Week 9 Mountain West Quarterback Rankings: A New No. 1 Team
Games were live so we have a good idea of who is good and not.
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A second set of rankings.
Ten of the 12 Mountain West teams played last week so we have more data to go by in these latest rankings.
One interesting note that is going to drastically change this list is that Colorado State is likely going with Temple transfer Todd Centeio over Patrick O’Brien who started last season. With not seeing Centeio play he will be near the bottom of these rankings until we see him play, and there is a chance that more than one quarterback play for the Rams.
12. Max Gilliam – UNLV (LW: 12)
The leader looks to be Gilliam but he did not perform all that great in their opening season loss to San Diego State 13 for 21 for 105 yards and a touchdown. The other two Kenyon Oblad and Justin Rogers hardly played and on the current depth chart, it does list Gilliam as the guy at the top but do not be surprised if more than one plays.
11. Tevaka Tuioti – New Mexico (LW: 10)
He has not played yet this year with the prior game being canceled but due to San Jose State playing well this past week so Tuioti drops one spot for no fault of his own.
10. Jason Shelley – Utah State (LW: 8)
This might be too high for Shelley, if we are being honest. He had an interception and passed for just 92 on 14 of 27 attempts. He is above UNLV’s situation is because the Rebels played three different quarterbacks in this game. Utah State head coach Gary Andersen said that he will stick with Shelley this week, so we will see how the second game goes as the Aggies take on another tough team in San Diego State.
9. Todd Centeio – Colorado State (LW: 2)
This one is a huge for the Colorado State position. Most felt Patrick O’Brien would be starting as he did last year, and that is why he was placed at No. 2 last week. However, reports are that Temple transfer Todd Centeio will get the nod and with him being an unknown is why he sits at No. 9 this week.
8. Jake Haener – Fresno State
The three interceptions were not a good look for him but it was really two as that third one was a tipped pass to the Hawaii defender. He completed over 50% of his passes and had a touchdown with a total of 289 yards in the air and 37 on the ground. He also spread the ball around to nine different receivers.
7. Haaziq Daniels – Air Force (LW: 6)
This was a big difference from his superior performance against Navy. This last game against San Jose State did not go as well with Daniels rushing for only 25 yards on 1.9 yards per carry, and the offense was not moving smoothly with him running the option attack. He did throw more than typical with nine competitions on 17 attempts for 92 yards and a score.
6. Carson Baker – San Diego State (LW: 7)
An Aztec quarterback is not expected to be an extremely dynamic week in and week out. They are to be in there to get the job done and make a few plays and no mistakes. Baker had no interceptions and did throw a touchdown but completed only 12 of 25 passes for 137 yards. Getting closer to 200 yards would be ideal and move him up.
5. Nick Starkel – San Jose State (LW: 11)
Starkel is at the top of the depth chart for San Jose State and last week and was the only quarterback on the roster to throw the ball. Nick Nash did come in as a change of pass for 19 rushing yards. Starkel played quite well against a subpar Air Force secondary by completing 22 of 29 passes for 226 yards to go along with two touchdowns and an interception.
Our staff makes picks this week.https://t.co/LprZdTYSdE
— Mountain West Wire (@MWCwire) October 29, 2020
5. Levi Williams – Wyoming (LW: 5)
Williams is now the guy at quarterback for Wyoming as Sean Chambers is out for the year with a broken leg. With Williams under center, it makes Wyoming more balanced with the run and the pass. In the opener, Williams passed for one touchdown and rushed for two more. He was fairly accurate by completing 16 of 31 passes for 227 yards, and he did throw an interception. His dual-threat ability is a key asset for this Wyoming team.
3. Chevan Cordeiro – Hawaii (LW: 3)
Cordeiro was the best dual-threat quarterback of the week and he would have been higher if his touchdown count was more than just two. That does not mean his production was bad, quite the contrary, as he passed for 229 yards with no turnovers and rushed for 119 yards to lead the Warriors and had a pair of touchdowns in the win over Fresno State.
2. Hank Bachmeier – Boise State (LW: 1)
Dropping from the top spot to the second one all came down to total production. Bachmeier was on fire in the first half vs. Utah State and ended up with three passing and one rushing touchdowns. He was 20 of 28 for 268 yards and no interceptions. He did have the highest yards per attempt but his completion percentage and yards were not quite enough to get him to the top spot this week.
1. Carson Strong – Nevada (LW: 4)
There is no doubt that Strong should vault to the top spot. He had the most passing yards this past week with 420 yards and had four touchdowns with no interceptions. This was against a Wyoming defense that is expected to be really good this year and he torched them.
