Bowl Game Previews: December 30

Bruce Matson

kesslerJust like 2015, the bowl season is almost over. It’s time to review another four game slate as we prepare to head into the New Year.

Birmingham Bowl

Auburn Tigers vs. Memphis Tigers

ESPN, 12:00 p.m. EST

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Auburn had playoff aspirations going into the season, but winning just two games in the SEC and finishing seventh in the SEC West killed any hopes they had of making a championship run. Memphis finished the season with a 9-3 record and third in the AAC West. Their best game was a 37-24 victory against Ole Miss.

Auburn likes to interchange Peyton Barber and Javon Robinson at running back. Robinson is a human hammer, he will absolutely crush defenders at the point of attack. He’s a load to bring down at 6-1 and 230 pounds. Barber leads the team in rushing with 976 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch is going to be one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2016 draft. This season he has passed for 3,670 yards and 28 touchdowns. During the season finale against SMU he completed just nine passes, but seven of those nine passes were touchdowns. His best game came against Ole Miss where he completed 39 of 53 passes for 384 yards and three touchdowns. The first thing you will notice about Lynch is his size. He’s 6-7 and 247 pounds with a thick build. He has a very strong arm and he’s very good at moving around the pocket for his size.

Sophomore wide receiver Phil Mayhue is a player that you need to pay attention to. He caught 47 receptions for 644 yards and one touchdown. What’s attractive about him is that he’s 6-3 and 210 pounds and he is very good at using his body to make contested catches. He’s a player you might want to take a dart throw at in devy drafts.

Belk Bowl

NC State Wolfpack vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs

ESPN, 3:30 EST

NC State finished their regular season with a 7-5 record while placing fourth in the ACC-Atlantic. They are averaging 201.4 yards per game rushing. Mississippi State Bulldogs finished the season with an 8-4 record while placing fifth in the SEC West. They rank sixteenth in the nation in passing with 311.1 yards per game.

NC State’s star running back Matthew Days is out for the season with a foot injury. During the last two games of the season, when Days was out, freshman running back Reggie Gallaspy helped filled the void by rushing for 5.85 yards per carry. He was a four star recruit coming out of high school. He has a nice build at 5-11 and 212 pounds and he’s a very aggressive runner.

Junior wide receiver De’Runnya Wilson is the player you need to watch for Mississippi State. He caught 55 receptions for 822 yards and nine touchdowns with a 62.5 percent catch rate. Standing at 6-5 and 215 pounds, his size and frame makes it hard for defenders to cover him. He has really strong hands and he can make tough catches look easy. His teammate Fred Ross is another wide receiver you need to watch. He led the team in receiving with 933 yards. He has the ability to make incredible one handed catches. He uses his quickness to get in and out of his breaks and he has the speed to blow by defensive backs.

Music City Bowl

Texas A&M Aggies vs. Louisville Cardinals

ESPN, 7 p.m. EST

Texas A&M finished the regular season with an 8-4 record while placing fifth in the SEC West. It’s hard to tell what this team will look like in this bowl game with both quarterbacks, Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray, transferring to different schools. They will be replaced by sophomore Jake Hubenak. Louisville finished the season with a 7-5 record while placing third in the ACC Atlantic. Their best game of the season was when they came close to knocking off Clemson 20-17.

Senior running back Tra Carson leads the team in rushing for the Aggies with 1,059 yards and six touchdowns. He’s a focal point of the offense as he provided 24.33 percent of the offensive production. He has six games with over 100-yards rushing. His best performances came against South Carolina, Auburn, and Mississippi State.

Freshman wide receiver Christian Kirk led the team in receiving with 70 receptions for 925 yards. He’s a speedster, he can take the top off the defense and he’s a dangerous punt returner. Josh Reynolds is another intriguing wide receiver. He caught 40 receptions for 730 yards and five touchdowns. He’s very dangerous with the ball in the open field. Reynolds is tough to cover due to his size, 6-4 and 190 pounds, and his leaping ability.

Freshman quarter back Lamar Jackson is the fuel that keeps the Louisville offense going. He’s a dual threat quarterback and he’s very good a running the ball. Jackson ran for 734 yards and nine touchdowns while passing for 2,959 yards and ten touchdowns. His best offensive weapon is wide receiver Jamari Staples, who led the team in receiving with 610 yards. He missed the first four games due to an injury. Staples, a 6-4 and 195 pound transfer from UAB, has the ability to take over games.

Holiday Bowl

USC Trojans vs. Wisconsin Badgers

ESPN, 10:30 EST

USC has an 8-5 record and they are the PAC-12 South champions. They have 33 all-time bowl wins. Wisconsin is tied for second place in the Big Ten West and they finished their season with a 9-3 record. This will be their fourteenth straight bowl appearance.

Sophomore wide receiver Ju Ju Smith-Schuster leads USC in receiving with 1,389 yards and ten touchdowns. He ranks fifth in the nation in receiving yards. He has six games with at least 100-yards receiving. He is USC’s impact player accounting for 23.83 percent of the team’s offensive production and 39.07 percent of the teams passing offense. He’s a blue chip devy prospect.

Cody Kessler was a heavily touted quarterback prospect before the start of this season. Pay attention to him because he might shoot-up draft boards in the off-season. Nothing has really changed with his play compared to his previous seasons. He passed for 3,315 yards and 28 touchdowns while only throwing six interceptions.

Ronald Jones has rushed for 940 yards and eight touchdowns. That’s very impressive for a freshman. He’s a player you may want to think about targeting in devy leagues.

Wisconsin’s running back Corey Clement has had a rough season. He missed seven games due to a sport hernia injury. In November the team suspended him for a game for getting into an off-campus fight that led to a police citation of disorderly conduct. He’s coming back to play for Wisconsin for his senior season. You need to pay very close attention to him if he gets the opportunity to play in this game. He’s participating in contact drills which is a good sign that he’s finally starting to get over the sports hernia surgery.

Freshman running back Taiwan Deal helped teammate Dare Ogunbowale fill the void of Clements absence from the lineup. Deal is a big back that runs hard. He’s going to be the heir apparent to Clement once he leaves for the NFL.

Alex Erickson is a quick possession receiver. Joel Stave looks his way often which is why he is averaging six receptions per game. He’s third in the Big Ten in receiving with 924 yards.

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bruce matson