Tag: TCU

Highlight: Chargers WR Quentin Johnston scores first career touchdown vs. Lions

Quentin Johnston’s first touchdown was a clutch one.

The Chargers tied the game against the Lions at 31 apiece with a passing touchdown to rookie Quentin Johnston.

It marked Johnston’s first career touchdown.

It was a 16-play, 75-yard drive, with eight plays inside Detroit’s 10-yard line.

Chargers Highlight: Derius Davis takes punt return 87 yards to house vs. Jets

Derius Davis has broken Monday Night Football wide open.

Derius Davis has broken Monday Night Football wide open.

After the Chargers went three and out on their opening drive, Los Angeles’ defense managed to hold the Jets to a three and out of their own. That brought out veteran punter Thomas Morstead for his first punt of the night.

As ESPN announcer Joe Buck praised Morstead for “his best season of his career in some ways”, the kick continued to sail before reaching Davis at the 13 with no defenders near him. The rookie immediately turned upfield, making one cut through a hole in the middle of the field and rocketing to the end zone to give the Chargers a 7-0 lead.

WR Quentin Johnston emerges on offense in Chargers’ win over Bears

It was only a matter of time until Quentin Johnston got involved.

Much of the chatter surrounding the Chargers had been about the lack of involvement of rookie Quentin Johnston.

Johnston, the first-round pick out of TCU, had only seven catches for 64 yards through six games. However, he silenced those who were puzzled on Sunday by turning in his best game of the season in the win over the Bears, catching five passes for 50 yards.

Johnston seized his opportunities, which came after Joshua Palmer aggravated the knee injury he sustained in the loss to the Chiefs in Week 7.

Johnston played a large part in the two-minute drill right before halftime, hauling in passes for 11 and 12 yards, respectively. On the second play, he showed off the yards-after-the-catch juice he was lauded for.

On the same drive, Johnston was targeted in the red zone, but Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson had good coverage on the football. Shortly after, he turned a short pass into a six-yard gain on 3rd-and-3 to move the chains.

Johnston wasn’t targeted again until the fourth quarter, as he and Justin Herbert connected on a back-shoulder catch that went for 18 yards on 3rd-and-15.

“We wanted to get him going. I felt like we had a lot of good plays in the plan for him,” Brandon Staley said about Johnston. “He made plays tonight, a lot of different types of plays. That third-down conversion on the back shoulder was huge. Got a couple of shallow crosses.

“The more he plays, the more he improves. I’ve told you guys that all season with him. I think you’re seeing that. The more that he figures out how to play, you’re going to see the production because he is certainly capable,” Staley added. “I’m proud of how hard he’s worked. You can see that he’s earning the trust of the quarterback more and more. He just needs to stay on track.”

It was encouraging to see Johnston get going. While the stats may not have been as eye-popping leading up to this game, Johnston had been flashing in previous weeks by getting open. It was just a matter of the connection between him and Herbert to develop, which is why this could be a positive sign going forward.

“I knew that it hadn’t gone our way, connecting with him, the first couple of games, but I knew if we were patient, we were going to get him the ball and something good is going to happen,” Herbert said. “He stepped up big-time today and we’re expecting big things from him.”

WR Quentin Johnston needs to be more involved for the Chargers

Quentin Johnston has not been used much on offense and the Chargers need to change that quickly.

Back in April, the Chargers used their first-round pick to select TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston. Los Angeles had not used a first-round selection on a receiver since Mike Williams was drafted out of Clemson six years ago.

Johnston’s college career was defined by his freakish YAC ability. He made consistent highlight reel plays once he got in the open field. Plenty of missed tackles were forced as TCU found ways to display his versatile, gazelle-like athleticism. His draft stock skyrocketed during his team’s College Football Playoff season.

Johnston showed out in Chargers training camp with plenty of explosive moments. And yet, since the beginning of the regular season, the Chargers’ first-round receiver finds himself primarily sidelined.

Of course, it’s worth pointing out that the Chargers have a loaded receiver room at the top. Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Joshua Palmer are all receivers who have had 750+ yard receiving seasons for the team. Getting Johnston on the field would not be as easy as the situations fellow rookies Zay Flowers or Jordan Addison walked into.

Still, it’s hard to feel that the Chargers have done their best when looking at his usage. Johnston played 22 snaps in Week 1 out of a possible 81. In Week 2, that number dropped to 10.

The most effort the Chargers have put toward designing a play for their first-round pick so far was a pitch toss that got blown up in the backfield by Miami’s Christian Wilkins. Through two weeks, Gerald Everett, Mike Williams, and Derius Davis have all run jet sweeps/end-arounds.

Against the Titans, his former TCU teammate Davis played more snaps than Johnston. The coaching staff is finding a more consistent role for their fourth-round kick returner than their first-round receiver.

That’s not to say Davis isn’t worthy of those snaps. He’s impressed when he’s been on the field. But not utilizing Johnston on sweeps, end-arounds and screens feels like a misunderstanding of what got him to where he is. The YAC threat the Chargers drafted isn’t meant to overtake Allen or Williams in year one, but he cannot be as much of an offensive afterthought on the smaller stuff.

It’s traditional for the Chargers to bring on their rookies slowly. But adding Johnston’s open-field abilities would make the offense more dynamic than it already is. With his frame and skill, he provides something that no other Chargers’ offensive player can. It’s up to Moore to seek out those looks more consistently than he has.

Stewart’s arrest hurts an already thin secondary

Arkansas transfer defensive back Kee’Yon Stewart was arrested early Friday on reckless driving and speeding charges.

Arkansas senior defensive back Kee’Yon Stewart was arrested early Friday morning on reckless driving charges, according to information from Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

Stewart, a senior transfer who portaled to the Razorbacks from TCU, is a backup currently from the depth chart.

Pittman will most likely have a statement about Stewart’s arrest in the postgame press conference or on Monday.

Watch: Former Notre Dame commitment scores first touchdown of Coach Prime era for Colorado

The first touchdown of the Coach Prime era in Colorado belongs to a former Notre Dame commitment. Check out the play here.

Colorado wasted no time getting the attention of the nation as they quickly stopped reigning national runner-up TCU and promptly marched down the field on the Horned Frogs.  The Buffaloes capped their first drive with a touchdown scored by a former Notre Dame commitment, freshman running back Dylan Edwards.

Edwards, a true-freshman, was originally committed to Kansas State last fall before Notre Dame got him to flip. [autotag]Deion Sanders[/autotag] and Colorado then got him to again change his tune, flipping him in early December of last year.

Edwards is clearly a speedy talent and now will be the answer to a trivia question for years to come for Colorado fans.

Check out the video of his touchdown below.

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Top-5 most watchable college football games of Week 1

Let us help you craft an ideal college football viewing schedule.

Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Can you sense it?

Yes, it’s still practically hot enough to cook an egg on the pavement in most of the continental U.S. Yes, we’re all drenched in sweat after making the short trip from our front door to the mailbox. Nevertheless, this weekend is Labor Day, and that means fall and that means college football is finally here (officially).

Technically, several teams were in action last weekend for what college football fans have come to dub Week 0. But this is our first full weekend where nearly every team in every conference is finally in action at the same time.

With so many games going on all at once, it can be tough to know where to place your attention. We’ve conveniently ranked the five best games of Week 1 so you know where to tune your TV or streaming devices for the ideal college football Saturday.

Chargers waive rookie QB Max Duggan

The roster cuts continue to roll in for the Chargers.

The roster cuts continue to roll in for the Chargers on Monday. 2023 draft selection, Max Duggan was released in favor of Los Angeles keeping two quarterbacks for now.

The Chargers spent most of the preseason and training camp process giving reps to Easton Stick at QB2. Unlike last offseason, there was never a competition between QB2 and QB3. Duggan was a distant third throughout the process. It was only a matter of whether the Chargers would keep two or three quarterbacks.

Considering the draft investment, the Chargers are most likely hoping that Duggan isn’t claimed on waivers so he can be placed on the practice squad. As Tom Pelissero indicated in his original tweet, though, Duggan isn’t necessarily a lock to clear waivers given his national status. He was a Heisman finalist amid TCU’s run through the College Football Playoff last season.

Barring another move or waiver claim, the Chargers are preparing to keep two quarterbacks on the main roster. 2018 was the last time there were just two signal callers on the final roster. Philip Rivers and Geno Smith made up the main quarterback room that year.

Duggan was a mixed bag this preseason. While he showed off his athletic ability as a scrambler, his processor was still as delayed as on the TCU tape. Several passes, even completions, were left relatively short of their initial targets. Hopefully, if he does return to the practice squad, Duggan can start developing his NFL repertoire for next preseason.

Chargers WR Quentin Johnston reflects on first training camp

Cleaning up the drops will be a process, but Quentin Johnston will still have a sizable role for the Chargers.

Like any rookie, Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston’s first exposure to the NFL was filled with some teaching moments.

While he had his fair share of highlight catches throughout the summer, Johnston also experienced some dropped passes, which he had been criticized for coming out of college.

In the preseason opener, Johnston had a couple of drops. However, he bounced back with a three-catch performance on three targets for 37 yards against the Saints this past Sunday.

“A step better, for sure. First one, I felt like I was confident to a certain extent,” Johnston said. “But looked back at the tape and had a few drops. That was something that is unacceptable, especially at this level.

“So, I took that hard,” Johnston added. “The next week I went harder than I did the week before and came back and feel like I did much better.”

This will be a process for Johnston, but he is staying committed to improving that certain area day in and day out.

When the regular season starts, the Chargers will lean on quarterback Justin Herbert to link up with Johnston to create explosive plays with his speed and quickness in space, the reason why they drafted him in the first place.

“I feel like he trusts me, for sure. Obviously, still a work in progress,” Johnston said. “I’m still fairly new and haven’t been in a full-game situation with him but I feel like it’s up there.”

WATCH: Kendre Miller runs Alvin Kamara’s signature route for big gain

Kendre Miller walked it like he talked it, running Alvin Kamara’s signature route to catch a deep pass for a big gain | @DillySanders

The New Orleans Saints had the Los Angeles Chargers as their second opponent of the preseason and Kendre Miller didn’t need much time to put his stamp on the game.

Just a week after leaving the first game against the Kansas City Chiefs with an early injury, Miller showcased a lesser-known part of his game with a crazy catch. Miller was matched up with Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley on a wheel route, extending his hands to reel in a nice 27-yard pass from quarterback Jameis Winston.

He’s learning from his veteran teammate Alvin Kamara, who Miller spent most of the summer challenging for the starting job. He cleverly stuttered his steps at the snap to get the linebacker off balance and quickly generate some space to work with. Kamara applauded Miller’s attitude and has been seen offering input at practice often in training camp, so everyone’s efforts are being rewarded. It’s notable that this is the same route that Kamara broke out with in his 2017 rookie season against the New England Patriots, later put to use in big games and playoff matchups.

Miller was not known for his receiving ability at TCU, but he wasn’t necessarily considered a poor receiver. He had 29 catches for 229 yards in college, not really a big part of their offense, but effective when given opportunities. With Kamara missing three games early on, having Miller emerge as a receiving threat would be a much welcomed development.

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