Jake’s Takes: UCLA’s freshman sensation Myles Jack, plus conference pecking orders and much more

Arizona Sports News online

Every Thursday ASU legendary quarterback, now Pac-12 Network studio analyst Jake Plummer joins Brad Cesmat on Sports360AZ.com presented exclusively by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Here are some hi-lights from their most recent conversation November 21st.

Have you ever seen a freshman like UCLA’s Myles Jack who’s been so dominant on both sides of the ball? “He’s phenomenal. My eye was on him early in the year just playing linebacker. Just his quickness and his speed and his noise for the ball…he just has it. He’s a football player. You can see it when he gets on the field. Just the way he moves…and he might be an even running back than he is a linebacker and that’s scary. He could possibly be one of the best running backs in our conference the way he runs. I mean, he’s so smart. He has great vision. I take a phrase from Coach [Rick] Neuhesiel when you look for a good linebacker you look for a good linebacker that has running back eyes…what he’s been doing has been really impressive.”

Who do you like to win the game: ASU or UCLA? “To be honest with you, without me saying that I was a Sun Devil myself, I think ASU’s just playing really well right now on both sides of the ball. They’re very confident. I think Coach Graham has them focused week-to-week. They’re not getting too far ahead of themselves. I think this is what they’ve been waiting for. A chance to win the biggest game that Graham’s regime has been involved in and that’s to win and clinch the Pac-12 South. That’s really what he wants. I think he’s going to have those guys focused.”

How far is the Big Ten and Big 12 behind the Pac-12 this year? Their top teams are pretty strong but after their first two or three teams you get down to the bottom-dwellers and they’re not those quality of teams you see throughout the Pac-12. I have a little bit of bias because I played in the Pac-10 when it was the Pac-10 but football is football. Any day you match up, you go out there and your pride is on the line and you never know what will happen. Would love to see Baylor, what they’re doing. You think about Baylor. They’re not the highest recruited guys…they’ve got a little chip on their shoulder. They’re playing great football.”

To hear the rest of the interview click here.