2015 NFL Draft: College Football Game Recaps – Week 13

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.

Auburn 31, Samford 7

In looking at the teams involved, one wouldn’t think there was a good NFL draft matchup in this game. However, Samford safety Jaquiski Tartt has accepted an invitation to the 2015 Senior Bowl and could end up grading out as a second-day prospect. He was going to be tested by Auburn wide receiver Sammie Coates and running back Cameron Artis-Payne. Coates is a potential first-round pick if the junior enters the 2015 NFL Draft.

Midway through the first quarter, Tartt had tight coverage on a post route by Coates. The pass was thrown short by quarterback Nick Marshall, and the cornerback undercut the ball to intercept the pass for Samford. Tartt’s good coverage helped make the interception possible.

In the second quarter, Coates got separation on the cornerback running a post route, and the safety – not Tartt – was late coming over the top, which let Coates haul in a 49-yard reception. A few plays later, Tartt was taken out by a cut block, and Auburn ran in with a touchdown from over 20 yards out. Tartt was injured on the play and had to be helped off the field.

Tartt missed a few series before returning to the game. Early in the third quarter, Coates went up to make a reception and held onto the ball while taking a hard hit from Tartt. To finish the drive, Tartt couldn’t make a tackle along the sideline at the two-yard line, so the back got by him to get into the end zone. It was routine pass to the flat, but Tartt missed the tackle.

On the next drive, Tartt made a nice play coming from zone coverage to tackle the slot receiver in the open field to keep him from getting first-down yardage on a third down play.

Late in the third quarter, Coates went up over a defensive back for a touchdown, but he didn’t high-point the football and was called for a pushoff penalty. If Coates would have tried to out-jump the corner, he may have still had a score, but at least wouldn’t have drawn a penalty.

Coates totaled two receptions for 64 yards against Samford. This performance shouldn’t have a big impact on Coates’ draft stock.

Overall, Tartt didn’t stand out with an impressive game against Auburn. He flashed some nice quickness and physicality. Mainly, Tartt showed that he could match up against the Tigers and contribute to solid run and pass defense. Tartt also got away with a holding on Coates on one deep pass early in the game. The Senior Bowl should provide a better barometer for how Tartt matches up and where he belongs in the 2015 NFL Draft.

UCLA 38, USC 20

USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams is one of the candidates for the No. 1 overall-pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, so UCLA junior quarterback Brett Hundley was going to see a tough test. Hundley has a habit of taking sacks and letting pressure get to him. Thus, this was a good opportunity for Hundley to show the ability to hang tough, work through his progressions and deliver accurate passes downfield.

Hundley got his game started poorly with a pick-six on UCLA’s first possession. He had a good pocket to throw from, but didn’t work through his progressions and went with a late throw to the sideline after only looking at that side of the field. Anthony Sarao picked it off and darted into the end zone from 17 yards out.

On the next drive, Williams worked free and helped defensive tackle Antwan Woods for a sack as Hundley stepped up in the pocket. After the Trojans muffed a punt, Hundley found a wide open Devin Lucien for a 10-yard score. It was busted coverage, so there was no defender within 15 yards of Lucien in the middle of the end zone. On the next possession, Hundley threw a quick slant and the Trojans safety missed the tackle to allow a 57-yard touchdown. Hundley led a successful drive just before halftime. To finish it, he stepped up in the pocket and threw a fastball to an open receiver for a score.

Hundley later ran for a 15-yard touchdown untouched on a read option. He finished completing 22-of-31 passes for 326 yards with four total touchdowns and one interception.

Overall, it was a solid game from Hundley, but he wasn’t overly impressive as a pocket passer. He showed some modest improvement in that department, but had some low-lights, including the pick-six and taking a third-down sack after holding the ball too long. Hundley should return for his senior year and get better before going pro.

Surprisingly, UCLA did a nice job of blocking Williams in the first half. He caused some disruption, but the Bruins kept Williams from making the impact plays he’s known for. In the third quarter, Williams got into the backfield and disrupted some runs. He also had a pressure to force an incompletion, but he stood over and taunted Hundley to draw an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

In the fourth quarter at the USC goal line, Hundley didn’t catch a shotgun snap cleanly as he had looked away too quickly. The ball rolled away, and Williams dove on the loose ball. Late in the game, Williams kept playing hard and made a number of tackles in the ground game. This tape shouldn’t hurt his high draft grade.

UCLA senior linebacker Erik Kendricks was going to be tested by the Pac-12’s leading rusher in USC junior tailback Buck Allen. Kendricks is having an impressive final season for the Bruins and continued it with a standout game against USC.

On a third down in the first quarter, Kendricks put a hard hit on Agholor to force an incompletion. Kendricks also had blanket coverage on a bootleg play to force an incompletion from Cody Kessler.

In the second quarter, Kendricks made an amazingly athletic play as a running back tipped a pass up in the air. Kendricks made a falling one-handed catch for the pick. It was a great play that illustrates Kendricks’ natural athleticism. He followed that up with a tackle on a receiver along the sideline.

Early in the fourth quarter, Kendricks sniffed out a screen and tackled the back for a loss. Kendricks later ran with a back in pass coverage and made a nice open-field tackle.

The senior finished with a nice tackle total to go along with the interception. He showed the ability to cover in pass defense with some superb open-field tackling skills and sideline-to-sideline speed. This tape will help Kendricks to get Thursday night consideration.

UCLA defensive end Owa Odighizuwa has had an impressive senior season even though he doesn’t have a huge stat line. The stats have started to illustrate his high level of play with a multi-sack game against USC. Odighizuwa gave USC’s offensive line fits with his speed and strength. Throughout the night, he beat blockers to get in the face of Kessler.

In the third quarter, Odighizuwa notched a sack when USC had a blown assignment that let him run free at Kessler. Odighizuwa came close to a couple of other sacks and drew a holding penalty with a fast rush that beat a guard. A few plays later, Odighizuwa had another pressure after burning the right guard with speed.

Later in the fourth quarter, Odighizuwa got a coverage sack, but he showed his power to shed the left tackle and fight his way into the pocket. Overall, this was another excellent tape from Odighizuwa that illustrated his ability to beat offensive linemen with strength and quickness. This performance should help his draft grade.

USC junior wide receiver Nelson Agholor was held in check by the Bruins, but with UCLA’s defensive line controlling the line of scrimmage, Kessler had a hard time finding time to pass the ball.

On the first drive, Agholor made a short catch and run to get USC a first down. Shortly later, he muffed a punt and UCLA recovered the ball inside the Trojan’s 10-yard line. Agholor should have had a touchdown, but couldn’t hold onto the ball after getting hit by the safety.

Agholor finished with only three receptions for 24 yards. The dropped pass and muffed punt turn this tape into a dud for Agholor. He looks like a second-day pick and will probably enter the 2015 NFL Draft, but he could be better off returning for his senior year if he wants to be a first-round pick.

Entering the season, USC senior cornerback Josh Shaw was a potential early-round pick. This was his first game as he has been suspended all year. Shaw had lied about an ankle injury, saying he had sustained it while rescuing his nephew from drowning. It turned out that Shaw hurt his ankles during some domestic dispute with a woman. Shaw went from an early-round prospect to a likely undrafted free agent. Against the Bruins, Shaw rotated into the game, but didn’t make any impact plays. He also wasn’t burned for any big plays.

Virginia 30, Miami 13

There was a potential good draft matchup in this game with Miami left tackle Ereck Flowers going against Virginia defensive end Eli Harold. If Flowers comes out, he is likely to be drafted in the first round, while Harold could crack Thursday night as well. Flowers is a tough run-blocker for running back Duke Johnson, another early-round talent, while Harold’s run defense would be tested.

On his first carry of the game, Johnson bolted for a gain of over 10 yards while running behind Flowers. Johnson later got spun around and while being tackled by a few defenders, including Harold, he fumbled the ball away. Shortly later, Harold got off a block from the left guard and chased down Johnson to get in on a tackle for a loss. On the next play, Johnson showed his quick burst with a 20-yard run on a direct snap and run behind the right side. That helped set up Miami’s only offensive touchdown.

On a fourth-and-1, Flowers had a terribly timed false start to force Miami into a punt. Harold got by Flowers on a speed rush on the next drive. However a few plays later, Harold made a dumb play to go helmet-to-helmet on the Miami quarterback after the throw was released. He received a roughing the passer flag along with a targeting penalty. The review overturned the targeting, so Harold was fortunate that he was allowed to stay in the game. Flowers blocked a different defender on the play.

In the third quarter, Johnson ran a nice route and made a superb catch in traffic to move the chains. To end the drive, Harold beat a block from tight end Clive Walford to stuff Johnson for no gain on a fourth-and-1.

Harold gave Flowers some issues late in the fourth quarter. Mostly, Flowers kept Harold off the quarterback after allowing some penetration. Harold almost got a sack, but the pass was thrown just in time. On the play, he beat Flowers on a speed rush around the corner. That was really the only play that Flowers was clearly beaten by Harold.

Overall, Flowers played well. Harold won on a few plays, but he’s a good player and any team will be willing to ride with Flowers’ batting average. Harold showed that he can challenge a first-round-caliber left tackle, so each player should have this game only serve to help them.

Johnson totaled 88 yards on 15 carries and is 34 yards away from being Miami’s career rushing leader. He also caught five passes for 44 yards. Aside from the fumble this was a quality performance for Johnson, but that fumble hurts.

Walford has had a good senior year, and that continued against Virginia as he moved the chains on a number of receptions. He also stood out on special teams. On a blocked field goal, Walford made a touchdown-saving tackle inside the five-yard line. Walford hustled down the field and kept fighting after getting blocked and made the stop for the Hurricanes. It turned out to be a huge tackle as the defense managed a goal-line stand to force a Virginia field goal.

Walford made a few good receptions including a 32-yarder in the fourth quarter. He finished with 105 yards on seven receptions. With a strong finish to the season, Walford could end up being a second-day pick.

Miami senior middle linebacker Denzel Perryman is a late first-round or early second-round pick. He made his presence fault immediately as he got his night started when he buried a receiver on an underneath crossing route. Perryman flew up from zone. On the next play, he flew up to get off a block and stop a screen play for no gain. If Perryman didn’t make that tackle, Virginia had the potential to break the play downfield.

In the second quarter, Perryman ripped the ball out of a back’s hands and recovered the fumble, but the officials blew the call and Virginia maintained possession. Perryman made another open-field tackle on a receiver later during the drive. The officials couldn’t deny Perryman of a forced fumble later as he flew to the perimeter to make a powerful tackle and punch the ball out.

After the half, Perryman continued to make a number of hard tackles. In the third quarter, he flew through the line and buried a back for a loss. Later in the drive, Perryman made a tackle in the open field on a receiver short of first-down yardage on a third down. Perryman finished with a tackle total in the teens. This was another superb tape that illustrated that Perryman is a potential impact middle linebacker for the NFL who can play on all three downs and serve as a solid defender in pass coverage. This performance will help Perryman’s bid to be a first-rounder.

Louisville 31, Notre Dame 28

Louisville senior wide receiver DeVante Parker had a strong outing against Notre Dame. He had four receptions for 65 yards, but was open for some big plays that didn’t happen because of passes off the mark and pass rush on quarterback Reggie Bonnafon.

Parker got his day started by getting open on a crossing route to move the chains. In the third quarter, he got open for a 20-yard gain on a crossing route. Parker finished the drive by separating via a nice cut and showed his body control to adjust for a pass thrown behind him. It resulted in a pretty 21-yard touchdown reception.

Shortly later, Parker should have had another score as he got open running into the end zone, but the pass was overthrown for an incompletion. Parker put on display of impressive route-running, body control, hands and quickness. This tape will help him to be a first-round pick.

Louisville outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin had a quiet game. He stood out on two plays, but that was about it. At the end of the first quarter, Mauldin flew down the line and fired into the backfield to make a tackle for a loss. In the third quarter, he showed his athleticism with a leaping batted pass. Otherwise, Mauldin was successfully blocked and didn’t put pressure on Everett Golson.

Mauldin did not look like a first-round pick in this game, but rather more like a Day-2 selection.

Louisville junior cornerback Charles Gaines and redshirt sophomore safety Gerod Holliman have had good seasons for the Cardinals. In the second quarter, Gaines jumped a route and intercepted Everett Golson. That set up points for Louisville.

Holliman has been a ballhawk this season as he leads the nation with 13 interceptions, but was quiet against Notre Dame. Holliman allowed separation to wide receiver Corey Robinson, who made a leaping reception for a gain of around 20 yards. Holliman got in on a few tackles, but really didn’t have much of a presence.

Holliman will have a hard time duplicating these numbers, so it maybe in his best interest to enter the 2015 NFL Draft. Gaines should return for his senior year and improve before going pro.

Minnesota 28, Nebraska 24

This game featured a potential interesting draft matchup with Nebraska junior defensive end Randy Gregory going against Minnesota tight end Maxx Williams. Williams could be called on to help double-team the dangerous pass-rushing Gregory. Williams isn’t being viewed as likely to declare for the 2015 NFL Draft, but he if he does, he could be the first tight end selected.

Late in the first quarter, Gregory went down with an injury. He was in a pile on a short goal-line touchdown run by Minnesota. It looked like a head injury with him getting his bell rung. He sat out some series before returning. Gregory almost made a nice tackle for a loss, but came up short on an end around. A few plays later, Minnesota blocked him hard with a pulling guard to open a running lane. Gregory also saw some double-teams in the pass rush.

On the last play of the first half, Gregory recorded his seventh sack of the season. He lined up over the right tackle and fired down the middle on the stunt to chase down quarterback Mitch Leidner.

That was really the only highlight of the day for Gregory. On the touchdown to win the game late in the fourth quarter, he bit on a fake handoff, and that allowed Leidner to run through Gregory’s gap and bang his way into the end zone.

This tape won’t help Gregory’s chances of being a top-five pick. He was getting blocked in the ground game, and Minnesota had success running at him. Gregory isn’t weak, but he needs to get stronger for the NFL. If he can’t add more weight, he’ll have to move to outside linebacker. Playing outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense could be his best fit.

Williams caught three passes for 45 yards. In the second quarter, he recorded his first reception of the game as he dragged across the defense and had three defenders pull him to the ground after getting a first down. Shortly later, Williams ran a nice route on a deep out for a gain of 20 yards.

Williams did a decent job of blocking, but he doesn’t pack a big punch as a run-blocker. Improving his run blocking and adding some strength could make him a more complete tight end for the next level. While Williams might be the first tight ened selected, his game could use more development at the college level.

Nebraska senior running back Ameer Abdullah was playing in his final home game and ran the ball toughly. Early in the first quarter, Abdullah scored his 18th rushing touchdown of the season on a short plunge to paydirt. He had an impressive run in the second quarter that saw him run through a tackle, keep his balance after getting rocked by a linebacker and finishing the run to get a first down. Abdullah showed impressive strength and body lean on the carry.

The senior totaled 98 yards on 20 carries. This tape should be neutral for his draft stock.

Minnesota senior running back David Cobb is a physical runner. If he were faster, he could be considered for Day 2 of the 2015 NFL Draft, but because of a lack of speed, Cobb looks more like a third-day selection. In the third quarter, Cobb darted down the field for a 17-yard touchdown run, but he limped off the field with a leg strain and was done for the day. Cobb ran for 80 yards on 15 carries with two receptions for 29 yards. Running well at the Combine would be huge for Cobb’s draft stock.

Florida State 20, Boston College 17

Jameis Winston once again showed that he is a second-half quarterback capable of leading his team to late wins. Early on, Winston had an impressive throw to tight end Nick O’Leary while under pressure and about to take two hits. O’Leary made a great hands catch on the pass. Winston then threw a perfect strike on a post that was on time and was dropped by wide receiver Rashad Greene in the front of the end zone. It should have been a 20-yard touchdown, but it looked like Greene heard the footsteps of a safety, and that caused a lapse in concentration.

In the second quarter, Winston had a pass tipped in the middle of the field by a big cornerback covering Greene, and a safety flew up to make an interception. Winston shouldn’t have thrown that pass, as Greene wasn’t open. Winston came back to fire a dart into a tight window to Greene for 22 yards. It was the same route as his drop on the touchdown, but Greene held on while taking a hard hit.

Winston laid out a beauty, leading O’Leary into the end zone for a 30-yard score. It was a pretty pass by Winston and route by O’Leary. Throughout the second half, Winston was making some perfect passes downfield that his receivers were dropping. It was raining and the wet ball was tough on the wideouts. Winston led a late field goal drive to keep the Seminoles undefeated.

Winston finished completing 22-of-32 passes for 281 yards with a touchdown and an interception. This was another tape that illustrated that Winston’s anticipation and timing as a pocket passer is off the charts. His accuracy and field vision is superb. Winston is worthy of the No. 1 overall pick from a talent perspective, but the off-the-field questions remain unanswered.

Greene caught eight receptions for 106 yards, while O’Leary had three receptions for 59 yards. This tape will help O’Leary to be a second-day pick while Greene grades as a mid-rounder.

Florida State defensive tackles Eddie Goldman and Mario Edwards, Jr had a mixed game. Each one had some great plays while also getting moved by blockers on other plays. Boston College had a huge game on the ground with 240 yards rushing. Edwards had some impressive plays showing speed to the sideline and bursting into the backfield for a tackle for a loss. Both players need to become more consistent.

Illinois 16, Penn State 14

Penn State junior defensive end Deon Barnes is an edge-rushing prospect for the NFL who could end up being a second-day draft prospect. Barnes was active against Illinois, but didn’t produce big plays.

On a critical fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter, Barnes was in the process of sacking the quarterback, but the signal-caller got the pass off for a fourth-down conversion. Shortly later, Barnes had an impressive tackle for a loss after a shedding a block and hunting down the back.

Barnes was getting penetration in the pocket and causing pressure on the quarterback throughout the game, but he needs to get stronger in run defense and getting off blocks. Barnes should return for his senior year.

Penn State senior middle linebacker Mike Hull is one of the top tacklers in the Big Ten, and he was impressive against Illinois. Hull showed the ability to quickly read his keys and get in position to make tackles. Hull also did well dropping into coverage and getting depth in his zone drops. He made a lot of physical tackles in the ground game and put ball-carriers into the turf hard.

Hull is a hard-nosed football player. He doesn’t have great speed or athleticism so that probably sends him to the mid-rounds with the third round the highest he could hope to go.

Another linebacker who was impressive in this game was Illinois junior Mason Monheim. Entering the weekend, he was second only to Hull in tackles per game in the Big Ten. Monheim made his presence felt midway through the game. He had an impressive tackle for a loss. Shortly later, he tackled a running back hard and stripped the ball out for an Illini turnover. Monheim is an active tackler with some athleticism. He should return for his senior year to improve his standing rather than entering the 2015 draft.

All season, the Penn State offensive line has been a M.A.S.H. unit, but they welcomed the return of senior left guard Miles Dieffenbach. He showed some nice power run blocking against Illinois. Dieffenbach’s feet and athleticism look like they need work to handle NFL speed rushers.

Junior left tackle has Donovan Smith is an athletic edge protector and has been the only steady blocker for quarterback Christian Hackenberg. He was solid against Illinois, but Smith should return for his senior year.

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