Mid-American Conference Football

Greg Kelley, who had a 2014 conviction for sexually assaulting a child overturned in November, announced Saturday that he has received a scholarship to play college football at Eastern Michigan University.

Kelley wrote in an Instagram post: "I am excited to announce that I have been offered a D1 full ride scholarship to play football for [Eastern Michigan]!! I want to thank everyone at Eastern Michigan for giving me this opportunity to play the game I love again. I missed it so much and I can't wait to pad up this week!"

According to ESPN's Dave Wilson, Kelley was arrested while he was a senior high school football player in Leander, Texas, in 2013 and later convicted of sexual abuse of a child after a 4-year-old who attended an in-home day care at Kelley's residence alleged that he abused them.

Kelley's case was reopened in 2017 because of a lack of physical evidence. When announcing the decision at the retrial, a Texas district court judge said: "I declare you innocent, and you are fully exonerated."

Kelley is perhaps best known for being the subject of a five-hour Showtime documentary series called Outcry that was released in July.

Kelley originally committed to play at UTSA before his arrest. At the time, 247Sports graded him as a 2-star prospect and the No. 180 safety in the recruiting class of 2014.

In January, Kelley enrolled at the University of Texas in an attempt to make the Longhorns as a walk-on, but he changed direction after being informed that Texas wasn't adding any additional players for the 2020 season.

Now that Kelley has a scholarship with EMU, he is in line to play college football for the first time at the age of 25.

Kelley will have to wait before making his debut, however, as the Mid-American Conference voted to delay its 2020 season from the fall until the spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nicholas Piotrowicz of the Toledo Blade reported that MAC presidents met this week and are scheduled to do so again next week. Piotrowicz noted that a vote on potentially holding a fall season could soon take place as well.

The Mid-American Conference has postponed fall sports for the 2020 season, the conference announced Saturday. 

Brett McMurphy of Stadium first reported the news and noted the conference will attempt to reschedule its football slate in the spring.

The 12-team MAC was attempting to finalize plans for the 2020 season when Northern Illinois president Lisa Freeman informed the conference her school was going to opt out of the campaign because of safety concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic, per McMurphy.

"The league didn't like the look of NIU going out on their own and not playing," a source told Stadium.

A vote held Saturday confirmed the decision to cancel football in the fall.

Buffalo (+200) was listed as the MAC championship favorite heading into 2020, per Caesars Palace. The Bulls were followed by Central Michigan (+325), Ohio (+500), Western Michigan (+650) and Toledo (+700) in what was shaping up as a hotly contested title race.

MAC games, which have often been showcased on the ESPN networks and the CBS Sports Network on weeknights in recent years, received the moniker "MACtion" because of the frequent close, high-scoring contests.

The pandemic's financial impact has been substantial. Along with the initial cancellation of the upcoming season, MAC teams lost a combined $10.5 million in payments they were scheduled to receive before the Power Five conferences called off most of their nonconference games, per McMurphy.

The MAC's vote came after the NCAA announced Wednesday conferences have until Aug. 21 to make a final decision about whether to compete in the fall. Any sport that has more than 50 percent of eligible teams opt out won't hold a national championship.

A Power Five athletic director told McMurphy the larger conferences are weighing the same factors as their smaller-conference counterparts.

"Everyone understands the financial implications without a football season, but will the other conference presidents want to take the chance of something happening on campus—[like] a major COVID outbreak that shuts down the football program and the campus? That would be a major PR hit and then there's the liability concerns."

One aspect of the NCAA's Wednesday announcement was banning liability waivers related to COVID-19.

Moving the season to spring would create logistical problems, with the 2021 NFL draft scheduled to begin April 29.

Ohio secured its third straight bowl win with a 30-21 victory over Nevada in the 2020 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Friday. 

While the Bobcats let a 21-point fourth-quarter lead slip down to single digits, they were able to escape with the win.

Nathan Rourke took over in his final collegiate game to power Ohio's high-powered offense. His performance helped the team (7-6) finish at least .500 for the 11th straight season under head coach Frank Solich.

With four losses by three points or fewer, this could have been an even better year for the MAC squad.

Nevada quarterback Carson Strong and wide receiver Elijah Cooks were impressive through the air, especially during the late comeback, but the Wolf Pack (7-6) couldn't overcome their short-handed defense. The team suffered its 12th straight loss at Boise State's Albertsons Stadium, going 2-19 overall on the blue turf.

                              

Notable Performances

• Nathan Rourke, QB, Ohio: 9-of-17, 144 passing yards; 87 rushing yards, 1 TD
• De'Montre Tuggle, RB, Ohio: 10 carries, 97 rushing yards, 1 TD
• Isiah Cox, WR, Ohio: 3 catches, 73 receiving yards
• Carson Strong, QB, Nevada: 31-of-49, 402 passing yards, 1 TD
• Toa Taua, RB, Nevada: 6 carries, 48 rushing yards
• Elijah Cooks, WR, Nevada: 14 catches, 197 passing yards, 1 TD

                                      

Bobcats Rely on Rushing Attack to Carry Offense

Ohio knew it had an advantage in the running game and stuck with it during an impressive offensive showing.

The team only scored three points in the first quarter, but it was clear the offensive strategy was working.

https://twitter.com/matthewlparker5/status/1213206050976886784

The commitment to the run eventually yielded 17 points in the second quarter as Ohio held a 174-to-minus-one advantage in rushing yards at halftime.

Rourke was especially impressive, finishing with 87 rushing yards on 10 carries. The Canadian didn't need his arm often, but he took advantage when given the opportunity with big gains.

Nathan Rourke is going to light it up in the CFL next year.

— jon greenberg (@jon_greenberg) January 3, 2020

ohio's offense is fun as hell

— Ben Kercheval (@BenKercheval) January 3, 2020

It opened things up for O'Shaan Allison, Julian Ross and De'Montre Tuggle, who all found plenty of running room to help the team finish with 285 rushing yards.

Even with a few drives stalling in the red zone, Ohio scored on each of its first six drives. Things weren't quite as smooth down the stretch, with a pair of fumbles keeping Nevada in the game, but the 30 points were difficult to match.

The bend-but-don't-break defense was then more than enough to keep the Bobcats ahead on the scoreboard all night. 

                                   

Nevada Can't Overcome Defensive Losses

Defense was a problem for Nevada all season, with the Wolf Pack 100th nationally (out of 130 FBS teams) with 32.1 points allowed per game. The squad then made major changes in the defensive staff before the bowl game, letting go of three coaches, including coordinator Jeff Casteel. 

Though this brought new voices in the locker room, it created more challenges for players to adjust.

The biggest issue, though, was that three defensive starters (Austin Arnold, Daniel Brown and Hausia Sekona) were suspended for the entire game, with a fourth (Gabriel Sewell) only playing the second half. Christian Swint was then ejected for targeting in the third quarter.

This led to 7.5 yards per play allowed in the first half with the team especially struggling to defend option plays.

Nevada has not defended the option well at all, I mean somebody has to take the pitch man

— Ryan Mouton (@RMout29) January 3, 2020

The Bobcats continued to utilize both the speed option and quarterback read, and the Wolf Pack rarely had an answer. Things continued to get worse when Rourke ran untouched for a 35-yard score in the second quarter.

https://twitter.com/TomFornelli/status/1213212089025728513

However, there was a change in the second half.

After allowing points on the first six defensive possessions, Nevada forced fumbles on two straight drives, with both recovered by Sam Hammond. Dom Peterson came up big with a sack on Rourke in the fourth quarter.

The offense responded with Cooks remaining a go-to option and finally getting into the end zone with under 11 minutes remaining. A three-play, 21-yard drive then cut the deficit even further.

Unfortunately, the comeback ended on a trick play that went wrong near the goal line.

Another attempt at the end zone in the closing minutes ended with a fourth-down incompletion, sealing Nevada's fate in a disappointing loss.

A field hockey game was stopped in double overtime Saturday in order for the Kent State football team to release pregame fireworks, Heather Dinich of ESPN reported. 

Temple and No. 24 Maine had battled to a 0-0 tie through the first overtime in a match that took place on the Kent State campus. School officials then halted the game because of fire marshal regulations for the fireworks.

Maine field hockey player Riley Field provided a quick video of the fireworks in question:

https://twitter.com/RileyField11/status/1170420219971588097

Kent State began its football game on time at noon, beating Kennesaw State 26-23 in overtime. The field hockey game was later deemed a scrimmage for NCAA reporting purposes.

Temple coach Susan Ciufo provided harsh criticism after the incident:

"I think it's just where we're at with female sports. As much as we have come a long way, there's still a long way to go. Saturday is the perfect example. To kick off two Division I teams when they're about to go into double overtime for fireworks is just, it's beyond me. I think it's a disgrace to both programs, the families and the schools. I wish there was some better decision-making throughout the process in recognizing what this could mean in the bigger picture moving forward."

There are reportedly no plans to resume the game on another date.

Hour after hour, Tyree Jackson would sit watching YouTube highlights of great quarterbacks at his home in Norton Shores, Michigan. Tom Brady was a favorite. Jackson would watch the way he moved. The angle of his arm. How he gripped the ball. He'd memorize every detail. Then he'd move to the backyard, where he had a tire hanging by a rope from a tree, and throw and throw and throw and turn himself into a quarterback.

That's how he built the arm that led to one of the greatest careers in Michigan high school history, starting all four years at Mona Shores High and finishing fourth in state history in yardage and third in touchdowns. The arm that got him recruited by the University of Buffalo, where he started as a redshirt freshman and earned MAC Offensive Player of the Year honors for his 2018 junior season. The arm makes him potentially the biggest surprise of the 2019 NFL draft class.        

But that also is the source of the biggest concern over Jackson as a prospect—the reason he'd be viewed as a surprise and not a lock despite his arm strength, drive, size (6'7", 249 lbs) and combine results that have been making NFL coaches and scouts drool.

Most elite quarterback prospects work with private coaches from an early age to hone their instincts and technique. Jackson? "The first time he was ever on the field with a private QB coach was last July at the age of 20," says former NFL QB Jordan Palmer, the private coach working with Jackson now.

Will all those years of figuring it out on his own lead to debilitating issues at the pro level?

Palmer thinks it could actually be the opposite. "Tyree had a very limited development history, so he was able to make big gains in a short period," he says. "He's incredibly thorough, hungry and athletic. That allows him to improve really quickly."

My latest mock draft has Jackson as a third-rounder. He could be the type of player a team overpays for and ends up getting a scouting staff fired. Or, if Palmer's right, he could be the steal of the draft that late.

"Incredible where he could go with this," Palmer says.

---

The 2019 Senior Bowl roster was set. Executive director Jim Nagy had already put together an impressive roster of eight quarterbacks—the max in previous seasons—who would come to Mobile, Alabama, to work out for NFL teams' scouts and coaches.

Then Jackson decided to enter the draft following his redshirt junior season.

"He was too talented not to bring to Mobile," Nagy says. "In terms of pure tools, he is one of the most intriguing players, regardless of position, in this year's draft."

So Nagy broke the eight-quarterback rule, and in late January, Jackson took Mobile by storm.

Jackson's play seemed to improve daily, even though he was throwing to unfamiliar wide receivers and playing in uncooperative weather. And he impressed on a personal level too. "After spending a week with him down in Mobile, I can tell you he's got great energy about him...the type of guy that can connect with different types of people, which is critical for the QB position," Nagy says.

His draft stock started to climb.

Then in late February, when the NFL took over Indianapolis for the scouting combine, folks really woke up to his awesome potential.

One quarterback coach approached me in a crowded bar the night before the QB workouts there, just to pull me close and say: "Get Tyree up your board. He's going to dominate here."

And he did.

Jackson ran a 4.59 second 40-yard dash—the same number Cam Newton posted at the 2011 combine. And Jackson is even bigger than Newton, who measured in at 6'5", 248 pounds in '11.

Per the NFL database at MockDraftable.com, Jackson's 40-yard dash performance put him in the 91st percentile for quarterbacks who have worked out at the combine. In fact, he was in the 90th percentile or higher for his height, weight, wingspan, arm length, hand size, 40 and broad jump:

"Everyone thinks Josh Allen was this great athlete last year," one coach told B/R after Jackson's jaw-dropping performance in Indianapolis, "but let me tell you: Jackson is better."

Allen is a common comparison for Jackson, given their size, athleticism, small-school backgrounds and arm strength that scouts describe as the strongest they've ever seen. Patrick Mahomes and Newton are the only other NFL quarterbacks they see as having similar arm strength. And it's not just Jackson's ability to launch a deep ball but also his velocity and accuracy in throwing underneath that distinguish him.

During combine workouts, NFL Network analyst and former All-Pro receiver Steve Smith Sr. even approached Jackson to tell him he was throwing too hard—something no one had ever seen during the on-field workouts in Indianapolis.

Par for the course for Jackson.

"I've worked with some of the brightest young QBs in the NFL, and Tyree's upside is unparalleled," Palmer says. "His size, arm talent and instincts put him on a trajectory that I haven't seen since Patrick Mahomes was a soph at Texas Tech."

Adds Nagy, "He's big, athletic, and he has a hose for an arm."

That simple? Of course not.

---

Traits matter, and Jackson's blend of size, speed, arm strength and personality are enticing enough to excite evaluators who see elite-level athleticism and arm talent. But overlooking the weaknesses in his game when your job is on the line is another story.

All of those traits will mean nothing if there isn't accuracy to go with them. And that's where NFL scouts get worried about Jackson.

"[Jackson] is scary because you saw him against these small-school dudes, and he still couldn't hit 60 [percent] of his passes," one scout says. "Yeah, he has a big arm, but he's not NFL-ready, and accuracy is one thing you can't coach up."

Making the throws isn't a problem with Jackson's arm strength, but getting the ball in the right area code has indeed been troublesome. His career completion percentage of 55.8 is well below the threshold the league likes (60 percent). And even in his breakout junior season, his 28 touchdowns and 3,131 yards came on 225 of his 407 passing attempts (55.3 percent).

That's why NFL teams need to be prepared for the prospect of his accuracy not improving, which is why an elite athlete with an arm that will immediately be top-five in the NFL is considered a Day 2 or Day 3 prospect.

It's also why phrases like "boom or bust" come up often when evaluators talk about Jackson.

"Traits" is a dirty word when talking to some coaches.

Says one AFC team's quarterbacks coach: "Traits get you fired, man. You can talk about traits in the media, but we want guys who've shown they can make the throws."

Still, betting on a player with some obvious traits but also areas of less certainty has worked before.

Most evaluators considered Mahomes a second-round pick before the Chiefs traded up to draft him No. 10 overall. Cam Newton was drafted first overall based on his athletic marvels and the belief in his upside as an athlete and a passer after starting just one year at Auburn. Russell Wilson fell to the third round because he lacked ideal height at 5'11", but the Seahawks saw his leadership and football IQ traits, plus a world-class arm to go with elite speed, and let him start as a rookie.

Is Jackson the next in that line?

"There is some rawness that will put him in the developmental category for most teams," Nagy says. "But he has the personality and the smarts, so some team is going to want to invest time into him."

The difference between one of these bets paying off and not can come down to the particular player's work ethic—his desire to improve in the areas of need.

---

The young man who trained himself to be a quarterback with YouTube, a rope and a tire ended up at Buffalo—bypassed by all the in-state colleges and Power Five schools in his recruitment process.

And if his lack of traditional QB grooming makes him more of a question mark than an answer for teams, it's also the reason not to doubt his ability to improve. He will always have the drive.

As Jackson told NFL.com's Brooke Cersosimo at the NFL combine, "I'll always have a chip on my shoulder, being from a small school."

Palmer sees it too. "The chip on Tyree's shoulder is massive," he says. "No one recruited him, everyone doubted him, and he continues to take what's given to him and create opportunity in what's not given."

Heading into the draft, it's more of the same. Jackson's arm is better than that of Missouri's Drew Lock, who has similar accuracy concerns. He's bigger and faster than Duke's Daniel Jones. And yet those QBs, coming out of the SEC and ACC, respectively, are first-round locks. Jackson's not.

He doesn't need to figure it out on his own anymore. He has Palmer, and soon he'll have an entire organization around him committed to helping him succeed.

Incredible where he could go with this.

                         

Matt Miller covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @nfldraftscout.

Former UCLA linebacker Jaelan Phillips has decided to transfer to the University of Miami.

The player announced his decision Thursday on Twitter:

The Wait is Over...Officially a HURRICANE 🙌🏽⛓🌴 I can’t wait to get to work, #TNM is going to be a problem for the opposition 🤞🏽💯 Thank you God for giving me a second chance 🙏🏾 the COMEBACK is going to be something serious pic.twitter.com/yWhfKJnUlL

— Jaelan Phillips ;🕴🏾® (@JJPhillips15) February 22, 2019

Phillips was a huge prospect out of high school, considered the No. 1 overall player in the 2017 class by 247Sports' composite rankings. However, he only appeared in 10 games in his first two years at UCLA before deciding to transfer out of the program.

He totaled 4.5 sacks and 41 tackles in his time with the Bruins.

Phillips left the program in December of his sophomore season due to injury problems after a concussion and other issues limited him to just four games played, per Tracy Pierson of 247Sports.

If he can stay healthy, the California native can be an impact player for the Hurricanes. At 6'5", 245 pounds, he has excellent size at the position with enough athleticism to be an elite pass-rusher at the college and possibly NFL level.

Meanwhile, this continues an impressive stretch of transfers joining Miami this offseason.

The program has added tons of talent since Manny Diaz took over for Mark Richt as head coach, including Ohio State quarterback Tate Martell, Auburn running back Asa Martin and USC safety Bubba Bolden. 

Like Phillips, all of these players were highly touted out of high school but haven't lived up to expectations in college.

He will also rejoin Chigozie Nnoruka, who transferred from UCLA to Miami as well.

Miami will hope these additions will be enough to bring the program back to prominence. 

Former Kent State running back Jerry Flowers is reportedly suing the NCAA for allegedly concealing concussion information. 

TMZ Sports reported the news Tuesday, noting Flowers—who played at Kent State in 2005—and at least one other person are suing for more than $5 million for fraud, negligence and breach of contract. Flowers said he suffered "numerous concussions" as a player and now has "several symptoms indicative of long-term brain and neurocognitive injuries."

He believes he suffers from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

The lawsuit alleges the NCAA both concealed data regarding the long-term effects of concussions and didn't properly warn players that the helmets used weren't fully protective against concussions.

Flowers tallied 304 rushing yards, 85 receiving yards and three total touchdowns during his freshman season in 2005.

This comes after Tim Evans of the Indianapolis Star reported in November a federal lawsuit representing former Anderson University player Jeffrey Williams and other student-athletes was filed against the NCAA and alleged the organization sacrificed student-athlete safety "in favor of profits and self-promotion" when it came to head injuries.

Evans noted the NCAA previously reached a $75 million settlement for a class-action concussion case but is still facing multiple lawsuits over its handling of head injuries and alleged failure to protect student-athletes.