In this week’s edition of DraftNasty.com's In-Game Recap, we traveled down to the low country of Charleston, S.C. to give you a glimpse of one of the most dominant NTs at the D II level. Also, find out which Charleston Southern CB held all-conference WR Chris Summers to zero catches on Saturday.
Wideout Brian Quick (#8 pictured) recorded just 65 yards last Saturday in Appalachian State’s victory over the Tennessee-Chattanooga Mocs. Though the All-Conference WR numbers were down from the previous weeks, his ability to create separation, show balance on routes, and make key third down catches displayed why he is one of the hardest receivers to cover at the FCS level.
It didn’t take long for the Nittany Lions to put points on the board in the start of their 125th season. Chaz Powell took the game’s opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, and the Penn State rushing attack ran for 245 yards and five scores in route to a 41-7 dominating performance over Indiana State.
New Texas Southern head coach Kevin Ramsey once rode his waves of success in the SEC (Tennessee, Georgia) to the NFL, where he served as a defensive backs coach for the Arizona Cardinals. He has tutored a number of past NFL stars- DBs Aaron Beasley, Mike Logan, Terry Fair and Raymond Austin, just to name a few. This past season he guided the SWAC's best defense since the Alcorn State units of the mid-80s. His Texas Southern unit ended 2010 ranked 1st in the nation in total defense (204.9 yds/gm), 1st in pass efficiency defense, 3rd in rush defense (81.5 yds/gm), 1st in sacks (3.75/gm), 1st in tackles for loss (9.33/gm) and 2nd in pass defense (123.4 yds/gm). Texas Southern has a new leader. Kevin Ramsey's well-prepared. If you're not convinced, check out his '212' Defense.
This past Saturday in Florence, AL the #1 ranked Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs took on the unranked Delta State Statesmen in the Division II National Championship game. In what was a hard fought and defensive battle, the Bulldogs came out on top with a FG as the clock expired. Both teams had a wide array of prospects on display in Florence and some had good games while others may have shown NFL scouts they aren’t quite ready for a jump to the NFL. Below is a breakdown of how those prospects performed:
The HBCU Bowl, one of the nation's premiere senior all-star games, selects the top 100 draft-eligible seniors (including 10 alternate players) from all HBCU conferences: MEAC, SWAC, SIAC, and CIAA to participate in the week of activities. Once that list is set, scouts from the NFL, CFL, UFL, and Arena football leagues evaluate the quality of players available during a one day official Combine administered by National Football Scouting of Indianapolis, Indiana. Last year, thirty-two (32) teams attended the week's practices and Saturday's game. Benedict DB Marquez Gibson (pictured above) was just one of many defenders looking to make an impression during the week.
On what was a cold and windy day in Columbus, GA, Fort Valley State and Albany State met for the 21st time in the annual Fountain City Classic. This year's game had a little extra something on the line than just the Classic title. Albany State was undefeated (9-0) coming into the game, while Fort Valley State had suffered only one loss (8-1) in the SIAC conference to Morehouse earlier in the year. This game also put the SIAC title on the line along with both teams’ playoff hopes. Earlier in the week, the first batch of Regional Rankings were released which determine the D2 playoff teams. Fort Valley State faced a win or go home playoff scenario after being ranked 7th in Super Region 2 (only the top 6 make the playoffs), while Albany was risking its' #1 ranking in Super Region 2. What this made for was one of the most intense and hard fought battles that the Fountain City Classic has ever seen. In the end, though, the Albany State Golden Rams prevailed as they finish the year a perfect 10-0, securing their second consecutive SIAC championship.
In what was a back and forth game between two Southern Conference power house teams, the newly crowned #1 ranked Appalachian State Mountaineers scored a 34-31 victory over the Elon Phoenix. This was the first game played at The Rock since App State was given the #1 ranking and in front of a record crowd of 31,531 in attendance, App State sophomore QB DeAndre Presley was able to out duel Elon senior QB Scott Riddle. This game was seen as a big test for the Mountaineers heading into the heart of their SOCON schedule, and these are the kinds of victories that instill the confidence and swagger that championship caliber teams need. Here is how the individual prospects faired:
The Citadel’s CB Cortez Allen and Furman’s CB Ryan Steed were just two of the featured players cited by DraftNasty National Correspondent De’Angelo Bryant. Allen came into the game noted as one of the most feared CB’s in the conference, but was outplayed by Steed who appears to be on his way to stardom. Our breakdown of the two cornerbacks also includes more prospects from Saturday’s game.
DraftNasty.com recently got a chance to visit Springfield, MO to check out Missouri State's three-time MVC All Conference OG/OT David Arkin. Arkin, who has played all over the line, has the footwork and 'Nasty' approach that we value so highly. He could stand to clean up his technique outside, but is definitely a feisty, motivated player on Saturday afternoons.
