Some late thoughts on weekend college games … In the wake of Texas’ big upset win over Alabama right in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night, questions whether the Longhorns are indeed back have swirled about the college football landscape. Meanwhile, the other big question being asked this week is whether Alabama has any realistic chance to still make the 4-team CFP playoff at the end of the year. At the same time, pro scouts are being asked whether Texas QB Quinn Ewers showed enough against the Tide to again warrant being considered to be a potential elite prospect. It certainly was a statement win for Ewers who threw for just under 350 yards and three scores against the Tide, while not turning the ball over. However, the sense one gets is that pro scouts are still not convinced that Ewers can get the ball down the field on a consistent enough basis to merit a big jump in grade. In fact, if one Texas player did create a little buzz for himself this weekend it may have been WR Adonai Mitchell. The Georgia transfer only had three receptions versus Alabama, but two went for TDs as he averaged 27 yards a catch. as we mentioned in our who to watch segment for last week’s games, while Xavier Worthy is nominally the Longhorns’ star WR, no one should be surprised if the 6-4, 195-pound Mitchell actually ends up being the better prospect this coming April.
Meanwhile, the legend of Shedeur Sanders continues to grow at Colorado. Indeed, a pretty good case can be made that the son of Buffs’ coach and former NFL star Deion Sanders has quickly emerged as the early-season Heisman favorite as he has thrown for an average of just over 450 yards per game in Colorado’s two wins so far this fall, while throwing for 6 scores against no picks. Along the way he has completed 78% of his pass attempts. Needless to say, he’s also jumped up draft boards around the NFL, although like the Longhorns’ Ewers, there are lingering concerns about his downfield accuracy. On the other hand, there are few concerns about Sanders’ pocket presence and decision-making. He appears to see the field and gets rid of the ball quickly. He’s also an excellent athlete who moves effortlessly around the pcket and can make plays with his legs. For good measure, he also throws well on the run.
Back to Alabama for a moment. The Tide’s remaining schedule isn’t necessarily all that daunting, at least until they made the SEC title game presumably against two-time defending national champion Georgia, so its not totally out of the question that they hang around the CFP plsyoff picture. Plus, Alabama still has some really talented players including a couple of top 10 prospects in DE Dallas Turner and CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, although neither really distinguished themselves in the loss to Texas. However, Alabama just doesn’t appear to have much of what made them a perennial contender over the past decade and that’s explosive talent at the skill positions. Time will tell!
