Bowl Game Previews: December 29th

Ryan McDowell

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It’s Monday and that likely means back to work for you. That doesn’t mean the bowl games stop though, so hopefully you have your DVR set for some dynasty scouting. Enjoy!

Autozone Liberty Bowl
Texas A&M vs West Virginia
ESPN, 2:00 p.m. EST

This year’s version of the Liberty Bowl in Memphis will pair two teams that have a lot in common. Both Texas A&M and West Virginia have high powered offenses, averaging over 30 points per game, while lacking the necessary defense to be a true contender. Each of these teams, who were at one time this year ranked in the top 25, allow over 26 points per game to their opponents. It’s obvious that there should be plenty of points put up in the day’s first game, but who will be scoring them?

Another thing the teams have in common is a shake up at the quarterback position. For the Aggies, that move was a choice several weeks back as top freshman Kyle Allen replaced a struggling Kenny Hill. Hill started out the season drawing comparisons to Johnny Manziel, but that didn’t last long and he gave way to five star recruit Allen, who has played well down the stretch. I really like both players, but, like the Aggies, I prefer Allen. He still has two more full years before he’s NFL Draft eligible, but if you’re in a super flex devy league, watch this game closely.

The Aggies have a balanced attack. Their top two running backs each have over 400 rushing yards and at least five touchdowns. Junior Trey Williams leads the way for the team with 474 yards and six scores, but at just 5’8” and under 200 pounds, I’m not sure he’ll have a fantasy impact in the NFL. The same can probably be said of his backfield mates, Tra Carson and Brandon Williams. Though Brandon Williams has the fewest rushing yards and touchdowns of the three, I think his big frame and experience gives him the best chance for a pro career.

Allen and Hill have spread things out through the air as well. Four pass catchers have at least 40 receptions and five players have over 400 receiving yards. This includes sophomore Josh Reynolds, who has really come on since Allen took over. Reynolds leads the team with 762 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Aggies also have highly recruited and much hyped young receivers Speedy Noil and Ricky Seals-Jones. Noil has impressed in his first year of college, but Seals-Jones has not lived up to his lofty ranking, following his return from last year’s season ending injury. He’s only the fifth leading receiver on the team.

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West Virginia’s changes at the quarterback position were forced after senior Clint Trickett stepped away from football after he revealed he’d experienced five concussions in just over a year. The surprise leaves the team turning to sophomore Skyler Howard, who has one career start, which came in the team’s regular season finale. This could spell trouble for the Mountaineers, though they do have one of the nation’s best receivers, senior Kevin White. White emerged this year after three average years and is now considered one of the top dynasty prospects and a sure fire first round rookie pick in upcoming dynasty drafts.

You’ve likely seen a lot of White at this point in the season, but I am looking forward to checking out the pair of sophomore running backs the Mountaineers trot out, Rushel Shell and Wendell Smallwood, who combined for over 1,400 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Shell is a redshirt sophomore, so could possibly make the decision to leave school following this game, but that doesn’t seem likely. Expect another year for both of these players.

Russell Athletic Bowl
Oklahoma vs Clemson
ESPN, 5:30 p.m. EST

This is yet another matchup of a top defense against a strong offense. It seems like most of these types of games have gone the way of the offense so far this bowl season. Clemson is not just any defense though, they are the nation’s top ranked total defense.

That Tiger defense will have a tough task though as they face Oklahoma and their record breaking freshman running back Samaje Perine, who has racked up over 1,500 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns this season. It’s been an unbelievable year for the freshman and he should be near the top of your devy draft boards this off-season. The rest of the Sooner offense is solid, but lacks elite talent who will make an NFL impact. My other favorite prospect is freshman wideout Michiah Quick, who caught 18 passes this season for 191 yards, but he’s really come on in the second half of the season.

One freshman I like even more than Perine is the quarterback of the Clemson Tigers, Deshaun Watson, who took over the job from Cole Stoudt early in the season. Both quarterbacks continued to play in most games, partially due to Watson’s multiple injuries he sustained. Following the conclusion of the regular season, the decision was made to shut down Watson and to proceed with a knee surgery, putting him ahead of schedule for his rehabilitation. Watson is a skilled dual threat quarterback, but we’ve seen how other running quarterbacks have opened themselves up to increased injury risk. Let’s hope this is not the case with Watson.

With Stoudt back in the pocket, he’ll be targeting receiver Mike Williams early and often. Although Williams had 20 less receptions than teammate Artavis Scott, he led the team is yardage, avering over 19 yards per catch. Williams is just a true sophomore, but a good bet to jump to the NFL following the 2015 season and be the next in line of a growing receiver group hailing from Clemson.

Advocare V100 Texas Bowl
Arkansas vs Texas
ESPN, 9:00 p.m. EST

The final game of the day features an old school rivalry from the days of the Southwest Conference as Arkansas and Texas meet. Both school began the season in poor fashion, generally improving along the way. Texas, playing under new head coach Charlie Strong, has basically started fresh after he dismissed many players for various team violations. The team lacks talent of offense, but he does have them playing hard. Arkansas finally broke a 17 game SEC losing streak, beating two top ten teams along the way.

As I mentioned, the Longhorns have few if any offensive skill position prospects. They have a running back duo you’re probably familiar with, senior Malcolm Brown and junior Johnathan Gray, but both players have really struggled this year, each rushing for between 600 and 700 yards and totaling 13 touchdowns on the ground. Gray was once a highly touted recruit, but he’s dealt with injuries and failed to flash. I expect him to stay in school for his final season. Brown will be a part of the 2015 NFL Draft, but may not hear his name called on draft weekend.

The Arkansas Razorbacks have the rushing attack that Texas would dream of with junior Jonathan Williams and sophomore Alex Collins each eclipsing the 1,000 yard barrier to go along with a combined 23 touchdowns. Williams and Collins are the only FBS duo to both go over 1,000 yards. Each player is a solid draft prospect, but Collins could be an early rounder if he chooses to declare for the 2016 draft.

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ryan mcdowell