Rose Bowl 2015: Unheralded Players Ready to Emerge in Oregon vs. FSU
The national spotlight in games like the 2015 Rose Bowl between Oregon and Florida State can define great players but also expose guys on the roster capable of great things in the future.
There's no doubt that the legacies of Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota will forever hinge on what happens New Year's Day, but other legacies could begin to shape for players who aren't often talked of. Some of them have already begun making waves on their teams, and others are being thrust into the spotlight, but don't be surprised if players in both categories end up making big plays that loom large in the game's outcome.
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What you do during the regular season builds your reputation and what you're known as, but games like this decide what you'll be remembered as. These players have a chance to make a lasting memory and surprise many watching by doing so.
Players Ready to Emerge
Chris Seisay, CB, Oregon
The Ducks received just about the worst blow they possibly could have received defensively in practice leading up to the Rose Bowl. Star cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu injured his knee and will be out for the College Football Playoff.
The consensus All-American and Thorpe Award finalist locked up his side of the field most of the season, but now redshirt freshman Chris Seisay is thrust into a starting spot, and Dior Mathis will take on more responsibility. But secondary coach John Neal iterated both guys are ready, per Ryan Thorburn of The (Eugene, Oregon) Register-Guard:
Mathis is a senior who has been through the rigors before, but it will be the dawn of a new era for Seisay—who has only played sparingly this season. Now, he's an every-down cornerback lining up against some of the nation's fastest playmakers.
When he's not lined up against Rashad Greene, it will be one of Florida State's fast freshmen. Seisay is used to the speed of the Pac-12, but doing it on the biggest stage of his career and under the biggest responsibilities of his college career will be no small task.
Seisay will emerge one way or another, for better or worse.
Ermon Lane, WR, Florida State
Florida State has a fabulous trio of freshmen that doesn't get very much hype largely because it isn't much of a trio—Dalvin Cook is so dominant that he outshines two stellar freshman wideouts Ermon Lane and Travis Rudolph. But Lane flies further under the radar than all of them.
A combination of depth and freshman struggles have Lane only catching 11 balls for 245 yards and one touchdown this year, but he dominates games in other ways. Corey Dowlar, formerly of ESPN.com, noted how the 6'3", 206-pound freshman can seal off the edge for Cook and Karlos Williams in a big way:
Plays like that go unnoticed by the general eye in regular-season games, but not in the Rose Bowl with a million camera angles and exponentially more eyes watching. If he makes a big seal-off block for a touchdown, he'll get his credit.
But like the receiver he is, Lane is also bound to make some plays in the passing game. Ekpre-Olomu's injury figures to have a trickle-down impact on the depth chart, meaning Lane could be lining up against one of the Ducks' fourth or fifth defensive backs on occasion.
Charles Nelson, WR, Oregon
Unlike the other two players on this list, freshman Charles Nelson's emergence is already pretty much in full swing.
The 5'9", 170-pound wideout is the next installment of the too-fast-to-lay-a-finger-on Oregon playmaker on a team that has about four of them. Among them, Nelson is easily the least utilized, with only 17 catches on the season.
He's had no trouble showcasing his work with the small sample size, as he caught five of them for touchdowns and averages 15.6 yards per catch.
Nelson didn't do much early in his freshman season but has matured significantly over the year and had his career-best performance in the Pac-12 title game, Danny Klein of The Daytona Beach News-Journal recalled:
He's capable of getting it done on all three phases—receiving, rushing and in special teams—and isn't even one of the first two or three names on FSU's scouting report when it comes to home run hitters on offense. Nobody knows this more than the Ducks, who will break him out when the 'Noles least expect.
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