2015 NFL Draft: College Football Game Recaps – Week 11

This section breaks down many college football games each week and highlights how 2015 NFL Draft Prospects have performed. Or look at the 2015 NFL Draft Stock page (link coming soon).

By Charlie Campbell.
Send Charlie an e-mail here: [email protected]
Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell for updates.

Texas A&M 41, Auburn 38

Texas A&M tackle Cedric Ogbuehi was billed to be a potential high first-round pick coming into this season, and he started the year well after moving to left tackle to replace Jake Matthews. However midway through the season, Ogbuehi had an ugly streak of games – Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Alabama – in which he constantly gave up sacks. As a consequence of that, Ogbuehi was moved back to right tackle against Auburn.

The Tigers don’t have a great defensive line, but Ogbuehi looked so much better back at right tackle. In the second quarter, he had a nice block on an off-tackle run to spring his back for a chunk play. Ogbuehi handled speed rushers, withstood bull rushes and did a much better job of sustaining his blocks than he has in recent weeks.

Ogbuehi’s draft value gets hurt by moving back to right tackle, but at least he gave NFL evaluators a solid tape and a bounce-back performance.

The Texas A&M secondary has been destroyed this season, so one could expect that Auburn junior wide receivers Sammie Coates and Duke Williams would have big games. That didn’t happen as the Tigers did a lot of damage on the ground, and Nick Marshall has struggled to pass the ball at times. Williams had only one reception for 11 yards against the Aggies. He was injured in the second quarter after a hard hit to the knees, and Auburn was fortunate that it is said to only be a sprained right MCL.

Early on, Coates burned the secondary for a potential 75-yard touchdown, but the ball was overthrown. On the very next play, Coates dropped a potential first down on an out route.

In the fourth quarter, Coates got deep and caught a pass between two defenders. He caught the ball wahile falling to the ground, but it would have been nice to see him high point the reception rather than catching while falling down. At any rate, it was a 52-yard gain at a critical time midway through the fourth quarter. Coates finished with two receptions for 58 yards. He did a nice job of blocking on some plays, and this tape should be neutral for him.

UCLA 44, Washington 30

This game lost a draft matchup when Washington cornerback Marcus Peters was kicked off the team earlier in the week. It would have been good to see him test UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley. While Peters was out, two future NFL early-round picks were going against Hundley in nose tackle Danny Shelton and outside linebacker Hau’Oli Kikaha.

In the first quarter, Hundley made a nice play on a read option to keep the ball and dive into the end zone from a few yards out. He threw a touchdown a short time later when he had all day to throw on a play-action pass while receiver Kenneth Walker got wide open in busted coverage for a 57-yard touchdown.

On a later drive, Hundley had a nice play of working across the field before firing a fastball through a window of defenders to his receiver to move the chains. Hundley ran in another touchdown on a quarterback draw. In the third quarter, he threw a bullet on a short slant for another touchdown. The signal-caller should have thrown an interception a bit later, but the pass bounced off the hands of the defender and went to his receiver.

In the fourth quarter, Hundley threw a well-placed ball to a receiver for a leaping touchdown catch, but the play was taken away by an offensive pass interference penalty that was very questionable. Hundley completed 29-of-36 passes for 302 yards with two touchdowns. He also ran for 18 yards with his two scores.

This was a decent tape for Hundley. He made some good reads and throws from the pocket, but the majority of his completions where on the first read to open receivers. This performance won’t significantly address the concerns that NFL teams have about him.

On the first play from scrimmage, Shelton powered his way down the pocket to get a hit on Hundley. That set the tone throughout the night as Shelton was consistently pushing UCLA center Jake Brendel and the Bruins’ guards down the pocket. The other Washington defensive linemen didn’t take advantage of Shelton causing a collapsed pocket. In the fourth quarter, he powered his way into the backfield to drop a back for a loss of a few. Shelton totaled three tackles with a tackle for a loss on the evening. This tape will help confirm his early-round grade.

Kikaha entered the weekend as the nation’s leader in sacks, and he didn’t need long to show why he is a natural pass-rusher. On the first drive of the game, Kikaha burned the left tackle on a speed rush. He shoved the running back away and chased down Hundley for a sack. That was Kikaha’s only tackle in the game as he left a few minutes later with a stinger.

There were two NFL outside linebacker prospects in UCLA’s Erik Kendricks and Washington’s Shaq Thompson, but Thompson has moved to running back, so these players were going head to head rather than being comparable.

In the first half, Kendricks had some struggles. He couldn’t get off a block on a screen pass and that helped open up a long gain. On other plays, Kendricks was manhandled in the box.

Kendricks started playing better in the third quarter. He made a hard tackle on the perimeter when he went low and flipped the running back. Kendricks later read a play well to snuff out a run for no gain and used his agility to make the tackle despite a nice move by the runner.

Kendricks made a lot of tackles in pursuit and looked good in pass coverage. That looks for good NFL teams, but he does need to get stronger for taking on blocks while improving his ability to shed the blockers. Kendricks totaled 13 tackles against Washington.

Thompson mainly played running back and totaled 100 yards on 16 carries. For the NFL, Thompson is a linebacker prospect, but he’s playing offense because his team needs him there. Thompson did see some action on defense and made a tackle on a screen pass. He also made a nice play in pursuit to stop a run and force the ball-carrier back to his help. Thompson totaled four tackles against UCLA. His draft stock suffers due to his reduced playing time on defense, but he is showing a good attitude and excellent athletic versatility by playing running back.

A defensive lineman who really impressed in this game was UCLA senior defensive end Owa Odighizuwa. He beat the Washington offensive linemen with speed and power all night. Odighizuwa caused a lot of havoc in the backfield on passing plays.

In the first quarter, Odighizuwa pushed the left tackle back into the pocket before disengaging and bolting to the inside to sack quarterback Cyler Miles, who was stepping toward the line of scrimmage. A couple of plays later, Odighizuwa got leverage on the right tackle with speed around the corner. His pressure caused Miles to step up in the pocket, and Odighizuwa worked back to tackle him from behind.

In the fourth quarter, Odighizuwa almost notched a sack after coming unblocked, but in the open field, Miles dodged him. Odighizuwa later burned the left tackle with a speed rush and came close to another sack, but Miles ran forward for a short gain. Odighizuwa came close to another sack just a bit after that.

Odighizuwa had eight tackles against Washington. He really had two sacks, but because Miles fell at the line of scrimmage, he wasn’t credited with a sack.

Ohio State 49, Michigan State 37

Spartans junior quarterback Connor Cook has the potential to be a high first-round pick, but he needs to be more consistent. His team’s performance against Ohio State will probably only serve to push Cook further in his inclination to return to Michigan State in 2015.

On the first drive, Cook threw a beautiful deep ball off a play-action pass as he dropped in a perfect ball to a receiver who was covered closely by two defenders. It was a great throw that beat good coverage for 44 yards. To end the drive, Cook threw a short sprint out to his back who, after a broken tackle, darted into the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown.

Cook showed some poor ball security when he fumbled the ball away while being taken to the ground. Cook came back to throw a strike while taking a big hit from a tackle. It was great anticipation as Cook threw the pass before his wideout even turned to look. On the same drive, he converted a third down with a nice run to move the chains.

After halftime, Cook made a great throw to convert a third-and-long, but he had an overthrow dropped by a defensive back for what should have been an easy interception. Cook’s second half was up and down, but he had a touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter go to a wide-open receiver. Cook later overthrew a receiver streaking deep down the middle of the field for a missed opportunity and a big play.

Cook was 25-of-45 for 358 yards with two scores. Once again, his accuracy was hit or miss. He some amazingly difficult throws, yet missed on some routine passes. That is the area Cook has to improve for the next level.

Michigan State has two defensive back prospects for the 2015 NFL Draft in safety Kurtis Drummond and cornerback Trae Waynes. It was a very quiet game for Waynes, but that could be seen as a good thing. He contributed some tackles in run defense, but that was about it. Ohio State didn’t dare to throw his direction as he shut down his receiver. Instead, the Buckeyes picked on the other cornerbacks, and that worked well enough, so there was no real need to test the talented Waynes.

In the second quarter, Drummond was beaten in a foot race to the end zone on a 79-yard touchdown. Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett held Drummond in the middle of the field to open up a long touchdown just before halftime. Later on, Drummond had a great jump to slap a pass away for the Spartans. This wasn’t impressive performance for Drummond as he got caught out of position on a few plays and took some false steps. He has to improve his eye discipline for the NFL.

Michigan State defensive end Shilique Calhoun was active for the Spartans. He came close to a sack and also had another pressure. Late in the first quarter, Calhoun ran by the right tackle to make a tackle for a loss on a pitch play. Calhoun drew a facemask from the left tackle a few plays later. Following the next snap, he made a run stuff. Calhoun had a nice pass rush to combine with a teammate for a sack. He turned in a handful of tackles and was a disruptive presence. This was a good tape for the junior.

Ohio State defensive tackle Michael Bennett had a mixed outing for the Buckeyes. In the first quarter, he beat the left guard to sack Cook, but a few plays later, got pushed out of his gap, and Langford take off on a 33-yard touchdown run. Later, Bennett powered his way into the backfield to make a tackle for a loss.

After halftime, Bennett had an ugly play where he was pancaked into the turf by an offensive lineman on a rushing play. Late in the third quarter, Bennett had a coverage sack after the blocker seemed to ease up on the play and Bennett darted by him.

Bennett showed NFL scouts that he has real skill as a pass-rusher, but needs to get stronger for the ground game.

Alabama 20, LSU 13 (OT)

There was an excellent matchup in this game with Crimson Tide junior wide out Amari Cooper taking on LSU cornerback Jalen Collins and safety Jalen Mills. All three are future draft picks with Cooper looking like a top-10 selection. While Collins and Mills weren’t the best defensive backs Cooper would play this year – that designation goes to Florida’s Vernon Hargreaves -, Collins and Mills are talented defenders who are hard to beat for big plays.

On the first drive of the game, Cooper dropped a screen, and that set the tone for the night. He almost made an over-the-shoulder catch a short time later, but couldn’t control it, and it fell incomplete.

In the second quarter, Collins gave Cooper an easy catch on a quick slant that turned into a 21-yard gain. Collins gave too much cushion on that third down, but that could be from the instructions of the coaches. To extend the same drive, Collins had tight coverage, but was beaten on a back-shoulder throw to Cooper. A play later, Collins should have given up a touchdown, but Alabama wide out DeAndrew White couldn’t control the pass. Collins got away with a hold and showed poor awareness by not locating the ball before it sailed by his helmet. He got lucky on that play.

It got worse for Collins as Cooper beat him on slant, bounced off a couple of tacklers -including Mills – and stiff-armed Collins at the goal line for a 23-yard touchdown. That was the big highlight play for Cooper against LSU.

In the fourth quarter, Collins had tight coverage with a clutch breakup to help force a punt. On the final drive of the fourth quarter, Cooper had a terrible dropped pass that could have really cost Alabama, but his teammates bailed him out. He finished with 83 yards on eight receptions. Cooper shouldn’t be hurt by this tape significantly, but it does illustrate that he has inconsistent hands and needs to improve there.

Overall this was a solid tape for Collins as he showed an ability to run with a fast receiver like Cooper. Collins did a nice job of preventing separation when he played in press man. It wasn’t a great game that will help Collins significantly as he showed that he needs to improve in playing off-man coverage, but that isn’t the best use of him.

Mills generally had a solid game, and he showed the ability to function as a free safety who can isolate in man coverage on the third receiver. On a third down, Mills covered slot receiver Christion Jones to make a tackle and force a punt. It was good coverage by Mills on the play. He showed more coverage skills with perfect blanket coverage on White to slap away a pass in the end zone. In overtime, Mills was beaten to the far corner, and Alabama lofted in a touchdown. It was a really tough play for Mills to make, and the Crimson Tide took advantage of poor play alignment by LSU. Mills’ draft stock could benefit from this game by showing he can serve as a safety who plays in man coverage.

The defensive back from this game who will be drafted first was Alabama junior safety Landon Collins. He has been very good this year – aside from the Ole Miss game. Collins was challenged by some talented young LSU receivers like sophomore Train Dural and a stable of tough LSU running backs. In the first quarter, Collins almost tracked down a deep ball for an interception. He defended the route from Dural well and just didn’t quite have the speed to track down the pass for a pick. All night, Collins was reliable in pass coverage and didn’t get burned deep.

Collins also contributed to a number tough run-stops and laid out some hard hits. This was a quality tape for him.

LSU junior left tackle La’el Collins and junior guard Vadal Alexander are two of the top players at their positions in college football. Collins has been discussed as a first-round pick and a potential top-16 pick. LSU ran behind Collins and Alexander for a nice gain on the team’s first play from scrimmage. On a third-down pass play, Alexander got turned around and let a defender run free down the pocket for a sack. It was a bad play by Alexander and a mental mistake.

In the third quarter, Collins crashed down the side of the Alabama offensive line to open up a huge lane for Leonard Fournette. All night, Collins forced movement in the ground game and opened up holes for his back. Collins did a solid job in pass protection, but LSU didn’t throw the ball that much. This tape should help his draft grade.

Alabama junior running back T.J. Yeldon totaled 68 yards on 15 carries, and this tape features some of his flaws. On a third down, Yeldon dropped a pass when he had nothing but open grass ahead of him for a long gain. He did a solid job in blitz protection, but his ball-security issue reared it’s head again. Late in the fourth quarter, Yeldon fumbled inside Alabama’s 10-yard line. He was tackled awkwardly and injured his ankle on the play. LSU recovered for an easy field goal for a lead with only a minute remaining. That was a horrible time for a fumble.

Yeldon has had a mixed sophomore and now junior season. If he wants to be a first-round pick, going back to Alabama for his senior year could be the best route.

Texas 33, West Virginia 16

The Mountaineers feature one of the best wide receivers in the nation with Kevin White, and the likely first-rounder would challenge Texas senior cornerback Quandre Diggs, a potential second-day pick.

In the first quarter, White showed his speed by darting down the sideline on a wide receiver screen. Diggs failed to make a tackle on him on another screen, but he did help slow White down for his teammates to limit the gain.

Late in the second quarter, Diggs read Clint Trickett’s eyes and jumped a slant pass intended for White. Diggs picked the ball off and returned it about 20 yards to set up his offense just outside the West Virginia 20-yard line. It was a smart play by Diggs, and there wasn’t anything White could have done to prevent it.

After the half, White got separation from Diggs on a comeback route to move the chains. Diggs came back to hold his ground on a screen pass to White and limit the gain. On the very next play, Diggs dropped into coverage after not buying a fake screen and dished out a hard hit on a receiver to break up a completion inside the 10-yard line. It was an excellent play by Diggs as he showed the instincts and recognition skills to get into position to make a play for his defense.

In the fourth quarter, White had a disappointing play on a jump ball where he let a ball hit off his hand when he could have attacked it for a reception over Diggs. White added a few receptions in garbage time against a prevent defense.

Overall, White showed his potential to serve as a possession receiver as Texas sent extra coverage over the top to keep him from making big plays downfield. White still moved the chains with 15 receptions for 132 yards, and this tape won’t hurt his draft stock.

Diggs helped himself with how he played against West Virginia. He looks like a slot corner candidate who could be a second-day pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Texas senior defensive end Cedric Reed hasn’t matched his 2013 level of production – he had a double-digit sack season -, but he had a dominant game against West Virginia to send a jolt into his draft stock. Late in the second quarter, Reed had an excellent rush to bull his way into the pocket, toss the tackle away and rip quarterback Clint Trickett to the ground with force. Reed also made a nice play in run defense.

Reed had a tackle for a loss in run support during the fourth quarter. He followed that up with a safety on a speed rush where he came unblocked. The right tackle picked up a blitzer, but the right guard let Reed go free. He flowed that up with a nice run stuff.

A few plays later, Reed fought through the left tackle to notch a sack fumble on Trickett that Texas recovered. Reed used some power to push the tackle back and then shed the blocker to get to the quarterback.

This was a great game from Reed and his best of the season. Reed showed the speed and strength to beat tackles in the pass rush. He also was a tough run-defender. If Reed can stay consistent with this performance to close out 2014, it will go along way to making up for his quiet start to the season.

Baylor 48, Oklahoma 14

There was an interesting draft matchup of Baylor defensive end Shawn Oakman going against Oklahoma offensive tackles of Tyrus Thompson (left) and Daryl Williams (right). Oakman has a lot of physical talent, but he doesn’t always play up to it. Thompson got the better of their matchup even though Baylor rolled Oklahoma.

Early in the game, Oakman lacked impact. Williams shut him down on a third-and-long pass rush while, Thompson pushed Oakman out of his gap to let the Sooners run for a first down and set up a first-and-goal. On third-and-goal, Thompson pushed Oakman into the turf while Oklahoma threw a touchdown pass.

Shortly later, Oakman was late to realize he was unblocked on a third-and-goal, so Trevor Knight was able to get the pass off before Oakman could get to him. The 6-foot-8 Oakman had the ball fire by his head, and if he had put his hands up, he could have easily batted the pass.

In the second quarter, Oakman made a tackle after Thompson had him blocked for a few seconds, but Trevor Knight scrambled before Oakman chased him down. Oakman made his second tackle after he came unblocked. He had a nice rush on Thompson with leverage on a speed rush to get a pressure. Late in the second quarter, Oakman chased down Knight on a run and planted the quarterback into the turf with force. After that, Oakman was pretty quiet again.

In the third quarter, Thompson opened up some huge holes to spring his back for a long run of about 50 yards. It wasn’t all good for Thompson as he had middle linebacker Bryce Hager dodge him at the second level and make a tackle for a loss. A play later, Oakman had a good rush on Thompson, but that was really the only play that Oakman had against Thompson.

Overall, Oakman didn’t help himself and Thompson did. Thompson got the better of the vast majority of their plays against each other. Thompson showed quickness and agility to handle speed rushes with strength as a run-blocker. This was a good tape for Thompson, but for Oakman it illustrates that he doesn’t play up to his skill set.

Williams wasn’t as impressive as Thompson. He allowed more pressure into the backfield and wasn’t as effective in the ground game. Williams had two holding penalties that took away first-down plays for Oklahoma. He also had a false start. Williams hurt his draft stock against Baylor.

The Sooners’ front seven had an ugly game. Junior outside linebacker Eric Striker was a ghost and had some missed tackles with no pass rush. He had a receiver run through him on a short touchdown run as well. Nose tackle Jordan Phillips started the game well before going silent. Baylor was able to wear down Phillips and run at him successfully midway through the game. This was a bad tape that will hurt the stock of all of the Oklahoma front-seven defenders.

Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty has really struggled with his accuracy as a senior, but he showed some real improvement against Oklahoma. Early in the game, Petty struggled as he had a number of passes off the mark. Petty started the game 5-for-10 before catching fire. In the second quarter, he threw a pretty deep ball for a 33-yard score. It was a little behind his receiver, but it was good enough to beat two defensive backs.

Petty got into a groove before the half and into the third quarter with some short passes and a few well-thrown deep balls. He completed around 20 straight passes as he ate up the Sooners’ defense playing in a deep cushion. Petty completed 32-of-42 for 387 yards with a touchdown. This was a good tape that will help him to get consideration on the third day of the 2015 NFL Draft.

Arizona State 55, Notre Dame 31

There was supposed to be a nice draft matchup in this game with Notre Dame cornerback Cody Riggs taking on one of the best wideouts in the nation in Arizona State�s Jaelen Strong, but Riggs was held out of the game with an injury.

Strong made a nice reception on the first play of the game. He followed that up with a good leaping catch and move to pick up some more yards. Strong made a highlight reel one-handed touchdown catch, as he made an amazing adjustment with great body control for the score. Strong twisted and cradled the ball in with one hand while getting both feet down before falling out of bounds. It was one of the best catches you�ll see all year. At the half, Strong had five receptions for 58 yards and he was shut out after intermission.

For the majority of the final two quarters, Notre Dame dominated the time of possession, and the Sun Devils were unable to get into a rhythm. This tape shouldn�t help or hurt Strong significantly.

Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson made some good throws but also showcased his poor ball security yet again. Golson finished completing 22-of-41 passes for 446 yards with two scores and four interceptions. He looks like a late-round prospect or undrafted free agent.

Fighting Irish defensive lineman Sheldon Day has had a strong season, and he continued to play well against Arizona State. Early in the game, he was one of the only defenders who was being disruptive. Day had an impressive tackle for a loss, firing by the guard and swallowing up the back. Day should return for his senior year, but if he entered the 2015 NFL Draft, he could get second-day consideration.

Georgia 63, Kentucky 31

There were a lot of good pass-rushing prospects in this game, but the most noteworthy aspect of this contest was who was standing on the sideline. Georgia outside linebacker Leonard Floyd is mentioned as a potential first-round pick but he was benched against Kentucky. Floyd was among the Georgia defenders that really struggled against Florida last week. The undersized Floyd was run over by the Gators. The Bulldog coaches played talented freshman Lorenzo Carter instead. Kentucky has some skilled runners, and Floyd�s weak run defense kept him from seeing the field. Getting benched hurts Floyd�s draft stock and illustrates that he should return to school next year.

Kentucky defensive end/outside linebacker Alvin Dupree and defensive end ZaDarius Smith had little impact. Dupree got in on a few tackles but didn�t make any impact plays in the final home game of his collegiate career. Smith went down with an injury in the third quarter. This wasn�t a good tape for either Dupree or Smith.

Georgia inside linebackers Amarlo Herrara and Ramik Wilson also had ugly performances against Florida. Wilson was pulled from the Florida game last week because he was struggling as the Gatros dominated Georgia.

The linebackers didn�t impress against Kentucky either. In the second quarter, Herrara had running back Stanley �Boom� Williams run through his grasp and the back exploded downfield for a 56-yard touchdown. After Herrara missed the tackle, Williams was gone. Wilson came up with a nice tackle in the first quarter, but was quiet otherwise. Herrara blitzed the quarterback well on a few plays. Neither player had a real impact.

LOADING COMMENTS.

NFL Picks - Dec. 11

2025 NFL Mock Draft - Dec. 11

NFL Power Rankings - Dec. 9

2026 NFL Mock Draft - Nov. 29

Fantasy Football Rankings - Sept. 4