Spotlight #1: Marshall DE Vinny Curry

Spotlight #2: West Virginia DE Bruce Irvin 

1^st quarter

9:30: Vinny Curry doesn’t quite get to the quarterback, but he gets free and hits the quarterback as he throws. Pass still completed, however.

8:41: Curry runs down a running back from behind.

3:39: Bruce Irvin with the tackle. They ran at his side and he made them pay.

3:02: Nice first step by Irvin, but immediately gobbled up by the offensive lineman once contact was engaged. Needs to get bigger.

1:58: Curry pushed back big time by the offensive lineman, but able to recover to make the tackle.

2^nd quarter

11:48: Irvin back into the backfield again with a great quarterback pressure.

11:23: Excellent instincts by Curry on a flea flicker to help Marshall bust up the play.

7:56: Curry on the run stop. Marshall’s defensive line, Curry included, has been surprisingly good against the run.

5:25: Pressure by Curry, but it’s for naught as West Virginia’s Geno Smith releases it just in time for the touchdown. Marshall’s front 4 has played very well as Curry has drawn double teams often and even made some plays of his own, but Geno Smith’s pocket presence and mobility has just been too much for them so far. I doubt he comes out this year because he figures to be a mid to late rounder, but he’s someone to watch into the future.

5:13: Irvin so quick off the snap, blows past his man for the quarterback pressure.

3^rd quarter

4:59: Junior kick returner Tavon Austin brings one back to the house. He’s undersized, but with 2 career kick return TDs, he’s someone to watch in 2012, his senior year.

Game suspended for over an hour because of thunder. Waited and waited for game to come back, gave up, left, came back, game was over.

However, in summary I was more impressed with Curry. Curry faced a tougher offensive line and got into the backfield more. He also held up a little better against the run and had a nice chase down from behind of a running back. Both are weak against the run, but Curry is the better of the two. Irvin is unbelievably quick off the snap, but he’ll get eaten up on first contact by an offensive lineman. Basically, if he can’t blow past someone, he’s screwed. Guys like that never do well in the NFL. Look at Aaron Maybin.