NCAA Football FanHouse

SEC Notebook: Polls Not Tide's Concern

Jim Henry — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:15:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, SEC

When it comes to debating rankings, Alabama head coach Nick Saban is a fuddy-duddy.

So there's no need to waste your time, even if the Crimson Tide leapfrogged SEC rival Florida into the top spot of this week's Associated Press poll. Of course, Alabama is also ranked second behind the Gators in the initial installment of the weekly BCS poll that will determine national title invites by early December.

Saban doesn't mean to be a killjoy -- or does he? -- but his game-at-a-time mantra is focused on Saturday's showdown against visiting Tennessee.

"If anybody asks me any questions about where we're ranked or what the poll is, what matters?" Saban asked. "Why does it matter? What's changed from this week to this Monday to last Monday? What's changed? We've got another game. This is the most important game of the year."

OK, agreed.

The Crimson Tide (7-0) is determined to finish October with a flourish. Off next Saturday, Alabama closes out a three-game homestand with a visit from LSU on November 7 before it positions itself for the regular-season's final stretch.

Of course, Alabama could have its hands full with the Vols (3-3) if not careful. But if the Crimson Tide is need of a hero, a shining star has risen from the Crimson Tide's backfield, and his name is Mark Ingram.

The sophomore has rushed for 905 yards and eight touchdowns for 129.29 yards per game average to rank fourth nationally and first in the SEC. Ingram's flashy -- he leads the nation with 30 rushes of 10 or more yards and also has chipped in eight receptions for 10 or more yards. And Ingram's tough -- he has gained 580 yards after first contact.

Best yet, Ingram is coming off his best performance of the season, rushing for 246 yards against South Carolina last week.

"He's a great competitor and a driven guy," Saban said.

"He works hard in practice every week. He plays fast all the time. He has a great competitive spirit and certainly will stay focused on the things that are going to help him continue to satisfy his goals."

Don't look for Alabama to change its goals, or its approach, according to the philosophical Saban.

"I'm very hopeful that we can stay on the positive side of it and be positive about our approach to what we are trying to accomplish and what we're trying to do and not get risk-aversive and start playing to keep from getting beat and a lot of negative motivation about what's going to happen if this happens and all that kind of stuff," Saban said.

"Not to avoid but to gain, is the way we'd like to approach it."

FINALLY, A STRONG FINISH?

South Carolina has been down this road before.

The Gamecocks are 5-2 and positioned nicely to make this coach Steve Spurrier's most successful season at South Carolina. The Gamecocks can continue their surge with a home victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday, a win that would give Spurrier 105 conference wins and tie him with Vince Dooley for third-most in SEC history.

Spurrier isn't one to relax, even if Vanderbilt has lost five straight conference games. Let's not forget the Commodores have beaten the Gamecocks the past two years.

"We're not a real dominant team," Spurrier said. "I think we're a real good team. We can play with almost anybody. We have to play a lot harder. We have to play with courage, effort and smarts."

That approach could help the Gamecocks avoid an unsettling trend of poor finishes. They lost their final three games last season, their final five in 2007 and, for the record, are 10-15 from the midway point of October under Spurrier.

"The pressure is on us to play the best we can every week," Spurrier said.

"We don't get too much in what happened last year or the year before. They outplayed us the last two years. They were better than we were. Give them credit. We'll try to play better this year and coach better, and see if we can come out on top against Vanderbilt."

ROAD TRIP

Save the postcards.

Florida hasn't enjoyed its past visits to Starkville, Miss.

The Gators travel to Mississippi State on Saturday seeking their first win at Davis Wade Stadium since 1985. They have dropped their last four games there, losing to the Bulldogs in 1986, 1992, 2000 and 2004. Second-ranked UF entered three of the games ranked, and two of the games are among the 12 conference defeats that Spurrier suffered as Florida's coach.

The showdown is also a reunion for Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, a former assistant coach under UF's Urban Meyer since their days at Utah. Mullen last served as the Gators' offensive coordinator, helping quarterback Tim Tebow win the Heisman Trophy and UF a pair of national titles.

"We're coming in, planning to win the football game," Mullen said.

"You never go to play a game that you think you can't win. Our guys are focusing on winning the game this Saturday, and focusing on doing the things you have to do to win the football game. There's nothing quite like winning a football game. It isn't anything crazy we need to do to win, we just have to focus on the game plan at hand in order to come out victorious."

OFFENSIVE OUTBURST

LSU and Auburn tangle in a game where both teams need their offense to set the tone.

LSU, which was off last week, is 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the SEC. The Tigers are one of two SEC West teams -- the other is Alabama -- to control its own destiny in the division race.

They will need solid performances from quarterback Jordan Jefferson and running back Charles Scott. Jefferson has been inconsistent as a passer and Scott is in search of a breakout game. LSU figures to rely heavily on the run because Auburn is allowing 181.4 yards per game, 11th in the SEC and 99th nationally.

Auburn, meanwhile, is coming off its worst offensive performance of the season, managing just 315 yards in its 21-14 loss to Kentucky.

Auburn (5-2, 2-2), which opened the season with five consecutive wins, has scored a combined 37 points in its past two games; it scored at least 37 in each of its first four. The passing attack is struggling, too. Quarterback Chris Todd threw 11 touchdown passes in the first four games but just one in the past three.

"You can't pinpoint our struggles on one thing. I don't believe in that," Auburn coach Gene Chizik said.

"There are a lot of things that can go wrong. I still feel that we can fix some of the mistakes and get back on track. There's a lot of issues in there, and we really feel very strongly that we're going to get that rectified. But it has been off the last two weeks."

SEC Notebook: Polls Not Tide's Concern originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Starting 11: When a Wedding Causes a Football Separation

Clay Travis — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, Fans, General CFB Insanity

On Saturday, I didn't see a single snap of a single college football game. Not one. This has never happened before in my life. Instead I was an usher at my friend's wedding in Atlanta. This means that this week's ClayNation Starting 11 is going to be a primer on my day in a fall wedding.

The wedding featured a bride who had graduated from Auburn and a groom who had graduated from Kentucky. Are the alarm bells going off yet? The two teams played Saturday night. Seven of the 11 groomsmen and ushers graduated from Kentucky, all of the bridesmaids went to Auburn. The result was a near riot. But that comes in the future. First, the beginning.

9:30AM CT

Departure from Nashville. It's freezing. Seriously, freezing. It has to be the coldest Oct. 17 in the history of Tennessee. Another couple arrives to ride down to the wedding with us, my friend Kelly, and his girlfriend Erin. Kelly is also a groomsman. As we load up for the trip, my wife asks me to clear out the rear of the car so we can put the third seat down and someone can sleep on the way back.

I forget.

As we walk to the car, I realize this fact, and tell the other couple to say they asked me not to put down the third seat or clear out the trunk. We arrive at the car.

My wife immediately notices: "Clay! I told you to put down the third seat."

"They said we didn't need to do it." I nudge the other couple.

They both nod.

My wife narrows her gaze, fiery in my direction. "Did he tell you to say that?" she asks.

Kelly changes the conversation, "How come our tuxes cost $150?" he asks.

Interlude:

Has anyone ever had to pay $150 for a tux before? Here's a comparison. In 1999, oral sex cost $50 in Amsterdam. So a decade ago, you could leave the red light district with a smile on your face for $150. Now I can rent one tux to be an usher at a wedding?

Takeaway: The tuxedo rental business is insane. How are the margins this high for a 24-hour rental? Why isn't there an online tux rental place that FedExes you the tux, does away with the physical store location, and charges like $50?

Basically, why doesn't Amazon rent tuxes?

And if they do have physical stores, why are they such pussbuckets at these places? Do they really need your overarm measurement? Who am I, Tony Siragusa? How many people have ridiculous overarm measurements that change what size jacket they should be wearing?

And why are their hours so bad? The place in Nashville is only open from 10-5 every day.

10-5!

The bank is more convenient. I don't really have any reason to complain about this since I work from home, but my friend Kelly has to take off work to get measured for his tux.

Meanwhile, I tried to submit my measurements online. I'm a normal-sized guy. Give me a 34 waist, a 42 regular jacket, and I'm ready to go. Yet the measurements won't submit until I give an overarm measurement?

I entered seven feet. Or seven inches. I'm not really sure how that form worked.

10:15

I'm pulled over for speeding, going 90 in a 70. Bad news, it's a Tennessee state trooper. Worse news, my tags and registration are expired. Also, I don't have my insurance card in the car. Basically, all I have is my driver's license.

My wife fumes in the back seat. "I hope they don't arrest you," she says.

"If you did get arrested," Kelly says, "that would be pretty funny."

I attempt to make friends with the state trooper, a man with a shaved head, one working eye, and a slight stutter. My tax dollars at work.

"We're on our way ..."

He cuts me off. "Sign this, please."

In my entire life, I've only gotten away with speeding once after being pulled over. Why then? Because I had a Virgin Islands license plate on the car and the cop had no idea how to write me a ticket. I considered keeping the Virgin Islands plate for the next decade. The only time I ever wish I was a woman is every time I get pulled over for speeding.

Also, if a war happens.

Anyway, and I'm not making this up, the speeding ticket and other two violations add up to $784.48.

How is this not cruel and unusual punishment? People pay lower fines for murder.

Truly.

10:30

My wife has spent the past 15 minutes ridiculing my driving. She has been in two car accidents in the past year. But if I mention them, she gets very angry.

In one of them she totaled a car, in another "accident" she lightly bumped a car in front of her at a stop sign. There was not a scratch on their bumper, yet the entire family went to the hospital on a stretcher.

11:00

We stop for lunch. The best part of my day? The Mushroom Swiss Angus burger at McDonald's, number 14 on the value meal. I'm not exaggerating when I say it's the greatest sandwich in the history of fast food. It's like sex meets McDonald's ... aka Louisville basketball.

11:45

We plug in the GPS to check our time situation. After 10 minutes my wife says, "Uh oh." We're scheduled to arrive at 2:55.

The bus taking us to pictures departs the hotel at 3:00.

Now, we have to arrive, get changed into our tuxes, and depart in five minutes.

1:05 PM

Twenty minutes later, the time changes. We're now on the East Coast.

I hate the timezone change.

Firmly.

For my entire life as an adult, I'm only ever driving from the central time zone to the eastern time zone. I'm always losing an hour. And don't give me that crap about gaining it when you come back. I never need to rush back to something in the central time zone.

Nashville is fairly close to the time line. It gets dark early in winter, the sun goes down earlier in summer, basically the only thing worth gaining in the central time zone is an hour earlier late-night television. And now that I have a kid I'm too tired to stay up for that anyway. Plus, thanks to dawn arriving in Nashville at 4:55 every morning, he gets up as soon as the sun rises.

So, as you can see, even time is lined up against me.

1:15 PM

My iPhone is losing battery life, which means I may not have any ability to keep tabs on the scores. Two issues with the iPhone. A.) The battery life is shorter than a Wizard of Oz munchkin and B.) You can't read anything when you use the Internet browser. How do you zoom on Web pages if you don't have the app downloaded?

Yeah, it's great that there are 85,000 apps, but if you could just read a Web page by using the Internet browser you would need like 18 apps.

For instance, the only app I have that is designed to do anything other than read a Web page is paper football.

How is this not noted as a flaw?

1:15-2:50 now ET

My wife says, "Stop driving so fast." Repeatedly.

2:51

We exit near the hotel. The road to our hotel is only there because the Perimeter Mall is also there. The entire road, and this is the complete truth, is just a loop around the mall.

This is my issue with Atlanta, the entire city's road system seems to exist so you can reach a shopping center that didn't exist before.

We stop at eight consecutive lights, all bordering the mall. With this rate of speed, now I know what the immigrants felt like crossing the Atlantic.

2:57

Arrival at the hotel. I leave the car running and go digging through my bag for black socks. Unfortunately, I mistakenly brought blue socks.

With tiny penguins etched on them.

2:58

Kelly beats me to the hotel desk and gets his key first. Our tuxes are waiting in our rooms.

3:01

The desk clerk takes her time checking me in. I learn that the hotel has a free breakfast, something about Wi-Fi, and am tempted to strangle the clerk with my penguin socks.

Here's the only thing I've ever wanted other than a hotel room: a toothbrush in my hotel room. If you don't have toothbrushes, I couldn't care less about the other accoutrements.

In fact, a promise, the next hotel chain that starts providing disposable toothbrushes and toothpaste, I will stay in for the rest of my life.

3:06

I'm dressed in my tuxedo and nonchalantly waiting in the lobby as if I've been here all morning. Several other groomsmen arrive to inform me that Oklahoma and Texas, while poorly played, is currently tied at 13.

3:10

We all climb into the shuttle en route to the church. Beers are opened.

The groom says there is a television in the church but it doesn't work. "It's only for videos."

Videos of what?

3:15

The groom says there will be no televisions at the reception because the bride believes they would be a "distraction."

The Kentucky grads all groan.

Question: If millions of people choose to do something, i.e. attend or watch a football game, and 125 do something else, say, attend a wedding, doesn't that make the wedding the distraction?

3:31

Drinking inside the church is forbidden. So everyone stands on the curb outside and drinks. Kerry wins the BlackBerry, iPhone shuffle and becomes the first to report that Texas has beaten Oklahoma.

3:55

Florida and Arkansas are scoreless midway through the first quarter. We're seated in a large room with two televisions. A groomsman begins to work on obtaining a signal from the television.

"Who has a flat screen," he asks, "only to watch videos?"

4:05

We confirm the church has a flat screen only to watch videos. Arkansas leads 7-0 on Florida.

4:15

Picture time!

We take eight photographs. In one of them the groom is walking 10 feet ahead of us and we're supposed to chase him. It's only the second most homoerotic shot.

In the most homoerotic shot, the groom stands in front and everyone gets in a straight line behind him and raises their arms in different directions. "I promise it looks really cool," the photographer says.

Kelly shakes his head, "I don't know about you," he says, "but I'm opting out of the teabag shot."

4:25

Most of the groomsmen relocate to the parked bus and, in a silent effort to reclaim their manliness, begin drinking beers heavily.

There is also a flat-screen television on the bus.

But, you guessed it ... no satellite signal.

It's for videos or DVDs as well.

4:59

Outside the groom's room hangs a picture of Jesus that appears to focus on His nipple. I stand looking at the painting for a few seconds.

Another man passes, "You don't really think about Jesus' nipples that much until you see a picture like that," he says.

5:30

Florida leads Arkansas 13-10. Southern Cal is up two scores on Notre Dame. Virginia Tech is down to Georgia Tech.

My iPhone battery hangs perilously on the living side of electronic life, bars vanishing at a rapid rate.

5:35

" 'Can you keep up with the game during the service? ... Here's what you do, if Arkansas scores, give me a thumbs up, if Florida scores, flick me off.' Welcome to a Southern wedding."
We line up to begin ushering guests into the church. Things begin ominously, I take a woman's arm and her mentally handicapped daughter throws a screaming fit.

She pats me on the arm. "It's okay," she says.

As I walk down the aisle, I'm expecting to be tackled from behind. My mind is racing. What's protocol? I have to take the beating without resisting, right?

If I bleed do I owe more money for the tuxedo rental?

5:51

A grown man who shall remain nameless, but who does not have a BlackBerry or an iPhone pulls me aside when he sees me checking scores. "I hate Florida" he says.

I nod.

"Can you keep up with the game during the service?"

I nod again.

"Here's what you do, if Arkansas scores, give me a thumbs up, if Florida scores, flick me off."

Welcome to a Southern wedding ladies and gentlemen.

5:55

We take our seats in the pews. I silence my phone and set it on auto-refresh.

6:02

The bride is lovely.

6:04

Hot damn, Arkansas kicks a field goal to tie the score at 13. The priest has just told a five-minute story that involves a three-word punchline, "Aisle, change, hymn."

"I'll change him," get it!

Are you rolling yet? Priest humor is gold.

Seriously though, how are these homilies so bad at weddings? Think about this, if you did a 20-minute wedding forty times a year, couldn't you have a killer homily? I mean a story that either made people stand up and rend their garments from the emotional power or one that made people roll into the pew floor laughing?

Maybe even both?

I mean, you have enough practice to know what works, right?

Yet why are they all so bad?

6:25

My phone vibrates with a text message. It says only one word, "Petrino."

Moments later the score updates on my phone, Arkansas has scored on a 75-yard touchdown pass on third-and-17. It's 20-13 Hogs.

The wedding ends, the gentleman passes me in the aisle. I give him a thumbs up. He raises his eyebrows and smiles appreciatively.

6:45

Time for the after-wedding photos. The groomsmen and ushers gather in three rows of pews. All of us are madly hitting refresh on the Arkansas-Florida game.

Everyone is rooting for Arkansas.

Play by play spools out from different locations as people get updates at different rates of gametracker speed depending on a variety of factors. Everyone tries to be the first to update the latest play, it's like competitive sports reporting; we're all John Clayton.

My iPhone is running updates slower than everyone else so I take a chance on Twitter.

Paydirt.

I break the news that Arkansas misses a 38-yard field goal before anyone else. I feel like Cronkite delivering the news that Kennedy had died. "He missed it," I slowly intone.

"No!" scream eight voices in unison.

Predictably, after the miss, Florida goes down and scores. As each play is announced to the group, our faces become more dejected.

Our actual conversation after he made the field goal is unprintable on an upstanding-ish site like this, but it involved Jesus, Urban Meyer and a sex act that, impressively enough, has its own Wikipedia page.

7:45

The photos are finished. The groomsmen and ushers have been used for 15 minutes of photographs. We've been here for four hours.

In terms of efficiency, I feel like I'm in the law firm again.

Only then I would have billed for 8.6 hours.

We enter the bus and begin to drink heavily. The Kentucky fans all pull out their phones as kickoff nears. But, wait, the bridal party advances onto the bus singing:

War Eagle, fly down the field
Ever to conquer, never to yield
War Eagle, fearless and true,
Fight on you orange and blue
Go! Go! Go!
On to vict'ry, strike up the band
Hit 'em high, hit 'em low,
Stand up and yell, Hey!
War Eagle, win for Auburn,
Power of Dixie Land!

"I did not f'ing sign up for this," says a UK grad sitting across from me.

"I'm going to throw up," says another. "I hope we beat them by 50."

"I hope Gene Chizik dies," says yet another.

8:03

We arrive at the reception.

Kentucky is lining up for a field goal as we prepare to enter the event. Kentucky fans are madly hitting refresh.

At this point, I get distracted focusing on the Bourbon drinks. But no one says anything for a long time. Finally, I ask my friend Tardio what happened.

"Auburn blocked the kick and returned it for a touchdown," he says.

Kentucky football in a sentence.

8:15

We begin to drink inside the reception.

Heavily.

At some point, I learn that it's 14-7 Auburn at the half. "Should be 10-7 Kentucky," says Tardio.

9:20

I can't find four of the groomsmen.

Then my phone buzzes, "At Mellow Mushroom watching game. Come over."

They've walked across the parking lot to a restaurant. I contemplate leaving, but then get distracted by more drinks and Young MC's 1989 opus Bust a Move coming on.

Kelly's girlfriend, Erin, is six years younger than us. She stands watching us as we dance. "You don't know Bust a Move?" I ask.

"No," she says. "I was 4 in 1989."

1989 was Ken Griffey's rookie year, the magical No. 1 card in the Upper Deck set. There are people who can drink and don't remember this?

Time grows fuzzy.

At the finale of the song, Kelly suggests I attempt the splits.

So I do.

After this I forget about my intent to leave and watch the game.

10:15

The groom takes the mic. "I love you honey, but time for a score update. The Cats have a first-and-goal with under five minutes to play and the score tied 14-14."

Half the crowd erupts. The other half hisses.

Moments later comes the cheering. Kentucky has taken the lead 21-14. There is less than two minutes remaining from the Cats' first victory over Auburn since 1966.

10:45

Several groomsmen return from across the street and begin running around the reception hall doling out high fives like they have just won the Super Bowl. I know, it's happened, Kentucky has won at Auburn.

"Our best road win in decades," exults one Cat fan.

The groom takes the mic and leads the crowd in a cheer. "C-A-T-S, CATS, CATS, CATS," he screams.

Then he gives his bride a kiss.

My wife takes my arm amid the bedlam, "I'm so proud of you for not leaving to watch the games," she says.

I give her a kiss. "Weddings are so much more important than football," I say.

Starting 11: When a Wedding Causes a Football Separation originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Arkansas Fans Furious About Officiating In Loss to Florida

Michael David Smith — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:59:00 EST

Filed under: Arkansas, Florida, SEC, Video

Arkansas fans are taking to Twitter, message boards and blogs to vent their frustrations about the officiating in Saturday's loss to No. 1 Florida. They're also posting their evidence on YouTube -- and proving that they have every reason to be upset.

Two bad calls in particular, both on Florida's game-tying fourth-quarter drive, have caused the Razorback rage. The first, which you see above, was a personal foul called against Razorbacks defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard for knocking Florida's Marcus Gilbert to the ground at the end of a play. The call is clearly ridiculous: It was Gilbert who tried to level Sheppard with a late hit, and all Sheppard did was lower his shoulder to absorb the hit. Just because Gilbert fell down and Sheppard didn't doesn't mean Sheppard was in the wrong.

The other call on that game-tying Florida drive, which you see above, was a pass interference penalty. The pass interference call doesn't inspire quite as much outrage as the personal foul -- mostly because pass interference is called so inconsistently that football fans have grown accustomed to bad calls -- but it was still a major gift from the officials to the Gators.

Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel calls them "two of the worst calls I've seen in quite some time" and notes that the calls were made by the same SEC officiating crew that was heavily criticized for an excessive celebration call that helped LSU beat Georgia two weeks ago. And that doesn't even include this non-call on what should have been offensive pass interference against Florida, on Florida's game-winning drive later in the fourth quarter:

We all know that officials are human beings who sometimes make mistakes, and we'll never have perfect officiating. But it sticks in the craws of Arkansas fans that they had three officiating errors go against them at the worst possible time on Saturday. The SEC has some explaining to do.

UPDATE: The SEC has admitted that the personal foul call was incorrect. The pass interference calls, the SEC says, were judgment calls at the discretion of the referee. For more updates, follow me on Twitter @MichaelDavSmith.

Arkansas Fans Furious About Officiating In Loss to Florida originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Sense of Urgency Surrounds Gators

Jim Henry — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:18:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, SEC

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- A majority of callers that flooded local radio sports talk shows late Saturday night were not thrilled with their top-ranked Florida Gators. Most complaints focused on the offense. Agitated fans moaned about turnovers, predictable play-calling and porous blocking along the line.

UF had escaped with its life hours earlier over Arkansas, 23-20, but it was obvious not everyone was impressed with the Gators. Include head coach Urban Meyer and Associated Press voters in that mix, too.

Not even a restless night's sleep made it any better for Meyer, who admitted his team -- the defending BCS champion and winners of a nation-best 16 straight -- needs to get its act together. AP voters also noted UF's struggles, dropping the Gators behind Alabama in Sunday's poll.

"We kind of operate around here with urgency, and that's not something we're ashamed of," Meyer said Sunday morning during his teleconference.

"We can sit back and say we are the No. 1 scoring offense, the No. 1 rushing offense, No. 1 scoring defense, total offense ... all these categories but you still don't feel we are operating at the highest level of efficiency.

"No. 1, that's turnovers. That's the first indication. We are going to practice at a very high rate of urgency this week, and No. 2 was you found a way to win a game when you probably shouldn't have. That tells you the team really stuck together and made plays when it had to."

UF's goal of repeating as national champion nearly turned into Pig Sooey before a homecoming crowd of 90,508 at The Swamp. The Gators needed Caleb Sturgis' 27-yard field goal with nine seconds to play to survive the 25-point underdog Razorbacks. UF quarterback Tim Tebow was sacked six times, the Gators lost four fumbles and, worse yet, they went 1-for-4 in the red zone in the first half.

"It was probably the worst first half we've ever played," Meyer said.

The second half was better, but not by much. Sure, the Gators were able to overcome a 20-13 deficit early in the fourth quarter. But UF fans -- Meyer, too -- were upset by unsettling trends six games into the season.

Despite their gaudy numbers -- UF is averaging 36.3 points per game and 470.5 total yards per game -- the Gators are a minus-2 in turnover margin and have scored just 15 touchdowns in 30 trips in the red zone (inside an opponent's 20-yard line).

"Our concerns right now are our red-zone production and turnovers, which in the plan to win those are really two things we really work at," Meyer said. "Obviously, how do you fix that? You have to work at it even harder."

The Gators may have their work cut out for them this week on the road against former UF offensive coordinator Dan Mullen, now the head coach at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs (3-4) snapped a three-game losing streak with Saturday's 27-6 over Middle Tennessee.

Mullen, of course, had been alongside Meyer dating back to their undefeated season at Utah in 2004. Meyer wants his good friend to succeed -- "One thing about Dan is he's very smart. He's not going to make emotional decisions, he's very smart and I think he'll do fine," Meyer said when asked about Mullen's decision to pursue Mississippi State's head coaching vacancy -- but he has pressing issues of his own.

UF had been in the top spot of the AP poll since the preseason, but the Crimson Tide has been gaining ground for weeks by winning more convincingly than the Gators.

Alabama, which waxed Arkansas earlier in the season, beat No. 22 South Carolina Saturday night. The Crimson Tide overcame four turnovers -- doubling their season total -- and 10 penalties.

Meyer can relate, stressing that UF turnovers must be corrected.

"Guys are not going to touch the ball that we don't have confidence in," Meyer said.

"We are not in some charity program where, hey, let's try to get this guy the ball. If you are not tight with the ball, you are not going to touch it. Guys make mistakes. We are going to point it out on film, coach it and eventually if it doesn't improve those guys don't touch the ball.

"I have great confidence those guys will."

Sense of Urgency Surrounds Gators originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Gators Come Through in 'Tebow Time'

Jim Henry — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:30:00 EST

Filed under: Arkansas, Florida, SEC

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- It was less than 24 hours earlier during Florida's Gator Growl, claimed to be the largest student-run pep rally, when comedian Dana Carvey turned to Florida head coach Urban Meyer and quipped, "You freakin' rock. That self-tanner was working." Following a sunny but cool Saturday afternoon, Meyer's face, if not the face of the entire Gator Nation, was nearly drained of color.

That was OK, though, because the collective sigh of relief that bellowed from The Swamp meant that UF's perfect season and likely No. 1 ranking remained intact.

Tim Tebow led a 69-yard drive in the final minutes, culminating with Caleb Sturgis' 27-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining to lift the Gators past Arkansas, 23-20. The Razorbacks believed they should have won the game, and said as much, but in the end they couldn't overcome Tebow Time and the team's impressive spirit towards a second consecutive national championship.

"I didn't feel like we had to do anything extraordinary to win the game, just play Razorback football," Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said.

The determined Razorbacks nearly pulled it off, too.

They sacked Tebow six times -- and pressured him countless others -- forced four fumbles, stuffed UF's ground game and led 20-13 with 9:40 remaining to put the homecoming crowd of 90,508 on the edge of its seat. Towering Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett, the SEC passing leader, threw for 224 yards and cannonball running back Dennis Johnson rolled to 107 yards.

"They haven't seen an offense like ours all year and probably won't the rest of the year," Mallett said in his Texan drawl, a combination of frustration and anger still etched across his face.

"If we got to play again, I don't think they would agree to it, at least this year anyway. You see we are playing with the No. 1 team in the country and we are taking them to the last two minutes. I feel like we can play with anybody. We just can't kill ourselves."

Mallett was right. The Razorbacks were Gator Bait.

Post-concussion Tebow looked much like the pre-concussion Tebow, throwing for 255 yards, a touchdown and lowering his noggin for 69 rushing yards on a game-high 27 attempts. Of course, he saved the best for last, directing the Gators on a 14-play, 69-yard drive in a hair under three minutes for the dramatic homecoming victory.

Tebow threw for 30 yards and ran for 22 on the final drive. The best play was a 12-yard pass to roommate Riley Cooper on third-and-10 from the Razorbacks 40.

Cooper stumbled but still managed to catch the ball. Tebow then played caddie, rushing five consecutive times and putting Sturgis in position for a chip shot.

Arkansas defensive end Jake Bequette, whose father played on the 1981 Arkansas team that beat top-ranked Texas on Oct. 17,1981, frowned when asked about the Gators' winning drive. Arkansas had just squandered an opportunity to take the lead when kicker Alex Tejada yanked a 38-yard field goal wide with 3:08 remaining. Instead, it gave Tebow the ball.

"We really have to concentrate on our assignments in crunch time," said Bequette, who had two sacks and forced a fumble for a defense that entered as the SEC's worst statistically.

"This hurts man. I thought we had them. We were right there with the No. 1 team in the nation, the defending champs. We have to take the positives from this. We know we can play with anybody, anywhere, anytime. This was a great environment and we rose to the challenge."

The Gators rose just a tad higher, barely avoiding a Bayou hangover and playing most of the game without their defensive leader, linebacker Brandon Spikes. Spikes suffered a groin injury in the first series and didn't return. UF's defense allowed a pair of touchdowns after it surrendered just two in its first five games.

"That was a great, tough win," Meyer said.

"First off, I have a lot of respect for that team we played. I knew it would be a tough one and I also got the feeling our players were fairly confident heading into it. But in most cases, if you turn the ball over four times, you usually don't win that kind of game. I think our players showed a lot of character by coming back at the end of that game."

At the 86th annual Gator Growl Friday night -- a crowd of 35,000 attended a pep rally at The Swamp that's associated with homecoming -- Meyer introduced what he proclaimed "the best senior class in the history of Florida football and possibly the Southeastern Conference."

Of course, Tebow headlines that group. His ovation was so long and so loud it simply carried into Saturday's game.

"It was an opportunity where we could have folded, started bickering amongst ourselves or let down but we didn't," said Tebow, who led the Gators to scores on three of their final four possessions and 391 total yards in the game, punctuated by 24 first downs.

"We had to just keep playing and grinding it out, When it came down to it, you knew we were going to play with a little bit more heart and our guys were going to dig a little bit deeper, and they did."

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=515420&pid=515419&uts=1255831262

http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf

Latest College Football Photos

GAINESVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 17: Quarterback Ryan Mallett #15 of the Arkansas Razorbacks releases a pass against the Florida Gators October 17, 2009 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ryan Mallett

Getty Images

Getty Images North America

Latest College Football Images

ATLANTA - OCTOBER 17: Quarterback Tyrod Taylor #5 of the Virginia Tech Hokies rushes upfield against Brad Jefferson #51 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium on October 17, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Tyrod Taylor;Brad Jefferson

Getty Images

GAINESVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 17: Wide receiver Greg Childs #85 of the Arkansas Razorbacks grabs a pass for a touchdown against the Florida Gators October 17, 2009 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Greg Childs

Getty Images

GAINESVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 17: Quarterback Tim Tebow #15 and lineman Mike Pouncey #55 of the Florida Gators celebrate a win against the University of Arkansas Razorbacks October 17, 2009 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Tim Tebow;Mike Pouncey

Getty Images

Penn State coach Joe Paterno, right, and Minnesota coach Tim Brewster talk on the field before an NCAA college football game in State College, Pa., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. Penn State won 20-0. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

ATLANTA - OCTOBER 17: Demaryius Thomas #8 of the Georgia Tech Yellow pulls in a reception against Rashad Carmichael #21 of the Virginia Tech Hokies Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium on October 17, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Demaryius Thomas;Rashad Carmichael

Getty Images

GAINESVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 17: Tight end Aaron Hernandez #81 of the Arkansas Razorbacks rushes upfield with a pass against the Florida Gators October 17, 2009 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Aaron Hernandez

Getty Images

GAINESVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 17: Running back Broderick Green #29 of the Arkansas Razorbacks rushes upfield against the Florida Gators October 17, 2009 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Broderick Green

Getty Images

Norte Dame coach Charlie Weis, left, and Southern California coach Pete Carroll meet following their NCAA college football game in South Bend, Ind., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. USC defeated Notre Dame 34-27. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Southern California receiver Anthony McCoy, left, out runs Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith (22) and safety Kyle McCarthy to pick up 60-yards in the third quarter during NCAA college football game in South Bend, Ind., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. USC defeated Notre Dame 34-27. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Heart size aside, the Razorbacks, who were coming off impressive wins over Texas A&M and Auburn and didn't look like the same team that was waxed by Alabama in September, showed they are making strides under second-year coach Bobby Petrino.

But they also missed a number of opportunities for their signature victory this season -- and to drain all the orange and blue from this city.

Mallett overthrew a wide-open Van Stumon in the end zone in the third quarter (Arkansas settled for a field goal) and they failed to register a first down following three of UF's four turnovers. Arkansas converted just 2-of-13 third downs in the game. The Razorbacks were also penalized 10 times for 92 yards, while UF drew just three yellow hankies for 16 yards.

"It was a tough loss," a stone-faced Petrino said.

"It's hard for coming out just a little short, but we competed and gave it everything we had. Our players were very convinced that we could come down here and win this game. We talked all week about having confidence, believing in each other and believing in what we're doing.

"We did that and we grew up."

Gators Come Through in 'Tebow Time' originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Overconfident? Gators Say Hogwash

Jim Henry — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:45:00 EST

Filed under: Arkansas, Florida, SEC

Quite truthfully, Florida wasn't very impressed when it watched video of Mississippi last season. The Rebels had lost to Wake Forest and Vanderbilt and, let's face it, they weren't expected to give the Gators much of a tussle in The Swamp. Of course, we all know what happened that final Saturday in September:

Ole Miss 31, UF 30.

The top-ranked Gators don't plan to make the same mistake twice against visiting Arkansas on Saturday.

"We would watch Ole Miss on film and our guys would say they're not very good," UF coach Urban Meyer said.

"This team coming in is really good. They have NFL caliber players on both sides of the ball and their running back shredded us last year. They took Auburn and beat them in every phase of the game. I think our guys saw that on TV and now on video."

Surging Arkansas heads to Gainesville, Fla., with plenty of confidence after winning consecutive games over Texas A&M (47-19) and Auburn (44-23) last week to knock the Tigers from the undefeated ranks.

While the Razorbacks stumbled badly in their first opportunity against an SEC power -- they lost to Alabama 35-7 in the season's second week -- Arkansas feels much better about itself.

In fact, many believe the Razorbacks could represent the toughest remaining test for the Gators, who have won a school-record 15 consecutive games since last season's defeat to Ole Miss. That, of course, prompted quarterback Tim Tebow's legendary "Promise" speech, but that's for another time.

Arkansas has posted 40-plus points in four of its five games for the first time in school history and, lo and behold, it even mixed in some defense the past two weeks, holding two previously prolific offensive teams to an average of 21 points.

"Our confidence is higher," Razorbacks head coach Bobby Petrino said.

"We've played two good games back-to-back. We've seen ourselves perform well on film. We went out and played well in all three phases [against Auburn]. It will be a challenge. We believe we can go and win the game. We need to play with good technique and fundamentals and try and match their speed."

It's no secret the Razorbacks must rely on their offense to set the tone against the nation's top-ranked defense. The Gators have allowed two touchdowns in five games and turned in a smothering effort in the 13-3 win at LSU last Saturday.

"They have done a good job all year creating negative plays and putting opposing offenses in second-and-longs and third-and-longs," Petrino said. "That's why they're tough, it allows them to tee-off on third downs."

Expect Arkansas to tee it up.

The Razorbacks rank third in the SEC in scoring (37.4 points) and total offense (451.8 yards) after five games. Quarterback Ryan Mallett leads the SEC in total offense (282.2) and has thrown for 1,422 yards and 13 touchdowns. Running back Michael Smith made the most of his opportunities last week, rushing for a game-high 145 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.

Even more impressive is the way the Razorbacks' offense continued rolling against Auburn despite missing two of its top receivers. Joe Adams was sidelined after suffering what Petrino called a "minor stroke" last week. And teammate Jarius Wright left the game early in the second quarter with a concussion.

Mallett says the Hogs have gained confidence by finding ways to spread the ball around.

"We've got two wins in a row right now so we are rolling a little bit," said Mallett, who was 24-of-37 for 274 yards and two touchdowns against Auburn.

"We've got to prepare and get ready to execute. We are going to go out there and prepare like we are the best team in the country. That's how we have to prepare for this team. We really have to execute on the stuff that we need to be executing on. The two wins going into this game really helped us.

"We are on top of the mountain right now because we haven't had a loss the past two weeks. We have to prepare for one of the best teams in the country. Your mental focus has to be there throughout the week."

Meyer, a master technician and motivator, says he will challenge his players in practice this week. He may also want to point to his calendar.

Saturday's date is Oct. 17, and the Razorbacks have won two of their four games in program history against the nation's top-ranked team on that date in 1961 and 194 (both times against Texas).

"You can sit and watch film and think a team isn't very good," Meyer said.

"I do not think this game falls into that category. This Arkansas team is good enough to compete for the West Championship. People who understand the game of football would probably say the same thing. To avoid all that, we'll go hard on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"We can certainly get better on offense."

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=515420&pid=515419&uts=1255445018

http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf

Latest College Football Photos

Washington's Kavario Middleton catches a pass for a touchdown against Arizona during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Seattle, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. Washington won 36-33. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

FR74207 AP

Latest College Football Images

In this Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, photo, Florida State tight end Caz Piurowski is checked by team trainers following his knee injury during an NCAA college football game against Georgia Tech in Tallahassee, Fla. Florida State announced Monday, Oct. 12, that Piurowski will miss the remainder of the season due to the injury. (AP Photo/Phil Coale)

In this Sept. 26, 2009, photo, Michigan cornerback Boubacar Cissoko (33) trails Indiana wide receiver Tandon Doss (2) on a long pass during an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich. Michigan has suspended Cissoko indefinitely for violating team rules. Coach Rich Rodriguez made the announcement Saturday night, Oct. 10, after Iowa beat the Wolverines 30-28. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)

Washington's Desmond Trufant returns an intercepting of a pass from Arizona's Nick Foles at the end fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Seattle, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. Earlier in the quarter Washington intercepted another pass returning it for a touchdown to win 36-33 over Arizona. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

Arizona's Nick Foles, left, talks with teammates before taking to the field for the final series against Washington during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Seattle, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. Foles gave up two interceptions near the end of the game one scoring the winning touchdown as Washington wins 36-33. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

Washington players including Taylor Bean, front, celebrate the 36-33 win over Arizona of an NCAA college football game in Seattle, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian congratulates quarterback Jake Locker after the 36-33 win over Arizona in an NCAA college football game in Seattle, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

Washington's Devin Aguilar, right, celebrates with Senio Kelemete, left after Aguilar scored a touchdown against Arizona during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game in Seattle, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. Washington won 36-33. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

UNLV quarterback Omar Clayton (2) passes during the first half of their NCAA college football game against BYU at Sam Boyd Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009 in Las Vegas. BYU defeated UNLV 59-21. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)

BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall watches his team during the second half of their NCAA college football game against UNLV at Sam Boyd Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009 in Las Vegas. BYU defeated UNLV 59-21. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)

That might not bode well for an Arkansas defense that is allowing 27.8 points per game, not to mention nearly 400 yards of of total offense (398.6).

While Petrino doesn't believe his team needs any extra motivation, history suggests the Razorbacks have the opportunity to, well, pull off an Ol' Miss in The Swamp.

"You don't need a lot of motivation to get ready for this game," Petrino said.

"Our guys will be ready and they know what's at stake. It's a great opportunity to go play at their stadium and play another game on national TV and show that we are a better football team. That's the motivation."

Overconfident? Gators Say Hogwash originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

SEC Notebook: Rolling With Tide

Jim Henry — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:25:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, South Carolina, SEC

Alabama coach Nick Saban certainly likes the Crimson Tide's offensive efficiency.

Alabama has stepped it up through the first five games this year, compared to the first give games in 2008. Alabama is averaging three points more points per game more and 86 more total yards per game above last season. The passing offense is where the major improvement has been, with the Tide throwing for 1,173 yards and nine touchdowns compared to 808 yards and six scores last season.

That's not all. For the first time since 1979, and just the third time in school history, No. 3 Alabama has opened the season with five straight games of 30 points or more. The Tide looks to extend that streak to six games on Saturday at No. 20 Mississippi.

"I think we've had good balance offensively," Saban said.

"I think we have been efficient in throwing the ball, which is important. We have been effective enough running it and I think the balance that we've created has probably been the key to our success and think it's going to be a key to future success that we continue to do that. If we can do both things equally well it will keep people off-balance and we have a multiple number of guys that are contributing to do that and making plays."

While Alabama still has an outstanding ground game, the passing game behind new quarterback Greg McElroy and a more seasoned group of receivers, tight ends and running backs has given the Tide more offensive punch. Alabama is averaging 228.2 rushing yards (10th nationally) and 234.6 passing yards (48th nationally) Overall, the Tide has completed 40 passes to receivers, 28 to backs and 19 to tight ends.

"We have good guys and that's just another opportunity to get them the ball in space," Saban said.

"I think the tight end is probably the best mismatched player on the field. I've always said that, in terms of who is covering him, where he lines up and how he gets defended. All these things are positives in my opinion. The quarterback makes good decisions and gets the ball in the right places and he's got the patience to do it and that's one of the reasons we have not turned it over a lot is we're not putting the ball where it shouldn't be going."

And, in case anyone is counting, McElroy has now won his last 21 starts at quarterback, going 16-0 as a high school senior in 2005 and 5-0 for the Tide in 2009.

Alabama also has beaten Ole' Miss five consecutive games, including the last two played in Oxford, Miss. But both of those games were decided on the final play.

"When you watch Alabama you don't see many weaknesses - offense, defense and special teams - they are playing excellent football right now," Ole' Miss coach Houston Nutt said. "They have excellent athletes and they don't make mistakes. They feed off of their opponent's mistakes. They are very physical and their guys can run."

Rise and Shine

The SEC has deals with CBS and ESPN, and every team in the league will be on television this weekend. Of course, that means some teams wills start earlier than others.

Better keep the pancakes and eggs warm for the Arkansas-Auburn showdown. It's slated for an 11AM CT kickoff.

"We'll get them off the field a little quicker on Thursday, so we try to get their legs back," Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said.

"We'll get out of our meetings a little bit earlier on Friday night, get them in bed a little earlier, and then obviously they have to get up early and get going. I've always enjoyed early games and I think our players do too -- where you don't have to wait around and sit around in the hotel all day."

Auburn coach Gene Chizik admits the early kickoff alters the Tigers' routine -- at least he thinks it will.

"This is uncharted territory for us," he said.

"All of our games have been night games so far and it will be interesting. For early games we get up, eat, then play, but it shouldn't really affect us. This does create a new series of things that we will encounter, especially with such a young team."

Repeat Performance?

Last season, Arkansas beat No. 20 Auburn 25-22 in Alabama. Running back Michael Smith carried the ball 35 times for 176 yards and one touchdown.

Will Smith have another big game?

At the moment, Smith just wants to contribute.

Smith, who finished with 1,072 yards and eight touchdowns last season, has only 32 carries for 180 yards and one touchdown through the first four games this season. That's a dramatic decline from this time a year ago when, despite being suspended for the season opener, he had 54 carries for 295 yards and two touchdowns through the first four games of the season.

He's on pace to finish the regular season with 540 rushing yards.

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=515420&pid=515419&uts=1254965096

http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf

Latest College Football Photos

Middle Tennessee State quarterback Dwight Dasher (9) avoids the tackle of Troy's Bear Woods (48) in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Troy, Ala., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

FR159046 AP

Latest College Football Images

In this photo taken on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes watches from the sidelines during the final minutes of an NCAA college football game against Texas State in Fort Worth, Texas. The transformation of Jerry Hughes from prep running back to All-American defensive end was never more evident than the picture of a skinny kid somebody taped to his locker. Now nearly 50 pounds heavier and a senior for No. 11 TCU, Hughes now looks more like a potential first-round NFL draft pick. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

In this photo taken on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes runs off the field during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Texas State in Fort Worth, Texas.The transformation of Jerry Hughes from prep running back to All-American defensive end was never more evident than the picture of a skinny kid somebody taped to his locker. Now nearly 50 pounds heavier and a senior for No. 11 TCU, Hughes now looks more like a potential first-round NFL draft pick. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

NEW YORK - OCTOBER 06: Matt Moore, a former college football player at Texas Christian attends The 24th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner benefiting The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis (national fundraising arm of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis) at The Waldorf=Astoria on October 6, 2009 in New York, New York. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for The Miami Project) *** Local Caption *** Matt Moore *** Local Caption *** Matt Moore *** Local Caption *** Matt Moore

Getty Images for The Miami Proje

NEW YORK - OCTOBER 6: Matt Moore, a former college football player at Texas Christian University, attends The 24th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner benefiting The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis (national fundraising arm of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis) at The Waldorf-Astoria on October 6, 2009 in New York, New York. (Photo by Brian Bedder/Getty Images for The Miami Project) *** Local Caption *** Matt Moore

Getty Images for The Miami Proje

Troy receiver Chip Reeves (8) celebrates with teammate Sergio Perez, rear, after scoring on a 52-yard pass reception in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Middle Tennessee in Troy, Ala., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Troy linebacker Boris Lee (2) breaks up a pass intended for Middle Tennessee State receiver Malcolm Beyah (4) in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Troy, Ala., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009. At left is Troy defender Tebiarus Gill. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Troy running back Shawn Southward (20) reacts after scoring in the first quarter during an NCAA college football game against Middle Tennessee State in Troy, Ala., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009. Middle Tennessee States's Emmanuel Perez (91) and Jeremy Kellem (20) walk away. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Troy receiver Chip Reeves (8) is pursued by Middle Tennessee State's Marcus Udell (3) on a 52-yard touchdown reception in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Troy, Ala., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

"I need to run better," said Smith, who led the team in receptions with five for 65 yards and a touchdown in last week's victory over Texas A&M. "If I begin to run better, then the amount of touches won't matter because I'll be gaining more yards with each game."

Praising Garcia

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is slow to praise his quarterbacks, particularly Stephen Garcia. But in his first full season as a starter, Garcia is playing well. The Gamecocks are third in the SEC and 14th nationally in total defense (264.4 yards per game).

"He's doing some better things," Spurrier said.

"We certainly hope and believe that he can continue advancing and throwing the ball more accurately here and there, but he did throw some good balls in the second half last week [in the win over South Carolina State]. That was encouraging. We need to throw some perfect passes.

"Receivers are running some decent routes, but that can get better. Pass protection can get better certainly ... fortunately we have a really good defense and we don't have to score every time we touch it. We've had one turnover per game -- five turnovers. Heck we had four in the first half of a game last year so we've come a long way."

SEC Notebook: Rolling With Tide originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Notebook: Sherman Admits He Left QB Johnson in Too Long

Terrance Harris — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 02:10:00 EST

Filed under: Arkansas, Texas A&M, Big 12, SEC

ARLINGTON, Texas -- It didn't seem to make sense for Texas A&M to have starting quarterback Jerrod Johnson still in the game late in fourth quarter with Arkansas well on the way to a 47-17 win Saturday night the Cowboys Stadium.

So imagine the concerned looks on the Aggies sideline when Johnson took a hard blindsided hit from Tenarius Wright that caused a fumble to pop out in Arkansas territory on the final real play of the game. Johnson stayed on the ground for a moment before popping back up.

Afterward, A&M coach Mike Sherman even questioned himself for leaving Johnson in so long.

"I asked myself that walking off the field, particularly when he took that shot at the end," Sherman said. "We tried to move the pocket, we tried to have a safe play . I just wanted him to come out of here with success, I thought we could have scored another touchdown.

"It was probably not the wisest thing I did. I probably should have made a substitution there."

Sherman said redshirt freshman Tommy Dorman, not No. 2 quarterback and staring wide receiver Ryan Tannehill would hove came in for Johnson. Tannehill had played receiver most of the night. Sherman's offense has already been plagued with the loss of star receiver Jeff Fuller. The loss of Johnson would have been even more damaging.

"If he had gotten hurt there then I would have been...I'm critical of myself as it is but ya'll would have been more critical of me and would be right to say so," Sherman said. "I probably should have taken him, there was nothing to be gained there."

Johnson, who seemed little shook up on the sidelines right after the blow, shrugged it off in the postgame press conference.

"I got hit, but it's part of the game. I'll be alright," he said.

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=515420&pid=515419&uts=1254671581

http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf

Latest College Football Photos

UTEP quarterback Trevor Vittatoe, center, celebrates with Tanner Cullumber, bottom, and Elijah Goldtrap after Vittatoes touchdown pass during the second half of their NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 in El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo/Victor Calzada)

FR 39270 AP

Latest College Football Images

Houston quarterback Case Keenum and UTEP defender Aaron King chase a fumble during the fourth quarter of their NCAA college football game Saturday Oct. 3, 2009 in El Paso, Texas. Keenum was unable to recover the ball and it was instead picked up by UTEP's Roddray Walker and run 70 yards for a touchdown. (AP Photo/Victor Calzada)

Houston's Brandon Brinkley agonized after UTEP's Donald Buckram scored his fourth touchdown of the evening during the fourth quarter of their NCAA college football game Saturday Oct. 3, 2009 in El Paso, Texas. UTEP linemen celebrated with Buckram in the background. (AP Photo/Victor Calzada)

UTEP defender Roddray Walker sprints 70 yards for touchdown after recovering a Houston fumble during the fourth quarter of their NCAA college football game Saturday Oct. 3, 2009 in El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo/Victor Calzada)

UTEP's Donald Buckram races Houston's Jamal Robinson to the end zone during the fourth quarter of their NCAA college football game against Houston Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 in El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo/Victor Calzada)

Houston's David Hunter and teammates sit dejectedly on the bench as the final seconds tick off the clock in their NCAA college football game against UTEP Saturday Oct. 3, 2009 in El Paso, Texas. UTEP defeated Houston 58-41. (AP Photo/Victor Calzada)

UTEP players and their fans celebrate at the conclusion of their NCAA college football game against Houston Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 in El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo/Victor Calzada)

TEMPE, AZ - OCTOBER 03: Runningback Dimitri Nance #31 of the Arizona State Sun Devils rushes the ball against the Oregon State Beavers during the college football game at Sun Devil Stadium on October 3, 2009 in Tempe, Arizona. The Beavers defeated the Sun Devils 28-17. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Dimitri Nance

Getty Images

Mississippi State running back Robert Elliott (2) dives past Georgia Tech linebacker Julian Burnett (40) during the second half of their NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. No. 25 Georgia Tech won, 42-31. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Oregon receiver Ed Dickson, middle, hangs onto the ball as he is hit by Washington State defenders Terrance Hayward, right, and Andy Mattingly during the first half of their NCAA college football game in Eugene, Ore., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. Dickson caught seven passes for 103 yards and one touchdown as Oregon beat Washington State 52-6. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

Jerry's World Rocks

The Cowboys Stadium is the luxurious new home of America's Team.

But Saturday night it was a house divided as Arkansas and Texas A&M packed the place with an announced crowd of 71,872 fans. The game might not have been as exciting, but the fans still seemed to enjoy the unique atmosphere Jerry Jones has created with his state of the art venue.

The giant screen above the field that had caused so much controversy was a major source of entertainment in between plays.

The whole experience won rave reviews from the players on the field, as well.

"I would love to play another college game in this facility," said Arkansas receiver Joe Adams. "It's a great facility to play in and as you see we played a hard game here."

Both Arkansas and Texas A&M did walk-throughs at the Cowboys Stadium on Friday to kind of get use it.

"That was a good move by Coach [Bobby] Petrino to come over here yesterday and get a feel for the place because it's really breathtaking," said Arkansas defensive end Jake Bequette. "It's a great facility, but today we showed up, we took care of business and got a great win at a great venue."

Sackmaster Tamed

Linebacker/defensive end Von Miller came into Saturday night's game leading the nation in sacks, but he managed just one on Ryan Mallett all night.

It seemed like Miller might be a constant menace to Mallett all night after the sack and also playing a part in the Arkansas throwing an interception in the first half, but during much of the second half he wasn't as much of a factor. Miller, however, said his lack of production in the second half didn't have anything to do with the Razorbacks making a special effort to slow him down.

"I was trying to rush him, but I just couldn't get it done," said Miller, who finished with four tackles, including two for loss of yards.

Mallett Heats Up

The day might have started out slow for Mallett, but he certainly heated up as the game went along.

Mallett, who is in his first season of eligibility for Razorbacks after transferring from Michigan, completed 17-of-27 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns on the night. Mallett was coming off poor showing in the Razorbacks 35-7 loss to Alabama last week.

"He had a great attitude all week in practice," said Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, whose team snapped a two-game losing streak to move to 2-2 on the season. "He's a tremendous competitor, and it hurts when you lose a game and you feel like you don't perform well. I was very proud of the way he reacted to that loss in practice all week. That showed up tonight in the game."

Throwback Aggies

For the first time since 1978, Texas A&M donned the all white helmets to commemorate the old Southwest Conference days against an old SWC foe.

Notebook: Sherman Admits He Left QB Johnson in Too Long originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 04 Oct 2009 02:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

In First Real Test, Aggies Humbled

Terrance Harris — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:58:00 EST

Filed under: Arkansas, Texas A&M, Big 12, SEC

ARLINGTON, Texas -- By no means had Texas A&M been as perfect this season as its 3-0 record coming into Saturday night's Southwest Classic against Arkansas might suggest.

It's just that the Aggies hadn't come up on a team strong enough to make them pay for their flaws.

But that changed Saturday night in front of an evenly divided crowd of 71,872 fans at the new Cowboys Stadium. The Razorbacks, a so-so SEC team, punished A&M for every misstep on the way to a 47-19 rout during the renewal of an old Southwest Conference rivalry.

Harris' Notebook: Sherman Says He Left Johnson in Too Long

The Aggies dropped touchdown passes, committed penalties at the most inopportune times and blew coverages repeatedly. So much went wrong that it's easy to forget at one point they held a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and looked as though they would be the team exiting with a lopsided win in this Big 12-SEC showdown.

Of course that didn't last.

"We jumped ahead of them and really had an opportunity to take a significant lead, which we didn't do," said second-year A&M coach Mike Sherman, whose team heads into Big 12 play next week against Oklahoma State. "Good football teams take that lead and don't relinquish."

Obviously, the Aggies are still a ways away from being the team on the rise they appeared to be in their first three games. Running through a non-conference slate of mediocrity that included New Mexico, Utah State and UAB provided false hope that better days are not that far off.

Now we know better.

This team is probably looking at three or four more wins this season, at most. Somewhere the Aggie faithful are celebrating the fact Baylor is on the schedule and that they play the more forgiving part of the Big 12 North this season: Kansas State, Iowa State and Colorado.

So there is at least some reason for quarterback Jerrod Johnson to sound optimistic despite what was witnessed in the Aggies' final non-conference game.

"We still feel like we can play with anybody, I'm definitely confident in my team," he said. "Arkansas was pretty good, not trying to take anything away from them. It was just different from a scheme standpoint. We just didn't play well tonight so we've got to live with that."

The offensive line rotated eight players and could have possibly put them on the field all at the same time and it would have made a difference the way Johnson had to run for his life all night. Defensively, A&M is much better along its front but the secondary is still way too green.

How many times did Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett drop back and find open receivers without a defender within five yards? Or if the defender was there, he'd often be left grabbing for air on what should have been a sure tackle.

Mallett torched the A&M secondary for 271 yards and four touchdowns on 17-of-27 passing for the night. Four different receivers caught touchdown passes. But to add insult to injury, the Razorbacks would come up with big runs like Ronnie Wingo's 62-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter that showed there were far too many holes for A&M's defense to plug.

"They got caught up with our passing game and the receivers only and that left us open to slip into the back door and score a couple touchdowns," said Arkansas running back Michael Smith.

Starting late in the first quarter, the Razorbacks went on a 30-0 run to take a 30-10 lead at halftime. Early on, the Aggies had controlled the tempo with balance of passing and time-draining runs by running backs Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael in taking the 10-0 lead.

But then Sherman fell in love with the pass despite all the warning signs, none more glaring than the happy feet Johnson had to develop to avoid the rush. It also would have been wise to try to control tempo with the run as the Arkansas offense started to get into a groove.

Instead, Johnson threw 58 passes, completed 30 of them for 345 yards and two touchdowns. That certainly doesn't translate into success for a team that in a serious youth movement on both sides of the football.

"I started off thinking we were going to run it and got away from it a little bit," Sherman said. "We went back to it and should have stayed with it longer and take some of the pressure off [Johnson] and the offensive line. That's my fault."

It seemed like the harder Johnson tried, the more he got into trouble. He was chased and hit constantly, forcing him to throw off his back foot. And when he did make a good throw, something went wrong like the Ryan Tannehill drop of a 60-yard touchdown pass that would have put the Aggies ahead 17-7 late in the first quarter.

Johnson also created his own problems such as the fumble in the Arkansas red zone that turned into an 85-yard touchdown return that put the Razorbacks up 21-10 late in the second quarter.

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=515420&pid=515419&uts=1254630534

http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf

Latest College Football Photos

Miami's Joel Figueroa (61) and Travis Benjamin celebrate after Benjamin scored the second touchdown of the third quarter against Oklahoma during NCAA college football action Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 in Miami. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Latest College Football Images

South Carolina's Stephen Garcia looks on from the sidelines during the fourth quarter against South Carolina State in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009, at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. Garcia threw two touchdown passes and scored a touchdown as South Carolina defeated South Carolina State 38-14. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

Miami's Dedrick Epps (18) celebrates as he scores a third-quarter touchdown against Oklahoma during NCAA college football action Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 in Miami. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

South Carolina's Alshon Jeffery(1) and Moe Brown (9) celebrate Jeffery's touchdown as South Carolina defeated South Carolina State 38-14 in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009, at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

Washington State defender Terrance Hayward breaks up the pass intended for Oregon receiver Jamere Holland during the first half of their NCAA college football game in Eugene, Ore., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

TEMPE, AZ - OCTOBER 03: Wide receiver James Rodgers #8 of the Oregon State Beavers runs with the ball after a reception past Terell Carr #5 of the Arizona State Sun Devils during the college football game at Sun Devil Stadium on October 3, 2009 in Tempe, Arizona. The Beavers defeated the Sun Devils 28-17. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** James Rodgers;Terell Carr

Getty Images

TEMPE, AZ - OCTOBER 03: Wide receiver Damola Adeniji #80 of the Oregon State Beavers runs with the ball after a reception past Terell Carr #5 of the Arizona State Sun Devils during the college football game at Sun Devil Stadium on October 3, 2009 in Tempe, Arizona. The Beavers defeated the Sun Devils 28-17. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Damola Adeniji;Terell Carr

Getty Images

TEMPE, AZ - OCTOBER 03: Head coach Dennis Erickson talks with quarterback Danny Sullivan #15 of the Arizona State Sun Devils during the college football game against the Oregon State Beavers at Sun Devil Stadium on October 3, 2009 in Tempe, Arizona. The Beavers defeated the Sun Devils 28-17. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Danny Sullivan;Dennis Erickson

Getty Images

TEMPE, AZ - OCTOBER 03: The Arizona State Sun Devils and the Oregon State Beavers compete in the college football game at Sun Devil Stadium on October 3, 2009 in Tempe, Arizona. The Beavers defeated the Sun Devils 28-17. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Getty Images

But Johnson, whose night received an exclamation point when he was hammered with 13 seconds remaining in the game and no chance to win on a hit by Tenarius Wright that caused his second fumble of the night, remains optimistic.

"I think we just have to stay the course," he said. "The biggest thing in life is handling adversity. This is our first step in adversity this year. For a lot of our players this is their first loss in college. Of course you want to win them all, but occasionally you are going to lose.

"It's something we have to learn from as a group and get stronger. You can't go backwards in this type of situation. We have to adapt and overcome adversity."

In First Real Test, Aggies Humbled originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Texas A&M Crashes Back to Reality

Terrance Harris — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:56:00 EST

Filed under: Arkansas, Texas A&M, Big 12, SEC

ARLINGTON, Texas -- It might have seemed like the Texas A&M Aggies had come a long way in their first three games this season against a mediocre group.

Well, facing a middle-of-the-pact SEC team in Arkansas, the Aggies found out how far they still have to go to return to respectability as the Razorbacks ran away with a 47-19 win in front of 71,872 fans at the Cowboys Stadium on Saturday night.

After jumping out to a surprising 10-0 lead in the first quarter, the Aggies received a reality check as quarterback Ryan Mallett and the Razorbacks scored the next 30 points in the opening half and never looked back.

"We jumped ahead of them and really had an opportunity to take a significant lead, which we didn't do," said second-year A&M coach Mike Sherman, whose team dropped to 3-1 as it heads into Big 12 play next week against Oklahoma State. "Good teams take that lead and don't relinquish it."

Good football also don't show the characteristics the Aggies showed errors such as receiver Ryan Tannehill's dropped touchdown pass in the first quarter and quarterback Jerrod Johnson's fumble that turned into an 85-yard touchdown return for Arkansas. There were also the costly eight penalties for minus 87 yards and two poor punts by Ken Wood that also did in the Aggies.

Defensively, A&M started out putting great pressure on Mallett in the opening quarter. but with sack master Von Miller neutralized, Mallett was eventually able to settle his feet and find open receivers to the tune of 271 yard and four touchdowns on 17 of 27 passing.

Johnson wasn't as fortunate against weak offensive line that allowed the Razorbacks to chase and hit him all night. Johnson finished with 345 yards passing and two touchdowns on 30-of-58 passing.

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=515420&pid=515419&uts=1254630534

http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf

Latest College Football Photos

Latest College Football Images

Miami's Dedrick Epps (18) celebrates as he scores a third-quarter touchdown against Oklahoma during NCAA college football action Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 in Miami. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Getty Images

Texas A&M Crashes Back to Reality originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:56:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Are Aggies, Johnson for Real?

Terrance Harris — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:59:00 EST

Filed under: Arkansas, Texas A&M, Big 12, SEC

ARLINGTON, Texas -- After a bumpy start to the Mike Sherman era at Texas A&M last season, the Aggies are off to a surprising 3-0 start to begin the season.

But after running through lightweights New Mexico, Utah State and Alabama-Birmingham, we will find just how real the Aggies are tonight when they face their first real test against Arkansas in a battle of old Southwest Conference rivals at Jerry Jones' new Cowboys Stadium.

The Aggies seem to have finally gotten into a groove in Sherman's balanced attack, leading the nation in total offense with an average of 574.33 yards per game through the first three contests. Perhaps no one has been bigger in the Aggies growth than second-year starting quarterback Jerrod Johnson.

Johnson has certainly seemed to turn a corner as a quarterback, ranking among the top 10 in the country in passing and passing yards per game. But tonight, outside of the comforts of Kyle Field for the first time, we will see what's actually inside those numbers against a respectable SEC defense.

Johnson will also go against another potentially big-time quarterback in Ryan Mallett, who is off to an impressive start to his career with the Razorbacks.

"That comes with time," Sherman said of Johnson's chance to prove himself. "If you continue to do those things through the course of your career, people will recognize you. The great thing about Jerrod Johnson is he does not worry about that one bit. And neither do I, for that matter. He's worried about the next ballgame, and winning, and how can he help our team win. That's the beauty of Jerrod Johnson. Those things come. You can't force them."

FIRST QUARTER

The Aggies looked good on their first drive of the night with running back Cyrus Gray slicing his way for a 31-yard pickup on the first play and then receiver Howard Morrow caught a 17-yard pass to help set up Randy Bullock's 32-yard field goal that put them ahead 3-0 with 11:52 left in the first. A&M drove 47 yards on six plays before the drive stalled at the Arkansas 15.

****************

Wow the Aggies are looking good on both sides of the football. While the defense has swarmed all over Arkansas to hold the Razorbacks to zero rushing yards after three series, the offense is coming to life.

Jerrod Johnson just showed incredible strength and accuracy as he rolled left and threw across his body to hit receiver Brandal Jackson in stride for a 60-yard touchdown pass to put the Aggies up 10-0.

*****************

The Razorbacks finally get going offensively when Mallett hits receiver Joe Adams on a deep slant as he gets between A&M's two safeties for a 67-yard pass completion that set up the 8-yard touchdown pass to Broderick Green to pull Arkansas within 10-7 with 4:14 left in the first quarter.

SECOND QUARTER

The Aggies might want to reconsider the use of the Ruby punt because it has put them in the hole after Ken Wood's punt traveled five yards and help set up a short march for the Razorbacks to score the go ahead touchdown when Mallett found fullback De'Anthony Curtis for a five yard touchdown receptions to go up 14-10 with 13:22 to play in the half. Arkansas has scored back to back touchdowns to take the lead.

****************

For a moment it looked as though the Aggies had received a huge boost on a muffed punt that gave them the ball at the Arkansas 12. But two plays later, it was Arkansas linebacker Jerry Franklin rumbling 85 yards the other way for a touchdown after Jerrod Johnson fumbled away the football on a hit. Instead of A&M reclaiming the lead, they now trail 21-10 wiith 6:25 left to play in the half.

**************

Okay, Mike Sherman just might have a punting problem. For the second time in the first half, a poor punt by Wood has set up a Arkansas score, not that the Razorbacks need much help. But a 35-yard punt by Wood helped Arkansas to a 24-10 lead on a 38-yard field goal by Alex Tejeda after the offense had to move the ball just 26 yards on five plays to set up the score.

**************

The Aggies have to be in the locker room wondering how something that started out so right has quickly gone wrong. They led at one point 10-0 and seemed on their way to be big night as the defense was swarming and Johnson was making all the right decisions.

But that quickly came to an end as Mallett and Co. went to work, capitalizing on A&M's mistakes. Two horrible punts by the Aggies have led to 10 points by Arkansas and then Johnson gave one away on a fumble that went the other way for an 85-yard touchdown. Mallett has thrown three touchdown passes in the first half.

Arkansas' defensive front has put tremendous pressure on Johnson, forcing him either into bad decisions or to throw the football away more times than not. He has completed 11 of 27 passes for 167 yards.

THIRD QUARTER

The Aggies scored just three points on a 47-yard Bullock field goal to pull within 30-13, but most importantly their offense looked like it might have finally gotten out of its funk. The unit picked four first downs during the 12-play, 46-yard drive on strength of a big run and two nice passes pass and costly roughing the passer penalty by the Arkansas defense.

****************

You can start to wave the white flag if you are on the A&M side because it doesn't look as though the defense is capable of stopping Arkansas' passing game. Mallett is just toying with the Aggies secondary, waiting patiently until receivers pop open down field. He just hit Michael Smith on a wheel route for a 29-yard touchdown reception that put the Razorbacks ahead 3713 with 4:28 left in the third.

The Razorbacks have scored on three of their last four offensive possessions going back to the second quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER

Johnson and Ryan Tannehill hook up on a three-yard touchdown pass that pulled the Aggies to within 37-19 after the two-point conversion pass failed early in the fourth, but it does them little good if the Aggies defense can't find a way to stop Mallett and the Razorbacks offense.

**************

Okay so the A&M defense did a little better this last time, tightening up to surrender just an 18-yard field goal instead of a touchdown but this point the Aggies needed to give up nothing if they had hopes of getting back into this. They trail 40-19 with less than 10 minutes to play. Not looking good.

***********

Huge crowd in the Cowboys Stadium, excellent atmosphere with two great fan bases but A&M's performance did not live up to the event. They trail 47-19 with 5:37 to play after Arkansas running back Ronnie Wingo races 60 yards for the touchdown. Can we say Game Over!

Heading down to the field for postgame interviews.

Are Aggies, Johnson for Real? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Alabama's McElroy Is on a Roll

Jim Henry — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:23:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama, Arkansas, SEC

Alabama's defense is getting all the love, and rightfully so. The Crimson Tide ranks second in the nation in rushing defense and third in the country in total defense. The unit expects to be thoroughly tested in its SEC opener on Saturday by Arkansas' prolific offense, directed by the hammer, Ryan Mallett.

Psstt, keep an eye on Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy, too.

"He's a real good football player," FIU coach Mario Cristobal said. "He really is."

McElroy has been impressive in his first three games as Alabama's starting quarterback, completing 66.7 percent (46 of 69) of his passes for 647 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. The junior has now won his last 19 starts, going 16-0 as a high school senior and 3-0 for the Tide.

Remaining undefeated is the goal for McElroy and third-ranked Alabama.

The Crimson Tide has won 17 consecutive SEC openers, the longest streak in school history and the longest active streak in the SEC. While Saturday's showdown is being billed as a collision between Alabama's stout defense and Arkansas' electric offense, McElroy has quietly gone about his business.

In fact, he even has marveled at Mallett's outstanding start.

Mallett, a transfer from Michigan, leads the country in passing efficiency, with a ridiculously high rating of 193.5. Mallett made his SEC debut last Saturday night at Reynolds Razorback Stadium with a hot start against Georgia, and finished with a school-record for passing yards (408) and touchdowns (five) in a 52-41 loss to the Bulldogs.

"I thought he did really well (against Georgia)," McElroy said.

"He's a guy that transferred and is getting used to and acquainted with the SEC, but I think he did a really good job handling speed and getting the ball out on time. Usually the big guys like that are kind of slow and deliberate, but he plays well and plays fast -- throws a really good ball with a good arm."

McElroy may not attract Mallett's red-carpet attention, but that's just fine with him. Actually, it's his M.O.

Though McElroy grew up following the Pac-10 and the Big 12, he watched plenty of Auburn games because his grandfather went to Auburn. He also was raised around the pro game as his father, Greg, is the senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Dallas Cowboys.

McElroy didn't start until his senior year at power Southlake Carroll High School in Texas because he was behind Chase Daniel, who went on to star at Missouri.

He was redshirted his freshman season at Alabama in 2006 and saw limited action behind John Parker Wilson for two seasons before making his first collegiate start in the Tide's season-opening victory over Virginia Tech.

Talk about streaking.

Since halftime of the Tech game, McElroy has completed 40 of 51 passes for 553 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. That computes to a 78.4 completion percentage, a 195.40 passer rating and a 137.99 NFL passer rating over those 10 quarters. He set a new Alabama record for consecutive completions against FIU (Sept. 12) by connecting on 14 straight passes.

Last Saturday against North Texas, McElroy tied the school mark for highest completion percentage with a minimum of 10 completions, going 13 of 15 (86.7 percent) and equaling Walter Lewis 1983 performance against Houston. In the past two games, McElroy has completed 20 of 22 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter.

McElroy credits his efficiency to the Tide's approach and ability.

"I think part of it is good play-calling and I think part of it is my ability just to take what the defense is give me and I think part of it is guys are just open," McElroy said.

"We've really just kind of worked and worked and worked, and we've finally all gotten on the same page. Our timing is pretty good. We are not holding the ball too long and the offensive line is giving me a great amount of time.

"We talk about efficiency rating as a quarterback, and that's one of our biggest goals. That's not a statistic for me; that's a statistic for everybody. As long as everyone is on the same page, that's the only way an offense can work in the passing game. That's something we continue to work on and need to continue to improve on over the next couple of weeks."

McElroy is expected to have additional help against the Razorbacks with the return of preseason All-American wide receiver Julio Jones (bruised knee) and running back Roy UpChurch (ankle sprain). Neither played last Saturday. Jones' absence has provided opportunities for others to step up, giving McElroy more options -- 13 players have at least one reception this season.

"I think a lot of the media focused so much on Julio that they didn't give a lot of (other) guys a lot of credit," McElroy said.

"We knew going into the season we had capable guys all over the field. I am not going to zero on a certain wide receiver just because he wears No. 8 (Jones) and he's big and tall. I will throw to whoever is open and that's what I've been able to do and I think that's a big reason why we've been so efficient the last couple of weeks."

While Alabama's defense -- it has surrendered just 42 yards per game on the ground and 185 total yards per game this year -- will be on center stage against Mallett and the Razorbacks, McElroy's play is also expected to play a key role in the outcome.

"We know they (Razorbacks) are going to be difficult for the defense to stop, but that's the defense's job to prepare for him (Mallett)," McElroy said.

"What we are preparing for is Arkansas' defense and that's what we are going to to into the game thinking about. It's not going to be so much about McElroy versus Mallett -- it's not like that at all, not in my eyes by any means.

"Really the only story line should be Arkansas versus Alabama and it should be a good test for us. We are going to have to really play a good game to come out with a victory."

Alabama's McElroy Is on a Roll originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

SEC Notebook: Joe Cox's Many Maladies

Jim Henry — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, SEC

Week 1 was the flu. Week 2 was shoulder soreness. OK, what's going on in Week 3?

The health of Georgia quarterback Joe Cox has been discussed, dissected and debated so much this young season that he could be a regular on General Hospital. Despite a jammed finger on his left non-throwing hand this week, Cox is in one piece -- and in good spirits. The rumors were so rampant last week that some believed Cox wouldn't start against South Carolina.

"It's definitely been interesting to see how crazy it can get just based off of what somebody says, but it hasn't been something that has been a distraction," said Cox, who injured his finger on an attempted tackle following an interception in the Bulldogs' win over South Carolina last Saturday.

"It's honestly something that we've all kind of laughed about."

While Georgia coach Mark Richt joked that Cox needed to wear an eye patch to meet with the media on Tuesday -- let's start another rumor -- Cox and the Bulldogs have been all business in their preparation for Saturday's SEC game at Arkansas. The Bulldogs have won the last five meetings against the Razorbacks, including all three in Fayetteville, Ark., and are on a five-game road SEC winning streak.

After losing its season-opener to Oklahoma State, Georgia rebounded with a dramatic 41-37 win at home over the Gamecocks. Arkansas was idle last week.

"It's like that old song," Richt said.

"You have to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative and don't mess with mister in between. That's what we are trying to do. We are trying to really look at the positive things and build off of them, eliminate the negative things and we'll be OK. We'll keep getting better if that happens."

One positive has been Georgia's production in the red zone. The Bulldogs are a perfect 6-for-6 inside their opponent's 20-yard line, scoring four touchdowns (one rushing, three passing) and connecting on a pair of field goals. Another has been the play from junior linebacker Rennie Curran, who leads the SEC with 23 tackles in two games.

And let's not forget Cox, who was slowed by a flu virus in the opening week -- he lost 10 pounds -- and last week Georgia revealed that nerve damage in Cox's right shoulder prevents him from throwing one day each week in practice. While the throwing schedule gives backup Logan Gray valuable time with the first-team offense, Cox finished with a career-high 201 yards passing and two touchdowns in the win over South Carolina.

"Everybody kind of understands that's the way it is," Richt said of Cox's throwing schedule.

"Nobody really gets too bent out of shape. It's always nice to get your second team guy a lot of work. A lot of coaches won't do that, but we've always done a pretty good job of letting our second team and our third team getting a little work, but it's even more so this year because of that situation. It's definitely helping Logan (Gray)."

Bluegrass Fever

Kentucky has held the upper hand in the state, beating rival Louisville the past two years for the Governor's Cup and winning three consecutive bowl games. Kentucky looks to make it three straight over the Cardinals on Saturday.

The Wildcats enter the home game on a streak of 15 consecutive non-conference wins. It's the second-longest non-conference win streak in the nation and the longest for UK since a 17-game non-conference win stretch from 1954-60. Since mid-season 2006, the Wildcats have won 21 of their last 33 games overall.

Kentucky coach Rich Brooks is well aware how a victory over Louisville makes life so much easier.

"Well, you have to live in a vacuum to not hear about it all year long in this state," Brooks said.

"Any football fan, you hear it on the talk radio, you see it on the message boards, just everywhere and you hear it when you're out in public. You get constantly reminded of what side of that equation you're on but like the last two years we've been fortunate enough to win the game - that really doesn't count - what counts is what happens this year. This Saturday is what is really going to count."

A Familiar Face

Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy will face off against his old high school Saturday in North Texas' Tom Dodge, who coached McElroy at Southlake Carroll High just outside Dallas.North Texas starting quarterback Riley Dodge -- the son of coach Tom Dodge and McElroy's backup in high school -- will miss the game with a separated shoulder, however. Dodge was injured in the third quarter of Saturday's double-overtime loss to Ohio.

"That is disappointing," McElroy said.

"Riley has had a little run of bad luck. I wish I could be playing against him, but they've got to do what's best for them and their season. If holding them out against us will allow them to be more successful down the road this year, then I totally understand why they're doing it."

A Popular Dude

Branden Smith, a freshman cornerback at Georgia, played every position while at Washington-Atlanta and committed to Georgia to play cornerback. Smith also ran the fifth-fastest 100 meters (10.64 seconds) in Georgia high school history. Naturally, his speed and athleticism made Smith an easy candidate to see time on offense.

The first time Smith touched the ball against South Carolina, on a kickoff return in the first quarter, Smith fumbled. The second time, he was gone -- untouched for a touchdown on a 61-yard reverse on offense. Smith was stunned to discover he was an instant hero on campus.

"It has been hard walking around campus and people asking for autographs and everything," Smith said. "But right now I am just trying to stay focused on schoolwork. It has been a little weird that no one before asked me for my autographs, but I had a good game Saturday and now they ask me for autographs. It felt a little good."

Quick Impressions

Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen wasn't a happy camper following his team's 49-24 defeat to Auburn. The Bulldogs allowed 598 yards of total offense, including 390 on the ground. Mississippi State travels to Vanderbilt on Saturday.

"Not winning is not acceptable. I don't like using the 'L-word,'" Mullen said. "That is not acceptable for us and, when you don't come out on top, that is extremely disappointing."

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=515420&pid=515419&uts=1253115170

http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf

Latest College Football Photos

Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno answers a question during his weekly news conference on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 in State College, Pa. Penn State plays Temple at home on Saturday. (AP Photo/Pat Little)

FR53442 AP

Latest College Football Images

Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno gestures as he answers a question during his weekly news conference on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 in State College, Pa. Penn State plays Temple at home on Saturday. (AP Photo/Pat Little)

Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy speaks during a news conference in Stillwater, Okla., Monday, Sept. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Wisconsin head football coach Bret Bielema screams during the second half of an NCAA football game Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, in Madison, Wis. It took two overtimes for a flu-ravaged Wisconsin team to defeat Fresno State. As the Badgers look toward Wofford this week, Bielema gives an update on how his team is handling the flu outbreak that affected 40 players last week. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, photo, Northwestern's Stefan Demos celebrates after kicking the game-winning 49-yard field goal against Eastern Michigan in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Evanston, Ill. Northwestern won 27-24. (AP Photo/David Banks)

In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, photo Penn State linebacker Sean Lee, left, walks away after sacking Syracuse quarterback Greg Paulus, right, during the second half of their NCAA college football game in State College, Pa. Lee was so active against Syracuse, it seemed like the Penn State linebacker spent all day leveling opponents behind the line of scrimmage. Any lingering doubts about the health of his surgically-repaired right knee were erased in a dominating performance against the Orange. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, photo, Penn State linebacker Sean Lee (45) stands with assistant coach Tom Bradley on the sideline during the second half of their college football game against Syracuse in State College, Pa. Lee was so active against Syracuse, it seemed like the Penn State linebacker spent all day leveling opponents behind the line of scrimmage. Any lingering doubts about the health of his surgically-repaired right knee were erased in a dominating performance against the Orange. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Oregon State's Jacquizz Rodgers rushes for a key fourth quarter gain on the wiining drive of the Beavers 23-21 win over UNLV in an NCAA college football game on Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Daniel Gluskoter)

COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 12: Running back Stafon Johnson #13 of the USC Trojans celebrates in the end zone with teammate Jarvis Jones #10 after scoring a two yard touchdown in the fourth quarter over the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on September 12, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. USC won the game 18-15. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Stafon Johnson; Jarvis Jones

Getty Images

COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 12: Running back Stafon Johnson #13 of the USC Trojans celebrates in the end zone after scoring a two yard touchdown in the fourth quarter over the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on September 12, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. USC won the game 18-15. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Stafon Johnson

Getty Images

Improvement must come quickly. Mississippi State is in the middle of a tough stretch. After Saturday's game in Nashville, the Bulldogs come home to host LSU, Georgia Tech and Houston, which just knocked off Oklahoma State.

"Last week, I was disappointed in our coaching staff as far as not putting our players in better positions to make plays," Mullen said. "There were a couple times we did do a good job and we made some plays and missed some plays, but we still have to be in better position to make plays when it comes to game time. We have a lot of things to still improve on."

Ol' Bully

Steve Spurrier, the Ol' Ball Coach, hasn't been able to elevate South Carolina's program to where he wants it -- yet. The Gamecocks lost an SEC heart-breaker at Georgia last Saturday, and they will be looking to rebound in their home-opener on Saturday against Florida Atlantic.

It shouldn't be a problem.

Spurrier is 36-0 against teams outside the six major BCS conferences. The Owls visited Columbia, S.C., in 2006, losing 45-6. The 39-point margin is the second biggest win for the Gamecocks under Spurrier.

Spurrier, the gracious host, pointed out that the Owls have been to bowl games the past two years, beating Memphis in 2007 and Central Michigan in 2008. But he didn't mention that Florida Atlantic opened its season with a 49-3 loss to Nebraska. And, case if you are wondering, Spurrier wasn't in the mood to talk about the Georgia game either.

"That game is history," he said.

"A lot of guys played well; a lot did not play very well. We're trying to get it behind us, that's all we can do now. We lost as a team. We were a play short. Wherever it was, it didn't work out. We're trying to correct a lot of mistakes we had in that game. We had a lot of mistakes in the first game. I still believe we have a pretty good team here. We're trying to put it all together."

By the Numbers ... Trent Richardson ran for 118 yards and two scores, leading the Crimson Tide to an easy 40-14 win over Florida International last Saturday. McElroy threw for 241 yards and a touchdown on 18-of-24 completions. ...Tim Tebow threw for 237 yards and tied a career high with four touchdown passes against Troy. The Gators also tied a school record with its 12th straight win. ... Georgia's kickoff return team set a record with 252 return yards. Brandon Boykin had four returns for 187 yards and a score. ... LSU outgained Vandy, 326-210, in total offense in its victory ... Anthony Dixon paced Mississippi State with 92 rushing yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, but he wasn't able to keep pace with the Auburn backs in defeat. ... Stephen Garcia went 31-for-53 with 313 yards, two scores and an interception and added 42 yards on 10 carries in South Carolina's defeat against Georgia.. ... Vanderbilt scored on a safety for the first time since 2004 in its game against LSU.

SEC Notebook: Joe Cox's Many Maladies originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Mallett Is Arkansas' Big Gun

Jim Henry — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:33:00 EST

Filed under: Arkansas

Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett spent last Saturday in front of a television watching football. Sure, he was probably interested in the Michigan-Notre Dame outcome in The Big House, but his focus was farther South.

He had Georgia on his mind.

"They're fast," Mallett said of the Bulldogs' defense. "They have a lot of athletes that can make plays on the ball. We have to go out there and execute, use our technique, and put points on the board."

The college football season is well underway now, but Mallett and Arkansas were off last weekend. The timing may have been unusual, but Mallett said it was time well spent. Mallett watched Georgia's dramatic 41-37 win over South Carolina with teammates and coaches. The Razorbacks also say they are sharp both mentally and physically for their SEC opener against the visiting Bulldogs on Saturday.

"We had a good bye week," Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said.

"We really liked the way our players worked. We got a lot accomplished in the weight room. We did some conditioning. So I feel like physically, we are in as good as shape as we've been in, and mentally, we'll be ready for the game.

"We watched the Georgia game. It was a very exciting football game. They made a tremendous amount of improvement from their first game to the second game. They executed on offense and really showed off the power of their running game. South Carolina had a lot of success throwing the ball against Georgia, but no one has been able to run on them yet."

Arkansas, of course, wants to build on its 41-10 romp over Missouri State in its season-opener Sept. 5. The Razorbacks passed for a school-record 447 yards. Mallett, a transfer from Michigan, connected on 17 of 22 passes for 309 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Tyler Wilson also got in the act, hitting 13 of 19 passes for 138 yards.

Arkansas finished the lopsided affair with 591 total yards, 144 rushing. Dennis Johnson took the opening kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown, and the Razorbacks never looked back. Mix in an off week, and that gave the Razorbacks an opportunity to look ahead. Despite the down time, don't expect Mallett to work himself into a lather over his SEC opener.

"I approach every game the same way," said Mallett, who was born in Batesville, Ark., and grew up an Arkansas fan -- he used to help park cars at Razorback games.

"You don't want to change your approach based on your opponent. If you do, that's how you get out of sync. Since my freshman year, I've grown up a lot. I don't get as wired-up as I used to as easily. I am just going to approach it the same way as I did against Missouri State."

Naturally, Mallett's development -- and poise -- is key to Arkansas' success.

While Petrino's offense is a perfect fit for a pocket passer the caliber of Mallett, the big fella's feel for the offense also has set him apart. The 6-foot-7, 238-pound Mallett started his Arkansas career by completing his first nine passes and he was also a perfect 5-of-5 in the first quarter against Missouri State.

Call it coincidence or a weak opponent, but the Razorbacks scored 21 points in the first quarter against the Bears. Arkansas didn't score in the first quarter last season until game six (Auburn, field goal), and that wasn't even a touchdown. There's more good news. Mallett has never lost a game as a starting quarterback in college (4-0). During the 2007 season at Michigan, he was 3-0 with victories against Notre Dame, Penn State and Minnesota.

He is 1-0 at Arkansas.

"He just has to relax, remain clam, and just run the offense like he did against Missouri State," Petrino said when asked about Mallett's progress. "Ryan is certainly capable to play in this conference."

Mallett's passing prowess aside, the Razorbacks realize they will also need to create offensive balance against Georgia and mix in the run. Six different running backs combined to carry the ball 29 times for 142 yards and two touchdowns against Missouri State. The Razorbacks rushed for two touchdowns in only three games in 2008.

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=515420&pid=515419&uts=1253042475

http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf

Latest College Football Photos

FR53442 AP

Latest College Football Images

Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy speaks during a news conference in Stillwater, Okla., Monday, Sept. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Getty Images

An important piece to that puzzle will be tailback Michael Smith, who opened the season with four carries for 43 yards and a score. In 2008, Smith finished second in the SEC with 107.2 rushing yards per game and he became the ninth Razorback to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season (1,072). In addition, Smith led the league in all-purpose yards last season (141.4).

"The way the offensive line is playing right now, I have a lot of confidence that we will be able to go out there and run the football," Mallett said. "If we execute, we can do everything well."

As he watched the Georgia-South Carolina game on television, the excitement began to build in Mallett. He saw his counterpart - Georgia quarterback Joe Cox -- come into his own after sitting in the shadow of Matthew Stafford. Cox, who battled the flu in Week 1 and a shoulder injury in Week 2, completed 17 of 24 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns against the Gamecocks.

"You get anxious during the week -- you want to get out there and play," Mallett said.

"Getting out there Saturday and releasing all of our pent-up energy is exactly what we need right now. We've prepared well for Georgia. Now we just need to go out there and play our style of ball."

Mallett Is Arkansas' Big Gun originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

SEC Predictions 2009: Florida's Dance of The Inevitable, Ole Miss' Stumble

Brian Grummell — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, SEC

We don't need to tell you what's coming, you saw it plenty with USC in 2005. Worse, we're not here to necessarily tell you to complain about it. Florida's awesome, deal with it. Enjoy it, even, at least as a college football fan. Everyone seemingly gets revved up for the David's of the sporting world but few things should leave us in more awe than a Goliath at peak brilliance.

Whether Florida can repeat the roll it went on to end last season is debatable, but our early guess is their performance in 2009 will be nearly insurmountable. As for the rest of the SEC, they're not too shabby, either, although we've got some brontosaurus femur sized bones to pick with some elements of the early consensus around programs like Ole Miss.

Our standings preview and records predictions after the jump.

SEC East

1) Florida (13-0 overall, 9-0 in the SEC) The Gators are obviously the most championship-ready team since the 2005 USC train that went undefeated through the regular season before falling to Texas in the Rose Bowl. Little else needs to be said. The schedule is manageable and the Gators can probably count on another trip to the SEC Championship Game and a victory over ... well, look below to see who rises atop the SEC West.

2) Georgia (9-3 overall, 5-3) We've got the Bulldogs losing to powerhouses LSU and Florida, but also a surprise road stumble at pesky Arkansas. With Matt Stafford and Knowshow Moreno the pressure's off and Georgia just seems to perform better in these scenarios. Every other word out of players' and coaches' mouths this year has been "team." We should be able to count on 2009 being a more focused, below-the-radar effort.

3) Kentucky (7-5 overall, 3-5) Somebody had to come out on top of the messy lower half of the SEC East and the Wildcats are it. They'll have the obvious losses to Florida, Alabama, Auburn and Georgia, plus drop one to South Carolina but get rescued by a surprise final-game victory at home against Tennessee.

4)Tennessee (7-5 overall, 3-5) Yeah, that loss to Kentucky will cost the Vols a solid third place SEC East showing for first-year coach Lane Kiffin. It should be an up and down season full of inconsistency and sometimes brilliance for a still-powerful program taking a new direction. The upshot is we have them beating UCLA in a national-interest game as well as upsetting preseason darling Mississippi. The receiver situation is scary and quarterback Jonathan Crompton has failed to impress in his four years but the lines will play fierce and there's that Eric Berry, the finest offensive player on defense in college football.

5) South Carolina (5-7 overall, 2-6) Well, at least they beat Kentucky and Vanderbilt. We like Stephen Garcia. A lot. But the last time he played he looked about as bad as a Steve Spurrier quarterback has played in wilting before Iowa in the Outback Bowl. He's had a long offseason to simmer about that performance and should return a new man but the rest of the offense is in shambles and the defense steps down a notch from solid units the last few years. Do the math.

6) Vanderbilt (4-8 overall, 1-7) In his seven seasons in Nashville coach Bobby Johnson has gone 0-8, 1-7, 1-7, 3-5, 1-7, 2-6 and 4-4 in conference play. This year is going to be another of those 1-7 efforts with a new quarterback taking over last year's 7-6 team. They should hustle for four wins in the first half of the season beating Western Carolina, Mississippi State, Rice and Army, but that final six is ugly with Georgia, South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee all lining up for battle.

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=515420&pid=515419&uts=1250519827

http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf

Latest College Football Photos

Louisville's Lincoln Carr, front, puts down a board to get ammo across without touching the yellow parts of the course during an Army leadership development exercise Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009, at Fort Knox, Ky. (AP Photo/Patti Longmire)

FR75213AP

Latest College Football Images

Louisville's Lincoln Carr, front, puts down a board to get ammo across without touching the yellow parts of the course during an Army leadership development exercise for the Louisville football team Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009, at Fort Knox, Ky. (AP Photo/Patti Longmire)

Louisville football players Victor Anderson, back, and Anthony Conner try to get the dummy across the obstacle during a leadership development course at Fort Knox, Ky., Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Patti Longmire)

Louisville football players Daniel Brown, front, and Andrew Robinson try to get a dummy across an obstacle course called "Cate's Culvert" during a leadership development course Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009, at Fort Knox, Ky. (AP Photo/Patti Longmire)

Staff Sgt. Dennis Kovalchick, center, gives instructions to the Louisville football team before a relay race course Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009, at Fort Knox army base in Kentucky. Members of the Louisville football team took part in an Army leadership development course. (AP Photo/Patti Longmire)

Staff Sgt. Dennis Kovalchick, center, gives instructions to the Louisville football team before a relay race course Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009, at Ft. Knox Army Base in Kentucky. Members of the Louisville football team took part in an Army leadership development course. (AP Photo/Patti Longmire)

Staff Sgt. Dennis Kovalchick, center, gives instructions to the Louisville football team before a relay race course Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009, at Ft. Knox Army Base in Kentucky. (AP Photo/Patti Longmire)

Boston College quarterback David Shinskie, center, takes part in practice during NCAA college football media day, Friday, Aug. 14, 2009, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

In this Oct. 25, 2008 photo provided by the University of Miami, Miami Hurricanes football player Chris Hayes (49) hugs his mother Kathie after Miami's win over Wake Forest. Hayes, a walk-on college football player gets word that his father, without warning, has taken his own life. He leaves the team to be at his mother's side for the funeral, is summoned back for game day so he can suit up for the first time, gets lost on the way to the stadium, is sent onto the field for the final play and is carried off atop his teammates' shoulders. (AP Photo/University of Miami, JC Ridley)

Photo provided by University of Miami, shows Miami football player Chris Hayes (49) is carried off the field after the Hurricanes defeated Wake Forest Oct. 25, 2008 in Coral Gables, Fla. The low point in Hayes' life came on the previous Monday, when he got the phone call that his dad had committed suicide. The high point of this Miami walk-on's life came five days later when his team carried off the field. (AP Photo/University of Miami, JC Ridley)

SEC West

1) LSU (11-2 overall, 7-2 conference) The Tigers are back! They won't be as fierce as recent outfits as the defensive line takes it down a notch, but the Tigers will win more behind steady Jordan Jefferson. Two major fixes came about this offseason, with Mr. Pick Six Jarrett Lee losing out to Jefferson in the quarterback battle and coach Les Miles replacing the idiotic two-headed defensive coordinator setup of 2008 with the proven John Chavis who has run excellent SEC defenses at Tennessee for years. That won't be enough to beat Florida in the regular season or in the SEC championship game rematch, but its enough to fend off Alabama and other division foes.

2) Alabama (10-2 overall, 6-2 conference) The Crimson Tide will take a tiny step back this year as they break in a new quarterback. In time, he'll be more effective than the departed John Parker Wilson but the offense will grind until a rebuilt offensive line gets together and the 'Tide figure out who replaces Glen Coffee. The defense will be fierce, but so will Florida's, LSU's and Georgia's. We have Alabama losing to LSU and then dropping to rival Auburn in a final week shocker.

3) Auburn (8-4 overall, 5-3 conference) Where . Is . Ole . Miss ? Well, we'll get to them in a moment, or two. We're talking Auburn right now, patience please. Its not that we necessarily like the Gene Chizik hire but it came with a great offensive coordinator and a schedule in which the Tigers are constantly in a position to ruin others' seasons, something they're adept at. They'll be involved in a pair of SEC shockers this year, losing to woeful Mississippi State in week two but also felling powerful rival Alabama in the final week of the regular season. Oh they'll lose to West Virginia, LSU and Georgia as expected but the rest of the SEC slate is winnable including games against Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky and upstart Ole Miss.

4) Arkansas (8-4 overall, 4-4 conference) OK now we've gone and done it. Again, no Ole Miss. Hey don't blame us, blame the scheduling Gods. Like Auburn, the Razorbacks will play tremendous spoilers all year in the second effort with coach Bobby Petrino and dangerous, dangerous offense loaded with great backs and man-mountain quarterback Ryan Mallett. There won't be much defense here but the schedule sets up nicely. They'll drop the obvious games to Alabama, Auburn, Florida and LSU, but also pick off mighty Georgia at home in week two as well as Ole Miss in late October.

5) Ole Miss (7-5 overall, 3-5 conference) Here's how it will go down: The Rebels will open up 4-0 against the doughy soft slate of Memphis, Southeast Louisiana, South Carolina and Vanderbilt, but then cold hard reality will give way to disappointment. They'll lose at home to Alabama, rebound against UAB at homecoming the next week then stumble at home against sneaky-good Arkansas. That will have effectively ended their season given all the hype and they'll drop the Halloween road game to Auburn. They'll beat up on Northern Arizona the next week and then still crying in their Hotty Toddy's flop against surging Tennessee and powerhouse LSU before a get well road win against hapless Mississippi State. College football is such a psychological game and those two losses to Alabama and Arkansas will be more than enough to engineer a tailspin at a program not used to such great expectations.

6) Mississippi State (3-9 overall, 1-7 conference) Hey, they'll have beaten Auburn on the road so that's good right? Right?

SEC Predictions 2009: Florida's Dance of The Inevitable, Ole Miss' Stumble originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Lou Holtz for Congress?

Mark Hasty — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:58:00 EST

Filed under: Arkansas, Minnesota, NC State, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Media Watch, Rumors

Just when you and I both thought college football couldn't get any weirder, it's trying. The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that Lou Holtz, former coach of William and Mary, NC State, the New York Jets, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame, and South Carolina (whew), is pondering a run for Congress.

Holtz would seek the Republican nomination in Florida's 24th congressional district, which includes parts of the Orlando suburbs and the Space Coast.

If Holtz succeeds in winning the nomination, he would challenge first-term Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, a Democrat from New Smyrna Beach. Should Holtz win in 2010, he would join Nebraska's Tom Osborne, who represented Nebraska's 3rd district from 2000 to 2006, as the only college coaches to serve in Congress.

The real question: How big are those "if"s?

Put it this way: You should always take any rumor with a grain of salt. This one appears like you might want to take it with a 25-pound salt lick. Republican officials did confirm to the Sentinel that they met with Holtz and he is interested in running, but none of them wanted their names used.

File that under "things that make you go hmm ..."

There was one person willing to go on record as thinking this is a good idea, though:

"You put him in the ring and it's all but over," said John Dowless, an Orlando-based Republican consultant. "He's on TV, he's likable, the name ID is huge and people respect him enormously."

Clearly, Dowless hasn't been paying attention. This is a man who managed to get nearly every program he coached put on NCAA probation, after all.

It's a free country, of course, and Holtz is free to run for office if that's what he wants to do. The 24th district leans Republican so it's entirely possible he could wind up elected to Congress if he gets through the primaries. Somewhere, Rod Serling is smiling.

Lou Holtz for Congress? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

'Is Tim Tebow a Virgin?' and Other Burning Questions for SEC Media Days

Clay Travis — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tennessee, SEC, Fans, General CFB Insanity

Wednesday, the annual circus known as the SEC Media Days kicks off in Birmingham, Ala. As college football has become a year-round sport, the three media days down in Birmingham have become the official launch date for SEC football fans, a time when our region's football obsession officially begins anew. Even if, you know, it never actually dies. Last season then-Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer arrived and was immediately served with a subpoena in a lawsuit brought by my favorite people on Earth: disassociated Alabama boosters. Getting disassociated from the Alabama football program is like being the only guy in a prison who no one will share a table with.

This season, 25 radio stations will be broadcasting live from inside the event, and over 800 members of the media have been credentialed. It's like Woodstock for people who use the word, goll-durn. And we'll be there for the ride. Goll-durn.
What will I be doing? Liveblogging away with y'all. You can minimize your screens at work and come hang out with us. Because, trust me, I know you don't really care about work when media days arrive. You're just pretending. No one will know. Your secret is safe with us. So is the fact that you don't really care about work when media days aren't going on either. That's why you've already spent 45 minutes this morning searching, "Erin Andrews video."

You pervert.

Here's a list of the 24 players that will be appearing to field questions along with the times that the teams will be appearing over the next three days. Note that Lane Kiffin was given the last time-slot on Friday. Is this to keep his comments from overshadowing everyone else's and in hopes that whatever he says floats into the weekend oblivion? I think so.

Below are 10 burning ClayNation questions that need to be asked in advance of media days. By the way, we need a phrase that's better than "burning questions." That sounds like something your doctor asks after a long weekend in Bangkok. So shoot me your ideas.

Here goes:

1. Is Tim Tebow a virgin?

I think everyone is afraid to ask, but wouldn't this be the ultimate testament to his religious faith? Even if you accept that your average Florida girl is carrying six-to-eight extra pounds of fat on her arms, how many women would Tebow have turned down carnal relations with over the past three years of college? Fortunately, I know.

3,468,946,253.

Yep, Tebow turned down your Mom!

And my mom.

And if he wasn't a virgin wouldn't this at least prove that Tim Tebow has violated a Bible verse? Something that, to be honest, there is no evidence of thus far. Put it this way, if Tebow got shot and we all thought he was dead, and then he came back to life, wouldn't you be convinced that Revelations was unspooling before your eyes? (And, if so, would you expect the disciples to be wearing jorts?)

2. Will Les Miles prove he's a bona fide long-term fit at LSU, or will this be the season when he demonstrates that a temperament consisting of equal parts insanity and supreme self-confidence doesn't work in the SEC?

Miles went 19-5 in the SEC his first three years with an SEC and national title. But then he went 3-5 last season, equaling the SEC losses that he put up in his first three seasons combined. As if that weren't enough, the LSU defense imploded, allowing over 50 points to Georgia and Florida and going 3-5 in the final eight games of the regular season.

The Tigers rebounded to smoke Georgia Tech in the bowl game, but was that indicative of what's to come or was the preceding eight weeks more representative of what LSU has become? We'll know soon.

Secondary question, how much less fearsome would Les Miles be if he went by his given name, Leslie? Is he even a head coach right now? I mean that honestly. Do you think someone gave him advice on this years ago? The name Leslie standing alone probably disqualifies him from coaching everywhere in the SEC except Vanderbilt.

3. Is the SEC still Southern?

I'm going to write on this later this week, but in an era when non-Southerners like Urban Meyer, Bobby Petrino, Lane Kiffin, Dan Mullen, and Nick Saban (although my editor says West Virginia is like Mississippi in the mountains) are five of the most recent seven hires in the SEC, what percentage of coaches would use the word fixin' or y'all and not sound like they were doing it to fit in? Like politicians who develop accents as soon as they leave Washington.

Everyone but Spurrier is my call.

In the ultimate kick in the groin to Southern regionalism, have we outsourced our coaching to the rest of the country?

4. Does Dan Mullen ever watch Mississippi State practice and think to himself, "Dear Lord, what have I done?"

I know that getting an offer to become a head coach is tough to pass up, but why would you leave Florida before this year? You have the potential to be associated with a three-time national championship winning team, lock down another SEC title, and further burnish your credentials as offensive coordinator by coaching Tebow for another year of offensive explosions.

Or you can take over the only SEC football team with an all-time losing record. And, oh by the way, the last SEC title the team has won? 1941.

Isn't this an easy decision? Or does Mullen worry that he's never going to get a head job because everyone will believe that Tebow's success carried Mullen's offense.

Regardless, I guess it could be worse, Mullen could have been ridiculously successful as a coordinator for 10 years and not gotten a head job because he was black and married a white woman. (See, Strong, Charlie)

5. Of John Chavis at LSU, Gus Malzahn at Auburn, and Monte Kiffin at Tennessee, which highly paid, highly touted coordinator hire will have the most early success?

There will be a ton of focus on Auburn's Gene Chizik, Tennessee's Lane Kiffin, and Mississippi State's Mullen, but arguably the three men hired as big-money and big-name coordinators will have more impact on the first-year results of their teams than the head coaches will. Now, down the road the head coaches have more influence, but in a one-year context I think a real argument can be made that coordinators have more impact. Put it this way, if Tommy Tuberville and Phil Fulmer don't hire Tony Franklin and Dave Clawson as offensive coordinators, are they both still coaching at their schools?

I think so.

Given that premise, who will be the most successful? Here's a vote for Chavis. While LSU loses three of their starters on their defensive line, they return the guys in the secondary who were so awful and the linebackers as well. They'll be improved. More importantly, Chavis will instill an attitude that doesn't allow consistent failure. I still think Auburn will be awful on offense even under Malzahn and I still think Tennessee will be good on defense. But LSU will go from awful to solid in the first year under Chavis.

6. How badly could Florida play and still win the league?

I said this last week, and I firmly believe it. Florida is better than the rest of the SEC by a greater margin than any team in the SEC in my lifetime. Florida, in 1996, the year they won the national championship, was dominant, but the second-tier teams were better. This year? Even if you buy Ole Miss as a top-10 team (which I don't), there isn't anyone else within hailing distance.

There hasn't been much attention paid to this issue, but it might be better for the SEC's league image if someone hangs a loss on Florida. Maybe. As it now stands, write this in: the Gators are going to be double-digit favorites in every game they play this season. Including the SEC championship game and Oct. 10 at LSU.

In fact, look at the Gators schedule, and tell me where the upset is coming.

Has any SEC school ever been favored for an entire season by double digits? I doubt it. In fact, there have only been two teams in the past decade to march through the SEC without a loss, Tennessee in 1998 and Auburn in 2004. Both of these teams came out of nowhere to go undefeated. This year, not so much.

Florida may lose a game in the league, but if they do, it will be a bad loss.

7. Who will be the third and fourth best quarterbacks in the SEC?

As noted last week, Kentucky's Mike Hartline and South Carolina's Stephen Garcia tied as the coach's picks for third-team quarterback. I think neither of these guys will actually end up being the third best quarterback in the league. Who are my picks instead?

First, Ryan Mallett at Arkansas. Why? Because Bobby Petrino managed to get Casey Dick to throw for almost 2,600 yards last season. (If you've ever seen Casey Dick throw, this will make more sense to you. Picture your four-year old daughter. Then imagine you just made her carry a block of granite for 10 city blocks. Then ask her to throw. Bingo: Casey Dick's arm strength.) Mallet will go for over 3,000 in a much-improved offense. Book it.

Second, Jonathan Crompton at Tennessee. Don't laugh. The Vols' new Tecmo Super Bowl offense -- four pass plays, four run plays -- may not be complicated, but it will be efficient. Crompton bore the brunt of the criticism for Tennessee's collapse last year, but in reality the entire offense stunk. Every player, no matter their position, was awful. Even with the putrid stench that was Tennessee's offense 2008, Crompton threw for 889 yards and four touchdowns in six starts. Those were better stats than Garcia. And Crompton will have more weapons on offense and a better returning offensive line than Garcia or Hartline.

8. According to the Golden Nugget casino, Florida is currently favored by 27 points over Tennessee for their game Sept. 19 in Gainesville. How much of this line is directly attributable to Lane Kiffin's comments?

Further, have a head coach's comments ever swung a line this much? And by this question, I mean comments that are entirely based on off-field issues and not a press conference where a head coach announces that he's suspending a star player, that someone is injured or that someone just molested a fowl (We haven't forgotten about you, South Carolina).

I don't think so.

Putting this line into context, it's the biggest underdog that Tennessee has been in over three decades. Maybe ever. Nice work, Lane.

9. Is Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez the worst defensive coordinator in the league? And will Mark Richt be forced to make a change there after this season?

Last year Georgia's defense gave up 40 touchdowns. You might not have noticed if you live outside the state of Georgia because most of the attention was gobbled up by Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno on offense. Georgia scored an awful lot of points last season. But as good as their offense was, their defense was just as bad.

How bad?

Kentucky hung 38 on Georgia. Alabama put up 41. LSU nailed down 38. Florida snatched 49, and in the final hobnailed boot to the groin, Georgia Tech came into Sanford Stadium and scored 45 points. The latter was particularly painful, because it came after a bye week when the defense should have been able to prepare for Georgia Tech's offense.

Bulldog fans will hate me for saying it, but Georgia right now has an awful lot of similarities with Tennessee before the wheels came off in 2005. They've been winning close games under Richt for a long time. But what if they get a few bad bounces this coming year? The offense isn't there to rescue them. Change one play in the Kentucky, South Carolina, and Auburn games and the Bulldogs slide from 9-3 in the regular season to 6-6. That's with last year's offense.

Is Martinez the Randy Sanders of Georgia football? Richt's first fall guy?

We'll see.

10. Finally, we want your questions. We'll feature the best. Or at least I'm told by my fearless editor that this is possible. I have no idea how it will work. But it should be fun. Submit them in the comments section.

'Is Tim Tebow a Virgin?' and Other Burning Questions for SEC Media Days originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Hogs Offense Should Be Razor Sharp

Jim Henry — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:53:00 EST

Filed under: Arkansas, SEC

Bobby Petrino's offense is not easy to learn. In fact, it is complicated.

It's not uncommon for a Petrino team to be able to run the same play out of as many 10 different formations, creating confusion for the defense. That's why Arkansas tailback Michael Smith, a 1,000-yard rusher in 2008, viewed spring drills as a blessing. Sure, Smith would rather have practiced but he was sidelined with a hamstring injury.

So Smith studied practice from a new vantage point.

"I was able to take things from the game from a completely different perspective," Smith told FanHouse. "I was able to watch why and when we called a certain play, what we were trying to get out of it and how it attacked a certain defense. I started to understand why we do what we do and why our offense is so complex. It was a helpful learning tool."

It's the second time around for Smith and the Razorbacks under Petrino, who arrived in Arkansas last year from the Atlanta Falcons to coach in the college ranks again.

The 2008 season was expected to be a transition year for the team and Petrino. It was.

The Razorbacks had just 11 returning starters, were switching offensive schemes from a run- to a pass-based attack and lost their amazing trio of running backs in Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and Peyton Hills. While eliminated from bowl contention, Petrino led the Hogs to a last-second victory over rival and defending national champions LSU to finish 5-7 with an SEC mark of 2-6.

Smith looks around and can't believe where time has gone.

Now a fifth-year senior -- and completely recovered from his hamstring injury -- Smith is determined to make sure Arkansas isn't tagged an afterthought in the SEC West. After getting just a taste of Petrino's offense last year, it appears that Petrino has the pieces in place to run his offense the way he wants to run it -- Arkansas returns players that accounted for 99 percent of its rushing yards and 97 percent of its receiving yards.

For starters, strong-armed quarterbacks Ryan Mallett, who sat out last season after transferring from Michigan and is recovering from a finger injury suffered while weight training, and Tyler Wilson give Arkansas' passing game a vertical component that fans have not seen in many years. Plus, the Razorbacks have plenty of playmakers in the huddle.

Sophomore receivers Jarius Wright, Joe Adams and Greg Childs will be better after playing as true freshmen in 2008. D.J. Williams is one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the nation. And, of course, there's Smith. At 5-feet-7 and 176 pounds, Smith might not be the big back Petrino talks about favoring, but there's no denying Smith's toughness.

Smith, who has played in 31 career games, led the SEC in rushing yards per game for five consecutive weeks last year, and ended the season ranked second in the conference and 22nd nationally with 107.2 yards per game. Smith led the conference in all-purpose yards (141 ypg) and averaged 5.2 yards per rush with eight touchdowns.

"Let's fact it -- I am undersized for my position but it's not a big deal because I've never been big," Smith said and laughed. "I am not worried about it because, in the SEC, most teams have more than one back anyway. Having another back in the game is not going to upset me. It gives me a breather and allows somebody else to get deserved reps and plays. So, when I get back in there I know I have to make plays with my reps. It's healthy competition and that's great.

"Everybody knows we have guys who can make plays, so it's just a matter of going out there and putting points on the board this season. We have the tools and superstars to carry that out. The depth at each position is deeper, so that means the competition becomes stronger and if one guy isn't getting it done, the coaches can move to the next guy who can get it done. That's how it should be and it's going to make our team that much better."

How better, of course, remains to be seen -- especially with the Hogs' schedule.

There's no such thing as an easy schedule in the SEC, but Arkansas' road is straight uphill. Arkansas is the only team in the SEC that has to play at Florida, Ole Miss, Alabama and LSU. The Hogs also face Georgia at home and Texas A&M at a neutral site.

Smith views the schedule as an opportunity, and not a challenge.

"I heard somebody say that we have one of the toughest schedules in the nation and that gets me pretty excited," Smith said.

"I am going to try my hardest to make sure our team doesn't get caught up in: 'Look, that's who we are playing and where.' I understand we are going to face quality competition, But by the time the season starts I want guys to understand we are going to be viewed as good competition for the teams that we are going to face as well."

While questions remain on defense -- Arkansas opened last season with three true freshmen and two redshirt freshmen in the starting lineup -- and special teams, Smith wants to make sure the offense doesn't struggle in its second at-bat under Petrino. That's why he thought the opportunity to watch Petrino's offense from the outside looking in during spring drills was beneficial.

Latest College Football Images

In this photo taken Tuesday, June 23, 2009, provided by the University of Arkansas, part of a new artificial surface at Reynolds Razorback Stadium is shown in Fayetteville, Ark. Arkansas' first college football game on the new surface is scheduled for Sept. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/University of Arkansas, Wesley Hitt) ** NO SALES

In this Sept. 22, 2007 photo, Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald looks at the scoreboard during the second quarter of a college football game against Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio. Northwestern has extended Fitzgerald's contract through the 2015 season, the school announced Tuesday, June 23, 2009. Fitzgerald, a former All-American linebacker at Northwestern, has been the Wildcats' head coach since 2006. He joined the coaching staff in 2001. (AP Photo/Terry Gilliam)

University of Cincinnati head football coach Brian Kelly speaks at a news conference at UC in Cincinnati Monday June 22, 2009. The University of Cincinnati on Monday said Kelly has signed a contract extension, adding a year at nearly $1.5 million. (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman)

University of Cincinnati head football coach Brian Kelly listens as Athletic Director Mike Thomas introduces him at a news conference at UC in Cincinnati Monday June 22, 2009. The University of Cincinnati on Monday said Kelly has signed a contract extension, adding a year at nearly $1.5 million. (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman)

Sally Bye, the wife of the late William "Billy" D. Bye greets the Minnesota Gophers mascot at her husband's memorial service at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie, Minn., Wednesday, June 17, 2009. Billy Bye, a University of Minnesota football player in the 1940s, died last week. He was 81. (AP Photo/Star Tribune, Elizabeth Flores) ** ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; MINNEAPOLIS TV OUT **

Former Minnesota Vikings coach Bud Grant remembers best friend William "Billy" D. Bye at Bye's memorial service at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie, Minn., Wednesday, June 17, 2009. Bye, a University of Minnesota football player in the 1940s, died last week. He was 81. (AP Photo/Star Tribune, Elizabeth Flores) ** ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; MINNEAPOLIS TV OUT **

Family members of the late William "Billy" D. Bye share laughs as they listen to stories of Bye at his memorial service at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie, Minn., Wednesday, June 17, 2009. Bye, a University of Minnesota football player in the 1940s, died last week. He was 81. (AP Photo/Star Tribune, Elizabeth Flores) ** ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; MINNEAPOLIS TV OUT **

The Minneapolis skyline is visible in the left background Tuesday, June 16, 2009 as the Minnesota Associated Press media toured the new on-campus TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis where the Golden Gophers will play the first football game there Sept. 12 against Air Force. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno is surrounded by the media, Thursday, June 11, 2009, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

"We had a set number of plays when I first got here that we may have run in a different couple formations," said Smith, who had five 100-yard rushing games, including four in a row, last season. That streak included a career-high 192 yards on 35 carries against Kentucky and 133 yards against Florida, which was the most allowed by the Gators' defense last year.

"Under coach Petrino, it's more of a pro-style offense," Smith continued.

"You have to understand what the plays do and when we are going to run them to fully execute them. It's more of a responsibility of knowing what's going on in order to get back on the field. Honestly, I thought it was a very productive spring for me. I had a chance to sit back and watch football from another view.

"I understand the game far better compared to my first few years."

Hogs Offense Should Be Razor Sharp originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Kiffin Shatters SEC Coaching Mold

Clay Travis — Wed, 27 May 2009 10:26:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, SEC, Coaching, Fans

The SEC coaches meetings rolled into Destin, Fla., this week, and Lane Kiffin washed ashore.

You know Kiffin, the man who brought a Molotov cocktail to the SEC tea party, the guy who coaches like tickets have to be sold for the latest WWE event. You halfway expect for him to enter press conferences wearing orange tights, grab the mike, scream invectives at his rivals, then spike the microphone, kiss his biceps, and leave without taking questions. Kiffin coaches college football like Vince McMahon helms the WWE, it's all about creating a buzz.
In six months, Kiffin has soaked up all the news in the college football atmosphere. We can argue about whether that's deserved, given that he hasn't even coached a game, or whether Kiffin's every comment is being treated as bigger news than it is because ESPN just ponied up a princely sum to carry SEC athletic events, and nothing sells better than a crazed renegade running around with a chainsaw in America's most storied conference. The Southeastern Conference is a place where they name streets after coaches, not where coaches moon opposing teams as they drive by. But what all of this attention has missed is something more profound, Kiffin represents a new generation of SEC coach, and people haven't gotten a handle on that yet

If you wanted to define SEC coaches as if you were an archeologist poring over data, the layers would look something like this (and the dirt would overlap quite a bit, but I think you'd see a clear demarcation):

Regional coaches who graduated from the school --From Bear Bryant at Alabama all the way up to Phil Fulmer at Tennessee. These were Southern men who helmed their schools after graduating from the institutions, homegrown boys who became men on the fields of the colleges they'd grown to love. Men without flash or substance who didn't particularly care for the media. Their quotes are emblematic of the time. Think of Bear Bryant saying, "I left Texas A&M because my school called me. Momma called and when momma calls, you come running."

This era ended in the SEC when Tennessee fired Fulmer. Never again will we see the likes of Fulmer's press conference where he broke down crying on national television. That era is over. The SEC has gone national.

Latest College Football Images

In this undated photo released by the University of Kentucky, Jeremy Jarmon is shown. Kentucky defensive end Jeremy Jarmon has been ruled ineligible for his senior season by the NCAA because of a failed drug test. He said at a news conference Saturday, May 23, 2009, he had inadvertently taken a banned substance that turned up positive during a random NCAA test in February. An appeal was denied, in effect ending his college football career. (AP Photo/University of Kentucky)

In this Dec. 27, 2008, photo, Florida State's Corey Surrency signs autographs following the Champs Sports Bowl college football game in Orlando, Fla., against Wisconsin. The NCAA has denied Surrency's final appeal to play another year. The decision Tuesday, May 19, 2009, upheld an April ruling. It means the senior, who played just one year at Florida State, has used up his eligibility. (AP Photo/Reinhold Matay)

In this Nov. 1, 2008, photo, Boston College's Mark Herzlich plays against Clemson in an NCAA college football game in Boston. Herzlich, the Atlantic Coast Conference defensive player of the year, has cancer. Herzlich said Thursday, May 14, 2009, he was diagnosed earlier this week with Ewing's Sarcoma after feeling pain in his leg and will undergo more tests in his home state of Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Josh Halter is swarmed by family and friends after being named the drum major for The Ohio State University Marching Band in Columbus, Ohio, Tuesday, May 5, 2009. (Jeff Hinckley/Columbus Dispatch/MCT)

MCT

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, speaks to the media in Arlington, Va. on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno speaks to reporters in Arlington, Va., on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, speaks to the media in Arlington, Va. on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Taylor Stokes wears his letter jacket on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, May 1, 2009. Stokes was the first black scholarship football player at Vanderbilt, and has returned 40 years later to finish his degree. He will graduate on May 8. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Taylor Stokes wears his letter jacket on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, May 1, 2009, in front of a statue of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the founder of the university. Stokes was the first black scholarship football player at Vanderbilt, and has returned 40 years later to finish his degree. He will graduate on May 8. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner and Bowl Championship Series coordinator John Swofford, left, and West Mountain Conference Commissioner Craig Thompson, right, are sworn in before giving their testimony before the House Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection Subcommittee hearing on the football Bowl Championship Series on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, May 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Mercenary national coaches -- Florida's Urban Meyer is the quintessential mercenary, a man who arrived at Florida with no connection to the program and cooly selected the Gators over Notre Dame because he believed it would be easier to win a national championship there. Meyer isn't alone, his hiring set off the trend to look towards men like Bobby Petrino or Nick Saban. Proven coaches who ride into town and immediately announce that their word is law. They set up residence in a baronial mansion and set about constructing a team that can compete for a national championship. They aren't Southern, they're just very good at what they do.

Currently, everyone is chasing Meyer. But Meyer and the other mercenaries, men who bear no connection to their schools or states, share the same staid demeanor of the regionalists. They disdain controversy, consider nothing to be more important than football. While they're mercenaries, they play by the public rules of the regionalists, genuflect at the high altar of Southern college football. While the coaches have changed, the game hasn't. No one has walked into the room, thrown their boots up on the table and struck a match off the end of that boot.

Except once before.

And that man was named Steve Spurrier.

Spurrier demands his own crazy circle. He upset the SEC apple cart when he rolled into Gainesville. A regionalist by era, Spurrier played for and graduated from Florida before taking the helm of the Gator program. But he didn't play by the rules of the regionalists. Spurrier was the P.T. Barnum of college football, a one-man band, a wrecking crew of epic proportions who never met a quote he didn't like, or an insult grenade he couldn't flippantly toss over his shoulder as he walked away from a meeting.

After the explosion, he'd grin and say, "What, me?"

Even if your team got crushed by Spurrier, you liked him. Hell, my team could never beat Spurrier and I couldn't help laughing when he said you couldn't spell Citrus without UT or pronounced the 1996 Vols, who lost to the Memphis Tigers, Knox County Champions. That was genius, and it made football fun, helped strip away the overdone grandiosity that can, at times, threaten the fevered excitement of SEC football. We ain't playing golf down here.

On the field, Spurrier's fun-and-gun offense revolutionized the SEC, took a brand of boring rushing football from the 1970's and brought it into a new era. Every SEC team that has won a national championship since 1990, when Spurrier arrived at Florida (Alabama, Tennessee, LSU, yes, Florida under Meyer), owes a portion of their national title to Spurrier's forcing the SEC to step up their offensive and defensive games and redefine the way football was played. He raised the bar across the region. And he represents his own category of coach.

WWE entertainers -- Spurrier and Kiffin

Only now Spurrier is at South Carolina. Being at the conference's 8th best program and going 26-22 over the past four years there has mellowed Spurrier. Now he's offended by braggadocio. As quick to gig a rival as the last man, now Spurrier quietly stares at golf flags and wonders how his great offenses have been reduced to relying on Stephen Garcia --Stephen Garcia !--at quarterback. Football, at long last, has humbled him. The Spurrier everyone in my generation grew up loving, or loving to hate, is gone.

Enter Lane Kiffin.

There's no doubt that Kiffin is a mercenary. I'm convinced he couldn't have placed Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville correctly in west, middle, and east Tennessee one year ago. But he's also something new, something exciting, a coach who doesn't genuflect at the altar of SEC history and never went to school here. He's just 34. When Bear Bryant died, Kiffin was 7. And living outside the South. There's never been any point in time during which Kiffin wasn't watching sports on television. He came of age in a time when sports was a spectacle sold as high entertainment. He probably bought Wrestlemania on pay-per-view, went to bed at night after putting away his plastic Macho Man wrestler. For him, SEC football isn't life, it's entertainment. And guess what, that's exactly how an awful lot of the top recruits in America feel. Why? Because they've all grown up in the same era as Kiffin.

And that's a seismic departure from everyone who has come before him.

Except Spurrier.

And we all know the wave of change that Spurrier unleashed on the SEC. Spurrier paved the way for almost two decades of Southern football dominance. Everyone raised their games to compete with his teams.

You can argue that Lane Kiffin is too brash, too outspoken not to have won a single game, you can argue that he's a fool. You can point to Spurrier and say that even Spurrier kept his mouth shut until he'd won a few games. I can accept all those arguments. You can even say that putting Kiffin alongside Spurrier is a gross exaggeration of Kiffin's abilities as a coach. I just happen to think you're wrong.

The SEC times they are a changin', and sometimes it takes a mercenary outsider who would make P.T. Barnum blush to make us all realize that the reason we all pay so much attention to SEC football is because it's so damn entertaining. Lane Kiffin is the SEC's newest grenade tosser and while he may not know the stories himself, I know exactly who he is: the SEC's own Br'er Rabbit, the wily rabbit of Southern folklore who could talk himself out of trouble as well as he could work himself into it.

The rest of the SEC keeps on throwing up their arms, gnashing their teeth, and tossing him right back into that thorny briar patch. We all know how that turned out. At least those of us who are Southern do. Rabbits do pretty well for themselves amid the thorns.

Kiffin Shatters SEC Coaching Mold originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 27 May 2009 10:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett Busted for Public Intoxication

Brian Grummell — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arkansas, SEC, Police Blotter

Favored to become the starting quarterback next year at Arkansas, Ryan Mallett has hit a bit of a snag thanks to a public intoxication arrest deep deep deep into the early morning Sunday. He was arrested on Dickson Street in Fayetteville and booked at 3:47 AM.

Mallett is sort of a big deal because he's six foot six and bulletproof or something like that. He was a highly coveted recruit out of Texas who signed with and played for Michigan as a true freshman before transferring when Rich Rodriguez brought the spread circus to town. Arkansas, and specifically Bobby Petrino's explosive dropback system is a much better fit for Mallett. That is, if he can get his act together.

Competition in the form of Nathan Dick, younger brother of last year's starter Casey Dick, transferred to effectively clear the decks for Mallett. Maybe that's the problem. Regardless its an odd arrest, as our editor Ray Holloman said in email: The story says outside a "nightspot". I've been to Fayetteville. I don't think anything there qualifies as a "nightspot".

The last Arkansas player to get in trouble outside of a "nightspot" was the great Darren McFadden, who ended up injuring his toe just a few weeks before the 2006 opener against USC after some kind of equally early morning altercation.

Punishment remains unclear at the moment, as Arkansas has only expressed a cursory "disappointment" and that Mallett will face "team discipline". Translate that however you wish but count on him skipping the doghouse long before the season opener so long as he stays out of further trouble. That's not too much to ask, right?

Sports Figures in Trouble With the Law

March 1: Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett, pictured here with Michigan in 2007, was arrested on a public intoxication charge outside of a nightspot near campus. Click through for more of sports figures' legal woes.

Joe Robbins, Getty Images

Feb. 27: Former Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter was stopped in Texas and arrested on drunken driving and marijuana possession charges.

Ron Jenkins, Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT

Feb. 26: Celtics guard Gabe Pruitt is arrested in Hollywood and accused of driving under the influence just hours after Boston lost to the Clippers.

David Sherman, NBAE/Getty Images

Feb. 21: Marshall Lobbestael, expected to compete for the starting quarterback job this season, picks up an alcohol charge after being found asleep in his pickup truck in a police parking lot.

Dean Hare, AP

Feb. 20: Lazare Adingono, seen here in a 2001 photo when he played for Rhode Island, faces a felony charge of second-degree assault and misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child.

Jeff Gross, Getty Images

Feb. 20: Steelers kicker Jeff Reed pleads guilty to disorderly contest and criminal mischief after police say he broke a towel dispenser in a convenience store.

Gene J. Puskar, AP

Feb. 15: Jason Richardson of the Phoenix Suns is arrested and charged with reckless driving, excessive speeding and failure to use a child seat. Police say they clocked him at 90 mph in a 35 mph zone.

Barry Gossage, NBAE / Getty Images

Feb. 11: Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch was arrested in Southern California on a weapons charge. Police say they found a loaded firearm - as well as multiple marijuana cigarettes - in a 2006 Mercedes-Benz occupied by Lynch and two other men.

David Duprey, AP

Feb. 8: Former Atlanta Falcons star Jamal Anderson was booked on a felony charge of cocaine possession and a misdemeanor marijuana charge.

Jim Mone, AP

Feb. 5: Former Cowboys star Terry Glenn faces public intoxication and marijuana possession charges from his arrest on Jan. 25.

Tony Gutierrez, AP

Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett Busted for Public Intoxication originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments