Start vs. Sit: Who to Play, Who to Bench Week 5

Start vs. Sit: Who to Play, Who to Bench Week 5

This article is part of our Start vs. Sit series.

PLAYERS TO START

Nick Florence, QB, Baylor (at West Virginia)

Robert Griffin III is gone, and Florence probably doesn't have a Heisman in his future, but he's putting up impressive numbers of his own so far. In three games, Florence has already thrown for more than 1,000 yards to go with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions, and he runs pretty well also. Admittedly, the competition hasn't been good, and this week the Bears have to visit West Virginia. However, the Mountaineers beat teams by piling on points. That will probably happen this week, but Florence should have a big game as well as Baylor is in catch-up mode throughout.

Andrew Manley, QB, New Mexico State (vs. UTSA)

Sure, Manley has only completed 53.5 percent of his passes, but he still has thrown for 1,045 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions. He didn't put up the numbers in Week 4 against New Mexico that some expected, but this week he has an even better matchup against UTSA. The Roadrunners are new to FBS, and this is their first conference game. With Austin Franklin around to catch his passes, this could be the huge game Manley didn't have last week.

Kerwynn Williams, RB, Utah State (vs. UNLV)

Williams started slowly but finally broke out last week against Colorado State, gaining 205 yards on 21 carries and scoring two touchdowns. He now has 406 yards rushing and 115 yards receiving to boot. UNLV is, at best, a marginally tougher matchup

PLAYERS TO START

Nick Florence, QB, Baylor (at West Virginia)

Robert Griffin III is gone, and Florence probably doesn't have a Heisman in his future, but he's putting up impressive numbers of his own so far. In three games, Florence has already thrown for more than 1,000 yards to go with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions, and he runs pretty well also. Admittedly, the competition hasn't been good, and this week the Bears have to visit West Virginia. However, the Mountaineers beat teams by piling on points. That will probably happen this week, but Florence should have a big game as well as Baylor is in catch-up mode throughout.

Andrew Manley, QB, New Mexico State (vs. UTSA)

Sure, Manley has only completed 53.5 percent of his passes, but he still has thrown for 1,045 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions. He didn't put up the numbers in Week 4 against New Mexico that some expected, but this week he has an even better matchup against UTSA. The Roadrunners are new to FBS, and this is their first conference game. With Austin Franklin around to catch his passes, this could be the huge game Manley didn't have last week.

Kerwynn Williams, RB, Utah State (vs. UNLV)

Williams started slowly but finally broke out last week against Colorado State, gaining 205 yards on 21 carries and scoring two touchdowns. He now has 406 yards rushing and 115 yards receiving to boot. UNLV is, at best, a marginally tougher matchup than the Rams, so Williams should pick up where he left off.

Chris Thompson, RB, Florida State (at South Florida)

A lot was expected of the Florida State defense this season, but its offense has been quite impressive so far as well. Thompson leads the team in rushing with 357 yards on 33 carries and has five touchdowns as well. Granted, a lot of those yards came on two huge runs against Wake Forest, but he's still a really talented played, and he has 11 receptions for 121 yards. South Florida is coming off a loss to Ball State. The Seminoles should run all over their Sunshine State counterpart.

Cody Hoffman, WR, BYU (vs. Hawaii)

Yes, the Cougars only scored six points last week, and Hoffman was limited to three catches for 21 yards. However, that was in a game against Boise State on the blue turf. The two weeks before that, Hoffman had more than 100 yards receiving and a touchdown in each game. Now, BYU plays host to Hawaii, which just gave up 69 points to Nevada at home. The chances of the Cougars, and Hoffman, bouncing back this week are quite strong.

Michael Campanaro, WR, Wake Forest (vs. Duke)

In Week 3, Campanaro had a rough game in Tallahassee, being held to two catches and eight yards. However, despite that one blip, Campanaro still has a whopping 36 catches for 421 yards and three touchdowns, and he's run for a score as well. This week's matchup at Duke, which most impartial fans probably wish was a basketball game, shouldn't hinder Campanaro much.

Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA (at Colorado)

The bloom is off the rose a bit for the Bruins, who lost to Oregon State last week, but their offense still looks good, and Hundley has impressed thus far, both throwing and running. This week, UCLA gets the chance to lick its wounds against Colorado. The Buffaloes earned their first win last week, but they are still a lousy team. The Bruins should get back to their winning ways, and Hundley should be in for a big week.

PLAYERS TO SIT

Keith Price, QB, Washington, (vs. Stanford)

Price has started a bit slowly this season, as he has only thrown for 580 yards and four touchdowns in three games. However, one of those games was at LSU, while another was a blowout of Portland State in which Price was only called on to throw 19 times. He'll have better games. It just won't turn around this week because the Huskies play visiting Stanford. The Cardinal more or less shut down Matt Barkley last week. Price's chances aren't very strong to do any better.

Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas (at Texas A&M)

Last week, the Razorbacks suffered another bad loss, but it certainly wasn't Wilson's fault. He returned from his injury to throw for 419 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Those are good numbers, but they aren't terribly impressive for a college football quarterback, and this was in a home game against Rutgers. This week, the reeling Razorbacks have to visit Texas A&M. Wilson's numbers should fall a bit in this matchup.

Ka'Deem Carey, RB, Arizona (vs. Oregon State)

The Wildcats have impressed on offense this season, but last week they were blanked by the Ducks. Now, Arizona welcomes the other notable Oregon football team in the Beavers. It's a good matchup, sure, but Oregon State has beaten Wisconsin and UCLA already, and in those two games they kept both Montee Ball and Johnathan Franklin in check. Will Carey be the next running back to be stifled by Mike Riley and company? It's probably not worth using him and finding out the hard way.

Branden Oliver, RB, Buffalo (at Connecticut)

Oliver is a workhorse back, as he's carried 71 times in three games. He's gained 426 yards and three touchdowns in those games. However, 238 of those yards and two of his touchdowns came against Morgan State. Now, Buffalo visits Connecticut. The Huskies aren't all that good, but their defense has been solid thus far, and they are certainly better than Morgan State. It's not an awful matchup, but better options are likely available.

Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State (vs. Oregon)

It's been slow going for the Mike Leach Era so far up in Pullman, and the Cougars just lost at home to Colorado to give the lowly Buffaloes their first win of the season. Wilson hasn't been the player many expected, as so far he only has 18 receptions for 317 yards and four scores. Now, the Cougars play visiting Oregon. Not only will the Ducks likely rack up points to a comical degree, but they could easily blank Wazzu as well. If Wilson is going to find his footing this season, it won't be this week.

Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee (at Georgia)

Patterson has stepped in opposite Justin Hunter and acclimated himself quite well. However, last week against Akron he was limited to two catches for 20 yards, his first off game on the year. This week, the Volunteers travel to Georgia. Tyler Bray will face a lot of pressure, and it is going to be harder for the Tennessee offense to get clicking than usual. Hunter may be a must start, but Patterson has not earned that distinction yet.

Seth Doege, QB, Texas Tech (at Iowa State)

Doege has really nice numbers thus far, throwing for 858 yards, 12 touchdowns and one interception in three games. However, Tech's three opponents have been Northwestern State, Texas State and New Mexico - not exactly a murderer's row. Iowa State, meanwhile, is ranked in the top 10 in points against, though its schedule hasn't been all that tough either. The Cyclones probably won't shut down Doege completely, but there is a good chance they will limit the Red Raiders enough to bring Doege down a bit.

Follow ChrisXMorgan on Twitter.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Morgan
Chris Morgan is a writer of sports, pop culture, and humor articles, a book author, a podcaster, and a fan of all Detroit sports teams.
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