Good morning New York Giants fans! Happy Saturday and welcome back to Bowl Season.
The first round of the College Football Playoffs got started last night with the matchup between (8) Oklahoma and (9) Alabama, and today we have three more playoff games.
Saturday starts off with (7) Texas A&M vs. (10) Miami, followed by (6) Ole Miss vs. (11) Tulane, and the day is capped by (5) Oregon vs. (12) James Madison. Today’s games should feature a number of draft prospects, as well as a pair of teams we haven’t really focused on in Tulane and JMU. So without further ado, let’s get into it.
(7) Texas A&M vs. (10) Miami
ESPN – noon
We get what should be the best game of the day first thing. While they’d never admit it, I suspect the college schedule makers put the games featuring Tulane and JMU against the NFL’s games at 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Giants fans will want to watch the line of scrimmage, and any potential matchup between TAMU edge defender Cashius Howell and Miami right tackle Francis Mauigoa. Mauigoa is a big, stout lineman at 6-foot-6, 320 pounds who’s a powerful run blocker and a reliable pass protector — at least at the collegiate level. There are some who question whether Mauigoa will be able to stay at tackle in the NFL, and this promises to be a good test.
Players to watch
(7) Texas A&M
- Chase Bisontis (OG – 71)
- Ar’maj Reed-Adams (OG – 55)
- Trey Zuhn III (OT – 60)
- K.C. Concepcion (WR – 7)
- Albert Regis (iDL – 17)
- Cashius Howell (EDGE – 9)
- Taurean York (LB – 21)
- Will Lee III (CB – 4)
(10) Miami
- Carson Beck (QB – 11)
- Francis Mauigoa (OT – 61)
- C.J. Daniels (WR – 7)
- Reuben Bane (DE / EDGE – 4)
- Akheem Mesidor (DE / EDGE – 3)I
- Keionte Scott (CB – 0)
(6) Ole Miss vs. (11) Tulane
TNT / HBO Max / TruTV – 3:30 p.m.
This game marks the start of the post-Lane Kiffin era for Ole Miss. But even so, it would be a definite upset if Tulane manages to in this game.
For Giants’ fans, Ole Miss defensive tackle Zxavian Harris bears watching. He’s an imposing presence at 6-foot-8, 330 pounds with plus run defense skills as well as some pass rush upside. He’s primarily a B-gap player for Ole Miss, which could fit well with Dexter Lawrence at nose tackle, and he has 4 sacks, 3 hits, 14 QB hurries to his name this year.
Players to watch
(6) Ole Miss
- Trinidad Chambliss (QB – 6)
- De’Zhaun Stribling (WR – 1)
- Dae’Quan Wright (TE – 8)
- Zxavian Harris (iDL – 51)
- Princewill Umanmielen (EDGE – 1)
- Suntarine Perkins (LB – 4)
(11) Tulane
- Jake Retzlaff (QB – 12)
- John Bock II (OL – 51)
- Ty Thompson (TE – 13)
- Mo Westmoreland (EDGE – 0)
(5) Oregon vs. (12) James Madison
TNT / HBO Max / TruTV – 7:30 p.m.
Credit to JMU for making it to the dance, but this is another one where the lower-ranked team winning would be a colossal upset.
From the Giants’ persepctive, Oregon QB Dante Moore might be the player to watch in this game — not as a draft target, but as potential trade bait. Moore is a 20-year old red-shirt sophomore with very limited starting experience, so it would likely behoove him to return to school. However, this year’s quarterback class is a weak one outside of Fernando Mendoza, and he would likely be one of the top two (or three, if Alabama’s Ty Simpson comes out) off the board in April. That could create a much-needed opportunity for the Giants to trade down and acquire more picks.
Elsewhere, defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington should definitely interest the Giants and Giants fans. Washington is a big, powerful defensive tackle who excels at clogging interior gaps (usually the B-gap) as well as batting down passes (6 on the season). He doesn’t have much pass rush production (2 sacks, 2 hits), but does have 13 hurries to his credit.
Players to watch
(5) Oregon
- Dante Moore (QB – 5)
- Isaiah World (OT – 76)
- Emmanuel Pregnon (OG – 75)
- Iapani Laloulu (OC – 72)
- Kenyon Sadiq (TE – 18)
- A’Mauri Washington (iDL – 52)
- Matayo Uiagalelei (EDGE – 10)
- Bryce Boettcher (LB – 28)
- Dillon Thieneman (S – 31)
(12) James Madison
- George Pettaway (RB – 6)
- Jacob Thomas (S – 7)
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