The Draft "Expert" - Wk 8 2026 NFL Draft Quarterback Prospect Rankings
- Logan Blackman
- 5 days ago
- 69 min read
YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7yzQEGYta4
Hello everyone and welcome back to yet another beautifully written Draft "Expert" blog post! As I'm sure you can probably tell by the title, in this one we will be going over our week eight quarterback prospect rankings for the 2026 NFL Draft!
Depending on who you ask, this quarterback class has either been disappointing or has been a lot of fun. To me, though it may not look how I thought it would at the start of the season, I think this year's class has been one of my favorite ones to watch in the however many years I've been making these blog posts.
I have loved following this draft class so far this season, and though there's been some fun weeks I think one has been my favorite! For the first time in a little bit, every single quarterback within this log post played this past weekend, with this arguably being the best single week of quarterback play so far.
I know there's one guy we're all thinking about who did not have the greatest week, but for the most part I don't think there's been a better week of quarterback play this season, with almost every one having around five to six clips in their section, which is crazy.
All in all I am very excited for you guys to check out this week's blog post! 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 eight quarterback prospect rankings for the 2026 NFL Draft! Enjoy!
Podcast Links
1. Ty Simpson, Alabama
Wk 8 - 19/29 253 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/5 carries 8 yds 0 touchdowns v no.11 Tennessee (37-20 W)
Season - 153/218 1,931 yds 18 touchdowns 1 interception/45 carries 66 yds 2 touchdowns
The Alabama train just keeps on chugging along as the Crimson Tide have just picked up their fourth straight victory against a top-25 opponent, this one coming against the then 11th ranked Tennessee Volunteers. Before we really get going into this, I couldn't have been the only one who thought this was a fairly easy game to predict going in. Like sure, Tennessee is a good football team with a fantastic offense that puts up 500+ yards per game on average. The thing is, as good as they are on that side of the ball they are just as leaky on the defensive side of things, ranking second to last in scoring and total defense statistically in the SEC so far this season. Not only that, but they also rank dead last in the conference in passing defense, and with Ty Simpson playing better than damn near every quarterback in college football I again, thought this was a fairly easy one to predict as I thought the Tide would roll at home this past weekend which of course they did, taking down the Volunteers by a score of 37-20. Simpson put forth another strong showing in the win, going 19/29 for 253-yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions as Alabama picked up the aforementioned double digit victory. Things would start off as good as they possibly could have for the Crimson Tide on offense as though they would start on their own nine yard line, which would turn into the six yard line following a three yard loss on first down, Simpson would help guide them to their first score of the game with him eventually hitting Isaiah Horton from two yards to give them the lead with 6:51 to go in the first. Though the drive would ultimately result in a touchdown Alabama would find themselves in an uncomfortable third and 13 situation from their own six yard line. Thankfully for them Simpson would come up big, evading pressure before firing it into Josh Cuevas who would pick up 18-yards and get them to the 24-yard line.
It's really hard to believe Simpson only has seven starts to his name, because he has the pocket awareness and the calmness of someone who has started four times as many games. With his heels pretty much on the goal line at the snap, and with pressure in his face almost instantly, Simpson does an excellent job at rolling to his right before coming to a screeching halt and firing it into Cuevas who would be able to pick up the much needed first down on third and long. The pass may have only traveled five to six yards past the line of scrimmage, but Simpson's aforementioned pocket presence and calmness in the face of pressure is really impressive given his lack of starts. Simpson would come back with another big throw a few plays later, hitting Ryan Williams down the near sideline for a 31-yard gain on second and five.
Unlike the first play I highlighted where he had to scramble around to make something happen on third and long, this one he just tosses up an inch perfect pass to Williams who brings it in for the aforementioned 31-yard gain. Great catch by Williams, but Simpson does an excellent job at throwing this more to the outside and away from the defender in coverage, giving his receiver a chance to make a play on the ball. Simpson saw the match-up he liked pre-snap and made the Tennessee defense pay for it, helping get them down to the Vol 25-yard line. A few plays later Simpson would again connect with Isaiah Horton from two yards out for their first score of the game, capping off an 11-play 91-yard drive and giving them a 7-0 lead midway through the opening quarter. Though their first drive was a success the Tide offense would struggle moving the ball on their next couple possessions, punting it away after six and three plays. Despite punting the ball away on back-to-back drives Simpson would still come through with a big time throw, connecting with Williams for a 19-yard gain, helping pick up a first down from their own 10-yard line.
Like I brought up before, Simpson's calmness in the face of pressure is very rare for someone who has as little starts as he does. On this one, with a free rusher barreling down on him and knowing damn well he's going to get hit, Simpson delivers a strike to Williams in a spot where only he can get it, who is able to bring it in with a defender tight in coverage. Like I always say, let your play makers make plays, which is exactly what happened here, fantastic throw and catch from both quarterback and receiver. Unfortunately though again this drive would end up with them punting the ball away after six plays. They would then go three and out on their next drive before getting things back in order midway through the second quarter. On this drive Simpson would make big throw after big throw, connecting with the likes of Germie Bernard, Lotzeir Brooks, and Ryan Williams for gains of 28, 25, and 14, with the latter helping set up a one yard touchdown run by Jam Miller to give them a 16-7 lead (Tennessee safety made it 9-7) with 4:05 left in the quarter.
Alabama got down the field in a hurry on this drive, with Simpson registering 67 of the 69-total yards on this drive with three really impressive passes to three different receivers. Out of the three the throw to Bernard on the opening play of the drive was my favorite, as I love Simpson's fearlessness when throwing across the middle of the field. I know Bernard was somewhat open in the middle, but Simpson still zips it into him in a spot that allows him to pick up a good amount of yards after the catch. Overall though again, these are three really impressive throws, with a nice catch by Williams on the final of the three throws helping set up the aforementioned one yard touchdown run by Miller to make it 16-7 later on in the second. Alabama would fail to stack offensive touchdowns on their opening drive of the second half as they'd be forced to punt the ball away after going three and out. Simpson would help the offense pick up a first down on third and two on their next drive, hitting Germie Bernard on a quick out who would take it 15-yards down the field and get them closer to the 50-yard line. The following play would see Simpson get nearly intercepted as a defensive lineman jumped up and swatted the ball down as Simpson tried to hit Jam Miller out of the backfield. Though he avoided turning the ball over there, he would lose the ball while trying to throw it down the field on third and 10 a few plays later, with Tennessee recovering it and taking over at their own 47-yard line. Thankfully for Simpson nothing would come from the turnover, as the Volunteers would ultimately punt the ball away after five plays. Simpson would get things cooking again on their next drive though, hitting Ryan Williams for 14-yards on the opening play before finding an open Josh Cuevas down the middle of the field for a further 15-yards on third and two. Germie Bernard would then come up big on a couple outside run plays for gains of 18 and 17-yards, helping get Alabama down to the Tennessee 11-yard line. From their we would see Simpson roll to his right and hit Rico Scott for the score, making it 30-13 with 25-seconds to go in the third quarter.
I know this was a fairly simple and easy 11-yard touchdown pass from Simpson to Scott, but I really like the fake from Simpson here as it faked everyone out on the Tennessee defense, making it a fairly easy touchdown for Scott, though he did have to punch through a couple of defenders to get in for the score. Alabama would be helped out by a couple defensive penalties on their next drive as the Vols would get called for two pass interference penalties before Simpson would get hit late out of bounds after picking up a first down with his legs on fourth and two. Ultimately they would get the ball all the way down to the Tennessee four yard line, where Daniel Hill would take it into the end zone to make it 37-20 with 5:49 to go in the fourth. Not much more would happen following that score, with the Crimson Tide holding on to that 37-20 home victory, again marking their fourth straight win against a top-25 opponent in conference play. Things are just going really well for Alabama right now, with Simpson arguably playing better than any other quarterback in college football up to this point in the season. Like I alluded to last week if he keeps playing like this there's no reason to suggest why he couldn't be both this season's Heisman Trophy winner but also first quarterback taken in April's draft. This week Simpson and co. go back on the road to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks. Though they've been on a downward spiral as of last (losers of four of their last five) the Gamecocks are not just going to fold to the might of the Crimson Tide. That being said I do still expect Alabama to come away with the road dub.
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 - 1
Wk 9 - @ South Carolina
2. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Wk 8 - 24/28 332 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/5 carries 18 yds 0 touchdowns v Michigan State (38-13 W)
Season - 133/181 1,755 yds 21 touchdowns 2 interceptions/41 carries 151 yds 2 touchdowns
Another week, another resounding double digit win for the Indiana Hoosiers. It's pretty much like clock work at this point, isn't it? I mean, unless they're playing the vaunted Iowa Hawkeyes, it's almost a certainty that Indiana is going to win by double digits. As they proved last week against Oregon, they are literally the picture of anytime any place, as they were finally back at home after a two week road trip and beat the Michigan State Spartans by a score of 38-13. Now, Michigan State can hold their heads a little higher than they could last year, as the fell at home 47-10 despite Indiana spotting them 10-points in the first quarter. I mean, losing by 25 on the road is a lot better than losing by 37 at home, right? Regardless, Indiana is a train that doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. I'm at a point now where we can start comparing the Hoosiers to the train in Grand Theft Auto, as it doesn't matter what you put in front of it, you're not going to stop it. In this win quarterback Fernando Mendoza made another strong case for the Heisman Trophy, throwing for a season high 332-yards (first time he's gone for over 300 this season) with four touchdowns and zero interceptions. Things would start off pretty damn good for Mendoza and co. as on their first drive of the game he would connect with Jonathan Brady for 16-yards on third and 12 and E.J. Williams Jr. on a slant for a further 14 before hitting Williams again while rolling to his right on third and two for what would result in a 12-yard touchdown, giving the Hoosiers a 7-3 lead with 2:40 to go in the first.
One thing I love about Mendoza is his arm strength, as the velocity he can get on some of these throws is really impressive. Now that's obviously not the only thing I love about his game, but I'm pretty sure you can hear the ball when he fires it to Williams. It just comes out of nowhere too and though the ball only traveled a few yards past the line of scrimmage, it was still an impressive throw from Mendoza that again helped Indiana take the lead later on in the first quarter. Michigan State would find the end zone on their next drive to re-take the lead early in the second quarter, but Mendoza and co. would only need five plays to find the end zone again with him hitting on passes of 19, 39, and 24-yards to three different receivers to give the Hoosiers a 14-10 lead with 6:47 to go in the quarter.
Out of the three passes mentioned above the first, and yet the shortest one was my personal favorite. Now, that's mostly because the other two saw the receivers make really good gains after the catch as the 39-yard pass to Riley Nowakowski was more or less a check down and the 24-yard pass to Elijah Sarratt was a shallow crossing route, but I just love seeing quarterbacks not being afraid to throw the ball across the middle of the field. In a clean pocket, Mendoza stands tall and just rips it down the middle of the field to Williams for the aforementioned 19-yard gain, which is exactly what we love to see. Again, that play would be the catalyst for the rest of the drive as the two passes mentioned before would come to follow, with the one to Sarratt going for six to give the Hoosiers a 14-10 lead with 6:47 to go in the second. Mendoza would come out firing on Indiana's next possession as he'd connect with Omar Cooper Jr. on the opening play of the drive for a 24-yard gain along the near sideline.
Just a very accurate throw here by Mendoza, effortlessly getting the ball to his receiver along the near sideline despite throwing from the far hashmarks. I know Cooper had a decent amount of separation between himself and any of the three Michigan State defenders in the area but still, this is just a perfect and effortless throw from Mendoza to help get the Hoosiers closer to Spartan territory. Mendoza and Cooper would connect a couple other times as the drive would go along, picking up gains of 10 and seven yards (the latter coming on fourth and two) to help set up an eventual 29-yard touchdown run by Kaelon Black to make the score 21-10 with less than a minute to go until halftime. Much like some of their other drives it wouldn't take the Hoosiers long to find the end zone to kick things off in the third quarter, with Mendoza only needing four plays before hitting Cooper in stride for a 48-yard touchdown, making the score 28-10 with less than two minutes gone in the quarter.
I'm not going to lie, this looks like a practice rep. I mean, everything is just so smooth and effortless, even Cooper was able to coast into the end zone after the ball from Mendoza hit him perfectly in stride. You couldn't have really drawn it up much better than this, as it was just a beautiful play to watch, again helping the Hoosiers extend their lead early on in the second half. Mendoza would hit on a couple short to intermediate passes on their next drive following a missed field goal from Michigan State, with his 11-yard pass to Cooper and his 27-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt being my two favorite on the drive.
To me, these two throws give you a glimpse into what kind of quarterback Mendoza is. On the first one he sees the screaming linebacker, leading him to pull the ball and fire it into Cooper for the 11-yard gain. It may just be an RPO, but Mendoza's quick reads and even quicker release were fully on display there, especially since the linebacker is basically sitting in his lap when he lets the ball go. The second one we see his fantastic deep ball accuracy, as he is arguably the best deep ball thrower outside of the numbers in the country. With his best receiver on an island to the far side of the field, Mendoza tosses up a ball in a spot where only Sarratt could make a play on it, which of course he does for the 27-yard touchdown. What makes it even better is that there was a defender jumping right in his face as he let the ball go, showing his willingness to stand tall in the pocket while delivering perfect balls down the field. Indiana would start off running the ball on their next drive, though Mendoza would hit Roman Hemby on a screen pass out of the backfield for what would result in a 21-yard gain on third and four. A few plays later from the Michigan State seven yard line, Mendoza would toss one up to EJ Williams in the corner of the end zone for what should have resulted in six for the offense. Instead it was ruled incomplete, with Indiana ultimately turning the ball over on downs.
I know the rule states that if the receiver's heel touches the white after the toe than it's an incomplete pass, but in my opinion that's stupid as Williams had possession and got a toe in bounds for what should have resulted in six points for the Hoosier offense. Like, this throw from Mendoza was too damn good to not come away with points, which is an absolute damn shame. The accuracy and touch shown by Mendoza here was truly impressive, but alas they would ultimately turn the ball over on downs. Now the Spartans would do the same on the following drive, as Aidan Chiles would be sacked for a nine yard loss on fourth and 13 from the Indiana 23-yard line. The run offense would help get Indiana deep into Michigan State territory, and though they were initially lined up to go for it on fourth and one from the 14, they ultimately decided to settle for a 31-yard field goal from Nico Radicic to make the score 38-13 with less than two minutes to go in the fourth. That would pretty much wrap things up in Bloomington, with the train known as Indiana winning their seventh consecutive game of the season. With this win (and a Miami loss) the Hoosiers jumped to number two in the latest AP Poll, which is just absolutely insane to think about. Like I brought up before, if Mendoza keeps playing like he does there's no telling where Indiana could go this season. This coming week though they play host to the red hot UCLA Bruins, a team that has won three straight games with one of them coming against a perceived former National Championship favorite. Despite again winning each of their last three games, I believe Mendoza and co. will be a little too much for the Bruins in this one.
Wk 1 - 6
Wk 2 - 5
Wk 3 - 3
Wk 4 - 3
Wk 5 - 1
Wk 6 - 1
Wk 7 - 2
Wk 8 - 2
Wk 9 - v UCLA
3. Dante Moore, Oregon
Wk 8 - 15/20 290 yds 4 touchdowns 1 interception/3 carries 49 yds 0 touchdowns @ Rutgers (56-10 W)
Season - 136/188 1,686 yds 19 touchdowns 4 interceptions/36 carries 144 yds 0 touchdowns
This was a nice little bounce back game for Dante Moore and the Oregon Ducks. After watching the Ducks fall to the Indiana Hoosiers at home last week by a score of 30-20, my mind instantly went to their next opponent, as I was fearful for their lives. Like, it could have been anybody standing in Oregon's way the following week, but when I saw it was Rutgers I knew we were going to be in for a blood bath. No offense whatsoever to the Scarlet Knights, but when a team as good as Oregon loses by double digits at home, you know they're going to take all of their anger and frustration out on whoever they face next. With that being said the Ducks waddled all the way across the country from Eugene to Piscataway and came away with a resounding 56-10 victory. Out of all the players who I expected to see bounce back the most was quarterback Dante Moore, who put forth a less than stellar performance in the aforementioned loss to Indiana. This week we saw Moore back to his best, going 15/20 for 290-yards with a season high four touchdowns and an interception, along with a near season high 49-yards on the ground (rushed for 53-yards against Oregon State). Overall it was nice to see Moore and the Ducks get back to winning ways, even though things didn't start out the greatest as Gary Bryant Jr. would fumble the ball away on their third play from scrimmage, gifting Rutgers the ball at the Oregon 33-yard line. Thankfully for Bryant and the offense the Oregon defense would hold Rutgers to a field goal while giving up zero yards on their opening drive. It wouldn't take long for the Ducks to take their first lead of the game, needing only three plays before Noah Whittington would take it 68-yards to the house on third and three to give them a 7-3 lead with 11:52 to go in the quarter. Oregon would be able to find the end zone again on their next drive, only this time Moore would lead them on a 10-play 87-yard drive that would basically start off with him rolling to his right and connecting with Jeremiah McClellan for a 16-yard gain on third and three.
What an accurate throw here from Moore. Rolling out to his right with a defender barreling down on him, he is able to zip this ball to his receiver along the far sideline in a spot where only McClellan could get it, picking up a calm cool 16-yards on third and three. The Ducks would be faced with another third down later in the drive and much like the first one Moore would come up big again, this time stepping up in the pocket and firing it to an open Kenyon Sadiq for a 24-yard gain, getting them to the Rutgers 40-yard line. Moore and Sadiq would connect again a couple plays later, this time coming on a screen pass to pick up five yards on second and eight.
Look, I am well aware this was just a screen pass that only resulted in a five yard gain, but the calmness and presence here from Moore is really impressive. After faking it to the back in the flat, Moore was supposed to hit Saqid quickly underneath. Unfortunately for him multiple Rutger defenders were in his face, forcing him to pump fake it which led the defender to leave his feet and give Moore more of a window to hit his tight end for the five yard gain. So again, yes this play didn't really result in a massive gain or anything, but it shows how cool Moore can be when everything is seemingly breaking down around him. Good stuff, and two plays later Moore would hit Saqid in stride for a 30-yard touchdown, giving them a 14-3 lead with 6:25 to go in the opening quarter.
This is just a fantastic throw from Moore, hitting his drop back before stepping up in the pocket and firing it on a line to Sadiq for the eventual score. Also, great catch from Sadiq as he had to make somewhat of a diving-ish effort to come down with it. Overall it was just a great play from the Ducks offense, further extending their lead with 6:25 to go in the first quarter. Moore would come out firing on Oregon's next possession, connecting on passes of 24, 21, and 21-yards again to register his second passing touchdown of the game to kick things off in the second quarter.
Out of the three passes these two were my favorite, though that mostly has to do with the fact that the second of the three was just a pop pass to Malik Benson. The first one though we would see Moore do what he does better than most other quarterbacks in the country, rolling to his right. With a defender giving chase (who hit him as he threw) Moore is able to deliver a strike to Gary Bryant Jr. right on his body who was able to turn up field and help the Ducks pick up 24-yards on the final play of the first quarter. A few plays later we would see Moore and Sadiq connect again for another touchdown, this one coming from 21-yards out as Oregon hit the Rutgers defense with a little trickeration, allowing the speedy tight end to wind up wide open in the end zone for the eventual touchdown. Much like their first score, Sadiq would go up and make a ridiculous catch to come down with the ball in the end zone. Moore just zipped that SOB in there for his tight end, who again was able to haul it in to give the Ducks a 21-3 lead less than a minute into the second quarter. Oregon would keep the pedal to the metal on their next drive following a Rutgers fumble, with the offense only needing three plays before Moore would hit Dakorien Moore between two defenders for a 34-yard touchdown with 11:34 to go in the quarter.
With a defender coming around the edge, and another closing in front of him, Moore remains calm and delivers an absolute strike to Moore down the middle of the field for an easy touchdown, splitting two Rutger defenders in the process. Dude was just playing in an absolute rhythm at this point as he was then 11/12 with 189-yards and three touchdowns, and that's when we were less than five minutes into the second quarter, he was flow state. Moore may not have registered another passing touchdown on Oregon's next possession, but his 29-yard pass to Dakorien Moore would help get the Ducks to the Scarlet Knight 28-yard line, which would ultimately help set up a 28-yard touchdown run by Noah Whittington to make it 28-3 midway through the second quarter.
An inch perfect pass here from Moore, as he was able to find his receiver in a tight window for the aforementioned 29-yard gain. Dakorien Moore may have had a step on his initial defender, but with the safety coming over top Dante Moore knew he had to put this more on a line, which he did perfectly as he hit his receiver right on his body, allowing him to secure the catch, get his head up, and pick up a few more yards before getting stopped at the Rutgers 28-yard line. Oregon would find themselves in pretty unfamiliar territory early on in their next drive, sitting at third and nine from their own 29-yard line. No need to fear though as Moore would connect with a decently open Jamari Johnson for a 56-yard gain to get them to the Rutgers 15-yard line.
With pressure coming around the edge, Moore remains calm in the pocket and delivers a very nice ball to Johnson who is able to cut up field and pick up 56-yards on the catch and run. He did take a little shot after he let this ball go but like I've said before, I love seeing quarterbacks remain tall and calm in the pocket despite knowing that they're going to take a shot. Great throw and catch to help get them deep into Rutgers territory. Following a couple defensive penalties and a couple incompletions Moore would hit Noah Whittington out of the backfield from five yards out to further extend Oregon's lead with 43-seconds to go in the second quarter, giving him his fourth passing touchdown of the game. It wouldn't take long for Oregon to find the end zone again to start the second half, needing only two plays with Jordon Davison picking up 67-yards on the ground before taking it in from 20-yards out to make it 49-3 with 11:44 to go in the quarter. Moore would flash the athleticism on the Ducks' next drive, picking up 35-yards with his legs to get them down to the Scarlet Knight 31-yard line. Despite being well in Rutgers territory, Moore would unfortunately register his first interception of the game, coming with 6:34 to go in the quarter.
This is just an unfortunate play for Moore, as the defender just rips the ball away from his receiver to come away with the interception. A little too far inside and a tad late, as the defender had enough time to break on the ball despite slipping in coverage. Thankfully for him nothing would come from the turnover as the defense would force Rutgers to punt the ball away after going three and out. Moore would respond by hitting Dierre Hill Jr. out of the backfield for an 11-yard gain, a play that would help set up a 35-yard touchdown run by Hill to give the Ducks a 56-3 lead with 3:42 to go in the third quarter. That would be Moore's final contribution to the game, as the back-ups would come in and help see out a resounding 56-10 road victory for the Ducks, bouncing back from their double digit home loss to Indiana. Like I said before, any team standing in Oregon's way this week was going to get it, and that's exactly what happened to Rutgers as Moore and the offense put up a whopping 750-yards of total offense, with Moore registering each of his four passing touchdowns in the first half alone. Oregon throughly dominated this game, with Moore looking more like himself in the win. This week the Ducks are back at home, playing host to a Wisconsin Badgers team that has not registered a single point since October 4th. I know Wisconsin made Oregon sweat a little bit last year, but given the current state of things I have a really hard time seeing history repeat itself this time around.
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 - 3
Wk 9 - v Wisconsin
4. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
Wk 8 - 17/25 124 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/14 carries -9 yds 0 touchdowns v no.14 Oklahoma (26-7 L)
Season - 90/139 1,134 yds 5 touchdowns 2 interceptions/84 carries 108 yds 1 touchdown
South Carolina have had a rough go of things as of late as they have fallen in four of their last five match-ups, with their only win coming at home against a bad Kentucky Wildcats team. Now, this isn't due to a lack of effort or anything as the Gamecocks have kept these games close for the most part (minus the Vanderbilt one) but in the end the talent gap between them and the team(s) they are playing starts to show. In their losses against the likes of Missouri, LSU, and most recently Oklahoma, South Carolina has found themselves either down by a score (or less) or leading at the break, only to ultimately wind up losing the game by two scores. It's annoying for sure, but sometimes that's just the way of the world. As I brought up just a little bit ago, South Carolina fell this past weekend at home to Oklahoma by the score 26-7, after being down 14-7 at halftime. In the loss quarterback LaNorris Sellers put forth a solid showing, going 17/25 for 124-yards with a touchdown and no interceptions, which weirdly enough is the first time he's registered a passing touchdown since their 29-20 loss to Missouri back in late September. As strange of a stat as that is, it was still nice to see Sellers find the end zone again, even though it really didn't wind up mattering in the grand scheme of things. With that let's get into the game. Sellers would come out firing on South Carolina's first drive of the game following an Oklahoma touchdown, hitting Nyck Harbor for gains of nine and 12-yards on the first two plays of their opening drive.
The first of the two passes mentioned above was just a pop pass with Harbor coming in motion across the formation. The second one though sees Sellers drive the the ball right into Harbor's body, helping them pick up 12-yards on second and one. Now, I know there's probably some people out there confused one why I highlighted that pass as it's really not an insanely otherworldly throw or anything, but like I alluded to last week I want to see Sellers' continued development as a passer more than anything. With Harbor's route carrying him across the middle of the field, some quarterbacks may try to lead him rather than place it on his body. In most of those cases with the defender playing over top, the pass will either get broken up or the defender will jump the route and intercept the pass. This play looked destined to be intercepted, but Sellers does a nice job at zipping this ball in there right onto Harbor's body, avoiding the any sort of disruption from the defender. Really solid throw from Sellers to help move the Gamecocks closer to Sooner territory. Following a couple short runs Rahsul Faison would break off a massive one on fourth and one, picking up 36-yards and getting them down to the Oklahoma nine yard line. Unfortunately for them, despite the field position the Gamecocks would fail to get it over the line, ultimately turning the ball over on downs with 4:40 to go in the first. South Carolina would fail to move the ball at all on their next two drives, as they would go three and out while registering a whopping -8-yards of offense between them. They would get things going again on their third drive of the second quarter, which was kicked off by Sellers connecting with Jayden Sellers that would initially go seven yards, but would be boosted thanks to a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty that would help get them down to the Oklahoma 25-yard line. Despite the penalty and plus field position South Carolina would find themselves in another fourth and short situation. Unlike their last attempt though, Sellers would keep it himself and pick up the much needed first down with his legs.
Now, I will start off by saying this Sellers did make the wrong read, as he should have gave the ball to his back with the defender keying in on him. That being said, like I've brought up hundreds of times before, Sellers is the hardest player to bring down in all of college football, as he's able to make a play out of something that looked to be dead to rights at the start. Yes it was only a two yard run, but this again just shows his ability to make something out of nothing. A few plays later, and following an Oklahoma pass interference penalty, Sellers would hit Nyck Harbor on fourth and goal in the end zone from two yards out to give the Gamecocks their first score of the game with 1:43 to go in the second quarter.
I know this was only a two yard touchdown pass here from Sellers, but I just like his ability to remain calm, waiting for something to open up in the end zone for the eventual score. With Oklahoma sending pressure, Sellers just smartly backpedals rather than panic and get outside the pocket, again waiting for Harbor or any of his other receivers to get open. Then he just pops it over the top for the easy touchdown. That would ultimately wrap up things in the first half, with South Carolina pulling back to within seven to make it 14-7 going into the second half. The next few drives for the Gamecocks though would not see the same success as they would be forced to punt the ball away after going three and out on their next two drives before punter Mason Love's pass would be intercepted on a fake punt as the Gamecocks would try to catch the Sooners napping after going three and out for the third time in the quarter. They would fail to get the ball moving once again on their fourth drive of the quarter, going three and out again with a delay of game and false start penalty pushing them from fourth and one to fourth and 11. They would finally be able to string a drive together on their first possession of the fourth quarter, with Sellers making something out of nothing to pick up 12-yards on the ground on third and 11 from their own 17-yard line.
Just a great job by Sellers at making something out of seemingly nothing once again. Like, the dude is again dead to rights in the backfield as Oklahoma gets a free rusher on him. But like I say all the time, there isn't a hard quarterback to bring down in all of college football than Sellers, as he's able to keep his balance before cutting up field, taking what the defense gave him for a 12-yard gain on third and long. Sellers would then hit Oscar Adaway III out of the backfield for a 19-yard gain on third and 17 later on in the drive before a string of three straight incompletions would see them faced with a fourth and 10 situation. Not to fear though, as Sellers would once again pick up the much needed first down with his legs, keeping his balance along the sideline to pick up 13-yards while getting them to the Oklahoma side of the 50.
Do I even need to say it? I mean, Sellers is just the best in the country at doing this, as he's able to pick up the aforementioned much needed first down with his legs despite being in a fourth and 10 situation on their own side of the 50. Just a great play from Sellers, especially since he was able to keep his balance along the sideline to gain a few more yards after picking up the first down. Sellers would come up with a 17-yard pass attempt on another fourth down attempt a few plays later, the only problem was that it was fourth and 36, as the Gamecocks would ultimately turn it over on downs despite his best efforts. Their next drive would see them start from their own one yard line, and much like the yard line they were on the drive would only last one play as Matt Fuller would get stuffed at the line of scrimmage and brought down in the end zone for a safety, making the score 26-7 with 4:22 to go in the fourth. Sellers' day would be done after that, as the back-ups would come in as the Gamecocks fell once again by the score 26-7. Like I mentioned before, it's been a really rough go of things as of late for South Carolina, as they have again lost four of their last five games. As for Sellers there's only so much he can do, as he was sacked a whopping six times to bring his season total to 25, which is pretty crazy considering that he didn't play the whole game against Vanderbilt due to a concussion. Are some of the sacks on him? Of course, but there were multiple times this game where an Oklahoma defender met him in the backfield essentially the same time as the ball did once it was snapped. Just an unfortunate loss, and I wish it got easier for them but they have to play host to the fourth ranked Alabama Crimson Tide this coming weekend. Though they played them close in Tuscaloosa last season, given how both teams are playing I don't really see this one being all too close.
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Wk 9 - v no.4 Alabama
5. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
Wk 8 - 19/28 225 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries -13 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.17 Vanderbilt (31-24 L)
Season - 154/232 1,638 yds 11 touchdowns 5 interceptions/21 carries 0 yds 0 touchdowns
As I've spoken about a couple times since the start of the season, the LSU offense has been out of sorts recently. I mean, given the talent that they have at the quarterback position you would think that they'd be able to score over 20-points a game with easy and with consistency. Unfortunately it's been seemingly pretty hard for the Tigers to register more than that, as prior to this past weekend they have registered over 20-points just twice, with those games coming against the likes of Louisiana Tech and Southeastern Louisiana, two games that you would hope LSU would be able to move the ball with ease. For whatever reason they've been off, ranking in the bottom half in regards to scoring and total offense while also ranking second from the bottom in regards to rushing offense. All that being said I wasn't really expecting the Tigers to right all those wrongs this past weekend as they traveled to Nashville to take on a Vanderbilt Commodores team that was fresh off a bye after losing for the first time this season in their previous match-up against Alabama, falling by a score of 30-14. Despite being the higher ranked team going in, LSU found themselves as the road underdogs with Vanderbilt coming in as -1.5-point favorites. In the end it seems as though the betting agencies were correct in their assessment as the Commodores comes out 31-24 home victors. Despite the loss, I though LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier played one of his best games to date, going 19/28 for 225-yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions, the first time he's been able to do that since their aforementioned win against Southeastern Louisiana back on September 20th (just third game this season where he's managed to throw zero interceptions). All that being said things would start off pretty solidly for the Tigers on offense, with Nussmeier connecting with Kyle Parker for an 11-yard gain on third and six.
This is a really long and accurate throw here from Nussmeier. With multiple defenders in his face on third and six, he is able to remain calm and deliver a nice ball to Parker along the far sideline for the aforementioned 11-yard gain. I really don't know how the defender didn't make a play on this ball given the circumstances, but it was still a really accurate throw from Nussmeier to help LSU pick up a much needed first down and get them closer to the 50-yard line. A couple plays later Nussmeier would hit Barion Brown for 12-yards on second and eight to officially get them across the midfield marker. He would then connect with Brown again for six more yards before gains of three and nine yards on the ground would get them to the Vanderbilt 28-yard line. Unfortunately for the Tiger offense things would kind of stall out there as Nussmeier would take a three yard sack on first down before throwing two straight incompletions for force them into taking a 48-yard field goal, which Damian Ramos would convert on to make it 3-0 with 9:32 to go in the quarter. Following a Vanderbilt, Nussmeier would hit Ju'Juan Johnson on a screen to the flat who would take it from the LSU 25 to the 46-yard line, picking up 26-yards on the play only for it to be called back due to an offensive holding call. A few plays later LSU would find themselves in a third and 10 situation, but thankfully for them Nussmeier would step up in the pocket and fire one into Barion Brown for a 16-yard gain and getting them to the 41-yard line.
This is one thing Nussmeier does better than most of the other quarterbacks in this class as though he can be a erratic at times, he scans the field very well overall and possesses very good pocket presence. On this one we can see that his eyes started out to the right, but with pressure coming from that side he smartly slides up in the pocket while keeping his eyes down the field before firing it into Brown for the aforementioned 16-yard gain. This is just a great play overall from Nussmeier, helping the Tigers pick up a much needed first down on third and 10. Following a couple decent runs by Harlem Berry and a 15-yard pass interference call on the defense, Nussmeier would register his first passing touchdown of the game, hitting Trey'Dez Green on a crossing route to give the Tigers a 10-7 lead 10-seconds into the second quarter.
This is just a great job by Nussmeier at buying enough time in the backfield to allow his tight end to get open on the crossing route for the pretty easy 24-yard score. I mean, Nussmeier received the ball from center at the 30-yard line and let the ball go around the 39-yard line with a defender directly in his face. Now that's what I call buying time, holding onto the ball until the very last second to help LSU register their first touchdown of the game. The offense would move the ball decently well on their next possession, with Nussmeier hitting Trey'Dez Green in the flat who would pick up 19-yards on third and one. But ultimately they would come up short as Damian Ramos would fail to hit from 52-yards out, leaving the score at 14-10 in favor of Vanderbilt with 2:33 to go until halftime. Despite the little amount of time left in the half the LSU offense would get another crack at it following a failed fourth down conversion by Vanderbilt, starting their next drive at the Commodore 36-yard line. Nussmeier would come through with a nice throw in the face of pressure on second and eight, hitting Zavion Thomas for 11-yards to get them down to the Vanderbilt 11-yard line.
Nussmeier got absolutely walloped on this play, and yet was still able to get off an accurate ball to Thomas for the aforementioned 11-yard gain. Like I've spoken about numerous times before, I always love seeing quarterbacks not being afraid of contact and firing it down the field while remaining calm in the pocket. Was Thomas decently open on the play? Sure, but given the circumstances, this was a great throw from Nussmeier to help pick up a first down on second and eight. Unfortunately nothing much would come from this drive, as LSU would be forced to settle for a field goal with 45-seconds remaining in the half. Unlike their last field goal attempt though, kicker Damian Ramos would convert from 42-yards out to make the score 14-13 before the break. Though they came away with points, so did Vanderbilt as they too would register a field goal before halftime to make it now 17-13. To make matters worse they would also come out firing to kick things off in the second half, capping off a 75-yard 10-plays drive with a one yard touchdown pass from Diego Pavia, making the score now 24-13 midway through the third. Thankfully for LSU it would not take long for them to find the end zone themselves, as Nussmeier would hit on passes of 12 and 18-yards before connecting with Zavion Thomas for a 62-yard touchdown to bring them back to within three (following the two point conversion) with 6:52 to go in the quarter.
Out of the three passes I mentioned above, these two were my favorite. On the first one we see Nussmeier connect with Aaron Anderson down the hash for a 18-yard gain. Falling backwards with pressure right in his face, Nussmeier remains calm and delivers an accurate ball to Anderson, who is able to put his hand in the dirt and keep his balance before going down for the aforementioned 18-yard gain. Just a solid throw there from Nussmeier. Next the touchdown pass, I don't really know how 1) Nussmeier was able to get this ball off and 2) how Thomas was able to break through those defenders to come away with the massive 62-yard score. Like, I know the pass only traveled a couple yards past the line of scrimmage, but Nussmeier did an excellent job at rolling to his left as pressure came from the right before taking a shot while firing it to Thomas who again was able to make multiple defenders miss before finding his way to the end zone for six. Just two really impressive plays from Nussmeier and co., helping them get back to within three (again, following the two point conversion) midway through the third quarter. Following a Vanderbilt touchdown LSU would find themselves down 10 to kick things off in the fourth quarter. On their next drive Nussmeier would only complete one pass, which would go to Trey'Dez Green for a 13-yard gain on second and five before Caden Durham would take the ball on third and six and pick up a whopping 51-yards on the ground, getting them all the way down to the Vanderbilt two yard line. Despite the massive gain and great field position the Tiger offense would fail to get it across the goal line, forcing them to settle for another Damian Ramos field goal with 11:39 to go in the fourth quarter. To make things worse the Tigers would fail to pick up a single first down the remainder of the game, going three and out on their final two drives (going for a combined -10-yards) as the Commodores would hold on for a 31-24 home victory. Despite being road underdogs, I did think LSU would have enough to take down the mighty Vanderbilt. In the loss I did think Nussmeier put forth a solid showing, making some big plays throughout the game for the Tigers despite them ultimately falling up short. This week they are back at home, playing host to the third ranked Texas A&M Aggies. In last year's match-up between the two schools Nussmeier struggled, throwing three interceptions as LSU completely fell apart in the second half, with A&M taking home a 38-23 victory. I'm sure Nussmeier's going to want to avenge last season's showing, and given that the Aggies can be pretty leaky on defense maybe, just maybe, they can pull off the upset.
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Wk 3 - 1
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Wk 9 - v no.3 Texas A&M
6. John Mateer, Oklahoma
Wk 8 - 18/26 150 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/8 carries 14 yds 0 touchdowns @ South Carolina (26-7 W)
Season - 133/205 1,567 yds 7 touchdowns 6 interceptions/65 carries 209 yds 5 touchdowns
Following an insanely rough showing against then unranked Texas in the Red River Rivalry, Oklahoma and their quarterback John Mateer needed to bounce back in a big way if they were to get back to being viewed as one of the nation's top teams. Though I wouldn't say the perception of them has changed all too much since then, they were still able to come away with a 26-7 road win against South Carolina this past weekend. Look, I understand that the Gamecocks are not an elite team by any stretch of the imagination, but Columbia is always a tough place to go, and they did make the Sooners work for it, at least early on as they would punt the ball away on four of their first six drive of the game. Out of everyone associated with Oklahoma, the one player who needed to respond the most following the aforementioned Texas loss was quarterback John Mateer, who registered zero touchdowns and three interceptions in the 23-6 loss. Prior to that game, but more notably prior to the injury Mateer was being spoken about as the odds on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, as his fearlessness and competitiveness really got people excited to tune into Oklahoma football. After the Texas game though he's been nowhere to be found, as he had six touchdowns and six interceptions up to this point in the season. That being said he would put forth a better statistical showing in this one against South Carolina, going 18/26 for 150-yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions, bringing his total passing touchdowns for this season to seven. Though it was the first time he hadn't thrown for more than 200-yards this season, it was just nice to see Mateer completing passes to players wearing the same color jersey as him again. Things would start out pretty good for Mateer and the Oklahoma offense, with him completing passes of 11 and 16-yards to help guide the Sooners down the field for their first score of the game, which came via a 18-yard run by Tory Blaylock midway through the quarter.
Of the two longer passes Mateer attempted on this drive the one that went for 16-yards was my favorite. As I've spoken about before I love to see quarterbacks attacking the middle of the field, and though Jaren Kanak was decently open initially, had the throw been slightly off the defender playing over top could have either broken it up or picked it off. Overall it was a very solid throw from Mateer, with Kanak also doing a nice job at hanging onto the ball through the contact as the defender hit him pretty much as soon as the ball did. A few plays later Blaylock would again take it in from 18-yards out, giving Oklahoma a 7-0 lead, capping off a nice 10-play 75-yard drive. The Sooner defense would come up big on the Gamecocks first drive of the game. Though they were able to get it down to the Oklahoma nine yard line they would fail to get it across the goal line, keeping the score at 7-0 in favor of the Sooners. The offense would then start their next drive at their own three yard line, and though Blaylock would pick up 13-yards on the opening play and Mateer would hit JaVonnie Gibson for a first down on third and seven, they would ultimately be forced to punt the ball away after seven plays with less than 30-seconds to go in the quarter. Mateer would help the Sooners pick up a couple much needed first downs on third down situations, connecting with Isaiah Sategna III for 10-yards on third and six and Deion Burks for eight on third and five before Xavier Robinson would take it in from 10-yards out to extend their lead to 14 with 9:21 to go in the second quarter. Oklahoma would be forced the ball away after three, five, and eight plays on their next three drives, though Mateer would hit Sategna on an out route that would result in a 19-yard gain for the offense (though it wouldn't really mean anything). The Sooners would start their next drive at their own 47-yard line and though they wouldn't move the ball too much further, they would move it just enough to allow kicker Tate Sandell to attempt a 55-yard field goal, which he would convert to make the score 17-7 with six minutes to go in the third quarter. Oklahoma would start their next drive off at the South Carolina 49-yard line following a failed fake punt by the Gamecocks. On the drive Mateer would connect with Blaylock for an initial five yard gain that would essentially turn into a 20-yard gain following a roughing the passer call on the Gamecocks. A couple plays after the penalty Mateer would register his first touchdown pass of the game, hitting Sategna down the far sideline for a 20-yard touchdown, making the score 24-7 with 2:06 to go in the quarter.
Nice use of the pump fake to the flat here by Mateer as it caused two Gamecock defenders who could have been in coverage to bite super hard, allowing Sategna to get in behind for the eventual score. Aside from the fake, Mateer also does a good job at throwing this more as a back shoulder pass as it kept the ball away from the defender guarding Gibson. So even if he had a better jump on it, the ball placement from Mateer was top notch, again helping Oklahoma grow their lead later on in the fourth quarter. The Sooners would fail to have the same success on their next drive as Mateer would be sacked for an 11-yard loss on third and six, forcing them to punt the ball away with them now in a fourth and 17 situation on their own 33-yard line. Their next two drives would see them go three and out, but the defense would come up big with safety to ultimately make the score 26-7, with Oklahoma holding on to take home a nice road victory in conference play. Like I mentioned before, after the rough showing in Dallas a week ago, we needed to see some sort of bounce back performance from Mateer and co. against a weaker South Carolina team. Though Mateer and the offense weren't perfect, they did enough to come away with a nice double digit win. This week though I would imagine things being a little bit harder as though they are back at home, they are taking on the eighth ranked Ole Miss Rebels, who are coming off their first loss of the season after falling 43-35 on the road against Georgia. This won't be an easy game by any means, but it wouldn't shock me if Mateer and co. pulled off a dub against the higher ranked Rebels.
Wk 1 - 9
Wk 2 - 6
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Wk 9 - v no.8 Ole Miss
7. Darian Mensah, Duke (+2)
Wk 8 - 32/44 373 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/4 carries -13 yds 0 touchdowns v no.12 Georgia Tech (27-18 L)
Season - 175/249 2,211 yds 17 touchdowns 2 interceptions/27 carries -61 yds 0 touchdowns
One of the toughest games to date for Darian Mensah and the Duke Blue Devils as they played host to the then 12th ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, a team who was coming off their sixth consecutive win of the season, starting 6-0 for the first time since 2011. As for Duke they had rattled off three consecutive victories after falling in back-to-back games against then 11th ranked Illinois and Tulane, both on the road with the latter game being Mensah's return to New Orleans since leaving for Durham this past offseason. Weirdly enough, despite Georgia Tech boasting a 6-0 record while also being the 12th ranked team in the country, the 4-2 unranked Duke Blue Devils came into this game as a somewhat surprising home favorite (-3.5-points). I'm not going to lie, it surprised me seeing that, but should it have? I mean, the Blue Devils can hold claim to one of the conference's top offense, with Mensah's squad ranking second in the ACC in yards per game (behind only Florida State) and first in passing, while also ranking in the top-20 for total offense and top three for passing (behind only Baylor and USC). Duke has a fantastic offense, a solid rushing attack, and an average defense, so again it shouldn't have surprised me too much to see them as the favorite going in, but in the end the higher ranked team prevailed as Georgia Tech won by the score 27-18. Despite the loss Mensah put forth another solid performance, going 32/44 for 373-yards (second highest total of the season) with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Despite starting off with terrible field position as their first drive kicked off from their own three yard line Mensah would come out firing on their first play from scrimmage, hitting Cooper Barkate on a hitch who would take it 35-yards down the field to get them out of the shadow of their own end zone. Mensah would then hit on a couple shorter passes before hitting Barkate again, this time after rolling to his right and hitting his receiver for a 20-yard gain.
Very strong throw on the run here by Mensah as he's able to fit it into receiver despite his route carrying him right into the path of a couple Georgia Tech defenders. As I've spoken about before in these types of situations it's important to place this ball on the receiver's body rather than try and lead them as it could either result in the defender making a play on the ball or your receiver's head getting chopped off. It's really as close to a perfect throw as you could get from Mensah given the circumstances, which helped get them down to the Yellow Jacket 19-yard line. Duke would eventually get the ball all the way down to the Georgia Tech one yard line, but after a mishap on the handoff they would fumble the ball away, with the defense not only recovering, but taking it back 99-yards for the first score of the game. It went from a potential Duke touchdown to Georgia Tech touchdown in such an insanely short amount of time, just crazy how football can be sometimes. On their next drive following the defensive touchdown Mensah would come out firing again, connecting with Cooper Barkate on a bubble screen that would go for 20-yards and get them to the Georgia Tech 46-yard line. The drive would initially look to stall out as Duke would find themselves in a fourth and five situation from the Georgia Tech 41-yard line. With the play clock winding down Mensah would snap the ball, and with pressure barreling down on him he would remain calm and fire one into Sahmir Hagans for a 12-yard gain.
Like I've spoken about numerous times before, I absolutely love seeing quarterbacks remain calm and tall in the pocket knowing damn well that they're going to take a shot from any oncoming defender. I don't care if the throw itself wasn't ridiculous or highlight worthy, but it's still an important throw to show that Mensah isn't afraid to stand in the pocket and deliver accurate throws in the face of pressure. Mensah and Hagans would connect on the following play for a further nine yards to get them inside the red zone for the second time on as many drives. Unfortunately for Duke not only would the drive stall out, but on the ensuing field goal attempt the holder would muff the hold and get brought down 13-yards back from the play (which started at the 12) at the Georgia Tech 25-yard line. Back-to-back drives Duke should have come away with some kind of point, and yet turnovers got in the way as they found themselves still down early in the second quarter. Thankfully nothing would come from that turnover as the Yellow Jackets would be forced to punt after going three and out. Duke would punt the ball away as well on their next drive after five plays before finally finding the end zone their next time out, with Mensah registering his first passing touchdown of the game. Prior to the score though Duke would find themselves facing a third and five from their own 25-yard line, with Mensah looking dead to rights in the backfield. Thankfully for them, Mensah would make a ridiculous play to help Duke pick up the first and get them from the 25 to the 45.
One of my favorite traits in a quarterback is the ability to make something out of nothing. Like I brought up a little bit ago, Mensah was completely dead to rights in the backfield, as he was getting chased from the 25-yard line all the way back to the five. He was then able to break the shoestring tackle from said defender while making another miss before firing it down the field to Barkate for the aforementioned 20-yard gain. Now, though Barkate was seemingly open down the field Mensah still had to get enough on this ball to get it over the top of the initial defender while also taking enough off of it so the ball doesn't sail on him. All in all this was a really impressive play by Mensah, helping extend the drive while picking up a much needed first down. Mensah would then hit on a few shorter passes along the drive before hitting Landen King in the end zone from 20-yards out to give Duke their first score of the game.
This is a pretty easy read for Mensah to make as he can see pre-snap that his 6'5" 230 lbs. tight end is going to be in one-on-one coverage against a smaller corner. Now, Georgia Tech did try to ease the corner's task by attempting to jam King at the line of scrimmage, but in the end he was just too big to handle which lead to the eventual touchdown for. theBlue Devils. Great job remaining calm in the pocket, just buying time before his tight end could get open for the score. Duke would start the second half with excellent field position following a 35-yard return by Shamar Hagans on the opening kickoff. With the ball on their own 45, Mensah would hit Cooper Barkate on a comeback after rolling to his right for a 10-yard gain to pick up a first down and get them to the Georgia Tech side of the 50. Mensah would hit on a few short to intermediate passes as the drive went along, and those mixed with the run game would help them get all the way down to the one yard line. Despite this, the Blue Devils would ultimately have to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Todd Pelino, giving them their first lead of the game while capping off an impressive 15-play drive that would take 8:43 off the clock. Mensah would come out firing on Duke's next drive as he'd connect with Nate Sheppard a few yards past the line of scrimmage for. 15-yard gain on second and nine. Not much more would come from that drive though, as they'd be forced to punt the ball away after just five plays (NOTE: Mensah did have a very nice pass to Barkate, but it got called back due to OPI and wouldn't have gotten enough for the first down). Duke would go three and out on their next drive but would be able to string some sort of drive together their next time out as Mensah would complete passes of 24, 21, and 11-yards to help take them from their own 15 to the Georgia Tech 29-yard line.
Back-to-back really strong throws here from Menah, with these mixed with an 11-yard pass to Barkate again helping get them from their own 15-yard line to the opposite 29 in just three plays. On the 24-yard pass to Hagans, Mensah does an excellent job at getting outside the pocket to the left after seeing nothing open initially down the field. He would then use his hand to direct his receiver before letting the ball go with a defender jumping right in his face and finding Hagans along the sideline for a first down on second and 20. The second throw we'd see him make a really long throw, throwing the ball from the far hash all the way back to the far sideline. With a defender making his way to Mensah, he does a nice job at remaining calm and firing it to an open Barkate who's able to pick up some yards after making the catch. Despite those three plays the Blue Devils would ultimately have to settle for a field goal, only this time kicker Todd Pelino would fail to convert from 46-yards out, keeping the score at 20-10 with 2:52 to go in the fourth. Georgia Tech would find the end zone again on their next drive to make it 27-10, and with Duke getting the ball back with 2:10 to go they'd need to work fast if they were to make this a little more respectable. On their next drive Mensah would take what the defense gave him, hitting on a few short to intermediate passes before tossing it up to Sahmir Hagans from 19-yards out who would make a nice catch in the end zone for the score.
Sometimes as a quarterback you just have to toss it up and let your playmakers make plays, which is exactly what Mensah did right here. Not to say it wasn't a good pass or anything, but most of the credit on this score has to go to Hagans, right? As he fought through the contact to come down with it in the end zone for the score. Unfortunately that would pretty much mark the end of things, as the onside kick would go out of bounds and Georgia Tech would kneel it out to take home a 27-18 road victory (crazy catch by Cooper Barkate to pick up the two point conversion). I'm sure this was a tough pill to swallow for those in black and blue last Saturday, as some ill-advised mishaps really hurt Duke in the long run. As for Mensah, he again made numerous big plays for the Blue Devils, doing everything in his power to help them get it over the Yellow Jackets. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be, as Duke enters the bye week with a 4-3 record after picking up their first conference loss of the season.
Wk 1 - N/R
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - N/R
Wk 4 - N/R
Wk 5 - N/R
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Wk 7 - 9
Wk 8 - 7
Wk 9 - BYE
8. Taylen Green, Arkansas (+2)
Wk 8 - 19/32 256 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/12 carries 85 yds 2 touchdowns v no.4 Texas A&M (45-42 L)
Season - 138/221 1,910 yds 17 touchdowns 5 interceptions/83 carries 589 yds 5 touchdowns
Arkansas have had a rough go of things so far this season. As things stand right now they currently sit with a 2-5 record, but in every game apart from their 56-13 home demolition against Notre Dame, they have lost but just one score, including in this most recent game against then fourth ranked Texas A&M. In those losses, only one of them has been as home, and every game apart from their loss against Memphis was against an opponent that was ranked at the time. Arkansas has lost four games this season by a combined 13-points, with their biggest loss coming on the road against Ole Miss in a game where they fell by a score of 41-35. So like I said before it's been a really tough start to the season for the Razorbacks, who just finished their second game under interim and former head coach Bobby Petrino. In said second game (like I mentioned before) Arkansas fell at home to Texas A&M by the score of 45-42, though the Razorbacks did put up a fairly insane 527-yards of total offense. Within that insane number of yards sat quarterback Taylen Green, who put on a very nice showing after rebounding well last week against Tennessee. In the loss Green would go 19/32 for 256-yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions to go along with 85-yards on the ground on 12-carries with two more touchdowns there to boot. Though Green would wind up putting up great numbers it would be the running backs who would really get things started for Arkansas on offense, with Mike Washington Jr. picking up gains of six, 14, and 48-yards to help get them all the way down to the Aggie four yard line. In the end though the Razorbacks would fail to punch it across the goal line, with them ultimately for a 22-yard field goal by Scott Starzyk to give them a 3-0 lead with 11:21 to go in the first quarter. Green would show off his running ability early on Arkansas' next drive, picking up 13-yards with his legs to pick up a first down on second and eight.
Though there wasn't anything too insanely impressive on this play, I just love seeing Green make plays with his legs as he is one of the hardest quarterbacks to contain in the open field. Like he's super athletic and has super long strides, making it really hard for any defender trying to get a proper angle on him, as you could see on that play. Overall he's a really gifted athlete, and it helped here as he picked up a decent gain for a first down. The next couple plays that followed this for Arkansas were not the most ideal as a holding penalty would push them back to first and 20 before a loss of four yards on the ground would make it second and 24. Now they would pick up five yards on second down to make it third and 19, and from there Green would fire it into Raylen Sharpe for an 18-yard gain to give them a shot on fourth and one.
After seeing nothing initially open down the field, Green does a great job at stepping up in the pocket and firing it to his receiver for the nice 18-yard gain. A year ago Green may have tried to take off and run, and who knows, maybe he could have picked up the first with his legs here, but I like that he was able to fire it into Sharpe who would go down a yard short of the first down marker. The Razorbacks would attempt to go for it on fourth and one on the following play, but unfortunately for them Green would get put under immense pressure and would see his pass attempt fall incomplete as Arkansas would turn it over on downs at the 50-yard line. Green would flash the athleticism early on their next possession, picking up 33-yards with his legs before going out of bounds at the Texas A&M 42-yard line.
I know earlier I spoke about Sellers being the hardest player to tackle in the open field in college football, and I still stand by that, but I think Green may be the hardest player to track down once he gets going in the open field. Like I alluded to earlier, it's nearly impossible to get a good angle on him because of how long his strides are. Mixing that with his natural athleticism makes him really hard to bring down, as you can see above. Just a nice job at making something out of seemingly nothing. Braylen Russell would pick up a further 21-yards on the ground on the following play, helping get the Razorbacks down to the Aggie 21-yard line. From there Green would hit O'Mega Blake for a 15-yard gain on third and nine before a couple negative plays would see Arkansas settle for another field goal, with Scott Starzyk converting from 22-yards out to make the score 14-6 with 11:17 to go in the second quarter. Green would come out firing on Arkansas' next drive following another A&M touchdown, hitting Blake for 15-yards on the opening plays before connecting with Rohan Jones down the hash for a 33-yard gain. Two plays later Green would call his own number, taking it in from 27-yards out to make the score 21-13 with 1:51 to go until halftime.
By air or by land, Green is always a threat to opposing defenses, helping get the Razorbacks down the field in five plays for their first touchdown of the game. With pressure barreling down on him, Green remained calm in the pocket and floated one into his tight end in the window between a few Texas A&M defenders. With one over top waiting to make a play, Green took a little bit off of it for Jones to come back to hit, giving him time to secure the catch and get his head up before picking up a decent gain on second down. The touchdown run once again shows how dangerous Green is when he gets going. With nothing initially open down the field, he smartly slides to his right and takes what the defense gives him for the eventual walk in touchdown. Two plays that again show how dangerous Green is, helping bring the Razorbacks back with within eight just before halftime. Thanks to a quick stop by the defense Arkansas' offense would get a chance to come away with some more points before the break, getting the ball back with 35-seconds left. Green would start off the drive by getting it to Mike Washington Jr. along the far sideline for a seven yard gain before an incomplete pass would see them face a third and three situation. On said down, Green would give the ball to Washington who would find an opening and take it 57-yards down the field to get them to the Texas A&M seven yard line. With 11-seconds left, Green would snap the ball and roll out to his left, just trying to make something happen. Then, with two seconds to go he would find O'Mega Blake in the back of the end zone for six, making the score now 21-20 with little to no time left in the half.
What a play here from Green. As I've spoken about before, I love quarterbacks who have an innate ability of making something out of nothing, which is exactly what Green did on this play. With nothing initially open in the end zone, he steps up and slides around the defender coming around the left side of the offensive line before making another defender miss and getting to the outside to try and buy time for someone to get open. He then fires it against his body into Blake who is able to make a very good catch in the end zone for the score. What a play to end the half and bring the Razorbacks back to within one, after being down 21-6 with two minutes to go in the quarter. Now they would not see the same success on their first drive of the second half as they'd be forced to punt the ball away after going three and out. That being said they would move the ball much better their next time out, with Green hitting on passes of 15 and 20 yards to help get them all the way down to the Aggie one yard line. From there Green would punch it up the middle himself, giving him his second rushing touchdown of the game while also bringing them back to within five with 4:28 to go in the third (Texas A&M registered a touchdown and a field goal on their first two drives of the half). Following another A&M score to make it 38-27, Arkansas would find themselves in a third and six situation from their own 29-yard line. On said down, Green would get out of a collapsing pocket by rolling to his left, before firing it to O'Mega Blake for a 16-yard gain.
What a play here by Green. With the pocket collapsing all around him, he manages to escape and roll out to his left. From there he remains calm and patient and despite there being two Texas A&M defenders barreling down on him, he delivers a strike to Blake who goes do to get it for a 16-yard gain on third and six. Just a great overall play from Green, helping the Razorbacks extend the drive at the start of the fourth quarter. Green and Blake would connect again a couple plays later, with Green hitting his receiver for a 22-yard gain on a slant to help get them down to the Texas A&M 22-yard line. Green would then connect with Raylen Sharpe for a 13-yard gain on second and 12 before finding Jaden Platt in the back of the end zone from four yards out to make it 38-35 (following a successful two point conversion) with 11:30 to go in the game.
I know this was only a four yard pass from Green, but he still did a very nice job at floating it in there perfectly and in a spot where only his tight end could make a play on it. Great catch by Platt as well but great throw from Green with a defender in his face to help bring the Razorbacks back to within three early on in the fourth quarter (again, following the two point conversion). Texas A&M would find the end zone on their next drive to make the score 45-35 with 6:52 to go in the fourth. Arkansas' next drive would not breed the same success as Green would take a massive 20-yard sack on the opening play of the drive to push them back to second and 30 from their own five yard line. They would unsurprisingly be forced to punt the ball away on that drive, but the defense would come up big as they would force the Aggies to punt the ball after making them go three and out as well, giving the Arkansas offense the ball back with 3:44 to go in the fourth. Things didn't start out the smoothest for the Razorbacks on offense as they'd find themselves in a fourth and five situation from their own 12-yard line. On said down though Green would take it himself and pick up a whopping 49-yards on the ground to get them all the way down to the Texas A&M 39-yard line.
Making something out of nothing once again. With less than three minutes to go in the fourth while backed up on your own 12-yard line on fourth and five, this really could have been the game, and it probably would have been had Arkansas had a different person lining up behind center. With A&M sending pressure and one essentially getting a free shot to the quarterback, Green rolls to his left with two defenders giving chase before cutting up field and picking up a whopping 49-yards on the ground to completely flip the field in Arkansas' favor. Those long strides of his again make it impossible to get a good angle on him, which he fully takes advantage of to give the Razorbacks a new lease on life late in the fourth quarter. Green would take a seven yard sack on the following play, but would come back by hitting Rohan Jones on a crossing route that would go for 18-yards on second and 17. He would follow that up though by taking a massive 18-yard sack on the following play but again would make up for it by hitting O'Mega Blake across the middle of the field who would make a couple defenders miss before picking up 36-yards and getting them down to the Aggie 15-yard line. Green would then connect with CJ Brown for 11-yards on third and 10 before hitting Brown while rolling to his right for an easy four yard touchdown to make the score 45-42. Unfortunately that score would come with only 10-seconds left on the clock, and with A&M recovering the onside kick they would kneel it out to take home a 45-42 road victory. What a hard fought game from Green and the Razorbacks. Despite failing to secure a win in their last five games they have played some really tough football, with Green putting forth an excellent showing in this one despite the loss. Green is really one of the most athletically gifted quarterbacks in this class, and as long as he plays like that Arkansas will have at least a chance in most games. This week Green and co. take on another struggling conference opponent in the form of the Auburn Tigers, who currently sit at 0-4 in conference play up to this point in the season. Much like Arkansas (minus the Notre Dame game) all of Auburn's losses have been by 10 or less points, with their most recent one being a double overtime loss to 15th ranked Missouri. As things stand right now the Razorbacks possess the number one offense statistically in the SEC, but also possess the worst defense statistically as well. Like I said before, if Green continues to play like this Arkansas will be in every game, let's just hope the defense is able to hold the conference's second worst offense in check this weekend.
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 - 8
Wk 9 - v Auburn
9. Josh Hoover, TCU (NEW)
Wk 8 - 22/31 231 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries -2 yds 0 touchdowns v Baylor (42-36 W)
Season - 161/246 2,124 yds 21 touchdowns 6 interceptions/33 carries 7 yds 2 touchdowns
After falling to Kansas State on the road the previous week, I was intrigued to see how Josh Hoover and the rest of the TCU Horned Frogs would do this week against their rivals down south in the form of the Baylor Bears. I don't know about all of you out there, but I was more intrigued to see how this game would turn out than many of the other games I've written about so far. Not because I'm some secret super fan of either team, but these two quarterbacks, Josh Hoover and Sawyer Robertson, in my mind are competing every week to see who the best quarterback in the Big 12 is. Though Robertson leads the nation in passing yards and passing touchdowns (jointly with Hoover and Fernando Mendoza), it was Hoover and the Horned Frogs who would wind up coming out on top, as they would take home an impressive 42-36 home win. I think for most people out there, if you just looked at each quarterbacks stat sheet you could probably guess who won the game, as Robertson would register three interceptions in the fourth quarter alone, whereas Hoover would go 22/31 for 231-yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. The formula for TCU is simple as if Hoover doesn't turn the ball over more than once, there's a very good chance that they'll come out on top. Now this game would start off pretty slow for both teams, as they'd both punt the ball away on their first two drives of the game. That being said on the second of those two drives Hoover would rip one to Eric McAlister for a 27-yard gain from their own four yard line.
Strong, quick, and accurate throw here from Hoover as he's throwing this ball from his own end zone. With the safety crashing hard right before the snap, Hoover knows he has to pull the ball and get it out quick to his receiver who makes a very strong hand catch despite the defender coming over the top. I've seen receiver's drop easier catches than that with a defender barreling down on them, just a great job seeing it in by McAlister after the great throw from Hoover to get them out of the shadow of their own end zone. Unfortunately not much would happen after that as TCU would be forced to punt it away after six plays. Baylor would march right down the field on their next drive to come away with their first score of the game and the Horned Frogs would do the same as Hoover would hit on a couple shorter passes before hitting McAlister across the middle for first down on third and six, a play that would be boosted thanks to a personal foul penalty by the defense. The follow play we would see Hoover register his first passing touchdown of the game, hitting DJ Rogers in the end zone from eight yards out to tie the game up at seven with 10:59 to go in the quarter.
I know this was only an eight yard pass, but I still really like the ball placement here from Hoover. With the middle defender crashing, Hoover knows that there will be an opening. inthe secondary to find his tight end in the end zone for six. On this play Hoover not only did an excellent job at getting the ball over the sucked in defender, but he also put this on Rogers' back shoulder, turning both him and the ball away from the other defender in coverage. Again, it may look like nothing too impressive, but this was again great ball placement from Hoover that helped TCU get their first touchdown of the game. The Horned Frogs would start their next drive with excellent field position after Baylor failed to convert on fourth and four from their own 47-yard line. That being said, despite the field position TCU would be forced to punt the ball away after just six plays. It would seem as if though that the football gods wanted TCU to score, as Baylor would fumble the ball away on the first play of their next drive with the defense recovering at the 17-yard line. With that, it would only take two plays for the offense to find the end zone, with Kevorian Barnes registering runs of 12 and five to give the Horned Frogs a 14-7 lead with 6:10 left in the second quarter. The offense would get the ball back just before the two minute warning following a Baylor field goal to make it 14-10, with Hoover finding DJ Rogers for a 13-yard gain to pick up a first down on third and six.
Great job here by Hoover at scanning the field and sliding around the pocket waiting for something to open up down the field. He then steps up and fires a strong ball into the chest of Rogers who's able to bring it in despite a defender being right on his back. With that defender there, and another one in front, the window for Hoover to hit here isn't the biggest, and yet he does it with ease to help pick up a much needed first down on third and six. A few plays later Hoover would dial up the deep ball, hitting Jordan Dwyer down the far sideline for a 41-yard gain to get them down to the Baylor seven yard line.
This is all about knowing your match-ups, as Hoover saw Dwyer on an island to the top of the field. That mixed with the safety following the slot receiver made this a pretty easy decision for Hoover. Now, did Dwyer have to slow down a little bit on this throw, or maybe bring his route more inside? You could maybe say that, but I still think this was a strong throw from Hoover to help get them deeper into Baylor territory. A couple plays later Hoover and Dwyer would connect again, this time from six yards out as TCU would register their third touchdown of the game with 11-seconds to go until halftime.
Much like his first passing touchdown of the game, it may have come from less than 10-yards out but it was still an impressive throw by Hoover. With the corner crashing hard right as the ball was snapped, Hoover knows he has to get this thing out quick and to the outside as to keep the ball away from the oncoming safety. You really couldn't have placed it much better than Hoover did right there as the defender was in position to make a play on the ball. Just a great throw from Hoover that helped the Horned Frogs extend their lead going into halftime. The Hoover and Dwyer connection would continue on TCU's first drive of the second half, with Hoover throwing a perfect ball in a tight window to his receiver for a 40-yard gain.
This is just a perfect throw here by Hoover, hitting his receiver in a really tight window in stride for what would result in a 40-yard gain. These are the types of throws that I love seeing quarterbacks make, hole shots for big gains down the sideline. You can't ask fro much more from your quarterback here, as it helped get them to the Baylor 19-yard line. A few plays later Hoover would register his third passing touchdown of the game, hitting Ka'Morreun Pimpton in the back of the end zone from three yards out to make it 28-10 in favor of TCU early in the second half.
I love the play design here by TCU as the misdirection throws off the Baylor defense giving Hoover a bigger window to work with in order for him to hit in the back Pimpton of the end zone for six. Just a nice a and simple toss here from Hoover to again help TCU further extend their lead with 11:39 left in the third. Their run of touchdowns would come to an end on their next drive as they would be forced to punt the ball away after going three and out following a Baylor touchdown. That being said it wouldn't take long for them to find the end zone again on their next drive as Trent Battle would take it in from 65-yards out on the third play of the drive to make the score 35-21 less than two minutes into the fourth quarter. The Horned Frogs would go three and out on their following possession but would find the end zone quickly end zone again quickly their next time out, with Kevorian Barnes taking the direct snap and taking it in from 14-yards out on the fourth play of the drive to make the score 42-21 with 6:04 left in the game. Baylor would register a couple more touchdowns (one a fumble return for a touchdown) to make it more interesting, but in the end TCU would hold onto a nice 42-36 home victory. I really liked what I saw from Josh Hoover in this game, as he made numerous big time throws while also playing with excellent efficiency. This coming week Hoover and co. travel out east to West Virginia to take on the Mountaineers, a team that has the third worst passing defense in the Big 12. With that, I do expect Hoover to put up some good numbers once again as the Horned Frogs look to stack wins for the first time since September.
Wk 1 - N/R
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - N/R
Wk 4 - 9
Wk 5 - N/R
Wk 6 - 10
Wk 7 - N/R
Wk 8 - 9
Wk 9 - @ West Virginia
10. Jayden Maiava, USC (-2)
Wk 8 - 22/42 328 yds 2 touchdowns 2 interceptions/2 carries -9 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.13 Notre Dame (34-24 L)
Season - Season - 145/213 2,180 yds 15 touchdowns 4 interceptions/23 carries 41 yds 4 touchdowns
One of the biggest rivalries in college football, USC traveled this past weekend to South Bend, Indiana to take on the then 13th ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Almost 20-years to the day, the infamous "Bush Push" took place, where USC running back Reggie Bush helped "guide" quarterback Matt Leinart into the end zone on second and goal from the one yard line with five seconds to go in the game. That play helped keep USC's undefeated season alive, as later on that season they would take on the Texas Longhorns in the 2005 Rose Bowl, arguably the single most famous college football game ever played. The thing is, USC and Notre Dame was already a rivalry before that famous or infamous play (depending on where you stand), but it definitely added some more fuel to the fire. Across this 20-year span, though the Trojans won five straight the Irish have really dominated the series, winning 11 of the last 15-match-ups. Within those 11 includes their most recent win, which of course came this past Saturday as the Irish came out on top by a score of 34-24, marking their third consecutive win in the series. Despite the loss, I did think that USC quarterback Jayden Maiava played fairly solid, going 22/42 for 328-yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, which I will admit came at a pretty rough time for the Trojans, but more on those later. As for the positives things did start off pretty good for Maiava and the USC offense, as he would connect on passes of 12, 16, and 24 (busted coverage, wide open receiver) to help get them down to the Notre Dame 17-yard line. A few plays later Maiava would register his first passing touchdown of the game, hitting Lake McRee in the corner of the end zone from 10-yards out to give the Trojans their first lead of the game less than four minutes into the quarter.
What a great throw and catch between quarterback and tight end on this play. On second and goal, Maiava does an excellent job at quickly going through his progressions before putting this ball in a spot where only his 6'4" 250 lbs. tight end could make a play on it, which of course he does to help the Trojans again take their first lead of the game. Now the defender in coverage did make their lives a little easier by not turning towards the ball, but this was still perfect ball placement from Maiava as he picked up his first touchdown of the game. Unfortunately their lead wouldn't last all too long as Notre Dame would find the end zone after just four plays thanks to some big time runs from Jeremiyah Love, tying the game up at seven with 10:11 to go in the quarter. Maiava would come out firing on USC's next drive as he'd find an open Walker Lyons on a roll out for 25-yards before sending up a prayer for Tanook Hines to come down with it for a 21-yard gain to get them to the Notre Dame 29-yard line.
I don't even know where to begin on this play. Like one, why did he do that and two, how the hell did that get completed? It's always cool to see plays like this work, especially since it wound up being a very accurate throw, which is pretty crazy. I'm sure Lincoln Riley told him not to do that again once he got back to the sideline, but much like another former USC quarterback under Riley he'll probably wind up doing it again, and it will weirdly probably work again (even though it shouldn't). But overall, with pressure directly in his face pretty much immediately, he's able to get an accurate throw off for an aforementioned 21-yard gain, even though it was a complete prayer. He would nearly get picked off a few plays later on third and six, forcing the Trojans to settle for a 42-yard field goal attempt from Ryon Sayeri, which he would convert to make it 10-7 midway through the quarter. USC's offense would really fail to get anything going the remainder of the quarter as they'd go three and out on their next two possessions after picking up a total of eight yards. They would be able to get things moving again on their opening drive of the second quarter, as Maiava would hit Makai Lemon on a slant that would ultimately go for 27-yards and get them down to the Notre Dame 37-yard line. Unfortunately the drive would end up stalling out after eight plays, with Maiava's pass to Lake McRee on fourth and three falling incomplete as the Trojans would turn the ball over the the Irish 19-yard line. Following one of the worst interceptions you'll see from Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr, USC would start their next drive at the Irish 22 after returning the aforementioned interception back from the two yard line. On said drive Maiava would connect with the likes of Bryan Jackson for 17 and Ja'Kobi Lane for 13 before a defensive pass interference would help them get the ball down to the Notre Dame seven yard line. From there the Trojans would settle for a 24-yard field goal from Ryon Sayeri to bring them back to within one with 1:42 remaining in the first half. Notre Dame would register a touchdown to kick things off in the second half with USC responding with another field goal to make it 21-16 midway through the third. On their next drive though Maiava would dial up a deep ball, hitting Ja'Kobi Lane in stride for a 59-yard touchdown to give the Trojans the lead with 4:17 to go in the quarter.
Just a perfect throw here from Maiava, dropping it right in the bucket for Lane to haul in for the 59-yard score. With Notre Dame playing with a single high safety, Maiava does an excellent job at looking him off to the left before firing it back to the right to create a bigger window for him to hit his receiver. Overall this is just a fantastic play from Maiava, helping give the Trojans their first lead since the second quarter. Unfortunately that lead wouldn't last long as Notre Dame would return the ensuing kickoff back 100-yards for the score, making it now 27-24 (USC registered a two point conversion following their touchdown) (also, Notre Dame kicker Noah Burnette would miss the ensuing extra point) later on in the quarter. Things would only seemingly get worse for the Trojans as on their next drive Maiava would register his first interception of the game, coming with less than two minutes to go in the quarter.
This is just a bad throw from Maiava, as the ball was both under thrown and behind his intended receiver. Can't really say the rain played too much of a roll on that one as again, it was just an off throw. Thankfully for the USC offense the defense would keep Notre Dame out of the end zone, forcing them to settle for a 31-yard field goal with 12:44 remaining in the game. Unfortunately for the Irish, must like the extra point a little bit ago Noah Burnette would fail to convert, keeping the score at 27-24 in the fourth quarter. Despite the interception on the last drive Maiava would come out firing for USC on third and nine, tossing up a deep ball to Makai Lemon who would bring it in for a 42-yard gain.
With a clean pocket, Maiava is afforded time to scan the entire field and go through his progressions, where he is able to find an open Makai Lemon down the field for a 42-yard gain. The rain definitely took a little bit off this throw as Lemon had to come back to it, but I still think it's a big time throw from Maiava to help the Trojans pick up a much needed first down on third and nine. Things would go down hill pretty quickly following that big gain as on the following play Lemon would take the ball on a jet sweep and was seemingly looking to throw the ball down the field. While in the process of doing that he was hit by a Notre Dame defender and lost the ball, with the Irish recovering at the 50-yard line. Given the rain and everything, I don't get that play call at all, absolutely killing what was looking to be a scoring drive for the Trojan offense. Notre Dame would register another touchdown following the turnover, with USC turning it over on downs on their following drive to keep the score at 34-24 with about six minutes to go in the quarter. The Trojans would get another shot at things with 2:28 to go, but on third and 17 later in the drive Maiava would be intercepted for the second time, ultimately sealing the game in the process.
Like I brought up before with his throw to Lemon, maybe this ball goes the distance he's intending it to go if it wasn't for the rain. Unfortunately though it was raining, and with that you have to know the situation. You don't need to get it all back on this play, sure it would be nice, but it's not required. Given the weather and the fact that he was throwing it into double coverage, it was just a bad decision that would again ultimately seal the game for Notre Dame as they'd claim a 34-24 home victory. This was far from Maiava's best game, as the interceptions were pretty rough but I still think he made some pretty impressive plays throughout. Thankfully for Maiava and co. they have a bye this week, giving them some time to rest before traveling to Lincoln to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
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 - 10
Wk 9 - BYE
Others
Carson Beck, Miami (FL) (7)
Wk 8 - 25/35 271 yds 0 touchdowns 4 interceptions/5 carries 8 yds 0 touchdowns
Season - 127/174 1,484 yds 11 touchdowns 7 interceptions/18 carries 26 yds 1 touchdown
Nico Iamaleava, UCLA
Wk 8 - 21/35 221 yds 1 touchdown 2 interceptions/8 carries 25 yds 0 touchdowns v Maryland (20-17 W)
Season - 135/207 1,355 yds 10 touchdowns 5 interceptions/74 carries 360 yds 4 touchdowns
Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
Wk 8 - 28/47 319 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/12 carries 3 yds 0 touchdowns v no.7 Texas Tech (26-22 W)
Season - 127/204 1,358 yds 9 touchdowns 3 interceptions/67 carries 284 yds 5 touchdowns
Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
Wk 8 - 25/52 318 yds 2 touchdowns 3 interceptions/4 carries -12 yds 0 touchdowns @ TCU (42-36 L)
Season - 183/300 2,376 yds 21 touchdowns 7 interceptions/27 carries -1 yd 1 touchdown
Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati
Wk 8 - 20/29 270 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/6 carries 13 yds 1 touchdown @ Oklahoma State (49-17 W)
Season - 119/182 1,718 yds 17 touchdowns 1 interception/58 carries 340 yds 6 touchdowns
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