The Soul Bowl has fallen on hard times. Both teams have already been eliminated from playoff contention, so last night's game was just about pride. After going scoreless for much of the game, the teams traded touchdowns late in the second half before heading to overtime. Northwestern stuffed Jackson on a two-point conversion and won the game. Some thoughts:
- Osband Thompson (LB for Jackson) is the most underrated player in South Florida. He had not one, not two but THREE fourth-down stops and at least seven TFLs today. His ability to time his blitzes and get skinny through gaps reminds me of Colin McCarthy and Sean Spence. Thompson is also excellent in coverage and a sure tackler. Someone is going to get an absolute steal in the Lavonte David mode.
- This is the first time I've seen JoJo Robinson actually look like a Big 3 player. With Ryan Mayes out, JoJo finally got an extended look on defense and he excelled. He has good speed and quickness and he strikes people. Very physical. He also extended for a nice INT in the end zone. When Northwestern was driving late, they just handed the ball to JoJo and he responded with the game-tying and game-winning TDs.
- Winky Flowers played one of the worst games of his career. His accuracy was off all game (missed eleven in a row at one point) and appeared frustrated with the dropped balls. He has improved as a quarterback this year and can play QB at USF, but I still believe his long-term projection is at safety.
- Jovon Durante battled the dropsies all game before redeeming himself with a spectacular fourth down TD catch on a fade. This is not the first time he's struggled to catch the ball, which is surprising considering that he is a natural hands-catcher.
- Michael Smith sat out with an injury but said he will be fine.
- DeAndre Baker (MNW) is a long, lean corner to keep your eye on in 2015. Khalid McGee is also a D-1 kid from 2015, although he is more of an in-the-box safety.
- Northwestern's team may have fallen off, but the band is in absolute peak form. I've seen a lot of good performances this year, but this one was a straight extravaganza. The halftime show had Bell Biv Devoe, gymnastics, twerking, all in perfect synchronization. These guys went non-stop all game, even in the rain. When they took a water break, they had some kind of organized cheer incorporating the water bottles. A championship performance.
- Osband Thompson (LB for Jackson) is the most underrated player in South Florida. He had not one, not two but THREE fourth-down stops and at least seven TFLs today. His ability to time his blitzes and get skinny through gaps reminds me of Colin McCarthy and Sean Spence. Thompson is also excellent in coverage and a sure tackler. Someone is going to get an absolute steal in the Lavonte David mode.
- This is the first time I've seen JoJo Robinson actually look like a Big 3 player. With Ryan Mayes out, JoJo finally got an extended look on defense and he excelled. He has good speed and quickness and he strikes people. Very physical. He also extended for a nice INT in the end zone. When Northwestern was driving late, they just handed the ball to JoJo and he responded with the game-tying and game-winning TDs.
- Winky Flowers played one of the worst games of his career. His accuracy was off all game (missed eleven in a row at one point) and appeared frustrated with the dropped balls. He has improved as a quarterback this year and can play QB at USF, but I still believe his long-term projection is at safety.
- Jovon Durante battled the dropsies all game before redeeming himself with a spectacular fourth down TD catch on a fade. This is not the first time he's struggled to catch the ball, which is surprising considering that he is a natural hands-catcher.
- Michael Smith sat out with an injury but said he will be fine.
- DeAndre Baker (MNW) is a long, lean corner to keep your eye on in 2015. Khalid McGee is also a D-1 kid from 2015, although he is more of an in-the-box safety.
- Northwestern's team may have fallen off, but the band is in absolute peak form. I've seen a lot of good performances this year, but this one was a straight extravaganza. The halftime show had Bell Biv Devoe, gymnastics, twerking, all in perfect synchronization. These guys went non-stop all game, even in the rain. When they took a water break, they had some kind of organized cheer incorporating the water bottles. A championship performance.
