Big 12 Game of the Week (9/15): Iowa State vs. Oklahoma Prospect Review
 |
| Oklahoma WR Marquise "Hollywood" Brown (Photo Credit: NewsOK) |
Oklahoma came into the matchup as one of the best team's in the country and showed why with multiple Sooners surfacing as current stars in the college football landscape. Yet, Iowa State battled valiantly on their home field and proved it too has its own prospects that showed promise with their performance in a tough loss.
A few players entered the matchup as known quantities relative to a future in the NFL, while some others displayed during the game that their abilities are also deserving of recognition by teams at the next level. In the following segment I'll detail which of those players who caught my attention with their showing seen recently in Jack Trice Stadium.
Top Prospect Performances
Oklahoma WR Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, Junior
Last season during Baker Mayfield's run to the Heisman Trophy — and overall number one pick in the NFL — he developed a dangerous connection with Brown, who totaled 57 receptions for 1095 yards (19.7 yards per catch) and seven touchdowns. With Mayfield gone, Brown has again gotten off to an excellent start to begin the 2018 season and is proving himself to be the one of the most explosive receivers and playmakers in college football.
Against Iowa State the 5'10, 168 pound receiver was outstanding, going for 9 catches, 191 yards, and a touchdown. As impressive as his numbers were, it was how he did it that is likely to catch the eyes of NFL teams. Brown accelerated off the line of scrimmage explosively with regularity, covering a lot of ground with his first few steps in attacking the defense. Even with Iowa State often dropping seven and eight men into coverage he was able to get past defenders up the seam, which is exactly what he did flying past multiple guys on his 75 yard touchdown catch, to give Oklahoma a 7-3 lead in the first quarter.
With the Cyclones conscious of his threatening speed and many times playing in off-coverage to try and keep him from beating them deep, he regularly found space against their zone coverage to present himself as a primary target on passing plays. Whether it was working over the middle of the field or executing a post-corner route in between a high/low defender, Brown was open all day. Showing off what is legit 4.3-4.4 speed, he is shifty in open space after the catch, which he often has as there were few times, if any, where someone could keep in-touch with him when breaking out of his routes.
I'm not one often to compare prospects to players — at least in divulging them publicly — but Brown yields similarities to Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver and playmaker Tyreek Hill.
Against Iowa State the 5'10, 168 pound receiver was outstanding, going for 9 catches, 191 yards, and a touchdown. As impressive as his numbers were, it was how he did it that is likely to catch the eyes of NFL teams. Brown accelerated off the line of scrimmage explosively with regularity, covering a lot of ground with his first few steps in attacking the defense. Even with Iowa State often dropping seven and eight men into coverage he was able to get past defenders up the seam, which is exactly what he did flying past multiple guys on his 75 yard touchdown catch, to give Oklahoma a 7-3 lead in the first quarter.
With the Cyclones conscious of his threatening speed and many times playing in off-coverage to try and keep him from beating them deep, he regularly found space against their zone coverage to present himself as a primary target on passing plays. Whether it was working over the middle of the field or executing a post-corner route in between a high/low defender, Brown was open all day. Showing off what is legit 4.3-4.4 speed, he is shifty in open space after the catch, which he often has as there were few times, if any, where someone could keep in-touch with him when breaking out of his routes.
I'm not one often to compare prospects to players — at least in divulging them publicly — but Brown yields similarities to Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver and playmaker Tyreek Hill.
Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray, Redshirt Junior
One of the most uniquely talented athletes in all of college sports, Murray took over the reigns as the starting quarterback at Oklahoma this season, having performed for their baseball team last spring, en route to becoming the ninth overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft in June. Replacing Baker Mayfield, Murray has stepped up and met the standard the previous Sooner starter signal caller set, seamlessly steadying the high-powered offensive Oklahoma attack.
The 5'10, 195 pound all-around athlete's performance was near perfect against Iowa State, passing 21-29 for 348 yards, and three touchdowns. An outfielder in baseball, Murray showed off his strong arm when he hit Brown on the run, in stride up the seam, with a pass in the air that led the speedy receiver excellently for a 75 yard score. With Iowa State dropping seven and eight men into coverage — as I stated above — he often took his time, taking advantage of the prime protection Oklahoma's offensive line afforded him and found receivers all over the field, whether on screens, over the middle, and on routes near the sideline.
A number of Oklahoma's plays designed to move the pocket worked to the mobile Murray's favor, as he was able to complete a number of passes while on the run. In addition to buying time to deliver the ball downfield, weaving in and out of defenders, he himself used his legs to gain yards as a dual-threat option when the play broke down and on designed quarterback runs — rushing for 77 yards on 15 carries, while only taking one sack.
Murray is bound to begin his professional baseball career in the Oakland A's organization in 2019, after the completion of this college football season. Be that as it may, with the way he's performing on the gridiron, there is the potential for him to pick up the Heisman Trophy before doing so, having emerged as one of the few true candidates for the award early in the season.
The 5'10, 195 pound all-around athlete's performance was near perfect against Iowa State, passing 21-29 for 348 yards, and three touchdowns. An outfielder in baseball, Murray showed off his strong arm when he hit Brown on the run, in stride up the seam, with a pass in the air that led the speedy receiver excellently for a 75 yard score. With Iowa State dropping seven and eight men into coverage — as I stated above — he often took his time, taking advantage of the prime protection Oklahoma's offensive line afforded him and found receivers all over the field, whether on screens, over the middle, and on routes near the sideline.
A number of Oklahoma's plays designed to move the pocket worked to the mobile Murray's favor, as he was able to complete a number of passes while on the run. In addition to buying time to deliver the ball downfield, weaving in and out of defenders, he himself used his legs to gain yards as a dual-threat option when the play broke down and on designed quarterback runs — rushing for 77 yards on 15 carries, while only taking one sack.
Murray is bound to begin his professional baseball career in the Oakland A's organization in 2019, after the completion of this college football season. Be that as it may, with the way he's performing on the gridiron, there is the potential for him to pick up the Heisman Trophy before doing so, having emerged as one of the few true candidates for the award early in the season.
Oklahoma OG Ben Powers, Senior
Apart of an offensive line that put forth an impressive performance, left guard Ben Powers stood out with his play amongst the five guys up front for Oklahoma. After being called for a holding penalty on the second play of the game for the Sooner offense, Powers locked in and was a force in the trenches.
Both in the run game and in pass protection, the 6'4, 313 pound powerful prospect exhibited the ability to execute a number of different blocking techniques, allowing the offense to click on all cylinders. On down blocks Powers was consistently able to create a crease for running backs to work with and showed strong hands and upper body strength once engaged with defenders to control them by attacking the inside of their pads, producing a few pancakes in the process. He worked in sync with the rest of Sooners' lineman on the few times he pull around and identified any potential threats on the defense attempting to stop the run.
In pass protection, Powers provided help to both the center and tackle to the side of him, keeping the pocket clean to provide Murray plenty of time to throw the ball. On one snap the Preseason All-Big 12 selection worked back as he saw a rusher break free and pushed the man upfield to give the quarterback space to step up and buy more time to make a play.
Additionally, with Oklahoma designing a run to the right side during the fourth quarter, it allowed for the offensive lineman's agility to appear as he arrived just at the right moment to reach around the defender lined up outside him and seal the backside to create a lane, resulting in a crucial first down.
Both in the run game and in pass protection, the 6'4, 313 pound powerful prospect exhibited the ability to execute a number of different blocking techniques, allowing the offense to click on all cylinders. On down blocks Powers was consistently able to create a crease for running backs to work with and showed strong hands and upper body strength once engaged with defenders to control them by attacking the inside of their pads, producing a few pancakes in the process. He worked in sync with the rest of Sooners' lineman on the few times he pull around and identified any potential threats on the defense attempting to stop the run.
In pass protection, Powers provided help to both the center and tackle to the side of him, keeping the pocket clean to provide Murray plenty of time to throw the ball. On one snap the Preseason All-Big 12 selection worked back as he saw a rusher break free and pushed the man upfield to give the quarterback space to step up and buy more time to make a play.
Additionally, with Oklahoma designing a run to the right side during the fourth quarter, it allowed for the offensive lineman's agility to appear as he arrived just at the right moment to reach around the defender lined up outside him and seal the backside to create a lane, resulting in a crucial first down.
Iowa State WR Hakeem Butler, Redshirt Junior
Oklahoma has Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and dare I say Iowa State has Hakeem "Highlight" Butler. As corny as it may seem to label Butler with a nickname, it only feels appropriate as he elevated his team's offensive performance, just as Brown did Oklahoma's, with a highlight reel performance, totaling 174 yards on 5 catches, with 2 touchdowns.
The 6'6, 225 pound receiver took advantage of his height in almost all of his receptions, adeptly adjusting his body in the air, allowing him to make advanced level catches with defenders draped on his body.
On his first score, the big receiver line up flexed in the slot, took stride up the seam and adjust his body to the ball in the air, shielding off a defender attempting to make a play on the ball and then broke a tackle from the safety, before spinning out of another tackle attempt, refusing to go down on his way to a 51 yard touchdown reception. He later added another score when he again was able to turn and adjust his body — this time on a back shoulder fade near the sideline — then break free from initial contact to go the rest of the way to the end zone for 57 yards.
Butler showed high-level of skill on his other receptions as well, as he ran a corner route and again displayed his advanced body control to rotate his torso in hauling in a pass near the sideline while getting a foot down in-bounds to come away with the catch as he was contacted. On the first drive of the game he had a similar catch also high in degree of difficulty, getting two feet down before his momentum took him out of bounds.
Even on snaps when he wasn't targeted or didn't make a reception, Butler displayed a nuance of the position, breaking free from press coverage with both inside and outside releases — leaning his body into defenders to then create space as he gained speed and squaring up corners before exhibiting subtle footwork and upper body movement in allowing him to gain a step when going deep.
The 6'6, 225 pound receiver took advantage of his height in almost all of his receptions, adeptly adjusting his body in the air, allowing him to make advanced level catches with defenders draped on his body.
On his first score, the big receiver line up flexed in the slot, took stride up the seam and adjust his body to the ball in the air, shielding off a defender attempting to make a play on the ball and then broke a tackle from the safety, before spinning out of another tackle attempt, refusing to go down on his way to a 51 yard touchdown reception. He later added another score when he again was able to turn and adjust his body — this time on a back shoulder fade near the sideline — then break free from initial contact to go the rest of the way to the end zone for 57 yards.
Butler showed high-level of skill on his other receptions as well, as he ran a corner route and again displayed his advanced body control to rotate his torso in hauling in a pass near the sideline while getting a foot down in-bounds to come away with the catch as he was contacted. On the first drive of the game he had a similar catch also high in degree of difficulty, getting two feet down before his momentum took him out of bounds.
Even on snaps when he wasn't targeted or didn't make a reception, Butler displayed a nuance of the position, breaking free from press coverage with both inside and outside releases — leaning his body into defenders to then create space as he gained speed and squaring up corners before exhibiting subtle footwork and upper body movement in allowing him to gain a step when going deep.
Iowa State RB David Montgomery, Junior
Pro Football Focus brought a lot of attention to Montgomery during last season and heading into the 2018 campaign, rating him as one of the top backs in the country despite a lacking eye-popping statistics typical of a productive running back in the NCAA. The 5'11, 216 pound prospect's performance against Oklahoma alludes to why it is important to truly see a player's skill-set and in game action rather than just judge his talent level by the numbers you see in a box score at the end of the game.
Montgomery's stats may seem rather middling (21 carries, 82 yards, 1 touchdown), nonetheless his showing on Saturday isn't one that you'll see in college football from but only a few other running backs. Displaying a depth of skills that you look for in an NFL back, he earned each yard gained, many of which he had to gain by virtue of his own maneuvering through the defense. Gaining 16 yards on his opening carry of the game on a run where he was able to attack the edge of the defense, benefitting from left tackle Julian Good-Jones and h-back Sean Seonbuchner who made quality blocks. Throughout the rest of the contest Montgomery many times had to make someone miss either before or at the line of scrimmage then preceding to power his way through multiple defenders rallying to tackle him.
Patience and vision were evident as the offensive line found challenges in re-setting the line of scrimmage, causing the star running back to bounce from hole to hole looking for the slightest crease to attack defenses. With traffic at the line of scrimmage Montgomery displayed advanced footwork being able to keep his balance in confined spaces, picking up a few yards at a time.
Seven of his 21 carries went for first downs, also including his rushing score, where when inside the goal line Iowa State went to him three consecutive times. He also had a couple of other 16 yard gains, one where he was able to spin out of a tackle, which he did on multiple occasions throughout the game, and then push a pile of Oklahoma defenders attempting to bring him down another half dozen yards.
In addition to his toughness he exhibited as a runner, Montgomery also emerged in the passing game, mostly staying into protect the quarterback, which he did effectively. Though he only had one reception for seven yards, the all-purpose back displayed natural hands catching a swing pass in motion and before landing a quick and effective stiff arm to allow him to gain positive yardage with limited room near the sideline.
Montgomery's stats may seem rather middling (21 carries, 82 yards, 1 touchdown), nonetheless his showing on Saturday isn't one that you'll see in college football from but only a few other running backs. Displaying a depth of skills that you look for in an NFL back, he earned each yard gained, many of which he had to gain by virtue of his own maneuvering through the defense. Gaining 16 yards on his opening carry of the game on a run where he was able to attack the edge of the defense, benefitting from left tackle Julian Good-Jones and h-back Sean Seonbuchner who made quality blocks. Throughout the rest of the contest Montgomery many times had to make someone miss either before or at the line of scrimmage then preceding to power his way through multiple defenders rallying to tackle him.
Patience and vision were evident as the offensive line found challenges in re-setting the line of scrimmage, causing the star running back to bounce from hole to hole looking for the slightest crease to attack defenses. With traffic at the line of scrimmage Montgomery displayed advanced footwork being able to keep his balance in confined spaces, picking up a few yards at a time.
Seven of his 21 carries went for first downs, also including his rushing score, where when inside the goal line Iowa State went to him three consecutive times. He also had a couple of other 16 yard gains, one where he was able to spin out of a tackle, which he did on multiple occasions throughout the game, and then push a pile of Oklahoma defenders attempting to bring him down another half dozen yards.
In addition to his toughness he exhibited as a runner, Montgomery also emerged in the passing game, mostly staying into protect the quarterback, which he did effectively. Though he only had one reception for seven yards, the all-purpose back displayed natural hands catching a swing pass in motion and before landing a quick and effective stiff arm to allow him to gain positive yardage with limited room near the sideline.
%20.jpeg)
Comments
Post a Comment