Down in Dixie football became a religion long ago. A friend of mine once told that there are three sports seasons in Texas, "football season, football recruiting, and spring practice." That mantra has spread to other regions of the country, and it definitely holds true in the SEC.
With practice under way down on the Plains, the Auburn faithful are anxious to see what sophomore QB Kodi Burns brings to the table. According to the Auburn Athletic Website during the March 1st scrimmage, "Sophomore quarterback Kodi Burns completed 22-of-37 passes for 162 yards, including one touchdown and one interception. Burns' TD strike was a 20-yarder to senior running back Brad Lester." If the Tigers can provide an efficient passing attack to offset their rushing attack, look out...
Speaking of quarterbacks and the SEC West, Louisiana State has a two-horse race between Andrew Hatch (who?) and Jarrett Lee, a highly touted redshirt freshman from Texas. The two signal callers will split snaps this spring. Much like their rivals and mascot namesake in Alabama, if LSU receives competent quarterback play this fall, their rushing attack will be deadly.
Moving up North, Michigan lost four-year starter Chad Henne, plus freshman QB Ryan Mallett transferred to Arkansas. Who's next for the Wolverines? David Cone (from Georgia) or GT transfer Steven Threet, who is originally from Adrian, Mich. It will likely be a long year in Ann Arbor with the coaching turnover and new systems on both sides of the ball that require different types of skills to work efficiently, especially the need for a run-pass quarterback, which is not available with any of the returning quarterbacks. Although he is not well known, freshman Justin Feagin, a quarterback from the southern part of Florida, could compete for playing time this fall. He fits Rich Rodriguez's style of offense.
From Ann Arbor to South Bend, Notre Dame Sophomore Jimmy Clausen will be under the microscope more than ever. No more excuses about inexperience, as the Irish will return four of five starters up front (they were horrible last year) and the vast majority of their skill position players as well, sans John Carlson, a soon to be NFL tight end. Watch out for incoming freshman wide receiver Michael Floyd...
Out West, the discussion starts with Southern California, the odds on favorite to win the National Championship. The quarterback derby between Mark Sanchez and Arkansas transfter Mitch Mustain, with the former being Radio Man's pick to win the starting job. The biggest story, however, could be which tailback wins the starting spot, considering the amount of talent the Trojans have in the backfield. Sophomore tailback Joe McKnight will be a Heisman candidate at some point, perhaps by the end of this year. He's special.
Long live college football!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment