6 Teams in College Football's Top 10 Lost, and Future NFL QBs Struggled Mightily
By Jason McIntyre
If you go by the AP Top 10, the following teams lost this week:
#3 Clemson was run over at home by Florida State, 51-14
#6 LSU lost on the road to Ole Miss at the horn, 27-24
#7 Texas A&M lost at home to Auburn, 45-41
#8 Louisville lost Friday night – at home – to Central Florida, 38-35
#9 UCLA lost on the road to Stanford, 24-10
Besides Top 10 teams losing, a few QBs projected to go in the first round of next May’s NFL Draft really struggled.
Tajh Boyd of Clemson, who was terrific last year but stayed in school to enhance his draft stock, was humbled at home against a fast, ferocious Florida State defense. Boyd had perhaps the worst game of his career: 17-of-37, 156 yards, 4.2 YPA, sacked four times, threw two INTs, and fumbled once (returned for a TD).
Brett Hundley of UCLA, a redshirt sophomore, had a horrible first half against Stanford, and struggled to get going behind a terrible, young offensive line. He finished 24-of-39 for a paltry 192 yards and an embarrassing 4.9 YPA with two picks (the last one, on a crucial drive down seven in the fourth, came when his receiver fell). It was by far his worst game of the season. For one afternoon, he looked like a raw QB who could use an extra year – or at least some experienced lineman.
Zach Mettenberger of LSU started slowly against Ole Miss – three interceptions – and though he eventually led the Tigers on a game-tying drive late in the fourth, many will remember his awful first half, which is a big reason LSU fell behind 17-0 early in the 3rd quarter. Mettenberger finished 19-of-33 for 274 yards and one score.
I know Johnny Manziel had over 500 yards of total offense (again), but he did throw two costly interceptions in a shocking loss to the Auburn. Manziel injured his throwing shoulder but returned to the game. Sadly, this loss probably cost him a shot at the Heisman, with Mariota and Winston surging.
And as Todd McShay noted, the QB trend actually began Thursday night, when Stephen Morris of Miami – who could go anywhere from the 2nd-4th round – threw four interceptions against North Carolina, but the Hurricanes survived anyway, winning 27-23 thanks to two TDs in the final 12 minutes.