Aer Lingus College Football Classic Preview: Player Matchups

College Football returns this weekend. The wait is over, and the headline event takes place in Dublin. Northwestern and Nebraska will face off at the Aviva Stadium, and the hope is it will offer a more entertaining affair than last year’s game. A rare bright spot on the Cornhusker’s schedule last season was a one-sided shellacking of the Wildcats, 56-7.

Nebraska will again be the favourite, and although Scott Frost’s seat is toasty, he will hope new transfer quarterback Casey Thompson will offer an upgrade from Adrian Martinez. Elsewhere there will be plenty of entertaining battles, and here are four we are interested in viewing from a scouting perspective.

Peter Skoronski v Ochaun Mathis

There is little doubt that Peter Skoronski is one of the top draft-eligible offensive linemen in the country. The concern is that he may be unable to stick at the left tackle spot when he goes to the NFL. Some scouts already believe he would thrive being switched to the interior.

For Skoronski, he will be keen to prove he can follow in his former teammate, Rashawn Slater’s shoes and stay at tackle where the big money is.

It will be a good first test for Skoronski, who will face the likes of Garrett Nelson and Caleb Tannor. However, the matchup I am really looking forward to seeing is against TCU transfer Ochaun Mathis.

Mathis’ length and speed will pose serious questions, and although the edge rusher hasn’t quite lived up to his full potential he will be keen to add to his 15 career sacks in his new surroundings. In what is likely to be his final year in college Mathis needs to take a jump to be considered one of the top pass rushers.

AJ Hampton Jr v Omar Manning

Cameron Mitchell may be the top cornerback on Northwestern’s team but AJ Hampton Jr may be where you want to keep your eyes come Saturday. He was picked on hard in last season’s fixture. He posted a PFF grade of 39.3, being targeted 7 times for 88 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Hampton is on the small side and is slightly wiry which shows up in his tackling. Last year Samori Toure was the big-bodied receiver who gave him fits and it would be no surprise to see the Cornhuskers use Omar Manning in the same way.

Manning began his college life at TCU before attending JUCO at Kilgore College. After two years there, he was the highest-rated junior-college wideout and chose Nebraska as his next destination. He had a decent start in 2021 with 380 receiving yards at an average of 14.6 yards. With Casey Thompson at QB, the hope is that Manning can significantly impact as the primary receiving target.

Cam Porter v Nick Henrich

Ryan Hilinski’s limitations at quarterback likely mean that Northwestern’s biggest threat is their running game. Evan Hull surpassed 1000 yards in 2021, but Cam Porter is currently number one on the depth chart. The last time Northwestern’s fans saw Porter was against Illinois in 2020, when he ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns, operating in part out of the wildcat formation.

After a season-long injury last year, it will be intriguing to see what Porter offers. He appears to be the ideal all-round back, with good size and the ability to split out wide as a receiver. Lining up opposite will be linebacker Nick Henrich. Henrich recorded 99 tackles in 2021 but looks exactly like you would imagine a Big 10 middle linebacker to look.

That comes with pitfalls in itself; while Henrich is often around the action his missed tackle rate of 17.4% is something that needs addressing. In coverage, he allowed receptions on 91.4% of his targets – meaning he could be viewed as a weak link the Wildcats running back duo can exploit.

Adetomiwa Adebawore v Teddy Prochazka

Perhaps the biggest mismatch on Saturday will come in the shape of Adetomiwa Adebawore v Teddy Prochazka. At 6’10, Nebraska left tackle Prochazka is a behemoth. That said he is slim and doesn’t carry much weight for his size. An immediate starter as a freshman on the blindside, last season was unfortunately cut short by injury.

Prochazka returns and will face up against Adebawore, who led Northwestern in pressures (30) and sacks (5) during 2021. He can be considered undersized for his current edge role, coming in at a stout 6’2, 280lbs. NFL teams will likely look at him as having the potential to move inside as a pass-rushing 3-technique rather than a long-term edge prospect.

Indeed, Adebawore can struggle to generate power and isn’t the twitchiest athlete. However, he has a high motor and could look to expose Prochazka whose size can be as much an issue as it is a blessing. Keep an eye out for darting moves to attack the B gap as Adebawore looks to find holes in the blocking of the much taller Prochazka.

formerly writing for the inside zone, rory will be breaking down college tape and keeping you up-to-date with all things CFB for the touchdown. an avid bengals fan, you can also find some of rory’s work at stripehype.com

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Aer Lingus College Football Classic Preview: Player Matchups