lacene
03-29-2007, 09:13 PM
Spring look around the SEC
By Chris Low
Special to ESPN.com
Has Auburn improved its offensive attack? Which QBs are in the lead at LSU and Ole Miss? Has South Carolina found the answers on its defensive line? Our SEC notebook addresses those questions and much more.
Alabama Crimson Tide
http://espn.go.com/i/teamlogos/ncaa/med/333.gif
The Alabama players are getting their first taste of new head coach Nick Saban on the practice field this spring, and they've obviously gotten the message about not being too forthcoming with the media. Saban, similar to his polices at LSU, wants one voice coming out of the program. Freshmen don't talk and rarely do his assistants. Even the upperclassmen have been guarded, although senior defensive end Wallace Gilberry was taken aback at how short Saban is. "You hear all these stories about him. I'm thinking he's a giant," Gilberry jokingly told the Birmingham News. "But I was like, 'This guy isn't as big as I thought he was.' I kind of relaxed a little bit." On a more serious note, Gilberry went on to say that Saban gets the best out of his players. "He's going to make you a better man." Saban has made a few position changes already, most notably moving Keith Saunders from defensive end to outside linebacker. Saunders started at end last season and will continue to rush the passer. He'll just do it from his drop linebacker spot in the Tide's new 3-4 scheme.
Arkansas Razorbacks
http://espn.go.com/i/teamlogos/ncaa/med/8.gif
The Razorbacks lost senior defensive tackle Marcus Harrison for the rest of the spring and likely for part of the 2007 season after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a freak play in practice on Monday. Coach Houston Nutt said Harrison came down on his knee awkwardly after jumping over a pile. Harrison also has a bone bruise, and his recovery is being estimated at five to six months. Harrison began last season as a starter before an injury knocked him out of the starting lineup. Another member of the Hogs' defensive line, junior end Antwain Robinson, will be allowed to finish spring practice despite his arrest on shoplifting charges last week. Nutt said Robinson will be disciplined internally, including extra running and participating in community service. Robinson is Arkansas' best returning defensive lineman. He was second on the team last season with 8.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss.
Auburn Tigers
http://espn.go.com/i/teamlogos/ncaa/med/2.gif
Auburn's offense had trouble scoring points last season. The Tigers finished eighth in the SEC in scoring offense. The way they finished this spring, though, would suggest that offensive production won't be a problem next season. The offense scored five touchdowns in the Tigers' A-Day spring game on March 17 and then came back in the final scrimmage of the spring a few days later and was even more productive. Redshirt freshman tailback Mario Fannin certainly left a lasting impression heading into the summer with 206 yards rushing on 13 carries. He had touchdown runs of 60, 58 and 11 yards. Tristan Davis also rushed for 100 yards on 15 carries. The defense was missing at least four starters in that final scrimmage, but that didn't stop defensive coordinator Will Muschamp from saying that his guys were physically and mentally whipped. The scrimmage started ominously enough for the defense when starting quarterback Brandon Cox connected with Rod Smith, who broke a tackle and raced 75 yards for a touchdown. Cox, looking healthy this spring after injuries plagued him all of last season, finished the day 14 of 19 for 302 yards and three touchdowns.
Florida Gators
http://espn.go.com/i/teamlogos/ncaa/med/57.gif
The No. 1 priority this spring for the defending national champion Gators was rebuilding a defense that lost nine of 11 starters. Some new names are beginning to emerge. Sophomore linebackers Brandon Spikes and Dustin Doe are off to good starts, and coach Urban Meyer likes the leadership qualities that Spikes, in particular, has shown. A few others who've caught Meyer's eye are sophomore defensive tackle Brandon Antwine, redshirt freshman defensive end Lawrence Marsh, redshirt freshman linebacker A.J. Jones and true freshman cornerback Joe Haden. An early enrollee, Haden has been working a little with the first-team defense. The only starters back from last season's defense are senior safety Tony Joiner and junior defensive end Derrick Harvey, who led the Gators with 11 sacks. While Florida won't be as big or as experienced on defense next season, Harvey thinks the Gators will be faster. A good sign for the defense is that it's won both of the scrimmages to this point, including the goal-line scrimmage Saturday. Meyer was happy with the way the defensive line performed in that scrimmage, but he was also miffed over the number of fumbled snaps that plagued the Gators on offense. So far, junior Kestahn Moore is working with the first team at running back. Sophomore Brandon James has been his backup, although redshirt freshman Chevon Walker has had his moments.
Georgia Bulldogs
http://espn.go.com/i/teamlogos/ncaa/med/61.gif
The Bulldogs hope junior college newcomer Jarius Wynn can continue to build on what's been a strong spring. He could be their answer at defensive end, where they're losing both Quentin Moses and Charles Johnson. Marcus Howard and Roderick Battle are the other candidates at end, although both are a little undersized. The battle for the left offensive tackle spot grew a little more interesting this week with sophomore Vince Vance's return to practice on a limited basis after injuring his knee the first week of spring drills. True freshman Trinton Sturdivant and redshirt freshman Josh Davis had moved ahead of Vance, but he thinks he'll be able to play in the Bulldogs' spring game on April 7. Coach Mark Richt said Sturdivant, who graduated high school early to be able to go through the spring, would probably be the Bulldogs' starter at left tackle if the season were to begin today. Richt is counting on senior guard Fernando Velasco to be the Bulldogs' leader up front next season. Velasco redshirted last season. For the time being, Mikey Henderson and Sean Bailey have supplanted Mohamed Massaquoi and A.J. Bryant as Georgia's first-team receivers. The Bulldogs had more dropped passes than Richt or anybody on offense cares to remember last season.
Kentucky Wildcats
http://espn.go.com/i/teamlogos/ncaa/med/96.gif
Running back Rafael Little, one of the SEC's most versatile running backs, will be limited the first two weeks of spring after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in the offseason. Kentucky already had some questions to answer on its offensive line as spring practice opened on Wednesday, but there may be more of those guys sitting than practicing this spring. Starting guard Christian Johnson was suspended for academic reasons, and coach Rich Brooks isn't sure when Johnson will be back. In addition, offensive linemen Jorge Gonzalez, Zach Hennis, Justin Jeffries and Jason Leger are still recovering from offseason surgery and won't be able to have any contact. The Wildcats will also be without starting free safety Marcus McClinton for a while. He was suspended by Brooks after being arrested last week and charged with wanton endangerment for allegedly setting off homemade explosives. Those charges were reduced this week in court to second-degree disorderly conduct, paving the way for McClinton to rejoin the team at some point. This will be the debut of new Kentucky defensive coordinator Steve Brown, who was promoted from defensive backs coach last season.
ESPN Link (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2816955)
By Chris Low
Special to ESPN.com
Has Auburn improved its offensive attack? Which QBs are in the lead at LSU and Ole Miss? Has South Carolina found the answers on its defensive line? Our SEC notebook addresses those questions and much more.
Alabama Crimson Tide
http://espn.go.com/i/teamlogos/ncaa/med/333.gif
The Alabama players are getting their first taste of new head coach Nick Saban on the practice field this spring, and they've obviously gotten the message about not being too forthcoming with the media. Saban, similar to his polices at LSU, wants one voice coming out of the program. Freshmen don't talk and rarely do his assistants. Even the upperclassmen have been guarded, although senior defensive end Wallace Gilberry was taken aback at how short Saban is. "You hear all these stories about him. I'm thinking he's a giant," Gilberry jokingly told the Birmingham News. "But I was like, 'This guy isn't as big as I thought he was.' I kind of relaxed a little bit." On a more serious note, Gilberry went on to say that Saban gets the best out of his players. "He's going to make you a better man." Saban has made a few position changes already, most notably moving Keith Saunders from defensive end to outside linebacker. Saunders started at end last season and will continue to rush the passer. He'll just do it from his drop linebacker spot in the Tide's new 3-4 scheme.
Arkansas Razorbacks
http://espn.go.com/i/teamlogos/ncaa/med/8.gif
The Razorbacks lost senior defensive tackle Marcus Harrison for the rest of the spring and likely for part of the 2007 season after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a freak play in practice on Monday. Coach Houston Nutt said Harrison came down on his knee awkwardly after jumping over a pile. Harrison also has a bone bruise, and his recovery is being estimated at five to six months. Harrison began last season as a starter before an injury knocked him out of the starting lineup. Another member of the Hogs' defensive line, junior end Antwain Robinson, will be allowed to finish spring practice despite his arrest on shoplifting charges last week. Nutt said Robinson will be disciplined internally, including extra running and participating in community service. Robinson is Arkansas' best returning defensive lineman. He was second on the team last season with 8.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss.
Auburn Tigers
http://espn.go.com/i/teamlogos/ncaa/med/2.gif
Auburn's offense had trouble scoring points last season. The Tigers finished eighth in the SEC in scoring offense. The way they finished this spring, though, would suggest that offensive production won't be a problem next season. The offense scored five touchdowns in the Tigers' A-Day spring game on March 17 and then came back in the final scrimmage of the spring a few days later and was even more productive. Redshirt freshman tailback Mario Fannin certainly left a lasting impression heading into the summer with 206 yards rushing on 13 carries. He had touchdown runs of 60, 58 and 11 yards. Tristan Davis also rushed for 100 yards on 15 carries. The defense was missing at least four starters in that final scrimmage, but that didn't stop defensive coordinator Will Muschamp from saying that his guys were physically and mentally whipped. The scrimmage started ominously enough for the defense when starting quarterback Brandon Cox connected with Rod Smith, who broke a tackle and raced 75 yards for a touchdown. Cox, looking healthy this spring after injuries plagued him all of last season, finished the day 14 of 19 for 302 yards and three touchdowns.
Florida Gators
http://espn.go.com/i/teamlogos/ncaa/med/57.gif
The No. 1 priority this spring for the defending national champion Gators was rebuilding a defense that lost nine of 11 starters. Some new names are beginning to emerge. Sophomore linebackers Brandon Spikes and Dustin Doe are off to good starts, and coach Urban Meyer likes the leadership qualities that Spikes, in particular, has shown. A few others who've caught Meyer's eye are sophomore defensive tackle Brandon Antwine, redshirt freshman defensive end Lawrence Marsh, redshirt freshman linebacker A.J. Jones and true freshman cornerback Joe Haden. An early enrollee, Haden has been working a little with the first-team defense. The only starters back from last season's defense are senior safety Tony Joiner and junior defensive end Derrick Harvey, who led the Gators with 11 sacks. While Florida won't be as big or as experienced on defense next season, Harvey thinks the Gators will be faster. A good sign for the defense is that it's won both of the scrimmages to this point, including the goal-line scrimmage Saturday. Meyer was happy with the way the defensive line performed in that scrimmage, but he was also miffed over the number of fumbled snaps that plagued the Gators on offense. So far, junior Kestahn Moore is working with the first team at running back. Sophomore Brandon James has been his backup, although redshirt freshman Chevon Walker has had his moments.
Georgia Bulldogs
http://espn.go.com/i/teamlogos/ncaa/med/61.gif
The Bulldogs hope junior college newcomer Jarius Wynn can continue to build on what's been a strong spring. He could be their answer at defensive end, where they're losing both Quentin Moses and Charles Johnson. Marcus Howard and Roderick Battle are the other candidates at end, although both are a little undersized. The battle for the left offensive tackle spot grew a little more interesting this week with sophomore Vince Vance's return to practice on a limited basis after injuring his knee the first week of spring drills. True freshman Trinton Sturdivant and redshirt freshman Josh Davis had moved ahead of Vance, but he thinks he'll be able to play in the Bulldogs' spring game on April 7. Coach Mark Richt said Sturdivant, who graduated high school early to be able to go through the spring, would probably be the Bulldogs' starter at left tackle if the season were to begin today. Richt is counting on senior guard Fernando Velasco to be the Bulldogs' leader up front next season. Velasco redshirted last season. For the time being, Mikey Henderson and Sean Bailey have supplanted Mohamed Massaquoi and A.J. Bryant as Georgia's first-team receivers. The Bulldogs had more dropped passes than Richt or anybody on offense cares to remember last season.
Kentucky Wildcats
http://espn.go.com/i/teamlogos/ncaa/med/96.gif
Running back Rafael Little, one of the SEC's most versatile running backs, will be limited the first two weeks of spring after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in the offseason. Kentucky already had some questions to answer on its offensive line as spring practice opened on Wednesday, but there may be more of those guys sitting than practicing this spring. Starting guard Christian Johnson was suspended for academic reasons, and coach Rich Brooks isn't sure when Johnson will be back. In addition, offensive linemen Jorge Gonzalez, Zach Hennis, Justin Jeffries and Jason Leger are still recovering from offseason surgery and won't be able to have any contact. The Wildcats will also be without starting free safety Marcus McClinton for a while. He was suspended by Brooks after being arrested last week and charged with wanton endangerment for allegedly setting off homemade explosives. Those charges were reduced this week in court to second-degree disorderly conduct, paving the way for McClinton to rejoin the team at some point. This will be the debut of new Kentucky defensive coordinator Steve Brown, who was promoted from defensive backs coach last season.
ESPN Link (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2816955)