by Jack Kerwin | ydkjack1@gmail.com
Not to rock the boat. Not to be contrary. Not to be a downer to all the longtime loyal Penn State fans as well the ever-expanding bandwagoners to the Love Ya Blue crew. But Saquon Barkley may not be the best player in college football this season. Let me explain … If we’re talking about pro potential, about who would rank as the top candidate to star in the NFL out of all the supposedly unpaid players in the country right now, then, yeah, sure, he’s it. Or, at worst, arguably he’s it. At 5-foot-11, 230 pounds, the junior running back is incredibly versatile package of power, shiftiness, balance and good – not blow-you-away, but good – speed. He can run, he can catch, he can block, and, after Saturday’s late-game TD flip in a 45-14 runaway against Indiana, he has shown he can throw, too. In short, he is about as surefire as surefire gets when it comes to projecting success at the next level. That, however, really ain’t what the best player in college football is all about. That’s about performance, about production, about individual success, and while Barkley certainly ranks among the best there … well, he just might not be the best. With a guy such as Stanford running back Bryce Love dwarfing him in rushing numbers and quarterbacks like Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, UCLA’s Josh Rosen and Mason Rudolph putting up ridiculous stats, he is not the clear-cut choice out there. Even now. Even after that 98-yard kickoff return against the Hoosiers and the school-record 358 total yards (rushing, receiving and returning) at Iowa the week before. Frankly, got a hard time giving him the nod as best on his own teammate this season. For all the hullabaloo about Barkley’s effort vs. the Hawkeyes, the reality is … Trace McSorley won the damn game when it mattered. Almost all by himself. Handed a four-point deficit and just 1:42 to erase it, the Penn State quarterback was the essence of cool in directing a 12-play, 80-yard TD drive, capping it with a 7-yard scoring strike to Juwan Johnson as time ran out. On fourth down, mind you – which accounted for half of the fourth downs McSorley converted on that kill-shot march in Ames. All told, he went 7-for-11 in that stretch, for 68 yards. For good measure, he ran once for 12 yards, too. Yeah, sorry, just not ready to anoint Barkley as the official Heisman winner at this point of the 2017 season. The best player selected in the 2018 NFL Draft? Maybe. But that’s something different. This week’s Super Six … Bryce Love, Stanford RB. If the vote were to be handed in today, he’d get my vote. Ripped off 301 yards rushing and 3 TDs in a 34-24 win against Arizona State. He’s already cleared 1,000 yards (1,088) for the season in just five games to lead the nation and also sets the pace for everyone with an 11.1 yards per carry clip. The week before he went off for 263 yards on his worst ypc day of the season, at 8.8. The guy delivers at least one home-run jaunt each week, as evidenced by his weekly bests of 62, 75, 53, 69 and 61 up to this point. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma QB. Didn’t player this past weekend, but he has an insane 228.3 rating while completing 75.2 percent of his passes for 1,329 yards (13.2 per attempt) and 13 TDs – with no picks. With so many big games left to shine, he’s probably in the best spot to ultimately take home the hardware. Saquon Barkley, Penn State RB. His power, hands and balance are what excite me. Despite the hype really kinda waiting for the major explosion here. Don’t care if Indiana stacked the box against him. Still only rushed for 56 yards on 20 carries Saturday. Gotta do better to be the frontrunner. Trace McSorley, Penn State QB. Think more highly of him than most. His ability to make big plays and to just win is hard to ignore. Threw for 315 yards and 2 TDs vs. the Hoosiers. Still kinda waiting for him to really bust out, too. Josey Jewell, Iowa LB. OK, this guy is making a real case for a legit Heisman candidate on the defensive side of the ball. He was brilliant against Penn State even in defeat, racking up 14 tackles and snaring an interception, and this week in a 17-10 loss at Michigan State he had 15 tackles, including a sack. Luke Falk, Washington State QB. Is tied with Rudolph for second in the country behind Rosen in regards to TD passes with 16, completes 74.5 percent of his passes and just led the unranked (but unbeaten) Cougars to a wild, 30-27 upset of No. 5 USC with 340 yards and 2 TDs passing. by Jack Kerwin | ydkjack1@gmail.com
It's early, sure, but ... If we're gonna look at the 2017 Heisman race anytime this campaign, this is what the view looks like from here after the first full week of the college football season. Call it our Super Six. In order: Josh Rosen, UCLA QB. Yeah, he benefited from a Texas A&M meltdown that included one ridiculous “right through the hands” interception that resulted instead in a Bruins' touchdown, but, still, you can't exactly downplay him throwing for 292 yards and four scores JUST IN THE FOURTH QUARTER to lead UCLA to the biggest comeback in FBS action since 2006. The Bruins were down, at home, 44-10, with 4:08 remaining before Rosen started rolling ... and the Aggies could do nothing to stop him as the Bruins won 45-44. All told, the junior threw for 491 yards – third-best in school history. He is legit, having been arguably the nation's No. 1 recruit three years ago. Lamar Jackson, Louisville QB. Those expecting a drop-off by the reigning Heisman winner may have a long wait. Dude went off against Purdue, and had to in order for the 16th-ranked Cardinals to prevail, 35-28. Finished 30-for-46 through the air for 378 yards and two TDs, and added another 107 yards on the ground with 21 carries. Most “takes” on this performance is that it was sluggish, which just goes to show you what the standard is for this guy. Thing is, push came to shove, he took over when the game mattered, rallying Louisville to victory. Just electric every time he takes the snap. Watch out, Archie Griffin. This kid could repeat. Penn State Option: QB Trace McSorley or RB Saquan Barkley. Take your pick. You gotta have one, if not both, on this list after the Nittany Lions' 52-0 blowout of Akron Saturday's 52-0. Obviously, the one problem with either of them truly vying for the sport's top individual honor is that they could cancel each other out. But, man, what a 1-2 punch. McSorley completed 18 of r25 passes for 280 yards and two TDs, and ran for another 48 yards and a score on 12 carries. Barkley, perhaps the most impressive physical specimen in college football, merely rattled off 172 yards and two scores on just 14 carries, then added another 54 yards on three receptions. Will Grier, West Virginia QB. Came up on the short end of the stick as the 22nd-ranked Mountaineers lost to No. 21 Virginia Tech, 31-24, in a scintillating spectacle at Landover, Md., Sunday night to what could be the rebirth of a great rivalry. Still, he was brilliant from about the second quarter on, and, at times, positively, break-taking. His supposed lack of touch on the long ball disappeared after intermission en route to a 371-yard, three-TD passing performance. The Florida transfer added 52 rushing yards on 11 totes, too ... and he has the added bonus of hot wife that will draw further TV attention to him and his free-flowing mane. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma QB. One of the favorites coming into the season, the senior did not disappoint, completing all but one of his 20 passing attempts in a 56-7 annihilation of UTEP for 329 yards and three TDs ... in one half. He'll be a mainstay here all fall. Should be no surprise there to anyone. Josey Jewell, Iowa LB. Would say this is the “obligatory” defensive player pick, but that would be an insult to the senior's dominating performance in the Hawkeyes' 24-3 win against Wyoming and projected No. 1 NFL Draft QB prospect Josh Allen. Had 14 tackles, two sacks and a pass defensed.
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