Against USC, Vernon Adams Jr. (QB, Oregon) had the best game of any college quarterback so far this season and all of last season.
In his sophomore and junior seasons at Eastern Washington, Vernon Adams threw for 8,477 yards and 90 touchdowns. On the ground he added another 890 yards and 10 touchdowns. As a senior transfer to Oregon, the expectations were sky high. Through the first eleven weeks, Adams had been a disappointment. He was PFF's 96th-ranked quarterback with an overall grade of -0.3. On Saturday against USC, Adams turned the tables.
He completed 20 of 25 passes for 407 yards and six touchdowns. His QB rating of 147.47 was the highest of any quarterback in college football in the past two seasons. His touchdowns went to six different receivers and his yards in air (YIA) percentage was ninth in the country at 65.4 percent. That means that 266 of the 407 passing yards came before the catch – proving that his numbers were not propped up by receivers making plays after catch. After receiving a +6.3 grade for the week, Adams jumped 31 spots to 65th overall.
Dalvin Cook’s (RB, Florida State) elusive rating is 15.5 percent higher than the 2014 leader.
Cook’s elusive rating of 143.2 is simply in a different tier than all other running backs in the last two seasons. Kareem Hunt (Toledo) was the leader in 2014 at 124.0 and Shock Linwood (Baylor) is second this season at 127.3. The elusive rating attempts to determine a runner’s impact regardless of the quality of blocking in front of him. Cook has forced 60 missed tackles and is averaging 4.49 yards after contact. Cook has accomplished this while having 24 percent less carries than the average of our top three graded running backs (McCaffrey, Elliott and Fournette). One has to wonder if the lighter workload is effecting Cook’s Heisman stock. After proving himself against two of our top 20 rushing defenses (Clemson and North Carolina State), Cook will face DT Jonathan Bullard (+46.4) and the stingy Florida Gator defense on Saturday.
Joey Bosa (DE, Ohio State) is the best pass rushing and run stopping defensive end in the country.
It’s probably not right that Bosa has not made this list until now. He’s a beast. A beast without a weakness. He ranks first among defensive ends in pass rushing (+37.5) and run stopping (+25.5). Over that past two seasons, Bosa has a grade of +131.6. That is 31 points higher than the combined grade of the second place defensive ends in that same time period. Bosa has the look of a once-in-a-decade type talent.
Pass rushers are the third-most coveted position in the NFL behind quarterbacks and shut down cornerbacks. To have an elite pass rusher that can also read and react to the run is something NFL teams dream of. With the Baltimore Ravens already in the midst of a lost season at 3-7 and having just lost their starting quarterback (Joe Flacco) and running back (Justin Forsett), the Ravens have a real chance of backing i to the first overall pick. Baltimore has shown that they like to draft elite defensive talent even if it’s not an immediate need. Can you imagine a defense with Terrell Suggs one side of the line and Bosa on the other?
Ka’imi Fairbairn (K, UCLA) has double the grade of the top 2014 kicker.
It’s about time a kicker made the list. Fairbairn is definitely deserving after posting a grade of +15.6 through twelve weeks. The 2014 leader was Jay Mattox (UTEP) at +7.7. Fairbairn has done it all. He’s made 20 of 22 field goals including a 60-yarder against Cal. In addition to the impressive distance, Fairbairn has been reliable by hitting 100 percent of his attempts inside 40 yards. He’s also neutralized opposing kick returners by averaging 69 yards per kickoff with a 73 percent touchback percentage. The only thing bigger than Fairbairn’s leg is his full name — John Christian Ka'iminoeauloameka'ikeokekumupa'a Fairbairn.
Juston Burris (CB, North Carolina State) has allowed 82 total receiving yards on 588 snaps.
The senior from Raleigh is one of the more underrated cornerbacks in college football. He has shut down opposing receivers week in and week out. The most yards he has allowed in one game was 20 against Old Dominion in week three and has eight games of allowing under ten yards. His overall grade is +11.3 and opposing quarterbacks have an NFL style quarterback rating of 38.4 when he is targeted. Quarterbacks have started to avoid throwing to Burris’s side. Since week four, Burris is eighth in the nation in cover snaps per target at 13.8. Burris has also shown the ability to support against the run. He has an overall grade of +3.9 as a run stopper including a +2.1 grade against the number-one ranked team in the country – Clemson.
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