| Featured Game | ||||||
| Allstate Sugar Bowl | ||||||
| Ohio State | (11-1) | vs | Arkansas | (10-2) | Tuesday 1/4 5:30 PM PT | (ESPN) |
Easily the most controversial of the bowl games this season. Five players on Ohio State were suspended for the start of the 2011 season due to NCAA violations, but for (most likely nefarious business reasons) were allowed to play in this game. It also happens to be one of the most competitive games since it features two top 10 teams from two of the premier conferences (Big Ten and SEC) in college football, two of the top college quarterbacks in Ohio State Junior Terrelle Pryor and Arkansas Junior Ryan Mallett and two of the best coaches in Ohio State's Jim Tressel and Arkansas' Bobby Petrino.
The Ohio State offense is drenched in this controversy. Quarterback Terrelle Pryor is one of the players who dodged suspension to play in the game. He's a dynamic playmaker that ha run for over 600 yards in each of his 3 seasons as starter and set a career high with 2551 passing yards this year. The Buckeyes' top deep threat is DeVier Posey and their 1,000 yard RB David Herron are two other players that could have missed this game with suspension, but instead will play a big part in the offense. There are, however some key players unscathed by the allegations and penalties. Senior WR Dane Sanzanbacher was the team's leading receiver and draws obvious comparisons to former-Buckeye and current Indianapolis Colt Anthony Gonzalez. Senior DE Cameron Heyward is the key man on run defense and will do his best to limit the ground game and force the Razorbacks to challenge an experienced secondary featuring Seniors Chimdi Chekwa and Devon Torrance at CB and Senior S Jermale Hines.
For Arkansas the name of the game is passing as they were 4th in the nation averaging 349.2 passing yards per game. Bobby Petrino is famous for churning out top college QBs with NFL potential (Stefan LeFors, Hunter Cantwell and Brian Brohm) and has another, and probably better, one in Mallett. They like to spread the ball around with Junior WRs Joe Adams and Greg Childs and Senior TE D.J Williams all having over 40 receptions and Junior WR Jarius Wright and Sophomore WR Coby Hamilton both having over 30. However, Childs will miss the game with an injury. He's a potential 1st round pick in 2012 and will be missed. They also have a 1,000 yard back in Sophomore Knile Davis. Senior LT Demarcus Love blocks well for all of them and will the NFL scouts' eyes on him when they are not watching Mallett.
| BFTB Scouting Targets: | |||||
| Player | School | Pos. | Class | Height | Weight |
| Cameron Heyward | Ohio St. | DE | Sr. | 6'5 | 278 lbs |
| The son of former NFL player Craig "Ironhead" Heyward is a run stuffer than can play DE and move to DT on passing downs. He could also be 3-4 DE with a little added bulk. He'll be on the Chargers radar, but I don't see the Bolts taking a DE in the middle of the first round. Original Writeup | |||||
| DeVier Posey | Ohio St. | WR | Jr. | 6'2 | 200 lbs |
| Posey's game is dependent on speed. He uses his top end speed and his ability to change geers quickly to elude defenders and get open. He can also use it to explode after the catch and pick up some YAC. However, he's not a polished route runner and he shies from contact. He's got that NFL WR attitude already and he's one of the players suspended for the start of next season, so I wouldn't be surprise if he declares for the 2011 draft. 2nd or 3rd round pick. Original Writeup | |||||
| Chimdi Chekwa | Ohio St. | CB | Sr. | 5'11 | 192 lbs |
| Ohio State has build up a tradition of producing NFL CBs over the past decade or so and Checkwa had some of the potential to be the next one to join their ranks. However, his career hasn't been as productive as his older brethren. He's basically good, but not great. He'll never have the skills to stick with a #1 WR, but he can turn and run and could add solid depth for an NFL team. 3rd or 4th round pick. Original Writeup | |||||
| Ross Homan | Ohio St. | ILB | Sr. | 6'0 | 232 lbs |
| Homan saw his stock drop a lot since we first saw him early in the season. Part of that is injuries and part of that is projection. He's a powerful tackler who is excellent in zone coverage, stays disciplined in run defense and can patrol sideline to sideline. He's not a great pass rusher though and can have trouble moving through traffic. 4th round pick. Original Writeup | |||||
| Devon Torrance | Ohio St. | CB | Sr. | 6'0 | 192 lbs |
| A raw, former WR who has transitioned to CB. He struggles at press coverage and can get grabby with the ball in the air. He does have good speed though and like Chekwa can turn and run with receivers. He's somewhat useful in run support as well. 5th round pick. | |||||
| Brandon Saine | Ohio St. | RB | Sr. | 6'0 | 217 lbs |
| Saine is involved in the passing game, especially with wheel routes and he's also a willing pass blocker. He's got some speed and can get to the edge and also has a big enough body to take between the tackles. He doesn't get too many touches these day, however. He strikes me as a very interesting 3rd down back that can be had in the late rounds. Original Writeup | |||||
| Jermale Hines | Ohio St. | S | Jr. | 6'2 | 212 lbs |
| Hines can be a playmaker in the secondary because he shows above average ball skills. He can make catches away from his body and is good at tipping the ball to himself. He can play a deep zone, but don't ask him to run to long with the top wide receivers at the next level. Can play up in the box as well where he likes to throw his weight around and use sound positioning and technique to wrap up ball carriers. 5th round pick. Original Writeup | |||||
| Demarcus Love | Arkansas | OT | Sr. | 6'4 | 313 lbs |
| Looking at his height and weight you can tell he has the prototypical size for the position. He does, however, lack some athleticism that the NFL LT position may require. That's okay because he has some college experience on the right side and the Chargers could use a RT. He's been described as a quiet, hard worker and as a better pass blocker than a run blocker. 2nd round. Original Writeup | |||||
| NFL Prospects: | |||||
| Player | School | Pos. | Class | Height | Weight |
| Terrelle Pryor | Ohio St. | QB/WR | Jr. | 6'6 | 233 lbs |
| A dynamic playmaker at QB he lacks polish with his pocket presence and lacks touch on his throws. He's big enough and fast enough to transition to WR and if he chooses to declare for the draft in order to avoid upcoming suspensions scouts think he could go higher if he abandoned playing QB. Possibly a 3rd or 4th round pick at WR. Maybe a 6th or 7th rounder as a QB. | |||||
| Justin Boren | Ohio St. | G | Sr. | 6'2 | 318 lbs |
| Short, bulky guard 2 year start at guard. Rare player that transferred from Michigan to go to Ohio State. He did that even though his dad player for Michigan and even went so far as to release a statement about how the transfer cause family issues. Part of the reason for the transfer was the conditioning needed for the no-huddle offense at Michigan. Probably a career backup in the NFL. 4th or 5th round pick. | |||||
| Ryan Mallett | Arkansas | QB | Jr. | 6'6 | 238 lbs |
| Scouts love his arm strength, but he's also been praised for his poise in the pocket, his production in pro style offenses and quickness and athleticism both in the pocket and out of it. He needed to be more consistently accurate this year and not fall into traps the defense sets up for him. For the most part, he's done that. He's also had some big games against top competition. 1st round pick. Original Writeup | |||||
| D.J. Williams | Arkansas | TE | Sr. | 6'2 | 239 lbs |
| Overcame childhood hardships to become a good character guy. Helps kids that had similar situations. Team player. Smooth, quick player that can get down the field and use his good hands to reel in catches for big plays. However, he's not going to beat a safety deep. Willing to go over the middle and take the hit. He's a little undersized for the position. 3rd round pick. | |||||
| Player | School | Pos. | Class | Height | Weight |
| Dane Sanzenbacher | Ohio St. | WR | Sr. | 5'11 | 182 lbs |
| Dexter Larimore | Ohio St. | DT | Sr. | 6'1 | 298 lbs |
| Brian Rolle | Ohio St. | OLB | Sr. | 5'10 | 222 lbs |
| Bryant Browning | Ohio St. | G | Sr. | 6'3 | 308 lbs |
| Ramon Broadway | Arkansas | CB | Sr. | 5'7 | 194 lbs |
| Alex Tejada | Arkansas | K | Sr. | 6'0 | 205 lbs |
| Ray Dominguez | Arkansas | G | Sr. | 6'4 | 332 lbs |
| Michael Grayson | Arkansas | G | Sr. | 6'3 | 294 lbs |
| Anthony Leon | Arkansas | S | Sr. | 6'3 | 228 lbs |
| Rudell Crim | Arkansas | CB | Sr. | 5'9 | 196 lbs |
| Other Games | ||||||
| GoDaddy.com Bowl | ||||||
| Middle Tennessee St. | (6-6) | vs | Miami (OH) | (9-4) | Thursday 1/6 5:00 PM PT | (ESPN) |
| GoDaddy.com Bowl:Middle Tennessee State vs. Miami (OH) | ||||||
| Sleepers: | ||||||
| Player | School | Pos. | Class | Height | Weight | |
| Kevin Brown | Mid. Tenn. St. | S | Sr. | 6'1 | 209 lbs | |
| Jeremy Kellem | Mid. Tenn. St. | S | Sr. | 5'9 | 189 lbs | |
| Jamari Lattimpre | Mid. Tenn. St. | OLB | Sr. | 6'2 | 225 lbs | |
| Dwight Dasher | Mid. Tenn. St. | RB | Sr. | 5'10 | 207 lbs | |
| Roderick Issac | Mid. Tenn. St. | CB | Sr. | 5'10 | 185 lbs | |
| Philip Tanner | Mid. Tenn. St. | RB | Sr. | 5'10 | 209 lbs | |
| Armand Robinson | Miami (OH) | WR | Sr. | 5'11 | 203 lbs | |
| Jamal Rogers | Miami (OH) | WR | Sr. | 5'9 | 168 lbs | |
| Brandon Stephens | Miami (OH) | CB | Sr. | 5'9 | 199 lbs | |
Tracking Prospects Mentioned In Previous Articles:
| Prospect Name | College | Position | Class | Proj. Draft Position |
Bowl Game Opponent (Date) |
Notes |
| Graig Cooper | Miami | RB | Sr. | 6th rd | ||
| Delone Carter | Syracuse | RB | Sr. | 5th rd | 28 car. 202 yds. 2 TDs. | |
| Noel Devine | West Virginia | RB | Sr. | 3rd/4th rd | 8 car. 50 yds. 4 rec. 21 yds. 1 fumble. | |
| Kendall Hunter | Oklahoma St. | RB | Sr. | 3rd/4th rd | 10 car. 32 yds. | |
| LaMichael James | Oregon | RB | So. | 2nd rd | Auburn (1/10) | |
| DeMarco Murray | Oklahoma | RB | Sr. | 2nd/3rd rd | 25 car. 93 yds. 1 TD. 2 rec. -1 yds. | |
| Jacquizz Rodgers | Oregon St. | RB | Jr. | 3rd rd | ||
| Evan Royster | Penn St. | WR | Sr. | 6th rd | 20 car. 98 yds. | |
| Brandon Saine | Ohio State | RB | Sr. | Late rds | Arkansas (1/4) | |
| Shane Vereen | California | RB | Jr. | 3rd rd | ||
| Jonathan Baldwin | Pittsburgh | WR | Jr. | 1st/2nd rd | Kentucky (1/8) | |
| Armon Binns | Cincinnati | WR | Sr. | 5th rd | ||
| Justin Blackmon | Oklahoma St. | WR | So. | 1st rd | 9 rec. 117 yds. 2 TDs. | |
| Vincent Brown | San Diego St. | WR | Sr. | 4th rd | 8 rec. 165 yds. 1 TD. 1 car. -13 yds. | |
| Ryan Broyles | Oklahoma | WR | Jr. | 2nd rd | 13 rec. 170 yds. 1 TD. 57 yd. punt return. | |
| Michael Floyd | Notre Dame | WR | Jr. | 3rd rd. | 6 rec. 109 yds. 2 TDs. | |
| A.J Green | Georgia | WR | Jr. | 1st rd. | 8 rec. 77 yds. | |
| Leonard Hankerson | Miami | WR | Sr. | 4th/5th rd | 6 rec. 71 yds. 1 TD. | |
| Dwayne Harris | East Carolina | WR | Sr. | 4th rd | 8 rec. 68 yds. 1 car. -7 yds. | |
| Jerrel Jernigan | Troy | WR | Sr. | 2nd rd | 7 rec. 48 yds. 1 TD. 3 car. 16 yds. 1 TD. Returned kicks and punts. | |
| Ron Johnson | USC | WR | Sr. | 4th/5th rd | ||
| Derrell Johnson-Koulianos | Iowa | WR | Sr. | 3rd/4th rd | Dismissed from team after arrest on drug chargers | |
| Julio Jones | Alabama | WR | Jr. | 1st rd | 3 rec. 49 yds. 2 car. 36 yds. 1 TD. | |
| Jeremy Kerley | TCU | WR | Sr. | 5th/6th rd | 6 rec. 58 yds. 1 car. 5 yds. | |
| Greg Little | North Carolina | WR | Sr. | 2nd-4th rd | NCAA ruled him permanently ineligible. | |
| Niles Paul | Nebraska | WR | Sr. | 3rd/4th rd |
|
3 rec. 61 yds. |
| Austin Pettis | Boise St. | WR | Sr. | Late rds | 12 rec. 147 yds. 1 TD. | |
| DeVier Posey | Ohio State | WR | Jr. | 2nd/3rd rd | Arkansas (1/4) | |
| Greg Salas | Hawaii | WR | Sr. | 4th rd | 13 rec. 214 yds. 2 TDs. | |
| DeMarco Sampson | San Diego St. | WR | Sr. | Late rds | 2 rec. 45 yds. | |
| Torrey Smith | Maryland | WR | Jr. | 2nd rd | 2 rec. 10 yds. 1 car. -3 yds. | |
| Terrance Toliver | LSU | WR | Sr. | 4th/5th rd | Texas A&M (1/7) | |
| Nick Toon | Wisconsin | WR | Jr. | 4th/5th rd | 3 rec. 46 yds. | |
| Titus Young | Boise St. | WR | Sr. | 3rd/4th rd | 6 rec. 64 yds. 3 car. 9 yds. | |
| Mike McNeill | Nebraska | WR | Sr. | Late Rds | 3 rec. 33 yds. | |
| Luke Stocker | Tennessee | TE | Sr. | 4th rd | 5 rec. 58 yds. 1 TD. | |
| Gabe Carimi | Wisconsin | OT | Sr. |
1st/2nd rd |
||
| Marcus Gilbert | Florida | OT | Sr. | 5th rd | ||
| Chris Hairston | Clemson | OT | Sr. | 3rd rd | ||
| Jarriel King | South Carolina | OT | Sr. | 4th rd | ||
| Demarcus Love | Arkansas | OT | Sr. | 2nd rd | Ohio State (1/4) | |
| Jason Pinkston | Pittsburgh | OT | Sr. | 3rd rd | Kentucky (1/8) | |
| Derek Sherrod | Mississippi St. | OT | Sr. | 1st/2nd rd | ||
| Clint Boling | Georgia | OT/G | Sr. | 3rd rd | ||
| James Carpenter | Alabama | OT/G | Jr. | 4th rd | ||
| Orlando Franklin | Miami | OT/G | Sr. | 2nd rd | ||
| Stephen Paea | Oregon St. | NT | Sr. | 1st rd | ||
| Ian Williams | Notre Dame | NT | Sr. | Late rds | Torn MCL. Will probably miss bowl game and combine. | |
| Christian Ballard | Iowa | DE/DT | Sr. | 4th rd | 1 sack. | |
| Jared Crick | Nebraska | DE/DT | Jr. | 3rd rd | ||
| Nick Fairley | Auburn | DE/DT | Jr. | 1st rd | Oregon (1/10) | |
| Jarvis Jenkins | Clemson | DE/DT | Sr. | 4th rd | ||
| Allen Bailey | Miami | DE | Sr. | 1st rd | ||
| Da'Quan Bowers | Clemson | DE | Jr. | 1st rd | ||
| Adrian Clayborn | Iowa | DE | Sr. | 1st rd | ||
| Cameron Jordan | California | DE | Sr. | 1st/2nd rd | ||
| Karl Klug | Iowa | DE | Sr. | 5th rd | 1 sack. | |
| J.J. Watt | Wisconsin | DE | Jr. | 2nd rd | ||
| Pierre Allen | Nebraska | DE/OLB | Sr. | 4th rd | ||
| Jeremy Beal | Oklahoma | DE/OLB | Sr. | 2nd rd | ||
| Justin Houston | Georgia | DE/OLB | Jr. | 1st/2nd rd | ||
| Ryan Kerrigan | Purdue | DE/OLB | Sr. | 1st rd | ||
| Craig Marshall | South Florida | DE/OLB | Sr. | 4th rd | ||
| Cliff Matthews | South Carolina | DE/OLB | Sr. | 3rd/4th rd | 1 sack. | |
| Pernell McPhee | Mississippi St. | DE/OLB | Sr. | 2nd rd | ||
| Brooks Reed | Arizona | DE/OLB | Sr. | 2nd/3rd rd | ||
| Greg Romeus | Pittsburgh | DE/OLB | Sr. | 3rd rd | Torn ACL done for the year. | |
| Jabaal Sheard | Pittsburgh | DE/OLB | Sr. | 2nd rd | Kentucky (1/8) | |
| Kelvin Sheppard | LSU | DE/OLB | Sr. | 3rd rd | Texas A&M (1/7) | |
| Markus White | Florida St. | DE/OLB | Sr. | Late rds | ||
| Akeem Ayers | UCLA | OLB | Jr. | 1st rd | ||
| Bruce Carter | North Carolina | OLB | Sr. | 2nd rd | Torn ACL. Will miss bowl game and probably combine. | |
| Brandon Hicks | Florida | OLB | So. | 5th rd | 1 Int. | |
| Von Miller | Texas A&M | OLB | Sr. | 1st rd | LSU (1/7) | |
| Dontay Moch | Nevada | OLB | Sr. | 3rd rd | Boston College (1/9) | |
| Jonas Mouton | Michigan | OLB | Sr. | Late rds | ||
| Kennth Wright | Mississippi St. | OLB | Sr. | 4th rd | ||
| Obi Ezeh | Michigan | ILB | Sr. | Late rds | ||
| Dont'a Hightower | Alabama | ILB | So. | 2nd/3rd rd | ||
| Ross Homan | Ohio State | ILB | Sr. | 4th rd | Arkansas (1/4) | |
| Mike Mohamed | California | ILB | Sr. | Late rds | ||
| Nate Irving | North Carolina St. | ILB | Sr. | 3rd rd | ||
| Greg Jones | Michigan St. | ILB | Sr. | 3rd rd | ||
| Casey Matthews | Oregon | ILB | Sr. | Late rds | Auburn (1/10) | |
| Quan Sturdivant | North Carolina | ILB | Sr. | 2nd rd | 1 sack and 1 Int. | |
| Chris White | Mississippi St. | ILB | Sr. | Late rds | ||
| Alex Wujciak | Maryland | ILB | Sr. | 4th rd | ||
| Mason Foster | Washington | LB | Sr. | 4th rd | ||
| Travis Lewis | Oklahoma | LB | Jr. | 2nd rd | Connecticut (1/2) | |
| Colin McCarthy | Miami | LB | Sr. | 3rd rd | ||
| Prince Amukamara | Nebraska | CB | Sr. | 1st rd | ||
| Chykie Brown | Texas | CB | Sr. | 4th rd | Broken forearm. Done for season. | |
| Curtis Brown | Texas | CB | Sr. | 2nd rd | ||
| Rashad Carmichael | Virginia Tech | CB | Sr. | 3rd rd | Stanford (1/3) | |
| Chimdi Chekwa | Ohio State | CB | Sr. | 3rd/4th rd | Arkansas (1/4) | |
| Marcus Gilchrist | Clemson | CB | Sr. | 3rd rd | ||
| Brandon Harris | Miami | CB | Jr. | 2nd rd | ||
| Brandon Hogan | West Virginia | CB | Sr. | 5th rd | ||
| Janoris Jenkins | Florida | CB | Jr. | 1st rd | ||
| Patrick Peterson | LSU | CB | Jr. | 1st rd | Texas A&M (1/7) | |
| Chris L. Rucker | Michigan St. | CB | Sr. | 5th rd | ||
| Aaron Williams | Texas | CB | Jr. | 2nd rd | ||
| Shareece Wright | USC | CB | Sr. | 4th rd | ||
| Mark Barron | Alabama | S | Jr. | 2nd/3rd rd | Torn pectoral muscle. Will miss bowl game. | |
| Ahmed Black | Florida | S | Jr. | 4th rd | 1 PBU, 2 Ints. and 1 Int. returned for 80 yd TD. | |
| Quinton Carter | Oklahoma | S | Sr. | 2nd rd | ||
| Eric Hagg | Nebraska | S | Sr. | 5th rd | ||
| Will Hill | Florida | S | Jr. | 5th rd | 1 PBU | |
| Jermale Hines | Ohio St. | S | Sr. | Late rds | Arkansas (1/4) | |
| DeAndre McDaniel | Clemson | S | Sr. | 3rd rd | ||
| Rahim Moore | UCLA | S | Jr. | 2nd rd | Most likely returning to school. | |
| Robert Sands | West Virginia | S | Jr. | 2nd rd | 1 sack. | |
| Deunta Williams | North Carolina | S | Sr. | 3rd rd | ||
| Troy Woolfork | Michigan | S | Sr. | Late rds |