Top 5 Quarterback Performances of Week 7 College Football: Avery Johnson, Graham Mertz, more

October 16, 2023

Justin's NCAA college football top quarterbacks from Week 7 of the 2023 season. Top performers include Avery Johnson and Graham Mertz.

Week 7 of the college football season is now behind us. It was a week filled with some good football games, including a 36-33 duel between Washington and Oregon. But while both teams feature quarterbacks who are in the Heisman running this season, neither Michael Penix Jr. nor Bo Nix earned a spot on this week's list of the best quarterback performances.

One quarterback who just missed this week's list but deserves a quick mention is Jason Bean from Kansas, who threw for 410 yards and five touchdowns. But Bean was picked off twice and the Jayhawks lost 39-32 to Oklahoma State in one of many good Big 12 games this past weekend.

Below are the top five quarterback performances from Week 7 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. Donovan Smith - Houston

One of the most fun games of the week happened on Thursday when Houston defeated West Virginia 41-39. It was a pretty wild back-and-forth contest.

With 12 seconds to go, West Virginia’s Garrett Greene found Hudson Clement for a 50-yard touchdown to put the Mountaineers ahead. But an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on WVU gave Houston good field position and Donovan Smith hit Stephon Johnson Jr. for a 49-yard touchdown pass as time expired.

It was part of a big game for Smith, who was 21-for-27 for 253 yards and four touchdowns in the victory. He also added 12 carries for 34 yards and a score. This now makes it back-to-back games where Smith has thrown for four touchdowns and no picks, as well as three games in a row where he’s completed over 70% of his passes. Smith looked a little wobbly as a passer to open the year, but he’s found his footing and the Cougars are back to .500 now.

4. Shedeur Sanders - Colorado

If Colorado hadn’t blown a big lead and lost to Stanford, Shedeur Sanders might have found himself a little bit higher on this week’s list. But after the Buffaloes collapsed on Friday, it was hard to justify putting Sanders higher than fourth despite some really good numbers.

Sanders was 33-for-47 for 400 yards and five touchdowns in Friday’s double-OT loss to the Cardinal. He also added 37 rushing yards. He was picked off once though, and he led the Buffaloes to just one second-half touchdown as the team blew a 29-point halftime lead.

On the season, Sanders has completed 72.3% of his passes for 2,420 yards with 21 touchdowns and three interceptions. He’s the passing yardage leader in FBS with Michael Penix Jr. in second. Colorado’s lost three of its last four games, but Sanders isn’t the reason for that. He’s been one of college football’s best quarterbacks.

3. Josh Hoover - TCU

The Horned Frogs were without starting quarterback Chandler Morris this week because of a knee injury, forcing redshirt freshman Josh Hoover into the starting lineup. And based on his performance this week, we might have a quarterback controversy growing down in Fort Worth.

Hoover came in in relief against Iowa State last week and looked solid, going 11-for-19 for 119 yards with a touchdown and a pick. This week in his first career start, he destroyed the BYU defense.

Hoover was 37-for-58 for 439 yards in the 44-11 victory, throwing four touchdown passes. He was picked off twice, but it’s hard to hold that against him in his first career start, especially when he did so many other things well. Interceptions might be a concern going forward as he’s now thrown four this season, but Hoover’s first college start was an encouraging sign for this TCU program.

2. Graham Mertz - Florida

Graham Mertz struggled during his time as Wisconsin’s starting quarterback, capped off by a 2022 season where he completed just 57.3% of his pass attempts. He transferred to Florida this offseason, where he beat out Jack Miller III for the starting job.

Mertz has looked like a completely different player with the Gators, as he’s completed 76.2% of his passes for 1,897 yards, 12 touchdowns, and just two interceptions through the first seven games of the season.

On Saturday, he led the Gators to a 41-39 win over South Carolina. Mertz was 30-for-48 for 423 yards in the win, tossing three touchdowns and no picks. Two of those touchdowns came in the fourth quarter as Mertz led a come-from-behind victory for the Gators. He put the team ahead with just 47 seconds left to play with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Pearsall.

1. Avery Johnson - Kansas State

Kansas State’s Avery Johnson wasn’t even the team’s starting quarterback on Saturday against Texas Tech. His nine pass attempts were only half of the Wildcats’ pass attempts. He was 8-for-9 for 77 yards, while starter Will Howard was 6-for-9 for 86 yards.

So why is he sitting at No. 1 on this week’s list of top quarterbacks? Because of what he did with his legs. Johnson had 13 carries for 90 yards on Saturday, but the most important stat: he scored five rushing touchdowns in K-State’s 38-21 victory over the Red Raiders.

Johnson, whose four other pass attempts this season came against Southeast Missouri State, took over for Howard during Saturday’s contest and based on his performance, he’s not going to give the job back. The true freshman from Wichita was ranked by Rivals as the top dual-threat quarterback in this freshman class, and he showcased why he was ranked so high against the Red Raiders. Even if the Wildcats stick with Will Howard as the starter, Johnson's going to get plenty of snaps going forward.

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