The Draft "Expert" - Wk 7 2026 NFL Draft Quarterback Prospect Rankings
- Logan Blackman
- Oct 17
- 53 min read
YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNJRMzBBQ08
Hello one and all and welcome back to yet another Draft "Expert" blog post! As you can probably tell by the title, in this one we will be taking a look at our quarterback rankings post week seven of the college football season!
It feels like I say this every week but as fun as it is making these blog posts, it's a constant reminder that the college football season is almost over, which is never a fun feeling. Like, this post officially marks the midway point of the college football season, which is just really weird to think about.
It doesn't really seem real, like it feels like only yesterday when we saw Alabama get embarrassed in week one by Florida State. What's crazy about that is that if you would have told me week seven's rankings would look like this after week one, I would have called you crazy.
Maybe I miscalculated but I feel like this one has the most changes out of any blog post I've made up until this point. Not only do we have a new number one, but we also have two new faces entering the top-10, with one of them entering for the first time this season.
All in all I'm just excited for you guys to see these rankings! So without any further delay I Logan Blackman, host of the Logan Blackman Show and self proclaimed Draft "Expert," am proud to present my week seven quarterback prospect rankings for the 2026 NFL Draft! Enjoy!
Podcast Links
1. Ty Simpson, Alabama (+3)
Wk 7 - 23/31 200 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/10 carries 7 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.14 Missouri (27-24 W)
Season - 134/189 1,678 yds 16 touchdowns 1 interception/40 carries 58 yds 2 touchdowns
Well, well, well, this isn't what I was expecting to see when the season originally started and yet, here we are. I obviously can't speak for everyone out there, but this college football season to me has been absolutely buck wild, especially when it comes to the quarterback play. Like, prior to the season starting I think most of us had about the same top five to six quarterbacks for the 2026 NFL Draft. As things stand right now, according to me, two of the quarterbacks currently in the top three weren't even in the top-10 when the season started. If I had to guess which quarterbacks could sneak their way into the top five from the unranked category, I don't think I would have guessed the two that you've seen on your phone or computer screens these past couple weeks. Despite that, I cannot say that I'm upset or disappointed with how things have transpired, as I truly think that the one who currently sits atop these rankings is the best of the bunch at this point in time. To me, Alabama's Ty Simpson has proven to be the best quarterback in the 2026 Draft class, a sentence that I never thought I would say going into the season. Now, that being said, I did always have the feeling that Simpson was a much better fit for what Kalen DeBoer wanted to do at the quarterback position than Jalen Milroe. Despite Milroe's obvious overall talent, he wasn't the same pure passer that Simpson has proven to be. If you were to ask me who possessed the more "standout" traits I would have to say Milroe, as the dude arguably had the strongest arm in last year's draft class along with being the most electrifying athlete at the position. The thing is, though he was/is a very "traitsy" quarterback he was wildly inconsistent, especially when throwing across the middle or when working the intermediate game, the two areas where you could say Simpson thrives in the most. A fearless and confident passer, Simpson has truly unlocked Alabama's offense, which was fully on display as the Crimson Tide came away with an impressive 27-24 road victory against the then 14th ranked Missouri Tigers. In the win, Simpson would go 23/31 for 200-yards even (his lowest total of the season) with three touchdowns and zero interceptions, helping Alabama to their third straight win against a top-25 opponent, and second on the road. Both teams would start this game off firing, as Missouri would only need six plays to drive 78-yards to come away with their first score of the game. Early on it wouldn't look like Alabama would have the same success, as they found themselves in a third and eight situation from their own 34-yard line. Thankfully for them Simpson would be able to hit Lotzeir Brooks for an 18-yard gain, picking up the first and getting them to the Missouri side of the 50.
With pressure coming from the right side of the offensive line, Simpson does a great job at sliding and stepping up in the pocket before delivering a strong throw to Brooks for the aforementioned 18-yard gain. With a defender playing over top and the one in coverage playing with his back turned, Simpson smartly throws it a little behind his receiver, who does an excellent job at adjusting his body and coming back to the ball for the nice gain. Simpson would come up big again a couple plays later, hitting Josh Cuevas for 21-yards on second and one to get them down to the Missouri 18-yard line.
Very strong throw here from Simpson as he's able to hit Cuevas in a tight window in between two to three Missouri defenders. Nice little double move here from Cuevas following the clear out by the defender. Despite the clear out, Simpson still knows to put this ball on a line and on his tight end's body as to avoid any possible recovery play from the defender. Excellent touch and weight on the pass from Simpson, helping get them further down the field while also helping set up an eventual six yard touchdown pass from Simpson to Kevin Riley out of the backfield to tie the game up at seven with 6:05 left in the first quarter. Alabama would register another touchdown on their next possession following a Missouri three and out, with Simpson firing it into Isaiah Horton from 16-yards out to give them their first lead of the game early into the second quarter.
Simpson does an excellent job at using his eyes to manipulate the secondary to help give him a hole for the eventual touchdown. Knowing Horton is running a post following the motion across the formation, Simpson freezes the high safety in the middle of the field which gave him a bigger hole to operate with for the score. This is just great quarterbacking here from Simpson, which again helped the Crimson Tide take their first lead of the game just nine seconds into the second quarter. Simpson would flash the athleticism on Alabama's next possession, picking up 20-yards on the ground on third and four to get them from their own 36 to the Missouri 44-yard line.
Simpson may not have the most rushing yards in this year's quarterback class, but when needs to pick up decent gains with his feet he's not afraid to do it, again picking up 20-yards on a third and four situation. Though I love seeing him utilize his legs to pick up good gains on the ground, I would also like to see him slide to avoid any unnecessary hits, rather then get up ended at the end of the play, but that's just me. Overall, great job stepping up in the pocket with pressure coming from the left while also taking advantage of the massive hole in the middle of the field. A couple plays later Simpson would take a nice little shot from a defender, but would still be able to fire it into Isaiah Horton for an 11-yard gain on second and nine.
Despite the running back not picking up the streaking Missouri linebacker, Simpson is still able to deliver a strong and accurate ball to Horton for the aforementioned first down. Starting with his eyes to the right to freeze the linebacker to the left Simpson, knowing damn well he's going to take a shot, remains calm and fires it into his receiver for an 11-yard gain. This is what we love to see from the quarterback position, remaining calm and delivering an accurate ball (while falling back) despite knowing you're going to take a hit. It may not have resulted in a touchdown or a massive ass gain, but it's still a great play from Simpson to help continue the drive. A few plays later Simpson would be brought down in the backfield for a four yard loss on third and four, forcing Alabama to settle for a field goal from the Missouri 30-yard line, making the score 17-7 midway through the second quarter. Nothing would really come from their final drive of the first half as though running back Jam Miller would pick up 12-yards on the opening play, the Crimson Tide would ultimately be forced to punt the ball away with 3:32 to go in the half. Things would seemingly start going Missouri's way following the punt, as they would register a field goal as time expired in the first half to make it 17-10, before sacking Simpson on the opening play of the third quarter and forcing fumble to help set them up on the Alabama 19-yard line. Three plays later they would tie the game up at 17 less than two minutes into the second half. Alabama would fail to get things going their next time out, as they'd be forced to punt the ball away after just four plays despite Simpson and Germie Bernard connecting for 15-yards on the first play of the drive. The offense would finally be able to string together more than four plays their next time out, driving 66-yards in 17-plays (and getting it down to the Missouri four yard line) to come away with another field goal with nine seconds to go in the third. Unfortunately on their next drive (following a Missouri interception) kicker Conor Talty would fail to convert from 49-yards out, leaving the score at 20-17 midway through the fourth despite Simpson and Jam Miller connecting for 10-yard on fourth and one earlier in the drive. Speaking of converting on fourth down Simpson would come up big on Alabama's next drive following a failed fake punt attempt by Missouri, hitting Lotzeir Brooks on a beautifully placed ball for 29-yards on fourth and nine to get them to the Tiger nine yard line.
You really cannot throw and/or place a ball better than Simpson did right here. Though the Missouri defender was in good position to make a play on the ball but as the old saying goes, you can't defend a perfect throw, which is exactly what that was. The balls on Simpson to even attempt this throw on fourth and eight is impressive enough, but to actually make and complete the throw is another thing. A truly impressive throw here from Simpson, which would help eventually set up a one yard touchdown pass to Daniel Hill on another fourth down to give them a 27-17 lead with 3:16 to go in the fourth quarter. Missouri would try their damndest to make it interesting at the end, but ultimately Alabama would hold on to a 27-24 road victory as Tiger quarterback Beau Pribula would be intercepted with 37-seconds left in the game. A great win for the Crimson Tide, giving them their third straight against a top-25 opponent, and their second on the road. Like I brought up before, Simpson is really playing at an amazing clip right now, making numerous big time plays for Alabama in tough situations. A fearless quarterback, if Simpson keeps playing like this there's no doubt in my mind that he couldn't wind up taking home the Heisman Trophy while also being the number one overall pick in the draft. He has become my favorite quarterback in the class and really deserves his spot atop the rankings. This week him and Alabama are back at home, playing host to the 11th ranked Tennessee Volunteers. Despite their 5-1 record the Vols have a one of the leakiest defenses in the conference, ranking third to last in total, second to last in scoring, and dead last in passing defense so far this season. Though it will be a tough game, I do expect Simpson and co. to pick up their sixth win of the season, and their fourth against a top-25 opponent.
Wk 1 - N/R
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - N/R
Wk 4 - N/R
Wk 5 - 7
Wk 6 - 4
Wk 7 - 1
Wk 8 - v no.11 Tennessee
2. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana (-1)
Wk 7 - 20/31 215 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/6 carries 31 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.3 Oregon (30-20 W)
Season - 109/153 1,423 yds 17 touchdowns 2 interceptions/36 carries 133 yds 2 touchdowns
I can't lie, as someone who has been all for "believing" in Indiana, I did find myself thinking that they'd fall this past weekend on the road against the then third ranked Oregon Ducks. Now I must say, I wasn't sitting there thinking that they were going to get blown out or anything, but I did think that Oregon would cover the -7.5-point spread. Like, I thought Indiana would fight hard but ultimately the trip out west would prove too much for them and they'd fall by a score of something like, I don't know, 30-20. There's obviously a joke in there, because not only did the Hoosiers upset the aforementioned third ranked Ducks, they came away with a resounding 30-20 victory, a win which propelled them to third (replacing Oregon) in the latest AP poll. I know it gets spoken about a lot, but this has to be one of, if not the greatest turnaround in college football history. I don't have any other examples on the top of my head so don't quiz me, but to see Indiana, Indiana of all schools ranked in the top three with two top-10 victories at the midway point through any season is just insane to me, and I can't say it's not deserved. Curt Cignetti really has a great thing cooking over there in Bloomington, possessing a top five defense in regards to points, sacks, and yards, along with an offense that ranks in the top-10 in regards points and total yards. Spear heading their insane offensive output is former Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who has taken last season's great offense to new heights this season. Though he may not have had his best statistical showing against Oregon, he still did enough to help his team secure a massive victory. For the game Mendoza went 20/31 for 215-yards with one touchdown and one interception (second on the year) to go along with 31-yards on the ground which was two yards shy of his week one season high. Things would seemingly start off really strong for the Hoosiers on offense, with Mendoza connecting with Elijah Sarratt for 24-yards down the far sideline on their very first play from scrimmage.
I know I say this a lot, but man do I love a nice back shoulder throw, as it shows how good the chemistry truly is between quarterback and wide receiver. Though the corner in coverage got lost in coverage, he initially was in good position had Mendoza and Sarratt not connected on the back shoulder. Sarratt was looking for it the whole way, and though there was a defender barreling down on him right as he was letting the ball go, Mendoza was still able to deliver a strong and accurate throw to the sideline for the aforementioned 24-yard gain. Unfortunately for the Hoosier offense the drive would ultimately stall out, with Indiana needing to settle for a 42-yard field goal attempt from Nico Radicic after just five total plays. Though they may not have registered a touchdown, they still managed to take their first lead of the game midway through the first. Indiana would have loved a field goal on their next possession, instead they would end up going three and out, punting the ball away on fourth and 20. Mendoza would come out firing on their next drive as he'd connect with Omar Cooper Jr. for 11-yards on the roll out on second and five before finding him two more times for 11-yards (each) again to help get them deep into Oregon territory. A few plays later (following a 14-yard run by Mendoza) Roman Hemby would take it in from three yards out to make the score 10-7 with 15-seconds to go in the opening quarter. The Hoosiers would be forced to punt the ball away after three and five plays on their next two possessions, though Mendoza would connect with Sarratt and Cooper for 16 and 11-yards on the first two plays of the second of those two drives.
Nothing too flashy, just a really strong throw from Mendoza to Sarratt for the aforementioned 16-yard gain. That being said I do always like seeing how quarterbacks react to pressure being right in their face, i.e. what happened on that play. Hands up and barreling down, and yet Mendoza is still able to deliver a strong throw for a first down. Indiana would get the ball back with 14-seconds left in the half following a missed field goal from Oregon. And with said time, while also starting from their own 20-yard line Mendoza and the offense drive down the field and three plays (plus a defensive pass interference penalty) to help set up a 58-yard field goal attempt from Brendan Franke for them to take a 13-10 lead into the locker room. The Hoosiers would really struggle to get things going to kick off the second half, being forced to punt the ball away after going three and out on each of their first two possession, gaining a total of one yard in the process. Things would start going Indiana's way their next time out, with Mendoza picking up nine yards with his legs to pick up a first down on third and three. Mendoza would then connect with Elijah Sarratt for 11-yards down the near sideline before hitting Roman Hemby out of the backfield for a further 22-yards to get them down to the Oregon 10-yard line. Speaking of Hemby, a couple plays after his 22-yard catch and run, he'd take it into the end zone himself from two yards out to give Indiana their first score of the half, making it 20-13 with about two minutes to go in the third. Though they'd manage to find the end zone there, their next drive would not bear the same fruit as Mendoza would be picked off by Brandon Finney Jr. who would take it back 35-yards for the score to tie the game up at 20 early on in the fourth.
This is just a really bad decision and throw from Mendoza. I know I've spoken before about how I love it when quarterbacks don't fear the oncoming defender and still throw it down the field, but there's a time and place for everything, and this was not the time and place to be attempting a throw like that. With three defenders in his face, Mendoza was forced to throw this off his back foot which lead the ball to hold up in the air longer than he would have liked, leading to the easy interception and eventual defensive touchdown for the Ducks. Mendoza would make up for the pick six on the Hoosiers' next drive as he'd connect with Omar Cooper Jr. for nine on second and eight, and Elijah Sarratt for 13 on third and nine before hitting Sarratt again on a screen to the flat who would take it 29-yards down the field to help set them up at the Oregon eight yard line. Mendoza would miss fire on his next two throws but would manage to come up big on third down, hitting Sarratt again on a beautifully thrown back shoulder ball from eight yards out to make the score 27-20 with 6:23 to go in the fourth.
I know it's only from eight yards out, but I still love myself a good back shoulder throw. What's kind of crazy is that Mendoza lets this thing go when Sarratt is only a yard or two past the line of scrimmage, again show casing the chemistry the two have built up throughout the season. It's an inch perfect throw, and that mixed with Sarratt's body adjustment helped give Indiana the lead in the fourth quarter. Following a Dante Moore interception, the Hoosier offense would get the ball back at the Oregon 32-yard line. Indiana was pretty content with settling for a field goal, as they only threw one pass on this nine play drive that would eventually lead to a 22-yard field goal attempt from Nico Radicic to make it 30-20 with two minutes to go in the game. The Indiana defense would come up big again on Oregon's next possession, picking off Dante Moore for the second time and setting up the offense up in plus territory at the 27-yard line. Despite the pick and the positive field position, Indiana would ultimately just kneel it down four times, turning it over on downs before eventually coming away with an impressive 30-20 road victory. Like I brought up before, I didn't think the Hoosiers would get blown out or anything, but I can admit that I was surprised to see them come out of this one with a win. This team is for real, with a truly elite offense and defense. As for Mendoza was this his best performance? No, but he still was able to deliver when Indiana needed him most, which is still important. This week the Hoosiers are back at home, playing host to the Michigan State Spartans. This game was a complete and utter blow out last season (47-10) and though I think Michigan State is better, I am still expecting Indiana to come away with another convincing win.
Wk 1 - 6
Wk 2 - 5
Wk 3 - 3
Wk 4 - 3
Wk 5 - 1
Wk 6 - 1
Wk 7 - 2
Wk 8 - v Michigan State
3. Dante Moore, Oregon (-1)
Wk 7 - 21/34 186 yds 1 touchdown 2 interceptions/9 carries -27 yds 0 touchdowns v no.7 Indiana (30-20 L)
Season - 121/168 1,396 yds 15 touchdowns 3 interceptions/33 carries 95 yds 0 touchdowns
I don't know how often I can say this about a top-10 conference match-up, but I for one was really surprised that Oregon fell to Indiana this past weekend. Now, it's not like I was sitting there thinking that the Ducks were going to absolutely wipe the floor with the Hoosiers or anything, but after watching them through the first however many weeks of the season I just thought they'd offer too much for Indiana to handle, and boy was I wrong. I never have a problem when admitting that I'm wrong when it comes to these types of things, as I'm not a fan of either team but I did expect a little more from Oregon than what we ended up getting, as they wound up falling at home by the score of 30-20, with the once Heisman Trophy front runner struggling against this elite Indiana defense. In this outing, Moore would go 21/34 for 186-yards with one touchdown and a season high two interceptions. Again, the Hoosiers have one of the best defenses in all of college football, but also again I did expect a little more out of Moore in this one, especially with it being at home. That being said things didn't really start out the smoothest for Moore and the Oregon offense as though he would help them convert on third and 11 by connecting with Gary Bryant Jr. on a screen to the flat that would go for a 13-yard gain, they would ultimately turn the ball over on downs after failing to convert on fourth and one from their own 46-yard line. Things wouldn't get much better on their following drive as they'd be forced to punt the ball away after going three and out. That being said they would finally get things going following a three and out by Indiana, only needing three plays for Moore to connect with an open Malik Benson for a 44-yard touchdown with 5:15 left in the first.
I really like this play design from Oregon as the safety in the middle of the field drifts too far inside once Moore starts rolling out to his right, freeing up Benson in behind the secondary for the 44-yard score. It may not have been the most picturesque throw of all time, but when a receiver is that open your main job as a quarterback is to not miss him, which Moore didn't to give the Ducks their first score of the game. The run game would play a massive part in Oregon's offense on their following drive as Moore would only attempt two passes on their 12-play drive (could have been three but he was sacked on third and six). Though they would fail to register another touchdown Atticus Sappington would be able to convert from 40-yards out to tie the score up at 10 midway through the second quarter. Moore and the Ducks would come out firing on the opening play of their next drive, with him hitting Dakorien Moore on a slant for a 14-yard gain.
I know it was just a simple slant route but this is still a strong throw from Moore who's able to get it to his receiver over the out stretched arm of the linebacker. The running back going the wrong way kind of messed up the RPO side of the play, but Moore adjusted well on the fly and was still able to drill one in for the aforementioned 14-yard gain. Unfortunately they wouldn't be able to move the ball much further than that as Moore would register two straight incompletions before taking a 12-yard sack on third and 10 to push them back into a fourth and 22 situation, where they of course were forced to punt the ball away. Oregon would string some nice plays together their next time out, with Moore connecting with Gary Bryant Jr. for 18 on second and seven before hitting Dakorien Moore for another 18-yards with a defender right in his face to get them to the Indiana 18-yard line.
It may just look like a simple hitch route (because it is) but I love seeing quarterbacks make these kind of throws. Like, Moore lets the ball go before his receiver has exited his break. With a defender coming free from the right side of the line Moore knows he has to get this ball out quick, which he does to help Oregon push the ball deeper into Indiana territory. Unfortunately not much else would come from this drive as kicker Atticus Sappington would fail to convert from 36-yards out with 24-seconds left in the second. To make matters worse despite the poor starting field position Indiana's offense would need three plays to get their kicker into field goal range, which he would drill from 58-yards out to give the Hoosiers a 13-10 lead going into the locker room. Oregon's opening drive of the second half would look promising initially as Moore would connect with Kenyon Sadiq while rolling to his right for a 13-yard gain on their opening play of the drive. But like a few of their other drives a nice gain on first down would be followed by much of nothing, with the Ducks being forced to punt the ball away after just four plays. Moore would come up big for Oregon on their next possession as he would fire it into Jeremiah McClellan across the middle for 13-yards on fourth and nine when it looked like they'd go three and out following a three and out by Indiana. They would come up a couple yards short of the first down marker later in the drive as Moore would connect with Jordon Davison for four yards on third and six, making them settle for a field goal midway through the third, making things tied up at 13. The run game would play a big part early on Oregon's next drive, though it would unfortunately end with Moore taking a four yard sack on third and 11 from their own 37-yard line early on in the fourth. The defense would come up massive on Indiana's following drive, picking off Fernando Mendoza and returning it 35-yards back for a touchdown to make it 20-20 with 12:42 to go in the fourth quarter. Mendoza would bounce back by registering his first touchdown of the game, driving Indiana down the field in 12-plays to make it 27-20 midway through the quarter. Things would only go from bad to worse for Moore and the offense, as on their next two drives they'd see Moore throw his first and second interceptions of the season, ultimately sealing up the game for Indiana,
The first one was unfortunate, the second one was late, either way the end result was the same as they wound up in the arms of a couple grateful defenders. Now, he did get hit low on his second interception, but I still think the pass would have been picked off regardless. All in all these two picks would help seal the game up as the Hoosiers waddled into Autzen Stadium and came away with an insanely impressive 30-20 road victory. Like I brought up before, I did not think Indiana would pull off the upset this weekend. It didn't have anything to do with how good or bad I thought Indiana was, I just thought Oregon was going to be too much for them. As for Moore, this was his worst game of the season. Though I thought he still made some good plays throughout the game, those two late interceptions on back-to-back drives really hurt his Heisman Trophy chances. This will be a tough one to swallow for the Ducks, but I do expect them to bounce back against Rutgers this coming Saturday. Despite the Scarlet Knights a top three passing attack in the conference, their defense ranks dead last in total and passing while also possessing the third worst scoring defense. Though traveling completely across the country is hard, I do think Moore and co. will be out for revenge in this one.
Wk 1 - N/R
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - 5
Wk 4 - 4
Wk 5 - 2
Wk 6 - 2
Wk 7 - 3
Wk 8 - @ Rutgers
4. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina (-1)
Wk 7 - 15/27 124 yds 0 touchdowns 1 interception/22 carries 19 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.11 LSU (20-10 L)
Season - 73/114 1,010 yds 4 touchdowns 2 interceptions/70 carries 117 yds 1 touchdown
This past weekend was a massive test for LaNorris Sellers and co. as they went on the road to take on the then 11th ranked LSU Tigers, a team that boasts a top five scoring defense, allowing 11.8-points per game on average. Though they were were coming off of a bye and a fairly easy victory at home against Kentucky, the Gamecocks had lost their two previous games by a combined score of 60-27 (lost to Vanderbilt 31-7) which is definitely not ideal especially when you look at the upcoming fixtures for South Carolina, but more on those later. Back to this week though and you knew going in that the Gamecocks would be facing a pretty steep uphill battle, at least when their offense was on the field as the mixture of the aforementioned defense and the ruckus crowd could prove to be very hard to deal with. All in all it would ultimately be too much for them as they would fall by the score of 20-10, with Sellers going 15/27 for only 124-yards with zero touchdowns and an interception with 19-yards rushing on a whopping 22-carries. To put things somewhat in perspective, Sellers threw for 98-yards against Vanderbilt in that 31-7 home loss, so his 124 in this game technically wasn't his season low. But when you realize that he only appeared in three-ish drives in that game, it makes the number look a little worse. Again though, this was an insanely tough test for him and the rest of the Gamecocks, which would only be made harder by Sellers dropping the snap (why did they go under center?) and fumbling the ball away on their very first play from scrimmage, gifting the Tigers the ball at the South Carolina 17-yard line. Thankfully for the offense the defense would hold LSU to a field goal after four plays, preventing what should have been a touchdown a few minutes into the game. Sellers would hit on a couple shorter passes on their next drive, hitting Rahsul Faison out of the backfield on a screen for 13-yards on third and eight before rolling to his right and dumping it off to Brady Hunt who would take it up 11-more yards on the following play. Sellers would keep things firing as he would connect with Vandrevius Jacobs on a hitch that would go for a further 16-yards that would help get them to the LSU 33-yard line. The drive would pretty much stall out after that, forcing the Gamecocks to settle for a 47-yard field goal. Unfortunately for them, kicker William Joyce would fail to convert (never had a chance) thus keeping the score at 3-0 midway through the first. Though it was a rough miss things would start going in the Gamecocks' favor as LSU's Ju'Juan Johnson would fumble the ball away trying to cross the goal line from a yard out before South Carolina's Matt Fuller would be handed the ball on third and two and take it 72-yards to the house for their first touchdown of the game with 25-seconds left in the first. The positivity would subsided for a little bit as following the touchdown LSU would respond with one of their own, making it 10-7 to kick off the second quarter. The Gamecocks would then be forced to punt the ball away after six plays on their next drive, and things would look pretty good at the start of their following drive as Sellers would make a few would be tacklers miss before getting it out to Brian Rowe Jr. for a nine yard gain on second and 10.
I know this is only a nine yard pass, I just wanted to show another example of Sellers being one of the hardest quarterbacks to contain in college football. It doesn't matter you send someone late, or if the pocket is collapsing around him, the chance of him making something out of seemingly nothing is never zero. A nice play from him that would quickly get wiped away as he'd be intercepted a few plays later on third and 15.
Long story short, Sellers just under threw this ball. With LSU sending pressure on third down, Sellers slides up in the pocket before tossing it down field, thinking he got enough on it to lead his receiver for a big time play. Again though he just didn't get enough on it, which unfortunately led to the pass being intercepted. The defense would come up big with an interception of their own, but the offense wouldn't really have much to show from it apart from a few decent runs from Sellers before ultimately punting the ball away after seven plays. That would pretty much mark the end of the half as LSU would take a 10-7 lead with them into the locker room. Things would start going a little better for the Gamecocks at the start of the second half as running back Rahsul Faison would pick up 10-yards on the ground on their opening play before Sellers would make a smart play and pick up six yards on second and five a couple plays later.
I know, I know, this isn't the flashiest play out there, but I still think it's worth noting because I do think it's a very heads up play from Sellers. As you can tell by the clip, South Carolina was looking to run a bubble screen to the near side of the field the only problem is that the LSU safety crashed extremely hard on the route, meaning that if Sellers threw this ball there's about a 99.99% chance it was getting returned the other way for six. It may not look like much, but it shows his continued development as a player as he smartly tucks it and gets what he can with his legs, picking up a first down in the process. The drive would ultimately end up stalling out at the LSU 29-yard line, forcing them to settle for a 47-yard field goal attempt by William Joyce to tie the game up at 10 midway through the third quarter. South Carolina wouldn't gain a single yard on their next drive, being forced to punt the ball away after going three and out. The defense would come up with another big time turnover on LSU's next drive, picking off Garrett Nussmeier at the one to help keep the deficit at seven at the start of the fourth quarter. From the shadow of his own end zone on third and seven, Sellers would roll out to his right and fire it to Nyck Harbor for a 16-yard gain to get them to the 20-yard line.
Going under center was definitely a choice following the first play of the game, especially when backed up against your own end zone. This time though the snap is clean and Sellers is able to get outside the pocket before delivering a nice ball to Harbor for the first down. With a defender in front of him with his hands up, Sellers is not only able to get it over him but also fit it into his receiver before the either of the defenders in coverage could make a play on the ball. Just a solid overall play from Sellers, helping extend the drive on third and seven. Sellers and Harbor would find each other again a few plays later, this one going for 20-yards to get them down to the LSU 37-yard line. Sellers would then flash the escapability again by picking up six yards with his legs on second and seven after what should have realistically been a sack for the Tiger defense.
Again, just the hardest player to bring down in all of college football. I know there are times that Sellers can take some bad sacks, but then there's plays like this that just make you wonder how he was able to get out of that. It really doesn't make sense, and that's to South Carolina's gain. That being said he would get brought down in the backfield on third and 18 following a false start and intentional grounding penalty that would initially push them back into and second and 28 situation. Ultimately they would be forced to punt the ball away, which is really a damn shame given that they moved the ball very well in the beginning and middle portions of this drive. The Gamecocks would be set up with excellent field position on their next drive following an LSU punt as Vicari Swain would return it 20-yards to the Tiger 37-yard line. Unfortunately the offense would not be able to capitalize on the plus field position as they'd turn the ball over on downs after failing to convert on fourth and four from the LSU 31-yard line. South Carolina would turn it over on downs again on their following drive following an LSU field goal, ultimately sealing the game and giving the Tigers a 20-10 home victory. The Gamecocks have had a really rough stretch of games recently, as this loss marks their third in their last four games. As for Sellers, he made some plays throughout the game but was too inconsistent overall, missing the mark on a few passes while also throwing a rough interception. Like I alluded to before things don't get much easier, as they play host to the 14th ranked Oklahoma Sooners this coming weekend. Coming off of their first loss of the season, to Texas no less, I'm sure the Sooners are going to be mighty motivated to come away with a result in this one. Regardless, I hope Sellers is up to the task.
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Wk 2 - 2
Wk 3 - 2
Wk 4 - 2
Wk 5 - 3
Wk 6 - 3
Wk 7 - 4
Wk 8 - v no.14 Oklahoma
5. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
Wk 7 - 20/33 254 yds 2 touchdowns 2 interceptions/4 carries 30 yds 0 touchdowns v South Carolina (20-10 W)
Season - 135/204 1,413 yds 9 touchdowns 5 interceptions/19 carries 13 yds 1 touchdown
Garrett Nussmeier and the LSU offense have been somewhat out of sync in recent weeks. Sure they beat the ever living piss out of Southeastern Louisiana by a score of 56-10, but in all the other games combined the offense has scored on average 19.8-points per game, only scoring above 20 once this season (23-7 win v Louisiana Tech). For a team quarterbacked by not just a preseason Heisman favorite, but also one of the preseason favorites to be taken first overall in April's Draft, that's far from ideal. As for Nussmeier himself there has been a couple conspiracy theories that have come out suggesting that he is playing hurt, that he's not getting the same zip on the ball as he did last season. Regardless of the reason, the fact of the matter is that Nussmeier has not been playing up to his usual standard, as he has thrown just nine touchdowns to five interceptions so far this season. He also ranks sixth in the SEC in regards to passing yards which isn't bad at face value given some of the talent in the conference, but when you realize that he's the only one so far this season to attempt more than 200-passes it's not as glamorous. He even ranks behind Oklahoma's John Mateer in passing yards, who missed last week's game against Kent State due to injury (realistically should have sat out against Texas too). Again, he just hasn't been playing at a level that we all think he should be at, which remained true as LSU came out 20-10 victors against South Carolina this past Saturday. In the game Nussmeier went 20/33 for 254-yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions while also picking up a season high 30-yards on the ground. Things didn't really start off the greatest for the Tiger offense as they went three and out on their opening possession before having to settle for a field goal after four plays following a LaNorris Sellers fumble on their first play of the game, which set them up at the Gamecock 17-yard line. Nussmeier would come out firing on LSU's next possession, hitting Bauer Sharp along the line of scrimmage for what would result in an 11-yard gain and get them closer to the 50-yard line. He would then connect with Kyle Parker for gains of nine and 10-yards before hitting Trey'Dez Green for 19-more yards on third and eight to get them down to the South Carolina seven yard line.
With a defender coming around the edge to the right, Nussmeier does a very nice job at sliding to his left in order to buy himself more time before getting hit in the backfield. Because he did that he was able to zip it into Green who was ultimately brought down at the seven yard line, helping the Tigers pick up a much needed first down on third and eight. Nussmeier would then connect with Zavion Thomas for six more yards to get them down to the one, seemingly setting them up for an easy score to take a 10-0 lead late in the first. Unfortunately for them that's not what would happen, as Ju'Juan Johnson would get the ball punched out reaching for the goal line with South Carolina recovering it in the end zone for a touchback. After putting together a 13-play drive, to get all the way down to the one just to fumble it away is truly heartbreak (for those wearing purple and gold at least). To make matters worse South Carolina would capitalize on the turnover, needing only three plays to register their first touchdown of the game. Not to fret though as the Tigers would respond with a touchdown of their own, with Nussmeier and Trey'Dez Green connecting a couple times on the drive as the pair went for 14 and six to register their first touchdown of the game.
These two really had a good thing going on this drive, helping the Tigers take a 10-7 lead early on in the second quarter. On the first one Nussmeier does an excellent job at flipping his hips quickly after the fake before firing it into Green before the linebacker can make a play on it. He did a very nice job at putting the ball right on his tight end's body as to avoid any possible play from the aforementioned linebacker. Green also did a great job at dodging the initial tackle, taking it down to the six where the pair would connect for their first touchdown of the game. As I've spoken about numerous times before, sometimes as a quarterback you just have to let your plays makers make plays, which is exactly what happened here. Green is just a crazy good option to have in these types of situations as there are not going to be many defensive backs in college football that can guard the 6'7" former LSU basketball player on a jump ball situation. Two very solid throws and plays back-to-back, helping the Tigers regain the lead two minutes into the second quarter. LSU's next couple drives would not bear the same fruit as they would be forced to punt the ball away after four plays on their next drive before Nussmeier would register his first of two interceptions with 2:14 to go in the second quarter. Prior to the pick though, Nussmeier would make a fantastic throw, hitting Caden Durham along the near sideline for a 17-yard gain.
Like I just alluded to, this was just a fantastic throw from Nussmeier. Rolling out to his right with a defender giving chase, the dude is able to fit into his running back 17-yards down the field with two South Carolina defenders in tight coverage. I honestly don't know how this pass was completed, but as the old saying goes, you can't defend a perfect pass, which this one was. Also, great job by Durham at seeing the ball in and getting both feet in bounds to come down with the catch. Unfortunately though the drive would come to a screeching halt as again, Nussmeier would be intercepted.
This is just a poorly thrown ball from Nussmeier, completely over shooting his intended receiver and into the waiting arms of the South Carolina defender. The thing that is annoying is that he did have a receiver open down the field, but the ball again just sailed on him with a couple Gamecock defenders in his face. Really unfortunate for the Tigers as the defense came away with an interception of their own the drive before. The offense's last drive of the first half would see them go three and out, but their first drive of the second half would be a little different as they'd finally start to get things going again. On the drive, Nussmeier would hook up with his tight end Trey'Dez Green a couple more times, the first one going for 11 and the second going for 19 to get them to the South Carolina 33-yard line.
This is just about knowing your match-ups, as on this one Nussmeier see's his 6'7" former basketball player tight end being defended by a 6'1" safety. Pretty easy pickings if you ask me, with Nussmeier throwing a very nice back shoulder ball for Green to make a play on it, again picking up 19-yards in the process. A holding call on the following play would push them back to the 43 but not to fear, as Nussmeier would connect with Kyle Parker on a slant who would take it in from 43-yards out for the score, making it 17-10 with 6:38 to go in the third quarter. Things would start off pretty good for the Tigers on their next drive as though they started from their own eight yard line the run game would help get them all the way down to the South Carolina nine yard line, thanks in large part to a 21-yard run by Nussmeier followed by a 56-yard run by Ju'Juan Johnson. Unfortunately they would not be able to close out the drive with a touchdown as Nussmeier would be picked off for the second time at the one yard line.
No other way around it, Nussmeier just got baited into making this throw. With the linebacker coming down prior to the snap, Nussmeier thought he'd have an open window to hit Green on the slant for a potential touchdown. Unfortunately for him the safety playing over top sat on it and waited for Nussmeier to cock it back before jumping the route and coming away with the interception. You normally are told to throw it off the linebacker, if he crashes throw the slant, but with South Carolina having five in coverage he probably should have taken his read to the safety. Sucks to get this close to the end zone and not come away with anything. They would struggle to move the ball much at all on their next drive, as they'd be forced to punt the ball away after going three and out. The Tigers would get the ball all the way down to the South Carolina one yard line on their following possession, with Nussmeier hitting Trey'Dez Green who skied up to get the ball on a 24-yard pass. Things would get a little hairy though as Nussmeier would fumble the ball trying to quarterback sneak it into the end zone. Thankfully he'd get back on top of it at the three yard line but still, scary times in the red zone for LSU once again. Ultimately they would fail to punch it into the end zone, but they would still manage to come away with some points as Damian Ramos would convert from 22-yards out to make it 20-10 with 1:47 to go in the game. That field goal would pretty much be all she wrote in this one as the Tigers would hold onto a 20-10 home victory, their second 20-10 win on the season (Florida). The LSU defense is playing at an insane clip right now, just a shame that the offense can't really play with that much consistency. I do think Nussmeier played better in this game than he did last week but the interceptions have to start dropping. I know he's a gun slinger in every sense of the word, but having five picks to nine touchdowns isn't a good enough ratio for me to be 100% fine with it. I am intrigued to see how him and the rest of the Tigers do this weekend as they travel to Nashville to take on the 17th ranked Vanderbilt Commodores, who are fresh off a bye following their road loss to Alabama. Despite being the higher ranked team LSU comes into this one as a -2.5-point underdog. Lets see if Nussmeier and co. are really to play spoiler this weekend.
Wk 1 - 2
Wk 2 - 1
Wk 3 - 1
Wk 4 - 1
Wk 5 - 4
Wk 6 - 5
Wk 7 - 5
Wk 8 - @ no.17 Vanderbilt
6. John Mateer, Oklahoma
Wk 7 - 20/38 202 yds 0 touchdowns 3 interceptions/14 carries 5 yds 0 touchdowns v Texas (23-6 L) (Dallas)
Season - 115/179 1,417 yds 6 touchdowns 6 interceptions/57 carries 195 yds 5 touchdowns
What a time to come back from a major injury, right? After beating the Auburn Tigers by a score of 24-17, a report came out stating that starting quarterback John Mateer would be out "multiple weeks" with a hand injury, as he fractured a bone in his throwing hand. With a bye week and a game against Kent State in between the Auburn and Texas games, there were people out there confident that Mateer would make a miraculous recovery and start the game against the Longhorns. As an absolute gamer, I was one of the people who thought Mateer would suit up for the game just 17-days after surgery but, as we know now, he probably should have stayed on the sidelines as the Sooners fell in Dallas by a score of 23-6, their first loss of the season. In the aforementioned loss Mateer struggled mightily, going 20/38 for 202-yards (season low) with zero touchdowns and a whopping three interceptions. Obviously hindsight is a beautiful thing, but Mateer playing hurt while struggling immensely has dropped both his draft stock and Heisman chances like a rock, especially given that Texas had just recently dropped completely out of the top-25 after losing the Florida the previous week. I respect Mateer for toughing it out, and I'm sure his teammates love him for it too but this was just a bad performance. That being said things started off pretty good for the Sooner offense as Mateer would hit Isaiah Sategna III down the hash for a 23-yard gain on third and 10 before finding an open Deion Burks while rolling to his right for a further 18-yards, ultimately helping set up a 42-yard field goal attempt by Tate Sandell to give them a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter. The next couple drives wouldn't heed the same results as they'd be forced to punt the ball away after six plays (though Mateer would make a nice throw to Sategna for nine yards on third and seven) before Mateer would register his first interception of the game with 3:37 to go in the opening quarter.
The first of the two "highlights" above shows Mateer zipping one into Sategna for a nine yard gain on third and seven. Like I've brought up before in previous blog posts, throwing from the near hash to the far sideline is not as easy as some quarterbacks out there make it look, especially when there's a couple defenders in the area. It's a really strong throw from Mateer to help Oklahoma pick up a much needed first down (though they'd again end up punting the ball away). The second of the two is of course the interception. All in all, it's just a bad throw. Yes Texas sent pressure which caused Mateer to just heave it down the field, which of course led it to go array and into the grateful arms of the Texas defender. I understand what he was trying to do, but it just wound up being a bad throw that would give the Longhorns the ball back near the 50-yard line. Texas would fail to make Oklahoma pay for the turnover as kicker Mason Shipley would fail to convert from 55-yards out with 32-seconds to go in the first quarter. With a new lease on life, Mateer would come out firing, hitting Carson Kent down the middle of the field for a 13-yard gain on third and seven.
With pressure right in his face, Mateer just rips it down the field to his tight end for the nice gain on third and seven. He does an excellent job at getting enough loft on it to get it over the linebacker but also puts it on a line enough to hit Kent right on his body as to avoid any possible break up or interception by the incoming Texas defenders. Also, great job by Kent at hanging onto the ball through the contact, as dude took a massive shot right as he caught the pass. Oklahoma would convert on fourth and one a few plays later but would chose not to go for it again later on in the drive, with kicker Tate Sandell cashing in from 41-yards out to give the Sooners a 6-0 lead midway through the second quarter. Texas would respond by registering a field goal of their own on their next possession, making the score now 6-3 with less than five minutes to go until halftime. On their next drive Mateer would come up big again on third down, connecting with Deion Burks on a low but accurate throw to pick up 10-yards on third and six.
With no one initially open on the play, Mateer does a very nice job at sliding up in the pocket before firing it to Burks who's able to get down low and make the catch. With a defender coming in over top later, Mateer needed to throw this ball hard and low as to avoid a potential pass breakup. He lets his receiver make a play, which he does in order to pick up a much needed first down on third and six. Despite Oklahoma getting the ball down to the Texas 30-yard line, with two seconds to go in the half Mateer would be intercepted in the end zone, his second of the game.
Time and place. As I've spoken about numerous times before with Mateer, he is an absolute gamer that wants to make something happen every single time he steps on the field. The issue here is that Oklahoma was in field goal range with 10-seconds to go at the time of the snap, you don't need to heave it towards the end zone here, especially when you're getting pressured by a Texas defensive lineman. Live to fight another play, and maybe you register some more points before the half. He literally just threw it up there, gifting Texas another easy interception in the first half. Mateer would nearly get picked off again on Oklahoma's first drive of the second half, nonchalantly throwing it into triple coverage right at the first down marker on third and five. Thankfully the pass was ultimately dropped, and Oklahoma would punt the ball away after going three and out to start the third. Mateer would start off the next drive hot as he'd hit Deion Burks a few yards past the line of scrimmage that would ultimately result in a 21-yard gain before picking up a big gain on the ground on third and two to get them down to the Texas 15-yard line, only for it to be called back due to an offensive holding call.
Like I said above, the pass only went a few yards past the line of scrimmage, but I still really like the throw from Mateer as he was able to fit it into his receiver despite multiple hands in between Mateer and Burks. This ball had every chance to be broken up, whether at the line of scrimmage or in coverage, but it wasn't. Mateer did an excellent job at dropping the arm angle and firing it into Burks who would cut up field after shedding the tackle for what would again result in a 21-yard gain. Unfortunately, following the holding call that I mentioned before, Mateer would get intercepted for the third time in the game.
Unlike the first two, Mateer was unfortunate to have this pass intercepted, as it bounced right out of the receiver's hands and into the waiting arms of the Texas defender. Now, the ball was behind his intended receiver, but I still think it was unfortunate to have this pass end up being an interception. Oklahoma would be forced to punt the ball away after four plays on their next drive, with Texas returner Ryan Niblett taking it back 75-yards for the score to make it 20-6 with 9:54 to go in the fourth quarter. Mateer would make a couple strong throws to kick off Oklahoma's next drive, most notably hitting JaVonnie Gibson for 17-yards on their opening play. Unfortunately nothing would come from this drive as Mateer would get sacked on second and third down for losses of 10 and two yards. Then on fourth and 22 his pass would fall incomplete as the Sooners would turn it over on downs with 5:36 to go in the final quarter. Texas would register a field goal on their next possession to make it 23-6, and though Mateer would complete a couple nice passes on their next drive they would ultimately turn it over on downs again, with the Longhorns taking home a 23-6 victory in Dallas. Like I brought up before, this game really couldn't have gone much worse for Mateer and co., as the once Heisman favorite now currently sits with six touchdowns and six interceptions at this point in the season. Definitely not ideal, but lets hope that Oklahoma is ready to go this weekend as they travel to Columbia to take on South Carolina. Despite their recent struggles, the Gamecocks are not a team to be taken lightly, especially at home. We should be in for a fun one Saturday morning.
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Wk 2 - 6
Wk 3 - 6
Wk 4 - 5
Wk 5 - 5
Wk 6 - 6
Wk 7 - 6
Wk 8 - @ South Carolina
7. Carson Beck, Miami (FL)
Wk 7 - BYE
Season - 102/139 1,213 yds 11 touchdowns 3 interceptions/13 carries 18 yds 1 touchdowns
Wk 1 - 7
Wk 2 - 9
Wk 3 - 7
Wk 4 - 8
Wk 5 - 8
Wk 6 - 7
Wk 7 - 7
Wk 8 - v Louisville
8. Jayden Maiava, USC (NEW)
Wk 7 - 25/32 265 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/1 carry -7 yds 0 touchdowns v no.15 Michigan (31-13 W)
Season - 123/171 1,852 yds 13 touchdowns 2 interceptions/21 carries 50 yds 4 touchdowns
Welcome to the top-10 Jayden Maiava! To some people this probably feels like a long time coming, as Maiava has truly been one of the best quarterbacks in not just the Big Ten, but in the country so far this season. The prototypical Lincoln Riley quarterback, Maiava is efficient, can make accurate throws from the pocket and on the run, and is not afraid to push the ball down the field, as he ranks second the nation in passing plays of 20+ yards. With all of that Maiava has turned himself into somewhat of a dark horse Heisman candidate, as his improved play under Riley has directly coincided with the Trojans looking like a much better outfit this season compared to last. Yes their defense has gotten better, but the Maiava to Makai Lemon connection on the offensive side of the ball truly makes USC a threat to almost every team in the nation. Coming off a bye, the Trojans looked to avenge their week five road loss to Illinois, in a game that saw Maiava throw for 364-yards with two touchdowns and an interception while falling by a score of 34-32. Back at home this week, USC played host to the then 15th ranked Michigan Wolverines, a team who was coming off their first conference win of the season after beating Wisconsin 24-10. Despite being the unranked team, the Trojans went into this game as -2.5-point favorites, and they did not disappoint as they wound up taking home a 31-13 victory as Maiava went 25/32 for 265-yards with two touchdowns and an interception. USC completely controlled this game, winning the time of possession battle while also putting up nearly 500-yards (489) of total offense. Things got off to a pretty damn good start for the Trojan offense as Maiava would connect with Lemon on a screen for 12-yards and Walker Lyons for a further 21, helping get them down the field in 12-plays with Maiava hitting Ja'Kobi Lane on a slant (really a fake block play) from two yards out to give them their first lead of the game midway through the first. Things would start off pretty good for the Trojans on their next drive as well, with Maiava connecting on a few short passes and Waymond Jordan picking up 11-yards on the ground on fourth and one from their own 38-yard line. Unfortunately for them tight end Lake McRee would cough up the ball after picking up 21-yards after the short pass by Maiava, giving the ball back to Michigan after getting it down to their 29-yard line. Despite the turnover the USC defense would ultimately force the Michigan offense to punt the ball away. Starting at their own 14-yard line on second and seven on their next drive, Maiava would hit Walker Lyons down the hash for a 21-yard gain.
With Michigan sending pressure, Maiava knows that he has to make a quick read and get this ball out fast, which is exactly what he does right here. With a defender coming free around the right side of the offensive line, Maiava stands tall and zips a ball in a tight window between two other Michigan defenders for the aforementioned 21-yard gain. Just a great overall play here from Maiava. Not much else would come from this drive unfortunately, as they'd be forced to punt the ball away after seven plays. Following Michigan's first touchdown of the game USC would start their next drive off at their own 25-yard line. On the second play of said drive, on second and eight Maiava would roll out to his right and toss one down the field to Makai Lemon along the sideline who would make an excellent catch for a 28-yard gain.
Following the fake, Maiava does a nice job at getting outside the pocket with multiple defenders coming from the right side of the line. He then does an excellent job at keeping his eyes down the field before throwing a beautiful ball to Lemon along the sideline, who does a great job at getting his feet in bounds for the 28-yard gain. Dude literally put this ball on a spot where only his receiver could get it, great overall play to pick up a nice gain for the offense. The pair would find each other again a few plays later, with Lemon making a great catch in the end zone to make the score 14-7 with just 12-seconds left in the first half.
Like I've brought up a few times before, sometimes as a quarterback the only thing you need to do is put the ball in a spot where your receiver can make a play on the ball, which is exactly what Maiava did here. Don't get me wrong I still think this is a really good throw from Maiava as it's a very accurate back shoulder throw with the Michigan defender plastered all over his receiver. Makai Lemon one-on-one against freshman corner? Yeah, we take those. Great throw and catch to re-take the lead with little to no time left in the opening half. Things seemingly wouldn't start out the best for the Trojan offense as a backwards pass from Maiava mixed with an unsportsmanlike penalty pushed them back into a third and 26 situation. Despite this, running back King Miller would be handed the ball on third and 26 and would take it all the way down to the Michigan 19-yard line, picking up a whopping 49-yards in the process. Two plays later Miller would take it in from 15-yards out to give the Trojans a 21-7 lead less than five minutes into the third quarter. Miller would come up massive again for USC on their next drive, picking up another crazy 47-yards on the opening play of the drive, getting them down to the Michigan 24-yard line. Maiava would then complete an 11-yard pass across the middle to Ja'Kobi Lane to get them to the 13, but would eventually be picked off trying to make something happen on third and 12.
This is just a bad decision here by Maiava, no other way around it. Like, you love seeing him getting outside of the pocket trying to get something to open up down the field, but to just soft toss it to the defender? Just got to be smarter in those situations, ending up looked to be another promising drive for the Trojan offense. Thankfully the USC defense would come up with an interception of their own, picking off Bryce Underwood around the eight yard line and returning it back to the Trojan 22 with 37-seconds left in the third quarter. Maiava would come out firing on USC's next drive, hitting Makai Lemon on a screen to the flat that would go for 18-yards before connecting on a few shorter passes that would ultimately help set up a 54-yard field goal attempt by Ryon Sayeri to make it 24-7 with 10-minutes to go in the fourth. Michigan would score on their next drive to make it 24-13 (failed two point conversion) and would nearly force USC to go three and out on their next possession, but Maiava would come up big and hit Lake McRee down the hash for a 20-yard gain on third and 10.
This is a really solid throw here from Maiava, as he got it over the top of the linebacker in coverage while also placing it right on McRee's body to avoid a possible game changing play from the safety playing over top. These are the types of plays that you want to see your quarterback make, remaining calm on third and 10 and delivering a very good ball down the field to his tight end to help pick up a much needed first down. Also, nice job by McRee at hanging on to the ball through the contact, as the defender got there pretty much at the same time as the ball did. Maiava would then zip it over to Jaden Richardson on a hitch that would go for 10-yards on second and five. The run game would pretty much carry things after that though, as Bryan Jackson would take it in from 29-yards out to give USC a 31-13 lead with 4:21 left in the fourth quarter. That would pretty much be all she wrote in this one as Michigan would turn it over on downs on their next drive before Underwood would be picked off again to help seal up a 31-13 home victory for the Trojans, giving them their third conference win of the season. Despite some poorly timed turnovers deep in Michigan territory, USC really had a strong hold on this game with Maiava putting forth another solid performance. The interception may have been bad, but apart from that he was very efficient and managed to register two passing touchdowns in the win. This week Maiava and co. travel to South Bend to take on the 13th ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. I'm really excited to see how Maiava does this week against a continuously improving Irish defense. We should be in for a fun one come Saturday night.
Wk 1 - N/R
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - N/R
Wk 4 - N/R
Wk 5 - N/R
Wk 6 - N/R
Wk 7 - 8
Wk 8 - @ no.13 Notre Dame
9. Darian Mensah, Duke
Wk 7 - BYE
Season - 143/205 1,838 yds 15 touchdowns 2 interceptions/23 carries -48 yds 0 touchdowns
Wk 1 - N/R
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - N/R
Wk 4 - N/R
Wk 5 - N/R
Wk 6 - 9
Wk 7 - 9
Wk 8 - v no.12 Georgia Tech
10. Taylen Green, Arkansas
Wk 7 - 21/31 256 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/17 carries 63 yds 1 touchdown @ no.12 Tennessee (34-31 L)
Season - 119/189 1,654 yds 14 touchdowns 5 interceptions/71 carries 504 yds 3 touchdowns
Welcome back to the top-10 Taylen Green! After a ridiculously rough showing at home against Notre Dame, which saw them fall by a score of 56-13 and saw their head coach get shown the door (third straight loss in a row), Arkansas definitely needed to put forth some sort of effort against Tennessee on the road this past weekend. Though they may have fallen short, I think most people out there just wanted to see the Razorbacks show a little fight, something that you couldn't have said when they matched up against the aforementioned Irish. With Bobby Petrino back as the interim head coach, Arkansas went on the road and fell by the score of 34-31, with quarterback Taylen Green going 21/31 for 256-yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions, while also putting up 63-yards on the ground with another touchdown there to boot. Weirdly enough this was the first time in two games that Green went without throwing an interception, which I would say is a step back in the right direction for arguably the best dual threat quarterback in the country (he would fumble the ball away a couple times, but more on that later). Now things would start off as good as they could have for the Razorback offense, as though Green was sacked on the very first play of the game the rush attack would get them back on side as Mike Washington Jr. would pick up 38-yards before Green would take it in himself untouched from 11-yards out to give Arkansas the lead less than five minutes into the opening quarter. The run game would play a big role early on in their next drive as Washington would pick up 26-yards to get them from their own 40 to the Tennessee 34-yard line. Unfortunately though Green would cough up the ball trying to roll out to his left on the following play, with the Volunteers recovering the lost ball at the Arkansas 49-yard line.
Rolling out to his left and trying to switch the ball to his throwing hand to get it to Washington in the flat the defender gets a slight touch on it to jar it loose, causing the fumble and gifting the Tennessee offense decent field position at the Arkansas 49-yard line. Despite that the Volunteers would ultimately punt the ball away after going three and out as the Arkansas defense bailed them out after the fumble. With a new lease on life at their own 20-yard line, running back Braylen Russell would take the ball up the middle for a 22-yard gain to get them to the 42. Green would then connect with Raylen Sharpe along the near sideline for an eight yard gain on third and six to help them get to the Tennessee side of the 50 before hitting a wide open CJ Brown towards the far sideline for a further 18-yards to get them into the red zone. Though they were moving the ball well initially the drive would ultimately stall out, with Arkansas having to settle for a 28-yard field goal by Scott Starzyk to make it 10-7 with 20-seconds to go in the first quarter. On their next drive following a Tennessee field goal Green would connect with O'Mega Blake down the far sideline, who would make a nice catch to help pick up 20-yards on second and six.
Really strong throw here from Green, tossing it down the sideline while placing it in a spot where only his intended receiver could make a play on the ball. With the defender matching his receiver stride-for-stride down the sideline Green throws a very good back shoulder ball, with Blake adjusting his body insanely well to come down with it in bounds for the aforementioned 20-yard gain. Green would help the Razorbacks convert on a couple key third downs as the drive went along, first picking up 22-yards with his legs on third and nine before hitting Raylen Sharpe on an out route for 10-yards on third and six to get them down to the Tennessee one yard line. The following play would see Mike Washington Jr. punch it into the end zone, giving Arkansas a 17-10 lead with 4:36 to go in the second quarter. The next few drives following the score would not be as successful as they'd be forced to punt the ball away after five plays on their next drive before Braylen Russell would cough the ball up on their first drive of the second half. They would then turn the ball over on downs after failing to convert on fourth and three from the Tennessee 25-yard line, but not before Green would pick up an impressive 28-yards on the ground on another third and long situation.
This is the threat that Green always possesses whenever he drops back to pass. Like I alluded to earlier, Green may very well be the best dual threat quarterback in the country this season, as his long strides and natural athleticism make him an insanely hard quarterback to track down once he gets going in the open field. Big time play from him to help the Razorbacks pick up a much needed first down on third and 11. That being said despite the long run, Arkansas would again wind up turning the ball over on downs after failing punch it up the middle on fourth and three from the Tennessee 25-yard line. Things would continue to go Tennessee's way on defense the next couple drives as Arkansas would punt the ball away after going three and out on their next drive before Green would get stripped while rolling to his left on third and 31, gifting the Volunteers the ball at their own 19-yard line.
Damn near carbon copy for the fumble in the first half as Green was just trying to make something happen on the roll out before the Tennessee defender came in and knocked the ball loose. To make matters worse for Green and the Arkansas offense Tennessee would need only four plays to find the end zone, making the score 34-17 less than two minutes into the fourth quarter. Green would take a sack on the opening play of Arkansas' next drive, but would come back by hitting an open O'Mega Blake across the middle of the field for 18-yards on third and nine. He would then pick up 10-yards with his legs on second and four, with a personal foul penalty by Tennessee helping get them down to the nine yard line. One play later Green would hit Rohan Jones in the end zone for the score, making it now 34-24 midway through the fourth quarter.
Though it's only from nine yards out, this is still a very good play from Green. With the linebacker crashing, he knows that he'll have a decent window to throw to his tight end. The only thing is with another defender coming over late, had he thrown it a little more inside the pass could have either been broken up or intercepted. Instead, he puts this ball on Jones' back shoulder, throwing it away from the oncoming defender as well as over the top of the outstretched arm of the other linebacker. Short play yes, but still a nice throw from Green to help Arkansas claw their way back into the game. Following a defensive stop by Arkansas, Green and co. would get the ball back at their own 20-yard line with 4:39 to go in the game. On the very first play of the drive Green would zip one into Raylen Sharpe who would pick up 30-yards on the play, helping get them to the 50-yard line.
Just a really strong throw from Green on this play. From a clean pocket, he stands tall and just rips it down the hash marks to Sharpe (in a tighter window than it looks) for a 30-yard gain. Green would continue making plays in the passing game as the drive went along, completing passes of 12, six, and 20-yards before rolling to his right and finding Kam Shanks in the end zone from 12-yards out to bring the Razorbacks back to within three with 2:55 left in the game.
What a drive by Green and the rest of the Arkansas offense. On third and 10 with no one initially open down the field, Green smartly rolls out to his right to allow someone to free up in the secondary. Then, with a defender in his face, fires it to an open Shanks to the eventual touchdown. Great throw and great job buying time on third and 10, but also great job by Shanks at stopping his route and giving his quarterback someone to throw to for the score. Despite their best efforts, Tennessee would eventually run out the clock on their following drive, taking home a 34-31 victory over Arkansas. I got to give credit to Green for how he closed things out in the game. Sure they still wound up losing, but to from giving up two fumbles to throwing touchdowns on back-to-back drives, helping give his team a chance was really impressive. He's a great athlete who can make defenses pay with his legs, he just again has some more developing to do overall as a passer, but I would say good things are ahead. This week though things could prove a little difficult as they play host to the fourth ranked Texas A&M Aggies. Now despite their 6-0 record, the Aggies can be leaky sometimes on the defensive side of things, ranking in the bottom four in regards to scoring defense in the SEC. With the Razorbacks boasting the worst scoring defense in the conference, we could be in for a fun one Saturday afternoon.
Wk 1 - N/R
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - 8
Wk 4 - 7
Wk 5 - 9
Wk 6 - N/R
Wk 7 - 10
Wk 8 - v no.4 Texas A&M
Others
Luke Altmyer, Illinois
Wk 7 - 30/44 248 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/6 carries -20 yds 0 touchdowns v no.1 Ohio State (34-16 L)
Season - 139/192 1,821 yds 13 touchdowns 1 interception/45 carries -28 yds 2 touchdowns
Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
Wk 7 - 20/29 253 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/11 carries 15 yds 1 touchdown v Washington State (24-21 W)
Season - 85/130 1,286 yds 7 touchdowns 1 interception/61 carries 281 yds 3 touchdowns
Josh Hoover, TCU (10)
Wk 7 - 26/47 376 yds 3 touchdowns 2 interceptions/5 carries -3 yds 0 touchdowns @ Kansas State (41-28 L)
Season - 139/215 1,893 yds 18 touchdowns 6 interceptions/31 carries 9 yds 2 touchdowns
Nico Iamaleava, UCLA
Wk 7 - 16/24 180 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/6 carries 3 yds 0 touchdowns @ Michigan State (38-13 W)
Season - 114/172 1,134 yds 9 touchdowns 3 interceptions/66 carries 335 yds 4 touchdowns
Cade Klubnik, Clemson
Wk 7 - 22/30 280 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/9 carries 48 yds 1 touchdown @ Boston College (41-10 W)
Season - 133/202 1,530 yds 11 touchdowns 5 interceptions/47 carries 104 yds 2 touchdowns
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