August issue v3

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Carnell Moore CEO + PUBLISHER

Irene Farrimond EDITOR IN CHIEF

CONTRIBUTING STAFF: Steve Wright Kate Campbell

08 THE TOP 20 COLLEGE FOOTBALL

PLAYERS OF 2014 30 CHEERLEADER

OF THE ISSUE 31 TRAVEL: AUSTIN 32 FAN PHOTOS!

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stories by steve wright

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/ OREGON B Q a t o i marcus mar

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arcus Mariota is now used to carrying the weight of lofty expectations on his shoulders and 2014 figures to be more of the same for the Oregon Ducks signal caller. Last fall things were rolling along nicely for the Ducks until disaster struck during the Stanford game and Mariota went down with a knee injury. Given that Mariota is one of the top dual threat quarterbacks in the country, the injury obviously slowed his production. Before going down Mariota had already accounted for nine rushing touchdowns, after the Stanford game he was held out of the end zone for the rest of the year. What this injury did show, however, was the size of Mariota’s heart. He battle on for the rest of the season, willing his Ducks to victories in the Civil War against Oregon State and in the Alamo Bowl over Texas. He was even able to increase his passing touchdowns per game from 2.5 to 2.7 despite playing on one knee. Mariota enters this fall as healthy as he has ever been. Now that his teammates have seen just how hard he will play for them do not be surprised if he leads the Ducks to a spot in the inaugural College Football Playoff. photo by Eric Evans

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Winston played in 41 games as a member of the FSU Baseball Team!

jameis winston

QB / FSU

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his season Jameis Winston faces a task no other player in college football history has undertaken. How does one follow up on a season in which a National Championship and a Heisman Trophy are delivered as a redshirt freshman? Winston won too many awards to name after his ridiculous debut season in Tallahassee, but even with all the hardware questions about his maturity still remain. Winston though has made a habit of proving doubters wrong. Many questioned his decision to attend Florida State ahead of Alabama, who seemed to have the inside track on his recruiting as his home state. One year later though, with 40 touchdowns and a 4:1 touchdown to interception ratio as a freshman behind him, few are critiquing his choice of school. Winston has been proving he is a true two-sport star with his baseball play this spring, but he has committed his summer to developing his football game further which is a frightening prospect. This 6-foot-4, 228-pound freak of nature has the game, and the talent around him, to win back to back titles and enter the conversation as being one of the true greats of our game. photo by Mitch White/FSU Sports Information

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Gurley also ran hurdles on the track team!

B / GEORGIA R y e l r todd gu

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unishing, physical, powerful. These are just some of the words you will hear used to describe the style of play of Georgia’s Todd Gurley. This 6-foot-1, 232 pound force has been churning up yards through the best defensive lines in the SEC for two years now, and the best may well be yet to come. Gurley averages over 6 yards per carry for his career yet he still feels like he has a major point to prove after last year’s injury riddled season left him eleven yards short of the 1,000 yard mark for the season. Looking back on Gurley’s freshman year though, when he accounted for 1385 yards and 17 rushing touchdowns, and you can see the kind of production he can put together with a full and uninterrupted season. Many will remember last year’s opener for the Bulldogs against Clemson where Gurley broke through, and ran away from, Tiger defenders on route to a 154 yard, 2 touchdown performance which saw him average an insane 12.8 yards per carry. Georgia has the most loaded backfield in the nation in 2014, but Gurley is still the best of the best in Athens.

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Some of Williams’s artwork was featured in an on-campus exhibit!

leonard william

s DE / USC

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t has been too long since USC has been relevant at the national title level late in the season, but if their star defensive lineman has anything to say about it that trend will end this season. Leonard Williams is a 6-foot-5, 290 pound one man wrecking crew on the Trojans d-line who will give offensive coordinators fits with his versatility, skill set, and motor. Williams earned All-American honors last year at defensive end having only moved to the position at the start of camp after being a starter at defensive tackle for the Trojans as a freshman. His ability to take naturally to end was remarkable in itself, but it is even more so when you consider he played through much of the season with a torn labrum which cut down on his ability to swim past the offensive line. Last fall he amassed 74 tackles, a huge amount for a defensive lineman, with 13.5 tackles for a loss and six sacks. Now, finally fully healthy and adapted to the defensive end position, Williams will be expected to push on and could easily have a double digit sack season. If that does end up being the case then expect to see the Trojans matter deep into November and expect to hear Williams name called very early in the NFL Draft next May.

/ NEBRASKA E D y r o randy greg

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f Randy Gregory’s sophomore campaign was anything to go by then he may be bringing back the mystique of the black shirts to Nebraska’s defense all by himself. The former Arizona Western College JuCo transfer adapted seamlessly to life at the FBS level, despite having missed the entire previous season with a broken leg. A tall, rangy defensive end built in the mold of a pure speed rusher, the 6-foot-6, 245 pound Gregory has surprising power from his leg drive and an explosive first step which gets offensive tackles off balance in an instant. Gregory used his ever improving skill set to the tune of 64 tackles, 10.5 sacks and even one interception in 2013. This was enough to earn the conference newcomer a spot on the first-team All-Big Ten postseason awards list. With another year of strength and conditioning in the Nebraska program it is going to be very interesting to see what Gregory can do as an encore this fall.

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Bryce Petty was born in Georgia!

bryce petty QB /

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BAYLOR

n quarterback Bryce Petty and head coach Art Briles the Baylor Bears have found a perfect match. No one would ever describe Petty as a dual threat guy (despite his 14 rushing touchdowns in 2013), but he can make every throw in the book and has a perfect sense of coverage and timing which fits seamlessly with the shotgun heavy, pass happy system which Briles runs at Baylor. Replacing Robert Griffin III was not supposed to be this easy, but Petty last fall shattered just about every record in the book at Baylor while leading the Bears to an 11-2 season. The 6-foot-3, 230 pounder is exactly what you look for in a prototypical pocket passer, and his ability to quickly process reads was paramount in his junior season where he passed for 4200 yards with 32 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions. The worrying thing for the rest of the Big XII is that neither Petty nor Briles was happy with how 2013 ended. Both saw the losses to Oklahoma State, and in the Fiesta Bowl against UCF, as black marks on an otherwise successful season. Petty came back this fall for one reason only, to win a National Title at Baylor. With his dedication to his craft and comfort level in this system there is no reason that goal cannot be achieved.

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QB / UCLA y e l d n brett hu

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rett Hundley was one of the players who struggled most with the decision between coming back to school and declaring for the NFL Draft this spring. After many hours of conversation and deep thought however the Chandler, Arizona native decided to come back to Pasadena for his junior season, a decision which was celebrated by all those who follow UCLA. Hundley broke onto the national spotlight in a huge way as a freshman, compiling a season which is arguably the best all time at the school. He completed 319 passes (a school record) for 3745 yards (a school record) and 29 touchdowns. As a sophomore Hundley saw his passing numbers slip slightly, but he was more dangerous with his feet as he scored 11 touchdowns on the ground including two in the dominating 42-12 Sun Bowl win over Virginia Tech. This year expect those passing numbers to go right back up as the Bruins are as loaded at the skill positions as they have been in almost a decade. Hundley will have a litany of wide receivers to find with the football, a scary prospect for those defensive coordinators in the Pac-12 who will have to find a way to contain Hundley both through the air and on the ground.

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Beasley officially graduated from Clemson in August 2014!

vic beasley DE / C

LEMSON

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t 6-feet-2, 225 pounds Vic Beasley is a tweener in the best possible sense of the word. In his first season as a starter at defensive end for the Clemson Tigers, Beasley led the ACC in sacks with 13 and was second in the conference in tackles for a loss with 23. Beasley has outrageous speed out of his three point stance and often has beaten the opposing tackle before he even realizes it. Even when a tackle can get into blocking position Beasley has an array of elaborate fakes and spins which allow him to use his exceptionally quick feet to move an opposition lineman into an off balanced position, at which point he can blow past them and use his outstanding closing speed to get to, and often destroy, the quarterback. Beasley has even shown the ability to rush from a standing position in certain sub packages for the Tigers, adding another dimension to his game which allows him to be on the field every down. With 21 sacks so far in his Clemson career he only needs eight more, an average amount by his high standards, to set a new all-time school record for sacks as a Tiger.

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Miller’s teammates tease him about his big backside!

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TE QB / OHIO STA r e l l i braxton m

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f experience is anything to go by then we may as well hand Braxton Miller the Heisman Trophy for 2014 right now. The Ohio State quarterback has amassed 8,346 yards of total offense during his time in Columbus, despite missing large chunks of his three seasons there due to a range of nagging injuries.

Finally healthy again coming into a season, Miller decided to forgo the lure of the NFL for one more year in Urban Meyer’s quarterback friendly spread offense. Just a glance at Miller’s stats will show you just how dynamic of a playmaker he can be when healthy. Miller has split his offensive yards as a Buckeye with 5,292 passing and 3,054 rushing. You simply cannot key in on one aspect of his game because he will turn around and beat you the other way. Miller has also accounted for 84 touchdowns during his career at Ohio State and tellingly his passing touchdown numbers jumped from 13 as a freshman, to 15 as a sophomore, to 24 last fall as a junior. This increase shows that Miller has developed as a passer to be less of a one read and run player to a quarterback who can check throw multiple reads before tucking the ball. A healthy Miller this fall will put Ohio State in the thick of the National Title picture. photo courtesy of Ohio State Dept. of Athletics

tyler lockett WR

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/ KANSAS STAT

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t is a unique situation when the most exciting player in a conference entering a college football season is not a quarterback or running back. This is exactly the situation in the Big XII in 2014 however as Kansas State wide receiver Tyler Lockett has become appointment television every Saturday of the fall. Lockett is an interesting study as he is not one of those giant receivers who generate all the hype in the way they can out jump defenders for the ball. At 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds Lockett instead relies on his 4.4 40-yard dash time and his elite route running skills to fake defenders out of ideal coverage position and get himself into prime position to make that game breaking catch. Last fall Locket had 81 receptions for 1262 yards and 11 touchdowns, but he had a habit of doing all his damage in bunches. Lockett put together seven outings where he broke the 100 yard receiving mark, including a 12 catch, 278 yard, 3 touchdown performance against Oklahoma which set a number of Wildcats school records. This fall Lockett will look to improve his consistency in getting to the end zone on a weekly basis. If he can do so then don’t be shocked if K-State comes out of the pack to win the Big XII.

CB / FLORIDA i i i s e v a e r g r a h n o rn

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tarting at cornerback in the SEC is a daunting prospect at the best of times and very few can play the position at the highest level. The fact that Vernon Hargreaves III was seemingly able to transition from playing high school football in 2012, to playing on an island against some of the best quarterbacks in the nation as a true freshman for the Gators in 2013 is absolutely remarkable. Hargreaves intercepted a pass in each of his first two games at Florida and finished the season as a first team All-SEC selection. He relies on his blend of high top-end speed, along with his quickness and fluidity in the hips, to blanket receivers in coverage and give the opposition quarterbacks no window in which to deliver the ball. A smart player, Hargreaves is also a solid tackler in the run game and totaled 38 stops to go along with his 3 interceptions last fall. In 2014 it may be unfair to expect Hargreaves to be a statistical beast as in all likelihood quarterbacks are not even going to try to throw to his side of the field. If you watch a Gator game this fall and Hargreaves doesn’t appear on the screen once then he will have done exactly what is expected of him.

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Hill served on a LDS mission to Sydney, Australia

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taysom hill QB / B

YU

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hose who watched BYU play last year will have seen a quarterback who had his ups and downs and who often used his legs, and his guts, to bail himself out of tricky situations. Taysom Hill in 2013 was far from the finished product, but he reminded many onlookers of a former BYU quarterback who was in exactly the same stage of his development at this point. Things certainly didn’t turn out badly for Steve Young, and if Hill can improve his accuracy and increase his completion percentage then BYU may well be a force to be reckoned with in 2014. Hill was a very interesting case last season as he played through injury and inconsistency to put up almost 3,000 yards through the air to go with his 1,344 on the ground. This fall he will have an influx of talent to throw the ball to as a combination of JuCo transfers and returning missionaries will help give him sizeable red zone targets. In the spring game Hill was able to show his new level of comfort with the offense as he passed for 307 yards and three touchdowns, giving everyone in Provo a glimpse of what he could be capable of this fall. photo by Jaren Wilkey/BYU

/ ALABAMA B R n o d tj yel

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t is easy to be green with envy at the production line of running backs which have been churned out in Tuscaloosa the last few years. From Mark Ingram to Eddie Lacy to Trent Richardson, the sheer level of talent that has been in the Crimson Tide backfield has been mind blowing. However only one back has begun his Alabama career with back to back 1000 yard rushing seasons, and that is TJ Yeldon. Yeldon rushed for 1,235 yards as a freshman and followed that up with 1,108 yards last fall as a sophomore, rushing for a combined total of 26 touchdowns. To put up those numbers on your own is fantastic, but to do it in a situation where there are other great running backs vulturing your carries like Yeldon has done is quite exceptional.

Even with the threat of yet another great runner, Derrick Henry, looming over his shoulder, Yeldon is far from done. At 6-feet-2 and 220 pounds it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking Yeldon is a pure workhorse back.

Indeed as the season ran down last year he would routinely put in weeks with 20+ carries and 130+ yards, numbers unheard of in this era of platooning your backs. Yeldon though is also a strike threat as he put in runs of more than 20 yards in all but two ‘Bama games last year. That cements his place as a do-all back to be watched in 2014.

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Gordon’s high school idol was Adrian Peterson

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RB / WISCONS

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elvin Gordon certainly makes for an interesting case study. Wisconsin is a school known for producing heavy hitting power backs in the Big Ten, which is a conference known for producing heavy hitting power backs. Gordon however is something else entirely. This isn’t to say that Gordon doesn’t run with power, you only have to look at the game film to see that an arm tackle has no chance of bringing the Badger running back down. Gordon though is pure explosion in the way he hits the hole and the way he can turn on the burners out of his cuts and breaks. Simply put if he gets into the open field or is one on one with a defender in the hole it is over. The fluidity with which he runs reminds many of a slightly bigger Jamaal Charles and that is some heady company to be in. In 2013 Gordon rushed for over 1,600 yards and 12 touchdowns, breaking off one highlight reel dash after another. This fall will be the first for Gordon as Wisconsin’s feature back and it will be interesting to see how this affects his other worldly 7.8 yard per carry average.

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AUBURN / B Q l l a nick marsh

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ick Marshall stepped onto the Auburn campus just a few months before the start of the 2013 season as a junior college transfer. That fall he compiled 1,068 rushing yards, threw for just under 2,000 yards, and accounted for 26 total touchdowns. These may look like relatively modest numbers in today’s college football world, but with a running game based around the talents of Tre Mason it was enough for Marshall to lead his underdog team all the way to the National Title game. Now, entering 2014, Marshall has no longer just stepped onto campus. Instead he has invested himself in the scheme and playbook of head coach, and offensive genius, Gus Malzahn, and if reports are to be believed then Marshall is ready to absolutely blow up this fall. In one half of action in the spring game Marshall threw for 236 yards and four touchdowns in just one half of action. He can make all the throws and is now hitting his speedy receivers downfield after progressing through his reads. If Marshall plays half as well as he and his coach are expecting then Auburn will not fall out of the National Title picture any time soon.

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Andrus Peat has SIX siblings!

andrus peat OT /

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STANFORD

ndrus Peat was regarded by many as the best college recruit in the nation in 2012. At 6-foot-7 and 315 pounds it is easy to see why recruiters and scouts alike loved the son of long time NFL lineman Todd Peat. As a sophomore last fall Peat was still honing his technique and growing into his body, but the natural talent and pure ability were enough to see him picking up some All-America accolades for his work protecting the quarterbacks blindside. Stanford’s offensive line was absolutely decimated by graduations this spring as four starters and 133 combined career starts left The Farm. This means that Peat is the only returning starter on a unit which has been dominant for the past few years and he will be expected to step in and lead both by example and by becoming the face of this new Stanford front. The former 5-star prospect though will certainly be up for the challenge as he looks to cement his status as one of the best linemen in the country and a future top NFL Draft pick. photo by StanfordPhoto.com

d r o f g n a l y jerem

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N STATE

RB / MICHIGA

ntering last fall the Michigan State running back position had as many questions as any position at any school in the FBS. The Spartans returned just 49 yards rushing to their squad after a host of graduations and there was no sure fire player to pin hopes on to fill the void. That is when a player who had moved from tailback, to defensive back, to receiver, and then back to tailback, broke out as one of the best players in college football. Jeremy Langford’s road to stardom with the Spartans may have been arduous, but in 2013 he certainly seemed to be making up for lost time. He carried Michigan State to a Big Ten title and Rose Bowl victory by carrying for over 1,400 yards at 4.9 yards per carry with 18 touchdowns. He also showed enough as a receiver, 28 catches out of the backfield, to keep defenses honest when he released into the flat. At 6-foot and 205 pounds he has a smooth running style that masks his ability to make those extra yards after contact as a downhill runner. He also improved as the year went on, with eight 100-yard games in the Spartans last nine contests. There is nothing that should stop Langford growing as a runner, and a receiver, in 2014.

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Did you know?

Matakevich loves the Zac Brown Band!

tyler matakevi

ch LB / TEMPLE

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ou have to be pretty good to be first-team all-conference as a defensive player when your team goes 2-10 on the season. That is exactly what happened to Temple middle linebacker Tyler Matakevich during his sophomore year last fall. He was even named as an honorable mention All-American by Sports illustrated on the back of his sensational season where he led the nation in solo tackles with 99 while being second in the country in total tackles with 137. It seems at times that Matakevich is involved in every play, no matter where it is on the field, which is tribute to his work ethic and great range. Matakevich never takes a play off, as is evidenced by performances like the one against Idaho in 2013 when he accounted for 23 total tackles, 13 of them solo. He has made his name not only as a hitter, but as an excellent form tackler who will put his opponent down on first contact. After regularly fighting through double teams, chips, and all other kinds of blocks for his first two years as an Owl, Matakevich will once again take on all comers this fall as the unquestioned leader of his Temple team. photo by Joe Labolito/Temple University

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Reynolds was a four year letter-winner in football and track in high school.

QB / NAVY s d l o n keenan rey

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t is easy to argue that Keenan Reynolds is the least known great player in America as we head into the 2014 college football season. Hidden in the non-scholarship, non-conference affiliated world of the Naval Academy, Reynolds took the starting quarterback job midway through the 2013 season and has gone from strength to strength as commander of the funky, throwback, triple option offense. All Reynolds did last fall, as a sophomore no less, was lead that offense to an average of 33.5 points and 411 total yards per game.

He became just the fourth player in college football history, and the first quarterback, to score 30 rushing touchdowns in a season and has elevated himself to being mentioned in the same breath as Navy great Roger Staubach. His stand out moment was in the instant classic game against San Jose State where he went toe to toe with Spartans QB David Fales, scoring seven rushing touchdowns in an epic 58-52 three overtime victory.

The Mids have an opening day date with Ohio State this fall. Reynolds will be key to any upset bid and if Navy can pull off the win then Reynolds will be instantly catapulted into the thick of the Heisman discussion.

tyler boyd WR / PIT

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TSBURGH

hen you are breaking records set by Larry Fitzgerald you know you are doing something right. That is exactly what Tyler Boyd did last season at Pittsburgh when he set school records as a freshman with 1,174 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. His ability in the passing game though is just one part of the package he brings to the table. Boyd is also as dangerous and elusive a return guy as there is in the country. This is evidenced by the fact he averaged 23 yards per punt return in 2013 while breaking one all the way for a touchdown. Now, with a year of experience against college level corners under his belt, the sophomore will look to take his game up a level in 2014. He will be working with a new quarterback, one who favors mobility over a strong arm in the pocket, so expect Boyd to see plenty of late play heaves as he finds open spaces so well when the game breaks down into back yard football mode. Be it as the play is scripted, or in a freelance fashion, you can expect Tyler Boyd to be in the end zone and causing problems for ACC defenses all throughout the season.

PROLIFESTYLE

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LOVE YOUR PROTEIN COMING FALL 2014 PROLIFESTYLELLC.COM

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y e l h s A

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS SEA GAL

Best Experience: The parade in Seattle, after winning the Super Bowl was such an amazing experience. I was not prepared for the amount of people that attended. I was so proud of our team and our city and it was a day that I will never forget.

College: Portland State University Major or Degree: B.S. in Health Sciences Favorite Quote: “If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s.”

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visit

austin WATCH Texas Longhorns texasboxoffice.com Texas Stars texasstarshockey.com Texas Rollergirls texasrollergirls.com Round Rock Express roundrockexpress.com PLAY Golf Balcones Country Club Butler Pitch & Putt Falconhead Golf Club UT Golf Club Hike & Bike Lady Bird Lake Hike & Bike Trail McKinney Falls State Park Sculpture Falls Hike at Barton Creek Boat, Swim & Paddleboard Lake Austin Lake Travis SUP ATX Barton Springs Pool EAT Juan in a Million Torchy’s Tacos Elizabeth Street Cafe Qui SLEEP Travaasa Austin The Driskill Hotel Aloft Austin at the Domain Hotel San Jose

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[ ] FAN PHOTOS

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