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5 crazy good stats in college football

 

Brandon Doughty (QB, Western Kentucky) is first in the country in completion percentage (73.2) and accuracy under pressure (80 percent).

The sixth-year senior from Florida is excelling at almost every aspect of the quarterback position. With an overall grade of +13.9 he is the leader of the Western Kentucky offense that has the highest offensive passing grade of any team in the country (+50.7). He and junior WR Taywan Taylor (+16.2) have combined for a QB rating of 149.8 when Taylor is targeted — good for second in the country. The Hilltoppers will have their biggest test of the season on Saturday against the LSU Tigers (+52.8 defensive grade). If Doughty can maintain his performance against a legit SEC defense, it will go a long way to solidify his current mid-round NFL draft grade.

Marcus Williams (S, Utah) has allowed one reception on 252 coverage snaps.

The sophomore safety has been on the field for 410 snaps. 252 of them were snaps where he had coverage responsibilities. He has allowed one reception. One. It’s not too difficult to do the math to figure his coverage snaps per reception (hint — it’s 252). The second place safety is 91.5 and the FBS average is 18. Williams is clearly on his own coverage tier through seven weeks. Williams (+5.4 overall) has accomplished this against some pretty explosive offenses in the first seven weeks. The Utes faced Oregon in week four and Jared Goff (PFF College's No. 1-ranked QB) and the Cal Golden Bears in week six. Williams will face another tough quarterback in Cody Kessler when Utah travels to USC on Saturday.

Daniel Braverman (WR, Western Michigan) has caught 85.5 percent of his targets.

No, Daniel Braverman is not one of Zeek Braverman’s sons from the recently ended NBC show, Parenthood. He is, in fact, a very good receiver for the Western Michigan Broncos. He has been targeted 69 times through seven weeks and has caught 59 of them. This is good for first in the country among qualified receivers. Braverman grades out to +12.7 on the season and is on pace for 1,400 yards and 18 TD. The former three-star recruit is the top-graded receiver in the MAC and seventh overall.

Jonathan Bullard (DT, Florida) is the most prolific run-stuffing DT in the nation through seven weeks.

Of all the running plays against Florida, the senior from North Carolina is responsible for 14.1 percent of the stops. The second place defensive tackle is 11.6 percent and the FBS average is 5.5 percent. Bullard grades out to +26.9 overall and +23.8 against the run. Bullard and the Gators have already faced three of the top 15 graded rushing offenses in the country. LSU (+24.7) is second, Ole Miss (+19.2) is sixth and Tennessee (+12.6) is 15th. The former five-star recruit had a solid junior year (+11.9) but has clearly taken the next step in his senior year. Bullard is on track to be a top-50 selection in the 2016 NFL draft.

Austin Blythe (C, Iowa) paved the way for back-to-back 200-yard rushing performances by two different running backs.

Per the University of Iowa Athletic Department, it is the first time since 1996 that an FBS team had two different running backs rush for 200 yards in a game. Akrum Wadley (+1.7) had 204 yards against Northwestern and Jordan Canzeri (-1.8) had 258 against Illinois. While these two backs get the headlines, the real credit should go to the big man in the middle, center Austin Blythe. Blythe is the top graded offensive lineman in the country for running blocking at +21.3. Of the 462 yards between the two running backs the last two weeks, only 171 of them came after contact. That means that 63 percent of the rushing yards were gained before a defender even laid a hand on the runner. The hometown senior is leading a surprising Iowa team (7-0) that has become the favorite to represent the West Division in the Big Ten championship game.

And of course, the Ezekiel Elliott Pass Blocking Efficiency Weekly Update…

Elliott is still at 100 percent through seven games (50 pass block snaps).

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