Bowl Games Preview: December 26

Nathan Powell
stacy_coley
St. Petersburg Bowl
Connecticut Huskies vs Marshall Thundering Herd
ESPN, 10 a.m. EST
This game in my hometown in everybody’s favorite baseball stadium, Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Connecticut doesn’t have much from a pro perspective on the offensive side of the ball. The Huskies top back is a 5-foot-7, 182 pound sophomore scat back who had a decent year, but I don’t see anything special in the game of Arkeel Newsome. The Huskies leading receiver has a little more intrigue in this game. Noel Thomas has averaged 13.3 yards per catch on 54 receptions this season and his 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame will warrant a look from those tuning into this game, but he is likely a player who returns for his senior year and should only be on the radar of players in deep devy leagues.
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The best prospect between these two teams is a player who may not play in the game. Marshall running back Devon Johnson hasn’t played since October 17th with an undisclosed leg injury, but according to Rotoworld, Marshall recently posted a picture of himself running on a treadmill which may mean he could play the day after Christmas in the St. Petersburg Bowl. Johnson had an explosive junior season with 1,767 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns and he was having a solid senior season before the injury with 6.6 yards per carry and six touchdowns. The other prospect worth a look for Marshall is sophomore tight end Ryan Yurachek. Tight ends aren’t always the most exciting devy assets, but when I see a tight end putting up eight receiving touchdowns in a season, it is definitely something to monitor as Yurachek plays with a nice 6-foot-3, 233-pound frame.
Sun Bowl
Miami Hurricanes vs Washington State Cougars
CBS, 1 p.m. EST
The Hurricanes aren’t what they were in the days of Edgerrin James, Reggie Wayne, Willis McGahee, or Frank Gore among others, but they do have some intriguing prospects on their team. Brad Kaaya was one of my favorite devy quarterbacks coming into the season, and he didn’t set the world on fire and he battled a few injuries, but he did throw for 3,019 passing yards with a better than 3-1 touchdown to interception ratio with 15 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions. Kaaya is only a sophomore, so he will be back at Miami in 2016 and I think he will be one of the most coveted devy quarterbacks this offseason and he definitely has value in superflex devy leagues. At running back, Miami has sophomore Joseph Yearby who ran for 939 yards, six touchdowns and is ranked as the 11th running back in the 2017 class by DLF devy rankers. Yearby has been a bit of a boom/bust type back this year with four games over six yards per carry and and six games under four yards this season. Yearby is the top devy player in this game in 1 QB leagues and is definitely worth tuning in for. At wide receiver, Stacy Coley is the top option for the Hurricanes. Coley is a junior who has averaged 14.7 yards per catch who I see could play his way into a TY Hilton role at the next level in the right offense, while some may see him as more of a gadget player, but he is also worth a watch this week.
Washington State has had one of the most explosive offenses in the NCAA this season and most of that had to do with the passing game. Quarterback Luke Falk was 5th in NCAA in passing yards with 4,266. Falk is a sophomore and is currently unranked by DLF devy rankers but after a huge season that may need a second look. Wide receiver Gabe Marks had a breakout junior season for the Cougars with 99 catches for 1,125 and 14 touchdowns. Marks is also currently unranked by DLF devy rankers. Some of that may have to do with concerns of the system creating some of his production, but Marks is the man to watch in this game, even if he does return for his senior season. Dom Williams is a senior wide receiver who also put up double digit touchdowns with 11, to go with 73 catches for 977 yards. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound receiver could be the best prospect in the game who will be going into the 2016 NFL draft.
Heart of Dallas Bowl
Washington Huskies vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles
ESPN, 1:20 p.m. EST
The only real pro prospects on the offensive side of the ball for the Washington Huskies come from the backfield. Junior running back Dwayne Washington has been a devy favorite of some, especially coming off a sophomore season where he scored nine touchdowns with a 5.3 yards per carry. This year, Washington has battled injuries rushing for only 282 yards and he last played on November 7th. It is unclear whether or not Washington will be playing in the Heart of Dallas Bowl, but he will be worth a look if he is, as he is the 23rd-ranked back by DLF rankers in the 2016 class. The other back to keep an eye on in the Huskies backfield is Myles Gaskin. Freshman Gaskin has been a workhorse back for the Huskies, carrying the ball 201 times this season for 1,121 yards and 10 touchdowns. You definitely don’t see that type of production from a freshman in a power five conference, so Gaskin could be a popular name in devy drafts this offseason.
On the Southern Miss side of the ball, they were one of the most high powered offenses in college football this season with a 4,000 yard passer in Nick Mullens and a pair of 1,000 yard rushers in Jalen Richard and Ito Smith. Mullens is a bit on the smaller side at 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds, and many will label him as a system quarterback but for the sake of watching an explosive offense he is worth a watch. Senior running back Richard led the Golden Eagles in rushing yards with 1,098 with 14 touchdowns and sophomore backfield mate Smith wasn’t far behind with 1,088 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Both backs are talented, but I prefer Smith as the back to watch with his impressive 7.0 yards per carry on the season. At wide receiver, the Ohio State Michael Thomas isn’t the only Michael Thomas to watch this bowl season. Southern Miss Michael Thomas had a breakout senior season with 1,201 yards and a solid 19.1 yards per carry and 12 touchdowns. With nice size at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds and big play ability. Thomas may be the best player in the 2016 draft class in this game.
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