PODCAST: Analyst Max Browne breaks down USC-Washington matchup
As he does every week, former USC quarterback and Trojans analyst Max Browne co-hosts the Trojan Talk podcast and lends his expertise to dissecting the upcoming matchup.
Browne and co-host Ryan Young break down every angle of USC's road game at Washington, what makes Huskies QB Jacob Eason such a challenge, Browne's own history with Eason and Washington in general, why the injury loss of safety Talanoa Hufanga is particularly painful for the Trojans defense and expectations for QB Matt Fink in his encore performance.
**LISTEN HERE**
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Here's an excerpt from Browne's breakdown of the matchup with Washington:
On Huskies QB Jacob Eason ...
"I think now you really see him settling in and he's making some big league throws. I was just shooting messages back and forth with Guy Haberman of the Pac-12 Network and he was kind of talking about some of the throws he's seeing, and it's throws that on TV he's just making look easy and you don't really notice it. But it's dig throws that he's fitting in there in between linebackers before a safety can break, throwing it early, it's a glance post route that he's really driving in there. So I think you see him getting comfortable, but his arm talent -- which is a term you always use, but it's true with Jacob Eason ... He's big, but he's not sloppy big at all. He's functional big -- he's all of 6-6, well-built, quick release. There's no sense of him getting long or having big man problems in the pocket. When you talk about a quarterback prospect or an NFL prospect, if it doesn't look like Jacob Eason it looks awfully close so 'SC's going to have their hands full for sure."
On Washington TE Hunter Bryant ...
"Hunter Bryant's special. You could really make the argument the two best NFL prospects on this field are Jacob Eason and Hunter Bryant. Hunter Bryant is special. I remember I was on the sideline last year for the UW-Oregon State game and Hunter Bryant looks like a physical freak. They do a good job of lining him up as a true tight end, also lining him up in the slot, moving him around. They have him getting balls easy in the flat and then also over routes and some vertical concepts, so that to me is a tough matchup for 'SC this weekend. While their receivers may not scare me as much, Hunter Bryant does and that's going to be fascinating to follow. Because with Talanoa Hufanga being out, I know last week Clancy had him play at that nickel spot a little bit and they'd put Greg Johnson back in a more safety spot and vice versa at times, because if you're Clancy you do not want Greg Johnson on Hunter Bryant. Greg's a cornerback body, Hunter Bryant's too big, too physical for him … That dynamic's interesting and I look for Washington to get Hunter Bryant the ball in a bunch of ways."
Listen to the full podcast for Browne's full insight and analysis.
