The big-time matchup to keep an eye on in Ohio State-Oregon, plus other notes
Whenever NFL personnel officials go through the evaluation process with Ohio State star wide receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, one of the top games that will be pulled up will be Saturday’s contest with Oregon.
The reason: Ducks cornerback Mykael Wright.
It’s a matchup (Wright vs. the combination of Olave and Wilson) that could go a long way in dictating the outcome of this high-profile showdown and will be one of the rare times this season that Olave and Wilson face off against a cornerback with the same kind of lofty draft grades.
As with Olave and Wilson, NFL scouts view Wright as a top-two-round prospect for the 2022 NFL Draft. Blesto, one of the two scouting services used by NFL teams, had Wright (5 feet 11, 180 pounds) with a mid-second-round grade entering the season.
A former top-50 recruit from Lancaster (Calif.) Antelope Valley in the northern L.A. suburbs, Wright was a first-team All-Pac 12 selection as a sophomore last season. His nine pass breakups (in seven games) led the Pac-12. Opposing quarterbacks were 18-of-34 (a completion percentage of just 52.9) when throwing in his direction in 2020, Pro Football Focus stats show.
Wright had six tackles, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble during Oregon’s 31-24 season-opening win over Fresno State last weekend.
“He’s one of the best athletes I’ve ever been around,” Ducks cornerbacks coach Rod Chance said during the spring. “If you show me a defensive back that can move and change direction as well as he does or better, I’d like to see those dudes. … Not a man of many words, but in terms of schematically, understanding coverage, understanding concepts that the offense is trying to throw at him, he’s very astute.”
While Oregon gave up 298 passing yards to Fresno State’s Jake Haener last week, with no interceptions or pass breakups, the Ducks will have some reinforcements in the secondary this week. Jamal Hill, Oregon’s nickel back last season, and D.J. James, one of the Ducks’ top cornerbacks, are back and cleared to play after being suspended for the final few weeks of preseason camp and the game against Fresno State.
Why it could be another tough week for the Pac-12
Aside from UCLA’s win over LSU, it was a mostly uninspiring Week 1 for the Pac-12, including six losses in non-conference matchups.
Week 2 is going to be challenging, too.
Including Oregon, which is a 14.5-point underdog vs. Ohio State, there are four Pac-12 teams set to enter the weekend as at least touchdown underdogs. Colorado (a 17-point underdog vs. Texas A&M in Denver), California (an 11.5-point underdog at TCU) and Washington (a seven-point underdog at Michigan) are the others.
There also are a few difficult matchups with Group of 5 teams — Arizona against San Diego State (led by All-Mountain West running back Greg Bell) and Utah vs. BYU (which beat Arizona 24-16 in Week 1) in one of the fiercest rivalries in the nation.
Time for Iowa State to snap its losing streak vs. Iowa?
Even with all of the success Matt Campbell has had in his six seasons as Iowa State’s coach, there’s still something significant he’s yet to accomplish: beating archrival Iowa.
That could be about to change.
Despite a great Week 1 for Iowa (a 34-6 rout of then-No. 17 Indiana) and an underwhelming Week 1 for Iowa State (a 16-10 victory over FCS Northern Iowa), the No. 9 Cyclones enter as a 4.5-point point favorite over the No. 10 Hawkeyes in Ames.
It’s understandable. Iowa had just one draft-eligible player with a draftable preseason grade from the NFL scouting services (cornerback Riley Moss, who had two pick-sixes vs. Indiana, with mid-to-late Day 3 grades). Iowa State, meanwhile, has several potential 2022 draft picks, including at least a few possible early-round selections.
That includes first-team All-American running back Breece Hall, first-team All-Big 12 quarterback Brock Purdy and first-team All-Big 12 tight end Charlie Kolar. Both NFL scouting services ranked Kolar, who had 44 catches and seven touchdowns in 2020, as a top-two-round prospect.
Linebacker Mike Rose is the Cyclones’ top draft prospect defensively. The scouting services had Rose, a 2020 All-American, with mid-to-late Day 3 preseason grades.
“As in any rivalry football game, I think one of the things is it means something and I think there’s always a higher level of energy,” Campbell said. “And to be honest with you, any rivalry game, and especially a game like this where the energy’s high, it’s who in the moment can fundamentally do their responsibility and detail. And I think you can look at us in this game; at times we have played well and yet in some of the critical moments we haven’t been able to execute and they have, and that’s been the difference in the game.”
Iowa State’s last win over Iowa came in 2014, when Paul Rhodes was coach.
An interesting matchup for Miami
This will be a telling week for Manny Diaz and No. 22 Miami. The Hurricanes are coming off a deflating 44-13 loss to Alabama and now host a Group of 5 program capable of providing some challenges in Appalachian State.
Chase Brice, Duke’s 2020 starting quarterback and a former backup to Trevor Lawrence at Clemson, is the Mountaineers’ starter and threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns during App State’s 33-19 Week 1 win over East Carolina.
The Mountaineers also have one of the top Group of 5 draft prospects at cornerback, two-time first-team All-Sun Belt selection Shaun Jolly.