Draft Watch: Fiesta Bowl

Here are the following players to keep your eye for the 2010 NFL Draft in the FIESTA BOWL.

TCU Horned Frogs:

DE Jerry Hughes (#98) – Hughes lacks the ideal size for a defensive end, so some believe he may end up as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. But when it is all said and done I think he will be a 4-3 defensive end in a Tampa Bay Two type defense. Right now has a 2nd round grade.

LB Daryl Washington (#41)– Washington is an athletic linebacker who is quick and is also fast. The issue with him is his size or lack thereof. In addition, there is a question mark regarding his position - is he an outside linebacker or an inside linebacker? Right now he has a 2nd round grade.

Senior Watch: RB Joseph Turner (#24), LT Marshall Newhouse (#70), CB Nick Sanders (#20)

Stars Of Tomorrow: QB Andy Dalton, JR (#14); RT Marcus Cannon, JR (#61); C Jake Kirkpatrick, JR (#76); MIKE Tank Carder, SO (#43); FS Tejay Johnson, JR (#3)

Medical Examiner: CB Rafael Priest (Out/Sprained Left Foot)

Boise State Broncos:

CB Kyle Wilson (#1) – Wilson is a good overall athlete at cornerback and also does a good job in the return game. He has smooth hips and has the ability to play man to man. The New Jersey native is an aggressive cornerback who can get beat with double moves. Right now he has a 3rd round grade.

Stars Of Tomorrow: WR Austin Pettis, JR (#2); LT Nate Potter, SO (#73); DE Ryan Winterswyk, JR (#98); DE Bryon Hout, SO (#94); DT Billy Winn, SO (#90); SS Jeron Johnson, JR (#23)

Medical Examiner: WR Austin Pettis (Questionable/Broken Leg)

For more NFL, NFL Draft news, you can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jvanfulpen

Photo Courtesy of College Press Box

TCU's Hughes and Washington Headed to Senior Bowl

TCU defensive standouts Jerry Hughes and Daryl Washington have accepted invitations to the 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

The game will be played Jan. 30 at 3 p.m. (CST) in Ladd-Peebles Stadium and be televised live on the NFL Network.

Jerry and Daryl are two very big reasons why the Horned Frogs lead the country in total defense, Senior Bowl President and CEO Steve Hale said. They are both excellent professional prospects and we look forward to watching them compete in front of the entire NFL here later this month.

Hughes is a two-time consensus All-American and the 2009 recipient of the Lott Trophy and Ted Hendricks Award. He has 15 tackles for loss, including 11 1/2 sacks, among a career-high 54 stops this season. Hughes topped the nation last year with 15 sacks and six forced fumbles.

Washington leads TCU with 99 tackles, the most stops by a Horned Frog since 2004 (Martin Patterson, 131). Washington was a Dick Butkus Award semifinalist. He has 7 1/2 tackles for loss and is tied for the TCU lead with three interceptions.

A signature play for Washington was catching Clemson's C.J. Spiller from behind to make a touchdown-saving tackle in TCU's 14-10 win in Death Valley.

Photo Courtesy of TCU Athletics Media Relations

TCU's Hughes Wins Ted Hendricks Award

TCU's Jerry Hughes has been selected as the winner of the 2009 Ted Hendricks Award, recognizing him as the nation's top defensive end.

Hughes was informed of the honor via a Tuesday night phone call from Hendricks, a College Football and Pro Football Hall of Fame member. The Ted Hendricks Award will be presented to Hughes on March 21 at the Doral Golf Resort in Miami, Fla.

A two-time All-American, Hughes received nearly 60 percent of the votes cast in the final round of balloting.

Other finalists were Jeremy Beal (Oklahoma), Brandon Graham (Michigan), Sergio Kindle (Texas), Von Miller (Texas A&M), Derrick Morgan (Georgia Tech) and Greg Romeus (Pittsburgh).

"Jerry Hughes has been a consistently outstanding performer in his four-year career at TCU," Hendricks said. I have enjoyed watching him become one of the top defensive ends in the nation. It has been a rare occurrence that our voting process has included as many as seven finalists.

"It's a huge credit to Jerry that he emerged with the overwhelming majority of the vote. I am very pleased to announce that Jerry Hughes is our 2009 winner. It's well-deserved!"

Hughes anchors the nation's top-ranked defense. He has 15 tackles for loss, including 11 1/2 sacks, among a career-high 54 stops. The Horned Frogs are 12-0 and headed to the Fiesta Bowl for their first BCS appearance.

A senior from Sugar Land, Texas, Hughes is a two-time finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, honoring the nation's top defensive player. He is also a finalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award, Lott Trophy and Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.

After traveling to Charlotte, N.C., Monday for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy banquet, Hughes will be in Houston Wednesday for the Rotary Lombardi Award presentation. He will also head to Newport Beach, Calif., Sunday for the Lott Trophy announcement.

Hughes is just the third player to become a two-time Hendricks Award finalist.

Hughes is on pace to graduate this spring, in four years, with a degree in communications. In October, he received a Local Hero Award from Bank of America for his work in the community.

Photo Courtesy of College Press Box

Bowl Projections

Breaking down the bowl schedule and potential match-ups.

THE TITLE GAME:

1.7.10 - Citi BCS Championship Game (BCS #1 vs. BCS #2) Texas vs. Alabama

THE BCS BOWLS:

1.1.10 - Rose Bowl presented by Citi (BCS/Big Ten Champ If Available vs. BCS/Pac-10 Champ If Available) Ohio State vs. Oregon

1.1.10 - Allstate Sugar Bowl (BCS/SEC Champ If Available vs. BCS) Florida vs. TCU

1.4.10 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (BCS/Big 12 Champ If Available vs. BCS) Boise State vs. Cincinnati

1.5.10 - FedEx Orange Bowl (BCS/ACC Champ If Available vs. BCS) Georgia Tech vs. Iowa

THE REST OF THE BOWL SCHEDULE:

12.19.09 - New Mexico Bowl (WAC vs. Mountain West) Nevada vs. Wyoming

12.20.09 - R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (C-USA vs. Sun Belt) Marshall vs. Troy

12.19.09 - St. Petersburg Bowl (Big East vs. C-USA) South Florida vs. Central Florida

12.22.09 - Las Vegas Bowl (Mountain West vs. Pac-10) BYU vs. Oregon State

12.23.09 - San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl (Mountain West vs. Pac-10 or WAC) Utah vs. Arizona

12.24.09 - Sheraton Hawaii Bowl (WAC vs. C-USA) Fresno State vs. SMU

12.26.09 - Meineke Car Care Bowl (Big East vs. ACC) West Virginia vs. Clemson

12.26.09 - Little Caesars Bowl (MAC vs. Big Ten) Central Michigan vs. UCLA

12.26.09 - Emerald Bowl (Pac-10 vs. ACC) California vs. North Carolina

12.27.09- Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl (ACC vs. SEC) Boston College vs. Georgia

12.28.09 - AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl (SEC vs. Big 12) South Carolina vs. Missouri

12.29.09 - EagleBank Bowl (ACC vs. Army/Conference USA) Southern Mississippi vs. Northern Illinois

12.29.09 - Champs Sports Bowl - (ACC vs. Big Ten) Florida State vs. Michigan State

12.30.09 - Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl (WAC vs. Mountain West) Idaho vs. Bowling Green

12.30.09 - Texas Bowl (Big XII vs. Navy) Iowa State vs. Navy

12.30.09 - Pacific Life Holiday Bowl (Pac-10 vs. Big XII) USC vs. Nebraska

12.31.09 - Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Mountain West vs. C-USA) Air Force vs. East Carolina

12.31.09 - Burt Sun Bowl (Pac-10 vs. Big 12/Big East/Notre Dame) Stanford vs. Oklahoma

12.31.09 - Insight Bowl (Big 12 vs. Big Ten) Texas A&M vs. Minnesota

12.31.09 - Chick-Fil-A Bowl (SEC vs. ACC) Tennessee vs. Virginia Tech

1.1.10 - Outback Bowl (Big Ten vs. SEC) Wisconsin vs. Auburn

1.1.10 - Capital One Bowl (SEC vs. Big Ten) LSU vs. Penn State

1.1.10 - Konica Minolta Gator Bowl (ACC vs. Big 12/Big East/Notre Dame) Miami (FL) vs. Pittsburgh

1.2.10 - International Bowl (Big East vs. MAC) Connecticut vs. Temple

1.2.10 - Papa John.com Bowl (Big East vs. SEC) Rutgers vs. Kentucky

1.2.10 - AT&T Cotton Bowl (Big 12 - SEC) Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss

1.2.10 - AutoZone Liberty Bowl (C-USA vs. SEC) Houston vs. Arkansas

1.2.10 - Valero Alamo Bowl (Big Ten vs. Big 12) Northwestern vs. Texas Tech

1.6.10 - GMAC Bowl (ACC or WAC) Middle Tennessee State vs. Ohio

Photos Courtesy of College Press Box, University of California, OU Athletics Department

BCS Buster: Week 11 Preview

Game of the Week - Utah @ TCU

This is a battle for sole possession of first-place in the MWC, with both teams coming off convincing wins. The Frogs have been rolling and getting better every week while the Utes have a freshman quarterback, Jordan Wynn, who is coming off his first career start. That would be just one of several reasons why TCU will win this ball game. If you compare schedules, you will notice the Frogs have played a much harder slate of games than the Utes. Utah has played San Jose State, Oregon, Colorado State, and UNLV on the road this season. None of these opponents, outside of Oregon, has a winning record. At home, the Frogs have outscored opponents 180-41 while averaging 45 points per contest and allowing just 10.

As mentioned above, the Utes are starting a freshman quarterback while the Frogs have proven quarterback Andy Dalton under center. Though Wynn had a good game against New Mexico at home, one has to remember that the Lobos haven’t won a game all season so a decent-to-good performance should have been expected. Dalton, on the other hand, has been a true leader on the field and has showcased his incredible decision-making ability all season. He has thrown 16 touchdowns this season and only three interceptions; that’s just one interception per 69 pass attempts.

The defense of the Frogs speaks for itself, allowing 11.2 points-per-game on the year and only 25 points over their past four games. Utah has a good defense as well, allowing 16.4 points-per-game. Their downfall has been their opponents. Oregon has been their only true competition to date and, so far, their only loss. The Utes will need to neutralize Dalton and keep defensive end Jerry Hughes from getting at their young and inexperienced quarterback. The Frogs must stop running back Eddie Wide and force Wynn to beat them. No matter whose game plan works, both teams will come out swinging, hoping to stand alone at the top of the MWC.

Players to Watch: TCU: QB Andy Dalton; RB Joseph Turner; DE Jerry Hughes; LB Daryl Washington; Utah: QB Jordan Wynn; RB Eddie Wide; FS Robert Johnson; LB Koa Misi

Prediction: TCU 34; Utah 13

Other Games to Watch

Idaho @ Boise State: After surviving a scare from Louisiana Tech, the Blue Turf Darlings head home where they are nearly unbeatable. But the Vandals will bring their potent offense run by quarterback Nathan Enderle (questionable) as they try to outscore the Broncos in what should be a shootout. Prediction: Boise State 44; Idaho 20

Fresno State @ Nevada: The Bulldogs look to keep their WAC conference title hopes alive against first-place and red hot Nevada. Prediction: Nevada 28; Fresno State 17

Houston @ UCF: The Cougar offense is reason enough to watch this game. Enjoy the fireworks and the wonderful workings of Heisman hopeful Case Keenum. Prediction: Houston 47; UCF 33

Photo Courtesy of TCU Athletics Media Relations