The Draft "Expert" - Wk 9 2026 NFL Draft Quarterback Prospect Rankings
- Logan Blackman
- 21 hours ago
- 58 min read
YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC7cdR80Fnc
Hello one and all, welcome back to yet another beautifully written blog post by me, the self proclaimed Draft "Expert!" As I'm sure you can probably tell by the title, in this one we will be taking a look at my week nine quarterback prospect rankings for the 2026 NFL Draft!
I know I probably say this every week, but this week's one is probably my favorite post I've made this season. Not only is there a new face in the top five, but there's three completely new faces towards the bottom of the list as well! Now I wouldn't sit here and compare the games we saw last week to this week, as I thought we saw some fantastic quarterback play last week, I just love it because I get to talked about a few new faces which is something I feel like I haven't done in a little bit.
Though they take a decent amount of work, I just love making these blog posts, as it gives me an outlet to express how I feel about the hardest position in sports! The best part about it is that you're entitled to your opinion as well, which you can let me know what you think down below (or in person if you know me)!
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 nine quarterback prospect rankings for the 2026 NFL Draft! Enjoy!
Podcast Links
1. Ty Simpson, Alabama
Wk 9 - 24/43 253 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/6 carries 13 yds 0 touchdowns @ South Carolina (29-22 W)
Season - 177/261 2,184 yds 20 touchdowns 1 interception/51 carries 79 yds 2 touchdowns
To most people out there, I'm sure this game came as somewhat of a surprise, as Ty Simpson and the Alabama Crimson Tide were coming off four straight wins against top-25 opponents in conference play, the first time that has happened in the history of the SEC. Though at face value it seemed like Alabama would walk into Williams-Brice Stadium and come away with a massive dub as South Carolina have come out on the wrong side of things in four of their last five games, the truth of the matter is that the Gamecocks are no pushovers, and like I said last week they would not go out easy against the mighty Crimson Tide. As it turned out South Carolina would have Alabama on the ropes for most of the game, but in the end much like last season, the Tide would prevail and come away with a 29-22 road victory. This had all the makings of a "trap game." Like I stated before, Alabama was coming off of four straight wins against top-25 teams, and with South Carolina coming in with a 3-4 record, it wouldn't have been crazy to think Alabama may look right past them, leaving them open for an upset. The thing is the door was open, it's just that South Carolina forgot to close it and let Alabama back in to allow them to eventually snatch the win. As for quarterback Ty Simpson he didn't necessarily have his best statistical outing, going 24/43 for 253-yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions to go along with a further 13-yards on the ground. Despite the numbers, Simpson still made some big time throws and was a steady hand late as Alabama clawed their way back in the fourth, but more on that later. Things would start off pretty slow for the Crimson Tide on offense, as they would go three and out on their opening two possessions with the defense coming away with the first score of the game, picking off LaNorris Sellers and taking it back 18-yards for the score to give them a 7-3 lead with 5:17 left in the first. Things wouldn't go much better for them their next time out as they would go backwards on their first two plays to put them in a third and 24 situation. Things would seem to get better though as Simpson would hit Daniel Hill on a hitch that would ultimately go for 21-yards, giving them a first down on third and 19 (five yard penalty on the defense the play before). Simpson would then come through with a big time 25-yard pass to Ryan Williams, getting them all the way down to the South Carolina 34-yard line.
Pretty typical Ty Simpson esc. play right here as he initially sees nothing open to his right, then smartly buys time to his left before throwing an accurate ball while fading away to Williams for the aforementioned 25-yard gain. Such an accurate throw along the sideline here from Simpson, just a shame it wouldn't lead to anything as he'd be drilled in the backfield for an eight yard loss, coughing the ball up with the South Carolina defense recovering at their own 42-yard line. Thankfully for Simpson the Alabama defense would hold South Carolina's offense to a field goal, making the score 7-6 with 4:23 to go in the first half. Fortune would start looking Alabama's way on the offensive side of the ball on their next drive, with Simpson completing passes of 11, 18, and 41-yards to help get them all the way down to the Gamecock seven yard line.
Of the three throws I mentioned above, the ones that went for 18 and 41 were my favorite. On the 18-yard pass to Ryan Williams, Simpson does an excellent job at feeling the pressure coming around the backside before stepping up in the pocket and firing an accurate ball to Williams who makes a fantastic diving catch to help get them closer to South Carolina territory. The second throw isn't as flashy as the first one, but Simpson does a great job at rolling to his right after seeing nothing open to the left while evading a couple would be tacklers and sucking in the corner thus freeing up Daniel Hill who was able to pick up 41-yards and get them down to the South Carolina seven yard line. Just two fantastic plays from Simpson to help get them down the field. A few plays later, on fourth and goal from the three yard line, Simpson would fire it into Josh Cuevas, who was open in the middle of the end zone for his first passing touchdown of the game, making the score now 14-6 with 1:35 to go in the second quarter. Simpson would flash the athleticism on their following drive, evading a couple tacklers and picking up two yards with his legs to help pick up a first down on fourth and one. He would then complete a 23-yard pass to Germie Bernard on third and 10 as time expired in the first half but nothing would come from it point wise, thus keeping the score at 14-6 going into the locker room. Simpson would come out running on Alabama's first drive of the second half, fighting through contact and keeping his balance while picking up nine yards on the ground.
This may not be the most highlight worthy run of all time, but I just love seeing Simpson taking what the defense was giving him while making a couple miss while keeping his balance and fighting throw contact to pick up the nine yard gain. Really just love the effort here from Simpson, as it got them to the South Carolina side of the 50 and a yard away from the first down marker. Simpson would nearly be intercepted on the following play as he tried to take a shot towards the end zone in double coverage, but it fell incomplete. Alabama would find themselves in a fourth and one situation a couple plays later, with Simpson tossing up a nice ball to Ryan Williams near the sideline, only for his receiver to drop it, thus turning the ball over on downs with 11:08 to go in the quarter.
This should have resulted in a first down for Alabama, it's just unfortunate that Williams couldn't hold onto the ball. With pressure screaming from the backside, Simpson let's this thing go right as he's getting hit, tossing up a perfect ball to Williams for what could have been a massive play for the offense. I don't know what's been going on with Ryan Williams this season, but he's had a pretty scary case of the drops. That being said, he has also made some spectacular catches this season, but this one was just another example of his dropping issue as Alabama would turn the ball over on downs early in the third. To make things worse it would only take one play for South Carolina to find the end zone, with LaNorris Sellers connecting with Nyck Harbor for a 54-yard touchdown to bring the Gamecocks back to within two (failed two point conversion) just nine seconds later. Alabama would really struggle to move the ball on their next few drives, punting the ball away after going three and out on each of their next three drives. During that stretch, along with a miscue on special teams, South Carolina would take a 22-14 lead with 10-minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Simpson would nearly would produce a massive touchdown on the second play of their next drive, with his pass down the middle of the field to Germie Bernard getting broken up by a leaping defender at the very last second to stop what could have been a 76-yard touchdown. Though that pass got broken up, the following play would see Simpson hit Bernard along the far sideline for a 13-yard gain on third and seven.
Nice use of the pump fake here by Simpson to get the defender off the ground prior to making this throw. He knew the dude was cuing to jump, so I guess you could say he just sped up the process. Regardless of the pump fake this was still a really strong throw from Simpson, and a good job by Bernard at coming back to the ball to secure the ball and come up with the aforementioned 13-yard gain. Simpson would then hit Josh Cuevas on a shallow crossing route for five yards on third and four before hitting Ryan Williams on a screen to the flat that would go for a further 11-yards and get them down to the South Carolina 30-yard line. He would then connect on passes of five, 10, and six yards before hitting Bernard on a screen out of the backfield for a four yard touchdown. That plus a successful two point conversion would tie the game up at 22 with 2:16 to go in the fourth quarter. The Alabama defense would come up with a massive play on South Carolina's next drive, stripping Sellers of the ball and recovering it at the plus 38-yard line with 1:29 now to go in the game. Simpson would hit on a couple shorter passes on the drive but it would be Bernard who would take it into the end zone himself from 25-yards out, giving Alabama a 29-22 lead with 34-seconds left. That touchdown would ultimately seal the deal as Sellers would be sacked on third and three on their final drive, and with no timeouts the clock would run out and see Alabama come away with a 29-22 road victory. This game was right there for the taking for the Gamecocks, but like I mentioned before, they let the Crimson Tide back into it, which allowed them to steal the game with little to no time left. As for Simpson, his stats may not have been the greatest, but I think the drops and the amount of solid throws he made throughout the game vastly overshadow anything the box score shows. This week Simpson and co. get to relax, with a bye week separating them from a home match-up against the LSU Tigers who have an interim head coach following the firing of the much beloved Brian Kelly. Despite their poor record, games against Alabama and LSU are always fun, unfortunately though we have to get through the bye week first.
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 - 1
Wk 10 - BYE
2. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Wk 9 - 15/22 168 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/5 carries 45 yds 1 touchdown v UCLA (56-6 W)
Season - 148/203 1,923 yds 24 touchdowns 3 interceptions/46 carries 196 yds 3 touchdowns
Much like I started last week's post, another week, another ass kicking delivered by Fernando Mendoza and the Indiana Hoosiers. It's just crazy how good this team is. Like, going into the season I did state that I felt Mendoza was an upgrade on Kurtis Rourke at the quarterback position, as crazy as that may have sounded at the time, but I never thought Indiana as a team would be better than what they were last year. Sure I didn't think they'd fall off a cliff or anything, but each and every week when they go into a game they expect to win, and it doesn't matter who it's against. I mean, I know this was a couple weeks ago but they walked into Autzen Stadium and came away with a double digit victory over Oregon, who were fresh off of a double overtime win against Penn State on the road. Sure we now view the Nittany Lions in a completely different light now than we did at the time, but I don't think many of us out there expected the Hoosiers to walk away with a 30-20 victory. Again, they are just such a good football team, and this past week they took on the team that changed the entire perception of the aforementioned Penn State, the UCLA Bruins, who were riding a three game winning streak going into Bloomington. No offense to the other teams UCLA has played and beaten, Indiana is a completely different breed, and we knew that going in, which is why no one should have been surprised that the Hoosiers came away with dominant 56-6 home victory, with Mendoza going 15/22 for 168-yards with three touchdowns and one interception to go along with 45-yards on the ground and another touchdown there to boot. Things would seemingly start off pretty good for the Hoosiers, as the defense would pick off UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava on the second play from scrimmage and return it 25-yards back for the first score of the game. The Bruins would punt the ball away after going three and out on their next drive, with the Hoosiers starting things off at their own 35-yard line. Mendoza would come out firing on the drive, completing passes of five and 13-yards before flash the athleticism by picking up 16-yards on the ground on third and nine.
He may not do it a whole lot, but when Mendoza needs to he's not afraid to tuck it up field and get as many yards as he can. This one though was really impressive as he was able to keep his balance through a few UCLA defenders, spinning around and picking up 16-yards and a first down on third and nine. Just a really impressive run by Mendoza, which is again something we don't see all too often from him. Unfortunately for Mendoza that would be the final positive play of the drive, as a couple plays later an intended pass for EJ Williams would get batted up at the line of scrimmage before landing in the grateful arms of a UCLA defender for the interception.
This is just an unfortunate play all around for Mendoza and the Indiana offense, as again the ball was tipped up at the line of scrimmage before bouncing around and landing in the waiting arms of the defender. There's not really a whole lot more to say about it than that, with Mendoza registering his third interception of the season, and his third is his last four games. Mendoza would make up for it on Indiana's next drive following a failed fake punt attempt by UCLA, buying time before finding an open EJ Williams down the field for a 30-yard gain on third and seven.
Great job here by Mendoza at buying time by sliding to his left while waiting for something to open up down the field before firing it to Williams for the aforementioned 30-yard gain. I know Williams was fairly open down the field, but I still love seeing this kind of play from Mendoza, as it helped pick up a much needed first down on third and seven while also getting them all the way down to the UCLA six yard line. A few plays later Indiana would find the end zone, with Roman Hembry punching it in from a yard out to give them a 14-0 lead with 4:02 left in the first quarter. Mendoza would hit on a couple short to intermediate passes on their next drive, going along with some deeper passes that would get called for defensive pass interference. He would also flash the athleticism again by picking up a first down with his legs on second and two from the six before firing it to Elijah Sarratt from a yard out to further extend their lead to 21 with 12:30 to go in the second quarter. The offense would be set up with excellent field position on their next drive following a UCLA fumble at their own 29-yard line. From there it would only take the Hoosiers three plays to find the end zone, with Hembry taking it in from 13-yards out to make it 28-0 midway through the quarter. Indiana would go three and out on their following possession but would find the end zone again on their final drive of the first half, with Mendoza hitting on passes of 10 and 11-yard before getting it to EJ Williams from two yards out to give them a 35-3 lead going into the break.
I know this was only from two yard out, but rolling to his left with a defender giving chase while throwing back against his body? Just impressive. Not only that though, he gets the ball around the jumping defender and the one in the end zone while fitting it into Williams who has a defender draped all over his back. So again, though it was only from two yards out, this was an insane impressive play from Mendoza to help the Hoosiers register another touchdown just before the half. Indiana would keep up their scoring ways to kick things off in the third quarter, with Mendoza taking it in himself from 20-yards out to make the score 42-3 midway through the quarter.
I wouldn't call him sneaky athletic or anything because we saw him do this a few times while at Cal, we just haven't seen him do this too much this year. Now that's mostly because he doesn't have to, but this is still an impressive play from Mendoza as he took what the defense gave him as he went into the end zone untouched for his first rushing touchdown of the game (his third of the season). Mendoza would pick up another first down with his legs on Indiana's next drive, running up the middle for a four yard gain on third and four before launching one down the field to EJ Williams for what would result in a 62-yard touchdown.
Mendoza comes up big for the Hoosiers on third down once again, with this one resulting in a 62-yard touchdown pass to Williams to make the score 49-3 with 4:13 to go in the quarter. Much like the other ones, Mendoza does a great job at using his legs to buy some more time in the pocket before launching it down the field, knowing damn well he's going to take a nice little shot from the defender and yet is still able to deliver an accurate and catchable ball to the open receiver. Also, great job by Williams at giving his quarterback someone to throw to down the field, changing his route once he saw Mendoza rolling out to his right. Overall just a great play from both quarterback and receiver as they continue to grow the lead later on in the third. That touchdown pass would be Mendoza's final contribution to the game, as his younger brother would come in and help see out an impressive 56-6 home victory. Like I mentioned before, Indiana is just a different beast, with Fernando Mendoza playing some of the best football in the country from the quarterback position. Despite the unfortunate interception, Mendoza made numerous big time plays for the Hoosiers on third down, both with his legs and with his arm. Just another solid game overall from him as Indiana looks to apply pressure to Ohio State as the top ranked team in the nation. This week Mendoza and co. travel out east to take on the Maryland Terrapins, a team that started hot but has fallen in each of their last three games, most recently to UCLA (all losses by four or less points). Though they're coming off a bye, I don't think they had enough time to prepare for Indiana, as I expect the Hoosiers to put on another show once again.
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 - 2
Wk 10 - @ Maryland
3. Dante Moore, Oregon
Wk 9 - 9/15 86 yds 0 touchdowns 0 interceptions/4 carries -13 yds 0 touchdowns v Wisconsin (21-7 W)
Season - 145/203 1,772 yds 19 touchdowns 4 interceptions/40 carries 131 yds 0 touchdowns
Last week when I wrote about Dante Moore, I ended his section by stating that though Wisconsin played Oregon close last year in Madison, given how both teams looked going in to this year's match-up there was very little chance of history repeating itself, at least in my mind. Boy was I wrong, but could you blame me for thinking that way? I mean, Oregon was fresh off of dismantling Rutgers across the country by a score of 56-10. As for Wisconsin, they had not score a singular point in each of their last two games, losing 37-0 to Iowa and 34-0 to Ohio State, both at home. I get Oregon lost to Indiana a couple weeks ago by double digits, but not in my wildest dreams did I think this game would come close to resembling a tight nit affair. Like, Oregon came into this game as whopping -31.5-point favorites, and yet were only able to come away with a 21-7 home victory. To put things in perspective, the Ducks were a -28.5-point favorite against FCS Montana State week one, and they won that game by a score of 59-13. Long story long, I just did not see this coming. What I also didn't expect to see was this kind of performance from quarterback Dante Moore. The once Heisman Trophy favorite looked back to himself in that aforementioned 56-10 win against Rutgers, but in this one against Wisconsin he was really held in check. In the win, Moore would go 9/15 for 86-yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions, with Oregon putting up 415-yards less yards this past week than they did the previous one (750 v Rutgers, 335 v Wisconsin). Now, Moore was forced out of the game early in the second half due to a nose injury, but for whatever reason the Badgers seem to be Dan Lanning's bogey team, and I have absolutely no clue why or how that is the case, though I'm sure the weather poor conditions played a little part in it. Maybe the football gods didn't like that Oregon attempted an onside kick to start the game. Even though they recovered it in plus territory, the Ducks would ultimately turn it over on downs after just four plays, with Moore taking a nine yard sack on fourth and three from the Wisconsin 35-yard line. Things wouldn't get much better for the Ducks on their next couple of drives, punting the ball away after five, three, and six plays on each of their last three possessions of the first quarter. Despite that, Moore would make a really strong throw across the middle, hitting Jeremiah McClellan for a 20-yard gain on third and 10.
Though this pass wouldn't lead to anything for the Ducks, it's still a really strong throw from Moore as he stepped up in the pocket and zipped one into McClellan for the aforementioned 20-yard gain. Getting it over the outstretched arm of the defender while also placing the ball right on McClellan's body to make sure he can get his head up and pick up a few more yards after the catch. Again, sucks that it didn't lead to anything as they'd punt the ball away three plays later, but we still love to see these kind of throws from Moore. Things would finally start clicking for the Oregon offense on their first and only drive of the second quarter, despite them starting at their own one yard line. After back-to-back plays of two yard gains on the ground, Oregon would find themselves in a third and six situation at their own five yard line. From there, Moore would drop back, and with his feet in the end zone fire it to McClellan for an 18-yard gain down the far sideline.
This is not an easy throw to make, especially with the rain coming down as hard as it was. It's just a very strong throw from Moore, who remained tall and calm in the pocket, would place it perfectly along the sideline in a spot where only his receiver could get it for an 18-yard gain and a much needed first down. Moore would later connect with Jamari Johnson on an underneath screen for a further 23-yards to help get them down to the Wisconsin 33-yard line. A few plays later Jordon Davison would take it in from six yards out to give Oregon their first lead of the game with 1:07 to go in the second quarter, capping off an insanely impressive 16-play 99-yard drive that took 8:24 off the clock. Moore would be forced out of the game to tend to a bloody nose on their opening drive of the second half, with back-up Brock Thomas finishing things out as the Ducks would hold on to a 21-7 home victory. Again, who saw this result coming after what we've seen the past couple weeks from each team? Like, Wisconsin has been outscored 71-0 across these past two games, I thought for sure Oregon would just have their way with them. Oh well I guess, a win is a win. As for Moore he did make some decent plays in the limited reps that he had in this game, but I think the main focus for both him and the rest of the Ducks is to make sure he's good to go for their upcoming road trip against Iowa. The bye week will be good for Oregon, as they can focus on getting their quarterback healthy before this big time road match-up.
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 - 3
Wk 10 - BYE
4. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
Wk 9 - 18/32 222 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/18 carries 67 yds 1 touchdown v no.4 Alabama (29-22 L)
Season - 108/171 1,356 yds 6 touchdowns 3 interceptions/102 carries 175 yds 2 touchdowns
Different season, same story. Much like we saw last year LaNorris Sellers and the South Carolina Gamecocks would take a top-10 Alabama side to the brink of defeat, only for them to throw it away in the fourth quarter. Leading up to the game there was a little part of me that believed South Carolina could pull off the upset. Despite their poor record and the fact that Alabama was a -12.5-point favorite going in, this game did have the feeling of a potential trap game. I mean, the Crimson Tide were fresh off their fourth straight top-25 win in conference play, which is the first time that has ever happened in SEC history, and like I've spoken about before in previous blog posts there may have been a chance Alabama would look down at the struggling Gamecocks and think they could breeze past them no problem. Despite their record, South Carolina are a scrappy team, one who is a difficult out for most teams in college football as they produce a good amount of turnovers on defense and have a quarterback that will fight for every single yard (sometimes to his detriment). All that being said though South Carolina did make it tough for Alabama, they would wind up coming out on the wrong side of things yet again, this time by the score 29-22. In the loss, quarterback LaNorris Sellers put forth a solid effort, going 18/32 for 222-yards with one touchdown and an interception while leading the Gamecocks on the ground with 67-yards and a touchdown there as well (his first since week one). With that, those 222-yards Sellers put up through the air would be his second highest total of the season, coming in after his 302-yard performance against Missouri back on September 20th. As for this game things would start off pretty good for Sellers and the offense, with him picking up a couple third down conversions with his legs as well as hitting on a couple short to intermediate passes to help get them all the way down to the Alabama six yard line. From there, kicker William Joyce would convert to give the Gamecocks their first lead of the game, capping off an impressive 15-play 74-yard drive to open things up. Things would not go as well for them on their next drive unfortunately as Sellers would be intercepted on their opening play, with it getting returned 18-yards for a pick six, giving Alabama the lead with 5:17 to go in the first.
I can't really express how unfortunate of a play this was for not only Sellers, but for running back Rahsul Faison as well. What should have resulted in a simple check down to the flat morphed into the worst possible outcome for the Gamecock offense. It's not like this ball was placed in a bad spot or anything, it just popped up from Faison and landed in the grateful arms of the Alabama defender, who again was able to return it back 18-yards for six. Things wouldn't get much better for South Carolina their next time out as they'd be forced to punt the ball away after going three and out with 3:50 to go in the opening quarter. They would finally be able to get things moving again on their next drive with Sellers hitting Faison on a screen out of the backfield that would wind up going for 33-yards and get them down to the Alabama 36-yard line. Despite the big play the offense would only be able to generate seven more yards, forcing them to settle for a field goal early on in the second quarter. Unlike his first attempt though, kicker William Joyce would fail to hit from 47-yards out, leaving the score at 7-3. Following a Ty Simpson fumble on Alabama's next drive, South Carolina would take over near the 50 at their own 42-yard line. On the opening play of the drive Sellers would be able to find Brady Hunt for a 14-yard gain, taking them to the Alabama side of the 50.
Just a nice and simple throw here from Sellers, able to fit it into his tight end through a decently tight window for what would result in a 14-yard gain. With the linebacker spying him incase he tried to take off with it, Sellers does a nice job at dragging it out far enough to make it damn near impossible for him to make a play on the ball. Again, just a nice and simple throw here from Sellers, helping them get the ball into Alabama territory. Sellers and Hunt would connect again a couple plays later, that time going for eight yards to make it third and one from the Alabama 35-yard line. Ultimately they would be stopped short of the marker on third down, but would convert on fourth down with Matt Fuller picking up a two yard gain. The Gamecocks would find themselves in another fourth down situation a few plays later, but they'd convert once agin, only this time with Sellers hitting his younger brother (Jayden Sellers) for a 22-yard gain on fourth and 12.
Really strong throw here from Sellers. With Alabama sending pressure, Sellers calmly slides to the left before firing it to his brother for the aforementioned 22-yard gain. This shows how Sellers has continued to develop as a passer, with pressure coming around the right side of the line he doesn't panic, slides with the protection before making a strong throw with a hand in his face to help get the Gamecocks down to the Crimson Tide 13-yard line. Sellers would look to register a rushing touchdown on the following play, but it would ultimately get called back due to a holding penalty despite the effort shown by Sellers on the run. Though he would connect with Donovan Murph for 12-yards on the following play, another holding penalty would push them back again, with them being forced to settle for another field goal. This time though William Joyce would convert from 34-yards out, making the score 7-6 with 4:23 to go in the second quarter. South Carolina would go three and out on their following drive following an Alabama touchdown to make it 14-6 before the half. That score wouldn't remain that way for too long though, as on their opening play of the second half Sellers would connect with Nyck Harbor for a 54-yard touchdown, making the score 14-12 (failed two point conversion) with 10:59 left in the third.
Just a great all around play for South Carolina as Sellers was able to let this thing go from a clean pocket, hitting Harbor down the field for the aforementioned 54-yard touchdown. Was the ball under thrown slightly? Sure, but like I've spoken about before when your receiver has a step or two on the defender the last thing you want to do is over throw them. It wasn't a perfect throw, but it was definitely effective as South Carolina brought themselves back to within two early on in the third quarter. Sellers would hit Jordan Dingle across the middle for a 12-yard gain on third and seven on their next drive, but that would be their only first down as they'd eventually be forced to punt the ball away midway through the quarter. The run game would be effective early on South Carolina's next drive, with Sellers picking up gains of five, two, and 17 to help get them to the Alabama side of the 50. A few plays later he'd flash his innate ability to make people miss, picking up 12-yards with his legs to get them to a second and eight situation after being pushed back to first and 20 following a holding penalty.
Like I've said pretty much every game up to this point, LaNorris Sellers is the single hardest quarterback to bring down in all of college football. Sure this play didn't result in a touchdown or even a first down, but it flashes an ability that no one else possesses, as he fights through multiple arm tackles to pick up a 12-yard gain. Unfortunately they would be unable to pick up a first down as they'd eventually have to settle for another William Joyce field goal, this one from 47-yards out to make it 15-14 with 1:38 to go in the third quarter. The Gamecocks would go three and out on their next possession, but thanks to the ball bouncing off the Alabama up-back South Carolina would take over in plus territory at the 30-yard line. It would only take South Carolina's offense six plays to find the end zone, with Sellers taking it in himself from 10-yards out to make it 22-14 with 10-minutes to go in the fourth.
With the linebacker holding his position, most quarterbacks would give the ball to their running back to pick up the first down. The only thing is that Sellers isn't most quarterbacks, as he's able to bounce it to the outside, breaking an arm tackle on his way to the end zone for six, helping grow South Carolina's lead to eight with exactly 10-minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Alabama would respond with a touchdown of their own, and following a successful two point conversion would tie the game up at 22 with 2:16 to go in the game. Things looked set up for the Gamecocks to pull off the upset against the Crimson Tide, as they started their next drive at the the 30 following an offsides penalty on the kickoff. Alabama would register another offsides penalty on South Carolina's drive, helping put the Gamecocks in a second and four situation with 1:54 to go. The next play would spell trouble for South Carolina, as Sellers would take it up the middle himself on a quarterback keeper for two yards before getting stripped of the ball with the Crimson Tide jumping on it to take over at the South Carolina 38 with 1:29 to go in the game. To make matters worse Alabama would register a touchdown to make it 29-22 with 34-seconds left, and with a bobbled squib kick recovery on the following kickoff the Gamecocks would start their next drive at their own nine yard line. Unfortunately with very little time left, a long way to go, and no time outs, the game would slip away from South Carolina as Sellers would get sacked on the final play of the game with Alabama taking home a 29-22 road victory. The game was there for the taking for the Gamecocks, but much like last year, an untimely turnover from Sellers really hurt them in the end. Despite the fumble I thought Sellers put forth a solid effort, showing continued signs in development as a passer as well as making some big plays with his legs to help keep drives alive. I wish I could say things were getting easier for Sellers and co., but this week they travel to Oxford to take on the seventh ranked Ole Miss Rebels. The Gamecocks fell well short of the mark in last year's match-up at home, but maybe they have some surprises brewing for the Rebels this time around (I doubt it, but I wouldn't rule it out).
Wk 1 - 3
Wk 2 - 2
Wk 3 - 2
Wk 4 - 2
Wk 5 - 3
Wk 6 - 3
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Wk 8 - 4
Wk 9 - 4
Wk 10 - @ no.7 Ole Miss
5. John Mateer, Oklahoma (+1)
Wk 9 - 17/31 223 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/13 carries 17 yds 0 touchdowns v no.8 Ole Miss (34-26 L)
Season - 150/236 1,790 yds 8 touchdowns 6 interceptions/78 carries 226 yds 5 touchdowns
I know I brought this up last week, but for John Mateer and the Oklahoma Sooners every game post the Texas loss a couple weeks ago will be looked at very closely, as many out there are looking to see if they can fully trust what is going on down in Norman. Don't get me wrong I do think the Sooners possess a good amount of talent, but I think that loss in Dallas definitely turned some people off of Oklahoma, especially when you look at some of their upcoming games. I mean, including this past weekend, Oklahoma will face four top-25 teams in each of their next four games, with the next two both coming on the road. I know they managed to claw their way back in their most recent loss to Ole Miss, but their defense is looking a lot more shaky than it did during the earlier portion of the season. On the loss, the Sooners fell at home by the score of 34-26, with the Rebels bouncing back from their 43-35 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs the previous week. With that, quarterback John Mateer put forth a decent statistical showing, going 17/31 for 223-yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions while also picking up 17-yards on the ground. The main thing for Mateer right now is just playing within himself and not forcing the issue too much. I can't tell him to stop forcing the issue all together because I don't want him to change his game completely, but like we saw against Texas sometimes being a little too trigger happy can cause a world of hurt for the offense. So though his overall numbers aren't eye popping or anything, I like that zero in the interception column as it marks the second consecutive week he's gone without throw one, which is weirdly the first time he's gone back-to-back games without throwing an interception this season. With that things would start off pretty good for Mateer and the offense, as he'd launch one down the near sideline to Isaiah Sategna III for a 39-yard gain, getting them down to the Ole Miss 24-yard line.
The decision to throw this ball from Mateer was made pre-snap, as he saw his favorite receiver on an island in the slot. Mateer put this ball in a perfect spot, leading his receiver perfectly for the aforementioned 39-yard gain. This is just a great throw from Mateer, and a great job by Sategna at seeing this ball in despite the defender pulling him backwards. Unfortunately not much more would come from this drive as Oklahoma would eventually have to settle for a 42-yard field goal from Tate Sandell to tie the game up at three midway through the first quarter. The Sooners would be forced to punt the ball away after going three and out on their following possession, with their next drive lasting only three plays as well, with the difference being that Mateer would hit Sategna across the middle for a 76-yard touchdown to tie the game up again at 10 less than a minute into the second quarter.
I know this pass really only travels about 10-or so yards past the line of scrimmage as Sategna does the rest, but I do like seeing how Mateer was directing traffic before letting this ball go. If you watch closely, Sategna's route was supposed to stop in the middle of the field, but with Mateer again directing traffic Sategna carried his route towards the near sideline with his quarterback hitting him for what would result in a 76-yard touchdown. These two have showed great chemistry all season, and I would say this is another great example of that here. Things would not go anywhere as good for the Sooner offense on their next drive, as after an Ole Miss punt pinned them at their own five yard line (and after an offensive penalty) running back Tory Blaylock would be brought down in the end zone for a safety, giving the Rebels a 12-10 lead with 10:51 to go in the second. Ole Miss would register a field goal on their next drive to make it 15-10 midway through the quarter. Now down five, Mateer would try and get things going again for Oklahoma on offense, rolling out to his right and hitting Deion Burks along the sideline for a 15-yard gain on second and four.
Very accurate and confident throw here from Mateer while on the move. There's nothing too insanely flashy about this play, but Mateer does an excellent job at putting the ball in a spot where only his receiver could get it. Throwing it exactly where it needed to be, along the sideline and away from the defender to Burks to reel it in for the first down. Unfortunately the Sooners would eventually find themselves in a fourth and two situation, with Mateer ultimately taking a five yard sack as Oklahoma would turn it over on downs at the Ole Miss 46-yard line. Oklahoma's next two drives wouldn't be much better as they'd go three and out on their final drive of the first half and their first drive of the second half. Thankfully for them Ole Miss would bite off a little more than they could chew as they'd fail to convert on fourth down from their own 25-yard line. Despite the plus field position all the Sooners would be able to get out of that drive was a field goal, with Mateer getting sacked on third and 15 for a four yard loss, forcing them to settle for a 42-yard field goal from Tate Sandell to make it 22-13 with 11:16 to go in the third. The offense would make quick work of things their next time out, with Xavier Robinson fighting through multiple would be tacklers on his way to the end zone from 65-yards out on the opening play of that drive, now making it 25-20 with 5:45 to go in the quarter. Oklahoma would take their first lead of the game on their next drive following an Ole Miss punt, with Mateer flashing the athleticism by picking up 16-yards with his legs to help get them down to the Rebel 12-yard line.
If we're being honest, Mateer initially made the wrong read, pulling it from his back to throw it despite the read key not crashing at the line of scrimmage. That being said when things break down, or in this case you make a bad read you have to be able to make something out of nothing, which is exactly what Mateer does right here. He does a good job at not panicking and not forcing it to his receiver and taking what the defense gave him down the field to pick up a decent gain with his legs. A few plays later Xavier Robinson would take it in from nine yards out, giving Oklahoma their first lead of the game with 1:04 left in the third quarter (they failed to convert on the two point conversion). The offense would struggle to move the ball on their next drive, with Mateer getting sacked on second down before throwing an incompletion on third down to force them to punt the ball away after six plays. The defense would come up big by forcing the Ole Miss offense to go three and out, but unfortunately on the ensuing punt Isaiah Sategna III get stripped of the ball, with the Rebels recovering and taking over at their own 47-yard line. Ole Miss would register a field goal on the following drive to make the score 34-26 with 4:09 left in the quarter. On their next drive Mateer would hit Jaren Kanak on a screen to the flat for a 16-yard gain to get them down to the 50 before a defensive pass interference penalty would help them get all the way down to the Ole Miss 35-yard line. Unfortunately for them the drive wouldn't go too much further than that, as Mateer's pass on fourth and five would fall incomplete, forcing Oklahoma to turn the ball over with 1:30 to go in the fourth. Now, Oklahoma would get another chance following another Ole Miss punt. With 59-seconds left and starting from their own 17-yard line, Mateer would roll out to his right and find Xavier Robinson down the field for a 21-yard gain.
Great job by Mateer at rolling to his right after seeing nothing initially open down the field. He also does a nice job at getting the ball off right before the oncoming defender could make a play on it, finding an open Robinson who would wind up picking up 21-yards on the play (the defender in coverage falling over definitely made things easier). Mateer would then hit Isaiah Sategna III across the middle of the field for a nine yard gain on fourth and two to help extend the drive, but it would ultimately be too little too late as his heave towards the end zone would come up short as Ole Miss would hold onto a 34-26 road victory. This was a tough loss for Oklahoma, who I'm sure would have liked to pick up back-to-back wins in conference play for the first time since joining the SEC. As for Mateer, I thought he made some really impressive throws for the Sooners, looking more and more like himself with each passing week. That being said I do think Mateer could put up some solid numbers this week as the Sooners travel to Knoxville to take on the 14th ranked Tennessee Volunteers. Despite their record, Tennessee has one of the worst defenses in the SEC, ranking second from the bottom in scoring and total defense while ranking dead last in passing defense. I think we could be in for a little barn burner this coming week.
Wk 1 - 9
Wk 2 - 6
Wk 3 - 6
Wk 4 - 5
Wk 5 - 5
Wk 6 - 6
Wk 7 - 6
Wk 8 - 6
Wk 9 - 5
Wk 10 - @ no.14 Tennessee
6. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU (-1)
Wk 9 - 22/35 168 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/6 carries -44 yds 0 touchdowns v no.3 Texas A&M (49-25 L)
Season - 176/267 1,806 yds 12 touchdowns 5 interceptions/27 carries -44 yds 1 touchdown
I was really intrigued to see how Garrett Nussmeier and the rest of the LSU Tigers would do this past weekend as they played host to the third ranked Texas A&M Aggies. If you cast your mind back to last season this was a game that LSU looked to have all wrapped up at halftime. Up 17-7 going into the break, with then starting quarterback Conner Weigman putting forth a really rough performance throwing the ball as he went 6/18 for 64-yards before being benched for Marcel Reed in the second half. With that change the tide started to shift, as A&M would rattle off 31-points to come away with a 38-23 home victory. Now, Reed coming in did change how the Aggie offense worked, as he threw for 70-yards while also rushing for 62-more with three touchdowns, but what really hurt the Tigers was Nussmeier's play in the second half. Before the break Nussmeier had registered two touchdowns with no interceptions, with one of those touchdowns being a 76-yarder to Aaron Anderson. The second half was a much different story, with him registering three rough interceptions that directly lead to 17-points for Texas A&M. Long story long I wanted to see what kind of showing Nussmeier would put forth, even though on paper the Tigers are a very inferior team to that of the Aggies. That gap in talent showed as Texas A&M came away with a 49-25 road victory, with Nussmeier going 22/35 for 168-yards (season low) with one touchdown and no interceptions. Another rough loss for LSU, making this their third in their last four games. Things would seemingly start off well for the Tigers as Harlem Berry would take the second play from scrimmage 16-yards down the field to edge them closer to midfield. Only problem is that that would be the only positive play of the drive, as Nussmeier would get drilled by Cashius Howell for a nine yard loss on second down before throwing an incompletion on third, forcing them to punt the ball away after just six plays. LSU would move the ball much better on their second drive with Nussmeier connecting on passes of 11 and 14-yards before hitting Trey'Dez Green in the end zone from five yards out to tie the game up at seven with 5:38 to go in the first.
I know it was only a five yard pass, but this is a good job by Nussmeier at recognizing the match-up before tossing it up to his 6'7" former basketball player tight end to come down with it for the score. Like they said on the broadcast, Green is never covered. The dude is an absolute match-up nightmare, especially in these red zone situations. Not a perfect throw from Nussmeier, but sometimes you just have to put the ball in the receiver's (or in this case tight end's) area code and they'll come down with it. Nussmeier would come out firing on LSU's next drive, hitting Aaron Anderson on a slant that would go for 14-yards on the final play of the quarter. Much like their first drive Nussmeier would wind up getting sacked by Cashius Howell on second down before throwing an incompletion, forcing the Tigers to punt the ball away after five plays. LSU would go three and out on their next drive but would get things going again their next time out, with Nussmeier connecting with Barion Brown down the far sideline for a 41-yard gain.
This is literally an inch perfect throw here from Nussmeier, to the point where I can't tell when Brown actually caught the ball. Like, the defender was in pretty good position when Nussmeier let this thing go, but like I've spoken about before you cannot defend a perfect pass, as he dropped it right in the bucket for a 41-yard gain. A few plays later Harlem Berry would take it in from seven yard out, making the score 15-14 (missed extra point) with 3:09 to go in the first half. LSU would be able to come up with another score before halftime following Marcel Reed's second interception of the game. With the ball on the A&M 49-yard line, running back Caden Durham would pick up a massive gain on the ground, helping get them down to the 16-yard line. Kicker Damian Ramos would convert from 30-yards out a couple plays later, giving the Tigers a 18-14 lead going into the locker room. Like I said before, this game felt eerily similar to the one we saw last year, as though LSU held the lead at the half, A&M would come crawling back in a big way in the second half, with the score reading 28-18 midway through the third thanks to an early offensive touchdown and a 79-yard punt return touchdown by KC Concepcion. LSU would punt the ball away after six plays on their next drive, and much like their first drive of the second half the Aggies offense would find the end zone again, with the scoreboard now reading 35-18 with 4:02 remaining in the quarter. Things would keep getting worse for the Tigers as they'd be forced to punt the ball away after going three and out on their next possession, before A&M would find the end zone again to make it 42-18 less than a minute into the fourth quarter. A quarter and 45-seconds ago LSU held an 18-14 lead, now, on their first possession of the fourth quarter, find themselves down 42-18. Absolutely insane. Nussmeier would come up with a 22-yard completion to Aaron Anderson on the first play of their first drive in the fourth, but he would ultimately be brought down in the backfield twice to force the Tigers into punting the ball away again after just four plays. LSU would turn the ball over on downs on their following drive after failing to convert on fourth and four from their own 26, giving the ball back to Texas A&M with great field position who would eventually score again to make it 49-18. Nussmeier would get sacked on the first play of their next drive for a three yard loss before getting relieved of his duties as the Tigers would eventually fall by the score 49-25. Just a brutal game for anyone wearing purple and gold on Saturday, as shades of last year's defeat reared their ugly heads once again as LSU fell by double digits despite holding onto the lead at the break. Like I said before, just insane. As for Nussmeier he made some decent throws but for the most part had very little time to do anything as A&M's pass rush was relentless in the loss. Thankfully for him and the rest of the Tigers they have a chance to rest up this week before traveling to Tuscaloosa to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide, under interim head coach Frank Wilson. Things have been going really rough for LSU as of late, and I really don't see things improving any time soon.
Wk 1 - 2
Wk 2 - 1
Wk 3 - 1
Wk 4 - 1
Wk 5 - 4
Wk 6 - 5
Wk 7 - 5
Wk 8 - 5
Wk 9 - 6
Wk 10 - BYE
7. Darian Mensah, Duke
Wk 9 - BYE
Season - 175/249 2,211 yds 17 touchdowns 2 interceptions/27 carries -61 yds 0 touchdowns
Wk 1 - N/R
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - N/R
Wk 4 - N/R
Wk 5 - N/R
Wk 6 - 9
Wk 7 - 9
Wk 8 - 7
Wk 9 - 7
Wk 10 - @ Clemson
8. Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati (NEW)
Wk 9 - 13/21 111 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/11 carries 85 yds 1 touchdown v Baylor (41-20 W)
Season - 133/204 1,843 yds 20 touchdowns 1 interception/69 carries 425 yds 7 touchdowns
I'm not going to hold you or anything, but I have absolutely loved seeing how Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby has been playing so far this season. If you take your mind back to before the season started, I had Sorsby ranked as the fourth best quarterback prospect in the Big 12 behind the likes of Arizona State's Sam Leavitt, Baylor's Sawyer Robertson, and Iowa State's Rocco Becht but as things stand right now he sits above all of them, coming in at eighth and making his first appearance in the Draft "Expert" top-10 this season. I don't know about you, but I feel like it's only been recently where people have started to take notice about what Sorsby has been doing up to this point in the season. I don't know if it's because he plays for Cincinnati or what, but I just don't feel like he's being talked about enough. Now that's not me sitting on my high horse or anything like I've been talking about how great he's been, I'm fully including myself in that discussion because I didn't fully understand how great he had been playing until recently. Like, the dude has registered 20-touchdowns to just one interception so far this season, which came in Cincinnati's week one loss to Nebraska in Arrowhead. It's kind of crazy to think but his numbers are eerily similar to that of Ty Simpson, who I very much believe has been playing better than any other quarterback in the country. I think he deserves more love and again, I'm saying he needs more from me too. Like this past week he may not have lit up the world in regards to passing the ball, but he was a dangerous runner as the Bearcats came out with a 41-20 home win against the aforementioned Sawyer Robertson and the Baylor Bears. In the win Sorsby would go 13/21 for 111-yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions all while leading Cincinnati with 85-yards on the ground and another touchdown there to boot. Things would start off as good as they could have for Sorsby and co., as they would register touchdowns on each of their first two drives of the game, finding themselves up 14-0 as the first quarter eventually expired. Though he wouldn't need to do a whole lot on their first drive, Sorsby would flash the athleticism on the first play of their next drive, breaking a couple arm tackles before picking up 10-yards and a first down with his legs.
Great job by Sorsby at taking off after seeing nothing open down the field and just taking what the defense would give him for the first down. It's going to take a lot more than a couple arm tackles to bring down Sorsby once he decides to take off, as he is one of the toughest quarterbacks to bring down in the open field. Great run by him to help pick up a first on the opening play of their second drive. Sorsby would then pick up 12-more yards on the ground a few plays later on third and two, helping the Bearcats get down to the Bear 36-yard line. He would then hit an open Joe Royer in the middle of the field for another 12-yard gain before a few more run plays would help set up a five yard touchdown run by Evan Pryor to give Cincinnati a 14-0 lead with 1:22 to go in the first quarter. The offense wouldn't really have the same success on their next drive as they'd be forced to punt the ball away after going three and out. They would get things going again their next time out, starting with excellent field position thanks to Baylor failing to convert on fourth down from the Cincinnati 45-yard line. Sorsby would come out firing on said drive, hitting Isaiah Johnson for an eight yard gain to pick up a first on second and five.
I'm not putting this play on here because it's some crazy pass, I'm more or less highlighting this play because I can't tell if this was a no look pass or not. Can someone tell me, please? I think it is but I'm not sure. Regardless, the ball does leave Sorsby's hand with excellent velocity, which shouldn't come as a surprise given that he possesses one of the best arms in the country. He also let's the ball go before the receiver exits his break, that mixed with the velocity makes this a hard throw to defend for any defender. Unfortunately they wouldn't get much further down the field than that, as they would eventually have to settle for a 46-yard field goal from Stephen Rusnak to make the score 17-0 with 5:42 to go in the second quarter. Cincinnati would be set up with excellent field position again on their next drive following a Baylor turnover, starting at the plus 26-yard line. Despite the field position the Bearcats would find themselves in a fourth and one situation. Thankfully for them Tawee Walker would pick up two yards on the ground before Sorsby would pick up a further 12 to get them down to the six, where he would hit Cyrus Allen in the end zone from six yards out to give him his first passing touchdown of the game, making it 24-0 with 2:34 to go in the second.
I know it's only a six yard pass, but when you're deep in the red zone you naturally have less room to work with because the field is more condensed. With that being said, Sorsby makes a really strong throw from the far hash to the near sideline in a spot where only his receiver could come away with the ball. It definitely helped that the defender had his back completely turned to the ball but still, this is very accurate and quick throw from Sorsby, just an overall arrogant to give him his first passing touchdown of the game as well as giving the Bearcats a 24-0 lead later on in the second quarter. Baylor would make things interesting on their final drive of the first half and their first drive of the second half, with Robertson registering two passing touchdowns to make the score 24-12 (two missed two point conversions) with 10:36 to go in the third quarter. Things would seemingly start out rough for Cincinnati on their next drive as they'd find themselves facing third and four from their own 31-yard line. Thankfully for them though Sorsby would toss up a perfect ball to Allen down the near sideline for a 19-yard gain, helping pick up the first down and get them to the midfield marker.
This is such an effortless throw here from Sorsby. Arm arrogance at it's finest as despite him falling back while he's letting this ball go, he's able to place it perfectly in a spot where again, only his receiver could make a play on the ball. A strong and accurate throw here from Sorsby to help extend the drive on third and four. Sorsby would hit on a couple short to intermediate passes as the drive went along before the Bearcats would ultimately have to settle for a field goal as the drive would stall out at the Baylor 18-yard line. From there, kicker Stephen Rusnak would convert to make it a 27-12 game with 5:15 to go in the third quarter. Sorsby would help Cincinnati pick up another first on third down on their following drive, zipping it between two defenders to Noah Jennings for a 13-yard gain on third and nine. A few plays later Sosby would call his own number from 23-yards out, giving him his first rushing touchdown of the game while also helping grow Cincinnati's lead with 6:13 to go in the fourth quarter.
Dude absolutely snatched that Baylor defender's ankles on his way to the end zone. As the great Chris Berman would say, "whooooop." This was just an awesome play from Sorsby, and he knows it as he strutted his stuff into the end zone for the eventual score. Like I said before he's just a problem to contain once he gets going, again just an awesome play to help extend the lead later on in the fourth quarter. Cincinnati would be set up with excellent field position on their next drive as Baylor would fumble the ball away on the ensuing kickoff return. It wouldn't take long for the Bearcats to find the end zone again, with Sorsby only needing three plays to find Isaiah Johnson from eight yards out to make the score 41-20 with 4:26 to go in the fourth.
Sorsby has just got such a quick release, stopping and starting on the roll out before getting it out around the defender and into Johnson for the aforementioned eight yard touchdown. It may have only been an eight yard touchdown pass, but everything about this throw from Sorsby is pretty damn impressive, again helping the Bearcats further extend their lead in the fourth. That touchdown would ultimately wrap things up as Baylor would turn the ball over on downs after four plays as Cincinnati would come away with an impressive 41-20 home victory, giving them their seventh consecutive win of the season. I know it doesn't really need to be said but Cincinnati is a damn good football team who possess a quarterback who's playing better than most every other quarterback in the country. Sorsby may have only completed 13-passes for 111-yards in this game, but his arm talent and quick release were fully on display, as were his abilities as a runner. He's just playing great right now and I'm excited to see how him and the rest of the Bearcats do this coming weekend as they travel out west to take on the 24th ranked Utah Utes. This will be a very interesting match-up, and I for one cannot wait to see it.
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 - N/R
Wk 8 - N/R
Wk 9 - 8
Wk 10 - @ no.24 Utah
9. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss (NEW)
Wk 9 - 24/44 315 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/12 carries 53 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.13 Oklahoma (34-26 W)
Season -Â 128/210 1,864 yds 9 touchdowns 1 interception/82 carries 376 yds 5 touchdowns
Without a doubt the most unique story in college football this season, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is the literal definition of something from nothing. I mean, the dude came into Ole Miss off the back of an insane season for Ferris State down at the division two level, throwing for 2,925-yards with 26-touchdowns and six interceptions while also rushing for 1,019-yards with 25-more touchdowns to help lead the Bulldogs to the National Championship while also being named the GLIAC Player of the Year. Despite his success, no one expected much from him when he joined the Rebels, as their incumbent starter, Austin Simmons was coming into the season with a decent amount of hype after backing up Jaxson Dart the previous season. Simmons looked decent given the limited reps that he had last season, even going 5/6 for 64-yards against Georgia when Dart left the game for a little bit due to an ankle injury. In somewhat ironic fashion, that same injury would spell the end of his time at Ole Miss as the starter, with Chambliss not looking back after taking over as the starter following their 30-23 win against Kentucky back in week two. It should be said though that Simmons was struggling prior to the injury, registering three touchdowns and four interceptions through the first two games of the season. To put things in perspective, in six games as the starter Chambliss has registered nine touchdowns to just one interception, while also registering an impressive 376-yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Though this past weekend wasn't his most efficient outing, Chambliss sure did enough to help the Rebels secure a 34-26 road victory against Oklahoma. In the win, Chambliss would go 24/44 for 315-yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions while also picking up 53-yards on the ground on 12-carries. Things would start off pretty good for Chambliss and the offense, with him connecting with De'Zhaun Stribling for 14-yards before firing it down the middle and hitting Cayden Lee for a further 25-yards to get them down to the Oklahoma 29-yard line.
What a throw here from Chambliss as he hits Lee perfectly down the middle of the field for the aforementioned 25-yard gain. I always love seeing quarterbacks not being afraid to throw it down the middle of the field, especially when there's defenders in the area. He could only really put the ball in one spot, which is exactly where it wound up, with Lee doing an excellent job at holding onto the ball despite the contact. The drive would ultimately stall out after that though, with the Rebels having to settle for a 45-yard field goal by Lucas Carneiro to give them a 3-0 lead less than three minutes into the opening quarter. Chambliss would come up with some crucial passes on third down on their next possession, first dumping it off to Dae'Quan Wright while rolling to his right for a six yard gain on third and one before hitting Harrison Wallace III on a beautifully thrown ball to the far sideline for a 25-yard gain on third and eight.
You can't really place a ball much better than that if you're Chambliss. On third and eight with a wet ball, Chambliss just rips this to the outside and into a spot where the defender couldn't make a play on the ball. Just a very accurate and well weighted pass from Chambliss to help the Rebels get to the Sooner side of the 50. A few plays later running back Kewan Lacy would take it in from 28-yards out, giving Ole Miss a 10-3 lead with 6:07 to go in the first quarter. Chambliss would come out firing on their next possession, hitting Lacy out of the backfield for eight yards and De'Zhaun Stribling on a bubble screen for 12-more yards before picking up seven yards with his legs on second and 11 to make it third and manageable from their own 47-yard line. Unfortunately on said third down Chambliss would lose his footing on the snap, slipping down at the 42-yard line for a five yard loss, thus forcing them to punt the ball away after seven plays. Nothing would really come from Ole Miss' next drive as they'd be forced to punt it away after just four plays. That being said the ensuing punt would pin Oklahoma back on their own five yard line. A play later (following a penalty) Sooner running back Tory Blaylock would be brought down in the end zone for a safety, making the score now 12-10 less than five minutes into the second quarter. Chambliss would flash the athleticism early on the following possession, picking up 16-yards on a quarterback keeper to pick up a first down on second and 15.
Chambliss may not be the biggest quarterback out there, but he is really hard to bring down in the open field. On what I'm pretty sure was a designed quarterback run, Chambliss snatches on defender's ankles at the line of scrimmage before breaking an arm tackle and picking up 16-yards and a first down with his legs. I mean this shouldn't come as too big of a surprise as the dude was a 1,000+ yard rusher at Ferris State, but it's still impressive nonetheless. Chambliss would come up big of third down twice on the remained of the drive, first hitting Harrison Wallace III on a slant for a 21-yard on third and nine before racking up 15-yards on the ground on third and 10 from the Oklahoma 20. Two massive plays by Chambliss to help keep the drive alive for Ole Miss.
Two fantastic plays here from Chambliss to help extend the drive for the Rebels. The dude is just a gamer, doing whatever it takes to make plays for the offense, whether it's with his arm or his legs. The first one he just cocked back and zipped it in there, getting it into Wallace before the Oklahoma linebacker could jump in front of it and make a play on the ball. The second one again shows how difficult he can be to bring down, as though he's not like Lamar Jackson or Jayden Daniels he can make people miss. Despite his heroics the Rebels would ultimately have to settle for a field goal, with kicker Lucas Carneiro converting from 22-yards out to give Ole Miss a 15-10 lead midway through the second quarter. With Oklahoma turning the ball over on downs, Ole Miss would start their next drive at the Sooner 49-yard line. That being said they would also be faced with a fourth down situation, only difference is that Chambliss would hit Wallace on a screen to the flat would pick up six yards after the catch on fourth and three. A couple plays later Chambliss would come up a massive play for the Rebels, hitting Cayden Lee while rolling to his right for a 31-yard gain to help get them down to the Oklahoma eight yard line.
This is just a perfect throw here from Chambliss. Rolling to his right, the dude let it rip down the field to Lee for the aforementioned 31-yard gain. With there being a corner to the outside, Chambliss has to place this ball more on his receiver's body as said corner could either break up the pass or come away with an interception. You really can't ask for a much better throw from your quarterback, which again helped get the Rebels all the way down to the Sooner eight yard line. A few plays later running back Kewan Lacy would take it in from two yards out to give Ole Miss a 22-10 lead with less than a minute to go in the second quarter. The offense wouldn't have the same success on their first drive of the second half, with them turning the ball over on downs at their own 15-yard line. Thankfully for them the defense would hold the Oklahoma offense to only a field goal, making the score now 22-13 early on in the third. Chambliss would help the offense pick up another key third down on their next drive, hitting Winston Watkins across the middle who would make a diving catch to pick up 15-yards on third and eight. A few plays later on another third down Chambliss would come up big again, connecting with an open Watkins in the flat for a 13-yard gain on third and six. Chambliss would try to make it 3/3 on third down conversions on this drive as he would tuck it and run on third and 11, only to slip down a couple yards short at the Oklahoma seven yard line. Following a delay of game penalty, kicker Lucas Carneiro would convert from 29-yards out to further extend Ole Miss' lead with 5:57 to go in the third. The offense would go three and out on their next possession and before they would take the field again they would see Oklahoma take hold of a 26-25 lead with about a minute to go in the third quarter. Despite being down for the first time in the game the Rebels wouldn't panic, with Chambliss hitting Watkins across the middle for a 39-yard gain before finding an open Trace Bruckler for an eight yard touchdown a few plays later as Ole Miss would re-take the lead with 11:33 to go in the fourth quarter.
Two big time plays from Chambliss to help Ole Miss again re-take the lead early on in the fourth quarter. You know me, I just love it when quarterbacks aren't afraid to throw it down the middle of the field, with Chambliss hitting Watkins in a tight-ish window across the middle of the field for a 39-yard gain. The second play was only an eight yard pass to an open tight end but it's a great job by Chambliss at waiting for something to open up before dumping it off to Bruckler for the aforementioned eight yard score. Again, two big time plays to help them take the lead in the fourth. For whatever reason Lane Kiffin would put Austin Simmons in for the two point conversion, which they failed to convert upon to keep the score at 31-26 with 11:33 to go in the game. Ole Miss would go three and out on their next possession, but following a fumble on the ensuing punt return by Oklahoma the Rebels would take over again at their own 47-yard line. With a new lease on life, Chambliss would fire it down the far sideline to Watkins for a 43-yard gain, getting them down to the Sooner 10-yard line.
With the safety fading to the left as the ball was snapped, Chambliss knows he's going to have a one-on-one match-up in the slot with his freshman wide receiver, who was putting on a clinic in the second half. Using his eyes to keep the safety over there, Chambliss launches one down the far sideline to his receiver with an inch perfect throw to help get them down to the Oklahoma 10-yard line. Ole Miss would ultimately have to settle for a 37-yard field goal, but that would still push their lead to eight as they now held a 34-26 advantage with 4:09 to go in the fourth quarter. That field goal would pretty much be the end of things in Oxford, as the Rebels would hold onto a 34-26 road victory, getting them back to winning ways following their loss to Georgia. A great showing once against from Trinidad Chambliss, who made numerous big time throws and picked up some nice gains with his legs, helping Ole Miss convert on multiple third downs throughout the course of the game. Like I alluded to before the dude is just a gamer, with him continuing to build on a potential dark horse Heisman Trophy run. This coming week him and the Rebels are back at home, taking on the South Carolina Gamecocks. Despite their poor record the Gamecocks don't make things easy for opposing teams. I am intrigued to see how Chambliss handles things this week as expect them to come away with their second consecutive win in conference play.
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 - N/R
Wk 8 - N/R
Wk 9 - 9
Wk 10 - v South Carolina
10. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State (NEW)
Wk 9 - 18/35 270 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/6 carries 22 yds 0 touchdowns v Houston (24-16 L)
Season - 145/239 1,628 yds 10 touchdowns 3 interceptions/73 carries 306 yds 5 touchdowns
Welcome back to the top-10 Mr. Sam Leavitt! It's been a little while coming but I think he's deserved his spot back amongst the greatest that the Draft "Expert" has to offer. This season has just been strange for Leavitt as coming in some people were suggesting that he could be a potential first round draft pick, and then two weeks later after a rough loss in Starkville people kind of moved on from him, including myself. Now that's not to say Leavitt doesn't have talent or anything as the dude is a really gifted athlete with one of the stronger arms in college football, but early on in the season he was kind of all over the place, making throws you wouldn't have seen from him last season while seemingly making things more complicated than they should have been by trying to do a little too much. Though I wouldn't say he's all the way back yet, these past couple games we've seen Leavitt revert somewhat back to the Leavitt that we saw last season, not really forcing the issue while making some big time plays along the way, which is what I love to see. With that Arizona State has been an interesting team to pay attention to up to this point in the season, taking part in numerous one score games (other than their 42-10 loss to Utah where Leavitt didn't play) while seemingly undecided on whether or not they want to be a top-25 team. After their impressive 26-22 home victory against then seventh ranked Texas Tech, the Sun Devils found themselves back amongst the nation's best, only for them to fall this past week to Houston by the score of 24-16. Despite the loss I again think Leavitt put forth a good showing, going 18/35 for 270-yards with one touchdown and no interceptions while also registering 22-yards on the ground. Maybe not his most insane outing statistically, but I still think he did enough to warrant a spot back in the top-10 this week. Things would start off pretty good for Leavitt and the offense, as on the first play from scrimmage he'd scramble around and find an open Malik McClain down the near sideline for a 25-yard gain.
After faking to his running back in the flat and after seeing nothing open in the middle of the field, Leavitt smartly decides to roll out to his right before firing it to an open McClain for a 25-yard gain. Leavitt is one of the best quarterbacks in the country when it comes to making plays off script, as after he sees nothing open he ad-libs and finds an open receiver along the sideline for a nice gain on their first play from scrimmage. A few plays later Leavitt would flash the athleticism, picking up 14-yards with his legs on third and 16 to help get them to fourth and manageable on the Houston side of the 50.
He may have come up a couple yards short, but this run would again put them in a fourth and manageable situation which they would wind up converting with Jeff Sims coming in for an injured Leavitt to pick up 11-yards and a first down on the ground. Like I mentioned before, Leavitt is one of the best quarterbacks in the country when it comes to creating something out of nothing. Great job out of him there, even though again he'd have to leave the game for a wee bit due to an injury. Sims would stay in the rest of the drive, helping them get down to the Houston 14-yard line. Unfortunately for them that's where the drive would stall out, and to make matters worse kicker Jesus Gomez would shank his ensuing 31-yard field goal attempt (high snap definitely didn't help anything) to keep the game at 3-0 Houston with 6:08 to go in the quarter. Houston would register a touchdown on their next drive to make the score 10-0, whereas Arizona State would go three and out on their next possession before Leavitt would lose control of the ball to give the Cougars the ball back at their own 35-yard line.
I know I didn't mentioned it above but on the opening play of the drive Leavitt would fire it through traffic to McClain who would make a really strong catch for a 13-yard gain. On throws like this it's better to place it on the receiver's body than lead them into the path of any defender, solid throw and catch from both quarterback and receiver. The fumble on the other hand Leavitt just lost it, simple as that. There's literally not much more to say than that as he just lost control of the ball when trying to throw it, with him then kicking it further down the field when trying to recover it at the 42-yard line. Just an unfortunate play for him as it killed what could have been a good drive for the Sun Devils. Thankfully for him and the rest of the offense the defense would force the Cougars to punt the ball away after going three and out. The Arizona State offense would follow suit, as they too would punt the ball away after going three and out on their following possession. Leavitt would come up big for the Sun Devils on their next drive, rolling out to his right and connecting with McClain for a 33-yard gain on second and 17.
Like I mentioned before, Leavitt is one of the better quarterbacks in college football when it comes to throwing on the run. With a defender giving chase, Leavitt remains calm and delivers a strike to McClain who's able to reach behind him through the defender to come down with it for the big time gain. Great overall play for Arizona State, helping get them back to the Houston side of the 50 for the first time since their first drive of the game. Unfortunately not much more would come from this drive, as the Sun Devils would be forced to punt the ball away following three straight incompletions by Leavitt with 42-seconds to go in the first half. Arizona State would go three and out on their opening drive of the second half, but would get things moving again their next time out with Leavitt finding an open Cameron Harpole a couple yards past the first down marker for a 21-yard gain on third and two. Leavitt would continue ripping it as the drive went along, hitting Jaren Hamilton across the middle for a 16-yard gain before tossing it up to Chamon Metayer who would bring it down with one hand to seemingly give Arizona State their first touchdown of the game.
The first play I highlighted was just a strong throw by Leavitt across the middle to Hamilton, who did a nice job at hanging onto the ball despite the hit from the defender. Nice placement on the throw from Leavitt as he put the ball right on his receiver's body and didn't try to lead him, avoiding a potential break up or an interception. The touchdown on the other hand was all Metayer, who made a ridiculous one handed catch for what should have resulted in their first touchdown of the game. Unfortunately the offense was called for an illegal shift penalty, wiping any points off the board as not only did the touchdown not count but kicker Jesus Gomez would miss from 42-yards out, keeping the score at 17-0 with 5:49 to go in the third. Houston would register another touchdown on their next drive to now make it 24-0 at the end of the third quarter, but thankfully for the Sun Devils the offense would finally register some points, with Leavitt hitting an open Cameron Harpole in the back of the end zone from three yards out to make the score 24-6 (failed two point conversion) early on in the fourth. Prior to the score though Leavitt would come up with a big time pass on fourth and five, hitting Malik McClain down the far sideline in stride for a 41-yard gain.
Just an inch perfect throw here from Leavitt. With the corner playing with an inside shade and knowing that his receiver would be running a fade route to the outside, Leavitt knew exactly where to go with the ball prior to it being snapped. Good thing too, as on fourth and five Houston decided to send pressure, with Leavitt taking a decent shot from the edge defender right after he let this ball go. Great job at hanging in the pocket and a great throw to lead McClain down the field for a 41-yard gain, helping set up their first touchdown of the game. Leavitt would come out firing on their next possession, hitting Chamon Metayer across the middle for a 14-yard gain before rolling to his left and finding an open McClain for a further 36-yards to get them down to the Houston 30-yard line. Unfortunately Leavitt would miss on three straight passes on the following three plays, forcing them to settle for a field goal, only this time Jesus Gomez would actually convert from 47-yards out, making the score 24-9 with 11:24 to go in the fourth. That drive would be Leavitt's last of the game as he would be forced out due to injury. That being said Jeff Sims would come in and register a passing touchdown to make it 24-16 but it would ultimately be too little too late as Houston would come away with a big time road win in conference play. An unfortunate loss for the Sun Devils on multiple fronts as this loss not only knocked them out of the top-25, but also saw them lose their quarterback for their upcoming road trip against the Iowa State Cyclones. As for this game though, playing hurt and without his star receiver I thought Leavitt put forth a very solid showing. I loved seeing the continued improvement from him, and it sucks knowing that this game could have been his last this season.
Wk 1 - 7
Wk 2 - 10
Wk 3 - N/R
Wk 4 - N/R
Wk 5 - N/R
Wk 6 - N/R
Wk 7 - N/R
Wk 8 - N/R
Wk 9 - 10
Wk 10 - @ Iowa State
Others
Carson Beck, Miami (FL)
Wk 9 - 21/28 189 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/1 carry 8 yds 0 touchdowns v Stanford (42-7 W)
Season - 148/202 1,673 yds 12 touchdowns 7 interceptions/19 carries 34 yds 1 touchdown
Taylen Green, Arkansas (8)
Wk 9 - 14/22 268 yds 1 touchdown 3 interceptions/7 carries 14 yds 0 touchdowns v Auburn (33-24 L)
Season - 152/243 2,178 yds 18 touchdowns 8 interceptions/90 carries 603 yds 5 touchdowns
Josh Hoover, TCU (9)
Wk 9 - 24/39 247 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/2 carries -3 yds 0 touchdowns @ West Virginia (23-17 W)
Season - 185/285 2,371 yds 22 touchdowns 6 interceptions/35 carries 4 yds 2 touchdowns
Cole Payton, North Dakota State
Wk 9 - 18/23 243 yds 0 touchdowns 1 interception/17 carries 137 yds 4 touchdowns @ no.2 South Dakota State (38-7 W)
Season - 109/145 1,808 yds 11 touchdowns 2 interceptions/88 carries 612 yds 10 touchdowns
Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
Wk 9 - 18/26 137 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/8 carries 6 yds 1 touchdown @ no.21 Cincinnati (41-20 L)
Season - 201/326 2,513 yds 23 touchdowns 7 interceptions/35 carries 5 yds 2 touchdowns
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