PGWU Heisman Watch: Week 8

We had some great showings on Saturday and others weren’t.  Deanrd Robinson and Taylor Martinez fell to the back of the line after last weeks performances.  Terrelle Pryor failed to follow up a great pasing game against Indiana with a horrible game vs the Badgers.  Kellen Moore and Cam Newton continue to win and put up ridiculous stats.  Here is the top 5 for week 8:

5th Justin Blackmon WR Oklahoma State Cowboys  He leads the nation in most major categories for receiving and is a major reason behind his Cowboys being 6-0 with a big time battle against Nebraska this week.  He will be matched up with stud CB Prince Amukamara for the Huskers.  If he has a big game here, he will climb on this list.

4th DeMarco Murray RB Oklahoma Sooners   The All-Time leader in Touchdowns for the Oklahoma Sooners keeps getting it done every week.  He padded his stats against a weak Iowa State team last week, but he will have a national spotlight on Saturday night when his Sooners head to Mizzou for a battle with the Tigers.

3rd LaMichael James RB Oregon Ducks  He dropped a spot after the bye week, but LaMichael still has a great shot to hoist the trophy in December.  Look for him to have a huge game against the Bruins this Thursday night.

2nd Kellen Moore QB Boise State Broncos 14-16 fro 231 yards and 2 TD, and that is just in the half he played.  His stats would be twice as impressive if he played in the 2nd half of any games this year.  The fact that he plays a weak schedule in the WAC is what bothers me about him.

1st Cameron Newton QB Auburn Tigers His performance in the shootout against the Razorbacks was incredible.  He added another 4 TD’s to his tally this season and almost rushed for 200 yards.  He has the Tigers up to number 5 in both polls and 4th in the BCS rankings.  He finds a way to get it done every week.

PGWU Heisman Watch

Every Week we will be giving out the top 5 Heisman candidates based on their performance so far in the season.  Last weekend gave us some strong showings, from some of the top candidates.  Michigan Wolverines QB Denard Robinson continues to seperate himself from the rest of the pack.  Terrelle Pryor took a step back with average play and an injury, LaMichael James had a huge week in a very important Pac 10 game..  Here are the top 5 Heisman candidates for this week.  They are ranked in reverse order.

5th Cameron Newton QB Auburn Tigers

He has carried the Tigers on his super-sized shoulders to a 5-0 record, both throwing and running the football.  His mix of accuracy, a big time arm and mobility are 3 of the biggest reasons Auburn is undefeated.

4th Daniel Thomas RB Kansas State

This do it all running back has the odds stacked against him every week, but he still manages to get his yards and big plays.  This former QB is a pro at running the Wildcat for HC Bill Snyder.

3rd DeMarco Murray RB Oklahoma Sooners

Did you see him tip toe the sidelines against Texas last Saturday?  He is a do it all player for the Sooners who deserves more pub.

2nd Colin Kaepernick QB Nevada

I know this is probably way too high for many peoples liking, but he is as good as they come with the ball in his hands.  He should lead his team to an undefeated record when the Wolfpack face Boise State later in the season.

1st Denard Robinson Michigan Wolverines

I really don’t need to say much about this phenom.  He is the Heisman winner right now and if his season continues this way, it will be impossible to overlook Mr. Robinson.

PGWU Weekend Review

As most of you were watching college football on Saturday, I was enjoying my bachelor party.  I didn’t get to watch much college football, so I spent yesterday and this morning watching the games I recorded.  Here is my version of how the past weekend in college football played out.

Nebraska crushed the Huskies and embarrassed Jake Locker, 56-21.  20% completion percentage is a joke.  If I were playing the Huskers, my gameplan would be to run the football, a lot.  This is the first time I have seen Jared Crick this year and I think he is good, but not the great player everyone is making him out to be. Taylor Martinez is extremely fast around the corner, I would put one of my safties as a spy on him every play, prove you can beat me with your arm.  Nebraska has a Dallas Clark clone in WR/TE Mike McNeill, he is a threat all over the field. 

Houston’s chances of being a BCS buster were crushed by UCLA this week, 31-13 Bruins win.  Case Keenum played in this game, after having concussion symptons during the week, and might be out for quite a while longer now.  He was injured trying to make a tackle on an INT return by UCLA LB Akeem Ayers.  He injured his right leg, but that is all we know at this point.  Keep your eye on freshman QB Terrance Broadway, who stepped in after Keenum’s backup was hurt as well.  He is going to be a good one.  UCLA shored up their rush defense for this week atleast, holding Houston to a little over 100 yards this week.  Bruin RB Johnathan Franklin had a huge game with 158 yards and 3 scores.

Ohio State did what they were supposed to do against Ohio, 43-7 was the final.  Terrelle Pryor had a good game, but 2 INT worries me a little.  The combo of Daniel Herron and Brandon Saine provide a good punch for the Buckeyes.  Add in the rushing ability of Pryor and they have the makings of a very good running game.  I love the Buckeye defense,  they are solid from front to back.

Wisconsin struggled withe the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday, but get the win 20-19.  Jay Valai is a hero this week after blocking the game tying extra point.  This raises some questions about the legitimacy of Wisconsin being ranked this high.  The Sun Devils are a team they should lined up and out muscled on every play, especially at home.  Scott Tolzien was his usual accurate self for the Badgers, connecting on 76% of his passes.  

Oregon State holds on to beat the Louisville Cardinals, 35-28.  The Beavers have an offense that is loaded with play makers, but a horrible defense.  Quizz Rodgers had a great game on the ground, gaining 132 yards and 2 scores.  He also caught a pass for a score.  The Beavers were saved by a late INT by Sr. CB James Dockery. 

Arizona proved the doubters wrong this week, beating Iowa 34-27.  Nick Foles threw for 303 yards and distributed the ball to 11 different targets last week.  They made Iowa’s defense look silly in the first half.  Big play’s helped the Wildcats out as well, an INT  return for a TD by Trevin Wade and a KR for a TD by Travis Cobb and a blocked punt helped Arizona out tremendously.  I am very impressed with Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi though, he looks like a better decision maker this season.  Iowa RB Adam Robinson was a non-factor the whole game.

Missouri gets an ugly win, beating San Diego State late 27-24.  This game was one to forget for Mizzou fans, and Blaine Gabbert for that matter.  The Tigers did get the win, but Gabbert threw 2 costly INT’s in the games final quarter.  He did connect with WR TJ Moe on a game winning 68 yard TD with 51 seconds left in the game.  Aztecs RB Ronnie Hillman had a very memorable game.  He rushed for 228 yards and 2 scores, one a 75 yard run, the other for 93.  The Tigers had a big time injury in this game when star DE Aldon Smith suffered a broken fibula, he hopes to be back for the Big 12 conference opener against Colorado.

Oklahoma barely slipped by Air Force,  27-24.  The Falcons gashed the Sooners with their running game, gaining 357 yards on the ground.  They averaged close to 6 yards per rush.  Landry Jones was solid in this game, throwing for 254 yards and a TD.  The Sooners leaned on RB DeMarco Murray, and he didn’t let them down.  Murray had 148 total yards and 3 scores.  Sooners WR Ryan Broyles had a solid receiving game as well.

Written by Jason Madson @isbnJMAD on Twitter