Dynasty Scouts Conference Review: Big Ten and ACC

Bruce Matson Posted On October 10, 2016

Here at Dynasty Scouts, we’ll always do our best to keep you informed about the latest happenings in college football. We watch all of the games so you don’t have to. Here’s some of what we noticed this past weekend.

Big Ten

Premier Conference Performer

Saquon Barkley, RB Penn State (Sophomore)

31 carries, 202 yards, one touchdown vs. Maryland

Once Penn State got a big lead they used Barkley to consistently grinded out the tough yards to keep the chains moving which helped Penn State control the clock. It’s been a quiet year for Barkley, considering he was one of the top running back prospects going into the season and so far, his production has been hovering around average this year. Keep in mind, Penn State is starting a lot of young offensive linemen, which is going to put a stranglehold on a lot of Barkley’s opportunities because there won’t be as many holes to run through. He has 582 rushing yard and eight touchdowns one the season.

Rising

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Akrum Wadley, RB Iowa (Junior)

14 carries, 107 yards, one touchdown, one catch, negative two yards vs. Minnesota

Wadley’s 54-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter, where he outran the entire defense to get into the end zone, elevated the Hawkeyes to a 14-7 victory. He’s a small scat-back that can burn defenses with his homerun hitting speed. This was the second game of the season where he eclipsed the 100-yard mark and he currently has 416 rushing yards on the year.

Chris Evans, RB Michigan (Freshman)

11 carries, 153 yards vs. Rutgers

His speed and explosiveness was too much for the Scarlet Knight linebackers as he easily ran past them multiple times in this game. Evans was able to find a crease in the defense that allowed him to blow by the defensive backs for a 57-yard first down. He also had another run where he broke multiple tackles for a 43-yard gain.

Amara Darboh, WR Michigan (Senior)

Two catches, 65 yards vs. Rutgers

Considering Michigan destroyed Rutgers 78-0, they did not need to throw the ball much in this game, which curtailed a lot of the opportunities in the passing game for Darboh. However, in the second quarter he made an amazing catch with a defender draped over him for a 45-yard gain. He doesn’t have the short area quickness to create a lot of separation from defenders but he could potentially have the best hands in the country.

Falling

J.T. Barrett, QB Ohio State (Junior)

9/21 passing, 93 yards, one touchdown, one interception, 26 carries, 137 yards, one touchdown vs. Indiana

Barrett was off the mark on a lot of his throws as he was unable to connect with his receivers when it mattered most. He started out the game completing three of his first four pass attempts but from there things started to go downhill as he only completed six of his next 17 pass attempts, completing just 42.86 percent of his passes. He also threw an interception and lost a fumble, which were two crucial turnovers that kept Indiana in the game. redding

Devine Redding, RB Indiana (Junior)

22 carries, 78 yards vs. Ohio State

Ohio State has one of the toughest run defenses in the country and it’s almost impossible to establish the run against them. Devine got stuffed on a majority of his rushing attempts because the offensive line was out matched. He was able to break off a few nice runs, showing his ability to utilize his short area quickness to make defenders miss in the open field.

LJ Scott, RB Michigan State (Sophomore)

Three carries, nine yards vs. BYU

Going into this season, Scott was considered one of the top running back prospects in the Big Ten and now it appears he has a lot of ground to make up if he wants to finish the season as one of the best running backs in the conference. In his defense he has been battling injuries and playing behind a horrible offensive line that struggles to create space for him to run through. The biggest concern is the competition for touches within the offense is getting tougher by the week. It’s going to be hard for him to receive enough workload to make a difference if Michigan State continues to trail in games.

Freshman Spotlight

Brian Lankford-Johnson Purdue (Freshman)

18 carries, 127 yards, one touchdown, three catches, 12 yards vs. Illinois

This was his first game where he got more than just a handful of carries and he took advantage of the opportunity by rushing for 127 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown run came in the second quarter when exploded by the defense for a 32-yard score. He also demonstrated that he has the ability to grind out yards between the tackles.

ACC

Premier Conference Performer

Dalvin Cook, RB Florida State (Junior)

27 carries, 150 yards, one catch, 59 yards, one touchdown vs. Miami

Cook’s 59-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter ignited Florida State’s offense which helped fueled the team’s ability to comeback from a 20-point deficit to beat Miami 20-19. This was his third straight game where he gained 200 or more total yards. He is currently ranked third in the nation with 785 rushing yards and he has 345 receiving yards on the year, giving him a 38.29 percent market share of Florida State’s offensive production.

Rising

Deshaun Watson, QB Clemson (Junior)

14/24 passing, 266 yards, four touchdowns, eight carries, 28 yards vs. Boston College

Watson surgically cut through Boston College’s defense with his passing attack like a knife cutting through hot butter. He was able to connect with seven different receivers, while completing 58.33 percent of his passes. This was the fourth game of the season where he was able to complete three or more touchdowns passes. Watson is still considered one of the top quarterback prospects in the nation.

Wayne Gallman, RB Clemson (Junior)

Nine carries, 109 yards, one touchdown vs. Boston College

This was his third 100-yard game of the season as he currently has 584 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the season. He was able to break away from the defense for a 59-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter. It was smooth sailing from there as Clemson obtained an insurmountable lead, allowing Gallman to rest a little bit during the second half of the game. He showed everything you want to see in a workhorse running back when it comes to power, speed and burst. He should be considered one of the top running back prospects in the country due to his ability to consistently pound out yardage between the tackles.

Matthew Dayes, RB NC State (Senior)

23 carries, 126 yards, three catches, 14 yards vs. Notre Dame

This game was flooded with rain and the wet conditions were ideal for Dayes as he put the team on his back by protecting the ball and constantly picking enough yards to keep the chains moving. He accounted for an incredible 70.71 percent market share of the team’s offensive production. He currently has 563 rushing yards on the season with four games surpassing the 100-yard mark.

Travon McMillian, RB Virginia Tech (Sophomore)

17 carries, 76 yards, one touchdown, two catches, four yards vs. North Carolina

McMillian scored on a four-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to give the Hokies a 34-3 lead over the Tar Heels. He runs with a lot of speed and burst which makes him very dangerous because he can score from anywhere on the football field. Game-flow worked in his favor as Virginia Tech held a commanding lead during most of the game, allowing them to use McMillian to run the ball to milk the clock.

Stacy Coley, WR Miami (Senior)

Seven catches, 80 yards, two touchdowns vs. Florida State

Coley had a clutch 11-yard touchdown reception with 1:38 left in the fourth quarter, but unfortunately, the PAT was blocked, causing the Hurricanes to lose the game by one point. He also caught another touchdown pass in the first quarter which was a 21-yard strike by quarterback Brad Kaaya. This was his best performance of the year and his second game of the season where he scored multiple touchdowns.

Falling

James Conner, RB Pittsburg (Junior)

14 carries, 60 yards vs. Georgia Tech

During his last three games, Conner has averaged just 3.9 yards per carry, rushing for just 160 yards two touchdowns in those contests. He’s still considered one of the most intriguing running back prospects in the nation but his production has taken a hit lately. The biggest concern for Conner right now is that he’s starting to face some competition for touches out of the backfield, which could hinder his opportunities for compiling yards and touchdowns.

Mitch Trubisky, QB North Carolina (Junior)

13/33 passing, 58 yards, two interceptions, eight carries, negative two yards vs. Virginia Tech

Going into this game, Trubisky was picking up steam as one of the top up-and-coming prospects in the nation. However, Saturday’s horrendous performance deflated a lot of hopes and dreams of a lot of his supporters. He completed just 39.39 percent of his passes while losing a fumble and throwing for two interceptions. This was by far the worst performance of the season for Trubisky as this was the first time in his career he couldn’t surpass 100-yards passing as the team’s starting quarterback.

Amba Etta-Tawo, WR Syracuse (Senior)

Four catches, 36 yards vs. Wake Forest

Back to reality for Tawo as he was held in check to just four catches for 36 yards. Games like this happen, and we shouldn’t expect him to blow up the box score for every game. He still leads the nation with 876 receiving yards.

Freshman Spotlight

Deondre Francois, QB Florida State (Freshman)

20/31 passing, 234 yards, two touchdowns, ten carries, 21 yards vs. Miami

Francois rallied the troops and led his team back from a 20-point deficit to beat the Hurricanes. He was on point during most of the game, completing 20 of his 31 pass attempts for a 64.5 completion percentage. It’s been an up and down season for Francois, but this win provides assurance that he’s on the right track, because he was able to remain composed and lead his team to victory against a tough defense.

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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.