Unprecedented Season Moves Into Who Knows What

As this unprecedented season moves into who knows what, the college football games have started in parts of the country and it appears others will follow later.  Rankings of any kind are challenging, to say the least.  Here at the Lott IMPACT Trophy we have adjusted our Watch List as the landscape of the game shifts from week to week. We have opted out of choosing a Player of the Week, but are certainly keeping a tab on players throughout the country. 
 
“Week One” saw Florida State’s Asante Samuel Jr. land five solo and six total tackles along with two interceptions and two pass breakups. Samuel Jr. was a late addition to the Watch List, but quickly demonstrated why he deserved a spot on it.
 
At Chapel Hill, Chazz Surratt split five tackles and made four on his own while finishing the day with two sacks and two hurries on the quarterback.
 
A member of the newest “addition” to the ACC, Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah packed the stat line with six solo and nine total tackles – two for a loss, including a sack – and a forced fumble to boot.
 
A transfer from Temple, Quincy Roche had a strong showing in his debut with the Miami Hurricanes, contributing three solo and four total tackles, a sack, and a quarterback hurry.
 
In the Big 12, we saw Texas’ Joseph Ossai make two solo and eight total tackles – including 0.5 TFL – plus a quarterback hurry in a dominating win over UTEP.
 
Taking a look at last weekend…
 
The tandem of Duke defensive ends Victor Dimukeje and Chris Rumph II were a bright spot for the Blue Devils, with Dimukeje racking up six total tackles, 3.5 sacks (good for 2nd best single game sack record in school history), and a forced fumble. Rumph II (who now shares Duke’s single game sack record) finished the day with eight total tackles, a sack, and a quarterback hurry. 
 
Though Syracuse fell to 0-2, junior DB Andre Cisco continues to be a leading contributor on defense, offering eight total tackles to the Orange.
 
In the AAC, UCF’s Richie Grant made six solo tackles, shared three more, and picked up a fumble recovery en route to topping Georgia Tech. Cincinnati safety James Wiggins netted six total tackles – four solo – and a pass breakup in his first game back with the Bearcats since a season-ending injury in the 2019 preseason.