First, there was a one-point win over rival Tampa Bay on Thursday Night Football, and now there are three more opportunities to potentially spoil other teams’ seasons. The Atlanta Falcons (5-9 overall) will be back in action in Arizona against the Cardinals on Sunday, and with no playoff hopes in sight, there’s still something to play for.
Atlanta will be without quarterback Michael Penix, Jr., the rest of the way, but that hasn’t stopped several Falcons from having career years. Running back Bijan Robinson is on pace for a 2,000-yard season from scrimmage despite only having four 100-yard rushing games this season. He had 93 yards rushing on Thursday night. With that, Robinson currently has 1,174 rushing yards (fourth in the NFL) and 684 receiving yards.
Robinson is currently among the top 25 in receptions and is behind only San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (86) for the top spot among running backs.
Tight end Kyle Pitts, Sr., much maligned for his play and overall effort during his four years with the Falcons, is also in the midst of a strong season. Pitts, with 73 receptions, is third amongst tight ends in receptions behind the Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (105) and Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson (77). An argument can be made that McBride and Ferguson are featured targets for their teams, where Pitts, Sr. has only recently become a primary target for the current Falcons starting quarterback, Kirk Cousins, over the past few weeks.
On Thursday night in Tampa, Pitts finished the game with 11 catches for 166 yards and three touchdowns. All were season highs by a long shot. A week earlier, in a loss to Seattle, Pitts had six catches, and he had seven during a road loss at the New York Jets. Before the season highs against Tampa, Pitts had a nine-reception game against the Dolphins in a blowout loss at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 26.
Falcons rookie defensive end Jalon Walker said he wanted to finish his rookie season on a high note. Asked if winning the final three games of the year would be an efficient high note, Walker, who was volunteering at a holiday event in Tucker on Tuesday, said, “That’s my goal. That’s how I want to end the last chapter of my rookie season.”
Falcons rookie defensive end Jalon Walker (above) has 5.5 sacks this season. Fellow rookie James Pearce, Jr. (not shown) has eight. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
Walker, a former University of Georgia standout, has 5.5 sacks and 21 tackles this season. His fellow rookie and first-round pick, James Pearce, Jr., has eight sacks.
The Falcons will close the 2025 regular season with back-to-back games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, beginning with a meeting with one of the best teams in the NFC (at least on paper), the Los Angeles Rams. It will be a reunion of sorts for Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, who was the Rams’ defensive coordinator before taking the job with the Falcons two seasons ago.
The Rams are 11-3 and looking for a bye to start their playoff run. Atlanta, on the other hand, will be looking to get over .500 at home. The Falcons are 2-4 in The Benz and can even out that record and end the season on a high note with wins over the Rams and rival New Orleans Saints in the season finale on January 4.
The Atlanta Falcons are now 3-7 after wasting away a huge first-half lead to the visiting Carolina Panthers on Sunday afternoon. The 30-27 overtime loss put the Falcons on a nearly impossible road to a playoff berth.
Being swept by the Carolina Panthers can singularly define the 2025 season. A 28-yard field goal from Panthers kicker Ryan Fitzgerald, his second of the game, was the final blow of the afternoon.
Fourth-quarter scoring has been an issue for the Falcons this season. Backup quarterback Kirk Cousins came in for an injured Penix, Jr. at the beginning of the fourth quarter and proceeded to lead the team into several punt situations. Carolina followed with a three-and-out and gave the ball back to Atlanta with 10:11 remaining in the game. Neither team could move the ball during the final 15 minutes of the game.
With 2:43 remaining in the game, Zane Gonzalez made a 52-yard field goal to give Atlanta some breathing room at 24-19. The three points were the only points the Falcons scored during the second half of the game.
Carolina mounted a successful eight-point scoring drive to take the lead at 27-24 with less than a minute and a half remaining in the game. Carolina quarterback Bryce Young has always played well in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and Sunday’s game was another notch in his belt.
The Falcons’ defense was without veteran starters Dee Alford, Mike Hughes, and Leonard Floyd on Sunday. And that didn’t help as the National Football League (NFL) leader in pass defense gave up a touchdown on the opening drive of the game. Despite rookie edge rusher James Pearce, Jr. recording another sack, the Panthers converted two third downs and a fourth down possession en route to Panthers quarterback Bryce Young to rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan. The touchdown was Young’s 12th of the season and McMillan’s third.
The Falcons’ offense, led by quarterback Michael Penix, Jr., immediately marched downfield and scored on a four-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by a four-yard touchdown run by Bijan Robinson. During the drive, Penix found his best receiver, Drake London, for two long pass plays. The ease with which the Falcons scored on that drive leads one to believe this can happen all the time. At least in terms of this season, it hasn’t.
The team’s saving grace this season, despite the play on that opening drive, has been the defense. On Carolina’s second drive of the game, the Falcons forced a punt following a sack by rookie corner Billy Bowman, Jr. That sack almost knocked Young out of the game as he was slow to get back on his feet afterward. Young had started nine of the Panthers’ 10 games this season.
Both Young and Penix, Jr., were knocked around a bit during this game. Penix, Jr., took a tough hit during a third-down possession in the third quarter and was also slow to get to his feet. Penix, Jr. was also announced as “questionable” with knee soreness. Falcons backup quarterback Kirk Cousins started the fourth quarter.
Atlanta’s third offensive possession of the game wasn’t as smooth, but it ate up 8:07 of game clock and ended in a second touchdown for Robinson. Arguably one of the five best offensive players in the NFL, Robinson only had three touchdowns coming into the game. His one-yard rush put the Falcons ahead 14-7 midway through the second quarter. He was well on his way to having a 100-yard game before halftime. If accomplished, it would be his third such game of the season.
London went over 100 yards receiving with his fifth reception of the first half. The pass from Penix, Jr. was for 22 yards down into the Panthers’ red zone. The Panthers had a pair of holding penalties that further hurt their chances of stopping the Falcons’ offense. Another short run, this time by Tyler Allgeier, resulted in a third Falcons touchdown and a 21-7 lead with 1:41 remaining in a nearly flawless first half. The touchdown gave Allgeier seven touchdowns for the season, a team-high.
Carolina wasn’t through, with Young finding McMillan again for a long gain down into Falcons territory with just under a minute and a half to play in the half. The Panthers left the field for the locker room with a successful 29-yard field goal in hand, and a 21-10 deficit in the books.
Similar to the first half, Carolina scored on its opening drive of the half. Young found receiver Xavier Leggette for a touchdown to cut the Atlanta lead to 21-16. Panthers second-year head coach David Canales decided to go for a two-point conversion, which was unsuccessful. No matter, the Falcons immediately gave their guests the ball back after fumbling the ensuing kick-off.
That fumble was the turning point of the game as the Panthers drove the field with Young finding Legette again, and Panthers running back Rico Dowdle moving the chains into Falcons’ territory. On a fourth and one on the Falcons’ eight-yard line, Canales, apparently a gambling man, decided to go for it instead of kicking a field goal. Young was stopped on a bootleg run, and Atlanta got the ball back. A touchdown there could have been apocalyptic for the Falcons.
Carolina would pick up three points on a 34-yard field goal following a 10-play drive to move within two points, 21-19, at the end of the third quarter.
Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (above) had over 200 yards from the line of scrimmage, including 170 yards rushing. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
The Atlanta Falcons defeated the Buffalo Bills, 24-14, on Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in front of more than 70,000 screaming fans (the majority of whom felt and sounded like they were from up North).
The last time Atlanta hosted Buffalo was on October 1, 2017. The Falcons lost that game.
After the game, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris called the victory “a big-time team win” and was “well-fought by the guys.”
Falcons and Bills fans make their way over the bridge to Mercedes-Benz Stadium before Monday night’s game. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
The Falcons (0-2 in the NFC South) came into Monday night’s game with as much rest as any team in the league. Getting a bye week followed by a game on Monday on your home turf has to be the best-case scenario for any team.
It didn’t take the Falcons’ offense long to get into the end zone. For a consecutive game, the Falcons scored on their opening drive. Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. (20 for 32 for 250 yards and a touchdown) completed two passes to his go-to receiver, Drake London (10 receptions for 158 yards), before runs by Bijan Robinson (more than 200 total yards from scrimmage) led to a touchdown run by the team’s other running back, Tyler Allgeier.
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris (above) after the 24-14 victory. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
Atlanta was ahead for four minutes before Buffalo put together a long drive on their opening drive, which ended with a pass from quarterback Josh Allen to tight end Dawson Knox to tie the game at seven.
The first quarter ended with a three-minute Falcons drive capped by a long run by Robinson, Penix’s first touchdown pass of the game to London, and a 14-7 advantage. The Falcons were ahead at the end of the first 15 minutes of play for a consecutive week. The good vibes continued early in the second quarter when the Falcons’ defense stole the show at first, sacking Allen twice in the same drive. Following a Buffalo punt, Robinson took a handoff from Penix and raced up the right sideline for an 81-yard touchdown. Robinson shook off a couple of would-be tacklers en route to the Buffalo end zone and a 21-7 lead for the home team.
The Falcons scored on their possession of the game and twice during the first quarter. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
The Falcons could have gone ahead by 17 points, but head coach Raheem Morris decided to go for it on fourth down instead of attempting a 40-plus-yard field goal. The Falcons went into the locker room with a 14-point lead.
During the first half, the Falcons’ defense sacked Allen twice and intercepted a pass. The latter went to Dee Alford, his second career pick as a Falcon.
Buffalo began the second half by scoring on an efficient drive that ended with a short touchdown run by Ray Davis. The Bills pulled closer to the Falcons, 21-14. Both teams traded wasted possessions during the remainder of the third quarter.
In the fourth, Buffalo got the ball back with 8:30 remaining in the game.
The Atlanta Falcons (in black) scored on their first three possessions of the game. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
The Atlanta Falcons hosted the Washington Commanders in what quickly became a must-win game following Atlanta’s 30-0 loss in Charlotte last week. In only the second home game of the season, the Falcons managed to score 34 points in a seven-point victory over the Commanders. Go figure.
The final offensive possession for Atlanta displayed the potential this team has. Falcons quarterback Michael Penix ran for a first down, completed passes to tight end Kyle Pitts and Drake London, and commanded (pun intended)the offense like a veteran.
Sunday was Penix’s seventh career start.
An Atlanta Falcons fan wearing a Tony Gonzalez jersey before Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
The Commanders entered the game on a four-game winning streak against the Falcons. Former Falcons head coach Dan Quinn and the Commanders defeated the Falcons in Landover, Maryland, last season. This season, Washington is looking for a bit more motivation with former Falcons starting quarterback Marcus Mariota starting under center for the Commanders, with Jayden Daniels out.
The Falcons began the game by scoring on their first two possessions of the first quarter. The total time of possession and the usage of Bijan Robinson and Drake London were the highlights of the opening 15 minutes. The Falcons had the ball for 12:27 of the first quarter. During those two possessions, which ended in a 38-yard field goal for Parker Romo and a 5-yard touchdown catch for London from quarterback Michael Penix, Falcons offensive coordinator Zach Robinson mixed the playcalling up well. London had four receptions on that second possession, Robinson had 39 yards rushing on nine carries during the first quarter, and tight end Kyle Pitts caught a pass for a first down.
A Washington Commanders fan is on his way to the game on Sunday. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
Washington, coming off a win over the Las Vegas Raiders last week, finally got the ball back late in the first quarter and began the second quarter with a touchdown drive that ended with a Mariota pass to receiver Luke McCaffrey for the Commanders’ first score of the game.
Ahead 17-10 following a 43-yard field goal by the Commanders, the Falcons’ offense was back on the field with 5:24 remaining in the first half. For the first time in the game, the Falcons failed to score a point during an offensive possession.
The Atlanta Falcons lead at the half, 17-10. It was a far cry from the scoreless performance against the Carolina Panthers a week earlier.
The Falcons’ defense started the second half by giving up a 16-yard play on a first and 30 in Washington’s territory. The Commanders dragged out a long offensive possession that included a Mariota run for 15 yards and a 52-yard field goal from kicker Matt Gay to pull closer at 17-13. That drive ate up nearly five minutes.
The Falcons answered that score with a touchdown drive that took two plays: a screen pass from Penix to Robinson for 69 yards and a seven-yard touchdown reception by Pitts.
Falcons rookie safety Xavier Watts intercepted a Mariota pass midway through the third quarter to put the ball back in the hands of Penix and the offense. It’s hard to understand how this team managed to leave Carolina without any points. But they didn’t score on the next possession. Instead, Penix was intercepted on a long pass that put the Commaders back in Falcons territory. A 41-yard field goal by Gay made the score 24-16 in favor of the home team.
Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier has the patience of a saint. Despite running for 1,000 yards as a rookie three seasons ago, he seems content with getting the backup carries behind Robinson. Allgeier, who should be a well-sought-after free agent next season, scored on a 25-yard run down the Commaders’ sideline to put the Falcons ahead 31-16 at the end of the third quarter.
This season’s Falcons front line is much improved. Veteran linebacker Kaden Ellis and veteran edge rusher Leonard Floyd shared a sack in the first half, and Ellis got another in the fourth quarter. Rookie edge rusher Jalon Walker wasn’t credited with a sack this game, but continued to put pressure on the Commanders’ offensive line.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. (above) will be playing his first game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 14. The Falcons lost by three touchdowns in Minnesota last season, but Penix, Jr. did not play in that game. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
The Atlanta Falcons are on their way to Minnesota for a Sunday Night Football meeting with the Vikings. The warm and friendly confines of Mercedes-Benz Stadium (71,000-plus football fans were in the building for the season opener) and a pro-Falcons crowd will not be waiting for them when they arrive.
Falcons quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. made just his fourth professional start on Sunday against the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The game in Minnesota will only be his second on the road. It won’t be the first time he will be in uniform in Minnesota. The Falcons lost 42-12 to the Vikings last season during former starting quarterback Kirk Cousins’s return to his former home on Dec. 8. That game was in the middle of a four-game losing streak and near the end of Cousins’s time as the starter in Atlanta.
Minnesota won its season opener in Chicago on Monday night and will have a sold-out crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium. Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, similar to Penix, Jr., will be making his first career start at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday night. Unlike Penix, Jr., McCarthy threw two fourth-quarter touchdowns and helped lead his team to victory.
Now Penix, Jr. is starting and coming off of a quality, if not stellar, performance in front of the home fans on Sunday against the Buccaneers (298 yards and a touchdown on 27-42 passing, 21 rushing yards and a touchdown), he was appreciative of the environment at The Benz.
“Oh yeah, man, that’s big time. We need that. We love it,” Penix said of the crowd participation. “Each and every home game, we want it. We know that they will bring it. Whenever we’re making big-time plays, the city is going to be behind us.”
Falcons receiver Chris Blair, who was inactive for the game, agreed with Penix, Jr. about the environment in The Benz on Sunday afternoon.
“I feel like it was the right energy,” said Blair, an Alcorn State alum. “They showed up for sure.”
There were plenty of big plays during the game that kept the crowd into it -Penix, Jr.’s fourth quarter go-ahead touchdown run, Bijan Robinson’s six receptions for 100 yards- but the Falcons lost the home and season opener 23-20 to a division rival. Atlanta kicker Young Koo missed a 44-yard field goal that could have tied the game and when he got to the sideline he threw his helmet to the ground in disgust.
Penix spoke to the press about what he said to Koo after the game. He said he told Koo not to let this kick get him down and to keep being the kicker that the team believes in.
The Falcons won’t be back at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for two weeks as the National Football League schedule’s week three matchup will take place at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte against the Panthers (0-1 after losing at Jacksonville on Sunday, Sept. 7).
Penix, Jr. said he is “looking forward” to getting back in front of the home fans that don’t make the trips to Minnesota and Charlotte in the coming weeks.
“We appreciate them and we look forward to being back home again and having that influence that they brought today,” Penix, Jr. said.
The Falcons will host the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Sept. 28. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. This will be a rematch of sorts for two young quarterbacks. Penix, Jr.’s second career start came against Jayden Daniels and the Commanders in Washington last season. Though the Falcons lost 30-24, Penix, Jr. (19-35, 223 yards, a touchdown and an interception) displayed poise late in that game.
Performing in a hostile environment will be what Penix, Jr. and the Falcons will have to do in Minnesota on Sunday night.
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The American Flag on full display moments before kickoff during the Atlanta Falcons season opener at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
The Falcons lost the home and season opener 23-20 on Sunday. Atlanta kicker Young Koo missed a field goal that could have tied the game.
Mistakes will cost you everything in the National Football League. Three roughing the passer penalties, a pair of missed field goal, a missed extra point attempt, they all mattered during this game.
“We have to find a way to win next week,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said after the game.
“We have to keep going, it’s just one game,” Leonard Floyd said in the locker room after the game.
The biggest play will go down as the touchdown pass from Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield to receiver Emeka Egbuka that made the score 23-20. But it was the roughing the passer penalty from the Falcons that helped extend the Bucs’s drive.
Minutes earlier, the score was 17-13 in favor of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The game clock read 3:33 in the fourth quarter. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. (27-42 for 298 yards, a touchdown pass and run) ran for the goal line and was short of scoring a touchdown. He was however past the first down marker. The Buccaneers had two roughing the passer penalties called on them during the drive.
The biggest play of the game came courtesy of the feet of Penix, Jr., because Atlanta’s fresh set of downs lead to another Penix, Jr. run, this time for a one-yard touchdown with 2:17 left to play. The touchdown put Atlanta ahead 20-17 following the extra point by kicker Younghoe Koo.
Back on defense, the Falcons put pressure on Mayfield (17-32 for 167 yards) late in the game, but not enough to keep him from throwing three touchdown passes.
The video montages featuring former Falcons Andre Rison, Ray Buchanan, and Roddy White, Freddie the Falcon bungee jumping from the rafters, a smoke-filled entrance to the field, and a loud roar from a crowd of re than 70,000 when starting quarterback Michael Penix, Jr.’s name was announced. The Falcons season opener had it all.
The Atlanta Falcons opened the 2025 season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 7. Their opponent, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, have won the NFC South division crown time after time, and this game was an opportunity for Atlanta to set the tone for the next 17 weeks.
Under current head coach Raheem Morris, the Falcons have had success against the Buccaneers and head coach Todd Bowles. Atlanta swept Tampa last season, winning on the road by five points, and winning at home by six points.
The Falcons put together a one-minute and 46-second offensive drive to open the game. The big play came on a Penix, Jr. screen pass to running back Bijan Robinson for a long run and score. Robinson caught two passes during the abbreviated drive.
Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
Tampa’s first score, a 48-yard field goal from kicker Chase McLaughlin, came eight minutes after they began their third drive at the tailed of the first quarter. By the time the score was 7-3 in favor of the Falcons, it was midway through the second quarter.
The Buccaneers took their first lead of the game at 10-7 when quarterback Baker Mayfield found perennial Pro Bowl receiver Mike Evans over the outstretched hands of Falcons rookie safety Xavier Watts for a touchdown at the seven-minute mark of the second quarter.
The Falcons tied the game at 10 on a 41-yard field goal from kicker extraordinaire Younghoe Koo. That subsequent Falcons offensive drive included a fourth and one that was completed by running back Tyler Allgeier. The Falcons offense rushed for only 27 yards during there first half.
The second half began with a Tampa Bay drive dow to the Atlanta 26 yard line. The Bucs and McLaughlin attempted a 44-yard field goal that missed the mark and kept the score tied at 10.
A 53-yard punt return and 20-yard scramble by Mayfield gave Tampa Bay the kind of field position deep in Falcons territory that usually leads to a touchdown. And it did. A few plays later, Mayfield found running back Bucky Irving on a screen for a touchdown a 17-10 advantage with seven minutes to play in the third quarter.
The Falcons offense found a way back into the scoring column, adding three more points on a 36-yard field goal from Koo. The 11-play drive included receptions by Kyle Pitts, Ray-Ray McCloud III, Drake London, and the team;’s leading receiver at that moment of the game, Robinson (5 receptions for 94 yards). On one play, Robinson took a Penix pass 23 yards to get into the team into field goal possession.
Down 17-13 with less than 10 minutes to play in the fourth quarter, the Falcons
The senior quarterback won the award over Oregon QB Bo Nix, Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. and Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. after a phenomenal dual-threat season. Daniels was one of the nation’s leading passers in nearly all the major metrics and also one of only two quarterbacks to rush for over 1,000 yards during 2023.
Daniels finished with 503 first-place votes while Penix finished with 292 first-place votes. The total margin between the two quarterbacks, 2,029 points to 1,701 points, was the closest Heisman voting has finished since 2018.
Daniels finished the regular season 236-of-327 passing for 3,812 yards and 40 TDs. He threw just four interceptions and completed over 70% of his passes. Just six players — including Nix at 77.2% — completed a higher percentage of their passes.
But Daniels had everyone easily beat in yards per attempt. He was by far the nation’s leader in that category as the LSU offense averaged 11.7 yards every time he threw the football. Alabama QB Jalen Milroe, the player in second in yards per attempt, averaged 1.3 yards fewer per throw.
Daniels also tied for the lead in passing touchdowns with Nix despite playing one fewer game. Nix played in 13 games in 2023 as Oregon went to the Pac-12 title game. But Penix and the Huskies beat the Ducks to get to the College Football Playoff. It was a game that likely sealed Daniels’ status as the Heisman winner as Nix fell below the all-time single-season record for completion percentage (Mac Jones’ 77.4% in 2020).
In addition to being a threat with LSU receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas to break a big play from nearly anywhere on the field through the air, he was also a big play waiting to happen on the ground.
Daniels rushed 135 times for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns over 12 games. He averaged the most yards per carry of any qualified player in college football at 8.4 and was over a full yard ahead of Tennessee RB Jaylen Wright in second place.
It’s a remarkable rushing total and rushing average for a quarterback who dropped back to pass as much as Daniels did. College football statistics count sacks against a quarterback’s rushing totals and Daniels was sacked 22 times. Penix, for example, has rushed for minus-18 yards this season.
Daniels had five games with at least one run longer than 40 yards and his signature performance came in a 52-35 win over Florida on Nov. 11. Daniels was 17-of-26 passing for 372 yards and three touchdowns through the air while rushing 12 times for 234 yards and two scores. Daniels broke touchdown runs of 85 yards and 51 yards during that game and then threw three touchdowns in the final 18 minutes as the Tigers pulled away from the Gators.
It was the first time in top-level college football history that a player had thrown for over 350 yards and rushed for over 200 yards in the same game.
He also powered the Tigers’ comeback win at No. 9 Missouri on Oct. 7. After briefly leaving the game early in the fourth quarter following a crushing hit at the goal line, Daniels returned to engineer two go-ahead touchdown drives on LSU’s next two possessions.
He broke a 35-yard TD run on third down to give the Tigers a 35-32 lead over Mizzou with less than eight minutes to go, and then accounted for all 75 yards on LSU’s next drive as the Tigers went up for good with less than three minutes to go.
That drive also included a monster third-down run. Daniel broke a 31-yard run on third down to get to the Missouri 29 yard-line and a play later hit Nabers for a 29-yard score that put LSU up 42-39.
A three-loss Heisman winner
Players on teams with more than two losses don’t win the Heisman very often. Especially in recent seasons. Last year, USC was 11-2 when Caleb Williams lifted the award. The year before that, Alabama was 12-1 when Bryce Young won and undefeated when DeVonta Smith won in 2020.
Williams, in fact, became just the second player to win the Heisman in the playoff era as part of a team that wasn’t in the four-team playoff. As Daniels joins that group, he’s the first player since Lamar Jackson in 2016 to be a part of a team that had three losses before the Heisman ceremony.
Like Daniels, Jackson was a dynamic passer and rusher and his season-long performance was too good to ignore. Jackson threw for over 3,500 yards and rushed for nearly 1,600 that season as he accounted for 51 touchdowns.
Overall, Daniels is just the 15th player on a team with three or more losses to win the Heisman and the fourth in the 2000s along with Jackson, Baylor’s Robert Griffin III in 2011 and Florida’s Tim Tebow in 2007.
A Heisman transfer trend
Daniels is also the fifth player in the past seven seasons to win the Heisman at his second school, a sign of the normalization of player transfers. Nix and Penix are also transfers in their second seasons at their new schools. Nix transferred to Oregon from Auburn while Penix transferred to Washington from Indiana.
Williams won in his first season at USC after transferring from Oklahoma, while LSU QB Joe Burrow won in his first season at LSU in 2019 after joining the Tigers from Ohio State. Before Burrow, Kyler Murray won in his second season at Oklahoma after transferring from Texas A&M, and Baker Mayfield was in his third season at Oklahoma after he started his college career at Texas Tech.
Daniels came to LSU before the 2022 season after the school hired Brian Kelly from Notre Dame. Daniels spent the first three seasons of his career at Arizona State and appeared in all but one game for the Sun Devils in that span.
He transferred from Arizona State after he threw for 2,381 yards and rushed for 710 yards in 2021 but accounted for only 16 total touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
He immediately became a star and improved on those numbers at LSU in 2022 as the Tigers won the SEC West. Daniels completed 69% of his passes in 2021 and threw for 2,913 yards while rushing for 885. He entered the season as one of the favorites to win the Heisman, based on his leap from 2021 to 2022, but hardly anyone could have predicted the eye-popping statistics he accumulated.
SEATTLE — Michael Penix Jr. has accomplished plenty in his first season as the quarterback at Washington. He added a game-winning, fourth-quarter drive to the list on Friday night.
Peyton Henry made a 22-yard field goal with 8 seconds left to cap a 92-yard scoring driving, and Washington held off No. 24 Oregon State 24-21 to preserve its hopes in the Pac-12 championship game race.
The Huskies took over at their own 3 with 4:33 left and Penix led the march downfield against the Beavers’ stingy defense. Penix was 9 of 13 for 66 yards on the drive, including key third-down conversions to Devin Culp, Ja’Lynn Polk and a diving catch by Cameron Davis. Penix’s push pass to Giles Jackson for 12 yards got the Huskies to the Oregon State 2. After a pair of incompletions, the Huskies set up for the short field goal and Henry delivered the winning kick.
“We knew if we gave them the ball back we probably wouldn’t have got it back,” Penix said. “We wanted to make sure that we took advantage of that drive and make sure we got down there and got some points on the board. And it was great that we took up all that clock.”
Washington (7-2, 4-2 Pac-12) won its third straight and kept alive its slim hopes of finding a spot in Las Vegas in the conference title game. Penix, the nation’s leader in passing, was 30 of 52 for 298 yards and a 24-yard touchdown pass on third-and-goal to Jack Westover in the third quarter.
Wayne Taulapapa ran for two touchdowns for the Huskies, the second coming early in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 21-21. Rome Odunze had seven receptions for 102 yards.
“It just gives us that mentality that we’re gonna go out there and fight no matter what,” Odunze said.
The game wasn’t without some typical late-night Pac-12 wackiness. Blustery winds affected the passing and kicking game all night and the game was stopped for 25 minutes early in the fourth quarter after partial power outage took down some of the stadium lights illuminating the field.
“That was the biggest thing I was probably trying to address with the guys is how hard they had fought to make it a 21-21 score,” Washington coach Kalen DeBoer said. “And we had just gained the momentum and just to get their minds back on how it felt.”
Deshaun Fenwick rushed for two touchdowns and linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold returned an interception 37 yards for a score for Oregon State, which was playing its first game ranked in The AP Top 25 since the 2013 season opener.
“Credit to those guys for finishing the game better than we did ultimately,” Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith said. “It was back-and-forth battling. Some missed opportunities out there and they made one or two more plays than us.”
The Beavers (6-3, 3-3) will lament two missed opportunities in the first half going for it on fourth downs deep in Washington’s end of the field and failing to convert. The windy, blustery conditions made kicking an adventure all night, but failing to get points on those drives came back to bite Oregon State.
The Beavers were stopped on fourth-and-2 at the Washington 7 and fourth-and-3 at the Washington 15 on consecutive possessions with a chance to extend their early lead.
“We’re going to error on aggression down there, even more aggression with the way the wind was going,” Smith said. “There’s no guarantee that thing is going through the uprights and I didn’t think the distances were ridiculous.”
Damien Martinez had 107 yards rushing for Oregon State.
LIGHTS OUT
Taulapapa scored on a 4-yard TD run with 11:36 left. But as the Huskies celebrated, a bank of stadium lights on the north side of the stadium went out. Washington kicked the extra point to pull even at 21-21, but after the kick the lights on the south side went down as well.
After officials huddled with stadium staff, it was announced there would be a delay before the lights would come back on. The lights flickered back on after about 20 minutes and the game resumed after a 25-minute break.
DeBoer said he had a similar situation during a game at Fresno State in 2018.
“I sat on the heater. It was cold,” Penix said.
FLASHBACKS
The instable weather and the delay in the fourth quarter brought back memories of 2019 when Washington and California played a night game that was delayed by lightning storms in the Seattle area. That game was delayed more than 2 1/2 hours and ended at 1:22 a.m. local time.
THE TAKEAWAY
Oregon State: The Beavers’ return to the rankings will be brief. Oregon State has not been ranked for more than one week since 2012 when it reached as high as No. 7 before losing at Washington.
Washington: The Huskies still need help to get to the conference title game and have to win at Oregon next week if they want a shot.
UP NEXT
Oregon State: The Beavers host California next Saturday.
Washington: The Huskies are at No. 8 Oregon next Saturday.
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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – Michael Penix Jr. of the Washington Huskies stands in the pocket during the … [+] second quarter of the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Husky Stadium on September 24, 2022. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
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The grass has proven to be greener for many quarterbacks who transferred to their current schools ahead of the 2022 season. In fact, three of the top five in passing yards and four of the top 11 in touchdown passes are transfers. For others, well, the change of scenery has been little more than just that.
Here is an alphabetical look at many of the QBs who switched schools for 2022 and how they have performed heading into the final weekend of October.
Connor Bazelak, Indiana/Missouri
Bazelak has thrown at least one interception in each game during the Hoosiers’ current five-game skid, including a pick six in a 24-17 loss at Rutgers last week. His nine interceptions are tied for fourth-most nationally and contribute toward a pass efficiency rating that is 113th among 117 qualified quarterbacks. Indiana (3-5/1-4 Big Ten) has an open week followed by a visit from Penn State and a trip to Ohio State.
Gerry Bohanon, USF/Baylor
A dismal season got worse for USF (1-6/0-3 AAC) when Bohanon was lost for the duration with a shoulder injury sustained against Tulane on October 15. After a miserable first four games in which he threw six interceptions without a touchdown pass, Bohanon was on a roll having totaled 751 yards and eight TDs in two-plus games when he went down.
Ben Bryant, Cincinnati/Eastern Michigan
Bryant’s second tour of duty at UC – he served as Desmond Ridder’s backup prior to transferring to EMU, where he started last season – has been solid with an average of 252 passing yards per game and 15 touchdowns through seven weeks. He had his worst outing statistically in the Bearcats’ (6-1/3-0 AAC) win at SMU last week. He will be tested by UCF’s defense in Orlando on Saturday.
Todd Centeio, James Madison/Colorado State
Centeio, who began his career at Temple, is leading JMU (5-2/3-2 SBC) to a nice showing so far in its first year of FBS affiliation. He has thrown at least two touchdown passes in five of six games and has totaled 22 TDs (five on the ground) to place among the nation’s leaders in points responsible for. He threw just a single pick before being intercepted three times in the Dukes’ loss to Georgia Southern, their first loss of the season, on October 15.
Chevan Cordeiro, San Jose State/Hawaii
Cordeiro’s completion percentage is only 56.8, but he leads the Mountain West with an average of 13.7 yards per completion. He has thrown only one interception while totaling 13 touchdowns, six on the ground. While it is not all on him, Cordeiro has been sacked 22 times in the Spartans’ (4-2/2-1 MWC) first six games. (The Spartans’ game at New Mexico State last week was postponed due to the death of SJSU’s Camden McWright.) Cordeiro’s renews acquaintance with his former Hawaii teammates Thanksgiving weekend in San Jose.
Jayden Daniels, LSU/Arizona State
Clearly growing more comfortable as this season progresses, Daniels had an eye-opening performance in the Tigers’ (6-2/4-1 SEC) win last week against visiting Ole Miss when he totaled 369 yards and five touchdowns, with three of the scores on the ground. He has totaled 21 TDs (12 passing) and has thrown only one interception through eight games.
JT Daniels, West Virginia/Georgia
Daniels threw three interceptions in an unpardonable blowout loss at Texas Tech. That left the Mountaineers (3-4/1-3 Big 12) scrambling for bowl eligibility while they still have to play TCU (Saturday), Oklahoma, Kansas State and Oklahoma State. A problem has been getting the ball down field as Daniels is averaging only 10.4 yards per completion, which is 103rd nationally.
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss/USC
Dart has had his ups and downs in his first full season as a starter at Ole Miss (7-1/3-1 SEC) while learning a new offense under Lane Kiffin. He had 448 yards and three TDs against Vanderbilt, but also threw two picks. He completed only nine passes against Auburn, but three were for touchdowns. Dart, who is averaging an impressive 14.9 yards per completion to place fifth nationally, has topped 100 yards rushing twice.
Jayden De Laura, Arizona/Washington State
De Laura has passed for at least 400 yards three times and equaled a school mark with six touchdown passes against Colorado. He is fifth nationally with an average of 325 yards passing per game and his 19 touchdown passes are tied for eighth. He is on pace to post the second-most passing yards in a single season in Arizona (3-4/1-3 Pac 12) school history. USC, Utah and UCLA are the next three opponents. De Laura then faces his former Cougars teammates November 19 in Tucson.
CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS – Tommy DeVito of the Illinois Fighting Illini looks to pass against the Wyoming … [+] Cowboys during the second half at Memorial Stadium on August 27, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
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Tommy DeVito, Illinois/Syracuse
DeVito has led the Fighting Illini (6-1/3-1 Big Ten) to its best start since 1953. He does not have the gaudy numbers as many other quarterbacks on this list. What DeVito has done, though, is limit turnovers (only two INTs) while completing 75 percent of his passes in three of the last four games to improve to 10th nationally with a 70.4 completion percentage. He has thrown 10 touchdown passes and ran for four, including three in a win over Wisconsin.
Quinn Ewers, Texas/Ohio State
Ewers went from a two-week stretch in which he threw seven touchdowns against Oklahoma and Iowa State to completing 19-of-49 with three interceptions in a lost at Oklahoma State. Coach Steve Sarkisian is sticking with Ewers (11 TDs, 5 INTs) instead of going with Hudson Card, who has battled injuries this season and nearly led the Longhorns (5-3/3-2) past Alabama earlier this season when he came on for the injured Ewers.
Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma/UCF
A concussion resulted in Gabriel missing OU’s (4-3/1-3 Big 12) debacle against Texas after exiting the week before against TCU. He returned against Kansas and promptly picked up where he left off in a season in which he has thrown 13 touchdown passes with only one interception. Gabriel, who also has three rushing touchdowns, is 13th nationally in pass efficiency.
Layne Hatcher, Texas State/Arkansas State
Hatcher transferred within the Sun Belt, which will make for an obvious storyline when the Bobcats (3-5/1-3 SBC) host the Red Wolves on November 19. Hatcher has 16 touchdown passes in eight games and has thrown for at least two TDs in five of them. He is averaging only 10.4 yards per completion placing him toward the bottom in that category. He has thrown eight interceptions.
Emory Jones, Arizona State/Florida
Jones transferred to Arizona State (2-5. 1-3 Pac-12) amid an NCAA investigation (recruiting violations) hovering over the program and with quite a shakeup on the coaching staff and several players transferring out of the program. Then, Herm Edwards was fired after an embarrassing loss to visiting Eastern Michigan on September 17. It has been a struggle for an offense that ranks 99th nationally in total offense and with Jones throwing just five TD passes in seven games, though only four picks.
Adrian Martinez, Kansas State/Nebraska
Martinez was injured on the Wildcats’ (5-2/3-1 Big 12) first possession in last Saturday’s loss at TCU. He did not return and his status for this week’s game against visiting Oklahoma State is uncertain. In four of his six full games, Martinez has thrown for 150 yards or less and has just 907 passing yards on the season. However, he has not been intercepted and leads the nation’s quarterbacks with 565 yards rushing and nine touchdowns.
Bo Nix, Oregon/Auburn
Nix has twice thrown five touchdown passes to join Justin Herbert and Marcus Mariota as the only Oregon (6-1/4-0 Pac-12) quarterbacks to do that in a single season. He threw three of his five TD passes against UCLA last week in the second quarter. Nix, who has been sacked just once, has totaled 25 touchdowns (17 passing) and is sixth nationally in points responsible for while completing 71.5 percent of his passes. He should pad his stats the next two weeks against Cal and Colorado.
Michael Penix, Washington/Indiana
November 12 at Oregon (Nix) should make for an entertaining matchup among transfer QBs. A healthy Penix leads the nation with 367 passing yards per game and is fourth with 22 touchdown passes. He has topped 300 yards passing in all eight games and has thrown four TD passes in four games. In an October 15 win over Arizona, he set UW (6-2/3-2 Pac-12) single-game marks with 455 passing yards and 529 total yards.
John Rhys Plumlee, UCF/Ole Miss
Plumlee had four 300-yard passing efforts in his first six games with the Knights (5-2/2-1 AAC) and totaled 18 touchdowns (11 passing) with only three interceptions. Things suddenly went south last week at ECU as Plumlee was picked three times in a lopsided defeat. He enters a critical matchup against visiting Cincinnati on Saturday ninth nationally with an average of 331 yards of total offense per game.
Jack Plummer, Cal/Purdue
In his first full season as a starter, Plummer has established career highs in virtually every major passing category, including 12 touchdowns. Three times this season he has thrown three TD passes, including last week’s loss to Penix and Washington. Plummer will likely have to come up big as the Golden Bears’ (3-4/1-3 Pac-12) next three games are against Oregon, USC and Oregon State.
Spencer Rattler, South Carolina/Oklahoma
Rattler has looked great at times and lost at others. Yet, the Gamecocks (5-2/2-2 SEC) are ranked for the first time in four years. Rattler is 92nd nationally in pass efficiency and has thrown just five touchdown passes with eight interceptions, including 2/4 against SEC opponents. He is ninth among SEC quarterbacks in yards passing per game with 209.
BLOOMINGTON, IN – Austin Reed of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers rolls out of the pocket to pass … [+] during the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium on September 17, 2022 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
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Austin Reed, Western Kentucky/West Florida
A great story as Reed transferred from the Division II Argonauts to the FBS. He won the job in preseason camp and has not looked back. In fact, he threw at least two touchdown passes in each of the Hilltoppers’ (5-3/3-1 CUSA) first seven games before being blanked in last week’s win against UAB, when he ran for two scores. Reed has thrown 21 TD passes, good for fifth nationally, and is eighth in throwing for 306 yards per game.
Kedon Slovis, Pitt/USC
Coach Pat Narduzzi is sticking with Slovis to the lead the Pitt (4-3/1-2 ACC) offense despite throwing for only 328 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions the last two games. A two-pick performance in a loss last week against a Louisville team that had struggled in defending the pass was a low point. On the season, Slovis, who missed a game in September due to injury, has thrown only five TD passes with three of them coming in a loss to Georgia Tech. He is 91st nationally in pass efficiency.
Casey Thompson, Nebraska/Texas
Thompson has thrown at least one touchdown pass in all eight games, though that has not prevented the close losses from continuing to pile up in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers (3-4/2-2 Big Ten) have, at least, pulled out a couple of close ones and have two Big Ten wins for the first time since 2018. Thompson, who has also thrown two interceptions in each of the last two games and has eight on the season, has totaled 16 TDs, including five on the ground.
Kyle Vantrease, Georgia Southern/Buffalo
Vantrease is second nationally in passing yards to Michael Penix with 2,704, or 338 per game. He threw for a school record 578 yards in a win over James Madison on October 15, a game in which also threw four touchdown passes, something he has done twice this season. Vantrease, though, leads the nation with 12 interceptions, including four in GSU’s (5-3/2-2 SBC) eight-point loss to Georgia State.
Cameron Ward, Washington State/Incarnate Ward
Ward has 16 TD passes through seven games in his FBS debut season. He is also averaging 280 passing yards per game, good for fourth in the Pac-12 and 21st nationally. His high-water mark was 375 yards in a shootout loss against Oregon, a game in which he completed nearly 80 percent of his passes, but threw a pair of picks. The last couple of games have not gone so well as he was sacked a combined 11 times in the Cougars’ (4-3/1-3 Pac 12) losses at Oregon State and USC.
Grant Wells, Virginia Tech/Marshall
It’s not just Wells who has been subpar during a four-game losing streak in which the Hokies (2-5/1-3 ACC) have scored all of 63 points. Yet, he has too often not helped the cause during a season in which he ranks 105th in pass efficiency. Getting the ball down field (10.2 yards per completion) has been an issue for an offense that is averaging 19.1 points (115th). Wells has thrown seven touchdown passes and seven interceptions.
Caleb Williams, USC/Oklahoma
To say things are going very well for both Williams and Lincoln Riley at USC (6-1/4-1 Pac-12) would be an understatement. After all, the former has thrown 19 touchdown passes (tied for eighth nationally) and only one interception in seven games with the Trojans. He threw five TD passes in a loss to Utah and has thrown at least two TD passes on six occasions. Williams has thrown for 1,971 yards, or 282 per game, and threw for a season high 381 yards against the Utes.
