Below is a review of how each prospect performed from this past weekend’s key matchups.
UCLA vs. Nebraska
Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah had a nice performance against a talented UCLA defense, but he was overshadowed by UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr. It’s easy to see why most evaluators consider Barr a top-10 pick.
He was all over the field making plays sideline to sideline. Barr not only registered a ton of tackles, as he also forced three fumbles. It’s those type of game-changing plays that allowed UCLA to overcome an 18-point hole.
The scary thing is that Barr is only in his second season on the defensive side of the ball and still developing as a player.
Alabama vs. Texas A&M
I’m trying my best not to overreact, but I’m having a tough time staying off the Johnny Manziel bandwagon. He’s just such an explosive player that I can’t help but think of all the things he could accomplish at the next level.
Too many people are focusing on the questionable decisions he makes on and off the field. He is starting to convince me that he’s just someone who likes to enjoy life. On the field, he constantly has a smile on his face and appears to just enjoy the game of football.
Tennessee vs. Oregon
This game was a complete disaster for the Tennessee defense who struggled to deal with the fast pace and speed of the Oregon offense. It’s really not worth mentioning anything as far as the play of A.J. Johnson and Daniel McCullers is concerned.
The Oregon offense was led by quarterback Marcus Mariota who registered a 483 yards of total offense. He continues to show why he needs to be considered among the top quarterbacks available in this draft.
Colt Lyerla missed this game with an illness, but his coach Mark Helfrich makes things interesting by saying he was out because of “circumstances”. This adds to what has already been a slow start for Lyelra who has only two catches for 26 yards so far this season.
California vs. Ohio State
This game was dominated by the Ohio State Buckeyes. None of California’s highlighted players were able to have an impact on the game. Brendan Bigelow averaged only 3.5 yards per carry unable to break off any long runs.
As a team, Ohio State was able to gain 332 rushing yards and over 600 total yards. DeAndre Coleman isn’t solely responsible for the yards given up, but he didn’t help the situation.