Dynasty Scouts Conference Review: Pac-12 and Around the Nation

Mike Valverde

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.

PAC-12

Premier Conference Performer

Davis Webb QB, CAL (Senior) vs. Oregon

42/61 passes, 325 yards, five touchdowns; Six carries, nine yards, one touchdown, zero interceptions.

It has been a couple of weeks since I placed Davis Webb on the Conference Performer list, but after the air show between Cal and Oregon there was no doubting he should be up here once again. Webb completed 68.9 percent of his passes for 325 yards with six total touchdowns (five passing).

Webb spread the wealth around as he hit four different receivers for touchdowns. Tre Watson caught two, Vic Warton III, Demetris Robertson, and Raymond Hudson each caught one. All six touchdowns came within 15 yards. The Cal quarterback leads the nation in yards and touchdowns, but falters down the list when it comes to quarterback rating and completion percentage. The stats alone tell me he is more of a product of Sonny Dykes than he is NFL pro caliber.

Cal will keep their season going when they face USC and then Washington the following week. The Bears have won and lost every other game thus far in their seven games played.

Rising Players

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Mike FaFaul QB, UCLA (Senior) vs. Utah

24/40 passes, 258 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions.

Mike FaFaul got his second start of the season due to Josh Rosen being out with an injury. He was solid even though he couldn’t drive the UCLA to victory over the Utah Utes. Fafaul connected on 40 of 70 passes (57.1 percent) for 464 yards and five touchdowns. On the negative side he did toss four picks.

Fafaul had the third-biggest passing performance in UCLA history, trailing only 500-yard games by Cade McNown and Drew Olson. He also set UCLA records for pass attempts (70) and completions (40) while throwing for 464 yards, third most in school annals. 

His last two weeks have seen him throw for 722 yards with eight touchdowns and six interceptions. We shall see how Josh Rosen responds next week, but if he can’t play, the team can put their faith in FaFaul.

Joe Williams RB, Utah (Senior) vs. UCLA

29 carries, 332 yards, four touchdowns.

After week two of the college season, Joe Williams decided it was time to hang up his football career and focus elsewhere, a month later he is back and more focused than ever. Last week he carried the rock 34 times for 179 yards and scored a touchdown, this week, he had fewer carries (29), more yards (332), and more touchdowns (4).

Williams broke off TD runs of 3, 43, 64 and 55 yards during the greatest rushing day in Utah (7-1, 4-1 Pac-12) history, surpassing Mike Anderson’s 1999 record.

“I’m pretty sure [the Bruins] are tired of seeing the back of my jersey running down the field,” Williams said, giving credit to his offensive line. “We’ve got five grown men out there that could be in the NFL tomorrow. I’m just glad to be running behind them.”

Utah remains with just one loss on the season, which includes a conference loss to Cal. Now will take on Washington and then Arizona State in their next two games.

Gabe Marks WR, Washington State (Senior) vs. Arizona State

Eight catches, 107 yards, one touchdown.

Gabe Marks contributed eight receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown in the victory over Arizona State (37-32). The Washington State Cougars have now won five straight after losing their first two games to Boise State and Eastern Washington by a total of six points. Marks has been enjoying his streak of scoring at least one touchdown in six of his seven games, missing out last week in the victory over UCLA.

Marks became Washington State’s all-time receptions leader, on a 52-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that put the Cougars up 37-21. They are still on top of the division tied with undefeated Washington Huskies. Both teams will have to fight through another four opponents if they are to meet head to head for the division title and play for the conference championship. River Cracraft, Luke Falk and Marks will be on point helping the Cougars try to run the rest of the table.

Marks runs smooth routes and can set up the defender nicely. He creates space by running crisp routes but due to lack of body size (6’0” 200 pounds) and speed (4.5 forty) will need only to get better when comes to pro level. He has good hands and can track the ball well. He can move quickly upfield. He needs to block better, but is tough over the middle. Marks will most like be a fourth-fifth round selection.

Falling Players

Ryan Burns QB, Stanford (Senior) vs. Colorado

16/29 for 170 yards, zero touchdowns, three interceptions.

Ryan Burns failed to be very accurate completing just 55.2 percent of his passes making the second straight week he hovered just over 50 percent. He finished with his lowest quarterback rating this season (83.7) and threw three interceptions without throwing a touchdown. Making his last two games not throwing for a touchdown but tossing four interceptions. In his last three games, Burns has completed 45 of 73 passes (61%) for 512 yards to go along with one touchdown and five interceptions.

The Stanford brass is already looking forward to seeing what freshman quarterback K.J. Costello can do, and he should get first dibs if Stanford falls out the race for the Pac-12 title. Unlike last week, Burns lost the important game to Colorado and now the Cardinal have lost two of three contests.

Burns days are numbered unless Costello is just not ready.

Christian McCaffrey RB, Stanford (Junior) vs. Colorado

21 carries, 92 yards, zero touchdowns.

As the weeks go by Christian McCaffrey continues to lose stock in the NFL draft. In the next couple of weeks he will need to make the decision on if he is ready to go pro or wipe the slate clean and start fresh next season. It has not been entirely his fault for his lack of production, even though I am sure he will say it is. But, when you have an inept quarterback which allows the defenses to load the box, and also dealing with injuries it’s hard to overcome. He did get a full load of carries this week (21) after missing all of last weeks’ contest and only getting the rock 20 times in the two weeks prior due to a nagging injury. He also hasn’t scored in the last four games played and five weeks total.

Stanford can forget about playing for the division or conference title and now need to prepare for a shot at a bowl game. They will need McCaffery to get them there and that starts next week against Arizona. Christian McCaffrey is a do it all talented running back, but this season is just not for him or the Stanford Cardinal to shine.

Freshman Spotlight

Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon vs. Cal

22/40 passes, 258 yards, six touchdowns, one interception; Nine carries 56 yards.

The freshman quarterback took over for senior quarterback Dakota Prukop who was benched for lack of production. Herbert threw six touchdown passes and rallied Oregon back from a 20-point deficit in the third quarter but it wasn’t enough for the Ducks (2-5, 0-4). Herbert played well and left it out on the field. Herbert hit five different receivers for scores and completed two of those to Charles Nelson (42 and 6). Pharoh Brown for 27-yards for his first score and also connected with Johnny Mundt and Evan Baylis.

What I noticed about Herbert is his quick release and his prototypical size for a quarterback (6’6” 215 pounds). He is out of Eugene Oregon.

Nation

Premier Conference Performer

Tyler Stehling QB, Rice (Senior) vs. Prarie View

22/31 passing, 407 yards, five touchdowns.

Tyler Stehling completed 71 percent of his passes for 407 yards and five touchdowns without an interception and finished with a 234.5 quarterback rating. About as perfect as one quarterback can get. He also caught a touchdown pass and led Rice to their first victory of the season.

On the opening possession of the game, Stehling completed a 12-yard touchdown pass to Austin Walter, his second score came on a 46-yard completion to Temi Alaka to increase the score to 28-7. His next was for 50-yards to Kylen Granson and then at the beginning of the fourth quarter he went back to Walter for seven yards. He also connected with Samuel Stewart for 38-yards. If that wasn’t enough Stehling also caught a touchdown.

Rising Players

Brett Rypien QB, Boise State (Sophomore) vs. BYU

25/39 passing, 442 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions.

Brett Rypien led the Boise State Broncos to another victory even though he threw two interceptions and the Broncos remain undefeated (7-0). Rypien also connected on 64.1 percent of his passes for 442 yards and three touchdowns. It marked his third-highest passing total in his 17 games played as a sophomore. It is also the sixth time he has thrown three or more touchdowns in that time span.

Rypien didn’t waste much time as he connected with Jeremy McNichols for 76-yards on the third snap of the game. On the second drive, Thomas Sperbeck caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Rypien to making it 14-0 Broncos less than four minutes into the game. After a BYU field goal, it appeared the Boise State quarterback was in the giving mood, as he threw a pick-six on back-to-back possessions and the Cougars jumped to a 17-14 lead. The sophomore quarterback shook it off and hit Cedrick Wilson between two defenders with a perfect place pass while Wilson dove into the end zone to finish the reception.

Rypien is 6’2” 200-pound quarterback who can be very accurate and has improved on his freshman season. He has his uncle bloodline as Mark Rypien played for the Washington Redskins among other teams. He played for 16 seasons as starter and backup and made the Pro-Bowl twice and captained two Super Bowl winning teams.

On the season, Brett has 2064 passing (18th in the nation) and 15 touchdowns (tied for 23rd).

Brian Hill RB, Wyoming (Junior) vs. Nevada

29 carries, 289 yards, three touchdowns.

Brian Hill had his second 200-yard performance and the Wyoming Cowboys have won three straight and now are 5-2 on the season and tied with Boise State on top of the Mountain West Conference. Hill finished with career highs with 289 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 29 carries.

His first touchdown came on a pitch off to the left-hand side that Hill took 56-yards for the score. Hills second scoring play was on a hand-off he took up the middle for two yards to make the score 14-3 Wyoming. Hill then took the third on the right side of the formation and followed his block until he exploded past the defender and into the end zone.

Hill has shown he can be very decisive when it comes to making the play and is very patient behind the line of scrimmage and following his blocks. He has good size (6’1”) and weighs in at 220 pounds. He tends to run a bit high and needs to level his pads more, but overall he the junior is doing well. He is second in total yards in the nation (1010) and tied for fifth in touchdowns (11). Wyoming will play Boise State next week at home then travel to Utah State.

Scott Miller WR, Bowling Green (Sophomore) vs. Miami (Ohio)

11 catches, 178 yards, two touchdowns.

Bowling Green Falcons are struggling as they have lost six straight and seven of their last eight games. Their only victory came in a one-point victory (27-26) against North Dakota Fighting Hawks of the Blue Sky Conference of the FCS.

Even though the Falcons have not won in their last six games, it doesn’t mean that Scott Miller hasn’t done what he could to prevent that from happening. He caught 11 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns against Miami (Ohio) even though they went down in defeat 40-26.

Miller’s first touchdown was a 72-yard pass play. He would catch a short pass, on the right side, and make a defender miss then show off his speed by running past everyone for a 72-yard score. His second came in the second quarter as Bowling Green was down 26-17. Miller split the defenders around the 10-yard line of Miami (Ohio), and James Morgan spotted him for the 28-yard touchdown.

Scott Miller is fast and has the talent to catch the ball. Unfortunately, he is shrimp sized at 5-10” and weighing in at 160 pounds. He is an exceptional athlete but will need to grow and gain weight. He is only a sophomore, so it is possible he has a growth spurt ahead of him. On the season, he has 58 receptions (11th in the nation) for 798 yards (13th) and nine touchdowns (tied for fifth).

Falling Players

DeShone Kizer QB, Notre Dame  (Junior) vs. Miami

14/26 passes, 154 yards, zero touchdowns, two interceptions; 11 carries, 83 yards, one touchdown.

DeShone Kizer completed just over 50 percent of his passes for 154 yards. Not a very good performance. He also didn’t throw a touchdown and instead threw two interceptions. Horrible performance. Kizer then added 11 carries for 83 yards and one touchdown, a very good performance.

In the prior two weeks Kizer has struggled with his accuracy and decision making. He connected on just 32 of 61 attempts but had good yardage passing the ball and found the end zone four times with two picks. Sounds a lot like a fit for the Chip Kelly system, which many have the junior going if he decides to skip his senior season. Kelly also likes to run the ball which is another asset of Kizer’s.

D’Angelo Brewer RB, Tulsa  (Junior) vs. Tulane

18 rushes. 61 yards, zero touchdowns.

Tulsa took care of Tulane 50-27, but D’Angelo Brewer was not part of the reason. He tallied 61-yards on 18 carries with no touchdowns. The second straight week Brewer was held without a rushing touchdown, as he did score on a pass reception on Saturday. His last two games have not been what some have come accustomed too. He has tallied 87 yards on 28 carries. Just two weeks before the Houston matchup, Tulsa played Fresno State and SMU where he rushed for 422 yards and one touchdown on 84 carries.

Even though his production and carries have dropped in the last two weeks he has been dealing with an ankle injury. We shall see if this will be a continuing problem. Brewer is a smaller back at 5’10” and weighs 180 pounds. He has 4.4 speed. He may be too small for anything other than a third down back if he makes it into the NFL.

Carlos Henderson WR, Louisiana Tech (Junior) vs. Florida International

Six catches, 68 yards, zero touchdowns.

Carlos Henderson had not much of a game. When looking at his numbers in the prior two weeks the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs took on Massachusetts (12-326-5) and Western Kentucky (8-232-3). I understand that the big lead that the Bulldogs had accounted for some of his missing production, but we expected better from the 5’11” 191-pound wide receiver   

Freshman Spotlight

Ben Hicks QB, SMU vs. Houston

16/31 passing, for 228 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions; Three carries, 12 yards, one touchdown.

Nobody expected that the SMU Mustangs (3-4) would defeat the Houston Cougars (6-2) especially with a freshman at quarterback, but the Mustangs have allowed Ben Hicks to grow with the team and it appears he is paying off dividends. His first touchdown came on a one-yard run to in the first quarter. Hicks second touchdown put SMU up 14-0 as he hit Jeremiah Gaines for 20-yards and Gaines took the rock the rest away and dove over a defender for a 31-yard score and a 21-0 lead.

The third came in the second quarter as he floated a pass to the left-hand corner of the end zone for Courtland Sutton as SMU took a 27-0 lead. The fourth was a connection with James Proche for a wide open 28-yard touchdown. It appeared as the whole Houston team followed Courtland Sutton and left Proche for the all alone score and a 28-7 lead.

Hicks is out of Waco Texas and stands 6-1 and 214 pounds. He is small for a quarterback and will need to grow. It’s too early tell how well he play in his sophomore season, but SMU thinks of him enough to give him all the time he needs as a freshman.

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mike valverde
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