Articles in
July 2012

The repercussions for Penn State

(Mark Emmert, President of the NCAA, left)
 

Pretty brutal, but very deserved. Fine of $60 million, which is the revenue the athletic department generates from the football program on an annual basis. Postseason ban for four years. No bowls for four years. Loss of 20 scholarships per year for the next four years. So the max they can have in each of the next four years is 65 per year. This isn’t the death penalty because there weren’t any previous improprieties. But it’s the next level of punishment. Almost as bad. Some could consider it as bad.

The present Penn State administration is doing the honorable thing by letting present players on the team, and incoming freshmen, out of their scholarships. I was impressed by that. It’s President Spanier, AD Curley and Joe Paterno who were the main villains, though I’m sure there were more people involved.

As for Paterno, his legacy is ruined forever as it should be. Despite the facade Paterno portrayed to the public of being this kind, decent, honorable man, he was the complete opposite. He was all about winning, nothing else mattered. He would have you beaten up if you got in his way of winning football games, going to bowls, winning national championships and cementing his legacy, which was the most important thing to him. Just an outlaw, egomaniac really. He did some things that looked like he was a decent guy like giving quite a bit of money to the library at Penn State. But that was a mirage. It was all about his image and his legacy. He wanted fame; nothing else. He wanted to be glorified as Diety. There are some coaches who are in it only for themselves. I know all coaches want to win a national championship, but some genuinely care about their players. Paterno was genuinely concerned about cementing his name as the greatest coach of all time. Penn State is paying the price for his cutthroat personality. He was just simply a bad person. What decent human being would let that happen with Sandusky? Somebody who  is an animal to his core. A deranved guy. Paterno was not mentally off, he just had no morals. Nothing would get in the way of his winning games and championships and cementing his legacy. The funny thing about it was he not was much of a coach the last 15 years–the program was going downhill–but he refused to give up the reins to a more with it, progressive guy. He was a dinosaur as a coach and he wasn’t very effective in the last 15 really 20 years. Maybe that’s what led him to letting this Sandusky thing go out of control. Desperation to win games. Kind of sad really.

Penn State is paying the price for what two animals orchestrated. One by abusing young boys; Sandusky should get the death penalty in my opinion. That may sound harsh to some, but what kind of guy ruins double digit boys’ lives and abused them sexually? It’s not human. It’s anarchaic, animalistic. His actions were outrageous and should not be tolerated in a civilized society. I think you take it the  eye for an eye approach. Let him pay the ultimate price for his actions. He doesn’t deserve to live. And Paterno let that go? What kind of decent person would let that happen? The answer is no decent person would let that happen. I know the guy’s gone now, but his memory lives in infamy like a terrorist’s would. Paterno was no good. It’s as simple as that. He’s really pretty lucky he passed away because he may have faced some jail time himself and some lawsuits which would have bankrupted him and his family. His family is probably going to pay the price financially. The thing is I don’t know if Paterno made it to Heaven. He could be below ground right now, not above it. We all know where Sandusky’s heading. There’s no debate there.

I feel bad for the good Penn State people who do the right thing and are good, decent people. I know there are plenty of  those people in the Penn State nation. Penn State is a solid school academically and there are plenty of good citizens who are there and who have graduated from Penn State. It’s a shame two pigs and a couple of others had to ruin the football program for the whole Penn State nation. They deserve better. But much more importantly, those young boy, who are now young men, deserved better. Maybe they have found peace now or can find peace some day.

UT much improved

Derek Dooley is a very solid football coach in my opinion. Spent time under Nick Saban at LSU and has been a head coach for a while now, first at La. Tech, and now in his third year at UT. He’s got a solid squad from the looks of the spring. His quarterback, Tyler Bray, looks like he’s close to elite. Not yet Aaron Murray or Ryan Wilson, but could get there this year. Justin Worley looks like a more than capable backup. Bray’s got fantastic receivers in Justin Hunter and Da’Rick Rogers. There’s a juco transfer coming in, Cordarrelle Patterson, who is a 6.0 four-star whom there very high on. Patterson is 6’4″, 205, a big target. Think they’re pretty excited about him. If they can stay out of trouble, will have an excellent receiving corps.
Marlin Lane Jr. looks like he’ll be a prime time back. Rajion Neal is a solid back as well. Lane looks like he can get tough yards and break it too. He had a 40-yard run right up the middle for a score in the spring game. The line looks solid, even possibly dominant and is anchored by guard James Stone (6’3″, 310) and tackle Antonio Richardson (6’6″, 329). Tight end solid with Mychal Rivera though they lost a backup Cameron Clear to indefinite suspension. Defense better this year. Good size on the line, linebackers look solid led by middle backer Herman Lathers (6’0″, 225).  And the secondary looks much improved.

Should be a lot better football team this year. Can the defense be good enough? That’s my question. They look a lot better and there is a lot more experience on this football team than last year–tons of redshirt frosh and sophs started last yea. If  the defense can step up the Vols can win eight or nine football games.

They open with NC State in the Georgia Dome on Aug. 31 at 7:30 PM ET/6:30 CT on ESPNU. Should be a classic weekend in Atlanta with Auburn playing Clemson the next night at the Dome at 7 PM ET/6 CT on ESPN. Georgia State should be a win at home the next week. Then Florida comes to Neyland Stadium. Now that should be a war. Whoever wins that game has a shot at the East. But there will be a lot of games left to decide. Certainly would help Vols to win that game. Both teams much improved. Should be a classic. Akron at home followed by the Dawgs in Athens. Another critical game. State on the road, ‘Bama at home, South Carolina on the road, Troy and Mizzou at home, Vandy on the road and home to Kentucky.

It’s pretty difficult with the Florida, Alabama games at home and the Dawgs and Gamecocks on the road as potential season-defining games. But this team is very much improved. Dooley needs to win probably two of those four games to have a shot at a successful season and keep his seat from getting pretty hot.

Like this football team though. Looks like the Vols when they were at their hey day. Much more solid. The East is pretty tough this season, like the West always is, so it’ll be a huge challenge with Florida, Georgia and South Carolina doing combat with the Vols for the East title.

 

An Open Championship for the Ages

Everybody is talking about Adam Scott’s meltdown, but I don’t want to talk about that. I want to talk about Ernie’s brilliance in capturing his fourth major championship, cementing his place in golf history as one of its elite players of all time, and the thrilling, riveting finish that all these majors seem to provide. Ernie has an autistic son, Ben, whom he is caring and passionate about. He said he wasn’t sure he believed in himself after he had a meltdown at the Transitions Championship in March and lost that tournament after having the lead and looking as if he was going to capture the title up until the 15th. He had lost faith. He was very hard on himself. But his wife and kids believed in him. His 10-year old son Ben still believed in him. Ben loves watching him hit balls. It gives him such pleasure.
So Ernie started believing in himself again. Four birdies on the back nine at Royal Lytham and St Annes on the final day was clutch. Drilling a 15-foot putt for birdie on 18 to close the gap to one between him and Scott was clutch. Maybe some people will get on Adam and say he lost it, and Adam didn’t respond that well to the pressure of the moment, but I think the story is more about Ernie. A 42-year old man who is rejuvenated by his golf game. Couldn’t happen to a better guy either.

It was a terrific tournament as all these majors are. Maybe the best events in sports in my opinion. Ernie, to me, cemented his place in golf history. With major wins at the U.S. Open in 1994 and 1997 and Claret Jug wins at the Open Championship in 2002 and 2012, Ernie is a Hall of Famer. He’s already been inducted this year, and he was a little embarrassed by it like Phil was because for one he didn’t think he deserved it just yet and secondly because he still thought he could win on the tour. Now that honor seems richly deserved. Just a class act and a class champion. Maybe there’s one or more majors left in Ernie’s bag. He’s such a fine ball striker. If he can putt well he can win again. Ernie has played a lot this year and that’s made a difference. He played last week at the Scottish Open while others were just playing practice rounds at Royal Lytham. He’s worked hard for this. He’s earned it. There’s no more deserving champion than Ernie. A lot of people feel sorry for Scott, and I do a little, but I’m more excited for Ernie. Scott is 32. There should be other opportunities. You never know in golf, but one would think he’ll be in the hunt quite a bit more. He’s a heckuva talent. This may have been one of Ernie’s last chances. I hope not. He’s such a fantastic person, you’d love to see him up there in the hunt  again. He was not going to let the 15-footer on 18 be short. He hit it firm and with conviction. It was dead on, right in the heart of the cup. That’s what champions are made of.

Tiger fought hard and Brandt Snedeker, bless his heart, just struggled with the pressure. Graeme McDowell was close, but couldn’t close. Expect all three of them to come back and be contending again very soon. All will be in the hunt and could get it done again very soon. I expect two or all three of them to be in contention in the PGA at Kiawah Island, August 9-12. Tiger could be in line for number 15. He’s very close.

But the day and the moment belonged to Ernie. He shot a final round 68 with four birdies on the back at 10,12, 14 and 18. It was dramatic and exciting and beautiful really. Class champion, class person. Epic champion. Epic Open.

S doin’ media; Richt, Dooley and Ole Miss Coach Hugh Freeze


 

 

S

He had the most classic line of the event when he talked about age and Spurrier. He’s tired of Spurrier’s jabs at him. Let’s see: how many national titles has S won? That would be 3: 2003 at LSU, 2009 at ‘Bama and 2011 at ‘Bama. Spurrier? 1. And that was in 1995 at a school where you should win championships. S may very well do it again this year. I know he’d love to see Spurrier along the way. Saban was so funny. He’s got a mean sarcasm to him and I say that in a positive way. He’s just so clever and smart. He said he idolizes Spurrier, he wants to be Steve Spurrier. In other words bring it on you jerk. You and your mouth. S would like to match up football teams this year. I know he’d enjoy preparing and playing that game. He can handle Spurrier. There is no doubt about that.

S talked about Barrett Jones and what Barrett means to the program. Loves the guy. Barrett now back at center. Saban said what an amazing person he is. He really emphasized that and said moving from guard or tackle to center this year is no big deal for Barrett. Saban pretty much said Barrett will be one of the all time greats who has played for him. Compared him multiple times to All-Pro Bruce Matthews who would do anything on the field– play every position–to help his team win. S loves Barrett.

S is very pleased with where A.J. is. He said what a terrific job he did last year, particularly in the national championship game. He says A.J. is still working hard to improve on his skills and his leadership, and S thinks he’s definitely one of the league’s best and that also means one of the nation’s best.  Should be an excellent year for A.J. He’s so focused that his dad wants him to even tone it down a little bit. But A.J. wants greatness. That’s admirable.

S said his running back situation is in good hands with Eddie Lacy, T.J. Yeldon, Dee Hart and Jalston Fowler. He said it’s pretty tough to replace Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson, and Eddie was slowed by turf toe last year which hampered his play, but he still was pretty effective. S expects him back at full strength. I think Yeldon’s going to be really special and also think Hart will  be special. Fowler will be a solid, bruising backup with pretty deceptive speed.

S hit the nail on the head when he said once A.j. and the line get going, which they will do right away in fall workouts, it’ll make the playmakers that much better. Guys wide like Kevin Norwood and others will step up this year. Not sure what the status is on Duron Carter. Will check into that. DeAndrew White is another guy I expect to shine and those two freshmen, Chris Black being one of them and he looks fantastic, look like they’ll be playmakers. Christion Jones should be an outstanding player both as a receiver and as a kick returner.

Defense will be excellent as usual. Jesse Williams will lead the defensive front.He’s  massive and talented. Could make close to the dominant impact that Mount Cody made three years ago. Linebackers and defensive backs are exceptional. C.J. Mosley, Nico Johnson and Trey DePriest all look like All-Americans and first round draft picks when they come out. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Vinnie Sunseri, and Dee Milliner lead an all-star group of safeties and defensive backs.  Almost forgot about Robert Lester. Just a first round pick next year if he has another stellar year.

So there should be national championship talk again for this football team. Got the quarterback, the line and the defense. Running back should be pretty darn good once Lacy, Hart and Yeldon get a game or two under their belts. Wide receiver development will be key. But Jones, Norwood, White and the freshmen could be outstanding as the year progresses. They’ll certainly have a stud throwing to them. Of course, Michael Williams will be exceptional at tight end. Kicking game should be fine. Shelley should be good enough along with the other guy. Punting will be fine too.

Michigan to open up in Arlington, Texas at Jerry World on Sept. 1, at 8 PM ET/7CT on ABC. Going to watch Michigan first of next week in their spring game and will give a report. Going to watch Clemson as well for Auburn, so I’ll have a report on them too. Arkansas in Fayetteville Sept. 15 is key obviously, Ole Miss at home, Missouri on the road, UT on the road, State at home, LSU on the road, Nov.3, and Auburn at home on Nov. 24.

S said he likes the way this team is approaching this season more than the two other national championship teams he’s coached. Now that’s saying a lot. With leaders like Jones, McCarron, Michael Williams, Lester  and Mosley among others, you’ve got some tremendous leadership and experience. The offensive line will be the best in the country without a doubt. It’s going to be another stellar year. Barring major injuries to key players, could be another national championship. Like the Tide’s chances a lot.

 

Mark Richt: Did a good job. Talked about kicking Isaiah Crowell off the team. He didn’t like it. Said it was not fun. But had to do it. Kid was just a major problem. Likes his football team a lot. He said 10 guys put their paperwork in for the NFL draft and nine came back to Athens. Was very high on quarterback Aaron Murray as he should be. Says the character and work ethic Murray has are second to none. Looking at a special season for Murray. Tailback will be fine with some young guys stepping in. Five-star freshman on the roster. Will probably be pretty special. Believe his name is Marshall. Sounds like he has a lot better work ethic and character than the troubled Crowell. Richt was very high on linebacker/ dend Jarvis Jones. Works extremely hard. Could have been drafted last year, probably first round, but didn’t even turn in his papers. Wanted to come back and improve and win big. He’ll be special. Led the league in sacks last year. Could be a special team. Haven’t made my final predictions yet, but like Georgia and Florida as the favorites to capture the East. Cocktail party in Jacksonville should be a classic. The winner of that game is the favorite in my opinion to win the East.

Derek Dooley: Much improved team this year. Has experience. Very good at quarterback and wide receiver. Justin Hunter coming back and Da’Rick Rogers are special players at wide out. Dooley very excited about incoming junior college wide receiver C.J. Patterson. 6.0, four-star player by Rivals. 6’4″, 205. Sounds pretty special. Running back looks pretty talented. Marlin Lane Jr. looks like a stud. Got some pretty good other backs in Rajion Neal and Devron Young. Defense looks pretty solid. John Propst of Hoover High School looks like he’ll be an impact player at linebacker. Great size and good speed in secondary. Offensive line is experienced, everybody back, and has studs. Quarterback Tyler Bray, should get good protection. Looks like a pretty solid UT team.

I think the Vols are going to be good this year. Can they win the East? They might be close, but probably not. Have to play at South Carolina and at Georgia and, of course, play the Tide at home. Think they can beat SC, but not sure about Georgia. State on the road (win), Missouri, Vandy and Kentucky at home. Those could be three wins. Vols should be much improved and have a good season. Nine wins possible.

Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss: Was impressed with Freeze. Says the Rebels don’t have the quality depth this year and not the talent that other teams have in the SEC, but he says they’ll compete hard and well for 60 minutes every game this year. I believe him. He’s been recruiting well for next year. This 2013 class is in the top 20 in the Rivals and 247 Sports rankings, so he’s making good progress. He’s going to do a great job at Ole Miss. He was the coach of Michael Oher in high school in Memphis. Oher lived with him. Oher was the subject of the movie The Blind Side,  a powerful movie about a kid who came from poverty and a criminal environment in Memphis. Freeze and a Memphis family took him in and Oher proceeded to  shine in high school, was an All-American at Ole Miss and now is a starter in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens after being a first round draft pick four years ago. Freeze says he uses Oher’s example in recruiting showing high school kids what they can achieve if they work hard. He says Oher has been a great role model for recruitng. They stay in touch and are still close. Freeze had Oher live with him when Oher was in tenth grade. Freeze also didn’t shy away from the rivalry with Mississippi State. He called it a “priority,” to beat State for pride and recruiting in the state. Mullen may be in trouble with Freeze at the helm. Liked him a lot. He’s a Mississippi native and loves the state. He’s going to do well. Probably will be tough for him to win the west at any point, but maybe at some point he can get to that Alabama, LSU, Arkansas level. Look what Petrino did at Arkansas. Can be done at Ole Miss.

Will have more spring game thoughts next week. Watching Michigan, Clemson, Ole Miss, State and Florida State and Texas next week. Will give a report on each. Also will have Tennessee spring recap on Monday. Stay tuned.

S unplugged

Quick preview and prediction for 141st Open Championship

The players think Royal Lytham and St. Annes is the fairest of the courses in the Open rotation. While fair, with the rains in England this spring and summer, the rough is very high, thick, and next to impossible to get out of in one shot in some places. There are 205 bunkers on the course. On the 18th alone there are 17. The first hole is a par-three, 205 yards. Probably a five or six iron for the players. It’s about driving accuracy on this course, and of course, chipping and putting. A score of anywhere from 8 to 11-under will probably win this tournament. The weather is so unpredictable across the pond, but the British meteorologists are calling for fairly dry conditions for most of the weekend though that could change very quickly. Winds could gust up to 30 to 35 mph any time during this tournament. There are three, par-3’s on the front side and 13-18, the last six holes, are all par-4’s.  The greens will be slower than most major championships, stimping at 9-9 1/2.
With that said, I like the guy who strikes the ball best in this Open field. I like Lee Westwood to win it, due to his accuracy. The only thing with Westwood is his putting. He’s a good putter, not great. If he makes more putts than he did in the Masters, I see him winning. Tiger Woods is the odds-on favorite, but I just don’t see it. He’s not there yet. He may get there some time down the road, but not this tournament. He’s just not consistent enough. Phil will be in the hunt somewhat, he may even make a run, but I don’t see it for him either. Just can’t get it done in the clutch at the Open. Padraig Harrington should play well. I expect Justin Rose to be in contention. I have three dark horses in  Francesco Molinari of Italy, who has played exceptionally well the last two weeks on the European tour shooting a 64 on the Final Day of the French Open to finish second two weeks ago,  and then made it to a playoff in the Scottish Open last weekend only to finish second.Jeev Milkha Singh of India won the Scottish Open last weekend so he’s playing well And Zach Johnson, who won the John Deere Classic last weekend, hits a low, accurate ball and putts well.

Two other guys who have a shot are Luke Donald, who is ready to break through, but I still don’t think he’ll do it this time, and Matt Kuchar, one of the most consistent players on the PGA tour.

But I’m going with Westwood. I know that’s not a news flash as he is the popular pick amongst the media. I picked him on Monday, so I wasn’t going with the trend. Decided on Westwood once I saw him in an interview Monday and just liked the way he handled himself. He was poised, calm, confident and focused. With all those intangibles, and a lot of talent, can win a major, particularly this one where accuracy is at a premium. Westwood is considered the best tee to green player in the world. If he putts well here, he’ll win it. I think he’ll do that.  It’s Westwood’s time to win an Open. He’ll get it done at Royal Lythams and St. Annes in Lancashire, England.

Day 2: Auburn, LSU, Arkansas, Miss State, Kentucky and Florida

AU thoughts: Thought Gene Chizik sounded relaxed, confident and ready to get going. Chiz has recruited well the last three years. He has some guys on the dline who gained experience last year and will be so much better this year. Corey Lemonier should have a big year at defensive end. Jeffrey Whitaker should be a good player at defensive tackle. Other guys like Dee Ford and Gabe Wright should be pretty stellar. Linebacker has been strengthened and the secondary will be better with everybody having a year of experience under their belts. New defensive coordinator Brian Van Gorder brings an exciting, attacking style of defense to the Plains and it will work well for the players. He brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the defense also. I think they will respond. Look for better play from the linebacking corps as Van Gorder is a specialist there. I’m excited to see former five-star linebacker Kris Frost play. Frost was out last year with a shoulder injury, but the Auburn coaches are very high on him. Jake Holland and Jonathan Evans should have good years. Need a little more depth at linebacker, but AU has been recruiting well. Some young guys will have to contribute there.  Guys like Chris Davis and Jonathan Rose should have very good years at corner. Jermaine Whitehead to me looks like an All-American caliber safety. Robenson Therezie should be an excellent player at safety as well. The Tigers have 16 starters returning, so they should be a lot better. I liked what I saw out of Kiehl Frazier in the spring game. Lutz said in his interview with the media, Kiehl has picked up Scot Loeffler’s offense, and he’s a much better pocket passer and can check down to a short route if the primary receivers are not open. And, if he needs to, he can really run. I expect Kiehl to be a very good player at Auburn. Lutz said he’s a leader now. Chiz said that putting Kiehl in some tough situations last year with the game on the line really helped him. Kiehl should be the man, and I believe he’ll do well. Love Mike Blakely at tailback. He’ll be stellar. You’ve got Corey Grant, Tre Mason, Onterrio McCalebb, Quan Bray  and freshman Jovon Robinson who are all excellent players. Robinson hasn’t played a down a college football, but he’s highly touted. He may not need to help this year, but they may use him because he’s so talented. Emory Blake and Lutz will lead the receiving corps. I expect huge things from Blake. He’s excited about what Loeffler brings to the offense. There will be more power football with new fullback Jay Prosch whom they’re very high on. More like the Auburn teams of the past. With Prosch and Lutz blocking and catching, and Prosch running for tough yards, the offense will be much better. The offensive line looks powerful and physical like a lot of Auburn lines in the past on both sides of the ball. Reese Dismukes could be a future All-American at center. Possibly this year. He’s terrific.  I expect a good year from the Tigers. They enter the gauntlet right out of the gates with Clemson at the Georgia Dome on Sept 1,  at 7 PM ET/6 CT on ESPN. Should be a classic. Clemson should be very strong, so Tigers will be tested. Then they travel to Starkville to play State before a breather against Louisiana-Monroe. If the Tigers can get through those first two, Lutz and Blake think they can have a special season. Host LSU and Arkansas, Sept, 22 and Oct.6 respectively. Get a break after LSU before Arkansas which is good. At Ole Miss, vs. Vandy, vs Texas A&M, a gimme in New Mexico State, vs. Georgia, vs. Alabama A&M and then Tuscaloosa. I’m looking at 9-3 with a possible 10-2 mark. LSU and Arkansas at home are winnable. Auburn can beat Georgia at Jordan-Hare. They call the Georgia Dome, Jordan-Hare East, because Auburn hasn’t lost there under Chizik. It’ll be a good season and with recruiting going well, it’s only going to get better. Really like both new coordinators. Believe they’ll make these guys champions down the road. Maybe not this year, but it’s not out of the question.
LSU: Les Miles is really a comedy character. He just is. The first question directed at Miles was about Honey Badger and his tweeting. Miles’ answers are so humorous. He said something like he doesn’t “participate” in twitter or any of that stuff. Then they asked him about an EA Sports commercial that he’s on. He said his son says that Miles tells him “to put his pants on,” like in the commercial. That was funny. He’s fun. I also like his football team as everybody else does. With a quarterback, Zach Mettenberger, who looks like he’ll be a star, the Bengal Tigers have the pieces in place for a championship run. The talent on offense and defense is there. Eric Reid is a fantastic player at safety. Russell Shepard is an excellent wide receiver/ reverse guy. They’re got the running backs. They have a veteran offensive line. They’ll be a contender for the national title. They play their first three games at home against North Texas, Washington and Idaho. That sets them up nicely for the Auburn game, Sept. 27. Washington is better so they may give the Bengal Tigers some problems, but I expect them to be undefeated heading into Jordan-Hare. Should be a classic war there. If they can get through the Tigers, they have a kick in against Towson, then they go to Gainesville for another war. South Carolina is at home on Oct. 13, Texas A &M is on the road, then the Tide comes to town Nov.3. We all know what that’ll mean if both teams are undefeated. Armageddon three. Miss. State and Ole Miss at home, then Arkansas in Fayetteville. It’s tough, but it’s always tough. The pieces are in place for another stellar year. It’s a matter of if Mettenberger plays well. He seems like a good kid. I think he will be good and the Bengal Tigers will be playing for a national championship in Miami in January of ’13. Could be a rematch with the Tide.

Arkansas: Tremendous personnel. New coach. Ryan Wilson, to me, is the best quarterback in the SEC. Sharp guy, too. Expect big numbers out of him. Knile Davis is outstanding. He’ll be back this year. He’s recovered from his broken ankle and he’ll be ready. Receivers took a hit when a couple of them were kicked off the team for stealing, but they have some pretty good players over there. John L. Smith is a little goofy, but he’ll be fine. For the Hogs, it’s always been, since Bobby Petrino has been there and now, can they play defense? I know they’re better, but are they good enough defensively to stick with Alabama, LSU at home and Auburn on the road. They have Jax State and La. Monroe the first two, which should be fine, then the Tide comes in Sept. 15th at 3:30 ET/ 2:30 CT on CBS. Should be very interesting. Play Auburn at Auburn Oct.6 in a big game, South Carolina at Columbia (big), Texas A&M on the road, Ole Miss at home, Kentucky at home and State is on the road the week before LSU comes to town. Can the Hogs get over the hump and make it to the top echelon of the SEC? They could. Alabama lost some good players, so they’re not unbeatable. LSU is outstanding like ‘Bama, but both games are at home for the Hogs. If Wilson and Davis can shine and the Hogs can play some defense, they have a shot in those two games. Should be fun to watch. Do like the Tide and LSU over Arkansas on paper, but with Wilson and Davis and that explosive offense, if they’re better on defense, they could win those games.

Florida: Really like Will Muschamp. He brings a ton of intensity and energy to the Gators. I’ve already talked about their quarterback situation on my Florida spring game blog, but I’ll repeat that they have two outstanding young quarterbacks in Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett. It’s tough to pick a starter. Like I said in my previous blog on the Gators, Muschamp and offensive coordinator Brent Pease may let this thing play out through the first couple of games of the season. it’s that close and both are stellar. Defense will be excellent. Mike Gillislee is an excellent running back and the offensive line is better and now solid. Got pretty decent depth at rb. Wide receiver looks pretty talented. Jordan Reed, their tight end, is a weapon. There are some young guys on the team. Trey Burton will be kind of like a Russell Shepard-type player for the Gators running the ball some and catching it as well. Excellent player. Andre Debose is back at wide receiver and he’s good. They’ve got some young ones out wide  too who look pretty good. The defense will need dend Ronald Powell to get back to full strength. He’s a dominant player. Jon Bostic is a leader at linebacker and there are some solid defensive backs. Should be a very good football team. Can they win the East? Yes. They have LSU in Gainesville, Tennessee in Knoxville, UT will be much improved, South Carolina in Gainesville, Georgia in Jacksonville, Vandy on the road, A&M on the road, Kentucky at home and Missouri at home. Florida State is at Tallahassee. The Gators are back. Will Muschamp is an excellent coach in my opinion. Reminds me of S in a lot of ways. Intense, focused, driven and a motivator. Like his team and his future teams in Gainesville. Florida can definitely win the East.

Mississippi State:  Dan Mullen is a decent coach, but State just can’t seem to get over the hump. Their quarterback, Tyler Russell, will be pretty good, but I just don’t think they have enough personnel to beat Auburn, Alabama, LSU and Arkansas. Just not sure if that can be done at State. Mullen will have a solid  team, but not a great team as usual in Starkville. See a 7-5 season for them. Maybe one day, but I don’t see it right now.

Kentucky: They’ll be better. I like Joker Phillips a lot. Seems like a good guy who cares about academics. He is a players’ coach and the players all like him. Maybe 7-5 there too. 6-6 is more likely. Florida at Gainesville and Arkansas at Fayetteville are sure losses. Georgia at home isn’t totally out of the question. South Carolina at Lexington is possible, probably not, but they beat the Gamecocks two years ago at home. State in Lexington is possible. Missouri on the road tough. Probably will lose that one. Vandy in Lexington is winnable. And Tennessee in Knoxville will be tough. Non-conference games against Samford, Western Kentucky and Kent State should be  Ws. At Louisville the first game of the season, Sunday, Sept. 2, on ESPN at 3:30 PM ET/2:30 CT, will be interesting. Need to get that one. Some good players. Quarterback is a battle between senior Morgan Newton and sophomore Maxwell Smith. Newton is a big guy at 6’4″, 225 and so is Smith, who is about the same size and was rated pretty highly coming out of high school. Newton has been erratic. Shown some good signs, but overall, can’t count on him. Smith may be the guy. 6-6 is reasonable for Wildcats.

Day three first thing tomorrow including S.

Thoughts from Day 1 of Media Days

I love this event. There’s excitement and electricity swirling around the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover. Coaches are excited and relaxed, players are ready to go. It’s time to get ready for the 2012 season. Here are some thoughts from each team from day 1.
South Carolina: Ball Coach was relaxed and entertaining as ever, but even a bit low key. One of the funner lines was when Coach Spurrier was asked whether he was getting impatient to win an SEC title before it’s too late. He is 67-years old, but looks to have a good five years left in him if he has success.”You don’t think I’m patient?” he said. “You seen me the last four years?” He was talking about his struggle with Stephen Garcia, the embattled Gamecocks quarterback, who received six chances to remain eligible and be the starting quarterback for the Gamecocks, but just couldn’t act right and was finally kicked off the team. Spurrier has a solid quarterback now in Connor Shaw. Shaw has a year of experience under his belt. Solid kid too. He was very focused in his interview with the media. Not a lot of wasted words. Really liked him. He completed close to 75 percent of his passes in the last four games of last season and had the highest quarterback rating in the nation in the last four games. Watched him in the spring game. He’s throwing the ball very well. Runs it really well too. Receiver Ace Sanders says he runs it as well as any tailback in the SEC. May be a stretch, but Shaw can really motor. Shaw looks poised for a stellar 2012. Spurrier said Marcus Lattimore will be ready for the season opener against Vanderbilt on August 30. They’re very confident in that assessment at SC, so maybe Lattimore will be back at full strength by August 3, the first day of fall workouts. Coach Spurrier is confident he will be. With the amazing rehab abilities today and the crack training staffs at these programs, it could be possible that Lattimore is a full go when fall workouts begin and he’ll be back to being the same stellar back he had been the past year and a half before his knee injury. Should that happen this football team can excel possibly. Kenny Miles is a pretty solid backup for Lattimore too. Sanders and free safety D.J. Swearinger were impressive in their interviews as well. Sanders will be a deep threat at wide out and a possession receiver at times whom Shaw will rely on. It’s going to be wide receiver by committee this season, but Sanders will be the leader. They may not have the explosive, big play guy that they had last year in Alshon Jeffrey, but they’ll be solid and may be pretty explosive as the season progresses.

Both Sanders and Swearinger are solely focused on Vanderbilt Aug. 30. There is no other game that matters to them. Swearinger loves the starting defensive ends on this football team inJadeveon Clowney and Devin Taylor. They should be dominant players in the conference this season. Swearinger expects Clowney to play like an All-American this year. He was the number one player in the country in 2011 out of high school and he had a very fine season last year. He’ll be even better this season and that’s a scary thought for offensive tackles in the SEC. Taylor will cause problems also. He’s underrated because of the hype for Clowney, but he is terrific and dominant. They’re both tough, fast, strong and put people down when they get to’em. The interior dline looks pretty solid as well. Swearinger and Spurrier like the team’s linebackers as well. Going to be a very good defense. New coordinator in Lorenzo Ward, but heard him after the spring game and he sounded good. It’s now a matter of Lattimore being ready for the season. That will be the key to the Gamecocks’ season. If Lattimore can play the way he has and even be better, SC will have a good shot at Atlanta. But listen to this gauntlet in October and November: vs. Georgia (Columbia, SC), on Oct. 6, @LSU, Oct. 13, @Florida, Oct. 20, vs. Tennessee (Columbia), October 27, and vs Arkansas at home, Nov. 10. If the Gamecocks can get through that 3-2 or better, they’ll be in pretty good shape. The Vandy game will be very interesting on Aug. 30 (ESPN, 7 PM ET/6CT), and Missouri comes to Columbia on Sept. 21. Then the finale against rival Clemson at Clemson on Nov. 24. Wow, that’s tough. But this is a good football team with an excellent head coach, so they are capable of making a run. Should be an exciting season in Columbia.

Texas A&M: Was highly impressed with new A&M coach Kevin Sumlin. Very smart. He says the entrance of A&M to the SEC has been a win-win for the football program. Recruiting has taken off.  A&M is in the top 20 in the team rankings on both Rivals and 247 Sports for their 2013 class. They’ll have a new quarterback this year as Ryan Tannehill left for the NFL last year and is now on the Miami Dolphins roster. There are three guys competing for the starting job and it’s yet to be decided. Sumlin is going to get this program in the national spotlight. It’s been there before. Sumlin was asked if he’s gotten much advice upon joining the SEC, and he’s says no one is advising him. He said it’s just been figure it out yourself. He relies on former A&M Coach R.C. Slocum a lot. Slocum had good success at A&M. The players were impressive too. Sumlin said the difference in the SEC and the Big 12 ,or any other conference for that matter, is the defensive fronts of all the SEC teams. They’re big, fast and there is depth. When you’re talking Alabama, LSU, South Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas and Auburn you can see that. It’s the whole defenses of these teams too. Very athletic, physical and fast. Sumlin feels good about where his program is heading beginning this year. They’ll bring a little more wide open offensive attack to the conference like the other new member, Missouri.

Vanderbilt: James Franklin wears his heart on his sleeve in everything he does. That’s just who he is. It works with his football teams and the Vanderbilt fans. He’s one of the finest young football coaches in the country. Passionate is the best word to describe Franklin. He loves the game, he loves the university, he loves the fans, and he really loves his football players. Just a total players’ coach. I don’t know when the guy sleeps. He said he’s texting his assistants at 3 or 4 AM  with ideas. He’s just obsessed with the game. That’s what you need if you’re going to be successful in this conference. He has changed the perception of Vanderbilt football. People are excited, the players, according to Franklin, now know they’re going to be successful. Last year they thought they would be. This year they know they will be. They are working harder than they ever have. Senior cornerback Trey Wilson, a fine player who looks like an NFL-caliber guy, said the first year they thought Franklin was crazy and there was no way he would survive going at the pace he was going at. But they learned to love him. Quarterback Jordan Rodgers said the players love the guy because they know he has their back. He is dedicated to his football team. Rodgers looks like he’ll be a fine SEC quarterback this year. He has the tools. He has a year of experience under his belt. He’s certainly got the genes with his brother, Aaron, a Super Bowl winning quarterback for the Packers. There are some pieces in place to have a successful football season. Tailback Zac Stacy, another solid kid from Bibb County High School just south of B’ham, who was at Media Days, will come back after rushing for 1,193 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2011. He averaged 5.9 yards per carry. Warren Norman is back from injury that kept him out last year and he’ll be a dual starter with Stacy. Norman has great speed and burstability. Excellent football player. The Commodores  have some good defensive players led by linebackers Archibald Barnes and Chase Garnham, and defensive end Walker May from Briarwood Christian School in Birmingham. Should have a stellar defensive backfield led by Wilson and junior safety Kenny Ladler. Defensive line looks pretty solid with some good depth. Oline will be good, but not real deep and will need some help from the six incoming freshman, who were all high, three-star players coming out of high school last year. Linebacker a little thin as well. But this team has the makings for another successful season as Franklin will keep driving to put Vanderbilt football on the national radar.

Lastly, Franklin was asked about his comments about having assistant coaches with “D-1,” wives which he was criticized heavily for by the media. He called it a mistake and he had moved on. I heard the interview and he was talking to a radio guy from Nashville whom he was very comfortable with. The radio guy, unintentionally, asked him a question that pretty much led him to that response. Franklin was in Florida and was relaxed and just having fun with the guy. He’s young and energetic, very personable, but sometimes can be honest to a fault. His passion for football and life can cause him to say things that may offend some people. But, so what.  It happens. He’s an excellent football coach who thinks the sky is the limit for his football program. He’s also a great guy and a terrific representative for Vanderbilt. The future is bright there.

Missouri: Gary Pinkel sounded very solid. He said the transition from the BIg 12 to the SEC has required a heavy workload, but he said that was his duty as head football coach. When asked how Missouri could handle the talent of  the SEC a while back, Pinkel said that his team hadn’t been playing high school teams. He said yesterday that he meant he played in the Big 12 against some very good football teams. Texas won the national championship in 2005 and Oklahoma won it in 2000. Both are very solid football programs. Baylor became a force and Oklahoma State was very close to playing for the national title last year. So they weren’t playing chopped liver. But this will be an adjustment for the Tigers. James Franklin, their stellar quarterback, has been hurt with a torn labrum, a lesser injury than Drew Brees had before he went to the Saints, but similar to it. But Pinkel expects him to be back for the opening game. He did say it may take Franklin time to get his timing and accuracy back. Pinkel said star tailback Henry Josey will probably not be available this season. But there is talent. The No.1 high school player in the country in 2012, according to Rivals, Dorial Green-Beckham, has adjusted well to college football according to his teammates. Offensive tackle Elvis Fisher says Green-Beckham has NFL-talent and an NFL-work ethic and attitude. He’s humble and hard working. He’s also 6’6″, 220 and can run a high 4.4,4o. Has all the tools to be a terrific football player. He’ll work in well with Missouri’s wide open passing game. But Missouri can run it as well. They play some power football which is a must in this conference.

Fisher loves the game. He has fun playing it. It’s not a job for him; it’s a passion. He says the senior leaders on this team know when to kid around and when to get serious. Fisher said this year’s teams’ cohesiveness is exceptional. Should be exciting with Missouri and A&M in the conference. Only makes this phenomenal conference even better.

Will have more from Day 2 tomorrow morning. Tennessee Spring write up coming up later today and the 141st British Open preview and predictions coming up later today also.

 

Steve Spurrier (left) and James Franklin are ready to get started in anticipation of their kickoff Aug. 30 at Vanderbilt.

Thoughts on the Paterno/Sandusky tragedy and what it means

I’m a sports writer. Obviously, I love sports and I love SEC football. But a friend of mine emailed me this morning and wanted me to write about the situation at Penn State, what it means in the more important realm of education versus football. Here are my thoughts.
College football can be deemed to be too important for some more serious-minded people. The Paterno/Sandusky debacle was an example of a football coach, Joe Paterno,  who had way too much control of a university, and, as it turns out, was amoral; he was consumed  with winning football games and it looks like nothing else mattered to him. In 1998, when Paterno first heard about Sandusky showering with a boy and, according to an assistant, molesting the kid, he did nothing. It was proven in court that Sandusky did commit that heinous crime and many more, Paterno responded by first not doing anything about it and then talking to the AD about keeping it under wraps. That’s not only amoral, it’s illegal.

Paterno was not winning as much at the time and this seemed to get in his way. Pretty heinous there. He had so much power at Penn State that whatever he said went. The president and the AD were puppets for Paterno. Rick Reilly of ESPN wrote that he went to Happy Valley in 1998 to write what was going to be a glowing article on Paterno, whom he thought was a saint at the time. A professor called Reilly and said Reilly didn’t know the real Paterno. The professor told Reilly he would let nothing get in the way of winning. Not a thing. He was not a moral person according  to the professor. He basically said to Reilly that Paterno was a bad guy. Reilly blew it off at the time  thinking it was just  sour grapes from a professor who was highly envious of Paterno’s success. But the professor was right as it turns out. They are a lot of the time. They’re smart people and a lot of them are quality, highly ethical people.

Paterno did not have ethics or a moral compass as it turned out and let this sociopath go on and destroy many young boys’ lives. The Paterno legacy is destroyed. There is nothing good to say about him. Former Penn State players and people in Pennsylvania may defend him but there is no defense for this despicable act, by Paterno and that animal Sandusky. Paterno was culpable in letting this pig destroy lives. Sandusky should get life in prison. I’m from the old school. I would just hang him. I know that doesn’t work today in this all too forgiving, give’em a third, fourth or fifth chance society, but that might be a little better deterrent than just giving the guy life. Well, he may be killed in jail anyway. He’s going to suffer, especially when Judgment Day arrives. He’s not going upstairs. He’s going to be in a bad place for eternity. That’s for sure. He deserves every bit of retribution that he will get.

This speaks to the importance of college football and education. I love college football; I really do. But these blasphemous incidents make you take a step back and say “Wait a minute, this is out of control. College sports needs to be put on the back burner a little bit. This is way more important than sports.”

It’s a very serious matter. There are some incredibly talented and hard working teachers and professors out there who work their backsides off to educate kids and help them become the best people they can be. They deserve a lot of recognition and they deserve to be compensated better.  I was up at Washington and Lee with my daughter in June and we talked to the kindest, most helpful professor. He was incredible. We asked him where the bookstore was and he couldn’t have been more helpful telling us to look at the student lounges and see what we thought. Seemed to love what he does and loved the school. There are a lot of dedicated teachers out there who deserve a lot more credit than coaches who are just about winning. Their value should be more recognized. We always need to start keeping college sports in more of a perspective. It’s a great release. It is for millions and million of people. But perspective is something that we always need to have when balancing the importance of athletics/football  to that of life. Athletics are important, but life is much more important. The well being of people is so much more important than wins and losses on the football field. We need to keep that in mind. The Penn State tragedy brought that to the forefront. Human beings come first. Football is entertainment. It’s not nearly as important. It just isn’t. Joe Paterno had too much power. He abused it and ruined kids’ lives. He will be remembered for that and nothing else that he accomplished on the football field. Time will not heal the feelings for Paterno. He ruined people’s lives and he deserves every bit of castigation as he is getting and he will get. He turned out to be an amoral guy, who let this pathetically abhorrent behavior by one of his former assistants goes on. There is no defense for him. He was an animal. He will be remembered forever in infamy.

Sometimes we need to tone it down with our obsession with football. It’s just not as important as family, belief in God, education and work. It should never be close to that level. It’s a game. I’ll keep reporting on it because I hope you enjoy the columns I write and I know I love writing about it. It’s what I do. But it’s not life. Never will be. We need to keep the importance of the game in perspective. It’s just a game. It’s fun, a lot of fun. But it’s entertainment. School teachers, professors, doctors, nurses and ministers are a lot more important to people in the grand scheme of life. Those professions should be where our heroes are. It’s a lot of fun to watch a guy run 85 yards for a touchdown, but how important is that compared to a doctor saving a man or woman’s life, or delivering a baby, or a teacher spending time after school tutoring a struggling student who wants to excel, and needs all the tutoring and emotional support he or she can get? That’s life. That’s real.

Football is entertainment. Living a good, decent life is a lot more important. The Joe Paterno/ Jerry Sandusky tragedy should remind us of that. Their peons and should be treated as such. They destroyed lives and there is nothing worse than that. They deserve all the infamy that they will get.

Gators could be chompin’ a pretty good bit in 2012

This looks like a  good football team. Defense will be there with Will Muschamp and Dan Quinn, an excellent defensive coordinator, in charge. Florida was eighth in the country in total defense last year, and they return 24 of their 26 top tacklers from 2o11. They’ll be led by linebackers Jon Bostic (6’1″, 243, Sr., 94 tackles last year, 10 for loss, and and three sacks), linebacker Jelani Jenkins (6’0″, 233, Sr., 75 tackles, six for loss, two sacks) and standout safety Matt Elam (5’10”, 210, Jr., 78 tackles, 11 for loss, two sacks, and two ints).  They’ve got a couple of stud defensive lineman in dtackle Sharrif Floyd (6’3″, 305, Jr.) and defensive end Ronald Powell (6’4″, 250, Jr.). Both were five-star recruits out of high school. They’re loaded on defense. A couple of other Gator defensive players who will play major roles and make a lot of winning plays are linebacker Michael Taylor (6″0″, 220, sophomore) and sophomore safety Jabari Gorman (5’9″,183). Taylor had 36 tackles last year, and 4.5 tackles for loss, along with an interception. He had an excellent spring game. Gorman played in all 13 games last year, and was all over the field in the spring game. They are both winners.
The offense has a new OC in Brent Pease. Pease came to Gainesville this year from Boise State, and you know how good their offenses have been. The offenses started off slowly in the spring game, but really picked it up midway through the first quarter. Sophomore quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel are both stellar players. Like them both a lot. Excellent passers and athletic; both can run. Brissett is 6’3″, 229, and Driskel is 6’4″, 232. Both were high four-stars coming out of high school. Brissett was a 5.9, four-star in high school and Driskel was a 6.0, four-star. Judging from the spring game, it’s a dead heat for the starting job. I would say Brissett had a little better spring game. He made some excellent throws with a couple of nice deep balls. But Driskel had some nice throws and some athletic runs also.This competition will go into August, maybe all the way to the first game and beyond. It’s that close. Don’t think Muschamp wants a two-quarterback system. That doesn’t usually work very well. Maybe Muschamp will do what S did and just let it play out even into the season. A.J. took over against Penn State in the second game of the season. Muschamp may start  them both and just see who is the better player in games. Should be interesting to watch. Mike Gillislee is an excellent running back. Should have a solid, 1,000-yard season for the Gators. Looks like he’s close to elite. There’s a little depth behind him with Mack Brown, Jr. (not coach’s son) and Omarius Hines, who looks like a playmaker on the edge. Trey Burton is a weapon, kind of sweep, reverse-type player, who is also kind of a hybrid guy who can play H-back and catch passes. He’s a player. Tight end Jordan Reed caught 28 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns last year, not eye-popping numbers, but he made some nice plays in the spring game and is talented. The Gators have a young freshman receiver named Latroy Pittman, who came in early, and who looks like he’s going to be a player this year. Junior Andre Debose is back. He caught four touchdown passes last year and had a nice deep ball catch in the spring game. Quinton Dunbar (6’1″, 183, sophomore) is another weapon on the perimeter for the Gators. The Gators look a lot better on offense this year. Their defense will be there. If they can get settled in at quarterback, they should be a pretty darn good football team. The line looks a lot better than it has in recent years. Xavier Nixon, a 6’6″, 309 tackle, looks like the mainstay guy there. Big guys, good pass protectors and look like pretty good run blockers too.

The Schedule:

Start with a W against Bowling Green at home.

At Texas A&M. Tough matchup. Will pick Gators.

Tennessee in Knoxville. Like Gators.

Kentucky, LSU at home, then Vandy in Nashville. Should be at least 2-1 from those games.

South Carolina at home and Georgia in Jacksonville will be huge. After watching the Gators in spring, if their qb can come through, I like them to knock off both SC and Georgia. Missouri in Gainesville a win. Two wins against Louisiana Lafayette and Jax State and then an epic with Florida State. Need to watch the FSU spring game before I make this prediction. It’s at Tallahassee, so like FSU just from the surface. Will have more on FSU next week after I watch their spring game. At first glance, like FSU.

I see the Gators going 10-2. They are very much improved from last year. Will Muschamp is an excellent coach. Gets pretty pumped up out there; he’s a screamer. But I think he can really motivate, and he’s got some stellar football players. These two quarterbacks are very impressive, and with Pease from Boise State calling the shots on offense, I like this Gator offense to be much improved from the last couple of years. Pease looks like a big step up from Charlie Weis, who left to take the Kansas head coaching job. Like this Gator squad a lot. I picked SC over them on Wednesday, but after watching the Gators, like the Gators to knock off South Carolina at home and Georgia in Jacksonville and make it to Atlanta. It’ll be highly competitive, but the Gators look to me, after watching them, Georgia and SC, to be the best team. Will watch Tennessee and give you a preview of them, but I don’t think they’re there yet.

Will Muschamp looks to have the Gators ready to compete for an SEC Championship in 2012

 

Gamecocks ready to take it to the next level in 2012

Steve Spurrier got back to being himself last year after about four or five “quiet” years. He likes his team and thinks they can be special. They’ve got the players on defense and a pretty good playmaking offense to make a run to Atlanta and a major bowl game. Spurrier has good reasons to have that ol’ swagger back.
Connor Shaw is back at quarterback and looked terrific in the spring game. He completed 123 passes on 188 attempts last year (65.4%), for 1,448 yards and 14 TDs against six ints.  He played the first half of the spring game and was stellar. He was 5-for-7 for 128 yards and two tds including a seventy-yarder to Damiere Byrd on the opening drive of the game. Shaw looks pretty good to me, but at the same time, the secondary looked pretty shaky. Spurrier said they were holding out some defensive players, so that was most likely the issue. Nonetheless, Shaw was efficient and highly effective. He looks like he’s primed for a breakout junior year.

Marcus Lattimore did not play as he’s still not fully recovered from a torn ligament and cartilage damage in his left knee that he suffered against Ms. State in the middle of the season last year. He has rushed for 2,075 yards in his two year career on 412 carries (4.9 yds per carry) and 27 TDs. He can be outstanding, but sometimes he can be pretty quiet in games. He’s shown flashes of brilliance, but sometimes it looks like he doesn’t show up. Will his knee be fully healed by the Gamecocks opener vs. Vanderbilt on Aug. 30, a Thursday Night at 7 PM ET/6 CT on ESPN? That’s a major question. The South Carolina brass is saying he’ll be ready for fall camp. So I’m going with what they say. Can he be as effective as he has been most of the time in the opener versus the Commodores? Maybe. If he is back to full strength, the Gamecocks will be stellar in both the running and passing game. Kenny Miles is a fine backup at tailback and Brandon Wilds is a pretty good player, too. But Lattimore will be the key. He could very well be back. I just remember how good Kerry Goode was at Alabama his freshman year in 1984 in the Boston College game and how good he was going to be when he tore up his knee in that game and was never the same. Goode’s knee was worse than Lattimore’s, and with the training staff and rehabilitation capabilities teams have now, Lattimore could be 100 percent by August 30. Will keep an eye on that. That could be the key to SC’s season.

Offensive line looks pretty solid with good size. Spurrier is high on left tackle Brandon Shell, a 6’6″, 331 redshirt freshman. Shell blocked potential All-American Jadeveon Clowney in the spring game and did a pretty good job on him. Going against Clowney in practice has got to make Shell ready for the SEC. Wide receiver looks pretty solid with speedster Ace Sanders back along with playmakers DeAngelo Smith and Byrd. They lost first round draft pick Alshon Jeffery, but this should be a pretty good receiving corps by committee. May not have the dominant player like Jeffery, but should be pretty solid, with some speed.

The defense starts with their stellar defensive ends: Clowney (6’6″, 256) and Devin Taylor (6’8″, 267). Both are beasts and can dominate football games. Clowney registered eight sacks last year and Taylor recorded six. They both look ready to be superior players. Kelcy Quarles looks like a pretty solid defensive tackle. He’s 6’4″, 286. He’s not huge, but pretty effective. Byron Jerideau (6’1″, 316) is a pretty active dtackle for the Gamecocks as well. Should be a fine player for them. Pretty good defensive line for this team.

The linebackers are led by 6’2″, 241 outside linebacker DeVonte Holloman. Fine player who recorded 51 tackles last year, four for loss. Should be even more active this year. Shaq Wilson is another stellar player. He’s a 5’11”, 224 pound senior and he’ll be a leader. He had 52 tackles last year and five for loss with a sack. He should make even more plays this year.

The secondary lost some very good players in Antonio Allen and Stephon Gilmore from last year’s team. Expect senior free safety D.J. Swearinger to lead the group. Swearinger registered 80 tackles last year and picked off three passes. He’s a senior. Akeem Auguste is a senior (5’9″, 188) and should be an excellent cornerback. Still looks like there are some question marks back there. The secondary was beaten deep in the spring game three or four times, so that could be an issue heading into the season.

Kicking game looks pretty solid. Landon Ard and Adam Yates both connected on their field goals. Ard booted a 51-yarder at the end of the game. Punter is Patrick Fish and he didn’t have a lot of opportunities in the spring game, but he looks fine.

 

Schedule:

 

The Gamecocks open at Vanderbilt on August 30 on ESPN (7 PM ET/6 CT). That should be a war. Vanderbilt is hungry and ready to win. James Franklin has these guys believing they can win every Saturday (Thursday in this case), and they’ve got a pretty good football team. Two pretty solid defenses, but some explosive quarterbacks both passing and running with Vanderbilt’s Jordan Rodgers also ready for a breakout season like Shaw. I’ll have my prediction closer to game time on this one. Like the Gamecocks barely at this point. Should be a fun one.

Versus East Carolina and UAB at home are  both W’s. Versus Missouri at home will be challenging, but  I like SC to win. At Kentucky should be a victory. Versus Georgia will be another war. It’s at home, so I’ll go with Gamecocks.

At LSU. Could be a victory, but I’m going with a loss here, though not ruling it out. Gotta see how the season progresses. I like LSU at this point. Like Spurrier over Miles if it comes down to coaching decisions. At Florida, win. Florida getting closer, not there yet though. Quarterback not solid enough. Tenn at home, win. Arkansas at home, win. Vs Wofford, win. At Clemson will be tough. Like SC to pull it out though.

Like the Gamecocks to go 11-2 with potential losses to LSU and Vandy, Georgia, Florida or Clemson. See them representing the East in the SEC Championship game. Good  team that is well coached. New defensive coordinator in Lorenzo Ward. Watched an interview with Ward, who played for Alabama in the late ’80’s and was a very good player, and he sounded pretty solid. Last year’s dc, Ellis Johnson, was excellent, and got the head job at Southern Miss. Ward has some big shoes to fill, so that’ll be interesting to watch how his defense plays this year. But Spurrier’s renewed “confidence” looks to be well-founded. He has a very good team.

Steve Spurrier (above) ready for big 2012.

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