Devy Roundup: Week Nine
For as many upsets as there was last week, there were only a few among the top-ranked teams in the country this week. However, one of them was a big one.
Purdue dominated Ohio State, especially in the fourth quarter, on their way to an upset victory. Many already knew of Rondale Moore’s talent, but this was the coming out party for the Purdue freshman. Once a favorite to make the college football playoffs, this loss does not eliminate the Buckeyes but makes it much tougher for them to make it.
Oregon and Cincinnati were the two other top-25 ranked teams who lost on Saturday. Oregon tried to make a valiant comeback after trailing 27-0 in the first half while Cincinnati lost in overtime. Neither of these teams were expected to make the college football playoff, so their losses sting less than Ohio State’s.
You can find the final results of each week eight game here.
Top Performers
Some of the top performers of the week
Rondale Moore, WR Purdue (12 rec, 170 yards, 2 TDs, 24 yards rushing)
Moore has been fantastic in his freshman season and was a big part of Purdue’s surprising upset over Ohio State. His speed and elusiveness were on full display all night. He turned numerous quick, underneath throws into long gains with his speed.
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Drew Lock, QB Missouri (350 yards passing, 4 TDs, 36 yards rushing)
The Missouri offense was on fire against Memphis last Saturday. Drew Lock played a nearly flawless game and completed numerous deep passes en route to his big day. It was a good bounce-back game after a few rough outings earlier in the season.
Albert Okwuegbunam, TE Missouri (6 rec, 159 yards, 3 TDs)
Okwuegbunam was the main beneficiary of Lock’s impressive outing. He was able to get behind the defense on all three of his touchdowns and Lock delivered the ball in a great spot on each.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB Alabama (306 yards passing, 4 TDs, 6 yards rushing)
It has reached a point where I fully expect Tua to make my “top performers” list every week. Enjoy him while you can because we might be witnessing one of the greatest college quarterbacks to ever play the game if he keeps this up.
Adrian Martinez, QB Nebraska (276 yards passing, 3 TDs, 125 yards rushing, 1 TD)
Nebraska finally earned their first win and Adrian Martinez was a big part of it. He played well in both the passing and running games on Saturday, gaining over 400 total yards. Just a freshman, Martinez looks like he has a bright future ahead.
Honorable Mentions: Preston Williams (9 rec, 154 yards, 1 TD), Warren Jackson (9 rec, 105 yards, 2 TDs), Jaylen Waddle (4 rec, 117 yards, 1 TD), Jauan Jennings (6 rec, 102 yards), Dwayne Haskins (470 yards passing, 2 TDs, 1 INT), K.J. Hill (9 rec, 105 yards), David Blough (378 yards passing, 3 TDs), D.J. Knox (128 yards rushing, 3 TDs, 1 rec, 26 yards), Tee Higgins (8 rec, 119 yards, 1 TD), Karan Higdon (33 carries, 144 yards rushing), Kyler Murray (213 yards passing, 4 TDs, 51 yards rushing), Kennedy Brooks (168 yards rushing, 1 TD, 2 rec, 8 yards), Trey Sermon (110 yards rushing, 2 TDs), Trevon Brown (10 rec, 145 yards, 1 TD), Gardner Minshew (323 yards passing, 4 TDs, 2 INTs), Benny Snell (169 yards rushing, 1 TD), Stevie Scott (138 yards rushing, 2 TDs, 1 rec, 9 yards), David Pindell (197 yards rushing, 2 TDs), Kevin Mensah (120 yards rushing, 2 TDs, 1 rec, 3 yards), Johnny Ford (164 yards rushing, 3 TDs), Jonathan Taylor (159 yards rushing), Taiwan Deal (111 yards rushing, 2 TDs), JaTarvious Whitlow (170 yards rushing, 4 rec, 38 yards, 1 TD), A.J. Brown (10 rec, 155 yards, 1 TD), Jamal Custis (7 rec, 162 yards, 1 TD), Patrick Laird (192 yards rushing, 2 TDs, 3 rec, 48 yards, 1 TD), Antonio Gandy-Golden (10 rec, 142 yards, 2 TDs), Cam Akers (98 yards rushing, 2 TDs, 3 rec, 28 yards), Nyqwan Murray (8 rec, 131 yards, 1 TD), Tyler Johnson (11 rec, 184 yards), Stanley Morgan (10 rec, 163 yards, 2 TDs), Antoine Wesley (9 rec, 155 yards, 1 TD), Patrick Taylor (115 yards rushing, 2 TDs), Larry Rountree (118 yards rushing, 3 TDs)
Poor Performers
Performances which did to live up to expectations
JK Dobbins, RB Ohio State (11 carries, 24 yards, 4 rec, 34 yards)
Dobbins could not find much room to run against Purdue on Saturday. Teammate Mike Weber did not have much success either. To make matters worse, Ohio State trailed for much of the game as well.
Bryce Love, RB Stanford (11 rushes, 21 yards, 2 rec, 10 yards)
Bryce Love returned from an ankle injury that has flared up a few times this season. He did not do much against Arizona State on Saturday and head coach David Shaw held him out of the end of the game. The hope is he can get healthy soon.
Brian Lewerke, QB Michigan State (5 for 25, 66 yards passing)
A team is not going to win many games when their quarterback completes just five of 25 passes. One of those five completions was a ridiculous one-handed catch too. However, Lewerke’s receivers did have a few drops as well. The Michigan defense overwhelmed the Spartan offense for most of the game. The win, rain, and the wet field did not help either.
My Rankings
Last week, I gave you a preview of my devy wide receiver rankings. This week, I am giving you my devy running back rankings. As you can see below, the 2020 class dominates the top of the rankings.
The hype is already building for that class and it will only get stronger over the next two years. They have a long way to go, but the 2020 running back class could end up being better than the 2017 and 2018 ones.
You can find my full set of devy rankings here.
Marquee Match-ups
Below are some of the more intriguing match-ups on this upcoming week’s slate. You can check out the full week nine schedule here.
1.) #2 Clemson @ Florida State – 10/27 @ 12 PM EST on ABC
There are some top devy prospects in this game. Cam Akers and Travis Etienne are two of the top players from the highly-regarded 2020 running back class. In addition, Trevor Lawrence and Justyn Ross are two special talents from the 2021 class. Do not forget about Tee Higgins and Tamorrion Terry, two more talented receivers.
2.) #9 Florida @ #7 Georgia – 10/27 @ 3:30 PM EST on CBS
Georgia still has a decent chance of making the college football playoff, but might need to run the table to do so. They face a tough test against Florida on Saturday. Jake Fromm, D’Andre Swift, and Mecole Hardman are just a few players to watch in this one.
3.) #18 Iowa @ #17 Penn State – 10/27 @ 3:30 PM EST on ESPN
Iowa might have the best tight end group in the country, including Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson. In addition, running back Miles Sanders is someone I continue to keep my eye on for Penn State.
4.) Arizona State @ USC – 10/27 @ 3:30 PM EST on ABC/ESPN2
The PAC-12 has a lot of great wide receiver showdowns, including this one on Saturday. N’Keal Harry and Amon-Ra St. Brown are two the best receivers from their respective classes and could put on a show in this one.
There are a couple other players to watch in this one as well, including Eno Benjamin, Tyler Vaughns, Michael Pittman, and Stephen Carr. USC quarterback J.T. Daniels will miss the game with a concussion.
Other News/Notes
With Ohio State losing against Purdue, Tua Tagovailoa is now firmly in the driver’s seat for the Heisman Trophy. He has yet to throw an interception this year and is playing nearly flawless football. Dwayne Haskins and Kyler Murray have had outstanding seasons so far as well, but Tua is playing at a ridiculous level. It helps he is also playing on the top team in the country.
Feel free to reach out in the comments section below or on Twitter @KyleHoldenFF with any questions as we look ahead to week nine of the college football season.
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- Devy Roundup: Week 14 - November 26, 2019
- Devy Roundup: Week 13 - November 20, 2019
- Devy Roundup: Week 12 - November 12, 2019
