College football’s bowl season continues with a steady rise in the quality of the match-ups. If last week’s action seemed a little sparse, this Saturday’s slate of games features a much more impressive batch of future NFLers to watch. Below you’ll find information about each of the bowl games slated for today as well as the main NFL prospects to keep an eye on.
As always, let’s talk about the games, leave questions on prospects and enjoy the weekend.
Memphis vs. Wake Forest
Birmingham Bowl
12:00 PM Eastern, ESPN
The Tigers will look to pound the rock all afternoon, despite not having the nation’s second-leading rusher Darrell Henderson. Henderson has a chance to be the first running back taken in the draft. Center Drew Kyser will have to carry much of the load instead. The Demon Deacons have a much more underrated pairing, with tailback Matt Colburn II and guard Phil Haynes, but are nonetheless intriguing. Haynes has the necessary size teams want in an NFL starting guard.
Houston vs. Army
Armed Forces Bowl
3:30 PM Eastern, ESPN
Ed Oliver will be skipping his bowl game in order to prepare for the 2019 Draft, but the Cougars still have cornerback Isaiah Johnson on defense. A senior bowl invitee, Johnson has the size and speed necessary to play outside press-man coverage and could be a late riser. Unfortunately, he won’t have much chance to shine against the Black Knights’ triple-option attack.
Buffalo vs. Troy
Dollar General Bowl
7:00 PM Eastern, ESPN
The Bulls are traveling all the way down to Mobile, AL thanks to three players. Receiver Anthony Johnson has dealt with injuries and wasn’t quite the dominant force that he was in 2017. Linebacker Khalil Hodge has been the model of consistency, racking up at least 120 tackles every season he’s played. Quarterback Tyree Jackson has not declared yet, but at 6’7” and 245 pounds he has the ability to run and pass all over the Trojans. Jackson better at least try to avoid Troy cornerback Blace Brown, a converted wide receiver.
Hawaii vs. Louisiana Tech
Hawaii Bowl
10:30 PM Eastern, ESPN
He has yet to declare his intentions, but John Ursua has been one of the most productive wide receivers in the country. The Warriors like to line up the 5’10” receiver all over the formation and take advantage of the resulting match-ups. It’s up to the nation’s sack leader, Bulldogs defensive end Jaylon Ferguson, to short-circuit drives and bring down the quarterback quickly. Tech also brings along their massive tackle O’Shea Dugas, who was recently named to the All-Conference USA team.