Wild Card Preview…Another Common Cowboys L? – DraftID Podcast
Buckeyes Bottled Up; Air It Out
Despite being held to just 66 yards on the ground, the #2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes were able to thump Iowa 54-10. C.J. Stroud had a pair of uncharacteristic turnovers, but I thought he had a solid outing throwing the ball for 286 yards and 4 TDs. The duo of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka were both held to under 100 yards receiving, but both found pay-dirt. WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba made his return after missing 5 weeks and played just 22 snaps and had 1 reception for 7 yards. Iowa LB Jack Campbell stood out on the defensive side of the ball, despite the blowout.
Clean Game for Vols in Walkthrough
Tennessee essentially had a week off as they faced the UT Martin Skyhawks this week, which gave the reserves a bulk of the playing time as the Vols put up 50 in the first half. QB Hendon Hooker had another solid game throwing the ball for 276 yards and 3 TDs. WR Jalin Hyatt’s breakout continues as he added 174 yards and 2 more TDs. WR Cedric Tillman continues to rest his high ankle sprain and this offense has potential to be even scarier when he returns.
Clemson Survives the Orange
The Clemson Tigers passed one of their final tests during this regular season as they defeated the #14 Syracuse Orange 27-21 and are now a perfect 6-0 in conference. However, this game may have taken a toll on the Tigers as we saw QB DJ Uiagalelei struggle for the first time this season, which ultimately led to the benching in favor of Freshman QB Cade Klubnik. Despite completing just two passes for 19 yards, Klubnik protected the ball and led the Tigers to a come-from-behind victory that has kept the Tigers’ CFP hopes alive. Despite the rough 3 TO game out of Uiagalelei, he has just 2 others all season outside of this game and I’d imagine he will return to the lineup next week as the starter.
Rogers Struggles Against the Tide
I’ve been very vocal this season about the growth and success that I have seen out of Mississippi State QB Will Rogers, but he disappeared against Alabama this weekend. Rogers was limited to just 231 yards and a QBR of 38.9, but he did in fact protect the football this game, something he was unable to do last season. This game was sloppy on both ends, as Alabama still looked lost and once again lacked offensive efficiency. This team will need to lean more on QB Bryce Young to clean things up, as they face two more ranked opponents on the road (#18 LSU, #15 Ole Miss), which should make it 5 ranked opponents in the 6 game stretch.
Lane Kiffin Doing Lane Kiffin Things
The spotlight was once again too bright for Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss squad, as they were dominated in the second half by the LSU Tigers. QB Jayden Daniels will not be an NFL QB, but he seriously has cleaned up his game the last few weeks and this offense looks much better. However, Ole Miss also made Auburn’s offense look great, so I am not ready to jump on the LSU bandwagon. Ole Miss was seriously missing RB Zach Evans, who was a game-time scratch this week. LSU CB Mekhi Garner continues to rise up my draft board as he had another lockdown performance despite allowing a 37 yard reception. Edge BJ Ojulari was held to just 3 pressures, but was able to register his 7th sack in his 6th game this season.
Duggan Revenge Tour
QB Max Duggan entered his senior season with 3 years of starting experience for the TCU Horned Frogs, but was surprisingly beaten out in camp by Oklahoma transfer Chandler Morris. An early season injury to Morris gave Duggan one last shot to earn his job back and he has not disappointed. This season, Duggan has already thrown for 1,900 yards and 19 TDs, with just 1 interception. He has also led TCU to a perfect 7-0 start with 4 straight wins over top 20 ranked programs. Duggan is not only looking like an awesome college football QB, but now has caught the attention of NFL scouts as a mid round player who has shown tremendous improvement this season. Outside of Duggan, TCU RB Kendre Miller continues to impress me with his well-rounded skillset and has averaged 125 yards in his last 5 games. Lastly, WR Quentin Johnston hauled in another TD, which now makes it three straight games with 74+ yards and a TD.
RB1 Continues to Produce
Texas RB Bijan Robinson took 25 touches for 181 yards and a pair of TDs despite losing to #11 Oklahoma State. Robinson sits just 80 yards shy of crossing the 1,000 yard mark and still holds my top RB spot over Jahmyr Gibbs.
Ducks Dominate Bruins
The Oregon Ducks were written off by many following a Week 1 shellacking from the Georgia Bulldogs, but they have bounced back to being one of the top teams in the nation and a legit playoff contender. The Ducks took care of business against the #9 UCLA Bruins and now control their own destiny in the Pac12. QB Bo Nix had a huge performance with 283 yards and 5 passing TDs. WR Troy Franklin (8 receptions, 132 yards, 2 TDs) has emerged as the top receiving threat for the Ducks and is a guy that I firmly will have my eyes on next year as a top 2024 WR prospect. CB Christian Gonzalez continues to be one of the biggest risers in the nation and has been playing like a first round player.
One the other side, UCLA struggled to get much going this game, however, RB Zach Charbonnette continues to look like an NFL RB and took his 20 carries for 151 yards and a TD. WR Jake Bobo, who is also a top 100 prospect, salvaged a 8 reception 100 yard game with a TD.
Best of the Rest
Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman recorded his second game with at least 5 TDs this season with a win over Boston College. I think he’s a fun story, but still don’t love the NFL upside and have his ceiling as a backup who could fight for a roster spot. Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. had another big day passing the ball for 374 yards and remains the NCAA leader in passing yards. UAB RB DeWayne McBride is a fun prospect who now has 975 yards for 11 TDs on just 140 touches. He has still recorded just 3 receptions in his 3 years, so his versatility may be knocked by scouts. Boston College WR Zay Flowers once again produces with 10 receptions for 135 yards and 1 TD. Former Nebraska QB turned WR Luke McCaffrey has shown his NFL upside as an athlete. The Rice transfer showed his versatility with 10 receptions for 174 yards and 2 TDs through the air and 3 attempts for 31 yards and a TD on the ground.
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