Can anything top the 2013 Iron Bowl?
NEPD Staff Writer: CJ Sousa
Turkey. Stuffing. Delayed Flights. Oh yeah, it’s that time of year again. Rivalry Week is upon us in the college football universe. For some teams, their rivalry game is the only game that matters all season. Others need to beat their hated rival to stay in the play off race. Regardless, winning is the most important statistic of the weekend. (more…)
Can Brett Hundley save his draft stock with a big time performance agaisnt his cross town rivals?
Will the real Brett Hundley please stand up? Week 13 is his show and there’s no bones about it. Yes, #8 Ole Miss vs Arkansas and #20 Missouri vs Tennessee will be crucial in SEC division races. #15 Arizona vs #17 Utah and Oklahoma State vs #7 Baylor will certainly be games worth paying attention too. But there’s no denying that we all will have a much clearer opinion of highly criticized UCLA QB Brett Hundley. (more…)
NEPD Staff Writer: CJ Sousa
Wow. WOW. What a weekend in college football. Week 6 saw huge upsets, thrilling conclusions to games, and with Katy Perry getting substantial ESPN TV time, everyone truly went home winners Saturday (Except you, Alabama fans). Week 7 poses some just as important big time match-ups, but first let’s recap quickly.
SEC Battle Royale: It was truly separation Saturday in the SEC. First, Mississippi State took care of Texas A&M, and in convincing fashion. MSU QB Dak Prescott looked like a Heisman contender, and even though Prescott’s counterpart Kenny Hill compiled nice stats, he didn’t play so well. His favorite receiver was MSU LB Richie Brown, who caught 3 interceptions. The prospect everyone is talking about, MSU OLB Benardrick McKinney impressed throughout. Great flow, great anticipation… I’ve officially bought into the Junior ILB/OLB’s hype. In what was one of the ugliest games you’ll ever watch, Florida remains a contender in the SEC East after outlasting Tennessee 10-9. UF DE Dante Fowler Jr. was an animal and dominated the under matched Volunteers’ line. (more…)
NEPD Staff Writer: CJ Sousa
Party of one, you may be seated Mississippi State. In what is by far the best division in college football (SEC West), Mississippi State finally deserves to sit at the contenders’ table.
The Bulldogs owned week 4 by going into Death Valley and beating #8 LSU and ending their 14 game losing streak against the Tigers. MSU QB Dak Prescott threw for 268 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also beating the Tigers on the ground with 105 yards and 1 touchdown. While that upset was going on, another one was brewing.
NEPD Staff Writer: CJ Sousa
The cupcakes will start going away soon, I promise. For a college football weekend that didn’t provide numerous big time match-ups, Week 2 certainly surpassed expectations.
Xavier Su’a-Filo’s journey has ventured beyond football. But on the field, the UCLA Bruin has become one of the top offensive linemen in the country. (USA Today Sports Images)
NEPD Editor: Oliver Thomas
In the coming weeks and months leading up to the 2014 NFL draft, NEPatriotsDraft.com will profile college prospects that potentially fit the needs and draft seating of the New England Patriots. In this third installment, we will take a closer look at the film behind UCLA offensive guard Xavier Su’a-Filo.
Xavier Su’a-Filo is carved from a different mold.
That mold turned the 6’3”, 285-pound offensive lineman into a three-year starter at Timpview High School in Provo, Utah, where the Thunderbirds won a state-record 36 consecutive games behind Su’a-Filo’s road-paving blocks.
Recognition followed.
He was ranked the No. 1 prospect in the state by Rivals.com. He was branded a top-35 prospect by ESPNU. He was named a first-team All-American by EA Sports. He was selected to play in the Under Armour All-America game.
Su’a-Filo was a four-star recruit, but he was also an Eagle Scout and a member of the LDS Church. And after enrolling at UCLA and starting a school-record 13 games as a freshman left tackle in 2009, after being named a Phil Steele second-team Freshman All-American and a Pac-12 All-Freshman selection, he decided that football could wait.
So he left to serve a two-year Mormon mission. It was a mission that would lead him across the country to Florida and Alabama. It wasn’t until winter of 2012 that the 6’3”, 305-pounder returned to school in Los Angeles.
No. 56 picked up where he left off. (more…)
The Patriots should have spiked the phone after calling in this Pac-12 pick. (Photo: US Presswire)
NEPD Editor: Doug Kyed
Every Friday this summer I’m doing a case study on the last ten years draft history of every conference in the FBS.
Through these case studies we’ll be able to answer which schools and conferences produce the most talent, the most busts, the most players at each position and much more.
I know that it’s a lot of information to digest, but there’s some very interesting findings during this first week of research which will become even more telling as each week progresses.
This week, I’m taking on the Pac-12. You can also read about the Mountain West, Big East, Independents, C-USA, Big Ten, ACC and MAC.
Scouting Report: Arik Armstead, DE
Scouting Report: Preston Smith, DL
The Best Receiver You Don’t Know About
Scouting Report: Marcus Hardison, DT
Position Rankings: The Cornerbacks
Scouting Report: Kevin White, CB
Scouting Report: Jalen Collins, CB
