Top QB prospect Allen has so-so debut for Wyoming

Sep 2, 2017 - 10:29 PM Wyoming redshirt junior quarterback Josh Allen, a trendy top 10 pick in early 2018 NFL mock drafts, did not enjoy the 2017 debut he would have liked, melting down in the second half with two ugly interceptions as his Cowboys were corralled 24-3 in Iowa City on Saturday by All-Big Ten linebacker Josey Jewell and the Hawkeyes.

Though the final score and stat line (23 of 40 for 174 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions) are ugly, the raw tools that had scouts buzzing throughout summer and put Allen second among quarterbacks on NFLDraftScout.com's board were obvious throughout this game. That will be the main takeaway for scouts.

By the end of the first quarter vs. Iowa, in fact, Allen had already verified the elite arm strength scouts had seen on tape, rifling deep outs to the sideline and whipping a side-armed strike up the middle in which a collapsing pocket kept him from stepping into his throw.

It was not just Allen's physical ability that turned heads. At least early on, Allen looked composed, appearing in command of the same offense that Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl taught 2016 No. 2 overall pick Carson Wentz at North Dakota State.

Allen took snaps from under center and out of the shotgun with personnel groupings ranging from five receivers to two tight end and jumbo packages. He distributed his 23 completions to nine different receivers, attacking all areas of the field.

Allen certainly looked the part physically. In the second quarter, the prototypically built 6-foot-4, 233-pounder showed off his strength, athleticism and competitiveness, twisting his way out of the grasp of an Iowa defender to save a scoring opportunity. Refusing to be pulled down for a sack that would have resulted in a loss of nearly 20 yards, Allen escaped and dragged defenders toward the initial line of scrimmage, preserving enough field position to allow Cooper Rothe to nail a 49-yard field goal to give the visiting Cowboys a 3-0 lead.

Few things, however, went right for Allen and the Cowboys from there as the Hawkeyes answered with two second-quarter touchdowns to take a 14-3 lead into the break, cruising in the second half as Allen and his teammates self-destructed with poor decisions, drops and shoddy blocking.

At times, Allen became his own worst enemy. Down 21-3 in the fourth quarter and desperate for a spark, he committed the cardinal sin among quarterbacks, staring down his primary target and throwing the ball late, leading Iowa cornerback Josh Jackson to an easy interception that was nearly returned for a touchdown.

On the next drive -- what wound up being Wyoming's last of the game -- Allen's slightly casual flip on a middle screen to a running back was instead snared by Hawkeyes defensive lineman Brady Reiff, abruptly snuffing out what had been the Cowboys' longest series (10 plays) of the half.

In between were plenty of mistakes by teammates. Wyoming ran for just 59 yards on 30 carries in the game and surrendered six tackles for loss in the first half alone. Several catchable balls slid through the fingers of Wyoming receivers, including arguably Allen's most impressive throw of the game, a beautiful toss that was initially ruled a 33-yard touchdown.

After sensing pressure from his left, Allen stepped up in the pocket, saw Wyoming leading receiver C.J. Johnson streaking free into the end zone and fired a strike. The pass hit Johnson in the hands and in stride, but the receiver bobbled the ball as he slid out the back of the end zone.

The touchdown call was correctly overturned on replay, serving as perhaps an appropriate microcosm of Allen's at-times impressive but ultimately ineffective 2017 debut.



Rob Rang is a senior analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, a collaboration between The Sports Xchange and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.