2017 Bowl Game Previews – December 31st, Part Two
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Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: College Football Playoff Semifinal
Washington vs. Alabama
ESPN, 3 p.m. EST
The Washington Huskies finished the regular season with a 12-1 record while placing first in the Pac-12 North. They have one of the most explosive offenses in the nation, ranking twelfth in the country with 6,203 total yards. The Huskies have an all-time bowl record of 18-17-1 while winning three of their last six bowl games since 2010.They will be playing the Alabama Crimson Tide who finished their regular season with a 13-0 record while placing first in the SEC-West. Like Washington, Alabama also has an explosive offense, ranking seventeenth in the nation with 6,127 total yards. The Crimson Tide is one of the most prestigious programs in college football with an overall 37-24-3 all-time record in bowl games, including two victories over the Washington Huskies. Alabama’s head coach Nick Saban has a 7-3 record in bowl games while coaching for the Crimson Tide and a 9-8 record during the entire course of his career.
Washington is led by sophomore quarterback Jake Browning who is considered one of the top quarterback prospects in the nation. He finished his sophomore season passing for 3,280 yards, 42 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s a highly efficient passer, completing 63.2 percent of his passes while obtaining a 176.5 QB-rating. Browning currently ranks second in the nation with 42 touchdown passes.
Sophomore running back Myles Gaskin finished his impeccable season rushing for 1,339-yards and ten touchdowns while owning a 24.12 percent market share of the team’s offensive production. This was his second straight 1,000-yard season and he had six games with over 100-yards rushing. Gaskin is a fun player to watch, he has homerun hitting speed and enough burst to make him dangerous in the open field. He shares the backfield with junior running back Lavon Coleman who is billed as the short-yardage between the tackles grinder. He’s thick (5’11’’ and 228-pounds) back who can make defenders pay price once he decides to lower his pads to pick up extra yardage. Even with Gaskin carry the load for the Huskies, Coleman was still able to muster 836-yards and seven touchdowns with three 100-yard games.
Junior wide receiver John Ross is one of the most electrifying players in college football, catching 76 receptions for 1,122-yards and 17 touchdowns this season. He had three games with over 100-yards receiving and five games with multiple touchdowns. With the speed to outrun defensive backs at will, Ross is considered one of the fastest receivers in college football, which was documented when he ran a hand-timed 4.29 40-yard-dash during the Husky Combine in 2014. He will be lining on the opposite side of junior wide receiver Dante Pettis who caught 50 receptions for 796-yards and 14 touchdowns. He’s an explosive athlete who has a knack for making contested catches downfield.
The Crimson Tide is led by freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts who managed to pass for 2,592-yards, 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He was able to complete 65.3 percent of his passes while obtaining a 146.1 quarterback rating. Not only is he an effective passer but he can also dice up defenses with his legs, rushing for 841-yards and 12 touchdowns. His mobility in the pocket and his ability to outrun defenders in the open field makes him hard to game plan against.
Sophomore running back Damien Harris led the team with 986 yards rushing. He had four games with over 100-yards rushing while owning a 17.81 percent market share of the team’s offensive production. His best game came against Ole Miss when he rushed for 144-yards and one touchdown. He is considered one of the top up and coming talents at the running back position.
Harris shares the backfield with a stable of young talented running backs. Freshman Joshua Jacobs, three-star recruit from Tulsa, Oklahoma, finished the season rushing for 548-yards and four touchdowns. His best game came against Kentucky when he rushed for 100-yards and one touchdown. Bo Scarbrough is another running back to keep an eye on. He rushed for 539 and seven touchdowns last year as a freshman but his usage curtailed drastically this season due to added competition in the backfield, poor play and small injuries.
Sophomore wide receiver Calvin Ridley is considered one of the top receiver prospects in the nation and is one of the key players to monitor in this game. He caught 66 receptions for 727-yards and seven touchdowns while eclipsing 100-yards receiving twice this season. His raw statistics dropped from last year but that was mostly due to the decrease in the team’s passing volume as he still managed to own a 24.71 percent market share of the team’s passing offense. He plays on the opposite side of ArDarius Stewart who led the team in receiving with 52 receptions for 852-yards and eight touchdowns. His average of 85.2 yards per game makes him an integral part of the offense.
O.J. Howard is considered one of the best tight ends in college football and rightfully so, because he’s an athletic freak who has the production and pedigree to back it up. He finished his senior season catching 37 receptions for 445-yards and two touchdowns. He went off in the nation championship game last year with 208-yards and two touchdowns against a tough Clemson Tiger defense.
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl: College Football Playoff Semifinal
Ohio State vs. Clemson
ESPN, 7 p.m. EST
The Ohio State Buckeyes finished the regular season with an 11-1 record while placing first in the Big Ten East. During their incredible season they were able to reel off wins against Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Michigan. Urban Meyer was hired to be Ohio State’s head coach in November 2011 and since then he has led the Buckeyes to 3-1 record in bowl games (counting College Football Playoff Championship). They will be playing the Clemson Tigers who finished the regular season with a 12-1 record and their only loss came against a sneaky good Pittsburgh Panther team. Their amazing season allowed them to finish first in the ACC Atlantic Division while placing second in the College Football Playoff Rankings. Clemson defeated Ohio State 40-35 in the 2014 Orange Bowl, giving them 1-1 bowl record against the Buckeyes.
Ohio State is led by junior quarterback J.T. Barrett who finished the regular season passing for 2,428-yards, 24 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also rushed for 847 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 4.4 yards per carry. He currently ranks fifth all-time in career passing for Ohio State with 6,254 yards and he’s also the all-time leader in school history with 69 passing touchdowns. Barrett has been hit and miss all season, making it hard to put much faith into his devy stock going forward.
Curtis Samuel is a jack of all trades type of back, like Percy Harvin, he can be utilized as a wide receiver and as a runner out of the backfield. He led the team in receiving with 822-yards and seven touchdowns and he also managed to rush for 704-yards and eight touchdowns while managing to run for 7.7 yards per carry. He is a major focal point of the offense, owning a 26.52 percent market share of the team’s offensive production. Samuel is very explosive and is one of the most dangerous players in the country when he has the ball in the open field. He’s a very underrated prospect and he should be added to your watch list.
Freshman running back Mike Weber leads the team in rushing with 1,072-yards and nine touchdowns while owning a 20.14 percent market share of the team’s offensive production. Freshman running backs that command 20 percent of the offense or more are rare, making Weber a prospect to keep on your watch list. He’s a physical runner who does a very good job at breaking tackles in the open field. He shares the backfield with fellow freshman running back Demario McCall who was heavily recruited by Urban Meyer. McCall was used sparingly this season, rushing for just 270-yards and three touchdowns but he’s one of the fastest players on the field and he’s very explosive when he gets the ball in space.
Sophomore wide receiver Noah Brown exploded during week three against Oklahoma catching five receptions for 72-yards and four touchdowns. He finished the season with 385-yards and seven touchdowns while owning a 14.5 percent market share of the passing offense. Freshman wide receiver K.J. Hill is another prospect to make note of, because he’s a highly talented prospect. The Buckeyes didn’t utilize his talents much but he’s going to be an important chess piece going forward.
Clemson’s quarterback Deshaun Watson is considered one of the best in the country at his position and should be drafted in next year’s draft. He passed for 487-yards, 37 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, while being very productive as a running, gaining 529 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. He currently ranks sixth in the program’s history with 5,570 yards passing.
Junior running back Wayne Gallman is considered one of the top running back prospects the country, rushing for 1,002 yards and 15 touchdowns while owning a 16.81 percent market share of the team’s offensive production. He had five games with over 100-yards rushing with his best game against Wake Forest when he rushed for 161-yards and two touchdowns. Freshman Tavien Feaster is a talented running back prospect who is eying to take over the starting running back duties once Gallman departs for the NFL Draft. He was used intermittently during the season, rushing for just 209 yards and two touchdowns, but his usage will drastically increase next year.
Clemson is a powerhouse when it comes to producing top-flight NFL ready wide receiver prospects. The program is led by standout junior wide receiver Mike Williams who is considered one of the top receivers in the nation and might be the top receiver drafted in the upcoming draft. He finished the regular season catching 84 receptions for 1,171-yards and ten touchdowns while owning a 27.81 percent market share of the team’s passing offense. Williams had five games with over 100-yards receiving and his best game came during week 11 against Pittsburgh when he exploded for 15 receptions for 202-yards and one touchdown. Deon Cain is another young talented receiver on Clemson’s roster who has the size and speed to burn defensive backs. He caught 32 receptions for 621-yards and nine touchdowns while owning a 14.36 percent market share of the team’s passing offense. Look for his production to increase next season due to the departure of Mike Williams. Artavis Scott is another receiver to keep an eye on. He’s the team’s speedster and he has the capability to make tremendous contested catches downfield. He caught 71 receptions for 592-yards and five touchdowns while owning a 13.69 percent market share of the team’s passing offense. Sophomore wide receivers Hunter Renfro and Ray-Ray McCloud are both talented wide receivers. They currently don’t get utilized much in the offensive game plan but expect their roles to expand next season.
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