SB Nation - LSU Tigers

All-Blog All-SEC: The Offensive Line

Ivory Tower — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:51:19 -0000

Our dear friends at Team Speed Kills have once again herded the blog-cats of the SEC into compiling a series of awards and recognitions not tainted by mainstream media prejudices and people who otherwise just don't have time to watch football. We're proud to participate.

One thing about the Southeastern Conference is that - to a large extent - stories have a way of repeating themselves. The names change, the stadiums expand, and the list of defeated, deflated Big Ten fan bases grows longer, but the storylines remain basically the same. This year, the All-SEC Offensive Line is all about big men from traditionally strong high school dynasties, family, and menacing-sounding names.

The best hawg-maulies of the hawg-mauliest conference in the land are after the jump.

MIKE JOHNSON 6'6", 305 (UNANIMOUS) - UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA

For the second year in a row, the most dominant offensive lineman in the conference plays for Nick Saban, this year, however, it is the man who played in place of the injured Andre Smith in the Sugar Bowl. While that New Orleans night was not the one the most Tide fans want to remember, Johnson has led a Bama line that has totally redeemed itself. The BCS National Championship Game will be Johnson's 37th straight start, and his unit - lowest in the SEC in sacks allowed, 14th in the nation in rushing yards per game, and the only unit ever to make room for Greg McElroy to be the SEC Championship Game MVP - can realistically be called the most important to Alabama's undefeated season.

MAURKICE POUNCEY 6'5", 312 - UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

The first-team All American junior center has been hiking the ball to Tim Tebow for the last two years and started 11 games at Right Tackle his freshman year. He won the Rimington Trophy. And I'm sure it's through some sports information director related mix-up that he, too, was not a unanimous selection to our meaningless hypothetical team. This will, no doubt, be the source of great controversy. He and brother Mike are undecided about their future at Florida, but I predict that their momma will soon have a garage that is more elaborate than any house you've ever seen.

CIRON BLACK 6'5", 322 - LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY

Black has started 52 games at LSU, the last 25 at left tackle, successfully protecting LSU quarterbacks long enough for them to make the confusing poor choices that have plagued the men in golden britches over the last two years. While his quarterbacks have left something to be desired, Black has played like a crazy man (for the crazy man that coaches him, I suppose) - playing every offensive snap in 10 of the Tigers' 12 games.

MIKE POUNCEY 6'4", 313 - UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

Twin brother of Florida's starting center Maurkice, this Pouncey is listed as being a little smaller than his brother, but I defy you to tell him that to his face. CBS rates him as the second-best offensive guard available in the draft. In the final game of the regular season against rival Florida State, Mike turned in his performance of the year, grading out at 96 percent and earning Lineman of the Week honors from the SEC.

JOHN JERRY 6'6" 335 - UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI

Before coming to Ole Miss, Jerry earned his B.A. in badass from the "University of South Panola" - unquestionably, the greatest high school football dynasty in the history of Mississippi, winning 6 of the last 7 state titles. A four-year starter with 46 starts under his belt, Jerry has been a consistent contributor to the resurrection of Ole Miss' program. Scout rates him the 7th best guard eligible in the draft. In addition to being named to every All-SEC team I've seen, Jerry was also selected a third-team All-American by The Sporting News for his efforts in leading an Ole Miss line that allowed just 14 sacks this season.

LSU In Review - Week Six Vs. OH MY TIM TEBOW!

BSD — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:00:40 -0000

by Bill Haber - AP

2 months ago: Florida wide receiver Chris Tolliver (21) is stopped by LSU linebacker Harry Coleman (24) in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

View full size photo »

Final - 10.10.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida Gators	3	7	0	3	13
LSU Tigers	0	3	0	0	3

Complete Coverage >

The two week lead up to this game featured ridiculous report after ridiculous report with ESPN reporters standing outside of hospitals and medical clinics giving every up-to-the-minute updates about the status of Tim Tebow who had suffered a concussion against Kentucky. They were filled with juicy morsels like, "Tim Tebow's status will be a game time decision." "Tim Tebow is just going through his normal game day routine today." "Tim Tebow elected for scrambled eggs this morning, but went with the sausage links instead of bacon. Sausage futures on the New York exchange skyrocket. Chinese bacon factories declare this aggression will not stand."

The 93,000 soggy fans in attendance at Tiger Stadium didn't care. All they cared about was beating Florida and returning LSU to the top of the SEC.

The Tiger defense was stout as usual holding the Gators to their lowest point total in ten years. Florida was held to just 327 total yards, but 193 of them came on the ground. LSU played some remarkable bend-but-don't-suck defense as every Florida drive entered LSU territory. But the Tigers forced a punt, a missed field goal, a turnover on downs, and got an interception to keep the score close.

But it wasn't enough this day, and the woes of the LSU offense finally caught up with them. Jordan Jefferson had a frustrating day with only 96 yards on 11-of-17 passing. He was intercepted once and sacked five times in the second half. The running game wasn't much better as LSU only managed 66 yards on 30 carries. Charles Scott was the leading rusher with 53 yards on 13 carries. LSU's lone scoring drive went 78 yards in 12 plays, but was greatly aided by two personal foul penalties on the Gators. Florida ultimately stopped them at the two yard line and forced them to take the field goal. LSU was a dismal 1-of-9 in third down conversions, and 1-of-3 in fourth down conversions. Oddly, Russell Shepard, who had given the LSU offense an occassional spark in previous games, did not see the field leading many LSU fans to wonder what the coaches were thinking.

Quotes From The Game

"Three points on offense. We just got to play better."

- Les Miles -

The team did not play loose. It did not play like a team with nothing to lose. It was, in fight, the tightest I've ever seen our offense play in memory. It was, in fact, a lost opportunity to develop team character, to be a fun and inspiring team to watch.

A team with nothing to lose doesn't leave Russell Shepard on the bench all game. A team with nothing to lose does not abandon the downfield passing game. A team with nothing to lose does not kick a field goal from inside the 1 yard line. A team with nothing to lose puts on a show, and if it must take the loss it does so with style and gusto.

The coaching staff appeared to be playing not to get blown out. It tried nothing innovative. It tried nothing to try to put the Florida defense off-balance, I suppose out of fear of making a big mistake. With Florida being bound and determined to play the game just as conservatively as they could, we had an opportunity to take advantage of their play by trying to pile up points quickly. Sure, it could have backfired and put us out of the game early, but so what? The game did not really matter.

- And The Valley Shook -

Yes, it was a poorly played game for our offense. No, Jordan Jefferson did not play particularly well. And it is correct that it is difficult to mark any improvement in his play from the beginning of the season to now. Do I think another QB should be given a chance? I'm not sure on that yet, but I am definitely thinking about it.

- And The Valley Shook -

SEC Power Poll All-SEC Results

Gamecock Man — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:16:43 -0000

The results for some of the SEC Power Poll All-SEC Results are rolling in. Check out Team Speed Kills for more information and check out the mentioned blogs for roll outs:

Quarterback: Tim Tebow (Alligator Army)
Running Backs: Mark Ingram, Dexter McCluster (Roll Bama Roll)
Wide Receivers: A.J. Green, Shay Hodge (Hey Jenny Slater)
Defensive Line: Terrence Cody, Antonio Coleman, Carlos Dunlap, Justin Houston / Cliff Matthews (War Blog Eagle)
Linebackers: Rolando McClain, Eric Norwood, Rennie Curran (Leftover Hot Dog)
Defensive Backs: Eric Berry, Joe Haden, Javier Arenas, Mark Barron (Gate 21)

Jefferson and Risk

Poseur — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:13:20 -0000

One of the major themes of this season was the way the offensive coaching staff managed the game as if they were petrified of the turnover. I've commented on this quite a bit, which led to much gnashing of teeth over the definition of "risk averse", but my basic argument was always that it seemed the coaches stressed not throwing picks above all else, which hindered the offense and Jordan Jefferson's development.

Well, since I like to cherry pick articles which support my position, James Varney of the Times-Picayune picks up with my theme in today's piece on Jefferson.

But in the passing game Jefferson hurt himself in two ways. First, his natural inclination to protect the football was heightened by a coaching staff petrified by the interceptions that haunted the team in 2008. That mindset created both a reluctance to take a chance and a frequent failure to get rid of the ball quickly. Those factors contributed to the alarming 35 sacks LSU allowed in 2009.

So pronounced was Jefferson's gunshy approach that on more than one occasion he scrambled out of bounds for a loss rather than hurl the ball away even when he was well outside the tackles.

When asked to assess his game's strengths and weaknesses Monday, Jefferson cited his fear of interceptions. While his ball control instincts are sound, he said he must balance them with a team's need for its quarterback to make plays.

"It has," he replied when asked if his tendency boosted the sack total. "Some of the sacks were errors that the line had, but I take responsibility for them."

There's both encouraging and discouraging things in that snippet, but let's first focus on the most important thing: I was right. This was a staff that was so intent on not having another interception meltdown that it absolutely dominated their mindset. Sure, we didn't throw many interceptions. Mission accomplished. But we did it at the expense of big plays, the use of the middle of the field, and taking way too many sacks. Frankly, the cost was way too high. A few interceptions is the cost of an offense that actually takes chances once in awhile. The reward is more big plays and the use of the whole field.

Let's start with the discouraging part of this clip since we're there already: this is what bad teams and bad coaches do. They obsess over the last mistake and overreact to correct that mistake at the expense of everything else. The cure becomes worse than the disease, and there's really no way to say we had a good offense this season. In fact, it was one of the worst in all of football, which is completely inexcusable given how much talent we line up every snap.

Jefferson seems like a very coachable player. You tell him to avoid an INT at all cost and that's what he'll go out and do. Jefferson did exactly what he was coached to do, and the end result was a gunshy quarterback and offense that couldn't consistently move the football or score points. The fault there lies on the coaching staff. Just like a bad general, they were fighting the last war.

However, let's focus on the positives. First, there is the fact that Jefferson is coachable. Tell him X, he does X. But what I really like is his maturity. Jefferson takes responsibility and deflects blame from the much maligned offensive line. That's what leaders do. He knows he has to get rid of the football and he wants to do better. And he takes responsibility for the offense's failures.

Jefferson is still a work in progress, but I like the progression so far.

Tennessee Moments of the Decade #4: Two Saturdays in December

Will — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:00:23 -0000

The biggest win and the worst loss of the football decade took place one week apart, and combined to show the Vols at the height of their power, and to signal the end of that era. It was a unique time that served as a turning point not only for Tennessee, but for both of their opponents, and by proxy the entire Southeastern Conference. On a list of the most important SEC games of the decade, both of these are near the top.

Earlier this year in our countdown of The 50 Best Games of the Fulmer Era, we covered in detail Tennessee's win over Florida on December 1, 2001. We haven't covered in detail what happened seven days later, in part because it's still incredibly unpleasant to remember. In a conversation about the most heartbreaking UT losses not just of the decade, but all-time, I would submit the 2001 SEC Championship Game and put it at the top of the list.

The specifics of each game aside, it's the two stories that combined into one chain of events that help make these two Saturdays so important to Tennessee Football in the 2000s - you can argue that these two weeks really began the long process that led us to the two moments we'll discuss next in our countdown. So we take a look back at the the before, during, and after of two football games with everything on the line, and remember what it was like to come up big, and come up short.

2001

Heading into the annual Third Saturday in September showdown with the hated Florida Gators, Donte' Stallworth had a broken hand, John Henderson had a sprained ankle, and Earnest Graham did not. We didn't know who Kelley Washington was and we didn't know Travis Stephens was a Doak Walker finalist. The Vols hadn't won in The Swamp since 1971.

Four days before the contest, the events of September 11 changed everything. The SEC games scheduled for September 15 were moved to December 1, and the SEC Championship Game was pushed back to December 8. The Vols and Gators would have to wait.

After a scheduled off week, the Vols returned to action on September 29 and hosted LSU. The Tigers were led by Nick Saban in his second season, and had beaten Tennessee in overtime the previous year. Behind Kelley Washington's 11 catches for 256 yards, the Vols got revenge 26-18. But the Vols would lose to Georgia in The Hobnailed Boot Game the following week. Florida lost to Auburn the next week, putting both teams behind the eight ball in the National Championship picture.

The Vols and Gators didn't lose again en route to their December showdown, but coming into Thanksgiving Weekend it seemed certain that the game would be for nothing more than the Eastern Division title. Miami and Nebraska were both undefeated, and the odds were even worse for Tennessee - the Gators were ranked third, but the Vols were stuck back at seventh, behind Oklahoma, Texas, and Oregon.

But in shocking fashion, the Vols got every upset they needed: Colorado blew out Nebraska the day after Thanksgiving, and Oklahoma lost the Bedlam Game the following day. Florida moved to second in the BCS and gained control of their own destiny for the Rose Bowl and the title; the Vols moved to fifth, but a win over the Gators would vault them past Oregon for sure, and it would come down to decimal points with Texas...

December 1 - Gainesville

(again, full details on this game here, which I think is the longest thing I've ever written at RTT)

18 point underdogs, the Vols jumped on Florida 14-0 in the first quarter, then got jumped on for 20 straight going into halftime. The second half turned into the Travis Stephens show - an insane 226 yards on the night - as the game went back and forth. In a game that went 18 consecutive drives without a punt, the Vols bent but didn't break on defense, forcing four Florida field goals and a fourth down stop. The Vols were up 27-26 when Stephens ripped off his most famous run, a 68 yarder that went right through the heart of the Florida defense, leading to a Jabari Davis touchdown to make it 34-26.

Rex Grossman - who had 362 yards and 3 TDs on the night, sharing the wealth between Jabar Gaffney (7 for 101) and Reche Caldwell (8 for 115) - led Florida to a touchdown in the final minute, but misfired against the Tennessee rush on the two point conversion that would've tied it. When the Vols recovered the onside kick, the game was over, and the Vols had won the SEC East Championship, erasing their demons in The Swamp along the way.

Later that night, Chris Simms turned the ball over four times against Colorado in the Big 12 Championship Game, erasing all doubt: the Vols would be #2 in the BCS, and controlled their own fate in the national title hunt. The only thing standing in the way of a Miami-Tennessee national title showdown in the Rose Bowl was the LSU team the Vols had already beaten.

December 8 - Atlanta

One good upset deserves another. This one - when you factor in that the Vols were way too talented to have ever been an 18 point underdog to the Gators, and that LSU would lose QB Rohan Davey and RB LaBrandon Toefield early in this game - was even more surprising.

In 2001, the Georgia Dome wasn't cursed - the Vols had won twice in the building in the '97 and '98 SEC Championships, despite not playing very well either time. And the Vols didn't have that problem in the first half, jumping to a 17-7 lead in the second quarter, 17-10 at halftime. There were roses aplenty in the stands.

Our championship dream died a slow death.

With Davey out, Matt Mauck stepped in. He started scrambling, and the Vols simply never adjusted. The Tigers kicked a field goal, then another one, to make it 17-16. We put our roses down and turned our full attention to the task at hand.

It unfolded like a nightmare that you couldn't escape. Travis Stephens, so great against the Gators just seven days earlier, fumbled to set up LSU's go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Vols answered by driving to 1st and goal at the LSU 4...but couldn't get in, settling for a field goal to make it 24-20 with nine minutes to play.

But the Vols held and got the ball back. We drove to midfield, and Casey Clausen hit Donte' Stallworth inside the LSU 35 across the middle...and then he fumbled.

And then LSU went 65 yards to erase Tennessee's destiny. You could feel it when Julian Battle dropped a sure interception. It got worse when the Vols committed pass interference to extend the drive. And on 4th and goal at the 1, the Tigers clinched it. LSU won 31-20, taking the SEC crown and denying the Vols a much bigger prize.

Legacy

Consider the impact of these two games on the three teams involved in them:

Tennessee was fifteen minutes away from playing for their second National Championship in four years. Instead, the Vols lost the first of three SEC Championship Games in the decade, and have not won the conference since the title year in 1998.
Steve Spurrier never coached another game in The Swamp from the Florida sideline, heading to Washington to coach the Redskins. It was a move made, in part, because 10-2 seasons were no longer good enough in Gainesville. If the Gators beat the Vols and win the SEC, could they have beaten Miami and won it all? And would Spurrier have stayed either way?
Nick Saban received his first piece of SEC validation, and LSU won their first conference crown in thirteen years. The Tigers would go on to become one of college football's most successful teams of the decade, winning a National Championship two years later under Saban and another in 2007. This sequence was the passing of the torch from Spurrier and Fulmer to Saban and, eventually, Urban Meyer. Meyer came to Florida after Ron Zook tried to replace Spurrier the following season.
In seven seasons from 1995-2001, the Vols went 11-1, 10-2, 11-2, 13-0, 9-3, 8-4, and 11-2. They won three division titles, two SEC titles, and a national championship in that span. The Vols played in the Citrus, Citrus, Orange, Fiesta, Fiesta, Cotton, and Citrus Bowls during that run - for an encore performance of dominance in this era, the Vols did blast Michigan in Orlando to close the '01 season.
In seven seasons from 2002-2008, the Vols went 8-5, 10-3, 10-3, 5-6, 9-4, 10-4, and 5-7. The Vols won two additional division titles but lost both times in Atlanta. The Vols played in consecutive Peach Bowls, a Cotton Bowl, and consecutive Outback Bowls during this run, while missing bowl season in '05 and '08. While nothing happened instantaneously, the LSU loss was the dividing line of the Fulmer Era, just seven days after one of its greatest victories. It signaled the end of UT's run as an elite college football team, and was the beginning of the end for Phillip Fulmer...

LSU In Review - Week Five Vs. #18 Georgia

BSD — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:00:18 -0000

by John Bazemore - AP

2 months ago: LSU receiver Terrance Toliver (80) is stopped by Georgia's Bacarri Rambo during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Athens, Ga., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

View full size photo »

Final - 10.3.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
LSU Tigers	3	3	0	14	20
Georgia Bulldogs	0	0	0	13	13

Complete Coverage >

In week five the LSU Tigers traveled to Athens to take on the Georgia Bulldogs in a game that would go a long way toward sorting out the SEC race. LSU had not won between the hedges since 1987, and Les Miles had never beaten the Bulldogs who came into the game with a #18 ranking despite an opening day loss to Oklahoma State.

If you fell asleep right after kickoff and woke up midway through the fourth quarter, you didn't miss much in this game. It was basically more of the same from what we saw out of the Tigers the first four weeks of the season. The defense smothered their opponent for much of the game while the offense did just enough to get by. Then there was a flurry of activity at the end with LSU somehow pulling out a win.

Georgia went three-and-out in their first possession giving LSU the ball at their own 37. The Tigers drove down the field largley on the back of a 34 yard pass from Jordan Jefferson to Brandon LaFell. But on 3rd and 4 at the Georgia 9 yard line, Jefferson threw a pick in the endzone to kill the drive.

Georgia ran the interception out of the endzone and got tackled at the two yard line. They puckered up with their back to the endzone and ended up punting from the five. A 14 yard return by Trindon Holiday set up the Tigers with a first down at the Georgia 43 yard line. By the way, did you hear that Holiday won the NCAA 100 meter dash championship? I'm sure the Capital One Bowl announcers will only remind us of that every time he touches the ball just in case you forget.

LSU drove down the field to get a first and goal at the Bulldog 9. But Charles Scott got blown up on a screen pass on second down for a one yard loss. Then Jefferson sailed a pass over the head of Terrance Toliver and the Tigers were forced to kick a field goal.

On the ensuing possession, Georgia strung together a few first downs and managed to flip the field position, but they had to punt and LSU took over at their own 20. To spark the team a bit, Miles put in Russell Shepard at quarterback, and he gained 26 yards on the first three plays from the Wildcat. The drive ended at the Georgia 22 when Charles Scott got stuffed for a two yard loss on 3rd and 1. Perhaps showing a little sign of redzone desperation, Les Miles tried a trick play on fourth down where LaFell jogged toward the sideline like he was coming out of the game but then lined up in formation. A slight delay in placing the ball by the officials allowed Georgia to spot him and run a man out to defend him. LSU was forced to call timeout, and then kicked the field goal to take a 6-0 lead.

After another Georgia three-and-out, LSU took over at their own 26 and made another nice drive down to the Georgia redzone. But another gaffe would cost them points. Again showing frustration with the redzone problems, Miles elected to go for a first down on 4th and 1 at the Georgia 9. With the play clock running down, Jefferson decided to hurry the snap rather than call another timeout. The quarterback sneak failed, and Georgia took over on downs.

Though LSU completely dominated the first half, they had to be disappointed that the first half ended with them only up by six points.

In the second half it was the Georgia defense that came out determined to dominate. LSU's first possession went backwards as Jefferson was sacked on three straight plays. The Tigers were forced to punt from their own two yard line giving the Bulldogs the ball at the LSU 44 yard line. But Georgia would later miss a 32 yard field goal to cut the score in half. LSU's next possession went three-and-out, and the third quarter would later run out with the Tigers only running six offensive plays.

Georgia took the ball at their own 40 yard line and finally got some mojo. An 18 play drive that consumed nearly eight minutes off the clock ended when Joe Cox found Shaun Chapas for a touchdown pass on 4th and goal at the 1. The Bulldogs took their first lead of the game at 7-6 just as the fourth quarter began.

Both teams traded punts over the next four possessions, and then LSU began a drive at their own 12 yard line and went the length of the field in 12 plays. The drive ended when Scott smashed through the line for a 2 yard touchdown. A two point conversion attempt failed when Jefferson was sacked, and LSU took a 12-7 lead with 2:53 to go in the game.

Georgia responded with a drive of their own. An LSU defensive breakdown allowed a 46 yard pass to Tavarres King to get the Bulldogs in the redzone. Then Cox found A.J. Green who leaped over a defender to make a catch in the endzone. Georgia failed on their own two point conversion when LSU broke up a slant pass, so the Bulldogs took a 13-12 lead with just over one minute to go.

But Georgia shot themselves in the foot with an unsportsmanlike conduct that forced them to kick off from their 15. Holiday returned the kick 40 yards, and another Georgia penalty tacked on another five yards to give LSU the ball at the Georgia 38. Two plays later Scott slashed through the line and took it to the house for a 33 yard touchdown. Then in what appears to be typical SEC tradition, LSU drew an unsportsmanlike conduct making them kick off from the 15. But Georgia's final drive ended with an interception by Perry Riley, and LSU escaped with another ugly win.

It was another game where LSU dominated defensively but couldn't put their opponent away. They outgained the Bulldogs 368-274 in total yards and 154-45 on the ground. Jefferson finished the day 18-of-27 for 212 yards, but he was intercepted once and gave up six sacks, many of which were from him holding the ball too long. Charles Scott was the offensive hero on the day with 95 yards and 2 TD on 19 carries. But remember that 33 of those yards came on the winning touchdown. The two quarterbacks combined for 56 yards on 22 carries for the rest of the yards LSU gained on the ground.

Drive Chart

FULL SCREEN VERSION

Quotes From The Game

"I think our guys wanted to rush the football and certainly prepared last week to do so. I think it’s hard work. I think it’s attitude. I think it’s something that this team pointed at and achieved."

- Les Miles -

"I think our offense has confidence in Charles Scott. I think our offense has confidence in the ability to run the football. We just needed to do it and put it together. I think that’s a piece that we can’t lose. We can’t lose sight of it, and it must continue to grow, but I don’t know that Charles needed that. I can tell you that his team needed him to have that day."

- Les Miles -

"I would like to get some production in the sack area. I like, again, the position that our defense puts our team in and the opportunity to win a game on the road at Georgia. For me to say I need more sacks, I like the pressure that was put on. I like the opportunity to get turnovers. I like the opportunity to stop the rushing game. I thought our defense played well. Yes, I would like to have some more sacks but not at the cost of overall production."

- Les Miles -

"Part of me is tempted to say that Jordan Jefferson had a weak game. He certainly made some critical mistakes, and continues to struggle running the option. He just does not run it authoritatively. He gets too far into the backfield, and too close to the pitch man, making it easy for one defender to cover both him and the pitch, which defeats the whole purpose of the option. In the passing game, he would hold the ball too long, and would end up getting sacked when he could have thrown the ball to an open receiver or at least thrown the ball away to avoid a big loss."

-And The Valley Shook-

Rock Chalk Talk with Kansas Recruit Geneo Grissom

Denverjhawk — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:30:24 -0000

View full size photo »

Since the coaching changes at Kansas began to take shape a few weeks ago one player suddenly drawing a lot of attention was Geneo Grissom.

Grissom is a four star defensive end out of Hutchinson Kansas who committed to Kansas early in the process but has since reopened the door to his recruitment. Part of this was the fact that Geneo flew relatively under the radar prior to the season and has had some pretty appealing opportunities come his way of late. The other part is the obvious and that's the coaching changes at Kansas.

Last night, I had a chance to chat with Geneo for a few minutes and while it's tough to read exactly where Kansas stands, it appears they are still in the discussion although some pretty big name schools are looming large.

I caught Geneo as he was returning from his weekend official at Oklahoma as the Sooners are becoming a real player in terms of his recruitment. In regards to the visit Geneo said, "it went very well. I really enjoyed myself and they really made an impact on the visit." Still Geneo wouldn't go so far as to say OU was the frontrunner or anyone was the leader for his services at this point. "OU, LSU and Kansas are the three schools I'm looking at and I still have a visit to LSU on the 23rd of January scheduled," said Grissom. In terms of a Kansas visit, Grissom initially said he planned on taking one but would backtrack a little later in the conversation stating, "honestly I'm just not sure about the visit, it's more a timing issue than anything."

The Kansas coaching staff did reach out to Geneo last week to let him know they are definitely still interested as Turner Gill spoke with Geneo on the phone and Coach Torbush met with him in person. Geneo wouldn't go into whether he still considered himself committed to Kansas, but he did say that those two conversations were enough for him to continue looking at Kansas in the process adding, "I wouldn't count them out just yet."

I also asked Geneo what would be the most important factor in his decision this time around to which he replied, " I'm trying to make my decision based off of everything but football." To elaborate on that Grissom explained, "education, proximity to home, the college surroundings, the town, the people, the players and the coaches. Once I sign the papers there's no looking back." With those factors in mind Geneo still isn't giving any hints as to where Kansas stands based on what he knows to date. Asked if there was a leader Geneo said, "I'd rather not say."

At this point Grissom appears content to take a step back and reevaluate all his options over the next month. There is a lot to be interpreted from his statements but at the same time I think he's just wanting to keep things low key while he decides what's best for him based on the situation that has transpired at Kansas. In terms of a timeline Grissom expected he'll be prepared for a decision after the LSU visit at the end of January. He did leave a little wiggle room for a change earlier however saying simply, "at least that's what I'm thinking for now."

Here's hoping Coach Gill can somehow convince Geneo that being a Jayhawk with him as the coach is just as good if not a better option to being a Jayhawk with Mark Mangino's staff. This appears to be a tough battle and a potential uphill climb for the new Kansas staff, but he did still commit to Kansas originally and that certainly gives the Jayhawks a chance in this.

LSU In Review - Week Four Vs. Mississippi State

BSD — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:00:30 -0000

by Rogelio V. Solis - AP

2 months ago: LSU defensive tackle Al Woods (97) signals after the defense denied Mississippi State a last minute fourth quarter touchdown during an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. LUS won 30-26. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

View full size photo »

Final - 9.26.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
LSU Tigers	13	3	7	7	30
Mississippi St. Bulldogs	14	0	7	5	26

Complete Coverage >

The LSU offense did their best to lose their road game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in week four of the season. But the LSU defense and special teams were not going to let it happen.

Jordan Jefferson had a career game completing 15-of-28 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns of 4 and 58 yards to Brandon LaFell, who caught six passes on the day for 101 yards. But the LSU ground attack sputtered for just 30 yards on 31 carries. In fairness, the TIgers lost 18 yards on two sacks, and lost 37 yards rushing on special teams gaffs and in taking an intentional safety. But still. Russell Shepard was the leading rusher with 26 yards on 4 carries from the wildcat formation. Keiland Williams and Charles Scott combined for just 35 yards on 15 carries for the day. LSU converted only 2-of-13 third downs and only managed 12 first downs in the game.

But the Tiger defense bailed them out again. Patrick Peterson grabbed a tipped ball on Mississippi State's first pass of the game and scampered 37 yards for a touchdown. Then in what appears to be a recurring theme this year, LSU shot themselves in the foot. Peterson got flagged for unsportsman like conduct giving the Bulldogs a short field to work with on their drive. But first the holder and center couldn't hook up on the PAT, and they didn't covert. The Bulldogs took the short field and drove 66 yards for a score. They were aided by a pass interference penalty in the endzone that set up a first and goal at the two.

Later in the first quarter, with LSU up 13-7, a snap went over the LSU punter Derek Helton's head. Helton fell on it, but it set up a first and goal for MSU at the LSU 1 yard line. The Bulldogs punched it in to take a 14-13 lead at the end of one.

LSU was set up beautifully in the second quarter when MSU running back Arnil Stallworth fumbled on his own 25 yard line and the Tigers recovered. Shepard then picked up 15 yards on two successive running plays. But then the offense stalled, and LSU was forced to settle for a 22 yard field goal.

MSU took their next drive well into LSU territory before Brandon Taylor intercepted a pass from Tyson Lee at the LSU 17 yard line. After an LSU three-and-out, the Bulldogs were driving again right before the half. But they bungled their own snap on a field goal attempt just before intermission, and the score remained 16-14.

LSU came out firing on their first play of the second half when Jefferson hit LaFell on their 58 yard touchdown hookup. Later in the quarter the Bulldogs responded with a bomb of their own when Lee hit Marcus Green for a 50 yard touchdown to pull the score to 23-21.

On the ensuing drive, the Tigers would blow a chance for more points when a 40 yard pass to R.J. Jackson set up a first and goal at the MSU seven yard line. Jefferson threw two incomplete passes, and then on third and goal at the seven, Jefferson tried to run it in coming up short at the two. Then LSU kicker Josh Jasper missed the chip shot field goal and LSU came away empty allowing the Bulldogs to hang around.

With the game in the balance, it was becoming obvious the offense wasn't going to pull it out on their own. So the special teams stepped up on the first play of the fourth quarter. Chad Jones, who LSU fans will not hesitate to tell you is TEH AWSUM, fielded a punt at his own seven yard line. Then in a return that featured more cuts than a person sticking their arm in a bucket of broken glass, Jones returned the kick 93 yards for the score. The extra point was true and LSU took a 30-21 lead.

On MSU's next drive, the Tigers once again gave up a big play of 46 yards on a pass by backup quarterback Chris Relf to O'Neil Wilder to the LSU 21 yard line. From there the LSU defense held up, and MSU was forced to settle for a 22 yard field goal to pull within six points.

With just 10 minutes to go in the game, a long sustained scoring drive could have sealed the game for LSU. They started out promising gaining 29 yards on their first two plays. But then that was it. Four plays later, Helton punted into the endzone for a touchback, and LSU had only consumed two minutes on five plays. After a failed MSU drive, LSU got the ball with just under six minutes to play and a chance to ice the game. But this time they only gained 9 yards on 5 plays after consuming 1:55, and LSU had to punt from their own 12 yard line.

MSU took the ball at the 50 with 3:53 to play and drove down the field. An 18 yard rush by Anthony Dixon gave them a first and goal at the LSU 2 yard line and it looked like the Tigers were going down. Dixon ran for one yard on first down, and then he got stuffed for no gain on second down. Tyson Lee threw an incomplete pass that was broken up by Chad Jones. Then Lee tried to sneak it in on fourth down, but came up short. The LSU defense saved the game, and the Tigers advanced to the ugliest 4-0 record in the country. But it was good enough to launch them into the top five in the polls.

Drive Chart

FULL SCREEN VERSION

Quotes From The Game

"I still want to run the football. It’s too fundamental to me not to be important, and I want that. I want it for Charles Scottand that offensive line and Keiland Williams, and I want to be able to come off the football." - Les Miles

"Russell Shepard got into the game for a short series, and I really wanted to get him back in the game in the second half. The difference is that we wanted to be in two-back, and we wanted to throw the football, and that’s not necessarily what we want to do with Russell Shepard in the game." - Les Miles

"The offensive line flat out sucks right now. There's no nice way to say it. They suck. They know they suck." - And The Valley Shook

"After the TD to open the half, LSU's offense went into the tank. LSU only had three 1st downs from that point on. The defense wore down as the half went on, but that was due to an offense that simply didn't show up for the second half." - And The Valley Shook

Poseur Returns From Mouse Land

Poseur — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:07:35 -0000

Did you miss me? I just finished my one week scouting mission in Orlando (talk about bad timing for my vacation... in my defense, I scheduled it six months in advance with no knowledge that LSU would be in the ~~Tangerine~~ ~~Citrus~~ Capital One Bowl). The result? It's warm. There's a Mouse. And LSU fans outnumber PSU fans. (Best moment: the ride operator said "We are..." and someone replied "Tiger Bait!").

So let's see if I can weigh in on the huge news week I missed out on...

JEFFERSON'S COMMENTS. The guys over at Black Shoe Diaries had their panties in a bunch over Jefferson saying that LSU has fast players. For a school that wears black shoes for the reason that they will look slower, they seem awfully sensitive about the whole thing. And JJ wasn't really insulting them, he was saying that Big 10 schools are known for being physical and LSU can counteract that advantage with speed. It was about as innocuous of a statement as you could think of, really.

I don't really believe that one conference is faster than another. That's just blogosphere sabre rattling. And it's not like being fast makes you a great player. Trindon Holliday won the NCAA title in the 100 meters. He is the fastest player in college football. He's nowhere near the best. Xavier Carter is a professional track athlete and won so many events in college it was sort of absurd. He also was a marginal receiver. Bennie Brazell actually was in the Olympics, finishing 8th in the 110m hurdles. He was not a great receiver. Speed does not equal great. Though LSU really has had some of the faster players ever to don a football uniform.

Strangely enough, it is LSU's physicality that has been its calling card, not its speed. LSU's championship teams have been built on hitting teams really, really hard. So talking about Penn St being physical is actually a compliment. Physical, hard-hitting teams are what we like around these parts.

BARKSDALE'S TWEET. Memo to college athletes: don't blog. Don't tweet. Don't pass notes in class. It will always come back to bite you. I think LSU has acted appropriately in simply ignoring this whole thing and even defending Barksdale. He's from Michigan and it's Christmastime. Any 20-year-old kid will miss his family in that situation. I'm not seeing my mom this Christmas, and it makes me sad as well. Poor word choice by Barksdale, but I perfectly understand his emotions. Leave the kid alone.

COACHING CHANGES: No movement. Let the rumors continue.

UPCOMING: I have been hard at work for you, the ATVS reader. I have finished my highly technical ranking of the top 30 LSU athletes of the last decade. I have ranked LSU athletes of every sport of the LSU athletic golden age. Almost all of the top 30 were All-American, and I left out lots of other All-Americans. It's truly staggering the number of great athletes who have worn the purple and gold this decade. Feel free to send me your last ditch efforts to sway my opinion. The rankings are not yet set in stone and I really am leaving some greats on the outside looking in.

LSU In Review - Weeks Two And Three

BSD — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:48:23 -0000

More photos » by Bill Haber - AP

3 months ago: LSU running back Keiland Williams (5) gets away from Louisiana-Lafayette defensive tackle Jordan Topp (98) in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

Browse more photos »

Week Two - Vanderbilt Commodores

Final - 9.12.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Vanderbilt Commodores	0	7	2	0	9
LSU Tigers	7	6	3	7	23

Complete Coverage >

In week two the LSU Tigers defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores on a rain soaked home opener night game in front of a crowd of 91,000 fans.

Running back Keiland Williams was the star of the night scoring two touchdowns and rushing for 72 yards on 10 carries. Charles Scott added another 49 yards on 13 carries as the Tigers outrushed the Commodores 178-122.

Quarterback Jordan Jefferson dinked and dunked his way for 138 yards on 20-of-29 passing. Brandon LaFell caught 7 passes for 38 yards while senior R.J. Jackson caught six passes for 55 yards. LSU used a little trickeration on their second series when backup quarterback Russell Shepard entered the game. They ran a wildcat play with him where he gained 13 yards. Then on the next play he lined up at reciever and caught a pass for eight yards, but he fumbled at the end of the play.

The LSU defense shut down Vanderbilt quarterback Zac Stacy holding him to just 88 yards passing and under 50% completion. The Tiger defense dominated the night all together holding the Vanderbilt offense to just 210 yards and 7 points.

But LSU was far from perfect on the evening. A poor snap on a punt gave Vanderbilt a safety, and Jefferson threw a pick near the goal line. LSU was fortunate that the latter play was overturned on a defensive holding call. But it was a solid win in the second week of the season for the Tigers.

Quotes From The Game

"Any time you play imperfectly and you come to the postgame, you have to recognize that first things first -- you'd much rather win than do any other thing. That being said, I think we've got to play better. ... There were no style points for this one. That's a fact." - Les Miles

"The defense saved the offense's bacon tonight. We had too many 3-and-outs, and more than one negative possession in the second half. Vandy had great field position for most of the 2nd half thanks to three consecutive possessions in which we ran a total of nine plays with two punts and a bad-snap safety." - And The Valley Shook

Week Three - Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns

Final - 9.19.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns	0	3	0	0	3
LSU Tigers	7	10	7	7	31

Complete Coverage >

Week three was a sleeper against the Ragin Cajuns. The amazing statistic of the game is that the Cajuns doubled their all-time scoring against the Tigers in Tiger Stadium. In 12 total games played at Baton Rouge, the Cajuns have been outscored 618-6. They have never scored a touchdown. Ever. Wow. The Cajuns gained 272 total yards with 109 yards rushing. Safety Chad Jones had two interceptions for LSU.

The LSU offense wasn't spectacular, but they were good enough to win. Penalties and turnovers plagued them and held the score lower than it should have been. On the day, LSU only gained 330 total yards. Jefferson completed 16-of-25 passes for 165 yards, 2 TD, and 1 INT. He was also sacked once and fumbled. The LSU running back by committee gained 164 yards. Charles Scott gained 63 on 12 carries while Keiland Williams tallied 41 yards on 10 carries.

Though it was an easy win, it was a particularly brutal game from the injury standpoint for LSU. Tight End Richard Dickson suffered a concussion. Jefferson mildly sprained his knee. DT Josh Downs left with a knee problem. Right tackle Joseph Barksdale had to leave the game as well.

Quotes From The Game

"Our quarterback was not necessarily in a groove early, but we have some talent and we have the ability to make plays. We're not hitting on all cylinders just yet." - Les Miles

"The offensive line should be dominating teams like this and is not doing so. Jordan Jefferson misses open receivers at times. The defense is much improved from the Washington game to now, but still gives up the occasional long, methodical drive or big 3rd down conversion. " - And The Valley Shook

"He's a young quarterback. (Jefferson) He sees some guys open and he's 'Ooh, ooh . . .' and he's not comfortable in his mechanics. He rushes. We've got to get him in practice and do it again, do it again, do it again." - Les Miles