BELLFLOWER, Calif. - A big, bad defensive line from Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances walked on the field Saturday night looking to make a statement.
They walked off the field speechless.
Four-star quarterback and USC commit Bryce Young confused the St. Frances defense, frustrated them and completely dominated them with four rushing touchdowns in a 34-18 victory for Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei in the inaugural Trinity League vs The USA Showcase.
Young’s showing was completely masterful. Listed at 6-foot, 180 pounds, the four-star standout had to deal with monsters on that defensive line -- five-star Alabama commit Chris Braswell, four-star Tennessee pledge Dominic Bailey, and four-star LSU commit Demon Clowney, Jadeveon’s cousin. St. Frances looked like a Power Five football team.
It didn’t matter. On pass plays, Young, who is still being seriously pursued by Alabama, zipped the ball all over the field, finding enough space and vision to hit receivers all game long. He only had two passes knocked down, both by four-star 2021 linebacker Aaron Willis.
In the RPO game, Young was a magician, giving it when necessary and keeping it when the defensive end dived down to take out the tailback. He was elusive, shifty, showed off surprising speed to the edge and he ran by elite linebackers and defensive backs.
No one could wrap him up or keep him contained. Young finished with a career-high 104 rushing yards in addition to 247 passing yards.
“I said it from Day 1 when Bryce came into the school, don’t tell him what to do or where to go, just let him go,” Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson said. “Magic happens. It’s kind of exciting as I get older to have a dual-threat quarterback. We never had that. I commend my coaches for making the adjustments. You saw what he can do when he can get on the edge. It’s pretty impressive.”
Young said: “When you have a coaching staff that trusts you and allows you to be you and doesn’t want to change everything you do, it’s really rare. The fact that I found that in this coaching staff it’s amazing. I’m definitely grateful for them.
“I’ve always been taught to keep my eyes downfield regardless of the chaos that’s going on around me. It’s something I work on in practice a lot. It’s kind of a combination of instinct along with a lot of hard work in practice that people don’t see, so it’s a healthy combination of those two.”
As the game went on and Mater Dei extended its lead - quickly turning the game into a snoozer early in the second half - frustrations mounted. St. Frances could not figure him out. They couldn’t contain him. Escaping one more time, Young headed to the sidelines and a St. Frances defender got called for a late hit out of bounds.
Young’s escapability was not his only strength Saturday night. He threw an incredible pass about 30 yards downfield while getting hit in the midsection by a free rusher that would have set up first-and-goal if not for a penalty bringing it back. On another great play, with the pocket collapsing and things looking dire, the four-star quarterback hurried off a shovel pass for a big gain.
Rollinson had to joke about that one.
“That wasn’t designed,” Rollinson said. “That’s what he does. That’s the magic that I’m talking about. He’s getting flushed out, all heck is breaking loose and how does he have the presence to say, OK, there’s (the receiver). That’s coaching, though. You know that right? I’m a great coach.”
After the game, while Young was mobbed by reporters and cameramen, as he smiled that cool smile of his and looked like it was just another Mater Dei victory, 2021 four-star linebacker Raesjon Davis was all laughs. Of course, he was talking about Young like everyone else leaving the stadium.
“That boy, he’s different,” Davis said. “It’s always amazing to watch him back there at quarterback and making plays. I’ve never seen some of the plays he’s made before. It blows my mind every time.”
