By Mark Pszonak
With the high number of transfers making an immediate impact at the college football level on a weekly basis, it is easy for a few performances to slide under-the-radar. Below are five from Week 5 that deserve more attention:
QB Kyron Drones – Virginia Tech (Baylor)
The skinny: This hasn’t been the best stretch of seasons for Virginia Tech, with lackluster quarterback play being one major issue. The Hokies began this season with Grant Wells as the starter, but when he went down with an injury Drones stepped in and brought some optimism back to Blacksburg. While it has yet to result in an abundance of wins, his performance has been a bright spot. During the Hokies’ victory against Pittsburgh on Saturday night he completed 12 of 19 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns, while adding two more rushing touchdowns. There are other issues to address at Virginia Tech, but quarterback will not be one of those.
WR Theo Wease – Missouri (Oklahoma)
The skinny: Since his arrival at Missouri before spring practice, Wease has impressed. However, his play through the first four games of the season was solid yet not overwhelming. That changed on Saturday during a victory at Vanderbilt when he finished with 10 receptions for 118 yards and one touchdown. A confident Wease teamed up with All-American candidate Luther Burden gives the undefeated Tigers one of the better wide receiver duos in the country. So, will Wease continue to be a threat? He may need to be as the Tigers have upcoming games against LSU, Kentucky, Georgia and Tennessee.
TE Erick All – Iowa (Michigan)
The skinny: It was big news when All transferred to Iowa along with his Michigan teammate quarterback Cade McNamara. The hope in Iowa City was that this would help rejuvenate an anemic Hawkeyes’ offense this season. While there have been a few glimmers of hope McNamara’s season ending injury on Saturday night once again dampened much of the offensive optimism. However, All did step up and finished with a team-high four receptions for 67 yards and one touchdown during the 26-16 victory over Michigan State. The offense will need all hands on-deck for the remainder of the season with new quarterback Deacon Hill in charge so All being a consistent threat would go a long way in accomplishing this.
DB Beanie Bishop – West Virginia (Minnesota)
The skinny: The Mountaineers entered the season with head coach Neal Brown on the hot seat and more questions than answers. Now they are 4-1 after a win at TCU and there is new hope in Morgantown. One of the reasons for this has been the play of Bishop, who was especially impressive on Saturday in Fort Worth with nine tackles and two pass breakups. He has been invaluable since his arrival and will continue to be so through the remainder of the season.
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QB TJ Finley – Texas State (Auburn)
The skinny: After leading Incarnate Word to huge successes at the FCS level, head coach G.J. Kinne made the move to Texas State. Known as a coach who runs an explosive offense, he needed a quarterback to accomplish this with the Bobcats. His answer was Finley, who had a roller coaster of a ride at both LSU and Auburn, but has impressed in San Marcos. On Saturday he completed 19 of 24 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns during a 50-36 victory over Southern Miss, which moved Texas State to 5-1. Kinne has quickly proven that he can coach at the FBS level and Finley has rejuvenated his collegiate career in only five games.
