Dynasty Scouts Conference Review: Big Ten and ACC

Bruce Matson Posted On September 19, 2016

Big Ten

Premier Conference Performer

Noah Brown, WR Ohio State (Sophomore)

Five catches, 72 yards, four touchdowns vs. Oklahoma

The entire nation watched the Buckeyes crush the Oklahoma Sooners in a 45-24 drubbing and during that game Brown left his mark as one of the top up-and-coming prospects. He made one of the greatest catches you will ever see in third quarter when he pinned the ball behind the defender’s back, using the defender as leverage to make the catch in the back of the end zone. His four touchdown receptions ties a school record that was previously set by Dane Sanzenbacher, Terry Glenn, and Bob Grimes.

Rising

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Curtis Samuel, H-Back, Ohio State (Sophomore)

11 carries, 98 yards, one touchdown, two catches, 20 yards vs. Oklahoma

Samuel fills the role the “Percy Harvin” in this offense because he’s used as both as a running back and a receiver. He’s explosive with the ball in his hands and has the ability to score from anywhere on the football field. He made the first score of the game in the first quarter when he blew by the defense for a 36-yard touchdown run.

Jake Butt, TE Michigan (Senior)

Seven catches, 87 yards vs. Colorado

Butt is going to be a fun prospect to evaluate come draft season, because he’s one of the top tight ends in the nation and he has some qualities that could allow his game to translate smoothly to the next level. He’s one of quarterback Wilton Speight’s favorite targets as he is often targeted over the middle when plays start to break down. Butt has caught 15 receptions for 192 yards and three downs on the year.

De’Veon Smith, RB Michigan (Senior)

11 carries, 87 yards, one touchdown, two catches, negative three yards vs. Colorado

His best play in this game came in the third quarter where he took a pitch and outran the defenders for 42-yard touchdown run. He’s a big bruising back who likes to get downhill and inflict punishment on the defense with his bruising running style. He’s going to be a trendy mid-late round pick in rookie drafts next spring.

Chris Godwin, WR Penn State (Junior)

Seven catches, 117 yards, one touchdown vs. Temple

Godwin fired up Penn State’s offense by catching a 52-yard touchdown reception early in the first quarter. He held a 39.49 percent market share of the team’s passing production last season, ranking third in the nation. He’s a very underrated prospect and his value should pick up steam as the season progresses.

Robert Martin, RB Rutgers (Junior)

21 carries, 169 yards, one touchdown, two catches, six yards vs. New Mexico

He torched the defense for an 80-yard touchdown run in the second the quarter to tie the game at 21, which helped jump-start a stagnant Rutgers offense. Martin has enough size and speed to surprise scouts during draft season evaluations. He has rushed for 252-yards so far this season.

Gerald Holmes, RB Michigan State (Junior)

13 carries, 100 yards, two touchdowns vs. Notre Dame

He blasted through the heart of the defense for a 73-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. This was the second 100-yard game of his career, the first one occurred during last season where he trounced Nebraska for 117-yards and a touchdown. He’s a big running back with enough speed to outrun defenders in the open field.

Falling

C. J. Beathard, QB Iowa (Senior)

11/22 passing, 152 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, five carries, negative five yards vs. North Dakota State

North Dakota’s defense did a really good job at shutting down the run, which put a lot of extra pressure on Beathard’s shoulders. He wasn’t able to connect with his receivers as often as he wanted too as he only completed just 50 percent of his passes. The Bison’s pass rush rattled him a little bit, causing him to make some bad decisions.

Corey Clement, RB Wisconsin (Senior)

Did Not Play vs. Georgia State Panthers

Clement rolled his left ankle in the 54-10 win over Akron in week two, causing him to sit out against Georgia State. The injury isn’t serious and he should be back soon. He missed a lot of games last year due to injuries and his stock could be in jeopardy if he ends up missing a considerable amount of time this year.

Ke’Shawn Vaughn, RB Illinois (Sophomore)

Eight carries, 22 yards, two catches, zero yards vs. Western Michigan

Western Michigan has one of the toughest defenses in the MAC and they did a very good job at stifling the run against Illinois. Vaughn couldn’t get anything going on the ground as he was often stuffed at the line of scrimmage on most of his carries. He was held to just 2.8 yards per carry.

Freshman Spotlight

Mike Weber, RB Ohio State (Freshman)

18 carries, 123 yards, one catch, six yards vs. Oklahoma

Weber consistently pounded through the defense while averaging 6.8 yards per carry. His combination of size, burst and speed is hard for defenses to defend. Weber is currently leading the Big Ten in rushing with 351 yards.

ACC

Premier Conference Performer

Lamar Jackson, QB Louisville (Sophomore)

13/20 passing, 216 yards, one touchdown, one interceptions, 17 carries, 146 yards, four touchdowns vs. Florida State

Jackson’s performance helped Louisville dismantle the Florida State Seminoles 63-20, which was one of the worst defeats in Florida State’s history. This was the biggest test of the year for him and he passed with flying colors as he was able to do whatever he wanted on the ground and through the air against a very talented defense. He’s currently drawing rave comparisons to Michael Vick due to his versatility as a dual threat quarterback. We are only through three weeks of the college football season and Jackson already has 18 total touchdowns. The Heisman hype is starting to build and it’s going to be interesting to see if he can continue to produce at this hyper-productive pace.

Rising

Amba Etta-Tawo, WR Syracuse (Senior)

Eight catches, 123 yards vs. South Florida

Etta-Tawo is quietly becoming one of the most productive wide receivers in college football, ranking third in the nation with 436 yards receiving. Keep in mind a lot of his statistics have been a product of game-flow and playing against weaker defenses, but he’s still a prospect to monitor and make note of as the season unfolds. From what I saw, he has very strong hands at the catch point and he’s more than capable of making catches in traffic while being contested by the defender.

Mark Walton, RB Miami (Sophomore)

16 carries, 130 yards, two touchdowns, once catch, negative one yard vs. Appalachian State

This was his third straight 100-yard game as he currently ranks second in the ACC with 401 yards rushing. He scored on an 80-yard touchdown run, where he broke a tackle and outran the secondary for the score. His second touchdown came in the fourth quarter where he somersaulted over the defender in front of the goal line for a 10-yard touchdown run.

James Conner, RB Pittsburgh (Junior)

24 carries, 111 yards, one touchdown, two catches, 60 yards vs. Oklahoma State

He currently has 281 rushing yards on the year, ranking him fifth in the ACC. He scored on a 1-yard plunge in the second quarter. This wasn’t his best performance as OSU’s defense was able to control the line of scrimmage but he was able to consistently grind out yards with every carry. Conner shows heart every time he touches the ball as he’s always willing to risk his body to drive back defenders to pick up as much yardage as possible. Barring any setbacks, he should be one of the top running back prospects in next year’s draft class.

Isaiah Ford, WR Virginia Tech (Junior)

Four catches, 91 yards, two touchdowns vs. Boston College

Ford made an amazing contested catch in the back of the end zone with two defenders draped around him during the second quarter. He currently ranks third in the ACC with 259 receiving yards. Ford finished last season ranked second in the nation amongst wide receivers with a 39.65 market share percentage as a sophomore, trailing only Massachusetts’ Tajae Sharpe. If Ford elects to come out for the draft this spring he will be a trendy name amongst the draft community.

Ryan Switzer, WR North Carolina (Senior)

Five catches, 101 yards, one touchdown vs. James Madison

Switzer is going to profile as a slot receiver at the next level due to his size and his ability to utilize hs quickness to separate from defenders while manning the slot. He has caught at least five receptions in each of his last three games and is one of the top targets in UNC’s passing game. The Tar Heels opted with trickery in the first quarter when they decided to run a flea-flicker allowing to him get wide open for a 75-yard touchdown pass.

Falling

Dalvin Cook, RB Florida State (Junior)

16 carries, 54 yards, once catch, eight yards vs. Louisville

Louisville’s defense controlled the line scrimmage which created a lot of problems for Cook, causing him to rush for just 3.4 yards per carry. Game-flow didn’t work in his favor either due to Florida State having to play from behind most of the game. I wouldn’t be too concerned about Cook, games like this happen, the entire team played bad, which effected his production. He should be ready roll next week against South Florida.

Patrick Towles, QB Boston College (Senior)

9/28 passing, 80 yards, one interception, five carries, 17 yards vs. Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech’s defense was very stout by only allowing just 124 total yards. Towles was horrific as he only competed just 32.14 percent of his passes, which was one of the main reasons why Boston College incurred a 49-0 shellacking. Not only was he ineffective in the passing game but he was also held in check as runner by averaging just 3.4 yards per carry. He has not surpassed 200-yards passing in each of his last three games, totaling to just 415 yards for the season.

Nathan Peterman, QB Pittsburg (Senior)

14/29 passing, 237 yards, one touchdown, one interception, nine carries, 33 yards vs. Oklahoma State

His inefficient play caused Pitt to lose the game against Oklahoma State. It’s quite apparent that Peterman has trouble locating his receivers and he is unable to make plays on his own without being able to lean on Tyler Boyd. He has passed for 503 yards and six touchdowns for the year.

Freshman Spotlight

Tavien Feaster, RB Clemson (Freshman)

12 carries, 83 yards, one touchdown vs. South Carolina State

Feaster, a four-star running back recruit from Spartanburg South Carolina, had an impressive debut against South Carolina State, rushing for 83-yards and touchdown. He took a pitch for a 4-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to give the Tigers a 52-0 lead.

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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.