1 – Washington QB Demond Williams Jr (vs. Rutgers)
21/27 – 402 yards – 2 touchdowns / 136 rushing yards – 2 touchdowns
The Huskies moved to 5-1 on the season late Friday night (for East Coasters like myself at least) behind a career performance from Williams. The sophomore gun slinger accounted for over 500 yards, including a team leading 136 yards on the ground (while standout runner Jonah Coleman managed just 44). Down 13-10 at halftime, Williams led touchdown drives on all four second half possessions to secure a 38-19 Big Ten victory over the Scarlet Knights. Through 6 games, Williams has posted an impressive 10/1 ratio while in the top ten nation wide for yards with 1,628, and he’ll look to continue his early success next week as the Huskies travel to Ann Arbor for a Big Noon Kickoff contest against a reeling Michigan squad.
2 – Utah QB Devon Dampier (vs. #21 Arizona State)
7/12 – 104 yards / 120 rushing yards – 3 touchdowns
The Utah Utes throwback rushing attack was nearly unstoppable on Saturday night, racking up a combined 276 yards on the ground and it was led by their quarterback Dampier. The New Mexico transfer threw the ball just 12 times but ran 10 times for 120 yards and scored three times as the Utes demolished the Sun Devils 42-10 at home. The dual threat junior quarterback has taken the performance jump we all hoped when he made the decision to move up the ladder to the Power Four, limiting his turnovers while still maximizing his ability in both the passing and running game. Next week will be his biggest test yet though, as the Utes travel to Provo to face undefeated BYU in the Holy War.
3 – Texas Tech RB Cameron Dickey (vs. Kansas)
21 carries – 263 yards – 2 touchdowns / 3 receptions – 16 yards
Texas Tech continued to look every bit the part of a top flight football team this season as they demolished the Kansas Jayhawks 42-17. On offense, Dickey was the key contributor as he averaged a crazy 12.5 yards per carry on 21 attempts. On the Red Raiders first play of the game, Dickey broke a 71 yard rush for a touchdown, while following it up later with a 55 yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter that sealed the victory. The sophomore runner has been a key contributor for the Red Raiders and their top ranked offense, and next week they’ll travel to Tempe to face an Arizona State squad that (as mentioned above) just gave up a lot of rushing yards to Utah.
4 – Texas Tech Defensive Line (vs. Kansas)
Bailey: 3 sacks / Height: 2 sacks / Holmes Jr: 2 sacks
Dickey wasn’t the only impressive part of the Red Raiders large win over the Jayhawks, as the defensive line made the night miserable for Jalon Daniels and the Kansas rushing attack. The three stars mentioned above combined for 7 of the Red Raiders 9 total sacks while they also limited the Jayhawks to under 100 yards on the ground. In the new world of NIL and the transfer portal, spending money isn’t a guarantee to get you to the top level of the sport, but having great evaluation and process can and that’s exactly what Texas Tech did bringing these three trench monsters to Lubbock.
5 – Kansas State LB Desmond Purnell (vs. TCU)
4 solo tackles – 1 sack – 2 tackles for loss – 2 interceptions – 1 touchdown
The Wildcats have had a miserable opening to the season, starting 2-4 headed into Saturday’s contest against a solid TCU squad. However, they finally bounced back with a big 41-28 win over the Horned Frogs. Early in the third quarter of a 14-7 game, Purnell sacked TCU quarterback Josh Hoover and followed it up on the next play with a 25 yard pick six to give the Wildcats a 21-7 lead. Purnell wasn’t done there, though, as he intercepted Hoover again midway through the fourth quarter that would set up a Wildcats field goal to take a 38-21 lead and ultimately icing the game. Kansas State will get a bye next week before facing in-state rival Kansas as they continue to try and climb out of the sizable hole they put themselves in early.
