Week 7 of College Football had plenty of big performances and some disappointing performances as well. We will look at what happened last week and some players to watch out for in Week 8.
Week 7 Review
David Bell, WR Purdue
There is some question about how Bell translates at the next level, but he has been a great producer in college. He has missed time due to an injury, and I believed that Iowa would be able to keep him under wraps like they did Jahan Dotson. I was very wrong on this as Purdue upset Iowa. Bell had a monster day with 11 receptions, 240 yards, and a TD. There will be differing opinions based on his profile, but if he continues to put up big numbers, some team will likely pick him somewhere on the second day in the NFL draft.
Malik Willis, QB Liberty
The Willis hype has slowed down a bit after a couple of poor showings in the last two games. He had three interceptions against Middle Tennessee State but still led Liberty to a win. Against Lousiana Monroe, he could not overcome another three-interception outing. Willis was able to rush for 80 yards and 157 yards in both games, so the rushing upside will always be there. Even with these bad outings, the 2022 QB class has not shined, so Willis could still be a first-round pick even with his flaws because the NFL will always reach for QBs.
Breece Hall, RB Iowa State
Breece Hall had a slow start to the season but has come on the last four games of the season. He has rushed for over 100 yards in each of those four games, along with two TDs in each outing. The most recent game against Kansas State was his best performance with 30 attempts for 197 yards and a pair of TDs. In the Devy Community, there have been questions about Hall’s draft stock this past year, but even if he is a second or third-round pick, I see him as a competent starter at the next level.
Week 8 Preview
Quentin Johnston, WR TCU
Johnston was a top 75 WR recruit in 2020 and started to show that promise at the end of the year with two games of over 100 yards receiving. This year, Johnston has dealt with injuries and an up and down year, but he had a monster game last week against Oklahoma. He made spectacular catches and ended up with 185 yards with three TDs. This week, TCU faces West Virginia, and while their pass defense is poor, it will be interesting if Johnston can put together two straight strong performances.
Kenny Pickett, QB Pittsburgh
This is the second time we have spotlighted a Pitt offensive player; what is going on? Pickett is a fifth-year player that has always struggled with his TD to INT ratio, and before this year, his career-high in TDs was 13. This year, he has turned that around with 21 TDs to only one pick and has his highest adjusted passing yards per attempt (11.3- almost doubling any of his other seasons). Pittsburgh gets a big test this week against Clemson. While Clemson has struggled, they still have a stout defense. A strong outing by Pickett could continue to help his draft stock move up, possibly up to the second round.
Tyrion Davis-Price, RB LSU
Davis-Price has not had much production in his first two years at LSU, totaling under 800 rushing yards. 2021 looked like it would be much of the same with four of five games under 50 yards rushing. But in the last two games, he has exploded. Davis-Price has had over 140 yards in both of the previous two games and five total TDs. These were not against low-level teams either, as Kentucky was 21st against the run and Florida was 51st. If he continues putting monster games together, he could have a rising stock in a 2022 RB class that does not have many elite prospects.
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