College football games, Week 6: Max Duggan gets his moment with TCU, Kansas battling as unlikely unbeatens

Smack in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic two years in the past, Max Duggan jumped in his automotive and drove three hours from his Council Bluffs, Iowa, house to a metropolis park in Prairie Village, Kansas. He was met that May 2020 day by Wisconsin’s Graham Mertz, Rutgers’ Noah Vedral (transferring from Nebraska) and Minnesota’s Jacob Clark.

They have been united by their throwing coach, Justin Hoover, head of Spin It Quarterback Academy in suburban Kansas City. It was that and the longing simply to do one thing once more with a football of their arms.

“That was the most work you could get in during COVID,” Duggan stated. “The world was shut down. The only spot you could get a workout in was with Justin in a park.”

There have been no traces. The grass was a bit overgrown. Kids performed close by on swing units. But it was pure pleasure.

Duggan was the perfect participant on the sphere that day following a season through which TCU’s quarterback was honorable point out for Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

The reminiscences got here flowing again this week of the Kansas recreation. Duggan has gone from metropolis park to turning into the nation’s most effective passer (202.18) forward of better-known names like Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall and North Carolina’s Drake Maye. Kansas’ Jalon Daniels (177.45) is seventh within the class nationally.

If Duggan’s quantity holds up, he could be in the identical firm as Baker Mayfield, Tua Tagoviola and Joe Burrow as go effectivity leaders since 2015. Thanks to the contact of quarterback-maker Sonny Dykes, Duggan has change into a low-key murderer in an offense that simply put up 55 factors on Oklahoma.

Get used to those sorts of video games with these sorts of individuals turning into extra frequent on the nationwide scene within the realigned Big 12. That level is hammered house this week as the Red River Showdown would possibly as nicely be an afterthought. Oklahoma and Texas, each 3-2, each meet unranked for the primary time since 1998.

Not solely that, it is a reminder for the Sooners and Longhorns how powerful issues are going to be the SEC. Hey, any individual has to dominate the Big 12 with Texas and Oklahoma headed South.

That’s a dialogue for an additional time. There’s not a lot of a dialogue in anointing Dykes the coach of the perfect program in Texas on the moment.

“Not a lot of people predicted or thought this for this program,” Duggan stated.

No. 17 TCU and No. 19 Kansas have zoomed into the rankings with unlikely quarterbacks. Daniels has been the important thing to KU’s ascension. Duggan is right here, partially, by fortune. Oklahoma switch Chandler Morris began the season however injured his knee within the opener. Duggan, a senior, has led the workforce since.

Last Saturday in opposition to Oklahoma, he starred. In an epic 55-24 win over the Sooners, Duggan threw for 302 yards, ran for 136 extra and scored 5 whole touchdowns. OU apparently forgot he might play. In 4 seasons, he has now thrown for nearly 7,000 yards.

“We have kind of surprised a couple of people outside the program,” Duggan stated. 

That’s an understatement. During his profession, Duggan — the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback within the Class of 2019, in response to 247Sports — has fought off a number of challengers. His world was turned the wrong way up final yr when TCU legend Gary Patterson left this system. Jerry Kill, the particular assistant employed to supervise the offense, was named interim coach. Patterson is now an analyst at Texas, and Kill is the New Mexico State coach.

It’s simply unusual to see Saturday’s matchup develop. Duggan’s offensive coordinator is Garrett Riley, brother of USC coach Lincoln. TCU is the rationale Dykes left crosstown rival SMU. That is why Texas Tech removed Matt Wells after eight video games final season hoping to get in line forward of TCU for Dykes.

This is why Duggan’s hopes went up when he noticed Dykes was Patterson’s alternative. Dykes, 52, is the son of Texas Tech teaching legend Spike Dykes. Sonny’s quarterback growth is famous. He grew to become a self-discipline of Mike Leach’s Air Raid becoming a member of Texas Tech in in 2000. As a Red Raiders co-offensive coordinator in 2005-06, he oversaw Cody Hodges and Graham Harrell. Dykes was Super Bowl quarterback Jared Goff’s coach at California.

After being fired at Cal, Dykes was introduced into TCU by Patterson as an offensive analyst in 2017. The Horned Frogs offense had adopted consecutive top-10 seasons in whole offense by dropping to twenty ninth in 2016.

In 4 seasons at SMU, Dykes led the Mustangs to post-death penalty heights. Dykes’ 30 wins tied June Jones for essentially the most Mustangs victories over a four-year span because the NCAA introduced the hammer down in 1987. SMU was ranked below Dykes for the primary time since 1986.

“He does let you play free, be yourself,” Duggan stated.

Week 6 storylines

‘Splainin’ The Sprain: Nick Saban stays optimistic about Bryce Young taking part in in opposition to Texas A&M. On Thursday, Alabama’s coach stated Young could be a game-time choice. Speaking with sources acquainted with shoulder sprains this week in an try to get perception into Young’s state of affairs, some distinctive views have been shared.

A medical skilled with expertise working with faculty football and NFL gamers, and a former faculty quarterback who had suffered an analogous damage, shared the timeline for Young would possible be 3-6 weeks relying on the grade of the damage. Texas’ Quinn Ewers had an analogous damage to his non-throwing shoulder and returning this week in opposition to Oklahoma after being out 4 weeks.

All that is speculative and accidents range from participant to participant, however all of it can determine into Young’s draft analysis. But as Saban famous on his radio present, Young should take into account his skilled prospects and profession past Alabama as he decides what degree of ache he needs to handle and when he needs to return to the sphere.

Officially, Young is day-to-day heading into the Texas A&M recreation vs. No. 1 Alabama set for 8 p.m. ET on CBS. He practiced earlier week and nonetheless has some soreness. Saban stated it was an damage his quarterback had suffered earlier than, one which resolved itself in a few days.

Vols’ subsequent check: No. 25 LSU has made progress below Brian Kelly. Maybe not sufficient for some Tigers, however they’re nonetheless at 4-1. Jayden Daniels has been coached up like by no means earlier than in his fourth season. The quarterback whose play declined annually he was at Arizona State has but to throw an interception. Credit offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock and quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan. The Tigers are averaging their second-most yards (443) since 2014. Since then, the one unit for productive was within the 2019 championship yr. The four-game successful streak is the LSU’s longest since that season. If it knocks off No. 8 Tennessee, we might should reevaluate LSU.

Dawg gone analysis: No. 2 Georgia primarily opens its house schedule in opposition to Auburn. If you need to depend Samford and Kent State, go forward, however the Tigers are a measuring stick for the Bulldogs. The final two efforts in opposition to Kent State and particularly Missouri have raised questions. One of them being: Is there actually a dominant workforce within the SEC? Georgia was distracted in opposition to Kent State. Mizzou shut down the run early earlier than Stetson Bennett needed to rally the Dawgs within the fourth quarter. Auburn has picked a foul time to play its first highway recreation of the yr. The Tigers gave up 21 consecutive factors to lose in opposition to LSU final week. Georgia has gained 14 straight house video games. 

Maye Day: Drake Maye is on observe to throw 46 landing passes. North Carolina’s quarterback appears to have a keen participant as soon as once more in assembly Miami as he seems so as to add to his 19 TDs this season (in opposition to only one interception). The Hurricanes are attempting attempting to choose themselves off the turf after giving up 400 yards to Middle Tennessee’s Chase Cunningham. Stick Maye in your Heisman Watch. After taking part in Miami (Ninety fifth-ranked passing offense), among the many defenses Maye will face embrace Duke (86th), Wake Forest (89th) and Georgia Tech (62nd). 

Where from right here, Badgers? Wisconsin interim coach Jim Leonhard did not maintain again throughout his first week main this system. He stated the lack of Paul Chryst was “absolutely a huge concern … even the staff. We’re all here because of what Paul Chryst had done.” Leonard continued: “Very emotional on our floor [of the facility], as well as the players. Initially, there is very little I can say to this team to handle that emotion in the moment. It hurt a lot of guys. … I pride myself on being able to sit back and lead a room … Some guys will be vocal. Some guys will be emotional and realize they may have overstepped.” Yikes. Good luck at Northwestern.  

I-L-L Communication: Bret Bielema has discovered himself once more. In 17 video games at Illinois, he has finished what he might by no means do in 5 years at Arkansas: flip across the program. Junior Chase Brown leads the nation in speeding. Tommy DeVito is a rescue quarterback from Syracuse. Best of all for Illinois: There is a six-way tie for the Big Ten West lead (1-1) going into the Iowa recreation. Why not the Illini? It’s simple to check them 9-1 going into the Michigan recreation on Nov. 19.

What’s Bruin’ in opposition to Utah? We might have a Midseason All-American spot solidified. Utah cornerback Clark Phillips II is coming off a three-interception recreation (together with a choose six) heading to the Rose Bowl. The sophomore has began all 24 video games since he has been on campus. He is the one Pac-12 participant with three profession interceptions returned for touchdowns. The matchup in opposition to UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson deserves extra consideration. No. 18 UCLA is seeing its attendance down 28% throughout an undefeated season as No. 11 Utah visits.

Quick Hits: God velocity to former freshman All-America defensive lineman Bryan Bresee as he continues to get better from a kidney an infection. Last month, the Clemson star misplaced his 15-year-old sister Ella to mind most cancers. Bresee will miss Saturday evening’s recreation at Boston College … Does Penn State five-star freshman Drew Allar must get extra taking part in time? It’s not going coming subsequent week at Michigan. Former backup Ta’Quan Robinson hadn’t had sufficient snaps when Sean Clifford went down final yr vs. Iowa. Robinson is now at UConn … Washington State’s Jake Dickert can put his title squarely within the Wisconsin teaching search with a win over USC this week. Even if he does not beat the Trojans, Dickert — a former Wisconsin-Stevens Point participant and coach — is turning into a scorching property at 7-4 since taking up for Nick Rolovich … There is one thing sacrilegious about Catholic and Mormon flagships assembly in Las Vegas, however right here we’re with Notre Dame and BYU. All the sudden there’s a New Year’s Six berth at stake for each groups. (Yes, even at 2-2, ND has a shot as a result of it is ND) … Outside of the Power Five, the one two undefeated groups remaining are James Madison (at Arkansas State) and Coastal Carolina (at Louisiana-Monroe)