This article is part of our CFB Barometer series.
The main storyline for Week 3 of the college football season was ranked teams on the road, headlined by Oklahoma visiting Florida State. Along the way, there were several notable performances, some good and some less than stellar. Here's a look at the stock of a handful of collegiate footballers after the latest round of games.
UPGRADE
Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson - Clemson ended Auburn's 17-game winning streak Saturday, and Watkins was a huge reason for it. The true freshman caught 10 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing seven times for 44 yards. Watkins played well in Clemson's first two games, but that was against low-level competition. Even if Auburn isn't the team it was last year, this was an impressive outing for Watkins. Expect him to be a big part of Clemson's offense, presuming Dabo Swinney wants to keep his job.
Seth Doege, QB, Texas Tech - Doege was the epitome of efficient against New Mexico, going 40-for-44 for 401 yards and five touchdowns. It is exceedingly hard to have a better game than that, even if you are beating up on perpetual doormat New Mexico, as Doege set an NCAA record with 90.9 completion percentage, the highest for a quarterback with at least 40 completions. Mike Leach may be off selling books, but the passing game seems very much alive down in Lubbock, and Doege might be the next in a long line of Red Raiders quarterbacks to put up garish numbers.
The main storyline for Week 3 of the college football season was ranked teams on the road, headlined by Oklahoma visiting Florida State. Along the way, there were several notable performances, some good and some less than stellar. Here's a look at the stock of a handful of collegiate footballers after the latest round of games.
UPGRADE
Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson - Clemson ended Auburn's 17-game winning streak Saturday, and Watkins was a huge reason for it. The true freshman caught 10 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing seven times for 44 yards. Watkins played well in Clemson's first two games, but that was against low-level competition. Even if Auburn isn't the team it was last year, this was an impressive outing for Watkins. Expect him to be a big part of Clemson's offense, presuming Dabo Swinney wants to keep his job.
Seth Doege, QB, Texas Tech - Doege was the epitome of efficient against New Mexico, going 40-for-44 for 401 yards and five touchdowns. It is exceedingly hard to have a better game than that, even if you are beating up on perpetual doormat New Mexico, as Doege set an NCAA record with 90.9 completion percentage, the highest for a quarterback with at least 40 completions. Mike Leach may be off selling books, but the passing game seems very much alive down in Lubbock, and Doege might be the next in a long line of Red Raiders quarterbacks to put up garish numbers.
Kenny Stills, WR, Oklahoma - Ryan Broyles is the biggest name among Oklahoma wide receivers, but Kenny Stills should not be forgotten. At Florida State on Saturday, Stills caught seven passes for 125 yards and a score. He missed the first game of the season due to suspension, but if he stays on the field, he may end up putting up numbers nearly as good as Broyles in Oklahoma's offense.
Zac Stacy, RB, Vanderbilt - The Commodores took down Ole Miss last weekend to push their record to 3-0, and Stacy was a big reason why. Even though he only had 11 carries, he rushed for 169 yards and a touchdown. He also had two catches for 17 yards. Will he have another game like this? Performances this good against an SEC team, even if it is the worst SEC team, is worth paying attention to.
CHECK STATUS
Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina - Despite only being a sophomore Lattimore's career has been quite impressive thus far. He added to that with 246 rushing yards and three touchdowns against Navy. So, why is he only check status after the best rushing game of the week? Well, because he can't go up from where he already is. He's the best running back in college football, and he should be in your lineup every week. Don't get cute playing matchups in the SEC. Just plug Lattimore into your lineup and ride his excellence.
Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan - Robinson was great rushing the ball against Eastern Michigan on Saturday, as he totaled 198 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries, but he struggled throwing the ball a bit. He only completed seven of his 18 passes for 95 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. At this point, it seems clear that Robinson is never going to be a great passer. Is Robinson going to put up huge numbers this season? Yes, thanks to his rushing, but his passing is going to come with a low completion percentage and a bunch of interceptions.
Juron Criner, WR, Arizona - Criner missed last week's game for the Wildcats due to an emergency appendectomy, but he was back against Stanford and looked no worse for the wear. He caught six passes for 48 yards and a score. Now that he's back, feel free to use him as you would have before his surgery.
Case Keenum, QB, Houston - Keenum got off to a slow start against Louisiana Tech, but he led the Cougars to a comeback victory. He finished 25-for-40 for 351 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Keenum seems back to full strength after last year's torn ACL, and the Cougars offense is still flinging the ball around with the best of them.
DOWNGRADE
E.J. Manuel, QB, Florida State - Manuel was listed as a Downgrade last week, but he's back again after a rough game against Oklahoma. It's not just his numbers, though those weren't good; he only threw for 85 yards with two interceptions while rushing for 49 yards. No, the issue is that he left the game with a shoulder injury and did not return. The Seminoles won't play another team nearly as tough as the Sooners again, but it remains to be seen when Manuel returns, and how well he plays when he does.
Kevin Prince, QB, UCLA - The Kevin Prince era might finally be over at UCLA. His career has been, at best, up and down, but he had a particularly rough game against Texas on Saturday. He only went 3-for-7 for 26 yards and three interceptions, and 26 yards rushing certainly didn't make up the difference. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Bruins turn to backup Richard Brehaut. And even if they stick with Prince, it could be a mess.
Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee - Hunter was coming off two great games heading into Tennessee's matchup with Florida. In that game, he brought down one pass for 12 yards, and then proceeded to hurt his knee. He did not return. Hunter is a talented player, but knee injuries are usually a cause for concern, and when he returns he'll remain a question mark. Plus, the SEC schedule will be tougher than Tennessee's first two games against Montana and Cincinnati.
J.J. Di Luigi, RB, BYU - Last season, Di Luigi was the focal point of BYU's offense, and the prevailing wisdom said the Cougars offense would be better this season. However, through three games that certainly doesn't seem like the case. The team has scored a mere 40 points, including just 10 in itslast game. Di Luigi's numbers have gotten progressively worse, and he has yet to find the end zone. The schedule is going to get a bit easier, but there's good reason to be concerned about Di Luigi.
