Bowl Watch Day 6: 12-27

[MichaelWeston]

Saturday, December 27 GBN Report

 

MILITARY BOWL, Annapolis, 1PM ET; ESPN; VIRGINIA TECH (6-6) vs CINCINNATI (9-3) ... Interesting contrast in Saturday's bowl opener as CINCINNATI has a high charged offense, while VA TECH lives or dies with it's tough D. So it's a perfect storm. Most of the Bearcats top skill players in that O are underclassmen, including sophomore QB GUNNER KIEL (#8, 6-3, 210) who is indeed the nephew of BLAIR KIEL who used to QB the Irish of N.D. The Bearcats best offensive draft prospect, though, is athletic LT ERIC LEFELD (#71, 6'6, 310) who has been a starter since his freshman season and is a solid mid-round prospect. On defense, Cincy has some interesting late round prospects in MLB JEFF LUC (#1, 6-1, 255), an FSU transfer who had 121 tackles in 2014. He's limited in range, but packs a wallop in a short area and looks like a 2-down pro. Tweener DE/OLB TERRELL HARTSFIELD (#95, 6-3, 250) also looks great in a uniform, but does not produce like you might expect. He had only 34 tackles this past season in 12 games, but could get drafted in the later rounds based on physical potential alone. Meanwhile, Cincinnati's most productive defender may be active, albeit undersized OLB NICK TEMPLE #3, 5-10, 220) who had 108 tacklesthis season including 10.5 for loss. Temple covers a lot of ground, but may be too short for the NFL so he could he highly sought after by CFL teams. At the same time, CB HOWARD WILDER (#3, 5-10, 180) is an interesting free agent prospect.

The VA TECH is led on D by DE DADI NICHOLAS (#90, 6'3, 220), a junior edge rusher with exciting pass rush potential who has already indicated he will be back at school next fall, although he will have to convert to OLB to fit at the next level; for the record, Nicolas had 63 tackles in 2014, including 17.5 total tackles for loss and 9 sacks along with 34 QB hurries. As usual, the key to TECH's D is in the secondary where 2 seniors have NFL possibilities including FS DETRICK BONNER (#8, 6-0, 195) who is headed fro the Shrine Game. His challenge is to prove that at his size he can play in-the-box as a pro. At the same time, rover KYSHOEN JARRETT (#34, 5'11, 190) may merit a sniff from the NFL as an URFA. It seems to me that TECH may be overmatched in this one unless their Defense is absolutely stellar.

SUN BOWL El Paso; 2 PM ET; CBS; DUKE (9-3) vs ARIZONA STATE (9-3) ...  This shapes up as a potentially exciting game between two teams that were just shy of winning double digits this past season. DUKE is led by CFL QB prospect ANTHONY BOONE (#7, 6-0, 230). BOONE looks a bit shy of NFL QB talent, but is versatile enough with good legs and a strong, if erratic, arm which should appeal to teams north of the border where way too many teams have QB clearly beyond their athletic prime. Boone's top target, WR/KR JAMISON CROWDER (#3, 5'9, 175) would be a Top 50 prospect if he were bigger after he caught 78 balls for 942 yards and 6 TDs in 2014. He also averaged over 10-yards per punt return. Crowder and OG LAKEN TOMLINSON (#77, 6-3, 320) are both scheduled to appear in the Senior Bowl. At the same time, junior FS JEREMY CASH (#16, 6-2, 210) comes out early he's also a likely Top 100 prospect. Also of interest could be TE-sized WR ISSAC BLAKENEY (#17, 6'6, 235) and LB DAVID HELTON (#47, 6-3, 245) who are both productive URFA types.

ASU has a solid first round prospect in junior WR JAELEN STRONG (#21, 6'4, 215), who caught 75 balls this fall and has already declared his intention to enter the 2015 draft. Meanwhile, LT JAMIL DOUGLAS (#74, 6-4, 300), switched to OT this season, but is a better pro prospect inside at OG. He's a very athletic big guy who is headed to the Shrine Game. Same for QB TAYLOR KELLY (#10, 6-2, 215) who battled several injuries in 2014, but is a quality prospect who will also be in St. Petersburg in January. Also keep an eye on junior RB D.J. FOSTER #8, 5'11, 205) who rushed for just over 1,000 yards this year and also caught 59 balls for another 646 yards. He's a tough kid who plays hard and has excellent balance with the ball in his hands. At the same time, FS DAMARIOUS RANDALL (#3, 6-0, 190) is talented enough to get an invite to the Senior Bowl, while a "sleeper" to watch for ASU is DE MARCUS HARDISON (#1, 6-5, 300),  a "man" on the outside who really came on in his second year out of the JC ranks. He had 40 tackles which included 10 sacks and 14 total tackles for loss while he forced 3 fumbles and also grabbed 2 INTs.

<>INDEPENDENCE BOWL, Shreveport, 3:30 PM ET; ABC; MIAMI (6-6) vs SOUTH CAROLINA (6-6) ... Realistically, there is no way either of these teams should not have had more wins in 2014. They were both held back by mediocre QB play. But there is plenty of potential NFL talent on these two squads. Indeed, there may be as many quality pro prospects in this game as any game outside the playoff games. Potential Top 100 talents include junior RB DUKE JOHNSON (#8, 5-9, 205), TE CLIVE WALFORD (#46, 6'4, 265), OT ERECK FLOWERS (#74, 6'6, 325), LB DENZEL PERRYMAN (#52, 6'0, 240) and junior safety DEON BUSH (#2, 6'1, 205) of Miami and junior RB MIKE DAVIS (#28, 5'9, 215), OG A.J. CANN (#50, 6'4, 320) and DT J.T. SURRATT (#97, 6'2, 305) of South Carolina. At the same time, other Day 3 prospects Miami WR PHILLIP DORSETT (#14, 5'10, 185), DE ANTHONY CHICKILLO (#71, 6'4, 277) and CB LADARIUS GUNTER (#37, 6'2, 200) and massive OT COREY ROBINSON (#53, 6'7, 348) of South Carolina. Scouts would also have liked to see USC junior WR SHAQ ROLAND but he left school 'really' early and reportedly will enter the upcoming draft. As well, there are probably another half-dozen marginal prospects who will get a sniff from the NFL so look for a lot of quality plays on both sides of the ball in what should be a game to savor.

 

PINSTRIPE BOWL, BRONX, NY; 4:30PM ET; ESPN; BOSTON COLLEGE (7-5) vs PENN STATE (6-6) ... If you are planning a late dinner, this may be the game during which you take that nap, although there is perhaps abit of nostalgia in this game for fans of old-time Eastern college football. Coach ADDAZIO is retooling the BC football program with hard work and fundamentally solid play on the field. But he's still trying to restock the talent base. The EAGLES will pound the rock behind a very experienced OL. The best of that lot is C ANDY GALLIK (#59, 6'3/299), a decent second-tier prospect who is headed for the Senior Bowl. Not many folks are taking QB TYLER MURPHY (#2, 6'2/215) very seriously as an NFL QB prospect, but the Florida transfer led the the BC offense in both rushing and passing. Again his versatility and leadership may at least make him of interest to CFL teams. Though no one stands out as a highly ranked pro prospect there are a few more noteworthy players on the Eagles defense. The star of the unit is ILB STEPHEN DANIELS (#52, 6'0/257), although he is still only a junior. DANIELS was 2nd on a decent all-around D with 68 tackles, which included 7 for loss and 1.5 sacks. If he comes out he could be a 4-5th Rounder. At the same time, CB MANNY ASPILLA (#21, 5'11/180) is a solid all-around defender who recorded 61 tackles and had 9 PBUs. He's also key on Special Teams and probably ranks as a priority URFA type.

Penn State is still rebuilding from the Sandusky scandal and is very young and thin in talent, but there are at least some emerging young players led by star sophomore QB CHRISTIAN HACKENBERG (#14, 6'4/235), a strong-armed pocket passer who already has pro teams interested, although he won't be draft eligible until 2016. Meanwhile, junior TE JESSE JAMES (#18, 6'6/255) would likely be the team's highest potential draftee if he comes out early. PSU does have some senior talent in guys like safety ADRIAN AMOS (#4, 6'/210) who is scheduled to play at the Senior Bowl, and has intriguing potential having started his college career as a CB; he had 35 tackles as a senior, as well as 3 INT and is a mid-round prospect for the upcoming draft. Meawnhile, MLB MIKE HULL (#43, 6'0/232) lacks protype pro measurables, but makes plays all over the field. Indeed, he totaled 134 tackles as a senior, including 10.5 for loss and 2 sacks, while he also cipped in a pick and a forced fumble. Hull should be a third day pick on Special Teams potential alone. OG MILES DIEFFENBACH (#65, 6'3/305) miss most of the season with a knee injury, but is a gritty interior OL who could challenge for an NFL roster spot in time. The interest in this game is to gauge the progress both of these programs are making in rebuilding their football programs, but if you like crisp Offense.

 

HOLIDAY BOWL, San Diego; 8PM ET; ESPN NEBRASKA (9-3) vs SOUTHERN CAL (8-4) ... This could actually be an exciting contest to wrap up your evening viewing and get ione warmed up for Sunday's NFL regular schedule finales. For starters this could be an entertaining game between traditional football powers that can put points on the board; indeed, both USC and Nebraska were in the running in their respecive conferences until late in the year and have a little something to prove after having underachieved at times during the campaign. At the same time, this game offers the chance to compare and contrast two of the top prospects for the upcoming draft in junior DEs Randy Gregory (#4, 6-6, 240) of Nebraska and USC's Leonard Williams (#90, 6-5, 290). And compare and contrast may be the operative words, as while they both are nominally DEs, they are very different players; indeed, both may end up playing different positions at the next level. Gregory, for example, is still a bit wiry and may have to convert to a 3-4 OLB as a pro, but you can't miss him in action with his ability to get to he pocket. He also blocks kicks with his length and vertical jump. Meanwhile, Williams, who many scouts consider to be the top non-QB prospect in this draft, is not the pure pass-rusher that GREGORY is, but he is incredibly strong and athletic and could ultimately play as either a DT in a 4-3 or a 5-tech DE in a 3-4 scheme. In fact, Williams reminds one of RICHARD SEYMOUR and should be a star as a pro.

NEBRASKA has one of the best all-purpose backs in the nation in junior RB AMEER ABDULLAH (#9, 5'9/195) who came close to 2000 yards in total offense for the season. Along the way he did surpass the legendary JOHNNY RODGERS as the Cornhuskers all-time yardage leader. Abdullah isn't necessarily all that big, but he's a solid runner who gets lots of yards between the tackles and is a Top 100 prospect in the eyes of most scouts. At the same time, WR KENNY BELL (#80, 6-1, 185) now holds most of Nebraska's receiving records after 4 solid years with the program, while other Cornhuskers to watch include OG JAKE COTTON (#68, 6'6/305) and SS COREY COOPER (#6, 6'1/215). Meanwhile,

 

Southern Cal features an exciting offense team led by junior QB CODY KESSLER (#6, 6'1/215) who figures to be a leading prospect at the position in 2016, especially after one more year with QB-Whisperer STEVE SARKISIAN as his head coach. Kessler throws to a talented receiver corps led by junior WR WR/NELSON AGHOLOR (#15, 6-0, 185) who figures to get a second round grade if as expectedhe comes out early next month. The Trojans can also run the ball with junior RB BUCK ALLEN (#37, 6'1/215) carrying the mail; indeed, Allen may be one of the more underrated backs in the country despite the fact he rushed for almost 1,400 yards this fall and also also caught 40 balls. His running style reminds me of ex-Trojan MARCUS ALLEN. He slides, glides and cuts through small creases and pushes forward despite lack of elite speed. Meanwhile, other Trojans to watch include MLB HAYES PULLARD (#10, 6'1/230), DB JOSH SHAW (#6, 6'1/200); and OLB JR TAVAII (#58, 6-2, 270).