2011 Bowl Predictions: Senior Players Guaranteed To Go out with a Bang

Bowl games may seem like a joke to many because of how they reward average teams in college football, but don’t tell that to the seniors who will play in their final game of their collegiate career.

Here are a few seniors that are guaranteed to go out with a bang. 

A.J. Jenkins

Illinois wide receiver A.J. Jenkins is one of the most underrated receivers in college football. He has caught 84 passes for 1,196 yards and seven touchdowns on the season with a mediocre total offense.

Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase hasn’t been given a lot of time to throw the football this season due to a poor offensive line, but if he can get time to throw then Jenkins should be able to put on a quality going-away performance against UCLA in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. 

The Bruins allow 32.2 points per game in 2011, and even Illinois’ average offense should be able to move the ball with success. UCLA has given up more than 40 points four times this year including 48 to 4-8 Arizona.

Prediction: 7 REC, 110 YDS, TD

Zach Collaros

Cincinnati Bearcats’ quarterback Zach Collaros will return from his injured ankle that kept him from game action for two months.

Collaros is connecting on a career-high 63.4 percent of his passes with a minimum 150 attempts. He has thrown for 14 touchdowns compared to eight interceptions this season after posting 26 touchdowns to 14 interceptions the year before.

It’s been a season of up-and-downs for Collaros and Cincinnati. They looked to be in prime position to win the Big East, but that’s when Collaros went down with his injury, pushing West Virginia to win the crown.

Now they face Vanderbilt in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

Rust is the only issue I see with Collaros. If he can get past the early struggles of rust, he should be able to find success against a defense that has allowed 26 points to Florida and 27 to Tennessee—two teams that struggled all season long.

Prediction: 250 Yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT

Chaz Walker

Utah’s Chaz Walker is a linebacker that has recorded 242 tackles in his career, 100 coming this season. If he wants to put his stamp on the NFL Draft scouts, a huge number of tackles could be in order on New Year’s Eve against Georgia Tech in the Hyundai Sun Bowl.  

He is averaging 8.3 tackles per game this season. There have been five games where he recorded double-digit tackles and six games where he participated in 15 tackles.

Walker has a nose for the football and tackling is his specialty.

He will get a glorious opportunity to end his career at Utah by going against a team that specializes in running the football. Georgia Tech has had 661 rushing attempts this season while averaging 316.8 yards per game, second in the nation.

Compare that number to the amount of throws (152) the Yellow Jackets make and it truly is staggering. It’s no secret that Georgia Tech will use the run against Utah on three-fourths of their plays.

Walker should be the biggest beneficiary.

Prediction: 14 tackles