15. Drew Allar, Penn State
Allar made the necessary throws to win the game against a strong Illinois defense but wasn’t able to hit many throws downfield. He was efficient with a 71.4 completion rate but also missed some easy passes. Allar has another chance to keep improving his accuracy downfield with a home matchup against UCLA on Saturday.
16. Riley Leonard, Notre Dame
Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard has received warranted criticism after the early season loss to Northern Illinois but since then he’s been efficient and has used his arm and legs effectively. Against No. 15 Louisville on Saturday, he tossed two touchdowns vs. no interceptions while completing 73.9% of his throws. He also rushed for 52 yards in the win. The past three weeks he has six rushing touchdowns and three passing touchdowns with no picks. Notre Dame takes on Stanford after their bye week.
17. Will Howard, Ohio State
We can’t figure Howard out.
Ohio State’s Will Howard got his first taste of Big Ten action on Saturday against Michigan State. On the surface, the numbers look slightly above average with 244 yards passing on 67% completions with two touchdowns and one interception. Howard should’ve thrown another pick in the end zone that was dropped.
There’s still some very concerning plays from Howard where he stares down receivers and gives defensive backs a great jump on the ball. Then there’s also the full-field reads of a wily veteran who plays with touch, accuracy, and arm strength.
Ohio State has elite weapons around Howard but there doesn’t seem to be a true identity on offense. There is an array of different concepts and route combinations that Howard doesn’t look comfortable with and the chemistry with is receivers is off. Howard has a nice vertical arm and downfield placement and it doesn’t appear as if he’s able to get in a real rhythm in the passing game.
These concerns should be ironed out as the season progresses and Chip Kelly puts in plays that Howard only feels comfortable with. This process will take longer than expected with so many transfers and young players trying to get on the same page. We think this will get figured out but there’s a lot to work on for Ohio State in the passing game.
18. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M
Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed led the Aggies to a win against Arkansas on Saturday. Reed didn’t play perfect by any means but got the job done with two touchdown throws and no picks. Reed was safe with the football and took what the defense gave him. He’s a bit limited as a passer and doesn’t have a huge arm but offensive coordinator Collin Klein has put him in an advantageous position when throwing the ball downfield. A big test is up next as the Aggies host Missouri.
