Spotlight #1: Boston College MLB Luke Kuechly
Spotlight #2: Clemson DE Andre Branch
1st quarter
14:51: Branch run at, disengages, helps stuff the runner for a short gain.
10:22: Touchdown goes over Kuechly’s head, doesn’t notice a guy get open behind him. He needs to show better awareness than that.
9:26: Branch pancaked.
9:10: Kuechly with his first tackle, this one 6 yards away from the line on a quarterback keeper.
8:13: Kuechly with a tackle on a short completion.
7:56: Botched snap, Kuechly explodes up the middle with a tackle for a loss after the recovery.
7:16: Kuechly fights off a block, gets a tackle on a 3 yard run up the middle.
6:38: Kuechly helps finish off a pass catcher short, on a check down. Now 4th and 1.
5:43: Donnie Fletcher, a cornerback, and the other highly rated prospect on Boston College’s defense, forces a huge drop with a huge hit.
5:32: Kuechly in on another tackle on 3rd down, forcing Clemson to kick a field goal.
4:47: Branch draws a double team, allows another defensive lineman to get in on a strip sack. Recovered by the defense, Clemson.
2:40: Branch forced off a running lane with a double team.
0:19: Branch with a quarterback pressure, albeit on a screen pass.
2nd quarter
13:16: Kuechly could have had another tackle, but he’s tripped up in pursuit by his own teammate.
12:37: Kuechly can’t cover Dwayne Allen. Very few can. This guy is the top tight end in this draft class and a potential first rounder should the junior declare.
11:41: Kuechly juked out badly by a ball carrier.
8:36: Branch in on a tackle for no gain on a keeper.
3:07: Branch is just short on a dive tackle try.
1:55: Branch gets pressure into the backfield, but it’s a run up the middle, touchdown. A little too overaggressive here by Branch.
1:04: Kuechly sticks his nose in on a short run up the middle.
0:42: Kuechly can’t quite shake a block in time to stop the ball carrier before a first down, but still gets the tackle anyway.
0:20: Kuechly in coverage, allows catch even with an uncalled pass interference on Kuechly. He’s having trouble in coverage.
3rd quarter
14:21: Kuechly with another tackle but it’s after a sizable gain through the air. Not his fault on the completion this time though.
10:23: Branch with a combined tackle, but not before a 9 yard gain on first down.
9:13: Branch near a sack, forces quarterback to get rid of it, picked. That’s better than a sack.
9:07: Kuechly in on a short stuff near Clemson’s end zone. Close to a safety.
8:12: Kuechly picks up the fumble, runs it in short for a touchdown, but the running back is ruled down by contact afterwards. Still a nice effort and an instinctive play to get that one.
7:59: Kuechly on another tackle when Clemson runs up the middle with it. Tonight, if BC’s defensive line doesn’t stuff the ball carrier, Kuechly has. And this is no slouch at running back. Andre Ellington is very good and they’ve kept him in check.
5:58: Branch comes off the edge quickly, quarterback pressure and hit, but hit with what, in my opinion, was a bullshit roughing the passer penalty.
4:47: Kuechly with a tackle on the outside. For as many tackles as Kuechly has, he hasn’t had a lot on the outside. He’s not looking like a sideline to sideline player.
3:20: Kuechly makes another stop.
2:37: Kuechly showing some sideline to sideline speed here to get in on a tackle on the outside.
1:17: Kuechly with another tackle on a run up the middle. You can’t break this guy’s tackles once he initiates contact.
0:25: Branch in the backfield with a tackle for a loss. So quick and powerful off the snap.
4th quarter
11:24: Andre Ellington has been kept in check all night by Luke Kuechly among others, but this time he runs away from Kuechly, 35 yard touchdown.
8:40: Branch looks comfortable dropping into coverage, at least on the occasions he’s been asked to. He certainly has the athleticism to play rush linebacker at 6-5 260.
8:12: Branch hits the quarterback as he throws, while rushing from an upright position, something else he’d have to do as a rush linebacker.
7:38: Branch misses the sack on his first try, but does not give up, spins off a block and gets a combined sack from behind. He’s playing very well with drive with Boston College having to pass every play. He’s clearly much better as a pass rusher than anything else.
5:41: Branch, swim move, gets pressure on a failed 4th down completion by Boston College.
5:33: Kuechly unable to disengage and tackle on his first try, but recovers and combines for a tackle after a medium sized run.
5:05: Kuechly finishes off a guy on a stuff at the line.
4:20: Kuechly relentless in pursuit on an outside tackle after the receiver catches the ball in the flat, tackle for a loss.
0:00: Kuechly officially had 16 tackles in this game, but it felt like at least 20. He’s one of the best, if not the best, tackler in college football. You don’t break his tackles and he’s around the ball on almost every play. Andre Ellington is one of the premier backs in college football, but with the exception of a 35 yard run on a play away from Kuechly, Ellington managed just 82 yards on 21 carries tonight and Kuechly is a big part of that reason.
Kuechly does struggle in coverage and he’s doesn’t have great sideline to sideline ability. I think he’s more of a middle linebacker than an outside linebacker at the next level because he doesn’t have elite speed, but at 235 pounds, he’d be a pretty small middle linebacker. Normally small middle linebackers make up for it in coverage, but he was terrible in coverage today. I’m obviously giving him a first round grade and a high first round grade at that because of his run stuffing abilities on inside runs, but I don’t see him as being a big future Pro Bowler type. The commentators today compared him to Brian Urlacher tonight and I don’t see that at all. He’s more of a Paul Posluszny type.
As for Andre Branch, he definitely showed great pass rushing ability and he could get in the first round on his ability to rush the passer. He wasn’t great against the run, but he had his moments and he looked solid in coverage for teams looking at him as a 3-4 rush linebacker. I just need to see a little bit more consistency from him. He had one amazing game with 4 sacks against Virginia Tech last year, but I want more consistency from him. If he can have a few more good games, he’s going to get a first round grade from me.
Two other NFL prospects, Donnie Fletcher and Dwayne Allen, had notable games. Fletcher had a ton of trouble with true freshman sensation Sammy Watkins, who caught 7 passes for 152 yards and a score even though Tajh Boyd had to leave with injury midway through the game. Allen, meanwhile, had 4 catches for 49 yards. Kuechly had a lot of trouble covering him. Allen definitely has the athleticism, the abilities, and the numbers to take advantage of this weak tight end class and possible move up into the first round. He has 22 catches for 340 yards and 4 scores on the season.
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