Dynasty Scouts Conference Review: Pac-12 and Around the Nation
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
Jake Browning QB, Washington (Sophomore) vs. California
19/28 passes, 378 yards, six touchdowns.
How good is Jake Browning? The sophomore has the Washington Huskies in the first place and the top five of all the schools in the nation. You can say that the wide receivers lend a hand to that (John Ross and Dante Pettis) and I wouldn’t disagree, but Browning has been making plays since last season, his freshman year.
The California Bears are easily one of the worst defenses in the land, but Browning still racked up points like a pinball wizard on them. He was good on 67.9 percent of his passes for 378 yards and six scores. Nearly a third of his passes went for touchdowns!
His first touchdown was a lofted 40-yard ball to Ross. He had to stop and wait for it, but once it was in his mitts he raced for another 20-yards for the score. The touchdown gave the Huskies a 7-3 lead over California. Browning followed up with his second touchdown to John Ross. Again, Ross had to wait for the pass to come down, and once it did, he maneuvered himself into the end zone for 67 yards. His third went to John Ross again for six yards, and then he got Dante Pettis involved on a one-yarder and a 35-20 lead.
In the third quarter he connected with Pettis twice again. The first was from 17-yards and his final was another deep pass (32 yards) off a play-action fake and put Washington up 56-20. Browning now has six touchdowns in two games, and his fourth where he has had more than four scores in a game. His season totals are just remarkable. He has 2273 yards passing with 34 touchdowns and three interceptions. The Huskies have won 12 games straight dating back to last season.
Rising Players
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Luke Falk QB, Washington State (Junior) vs. Arizona
32/35 passes, 311 yards, four touchdowns.
Luke Falk attempted 35 passes and connected on 32 of them for a 91.7 completion percentage. Yup, you read that correctly. Falk completed over 90 percent of his passes. His passes were not of the dink-and-dunk variety either, as they averaged just below ten yards a completion. He was also able to get the ball into the end zone four times without throwing an interception.
The first two scores were on the short side. Falk’s first touchdown was to running back James Williams on a shovel pass for eight yards to put the Washington State Cougars up 10-0. He then turned to wide receiver Gabe Marks for a two-yard score and a 24-0 lead at the end of the beginning quarter. This was a beautiful pass and catch deep in the right corner. Falk tossed it over the back shoulder of the defender and Marks had to go up and twist his body landing just inside the end zone.
The next two scores went to receiver Tavares Martin. In the third quarter, he hit Martin from seven yards away and then his last was a rocket in the back of the end zone from four-yards out and put the game out of reach 52-7. Even though the Cougars would add another two scores in the air, they came from backup quarterback Tyler Hilinski.
The junior is making quite a case for himself if he decides to turn pro. On the season he has 24 touchdowns with just five interceptions and has Washington State on a seven-game win streak after two close losses to Eastern Michigan and Boise State by a combined six points.
Ronald Jones II RB, USC (Sophomore) vs. Oregon
20 carries, 171 yards, four touchdowns.
Ronald Jones II had a slow start at the beginning of the season, but has picked it up in his last three games. Three weeks ago against Arizona he had 16-77 yards and a touchdown. Last Saturday, Jones II had the heaviest load (26) on the season and finished with the most yards (219) and touchdowns (3). This week he aided in the destruction of Oregon. 20 carries for 171 yards and four touchdowns. He just continues to build on his scoring every week.
Jones II seemed to turn the corner once head coach Steve Sarkisian switched the quarterbacks from junior Max Browne to freshman Sam Darnold. With the new quarterback the offense has opened up and has had a positive effect on the second year running back.
Against Oregon, Jones II was unstoppable again. His first touchdown came on a 22-yard run up the middle. The second is a defensive’s coordinator nightmare. He took the handoff from Darnold and before he knew it three defensive linemen had their hands on him. Jones II bounced off them, spun, and took it to the right side around tackle for the touchdown.
Ronald Jones II third touchdown was his biggest. He burst through the middle without being touched, juked the safety, and ran the rest of the way for a 66-yard score. His last was just the old grinder style. Get as low as possible and dive into the end zone from one-yard out.
John Ross WR, Washington (Junior) vs. California
Six catches, 208 yards, three touchdowns.
John Ross made life easier for Jake Browning as three of six receptions he took to the house for scores. On two of those he had to make the play happen as he waited for the pass and shielded off the defender. He also broke tackles on his way. Those went for 60 and 67-yards. His third was a great pass by Browning throwing a low liner to Ross who made a shoestring grab and fell into the end zone from four yards away.
Ross has been dominating the competition all season and against the California Bears he had his best yardage game all season. The 5-11 and 190 pounds can play well in the slot, but is just too small to play any of the wing positions in the NFL. He is second in the nation with 14 touchdowns on the year and has 44 receptions for 742 yards. It will be interesting to see if he decides it’s time to leave the college for the pros.
He shows straight-line speed and accelerates enough to outrace pursuit angles. Ross has great vision and nice balance. Durability issues however as he tore his left ACL last season and a torn meniscus in the right. Needs more work on his route running.
Falling Players
Anu Solomon QB, Arizona (Junior) vs. Washington State
9/13 for 121 yards, one touchdown, zero interceptions.
Arizona was down 38-0 by the end of the second quarter when Anu Solomon hit Cam Denison for 47-yards and a touchdown. What he was is accurate. Solomon completed nine of thirteen passes (69.2), he just couldn’t drive the offense against the Washington State Cougars. However, the whole Arizona offense struggled to get anything going as both backup quarterbacks Brandon Dawkins, and Khalil Tate struggled as well completing just two of ten attempts for seven yards and two interceptions.
Solomon’s first game back from injury this season, was not as expected, and he will get a chance in the upcoming weeks to turn things around.
Myles Gaskin RB, Washington (Sophomore) vs. California
16 carries, 74 yards, one touchdown.
Myles Gaskin had a four-game streak of over 100 yards rushing snapped in one of his worst performances this season. His first two games of the season against Rutgers (15-57-0) and Idaho (12-67-1). It seems as though it doesn’t matter how well Gaskin does, as the Washington Huskies continue to win and haven’t lost all season.
In a game that yielded 66 points for Washington, it is surprising that Gaskin only had a small piece of that. His 74-yards on 16 carries (4.6) was his second smallest yards per carry average since the game against Stanford. Even then, he rushed for 100-yards and two touchdowns.
I am sure Gaskin will get his motor back in the next few weeks as the season is coming to a close. He will have to as the Huskies face #20 USC and #25 Washington State to go along with a home game against Arizona.
JuJu Smith-Schuster WR, USC (Junior) vs. Oregon
Two catches, 10 yards, zero touchdowns.
JuJu Smith-Schuster was unstoppable for three weeks. Unfortunately, that ended three weeks ago. His last two games have been abysmal. In the last two weeks he has had eight receptions for 76-yards and no touchdowns. Three weeks ago he finished with 9-132-3. In one game he has what has taken him more than two games now to achieve and could even take more. It has been a strange ride for one of the top receivers in college. He started off slow in his first three games, but then dominated catching 21 passes for 368 yards and three touchdowns. Having 100+ yard games in each during that stretch of time with five or more receptions.
Freshman Spotlight
Sam Darnold, QB USC vs. Oregon
28/40 passes, 309 yards, two touchdowns, one interception.
Sam Darnold didn’t have as solid as a game last week when he threw for 231-yards and five touchdowns, but the USC Trojans will take this as well. His 70 percent completion rate to go with 309 yards and two touchdowns put the Trojans in the win column once again for the fifth straight game.
Darnold did break his two-game streak of five touchdowns and his four-game straight with three or more touchdowns. Next week USC plays #4 Washington, let’s see if Darnold can keep his 70 percent completion rate going for three games now, as he was good for 72 percent last week against California. Another impressive stat for USC and Sam Darnold has been the way he has moved the USC offense. In his last five games, he has been able to average over 40 points a game in four of those.Â
Nation
Premier Conference Performer
Zach Terrell QB, Western Michigan (Senior) vs. Ball State
23/34 passing, 367 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions.
Zach Terrell kept the Western Michigan Broncos in the undefeated column as they defeated the Cardinals of Ball State 52-20. Terrell completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 367 yards and three touchdowns without tossing an interception.
All three of his touchdowns went to wide receiver Corey Davis. Terrell first touchdown went for 57-yards to make the lead 21-7 in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the quarterback underthrew Corey Davis, but Davis jumps over the Ball State defender to score a 35-yard touchdown for the Broncos to increase their lead to 28-10. Terrell found Davis over the middle around mid-field, and Davis did the rest as he began breaking tackles to score his third touchdown to extend Western Michigan’s lead to 35-10 in the third quarter.
Terrell on the season has 2362 yards passing (26th in the nation) with 23 touchdowns (12th in the nation) and just one interception. He has Western Michigan ranked 14 in the AP Poll. The senior quarterback was named National Football Scholar Athlete given to 12 athletes across the nation.
Three games remaining for the quarterback and if he continues to perform as he has he may break into the NFL. He is only 6-1 and weighs in at 204.
Rising Players
Riley Ferguson QB, Memphis (Junior) vs. SMU
20/27 passing, 287 yards, four touchdowns, zero interceptions.
Riley Ferguson was able to connect on 74.1 percent of his passes and throw for 287 yards which included four touchdowns and zero interceptions. The four touchdowns were his second highest of the season and his 287-yards is his lowest in the last three games. He is coming off two straight 300+ games against Navy and Tulsa.
The Memphis Tigers took out SMU easily 51-7 all behind the arm of Ferguson. He had touchdown passes of 50, 4, 20 and 21 yards before halftime.Â
Ferguson’s first touchdown went to Anthony Miller as he spotted him uncovered at the 25-yard line, and Miller took it to the house (50) for a 7-0 lead. The second score was to Joey Magnifico (4). Riley spotted Magnifico in the end zone as he rolled out to his right and threw a tosser to the tight end to make the score 14-0 in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Riley Ferguson discovered Daniel Montiel alone after the defense bit on the play-action pass for 20-yards. Ferguson connected with Montiel about 10-yards away from the end zone and the wide receiver nearly strolled it in for the score. Â His last touchdown came in the third quarter, when he found Anthony Miller for 21-yards just outside the left hash marks.
Aaron Jones RB, UTEP (Junior) vs. Houston Baptist
14 carries, 228 yards, two touchdowns.
Aaron Jones helped the University of Texas El Paso Miners defeat out of conference team the Houston Baptist Huskies (Southland). His first touchdown was in the first quarter on a 39-yard run to put the Miners up 7-0. UTEP had a 21-0 lead when Jones took it the distance for 62-yards with 13:36 left in the second quarter and his second touchdown. This score put him tied with Pug Gabriel for the Miners all-time list for rushing touchdowns (27). At halftime Jones had 181 yards rushing as well.
Jones has scored at least one touchdown in every game except for one, and has three multiple touchdown performances. Also, this is his fifth game rushing over 100-yards and his second 200+ yard performance. On the seasons Jones has 1168 yards rushing (sixth in nation) and 11 touchdowns (tied for 16th) on 164 carries. Even though he has put up some nice numbers, there is little chance he will be on the 2017 NFL draft board.
Corey Davis WR, Western Michigan (Senior) vs. Ball State
12 catches, 272 yards, three touchdowns.
Corey Davis got open enough to make a continuous connection with his quarterback Zach Terrell. 12 times for 272 yards and three touchdowns. All three of his touchdowns came from long distance. The first was a 57-yard connection, when Terrell found him all alone and Davis walked it in from inside the 20-yard line. The next two were a showcase of his skills. In the second quarter he leaped over the defensive back to make the catch and in the third, he caught the ball about midfield and broke several tackles on his way for his third score.
Davis is ninth in the nation in receiving yards (1011) and tied for 15th in receptions (61), and second in touchdowns (14). Corey Davis can be one of the top receivers to go off the board in the NFL draft. He has the frame (6-3) and body size (214 pounds) of an NFL athlete and his brother Titus Davis had a stint in the league for a few seasons before retiring this year.
He has solid body control and nice acceleration. He shows an understanding of the flanker, split end and slot responsibilities. He runs a smooth route and can make all the catches. Davis will break tackles and go up and get the ball. Will need to work on his consistency in grabbing the ball with his hands, and going up high to go after it. He seems at times content with what is given him instead of working for it. Needs to block better.Â
Falling Players
Dalton Strum QB, Texas-San Antonio (Senior) vs. Middle Tennessee
9/20 passes, 108 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions.
Dalton Strum did no favors for Texas-San Antonio Road Runners even though they were able to win over Middle Tennessee. He has not been very active in his last two games either. Last week against North Texas he was a solid 10-for-19 with 142 yards and two touchdowns. In sum, the last two weeks he has completed 19 passes on 39 attempts for 250 yards and three touchdowns with just one interception. Not really good numbers. However, the Road Runners have won four of their last five games.
Jamaal Williams RB, BYUÂ (Senior) vs. Cincinnati
25Â rushes. 92 yards, zero touchdowns.
An overall a brutal day for Jamaal Williams. The senior running back has been slowing down over the last two games what could be done to injury. He left the game last week because of an injury and ended up rushing 25 times for 92 yards and no touchdowns.
His prior three games, is what helped him get noticed. All three of those games he rushed over 150+ yards, including, 169, 286, 163 with nine touchdowns. He will look to get his season back on track when BYU face the Southern Utah Fire Birds.
Freshman Spotlight
Devin Singletary RB, Florida Atlantic vs. Rice
23 rushes, 252 yards, three touchdowns.
Devin Singletary helped Florida Atlantic put a thrashing on Rice 42-25 and snap their seven-game losing streak. His rushing yards are now a new school single-game record. Singletary blasted Alfred Morris’ single-game rushing record of 198 yards against UAB on Nov. 26, 2011. His 283 all-purpose yards also set a record, besting Anthony Jackson’s 231 against Marist in 2001.
Singletary’s first touchdown was a dive up the middle for a yard in the first quarter to tie the game at seven. His second was a wide open blast through the tackle box for 13-yards that put Florida Atlantic up 21-14. In the fourth quarter while the Owls were up 35-25, Singletary took the handoff for 66-yards and the touchdown.
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