Devy Roundup: Week Six
First, it was Jerry Jeudy’s turn. Then it was Henry Ruggs’s. This week it was Devonta Smith’s. He exploded for 274 yards and five touchdowns against Ole Miss last Saturday, which caused some to debate where this Alabama receiving group ranks in college football history. Do not forget about Jaylen Waddle, another top-five recruit from his class who will eventually get his weeks to shine as well. With Tua Tagovailoa throwing them the ball, this is truly a special group. This is the last year they will all play together so enjoy it while you can.
MY RANKINGS
This week, I preview the top of my running back rankings. You can find my full set of devy rankings here.
D’Andre Swift and Jonathan Taylor are “1A” and “1B” for me in the first tier. I can see both of them being selected in the first round of the NFL draft next year and being three-down, foundational running backs for the team who selects them.
The fact Travis Etienne, Chuba Hubbard, and Cam Akers round out my top five shows how special the 2020 class has the potential to be and we have not even discussed the wide receiver group yet. I see more playmaking ability and explosiveness out of these three players than the ones in the tier below, but the third tier still has some very good prospects in it.
Four freshmen round out my top-15. Zach Charbonnet is the only one of the group to see lead-back work so far but that class looks very nice in the early going.
Top performers
Below are some of the top performers of the week. Of course, I could not list everyone who played well, but here are a few who stood out. You can find the full set of statistics from the week here.
Devonta Smith, WR Alabama (11 rec, 274 yards, 5 TDs)
Smith shredded the Ole Miss defense, scoring four of his five touchdowns in the first half and three of those in the second quarter. It was one of the most dominant performances of the season so far.
Justin Fields, QB Ohio State (212 yards passing, 3 TDs, 72 yards rushing, 1 TD)
With another strong performance Saturday, Fields remains firmly in the Heisman race and is starting to make a case that he, Tua Tagovailoa, and Trevor Lawrence should all be in the top tier of devy quarterbacks.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB Alabama (418 yards passing, 7 total TDs (1 rushing))
Tua broke a few records with his stellar performance on Saturday. He set the all-time Alabama record for touchdowns as well as single-game Alabama records with seven total touchdowns and six passing touchdowns. He and wide receiver Devonta Smith simply could not be stopped.
Chuba Hubbard, RB Oklahoma State (296 yards rushing, 1 TD, 2 rec, 7 yards)
Hubbard continues to see heavy workloads and make the most of them. On Saturday, he gained 296 yards on 25 carries, including an 84-yard touchdown run. He leads the FBS in rushing and is nearly 300 yards ahead of the second-ranked player. His past month has been nothing short of spectacular.
CeeDee Lamb, WR Oklahoma (7 rec, 185 yards, 3 TDs)
The Sooners made a concerted effort to get Lamb the ball on Saturday and it paid off. With Jalen Hurts rolling in this offense, Lamb figures to have many more big games ahead of him. Both could be first-round picks in the NFL draft next year.
MARQUEE MATCHUPS
Below are some of the games I will be sure to tune into for this upcoming week’s slate. You can check out the full week six schedule here.
Utah State @ #5 LSU – 10/5 @ 12 PM EST on SECN
While this is not necessarily a good matchup on paper, there a few things I am very excited to see in this game. First, LSU’s offense has been one of the most fun to watch during the first month of the season. I cannot wait to watch more of wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
Second, I am excited to see how Utah State quarterback Jordan Love plays against the LSU defense. While it has not been LSU’s calling card this year like it has been in the past, it is still a step above the defenses Love is used to playing against in the Mountain West Conference.
#21 Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech – 10/5 @ 12 PM EST on FS1
More Chuba Hubbard, Tylan Wallace, and Spencer Sanders, please. They have been one of the most exciting offenses to watch in college football this year and this game figures to be another shootout.
#7 Auburn @ #10 Florida – 10/5 @ 3:30 PM EST on CBS
An SEC-matchup of two top-ten ranked teams is usually a good game. Both teams are undefeated so far and a win here is needed to keep pace in their SEC divisions. With teams like Georgia, Alabama, and LSU sitting atop each division every win matters.
#25 Michigan State @ #4 Ohio State – 10/5 @ 7:30 PM EST on ABC
This will be the best team Justin Fields and the rest of Ohio State will have faced so far this year. They have dominated every opponent so far but this will be a better test to see just how good they are. Another good performance on the national stage would send Fields’s stock up even higher.
- Devy Roundup: Week 14 - November 26, 2019
- Devy Roundup: Week 13 - November 20, 2019
- Devy Roundup: Week 12 - November 12, 2019
