The college football season is in full force and with a full slate of games on Saturday, we at PFF and our team of over 500 analysts has dissected and graded every player on every snap of every game to bring you the most detailed and valid set of picks you can find anywhere.
The Week 4 Eckrich Team of the Week powered by PFF saw some impressive performances and, of course, the strength of opponent also factored into the overall selections as did the PFF player grades.
Quarterback
Brock Purdy, Iowa State
Purdy finished the game against UL-Monroe with elite-level overall and passing grades as he threw for 435 through the air with three touchdowns and added three more rushing touchdowns on the ground. Previous to this game, UL-Monroe had allowed just 446 passing yards and Purdy almost reaches that mark by himself in a big-time performance.
Second-Team QB: Joe Burrow, LSU
Running Back
Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
Taylor's first-half performance against Michigan could have warranted a spot here but he finished the game with 203 yards on the ground and 10 rushing conversions. He had two touchdowns and eight more first-down runs, cementing his status atop the running backs in the country in terms of Heisman candidacy in a huge win for the Badgers.
Second-Team RB: Bryant Koback, Toledo
Running Back
Marvin Kinsey Jr., Colorado State
Kinsey gained a national-best 246 yards on the ground, scoring two touchdowns along the way. He had seven rushes go for over 10 yards to lead the country and broke three tackles to boot. His healthy average of 10.7 yards per attempt is astounding as the Rams narrowly lost to Toledo in a shootout of running backs.
Second-Team RB: AJ Dillon, Boston College
Wide Receiver
Michael Pittman Jr., USC
Friday night saw Pittman's best game as a collegiate, hauling in 10 receptions for 232 yards and five first-down catches. He scored on a long 77-yard bomb in which he nabbed a contested catch and rattled off several yards after the catch. He was a valuable go-to target for third-string QB Matt Fink.
Second-Team WR: Jalen McCleskey, Tulane
Wide Receiver
Ja'Marr Chase, LSU
Chase was dominant in LSU's victory over Vanderbilt, grabbing 10 balls for 229 yards and a whopping four touchdowns. He was targeted heavily outside the numbers and turned out the Power-5's top yards after the catch mark with 117 of his 229 receiving yards coming after the reception. He forced three missed tackles and saw a perfect passer rating of 158.3 when targeted.
Second-Team WR: Easop Winston Jr., Washington State
Wide Receiver
Deangelo Antoine, FAU
Anytime you score four touchdowns in a single game, you're going to get noticed and that's exactly what Antoine did for the Owls in their win against Wagner. Sure, the competition level was down but Antoine grabbed 10-of-11 targeted passes for 164 and rattled off 122 yards after the catch to lead the country.
Second-Team WR: Henry Ruggs III, Alabama
Tight End
Cole Kmet, Notre Dame
They didn't get the victory they needed in Athens but Kmet was not to blame as he ripped off nine catches for 108 yards and a touchdown. A bad fumble aside, Kmet was strong in this one, gaining 46 of those receiving yards after the catch and seeing a 137.9 passer rating on targets thrown his way.
Second-Team TE: Giovanni Ricci, Western Michigan
Offensive Tackle
Penei Sewell, Oregon
Sewell has put forth three straight games of ridiculous grades, finishing the contest against Stanford with an elite pass-blocking grade on Saturday. On his 30 snaps in pass protection, he didn't allow a single QB pressure and was sharp in the run game as well.
Second-Team OT: Syrus Tuitele, Fresno State
Offensive Guard
Trevor Downing, Iowa State
Iowa State's big game through the air wouldn't have been possible without some clean pockets and Downing allowed just one hurry on his 35 pass-blocking snaps. He also made clear lanes more often than not in the running game and had the nation's second-highest run-blocking grade among guards.
Second-Team OG: Chase Behrndt, West Virginia
Center
Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin
A clean sheet in pass protection and multiple lanes created for Jonathan Taylor proved to be too much for any other center to top Biadasz this weekend as he finished with plus-grades across the board in yet another dominant outing.
Second-Team C: Branden Pena, ECU
Offensive Guard
Adrian Magee, LSU
This needs no writing:
Get you some Adrian Magee!
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— Cam Mellor (@PFF_Cam) September 21, 2019
Second-Team OG: Shane McGough, FIU
Offensive Tackle
Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
Leatherwood allowed just a single QB hurry and had the nation's fourth-highest run-blocking grade on Saturday, paving the way for many lanes opposite Second-Team OT Jedrick Wills as the duo formed quite the pairing on the outside for the Crimson Tide.
Second-Team OT: Jedrick Wills Jr., Alabama
Edge Defender
Chase Young, Ohio State
Winning 40% of his pass-rush attempts, Young had an elite day rushing the passer against Miami (Oh). He had two strip-sacks, one coming from the right and another from the left as he finished the game with four pressures, two sacks and two hurries, on just 16 pass-rush attempts before his day was over.
Second-Team Edge: Alton Robinson, Syracuse
Edge Defender
Zack Baun, Wisconsin
Baun recorded a sack, two hits and two more hurries on the pass-rush with five more defensive stops to his credit in run defense. He's joined by teammates on the Team of the Week here as their performance against Michigan is one for the ages.
Second-Team Edge: Jonathan Greenard, Florida
Defensive Interior
Leki Fotu, Utah
The Utes didn't get the win on Friday night but Fotu was certainly not to blame on defense. He recorded a QB hit on the pass-rush as he won the majority of his snaps but USC got their passes off too quick for the pressure to be recorded and Fotu was also stout in run-defense, clogging lanes for the limited times the Trojans ran the ball.
Second-Team DI: Raekwon Davis, Alabama
Defensive Interior
Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina
Rushing the passer in one of his finest performances to date, Kinlaw got home with six pressures, a sack, a QB hit and four additional hurries, leading to an elite pass-rush grade. He chipped in with two more run stops in an all-around strong performance for the interior defender.
Second-Team DI: Marvin Wilson, Florida State
Linebacker
Chris Orr, Wisconsin
The youngest of four Orr brothers, Chris lived up to his NFL pedigree in this one, playing double-digit snaps across each facet on defense. On 12 snaps in run defense, Orr recorded no missed-tackle attempts and two solo tackles. He blitzed the passer 13 times and came home with a whopping three QB hits and another hurry. And on 42 snaps in coverage, Orr was targeted twice, allowed just five yards including negative yards after the catch and had two PBUs in the contest.
Second-Team LB: Rashad Smith, FAU
Linebacker
Joe Bachie, Michigan State
No stranger to our Team of the Week, Bachie was dominant for the Spartans, recording 11 solo tackles and nine defensive stops, the latter leading the Big Ten. He chipped in with a sack, a hit and one more QB hurry on seven blitzes as he was stout in all three facets of play.
Second-Team LB: Evan Weaver, Cal
Cornerback
Derek Stingley Jr., LSU
Yet another big-time performance from the true freshman, Stingley was targeted nine times against Vanderbilt and allowed just four receptions. He came down with an impressive interception while breaking up three more for a passer rating of just 32.9 when targeted.
Second-Team CB: Divaad Wilson, Georgia
Cornerback
Jevon Holland, Oregon
On five targeted passes against Stanford, Holland allowed a mere two catches for just 18 yards in coverage. He made an interception and an additional pass breakup, limiting K.J. Costello to just a 10.8 passer rating when targeted Holland as the primary coverage defender.
Second-Team CB: Lamar Jackson, Nebraska
Safety
J.R. Reed, Georgia
Making perhaps the game's most pivotal play when he intercepted Notre Dame QB Ian Book on a flea-flicker pass in the fourth quarter to all but seal the deal but he was effective through all four quarters. For the game, Reed was targeted five times and allowed just two receptions for 18 yards as the primary coverage defender.
Second-Team S: K'Von Wallace, Clemson
Safety
Marquel Dismuke, Nebraska
Nebraska got another victory on the heels of strong coverage, limiting Illinois to just a 49.5 passer rating as a team. Dismuke played an integral part in the win as he didn't allow a single reception on four targets as the primary defender and came away with three pass breakups. He made seven solo tackles, five defensive stops and didn't miss a single tackle.
Second-Team S: Jacoby Stevens, LSU
Flex
Bobby Brown II, San Jose State
San Jose State got the big victory over Arkansas as Brown played an integral part, making two interceptions in coverage while limiting receivers in his coverage to zero yards through the air. He was stout when chipping in with run defense as well and certainly deserving of the National Team of the Week selection.
Second-Team Flex: Josiah Scott, Michigan State
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