2017 NFL Draft: College Football Game Recaps – Week 1 Bowls

This section breaks down many college football games each week and highlights how 2017 NFL Draft Prospects have performed. Or look at the 2017 NFL Draft Stock page.

By Charlie Campbell.
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San Diego State 34, Houston 10

San Diego State running back Donnel Pumphrey has been an incredible playmaker in college football this season. He entered the Las Vegas Bowl with an average of 6.1 yards per carry for 2,018 yards with 16 touchdowns. He also had 26 receptions for 205 yards. He was going against one of the top rush defenses in the nation with Houston, so Pumphrey was seeing a better test than some of the defenses he has rolled over this season.

In the first quarter, Pumphrey was shut down by Houston’s defense, and he had negative yardage after 15 minutes of play, but he got going early in the second quarter with a run he bounced to the outside for a gain of 30 yards. After halftime, Pumphrey was able to put San Diego State in the lead with a 32-yard touchdown run. He exploded up the middle and stepped out of an ankle tackle from Houston corner Brandon Wilson to dart down the field for six. Pumphrey then became the all-time leading rusher in NCAA history breaking the mark of 6,397 yards that had perviously been held by Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne.

Pumphrey had 19 carries for 115 yards and a touchdown in this game. For the NFL, Pumphrey (5-9, 180) is an undersized back who will fit as a speed, pass-receiving third-down back. He doesn’t have the size or strength to run through tackles and get a lot of yards after contact. Pumphrey could go in the early rounds of Day 3 as a receiving and change-of-pace back.

Houston senior cornerback Brandon Wilson has had a solid final season. He was used on offense some in this game, catching five passes for 52 yards with four carries for six yards. Defensively, Wilson had close coverage to break up a pass in the flat in the third quarter. It was a display of adjusting to the pass and ball skills by Wilson, but he did take a bad angle on a 30-yard run from Pumphrey. Wilson could use a strong performance in an All-Star game to help his draft stock.

Houston linebacker Steven Taylor had a good start to the game before falling quiet. In the first quarter, Taylor had close coverage on Pumphrey on a crossing route and Taylor was able to slap the pass away for an incompletion. After that, Taylor was blocked on a number of good runs from Pumphrey. He could use more strength to shed blocks in the NFL.

Houston wide receiver Chance Allen was suspended for this game after missing curfew, so that will hurt Allen in the lead up to the draft.