Another round of bye week hell. I’ll do my best to get us through it.
Grind Him Into Dust
PJ Fleck promised that he would be more cautious with his star RB all offseason and not give him the Mohammad Ibrahim treatment. But PJ can’t help himself when it comes to his RB1. It’s okay to admit you are an RB Kingmaker and that you prefer your boat to be rowed by a one-man crew, PJ.
In his last six games, Darius Taylor has touched the ball 19+ times in five of them and 30+ times twice. While we do love the volume, it does not appear that Taylor is built for this type of workload. His body is wearing down as he limps off the field, seemingly every other drive. He has forced just three missed tackles on his last 33 attempts.
Taylor is far less efficient in his sophomore season, but it’s been buoyed by his increased production as a receiver and uptick in rushing TDs. I worry about how much he has left in the tank for the Gopher’s two remaining games and if he will look for another program this offseason that will allow him to keep some tread on the tires prior to the NFL.
Quarterback Transfer Portal Candidates
The WR edition from last week was so fun that we had to put quarterbacks on the stand. The news of Thomas Castellanos entering the portal is about as predictable as my architect wife reminding me she has way more style than I do when it comes to remodeling our bathroom (she’s right). Let’s take a look at some other guys who could look for greener pastures.
Miller Moss, USC – Riley has already eluded to the idea that Moss will have a solid career…somewhere else. Only a Maiava disaster could probably salvage things for Moss at USC. Maybe he goes across town. Keep an eye on where Graham Harrell lands.
Noah Fifita, Arizona – It just ain’t working for Fifita and this Wildcat staff. It’s never good when staff changes happen halfway through year one. A fresh start after his BFF receiver moves on may be necessary. But please, for the love of God, don’t reunite with Fisch and crash the Demond Williams plane before it even takes off.
Jackson Arnold, Oklahoma – Yeah, he got his job back. But the offense against FBS opponents has looked about as clean as a port-a-potty at a Skid Row concert. The fans have soured on the JFA experience, and a new OC could mean a new QB option.
DJ Lagway, Florida – Will the AD vote of confidence truly save Napier’s job if the Gators finish 5-7 (at best)? Will the return of Napier guarantee the return of DJL? I don’t think so. I’ll continue to believe that Lagway is a future Aggie, with USC, Miami, and Alabama also in contention.
Kaidon Salter, Liberty – Let’s get to Auburn and get it over with, already. Hugh needs you. Go bridge that gap to Deuce Knight.
What Did We Learn?
The arrival of Peny Boone at UCF caused pure panic in the CFF world for RJ Harvey. But in the end, not a damn thing changed for Harvey. The 2023 RB6 currently sits as the 2024 RB2. Despite reports of Harvey adding good weight to carry a heavier workload and mentions of being the Knight’s offseason MVP, his preseason rankings took a tumble because of a guy who couldn’t see the field at Maryland. Even I, a proud Harvey stan after the Boone addition, reluctantly sold a share of Harvey just in case the doubters were right.
The lesson is here that we shouldn’t freak out over every incoming transfer with proven incumbents. Basically, every team not named Iowa or Clemson will be adding transfers to almost every position because every team will be losing transfers at almost every position. Such is life in CFB 2025. Expect every player you own to have at least one transfer added to his room. Don’t freak out.
No TD Mozee
Miami of Ohio running back Keyon Mozee has eclipsed 100 yards in five straight games and six of his last seven games but only has three touchdowns on the season. That is a crazy low touchdown rate. What is even crazier is that none of those touchdowns have come from a red zone attempt. They have come on runs of 27, 58, and 74 yards. I have no way to determine if what I am about to say is true, but this is the first player in CFB history to run for 846 yards without a single red zone TD. Add in the fact that he has as many catches on the season as Abraham Lincoln; he becomes one of the least productive CFF RBs I can remember, with five straight 100-yard games.
Terrez Worthy and the Temple of (RB) Doom
Indiana Jones: “What is that?”
Willie Scott: “The antidote”
Indiana Jones: “Antidote to what?”
Willie Scott: “The poison you just drank”
Is Terrez Worthy the antidote to the poison that the Temple run game drank? What if I told you Temple didn’t score a rushing TD until October 19? What if I told you that Temple had just three rushing TDs from its entire RB room in 2024? Well, Worthy has them all. When coach Stan Drayton decided to make the change to Worthy as his starting RB in October, things changed (kind of). Now, this JUCO transfer turned Owls RB1 is no Bijan Robinson, Zeke Elliot, or Carlos Hyde that Drayton has coached, but he might actually be pretty solid.
Worthy is averaging 6.4 YPC, which is twice that (3.2 YPC) of the rest of the RB room combined. His metrics are solid in a small sample, with 3.52 YAC/A, a 61.4% breakaway rate, and a missed tackle forced rate of 25%. He’s averaging 15 PPG in his four starts. I’m not advocating for starting him, but at least keep a side eye with playoff matchups against FAU, UTSA, and North Texas.
Cheers to Week 12, and good luck in the playoffs!
