SB Nation - Jorvorskie Lane

2009 NFL Draft - Second Day Live Thread

Beergut — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:00:14 -0000

We enter the third round today with McGee, Goodson, Lane, and Bennett still available, as expected.

This is your NFL Draft Day 2 live thread.

2009 NFL Draft Live Thread

Beergut — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 20:00:13 -0000

Who will take Stephen McGee? Where will Mike Goodson end up? Will Jorvorskie Lane or Michael Bennett be drafted?

Hopefully, we'll get the answers to some of these questions over the next two days. This is your 2009 NFL Draft live thread.

Jorvorskie Lane Has His Pro Day Workout

Beergut — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:36:32 -0000

The J-Train ended up working out for pro scouts at Lufkin high school. The results were less than impressive:

Texas A&M FB Jorvorskie Lane (5-11 7/8, 297 pounds) was going to work out at Stephen F. Austin, but pro day rules didn’t permit it, so he went to a nearby high school in Lufkin, Texas, to work out for scouts. He ran outdoors on FieldTurf, and had 40-yard dash times of 5.00 and 5.11. He didn’t do the vertical leap but had an 8-foot, 9-inch broad jump with a 4.51 short shuttle and a 7.64 three-cone drill. He did 17 reps on the bench.

The two most disturbing stats have to be his weight and his 40 time. With this being his time to put his best foot forward and impress the pro scouts, Lane didn't show up in shape. If Lane shows up at 265-270, I think the pro scouts would be able to see he is serious about playing in the League. His inability to control his weight is going to make him an undrafted free agent in April.

I'm not sure what to make of his forty time; Lane has never been a speed back, his game is completely power based. Given that, I expected something in the 4.6-4.8 range, and I think most pro scouts would have been happy with that. A 5.0 simply means he is slower than some defensive ends, defensive tackles, and offensive tackles who will be drafted. He is basically showing that teams would be better off puttng an offensive guard in the backfield and let him carry the ball and have Lane back there.

I'm hoping Lane will get a shot somewhere to play, but I can't help but be disappointed that he didn't take his pro day seriously.

Cowboys Should Draft 'Name' Players

Jim Vance — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 04:15:06 -0000

I think I have come up with a sure fire criteria for judging draft prospects. It's right in front of our face and as far as I know, no one has considered this key measurement.

We look at a player's height, weight, 40 times, college stats, his IQ, his Wonderlic score and on and on ad nauseum. How about looking at the guy's name? Maybe his name could give us a clue as to his leadership ability. We need a good blue collar guy in our defensive backfield who can give directions and put people in the right position- how about Lydell Sargeant from Penn State? Of course, he would be outranked by Captain Munnerlyn, the South Carolina CB, if we were able to draft both.

If we chose to go the regal route, there is SirVincent Rogers, the OL from the U of Houston. I'm not sure exactly how high in the royal court SirVincent would rank but Oklahoma's Duke Robinson is an obvious step up. If we drafted a player based on his royal sounding name alone, we would have to go for Mitch King the Iowa defensive lineman. It's good to be the king.

Everyone says the draft is a gamble. What is one main ingredient you need when you gamble? You need to get lucky. So, maybe we draft Marlon Lucky, the RB from Nebraska. Our Cowboys have played like they were half-asleep, so should we consider drafting Glenn Coffee, the RB from Alabama, as a stimulant?

Some guys just have cool sounding names. Some have perfect football names. Fenuki Tupou the OL from Oregon has a cool sounding name. Most Pacific Islanders do. If you say Fenuki Tupou three times in a row, you're guaranteed to feel better for the rest of the day.

Jorvorskie Lane, the 280-pound fullback from Texas A&M is not just a name, it's also what they call the path he clears for his running back. "The running back walked untouched down Jorvorskie Lane for the score!"

Then there's Bear Pascoe the TE from Fresno State and Stryker Sulak the defensive lineman from Missouri. Stryker Sulak has to be one of the coolest football names ever. So is Bear Pascoe, although I would doubt his loyalties if we played Chicago.

It's all about winning though, so that's what we really need to be drafting for. They say to the victor belong the spoils, so if the Cowboys want the spoils, they need to draft victors. Fortunately Victor Butler the LB from Oregon State and Victor Harris a CB from Virginia Tech are available. And with Victor Harris you also get a tough guy, because most people know him by his nick-name Macho. Macho Harris- I can hear the PA system in the Jerry-Dome now, blasting out- "Macho Macho Man, I want to be a Macho Man"- every time he makes a play.

There is one guy though, by shear birthright, who has earned a spot on the Cowboys roster. Welcome the OG from BYU, Dallas Reynolds. If only he had a twin brother named Cowboy!

Anatomy Of A&M's Power Play

Beergut — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:11:06 -0000

The Power play is the basic bread-and-butter play of just about any team running the football from a pro-set or an off-set I formation. When we began last season, it was clear early on that we were going to make Power our bread-and-butter running play. Unfortunately, we didn't have the offensive line to overpower a lot of the defensive front-sevens we faced, so we switched to a one-back, zone running game for the most part. We continued to run Power throughout the year, however, and with improved OL play in 2009, I expect to see us run it more often next season.

I am going to take a look at how we ran Power in one game last season; the game in question is the second game of the season, on the road against the University of New Mexico.

As you can see from the formation, we are strong-right, with the a TE and H-back in a wingback position on the right side of the formation. Jorvorskie Lane is the fullback in the off-set I, with Mike Goodson the tailback. Stephen McGee is under center, Jamie McCoy is the H-back, and Danny Baker is the blocking TE.

Before the snap, McCoy will go in motion from right to left, ending up behind left tackle Michael Shumard.

McCoy goes in motion.

McCoy's job on this play is to kick of out End Man on the Line Of Scrimmage, or EMLOS. In this case, that is the weakside OLB.

McCoy is to kickout EMLOS.

More after the jump......

LT Michael Shumard is responsible for the weakside DE. C Kevin Matthews is responsible for the NT, covering the gap as LG Evan Eike pulls playside. Matthews, with help from RG Lee Grimes, tries to wall the NT inside, pinning the DE and NT together, blocking them off and creating the beginning of the funnel. This is a three-man game.

Matthews, Shumard, and Grimes work together to block out DE and NT.

Stephen McGee opens up to his left before turning around right to give the ball to Mike Goodson. When Mcgee vacates his spot under center, it gives RG Evan Eike the room he needs to pull strongside. After McGee executes the handoff, he bootlegs backside. Eike's rule is going to be first backer inside. He simply pulls around and looks for the first linebacker to show himself, and then blasts him out of the way.

Evan Eike pulls playside, while Stephen McGee hands-off and bootlegs.

RT Travis Schneider has a zone responsibility playside. He will help TE Danny Baker double the strongside DE, then go to the next level to block the MLB. He is helping open up the backside of the funnel.

Schneider and Baker double DE, then Schneider goes to next level.

FB Jorvorskie Lane has a simple assignment; he attacks the playside OLB and pins him outside; a stalemate keeps him out of the play.

Offset FB blocks playside OLB.

And last but not least, Mike Goodson meshes with Stephen McGee to take the hand-off, and follows the pulling guard, Evan Eike, into the funnel.

The TB meshes with the QB and goes through the funnel.

Ryan Tannehill is at the top of the formation, but he only fakes a route and then blocks. If the CB doesn't respect the fake, and sells out to pinch inside to help on run-support, that is where McGee's backside bootleg comes in. The next time you run it, you fake the hand-off, and hit Tannehill with the pass.

Put everything together, and the complete play looks like this:

Simple, but effective: A&M runs Power

Morning Coffee Is Ready For October

GhostofBigRoy — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:58:39 -0000

Cherokee Nation rejoices. Everyone's favorite part-Cherokee quarterback (well, non-Longhorns fans', that is) is returning for his redshirt junior season, once again raising the stakes for the annual brawl in the Cotton Bowl. Joining Bradford in returning are tight end Jermaine Gresham, offensive lineman Trent Williams, who will be the only returning starter on the line, and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. Of them all, Gresham's return is perhaps the most unlikely, as he would have been the first or second tight end drafted, depending on where Chase Coffman goes, and seems to have little left to prove in college.

Bradford's decision, as well, seems strange, since he would have been among the top quarterbacks drafted and, like Gresham, has little chance of improving his stock. Playing behind an inexperienced offensive line next season could cost Bradford a significant amount of money if he finds himself constantly under pressure and his limited mobility exposed. Of course, if the past several years are any indication, the OU coaching staff will simply instruct their lineman to hold on nearly every play, which will serve them well until they get into the bowl season, where another disaster would likely ensue. Injury is another concern for Bradford. With his top two wide receivers graduating, there is also no guarantee that Bradford will have open receivers to throw to, leading to more sacks. OU might have to limit their shots down the field and turn to a passing game more similar to the underneath throws Texas uses.

In the end, the decision for most of the players probably came down to the disappointing loss to Florida and a desire to once again play for a national championship. Certainly noble in the sense of passing up NFL millions, though Big Red Auto will probably ensure that Bradford and his friends are well taken care of. OU won't be returning to the championship without significant improvements on defense and several playmakers stepping forward offensively. In fact, the Sooners are so desperate at wide receiver that they've pulled a page from the Ron Prince coaching handbook -- offering a JUCO wide receiver.

Texas fans of the Chicken Little variety no doubt find the Oklahoma returnees terror-inspiring, but in reality, the decision probably help Texas. Of great concern next season is the weak non-conference schedule, which includes Louisiana-Monroe, UTEP, Wyoming, and Central Florida, world beaters none. With Texas Tech, Missouri, and even Oklahoma facing significant personnel losses, the marquee wins will be hard to come by next season. Consider this possibility: USC and Florida go undefeated, as does Texas. But voters once again leave Texas out of the mix, punishing Texas for their overall weaker schedule.

In other words, an undefeated season next year does not necessarily guarantee Texas a shot at Pasadena. Here's where Oklahoma comes in. OU breaking in a new offensive line, receiving corps, and quarterback is not a good team. OU with Bradford and friends returning is a good team. A team that Texas should still beat, but a team that could significantly help Texas' resume at the end of the season. With that in mind, welcome back Bradford, et al. and get ready for (another) spanking in October. Hey, if Texas loses to Oklahoma next year, even with Bradford and company, they don't deserve a shot at the national championship.

The Spotlight shines upon you, Recruiting Class of 2009. Since the football season is finally over and the long, horrific, awful, worst-thing-ever offseason looms large in front of us, it's time to turn the attention of BONizens to the recruiting class that will sign in February. Some of the Recruiting Spotlights are up for the less-regarded players in the class, so here is a handy-dandy linkfest and a brief synopsis of each player:

Tight end Barrett Matthews - Known as a hard-nosed blocker, Matthews is undersized for a tight end, but may have a chance to contribute next year as an H-back.
Tight end Trey Graham - A dual threat tight end with wide receiver pedigree, Graham may need to add muscle before he sees the field, but could contribute on special teams.
Defensive end Dominique Jones - Something of a long-term project, Jones has some explosiveness off the edge, though not on the level of Alex Okafor, and also shows significant physicality at the point of attack.
Defensive end Kyle Kriegel - Another long-term project, Kriegel is a rangy kid with the frame to add enough weight to potentially spin down to the defensive tackle position.
Linebacker Patrick Nkwopara - Known for his sideline-to-sideline speed, Nkwopara is undersized at 5-11 and may lack a true position, but Will Muschamp will find a place for him to contribute, though it may not be soon.

Pittman now integral part of the offense. While the Longhorns didn't get beat solely by Blake Griffin on Monday night, it's becoming ever more apparent that this team needs Dexter Pittman on the floor to be successful. Surprising news, perhaps, but consider first that Pittman was the only defender successful in slowing Griffin down, but past anecdotal evidence, the numbers tell a similar story. Pittman leads the Longhorns in field goal percentage at 59.8%, nearly ten percent more than Damion James, the only other active Longhorn above 50%. His simple field goal percentage doesn't even begin to fully describe PIttman's efficiency, however.

Looking at his points per minute does -- one point for every 1.5 minutes played. AJ Abrams and Damion James trail Pittman in that category, with Abrams averaging one point every 2.1 minutes and James averaging a point every 1.9 minutes played, respectively. It isn't just from the field that Pittman displays his efficiency, as he ranks behind only Connor Atchley and AJ Abrams in free throw percentage, at 78.8%. That efficiency translates into wins for the Longhorns, who have lost only one of the seven games this season in which Pittman has scored in double figures.

And it's not just that Pittman's efficiency translates into wins for the Longhorns, it's that his inefficiency has recently translated into loses. Consider that in Texas' last three losses, two of them were Pittman's worst games of the season, including a 1-6 performance from the field against Michigan State and his 2-7 performance against Oklahoma. In the other loss, against Arkansas, Pittman scored 10 points, but did so on 3-7 shooting, almost 20% below his season average for field goal percentage. Basically, at a level much less efficient than average.

The other elephant in the room is Pittman's continued issues with foul trouble. After committing a foul every 3.7 minutes as a freshman, Pittman improved to a foul every 6.3 minutes last season, but has now regressed to a foul every five minutes. Part of the problem is the difficulty in officiating such a large person, but Pittman needs to be especially cognizant of avoiding loose ball fouls going over the back of opposing players or pushing them out of the way to get into rebounding position. The Texas offense, often stagnant, is now playing at its best when Pittman is on the floor.

That other elephant. The other elephant in the room is the shooting of the Texas guards, excepting AJ Abrams, who is a discussion for another time. Justin Mason, for instance, is shooting 16.7% (!) from the three-point line this season, roughly half his career average, and a clip of his jumpers this season would make any shooting coach cringe and possibly have a heart attack. In fact, it's been nearly a month since Mason made his last three-pointer, which came against Michigan State on December 20th. Rick Barnes has put Abrams on the ball more often recently in an attempt to stimulate his sputtering game, but that leaves Mason lonely in a corner all by himself and allows the defense to sag into the lane.

Dogus Balbay has been little better, missing all three of his attempts from beyond the arc this season and seven of his nine free throws, which even Justin Mason (41%) thinks is horrible. On the sunshine pumping side of things, Balbay made his first jumper of the season against Oklahoma, so maybe there is some hope for him. Okay, probably not, but I'm trying to be positive here.

Then there's Varez Ward, who has made one of his 13 three-point attempts this season and shoots 55.2% from the free-throw line. Ugh. Moving along.

So where does that leave Texas? Well, with only one capable shooter in the backcourt, apparently. Except...Why, hello there, Harrison Smith. While Smith has only made one of his seven attempts this season, he has received the only significant burn of his career against Appalachian State and Oklahoma this season. The shooting percentage from distance looks as horrible as everyone else, but Smith does look to have a better stroke than the others and several of those misses have been close to going in. (Do you see what I have to resort to here?)

With most of the guards incapable of stretching the floor, there are few lanes to penetrate to the basket and double teams come early and often now for Dexter Pittman, complicating his job considerably. Hell, Arkansas even ran double teams at Gary Johnson on the catch. The Longhorns can't afford to have more than one of Ward, Mason, or Balbay on the court at the same time, which significantly limits the combinations Rick Barnes can throw out there. Smith may be the answer only in interests of accountability, but he may have some ability to stretch the court and knock down an occasional three. Rick Barnes has certainly managed to assemble the worst-shooting backcourt I've ever had the misfortune of watching. Jordan Hamilton, Avery Bradley, and Shawn Williams can't get here fast enough.

From the Land of Miscellany. Beergut is crying into his, well, beer today after Jorvorskie Lane weighed in at several doughnuts short of three bills at the Shrine Bowl practice and virtually ended his outside shot at the NFL. Laughingly, Beergut still thinks "he might be able to go to the Combine and impress some people." Wait, they have an eating contest at the Combine? No? Oh. Well, so much for impressing people...Tevin Mims has not yet received an offer ($), but almost certainly will this weekend, and almost certainly will commit on the spot, with Mims' high school coach so convinced about Mims attending Texas that he spoke of Mims' potential to gain weight at Texas...When the American Football Coaches Association meets this year, they will consider whether to keep the Coaches Poll as a component of the BCS, but don't hold your breath for any changes.

Fullback shopping

VanRam — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:50:17 -0000

I thought I'd follow up this morning's post with a quick look at available fullbacks. Yeah, exciting...fullbacks. You can tell we're waiting out the head coach news, huh?

The Rams can pursue a FB via free agency, but the list is pretty thin...and old. Among the few names with less than 10 seasons playing time, two stand out: Arizona's Terrelle Smith and Seattle's Leonard Weaver. I suspect both will resign with their teams; Weaver sounds like a priority for Seattle. So much for that.

So we turn to the draft, and the Rams ought to be able to get a tank in the late rounds. Yes, I fight the temptation to take every available defensive and offensive lineman in the late rounds, but a FB is basically an extra OL, in so many ways. All the names on this list are projected to go in the last two rounds, at least according to this site. All would seem to be the blocker the Rams need. Jovorskie Lane from Texas A & M piques my interest at 270+ lbs and a 4.76 second 40. As a blocker in a power running game, a rookie FB's job would be easy, and he could plow through for first downs and TDs in short yardage situations while gradually be integrated into more plays. But for now, all the Rams need is a lead blocker and a third/fourth down dozer, and Brian Leonard ain't it.

Four Aggies Named To All-Big 12 Team

Beergut — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:20:25 -0000

Four Texas A&M football players were voted onto the Big 12 coaches all-conference team. Conference coaches are not allowed to vote for players on their own team, so to make the team usually means you have gained the respect of opposing coaches.

Punter Justin Brantly was named first team All-Big 12 after leading the conference with a 45.7 yards per punt average. Brantly finishes his career with a 44.4 yard average, which ranks second in school history to current NFL All-Pro Shane Lechler.

The surprise on the all-conference team has to be the inclusion of Jorvorskie Lane at FB on the second team. I think Lane's past history of excellence as a short-yardage tailback has helped him here. Even I freely admit that Lane is mediocre at best as a blocker, which is the primary job of a fullback. However, Lane is outstanding in short yardage, an area he has always excelled at. I think the coaches around the conference chose to recognize him for his past excellence, despite his diminished role in the Texas A&M offense this season. I also think the complete lack of teams using 11 personnel helped us, as true FBs are a rarity on most Big 12 teams with the predominance of the spread offense this season. The first team FB was Matt Clapp from Oklahoma. Who? Exactly. Clapp had 7 carries for 23 yards, 0 TDs rushing, 8 receptions for 81 yds, 3 TDs receiving, while Lane had 35 carries for 93 yds, 5 TDs rushing, and 4 receptions for 26 yds and no TDs receiving. Looking at the stats, maybe Lane's inclusion isn't such a surprise after all.

Jeff Fuller and Trent Hunter both made All-Big 12 Honorable Mention, respectively. I'm disappointed Hunter didn't receive the Freshman Defensive Player of the Year, which went to Travis Lewis of Oklahoma. I think it is asinine that McKinner Dixon of Texas Tech received Defensive Newcomer of the Year, simply because Dixon played at Tech two years ago as a true freshman. I don't think you should be considered a newcomer when you've played in this conference in a previous season.

I am also disappointed that Ryan Tannehill didn't receive at least Honorable Mention, because he was an outstanding receiver for us this season. I think the exclusion of any Aggie player from the all-conference offensive and defensive line listings tells you all you need to know about the performance of both of our lines this season.

A&M-texas: A Unit Breakdown

Beergut — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:54:21 -0000

When looking at these two teams, I don't think their skill position talent in certain areas is all that different. Both squads have terrific wide receivers. Both squads have either a good or great QB leading their respective offense. When taking a closer look, the main difference between the two teams is arguably in the most important area, among both lines. However, since nothing is done in a vacuum, instead of looking at position vs. position, I'm looking at unit versus unit, because that is where the matchups really matter.

Aggie Running Game vs. texas Rush Defense: texas' run defense has been fairly spectacular this season, giving up only 82.5 yards rushing per game. Opponents average 3.1 yds per rush against the texas defense, which is certainly respectable. I think this is texas' best unit against the run since the 2006 squad, which A&M torched in Austin. The difference between then and now, though, is that A&M had a stellar offensive line in 2006, and we lack one now. A&M averages a paltry 98.7 yards per game rushing, with an average of 3.1 yards per carry. That just doesn't get it done, which is one of the reasons we have had a 7-loss season so far this year. Our inability to run the ball is due in large part of inconcistency and mediocrity on the offensive line. The offensive line as a unit has performed poorly in the run game; instead of improving as the season has gone on, they have been decimated with injuries as of late. We're starting two players at offensive tackle who should be starting at offensive guard; that is all you need to know about our OL situation. I think attempting to execute an unwieldy 4-man running back rotation has also hurt our offensive line. Trying to make sure we get enough carries for Mike Goodson, Cyrus Gray, Jorvorskie Lane, and Bradley Stephens is difficult enough, without throwing Keondra Smith into the mix. While A&M boats more talent and depth at the RB position than texas does, it won't matter much in this game because our offensive line hasn't allowed us to feature our running attack at all this season. If we are able to run the ball effectively in this game, look for an upset, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Advantage: texas

Aggie Passing Game vs. texas Pass Defense: This may be the one area of the game where A&M boasts a serious advantage over texas. texas' pass defense is terrible. They have a very good defensive line who provides a great pass rush, and yet their secondary regularly gets ripped, game after game. texas gives up an average of 266.1 yards per game through the air, and has given up 17 passing TDs so far this season. A&M averages 250.9 yards passing per game, so we should be able to exploit their secondary. I like the matchup of Jamie McCoy against Sergio Kindle or Rshad Bobino across the middle; I think we can exploit this weakness. It goes without saying that I like Ryan Tannehill, Terrence McCoy, and Jeff Fuller against texas' secondary. I think Fuller can beat Ryan Palmer or Deon Beasley easily. The key for A&M will be passing in the redzone, because with texas' strong run defense, getting yards inside their 20 will be tough. We're going to have to do it through the air.

Advantage: A&M

Overall: Texas A&M Offense vs. texas Defense

I think the key to this matchup will be A&M's ability to move the ball in the red zone. What makes texas' defense so effective is their ability to shut down the run. The most effective way to move the ball inside the red zone, because of limited space, is through the run. texas has an advantage in this area on us. I think we may be able to pass the ball between the 20s, but we will have issues moving it inside the red zone with the run. The core matchup then becomes our wide receivers against texas' secondary, which is a matchup we win. However, it is a different story inside the red zone, where it is more difficult to pass the ball. This is a rivalry game, though, so you never know what is going to happen.

Advantage: texas

More after the jump...

texas' Running Game vs. Texas A&M's Rush Defense: texas averages a very respectable 173.4 yards per game rushing. What makes that average surprising is that texas doesn't have a single player on their team with over 600 yds rushing. Their leading rusher is QB Colt McCoy, who has 527 yds rushing on the season. Their second leading rusher is the solid but unspectacular Vondrell McGee, with 347 yds on the season, and then you have Chris Ogbonnaya with 333 yds on the year. The key thing here is that texas really doesn't run the ball all that much. McGee has 79 carries through 11 games, Ogbonnaya 62. That is an average of 7 carries per game for McGee, a little over 5 per game for Ogbonnaya. Along with McCoy, who has 117 rushes on the season (and some of those are QB sacks), you're looking at an average of 22 carries per game between the three of them, which isn't a lot. Considering the fact that these three players run the ball so seldom, they are amazing effective when they do run, all averaging at least 4 yds per carry, which is respectable. A&M's rush defense gives up an average of 219.5 yards per game, which is just pathetic. Because of the lack of speed of our defensive linemen and linebackers, we are sometimes left hoping someone in the secondary will tackle the ballcarrier.

Advantage: texas

texas' Passing Game vs. Texas A&M's Pass Defense: Well, here we run into another quandary with the lack of speed in our defensive personnel. Because we don't have much speed on our defensive line or linebacking corps, we don't get to the opposing QB very much, so we don't provide much of a pass rush. Our secondary is often left out on an island, having to cover for 3-4 seconds longer on a play than they should, simply because the opposing QB has too much time in the pocket to find someone open. A&M gives up an average of 235.6 yds per game passing, which isn't good by any means, but it isn't absolutely horrible either, considering the circumstances. However, texas' WRs may be the strongest skill position on the texas team, with leaders Jordan Shipley and Quan Cosby doing a terrific job for them this season. Cosby has 72 catches for 872 yds so far this season, and Shipley has 75 receptions for 897 yds this year. Both could very well go over the 1000 yd mark against A&M tomorrow. Shipley is especially effective on crossing routes over the middle, and that is just a huge mismatch for us, with Matt Featherston covering a much faster Jordan Shipley. While I think our seconday will be able to stay with texas' receivers early on, and the return of Trent Hunter certainly helps us, I think our weak pass rush and inability of our LBs to cover leaves us very vulnerable to texas' passing game.

Advantage: texas

Overall: texas Offense vs. Texas A&M Defense

texas looks like they will be able to be very effective running the ball on us, and they should be able to exploit the middle of our defense with their passing game. The last two games between these teams arguably turned on a failure to execute in a short yardage situation by texas, so we'll have to see if that happens again tomorrow.

Advantage: texas

Special Teams: A&M boasts the better kick returner between the two squads in Cyrus Gray, who will receive some serious all-conference consideration. A&M also boasts the better punter in Justin Brantly, who should win all-conference easily. texas has shown some weakness on kickoff coverages this season, but A&M also tackles poorly on special teams.

Advantage: A&M

Overall: texas has the advantage in their offense against our defense, and their defense against our offense. We need to be able to protect Jerrod Johnson long enough to let the passing game develop to take advantage of our one strength on offense, and exploit their major weakness on defense. We will also need some terrific special teams play to shorten the field, and make it easier for us to score. This is a rivalry game, though, so while texas has many advantages going into this game, we have the benefit of knowing this is our last game of the season and we have nothing to lose, so we can let it all hang out on every play.

The Fog of '09 - North Offenses

Bill C. — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:00:06 -0000

Two years ago, it was pretty easy to see what was in store for the Big 12 in football. Colt McCoy was having a monster RSFr season. Chase Daniel and Graham Harrell were having monster sophomore seasons. Stephen McGee and Bobby Reid were young and looked like gamers. Josh Freeman was a true freshman starter, and while he looked it from time to time, his upside was huge. Even Bret Meyer and Blake "Blizzle Szyzzle" Szymanski had their moments.

Beyond that, the offensive lines (especially Oklahoma's) were young, as were the RBs and WRs. Oh yeah, and just about every proven defensive end had run out of eligibility. While there was still defensive talent throughout the conference, it was clear that the next couple of years were going to see some unprecedented offensive continuity and success in the Big 12.

Sure enough, that's what happened. And it was an even bigger surge than anybody expected. Todd Reesing and Zac Robinson outshone their promising counterparts (Dylan Meier and Reid) and thrived. Jeremy Maclin and Michael Crabtree were All-Americans as redshirt freshmen. Add to that the fact that half the league's starters are of the "3-year" variety, and this run of offense has just been ridiculous. Josh Freeman is still talked about as a potential first rounder in the 2009 (or 2010) draft, and he's at best the #8 QB in the conference.

But it all changes in 2009. Daniel and Harrell? Gone. Crabtree and Maclin? Almost certainly gone. McCoy, Bradford, Freeman? Possibly gone. Chase Coffman, Joe Ganz, Marlon Lucky, Nate Swift, Chris Ogbonnaya, Quan Cosby, Jordan Shipley, Shannon Woods and Eric Morris? Gone. Even the J-Train, Jorvorskie Lane, has finally exhausted his eligibility. So many guys who have become household names in the midwest are leaving.

And that says nothing about William Moore, Brian Orakpo, all of KU's linebackers, Nic Harris, and the potential defensive exodus. Or even Dave Christensen, Matt Eberflus, Brent Venables, Kevin Wilson, and the potential assistant coaching exodus.

The watchword for '08 was "offensive explosion." For '09? "New" Through the clarity of 2007 and 2008 lies the fog of 2009. We don't yet know all who will return and who will not, but one thing's for certain: everything changes in 2009.

It's still pretty hard to grasp this yet, as we don't know who will be leaving for the draft, but let's take a super-duper early look at who might be good (or not so good) in 2009. We'll start with the North Division. To do this, I'm not going to jump into BTBS numbers. There will certainly be a time and place for that. Today, we'll simply go unit-by-unit and make some early rankings. And I'm not even going to think about redshirts or incoming recruits. Making predictions about how newcomers are going to fit in and/or thrive can drive you crazy. Plus, you'll probably be wrong. Remember how Darrell Scott and Jocques Crawford were supposed to be total studs the moment they walked in the door at CU and KU?

In other words, the projections after the jump are strictly from this year's depth chart.

Quarterbacks

Kansas (Todd Reesing)
Kansas State (Josh Freeman--for now)
Iowa State (Austen Arnaud)
Missouri (Blaine Gabbert)
Nebraska (Patrick Witt/Zac Lee)
Colorado (Cody Hawkins/Tyler Hansen)

I probably shouldn't stick CU's duo below two relative newcomers at MU and NU, but I just can't help it. And if Josh Freeman is gone and Carson Coffman is next year's starter at KSU, pencil KSU into the #4 or #5 spot. And while either Gabbert or Witt/Lee (Pac Litt?) can or will overtake Arnaud by the end of the season, I couldn't rank two returning starters below QBs who've never taken a meaningful snap.

Running Backs

Missouri (Derrick Washington, De'Vion Moore)
Nebraska (Roy Helu Jr., Quentin Castille)
Kansas (Jake Sharp, Jocques Crawford)
Colorado (Rodney Stewart, Darrell Scott)
Iowa State (Alexander Robinson)
Kansas State (Lamark Brown, Logan Dold)

Of all the departures for '09, the running back position actually looks not only solid, but strong. Washington, Helu and Sharp are all relatively proven at this point, and at any moment Stewart and Scott could emerge in a big way. Even Alexander Robinson and Lamark Brown have had their moments this year. This is something to watch for '09--while offenses may not be as high-flying, they still might be pretty darn effective thanks to the ground games.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Kansas (Dezmon Briscoe, Kerry Meier, Johnathan Wilson)
Missouri (Jared Perry, Danario Alexander, Andrew Jones)
Kansas State (Brandon Banks, Deon Murphy, Aubrey Quarles)
Nebraska (Niles Paul, Menelik Holt, Mike McNeill)
Colorado (Josh Smith, Scotty McKnight, Riar Geer)
Iowa State (Houston Jones, Sedrick Johnson, Derrick Catlett)

Kansas is clearly #1 here, but after that, #2-#5 is something of a crapshoot. I feel like a homer for putting Mizzou at #2, but while they won't have the speed of KSU's unit, they'll still have the speed-size mix that few other teams do. And naturally, I'm assuming Jeremy Maclin is gone. Mizzou is clearly #1 if Maclin returns, but I very much do not see that happening. Paul and Holt could make NU's unit pretty effective, but they haven't gone all the way in proving that just yet.

Offensive Lines

Missouri (OG Kurtis Gregory, C Tim Barnes, OT Elvis Fisher)
Nebraska (C Jacob Hickman, OG Keith Williams, OT Jaivorio Burkes)
Colorado (OT Nate Solder, OT Ryan Miller, OG Devin Head)
Kansas State (OG Brock Unruh, OT Edward Prince, OT Nick Stringer)
Kansas (OT Jeremiah Hatch, OT Jeff Spikes)
Iowa State (OG Reggie Stephens, OT Ben Lamaak, C Alex Alvarez)

Missouri will have by far the highest-upside offensive line in the North next year. That can only help when a) protecting a young QB and b) clearing the way for the North's #1 RB. If Mizzou is to win the North despite having to replace Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin, it's Washington and the nice O-line who will get it done.

After Mizzou, NU's probably got the most upside in this unit. Colorado's fought through youth and injuries this year and could emerge next year with a solid O-line because of the struggles. After that...no idea. KSU returns quite a bit from an iffy-at-best O-line, and KU loses both starting guards and center. Not good. And while I like Reggie Stephens at ISU, he's about all ISU has.

So, keeping this as unscientific as possible, if we assign 6 points for every #1 ranking, 5 for every #2, et cetera, how do the North offenses add up?

North Offenses, 2009

Missouri (20 points)
Kansas (18 points)
Nebraska (15 points)
Kansas State (13 points)
Colorado (10 points)
Iowa State (8 points)

If Josh Freeman goes pro

Missouri (21)
Kansas (18)
Nebraska (16)
Kansas State (10)
Colorado (10)
Iowa State (9)

If Jeremy Maclin DOESN'T go pro

Missouri (21)
Kansas (17)
Nebraska (15)
Kansas State (13)
Colorado (10)
Iowa State (8)

I'm obviously not going to take this rather arbitrary ranking system too seriously and say "See? This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Missouri will have the best offense in the North next year!" or anything like that. This does show, though, that each team will have defined strengths and weaknesses (Mizzou = good running, iffy passing; Kansas = good passing, iffy blocking, KSU = good passing, no running, CU = possibly good running, no passing), which means unit-to-unit matchups and home-road scheduling will matter more next year than it has in the last couple of years.

And speaking of those matchups, tomorrow we'll look at North defenses.