College Football 2006 All Star Games - Review

I live for College Football All Star Games, where else can you see a D-Lineman from an NAIA school go head to head with an O-Lineman from Michigan? That my friends is a little something called The Magnolia Grid Iron Classic. College Bowl/All-Star/Classics are such a far cry from the debacle known as the NFL Pro Bowl. These kids really have something to prove. Usually the level of play is stepped up to the nth degree and there is never a lack of bone-jarring hits. It’s a great showcase for young talent. Scouts take notice! Here is the 2006 College Football All Star Games.

THE SENIOR BOWL

Outcome: North: 31 South: 14
O-MVP: WR Sinorice Moss – Miami (S), QB Charlie Whitehurst – Clemson (N)
D-MVP: LB Gerris Wilkinson - Georgia Tech (S), DE Tamba Hali - Penn State (N)
My “small school” MVP: none

While last years team included eight small school players – of which all eight went on to be drafted – The 2006 Senior Bowl Rosters had a whopping ZERO athletes from the sub-DI ranks. This was very disapointing. I understand that the Senior Bowl is set up to showcase the talents of the Top NFL Prospects, most of which are indeed D-I guys, but going from 8 to 0 is just to odd. Nonetheless it was a fun game to watch, especially seeing the great athleticism of Penn State QB Michael Robinson – he’s a great runner that could be used at a few other positions. Also, Clemson QB Charlie Whitehurst showed great poise and an accurate arm. But come on guys, mix it up in 2007 will ya! Throw in a I-AA guy at least.

THE HULA BOWL

Outcome: East: 10 West: 7
West-MVP: QB Brad Smith - Missouri
East-MVP: DE Brent Hawkins - Illinois State
My “small school” MVP: QB Brett Elliott – Linfield/DE David Tollefson - NW Missouri State

Don’t let the score fool you, this game had some good offense. The big standout was Central Florida WR Brandon Marshall. He’s tall and very skilled, he made some great grabs and really boosted his stock. But my favorite player may have been Linfield QB Brett Elliott, a DIII athlete that showed great leadership. He capped off a 76 yard drive with a TD pass to Brandon Marshall. There was a good amount of lower division guys in this game, one of the most "eye-opening" was DE David Tollefson of NW Missouri State. He led the East with 6 tackles (all solo stops).

THE EAST-WEST SHRINE GAME

Outcome: West: 35 East: 31
West-MVP: QB Reggie McNeal - Texas A&M
East-MVP: DL James Wyche - Syracuse
My “small school” MVP: WR Marques Colston – Hoftra

This is my favorite All-Star Game. I had been a fan of the late Blue-Gray Game but that has since died do to lack of support, much like what has happened with the Gridiron Classic. The 2006 East-West Shrine Game was top-notch, it had some exciting offense and some big-play defense. The game ended on a goal line stand by the West with no time left. A few players really stood out, such as QB Reggie McNeal from Texas A&M (who showed great ability to throw deep and pass on the run), Arkansas RB De'Arrius Howard (3TDs) and Oregon State WR Mike Haas (4r, 107y).

A slew of lower division players participated in the Shrine, they all played well and showed that they could compete with DI. Marques Colston a WR from Hoftra had a tremendous day; making an impressive acrobatic TD catch and hauling in a big pass at the one-yard line falling just shy of the game winning grab. There was also solid defensive play from big hitting Fredricc Brock (LB, Texas Southern) and tough coverman Danieal Manning (CB, Abeline Christian), along with a great effort on the Offensive Line from Cornell’s OT Kevin Boothe. QB Tarvaris Jackson from Alabama State had a decent game as did Canadian WR Andy Fantuz from Western Ontario.

THE LAS VEGAS CLASSIC

Outcome: East: 41 West: 3
My “small school” MVP: QB Tyler Emmert - Carroll College (E)

A very lopsided game to say the least. Tulane safety Tra Boger scored 2TDs, one on an INT and one on a fumble recovery, a very impressive performance.

While a few small school lineman did a strong job, there was only one name worth mentioning and that is QB Tyler Emmert from NAIA’s Carroll College. He held his own against some I-A players by staying calm and tossing a nice TD. He also broke out an impressive 22 yard run.

THE MAGNOLIA GRID IRON CLASSIC

Outcome: White: 19 Red: 7
My “small school” MVP: RB Keldrick Williams - Alabama State

This was the first year for the Magnolia Grid Iron Classic. It was set up to replace the Gridiron Classic and The Blue-Gray Game. The Magnolia G.I.C. places a team of D-I players head-to-head with a team comprised of I-AA, II and III players (each team also has some NAIA athletes). In this first contest, the White (D-I) defeated the Red 19-7. Louisiana-Monroe QB Steven Jyles had a solid game. He showed a good agility in the pocket and was good on the run. Jyles lead the White in rushing (31y) and passing (6-10, 80y, TD-INT). Also coming up big for the White where; WR Bill Sampy from Louisiana-Lafayette (44y TD rec), TE Boone Stutz from Texas A&M (TD), CB John Eubanks from Southern Miss (INT return of 90y), SS Trae Boger from Tulane (6 tackles all solo) and OLB Bernard Davis from Troy (6t, 5 solo, INT).

The small school O-Lineman did a good job against the D-I guys. They helped pave the way for the games leading rusher RB Keldrick Williams of Alabama State (67y). Defensively, DE Joe Sykes (Southern U.) had a standout game with 5 tackles (4 solo) and a sack.

THE AZTEC BOWL

Outcome: U.S.: 53 Mexico: 15
MVP: DB Wes Hostetler - Ohio Northern
My “small school” MVP: DB Wes Hostetler - Ohio Northern

An interesting Bowl game in which a small school All-Star team plays a football team from Mexico. Very strange. This year Mexico really got beat bad, the U.S. offense was very lame but the defense and special treams combined to score 36 points. One kid had an unreal game, that was Ohio Northern defensive back Wes Hostetler. He had 223 all-purpose yards and scored 3TDs … by KR, PR and INT. He broke four game records. Also Curry’s DB Charlie Gibbs and North Central’s LB Lenny Radtke both scored on INT returns.

THE CACTUS BOWL

Outcome: West: 49 East: 33
O-MVP: QB Wesley Beschorner - South Dakota (W)
D-MVP: DT Clayton Farrell – Abilene Christian
Jim Langer Award (top offensive lineman) – OL Nick Hageman - South Dakota (W)
My “small school” MVP: QB Wesley Beschorner - South Dakota (W)

This game had loads of great offense. South Dakota QB Wesley Beschorner set numerous game records by running for 87y and a TD and also passing for over 300 yards. Another record breaker was WR Richie Ross from Nebraska-Kearney who had 131 receiving yards and 2TDs, including an impressive 72 yard haul. The Defensive MVP was DT Clayton Farrell of Abilene Christian, he had 4 sacks (a record) on the day.

THE EAST COAST BOWL

Outcome: South: 27 North: 14
My “small school” MVP: LB Terrance Leverett – Newberry

Despite the score the East Coast Bowl was a showcase of solid defense. Players like LB Terrance Leverett of Newberry (7t, 2tfl, ff, 2fr, INT-22y, pbu) with his jarring hits and LB Matt Vance of Fairmont State with his clutch INT return for a TD, all had great games. Another solid player was DE Mike Lewis (Adrian) who totaled 6t, 4tfl and 2 sacks on the day.

That’s that, another year of All Star Games. It will be interesting to see how many of these guys make it to the next level.

-Matt