The top two games of the week can be found in the Big 12 and SEC. The Big 12’s top ranked TCU Horned Frogs face a very talented West Virginia squad that upset Baylor and suffered two close losses to Alabama and Oklahoma. Meanwhile in the SEC, two teams ranked in the top four will square off, as #3 ranked Auburn travels to #4 ranked Ole Miss.
Still, after those games there’s a pair of Pac-12 games that should keep you watching college football past the stroke of midnight. It’s been five years since Oregon faced an unranked Stanford team. And five years ago Stanford upset a then seventh ranked Oregon Ducks unit. Also, don’t sleep on the game between Utah and Arizona State, both one-loss teams with NFL Draft talent to check out.
By: Alex Brown
No. 7 TCU at No. 20 West Virginia, ABC, 3:30 PM EST
In this Big 12 showdown, scouts will have their eyes set on the Kevin White’s –TCU’s senior CB and West Virginia’s senior WR. TCU corner Kevin White is very undersized and faces one of the top 3 draft-eligible WR prospects in the 2015 class. West Virginia receiver Kevin White saw his seven-game streak of 100+ yards receiving snapped last week against Oklahoma State, and will look to get back on track versus White. On the offensive line, watch West Virginia senior OG Quinton Spain face off with TCU senior DT Chucky Hunter. Spain owns a sizeable advantage in the power department, but Hunter is a good enough athlete to expose Spain’s slow feet and tendency to lunge out of position.
Both teams’ successes in 2014 can be attributed to the noticeable progression by their starting quarterbacks. For TCU, junior Trevone Boykin has displayed excellent command of an up-tempo spread attack and a much-improved deep ball. Boykin’s combination of athleticism and arm talent has not only made him a Heisman contender, but a legitimate draft prospect. West Virginia senior Clint Trickett looks far more comfortable in his second season since transferring out of Florida State, showcasing elite chemistry with his senior wideouts Kevin White and Mario Alford (both WR combine for over 50% of his completions this season).
Kentucky at Missouri, SEC Network, 4:00 PM EST
If you like watching edge rushers, then this is the game for you. Kentucky senior DE Alvin Dupree has been a steady climber on our big board, boosting his preseason 2nd round grade to a 1st round position. Dupree plays a standup outside linebacker position on Kentucky’s multiple defense, but really excels when he’s able to put his hand in the dirt and work up the field. Next to Dupree is another NFL prospect to key on, as senior Za’Darius Smith fits the bill as a strongside DE. Smith isn’t a plus athlete like Dupree, but he wins with point of attack anchor ability and hand use. Missouri junior DE Shane Ray has also taken off in 2014, ranking third in the country with 10 sacks on the season. Ray has always had elite first step burst and quickness, but he’s starting to incorporate hand counters to stay on his rush path. I’d like to see him vary his approach and be more creative in setting up moves, but he’s still an underclassman with time to improve. Ray’s teammate in senior Markus Golden projects as a mid-round draft choice, but he also showcases speed rush ability and a developed rip move to disengage at the point.
One specific matchup to watch will be Kentucky junior CB Fred Tiller versus Missouri senior WR Bud Sasser. Fred Tiller performed impressively a week ago against the length and athleticism of Mississippi State sophomore WR De’Runnya Wilson, holding the 6’5, 215 pound Wilson to 2 receptions for 30 yards and zero touchdowns. Boxing out at the catch point and using positioning to create separation is Bud Sasser’s game, so we’ll find out if Tiller can continue his solid play against another long target. Also be sure to take a close look at Kentucky junior ILB Josh Forrest and Missouri senior RB Marcus Murphy. Forrest is the definition of a “sideline-to-sideline” linebacker, while Murphy is the type of athlete that will look to take advantage of Forrest’s aggressiveness in pursuit.
Arkansas at No. 1 Mississippi State, ESPN2, 7:15 PM EST
While much is made of Arkansas offensive line (and for good reason), the focus in this game for me will be the LB-RB matchup between Razorback ball carrier Jonathan Williams and Mississippi State ILB Bernardrick McKinney. While McKinney is a known commodity in the scouting community as a long, explosive Mike linebacker with edge rush potential, junior RB Jonathan Williams is too often overlooked. He consistently shows outstanding contact balance in traffic, and possesses the decisive feet and vision to access cutback lanes as they develop. In addition to dealing with Williams, McKinney and the Mississippi State defense will have to be aware of emerging senior TE A.J. Derby. He’s a converted QB, but more than looks the part in terms of size, strength and body control as a pass catcher.
When Mississippi State has the football, the scouting matchups will be found all along the offensive line. Senior RG Ben Beckwith has come a long way from being a walk-on freshman to potential NFL Draft pick, but his road gets tougher this week against a disruptive sophomore DT in Darius Philon. Beckwith’s play has at least earned him a day three grade from scouts, and we’ll see if he can continue to build on that grade with a tough opponent on Saturday. At DE, senior Trey Flowers could be the difference maker for Arkansas’ defense. He knows he’s a power-based pass rusher and consistently maximizes his functional playing strength with efficient hand usage. Flowers matchup comes against Mississippi State LT Blaine Clausell, who grades out as a fringe draftable prospect. Considering the matchup favors Arkansas, I’ll also be interested to see how junior QB Dak Prescott handles the pressure. Dak’s reset footwork remains largely undeveloped and that’s a direct product of Dan Mullen’s shotgun-spread offense. With Flowers and Philon pinning their ears back, I also expect a fair amount of option runs from Prescott and junior RB Josh Robinson. Robinson’s low center of gravity, powerfully built lower half and quick feet make for an easy comparison to Maurice Jones-Drew.
No. 3 Auburn at No. 4 Ole Miss, ESPN, 7:00 PM EST
As good as senior QB Bo Wallace was in Ole Miss’ home win over Alabama, he was even worse on the road against LSU. Erratic under pressure, Bo sailed multiple throws due to inefficient footwork within the pocket. Things get a little easier versus an Auburn front that lacks a great deal of edge rush talent; however, senior DT Gabe Wright is a quick athlete off the line with the skilled hand use to create pressure inside. He’ll be going against a much larger LG in junior Aaron Morris, which should make for a good battle on the interior. Going back over the film of the shootout between Auburn and South Carolina, senior SAF Robinson Therezie was exposed early and often in man coverage versus South Carolina’s sophomore WR Pharaoh Cooper. Ole Miss likes to mix and match their personnel looks, but sophomore TE Evan Engram and WR Laquon Treadwell will be Therezie’s two toughest matchups. He’ll needs to bounce back this week and prove his worth in slot coverage, as his lack of plus length will assuredly lead to nickel safety projections by NFL scouts.
While Ole Miss’ front seven is talented and a definite test for the Auburn offensive line, I’m more intrigued with how senior CB Senquez Golson holds up versus Auburn junior WR Sammie Coates. Golson leads the SEC in interceptions and shut down LSU star WR Travin Dural a week ago (1 catch for 11 yards), but faces a second-straight difficult matchup with the size and speed of Sammie Coates. In the slot, you’ll see another talented (arguably more talented) junior target in WR D’haquille “Duke” Williams. Duke looks like Alshon Jeffery in terms of body type, catch point athleticism and length, and has developed into the go-to WR for senior QB Nick Marshall. Ole Miss plays a heavy dose of Cover 3 zone coverage and Auburn loves to attack the deep seam with Duke Williams, so there will be plenty of coverage responsibility to evaluate with senior SAF Cody Prewitt in this contest.
Stanford at No. 5 Oregon, FOX, 7:30 PM EST
This season, Oregon junior QB Marcus Mariota has asserted himself as the de facto, top-ranked QB prospect among 2015 draft-eligible passers. Anonymous scouts have come out and questioned his leadership qualities, but there’s no questioning his quick processing skills, natural athletic talent and continued progression within Oregon’s offensive structure. The x-factor prospect to watch in this game will be junior TE Pharoah Brown. Brown has the speed, length and run after catch skills to win one-on-one in-line, in the slot or flexed out at WR. Stanford will likely choose 6’0-plus junior CB Alex Carter to guard Brown whenever he’s flexed outside, but the task will likely be up to senior ILB A.J. Tarpley and senior SAF Jordan Richards over the middle third of the field. Another scouting matchup involves Oregon LT Jake Fisher versus Stanford 5-tech Henry Anderson and edge rusher James Vaughters.
Oregon junior CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and Stanford junior LT Andrus Peat were regarded as consensus top-ten picks during the preseason, but have struggled in recent weeks and seen their perceived draft stock slip. Looking at Ekpre-Olomu in this matchup, he’ll try to hide his deficiencies in long speed and length versus Stanford senior WR Ty Montgomery. The one-on-one’s between these two will be closely evaluated by NFL scouts. As for Andrus Peat, his base setup isn’t overly efficient and he lacks plus strength to recover when out of position. Oregon senior edge rusher Tony Washington is a speed-based rusher with the athleticism to garner day two draft grades. Scouts want to see Peat make the most of his natural movement skills and elite length.
No. 17 Utah at No. 14 Arizona State, FOX Sports 1, 11:00 PM EST
Arizona’s star WR Jaelen Strong has reached the endzone in all but two games this season, playing against two of the top junior CB prospects in Stanford’s Alex Carter and Washington’s Marcus Peters in the previous two games. This week he draws a longer, more physical corner in Utah’s senior Eric Rowe. Considering both players like to hand check and initiate contact, it should make for a feisty, competitive matchup. In a down year for senior QB prospects, Arizona State’s Taylor Kelly hasn’t done much to distinguish his name above the rest of the crowd. Facing a talented Utah defense that is led by senior pass rusher Nate Orchard (2nd in FBS with 11 sacks), scouts will want to see how Kelly operates under duress. Blocking for Kelly and likely to have his shots at DE Orchard, senior LT Jamil Douglas actually projects best as an NFL guard.
Utah has a star offensive prospect of their own in senior WR Dres Anderson, but Dres unfortunately will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Senior teammate Kaelin Clay will look to pick up the slack and fight his way into an NFL Draft selection with the added targets. Carrying the load in recent weeks and impressing NFL scouts along the way, Utah junior RB Devontae Booker has drawn Arian Foster comparisons for his no-nonsense, efficient running style. Viewed as a 3rd to 5th round prospect, Booker will continue to get more touches now that Utah is without their leading receiver. On Arizona State’s defense, senior DE Marcus Hadison has the body type to fit as a 5-tech or 3-tech for odd and multiple front defenses at the next level. In the secondary, senior SAF Damarious Randall also has NFL tools with solid closing burst and long speed.
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