This week in QB Country: College QBs stay hot down the stretch

This week in QB Country: College QBs stay hot down the stretch

 In College QB News, Featured News, Latest News

Levi Lewis threw for three touchdowns, setting a program-record for 65 for his career, and led Louisiana to a 45-0 victory over Texas State. Levi went 22-38 for 228 yards in victory and helped propel the Ragin’ Cajuns to a 7-1 record and a return to the national rankings at No. 24.

Said Coach Billy Napier of his quarterback:

“To me, it’s not necessarily about the passing touchdowns. To me, the young man is a product of his work. He is relentless. And that wasn’t given. He’s reaped what he sowed. He works 24-7, 365 to do his job as best as he can for his team.”

Will Rogers continued his stellar play, going 36-39 for 344 yards and a touchdown in Mississippi State’s 31-17 victory over No. 14 Kentucky. Will earned SEC Player of the Week honors for his performance and appeared on a number of QB award lists, including the Davey O’Brien Great 8 and Kirk Herbstreit’s top performers. Will had the highest individual game completion percentage (92.6%) in SEC history and broke Dak Prescott’s single-season completion record in victory. Through eight games this season, Rogers has completed 327-of-435 passes (75.2%) for 2,890 yards with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. 

 

Tyler Van Dyke was dominant in Miami’s 38-34 victory over No. 17 Pittsburgh, going 32-of-42 for 428 yards and three touchdowns in the Hurricanes’ second straight win over ranked opponents. For his efforts, Tyler earned a Manning Award Star of the Week and Davey O’Brien Great 8 honors. Over the last two weeks, Tyler has completed 76 percent of his passes, throwing for 751 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception — against two of the top defenses in the ACC.

Grayson McCall guided Coastal Carolina to a bounce-back 35-28 victory over Troy, going 14-of-26 for 295 yards and two touchdowns and adding 59 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Gray earned Sun Belt Player of the Week honors and was recently named one of 15 semifinalists for the Maxwell Award honoring the nation’s top college football player. Gray leads the nation in completion percentage, completing 73.4 percent of his passes this season (116-for-158), in passing efficiency at 216.1, in passing yards per completion at 17.78 yards per completion, and yards per pass attempt at 13.06 per pass. He also leads the Sun Belt Conference and ranks in the top 25 nationally in passing touchdowns with 17, points responsible for with 126, points responsible for per game with an average of 15.8 per contest, and in total offense with an average of 275.1 yards per game.

It was another big day for Bo Nix, who went 22-of-30 for 276 yards and a touchdown and added 30 yards and two more scores on the ground in Auburn’s 30-21 victory over No. 15 Ole Miss. Over his past two games, Bo has completed 76.8% of his passes, with six total touchdowns and one pick in back-to-back ranked, division wins for the Tigers, who have moved up to No. 12 in the national polls. 

Jake Bentley delivered another strong performance for South Alabama, completing 29-of-39 passes for 251 yards and four touchdowns in the Jaguars’ 31-13 victory over Arkansas State. Jake has thrown for at least three touchdowns in each of the last three games, connecting on 74.8% of his passes. He currently stands ninth among active NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks in career passing yards (8,409) and is 13th in career touchdowns passes (61).

Jarret Doege connected on 30-of-46 passes for 370 yards and three touchdowns in West Virginia’s 38-31 victory over No. 22 Iowa State. Jarret earned The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award National Player of the Week for his performance. On a game-tying drive late in the game, Jarret was 5-6 for 64 yards and capped a 12-play 75-yard drive with a 22-yard touchdown strike while facing a fourth and three. On the ensuing drive he set up the game-winning score, dropping a pass deep down the sideline for a 45-yard completion to Bryce Ford-Wheaton, setting the Mountaineers up at the six-yard line. Said Coach Neal Brown of Jarret:

“We throw the ball 47 times, I think we called 50 pass plays against that defense that drops eight a lot, and what a performance. We need to make sure we’re talking about that. That kid’s a great kid and he’s been put through it a little bit and I thought he was huge today. He answered the bell.”