Last Week: 29/55 275 yards 1 TD at Texas Tech (14-49) Next Week: vs Kansas State
Comments: You had to wonder if there was a game out there like this waiting for Smith and the Mountaineers. After dazzling us with near perfect performances through the first six weeks, we get a clunker here. In the week before their big showdown with KState, Smith and the Mountaineers stumble in Lubbock. Smith did throw for 275 yards which isn't bad, but he only completed 53% of his passes. That's a far cry from the 81% he has had the rest of the season. The loss will hurt West Virginia in the standings, but it should kill Smith here in the Heisman Race. He'll hold onto the top spot for now, but this performance surely closes the gap between him and the rest of the contenders.
Last Week: 16/24 187 yards passing, 105 yards rushing 3 TDs at Iowa State (27-21) Next Week: at West Virginia
Comments: Unlike Geno Smith, Collin Klein and the KState Wildcats took care of their business before next's week big time match up. Against a tough Iowa State team, Klein accounted for 292 yards and 3 scores. He did this while helping the offense control the ball for over 40 minutes. Collin Klein is never going to put up Geno Smith or even Braxton Miller numbers, but it's clear that his success might be more needed to his team than anybody in college football. The gap is closing right now between Geno Smith and the rest of the competition, and if Klein and the Wildcats can beat West Virginia next week we could see a new leader atop the race.
Last Week: 13/24 211 yards passing 2 TDs 1 INT, 149 yards rushing 1 TD at Indiana (52-49) Next Week: vs Purdue
Comments: In what should have been a blowout win, Braxton Miller did his job. Against a inferior Hoosier defense, he rushed for 149 yards and threw for another 211. He had a 67 yard rushing TD and threw TDs from 60 and 46. Ohio State doesn't have a lot of weapons, but Miller is so dynamic is Urban Meyer's spread and he makes up for other differences on offense. If it wasn't for Miller Ohio State could have a couple of losses, especially against Indiana who pulled within 3 points at the end of the game. Miller's next game is against Purdue who has some talent on defense. It should be fun to see how Miller will do against Purdue's DT Kawann Short.
4. De'Anthony Thomas WR/RB OregonLast Week: Bye Next Week: at Arizona State
Comments: Not a whole lot to discuss with Thomas here since the Ducks are on a bye week. But this is a great opportunity to highlight the season that Thomas is having. So far the dynamic offensive threat has rushed for 377 yards and has 205 yards receiving. He is the 2nd leading rusher on the team and the leading receiver. He has a combined 9 TDs. Those aren't very big numbers, but the Ducks really look to limit Thomas touches and save him more for big games. With the Ducks still playing Stanford, Oregon State, and USC we haven't seen the best from Thomas. With him returning punts and kicks, don't be surprised to see him score from there too.
5. Matt Barkley QB USCComments: Under normal circumstances Matt Barkley would be out of the Heisman Watch. Barkley has struggled through most of the season with duds for games and the Trojans are relying on their running game more and more. But there really isn't anybody waiting in the wings to rise up the boards, Barkley is still relatively in the hunt. Against Washington Barkley was sub par. He completed only 50% of his passes for a measly 167 yards. He did have a TD pass, but also had a pick. Next week USC hosts Colorado which should be an easy win and a chance for Barkley to put up some numbers, because if they want to get back to the National Title picture they'll need Barkley at his best.
Others to Watch
6. Manti Te'o LB Notre Dame
7. EJ Manuel QB Florida State
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