Photo courtesy of Tulsa Athletics
CARSON, Calif. (Sports Network) - Sandwiched between the well-established college all-star games in the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl, is the newly created AstroTurf NFLPA Collegiate Bowl which is set to take place at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California this Saturday.
Some might think that the game gives college players one last shot to relive past glory and possibly raise their draft stock, but with this particular game inviting even underclassmen and overlapping the 87th edition of the East-West Shrine Game, there are a number of reasons why this one might get lost in the shuffle.
Because the NFLPA has organized an event that will include underclassmen, the NFL has declared that it has prohibited scouts from attending the game which makes this an unusual contest unto itself. Nevertheless, like the rest of us, scouts and coaches will be able to sit back and watch the game from the comfort of their living rooms, and then review film of the matchup in order to assess the talent.
Grabbing less publicity than the more established and easily recognized post- post-season gatherings, this one won't have the four-star, blue-chip, stud talent that might even be toying with the idea of one last romp around the gridiron because if they were going to put on the pads again they would have already committed to either of the other all-star galas.
Instead, what you have here are guys who are flying under the radar, way down below the radar, that would be lucky to hear their name called on the final day of the draft or perhaps get a call before training camps start to see if they have any interest in being considered for a taxi squad.
For those folks who evaluate talent in terms of how many fantasy points a player might generate on any given Sunday, let's stick to talking about the skills players here for the most part. The two quarterbacks listed on the National roster are Miami's Jacory Harris and G.J. Kinne out of Tulsa. Harris was a marginal player at best with the Hurricanes, this past season throwing for 2,486 yards and 20 touchdowns, but he was also picked off nine times, four of those coming in the season finale versus Boston College when the team really needed him to step up.
Kinne posted more than 3,000 yards this past season for the Golden Hurricane, tossing a total of 28 scores, but while he registered seven games with at least three passing TDs, against the tougher non-conference competition (Boise State and Oklahoma State) he shrank in the spotlight with a combined 136 yards, one touchdown and four INTs.
Big-time programs like USC and UCLA are sending along some wide receivers in Brandon Carswell and Taylor Embree, respectively, but they are far from household names. But that's why someone like LaQuinton Evans of Southern University might fit in a bit better after finishing his senior season with 45 receptions for 696 yards and six touchdowns.
Coming out of the backfield for the National side are guys like Ronnie Weaver of UCF, Jacquise Terry out of Kent State, Bryce Beall of Houston and Syracuse's Antwon Bailey. For someone like Beall, most people might not know that he was a part of the most prolific offense in the nation this season, one that averaged a shade under 600 ypg and also led the country with 49.3 ppg. Problem is, he was standing in the shadow of Case Keenum and his record- setting campaign, leaving Beall with a grand total of just 311 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. The scoring total might sound like a significant number, but keep in mind that the Cougars registered a staggering 93 TDs in 2011.
Over on the American roster the quarterbacks taking the snaps will be Eastern Washington's Bo Levi Mitchell, Jarrett Lee of LSU and Nick Stephens of Division II Tarleton State.
Mitchell, the winner of the 2011 Walter Payton Award, which is presented by The Sports Network and given to the outstanding player in the Football Championship Subdivision, guided the Eagles to the FCS National Championship after the 2010 campaign and came back to lead the nation in passing yards (4,009) and TD passes (33) during the regular season. He might be the best signal-caller most of us have never seen, which should be enough of a reason to tune in.
The same could kind of be said about Lee, who many wanted to see in the BCS National Championship game against Alabama, but was kept far from the field while teammate Jordan Jefferson was putting together a truly forgettable effort versus a dominating Crimson Tide defense. Lee did manage to throw for just over 1,300 yards and 14 touchdowns before seeing very little action in the second half of the season for the Tigers.
Stephens completed 56.4 percent of his pass attempts for 3,005 yards and 20 touchdowns for the Texans of Tarleton, pushing his team to close out the season with five straight wins, although some of those victories came against programs such as Incarnate Word and Millsaps College.
Expecting to see some balls thrown their way are receivers Jared Green of Southern, Miami's Aldarius Johnson, Aldarius Johnson from Michigan State, Da'Jon McKnight of Minnesota and Isiah Thomas out of Hampton, just to name a few. Thomas, no relation to the former Detroit Piston star guard, posted 52 receptions for 589 yards and three TDs for the Pirates this past season in order to earn an invitation to this show.
Headlining the running back position for the American side are Jason Ford of Illinois, Desmond Cox out of Morehead State and Washington State's Logwone Mitz. Ford rolled up a solid 600 yards and seven TDs for the Fighting Illini, Cox led the Eagles with 956 yards and nine scores, but Mitz gained only 135 yards in his nine games for the Cougars.
The game is almost a must-see just for who will be on the sidelines with the players. Lending a hand with the National All-Stars and their coach, Dick Vermeil, will be past NFL greats such as Isaac Bruce, Priest Holmes, Will Shields, John Bunting and Carl Hairston, while coach Tom Flores will get support on the American side from Kevin Mawae, Robert Griffith, Martin Bayless and Vonnie Holliday.