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
Saquon Barkley, RB Penn State (Sophomore)
20 carries, 85 yards, four touchdowns, two catches, 45 yards, one touchdown vs. Pittsburgh Panthers
Barkley was able to grind out 85 yards on the ground against a tough Pitt defense that game-planned to stop him. In the second quarter he caught a 45-yard catch and run off a wheel route from sophomore quarterback Trace McSorley. He put the team on his back in the second half and was almost the sole reason why Penn State was able to chip away at the large deficit and make the game close. Barkley currently has six touchdowns on the season.
Rising
Corey Clement, RB Wisconsin (Senior)
21 carries, 111 yards, two touchdowns vs. Akron
Clement easily sliced his way through Akron’s defense, scoring both of his touchdowns in the first half. The damage could have been a lot worse considering Clement rolled his ankle on his last carry causing him to leave the game early. He’s one of the most underrated backs in college football and should creep up the ranking during the draft process.
Amara Darboh, WR Michigan (Senior)
Five catches, 111 yards, two touchdowns vs. University of Central Florida
He caught five of the seven targets thrown his way in this game. His first score came in the first quarter where he outran a defender for a 45-yard touchdown reception. Darboh is an excellent possession receiver with the ability to snag tough contested catches.
Jake Butt, TE Michigan (Senior)
Seven catches, 86 yards, two touchdowns vs. University of Central Florida
Butt is staking his claim as one of the best tight ends in the country with another spectacular performance. He led the team with ten targets, which allowed him to own an incredible 24.40 percent target share in this game. He has improved his ability to separate from defenders and get open compared to last year.
Ke’Shawn Vaughn, RB Illinois (Sophomore)
15 carries, 116 yards, one touchdown, 4 catches, 14 yards vs. North Carolina
Vaughn, a four-star running back prospect from Nashville, Tennessee, showcased his speed when he busted a 65-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter. Illinois was trailing during the majority of the game, allowing him to get some work in the passing game.
Kobe McCrary, RB Minnesota (Junior)
17 carries, 176 yards, two touchdowns vs. Indiana State
McCrary executed an excellent jump-cut that allowed him to slip by the first wave of defenders for a 50-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. He’s a big, bruising, physical runner who also has enough speed to run by defensive backs. He’s expected to challenge sophomores Shannon Brooks and Rodney Smith for touches out of the backfield going forward.
Matt VandeBerg, WR Iowa (Senior)
Seven catches, 129 yards, one touchdown, one carry, 25 yards vs. Iowa State
During the second quarter, VandeBerg made an amazing contested catch in the back of the end zone, displaying great hands and excellent concertation. Him and quarterback C.J. Beathard connected multiples times on a lot of tough receptions. VandeBerg is one of those gritty wide receivers who runs the proper routes and is always clutch when he needs to be.
Falling
J.T. Barrett, QB, Ohio State (Junior)
14/22 passing, 149 yards, 16 carries, 55 yards, two touchdowns vs. Tulsa
Thankfully, the defense bailed out the Buckeyes in this game, because Barrett wasn’t on his A-game and he struggled to connect with his receivers to move the chains. He finished the game with 22.7 QBR. I wouldn’t put too much stock in this performance, the season is still young and it sometimes takes a few games for a young quarterback to get in the groove.
David Blough, QB Purdue (Sophomore)
32/57 passing, 401 yards, two touchdowns, five interceptions, three carries, 33 yards vs. Cincinnati
You can’t win games if you constantly turnover the ball and throwing for five interceptions will almost guarantee a mark in the loss column. He was inaccurate on a lot of his throws causing him to miss on a lot of his targets. This was the most interceptions in a game for a Purdue quarterback since Scott Hoffman chucked five interceptions in 1990 against Ohio State.
Justin Jackson, RB Northwestern (Junior)
11 carries, 39 yards, one catch, five yards vs. Illinois State
Jackson couldn’t get anything going on the ground as he was stuffed on most of his carries. He left the game in the fourth quarter due to a leg injury. Don’t weigh this game to heavily during your evaluation for Jackson because the entire Northwestern team played poorly, causing Jackson‘s play to suffer.
Freshman Spotlight
Mike Weber, RB Ohio State (Freshman)
17 carries, 92 yards, one touchdown, one catch, zero yards vs. Tulsa
Weber, a four-star recruit from Detroit, Michigan, is a determined downhill runner who can easily wear down the defense with his physical running style. He scored on a one yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to give the Buckeyes a 34-3 lead. The fact he’s getting a large workload early in his collegiate career is a good sign that he could potentially develop into a blue chip dynasty prospect.
ACC
Premiere Conference Performer
Lamar Jackson, QB Louisville (Sophomore)
20/39 passing, 411 yards, one touchdown, one interceptions, 21 carries, 199 yards, four touchdowns vs. Syracuse
Jackson has scored 13 touchdowns in his last two games. He accounted for a whopping total of 610 yards, which helped Louisville blowout Syracuse 62-28. He’s one of the hottest players in college football right now due to his video game like statistics. His speed makes it tough for defenses to game plan because defenders can’t catch him once he decides to tuck the football and scramble.
Rising
Jamari Staples, WR Louisville (Senior)
Five catches, 136 yards vs. Syracuse
Staples has been the main benefactor to quarterback Lamar Jackson’s explosion during the last two weeks, catching an amazing nine balls for 219 yards. He has strong powerful hands that allow him to catch the ball in tight coverage. Staples has the potential to be a trendy late-round pick in rookie drafts next spring.
Amba Etta-Tawo, WR Syracuse (Senior)
Eight catches, 103 yards, two touchdowns vs. Louisville
Etta-Tawo currently ranks second in the nation with 313 receiving yards, though most of those yards came during week one when he caught 12 passes for 210 yards against Colgate. Not only has he been highly productive, but he has also looked good doing it, demonstrating strong hands and the ability to make difficult catches while being contested by defenders. He’s a player to monitor – if his success continues, he could potentially get entrenched on a few draft boards next spring.
Dalvin Cook, RB Florida State (Junior)
11 carries, 83 yards, two touchdowns, one catch, nine yards vs. Charleston Southern
Cook made quick work out the Charleston Southern defense, rushing for two touchdowns while owning a 21 percent market share of the team’s offensive production. He had a magical run in the third quarter where he hid behind his large offensive line and weaved in-and-out of defenders for a 37-yard touchdown run.
Travis Rudolph, WR Florida State (Junior)
Seven catches, 105 yards, two touchdowns vs. Charleston Southern
He caught both of his touchdown receptions in the first quarter, the first touchdown was for 36-yards and the second touchdown was for 21 yards. His speed was too much for the Charleston Southern defenders as they could not keep up with him. Rudolph’s stock should increase in value as the season progresses.
Travon McMillian, RB Virginia Tech (Sophomore)
14 carries, 127 yards, one touchdown, one catch, nine yards vs. Tennessee
He took one of his runs 69 yards to the house during the first quarter, using his speed to blow by defenders. McMillian proved he can consistently grind out yards against a stout Tennessee defense. He’s a very explosive running back with the capability of busting out a big gain every time he touches the football.
Mark Walton, RB Miami (Sophomore)
17 carries, 155 yards, four touchdowns vs. Florida Atlantic
Walton rumbled through Florida Atlantic’s run defense, rushing for four touchdowns while owning a 32.98 percent market share of the team’s offensive production. Teammate Joseph Yearby also had a big day, rushing for 121 yards and touchdown. Miami’s running back duo of Walton and Yearby need to be on everyone’s radar because they are both solid options in the run game.
James Conner, RB Pittsburgh (Junior)
22 carries, 117 yards, one touchdown, four catches, 29 yards, one touchdown vs. Penn State
Conner consistently bulldozed his way for positive yardage to help keep the chains moving for Pitt. He caught four of quarterback Nathan Peterman’s completions while owning a 33.80 percent market share of the team’s offensive production. Conner now has 40 total touchdowns and he joins Tony Dorsett as the only two Pitt Panthers to score 40 or more touchdowns during their collegiate career. Pretty good company.
Falling
Daniel Jones, QB Duke (Freshman)
31/48 passing, 332 yards, one interceptions, 19 carries, 6 yards, two touchdowns, two fumbles vs. Wake Forest
He fumbled the ball twice (killing two drives) and he threw an interception late in the game sealing the deal for Wake Forest’s 24-14 victory. It was a close game and the turnovers were one of the main factors to Duke’s loss. Wake Forest did a very good job at stuffing the run by only allowing 37 yards on the ground, stifling Jones to just a .3 yards per carry average.
Deshaun Watson, QB Clemson (Junior)
27/53 passing, 292 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions vs. Troy
Watson had an off-game that was inundated by a lot of mental errors and mistakes. He was off the mark on a lot of his throws causing him to miss a few simple completions. He only completed 50.94 percent of his passes while obtaining a horrible 36.5 QBR. He’s under the microscope a little closer now after his cold start to the season.
Moe Neal, RB Syracuse (Freshman)
12 carries, 40 yards, one catch, five yards vs. Louisville
Louisville played incredible run defense, holding Neal to just 3.3 yards per rush attempt. Syracuse trailed early in this game, causing them to abandon the run. He took a hard hit in the backfield during the fourth quarter causing him to cough up the football.
Freshman Spotlight
Cade Carney, RB Wake Forest (Freshman)
17 carries, 108 yards, three touchdowns, two catches, nine yards vs. Duke
This was Wake Forest’s first three touchdown game from a freshman since Chris Barclay rushed for three touchdowns against Purdue in 2002. Carney ran with excellent burst and vision which helped the Demon Deacons to sustain drives and maintain possession of the clock. His final touchdown gave Wake Forest a 21-14 lead with four minutes to spare in the fourth quarter.
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