Around the SEC West - Week 6
by Juco All-American on Oct 15, 2009 4:08 PM EDT
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PrintThe goings on of the rest of the SEC are somewhat difficult to truly follow. Because of the number of times that Brian Walker's Elbow and I have seen uninformed fans make sweeping judgments of opposing teams based solely on their quarterback and halfback, we decided to start a segment where, though we will talk about halfbacks and quarterbacks, we'll also talk about the other players on teams that are succeeding or failing.
Brian Walker's Elbow's rundown of the SEC East is here. Read it. It's quite good.
ALABAMA 6-0 (3-0 SEC)
I know he's the quarterback, but in case you hadn't noticed, Greg McElroy has thrown the ball 153 times with only one interception. Yeah. I'd take that in a New York minute over 139 passes with nine interceptions. McElroy hasn't just not sucked. he has played well, passing for over 200 yards a game with Julio Jones not having shown up for the season. I hoped that when Kirk Herbstreit said McElroy would be immediately better than JPW, that he was just being Kirk Herbstreit. Unfortunately, I was wrong. The Crimson TURDS (see... like poo) kick off at 6:45 PM vs. South Carolina. You can check it out on ESPN or ESPN360.com.
ARKANSAS 3-2 (1-2 SEC)
I was just looking over Arkansas' defensive statistics, and something struck me as odd. Remember Darius Winston, the five-star cornerback recruit that everyone in the world wanted? Yeah. He has played in one game for Arkansas and has recorded one tackle. Remember, this isn't Alabama I'm talking about. This is a defense that ranks dead last in the SEC in passing yards allowed. If Winston was what people expected, he would have a starting job locked up by now. He'll probably be good in time, but as of right now, Arkansas fans have to be worried about the future, and current, status of their secondary. The Razorbacks keep trucking through tough teams, traveling to Gainesville this week to play the Gators in The Swamp. Catch the game at 2:30 PM on CBS.
AUBURN 5-1 (2-1 SEC)
Well the unjustified hopes of an undefeated season came crashing down. Many a head exploded in Fayetville among Arkansians watching the game. Was Gus Malzahn's offense so bad that it couldn't put up points against a terrible Arkansas secondary? Anyway, on to Auburn, the good news to be taken from the game is that Ben Tate is still a beast. Tate rushed for over 8 yards a carry and had a gorgeous 60 yard scoot into the end zone. The underlying story of Auburn's season, in my humble and somewhat uninformed opinion is that Mario Fannin has to be involved in the gameplan. He made an impact in every one of the Tigers' first five games only to touch the ball twice for a loss against Arkansas. Get him the ball in space. He does pretty things with it. This week, Auburn gets to lick their wounds, staying home to face the Wildcats. 6:30.... ESPNU... be there or be square.
LSU 5-1 (3-1 SEC)
I think that a point that is somewhat lost in LSU's struggle against Florida is how much their offensive line was blown up and how little pressure their defensive line got on Tim Tebow. I know that Florida's defense is scary, but for LSU to have surrendered five sacks on a total of 22 called passes is dreadful. While I'm not 100% sure that this high sack count isn't mostly the result of Brandon Spikes being a freak (with three sacks in the game), with an offensive line that returned Ciron Black, who was widely considered to be one of the top two or three left tackles in the conference, LSU is struggling. On the other side, the Tigers gave up four yards per carry even with Tim Tebow's horrendous 17 carries at 2.2 yards per tote. LSU has a bye this week, and it couldn't come at a better time for the Tigers. If they want to compete for the West crown, LSU needs to get more physical on both sides of the trenches. Alabama isn't going to be any worse on either line than Florida was.
STATE 2-4 (1-2 SEC)
So registering one sack as a team against a team that threw the ball 52 times probably isn't a good way to make do on your promise to lead the SEC in sacks MSU. I know there was a questionable call that many state fans are saying lost them the game. Here's the kicker. The call was made in the third quarter. I'm sorry. Don't point to a call made with 20 minutes left in the game when you have the lead when trying to explain a loss. You went for it on fourth down and nine when you were up by three in the third quarter. Sorry that didn't work out for you. MSU plays MTSU this Saturday at 11:30 PM in Murfreesboro. If you suck, watch it on ESPNU.
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from what i heard, winston was injured. but even before that he wasnt even on the 3 deep depth chart. idk whats up with him.
Yeah.
His ankle is hurt. That’s why he missed the Auburn game.
That’s not why he missed three of the first four games though. It’s just surprising to me.
Red Cup Rebellion - An Ole Miss Blog
Blame the Baptists.
by Juco All-American on Oct 15, 2009 10:08 PM EDT up reply actions
He may be having trouble adjusting to the way BP wants things done. Not surprisingly, playing under Petrino isn’t all sunshine and candy. DJ Williams recently said in an interview that he strongly considered quitting the team last season. The culture is totally different than it was under Nutt. That’s not a real or implied slight against Nutt; he and BP just obviously have different styles. As far as Winston goes, I’m not worried about him not playing immediately, despite the obvious struggles in the secondary. I’ll be worried if he never pans out at all.
Maybe it's simply because he's a freshman
who doesn’t know the system?
Red Cup Rebellion - Changing the Culture of Ole Miss Athletics
Take a picture, trick.
by The Ghost of Jay Cutler on Oct 16, 2009 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions
Maybe...
but when they suck as badly as they do in the secondary, why not dumb down the system and let your “freak” athlete play?
Red Cup Rebellion - An Ole Miss Blog
Blame the Baptists.
by Juco All-American on Oct 16, 2009 11:17 AM EDT up reply actions
He is a freshman
That didn’t make it to campus until fall due to academic work and when he did show up he was out of shape and had a “diva” attitude… supposedly.
I dont know about you guys
but I would really love for Arky fans to explain to me how petrino is SO SO much better than Nutt. Please explain. I’m not really seeing it. They are ste up for another year around .500.
Don't even get me started
I live in Arkansas and have to deal with these hicks. I will say that our last 2 losses have really fired them up though, and a few of their comments have smarted.
Eh, I dunno.
I wanted Petrino a few years ago. He coaches very productive offenses. Problem is, his team can’t do dick on defense. Our teams are almost the exact opposite of one-another right now.
However, I do find it funny that they bashed Nutt for being dishonest, etc right before they hired a man with perhaps the worst reputation of dishonesty over the last few seasons.
Red Cup Rebellion - Changing the Culture of Ole Miss Athletics
Take a picture, trick.
by The Ghost of Jay Cutler on Oct 16, 2009 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions
No one claimed (in this thread at least) that BP is “SO SO much better” than HDN. BP has shown to be able to do a lot more with a lot less, whether you want to believe it or not. Houston left the cupboard bare for Petrino’s first season, the defense was just terrible, yet 5 wins was pretty respectable (and it should have been 6, but I’ll shut up about that). Houston Nutt can (and will) win games for the Rebs, but he’s never done anything to show that that he can do more than play spoiler. We loved him in the early days, but quite frankly, always playing spoiler got old after 10 years. Houston turned into the most polarizing figure in Razorback football, even more than Broyles. You had one side that felt the occasional upset was putting us back on the map, and another that felt that occasional upsets meant nothing if we were the perpetual underdog. A lot of the bad blood between Arkansas fans and Nutt has to do with how he left, and not his one season of relative success at Ole Miss. Regardless of what you hear, he resigned. He wasn’t forced out; John White offered him a contract extension, which he declined. He spun a sympathetic tale of leaving for the betterment of the program, sympathetic enough to get the University to both waive his buyout and pay him the value of his contract. 3 days later, he’s coach at an Arkansas “rival”, with a bigger paycheck.
By the way, just as you don’t understand why people claim Petrino is better than Nutt, I don’t understand why people say BP is “dishonest”? Because he left a Falcons team that had quit on him with a couple of games left in the season? That’s not much different than any college coach leaving a team before they play their bowl game; there’s a long list of coaches who have done that, Houston Dale being one of them.
Notice, I didn't say BP is dishonest,
I simply said he had such a reputation. I don’t exactly find him to be a stand-up guy and I can’t say that I personally trust him, but he’s hardly the monster ESPN wants him to be.
Red Cup Rebellion - Changing the Culture of Ole Miss Athletics
Take a picture, trick.
by The Ghost of Jay Cutler on Oct 16, 2009 1:12 PM EDT up reply actions
What's the difference?
Dishonest, reputation for being dishonest, that’s semantics. The implication is the same, and I don’t know where it comes from. He has a reputation for “job hopping”, and I know exactly where that one comes from. Besides, there’s not too many coaches that I would “personally trust”, either. ESPN has even jumped off the Petrino-is-Satan, except for the occasional Pat Forde rant (who was very lightly chided for some of the more un-journalistic things he said by the ESPN ombudsman). Most of the vitriol seems to come from the Atlanta area, and somewhat from Auburn. Although, Auburn officials approached Petrino, not the other way around, so Auburn fans hardly have a leg to stand on when it comes to hating Petrino.
You can have a reputation, good or bad, without having deserved it.
See: every person ever involved in politics, ever.
It’s not semantics.
Red Cup Rebellion - Changing the Culture of Ole Miss Athletics
Take a picture, trick.
by The Ghost of Jay Cutler on Oct 16, 2009 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions
No, your response to my question (by the way, my intent was not to call you out, I was just posing a question, because you’re hardly the only person to talk about BP’s “reputation”) was semantics. So, you can’t identify how he’s dishonest, you can’t identify how he got a “reputation” for being dishonest, so why try to defend yourself by saying “I didn’t say Petrino was dishonest, just that he has a reputation for being dishonest”, especially if you don’t believe it’s deserved? The whole reason you brought it up was because some UA fans believe that HDN is dishonest (and have the reasons to stand behind). I remember from our earlier “discussion” on the semantics of ESPN vs. the SEC Network that you’re from DC. Are you planning a career in politics? Because, you certainly seem to have to double-talk down (not that that’s necessarily a bad thing).
I'm not planning a career in politics,
but I sure know what I would need to do in order to go such a route. You do have me pegged there.
Red Cup Rebellion - Changing the Culture of Ole Miss Athletics
Take a picture, trick.
by The Ghost of Jay Cutler on Oct 16, 2009 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions
And I can idenfity how he has a reputation for being dishonest.
It’s simple really: the media says he his. If the media says you’re something then people believe it. I think that signing a whole bunch of contracts you don’t have any intention of honoring on your end (didn’t he sign 3 head coaching deals within the same year?) is unethical, but ethics are always up for debate.
Red Cup Rebellion - Changing the Culture of Ole Miss Athletics
Take a picture, trick.
by The Ghost of Jay Cutler on Oct 16, 2009 2:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Fair enough.
What you say about the media is very true and lucid.
I think it’s a little unfair to say he had no intention to honor the contracts, because he wouldn’t have signed them if he hadn’t. True, breaking his contracts so often is a bit unseemly, but he paid his buyout, per the terms of the contract (and likely lost money on the deal). A contract is a two-way street, and if a school can pay a buyout and fire a coach, there’s no reason why a coach shouldn’t be able to pay a buyout and leave the school (or Falcons, or whatever) and not be labeled “unethical”.
I used to chastize Petrino for his nomadic behavior.
But, now that I have a real job, I see what he’s doing. Hell, I’d very much be lying if I didn’t say that I, over the past year or so, haven’t entertained the idea of quitting, burning bridges, and working elsewhere.
Red Cup Rebellion - Changing the Culture of Ole Miss Athletics
Take a picture, trick.
by The Ghost of Jay Cutler on Oct 16, 2009 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions
I have often wondered why people don't say the same thing about Urban Meyer
He always says he’s with the team until the end. Then he leaves for a better coaching job.
Red Cup Rebellion - An Ole Miss Blog
Blame the Baptists.
by Juco All-American on Oct 16, 2009 1:54 PM EDT up reply actions
I think..
Petrino had about 20 years worth of contracts in 18 months. but the thing that kills me (and this is what I’m basically getting at) is that 8 or 9 wins for Arkansas is a GREAT year (thats right, just like at ole miss, Im a realist) Lets face it. and Im proud as hell with 8 to 9 win seasons at Ole miss. I’ve heard a lot of arky fans running down HDN saying he basically “held down” their program for 10 years (my my! how quickly we forget the danny ford debacle) . I very much disagree with that statement, But hey, I shall reserve judgement, because according to some Arky fans I work with, Petrino will bring a NC to fayetteville….Wait…..I think he just left to take a better job!!
In some ways, Nutt is the reason for our obsession with a NC. His first day on the job, he started talk of “National Championship in the Making”, and we all gobbled it up. Petrino may not bring a NC to UA, but we feel that we have a better chance with him than HDN, and in the first few seasons, that’s all that matters. Progress is all we’re looking for, and if we can get to any bowl game this season, especially given our schedule, that’s enough progress for now. If we regress the next season, as we were so used to doing HDN’s term (see 2000, 2003, and 2007), then that’s cause for alarm.
Fair enough dxf04.
perhaps we will have great game in Oxford next weekend. Id love to see the Rebs come out on top, as Im sure you would likewise with the Hogs. Anyway, I think the majority of Rebel fans(feel free to correct me if Im wrong rebs) are happy with HDN because he has coached 18 games for us(i believe), and last saturday vs. Bama was the first game we didnt either win or at least have a chance to win/tie until the very last drive. After 3 years of futility under Coach O, thats something I appreciate.
That’s also fair enough. As I said before, a lot of the ill feelings toward HDN from UA fans is due to the way he left and the fact that he went to a team in our division. Had he left another conference, or even someplace like Tennessee, we likely wouldn’t have as much vitriol for him. I, for one, was a big supporter up until the the moment I realized what he did when he took the Ole Miss job. Good luck to the Rebs in two weeks. If Snead gets his shit together, and the Hogs’ defense continues to progress, it could be a very interesting game.
It hasn't taken as long as I had origionally thought.
The offensive struggles Ole Miss and Jevan Snead are experiencing shouldn’t suprise anyone, especially if they happen to be Arkansas fans.
Granted, Petrino hasn’t been known for his defenses over the past several years, but his defense is currently getting better no matter what they rank in the statistical catagories.
Ever since they lost to ‘Bama, they’ve improved dramatically on defense.
If you based their defensive efforts on the A&M and Auburn results alone, they would be much, much different. Evidently, the light has come on.
In regards to Darius Winston, he came onto campus late after having some trouble becoming academically eligible and had to play catchup after falling behind in learning the defense. He was a little out of shape as well.
Winston was on pace to play in the A&M game, but hurt his ankle in practice supposedly.
He was also schedualed to play in the Auburn game if his ankle was good enough to go, but didn’t participate.
I believe in time, he and David Gordon will both be lock down corners for the UofA.
Christopher Martin Gonzalez
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