The college football Week 9 slate is upon us, and the team of draft evaluators and CFB analysts at Pro Football Network are here with instant takeaways from the weekend slate.
Find our immediate reactions to all the action from start to finish in college football’s Week 9 Saturday games.
Taking into account all of the weekend’s slate of action, our CFB/Draft department will all be on hand for their instant reactions as they come in.
For clarity’s sake, each takeaway, reaction, and result will be culminated by the initials of the analyst responsible: TP for Tony Pauline, IC for Ian Cummings, and CM for Cam Mellor.
Stroud struggling to get OSU into the end zone
1:30 PM – It has to be disturbing to NFL evaluators that CJ Stroud struggles to get his offense into the end zone early in games or during the critical moments. Despite pummeling Iowa one week ago, the Buckeyes had opportunity after opportunity to put the game away early yet time after time settled for field goals rather than touchdowns.
It’s much the same today against Penn State. The first two scoring opportunities came as the result of turnovers, yet Ohio State came away with just ten points. Stroud was unable to get OSU into the end zone on their last drive after getting inside the red zone, and as a result settled for a field goal and a 14-13 score. TP
PSU’s Fashanu looks like the real deal
1:15 PM – Much has been written and said about Penn State left tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu — count me in as yet another that’s impressed. The redshirt sophomore looks like a natural as he blocks with terrific fundamentals and shows a lot of agility.
His ability to adjust to defenders and keep edge rushers in front of him while he protects his signal caller is very impressive. There’s a lot more football to be played but they hype seems to match the play with Fashanu. TP
UConn return led by teams top next level prospect
12:55 PM – After years of being one of the worst FBS programs in the nation, UConn has been playing competitive football this season and seem to get better each week.
The Huskies are presently up on Boston College 10-3 at the start of the second quarter. UConn’s top next level prospect, linebacker Jackson Mitchell, is have a terrific season. In eight games this season he’s totaled 88 tackles and has added three during the first quarter of today’s game.
Mitchell lacks great computer numbers coming in under 6-foot-2, weighing barely 225 pounds and timing the forty in 4.78 seconds, yet he’s incredibly instinctive and almost puts himself in a position to make plays. TP
Daniels starting to realize his potential
12:40 PM – Scouts have been pleasantly surprised by the play of quarterback JT Daniels. The well-traveled signal caller who has a long injury history which sent him to the sidelines at Georgia has been able to stay on the field this season and is playing reasonable well for the Mountaineers.
He has the physical skills to play on Sunday and shows the ability to make difficult, next level throws. Daniels must do a better job protecting the football, he’s thrown 6 interceptions to 10 TD’s this season, but has done enough to get late round consideration. TP
EMU’s Ramirez turning heads
12:50 PM – Toledo takes on Eastern Michigan today in an important battle for supremacy in the Western Division of the MAC.
Keep an eye on EMU edge rusher Jose Ramirez, an underrated prospect with 7 sacks and 10.5 TFL’s in eight games this season.
Ramirez produces out of the three point stance as well as standing over tackle. Many were surprised Ramirez returned to EMU for a second senior season but it’s workout out for him in 2022. TP
Richardson headed to the next level?
11:50 AM – There are a lot of intriguing games on today’s college schedule, especially in the SEC. The outcome of these contests could affect the national rankings, but before we preview any games, let’s start with some news.
The game formerly known as the “The World’s Largest Cocktail Party,” takes place in Jacksonville today as number one Georgia and Florida face off. On paper, this game looks like a Georgia romp, but today’s news surrounds Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson.
Though I’ve not spoken to anyone in Richardson’s camp, those affiliated with the Florida Gator program tell me they believe the quarterback will enter the 2023 NFL Draft. And they also tell me it would be a mistake as Richardson is not NFL-ready – an opinion I share.
Anthony Richardson has been the darling of the internet draft world before the season even began with some projecting him as a top-10 selection. This is despite the fact he played in just eight games as a redshirt freshman in 2021 and attempted just 64 passes.
The physical talent and upside are enormous for Richardson, but he needs a ton of work on his game. While I presently have a third-round grade on him, there’s no denying a team could reach for him during the first frame with the hopes of developing his game and harvesting Richardson’s talent. TP
