conspectus
\ kən-ˈspek-təs \
noun
1: a usually brief survey or summary (as of an extensive subject) often providing an overall view
Each week, Greg Brandt and Brad McDaniel will write a conspectus from the week of football that was. This week, two Alabama players set new school records, a couple of Devy favorites were injured and could see their season come to an early end, we’ve got six teams fighting for four playoff spots, and we named our September Heisman.
Injuries
Kennedy Brooks was taken out early in the second half on a very ugly play. Jalen Hurts had just thrown his first interception of the season and Brooks was on the sideline chasing down the play when a Texas Tech blocker blatantly drove at his left knee. By the looks of the play, it could very well become a season ending hit. Status is still unknown.
Rondale Moore was knocked out of the game against Minnesota very early. Moore was running and route and appeared to have hyperextended his knee. Purdue hasn’t commented on Moore’s status outside of he’s out for this weekend’s game against Penn St. The Boilermakers have already had a dreadful start to the season and losing Moore for an extended period of time pretty much puts an end to their season.
Title Contenders Outlook
We’ve reached the end of September and it appears we have six teams with a legitimate shot at one of four CFP spots. All six of these title contenders rank in the top eight in margin of victory. Alabama and Ohio State have coasted so far. Georgia had one close half against Notre Dame. LSU easily has the best win (at Texas) of the group. Clemson hasn’t looked like itself and survived UNC this weekend on a failed two-point conversion.
Alabama easily ran through every team in front of them thus far. Winning by an average of 37 points per game and it could easily be more if the offense didn’t coast after two quarters. They currently sit as the third most explosive team in the country, barely behind LSU and Oklahoma.
Ohio State leads the country in margin of victory at a whopping 43.8 points per game. They have the second-highest havoc rate in the nation and are tied with the second-most sacks. Their offense has been just as dominant as the defense. They lead the nation in adjusted points per possession and rank in the top 6 of adjusted points and yards per game.
LSU has had a surprising emergence on offense. I was excited to see what an open LSU offense would look like but didn’t expect it would be this good this early. LSU has an average margin of victory of 29, which is sixth in the country. They lead the nation in adjusted points per game and points per play.
Despite winning by an average of 26 points per game Clemson hasn’t looked nearly as good as the other teams on this list. They narrowly beat a UNC team that could have entered the matchup 0-4 if it wasn’t for some heroic fourth quarter comebacks. Clemson’s defense has looked great so far, but their loaded offensive unit has yet to hit full stride.
Oklahoma boasts one of the most efficient offenses in the country. After four games, the Sooners lead the country in adjusted yards per carry and are second in adjusted yards per passing attempt. They have an explosive play rate 5% better than any other offense in the country. The defense has had some issues stopping the run.
Georgia has ridden one of the best running games and efficient QB play in the country to a 30 point margin of victory average. The Bulldogs have the 8th-ranked adjusted rushing yards per game and second-best adjusted yards per carry in the country. Besides first round talent at QB and RB, Georgia has one of the premier offensive line units in the nation.
September Heisman
If we had to pick a Heisman Trophy winner for the month of September, that award would go to Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts. He’s been incredible both through the air and on the ground. He’s completing 77.6% of his passes for 1,295 yards. He’s thrown 12 touchdowns to just one interception. He’s also averaging almost 10 yards and has scored 5 times on 47 carries.
Alabama School Records
The Crimson Tide’s offense is clicking on all cylinders through five games. Saturday, against a hapless Ole Miss defense, Tua Tagovailoa set a school record with six touchdown passes. His favorite wide receiver for the day, DeVonta Smith, set school records with 274 yards and five touchdown catches. Except for the 2nd and 26 play in overtime of the 2018 title game, Smith has been relatively quiet compared to Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, and Jaylen Waddle…which is part of what made Saturday so special.
