College FB '13 Dread News - Bowl Review (Part 3)

Continuing now with the rest of the dread gallery section of the final dread news report for 2013 .....

46. Sophomore RB Todd Gurley of Georgia throws out a stiff-arm while trying to shake senior DE Jason Ankrah of Nebraska on 3rd and 6 on the 2nd play of 2nd quarter in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1 at Jacksonville. Ankrah stopped Gurley 1 yard short of the first down at the NU 31-yard line, but the Bulldogs converted on 4th and 1 and went on to kick a FG 6 plays later to take a 3-0 lead. Ankrah finished with 5 tackles (3-2), including 2 sacks, and had a FF in his final game before hopefully moving on to the NFL.


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47. On 2nd and 20 (after a sack by Ankrah) Todd Gurley uses a pick by TE Arthur Lynch to get open, catches a short pass near the left sideline, and takes it to the house for a 25-yard TD, cutting Nebraska's lead to 24-19 on the first play of 4th quarter. It would turn out to be Georgia's only TD of the game.  

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48. Still trailing 24-19 with 3:11 to play, junior WR Chris Conley gets the Bulldogs' final drive started with a 29-yard reception, hanging on for the catch at the Nebraska 33 despite being nailed by junior S Corey Cooper. Conley finished the afternoon with 3 catches for 46 yards. Yes, I know it's kind of hard to see the dreads here. Hopefully by next season both CCs will have their dreads grow long enough so that we'll be able to see them a bit better.


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49. Seven plays later, with :33 on the clock, it's 3rd and 10, and Georgia fools the Nebraska D by calling a running play. Todd Gurley breaks through the line and into the secondary and has one man to beat, but Corey Cooper grabs onto Gurley's legs and hangs on for dear life ..... 

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50. ..... and gets Gurley on the ground at the 16-yard line, not only saving the TD but also stopping him 3 yards short of the 1st down. Yes, probably Gurley would have broken the tackle if his ankle had been healthier, but the only thing that matters is that it wasn't healthier. The drive and Georgia's hopes ended on the next play with a dropped pass on 4th and 3. Cooper, an NFL prospect, had a game high 10 tackles (10-0). Gurley, who has a great chance to be the first RB selected in next year's NFL draft, made the dread stars list, as usual. In a battle of 8-4 teams, Nebraska held on for a 24-19 victory over Georgia. 

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51. Mississippi State freshman WR De'Runnya Wilson takes a shot to the butt from S Gabe Baker as he makes a 7-yard reception to the Rice 39-yard line to convert a 3rd and 3 early in 2nd quarter of the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 31. Wilson finished the game with 3 catches for 37 yards. 3 plays later .....

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52. ..... On 3rd and 8, after beating S Julius White on a corner route and making the catch, junior WR Jameon Lewis throws his stiff-arm a split-second too soon at the 8-yard line and doesn't make solid contact, allowing White to grab a hold of him and make the tackle at the 2-yard line after a gain of 35 yards. The drive ended 2 plays later with a TD run by freshman RB Ashton Shumpert, putting Mississippi State ahead to stay. Lewis came in 2nd place for postseason head dread honors, with his 9 receptions against Rice going for gains of 8, 17, 28, 35, 28, 65, 5, 23, and 11 yards.

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53. Ashton Shumpert is denied as he tries for his 2nd TD of the game on 3rd and goal early in 4th quarter. After finding no room up the middle, Shumpert tries to bounce outside but is tackled at the 1-yard line after a gain of 2. The drive ended with an incomplete pass on the next play, keeping the score at 41-7. Shumpert finished with 29 yards rushing on 7 carries as the Bulldogs, who won their final two games of the regular season in overtime just to become bowl eligible, routed CUSA champion Rice 44-7 to finish the season at 7-6.
With Lewis, Shumpert, and Wilson all returning with increased roles in 2014, Mississippi State might have been a strong contender for the team with the most TD scored by players with dreads. But with Lewis cutting off his dreads, you can forget that.

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I wanted to include at least one photo from every bowl in this DG and was able to succeed. But it sure was slim pickings finding photos from some of the games .....

54. ..... That was especially true in the Music City Bowl, with Jeff Scott, Ja-Mes Logan, and Bryon Bennett of Mississippi and B.J. Bostic of Georgia Tech all not playing for various reasons. But I did find this photo of freshman WR Quincy Adeboyejo, trying to break a tackle by S Jemea Thomas as he runs after the catch for a 16-yard gain to the GT 33-yard line with 9 seconds remaining in 1st half. Instead of trying a 50-yard FG, Ole Miss tried to get closer, running two more plays, but time expired before they could get into FG range. This was Adeboyejo's only reception of the game. Mississippi won 25-17, improving to 10-1 in their last 11 bowl games and dropping Georgia Tech to 1-8 in their last 9 bowl games.

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55. Sophomore LB Shaq Thompson reaches but can't make the tackle as BYU RB Adam Hine returns the opening kickoff of the Fight Hunger Bowl 18 yards to the 19-yard line. During the rest of the game Thompson, who made my all-America with dreads team for the 2nd straight year, made 8 tackles (5-3) and had 1 PBU. In a battle of 8-4 teams, BYU dominated in total yards 473-319, but Washington dominated on the scoreboard, shutting out BYU during the 2nd half as they won 31-16.

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56. Syracuse senior S Jeremi Wilkes dives to trip up QB Mitch Leidner as he runs for a 12-yard gain to the Minnesota 39-yard line on 1st and 15 during 2nd quarter of the Texas Bowl at Reliant Stadium on Dec. 27. I wonder if Jeremi used a ruler to make sure his three wristbands were evenly spaced. The drive ended with a punt 5 plays later. Wilkes had 6 tackles (4-2) in his final game in a Syracuse uniform as the Orange, after blowing a 14-3 lead in 4th quarter, scored a TD (set up by a 70-yard punt return) with 1:14 remaining to defeat the Gophers 21-17.

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57. Notre Dame junior LB and Brooklyn native Ishaq Williams makes his only tackle of the game, stopping Rutgers RB Paul James after a 17-yard reception during final minute of the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 28 at Yankee Stadium. In a game with 8 FGs and only 3 TDs, Notre Dame defeated Rutgers 29-16. Williams, who was highly recruited out of high school but hasn't played very well in his first three seasons, finished 2013 with 17 tackles (5-12) and 1.5 TFL.

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58. I had a choice of only two photos from the Heart of Dallas Bowl on New Year's Day. There was one of UNLV DT Mark Garrick watching a teammate make a tackle; but I picked this one instead. North Texas freshman DT Sir Calvin Wallace and his teammates are all smiles on the sideline as the Mean Green tack on a 2-point conversion following their final TD of the day, increasing their lead to 36-14 with 2:24 remaining during 4th quarter. It wasn't like UNT was trying to run up the score. They tried to kick the extra point; but after UNLV blocked it, a UNT player scooped up the ball and ran it in for 2. In what was practically a home game for them, North Texas whipped UNLV 36-14. Wallace, a redshirt freshman, finished the season with 3 tackles (1-2) and 1 FR.

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59. Virginia Tech freshman WR Joshua Stanford drops a pass as UCLA S Anthony Jefferson defends on 2nd and 5 early in 4th quarter of the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31. If Stanford had made the catch (which would have picked up a 1st down), maybe UCLA wouldn't have scored on a pick 6 on the next play, increasing their lead to 21-10. Stanford finished with 3 catches for 34 yards. Playing without star QB Logan Thomas, who was injured during 2nd quarter, the Hokies scored no touchdowns during the final 3 quarters as UCLA rolled to a 42-12 victory.

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60. On 2nd and 18 (after a holding penalty) on the 3rd play from scrimmage in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 30, Texas sophomore WR Marcus Johnson gets a half step behind the coverage by Oregon CB Ifo Ekpre-Olumu, but the deep pass is overthrown and falls incomplete. It was the beginning of a night of futility for the Texas offense. Oregon scored on a pick 6 on the next play, and the Longhorns ended up completing only 9 of 23 passes for a puny total of 56 yards. Johnson had no other passes thrown to him during the game, and he finished with 0 receptions and 2 kickoff returns for 45 yards. Oregon doubled up Texas in total yards 469-236 and rolled to a 30-7 victory.

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61. Senior WR Derel Walker of Texas A&M beats Duke CB Breon Borders on a go route and makes the catch in stride on 2nd and 7 for a 44-yard TD, cutting Duke's lead to 48-45 with 5:44 remaining during 4th quarter of the Chick-Fil-A Bowl on New Year's Eve. It was Walker's last reception in a Texas A&M uniform, and the 44 yards moved him onto the dread stars list. It also was the last TD pass thrown by star QB Johnny Manziel. The Aggies took their first lead of the game on a 55-yard pick six 2:11 later and held on to win 52-48 (after trailing 38-17 at halftime).

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62. Missouri junior DE Markus Golden congratulates fellow DE Kony Ealy after Ealy's sack for a 7-yard loss on 2nd and 18 midway through 2nd quarter of the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 3. Golden had 4 tackles (3-1) himself but no sacks in the game. The SEC continued its streak of success in the Cotton Bowl, defeating a Big 12 team for the 6th year in a row, as Missouri, despite allowing 548 total yards, defeated Oklahoma State 41-31. 
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63. Boston College star RB Andre Williams shoves aside senior CB Shaquille Richardson of Arizona, but Richardson still gets credit for the tackle because Williams couldn't keep his balance and fell, gaining 4 yards midway through 2nd quarter of the AdvoCare V100 (formerly the Independence) Bowl on Dec. 31. Williams, the leading rusher in the FBS (175 YPG), was held to only 75 yards on 26 carries. Richardson, in his last game before being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, had 2 tackles (2-0) as Arizona whipped Boston College 42-19. 

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64. Four plays after gaining 43 yards on a reception on 3rd and 11, Texas Tech junior WR Bradley Marquez completes the 83-yard drive with a 23-yard TD catch, increasing the Red Raiders' lead over Arizona State to 20-6 early in 2nd quarter of the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 30. With the ASU defense running a CB blitz on the play, S Alden Darby guessed that Marquez would run an out route. He guessed wrong, leaving Marquez all alone in the end zone. It was Marquez's 6th TD catch of the season but his first since Week 7. He finished the game with 3 catches for 67 yards.   

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65. Senior DT Will Sutton wraps up RB Kenny Williams for a 1-yard loss at the Texas Tech 8-yard line on 2nd and 4 midway through 4th quarter. Sutton finished with 4 tackles (4-0), including 2 TFL, in his last game before being drafted by the Chicago Bears. But the Sun Devils, a 17-point favorite, suffered an embarrassing 37-23 loss to Texas Tech. 

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66. On 2nd and 10 during the final minute of 1st half in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl at Detroit, after bobbling a perfectly thrown pass, Pittsburgh TE Manasseh Garner tries to catch the deflection but is upended by Bowling Green S Ryland Ward, and the pass falls incomplete. Had he made the catch, Pitt would have moved into FG range; but instead the drive ended with a punt. Garner finished with 1 reception for 20 yards in the game.  





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67. LB Todd Thomas drops sophomore RB Travis Greene at the Bowling Green 44-yard line for a 3-yard loss on 1st down midway through 4th quarter. But the drive ended with a TD 4 plays later, tying the game at 27. Greene was probably seeing that #8 in his dreams after the game. Thomas had 7 tackles in the game - all 7 were tackles of Greene. Travis, who had rushed for over 100 yards in 5 straight games for the MAC champs, was held to a season low 39 yards on 18 carries. Pittsburgh kicked a 39-yard FG with 1:17 remaining then held on to win 30-27.

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68. Senior S Michael Dobson of East Carolina gets up off the ground after making a diving interception (but by rule can't return the INT) that ended Ohio U's 1st drive of the game in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl on Dec. 23. It was the 1st career INT for Dobson, who changed positions from RB to S for his senior season. After making the dread stars list in his final game in an ECU uniform, Michael went undrafted but got a tryout with the Seattle Seahawks at their rookie minicamp; but they did not sign him.

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69. Senior RB Vintavious Cooper breaks a tackle by S Josh Kristoff at the 17-yard line on his way to the end zone and a 31-yard TD, completing a 71-yard drive and giving East Carolina a 24-20 lead with 9:45 remaining in the game. Cooper added another TD later and also made the dread stars last in his final game in an ECU uniform as the Pirates defeated Ohio 37-20.

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70. Superstar junior WR Sammy Watkins gets set for his final game in a Clemson uniform and his 2nd career Orange Bowl on Jan. 3 at Miami Gardens. Clemson players were wearing white pants during pre-game warmups then switched to orange just before the game started.

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71. After lining up as a slot receiver on 1st and 10, Sammy Watkins easily beats freshman S Vonn Bell for a 34-yard TD reception, giving the Tigers a 14-7 lead over Ohio State with 4:56 remaining in 1st quarter. Watkins accounted for 67 of the 75 yards on the 4-play drive.

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72. It was not all fun and games for Sammy Watkins. Here Sammy tries to keep himself from touching the ground but can't, as CB Armani Reeves makes an excellent open-field tackle at the Clemson 31-yard line for no gain on a reception early in 2nd quarter. The drive ended with an INT 5 plays later.  

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73. 6-foot-4 junior WR Martavis Bryant uses his height advantage over the 5-10 Armani Reeves as he makes a 3-yard TD catch on 2nd and goal, increasing Clemson's lead to 20-9 midway through 2nd quarter. Bryant gained only 28 yards in the game, but 2 of his 3 receptions went for touchdowns. Martavis hopes to be using his height advantage in a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform next season.

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74. Sammy Watkins shows he has some hops too as he skies for a 30-yard TD catch against CB Doran Grant on 3rd and 7, ending a 20-0 Ohio State run and bringing the Tigers to within 29-27 late in 3rd quarter. Watkins finished with an Orange Bowl record and new Clemson record 16 receptions in the game, and they went for gains of 27, 6, 34, 11, 0, 29, 13, 10, 12, 3, 11, 30, 14, 9, 13, and 5 yards.

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75. Senior FB Darrell Smith does what he does best - blocking - here throwing a block on S Tyvis Powell to help QB Tajh Boyd get free for a key 14-yard run to the 2-yard line midway through 4th quarter. The Tigers scored the game-winning TD three plays later. Clemson had a 576-427 advantage in total yards and won a thriller 40-35 over Ohio State to finish at 11-2. The Buckeyes dropped their 2nd straight after a 12-0 start.

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76. "Thanks, fellas, but I know where the end zone is!"
After picking off a pass on 3rd and 4 early in 2nd quarter of the New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 21, junior CB Corey Trim makes it a pick 6, racing 82 yards down the Louisiana-Lafayette sideline for his 1st career TD and increasing the Ragin Cajuns' lead to 21-0 over Tulane. It was the 2nd INT of the season for Trim, who finished the game with 2 tackles (2-0).

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77. With the game tied at 21 in 4th quarter and Tulane backed up to their own 4-yard line after a punt, RB Orleans Darkwa - who scored all three Tulane touchdowns - misses a block on DT Christian Ringo, putting freshman QB Devin Powell under immediate pressure on 1st and 10 .....

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78. ..... Powell gets rid of the ball to avoid being sacked for a safety, heaving the ball downfield off his back foot as far as he can - and up for grabs. Unfortunately for Devin, and not unexpectedly, the pass was intercepted at the Tulane 27-yard line. 4 plays later ULL kicked what proved to be the winning FG. Powell, who entered the game in relief immediately after starter Nick Montana threw the pick 6, went 10 for 21 for 223 yards, but it wasn't enough. The Green wave missed a 48-yard FG attempt in the closing seconds, allowing the Ragin Cajuns to hang on and win the New Orleans Bowl for the 3rd year in a row, 24-21. 

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79. After driving 76 yards for a TD on their opening drive of the Fiesta Bowl, the UCF offense stays on the attack on the first play of their 2nd drive, as sophomore WR Breshad Perriman burns Baylor S Terrell Burt deep on a wheel route and makes the catch for a 34-yard gain. The play might have gone for a 51-yard TD instead, but Perriman made the catch close to the sideline and stepped out of bounds before he could regain his balance. The Knights got the TD anyway 4 plays later to up their lead to 14-0.

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80. Junior S Clayton Geathers tries to stop RB Lache Seastrunk at the UCF 30-yard line on 3rd and 2 but comes up empty, and Seastrunk runs it all the way to the 8-yard line for a 29-yard gain with 4:15 to go in 1st quarter. Two plays later Baylor scored their 1st TD of the game, cutting UCF's lead to 14-7. Geathers finished the game with 10 tackles (4-6).

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81. With Baylor blitzing on 2nd and 2 in the final minute of 1st half, junior WR Rannell Hall catches a pass in the right flat, and it's up to Terrell Burt to stop him one-on-one ......

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82. ..... Hall easily avoids the tackle, leaving Burt in his dust back at the Baylor 30-yard line as he sets sail for the end zone .....

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83. CB Demetri Goodson makes a last-ditch effort to stop Hall, knocking him off of his feet at the 1-yard line .....

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84. ..... but Hall has too much momentum going and dives past Goodson and into the end zone and ends up with his dreads touching the turf. The 34-yard TD with 44 seconds remaining until halftime capped an 83-yard drive and increased the Knights' lead to 28-20.

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85. UCF comes right back on the first play after Baylor scored a TD to pull within 42-35 early in 4th quarter, as Rannell Hall makes a catch on the left sideline against senior CB K.J. Morton for a 23-yard gain to near midfield. Three plays later the Knights were in the end zone for their 7th TD of the game, upping their lead to 49-35. I guess it's fitting that you can't see Hall's dreads in this shot, because we won't be seeing them in any shots next season after he decided to cut them off during the first week after the end of the game. Rannell's 4 catches against Baylor gained enough yards for him to make the dreads stars list one last time. 

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86. With the Bears still down by 14 and desperate to stop UCF with 6:50 remaining, K.J. Morton strips the ball from RB William Stanback after a 7-yard run to the BU 29-yard line. But it just wasn't the Bears' night. UCF recovered the fumble - picking up 5 more yards in the process - and the drive ended with a FG to make the score 52-35. Morton, who has been a fixture on my dread all-America team the last three seasons, had 3 tackles (2-1) and 3 penalties (2 for PI, the other for holding) in his final game in a Baylor uniform. We're really going to miss those dreads, K.J. In a not-so-snappy 3 hours 52 minutes, 16-point underdog UCF defeated Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl 52-42.

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87. On 3rd and 8 early in 3rd quarter of the Las Vegas Bowl, sick Fresno State senior WR Isaiah Burse catches a sideways screen pass, and senior TE Marcel Jensen, lined up wide, is supposed to clear a path for him - in this case blocking USC sophomore CB Kevon Seymour. But Jensen doesn't get his block finished in time, and Burse tries to leap over him, loses his balance, and goes down at the USC 31-yard line after only a 4-yard gain. The Bulldogs converted on 4th and 4, however, and scored a TD two plays after that to cut USC's lead to 35-13 .....

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88. Later in the 3rd, Fresno State tries the exact same play - with better results, as Burse stays on his feet while going past Jensen's block on Seymour and ends up gaining 16 yards before going out of bounds at the USC 37. Burse, a 2nd team selection on my all-America with dreads teams, was held to 6 catches for 39 yards and 1 TD in the game. Hopefully we'll be seeing these awesome dreads on Sundays next season. Seymour was named defensive player of the game after recording a team high 7 tackles (7-0), 1 TFL, and 1 PBU.
The drive ended 3 plays later ......

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89. ..... on 2nd and 1 from the USC 10 when junior S/CB Josh Shaw intercepted a pass intended for star WR Davante Adams in the end zone, then celebrated with S Dion Bailey after the play. It was the 4th INT of the season for Shaw, who also had 6 tackles (3-3) and 1 PBU in the game. In a bit of a surprise, Shaw did not enter the NFL draft and will be back with the Trojans for his senior season.

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90. Senior TE Marcel Jensen, whose dreads are much shorter than they once were, leaves the field one last time in a Fresno State uniform, after catching 2 passes for 9 yards in the Bulldogs' disappointing 45-20 defeat. Jensen had 8 career TD catches. Next stop: the NFL? Hopefully. Marcel was not drafted but was signed as a free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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91. Florida State sophomore WR Kelvin Benjamin conducts an interview on Jan. 4 during media day for the BCS title game, two days before taking on Auburn.  KB tells everyone, "Be sure you keep your cameras on me; I'm going to score the game-winning touchdown."

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92. Auburn sophomore WR Sammie Coates spends his time on media day with WR Quan Bray posing with the 'championship' trophy. Good thing they didn't wait 'til after the game to do their posing.

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93. After Auburn punted on their opening drive, Florida State gives the ball to junior RB Devonta Freeman on their first offensive snap; and helped by Kelvin Benjamin's block on CB Chris Davis, Freeman breaks into the secondary for a good gain .....

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94. ...... until he gets clobbered by S Robenson Therezie, knocked down to the ground at the FSU 44-yard line after a 21-yard run. The Seminoles kicked a FG 8 plays later to take an early 3-0 lead.  

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95. Auburn picked up two 1st downs on their next possession then punted, and Sammie Coates downs the punt at the FSU 2-yard line. Actually though he didn't need to down it. The kick by P Steven Clark landed barely short of the goal and bounced backward and would have stopped on its own had not Coates stopped it first.

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96. The Seminoles could not move the ball off their goal line, quickly going three-and-out, with CB Jonathon Mincy breaking up this pass intended for Kelvin Benjamin at the 20-yard line on 3rd and 10. Only two passes were intended for Benjamin in 1st half, and both were incomplete.

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97. On 2nd and 9 from the FSU 12 on the 5th play of the Tigers' next drive Sammie Coates tries for the TD catch, but sophomore CB Ronald Darby ain't having it, timing his jump perfectly to knock the pass away from Coates. Unfortunately for Darby his effort was for naught, as Auburn took the lead on the next play on a Tre Mason TD.

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98. On the first play of FSU's ensuing drive DE LaDarius Owens grabs Devonta Freeman's facemask while making the tackle and gets away with it, as no penalty was called. Freeman gained 4 yards on the play, and the Seminoles went three-and-out again. In his final game before being drafted by the Atlanta Falcons Devonta rushed for 73 yards and 1 TD on 11 carries and had 3 catches for 21 yards. The 73 rushing yards moved him over the 1,000-yard mark for the season, a pretty good feat considering he had only 173 carries all season.

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99. On 3rd and 2 during 2nd quarter QB Nick Marshall runs the ball around left end and gets the first down before being knocked out of bounds by Ronald Darby at the FSU 33-yard line after a 9-yard gain. 6 plays later Darby made his only other tackle of the game, stopping Marshall short of the first down on 3rd and 13. The Tigers settled for a FG attempt on the next play and missed the 33-yarder wide right, keeping the score at 14-3. 

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100. With Auburn still leading 21-13 early in 4th quarter but facing a 2nd and 16, Nick Marshall thinks he has Sammie Coates open up the right sideline, but CB P.J. Williams drops back in his zone coverage and makes the leaping INT at the FSU 40-yard line, as the unsuspecting Coates gets drilled (legally) by S Jalen Ramsey. Sammie was shaken up on the play but was back on the field on Auburn's next possession. Coates finished the evening with 4 catches for 61 yards.

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101. On 2nd and 10 on the 4th play after Williams' interception, Kelvin Benjamin runs after the catch for a gain of 21 yards before being upended by S Jermaine Whitehead at the AU 11-yard line with 11:24 remaining in the game. The Seminoles scored a TD on the next play to cut Auburn's lead to 21-20.

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102. Junior RB Tre Mason is so excited after scoring his 2nd TD of the game that he spikes the ball - which usually doesn't sit too well with the officials, but this time no penalty was called. Mason's 37-yard TD run on 2nd and 15, which completed a 75-yard drive and put the Tigers back in the lead 31-27 with 1:19 to play, looked like it might be the game winner ......

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103. ..... But not so fast! The Seminoles marched right back down the field, driving from their own 20-yard line to the Auburn 2. And on 1st and goal with :13 on the clock Kelvin Benjamin soars above Chris Davis to make the TD catch in the middle of the end zone to give Florida State a 34-31 lead. The Seminoles hung on to win, finishing the season 14-0 and getting their first win in the BCS title game in 14 years. Kelvin finished the game - his last with the Seminoles - with 4 catches for 54 yards.

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104. Naturally, all the media wanted to hear what Kelvin Benjamin had to say immediately after the game .....
"Did I call it, or did I call it? - game-winning touchdown. When you try to cover me with a sorry DB like Davis, THAT'S the result you're gonna get! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be doing my interviews on Sundays only from now on."
No, that's not what he said. Of course not. Kelvin is way more humble than that. In fact, being humble might be a good idea in the locker room next season, because his QB next season will be none other than Cam Newton - former Auburn QB Cam Newton, that is. Brag too much about this game, KB, and you might not be seeing a lot of passes coming your way, lol. 

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BOWL GAME DREAD STARS

• Jameon Lewis - Mississippi State - named Liberty Bowl offensive MVP - 9 receptions for new school record 220 yards in 44-7 W over Rice 
• Vintavious Cooper - East Carolina - named MVP of Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl - 25 carries for career high 198 yards rushing and 2 TD; and 3 receptions for 22 yards in 37-20 W over Ohio

• Michael Dobson - East Carolina - career high 14 tackles (5-9), 1 PBU, and 1st career INT as Pirates (10-3) finish with 10 wins in a season for first time in 22 years
• Derel Walker - Texas A&M - 6 receptions for 113 yards, including key 44-yard TD, in 52-48 W over Duke in Chick-Fil-A Bowl
• Rannell Hall - UCF - 4 receptions for 113 yards and 2 TD in 52-42 W over Baylor in Fiesta Bowl

• Tre Mason - Auburn - 195 yards and 1 TD rushing on 34 carries, and had 12-yard TD reception in tough 34-31 L to Florida State in BCS title game
• Todd Gurley - Georgia - 86 yards rushing  on 21 carries; and 7 receptions for 97 yards and 1 TD in tough 24-19 L to Nebraska in Gator Bowl

• Melvin Gordon - Wisconsin - 25 carries for 143 yards rushing in 34-24 L to South Carolina in Capital One Bowl
• Kyle Griswould - MTSU - 9 receptions for season high 106 yards in 24-6 L to Navy in Armed Forces Bowl

• Derrick Henry - Alabama - 8 carries for 100 yards rushing, including 43-yard TD; and had 61-yard TD reception in 45-31 L to Oklahoma in Sugar Bowl

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I never posted the honors for Week 13, so here are the dread stars for that week along with the other ones I missed from early in the season.

MORE DREAD STARS

WEEK 13

• Vintavious Cooper - East Carolina - 22 carries for 148 yards rushing; and 2 receptions for 16 yards in 42-28 road W over North Carolina State
• Travis Greene - Bowling Green - 126 yards and 2 TD rushing on 15 carries; and 2 receptions for 5 yards in 58-7 road W over Eastern Michigan
• Terrence Magee - LSU - named SEC offensive player of the week - 13 carries for career high 149 yards rushing and 1 TD in 34-10 home W over Texas A&M

 

• Devonta Freeman - Florida State - 11 carries for 129 yards rushing, including 60-yard TD, in 80-14 slaughter over Idaho - 80 is most points ever scored in a game by FSU
• Todd Gurley - Georgia - 8 carries for 77 yards rushing; and 5 receptions for 90 yards and 2 TD in 59-17 home W over Kentucky 
• Isaiah Burse - Fresno State - 6 receptions for 112 yards; and had 26-yard run for TD on trick play in 69-28 W over New Mexico on senior day
• Tevin King - Louisiana Tech - 21 carries for 111 yards rushing in 24-14 home L to Tulsa

• Jay Ajayi - Boise State - 103 yards and 1 TD rushing on 22 carries; and 2 receptions for 55 yards in 34-31 road L in OT to San Diego State
• Derel Walker - Texas A&M - 6 receptions for career high 130 yards, including 51-yard TD, in 34-10 road L to LSU
• Lamont Brown - Morgan State - 18 carries for 132 yards rushing and 2 TD in 31-26 road W over Delaware State
• Maikhail Miller - Murray State - 37 for 54 for 467 yards with 1 INT and 2 TD, including game-winning 26-yarder on 3rd and 11 in overtime; and 28 yards and 2 TD rushing on 14 carries in 34-27 home W over Eastern Kentucky

• Sam Ojuri - North Dakota State - 14 carries for 118 yards rushing and 2 TD; and 1 reception for 10 yards in 42-0 victory over South Dakota on senior day
• Shepard Little - Eastern Illinois - 123 yards and 2 TD on 28 carries in 70-22 road W over Tennessee-Martin
• Kalif Phillips - UNC-Charlotte - 86 yards and 3 TD rushing on 11 carries in 61-17 road W over Morehead State 
• Josh Booker - Weber State - 22 carries for 139 yards and 2 TD rushing, including 3-yard TD on his final carry, in 32-7 W over Idaho State on senior day

• DeShawn Jones - Campbell - 11 carries for 117 yards and 1 TD rushing in 47-14 road W over Davidson
• Mark Roberts - Lamar - 5 receptions for 123 yards and 3 TD in 42-38 home L to McNeese State

WEEK 1

• Darrin Reaves - UAB - 23 carries for 110 yards rushing in 34-31 road L in OT to Troy
• Marqueston Huff - Wyoming - named MWC defensive player of the week - career high 18 tackles (8-10), 1 FF and 1 FR (on same play), and 1 PBU in 37-34 road L to Nebraska 
• Ladarius Vanlier - Tennessee Tech - named OVC co-special teams player of the week - 188 all purpose yards on 4 touches - 44-yard kickoff return on opening kickoff; 2 carries for 51 yards rushing, including 52-yard TD; and had 93-yard punt return for TD, longest punt return in school history, in 63-7 home W over Cumberland

• Nic Jacobs - McNeese State - 5 receptions for 122 yards and 2 TD in 53-21 road W over South Florida
• Calvin Bryant - Charleston Southern - named Big South defensive player of the week - career high 12 tackles (7-5), 1 TFL, 1 FF, and 1 PBU in 32-29 road W over The Citadel
• Robert Nelson - Alabama A&M - named SWAC defensive player of the week - 7 tackles (4-3), including 3 TFL, one of which was in end zone for a safety, in 23-9 road W over Grambling

WEEK 3

• Maikhail Miller - Murray State - 24 for 33 for 272 yards and 5 TD, including game-winning 15-yard TD on 4th and 10 with :24 remaining in 41-38 home W over Missouri State

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SEASON RECAP
A total of 126 players made at least one appearance on the dread stars list during the season. But in this recap, I'm only going to list the 10 players who made the most appearances

• 10 TIMES: Auburn RB Tre Mason
• 9 TIMES: Bowling Green RB Travis Greene
• 8 TIMES: Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon, Clemson WR Sammy Watkins
• 7 TIMES: Boise State RB Jay Ajayi, Georgia RB Todd Gurley, Eastern Illinois RB Shepard Little
• 6 TIMES: East Carolina RB Vintavious Cooper, Stephen F. Austin RB Gus Johnson
• 5 TIMES: Fresno State WR Isaiah Burse, Alabama State RB Isaiah Crowell, Sam Houston State RB Timothy Flanders, Houston WR Deontay Greenberry, North Dakota State RB Sam Ojuri, Baylor WR Tevin Reese

Most appearances by a defensive player: 2 times by Baylor CB K.J. Morton
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HOUSE OF DREAD

There were no big surprises in the race for the final house of dread award for the season. Two postseason games had 4 TD scored by players with dreads, and the players accounting for all of those touchdowns certainly were no strangers to the end zone in 2013. One half of the postseason HOD was the end zone at the Rose Bowl (the stadium, not the game) in Pasadena, CA, where 4 TD were scored by players with dreads in Florida State's thrilling 34-31 victory over Auburn in the BCS title game. Junior RB Devonta Freeman had a 3-yard run for Florida State and sophomore WR Kelvin Benjamin had what for FSU fans will be his unforgettable game-winning 2-yard TD catch. The other 2 TD were by Auburn junior RB Tre Mason, who scored on a 12-yard reception (left photo below) and a 37-yard run. The other half of the HOD award goes to the end zone at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL. 4 of Clemson's 6 TD were scored by players with dreads in their thrilling 40-35 victory over Ohio State in the Orange Bowl. Junior WR Sammy Watkins scored on receptions of 34 yards in the 1st quarter and 30 yards in the 3rd quarter (right photo below), and junior WR Martavis Bryant also had 2 TD catches, both from 3 yards out.

WEEK 13

4 touchdowns were also enough to take HOD honors in Week 13, and there were three stadiums where that happened: the end zones at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Jayne Stadium in Morehead, KY, and FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, FL. All but one of the TD in Houston's 24-17 home loss to Cincinnati were scored by players with dreads. Sophomore WR Chris Moore had TD receptions of 40 and 3 yards for the Bearcats; while sophomore WR Deontay Greenberry scored on a 12-yard reception, and sophomore S Trevon Stewart had a 15-yard scoop and score for the Cougars. In Morehead State's 61-17 loss to UNC-Charlotte freshman RB Kalif Phillips had TD runs of 50, 4, and 12 yards for the 49ers, and freshman RB Alan Barnwell scored on a 70-yard run, also for Charlotte. And in FAU's 55-10 blowout of New Mexico State senior RB Damian Fortner had a 26-yard TD run and scored when he recovered a blocked punt in the end zone; and junior WR Lucky Whitehead also had a 26-yard TD run (#1 in photo below, celebrating with Fortner) and scored on a 64-yard reception as well.

SEASON RECAP
The most TD players with dreads in any one game this season was 6, and that happened three different times - the Auburn-Arkansas game in Week 10 (Tre Mason had 4 TD runs), the Virginia Tech-Miami game in Week 11 (Trey Edmunds had 4 TD runs), and the ODU-Idaho game in Week 11.
Five different times it took 5 TD to claim HOD honors, 8 times it took 4 TD, and one time (Week 9) the HOD award was claimed by games in which there were only 3 TD. Games involving Auburn, Florida State, and Houston claimed HOD honors 4 different times. Next best were games involving Clemson, Idaho, Alabama State, and UNC-Charlotte, which took the HOD award three times this season.
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HEAD DREAD

Last season's postseason head dread was an NFL-bound Clemson junior receiver by the name of DeAndre Hopkins - thanks to his performance in a win over LSU in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. And it was apparent early on that the Tigers would be counting on just as great a performance from another junior WR - Sammy Watkins - in this season's bowl game before he too would leave for the NFL a year early. Watkins took a handoff on the first play from scrimmage (gaining 3 yards) in the Orange Bowl and already had gained 81 total yards by the end of the 1st quarter. That was just the start of it, of course, and by the time he was finished he had recorded the best single-game performance by a WR in Clemson history.

Watkins' 16 receptions for 227 yards in the Tigers' 40-35 victory over Ohio State not only were new Clemson records in both categories, they were new Orange Bowl records in both categories too. Watkins' performance, which also included 2 kickoff returns for 38 yards, earned him game MVP honors in addition to head dread honors for the 2013-14 postseason. It was a performance that was a bit of redemption for Sammy, making up for last postseason, when he was injured very early in that Chick-Fil-A Bowl, forcing the Tigers to rely on Hopkins so much.

For the most part, Clemson was just taking what the OSU defense was giving them. With the Buckeyes' corners playing a lot of soft coverage, several times the Tigers threw short sideways passes to Watkins, and with a little help from his blockers, he picked up a lot of yards after the catch. But blessed with great speed as well as running ability, Sammy is always a threat to go deep, and his 2 touchdowns came on downfield passes - the first being a 34-yarder to put Clemson ahead 14-7 and the other being a highlight reel, leaping catch for a 30-yard score in the 3rd quarter that got the Tigers' comeback underway after Ohio State had scored 20 straight points to take a 29-20 lead. No, Watkins did not score the game-winning TD; but he did have receptions of 9 and 13 yards on the winning drive.

The 16 receptions pushed Watkins' total for the season over the 100 mark, and his final season totals of 101 catches and 1,464 yards receiving are both new Clemson records. His 2nd TD catch of the game was the 27th of his career, and fittingly he will share the school record in that category with Hopkins - probably for a long time.

The first link below is to a story on Watkins' performance from the Anderson Independent Mail website. Below that is an article from the Clemson website from a few days after the game, after he officially announced he was entering the NFL draft. And if you want to see those great dreads of his in the orange and white one last time, click on the 3rd link below for a 6-minute video featuring all 16 of Sammy's receptions in the game.

http://www.orangeandwhite.com/news/2014/jan/04/watkins-wades-through-injury-scare-career-night/

http://www.clemsontigers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=657769&SPID=103701&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=28500&ATCLID=209369882

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUsEuhW1MUA

WEEK 13

In his final game before being drafted in the 3rd round by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kent State senior RB Dri Archer had the best performance by a player with dreads for the week (which included games played between Nov. 19 and Nov. 23). Archer, the 5-foot-8, 175-pound speedster made sure Kent State finished their disappointing season (4-8) on a high note, racking up 191 total yards in a 44-13 road victory over the bowl-bound Ohio U Bobcats.

"Dri played awesome tonight," Coach Haynes put it, simply enough during his post-game comments, after Archer rushed for 138 yards on just 15 carries, including TD runs of 24, 5, and 29 yards. He also caught 5 passes for 53 yards. Fittingly, Archer's final carry of the game and his college career was the 29-yard TD (video on link below) that closed out the scoring with 1:46 remaining in the game. It was his 40th career TD, leaving him one short of Josh Cribbs' school record of 41.
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=10003956

Of course, Dri didn't have dreads for all 40 of those touchdowns. He didn't start growing his hair until his junior season and debuted his dreads during the MAC championship game near the end of 2012. They do seem to be growing very quickly though, and they'll be visible outside his helmet next season. Dri may be tiny; but with his great speed and incredible elusiveness, I think we'll be seeing him taking a bunch of kick returns to the house on Sundays in the seasons ahead.

SEASON RECAP
In review, here are all of the players of the week during the 2013 season.

• WEEK 1: Mississippi RB Jeff Scott
• WEEK 2: Fresno State WR Isaiah Burse
• WEEK 3: Mississippi RB Jeff Scott
• WEEK 4: UAB RB Darrin Reaves
• WEEK 5: Sam Houston State RB Timothy Flanders
• WEEK 6: Northern Illinois RB Cameron Stingily
• WEEK 7: Alabama State RB Malcolm Cyrus
• WEEK 8: Boise State RB Jay Ajayi
• WEEK 9: Houston WR Deontay Greenberry
• WEEK 10: Georgia RB Todd Gurley
• WEEK 11: Arizona State DT Will Sutton
• WEEK 12: Eastern Illinois RB Shepard Little
• WEEK 13: Kent State RB Dri Archer
• WEEK 14: Florida State WR Kelvin Benjamin
• WEEK 15: Auburn RB Tre Mason
• BOWL WEEK: Clemson WR Sammy Watkins

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NEXT

I apologize for taking so long to finish this review. I was making decent progress on it until I had to go on the disabled list for about a week about three weeks ago. But there was no need to hurry. I watched a lot of videos, trying to get everything as accurate as possible. Anyway, there is one more item of business to conduct before concluding coverage of this season. We'll take a look at some of the house calls for 2013 (and I promise it won't take another 7 weeks for me to finish that).