| Scouting the Nation: Week 1 - Part I | ||||
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Scouting the Nation: Week 1 - Pt II Stock Up: Burton the Burner Not many players improved their draft stock in week one as much as Utah’s junior cornerback Brandon Burton. On the first drive of the game the cornerback made a quick open-field tackle on a short pass to Pittsburgh’s star wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin. Throughout the night, whenever the Panthers would look for their go-to receiver, they would find Burton running with him stride for stride and the Ute always had inside position. Most of the time, if anyone was going to catch that football it would have been Burton—he was that locked on Baldwin. Burton was effective in press coverage and did his job when giving a cushion. In off coverage, the Texas native displayed a smooth backpedal and flipped his hips with ease to stay with Baldwin, whom he covered for most of the game. On numerous jump-ball passes to the 6’5”, 225-pound Baldwin, Burton had perfect position and used his leaping ability to knock the ball away. Just as important as his athleticism and timing, the 185-pound cover man would not be bullied. Even on passes that were underthrown, Burton never lost vision of the football and didn’t overrun the play—don’t even bother trying to keep track of how often college corners do that because you will lose count. At times in the second half it was as if Pitt gave up on throwing to Baldwin. The Pitt receiver finally hauled in a 44-yard scoring strike in the fourth quarter, but Utah was in zone coverage and it appeared Burton released him expecting safety help. The problem? There was none. In addition to his cover skills, Burton looks to be a solid tackler who can contribute against the run when called upon. He finished the game with five tackles (four solo) and two passes defended. Overall, one couldn’t be more impressed with the kid. Stock Down: Greg Romeus
One game doesn’t make a season, but among defensive end prospects there is stiff competition: Iowa’s Adrian Clayborn, North Carolina’s Robert Quinn, Miami’s Allen Bailey, Alabama’s Marcell Dareus and Ohio State’s Cameron Heyward, among others. Truth be told, he wasn’t even the most impressive Pitt defensive end against Utah—that was Jabaal Sheard. Vision and recognition skills are important, but a star defensive end makes a living getting to the quarterback. Romeus had no sacks. In fact, he had no solo tackles (four assisted tackles). The senior end had better pick up his game if he is going to use coming back for his senior campaign as a springboard into the first round. Also, maybe Utah left tackle John Cullen is one to keep an eye on. Here’s what his head coach Kyle Whittingham had to say: “What Cullen was able to do was impressive. We knew he was talented, but to line up against one of the top defensive ends and allow no pressure and no sacks, was a great effort by John. There was great preparation by John and he was ready for the challenge.” Puttin’ Up Points, But Where’s the D? The Trojans put up impressive numbers on offense, beginning with true-sophomore signal caller Matt Barkley. The signal caller lit it up with five passing touchdowns (254 yards) on 18 of 23 passing. Senior wide out Ronald Johnson caught three of those touchdown passes among his seven grabs, and added a scintillating 89-yard punt return for a score. Tailback Marc Tyler, the son of former Bruin star Wendell Tyler, had a breakout game, rumbling for 154 yards on 17 carries (9.1 yards per carry) after combining for 270 yards in his first two seasons as a Man of Troy. Tyler combines great size (230 pounds) and speed, and the former five-star recruit who was looking like a bust (due in part to injuries) could become a force for USC and emerge as a top NFL prospect. However…what happened to the D? We’re talking about a Monte Kiffin-led defense that was slashed and burned for 588 yards by Hawaii—that’s 64 more yards than the Trojans put up. Of those yards, 459 came through the air (three touchdowns)—three different receivers had over 100 receiving yards—and the defense failed to create a single turnover. Anyone who watched the game knows the Warriors could have put up even more than 36 points. Heisman Dark Horse…
On his way to earning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors, the Michigan signal caller became just the second quarterback in conference history to better 180 yards on the ground and through the air. His 197 yards rushing set a new standard for Michigan quarterbacks, as did his 383 yards of total offense. The speedster made a solid UConn defense look silly for much of the afternoon. As impressive as Robinson was when he scampered, one cannot overlook what he did when he threw the football. A year ago Robinson looked as raw as any passer in the country—he was simply an athlete. On Saturday he was a quarterback. The Michigan man completed 19 of 22 passes (86.4 percent), falling just one completion shy of matching Elvis Grbac’s school record of 90.9 percent (20 of 22). Beginning with this week’s trip to South Bend to play the Irish, Robinson will have no fewer than five show-me games this season, including a head-to-head match-up in their season finale with Heisman favorite Terrell Pryor in the Horseshoe—how apropos for Mr. Shoelace. Photos Courtesy of Dennis Hubbard, U-M Athletic Department 
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Matching up against a 285-pound junior college transfer making his first big-time college start, one would expect the reigning Big East Defensive Player of the Year to have a standout game. If you did, you were wrong. For most of the contest, the senior defensive end looked sluggish. There was not much burst or speed on his outside moves, nor was there much push on his bull rush. Romeus had numerous one-on-one opportunities and failed to deliver. The Panthers typically don’t blitz often; it’s something they began doing out of necessity. He did do a great job of using his length (6’5”) to see over blockers in order to recognize when the quarterback was throwing a screen pass. This allowed the defensive end to get his hands up, jump and tip the pass. He continuously kept his head up and peered into the backfield, which led to two pass deflections (one officially, one was negated by a penalty).
Tim Tebow