2017 College Football Chatter

[Rev]

Maybe a story that he was spreading revenge herpes?

Both of them would work.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

I watch that Josh Allen kid from Wyoming again last week. Once again I came away unimpressed. I honestly don't see what all these draft "experts" are looking at when they are projecting him as the 3rd best QB and 1st round pick.

He broke 1Bigfan's #1 Rule of Law for Small School Football Prospects: If you play for a smaller school and against lighter competition than Power 5 teams, you need to dominate at that level and put up impressive numbers in order to justify being drafted before round 3.

Josh Allen did neither of those things. He didn't even make one the Mountain West All Conference Teams.

The rule is virtually foolproof.

I'm not saying he shouldn't be drafted at all and that he'll definitely not going to be a good QB. I just don't see 1st round QB talent in him. His resume doesn't warrant taking a risk on him with a high draft pick. He looks more like a 3rd or 4th rounder to me.

Whoever drafts him is likely getting a bigger version of Christian Ponder. Which means the Browns will somehow talk themselves into drafting him ahead of better QBs.

I get it to an extent. He is big, athletic and has a strong arm. So immediately scouts start thinking Carson Wentz and they assume they can just coach up the rest. But it's not really that simple. As we have all seen with Deshone Kizer, some guys just do not have the mental makeup to get it all to work right. Josh Allen has impressed me with some individual throws but the overall product just doesn't look that impressive to me.

 

[1bigfan13]

So then I should expect McKenzie Milton to be on your pet cat list in a few years.

Despite his lack of size if push came to shove and I had to use a high draft pick on one of them, I'd definitely take him over Allen.

 

[1bigfan13]

So then I should expect McKenzie Milton to be on your pet cat list in a few years.

The Cowboys have tried to buck that rule several times in recent years and have been burned every single time.

 

[Rev]

Wow. West Virginia with less than 100 yards offense in the game and its in the 4th quarter.

 

[1bigfan13]

Some saw Baker Mayfield's Heisman potential early
by Berry Tramel Published: December 27, 2017

NORMAN — Riley Nolan had a prediction after going home from the first OU practice of 2014 that included the scout team.

Nolan told his dad that the new quarterback would someday win the Heisman Trophy. Larry Nolan laughed.

Larry Nolan is laughing still, only now at his son's prescience.

Mayfield has gone from mimicking Louisiana Tech's quarterback for the 2014 season opener to leading the Sooners into the national semifinal Rose Bowl against Georgia. It's been a remarkable four years for Mayfield. Three Heisman-contending seasons and one year spent running the opponent's offense in practice.

“The first day when we actually had pads on, he came into our scout team, and I wouldn't say torched, but we pretty much handled our defense with Baker at the reins,” Nolan said. “Pretty crazy deal.”

Scout teams can be the hidden gem of a squad. If they can give their offense or defense a reasonable facsimile of the upcoming opponent, practice becomes much more productive. Most scout teams are made up of seldom-used backups or redshirting players. Few scout teams have a difference-making quarterback. Safe to say no scout team ever had a quarterback like Mayfield, who came to OU without a scholarship but as the reigning Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year.

Riley Nolan was a non-scholarship player himself. A Norman North graduate who spent a year as an offensive lineman at Missouri Southern before transferring to OU and serving three years on the scout team. Riley never got into a game but says he wouldn't trade his experience for anything. And that includes serving on a scout team that included Mayfield, tight end Mark Andrews and offensive tackle Orlando Brown, All-Americans all.

“After the very first practice, I told my dad, ‘Man, Baker's a special player; I think someday he'll win the Heisman,'” Nolan said. “It was obviously a long shot.”

Heck, winning the OU job in 2015 was a long shot. Mayfield showed up in the wake of Trevor Knight's Sugar Bowl-for-the-ages against Alabama. A long shot to us. Not to the guys who saw Mayfield's stardust early.

“Everyone kind of rallied around him,” Nolan said. “No one ever really missed a beat. He was one of the guys right off the bat, everyone knew what he was capable of.”

And Nolan says Mayfield's leadership came through immediately. The team was drawn to Knight, too, but Nolan said Mayfield won players over immediately.

“He basically was a guy that was liked by everyone on the team,” Nolan said. “It was pretty cool. Baker's one of those guys, he's a competitor, has a relentless fiery passion about him. (But) just always good to everyone, didn't matter if you were a walk-on, didn't matter if you were a stud running back, he was always in your corner. I always appreciated Baker for that. Made me and all the other walk-ons feel like we were a true part of the team.”

That was a heck of a 2014 scout team. Mayfield at quarterback. Dorial Green-Beckham a wide receiver, his only year at OU. Andrews. Brown. Jonathan Alvarez. Alex Dalton. Nick Basquine. Enough talent to keep Mike Stoops fuming.

“It was a lot of athletes,” said rush end Obo Okoronkwo, a freshman back in 2014. “That scout team could have went out here and competed for something.”

Mayfield said the chemistry and friendships that are cornerstones of the Rose Bowl team sprouted from that scout team.

“We had quite the squad,” Mayfield said. “It's weird to think that three of our top guys were on the same scout team, but that's what you like to see. You want to be in a program where guys come in and not everybody plays right away, but if you stick to it, the good things come and you can learn from everybody.

“You realize it's a special group when you have chemistry like that. I think it was developed then and it's just carried through. We've been through a lot together. The guys that have been in this program the last three or four years have seen it all, pretty much. That's good. When you go through things together, you build strong relationships, and that can carry you through things that talent can't.”

Mayfield used that scout-team season to build the foundation of a career that is without parallel in Oklahoma history. And to launch a Heisman Trophy campaign that some saw coming early.

 

[1bigfan13]

I'm really liking Oklahoma's chances at winning the whole thing.

Not having "Big Game" Bob in charge has given me a boost of confidence. The final 15 years of his career his teams were usually outclassed in title/playoff games.

If he were still the HC I'd be resigned to the likelihood of another postseason letdown.

 

[skidadl]

I'm really liking Oklahoma's chances at winning the whole thing.

Not having "Big Game" Bob in charge has given me a boost of confidence. The final 15 years of his career his teams were usually outclassed in title/playoff games.

If he were still the HC I'd be resigned to the likelihood of another postseason letdown.

I wouldnt be shocked at all, OU has a really competitive team.

 

[Cotton]

 

[Cujo]

I am.

Me too.

 

[midswat]

My gut tells me that would be a terrible hire.

Nothing about Deion screams good coach to me.

 

[midswat]

I'm really liking Oklahoma's chances at winning the whole thing.

Not having "Big Game" Bob in charge has given me a boost of confidence. The final 15 years of his career his teams were usually outclassed in title/playoff games.

If he were still the HC I'd be resigned to the likelihood of another postseason letdown.

They’re who I’m rooting for.

I detest the other three teams. If UGA or Clemson won it, I’ll be pissed.

 

[bbgun]

Rich ex-players don't need to coach. It's always the backup QB who becomes a coach, not the Aikmans.

 

[Deuce]

I ways tend to root for teams in playoff scenarios that have the longest championship drought. So go Dawgs.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

My gut tells me that would be a terrible hire.

Nothing about Deion screams good coach to me.

I imagine it would be purely for recruiting purposes. Every kid knows of the great Deion Sanders. Other than that I think he would be shit.

 

[DLK150]

My gut tells me that would be a terrible hire.

Nothing about Deion screams good coach to me.

He could teach them his interception return celebration.

 

[skidadl]

 

[skidadl]

As much as I hate Patterson and TCU I gotta give the team some respect.

For a private school with a small enrollment and alumni base, to do what TCU has done is nuts.

He has TEN 11 win seasons, 3 of which have come since they joined the Big 12 in 2012. He has finished the season ranked in the Top 10 SIX times in the last 13 years and NINE times in the Top 25 in those same years.

Recruiting class rankings in the last decade ... 41, 20, 34, 50, 30, 37, 26, 46, 46, 96 .... ONE Top 25 ranked recruiting class in a decade.

Pretty crazy what that guy has built in Ft. Worth.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

As much as I hate Patterson and TCU I gotta give the team some respect.

For a private school with a small enrollment and alumni base, to do what TCU has done is nuts.

He has TEN 11 win seasons, 3 of which have come since they joined the Big 12 in 2012. He has finished the season ranked in the Top 10 SIX times in the last 13 years and NINE times in the Top 25 in those same years.

Recruiting class rankings in the last decade ... 41, 20, 34, 50, 30, 37, 26, 46, 46, 96 .... ONE Top 25 ranked recruiting class in a decade.

Pretty crazy what that guy has built in Ft. Worth.

Yep, just an amazing head coach. He definitely knows what he is doing there. And given those recruiting rankings I'm sure some don't think he is a great recruiter. But I'd say the exact opposite. He clearly can see the talent in highschool kids better than almost anyone else. He doesn't need a 5* rating in some magazine to identify talented high school players.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Not Kamara good, but he will outperform his draft position (assuming he goes middle rounds).

Very talented back stuck behind a poor OL, bad offensive scheme, and no real passing game threat.

Who? Akrum Wadley?