THE SEC Thread

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LSU Building $85 Million Lazy River Despite Financial Woes

 

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lol

Georgia Bulldog Nation has heard enough about Georgia Tech

 

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Rashad Cunningham giving up final season of eligibility

Senior wide receiver Rashad Cunningham has elected to forgo his final season of eligibility but will remain at Kentucky to finish his degree.

Cunningham's departure was confirmed to The Cats' Pause by a UK spokesman.

At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds Cunningham always looked the part of a Southeastern Conference wide receiver, but he never found the success on the field to match his frame. In four seasons at Kentucky Cunningham did not catch a pass. He redshirted during the 2011 season then missed the 2013 season due to academic issues.

 

[bamabear82]

Former Beaver, Bama QB expected to move on to Florida | CollegeFootballTalk

 

[4down20]

Former Beaver, Bama QB expected to move on to Florida | CollegeFootballTalk

Not sure what that guy is talking about him living off his dad's name and will end up working for a football team in the future. I always thought his college career was in large part to be able to work in football after college. He came to Alabama IMO just to be able to see the process of Saban etc. That's why he choose to walkon at Alabama, knowing he'd never played, rather than take a scholarship to a school like UCLA. It was a great learning experience for someone who might end up being a coach one day.

His dad paid for that basically, and for good reason. I can't see his dad paying for him to walk on Alabama for any other reason. A man with his football knowledge surely knows he is never going to start or play etc.

 

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Jaylon Denson's Football Career Appears To Be Over | SECRant.com

Auburn wide receiver Jaylon Denson injured his knee during bowl practice last year and is most likely done with football for good, according to head coach Gus Malzahn. Per The MontgomeryAdvertiser.com:quote:
Asked if Denson, who graduated last weekend, would return to the field again Malzahn said, "it doesn't look like it at this point."Denson recorded four receptions for 57 yards in his first three seasons at Auburn, but did not have any catches last year.

 

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Report: Vanderbilt QB/WR Josh Grady to transfer to Florida - CBSSports.com

Down to two scholarship quarterbacks following the departure of Skyler Mornhinweg, Florida has at least given itself another body at the position with the addition of former Vanderbilt quarterback-slash-wide receiver Josh Grady, 247Sports affiliate GatorBait.net reported Friday.

Grady is a graduate transfer with a single season of eligibility remaining. He will be eligible immediately.

 

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InsidetheGators.com - Quarterback merry-go-round continues

Meanwhile, Oregon State quarterback transfer Luke Del Rio appears to be making his way to Gainesville soon. ITGreported last month that Florida was the likely destination for Del Rio, and since then multiple outlets have reported that Del Rio will join the Gators later this summer. The Oregonian reported Friday afternoon that Del Rio is heading to Florida. - See more at: InsidetheGators.com - Quarterback merry-go-round continues

 

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LSU pushing against Turkey Day game vs. A&M this year | CollegeFootballTalk

Last year, Texas A&M hosted LSU on Thanksgiving at Kyle Field in College Station. A&M, which has a tradition of playing on that Thursday in November, would like to do it again against LSU this year.

If the head of that school’s athletic department has any say in the matter — and he does — it won’t happen.

Athletic director Joe Alleva told the Baton Rouge Advocate that the television networks are pushing for a Thanksgiving nigh A&M-LSU matchup. Alleva, though, is very staunch in not wanting Thursday night games at Tigers stadium, or day games for that matter.

Very, very staunch.

“As long as I’m here, we will not play in Tiger Stadium on a Thursday,” Alleva said. “I guarantee you that.”

 

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Handicapping the SEC West: Ranking the offenses

 

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Someone Changed Texas A&Ms Entrance Sign To Read Bevel A&M | SECRant.com

Texas A&M’s Board of Regents recently voted to replace the school’s “T Star” logo in the university’s 52-year-old seal with the “Block TAM” logo that the school introduced back in 2011. A lot of Aggies fans aren't too happy with the change and preferred the the old logo, instead of the newer “beveled” logo. So someone did this...

 

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Handicapping the SEC West: Ranking the defenses

1. OLE MISS REBELS
Strength: Creating turnovers

Weakness: Middle linebacker

Best Player: DT Robert Nkemdiche

The Rebels lost two All-Americans in the secondary in Senquez Golson and safety Cody Prewitt. Yet the team’s pass defense could be just as good with Tony Conner as a blossoming star at safety, a pair of talented JUCO cornerbacks and holdovers Trae Elston and Mike Hilton. Denzel Nkemdiche is one of the best cover linebackers in the SEC.

Oh, and don’t forget that dominant defensive line, which could be the best in the SEC.

The aggressive Landshark defense has been particularly adept at taking away the football, leading the SEC with 32 turnovers in 2014. The team’s offense may need some short fields to operate successfully, and Ole Miss may get it if the secondary can produce another ball hawk like Golson.

There are playmakers at every level on this defense, and some very good players who will be overshadowed by others’ stardom. If the C.J. Johnson experiment at middle linebacker works, this unit will be scary tough.

2. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
Strength: Defensive line

Weakness: Pass defense, especially against up-tempo offenses

Best Player: LB Reggie Ragland

The Tide defensive front seven may fall a notch below the historically-great 2011 team, but it should be among the best in the country.

No offense to Trey DePriest, but Alabama will be better at linebacker by subtraction there, as he was too slow in coverage and couldn’t get sideline-to-sideline last year. The defensive line will be nasty as well, especially against the run. There may be singular players who are more dominant — Robert Nkemdiche and Myles Garrett, for example — but no team can match the Tide’s depth along the defensive line at every position.

Questions remain about the secondary, which lost its three best safeties. But at some point the Crimson Tide’s overwhelming amount of talent at cornerback will show up via interceptions and better coverage on Saturdays, right?

The team’s pass rush is better than average, but nowhere near elite. And the big, hulking bodies — and sometimes-suspect secondary — still mean that spread offenses with tempo and speedy playmakers could give the team a bit of trouble.

3. ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS
Strength: Depth at defensive line

Weakness: Depth at linebacker

Best Player: LB Brooks Ellis

There were games near the end of last season that I would’ve argued Arkansas as the best front seven in the country.

Sure, the Bermuda Triangle of Trey Flowers, Martrell Spaight and Darius Philon have departed. But what many outside of Fayetteville, Ark., don’t realize is that the Hogs will be even deeper at defensive line in 2015, if not better. The team essentially will rotate 10 players liberally, with a mix of building-size anchors against the run and crafty pass-rushers from end and tackle.

The secondary is good enough, and fits well with the team’s overall style by playing physical. Brooks Ellis should see some great production from the defense’s money position at weakside linebacker, just as Spaight did in ’14. The team’s overall talent pool at linebacker is shallow and thin, a concern in the SEC.

Overall, though, this Razorbacks defense has a chance to be a near carbon copy of the one that launched the team to a bowl win last season.

4. LSU TIGERS
Strength: Pass defense

Weakness: Depth at linebacker

Best Player: S Jamal Adams

LSU put together the best pass defense in the SEC last season, and somewhat quietly, limiting opposing quarterbacks to just 5.5 yards per attempt. That was third in the country behind only Clemson and Stanford.

Tre’Davious White and Jamal Adams may make a case for best corner-safety tandem in the SEC this year. Jalen Mills flirted with the NFL before returning to play safety for LSU in ’15. Ed Paris and Kevin Toliver III are enormous young talents at the other corner spot.

If the team can generate a semblance of pass rush — remember, both starting defensive ends are gone, as is coordinator John Chavis — the pass defense will be brutal once again.

The team’s run defense wasn’t as strong as one would think last year, allowing 4.3 yards per carry to finish ninth in the SEC. Perhaps because Chavis prefers attacking, undersized defensive tackles. New defensive line coach Ed Orgeron has a crucial job.

Christian LaCouture and Davon Godchaux should be good players at defensive tackle and Kendell Beckwith is the best of an athletic group of linebackers. But the ends are unproven and the team holds just seven scholarship linebackers. Considering new coordinator Kevin Steele’s experience within a 3-4 scheme, that could prove to be an issue.

5. AUBURN TIGERS
Strength: Depth at defensive line

Weakness: Depth in the secondary

Best Player: CB Jonathan Jones

New defensive coordinator Will Muschamp remarked that he himself was the team’s third safety after spring ball. He also rather bluntly said the team entered the summer with two cornerbacks on which he could rely. That was before three of the team’s defensive backs announced they will transfer.

At least Jonathan Jones leads a group that did manage to pick off 22 passes in ’14, tied with Ole Miss for most in the conference. That’s in part because the team faced so many passes. Which was in part because the defensive line couldn’t generate any pressure.

That line gains a healthy Carl Lawson, five-star true freshman Byron Cowart and a plethora of physically-gifted, experienced players. One has to figure that’s where the Tigers will improve most in Muschamp’s first season under Gus Malzahn. The unit also will benefit from the return of senior linebackers Cassanova McKinzy and Kris Frost.

It’s not easy operating a defense paired with an uptempo spread offense. The group is talented, but imperfect at this point — thin at some spots and needing more development in others. How quickly Muschamp can turn things around will be worth watching both in the SEC West and nationally in 2015.

6. MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS
Strength: Run defense

Weakness: Vulnerable to the deep ball

Best Player: LB Beniquez Brown

It’s a good thing coach Dan Mullen likes to play his reserves as often as any SEC West coach.

This unit got decimated by the NFL draft and graduation. Benardrick McKinney, Preston Smith, Kaleb Eulls, P.J. Jones, Matthew Wells, Jamerson Love and Jay Hughes are the biggest losses.

It’s crucial that defensive tackle Chris Jones grow into his five-star status as a junior. If that happens, he’ll team with A.J. Jefferson and Beniquez Brown to present a formidable trio up front that should remain pretty stout against the run.

Even UAB torched the secondary over the top several times last season. The team’s defensive backs can tackle pretty well when everything is in front of them, but speed is their kryptonite. The Bulldogs allowed an SEC-worst 25 passes of at least 30 yards before losing half the starting secondary.

7. TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Strength: Pass rush

Weakness: Tackling

Best Player: DE Myles Garrett

Stealing coordinator John Chavis from LSU was a tremendous coup, and (rightfully) is generating plenty of optimism in College Station, Texas.

The reality is that the Aggies finished dead last in the SEC in total defense each of the last two seasons, and by a wide margin.

Myles Garrett (pass rush) and Armani Watts (pass coverage) are elite young talents, but Chavis must get them to be more active, physical participants against the run.

The linebacker spot remains painfully thin and somewhat limited. Otaro Alaka, Shaan Washington, Josh Walker and A.J. Hilliard aren’t terrible, but probably rank last in the SEC West. De’Vante Harris is an OK corner, but looked silly sometimes last year with missed tackles.

There are some nice developments up front. Daylon Mack will help soon. Julien Obioha at defensive tackle is interesting and fits Chavis’ scheme. Daeshon Hall is a nice No. 2 end. Simplifying the scheme should help the group be more aggressive.

Expect nice improvement, but offenses Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn and even Arizona State will challenge this unit.

 

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Bowl games hosted in SEC territory: Which has the longest stadium relationship?


"Here’s a list of all 23 bowl games played in SEC states, in the descending order of their longest relationships with a single stadium.

• Cotton Bowl (2015 College Football Playoff semifinal), Dallas, Texas — Cotton Bowl Stadium, 73 games; AT&T Stadium, 6 games
• Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Fla. — Citrus Bowl Stadium, 68 games; Florida Field, 1 game
• Orange Bowl (2015 College Football Playoff semifinal), Miami, Fla. — Miami Orange Bowl, 61 games; Sun Life Stadium, 16 games; Miami Field, 3 games
• Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas — Sun Bowl Stadium, 52 games; Kidd Field, 25 games; Jones Stadium, 3 games
• Liberty Bowl, Memphis, Tenn. — Liberty Bowl Stadium, 50 games; Municipal Stadium (Philadelphia, Pa.), 5 games; Convention Hall (Atlantic City, N.J.), 1 game
• TaxSlayer (Gator) Bowl, Jacksonville, Fla. — Gator Bowl Stadium, 48 games; EverBank Field, 20 games; Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, 1 game
• Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, La. — Superdome, 40 games; Tulane Stadium, 39 games; Georgia Dome, 1 game
• Independence Bowl, Shreveport, La. — Independence Stadium, 38 games
• Peach Bowl, Atlanta, Ga. — Georgia Dome, 23 games; Fulton County Stadium, 21 games; Grant Field, 3 games
• Alamo Bowl, San Antonio, Texas — Alamodome, 22 games
• Outback Bowl, Tampa, Fla. — Raymond James Stadium, 16 games; Tampa Stadium, 12 games
• Music City Bowl, Nashville, Tenn. — LP Field/The Coliseum, 16 games; Vanderbilt Stadium, 1 game
• Russell Athletic Bowl, Orlando, Fla. — Citrus Bowl, 14 games; Joe Robbie/Pro Player Stadium (Miami, Fla.), 11 games
• New Orleans Bowl, New Orleans, La. — Superdome, 13 games; Cajun Field (Lafayette, La.), 1 games
• Armed Forces Bowl, Ft. Worth, Texas — Amon G. Carter Stadium, 10 games; Gerald G. Ford Stadium, 2 games
• Birmingham Bowl, Birmingham, Ala. — Legion Field, 9 games
• Texas Bowl, Houston, Texas — Reliant Stadium/NRG Stadium, 9 games
• St. Petersburg Bowl, St. Petersburg, Fla. — Tropicana Field, 7 games
• Heart of Dallas Bowl, Dallas, Texas — Cotton Bowl Stadium, 5 games
• Camellia Bowl, Montgomery, Ala. (current iteration) — Cramton Bowl, 1 game
• Miami Beach Bowl, Miami, Fla. — Marlins Park, 1 game
• Boca Raton Bowl, Boca Raton, Fla. — FAU Stadium, 1 game
• Cure Bowl, Orlando, Fla. — Entering inaugural year"

 

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LSU AD: Teams don't want to come to Tiger Stadium, 'get their butts beat' - CBSSports.com

"Literally 80 percent just say 'no' right away" when LSU contacts potential opponents,Alleva reportedly said Tuesday on 104.5 FM ESPN Radio.

"Teams don't want to come to Tiger Stadium and get their butts beat. That's just a fact of life. I'm being as blunt as I can be...they don't want to schedule losses."

Alleva did say that schools are more open to neutral site games, citing matchups with Wisconsin, TCU and BYU in the future. There was also a double-down on not playing Texas A&M on Thanksgiving in the interview, in case you were thinking Alleva's mind had changed on that topic.