Daily Blog • December 21, 2010
Each and every day at PhilSteele.com I will be giving you more information and stats on all 35 bowl games so you can become an expert on each bowl matchup. Today’s blog will break down NCAA Statistics for Players participating in bowls.

Also each day during bowl season in my daily blog, I will give you my forecasts on the bowl games taking place that day. My forecasts will include a detailed write-up with my computer’s projected box score including rushing and passing yards, points and turnovers along with a detailed write-up on each game.

Please make sure to check PhilSteele.com everyday for complete information and coverage on all the bowl matchups. On the homepage click on the Bowl matchups link, where you will find all 35 bowl games. Click on the bowl logo for each game to get all the information you need to become an expert!

BEEF 'O' BRADY'S BOWL
(Click the Logo For More Info)

LOUISVILLE (6-6) vs SOUTHERN MISS (8-4)
Rushing
Passing
Points
TO’s
ST
LOUISVILLE 155
205
30
1.9
••
SOUTHERN MISSS
170
200
26
1.7
-

Louisville should be excited to play in this game as it is their first bowl trip S/'06 Orange Bowl. These two were former Ex-CUSA rivals and Southern Miss holds an 18-9-1 edge in the series. UL HC Strong will coach his 2nd bowl as he was the interim coach of Florida for their 27-10 loss to Miami (FL) in the ‘04 Peach Bowl while Southern Miss HC Fedora is 1-1 in bowls but has faced 2 Sun Belt foes and now jumps up to a BCS foe. Strong (DC) and Fedora (OC) did coach together at FL from ‘03-’04. Offensively, I have to give the edge to Southern Miss as they have avg 47 ppg the L/5 contests but the Cards do feature All-American RB Powell who ran for 1,330 yds (6.3) despite missing a couple of games to due to injury. He should be healthier here and UL has the defensive edge thanks in large part to Strong as they field one of the most improved D's in the country this year including my #31 pass eff D. UL has won the L/4 vs SM with the most recent meeting being a 25-23 contest LY and makes it a 5th straight here in what should be an entertaining game.
PHIL’S FORECAST: LOUIsville 34 southern miss 30

NCAA Stats for Players in Bowls

QB Pass Efficiency

Rank
 Player, Team Gm Att Comp % Int Int % Yds Ydspatt TD TD % Rating
1
 Cam Newton, Auburn 13 246 165 67.07 6 2.44 2589 10.52 28 11.38 188.16
2
 Kellen Moore, Boise St. 12 345 245 71.01 5 1.45 3506 10.16 33 9.57 185.04
3
 Ryan Mallett, Arkansas 12 364 242 66.48 11 3.02 3592 9.87 30 8.24 170.53
4
 Scott Tolzien, Wisconsin 12 245 182 74.29 6 2.45 2300 9.39 16 6.53 169.8
5
 Andy Dalton, TCU 12 293 194 66.21 6 2.05 2638 9 26 8.87 167.03
6
 Greg McElroy, Alabama 12 296 209 70.61 5 1.69 2767 9.35 19 6.42 166.94
7
 Andrew Luck, Stanford 12 349 245 70.2 7 2.01 3051 8.74 28 8.02 166.1
8
 Jeffrey Godfrey, UCF 13 209 143 68.42 6 2.87 2042 9.77 13 6.22 165.28
9
 Aaron Murray, Georgia 12 304 188 61.84 6 1.97 2851 9.38 24 7.89 162.73
10
 Bryant Moniz, Hawaii 13 508 337 66.34 11 2.17 4629 9.11 36 7.09 161.94
11
 Richard Stanzi, Iowa 12 324 210 64.81 4 1.23 2804 8.65 25 7.72 160.5
12
 Dan Persa, Northwestern 10 302 222 73.51 4 1.32 2581 8.55 15 4.97 159.04
13
 Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech 13 284 172 60.56 4 1.41 2521 8.88 23 8.1 159.04
14
 Terrelle Pryor, Ohio St. 12 298 196 65.77 11 3.69 2551 8.56 25 8.39 157.98
15
 Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma St. 12 470 317 67.45 13 2.77 4037 8.59 32 6.81 156.53
16
 Chandler Harnish, Northern Ill. 12 266 172 64.66 5 1.88 2230 8.38 20 7.52 156.14
17
 Colin Kaepernick, Nevada 13 326 213 65.34 7 2.15 2830 8.68 20 6.13 154.21
18
 Stephen Garcia, S Carolina 13 315 205 65.08 11 3.49 2816 8.94 20 6.35 154.14
19
 Kirk Cousins, Michigan St. 12 320 216 67.5 9 2.81 2705 8.45 20 6.25 153.51
20
 Denard Robinson, Michigan 12 250 155 62 10 4 2316 9.26 16 6.4 152.94
21
 Darron Thomas, Oregon 12 321 195 60.75 7 2.18 2518 7.84 28 8.72 151.06
22
 Geno Smith, West Virginia 12 333 219 65.77 6 1.8 2567 7.71 23 6.91 149.71
23
 T.J. Yates, North Carolina 12 383 259 67.62 8 2.09 3184 8.31 18 4.7 148.79
24
 Mike Hartline, Kentucky 12 405 268 66.17 9 2.22 3178 7.85 23 5.68 146.38
25
 Ryan Lindley, San Diego St. 12 398 225 56.53 14 3.52 3554 8.93 26 6.53 146.06
26
 Nick Foles, Arizona 10 376 254 67.55 7 1.86 2911 7.74 19 5.05 145.54
27
 Landry Jones, Oklahoma 13 568 371 65.32 11 1.94 4289 7.55 35 6.16 145.21
28
 Robert Griffin III, Baylor 12 413 274 66.34 8 1.94 3195 7.74 21 5.08 144.23
29
 Ryan Colburn, Fresno St. 12 322 199 61.8 9 2.8 2529 7.85 21 6.52 143.71
30
 G.J. Kinne, Tulsa 12 429 258 60.14 10 2.33 3307 7.71 28 6.53 141.77
32
 Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M 12 199 130 65.33 3 1.51 1434 7.21 11 5.53 141.08
34
 Taylor Potts, Texas Tech 12 495 326 65.86 9 1.82 3357 6.78 31 6.26 139.86
35
 Jordan Wynn, Utah 10 299 186 62.21 10 3.34 2334 7.81 17 5.69 139.85
36
 Tino Sunseri, Pittsburgh 12 327 214 65.44 8 2.45 2476 7.57 15 4.59 139.29
37
 Carson Coffman, Kansas St. 11 240 154 64.17 7 2.92 1832 7.63 12 5 138.95
38
 Taylor Martinez, Nebraska 12 187 109 58.29 6 3.21 1578 8.44 9 4.81 138.64
39
 Dominique Davis, E Carolina 12 552 358 64.86 14 2.54 3699 6.7 36 6.52 137.59
41
 Christian Ponder, Florida St. 11 294 183 62.24 8 2.72 2038 6.93 20 6.8 137.48
42
 Kyle Padron, SMU 13 474 279 58.86 12 2.53 3526 7.44 29 6.12 136.47
43
 Danny O’Brien, Maryland 12 315 179 56.83 6 1.9 2257 7.17 21 6.67 135.2
45
 Austin Davis, Southern Miss. 12 410 259 63.17 6 1.46 2898 7.07 18 4.39 134.11

A couple of interesting notes concerning the QB's is that all of the top 30 QB's in the NCAA in pass efficiency will be participating in bowls this year. Some of the marquee matchups between top QB's includes the Rose Bowl which features #4 Scott Tolzien, Wisconsin vs #5 Andy Dalton, TCU and another good matchup will take place in the Sugar Bowl between #3 Ryan Mallett, Arkansas vs #14 Terrelle Pryor, Ohio St.

Rushing

Rank
 Player, Team
Gm
Carries
Net
TD
YPC
YPG
1
 LaMichael James, Oregon
11
281
1682
21
5.99
152.91
2
 Jordan Todman, Connecticut
11
302
1574
14
5.21
143.09
4
 Denard Robinson, Michigan
12
245
1643
14
6.71
136.92
6
 Vai Taua, Nevada
12
262
1534
19
5.85
127.83
7
 Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma St.
12
261
1516
16
5.81
126.33
8
 Mikel Leshoure, Illinois
12
252
1513
14
6
126.08
9
 Daniel Thomas, Kansas St.
12
276
1495
16
5.42
124.58
10
 Bilal Powell, Louisville
11
211
1330
10
6.3
120.91
11
 Montel Harris, Boston College
11
269
1243
8
4.62
113
13
 Robbie Rouse, Fresno St.
10
191
1097
8
5.74
109.7
14
 Ronnie Hillman, San Diego St.
12
234
1304
14
5.57
108.67
15
 Cam Newton, Auburn
13
242
1409
20
5.82
108.38
16
 Zach Line, SMU
13
227
1391
10
6.13
107
17
 Chris Polk, Washington
12
226
1238
8
5.48
103.17
18
 Anthony Allen, Georgia Tech
12
217
1225
6
5.65
102.08
19
 Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina
12
248
1198
17
4.83
99.83
20
 Chad Spann, Northern Ill.
13
243
1293
20
5.32
99.46
21
 Edwin Baker, Michigan St.
12
195
1187
13
6.09
98.92
23
 Knile Davis, Arkansas
12
178
1183
13
6.65
98.58
26
 Jay Finley, Baylor
12
183
1155
11
6.31
96.25
27
 Adam Robinson, Iowa
10
203
941
10
4.64
94.1
29
 John Clay, Wisconsin
10
176
936
13
5.32
93.6
30
 James White, Wisconsin
11
148
1029
14
6.95
93.55
32
 Roy Helu Jr., Nebraska
13
177
1211
11
6.84
93.15
33
 Doug Martin, Boise St.
12
184
1113
11
6.05
92.75
34
 Colin Kaepernick, Nevada
13
164
1184
20
7.22
91.08
35
 Alex Green, Hawaii
13
133
1168
17
8.78
89.85
36
 Daneil Herron, Ohio St.
12
192
1068
15
5.56
89
37
 Ed Wesley, TCU
12
162
1065
11
6.57
88.75
38
 Dion Lewis, Pittsburgh
11
197
956
12
4.85
86.91
39
 Stevan Ridley, LSU
12
225
1042
14
4.63
86.83
40
 Delone Carter, Syracuse
12
204
1035
7
5.07
86.25
41
 DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma
13
257
1121
14
4.36
86.23
42
 Cyrus Gray, Texas A&M
12
180
1033
12
5.74
86.08
43
 Stepfan Taylor, Stanford
12
210
1023
15
4.87
85.25
45
 Asher Clark, Air Force
12
174
1001
5
5.75
83.42
46
 Tauren Poole, Tennessee
12
193
994
11
5.15
82.83
47
 Joshua Nesbitt, Georgia Tech
9
166
737
10
4.44
81.89
48
 Mark Ingram, Alabama
10
146
816
11
5.59
81.6
50
 Vick Ballard, Mississippi St.
11
166
892
16
5.37
81.09

Lots of great match-ups involving some of the top rushers this bowl season. How about the National Title game with the #1 Rusher in the NCAA LaMichael James who has 1,682 rush yds (6.0) and 21 TD's going against the Heisman winner Cam Newton who ran for an SEC QB record 1,409 yds (5.8) and 20 TD's. Another great matchup is the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl with Nevada's #6 Vai Taua (1534, 5.9, 19 TD's) and #34 Colin Kaepernick (1184, 7.2, 20 TD's) taking on Boston College's Montel Harris who has ran for 1,243 yds (4.6) and 8 TD's.

Wide Receivers

Rank
 Player, Team
GM
Catches
Yds
TD
Rec/Gm
YPC
YPG
1
 Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma St.
11
102
1665
18
9.27
16.32
151.36
2
 Greg Salas, Hawaii
13
106
1675
12
8.15
15.8
128.85
4
 Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma
13
118
1452
13
9.08
12.31
111.69
5
 Kealoha Pilares, Hawaii
12
88
1306
15
7.33
14.84
108.83
6
 Alshon Jeffery, S Carolina
13
79
1387
9
6.08
17.56
106.69
7
 Vincent Brown, San Diego St.
12
61
1187
9
5.08
19.46
98.92
8
 Juron Criner, Arizona
12
73
1186
10
6.08
16.25
98.83
9
 DeMarco Sampson, San Diego St.
12
65
1175
8
5.42
18.08
97.92
10
 Titus Young, Boise St.
12
65
1151
9
5.42
17.71
95.92
12
 Aldrick Robinson, SMU
13
60
1225
13
4.62
20.42
94.23
16
 Leonard Hankerson, Miami (FL)
12
66
1085
12
5.5
16.44
90.42
17
 Julio Jones, Alabama
12
75
1084
7
6.25
14.45
90.33
18
 Eric Page, Toledo
12
94
1081
8
7.83
11.5
90.08
19
 Dwayne Harris, East Carolina
12
93
1055
10
7.75
11.34
87.92
20
 Torrey Smith, Maryland
12
65
1045
12
5.42
16.08
87.08
23
 Jermaine Kearse, Washington
12
62
1001
12
5.17
16.15
83.42
24
 Michael Floyd, Notre Dame
11
73
916
10
6.64
12.55
83.27
26
 Jeff Fuller, Texas A&M
12
65
983
12
5.42
15.12
81.92
27
 Lance Lewis, East Carolina
12
78
979
13
6.5
12.55
81.58
29
 Cole Beasley, SMU
13
84
1036
6
6.46
12.33
79.69
30
 Randall Cobb, Kentucky
12
79
955
7
6.58
12.09
79.58
32
 Jeffrey Maehl, Oregon
12
68
943
12
5.67
13.87
78.58
33
 Jeremy Ebert, Northwestern
12
59
919
8
4.92
15.58
76.58
34
 Kris Adams, UTEP
12
44
917
11
3.67
20.84
76.42
35
 Denarius Moore, Tennessee
12
43
912
9
3.58
21.21
76
36
 Armand Robinson, Miami (OH)
13
90
981
6
6.92
10.9
75.46
38
 Chris Matthews, Kentucky
12
57
897
9
4.75
15.74
74.75
39
 Dwight Jones, North Carolina
12
57
895
4
4.75
15.7
74.58
40
 T.J. Moe, Missouri
12
77
893
6
6.42
11.6
74.42
41
 Dane Sanzenbacher, Ohio St.
12
52
889
10
4.33
17.1
74.08
42
 Roy Roundtree, Michigan
12
63
882
6
5.25
14
73.5
44
 Owen Spencer, NC State
12
57
868
4
4.75
15.23
72.33
45
 Darvin Adams, Auburn
13
48
909
7
3.69
18.94
69.92
48
 Kendall Wright, Baylor
12
66
825
6
5.5
12.5
68.75
49
 Doug Baldwin, Stanford
12
56
824
9
4.67
14.71
68.67
50
 TY Hilton, FIU
12
56
816
4
4.67
14.57
68
52
 Jonathan Baldwin, Pittsburgh
12
52
810
5
4.33
15.58
67.5
53
 Lyle Leong, Texas Tech
12
64
808
17
5.33
12.63
67.33
54
 Derek Moye, Penn St.
12
48
806
7
4
16.79
67.17
55
 Austin Pettis, Boise St.
12
59
804
9
4.92
13.63
67

Looking at these numbers it is easy to see why Justin Blackmon was the best WR in the NCAA this year. However, in the Alamo Bowl he will not be the only great WR on the field that night as Arizona's Juron Criner was #8 in the NCAA in YPG and avg'd nearly the same YPC as Blackmon did. Another great match-up will be in the Military Bowl as two very underrated WR's in East Carolina's Dwayne Harris and Maryland's Torrey Smith have played vital parts in their team's success this season.

Punt Returns

Rank
 Player AVG PR’s YDS TD’s
1
 Shaky Smithson, Utah 19.72 29 572 2
2
 Cliff Harris, Oregon 19.46 28 545 4
3
 Tony Logan, Maryland 18.77 30 563 2
4
 Joe Adams, Arkansas 17.93 14 251 1
5
 Josh Robinson, UCF 17.29 17 294 0
6
 Patrick Peterson, LSU 16.08 26 418 2
9
 Doug Beaumont, Louisville 15.31 13 199 1
11
 Keshawn Martin, Michigan St. 14.2 15 213 1
13
 Jerrel Jernigan, Troy 13.68 22 301 1
14
 Marquis Maze, Alabama 13.61 18 245 0
15
 Chris Potter, Boise St. 13.24 21 278 1
16
 Drew Terrell, Stanford 13.07 14 183 0
17
 Jeremy Kerley, TCU 12.93 30 388 0
19
 Jayron Hosley, Virginia Tech 12.58 19 239 1
20
 Damaris Johnson, Tulsa 12.45 22 274 1
22
 Niles Paul, Nebraska 11.43 14 160 0
23
 Travis Carrie, Ohio 11.06 17 188 0
24
 Cameron Saddler, Pittsburgh 10.71 24 257 0
25
 Mike Holmes, Syracuse 10.59 27 286 0
26
 Dwayne Harris, East Carolina 10.33 18 186 0
27
 Terrence Mitchell, South Fla. 10.21 19 194 0
28
 Jordan Hall, Ohio St. 10.13 23 233 0
28
 Marcus Gilchrist, Clemson 10.13 23 233 0
30
 Greg Reid, Florida St. 9 29 261 1
32
 Rashad Evans, Fresno St. 8.61 23 198 0
34
 Chad Bumphis, Mississippi St. 8.56 16 137 0
36
 Taylor Mack, Connecticut 8.4 15 126 0
37
 Janoris Jenkins, Florida 8.33 18 150 0
37
 Colin Sandeman, Iowa 8.33 15 125 0
39
 Rishard Matthews, Nevada 8.19 21 172 0
41
 T.J. Graham, North Carolina St. 8.11 19 154 1
43
 Tommy Davis, Northern Ill. 7.89 18 142 0

When I would go over the play-by-play charts for every game this year, two guys stood out in the punt return game and they finished #1 and #2 accodingly with Shaky Smithson, Utah leading with a 19.7 PR avg and Cliff Harris, Oregon leading the NCAA with 4 PR TD's.

Kickoff Returns

Rank
 Player Avg KR’s YDS TD’s
1
 William Powell, Kansas St. 34.57 21 726 1
2
 Quincy McDuffie, UCF 32.65 26 849 2
3
 Eric Page, Toledo 31.76 25 794 3
4
 Vic Anderson, Louisville 30.75 12 369 0
5
 Marlon McClure, UTEP 29.81 27 805 2
6
 Andre Debose, Florida 29.68 19 564 2
7
 Patrick Peterson, LSU 29.34 29 851 0
8
 Derrell J.-Koulianos, Iowa 29.29 17 498 1
10
 Johnathan Warzeka, Air Force 28.9 21 607 1
11
 Reggie Hunt, Southern Miss. 28.58 12 343 0
13
 Lindsey Lamar, South Fla. 28.07 30 842 2
14
 Justin Gilbert, Oklahoma St. 28 23 644 2
14
 Jeremy Kerley, TCU 28 17 476 0
20
 Venric Mark, Northwestern 27.63 16 442 1
21
 T.Y. Hilton, FIU 27.46 24 659 1
22
 Damaris Johnson, Tulsa 27.41 29 795 1
23
 Jeremy Wright, Louisville 27.31 13 355 0
27
 Eric Russell, Middle Tenn. 26.83 29 778 1
28
 Trent Richardson, Alabama 26.78 23 616 1
29
 David Wilson, Virginia Tech 26.5 20 530 2
31
 Alexander Teich, Navy 26.33 15 395 0
32
 Isaiah Burse, Fresno St. 26.29 17 447 0
33
 Jerrel Jernigan, Troy 26.09 23 600 1
34
 Robbie Frey, Connecticut 26.08 12 313 0
35
 Aubrey Quarles, Kansas St. 25.87 15 388 1
36
 David Gilreath, Wisconsin 25.78 23 593 1
41
 Jaamal Berry, Ohio St. 25.43 21 534 0
42
 Brandon Boykin, Georgia 25.39 31 787 1
43
 Josh Huff, Oregon 25.33 21 532 0
44
 Marcus Gilchrist, Clemson 25.32 22 557 0
45
 Niles Paul, Nebraska 25.19 16 403 1
46
 Mike Ball, Nevada 25.06 31 777 0
47
 Demond Washington, Auburn 25 41 1025 1
48
 Darryl Fields, SMU 24.97 32 799 0

A match-up to look at here will be the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl which involves two dangerous KR's in Eric Page, Toledo and T.Y. Hilton, FIU who both start at WR and both have TD's on KR's this year. Another game to watch is tonight's Beef-'O'-Brady's Bowl which features the #4 and #11 KR's in Vic Anderson, Louisville and #11 Reggie Hunt, Southern Miss.

All Purpose Yards

Rank
 Player, Team Gm Rush Rec PR KR TTL Yards Yds/Gm Plays YDS PP
1
 Damaris Johnson, Tulsa 12 462 771 274 795 2302 191.83 154 14.95
2
 Randall Cobb, Kentucky 12 401 955 201 635 2192 182.67 184 11.91
5
 Dwayne Harris, East Carolina 12 111 1055 186 700 2052 171 160 12.83
7
 LaMichael James, Oregon 11 1682 169 -2 0 1849 168.09 295 6.27
8
 Jerrel Jernigan, Troy 12 325 755 301 600 1981 165.08 164 12.08
9
 Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma St. 11 77 1665 7 0 1749 159 106 16.5
10
 Eric Page, Toledo 12 -1 1081 31 794 1905 158.75 136 14.01
12
 T.Y. Hilton, FIU 12 278 816 126 659 1879 156.58 125 15.03
14
 Jordan Todman, Connecticut 11 1574 91 0 55 1720 156.36 322 5.34
16
 Trent Richardson, Alabama 10 658 254 0 616 1528 152.8 147 10.39
17
 Titus Young, Boise St. 12 85 1151 43 550 1829 152.42 103 17.76
18
 DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma 13 1121 595 0 249 1965 151.15 336 5.85
20
 Vai Taua, Nevada 12 1534 216 0 0 1750 145.83 277 6.32
22
 Eric Stephens, Texas Tech 12 542 193 0 989 1724 143.67 181 9.52
23
 Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma St. 12 1516 106 0 87 1709 142.42 285 6
25
 Cyrus Gray, Texas A&M 12 1033 242 0 422 1697 141.42 230 7.38
26
 Mikel Leshoure, Illinois 12 1513 175 0 0 1688 140.67 267 6.32
28
 Daniel Thomas, Kansas St. 12 1495 163 0 0 1658 138.17 302 5.49
29
 Jon Williams, East Carolina 12 846 439 0 359 1644 137 214 7.68
30
 Denard Robinson, Michigan 12 1643 0 0 0 1643 136.92 245 6.71
31
 Ray Graham, Pittsburgh 11 832 199 0 459 1490 135.45 174 8.56

For the 2nd straight year Damaris Johnson, Tulsa leads the NCAA in all-purpose yards as he can do it in all four categories (Rush, Rec, PR, KR). Randall Cobb, Kentucky also had another outstanding season avg 182.7 ypg and will now play an even bigger role in Kentucky's bowl game with starting QB Hartline out.

Total Tackles

Rank
 Player, Team GM  Solo Ast Total TPG
1
 Luke Kuechly, Boston Coll 12 102 69 171 14.25
2
 Mason Foster, Washington 12 97 54 151 12.58
5
 Archie Donald, Toledo 12 54 80 134 11.17
7
 Lavonte David, Nebraska 13 78 67 145 11.15
8
 Dan Molls, Toledo 12 33 100 133 11.08
11
 Corey Paredes, Hawaii 13 84 60 144 11.08
12
 Danny Trevathan, Kentucky 12 74 56 130 10.83
16
 Manti Te’o, Notre Dame 12 65 62 127 10.58
18
 Taylor Reed, SMU 13 90 43 133 10.23
19
 Akeem Dent, Georgia 12 68 54 122 10.17
20
 Tyler Simmons, Navy 11 55 56 111 10.09
20
 Jonas Mouton, Michigan 11 59 52 111 10.09
23
 Orie Lemon, Oklahoma St. 12 93 26 119 9.92
25
 Colin McCarthy, Miami (FL) 11 46 60 106 9.64
26
 Lawrence Wilson, Connecticut 12 64 51 115 9.58
26
 Byron Landor, Baylor 12 73 42 115 9.58
32
 Alex Wujciak, Maryland 12 42 70 112 9.33
32
 Jordan Kovacs, Michigan 12 59 53 112 9.33
34
 Dustin Lineback, E Carolina 12 50 61 111 9.25
34
 Michael Hodges, Texas A&M 12 59 52 111 9.25
40
 Kelvin Sheppard, LSU 12 42 66 108 9
43
 Pete Fleps, SMU 13 68 48 116 8.92
46
 Curnelius Arnick, Tulsa 12 59 47 106 8.83
46
 Andrew Rich, BYU 12 59 47 106 8.83
48
 Martez Wilson, Illinois 12 42 63 105 8.75
48
 Chris White, Mississippi St. 12 52 53 105 8.75
55
 Sio Moore, Connecticut 12 67 37 104 8.67
57
 Chaz Walker, Utah 12 29 74 103 8.58
57
 Derrell Smith, Syracuse 12 67 36 103 8.58
61
 Chris Colasanti, Penn St. 12 34 68 102 8.5
61
 Ahmad Black, Florida 12 68 34 102 8.5
64
 Jeremy Kellem, Middle Tenn. 12 67 34 101 8.42
64
 Bront Bird, Texas Tech 12 70 31 101 8.42
66
 Sean Spence, Miami (FL) 12 55 45 100 8.33
66
 Nate Williams, Washington 12 62 38 100 8.33
71
 Greg Jones, Michigan St. 12 43 55 98 8.17
71
 Winston Guy, Kentucky 12 48 50 98 8.17
73
 Garrick Williams, Texas A&M 12 50 47 97 8.08
73
 Tanner Brock, TCU 12 53 44 97 8.08
73
 Brian Peters, Northwestern 12 61 36 97 8.08
77
 Cort Dennison, Washington 11 46 42 88 8

Luke Kuechly, Boston College is quite simply a tackling machine as he already has more than 300 career tackles in his first two years combined! Don't be surprised if he doesn't add another 15 tackles or so in the bowl game as the Eagles take on Nevada's high-powered rush offense. Toledo LB's Archie Donald and Dan Molls also were impressive racking up a combined 267 tackles this year.

Sack Leaders

Rank
 Player, Team Solo Asst Total Sk/gm Yds
1
 Da’Quan Bowers, Clemson 15 1 15.5 1.29 112
3
 Brandon Jenkins, Florida St. 12 2 13 1 71
3
 Bruce Irvin, West Virginia 12 0 12 1 81
6
 Jamari Lattimore, Middle Tenn. 11 1 11.5 0.96 66
7
 Ricky Elmore, Arizona 10 2 11 0.92 67
7
 Chris Carter, Fresno St. 10 2 11 0.92 63
7
 Jonathan Massaquoi, Troy 9 4 11 0.92 79
10
 Logan Harrell, Fresno St. 8 5 10.5 0.88 79
11
 Josh McNary, Army 9 1 9.5 0.86 84
12
 Brandon Lindsey, Pittsburgh 10 0 10 0.83 62
12
 Justin Houston, Georgia 8 4 10 0.83 67
15
 Mario Addison, Troy 8 2 9 0.82 37
16
 Nick Fairley, Auburn 9 3 10.5 0.81 67

It is easy to see why DE Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson will be a 1st round draft pick come next April as he led the NCAA with 15.5 sacks this year. Look for him to disrupt the USF pass offense in the Car Care Bow. Also noteworthy is Nick Fairley, Auburn who had 10.5 sacks from the DT position and will naturally be a key part in slowing down the Ducks' offense.

Tackles for Loss

Rank
 Player Total PG Solo Ast Yds
2
 Da’Quan Bowers, Clemson 25 2.08 22 6 152
3
 J.J. Watt, Wisconsin 21 1.75 18 6 91
4
 Nate Irving, NC State 20.5 1.71 16 9 72
5
 Dontay Moch, Nevada 22 1.69 20 4 83
8
 Nick Fairley, Auburn 21 1.62 18 6 92
9
 Miles Burris, San Diego St. 19 1.58 17 4 96
10
 Justin Houston, Georgia 18.5 1.54 16 5 81
11
 Brandon Jenkins, Florida St. 19.5 1.5 18 3 86
11
 VIctor Aiyewa, Washington 18 1.5 15 6 28
14
 Jonathan Massaquoi, Troy 17.5 1.46 15 5 93
16
 Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma 18 1.38 16 4 90
17
 Chris Carter, Fresno St. 16.5 1.38 14 5 93
19
 Brandon Lindsey, Pittsburgh 16 1.33 16 0 84
19
 Sean Spence, Miami (FL) 16 1.33 14 4 57
19
 Danny Trevathan, Kentucky 16 1.33 14 4 57
22
 Jabaree Tuani, Navy 14.5 1.32 11 7 56
23
 Brandon Bair, Oregon 15.5 1.29 13 5 54
28
 Mario Addison, Troy 14 1.27 12 4 50
31
 Vince Browne, Northwestern 15 1.25 14 2 66
34
 Jabaal Sheard, Pittsburgh 14.5 1.21 14 1 77
34
 Von Miller, Texas A&M 14.5 1.21 13 3 88
41
 Bruce Taylor, Virginia Tech 15.5 1.19 13 5 60
42
 Max Holloway, Boston College 13 1.18 12 2 74
43
 Jamari Lattimore, Middle Tenn. 14 1.17 12 4 70
43
 Quinton Coples, N Carolina 14 1.17 12 4 69
43
 Logan Harrell, Fresno St. 14 1.17 11 6 84

Again Bowers tops the list for players participating in bowl games but there are a couple of key players to keep an eye on as Justin Houston, Georgia who was a first-team FWAA All-American will try and slow down UCF's multi-dimensional QB Jeff Godfrey and Miles Burris, San Diego St will try and keep the Navy option in check in the Poinsettia Bowl.

Passes Defended

Rank Player, Team PBU Int Total PG
1 Cliff Harris, Oregon 15 5 20 1.67
2 Jamell Fleming, Oklahoma 13 4 17 1.42
4 Johnny Patrick, Louisville 11 5 16 1.33
6 Jayron Hosley, Virginia Tech 7 8 15 1.25
6 Keith Tandy, West Virginia 9 6 15 1.25
10 John Boyett, Oregon 9 5 14 1.17
10 Deron Wilson, Southern Miss. 11 3 14 1.17
10 Leon McFadden, San Diego St. 12 2 14 1.17
10 Stephen Harrison, Kansas St. 12 2 14 1.17
10 Josh Robinson, UCF 12 2 14 1.17
16 Xavier Rhodes, Florida St. 12 3 15 1.15
16 Isaiah Frey, Nevada 14 1 15 1.15
18 Richard Sherman, Stanford 9 4 13 1.08
18 Dustin Harris, Texas A&M 9 4 13 1.08
18 Jarvis Phillips, Texas Tech 9 4 13 1.08
18 Jordan Mabin, Northwestern 13 0 13 1.08
22 Mana Silva, Hawaii 6 8 14 1.08
23 Morris Claiborne, LSU 6 5 11 1
23 Nate Fellner, Washington 8 4 12 1
23 Trenton Robinson, Michigan St. 8 4 12 1
23 Greg Reid, Florida St. 10 3 13 1
23 Chris Smith, Northern Ill. 9 3 12 1

Cliff Harris, Oregon tops the list with an amazing 20 PD's this year and even more amazing is the fact that he was not even a regular full-time starter in the Ducks' defensive backfield. Jayron Hosley, Virginia Tech led the nation with 8 Int's and will no doubt be challenged going up against QB Andrew Luck, Stanford.

Punters

Rank
 Player, Team Punt Yds Avg
1
 Chas Henry, Florida 44 2042 46.41
3
 Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma St. 46 2127 46.24
7
 Brian Stahovich, San Diego St. 50 2285 45.7
10
 Aaron Bates, Michigan St. 50 2261 45.22
11
 Anthony Santella, Illinois 59 2665 45.17
14
 Ian Campbell, UTEP 45 2013 44.73
15
 Drew Butler, Georgia 45 2012 44.71
16
 Ryan Donahue, Iowa 51 2274 44.59
18
 Matt Bosher, Miami (FL) 55 2434 44.25
19
 Derek Epperson, Baylor 49 2166 44.2
20
 Tress Way, Oklahoma 69 3049 44.19
21
 Spencer Lanning, S Carolina 52 2296 44.15
22
 Brian Saunders, Virginia Tech 52 2291 44.06
23
 Kiel Rasp, Washington 65 2861 44.02
24
 Alex Henery, Nebraska 63 2763 43.86
25
 Shawn Powell, Florida St. 47 2061 43.85
26
 Rob Long, Syracuse 64 2806 43.84
29
 Ryan Tydlacka, Kentucky 46 2009 43.67
31
 Jackson Rice, Oregon 35 1507 43.06
32
 Josh Davis, Middle Tenn. 52 2234 42.96
36
 Dawson Zimmerman, Clemson 56 2388 42.64
37
 Matt Grabner, Missouri 65 2770 42.62
39
 Dylan Breeding, Arkansas 45 1906 42.36
40
 Will Goggans, Troy 62 2619 42.24
42
 Chad Cunningham, Tennessee 58 2443 42.12
44
 Travis Baltz, Maryland 64 2686 41.97
45
 Ryan Doerr, Kansas St. 54 2262 41.89
49
 Ryan Quigley, Boston College 70 2924 41.77
50
 Gregg Pugnetti, West Virginia 63 2630 41.75
53
 Anthony Fera, Penn St. 43 1789 41.6
54
 Matt Szymanski, SMU 51 2109 41.35
55
 Heath Hutchins, Mississippi St. 57 2356 41.33
56
 Riley Stephenson, BYU 49 2022 41.27
59
 Paul Hershey, Ohio 44 1800 40.91
61
 Cole Wagner, Connecticut 72 2932 40.72
66
 Keenyn Crier, Arizona 46 1860 40.43
67
 Brandon Williams, Northwestern 56 2261 40.38
68
 Zac Murphy, Miami (OH) 53 2132 40.23
69
 John Penza, Toledo 54 2170 40.19
75
 Jonathan LaCour, Texas Tech 54 2149 39.8
76
 Ben Ryan, East Carolina 49 1949 39.78

Chas Henry, Florida was one of the lone bright spots for the Gators this season as he led the nation in avg punting and won the Ray Guy award for the nation's best punter. Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma St also had a great year and formed probably the nation's best Punter/Kicker tandem along with the Lou Groza winner Dan Bailey.