1)      St. Louis Rams – Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma

Bradford might not be the top rated player in the draft but he is the top rated QB.  The Rams are desperate for a franchise QB and will almost certainly take one with the top pick unless they make a trade for a QB they believe can win them games before the draft.

2) Detroit Lions – Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma St

The Lions must protect their big investment in Matthew Stafford by shoring up the offensive line.  The Corey Williams trade allows them to patch up the middle of the line and grab the top rated OT in the draft in Okung.

3)      Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma

The Bucs find themselves with an interesting dilemma having to choose between the two DTs.  Ndamuking Suh has out-preformed McCoy on the playing field and in work-outs but the experts still considers them virtually equal, with many giving the nod to McCoy.   I think McCoy is a better fit for the Bucs defense so he gets the call.

4)      Washington Redskins – Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame

If McCoy and/or Okung was available then we might have a debate with who the Redskins would take; with both players gone in this mock draft, Clausen seems like a lock here.

5)      Kansas City Chiefs – Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa

If we learned anything from last year’s draft, it is that Scott Pioli is big on positional value.  That alone should rule out Eric Berry from the discussion as drafting a safety with the 5^th pick.  Suh is a possibility because of his high rating but in the end, the Chiefs can make the biggest improvement by drafting an OT.  The question now is: which one they would take as there is no clear cut #2 at the moment?  Bulaga might not had the press as some of the other OT in the draft but he is a solid player who can start contributing immediately, plus a mean streak that coaches love from their linemen.

6)      Seattle Seahawks – Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska-

The Seahawks would love to grab Clausen in the draft but would have elated to see Suh still on the board at #6, who many considered a lock for the top spot a month ago.

7)      Cleveland Browns – Eric Berry, S, Tennessee

Just like the Seahawks, the Browns would also love to get Clausen in the draft and likewise would be quite happy settling for the highest rated safety in the draft since Sean Taylor.  The Browns secondary is a mess and Berry would go a long way to improving it immediately.

8)      Oakland Raiders – Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida

The Raiders drafting style is just plain laughable.  Who are the biggest combine freaks at a position they need? Bam there is your pick for the Raiders.  It seems like this pick will come down to Bruce Campbell or Pierre-Paul. While Campbell fills a bigger need, Pierre-Paul is the bigger freak and therefore in Al Davis’s mind is obviously the logical pick.

9)      Buffalo Bills – Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma

The Bills need to fix their OL and Williams has been climbing up the charts, looking like a Top 10 pick.  Dan Willams, the big NT from Tennessee, will be another option as the Bills are switching to a 3-4 defense.  However it is usually easier to find a big DT than a franchise left tackle, therefore Trent will be the Willams that the Bills select.

10)  Jacksonville Jaguars – Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech

The Jags signed Aaron Kapman but he is old and coming off knee surgery so I think that Morgan will be too tough to pass on.  Dez Byrant is another strong possibility to give Tim Tebow <cough>, I mean David Garrard another weapon as part of the Jags front office is probably still upset with passing on Michael Crabtree last year.

11)  Denver Broncos – Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State

The Broncos seemed like a lock to select Dan Williams before signing Jamal Williams.  After addressing most of their defensive needs with free agents, the Broncos have the luxury of drafting the top WR in the draft.  Even if Brandon Marshall stays, which is highly unlikely, the Broncos need another WR; this should be the pick regardless of whether Marshall is on the roster.

12)  Miami Dolphins – Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee

The Dolphins have to be ecstatic to hear about the Jamal Williams signing by the Broncos as they get their man in Dan Williams.  If Bryant was still on the board then it would be interesting to see if they pass on him or not.

13)  San Francisco 49’ers – Joe Haden, CB, Florida

Haden has seen his stock drop after a disappointing combine but I don’t expect to see him drop too far.  The 49’ers have been linked to CJ Spiller with this pick but if they are choosing between the top CB in the draft and a change-of-pace RB, I think we know the answer.  If you recall this is the same situation with the Saints last year– everyone was predicting RB but they took the top CB in Malcolm Jenkins.

14)  Seattle Seahawks – CJ Spiller, Ohio State

Seattle needs some excitement on offense and Spiller is just the player for it.  Pete Carroll would be bragging to people saying ‘what is so hard about this drafting stuff?’ if he could come away with Suh and Spiller as his top two picks.

15)  New York Giants – Brian Price, DT, UCLA

Price hasn’t received a lot of press because everyone is talking about Suh and McCoy, but he has quietly solidified a Top 20 spot in the draft.  The Giants love drafting lineman and Price would be a nice value here.

16)  Tennessee Titans – Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan

The Titans are a tough team to predict as they usually draft the best player available.  Unless they are drafting near the top or someone slips then it is difficult to know who they have at the top of their board.  As this mock draft has unfolds there isn’t anyone slipping this far so I have them taking Graham; he fills a major need and also was highly productive at Michigan.

17)  San Francisco 49’ers – Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland

The 49’ers have a need at OT and Campbell is the last one in that first tier who many project as a Top 10 player.  If Spiller is still on the board, then I could see them selecting him here.

18)  Pittsburgh Steelers – Rolando McClain, ILB, Alabama

McClain ran a disappointing 40 time but that shouldn’t hurt his draft stock too much as he was most likely never going to be a Top 10 pick anyway.  McClain is an ideal fit for the Steelers who have to be glad to see him still on the board.

19)  Atlanta Falcons – Earl Thomas, S, Texas

The Falcons need a lot of assistance in the secondary and while signing Dunta Robinson helps, they will still find it hard to pass up on Thomas.  I know that Berry is an elite safety but Thomas is much closer to him (in my opinion) than some people realize.

20)  Houston Texans – Ryan Matthews, RB, Fresno State

The Texans need a RB who they can count on contributing if not carry the load out of this draft.  Matthews is a bit of a reach at #20 but I don’t think the risk waiting to grab their back.

21)  Cincinnati Bengals – Travis Mays, S, USC

The Bengals could go after a WR with this pick if they fail to sign one during FA but I think they will get one.  Roy Williams is not the answer at safety so look for the Bengals to continue to go to their USC pipeline and grab Mays.

22)  New England Patriots – Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State

This pick seems like it would come down to Odrick and Sergio Kindle as both players are expected to go in this range and both fit a big need.  History says that the Patriots would value the defensive lineman over a rush linebacker; so Odrick.

23)  Green Bay Packers – Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State

I am a big fan of Wilson and wouldn’t be surprised if other teams picking earlier don’t fall in love with him as well.  If he is on the board for the Packers, I think it is a no brainer.  Ted Thompson is not known to reach for a player; I don’t see them drafting a OT here.

24)  Philadelphia Eagles – Everson Griffen, DE, USC

The Eagles are looking to upgrade their DE and Andy Reid loves to draft lineman.  Carlos Dunlap is another option here depending on which boom or bust defensive end Andy Reid fancies.

25)  Baltimore Ravens – Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma

Gresham was a Top 15 talent before missing all of the 2009 season.  The Ravens get a steal with here as they continue to add weapons for Cam Cameron and Joe Flaco.

26)  Arizona Cardinals – Sergio Kindle, OLB, Texas

The Cardinals are in need of help at the linebacker position and will most likely choose between Kindle and Sean Weatherspoon, if he is available.  The Cardinals will be basically choosing between talent and intangibles as Kindle has Top 15 talent but comes with lots of baggage.  The NFL usually sides on talent in the draft, making Kindle the likely pick.

27)  Dallas Cowboys – Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho

The Cowboys don’t usually draft OL in the 1^st round but this is just too perfect of a fit.  Iupati is a big, nasty interior lineman that the Cowboys like and could utilize.

28)  San Diego Chargers – Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama

The Chargers will be looking for a running back but won’t find one worthy of the 28^th pick.  Instead they will look to replace Jamal Williams with a prototypical 3-4 NT in Cody.

29)  New York Jets – Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame

The Jets had a glaring need at CB but at least temporally filled that with the trade for Antonio Cromartie.  This will allow the Jets to add another weapon for Marc Sanchez in Tate.  He will be a perfect fit in the Jets offense opposite Braylon Edwards.

30)  Minnesota Vikings – Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida

The Vikings were lacking last year with the interior line and looked poised to take Alex Mack before the Browns jumped in front of them and they ‘settled’ for Percy Harvin.  While Harvin looks to be an exciting play-maker, the Vikings struggled to run up the middle.  Pouncey will be an excellent selection if he makes it to them at #30.

31)  Indianapolis Colts – Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers

The Colts are one of these teams that tend to draft the best player available.  They could use more depth on the offensive line and Davis is a high upside OT that is sliding in the draft due to a poor combine.

32)  New Orleans Saints – Sean Weatherspoon, OLB, Missouri

Weatherspoon has the type of intangibles that could see him come off the board much sooner even though his talent projects him in the 27-37 draft pick range.  He made a fan out of me at the Senior Bowl but in this mock draft slips to the Saints.

Related posts:

1. CFO Drew’s take on the Athlon Mock Draft
2. Mock NFL Draft 3.04
3. Mock NFL Draft 2.20

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

USC football head coach Lane Kiffin, National Signing Day (thanks Icon SMI)

With the ink barely dry, and all schools announcing their final signing day hauls, we begin to assess some of these prospects and make some assumptions on whether or not they will have any impact inside the college fantasy world come kick off weekend in early September. Some schools take the mentality heading into signing day of just trying to fill some team needs, such as Miami, Boston College, and Michigan did this year. Some teams approach signing day like it is the NFL draft and try to stockpile as much talent as possible in whatever positions they can regardless of depth, like USC, Texas, and UF did. Regardless of the approach, this class will certainly be making an impact soon enough, with a few rare kids making that impact sooner then others.

Florida had an excellent year in recruiting evidenced by the consensus #1 recruiting class on paper. Some have even been so bold as to say that it is possibly the best recruiting class of any school in any year. Only time will tell. I will say this however; the talent hauled in on the defensive line is second to none and a couple recruits are certain to see the field early and often, now that the Gators have begun to see a little turnover in players. Looking at UF’s class, the names that strike me as players that will most likely be immediate impact players are DE Ronald Powell from California, DT Dominique Easley from New York, and Shariff Floyd from Pennsylvania. Each of these guys should get into the rotation very early and I would not be surprised to see Powell and Easley end up as possible starters at the end of the season.  The Gators will no doubt have another solid defense and these guys will be big time contributors.

Another school in Florida that had a solid haul with some impact players was Florida State. The Seminole’s defense was terrible in 2009 which ultimately led to some serious coaching overhaul starting at the top. Mix that in with some excellent recruits and FSU could possibly be taking the first step to gaining back some of that respect that they demanded in the 90’s. Florida State signed by far the best class of Line Backers of any school on paper. With the late addition of stud Christian Jones to an already solid group including Nigel Terrell, Telvin Smith, and #1 rated MLB Jeff Luc, this will be a group that sees the field early and pays immediate dividends. Last year, FSU’s defense was playable depending on the competition that week, but with the additions of these guys, FSU should see significant improvement on defense.

Throw in highly touted DB LaMarcus Joyner and FSU looks to have gained a playmaker on all sides of the ball; offense, defense, and special teams. Joyner has already been compared to studs like Percy Harvin. Expect Joyner to see the field as a return man accompanied by star CB Greg Reid. Joyner will also get his shot to demonstrate his speed on the offense in some WR packages. He’ll push for time early in nickel defenses.

WR Markeith Ambles (thanks Icon SMI)

Speaking of receivers, it would be hard not to mention USC with their surprise steal of Markeith Ambles and 5 star Robert Woods. There is a new regime in Southern Cal and these are Kiffin type of boys. Lane inherits a solid offense and these two should be cracking the lineup pretty quickly. USC has struggled to see solid play from the receiver group over the last year and these guys were brought in to help change that. Young QB throwing to young WR makes for a powerful offense over the next couple of years.  Throw in the top two TE signings of any school in Xavier Grimble and Christian Thomas and this season looks like it could be a year for extreme aerial assaults for the Trojans. Both TE are superb pass catchers and are large targets in the red zone as they average 6’ 5”.

Texas who, with the exception of star receiver Jordan Shipley, has really struggled at the receiver position over the last couple of years brought in some very solid playmakers that should be pushing early for solid playing time. The trio of Mike Davis, four-star Darius White, and four-star Chris Jones are going to be looked at as the future, but I would not be surprised to see all three of these guys push hard to see the field. Ultimately one of them will most likely see the field more frequently, but all it takes is one injury to open things up.

In terms of the Running Back group, Oregon and UCLA had some impressive hauls and both teams have players that should see the field early and make impacts for their respective teams. UCLA, who struggled to move the ball on the ground last year, locked up top RB Jordan James and Malcolm Jones. Both one of these guys could end up in the rotation early, and if an injury takes place, the other would be able to step up immediately. Oregon picked up superstar-to-be Lache Seastrunk who is a bruiser with exceptional speed. Oregon loves to run a dual back offense and it has already been said the Lache is going to have every chance to carry the ball and with his stature, possibly see some red zone touches.

This year was an average year for the quarterback position as most of the star players went to schools where they will redshirt. However, Colorado State lured four stars QB Pete Thomas from Arizona State late in the process and he is expected to have every chance to take the reigns early. Another sleeper is UCF commit Jeffrey Godfrey from Miami Central who has also been told that he will have every chance to compete for the starting gig in Central Florida. Since he brought some of his high school teammates, this could be a seamless transition for him. He is very much like Jaccory Harris in his abilities and could help put some points for the Knights who look to be turning the table in the recruiting battle for some premier prospects in their own backyard.

Related posts:

1. MAC Preview: General Thoughts
2. The Freshman 15: Top new WRs in fantasy college football
3. Big 12’s Other Rankings for Fantasy College Football

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Tony Pike wants to ensure that Jeremy just asked him about that interception...(Icon SMI)

After the 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl I grabbed some of the more interesting NFL Draft prospects at the game not named Tim Tebow – I think he hired the Secret Service to get him through the week’s festivities.

Zac Robinson, QB Oklahoma State

Tony Pike, QB Cincinnati

Sean Weatherspoon. LB Missouri

Related posts:

1. Exclusive 2010 Senior Bowl Interviews
2. PODCAST: Senior Bowl Postgame interviews
3. Senior Bowl Day Three – North practice report

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Central Michigan's Dan Lefevour (13, left) and Cincinnati's Tony Pike (right) perform drills during Senior Bowl Practice Week. (photo courtesy of Kathy Mosure)

Absolutely solid stuff from Mississippi State’s Anthony Dixon, Mississippi’s Dexter McCluster helps us define his role in the NFL, and Cincinnati’s Mardy Gilyard tells me about how he competes with his Senior Bowl teammates. And you might be surprised by college football’s all-time leading touchdown maker Dan Lefevour’s favorite team ever.

Oh yes, we talk defense with Terrence “Mount” Cody of the National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide. Check out the interviews after the jump.

srbowl2010_Dan Lefevour – shuffling through the Senior Bowl

srbowl2010_Tony Pike – talks about what goes through a QB mind during a “tryout” like this

srbowl2010_Joe Webb – working out at wide receiver

srbowl2010_Anthony Dixon – my favorite interview

srbowl2010_Dexter McCluster – WR or RB? or both?

srbowl2010_Mady Gilyard – super kid with great attitude

srbowl2010_Jacoby Ford – the Clemson track and football star is FAST

Related posts:

1. Senior Bowl Exclusive Postgame Audio: Tony Pike, Sean Weatherspoon, Zac Robinson
2. PODCAST: Senior Bowl Postgame interviews
3. Senior Bowl Day Three – North practice report

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Linebacker Drills

Illinois TE Michael Hoomanawanui

Related posts:

1. Exclusive 2010 Senior Bowl Interviews
2. Senior Bowl Day Three – North practice report
3. SENIORS RULE!: Pre-Game Reflections on the Senior Bowl

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

In contrast to yesterday’s full pads, full go practice that lasted just over two hours, today’s practice for the south was not much more then some simple walkthroughs on special teams and a few opportunities during some 2 minute drills and very brief 5 v 7 period which then turned into an 11 v 11 period to close out the day.

Believe it or not, Tim Tebow actually looked the best out of the QB corps today. The competition did not really show any true desire to perform which could have been more due to the extra laid back feel during today’s practice. Yesterday, the Miami Dolphin coaches were hot and fierce. Today, they were more even keeled and mild mannered. Regardless of what it was, Tebow (however still nothing to really get super excited about), did end up looking the sharpest out there.

During the warm up drills, Tebow’s balls were either laser-like with bad accuracy or slow and wobbly but on target. I thought this was going to be yet another day where he gives the media more to talk about and digest about his true NFL potential. During the same drills, I thought that Zach Robinson showed some inconsistencies. He would zip in a perfect ball on a slant route but then would throw the ball far too high on a fade into the back of the endzone. He had some really good balls and some really bad one’s, which ultimately led to an interception during the 2 minute drill. Jarred Brown however struggled all day. His warm-up passes were pretty balls, but showed lack of arm strength and his decision making was questioned several times as he would either force a ball in where it shouldn’t have been, or he would panic and just take off with his legs gaining maybe three yards.

Tebow really began to shine during the 2 minute drills. His first pass during the simulation was a beautiful stop and go route, ran by his collegiate teammate, Riley Cooper, where Tim pumped and got the defender to bite, then nailed Cooper over the top for about 27 yards. He then followed that up with a 9 yard pass to QB converted to WR, Joe Webb. Another laser to Miami Tight End, Jimmy Graham for 6 more yards. He wrapped up his series with a 16 yard pass to USC Tight End, Anthony McCoy.

Zack Robinson really struggled; he only managed to gain about 11 yards on four passing attempts with really only two of the attempts connecting with their target. The other two passes were batted down by the defenders.

On Brown’s first attempt at it, he ran the ball for a total of 12 yards on three of his five downs. Not to mention a fumbled snap on the second play where he panicked and just tried to make something out of nothing by using his legs. Brown actually managed to fumble the snap 3 times today between the 2 minute drill and the 11 v 11 session.

The most impressive player by far continues to be Dexter McCluster; used in a variety of ways at receiver, running back, and even playing some in a wildcat formation. When asked about what position he is really going to be utilized for, he said “…as an offensive playmaker.” During the 11 v 11 drills, McCluster ran the ball for 6 times for a total of roughly 30 yards. Add in the fact that he is also an excellent return man, this Darren Sproles clone could end up being a force in the NFL.

Anthony Dixon was not as much of a factor today as he only was handed the ball about 4 times during the 11 v 11 drills. The no pads practice didn’t play into Dixon’s strengths as a bruising back that likes to give the hit instead of taking it. He has been compared to Dallas RB Marion Barber in a way for that exact playing style.

The stars in the receiving corps were surprisingly Riley Cooper and USC TE, Anthony McCoy. Cooper only had a couple of balls that were thrown his way that did not end up in his hands, and they were not his fault. A bad pass from Tebow to his back right thigh on a crossing route is next to impossible to snag. But Cooper showed great signs of coming back to the ball to help his quarterbacks out. A particular play comes to mind as Cooper lined up on the left and ran a 15 yard curl route. The ball was thrown way low and to the wrong side. Cooper made the adjustment and made a phenomenal catch.

McCoy provided a big target for all three quarterbacks, especially in the red zone. He had several catches for big gains and even one of them for a TD on a great spin move along the goal line. It’ll be interesting to see how he is used in the game. I have noticed that the Miami staff have been using the TE in more a receiving role then a blocking role which is somewhat opposite of the North team. The North has been using their TE in a 50/50 split of blocking and receiving.

There was not a whole lot to write about in regards to the defense as the offense was really able to move the ball fairly well throughout the practice. Granted, this will be a different and even ferocious defense once the pads are on and it is game day, but today was a gimme.

Related posts:

1. Senior Bowl Day Three – South practice report
2. Senior Bowl Day Three – North practice report
3. Senior Bowl Day Four – North Practice Report

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I was not impressed with Dan LeFevour (Central Michigan) or Tony Pike (Cincinnati) in the Wednesday’s practice as they both were not throwing the ball with any authority in what appeared to me as a deliberate attempt to be more accurate.  However, that totally changed today as I thought both QBs were throwing the ball with much more zip while still remaining on target.  I don’t think either player has helped their draft status here in Mobile, but they showed enough to remain in that second tier group of QBs.

Sean Canfield (Oregon St) received some decent reviews but I have not seen anything that would move him into the 2^nd tier of QBs.  It almost seems that he is getting a pass from scouts because they expected so much more from LaFevour and Pike.

LeGarrette Blount (Oregon) looks like a NFL back; he has the size and quickness scouts would of fell in love with 10years ago before the trend of the two and sometimes three headed running back committee.  Obviously his character issues will hurt his draft stock but he is the type of player that if he can get a good head on his shoulders, 5 years from now fans will be wondering why he didn’t get drafted higher.

Lonyae Miller (Fresno) is a player that held his own but did seem to run a little up-right when hitting the holes in Weds practice.

Joique Bell (Wayne St) is not a player I knew too much about before this week but I was quickly impressed with his balance which is often an over-looked attribute.  He hits the holes quickly but does appear to lack top-end speed.  Players from these small schools must prove they can play with the big boys and Bell did just that.

Taylor Price (Ohio) has received tons of hype during the Senior Bowl and if he runs in the low 4.3s as many expect, he should solidify a draft spot in the 2^nd round.  He still needs to do some work with consistently catching the ball but has a frame that should allow him to be more than a fly-pattern WR.

Chris Brown (Oklahoma) is a back that I was a big fan of during his playing days in college but I barely noticed him out on the practice field this week.  And you know what? I didn’t hear anyone talking about him either so it must not just have been me.

Mardy Gilyard (Cincinnati) will be on a NFL team this time next year based on his return skills alone but really needs to be much more consistent catching the ball if he wants to see some passes thrown his way in the NFL.

Dorin Dickerson (Pitt) and Donald Jones (Youngstown St) are both bigger WR who don’t have the speed to be anything more than a possession receiver in the NFL.  The problem is that I didn’t see either player use their size to their advantage and was far too inconsistent catching the ball.  Both of these players have serious work in the next two months.

Danario Alexander was a no-show for the Thursday practice but did a good job using his height (6’5 221lbs) and jumping ability to go up for the ball in the Weds practice.

Ed Dickson (Oregon) has easily been the most impressive pass catching TE in Mobile and had a beautiful catch in which he easily beat Daryl Washington (TCU) off the press.

Related posts:

1. Senior Bowl Day Three – North practice report
2. Senior Bowl Day Three – South practice report
3. Senior Bowl Day Four – South Practice Report

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Of course, any talk about the South team has to start with Tim Tebow.  There isn’t much to add that hasn’t already been said since I saw the same things that everyone has.  His mechanics need a lot of work and after throwing some bad passes he became hesitant and then checks off.   I don’t believe he is a lost cause at QB but he can’t be considered anything more than a project. However, the NFL has shown they aren’t afraid to draft a QB project with upside in the 2^nd round.  Tarvaris Jackson proves this.

Joe Webb (UAB) is making the transition from QB to WR and did a good job catching the routine passes but struggled with the more difficult ones.  He impressed me with his physical play and used his body well to shield the defenders.  Obviously he is going to be raw as a receiver but he it was how slow he looked that might be the thing that prevents an NFL to draft him.

Andre Roberts (The Citadel) was a player that I heard a lot of good things about from the earlier practices, which were confirmed strongly.  He caught everything thrown his way, ran crisp routes and shows no intimidation going against bigger school players.   I look forward to seeing if he can continue to stand out on Thursday.

Dexter McCluster (Ole Miss) is tiny standing at 5’8 and a mere 165lbs but was easily the most electrifying player in Mobile this year.  It will be interesting to see how he will be used by the NFL team that drafts him since he is listed as a WR, but played RB in today’s practice much like he did much of his college career.

Shay Hodge (Ole Miss) started out a little slow and had me quickly criticizing him for some of his early route running, but finished the day strong with catching several passes in traffic.  He handled the press coverage as good as any receiver today and overall looked good.

Ryan Upchurch (Alabama) and Stafon Johnson (USC) unfortunately didn’t do anything that impressed me.

Riley Cooper (Florida) was inconsistent throughout the day in all regards.  Every time I would note him doing something good, he would then do the same poorly.  I need to see another days practice to get a better opinion of him.

Andre Dixon (Miss St) is just a beast who should easily find a job in the NFL as a power-back.  He impressed me with his route running and catching ability which will go a long way to giving him a chance at more than just a short-yardage guy.  Interestingly enough, in an interview with Dixon after the practices, he compared his style to Andrian Peterson with regards to how he looks for contact oppose to waiting for it to come.  I agree and Dixon is one of the players I think will be a very good value for the team that drafts him.

Jeremy Williams (Tulane) is a player I was a big fan of during his college career so I naturally hoped he would impress me.  At times he did, but far too often would follow up a great play with a drop pass or a poor route.  From the people I spoke with, it seems that Williams looked better during the Mon/Tues practices so I will be expecting more from him tomorrow.

Ben Tate (Auburn) seemed to disappear for most of the practice but did have a very nice bounce outside run towards the end of the practice.  In the early drills he displayed nice catching ability which was a pleasant surprise; he was rarely used in the passing game at Auburn.

By design, I focused my attention to the offense skill players but at the same time none of the defensive players jumped out to me on the South team like Daryl Washington (TCU) and Sean Weatherspoon (Missouri) did from the North team.  Ok, well let me take that back… Terrence Cody who weighed in at a mere 370lbs stood out.  He over-powered every player he went against.

Related posts:

1. Senior Bowl Day Four – South Practice Report
2. Senior Bowl Day Four – North Practice Report
3. Senior Bowl Day Three – North practice report

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Overall, it appeared as if there was a lackluster feel around the team. There was not a lot of intensity but that could be more a signal from the Detroit Lions coaching staff approaching this as a fun experience for these kids then an actual showcase and competition. Either way, the big names (led by such names as Tony Pike, Daryl Washington, Danario Alexander, and LeGarrette Blount) seemed to almost disappear into the background more then actually step up and show off their goods.

It has been immensely noted that the quarterbacks from both the South and North have really struggled all week and today was no exception for the North team – Cincinnati’s Pike, Central Michigan’s Dan LeFevour, and Oregon State’s Sean Canfield. The common complaint from most scouts is whether any of these guys will have the necessary arm strength to make it in the NFL. It appeared almost as if they were timid to throw the ball with serious power for fear of overthrowing or forcing it which would in turn lead to the turnovers that all NFL scouts cringe at. Unfortunately for Tony Pike, he did just that in 11×11 drills as he was gunning for collegiate teammate Mardy Gilyard out in the left flat and just forced the ball into a spot that it should not have been which was then picked off by TCU linebacker Daryl Washington for a pick six.

There is no doubt that all three of these guys can throw the long ball, but the problem is that all had a terrible time doing with authority. On several cases, the receivers would either have to stop or slow way down to avoid over running the ball during the early morning passing drills. When the long ball turned into the intermediate passes into the flats, the authority looked even worse as no quarterback put the necessary power on the ball that would have allowed their receivers the opportunity to turn up field and get more yards.

I thought that LeFevour was the more consistent QB out there, but still by far from a lock for a starting gig in the NFL. I consider all three of these guy projects which would normally place them in the 3rd – 5th rounds of the NFL Draft. Canfield appeared to be the most timid of the three as he never really showed a good command of the team out there on the field. Tony Pike played very hot and cold and showed that his transition from the high powered Cincinnati offense to a more traditional pro-style will take some serious work.

The runningbacks corps as a whole is not a very notable group. They are led by Blount who is looking to redeem himself after missing the whole season for his well known “punch heard ‘round the world” at Boise State. He ran well and with intensity and even broke a couple of tackles from big named defenders like Washington and Mizzou LB Sean Weatherspoon. He did lose a fumble as he ran straight into a mosh pit in 7 v 7 drills.

Fresno State RB Lonyae Miller continued to struggle running with his pads so high that he makes it easy for defenders to knock him around. One of the bigger hits of the morning was a handoff from Pike to Miller who ran to the right but was met by CB Brandon Ghee who knocked him back by three yards. The most impressive back of the morning was a prospect from a small school; Wayne State’s Joique Bell. He was not the most explosive back out there, but he showed great poise and serious balance skills as there were several times where he would burst through a hole and be tripped up a defender, place his hand on the ground and break away for more yards.

The wide receiver group was probably the most disappointing for me to watch. This is a group with some bigger names and maybe they forgot to show up today. Mardy Gilyard from Cincinnati, Clemson’s Jacoby Ford, Missouri’s Danario Alexander, and Pittsburgh’s TE/WR Dorin Dickerson head up this year’s group of receivers. Believe it or not, but little known Ohio receiver, Taylor Price, outshined this whole group. He caught just about every ball thrown his way, regardless of how bad they were, and he was always looking to help his quarterback out by looking back and running with him to try and give him an outlet.

Out of all of the receivers, I was expecting big things from Ford and Alexander. Ford dropped several catchable balls and Alexander was such a non factor that I even forgot he was on the field. From what I witnessed, Ford struggles with catching the ball with his hands – he tries to trap the ball in against his body and all of the higher passes would bounce off of his pads. Gilyard was almost a non-factor and that could have been more due to the defenders locking him up at the line then anything. If this was a real game, the offense would have marched down the field by gaining penalty yards for interference and defensive holding.

The tightend group was the most consistent group on offense today. I was watching them during their blocking drills and all three, Oregon’s Ed Dickson, Wisconsin’s Garrett Graham, and Illinois’ Mike Hoomanawanui, were getting barked at for not using their legs for strength at the point of contact. Each struggled with trying to rely on their arm strength during a block, but to actually drive through the block.

All three did however catch the ball very well. During 7 v 7 and 11 v 11 drills, Duck Dickson was a superstar as he caught 4 balls for roughly 40 yards. I think he will become a purely pass catching TE similar to Dallas Clark as Dickson was the smallest of the TE and really looked more like a large WR. Graham was the more consistent all-around TE during blocking and catching drills, but hardly was used an option in the 7 v 7 and 11 v 11 drills.

All in all, the North has the talent and the big names, but there was just a laid back and lackluster feeling around the practice field that it all translated to sloppy play and a poor practice. We’ll see how tomorrow goes, but if this continues, a showcase for the players on the north will be a wasted opportunity.

Related posts:

1. Senior Bowl Day Four – North Practice Report
2. Senior Bowl Day Four – South Practice Report
3. Senior Bowl Day Three – South practice report

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Related posts:

1. Senior Bowl Exclusive Postgame Audio: Tony Pike, Sean Weatherspoon, Zac Robinson
2. Exclusive 2010 Senior Bowl Interviews
3. Senior Bowl Road Trip begins today

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Derek Dooley’

Dooley …well, he may be successful, although I think he may be a bit in over his head for the next season or so. There’s a bit of a learning curve when going from the WAC to the SEC, pedigree or no, and given the difficulty filling the coaching positions so far (as of this writing, Tennessee still doesn’t have a defensive coordinator) it’s going to be a slower process than usual. The only mitigating factor – and it’s a big one – is that the Volunteers are so decimated by losses that it’s not going to make a ton of difference in 2010.

It wasn’t exactly a state secret that Jonathan Crompton and Montario Hardesty have played their last snap in Tennessee orange; these guys doubled as the heart and soul of the 2009 Volunteers, which didn’t seem nearly as laughable at the end of the season as it did during it. Indeed, looking at the skill positions, there’s plenty of reason to think that Tennessee will be fine. Their top WRs – Gerald Jones and Denarius Moore – both return along with TE Luke Stocker (matchup nightmare), and David Oku should be able to easily slot in as the Bryce Brown to Brown’s 2009 Hardesty next season. The biggest question at the skill positions next season is going to be if Nick Stephens and/or Tyler Bray can step in as a legitimate college QB.

However, note the presence of “skill positions” in the above paragraph. That’s there for a reason: the offensive line is decimated. Nearly anyone who played meaningful snaps this year is gone – the Sullins twins, Chris Scott, Jacques McClendon, and Vladmir Richard (plus previous three-year starter Josh McNeil) will graduate, leaving in their place a ton of underclassmen. Next season’s success will be dictated by how quickly the new offensive line matures, as early struggles won’t bode well for the rest of the season. (Think 2009 Oklahoma for a good example of what a new offensive line can do.)

The good news is that Dooley’s preferred offensive approach isn’t that much different than what Tennessee’s seen for ages; it’s a pro-style, slightly run-favored offense that lends itself well to UT’s current personnel. Jim Chaney is still there, so offensive continuity is pretty much maintained.

Defensive continuity may have some issues, though. Tennessee loses its top four tacklers (up to and including likely top-5 pick Eric Berry) along with pass-rush specialist Wes Brown; heck, their leading returning tackler (MLB Herman Lathers) is a freshman pressed into service only due to the season-ending injury to MLB Nick Reveiz. Actually, it’s thanks to MLB depth issues last season that Dooley’s preferred 3-4 scheme may be able to happen sooner rather than later.

Indeed, it’s the transition to a 3-4 that may cause the biggest 2010 issues for Tennessee; I don’t see good short-term success from the transition as it takes about a season for people to get familiar with the scheme change – plus Tennessee doesn’t have a monster DT type who can serve as an effective first line of run defense. The personnel issues likely will prevent a shift during the 2010 year anyway, so 2011 may be the season of transition.

The upshot for now is that Dooley will end up getting a functional free pass this year if Tennessee at least has the grace to look competitive. However, from a fantasy perspective things don’t look nice at all, as a bad offensive line can destroy even the best of plans.

Related posts:

1. SEC Keeper Watch
2. Papa John’s Bowl Preview
3. SEC Bookends: Green with Envy

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

What exactly could this mean for those looking for offensive production? Passing yards baby! Let’s dig into that background and see if Central Michigan will remain a viable team for next years draft.

Now…stick with me here, I am laying the foundation of his offensive knowledge. Enos played his college ball at Michigan State. He started two years at QB for the Spartans. From 1991 to 1998 he served as an offensive coordinator and coached quarterbacks, backfield and wide receivers at different institutions.

He really started to show on the radar in 1999 when he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Missouri State. The passing offense ranked 22nd, scoring offense was 23rd and total offense ranked 30th.

From 2000 to 2002 he coached the quarterbacks at Western Michigan. The Broncos ranked as high as 30th nationally in passing offense and averaged 400.6 total yards and 29.9 points per game.

In 2003, as the offensive coordinator, North Dakota State averaged 30.1 points per game.

In 2004 and 2005 at Cincinnati he was the quarterbacks coach. Yes, pass happy Cincinnati was one of his stops.

And from 2006 to 2009 he was coaching the running backs after starting as the quarterbacks coach at Michigan State.

The potential is there for the Chippewa’s to have an offensive system that continues to put points on the board. The biggest hurdle for Enos is the departure of stud QB Dan LeFevour and one of his favorite targets WR Bryan Anderson. It may take some time for Enos to recruit the players he wants for his system, although Butch Jones left him a decently full cupboard.  Once Enos establishes himself in the role, look to see one of the best passing offenses in the nation.

Related posts:

1. Big 10 Bookends: The Black and Gold Fold.
2. Welcome to the MAC Guys – new head coaches
3. Coordinator Carousel: Big Ten Coaching Changes

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Years at Central Michigan

• 2004 – 395.55 yards per game (39th), 23.64 ppg, 105th defense
• 2005 – 418.91 ypg (35th), 23.64 ppg, 74th defense
• 2006 – 375.29 ypg (32nd), 29.71 ppg, 67th defense. Won MAC championship and played in Motor City Bowl

Years at Cincinnati

• 2007 – 36.31 ppg (16th), 433.92 ypg (30th), 50th Defense. Top 25 ranking with 10 win season. Won Papa John’s Bowl
• 2008 – PPG drop to 25.86, 370 yards per game with 31st Defense. Top 25 ranking and 11 win season, Big East title. Lost Orange Bowl
• 2009 – 38.62 ppg (4th), 447 ypg (6th), 3,844 pass yards (6th). Undefeated season and ranked 3rd nationally. Lost BCS Sugar Bowl

Quarterback Dayne Crist (thanks Icon SMI)

Under center many Irish supporters are relying on Dayne Crist to take over. The Junior to-be from California is the front runner to be the next QB and he immediately becomes a fantasy quarterback to consider in drafts. While Crist may be the lead dog in the race, another familiar name to Irish fans has returned. Nate Montana has returned to the fold and will challenge Crist in spring practice. Montana should not contend right away, but considering Kelly is coming in with a fresh start and perspective, Montana should get a shot.

One player that will have an interesting transition with the new coach is RB Armando Allen, who only played in 8 games in 2009, amassing close to 700 yards and 3 scores. Allen should be healthy and return to the lineup in 2010, however under Kelly, running backs play a more vital role in the offense then under Weis. In 2009 with the Bearcats, Kelly had two backs that were productive. Isaiah Pead for 800 yards and 9 scores while Jacob Ramsey had 439 and 4 scores. Allen may end up splitting time with Robert Hughes, but he will play the Pead role. In addition to Pead’s production on the ground, he also caught 20 balls and had 2 scores. Allen is a draftable and serviceable running back who will enjoy having the new offensive guru as his head coach.

What Brian Kelly does have is a stud at Wide Receiver in Michael Floyd. As a true freshman, he scored seven times to go along with 48 catches and 719 yards. Although his sophomore year was limited because of a shoulder injury, Floyd was a stud in the games which he suited up. He recovered to record a total of 9 receiving touchdowns and almost 800 receiving yards in just 7 games of action. Now as the clear #1 weapon on offense, expect an 80 catch, 1,200 yard, 11 TD type of season as the Mardy Gilyard in Kelly’s first year Irish offense.

Another player to keep an eye on is Duval Kamara who will be entering his junior year and replace Golden Tate opposite Floyd. Kamara also will play the role of the 2009 Bearcats Armon Binns, who had 61 catches, 888 yards and 11 scores. Kamara’s productivity more then Floyd’s will be based on the solid play of who is at QB. See how Kamara looks in spring ball and see who emerges as the true #2 WR and then pounce.

Related posts:

1. CSI South Bend: Evidence suggests Notre Dame to fire Charlie Weis
2. HAWAII BOWL PREVIEW: Mele Kelikimaka, Notre Dame fans
3. Chip Kelly now coach of Oregon football

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Bowl History

The Rose Bowl is pretty much the reason why we didn’t have the BCS as early as 1991, and the reason why the BCS is what it is today instead of the playoff that everyone else wants. So… bowl history? 91 Miami/Washington; split national champions. 94 Penn State; unbeaten but didn’t get to play national champs Nebraska. 97 Michigan/Nebraska; split national champions. There’s your Rose Bowl history.

Oh, more Rose Bowl history, you ask? 03 LSU/USC; split national champions. 00 Miami/08 Texas; sat at home and watched teams they beat lose national championship games. 04 Auburn; unbeaten SEC champs and not a slot for them in the championship game. 04 Utah/06 Boise State/08 Utah/09 Boise State ; unbeaten without even an asterisk. The Rose Bowl is evil. As darkly evil as Jim Delany’s black heart. When Bill Hancock sends Chris Petersen a congratulatory note on his team’s “great season” he should include a dozen roses along with that.

Also Vince Young had the greatest ever performance of all time, now and forever at the Rose Bowl, which is the only redeeming thing about this bowl’s history.

Now, to present a pro case for each team winning the National Championship, we have Chris Pendley in the Alabama corner and James Lawrence in the Texas corner.  As with the real game, may the best one win.

Alabama Crimson Tide

(written by Chris Pendley)

Alabama had damn near a perfect season; short of Auburn and Tennessee (their two rivals, who likely got up and a half for this game), nobody else got within a possession of them. It’s because of that domination that everyone’s expecting the Tide to well, roll. (Yes, I hate that joke. No, I couldn’t think of anything better.)

Alabama’s success is predicated on the typical, cliché-as-hell, “championship team” motto: defense and a good running game. Of course, it’s only a cliché because it’s worked before, and Alabama’s adhered to that as tightly as you’d like. Nick Saban got where he is because he follows the money because he’s a great defensive coach. Saban’s known for preferring to adhere to a Cover 1 scheme, leaving his free safety as a general catch-all and allowing for his strong safety to focus in either run support or as another coverage back. It’s to Alabama’s benefit that FS Mark Barron was as good as he was, ending up as a first-team All-SEC selection and leading the team in interceptions (by far) with 7, including one returned for a TD. Aside from Barron, the rest of the secondary opts for pass breakups; DB Marquis Johnson led the nation in pass breakups with 16, and three members of the secondary (Kareem Jackson being the other) finished the season in the top 30 nationally of passes defended. It’s because of these guys – and the nasty run defense – that Alabama finished 8th in the country in pass defense, including a particularly nasty 9/20 TD/INT ratio.

Alabama LB Rolando McClain (thanks Icon SMI)

From there, Alabama is free to stuff the run (something they’ve done very well all season, allowing nearly 80 yards on the ground total per game) – helped a bit by virtual mountain NT Terrance Cody stuffing up the interior running lanes. LB Rolando McClain – last seen sweeping up awards en masse – patrols the middle, functioning as the leader of the linebacker corps and pulling his weight in pass defense as well. He’s decent at that, only finishing as a first-team All-American. All told, the defensive unit finished with only allowing 4.1 yards per play; that seems high at first glance – after all, you’d convert every third down with 4.1 yards per play – except that’s good enough for fourth nationally, behind Nebraska (who uses a similar approach, especially at the nose tackle position).

So what about the second half of that equation? Well, Mark Ingram was one of the best power runners in the nation – the best if you base it on receiving little stiff-armed trophies – at 6.2 yards per carry and nearly 120 yards per game. However, it’s not like Ingram is the only running threat; true freshman RB Trent Richardson is averaging over 5 yards a pop and Roy Upchurch has been effective in limited carries. When a team has that many backs averaging that many yards a carry, it means two things: 1) they have great backs and 2) they have a pretty good offensive line. That offensive line is anchored by Mike Johnson and Alabama has typically done a lot of running between the tackles. Ingram in particular excels after contact (part of the reason he’s been responsible for so many demoralizing runs for the Tide’s opponents).

If there’s a weak spot on this Alabama team, it’s the passing game. QB Greg McElroy has been good enough – he was the potential weak link on a championship-capable team – but he had a rough middle of the season, bottoming out in a 15-34, 147 yard performance against Ole Miss. Still, he’s been good as the season wore on, snapping out of his funk to complete no worse than 66% of his passes against his last three FCS opponents (including a 4/0 TD/INT ratio). Again, he’s not going to be asked to win the game, but he can at least not lose it now. His targets are the incredibly talented Julio Jones, speedy Marquis Maze, and reliable safety valve Colin Peek. Jones is the obvious talent here – so obvious, in fact, that teams have been throwing the kitchen sink at him all year and his numbers have suffered as a result.

Because Alabama isn’t insane enough in its own right, K Leigh Tiffin has also had a fantastic year, finishing as a first-team All-SEC selection after going 29-for-33 in FG attempts (including at least three games where he hit four FGs). P Pat Fitzgerald is a weak link by comparison, but he’s averaging 42 yards a punt; so much for that theory. Arenas also doubles as a return specialist; again, since Alabama is all about imbalance, he’s 9th in the nation in kickoff return average and 3rd in the nation in punt return average (with two TDs on the season).

So if there’s a team with no discernible weakness, how on earth do you attack them? Well, they’re going to be straightforward enough about what they do – and it’s not like it doesn’t work, based on this season – so the answer may lie in throwing them a curveball. Both Tennessee and Auburn had success by forcing the Tide out of their comfort zone – ironically, both with recovered onside kicks in part – and it’s possible to beat Alabama in short chunks. I’m not sure it’s possible to win all 60 minutes against this team, but it’s certainly possible to win 15 and hold on for 45. Maybe this comes via Colt McCoy going over the top a couple of times, or Earl Thomas starts jumping routes, but this unit thrives on things going according to plan. It’s up to Texas to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Texas Longhorns

(written by James Lawrence)

Perhaps fittingly for a sport that refuses to get with the times, the Texas Longhorns’ drive to the national championship game started last season (take heart, Boise State fans) when they finished 11-1, en route to 12-1 with a BCS victory, but were inexplicably left out of the national championship game in favor of an Oklahoma team who they’d beaten by double digits earlier that season. The strong season and Fiesta Bowl victory propelled the Longhorns to #2 in the preseason rankings, where they’ve stayed pretty much all season en route to a 13-0 record. Perhaps it was voter sentiment about 2008, perhaps it was the second-toughest schedule amongst the unbeaten teams (Alabama facing the toughest of the five), but one way or another the same system that screwed the Longhorns just a year ago smiled upon them in 2009.

Texas QB Colt McCoy (thanks Icon SMI)

Texas cruised through September, surprisingly holding Texas Tech to just 3 first half points in a much better defensive effort than the Horns put up in their lone loss of 2008. A few weeks later, the Horns won an ugly Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma after ending Sam Bradford’s season with an unblocked blitz early in the first quarter. The next month was again a breeze, and Texas appeared destined for a title game berth with an 11-0 record. But rivalry games are strange things, and Jerrod Johnson brought his A+ game to account for total 439 yards against what had been one of the most dominant defenses in the nation until that point, but Colt McCoy had an even better game and the Longhorn special teams were able to seal the deal with a late KR TD, their third on kickoffs and fifth overall special teams TD of the season. Finally, in conference championship week, a very underrated Nebraska team (perhaps now getting a bit more respect after their 33-0 Holiday Bowl win over Arizona) nearly pulled off an upset that would have thrown a bit of chaos into the BCS mix, as Ndamokong Suh repeatedly broke through the Texas line to sack and otherwise rattle McCoy into his worst game of the season. But this time the defense, nearly goats of the A&M game, played the role of heroes, holding Nebraska to 106 yards of total offense and picking off three passes, and at the last possible second Hunter Lawrence was able to hit a game-winning, championship berth-clinching field goal.

Texas runs a very pass-heavy spread attack with a little bit of zone read thrown in as the staple of the running game. Just a few years ago, this offense had Cedric Benson and then Jamaal Charles in the backfield and was extremely deadly on the ground. Freshman Tre’ Newton is now the team’s leading rusher, but with just 513 yards on the season (5.0 ypc). McCoy is the next-leading rusher and leads the team in rushing attempts, something Texas had hoped to get away from but apparently were unable to do so. Vondrell McGee and Foswhitt Whittaker frequently spell Newton, and Cody Johnson is the established short yardage back with 12 TDs. The 152.6 ypg and 4.02 ypc that Texas averages as a team are about average for the NCAA, and indeed the lack of a running game anywhere near the level of their passing game is typically cited as the Longhorn offense’s biggest weakness. (might I add, incorrectly cited – more later)

When throwing the ball, Texas has the most accurate passer in the game, first team All-American Colt McCoy, directing a very precise offense. After setting the NCAA record for single season completion percentage last year, McCoy has fallen off to a mere 70.5% accuracy this season, not even good enough to finish tops in the country (second, behind Dan LeFevour’s 71.3%). It’s a top 20-quality passing offense, but perhaps not top 10 level unlike what we saw last season. Jordan Shipley has had an outstanding season, also receiving All-American honors, averaging 104 ypg receiving with 11 rec TD in 13 games, along with having returned two punts of TDs. But nobody else on the team averages over 50 ypg receiving, which is where Texas really misses having a second elite receiver (Quan Cosby) like they did a year ago, when teams couldn’t double team both Cosby and Shipley without seriously sacrificing the rest of the field. At times, Malcolm Williams, James Kirkendoll, Dan Buckner, and Marquise Goodwin have all shown promise during the season, but in the end none has ever emerged as that reliable #2 threat. At least one, and probably two, will have to step up against Alabama.

Overall, the Texas offense is 3rd in scoring (40.7 ppg) despite being just 16th in total yardage (432.4 ypg), and they can thank a 46% 3rd down conversion rate (15th) for that. This is where it really helps to complete 7 out of 10 passes.

Defensively, Texas runs a standard 4-3 base with their SEC-bred coordinator and outstanding personnel at all positions. If defense was the reason Texas fell just short of the title game in 2008, it’s really the reason they’re here in 2009. The defense ranks 8th in scoring, giving up 15.2 ppg, although the A&M game did a little to inflate that. Texas gives up 251.1 ypg (3rd) and is first in the nation in yards per play at 3.8. The strengths of this defense are run defense (62.2 ypg, 1.99 ypc, both 1st), interceptions (24, 1st – leading to the nation’s 10th best pass efficiency defense), and third down conversions (27%, 2nd). The secondary has returned four picks for TDs, including two by All-American safety Earl Thomas (8 int for 149 yards). While Thomas has been a beast, perhaps the biggest improvement in the Texas secondary has been Blake Gideon’s move from being a safety defenses tended to pick on into an excellent compliment to the conference’s best safety, picking off 5 passes himself and generally playing much, much better coverage than he was known for a year ago.

The DL is also excellent, as you’d expect from the nation’s #1 rushing defense. Sergio Kindle hasn’t been the next Brian Orakpo that many had hoped, but he is a solid pass rusher and is also very useful in stopping horizontal run plays. Lamarr Houston, meanwhile, has been an outstanding presence on the inside, and is probably the single biggest reason why Texas has been able to get away with playing so many smaller defensive ends and relatively quick-but-midsize linebackers compared to, say, Alabama. Three of the top six tacklers on the team play lineman, and tacklers #1 (Roddrick Muckelroy) and #3 (Keenan Robinson) are linebackers – indicative of the fact that the backs and safeties are not having to make a lot of tackles – ie, plays are getting stopped at the point of attack. Indeed, Earl Thomas probably comes in second in tackles more because he has a tendency to come way up to help in run support, as he has excellent recovery/track-back speed which gives him incredible range as a defender. When Bob Stoops analyzed Texas in Rivals’ preview of this game, he singled out Thomas for this very ability as one of the things that makes the Texas defense to difficult to attack, and flat-out said he wished Thomas would go pro.

As has been the case for many seasons, the Texas special teams are a true third prong of the attack. Hunter Lawrence has connected on 22 of 25 field goals, none bigger than the 46-yarder as time expired to win the Big 12 Championship and send Texas to the BCS title game. DJ Monroe, who has been reinstated to the team after being cleared from a midseason arrest for possible DUI, is second in the nation in kickoff return average at 35.8 yards a pop, and has taken two KRs back for touchdowns. They might line up Marquise Goodwin back there with him, as Goodwin was the replacement in his absence and took a kickoff back for a TD against A&M. When Texas fields punts, that duty falls to Jordan Shipley, who comes in 14th in national average at a shade under 13 yards per, and has taken two punts back for scores. Combined with the defense’s interceptions, Texas’ 9 non-offensive TDs leads the nation.

On Defense Against Alabama

Will Muschamp absolutely believes in taking away the run, pressuring the quarterback, and forcing turnovers in the secondary. It’s been fantastic watching the Texas defense become more an more aggressive over the last two years, to the point where they’ve really dictate the flow of the other team’s offense this season. Expect a lot of blitzing from Texas, both in an effort to floodthe backfield to stop Ingram and to pressure McElroy into taking risks against this opportunistic secondary.

Make no mistake about it, Texas (not Florida) has the best secondary Alabama has faced this season. But Alabama has the most physical offensive line Texas has faced by a long shot. These two will strike some kind of balance – how much help does the Texas front seven need to stop Ingram vs how well can the Texas back four bottle up Alabama’s receivers to allow the front to go all-in after the Bama backfield? For that matter, how aggressively is Earl Thomas able to support the run defense without sacrificing coverage soundness? Whereever this balance lies, that will determine how successful these two units are.

On Offense Against Alabama

You know how we mentioned that the Texas running game isn’t really its Achilles heel? Well, yeah. Greg Davis is. I’m expecting Texas to come out in lots of 4 and 5 receiver sets, run the same plays they always do (which were easily pattern-read by Oklahoma and Nebraska defenders… and oh hey, Bob Stoops has made a few visits to Tuscaloosa this winter), and score a couple TDs less than they otherwise would because of repetitive scheming. With the sheer volume of receivers Texas sends out on most plays, Colt McCoy can always just play really amazing and make up for it. But the burden falls on McCoy to make the perfect read and throw in the small amount of time it takes Rolando McClain to tear through the line unblocked, because Davis thinks it’s a good idea not to keep extra blockers in the backfield… um, just about ever. But hey, they’re never going to expect the flanker screen in that situation!

So for me, that’s all it comes down to. McCoy, McCoy, McCoy. I expect Texas to run plays that Alabama generally recognizes, plus Alabama has a bit of an athletic edge here so it’s not like you’re going to have three receivers open or players turning four yard outs into 30 yard gains like we did against A&M. But at the same time, the number of players who can run a route and catch the ball that Texas throws at you makes it unrealistic for a college defense to bottle them all up. When McCoy’s on, there’s not really a lot you can do to stop this offense. But McCoy has to be on this game, because the receivers aren’t going to be running for a ton of yards off some short flare against these defensive backs, and the ground game should be just about useless against this defensive front unless the passing game is already working.

Related posts:

1. MAC Championship Game Preview
2. College Football 2009 Odds for BCS Championship
3. BCS Title Game Preview: Gators and Sooners are two of the best offenses ever

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Now…how about an All-America Team based solely on the most important, and, the most easily understood criteria….STATS.

The staff and contributors of Fantasy College Blitz have compiled…and now reveal….the 2009 Fantasy College Blitz – Fantasy All-America Team.

Also, our All-America Team is loaded with Texans.   The Lone Star state is well-represented with five players from four different Texas universities….and six (counting Defense/Special Teams) that played their prep football in Texas.

Another thing Texas can claim to be “big” about:  Fantasy production from its college football players.

Since we have given you some hints already on who made the FCB Fantasy All-America Team….continue on to see our honorees…

NOTE:  All stats quoted are through November 21st games

———————————————————

QUARTERBACK

———————————————————-

CASE KEENUM – HOUSTON: The junior from Abilene, TX (Wylie HS) led one of the most potent offenses in America, throwing for 4560 yards and 36 TDs…with 3 TDs rushing.  Keenum (photo, thanks Scout.com), if he returns for the 2010 season, could break numerous NCAA career and single-season marks, as the majority of his WRs and RBs return….and would be the front-runners for the CUSA championship next season.

————————————————————

RUNNING BACKS

————————————————————

TOBY GERHART – STANFORD: The senior from Norco, CA (Norco HS) was one of the top RBs in the nation, rushing for over 1500 yards and 23 TDs.  Gerhart (photo, thanks Scout.com) finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting, losing out to Alabama RB Mark Ingram by the smallest margin in Heisman history.  Not only a top college football player, Gerhart is a starting outfielder for the Cardinal baseball team…one of the nation’s top college baseball programs.

DONALD BUCKRAM – UTEP: Few predicted the breakout season Buckram would have for the Miners, as the senior from Copperas Cove, TX (Copperas Cove HS) continued the newly-established RB tradition from CUSA schools.  Buckram (photo, thanks Scout.com) rushed for over 1600 yards, had over 300 yards receiving, and scored 19 TDs….his single-season rushing totals broke a school record that stood for over 60 years.  The emergence of Buckram gave the Miners the running threat they were lacking for the past few seasons.

LANCE DUNBAR – NORTH TEXAS: The Mean Green have produced two national rushing champs in this decade (Patrick Cobbs, Jamario Thomas), and, Dunbar (photo, thanks, Zimbio.com), a sophomore from Haltom City, TX (Haltom HS), could be another UNT rushing champ next season.  Dunbar this season rushed for nearly 1300 yards, had nearly 300 yards receiving, and scored 18 TDs.  Although the Mean Green won only two games in 2009, Dunbar and the young North Texas team could have a big impact in 2010.

———————————————————–

RECEIVERS

————————————————————

DANARIO ALEXANDER – Missouri: The senior from Marlin, TX (Marlin HS) stepped up in 2009 for new Mizzou starting QB Blaine Gabbert.  Alexander (photo, thanks Zimbio.com) had over 1400 yards and 12 TD catches….and would finish the season as the national leader in receiving yards per game.  Although the Tigers did not fare well in the Texas Bowl, Alexander did have a long TD reception in the game.

FREDDIE BARNES – Bowling Green: He began his career at Bowling Green as a quarterback, however, Barnes (photo, left, thanks BGSports.com) took off as a wide receiver.  The senior from Homewood, IL (Homewood-Flossmore HS) really took off in 2009, as Barnes had over 1400 yards receiving and 14 TD catches….also scored 2 rushing TDs.   After Bowling Green’s participation in the Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl game….Barnes finished the 2009 season with 155 receptions….a new NCAA single-season record.

GOLDEN TATE – Notre Dame: The sophomore from Hendersonville, TN (Pope John Paul II HS) had another excellent season for the Fighting Irish, hauling in nearly 1300 yards receiving and 12 TD grabs….while rushing for nearly 200 yards and 2 rushing TDs.  Tate (photo, thanks Scout.com) also was a dangerous punt returner, taking a few for scores.  When fellow big-time Irish WR Michael Floyd missed some games due to injury, Tate stepped up and filled the void…producing some of his best numbers of the season.   You can be sure Tate will factor heavily in the plans of new ND coach Brian Kelly.

—————————————————————

KICKER

—————————————————————-

HUNTER LAWRENCE – Texas: Of course, if not for Lawrence’s FG in the Big XII Championship Game….the Longhorns would not be in the National Championship game.  However, Lawrence (photo, thanks GoHorns.com), a senior from Boerne, TX (Boerne HS), made lots of kicks during the 2009 season…scoring over 110 points for the Horns….and led all kickers in 2009 in fantasy production.

——————————————————————

DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS

——————————————————————

TEXAS: The best fantasy defense/special teams in the nation, and it was not even close.  The Longhorns created many turnovers (20 INTs) and brutalized many opposing signal-callers (33 sacks).  On special teams, WR Jordan Shipley was a threat to score every time an opponent punted the ball to him.  In fact, the Longhorns combined defense/special teams scored over 10 TDs this season

Related posts:

1. 2009 BIG XII ALL-FANTASY TEAM
2. 2009 PAC 10 ALL-FANTASY TEAM
3. 2009 MAC ALL-FANTASY TEAM

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Florida Gator Tim Tebow throws a first-quarter Sugar Bowl touchdown to TE Aaron Hernandez. (Chris Zuppa, St. Pete Times)

Ironic that as a new decade rolls in we witness the possible player of the previous decade Tim Tebow create quite the exclamation point for his career.

In the Florida Gators Sugar Bowl 51-24 throttling of the Cincinnati Bearcats on January 1,  Tebow threw for a career high of 482 yards and three TDs, then ran for another TD and enough yards to eclipse 500 yards of total offense. Games like that truly happen only once in a blue moon, and I wonder if this week’s version may have had a little orange aurora.

From Jeremy Fowler of the Orlando Sentinel, Tebow called prolific ending to a prolific career “better than a dream.”

“I didn’t see this coming as far as that many yards and everything,” Tebow said. “I knew we had a good game plan. I knew we were going to try to spread it out a little bit. We felt like that would be successful. And just coming into the game, we just were hitting and clicking so we kept going with it and ended up obviously throwing for a lot of yards.”

Many (including us shortly) will debate the NFL potential of the Tebow Child, and many have grown weary of the infinite media coverage that the Heisman Pundit calls Tebow Fatigue – fantasy players like to deal in facts, so let us reflect for a moment on the amazing career which can be argued was the finest college football player ever.

NCAAsports.com | Tim Tebow, Florida

55 Games | Rushing – 2946 yds, 57 TD |Passing – 9285 yds, 88 TD
Total Offense – 12231 yards, tops in SEC History
2007 – led nation with 55 TD (23 run, 32 pass) (first 20-20 season in NCAAF history)
Two National Championships, One Heisman Trophy

Sure, Dan Lefeveour outpaces Tebow in total TDs and total yards, but that last line makes the difference between a Fantasy Player of the Decade and the best college football player of all time.

A final note on the statistical brilliance of Tebow – his high school numbers at St. Augustine Nease. Tebow finished his high school career with 9,810 passing yards, 3,186 rushing yards, 95 passing touchdowns and 62 rushing touchdowns. So sixteen miles of total offense before he is legally able to rent a car.

And then there is the ministry work…we should all be so productive in our lives.

Kudos to Number 15 for an amazing journey, and best wishes for his new journey in the NFL or wherever it takes him.

Related posts:

1. BCS Title Game – Clarity and how the Gators will Beat Sooners
2. What I saw in Atlanta: Why Tebow should win Heisman
3. Fantasy impact: Tim Tebow’s injury

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Gamecocks Stephen Garcia (thanks Icon SMI)

South Carolina’s offensive line has spent most of the year practicing the swinging gate play without actually moving; their 33 sacks allowed on the season is a wee bit subpar, to put it mildly.  I’m not typically a fan of blasting an offensive line as a unit, but the rushing attack (3.6 ypc) really isn’t doing a whole lot to make me feel any better; sure, it’s not like South Carolina has much in the way of running backs, but since sack yardage counts, you have bizarre things like Stephen Garcia getting 100+ carries at a little over a yard a pop and junior RB Brian Maddox only getting three a carry.  Sure, freshman RBs Kenny Miles and Jarvis Giles did decently at 5 yards per carry apiece, but balanced against the rest of the team, it’s not going to sway too much.   There’s help on the horizon, but it didn’t really show up this year.

With that being said, WR Alshon Jeffery was a very welcome surprise for the Gamecocks.  As a true gas-pumping freshman, Jeffery emerged as the best receiving threat on the team any way you slice it, leading the team in receptions, yards, and TDs.  If anyone’s going to talk about South Carolina’s dangerous offense (and not be on some kind of mind-altering drugs) that danger begins – and ends – with Jeffery.  The rest of the offense is strictly padded-pillow routines.  On the other hand, defensive danger is real; both Eric Norwood and Cliff Matthews are pass-rushing beasts, and Norwood himself is an absolute terror; I’m of the mindset that neutralizing him is less of a possibility and more of a dream.

On Connecticut’s side, it’s about as pedestrian as you can get.  They’re Generic Bowl Team – slightly above average for their conference in most cases save for an obvious weak spot (in their case, pass defense) and a random specialty (they’re deadly at the return game, 9^th in the country in kick returns with 4 return TDs on the season).

Based on that, let’s go for some kind of wholly unimpressive result – I’ll pick Connecticut in a slight upset to the tune of 17-12.

Related posts:

1. South Carolina Gamecocks in 2009
2. Liberty Bowl Preview
3. The Peach Bowl Preview

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Okay, enough about the stadium. Ole Miss and Oklahoma State entered 2009 as darkhorse contenders in their respective conferences, and Ole Miss’ victory over Texas Tech in last year’s Cotton Bowl was a big reason for their side of the hype. Neither team has lived up to their hype, as the Cowboys are the only team coming into this game ranked and the teams have combined for seven losses. Whoever wins this one, it’s likely that voters will show a bit more restraint before jumping on their bandwagon this summer.

Oklahoma State

Despite losing their four biggest games in 2008, a 9-4 record with backing by billionaire alum T. Boone Pickens was apparently enough to get a preseason top 10 ranking. This was a little baffling, but I think people figured that with Zac Robinson, Kendall Hunter, and Heisman contender Dez Bryant (pictured left, thanks Icon SMI) leading the offense, they’d field one of the better offensive units in the country this season.

And the season actually appeared that it would live up to the hype – for a week. With an impressive defensive victory over the Georgia Bulldogs, visions of this explosive offense backed by a competent defense propelled the Cowboys to 5th in the AP rankings. But the team choked the following week, and worse lost RB Kendall Hunter to injury midway through the loss against Houston. Hunter played sparingly throughout the season, but was never the big stats featured back that many expected. Perhaps more devastating was the loss to Dez Bryant in the midseason due to NCAA eligibility issues.

Despite the good record (9-3, 6-2), Texas Tech is the closest thing to a quality victory that OSU has since their opening week win over Georgia. Texas and Oklahoma bested the Cowboys by a combined 68-14, and the Cowboys did not have to face Nebraska in conference play.

Keith Toston has done a good job in replacing Hunter, leading a rushing attack that averages 192 ypg to rank 22nd in the FCS. However, Zac Robinson has struggled mightily without Bryant; his passing efficiency was a mediocre 135.4, very close to the team’s overall rating (135.1) which is 43rd nationally.

On the other side of the ball, OSU has improved to finish the regular season ranked #33 in scoring defense. This is largely due to having the #6 rushing defense in the country, giving up just 87 ypg. Again I am skeptical about reading too much into this. Oklahoma finished the season with a good offensive effort against this unit, and Texas was able to score at ease although that was more the fault of Zac Robinson and his four interceptions.

The bottom line is, Oklahoma State limped through most of this season, and it’s unfortunate that they did because you can’t control key injuries and Dez Bryant really didn’t violate NCAA amateur classification restrictions but lost his eligibility due to a foolish mistake (lying to the NCAA about something that was legal in the first place).

Ole Miss

Ole Miss is mercurial, to put it mildly.  While they could’ve competed with most SEC teams in theory at the outset of the season, they spent a good part of the first half of the season doing whatever the football equivalent is of dicking around.  Simply put, there was no reason they should’ve lost to South Carolina; this team was too good for that.  Losing to Alabama is understandable (although they got straight-up shut down against them, which isn’t great) and the loss to Auburn is at least within the realm of reason.  Still, watching this team – especially in the first half of the season – you got the distinct impression they just weren’t trying.

That perception likely goes back to Houston Nutt, who doesn’t strike me as a coach who’ll lead Ole Miss to the Promised Land (although he’s good enough to get them to a SEC Championship Game or two); his teams have typically been uneven in their week-to-week effort – a quick history lesson:
- 2009: Lost to South Carolina, 16-10
- 2008: Lost to Vanderbilt, 23-17
- 2007: Lost to Kentucky, 42-29

You have to go back to 2006 to find a season where Nutt beat everyone he should’ve (and even then it can be argued the Razorbacks should’ve beaten Wisconsin).  At this point, it’s less something to be corrected and more a character flaw; these kind of things would’ve been fixed at this point, but that’s just who Nutt is.  It’s a problem, yes, but it’s a problem much like your grandfather who keeps on referring to anyone who even looks kind of Asian as the Japs; you can reprimand him if you’d like, but it’s not going to result in a whole lot of behavioral correction.

The one legitimate knock on Nutt has been his inability to develop QBs; witness the running joke of the Dick brothers and the growth of Matt Jones (6’6” mobile QB who still couldn’t top 57.5% completion in his senior year).  Along those same lines, it’s not really surprising to see Jevan Snead regress from a decent 56.3% completion, 26/13 TD/INT, 2,762-yard season to a 54.3% completion, 20/17 TD/INT, 2,464-yard season.  With an excellent Cotton Bowl, Snead can approach his total yardage and completion percentage numbers from last season, but that’s still no year-over-year growth, which will hamper his draft stock just a bit.

Where Nutt does excel is in creating opportunistic rushers; this year, Dexter McCluster played that role perfectly – at least once he got around to being used.  For whatever reason, his largest all-purpose yardage total through the first half of the season was against Memphis (115 yards, hardly ground-breaking).  However, against every FCS opponent the rest of the season  he went for at least 145 and averaged no worse than 6.1 yards per play – the highlight being his absurd 324-yard, 11.2 yards-per-touch day against Tennessee, the likes of which still gives me nightmares.  McCluster sees time all over the field, especially in Wildcat formations, but hasn’t been as much of a receiving threat as he probably could be.

The receiving threat honor has fallen to Shay Hodge, who’s been more consistent in a 1,000+ yard season complete with 8 TDs.  He was only really shut down against South Carolina (along with the rest of the offense, helped in part by an atrocious game from Snead), but in every other game contributed something of worth.  Like the rest of the offense, he came on as the season wore on, highlighted by a 7-catch, 117-yard day against LSU.

The rest of the running game has been lackluster; Brandon Bolden is the biggest prototypical running threat, and hyped RB Enrique Davis is following the Darrell Scott Career Path to Success; I’m a bit surprised he hasn’t transferred yet.  The offensive line also isn’t much to write home about; it’s likely that the early-season struggles were in part due to issues on the line.  LT Peria Jerry is the best of the lot.

I was concerned at the outset of the season that the Rebel pass defense wasn’t going to be enough; those concerns now seem somewhat unfounded.  Ole Miss’ defense wasn’t great by SEC standards, but it was certainly good enough; Greg Hardy and Emmanuel Stephens led the team in sacks with 5 apiece (Hardy only played in 8 games, as he was battling injuries for a good part of the season) and the 30 team sacks was good enough for 2nd in the conference.  Hardy is the best of the front seven when healthy; DT Jerrell Powe gets a lot of press as well.  In the secondary, Cassius Vaughn and Kendrick Lewis are the stars (Lewis in particular sees a lot of action).

Special teams is mostly underwhelming save KR Jessie Grandy, who ran a couple of kickoffs back for TDs this year.  K Joshua Shene was good but by no means great; in addition, Ole Miss just wasn’t in FG range very often (partially due to the aforementioned spastic offense).

What to Expect

Perhaps the biggest question is which Houston Nutt shows up for this. The Rebels are 3 point favorites, but at the same time, he’s bringing an unranked team into a bowl game against a ranked team, which sounds like a Nutt kind of win. That aside, it could be a defensive battle, but I don’t think Dexter McCluster and Shay Hodge can be contained all game. What Oklahoma State offensive playmakers will provide an answer against a pretty decent SEC defense?

Pick: Mississippi

Related posts:

1. Holiday Bowl Preview: Lots of O for everyone
2. Sun Bowl Preview
3. Independence Bowl Preview

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Both teams got it done on the backs of their defense; Penn State in particular managed to finish in the top 10 nationally in total defense (buoyed in part by obliterating overmatched Akron, Syracuse, and Eastern Illinois outfits; they do get credit for shutting down a Minnesota squad that still had Eric Decker). LSU finished barely outside the top 25, helped by shutdown performances against Louisiana-Lafayette, Vanderbilt, and Tulane – their work against Auburn was a legitimate kill, though.

Quite frankly, I’m a bit surprised that Penn State was above-average offensively as well; the 400 yards per game in total offense (conference play only) seems pretty decent until you start stripping away the layers a bit.  Against teams with a winning record, that drops to 325 yards a game; against top-25 teams, that’s now 254 yards a game.  LSU is at least a bit more consistent; their 310 yards per game (yes, 310 yards; and you just thought they were bad) drops to 296 against winning teams and 207 against teams in the top 25.

Just for fun, the numbers on defense:

• Penn State: 277 yards per game, 318 yards per game against winning teams, 325 yards per game against ranked teams
• LSU: 325 yards per game, 341 yards per game against winning teams, 389 yards per game against ranked teams

This …well, this really isn’t that surprising if you followed either of these teams, and it doesn’t bode well for the level of play here.  Expect the ugly, and just for the fun of it, Penn State’s Collin Wagner has sucked this year (11/18 made FGs) and neither of these teams can return kickoffs to save their life.  This is a bit odd in LSU’s case, as Trindon Holliday is one of the fastest football players in the country, but it would seem that track speed doesn’t necessarily translate; he’s an exceedingly fast single-direction runner, but doesn’t handle changes of direction well.  On a kickoff return, this isn’t going to work well.

Penn State QB Daryll Clark (thanks Icon SMI)

Still, these teams did manage to win 19 games somehow (from playing bad teams – oops, this is where I build the teams up, sorry).  Penn State QB Daryll Clark has finally managed to live up to expectations, completing close to 62% of his passes with a 23/10 TD/INT ratio (his 23 passing TDs led the Big Ten).  Similarly, RB Evan Royster was the best mortal RB* in the Big Ten, running for 1,100+ yards and 6 TDs on the season.  That’s more or less what we expected at the outset of the season; sure, you could probably discern that they struggled against better teams, but that’d be giving it away.  And it’s not like Clark couldn’t top 43% against ranked teams (oh wait, he couldn’t) or that Royster couldn’t bail out the offense when Clark was struggling (does a combined 30 carries for 105 yards do that?  No?), it’s that they put in a consistent effort across the season (but only if you’re name Evan Royster).

*John Clay is impressive, both in yardage and TDs.  I figured he’d get stuffed by the Miami front seven, but apparently I wasn’t even close to being right.

LSU has the same issue; RB Charles Scott was supposed to lead the Tigers to national relevance (or at least to a win over Ole Miss).   However, he spent the first part of the season dealing with aftereffects from being abducted by aliens and spent the last three games of the season injured.  Somehow, at 542 yards on the season he was LSU’s leading rusher, saying more about LSU’s running game than it does Scott; if a unit that talented wasn’t able to step up in the absence of their leading rusher, that’s a mark against the rest of the unit, and it doesn’t bode well.  On the plus side, WRs Brandon LaFell and Terrance Toliver have both been excellent, and it’s helped that QB Jordan Jefferson has been effective enough in a limited role.

However, it’s been a lack of explosiveness that’s killed LSU’s passing attack.  Neither of LaFell or Toliver averaged over 14 yards per catch, and Jefferson’s 7.2 yards per attempt (even balanced against a 16/6 TD/INT ratio) screams conservative pass attack.  That works if you have a dangerous threat somewhere on the field, but that doesn’t exist in this offense; even true freshman WR Reuben Randle couldn’t get above 15 yards per completion, and TE Richard Dickson – who was a great safety valve threat – didn’t do anything of note all season.

Really, everything in this game point to a low-fi affair involving a lot of punts, a lot of bad offensive plays, and passable defense stifling what little offense happens to accidentally squirt through the mess.  Based on how things break down, either both teams should lose (if you think they’re both good) or both teams should win (if you think they both suck); since neither scenario can happen, we’ll go for a reluctant Penn State win, maybe something like 9-6 in a game that won’t do anything to cure a New Year’s Day hangover.

Related posts:

1. Outback Bowl Preview: Northwestern vs. Auburn
2. Liberty Bowl Preview
3. Rose Bowl Preview: Ohio State vs. Oregon

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

QB Taylor Potts (thanks Icon SMI)

Texas Tech (8-4) enters the game lead by QB Taylor Potts (3068 passing yards, 20 TD’s).  But that is just the tip of the iceberg with this scoring machine.  Wide Receivers Alexander Torres and Detron Lewis both have over 700 yards receiving this year.  And Baron Batch continues to run well having collected 784 yards rushing and 12 TD’s.  The Red Raiders offense ranked 15^th on the Blitz Index and averaged 461 yards per game.  Not exactly a shabby offense by any means.  These guys are a solid group.  The coaching issues for now are just a distraction.  Expect to see a unified offense take the field on January 2.  This team will play no matter who is calling the plays.

Michigan State (6-6) won’t exactly lay down for Tech in this game.  They have a few weapons of their own.  You may have heard of Blair White, their WR that racked up 878 yards this season and scored 8 TD’s.  Maybe you heard of Kirk Cousins, the QB that had 18 TD’s and 2460 yards passing.  MSU has the 35^th ranked offense on the Blitz Index with an average of 407 yards per game.  They have played well for most of the year.  Before the Penn State loss the Spartans losses were all in close games (8 points or less).  They can match any offense in the country and will be happy to display that in this bowl game.

Forget the off field drama at either university.  Grab a cold beer, get over that New Year’s hangover and watch this game.  We might just have a Texas shoot out to watch.  Oh, and one little tidbit.  The Texas Revolution did not end at the Alamo.  It didn’t even start there.  If you really want to know more try a web search.

Prediction:  Texas Tech 40 – Michigan State 37

Related posts:

1. Alamo Bowl Preview: Missouri vs. Northwestern
2. Big 10 Preview: Michigan State Spartans
3. Big 12 Preview: Texas Tech Red Raiders

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.