Here are the top takeaways and highest-graded players from National's 18-17 win over American in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl:
Team American
– The quarterbacks from Team American didn’t fare too well. Former Northwestern State Quarterback Stephen Rivers (+0.8) had the highest grade of the three, while Liberty's Josh Woodrum only had 11 snaps but finished with a -3.0 grade. Utah's quarterback Travis Wilson (-1.5) was a bit too careless with the ball and looked uncomfortable in the pocket.
– USC defensive tackle Antwaun Woods (+3.5) was Team American’s highest-graded player. He had three hurries on 15 pass rushes for a +2.3 pass rush grade. He also had three tackles and a +1.6 run defense grade. Woods is used to playing against a high level of competition and he played like it in the game.
– Campbell defensive tackle Greg Milhouse (+2.3) had two hurries and a batted pass in his 18 pass rushes for a +2.2 pass rush grade. He had a productive game against a higher level of competition that he is used to playing against.
Top performers:
Antwaun Woods +3.5
Reggie Northrup +2.6
Greg Milhouse +2.3
Farrington Huguenin +2.0
Prince Charles Iworah +2.0
Team National
– The Team National quarterbacks certainly fared better as a group than their opponents. Bowling Green's Matt Johnson (+0.5) completed five of ten pass attempts, while former Southern Utah QB Ammon Olsen was six of 12 passing but had two passes dropped. Former TCU Quarterback Trevone Boykin (-0.6) was the lowest-graded of the group, finishing 1 of 3 passing for six yards with one interception.
– Washington State defensive tackle Destiny Vaeao (+3.1) was Team National’s highest-graded player. He had one stop in the run game but more importantly had one of the biggest plays of the game with the rare sack/forced fumble/fumble recovery triple-play. Vaeao has NFL potential and graded positively for the year both as a pass rusher and a run defender.
– Former Akron weak-side linebacker Jatavis Brown (+3.0) made his presence felt in the game. He had one QB hit, two run stops, and only allowed one catch on three targets for -6 yards in coverage. He is a bit undersized for an NFL Linebacker but he played well all year, grading positively as a pass rusher, run defender and in coverage.
Top performers:
Destiny Vaeao +3.1
Jatavis Brown +3.0
Vontarrius Dora +1.6
Lenny Jones +1.6
Calvin Heurtelou +1.2