You know the saying: “Respect your elders.”
It seems like every year, underclassmen are becoming more and more prominent in the college game. In recent years, we’ve seen the younger crowd take home prestigious awards that had always been held down by juniors and seniors.
Here at Saturday Down South, we don’t overlook the old men of the college game. Instead, we’re recounting the best performances by seniors in their final collegiate games from this bowl season:
CAMERON ARTIS-PAYNE
The SEC’s leading rusher during the regular season posted another 100-yard performance in the final game of his career, rushing for 126 yards and two touchdowns in an overtime loss to Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl. Artis-Payne closed the 2014 season with nine 100-yard outings in 13 games, and the Tigers went 7-2 in those games including the bowl loss. Artis-Payne had the difficult task of matching the FBS’s leading rusher, Melvin Gordon, tick for tack in a high-scoring bowl game, but he rose to the occasion and helped Auburn force overtime in a game the Badgers controlled for most of the day. Auburn may have lost in the end, but it wasn’t due to a lack of production in the run game.
MARKUS GOLDEN
Golden was one of a handful of Missouri seniors to cap their careers with huge performances in a victory over Minnesota in the Citrus Bowl. The All-SEC defensive end recorded a team-high 10 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble in the victory, all while helping the Tigers limit a productive Missouri rushing attack to just 3.2 yards per carry (the Gophers averaged 4.7 yards per carry during the regular season). Golden was unblock able along the Tigers defensive line, and Minnesota’s lack of an answer for the terrific senior was a big reason for Missouri’s victory in Orlando.
MALCOME KENNEDY
Texas A&M’s most experienced wideout had a huge day as part of one of the most explosive pass attacks in the FBS this bowl season. Kennedy hauled in seven receptions for 82 yards and two touchdowns, contributing to an Aggie offense that amassed 294 yards and four touchdowns through the air in a victory over West Virginia in the Liberty Bowl. Kennedy’s deadly combination of size and speed gave the Mountaineers secondary fits and helped the Aggies keep pace in a shootout in Memphis, resulting in A&M’s eighth win for a third consecutive season since joining the SEC.
MARCUS MURPHY
Missouri’s do-everything tailback indeed did a little bit of everything in the Tigers’ victory over Minnesota. He rushed 157 yards at better than 13.0 yards per carry, and added 16 receiving yards and 26 return yards to post a total of 207 all-purpose yards for the game. Murphy helped Missouri pick up first downs on critical drives, helped set up scores with big plays in the run game and was a factor in the field position battle as well. He shined for both the offense and special teams and proved to be one of the most impactful players on the field despite never reaching the end zone in the victory.
BUD SASSER
Murphy’s teammate, Sasser, was just as dynamic for a Missouri offense that entered the game ranked 103rd out of 128 FBS teams during the regular season. The SEC’s third-leading receiver this year closed his career with yet another quietly productive game, hauling in seven catches for 68 yards and a pair of scores in the victory. Sasser amounted to more than 70 percent of Missouri’s offense through the air, and although the Tigers receivers never presented a second threat in the passing game the senior was still unstoppable in moving the chains in key situations. Sasser went over 1,000 yards for the season in the bowl win, but you wouldn’t know it by his demeanor or the lack of attention he’s received throughout the year.
DYLAN THOMPSON
Thompson closed the book on his lone season as South Carolina’s starting quarterback with a fine showing in a win over Miami in the Independence Bowl. The SEC’s leading passer during the regular season completed 65 percent of his passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, bringing his season totals to more than 3,500 yards and 26 touchdowns against just 11 interceptions. Thompson was far from the SEC’s flashiest signal caller, but he was a capable game manager at the helm of one of the SEC’s more explosive offenses. His final game was indicative of his entire senior season — good numbers, plenty of points and little appreciation. Nonetheless, his lack of mistakes and management of the offense led South Carolina to a much-needed bowl win to close the book on a frustrating season.
RAMIK WILSON
Georgia’s senior middle linebacker tied for the team lead with eight tackles in a win over Louisville in the Belk Bowl, adding a sack, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup in the victory. He did a little bit of everything for the Dawgs defense, shutting down the underneath passing game when assigned to coverage while also disrupting the quarterback as an occasional pass rusher. He helped the Bulldogs limit Louisville’s rushing attack to just 62 yards at 2.3 yards per carry, and helped hold the Cardinals to 17 points below their season average. Wilson and fellow senior Amarlo Herrera quarterbacked the Dawgs defense for much of the season, and both will be sorely missed next season even though Georgia should return many of its top juniors.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
