(Chris) Long on talent for Cavaliers
Every week, Virginia's Chris Long proves why he is one of the best defensive players in the country. Against Maryland on Saturday, the defensive end helped turn what looked like a loss into a big ACC road win for the Cavaliers.
In Virginia's dramatic come-from-behind victory over Maryland on Saturday, senior defenisve end Chris Long turned in yet another spectacular performance. I've been raving about this young man all year, and all the attention and accolades he receives are well-deserved. Long is the heart and soul of the Cavaliers; his tenacity and desire spills over to the rest of the squad. Against the Terps, Long was a major disruptive force, finishing with 10 tackles, 3½ stops behind the line of scrimmage (including a safety) and two sacks. He also batted down two passes.
• For Maryland, junior LB Erin Henderson had 18 tackles, while senior DT Dre Moore also stepped up big. Henderson is the third-rated OLB among juniors. Moore (6-3½, 309) showed up big against the Cavaliers, accounting for 10 tackles, including a pair of sacks. While he lacks the necessary game-to-game consistency and tends to play in spurts during some contests, you have to keep reminding yourself that Moore is just starting to come into his own. A late developer, he didn't even play football until his junior year at the prep level. It will be interesting to see how Moore (whose been rated fifth to seventh among senior DTs) follows up this impressive performance when the Terrapins host Clemson on Saturday.
• While Texas A&M senior Cody Wallace is clearly one of the elite centers in the nation, there's another center in the Big 12 who deserves some praise: Texas' Dallas Griffin. Heading into 2007, the Longhorns had to replace several starters on the offensive line; one was the center spot that had been maintained by Lyle Sendlein. Griffin, a battle-tested fifth-year senior, was ready to step in.
The tremendously intelligent Griffin (he's already graduated with a double major) has done a fine job anchoring the Longhorns' "move 'em out" gang. He has really impressed me with his quickness and maneuverability, and while he lacks ideal size (6-3, 285), Griffin is technically sound, understands positioning and will battle for 60 minutes. I'm not saying he's going to be an early-round possibility in April's draft, but in the latter portion of Day 2, you could be looking at a major sleeper who could turn out to be a real find.
• Staying in the Big 12, cornerback Marquis Carpenter (5-11½, 178) came through with a solid overall effort in Texas A&M's 36-14 road win over Nebraska. The senior finished with seven stops, six of which were solos. Carpenter came to College Station after spending his freshman year at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas. He earned six starts in 2005 as a sophomore with the Aggies, leading the defense with four interceptions. After spending the 2006 campaign primarily as a backup, Carpenter has re-established himself as a key entity on the Aggies defense. Remember, he also had a game-saving tackle earlier in the year against Fresno State.
• On the offensive side of the ball, I've been impressed all year by the play of Cody Wallace, A&M's underrated senior center. He took part in every snap once again, keying an Aggies running game that gashed the overmatched Huskers defense for 359 yards. This was the highest rushing total for A&M in a road game since 1996. Smart and tough, Wallace (6-3½, 292) can handle the quick, explosive defensive tackles he faces while also demonstrating the athleticism to get to the second level. Wallace jumped up to the second spot among the senior centers earlier this season, and he is battling Wake Forest's Steve Justice to see who will end up as the top prospect at that spot. An underpublicized standout, I view Wallace as a potential second- or third-round draft choice.
• Overshadowed by teammate Adarius Bowman entering the 2007 campaign, Oklahoma State RB Dantrell Savage continues to do his best to impress the NFL brass. The leading rusher in the Big 12, Savage (just 5-foot-9, 195 pounds) could be a viable option as a change-of-pace back in the NFL. After posting a career-high 212 rushing yards against Nebraska two weeks ago, Savage went over the 100-yard mark for a fifth straight game against Kansas State, and the Cowboys came away with a hard-fought 41-39 victory. Savage possesses superb cutback ability, very good vision, tremendous quickness and surprisingly good body lean. While he hasn't been used extensively as a receiving option out of the backfield (11 catches in eight games), Savage has shown a nice pair of hands when given the opportunity.
• One of Saturday's relatively unnoticed mild surprises was the 27-21 victory by Division I-AA's North Dakota State over Minnesota (the Golden Gophers' seventh loss of the season). Junior Tyler Roehl (5-10, 233) was the major headliner for the Bison, finishing with 262 yards rushing on just 22 carries. He also scored a touchdown and caught three passes out of the backfield. Roehl, a compact, strong and tremendously determined runner, has been putting on a show all year. He opened the season with a three-touchdown, 238-yard rushing performance against Stephen F. Austin. In North Dakota's win over Central Michigan, Roehl carried the ball 30 times for 143 yards and three touchdowns, while hauling in six passes. Through the first seven games, Roehl has rushed for 995 yards and is averaging an impressive 7.1 yards per carry.
• Last month, I highlighted South Florida sophomore DE George Selvie, who leads the nation with 11½ sacks. Over the past three weeks, we have seen another sophomore emerge as one of the nation's premier pass-rushers. Penn State DE Maurice Evans is coming off a game against Indiana in which he had 3½ sacks and two forced fumbles. He ranks second in the country with 10½ sacks and has amassed 18½ tackles for loss through the first eight games. At 6-foot-2 and 269 pounds, Evans is tough to handle on the power rush and has the size necessary to hold strong against the run. He also tackles with a purpose. Since 2000, the Nittany Lions have produced three first-round picks at the position, the most successful of the three being Tamba Hali, who was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2006. It remains to be seen whether Evans will carry as high of a pro grade as Hali did, but at similar stages of their careers, Evans clearly is the more accomplished of the two.
• The Indiana-Penn State game also featured a matchup of two top-flight juniors at their respective positions: Indiana WR James Hardy and Penn State CB Justin King. Hardy (6-6, 222) finished with 14 catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns. He combines impressive size with better vertical ability than most would think (16.6 yards per catch). He has very good hands and has become a crisp route runner.
King is still in the process of mastering the nuances of playing cornerback. He has ideal physical attributes for the position and very good potential. By the time the 2009 draft rolls around, he could easily end up being one the first cornerbacks taken. He wasn't the only corner of note in that game. While the attention with Indiana's Tracy Porter (5-10½, 185) centered around his miscues as a punt returner in the second half -- one fumble resulted in three points for Penn State, and he failed to field another which cost the team about 25 yards in field position -- what NFL scouts care most about are his cover skills. And when tested on Saturday (which wasn't a lot) he fared quite well. Without much notoriety, Porter has made himself into a good pro prospect, displaying recovery speed in the 4.35-4.40 range to go along with impressive cover skills. Put the two together and it equals someone who will be hearing his name called on Day 1 of the 2008 NFL draft.
• While the game between Northern Iowa and Western Illinois wasn't much of a contest (Northern Iowa won 42-3), it provided another opportunity to watch Chad Rinehart (6-4, 308), the best I-AA senior pro prospect along the offensive line. A fixture at left tackle the past three seasons for Northern Iowa, Rinehart simply dominates the overmatched competition at the Division I-AA level on a weekly basis. What you're anxious to see is how he will fare in January at all-star games against the best seniors in the country. The natural talent, technique and disposition are in place for him to have a very good pro career. Rinehart is the school's best pro prospect since Brad Meester, a second-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2000.
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