Breaking down college football’s best quarterbacks in Week 2: Herbert, Burrow shine; Eason flops

Breaking down the top college football quarterbacks with film study to look at the Week 2 performances from Tua, Trevor, Justin Herbert and more.

The second week of college football brought exciting upsets and top-15 battles. That means several of the nation’s top quarterbacks were in the spotlight. As always. we tracked the biggest names to see how they performed when the lights were brightest.

There are several new names on this feature this week after Joe Burrow, Sam Ehlinger and Justin Fields were involved in key contests. They join the weekly group of constants that’ll be a staple of this series.

We’re tracking Trevor Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Jake Fromm, Jordan Love, K.J. Costello, Shea Patterson, Jalen Hurts, Eason, Desmond Ridder and a few others each week depending on matchups. I previewed them before the season and will continue to write them up weekly when they’re involved in key matchups. You can also find our Week 1 breakdown here.

Trevor Lawrence, Clemson

After tripping up with a dud performance against Georgia Tech to open the season, the Trevor Lawrence all of us wanted to see was more on display against a very good Texas A&M defense. It wasn’t a dominant performance from start to end, but every facet of his immense skill set was on display.

Lawrence connected on five deep passes, including an athletic rollout where he found Justyn Ross open for a touchdown, and a perfectly placed contested pass to Tee Higgins amid traffic. His command of the ball in these situations shows what a rare arm talent he has; he’s capable of hitting throws that all but the finest in the world wish they could connect on.

He sailed one deep pass that ended in his third interception of the year, but was otherwise in control of this contest. He finished with 16 catchable passes on 23 attempts beyond the line of scrimmage, and his receivers dropped three balls. One of those drops would’ve been a touchdown.

The Heisman race is certainly still open at this extremely early juncture as Lawrence hasn’t come out breathing as much fire as we know he’s capable of. But this should be a springboard game that launches him into a monstrous year.

Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

Another week, another set of highlights that show ridiculous ball placement in key moments for Tua Tagovailoa. The Alabama star was near-perfect against New Mexico State as he was able to take an early rest while the team walloped their foes.

Tagovailoa’s ability to hit his receivers in stride is as good as any quarterback I’ve seen since Drew Brees. His short, quick delivery and mastery of touch is consistent to every level of the field. His production is a reflection of that skill set.

In total, Tagovailoa had just five passes fall as uncatchable, with two coming under pressure. He finished six of six on throws beyond 10 yards, an important barometer for him and any quarterback to project well to the next level.

Justin Herbert, Oregon

Oregon senior quarterback Justin Herbert finally put together the type of game I needed to see to stay “in” on him as a potential NFL star. It’s been a while since he’s played especially well, as his accuracy fades throughout games and his decision-making is shaky. Those flashbulb moments eventually need to be more of the norm instead of a brief reminder of his upside.

He didn’t disappoint against lowly Nevada. Herbert destroyed the Wolfpack with downfield passing and his team finally helped him, avoiding any sacks or drops.

He finished throwing a catchable ball on six of eight passes beyond 20 yards, converting on two touchdowns. He also went eight for 10 on throws under 10 yards. Though not a flawless performance, his efficiency and playmaking hit the right balance.

The lone gripe was his passing beyond the marker on conversion downs. He had four opportunities on third or fourth down to go between five and nine yards, and he threw a catchable ball just once. The usual success rate for strong NFL prospects hover closer to 60-70 percent, so that needs to rise.

Jacob Eason, Washington

This was my first viewing of Eason this season, and talk about a major disappointment for both myself and the Huskies. Long hyped as an NFL talent despite throwing just 377 passes at Georgia, I wanted to see an aggressive thrower who at least understood his arm talent. While there’s no question Eason has the physical traits to earn an NFL look, he turned in one of the most unremarkable performances possible without being bad.

Eason continually took the first read against Cal, with just five of 21 passes traveling beyond 10 yards. His first throw past 10 yards came with just over 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter. That’s simply not acceptable for a player with his skill set.

He was haunted by drops, with seven total, but only three would’ve gone for first downs. He attempted only two passes beyond the sticks on a total of eight conversion down opportunities. His impact was benign when the Huskies needed him to be more willing to attack a talented Cal defense.

The raw talent is there for Eason to be an impactful player. He moves inside and outside of the pocket effectively and certainly has the arm worth investing time into. But he looked more like a future potential prospect more than certain 2020 draftee.

Joe Burrow, LSU

Just as we all expected, the best quarterback of Week 2 was Joe Burrow. What? Yep, the former Ohio State grad transfer is flourishing in LSU’s new spread attack. And credit to the Tigers, they stuck with their new identity when the game tightened.

Burrow shook off some early nerves, a tipped interception and another dropped interception to make us forget about the two mistakes. He was continually precise as he gave his dynamic playmakers a chance to star on contested catches.

He finished with all 13 of his intermediate passes being catchable, a remarkable accomplishment. Four of his six passes beyond yards were also catchable, and three of his touchdowns were past 10 yards. This was a career-game on a grand stage, vaulting his value as a senior.

Burrow has a good physical skill set that should keep him in the NFL as no less than a backup, and maybe even more. Some of his game is predicated on trusting the tremendous athletes at receiver on LSU and not anticipation or pure NFL concepts, but there’s enough to work with to see Burrow in a similar light as Gardner Minshew, who just found success in his first career NFL game with the Jacksonville Jaguars in relief of the injured Nick Foles.

Sam Ehlinger, Texas

The other quarterback in the LSU-Texas showdown, Sam Ehlinger, wasn’t as great as his counterpart but held his own as a solid collegiate quarterback. Ehlinger is a very good athlete capable of giving his receivers a fair shot at making a play on the ball but often is too dependent on said playmakers as they go deep with one-on-one routes.

This is by design of course, but comparing Ehlinger’s accuracy on these routes to those coming out of similar offenses isn’t favorable. He threw a catchable pass on just five of 13 passes beyond 20 yards, which isn’t good enough when the other quarterback was even better. Four of those incompletions came under pressure.

There’s enough to see in terms of the data to see Ehlinger as someone who could grow and will get an NFL shot either way. His longer release and messy footwork aside, he’s able to direct the ball when he has a clear early read. And it’s promising that he went beyond the markers with an accurate ball on all four conversion downs of 10 yards and longer.

He still has one year of eligibility remaining and I fully expect him to stay in Austin for that duration. He has a decent skill set but nothing pops off the screen as an x-factor trait, meaning he’s likely destined for a backup opportunity at the next level.

Shea Patterson, Michigan

We’re in the middle of tough times for the Michigan Wolverines football program. Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis already looks like a snake oil salesman after he’s done nothing to really help this prehistoric offense evolve. And quarterback Shea Patterson has stagnated since transferring in from Ole Miss.

Patterson charted like a late-round prospect last year and is on the same pace through two games this year. He had maybe two NFL-type throws against Army, and his fumbles kept the unranked foe within striking distance throughout the afternoon. It’s hard to know if Patterson is even a notably good collegiate talent, let alone if he has what it takes to stick in the NFL.

His lack of impact plays stood out. While he was four of seven on passes beyond 10 yards, he’s having issues identifying mismatches quickly and maximizing yards after the catch. His mind must process defenses better pre- and post-snap for him to become more of a viable prospect and elevate Michigan into the playoff race discussion.

Justin Fields, Ohio State

A standout talent instantly with elite size and athleticism, it is impressive watching Justin Fields maneuver already. I saw the sophomore live in Week 1, and was taken aback at his natural gifts. But his mental progressions were clearly slow, so I figured he’d take a while to develop.

Cincinnati was supposed to be a difficult test, but Fields already showed the ability to self-correct and see openings quickly. Though he didn’t have to be aggressive as the Buckeyes pulled away early, he was efficient against a quality defense and avoided mistakes besides one sack that was on him.

All 10 of his passes from 0-10 yards were accurate, and four of six beyond 10 yards were on the money as well. Fields is a powerful thrower with great velocity and plus ball placement thus far. His pocket management is especially impressive, as he can weave through tight spaces with quick feet and energy.

He’s not eligible this year but is certainly on the radar as a 2021 prospect and 2020 Heisman possibility.