Big-name transfer quarterbacks face tougher tests in Week 2

Week Two brings vastly tougher tests for most of the big-name transfer quarterbacks. Here’s a look at 10 who need to do more this week if their teams are going to win.

Jayden de Laura, Arizona

Opener: 22-of-35 for 299 yards, 4 TDs and 1 interception in 38-20 win at San Diego State
Coach’s quote: “Obviously with a quarterback like Jayden de Laura coming in here and being confident, he had no flinch in him. No flinch.” – Arizona coach Jedd Fisch.
This week: vs. Mississippi State, 11 p.m., FS1
The buzz: De Laura had an auspicious debut last week, torching what usually is a top-notch defense. Mississippi State is underrated defensively, especially against the run. Arizona was surprisingly effective on the ground last week, and if the Wildcats get that kind of balance again (162 running, 299 passing), this will be worth staying up on the East Coast to watch. Worth noting: Nine of Mississippi State’s top 10 DBs are upperclassmen. Arizona WR Jacob Cowing vs. Mississippi State CB Emmanuel Forbes will be worth watching, for sure.

Quinn Ewers, Texas

Opener: 16-of-24 for 225 yards, 2 TDs and an interception in 52-10 win over ULM
Coach’s quote: “You can’t expect him to ride this bike and do it with training wheels on. I’ve got to let him go.” – Texas coach Steve Sarkisian on not reining in Quinn Ewers after he threw an interception on his second pass of the game.
This week: vs. Alabama, noon, Fox
The buzz: Throwing an interception on the second pass of your college career is not ideal, but Ewers shook that off and led Texas to the easy win. So easy, in fact, that Ewers played just two series in the third quarter before sitting down for the night. Ewers will see a ton more pass-rush pressure this week, and he also will be throwing against one of the best secondaries in the nation. He made good use of RB Bijan Robinson and TE Ja’Tavion Sanders – like Ewers, former five-star prospects – in the passing game against ULM, and that has to carryover against the Tide if Texas has any shot at pulling a massive upset.

Emory Jones, Arizona State

Opener: 13-of-18 for 152 yards, 11 carries for 48 yards and 2 TDs in 40-3 win over Northern Arizona
Coach’s quote: “He’s got to learn to slide; I don’t want him taking hits, it’s not worth it. It’s not worth it, that’s what I tell our quarterback when the journey is over. You got to just play to play. Just slide, just slide – play it like baseball.” – Arizona State coach Herm Edwards.
This week: at Oklahoma State, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2
The buzz: Emory Jones was workmanlike in leading Arizona State to the easy win in the opener. He’ll see a much faster – and much more aggressive – defense this week. And don’t let Oklahoma State’s 58-44 win over Central Michigan trick you into thinking Oklahoma State is weak defensively: The Cowboys led 51-15 early in the third quarter before flooding the field with reserves. Jones was helped in the opener by a 116-yard, two-TD debut from Wyoming transfer RB Xazavian Valladay. One issue with Jones at Florida was interceptions; he didn’t throw any against NAU, but that’s something to watch against Oklahoma State.

Adrian Martinez, Kansas State

Opener: 11-of-15 for 53 yards, 13 carries for 39 yards and a TD in 34-0 win over South Dakota
Coach’s quote: “I thought he handled everything really well. You guys are smart enough to know we changed a lot of things offensively. I mean, we were not what you saw last year or even some in the bowl, and we were tempo most of the time. And I thought our operation was really good. I thought he did a great job with the operational stuff.” – K-State coach Chris Klieman.
This week: vs. Missouri, noon, ESPN2
The buzz: K-State’s rushing attack carried it past South Dakota, and that figures to be the way the Wildcats want to play all season. Adrian Martinez didn’t even have 100 yards of total offense despite running the ball 13 times and attempting 15 passes. Expect K-State to show more offensively this week; still, it’s worth noting that Mizzou’s run defense was atrocious last season and questions still remain about the Tigers’ ability to stop the run. Martinez’s longest completion last week was 10 yards; you’re not going to beat “good” opponents with that type of passing attack, so what he does through the air this week is worth watching.

John Rhys Plumlee, UCF

Opener: 20-of-31 for 308 yards and 4 TDs, 16 carries for 100 yards and a TD in 56-10 win over South Carolina State
Coach’s quote: “Everybody can see what he can do with his legs, but I thought he made some really good throws. There were a couple of times you could tell he hadn’t played quarterback in a year and a half, but he’ll learn from it.” – UCF coach Gus Malzahn.
This week: vs. Louisville, Friday, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2
The buzz: John Rhys Plumlee hadn’t started a game at quarterback since 2019, in Ole Miss’ regular-season finale against Mississippi State in the infamous “Elijah Moore fake urination celebration” game. He threw seven passes in 2020 and was moved to wide receiver last season, then transferred to UCF in the offseason. His skill set – strong runner, adequate passer – is a good fit for Gus Malzahn’s offense, and he looked extremely comfortable in the opener. But that was against an overmatched FCS opponent; Louisville should provide a much tougher test. The Cardinals have a talented secondary, but lost last week at Syracuse when dual-threat QB Garrett Shrader had a big game, with 332 yards of total offense. (Coincidentally, Shrader was Mississippi State’s starter in that 2019 Egg Bowl.)

Spencer Rattler, South Carolina

Opener: 23-of-37 for 227 yards, 1 TD and 2 interceptions in 35-14 win over Georgia State
Coach’s quote: “His command’s only going to continue to get better. We’ve got to continue to help him with what we have, what we’re calling and the amount of offense that we’re asking him to learn.” – South Carolina coach Shane Beamer.
This week: at Arkansas, noon, ESPN
The buzz: Spencer Rattler had an uneven performance in his Gamecocks debut. He started 10-of-14 before cooling off and he threw two picks in the third quarter; in addition, the offense as a whole struggled after halftime, with 14 of South Carolina’s 21 second-half points coming off returns of blocked punts. The Gamecocks finished the game averaging 4.4 yards per play; that’s a figure that would’ve ranked 125^th nationally last season. Rattler also was sacked three times. The competition level ticks up a few notches this week, though Arkansas’ rebuilt secondary had some issues with Cincinnati’s passing attack in a win last week. Regardless, the Gamecocks aren’t going to win many games rushing for 79 yards, which is what they managed against Georgia State.

Kedon Slovis, Pitt

Opener: 16-of-24 for 301 yards and 1 TD in 38-31 victory over West Virginia
Coach’s quote: “We thought he was late with the ball, but there were other issues with some of the routes. … He was waiting on his receivers to get where they needed to be and they weren’t there for whatever reason.” – Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi.
This week: vs. Tennessee, 3:30 p.m., ABC
The buzz: Kedon Slovis was solid in his first start for Pitt, though at times he seemed indecisive, which is one reason he was sacked five times. He was not afraid to push the ball downfield, hence his 18.8-yards-per-completion average in the opener. Tennessee’s defense is nothing special, and the Vols don’t have the talent up front defensively that WVU has. But the Vols are better offensively than WVU, and this could be a shootout. Thus, the pressure will be on Slovis to be efficient and put up a lot of points.

Grant Wells, Virginia Tech

Opener: 21-of-36 for 197 yards, 1 TD and 4 picks, 7 carries for 45 yards and a TD in 20-17 loss at Old Dominion
Coach’s quote: “Two of them (interceptions), we kind of put on him. One was kind of a poor decision and one was kind of a poorly thrown ball. It wasn’t anything that lends to a pattern. He’s a vet, so I look for him to bounce back.” – Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry.
This week: vs. Boston College, 8 p.m., ACC Network
The buzz: Grant Wells had a problem with interceptions in his two seasons at Marshall (he threw 24 in 23 games) and that carried over to his first game with the Hokies. One of the picks came in the waning seconds on a long pass, but Wells still was inconsistent against a defense that was horrible against the pass last season. BC’s secondary is expected to be one of the best in the ACC. One issue with the Hokies is that their receivers are, as a group, mighty underwhelming.

Cameron Ward, Washington State

Opener: 26-of-41 for 228 yards and 3 TDs in 24-17 win over Idaho
Coach’s quote: “He’s a big-time football player. We just got to do some things better around him. There were a lot of busted routes we got to clean up. I just think we can execute better, and he’ll be the first one to take ownership and know that he can grow, too.” – Washington State coach Jake Dickert.
This week: at Wisconsin, 3:30 p.m., Fox
The buzz: The Cougars weren’t that impressive in easing past the FCS Vandals. Idaho had a 13-minute time-of-possession advantage, and given Wisconsin’s ground-bound offense, that could be an issue for the Cougars this week, too. Still, expect Washington State to be a little more on-point because of the competition level this week. Wisconsin has a rebuilt secondary, but it wasn’t tested last week by Illinois State. Cameron Ward and Washington State will provide a much sterner test. Ward is a transfer from FCS Incarnate Word and has played against one FBS opponent. He threw for 376 yards and four TDs in a win over Texas State last season; alas, Wisconsin ain’t Texas State.

Caleb Williams, USC

Opener: 19-of-22 for 249 yards and 2 TDs, 6 carries for 68 yards in 66-14 victory over Rice
Coach’s quote: “I thought he played well. I thought he was in control, in command, and I thought he saw the field well. Our guys up front did a really good job protecting him, and he didn’t have to move around a ton. I thought he played very much in control and very much at ease.” – USC coach Lincoln Riley.
This week: at Stanford, 7:30 p.m., ABC
The buzz: Caleb Williams looked extremely comfortable in guiding the Trojans to the easy victory over the Owls. It should be more difficult this week, though Stanford certainly isn’t considered a Pac-12 contender. Stanford hammered the Trojans in L.A. last season, building a 42-14 lead before cruising to a 42-28 win that led to the firing of Clay Helton. The Cardinal’s defensive strength is its secondary. But unless Stanford can manufacture some kind of pass rush, Williams will pick it apart. Worth noting: Williams struggled in true road games last season, losing when he started at Baylor and Oklahoma State. But Stanford’s defense isn’t in the same league as those two from last season.