Week 4 gave us a little bit of everything. We had a former five-star quarterback come off the bench and remind everybody why he was such a big recruiting name. We had a young SEC quarterback continue to force his way onto the radar. We had running backs handle massive workloads, veteran transfers make explosive plays and a pair of highly valued quarterbacks survive games where their offensive lines did them very few favors.
But this article is not about chasing box scores. Every week I want to figure out what actually matters for C2C. Did a player’s value change? Did his role change? Was the production sustainable, or did one huge play make the final stat line look better than the performance really was? Then, as always, we will finish with the injuries we need to monitor going into next week.
Oregon vs. USC
Dylan Raiola, QB, Oregon
Dylan Raiola came off the bench after Dante Moore left the game and completed 19 of 25 passes for 289 yards, 11.6 yards per attempt, two passing touchdowns and no interceptions. He was not sacked, did not record a rushing attempt or fumble, and led Oregon to a 41 to 27 win after Moore left the game.
Raiola’s 62-yard completion to Dierre Hill Jr. came early in the third quarter with Oregon leading 13 to 10. His 34-yard completion to Jamari Johnson came later with Oregon ahead 20 to 17. Those two plays supplied 96 yards, or 33.2 percent of Raiola’s production. Remove them, and he was still 17 of 23 for 193 yards, 8.4 yards per attempt, with both touchdowns.
That was legit. The former five-star recruit entered with 4,819 career passing yards and 31 touchdowns from his two seasons at Nebraska, so we are not pretending this came from nowhere. What changed is the landing spot and the possibility that Oregon can keep its offense alive without Moore. I’m moving Raiola back onto the active C2C board, but the immediate value depends heavily on Moore’s health and Oregon’s quarterback decision.
Dante Moore, QB, Oregon
Moore completed 8 of 10 passes for 77 yards, 7.7 yards per attempt, with no touchdowns or interceptions before leaving. He was not sacked, added one carry for 10 yards, and did not fumble. His 37-yard completion supplied 48.1 percent of his passing yards. Without it, he was 7 of 9 for 40 yards and 4.4 yards per attempt.
The injury is the story here, not the box score, and this is a hold until we know more. There is no reason to make a C2C valuation move based on an incomplete game and an unresolved injury, especially when we still do not know how long Moore could be out or what Oregon plans to do at quarterback.
C2C takeaway: Raiola is back on the active board. Moore is a hold until we have more information.
Mississippi State vs. Missouri
Kamario Taylor, QB, Mississippi State
Kamario Taylor completed 27 of 38 passes for 360 yards, 9.5 yards per attempt, three passing touchdowns and one interception in Mississippi State’s 31 to 24 win. He took four sacks and added 10 carries for 7 yards with no rushing touchdowns or fumbles.
His 43-yard touchdown to Sanfrisco Magee came in a scoreless first quarter. The 48-yard completion to Anthony Evans III came with 4:54 remaining and the game tied at 24, setting up the winning touchdown. Those plays supplied 91 yards. Without them, Taylor was still 25 of 36 for 269 yards, 7.5 yards per attempt, and two touchdowns.
This kid is forcing us to pay attention. Taylor is a 6-foot-4, 230-pound sophomore who threw only 77 passes last season. Now he has delivered a 360-yard performance and a fourth-quarter answer against an SEC defense. That combination of youth, frame, and production was enough for me to move Taylor all the way to QB1 in my C2C rankings this week.
The failure condition is still pressure. Four sacks and the interception remind us that he is developing, but this was more than empty production. At this point, I’m not just watching Kamario Taylor anymore. I’m treating him like one of the most valuable quarterbacks on the campus side.
Fluff Bothwell, RB, Mississippi State
Fluff Bothwell carried 25 times for 122 yards, 4.9 yards per carry, with a long of 18 and one rushing touchdown. He caught 6 of 7 targets for 55 yards and another touchdown. That gave him 31 touches, 177 scrimmage yards, two total touchdowns, and no fumbles.
There was no 50-yard run inflating this line. Bothwell earned everything across a massive workload. He already had consecutive productive seasons entering this year, but seven targets are the important development. If that receiving work sticks, he becomes more than a campus hammer and his C2C profile becomes more interesting because that gives us another avenue for production. I’m moving him up modestly and buying before everybody decides one Saturday made him a guaranteed NFL feature back.
C2C takeaway: Taylor made the biggest move of the week for me and is now my QB1 in C2C. Bothwell gets a bump, especially if the receiving work continues.
