Your open thread for Saturday’s college bowl games
The 2024-2025 college football bowl season is in full swing, but considering the circumstances surrounding the New York Giants, it only makes sense to concentrate on the quarterbacks.
In particular, we’re keeping a close eye on Miami’s Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders of Colorado and both of those players will have their bowl games today. First we’ll get to see 13th-ranked Miami take on 18th-ranked Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. That game will be followed by 23rd-ranked Colorado playing 17th-ranked BYU in the Valero Alamo Bowl.
There will obviously be other games today, and we’ll spotlight some of the other players on the teams, but Ward and Sanders are the big draws. This will be crucial scouting tape as each of these games feature the strongest opponents they’ve faced this year. Iowa State is the first ranked opponent Miami has seen all year, while 17th-ranked BYU is just the second ranked opponent Colorado has seen.
Pop-Tarts Bowl: (13) Miami vs. (18) Iowa State
ABC – 3:30 p.m.
Let’s get this out of the way right now: We’re here for Miami quarterback Cam Ward. He’s my (current) QB1, and has a strong following among the Big Blue View community.
Ward is pretty much the player for Giants fans to watch this game, and has a number of intriguing traits. He has solid size and is a good athlete for the position, as evidenced by his mobility behind the line of scrimmage as well as pick up yards on his own if necessary. Ward’s calling card is his incredibly elastic arm, which allows him to throw around defenders as well as make just about every throw off-platform.
Ward will need to continue to show development in his decision making. His biggest flaw right now is a tendency to pass up smaller, methodical, gains in search of big plays. He was better in that regard at the end of the season, but it will be instructive to see how disciplined he is in a bowl game.
Players to watch
Miami
- Xavier Restrepo (WR) – Restrepo is an undersized receiver (5-foot-10, 200 pounds) with great short-area quickness and acceleration. He’s become Ward’s favorite target and is a threat at multiple levels, thanks to his run-after-catch ability as well as how well he gets open. Restrepo will probably be primarily a slot receiver at the next level, but he has the potential to be an “offensive weapon”.
Restrepo is a savvy technician and a natural catcher of the ball, and he’ll quickly become a favorite target at the next level. His short-area quickness and agility, meanwhile, make him dynamic in close quarters, and he also has the ball skills to be a threat down the field despite his lack of size.
Iowa State
- Darien Porter (CB) – It’ll be must-watch tape if we get matchups between Restrepo and Iowa State cornerback Darien Porter. Where Restrepo is compact and quick, Porter is long and rangy at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds. He’s a long-levered corner who moves well despite his height. Porter has accepted his invitation to the Senior Bowl, and could be a Day 2 pick before all is said and done.
He’s a better zone corner right now, thanks to his instincts and length. That could appeal to the Giants if Shane Bowen survives Black Monday and the Giants are still running a zone-based defensive scheme.
Valero Alamo Bowl – (23) Colorado vs. (17) BYU
ABC – 7:30 p.m.
As with the Pop-Tarts Bowl, we’re mostly here for Shedeur Sanders. Perhaps the biggest decision the Giants will have to make is whether or not either Ward or Sanders are potential “Franchise” quarterbacks, and seeing how they respond to Bowl games will be part of that.
Sanders is a good quarterback within the structure of Pat Shurmur’s offense. He’s accurate when he’s on time and in rhythm within the structure of the offense. He has enough arm talent to challenge tight windows and the accuracy to place the ball well when things are as they expect him.
The red flag in Sanders’ game is almost diametrically opposed to Cam Ward’s. Where Ward can be prone to try and find big plays rather than take the easy completion, Sanders can be prone to dropping his eyes and succumbing to pressure if his preferred reads aren’t there. That isn’t to say that Sanders isn’t able to generate big plays — he certainly is — but he also has a tendency to pat the ball, get happy feet, and run himself into sacks if his post-snap reads are muddied. Scouts will keep a close eye on how Sanders’ responds to playing a team that’s top 20 in both total and passing defense.
Other players to watch
Colorado
- Travis Hunter (CB/WR) — If Shedeur Sanders is the top draw at the game for the Giants, Hunter is hot on his heels as a 1b. Hunter is, as we well know, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and is a rare athlete. He isn’t the best receiver or cornerback in the nation but is very good at both roles. It’s possible that he could have been the best at either this year had he concentrated on one side of the ball… But he didn’t want to and Deion Sanders was happy to oblige.
It will be fascinating to follow Hunter’s draft process, as well as see how the NFL views him. The feeling here is that he’d likely be best served by playing cornerback in the NFL, with a package of plays on offense to take advantage of that skill set. Teams frequently substitute receivers on and off the field, so it’d be easier to work Hunter in on offense in high leverage situations than to try and sub him on the field as a defender when the offense controls the pace of the game.
BYU
- Caleb Etienne (OT) — The Giants should always keep one eye on the offensive line. Even if the starting line is settled, having solid depth and a pipeline of talent is a good idea (to say the least).
Etienne has had a winding path to the NFL that started in the JuCo ranks and took him to Oklahoma State before he landed at BYU. Eteinne lost his job as the starting left tackle at Oklahoma State in the spring of 2023 after allowing just one sack in 2022, and was then benched and moved from right tackle to a reserve guard at BYU in 2023. He became BYU’s starting left tackle in 2024 and has played very well in the role.
He’s a tall, long tackle at 6-foot-8, 320 pounds. He reportedly lost about 20 pounds over the spring and summer of 2024 to help improve his movement skills and pass protection. That improvement shows on the field as he’s a remarkably smooth mover for his size and is able to handle speed off the edge. He also knows what to do with his long arms and understands how to use his length to his advantage. Etienne still struggles with leverage issues and has a tendency to play tall and let his pads rise over the course of the rep. He also doesn’t play with as much power as you’d expect from a lineman his size.
Etienne will probably be a Day 3 pick, or even an undrafted free agent, but he definitely has the tools — and track record — to be a worthwhile investment for a team.
