CFB Forum

SEC notes Part I etc

Posted By: Ben Dover
Date: 16 Aug 03, 9:43 am

Alabama: Defensive coordinator Joe Kines said defensive tackles Anthony Bryant and Ahmad Childress reported to fall camp in excellent shape - not to mention well below their listed weight of 345 pounds.
"The strength staff and the conditioning folks downstairs deserve a big pat on the back," Kines said. "Those guys (Bryant and Childress) have worked extremely hard. They missed very little (and) ran extra every day. They are in position to get off to a good start." Kines said the Tide defense still needs some help at defensive tackle. One of the candidates he mentioned was freshman Dominic Lee, who prepped at Huffman High. University of Alabama outside linebacker Brooks Daniels has dropped out of school and will not be with the team for his senior season.

Alabama coach Mike Shula said Daniels, a member of the preseason All-SEC team, is leaving school because of "medical reasons." "We've got some depth there," Shula said. "Under a tough situation, that is one thing that makes us feel good." He said running back Shaud Williams was impressive during the opening practice and praised the offensive line for doing well during running drills. He said he was pleased with the pace of practice and actually had to slow things down a bit at times. Secondary coach Chris Ball and offensive line coach Bob Connelly coached with former Alabama coach Mike Price when he was at Washington State. Four coaches - Sparky Woods, Joe Kines, Paul Randolph and Buddy Wyatt - were hired by Price in the spring but never coached with him during the season. And Shula hired Dave Rader, Dave Ungerer and Charlie Harbison after taking over for Price. The play of the defensive line pleased Shula on Wednesday. "I thought the defensive line had a good day, especially our ends," Shula said. "They do a good job of getting up the field. I think that will help us. Especially at home where we are trying to rush the passer when (the opposition) won't be able to hear the snap count as well." "The offensive line has shown they can do a lot of things," Alabama ran approximately 105 plays during the regular portion of the scrimmage, which was closed to the public, and also did some goal line and special teams work.
The first team offense drove 70 yards for a touchdown on its first possession and there were five touchdowns overall. Croyle threw touchdown passes to Triandos Luke, Clint Johnston and Greg McLain, Williams ran for two scores and three kickers combined to make 8 of 9 field goals.
"I'd say today it was about a 7," running back Shaud Williams said when asked to rate the scrimmage on a scale of 1 to 10. "A couple of guys were kind of hesitant because there are a couple of things we're unsure about. For us to be a 7 on the first scrimmage, I think is pretty good. What's even more motivation is knowing we can be a whole lot better than what we were today."
Shula called the afternoon "smooth at best" but came away satisfied. He singled out Croyle, Williams and wide receiver Antonio Carter on offense and defensive tackle Anthony Bryant, linebacker Derrick Pope and strong safety Roman Harper on defense.
"I thought we did some good things," Shula said. "One of the positive things was we didn't have a lot of pre-snap penalties with the older group. Some of the older guys, I think, stepped up and did a nice job."
Offensively, the Tide showed balance. Croyle was 10 of 18 for 150 yards and backup Spencer Pennington completed six passes on 15 attempts for 64 yards. The top three running backs - Williams, Kenneth Darby and Ray Hudson - combined for 97 yards on 28 carries and Carter caught three passes for 36 yards.
"We've got a lot of improvement to go, but I feel good," said Carter, who has had back-to-back encouraging days while trying to come back from a leg injury. "We are taking steps up. We're not going backwards, that's what I'm happy about."
The encouraging things for defensive coordinator Joe Kines was the play of safeties Harper and Charles Jones and the linebacker play of Pope, Juwan Garth and DeMeco Ryans. Freshman defensive end Wallace Gilberry (four tackles, two sacks) also had a big day.
And yet, Alabama's offensive players will be taking their first snaps ever in the system designed by Shula and offensive coordinator Dave Rader when they open fall practice today.
"It will be a crash course in everything," Shula said.
As Rader put it, the new offensive staff asked the players to "hit the delete button" on what they had learned. "I don't have a clue as to what we'll do best," Rader said when asked to give an estimate on the Tide's run-pass ratio. Shula was slightly more specific about Alabama's offensive intentions.
"Hopefully we'll do a little of both. We have a quarterback (Croyle) with a strong arm, who is accurate and can move around," Shula said, "and hopefully he'll make good decisions. So we want to throw it.
"(But) those guys last year, they were a power game. Then when you watch spring tape, they moved the ball with finesse. So it's nice to know we can do some of both." Shula added that the older players and sophomore quarterback Brodie Croyle have been grasping the offense the fastest.
Defensive coordinator Joe Kines has forecast a solid run defense for the Tide, and Shula voiced his agreement. "The defense did a nice job in the run drill," Shula said. "It looks like that will be a strength for us.Williams, a preseason All-SEC pick, said he believes Alabama's running game might be even better than last year's under run-oriented Dennis Franchione. "There's no doubt that we're getting our swagger back,'' Williams said. "They're throwing things at us pretty fast. Of course, we wouldn't have it any other way.
"We got our whole offense installed in five days. If you look in the Guinness sports book, that may be a record.''

Arkansas: That is the whole idea behind Matt Jones’ dual role as a quarterback and receiver this season with the Arkansas Razorbacks. It certainly is not an indictment on his quarterback play the past two seasons. Every coach wants to get the most out of every player he coaches, and to Jones ’ credit, he has a lot to give. When the stage is properly set, Jones has the ability to make tacklers miss like no other athlete for the Razorbacks — possibly like no other athlete in the nation. Jones is a playmaker. He ran teams dizzy as a freshman and continued to excel as a sophomore even as teams stacked the deck against him. But it became harder and harder, both for him and the entire UA offense. Dominant defensive lines like the ones sported by LSU the past two seasons, Oklahoma in the 2002 Cotton Bowl and Georgia in last year’s Southeastern Conference Championship Game gave the Razorbacks worlds of trouble. By overpopulating the line of scrimmage, those teams negated running alleys for Jones and Arkansas’ backs and they were able to pressure him on passing downs. The best scenario for a successful Razorback offense is to spread the field, and Nutt and his offensive staff are attempting to be as innovative as their talent will allow them.
If Arkansas does successfully spread and stretch the field, Cedric Cobbs and De’Arrius Howard will find more room to run for their big, swift bodies. Junior quarterback Matt Jones finished Arkansas’ first practice with his testy right shoulder feeling fine and he said it stays pain-free as long he manages how much he throws. Coaches are not using a pitch count on Jones, like in baseball where a pitcher is allowed to throw a maximum number of pitches, quarterbacks coach Roy Wittke said. Jones is to let the coaches know if his shoulder is feeling stress and Wittke said he monitors Jones for signs of throwing fatigue. "It’s good when it gets rest," Jones said. "When you try to throw three or four days in a row, it’s going to start hurting. But if you limit your throws, that’s the thing is to make your rest count." Arkansas officials revealed after last season that Jones has a condition commonly known as thrower’s shoulder, which amounts to a loose shoulder joint. Jones likely was born with the condition and it probably has been loosened further by throwing over the years, trainer Dean Weber has said.

Auburn: One of the most pressing questions for Auburn's football team has an answer today.
His name is Junior Rosegreen. Rosegreen is moving from his role asaccomplished safety to become a relatively unproven cornerback to help a position short on experience. Not to worry, though. Rosegreen says he likes the idea of playing a position where he can take on receivers one on one.
"I just like being in that fast lane," Rosegreen said. "It's like driving behind a car doing 150 because you're doing 150. That's driving behind speed." Defensive coordinator Gene Chizik confirmed the move after Thursday's practice, saying he was committed to playing Rosegreen at cornerback at least through the season opener against Southern California on Aug.30. Returning starter Carlos Rogers will be the other cornerback. The backups will come from a largely unproven lot that includes true freshmen Patrick Lee and Eric Brock, former receiver Montavis Pitts and Lamel Ages. Quarterback signee Courtney Denson may also play the position. The safeties will come from a mix-and-match set of Roshard Gilyard, Donnay Young, Will Herring, Karibi Dede and Andrew Letts. "We're trying to get some depth developed," said Chizik. "We still don't know who is going to be the two guys at safety, so we're just kind of rotating guys around trying to get a feel for each position." Chizik said he hopes to counter that inexperience with his veteran defensive line. "We're going to have to rely on the front seven early in the year to carry the back four right now," he said. Ensminger said he was pleased with Campbell's new, quicker delivery.
"We're not holding on the football," Ensminger said. "We're not taking many sacks. If there's pressure, we're getting rid of it. I'm a firmer believer that we can overcome second-and-10, but not second-and-20.
"We're going to get rid of the football and not take a sack." Senior starting defensive tackle DeMarco McNeil is about 95 percent healthy right now, Auburn defensive tackles coach Don Dunn said. McNeil, a product of Blount High School, has been bothered by a chronic knee condition that forced him to miss spring practices. Junior college transfer Tony McClain, a defensive end, also is not fully healthy after suffering a broken ankle in the spring. Dunn said the new NCAA rule that prohibits two-a-day practices during the first five days of camp will help ease McNeil along more steadily. Tuberville said after Sunday's practice that Auburn is "a lot farther along now than we were at this time last year." "The thing that keeps catching my eye is the defensive line," Tuberville said. "We're so much quicker than we have been. It is good that we have so much more depth. Our offensive line doesn't have much depth, and they're trying to hang on because they have more repetitions than the defensive line."

Florida: hrough six days of practice, UF coach Ron Zook seems pleased with the progress of his team. Zook said after Monday's morning practice that the Gators are ahead of schedule — and well ahead of where last year's team was at this point.

The quarterbacks definitely seem comfortable in the offense, especially sophomore Ingle Martin and redshirt freshman Gavin Dickey, who have been in the system for more than a year now. UF's improved speed and depth at wide receiver also has been obvious in the first week of practice.
As expected, the strength of the defense right now appears to be the secondary, where the Gators have three senior starters (Keiwan Ratliff, Guss Scott and Daryl Dixon). The Gators spent a great deal of time on special teams in the morning. UF's first fall scrimmage will be Wednesday night in The Swamp. The time of the scrimmage has not yet been determined by the coaching staff.
WHO'S HOT: True freshman quarterback Chris Leak got plenty of reps in the morning practice and threw the ball extremely well. He had the pass of the day — a beautiful spiral that zipped right between two defensive backs on a post pattern and hit redshirt freshman wide receiver Reggie Lewis in stride, but Lewis dropped it. True freshman punter Eric Wilbur wowed the small crowd in the morning by launching two punts over the practice field fence, balls that soared at least 60 yards in the air. Now that his knee infection has cleared up, it looks like he's ready to make a move for the starting punting role. Senior cornerback Keiwan Ratliff is making plays now that he's concentrating on playing on the defensive side of the ball. He made a very athletic move to break up a deep pass intended for senior wide receiver Kelvin Kight.
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Kenneth Tookes made a nice diving catch of a Leak pass for a 15-yard gain. WHO'S NOT: Ingle Martin has been a little bit off with his passing accuracy the past two days, overthrowing several open receivers. The results were strikingly different against a heavy rush Monday night. Aside from one blast that sailed about 75 yards in the air, Wilbur struggled to get distance and hang time.

Georgia: Georgia, which finished the season ranked No. 3 nationally, is projected to win the SEC East in most publications even though the starting offensive line and linebacking units have to be replaced.
Just as important has been protecting team unity. So Richt scheduled a team meeting in May to address the offseason problems. He said he tried to make sure they all understood the seriousness of the issues, but mostly the time was for players to speak their minds. "It’s kind of like when you go into a marriage and the preacher says, ‘If you’ve got a problem, speak now or forever hold your peace, ’" Richt said.
The players "aired everything out," Richt said. Some players apologized for what they had done to hurt the team and hard feelings were put to rest. Now the Bulldogs’ harmony will be put to the test.
Many of the leaders on last year’s team are gone. Replacing that leadership is a "very big concern," Richt said. The team has only 11 scholarship seniors after having 20 each of the past two seasons. Richt really likes the things former walk-on Jeremy Thomas can do at fullback this year. That's a good thing because Chris Hickman and Jamario Smith, Georgia's only backup fullbacks, will miss the first game due to suspensions. At cornerback, the Bulldogs will have starters Decory Bryant and Bruce Thornton and little-used reserves Kenny Bailey and Mike Gilliam. All-SEC safety Kentrell Curry could miss up to six weeks due to a stress fracture in his right leg, he learned Friday.

"I have no idea (when I did it)," Curry said. "It's been bothering me all summer." Sophomore Greg Blue should have plenty of experience to fall back on now that he's stepping into Kentrell Curry's starting role, said secondary coach Willie Martinez. Blue played almost all of last year's Clemson and Auburn game due to injury or illness. Georgia is expected to start Max Jean-Gilles and Daniel Inman at tackle, Bartley Miller and Josh Brock at guard and Russ Tanner at center when the season begins Aug. 30 at Clemson. All five, along with third tackle Dennis Roland, are sophomores. Brock and Tanner have the most experience and are more ready to play than the other four, Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "I know we'll go through some growing pains between now and probably midseason," Callaway said. Scrimmage report

Starting quarterback David Greene stole the show in Monday afternoon's scrimmage. Greene led two touchdown drives and another to set up a field goal in drill work.

"The No. 1 offense came to life today and really looked sharp," Richt said. Barring additional suspensions or injuries, the Bulldogs aren't in dire straits with their first string. Senior cornerbacks Bruce Thornton and Decory Bryant were going to start anyway, as was strong safety Sean Jones. And sophomore Greg Blue, who will fill in for injured All-SEC free safety Kentrell Curry (stress fracture) against Clemson, has the ability to start at virtually every other SEC school.
The problem is beyond that. Secondary coach Willie Martinez prefers to rotate at least eight to 10 defensive backs into any given game, and the Bulldogs use five and sometimes six just in their nickel-and-dime packages, which they'll deploy often against the Tigers' pass-oriented attack.
"You like to go two-deep, to have at least two nickels," Martinez said. "Right now we don't have that."

Tim Jennings, DaMario Minter and B.J. Fields, all of whom otherwise would be included in the two-deep rotation, are serving suspensions for team rules violations.That means Kenny Bailey and Mike Gilliam, both recently converted running backs, likely will play in the opener. Georgia also signed a trio of talented freshmen -- Paul Oliver, Mikey Henderson and Thomas Flowers -- but Oliver and Henderson still are recovering from hamstring injuries. Martinez estimates one or both will be back within the week. Ever calm, head coach Mark Richt is confident it will work out.

Miami Florida - Miami linebacker Roger McIntosh had arthroscopic surgery on his knee Friday and will probably miss the Hurricanes' season opener against Louisiana Tech on Aug. 28.
The 6-foot-3, 231-pound sophomore was expected to start alongside Jonathan Vilma and D.J. Williams this season. He started six games last year and finished with 43 tackles, including eight in Miami's overtime loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. McIntosh could return Sept. 6 against Florida. Senior Jarrell Weaver is expected to start in his place. Starting receivers Jason Geathers and Roscoe Parrish will also miss the season opener. Geathers will be out for the next 10 days of practice with a hamstring injury while Parrish is out after having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Monday.

Kentucky: With veteran first-teamers WR Derek Abney and Tommy Cook resting injuries during training camp, Holt has been involved in most of the plays with the first unit. Abney strained his right hamstring early in practice, and Cook has missed the last few days with a painful bone spur in his ankle. While neither player has been declared out of the Aug.31 season-opener against Louisville, the absence of Abney and Cook has propelled Holt to the front of the line at receiver. Coach Rich Brooks said Abney probably will sit out next week and try to return the week leading up to the season opener. It's important to be overly cautious with Abney's strained hamstring, Brooks said, because he injured the same hamstring as a freshman. Tight end was thought to be more of a problem spot, and the Cats still haven't uncovered any Dave Caspers in the group, but watch Fowler, a freshman walk-on who has made the most plays downfield of any of the tight ends. outlook: When healthy, Abney gives the Cats a speedy downfield threat, and Cook is solid with his receiving skills and blocking. This could be a break-out year for Holt, who has the size and speed to contend for the team lead in receptions this season. Also, watch for Fowler, currently a third-teamer, to work his way onto the starting unit. One quarterback has a golden arm, the other has magic feet. One is sometimes mentioned as a Heisman Trophy candidate, the other might be the best all-around athlete on the field. What to do with Jared Lorenzen and Shane Boyd has occupied the attention of the University of Kentucky's offensive coaches the better part of the past six months. If the Wildcats have a problem at quarterback, it's that only one can be on the field. At least that's the conventional thinking. But little about UK's offense is going to be conventional. Lorenzen is the starter, and Boyd is the backup. But both will play, and — at times — both will be in the game at the same time. In some formations, the Cats will make it difficult to even identify the quarterback. Just yesterday at practice, Boyd lined up at quarterback, tailback and receiver. Lorenzen played mostly quarterback but sometimes split out to receiver. He also could line up at fullback. "I really like what we can do with both of us," Lorenzen said. "Why not get both of us on the field? I think it's probably too early to tell just how it's going to work out and how the rotation will go, but I'm sure it will deal with whoever's hot." Lorenzen, the better passer of the two who threw for 24 touchdowns against just five interceptions last year, isn't the same quarterback who was posting monster numbers a few years ago.

Louisville: What will UofL's offense look like this season? Petrino and his staff are excited because their "studs" are well-spaced and give them many options. A major tenet is creating and exploiting one-on-one matchups. And depending on the strengths of his players, no two seasons figure to look exactly alike. "What excites me the most is that we have playmakers," said offensive coordinator Paul Petrino, Bobby's younger brother. "And anytime you have playmakers you have a chance to have a good offense. You look at our two running backs, Eric Shelton and Lionel Gates, who both have a chance to play big. Eric's going to be physical and pound and get after people, and Lionel has been really good. They're both making great cuts right now. "At receiver we've got three guys in J.R. Russell, Broderick Clark and Tinch who are all going to make big plays. And at tight end, Ronnie Ghent is a big-time playmaker and Richard Owens is really solid. But anytime you can look out there and see five or six playmakers, then you're not counting on 10-play drives every time you get it." The big play is a big emphasis for UofL coaches. So much so, in fact, that receivers are under orders to run 40 yards after every catch, even if the whistle has blown. If they don't, Paul Petrino chases them, screaming to take the ball to the end zone. For the running backs, their orders are to run at least 20 yards on every carry. "We want those guys thinking about making the big play," Bobby Petrino said. "You want to make it a habit." Such plays could be even more important given the youth of UofL's quarterbacks. Whether it's current leader Stefan Lefors or challengers Justin Rascati and Michael Bush, the starting quarterback will enter the season with no significant college experience.
That's going to put a premium on the running game early in the season, Paul Petrino said. "First of all, we've got to be able to run the ball real well to take the pressure off the quarterback," he said. "The plan might be a little simpler than it would be with a three-year vet. And the other big thing is that the guys around them have to play well. I talk to the wideouts and tell them when they catch the ball and they're one on one, they've got to go score. When the running back breaks the hole and he's one on one with a free safety, he's got to score. "The more big plays the people around them make, the easier it will be for that quarterback. And the more four- and five-play drives you can have, it makes it easier to be a big-time offense." Bobby Petrino entrusted his brother with the chance to become an offensive coordinator, but the head coach will call the plays this season. "... Calling plays has been the best thing he's done his whole career," Paul Petrino said. "It would be silly for him not to do it here." QB Race: Of the top three candidates, each has a different strength. LeFors brings more experience than the others, plus. Rascati throws with accuracy and is a natural dropback passer. Bush has the strongest arm and is the best athlete.
MINUSES: Experience. None of U of L's candidates has seen significant college action. Combined with the task of learning a new system, the group has a tough learning curve heading into the season. Petrino is hoping experience elsewhere on offense might help ease the transition. OUTLOOK: The offense, with its West Coast short passing game and emphasis on running the ball, should help the starter succeed early if he makes the right decisions. But Petrino must be ready to deal with mistakes, particularly early in the season. Look for LeFors to take the job early in the fall, with Bush competing for signficant playing time before long. UL RB: Gates and Shelton should stack up favorably with any running back tandem the Cardinals face. Gates is quick and has developed an elusive style to go with some new-found power. Shelton has speed to go with a bruising style that yields significant yardage after contact. It speaks to the Cards' running back depth that Petrino wants to play true freshman Kolby Smith so much that he may move to fullback.
MINUSES: Because former U of L coach John L. Smith didn't use a fullback, Petrino had few choices at the position, though Kamer has performed well. Shelton hasn't faced game competition in nearly two years.
OUTLOOK: Petrino expects the tailback spot to be a major feature of U of L's offense and is hinging many of his hopes on a strong and consistent running game. Petrino is a passing coach, but look for the run to be a weapon, especially early in the season. The tailbacks like running behind a fullback, but also have plenty of two tight-end formations, with a tight end at times dropping back to play fullback.

Messages In This Thread

SEC notes Part I etc -- Ben Dover -- 16 Aug 03, 9:43 am

SEC Notes, Part II, etc -- Ben Dover -- 16 Aug 03, 9:43 am

Kentucky -- Lawboy2000 -- 17 Aug 03, 2:27 pm

UK/UL -- Ben Dover -- 17 Aug 03, 3:04 pm

Nothing -- Lawboy2000 -- 17 Aug 03, 8:21 pm

UL's QB -- Ben Dover -- 17 Aug 03, 9:43 pm

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