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Analysing Three Key Matchups To Watch For Vikings ‘@’ Saints

The New Orleans Saints need to find a way to win on Sunday. No matter how win ugly if you have to. There are three key matchups the Saints need to be on the right side of to win on Sunday in London.

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Saints Offense Vs Themselves

The Saints lead the league in turnovers with nine in total. Now, before everyone shouts, well you have Jameis Winston at QB what do you expect? He’s not the reason the Saints lead the league in this category. 

Of Winston’s five interceptions only two are bad throws. Even one of those was more a good coverage scheme than an interception that Winston has become known for. The bigger problems have been fumbles. 

Mark Ingram has lost two fumbles, both coming at crucial times in weeks one and two. Alvin Kamara lost one last week that was returned for a touchdown, the Saints ended up losing by eight against Carolina. 

They have 9 offensive penalties so far through three games. Many killing the few good drives the Saints offense has produced. four of those nine penalties have been preventable (false starts, offensive offsides etc). 

Recognising, defending and attacking the blitz has been a consistent drive killer. The offense has struggled against the blitz in all three games so far. Winston has been sacked six times against the blitz and pressured a further 12 times. 

This has clearly been a problem and has cost the Saints big time in games. For example HIGHLIGHT: Jeremy Chinn hits Jameis Winston for big sack (panthers.com) the lost yardage on this sack caused a missed field goal for New Orleans. This needs to be cleaned up, some of the blame falls on the o-line, some on coaching and some on the QB. 

If this was a lot of other QBs in the league (maybe even Andy Dalton who may end up starting on Sunday), they’d have changed the play at the line to a quicker developing pass play, allowing the offense to punish the Panthers for sending that many players. Right now, that awareness isn’t there. Meaning teams can tee up blitzes, at will with no fear of a counter.

If these issues were isolated and occasional then it does come down to the players doing a better job of executing. When these issues are so widespread and consistent then an equal portion of the blame must land on the coaches. The offensive staff led by OC Pete Carmichael Jr. have to do a better job of ironing out these areas of weakness and putting the players in better positions to succeed. 

Run Defense Vs Dalvin Cook

Dalvin Cook is one of the most dynamic RBs in the NFL and he is the focal point of the Vikings’ offense. The Vikings want to be able to establish the run to allow for play-action to at its most effective.

In three previous meetings with the Saints, Cook has played rather well. Across those three games, he averages 21.6 (22) rushes for 96 yards, at 4.2 yards per carry. This is compares favourably to other RBs against the Saints over this time. Since 2017 New Orleans has only allowed 94 yards rushing per game in that span. The stat considers every rushing yard in a game, a random QB scramble, a blown assignment allowing a random long run etc… so for Cook to average above that on his own is impressive. 

Play action has been effective so far for the Vikings. Kirk Cousins has the third-best passing grade in the league on play-action throws. His stats on play-action passes:

  • 34 attempts, 25 completions for 267 yards. Four TDs to zero Interceptions. 135.5 passer rating

Compare that to his stats on none play-actions throws:

  • 85 attempts, 49 completions for 491 yards. One TD to three interceptions. 63.4 passer rating.

It’s clear that so far this season the Vikings success in the passing game comes from establishing the run. So, the Saints priority must be to stop the running game if they want a chance to win on Sunday.

Marson Lattimore vs Justin Jefferson 

Marson Lattimore has been lights out. In three games he’s only been thrown at Seven times, he’s allowed three receptions for 23 yards and a passer rating against of 51.5. All the while he’s lined up against: 

  • Drake London
  • Kyle Pitts
  • Mike Evans 
  • Russel Gage 
  • D.J. Moore 

I’d say that’s pretty good. This weekend it’s not clear if he will shadow Justin Jefferson or not and I’m interested to see if the Saints elect to have Lattimore travel with Jefferson or if they choose to play sides.

They chose the latter last week @ Carolina and they don’t always choose to have Lattimore travel. Sometimes they prefer to play sides and double-team a player with a LB or Safety. 

The way Lattimore is playing I think putting Lattimore on Jefferson and letting them battle it out would be wise. The last time the two faced off the Saints CB came out on top:

  • Eight targets, 4 receptions for 55 yards and 2 PBUs.

Jefferson started the season hot in week one Vs Green Bay (who many called the best secondary in the league) he went off. Catching nine of his ten targets for 184 yards and 2 TDs. Since then he’s been kept in check.

The Eagles chose for the most part to match him with Darius Slay. That went incredibly well. Whilst in coverage against Slay, Jefferson on six targets only managed one reception for seven yards. Slay also intercepted 2 of the passes. 

This is in the plan I think the Saints should copy. Lattimore has been elite and traditionally plays better against a team’s number one WR, as Lattimore knows he has to be at his best. Against lesser competition, he has been known to get complacent and play down their level.

Conclusion 

So, stop fumbling, stop getting offensive penalties, and start identifying and attacking the blitz better. Stop the run and finally put Marshon Lattimore on Justin Jefferson. Sounds easy right?

Probably not but I feel these are all a must if the Saints are going to win on Sunday. Regardless of who starts at QB (looks like it will be Andy Dalton).

For more Saints articles New Orleans Saints – Full10Yards 

Please let me know your feedback on this article and the others throughout the season, I’m always looking to improve and add things that people want to read about!

I want to try and create as much of a UK Saints community as possible, so follow me on Twitter @SaintsReportUK, for much more Saints content 

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F10Y CFB Player to Watch: Blake Corum, Michigan

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It’s that time again! It’s time to sit down and check in on one of the more interesting players and match ups for this weekend’s college football schedule in our Player to Watch space.

However, it hasn’t gone unnoticed that this column appears to have somewhat of a touch of bad luck that follows the players covered – You can read the rest here – With none having a particularly great outing game after being written up.

Big Blue fans will hope that a similar effect isn’t felt by their star running back in this weekend’s game against Iowa… Although, how do you better 243 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns? Anyway, let’s get into Blake Corum…

So who is this power cube of a running back?

Blake Corum is on quite the tear to start this season as Michigan have stormed to a 4-0 start and to #4 in the AP Top 25 (although more importantly to the same position in the UK & Ireland CFB Media Rankings). Corum has scored at least one touchdown in each of the four games, he has had a 5 touchdown game against UConn and followed this with the aforementioned 243 yard game against Maryland last weekend! So it’s safe to say that he’s having quite the season so far!

Last year he was part of an absolutely deadly duo with Hassan Haskins in the Wolverines backfield with the pair combining for over 2,400 all-purpose yards. These guys powered Michigan as they won the Big Ten Championship, ended the season ranked #3 in the country, losing in the college football playoff semi-final to eventual champions Georgia and best of all, beat Ohio State. 

I’ve got to say I was very interested to see how Corum would fare without Haskins, but he seems to be shouldering the load and thriving as the main man this season! Whether he succumbs to the previously discussed Player to Watch Kiss of Death remains to be seen.

Into the background before we get some film study in then; Corum stands at 5’8 and packs a dense 210 lbs on to his frame – We really are talking about a wrecking ball of a runner here. Corum grew up in Marshall Virginia before heading to St. Frances Academy in Baltimore for High School where he accumulated over 40 touchdowns across his Junior and Senior seasons, which earned him a 4-star rating across all major recruiting sites. 

Since arriving on campus in Ann Arbor, Corum has worked his way up the depth chart to make it into his current role; in his Freshman season he mainly saw action as a returner, returning five kicks and one punt, with small action as the third running back in rotation. Although he showed his potential by scoring twice in 31 total touches. Then came the breakout Sophomore season where he and Haskins dominated pretty much everyone they faced.

Let’s see how he does his damage…

Corum is a squatty back who can do damage between the tackles. He has a jittery, one-cut style and good vision, which is fantastic when combined with his burst and lateral quickness when needed to create yardage.

Check out how he makes the first man miss with a cut to the outside before a little shake’n’bake leaves another Northwestern defender’s ankles in shambles for a nice gain that leaves Michigan on the verge of a score.

Which brings me on to Blake’s next strength – The guy is a finisher from short yardage.

This is the very next play in the game against Northwestern. He doesn’t get stopped from that distance, as you can see in the above tweet thread vs. UConn. 

Let’s talk about an aspect where Blake is underused – Pass catching. With only 31 catches to date, there isn’t a huge sample size for this but I feel from what I did see, Corum has nice, soft hands and he can take in ones like this that require him to make a catch on the move. Back to the Northwestern game;

There’s no run after catch here, which I feel he can easily get in different circumstances, but I have included this one as I felt it was one that could easily have been dropped. He’s backpedalling, with defenders approaching at pace.

Generally speaking, I see a lot of evidence of Blake being a safe checkdown option with the ability to catch the ball with hands extended away from his body, before turning and accelerating upfield for a decent gain. Easy money for JJ McCarthy and Michigan.

This is an area that will also intrigue NFL teams and make them wonder about his ceiling in his area, because it does feel like there’s untapped potential here.

 This next clip is one I absolutely love, which is from the Michigan State game from last year. Michigan schemes up a lovely run off the left side of their line here, Corum shows outstanding patience to wait for the blockers to open things up and he’s able to burst through the gap. This is a long-developing run play with both tight ends making their way across the formation, as well as the center getting involved. Some running backs would get jittery and get dancing feet in the backfield on plays like this, but not Blake.

It’s not a huge gain but just shows his maturity as a runner.

I’ve also seen multiple instances of Corum being willing and able to do the dirty work as a running back. Corum is willing to chip as he releases out of the backfield, he’s willing to stay in as a pass protector when needed too, and he’s more than a speed bump in those situations. Corum will also get after it as a blocker downfield too when the ball doesn’t go to him and he puts in the effort when doing so.

Add this to his value as a returner, (although as the clear RB1 Michigan hasn’t asked him to return through four games this year) and we have a player whose stock has a good floor level. 

However, as is tradition here in the Player to Watch film segment, we can’t finish off before giving one area of weakness and for Corum aside from his size profile, it’s his long speed. 

In short areas he’s great and he has the burst to make a short gain into a long one but over long distances he’s just not a burner.

We can see this in this return against Western Michigan last season. It’s a superb play and sets Michigan up with fantastic field position, but I feel like a real speedster takes his to the house.

A positive within a play I’m using a negative though – The contact balance is brilliant. Corum’s low center of gravity and thick lower half means he’s very difficult to bring down on first contact.

On to this weekend!

This week against Iowa sees Corum face a stingy defense with a couple of big linebackers…

Iowa’s record stands at 3-1 for the season so far, which on the face of it, seems pretty good. However, anyone who has been paying attention to college football will have noticed that the Iowa offense has become somewhat of a meme with their lack of scoring punch. Although, back-to-back 27 point outputs (albeit against Nevada and Rutgers) may stem the tidal wave of tweets somewhat.

On the flip side, the Hawkeyes defense is performing at a high level, having given up just 20 total points all season. Ok, the opponents have been South Dakota State, Iowa State, Nevada and Rutgers but still, this defense has always been a good units that has almost always performed to a level that is more than the sum of its parts in under Kirk Ferentz and DC, Phil Parker.

The unit is anchored by linebackers, Jestin Jacobs and star man, Jack Campbell, who was ranked very highly by myself and Keith in our Summer Scouting podcast. Jacobs measures up at 6’4 and Campbell at 6’5, unusual given their positions, so it will really feel like a David and Goliath(s) game when Corum gets to the second level. Campbell in particular is a tackling machine with good tackle radius and stopping power. He’s not the most athletic when moving side-to-side, but I know he’ll have been devouring Corum film in the lead up to this game and will be ready.

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I really feel like this one-on-one is key – If Campbell can stop Corum from getting going, it’ll go a long way to stopping the cogs in the Michigan machine from turning, and give Iowa a chance to stay in the game and maybe steal it. The Wolverines may have put up 200 points so far this season but this is Big Ten football now, and Kinnick Stadium is never an easy place to play.

So should you be looking forward to seeing Corum on Sundays?

Corum will get drafted, there’s no doubt in my mind about that.

He has been very productive, he’s got some interesting traits as we discussed earlier, as well as some special teams value. He has also played at a high level for a blue blood programme, in a time of success for the programme. However, just how high will he be drafted?

I feel like Corum’s size puts limitations on his draft ceiling – There just aren’t too many 5’8 running backs who are hugely successful in the league right now and of course, running back is a hugely devalued position in today’s NFL, especially when it comes to the draft.

His old buddy Hassan Haskins was picked up with the 131st Pick (fourth round) by the Tennessee Titans, and I think that could be a similar point in which Corum has his name called on day 3 of the draft next April.

Yes, it sounds sort of disrespectful to say that his super-productive college player will go on day 3, but that’s the reality of having this profile, at this position. Every season there is a running back who is productive in the NFL, that 90% of fans of his team won’t have heard of before he started scoring touchdowns on Sundays. Think of someone like Elijah Mitchell at the 49ers, he was drafted in the 6th round and has 1,100 scrimmage yards last year! However that is sadly the reality of it, especially when he doesn’t have that breakaway speed. He’s a short-term, short yardage battering ram, the kind of back that an NFL team will draft, run into the ground whilst on his rookie contract and then discard, in all likelihood.

Sad, but true. 

To Conclude… 

Corum is a super-fun player to watch and he will be fondly remembered in Ann Arbor and by Michigan fans for a long while. However, there’s a part of me which feels that he could blend into relative obscurity in the NFL, whilst having a respectable career for a decent number of years.

The sort of player who makes me think, fun college player but just fine in the NFL. 

So let’s enjoy his dominance whilst he’s still playing on Saturdays! Corum is worth a watch almost alone for a Michigan team who will be pushing all the way for that 4th playoff spot this year and another visit to the CFB playoff.

By Lee Wakefield – Follow Lee on Twitter, @Wakefield90

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F10Y CFB Player to Watch – Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas State

Welcome in once again to our Player of the Week space. This week I am heading back to the well of my favourite position in football and talking about an edge defender. This week I’m running the rule over s true breakout pass rusher, who may seem a little off the beaten track right now but come draft time, I think Felix Anudike-Uzomah will be appearing in a lot of top 50 lists, or even first round mock drafts.

Full disclosure, and perhaps a little teaser for later in the season, this week I really was tossing up between writing about Felix and another Big XII edge, Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson – Let me know if you would like to see that one in the next few weeks!

So Kansas State has a new star man… on defense!

It’s been a while since Kansas State has had a potential defensive star on their hands.

The Wildcats have had a couple of second round offensive linemen in recent times, Dalton Risner, Cody Whitehair… As well as Tyler Lockett, who has blossomed into a ln important player for the Seahawks, but again, he was a day two selection.

Felix Anudike-Uzomah could buck that trend and be the first Wildcat to be drafted in the first round since Josh Freeman in 2009, and the first defensive player taken on the first day of the draft since Terrence Newman in 2005.

So yeah, it’s been a minute. 

Anudike-Uzomah is a 6’4 Junior who tips the scales at 255lbs, so he is on the lighter side for an edge defender, especially considering that K-State typically lines up in a 3-3-5 base defense (more of his role and alignment later).

As I’ve alluded to, Kansas State isn’t a hotbed of talent who sends players to the NFL on a regular basis – Although, offensive lineman Cooper Beebe is highly thought of, especially by our guys who scouted him in summer. They have also Deuce Vaughn, who may carve himself out a spot in the league despite being very, very small by NFL standards.

This also speaks to Felix’s time before rocking up in Manhattan. He was a 3-star recruit from Lee’s Summit High School, in suburban Kansas City, and despite a steady stream of tackles for loss as a Junior and Senior in high school and earning district honors from the Missouri media and coaches association, the offers did not roll in. According to 24/7 Sports, Felix committed to North Dakota State in September 2019 and in December of the same year, he had de-committed and signed up with Kansas State.

And those were his only two offers. There are also no mention of offers on any other site that I usually cross reference information on either, including his K-State bio.

It is said that everyone develops at different rates on the football field and Kansas State must be ecstatic that they managed to get a local kid whose talent would usually be snapped up by a more illustrious football programme.

Felix saw action in his True Freshman season, playing a handful of games and rotating into the defensive line, although, in limited action he still managed one sack.

However, it was in 2021, as a Sophomore where he truly took flight! 12 games, 14.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and an even more incredible six forced fumbles. Everything just clicked for him and now he’s making splash plays and has become a game wrecker!

No signs of him being a one season wonder either, this season through three games, 9 tackles, 3.5 for loss, 2.5 sacks and another forced fumble. With seven forced fumbles, he is actually only three shy of the Kansas State school record.

Incredible.

So where did this homegrown diamond come from? Let’s look at how he plays…

As usual, I’ll start with the first thing that jumped off the screen when I was going over the film – Felix burst and he’s also a very willing worker. Given that Kansas State is sometimes only rushes three and this means that Felix spends a lot of time lined up as a 4i, and therefore the offensive line has a natural double team on him. 

This isn’t the prettiest sack of his career so far but I feel like it really shows that he can work for his rewards and it does reward him. He’s lined up in the 4i here and has the agility and wherewithal to defeat the chop block and then chase down Spencer Sanders for a sack.

A lot of his positives that I’ve listed on his evaluation are linked to his physical gifts. In addition to the quickness and motor that I mentioned above, it’s his ability to turn the corner and flatten the arc whilst in contact with the lineman.

Felix was absolutely dominant in this game vs. TCU – four sacks and two forced fumbles. I am not sure if someone could turn a corner more here as he performs a 180 on this play to take down the QB.

Lined up on the nearside of the defensive line (#91), he beats the tackle around the edge – And he was a little slow off the mark (more of that next) – and then is able to tightly turn and take the passer down from behind.

Would I like to see further refinement? Of course! There are instances such as this one below, where I would love to see more development with his understanding of the game and offenses. I’ve slowed this clip down just before the snap so that you can see just how late he gets off the ball here, especially in comparison to his fellow defensive linemen.

Just as in the second clip, he needs to learn how to time the snap better and get off the ball a fraction quicker. The battle between offensive and defensive linemen is all about racing to landmarks and beating each other by fractions of a second. It’s encouraging that he’s having success in spite of this flaw. 

So back to positives, I’m really encouraged by the breakout in production that he’s had in general. The caveat is that it is in the Big XII and therefore he’s maybe not seeing the greatest level of competition.

Although, wanting to remain positive; he knows how to win reps, and has done so with frequency over the past season and a bit and he has the unteachable stuff. He’s got the god-given attributes that some players simply don’t have bestowed on them.

Lastly, and I’ll discuss the importance of this more further down the page, but I love his nose for the ball… check this forced fumble out.

Super valuable play here near the goal line and he has shown a knack for this kind of thing. Felix (lined up on the far side of the defensive line) gets depth and drives his lineman (#55) back, but he’s also aware of the QB and as the quarterback tries to scramble, he’s able to make the tackle and force the ball loose. 

With that in mind, how is this going to translate into the NFL?

Anudike-Uzomah could be drafted in the league today and cause issues for lower-level tackles just due to pure speed and physical gifts. I absolutely loved Azeez Ojulari a couple of draft cycles back, who was all speed and needed refinement in the same sort of manner and he had a very successful rookie year, registering 8 sacks. 

Azeez is quicker than Felix, but Felix’s nose for forced fumbles gives him a real edge and another layer to his game that gives me confidence that he’ll be a success in the league.

Defense in 2022 is all about turnovers, getting another possession for your offense. Forced fumbles are a great way to get turnovers!

As a Chargers fan, I heard a veteran player like Joey Bosa say that he wanted to add strip sacks to his game a couple of years back and last season in 2021, he had seven in 16 games. That’s huge for a defense to have that many opportunities to get the ball back, and Felix already has this kind of killer instinct in his game.

This week’s match up is an interesting one…

Kansas State heads to Norman, Oklahoma, off the back of a jarring loss to Tulane with the hopes of getting back on track.

Off course, heading to the home of the conference heavyweights is never going to be an easy task. Brent Venables has made a solid start to life as the Sooners’ Head Coach and they have recorded three resounding victories so far this season.

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel has the mobility to make the defensive line’s day very frustrating – He has to be accounted for as a runner and can slip out of what is seemingly a negative play until he slips away and runs for a big gain.

However, before Gabriel, Felix has got star left tackle, Anton Harrison to deal with. Harrison is one of the better thought of tackles in the 2023 draft class – Again, you can hear our pod here on offensive line for fuller analysis.

If Felix and the Kansas State coaches look at moving him around, Wanya Morris, Oklahoma’s right tackle, is no slouch either, so I’ve no doubt that this will be a test for Felix in the early hours of Sunday morning (UK time).

So to conclude…

Felix Anudike-Uzomah is an intriguing prospect with big upside and a couple of flaws and aspects of his game that need more work.

I don’t feel like the ways in which K-State aligns him uses him to his full potential. I don’t feel like he has the size profile to play as a down lineman in an odd front. He’s not the sort of build that we would typically see from a team line the Patriots in the league, who have had lines for 280-290lbs defensive linemen who have little in the way of juice but are super disciplined and are powerful against the run, Felix isn’t a guy like that, and he’s being put in those spots. 

We haven’t seen him stand up as a pass rusher as of yet and I would be really interested to see him deployed in a way that gets him more one-on-one match ups with tackles from either a wider alignment or even front as a more traditional 5 or even 7-tech defensive end.  

His stance is nice and low, he’s got the physical tools and he obviously knows how to win and be productive, so rushing from wider with his hand in the dirt, would put him in a more advantageous position.

Landing spot is going to be so important but I feel like this is a player who can put up numbers and be a game wrecker in the NFL.

Follow Lee on Twitter @Wakefield90

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2022 CFB: Week 4 Game Previews

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The most comprehensive weekly preview outside of the US!

West Virginia @ Virginia Tech

Friday 23rd September – 12.30am (UK) – Blacksburg, Virginia

Preview: This weekend’s action gets underway on Thursday night with an in-state rivalry game between West Virginia and Virginia Tech. The two teams met in 2021, with the Mountaineers running out 27-21 victors.

It’s been a fairly disappointing season for both teams so far. Virginia Tech dropped their week one game to Old Dominion, but they have bounced back with wins over Boston College and Wolford. On the flip side, WVU lost their opening two games to Kansas and Pitt, but in week three the offense blew Towson out of the water.

Dante Stills has been excellent at the heart of the West Virginia defensive line despite their early struggles. However, he needs some help if the Mountaineers are to win on Saturday. Although they’re ranked as the 41st defense so far in 2022, WVU have already shipped 14 touchdowns to opposition offenses – and Neal Brown has been clear that needs to improve. The offense has largely started to click under the guidance of JT Daniels, mainly thanks to the outstanding play of wide receiver, Bryce Ford-Wheaton.

Ford-Wheaton won’t be the only standout receiver on the field in this matchup. Temple transfer Jaden Blue has jumped up the depth chart after a strong performance at the weekend – he possesses great short yardage burst and a strong pair of hands, and will likely be drafted at the end of the season. Alongside him, Nick Gallo is one of the highest rated tight ends in the ACC, both in the run game and as a passing threat – he’ll be a handful for Jasir Cox, the transfer corner that has so far lined up in the slot for the Mountaineers. 

Key Matchup: Dante Stills (DL, WVU) vs VT Interior Defensive Line – Stills is a wrecking ball, disruptive in both the run and passing games and is versatile to boot. Grant Wells has looked a bit shaky as the Hokies starting QB through three games, and it’ll be up to Kaden Moore, Johnny Jordan and Jesse Hansen to keep him on his feet come Thursday. Look for Stills to identify the best matchup for his skills and exploit it all game long.

Game Line: West Virginia 2 point favourites at the time of writing.

Virginia @ Syracuse

Saturday 24th September – 12am (UK) – Syracuse, New York

Preview: Did anyone have Syracuse as the surprise package coming out of the ACC this year? Through three games they’ve played some exciting football on offense and been very solid on defense – especially in week one against Louisville.

Garrett Shrader was always going to be a playmaker for the Orange, but opposition coordinators probably didn’t anticipate how difficult he could be to shut down. Against Purdue, Shrader threw for three touchdowns but completed less than half of his passes – with the pass game stunted he took over on the ground instead, putting up a team leading 83 yards on 17 carries. He’ll be a nightmare to handle for a Virginia defense that has looked pretty static through the first three weeks of the season.

If Virginia are to make this one interesting, they’ll be relying on their talented receivers and Brennan Armstrong cranking into life. Armstrong has struggled to get standout receiver Dontayvion Wicks involved so far this year, but last weekend saw Keytaon Thompson get up and running with more than 100 yards receiving. The first three weeks have been disappointing in general for the Cavaliers, despite two wins they’ve been unconvincing and they certainly haven’t lived up to the potential they teased in 2021.

Key Matchup: Keytaon Thompson (WR, VIR) vs Garrett Williams (CB, SYR) – Williams is one of the highest rated defensive backs in the country, his silky smooth play has seen him mock drafted everywhere from the third round all the way to the top ten overall picks ahead of the 2023 draft. In Keytaon Thompson he’ll come up against a wrecking ball of a wide receiver who loves to create yardage with the ball in his hands. This one will be fascinating to watch from the first snap.

Game Line: Syracuse 9 point favourite at the time of writing.

Baylor @ Iowa State

Saturday 24th September – 5pm (UK) – Ames, Iowa

Preview: Onto Saturday’s action and there’s a lot to like about the 5pm games. Baylor’s trip to Ames should provide a good test for two quarterbacks that are enjoying their first full year as the main man on campus. Hunter Dekkers has hit the ground running for Iowa State after two years as Brock Purdy’s backup. The lefty has formed quite the relationship with standout receiver, Xavier Hutchinson, who will have his eyes set on the NFL at the end of the season. Interestingly, there’s been a committee approach at running back for the Hawkeyes, following the departure of Breece Hall.

Baylor’s defense has been their strong point so far in 2022, and given Dave Aranda’s past that is probably no surprise. The Bears rank 26th in total defense, with towering lineman Siaki Ika at the heart of everything. Ika is a natural leader who personifies the grit that Aranda’s defense plays with, along with TJ Franklin. They’re clearly rubbing off on Brooks Miller, who looked incredibly effective at linebacker in the blowout of Texas State last week. 

Blake Shapen has had an up and down start to life as the Bears’ starting QB. The main blip came down the stretch against BYU in the overtime defeat. Shapen got a bit loose with his mechanics and sailed a number of passes. This game is the chance for him to redeem himself against a strong opponent.

Key Matchup: Xavier Hutchinson (WR, ISU) vs Mark Milton (CB, BAY) – This is a simple case of WR1 vs CB1 – both are very good players and the winner of this matchup will likely tip the scales in the favour of his team.

Game Line: Iowa State 2.5 point favourite at the time of writing.

Clemson @ Wake Forest

Saturday 24th September – 5pm (UK) – Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Preview: Clemson have so far avoided significant scrutiny in 2022. Their no nonsense defense and above average offense are just too much for the majority of teams in college football. DJ Uiagalelei has clearly taken a step at QB for the Tigers, whether that is a significant step still remains very much in question. However, with the talent the Tigers have on defense, the offense very rarely needs to take over a game. Any of Bryan Bresee, Tyler Davis, Myles Murphy and Trenton Simpson could be high draft picks in 2023 and they stand out on tape every week.

With Sam Hartman back in action, Wake Forest are always a threat. However, they’ve not looked at their dominant best over the past fortnight. Against Liberty, the defense struggled to stop an offense that is going through a transitional phase, and the run game was literally non-existent – leaving them 97th in the nation through three weeks. When the Demon Deacons are playing lesser opponents, Hartman alone can drag them through – but against a powerhouse like Clemson it’s going to be a huge struggle.

Key Matchup: Clemson Defensive Line vs Wake Forest Offensive Line – Hartman is Wake’s only chance of getting something from this game, but he’ll be useless if he spends the game running for his life. The Wake offensive line therefore needs to dig in and do what it can in the face of Bresee and co.

Game Line: Clemson 7 point favourite at the time of writing.

Oregon @ Washington State

Saturday 24th September – 9pm (UK) – Pullman, Washington

Preview: There was a hell of a lot of hype around Cameron Ward during the summer, and last week against Colorado State the world saw exactly why. But, there had been some very good moments throughout the first two weeks as well – he threw the game winning score to beat Wisconsin to name one. Ward is clearly the star of the Cougars’ programme already and Jake Dikert should be praised for convincing him to join them.

Outside of Ward, Ron Stone Jr is the player to watch for Washington State as he comes off the edge to put consistent pressure on opposition gun slingers. Last season’s 11.5 sacks put him on the map, and he’ll relish the opportunity of going up against Oregon’s solid offensive line.

The Ducks proved that the week one loss to Georgia was well removed from their collective memory last week, as they cruised past BYU. Bo Nix was efficient, including a very nice touchdown throw to Terrance Ferguson. However, he was aided by the running back tandem of Mar’Keise Irving and Naoh Whittington whose productivity allowed the play action game to materialise.

Key Matchup: Oregon Defensive Line vs Cameron Ward (QB, WSU) – The Ducks did well to contain Jaren Hall last week, forcing him to throw a lot more than he wanted to. However, Ward is happy to sit back and pick apart a defense from the pocket. Oregon’s defense will therefore need to get to him for more than the solitary sack they picked up last week.

Game Line: Oregon 6.5 point favourite at the time of writing.

Stanford @ Washington

Sunday 25th September – 3.30am (UK) – Seattle, Washington

Preview: Washington has been great so far in 2022. The Huskies announced themselves to the nation with a statement win over Michigan State in week three, ahead of the first PAC-12 matchup of the year. The biggest surprise has been Michael Penix at QB, but the all round play of Kalen DeBoer’s team has been excellent. Ja’Lynn Polk had 114 yards receiving in three games last season, this year he’s more than doubled that and caught four touchdowns. It’s the same across the board for the Hokies, with raised performances and maturation showing across the roster.

Stanford are a difficult beast to fathom. There’s no doubt that there is a lot of talent on the Cardinal roster, but their fanbase must wish that they put it all together a bit more consistently. With Tanner McKee receiving a lot of preseason draft hype, attention slightly shifted away from elite corner, Kyu Blu Kelly. USC largely stayed away from Kelly in the Cardinal’s loss to the Trojans, but with Penix feeling confident he may be tempted to throw at the future Sunday player.

It’s highly likely that this one will still be ticking over when some in the UK are waking up, but it’ll be well worth hitting rewind and watching it on the start as the hype around Washington is beginning to pick up a lot of steam. 

Key Matchup: Stanford pass rush vs Washington Offensive Line – Washington have only given up two sacks so far this season, that is presumably why Penix looks so confident when compared to his pre-transfer tape. There’s no reason why that can’t continue this week, the Huskies have a strong offensive line and they should be a bit too much for Stanford’s pass rush.

Game Line: Washington 13.5 point favourite at the time of writing.

By Andy Moore – @ajmoore21

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Week 3 Scouting Notes – Texas A&M vs. Miami

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The week three slate was a bit limited in terms of quality match ups, so I went for the game with the highest rated players I haven’t seen yet, which were Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke and nickel/safety Antonio Johnson of Texas A&M. I’ll give my thoughts on those two below, as well as a few others who took my eye, in what turned out to be quite a defensive battle in the end.

Texas A&M

The quarterback play over the first two games of the season wasn’t good enough for the Aggies, so Jimbo Fisher pulled the plug on Haynes King and gave the reins of the offense to LSU transfer Max Johnson.

Johnson didn’t set the world alight here, but the offense looked much better than it did the previous week in their surprise loss to Appalachian State. Johnson looked composed in the pocket and showed off some wheels too on a few designed runs, and although his stat line isn’t great (10/20 for 140 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions), he looks like he has done enough to keep the job going forward. 

I was pretty high on running back Devon Achane in the summer, so I was eager to see him here against a good defense. Achane isn’t going to be an every down back in the NFL, he just doesn’t have the size to handle that kind of workload at 5’9 185. What Achane does have though is speed, and not just good speed, no, we are talking sub 10.20, 100 meter speed, which is flat out flying.

Miami held him in check pretty well, but he still carried the threat to break one on every play. It’s not just in the run game, as he has very natural hands too in the passing game, and is a danger in open space when they flare it out to him. The speed alone will make him a top 100 player, but a big season could push him into the top 64 for a team who values speed over power.

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The Aggies were without their two five-star freshman receivers for this game, as they were both suspended for breaking a curfew, so picking up the slack was the very versatile Ainias Smith. Smith only had 4 catches, but he made the most of them, stretching Miami for 74 yards and looked a threat with his limited touches. What doesn’t show up on the stat sheet is Smith’s blocking downfield ability. He isn’t the biggest at 5’10 190lbs, but he will mix it up with anyone, and was very effective in this game at springing blocks and getting extra yards for his teammates. Smith has spent time in the backfield during his career but now lives mostly in the slot, and that’s where he’ll make his money in the NFL. I seem to be higher on him then most, but I think there’s a day two player here, if some off-field concerns are cleared up by draft time.

Defensively the Aggies were excellent in this game, particularly in the secondary, and we’ll start our notes on that side of the ball with the star attraction, nickel/safety Antonio Johnson. 

Johnson is mostly lined up as a slot corner and is matched up against speedy slot receivers or hulking tight ends on virtually every play. He has the size (6’3 200lbs) to be physical with the tight ends and the speed (estimated 4.4, 40 yard dash) to keep up with the receivers. He was great here against Miami, especially when lined up against tight end Will Mallory. He is also a force in the run game, willinging throwing himself into blockers and blowing up run plays. He is a versatile defensive chess piece and will almost certainly be a first round pick in the draft.

Someone who caught my eye for the first time was cornerback Tyreek Chappell, who is a true sophomore, so not draft eligible yet. He has a very physical style of play and was sticking to the Hurricanes receivers like glue. He was smooth in phase and very competitive at the catch point, which was impressive as he isn’t the biggest. He had two pass break ups in this game, one a contested catch on a slant in man coverage, and the other was a beautiful play, coming off of his man to make a play on the ball on a different receiver down the sideline. I like the way he plays and I’ll be keeping an eye on him in the future.

Someone who seems to have been around forever is safety Demani Richardson, who has been on my safety list for the last couple of years and I’m still quite high on.   Although he only played the first quarter here, after getting ejected (questionably) for targeting, he was having a very influential game leading the back line of the defense. He is a very aggressive downhill thumping safety but can play in reverse too and cover backs and tight ends well, so he isn’t a one dimensional guy. Straight line speed may be a concern, so his 40 time will play a big part in where he ends up getting drafted.

Miami

My eyes were on star quarterback Tyler Van Dyke for the Hurricanes, who had risen up draft boards over the summer and was firmly in the mix to be QB3 on most people’s lists. Now he never made it that high on mine, but he did have a very good end to last season and you could see why he was getting plenty of summer buzz. Unfortunately, this season hasn’t started well for him and he looked out of sorts in this game too against an aggressive Aggies defense. Mechanically there’s a lot to like, he has a smooth set up and a good arm with some nice zip, but there are accuracy and decision making questions, and it’s topped off with some general inconsistencies from play to play as well, so there’s a lot of work for him to do to rescue this season. The good news is though that it’s just week three and there’s plenty of time to rebound, and if he doesn’t, he can always go back next year and try and get back up those rankings.

There really weren’t many positives for Miami offensively, but one young offensive lineman stood up well to the Aggie onslaught, while the others crumbled. Redshirt freshman guard Jalen Rivers has nice size at 6’5 325lbs and played like a veteran, rather than someone making just their sixth career start. He has strong hands and grip control to ride defenders away and looks pretty agile on the move. The size and athletic profile indicates a potential move to tackle in the future, where he could excel.

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I’ve never been high on tackle Zion Nelson, but there were still plenty of people thinking he had first round ability entering this year, but I can slam that door shut for them now. He hasn’t started the last two games and when he was on the field the same old problems were there. If you haven’t figured it out after 2452 career snaps, my guess is you never will. Not draftable in my opinion, but no doubt someone will take a chance on him at some point believing they can light his fire.

The Hurricanes did a nice job defensively in this game and their whole secondary really caught my eye. They have an impressive young safety pairing of James Williams and Kamren Kinchens, both true sophomores who look like stars in the making. Williams is massive (6’4 224lbs) but moves around effortlessly in space, whilst Kinchens has that true headhunter mentality and physical style of play that I love in a safety. 

They are for the future, but for right now, Miami has a couple of very intriguing cornerbacks in D.J Ivey and Tyrique Stevenson. Both have excellent size and length and they gave up nothing to the Texas A&M wide receivers in this game. Ivey was targeted three times but gave up zero catches and was all over receivers for the entire game. I’ve seen plenty of him over his five years at Miami, and he’s never graded overly well for me in the past, but if this game is any indication of his level of play now, then he’ll be moving up boards in no time at all. 

Stevenson is a Georgia transfer who looked good in a limited role for the Bulldogs but struggled for me last season in his first year in Miami. He was only targeted once in this game and like Ivey gave up zero catches. He has a great athletic profile and is someone who is still highly regarded, and more performances like this will justify the hype he is currently getting. 

By Keith Lucken. Follow Keith on twitter – @lordlucken

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2022 CFB: It’s Tennessee – Florida Rivalry Week

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The stage is set for a barnstormer in Knoxville, Tennessee this upcoming weekend as the 20th ranked Florida Gators take on the 11th ranked Volunteers. 

This is a rivalry that has been dominated by the Gators in recent history as they currently hold a five game win streak against the Vols, but things might be looking different this year. In years past the game has been considered to be a matchup that gives the winner a significant boost in their chances of getting to an SEC championship. That might not be the case in 2022, but the 52nd matchup should be full of drama for the neutral to feast on.

The Volunteers could really benefit from a win here, and they have the roster to make the big leap to 4-0. Yet on the flip side Florida is looking to sour the mood in Knoxville as they look to steal another one in this timeless rivalry. 

The Teams

Tennessee has a very impressive offense that should have Billy Napier losing sleep. The connection between quarterback Hendon Hooker and wide receiver Cedric Tillman is one of the best in the nation, and they’ve already put up some big plays in 2022. Expect Hooker to have plenty of time in the pocket as the Florida pass rush has been abysmal through three weeks, having only three sacks to their name. If the Volunteers dominate, expect most of the traffic to run through the air, where they already rank sixth nationally in passing yards. Coach Heupel has this offense ascending to new heights, and Neyand should be rocking on Saturday.

This will be Florida’s first away game of the season, they started off the year red hot when they upset the seventh ranked Utah Utes. The sky was the limit for Richardson from that point, or so many thought. Since then the quarterback has put up two unimpressive performances that have left many with more questions than answers. With two interceptions, the Florida quarterback has shown lackluster ball security and that will be very costly against a team like Tennessee. 

The Florida quarterback will be looking to really turn it around this weekend, and will need to if Florida is looking to keep up with that Tennessee offense. Florida has found most of its success on the ground thus far, but it may not be so easy this weekend as the Vols have the 19th ranked rushing defense in the nation. The RB duo of Montrell Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne will have an uphill battle, but if the Gators’ offense is able to generate success through the air then that should ease up some of the pressure for the running backs. Richardson, who has all the athleticism in the world, should also keep that defense in check with his ability to use his legs. 

With all eyes on the offense, it can be easy to forget about some of the talent that both teams possess on defense. Despite highlighting that the Gators’ pass rush has not been impressive, keep an eye out on sophomore defensive lineman Gervon Dexter Sr. He has got the size and the athleticism to make a huge impact for Florida. The lineman is 6-foot-6, 312lbs and should be drawing double teams all game.

Tennessee’s defense really showed up big two weeks ago when they marched into Pittsburgh and carried the day in the overtime victory against the Panthers. Keep an eye on the linebacker Jeremy Banks who has already 14 total tackles and a forced fumble this season. It would also be remiss not to highlight defensive back Kamal Hadden who has had a phenomenal start to the season with two passes defensed, an interception, and a forced fumble. 

What to Expect

If Florida wants to come into Nelyand and upset the Volunteers, Anthony Richardson will have to play his best game of the season. The quarterback is just barely completing fifty percent of his passes through three games, and also threw less touchdowns than the Tennessee backup Joe Milton just last weekend. The Tennessee run defense will create problems for Florida’s backs, so if Florida is to win this thing they need to find success through the air. Richardson will be facing one of the loudest crowds he will ever hear, and the quarterback cannot be rattled by that. 

Tennessee will want to keep that foot on the gas. This is a big game, they have run the rivalry in recent years, but now they want to run the future. The key is keeping Richardson in check, whilst allowing your own highly rated signal caller to play his game and find his star receiver. Expect this to be one of the best games all week, a must watch for many.

By Will Lane – @TheWillieLane

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Week 2 – Five things we’ve learned

What was I saying about how Week 1 can be an aberration? A deviation from the commonly accepted norm that makes fools of us all, especially those of us who try to pick out the things we’ve learned from that opening week? My defence here, if you can give every team a Week 1 mulligan then I’m sure as hell going to take one as well. Thanks for nothing, Dallas…

Onto Week 2 and we can – hopefully – start to get an idea of what teams are looking like the real deal and who is scratching their head wondering what the hell just happened?

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Are we ready to accept the Lions as a… decent team?

I’m not willing to say they are good – they’ve given up 38 and 27 points in the first two weeks – but they’ve also put up 35+ and are sitting 1-1 with an offense that looks like it can carry itself beyond Jared Goff’s clear limitations ala the 2018 Rams.

Now I’m not saying that Amon Ra St. Brown is Cooper Kupp and Dan Campbell is not Sean McVay but TJ Hockenson, D’Andre Swift, Jamaal Williams are all contributing in a big way. Let’s not forget that Aidan Hutchinson is already turning into an absolute game-wrecker, and you’d think will only continue to improve.

The green shoots of recovery were there for Lions fans to see during the 2021 season, these shoots are beginning to flower in the Motor City. They’ll be a fascinating watch and if they’re playing meaningful football in December, that’s a huge win for the franchise and the city.

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The AFC South continues to underwhelm

Generally accepted wisdom as recently as three weeks ago was that the Colts were the Class of the AFC South, damning with faint praise sure, but you can only win the division you’re in. Turns out the Colts may struggle to do that as they laid another turkey and put up another goose egg – to mix my wildlife metaphors – in Jacksonville as they were shutout 24 to nothing. Nil. Nada. Zip. Bugger all. 

Jonathan Taylor was held to 54 yards, Matty Ice looked frozen in his 195 yard, 3 INT game. The Jags aren’t exactly a frightening prospect, they’ve got some potential but don’t figure to be a player in a stacked AFC. However with the Titans showing signs of going first-to-worst and Houston being generally mediocre, the Jags suddenly look like a team who could go and snatch an AFC South that – yet again – nobody seems to want to win.

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Joe Flacco Lives!

As Nick Chubb sauntered into the Jets endzone for the third time on Sunday we’d just breezed past the 2 minute warning. Cade York’s PAT was no good and left the Jets with a 13 point deficit, 115 seconds and a ferocious Dawg Pound to contend with. Oh, and their QB was Joe Flacco. Y’know? That guy.

Turns out that Joe Flacco is that guy. The kinda guy who put up 14 points in a combined 11 plays with no timeouts remaining to end the game and seal a remarkable Jets win against a Browns team who were the only team to be more Chargers than the Chargers this week.

It’s clear that Zach Wilson will be taking over from Flacco upon his eventual return but if this is the final victory of Flacco’s career then what a way to go out. Good for you, old timer.

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The Dolphins vs Bills is the Game of Week Three

How can it not be? I know people will cape for Green Bay – Tampa but a pair of 2-0 AFC East teams, one is who we thought they were, the other is who we hoped they would be. Tua threw for over 450 yards and six Tuddys! SIX! I don’t think Miami can expect to give up 38 points against Buffalo and come out with a win but their resilience on Sunday was superb. Their second half possessions went as such – TD, Punt, TD, TD, TD, TD. 

Meanwhile, the Bills completely decimated the Titans and have got me dreaming of that Week 6 matchup against the Chiefs but for now, a divisional game in Miami will do. Book it in folks, this is gonna be a barnburner.

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The Vikings are still coming for the Packers…

If Kirk Cousins stays out of primetime games.

Bleurgh, what a nasty night for the Vikings as they were dismantled by an Eagles team quickly becoming the class of the NFC (overreaction Tuesdays!). Justin Jefferson was quietened, Dalvin Cook was silenced, Kirk Cousins was…Primetime Kirk Cousins.

For every North, there must be a South. For every right, there must be a wrong. For every Deion ‘Primetime’ Sanders, there must be a Kirk ‘Graveyard Slot’ Cousins. His continued poor performance on a national stage is confounding and must be infuriating for Vikings fans.

I still believe in the Vikings, in the same way the Packers can brush off their Week 1 dismantling from Minnesota, so too can a road game against an excellent Eagles team be ‘one of those things’ early in the season. Just…get it together Kirk.

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2022 CFB: Week 3 – Winners & Losers

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There weren’t quite as many upsets through Saturday’s games in week three, yet it was still a slate packed full of action. 

For a long time on Saturday evening Notre Dame were written into the losers column, as were UCLA and a number of other teams who just managed to turn close games into wins against inferior opponents.

The best thing about watching college football in the UK is that the action is still ongoing when you wake up at 6.30 on a Sunday morning. This week that was just in time to watch the end of the Arizona State game…

Winners

Maryland

The Terrapins have started the season quietly and effectively, picking up three wins against three teams that could easily have prevented a real challenge for some of their lesser conference rivals. 

SMU were in the US capital to provide Saturday’s opposition, bringing with them the talented Tanner Mordecai and an offense that is incredibly fun to watch. The Mustangs went back and forth with the home team, but Mordecai was nowhere near as careful with the football as his opposite number Taulia Tagovailoa. Dante Trader and Beau Brader picked off the SMU QB, and Ahmad McCullough recovered two fumbles to help Maryland on their way to a 34-27 win.

That’s not to say that the Terrapins don’t have issues of their own to overcome. A stop-start game saw them commit 15 penalties, much to Mike Locksley’s annoyance. However, Tagovailoa and his talented supporting cast got on with the job regardless, putting up 439 yards of offense and winning the turnover battle to pick up their third win of the season.

A very difficult trip to Ann Arbor is up next weekend, but so far so good for the Terps.

Oregon

When the world saw the Georgia Bulldogs bulldoze through Oregon in week one, there were questions about the Ducks and how successful they’d be under a new coaching staff in 2022.

Well, in the two games since their opening day defeat, Dan Lanning’s men have flipped the narrative. Playing a ranked team in BYU on Saturday, Oregon looked dominant as they piled on the points through the first three quarters in a 41-20 win that was never in question.

Veterans of the Box Nix experience are well aware of the peaks and troughs that are associated with his game. Against the Cougars, he looked every bit the leader of a well polished offense as he put the ball in tight windows and hit his targets consistently all game long. With the score at 17-7, he hit Terrance Ferguson where only he could grab it over the middle of the field, and from that point onwards it was easy sailing for the Ducks.

The Oregon defense also deserves a shoutout, they managed to limit Jaren Hall to just 19 yards on the ground and the entire BYU offense only managed 61 total yards of rushing. An impressive feat which will no doubt see the Ducks bounce up the rankings this week. 

Hunter Dekkers

Long term Iowa State QB, Brock Purdy, was entrenched as the starter in Ames for four years. The man that followed him was always going to have a tough task given Purdy’s consistency and the number of games he helped the Cyclones to.

Step forward Hunter Dekkers, Purdy’s backup for the last two years. Through the first three games of the season the former four-star recruit has been impressive. Against Southeast Missouri and on Saturday against Ohio, Dekkers has completed more than 77% of his passes for seven scores and only one interception. He did throw two picks against Iowa, but he still led his team for the winning touchdown in a real battle of attrition.

A 3-0 start and an impressive connection with star receiver, Xavier Hutchinson, is certainly not a bad way to endear yourself to the Cyclones’ faithful.

Losers

Arizona State

The comments underneath the final score graphic on Arizona State’s Twitter page were strangely positive following their defeat to Eastern Michigan on Saturday. A lot of the comments simply praised the way that Eagles played, but some were delighted that the 30-21 defeat may spell the end of Herm Edwards’ time as Head Coach of the Sun Devils.

Eastern Michigan scored on four of their five opening drives and never trailed against their PAC-12 opponents. It’s a damning indictment of Arizona State that, even with talented transfers such as Emory Jones, they couldn’t keep up with the Eagles.

Edwards now holds a 26-20 win-loss record with the Sun Devils, but with one anonymous coach calling ASU the ‘biggest dumpster fire’ in college football during the offseason, the writing might now be on the wall.

Miami 

With all the optimism around the Miami Hurricanes this offseason, a matchup with a Texas A&M team that had just dropped a game to App State felt like a huge opportunity to make a statement.

Unfortunately, the Hurricanes couldn’t get the job done in College State. A series of drops and 50/50 passes by Tyler Van Dyke didn’t help Mario Cristobal’s team as they struggled to cope with a strong A&M defense. Nothing could have summed that up more than the final play for the Hurricanes on offense where Van Dyke threw a nice ball right into the outstretched hands of his receiver, only for the ball to hit the floor.

For what it’s worth, the Miami defense did well to limit Texas A&M and Max Johnson in his first start for the Aggies. Three sacks, six tackles for a loss and another three QB hurries show that the ‘Canes defense got to Johnson early and often, but it wasn’t enough to come away with the win.

With Clemson looking dominant early in the season, a loss like this will hit Miami hard.

Northwestern

It seems like yesterday that Northwestern were picking up the plaudits for a good opening day victory against Nebraska in Dublin. Since then they’ve dropped two games, first to Duke and on Saturday to Southern Illinois.

The Wildcats turned the ball over a lot in the defeat, with Ryan Hillinksi throwing two interceptions and fumbling to sum up his difficult day against the Salukis. By contrast, Southern Illinois looked assured, only turning the ball over once in a good performance after they dropped their first two games against Incarnate Word and Southeastern Missouri.

With Big Ten action about to get underway, this has been a very disappointing start for Northwestern as all the positivity from Dublin has ebbed away. They have one more opportunity to kick start their season against Miami (Ohio) next week, before games against Penn State and Wisconsin.

By Andy Moore (@ajmoore21)

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F10Y CFB – Player to Watch; Tyler Van Dyke, Miami

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Welcome back to our Player of the Week space for a third week, here on the Full 10 Yards College Football staff, we seem enamoured with ACC passers, with Jake covering Malik Cunningham of Louisville recently, adding to his thoughts on UNC’s first year QB, Drake Maye.

In this column so far, I’ve given you my thoughts on Isaiah Foskey and Jordan Addison, but this week I am shining the spotlight on Miami quarterback, Tyler Van Dyke. A player that my colleague Raj is super high on, as you can hear here. 

Van Dyke has had a decent enough start to the season, albeit Miami have played two out of conference opponents who are way below the level of the ACC, beating Bethune-Cookman 70-13 and followed that up this past weekend with a 30-7 win against Southern Mississippi.

Van Dyke has thrown for 454 yards on 33 completions with 3 scores and an interception so far. No bad, but tougher games are ahead, especially with Texas A&M next up! 

Anyway, let’s find out who Tyler Van Dyke is…

Van Dyke was a highly rated and highly recruited high school prospect out of Connecticut, rated as four-star QB with a plethora of offers from Power-5 schools from all over the map. Michigan, UCLA, Wisconsin and NC State, the highlights alongside Miami, in a group of around 20 offers.

A Redshirt Sophomore who stands at 6’4 and 224lbs – So great measurements for a quarterback in today’s NFL – and he made his Miami debut in 2020 against Florida and played a second game that season against UNC. However it was 2021 when Van Dyke really burst on to the scene.

Taking over from D’Eriq King after 2 and a bit games due to injury, Van Dyke played the rest of the season throwing for 2,931 yards, 25 touchdowns and only threw the ball to the other team on six occasions. The 2021 season also included an ending in which Van Dyke threw for over 300 yards in each of the final six games, which for anybody’s first batch of starts in college football, shows strong promise for the future, especially considering Miami was 5-1 throughout those final six.

So what kind of quarterback do we have here and what makes him so highly rated?

After diving into the film this week, it’s clear to see that Tyler Van Dyke has some NFL type attributes that will make him an attractive draft prospect in the next year, or maybe two depending on when he declares. And what’s more is that I feel that some of the attributes that he has fit the modern NFL as well, so we have a player who will fit the league.

Let’s start with the first thing that jumps off the page, which is his arm talent. Think of all of the best QBs in the league right now; Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert… They can all hit throws at all three levels of the field and they can fit them into tight windows too, well, so can Van Dyke.

Apologies this week – There is a lack of All-22 available for Tyler Van Dyke so it’s all broadcast film, let’s start with the opening game this year against Bethune-Cookman.

Despite the view we can see the receiver (#8) at the bottom of the screen we can see that this is a 10 yard out that is being run on the left (field) side of the screen, Van Dyke is on the right (boundary) side hash and has absolutely no issues making, and with a good amount of zip on the ball.

Here’s a second example, also from the opener; Van Dyke once again throws to the wide side of the field, but what I like about this is that he doesn’t need to muscle it in there, and this is a longer throw than my first example in terms of air yards. This play has the kind of high-low read that an NFL team would be expecting from any starting QB too, and it’s executed really nicely with a long pass which with finesse.

This next clip is going to mesh together that finesse with another great trait that I saw from Van Dyke this week – This ability to hang in the pocket and deliver passes even with pressure in his face. This one in from the NC State game last year.

Tyler shows that he’s not scared by a big body and flailing arms coming towards him – He lofts this one up there and allows the receiver to get underneath it for a score. I accept that the corner doesn’t get his head around and could have defended this better but still, it’s another example of the variance that Van Dyke can put on his throws.

Ok so we can see that he’s able to quarterback from the pocket and he’s got a more than decent arm, so let’s give an example of how he can navigate the pocket. Don’t get me wrong, Van Dyke isn’t a statue in there, he can escape a crumbling pocket but he isn’t a mobile QB.

This is a nice example of the kind of pocket movement and awareness that he can show, not always but we’re talking about a young guy here. This is against Southern Mississippi from this past weekend. A nice example of clean footwork on the 5 step drop, which he does with urgency and purpose, he slides to his right, and then up in the pocket and sidesteps the defender before delivering the pass. That’s pretty advanced stuff, keeping eyes downfield and keeping poised like that.

The final positive thing I want to mention is how he’s going to fit into the modern NFL with his proficiency in the quick game, using RPO playing to his advantage and play-action in general. I feel like this is a big strength of his and will make him a sought after player when he comes out.

Check out how fast this ball is out against NC State. This is NFL stuff again, and will have some teams looking at this and thinking that they could work with this guy.

As a side note, the pass-catcher here (#85) is Will Mallory, one of the top tight ends in the draft class. Well worth keeping an eye on, and the next clip also involves him catching a pass…

This is so nice. Again, the sort of play that is seen on Sundays. Mallory is showing his versatility playing some H-back here, he leaks out on play-action and we can add some pocket moving stuff in here for Van Dyke which shows he’s fine throwing on the move for an easy conversion on what was 3rd and 1. This kind of concept can be used in the red zone too, so it adds another layer to Van Dyke’s game since he’s so comfortable doing it.

And the final clip on the quick game before I show you one bad clip.

This is a quintessential RPO play here against Pittsburgh last season and the sort of things that some NFL teams are incorporating in their offenses up and down the league nowadays. It’s easy money and easy yardage when done correctly and the QB makes a good decision.

Overall I believe there are a tonne of positives right now and a lot of reasons to be excited about Tyler Van Dyke – You feel like there’s a but coming don’t you? And there is…

But, there is one aspect of his play that kind of stands out, and it’s not surprising at all giving that he’s 11 starts into his college career.

 Van Dyke isn’t being asked to read the whole field and he doesn’t go through his progressions at all at times, and on some plays he only has two reads to go through, as the play is designed to be a half-field read.

One example being the second clip above on the out route that he hits – There are only receivers on one side of the field and everyone running a route is moving vertically or to the right and the offensive line walls off any backside pressure. I saw this a lot and there’s not a lot of head movement at all, which to me, right now, isn’t a huge deal. However, he can’t go into the NFL when the Hurricanes’ offense doesn’t ask him to carry out full field reads and execute concepts where he has to read the whole defense. You can get away with it for a few games, but NFL defenses will learn your tendencies and pull pressure on where you don’t like it quickly.

It also causes issues in college – This clip is of the interception that he threw this week against Southern Mississippi.

On his play, Van Dyke does go through his reads, you can see that he starts with the left side of the field but quickly moves on, across the field to the right – ending with the high-low read with the tight end underneath and receiver over the top.

There’s a hitch and a hesitation, and not a lot of head movement to deceive the defenders to that side of the field. It’s not a terrible throw but timing on out breakers is so important and the mixture of hesitation and telegraphing the throw with his eyes really costs him here.

Not terminal but something to work on throughout the season. 

So we can see the strong points – Is he going to be playing on Sundays next year and what kind of draft range are we looking at?

I feel that Tyler Van Dyke is a talented QB who has time on his side. He has the physical tools and enough evidence of advanced aspects of his game having a high enough ceiling to warrant an early draft selection.

However, there are enough things about his play and the offense that would give me pause. Right now, I have a mid-to-late second round grade on Van Dyke, which is a very respectful grade, especially considering his inexperience.

He’s one to watch throughout the season. I will be looking at how much more the Miami coaching staff is placing on his plate and how he is responding to the increased demands as time goes on. If he responds well and Miami has a good year, then I would be happy for Van Dyke to capitalise on a good season and head to the NFL.

Although, if that isn’t the case, he does have time on his side with him having so much more eligibility remaining. What would he rather, get drafted in the second round and maybe enter the NFL undercooked, in a draft class where Bryce Young and CJ Stroud are going to get all the attention?

Or wait a year and maybe be at that level where he is being talked up as one of the better QBs in the class? Food for thought, for sure. 

So looking ahead to this weekend?

As mentioned above, it is Texas A&M this week for the Hurricanes, and they are a wounded beast at the moment.

Fresh off their embarrassing loss to Appalachian State, the Aggies will be playing with some extra fire in their bellies, I am sure, and won’t make it easy for Van Dyke to play his game and serve up another defeat and make it back-to-back home losses.

The star of the show on the Aggie’s defense is defensive back, Antonio Johnson. A player who can affect the game in multiple ways and who you can hear me rate very highly in our Summer Scouting podcast on linebackers and safeties here.

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Johnson has had a nice start to the season and is the leading tackler through two games with 17. He has also recorded a sack and a tackle for loss as well, so his strength in coming downhill and being aggressive has been on display already this year.

Not one for huge interceptions so Van Dyke won’t have to avoid him too much when throwing downfield but Johnson might be sent on a blitz or two by defensive coordinator, Mike Elko.

Elsewhere on defense, Freshman Edge LT Overton already has a sack in his early career as part of the rotation and Senior safety, Demani Richardson will be looking to make life difficult for the young passer.

So in conclusion…

There is no doubt that Van Dyke is a talented passer and should be on everyone’s watch list moving throughout the season, especially as his competition heats up, starting his week against SEC competition.

Should he be thinking about entering the NFL after this year? Well, that’s a question that he can answer throughout the season. If he does pour on another loss for the Aggies then tickets for the hype train will surely be selling quickly. 

By Lee Wakefield – Follow Lee on Twitter @Wakefield90

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2022 CFB: Week Three Game Previews

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You won’t find a more comprehensive set of game previews anywhere this side of the Atlantic!

FSU @ Louisville

Saturday – 12.30am (UK) – Louisville, Kentucky

Preview: Since Adam Fuller joined Florida State as their Defensive Coordinator, one particular quarterback has given him nightmares. Malik Cunningham and Scott Satterfield’s offense have dominated the ‘Noles in the two most recent meetings of the ACC rivals – with Louisville scoring a combined 79 points in those games.

However, this is seemingly a new FSU. After scraping past LSU in week one, Jordan Travis and co had their first bye week to prepare for Cunningham and the fast paced offense that the Cardinals run. Jared Verse, Fabien Lovett and Robert Cooper have started the season in strong fashion, combining with a secondary led by Jammie Robinson to produce the 19th ranked defense in the nation going into week three.

Louisville got off to a sluggish start against Syracuse before flipping the switch against UCF on Friday night. In that game they forced John Rhys Plumlee to stand in the pocket and try to beat them through the air. A year ago it may have been possible for the Cardinals to pursue a similar strategy against Travis, but the dual threat is much improved in the passing game since the sides last met. 

This one will be a battle of two very impressive QBs who can really take over a game on their day, the winner will likely be the team that can dominate in the trenches.

Key Matchup: Jared Verse (DE, FSU) vs Trevor Reid (LT, LOU) – Verse has exploded onto the scene for FSU. Against LSU he had two sacks, two and a half tackles for a loss and a blocked field goal. Reid can lack upper body strength, but his quick feet and athleticism mean he’s no slouch – if he can keep Cunningham upright then the Cardinals will do damage on offense.

Game Line: Florida State 2.5 point favourites at the time of writing.

Georgia @ South Carolina

Saturday – 5pm (UK) – Columbia, South Carolina

Preview: The Bulldogs haven’t allowed an opposition touchdown through two games in 2022, quieting any doubts that their defense would suffer from the large exodus of 2021 talent. Last weekend’s blowout of Samford was certainly expected, but many thought that Oregon would at least stay close in week one. 

At the heart of the early season success is Stetson Bennett, last year’s National Championship winning quarterback. Through two games Bennett has looked composed and the Bulldogs have been comfortable taking the aerial approach as their first option, a marked change to recent years. South Carolina have only allowed 136.5 yards a game through the air so far this season, so it’ll be interesting to see if the Bulldogs revert to their usual ground and pound style on Saturday.

The Gamecocks stuttered past Georgia State in week one, before being outclassed against a strong Arkansas team last week. Everything points towards them falling to 1-2 this weekend, but if anyone can produce some magic to keep the game interesting it is Spencer Rattler. The Oklahoma transfer has made some impressive plays through the first two game, but he desperately needs the support of a productive running game to help set up play action opportunities.

Key Matchup: Kendall Milton (RB, GEO) vs Gamecocks’ Linebackers – South Carolina lost both Jordan Strachan and Mo Kaba for the season in the loss to Arkansas, making their woeful run defense even worse. Sherrod Greene and Terrell Dawkins could be the next men up, and they’ll face the unenviable task of limiting the talented Milton in this one.

Game Line: Georgia 24 point favourites at the time of writing.

BYU @ Oregon

Saturday – 8.30pm (UK) – Eugene, Oregon

Preview: Early risers in the UK could have enjoyed the end of BYU’s dramatic double overtime win over Baylor at the weekend. Thankfully any British fans of the Cougars or the Oregon Ducks can enjoy this one at the very friendly time of 8.30pm. What they’ll see is a battle between two teams that play differing styles of football. 

Oregon got completely shut down by the aforementioned Georgia Bulldogs in week one, yet they rebounded in emphatic fashion on Saturday against Eastern Washington. Bo Nix was able to settle into his new offense, and he stood tall in the pocket to spread the ball around wherever possible. The Ducks’ coaching staff are excited by the young receivers they have coming through, none more so than Troy Franklin who caught ten passes from Nix at the weekend. The BYU secondary will no doubt provide a tougher opponent this week, but it’ll be a good test of where the new look offense is.

On the flip side, BYU’s offense could be characterised as chaotic by the layman, but that would be doing a huge disservice to Jaren Hall and his dual threat ability. The second year starter has speed to burn, and his ability in the pocket is seemingly on the up as well. Chase Roberts has seemingly appeared out of nowhere as the successor to Dax Milne for the Cougars, but Kalani Sitake will want to see more from the run game in this one. 

Key Matchup: Noah Sewell & Justin Flowe (LBs, ORE) vs Jaren Hall (QB, BYU) – Hall likes to get out of the pocket a lot, if he’s allowed to run free then the result could be devastating for the Oregon defense. Luckily they have two highly rated linebackers in position to stop that, they should force Hall to throw a lot more – it remains to be seen what the outcome of that will be.

Game Line: Oregon 3.5 point favourites at the time of writing.

Penn State @ Auburn

Saturday – 8.30pm (UK) – Auburn, Alabama

Preview: One of the most intriguing matchups of week three involves two ‘nearly’ teams of recent years. Both Penn State and Auburn manage to assemble good teams every year, but it’s been a while since they’ve been serious contenders at the top of their respective conferences.

It’s highly unlikely that the status quo changes in 2022, but both teams come into this one at 2-0 and both teams have got reason to be optimistic. For Penn State, that optimism is centred around Nick Singleton. After several years of running back by committee, Singleton emerged as a dominant force against Ohio in week two. Time will tell if he’s got what it takes to be the week in, week out bell cow – but the coaching staff have been full of praise for the freshman and it seems he’ll get every chance to be that guy.

Auburn had a tough end to the 2021 season, but the resilience shown by Bryan Harsin’s men in their victory over San Jose State indicates they’ve turned a corner and are ready to win. That victory did however highlight the question marks around the Tigers’ QB situation, with both TJ Finley and Robby Ashford seeing the field. Finley continues to be listed as the starter this week, and he’ll be excited to see starting receiver, Malcolm Johnson Jr, back on the field.

Last season’s reverse fixture saw a 28-20 Penn State victory, something that is clearly motivating the Auburn playing staff. If the home side can get some pressure on Sean Clifford then they’ve got every chance of moving to 3-0.

Key Matchup: Eke Leota (DE, AUB) vs Olu Fashanu (LT, PEN) – with the home-field noise at their back the Tigers’ defensive line should be driven on towards Clifford. Eke Leota is a man mountain coming off the edge and he made several game changing plays against San Jose State. Standing in his way this week is Olu Fashanu, a player that James Franklin has been full of praise for since the preseason. May the best man win.

Game Line: Penn State 3 point favourites at the time of writing.

Mississippi State @ LSU

Saturday – 11pm (UK) – Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Preview: An early-season SEC West matchup should give fans a little insight into how things will shake out between the mid-tier teams in the conference. Mississippi State have clearly had the more impressive start to the season, with wins against Memphis and Arizona under their belt. Much of that is down to the solid play of QB Will Rogers, whose big arm and solid pocket presence just brings an air of calm to the Bulldogs’ offense.

LSU were unlucky against Florida State, it’s not every week you lose a game on a blocked PAT with time expired, but they bounced back with a trouncing of Southern last weekend. Garrett Nussmeier still managed to turn in a nightmare performance despite the 65-17 scoreline, and it would appear that Jayden Daniels will be the starting signal caller going forward. 

The tight game line demonstrates how close this one feels on paper, but the LSU defense feels like it may just hold the upper hand over the Mississippi offensive line at this point. The Tigers boast a formidable front that is likely to trouble a conventional pocket passer, and Brian Kelly will be chomping at the bit to showcase he can out-coach his SEC peers. 

Key Matchup: Mehki Garner (CB, LSU) vs Caleb Ducking (WR, MSU) – Ducking has had a huge start to the year, catching three touchdowns through the first two weeks of the season. His 6’5” frame makes him an imposing matchup for any opposition CB and he’s been targeted a lot in the red zone. Garner has won the starting corner job for the Tigers over the last two weeks and he’ll have his mind set on following the long list of LSU defensive backs who have made the jump to the NFL.

Game Line: Mississippi State 2.5 point favourites at the time of writing.

Miami @ Texas A&M

Sunday – 2am (UK) – College Station, Texas

Preview: Texas A&M spared a lot of team’s blushes last weekend. On a day which saw a number of big name programmes fall to upsets, the Aggies’ defeat to App State felt like the worst of the bunch. It wasn’t the case that they got blown away, but Jimbo Fisher’s team just couldn’t get the ball moving at all – with Haynes King throwing for less than 100 yards. That performance has led to reports that Max Johnson will take the first snap under center at the weekend, he’ll bring a big play threat but LSU fans will remember that he could go down injured at any moment.

Their opponents come into the game with a lot of hype but also some striking deficiencies. Miami’s offensive line was poor last weekend against Southern Miss, with Tyler Van Dyke coming under pressure throughout the game. Thankfully for Mario Cristobal, Ole Miss transfer, Henry Parrish took over in the run game, allowing Van Dyke to lean on some play action calls and a fleaflicker to put the game to bed.

Defensively, A&M struggled against Camrun Peoples and App State’s run game. There’s every chance that the Hurricanes come out the blocks and try to stuff Parrish and co down the Aggies’ throats early, before reverting to Van Dyke’s monster arm once the game progresses. Whether A&M can soak that up and finally kick their offense into life is the key question. 

Key Matchup: Miami offensive line vs A&M defensive line – this feels very obvious, but whoever wins the battle in the trenches will win this game. Miami has every chance of going into College Station and leaving with a win, but if they fail to pass block then they’ll leave with a dinged up TVD and not a lot of points on the board. It’ll be fascinating to see which unit emerges on top.

Game Line: Texas A&M 5.5 favourites at the time of writing.

By Andy Moore – @ajmoore21