We’re detailing the biggest throws on a weekly basis, giving extra attention to huge throws that quarterbacks make all around the country.

We start by looking at the pass plays with the most Expected Points Added, and then taking into account difficulty and distance of throw, game situation, and opponent.

Here are the five biggest throws from Week 5 in college football, plus what we liked about them from one of CBS Sports/247Sports’ top quarterback experts, Clint Brewster, who does a weekly ranking of the top 20 QBs in the game. 

Arch Manning (Texas): 49-yard TD pass to DeAndre Moore Jr.

Arch Manning makes this list for the second time in three weeks, this time with a beautiful deep ball to DeAndre Moore Jr. for a 49-yard touchdown.

Texas had a one-point lead with just 36 second left until halftime, and was looking at third-and-9 from just inside the 50-yard line. In the shotgun with an empty backfield, Manning faced a blitz, took a hit, and delivered a perfect pass almost 50 yards down the field, leading Moore into the end zone.

“Texas came out in an empty formation and Mississippi State played Cover 0 across the board so Arch knew he had to get the ball out quick but waited until the last second to get off a perfect fade throw while taking a hit,” Brewster says. “He was in the zone all afternoon for the Longhorns with dots all over the field like this one.”

It was +6.4 in EPA, the highest-EPA throw of Manning’s young career.

Taylen Green (Arkansas): 75-yard TD pass to Isaac TeSlaa

Taylen Green makes this list for the second straight week, once again showcasing his mobility to avoid pressure and make a big throw on the move.

Facing third-and-10 on the opening drive of the game, Green danced in the pocket to get himself free, and then on the run threw a perfect ball to Isaac TeSlaa who was streaking acrossnthe field. He took it the rest of the way for a 75-yard touchdown, giving the Razorbacks an early lead over No. 24 Texas A&M. 

This play was +8.0 in EPA, the highest-EPA throw in the country this week.

“This play by Green really speaks to his development as a passer,” Brewster says. “In the past he would look to pull the ball down and run but he shows his amazing evasive capacity in the pocket and ability to make game changing throws on the run. He’s making these throws nearly every week!”

Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss): 48-yard TD pass to Tre Harris

Trailing at home to unranked Kentucky late in the third quarter, and facing fourth-and-7 from Kentucky’s 48-yard line, Lane Kiffin rolled the dice and kept the offense on the field.

Jaxson Dart rewarded him by throwing a dart to Tre Harris, who outran several defenders to get to the end zone and give Ole Miss the lead. Dart had pressure in his face and stood in the pocket and delivered a well-placed ball that allowed Harris to keep moving and make a big play.

“He replaced the ball with the blitz, just how it’s drawn up,” Brewster says, “then threw a perfect pass to give Harris plenty of room after the catch.” 

That play was +7.1 in EPA, matching the highest-EPA throw of Dart’s career, and the second highest-EPA throw on fourth down of any quarterback in the country this season. Unfortunately for the Rebels, there weren’t enough of these types of plays as they fell to Kentucky. 

Blake Horvath (Navy): 77-yard TD pass to Nathan Kent

Navy took an early lead at UAB, but it was still an 11-point game and halftime was fast approaching when the Mids faced second-and-12 deep in their own territory.

Blake Horvath dropped back and launched one 50 yards downfield, hitting Nathan Kent who got behind the defense and took it to the house to open up a big lead for Navy.

“Horvath is proving to be a true dual threat and making defenses pay for playing the run so heavily,” Brewster says. “You better have a deep safety now when you line up against Horvath.”

This play was +6.7 in EPA, not even Horvath’s highest-EPA throw of the game (he threw a screen pass that turned into a 74-yard touchdown to Eli Heidenreich in the second half).

Shedeur Sanders (Colorado): 47-yard TD pass to Will Sheppard

Shedeur Sanders is also no stranger to this list, putting two throws on last week’s big-time throws report.

This time, Colorado was in a tie game with the first-quarter clock winding down, and faced third-and-15 from UCF’s 47-yard line. Sanders felt pressure in his face, shuffled his feet, and threw a strike 55 yards downfield where a diving Sheppard hauled it in for a touchdown.

This play gave Colorado the lead for good and was +6.2 in EPA. It’s the third throw Sanders has made this season that was at least +6 in EPA, tied for the most of any player in the country (with App State’s Joey Aguilar).

“Who says Shedeur doesn’t have elite arm talent?,” Brewster says. “Throws like this prove he not only has accuracy underneath but over the top as well.”



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