College Football Predictions 2011: 10 Players Who'll Fall Flat on Their Faces
The dawn of every new college football season comes with expectations, predictions and a whole lot of hype. While many players live up to the expectations given to them by fans, analysts and prognosticators, there always seem to be those players who fail to live up to the preseason hype that is thrown upon them.
There are innumerable reasons the unrealized production occurs such as injury history, departed old personnel or incoming new personnel. Regardless, each year we look back and find players who are truly not "who we thought they are."
Here are 10 players who are receiving preseason buzz, but will ultimately fail to live up to their expectations.
Rex Burkhead- Running Back (Nebraska)
1 of 10
Burkhead put up solid numbers last season playing as a complimentary running back to Roy Helu Jr.
In 2011, Rex will make the transition from a complimentary back to the featured rusher in the Cornhusker offense. Of course, defenses will have to account for dual threat quarterback Taylor Martinez, but nevertheless defenses will be much more focused on the bruising 210-lb Burkhead than they were last season.
Saying that Burkhead will fall on his face in 2011 is probably a little too harsh, but it will be difficult for the running back to replicate the 5.5 yards per carry that he averaged last season. Rex’s ability to make a smooth transition into the featured role in the backfield will greatly impact the effect to which the Husker’s offense runs next season.
Matt McGloin- Quarterback (Penn State)
2 of 10
Matt McGloin played well in place of former Penn State quarterback Robert Bolden last season. McGloin threw for 1,548 yards and 14 touchdowns as he helped lead Penn State to a 4-3 record in his seven appearances under center.
To say that Matt was an unknown entity stepping under center last season might be an understatement. McGloin was not highly regarded coming out of high school and did not receive the type of attention that fellow Penn State signal callers Robert Bolden and Kevin Newsome did from recruiting websites such as Rivals and Scout.
If opposing defenses did not know about Matt McGloin last season, you better believe that he will be a much more emphasized aspect of opposing defenses scouting reports in 2011. In addition, senior running back Evan Royster has also departed which will make Penn State’s passing attack the focal point of their offense in 2011.
Matt McGloin’s success was a great story last season and the way he played coming off the bench was admirable to say the least, but next season McGloin will be featured in a Penn State offense that desperately needs a productive passing game. I am skeptical that McGloin will be able to deliver under the added pressure he will be under in 2011.
Geno Smith- Quarterback (West Virginia)
3 of 10
Geno Smith was terrific in his first full year as starting quarterback for Head Coach Bill Stewart and West Virginia.
Smith’s 24 touchdown passes and 2,763 passing yards last season has resulted in heightened expectations for the junior from Miami, Florida.
Recently ESPN analyst Bruce Feldman named Geno his top dark house Heisman candidate.
I am not here to downplay Geno Smith’s play last season. Personally, I thought Smith was fantastic and showed tremendous control of the Mountaineer offense.
What may be getting lost in the wake of all these expectations and predictions is that West Virginia’s offense will look much different in 2011 than it did last season. Running back Noel Devine has departed along with his 936 rushing yards as has wide receiver Jock Sanders.
Geno Smith is more than a serviceable player for West Virginia at quarterback, but I do not know if he can live up to some of these heightened expectations such as the Heisman buzz being thrown about by Bruce Feldman.
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Emory Blake- Wide Receiver (Auburn)
4 of 10
Blake enjoyed a great sophomore season and was on the receiving end of eight Cam Newton touchdown passes last season.
Emory will go into 2011 as arguably the top receiving option on Auburn’s roster, but it will be very difficult for Blake to replicate the 16.8 yards per catch average and the aforementioned eight touchdown receptions he collected last season.
Emory will obviously no longer have the advantage of playing alongside Cam Newton and instead will rely on junior quarterback Barrett Trotter to deliver him the football. Trotter has only thrown nine career passes at Auburn and it is unknown whether Barrett will be able to consistently deliver the ball to Blake in space.
It also should be mentioned that last season Blake played a role as the third receiver behind Darvin Adams and Terrell Zachary. Emory will most certainly be Auburn’s top wide receiving option in 2011, but in all honesty look for head coach Gene Chizik to emphasis the running game with Michael Dyer and Ontario McCalebb.
Emory Blake put up great numbers as a sophomore in 2010, but unfortunately the odds are not in his favor to build on that success in 2011.
Dan Persa- Quarterback (Northwestern)
5 of 10
Quarterback Dan Persa played well for Northwestern last season and was able to lead the Wildcats to a 7-3 record in his 10 games under center. It was only after Persa suffered a season ending injury versus Iowa that the Wildcats dropped their final three games including a loss in the TicketCity Bowl to Texas Tech.
With Persa back under center for Northwestern, fans are predicting big things from the quarterback and also from the Wildcats.
It is uncertain though if Persa will be able to make a full recovery from his ruptured Achilles heel. Dan is currently undergoing rehabilitation for the injury and is hoping to be back in time for Northwestern’s 2011 season opener at Boston College.
Persa is a dual-threat quarterback that relies on his legs almost as much as he relies on his arm and this injury definitely could have limiting effects on his game. I am hoping for Dan to make a full recovery and succeed, but I doubt that Persa will be able to perform at the same high level that he did before he suffered his ruptured Achilles.
Jeff Demps- Running Back (Florida)
6 of 10
Jeff Demps has the ability to go the distance whenever he touches the football and it is the speedster’s big play ability that makes the 5'8", 190 lb senior running back so special.
The problem for Demps is that he will be running behind a revamped offensive line in 2011 and the back’s holes may not be as big as they were in 2010. Florida loses three offensive linemen from last year including center Mike Pouncey and the Gators will be breaking in new personnel up front next season.
This does not bode well for a running back such as Demps in particular who needs good blocking and open holes to showcase his ability in the open field.
The senior also loses backfield mate Emmanuel Moody and could be forced to take on a much bigger role in the offense if Florida’s passing game continues to struggle in a similar manner that it did last season.
Demps will not be able to make the game breaking plays that Florida fans have grown accustomed to seeing with all of this turnover in the offensive line and the lack of an effective passing game to keep defenses honest.
Danny O'Brien- Quarterback (Maryland)
7 of 10
Danny had a great freshman campaign for Maryland throwing for 2,438 yards and 22 touchdowns.
O’Brien begins spring football in College Park without wide receiver Torrey Smith and with new head coach Randy Edsall.
It remains to be seen how different the Terrapins offensive scheme will be under Edsall, but it should be noted that Edsall favored a run oriented system during his time at UConn. Maryland could transition its offense to focus more on senior running back Davin Meggett who rushed for 720 yards last season.
The fact that big play wide receiver Torrey Smith is gone as well, will also hinder O’Brien’s ability to put up numbers comparable to that of his freshman campaign.
Change is definitely in the air at Maryland and the arrival of Edsall along with the departure of Torrey Smith will not bode well for O’Brien.
Andre Ellington- Running Back (Clemson)
8 of 10
Andre Ellington averaged 5.8 yards per carry last season rushing the ball for Clemson and served as the lightning to Jamie Harper’s thunder so to speak.
Both Ellington and Harper thrived under this two back system and each player complimented each other well.
Head Coach Dabo Swinney was expecting to use the same two back offense this year, but Jamie Harper put a wrench into Swinney’s plans when he declared early for the NFL Draft. Now the 5'10", 180-lb Ellington will become the sole featured back in this Clemson offense.
Andre Ellington played well last season and scored 10 touchdowns as a sophomore, but now questions arise as to whether Ellington can handle the full rushing workload and whether Harper’s departure will be a crippling blow to the success that Andre enjoyed.
On the surface it would appear that Ellington would be poised for a big time junior campaign, but Andre will not be as productive without Jamie Harper sharing the rushing duties in the backfield.
Christine Michael- Running Back (Texas A&M)
9 of 10
Christine Michael was a highly touted recruit coming out of high school and appeared to finally be hitting his stride last season for the Aggies. Christine had rushed for 631 yards and four touchdowns throughout the first eight games last season and was showing fans why he was so highly recruited coming out of high school.
Unfortunately, Michael suffered a broken leg against Texas Tech and was not able to return to the field in 2010.
A buzz is growing about Texas A&M and the one-two rushing combination of Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael however, injuries can be devastating setbacks for players. Despite the buzz surrounding Christine Michael’s return, I doubt that he will be able to return to the form he showed throughout the first eight games of his sophomore season.
Aaron Murray- Quarterback (Georgia)
10 of 10
Aaron Murray played well in his first season in Athens, but added challenges await him as a sophomore.
Murray’s first hurdle will be maintaining his high level of play without wide receiver A.J. Green’s presence on the outside. Aaron will still have wide receiver Tavarres King and tight end Orson Charles to lean on, but Green was a special talent and his departure will definitely be felt.
Another aspect to explore is the running back situation, which has been muddied by the suspension of Washaun Ealey. Caleb King will now likely play a more featured role in the backfield along with highly touted recruit Isaiah Cromwell.
Regardless, Murray will inherit more responsibility on offense and I do not think that the sophomore quarterback can maintain the positive momentum he gained as a freshman amid all the changes happening on offense.
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