Carson Beck, Miami, 6'4", 225
25-35, 271 yards, 4 INT, 5 carries, 8 yards
This game was a certified disaster for Beck. He's slowly rebuilt his draft stock, but at this point, any talk of being back in the conversation for a high pick can be put to rest. He and Miami were stunned by the Louisville Cardinals, who picked off Beck four times en route to a 24-21 upset of the number 2 team in the nation. The Hurricanes will still be ranked, but they'll likely fall out of the top ten. For Beck, this will likely end any high draft pick talk until he shows otherwise. 3 of his interceptions came on deep throws. Throwing deep has been Beck's weakness, and that played right into Louisville's defensive plan to stop the Hurricanes. The Cardinals jumped out to an early lead and put an emphasis on forcing Beck to throw deep, which earned them a win.
The good news for Miami and Beck is that their schedule does not have any ranked opponents left. They'll face SMU, who just upset Clemson, in November, but have some winnable games otherwise. Like Dante Moore last week, this upcoming matchup versus Stanford will be an opportunity to get right for Carson Beck. He needs to show how he responds to upcoming opponents replicating Louisville's gameplan.
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana, 6'5", 225 lbs
24-28, 332 yards, 4 TD, 5 carries, 18 yards
Mendoza, like Dante Moore, did exactly what you'd expect out of a top quarterback prospect playing lower competition. He lit up the Michigan State Spartans, leading the Hoosiers to a comfortable 38-13 win with 24 completions on 28 attempts, 332 yards, and 4 touchdowns. He's become the odds-on favorite to be the first quarterback taken in the NFL draft, and it's easy to see why. He showed accuracy and poise at every turn versus the Spartans as an encore to the impressive win versus Oregon last week. Of the top prospects so far, save for maybe Ty Simpson, Mendoza has seen the biggest rise, and there's no reason to think it won't continue.
Mendoza and the Hoosiers will face off against the UCLA Bruins next week. UCLA has won three in a row, including a huge upset against Penn State 3 weeks ago. The Hoosiers will need to be prepared for the Bruins looking to continue their upset ways. So far, Mendoza and the Hoosiers look like they're up for the task.