[2024] Week 11 - Matchup of the Week

SageBow · July 2

The MAC matchup lived up to its billing with Central Michigan trouncing Buffalo 46-14 despite the efforts of Reggie Newton for the Bulls' defense. The Chippewa's Deolis Francisco was a wall all night keeping his quarterback clean. Lets take a look at the Week 11 match up!

Week 11 Matchup of the Week

OG Frank Valdes-Scantling, (SR), KSST vs DT Cody White, SR, AZST

We go over to Big 12 Country and it's one of the best guards in the nation in Kansas State's Frank Valdes-Scantling taking on the reigning Defensive Player of the Week, Arizona State's DT Cody White. Before the action Saturday morning, lets breakdown the matchup of these two as 6-3 Kansas State battles it out against @kmatt's 7-2 Arizona State.

Is FVS really good? Absolutely, he is really good. 13 pancakes and 2 sacks allowed, he's arguably the best all-around blocking guard in the nation. Pass block technique is great, run block technique is great, he's just a talented and experienced player, and Cody White is his last big test. FVS has come up big against the best competition this season. In a Week 2 show down against Missouri's DT James Owens, FVS picked up 3 pancakes while allowing 1 sack. Then in Week 3 against Houston, he allowed no sacks even up against DT Sony Ogletree. Just last week against Iowa State's Jonathan Killebrew, Valdes-Scantling again allowed 0 sacks. It's been dominant performance after dominant performance against the best interior defensive linemen in the nation, but he's got a huge task on his hands this week against Cody White.

White is a legit performer. For the season, this is a guy that has had 33 tackles, a team leading 16 TFLs, and also leads his team with 9.0 sacks, good for 3rd best in the conference. Up against the best of the best, White has also shined. A Week 8 duel against Oklahoma State's OG Marcus Alcantara, White pushed his way to a 5 tackle, 2 TFL, 1.0 sack performance. Then in Week 9 against Utah's OG Taylor Mortensen, it was a 7.5 Tackle, 1 TFL, 0.5 Sack showing for White. Valdes-Scantling is the last NFL level interior lineman White will face in the regular season, so he's got a lot to prove to put that final bit of tape in for NFL GMs.

Prediction - Going with Cody White here. FVS has been good, but no where as dominant as one would think he should be, while White has improved all year long and performed excellently against the top offensive linemen he's faced.