Like to see the cream rise to the top! War Eagle!!!!!!
The SEC West
- Dean Jolley - SEC Columnist - 8/5/02 -
The SEC West is deep in good teams. I doubt that any conference could field six teams any more competitive than these six promise to be. That makes picking the winner of the West even more of a darkling guessing-game than it usually is.
I believe that each of the six teams has a shot?even more, a decent shot?at playing in Atlanta. Each team has a problematic spot or two. Each team has noteworthy strengths. So, while I will pick the six in order of finish, I feel little confidence in my rankings. The Delphic Oracle wouldn?t want to pick this group.
Auburn: I realize this is not a trendy pick for the top spot. But Auburn has, on paper, what it has taken perennially to win the West: a terrific kicking game (both place-kicking and punting) a strong defense, and a solid running game. While Cadillac Williams, the tight-ends and the linebackers will get most of the press in the preseason, Damon Duval will be the most valuable player on this team?and in the West.
Auburn has questions at quarterback and at offensive line, but I expect both to play adequately. The line will do a good job of blocking for Cadillac Williams, who I expect to have an All-SEC year. Look, in particular, for Williams to become more of a threat in the passing game than he was last year; he is the best open field back in the conference and OC Petrino will find a way to get him into space. The tight ends should not only play an important part in the passing game (especially Robert Johnson), but should also bolster the interior line?s run blocking. If Auburn can get one of its highly-touted freshmen receivers to step up, the offense should be more than able to get the needed points on the board.
The linebackers and secondary look to be not only among the best in the conference, they look to be among the best in the country. Dontarrious Thomas is speed, pure and simple. Dansby and Brown bring big-hit attitude and a nose for the ball. It will be hard to run or to throw against these linebackers. The Tiger secondary is deep and experienced. The defensive line will be solid?although there are some nagging questions about de depth. But whether the line excels or not will be decided by DeMarco McNeil?s knee. If he returns to freshman form, this bunch will be tough to handle.
LSU: There?s plenty of returning talent on this team. But the big guns are gone. Whether Matt Mauk is ready for prime time has yet to be decided. The Tennessee game from last year didn?t prove that he can consistently move the team week-in and week-out. I, for one, expect him to seriously slump in his sophmore season, and I expect that slump to keep LSU from the title game. Mauk?s play wouldn?t matter so much if LaBrandon Toefield were not coming off of a knee injury. While there is plenty of talent behind Toefield, it is talent behind him, and I don?t like the combination of inexperience/injury at qb and rb.
LSU?s offensive line looks to be a strong group. They should help Mauk and Toefield succeed. The receivers are a talented bunch, too, but no one looks to be able to step up and fill Josh Reed?s spot. Clayton?s talent is not the same sort as Reed?s, although there is no doubting Clayton?s talent. Reed could dominate a game from the wr position; few receivers, no matter how gifted, can manage that. The tight ends are a very solid unit, although they lose Robert Royal.
The Tiger defensive line is inexperienced. There are talented players on it, but much of the experience from last year left. The biggest question about this group is whether it will be able to generate enough pressure on opposing qbs. The linebackers are very good, and the return of Bradie James, a terrific player, really bolsters them. The defensive backs are not imposing. Last year, they were pretty good at stealing the ball, but they gave up great chunks of yardage. This group may be better than last year?s?but not enough to make the defense strong against the pass.
Arkansas: There is plenty of reason for optimism in Hogland. There is a heap of returning starters from a team that finished last year strong. But there are also reasons to be dubious. First, this is an awful road team and they have to play at Auburn, Tennessee, South Carolina and at Mississippi State. Until this team plays with the same intensity and abandon on the road that it does at home, an SEC title will prove elusive. Second, the offense, which improved last year, has questions at qb. There are three players vying for the top spot and, with the exception of the running of Jones, there is no clear reason for expecting anything special from anyone in the group. (I expect Jones? running, should he start, to be less effective this year. The surprise of it is gone.) Add to this an average receiving corps and there?s little reason to believe that this squad will put up big points.
Luckily, the offense will move be able to move the ball, behind the running of the tailbacks and a solid offensive line. Talley is a fine speed back and there are other solid runners behind him. The running game will have problems producing points, though, since other teams will likely not fear the pass very much and will gang up on the runners.
The defensive line lost Carlos Hall, and that hurts. But there are 5 or so returnees, so this unit should prosper. They do need to improve their pass rush. Luckily, the Hogs also return the some of the best pure cover secondary players in the country, and they should be so good as to allow the DC more freedom in blitz schemes. Richardson, Carroll and Jackson are amazingly quick, a three-man football relay team. Unless teams can run on Arkansas, they will have a hard time fitting a football in between these players. I also like the lb corps?especially Bua and Huckeba.
Alabama: Who knows with this team? There are depth issues; there are real questions about whether the offense can win games consistently in the SEC. My guess is that Watts will start the season as qb and turn in the same sorts of performances that broke Bamaniac?s hearts last year: huge yardage, not enough points to win. In particular, I think Watts? fourth quarter passing troubles will continue to haunt him. That means that it is likely that Brodie Croyle, stud freshman, will end up with the job. (The fact that Coach Fran recruited Croyle and not Watts is also likely to work in Croyle?s favor.) Croyle will play well?for a freshman. But he won?t take the Tide to a West title in his freshman year.
The Tide will not only have trouble throwing the ball, they?ll have trouble catching it. The wr are one of the weakest groups in the SEC. Terry Jones left and with him did any real threat at tight-end. The strength of the offense is clearly the offensive line. There are any number of good-looking players here and another year in the system should aid them. But other teams will also have had a year to look at the system, so I don?t expect this unit to outperform their totals from last year. Still, last year?s totals are very respectable, and the Tide should grind out plenty of ground. There is an impressive group of back returning, too, and that will help the ground game. Beard turned in fine performances against both Tennessee and Auburn last year and likely will get the bulk of the work this year. Still, I worry that, like last year, the Tide will roll up big ground numbers but not be able to transform them into sixes.
Defensively, the Tide returns the best group of lineman in the conference. Moorehead and Johnson and company will work the rears off opposing o-linemen. The only real worry with this unit is its lack of size in the interior, where they may begin to wear down in games and over the course of the season. Rasheed is now NFLing, and the linebackers as a group are talented but somewhat inexperienced. Much depends on the progress of juco Derrick Pope. If he can make up for the lack of Rasheed, if he can even get close, this will be a solid group. The biggest worry for the Tide D is the defensive backfield. It will be better: but, boy, it was so bad last year that there is nowhere to go but up. There?s neither tremendous talent nor tremendous experience in this group. The d-line will cover some of their deficiencies, but Bama does not want to be in too many fourth quarter arial circuses; if they are, they?ll lose.
Ole Miss: The story here is the story from last year, with a little tweaking: great offense, great qb; fair-to-lousy defense, tiny linemen. I figure this group will be more fun than any other in the conference to watch. But I also figure they?ll endure the fate of run-and-shoot NFL teams: lots of high-thirty-something to low-thirty-something losses.
Eli Manning may be the best qb in the conference?and that?s something, given Grossman?s presence in Gainsville. But Manning?s got fewer weapons to work with. Especially worrisome is the running back position. JUCO McClendon had better be the real deal, or Manning won?t make it through the season. There?re undoubtedly quick feet and strong legs beneath this running back corps, but none of them has much experience. Luckily, the receivers are a strong group and should allow Manning many options. TE Zeigler, in particular, looks poised for a big year; wr Collins should be good, too. The o-line is a good unit and should fare reasonably well despite the loss of Metcalf.
Mississippi State: Nuff Said
The SEC West
- Dean Jolley - SEC Columnist - 8/5/02 -
The SEC West is deep in good teams. I doubt that any conference could field six teams any more competitive than these six promise to be. That makes picking the winner of the West even more of a darkling guessing-game than it usually is.
I believe that each of the six teams has a shot?even more, a decent shot?at playing in Atlanta. Each team has a problematic spot or two. Each team has noteworthy strengths. So, while I will pick the six in order of finish, I feel little confidence in my rankings. The Delphic Oracle wouldn?t want to pick this group.
Auburn: I realize this is not a trendy pick for the top spot. But Auburn has, on paper, what it has taken perennially to win the West: a terrific kicking game (both place-kicking and punting) a strong defense, and a solid running game. While Cadillac Williams, the tight-ends and the linebackers will get most of the press in the preseason, Damon Duval will be the most valuable player on this team?and in the West.
Auburn has questions at quarterback and at offensive line, but I expect both to play adequately. The line will do a good job of blocking for Cadillac Williams, who I expect to have an All-SEC year. Look, in particular, for Williams to become more of a threat in the passing game than he was last year; he is the best open field back in the conference and OC Petrino will find a way to get him into space. The tight ends should not only play an important part in the passing game (especially Robert Johnson), but should also bolster the interior line?s run blocking. If Auburn can get one of its highly-touted freshmen receivers to step up, the offense should be more than able to get the needed points on the board.
The linebackers and secondary look to be not only among the best in the conference, they look to be among the best in the country. Dontarrious Thomas is speed, pure and simple. Dansby and Brown bring big-hit attitude and a nose for the ball. It will be hard to run or to throw against these linebackers. The Tiger secondary is deep and experienced. The defensive line will be solid?although there are some nagging questions about de depth. But whether the line excels or not will be decided by DeMarco McNeil?s knee. If he returns to freshman form, this bunch will be tough to handle.
LSU: There?s plenty of returning talent on this team. But the big guns are gone. Whether Matt Mauk is ready for prime time has yet to be decided. The Tennessee game from last year didn?t prove that he can consistently move the team week-in and week-out. I, for one, expect him to seriously slump in his sophmore season, and I expect that slump to keep LSU from the title game. Mauk?s play wouldn?t matter so much if LaBrandon Toefield were not coming off of a knee injury. While there is plenty of talent behind Toefield, it is talent behind him, and I don?t like the combination of inexperience/injury at qb and rb.
LSU?s offensive line looks to be a strong group. They should help Mauk and Toefield succeed. The receivers are a talented bunch, too, but no one looks to be able to step up and fill Josh Reed?s spot. Clayton?s talent is not the same sort as Reed?s, although there is no doubting Clayton?s talent. Reed could dominate a game from the wr position; few receivers, no matter how gifted, can manage that. The tight ends are a very solid unit, although they lose Robert Royal.
The Tiger defensive line is inexperienced. There are talented players on it, but much of the experience from last year left. The biggest question about this group is whether it will be able to generate enough pressure on opposing qbs. The linebackers are very good, and the return of Bradie James, a terrific player, really bolsters them. The defensive backs are not imposing. Last year, they were pretty good at stealing the ball, but they gave up great chunks of yardage. This group may be better than last year?s?but not enough to make the defense strong against the pass.
Arkansas: There is plenty of reason for optimism in Hogland. There is a heap of returning starters from a team that finished last year strong. But there are also reasons to be dubious. First, this is an awful road team and they have to play at Auburn, Tennessee, South Carolina and at Mississippi State. Until this team plays with the same intensity and abandon on the road that it does at home, an SEC title will prove elusive. Second, the offense, which improved last year, has questions at qb. There are three players vying for the top spot and, with the exception of the running of Jones, there is no clear reason for expecting anything special from anyone in the group. (I expect Jones? running, should he start, to be less effective this year. The surprise of it is gone.) Add to this an average receiving corps and there?s little reason to believe that this squad will put up big points.
Luckily, the offense will move be able to move the ball, behind the running of the tailbacks and a solid offensive line. Talley is a fine speed back and there are other solid runners behind him. The running game will have problems producing points, though, since other teams will likely not fear the pass very much and will gang up on the runners.
The defensive line lost Carlos Hall, and that hurts. But there are 5 or so returnees, so this unit should prosper. They do need to improve their pass rush. Luckily, the Hogs also return the some of the best pure cover secondary players in the country, and they should be so good as to allow the DC more freedom in blitz schemes. Richardson, Carroll and Jackson are amazingly quick, a three-man football relay team. Unless teams can run on Arkansas, they will have a hard time fitting a football in between these players. I also like the lb corps?especially Bua and Huckeba.
Alabama: Who knows with this team? There are depth issues; there are real questions about whether the offense can win games consistently in the SEC. My guess is that Watts will start the season as qb and turn in the same sorts of performances that broke Bamaniac?s hearts last year: huge yardage, not enough points to win. In particular, I think Watts? fourth quarter passing troubles will continue to haunt him. That means that it is likely that Brodie Croyle, stud freshman, will end up with the job. (The fact that Coach Fran recruited Croyle and not Watts is also likely to work in Croyle?s favor.) Croyle will play well?for a freshman. But he won?t take the Tide to a West title in his freshman year.
The Tide will not only have trouble throwing the ball, they?ll have trouble catching it. The wr are one of the weakest groups in the SEC. Terry Jones left and with him did any real threat at tight-end. The strength of the offense is clearly the offensive line. There are any number of good-looking players here and another year in the system should aid them. But other teams will also have had a year to look at the system, so I don?t expect this unit to outperform their totals from last year. Still, last year?s totals are very respectable, and the Tide should grind out plenty of ground. There is an impressive group of back returning, too, and that will help the ground game. Beard turned in fine performances against both Tennessee and Auburn last year and likely will get the bulk of the work this year. Still, I worry that, like last year, the Tide will roll up big ground numbers but not be able to transform them into sixes.
Defensively, the Tide returns the best group of lineman in the conference. Moorehead and Johnson and company will work the rears off opposing o-linemen. The only real worry with this unit is its lack of size in the interior, where they may begin to wear down in games and over the course of the season. Rasheed is now NFLing, and the linebackers as a group are talented but somewhat inexperienced. Much depends on the progress of juco Derrick Pope. If he can make up for the lack of Rasheed, if he can even get close, this will be a solid group. The biggest worry for the Tide D is the defensive backfield. It will be better: but, boy, it was so bad last year that there is nowhere to go but up. There?s neither tremendous talent nor tremendous experience in this group. The d-line will cover some of their deficiencies, but Bama does not want to be in too many fourth quarter arial circuses; if they are, they?ll lose.
Ole Miss: The story here is the story from last year, with a little tweaking: great offense, great qb; fair-to-lousy defense, tiny linemen. I figure this group will be more fun than any other in the conference to watch. But I also figure they?ll endure the fate of run-and-shoot NFL teams: lots of high-thirty-something to low-thirty-something losses.
Eli Manning may be the best qb in the conference?and that?s something, given Grossman?s presence in Gainsville. But Manning?s got fewer weapons to work with. Especially worrisome is the running back position. JUCO McClendon had better be the real deal, or Manning won?t make it through the season. There?re undoubtedly quick feet and strong legs beneath this running back corps, but none of them has much experience. Luckily, the receivers are a strong group and should allow Manning many options. TE Zeigler, in particular, looks poised for a big year; wr Collins should be good, too. The o-line is a good unit and should fare reasonably well despite the loss of Metcalf.
Mississippi State: Nuff Said
