QBC Week In Review 10/29: Top Performers

This week’s spotlight features seven QB Country quarterbacks across high school, college and the NFL:

Gardner Minshew (Jacksonville Jaguars)
On Sunday in a 29-15 victory against the Jets, Gardner completed 22-of-34 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns for a passer rating of 119.6. He joins just three other quarterbacks in NFL history to have a passer rating of at least 95.0 through their first eight games. Gardner became the first NFL quarterback in history to throw for at least 13 touchdowns with two or few fewer interceptions through his first eight games. He also became the first Jaguars rookie to throw for at least three touchdowns in a game in franchise history.

Gardner has been named NFL Rookie of the Week five times this season.

Daniel Jones (New York Giants)
Daniel completed 28-of-41 passes for 322 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions despite the Giants’ 31-26 setback to the Lions. He became just the second rookie quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 300 yards and four scores without an interception and the first rookie Giants quarterback to throw for four touchdowns on the road.

Incidentally, Week 8 was just the second week in NFL history in which two rookie quarterbacks (Daniel and Gardner) passed for at least three touchdowns and zero interceptions in the same week.

Daniel has been particularly proficient on third down; his 100.4 passer rating ranks ninth in the NFL and first among the three regular rookie starters.

Dan Ellington (Georgia State)
Dan went 18-for-25 for 190 yards and two touchdowns in Georgia State’s victory over Troy last weekend. Though his numbers weren’t as gaudy as they’ve been in other games this season, it didn’t diminish Dan’s historic performance. The Panthers (6-2) became bowl eligible for the third time in school history and the fastest GSU team to six victories. They won their fourth straight game for the first time since 2015.

Dan was named PFF College’s Sun Belt QB of the Week and has been named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week twice this season. Said Dan after the win:

“The bowl game wasn’t our goal. It’s to get to the Sun Belt championship. It feels good to have an extra game, but the Sun Belt championship is our goal.”

Draylen Ellis (Kirby, TN)
Draylen “DJ” Ellis continues to deliver for Kirby. The Austin Peay commit went 17-of-25 for 300 yards and accounted for five touchdowns (four passing) in a 41-18 victory. His performance earned him recognition as a Memphis Commercial Appeal Top Performer and Memphis Preps Primetime Performer of the Week nominee.

DJ currently ranks among the top five QBs in the Memphis area in passing yards, passing yards per game and passing touchdowns. His Cougars are now 7-2 and primed for a postseason run.

J Greene (St. Paul’s, AL)
Though it came in defeat, J Greene turned in another strong performance last week for St. Paul’s, throwing for 243 yards and three touchdowns against Daphne and earning Alabama 6A Week 9 Player of the Week honors in fan voting. J has been performing at the top of his game against some of the best competition in the state of Alabama, passing for 187 yards and running for another 40 on the in a near-upset of top-ranked Saraland two weeks ago. He has led the Saints to a 6-3 record. Said Coach Steve Mask of his senior quarterback:

“He is taking care of the football and using his ability to run in big spots. He really was hurt all last year and wasn’t able to run. His leadership and decision-making ability have made him an outstanding quarterback. Most importantly, our kids believe in him.”

Click here for J’s senior year highlights.

Drew Pyne (New Canaan, CT)
It was a record-breaking day for Drew as he notched his 90th touchdown pass — the most in New Canaan’s storied history — in a 41-21 victory. Drew, a Notre Dame commit, also holds the school’s passing yards record with 8,272 and counting. In the win, he went 11-of-17 for 125 yards as the Rams cruised. Teammate and wide receiver Zach LaPolice called Drew’s performance “awesome.” Said coach Lou Marinelli of Drew’s improvement over his Rams career:

“He’s gotten a lot bigger and a lot stronger. His arm strength has really improved from back then. He’s able to hit those longer out patterns from one hash-mark to the other. He’s a lot more accurate, he’s got good speed…It’s fun to watch him play.”

Logan Smothers (Muscle Shoals, AL)
Logan continued his stellar play, going 16-of-19 for 180 yards, two passing TDs and one rushing touchdown in Muscle Shoals’ 36-12 victory. The Trojans are now 10-0 and ranked No. 2 in Alabama in Class 6A. A week earlier, Logan — a Nebraska commit — went 20-of-26 for 236 yards and three touchdowns and added 55 yards and another score to lead Muscle Shoals in the Region 7 title game against Athens. Said Muscle Shoals coach Scott Basden of his senior quarterback:

“He’s a guy that’s the complete package. He can throw it and run it and what he does well is read coverages well and it gets us a lot of good plays. Obviously, he’s a great athlete and a great guy.”