The Official 2012-2013 College Football Thread
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Yep when those big 12 teams came to the sec they re did the schedule
We dont see one of those 3 till the seccg -
Depth Chart based on Spring performances:
Offense:
QB: Zach Mettenberger
RB: Spencer Ware
WR: Odell Beckham Jr.
WR: Jarvis Landry
FB: J.C. Copeland
TE/WR: Chase Clement/Russell Shepard
OT: Chris Faulk
OT: Alex Hurst
OG: La'El Collins
OG: Josh Willford
C: P.J. Lonergan
Defense: (4-3)
DE: Keke Mingo
DE: Big Sam
DT: Bennie Logan
DT: Josh Downs
LB: Kevin Minter
LB: Tahj Jones
LB: Ronnie ?
CB: Tharold Simon
CB: Honey Badger
S: Eric Reid
S: Craig Loston
K: Drew Alleman/James Hairston
P: Brad Wing
PR: Tyrann Mathieu
KR: Paul Turner
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lsu implementing the pass into the gameplan??!!!
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Shots fired.
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Loston finally gon get to start.
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I wanna say something about lsu but every time I try this ? pops in my head
He took that ? soul but we'll see y'all ? in the dome again this year -
We daring ? to put 9 and 10 in the box!
"WRs want ‘Fab Five’ nickname to stick"
What’s in a nickname? Sometimes, it can mean a great deal.
LSU’s top quintet of returning receivers this year — Russell Shepard, Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Kadron Boone and James Wright — have taken to calling themselves the Fab Five.
The nickname sort of evolved among them, though it was Shepard, the only senior, who was the lead lobbyist.
“We wanted to create something strong,” Shepard said.
“It sort of stuck,” Beckham said.
“We have a lot of chemistry,” Wright said. “We’re tight.
“It’s sort of a family thing.”
What the nickname lacks in originality — with the Final Four in New Orleans this year, Fab Five evokes flashbacks of Michigan and Chris Webber and phantom timeouts — it has created an esprit de corps in LSU’s receivers. A spirit that perhaps was vital in the wake of losing 2011’s top receiver, Rueben Randle, a year early to the NFL draft.
There is no Randle in the group, no easily identifiable go-to pair of hands. But the Fab Fivers hope — rather, are confident — that there is strength in numbers.
“We’re all go-to receivers,” Beckham said. We’re all blessed with different skills and talents.”
Perhaps, but there’s no doubt replacing Randle will be no small task. Not after he led LSU with 917 yards and eight touchdowns on 53 receptions.
How big a loss is that? That’s one more yard than LSU’s top five returning receivers combined – Beckham (475 yards), Shepard (190), tight end Chase Clement (96), Boone (82) and running back Spencer Ware (73).
The Tigers no longer possess a receiver with Randle’s physical presence, a 6-foot-4 catcher who could put a defender on his back and shield him from the ball.
Beckham goes 5-11, Landry and Boone (out with a shoulder injury) go 6-0. Shepard stands 6-1. Only Wright, at 6-2, 201 pounds, approaches Randle’s stature.
The Tigers will try to compensate through their coaching.
LSU’s receivers spoke in glowing terms of the techniques they’re learning from new receivers coach Adam Henry. The former McNeese State receiver and receivers coach spent the past five seasons with the Oakland Raiders, the last three as tight ends coach.
“Coach Henry is coming in and teaching us a lot of things,” Landry said, “like getting good separation on our routes. It helps with our lack of height.”
“Mentally it kind of mind blowing knowing you’re using NFL tricks on college athletes,” Beckham said. “It almost feels like you have a step on all the defensive backs.”
The Fab Five say they’re paring new sorcery with chemistry conjured up with new starting quarterback Zach Mettenberger. It’s that combined alchemy which they hope will produce a more potent passing attack this season.
“It’s a great bond we have,” Beckham said. “It’s something we could have used a little more of last year.”
Will there be more passing this season? There could hardly be less: LSU averaged 152.5 yards passing per game in 2011, ranking 106th of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
Asked that question, Landry smiled broadly, then replied: “We have all the tools. This year I think we will use this more effectively.
“We’re still going to be a balanced team. We’ll never abandon the run just to pass. And if we have to run 50, 60 times to get a win, I’ll take it.”
The flip side – the spread ’em out and throw it all over the lot side – is something Tiger fans will certainly be eager to get a glimpse of during LSU’s Spring Game (12:30 p.m. Saturday) in Tiger Stadium.
As Landry said, the tools are there.
“Our dream situation as wide receivers is to have the quarterback and a five-receiver set,” Shepard said.
The Tigers haven’t gone five wide in practice yet, but Beckham is also drooling at the prospect.
“I don’t know what defenses would be able to do with that,” he said.
In that, the Fab Five has an ally.
“With me in there I guess it’s the Quick Six,” Mettenberger said. -
Man that ? russell shepard is annoying as ?
That ? stay talkin ? on twitter then you look at his numbers and he got 15 catches the whole year.
Still can't believe he was the number one player in the country -
Some thoughts from BON on Texas' spring game today. First the defense....
It was a lovely day for spring football in Austin today -- clear skies, warm sun, and a nice-but-not-too-stiff breeze. Yes, it's the Spring Game, and no, there isn't too much you can take away from these kinds of scrimmages, but today's performance gave us a nice snapshot of the roster we'll be working with this fall.
Big Roy just posted a few quick reacts on the offense, and below are my ten thoughts on the defense and special teams.
1. The defense didn't show us anything today. Literally nothing. Manny Diaz stuck his charges in a base 4-3 and kept everything simple and straightforward. That's neither good nor bad, but worth noting as a point of context -- for both the defense and offense. On the bright side, I'm told from a couple folks who have had the privilege of watching some closed practices that our defense is really comfortable doing a lot of different things, much more so than at this time last year. We just didn't see that on display today.
2. There's lots of great young talent in the secondary. We're going to have a great secondary this year, but the future is also bright for the foreseeable future. Duke Thomas, Josh Turner, and Leroy Scott are all playmakers who will blossom with seasoning.
3. If they stay healthy, our linebackers will be a strong asset. Jordan Hicks is going to have an All-Big 12 season, Steve Edmond is the Mike we've been waiting for, and Demarco Cobbs absolutely flies out there. I don't know how I feel about the depth chart behind them yet, but the top three are going to shine.
4. Speaking of Cobbs, my ? does he close fast. You can tell he's going to take a few lumps on misdirection when he overpursues the ball, but as he refines his understanding of the position, he's going to be a hell of a playmaker on the outside.
Star-divide
5. The defense as a whole looks like it has a lot of potential to be a big-play defense. I'll set the over/under on defensive touchdowns at 3.5. And take the over.
6. The defensive tackle situation is fluid in an interesting way. There isn't a dominant 1A guy out there, but it looks like the sum could be greater than the parts. I didn't see a whole lot from Ashton Dorsey today (although I liked the way he was coming on at the end of last year), but Des Jackson was excellent and really stood out. The dude is strong, with a motor that doesn't stop. Add in Brandon Moore, who looks very promising as a gap-filling hoss, and Chris Whaley, who is really rounding into a weapon, and this group should be fine, at the worst.
7. There are some depth concerns with this defense, but I like the potential for the starting unit to be one of the better units we've had under Mack Brown, and I expect the depth situation to improve as some of the young talent picks up game experience. In the coming weeks I'll put together a "Can't Lose To Injury" list for the defense to highlight where we're most exposed to potential depth problems.
8. Turning to special teams, it was a good day for Ben Pruitt, who looked good place-kicking both in warm ups and on extra-points. It would have been nice to have had him kick some field goals in the game, but he looked solid in nailing his PATs, kicking a consistent ball with lots of early lift.
9. Will Russ had a very good day handling kick-off and punting duties. He blasted his kick offs out of the end zone with the wind, and two-yards deep kicking into it. And his punts were almost all excellent. He didn't crush them terribly long, but they were mostly high, long-hanging kicks that allowed our coverage to get down the field. Russ also carried on Justin Tucker's spirit in making a nice touchdown-saving tackle of Jaxon Shipley on a punt return.
10. We have an embarrassment of riches in terms of options at kick returner, and it'll be fun to see which of the many burners we have seizes the kickoff returning jobs. Speaking of which, a salute to my boy Fozzy Whittaker, who at halftime received a gigantic trophy for winning the national kickoff returner of the year last season. -
OffenseAs always, the offensive discussion starts out with the quarterbacks. David Ash started out with the first team before giving way to McCoy for the third series and alternating a bit thereafter, but it was clear, at least to this viewer, that Ash has created separation. Unfortunately, he didn't have the same opportunities in the passing game that McCoy did, for whatever reason, but he managed to avoid the interceptions that plagued McCoy on the day. Ash hit Jaxon Shipley in the end zone on a fade to beat good coverage on pass that showed off his touch and drew a pass interception penalty on a downfield attempt to Bryant Jackson. Other than that, his best plays came when he opted to pull the ball down and pick up positive yardage, something he did well at the second open practice, too. Again, not a ton from Ash on the day, but added to his strong performance on the Saturday open practice, it's clear that the Belton product is making discernible progress and that's why he's going to be the starter next fall, even if it isn't official yet.
Case McCoy looked like what he will likely be at Texas over the next two years -- the back up. Mack Brown will surely talk about how much quarterbacks need to be ready to play, but McCoy made too many poor decisions to make up any ground on Ash, even after he apparently recovered from his shaky start, which included an interception on a poorly-thrown post route that Leroy Scott corralled and a near-pick six that Carrington Byndom simply dropped when McCoy tried to throw from one hashmark to the opposite sideline and predictably had the ball float on him. The difference in how the ball comes out of McCoy's hand is in sharp contrast to how it jumps from the hand of Ash. There were some good throws from McCoy, including a ball down the seam to MJ McFarland that was well thrown, and a touchdown pass to DeSean Hales just before halftime. Some positives for McCoy, but his inability to take care of the football is a major concern considering that the coaches have stressed doing so all spring.
Connor Brewer worked almost exclusively with the third team and looked sharp for the most part, showing off his touch on a throw down the sideline that dropped nicely over the shoulder of a walk-on receiver, then showing that touch again by letting Cade McCrary climb the ladder and high-point a ball in the endzone to convert a third and goal from just outside the endzone. There's some promise for the future there, but there seems to be little doubt at this time that he will redshirt and be the third-string quarterback this season. Which is what he needs.
Coming into the game, one of the major question marks was how redshirt freshman tight end MJ McFarland would perform as a blocker. The early returns? Without going back and watching the film, what really stood out was a holding penalty on a wide receiver screen to the perimeter and a peelblack block against Scott that was flagged for hitting him above the shoulders. Both effort penalties, but not the kind of thing that the team can afford in close games. Consider him still a work in progress. Despite a drop, he was strong in the passing game, with his notable play the throw down the seam from McCoy that went for big yardage, though he did drop a pass later.
One issue for the Texas offense in the utilization of DJ Monroe is that he's essentially been a one-trick pony on the jet sweep. Whatever advances he made as a receiver during the second half of spring weren't apparent, as the coaches opted not to use him there. Monroe did, however, look strong with his one trick, turning the corner and jetting past Scott on a 60-yard jet sweep touchdown run early in the scrimmage and picking up significant positive yardage on another late.
Most of the reps in the running game went to Joe Bergeron and Jeremy Hills today, as Malcolm Brown apparently lost his shoe at some point, which may have limited his reps. There was some speculation that Brown might have been injured, but Mack Brown shot those down afterward. Bergeron ran with what is becoming his trademark toughness, though it did look like he might have missed a couple of holes on one drive. A noted spring star in the past, Hills appeared to run as well as he has during his time at Texas, breaking tackles from Jordan Hicks and Steve Edmond on one play -- something he didn't do last season -- and even throwing a big block on Jaxon Shipley's long punt return. Will Hills challenge for any time in the fall? Probably not, but he will provide solid depth.
The Longhorns did not run the Wildcat formation at all and may be waiting for incoming freshman Johnathan Gray to install it in the fall.
The first-team offensive line had a solid day, generally keeping the quarterbacks clean and from having to scramble too much, while also opening up some holes in the running game by producing 138 rushing yards in the first half. The most impressive efforts from the line as a whole probably came in the second half when they opened up room for DeSean Hales and Jeremy Hills on consecutive screen passes with strong blocking efforts downfield. The second-team offensive line? It doesn't look like any of those players besides possibly Sedrick Flowers will be able to challenge the starters and the unit struggled until the end of the first half, especially in the running game, where there was little room to work. There's more depth than there was a year ago, but not enough to feel comfortable dealing with any injuries, particularly to the first-team tackles.
For a team that has struggled now for two years converting in the redzone, it was a major positive to see the 'Horns convert on every opportunity until McCoy's late interception, doing so with both passes and runs. Some improvement there would be a long way to taking pressure of what could be a shaky kicking game.
There was also the Jaxon Shpley trickeration everyone loves, as he opted to pull down the first throwback to him and run for positive yardage, which he did as well in the second open practice, then find DJ Grant wide open streaking down the field to convert yet another Shipley pass into a touchdown. That's all he does throwing the football. Unless he's simply clinching a game, as he did hitting Ash late against BYU. -
lol @ LSU fab five receivers.
Let's start with a "past 50" offense.
Let it marinate.... -
Don't do that Green smh
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smittysmith wrote: »Don't do that Green smh
Just bein' real, bruh. lol. -
Still scarred from that ? . Too soon, too soon.
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smittysmith wrote: »Still scarred from that ? . Too soon, too soon.
I got a question for you...
I see that picture of the field symbol for the "2011 SEC Championship". Which is cool an' all, but how do you feel about your squad being the conference champ, but another team in your conference won the 'ship?
I know if texass or Okey Lite won the National championship the same year we won the XII. I would look at the Big XII trophy like...
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It ? ' sucks!!! But, that's the hand we were dealt. Winning a conference title is still a great accomplishment, especially with that schedule we had.
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smittysmith wrote: »It ? ' sucks!!! But, that's the hand we were dealt. Winning a conference title is still a great accomplishment, especially with that schedule we had.
True. At least you can say u split the season series with'em.
? gotta be like kissing your sister tho. No CJ. -
Longhorn Spring Game 4.1.2012:
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Longhorn Spring Game 4.1.2012:
Ready for this season!
Rest of the pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/115944025562323588376/2012OrangeAndWhiteGame?authkey=Gv1sRgCKC71oTXytnC8QE# -
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smittysmith wrote: »It ? ' sucks!!! But, that's the hand we were dealt. Winning a conference title is still a great accomplishment, especially with that schedule we had.
I see it as a testament to the other players on that team. Everybody outside of the QBs was on top of their game all year. Cant blame the QBs for everything but .........................I am glad they are gone. -
Get well soon, Mr. Petrino...
http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/04/02/bobby-petrino-in-motorcycle-accident/
