What a day of college football that we had on Saturday. It was a day that epitomizes why the game of football is so beautiful. We had games with huge upsets, some unreal performances, not to mention a probable game-of-the-year candidate.
Amidst all the chaos, a select few quarterbacks rose to the occasion to lead their respective offenses to outstanding performances. We use this exercise to list the best ones from last weekend for draft-eligible quarterbacks.
James Madison QB Jordan McCloud
Let’s start with a new name to the list. James Madison quarterback Jordan McCloud had a day to remember against Georgia Southern. McCloud went 20-for-31 for 259 yards and three touchdowns.
Unfortunately, McCloud and the Dukes won’t be eligible for postseason play due to transitioning from the FCS to FBS. But, this undefeated James Madison team is one to watch for the rest of the season with McCloud in control of this offense.
He is a plus athlete at the position who transferred from both USF and Arizona. McCloud is decisive with his decisions and has earned the distinction of being on the Davey O’Brien Award (award given to the best quarterback in the country) midseason watchlist.
Holy tight window throw from Jordan McCloud to Kaelon Black 😤😤 pic.twitter.com/KB6IfiQG0E
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) October 14, 2023
Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy
Another week, another solid week of football from Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy ended the day 14-of-17 for 222 yards and three touchdowns in the Wolverines’ 52-7 rout of Indiana.
His ability to improvise and create plays outside the pocket was on display yet again. McCarthy has consistently been one of the more efficient quarterbacks in the country. He’s 1st in QBR, 2nd in passer efficiency rating, 2nd in completion percentage and 3rd in yards per pass attempt. He’s able to make any throw on the field and keep the offense on the field and on script.
McCarthy and this Michigan team are real contenders for the National Championship. We will see him in pressure situations and analyze how he responds.
JJ McCarthy drilling the corner on smash pic.twitter.com/DqQx1MQab7
— Cory (@fakecorykinnan) October 15, 2023
Kansas QB Jason Bean
Before we go into the other big names, we must address this wild card from Kansas. His name is Jason Bean, and he consistently puts up performances that both impress and concern me about a potential transition to the NFL.
Against Oklahoma State, he went 23-of-34 for 410 yards and five touchdowns. A heck of a stat line, right? It would be if it didn’t also have two interceptions that helped keep the Cowboys in the game in the fourth quarter. Kansas ended up losing 39-32.
His arm is impressive and is helping keep this explosive Kansas offense on track. He has a live arm that is perfect for deep-ball throwing but is far too inconsistent. Bean is a true rollercoaster of a prospect and will be interesting to follow as Kansas stays without starter Jalon Daniels.
Florida State QB Jordan Travis
In the preview of week 7, I noted that Jordan Travis had a prime opportunity for a signature performance this week against Syracuse. He did just that in Florida State’s 41-3 drubbing of Syracuse.
Travis ended the day 23-of-37 for 284 yards and a touchdown. the touchdown was a beautiful 58-yard ball that landed in the hands of highly-touted transfer Keon Coleman.
Travis kept the Syracuse defense off-balance and was a good complement to the explosive running game of the Seminoles. Travis’ slow start still leaves more questions than answers about a potential NFL transition. A performance like his against Syracuse is a good start to finish the season on a high note.
KEON COLEMAN SAYS CYA 👋
58 yards on the TD pass from Jordan Travis. Coleman already over 100 yards receiving on his 7th TD catch of the year for #FSU – Noles up 17-3
🎥: ESPN on ABC pic.twitter.com/jOacgWiB25
— Warchant.com (@Warchant) October 14, 2023
Oregon QB Bo Nix
An early candidate for game of the year came on Saturday between the Washington Huskies and the Oregon Ducks. Both quarterbacks combined for over 625 yards through the air. For Oregon, Nix was playing on another level with the lights being the brightest they’ve been for Oregon thus far.
Nix ended the day 33-for-44 for 337 yards and two touchdowns. He continuously made NFL-caliber throws to keep the Ducks offense on par with the Washington offense.
He showed some real promise, however, there were times in the clutch when he did not get the job done. At the end of the first half, Nix had a chance to put points on the board for the Ducks’ offense and left with nothing.
We won’t harp on the negatives because this was a truly great performance from the Ducks quarterback, it just wasn’t enough to take down Washington.
Washington QB Michael Penix, Jr
Washington quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. may have placed himself as the frontrunner for the Heisman trophy with his play on Saturday. The Washington quarterback went 22-for-37 for 302 yards with four touchdowns and an interception.
Penix got the ball to his playmakers early and often. His two top pass-catchers combined for 14 receptions for 246 yards and three touchdowns. His pitch-and-catch to Rome Odunze for the go-ahead touchdown may be one of the top plays of the weekend.
Penix continues to be explosive and show off his arm strength, his touch and the nuance of knowing when to use both.
Michael Penix Jr.
Heisman moment🔥 pic.twitter.com/guAzwO4vmu
— RunYourPool (@RunYourPool_) October 14, 2023
Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman
Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman had an up-hill battle in front of him as he went toe-to-toe with number-one prospect Caleb Wiliams. That kind of pressure could be enough to make guys overthink or try to keep up with the play of the other quarterback. The Fighting Irish defense made sure that was not an issue and he rewarded them with a great performance on his side of the ball.
While the numbers, 13-for-20 for 126 yards and two touchdowns, don’t scream a great game, Notre Dame had a lot of short fields to work with. Hartman didn’t do anything special, he just executed.
4️⃣6️⃣ YARDS
TOUCHDOWN IRISH#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/8rhD9V1N2u
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) October 15, 2023
Hartman did what he had to to get the victory and that was more than enough as Notre Dame ran away with this game early 48-20.
LSU QB Jayden Daniels
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels has been having a quietly solid season as the Tigers continue to rack up wins. Daniels ended the day 20-of-27 for 325 yards and three touchdowns with an interception. He also added 93 yards on 11 carries on the ground as LSU throttled Auburn 48-18
Daniels continues to drag this LSU offense to the top of the SEC with his play at the quarterback position. While there will continue to be questions about whether he can survive the NFL after taking some of the hits he has, it is clear that he can throw the ball with the best of the 2024 prospects.
His ability with his legs makes him a threat to a defense in both the run and the passing game. He is the first LSU quarterback to throw for 5,000 yards while running for 1,000. With his performances in the last few weeks, there is talk of him being in the Heisman conversation.
Jayden Daniels is making LSU history‼️ 🐯@JayD__5 | @LSUfootball pic.twitter.com/QYpD4IK88b
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) October 15, 2023
