Dynasty Scouts Conference Review: Big Ten and ACC

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.

ACC

Premier Conference Performer

Lamar Jackson, QB Louisville (Sophomore)

20/34 passing, 355 yards, three touchdowns, 17 carries, 76 yards, one touchdown vs. North Carolina State

Jackson set a school single-season record by scoring four touchdowns in the first half, while leading his team to a 54-13 shellacking over NC State. This was the third game of the season where he passed for more than 300-yards and it was also his third game passing for at least three touchdowns. He currently has 34-total touchdowns on the season.

Rising

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Bucky Hodges, TE Virginia Tech (Junior)

Seven catches, 66 yards, two touchdowns vs. Miami

Hodges’ size and athleticism made him a mismatch-nightmare for Miami’s defensive backs as he made his presence felt around the goal line by catching two touchdowns, one for 7-yards in the second quarter and the other touchdown reception was for 12-yards in the third quarter. He made a few tough contested catches, using his body to shield away the defender to reel in the reception. Hodges currently has 323-yards and five touchdowns on the year.

Travon McMillian, RB Virginia Tech (Sophomore)

18 carries, 131 yards vs. Miami

McMillian sliced-up Miami’s defense for 131-yards while averaging 7.3 yards per carry. His running style supplies a nice blend of speed and burst, making him dangerous when the offense line can open up the running lanes. College football is oozing with talented running backs and McMillian and many other backs are going to fall through the cracks due to the hyperinflation of talent at the position. He’s very underrated, and he runs hard with determination and grit, while supplying enough speed and burst to allow him be burn defenses in the open field. He currently has 458-yards rushing on the season and three touchdowns while owning a 16.22 percent market share of team’s offensive production.

Elijah Hood, RB North Carolina (Junior)

16 carries, 107 yards, one touchdown, two catches, four yards vs. Virginia

The Tar Heels utilized Hood’s 220-pound frame to wear down the defense late in the game. He scored on a four-yard touchdown run in the first quarter which was his fourth of the season. His 107-yard performance was his second game of the season where he eclipsed the 100-yard mark. He currently owns an 18.35 percent market share of the team’s offensive production.

Taquan Mizzell, RB Virginia (Senior)

19 carries, 106 yards, one touchdown, seven catches, 25 yards vs. North Carolina

Mizzell was able to churn out yards against a tough North Carolina run defense. It was very encouraging to see him get heavily used in the passing game when Virginia was trailing, because a lot of college running backs are almost totally absent from the game plan once their team falls behind by a significant margin. This was the first game of the season where he surpassed 100-yards rushing and he currently has 31-receptions on the season. Mizzell owns 19.05 percent of the team’s offensive production.

Amba Etta-Tawo, WR Syracuse (Senior)

Ten catches, 144 yards, one touchdown vs. Boston College

He’s back! Etta-Tawo returned to form after a two game slump where caught ten receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown. He just broke the 1,000-yard mark with 1,074 yards on the season and he also has six games with over 100-yards receiving on the season. He currently owns an astounding 44.33 percent market share of the team’s passing offense and 30.84 percent of the team’s total offensive production.

Eric Dungey, QB Syracuse (Sophomore)

32/38 passing, 434 yards, three touchdowns, one interceptions, 17 carries, 54 yards vs. Boston College

This was by far his best game of the season by leading his team to a 28-20 victory over Boston College, passing for 434 yards and three touchdowns. His accuracy was on point as he averaged an 84.2 percent completion percentage. He also accrued an impressive tackle after throwing an intercepting, showing that he has the ability to be aggressive when he needs to be. Dungey is a very interesting quarterback prospect who might become one of the top quarterbacks in the draft in the next few years.

Falling

Matthew Dayes, RB North Carolina State (Senior)

Five carries, 13 yards, one catch, 21 yards vs. Louisville

Louisville’s defensive line did what they wanted against NC State, which derailed Dayes’ production because the rushing lanes were not there for him to run through. Game-flow didn’t work in his favor either, because NC State found themselves trailing early in the game, causing them to abandon the run. He prematurely left the game in the second quarter due to an injury. He currently has 682-yards rushing while owning a 31.59 percent market share of the team’s offensive production.

Brandon Radcliff, RB Louisville (Senior)

Five carries, 17 yards vs. North Carolina State

Radcliff wasn’t able to get anything done on the ground as he averaged just 3.4 yards per carry. He’s currently in a slump right now, rushing for just 124-yards in his last three games. Quarterback Lamar Jackson is the team’s featured weapon and he’s going to steal a lot of the touches from the running backs, making his production very volatile, which could potentially kill his value going forward.

Patrick Towles, QB Boston College (Senior)

4/14 passing, 45 yards, one interception, ten carries, 104 yards, one touchdown vs. Syracuse

Towles completed a dismal 28.57 percent of his passes on Saturday, missing many wide open targets as he wasn’t able to convert many of his pass attempts. He managed to rush for 104-yards and a touchdown, which is great, but NFL scouts are looking for quarterbacks that can complete passes and move the chains through the air. His size and mobility makes him and interesting prospect but his inability to accurately pass the football is going to keep him from cracking an NFL roster.

Freshman Spotlight

Ahmmon Richards, WR Miami (Freshman)

Three catches, 78 yards vs. Virginia Tech

Richards, a four-star recruit from West Palm Beach, Florida, came out of high schooled ranked twenty-eighth in the nation amongst wide receiver prospects and twenty-third amongst all prospects in the state of Florida. He led the team with 78-yards receiving, while averaging 26.0 yards per reception. He’s one of the prime candidates to take over as the team’s primary receiver in the near future.

Big Ten

Premier Conference Performer

Rising

Saquon Barkley, RB Penn State (Sophomore)

12 carries, 99 yards vs. Ohio State

It appears Barkley has the Buckeye’s number because he has rushed for a total of 293-yards in his last two games against them. He managed to find the cracks made by the offensive line and made the defense pay every time he was able to hit the hole. His short area quickness and swift feet makes him dangerous in the open field. He currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 681-yards rushing.

Curtis Samuel, RB Ohio State (Junior)

Two carries, 71 yards, one touchdown, eight catches, 68 yards vs. Penn State

Samuel should’ve received more touches than what he did but head coach Urban Meyer mentioned that he knew Penn State was keying on Samuel when he was lined up in the backfield, so the game plan was to evenly disperse the football while pounding freshman running back Mike Weber between the tackles. Even with limited touches, he still managed to leave his mark in this game with 139-total yards on just ten touches, averaging 13.9 yards per touch. He’s an electrifying athlete who can change the dynamic of a game with just a few touches. His stock is going to rise whenever he chooses to come out for the draft.

Karan Higdon, RB Michigan (Sophomore)

Eight carries, 106 yards, one touchdown vs. Illinois

This was his second straight game with over 100-yards rushing. Higdon displayed his speed in the fourth quarter when he bounced a handoff outside for a 45-yard touchdown, outrunning the entire defense. As a side note, fourteen different players received at least one carry in this game.

Amara Darboh, WR Michigan (Senior)

Five catches, 99 yards vs. Illinois

First off, Michigan crushed Illinois and there are a lot of players from the Wolverines that played well in this game but Darboh clearly stands out because he’s consistently leading the team in receptions each and every week. He’s a great route runner and can utilize his strong hands to make contested catches with defenders draped all over him. He’s a senior and will come out for the draft next spring. Keep an eye on him, he’s an underrated prospect, and he should rise up boards during the draft process this spring. He currently has 499-yards receiving and five touchdowns, while owning a 31.56 percent market share of the team’s passing offense.

Corey Clement, RB Wisconsin (Senior)

35 carries, 134 yards, one touchdown, two catches, 11 yards vs. Iowa

Clement is back to his old form and he should be considered one of the top running back prospects in the country. This was his second straight game with over 100-yards rushing and the first game of the season with over 30-carries. He currently ranks seventh in the Big Ten with 617 yards rushing, while owning a 24.05 percent of the team’s offensive production.

Rodney Smith, RB Minnesota (Sophomore)

22 carries, 111 yards, one touchdown, one catch, 27 yards vs. Rutgers

This was Smith’s fourth game surpassing the 100-yard mark as he currently has 701 rushing yards on the year, ranking him second in the Big Ten in rushing. He scored on a 6-yard touchdown run in the first quarter which was eighth of the season. He currently owns 29.63 percent of the team’s offensive production.

Shannon Brooks, RB Minnesota (Sophomore)

22 carries, 87 yards, one touchdown, once catch, four yards vs. Rutgers

Brooks missed the first few games of the season due to an injury, but he’s starting to return to form and he has looked great in his last few games. He rushed for 709 yards and seven touchdowns last year as a freshman, which was one of the reasons why there was a lot of anticipation over how he would perform going into this season. His running style has a nice blend of speed and power that can make draft enthusiast salivate because it provides the indication that he could potentially become a three down back at the next level if he fully develops.

Justin Jackson, RB Northwestern (Junior)

28 carries, 94 yards, five catches, 34 yards vs. Indiana

This wasn’t Jackson’s best game but it’s another example how he’s the heartbeat of the offense. Whether it’s utilizing his skillset as a receiver in the passing game or grinding out the tough yards between the tackles to run down the clock, Northwestern heavily relies on Jackson’s talents to get them through each game. He currently leads the Big Ten with 792 yards rushing while owning a 34.57 percent market share of the team’s offensive production.

Austin Carr, WR Northwestern (Senior)

Seven catches, 125 yards, one touchdown vs. Indiana

Carr led the team in receptions while eclipsing 100-yards receiving for the fourth time of the season. He’s been magnificent this season as he’s constantly bailing out quarterback Clayton Thorson with clutch catches to keep drives alive. He currently leads the Big Ten with 720 yards receiving while owning a 42.65 percent market share of the team’s passing offense.

Nick Westbrook, WR Indiana (Sophomore)

Ten catches, 126 yards, one carry, three yards, one touchdown vs. Northwestern

Westbrook is a three-star recruit from Lake Mary, Florida who has the size and speed to make him an intriguing prospect. This was his third game of the season where he surpassed 100 receiving yards and he currently ranks second in the Big Ten with 563-yards receiving.

LJ Scott, RB Michigan State (Sophomore)

20 carries, 128 yards, one touchdown vs. Maryland

Scott finally put it together to deliver the results we have been expecting all season. He rushed for 699-yards and 11 touchdowns last year as a freshman and there was a consensus expectation that he was going ton build upon last year’s performance during his sophomore season. Since then he has encountered injuries that set him back a little bit but he’s starting to regain form and display the speed, power and burst that we saw from him last year.

Falling

Terrell Newby, RB Nebraska (Senior)

22 carries, 82 yards, two catches, 21 yards vs. Purdue

Newby averaged just 3.7 yards on the ground against a suspect Purdue run defense. This is his senior season and he’s going to be facing a lot of competition in the draft next spring which makes every game crucial for his future in the NFL. He currently has 511 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the year.

Markell Jones, RB Purdue (Sophomore)

Jones rushed for 875 yards and ten touchdowns last year as a freshman but he has been a disappointment this year, rushing for just 92-yards in his last three games. Purdue keeps getting blown out in games, which hurts Jones’ opportunities to showcase his skills as he hasn’t received more than 12-carries in a game since week four. He currently has 408 yards and two touchdowns on the season while owning a 17.16 market share of Purdue’s offensive production.

C.J. Beathard, QB Iowa (Senior)

17/33 passing, 153 yards, six carries, five yards vs. Wisconsin

Beathard was billed as one of the top quarterback prospects in the nation going into this season, but unfortunately he has been a disappointment. Woeful accuracy issues and bad decisions has caused the Hawkeyes to lose to teams they have beat. Right now, Beathard is on the path to becoming a late mid to late round pick in next year’s draft.

Freshman Spotlight

Lorenzo Harrison, RB Maryland (Freshman)

17 carries, 105 yards, one touchdown, two catches, 10 yards vs. Michigan State

Harrison is a three-star recruit from Hyattsville, Maryland where he was heavily recruited by Penn State, Hawaii and West Virginia before deciding to sign with the Maryland Terrapins. He’s a smaller scat-back with speed and he has the potential to develop into a solid change of pace back. He currently has 502 yards and five touchdowns on the season while owning an 18.62 percent market share of the team’s offensive production.

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