SB Nation - Colt David

Can't Sleep From the Worry

Poseur — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 01:00:11 -0000

Richard likes to break these up in to several parts, but I like lists, so I'll keep this to one article. There's a lot of optimism surrounding this Tiger team which is great, but let's not pretend 2008 was nothing but a bad dream. One dominant win in the Corporate Sponsor Peach Bowl does not suddenly mean all that ailed this program is suddenly cured.

Last year was a miserable year. You can even go through the archives to relive if you're feeling particularly masochistic (or you're a fan of a rival school looking for some schadenfraude). And many of those same problems are lurking right outside the frame. With that in my mind, here are the five things about this season which are keeping me up at night.

#1 THE QUARTERBACKS.

Jefferson comes into the season as the establishes starter, but this is a guy who boasted a completion percentage below 50 percent last season, and that's with a 16-25 gem against GT helping out the old statline. Jefferson can run, but he also took 9 sacks in 73 attempts (compared to Lee's 8 in 269). Jefferson has not shown an ability to throw the deep ball to stretch the defense, a critical skill in the SEC. He doesn't need to be a big armed gunslinger, but he does have to have some ability to throw downfield.

If Jefferson should be ineffective or get hurt, Lee is sitting on the sidelines. Lee has all of the tools and he throws a pretty ball, but it's hard to tell how much psychic baggage he is carrying from last season. He's saying all the right things in fall practice, but that's just practice. If he gets in a game, it is 100% certain he will make a poor play at some point. And there is just no telling how he will react to a bad play.

#2 THE SECONDARY.

It's no secret that teams passed at will against LSU last season. The reason there is essentially an open tryout at every position on defense is because of how badly the team got torched by even mediocre SEC quarterbacks. Now, I'm willing to place a lot of blame on last year's defensive co-ordinators, but that doesn't completely absolve the players. Guys like Chad Jones, who we are expecting big things from, were nearly invisible last year.

Some disturbing numbers: 250-175-210-215-249-215-307-280. Those are the passing totals of LSU's opponent in each SEC game. The only team that failed to throw for 200 yards was Mississippi State. While teams were throwing all over the field, LSU managed 5 interceptions in SEC play. Peterson looked awesome late in the year, but we need the rest of the secondary to start living up to their recruiting rankings.

#3 SPECIAL TEAMS.

If there's one segment of the game even more underrated than line play, it's the special teams. Field position is one of those vital things that no one pays any attention to. Sure, it gets lip service, but no one really cares about the punter. And if punters are underrated overall, the skill most underrated by a punter is the ability to pin the other team inside the 20. Dalfey excelled at the coffin corner punt, putting 22 inside the 20. Helton supposedly has a bigger leg, but LSU will miss that directional punting ability.

And, God, did our return game suck or what? Holliday had one huge return against North Texas, but take that away and he returned 20 punts for 187 yards. That's not that great. Chad Jones tried to fair catch everything. For a team full of speed guys, you'd think someone would be able to return a friggin' punt. Don't even get me started on the conference worst kickoff return game.

Also, Colt David may have only been 16 for 21 on field goals, but he didn't miss a single attempt inside the 40. That's really all you can ask for from a college kicker. We're going to miss him.

#4 CHAVIS.

I singled out the secondary, but the whole defense sucked last year. Yes, mom, I know I shouldn't say "sucked". But it really did suck. There's no other word to use. I also know I shouldn't start a sentence with a preposition. Sorry again, mom.

LSU ranked 9^th in the SEC in scoring defense, 9^th in total defense, 5^th in rushing defense, 11^th in pass defense, 8^th in pass defense efficiency, and 8^th in turnovers forced. The defense failed in pretty much every way a defense can fail. Let's just say, I wasn't a fan of Mallveto.

I, like many fans, are expecting instant improvement. Not just because Chavis is a great co-ordinator, but also because the guys leaving were pretty bad (I really need to stop picking on them - I'm sure they are nice guys who will one day turn into fine football coaches at high levels - but this was like watching Mike Archer getting promoted to head coach too soon in his career). Maybe we're asking for too much too soon.

#5 THE SCHEDULE.

Opening on the road, cross-country, is never easy. Yes, it's Washington, but it would be an easier game if we had a tune up first. Anything can happen on the opening weekend. Especially breaking in a new defensive staff.

Then there's that whole at Georgia, at Bama, and at Ole Miss thing. LSU has about as tough of an SEC schedule as a team can have.

I really am optimistic heading into this year. I believe that a lot of last year's problems, particularly on defense, have been solved. That does not mean this is a perfect team and that another miserable year can't happen (and let's pause to reflect how awesome it is that going 8-5 qualifies as a miserable year around these parts nowadays - that's how far this program has come in 10 years). This team should rebound, but let's not kid ourselves, there's reason to be skeptical of the Tigers this season.

Oh yeah, and Bama is really, really good.

UK Football: Statistically Speaking

Ken Howlett — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 09:34:07 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

Rich Brooks telling Miami, OH's Michael Haywood that he is doomed to begin the '09 season 0-1. Or something along those lines.

Browse more photos »

With Tru having posted his thoughts on the football 'Cats non-conference schedule, I thought it time to take a statistical look at last year's team. This should give everyone an idea of what areas UK needs to improve on in order for Rich Brooks & Company to have a successful 2009 campaign.

At times the numbers don't provide pleasant reading material, but in the interest of reality, I recommend a perusal for the serious football fan. So, hold all of your calls, cancel your meetings and lock the door, because here come some stats galore!

** UK's SEC rank in parenthesis

Kentucky Opponents

Points Per Game -- 22.6 (6th) 21.5 (8th)

Comments: Kentucky needs to see an improvement in the number of touchdowns they score (a keen insight indeed). There were five SEC teams that averaged over 30-points per game: Florida (43.6), Mississippi (32.1), Georgia (31.5), LSU (30.9), and Alabama (30.1). If UK harbors hopes of being competitive in the SEC, they need to add at least half-a-touchdown to last seasons 22.6 points-per-game average -- Florida led the SEC last year by only allowing 12.9 points per game (Bama was second, allowing only 14.3 points per game). For the Bobby Petrino-bashers out there: Arkansas finished dead last in the league by allowing 31.2 points per game.

First Downs -- 212 (8th) 209 (5th)

Rushing Yards -- 1657 1810

Average Per Rush -- 3.7 3.8

Average Rush Yd's Per Game -- 127.5 (8th) 139.2 (9th)

Comment: A weak spot for the defense last year; stopping the run: Last season the two top SEC rushing performances came against UK -- Alabama's Glen Coffee rushed for 218-yards against the 'Cats, and Arkansas' Michael Smith ran for 192-yards. For comparative purposes: Alabama, at 74.1 yards per game, and Ole Miss at 85.5 yards per game, led the SEC in rush defense in '08. Offensively, Florida led the SEC in rushing last season with 231.1 yards per game; 45 more yards than the second best rushing team.

Running Back Rushes -- 404 ----

RB Average Per Rush -- 4.03 ----

Comment: The top four running backs in the yards-per-rush category are back for UK: Moncell Allen (5.3 yards per carry on 38 rushes), Derrick Locke (4.8 ypc on 63 rushes), Alfonso Smith (4.2 ypc on 74 rushes), and Randall Cobb (4.0 ypc on 79 rushes).

Rushing Touchdowns -- 18 15

Comment: Randall Cobb is tied with eight others for most points scored in a game last season (in the SEC), with 18-points, after his three rushing touchdown performance versus Georgia. Also due to that outburst, Cobb tied six others for most rushing touchdowns in a game with three.

Passing Yardage -- 2,234 2,511

Comment: Running back Alfonso Smith was the only Wildcat to record a 100-yard receiving game last year.

Att - Comp - Int -- 415-227-13 359-188-12

Comment: Mike Hartline's 47 pass attempts versus Middle Tennessee last season was the SEC high (in a tie with S. Carolina's Chris Smelley) in the category, and Hartline's 28 completions in the same game also led the SEC.

Completion % -- 54.7 52.4

Comment: Although Mike Hartline and Randall Cobb were sub-par passers last season, the wide receivers deserve at minimum, partial responsibility for the 54.7% completion percentage. The too-numerous dropped passes ebbed back to an acceptable number toward the end of the year, but through the first seven or eight games it was a freak show. On the year, Hartline was 172-311 (55.3%) for 1,666 yards, nine touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Randall Cobb posted these numbers: 52-99 (52.5%) for 542 yards, two touchdowns, and five interceptions.

Average Yards Per Catch -- 9.8 13.4

Comment: Pathetic. It's no secret, UK has to throw the ball down the field!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Average Pass Yards Per Game -- 171.8 (8th) 193.2 (9th)

Comment: Vanderbilt was the SEC's worst passing team last season, recording only 122.6 yards per game through the air, while Georgia led the SEC with 277.7 yards passing per game. There were only 10 300-yard passing games in the SEC last season; Arkansas' Casey Dick and Georgia's Matt Stafford were responsible for six of them.

Touchdown Passes -- 11 18

Total Offense Yardage -- 3,891 4,321

Average Yards Gained Per Play -- 4.5 5.2

Comment: UK's 4.5 yard per play average will go up dramatically if and when they begin throwing the ball down the field. Sounds familiar ...

Average Yardage Per Game -- 299.3 (9th) 332.4 (11th)

Comment: The defense, while performing better than the offense, was not the high-caliber unit I and many others thought it might be. Example: Versus the non-conference portion of last years slate, UK held the opposition to only 255 total yards per game. But, against the SEC that number ballooned to 377 yards allowed per game -- Florida, Georgia and Ole Miss averaged at least 400 yards of total offense last season. Defensively, Tennessee and Alabama tied for the leagues stingiest defense, allowing only 263.5 yards per game.

Touchdowns Scored -- 36 36

Third Down Conversion % -- 31% (12th) 33% (6th)

Comment: I thought all year long that the defense was doing a good job of stopping the opponents on third down, particularly, third and long. As many know, third and long, for many, many of UK's past opponents has represented a golden opportunity to trash the UK secondary. Not anymore. On the flip side, the struggles of UK's offense last year are glowingly obvious in the 31% third down conversion rate. Of course, it helps not to be facing 3rd & eight nearly every offensive series. In other words, UK had a real problem gaining real estate on first down last season. THAT has to change -- Florida led the SEC with a third down conversion rate of 51.6%.

Red Zone Scores -- 32 of 43 (10th) 26 of 33 (5th)

Comment: If a team doesn't run the ball well, they don't usually have good red zone numbers, and UK wasn't very effective on the ground for most of the season.

Red Zone Score % -- 74% 79%

Red Zone Touchdowns -- 22 of 43 (10th) 21 of 33

Red Zone Touchdown % -- 51% 64%

Comment: Fifty-one percent is exceedingly low. UK needs to run the ball more effectively, and make some field goals, then that number will begin to climb.

Red Zone Field Goals -- 10-17 (10th) -----

Comment: This number is unacceptable. To make only 58.8% of ones red zone field goal attempts is beyond putrid. UK faces a schedule full of close games, and having a competent kicking game is an absolute necessity -- UK's 17 red zone field goal attempts were the second most in the SEC.

Overall Field Goals -- 14-25 (9th) 9-23

Comment: Only two SEC kickers made over 70% of their field goal attempts last year: Joshua Shene of Ole Miss was 13-17 (76.5%), and LSU's Colt David made 12-16 (75.0%).

Time of Possession -- 29:27 (11th) 30:33

Comment: In this category, less than three minutes separates the SEC leader and the 12th place team.

Average Penalty Yards Per Game -- 43.2 (3rd) 52.7 (2nd)

Comment: Discipline counts -- Georgia was penalized an average of 72.7 yards per game, worst in the SEC. The Dawgs also gave up 35 first downs due to penalties. Ouch. Perhaps this is one of the reasons Georgia underachieved last year.

Kick Return Average -- 26.4 (1st) 20.9

Comment: Special-teams coach Steve Ortmayer is a happy man. Last season Derrick Locke and Winston Guy led the SEC in highest kick return average for one game: Locke returned two kicks for 127 yards (63.5 avg,) and a touchdown versus WKU. Guy returned three punts for a total of 146 yards (48.7 avg.) versus Georgia. Departed defensive back David Jones also returned a kick-off for "six" -- A 99-yarder against ECU in the Liberty Bowl. With both Locke and Guy returning, danger lurks Will Robinson ...

Punt Return Average -- 9.4 (8th) 9.7

Punt Average -- 41.7 40.9

Comment: Tim Masthay led the SEC by averaging 45.1 yards per punt. He also recorded the second longest punt in the SEC last year with his 72-yard boomer against Mississippi State.

Net Punting -- 38.4 35.7

Sacks By -- 32 (3rd) 13 (1st)

Comment: Obviously, excellent work by both the offensive and defensive lines -- Arkansas quarterbacks were sacked a total of 45 times. Whirlpool anyone? Ole Miss led the league with 38 sacks.

Tackles For Loss -- 86 55

Comment: Outstanding differential.

Pass Breakups -- 45 46

Pass Breakup % -- 12.5 11.1

Fumbles - Lost -- 19 - 8 27 - 14

Comment: UK's defense is beginning to beget a trend. It's been three straight years that the UK D has created many more turnovers than the opposition. Kudos to defensive coordinator Steve Brown for turning a historically UK negative, into Big Blue opportunity.

Turnover Margin -- +5 (4th)

Comment: Florida led the league with a +22.

First Quarter Points -- 34 101

Comment: Wow!! Set wake-up calls for an hour earlier.

Second Quarter Points -- 71 71

Third Quarter Points -- 78 41

Fourth Quarter Points -- 111 66

Comment: Last year UK outscored their opponents by 82 points in the second half. Impressive.

Final Thoughts

It doesn't take a Bear Bryant football mind to recognize that UK needs to improve in almost all areas, with the exception of kick returning: Pass better, run better, kick better, block better (for the running backs), and finally, defend the run better. There is no shortage of motivation for this staff to use to gain the hearts and minds of the players (and if there is, I'll be happy to fax over this post).

The simple fact is, though, last year was seen by many to be a rebuilding year for Kentucky. Most prognosticators predicted a "gloomy and doomy" sub-six win season for the 'Cats. But bowling they went, in spite of their youth, injuries, and uneven play. Kentucky fans expect more this year, they expect arced growth.

We'll begin delving into the possibilities, probabilities, and plausibilities of preseason prognostications over the next several weeks. Crank it up, football is almost here.

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats!

Recruiting Needs for 2010

Richard Pittman — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:30:06 -0000

Jeez! I know it seems absurdly early for us to be thinking about recruiting for the 2010 season, but I assure you that it has begun in earnest for the coaching staff. Hell, I know they've been on top of it for months now.

I don't know much about 2010 recruiting, except for a few prospects out there. I know that running back Lache Seastrunk of Temple, Texas (pronounced like Lake) is a big fish for us for the 2010 season, and that the coaches feel good about him. I know wide receiver Trovon Reed of Thibodaux is probably the biggest in-state recruit (though I don't think he'll make 5-star status, but I could be wrong).

But that's not the point of this post. I want to talk about LSU's needs for this coming class. I think college coaches are doing their best when they plan to recruit a full team every two years, filling all the roles you'd need to fill on a team in two years. With that in mind, our starting point for looking at 2010 needs is to look at who we signed for the 2009 class, in particular the numbers:

Offense:

1 pure quarterback (Chris Garrett)
1 pure running back (Michael Ford)
1 pure wide receiver (Rueben Randle)
1 athlete who may end up at QB, but may end up at WR (Russell Shepard)
2 athletes who may end up at RB, WR, or maybe on defense (Drayton Calhoun, Morris Claiborne
1 athlete who is probably a fullback, but may be a running back (Dominique Allen)
4 pure offensive linemen (Stavion Lowe, Chris Faulk, Carneal Ainsworth, Josh Williford)
2 defensive linemen who could possibly be moved to offensive line (Josh Downs, Michael Brockers)

Defense:

2 defensive tackles, one of whom could move to offense (Chris Davenport, Josh Downs as the potential mover)
3 defensive ends, one of whom could move to offense, one of whom could move to DT, and one of whom looks like a pass rusher (Bennie Logan, Michael Brockers, and Sam Montgomery as the pass rusher)
1 JUCO transfer who is a DT/DE combination (Akiem Hicks)
1 pure middle linebacker (Kevin Minter, who I think is very underrated at 3-stars)
3 other linebackers (Lamin Barrow, Tahj Jones, and Barkevious Mingo)
2 athletes who will probably begin their careers on offense, but could move to corner (Drayton Calhoun and Morris Claiborne)
3 safeties, one of whom looks like a total stud (Craig Loston (stud), Rockey Duplessis, and Josh Johns)
1 punter (Derek Helton)

Taking a look at that, you can see that the uncertainty about where Calhoun, Claiborne, Allen, and some of the defensive linemen muddies the waters we're trying to look through.

It looks like we need wide receivers and running backs, but if Calhoun and Claiborne are put there and excel, the need is not as great at those positions. It looks like we need a few offensive linemen, but if Josh Downs is a center like has been suggested, the need again is not as great.

In any event, what we need and what we want are probably two very different things. The way I see it, you want more than you need. The coaches can fill their needs with a handful of recruiting slots left over to take the best players available regardless of position.

No matter what happens with Claiborne and Calhoun, wide receiver and running back are huge needs for this class. I would think we'll need to sign 2 running backs regardless of what happens with Calhoun, and at least 3 wide receivers irrespective of where Claiborne ends up. We could end up signing even more than that at those positions. If they get moved to CB, add one more to those tallies. Russell Shepard could eat into that number if he ends up at receiver.

The need at running back is obvious, as we have signed only 2 pure running backs in the last 3 years. After Charles Scott and Keiland Williams leave, the depth there will get very thin unless we sign some good ones this year. The need at wide receiver is not as great, despite the small 2009 class, as the 2008 class of wide receivers was rather large. We'll still need a few though.

If Russell Shepard is a quarterback, we don't need any quarterbacks in this class. If Russell Shepard moves to wide receiver, the need for a QB becomes great. Chris Garrett is a fine prospect (also, I think, underrated as a 3-star), but it would be a huge mistake to not have some competition to be Jordan Jefferson's successor. Even if Shepard stays at QB, I would expect us to sign a QB, though we might have a hard time finding a blue-chipper who wants to start early in his career, because of the presence of Shep there. We might be stuck signing someone whose ambitions don't rise much beyond being a good team player and quality backup.

We need to sign at least 2 offensive linemen, including a pure center, unless Josh Downs is moved to center, as has been suggested. Once again, I'm sure Les Miles wants more (he always oversigns there), but the need is probably only 2.

I don't see any great need for defensive linemen in the next class, though I am sure we will sign several. We have signed big classes at defensive line each of the last two years. The numbers there are good, and we can be very selective at that position next year.

LSU signed a big linebacker class in 2009, with 4 signees and a fairly big class in 2008 with 3 signees. I expect us to be rather selective at this position. I would expect the needs to include 1 linebacker, particularly a middle linebacker, though I think we will likely sign at least 2.

Cornerback is a huge need for the 2010 class, with no pure corners signed in 2009. I would expect us to sign at least 3 cornerbacks.

Safety is not a huge need for 2010, but I think I can conservatively say we need at least 1 safety. Craig Loston looks great, but Josh Johns is a bit of a project, and no one quite knows what Rockey Duplessis brings. Luckily, there is a very highly regarded safety out of Dutchtown High School (Eric Reid) who many people think is going to be an early commitment to LSU.

With Josh Jasper heading into his junior year as the heir apparent to Colt David as the field goal kicker, and maybe taking over every special team kicking/punting duty as well, and no one really out there behind him, I think it is imperative that we sign 1 kicker and 1 punter in the 2010 class. They can be walk-ons or scholarship players, as long as they're good.

That makes, by my count, 14 positions of need for LSU in 2010, though some could be filled with walk-ons. I would expect we would sign close to a full class of 25, though we cannot be sure. That would leave 10 or 11 slots for playing around. At this point, I have only vague ideas of who LSU is looking at to fill those slots, but I'll give you more as the season heats up.

MU Football Records Chase (Final Update)

The Beef — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:48:06 -0000

It's been real fun to cover this all season...how did Mizzou and all these amazing athletes finish up after the Alamo Bowl? And how many players can I link in one post?

National Passing Yardage:

6. Kevin Kolb_________''03-'06______12964

7. Tim Rattay_________'97-'99______12746

8. Luke McCown_______'00-'03_____12666

9. Chris Redman______'96-'99______12541

10. Chase Daniel______'05-'08______12515

Not quite the final two games I had in mind when I put this list together, as I figured Chase would end up around Rattay. However, top 10 all time is top 10 all time.

National Completions:

1. Timmy Chang________'00-'04________1388

2. Graham Harrell_______active________1367

3. Kliff Kingsbury________'99-'02________1231

4. Philip Rivers_________'00-'03________1147

5. Colt Brennan_________'05-'07________1115

6. Chase Daniel_________'05-'08_______1094

27 completions in each of his last two games, and though the yards per completion ends up being down a bit, no one can ever take away how truly accurate Chase was over the span of his career. And an early congrats to Graham Harrell for breaking this record.

National TD Passes:

6. Danny Wuerffel________'93-'96______114

7. Chase Daniel_________'05-'08______101

Never a bigger TD than his 101st, and another top 10 all-time finish for Chase. Nice to see him get to 100, that is a tremendous accomplishment.

National TD's Responsible For:

1. Colt Brennan________'05-'07________146

2. Graham Harrell______active________142

3. Ty Detmer__________'88-'91________135

4. Timmy Chang_______'00-'04________123

5. Danny Wueffel_______'93-'96________122

6. Chase Clement______'05-'08________120

7. Tim Rattay__________'97-'99________117

8. Phillip Rivers________'00-'03________113

9. Chase Daniel_______'05_'08________111

10. Matt Leinart________'02-'05_________108

This is not an official NCAA list, but my best and certainly a pretty educated guess. I would be pretty shocked if anyone else is in front of Chase at this point, but I suppose it is possible. At any rate, another category, another top 10 all-time finish for him.

Total Offense: (National and Mizzou)

1. Timmy Chang_______'00-'04_____16910

2. Graham Harrell______active_____15192

3. Colt Brennan________'05-'07_____14740

4. Ty Detmer__________'88-'91_____14665

5. Kevin Kolb__________'03-'06_____13715

6. Philip Rivers________'00-'03_____13582

7. Chase Daniel _______‘05-08 _____13486

8. Brad Smith _________ ‘02-05 ____ 13088

Last time out I said Chase had a decent shot at Rivers....did not quite get there. Still, the last TWO Mizzou QB's are in some pretty elite company in the 13,000 yard club.

All-Purpose Yardage:

1. Jeremy Maclin_______'07-'08_____5609

2. Brad Smith _________ ‘02-05 _____ 4419

3. Devin West _________ ‘95-98 _____ 3824

4. Brock Olivo _________ ‘94-97 _____ 3475

5. Zack Abron __________‘00-03 _____ 3426

6. Darrell Wallace ______ ‘84-87 _____ 3303

7. Joe Stewart _________‘74-77 _____ 3256

8. Tony Temple_________'04-'07_____3138

9. James Wilder _______‘78-80 _____ 2769

10. Justin Gage________'99-'02______2737

11. Chase Coffman_____'05-'08_____2720

Of course the punt return ends up being the big chunk for Maclin, who never really got going too much in the passing game yesteday. I am guessing this record stands for some time, the only lingering question remaining is if there is any shot Maclin returns to add on to it and take a run at the national books. Chase Coffman was a gamer all season and just missed out on the top 10, which he certainly would have earned (likely 9th) if not for injury.

(National and Mizzou) Receptions:

30. John Standeford_______'00-'03_____249

31. Nate Burleson_________'00-'02_____248

Eric Deslauriers_______'02-'06_____248

1.Chase Coffman (TE) ____'05-08______ 247

2. Martin Rucker (TE) ______ ‘04-07_____ 203

3. Justin Gage __________ ‘99-02______ 200

4. Jeremy Maclin________'07-'08______182

5. Kenny Holly __________ ‘90-93_______151

6. Tommy Saunders______'05-'08______150

7. Will Franklin __________ ‘04-07______ 143

8. Victor Bailey___________'90-'92______128

9. Thomson Omboga______'01-'04______127

10. Brian Sallee___________'91-'94_____119

11. Sean Coffey__________'02-'05______118

7 catches for Coffman gets him to 33rd all-time nationally

7 catches for Maclin keep him at 4th all-time at Mizzou

6 catches for Saunders keeps him at 6th all-time at Mizzou....quite the trio we will (likely) be replacing.

(National and Mizzou) Receiving Yardage:

1. Ibn Green (national TE)____'96-'99_____2830

1. Justin Gage ____________‘99-02_____2704

2. Chase Coffman (TE) _____ ‘05-08_____2659
3. Jeremy Maclin__________'07-'08_____2315

4. Martin Rucker (TE) _______ ‘04-07_____2175

5. Victor Bailey ____________ ‘90-92_____2144

6. Will Franklin ____________ ‘04-07_____2125

7. Linzy Collins ____________ ‘89-90_____1760

8. Kenny Holly ____________ ‘90-93_____1708

9. Tommy Saunders_______'05-'08_____1600

10. Sean Coffey ___________ ‘02-05______1596

11. Mel Gray _____________ ‘68-70______1491

12. Hank Burnine __________ ‘53-55_____1445

Saunders just sneaks by Coffey into 9th place, and Coffman does not miss Gage by much. In the end, it is kind of scary to think we are replacing 579 career receptions and 6574 career yards between the three.

Receiving TD's:

1. Chase Coffman (TE) _____ ‘05-08_______ 30

2. Jeremy Maclin__________'07-'08_______22

3.. Martin Rucker (TE) _______ ‘04-07______ 18

Justin Gage ____________ ‘99-02______ 18

5. Mel Gray _______________68-70_______ 14

6. Will Franklin ____________ ‘04-07______ 13

Sean Coffey ____________ ‘02-05______ 13

8. Victor Bailey ____________ ‘90-92______ 12

Dwayne Blakley _________ ‘98-01______ 12

10. Tommy Saunders_______'05-'08______11

Gibler, Marshall and Winslow__________10

Maclin adds perhaps a final one to his total, as he caught 13 on the season.

Kicker Scoring:

13. Alex Trlica___________'04-'07______377

14. Xavier Beitia_________'01-'04______375

15. Jeff Hall_____________'95-'98_____371

Shayne Graham______'96-'99______371

17. Steve Azar___________'00-'03______370

Justin Ayat___________'01-'04______370

19. Stephen Gostkowki____'02-'05______369

20. Luis Zendejas________'81-'84______368

Jeff Chandler_________'97-'01______368

22. Jeff Wolfert__________ ‘06-08_____ 362

23. Colt David___________active_______361

Shaun Swisham______'04-'04______361

25. Nate Kaeding_________'00-'03______360

26. Jeff Jeager___________'83-'86______358

Dusty Mangum________'01-'04______358

28. Justin Medlock________'02-'06______357

29. Brett Jaekle__________active_______356

Oh sweet irony...you are so...um...ironic. The most accurate kicker in NCAA history (and by a couple of percentage points) misses his last FG attempt. Just has to make you laugh and remember you will always be a Mizzou fan. Anyway, a pretty big evening nonetheless for Wolfert, who scores 12 points and moves up smartly on this list. With Jaekle (Nevada) and David (LSU) still to kick, Wolfert is guaranteed to finish top 25 nationally. And think about it...362 points in three seasons...the all-time record is Art Carmody of Louisville with 433 points...certainly WELL within range had Wolfert kicked all four seasons.

Sacks:

1. Brian Smith__________'03-'06_____31.5

2. Justin Smith_________'98-'00_____22.5

Stryker Sulak________'05-'08_____22.5

4. Lorenzo Williams_____'04-'07_____19

5. Rick Lyle____________'90-'93______18

6. Bobby Bell___________'81-'83______17
Steve Martin__________'92-'95______17

Antwaun Bynum_______'00-'02______17

9. Xzavie Jackson_______'03-'06______16.5

10 C.J. Mosley__________'02-'04______15.5

Ziggy Hood_________'05-'08______15.5

5 sacks in the game for the Tigers, with Sulak's two tying him with Justin Smith and Hood's one getting him into the Tiger top 10 with C.J. Mosley. Will Sulak and Hood join their Tiger brothers in the NFL next season?

Interceptions:

1. Adrian Jones________'86-'89________15

2. Ken Baston_________'63-'65________14

Bill Whitaker_________'77-'80________14

4. Erik McMillan________'84-'87_________13

5. Eric Wright__________'78-'80________11

William Moore______'05-'08_________11

7. Roger Wehrli________'66-'68________10

Harold Piersey_______'95-'98________10

Kevin McIntosh_______'91-'94________10

A bit more irony that Willy Mo dropped the last pass of the game, which certainly did end the game, but could have moved him past Eric Wright and into 5th all alone here.