College Football: Week 2 LSU at Texas

#6 Louisiana State University (1-0) vs #9 Texas Longhorns (1-0)

***

LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY | SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE

Coach: Ed Orgeron

LSU Players to watch

***Freshman CB Derek Stingley (6-1/195)

Stingley was the top rated CB in the country in 2018.
Photo: The Advocate | AP Photo File

The former Dunham High School star from Baton Rouge gives LSU a big weapon returning punts. Head Coach Ed Oregon said that Stingley looked like the best cornerback on the team. That says a lot, when CB Kristian Fulton turned down the NFL to return to play his senior season. LSU has one of the best defensive backfields in the country.

Senior QB Joe Burrow (6-4/216)

Burrow reminds me a lot of former Alabama QB AJ McCarron. His primary job isn’t to win the game; his primary job is to be fundamentally sound, don’t turn the ball over, and get the ball into the hands of his playmakers. He’s the quintessential game manager.

**Sophomore OLB/DE K’lavon Chaisson (6-4/238)

Eleven months ago, Chaisson tore his left ACL in the season opener against Miami. The electric pass rusher is back and in full form. Physically, he’s ripped. Chaisson has his eye on the school’s single-season sack record (12). “Him rushing off the edge,” safety Grant Delpit said, “we know we’ve got guaranteed pressure on that side.”

*Junior SS Grant Delpit (6-3/203)

Delpit was a finalist for the Nagurski Award as the top defender in college football in 2018; and claimed the 2018 Jack Tatum Award from the Columbus Ohio Touchdown Club as the top defensive back in college football. A tremendous all around safety that can make plays all over the field, Delpit would have been a first round draft pick had he been eligible. He was a first team All-American and a Thorpe finalist.

***

TEXAS LONGHORNS | BIG 12 CONFERENCE

Coach: Tom Herman

Texas Players to watch:

*Junior QB Sam Ehlinger (6-3/230)

Ehlinger set a Big 12 record with 308 passes without an Int.
Photo: The Advocate | AP Photo File

Ehlinger has more than proven himself as a passer in college, too — his 3,292 passing yards last season rank fifth in school history and he’ll likely move into third place for most career passing yards later this season. Ehlinger has played in 23 games with 20 starts and 36 career touchdown throws.

Senior WR Collin Johnson (6-6/220)

Johnson surprised people by returning to school for his senior season. At 6-6, Johnson is a big target with a wide catch radius. Johnson has played in 38 games with 22 starts. He was one of five Longhorns elected by their teammates as a captain for the 2019 season. He enters his senior season with 150 receptions (ninth-most in school history) for 2,065 yards (10th-most in school history) and 12 touchdowns.

Senior OC Zach Shackelford (6-4/305)

As a junior, Shackelford played in 11 games with 10 starts. He was named first team All-Big 12 by the AP and second team by the coaches. Shackelford anchors one of the better offensive lines in the country. He is a leading candidate for the 2019 Rimington Award.

**Sophomore SS Caden Sterns (6-1/210)

Sterns earned All-Big 12 honors last year and led the team with 4 ints. Just entering his sophomore season, Sterns has already been named to the Jim Thorpe Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch lists in the 2019 preseason.

***

Darrell K Royal- Texas Memorial Stadium – Field Turf
Sept 7 | Austin, Texas

2019 Pre-Season All-American team: Defense

*An early look ahead.

First Team

Utah State LB David Woodward was named a third-team All-American in 2018.
Photo: Utah State Athletics

Pos	NAME	YR	TEAM	HT	WT
DE	A.J. Epenesa	Jr	Iowa	6′ 5″	277
DT	Leki Fotu	Sr	Utah	6′ 5″	323
DT	Raequan Williams	Sr	Michigan State	6′ 4″	295
DE	Marlon Davidson	Sr	Auburn	6′ 3″	282
OLB	David Woodward	Jr	Utah State	6′ 2″	230
ILB	Paddy Fisher	Sr	Northwestern	6′ 4″	245
OLB	Bryce Huff	Sr	Memphis	6′ 3″	245
CB	Paulson Adebo	So	Stanford	6′ 1″	188
CB	Bryce Hall	Sr	Virginia	6′ 1″	200
FS	Grant Delpit	Jr	LSU	6′ 3″	201
SS	Brandon Jones	Sr	Texas	6′ 0″	200
P	Braden Mann	Sr	Texas A&M	5′ 11″	190

Second Team

Willekes made 20½ of his 78 tackles last season for lost yardage.
Photo: Mike Carter|USA TODAY Sports

Pos	NAME	YR	TEAM	HT	WT
DE	Raekwon Davis	Sr	Alabama	6′ 7″	306
DT	Marvin Wilson	Jr	Florida State	6′ 5″	323
DT	Neville Gallimore	Sr	Oklahoma	6′ 2″	330
DE	Kenny Willekes	Sr	Michigan State	6′ 4″	265
OLB	Kyahva Tezino	Sr	San Diego State	6′ 0″	230
ILB	Joe Bachie	Sr	Michigan State	6′ 2″	230
OLB	Michael Pinckney	Sr	Miami	6′ 1″	228
CB	Thomas Graham	Jr	Oregon	5′ 11″	184
CB	Lavert Hill	Sr	Michigan	5′ 11″	177
FS	Andre Cisco	So	Syracuse	6′ 0″	186
SS	Caden Sterns	So	Texas	6′ 0″	195
P	James Smith	Jr	Cincinnati	6′ 5″	225

Third Team

Penn State’s Gross-Matos looks to build on a successful Sophomore camgaign.
Photo: Adriana Lacy|Roar Lions Roar

Pos	NAME	YR	TEAM	HT	WT
DE	Xavier Young	So	Clemson	6′ 3″	255
DT	James Lynch	Jr	Baylor	6′ 4”	285
DT	Ryan Lopez	Jr	New Mexico State	6′ 2″	310
DE	Yetur Gross-Matos	Jr	Penn State	6′ 5″	257
OLB	Baron Browning	Jr	Ohio State	6′ 4″	238
ILB	Colin Schooler	Jr	Arizona	6′ 0″	230
OLB	Terrell Lewis	Sr	Alabama	6′ 5″	256
CB	Adrian Frye	So	Texas Tech	6′ 0″	190
CB	A.J. Terrell	Jr	Clemson	6′ 1″	190
FS	Quentin Lake	Jr	UCLA	6′ 1″	183
SS	Jalen Elliot	Sr	Notre Dame	6′ 1″	230
P	Pressley Harvin	Sr	Georgia Tech	6′ 0″	240

2018 Big 12 Awards

POWER 5

BIG 12 CONFERENCE

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: DAVID LONG, JR., WEST VIRGINIA

Long, Jr., is projected to be a second-third round draft pick.
Photo: WVFootball

West Virginia redshirt junior linebacker David Long made history Wednesday, becoming the first player in program history to be named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. He led the league with 18.5 tackles for loss and ranked fourth with 8.8 tackles per game.

Just to be clear, there are TWO players named David Long in the upcoming NFL draft. David Long, Jr. is a linebacker from West Virginia (seen here), and the other is a DB from Michigan.

***

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: KYLER MURRAY, OKLAHOMA

Murray (center) was named Big 12 OPOY & won the Heisman Trophy.
Photo: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Murray is one of the most talked about players in this draft. Not only did he win the Big 12 Offensive POY, he took home the Heisman Trophy, the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, the Davey O’Brien Award, and was a finalist for the Maxwell Award.

Murray’s draft stock is all over the board, although, most giving him a mid-first round grade. There are questions about his height (listed at 5-11, but looks 5-8 or 5-9), and more questions about his weight (is he really 185 lbs.? and how many hits can he take?). But there are few questions about his 4.3 speed or his accuracy when given time to throw.

Murray is the fourth Oklahoma QB in recent memory to win the award, joining Jason White, Sam Bradford, and Baker Mayfield.

***

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR: CHARLES OMENIHU, TEXAS

Omenihu has the measurable NFL teams desire, including an 85″ wingspan.
Photo: Texas Athletics

Omenihu secured a Senior Bowl invite after registering 45 tackles, 18 for loss and 9.5 sacks en route to Big 12 defensive lineman of the year honors. Through 50 games and 32 starts in four years, Omenihu claimed 116 tackles, 30.5 for loss and 17 sacks. His numbers improved steadily each year. At the Senior Bowl, he measured in at just shy of 6’6” and 274 pounds with 36.5″ arms and an 85″ inch wingspan. More than likely, whatever team drafts Omenihu will ask him to line up inside and out.

***

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN OF THE YEAR: (3-way tie) DALTON RISNER, KANSAS STATE; DRU SAMIA, OKLAHOMA; and YODNEY CAJUSTE, WEST VIRGINIA

All three players should be picked in the first two days of the draft.

***

OFFENSIVE NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: JALEN HURD, BAYLOR

Jalen Hurd played RB at Tennessee before transferring to Baylor to play WR.
Photo: UT Athletics

Hurd is one of the more unique storylines in the NFL draft. A valuable three-year running back who leaves Tenneesse to become the Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year as a wide receiver. In 2018, Hurd led the Bears with 69 receptions for 946 yards. He also rushed 48 times for 209 yards and three touchdowns. 

Hurd’s college career includes 2,844 rushing yards and 1,438 receiving yards. He currently sits sixth in Tennessee history in rushing yards.

***

DEFENSIVE NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: GREG EISWORTH, IOWA STATE

In 2017, Eisworth was playing at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas.
Photo: Scout.com

Matt Campbell has pushed for Eisworth, at JUCO transfer, to join Iowa State’s 2018 recruiting class with that hope that he can contribute immediately and provide both experience and leadership. His commitment proved to be a valuable one for the Cyclones, who had just lost all three of their starting safeties, including all-Big 12 talent Kamari Cotton-Moya.

Eisworth stepped in and earned Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year and first-team all-Big 12 honors this season. He led Iowa State in tackles with 84, including 54 solos. He forced two fumbles, had three pass break-ups, one interception and a sack in the pass game. Eisworth was able to impact the run game, as well, recording four tackles for a loss.

***

OFFENSIVE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: POOKA WILLIAMS, JR,. KANSAS

One of the most explosive players in the league with 15 carries of 20+ yards, Williams rushed for a total of 1,125 yards on 161 carries, good for 102.3 yards per game, 7.0 yards per carry and seven rushing touchdowns. He added 289 yards and two scores on 33 receptions and 246 yards on 11 kick returns to lead the Big 12 and rank sixth in the FBS in all-purpose yards at 150.9 per game. 

***

DEFENSIVE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: CADEN STERNS, TEXAS

Sterns, a freshman safety from Cibolo, Texas, has started all 12 games to date, the most by a true freshman defensive back at Texas since Blake Gideon started all 13 in 2008. He has 59 tackles, tied for fourth on the team and has added three tackles for loss and a sack. He has four interceptions, tied with Diggs and Chris Carter (1993) for the most ever by a Longhorn true freshman.

***

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: AUSTIN SEIBERT, OKLAHOMA

Photo: Reese Strickland/USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma’s Austin Seibert is the all-time NCAA scoring leader among kickers. He broke the record of 494 points set by former Arizona State kicker Zane Gonzalez. With his 26-yard field goal in the third quarter against Alabama, Seibert scored his 496th career point. He finished his career tied for third (with Montee Ball of Wiconsin) on the NCAA’s all-time scoring list with 498 points.

***

Chuck Neinas COACH OF THE YEAR: (tie) MATT CAMPBELL, IOWA STATE & LINCOLN RILEY, OKLAHOMA

For the second straight season Iowa State coach Matt Campbell has been named the Big 12 Coach of the Year, the conference announced Wednesday.

This season, he split the award with Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley.

No. 23 Iowa State (7-4, 6-3 Big 12) was picked to finish seventh in the conference but ended the season in a tie for third with West Virginia. The six conference wins are the most ever by an Iowa State team.

Riley led the Sooners to an 11-1 record this season and an 8-1 Big 12 record. In his second season as head coach, Riley has a 23-2 career record.

***

Latest updates have begun for Player Position Rankings: QB, RB, FB, WR

Sugar Bowl – Jan 1, 2019: Georgia vs Texas

#5 Georgia Bulldogs (11-2) vs #15 Texas Longhorns (9-4)

***

GEORGIA BULLGOGS | SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE

Coach: Kirby Smart

Georgia Players to watch:

**Sophomore LT Andrew Thomas (6-6/320)

Photo: 247Sports

Georgia left tackle Andrew Thomas was named to the AP All-American Second Team. Thomas has gotten the starting nod at left tackle for 12 of the Bulldogs’ 13 games, only missing the Middle Tennessee State game with an ankle injury. He has anchored an offensive line that leads the SEC in Rushing Offense at 251.6 yards per game. The Bulldog’s offensive line unit were named a Joe Moore Award finalist for being one of the top offensive lines in the nation.

**Sophomore RB D’Andre Swift (5-9/215)

Swift started five of 13 games thus far and has gained a team-high 1037 yards on 155 carries, with 10 TDs – also a team high. Swift ias also a receiving threat out of the backfield, he has caught 27 passes this year for 257 yards and 2 tds.

*Junior RS/WR Mecole Hardman (5-11/183)

Hardman was named 2018 ESPN.com All-America First Team (kick returner); 2018 SI.com All-America Second Team (kick returner); and 2018 AP & Coaches’ All-SEC 2nd Team. He returned 13 kicks for 325 yards and 16 punts for 321 yards. He also caught 33 passes for 529 yards.

Senior LB D’Andre Walker (6-2/245)

Walker has started all 13 games to date, racking up 45 total tackles, while leading the team with 11.0 tackles for loss, 7.5 QB sacks and 14 QB pressures. He had a career-best seven tackles vs. Georgia Tech, including a second-quarter QB sack.

Senior CB DeAndre Baker (5-11/185)

Baker, as first team AP All-American, had decided not to play in the Sugar Bowl.

***

TEXAS LONGHORNS | BIG 12 CONFERENCE

Coach: Tom Herman

Texas Players to watch:

***Freshman RT Samuel Cosmi (6-6/290)

Photo: 247Sports

Cosmi, a redshirt freshman, started the final 12 games of the season at RT. He graded out at 85-percent overall in 985 total snaps. He had 57 knockdowns and 68 first-down or touchdown blocks. He allowed just four sacks and eight pressures on 460 pass plays. He received votes and earned honorable mention as the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year from the league’s head coaches.

***Freshman S Caden Sterns (6-0/195)

Sterns, who was named the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and first team All-Big 12 by the coaches and Associated Press, is a true freshman from Cibolo, Texas. He had 62 tackles (46 solo) with three TFL, one sack, four interceptions and four pass breakups. His four INT are tied for the most ever by a Longhorn true freshman. He also has a blocked field goal against USC, which was returned for a touchdown.

Senior CB Kris Boyd (6-0/195)

Boyd, a native of Gilmer, Texas, also earned first-team recognition from the Big 12 coaches at defensive back. He has totaled 63 tackles (46 solo) with 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack. He has been a lock-down at the corner position, with 16 pass breakups and an interception. He also has a QB hurry, forced fumble and a fumble recovery on the year.

Senior DE Charles Omenihu (6-6/275)

Omenihu, who was named the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year and first team All-Big 12 by the coaches, has totaled 43 tackles with 16 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. His 16 TFL and 9.5 sacks are the most for a Longhorn since the 2013 season. His 9.5 sacks rank second in the Big 12 Conference. He enters the Sugar Bowl with at least one tackle for loss in nine straight games.

***

Allstate Sugar Bowl
Texas 28, Georgia 21
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans