Falcons Flight Ended
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s a funny thing about sports; most seasons end with heartbreak. After all, there’s only one champion when it’s all said and done. Only one team takes home the Stanley Cup. Only one team wins the World Series. Only one team can be the CFB National Champion (or two, if you count UCF). And only one team can win the Super Bowl.
Atlanta knows that all too well after last year. All but one group of fans stands triumphant after the dust settles, the rest go home empty-handed regardless if they go 0-16 during the regular season or if they get knocked out in the big game itself. They’ve lost.
But, being a sports fan is also eternally optimistic. After all, the seasons keep turning over, resetting everyone’s records at 0-0 and bringing the hope of improvement.
There was a cloud of misery over Atlanta the week after the Super Bowl in 2017. But, as winter turned to spring and spring to summer, Falcons fans began to look ahead to the season yet to come, wondering what the chip on their team’s shoulder would motivate them to do.
The season came and, at best, brought mixed results. Good stretches, bad stretches, blown leads (that without fail brought up that damn Super Bowl again), all manner of praise and criticism. They battled into the playoffs and even past the Wild Card game.
Then they lost again. They lead the Eagles after the first two quarters and saw the game slip away in the second half with a pair of unanswered field goals.
It’s not a collapse that compares to inarguably the worst day in Georgia sports history (still true, UGA fans – sorry), but it was another winnable game that wasn’t won. This one featured a game-winning drive that didn’t deliver the win after the Falcons failed to cross the goal line from the six-yard line.
It really does beg the question: will the Falcons ever be able to win a Super Bowl?
I’ll admit, this is the kind of stupid, broadly nonsensical question that is a great example of sensationally dumb sports writing. I can’t make an actual argument for or against this because this team will consist of entirely different people in ten years.
But I do fear that the Matt Ryan and Julio Jones window is closing.
It shouldn’t be. This team has talent, and lots of it. They weren’t going to live up to 2016’s offensive output in any situation, but they were a mess all year long in 2017.
I’ve already seen people calling for OC Steve Sarkisian’s job. Maybe he should get fired.
Maybe that’s overly reactionary and having yet another OC come in and mix things up so soon would be a terrible idea. I don’t know. But I know that the Falcons have had leads in their last game of the season for two years in a row now and haven’t been able to close the door.
I don’t know if Atlanta has a curse of some kind. Those tend to be more well-publicized in baseball, where Atlanta actually has a championship. But, the Falcons have put good teams on the field several times for Matt Ryan. They put good teams on the field for Michael Vick, too.
For Falcons fans, it can seem like Atlanta is the only team in the world and when they lose, that’s the biggest loss of the year.
But 31 teams don’t win the Super Bowl every year. Only one does.
That may not be much of a comfort, but take some consolation in knowing that you’ve got lots of company, every time this happens.
And remember that while 31 teams don’t win the Super Bowl every year, one team does. And winter will be spring before you know it.
Georgia Is Next
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Imagine the following, what if I told you in August that Georgia would win the SEC East in 2017? Most die-hard Dawg fans coming off of an 8-5 season would have taken that in a heartbeat.
What if I told you Georgia would win their first SEC title since 2005 against rival Auburn? You would have said oh my goodness, yes.
What if I told you UGA would make the College Football Playoff and beat Oklahoma in a classic Rose Bowl and play for a National Title? You would have said I am crazy.
UGA did all of this in 2017 and came up three points short against Alabama in OT; the same Alabama team that many picked to win the Natty in the preseason.
So, what is next for Georgia? Fact is UGA is ahead of schedule. Coming off a 13-2 season in year two of the Kirby Smart era, the Dawgs are way ahead of schedule.
This UGA team reminds me of Alabama in 2008 in year two of the Saban era; then the Tide took off in year 3 and have won 5 National Titles in 9 years. I’m not saying UGA will go on that kind of run but a national Title will come to UGA within the next 2-4 years.
Here is what is next for UGA:
Recruiting: Georgia currently has the number one class in America and Kirby is the best recruiter in the business.
UGA needs to use all of this national exposure to its’ advantage and Kirby needs to continue to work his magic on the recruiting trail.
Smart has built a fence around the State of Georgia and Alabama, Auburn, and Florida are not coming into the State and cherry picking top talent anymore.
Strength and Conditioning: Alabama wore the Georgia offensive and defensive fronts down in the 4th quarter of the title game because they were bigger and stronger. Georgia has made huge strides in this area since Smart has arrived but Dawgs are not quite there yet.
Develop Justin Fields quickly. With Jacob Eason leaving for the University of Washington the Dawgs must get Fields ready quickly to back up Jake Fromm.
Fields is the number one rated QB in America and he enrolled early so he should be ready to play in 2018.
UGA must get better at CB. Mel Tucker needs shut down corners to run his system. UGA gave up too many deep balls in 2017.
The Dawgs must start using their Tight Ends again. Did a TE have a catch in the National Title game? This area must develop to improve the passing game.
Georgia just finished an outstanding season and will be the SEC East favorites along with South Carolina in 2018. The SEC slate will be tough playing all of the east rivals and LSU and Auburn from the west. The Dawgs travel to Death Valley in Baton Rouge in 2018, which will be no picnic.
The 2018 Dawgs will be Jake Fromm’s team and Fromm will be the leader and face of the program. The kid is a gamer and will continue to get better with Fields coming in to push him. Georgia will miss Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, and Roquan Smith if #3 decides to turn pro.
What is on the horizon for UGA football is a magic carpet ride of SEC Titles and maybe a Natty or two with these studs Kirby keeps landing in the Classic City.
The future is so bright for UGA football that you need a brand-new pair of shades to see it all. Kirby Smart is just flat out getting it done in Athens, Georgia.
Tide Rolls In Another Title
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The college football season is officially over which is a bittersweet moment. The national championship game started slowly but got better in the second half. #3 Georgia (13-2) was on a quest for their first national championship since 1980.
They dominated in the first half but they had to settle for field goals early on to take a 6-0 lead. Mecole Hardman scored a 1-yard touchdown right before halftime to give the Dawgs a 13-0 lead.
On the opposite side #4 Alabama (13-1) struggled on offense in the first half. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is 25-2 as a starter and led the Crimson Tide to their second consecutive national championship game.
He struggled again, only completing 3 of 8 passing attempts for 21 yards. He did a good job running, gaining 47 yards on 6 carries.
Nick Saban made a bold move by benching Hurts at halftime in favor of true freshman QB Tua Tagovailoa. He led Bama to the end zone with a 6-yard TD pass to Henry Ruggs III to cut the deficit to six points.
The Bulldogs answered that score with a big play from their true freshman quarterback. Jake Fromm threw an 80-yard touchdown to Hardman to extend the lead to 20-7. Fromm played pretty well, throwing for 232 yards, 1 TD and 2 interceptions with a 50% completion rate.
The Crimson Tide would go on to tie the game 20-20 with 3:49 remaining in the 4th quarter after Tagovailoa tossed another touchdown to Calvin Ridley. They had a chance to win the game in regulation.
Kicker Andy Pappanastos missed a field goal in the first half, which foreshadowed what he would do later in the game. He missed another field goal as time expired in regulation.
UGA received the ball first in overtime and scored a field goal to take a 23-20 lead. At that point I thought Alabama was in trouble because they could not trust their kicker.
Tagovailoa took a horrible sack on Alabama’s first play in overtime, losing 16 yards. On the next play he threw a 41-yard TD pass to freshman DeVonta Smith to win the game.
“I could not believe it,” Saban said. “There’s lots of highs and lows. Last year we lost on the last play of the game and this year we won on the last play of the game. These kids really responded the right way. We said last year, `Don’t waste the feeling.’ They sure didn’t, the way they played tonight.”
Tagovailoa finished with 166 yards, 3 touchdowns and one pick with a 58% completion rate.
The win is Alabama’s fifth national title in nine years. Saban now has six major poll national championships, which includes one at LSU. That matches the record set by another legendary Crimson Tide coach, Bear Bryant.
This was an interesting year for Alabama. They lost the championship last season on the last play of the game. They reeled off 11 wins to begin this season before losing to archrival Auburn to finish the season.
There was some controversy when they were selected to the College Football Playoff because they did not win their conference. Some people felt that Ohio State was more deserving since they won the Big Ten, even though they had 2 losses. It looks like the decision to pick the Tide was justified.
New Chief In Tallahassee
By: Alex Mathis
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Florida State has found their new coach. Willie Taggart will take over the head coaching job at FSU.
Taggart has had an interesting coaching journey. Taggart got his first head coaching job at Western Kentucky. After leaving Western Kentucky, Taggart moved on to University of South Florida.
He was able to turn the Bulls around and make them a powerhouse in Florida. His work at USF led to him taking the head coaching job at Oregon. Though only spending a year at Oregon, Taggart was able to turn the struggling Ducks program around.
Now, the next program he has to turn around is Florida State. Florida State is coming off one of their worst seasons in decades. The team is loaded with talent and now it is Taggart’s job to lead it.
In Taggart’s introduction interview he said that FSU was his dream job. He grew up a Noles fan and told stories of wearing garnet and gold and pulling for the Noles when he was coaching at USF.
FSU has a guy who loves FSU now. Current players are saying there is a different attitude in Tallahassee now. Deion Sanders, Peter Warrick, and other past FSU stars are back around the program. Taggart has the support from current players, past players, and the fans. All there is left to do now is win.
Taggart has also done a great job assembling his staff. He has raided Michigan State of their defensive coordinator, Harlon Barnett.
Bennett is a proven defensive coordinator and has had Michigan State ranked high in a lot of defensive categories nationally. With the speed and talent at FSU, the defense should reminiscent of the Mickey Andrews defenses of the Bowden era.
Donte’ Pimpleton will coach the running backs. He is following Taggart from Oregon. Telly Lockette will coach tight ends. He coached with Taggart as well. Greg Frey will coach the offensive line. He coached at Michigan last year. Odell Haggins will be the only member to from the previous staff. Haggins has been at FSU 20 plus years coaching defensive line. The linebackers will be coached by Raymond Woodie. Woodie is also coming from Oregon. Alonzo Hampton will be the special teams coach. Hampton has some Georgia ties, where coached at Tift County. There are a few more sports left open on Taggart’s staff. He is in the process of filling out that staff now.
Taggart was also able to come in during December and get some big recruits to sign letters of intents to play at FSU. He is known for being able to recruit and he will definitely be able to do this at FSU as well.
FSU is ranked outside of the top 25 in recruiting at this moment. I expect the Noles to be in the top 25 and maybe top 10 when the February signing day gets here.
There is definitely a different feel in the Tallahassee air. There will always be high expectations in Tallahassee and their new coach is a big name that has assembled a bunch of big names to accompany him in Tallahassee. Now it is time to see if this hire will be a homerun or a strikeout.
National Championship Game Breakdown
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The SEC takes center stage in the biggest game of the college football season, with the conference’s two best teams finally getting an opportunity to settle it on the field.
This matchup should have taken place the first weekend of December, but Auburn ruined that as the Tigers upset the Tide at Auburn on November 25th.
This championship game between Georgia and Alabama has a lot of twists and plots. Georgia with second year coach Kirby Smart going against his mentor Nick Saban, who holds a perfect 11-0 mark against former assistants. Smart served as Saban’s defensive coordinator for years in Tuscaloosa before coming home to UGA.
Alabama beat up Clemson 24-6 in the Sugar Bowl and UGA outscored Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl 54-48 to get to this game which will be played in brand new Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ticket prices are through the roof and this ticket may be the priciest in the history of sports events in the state of Georgia.
Keys to the game:
Which Quarterback plays the best? Alabama QB Jalen Hurts has taken some heat from the Tide nation recently with his play but all he does is win as a starting Tide signal caller and has his team playing in the title game for the second year in a row as a starter.
Georgia freshman Jake Fromm looks like a seasoned veteran with the Bulldog offense and the game tying TD drive with Oklahoma in regulation is the stuff legends are made of.
Fromm is a better passer and Hurts is a better runner. In the end this game may be decided by the mobility of a QB. Advantage: Hurts and Alabama.
Which Offensive line holds up best? Both of the units were dominated by the Auburn defensive front in the Iron Bowl, and first UGA/AU matchup at Auburn. Both groups learned something from it.
Georgia dominated Auburn up front in the SEC title game, and Alabama handled the great Clemson DL in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama is dealing with an injury to a starting OG Cotton Jr. and UGA is coming in healthy. Advantage: Georgia
Coaching? Nick Saban is the best head coach in football. Kirby knows the Alabama way and has changed the culture at UGA, but in the end Nick has five national titles. Advantage: Alabama
Atmosphere surrounding game? Yes, Alabama has been here before. This game is in Atlanta and is the biggest game for UGA since the 1983 Sugar Bowl. Georgia looks like a team of destiny. Advantage: UGA
Positional Group Analysis:
QB: Hurts or Fromm? Slight advantage to Alabama.
RB: Both teams are loaded here. Chubb, Michel, Swift, Holyfield, Herrien. Advantage: Georgia
OL: Both groups are solid. The Tide is dealing with an injury to a starter. Advantage: Georgia
WR: Calvin Ridley is the best WR on the field during this game for Alabama, but who else steps up for the Tide? Wims, Godwin, and the TE’s make it tilt UGA’s way. Advantage: Georgia
DL: Alabama is better than UGA here. Advantage; Alabama
LB: Two words for you. Roquan Smith. Alabama is beat up here. Advantage: Georgia
DB: Minkah Fitzpatrick is the best DB in America. Advantage: Alabama
Special Teams: Alabama is slightly better at punter and UGA is light years better at FG kicker with Rod Blankenship. Mecole Hardman is ready to explode on the national stage for UGA. Don’t be surprised if he has a big kick return in this game. Advantage: Georgia.
Vegas has Alabama as a slight favorite, but Lorenzo Carter, Sony Michel, and Nick Chubb all came back to UGA for their senior seasons and turned down big NFL money. This is a magical season for UGA and the championship game is in Georgia’s capital Atlanta.
Prediction: Georgia 24- 20. The University of Georgia your 2017 College Football National Champions in a season that will never be forgotten in state of Georgia.
Black Monday
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL regular season ended Sunday. Changes were made immediately after that, which brings us to the aftermath of Black Monday. Some moves were obvious, while others have been very puzzling to say the least.
The Chicago Bears fired John Fox. Fox is a pretty decent coach, winning the NFC and AFC Championship with Carolina and Denver. He suffered double digit losses every year in his three seasons in Chicago. His overall record with the Bears is 14-34.
The coaching change makes sense but another move by the Bears is a head scratcher. The general manager Ryan Pace has been with the organization for the same amount of time as Fox and he received a contract extension.
I’m not sure why he was rewarded for not building talented teams but if Chicago doesn’t mind why should I? His replacement will likely be an offensive coach like New England’s Josh McDaniel’s or Minnesota’s Pat Shurmur.
Jim Caldwell was fired by Detroit. Caldwell has been there since 2014 and he’s done a decent job. His only losing season was in 2015. The Lions were 9-7 the last two seasons and his overall record with the franchise is 35-28 (.556). That’s the best winning percentage for a Lions head coach since Buddy Parker in the 1950’s.
The Lions have asked for permission to interview Texans Defensive Coordinator Mike Vrabel.
Chuck Pagano has been fired by Indianapolis. He’s been in Indy since 2012 and this year was his first losing season. Starting quarterback Andrew Luck missed the entire season and the Colts went 4-12.
I think most teams would struggle without their starting quarterback. Their roster had glaring weaknesses even when Luck was healthy. The Colts were 8-8 in 2015 and 2016. I think the GM should also be fired with the coach in most cases and this is one of them.
The Colts will also interview Mike Vrabel but Jim Harbough is their top candidate.
Oakland fired Jack Del Rio after three seasons. The Raiders finished 6-10, which was disappointing because they were 12-4 in 2015. That was Del Rio’s only winning season in Oakland.
Their top candidate is their former coach and current analyst Jon Gruden. I think that would be a terrible hire but it would bring a lot of attention for the franchise.
Marvin Lewis was in the final year of his contract in Cincinnati coming into the season. He’s been there since 2003, making him the second-longest tenured coach in the NFL behind Bill Belichick.
The Bengals were one of the worst franchises before he got there so he did help them improve into a winning team. I have to mention he also never won a playoff game during his tenure.
For that I think he should have been fired a while ago. The Bengals went 6-9-1 in 2016 and 7-9 in 2017.
This next move was very confusing to me. New York Jets coach Todd Bowles has been with the team since 2015. His first year the team was 10-6. The last two seasons they were 5-11. He and GM Mike Maccagnan signed contract extensions to continue through 2020.
NY6 Predictions
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Break out the pork chops, black-eyed peas, fried okra, and cornbread which is the traditional New Year’s Day meal in the Branch Family.
The meal will be ready to eat at 12PM on Monday, which is also the best football day of every year.
You also have the College Football Playoff that starts at 5PM that day in Pasadena, California with Georgia and Oklahoma and ending with Alabama and Clemson immediately after in New Orleans.
Under the playoff format you have the two playoff games that rotate between the Sugar, Rose, Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, and Peach Bowls annually; these are now called the New Years 6 Bowls.
Here are my predictions for the NY6 Bowls.
Cotton Bowl: #5 Ohio State vs. #8 USC
In this matchup you have two conference champions in OSU and USC that got snubbed by the playoff committee in favor of a one loss non-conference champion in Alabama.
Both teams will come to Dallas with a chip on it’s shoulder. I personally thought OSU would get in the playoff over Alabama if the committee was going to put a two loss Auburn team in the playoff. Which would have happened if the Tigers would have beat UGA in the SEC title game.
I think OSU has something to prove in this game and the Buckeyes handle USC pretty easy, 34-20 and Urban Meyer proposes a new playoff system in his postgame presser.
Fiesta Bowl: #9 Penn State vs. #11 Washington
Penn State might be the best team in the Big 10 after blowing the 15 point 4th quarter lead in Columbus against OSU and then sleepwalking into a loss to Michigan State the following week.
I think Penn State will be too physical for the Huskies and they will handle Washington 38-27. James Franklin is about to kick it into high gear in State College, PA.
Orange Bowl: #6 Wisconsin vs. #10 Miami
Former Glynn Academy standout Dee Jay Dallas is named Orange Bowl MVP after he scores 2 TD’s and has 140 yards rushing against the Badgers who will not beat Miami in Miami at the Orange Bowl. Too many athletes and Mark Richt owns Big 10 teams during his coaching career.
Peach Bowl: #7 Auburn vs. #12 UCF
Which Auburn team shows up? The one who beat UGA and Alabama in November or the one who blew a 20 point lead at LSU in October? Is Kerryon healthy? Does Auburn even want to be in Atlanta for the Peach Bowl?
I can guarantee you that UCF is thrilled to be there. If Auburn is motivated to play this game they win.
I think Auburn’s defense will be ready to play and the Tigers find a way to win 27-21. If Auburn comes out flat then look out for the upset, which I would be thrilled to see.
Rose Bowl: #2 Oklahoma vs. #3 Georgia
Oklahoma has the Heisman winner in Baker Mayfield at QB. UGA has the best defensive player in the country in Roquan Smith. What gives here?
For UGA to win they must control the clock and line of scrimmage with the running game and that will keep Mayfield on the sidelines.
The Sooners will score points but I think UGA gets enough stops and wins 38-34 and Nick Chubb is named Rose Bowl MVP with 175 yards and 3 TD’s, and will eventually have his #27 retired in Athens.
Sugar Bowl: #1 Clemson vs. #4 Alabama
Nick Saban lobbied to get the Tide in this year’s playoff and it is going to pay off.
Clemson’s DL is better than a couple of NFL teams and points in this game will be at a premium; so this one will come down to another heart stopping drive in the final minute with Jalen Hurts leading his team to victory 20-17 and being named Sugar Bowl MVP.
Georgia vs. Alabama in Atlanta for the NC on January 8th. Oh, my goodness what will the ticket prices be?
Rose Bowl Preview
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Georgia and Oklahoma have been matched in the Rose Bowl, one of the two national semifinals in the College Football Playoff. The winner goes to the National Championship Game.
It matches two relatively new coaches: Kirby Smart is in his second year at Georgia and Lincoln Riley is in his first year coaching Oklahoma.
It also matches two teams that got marquee nonconference road wins the second week of the season: Georgia at Notre Dame (20-19) and Oklahoma at Ohio State (31-16).
But on paper it’s pure offense vs. defense: Oklahoma has the nation’s most prolific offense with Baker Mayfield, who is the Heisman Trophy winner while Georgia has a great defense led by linebacker Roquan Smith.
One of the best big play offenses vs one of the best defenses at preventing big plays
Stats vs Power 5 Opponents (out of 65 Power 5/Notre Dame teams)
Oklahoma Offense vs P5 Teams
Plays of 10+ Yards Per Game : #3 (19.6)
Plays of 20+ Yards Per Game : #1 (8.2)
Plays of 30+ Yards Per Game : #1 (4.4)
Plays of 40+ Yards Per Game : #2 (2.6)
Plays of 50+ Yards Per Game : #2 (1.6)
Georgia Defense vs P5 Teams
Plays of 10+ Yards Per Game : #2 (8.4)
Plays of 20+ Yards Per Game : #3 (3.0)
Plays of 30+ Yards Per Game : #5 (1.3)
Plays of 40+ Yards Per Game : #11 (0.6)
Plays of 50+ Yards Per Game : #12 (0.3)
Oklahoma Defense vs P5 Teams
Plays of 10+ Yards Per Game : #31 (13.8)
Plays of 20+ Yards Per Game : #35 (4.8)
Plays of 30+ Yards Per Game : #57 (3.1)
Plays of 40+ Yards Per Game : #57 (1.6)
Plays of 50+ Yards Per Game : #58 (1.0)
Georgia Offense vs P5 Teams
Plays of 10+ Yards Per Game : #21 (14.6)
Plays of 20+ Yards Per Game : #10 (6.0)
Plays of 30+ Yards Per Game : #14 (2.8)
Plays of 40+ Yards Per Game : #25 (1.2)
Plays of 50+ Yards Per Game : #14 (0.9)
So, basically, OU is good at scoring and UGA is good at stopping teams from scoring.
UGA is good at scoring and OU is not good at stopping teams from scoring.
What does all of this mean? Absolutely nothing. Both teams earned their way to the playoff. I think both teams are equally talented and it will probably come down to who has the ball last.
Hard to believe Georgia and Oklahoma have never met in football isn’t it?
On defense, linebacker Roquan Smith leads the Bulldogs with 113 tackles and 5.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
Lincoln Riley was just 33 years old when he took over for Bob Stoops in June. He’s now 34 and has taken the Sooners to the College Football playoff in his first season. Outside a loss at home to an improved Iowa State team on Oct. 7, the Sooners have outscored teams 553-287.
On defense, OLB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo leads the Sooners with 8.0 sacks and 17 tackles for loss, adding three forced fumbles.
Prediction: Mayfield is a stud and looks unstoppable at times. Georgia’s best defense may be controlling the ball and the clock on offense.
The Bulldogs have the personnel to do so, as Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and D’Andre Swift have combined for well over 2,500 rushing yards this season.
The biggest issue for Georgia is avoiding falling behind because it will be difficult to be successful in a shootout pitting freshman quarterback Jake Fromm against Mayfield.
This Georgia team looks like a team of destiny and they seem to rise to the occasion whenever they need to. UGA gives up some points and yards, but in the end, they find a way to win.
UGA 38. OU 34.
Dawgs play in the NC game on January 8th.
Sugar Bowl Preview
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The ‘good’ bowl games have always happened on that day and with the College Football Playoff, it’s no different.
Number 1 Clemson takes on Number 4 Alabama in the prestigious Sugar Bowl. This is a rematch of the last two national championship games.
I’m on record as saying Clemson is the best team back in October. I still feel the Tigers are the most talented team in all of college football. I think they have the toughest matchup because Alabama is the second best team.
The Crimson Tide only have one loss on their resume, which happened in the final game of the season. Because of this, they fell out of the top four before the conference championship games. After the conference championships they moved back into the top four.
Clemson is the most complete team because their strong on both sides of the ball. They rank sixth nationally in total defense, giving up an average of 277.9 yards per game. They lead the nation in sacks with 44. They can also take the ball away because they have 14 interceptions and recovered 5 fumbles.
The Tigers rank 30th in total offense, averaging 448 ypg. My biggest surprise is that they were able to successfully replace Deshaun Watson.
Kelly Bryant is a better dual threat quarterback because he’s faster than Watson. Bryant has thrown for 2,678 yards and 13 touchdowns while completing 67% of his passes. He also ran for 646 yards and 11 TD’s.
They also have two backs (Travis Etienne & Tavien Feaster) that have rushed for over 650 yards each. They have three receivers with over 500 receiving yards apiece.
On paper Alabama is very impressive. They rank second nationally in total defense and 19th in total offense. There are a couple of noticeable differences from years past though.
They typically feature an elite running back like Heisman Trophy winners Mark Ingram and Derrick Henry or even Trent Richardson. A strong running game and stifling defense is the formula the Crimson Tide have utilized since Nick Saban took over as head coach.
Sophomore Jalen Hurts is a great athlete playing quarterback. He’s only thrown for 1,940 yards with a 61% completion rate. He does have 15 TD’s to 1 interception. He’s the second leading rusher on the team with 768 yards and 8 rushing touchdowns. Damien Harris is the leading rusher with just 906 yards. That takes me back to Bama lacking a dominant running back.
The passing game also lacks the great playmakers we’ve become accustomed to like Julio Jones, Amari Cooper or O.J. Howard. Calvin Ridley is pretty good but he’s their only threat as a pass catcher.
He has 55 catches for 896 yards and 3 TD’s. The second leading receiver (Jerry Jeudy) has 13 receptions, 244 yards and only one less touchdown than Ridley.
The defense has been dealing with injuries, primarily outside linebackers Christian Miller and Terrell Lewis. Without them they have given up a lot of big plays. On the positive side they might be healthy by the time this game is played.
Clemson has the advantage because they have a dominant defense and Alabama only has a couple of weapons to stop. The winner of this game will win the championship so enjoy the game.
Mark Fox Is SEC Basketball
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
If any SEC program had a winning basketball team, excluding Kentucky and Florida, would their fan base even care?
Actually, if they were winning the fan base would probably get behind them. I guess the better question is: If any SEC basketball program were a smidge better than mediocre, would anyone truly pay attention?
I ask this because for the most part SEC fans will alter their weekend schedule depending on what time their football team plays, but will really only watch basketball if the alternative is “Once Upon A Time” and even then it may come down to whether or not the latter is a rerun.
It’s kind of shame to be honest, because over the last few seasons the level of talent and competition within the conference has continued to grow.
One of the reasons for this semi-resurgence has been coaching. While football has taken a hit over the last couple seasons, relative to where it was because of missing out on some coaching hires at high profile programs, basketball has seemingly done a much better job with who they have brought in.
Take Tennessee for example and their hiring of Rick Barnes; who after prior stops at Clemson and Texas must have a wardrobe made up completely of different shades of orange.
Even though it feels as if Barnes bases his diagramming of plays and clock management off of NBA 2K18, he does a good job of recruiting and at least gets his teams into the tournament.
Avery Johnson is looking to be the correct hire at Alabama and even though Florida is off to a less than desired start, I don’t think anyone is questioning their choice of Mike White.
Throw in proven coaches like Ben Homeland, Bruce Pearl, and Frank Martin (coming off an unexpected Final Four 4 last year) and you can see why teams have started to close the gap with Kentucky, which a few years ago seemed insurmountable.
That being said, no one coach personifies SEC Basketball more than Georgia head coach, Mark Fox.
Fox is currently in his 9th season as the Bulldogs coach, and entered this season with an overall record of 145-118 (.551), 70-68 (.507) in conference play and zero tournament wins in their only two appearances in eight years. Yet, there doesn’t seem to be much rumbling about his job security, at least not with any regularity.
Personally, I think this is for 3 reasons:
- Fox is the anti Jim Harrick. Basically, he’s a genuinely good guy that runs a clean program, and won’t embarrass the entire athletic department and university.
- Even though Fox hasn’t had all that much success in Athens, he hasn’t been an object failure, either. If Georgia were to let him go, would they really be able to bring in someone better? He’s more less become the Ryan Tannehill of college basketball coaches.
- He wasn’t that big of a name when Georgia initially hired him, so what Fox has been able to accomplish is fairly realistic to the expectations coming in. Bigger name, bigger expectations.
My point is, when you’re sitting on your couch, or laying bed, trying to decide if you should watch yet another episode of “Duck Dynasty” or something a little different, give SEC Basketball a try.
They’re still a work in progress, but it will be well worth your time. I mean, at the very least you’re guaranteed to see Barnes make a fool of himself, which is well worth the price of admission.
