NFL Draft News & Analysis

Gardner Minshew dominates Arizona, Week 12's superlatives

Pullman, WA, USA; Washington State Cougars quarterback Gardner Minshew (16) drops back to throw the football against the Arizona Wildcats in the first half at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Ahead of rivalry week, it's common practice for teams to schedule a lesser foe, an FCS opponent perhaps. Week 12 was victim to that as we saw less than a handful of top-25 matchups across the board and even fewer SEC teams taking on quality opposition.

With inferior opponents on schedules, it's only natural that this past weekend would see some gaudy statistics and a plethora of standout performances. Week 12 seemed to be no better week than to highlight those standout performances to depict just how well those athletes who did take on a quality opponent fared against those who may have played down in competition.

This list of superlatives is brought to you by Eckrich, the Official Smoked Sausage of the College Football Playoff.

Most combined first-down & touchdown passes

Gardner Minshew, Washington State (vs. Arizona) – 24
Ryan Finley, NC State (vs. Louisville) – 20
Taylor Cornelius, Oklahoma State (vs. West Virginia) – 19
Kyler Murray, Oklahoma (vs. Kansas) – 18
Tyler Johnston III, UAB (vs. Texas A&M) – 18
Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State (vs. Maryland) – 18
Jordan Ta'amu, Ole Miss (vs. Vanderbilt) – 18

Highest passer rating when kept clean (min. 15 attempts)

Jake Bentley, South Carolina (vs. Chattanooga) – 158.3
Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh (vs. Wake Forest) – 153.3
Jason Shelley, Utah (vs. Colorado) – 147.3
Feleipe Franks, Florida (vs. Idaho) – 147.3
Jarrett Stidham, Auburn (vs. Liberty) – 145.2

Highest adjusted completion percentage (min. 15 attempts)

Jake Bentley, South Carolina (vs. Chattanooga) – 96.3%
Brent Stockstill, MTSU (vs. Kentucky) – 93.8%
Justice Hansen, Arkansas State (vs. UL-Monroe) – 91.7%
Joe Burrow, LSU (vs. Rice) – 88.9%
Gardner Minshew, Washington State (vs. Arizona) – 88.5%

Highest yards after contact per attempt (min. 10 carries)

Pooka Williams Jr., Kansas (vs. Oklahoma) – 11.00
DeAndre Torrey, North Texas (vs. FAU) – 10.18
Khalil Herbert, Kansas (vs. Oklahoma) – 7.47
Elijah Mitchell, Louisiana (vs. Arkansas State) – 7.00
Salvon Ahmed, Washington (vs. Oregon State) – 6.40

Most missed tackles forced on carries

Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin (vs Purdue) – 13
Marcel Murray, Arkansas State (vs. UL-Monroe) – 12
Kennedy Brooks, Oklahoma (vs. Kansas) – 9
Jo-El Shaw, Kent State (vs Toledo) – 8
Eno Benjamin, Arizona State (vs. Oregon) – 8
Toa Taua, Nevada (vs. San Jose State) – 8
Joshua Kelley, UCLA (vs. USC) – 8

Most combined first-down & touchdown receptions

Sean Modster, Boise State (vs. New Mexico) – 8
Jack Sorenson, Miami (Oh.) (vs. Northern Illinois) – 7
Adrian Hardy, Louisiana Tech (vs. Southern Miss) – 7
DaMarkus Lodge, Ole Miss (vs. Vanderbilt) – 7
A.J. Brown, Ole Miss (vs. Vanderbilt) – 7
James Proche, SMU (vs. Memphis) – 7

Most missed tackles forced after the catch

Olamide Zaccheaus, Virginia (vs. Georgia Tech) – 7
Lil'Jordan Humphrey, Texas (vs. Iowa State) – 6
Rondale Moore, Purdue (vs. Wisconsin) – 6
Jalen Reagor, TCU (vs. Baylor) – 4
Shi Smith, South Carolina (vs. Chattanooga) – 4
Emeka Emezie, NC State (vs. Louisville) – 4
Dillon Stoner, Oklahoma State (vs. West Virginia) – 4
A.J. Brown, Ole Miss (vs. Vanderbilt) – 4

Most defensive stops

Blake Cashman, Minnesota (vs. Northwestern) – 12
Ethan Aguayo, San Jose State (vs. Nevada) – 10
Nikolas Daniels, Texas State (vs. Troy)– 10
Francis Bernard, Utah (vs. Colorado) – 9
Mack Wilson, Alabama (vs. The Citadel) – 9
Troy Dye, Oregon (vs. Arizona State) – 9
Ben Banogu, TCU (vs. Baylor) – 9

Most total QB pressures

L.J. Collier, TCU (vs. Baylor) – 10
Alton Robinson, Syracuse (vs. Notre Dame) – 9
Ben Banogu, TCU (vs. Baylor) – 9
Zach Allen, Boston College (vs. Florida State) – 8
Zack Braun, Wisconsin (vs. Purdue) – 8

Lowest passer rating when targeted (min. 5 targets)

Damar Hamlin, Pittsburgh (vs. Wake Forest)– 0.0
Geronda Hall, ODU (vs. VMI) – 0.0
Michael Ojemudia, Iowa (vs. Illinois) – 0.0
Justin Noye, ODU (vs. VMI) – 8.3
Ken Webster, Ole Miss (vs. Vanderbilt) – 12.5
Jaylon Johnson, Utah (vs. Colorado) – 16.7
Khairi Muhammad, North Texas (vs. FAU) – 22.5
Demitrious Gibbs, UNLV (vs. Hawaii) – 25.0
Delvon Randall, Temple (vs. USF) – 25.0
Nate Meadors, UCLA (vs. USC) – 29.8

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