it would be returned 42-yards in the opposite direction for an Oklahoma touchdown, giving them a 24-17 lead with about 10-minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
To be honest, I have absolutely no idea why Manning threw this ball. Like yes in a perfect world you want to pick up the first down, the unfortunate thing is we don't live in a perfect world and the best thing is for you to do is make it third and manageable. That's definitely not what happened here, as Manning just blindly soft tossed it down the field for what resulted in an easy interception, and ultimately a defensive touchdown for Oklahoma who would again take a 24-17 lead with 10:07 remaining in the fourth quarter. Despite the bad interception Manning would come out the next drive firing. First he'd help the Longhorns convert on third and five by rolling to his right and hitting Emmett Mosley for a nine yard gain, then he'd fire one down the field to Cam Coleman for a 42-yard gain before connecting with Jermaine Bishop Jr. for a 15-yard touchdown, tying the game up at 24 with 6:32 to go in the quarter.
This is how you make up for a costly interception, making three big time plays for Texas to help tie the game back up at 24 midway through the fourth quarter. On the first one Manning shows off his ability to extend plays, rolling out to his right before finding the open Mosley for the nine yard gain on third and five. Also nice job by Mosley at giving his quarterback someone to throw to, getting away from the two defenders in coverage and giving Manning an option for the eventual third down conversion. The pass to Coleman may be one of the best passes of Manning's career. With a defensive lineman coming in on him (ultimately hitting him in the head) Manning managed to stay tall and calm in the pocket before throwing a perfect ball down the field to Coleman (with two defenders in the area) for the 42-yard gain. You really can't throw a football much better than that given the situation, ultimately helping set up the 14-yard touchdown pass to Bishop. Nice and simple hookup between quarterback and receiver on that one, once again tying the game up at 24 up 6:32 to go in the game. Manning would make a couple nice plays on Texas' next drive, most notably dumping it off to his running back via a jump pass with defenders swallowing him in the pocket for a 16-yard gain. Unfortunately the drive would not produce any points as kicker Gianni Spetic would fail to convert from 53-yards out, keeping the score at 24-all with 1:54 to go in the fourth quarter. Texas would get the ball back quickly though following a three and out by Oklahoma, taking over at their own 24-yard line with 54-seconds left. Despite having a chance to steal the game, Manning would register his second interception of the game, coming with 19-seconds remaming.
Despite Oklahoma loading up the pressure to the right side of the formation, Manning starts with his eyes to the left. By the time he flips his eyes back to the right the pressure got there, and to make matters worse he tried to force the pass which lead to the interception. I always talk about quarterbacks trying to manipulate the defense with their eyes, but on this one it came back to bite Manning in the ass as this interception can come down to poor use of eyes, as this throw was late and too far inside, leading to the easy interception. To make matters even worse Oklahoma's much maligned offense would pick up enough yards to help set up kicker Tate Sandell with a chance to win the game which of course he did, converting from 47-yards out to give the unranked Sooners a 27-24 victory over the then top ranked Longhorns in Dallas. To be honest I did not see this upset coming. Not because I thought Texas was unbeatable, but because Oklahoma has looked so rough when playing higher level competition. This is a game you hate to lose, and for Manning this is one that I'm sure he'd love to have back. In a roundabout way this game perfectly encapsulated the Arch Manning experience, as he has the ability to make plays that no one else can while making some head scratching moves (interceptions) in the process. Like the throw to Cam Coleman in the fourth was inch perfect, but the two interceptions left you scratching your head. I'm still betting on Manning long term, and I'm hoping him and the Longhorns are able to bounce back at home against the now unranked Florida Gators. Once viewed as the eighth best team in the country after beating Ole Miss, the Gators have lost each of their last two games by double digits, losing 45-17 to Missouri before falling 38-19 to South Carolina last week. Florida was able to upset Texas when they met in Gainesville last season, could that be on the cards this season despite it being played in Austin? I guess we'll have to find out.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 1
Wk 3 - 2
Wk 4 - 2
Wk 5 - 2
Wk 6 - 2
Wk 7 - v Florida
3. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
Wk 6 - 20/30 213 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/4 carries 5 yds 1 touchdown @ Vanderbilt (52-17 W)
Season - 122/174 1,435 yds 11 touchdowns 4 interceptions/32 carries 113 yds 5 touchdowns
There aren't a whole lot of teams out there that needed a bye week last week more than the Ole Miss Rebels. Coming off of an insanely emotional 32-24 win against the LSU Tigers and their former head coach Lane Kiffin, many expected the Rebels to go into the Swamp and take care of business against the Florida Gators team, regardless of if they were now ranked inside the top-25. I mean, as I said in my week four blog post, Florida head coach Jon Sumrall stated, "who has us favored against these guys? (reporter told him Vegas) There's a lot of good drugs out there, huh?" So with all of that being said, how many people out there thought that the Gators would come away with a resounding 52-28 victory? Hell, if it weren't for quarterback Trinidad Chambliss' efforts the margin of victory could have been even wider. Again, with that result there weren't a lot of teams in college football in more need of a bye week than the Ole Miss Rebels. All things considered they used their bye week well as they came out and beat the Vanderbilt Commodores by the score 52-17, helping get them back to winning ways by scoring the same amount of points that Florida scored on them the previous week. In the win the aforementioned Chambliss put forth a solid display, going 20/30 for 213-yards (season low) with three touchdowns and one interceptions, while picking up a rushing touchdown for his fifth of the season. Despite the overall dominant display from the Rebels things wouldn't really start off the best for them offensively, as they would go three and out with Chambliss' nine yard pass on third down coming just a yard short of the first down marker (registered two incompletions prior to the nine yard gain), forcing them to punt the ball away. Things would start looking up for the offense though their next possession as Chambliss would connect on passes of 14 and 15-yards before eventually taking it into the end zone himself from 10-yards out to give Ole Miss a 7-0 lead with 10:37 to go in the first quarter.
As I've spoken about quite a few times before Chambliss is one of the best overall playmakers in all of college football, and this is another example of that. Despite being bottled up initially at the line of scrimmage, Chambliss is able to make something out of nothing by bouncing it to the left before encountering a couple Commodore defenders on his way to the end zone for the score. It may have only been a 10-yard run, but those are the kind of plays Chambliss is more than capable of making, giving the Rebels a 7-0 lead less than five minutes into the game. Ole Miss would find the end zone once again on their next drive following a Vanderbilt field goal, with Chambliss connecting on passes of 12 and 18-yards before a defensive pass interference penalty would help set up a two yard touchdown run by Kewan Lacy to make the score 14-3 with 3:51 to go in the first quarter. Chambliss would register his first passing touchdown of the game on their next possession, capping off a 15-play 63-yard drive by hitting Jamarious Brown out of the backfield from three yards out midway through the second quarter.
As I'm sure you can probably tell, I didn't put this highlight in because of some crazy play Chambliss made, rather I put it in because of who caught the pass. At 6'2" 315 lbs. defensive tackle Jamarious Brown went up there to bring this ball in from Chambliss. I love seeing big dudes make plays where they usually don't, with this catch making it a 21-3 game with 9:13 remaining in the second quarter. Jokes aside Chambliss would come out on Ole Miss' drive firing, connecting with Caleb Cunningham for a 22-yard gain on third and 17 before stepping up in the pocket and firing it into Deuce Alexander down the middle of the field who would take it into the end zone for the 39-yard score with 4:41 left in the quarter.
Following an offensive holding penalty and two straight incomplete passes Ole Miss found themselves in a rather unpleasant third and 17 situation. Despite that, Chambliss was able to come up big, ripping one to Cunningham for what would result in a 22-yard gain. One thing I love about Chambliss' game is that he never makes two mistakes about it, he commits to every throw showing off impressive velocity, hitting Cunningham perfectly in the window in the zone to help pick up a much needed first down. Getting to the ball quickly on the following play, Chambliss would step up in the pocket and fire one down the middle of the field to Alexander who would make a couple defenders miss before finding his way into the end zone for the 39-yard score. Great pocket awareness/mobility from Chambliss mixed with a great effort after the catch by Alexander helped the Rebels extend their lead to 21-3 later on in the second quarter. Ole Miss would go three and out on their next possession, but a Vanderbilt fumble on their next drive would lead to another Rebel score with Blake Purchase taking it back five yards for the score. Fumbles leading to touchdowns would rear their ugly for the Commodores on the ensuing kickoff as returner Evan Hampton would cough up the ball with Isreal Solomon recovering it at the plus nine yard line. From there, following a five yard rush by Makhi Frazier, Chambliss would hit Michael Smith in the end zone from four yards out to make the score 42-3 with 23-seconds remaining in the first half.
Though this was only a four yard play, this was still a very accruate and impressive throw from Chambliss. Well placed and well timed throw from Chambliss, hitting Smith right out of his break on his outside shoulder away from the defender for the score. Again, despite this being a shorter pass play, you really can't throw a much better pass if you're Chambiss, helping Ole Miss take a 42-3 lead into the locker room. Things would not go as smoothly for Chambliss and co. on their opening drive of the second half as though he would hit Traylon Ray down the middle of the field on the opening play of the drive for a 15-yard gain, the drive would ultimately end with his first (and only) interception of the game coming with just over six minutes remaning in the third quarter.
With the defender coming in free off the edge, Chambliss knows that he's going to have to get this ball out quick. With that the ball to Horatio Fields came in really hot, deflecting off of his hands and into the diving arms of a Vanderbilt defender. Just an unfortunate play for Chambliss and the Rebel offense, ending their streak of five straight touchdown drives (six if you include the fumble return for a touchdown) later on in the third quarter. Chambliss would take the field one more drive that would see them punt the ball away after just six plays, with Deuce Knight coming in and helping see out an impressive 52-17 road victory for Ole Miss. Like I mentioned before there weren't a lot of teams who needed a bye week more than the Rebels, and they used it to their advantage to again come away with a dominant double digit win. For Chambliss, though he registered an unfortunate interception, he did still make a few big time throws in this game while picking up his first three passing touchdown game since their week one victory against Louisville. This week Chambliss and co. will be back at home, playing host to the 13th ranked Missouri Tigers, who are of course quarterbacked by the guy who lost his starting job to Chambliss in the form of Austin Simmons. This will be a really fun quarterback match-up, and I'm intrigued to see which team can back up their double digit victory.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 6
Wk 3 - 4
Wk 4 - 3
Wk 5 - 3
Wk 6 - 3
Wk 7 - v no.13 Missouri
4. Dante Moore, Oregon
Wk 6 - OUT v no.21 UCLA (17-15 L)
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 - 4
Wk 7 - v Nebraska
5. CJ Carr, Notre Dame
Wk 6 - 14/20 181 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/5 carries 41 yds 0 touchdowns v Stanford (58-7 W)
Season - 102/144 1,378 yds 16 touchdowns 1 interception/17 carries 69 yds 3 touchdowns
It's not often I feel sorry for a team that I have no affiliation with, but that was certainly the case going into this one as the third ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish played host to the ACC's Stanford Cardinal. A proud program, Stanford has fallen on some really hard times in recent years as they've failed to register more than four wins in a season since 2018. Now, they did go 4-2 in 2020 (COVID season) but the overall point still stands. To make matters even worse (if that's possible) from the year's of 2021 to 2024 the Cardinal failed to register anything better than 3-9 as they transitioned from the PAC-12 to the aforementioned ACC. They're just a really hard program to look at right now, as any time you or I see them facing any decent to good team we expect them to get blown out, which is exactly what happened here as the Irish dominanted to the tune of 58-7. As things stand right now Stanford sits with a 2-4 record, in those four losses (including this one) they have lost by a combined score of 195-23, losing the last two games by a combined score of 115-10. Only Miami (FL) and Notre Dame were ranked at the time of those losses, though I suspect Wake Forest will be entering the top-25 sooner rather than later. General Manager Andrew Luck has a massive hill to climb to get them back to being a compitent program, but for the time being they're going to have to continue serving as college football's wipping boy, which of course Notre Dame obliged. In the win the Irish racked up a whopping 598-yards of total offense, with 361 of those yards coming on the ground. With that though quarterback CJ Carr still put forth a solid performance, going 14/20 for 181-yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions while racking up a further 41-yards (season high) in the run game. Things really couldn't have started off much better for the Irish as the Cardinal would fumble the ball away on the opening play of the game, setting Notre Dame's offense up at the plus 18-yard line. Four plays later Nolan James Jr. would take it into the end zone from two yards out to give them their first lead less than two minutes into the game. As smooth as that drive was they would really struggle to move the ball their next time out, with Carr missing on three consecutive passes as the Irish would be forced to punt the ball away after going three and out. Carr would make up for those incompletions on their next drive, hitting Jaden Greathouse along the near sideline while rolling to his right for a 16-yard gain before hitting him again on a quick slant from three yards out to make it a 14-0 game with 2:55 to go in the opening quarter.
Rolling to his right, Carr places an excellent ball to Greathouse along the sideline for a 16-yard gain. With the defender playing tight in coverage, there wasn't a lot of room for Carr to work with, and yet he was able to place an accurate ball on the move to eventually help set up his first passing touchdown of the game with 2:55 to go in the first quarter. It wouldn't take the Irish long to find the end zone again despite starting on their own one yard line. After a two yard run by Carr to get them out of the shadow of their own end zone on first down. running back Jonaz Watson would take it to the house from 97-yards out to give them a 20-0 lead (missed extra point) a few seconds into the second quarter. After being set up with terrible field position on the drive I just mentioned, the offense would start their next possession at the Stanford 19-yard line following an interception. Despite the positive field position the Irish would ultimately have to settle for a 33-yard field goal from Spencer Porath to extend their lead to 23 with 12:27 to go in the quarter. They would continue to start in Cardinal territory their next time out, this time starting at the 39-yard line. Following a couple four yard runs Nolan James Jr. would take it into the end zone from 31-yards out to give them a 30-0 lead midway through the second. Carr would get finally get involved agin on their next drive, hitting Aneyas Williams down the near sideline for what would result in a 70-yard touchdown with 3:26 remaining in the first half.
Arguably the best deep ball thrower in this year's class, Carr is of course timed up really well on this one, hitting his running back from the slot down the sideline in stride for what would result in a 70-yard touchdown. It's just a really well floated ball in there by Carr, dropping it right to Williams in between two Stanford defenders to Williams who would do an excellent job at tip toing the sideline before finding his way to the end zone for the score. Notre Dame would have to punt the ball away after five plays on their opening drive of the second half, but would find the end zone again their next time out as Carr would hit Elijah Burress down the field for a 30-yard score, capping off a nice nine play 71-yard drive.
Just a really strong throw here from Carr, hitting Burress on his body yet in stride for the 30-yard score. As you can probably tell from the clip both Burress and Cooper Flanagan's routes carried them to the same spots on the field, making for a potential hairy situation for the offense. With that though Carr was able to put this in spot where only Burress could make a play on it, again putting it right on his receiver's body for the eventual score, making it a 44-0 game with 4:37 to go in the third quarter. That touchdown pass would be Carr's final contribution to the game, as Notre Dame came away with a 58-7 victory. To the surprise of no one, this game was a blow out. As for Carr I thought he put forth yet another solid performance, connecting on a few big time pass plays as the run game helped carry the offense throughout the game. This week Carr and co. have a much tougher task ahead of them, as they travel to Provo to take on the eighth ranked BYU Cougars, who currently sit with a 5-0 record. With that though BYU will be without star running back LJ Martin, who will miss the next four to six weeks with a lower body injury. With him out, mixed with the Irish's top-10 rushing defense, I see Notre Dame coming away with an impressive road victory as Carr continues to move his way up the draft board.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 4
Wk 3 - 5
Wk 4 - 6
Wk 5 - 5
Wk 6 - 5
Wk 7 - @ no.8 BYU
6. Darian Mensah, Miami (FL)
Wk 6 - BYE
Season - 112/133 1,438 yds 15 touchdowns 0 interceptions/12 carries 79 yds 2 touchdowns
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 5
Wk 3 - 6
Wk 4 - 5
Wk 5 - 6
Wk 6 - 6
Wk 7 - v Florida State
7. Austin Simmons, Missouri
Wk 6 - 14/28 147 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/4 carries 24 yds 0 touchdowns v Texas A&M (27-6 W)
Season - 107/165 1,434 yds 14 touchdowns 1 interception/17 carries 26 yds 0 touchdowns
When looking at "games to pick" last weekend, Missouri taking on Texas A&M definitely was one that stood out. Not only was it a clash of two former Big 12 schools, but it was going to be intriguing to see if the Aggies could step up to the plate or if the Tigers would falter after taking down the then eighth ranked Florida Gators the week prior. As I've spoken about numerous times before, teams coming off of wins against top ranked opponents can sometimes slip up the following week, regardless of who they're playing. With that being said though Texas A&M has flattered to deceive so far this season. Despite starting as the eighth ranked team in the nation, the Aggies came into this game with a 3-2 record, losing by double digits at home against the then unranked Kentucky Wildcats and the then 10th ranked LSU Tigers. Sure they beat the piss out of the Arkansas Razorbacks the previous week leading into their match-up against Missouri, but doesn't every team with a pulse beat the piss out of Arkansas? Sorry, that was mean, but the point still stands. On Missouri, though they again were coming off of a win against a top-10 opponent, I think that was such a dominant win that they conserved enough energy to carry it into this one, taking down Texas A&M by the score 27-6. Statistically the Tigers utterly dominated this game, out-gaining the Aggies 399 to 216 in total yards while picking up 10-more first downs (20 to 10) in the process. The thing is though the run game really carried them through this one, as they accumulated an impressive 252-yards on the ground, averaging 5.7-yards per attempt. With that quarterback Austin Simmons didn't necessarily put up his best statistical performance, going 14/28 for 147-yards with one touchdown and one interception (his first of the season). That being said he did rack up a season high 24-rushing yards, just 198-yards less than running back Jamal Roberts. Despite the less than ideal passing numbers I would say Simmons still put some good things on tape, though Missouri's first drive of the game would see him register his first (and only) interception of the game, coming at the midway point of the first quarter.
This is just an unfortunate play for Simmons as his pass was deflected at the line of scrimmage before falling into the waiting arms of the Aggie defender. Trying to hit Cayden Lee on the out route just passed the first down marker, the big defensive lineman got both hands to the ball, directing it off course to cause an easy interception. Thankfully for Simmons and co. the defense would come up massive despite the plus field position, deflecting Marcel Reed's pass and coming away with an interception in the end zone with 8:19 to go in the opening quarter. Things wouldn't get much smoother for the Tiger offense though, as they would go three and out on their next two possessions while register -4-total yards in the process. Now they really should have picked up a first down on the second of those two drives, as Simmons would have two well thrown balls dropped on second and third down that would have extended the drive, again ultimately seeing them punt the ball away after going three and out. Simmons would come up big a few times on Missouri's next possession, connecting on passes of 14, eight, and six (the latter two picking up firsts on third down) before hitting Lee on a quick slant (on another third down) who would take it into the end zone from 32-yards out to give the Tigers a 7-3 lead just over two minutes into the second quarter.
At first glance these look like pretty straight forward/easy throws, but at the same time Simmons is fitting these balls through some tight windos to help extend the drives before eventually registering their first touchdown of the game. I just really like the ball placement on all of these throws from Simmons, putting the balls in spots where only his receiver could make a play on the ball, showing off excellent accuracy and timing while working their way down the field (the 14-yard pass to Norfleet is my favorite one) to help them take their first lead of the game early on in the second quarter. The Tigers would struggle moving the ball on their next couple possessions, going three and out their next time out before setting for a field goal after an interception helped set them up at the Aggie 34-yard line (gained two yards on the drive). They would punt the ball away on their next possession after six plays but would move the ball down the field with ease on their final drive of the first half, with Simmons completing passes of 16 and 20-yards to help get them down to the Texas A&M 30-yard line.
Two really shrong throws towards the sideline here from Simmons, both picking up nice gains to get them from their own 34 to the opposite 30-yard line. On the first one Simmons does an excellent job at letting this ball go before Lanier is out of his break, placing it on his outside shoulder to help turn him towards the sideline to get upfield/out of bounds to preserve a little more time for the offense. The defender had absolutely no time to react, picking up 16-yards in the process. The throw to Lee on the second one was inch perfect with Simmons getting it just over the out stretched arm of the Aggie defender in coverage, letting it go right as Lee was exiting his break. The anticipation and placement shown on these two throws from Simmons was very impressive, it's just a shame nothing would come from them as kicker Blake Craig's eventual 39-yard field goal attempt would be blocked as time expired in the half, keeping the score at 10-3 Tigers going into the locker room. Simmons would come out in the second half firing, hitting an open Cayden Lee while rolling to his left for a 25-yard gain to get them to the Texas A&M side of the 50.
Despite a defender being right in his face before and as he lets the ball go, Simmons remains calm (even pats the ball) and delivers a strong ball to the open Lee for the aformentioned 25-yard gain. Though this is ultimately a fairly simple throw, I have seen quarterbacks miss on these passes due to defenders being in their face. That was not the case here as Simmons again remained calm and hit his open receiver for a nice gain. Despite following that play up with a 17-yard run by Jamal Roberts, the Tigers would ultimately have to settle for a field goal. Unlike the end of the first half, kicker Blake Craig would convert from 51-yards out to give them a 13-3 lead with 12:30 remaining in the third quarter. Missouri would go three and out on their next possession, but the run game would really kick into gear on their final drive of the third quarter as Simmons would register zero pass attempts with Roberts capping a 12-play 76-yard drive with a two yard touchdown run to put them up 20-3 as time expired in the quarter. The Tigers would repeat that pattern on their next two drives, punting the ball away again before Roberts would find the end zone from 54-yards out to give them a 27-6 lead with 2:49 remaining in the fourth. That score would ultimately be the final nail in the coffin as the Tigers would hold onto that 27-6 scoreline and come away with the dub. Like I mentioned before though the run game carried them throughout most of the game, Simmons still made some really nice throws despite the numbers not painting the full picture. I think Simmons actually played really well despite completing only 50% of his passes while registering his first interception of the season, as some drops and just missed throws caused his numbers to make his overall play look worse. All in all good performance from Missouri as they carry a two game win streak into Oxford as they face Simmons' old school in the form of the Ole Miss Rebels. Given what we've seen from both quarterbacks up to this point in the season, we should be in for a really fun one.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - N/A
Wk 3 - N/A
Wk 4 - N/A
Wk 5 - 7
Wk 6 - 7
Wk 7 - @ no.9 Ole Miss
8. Drake Lindsey, Minnesota
Wk 6 - 22/39 248 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/0 carries 0 yds 0 touchdowns @ Purdue (41-13 L)
Season - 127/196 1,335 yds 9 touchdowns 5 interceptions/12 carries -13 yds 0 touchdowns
These past few weeks have been a real world wind for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. After starting the season with a 2-1 record with a loss to Mississippi State, Minnesota opened as -12.5-point road underdogs against the then undefeated Washington Huskies, a team that most would have considered as one of the better teams in the conference going into the season. Not only that, but Husky Stadium is famously one of the toughest places to play in all of college football, and yet, the Gophers were able to come away with an impressive 27-24 victory. A fantastic defensive effort (seven sacks) mixed with excellent quarterback play help them see it through. The following week they played host to the Michigan Wolverines, a team coming off of a last second home loss (literally) to the Iowa Hawkeyes. Despite coming in as home underdogs, Minnesota would come out on top once again, this time by the score 20-14 with yet another great defensive performance. As for Lindsey though the same really can't be said. Sure he made some good throws throughout the game, but he threw two interceptions that lead to both of Michigan's touchdowns, with one literally getting returned for a touchdown. With those impressive wins under their belt plus a bye week, I don't think many out there were expecting them to struggle too mightily against a then 2-3 Purdue Boilermakers team that boast one of the worst defenses in the conference. Sure the Gophers don't have the most elite high powered offense out there, I did think they had enough to take down the Boilermakers. Man was I wrong, as Purdue would come away with an emphatic 41-13 home victory. I know Minnesota wasn't a massive favorite going in, but I did still think that they'd be able to take care of business, especially since Purdue have the second worst passing defense in the Big Ten. I thought this would be a great night for Lindsey, and once again I was wrong. In the loss Lindsey would go 22/39 for 248-yards with one touchdown and one interception, marking his fourth straight game with an interception. All that being said things would seemingly start off pretty good for the Gopher offense, as Lindsey would hit Jalen Smith down the near sideline for a 28-yard gain on their second play from scrimmage.
Just an excellent throw here from Lindsey, placing this ball right on the outside shoulder of Smith and away from the defender in coverage. There's really not much more to it than that, as it was just a really good and strong throw to help get them to the Purdue side of the 50. Unfortunately not much else would come from this drive, as they would ultimately decide to punt the ball away a few plays later on fourth and four from the plus 37-yard line. Minnesota would struggle to move the ball on their next drive, starting from their own nine yard line they would go three and out. Lindsey would come up with some big time throws on their next possession, connecting on passes of 19 and 18-yards (both on third down) to help set up a 49-yard field goal from Luke Drzewiecki to give them their first points of the game with 10:48 to go in the second quarter.
You really can't throw a ball much better here if you're Lindsey. On the first one he floats it in perfectly to Jalen Smith along the near sideline for a 19-yard gain. As I've said a thousand times, throwing from one hash to the opposite sideline is a lot longer of a throw than I think most out there give it credit for. So to throw this ball as accurately as Lindsey did is insanely impressive, putting it along the sideline and in spot where only his receiver could make a play on the ball. As for the second one Lindsey showed his pocket mobility and ability to make throws on the run, hitting Javon Tracy along the sideline (who made an excellent catch) over the out stretched arm of the defender for an 18-yard game. Did that play result in a first down? No, but it did again help set up a 49-yard field goal from Luke Drzewiecki to bring them back to within seven just over four minutes into the second quarter. Things wouldn't go as smoothly for Minnesota on their next couple drives of the first half as they would go three and out on their next drive before Lindsey would register his first (and only) interception of the game, coming with just 10-seconds to go in the second quarter.
To play Devil's advocate it was fourth and six, so if Lindsey took a sack or if the pass fell incomplete they would have turned it over anyways. The thing is though Lindsey just flat out never saw the Purdue defender, who was reading his eyes the entire time to come away with the easy interception. With that it wasn't a great throw from Lindsey in general as it was a good amount inside. Regardless of how you want to look at it, it's a bad way to end the half for the Gophers who would find themselves down 20-3 going into the locker room. Things wouldn't get much better for them to open up the second half, going three and out yet again despite picking up seven yards on their first play from scrimmage. Lindsey would try to get things going on their next possession, connecting with Javon Tracy for a 19-yard gain on the opening play of the drive.
Strong throw down the middle of the field from Lindsey. Though the ball is behind Tracy, I do like the placement from Lindsey as it forced his playmaker to make a play while keeping the ball away from the Purdue defender coming over top. Again, just a strong and well placed throw to see them pick up a solid 19-yard gain on first down. Lindsey would help the Gophers convert on a couple more third downs throughout the drive, but ultimately they would have to settle for a 37-yard field goal from Luke Drzewiecki to make it a 27-6 game with 4:45 remaining in the third quarter. Things would continue to go Minnesota's way on their next drive, only needing three plays before Lindsey would hit Jalen Smith down the near sideline for what would result in a 42-yard touchdown, bringing them back to within 14 with 3:11 to go in the quarter.
Simple out and up route here from Smith, allowing him to create a good amount of separation between himself and the defender for Lindsey to hit down the field for the easy score. Lindsey wasn't missing his receiver there, tossing up a really nice ball for what would result in their first touchdown of the game, coming with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter. I would say things would keep trending up for the Gophers but that would just be a lie as the offense would really fail to get anything going as the Boilermakers would continue to pull away before coming out with a dominant 41-13 home victory. Like I alluded to before, with Minnesota coming off of two really impressive wins against the likes of Washington (on the road) and Michigan, I thought they would be able to take care of business against a sub .500 Purdue team, but again I was very wrong. As for Lindsey he showed flashes throughout the course of the game, making numerous big time throws but struggled overall for consistency. This week Lindsey and co. are on a bye, but come back to place host against the Iowa Hawkeyes, a team who have utterly dominated them throughout the past however many years, losing last year's game by the score 41-3. Lindsey struggled immensly in their loss last year, if they're going to anything he's going to have to find that consistency. For my sake, I hope he doesn't.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 8
Wk 3 - 7
Wk 4 - 7
Wk 5 - 8
Wk 6 - 8
Wk 7 - BYE
9. Jayden Maiava, USC (+1)
Wk 6 - 21/33 301 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries -1 yd 0 touchdowns @ Penn State (31-23 W)
Season - 152/224 2,045 yds 18 touchdowns 3 interceptions/20 carries -5 yds 2 touchdowns
I know I said this a good amount last week, but this last game for the USC Trojans was a massive one. Seemingly always the bridesmaid and never the bride under Lincoln Riley's stewardship, it seems as though everytime the Trojans face any sort of adversity they crumble, doesn't really matter how good the opposing team is or isn't. I mean since moving to the Big Ten from the PAC-12 USC has lost six road games in conference, with two of those losses coming to the like of Minnesota and Maryland back in 2024. Hell, even some of the games they've won on the road they've been much closer than expected, i.e. their 42-35 win earlier this season against a then winless Rutgers team. Now obviously I'm not naive to the fact that traveling all the way across the country is far from easy, but for a team as good as USC you would think they would be able to handle their food with relative ease, which hasn't really been the case up to this point. This week the Trojans traveled out east to take on a struggling Penn State Nittany Lions team that had blown a 17-point home lead against Wisconsin (ultimately losing 24-20) before getting blasted 34-13 by a Northwestern team that was opening up their new stadium. It's been a really rough start to the season for the Nittany Lions, which made this game all that much more important. Regardless of Penn State's record Beaver Stadium is still a tough place to play, especially during a white out. Despite the rockus crowd, USC would go into Happy Valley and leave with a smile on their face as they came away 31-23 road victors. In the win quarterback Jayden Maiava put forth one of his best performances of the season, going 21/33 for 301-yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, registering his first game with three or more touchdowns since he threw five against Louisiana in mid-September. Things would start off fantastic for the Trojans on their opening drive of the game as Maiava would connecting with Kayden Dixon-Wyatt for a 18-yard gain on fourth and five before hitting Trent Mosley in the end zone from 19-yards out to give them a 7-0 lead with 10:37 remaining in the first quarter.
With the safety biting on the action in the backfield, Maiava has a relatively easy throw to make to an open Mosley who snuck in behind the secondary for their first touchdown of the game. You really couldn't have asked for a better look if you were Maiava, as Mosley was able to go up and get the ball for the score, giving them a 7-0 lead less than five minutes into the first quarter. Things wouldn't go as smoothly for the Trojan offense on their next possession as they would ultimatley go three and out. That being said Maiava would come out firing on USC's next drive, connecting on passes of 14 and 22-yards before hitting Tanook Hines for what would result in their second touchdown of the game, coming less than two minutes into the second quarter.
On the first two passes, Maiava shows off impressive ball placement to help the Trojans pick up some first downs on third and secound down. The first one, on third and four, Maiava does an excellent job at manipulating the defense with his eyes as he starts to the right before working back to the left and firing it into Hines who's able to find a hole in the zone for a 14-yard gain. With Hines' route carrying him across the field, Maiava smartly places this ball right on his receiver's body, avoiding any possible play from any of the defenders in the area. The second one Maiava does a nice job at placing the ball on Williams' back shoulder, turning him away from the two safeties in coverage. With the linebacker sucking in due to the action in the backfield, Maiava knows he'll have an open Williams down the field, all he needs to do is not miss him, which of course he didn't. As for the touchdown I'll give most of (if not all) the credit to Hines (much like his touchdown v Washington) who works his way back to the ball before fighting through contact and reaching across the goal line for the score, putting the Trojans up 14-7 less than two minutes into the second quarter. Maiava would help USC convert another third down early on their next drive, hitting Trent Mosley on a screen pass that would go for 13-yards on third and 10. The following play would see Maiava push it down the field, rolling to his right and hitting Tanook Hines along the near sideline for a further 17-yard gain.
Just a really well placed ball on the move from Maiava. Though not a designed rollout, Maiava does a nice job at getting just outside the pocket as pressure started to break through the offensive line. He then floated a perfect ball into Hines along the sideline in between two Penn State defense for the aforementioned nice gain. There was very little room for error on this throw, and yet Maiava was able to place a perfect ball to his receiver to help get them to the Nittany Lion 39-yard line. Unfortunately the offense would fail to register another yard, as Maiava's passes on second and third down (following a zero yard run on first down) would fall incomplete, forcing them to settle for a 56-yard field goal. To make matters worse kicker Ryon Sayeri would push the ensuing effort right, keeping the score tied at 14 with 7:42 remaining in the second quarter. Maiava would continue to push the ball down the field on their next drive, hitting Trent Mosley for what would result in a 20-yard gaining before rolling to his right and hitting a sliding Tanook Hines down the near sideline on a perfectly thrown ball for a further 40-yard gain.
This is just an inch perfect throw here from Maiava. Rolling to his right with pressure giving chase, Maiava does an excellent job at keeping his eyes down the field before firing it off to Hines who makes an excellent sliding catch to bring it in for the aforementioned 40-yard gain. He put this ball in a spot where only his receiver could make a play on it, all while rolling to his right and shrugging off defenders. Again just a great all around play from both quarterback and receiver, ultimately helping set up a 37-yard field goal from Caden Chittenden to put them up 17-14 with 2:11 remaining in the first half. Maiava would come out in the second half letting it fly, connecting with Trent Mosley on their opening play for a 20-yard gain.
Much like the touchdown we saw on their opening drive, this play worked beautifully again for the Trojan offense. With the linebackers hesitating due to the action in the backfield, Maiava knows that he'll have a decent sized window to hit Mosley in behind for a nice gain. With that it was a very well placed ball by Maiava, hitting Mosley on his back shoulder and turning him away from the oncoming safety in coverage, avoiding any possible play from said defender. Just a really well worked play that helped USC get closer to the Penn State side of the 50. The run game would carry them the rest of the way as King Miller would ultimately take it into the end zone from 13-yards out on the speed option to give them a 24-20 lead with 5:38 to go in the third quarter. Maiava would come up big on the Trojans' next drive, hitting Mosley down the far sideline for a 21-yard gain before firing one to Kayden Dixon-Wyatt in the end zone from 10-yards out on third and goal to extend their lead with 11:11 to go in the fourth quarter.
One thing I've always admired about Maiava is his complete and unwavering trust in his wide receivers. Sometimes as a quarterback you just have to let you playmakers make plays, which is exactly what Maiava did on his back shoulder ball to Mosley. Was the throw perfect? Not necessarily, but he still put it in a spot where his receiver could make a play on the ball, which he did through contact to help get the offense down to the Penn State 10-yard line. As for the touchdown pass Maiava does an excellent job at scanning the field and allowing his receiver to get open from coming across the field. No one picked up Dixon-Wyatt in the sceondary, allowing him to sneak across and in behind for Maiava to hit in the end zone for the score, making it a 31-23 game with about 11-minutes remaing in the fourth quarter. Despite there still being a good amount of time left in the game, that touchdown pass would ultimately be the final nail in the coffin as USC would hold onto an impressive 31-23 road victory. Like I said before, regardless of Penn State's record Beaver Stadium is always going to be a tough place to play, especially at night during a white out. With that, it didn't seem as though the atmosphere affected Maiava's performance who put forth his best display of the season, making numerous big time throws throughout the game including the game winning touchdown (and two others). This week Maiava and co. are on a bye, but will be back on the road again in a weeks time as they travel to Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers. I am fully expecting Camp Randall to be boucning in this one, especially with it being another night game for the Trojans.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 9
Wk 3 - 9
Wk 4 - 9
Wk 5 - 10
Wk 6 - 9
Wk 7 - BYE
10. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina (NEW)
Wk 6 - 23/35 279 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/14 carries 20 yds 1 touchdown @ no.16 Florida (38-19 W)
Season - 115/187 1,338 yds 12 touchdowns 4 interceptions/67 carries 411 yds 2 touchdowns
A couple of weeks ago you could have been forgiven for taking LaNorris Sellers completely off of your draft board. Despite having the physical tools scouts drool over, Sellers had shown very little signs of development from year to year, with his performances against Mississippi State and Alabama showing his flaws when it comes to processing. In those games Sellers would register three passing touchdowns and three interceptions while struggling to find consistency in the passing game. Now, I do think there's a strong chance that Sellers decides to go back to school rather than declare for this year's draft, but these past two games for South Carolina have seen him put forth some performances that scouts have been waiting for, even if one of those games saw the Gamecocks lose in overtime. In said game against the then 24th ranked Kentucky Wildcats Sellers would register his first 200+ passing yard 100+ rushing yard performance since 2024, which came in a 44-20 win over then 10th ranked Texas A&M. Another big thing for Sellers was the fact that he did not throw an interception, which would be the first time he's done that since their week one win againt Kent State. Now the fumbles where an issue in that game as he put the ball on the ground three times and lost one, but the improvement as a passer was there. Coming into this week many were eager to see if he could keep it up against another top-25 team, with this one coming against the then 16th ranked Florida Gators, who were reeling follwoing a devistating 45-17 road loss to Missouri following their upset victory agsint Ole Miss. Ripe for the taking, Sellers and co. took advantage and came away with an impressive 38-19 road win, their first since 2024. With that Sellers went off, going 23/35 for 279-yards (three yards off of a season high) with four touchdowns (most since 2024) and no interceptions, while registering 20-yards on the ground with a touchdown there to boot. Now that all being said things didn't necessarily start off the smoothest for the Gamecocks, as they would go three and out on their opening two possessions, registering just six yards in the process. Sellers would hit on a couple screen/shorter passes that would go for gains of 15 and six yards, ultimately helping get them down to the Florida 30-yard line. Unfortunately though kicker Malik Orsan would hook his effort left, keeping the game at 7-0 in favor of the Gators with six minutes to go in the first. Sellers would flash the athleticism early on their next drive, picking up a much needed first down with his legs on third and 10, racking up 17-yards in the process and getting them to the Florida side of the 50. He would then continue to take what the defense gave him, hitting some open receivers for gains of 15 and 14 before finding Nyck Harbor in the back of the end zone from 15-yards out to tie the game up at seven with 12-seconds remaining in the quarter.
From a clean pocket, Sellers is able to deliver a nice floated ball into Harbor in the end zone for the 15-yard score. Like I've spoken about a thousand times before, sometimes as a quarterback you just need to put the ball in a spot and let your playmakers make plays, which is exactly what happened here. Confident throw again from Sellers, helping the Gamecocks tie the game up at seven with 12-seconds to go in the opening quarter. Sellers would continue making confident throws on South Carolina's next drive, connecting on passes of 21 and 18-yards on back-to-back plays to help get them to the Florida 33-yard line.
On the first throw to Harbor, Sellers did an excellent job at staying calm in the pocket and delivering a nice floated ball to a sliding Harbor for a 21-yard gain. With the Florida defender tight in coverage, Sellers did a very nice job at putting this ball in a spot where only his receiver could make a play on the ball. As for the second on Sellers does a nice job at stepping up in the pocket (rather than running) and firing it down the middle of the field to Bennett for an 18-yard gain. He just ripped it right in between two Florida defenders, finding his open receiver to again help them get deep into Gator territory. Unfortunately for Sellers and co. the drive wouldn't really go much further, as an eight yard sack on second and nine would put them in a third and 17 situation that they wouldn't really be able to recover from (even with an 11-yard run by Jabree Coleman). With that they would still be able to come away with some points as kicker Malik Orsan would convert from 37-yards out to tie the game up at 10 with 4:09 remaining in the second quarter. South Carolina would be set up with excellent field position on their next drive following a Florida interception. Starting from the plus 26-yard line, it would only take five plays before Sellers would hit Mazeo Bennett Jr. in the end zone on a slant from 12-yards out to give them a 17-10 lead with 1:47 to go in the first half.
Just a really strong throw from Sellers, fitting the ball in between two Florida defenders in coverage and to his receiver for the 12-yard score. With the linebackers sucking down due to the action in the backfield Sellers knows that he'll have a window to hit Bennett in behind, putting it right on his body and again between two defenders for the score, giving the Gamecocks their first lead of the game with less than two minutes to go in the second quarter. Sellers would come up big once again on South Carolina's opening drive of the second half, escaping pressure to his right on third and 14 and finding Nyck Harbor down the field for a 35-yard gain before hitting Donovan Murph in the end zone from 26-yards out (on back-to-back plays) to give them a 24-13 lead midway through the third quarter.
On the first throw, Sellers shows off his impressive play making ability as he's able to escape the pocket to his left (while keeping his eyes down the field) before finding an open Harbor down the field for what would result in a 35-yard gain. Just a nice and easy throw from Sellers after keeping the play alive in the back field, helping them convert on a third and 14 situation. The second one we see Sellers hitting Murph perfectly in stride in the end zone for the 26-yard score. With the crossing route sucking in the safties, and with the route to the near side of the field sucking in the outside corner, Sellers knew he'd have a one v one match-up in the end zone which he of course takes advantage of to again give the Gamecocks a 24-13 lead with 8:36 to go in the third quarter. Sellers and Harbor would help set up another South Carolina touchdown on their next drive with the pair hooking up for a 12-yard gain to get them down to the Florida three yard line. Two plays later Sellers would take it into the end zone from a yard out to make it a 31-13 game with just over a minute to go in the third quarter.
I know I said Sellers registered a one yard touchdown run a couple plays after him and Harbor's 12-yard hook-up, but I felt as though the play in between was the one worth highlighting. I mean, how many other quarterbacks in college football (or football in general) are able to make this play? Like the dude was completely dead to rights in the backfield as the defender had both arms wrapped around him at the eight yard line, and yet he was able to break free and dive for the front pylon for what initially looked like a three yard score. Regardless of it counted for six or not, this is just a ridiculous play, helping set up his one yard touchdown on the following play that would again help South Carolina take a 31-13 lead with 1:08 to go in the third. South Carolina's scoring streak would take a little break their next time out, as they would be forced to punt the ball away after five plays, despite Sellers hooking up with DJ Black for a 17-yard gain. That being said it wouldn't take long for the touchdowns to return, as Sellers would hit a wide ass open Lex Cyrus in the end zone from 21-yards out on the third play of the drive (following Florida turning it over on downs) to make the score 38-13 midway through the fourth quarter.
The easiest passing touchdown of Sellers' career, just a complete bust in coverage allowed Cyrus to get in behind the defense for the 21-yard score. Not really much more to add than that, as that touchdown really was the final nail in the coffin as the Gamecocks would come away with a very impressive 38-19 road victory. Crazy to think that this was a 17-10 game at the half, isn't it? For Sellers this was his best performance of the season, taking advantage of everything the defense gave him, registering a whopping five touchdowns in the process. What's crazy is that Sellers is only two passing touchdowns away from surpassing his total from last year (needing only one to tie, obviously). South Carolina is on a bye this week, but will play host to the currently 14th ranked Tennessee Volunteers in a week's time. Losers of four of the last five match-ups, I'm sure Sellers and co. will be ready to dish out a home upset.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 7
Wk 3 - 10
Wk 4 - N/A
Wk 5 - N/A
Wk 6 -
Wk 7 - BYE
Others
Aiden Chiles, Northwestern
Wk 6 - 17/23 272 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/8 carries 32 yds 1 touchdown v Ball State (45-14 W)
Season - 80/112 1,172 yds 9 touchdowns 0 interceptions/44 carries 73 yds 6 touchdowns
Josh Hoover, Indiana
Wk 6 - 12/22 263 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/5 carries 24 yds 0 touchdowns @ Nebraska (20-17 W)
Season - 88/129 1,364 yds 17 touchdowns 0 interceptions/22 carries 42 yds 1 touchdown
Nico Iamaleava, UCLA (9)
Wk 6 - 10/17 162 yds 0 touchdowns 2 interceptions/7 carries 1 yd 0 touchdowns @ no.13 Oregon (17-15 W) (left game early due to injury, later announced he tore his ACL)
Season - 72/116 982 yds 4 touchdowns 4 interceptions/42 carries 144 yds 1 touchdown
Sam Leavitt, LSU
Wk 6 - 25/34 275 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/15 carries 39 yds 1 touchdown @ Kentucky (35-34 OTL)
Season - 117/173 1,496 yds 10 touchdowns 8 interceptions/60 carries 259 yds 7 touchdowns
Julian Sayin, Ohio State
Wk 6 - 13/21 242 yds 4 touchdowns 1 interception/7 carries 11 yds 0 touchdowns v Maryland (45-16 W)
Season - 116/163 1,772 yds 17 touchdowns 2 interceptions/32 carries 17 yds 2 touchdowns
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