University of Louisiana defensive coordinator James Willis, who played seven seasons with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers, isn't looking forward to the prospect of stopping Western Kentucky running back Antonio Andrews in a rare Tuesday-night game tomorrow (ESPN2, 8 p.m. ET).
But knowing as well as he does what an NFL running back looks like, he sees one in the Hilltoppers' star rusher.
Things we learned
From Johnny Manziel's heroics in a thriller at Ole Miss to Marcus Mariota's dismantling of Washington, here are 37 things we learned from the college football weekend. **More ...**
"He's special. You will see him playing on Sundays," Willis said, according to theadvertiser.com. "He's explosive. He's fast. He has great vision and balance. He's got everything an NFL program would love to have on their team."
Andrews (6-0, 220) has more than 1,400 all-purpose yards on the season, including 882 on the ground, which ranks No. 2 in the NCAA behind only Washington's Bishop Sankey. His nine touchdowns tie him for third in the NCAA, as well. Andrews, a senior, is considered one of the top running back prospects available in the 2014 NFL Draft.
"You better tackle," UL head coach Mark Hudspeth added. "The thing he's good at is ... yards after contact."
Perhaps more importantly, Andrews has begun to clean up a fumbling problem that was an early-season concern for NFL scouts. After losing three fumbles in WKU's first two games, Andrews hasn't fumbled in four games in a row entering Tuesday.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter *@ChaseGoodbread.*