This last week has been rough for Minnesota Vikings fans at the quarterback position. Losing Kirk Cousins for the season is a huge blow for a season that had taken a turn for the better after a crucial win against the San Francisco 49ers.
There are many ways that the Vikings can go about the quarterback position, most of which are quick fixes. But this franchise is looking for the next face. With Cousins being out for the season, Minnesota must start looking toward the future. If it’s not fifth-round draft pick Jaren Hall, which is probable, then Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will be looking to next year’s draft for the next franchise guy.
In this exercise, we will look at some of the best performances from draft-eligible quarterbacks from the last weekend of college football.
Oregon QB Bo Nix
Oregon quarterback Bo Nix carved up the Utah defense on the way to a 35-6 rout of the Utes in Utah.
He finished the game 24-of-31 for 248 yards and two touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown. He started the game going 13-of-14 for 140 yards and all three of his touchdowns to jump out on Utah 21-3.
Nix showed incredible decisiveness and command of the offense as he continued to nickel-and-dime the Utes defense down the field.
His performance landed him Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week and it was well-deserved.
#Pac12FB Offensive Player of the Week, presented by @Nextiva: Bo Nix 🦆
Full release ➡️ https://t.co/ldz39F0ME8 pic.twitter.com/6gxiEJG13f
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) October 30, 2023
Florida State QB Jordan Travis
Jordan Travis and the FSU offense continues to roll through the ACC as they take down Wake Forest 41-16 on the road.
Travis went 22-for-35 for 359 yards and three touchdowns on the day, while adding another touchdown on the ground. All four touchdowns occurred in the first half as they jumped out to a 34-7 halftime lead.
Travis ran the read-option well and got a lot of his yards on either quick throws and screens or deep shots. While that usually doesn’t translate directly to the NFL, he does show a good arm that can make NFL throws.
Good ball from Florida State QB Jordan Travis on this slot fade. pic.twitter.com/7rat3yC3cE
— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) October 30, 2023
Washington QB Michael Penix, Jr.
A shootout was probably not on Washington’s mind when they went to visit two-win Stanford, but that is certainly what they got. Washington ended up escaping 42-33 behind the play of their quarterback Michael Penix, Jr.
Penix ended the day 21-of-37 with 369 yards and four touchdowns with one interception.
Despite the 42 points, this Washington team had an up-and-down day at the office. They were inconsistent but they eventually got the job done. Penix was able to show off his cannon of an arm on a few throws and keeping that explosion in the offense is essential to the Huskies success.
Penix is one of the major wildcards going into the 2024 draft and the Stanford game showed why. He is very much boom-or-bust both down-to-down and as a prospect.
OOOH MY, 92 YARDS!! 🎯🤯@UW_Football extends the lead! pic.twitter.com/OpPmjIyDrt
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 29, 2023
USC QB Caleb Williams
The discussions around the USC defense will have to continue. But when you have Caleb Williams at quarterback, that makes up for a lot of deficiencies. USC pulls out the shootout against Cal 50-49 and Williams was a huge part of that.
Williams went 23-of-40 for 369 yards and two touchdowns and added two others on the ground.
Williams and the USC offense put up 40+ points for the eighth time this season. After two disappointing losses, pulling this one out had to feel good and Williams looked like himself with the touch he put on the ball throughout the game.
Caleb Williams throwing to Zachariah Branch outside the numbers from the opposite hash with excellent touch pic.twitter.com/fnAQD2hfM7
— Kendell Hollowell (@KHollowell_) October 29, 2023
