College football Notes, beginning of Week 2
College football Notes, beginning of Week 2
College
This player at La Verne suffered 17 broken bones and nearly lost his legs in a car accident, but returned to the field this year.
Some really good comments in this reddit thread about Ohio State’s players. Obviously, many of them will go onto the NFL.
Ohio State G Thayer Munford has been the starting left tackle but asked to move inside to guard as a) he thought it would help the team to have Matthew Jones at tackle and b) he expects to a first round guard in 2022. Jones “struggles in pass protection” according to a redditor and Munford was a dominant left tackle.
Paris Johnson is a starting guard and former five-star recruit at Ohio State:
Another Reddit gem: “While there was a general trend toward zone in the early/mid 2010s across CFB (which you will see with Ohio State after Herman left in 2015-2016), it's mostly Ryan Day. There seems to be a general move toward more wide zone in CFB just like many in the NFL seem to be moving more toward McVay (mid-zone) and Shanahan (wide zone) run scheme in the NFL, so in many ways Day was just ahead of the curve. The next trend for RPO-centric teams has been a move toward Gap though (UCLA/Alabama good examples), not that Ohio State has ran much RPOs since Day took over the offense.”
The starting QB at DII Ferris State is Jared Bernhardt, who hasn’t played football since high school five years ago. Bernhardt was an accomplished triple-option QB in high school who was simply getting better offers as a lacrosse player, so he dropped football. He won a national championship at Maryland as a true freshman, then turned into the country’s top male lacrosse player. With an extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic, Bernhardt opted to give football another chance. Bernardt scored three first quarter touchdowns in his first game back, and seven total by the time it was over.
Georgia is expected to start QB Carson Beck (they didn’t) while J.T. Daniels deals with a “minor” injury. Beck was a prized recruit in 2020 out of Jacksonville. Beck was criticized by the head coach for a lack of focus as a true freshman but says he improved this year.
QB Stetson Bennett started for Georgia against UAB, and as I’m writing this, is 5-of-5 for 245 yards and 4 TD. He’s got a big arm, but playing against this UAB defense looks like practicing with only 11 players on the field.
Senior WR Khalil Shakir of Boise State had seven catches for 166 yards against UTEP on Friday. Shakir was a four-star recruit in 2018 and was listed at 6’2, 185 lbs. He now has 12 catches for 257 yards in two games.
Does Utah State WR Deven Thompkins want to be the next Tutu Atwell? The 5’8, 155 lb receiver had 172 yards and a touchdown on Friday, giving him 266 yards and 16 catches through two games. Thompkins is a father of two and an oddity that I never see: the reference website misspelled his name:
- The question for Thompkins may not end up as production, but size and and speed. But if Atwell can be a second round pick, what could Thompkins to raise his profile to being drafted? Or signing after the draft? A highly-productive season and a 4.3 40-yard dash would help. This is an insane catch by Thompkins:
And he’s fast:
Virginia QB Brennan Armstrong is putting up numbers so far. After 339 yards and 2 TD in Week 1, Armstrong was even better against Illinois on Saturday: 27-of-36, 405 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT. The redshirt junior is 6’2, 215 lbs, and he’s a lefty. Armstrong, you just made my watch list.
Virginia WR Jelani Woods had five catches for 122 yards and 1 TD.
Kent State RB Marquez Cooper has 11 carries for 113 yards and 1 TD mid-way through the second quarter. He finished with 12 carries for 119 yards. Cooper was a two-star prospect and he’s 5’8, 185 lbs. Here’s an old clip of Cooper:
Western Kentucky QB Bailey Zappe update: 28-of-40 for 436 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT against Army. Zeppe, if you don’t remember, was a record-setting QB for Houston Baptiste at the FCS level.
Penei Sewell’s brother Noah Sewell could be a first round pick.
Auburn QB Bo Nix went 9-of-17 for 108 yards, 2 TD in a 62-0 rout of Alabama ………………….. State. We don’t need to talk much about games like these.
I haven’t been as high on Minnesota QB Tanner Morgan as others. He went 8-of-17 for 112 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT in a 31-26 win over Miami of Ohio. Minnesota’s backup RB, Trey Potts, had 34 carries for 178 yards and 2 TD.
Purdue WR David Bell, a probable first round pick, has 3 TD against UConn in the first half. He also has 121 yards. I don’t expect to see him in the second half.
Boston College QB Phil Jurkovec went to the locker room with an apparent wrist injury.
Florida CB Kaiir Elam got his first pick of the season. Elam might be the top CB in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Pitt QB Kenny Pickett bounced back from a rough Week 1, going 24-of-36 for 285 yards, 2 TD, 1 rush TD in a win over Tennessee. WR Taysir Mack had four catches for 100 yards.
Oregon’s standouts in a 35-28 win over Ohio State: RB C.J. Verdell had 20 carries for 161 yards and 2 TD, plus 34 rec yards and 1 TD. LB Mykael Wright had 10 tackles. Bradyn Swinson had a sack and a pass defensed. D.J. Johnson had a sack. Verone McKinley III had an INT.
Ohio State’s side: QB CJ Stroud had 484 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT. WR Chris Olave had 12 catches for 126 yards. WR Garrett Wilson had 117 yards and 1 TD. WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba had 145 yards and 2 TD. Olave and Wilson could be first round picks in 2022, Smith-Njigba isn’t eligible until 2023. Cameron Brown had 3 passes defensed. Ohio State had 0 sacks on Oregon. Javontae Jean-Baptiste had two QB hurries.
Notre Dame needed everything it had to beat Toledo on Saturday, winning 32-29 on a late touchdown catch from star sophomore TE Michael Mayer. QB Jack Coan had 239 yards and 2 TD/1 INT on 21-of-33 passing. RB Kyren Williams had 16 carries for 78 yards and 1 TD. Tyler Buchner had 68 yards on seven carries. Mayer caught seven passes for 81 yards and 2 TD.
I’ll be back later after the afternoon and evening games are concluded.