Hello Celebritys

It is officially Rose Bowl week so it’s time to start diving into this TCU/Wisconsin matchup a little deeper. I figure I would start out with some of the players from both teams to keep your eyes on. You will be hearing a lot about these people over the next week, so familiarize yourself.

Andy Dalton, QB: The senior from Katy, TX is the winningest quarterback in college football with 41 career victories. The Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year threw for 2,638 yards and 26 touchdowns with only 6 interceptions this season. The Frogs will go as far as Andy leads them. If Dalton plays to his capabilities in the Rose Bowl, the Horned Frogs will be just fine.

Jeremy Kerley, WR/KR/PR: One of the most electrifying players in college football, Kerley has the ability to score touchdowns from anywhere on the field. Kerley finished the regular season with 50 receptions for 517 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also had two rushing TD’s for the year. That is just on offense. Kerley is the second player in Conference history to earn Special Teams Player of the Year honors multiple times. He Ranks second in the MWC and 17th nationally with a punt return average of 12.9. Has 388 total yards on 30 punt returns. Ranks third in the league and tied for 18th nationally with a kick return average of 28.0. Has 476 total yards on 17 returns.

Tank Carder, LB: The anchor of the number one defense for the past two seasons, Carder had 54 tackles with 2.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss this year. Carder is the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-Mountain West Conference and was named a First-Team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association. He has been instrumental in helping the Horned Frogs place first nationally in opponent third-down conversions at 21.9 %.

Scott Tolzien, QB: The senior play caller is experienced and poised in the pocket. Tolzien threw for 2,300 yards, 16 touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions. He has completed passes at a rate of 74% this season. He is accurate, and the offensive line in front of him gives him time to scan the entire field.

John Clay, RB: The Badgers use a running back by committee approach, but John Clay will get a majority of the carries in the Rose Bowl. The junior from Racine, WI rushed for 936 yards and 13 touchdowns this season despite missing two full games with an ankle injury. At 6’1 and 255 pounds, he is a handful to bring down.

J.J. Watt, DE: The 292 pound junior defensive end racked up 103 tackles for the season with 21 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hurries and seven sacks. He also forced three fumbles, recovered two, had an interception and blocked three kicks. Basically, he is a one man wrecking crew. The Frogs will have to make sure he is accounted for on each play.

For both teams, watch the offensive line play. TCU has the Rimington Trophy Winner Jake Kirkpatrick at center and Marcus Cannon, who was First-Team All-Mountain West Conference, at tackle. Both will be on an NFL roster next season. Badgers offensive linemen Gabe Carimi and John Moffitt each earned first-team AP All-American honors. Carimi was the Outland Trophy winner, and has been steadily climbing up NFL draft boards.

Keep checking Angry Trey’s Blog for all the latest on the Rose Bowl. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter: @AngryTrey