Top 5 Quarterback Performances of Week 10 College Football: Jalen Milroe, Jordan McCloud, more

November 6, 2023

Justin's NCAA college football top quarterbacks from Week 10 of the 2023 season. Top performers include Jalen Milroe and Jordan McCloud.

Week 10 of the college football season is now behind us. It was a week filled with strong play from the quarterback position, with 19 different players throwing for over 300 yards. That includes eight quarterbacks who threw for over 350 yards.

11 quarterbacks had four or more passing touchdowns. Among the players not mentioned below were Will Howard (Kansas State), Kaidon Salter (Liberty), Seth Henigan (Memphis), Drake Maye (North Carolina), Drew Allar (Penn State), E.J. Warner (Temple), and Bryson Barnes (Utah). This really was an impossible week as far as picking just five quarterbacks goes.

Below are the top five quarterback performances from Week 10 of the college football season. These are judged through a combination of statistics, fantasy scoring, and game context, with consideration also given based on the team's offensive systems. Let's take a look at this week's top performances.

5. Jacob Zeno - UAB

Last year, Jacob Zeno completed 56.9% of his passes in nine games with UAB. The former Baylor quarterback just didn't look like someone who had much upside at this point.

Then came 2023. Zeno's completed 75.4% of his pass attempts this year with 2,389 yards and 17 touchdowns. He leads the American in completion percentage and is fourth nationally, and he sits fourth in the conference in passing yards.

On Saturday, Zeno led a 45-42 win over Florida Atlantic, going 29-for-35 for 484 yards and five touchdowns. He was picked off once in the game. It was especially impressive because Zeno was returning from an injury he suffered in the team's Oct. 14 loss to UTSA, a game where he really struggled. Zeno was 13-for-21 in that one for 110 yards and failed to throw a touchdown. He was picked off once.

4. Byrum Brown - South Florida

Byrum Brown has had an impressive first season as the starter at South Florida. While there's been a few bad games, he's also had some really impressive outings, like when he threw for 435 yards in a win over Rice.

This week, Brown wasn't able to get the win over Memphis, but he put in his best effort in the 59-50 loss. He was 31-for-39 for 357 yards and five touchdowns while being picked off once. Brown also had 23 carries for 100 yards. He basically was the Bulls' offense in this one, but it wasn't enough as Seth Henigan threw four touchdowns of his own for Memphis.

Brown has completed 63.4% of his passes this season for 2,222 yards with 17 touchdowns and seven picks. He's also run for 673 yards and eight touchdowns. He's even added a 15-yard reception -- he's really doing everything.

3. Bo Nix - Oregon

Oregon's Bo Nix continued to make his case for the Heisman on Saturday against Cal, throwing for four touchdowns and running for another two in the 63-19 victory.

Overall, Nix threw for 386 yards this week while completing 76.3% of his passes. The Oregon star has now played nine games this season, completing over 70% of his passes in every single one. He's at a 78.1% completion rate on the season.

Nix has made an almost unimaginable leap this season. He's thrown 25 touchdowns already with just two picks. He's the NCAA passing completion percentage leader, which isn't too surprising since he was second in that stat last year. But he's cut down on the turnovers and sits eighth in the FBS in passing yards.

Right now, you could probably call Nix one of the three favorites to win the Heisman, along with Michael Penix Jr. and Jayden Daniels. Who would have foreseen that back in his Auburn days, when he just looked like a completely different quarterback?

2. Jordan McCloud - James Madison

Jordan McCloud had his second 300-yard game in a row on Saturday in his team's 42-14 win over Georgia State. He was 28-for-36 for 307 yards and tossed four touchdown passes while being picked off once.

But McCloud's impact went beyond what he did with his arms, as he got his legs involved as well. He carried the ball 13 times, gaining 104 yards and scoring a pair of rushing touchdowns.

After bouncing around between South Florida and Arizona early in his career, McCloud found a home at JMU. He's completed 67.2% of his pass attempts this season for 2,343 yards with 22 touchdowns and seven picks. He's added six rushing touchdowns as well. The Dukes sit at 9-0 and have a pretty good shot at winning out, though Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State are both good squads.

1. Jalen Milroe - Alabama

Jalen Milroe landing the No. 1 spot on this week's list is a bit surprising for one major reason, which is that Milroe didn't actually throw a touchdown pass in the contest. That's right -- no touchdowns on Saturday against LSU through the air.

So, why is Milroe ranked No. 1? Because of what he did with his legs. Milroe had 20 carries against the Tigers, gaining 155 yards on the ground and finding the end zone four times. Plus, it's not like he was a non-entity as a passer. While he didn't throw for a touchdown, he was 15-for-23 for 219 yards and didn't throw an interception.

Milroe now has completed 64.8% of his passes this season for 1,836 yards with 13 touchdowns and five picks. He's added 297 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. With six wins in a row, Alabama's back in the playoff conversation if the team wins out and gets some luck. Milroe's name has also started to appear in the Heisman convo. It might be a little too late for him to make a legitimate run at the award, but Milroe's at least established that he's the guy at Alabama right now, something that was in question.

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