Tuesday Morning Pigskin is a day late this week, but that’s ok. We still have a ton of notes to disperse.
Tuesday Morning Pigskin
Playoff Taking Shape
The heat is on, especially in the world of College Football, where teams have two or three games remaining on their regular schedule. In a world where only 3 teams remain undefeated, the big-name schools are all playing in important games when it comes to football championship seeding. The 3 undefeated managed to win again last weekend, but a couple escaped after trailing at some point in their games. And GEORGIA just went flying past Alabama, after the Crimson Tide lost a tight one 21-23 to Oklahoma, in Tuscaloosa no less, while UGA walked all over TEXAS 35-10. IU got its mojo working in the second half of a 31-7 win over Wisconsin.
Badger Takes
Speaking of WISCONSIN and its football program, word is out that LUKE FICKEL will return for season 4 in 2026 after a three-yard score card that reads 7-6 in ’23, 5-7 in ’24, and currently 3-7. And I doubt it is going to vastly improve in 2026. The program can no longer recruit as it did during the ALVAREZ reign as Head Coach and Athletic Director. I spent 40 years living in Wisconsin and became a fan of the football program, including their highly entertaining school band program. Under the program’s current guidance, I personally doubt their current roster could even win the MAC conference title with their assembled talent.
Want to highlight some pro prospects who stood out in game action this past weekend.
Draft Prospect News
While the Clemson Tigers eked out a 20-19 win over a solid Louisville team last Friday night, they moved a bit closer to avoiding a losing record by season’s end. They currently are featuring a running game, which is led by a draft-eligible player who made the move to RB from a WR spot. And he’s piling up some solid numbers, as well as impressing with his battering-ram style and power running in ADAM RANDALL. Against Louisville, RANDALL had 18 carries for 132 yards and 2 TD. He looks legit to me and might be a better pro prospect than Phil Mafah/RB, who is with the Cowboys this season.
I did watch the NOTRE DAME/Pitt contest, which the Irish won convincingly 37-15. And the prospect who caught my eye the most, and is absolutely firmly embedded in my Top 100, was WR MALACHI FIELDS, a 6’4/220 transfer from VA to South Bend. He is big, strong, athletic, and dominates smaller secondary defenders. He caught 7 balls for 99 yards and 2 TD. I cannot wait to see his Combine numbers when he enters the NFL Draft process.
I will also add quickly that if JEREMIYAH LOVE leaves school for the pros, which he absolutely should, there is no way in hell he should get beyond the Top 10 Picks in the 2026 DRAFT. He ran for 147 yards and 2 TD on the day against Pitt. This guy is also an exceptional Kick Returner, tho I am not sure a pro team would risk his health on return work, unless they were in great need of it late in a game.
More News
Another of my favorite Draft-eligible players has been having a solid season despite the meltdown within the PENN STATE football program. That player is DANI DENNIS-SUTTON, a DE/ER with multiple athletic skills to his tool chest. He’s a senior with a 6’5, 260 lb. frame, or perhaps a bit lighter. In the Nittany Lions’ victory over Michigan State, he put on a dominant show. He is credited with 13 pressures, 2 TFL, 2 Sacks, and a Blocked Punt. Certainly a deserving player of Day Two Draft consideration.
As a slight side note, I wanted to mention the continued impressive work of CB Mansoor Delane of LSU. His stats won’t knock you out because most teams try to avoid throwing in his direction, but he may be the best all-around Corner in the SEC. Against Arkansas, he was credited with 3 PD and 1 interception. But I smile whenever his name comes up for a different reason. It takes me back to a classic JOHN WAYNE western movie from 1961 called The Comancheros. In that film, Wayne plays a Texas Ranger charged with bringing a duel killer known as Monsieur Paul Regret for extradition from Texas to Louisiana. Wayne’s character, not being from Cajun country, calls him Monsoor Paul Regret the entire movie. Whenever I mention DELANE in my prospect rankings, my mind flashes back to this Cowboy movie of my childhood. The coincidence makes me smile every time.
NFL NEWS & NOTES
It took my brain one instant to almost short-circuit last week when I saw a snippet of a report that showed JOE BURROW on the practice field with his Bengals teammates. Recovering from his foot injury has been the extent of his time on any field this regular season. And the first thought that popped into my mind was, they aren’t really gonna put him out on the field in another month with what is likely a 10-loss team by early December, are they? He is the franchise QB they need to win anything in the near future. He has a poor health record since entering the League, including missing his Rookie season due to a knee injury.
The team itself is likely looking at a Top 10 Draft slot for the 2026 NFL Draft. There is no play-off berth in sight, so why risk BURROW playing behind a perennially weak OL unit? He may want to play to finish out the season, and that should be the only reason the Bengals organization even considers him in regular-season action this season. BURROW needs to be healthy and a happy camper when the NFL off-season gets underway.
Outstanding Performances
I have been amazed in recent weeks by some of the individual records being set by some of the NFL’s elite players, for instance…
JOSH ALLEN QB BILLS In the much-needed Win for the Bills, over the Buccaneers on Sunday, ALLEN rallied his team to a victory, rushing for 3 TD, and passing for another 3 TD. This is the second time he has been directly responsible for 6 TD in one game. Back in 1954, legendary Hall of Fame QB OTTO GRAHAM of the Cleveland Browns accomplished that feat. No one before or after Graham has done so except for ALLEN.
Also, last weekend, in another Browns Loss to the Ravens, MYLES GARRETT racked up 4 Sacks. Garrett has now recorded 12 Sacks or more for 6 straight seasons. He recorded 14 Sacks last season to finish second to Trey Hendrickson. GARRETT clearly will be in a battle until season’s end for the 2025 Sack title.
They may not be record-holding marks, but a couple of guys put up massive numbers in play last weekend.
MORE SUPERLATIVES
MICHAEL WILSON WR Cardinals Playing with back-up QB Jacoby Brissett at the helm. WILSON recorded 15 receptions, on 18 targets, for 185 yards.
Meanwhile, QB BRYCE YOUNG of the Panthers went 31/45, 68.9%, 448 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT as the Panthers won 30-27 in Overtime over the Falcons.
HOW THE CHEESESTEAK IS MADE
I see a trend in Philadelphia with the Eagles. Folks have often mentioned how GM Howie Roseman seems to have a thing for GEORGIA Bulldogs football players. Especially on the defensive side of the ball. But it’s not just them, it’s the entire SEC he luvs. On the current Eagles 53-man roster, 19 total players came from SEC Conference schools. Can’t say I blame him. Kirby Smart wins himself a lot of recruiting battles, and that talent wins 10+ games almost every year.
SNEAD MAKES IT WORK
No one asked yet, but for my money, the Los Angeles Rams are the best overall football team in the NFL this season. Despite back issues all Summer, QB MATTHEW STAFFORD is killing it, leading their passing attack. And GM Les Snead and HC Sean McVay are absolutely of one mind in assembling a roster that fits what McVay wants to work with and mold to his style of play.
VEGAS CRASH OUT
Watched the COWBOYS simply rip apart the RAIDERS to pieces on MNF. WR PICKENS/LAMB just destroyed the Raiders’ weak secondary. Can the Cowboys make a legit Play-Off run with the trades and returning injured players around to finish the season?
For those of you wondering why the Raiders don’t run the ball much, and are saying ASHTON JEANTY is a failure at RB for his pro team, I say “not so fast, my friends”. The NFL stats Dept supplies an abundance of numbers on anything you can imagine. And they mentioned one stat that somewhat explains why JEANTY has struggled so to run the ball this season. The RAIDERS are reported to be averaging 1.4 seconds before the first hit on their RB. That is dead last amongst all 32 teams in the NFL. In other words, no holes, no big gains. It should also be noted that arguably their two best OL/blockers have been injured and absent from the field. That’s why O.C. CHIP KELLY is calling so many short throws to the RB group, hoping to get them the ball away from the inside traffic.
Another observation from that NFL match-up regarding probably the Raiders’ best overall player… MAXX CROSBY. Crosby is listed as 6’5/250 and I swear he can scratch his ankle without bending over, given how long his arms are. He reminds me of another long, tall defender by the name of TED “The Mad Stork” HENDRICKS, former Pro Bowl OLB/DE.
Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving to you all.