In case you missed the preview of this game feel free to click on the thread here. I'll try and post notes on Sunday after I've had a chance to watch the game(s) that I highlight but I can't promise that will happen every week.
Anyways here were my takeaways:
North Dakota State
11 QB Cameron Wentz
-Underrated Athlete, he moved well inside and outside of the pocket and had enough speed to escape the pass rush and get positive yardage. He's not a running QB but he's got sneaky speed.
-His throwing motion looked pretty solid, it was over the top with nice velocity and a high release point. He does get a little inconsistent throwing on the run and dropping the arm slot, but that's not as big a deal as it would be if he did while in the pocket.
-He has plenty of zip and arm strength.
-His accuracy was off all day which is odd considering I've seen him before a couple of times. He looked to be aiming throws at times and was all over the place, though most of his balls were still catchable.
22 RB King Frazier*
-Soft hands from a RB coming out of the backfield.
-Good field vision and patience to see the running lane and wait for his blockers to set up before he hits the lane
-He doesn't have great top end speed, but his initial burst enough to get into the hole before it closes
82 WR Zach Vraa*
-Sure handed WR who could excel as a possession guy at the next level
-He made some nice catches out away from his body and had good body control to contort to off target throws and still bring the ball in
-He's a 4th year junior due to a medical redshirt
59 OT Joe Haeg
-Strong OT who packs a nice punch to stun the defender at POA
-Athletic with a nice kick slide to get out of his stance early
-On the 44 yard screen pass to Fraizer he's all the way down the field running with the RB
49 MLB Nick DeLuca
-All over the field playing sideline to sideline
-Good vision to read play pre and post snap
-Sheds blocks well in traffic
-May be slightly limited athletically
5 CB Jordan Champion
-Not a good game from Champion who was picked on relentlessly
-Size issues had him having fits v. bigger Montana WR
-Good speed
-Poor ball recognition skills
Montana
3 QB Brady Gustafson*
-Good Timing on his throws, allowed his WR's to get out of breaks and into the defensive soft spots
-Really nice vision and ability to read coverage, he didn't look like this was one of his first games starting
-Showed some solid velocity but didn't throw into a ton of tight windows
-Great touch on his deep ball to drop the pass into the bucket
-Would of liked to see less air on some of his deeper passes, seems to let them float in the air for a long time
6 WR Jamaal Jones
-Incredible body control, made a spectacular catch in second quarter to go up and high point a pass that was off target and tap his toe before falling out of bounds
-Route running was superb all game
-Strong hands with catches made out away from his body
7 WR Ellis Henderson*
-Potential big play guy who has size and speed combination
-Burned NDSt CB Champion on a head fake to get past him and score an easy 62 yard TD
-Soft hands and a natural pass catcher
91 DE Tyler Holmes
-Good burst off the snap
-Plays with good speed and when he keeps his pads low he can get underneath the OT
-Inconsistent technique
-Disappeared in the 2nd half
35 OLB Kendrick Van Ackeren
-All over the field, leading Montana in tackles
-Got caught up in traffic too much
-Not really a pass rush threat off the edge
-Decent athleticism, but could struggle v. athletic TE's in coverage
46 ILB Jeremiah Kose
-Strong tackler who does a good job wrapping and driving through ball carrier
-Limited to in the box LB athletically
-Would like to see more anticipation when reading and reacting
Game MVP: QB Brady Gustafson - Montana