Who’s Hot & Who’s Not? Week 3

WHO’S HOT
Summa Cum Laude 


UTEP RB Aaron Jones 
Jones can’t remain a well-kept secret in El Paso much longer. He’s just too explosive. The sophomore has yet to be held below 140 yards on the ground this season, and leads the country in total yards rushing. He’s also averaging 7.8 yards a carry to go along with seven touchdowns. Jones is a Big 12 talent facing a Conference USA schedule. 

Offensive Coordinator of the Week: Jim Chaney, Arkansas 
Why get too cute when you’ve got Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams in the backfield? Chaney saw the weakness in his opponent, Texas Tech, and then exposed it … over and over again. The Razorbacks rushed for 438 yards and seven touchdowns for a 49-28 rout and a high-point of the Bret Bielema era. This staff isn’t afraid to subordinate its own egos to turn things around in Fayetteville. 

Defensive Coordinator of the Week: Jon Tenuta, Virginia 
Tenuta’s kids have been lights out during the first quarter of the 2014 season. So good, in fact, that they’re going to save the job of Tenuta and his boss, Mike London, if they keep it up. The Cavaliers have so far held UCLA to one offensive touchdown, generated eight turnovers on Richmond and held Louisville to just 282 yards in this past Saturday’s big upset. 

Stockpile more shares in … West Virginia QB Clint Trickett 
It took a year for Trickett and the rest of the Mountaineers to fully absorb Dana Holgorsen’s system. But now that the senior quarterback is comfortable, he’s summarily shredding opponents. Trickett guided West Virginia above the .500 mark by throwing for 511 yards and four touchdowns at Maryland. He’s now thrown for at least 348 yards in all three games, while forming a dangerous tandem with WR Kevin White. 

Stockpile more shares in … Louisiana Tech 
Skip Holtz has something brewing in Ruston. The Bulldogs have rebounded from their opening day loss to Oklahoma with back-to-back routs of Louisiana and North Texas … as a road underdog. Iowa transfer QB Cody Sokol has been brilliantly efficient, tossing five scoring strikes on Thursday, and new coordinator Manny Diaz is transforming the D. This is a completely different team than the one that went 4-8 in 2013. 

Mizzou QB Maty Mauk 
Some quarterbacks make NFL scouts swoon. Others just fit a system to a tee. Mauk is the latter in Columbia. The scrambling quarterback has evolved into quite an efficient passer, tossing a dozen touchdowns over the first three games. Facing a terrific UCF secondary on Saturday, Mauk needed just 14 completions to notch four scoring strikes in a 38-10 win. 

The LSU D 
Okay, so Sam Houston State and Louisiana-Monroe won’t remind anyone of Texas A&M, but a shutout is a shutout. And the Tigers blanked both over the last two weekends. In fact, since midway through the third quarter of the Wisconsin opener, LSU has scored a remarkable 108 unanswered points. Credit coordinator John Chavis with coaching up this young D on the fly. 

Madden Cover Material: Arizona State RB D.J. Foster 
Foster is instant offense whenever the ball is in his hands. One of the nation’s most versatile all-around weapons from the line of scrimmage, he’s a threat to go the distance as a runner and a receiver. The big-play Sun Devil is averaging more than nine yards a carry, and he’s tallied more than 200 all-purpose yards in back-to-back games. 

Bucking for a promotion: Boston College coach Steve Addazio 
While Addazio isn’t the best X’s and O’s guy in the game, few coaches are better motivators. His Eagles didn’t have the raw talent to match up with visiting USC, but he willed them to a stunning victory behind an old-school rushing attack. Boston College—and QB Tyler Murphy—sucker-punched the No. 9 Trojans for 452 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. 

Bucking for a promotion II: East Carolina coach Ruffin McNeill 
A year ago, McNeill led the Pirates to victories over North Carolina and NC State. This season’s first ACC victim was Virginia Tech. ECU went into Blacksburg, the week after the Hokies stunned Ohio State, and walked out with an impressive 28-21 win. McNeill, with help from up-and-coming offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, is quietly doing dynamite work in Greenville. 

The Baylor Offense 
Yeah, yeah, the competition. But the Bears’ offensive numbers are downright sick. They’ve already produced 178 points through three games, and not everyone has been healthy. QB Bryce Petty sat out Week 2, and starting receivers Antwan Goodley and Corey Coleman have yet to play. Meanwhile, KD Cannon, Jay Lee Davion Hall and Lynx Hawthorne have used the opportunity to become Baylor’s next wave of statistical stars. 

Can I be your agent … Shane Ray? 
Another week, another Mizzou defensive lineman to celebrate. Last week, Markus Golden schooled the Toledo O-line off the edge. This week, it was Ray’s turn to shine. Unblockable from the opening drive, the junior end notched four stops behind the line and two sacks against UCF, and now leads the country with 7.5 tackles for loss. 

Start designing the Fathead of … Florida WR Demarcus Robinson 
As long as Robinson is staying out of trouble, he’s going to cause major headaches for SEC defensive backs this season. The sophomore, with the checkered off-field history, has quickly become Jeff Driskel’s favorite target in the new offense. The 6-2, 200-pound Robinson has caught 21 balls in just two games, including a school-record 15 for 216 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday’s overtime escape of Kentucky. 

The Big 12 
The gap between the Big Ten and the Big 12, who were hypothetically pitted against one another throughout the offseason, couldn’t be much wider than it is today. The Big 12’s two signature programs, Oklahoma and Baylor, are playing well; the Sooners rocked Tennessee, and QB Bryce Petty returned for the Bears. Oh, and the league swept three games with the Big Ten in Week 3 (Iowa State over Iowa, West Virginia over Maryland and TCU over Minnesota). 

He’s how young?! Cincinnati QB Gunner Kiel 
Kiel had never taken a college snap prior to Friday night. Not one. Yet, the Notre Dame transfer’s opening stat line reads 25-of-37 for 418 yards and a school-record six touchdown passes. Kiel repeatedly filleted Toledo by flipping scoring strikes to six different receivers. And with the first-game jitters now out of the way, there’s no telling how good he can be this season. 

He’s how young?! Ohio State LB Raekwon McMillan 
In the most extensive action of his short career, McMillan showed flashes why he was considered one of the country’s top defensive recruits of 2014. In the blowout of Kent State, he led the Buckeyes with seven tackles, including three stops behind the line and a pair of sacks. McMillan’s range and instincts will be tough to keep off the field as the season unfolds. 

Team of the Week: South Carolina 
Given up for dead after being walloped by Texas A&M on the first Thursday of the season, the Gamecocks have bounced back impressively the last two weekends. South Carolina held off a very good East Carolina team a week ago, and then upset Georgia Saturday in a key SEC East matchup. The Aggie loss is not forgotten, but the Gamecocks have positioned themselves to still have plenty to play for in November. 

WHO’S NOT
Summa Cum Lousy 


Is it December yet? South Florida 
Georgia Southern came within a point of beating NC State. Old Dominion lost to the Pack by 12 points. The Bulls, however, were demoralized by Dave Doeren’s team—in Tampa—49-17. The D couldn’t stop QB Jacoby Brissett or the running game, and the USF quarterback situation is once again in a state of disrepair. Progress in Willie Taggart’s second season is going to come in incremental stages. 

Being Voted Off College Football Island: Rutgers QB Gary Nova 
The Scarlet Knights did enough to beat Penn State in their ballyhooed first Big Ten game. Nova, unfortunately, did more than enough to rain on the Rutgers parade. The old Nova, the one who forces throws, reared his ugly head in Piscataway, throwing five interceptions to negate all of the good his team did on defense. It’s not as if Kyle Flood has a ready-made answer sitting on the bench, but could it get any worse at the position? 

Heisman Nopeful: UCLA QB Brett Hundley
A Bruin quarterback starred in the showdown with Texas in Arlington … and it wasn’t Hundley. The UCLA junior, who’s had a rocky start to the season, injured his left elbow early on, opening the door for Jerry Neuheisel to become a folk hero in Westwood. There’s still time for Hundley to restore his campaign, provided he’s ready for Arizona State in two weeks. 

Iowa 
Turns out a soft schedule alone won’t be enough to make the Hawkeyes a factor in 2014. A week after narrowly escaping Ball State, which lost on Saturday to Indiana State, the Iowa bowed to winless rival Iowa State at Kinnick Stadium. The offense was feeble on Saturday, reaching the end zone just one time over the final three quarters. 

Start evacuating the bandwagon of … Houston 
It was just a few weeks ago that the Cougars appeared to have one of the best talent mixes among Group of Five schools. Flash forward to today, and Houston is in trouble. It’s played poorly in two games with FBS opponents, beginning with a blowout loss to UTSA. And don’t be fooled by Thursday’s 33-25 loss to BYU, which was far more one-sided than the score indicated. 

Team of the Weak: Ball State
The Cardinals lost a heartbreaker to Iowa last week. And then they allowed the Hawkeye game defeat them again this week. In uncharacteristic fashion for a Pete Lembo-coached team, Ball State didn’t show up in a 27-20 loss to Indiana State. The Sycamores are improving, no doubt, but they have no business getting out of Muncie with a win over an FBS team. 

You emit a foul and unpleasant odor: The UConn O-line 
Whoever takes snaps for the Huskies this season deserves battle pay. UConn quarterbacks have already been sacked 15 times through three games, including eight by Boise State alone on Saturday. Chandler Whitmer actually played rather well, considering how often he got knocked around by Mat Boesen, Kamalei Correa and Beau Martin. 

Needing a vote of confidence: Tulsa coach Bill Blankenship 
It’s one thing to lose to Florida Atlantic on a night when the field is named in honor of program architect Howard Schnellenberger. But the Hurricane should never lose to this opponent, 50-21. That’s 50 points yielded to a team that began the weekend having scored just one touchdown in the first two games. Tulsa had lapses everywhere, the sign of a team that could be headed to another three-win campaign. 

Texas Tech 
Central Arkansas and UTEP began to pull the curtain back in the first two weeks, but stopped short of upsetting the Red Raiders. Arkansas, and its physical running game, thoroughly exposed Kliff Kingsbury’s team on Saturday. Hog backs Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams trampled the Texas Tech defense for six touchdowns and more than 350 combined rushing yards. It could be a tough year in Lubbock for the Red Raiders. 

The Big Ten (yes, again) 
Life in the Big Ten wasn’t as bad as it was in Week 2. But it was still pretty bad. Illinois got pounded by Washington. Iowa fell to Iowa State. Minnesota was no match for TCU. Maryland lost at home to West Virginia. And Indiana was the MAC’s third Big Ten victim, losing to Bowling Green. The Big Ten has dropped 10-of-11 games with Power Five opponents this season, a futile beginning to the 2014 campaign.