Sumlin's Time Slipping in Texas

When Johnny Manziel broke on to the College Football landscape and sport mainstream during his Heisman winning season in 2012, it was not just Manziel who was shouting loudest from College Station. Manziel had at the helm a much admired coach who was at the start of his career also in charge of a fledgling program hoping to make noise in a big state and stepping into a new conference power, the SEC.

2012 which included the Texas A&M Aggies famously defeating Alabama in Tuscaloosa 29-24, a game that led to Manziel's Heisman procession and an eventual Cotton Bowl victory over Oklahoma finishing with a 11-2 record.

Since then, the Aggies have not matched the much vaunted expectations that the inaugural season did, although 2013 was a 9-4 record and another classic versus Alabama. The team could not cope with the clamour for Johnny Football who although he had a greater season in terms of throwing statistics he had more interceptions yet less rushing touchdowns.  They won a Bowl game, but Manziel left for the NFL as did star wide receiver Mike Evans (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and from there Sumlin has struggled.

Following a 20-6 record for the first two seasons, the Aggies school invested $500m to develop Kyle Field and $10m for the coaching staff including a huge extension for Sumlin himself.  The Aggies currently sit 5-4 in the SEC West and were thoroughly dismantled 41-27 by Auburn at the weekend, leaving them scratching for a Bowl game with games remaining at home to New Mexico and two road trips to Ole Miss and LSU.

The SEC year on year appears to be a race of who will finish second to dominant Alabama, yet Georgia have showed the potential in good recruiting and good coaching, coupled with consistent offence.


The Aggies have not built upon the brand of Johnny Football in terms of quality although Myles Garrett was the Overall first round pick, there should be a stream of talent to rival that of Alabama or Miami in recent years to have a revolving door of potential coming through College Station.

Sumlin must take the fall for an under par season which started poorly in the first game on the road at UCLA where they gave up a 34 point lead to lose 45-44 to Josh Rosen; they then won four straight wins the best being a 24-17 home victory over a now 4-3 South Carolina Gamecocks; before an inevitable home loss to Alabama although they kept it respectable in a 27-19 loss.  However the losses to Auburn and Mississippi State have put more questions with less answers forthcoming from Sumlin.

With those three games remaining and a .500 record looking a distinct possibility, fans where hopeful of more but instead got more shortcomings and the type of play not expected from the Aggies, who unfortunately where in the headlines for two glorious years but have flattered to deceive since then.

The Re-Identification of Alabama QBs

When you think of Alabama quarterbacks under Nick Saban's tenure you think of pocket passer's men who are leaders on and off the field, those 6' 4" tall athletes who stand tall in the pocket and are pin-point with their accuracy and poise under pressure.

Yet there has been a gradual change in identity of the man under center in Birmingham. Whilst there has been dual threat QBs surrounding the Tide from Cam Newton to Jameis Winston to Johnny Manziel; Nick Saban has been reluctant to make that leap to the dual threat due to the wealth of talent at running back over the years from Trent Richardson to Eddie Lacy.

Starting with Greg McElroy who eventually played for the New York Jets, he led the Crimson Tide to the National Championship in 2009 whilst not setting the numbers alight. In the Championship year he threw for 2508 yards and 17 touchdowns, that was followed the year later by 2987 yards and 20 TDs prompting his inclusion in the draft.

AJ McCarron the archetype for QB

AJ McCarron inherited the role after McElroy left for the professional ranks, and in his three starting years he saw an increase of total throwing yards over those three years - 2011, 2634 yards; 2012, 2933 yards and 2013, 3063 yards breaking McElroy's passing record. His passing percentage was 66.8% which is par for a solid career and he had 15 total interceptions over his career. McCarron sits behind Andy Dalton as No.2 QB for Cincinnati Bengals awaiting his opportunity with immense patience.

Blake Sims had a veritable explosion in his lone starting season as quarterback, 3487 yards with 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions coupled with 350 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns.  Sims was probably the marker of change for Saban.

Jalen Hurts is a frontrunner for the Heisman

Via Jake Coker, we land at current QB Jalen Hurts who is the starting quarterback for Alabama this year following his freshman year, the first true freshman to start for Alabama in 32 years, throwing for 2780 yards and 23 touchdowns with a below average 62.8 percent; however, he also rushed for 954 yards and 13 touchdowns giving him 36 total touchdowns. Hurts became the first quarterback coached by Saban to pass for 300 yards and rush 100 yards in the same game.

Come to this season and following a cagey affair versus Florida State (10-18, 96 yards, 55.6% completion and 55 yards rushing) where a win was more important than the performance, Hurts returned for the home opener versus Fresno State and threw for 14-18, 128 yards, 77.8%, 1 TD with 154 rushing yards on 10 carries with two touchdowns in the 41-10 victory.

The surprising factor of the victory was that Alabama out rushed their passing offense, running for 305 yards from six different carriers - Najee Harris (13 carries, 70 yards), Bo Scarbrough (6 carries, 36 yards) and only 192 passing yards with the most for one receiver being Calvin Ridley with 45 yards off only five receptions.

Nick Saban is changing his view on QB play

For sceptics, this is Saban falling in line with the rest of the league and not being original, however, perhaps this is Saban utilising the talent correctly.  In Hurts, he has a passer of accuracy who can execute passes to where it needs to go, this allows Saban the chance to dictate play from the off and by having Hurts keep hold of the ball when rushing you negate the threat of turnovers which are key and can effectively keep a stellar defense (better than Fresno State obviously) out of the game.

From worries over his pocket passing to utilising the speed and composure under pressure, Hurts will have bigger tests but its a step in the right direction for this Alabama QB.

Read more of my work at Forty Yards Scouting.
Follow me on Twitter @JamieGarwood and @NextToTheAisle

Clemson Tigers 2017

Following on from a National Championship season led by a soon to be starting NFL quarterback, the Clemson Tigers nonetheless have high expectations to return to the College Football Playoffs again this year.

Although the ACC has had a gradual resurrection of talent and performance in the last five years since the Florida State Seminoles led by Jameis Winston made headlines. Those Noles are going to be knocking on the door, as well as the NC State and the returning Lamar Jackson at Louisville who will provide highlight plays in abundance.

The task of repeating as champions is a difficult one in any year for any team due to players leaving for the professional game or graduating, in this instance it will be a tougher one for these Tigers but lets look at what they have going for them.

The obvious positon to start is under center at Quarterback. The expected starter for season opener versus Kent State is Kelly Bryant who was the back up to Deshaun Watson for two years, and is due his opportunity. Key points for Bryant is to translate what he does on the practice field into the real game situation, he shows poise in some practice set ups and good progression through receiver options but the main query must be about confidence.

In these early games, he needs to instill himself and the coaching staff with confidence; this works two ways as they need to give him easy passes and completions from a new but exciting receiving core.  Deon Cain is the likely heir apparent to fill the shoes of former Clemson receivers who have made the leap to the NFL such as Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins, he has speed on the outside to be the deep threat and last year had seven receiving touchdowns from 724 yards.

Coupled with Cain will be Hunter Renfrow, who is the target on third downs and has good hands as well as the size to combat physical defensive play from the slot.

However, the biggest question will be to replace the hole at running back left by senior Wayne Gallman who had 30 touchdowns over two seasons. Gallman was not only the threat but the three down workhorse which left the next generation with little carries and snaps on the field.  The answer may well be in CJ Fuller, he showed the power to grind for tough yards last season versus NC State when Gallman went down but he also has a knack to make big catches in the backfield which changes the course of the offense and can lead to instilling confidence in Bryant at QB.

To maintain an ACC Championship drive, the Tigers will need to step up on defence and on the defensive line they have some returning quality in Dexter Lawrence who has unnatural athleticism for a 340lb, 6' 5" frame. Clelin Ferrell has the mixture of strength and speed to break tackles and get to the quarterback or running back forcing turnovers - he had double digits last season - and six sacks.

The mark of any lauded College program is to keep the level of quality returning year on year, Clemson have been something of a noise for sometime and the fact they are National Champions adds to the cache. The abundance of talent at their disposal will lead to them getting big wins in a tough division with road trips to NC State and Louisville (in Week 3).

Dabo Swinney always takes teams and exceeds expectations, many people did not think they could beat Bama in the title game yet they did. This season will be a different kettle of fish in that, many are not expecting them to return to the Playoffs, if they do, the season will be a success for the Clemson Tigers.

This article features on the UK Draft Guide from 40 Yards Scouting run by Matt Phillips

The Perfect Pass

This new book by respected author S. C. Gwynnne, tells the story of how one high school coach with an innate ability to adapt was able to have possibly the greatest influence on American football in the history of the game.

Gwynne tells the story of Hal Munne, a still unheralded coach who took his game changing system of pass pass and then pass again from high school football to Division III to the echelons of the SEC conference.

Yet this is not just a story or book to celebrate the theory that Munne has done his work, Gwynne takes us back to the beginning of football in America; how it was a ground and pound game that was violent beyond belief yet was instilled with the American values that you play through pain and broken bones and do not show signs of injury.  In stark contrast now, where any physical sort of play is deemed as unsafe to both the perpetrator and the target.

Football was and in some quarters does remain a stubborn beast, chapters show us how slow the club of football coaches was to change in the idea of schemes and afraid to embrace these new ideas which could bring a freshness to campuses and organisations. In the history of college football, the norm was to have a three down back who would run, run and run some more, these workhorses would carry programs to National championships.

Hal Munne - inventor of the Air Raid

Slowly though the tide has changed but it has been a gradual change to implement Munne's now famous Air Raid system, yet the author is at pains to make you aware that a high octane passing offence has always been around just not paramount. Be it the Air Coryell at the San Diego Chargers up to the world famous West Coast offense by Bill Walsh and the San Francisco 49ers with Joe Montana and Jerry Rice becoming legends.

Now what is the difference between Walsh and Munne is the complexity of the two systems. One has a playbook of 500 plays and is a labyrinth of out-thinking the opposition in the tradition of strategic combat that the NFL is, whilst Munne's system is a simplistic model based on read options for the quarterback embracing accuracy and efficiency beyond anything else. The quarterback will have his options from one to five, he starts at one and if he is open he passes to him. If he is not open, he goes to two and so on. A receiver, one of three wide receivers and then a running back catching in the screen and another half back.

The assignments for each player on offense is simple, following the ethos of Bill Belichick ('Do your job'), the lineman give time to the quarterback to pass with accuracy. The receivers get open, the backs block on rising linebackers, the quarterback releases the ball quickly. That is another facet of the Air Raid, the quarterback plays fast and because he has a smaller playbook to memorise he has less things to remember meaning there is no huddle, therefore the offense is always ready to play. Sometimes they call the same play on consecutive occasions, but because the ball is going to perhaps alternative receivers the defence cannot keep up nor anticipate what is coming next. The defence also become gassed and exhausted because the offence is not allowing substitutions of personnel on the defence.

Another often misleading accusation of the Air Raid is that running backs do not get great numbers, on the contrary, Munne's running backs at the college level would easily surpass the 1000 yard milestone with ease and on lesser carries than traditional three-down workhorses.

Now Munne's influence is rampant in the NFL but was started by Chip Kelly who high octane no huddle offence at Oregon brought him to national prominence and his eventual employment by Philadelphia Eagles and now the 49ers. Quarterbacks are getting better at releasing the ball quickly, allowing them to extend careers as they take less hits as you see from Tom Brady and Drew Brees.
Brady was never thought of as a big number passer yet he is consistently throwing over 4500 yards as does Brees.

Yet Munne never got the acclaim he deserved, his assistant Mike Leach is more well known and it was his conversation and discussion with Gwynne that led to this book being written. Munne has suffered divorce, cancer, and is now coaching back in Division III yet still getting results and numbers unheard of.

While he might live in relevant obscurity, hopefully Gwynne's fascinating book will bring Hal Munne the recognition he deserves.

The Perfect Pass is published by Scribner Press part of the Simon & Schuster family.

Johnny Football

 

Kevin Shropshire's new book by MVP Books entitled Johnny Football tells the reader about the tumultuous two year period in College Station, Texas when a confident young man who captured the attention of a nation, the hearts of an adoring fan base whilst polarising opinion amongst various media outlets.

Not since the days of Tim Tebow at Florida has a young college sportsman been as loved and as hated  when playing at the College level. Johnny Manziel seemingly appeared from nowhere winning the starting QB position as a freshman leading the Texas A&M Aggies to a 11-1 season including a win on the road versus the reigning National champions Alabama and winning the illustrious Heisman trophy, the first freshman to do so.

Shropshire's book is a wonderful home not just to those life-changing times in Texas but he takes the  time to give an in-depth history about college football in Texas, the reasons behind the Aggies move from the Big 12 to the more intense SEC conference where the level of opponent is more attributable to a greater post-season Bowl appearance.

With great humour Shropshire covers the career of Kevin Sumlin who has dealt with the Manziel thunderstorm with great dignity; Shropshire's chapter on the NCAA investigation which jeopardised Manziel's 2nd season is portrayed with precision and care to not make a judgment but produce the facts as they are.

Shropshire's history in the regional press of Texas provides some hilarious nuggets of truth in the task of local journalism, as well as jibes at the feverish fandom of college sports.  This reader particularly liked the story of when the Alabama Crimson Tide came to College Station for the rematch of Manziel vs AJ McCarron which the Tide QB won, with Aggies staff instructing fans, 'Don't look at the Tide fans, and don't feed them either', numerous occasions his reader laughed out loud at this writer's clever use of humour to make the point clear.

And yet the Manziel story has not finished yet, tomorrow night in New York City for the 2015 NFL Draft when Johnny Football may become Johnny Cleveland, Johnny Jaguar or Johnny Viking.  What is clear from all the stories Shropshire writes is that many coaches, players and critics agree that Johnny Football for all the off-the-field drama is a once in a lifetime footballer capable of galvanising a franchise and team with his unique play-making ability.

Johnny Football: Johnny Manziel's Wild Tide from Obscurity to Legend at Texas A&M is out from MVP Books in England on 26th June 2014, but is available now via American outlets for your reading devices.

Big 12 makes noise

The Big 12 is one of the NCAA powerhouses yet it suffers from an identity crisis across two major sporting events.  In one, they are dismissed as an also-ran, a conference that does nothing to the bigger national picture. And in the other sport, it is helped by having a powerhouse team on a national stage.

Currently in College Football, Baylor is the only undefeated side in the Big 12, is ranked No3 in the nation behind Alabama (SEC), Florida State (ACC) and Ohio State (Big10).  Baylor are playing a brand of attacking offensive football which made darlings out of the Oregon Ducks who are missing out on another National Championship tilt due to their loss at Stanford two weeks ago.

Baylor Bears average 61.2 points a game (1st in nation) but also concede only 17.4 (7th in nation); they score points for fun and teams find it hard to match them.  They are led by coach Art Briles and quarterback Bryce Petty who has close to 3000 yards and 24 touchdowns.  Admittedly, these numbers do not match say Johnny Manziel nor Jameis Winston (Flordia State) but they have not been helped by their schedule.

The Big 12 unlike the Big 10, SEC and Pac 12 is not split into divisions, every team plays each other once in the season and they do not have a Big 12 championship game between the top two teams, meaning you have to beat everyone and hope that everyone else messes up.  Baylor back ended their schedule meaning they have three games left starting with at Oklahoma State who are ranked No10 nationally and are 9-1.  A win against them will make Baylor the No 3 side in the nation and the team that steps in should the Crimson Tide or Seminoles lose between now and the end of the season.

This would be rich reward for Briles who has made some noise in the Big 12 without much national recognition apart from getting Robert Griffin III the Heisman two years ago.  They have been consistent, the scheme works and makes stars of their young students.  After the OK State road trip they are at TCU who are currently 4-7 and then a home game to Texas which will end the regular season.

Whereas, Baylor are struggling for recognition, you look at a conference opponent in another sport that makes noise regularly year-in, year-out. Led by the formidable Kansas Jayhawks, the Big 12 in College Basketball is rightly one of the hotbeds of the national conscious of the sport.  Bill Self is chasing his 10th consecutive conference title in Lawrence and after defeating Duke last Tuesday by 11 points and with the expected No.1 player in the country - Andrew Wiggins - the expectation for that banner is high.

However, the other players in the Big 12 also play a big part.  Oklahoma State have Marcus Smart returning when it was thought he would leave for the NBA which will benefit them hugely.  Kansas State are always a solid exponent of conference play as well as the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners. However, the biggest surprise may well come from Iowa State.

The Cyclones are one of those wonderful David stories, as a team that surpasses expectations thanks to the development of a program under a young unheralded coach. In this case Fred Hoiberg, who was highly ridiculed when given the job after the retirement of his father, Ames four years ago.  Fred has overcome the shouts and jeers of nepotism to make a name for himself with the small program by taking them to the tournament last year and defeating Notre Dame in the first round. 

The Cyclones also were one of the teams to give Kansas a real scare last year, with the Jayhawks only coming through in overtime on the road.  This past weekend they recorded a 77-70 win over #7 ranked Michigan who reached the Final Four last year, this is probably the biggest win of Hoiberg's reign and will make people notice of their intention to be a Top 25 side in the nation.

A young coach doing great things with an unfancied unattractive side reminds you of Butler and Brad Stevens - yet Iowa State are helped by being part of one of the big noises in College Basketball.

College Football Week 4 review

This writer had had a very long day on Saturday involving travelling in a propeller plane across water, being subjected to a Bosnian national telling me about his way of life ('I shit you not') and then being stuck on an island enveloped by fog with little optimism of getting back to the mainland.  Eventually I got home at 9.30pm following a 17 hour day of memorable experiences.

Upon my return home, I switched on ESPN to get a College football update and the first two scorelines I saw left me disheartened and disconsolate for the sport in general.  College football is all about equal competition and a general rise in challenges throughout the season.

The first two scores were the Ohio State and Louisville victories.  Both were blowouts to the nth degree.  Ohio State beat Florida A&M 76-0 at home, Louisville beat Florida International 72-0. 

It is annoying how these stellar institutions book these silly opponents into there schedule.  In week 1, FCS schools can catch a bigger fish cold due to teams not having the luxury of pre-season.  Now in week 4, schemes and plays are learnt.  Players are up to match speed and full fitness and then the lambs of these two Florida schools are led to the slaughter on the road as these bigger schools run rough shod over all of them.

Ohio State are ranked #4 and will remain #4 because they won by so much no team at 5 or 6 can leapfrog them and they cannot rise unless a 3 team is upset which is unlikely as the majority of most teams in the Top 10 played weak opponents and at home.  In fact #3 Clemson went on the road and beat NC State 26-14 led by Tajh Boyd.  This is a good road win for Clemson, who will be in the championship game if they run the table.

Alabama hosted Colorado State at home.  Colorado State are woeful, and they are forced to travel cross-country.  For the Crimson Tide, it looks good to play a Pac-12 side considering the #2 side in the country are the Oregon Ducks. They won 31-6, far from the slaughter expected but what purpose does it serve.

Florida State #8 hosted Bethune-Cook and won 54-6; now I am sure Jameis Winston has had more stressful games of Madden than what he experienced in this game.  Florida State will remain the 2nd best side in the ACC behind Clemson.

Credit then to Stanford hosting a conference rival Arizona State, they built up an early lead and won 42-28 to gain the first conference victory; although they did concede three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make the game look closer than it actually was.

Other examples, Miami demolished Savannah State 77-7 and Baylor won 70-7 versus Louisiana-Monroe, Washington beat Idaho State 56-0.

This was a bad weekend for College Football, even the big game Florida versus Tennessee which was 31-17 was overshadowed by the unfortunate sight of Gators QB Jeff Driskel leaving the field and being done for the season with a broken lower left leg in the first quarter. His back-up Tyler Murphy did the job effectively, but the SEC East may well lose a contender.  Will Muschamp was understandably gutted for Driskel and his team.

Texas A&M beat Southern Methodist 42-13. Johnny Manziel threw for 244 yards and ran for 102 yards on 12 carries for 2 touchdowns.

This week suffered from the lack of a marquee match-up inter-conference battle and even the lack of the idle Oregon Ducks made it slightly less fun to watch the highlights.  In Week 5, things are looking up:
#6 LSU who beat Auburn led by Jeremy Hill's career day travel to #9 Georgia who had their wobbles versus North Texas before Aaron Murray threw for 400+ yards
#14 Oklahoma at #22 Notre Dame; can the Irish defence contain the explosive Sooners attackers
#21 Ole Miss at #1 Alabama; another solid test for the Tide but home advantage should be enough for them
#23 Wisconsin at #4 Ohio State; the first real test for the Buckeyes who seek perfection again this season.
#2 Oregon are at home to California; over or under a 40 point victory?

Follow me @JamieGarwood

College Football Week 3 review

Thanks to the wonders of scheduling, we had the marquee match-up of the season in just the third week of the season.  The walking hyperbole or is it hype machine, Johnny Manziel, whose performance on the road at Alabama helped him win the Heisman Trophy this year welcomed the National Champions to College Station, Texas; as the #6 Texas A&M Aggies hosted #1 Alabama on Saturday.

The game that was hyped to the hilt for once did not disappoint as the Crimson Tide remained unbeaten winning 49-42 on the road to stay the No.1 team in the country.  Yet the Aggies still put up a lot of questions of this weaker Bama defence, as wide receiver Mike Evans had 7 catches for 279 yards and 1 touchdown.

The questions of the defence come down to the giving up of 628 total yards (464 passing yards by Manziel), and yet they won by a touchdown owing to A&M having one more turnover.  AJ McCarron marshalled the offence 20-29, 334 yards and 4 TDs with TJ Yeldon having 149 yards off of 25 carries.  Yeldon has filled the hole left by Eddie Lacy. Yet it is the winning mentality of the Crimson Tide who retained enough players from the Championship side to retain a cohesiveness, whilst the offensive line improved allowing McCarron time to throw; the defence needs to step up in later contests down the stretch - Zach Mettenberger must be licking his lips at the prospect of facing this team.

The SEC is fast becoming the highest scoring conference helped by teams like the Aggies; the Tide and LSU Tigers so often renowned for being professional and getting the job done, are now scoring 40 plus points regularly and this is good for the product of College Football.

One reason for the high scoring must be a reaction to the Oregon Ducks and the Chip Kelly offense; the Ducks continued their march with a 59-14 home victory over the SEC's Tennessee Volunteers led by Marcus Mariota throwing for a career-high 456 yards and four touchdowns.  Amazingly, the Volunteers scored on their first possession, but where you worried?  Mariota is my favourite for the Heisman Trophy, if they remain undefeated then the sheer volume of points and dynamic ability will seal it for him.

The Big 10's big noise are the Ohio State Buckeyes who went undefeated last year but were ineligible for bowl selection.  Eligibility is available this year and they intend to make it count with so many players returning. On Saturday, they travelled to California and won 52-34 with fifth year quarterback Kenny Guiton getting his first start and leading them to victory with 21-32, 276 yards and 4 TDs.  In comparison to Braxton Miller who gives you options on the run, Guiton is a better pocket passer and gives time for receivers to get separation and hits his targets.

Florida State Seminoles decimated the Nevada Wolf Pack 62-7 at home, redshirt freshman Jameis Winston went 15-18 for 214 yards and 2 touchdowns.  The Seminoles along with the Louisville Cardinals (who won 27-13 at Kentucky) are attempting to make the ACC get noticed and the play of Winston and Cardinals' Teddy Bridgewater, who is projected as the top quarterback in the upcoming draft, are turning heads.

Another QB who could be drafted high will be UCLA's Brett Hundley who led his Bruins to a supreme road victory at the #23 Nebraska Cornhuskers.  Hundley led his team from an 18 point deficit to win comfortably 41-21 thanks to a 28 point third quarter.  Hundley went 16-24, 294 yards for 2 TDs with help from RB Jordan James who had 105 yards off 22 carries, Hundley had 61 yards off 16 carries.  Hundley's leadership is vital to the Bruins going forward and they need to keep winning for the eventual meeting with the Oregon Ducks in the Pac-12.

And poor old Texas Longhorns, lost for a second consecutive week, to go 1-2 for the first time since Mack Brown's debut season.  They lost 44-23 at home to Ole Miss Rebels (who next play Alabama in two weeks time) thanks to Jeff Scott 164 yards off 19 carries who ran at will against the struggling Longhorns, who have a problem but seem to have no idea of stopping it.

What to watch in Week 4:
Tajh Boyd and #3 Clemson return to national stage on Thursday night at North Carolina State; On Saturday, upset alert as Purdue (who nearly beat Notre Dame) travel to #24 Wisconsin; Alabama are at home to Colorado State (snooze); #23 Arizona State at #5 Stanford should be a great match-up and close contest and Auburn travel to #8 LSU for a typical SEC slugfest.

This article also appears on www.1amsports.com
Follow them at @1amsports
Follow me @JamieGarwood

2013 FCB Week 1 review

And we are off.  The race for the final BCS National Championship before the inaugural four team play-off next year has began in earnest.

Week One in College Football is a rare monster, not as traditional as Opening Day in Baseball, not as glamorous as week 1 of the NFL season yet due to the ESPN monster it is just as hyped an event.  These are the stars of the NFL future, although amateur by definition they are as feted as former college now NFL stars Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III.

Last year was Year One of Johnny Football and the huge rotation of Jadeveon Clowney's monster hit in January led to him being earmarked as the next Lawrence Taylor or Ray Lewis.  Fittingly, it was Clowney and his side, South Carolina Gamecocks who opened up the College Football season at home to North Carolina Tar Heels.  The Gamecocks scored on their opening drive, a huge 65 yard TD pass from Conor Shaw to Shaq Roland gave the #7 ranked Gamecocks a lead they never relinquished, winning 27-10.  The Tar Heels offered little on offence, a blessing considering Clowney's sub-par performance where he had no sacks and only three first half tackles.  An upset stomach was apparently too blame, although the humidity at the 6pmEST kick-off could be as much at fault.

National Champions, Alabama Crimson Tide opened on neutral territory at the Georgia Dome versus the Virginia Tech Hokies.  Although the scoreline looks lopsided 35-10, the Tide were helped by Christian Jones scoring a kickoff return TD, a punt return TD and a reception TD for 256 total yards.  The Hokies exposed a new offensive line for Alabama who lost three four-year starters to the draft this year; they packed the box with eight defenders prompting confusion and panic for QB AJ McCarron who finished with 10-23, 110 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT.  The same packed box allowed RB TJ Yeldon 75 yards of the 96 total rushing yards.

They may be National Champions but even champions have some weaknesses that were exposed and need rectifying before next week's huge match-up versus Texas A&M Aggies and Johnny Manziel.

Following on from his NCAA squabble about signing for paid autographs, Manziel was punished with having to sit out the first half of their home opener versus Rice.  At half time the Aggies needed him as they held a slender 28-21 lead over the unfancied Rice Owls.  Manziel answered the call with three TD passes to help them come out 52-31 victors.  Manziel seems to have this aura about him off the field which cannot be put into question in spite of his off-the-field behaviour.

Oregon may have lost Chip Kelly to the Philadelphia Eagles, but for new Head Coach Mark Helfrich it is the same old story as they decimated Nicholls State College 66-3 with three players having 100+ yard games rushing including QB Marcus Mariota had 113 yards in addition to his 234 passing yards.  The Ducks had 772 total offensive yards and remain favourites for the Pac 12 title this season with Mariota an under the radar Heisman selection.

Fresh for bowl eligibility this season, Urban Meyer hopes to lead the Ohio State Buckeyes to the National Championship after going undefeated last season.  They opened on Saturday with a 40-20 home victory over Buffalo Bulls.  Braxton Miller went 15-22, 178 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT but the impressive performance was RB Jordan Hall who had 2 TDs for 159 yards off 21 carries. However, there were moments of worry for the Buckeyes that many better teams would have taken advantage of.

However, that is why many ranked sides open up against easy opposition to give them the opportunity to iron out any creases on both sides of the ball in a real game time situation.  Some choose to open with a tougher opponent such as LSU Tigers who played Big 12 TCU at Cowboys Stadium and proved victorious 37-27 for a big non-conference win before the conference slate begins.  QB Zach Mettenberger went 16-32 for 251 yards, 1 TD and crucially no turnovers for the senior man, as his side had 448 total yards.  TCU led by Gary Patterson have been touted as a side who can step up and mix with the big boys of the SEC, whilst they did themselves justice they only had 259 total yards so to lose by only 10 points was some marker of their intentions and the grit in the side.  This close encounter was the game of the weekend.

And just behind was Georgia 35 Clemson 38 with two good QBs Aaron Murray and Taj Boyd trading blows but with Boyd coming out on top.  Clemson reside in the ACC but are now in the Championship talk after defeating an SEC side.  Boyd - who along with Teddy Bridgewater (see below) is NFL bound - had 270 yards passing and 3 TDs and also ran for two close to goal TDs for five in total.  Murray had 323 yards passing but one crucial INT with no TDs; and again he came up short in the big game versus a ranked opponent being sacked four times in the process. The Tigers of Clemson made sure their roar was heard on Saturday, expect them to replace Georgia as the #5 ranked side in country come Monday with the new rankings.

Sunday night, another Heisman favourite Teddy Bridgewater the No.1 ranked QB prospect for the NFL draft in 2014 started his campaign with his Louisville Cardinals as they attempt to seek perfection to get to the National Championship.  They made short work of the Ohio Bobcats winning 49-7 at home with Bridgewater going 355 passing yards and 5 TDs.  Louisville play in the ACC, a weak conference in comparison to the SEC, Big 10, Big 12 and Pac 12, they also have a weak schedule so need to run the table and hope teams lose games to their advantage.

College Football Kicks Off

The 2013 College Football Season begins in earnest with the Battle of the Carolinas kicking off the wall-to-wall ESPN coverage as the first weekend begins with a five day weekend long in America.

The South Carolina Gamecocks are ranked No.6 in the pre-season rankings led by defensive end and key focal point playmaker Jadeveon Clowney.  Clowney who was sixth in the Heisman trophy voting last year, made headlines with his hit of running back Vincent Smith in the Outback Bowl.

The hit – where Smith’s helmet went flying after impact – made Clowney a global talking point due to the ferocity of the hit.  Steve Spurrier has handled his star player with better care than Kevin Sumlin of Texas A&M has with Johnny Manziel; whose off-field antics have provoked much discussion about his ability to handle the limelight.  Manziel will sit out the first half of the Aggies’ opening game versus Rice University.

Clowney has got better in the close season, working on his skill set and making himself a better player, according to other defensive end Chaz Sutton:

“Any game we go into we just want to prove we can get to the quarterback quick and fast in a game,” Sutton said. “We just want to set the tone with our front four and be that way all night.”

South Carolina though still have options on offence although a slight injury concern over highly rated receiver Bruce Ellington will be one of concern.  The offense has to be the sort as marshalled by Trent Dilfer for the Baltimore Ravens in 2001 during their famous Super Bowl run when Ray Lewis’ defence rode shotgun over NFL offences.  Junior Dylan Thompson will be expected to make mistake free, efficient passing and get good field position to allow Clowney, Sutton et al to work their magic on the defensive side.

Expectations are for the Gamecocks to win, and get some momentum before a huge clash at No.5 Georgia next week (who themselves play rated Clemson of the ACC on Saturday). The Gamecocks are touted to win the SEC East thanks to a favourable schedule where they only face Arkansas and Mississippi State of the SEC West avoiding Alabama, Auburn and Johnny Football.

Although they should beware of North Carolina QB Bryn Renner who has thrown for 54 touchdowns in the last two seasons and is in charge of a high tempo offense, new head coach Larry Fedora employed at Southern Miss.

In the other curtain-raising game for the West Coast, #24 ranked USC Trojans travel to Hawaii hoping to have a better season than last year when they did not meet expectations and not helped by an injury suffered to Matt Barkley.

Barkley, receiver Robert Woods and safety T.J. McDonald have all left for the professional ranks. Yet they still have the No 1 receiver in the country in Marqise Lee and running back Silas Reed, with the option of two young sophomore quarterbacks in Max Wittek and Cody Kessler.

Kiffin will hope he has a better season, the Trojans lost five of their last six games and lost the Sun Bowl to Georgia Tech to finish 7-6 after starting the season ranked #1. In the Pac-12 where Oregon and Stanford are expected to duke it out, expect the Trojans to spring a few surprises again with a favourable schedule with Stanford having to come to the Coliseum in November.

It’s felt a long time since Alabama won the National Championship in January, now the five month bull rush can begin. And its the end of an era, this will be the last season of the BCS rankings before the four team play-off begins in 2014.

Jeremy Hill/LSU news

The charging of Jeremy Hill, leaves the LSU Tigers with a mountain to climb in the SEC this season.

Jeremy Hill, the RB for the Louisiana State University has been charged with misdemeanor simple battery in connection with a late-night scuffle outside a night club in April.  Head coach, Les Miles, has said the player is suspended pending the investigation coming to a conclusion.  Hill is not helped by already being on probation following a January 2012 incident. 

The loss of Jeremy Hill for legal issues, will be a big blow to the running back core although Kenny Hilliard (82-464-6 TDs) and Alfred Blue (40-270-2 TDs) showed flashes of talent, especially Blue who is now in his last season before graduation, and will want to end his college career in style following a season ending knee injury suffered in the third game of last season.


Les Miles will again have a tough defence to succeed in the ultra-competitive SEC yet he will require a bit more of his starting quarterback, Zach Mettenberger who threw for only 2609 yards and 12 touchdowns.  

They do still have Odell Beckham at wide receiver who was nominated for the Paul Hornung award, for college football's most versatile player, along with Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M and South Carolina receiver, Bruce Ellington. Last season, Beckham had 713 receiving yards for 2 touchdowns and was the leading receiver for the Tigers last year, although junior Jarvis Landry had the most receiving touchdowns, with 5 for 573 yards, and senior Kadron Boone, 348 yards for 4 TDs.

The Tigers are traditionally stingy team to score against, they are also a tough team to predict how many points they will score.  LSU finished with an average of 29.8 ppg placing them 59th in the national statistics, yet they conceded only 17.5 ppg for a position of 12th in the nation.  The defence this year may have lost some personnel to the draft, including Barkevious Mingo who was drafted by the Cleveland Browns. 

However, this team is used to reloading along the defensive line. Tackle Anthony Johnson has the meat and ability to be one of the best at his position, and excels as both a run-stopper and pass-rusher. He'll be helped by junior Ego Ferguson, who has all the talent to be successful but is still looking to reach his full potential. The staff is expecting big things from end Jermauria Rasco, who might be a better pure pass-rusher than Barkevious Mingo and Sam Montgomery before him. Danielle Hunter and Jordan Allen should do more at end, while incoming freshman Tashawn Bower could see immediate playing time. 

Off the field conduct has been a thorn in the Tigers side for recent seasons, following on from the Tyrann Mathieu incident and another legal issue will not help LSU attempt to come out of the shadows of the Alabama Crimson Tide who are ruling the SEC West currently.  Last season, the Tigers finished 10-3 overall, 6-2 in Conference play, yet their overall record was 1 game behind the improving Texas A&M Aggies who have Johnny Manziel leading the charge.

Their 2013 schedule does not look favourable, with road games against Georgia (Sept 28th), Miss State (Oct 5th) and Alabama (Nov 9th), at best you can see LSU finishing with a 9-4 record. This will be dependent upon the improvements required by senior players like Mettenberger and the returning Blue to make plays, and the ever reliant defence to nullify the exceptional quarterbacks in the SEC - Aaron Murray, Manziel and AJ McCarron.

Oregon Ducks still swimming

The NCAA released the results of their 27 month investigation into Oregon's College Football recruiting policy, you wonder why it took them so long if they return with such a woeful punishment for such a prominent school, whose illustrious coach is now in the NFL.

The punishment along with public censure including: A loss of one scholarship from two recruiting classes, including last year's class, and a maximum of 84 total scholarship players -- one below the limit -- through the 2015-16 academic year. Three years of probation ending June 25, 2016. A number of recruiting restrictions, including a ban on subscriptions to recruiting services during the probation period, believed to be a first for NCAA sanctions. 

Whereas other schools who have been convicted of wrong-doing have suffered with a post-season bowl ban, Oregon who have lost a National Championship match and been in the hunt for the BCS title for the last four years, unlike say Ohio State and USC who both had to endure post-season bans.  Last season, the Buckeyes went undefeated through the season and yet could not be selected for the Championship game due to their ban, a slight on a sub-par College Football season as you could not get Alabama versus Ohio State, Nick Saban v Urban Meyer.

Pete Carroll was in charge of the USC Trojans during the period under their investigation, Carroll quickly upped sticks and left for the safe confines of Seattle in the NFL, many felt Chip Kelly's decision to leave for the Philadelphia Eagles smacked of the same conviction to avoid any punishment.  And yet Kelly has been banned from College Football for only 18 months, so if the Eagles experiment (where he threatens to run rough shod over the NFC East) is a failure he can return to the safe haven (a la Steve Spurrier) in two seasons.

As well as Chip Kelly the head coach, the others who failed to monitor - the Athletic Director and University President have all been replaced, meaning none have really suffered any personal setback to their tenure.

Oregon lose one scholarship per season for two years, and are under probation for the same period of time - a mere slap on a wrist to a fashionable destination for young student athletes.  If you are not going to ban the school from the post-season, you make it harder for them to get there.  Apparently, it makes it harder for the school during recruitment with the reduction of one scholarship, yet they still have 24 full scholarships to offer to players who can rule the roost in the Pac-12 conference.

Oregon are head and shoulders above the other Pac 12 schools, owing to USC being behind the eight ball for so long.  Oddly, the punishments served to them by the NCAA to remain in a period of strength and not have to worry too much about the ramifications.  In a way, did they really do anything wrong in the first place?