A Poolsville contributor provides a first-hand account of the Arkansas Razorbacks' football practices...
When I got there at 8:30 they were scrimmaging 11 on 11 and tackling to the ground. At first the focus was on running the ball and the defense shut the run down (not necessarily a bad thing ). When they started mixing in some passes, the running opened up some. Broderick Green and Kniles Davis had some good runs. Kniles does drop swing passes that Broderick catches.
I have never seen Mallett so on with his passes both short and long. Chris Gragg and Greg Childs made some great catches. All four tight ends (DJ, Ben, Austin Tate, and Uekman) looked very good. All caught passes and were active downfield blockers. When the were running the ball, Brandon Mitchell looked very good with his fakes and keepers. He also threw the ball well on short passes. It seemed that nothing went right today for Tyler. He dropped snaps from under center and was overthrowing receivers.
They mixed up the kickoff and punt returners. The only two kickoff returners were Marquel Wade and Maudrecus Humphrey. Wade, who is probably the fastest on the team, dropped the first two kickoffs (I feel sure that Dennis Johnson will handle kickoffs in the first game). However, he made some good catches as a receiver. In track, Wade says he wants to run the 100, 220, and 440! The most consistent punt returner with no drops is the speedster from Tulsa, Julian Horton.
Once again, Hocker outkicked Tejada. Still, the farthest kick was only 2 yards into the end zone. The punters were their usual inconsistent selves.
The conditioning of this team must be great. It is very hot and with them now in full pads and tackling to the ground I have not seen anyone even limp off the field and not be ready for the next play. The depth on this team is so good that even the threes are pretty good. They freely substitute offensive and defensive ones and twos by group and then substitute the threes individually.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Razorback practice report: Tuesday morning
A Poolsville contributor provides a first-hand account of the Arkansas Razorbacks' football practices...
This entire deal with the jersey numbers is getting to be ridiculous. You go to practice and there are guys getting reps, but you don't have a clue who they are. Neither the web site nor the media guide has these. You know they have this information -- why can't it be posted or printed up? They did it in the past.
They were in the stadium this morning. Practice time was moved up because of the heat and they were through by 10:15.
Almost the entire practice was 11 on 11 with no tackling to the ground and all passing plays. Including the freshmen, it is very impressive how many quality receivers they have. The only QB to have a rough day was Brandon Mitchell. DJ had a great day receiving as did the walk-on from CAC and UAPB-transfer Ryan Farr.
There are four freshmen wide receivers who look ready to play if one of the veterans should get hurt -- Marquel Wade, Julian Horton, Maudrecus Humphrey, and Javontee Humphrey.
Today there was a new receiver with #19 who got a lot of reps, so I do not think he is a walk-on. The first week of practice we thought #19 was Price Holmes from Batesville. Since the SID guys don't give us any information for the practices, it makes it really hard to find out about some of the players.
They practiced kickoffs and Hocker had a very good day kicking them high and barely into the end zone. Tejada's kicks went nearly as far but were more like line drives.
It is so hot out there that if I were a football player thinking about quitting, today would be the day. I really admire the work and hustle of Coach John L. Smith who is almost as old as me. I just hope he does not drop dead out there.
This entire deal with the jersey numbers is getting to be ridiculous. You go to practice and there are guys getting reps, but you don't have a clue who they are. Neither the web site nor the media guide has these. You know they have this information -- why can't it be posted or printed up? They did it in the past.
They were in the stadium this morning. Practice time was moved up because of the heat and they were through by 10:15.
Almost the entire practice was 11 on 11 with no tackling to the ground and all passing plays. Including the freshmen, it is very impressive how many quality receivers they have. The only QB to have a rough day was Brandon Mitchell. DJ had a great day receiving as did the walk-on from CAC and UAPB-transfer Ryan Farr.
There are four freshmen wide receivers who look ready to play if one of the veterans should get hurt -- Marquel Wade, Julian Horton, Maudrecus Humphrey, and Javontee Humphrey.
Today there was a new receiver with #19 who got a lot of reps, so I do not think he is a walk-on. The first week of practice we thought #19 was Price Holmes from Batesville. Since the SID guys don't give us any information for the practices, it makes it really hard to find out about some of the players.
They practiced kickoffs and Hocker had a very good day kicking them high and barely into the end zone. Tejada's kicks went nearly as far but were more like line drives.
It is so hot out there that if I were a football player thinking about quitting, today would be the day. I really admire the work and hustle of Coach John L. Smith who is almost as old as me. I just hope he does not drop dead out there.
Monday, August 09, 2010
Central Florida's best recruiting video ever
George O'Leary is a recruiting genius to have allowed this photo shoot to take place with UCF alumna Shanna McLaughlin. There is no telling what kind of recruits he could have gotten with this approach at Notre Dame.
And somewhere down in El Paso, Mike Price just got a great idea.
Eastern Washington installing RED turf
Another reason to outlaw all artificial playing surfaces in college football.
Friday, August 06, 2010
Razorback Practice Report -- Day 1
A Poolsville contributor provides a first-hand account of the Arkansas Razorbacks' first day of football practice...
Finally it is that time of year again…
I went to the veterans practice yesterday (couldn’t make the newcomer one at 3 because of work, but hope to make it today). The veteran’s practice was supposed to start at 6:30, but when I arrived they had already started.
Frankly, I wanted to go to see one thing. Earlier in the day, a friend reported that his son had seen Mallett and Stumon (that day) in a convenience-type store, and the son reported Mallett had a noticeable limp. However, I did not notice any limp at practice. Mallett jogged between drills and looked OK. I didn’t see him do any sprinting or moving around the pocket a lot, but they are in shorts and shoulder pads so I
didn’t expect to see much.
One thing that is so different about college practices from my old-old high school days is that there is no conditioning work. They are either in drills or running plays. I guess when you are up there all summer working out, you don’t really need it because you are already there. I guess what I am saying is when they practice there isn’t a lot of “make-work” going on, if you get my drift.
Coach P’s practice still amazes me about how organized they are. Each of the managers carries a sheet and all the time they are consulting it. Between drills and when the team is getting their water breaks, these guys and girls are working and it has been lined out. Two of them were setting up cones for some drill and they were not haphazardly setting them down -- they were going by a diagram and measuring them out. Another thing is how much responsibility they give to the graduate assistants. Under Nutt, these guys might have been holding a dummy or throwing passes to the offensive backs. Under Coach P, they are given a coaching assignment and then are left alone to do it.
OK, when I walked in I passed by the running backs. Both Ronnie Wingo and Knile Davis have put on some muscle -- both guys looked chiseled. When they were running plays, you could also see a difference. Last year, both were a little tentative -- not now. All four of the backs hit the holes at full spend, and there weren't any pauses to hit a hole or decide what cut to make. I didn’t get up close to Broderick Green, but later at a distance he looked quicker (of course, until they get in pads, I will still wonder if he is ready to lower his shoulder and ht the hole hard). Dennis Johnson is still impressive -- in the touch scrimmage they had, he was the best runner inside because he is so short and low to the ground and he is just hard to find. We are going to be good in this area.
Mallett and Tyler both looked pretty sharp in their throws. Some were off, but for a 1st practice they looked better than I would have thought. Mallett threw some swing passes the backs that were perfect- just enough speed and touch. Tyler looked confident. I didn’t see him drop any snaps and as I stated plenty of times last year – he does a good job of spotting the open receiver. Neither QB ran any options that I saw.
Brandon Mitchell was not at the veterans practice -- at first Jerry (my cohort and contributor) and I were worried about this and then we decided he was at the newcomers practice (later confirmed by a local sports writer). Speaking of which, I thought they would practice first and then be there with the veterans, but I heard Coach P is going to have them practice on their own for the first few days and then move them in. I believe he thinks it will help them not be so intimidated and will know the offense or the defense better because they will get more time devoted to them -- that is another reason I want to go to the newcomers today. We also discussed the scout QB situation since Nick Petrino is no longer on the team and Jacoby Walker is out with his injured ACL, but the paper reported there was a kid, Brian (?) from a Catholic high school in Louisville I think that will do that.
Jerry arrived at practice before me and said they were already working on the punting. He said Dylan Breeding was killing the ball. I told him I will believe he is better when I see him do it under pressure. Clay Henry reported on Hawgs Illustrated that one of the freshmen was the best punter for the day. As a side note, I did not see Steve Cox’s son on the roster. He was supposed to walk on as a punter. I don’t know what the deal is there. I know they can invite only X amount of walk-ons to summer practices, and maybe they feel a punter doesn’t need to be at the official practices and he will be there when school starts. Or maybe there was an error and he was left off. Just don’t know. I plan to find out today. They practice punt receiving again later in practice and Dennis Johnson, Jarius Wright, Cobi Hamilton, and Joe Adams were catching punts and I saw each of them drop at least one. I hope one of the freshmen is better. I like the early season emphasis on this. Coach P was right there watching this.
Hard to tell much about the defense since no hitting was going on. However, both Elton Ford and Tramain Thomas had interceptions. Tyler and Mallett each threw one. Both bounced off the receivers first. Jerry Franklin (#34) looks huge as does Tenarius Wright (#43) and the kid who played tight end last year (#90). No fat boys on the defense. I've got to believe they are going to be better. I plan to spend more time this year on the defense.
All the receivers dropped balls in the drills, especially Cobi Hamilton, but once they scrimmaged (touch) with the D-backs, they made the catches. Joe Adams and Greg Childs looked very good. Chris Gragg, the TE from Warren, has put on some weight and has huge legs. If he stays healthy, I think he will catch a lot of balls. DJ Williams looks slimmer to me and moved really well.
Jerry and I sat on the west side of the practice field because at 6:30 if you sat on the east you would be staring directly into the sun. Unfortunately, the offense does most of their practicing on the east field so we were farther from the action. The other problem with sitting on the west is there are ants everywhere and you are beating them off the entire time. My wife is friends with Jeff Long’s secretary, and I had her get on Facebook and make a friendly suggestion that they get some agri-people to come down and spray that area. I am not holding my breath on that one, though.
Speaking of tight ends, on the first play from scrimmage, Austin Tate, a 6'6" RSFR from Harrison, caught the first pass. Why was he on the first team? Ended up he was playing fullback and got a number of reps doing this. Van Stumon was with the newcomers because of his DUI. Lance Ray (#82) WR RSFR from Florida, made some good catches, as did DeAnthony Curtis (#23).
Last point is that Coach P spent more time with the defense than I have seen before. I am not sure if he is taking more of an interest here or maybe wants to let Coach Garrett gain some authority with the offense.
Go Hogs!
Finally it is that time of year again…
I went to the veterans practice yesterday (couldn’t make the newcomer one at 3 because of work, but hope to make it today). The veteran’s practice was supposed to start at 6:30, but when I arrived they had already started.
Frankly, I wanted to go to see one thing. Earlier in the day, a friend reported that his son had seen Mallett and Stumon (that day) in a convenience-type store, and the son reported Mallett had a noticeable limp. However, I did not notice any limp at practice. Mallett jogged between drills and looked OK. I didn’t see him do any sprinting or moving around the pocket a lot, but they are in shorts and shoulder pads so I
didn’t expect to see much.
One thing that is so different about college practices from my old-old high school days is that there is no conditioning work. They are either in drills or running plays. I guess when you are up there all summer working out, you don’t really need it because you are already there. I guess what I am saying is when they practice there isn’t a lot of “make-work” going on, if you get my drift.
Coach P’s practice still amazes me about how organized they are. Each of the managers carries a sheet and all the time they are consulting it. Between drills and when the team is getting their water breaks, these guys and girls are working and it has been lined out. Two of them were setting up cones for some drill and they were not haphazardly setting them down -- they were going by a diagram and measuring them out. Another thing is how much responsibility they give to the graduate assistants. Under Nutt, these guys might have been holding a dummy or throwing passes to the offensive backs. Under Coach P, they are given a coaching assignment and then are left alone to do it.
OK, when I walked in I passed by the running backs. Both Ronnie Wingo and Knile Davis have put on some muscle -- both guys looked chiseled. When they were running plays, you could also see a difference. Last year, both were a little tentative -- not now. All four of the backs hit the holes at full spend, and there weren't any pauses to hit a hole or decide what cut to make. I didn’t get up close to Broderick Green, but later at a distance he looked quicker (of course, until they get in pads, I will still wonder if he is ready to lower his shoulder and ht the hole hard). Dennis Johnson is still impressive -- in the touch scrimmage they had, he was the best runner inside because he is so short and low to the ground and he is just hard to find. We are going to be good in this area.
Mallett and Tyler both looked pretty sharp in their throws. Some were off, but for a 1st practice they looked better than I would have thought. Mallett threw some swing passes the backs that were perfect- just enough speed and touch. Tyler looked confident. I didn’t see him drop any snaps and as I stated plenty of times last year – he does a good job of spotting the open receiver. Neither QB ran any options that I saw.
Brandon Mitchell was not at the veterans practice -- at first Jerry (my cohort and contributor) and I were worried about this and then we decided he was at the newcomers practice (later confirmed by a local sports writer). Speaking of which, I thought they would practice first and then be there with the veterans, but I heard Coach P is going to have them practice on their own for the first few days and then move them in. I believe he thinks it will help them not be so intimidated and will know the offense or the defense better because they will get more time devoted to them -- that is another reason I want to go to the newcomers today. We also discussed the scout QB situation since Nick Petrino is no longer on the team and Jacoby Walker is out with his injured ACL, but the paper reported there was a kid, Brian (?) from a Catholic high school in Louisville I think that will do that.
Jerry arrived at practice before me and said they were already working on the punting. He said Dylan Breeding was killing the ball. I told him I will believe he is better when I see him do it under pressure. Clay Henry reported on Hawgs Illustrated that one of the freshmen was the best punter for the day. As a side note, I did not see Steve Cox’s son on the roster. He was supposed to walk on as a punter. I don’t know what the deal is there. I know they can invite only X amount of walk-ons to summer practices, and maybe they feel a punter doesn’t need to be at the official practices and he will be there when school starts. Or maybe there was an error and he was left off. Just don’t know. I plan to find out today. They practice punt receiving again later in practice and Dennis Johnson, Jarius Wright, Cobi Hamilton, and Joe Adams were catching punts and I saw each of them drop at least one. I hope one of the freshmen is better. I like the early season emphasis on this. Coach P was right there watching this.
Hard to tell much about the defense since no hitting was going on. However, both Elton Ford and Tramain Thomas had interceptions. Tyler and Mallett each threw one. Both bounced off the receivers first. Jerry Franklin (#34) looks huge as does Tenarius Wright (#43) and the kid who played tight end last year (#90). No fat boys on the defense. I've got to believe they are going to be better. I plan to spend more time this year on the defense.
All the receivers dropped balls in the drills, especially Cobi Hamilton, but once they scrimmaged (touch) with the D-backs, they made the catches. Joe Adams and Greg Childs looked very good. Chris Gragg, the TE from Warren, has put on some weight and has huge legs. If he stays healthy, I think he will catch a lot of balls. DJ Williams looks slimmer to me and moved really well.
Jerry and I sat on the west side of the practice field because at 6:30 if you sat on the east you would be staring directly into the sun. Unfortunately, the offense does most of their practicing on the east field so we were farther from the action. The other problem with sitting on the west is there are ants everywhere and you are beating them off the entire time. My wife is friends with Jeff Long’s secretary, and I had her get on Facebook and make a friendly suggestion that they get some agri-people to come down and spray that area. I am not holding my breath on that one, though.
Speaking of tight ends, on the first play from scrimmage, Austin Tate, a 6'6" RSFR from Harrison, caught the first pass. Why was he on the first team? Ended up he was playing fullback and got a number of reps doing this. Van Stumon was with the newcomers because of his DUI. Lance Ray (#82) WR RSFR from Florida, made some good catches, as did DeAnthony Curtis (#23).
Last point is that Coach P spent more time with the defense than I have seen before. I am not sure if he is taking more of an interest here or maybe wants to let Coach Garrett gain some authority with the offense.
Go Hogs!
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Five Things (Preseason)
It's with a mixture of sadness and joy that I announce Five Things (aka Things I Think I Think) has found a new home.
Yes, it's going legit.
That said, I'm not done with Poolsville. Not by a longshot ... mainly because there some things I can get away here that I can't elsewhere. Like extreme levels of snark and the posting of somewhat questionable photos and videos and links about college football.
Anyway, I hope you'll forgive me for selling out to The Man. I know Matt hasn't been this crushed since he discovered wrasslin is fake.
What? Oh, Matt has a rebuttal to that last sentence? OK then ...
Yes, it's going legit.
That said, I'm not done with Poolsville. Not by a longshot ... mainly because there some things I can get away here that I can't elsewhere. Like extreme levels of snark and the posting of somewhat questionable photos and videos and links about college football.
Anyway, I hope you'll forgive me for selling out to The Man. I know Matt hasn't been this crushed since he discovered wrasslin is fake.
What? Oh, Matt has a rebuttal to that last sentence? OK then ...
Monday, August 02, 2010
A response to Stewart Mandel's web column attacking Houston Nutt and Jeremiah Masoli
Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated wrote a hit piece Monday on Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt's decision to allow Jeremiah Masoli on the team, and the column seems to have sparked a firestorm of activity from those critical of giving Masoli another chance to play college football.
I am anxious to read Mandel's column in November discussing Masoli's chances of winning the Heisman Trophy and acknowledging that Nutt made a great decision to bolster an otherwise rebuilding offense with an experienced quarterback custom made to run the Wildcat offense.
But until then, I'm going to re-read this week's column and point out the many errors in it, starting with...
• Nutt didn't hire Gus Malzahn to keep a quarterback recruit. He was forced to hire Malzahn by then-AD Frank Broyles because Broyles thought it would appease the fan outcry for Nutt to hire an offensive coordinator (a fan cliche anytime they are not being entertained by enough passes in the offense when the team isn't winning) and at the same time deliver a heralded quarterback and his overbearing mother.
• Nutt did not get the nickname "Right Reverend" for his strong Christian values. I never heard the name in Arkansas until it was delivered through the magic of television by ESPN's Rece Davis, who I assume dubbed him that for his sometimes preacher-like inspirational locker-room speeches. As a sidebar, I will add that the Right Reverend probably has stronger Christian values than Pastor Floyd, who leads the church where Malzahn and Mustain attended and whose school is responsible for ruining it for every other private high school in Arkansas thanks to its unscrupulous recruiting and then running up the score on the likes of Lavaca and Hector.
• Nutt's hiring of Malzahn and signing of the infamous Springdale players had very little to do with the 10-win season and SEC West title. In fact, it probably worked against the team the entire year. What led to so many wins? Try current NFL stars Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.
• Nutt is correct that Malzahn's offense wasn't working, and to this day it has yet to be effective at Auburn. In fact, Gene Chizik said at SEC media days that the team needs to run the ball more this season to control the clock, which is exactly what Malzahn's offense doesn't do.
• To say that a vocal minority of Razorback fans unleashed the hounds is an understatement. They unleashed a disgusting campaign of hate for a guy who was giving everything he had to win games for this group. It was the second time Razorback fans formed a mob to run a coach out of town, the first time being against Nolan Richardson. Both instances revealed a very ugly side of Razorback fans that I have yet to see anywhere else in the country, college or pro. Dale Brown said it best: "What happened to Nolan Richardson at Arkansas is a crime." What happened to Nutt wasn't too far behind.
• Nutt packed his bags for Oxford because our idiot fan base and chancellor were going to fire him anyway. What do you expect him to do? Not pursue a great job in the best conference in the country? And he's been a great success at Ole Miss, much more of a success so far than his successor at Arkansas.
• Masoli is a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender who wanted to come to a team that had just lost its back-up QB and was considered to be in a rebuilding year after losing its primary offensive weapons. What coach in his right mind would not consider that? Let's face it, fans only remember wins. After losing seasons, you never hear a fan say, "Well it was really a great year because all the kids had a lot of character even though we went 4-8."
• Nutt's attitude toward discipline? You just cited a player he kicked off the team, for crying out loud. You are really bending the facts to support your argument here.
Morally ambivalent? Dirty? Nothing could be farther from the truth in describing Nutt. Just ask his players. You owe him an apology -- and I expect to see it when the experiment pays off for Masoli and for the Rebels.
And in case you forgot, scoreboard says...
Follow Rey Pygsterio on Twitter.
I am anxious to read Mandel's column in November discussing Masoli's chances of winning the Heisman Trophy and acknowledging that Nutt made a great decision to bolster an otherwise rebuilding offense with an experienced quarterback custom made to run the Wildcat offense.
But until then, I'm going to re-read this week's column and point out the many errors in it, starting with...
• Nutt didn't hire Gus Malzahn to keep a quarterback recruit. He was forced to hire Malzahn by then-AD Frank Broyles because Broyles thought it would appease the fan outcry for Nutt to hire an offensive coordinator (a fan cliche anytime they are not being entertained by enough passes in the offense when the team isn't winning) and at the same time deliver a heralded quarterback and his overbearing mother.
• Nutt did not get the nickname "Right Reverend" for his strong Christian values. I never heard the name in Arkansas until it was delivered through the magic of television by ESPN's Rece Davis, who I assume dubbed him that for his sometimes preacher-like inspirational locker-room speeches. As a sidebar, I will add that the Right Reverend probably has stronger Christian values than Pastor Floyd, who leads the church where Malzahn and Mustain attended and whose school is responsible for ruining it for every other private high school in Arkansas thanks to its unscrupulous recruiting and then running up the score on the likes of Lavaca and Hector.
• Nutt's hiring of Malzahn and signing of the infamous Springdale players had very little to do with the 10-win season and SEC West title. In fact, it probably worked against the team the entire year. What led to so many wins? Try current NFL stars Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.
• Nutt is correct that Malzahn's offense wasn't working, and to this day it has yet to be effective at Auburn. In fact, Gene Chizik said at SEC media days that the team needs to run the ball more this season to control the clock, which is exactly what Malzahn's offense doesn't do.
• To say that a vocal minority of Razorback fans unleashed the hounds is an understatement. They unleashed a disgusting campaign of hate for a guy who was giving everything he had to win games for this group. It was the second time Razorback fans formed a mob to run a coach out of town, the first time being against Nolan Richardson. Both instances revealed a very ugly side of Razorback fans that I have yet to see anywhere else in the country, college or pro. Dale Brown said it best: "What happened to Nolan Richardson at Arkansas is a crime." What happened to Nutt wasn't too far behind.
• Nutt packed his bags for Oxford because our idiot fan base and chancellor were going to fire him anyway. What do you expect him to do? Not pursue a great job in the best conference in the country? And he's been a great success at Ole Miss, much more of a success so far than his successor at Arkansas.
• Masoli is a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender who wanted to come to a team that had just lost its back-up QB and was considered to be in a rebuilding year after losing its primary offensive weapons. What coach in his right mind would not consider that? Let's face it, fans only remember wins. After losing seasons, you never hear a fan say, "Well it was really a great year because all the kids had a lot of character even though we went 4-8."
• Nutt's attitude toward discipline? You just cited a player he kicked off the team, for crying out loud. You are really bending the facts to support your argument here.
Morally ambivalent? Dirty? Nothing could be farther from the truth in describing Nutt. Just ask his players. You owe him an apology -- and I expect to see it when the experiment pays off for Masoli and for the Rebels.
And in case you forgot, scoreboard says...
Follow Rey Pygsterio on Twitter.
A game–changer?
Jeremiah Masoli in action for Oregon. Masoli has said he will now attend Ole Miss.(Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)
Jeremiah Masoli’s enrollment at Ole Miss is going to get some scrutiny both positive and negative.
At least it seems Masoli gets it. He told SI.com reporter Andy Staples, that “they're going to get some criticism for taking me.”
He also noted that he’d be a walk-on and his hope that by paying his own way, it would take off some of the heat that will be coming to Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt, who, like just about every other coach in the country, has no problem playing former jailbirds.
At this point, you’re saying but not my coach. High school, college and the pros, it doesn’t matter. In northeast Arkansas, a star high school running back was arrested for beating up his girlfriend on Thursday. Friday morning his coach bailed him out and he played that night. Ryan Mallett has been arrested for being drunk on Dickson, he’s still a Heisman Trophy candidate. Leonard Little killed someone and is still with the Rams. The list goes on and on.
The coaches are making a bet. They’re saying that as long as the player in question delivers, they aren’t going to get fired for it. Losing gets a coach fired. Taking on bad seeds and then having a bad season will get you fired, down the road.
Taking on a bad seed, winning and going to a decent bowl game will get you a contract extension.
Stewart Mandel also checked in with some hand-wringing and navel gazing at Houston Nutt.
That would be the negative reaction.
On the flip side, a Yahoo columnist called Masoli the league’s most accomplished quarterback in the SEC at the start of the season.
Based on his numbers, Masoli should be — assuming he isn’t a head case, doesn’t have any injuries and reports in shape — near the top of a weak SEC quarterback crop.
After Mallett, the league hits a sharp decline.
Masoli was a run-first, passing threat and 5-11 and 220, not built like a classic pro prospect. He should, however, be able to pick up Nutt’s relatively simple offense and wouldn’t need to sub out when Ole Miss goes to the wildcat/hog/rebel that just lets the guy who get the snap do what he wants.
Plus with Ole Miss’s cupcake schedule, Masoli should have the offense down and the Rebs at 5-0 before hitting the meat of the SEC schedule with back-to-back games at Alabama and Arkansas before heading home for a game with Auburn. With Masoli, Ole Miss is an easy 8-4, and likely better. Without him, well Ole Miss was picked to finish last in the SEC West.
Burglary and possession of marijuana were among Masoli’s problems at Eugene, but he also stayed in school and got his degree. So, maybe, he isn’t quite the thug his detractors have made him out to be.
Sports Illustrated was again on the scene and wrote as much.
While that story seems to clear Masoli of much of the problems, trouble seems to follow him around, but maybe that trouble won’t cross the Mississippi River.
To get to Oxford, Masoli is taking advantage of a rule that allows college grads with eligibility remaining to transfer to another school to get a master’s degree. It happened last year with the Duke guard — Greg Paulus — who went to Syracuse for football.
It doesn’t happen much at the high-profile schools, but the NCAA allows it, and mid-major basketball programs take advantage of it regularly.
Masoli was a legit Heisman Trophy candidate at Oregon and now takes his talents to the SEC.
Ole Miss should be better as a result. If all you care about is winning football games, this is a good thing. If you care about anything else, this should give you some pause.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)