January 5th, 2009 12:56 pm ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Georgia defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner has turned down a job at Tennessee and will remain in Athens for 2009.
Garner, a former Vol assistant in the ’90s, is considered one of the leading recruiters in the SEC. He has already turned down overtures from Auburn, his alma mater, earlier this off-season.
This is a big “keep” for Mark Richt. With a disappointing season so close in the rearview mirror, losing a top aide and recruiter would have been a bad bit of icing on an already sour cake.
For Tennessee, it shows that they apparently can’t buy everyone… just most.
Garner stated his preference for coaching on the defensive side of the ball as part of his reason for staying at Georgia. Tennessee was offering a role on offense.
January 5th, 2009 12:13 pm ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
You can read the full predictions by clicking here, but this is the list of five predictions ESPN.com’s Chris Low has made for the 2009 SEC football season:
1) Tim Tebow will come back
2) The breakthrough team in 2009 will be Ole Miss
3) Julio Jones and AJ Green will become the top receivers in the country
4) Steve Spurrier will walk away from Carolina after next season
5) LSU will get back to their attacking style of defense
January 5th, 2009 12:08 pm ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
The SEC’s leader in sacks in 2008 will be back in Garnet and Black in 2009.
Linebacker Eric Norwood has changed his mind and now says he will return to South Carolina next year and put the NFL on-hold for a year.
“I’ve been looking at some of the guys from last year who increased their draft stock by returning. So I changed my mind. I like the security that returning to school will provide.”
Gamecock fans will love this news. Hopefully Norwood will keep his eyes on the college game for the entire 2009 season and not start thinking about the NFL midway through next season as some of his current teammates did this year.
January 5th, 2009 11:30 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Consider it a perk of playing for the national title. Florida’s going to get special treatment this week with their own wall of links each morning.
Here are the top stories and issues surround UF’s showdown with Oklahoma on Thursday:
We told you earlier today that OU cornerback Dominique Franks had said that Tim Tebow would have been the fourth-best quarterback in the Big 12. But did you know Franks was responding to a Tebow comment that he was looking forward to facing a Big 12 defense? You’re not seeing much about that one in the national press.
Offensive tackle Phil Trautwein got a big tattoo after the Gators’ BCS title in 2006. Now he wants another tat.
Coaches at Florida are expected to fit Urban Meyer’s system, not the other way around. That’s why most folks in Gainesville are expecting a smooth transition from Dan Mullen to Steve Addazio.
Speaking of coaches, Tebow is a big fan of Scot Loeffler who is expected to be named UF’s next quarterbacks coach. But he won’t say if he’ll be playing for him next year or not.
Percy Harvin might not be 100% (is he ever?), but barring a setback, you can expect to see him play against Oklahoma.
With all the talk of Tebow and Harvin, it’s easy to forget wide receiver Louis Murphy.
Ron Higgins of The Memphis Commercial-Appeal believes Oklahoma will have a hard time keeping up with Florida’s team speed.
Tommy Hicks of The Mobile Press-Register thinks the Gators hold the speed advantage, too.
Florida back-up quarterback Cam Newton, facing charges of stealing a fellow student’s laptop, will transfer to a Texas junior college.
Here are some notes from Miami including Tebow’s trouble with motion sickness and the strong recovery by the Pouncey twins’ step-father… who’d lost his leg in an accident more than a month ago.
January 5th, 2009 11:06 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Not to go all “Match Game” on you, but the SEC is sooooo bad, the league doesn’t even have a team ranked in top blank of the RPI.
If you said “top 20,” you’d be right.
There are a number of different wannabe RPI rankings out there… none are the official “double secret” NCAA RPI rankings, but many of them come close.
One is provided by RealTimeRPI.com. In it, things look pretty bleak for the SEC right now:
Tennessee is the league’s toughest team and they’re only ranked #21 in this morning’s listings.
Here’s the full rundown:
21. Tennessee
45. Florida
66. Arkansas
75. Kentucky
76. Vanderbilt
84. Ole Miss
100. Auburn
106. South Carolina
118. LSU
181. Mississippi State
198. Alabama
217. Georgia
Don’t expect those RPI rankings to climb too much when conference play begins. You don’t raise your rating by beating bad clubs… and that’s what the SEC is currently full of.
Perhaps the SEC will get the benefit of the doubt in March, but I wouldn’t bank on it. This looks like a four-bid league to me right now.
January 5th, 2009 10:56 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Tony Barnhart of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution understands just how whacky the current bowl system is. Today he writes that by week’s end no less than FOUR TEAMS can lay claim to a piece of the 2008 national championship:
The Oklahoma/Florida winner, Texas, Southern Cal and Utah can all make compelling cases.
And before you go mocking Utah, take a look at their resume (and what they’ve done in recent years).
David Climer of The Tennessean did… and he’s giving the Utes his backing for #1.
January 5th, 2009 10:47 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Here’s the news from the Eastern side of the SEC today (we’ll give the BCS title-chasin’ Florida Gators their own section this week), complete with links to the big stories:
The biggest news in the East Division is the recruiting battle being waged by Georgia and Tennessee over… an ace recruiter. Rodney Garner, current Georgia defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator has been targeted by Lane Kiffin as the next piece to his “super staff.” Garner, who coached at UT in the 90s, was expected to make a decision yesterday, but that has now changed.
Tennessee has offered Garner about $400,000 (a $150,000 or so raise over his Georgia salary). That’s not a surprise, UT is spending their US dollars like they’re Confederate script. (If you read MrSEC, then you knew this would be the case a month ago.)
So why didn’t the decision come yesterday? Mark Richt and Garner were in talks last night to keep the star recruiter in Athens. UGA athletic director Damon Evans had this to say about boosting Garner’s salary: “We’ll do what’s appropriate for Georgia. There’s always going to be other schools out there — the market changes constantly in this business — and we can make sure that we do what’s appropriate.”
Back to Tennessee for a second, on the basketball front forward Tyler Smith is taking the blame for the Vols’ 92-85 loss at Kansas over the weekend… despite the fact he scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Academically ineligible freshman Daniel West has decided to go ahead and enroll at Tennessee and pay out of state tuition for a year… to solidify his role as a Vol point guard next season.
And now back to Georgia, where the AJC’s Mark Bradley writes that things are far from quiet on the Bulldogs’ football front.
All the Kentucky fans looking for a signature win by Billy Gillispie and Patrick Patterson will have to wait a little longer following Louisville’s last-second 74-71 victory over the Cats yesterday.
John Clay of The Lexington Herald-Leader writes that the classic rivalry delivered a classic game.
On the negative side, Kentucky still couldn’t find a third scording option after Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson. But on the postive side, UK’s players weren’t buying into any talk of moral victories.
Coming off a surprise Gamecock win at #19 Baylor this weekend, The State in Columbia provides a quick preview of tonight’s Carolina game with Wofford.
When the football future is as murky as it is in Columbia, I figured it would be okay to link to this day-old column in which Joe Person of The State provides the five biggest questions facing the Gamecocks in 2009.
Not to be outdone, this Travis Haney of The Charleston Post and Courier gives you his version of the five biggest questions facing Carolina.
January 5th, 2009 10:11 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Here are the big stories and top links for this Monday morning in the SEC West:
Folks in Alabama have already turned their eyes toward the fall of ‘09. Following the Tide’s Sugar Bowl loss to Utah, the team will certainly have motivation. Bama supposedly has a stable of capable quarterbacks to go with that motivation… but you saw how new quarterbacks did in the SEC this year.
Left tackle Andre Smith, suspended from the Sugar Bowl, is indeed heading to the NFL, but his lawyer says he’s made no contact with a sports agent. Alabama and the NCAA say there was no violation of an NCAA rule. Smith’s agent says that should be proof that his client didn’t speak with an agent. So what happened that led Nick Saban to suspend Smith?
Ray Melick of The Birmingham News writes something that I completely agree with today: bowl games don’t “prove” very much, they’re exhibition games played a month after the season, and half the match-ups are fruity. Good column… you should read it.
Gene Chizik is filling out his coaching staff… and Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State probably isn’t too happy about it. Not only has Chizik added former Iowa State assistant Jay Boulware (special teams) to his staff, he’s also hired Curtis Luper (running backs) from Oklahoma State and is wooing OSU’s Trooper Taylor, too.
Luper said he’s working hard to recruit Taylor to The Plains. “He’s a phenomenal man. He’s a great recruiter, great coach, great person, I could go on and on.”
John Pelphrey has been named The Northwest Arkansas Times’ Men’s Collegiate Coach of the Year. That ranks just below the Nobel prize and the Oscar in terms of awards and honors. Why did Pelphrey win? He’s bringing passion back to Razorback hoops.
Indeed Hog fans are loving their team’s blue-collar work ethic. Whether diving for loose balls will be enough to upset #8 Texas is anyone’s guess. After seeing what the young Razorbacks did to Oklahoma, Texas’ Rick Barnes is taking UA seriously.
Garrett Temple and the LSU Tigers took their defense to new heights on Saturday night. Against Southeastern Louisiana. Baby steps, I guess. Baby steps.
Ole Miss is hoping to build off of a Cotton Bowl win, a Top 15 ranking and a 9-4 record next year. But with key losses across the board, Houston Nutt will have to do some solid recruiting in the next month.
Mississippi State’s 17-point win over Houston this weekend was a step in the right direction. A win over Western Kentucky tonight would also help to boost the Bulldogs’ current RPI which is hovering way down in the 180s.
MSU’s RPI hole is so deep — and the SEC is so down — that Kyle Veazey of The Jackson Clarion Ledger is already thinking an SEC Tournament title might be MSU’s best shot at the NCAA tourney in March.
January 5th, 2009 9:17 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
While I’m still putting together notes from SEC points East and West, I thought I’d link you to an interesting story by Stewart Mandel over at SI.com.
A couple of weeks ago, much to my chagrin, I penned a piece explaining why I don’t think we’ll be able to reach a playoff for college football anytime soon.
Unfortunately, money seems to be in the way.
But the following is at least a little positive for playoff fans: the tv ratings for the three BCS bowls played so far are way down overall.
The Orange Bowl drew only a 6.1 rating for Cincinnati and Virginia Tech. That’s a new low for a BCS bowl. The Champs Sports Bowl (Florida State vs. Wisconsin) drew a similar audience.
The Sugar Bowl between Alabama and Utah did just a 7.8 rating. That’s an increase over Georgia/Hawaii last year, but still very low.
The Rose Bowl did it’s usual 12ish rating.
The drop in ratings ties directly to the creation of a fifth BCS game (the BCS Championship Game was taken out of a bowl and made its own game) in order to appease the small, non-BCS conference schools who were threatening legal action.
Will falling ratings lead to a playoff? Not anytime soon. ESPN has already spent $500 million on the BCS package for four upcoming years… so the decline in ratings (and ad revenue) is their problem.
But if the BCS ratings continue to drop — for ALL the BCS bowls — then you might seen a monetary advantage in moving from the bowl system to a playoff system.
Just don’t count it. I’m guessing the ratings for the BCS’ big games (OSU/Texas, USC/Penn State, and Florida/Oklahoma this year) will continue to do well for years to come.
January 5th, 2009 8:59 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
We’ll cover more news from Florida over the next couple of hours, but I did want to link everyone to a few BCS Championship Game-related stories right off the bat today.
(Sidenote — Is there a worse day of the year than the Monday after New Year’s? The holidays are over, the skies are gray (unless you’re in California) and the office is calling. Ugh. I hate he Monday after New Year’s. Hate it.)
According to ESPN’s Chris Low, the “fireworks” are already beginning down in Miami. Oklahoma cornerback Dominique Franks lobbed a couple of shots at Florida quarterback Tim Tebwo yesterday.
Stewart Mandel of SI.com goes into even more detail. “I’d say he’d proabably be about the fourth-best quarterback in our conference,” Franks said. “I really think with those three guys, it’s a lot harder to prepare for those guys. We’re coming in and facing Tebow, and he wants to run the ball a lot more. He’s predominantly a running quarterback.”
Actually, Mr. Tebow is rated #4 in the nation as a passer.
Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops didn’t sound too happy about the hubbub. “You guys lead young guys into a lot of questions. We know (Tebow’s) a great player. We have great respect for him. That speaks for himself. He’s an exceptional guy and we know that.”
Too late, Coach. Those quotes are already on the Gator bulletin boards. Stoops should also know that Tebow tends to play his best when he’s got a chip on his shoulder.
So we’ll see if OU’s 98th ranked pass defense can make good on your Franks’ comments.
Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com believes that Urban Meyer might someday follow his “dream” to Notre Dame, but he’s already writing what will probably be a long legacy at Florida.
January 5th, 2009 8:39 am ║ Posted By: Jimmy Hyams ║ Permalink ║
One great player — even a lineman — an make a difference
I believe one player can make the difference in a game, if it’s a great quarterback, running back, receiver or defensive player.
But I didn’t believe an offensive lineman could make that much difference - until now.
I don’t know if Alabama would have beaten unbeaten Utah if left tackle Andre Smith had played (he was suspended for alleged improper relations with an agent). But I would have liked the Crimson Tide’s chances in the Sugar Bowl.
With Smith, maybe Alabama moves the ball better early and doesn’t fall behind 21-0 in the first quarter. With Smith, maybe Alabama runs the ball more effectively - Glen Coffee and Mark Ingram combined for 62 yards on 21 carries for a team that averaged 196.5 on the ground during the season. Counting sacks, Bama netted 31 rushing yards
With Smith, there’s no doubt in my mind Tide quarterback John Parker Wilson wouldn’t have been sacked eight times. Alabama allowed 17 sacks all season.
Most of Utah’s sacks came from the left tackle spot vacated by Smith.
With Utah ahead 28-17 in the fourth quarter and Alabama forced to throw, the Tide was unable to protect against the Utes’ smaller but quicker defensive front.
No SEC team dominated Alabama’s offensive line the way Utah’s did.
It didn’t help that Smith’s replacement, Mike Johnson, suffered a first-half injury, causing the Tide to shuffle its blockers. For most of the game, only two Tide linemen played their regular position.
If not for Wilson’s mobility, the sack total could have been 15 as Wilson eluded rushers and scrambled out of trouble repeatedly.
This isn’t to take away from the win by Utah, a team which deserves to be ranked in the top five. It just emphasizes the significance of losing one great player - even if it is an offensive lineman.
Chavis likes LSU tradition, talent
One reason former Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis took the job at LSU over Clemson is his feeling that the Baton Rouge Tigers have a better shot at winning a national championship.
LSU has won two national titles since 2003.
Clemson hasn’t won one since 1981 and hasn’t won an ACC title since 1990.
But I think there are three other factors that contributed to Chavis’ decision.
One, no SEC team has had as much defensive line talent since 2000 as LSU. In fact, only Southern Cal rivals LSU for producing defensive linemen this decade.
Consider these guys: Jarvis and Howard Green, Marcus Spears, Claude Wroten, Chad Lavalais, Glenn Dorsey, Kyle Williams, Markeise Hill, Charles Alexander, Tyson Jackson, Ricky Jean-Francois, Marlon Favorite, Rahim Alem, Al Woods and Kirston Pittman, to name more than a few.
Secondly, Chavis’ familiarity with the SEC. He knows the other coaches, he knows the personnel, he knows the schemes. The transition to LSU will be more seamless than the move to Clemson.
Thirdly, I believe Chavis has a strong desire to prove to the Tennessee administration it made a mistake by firing Phillip Fulmer and the entire defensive staff. Chavis has a long memory, and he would like nothing better than to whip the Vols in Neyland Stadium or Tiger Stadium or the Georgia Dome.
Bowl results aren’t defining
The results of bowl games are not THE defining moment for determining the strength of a conference.
If that were the case, the Pac-10 would clearly be the nation’s best conference after going 5-0 in bowls, Conference USA would rival the Big 12 and SEC for second best, the Big East (3-2) would be better than the ACC (4-6) and the Big Ten (1-5) would be a no better than the WAC.
However, bowl games can be an indicator.
And from all indications, the SEC - 6-9 against BCS non-conference opponents in the regular season — has gained a measure of respect.
The SEC was 5-2 heading into the national championship game between Florida and Oklahoma. It beat a one-loss team from the Big 12, the Conference USA champion, a team that played for the ACC title and a 14th-ranked team from the ACC.
Thanks to huge breaks, Vanderbilt beat Boston College and Kentucky upset East Carolina. Vandy got eight first downs and needed a muffed punt for a touchdown to snap the Eagles’ nation’s best eight-game bowl win streak. Kentucky returned a kickoff for a score, then got a game-winning fumble recovery return.
LSU and Ole Miss thoroughly outplayed Georgia Tech and Texas Tech, respectively. And underdog Utah took it to Alabama.
I’ve felt this season that many SEC offenses were inferior and that SEC defenses were overrated due to playing against poor offenses.
To a degree, the bowl numbers bear that out.
Only one SEC team had more than 331 total yards - Ole Miss piled up 515 against Texas Tech. And only two SEC teams exceeded their regular season scoring average - Ole Miss with 47 points (40 by the offense) and LSU with 38 (31 by the offense).
Vandy’s offense had 200 yards, eight first downs and nine points. Kentucky’s offense scored 12 points. South Carolina had a field goal until a meaningless touchdown in the final minutes.
In the seven bowls, SEC offenses averaged 314.3 yards while allowing 346.3 yards per game. SEC offenses scored 21 points per game while defenses allowed 19.1 points.
And four SEC offenses scored no more than 12 points in a bowl game.
Still, the SEC’s 5-2 mark (2-0 against the ACC) is a solid showing.
How long will Spurrier remain at SC?
By far, South Carolina turned in the worst performance by an SEC team in a bowl.
The Gamecocks were disinterested and noncompetitive in a 31-10 loss to Iowa, which recorded the Big Ten’s only bowl victory.
Two of Steve Spurrier’s players - Captain Munnerlyn and Eric Norwood - declared for the NFL the day of the game. I wonder if they declared at halftime. And, leading tackler Emmanuel Cook was academically ineligible while tight end Jared Cook looked in like November he had his eye on the NFL, not Florida or Clemson.
I wouldn’t call that a revolt against Spurrier, but it’s evident he doesn’t command the respect of the Gamecocks the way he did the Gators. And do you really think Spurrier is thrilled about coaching quarterback Stephen Garcia next season?
South Carolina’s offense doesn’t figure to be any better next year, considering the personnel losses. And the defense loses at least six key players.
If Spurrier doesn’t win at least eight games next season, he might get frustrated to the point of stepping down.
In four years in Columbia, he’s 28-22. That’s not his idea of fun. And he’s done nothing to add to a rather empty trophy case - except win a minor bowl game.
January 4th, 2009 10:43 am ║ Posted By: MrSEC.com ║ Permalink ║
New Auburn head coach Gene Chizik may just landed his biggest recruit of 2009. All-SEC defensive end Antonio Coleman announced Saturday that he would…
(more)
January 4th, 2009 10:41 am ║ Posted By: MrSEC.com ║ Permalink ║
Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin is targeting another highly touted recruiter for his coaching staff.
Georgia assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner spent much of Saturday in Knoxville interviewing with Kiffin.
Garner, 42, did not immediately return a call seeking comment, however his interest is in joining UT’s staff is thought to be legitimate.
(more)
January 4th, 2009 10:39 am ║ Posted By: MrSEC.com ║ Permalink ║
TUSCALOOSA - Alabama left tackle Andre Smith announced his intention to declare for the NFL Draft late Saturday night. (more)
January 3rd, 2009 9:48 am ║ Posted By: MrSEC.com ║ Permalink ║
NEW ORLEANS — The small contingent of Utah fans chanted “No. 1, No. 1″ as Brian Johnson stood bobbing back and forth on the podium erected on the Superdome field, his fingers held aloft in a “U.”
Four years ago, Johnson, then a freshman, watched as Alex Smith led the original BCS busters to an unprecedented Fiesta Bowl win. But if Smith and Co. had thrown a stone at college football’s elite, this David instead casted a boulder as No. 7 Utah (13-0) dominated No. 4 Alabama 31-17. (more)
January 3rd, 2009 9:35 am ║ Posted By: MrSEC.com ║ Permalink ║
Said it before. Time to say it again.
The ball’s dropped on a New Year, but one thing hasn’t changed.
Alabama is not back.
Not all the way.
Not yet.
Not after Utah 31, Alabama 17. (more)
January 3rd, 2009 9:30 am ║ Posted By: MrSEC.com ║ Permalink ║
NEW ORLEANS — The 2008 season may still be remembered as the one that marked the turnaround for the University of Alabama football program. But this week in New Orleans will evoke other memories. (more)
January 3rd, 2009 9:23 am ║ Posted By: MrSEC.com ║ Permalink ║
MEMPHIS — The middle of the season might not have been what Kentucky football wanted — the mere six victories, the SEC East cellar, the frustrating losses and the flop of a regular-season finish.
But you have to admit, the bookends were pretty darn good. Especially when the year ended the way it began. (more)
January 3rd, 2009 9:14 am ║ Posted By: MrSEC.com ║ Permalink ║
MEMPHIS — The University of Kentucky knew it would need a big lift from its defense in order to win the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against East Carolina.
The Wildcat defenders played the first half like their minds were still on Beale Street. But when the game was on the line, they won the game not only once, but twice. (more)
January 3rd, 2009 9:05 am ║ Posted By: MrSEC.com ║ Permalink ║
DALLAS — It was the highest-scoring game in Cotton Bowl history.
(more)
January 3rd, 2009 9:00 am ║ Posted By: MrSEC.com ║ Permalink ║
DALLAS
Jevan Snead had seen the ESPN crawl on his television for weeks. Everybody and his dog liked Texas Tech in the 73rd Cotton Bowl. The Ole Miss Rebels were a live underdog on Friday afternoon, sure, but it seems lots of folks thought the Rebels might want to lay down and play dead.
(more)
January 2nd, 2009 6:23 pm ║ Posted By: Jimmy Hyams ║ Permalink ║
The courtship of Ed Orgeron was rather intriguing.
The former Ole Miss head coach was not only the object of Tennessee’s desire, but LSU coach Les Miles threw an all-out blitz on his former coaching rival.
Tennessee won out.
Here’s how it unfolded.
Orgeron, defensive line coach for the New Orleans Saints, had talked with Lane Kiffin for more than a month about joining Kiffin at Tennessee - even before Kiffin was officially hired. The two had coached together previously at Southern Cal.
While Orgeron said he enjoyed his one season as an NFL assistant, he said he wants to be a college head coach again, so he entertained offers from both LSU and Tennessee.
Orgeron went to Destin, Florida, for a few days and told each program he would make a decision by January 1st. When Lane Kiffin felt he was losing the battle, Lane and his father, Monte Kiffin, UT’s newly hired defensive coordinator, flew to Destin and knocked on Orgeron’s condo door.
The Kiffins convinced Orgeron to take the Tennessee job and offered him $650,000, about $50,000 more than LSU had offered.
When LSU coach Les Miles heard Orgeron was taking the Tennessee job as assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator, Miles drove to New Orleans after LSU’s win in the Chick-fil-A bowl and offered Orgeron a whopping $900,000.
Orgeron declined, saying he had given Tennessee and Kiffin his word that he would join the Vols’ staff.
Thus, Orgeron turned down $250,000 to go to Knoxville.
LSU recently hired former Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis to run its defense. You’ve got to wonder how Chavis, who will make about $500,000, feels about Miles offering Orgeron some $400,000 more than Chavis’ salary.
You’ve also got to wonder if Chavis was on board with Orgeron joining the LSU staff.
And you have to wonder if Orgeron preferred working under Monte Kiffin as defensive coordinator as opposed to Chavis. That’s what Orgeron’s friend Bobby Hebert told Louisiana reporters.
Bill Johnson, former Denver Broncos’ defensive line coach, is considered a strong candidate for the defensive line job at LSU. Johnson has coached at Miami and Texas A&M, among others.
Also, LSU is interested in hiring Vance Joseph as secondary coach. Joseph, who played at Colorado but is a New Orleans native, is secondary coach for the 49ers.
At Tennessee, Lane Kiffin has hired five coaches: his dad, Orgeron, David Reaves, Jim Chaney and James Cregg.
Asked if running backs coach Stan Drayton would remain on the staff, Kiffin was non-committal, saying only that Drayton is being considered for a permanent position. Drayton would be the only holdover retained from Tennessee’s staff under Phillip Fulmer.
UT is looking for a running backs coach, a secondary coach, a receivers coach and a special teams coach.
If Tennessee’s assistant staff salaries total about $4 million as expected, that would be more than double last year’s pay of $1.92 million.
However, when you consider Lane Kiffin’s salary of $2 million and Fulmer projected to make $2.75 million in 2009, the total payouts for staffs will differ by about $1 million.
The assistant pool under Fulmer was expected to rise to about $2.2 million, and with Fulmer’s pay hike, the total would be about $5 million.
Kiffin and his nine assistants are expected to make about $6 million.
January 2nd, 2009 11:17 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
It’s funny that I always wind up writing “we don’t cover all the stories that swirl around former SEC players, just the big ones” about once every couple of weeks… in connection to some big story.
And darn near every time it’s former Auburn Tiger Charles Barkley that’s involved in the story.
A few weeks ago he claimed that Auburn chose Gene Chizik over Turner Gill because of race.
Then last week he was arrested in Phoenix on suspicion of driving drunk.
But there’s now more to the story.
Barkley wasn’t speeding through a stop sign because he was drunk, Barkley told the cops. He was in a hurry to pick up a girl who had “given him (oral sex) one week earlier.”
But it wasn’t just any oral sex. Barkley said it was “the best one he had ever had in his life.”
No word yet from TNT who employs him as a studio analyst.
January 2nd, 2009 10:57 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
I was pretty sure we all put this one to bed on New Year’s Eve, but since Tennessee has put out a press release, I guess the hiring of Ed Orgeron is officially official.
So Tennessee fans worried that he might head to LSU… or LSU fans holding out hope that he’d be heading to Baton Rouge afterall… the deal is done.
I can’t remember so much fuss over a guy with the on- and sometimes off-field record of Orgeron. But the guy can flat recruit.
On a related note, Tennessee will be holding a press conference at 11am to introduce new defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin.
January 2nd, 2009 10:34 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Tony Barnhart of the AJC breaks out a few post-New Year’s opinions for us today. Among them:
1) Knowshon Moreno will stay at Georgia, Matthew Stafford will leave.
2) It’s painful watching South Carolina and The Ball Coach.
(In Barnhart’s view: “There needs to be a lot of soul searching in that football program in the off-season because something is not right.”)
3) The SEC will go 3-0 today.
By the way… that’s a whopping 50 links on the site today. Happy New Year’s from all corners of the conference.
January 2nd, 2009 10:28 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Over at ESPN.com Chris Low tells you who to watch, what to watch and why to watch in regards to each of the SEC’s three bowl games today:
The AT&T Cotton Bowl — Ole Miss vs Texas Tech
The AutoZone Liberty Bowl — Kentucky vs East Carolina
The Allstate Sugar Bowl — Alabama vs Utah
January 2nd, 2009 10:16 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Well that was ugly.
Carolina’s 31-10 loss to Iowa in the Outback Bowl, unfortunately, served as a fitting end to the Gamecocks’ season.
Perhaps it should serve as an end to Steve Spurrier’s stop in Columbia as well. The ol’ ballcoach just ain’t the ol’ ballcoach anymore.
For four seasons fans of Spurrier have said, “wait til he gets talent in there.” It’s pretty clear at this point that he just can’t get the talent in there.
And the talent he does get, he can no longer make better. There was a time when Spurrier won the ACC at Duke. When his pass-heavy offenses were cutting edge. He single-handedly changed football in the SEC.
But in four years at Carolina, the visor-ed one is just 28-22. USC fans would have once been happy with that kind of mediocrity. But when you land a name coach, your expectations go up.
Back-to-back six-loss seasons don’t pass muster anymore. Especially when Spurrier lost five games in each of his first two years in Columbia.
Sadly, Spurrier can’t seem to get much out of his quarterbacks. Yesterday, Stephen Garcia looked like the mistake-prone free-lancer that he’s been since he arrived on campus.
Chris Smelley looked pedestrian.
Hired to make South Carolina relevant, the only school that Spurrier has pushed the Cocks ahead of is Tennessee (and that’s arguable). Is it any wonder that Tennessee just replaced their great-in-the-90s-average-in-the-2000s-coach?
I like Spurrier. I think he’s good for the league. But I think it’s pretty clear his system is no longer ground-breaking. It’s average. Just like Carolina’s football program after four years with the ol’ ballcoach.
Here’s the wrap-up of all things Carolina:
ESPN’s Chris Low wonders how many more beatings Spurrier will take before heading off to the nearest golf course.
Ron Morris of The State suggests that Spurrier reconsider “accepting his $100,000 bowl-game bonus and spread it among those fans who spent hard-earned cash to trek south and watch this debacle. They deserve some sort of rebate.”
How did Iowa’s players see the game? “From that first snap, we knew we out-prepared them,” said Hawkeye defensive tackle Mitch King. “It felt good. It was about discipline. It was discipline on offense and discipline on defense. We out-disciplined them and we out-prepared them all month long.”
Smelley hardly looks like the highly-touted prospect he was coming out of high school. Of course, getting yo-yo’d in and out of the line-up can stunt your development, I would think.
If you want to watch Spurrier’s post-game comments, click right here.
Carolina set a school record for penalties in a bowl game with 10 accounting for 100 yards. Cornerback Captain Munnerlyn got on the wrong side of defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson for kicking an Iowa player and giving the Hawkeyes a first down.
Remember all that talk about USC players turning their attention to the NFL at mid-season? Well, following in Emanuel Cook’s footsteps to early NFL entry are Munnerlyn and linebacker Eric Norwood. That’s three starters from Spurrier’s defense that are bounding off Carolina’s sinking ship. (Appropriate that USC was playing at Raymond James Stadium, I suppose.)
Johnson was apparently under the impression that Norwood would return.
On the basketball front, Carolina will try to bounce back from their loss to Clemson on the road at 19th ranked Baylor. And here’s one of those excellent pre-game previews that The State does so well.
January 2nd, 2009 9:45 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Georgia really didn’t have a whole lot to play for yesterday. They were in a bowl they didn’t want to be in. Their defense had been banged up to the point that they had only five linebackers to go against one of the nation’s best running backs.
But that didn’t matter. The SEC is 3-1 in bowl games so far and I think that all three of the coaching staffs who pulled out wins deserve credit.
Mark Richt and his assistants took a lot of heat this year with endless talk about Georgia being a “disappointment.”
In truth, they finished second in the SEC East which is exactly where the SEC media predicted they would finish way back in July.
And they did that despite losing 24 players to injury during the season. That’s an enormous amount of injuries, folks. I’ve never heard of a team with that many lost players.
The season-ending loss to Georgia Tech was the lowpoint of the season… and the coaches deserve criticism for that one. Fans will never be happy with losses to Alabama or Florida, either… but this 10-3 season was not the total debacle that some have tried to make it out to be.
Here’s the coverage from the Peach State:
Georgia 24-12 win over Michigan State capped UGA’s 6th 10-win season in the last seven years. Good luck improving on that.
And how ’bout a little credit for Willie Martinez and the Bulldogs’ defense? Javon Ringer and his Spartans managed only 236 total yards of offense.
Matthew Stafford went from flop to MVP after yesterday’s halftime.
Despite a strong second half performance from Stafford, neither Mohamed Massaquoi nor AJ Green reached the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the season.
This lengthy notes column reveals that Stafford and Knowshon Moreno are both 50-50 on turning pro.
Linebacker Rennie Curran is already talking big about next year. “We wanted to show the world on a national stage what we’re about and where we’re headed next year. We had great weeks of practice. Our guys were motivated from the beginning to the end. Our guys realized at times during the season we only played 30 minutes. We didn’t finish. This time we did.”
Mark Bradley of the AJC wasn’t too caught up in “Capital One Bowl magic.” Georgia was expected to be in a better bowl this week, not in Orlando. Perhaps that’s why the Bulldog players almost forgot to take the Capital One Bowl trophy off the field with them.
January 2nd, 2009 9:24 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
And here’s the news from across the SEC West:
There are two big things going against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl tonight: the distraction and suspension of Andre Smith and the fact that Utah has a lot more to gain from the game than Bama does.
Nick Saban isn’t buying Utah as being nine points worse than the Tide. “I don’t think you (the media) have the proper respect for the team that we’re playing. It’s only because they don’t have a big name, play in a big-name conference. But they have good football players that have beaten big-name teams from big-name conferences this year.” Michigan for one.
John Parker Wilson is Alabama’s all-time best quarterback in terms of passing numbers. He was a finalist for several national awards this year. Does he now deserve to be thought of along with the great Tide quarterbacks of yesteryear? “I would like to think so,” he said.
Kevin Steele, Alabama’s “head defensive coach,” but not their “defensive coordinator, is probably headed to Clemson after tonight’s Sugar Bowl. But Saban doesn’t seem too worried about staff turnover.
Last Alabama nugget — we talked last week about a college football playoff and why it will never happen. BCS schools control too much of the money in the current system and wouldn’t want to share it with the smaller schools in the country. For example: Alabama’s $69.5 million budget nearly triples Utah’s budget.
We usually don’t link you to pay-per-read information, but since the major news outlets in Alabama aren’t reporting on Auburn today, we’ll make a quick exception. It seems that Gene Chizik is pretty interested in speaking with South Carolina’s Ellis Johnson.
Fans and media alike were surprised/shocked by the impressive performance of LSU in their 38-3 whipping of Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. One group that wasn’t surprised? The Tiger players.
LSU might have been up 38-3 with nine minutes to play, but Les Miles isn’t apologizing for the fake punt he ran against Tech. A schmuck move, to be honest. There was no way Tech was going to score five touchdowns in nine minutes.
What does Miles like about quarterback Jordan Jefferson? “He’s a cool customer. He’s not flustered. He thinks it through. He’s very competitive.”
John Pelphrey was determined to make sure his young team didn’t celebrate their upset of Oklahoma too much. He called an early morning practice for yesterday morning.
Marcus Monk is Arkansas’ all-time leading pass receiver with 27 career touchdown catches. So folks in Fayetteville are used to seeing him do amazing things. But 12 points, six rebounds and six-for-six free throw shooting against Oklahoma was almost unbelievable for a guy who’s been on the basketball team for two weeks.
The win over the Sooners was just one game (played at home, which is huge), but it does show the potential of Pelphrey’s team.
Arkansas didn’t have the final record that Bobby Petrino wanted in his first season, but he’s happy that his team showed improvement as the year went on.
Mississippi State has dropped five of their last eight games, but the players don’t feel it’s due to a lack of effort. “Right now we’re playing hard,” said guard Barry Stewart. “We just got to find ways to win. I think we’re coming with experience, and we got to start turning it up soon.” I don’t know what exactly that means.
Ole Miss coaches know that Texas Tech is going to make plays against them. The question is: How big will the plays be. “They’re going to catch balls,” said defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix. “They’re going to run. What we have to do is minimize those plays. When a catch is made, we have to be there to make a collision.”
If form holds, Ole Miss needs to build a lead in the first half against the Red Raiders. On the season, UM has scored 222 first half points, but only 148 in the second half. If they play that way today, they’ll need to have a good-sized halftime lead if they want to hang on for a victory.
Predictions from across the country see the Cotton Bowl as a tight shoot-out. And folks are split on who they see winning it.
January 2nd, 2009 8:22 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Hope you had a great New Year’s Day… and that you’re ready for three more SEC bowl games today.
We’ll start the day with links and news from the SEC East:
“When you hand it to Number One, the whole stadium holds its breath.” That’s what Urban Meyer had to say about Percy Harvin. Next Thursday, Gator fans will be holding their breath to see how long their oft-injured star can stay on the field.
Florida’s next offensive coordinator, Steve Addazio, is the Gators’ gameday morning motivator… and that won’t change when he makes his move into a bigger office.
Kentucky’s Liberty Bowl battle with East Carolina will probably come down to the same thing that decides MANY of the post-season bowls: Which team wants to be there more?
Wildcat players should know that a lot is riding on this game. Namely: UK’s reputation. Are the Wildcats turning a corner? This year they finished 6-6, finished last in the SEC East and didn’t beat a team with a winning record. Better beat ECU if Cat fans want to talk about turning corners.
Earlier this week, ESPN’s Chris Low suggested that if Rich Brooks won three bowls in a row (by beating ECU today), it might be a good time for the 67 year-old Brooks to step down. Brooks’ response? “Maybe it would be a perfect time to try for four (straight bowl wins).”
Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks are off to a great start for UK basketball. But the Cats are still looking for a third scorer.
David Reaves, Steve Spurrier’s recruiting coordinator who left South Carolina for Tennessee, is catching a whole lot of flak for his actions since leaving Columbia.
Monte Kiffin is making waves of a different kind for the Vols. His hiring is seen as nothing but positive.
One last coaching note — Saints coach Sean Payton is supposedly glad Ed Orgeron has packed up and headed off to Tennessee. He was tired of Orgeron’s focus being on UT and LSU. This report would have more credence if the Saints hadn’t made Orgeron a pretty nice offer to stay in New Orleans.
Don’t look now, but Vandy is losing just 10 seniors from this year’s bowl-winning team. “I think we’re on the right track,” said Bobby Johnson. “When we get it as good as we can get it, every game’s going to be a battle. We’re never going to be in a dominant position in this league.”
Johnson doesn’t intend to let his players rest on their laurels. “In turning the corner, like I’ve said many times before, you never get over the hump. You never get around the corner. We’ve got to fight and we’ve got to work and we’ve got to continue to do waht we’re doing to get better.”
January 1st, 2009 10:06 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Congratulations to Bobby Johnson and Vanderbilt this morning. The Commodores have their first bowl win since 1955 and their first winning season since 1982.
Here are links to just about every bit of coverage out there:
“We wanted to be called winners,” said Johnson. “We wanted to be called champions. We will have a winning season. All those things are extrememly important for a team trying to move up.” The Commodores 16-14 win over Boston College certainly didn’t come easily.
Vandy co-captain Bradley Vierling summed up his teammates thoughts after the win: “I just kept saying, ‘We did it, we did it.’ We were expected to win two games (this year) and we went 7-6.”
Redshirt freshman quarterback Larry Smith provided a bit of a passing spark to the Commodores’ offense yesterday as he was part of a three-man rotation under center. We say a “bit” of a spark because VU never actually found the end zone on offense.
Vandy didn’t commit a penalty or turnover all day, but they did benefit from BC miscues at the end of the game. Hey, you gotta take advantage when the breaks come your way… and Vandy did.
Senior kicker and Nashville native Bryant Hahnfeldt provided the winning points with a 45-yard field goal that ended Vanderbilt’s long bowl drought.
In fact, the ‘Dores special teams units played a big role in the game from start to finish.
Here’s a report card on Vandy’s performance from The Tennessean.
There was some disappointing news for Vandy fans yesterday… star cornerback DJ Moore said after the game that he would be heading to the NFL.
And in basketball news, Vandy ripped St. Francis 84-55 yesterday without the services of AJ Ogilvy. Was this St. Francis of New York or St. Francis of Pennsylvania? I’m too tired to look it up.
January 1st, 2009 9:47 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Here are the links to a ton of coverage of LSU’s 38-3 win in the Chick-fil-A Bowl last night (and more):
Offense, defense and special teams all excelled for Les Miles in the Georgia Dome last night.
The dominaton was total… and totally unexpected according to John DeShazier of The New Orleans Times-Picayune. Couldn’t agree more.
LSU jumped on the Ramblin’ Wreck early and there was no way for Tech to dig out of their deep hole.
The big win was a coming out party for quarterback Jordan Jefferson.
Jarrett Lee might want to consider his options because it looks like Jefferson has the starting job locked up heading into next fall.
The Tigers seemed to have their swagger back… after missing it for much of 2008.
Ed Orgeron was indeed leaning toward LSU until Lane and Monte Kiffin hopped a UT-owned private jet and winged down to Destin, Florida to meet with him. According to Orgeron pal Bobby Hebert, the Kiffins “wouldn’t leave Orgeron alone. They showed up and told him they were in it to win it and weren’t going to take no for an answer.”
In basketball news, it wasn’t pretty, but LSU held on for an 81-79 victory of Louisiana-Lafayette yesterday. ULa-La had been whipped handily by Alabama and Tennessee already this season.
The Tigers won without guard Terry Martin who missed his third straight game under suspension.
January 1st, 2009 9:30 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Do you know how many times I’m going to type “08″ on this site? Do you know how many checks I’m going to waste by writing “2008″ on them?
I hate Januarys.
Here are the hot topics from around the SEC’s East Division:
Florida is defending itself (or trying to) against an Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation (that we linked to earlier in the week) that showed UF to have the biggest SAT score gap (at 54 public universities investigated) between the regular student body and student-athletes. (That’s a lot of parenthesis, no?) (And did you know that “parenthesis” is the plural of “parentheses?” I didn’t.)
Dan Mullen is fitting right back into his role as Florida’s offensive coordinator… for one last very important game.
Everyone knows the storyline at the Capital One Bowl: the battle of the running backs. Knowshon Moreno versus Javon Ringer.
Mark Bradley of the AJC believes Georgia was a lot better team than the bowl they wound up in.
Tennessee added Ed Orgeron and Jim Chaney to his staff yesterday, which now means there are five former NFL coaches on the Vols’ staff. Bobby Hebert, who was very vocal yesterday about Orgeron wanting to go to LSU is now saying the following: “Lane and Monte (Kiffin) took a jet to Destin. They were all freaking out at Tennessee after they thought he was going to LSU and they just stepped it up. I’m not sure what Ed will be making at Tennessee, but it will be more than he would’ve made at LSU.” He added, “Ed also favored working with Monte Kiffin over John Chavis.”
Kentucky goes into the Liberty Bowl with just two healthy running backs in their rotation. And that’s just fine with Tony Dixon who wants more carries.
College basketball e