Mid-American Conference: Taylor Moton vs. Tarell Basham
In the first conference championship game to kick off, Western Michigan looks to remain undefeated as the Broncos take on Ohio. Both teams will contend for the MAC Championship, but Western Michigan has more at stake. A win likely locks up the highest ranking among the Group of Five schools and will land Western Michigan in the Cotton Bowl.
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Quarterback Zach Terrell and wide receiver Corey Davis receive all of the praise, but it’s right tackle Taylor Moton who will need to step up for Western Michigan. The 6-foot-5, 328-pound lineman has dominated MAC competition this season and has been rewarded with an invitation to the Senior Bowl. This game won’t be a cakewalk for him however as Moton will see plenty of Ohio’s top 2017 NFL Draft prospect, Tarell Basham.
Basham, who will also be heading to the Senior Bowl, is the single-season (10) and career (28) sack leader in Ohio history. The star of the Bobcats defense has helped pave the way for Ohio to not only excel at getting to the quarterback, but excel against the run as well. Ohio currently has the best run defense in the MAC.
With the Senior Bowl featuring the North versus the South, Moton and Basham will likely be teammates in Mobile. That means a lot of one-on-one in practices in front of scouts from all 32 NFL teams. For a preview of what to expect then, focus on these two linemen when Western Michigan has the ball.