In another edition of the Scouting Notebook, I’ll take a look at what South Carolina’s chances at adequately replacing Stephen Garcia and more importantly, the now injured Marcus Lattimore.
Also, we’ll look at a speedy quarterback who could pique the interest of NFL teams, 3 pass rushers of different varieties to pay attention to, and a Top 10 of the quarterbacks sacked the most so far this year.
Stephen Garcia off the Team, Marcus Lattimore on the Sidelines
About a week and a half ago, we learned the Stephen Garcia was kicked off the team. While this is likely for another article, I’ve heard from a source that it may not have just been the drinking that was the reason for Stephen Garcia being off the team.
Losing him, despite the potential of Connor Shaw at quarterback, was going to be a bit of a loss for this team. But, losing Marcus Lattimore, one of the Heisman favorites and maybe the best college running back talent-wise since Adrian Peterson, could be devastating.
Lattimore, as just stated, is no question the most talented back in college football in my eyes, and his ability to dominate in so many facets of the game is both difficult for college and future NFL defensive coordinators to stop. More powerful than Reggie Bush and more dynamic than Adrian Peterson, Lattimore is a rare athlete at the running back position. However, the biggest fear for a running back is a severe knee injury, and that’s exactly what happened to Lattimore.
Coming back from a knee injury, especially one involving ligament and cartilage damage, is a very delicate and tough to evaluate process. Lattimore, only being a sophomore and already wowing NFL scouts for the future, won’t need to be rushed back, but his character and passion for the game may lead him to consider coming back early for the 2012 college football season, something he should make sure he’s 110% healthy for before he returns.
As far as his replacements, hopefully junior Kenny Miles can recover from a wrist injury quickly, as he’s the team’s best option at the position. For now, it look like Brandon Wilds, true freshman, is slated as the starter for now, with Bruce Ellington possibly getting some snaps as well (thanks to Chris Low, ESPN.com). Either way, the loss of the team’s best running back and the team’s starting quarterback may be tough to make-up for the future. Luckily for the Gamecocks, they still have the SEC’s best receiver in Alshon Jeffery, Connor Shaw looked impressive against Kentucky, and they may still be the best team in the very mediocre SEC East.
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Chandler Harnish, Maybe the Best Mobile QB in College Football
I’ve written before in the scouting notebook about the Denard Robinson’s and Taylor Martinez’s of the world, and how they’ve been great at running back, two of the best running quarterbacks. Well based off of last week’s performance and his overall abilities as a quarterback, a new name should be added to the best running quarterback discussion: Chandler Harnish of Northern Illinois.
I’ve been a fan of Harnish since last year, as I see a lot of another quarterback I liked a lot (and so far seems like I missed on), Dan LeFevour, formerly of Central Michigan. Harnish’s ability to keep his feet on the move, keep the ball soft and in a great place for receivers to get the ball have been impressive. Though he can’t deliver a great strike down the field, he does show great touch, especially down the sidelines when he does have time to set his feet.
But other than his passing ability, Harnish has really seized this season to prove he’s a fantastic runner as well. He’s rushed for at least 60 yards in all but one game this year (against Wisconsin), rushed for over 80 yards 5 times, and has had over 100 yards twice now, once against Cal Poly in Week 4, the other this past weekend against Western Michigan. Actually, Harnish went for 200+ yards this weekend, actually rushing for more than he threw.
The ability to run as a quarterback at the next level is quickly becoming nearly as important as arm strength, as teams see the value in mobility with such outstanding pass rushers abound. While guys like Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Phillip Rivers are more of the exception (though all three have outstanding pocket awareness), quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan, Tony Romo, Josh Freeman, Matt Stafford, Mark Sanchez and rookies like Cam Newton and last night’s Christian Ponder performance goes to show that teams prefer and almost require speed/athleticism at the position now.
While Harnish is still firmly in the undrafted free agent prospect range, his past success in throwing the ball outside the pocket as well as his now outstanding display of foot speed and dynamic running ability likely has NFL teams at least curious about what he could do at the next level.
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Three Pass Rushers That Have 1st Round NFL Potential
Quinton Coples and a host of other pass rushers known since the pre-season are still firmly in the discussion as the top pass rushers this draft has. But three players that should be (and hopefully are) getting more attention as current/future first round pass rushers are Texas A&M junior Sean Porter, South Carolina senior Melvin Ingram, and Penn State senior Devon Still.
Porter has thoroughly impressed me this year as an outside pass rusher, and though he hasn’t been as dynamic and consistent as last year’s Top 5 pick Von Miller, he’s done a fantastic job of consistently pressing the edge and setting the tone on the outside. He’s recorded at least one sack in each of the last five games and has frustrated quarterbacks such as Brandon Weeden of OK State, Tyler Wilson of Arkansas, and Robert Griffin of Baylor most recently. While he’s beginning to get more and more attention from offensive coordinators and blocking schemes, he’s still be able to slide through blocks well and fight well at the line. In my eyes, if he declares, he could be one of the top 3-4 outside linebackers in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Another pass rusher that has gotten much more notoriety is Melvin Ingram of South Carolina. After havng that 5.5 sack two week run against Vanderbilt and Auburn, Ingram quickly jumped into the NFL draft discussion. And while he hasn’t recorded a sack since those two games, he’s still been impressive as an athlete at the defensive end position. Ingram has the versatility to be moved around the defense, including playing inside, dropping back, and stunting with another athletic rusher. His ability to fight with his hands at all levels of the defense, get off blocks and get to the ball, and use his strong arms/hands to bring defenders down has wowed myself and likely multiple NFL teams, enough to not sour on him after two non-spectacular games following that 11 tackle, 3.5 Sack, 1 interception Auburn dominance.
Finally, defensive tackle Devon Still of Penn State has been the apple of my eye every time I watch the Penn State defense perform. Still is the reason for the defenses success at every level of the scheme. His ability to engage two defenders, disrupt the hole, and still fight off blocks to either get the tackle or further redirect the running play has been ultra-impressive. He has single-handedly influced games by his ability to consistently beat one, sometimes two blockers with his quickness, body angles, and directional rushes on the inside. While he may not be a true nose tackle, his ability to clog the inside and take up space has allowed for Eric Lattimore and Jack Crawford on the outside a much easier time getting to the quarterback as well as allowing the secondary to be in better position to make plays on the ball. He’s firmly in the first round discussion and likely will be a “draft riser” once people find out how much NFL scouts like his ability.
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Top 10…Quarterbacks Sacked So Far This Year
While the blame shouldn’t fall solely on the quarterback’s fault for these sack numbers, it’s no coincidence that you don’t see the Andrew Luck’s, Landry Jones’s, or Matt Barkley’s of the world high on this list.
Also, 17 sacks isn’t terrible considering the fact that many of these players are mobile passers and are relied upon to make plays in the pocket as well as that it averages out to only be 2-3 sacks a game.
But, 20 sacks Clayton Moore? You’ve only dropped back 170 times all year to pass. That means more than once every ten drop backs, he’s getting sacked. At least for Zac Dysert, at 20 sacks, also has 223 attempts, which equates to a sack every 15 or so throws.
And Tino Suseri, getting sacked 32 times this year so far, including not passing/playing most of the Utah game. That’s over 4 sacks a game, 11 more than the next highest quarterback sacked. It’s a combination of Sunseri and the offensive line, but Sunseri on tape and in the stat book needs to realize that he needs to get the ball out sooner and not be so indecisive down the field
1. Tino Sunseri, Pittsburgh (32 sacks)
2. Johnny McEntee, UConn (21 sacks)
3. Zac Dysert, Miami (OH) (20 sacks)
4. Clayton Moore, Akron (20 sacks)
5. Tyler Hansen, Colorado (19 sacks)
6. Brock Osweiler, Arizona State (18 sacks)
7. Brian Reader, Idaho (17 sacks)
8. Mike Glennon, NC State (17 sacks)
9. Spencer Keith, Kent State (17 sacks)
10. Nick Isham, Lousiana Tech (17 sacks)
T10. Morgan Newton, Kentucky (17 sacks)
T10. Nathan Scheelhaase, Illinois (17 sacks)
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