There’s a rumor floating around that there’s a pretty big game in Tuscaloosa this week. Here’s a look at what to watch around the league in Week 10: 1. Winning up front: With all the focus on the two defenses in the Alabama and LSU game, keep a close eye on who gets it done up front on offense, especially in the second half. Both of these offensive lines have a way of imposing their will on teams after halftime. They should be healthy, too. Guard Anthony Steen is expected back for Alabama after missing time with a concussion, and LSU will get back center P.J. Lonergan, who didn’t play in either of the Tigers’ last two games while recovering from an ankle injury. The team that plays the best on the offensive line is the team that’s going to win this game. 2.Big-play receivers: With both the Alabama and LSU defenses being so stout, it makes sense that the team that wins is going to have to hit a few big plays in the passing game. It was Jarrett Lee completing the third-down bomb to Rueben Randle last season to ice the game for the Tigers, and two years ago, it was Julio Jones’ 73-yard catch and run that put the Crimson Tide ahead to stay. LSU’s Randle has been one of the best big-play receivers in the league this season. He has seven touchdown receptions and is averaging 19.3 yards per catch. Russell Shepard is somebody else to watch for the Tigers, while Marquis Maze and Darius Hanks are also plenty capable of striking from long distance for the Crimson Tide.
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What to watch in the SEC: Week 10
Filed under Football by on Nov 3rd, 2011. Comment. 
Clemson picked up a win at Virginia Tech a week after knocking off Florida State at home. The Texas Longhorns round out the latest batch of power rankings with their season debut, replacing South Carolina after the Gamecocks took… Source: Examiner.com
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Examiner.com College Football Power Rankings – Week 6
Filed under Football, News by on Oct 3rd, 2011. Comment.
It’s time to pass out some helmet stickers following Week 3 in the SEC: Florida running back Chris Rainey : When the new Heisman Trophy lists come out, Rainey at least deserves to be in the conversation. What hasn’t he done for this Florida football team? In the 33-23 win over Tennessee, Rainey had the first 100-yard rushing and 100-yard receiving game of his career and also blocked his fifth career punt, a new Florida record. Rainey rushed for 108 yards on 21 carries and staked the Gators to a 30-7 lead in the third quarter with an 83-yard touchdown reception. He’s quickly becoming the most feared offensive weapon in the league. LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis: He’s coached some suffocating defenses in his 17 seasons in the SEC as a defensive coordinator, but Chavis has this group playing as well as any defense in the country. The Tigers look like they’re playing with 12 players right now. They’re playing with an attitude, playing fast and playing like every play is its last. They haven’t given up a touchdown since the opener against Oregon and had 15 tackles for loss Thursday in the 19-6 win over Mississippi State. Vanderbilt running back Zac Stacy : The Commodores’ running game cranked out 281 yards in the 30-7 win over Ole Miss, and leading the way was Stacy with 169 of those yards. His 77-yard touchdown run gave Vanderbilt a 30-0 lead late in the third quarter and was the backbreaker for Ole Miss. Last week, it was Stacy’s 48-yard run that set up the Commodores’ game-winning field goal. First-year Vanderbilt coach James Franklin was looking for more pop on offense. He’s found it in Stacy, who averaged 15.4 yards per carry against the Rebels. South Carolina spur linebacker Antonio Allen: In each of the first three games, Allen has made a game-turning defensive play. He scored defensive touchdowns the first two weeks and intercepted a Navy pass on Saturday in the final minutes to seal South Carolina’s 24-21 win . Allen led the Gamecocks with 10 tackles and also forced a fumble. Alabama running back Trent Richardson : He now has eight touchdowns in his first three games and ripped off scoring runs of 71 and 58 yards Saturday in the 41-0 victory over North Texas
Filed under Football by on Sep 18th, 2011. Comment.
We have some key SEC matchups this week and a nice ACC-SEC battle in the other Death Valley. Things get kicked off tonight when LSU meets Mississippi State in Starkville. This game should be full of hard hits and maddening cowbells. Can all that clanking rattle the Bayou Bengals? And don’t forget about a key SEC East matchup Saturday between Florida and Tennessee. The Gators have won six straight over the Volunteers, but this Florida team is still a mystery to most. Here’s what to keep an eye on in the SEC in Week 3: 1. Mississippi State’s rushing defense: The Bulldogs haven’t stopped the run well at all in two games this season. Last weekend, Auburn carved up Mississippi State’s defense for 235 rushing yards and got 150 of them from Michael Dyer . Tonight, the Bulldogs will face an LSU running game that has put up 175 yards in both wins this season. Mississippi State was supposed to get a boost from Fletcher Cox in the middle last week, but he was a non-factor. Against this group of Tigers, Mississippi State has to stop the run if it wants to win. Forcing quarterback Jarrett Lee to make plays against a talented secondary could benefit the Bulldogs. 2. Running in the Swamp: The Florida-Tennessee rivalry has always come down to the running game. The team with the most rushing yards has won 19 of the last 21 meetings. Tennessee coach Derek Dooley said this week that in order for his offense to truly be effective against the Gators it has to generate a dominant running game. So far, the Vols’ running game has been anything but that, averaging just 127 yards a game. Florida has had a lot of success with its backfield, especially the slippery Chris Rainey , thus far, and the Gators are second in the league with 248.5 rushing yards per game. Winning the battle of the backfield will go a long way Saturday. 3. Hangover in Death Valley? Auburn has taken both of its games down to the very last minute. The Tigers literally needed a goal-line stand to prevent overtime against Mississippi State. But those games came at home and now the Tigers must greet another set of big cats at Clemson. Auburn is riding high and has proved that while young, this team has the heart and the fight to compete for four quarters every week. Can this trend continue? Well, it’s hard to pick against Auburn, but at some point these late-game antics have to catch up with this team … right? 4. Two-QB system in Fayetteville: Bobby Petrino laughed at the handful of questions he fielded Wednesday about possibly using a two-quarterback system. He made it clear that Tyler Wilson is his starter and that Brandon Mitchell is the backup who got some extra reps here and there. But why not put Mitchell out there more? Petrino even admitted that he likes the idea of playing him more because he gives defenses something extra to think about because of how productive he is outside of the pocket. Keep an eye out for it. Mitchell adds another rushing threat to Arkansas’ offense and that running game needs a jolt. 5
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What to watch in the SEC: Week 3
Filed under Football by on Sep 15th, 2011. Comment.
We have some movement this week in the SEC Power Rankings, including a new No. 1 team: 1. LSU: The Tigers (1-0) have a strong case to be the top team in college football after taking down No. 3-ranked Oregon last Saturday in Arlington, Texas. It’s only one game, but LSU looks every bit as fast, deep and talented on defense as we heard John Chavis’ unit would be coming into this season. Simply, it’s the kind of defense you win championships with, but the Tigers still need to put some more pop into that passing game. 2. Alabama: It’s not that Alabama (1-0) did anything to lose its hold on the No. 1 spot, but more a reward for LSU leaving home and winning convincingly over a top-5 team. The Crimson Tide get a chance to flex their muscles this weekend on a big stage when they travel to Penn State. They were dominant defensively in the opener, holding Kent State to 90 total yards. 3. Arkansas: In a lot of leagues, the Hogs (1-0) would be a solid No. 1. They were extremely impressive in all three phases in their season-opening 51-7 win over Missouri State. Tyler Wilson threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns. The defense held Missouri State to 163 total yards, and Joe Adams returned two punts for touchdowns. It’s probably going to be a similar story the next two weeks, meaning Arkansas won’t get its first real test until it visits Alabama in Week 4. 4. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs (1-0) have a little extra time to prepare for this Saturday’s key game at Auburn after destroying Memphis 59-14 last Thursday. Dan Mullen felt like this would be his best team, and there’s no reason to doubt him after seeing Mississippi State roll up nearly 650 yards in total offense in its opener. This also appears to be a more explosive Mississippi State team with a quarterback ( Chris Relf ) who just keeps getting better. 5. South Carolina: The Gamecocks (1-0) dropped a spot even though they ended up winning going away in a 56-37 victory over East Carolina. The thing that’s difficult to ignore is South Carolina’s sloppy start and the fact that the Gamecocks turned the ball over four times. They fell behind 17-0, and to their credit, had more than enough resolve and firepower to fight back. It’s obvious this team responds to senior quarterback Stephen Garcia , too. When he entered the huddle, the game changed. 6. Florida: The Will Muschamp era at Florida has begun, and the Gators (1-0) breezed past outmanned Florida Atlantic 41-3 in the opener. We still don’t know a whole lot about this team and probably won’t until the Tennessee game the third week of the season. But judging from last Saturday’s performance, the Gators are super athletic in their front seven on defense and are going to lean hard on speedy running backs Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps on offense. 7. Tennessee: The Vols (1-0) took care of business against Montana in the opener, and sophomore quarterback Tyler Bray looked sharp with three touchdown passes. Going back to last season, he’s thrown 18 touchdown passes in his last six games. Tennessee still needs to rev up that running game and may need to do so this Saturday when Cincinnati comes to town. The Bearcats romped 72-10 over Austin Peay last week and scored points in bunches. 8.
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SEC power rankings: Week 2
Filed under Football, News by on Sep 6th, 2011. Comment.
We’re finally at the end of our position rankings and we’ll finish up with special teams. This group does a lot more than people think and teams are starting to put their best athletes out here. Kickers and punters don’t get a lot of respect in the athletic department, but they are crucial assets to teams. Let’s see how the SEC special-teams units stack up: 1. Georgia: It would be hard to find another special-teams unit better than the one in Athens. The Bulldogs return the dependable Blair Walsh at kicker, who kicked a league-high 20 field goals on 23 attempts (87 percent). Punter Drew Butler averaged 44.5 yards on 50 punts, with 19 landing inside the 20-yard line. Georgia also has a talented returning duo in Brandon Boykin and Branden Smith. Boykin is the school’s all-time leader in kick return yards and averaged 24.3 yards per return with a touchdown in 2010. Smith only returned 10 punts last year, but is dynamic in space. 2. Arkansas: Joe Adams might be one of the most fun guys to watch in the return game. He was fifth in the nation, averaging 15.6 yards per return last year, and is one of the shiftiest returners out there. He also had a touchdown. Dennis Johnson is back from injury and when he was healthy, he was one of the best kicker returners in the league. In the kicking game, sophomore Zach Hocker had an impressive freshman year where he connected on 16 of 19 field goals, with seven from 40 or better. Punter Dylan Breeding averaged 42.5 yards per kick and pinned 18 inside the 20. 3. Alabama: Trent Richardson not only heads the Tide’s offense, but he’s extremely dangerous as a kick returner. He averaged 26.4 yards per return and had a touchdown last year. Marquis Maze , who grabbed 21 punt returns last year, has great speed to break one at any time. Alabama actually returns two kickers in Jeremy Shelley and Cade Foster. Shelley handled kicks with the 40-yard range, while Foster had long distance duty. The job at punter hasn’t been settled, with Cody Mandell and Jay Williams battling it out. 4. Florida: Caleb Sturgis is finally healthy after suffering a back injury last season. He was solid from farther out as a freshman, but struggled to stay consistent closer to the end zone. Ray Guy winner Chas Henry is gone, but freshman Kyle Christy enrolled early and immediately took over punting duties, launching a punt 55 yards in the spring game. Andre Debose was named the nation’s top kick returner by the College Football Performance Awards in 2010 after returning two kicks for touchdowns and Chris Rainey could be the slipperiest punt returner in the SEC. Florida also has been the best punt/kick blocking team around the last few years. 5. Ole Miss: Place-kicker Bryson Rose made 16 of 18 kicks last year and should be just as solid and might have to come up with even more kicks this fall. His kicking partner, punter Tyler Campbell, had a nation-leading 46.4 yards per punt average in 2010. He launched 19 punts over 50 yards and five of 60 or more yards. Jeff Scott was solid on kick returns, but Ole Miss’ staff will look to junior college transfer Philander Moore for kick and punt returns. Last season at Blinn (Texas) College, Moore had 811 total return yards and six touchdowns. 6. Vanderbilt: Kicker Ryan Fowler and punter Richard Kent return in 2011. Fowler was solid as a freshman, but took a few steps backward in 2010 kicking 8-of-13 and missing all of his kicks from beyond 35 yards. Carey Spear, who handled kickoffs last season, could push Fowler. Kent had one of the strongest and most durable legs in the country last season, leading the nation with 84 punts and averaged 41.8 yards per kick. Twenty-seven of them were downed inside the 20. Vanderbilt did, however, have four punts blocked
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SEC position rankings: Special teams
Filed under Football by on Jun 23rd, 2011. Comment.
The longhorns had a total of eight players… Source: Garnet And Black Attack
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Are the Gamecocks the least talented team in Omaha?: A talent comparison of 2011 College World Series teams
Filed under News by on Jun 17th, 2011. Comment.
Rival Texas , the other Big 12 member in the CWS, takes on Florida at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Longhorns are CWS veterans, having won two national titles in the past decade under coach Augie Garrido . Of the Aggies’ offensive… Source: San Antonio Express
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Aggies have Gamecocks on tap in CWS
Filed under News by on Jun 15th, 2011. Comment.
Now that Edward Aschoff, previously of The Gainesville Sun and a wonderful addition to our SEC coverage at ESPN.com, has joined us, I put the question right to you, Edward: Convince me that Alabama wouldn’t be the champion if we had an SEC playoff next season in football. Then again, maybe you agree with me that the Crimson Tide are poised to take home another crown. Granted, this would be a little different format … March Madness in the fall, if you will. But imagine the intrigue if you had four straight weekends of tournament football in this league with that lose-and-you-go-home specter hanging over every game the way it does in hoops. Edward Aschoff: First off, what a welcome to the blog. Immediately starting with a great debate like this is always fun. But I have to disagree with you on your champion. While I think Alabama might be the best team in the country, I like LSU to take home the inaugural SEC tournament title. When I look at Tigers, the only area that really concerns me is the quarterback position. Jordan Jefferson didn’t have the best year statistically, but the Tigers still went 11-2 and blew out Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl. Jefferson proved he’s a leader, but if he starts to struggle, coach Les Miles has transfer stud Zach Mettenberger waiting in the wings. Plus, LSU might have the most talented defense in the league. The Tigers are replacing a lot, but this year’s group won’t miss much of a beat. If Jefferson struggles, the defense will be the difference in the tournament. LSU’s defense will frustrate and outlast Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron and that offense in the title game. Chris Low: Both defenses will be worth the price of admission next season, and getting back a healthy Sam Montgomery at end will be big for the Tigers. LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis doesn’t think they were ever the same defensively after Montgomery went down in the Tennessee game with his season-ending knee injury a year ago. The same goes for safety Brandon Taylor. Go back and look how much LSU missed Taylor in that loss to Arkansas to end the regular season. His return next season will again make that secondary one of the best in the league despite losing all-world cornerback Patrick Peterson. But here’s the big question: Is it Jefferson or Mettenberger quarterbacking that team when LSU reaches the final? Edward Aschoff: Jefferson wasn’t spectacular last year and everyone knows it. That’s why he’s working even harder this spring, and he’ll have the benefit of learning a thing or two from new offensive coordinator Steve Kragthorpe. Being right in the thick of the BCS hunt until losing to Arkansas at the end of the regular season motivates Jefferson. And so does having Mettenberger breathing down his neck. Jefferson never put up gaudy numbers, but he won 11 games last season. He’s a senior leader, and LSU’s defense will put him in good situations, limiting his chances of making mistakes.
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Breaking down the inaugural SEC tourney
Filed under Football by on Apr 4th, 2011. Comment.
Now that Edward Aschoff, previously of The Gainesville Sun and a wonderful addition to our SEC coverage at ESPN.com, has joined us, I put the question right to you, Edward: Convince me that Alabama wouldn’t be the champion if we had an SEC playoff next season in football. Then again, maybe you agree with me that the Crimson Tide are poised to take home another crown. Granted, this would be a little different format … March Madness in the fall, if you will. But imagine the intrigue if you had four straight weekends of tournament football in this league with that lose-and-you-go-home specter hanging over every game the way it does in hoops. Edward Aschoff: First off, what a welcome to the blog. Immediately starting with a great debate like this is always fun. But I have to disagree with you on your champion. While I think Alabama might be the best team in the country, I like LSU to take home the inaugural SEC tournament title. When I look at Tigers, the only area that really concerns me is the quarterback position. Jordan Jefferson didn’t have the best year statistically, but the Tigers still went 11-2 and blew out Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl. Jefferson proved he’s a leader, but if he starts to struggle, coach Les Miles has transfer stud Zach Mettenberger waiting in the wings. Plus, LSU might have the most talented defense in the league. The Tigers are replacing a lot, but this year’s group won’t miss much of a beat. If Jefferson struggles, the defense will be the difference in the tournament. LSU’s defense will frustrate and outlast Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron and that offense in the title game. Chris Low: Both defenses will be worth the price of admission next season, and getting back a healthy Sam Montgomery at end will be big for the Tigers. LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis doesn’t think they were ever the same defensively after Montgomery went down in the Tennessee game with his season-ending knee injury a year ago. The same goes for safety Brandon Taylor. Go back and look how much LSU missed Taylor in that loss to Arkansas to end the regular season. His return next season will again make that secondary one of the best in the league despite losing all-world cornerback Patrick Peterson
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Breaking down the inaugural SEC tourney
Filed under Football by on Apr 4th, 2011. Comment.
