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.
Big Ten
Premier Conference Performer
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Rodney Smith, RB Minnesota (Sophomore)
24 carries, 153 yards, three touchdowns, two catches, 10 yards vs. Purdue
Smith has rushed for over 100 yards in five of his last six games, and currently has 954 yards on the season. He’s improved vastly since his freshman season as he looks a lot quicker compared to how he was running a year ago. I think he’s a very underrated prospect and his value could rise if he can continues to produce.
Rising
De’Veon Smith, RB Michigan (Senior)
19 carries, 114 yards, three touchdowns, one catch 17 yards vs. Maryland
Smith pillaged the Terrapins for 131 total yards and three touchdowns. Michigan seized an insurmountable lead and they used Smith to keep the chains moving while running out the clock late in the game. His size and power was too much for Maryland’s defense and he was able to make the defenders pay by consistently lowering his shoulder to drive the tacklers back for extra yardage. He currently has 564 yards and eight touchdowns on the season.
Jehu Chesson, WR Michigan (Senior)
Five catches, 112 yards, one touchdown vs. Maryland
Chesson has the typical blend of size and speed to make him an impact player at the next level. He burned a defensive back late in the second quarter for a wide-open 33-yard touchdown reception. He has 416 yards and two touchdowns on the year.
Curtis Samuel, RB Ohio State (Junior)
Five carries, 41 yards, eight catches, 137 yards, two touchdowns vs. Nebraska
Samuel is Percy Harvin but without the headaches. He’s developing into something special because he’s breaking out like gang busters every week. He’s a Swiss Army Knife type of player because he can beat you on the ground and as a receiver. Samuel is one of the most dangerous players in the country when he gets the ball in the open field.
Corey Clement, RB Wisconsin (Senior)
32 carries, 106 yards, one touchdown, two receptions, 11 yards vs. Northwestern
Clement consistently grinded out the tough yards to keep Wisconsin’s offense on the field. He scored on a 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to put the game away which helped deliver a 21-7 victory for the Badgers. This was his fourth game surpassing 100-yards rushing as he currently has 805 yards and seven touchdowns while owning a 25.18 percent market share of the team’s offensive production.
Austin Carr, WR Northwestern (Senior)
12 catches, 132 yards, one touchdown vs. Wisconsin
Carr keeps blowing up the box score as this was his sixth game surpassing the 100-yard mark in receiving. He’s a great route runner and can do the little the things to create separation while running his routes. He scored on a 13-yard touchdown reception late in the second quarter. Carr finally cracked the century mark as he currently has 1,010 yards on the year and he also owns an incredible 45.43 percent market share of Northwestern’s passing offense.
Kendrick Foster, RB Illinois (Junior)
17 carries, 146 yards, two touchdowns, one catch, four yards vs. Michigan State
Foster ran over, through and around Michigan State’s defense, rushing for 146 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 8.6 yards per carry. His speed was too much for the defense as he consistently outran the linebackers while hitting the second level. This was his third 100-yard game on the season and he has 596-yards on the season.
Saquon Barkley, RB Penn State (Sophomore)
20 carries, 167 yards, one touchdown, one catch, 44 yards, one touchdown vs. Iowa
This was Barkley’s third time in the last four games where he was able to gain over 200 total yards. His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and make defenders miss in the open field makes him a threat to score from anywhere on the football field. He carries the offense on his back and Penn State would not have a 7-2 record if it wasn’t for him. Barkley currently has 1,055 yards on the season while owning a 35.13 percent market share of the team’s total offensive production.
Falling
Justin Jackson, RB Northwestern (Junior)
13 carries, 42 yards, one catch, one yard vs. Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s defense controlled the line of scrimmage and shutdown Northwestern’s ability to run the football, which derailed Jackson’s production. This was just a bad matchup and his stock shouldn’t take a drastic hit from this game. His 910-yards marks him as one of the most productive backs in the Big Ten.
LJ Scott, RB Michigan State (Sophomore)
14 carries, 50 yards, three catches, 19 yards vs. Illinois
Scott couldn’t get anything going on the ground against the Fighting Illini on Saturday as he was only able to churn out 50 yards on the ground while averaging 3.6 yards per carry. He also lost a fumble which was a contributing factor to Michigan State’s 31-27 loss.
Tommy Armstrong, QB Nebraska (Senior)
4/15 passing, 74 yards, one interceptions, four carries, 19 yards vs. Ohio State
Armstrong left the game early after suffering a scary head injury in the second quarter. The Ohio State defense had his number as he was only able to complete just 26.66 percent of his passes. He was off on a lot of his throws and he threw an interception on the first drive of the game that was returned for a touchdown.
Freshman Spotlight
Demario McCall, RB Ohio State (Freshman)
16 carries, 73 yards vs. Nebraska
McCall was able to receive an increased workload after Ohio State was able to obtain an insurmountable lead over the Cornhuskers. He was a four-star recruit coming out of high school who is best known for his speed and change of direction. He will be a tremendous complement to Mike Weber, Ohio State’s freshman starting running back due to his speed and explosiveness in the open field.
ACC
Premier Conference Performer
Elijah Hood, RB North Carolina (Junior)
12 carries, 168 yards, three touchdowns vs. Georgia Tech
North Carolina utilized Hood’s ability to run the ball between the tackles to run out the clock late in the game after already gaining a sizeable lead over Georgia Tech. This was his third game of the season surpassing the 100 yard mark and he currently has 644 yards and eight touchdowns on the season, while owning a 17.43 percent market share of the team’s total offensive production.
Rising
Deon Cain, WR Clemson (Sophomore)
Five catches, 125 yards, two touchdowns vs. Syracuse
Cain got the party started early in the second quarter by catching a 65-yard bomb from quarterback Deshaun Watson for a touchdown. His size and speed was too much for the defensive backs as he consistently burned whoever was covering him. Clemson is the best program in the country at cultivating wide receiver talent and Cain appears to be another success story from Clemson’s program.
Mike Williams, WR Clemson (Junior)
Six catches, 106 yards, one touchdown vs. Syracuse
Williams is starting to heat up after starting the season off slow as he caught 322-yards and two touchdowns in his last three games. He’s a big bodied receiver who does an excellent job a using his size to shield himself away from the defender to snag contested catches. He currently has 754 yards and five touchdowns on the season.
Lamar Jackson, QB Louisville (Sophomore)
12/17 passing, 231 yards, four touchdowns, one interceptions, 15 carries, 185 yards three touchdowns vs. Boston College
Jackson scored seven total touchdowns as he led Louisville to a 52-7 shellacking over Boston College. This was the third time this this season where he accounted for seven or more touchdowns. He has consistently posted video game like statistics during the entire season and he could potentially win the Heisman Trophy this season. He’s a fun player to watch and it’s going to be interesting to see how his game develops next season.
Jaylen Smith, WR Louisville (Sophomore)
Six catches, 123 yards, one touchdown vs. Boston College
Smith was the main benefactor to quarterback Lamar Jackson’s big day by catching six receptions for 123-yards and one touchdown. He’s a tall wide receiver who does a very good job at using his height to outwork defenders to catch jump balls. He currently has 472 receiving yards on the season.
Matthew Dayes, RB North Carolina State (Senior)
23 carries, 104 yards, four catches, 27 yards vs. Florida State
Dayes was able to churn out 104-yards on the ground against a stout Florida State run defense. This was his sixth game eclipsing the 100-yard mark as he currently ranks third in the ACC with 831 yards rushing. He’s a very underrated prospect considering that he consistently produces almost every single week.
Nyqwan Murray, WR Florida State (Sophomore)
Nine catches, 153 yards vs. North Carolina State
Murray exploded with 153-yards receiving on Saturday against North Carolina State. He’s a smaller receiver who stands at five foot eleven inches and weighs 176-pounds but his speed makes dangerous every time he touches the ball. He had a good showing last week against Clemson, catching six receptions for 96 yards and one touchdown and it looks like he’s establishing his niche within the offense.
Mark Walton, RB Miami (Sophomore)
14 carries, 125 yards, one touchdown, three catches, 24 yards vs. Pittsburgh
Walton ran past the defense for a 55-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to finish Miami’s 51-28 tirade over Pitt. This was his fourth 100 yard game on the year as he currently has 774 yards and ten touchdowns on the season.
Falling
Dalvin Cook, RB Florida State (Junior)
18 carries, 65 yards, one touchdown, two catches, 17 yards vs. North Carolina State
Cook’s stock isn’t exactly falling but this wasn’t his typical performance as he finished the game rushing for just 3.6 yards per carry. Games like this happen, he’s not going to go off every week and he should still be considered one of the top running backs in the nation. He currently ranks second in the ACC with 1,134 yards rushing while owning a 33.55 percent market share of the team’s total offensive production.
James Conner, RB Pittsburgh (Junior)
12 carries, 40 yards, one touchdown vs. Miami
Miami’s defense controlled the line of scrimmage and eliminated the rushing lanes, prohibiting Conner from getting anything going on the ground. Game flow was not in his favor as Pitt trailed Miami early in this game, causing the Panthers to forgo the run game. He has 712 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season.
Joseph Yearby, RB Miami (Junior)
Eight carries, 28 yards vs. Pittsburgh
Yearby has rushed for a grand total of 29-yards in his last two games. He hasn’t received more than ten carries in a game since week two when he rushed for 121 yards on 20 carries against Florida Atlantic. He rushed for 1,002 yards as a sophomore last season but it appears he’s going to fall well behind that mark with just 552 yards so far this season.
Freshman Spotlight
Ahmmon Richards, WR Miami (Freshman)
Eight catches, 144 yards Pittsburgh
It’s always encouraging when a freshman goes off for over 140 yards receiving in a game because it’s hard for younger prospects to dominate early in their careers. Miami currently holds a record of 5-4 and they are pulling out all the stops by letting some of their younger players get some experience. Richards was a four-star recruit coming out of high school who was heavily recruited by some big named colleges like Alabama, Auburn and Florida. He’s a player to keep an eye on and he will gain a lot of steam heading into next season if he finishes his freshman campaign strong.
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