Devy Roundup: Week One
Welcome back to the second edition of the Devy Roundup. What an exciting first full week of college football that was! Although many of the top-ranked schools won rather handily, there were still some close games and great matchups.
Many people were anticipating the Florida State – Alabama game to be one of the best opening week games in recent memory. The first half was entertaining, as Florida State took a brief lead in the second quarter after a touchdown catch by Auden Tate on a nice fade route. However, Alabama quickly regained the lead after a long touchdown catch by Calvin Ridley and never looked back. The Crimson Tide’s defense completely shut down the Seminoles in the second half and Florida State also made a few costly special teams mistakes. To make matters worse, FSU quarterback Deondre Francois suffered a torn patellar tendon, potentially derailing the Seminoles’ promising seasonal outlook.
The South Carolina – North Carolina State game was another fun one to watch. It featured three talented receivers in Bryan Edwards, Deebo Samuel, and Kelvin Harmon. NC State had a chance to tie at the end of the game but fell just short.
I hope those of you on the East Coast stayed up to watch the Texas A&M – UCLA game. It was one of the biggest comebacks in college football history. UCLA’s offense was stagnant in the first half. Quarterback Josh Rosen was holding onto the ball too long and his offensive line and running game were not giving him much help either. However, the second half was a completely different story. After trailing 44-10, Rosen put the team on his back as UCLA scored 35 unanswered points to win 45-44. He threw for nearly 300 yards in the fourth quarter. To cap it off, Rosen fake-spiked the ball and threw the game-tying touchdown to Jordan Lasley in the corner of the end zone with 43 seconds to go in the game. The ensuing extra point gave UCLA the lead and Texas A&M turned the ball over on downs on their last possession.
Finally, how about the final game on Monday night? Tennessee outlasted Georgia Tech in a thrilling double-overtime game. They were able to overcome five TaQuon Marshall touchdowns and stopped him on a two-point conversion run to end the game.
You can find the final results of each week one game here.
[am4show have=’g1;’ guest_error=’sub_message’ user_error=’sub_message’ ]
Top Performers
Performances ranked on a 5-star scale
5 stars – Josh Rosen, QB UCLA (491 yards passing, 4 TDs)
This might end up being one of the best college football games of the entire year. Rosen and the rest of the UCLA offense looked lethargic in the first half, as Rosen was constantly hitting the turf and the running game struggled. Rosen then proceeded to pick apart the Texas A&M defense in the second half. He threw for 292 yards and four touchdowns in the fourth quarter!
5 stars – TaQuon Marshall, QB Georgia Tech (120 yards passing, 249 yards rushing, 5 TDs)
TaQuon was very busy on Monday night. He only threw the ball nine times but carried it 44 times in his double overtime loss to Tennessee. He scored a touchdown in the second overtime and Georgia Tech went for the two-point conversion for the win. Unfortunately, Marshall was stopped short. Regardless, he put the team on his back as he ran for nearly 250 yards and scored five touchdowns.
5 stars – Drew Lock, QB Missouri (21-34, 521 yards passing, 7 TDs, 1 INT)
Drew Lock is probably not near the top of anyone’s quarterback rankings, but his record-setting day still deserves recognition. He set single-game Missouri records for passing yards and passing touchdowns. It helped the Missouri defense also gave up 43 points and forced Lock to remain in the game in the fourth quarter.
4 stars – Caleb Wilson, TE UCLA (15 receptions, 208 yards)
Caleb Wilson was Rosen’s main target on their historic night. He consistently found space over the middle of the field to the tune of 15 catches. He did not find the end zone, but he and Rosen led one of the most epic comebacks in college football history.
4 stars – J.K. Dobbins, RB Ohio State (181 yards rushing, 2 receptions, 24 yards receiving)
Mike Weber sat out the Buckeyes season opener, which opened the door for Dobbins to shine. He repeatedly gashed Indiana’s run defense for long gains on his way to 181 rushing yards, a new Ohio State record for a running back’s debut. Dobbins’s statistics do not even tell the whole story. His long runs in the second half helped kick-start Ohio State’s offense after a sluggish start and helped propel the team to a commanding victory over Indiana.
4 stars – Damarea Crockett, RB Missouri (202 yards rushing, 2 TDs)
Crockett picked up right where he left off last season. He had over 1,000 yards rushing as a true freshman last season and added on 202 more on Saturday. He also tacked on two touchdowns.
4 stars – Deebo Samuel, WR South Carolina (5 rec, 83 yards, 2 TDs, 97-yard kick return TD, 1 carry, 5 yards)
Deebo Samuel was making plays all over the field on Saturday. He caught two touchdowns and returned a kick for another. One of his receiving touchdowns included an impressive one-handed grab near the corner of the end zone.
4 stars – Baker Mayfield, QB Oklahoma (19-20, 329 yards passing, 3 TDs)
What more can you ask for from a quarterback? Mayfield was nearly perfect in his season opener, with only one incompletion the entire day. He threw for 329 yards on only 20 attempts and did not even need to play any of the second half.
There were many outstanding performances in the first week of college football. Below are some honorable mentions:
Lamar Jackson (378 yards passing, 2 TDs, 107 yards rushing), James Washington (6 rec, 145 yards, 2 TDs), Trayveon Williams (203 yards rushing, 2 TDs), Ronald Jones (159 yards rushing, 3 TDs, 1 rec, 19 yards), Saquon Barkley (172 yards rushing, 2 TDs, 3 rec, 54 yards), Derrius Guice (122 yards rushing, 2 TDs, 1 rec, 4 yards), Parris Campbell (6 rec, 136 yards, 1 TD), Mason Rudolph (20-24, 303 yards passing, 3 TDs), Richie James (10 rec, 112 yards, 1 TD, 2 rushes, 14 yards), Mark Andrews (7 rec, 134 yards, 1 TD), John Kelly (128 yards rushing, 4 TDs)
Poor Performers
Performances ranked on a 5-star scale
This is supposed to be the year of the quarterback, right? We might want to pump the brakes on that take, at least for now. A few of the top-rated quarterbacks had less than stellar performances in week one.
2 stars – Sam Darnold, QB USC (289 yards passing, 0 TDs, 2 INTs)
There have been a lot of discussions this summer about Darnold being the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. However, he did not look the part last Saturday. He threw for 289 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns. There were rumblings from practice the USC offense was out of sorts and it carried over into their game against Western Michigan. Look for Darnold and company to bounce back next week at home against Stanford.
2 stars – Deondre Francois, QB FSU (210 yards passing, 1 TD, 2 INTs)
Deondre Francois actually played pretty well in the first half against the stellar Alabama defense. He completed a deep pass to Auden Tate as well as an impressive touchdown to Tate on a fade route. However, the Alabama defense clamped down on Francois and the entire FSU offense in the second half, causing Francois to throw two costly interceptions. To make matters worse, Francois suffered a torn patellar tendon late in the fourth quarter, likely ending his season.
2 stars – Josh Allen, QB Wyoming (174 yards passing, 0 TDs, 2 INTs)
Iowa’s defense played really well in this game. They were able to hone in on Josh Allen since Wyoming could not find much room to run. Allen was forced to throw a lot of short passes and the offense never really got anything going.
Depth Chart Battles
As we approach the second week of the season, a number of positional battles continue to form. It will be fun to watch these play out over the course of the season.
USC Running Backs
I mentioned USC’s backfield in last week’s edition as well. Ronald Jones dominated Western Michigan in week one and looks to be the clear lead back for USC. However, Stephen Carr made some noise of his own as well. He had an impressive touchdown run late in the game last week after making a sharp cut against the defender and outrunning everyone else. Carr could solidify himself as the number two back behind Jones sooner rather than later.
Florida State Running Backs
I was not sure how much game action Cam Akers would see last week against Alabama, but he entered the game rather early and ended up with the most carries on his team. He did not have much success against the daunting Alabama defense, but he did have a few nice runs. There was a clear difference between his play style and speed than fellow back Jacques Patrick’s. It would not surprise me if Akers ends up starting at some point this season. Florida State might have to rely more on their running game after news broke saying quarterback Deondre Francois will likely be out for the year with a torn patellar tendon.
Georgia Running Backs
Georgia has one of the most crowded backfields in college football. Nick Chubb and Sony Michel received 15 and 16 carries respectively last week with Elijah Holyfield suspended due to drug charges from earlier this year. D’Andre Swift is also in the mix for carries. It will be interesting to see how they are allocated once Holyfield returns.
My Rankings
Below is a preview of my Top 25 devy rankings. I made some minor updates to my positional rankings, but nothing changed in my Top 25. I am sure they will fluctuate as the season progresses, but most of these players did well in their first games and I do not want to overact to one game so early in the season. You can find my full set of devy rankings here.
Marquee Matchups
Below are some of the more intriguing games on this week’s slate. You can check out the full week two schedule here.
1.) Auburn @ Clemson – 9/9 at 7:00 PM EST on ESPN/WatchESPN
Clemson rolled over Kent State in week one. New starter Kelly Bryant looked promising in his first game and even had a beautiful 61-yard touchdown pass to Deon Cain. However, they will face a much tougher test in week two against Auburn.
Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham also had some impressive throws last week. It will be interesting to see how he does against the defending national champions.
2.) North Texas @ SMU – 9/9 at 7 PM EST on ESPN3
This matchup does not feature any of the top-ranked teams, but it does feature SMU wide receiver Courtland Sutton. He does not normally play on national television, but when he does you should tune in. He is currently my third-ranked college player and is looking to rebound from a quiet game last week. I am not placing the blame on Sutton for his performance last week since his starting quarterback only threw for 112 yards.
3.) Oklahoma @ Ohio State – 9/9 at 7:30 PM EST on ABC/WatchESPN
I am excited to see what Parris Campbell and J.K. Dobbins can do in their second game of the year. They both played very well for Ohio State last week and look to follow-up those impressive performances against Oklahoma.
Heisman hopeful Baker Mayfield had a near-perfect game in week one against UTEP. Let’s see how he does against an imposing Ohio State defensive line. Tight end Mark Andrews also had an impressive game last week and is another player to keep an eye on in this one.
4.) Georgia @ Notre Dame – 9/9 at 7:30 PM EST on NBC
Georgia’s backfield is loaded with talent. Nick Chubb and Sony Michel accounted for three rushing touchdowns last week and might need to shoulder a lot of the offensive load going forward. Starting quarterback Jacob Eason sprained a knee ligament early in the game last week, but backup freshman Jake Fromm actually played pretty well in his place. Eason has been ruled out for this game and his team is not sure how long he will be out.
Notre Dame receiver Equanimeous St. Brown is another top-ranked devy player to watch in this game. I am curious to see how he plays against the Georgia defense who played pretty well last week against Appalachian State.
5.) Stanford @ USC – 9/9 at 8:30 PM EST on FOX
Sam Darnold had a very poor performance last week, especially by the standards he set last season. I am looking for him to make a big statement on national television this week against PAC12 opponent Stanford. Ronald Jones had a huge game last week and freshman Stephen Carr also had a long touchdown run late in the game that helped seal it. Look for them to be involved in this one as well.
Other News/Notes
A lot of people, myself included, have been hyping up quarterbacks Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, and Josh Allen while dismissing Lamar Jackson from being considered in the discussion of the top NFL quarterback prospects. However, it might be time to start considering Jackson amongst that elite tier. He can make plays other quarterbacks can only dream of. Furthermore, he is such an impressive runner and makes great throws too.
It is only week two, but Alabama looks like a good bet to make the college football playoff yet again this year. Jalen Hurts has a year of experience under his belt and the running game and defense look good again.
Look for this series to continue to be published every Thursday. In the meantime, feel free to follow me on Twitter @TheDevyDude and get ready for another exciting week of college football!
[/am4show]
- Devy Roundup: Week 14 - November 26, 2019
- Devy Roundup: Week 13 - November 20, 2019
- Devy Roundup: Week 12 - November 12, 2019
