Film Don't Lie

Dayne: Demetris Robertson’s nagging injuries yielded available playing time to Dominick Blaylock. The freshman receiver showed great speed, though his first touchdown was aided by a poor angle from Arkansas State’s safety. Blaylock is twitchy, meaning his motions and cuts occur quickly. His footwork and shoulder turns are fluid and help keep defenders from reading his next move.

Brent: The eye test. We all know about it and can usually tell pretty quickly. Blaylock—and George Pickens below—pass the eye test with flying colors. Currently, Blaylock is the fifth highest-graded offensive player (83.3 overall grade) and highest-graded receiver. He’s caught all seven of his targets for 160 yards, for a perfect 158.3 passer rating when targeted. Also, on this play specifically, focus on two things. First, this is one of quarterback Jake Fromm’s better throws of the day. Yes, it is just an out route, but the ball is out with great timing and hits Blaylock in stride with velocity, allowing him to instantly turn up field. For quarterbacks, we also track ball placement and this is an accuracy-plus type of throw—i.e. exactly where it needs to be. Second, notice the motion from Cook, and how the linebackers react. Same action we’ve seen get Cook the ball in space; Pickens makes a highlight catch last week, and now Blaylock get his second touchdown with a big assist from Lawrence Cager.