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Week 6 of the college football season is now behind us. It was a week filled with some good football games, including a triple-overtime contest between USC and Arizona. The Trojans came out ahead 43-41, in large part because USC quarterback Caleb Williams ran for three touchdowns. It was another great week for Williams, but he just missed out on this week's list.
This was also a week full of good rushing performances from quarterbacks. In addition to Williams, five other QBs had multiple scores on the ground, led by Thomas Castellanos of Boston College's four touchdowns. Taylen Green (Boise State), Cam Fancher (Marshall), J.J. McCarthy (Michigan), and Byrum Brown (South Florida) each scored two.
Below are the top five quarterback performances from Week 6 of the college football season. These are judged through a combination of statistics, fantasy scoring, and game context, with consideration also given based on the team's offensive systems. Let's take a look at this week's top performances.
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5. D.J. Uiagalelei - Oregon State
Former Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei has done a solid job quarterbacking Oregon State this season, posting the highest quarterback rating of his career so far. He's averaging 8.6 yards per attempt, a big increase from his 6.8 last season with the Tigers. This Oregon State system is working well for him, even if he hasn't necessarily been very consistent.
But one thing Uiagalelei hadn't done a lot of through the first five games? Find the end zone. Specifically, those struggles were in the team's third, fourth, and fifth games. In that three-week span, Uiagalelei had three total touchdown passes and was picked off four times. But the Beavers went 2-1 in that span, only losing by three to Washington State.
This week, Uiagalelei had himself a big game, though. He was 19-for-25 for 275 yards with five touchdown passes in the win over Cal, throwing zero picks and adding 14 yards on the ground. It was the most touchdowns he's thrown in a game since last September, when he threw five in a Clemson win over Wake Forest.
4. Noah Fifita - Arizona
Arizona starting quarterback Jayden de Laura suffered a leg injury in the team's win over Stanford a few weeks ago, which forced Noah Fifita into the starting lineup for the past two games. The redshirt freshman has gone 0-2 as the starter, but he's showcased some good stuff. Maybe he has a future once de Laura's done?
After going 27-for-39 for 232 yards and three touchdowns in his first game against Washington, Fifita put up even better numbers this week. In a triple-overtime loss to USC, he was 25-for-35 for 303 yards and five touchdowns. He was picked off once.
Jayden de Laura was a game-time decision for Saturday's game, so it wouldn't be a shock to see him back when the Wildcats take on Washington State next week. If this is all we see from Fifita this year, it was an encouraging two-game stretch for his future. Though Arizona might be wise to keep Fifita in the lineup.
3. Jayden Daniels - LSU
LSU's Jayden Daniels has really taken a leap this season. He's already set a career-high in touchdown passes with 19 and his 72.9% completion rate is a good bit above last year's 68.6% mark. It's leaps and bounds above his completion percentage back when he was Arizona State's quarterback.
This week, Daniels made a huge impact with his arm and with his legs. He was 15-for-21 for 259 yards and three touchdowns in the 49-39 win over Missouri and also added 15 carries for 150 yards and a score.
It was the first 100-yard rushing game of the season for Daniels, though he came pretty close last week against Ole Miss when he ran for 99. It marks the sixth time in his college career that he's finished with triple-digit rushing yards.
2. Drake Maye - North Carolina
It's time to start talking about Drake Maye as a Heisman candidate. 10th in last year's voting, Maye's 2023 case got off to a slow start because he just hasn't thrown a lot of touchdowns. Coming into Saturday's game against Syracuse, he had just five of them all season along with four interceptions.
But UNC blew Syracuse out of the water in Week 6 thanks to Maye's arm. He was 33-for-47 for 442 yards in the 40-7 victory, throwing a season-high three touchdown passes.
Maye also rushed for a score on 14 carries for 55 yards. He's scored four rushing touchdowns this season, with three of those coming over the past two games. His first few games this year weren't great, but he's found his form. Oh, and UNC's 5-0.
1. E.J. Warner - Temple
Temple's E.J. Warner has had a fairly uneven season. He's had over 200 passing yards in each game, but he's also had two games where's he thrown more picks than touchdowns. He didn't look like the player who ended last season with 300 or more passing yards in three of the final four games, including an explosive 527 yards in the Owls' season-ending loss to East Carolina.
Then Saturday happened. And while Warner and his Temple teammates lost to UTSA, it's hard to really blame the 49-34 loss on Warner, even if he did lose a fumble.
Because outside of that, he was spectacular. Warner was 42-for-65 for 472 yards and five touchdowns in the game. He didn't throw an interception in the loss. If he can throw the ball like this more often, Temple might steal a few more wins down the stretch.
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