2022 College Football Advanced Stats Recap: Week 7

Tennessee finally did it!

The last time Alabama game up more than 52 points in a game was in the year 1907. The year the paper towel was invented, our president was Theodore Roosevelt, and you didn’t have to take out a small loan to go to the movie theaters because it was only a nickel to get in. Tennessee upsetting Alabama was just the tip of an amazing college football week. Let’s review the week!

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Alabama - Tennessee

The Tennessee faithful has been waiting for this one for a long time. They have finally beaten Alabama in a top 10 matchup. The game was an offensive explosion with two elite QB’s doing their usual elite QBing. Bryce Young finished with 455 yards and 2 TD’s and an 89.4 QBR. Even in the loss, Young showed the world why he is one of if not the top QB’s in the 2023 NFL draft. Hendon Hooker finished with 385 yards and 5 TD’s with a 94.3 QBR, which is the Heisman stat line and moment of the season thus far. Tennessee is looking like it could find itself in the CFB Playoff, but Georgia still looms in a couple weeks.

Penn State - Michigan

Michigan continues to roll along in the Big Ten, taking down Penn State in a ranked matchup. Donovan Edwards and Blake Corum combined for 339 yards and 4 TD’s on the ground as Michigan just physically dominated the Nittany Lions. As for Penn State… it just feels like the Franklin tenure can be summed up with their EPA/Play of 0. Technically not bad! But never enough when it comes to playing the very best in the game. Sean Clifford finished with a 0.06 EPA/Play, again a great summation of his time at the helm of the offense. We will continue to wonder if it is finally Drew Allar time.

Illinois - Minnesota

Staying in the Big Ten, how about the Illini!! They handle a Minnesota team that up until this point had an explosive offense. Ryan Walters, Defensive Coordinator for Illinois, should be a candidate at every single job opening available now and in the future. The job he has done putting the Illini near the top of most defensive categories is downright amazing. Not only that, but QB Tommy DeVito finished with a 96.0 QBR and was the best QB in the country this week. The Illini are for real this year, and a date with Michigan is slowly but surely coming to a TV near you.

Texas - Iowa State

Definitely a little closer than expected, but nevertheless Texas walks away with a victory against Iowa State. This was a test that previous iterations of Texas would fail, so it is good to see this team not succumb to a post Oklahoma let down. Cyclones QB Hunter Dekkers finished with a 0.333 EPA/Play or 87.4, and threw a dime to a wide open Cyclone WR who would have scored the go ahead TD had he come down with it. Disappointing finish, but Dekkers looks the part and has a bright future ahead of him at Iowa State.

TCU - Oklahoma State

The battle of the undefeated teams in the Big 12 had to be settled with some bonus football. TCU wins in Double OT against Oklahoma State to take the lead in Big 12 play. If you haven’t seen Quentin Johnson play the WR position, go to Youtube and search up some highlights. He finished with 180 yards and a TD, and is firmly in the “Best WR in the nation” debate. Still plenty of Big 12 play left on the schedule, but the Horned Frogs look as good as anyone in the country.

Syracuse - NC State

Taking absolutely nothing away from Syracuse’s hard earned victory, you have to feel for NC State. In a year that was thought to be “the year”, QB Devin Leary has once again been lost for the season with an injury. I am not really sure what his eligibility looks like, but I hope he can bounce back once again for injury. Back to Cuse, they move to 6-0 for the first time since 1987. Garrett Shrader continues to look good for the Orange men, posting a 80.3 QBR in this contest. Up next? The Clemson Tigers.

Clemson - Florida State

Speaking of the Tigers, they down my Noles in Tallahassee to remain unbeaten on the season. While it was a 6 point difference, in reality Clemson coasted for most of this game. QB DJ Uiagalelei is playing some really good football this season. He finished with 3 TD’s and a 85.6 QBR in this game, and his 76.3 QBR ranks 26th in the nation so far this season. As long as DJ continue to play like this, Clemson is in the playoff.

Kentucky - Mississippi State

Despite battling injuries, Will Levis and the Kentucky Wildcats get it done against Mike Leach and the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The game was definitely not pretty for the Wildcats, and a Levis pick six brought the Bulldogs back into the game. On the next drive Kentucky only needed 5 plays to go 75 yards to score the game sealing TD. Kentucky may not win the SEC East, but they play Tennessee and Georgia in the coming weeks. Spoilercats?

Utah - USC

To wrap it up, we look at some Pac-12 after dark action where Utah upsets the previously unbeaten USC Trojans. This game was filled with offensive firepower, and it honestly felt like a 7 on 7 game between Trojan QB Caleb Williams and Utah QB Cameron Rising. Williams finished with 385 yards, 5 TD’s and a 89.9 QBR, while Rising finished with 475 total yards, 5 total TD’s, a 92.5 QBR and the game winning two point conversion. An amazing win for the Utes, who remain firmly in the Pac-12 race (Also the refs in this game were… interesting, but we won’t get into that).

Power 5 QB Play

Group of 5 QB Play

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