By: Heath Moorman (@Heat1017)
Before the quarterfinals, I put out an article on who I saw was each team’s X-factor and most underrated player and how I predicted they would perform or what they needed to do to help their team move on to the semis. Wel,l the semis are now upon us, so let’s take a look at how my predictions turned out:
Ohio State
Eden Ballard WR – X-Factor
Eden’s Buckeyes fell just short of a comeback against Miami on Monday but to no fault of his own. Ballard put up his 5th game with over 100 receiving yards. Eden recorded 6 catches for 103 yards and a touchdown with no drops, including a 53-yard bomb and 6 pancake blocks. His 103 receiving yards accounted for 27.7% of Ohio State’s offense. He did everything he could but needed more of his teammates to step up around him.
Jermaine Wise WR – Underrated Player
Wise performed as he has most of the season, but Ohio State needed more out of him. He recorded 5 catches for 29 yards and recorded his third touchdown of the season. Now that he has some playoff experience under his belt, expect him to come back in season 23 ready for the postseason.
Miami
Bo Yost – X-Factor
“Bo knows” has become one of the most well-known player chants in the CFSL, and he knew what he needed to do in this one. He is now up to 2904 all-purpose yards this season after adding 283 yards to his total on Monday. He will be looking to reach the 3000-yard mark in the semifinals against conference foe North Carolina where he put up 110 rushing, 43 receiving, and 105 on returns back in week 4.
Jack Jones – Underrated Player
Jones showed up on Monday ready to play. His 3 tackles and 1 pass defended helped a defense that only allowed 372 total yards of offense. He also returned 6 punts for 51 yards in the quarterfinal win. I expect we’ll see Jack continue to stay quiet on the stat sheet, but that’s only due to QBs avoiding throwing his direction.
Texas
Brandon Chen OLB – X-Factor
Chen didn’t let the pressure get to him in the playoffs. He recorded his 3rd highest season tackle numbers at 11 while helping his Texas defense stuff the run, keeping North Carolina to only 76 total yards rushing. In the end, North Carolina’s air attack proved too much for Texas’ secondary. His 11 tackles brought him to a season total of 102 on the season, coming up one short of Texas A&M MLB Jason Quinn for the most in the Modern Era of the CFSL.
Dylan Powell WR – Underrated Player
Texas QB Spunky Tolbert was able to find Powell 5 times in this one, exceeding his season average of 4 receptions per game. He continued to put up long receptions as well, averaging 23.6 yards per catch including a 46-yard bomb. Unfortunately, it was just not quite enough to hold off North Carolina in the end.
North Carolina
Chili Sierra CB – X-Factor
Chili didn’t get a dazzling interception like in the first round but did record 8 tackles (his third most on the season) and 1 TFL to aid a defense that allowed sub-300 passing yards, a rarity in the CFSL. Chili and the Tar Heels face Miami this round, a rematch of the Week 4 ACC matchup where Sierra’s secondary allowed a nearly 85% completion percentage and 372 passing. This will be an interesting area to watch to see if Sierra and the Tar Heel secondary are up to the task of both helping keep Bo Yost contained and keeping Miami’s receivers in front of the sticks.
Landon Adams WR – Underrated
Adams put up big numbers against Texas in the quarterfinals. Recording 5 catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. That makes five of the last six weeks Adams has recorded over 100 receiving, and four of the last six with a touchdown. He is on a bit of an odd streak though where he has three straight games with a drop after not recording one until week 8. Which of these streaks will prevail? And if he has problems with drops in the semis will it prove costly for North Carolina?
Florida State
Rashaud Williams WR – X-Factor
Williams recorded an admiral effort with 4 catches for 75 yards in Florida State’s quarterfinal loss to Texas A&M. But it was fellow WR Lincoln Knerr who shone brightly on FSU’s offense. Knerr recorded 5 catches for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns. The question I asked before the quarterfinals about Williams was if he was ready to step up and be the dominant presence FSU needed him to be in the playoffs. The answer turned out to be that Knerr might have been more ready. This will be an interesting story to watch as Knerr and Williams are both heading into their final seasons. Will internal competition drive these two WRs to greatness?
Elijah Pence CB – Underrated Player
I acclaimed that Pence would need to take his first ball out of the air this season for FSU to pull out a win. Well, he did just that… but FSU did not get the win. Pence’s interception came later in the game when FSU was already trailing greatly.
Texas A&M
Buck Stackhouse WR – X-Factor
Buck was absolutely at his best against Florida State in the quarterfinals. In both games through the playoffs so far Stackhouse has outperformed his high expectations. Putting up career-high numbers of 12 receptions in the first round, and 11 in the second. Career-high 194 yards in the quarterfinals, 181 in the first round. And tied for a career-high 3 touchdowns in the quarterfinals, 2 in the first round. Meaning in the last two games Stackhouse has recorded 23 receptions for 375 yards and 5 touchdowns. This week he faces likely the steepest challenge of his career so far in the Alabama secondary. Will he continue this hot streak which seems to be trending towards a playoff MVP campaign? Or will Alabama’s secondary cause problems?
Marcus Padgett CB – Underrated Player
I told you last week that QBs should throw the other way when it comes to Padgett, and that his biggest effect would not be seen on his stat sheet. I was partially wrong as Padgett pulled down an interception and recorded a pass defended last game. I was also partially right however as A&M recorded 11 total sacks against Florida State. Largely due to Bear Michaels not having anywhere to go with the ball. A&M will face an Alabama team that is not known for massive offensive production but defensive prowess. Will he see this as an opportunity to try to take a ball to the house and score on the defensive side of the ball? I think he should.
Colorado
Taylor James RB, Daniel Blackmon WR, Speedy Hernandez WR– X-Factors
The Buffs offense came up short on Tuesday against the Alabama defense. James, Blackmon, and Hernandez combined for only 199 yards…. Nearly 132 yards below their combined per-game average. Need I say more? Alabama’s defense is legit.
Jules Sanders CB – Underrated Player
While Jules did record an INT in this one, and his opponent Roman Ware did not, Ware did get the win. So while Jules Sanders is currently the season leader for interceptions, Ware still has at least one more game to tie or pass him. Jules should be rooting for Texas A&M this round to stop Ware from picking off any more balls and knock Alabama out of the playoffs so he can hold that number-one position.
Alabama
Roman Ware CB – X-Factor
In the quarterfinals, Roman Ware did what any CFSL AD would’ve asked for him to do. He shut down opposing WRs, and he helped out in the running game against the opposing league leader in rushing yards Taylor James, just as he needed to. Now to see if he is up to the task of defending the star-studded wide receiver Buck Stackhouse. Who will come out on top? We’ll see in the semifinals when Texas A&M faces Alabama in the decision for the finals.
Zander Freeman CB – Underrated Player
Alabama’s defense continued to impress in the semifinals as they held the high-flying offense of Colorado to 411 total yards. Zander Freeman recorded 6 tackles and a TFL en route to Alabama’s victory over the Buffs. Now looking forward Alabama has another Big XII foe whom Colorado only scored 20 points in the Week 4 matchup. Will Alabama have the defense to contain Buck Stackhouse? Tune in for the semifinals to see how this clash of powerhouses concludes.
