Dynasty Scouts Conference Reviews: Big Ten and ACC

Bruce Matson Posted On September 29, 2015

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We will be reviewing the risers, fallers, a premier conference performer, and we will shine a spotlight on the top freshmen every week. These weekly recaps will keep you informed on the “hot” college players around the country and will make studying for your future rookie draft effortless.

BIG 10

Premier Conference Performer

Ezekiel Elliott, RB Ohio State (Junior)
16 carries, 124 yards, one touchdown, three catches, 29 yards vs. Western Michigan

Elliott showed why he is one of the best in the business. Urban Meyer utilized him in the second half to put away the pesky Western Michigan Broncos. He had a couple key receptions during the game that kept the chains moving. This was his ninth straight 100-yard game.

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Rising

De’Veon Smith, RB Michigan (Junior)
16 carries, 125 yards, one touchdown vs. BYU

Smith had a spectacular run in the second quarter where he broke several tackles for a 60-yard touchdown. He wore down BYU’s defense with his punishing running style. Smith rolled his ankle during the third quarter, though x-rays were negative, and he is expected to play next week against Maryland.

Michael Thomas, WR Ohio State (Junior)
Six catches, 80 yards, one touchdown vs Western Michigan

Thomas scored on a 38-yard touchdown reception where he capitalized on a mishap by the defense which allowed him to become wide open. He has good hands and he can use his size to box out defenders from the football. He is a very promising wide receiver prospect, but due to being a part of one of the most talented teams in the nation he gets overlooked. Thomas is a player that you need to keep on your radar.

Amara Darboh, WR Michigan (Senior)
Four receptions, 57 yards, one touchdown vs. BYU

The Big House erupted when Darboh came down with a highlight-reel catch that would rival Odell Beckham’s famous catch from last season. He caught a 4-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to help give Michigan a 14-0 lead.

Jordan Howard, RB Indiana (Junior)
33 carries, 168 yards, one touchdown vs. Wake Forest

Howard is quietly having a stupendous year. He’s leading the Big Ten in rushing with 675 yards. So far, Wake Forest has been his toughest test and he passed with flying colors. He pounded the defense and wore them down to help Indiana defeat Wake Forest 31-24.

Tommy Armstrong Jr., QB Nebraska (Junior)
23/35 passing, 368 yards, two touchdowns, seven carries, 63 yards, one touchdown vs. Southern Mississippi

Armstrong lit up the scoreboard in a shoot-out against Southern Mississippi quarterback Nick Mullens. While passing the ball he made good decisions and limited his mistakes. He put the game away in the fourth quarter with a 16-yard touchdown.

Falling

Connor Cook, QB Michigan State (Senior)
11/19 passing, 143 yards, one touchdown, three carries, 16 yards vs. Central Michigan

Cook’s inefficient play caused Michigan State to rely on the run game. He struggled reading the defense and he was inaccurate on a lot of his pass attempts. Cook was touted as one of the top quarterback prospects in the nation, but he has looked far from being NFL ready.

D.J. Knox, RB Purdue (Sophomore)
19 carries, 42 yards, six receptions, 54 yards vs. Bowling Green

The offensive line for Purdue wasn’t able to get much push against a stout Bowling Green defensive line. Knox suffered from the inefficiencies of the offensive line and he wasn’t able to get anything going. He rushed for a dismal 2.2 yards per carry.

Corey Clement, RB Wisconsin (Junior)
Did Not Play vs. Hawaii

Clement will miss four to six weeks due to a sports hernia and he will need to have surgery to fix the issue. This is a sharp dagger to his junior season and could hurt his stock if he wanted to come out for the NFL Draft during the off-season.

Freshman Spotlight

Taiwan Deal, RB Wisconsin (Freshman)
26 carries, 147 yards, two touchdowns vs. Hawaii

Wisconsin leaned on Deal as their workhorse back, using him to pound the ball to wear down the defense. Corey Clement is going to be out at least a month. Deal proved that he can be a reliable replacement during that time period.

ACC

Premier Conference Performer

Matthew Dayes, RB North Carolina State (Junior)
Eight carries, 104 yards, three touchdowns, six receptions, 46 yards vs. South Alabama

Dayes took things into his own hands by rushing for three touchdowns in the first quarter. He blew past the defense for a 77-yard touchdown for his first score of the game. He was used in passing situations as a check down option to keep the chains moving. Dayes is the heartbeat of N.C. State’s offense.

Rising

Ryan Switzer, WR North Carolina (Junior)
Five catches, 89 yards, one touchdown vs. Delaware

Switzer had a good game last week. He was targeted heavily and he took advantage of it. He used his speed and his superb route running skills to catch a 63-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

T.J. Thorpe, WR Virginia (Senior)
One catch, 75 yards, one touchdown vs. Boise State

Thorpe, a transfer from North Carolina, made his debut last week against Boise State. He had one catch and he made the most of it by zipping past the defense for a 75-yard touchdown. He’s a player to monitor to see how he fits in the offense.

Shadrach Thornton, RB North Carolina State (Senior)
12 carries, 111 yards, two touchdowns vs. South Alabama

Thornton had a great day on the ground. North Carolina State utilized Thornton to pound out the defense for a 63-13 win. He broke out a 39-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to give the Wolfpack a 14-7 lead.

Falling

Kendall Hinton, QB Wake Forest (Freshman)
19/46 passing, 245 yards, one touchdown, one interceptions, 22 carries, 57 yards, two touchdowns vs. Indiana

Indiana managed to get a lot of pressure with their pass rush causing Hinton to make a lot of mistakes. He threw an interception in the fourth quarter that the defense ran back for a touchdown. He was sacked six times and he only completed 41.3 percent of his passes.

Matt Johns, QB Virginia (Junior)
12/25 passing, 199 yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions vs. Boise State

Johns made bad decision after bad decision, turning over the ball multiple times and missing wide open receivers with his erratic passing attempts. He was hit frequently and sacked three times.

Travon McMillian, RB Virginia Tech (Freshman)
Five carries, 30 yards, one catch, eight yards East Carolina

McMillian’s production was stifled by a stout East Carolina run defense. Virginia Tech dumped the running game early which killed any hope for McMillian to put anything together.

Freshman Spotlight

Lamar Jackson, QB Louisville (Freshman)
15/22 passing, 212 yards, one touchdown, one interceptions, 18 carries, 184 yards two touchdowns vs. Samford

Jackson set a school record with 184 rushing yards for a quarterback. He was able to take advantage of playing a lower-level team last week which allowed him to pump up his stats in the box score. He show cased his explosiveness while rushing for two touchdowns.

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Bruce Matson

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

I'm a financial counselor for a hospital in South Central Ohio. I graduated from Muskingum University with a bachelor's in business while minoring in Economics and Accounting. I won my first fantasy football title with Jake Plummer as my quarterback.