Bowl Game Previews: December 27th, Part One

Ryan McDowell

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Before the NFL takes over tomorrow, we get a full slate of five college bowl games today, which includes multiple future first round NFL Draft picks and future fantasy studs. Enjoy the games! 

Military Bowl
Cincinnati vs Virginia Tech
ESPN, 1:00 p.m. EST

The first game of the day features a prototypical high-powered offense versus imposing defensive battle. More precisely, the pass heavy offense of the Cincinnati Bearcats and sophomore quarterback Gunner Kiel against the top 20 defense of the Hokies from Virginia Tech.

Kiel began the season playing lights out and there were even rumors that he would bolt for the NFL Draft, which he is eligible to do since he’s a redshirt sophomore. Kiel was one of the highest ranked quarterback recruits at one time, but drew criticism after showing some indecision. He first committed to play at Indiana, then flipped to LSU before finally choosing to play for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Kiel eventually decided to transfer to Cincinnati and has settled in just fine, throwing for an average of 250 yards per game and a conference leading 30 touchdowns. I do expect Kiel to stay in school following a second half of the season that saw him struggle with injuries, but Kiel is an interesting prospect for the potential class of 2016.

Another prospect I like for the Bearcats is Kiel’s top receiver, junior Mekele McKay, who leads the team with 690 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 42 receptions. McKay has top end speed and is big enough at 6’6” to go up and make plays against any cornerback. The knock on McKay and my worry about him going forward is his frame. He’s less than 200 pounds and that does not bode well for his future in the NFL. Via ProFootballReference, here are the wide receivers who were over 6’4”, weighing less than 200 pounds who ever had 1,000 receiving season:

To have success in the league, I do think it’s important that he bulk up, but we’ve seen other players be able to do that and make a nice transition.

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Virginia Tech has won most of its games thanks to its strong defense and ever present special teams play, but they have one player I’m very anxious to see in action one more time this season. Converted quarterback and current tight end Bucky Hodges, just a redshirt freshman, has stepped up when the Hokies needed a playmaker the most. He currently sits with 42 receptions for 517 yards and leads the team with seven touchdown catches. Hodges is a huge target for his quarterback Michael Brewer at 6’6” and 244 pounds. He also has the speed that once made him a top dual threat quarterback recruit. That combination currently puts him in the mold of the new stud tight ends like Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce and creates a mismatch on the field.

Hyundai Sun Bowl
Arizona State vs Duke
CBS, 2:00 p.m. EST

The Sun Bowl pits a pair of disappointing Devils- the Duke Blue Devils and the Arizona State Sun Devils. While both teams won nine games, they also both ended the season with a whimper and failed to crash the first annual playoff series, as once appeared possible. That has to be forgotten though as the teams step on the field and each team has a wide receiver who should hear his name called in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Arizona State junior receiver Jaelen Strong is one of the best in the country and he has already made it official, announcing last week that he would make the leap to the NFL following this season. That decision makes an already impressive receiver class even better and Strong looks like a first round rookie pick in dynasty drafts and has a chance to be a first round NFL Draft pick as well. At 6’3” and over 200 pounds, Strong is a well-balanced receiver with adequate speed, great hands and physical play needed to make the tough catch. Strong will be the best player in this game and I expect that to show.

The Sun Devils have a NFL prospect at the running back position as well, though I am starting to have my doubts on how bright his future might be. While junior DJ Foster did rush for over 1,000 yards this season, over 500 of those yards came on the season’s opening three games. He’s only gone over 100 rushing yards once since that time, though he has been heavily involved in the passing game. Foster has 59 receptions for 646 yards, in addition to his 1,000 rushing yards, but his subpar rushing performance leads me to doubt his future in the NFL. I once expected Foster to leave one year early for the NFL, but I now think he’s more likely to stay in school.

Duck Commander Independence Bowl
South Carolina vs Miami (FL)
ABC, 3:30 p.m. EST

The third game of the day might be the first bowl game of the post-season to feature multiple first round dynasty rookie picks. Don’t expect much defense in this matchup of two teams who completely underwhelmed this season. South Carolina entered the season as a top ten ranked team with sky high expectations, while the Hurricanes of Miami are still hopeful they can return to the elite in the country, but that didn’t happen this season.

Let’s start with Miami where there is plenty of talent, just not enough positive results. Freshman Brad Kaaya took over early in the season at quarterback and played well, leading the ACC in touchdown passes. He looks to be the real deal as he was one of the top recruits a season ago and has played well under the pressure of big time college football. Kaaya’s favorite targets are a pair of senior pass catchers, wide receiver Phillip Dorsett and tight end Clive Walford. Dorsett led the team with 826 yards and nine scores and should be able to make some big plays against the weak Gamecock defense. I expect Dorsett to be a late round draft pick, but wouldn’t be surprised if he goes undrafted, only to make a team. We saw this same thing happen with a former Hurricane receiver, Allen Hurns, this season. Walford has a chance to be one of the bright spots in an overall weak tight end class, but unfortunately a knee injury will keep him out of this game. Finally, the receiver who was expected to star for the Hurricanes this season is sophomore Stacy Coley, who looked like an elite receiver and return man a season ago as a freshman, but has seemingly disappeared this year, catching only 19 passes for 153 yards. Coley is one of the biggest disappointments in all of college football, and hopefully he can use this game to get things turned around.

The star of the Miami offense though is running back Duke Johnson, a junior who has already announced his intentions to make himself eligible for the 2015 NFL Draft. Johnson, the school’s all time leading rusher, will be part of what could be a special class of running backs, including Melvin Gordon, Todd Gurley and another back I’ll mention soon. Johnson rushed for over 1,500 yards in his junior year, the first where he did not miss a game, and was also more involved in the passing game than in the previous two seasons. Johnson has had at least one concussion and a nasty injury that cut his sophomore season short, so I do have some concerns about his health and ability to stay on the field as he enters the NFL, but expect him to be a first round rookie pick in dynasty leagues.

The Hurricanes have a pair of freshman playmakers who might not shine today, but should be in line for extended playing time in 2015 as their counterparts race off to the NFL. Running back Joseph Yearby has done an admirable job spelling Johnson, rushing for nearly 500 yards in his first season. Undersized receiver Braxton Berrios hauled in 20 passes for just over 200 yards and already looks like an ideal slot receiver.

South Carolina has a pair of potential studs as well in running back Mike Davis and sophomore wide receiver Pharoh Cooper. We’ve known about Davis for some time, and he’s already announced he’ll be entering the NFL Draft. Along with the others I mentioned above, Davis makes up a very deep and, at the same time, top-heavy group of ball carriers. Davis is another player likely to be chosen in the first round of rookie drafts.

Cooper has been a pleasant surprise in his second season, catching 60 passes for nearly 1,000 yards and eight scores. His impressive play and overall toughness really balanced out the disappointment that is Shaq Roland. After his freshman season, Roland was a favorite of mine after making big play after big play. In his past two seasons though, he never seemed to show the consistency that is needed to really succeed as a receiver. It was clear early on this season that Cooper was the better player and following the team’s final regular season game, Roland chose to quit the team. Reports are that he will opt for the NFL Draft, which he was expected to do anyway. Recent history has shown us that the NFL does not respect quitters at all, considering how far Marquess Wilson fell in the draft before the Bears snatched him up. I expect Roland to hate to wait a while to hear his name called as well.

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ryan mcdowell