SB Nation - Ryan Mallett

Independence Bowl Preview: How the Georgia Bulldogs and the Texas A&M Aggies Each Fared Against the Arkansas Razorbacks

T Kyle King — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:22:59 -0000

In the days leading up to the anticlimactic (yet deeply satisfying) SEC championship game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Florida Gators, Team Speed Kills did an outstanding job of comparing the two combatants by calling attention to the seven opponents common to them both. On a much less impressive level, and to a much more limited extent, I would like to subject the Independence Bowl contestants, the Georgia Bulldogs and the Texas A&M Aggies, to a similar analysis.

Georgia’s and Texas A&M’s schedules featured only a pair of shared teams, the first of which we will look at this evening. Here is how the Bulldogs and the Aggies stacked up against the Arkansas Razorbacks:

Category	Georgia	Texas A&M
Game Number	3	4
Score	W 52-41	L 47-19
Passing Yards	375	345
Rushing Yards	155	113
Total Yards	530	458
Passing Yds. All.	408	271
Rushing Yds. All.	77	163
Total Defense	485	434
Third Downs	38.5% (5 of 13)	38.9% (7 of 18)
Third Down Defense	21.4% (3 of 14)	41.7% (5 of 12)
Turnover Margin	-2	+1

I think I’ll start by going out on a limb here and declaring that the gridiron battle in Shreveport will not be a defensive struggle. Both the Bulldogs and the Aggies gave up a boatload of yards and more than 40 points to a Razorback offense currently ranked first in the SEC in scoring offense (37.3 points per game) and second in the league in total offense (439.3 yards per game).

Measured against Arkansas’s season-long figures, Georgia had more or less an average day against the Razorbacks in points permitted and Texas A&M had almost exactly an average day against the Hogs in yards allowed, but those numbers were padded by Arkansas’s dates with Division I-AA Missouri State, Eastern Michigan, and Troy. Those three opponents between them conceded 167 of the 448 points the Razorbacks have tallied this season. Against BCS conference opponents other than Georgia and Texas A&M, Arkansas averaged 27.6 points per outing, and only one team from an automatically qualifying league other than the Bulldogs and the Aggies gave up more than 20 points to the Hogs prior to November 7. Arkansas has a good offense, but that reality should not be allowed to mask the fact that neither Georgia nor Texas A&M sports a good defense. (That may be why Georgia’s entire defensive staff was fired and Texas A&M fans are debating whether to replace the Aggies’ defensive coordinator.)

That said, the two Independence Bowl invitees exhibited different strengths (or, perhaps more accurately, different weaknesses) against the Razorbacks. The Aggies surrendered more than twice as many rushing yards to the Hogs as the ‘Dawgs allowed, yet the Red and Black gave up more than a football field’s worth of yardage more than Texas A&M did through the air. To some extent, this is due to the different types of games the two teams played against Arkansas---Georgia engaged in a shootout with the Hogs while the Aggies had to play catch-up after trailing by 20 points at the break---but those statistics are not misleading: Ryan Mallett dropped back to pass five times on the Razorbacks’ first three drives against Texas A&M, and the results were three incompletions and two sacks.

On the opposite side of the ball, both Independence Bowl signal callers aired it out against Arkansas. The Aggies’ Jerrod Johnson connected with eight different receivers while going 30 of 58 for 345 yards and two touchdowns while the much more efficient Joe Cox (how often do you hear that phrase?) completed 18 of his 26 attempts for 375 yards and five TDs.

Georgia and Texas A&M succeeded in converting third downs at virtually identical rates against an Arkansas outfit ranked in the middle of the SEC in third-down conversions allowed (36.0%), but the Bulldogs’ third-down defense was markedly better against a Razorback unit that moves the chains 36.2 per cent of the time in such situations.

The red flags for the Red and Black are to be found on the lines labeled "passing yards allowed" and "total defense," although those numbers deserve a closer look. After taking a ten-point first-quarter lead, the Aggies gave up eight scores on a dozen Arkansas possessions, with six of those marches ending in touchdowns. The Hogs’ first three series of the contest ended in punts, after which the SEC West squad went on drives of 77, 38, 26, 73, 70, 63, and 73 yards, with an 85-yard Jerry Franklin fumble return for a touchdown thrown in for good measure. Only a second-quarter interception, a three-and-out to start the second half, a fourth-quarter fumble, and a kneeldown in the closing seconds prevented Arkansas from putting up points each time the Hogs touched the ball after their initial jitters.

The Bulldogs’ game against the Razorbacks in Fayetteville followed a very different pattern from that seen in the Aggies’ neutral site outing against Arkansas at Arlington seven days later. Instead of leaping out to an early lead, the ‘Dawgs were down 21-10 at the end of the opening period. Georgia mounted nine scoring drives, six of which covered at least 57 yards, and what happened to Mallett late in the game was even more bewildering.

The Razorback quarterback was on fire to start the second half against the Red and Black. Mallett completed eight of his first nine attempts and three of those passes went for 30 yards or more. Inside the five-minute mark in the third quarter, though, he was shut down, connecting on three of his last fourteen aerials for 36 yards. During that span, Mallett took a sack but did not guide a touchdown drive.

If the Bulldogs’ and the Aggies’ respective performances against the Hogs are any indication, there ought to be yards gained and points galore in Shreveport. Texas A&M probably is better against the pass and Georgia probably is better against the run, but neither plays much defense. The Big 12 South club has a greater propensity for takeaways yet the SEC East squad has a superior penchant for comebacks.

Of course, we are talking about a pretty small data set here, so we are not yet in a position to draw any ironclad conclusions. For that, we will need to turn to the other common opponent both Independence Bowl contestants share, the Oklahoma St. Cowboys.

Go ‘Dawgs!

SEC Power Poll All-SEC Team: Quarterbacks

mlmintampa — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 06:56:39 -0000

The SEC Power Poll will be releasing their All-SEC Team selections today on Team Speed Kills and on other SEC Power Poll member websites. Keep checking in throughout the day with Team Speed Kills for the next selections. Here are your SEC Power Poll All-SEC Quarterbacks;

Tim Tebow, Senior, Florida (six votes): The most memorable images of Tim Tebow this season might be him lying motionless on a field in Kentucky and being unable to control his emotions in Atlanta. In between, it was 2007 again for Tebow as he was the steady hand at the wheel. Tebow had 2413 yards passing and 18 touchdowns through the air. His 859 yards rushing were almost as much as a result of scrambling as they were designed plays. His 31 total touchdowns were more than necessary as Florida struggled to find two solid wide receivers and offensive tackles. Just as it was as a sophomore, Tebow was the first and last options for Florida. Whatever you think of Tebow, there will not just be a void left in Gainesville after Number 15 leaves; it will be across college football.

Ryan Mallett, Sophomore, Arkansas (five votes): Yes, Mallett is from Texarkana, so maybe Razorback fans had faith in the Michigan transfer that had come home. But Mallett's pinball numbers in Bobby Petrino's offense confirms that faith and makes the rest of the SEC think that Arky's rebuilding might be quicker than first thought. Mallett's 29 touchdowns (fifth nationally) led Arkansas to top-ten national finishes in scoring and passing offense. On a better team, Mallett might have been the top giant killer this season too; the Hogs were field goals away from defeating Florida and LSU on the road. In those two games, Mallett was 29-66, 451 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. It seems pedestrian, until you remember that this was the first year of Mallett in Petrino's system and he had 3422 yards this season. All signs point to Mallett being a force in the SEC.

Greg McElroy, Junior, Alabama (one vote): There was a point this season when people wondered if McElroy had the ability to lead Alabama back to the SEC Championship Game. That was before rallying the Tide against Auburn, throwing the winning touchdown to complete a 15-play, seven minute drive, as his Heisman winning running back sat on the bench in pain. If that wasn't enough, a week later, the mighty Gators couldn't stop McElroy from scrambling or hitting guys 15 yards upfield. Tebow might be more demonstrative and Mallett might be a freak of nature, but McElroy wins ballgames. He has won his last 29 games as a starter, going back to high school. He has the least touchdowns of the top-two vote getters (18 total to Mallett and Tebow's 31), but McElroy isn't asked to do as much as those two. The only numbers that matter to McElroy are 14 and 0.

SEC Power Poll All-SEC Team Ballot

The Ghost of Jay Cutler — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:56:05 -0000

More photos » by Rogelio V. Solis - AP

FILE - In this Oct. 10, 2009, file photo, Alabama running back Mark Ingram (22) runs past Mississippi defenders for a second quarter 36- yard touchdown run during an NCAA college football game in Oxford, Miss. Ingram won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

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No frills or arguments here, just the ballot. It's pretty straightforward and will be compiled amongst the other blogs ballots to reach an SEC blogosphere All-SEC squad. Comment and criticize our selections, please.

QB - Ryan Mallett, Arkansas

HB - Mark Ingram, Alabama

HB - Dexter McCluster, Ole Miss

FB - Tim Tebow (lololololololol), Florida

WR - Shay Hodge, Ole Miss

WR - AJ Green, Georgia

TE - Colin Peek, Alabama

OL - Ciron Black, LSU

OL - Michael Johnson, Alabama

OL - Mike Pouncey, Florida

OL - James Carpenter, Alabama

OL - Maurkice Pouncey, Florida

DE - Carlos Dunlap, Florida

DE - Antonio Coleman, Auburn

DT - Terrence Cody, Alabama

DT - Jerrell Powe, Ole Miss (why the hell not?)

LB - Eric Norwood, South Carolina

LB - Rolando McClain, Alabama

LB - Brandon Spikes, Florida

S - Eric Berry, Tennessee

S - Chad Jones, LSU

CB - Joe Haden, Florida

CB - Patrick Peterson, LSU

K - Leigh Tiffin, Alabama

P - Drew Butler, Georgia

RET - Javier Arenas, Alabama

All-SEC Ballot: Draft

Gamecock Man — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:04:08 -0000

The SEC Power Poll is hosting an All-SEC poll. Here is a draft that reflects my first impressions--let me know what you think, and we may revise a bit if necessary.

Offense

QB: Ryan Mallett (Arkansas Razorbacks)

RB: Mark Ingram (Alabama Crimson Tide)

RB: Dexter McCluster (Ole Miss Rebels)

OG: Mike Johnson (Alabama Crimson Tide)

OG: Mike Pouncey (Florida Gators)

OT: Ciron Black (LSU Tigers)

OT: John Jerry (Ole Miss Rebels)

C: Maurkice Pouncey (Florida Gators)

TE: Aaron Hernandez (Florida Gators)

WR: A.J. Green (Georgia Bulldogs)

WR: Shay Hodge (Ole Miss Rebels)

Defense

DE: Cliff Matthews (South Carolina Gamecocks)

DE: Antonio Coleman (Auburn Tigers)

DT: Terrence Cody (Alabama Crimson Tide)

DT: Malcolm Sheppard (Arkansas Razorbacks)

LB: Eric Norwood (South Carolina Gamecocks)

LB: Rolando McClain (Alabama Crimson Tide)

LB: Rennie Curran (Georgia Bulldogs)

CB: Javier Arenas (Alabama Crimson Tide)

CB: Patrick Peterson (LSU Tigers)

S: Eric Berry (Tennessee Volunteers)

S: Joe Haden (Florida Gators)

Special Teams

PK: Blair Walsh (Georgia Bulldogs)

P: Drew Butler (Georgia Bulldogs)

RS: Javier Arenas (Alabama Crimson Tide)

You've got some explaining to do...

Many of these choices go without questions; nobody, for instance, will disagree with me about Mark Ingram, Rolando McClain, or Eric Berry. However, I do have a few bones to pick with conventional wisdom. Here's how I see such cases:

Ryan Mallett / Tim Tebow

As most people around here know, I'm a pretty big Tebow fan. The guy has had a great career, and although his sanctimonious, humble-but-really-not attitude can get to you sometimes, overall I don't have too many problems with him as a media phenomenon. It is what is. However, while I've been as guilty as anyone when it comes to giving Tebow confidence by inertia, I've come to believe it has to stop somewhere: Mallett was just better this year.

By the way, Ryan, if you're reading this, go to the NFL.

Dexter McCluster / Anthony Dixon

OK. I believe Anthony Dixon had a better year than McCluster at RB. However, I also believe that McCluster was one of the best and most valuable players in the SEC. I'm talking about on a par with Tebow, Ingram, you name it. So, I think we have to get him on the list somewhere. This is where I'm putting him. Unfortunately for him, McCluster was probably never used in the right way enough; this guy really was a minor Reggie-Bush-like talent.

Cliff Matthews / Carlos Dunlap

Dunlap is a jackass that showed his true colors when he signed with Florida instead of Sou...wait, when he drunkenly fell asleep at the wheel before the biggest SECCG ever. He failed his team. Despite his talent, that failure will always make him worse than Matthews in my mind.

Rennie Curran / Brandon Spikes

What can I say? I know it's surprising to see an UGA player on the defensive first team, but I think Curran is a great player. That might have something to do with his success against USC, but whatever. If this guy had a halfway decent DC, he'd be the talk of the nation. Spikes is a great player, but he's also a cog in a machine to some degree.

Well, that's a wrap on this draft. Let me know what you think.

Jake Locker seeking NFL info; Ryan Mallett dodges draft question

Mocking Dan — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:07:15 -0000

More photos » by April L Brown - AP

2 months ago: Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett (15) smiles as he runs through the end zone after scoring against Auburn during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game in Fayetteville, Ark., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/April L. Brown)

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According to multiple published reports, Washington quarterback Jake Locker has applied for an assessment from the NFL Draft Advisory Board.

In part because of that, Locker's coach Steve Sarkisian met with reporters today. Among other things, he told them he was "very optimistic" that Locker would return for his senior season.

"Jake is a very heady young man," Sarkisian said. "He's not someone who is just going to jump to a decision or make a decision based on emotion and he's proven that from high school when he had an opportunity to play Major League baseball to last year when he got drafted by the Angels and the process with signing that contract to making this decision now.

"He's going to do his due diligence. He's going to make a decision based on facts and proper information, not on emotion. I don't think it is going to come down to the midnight hour."

Underclassmen have until Jan. 15 to officially declare for the draft with the NFL. The overwhelming opinion on Locker is that he would be considered a top 10 pick. He would likely be competing with fellow juniors Jimmy Clausen and Sam Bradford as the first quarterback selected.

On the year, Locker finished with 2,800 yards passing for 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He completed 58.2 percent of his passes. He also ran for 388 yards and seven touchdowns.

Arkansas redshirt sophomore Ryan Mallett dismissed talk about entering the draft. He told the Arkansas News, though, that he'll consider his options after the Liberty Bowl.

"We’re still in the season," Mallett said. "So nothing like that is going through my mind right now. The only thing going through my mind right now is the Liberty Bowl and going out there to win the game. We’re still in the season so stuff that’s after-season decisions. That doesn’t affect me at all during the season.

Postseason in the the SEC

Acid Reign — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:00:21 -0000

3rd team All-SEC?

War Eagle, everybody. The postseason of 2009 is on us, and the regular season is over. This time last season, I think most folks were glad it was over. Of course, December 2008 would turn out to be a terribly tumultuous month! We ran a head coach and staff off, at a cost of a cool $5 million. We hired a 5-19 replacement as the new head coach. The program was quite frankly in disarray! We were the laughing stock of the SEC, hands down.

A year later, how'd that work out for us? Against long odds, Auburn's football team won more than they lost, and they won the hearts of the fans. I don't think ANY of us are ready for the season to be over! In just one season, Auburn has vaulted to a New Year's Day bowl, and a winning record. A tremendous recruiting class seems to be in the making. There are 5 other 7-5 SEC teams, and I don't think they are laughing now!

This season, the SEC will send a record ten teams to bowl games. There are some tough challenges facing the SEC. I think most of the nation would love to see the SEC fall off its high-horse and lose big this bowl season. Texas will be a tough test for the SEC Champion, and the loser of the SEC title game will have to lick their wounds and get ready for another rough test. The Sugar Bowl is likely to match unbeaten Cincinnati against the SEC runner up, and if Cincy loses, then undefeated TCU. Penn State will be an extremely tough test for offensively-challenged LSU in the Capital One Bowl. Auburn's sometimes leaky defense will be tested by Northwestern in the Outback Bowl. Might be a record for points scored in that bowl! The Cotton will be a dangerous bowl, as both Ole Miss and Oklahoma State had hoped for much bigger things, this season. Likely bowl opponents in the second tier are Virginia Tech, North Carolina, U Conn, Texas A&M, and the Houston Cougars. SEC teams need to be on their games to match the success of the past three seasons. The SEC has won 19 of its last 26 bowl games.

The net yards per pass prizes, and ruminations on the SEC Championship Game, after the jump!

At the beginning of the season, I examined the net yards per pass of the projected starters in the SEC. Now that the regular season is over, let's see how they did:

SEC Eastern Division	Record	Record	Starting	Net Yards per pass	Net Yards per pass
Team	SEC	Overall	Quarterback	End of Season	Preseason
Florida	6-0	8-0	Tim Tebow	8.1	8.6
Tennessee	4-4	7-5	Jonathan Crompton	5.5	3.8
Georgia	4-4	7-5	Joe Cox	5.7	6.6
South Carolina	3-5	7-5	Stephen Garcia	5.8	3.5
Kentucky	3-5	7-5	Mike Hartline Morgan Newton Will Fiddler	3.4 4.1 3.3	3.9
Vanderbilt	0-8	2-10	Larry Smith Mackenzi Adams	3.4 3.8	3.4 3.8

SEC Western Division	Record	Record	Starting	Net Yards per pass	Net Yards per pass
Team	SEC	Overall	Quarterback	End of Season	Preseason
Alabama	8-0	12-0	Greg McElroy	6.8	8.1
LSU	5-3	9-3	Jordan Jefferson	6.1	5.1
Ole Miss	4-4	8-4	Jevan Snead	4.9	6.3
Arkansas	3-5	7-5	Ryan Mallett	8.4	4.6
Auburn	3-5	7-5	Chris Todd	7.0	4.4
Mississippi State	3-5	5-7	Tyson Lee Chris Relf	3.4 3.2	4.9 1.4

Only three quarterbacks managed to finish at 7.0 or above, but every bowl eligible SEC team finished with a quarterback over 4.0 yards per pass. Those that did not attain 4.0 are sitting home for the holidays. It's been an odd year, in that most of the very experienced returning quarterbacks actually had statistically worse years in 2009. Tim Tebow's numbers are still good enough for second place, but he's down a half yard. Mike Hartline and Tyson Lee declined, too. Jevan Snead plunged from pre-season All-SEC 2^nd team to 9^th place in the league. Snead paced the SEC with 17 interceptions. Long-time backups Joe Cox and Greg McElroy both saw their stats shrink, thrust into starting roles. The winners in the improvement department are Ryan Mallett, Chris Todd, Stephen Garcia, and Jonathan Crompton. Crompton survived a HORRID September, to finish with a respectable 5.5 net yard per pass.

Ryan Mallett performed well enough to cause All-SEC voters to do some head-scratching. Who IS the best SEC quarterback? If you were arguing on strictly an MVP-type basis, you'd have to give the award to Mallett. Without him, Arkansas easily finishes in the West cellar. Looking at what each quarterback brings to the field, Tim Tebow ALONE makes Florida two-dimensional. However, is Arkansas' one dimension better than Florida's two? Total yards tell the tale: Mallett has 3387, and Tebow has 2962. Comparing the teams, Florida put up 5416 yards, and Arkansas 5272. To me, it's a tough comparison. I think if Tebow has a good game in the SEC title match, he'll win the All-SEC quarterback sweepstakes. If Bama's defense makes Tebow look human, it's Mallett's prize. Number three in the league HAS to be a surprise to everyone: Chris Todd. In this context, he's had a pretty amazing season.

I don't have a strong opinion on who is going to win the SEC title game. Both teams sport awesome defenses and good depth. I think Florida is a little better on offense, and a little better on special teams. And, I think Florida has the best player in the league calling the signals. I see another close Florida win, but it's certainly not carved in stone. The DUI arrest of defensive end Carlos Dunlap could be a distraction factor for the Gators. Alabama received a serious wake-up call in the Iron Bowl against Auburn. It could play out differently on the field, than on paper. I can remember ten years ago, a heavily favored Florida team was dismantled by a more motivated Bama group, 34-7. There have been surprising SEC Title game results this decade, to be sure! There was LSU's stunning 31-20 win over UT in 2001, The 34-13 LSU blowout of UGA in 2003, and Georgia's blowout of LSU in 2005. I'll watch this one for fun, as just a fan of the game! And yes, I'd rather see the West win. But I can't bring myself to say the "RT" words...

All My Gators

mlmintampa — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:28:20 -0000

More photos » by Phil Sandlin - AP

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Saturday will be the 13th episode of "All My Gators," the Florida Gators season long soap opera. After twelve weeks of a chaotic home life in Gainesville and enemies tracking them across the Southeast, there is one more episode in Atlanta. That is if they want to make the big move to Los Angeles. Let's revisit the story lines from each episode;

Episode 1: Tim Tebow and Brandon Spikes return to Gainesville for a chance at another championship. But will Tim and Urban Meyer be successful with new business partner Steve Addazio? Charleston Southern guest stars.

Episode 2: The Troy Trojans come to Gainesville, but all eyes are on a new Gainesville resident; Andre Debose. Tragedy strikes the young man as he enters surgery to repair his hamstring. Dr. Pete Indelicato guest stars as the team doctor with a wallet of gold and the hands of Michael J. Fox.

Episode 3: The dashing and bombastic Lane Kiffin comes to Gainesville, desperate to break Urban's hold on the SEC East. Lane is not successful, but he worries Gainesville's citizens. Monte Kiffin guest stars as Lane's elderly father.

Episode 4: A mysterious illness plagues the team as Jeffrey Demps, Aaron Hernandez and Jermaine Cunningham are stricken. Gainesville citizens are stunned when Tim is infected as well. But worry turns to horror as Tim is nearly killed during the trip to Lexington. Rich Brooks guest stars as the gruff Kentucky leader with a secret past.

Episode 5: Tim makes a miraculous return, leading the Gators into the bayou against crazed rival Les Miles and Louisiana State. Tim is finally successful in a city that had painfully defeated him in 2007. John Brantley guest stars as the young man who wants a chance to shine.

Episode 6: There are problems back home as Tim and Chris Rainey come down with fumblitis. The defense struggles as Janoris Jenkins is abused by Arkansas and Ryan Mallett. But Caleb Sturgis finds the cure and keeps the Gators healthy. Guest starring SEC officials who just want to be noticed.

Episode 7: The Old Money boys from Alabama have jumped Florida in the rankings. Tim is conflicted as he travels to rural Mississippi and faces his former partner, Dan Mullen, while everyone wants to see current partner Steve Addazio taken away. The pressure gets to Tim and while he is successful, it strains him. Dustin Doe guest stars as the linebacker who lets his showboating get in the way.

Episode 8: Florida is back on top in the rankings, but their Cocktail Party with Georgia looms large after Florida embarrassed them the year before in Jacksonville. Georgia shows up in black, yet Florida is not intimidated and dominates on the First Coast. But not before Brandon tries to take revenge on Georgia. Washaun Ealey guest stars as the object of Brandon's hate.

Episode 9: Without Brandon following his crimes in Jacksonville, Florida tries to feel comfortable at home. Vanderbilt guest stars as the one SEC team that scares no one.

Episode 10: The Gators face their ex in Columbia as the city is under siege by a paramilitary organization. The Gators struggle against the soldiers, until they capitalize on a strategic mistake. Guest starring Justin Trattou as the loveable defensive lineman who stands up to South Carolina's Stephen Service.

Episode 11: Rumors swirl about Urban leaving for South Bend and A.J. Jones is injured. Florida International guest stars as the violent youth trying to become a mature adult.

Episode 12: It is the final time in Gainesville for Tim, Brandon and Riley. They cannot let their emotions get to them as an old rival returns for the last time. Bobby Bowden guest stars as the rival ready to retire, and featuring Bob and Pam Tebow as the proud parents.

Episode 13: The Gators are under pressure to be successful in Atlanta, with the goal of going to Los Angeles. But Carlos Dunlap is arrested for driving under the influence and Gainesville's citizens wonder if the Gators can overcome all the distractions. Guest starring Nick Saban as the ruthless opposing head coach with a love of window treatments.

After so many story lines, do the Gators have the focus and strength to continue? Will they remain successful? Will Tim inspire his teammates once again? Will Emmanuel Moody finally live up to his potential? Will Joe Haden be able to stop Julio Jones from destroying the Gators' secondary? These questions will be answered on the next "All My Gators".

LSU 33 - Arkansas 30: Snap Judgments

Richard Pittman — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:19:36 -0000

More photos » by Bill Haber - AP

24 days ago: LSU running back Trindon Holliday (8) runs past Arkansas cornerback Ramon Broadway (26) in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

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A win's a win. I guess we've said that a few times this year. For a team that was predicted before the season to be 9-3 at the end, this has been a very tumultuous 9-3 team. It's a team that could well have been 6-6 (near losses to Washington, MSU, and Arkansas). It could have beaten Ole Miss, and wasn't THAT far away from beating Alabama. This is a team that, based on its play on the field, could have gone anywhere from 6-6 to 11-1. 9-3 is, I suppose, not that bad under those circumstances. There will be some thoughts on that later; probably a lot of thoughts from a lot of different writers. Anyway, a few snap judgments:

First, the final drive of regular time. After taking a terrible sack, Jefferson came back and made some nice plays, but the final drive belonged to Stevan Ridley, Josh Jasper, and Derek Helton. Derek Helton? The snap on the field goal was terrible, but Helton snagged the high-and-outside pitch and got it down for Jasper to get a clean hit on it. Tie game.
Jefferson was maddeningly inconsistent throughout the game, vacillating from stretches of brilliance (our touchdown drives) and strange decision-making/inaccuracy (most of the rest of the game). This is a kid with the potential to be an excellent quarterback. He just needs to accentuate the positive while eliminating the negative. There's a lot of positive to work with there.
The overtime was a snoozer. We went 3-and-out kind of pitifully, but got a medium-range field goal. Arkansas nearly had to try a 45-yarder until they got a nice 8 yard gain on 3rd and 12 to set up a medium-range field goal, but missed it. Drake Nevis and Lavar Edwards made great plays to set up the 3rd and long that ultimately decided the game.
Trindon Holliday was the MVP of the first half until he muffed that punt, scoring a special teams touchdown, putting us in good field position multiple times, and running effectively from scrimmage. Then, after the muff, he completely disappeared.
Russell Shepard also disappeared after a little early activity. This is one of the lesser-discussed but most maddening aspects of our suspect offense. In the second half, we tend to tighten up and not put in the homerun hitters.
I did not like the helmet-to-helmet call on Chad Jones. I'm not saying it was technically wrong, but it's been called so infrequently this year that it is surprising to me that it was called on a play where it appeared that Jones at least attempted to lead with his shoulder, and appeared to hit head-to-head only with a glancing blow. We've seen much worse head-to-head hits go uncalled this year.
The defensive line got after it in the first half, then disappeared for long stretches in the second. I don't think it's a coincidence that we did not get a single stop in the second half. When we stopped getting pressure, Ryan Mallett started hitting receivers. The decision to constantly go with a 3-man rush in the second half contributed to the problems, even though the 3-man rush had success in the first half.
The coverage teams were great tonight. I can't wait to see more of Ryan Baker next year.
It was good to see Brandon Lafell walk off. It would have been awful to see such a great Tiger blow a knee in overtime of Game 12 of his senior season.
The offensive line played pretty well this week. Losing Ciron Black will hurt, but I think this could be a good unit next year.
Except for the helmet-to-helmet, I thought the officiating was pretty good tonight.
The corner opposite Peterson continues to get picked on in every game. I sure hope that Jai Eugene makes a big leap in his play next year, or that Morris Claiborne is ready to take over.
With Ole Miss losing, I think we are going to the Cap One, but nothing is official. Who else would they take at this point? Ole Miss? South Carolina? Tennessee? Georgia? We're not exactly a thrilling choice, but those others aren't either. Actually, it will be really interesting to see how the bowls shake out. As of press time, Georgia was still playing Georgia Tech. If they win that one, there will be six, SIX!, teams with 7 wins in the SEC. Ole Miss, at 8 wins, is the clear choice for Cotton, but the Outback and every bowl on down could go in literally any direction after that.

Saturday NFL Draft watch notes

Mocking Dan — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:59:19 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

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• The Clemson/South Carolina game features two of the best 3-4 outside linebacker prospects in Ricky Sapp (Clemson) and Eric Norwood (South Carolina). Both are seniors and having good seasons. Norwood might be the most-ready college player for a 3-4 outside linebacker spot, but Sapp's physical tools give him more upside.

• The North Carolina/North Carolina State game also features top 3-4 linebacker prospects in junior Bruce Carter (North Carolina) and senior Willie Young (NC State). Quietly, Young is putting together a solid year with 12 tackles for a loss and eight sacks. Carter is much stronger and is good at handling the run and the pass.

As mentioned previously here at MTD, North Carolina has perhaps the best group of junior talent on defense in the nation. Tackle Marvin Austin is full of athleticism. His numbers may be down, but he consistently faces double teams. Middle linebacker Quan Sturdivant leads the team in tackles with 71 and an impressive 12 tackles for loss. Strong safety Deunta Williams is a big hitter with six interceptions. Cornerback Kendric Burney might be short, but he's a playmaker.

• The key players in the Wake Forest/Duke game are interior defensive linemen. Wake's Boo Robinson is an underrated pocket pusher and Duke's Vince Oghobaase is incredibly athletic.

• Syracuse running back Delone Carter has injury problems throughout his career, but he's been a solid player this season. He's only a junior, but someone to keep an eye on. In the last three weeks, he's rushed for 339 yards and two scores.

• While teammate Carlos Dunlap has had a very disappointing season, Jermaine Cunningham has shown to be a solid contributor. He might not be a starter at the next level, but he can be a solid contributing backup because he can get after the passer and is decent against the run.

• Ole Miss running back/wide receiver Dexter McCluster has been one of the most buzzy-worthy player the last two weeks. Against Tennessee and LSU, he rushed for a combined 430 yards and four touchdowns. He's very undersized, but could be the next Darren Sproles.

• The LSU defense has plenty of NFL players, so it will be one of the biggest challenges Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett faces all season. Third nationally in pass efficiency, Mallett has 3,195 yards passing and 28 touchdowns this season. The redshirt sophomore seems ready for the NFL right now. A big game against the Tigers today, and maybe he should enter.

• Hey, remember Eric Berry? You know, the Tennessee safety. One of the best players in the nation? His pass defense numbers – two interceptions, six pass breakups – might be down this year, but he's played more against the run. This is just a friendly reminder that the junior is still one of the top five players in the nation.

Saturday Lessons: November 21

Year2 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:47:48 -0000

It's hard to argue against a late-season pseudo bye week.

I am philosophically against teams playing patsies this late in the season, but it's understandable why teams do it. Florida and Alabama got functional equivalents of bye weeks against FIU and Chattanooga, getting to rest the starters for a good bit and getting a breather after a long season. They also got an extra week to prepare for their in-state rivals before taking off for Atlanta to face each other. If I was a coach, I'd love it. As a fan who was deprived of good football on TV, I didn't love it. But, fans don't run the joint; we only pay for it.

Ole Miss replaces LSU as the No. 3 in the conference.

The Rebels survived LSU's comeback attempt (or benefited from Tigers' coaches trying to lose at the end; take your pick) and now stand as the third best team in the league. Sure LSU beat Auburn, and the Tigers from the Plains in turn beat Ole Miss. However, LSU has lost to the three best teams on its schedule and escaped against Mississippi State and Georgia. That about evens out Ole Miss' close loss to South Carolina, and the Rebels have the head-to-head edge. It's messy, but I think the guys from Oxford come out ahead.

The SEC is definitely down.

Two teams are undefeated in conference play, and the worst Alabama can do is 7-1. That's dominance, and it's a nice sign for the top of the league. What's not a good sign is that we're upset wins by Miss State and Arkansas over Ole Miss and LSU away from having no one else finish better than 4-4. Yeah, we've got 10 teams that are bowl eligible, but we got it largely in the same way the ACC gets nine or so every year: weak out of conference opponents and chaos that spreads the wins around within the conference.

The dearth of good teams out there means that most other conferences are like that too. The two juggernauts at the top help keep the SEC in the discussion for toughest conference, but the best out of conference win anyone has is Alabama's win over Virginia Tech and Bama's already one of the juggernauts. A South Carolina win over Clemson would help, but that only asserts the SEC as being better than the ACC, and that's never been in doubt. A lot have been assuming the Pac-10 as the best, but the best wins anyone has besides USC's victory over Ohio State out of conference are wins over teams like Central Michigan, Utah, and Minnesota. Hardly inspiring stuff.

Oklahoma is definitely down too.

It's one thing for OU to lose games to good teams with Sam Bradford out. That much is forgivable. However, Bob Stoops almost always shuts down Texas Tech because he used to employ Mike Leach and knows how the Cap'n thinks. Well, it didn't quite work this year with the Red Raiders smoking the Sooners 41-13. Bradford doesn't play defense, and that's a mighty bad loss.

Georgia probably had its back breaker.

After mumblings about whether Willie Martinez saved his job in UGA's win over Auburn, I think we can safely put them to bed. Kentucky didn't rack up a ton of yards, but the Wildcats had three sustained touchdown drives and the Bulldog defense couldn't force field goals when put in bad spots. And that offense... I know it's tough without A.J. Green, but committing four turnovers when you lose by seven is inexcusable. Once you start losing to Kentucky when up 20-6 at the half, the status quo can't remain.

We've been here with UGA though. In 2006, the Bulldogs went 4-4 in conference including a loss to Kentucky. However, that was with a promising freshman quarterback and against a far better Wildcats team. Georgia's 2006 non-conference schedule also supplemented its I-AA team with UAB, a sucky Colorado team, and a Chan Gailey-led Georgia Tech squad. They got to 9-4 that year. Things change when you supplement the I-AA team with a top ten Georgia Tech team under Paul Johnson and a top 15 Oklahoma State team. They're staring down the barrel of 6-6 now.

LSU might not have, but it could be close.

I can't honestly say that I follow the internals of the LSU fanbase on places like TigerDroppings.com and all, but I don't think Les Miles is quite in the same predicament that Richt is in over at Georgia. Richt is losing games handily from Sunday through Friday right now before his staff has the chance to make bad in-game decisions; Miles' teams haven't been blown off the field quite in the same way. Sure he lost the game with poor clock management, but every coach does every so often and Miles' team is still doing no worse than the Outback Bowl this year.

I guess the difference is that Richt is falling down from a peak he set, whereas Miles took over at the peak from someone else. That's a substantive disparity in the two men's positions. Safe for a year or not, ol' Les certainly doesn't look worth the clause in his contract that makes him the highest paid guy in the SEC. Barring a stunning turnaround, the only way this ends nicely is if Miles goes off to Michigan next season if UM fires Rich Rodriguez.

Arkansas makes the scoreboards sing.

The Razorbacks went for 40+ points for the seventh time this season, going 6-1 in those games. They're streaking to the end of the season after putting MIssissippi State away for good in the second half of Saturday's game. It's also true that the best wins Arkansas possesses are over teams that currently reside in fifth place of the East and West divisions, respectively. Still, they look like they have a good chance at beating LSU next weekend, and that would put them at a solid 4-4 in the SEC.

We'll see on that, but eight wins and a Cotton Bowl bid (UF and Bama to BCS, Ole Miss to Cap One, tiebreaker over LSU puts them in Dallas) would be significant progress over last year. It also sets them up nicely for next year if Ryan Mallett stays (and he should; he still needs some refining) and someone figures out the defensive problems.

Tennessee at least didn't lose to Vanderbilt.

The Vols of mid-October would have put 50 on the Commodores I think, but these are now the Vols of mid-November and they're not quite as good. Such is the life of a team in Year One of a coaching regime, especially when your roster is wracked by injuries and disciplinary casualties. You have highs. You have lows. You better hope you don't lose to the Vandys of the world, which Tennessee did not.

It's back to bowl territory for them, but they need to beat Kentucky week to finish in the top three of the East. Tennessee needing to beat Kentucky to avoid the bottom half of the division? Welcome to life in a down year of the SEC.