With college football in full swing, we’ll be bringing you a review each and every week. These recaps will feature sections for “Premier Conference Performer,” “Rising Players,” “Falling Players,” and a special Freshman spotlight. These weekly reviews will keep you up-to-date on all the happenings in devy leagues and allow you to keep tabs on future dynasty league assets. By the time the NFL Draft rolls around, you won’t see too many strangers.
PAC-12
Premier Conference Performer
Luke Falk QB, (Sophomore) Washington State
36/55 passing, 497 yards, five touchdowns, one interception vs. Arizona State
Back-to-back weeks for Luke Falk as the Premier Conference Performer. He completed 65.5 percent of his passes and threw for five touchdowns in the victory over Arizona State. He connected with four different receivers for scores. Dom Williams caught two, and Jamal Morrow, Keith Harrington, and John Thompson for one each. After Arizona State had taken a 14-0 lead, Falk took over and got the Cougars to score 17 straight points. Williams and Harrington scored on these drives. Before the third quarter ended Mike Bercovici drove the Sun Devils down and scored to put Arizona State backup going into the fourth quarter 21-17. Falk then threw two more touchdowns for a Washington State 14-0 run, as he connected with Thompson and Morrow, making the lead 31-21. After an Arizona State field goal, Falk threw a 75-yard pass to Williams for his second touchdown of the game. Falk has 3,736 yards passing with 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions on the season. Washington State will now take on No. 23 UCLA on the road then Colorado.
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Rising Players
Anu Solomon QB, Arizona (Sophomore)
31/46 passing, 352 yards, three touchdowns, one interception vs. USC
Solomon did what he could against USC to pull the victory; it just wasn’t enough. He finished with three touchdowns and just one interception while completing 67.4 percent of his passes. He threw for the second-most touchdowns this season and had the most yards passed. His three touchdowns went to three different players as Nate Phillips, David Richards, and Cayleb Jones. The Wildcats have lost two games in a row, and interesting that has been when Solomon has thrown his interceptions, which he has done just three times. He also put up 16 touchdowns and 2,061 yards passing.
Demario Richard RB, Arizona State (Sophomore)
18 carries, 111 yards, one touchdown, six catches, 16 yards vs. Washington State
Richard was able to gain 111-yards and one touchdown. His touchdown came from 6 yards away. He also caught six balls for 16 yards. The sophomore has been picking up steam lately. His last two games has shown him carry the ball 37 times for 246 yards and two touchdowns. He has five games over 100 yards rushing and has scored in back-to-back games. On the season, Richard has 775 yards rushing and six touchdowns.
Dom Williams WR, Washington State (Senior)
Six catches, 123 yards, two touchdowns vs. Arizona State
Williams had one of his best performances this season. He caught his third-most passes and had his second-largest yardage day, and equals his with his most touchdowns with two. Williams first touchdown came in the second quarter from 11 yards out to put the Cougars up 14-10. He then caught the last touchdown of the game for 75-yards. On the season, Williams has 54 receptions for 779 yards and eight touchdowns.
Falling Players
Nick Mitchell QB, Oregon State (Freshman)
9/19 passing, 84 passing yards, zero touchdowns, three interceptions vs. UCLA
Nick Mitchell was shut down by the defense of UCLA and could only muster nine completions. Mitchell also only completed 47.4 percent of his passes and threw three interceptions. Even though he is only a freshman getting his third start of the season against a tough UCLA team, he hasn’t shown much of anything in those starts. He has just one touchdown and four interceptions while throwing for just 410 yards. The learning curve is in the process, and the Beavers haven’t won a game since they played San Jose State, losing six straight. They will try to get on track against Cal on the road.
Storm Barrs-Woods RB, Oregon State (Senior)
14 carries, 87 yards, zero touchdowns vs. UCLA
Barrs-Woods has been here before, a few times. He had 26 yards of his 87 total on one play, dropping his 6.2 yards per carry total, down to a more realistic 4.6, which is still good. The senior had his best game since the 151 yards he put up on San Jose State, so he has stumbled as of late. He needs to do more when the Beavers are using a freshman quarterback, and he has failed to do that. He has just 108 yards in on 23 carries in his last two games. He also has scored just once all season. His value has taken a large dip since last season, and his draft value has taken a large hit.
Nelson Spruce WR, Colorado (Senior)
Five catches, 75 yards, zero touchdowns vs. Stanford
Stanford put the lockdown on Nelson Spruce as he only could he his hands on five balls that he turned into a nice 75 yards. He couldn’t get into the end zone. Spruce now has back-to-back games where he struggled to find pay dirt. In fact, he hasn’t done much when it has come to scoring as he only has done that twice this season. Spruce has 67 receptions and 728 yards on the season. Stanford put the choke hold on Spruce and the rest of the Colorado offense, which reflects how strong the Cardinals defense is rather than a bad performance for Nelson Spruce. He will try to bounce back at home against USC, and also try to end the Buffaloes two-game losing streak.
Freshman Spotlight
Ronald Jones II, USC
19 carries, 177 yards, one touchdown, one catch, five yards, one touchdown vs. Arizona
His first touchdown came from five yards out to tie the game right before halftime. Cody Kessler hit him on a screen pass and he nearly waltzed in to tie the score at 17. His second touchdown was a 74-yard run, where he busted some tackles and made his moves work for him to go the distance for the score. You can watch it here http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:14079203 The freshman is surely getting some publicity as he has rushed for a touchdown in three straight games and went over 100 yards for the first time this season against Arizona. He has 710 yards on 89 attempts with six touchdowns this year.
Nation
Premier Nation Performer
Kenneth Dixon RB, Louisiana Tech (Senior)
22 carries, 195 yards, six touchdowns, three catches, 32 yards vs. North Texas
Louisiana Tech took on North Texas and obliterated them 56-13. Most of the scoring is due to Kenneth Dixon and his six touchdowns. Dixon started the route by scoring from 1 yard out and by the end of the first quarter he added another touchdown from seven yards. Dixon only added one score in the second quarter and then in the third he busted one from 40 yards and had another from 14. He added his last score from three yards in the fourth quarter. The senior has 933 yards rushed and 17 touchdowns in the season. The Bulldogs have won six of their last seven games, and Dixon is a major reason for their winning streak. Louisiana Tech will finish their next two games on the road against UTEP and what could be for the division title against Southern Mississippi.
Rising
P.J. Walker QB, Temple (Junior)
18/25 passing, 268 passing yards, four touchdowns, seven rushes, 149 yards, one touchdown vs. SMU
In a game where 100 total points scored there were a lot of explosives going on. It really should have been a larger blowout as Temple is the 22nd ranked team where SMU is just 1-8 overall and 0-5 in the conference. Leading the attack was P.J. Walker, who was nearly perfect completing 72 percent of his passes for 268 yards and five total touchdowns. He also rushed for 149 yards as well. Walker threw his first touchdown in the opening quarter and ended the half with another score. Walker hit Adonis Jennings in the third quarter from four yards out, then hit Ventell Bryant for 75 yards, and completed his scoring with a 36-yard score to make put Temple up by 13. On the season, Walker has 1770 yards passing with 14 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Temple will take on USF on the road and then face #13 Memphis at home.
Jamauri Bogan RB, Western Michigan (Freshman)
18 carries, 171 yards, two touchdowns vs. Ball State
Jamauri Bogan easily had his best game of his college season. Bogan had 171 rushing yards and two touchdowns, making the fourth straight week he has scored a touchdown, including four last week against Eastern Michigan. He scored his first touchdown in the third quarter from 12-yards, and then his second was the longest of the day, as he took it 76 yards for the score. On the season, the freshman has 646 yards on 99 carries with nine touchdowns. Western Michigan will take on first-place Bowling Green at home, and then Northern Illinois on the road.
Corey Davis WR, Western Michigan (Junior)
Seven catches, 163 yards, three touchdowns vs. Ball State
All three touchdowns that quarterback Zach Terrell tossed went to Corey Davis. The junior finished the game with seven catches and 163 yards on top of those three scores. Davis opened the scoring with a 65-yard touchdown then scored again in the second quarter from 17 yards out. He got his last touchdown from 23 yards, it is apparent the domination of Davis over the Ball State Cardinals. On the season, he has 56 receptions for 832 yards and eight touchdowns. Davis also has five 100+ yard games. After starting 1-3, the Broncos has taken control and have won five straight.
Falling
Blake Frohnapfel QB, Massachusetts (Senior)
19/43 passing, 173 yards, zero touchdowns, two interceptions vs. Akron
Blake Frohnapfel may have had his worst day as quarterback for Umass. The senior finished with a 44.2 completion rate, the worst, 173 yards his second worst and two interceptions also his worst of the year. Akron, who is ranked 79th in the nation, had no issues stopping Frohnapfel as they ended up winning 17-13, sending the Minutemen to their fifth straight loss of the season. Frohnapfel on the season has 2,466 yards passing with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Massachusetts will try to break their losing streak next week against Easter Michigan on the road, and then take on Miami of Ohio at home.
Marcus Cox RB, Appalachian State (Junior)
16 carries, 74 yards, zero touchdowns, six catches, 52 yards, zero touchdowns vs. Arkansas State
In a game for first place in the division, Marcus Cox didn’t perform the way he was needed to be. His 74 yards on 16 carries is not a tribute of a player who averaged 4.6 yards per carry, as he had a long of 24 yards. Meaning that in 15 attempts he rushed for 50 yards or 3.3 yards per carry. He did add something to the passing game as he caught six balls for 52 yards. Also, the Red Wolves are tough on opponents against the run. They are ranked 44th in the nation allowing 146 yards per game. On the season, Cox has 991 yards rushing on 183 attempts with six touchdowns this season. He has been up and down after rushing for 100+ yards in four straight weeks. In his last five games, he has two 100-yard games and three that haven’t reached that mark.
Daniel Braverman WR, Western Michigan (Junior)
Five catches, 72 yards, zero touchdowns vs. Ball State
I thought it was interesting that I had two players from the same team make the rising portion of this article and yet have one that is on the falling section as well. But to see Daniel Braverman, who is the leading wide receiver for the Broncos put up five catches that ties the second lowest of the season, and 72 yards that were his second lowest of the season. There could be something wrong as he has fallen off the last two games. He was on a six-game scoring streak end last week and continued this week. He also had five games where he put up double-digit receptions, only to fall off to only 22 receptions in four of his last five games.
Freshman Spotlight
Ramadi Warren RB, Tulsa
19 carries, 168 yards, three touchdowns vs. UCF
Ramadi Warren scored his first touchdown in the second quarter from 5 yards, his second score took place in the fourth quarter from 1 yard and then his last to put the game away from 2 yards. His touchdowns came from close in, but he rushed for 106 yards on 13 carries. His longest run was from 47 yards, so even though he finished with an 8.8 yard per carry average, is a little over emphasized, but taking that away he still averaged 6.7 yards per carry. He hasn’t gotten a lot of looks over the season, but this may change as he did very well with his sole opportunity. He has 310 yards on 50 carries with four touchdowns.
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