I know it's frownded upon, but can anyone post the espn article by McShay and Kiper called "Miss. State worthy of no. 1"? I'm not signing up for one single article.
ESPN Insider
- Thread starter esplanade91
- Start date
Mel Kiper: Time to hand out the Kiper and McShay Midseason Awards, soon to be bigger than the Heisman. Now, all these awards (top team, Heisman favorite, best coach, best defender, fast-rising prospect) are based on what we're giving out if the season ended today. Got it, Todd? All right -- I'll get this kicked off.
[h=3]TRUE No. 1 team in the country[/h]<offer></offer>
Kiper: Mississippi State Bulldogs
They get the narrow win here over Ole Miss, in part because they've been a little more dominant, and also because I consider the Ole Miss win at Texas A&M even more impressive than a slight home win over Alabama, and Mississippi State helped by pounding on the Aggies the week before. Look, the Bulldogs are outscoring opponents by an average of 42-20, and the "close" LSU win (34-29) happened after they rested on a 34-10 fourth-quarter lead. It's not just the wins -- it's the pounding. Auburn, for much of that game Saturday, got physically pounded. Same with Texas A&M, even if the Aggies' wide receivers had a bad day. I just don't think you can find a better résumé at this point.
Todd McShay: Mississippi State
Agreed. The most talented team in the country is Florida State, but the Seminoles aren't playing at a high enough level as a team, especially on defense, to be the best team in the country. Mississippi State and Ole Miss are playing the best team football, and I'll give the Bulldogs a slight edge right now (but it's very close). They aren't quite as good on defense overall as the Rebels, but they're playing better than expected on that side of the ball, especially along the front seven. And their offense is better, largely due to QB Dak Prescott. His dual-threat ability in that scheme makes the Bulldogs extremely difficult to defend, and he has some solid weapons around him in RB Josh Robinson (decisive runner with good vision and quickness) and WR De'Runnya Wilson (a threat in the passing game due to his 6-foot-5, 215-pound frame who delivered with four catches for 72 yards and a TD against Auburn). The pass-catchers as a unit fit in well because they're good at back-shoulder catches and on jump balls versus man-to-man coverage.
[h=3]Heisman Trophy winner[/h]McShay: Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State
I went in-depth on Prescott's physical skills and traits in my prospect breakdown of him last week -- in short, he has some work to do as a passer but has good enough arm strength and very good placement on shorter and intermediate throws, and he is very effective as a runner and shows good mobility within the pocket. He's been very productive, as well, throwing for 1,478 yards and 14 TDs (against four interceptions) on 62 percent passing, while running for another 576 yards and eight touchdowns. But it's more than just stats with him; he's a great leader and teammate, and he's an easy guy to pull for. He didn't have his best game against Auburn, but still ran for two touchdowns and threw for another.
Kiper: Prescott
Mississippi State's offense averages 265 yards passing and 264 yards rushing per game. Prescott isn't just the biggest reason for the balance, he's a symbol of it thanks to his own abilities. He's fifth in Total QBR, and he has already accounted for 22 TDs and is the Bulldogs' second-leading rusher. As long as they keep winning and he keeps putting up these numbers, it's going to be his trophy to lose.
[h=3]Coach of the Year[/h]Kiper: Dan Mullen, Mississippi State
Yeah, a bit of a pattern here. But who else gets it? Maybe some votes for Ole Miss' Hugh Freeze, but it's still Mullen for me. Remember, Mississippi State was unranked entering this season. The Bulldogs have talent, but these awards are based on beating expectations in some cases, and so far this is the poster team and coach for that reality.
McShay: Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss Rebels
I'll go with Freeze, but I couldn't argue with Mullen, either. Freeze and his staff have done a great job of developing a lot of young key contributors, and they've also worked with QB Bo Wallace to get him to play within the scheme and limit mistakes, which has been critical to the team's success so far. The Rebels are 6-0 for the first time since 1962, including consecutive wins over Alabama and at Texas A&M.
[h=3]Defensive Player of the Year[/h]McShay: Leonard Floyd, OLB, Georgia Bulldogs
Joey Bosa, Jordan Phillips and Eric Striker are the three most dominant players I've seen live this season, but OSU and Oklahoma have had their struggles. Floyd is a nightmare to deal with -- a burner off the edge as a pass-rusher who is athletic enough to hold up in coverage. He's also a sideline-to-sideline run defender. Georgia ranks 13th nationally in scoring defense, and Floyd leads the team with four sacks, nine QB hits and two forced fumbles. And he gets so much attention from opponents that he makes everyone around him better.
Kiper: Hau'oli Kikaha, OLB, Washington Huskies
Who? Well, he leads the nation in tackles for loss (13). He leads the nation in sacks (10). And what I like is we're seeing the disruption every week. There hasn't been a game this season when he hasn't had a sack and (obviously) a tackle for loss. This defense is loaded with prospects, from Shaq Thompson to Danny Shelton to Marcus Peters. But quietly, Kikaha has been the most consistent performer. Draft stock? Right now I'd put him in the late-first-day (but likelier second-day) conversation.
[h=3]Fastest-rising prospect[/h]Kiper: Shane Ray, OLB/DE, Missouri Tigers
He wasn't on my Big Board at the start of the season because he didn't get enough reps last year, but he's been exceptional in 2014. He's been a constant disruptive force as a pass-rusher, and what I really like is that he can beat you off the edge but also has quickness and shed skills to create separation and penetrate from the inside. Right now he's No. 5 overall on the Big Board.
McShay: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia Mountaineers
We gave White a Day 3 grade in our preseason evaluation of him, and now it won't surprise me if he ends up being drafted before Round 3. He had his sixth straight game of 100-plus yards receiving in West Virginia's comeback win over Texas Tech on Saturday, finishing with 123 yards on 13 catches. He leads the nation in receiving yards (888) and receiving yards per game (148).
[+] Enlarge
<cite style="margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; color: rgb(171, 171, 171); background: transparent;">AP Photo/Skip Martin</cite>While Bama has struggled, Landon Collins has raised his draft stock to top-10 potential.
The entire Ole Miss defense (aka the "Landsharks") has been sensational. But Prewitt is the senior captain who shows up every week. He's not exceptional in any area, with just average straight-line speed at 6-1 and 220 pounds, and he's likely a midround NFL draft pick. But he's a very good all-around football player whose best quality is his football smarts. He came up big Saturday with a 75-yard pick-six.
Kiper: Landon Collins, S, Alabama Crimson Tide
Some high-profile Tide safeties have been drafted the past few years, with Mark Barron and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix going in the first round, and even Vinnie Sunseri coming off the board. My take: Collins is the best of them all. He is that truly versatile safety, a player literally every team needs. On Saturday we saw more of it. Against Arkansas, he was the best player on the field for both teams. He had an interception, a pair of pass breakups, eight tackles (he leads the Tide defense in that category) and was close to mistake-free aside from one missed tackle, based on my charting. What makes Collins truly special is he's great in coverage, but is practically an extra linebacker in run support. An NFL team could consider him as early as the top 10.
I think Hodges has a chance to be the first non-FBS player off the board in the 2015 NFL draft. He has great burst in pursuit and is now the all-time Ivy League sack leader, and what I really like is that he creates pressure off the edge but also dips inside and creates problems there. Against Cornell on Saturday, he had 2.5 TFL and 1.5 sacks, and what I love is how he always looks to dislodge the ball in pursuit. He's not that big at 6-2 and 237 pounds, and the big question will be whether he'll be able to play in reverse and drop into space and cover at the next level.
McShay: Hodges
I think you've been looking at my notebook, Mel. You're right, though, Hodges is one of the top small-school prospects in the country, and he could come off the board in the third- to fourth-round range. He does a good job of converting speed-to-power as a pass-rusher (4.75 speed), and he's solid dropping into coverage. He's also strong enough to anchor against the run, but he struggles to disengage quickly enough at times. Harvard is off to a 4-0 start, and the defense, led by Hodges, is the biggest reason.
Golson has been up and down so far this season, but his highs have been very high and he's completing 63 percent of his passes. The Seminoles' defense is loaded with speed and has a lot of young talent, but it hasn't played to expectations so far. Will the Noles -- led by LB Terrance Smith, S Jalen Ramsey and CBs P.J. Williams and Ronald Darby -- put it all together in front of the FSU home crowd Saturday night (8 p.m. ET, ABC)?
Kiper: Will Notre Dame's team speed show up and allow the Irish to compete at Florida State?
I'll have my eye on Tallahassee, too, Todd. But I have another thought: How can we be this far into the season and know so little about two teams ranked in the top 10? Really. The Irish haven't lost a game, but the most impressive win they have is taking apart a Michigan team that we now realize may not even finish in the top half of the Big Ten. And Florida State has managed to win every single game yet somehow drop in the rankings. For me, the question is whether the Irish defense can slow down Jameis Winston and the FSU passing game. This isn't the most talented we've seen Notre Dame, but a focus on speed has paid off. This is a good place to test the speed question.
[h=3]TRUE No. 1 team in the country[/h]<offer></offer>
Kiper: Mississippi State Bulldogs
They get the narrow win here over Ole Miss, in part because they've been a little more dominant, and also because I consider the Ole Miss win at Texas A&M even more impressive than a slight home win over Alabama, and Mississippi State helped by pounding on the Aggies the week before. Look, the Bulldogs are outscoring opponents by an average of 42-20, and the "close" LSU win (34-29) happened after they rested on a 34-10 fourth-quarter lead. It's not just the wins -- it's the pounding. Auburn, for much of that game Saturday, got physically pounded. Same with Texas A&M, even if the Aggies' wide receivers had a bad day. I just don't think you can find a better résumé at this point.
Todd McShay: Mississippi State
Agreed. The most talented team in the country is Florida State, but the Seminoles aren't playing at a high enough level as a team, especially on defense, to be the best team in the country. Mississippi State and Ole Miss are playing the best team football, and I'll give the Bulldogs a slight edge right now (but it's very close). They aren't quite as good on defense overall as the Rebels, but they're playing better than expected on that side of the ball, especially along the front seven. And their offense is better, largely due to QB Dak Prescott. His dual-threat ability in that scheme makes the Bulldogs extremely difficult to defend, and he has some solid weapons around him in RB Josh Robinson (decisive runner with good vision and quickness) and WR De'Runnya Wilson (a threat in the passing game due to his 6-foot-5, 215-pound frame who delivered with four catches for 72 yards and a TD against Auburn). The pass-catchers as a unit fit in well because they're good at back-shoulder catches and on jump balls versus man-to-man coverage.
[h=3]Heisman Trophy winner[/h]McShay: Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State
I went in-depth on Prescott's physical skills and traits in my prospect breakdown of him last week -- in short, he has some work to do as a passer but has good enough arm strength and very good placement on shorter and intermediate throws, and he is very effective as a runner and shows good mobility within the pocket. He's been very productive, as well, throwing for 1,478 yards and 14 TDs (against four interceptions) on 62 percent passing, while running for another 576 yards and eight touchdowns. But it's more than just stats with him; he's a great leader and teammate, and he's an easy guy to pull for. He didn't have his best game against Auburn, but still ran for two touchdowns and threw for another.
Kiper: Prescott
Mississippi State's offense averages 265 yards passing and 264 yards rushing per game. Prescott isn't just the biggest reason for the balance, he's a symbol of it thanks to his own abilities. He's fifth in Total QBR, and he has already accounted for 22 TDs and is the Bulldogs' second-leading rusher. As long as they keep winning and he keeps putting up these numbers, it's going to be his trophy to lose.
[h=3]Coach of the Year[/h]Kiper: Dan Mullen, Mississippi State
Yeah, a bit of a pattern here. But who else gets it? Maybe some votes for Ole Miss' Hugh Freeze, but it's still Mullen for me. Remember, Mississippi State was unranked entering this season. The Bulldogs have talent, but these awards are based on beating expectations in some cases, and so far this is the poster team and coach for that reality.
McShay: Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss Rebels
I'll go with Freeze, but I couldn't argue with Mullen, either. Freeze and his staff have done a great job of developing a lot of young key contributors, and they've also worked with QB Bo Wallace to get him to play within the scheme and limit mistakes, which has been critical to the team's success so far. The Rebels are 6-0 for the first time since 1962, including consecutive wins over Alabama and at Texas A&M.
[h=3]Defensive Player of the Year[/h]McShay: Leonard Floyd, OLB, Georgia Bulldogs
Joey Bosa, Jordan Phillips and Eric Striker are the three most dominant players I've seen live this season, but OSU and Oklahoma have had their struggles. Floyd is a nightmare to deal with -- a burner off the edge as a pass-rusher who is athletic enough to hold up in coverage. He's also a sideline-to-sideline run defender. Georgia ranks 13th nationally in scoring defense, and Floyd leads the team with four sacks, nine QB hits and two forced fumbles. And he gets so much attention from opponents that he makes everyone around him better.
Kiper: Hau'oli Kikaha, OLB, Washington Huskies
Who? Well, he leads the nation in tackles for loss (13). He leads the nation in sacks (10). And what I like is we're seeing the disruption every week. There hasn't been a game this season when he hasn't had a sack and (obviously) a tackle for loss. This defense is loaded with prospects, from Shaq Thompson to Danny Shelton to Marcus Peters. But quietly, Kikaha has been the most consistent performer. Draft stock? Right now I'd put him in the late-first-day (but likelier second-day) conversation.
[h=3]Fastest-rising prospect[/h]Kiper: Shane Ray, OLB/DE, Missouri Tigers
He wasn't on my Big Board at the start of the season because he didn't get enough reps last year, but he's been exceptional in 2014. He's been a constant disruptive force as a pass-rusher, and what I really like is that he can beat you off the edge but also has quickness and shed skills to create separation and penetrate from the inside. Right now he's No. 5 overall on the Big Board.
McShay: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia Mountaineers
We gave White a Day 3 grade in our preseason evaluation of him, and now it won't surprise me if he ends up being drafted before Round 3. He had his sixth straight game of 100-plus yards receiving in West Virginia's comeback win over Texas Tech on Saturday, finishing with 123 yards on 13 catches. He leads the nation in receiving yards (888) and receiving yards per game (148).
[h=3]On the rise[/h]
McShay: Cody Prewitt, S, Ole Miss[+] Enlarge
<cite style="margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; color: rgb(171, 171, 171); background: transparent;">AP Photo/Skip Martin</cite>While Bama has struggled, Landon Collins has raised his draft stock to top-10 potential.The entire Ole Miss defense (aka the "Landsharks") has been sensational. But Prewitt is the senior captain who shows up every week. He's not exceptional in any area, with just average straight-line speed at 6-1 and 220 pounds, and he's likely a midround NFL draft pick. But he's a very good all-around football player whose best quality is his football smarts. He came up big Saturday with a 75-yard pick-six.
Kiper: Landon Collins, S, Alabama Crimson Tide
Some high-profile Tide safeties have been drafted the past few years, with Mark Barron and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix going in the first round, and even Vinnie Sunseri coming off the board. My take: Collins is the best of them all. He is that truly versatile safety, a player literally every team needs. On Saturday we saw more of it. Against Arkansas, he was the best player on the field for both teams. He had an interception, a pair of pass breakups, eight tackles (he leads the Tide defense in that category) and was close to mistake-free aside from one missed tackle, based on my charting. What makes Collins truly special is he's great in coverage, but is practically an extra linebacker in run support. An NFL team could consider him as early as the top 10.
[h=3]Almost famous[/h]Kiper: Zach Hodges, DE/OLB, Harvard CrimsonI think Hodges has a chance to be the first non-FBS player off the board in the 2015 NFL draft. He has great burst in pursuit and is now the all-time Ivy League sack leader, and what I really like is that he creates pressure off the edge but also dips inside and creates problems there. Against Cornell on Saturday, he had 2.5 TFL and 1.5 sacks, and what I love is how he always looks to dislodge the ball in pursuit. He's not that big at 6-2 and 237 pounds, and the big question will be whether he'll be able to play in reverse and drop into space and cover at the next level.
McShay: Hodges
I think you've been looking at my notebook, Mel. You're right, though, Hodges is one of the top small-school prospects in the country, and he could come off the board in the third- to fourth-round range. He does a good job of converting speed-to-power as a pass-rusher (4.75 speed), and he's solid dropping into coverage. He's also strong enough to anchor against the run, but he struggles to disengage quickly enough at times. Harvard is off to a 4-0 start, and the defense, led by Hodges, is the biggest reason.
[h=3]What I'll be watching[/h]McShay: How will Notre Dame QB Everett Golson fare against Florida State's defense?Golson has been up and down so far this season, but his highs have been very high and he's completing 63 percent of his passes. The Seminoles' defense is loaded with speed and has a lot of young talent, but it hasn't played to expectations so far. Will the Noles -- led by LB Terrance Smith, S Jalen Ramsey and CBs P.J. Williams and Ronald Darby -- put it all together in front of the FSU home crowd Saturday night (8 p.m. ET, ABC)?
Kiper: Will Notre Dame's team speed show up and allow the Irish to compete at Florida State?
I'll have my eye on Tallahassee, too, Todd. But I have another thought: How can we be this far into the season and know so little about two teams ranked in the top 10? Really. The Irish haven't lost a game, but the most impressive win they have is taking apart a Michigan team that we now realize may not even finish in the top half of the Big Ten. And Florida State has managed to win every single game yet somehow drop in the rankings. For me, the question is whether the Irish defense can slow down Jameis Winston and the FSU passing game. This isn't the most talented we've seen Notre Dame, but a focus on speed has paid off. This is a good place to test the speed question.
