Everyone knows Sam Ehlinger & Spencer Rattler had big games, but not everyone is able to dig into every single box score each weekend, so I’ll do it for you this week, looking at some key stats & fantasy takeaways that stood out for each FBS team last weekend. The “Stat to Know” is bolded, as well as players who are mentioned.
(Teams listed in alphabetical order)
Appalachian State – The running game was the highlight as RB Camerun Peoples rushed for 13/102-1 (despite missing some time), RB Marcus Williams had 14/117-1, while RB Daetrich Harrington had 15/60-2. While from a fantasy perspective it’s a little challenging to navigate 3 productive RBs on one team, any of these guys are worth a look until/if a leader emerges.
Arkansas State – WR Jonathan “Jay” Adams was a stud, you saw the highlights all day Saturday. On Saturday he had 8/98-3 receiving, and while WR Dahu Green didn’t dress, no reason to think Adams won’t be a primary target all year, whether Bonner or Hatcher is at QB (still not a fan of the shared time).
Army – RB Jakobi Buchanan rushed for 11/106-2 after only putting up 9/33-0 in Army’s first game. QB Christian Anderson led the team in carries with 21 (95 yards) despite missing some time. You know Army is going to run the ball, but with carries being inconsistent from week to week so far, the QB is the safest bet.
Charlotte – RB Tre Harbison was listed as RB2 on the depth chart but rushed for 17/87-1 as compared to the listed RB1 Aaron McAllister who had 2/16-0. Harbison looks like the guy going forward.
Clemson – WR Amari Rodgers emerged as the top receiver in this game, grabbing 5 catches for 90 yards. TE Braden Galloway was next, going 5/60-0. No other receivers had more than 3 targets.
Coastal Carolina – QB Grayson McCall unexpectedly got the start over Bryce Carpenter and Fred Payton. McCall was an effective 11/18-133 with 3 TDs in the air, and ran for 11/73 and 2 TDs. It looks like it is now his job to lose.
Duke – New QB Chase Brice (Clemson transfer) had a tough first opponent in Notre Dame, but still threw for 20/37-259-0. While the completion percentage needs to improve, the yards per completion was solid (12.95). He also attempted 10 runs, although for only 16 yards and 1 TD.
Florida State – Despite high hopes under a new coach, QB James Blackman was mediocre, passing for 23/43-198-1. The RB position had been listed with an OR, but La’Damian Webb got 13 carries (39 yards) to only 6 carries for Jashaun Corbin (18 yards). Both had an awful 3 yard average, but my lean is to Webb because of the higher workload.
Georgia Southern – This is again the QB Shai Werts show. RB Wesley Kennedy was out, which took away one running threat, but Werts passed for 7/13-53-1 and ran for 14/155-1. They barely beat Campbell, which is worrisome even with 30+ players out.
Georgia Tech – It leaked out the day before the game that QB Jeff Sims would be getting his first start. Sims showed something a QB Georgia Tech hasn’t seen in a long time, throwing for 24/35-277-1, while also rushing for 13/64-0. The 24 completions was the most by a GT QB since 2003 (credit @MFlynnGT). Grab Sims now.
Iowa State – QB Brock Purdy simply had a bad game after an outstanding season last year. He threw for 16/35-145-0. Completing less than 50% of your passes against a non-con opponent while the running game was still successful (RB Breece Hall 20/103-1) is concerning.
Kansas – QBs Thomas MacVittie and Miles Kendrick were listed a co-starters, but MacVittie left with an injury after passing for an uninspiring 5/9-20. Kendrick was a solid 15/24-156 with 2 TDs. To be honest I’d avoid this QB situation for now until we learn more about MacVittie’s injury, and instead run out their WRs (or RB Pooka Williams if his Saturday injury proves to be minor).
Kansas State – While not huge totals, RB Deuce Vaughn (5 foot 5, 168 lbs) rushed for 12/47-1 and caught one ball for 24 yards, he is one to watch although doubtful he can be the primary ballcarrier. But the standout to me amongst a receiving corps missing several players was WR Chabastin Taylor, 4/98-0, a very nice 24.5 average. Taylor only had 161 receiving yards last season, so it will be interesting to see what happens when some other WRs (Youngblood, Gill) return.
Louisiana – Despite a great win over Iowa State, no one really stood out on the stat sheet (other than special teams) with the exception of WR Peter LeBlanc, who had 5/82-1. The next top receiver only had 22 yards, and LeBlanc had more than half the team’s passing yards total.
Louisiana-Monroe – A poor showing all-around as they only scored 7 points. New QB Colby Suits was efficient, going 14/19-148-1. His top target was TE Josh Pederson, 5/56-0 on 7 targets.
Louisville – QB Micale Cunningham again has a strong stable of WRs at his disposal, and while Tutu Atwell (7/78) and Dez Fitzpatrick (4/110-1) had good performances, Braden Smith also stood out with a 4/110-0 game. Smith was only targeted 4 times compared to 8 for the other two, so it will have to be seen how the ball is spread around in the future.
Miami – they killed it on the ground rushing for 337 yards as a team, but the real story of the game were the expectations around the performance of QB D’Eriq King in his first game for The U. He had 141-1 passing with 12/83-1 rushing. His passing numbers were average, but he looked electric when tucking the ball and running. For historical reference, 141 yards passing is his 17th highest passing total in college, while 83 yards rushing tied for his 8th highest total. So basically he has a lot more upside as he settles into the Miami offense.
North Carolina – A balanced effort from the highly-talented offense. Perhaps the most curious stat of the game to me was WR Dyami Brown was 6/94-0 on 9 targets, while WR Dazz Newsome was 2/25-0 on only 3 targets. Too early to draw any real conclusions, but it does have my attention.
Notre Dame – RB Kyren Williams was awesome in his first game at RB1, rushing for 19/112-2 and catching 2 balls for 93 yards (although targeted 6 times). As Notre Dame looks for WRs to emerge and/or get healthy, Williams may be the primary option on offense.
Oklahoma – You already know new QB Spencer Rattler looked fantastic (14/18-290-4), but what about the RBs? News came out earlier in the day that Marcus Major would likely start with TJ Pledger likely out. Unfortunately Major had a subpar day against a bad Missouri State team, rushing for 11/31-0. Seth McGowan was the leader on the ground, going for 9/61-1.
Pitt – They destroyed Austin Peay, 55-0, with many starters only playing part of the game and the 3rd and 4th quarters shortened to 10 minutes. Despite missing some receiving options, QB Kenny Pickett was his usual reliable self, passing for 14/20-277-1. The backfield may be RB by committee, and the blowout didn’t give any clarity to that.
South Alabama – There is a lack of clarity whether QB Desmond Trotter may have been nursing an injury, but he threw only 8 passes, while Chance Lovertich relieved him and threw for 18/27-262-2. WRs Kawaan Baker & Jalen Tolbert both had over 100 yards receiving, keeping Tolbert on a hot streak the past 3 games.
South Florida – Jordan McCloud was part of a 3-man QB rotation, perhaps in part to Citadel being the opponent, but only passed for 11/16-68-1, not inspiring with a 6 yard average per completion. RBs Johnny Ford (9/71) and Kelley Joiner (8/87) both looked solid splitting carries.
Syracuse – They looked terrible against UNC. WR Taj Harris had 5/64 receiving, but was targeted 15 times, 10 more than any other player on the team.
Texas – You already know QB Sam Ehlinger went for 426-5, and none of the RBs stood out. But at WR Joshua Moore was 6/127-1, while Michigan transfer Tarik Black had 5/80-1. With Jordan Whittington out 3-4 weeks with an injury, it is time for each of those guys to solidify their roles.
Texas State – QB Tyler Vitt returned after missing the first game under COVID protocols, and replaced QB Brady McBride who was out Saturday for COVID reasons. Vitt passed for 26/40-346 and 4 TDs. The question will be who will start (or will they split time) whenever the team has both QBs available at the same time.
Texas Tech – After an early-season injury last year, QB Alan Bowman was back producing the numbers you are used to seeing from a Texas Tech QB, passing for 38/52-430-2. The Tech defense allowed Houston Baptist to pass for a ridiculous 566 yards, which may mean that Bowman will need to air it out all season long just to overcome the defense.
Tulane – What was a crowded Tulane backfield the past few years now appears to belong to RB Tyjae Spears. Spears rushed for 11/105-0 on Saturday, with 2/30 receiving.
UAB – As I mentioned last week, UAB again shared QB snaps (although some came in the 4th when the game was out of reach). QB Tyler Johnston went 15/24-150-1 passes while backup QB Bryson Lucero looked much more pedestrian against tougher competition, going 4/11-55 (as compared to 7/9-83 last week). Two weeks is enough to draw some conclusions, and the shared QB snaps would scare me away from either of these guys until things change.
UTEP – RB Deion Hankins had a breakout 100+ yard performance in his first game against Stephen F Austin, but against Texas was only able to rush for 11/34, a 3.1 average.
UTSA – RB Sincere McCormick and QB Frank Harris both had big games. McCormick had 29/197-1, a strong 6.8 average with that many carries. While Harris’ passing numbers were average, 23/39-161-1 (a lot of short safe passes for only a 7 yard average per completion), he ran for 11/51 with 3 TDs. Harris is a true dual-threat who should continue to produce big stats.
Wake Forest – With almost a complete turnover of the WR corps, this was my area of interest for this game. 3 players rose to the top in game 1, with Taylor Morin being the clear leader, grabbing 9/93-1. Also of note were Jaquarii Roberson (4/92) and Donavon Greene (3/76).
West Virginia – Even against an overmatched opponent (EKU), QB Jarret Doege had an impressive line – throwing 19/25-228-3. Regardless of opponent, completing 76% of your passes shows an offense that is running crisply as well as good reading of defense.
Western Kentucky – As I’ve said before, not all stats to know are good – RB Gaej Walker curiously struggled, with a very rough 9 carries for 19 yards and a TD. New QB Tyrrell Pigrome (Maryland transfer) kept to his running ways, with 17/68 on the ground, and 10/23-129-1 in the air.
