Garrett Wolfe was back for this game at near 100% and showed that when healthy he deserves every accolade he gets. He ran over the previously undefeated (in conference play) SMU defense and stud DE Dan Bazuin for over two hundred yards and 3 TDS.
SCOUTING SUMMARY:
College: Northern Illinois Conference: Mid-American Columnist: Craig Fobbe
Name # Ht Wt Speed Pos Class Game Notes
Doug Free 62 6' 6.5" 315 5.00 OT 2007: A very solid mid-round LOT candidate. Knows how to position himself. Has a good punch. Technically solid. Pulls well. Was beaten inside by Bazuin on one of the few times they were 1-on-1, but Bazuin does that to a ton of people. Gets downfield and pulls well too. A bit more of a finesse guy than Staley, but still very effective. Has added 10 pounds this season. GRADE: Slightly positive.
Garrett Wolfe 1 5' 7.0" 173 4.50 HB 2007: An amazingly gifted true tailback. Plenty of moves and plays even faster than he times. Knows how to get small and use his blockers. Great burst. Super cutting ability. Takes too many tacklers on for a 170-pound back, and will pay for it. Didn't see much in the way of hands, and he will ALWAYS be a major liability blocking at the next level. If he is in, he better be getting the ball. If used strictly as a 3rd-down back he has a shot to be a Kevin Faulk-type contributor--but Faulk is bigger and has better hands. GRADE: Slightly positive
Phil Horvath 3 6' 3.0" 197 4.90 QB 2007: Phil was one of those guys who I saw as a possible late surprise draft pick. He is smart and steady. Puts the ball where it needs to be. Knows how to run an offense. Stays within the gameplan and knows his limitations. Unfortunately, he got hurt in the middle of the first quarter of this one and did not return. They used the words "serious knee injury" on a freak play where no one got him except "the sniper." Fell down with no one around him. Will be in a camp if he checks out medically by next May-June. GRADE: Inc.
Jake Nordin 86 6' 3.0" 262 0.00 TE 2007: DNP
Dustin Utschig 35 5' 10.0" 196 0.00 S 2007: A good college strong safety who hits and wraps pretty well. Lacks size for the next level but played very well in this game. Had a PD and a couple nice sticks. GRADE: Positive
College: Central Michigan Conference: Mid-American Columnist: Craig Fobbe
Name # Ht Wt Speed Pos Class Game Notes
Dan Bazuin 93 6' 3.0" 269 4.60 DE 2007: Not one of Dan's best games. It was pretty much a draw v. Free when they were lined up opposite each other, and he did beat him by throwing his hands off him and slanting inside nicely on one play (but didn't get the tackle). He did have a PBU and was in on about a half dozen tackles. No sacks and no TFLs, and if you can't get those in the MAC, what are you going to do as a 269-pound NFL DE? GRADE: Neutral
Joe Staley 73 6' 4.8" 300 4.70 OT 2007: Joe is a mean, mean tackle. He hand punches so hard, I really am surprised he gets away with it. Decent footwork, but not a long enough stride to handle top-notch NFL DEs. That is not to say he can't have a very successful career at the next level as an OG or ROT, because I believe he can. His club is unparalleled. He pulls like nobody's business. He rag dolls people in the running game, and walls and seals with authority. Always plays hard. A tad undersized, but he's up to 300 now, and is even faster than Cliff Louis. Reaches a bit too far at times, and can be beaten with a hard inside spin move as a result. GRADE: Positive
Other notes: CMU CB Pacino Horne and UNI CB Adriel Hansbro both had nice games.