Standout Underclassmen: Week 3

Photo: Imagn Images

Ladies and gentlemen, Brock Bowers.

In last week's article, I profiled Bowers as someone due for a breakout. Honestly, I thought we'd see him rack up a handful of catches and maybe find the end zone, but he delivered in a way that surpassed my expectation. On Georgia's opening drive, he was brought in motion for a pop pass that he took around the edge for a gain of 15. To cap off the drive, he was split out wide before taking a reverse handoff in for a 5-yard touchdown. To be clear, these are plays usually reserved for small, speedy wide receivers. He scored his second touchdown of the day on a corner fade where he skied over the defender and got a foot down inbounds on a catch that might have been good in the NFL. Again, that ball usually goes to a big-bodied wideout that can elevate over the defensive back. His last score of the day came on a tight end seam where he was able to show off his shiftiness by making a mess of two defensive backs and using his speed to break away. He's also a willing blocker that the Bulldogs are happy to run behind. His highlight tape from Week 3 is five minutes well spent. He's simply doing things that sophomore tight ends at this level do not do.

Top Week 3 Performances

RB Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss, Freshman - 19 carries for 98 yards and 2 touchdowns

I mentioned Judkins last week as someone I was curious about since most of his playing time and production had come against Group of 5 opponents. This week, Ole Miss took on Georgia Tech, and once again, Judkins was a large part of the running back rotation beginning on their second drive. If there's a reason for nitpicking, it's that he only has one reception through three games, but the Rebels have yet to find themselves in a trailing game script where they're dialing up passes very often, so I'll withhold judgment on how he projects as a pass catcher. Lane Kiffin seems to have found a diamond in the rough in a running back that was not highly ranked coming out of high school.

RB Richard Reese, Baylor, Freshman - 19 carries for 156 yards and 3 touchdowns

Reese is new to my radar as he was ranked no higher than the 37th best running back by major recruiting services. Baylor's starter didn't dress due to injury, so Reese was given the full workload and made the most of it. While Reese is on the smaller side at 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds, he easily sliced up the Texas State defense with great vision and breakaway speed. He looks to be in line for the lead-back role until the starter returns.