Slumping stars: Players with disappointing 2020 seasons so far MARVIN WILSON, DT, FLORIDA STATE (Photo: Greg Oyster, 247Sports) No sophomore slump here. Instead, Wilson is having the worst year of his career while trying to secure his status as a first-round pick. Wilson has produced just seven tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss six games into the season. He’s on pace for career lows in both categories. His 67.8 PFF College grade is also a career low, dropping steeply from a 90.7 last season when he ranked as the third-highest graded DT in the country. Wilson’s play has devolved in nearly every area. What’s most surprising is his lack of effectiveness as a pass rusher. Wilson created 26 pressures in nine games last season. He’s only had 10 through six games thus far. Trying to explain Wilson’s decline is difficult. But you have to wonder about conditioning following a challenging offseason. Wilson played 56.5 snaps per game last season. That number is down to 38.1 this year. BROCK PURDY, QB, IOWA STATE (Photo: Photo courtesy of Peter Casey) Purdy’s numbers aren’t terrible. The junior has thrown for 1,074 yards, completed 61 percent of his passes and thrown five touchdowns against two interceptions. Those are also the worst stats of Purdy’s career. He’s averaging a career low 6.8 yards per attempt – down from 8.4 last year and 10.2 when he broke out as a freshman – while also completing below 66 percent of his passes for the first time in his career. Iowa State’s offense is struggling as a result in a year in which the Big 12 is totally up for grabs. The Cyclones rank just 28th nationally in yards per play despite a rushing offense that’s averaging a healthy 5.64 yards per attempt, sixth among teams that have played at least three games. Purdy is the player holding Iowa State’s offense back early this season. He’s gotten far worse as a deep ball thrower, completing just six of 21 attempts (29%) a year after completing 42 percent of them. He’s also worse under pressure, completing 33% of his attempts a year after completing 41.8% of them. Purdy is the 17th-highest graded player on the Cyclones’ offense, per PFF College. That’s not going to get it done. DEREK STINGLEY, CB, LSU TIGERS (Photo: Andy Altenburger, Getty) This is, frankly, a shocking inclusion. Stingley was the top cornerback in the Power Five last season. Opposing quarterbacks targeted him 94 times and had only a 38.3 completion percentage. He also made plays on the ball, picking off a SEC-high six passes during a national championship run. He hasn’t been close to as good this year. Opponents aren’t throwing at him all that often, but he’s allowed six catches on 10 targets. He’s also had two missed tackles through three games, way ahead of a pace last season that saw him miss just seven in 15 games. His PFF College grade has dropped from a 91.7 to a 66, slotting him as just the third-highest graded cornerback on the Tigers’ roster. Given how talented Stingley is, I expect him to rally, and it also bears mentioning he missed LSU’s season-opening game after a bad reaction to something sent him to the hospital. That could’ve contributed to the slow start. I expect Stingley to round into form quickly. He's still among the best players in college football. KYLIN HILL, RB, MISSISSIPPI STATE (Photo: Douglas DeFelice, USA TODAY Sports) Hill seemed like he’d fit into the Air Raid just fine in Week 1, catching eight passes for 158 yards against LSU. Things have not gone well in the time since. The SEC’s leading returning rusher has been held to 58 total yards this season on just 3.9 yards per attempt. For comparison, Hill rushed for fewer than 58 yards in just four of the Bulldogs’ 12 regular season games in 2019. And while Hill has shown flashes as a receiver – he caught 15 passes in a loss to Kentucky – his workload has been rather inconsistent. Hill earned a single touch against Arkansas and was suspended two weeks ago for the Bulldogs’ game with Texas A&M. His status for this week’s game with Alabama remains up in the air. All of that said, Hill’s play needs to be taken in context. He’s still Mississippi State’s most dangerous weapon by a significant margin. It’s just that his production, like the rest of the Bulldogs’ attack, has taken a significant step back. TCU’S DEFENSIVE STARS (Photo: Kevin Jairaj, Getty) TCU actually had two players on 247Sports’ top 50 list: No. 22 Trevon Moehrig-Woodard and No. 45 Garret Wallow. Throw in freshman All-American safety Ar’Darius Washington, and the Horned Frogs had three of the most talented defenders in the country. At least we thought they did. TCU’s defense is allowing 6.8 yards per play, ranking 93rd of 101 teams nationally, by far the worse mark of Gary Patterson’s tenure in Fort Worth. A big reason why is TCU’s stars aren’t playing up to their potential. Wallow and Washington are the biggest culprits. Wallow and Washington lead the team with six missed tackles apiece and rate as the Horned Frogs’ two worst-graded defenders, per PFF College. Washington has missed nearly as many tackles as he’s made (10) and has allowed receptions on five of his seven targets a year after being one of the best cover safeties in the country. Wallow, in addition to having tackling issues, has allowed receptions on seven of his eight targets. Those are supposed to be the Horned Frogs’ defensive playmakers. Instead, opponents are burning them over and over. Moehrig-Woodard is playing better than those other two, ranking as the Horned Frogs’ second-highest graded defender. But his 66.4 grade for the year has fallen off a cliff compared to a 91.6 a season ago. GEORGE PICKENS, WR, GEORGIA (Photo: Dale Zanine, USA TODAY Sports) This placement is largely because of two factors outside Pickens’ control: 1. Hype. 2. Quarterback play. Many expected Pickens, Georgia’s breakout offensive star a season ago, to emerge as a superstar. Instead, he’s fallen behind fellow sophomore Kearis Jackson (31) and true freshman Jermaine Burton (22) in the team’s target share (21). Pickens is still doing most of what he did a season ago. He’s bringing in around 63 percent of his targets, and he’s still yet to drop a catchable football in his career. Pickens just isn’t stretching the field in the same way. Pickens ranks just 111th nationally in deep ball targets – defined as passes of 20-plus yards – catching only one such pass. A season ago, Pickens ranked 33rd nationally with 26 such targets. He caught nine of them, good for a 33.8 completion rate, the 20th-best rate nationally among receivers with at least 20 targets. As limited as you thought Jake Fromm was, that's the difference between him and Stetson Bennett. It’s also a significant reason Pickens isn’t having the breakout year many expected. DYLAN MOSES, LB, ALABAMA (Photo: Courtesy of Alabama Athletics) Perhaps the most shocking thing when doing research for this piece is that Moses, a player many projected as a likely first-round pick even coming off an ACL injury, grades out as Alabama’s second-lowest graded starter this year. In fact, his 53.3 PFF grade ranks 90th of 122 linebackers nationally who have played at least 50 percent of their team’s defensive snaps. That’s awful for anyone, but especially for a player projected as a preseason All-American. A big part of the problem is coverage. Alabama asks its linebackers to defend in space, and Moses has allowed nine catches on just 15 targets. He’s also missed two tackles so far. That doesn’t sound like many, but it's almost half his career total (5). Many, including me, figured Moses would be the cohesive element that elevates the Tide defense in 2020. Instead, Moses is a big part of the problem coming back from an injury that cost him the 2019 season. SAM EHLINGER, QB, TEXAS (Photo: © Brian Bahr, Getty) It feels sacrilegious to mention a guy who is putting the team on his back each weekend, but Ehlinger hasn’t been what we expected him to be as a senior. Sure, he ranks second nationally with 17 passing touchdowns. He’s also single-handily carried Texas for stretches. But Ehlinger is also part of the reason the Longhorns so often find themselves in a hole. Ehlinger is completing a career-worst 57.5 percent of his passes. Couple that stat with a career-low seven yards per attempt and seven INTs – already three off tying his career high – and it paints a picture of a quarterback who’s struggling instead of thriving as a fourth-year senior. Part of that is on an offensive line, especially the interior, that hasn’t played well most of the year. But Ehligner has been awful under pressure, completing just 39.3 percent of his passes per PFF College. That’s down from 53.2 percent from a season ago and is worse than even his true freshman rate (41.2%). And I know what you’ll say: Ehlinger’s impact isn’t fully measured with his passing numbers. You’re right. Ehlinger’s ability to keep Texas in the game with his legs and willpower is commendable. Fact remains, though, the Longhorns needed their senior QB to raise his game if they hoped to win a championship. Instead, he’s regressed (as have his teammates). Thus, a disappointing 3-2 record. MARCO WILSON, CB, FLORIDA (Photo: Scott Wachter, Getty) 3COMMENTS I thought Florida might have among the best one-two cornerback combos in the country coming into the season, pairing standout sophomore Kaiir Elam with the play of Wilson, who started all 13 games last season. Elam has played OK. Wilson has not held up his end of the bargain. His 49.6 PFF College grade is by far a career low, a drop of 21.1 points from his 2019 grade. Wilson has struggled in every game. He allowed receptions on six of 10 targets against Ole Miss. South Carolina completed five of its seven targets against him. Texas A&M, for its part, went a perfect 5-for-5 against the fourth-year cornerback. Throw in four missed tackles through three games – half of his total in 13 games last year – and it’s been a rough season for Wilson, a player with a NFL future.
Brian Kelly has had 5 10-win seasons in his 10 years at Norte Dame. A&M has had just 1 10-win season in over 20 years.
An awful overturn on a rightly called fumble and a terrible ruling on a clearly incomplete pass on the final drive of the game.
We have like 16 players out for this game because of covid Not sure why they only listed 2 Whatever... I bet on Purdue earlier this week.