Now that the College Football regular season is over, my weekly articles will take a different form each week. This week, I will recap the performances of the top 2019 draft prospects from this past weekend’s biggest games. I will finish the article off with this week’s news and notes from around the college football and draft world.
Recap:
Washington vs. Utah
This Washington-Utah match-up was all about the defenses. Washington’s cornerback Byron Murphy, safety Taylor Rapp, and linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven had excellent games. Murphy had a two interception and defensive touchdown performance. On the other side, Utah’s defensive linemen Bradley Anae and Leki Fotu, cornerback Justin Blackmon, and linebackers Chase Hansen and Cody Barton made life for Washington’s quarterback Jake Browning a nightmare on Friday.
Oklahoma vs Texas
Oklahoma got the win in a rematch from earlier this season when Texas pulled off the upset. The score was close for most of the game. In the end, Kyler Murray and Marquise Brown proved to be too much for Texas to handle. Wide receiver draft prospects highlighted this game with Oklahoma’s Brown and Ceedee Lamb and Texas’ Collin Johnson and LJ Humphrey.
Ohio State vs Northwestern
This wasn’t exactly a premiere Conference Championship game, especially for the Big 10. Several draft eligible prospects still had great games. Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins had an incredible game throwing for over 500 yards and 5 touchdowns. Ohio State defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones also had a great game. He continues to see his stock rise as a do-it-all defensive lineman.
Clemson vs Pitt
Clemson dominated this game once they got past the initial fight from Pitt. Clemson’s defensive line dominated as expected. Clelin Ferrell simply had his way and the rest of line not far behind him. He won’t be eligible until the 2021 draft, but Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence already looks amazing. He might be one of the highest graded draft prospects in history. We still have two more years until we can really get into that kind of talk. For now, let’s appreciate how good this defensive line is.
Alabama vs Georgia
Georgia certainly gave Alabama a run for their money. Alabama narrowly escaped in the last-minute with a game-winning touchdown from their backup quarterback (sound familiar?). It offered huge performances from some draft eligible players. Quinnen Williams, Mack Wilson, Deionte Thompson, D’Andre Walker, and J.R. Reed all showed off their skills. This was also a preview of the 2020 quarterback class with the battle of Tua Tagovailoa and Jake Fromm,. This battle was won by Fromm, who threw for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tagovailoa did not do much before exiting with an injury.
News and notes:
- The College Playoff Bracket is set. Alabama will face Oklahoma and Clemson and Notre Dame will square off with both games on January 1st. There was some intrigue as to which team would claim the 4th spot. Places one through three teams already locked their spots before the weekend began. Oklahoma, Georgia, and Ohio State looked on hopefully. Oklahoma snagged the spot and they have been electric this year.
Many wonder why the committee didn’t want to see a rematch of Alabama and Georgia. Alabama dominated teams all year. Georgia had a 21-point lead in this game before Alabama snuck in at the end to get the victory. The playoffs are intended to include the four best teams in college football. Even though Georgia has two losses, they have performed better than Oklahoma. Oklahoma may be able to compete with Alabama, but many people are disappointed we won’t get to see this rematch.
Early Entrants
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We have several additional early entrants into the 2019 NFL Draft from underclassmen. These players include LSU cornerback Greedy Williams, Iowa tight end Noah Fant. Florida State EDGE Brian Burns, N.C. State wide receiver Kelvin Harmon, Central Michigan cornerback Sean Bunting, and Utah State tight end Dax Raymond are also early entrants. In the coming weeks expect many players to announce their early entrance to the draft.
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Entering bowl season, many players will announce that they will not be participating in their team’s bowl game. The main reason for this is to avoid injury in a relatively pointless game. It also allows them to start on their draft training early. So far, we have heard notable players such as Houston defensive lineman Ed Oliver, Arizona State’s N’Keal Harry, and Michigan defensive lineman Rashan Gary. Early entrants from the Carolinas inclue N.C. State wide receiver Kelvin Harmon, and South Carolina wide receiver Deebo Samuel.