This article is part of our CFB Barometer series.
Trevone Boykin has been simply sensational for the TCU Horned Frogs in 2014. Texas Christian set a Big 12 record with 82 points Saturday against Texas Tech, with Boykin tossing seven touchdown passes in the process. Boykin went over the 400-yard passing mark for the second-straight week. In fact, over the last two games, Boykin has amassed a staggering 844 yards and 10 touchdowns through the air. On the season, Boykin has 21 touchdowns and just three interceptions. The Horned Frogs are the top scoring team in the nation at 50.4 points per game, and face a West Virginia squad this weekend averaging 346.3 passing yards per game under the direction of quarterback Clint Trickett. As a result, a shootout is lurking for the Horned Frogs against the Mountaineers, with Boykin leading the charge once again.
Up next? More pigskin goodness in this week's edition of the College Football Barometer.
UPGRADE
Kareem Hunt, RB, Toledo - Hunt missed the Rockets' previous three games due to an ankle injury, but returned with a bang Saturday against UMass. Hunt gained a career-high 198 yards on the ground, while also finding the end zone in the 42-35 win over the Minutemen. Hunt has played in five games this season, and has scored in each of those contests. He has also crossed the 100-yard plateau in every game he has played. Toledo has an open week before hosting an abysmal Kent State squad on Tuesday, November 4. The Golden Flashes own a 1-7 record, and are allowing nearly 30 points per game thus far in 2014. Hunt should be primed for a huge performance in that game.
Brian Hill, RB, Wyoming - An injury to starter Shaun Wick thrust the freshman Hill into the spotlight, and he responded with a beastly performance Saturday at Colorado State. Wick left the game due to a hand injury after just one tote, but Hill more than helped pick up the slack for the Cowboys. Hill responded with 28 carries for 121 yards and two touchdowns, though Wyoming still fell to CSU, 45-31. Wick had been a workhorse for the Cowboys prior to the injury, scoring in four-straight games while notching four 100-yard rushing outputs on the year. Hill had just 50 rushing yards for the entire season prior to Saturday's tilt, but looks to be the featured back should Wick be forced to miss significant time.
Rakeem Cato, QB, Marshall - Let's show some love for Cato and the Thundering Herd, who will likely go undefeated this season but not make the College Football Playoff due to strength of schedule. Still, Marshall is plowing through Conference USA with Cato at the helm. Cato has thrown for 2,130 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions through eight games. Cato has also rushed for five touchdowns for the 8-0 Herd. Delving further into his stats, Cato has seven games with multiple touchdowns, and has failed to throw for at least 200 yards in just one contest this season. Marshall is 3rd in the FBS with a points per game average of 45.9, and the Herd will face a Southern Miss squad on November 8 allowing 33.8 points per tilt.
Vince Mayle, WR, Washington State - The exploits of quarterback Connor Halliday have been well documented, but Mayle has really turned up the heat in recent weeks. Over the last four games, Mayle has racked up 39 catches for 606 yards and five touchdowns. Mayle has scored at least once in each of those contests. The high-octane offense of the Cougars has been involved in a plethora of shootouts this season, and another high-scoring affair looms at home against USC this weekend. The Trojans have allowed at least 24 points in each of their last four games.
CHECK STATUS
Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State - If Prescott is on your fantasy squad, you're not taking him out of your lineup. That being said, he looked gimpy during the second half of Saturday's 45-31 win at Kentucky. Prescott took a helmet to the lower part of his left leg, and was seen with a walking boot on his left foot at the press conference following the game. Prescott said that the boot was precautionary, but his running ability is a crucial part of his game. If Prescott is forced to be a pocket passer, he becomes less dangerous. Prescott has rushed for a touchdown in every game this season, while gaining at least 77 yards rushing in all but one contest. The No. 1 Bulldogs have a date with Arkansas this weekend, and the Hogs are still looking for their first SEC conference win under coach Bret Bielema. Monitor Prescott's status as the week progresses. He should be fine, but his impact could be slightly curtailed due to the foot ailment.
Davis Webb, QB, Texas Tech - The Red Raiders found themselves on the wrong end of a blowout Saturday against TCU. Not only did Tech allow a staggering 82 points to the above-referenced Trevone Boykin, but also lost their starting quarterback due to injury. Davis Webb left the game in the third quarter with a leg injury, and was seen on crutches following the game. His status is unknown for Tech's next tilt against struggling Texas. Webb has 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in the pass=happy offense under Kliff Kingsbury. Freshman Patrick Mahomes would likely get the start under center, and while inexperienced, he would be a chic pickup due to the sheer volume of throws he would get. The Red Raiders are 10th in the FBS in passing yards per game, accumulating 332.3 yards per contest through the air. Meanwhile, the Texas Longhorns haven't held an opponent under 23 points in a single game in over a month.
Leonte Carroo, WR, Rutgers - Carroo is a big-play receiver for the Scarlet Knights, and flashed that potential Saturday at Nebraska. Carroo took a short pass and turned it into a 75-yard touchdown from quarterback Gary Nova. Carroo ended the contest with 127 yards receiving, crossing the 100-yard mark for the fourth time in 2014. Carroo is averaging a stout 19.9 yards per reception. However, Carroo's quarterback, Nova, injured his knee against the Cornhuskers, and will likely miss another Big Ten clash Saturday, this time against Wisconsin. While Nova has been up-and-down in his Rutgers career, he is a veteran presence who has been through the wars. Nova is still on crutches and though initial tests were positive, he is not assured of getting the starting nod this weekend. Chris Laviano, a redshirt freshman with 59 passing yards on his resume, would start in Nova's place. The necessary quarterback shuffle would almost certainly hinder Carroo's value.
Joel Stave, QB, Wisconsin - The good Joel Stave showed up Saturday against Maryland, though admittedly he wasn't needed much in the 52-7 rout of the Maryland Terrapins. Stave had been splitting snaps with junior Tanner McEvoy in the two prior games; the latter quarterback is more of a dual-threat quarterback for the Badgers. Still, Stave completed 9-of-15 throws for 155 yards and two touchdowns Saturday, with McEvoy only seeing snaps when the game was already well in hand. In a ground-and-pound attack anchored by stud rusher Melvin Gordon, the quarterback is not asked to do much more than manage the game, but Stave hadn't even been able to do that on October 4, when he tossed three INTs during a 20-14 loss to Northwestern. He did have 2,494 yards passing along with 22 touchdowns in 2013, but also threw 13 interceptions and did not play in the first four games of the 2014 campaign due to mental struggles regarding his throwing. Stave can build off Saturday's performance, but it remains to be seen which quarterback will show up on the road against Rutgers.
DOWNGRADE
Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan - Much was expected from Funchess coming into this season, a hybrid WR/TE who was expected to be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses. While Funchess started off the season with a three-touchdown performance against lowly Appalachian State, he has been only adequate since that time. Funchess has scored only once since the opener, while going over the 100-yard mark just one time in 2014. Certainly he has been hindered by the poor quarterback play at Michigan, most notably the subpar play of Devin Gardner. Funchess has not necessarily been bad either, but hasn't lived up to expectations and the preseason hype for a variety of reasons. He still has at least four catches in every game, but has not truly broken out since the standout opener. The 6-foot-5, 230-lb receiver has four games left to prove he can be a superstar performer.
Zach Zwinak, RB, Penn State - 2014 has not been kind to Zwinak. The leading returning rusher for the Nittany Lions, Zwinak had become a forgotten man in the running game prior to Saturday's tilt with Ohio State. Perhaps the coaching change from Bill O'Brien to James Franklin had something to do with that, but Zwinak had averaged nearly 1,000 yards per season over the last two years, while finding the end zone 19 times over that span. Flash forward to this season, however, and Zwinak had been limited to just 112 yards and three touchdowns in six games. Zwinak had not received double-digit carries in four-straight games heading into the game Saturday. A bad season got even worse, though, as Zwinak injured his leg on the opening kickoff and had to be carted off. Zwinak wasn't producing even when healthy, and an injury could all but end his career at Penn State with a thud.
Justin Worley, QB, Tennessee - Worley was a surprise late scratch for Saturday's date with Alabama due to a shoulder injury. The Vols have been mum on the ailment, but Worley was coming off a three-INT stinker against Ole Miss in the previous week. Still, he had separated himself from other QBs Nathan Peterman and Joshua Dobbs in Fall Camp, and coach Butch Jones had not hinted that Worley was either injured or at risk of losing his job during the week. Peterman got the start and struggled, but Dobbs relieved him and played well. The dual-threat quarterback passed for 192 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while also rushing 19 times for 75 more yards. The extent of Worley's injury is unknown, and the Vols have an away game at South Carolina on Saturday. The sophomore Dobbs played extensively as a freshman last season, and could get the starting nod if Worley can't go.
P.J. Walker, QB, Temple - The dual-threat Walker has been limited in the running game this season due to an ankle ailment, and he aggravated the condition in Saturday's 34-14 loss at UCF. The sophomore rushed for 332 yards last season, but has just 147 yards thus far in 2014. Walker is averaging just 2.8 yards per tote in 2014, after managing 3.7 yards per carry. Walker hasn't been terrific in the passing attack either of late. Over his last three games, Walker has six interceptions as compared to just four passing touchdowns. By contrast, Walker had seven touchdowns and just three interceptions over the first four games of the season for the Owls. With his numbers trending in the wrong direction, and an ankle injury to boot, Walker's fantasy utility remains on the low side.
