Eight most disappointing college football QB performances of Week 10

Drives unraveled under pressure, giveaways contributed to an avalanche and winnable games became a rout.

Miami Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Week 10 reminded us that quarterback play is a razor's edge: one overtime throw in Dallas turned a near-escape into a walk-off loss, and a scoop-and-score in Knoxville flipped the game in a single sprint. Drives unraveled under pressure, giveaways contributed to an avalanche and winnable games became a rout. Here are the eight most disappointing QB performances from Week 10 of college football.

Carson Beck, Miami (at No. 23 SMU) — 26-20 L/OT

Miami’s offense had chances to close the door late, but Beck's two interceptions loomed the largest — especially the one in overtime that set the table for the Mustangs' winning score. Before that, the Hurricanes elected to kneel out regulation with two timeouts and about a half-minute left, a conservative choice that put the outcome on Beck's arm in OT rather than in his hands at the end of the fourth.

In a game where Miami's defense largely held up, the turnovers came back to bite them. For a top-10 team trying to make the CFP, Beck just has not been able to live up to the NIL money this season.

Joey Aguilar, No. 14 Tennessee (vs. No. 18 Oklahoma) — 33-27 L

Aguilar's stat line looked pretty in certain places — 393 yards and three touchdowns — but the turnovers were too much to overcome for the Volunteers. Two interceptions led to Sooner field goals and a 71-yard fumble return became a back-breaking touchdown the other way, a 13-point tax on an otherwise productive night.

Oklahoma's disguise and pressure clearly bothered Aguilar, showing up in four sacks and a slew of hurried throws. Those mistakes were the difference between a signature win and a season-altering loss.

Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar / Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Avery Johnson, Kansas State (vs. No. 13 Texas Tech) — 43-20 L

Johnson's ability as a runner (two rushing scores) couldn't offset three costly turnovers. He threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, which is the kind of cascade that repeatedly set up short fields and let Texas Tech win the ball game. The Wildcats also went 0-for-4 on fourth down, compounding the quarterback's miscues. In a game that was within reach going into the third quarter, each mistake amplified the next. By the fourth, the deficit and the pressure had ballooned beyond recovery.

Malik Washington, Maryland (vs. No. 2 Indiana) — 55-10 L

This was a hard one for Maryland. Washington threw two interceptions and lost a fumble that Indiana returned for a touchdown, short-circuiting any chance Maryland had to hang in after a promising early takeaway. With the Hoosiers squeezing the run and playing downhill, every Maryland mistake was magnified on the scoreboard. The final result? a 45-point loss on homecoming.

Maryland Terrapins quarterback Malik Washington / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Jayden Maiava, No. 23 USC (at Nebraska) — 21-17 W

USC won, but its quarterback play was a grind. Maiava completed just 9 of 23 passes for 135 yards with an interception, and the Trojans posted their worst passing output in seven years. Credit Nebraska's defense and USC's ability to pivot behind a 129-yard night from King Miller, but the passing game never found rhythm or answers. On a night when the margin was one score, that inefficiency kept the door open until the final minutes. The win still counts just as much as it would if Maiava played great, but it certainly wasn't how Lincoln Riley and company drew it up.

Tayven Sorsby, No. 17 Cincinnati (at No. 24 Utah) — 45-14 L

Nothing came easy for Sorsby as he was held to 11-for-33 passing (221 yards) with a touchdown and interception, while also losing a fumble as the Bearcats' seven-game win streak ended. As Utah's front won downs and its offense played from ahead, Cincinnati's passing game folded under pressure. Cincy now needs to regroup to remain in the Big 12 race.

Bryce Underwood, Michigan (at Purdue) — 21-16 W

Even in victory, Michigan flirted with disaster because of a late red-zone mistake. Protecting a five-point lead, Underwood fumbled at the Purdue 5 with 3:59 left, resulting in a touchback that handed the Boilermakers a lifeline. The Wolverines' defense bailed the offense out, but that swing changed the final minutes and nearly altered the outcome. Michigan did enough elsewhere to survive but for a young quarterback, it's a situational lesson that tends to stick.

Ethan Grunkemeyer, Penn State (at No. 1 Ohio State) — 38–14 L

Grunkmeyer showed poise early, but Ohio State's adjustments turned the second half into a shutout. Grunkemeyer finished 19-of-28 for 148 yards with one interception as the Nittany Lions mustered no points after halftime. Once the Buckeyes took away the easy answers and the pass rush got active, the air game shrank to check-downs and contested throws.

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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