2014 A&M Football

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A&M Football 14 Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Ready Kenny?

A&M coaches, players believe in Hill SEASON PREVIEW & ANALYSIS • DEPTH CHART CEASE GRADES THE AGGIES • EXPERT PICKS

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Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Ags’ defense must stand on its own

T Eagle photo by Stuart Villanueva Texas A&M defensive back Sam Moeller blocks a punt during the Aggies’ win over Mississippi State. Moeller was A&M’s “12th Man” last season. He has since been given a scholarship, but will continue to wear No. 12.

2013 Results Date

Opponent

Result

Aug. 31 Rice 52-31 Sept. 7 Sam Houston St. 65-28 Sept. 14 Alabama 42-49 Sept. 21 SMU 42-13 Sept. 28 at Arkansas 45-33 Oct. 12 at Ole Miss 41-38 Oct. 19 Auburn 41-45 Oct. 26 Vanderbilt 56-24 Nov. 2 UTEP 57-7 Nov. 9 Mississippi St. 51-41 Nov. 23 at LSU 10-31 Nov. 30 at Missouri 21-28 Dec. 31 vs. *Duke 52-48 * Chick-fil-A Bowl at Georgia Dome

2014 Schedule Date

Opponent

Time

Aug. 28 at South Carolina 5 Sep. 6 Lamar 6:30 Sep. 13 Rice 8 Sep. 20 at SMU, TBA Sep. 27 *Arkansas TBA Oct. 4 at Mississippi St. TBA Oct. 11 Mississippi TBA Oct. 18 at Alabama TBA Nov. 1 Louisiana-Monroe TBA Nov. 8 at Auburn TBA Nov. 15 Missouri TBA Nov. 27 LSU 6:30 *-at AT&T Stadium, Arlington

Table of contents Up-Hill battle: In addition to the defenses he’ll face week-in and week-out, Kenny Hill also must combat fan expectations and comparisons to Johnny Manziel. .4 Do the right thing: Left tackle Cedric Ogbuehi is glad to be back and both he and the Aggies stand to benefit from the decision. ...................................................................................6 Ready to roll: Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital has plenty of toys to play with on offense, but how will he use them? ...........................8 Definitely bigger, maybe better: Mark Snyder’s defense has beefed up, but it will fill many holes with untested players this season. ...........................................................................9

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Season preview: A&M aims to build off the momentum it gained the last two seasons, despite roster turnover. ............................10 Leading the way: Deshazor Everett will be counted on to anchor a secondary by staying put at cornerback. ................................................12 Cease Grades the Aggies: Executive sports editor Robert Cessna evaluates A&M’s strengths and weaknesses. ........................................... 13 Depth chart: Which players will be starting at South Carolina? 15 SEC team previews: Beat writers weigh in on how the schools they cover will fare this season ..................................... 16-31

exas A&M’s defense will be better this season because without Johnny Manziel the offense will be designed not to score as quickly, thus the defenders won’t be on the field as much. They’ll be fresher which will allow them to make more stops, and force more turnovers.

It sounds logical, and maybe someone even received a government grant to research it and somehow found enough data to support it, but it’s hogwash.

A&M’s defense last season was bad to atrocious and the offense couldn’t have done a thing to make it better.

Yeah, the other team didn’t score when A&M had the ball but the offense’s job wasn’t to score slowly and often. It was just to score as fast as it could.

That’s not going to change, even without Manziel. A&M still plans to score quickly and let me dispel the notion A&M needs to worry about the defense getting worn down.

Last season in Southeastern Conference play and the Chick-fil-A Bowl, A&M had 11 possessions that lasted at least four minutes. Opponents responded by scoring on eight possessions – four touchdowns and four field goals. So much for the extra rest helping the defense be better.

You might say that’s not enough data for concrete conclusions, until you go back a season, to 2012 when Manziel burst onto the scene. It was all about Johnny Football during his march to the Heisman but let’s not forget A&M had a solid defense.

A&M’s offense that season in league play and the Cotton Bowl had 14 drives of at least four minutes. Opponents responded by scoring only three times.

By itself you could argue that it shows the A&M defenders rested up and come out stronger. Not really, though, because A&M’s defense was pretty good all the time. The Aggies streamrolled Arkansas and Oklahoma by a combined score of 99-23. A&M didn’t have a single possession over three minutes in those games, yet the defense didn’t have any problem getting off the field, allowing scores on only 5 of 28 possessions.

You can argue that the defense fed off the offense and vice versa, but the defense had playmakers at every level with end Damontre Moore, linebackers Jonathan Stewart and Sean Porter, and safety Steven Terrell. Last season’s defense made some plays, none bigger than the interceptions by Toney Hurd Jr., and Nate Askew in the

Robert Cessna robert.cessna@theeagle.com

Continued on Page 5

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Winning will help fans forget about Manziel Coaches, players confident in Hill’s ability to lead A&M

By AUBREY BLOOM aubrey.bloom@theeagle.com

In fact, Wasson said he saw something special from Hill before he started his first game at Carroll.

“He went and sat with his offensive Kenny Hill won his first major linemen which told me he’s really battle of the season, beating out Kyle smart,” he laughed. “He’s not sitting Allen as Texas A&M’s starting quarwith the skill guys. He kind of set the terback. When the ball is snapped bar with that when he was a sophoThursday in South Carolina, he will more. Nobody told him to do that. I face an opponent besides the one on just said that’s pretty special for a guy the field. smart enough to know that he’s going With each play Hill will be to be as good as those compared not just to guys are protecting Johnny Manziel, but to him, and he wants the legend and legacy those guys to know left by Manziel. he’s in it with them.”

The question is Their contrasts whether or not Hill lets aside, Hill has walked that battle play out in a similar path to Manhis own head. Will the ziel en route to the sophomore signalA&M starting job. caller feel the pressure Both took over their to live up to impossible high school starting expectations, let alone jobs their sophomore the pressure of openyears, and neither was ing on the road against — Southlake Carroll a particularly heralded South Carolina’s coach Hal Wasson recruit. In fact, neither defense? was offered by Texas His former coach at or Oklahoma. Manziel Southlake Carroll, Hal was the 13th ranked dual-threat Wasson, says the answer is no. passer in the class of 2010 according “There was never a stage too big for him in high school,” said Wasson. to the 247Composite, a ranking that averages the rankings of the four ma“The bigger the stage, the bigger he jor recruiting outlets. Hill was ranked played. And I’ve always admired that 10th in 2013. Hill barely cracked the in him.”

Top 250 players in his class.

Wasson coached Kenny Hill to a Despite not being highly ranked, UIL 5A State Championship in 2011 they both brought home some in front of over 40,000 fans at AT&T big-time awards. Hill was the Texas Stadium, and saw how Hill prepared Gatorade Player of the Year in 2013. for big games.

“I’ve never had a great quarterback Manziel was the National High who’s in there head-butting everyone School Coaches Association Player of the Year. before the game or acting like the Both were two-sport athletes in class clown,” he said. “Kenny’s very high school and planned on playing reserved. I saw that kind of gleam in his eye, that ‘I’m about going to go Continued on Page 5 ball’ look.

“The bigger the stage, the bigger he played. And I’ve always admired that in him.”

AP photo Now Texas A&M’s starting quarterback, Kenny Hill led Southlake Carroll to the 5A state title in 2011.

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College Football 2014 • The Eagle • AggieSports.com

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Cessna: Defense will decide how far A&M goes Continued from Page 3 Chick-fil-A Bowl. The unit made a few other big plays – Daeshon Hall’s interception against Mississippi State and Deshazor Everett’s interception against Arkansas come to mind - but it really had no consistent playmakers or if they did they were swallowed up by horrendous play around them.

That’s the bottom line, you gottta have studs the other team’s offense has to game plan for. A&M’s offense has passed the point where it needs to reloads, it’s better than that. The newcomers cracking this year’s depth chart were much more highly touted than those of 5-6 years ago. Former head coach Mike Sherman had an eye for offensive talent, building a strong foundation. Consider that Sherman’s starting offense near the end of the 2009 season included Jeff Fuller, Uzoma Nwachukwu and Ryan Swope at receivers; Luke Joeckel, Patrick Lewis, Cedric

How will the Aggies finish?

Picking a season record in August is rather pointless. You have no idea who might get injured nor do you know what key players have fallen from grace with the coaches or what phenoms are about to burst on the scene. Still, we all like to think we can interpret the facts better than others when it comes to taking a stab at the future.

I’ve settled on 7-5 for Texas A&M for several reasons, the main one being that Southeastern Conference road schedule. The Aggies made a big splash by winning their first six league games on the road but last season was probably more indicative of life in the SEC with A&M earning a split. And it was a shaky split. Even Arkansas which Ogbuehi and Jake Matthews were four of the starting linemen, and the quarterback was Ryan Tannehill with Cyrus Gray at tailback. That’s salty.

Kevin Sumlin has been able to take that offense to a more complete level, especially by improving the depth across the board.

didn’t win a league game gave the Aggies a good game for three quarters, then the following week A&M rallied for a 41-38 victory at Ole Miss. You might say A&M’s road luck ran out in back-to-back losses at LSU and Missouri to end the regular season, but luck had nothing to do with it. LSU and Missouri were the better teams.

Looking at the schedule right now, South Carolina, Alabama and Auburn appear to be better than A&M and those teams also have the advantage of playing the Aggies at home as does Mississippi State, which right now looks an equal to A&M. It wouldn’t surprise me if A&M went 1-3 on the road, even if it does play well.

A&M has to offset that by pro-

The challenge remains for the defense to close the gap, which last season showed us is wide. It’s perplexing and frustrating to Aggies because the program’s success in the 1980s and ‘90s was built on the defense, not the offense. Recent performers such at Von Miller, Tony Jerod-Eddie, Moore and

tecting Kyle Field, something that’s consistency been a problem since the 1990s. The Ole Miss game on Oct. 11 shapes up as a key contest, coming on the heels of playing at Mississippi State. You figure A&M should be able to beat Ole Miss at home after winning there twice, but Ole Miss is talented enough that it could make its own statement just as the Aggies did when they went to Oxford.

The regular season-ending games at home against Missouri and LSU are tough to forecast.

Missouri limped in here a couple of years ago, but the Tigers have a history of playing well at Kyle Field and LSU got a huge victory two years ago. — Robert Cessna

Porter have whetted fans’ appettite allowing them to think the Wrecking Crew was about to return. It wasn’t and it’s not.

And it’s doubtful as long as

Sumlin is here that the defense ever will overshadow the offense, but if the defense could ever be good enough to lead the Southeastern Conference

in most of the major categories the Aggies would be in the College Football Playoff. That could be as soon as a year away if the defense gets in gear.

A&M is expected to start eight underclassmen on defense this season. There’s another 11 underclassmen on the depth chart and that doesn’t include sophomore linebacker Shaan Washington who is out with an injury.

If A&M’s defense can take a significant step forward this season the Aggies will be a contender for the national title soon. That, though, could be asking too much considering how bad last season’s defense was. A&M’s defense this season has to at least move past the point where it seems it would be good for the offense to take longer to score.

• Robert Cessna’s email address is robert.cessna@ theeagle.com

Hill: Spav’s ‘gut choice’ Continued from Page 4 baseball and football for the Aggies. Both came to A&M behind entrenched starters.

Manziel got his first start for A&M against a conference opponent, a Florida team that ranked sixth in total defense that season. Hill’s first start will come against a South Carolina defense expected to be one of the conference’s best.

Hill won a state championship at Southlake Carroll though, something Manziel didn’t do at Kerrville Tivy. If Hill wants to escape Manziel’s shadow in College Station, winning would do the trick.

For all of Manziel’s personal accolades, the Aggies didn’t capture any conference cham-

pionships or make a BCS bowl.

Hill’s A&M teammates describe him as composed and mature. They praise his ability to stay even-keel and not let little things bother him. The A&M coaching staff seems to agree as well.

“I just kind of went back to my gut feeling and the maturity of him and being around this system for one year,” offensive coordinator Jake Spavital said. “There were a lot of other factors, but that was the one that kind of stood out the most to me because he’s sat here and watched Johnny for a year and he’s going to be put in some situations that he’s probably, hopefully, seen before and he can get us out of those bad looks.”

For Wasson, everything

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

comes back to the mental approach. He says Hill is the best he’s coached despite the impressive list of quarterbacks that have come out of Southlake Carroll.

“You’re going to see a tough mentality,” said Wasson.

“Kenny’s highly competitive.

He’s a great team player.

We always say around here that talent will win you some games, it may win you a lot of games, but your mentality is going to win championships.

And Kenny has a championship mentality.

“He’s never going to surrender. He’s going to keep competing. And he’s going to work hard to make sure he’s as good as he can be so those guys around him will believe in him.”

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Ogbuehi feels he made right decision returning to A&M for senior season

By ROBERT CESSNA robert.cessna@theeagle.com

C

Eagle photo by Stuart Villanueva

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edric Ogbuehi’s college career is going to end with him walking across the stage at the 2015 NFL Draft, maybe as the overall No. 1 pick, which would be a first for Texas A&M. As neat as that would be, he didn’t want to leave A&M early and miss out on another walk. On Aug. 15, Ogbuehi walked across the stage at Reed Arena to receive his bachelor’s degree in recreation, parks, and tourism sciences.

“It felt great,” Ogbuehi said. “That was part of the reason I came back, to go ahead and accomplish that goal, just knowing I’m a graduate of Texas A&M. It’s a blessing.”

A&M is blessed for one more season to have the 6-foot-5, 305-pound Ogbuehi who received a first-round grade from the NFL Draft Advisory Board after his junior season. When Ogbuehi announced in January he’d be returning, the reasons he cited were the 12th Man, playing another season with his teammates and getting his degree. However, another reason, maybe the biggest, was that A&M spent more than $50,000 on an insurance policy for Ogbuehi in case he was injured. A&M did it under the Student Assistance Fund.

“That was one of the big selling points, that I could have a free insurance policy,” Ogbuehi said last week. “It helped a lot with my decision.”

Ogbuehi said he didn’t know if his parents would have tried to obtain an insurance policy on their own.

“We didn’t talk about that since they gave us the option they’ll pay for it,” Ogbuehi said.

A&M’s shrewd investment made national news when FOX’s Bruce Feldman reported it at SEC Media Days, but it turns out other schools had done or were about to do the same thing, including Florida State with Heisman winner Jameis Winston, and Oregon

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“It’s hard to find big, athletic pass protectors with long arms and quick feet, but scouts will quickly discover that Ogbuehi is a rare player at the position. The 6-foot-5, 305-pound senior is a technical marvel capable of manning either side of the line on the edges. More importantly, Ogbuehi is a standout performer with the size, athleticism and skill to be a franchise player at the next level.

If he continues to put dominant performances on tape in 2014.”

— NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks

is reimbursing four families who took out insurances policies on their sons, including quarterback Marcus Mariota.

No matter how it came about, Ogbuehi is just glad he can focus on playing and enjoying his final season as a student-athlete.

“College is fun,” he said. “A&M is a fun school, I’ve enjoyed my time here.

I just figured hey, ‘Why not one more year?’”

It’s a big year as Ogbuehi makes

the transition from right tackle to left tackle, attempting to become the program’s third straight NFL first-round pick. Luke Joeckel started it by being drafted second by Jacksonville in 2013 and Jake Matthews followed by going sixth to Atlanta. Matthews also turned down the temptation to turn pro after his junior season, which allowed him to move from the right to the left side for his senior season.

NFL Draft analysts wrote that Matthews by doing that probably made millions in improving his draft status. The move to the left side looks even smarter now after veteran Falcon left tackle Sam Baker tore the patellar tendon in his right knee against the Houston Texans.

Atlanta which had planned to play Matthews on the right side, but with Baker out, moved Matthews to the left side.

Ogbuehi has the chance to be just as good at the position, if not better. He’s rated the SEC’s top NFL prospect heading into the season by cbssports.com.

“Cedric has the ability to play wherever he wants on the line,”A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin said. “He’s very athletic and very long. Some guys will say he’s more athletic than the last two guys [Joeckel and Matthews]. That may be true. Those two guys were pretty good.”

Matthews spent some time this summer tutoring Ogbuehi about the move.

“He was showing me some footwork, steps and technique,”said Ogbuehi at the SEC Media Days. “He didn’t really say much, but just me watching him do it helped the most.”

Ogbuehi said he just needed reps at his new spot during fall camp, however he had his foot in a boot for some practices, though it wasn’t serious.

“I feel comfortable,” he said last week. “I’ve had a lot of reps, so I’m good now. I’m really comfortable.”

Ogbuehi is the centerpiece on an imposing offensive line that returns four starters. Even the new starter, junior right guard Joseph Cheek, has played

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

in 26 games and was able to redshirt when he arrived.

“Really, it’s the most depth I’ve seen since my freshman year,” Ogbuehi said. “We’re almost four deep. It’s good to have depth because it brings more competition, so it’s good to see.”

Senior left guard Jarvis Harrison has a team-high 31 career starts but he’s been slow to recover from offseason shoulder surgery and is listed as a co-starter with senior Garrett Gramling for Thursday’s opener at ninth-ranked South Carolina.

Gramling is battle tested having started at left guard last season in victories over Vanderbilt and Texas-El Paso when Ogbuehi was out with an injury.

Sophomore Germain Ifedi, who started at right guard last season, moves out to right tackle as he could eventually land at left tackle next season. And junior Mike Matthews returns for second season to start at center.

SEC’S TOP PROSPECTS FOR 2015 NFL DRAFT Here are the nation’s Top 10 NFL Draft Prospects for 2015 according to cbssports.com as of Aug. 22.

1, QB Marcus Mariota, Oregon, 6-4, 315, jr.; 2, DE Leonard Williams, Southern Cal, 6-5, 298, jr.; 3, OT Cedric Ogbuehi, Texas A&M, 6-5, 300, sr.; 4, DE Randy Gregory, Nebraska, , 6-6, 245, jr.; 5, OT Brandon Scherff, Iowa, 6-5, 320, sr.; 6, QB Jameis Winston, Florida State, 6-4, 235, soph.; 7, DE Shilique Calhoun, Michigan State, , 6-4, 257, jr.; OT Andrus Peat, Stanford, 6-7, 312, jr.; WR Sammie Coates, Auburn, 6-2, 201, jr.; CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon, , 5-9, 195, sr.

Other SEC players in the Top 100 11, SS Landon Collins, Alabama, 6-0, 215, jr.; 14, WR Amari Cooper, Alabama, 6-1, 202, jr.; 16, OT La’el Collins, LSU, 6-5, 315, sr.; 18, RB Todd Gurley, Georgia, 6-1, 232, jr.; 20, DE Dante Fowler, Florida, 6-2, 261, jr.; 23,RB Mike Davis, South Carolina, 5-9, 216, jr.; 26, RB T.J. Yeldon, Alabama, 6-2, 218, jr.; 38, OG AJ Cann, South Carolina, 6-3, 318, sr.; 54, DE Bud Dupree, Kentucky, 6-4, 267, sr.; 55, LB Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State, 6-4, 245, jr.; 56, DT Gabe Wright, Auburn, 6-2, 285, sr.; 58, C Reese Dismukes, Auburn, 6-3, 296, sr.; 59, OG Arie Kouandjio, Alabama, 6-5, 318, sr.; 97, OT Corey Robinson, South Carolina, 6-7, 348, sr.; 81, S Cody Prewitt, Ole Miss, 6-2, 212, sr.; 86, DT Leon Orr, Florida, 6-4, 305, sr.; 92, OLB Jordan Jenkins, Georgia, 6-2, 246, jr.; 100, LB A.J. Johnson, Tennessee, 6-2, 242, sr.

“We’re right where we were last year,” Sumlin said. “Last year we had a new piece in Mike Matthews and a new situation in moving Jake from right to left. That’s a different post foot, different lead hands, it’s different. It’s been the same with Cedric. We’ve moved [Ifedi] from guard to tackle. It’s really a similar situation. We’ve got guys who played substantially — Jarvis

got hurt and Cedric missed two games last year and we played Gramling and Cheek — so we’re about where we were last year, because Mike is the only guy that’s returning at the same spot. We’ve got six guys who have played significant minutes on the offensive line, they’re just in different positions.”

All that experience, a combined 89 starts, adds up to

cohesiveness and leadership.

“I mean we’ve played so many games, we’ve seen it all,” Ogbuehi said. “A lot of of the young guys, they respond to us really easily.”

Ogbuehi will be verbal when needed, “but I’m more about the business,” he said. “I’m not very talkative.

Mikey, I mean he talks the most, so I let him do the hype talk. But I’m vocal also, I can

get after it, a little bit.”

Ogbuehi has been a huge help for Ifedi.

“Every day he’s in my ear,” Ifedi said. “We just give each other feedback, I’m telling him what I need to work on and he’s just giving me feedback because he made the same exact transition.

So he’s been a big help to me, I’m blessed to have him here.”

A leadership role is something Ogbuehi has grown into. He was part of a 2010 signing class that hit the mother lode when it came to the offensive linemen with former A&M head coach Mike Sherman, who once was the program’s offensive line coach, signing Joeckel, Matthews, Harrison and Gramling.

“It was a big family atmosphere on the campus, everyone was friendly, the coaches were, back then, Coach Sherman did a great job,” said Ogbuehi of why he picked the Aggies. “ It was close to

home, that was a big factor, there were a lot of small factors, but just being close to home and a good atmosphere were the big points.”

A couple of former high school teammates at Allen, wide receiver Uzoma Nwachukwu and safety Steven Terrell, played a big part in getting Ogbuehi to Aggieland.

“They loved it and they bragged about it all the time,”Ogbuehi said. “Everything you could think about, they said it.”

A&M could have another star in the future from Allen.

Quarterback Kyler Murray, son of former Aggie quarterback Kevin Murray, has won back-to-back championships and pledged to A&M during the summer.

Ogbuehi didn’t have to sell Murray a la Terrell and Nwachukwu.

“I didn’t say much, that was his choice, and he made the right choice,” said Ogbuehi who knows a thing or two about making them.

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Spavital ready for post-Johnny challenges Aggies will utilize greater range of weapons in 2014

By AUBREY BLOOM aubrey.bloom@theeagle.com Since walking off of the Georgia Dome turf in the early morning hours after the Chick Fil-A Bowl, Jake Spavital has been busy. He’s preparing for his first full season as offensive coordinato, a job that came with an unenviable assignment.

He has to replace Johnny Manziel, and while he may have been just one player, replacing him will involve several.

It’s a task so daunting that you could forgive Spavital if he showed up to the first press conference of the season looking disheveled and stressed from pulling his hair out all summer. Yet, the 29-year old coach walked in with his hair perfectly parted, smiling with the confidence of a coach much further along in his career.

And why not? The last coach that Kevin Sumlin pulled up the career ladder this quickly was Kliff Kingsbury. Kingsbury became the head coach at Texas Texas just four years after joining Sumlin’s staff at the University of Houston in a quality-control role.

When Kingsbury left A&M in 2012, Sumlin promoted running backs coach Clarence McKinney to offensive coordinator and brought in Spavital as quarterbacks coach.

Spavital was working as a graduate assistant at Tulsa in 2008. A year later, he joined Sumlin’s staff at Houston as a GA under then-offensive coordinator Dana Holgerson, which is where he met Kingsbury. He would follow Holgerson to Oklahoma State where he helped install the offense even though his official title was still graduate assistant.

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When Holgerson left for West Virginia, so did Spavital, spending two seasons as the Mountaineers quarterbacks coach before he got the call from Sumlin.

“He did a great job at Oklahoma State and did a great job, obviously, at West Virginia,” Sumlin said in 2012.

“Just his ability, [he’s] from a coaching family, and just being able to communicate and really work mechanically ... I think you can see how he’s been able to help develop quarterbacks all over the country.”

A&M’s offense was impressive on paper last season, but it didn’t quite have the same magic as in 2012 when Kingsbury was calling the plays. As a result, Spavital was promoted to signal-caller before the Chick Fil-A Bowl, and like McKinney did in the Cotton Bowl the year before, had an impressive debut.

But how to build on it?

Spavital’s most obvious task was to find a quarterback. For advice he turned to his friend Kingsbury, who has overseen a couple of quarterback battles already in his short coaching career.

“Kliff told me that whatever he said, just go ahead and do the exact opposite,” he joked.

“He told me to go with my gut decision, don’t look back, look forward and just try to go beat South Carolina.”

That journey alone took him through spring practice and midway into the fall before he settled on sophomore Kenny Hill. Even with a new quarterback, Spavital said his approach hasn’t changed from the year before.

“It’s a bit different situation without Johnny being there, but we’re dealing with two inexperienced quarterbacks and there’s going to be a bit more

Eagle photo by Stuart Villanueva Texas A&M offensive coordinator Jake Spavital (center) helped pick Kenny Hill (right) over Kyle Allen (far left) as the Aggies’ starting quarterback. coaching involved,” he said. “ There’ll be a lot less repeating myself than last year with Johnny, but these guys will be [coached].”

Sumlin said that with each new coordinator comes a new twist on the so-called “Air Raid” system.

“I think what happens is we’ve got a system that’s in place that we believe in and I think each guy kind of puts his own personality on it, I’ll put it that way,” said Sumlin.

Since South Carolina doesn’t have any video of Spavital calling an offense without Manziel at the helm, Spavital wasn’t going to give out what exactly his offensive personality is going to be.

“I don’t know yet,” he said.

“I think it changes every year to be honest with you which is due to personnel that you have. You can be a little bit more unique with body types with Cam Clear and the

College Football 2014 • The Eagle • AggieSports.com

amount of receivers we have and the amount of running backs we have. I think you can be a little more balanced instead of always just going out there and throwing it around a bit.”

More than anything, that’s probably going to be the biggest change in A&M’s offense this season -- balance. The pressure won’t just be on one player this year.

Manziel was the only Aggie to break the 100-yard mark in a game last season, and he led the Aggies in rushing for a second season in a row. Don’t expect Hill to lead the Aggies in rushing this season, even if he does have the ability to extend plays.

His influence went even further. The offense was so tailored around him that some of its weapons had to take a back seat. Clear was a non-factor most of last season. According to Sumlin, a big part of

the reason Clear wasn’t more involved was keeping defenses spread out for Manziel.

Spavital’s quest to get Clear more involved led him to Ohio State and Clemson. He also acquired film on the Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots.

Manziel also wasn’t the only all-time great on the offense last season. Replacing Mike Evans, perhaps the best receiver in Aggie history, is also going to prove difficult.

The most likely candidate to step into the big-play shoes is true freshman Speedy Noil, even though he’s never played receiver before.

That’s the puzzle that Spavital has had almost nine months to put together, each small piece a part of an effort to replace two giant ones.

At this point, Spavital appears confident. If he was stressed out by diving into the film room to replace Manziel,

he isn’t showing it. He even found time this summer to secure a commitment of his own. He got engaged to a former West Virginia gymnast over the summer.

This fall he’ll probably spend as much time with Hill as he will his new fiancée. For both he and Hill, the question is how much time spent watching can they put into action. Spavital has spent time watching some of the most dynamic play-callers in the game. And Hill spent last season watching one of its most dynamic players.

“There’s going to be some experiences he hasn’t seen, but he has seen a little more than Kyle has right now and that was one of the deciding factors for us,” Spavital said.

“For right now. The way I look at it is we’re moving forward with Kenny. He’s our guy and we’re putting all our eggs in that basket.”

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

SEC’s Top Front-Seven Playmakers Here are the top returning tacklers on front seven for each SEC team:

School Ole Miss Mississppi St. Florida Alabama Arkansas Auburn Georgia Kentucky LSU Missouri South Carolina Tennessee Vanderbilt

Player Serderius Bryant Benardrick McKinney Michael Taylor Trey DePriest Braylon Mitchell Cassanova McKinzy Amario Herrera Alvin Dupree D.J Welter Kentrell Brothers Kaiwan Lewis A.J. Johnson Darreion Herring

Year Position Sr. LB Jr. LB Sr. LB Sr. LB Sr. LB Jr. LB Sr. LB Sr. DL Sr. LB Jr. LB Jr. LB Sr. LB Jr. LB

Here are Texas A&M’s projected starting front seven:

Eagle photo by Stuart Villanueva Defensive coordinator Mark Snyder leads a crew looking for redemption in 2014.

Will bigger Aggie D be better this season?

Snyder will lean on youth, potential to make up for veteran losses up front

By RICHARD CROOME richard.croome@theeagle.com When asked if he’d seen anything in fall camp that could ensure Texas A&M’s defense will be able to slow down a running game similar to the one the Aggies face in their opener, defensive coordinator Mark Snyder didn’t exactly give a ringing endorsement.

“We’ll see when we get there,” Snyder said. “Talk is cheap, so we’ll all know that night at the end of the game.”

Snyder has reason to take a wait-and-see perspective.

Many of the projected front seven, which includes defensive linemen Julien Obioha, Alonzo Williams, Hardreck Walker, Daeshon Hall and linebackers Donnie Baggs, Jordan Mastrogiovani and A.J. Hilliard,

“It is what it is.

“We’re in college football. It’s part of what we deal with as college coaches and as part of the college game.”

— defensive coordinator Mark Snyder Snyder will send out against South Carolina on Thursday will be getting their baptism as starters in a Southeastern Conference game.

A&M’s is so inexperienced up front that the seven starting

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Aggies assigned to stop the run have fewer career tackles combined (218) than Tennessee linebacker A.J. Johnson (324) and Georgia linebacker Amario Herrera (219) have individually.

Defensive backs aside, junior defensive end Obioha is the leading returnee in tackles for the Aggies with 38. The next lowest number among team leaders in the SEC was 54 by South Carolina linebacker Kaiwan Lewis, while five team leaders among players in the league had at least double Obioha’s total.

What makes matters worse, those statistics would have been irrelevent if not for dismissals, a veteran leaving for personal reasons and a key

Continued on Page 14

Player Julien Obioha Alonzo Williams Hardreck Walker Daeshon Hall Donnie Baggs Jordan Mastrogiovani A.J. Hilliard

Year Jr. Jr. So. So. Sr. So. So.

Position DL DL DL DL LB LB LB

2013 tackles 52-26=78 42-28=70 30-32=62 31-34-=65 31-46=77 43-32=75 54-58=112 34-27=61 25-55=80 40-30=70 31-23=54 60-46=106 44-40=84

Career tackles 97-70=163 87-85=172 72-57=129 72-77=149 34-51=85 56-42=98 103-116=219 100-73=173 26-61=87 47-37=84 32-24=56 160-164=324 63-54=117

2013 tackles 16-22=38 9-17=26 2-3=5 12-17=29 11-19=30 7-19=26 0-0=0 Total 57-97=154

Career tackles 29-34=63 11-20=31 2-3=5 12-17=29 32-31=63 7-19=26 1-0=1 94-124=218

2013 tackles 29-60=89 29-18=47 8-24=32 10-16=26 Total 76-118=194

Career tackles 29-60=89 40-33=73 8-24-32 10-16=26 87-133=220

Here are projected Texas A&M starters among the front seven lost before the start of the season:

Player Darian Claiborne Gavin Stansbury Isaiah Golden Shaan Washington

Year So. Sr. So. So.

Position LB DE DL LB

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9

Aggies aim to stay on top despite turnover A&M is counting on younger players in prominent role on both sides of ball

By ROBERT CESSNA robert.cessna@theeagle.com Johnny Manziel is gone but the feeling he helped generate around the program remains. If anything, it’s magnified coming off a stretch of Texas A&M having won 20 of its last 26 games.

“Our expectations are not going to change,” Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin said. “We’re going to try to go out there, win every game, put our guys in a position to do so with the mentality that we are here to win. Just to say, you know, this is just one of those years, I don’t think I’ve ever done that as a coach, as a head coach or as an assistant.”

Topping the list of challenges for A&M’s third season in the Southeastern Conference is sophomore Kenny Hill replacing Manziel, the 2012 Heisman winner. The defense, which was last in the SEC in total defense and scoring defense, lost three projected starters in the offseason after each had off-the-field problems.

Defensive coordinator Mark Snyder will lean on younger players to fill their void, though the youth movement for the unit started last season which in part explained allowing 475.8 yards and 32.2 points per game. A new starting quarterback and as many as 11 other new starters is a concern as the Aggies face their toughest schedule since joining the league with road games at South Carolina, Mississippi State, Alabama and Auburn.

“Last year, I didn’t say hold on, we’re not there yet,” Sumlin said. “First year I didn’t say we can’t do that.

10

“Our expectations are not going to change. We’re going to try to go out there, win every game, put our guys in a position to do so with the mentality that we are here to win. Just to say, you know, this is just one of those years, I don’t think I’ve ever done that as a coach, as a head coach or as an assistant.”

— head coach Kevin Sumlin

It’s our job to get the most out of our team.”

Sumlin’s first step in in making the transition from Manziel to Hill was to change offensive coordinators for the Chick-fil-A Bowl last season, adding play-calling duties to quarterbacks coach Jake Spavital. A&M responded with a 52-48 victory over Duke, rallying from a 21-point deficit. A&M scored 35 second-half points with the plays called by Spavital, who worked with Brandon Weedon at Oklahoma State and Geno Smith at West Virginia, but also as a graduate assistant at the University of Houston in 2009 under

Sumlin when his quarterback was Case Keenum.

“I think the transition has been good,” said Sumlin, adding that Spavital has more options this season because of the personnel.

Hill is a running threat, a la Manziel, which should help. Hill was sharp in limited playing time last season, completing 16 of 22 passes for 183 yards, adding 37 yards rushing on seven carries.

“He’s been in four games and has that game experience,” Sumlin said. “The experience of being here and watching how we do things offensively and seeing Johnny play has helped him.”

Hill took another page from Manziel in opting not to talk to the media, but that was decided before he got the nod over true freshman Kenny Allen. Hill said if picked he wanted to focus just on preparation, and would talk after Thursday’s season opener at ninthranked South Carolina.

“I think Kenny’s going to handle the offense well, he’s a great player, he’s ready for it,” said senior wide receiver Malcome Kennedy, who had 60 catches last season for 658 yards and seven touchdowns. “I spent two years with Johnny, it’s going to be crazy, but I did it before, I spent two years with Ryan Tannehill then I went to Johnny.”

It will be interesting to see how A&M utilizes Hill.

The last two seasons, A&M spread the field because of Manziel, who was easily the team’s leading rusher each season. A&M still plans to spread the field but also wants to better utilize

College Football 2014 • The Eagle • AggieSports.com

Eagle photo by Stuart Villanueva Malcome Kennedy returns as Texas A&M’s most polished receiver. For his career, he has 97 catches for 1,083 yards and nine touchdowns.

6-foot-6, 277-pound tight end Cam Clear, who had only four catches for 42 yards last season.

“Cam is an exceptional player and we’ll use him,” Sumlin said.

The Aggies can go with a jumbo package by adding 6-5, 235-pound freshman wide receiver Ricky SealsJones, who got a medical redshirt for last season after playing in two games.

Seals-Jones also was used at

H-back during spring drills after asking for the opportunity to get more snaps.

“Ricky’s had a great fall camp,” Spavital said. “Going through spring ball he was a little rusty, still not at 100-percent healthy, but he’s been moving around with a great sense of urgency and he’ll be a big target like Mike [Evans]. Those guys are more comfortable for quarterbacks because they don’t have to be as accurate

with the ball.”

A&M has several speedsters on the outside who can stretch the field led by freshman Speedy Noil and sophomore transfer Josh Reynolds, who have claimed starting jobs. Sophomores LaQuvionte Gonzalez, Edward Pope and Jeremy Tabuyo along with junior Sabian Holmes will be in the rotation. Holmes (23 career

Continued on Page 15

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

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11

Coming into focus

Everett’s Impact Here are senior Deshazor Everett’s defensive statistics as cornerback, safety and as a substitute:

Starting cornerback tackles pass fum.

G solo ast def. int. rec.

14 48 36 11 1 0 Starting safety tackles pass fum.

G solo ast def. int. rec.

8 15 19 2 2 1 Off the bench tackles pass fum.

G solo ast def. int. rec.

15 9 12 0 1 0

A&M hopes concentrating on just one position will help Everett anchor secondary

By RICHARD CROOME richard.croome@theeagle.com In the past, senior defensive back Deshazor Everett’s versatilty has been a benefit to both himself and the Texas A&M defense.

Looking ahead, both parties are hoping Everett focusing on one position will pay dividends to all involved.

“He’s played a lot of football in a very good league,” A&M defensive coordinator Mark Snyder said. “He’s so versatile. That’s what makes Deshazor really good. He could play nickel, corner or safety. That’s going to bode really well for him in the future” In the past two seasons, Everett has, with a great deal of success, started 14 games at cornerback and eight at safety. He has scored a touchdown from both positions and has been among the top three in tackles five times lining up across from the opponents best receiver and three times as the back line of the defense.

With only 45 players allowed to suit up in NFL games, Everett knows defending offenses from two different perspectives can only enhance his pro prospects.

“They want to see that you are versatile, so they know hey he can play safety and he

12

can play corner,” Everett said.

“That’s a plus. You don’t get too many guys who can play both. I’m not really built for safety but if I put on weight and still had the speed, maybe I could make the transition. I can always say hey, I’ve made plays at safety.”

Snyder and new secondary coach Terry Joseph have made the decision to go with Everett strictly at cornerback in 2014. “[We want] to try our best to keep him at one position, that is why he is worked exclusively at corner,” Joseph said.

“He still has ability to play safety and he gets in the safety meetings every now and then to brush up on his skills. But for him to specialize at corner and just become a student of the game and learn more of the details about what he’s supposed to do on every play [is what we want].”

At 6-foot, 193 pounds, Everett is definitely built for cornerback rather than safety.

“It’s given me some confidence just to [practice] at corner,” Everett said. “I know where I’m at on the field. I know what I can do. I understand where my help is. I trust that I just need to be at corner because coach knows what he is doing with the safeties and other positions.”

A&M coaches aren’t the

Deshazor Everett’s Highlights:

Eagle photo by Stuart Villanueva After splitting time between defensive backfield positions, senior Deshazor Everett has focused on playing cornerback this season. Everett was the Aggies’ fourth-leading tackler last season with 73.

“He still has ability to play safety and he gets in the safety meetings every now and then to brush up on his skills. But for him to specialize at corner and just become a student of the game and learn more of the details about what he’s supposed to do on every play [is what we want].”

— defensive backs coach Terry Joseph only ones who have appreciated what Everett has done during his two seasons in the Southeastern Conference. He was recently voted preseason first team All-SEC by the coaches.

In the past two years, Everett has 67 solo tackles, assisted on 62 tackles, broken up 13 passes, intercpeted two passes and recovered a fumble.

“Hardest thing for Deshazor right now is I’m his hardest critic because with him having as many snaps under his belt the younger guys are looking to see how

College Football 2014 • The Eagle • AggieSports.com

he responds to certain situations,” said Joseph, who is a fellow Louisiana native and while at Tennessee recruited Everett. “Biggest thing I’ve stressed with Deshazor is whatever happens doesn’t really matter because there is a another play, so good bad indifferent doesnt matter, go to the next play and the young guys can see him respond to some adversity because we are going to face some.”

Everett and senior saftey Howard Matthews will likely line up in the opener against No. 9 South Carolina with freshmen Victor Davis at

cornerback and Armani Watts at safety. And when the Aggies go to their nickel defense, Devonta Burns, a junior with very little experience enters the game.

Everett has been at his best in games against ranked opponents. He is best known for intercepting A.J. McCarron on fourth down to preserve the Aggies’ upset at No. 1 Alabama in 2013.

The DeRidder, Louisiana native posted his career high in tackles with 12 against No. 18 LSU. He has 52 tackles, an interception and four pass breakups in nine games

• In 29-24 win over No. 1 Alabama in 2012, kept Crimson Tide from taking lead with interception at goal line with 1:36 remaining.

• Returned an interception for a touchdown to score final points in 70-14 win over South Carolina State.

• Returned a fumble for touchdown in 42-13 win over SMU • Was among top three leading tacklers for A&M in eight games.

• Led team in tackles with a career-high 12, and had a pass breakup against LSU in 2013.

• Has 11 solo tackles, 3 assists and 2 pass breakups in two bowl games • Has 36 solo tackles, 16 assists, 1 interception and 4 pass breakups in nine games vs Top 25 teams • Coaches 2014 preseason All-SEC firstteam cornerback

against Top 25 teams and combined for 11 solo tackles (14 overall) and two pass deflections in two bowl games.

“I think Deshazor’s a really good football player,” Snyder said. “He’s got tremendous burst, tremendous speed, he’s a great kid and he understands football.”

All of that explains why Snyder trusts Everertt no matter where he plays him on the field.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

CEASE GRADES THE AGGIES

Questions abound entering season Here are Robert Cessna’s preseason grades for the Aggies (last season’s preseason grades are in parenthesis)

the group which it seemed Manziel did at times.

DEFENSIVE LINE: D (C-)

QURTERBACKS: C- (A+) The good: Sophomore Kenny Hill is a two-way threat.

He’s not Johnny Manziel, but has size at 215 pounds to take a hit. Look for Hill to be more of a distributor, at least until he’s settled in. It even took Manziel a game to get going. If Hill has hiccups against inferior opponents all is not lost because backup Kyle Allen has a big-time arm with a huge upside.

The bad: A&M goes into the season without a quarterback who has started a college game. The Aggies can ill afford an injury.

Connor McQueen is a nice story going from walk-on to scholarship player, but that’s only because Matt Joeckel and Matt Davis transferred out.

Bottom line: A&M is going to need smart quarterback play to win at South Carolina, Mississippi State, Alabama and Auburn.

RUNNING BACKS: A- (A) The good: Tra Carson, Brandon Williams and Trey Williams are interchangeable. A&M always will have fresh legs even if someone gets hurt because redshirt freshman James White is ready to see action.

The bad: None of the backs have dominated a series or two consistently to become the featured guy. They also need to be better pass blockers and threats out of the backfield – reliable Ben Malena had 21 catches last season, the other three combined for 18. Then there was Malena’s leadership. Who takes over?

Eagle photo by Stuart Villanueva Texas A&M punter Drew Kaser averaged 47.4 yards per punt last season and put 17 of his 44 kicks inside of the opponent’s 20-yard line.

Bottom line: A&M should be able to play smashmouth football with the 235-pound Carson but its also has enough speed with Williams and Williams to get to the perimeter and keep the up-tempo offense rolling.

OFFENSIVE LINE: A (A-) The good: The Aggies plug in junior Joseph Cheek at right guard and away they go. Left guard Jarvis Harrison has a team-best 31 career starts, but he didn’t report in great shape and is being challenged by Garrett Gramling who started two games last season. Avery Gennesy and Jermaine Eluemunor, junior college transfers, aren’t good enough to start but add to the depth and they’ll only get better.

The bad: The 6-foot-4, 330-pound Harrison is a load when healthy. It would help if he regained the form that last two seasons that allowed him to fend off Gramling and Cheek.

Bottom line: A&M has an SEC group, talented, physical and deep.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

RECEIVING CORPS: C (B) The good: Based on his improvement each season, Malcome Kennedy should be poised for more than 100 catches and 1,300 yards. But anything close will be fine. Tight end Cam Clear (6-6, 277 pounds) has been under utilized, though that could be ready to change under firstyear offensive coordinator Jake Spavital. Throw in 235-pound wide receiver Ricky Seals-Jones and speedy freshman Speedy Noil, a pair of all-conference players in the making, and the Aggies have power and the ability to stretch the field.

The bad: Seven of the nine players listed on the depth chart at the four wide receiver spots are freshmen and sophomores. They have some learning to do.

After Kennedy, the receiver with the most catches returning from last season is LaQuvionte Gonzales who had 21.

Bottom line: Hill needs to find a couple go-to guys but not forget about the rest of

The good: A&M has enough depth that they’ll be able to rotate players at every position. A&M might be able to get pressure on the quarterback with ends who have the physical look of SEC guys who meet at the quarterback.

The bad: A&M has to get pressure from its front four coming off a season it had only 21 sacks and 67 tackles for loss to rank 90th and 99th respectively in the nation. Sophomore lineman Isaiah Golden was dismissed and senior end Gavin Stansbury left the program, both would have seen significant playing time. So much is expected from the ends but junior Julien Obioha is the lone upperclassmen listed on the depth chart.

Bottom line: Daeshon Hall along with one of the newcomers at end, Myles Garrett, Qualen Cunningham or Jarrell Johnson need to become forces to reckon with in a hurry.

LINEBACKERS: C- (C-) The good: Middle linebacker Jordan Mastrogiovanni (6-3, 244 pounds) has the physicality that’s needed to win in the SEC. The bad: The unit remains thin enough that true freshmen will have to pay immediate dividends.

It’s the last chance for senior Donnie Baggs to have a break-out season, and sophomore transfer A.J. Hilliard needs to shake off the rust in a hurry and indications are he will.

Bottom line: Darian Claiborne had to go because of his off-the-field problems,

but he leaves a void. Don’t forget that when he missed the season finale a year ago, Duke rushed for 234 yards on 37 carries.

lose a game because of special teams, and maybe, just maybe could win one of those big road games because of the kicking game.

SECONDARY: D (C-)

COACHING: B (A)

The good: Deshazor Everett is going to stay at cornerback, but that settles only one position.

The bad: Cornerback Da’Vante Harris (urinary tract) is still at least a few weeks from playing. A&M is searching for two bigplay safeties. Howard Matthews started every game season, but he needs to do more than just start. Floyd Raven Sr., had five starts, but he’s lost his job to true freshman Armani Watts.

Bottom line: There’s going to be busts with potentially a true freshman starting at free safety (Watts) and a redshirt freshman at cornerback (Victor Davis), but the key will be their number of mistakes and how quickly they diminish.

The good: It seems that hardly a week goes by that Sumlin doesn’t land another top commitment. He’s a charmer when it comes to the national limelight.

And then there’s that 20-6 record in two years.

The bad: The off-the-field problems have to stop. They haven’t been damaging, but they could eventually prove costly. If the Aggies even slip to 6-6, or gulp, even worse, the critics will blame it on a lack of discipline, rattling off all the arrests.

Bottom line: Sumlin hasn’t won a championship, yet no one would be surprised if the Aggies won a national title in the next few years.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A- (D) The good: Drew Kaser averaged 47.4 yards per punt with 17 of his 44 kicks inside the 20. He’s not a fluke. He’s Shane Lechler reincarnated, maybe better.

Josh Lambo and Taylor Bertolet combined to make 10 of 13 field goals, including all four attempts between the 40-49. Noil will make the return game better while another talented freshman class will allow the coverage teams to shave off a few more yards.

The bad: In a perfect world, A&M’s offense seldom will have to bailed out by a punt, and kicking any field goal other than a game-winner is a letdown.

Bottom line: A&M shouldn’t

OVERALL: B (A-) The good: You’ll be hard pressed to find a better time to be wearing maroon, which thanks to joining the Southeastern Conference has a deep, rich, successful shade to it. A&M had the No. 6 recruiting class this past season - getting all of them in school - and it currently has the No. 4 class for 2015. Kyle Field looks better every day.

The bad: You’re only as good as your last game, which saw the Aggies wipe out a 21-point deficit in the Chick-fil-A Bowl for a 5248 victory. A&M was a play away from an 8-5 season, and carrying a three-game losing streak through the offseason would have been trying. Instead, A&M was 9-4 and the sky is the limit.

Bottom line: It’s a good time to be an Aggie.

College Football 2014 • The Eagle • AggieSports.com

13

Mastrogiovani being counted on at linebacker Continued from Page 9 injury in fall camp.

Four players who would likely have started on the front seven in the opener, sophomore linebacker Darian Claiborne, sophomore defensive tackle Isaiah Golden, senior defensive end Gavin Stansbury and sophomore linebacker Shaan Washington, totaled 194 tackles last season, 40 more than the seven expected to start the opener.

Claiborne, who was third on the team with 89 tackles in 2013, and Golden were dismissed from the team in the spring, Stansbury left the team just before fall camp started and Washington injured his collarbone in the second week of practice.

“It is what it is,” said Snyder.

“We’re in college football. It’s part of what we deal with as college coaches and as part of

the college game.”

No matter who A&M had on the field last season defensively the numbers were dismal.

The Aggies were last in the SEC in total defense, rushing defense, and scoring defense.A&M surrendered 222 yards a game on the ground and 32.2 points a game. Both numbers were twice that of Alabama, which gave up 106 yards rushing and 13.9 points a game.

The Aggies’ 475 total yards surrendered a game was 48 yards worse than Kentucky, which was 13th defensively in the SEC. There were other numbers that proved how overmatched the young undersized Aggie defense was last season. A&M was 10th in sacks with 21, 11th in third-down effieciency at 41 percent and last in red zone efficiency by allowing 35 touchdowns in the 48 times opponents got inside the 20 yard line.

Senior cornerback Deshazor Everett summed it up at the SEC Media Days, by answering a question with a question, “Could we get much worse?”

Aggie fans will soon find out.

A&M coaches are counting on the answer being no because of an influx of young players and with the growth, literally, of those who endured much of last season’s woes.”

Last year I wasn’t as heavy, maybe 275 and at one point in time got down to 265 in the season and I was getting knocked around,” said Williams, who is up to 301 pounds.

“Six-hundred pounds coming at you every play is pretty tough on you as a small guy. I was just tired of it so I said I’ve got to get going.”

Williams isn’t the only one who gained a considerable amount of weight in order to sustain the rigors of the SEC schedule and fend off the offensive linemen.

Mastrogiovani was going to play a key role for the Aggies even before Claiborne was dropped from the team. He is now the center piece of the defense and his first job is to make sure the Aggies don’t have a repeat of allowing a league-worst 5.4 yards a carry.

Mastrogiovani says he is ready in part because of his physical growth and starting the bowl game when Claiborne was suspended.

“I was playing at 225 last year at middle linebacker at an SEC school and that’s definitely on the lighter side and I didn’t know all the plays, didn’t know many of the guys, so I think after this year of experince and putting on 20 pounds I’m fairly confident I’m better now,” Mastrogiovani said. “I learned more in that half [against Duke] than I have in any other moment in my football career so far. That first half was just terrible and you want to

disregard it and act like it never happened. The second half I developed as a player mentally and physically. We got a lot more physical that second half and trusted each other.”

Duke scored 38 points in the first half, 10 in the second and A&M won 52-48.

Snyder and the Aggies are also feeling better about playing a 3-3-5 formation along with their base 4-3 defense.

A&M had 21 sacks in 2013.

Snyder and defensive line coach Terry Price believe with more athletic ends at their disposal those numbers should climb.

“I feel really good about it because when we go to our 3-down stuff we have a chance to put some speed on the field and become a very fast defense from a pass rush standpoint to a back end standpoint,” Snyder said. “Then obviously we have to hold the rigors of the SEC in the run game so our big guys

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got to hold up, so again with the numbers we are able to piece-meal it a little bit and it’s not just one group out there the whole day.”

Again it’s not just about the newcomers when it comes to getting to the quarterback.

Hall will be the rush end, which allows Obioha to move back to the strong-side end.

Hall will be counted on to put his 40-pound weight gain to good use.

“Take a guy like Daeshon Hall who was 220 at 6-foot6, he couldn’t bull rush last year,” Price said. “Inside guys were 270 pounds instead of 300 pounds and they couldn’t bull rush last year. So with the added weight gained it makes them stronger more physical and they can bull rush and you can’t be a great rush guy unless you can power and speed rush.”

If Price’s analysis is correct, those tackle numbers should start swaying the Aggies’ way.

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Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Daeshon Hall ‘looks like the guy’ to Snyder Continued from Page 10 catches for 258 yards) and Gonzalez (21-240) have the most experience.

The most experienced skill players are the junior running backs, Tra Carson, Brandon Williams and Trey Williams, who have combined for 229 career carries for 1,381 yards and 19 touchdowns.

“You can be more unique with body types like Cam Clear and the amount of receivers we have and the amount of running backs we have,” Spavital said. “We can be more balanced instead of just throwing it around out there.”

A&M should have that luxury because four of the offense’s five returning starters are on the offensive line led by senior left tackle Cedric Ogbuehi, a projected NFL first-round pick. Sophomore right tackle Germain Ifedi and junior center

Mike Matthews started every game last season, and the 6-5, 325-pound Ifedi already is drawing the attention of NFL scouts while Matthews was a third-team preseason All-SEC pick by the coaches.

“I feel like we are going to feature the running game more,” Carson said. “I just feel like we can run on any team with our veteran offensive line.”

The offensive line helped A&M finish fourth nationally in total offense with 538.4 yards per game and fifth in scoring offense at 44.2 points per game.

The defensive numbers, though, were at the opposite end of the spectrum. A&M ranked 109th in total defense and 95th in scoring.

“Last year, I think on defense we lacked leadership because it’s hard to lead when you’re young,” Sumlin said. “You’re just trying to figure out what the hell you’re doing.”

Three of those players, rush end Daeshon Hall, nose guard Hardreck Walker and middle linebacker Jordan Mastrogiovanni are now starters as sophomores.

Hall (6-6, 260) beefed up in the offseason as he battles incoming freshman Myles Garrett, rated the nation’s best 2014 recruit at his position by 247.com.

“Daeshon is still defending off Garrett,” Snyder said. “His lower body has really, really improved. He looks like the guy. We still have upper body work to do because he had two shoulder injuries, but once that catches up with his lower half, he has a chance to do some things for us.”

Mastrogiovanni started at middle linebacker in the Chick-fil-A Bowl after the suspension of freshman Darian Claiborne, who during the offseason was dismissed from the team along with sophomore defensive lineman Isaiah Golden. Both

were arrested for alleged armed robbery. Also gone is senior defensive end Gavin Stansberry, who enrolled at the University of Houston.

Mastrogivonni is the leader of the new guard. “[Mastrogiovanni] is still in the growing process,” Snyder said. “We talk every day about him being the coordinator on the field.

That comes as you play a lot.

That’s one of those positions you have to play to learn.

That’s why we’ve got Justin Bass backing him up. He learned under Sean [Porter] and Stew [Jonathan Stewart] and he knows the defense.

But I’ve been pleased with Jordan.”

Mastrogiovanni said he’s settled in as the unit’s quarterback.

“It was overwhelming a little bit at the beginning of spring,” Mastrogiovanni said. “But I’m really comfortable with it now, I’ve had a lot of practice, it’s second nature with me now.

Another key sophomore starter is weak side linebacker A.J. Hilliard, who sat out last season after transferring from Texas Christian.

“I like A.J.,” Snyder said.

“But I don’t want to put a lot of pressure on him.”

A&M has five returning starters on defense and 12 others listed on the depth chart have seen action but the unit is still very young.

A&M’s depth chart for South Carolina has 10 freshmen, probably at least seven of them will play and two will likely start, Victor Davis at cornerback and Armani Watts at free safety.

“We have talent across the board,” said senior cornerback Deshazor Everett, a preseason All-SEC pick.

“Victor Davis he’s athletic, he understands things, we just gotta get him going, have his confidence [high].”

Getting to the point where they’re playing with confidence also concerns Snyder.

“We gotta start fast,” Snyder said. “Two years ago out here against Florida, we played pretty well and it kinda snowballed. We gained some confidence and we ended up playing pretty good. Last year, again we were young and didn’t start fast and didn’t start with a bunch of confidence. It took about until the Vanderbilt game before I felt like we were starting to gel a little bit.”

South Carolina will be a good barometer for the defense and the team. A&M probably won’t play another ranked team until October as the Aggies look to build on the momentum of their first two SEC seasons.

“Yeah, it’s important to win, just like the first year,” Sumlin said. “You heard me say it before, is it one thing? No. Is it the coaching change? Is it the SEC? Is it Johnny? Is it A&M? It’s all those things that have made this process possible.”

Texas A&M Depth Chart No. 2 18 70 65 51 78 56 68 79 72 74 63 85 41 9 23 6

Name

OFFENSE

Ht.

Wide receiver Speedy Noil 5-11 Edward Pope 6-4 Left tackle Cedric Ogbuehi 6-5 Avery Gennesy 6-5 Left guard Jarvis Harrison 6-4 Garrett Gramling 6-6 Center Mike Matthews 6-2 Ben Compton 6-4 Right guard Joseph Cheek 6-7 Jermaine Eluemunor 6-4 Right tackle Germain Ifedi 6-5 Ryan Lindblade 6-7 Tight end Cameron Clear 6-6 Brandon Alexander 6-6 Wide receiver Ricky Seals-Jones 6-5 Sabian Holmes 5-11 LaQuvionte Gonzalez5-10

Wt. Class

11 15

185 180

Fr. So.

84 19

305 305

Sr. Jr.

7 10

330 310

Sr. Sr.

21 5 3

Wide receiver Josh Reynolds 6-4 Frank Iheanacho 6-6 Wide receiver Malcome Kennedy 6-0 Jeremy Tabuyo 5-11 Quarterback Kenny Hill 6-1 Kyle Allen 6-3 Tailback Tra Carson 6-0 Brandon Williams 6-0 Trey Williams 5-8

290 300

Jr. Sr.

No.

Name

310 315

Jr. Jr.

315 305

So. So.

277 266

Sr. Jr.

235 175 165

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Fr. Jr. So.

95 9 40 83 89 96 98 92

DEFENSE

Ht.

End Julien Obioha 6-4 Qualen Cunningham 6-3 Jarrett Johnson 6-3 Tackle Alonzo Williams 6-4 Ivan Robinson 6-3 Jay Arnold 6-4 Nose guard Hardreck Walker 6-2 Zaycoven Henderson 6-1

190 220

So. Fr.

10 15

205 180

Sr. So.

46 3

215 205

So. Fr.

45 43 14

235 200 195

Jr. Jr. Jr.

16 42

Wt. Class

28 8

265 247 260

Jr. Fr. Fr.

296 290 284

Jr. Sr. So.

300 315

So. Fr.

29 22 31 18 25 23 5 25

Rush end Daeshon Hall 6-6 260 Myles Garrett 6-5 255 Weakside linebacker A.J. Hilliard 6-2 230 Tommy Sanders 6-2 220 Middle linebacker Jordan Mastrogiovanni6-3 244 Justin Bass 6-2 231 Josh Walker 6-1 233 Strongside linebacker Donnie Baggs 6-1 230 Otaro Alaka 6-3 225 Cornerback Victor Davis 6-0 191 Nick Harvey 5-10 180 Cornerback Deshazor Everett 6-0 193 Tavares Garner 6-0 183 Back safety Howard Matthews 6-2 210 Donovan Wilson 6-1 192 Clay Honeycutt 6-2 200 Free safety Armani Watts 5-11 190 Floyd Raven Sr. 6-2 200 Honeycutt 6-2 200

So. Fr.

26 12

Nickel cornerback Devonta Burns 6-0 Sam Moeller 5-11

So. Sr.

No.

Name

So. Sr. Fr.

49 24

Sr. Fr.

38 14

Fr. Fr.

38 46

Sr. So.

54

Sr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Sr. Sr.

2 6 8 3 2 6

SPECIAL TEAMS

Ht.

Place-kicker Josh Lambo 6-0 Taylor Bertolet 5-9 Holder Drew Kaser 6-3 Conner McQueen 5-10 Punter Kaser 6-3 Shane Tripucka 6-3 Snapper Alex Freeman 6-1 Punt returner Noil 5-11 Gonzalez 5-10 Harvey 5-10 Kickoff returner Williams 5-8 Noil 5-11 Gonzalez 5-10

College Football 2014 • The Eagle • AggieSports.com

214 186

Jr. Jr.

Wt. Class 220 185

Sr. Jr.

210 175

Jr. So.

210 215

Jr. Fr.

235

Sr.

185 165 180

Fr. So. Fr.

195 185 165

Jr. Fr. So.

15

Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama looks to rebound Crimson Tide will try to regain its championship form in 2014 Beat writer’s take:

11-1 “Yes, even a program like a Alabama can have question marks. But those marks are always a bit smaller when you recruit the way Nick Saban and Co. does every season.

First, the issues: The Crimson Tide will have to prove something at quarterback, it will have to show SABAN consistency at cornerback and issues linger in the kicking game.

“Still, the talent is overflowing at the skill positions on offense, the front seven could be the best and deepest Alabama has seen in years - taking some pressure off those young defensive backs - and Alabama is, well, Alabama; it’s roster is one of the most talented in the nation.

Bottom line: If it can find success at QB, the sky is the limit.” — D.C. Reeves, The Tuscaloosa News

Schedule Date

Opponent

Time

Aug. 30 West Virginia 2:30 p.m.

Sep. 6

FAU

Sep. 13 Southern Miss.

11 a.m.

5 p.m.

Sep. 20 Florida

TBA

Oct. 4

at Mississippi

TBA

Oct. 11

at Arkansas

TBA

Oct. 18 Texas A&M

TBA

Oct. 25 at Tennessee

TBA

Nov. 8

TBA

at LSU

Nov. 15 Mississippi St.

TBA

Nov. 22 W. Carolina

TBA

Nov. 29 Auburn

TBA

By JOHN ZENOR Associated Press TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Reeling from a loss that ended Alabama’s national championship hopes during the 2008 season, the Crimson Tide followed up with a shaky Sugar Bowl performance.

After losses to Florida and Utah, respectively, the Tide rebounded with three national championships and 49 wins over four years. The challenge now is to do it again after a similar end-of-season fade — a last-play loss to Auburn and a beating from Oklahoma in New Orleans.

“The time is now to resurrect the identity of the Alabama football program,” coach Nick Saban said.

It might be more of a reboot than a resurrection, but the ending did cast a pall on a season that seemed pointed toward a shot at a third straight national title.

There’s little question Alabama remains talented enough to again contend for at least a Southeastern Conference title, even minus stars like quarterback AJ McCarron and linebacker C.J. Mosley.

The T.J. Yeldon-led backfield is loaded. Amari Cooper headlines a deep, talented group of receivers. The defense has preseason first-team AllSEC picks in safety Landon Collins, linebacker Trey DePriest and defensive end A’Shawn Robinson.

And the latest No. 1 recruiting class is in place to lend a hand. The newcomers include the leading contender to be the starting quarterback, Florida State transfer Jacob Coker.

“We’re ready to get back out there and prove to the NCAA

16 College Football 2014

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Brian Vogler said. “It’s our style.”

3 BACKS, 1 BALL: T.J. Yeldon is the first Alabama running back to start his career with two straight 1,000-yard seasons, while Derrick Henry dazzled in the Sugar Bowl and Kenyan Drake averaged 7.5 yards on 92 carries last season. Even for Alabama, this backfield is imposing, but it remains to be seen how the carries will be divvied.

AP photo Junior running back T.J. Yeldon leads a talented Crimson Tide backfield that will be the focal point of the offense.

Quick facts Enrollment: 34,852 Stadium: Bryant-Denny Stadium (101,821) 2013 record: 11-2, 7-1 in SEC, tied for first in West 2013 bowl result: Sugar: Oklahoma 45, Alabama 31 Coach: Nick Saban (18074-1, 74-15 at Alabama) Returning starters: 12 (7

off - WR Amari Cooper, WR Christion Jones, C Ryan Kelly, OG Arie Kouandijo, OT Austin Shepherd, TE Brian Vogler, RB T.J. Yeldon; 5 def. - DB Landon Collins, LB Trey DePriest, LB Denzel Devall, L Brandon Ivory, DB Jarrick Williams)

that we can be one of the topnotch teams,” safety Landon Collins said.

passing records, awards and two national titles as starter.

His replacement will either be Coker or McCarron’s backup Blake Sims. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Coker is more in McCarron’s mold, even coming from the same Mobile high school and saw action in 11 games for the Seminoles over

5 things to watch in Alabama’s season: QUARTERBACK PLAY: Three-year starter McCarron left with many of Alabama’s

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the past two years. The 6-foot, 208-pound Sims is athletic enough that he was moved to running back as a redshirt freshman. He spent time with a quarterbacks coach during spring and summer break trying to improve his passing technique.

LANE CHANGES: Lane Kiffin made his name as an offensive whiz as a Southern California assistant. Fired last year as USC’s head coach, now he’s Saban’s fourth offensive coordinator in eight seasons.

The core philosophy should remain the same. “We’re going to run the ball effectively and we’re going to start off with great play-action passes just like we always have,” tight end

SECONDARY: Defensive coordinator Kirby Smart is back in charge of a secondary group that built experience even as it was up and down with youth and injuries last season. Landon Collins was a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist while Jarrick Williams is back at the other safety spot. Cyrus Jones, a converted receiver, is likely to start at one cornerback position while the other is up for grabs. Freshman Tony Brown participated in spring practice and is almost certain to be in the rotation, possibly as a starter. Ditto for fellow five-star prospect Marlon Humphrey. Eddie Jackson is recovering from spring knee surgery.

ATTITUDE: Players including McCarron have said a sense of entitlement crept into the locker room last season. If that shortcoming was evident, it was in the Sugar Bowl. Three defenders, including starting nose guard Brandon Ivory, opened camp on suspension.

Drake and junior college transfer Jarran Reed were arrested over the summer. Saban said the coaches like this team, but ultimately the outcome may boil down to one question: “What’s their mind-set?”

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

FLORIDA GATORS

Gators healthy, set to win After 4-8 debacle, Muschamp vows to return Florida to elite

By MARK LONG Associated Press GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Little, if anything, went right for Florida last year.

Mounting injuries, including a devastating one to quarterback Jeff Driskel in the third game of the season, were the main culprit in the program’s first losing season since 1979. Coaching conflicts, locker room issues and a woe-is-me mentality made a difficult situation downright dire.

Coach Will Muschamp fired two assistants a day after the 4-8 debacle

ended, overhauled one of the league’s worst offenses in the offseason and vowed to return the Gators to the top of the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division.

It’s a lofty goal, but far from impossible for Florida.

“We’ve got a good roster and our guys are motivated,” Muschamp said.

Equally important, the Gators are healthy.

Driskel, running back Matt Jones, receiver Andre Debose and offensive tackle Chaz Green have returned after missing most or all of last season with injuries. And Florida has a number of bud-

Beat writer’s take:

8-4

Schedule Date

Opponent

Aug. 30 Idaho

“A healthy and more productive offense under new coordinator Kurt Roper should give the Gators a chance to win some of those close games they lost a year ago in an injury-riddled season. The defense, as it has done under Will Muschamp, will keep the Gators in most games.”- Robbie Andreu, The Gainesville Sun ding stars with another year of experience, including cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, defensive end Dante

Sep. 6

E. Michigan

Sep. 13 Kentucky

Time 6 p.m.

3 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

Sep. 20 at Alabama

TBA

Oct. 4

at Tennessee

TBA

Oct. 11

LSU

TBA

Oct. 18 Missouri

TBA

Nov. 1

at Georgia

TBA

Nov. 8

at Vanderbilt

TBA

Nov. 15 South Carolina

TBA

Nov. 22 E. Kentucky

TBA

Nov. 29 at Florida St.

TBA

Fowler Jr., linebacker Jarrad Davis and receiver Demarcus Robinson.

They’re eager to move past

Quick facts Enrollment: 49,913 Stadium: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field (88,548) 2013 record: 4-8, 3-5 in the SEC, 5th in East Coach: Will Muschamp (2216, all at Florida) Returning starters: 14 (7 off. - LT D.J. Humphries,

C Max Garcia, LG Tyler Moore, TE Clay Burton, WR Quinton Dunbar, QB Jeff Driskel, RB Kelvin Taylor; 7 def. - L Darious Cummings, L Leon Orr, L Dante Fowler, Jr., L Jon Bullard, LB Antonio Morrison, LB Mike Taylor, DB Vernon Hargreaves III)

2013, but not quite ready to forget the feeling of failure.

“You want to put it behind you, but you’ve got to learn from your past mistakes or you’ll repeat them,” linebacker Michael Taylor said.

“When you’re a kid, you’re not going to put your hand on a hot over repeatedly.

You’re going to learn to not touch a hot stove. We’re not getting anywhere close to that oven now.”

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17

AUBURN TIGERS

Second not good enough After runner-up finish, Auburn strives to be ‘13 seconds better’ Beat writer’s take:

10-2 “Winners of the last five SEC championships, the West is still king in the toughest conference in college football, and this season should be no different with Alabama, LSU and defending champion Auburn all viable contenders.

With returning starting quarterback Nick MALZAHN Marshall, the first of Gus Malzahn’s collegiate career, Auburn’s offense is expected to take the next step and become more balanced after depending so heavily on the run last season.

“The Tigers will be a partially rebuilt defensive unit after returning six starters, and is eager to develop a pass rush from a defensive line that has been decimated by injuries and departures this offseason.”

— Alex Byington, OpelikaAuburn News

Schedule Date

Opponent

Time

Aug. 30 Arkansas

3 p.m.

Sep. 6

6 p.m.

San Jose St.

Sep. 18 at Kansas St. 6:30 p.m.

Sep. 27 Louisiana Tech

TBA

Oct. 4

LSU

TBA

Oct. 11

at Mississippi St.

TBA

Oct. 25 South Carolina

TBA

Nov. 1

at Mississippi

TBA

Nov. 8

Texas A&M

TBA

Nov. 15 at Georgia

TBA

Nov. 22 Samford

TBA

Nov. 29 at Alabama

TBA

By JOHN ZENOR Associated Press AUBURN, Ala. — The theme around Auburn’s football building since January has been about being “13 seconds better.”

Just being better than ‘13 is a lofty enough goal.

The Tigers won’t be able to sneak up on anyone again after winning the Southeastern Conference and making it to the brink of the 2013 national title, before Florida State’s game-winning touchdown with 13 seconds remaining in the championship game.

“This year we’re going to be circled,” said coach Gus Malzahn, who directed the biggest one-year turnaround in SEC history during his debut season. “We told our players that. We’re going to have to be better in every phase, especially early in the season.”

The Tigers might be better and still not duplicate last year’s run that included one win on a deflected Hail Mary (Georgia) and another on a last-play return of a missed field goal (Alabama).

Shon Coleman replaces the second overall NFL draft pick Greg Robinson at left tackle four years after being diagnosed with leukemia.

The Tigers also must replace defensive end Dee Ford, also a first-rounder, and Heisman Trophy finalist tailback Tre Mason. Quarterback Nick Marshall, receiver Sammie Coates and leading tackler Cassanova McKinzy are back.

Center Reese Dismukes said the “13 seconds” anthem has been a motivator but a big takeaway from last season is “knowing that we’re never out of it. Anything can hap-

18 College Football 2014

•

with Florida State. Now the question remains if one or two of those type games could go the other way this season.

MISSING STARTERS: Guard Alex Kozan and defensive end Carl Lawson, two of Auburn’s best linemen, could both be lost for the season. Kozan is out after back surgery. Lawson had knee surgery in early May and the Tigers haven’t ruled out a return this fall. Auburn has an experienced replacement at guard in Avery Young. Replacing Lawson’s pass rushing ability could be more challenging, with Gabe Wright moving over from tackle and a package that has linebacker Cassanova McKinzy up front in passing situations.

Eagle photo by Stuart Villanueva Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall enters the season as one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy. The Tigers will need Marshall to play up to that billing to duplicate last season.

Quick facts Enrollment: 25,469 Stadium: Jordan-Hare Stadium (87,451) 2013 record: 12-2, 7-1, 1st West, SEC champ 2013 bowl result: National Championship: Florida State 34, Auburn 31 Coach: Guz Malzahn (21-5, 12-2 at Auburn) Returning starters: 15 (9 off. - WR Quan Bray, WR

Sammie Coates, C Reese Dismukes, G Alex Kozan, WR Ricardo Louis, QB Nick Marshall, G Chad Slade, TE C.J. Uzomah, T Avery Young; 6 def. - LB Cassanova McKinzy, DB Jonathon Mincy, E LaDarius Owens, LB Robenson Therezie, DB Jermaine Whitehead, L Gabe Wright)

pen.”

Arkansas as punishment after being cited for having a small amount of marijuana in his car. Sophomore Jeremy Johnson will open the game but it’s not clear how long Marshall will remain on the bench. Marshall became such a threat with the zone read and his running ability,

5 Things to watch during Auburn’s upcoming season: PASSING MORE: Fans will have to wait a bit to see how much Marshall’s work on his passing has paid off since he won’t start against

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that he only averaged 150 yards a game passing. Now, he’s got deep threat Sammie Coates and top junior college prospect D’haquille Williams heading a receiving group that could become a strength of the offense. “We knew coming into the season that we have to be more dynamic in the passing game,” tight end C.J. Uzomah said. “That’s something that he’s been emphasizing. We plan on stretching the field vertically and horizontally.”

LATE-GAME MAGIC: The Iron Bowl and Georgia game weren’t the only times Auburn pulled out a win in the final minutes either with late touchdowns or defensive stands. It was a knack that only failed in the title game

DIVVYING CARRIES: Corey Grant and Cameron Artis-Payne both ran for 600plus yards behind Mason last season, when Auburn became the first SEC team to lead the nation in rushing. They’re joined by five-star freshman signee Roc Thomas. Grant averaged 9.8 yards a carry last season. All three should get plenty of chances to establish themselves as the go-to back.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Auburn must replace punter Steven Clark, placekicker Cody Parkey and dangerous return men Mason and Chris Davis. Clark became an effective weapon by burying 26 kicks inside the 20. Grant had a 90-yard kick return last season and could be the answer in replacing Mason. They’re still searching for a punter but redshirt freshman Daniel Carlson appears poised to take over for Parkey.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

College Football 2014

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The Eagle

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19

LSU TIGERS

LSU to be young, talented Tigers will be counting on youth to contribute in key positions Beat writer’s take:

9-3 “As usual the Tigers will be talented, but they will have to use that talent to overcome a severe lack of experience at quarterback and in the wide receiver corps. LSU also needs to come up with a dependable rotation at defensive tackle.

Strengths will be at running back - freshman Leonard Fournette is a highly hyped star - on the offensive line and in the secondary.

“If the Tigers adequately answer their question marks at QB, WR and DT, a 10-2 record isn’t out of the question. If LSU spends the season searching for the right players at those spots, the Tigers could struggle to 7-5. Let’s go pretty much down the middle and peg the LSU at 9-3. The swing games will be at home against Alabama, Ole Miss and Mississippi State, and on the road at Auburn, Florida and Texas A&M.” — Scott Rabalais, Baton Rouge-Advocate

Schedule Date

Opponent

Time

Aug. 30 Wisconsin Sep. 6

SHSU

8 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

Sep. 13 La.-Monroe

6 p.m.

Sep. 20 Mississippi St.

TBA

Sep. 27 New Mexico St.

TBA

Oct. 4

at Auburn

TBA

Oct. 11

at Florida

TBA

Oct. 18 Kentucky

TBA

Oct. 25 Mississippi

TBA

Nov. 8

TBA

Alabama

Nov. 15 at Arkansas

TBA

Nov. 27 at Texas A&M 6:30 p.m.

By BRETT MARTEL Associated Press LSU coach Les Miles hasn’t had a team fall short of double-digit victories since 2009.

For the Tigers to win at least 10 games for a fifth straight season, it will require more help from new players at key positions than at any time in the past half-decade.

“This is a new team,” said senior running back Terrence Magee, one of the few elder statesmen on the Tigers’ offense. “There is a lot of youth.”

The offense in particular, will require major contributions from players with little or no previous regular season experience. Several of the candidates to take over starting roles are true freshmen, including Brandon Harris, who is challenging sophomore Anthony Jennings to start at quarterback. Whoever wins that job will replace current Tennessee Titans rookie Zach Mettenberger, who last season passed for more than 3,000 yards at LSU. That would be a tough enough void to fill on its own, never mind the fact that the Tigers also sent a pair of 1,000-yard receivers to the NFL: Odell Beckham Jr. to the New York Giants and Jarvis Landry to Miami.

“If we can get the quarterbacks to facilitate and function, we’re going to be good on offense,” Miles said. “I say that with the idea that young players are going to play. I say that with the idea that they’re talented and they were recruited to that void.”

“We’re going to coach them hard. We’re going to make sure that we try to anticipate mistakes and avoid them,”

20 College Football 2014

•

Miles added. “I’m not anticipating just terrible growing pains there.”

There will be more experience on defense, and coordinator John Chavis also believes some young players on his unit have the talent to push for playing time at certain positions.

“Athleti cism will usually overcome experience if you’re working in the right direction,” Chavis said. “Athleticism is a big part of what we do.”

5 Things to watch during LSU’s upcoming season: QB CONTEST: Miles does not appear to be in any rush to announce a starting quarterback in advance of the season opener against Wisconsin in Houston on Aug. 30. Jennings has a slight edge in experience. He was forced into action when Mettenberger was injured in the second half of LSU’s 2013 regular season finale against Arkansas and led a game-winning touchdown drive. He then started the Outback Bowl but played inconsistently in the Tigers’ 21-14 victory over Iowa. “The naming of a starter at quarterback will be when one separates himself from the other. ... We’re not there,” Miles said Sunday.

STYLE POINTS: Coaches say LSU’s offense will probably look a lot different, stylistically, than it did a season ago. Mettenberger was a tall, strong-armed prototypical pocket passer. Jennings and Harris, meanwhile, both count running with the ball, be it scrambling or running the option, as a significant part of their game. “The con-

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stant theme with our quarterbacks is that they’re athletic.

They can all run, which is a positive,” offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said.

VETERAN DEFENSE: LSU has most top playmakers returning to its the defensive backfield, including Tre’Davious White, Jalen Collins and Jalen Mills. Two starters return at linebacker and defensive end. But a recent hole has emerged at defensive tackle because of a biceps injury to Quentin Thomas, who is out indefinitely.

FOURNETTE’S FOCUS: The return of both Magee and Kenny Hilliard give LSU two seniors in its running back corps, but there’s a chance that true freshman Leonard Fournette could emerge as the No. 1 back. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound running back from New Orleans was the most coveted running back recruit in America after finishing his high school career with 7,619 yards and 88 touchdowns rushing.

Fournette said his immediate goals include rushing for 1,000 yards and being recognized as a Heisman Trophy candidate. “I am fast and I am a north-south runner,” a confident Fournette said. “I have great hands for a running back and I can block.”

Quick facts

YOUNG RECEIVERS: Sophomore Travin Dural, who had only seven catches last season, is now the most experienced receiver on the roster. True freshman Malachi Dupre and redshirt freshman John Diarse appear primed to emerge as regulars as well.

Enrollment: 29,865 Stadium: Tiger Stadium (100,000 plus) 2013 record: 10-3, 5-3 in SEC, third in West 2013 bowl result: Outback: LSU 21, Iowa 14 Coach: Les Miles 123-45 overall, 95-24 at LSU Returning starters: 13 (6 off. - T La’el Collins, T

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AP photo Senior running back Terrence Magee will play an important role in a backfield that includes top freshman Leonard Fournette.

Jerald Hawkins, G Vadal Alexander, C Elliot Porter, TE Dillon Gordon, FB Connor Neighbors; 7 def.

- E Jermauria Rasco, E Daniell Hunter, LB Kwon Alexander, LB D.J. Welter, CB Tre’Davoius Smith, CB Rashard Robinson, DB Jalen Mills)

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Mississippi State BULLDOGS

MSU ready for break out Bulldogs will lean on QB Prescott to take them to new heights Beat writer’s take:

9-3 “Several factors weighed heavily in this prediction. The Bulldogs not only have one of the league’s most experienced teams (18 starters back) and one of the league’s top three quarterbacks (junior Dak Prescott), but the schedule, both in and out of conference, is very favorable.

“Mississippi State should sweep its nonconference games and within the league, the Bulldogs not only draw Vanderbilt and Kentucky from the East, they also get games against Texas A&M, Auburn and Arkansas at home. Toughest tests on the road are at LSU, at Bama and at Ole Miss.

“With so much experience and a friendly slate, if the Bulldogs are ever going to break through in the SEC West, this could be the year.” — Brandon Walker, Commercial Dispatch

Schedule Date

Opponent

Time

Aug. 30 Southern Miss. 6:30 p.m.

Sep. 6

UAB

1 p.m.

Sep. 13 at South Alabama3 p.m.

Sep. 20 at LSU

TBA

Oct. 4

Texas A&M

TBA

Oct. 11

Auburn

TBA

Oct. 25 at Kentucky

TBA

Nov. 1

Arkansas

TBA

Nov. 8

UT-Martin

TBA

Nov. 15 at Alabama

TBA

Nov. 22 Vanderbilt

TBA

Nov. 29 at Mississippi

TBA

By DAVID BRANDT Associated Press STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State was a football program in a tailspin heading down the stretch last season.

Then came mid-November, and the Bulldogs went on a three-game winning streak to end the 2013 season, which has led to skyrocketing expectations heading into this fall.

Mississippi State finished with a 7-6 record and returns nearly its entire team, including dual-threat quarterback Dak Prescott and nine defensive starters.

Prescott earned his way into Bulldog lore during last year’s Egg Bowl, when he overcame an injury to his non-throwing arm to lead Mississippi State past rival Mississippi 17-10 in overtime.

Now the junior will try to provide some of those same heroics over an entire season. Mississippi State opens its season on Aug. 30 against Southern Mississippi at newly renovated Davis Wade Stadium.

“Everyone is going to have expectations, good or bad,” Prescott said. “In this facility that we’re in, we have our own expectations. That’s all we’re worried about reaching and making sure everybody is reaching their individual expectations.”

Mullen is quick to praise the charismatic 6-foot-2, 230-pound Prescott, who played very well last season while splitting time with senior Tyler Russell.

Prescott has some of the same dual-threat capabilities — and also a similar magnetic personality. He rushed for 829 yards and 13 touchdowns

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

turns talented players around Prescott.

Senior receiver Jameon Lewis is back after catching 64 passes for 923 yards and five touchdowns. Josh Robinson will likely be the feature running back after rushing for 459 and nearly six yards per carry last season as the backup.

On defense, the Bulldogs have veterans at nearly every position. Junior linebacker Benardrick McKinney will anchor the middle of the field while sophomore defensive tackle Chris Jones has emerged as one of the league’s best young talents.

Mississippi State has qualified for four straight bowl games — a first in program history. Now the Bulldogs are ready for more.

5 things to watch for Mississippi State this season:

AP photo Mississippi State junior quarterback Dak Prescott is poised to put the Bulldogs in contention for an SEC Championship.

Quick facts Enrollment: 20, 365 Stadium: Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field (61,337) 2013 record: 7-6, 3-5 in the SEC, tied for 5th in West 2013 bowl result: Liberty: Mississippi State 44, Northwestern 7 Coach: Dan Mullen 36-28, all at MSU Returning starters: 17 (8 off. - WR Jameon Lewis,

TE Malcolm Johnson, WR Robert Johnson, QB Dak Prescott, WR Jay Hughes, C Dillon Day, G Ben Beckwith, T Blaine Clausell; 9 def. CB Jamerson Love, LB Matt Wells, CB Taveze Calhoun, FS De’Runnya Wilson, SS Kendrick Market, LB Benardrick McKinney, E Preston Smith, T Kaleb Eulls, T P.J. Jones)

last season while passing for 1,940 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

“He’s constantly working on being a student of the game, being really football sharp and trying to take that

to the next level,” Mullen said.

“He wants to understand why we do things, why we’re attacking a defense a certain way and all of those types of things are huge.”

Mississippi State also re-

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DAK ATTACK: There’s no doubt that this offense will revolve around 6-foot-2, 230-pound quarterback Dak Prescott. The junior had a breakout season in 2013, throwing for 1,940 yards while also leading the team in rushing. He needs to improve his passing accuracy — he completed just 58.4 percent of his throws last season — but if he does, he could be a superstar.

GETTING DAK SOME HELP: Prescott can sometimes turn into a one-man offense, but he could certainly use some help. Senior receiver Jameon Lewis is an experienced playmaker on the edge, catching 64 passes for 923 yards and five touchdowns last season. He’s part of an experienced group of

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receivers that includes Robert Johnson, Malcolm Johnson and De’Runnya Wilson.

A FRIENDLY SCHEDULE: There is no such thing as an easy road in the Southeastern Conference, but Mississippi State might have an easier path than most teams.

The Bulldogs’ first three games are against Southern Mississippi, UAB and South Alabama, which should allow some time to build momentum before a tough road game against LSU. DEFENSIVE ANCHORS: Mississippi State returns nine defensive starters, including linebacker Benardrick McKinney. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound junior is an example of Mullen’s recruiting philosophy, evolving from an unheralded recruit from Tunica, Mississippi, into one of the best linebackers in the SEC. Sophomore Chris Jones didn’t start last season, but the freshman quickly turned into a playmaker and is expected to be one of the SEC’s elite defensive linemen this season.

FIGHTING TO BREAK THROUGH: Mullen has built a consistent winner at Mississippi State, leading the program to four straight bowl games for the first time in school history. But it’s tough to make it to the top of the SEC Western Division that includes powerhouse programs like Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Texas A&M. Mullen hasn’t beaten Alabama or LSU during his tenure and a win against at least one of them will likely be needed to seriously contend for the division.

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We put the excitement back in driving.

Briarcrest at Hwy 6 • Bryan • 979.776.7600 • garlynsheltonbryan.com 22 College Football 2014

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Wednesday, August 27, 2014

ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS

Hogs expect improvement Continuity for first time in three years gives hope for Arkansas Beat writer’s take:

5-7 “ A rk a n s a s t a k e s a 12-game SEC losing streak into the season, but there are signs the Razorbacks will be improved - though the record may not reflect it because of a brutal schedule.

“Arkansas needs junior quarterback Brandon Allen to stay healthy and build off his first season as a starter and for some playmaking receivers to emerge besides tight end Hunter Henry. The running game should be good with tailbacks Jonathan Williams, Alex Collins and Korliss Marshall.

“The defense, led by end Trey Flowers, will be more aggressive under new coordinator Robb Smith and needs to do a better job of forcing turnovers.

“Two games in Texas against old SWC foes - at Texas Tech and vs. Texas A&M in Arlington - figure to be pivotal if the Razorbacks are to make a bowl game.” — Bob Holt, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Schedule Date

Opponent

Time

Aug. 30 at Auburn

3 p.m.

Sep. 6

3 p.m.

Nicholls St.

Sep. 13 at Texas Tech 2:30 p.m.

Sep. 20 Northern Illinois

TBA

Sep. 27 at Texas A&M

TBA

Oct. 11

Alabama

TBA

Oct. 18 Georgia

TBA

Oct. 25 UAB

TBA

Nov. 1

at Mississippi St.

Nov. 15 LSU

TBA TBA

Nov. 22 Mississippi

TBA

Nov. 29 at Missouri

1:30 p.m.

By KURT VOIGT Associated Press FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Bret Bielema has experienced a new sense of excitement heading into his second season at Arkansas.

Simple things — increased intensity during practice and a renewed belief — have been a welcomed reboot for both the Razorbacks coach and an entire program in desperate need exactly that after bottoming out last season.

The 3-9 season, the first losing record of Bielema’s head coaching career and Arkansas’ worst mark since joining the Southeastern Conference, capped a disheartening twoyear run for a program considered among the league’s best just a few years ago.

It was also an eye-opening experience for Bielema, the former Wisconsin coach who promised to win the SEC when he was hired by the Razorbacks.

Setback or not, last season has done little to quell Bielema’s belief in himself, his coaching staff and his players — despite being picked to finish last in the SEC West this season. And with a second recruiting class to back him, Bielema is ready to show marked improvement at Arkansas — a turnaround he expects to be just the start of what’s yet to come.

“I’m not saying when we’re going to get to the top of the mountain,” Bielema said.

“But I know we’re going to get there.”

For the Razorbacks to reach a bowl game for the first time since 2011, they must overcome the mental fatigue from a combined 7-17 record over the last two seasons.

Arkansas has experienced more than its fair share of tur-

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

moil since former coach Bobby Petrino’s motorcycle accident in the spring of 2012, but it enters this season with something it hasn’t had since Petrino’s mishap.

Stability.

Now it’s up to the Razorbacks to show if that’s enough to rebound from last season’s winless march through the SEC, something they fully believe is possible.

“We have a quiet confidence,” Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen said. “Obviously, we have a lot of people that don’t believe in us, don’t believe in our team. We’re out to prove them wrong, but out to prove them wrong on the field.”

If the Razorbacks are to compete in the daunting SEC West, it will be on the back of the trio of Alex Collins, Jonathan Williams and Korliss Marshall.

Five things to watch as Arkansas tries to end an 11-game SEC losing streak: ALLEN’S REBOUND: Little could have gone worse for Allen last season in his first year as the starter for the Razorbacks. The Fayetteville native injured his throwing shoulder in the third game of the season, and Arkansas never won after that — with Allen completing only 49.6 percent of his passes while playing through the pain.

Now a junior, Allen is fully healthy and continues to have the full support of Bielema as the starter. How he plays early could determine how long that support lasts.

SMITH’S IMPACT: The Razorbacks were 12th in the SEC last season in points allowed, giving up an average of 30.8 points per game.

New defensive coordinator

Robb Smith has been charged with improving that, and he’s promised a more aggressive approach — particularly from Arkansas’ maligned secondary. Smith has a track record of success, having led a Rutgers defense that was fourth in the country in points allowed (14.2) in 2012, but this could be the biggest challenge of his career.

P L A Y M A K E R S SOUGHT: Arkansas was last in the SEC in passing offense last season, gaining 148.5 yards per game through the air.

While Allen’s struggles were apparent, the Razorbacks receiving corps were as well after Demetrius Wilson missed the season with a preseason injury.

Wilson is back and healthy for his senior year, and he and junior Keon Hatcher hope to provide plenty of support for sophomore All-SEC tight end Hunter Henry.

CENTER OF ATTENTION: Four-year starter Travis Swanson left for the NFL after last season, leaving a gaping lack of experience at center for the Razorbacks. Arkansas has built its offensive line into a strength under Bielema and offensive line coach Sam Pittman, but it could open the season at Auburn with freshman Frank Ragnow over the ball.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE: Speaking of Auburn, the Razorbacks waste no time facing one of the country’s best this season — opening against the defending SEC champion Tigers on Aug. 30. The opener is the start of a difficult schedule that includes a non-conference game at Texas Tech and home contest against Northern Illinois.

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AP photo Arkansas sophomore running back Alex Collins leads a trio of talented running backs that should power the Razorback offense.

Quick facts Enrollment: 25,365 Stadium: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville (72,000) and War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock (54,120) 2013 record: 3-9, 0-8 in SEC, 7th in West Coach: Bret Bielema (71-33, 3-9 at Arkansas) Returning starters: 13 (7

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off. - QB Brandon Allen, G Denver Kirkland, T Dan Skipper, G Brey Cook, RB Jonathan Williams, TE Hunter Henry, WR Keon Hatcher; 6 def. - E Trey Flowers, LB Brooks Ellis, CB Will Hines, CB Tevin Mitchell, S Alan Turner, S Rohan Gaines)

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KENTUCKY WILDCATS

Cats seek growth in Year 2 With Top-20 recruiting class, Stoops has Kentucky trending up

By GARY B. GRAVES Associated Press LEXINGTON, Ky. — The optimistic outlook by Kentucky’s veteran players and a top-20 recruiting class are reflections of coach Mark Stoops’ impact.

Stoops is looking to make an even bigger mark with more wins in his second season after going 2-10 last year.

Kentucky figured to struggle last season with the transition to a new coaching staff and a challenging schedule that featured four consecutive games against ranked teams. And they did.

The Wildcats endured another winless season in the Southeastern Conference and their league losing streak is at 16, dating back to 2011.

Kentucky is picked to finish last in the Eastern division again — though players are hungry to prove their doubters wrong. While the young Wildcats understand it’s a process of small steps, they’re determined to showcase their progress.

“Everybody is pumped,” sophomore running back Jojo Kemp said of the attitude shift. “You’re going to see a hungry, humble team that’s been working hard.

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Beat writer’s take:

4-8 “It will be baby steps of progress in year two of Mark Stoops’ Kentucky coaching career. The schedule gets easier than last year, so more wins are likely, but the Cats are still struggling with a lack of depth at several key skill positions. But they should look better - even in losses.”- Jen Smith, Lexington Herald-Leader

The guys don’t want to go back to losing, so they’re going to be out there giving

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Schedule Date

Opponent

Aug. 30 UT-Martin Sep. 6

Ohio

Sep. 13 at Florida

Time 11 a.m.

2:30 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

Sep. 27 Vanderbilt

TBA

Oct. 4

South Carolina

TBA

Oct. 11

La.-Monroe

TBA

Oct. 18 at LSU

TBA

Oct. 25 Mississippi St.

TBA

Nov. 1

at Missouri

TBA

Nov. 8

Georgia

TBA

Nov. 15 at Tennessee

TBA

Nov. 29 at Louisville

TBA

their all on every play.

“I’m excited and feel my teammates are excited. I

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Quick facts Enrollment: 29,410 Stadium: Commonwealth (62,093) 2013 record: 2-10, 0-8 in SEC, 7th in the East Coach: Mark Stoops 2-10 Returning starters: 15 (7 off. - T Jordan Swindle, T Darrian Miller, G Zach West, C Jon Toth, WR

Javess Blue, WR Demarco Robinson, WR Ryan Timmons; 8 def. - E Alvin Dupree, E Za’Darius Smith, LB Khalid Henderson, CB Blake McClain, CB Nate Willis, CB Fred Tiller; S Ashely Lowery; S Eric Dixon)

know that’s going to carry over to the field.”

Kentucky is young again at many positions, but having 36 of 49 returnees with at least one career start helps.

Eight defensive starters are

back in the 4-3 scheme and that unit will likely have to carry the load.

The offense returns seven starters but is preparing for a new quarterback to lead the pass-oriented “Air Raid” attack.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

Vols still have a ways to go Inexperience, tough schedule could hamper Tennesee in 2014

By STEVE MEGARGEE Associated Press

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee believes it’s on the way to recapturing its former status as an perennial Southeastern Conference contender.

There’s no shortcuts in the SEC and the Volunteers still have far to go.

This year’s Tennessee team has more playmakers than the squad that went 5-7 in Butch Jones’ debut season last f all, but it’s much less experienced. The Vols also are facing a brutal schedule that includes trips to Oklahoma, Georgia, Ole Miss and South Carolina plus home games with F lorida, Alabama and Missouri.

That could make it difficult for Tennessee to end a string of four straight losing seasons.

“The culture is in place and the language is in place, but there is still more to earning that right to win,” Tennessee coach Butch Jones said. “It’s not just hoping to win, but it’s earning that right to win in your approach, team chemistry, leadership, your toughness or mental conditioning. It’s players stepping up and making big-time plays.”

Jones has stabilized Te n n e s s e e ’ s p ro g r a m since his arrival last season. The Vols say it’s only a matter of time before those efforts are rewarded. The first step is to earn a bowl bid, something that’s eluded Tennessee since a 2010 Music City Bowl appearance.

Beat writer’s take:

“That’s one of our main goals for our team - win a bowl game, not just get there,” junior safety Brian Randolph said.

Whether the Vols take that step this year likely depends on how quickly their 32 newcomers adjust to SEC football. Tennessee is relying heavily on a jumbo-sized recruiting class that was ranked among the top five in the nation by multiple services. “ T h i s t e a m’ s g o t a bright future,” said running back Jalen Hurd, one of the most highly touted recruits in Tennessee’s f reshman class. “We’re working really hard. I think we’re going to do well.”

Here are five things to watch about Tennessee: WO R L EY U N D E R CENTER: Senior Justin Worley beat out sophomores Joshua Dobbs and Nathan Peterman in the quar terback competition. Worley stared seven games, Dobbs made four starts and Peterman had one start last year. Tennessee needs more production from the quarterback position, as the three contenders combined for 16 interceptions and 12 touchdown passes last season.

YOUNG LINES: Tennessee is the only Football Bowl Subdivision team that has no returning starters on both the offensive and defensive lines.

Nobody on either line started more than three

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

6-6 “Vols will be heavily dependent on a strong freshman class, which should lead to a better November than September.” — John Adams, Knoxville News

Schedule Date

Opponent

Aug. 31 Utah State Sep. 6

Quick facts Enrollment: 27,523 Stadium: Neyland Stadium (102,455) 2013 record: 5-7, 2-6 in SEC, 6th in East Coach: Butch Jones 55-34, 5-7 at Tennessee Returning starters: 10 (5 off. - QB Joshua Dobbs, QB

Justin Worley, TE Brendan Downs, WR Jason Croom, WR Pig Howard, QB Marquez North; 5 def. - LB A.J. Johnson, DB Justin Coleman, DB Brian Randolph, DB Cameron Sutton, DB LaDarrell McNeil)

games last season. The situation is particularly concerning at offensive tackle. The likely starting right tackle is freshman Coleman Thomas.

Jacob Gilliam, a former walk-on who was just put on scholarship this summer, is competing with junior-college transfer Dontavius Blair at left

tackle.

of position switches that included moving Curt Maggitt from linebacker to end, shifting Jordan Williams from end to tackle and moving Devaun Swafford from nickelback to safety. Jalen ReevesMaybin, who alternated between linebacker and safety last year, is now a full-time linebacker.

SPEED OVER SIZE: On defense, Tennessee is counting on its improved speed to make up for its diminished size as the Vols replace 361-pound tackle and sixth-round draft pick Daniel McCullers. Tennessee boosted its speed on defense with a variety

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KICKING CONCERNS: Jones has said the most valuable player of Tennessee’s 2013 team was Michael Palardy, who kicked field goals, punted and handled kickof f duties for the Vols. Now that Palardy’s completed his eligibility, the Vols must f ind new players to f ill

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6 p.m.

Arkansas St.

11 a.m.

Sep. 13 at Oklahoma

7 p.m.

Sep. 27 at Georgia

TBA

Oct. 4

Florida

TBA

Oct. 11

Chattanooga

TBA

Oct. 18 at Mississippi

TBA

Oct. 25 Alabama

TBA

Nov. 1

AP photo Senior quarterback Justin Worley beat out sophomores Josh Dobbs and Nathan Peterman for the starting job. He will have to improve on last season’s quarterback play for the Volunteers to compete.

Time

at South Carolina TBA

Nov. 15 Kentucky

TBA

Nov. 22 Missouri

TBA

Nov. 29 at Vanderbilt

TBA

all those roles. Tennessee also must find a new long snapper and holder.

Freshman Aaron Medley is competing with George Bullock and Derrick Brodus for the kicking job.

Matt Darr appears to have the edge at punter.

D E M A N D I N G SCHEDULE: After opening the season with home games against Utah State and Arkansas State - two te ams th at wo n bow l games last year - Tennessee has consecutive matchups with Oklahoma, Georgia and Florida.

Later in the season, Tennessee f aces Ole Miss, Alabama and South Carolina in consecutive weeks.

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OLE MISS REBELS

Rebels could surprise SEC Dark horse Ole Miss has star power on offense and defense Beat writer’s take:

8-4 “The Rebels are a popular pick to make some headway in the SEC West standings despite being picked by mediamembersto finish fourth in the division. Led by the league’s most experienced quarterback in senior Bo Wallace (26 starts) Ole Miss should be able to at least match its 30-points-pergame output a season ago.

“Sophomore left tackle Laremy Tunsil is on the fast track to the NFL, but there are other question marks along a line that has to replace three starters.

“Robert Nkemdiche, the nation’s top-rated recruit in the 2013 class, is back at defensive tackle. Everybody is back in the secondary, including All-American safety Cody Prewitt.

“This is the best team coach Hugh Freeze has had in his three years at the helm, but when competing in the nation’s toughest conference, that doesn’t always show in the win-loss column.” — Davis Potter Oxford Eagle

Schedule Date

Opponent

Aug. 28 Boise St. Sep. 6

Time 7 p.m.

at Vanderbilt 3:30 p.m.

Sep. 13 La.-Lafayette

3 p.m.

Sep. 27 Memphis

TBA

Oct. 4

Alabama

TBA

Oct. 11

at Texas A&M

TBA

Oct. 18 Tennessee

TBA

Oct. 25 at LSU

TBA

Nov. 1

Auburn

TBA

Nov. 8

Presbyterian

TBA

Nov. 22 at Arkansas

TBA

Nov. 29 Mississippi St.

TBA

SUPER SOPHOMORES: Ole Miss had one of the most highly-regarded recruiting classes in the nation in 2013 and several players immediately contributed. Now standout sophomores like Laquon Treadwell (receiver), Robert Nkemdiche (defensive tackle) and Laremy Tunsil (left tackle) will be expected to be among the best players on the team.

By DAVID BRANDT Associated Press OXFORD, Miss. — In his two seasons at Mississippi, coach Hugh Freeze has managed to build a program that’s talented and capable of winning big games.

It remains to be seen if the Rebels are a program that can actually win the Southeastern Conference.

Freeze isn’t shying away from the program’s increased expectations, but he also knows that the margin between an SEC champion and a middle-of-thepack program isn’t much.

“You need a ball to bounce your way, to make a field goal here, to not miss one here,” Freeze said. “You’re going to need all of that to go from good to great. There’s nothing wrong with being good. We’re striving to be great.”

Ole Miss returns 15 starters from a team that finished with an 8-5 record last season, including nine on the defense.

Senior quarterback Bo Wallace comes back for his third straight season as the starter and has a chance to become the school’s passing leader.

Wallace has dealt with an injury to his throwing shoulder — and the subsequent recovery from surgery for that same shoulder — for nearly his entire tenure at Ole Miss. But the 6-foot-5, 215-pounder says he’s finally healthy for the first time in nearly two years.

Even with the health issues, he’s thrown for 6,340 yards over two seasons.

“I feel as good as I’ve ever felt except the first year coming in,” Wallace said. “I feel 100 percent. Throwing the ball, I can push the ball down the field more. I’m anxious to get out there and start.”

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EXPERIENCED DEFENSE: The Rebels return nine starters on the defensive side of the ball and should be especially good in the secondary. All-American Cody Prewitt returns at safety and he’s joined by experienced and talented holdovers like Trae Elston, Senquez Golson, Tony Connor, Mike Hilton and Derrick Jones.

AP photo Ole Miss senior quarterback Bo Wallace returns as the most experienced passer in the SEC to lead one of the conferences most prolific offenses in head coach Hugh Freeze’s third year.

Quick facts

to develop some mentally.”

Enrollment: 22,286 Stadium: Vaught-Hemingway (60,580) 2013 record: 8-5, 3-5 in the SEC, tied for 5th in West 2013 bowl result: Music City: Ole Miss 25, Georgia Tech 17 Coach: Hugh Freeze 45-18, 15-11 at Ole Miss Returning starters: 15 (6 off. - QB Bo Wallace, RB

Jaylen Walton, WR Laquon Treadwell, TE Evan Engram, LG Justin Bell, LT Laremy Tunsil; 9 def. - T Byron Bennett, T Woodrow Hamilton, T Robert Nkemdiche, LB Serderius Bryant, S Tony Conner, LB Trae Elston, FS Cody Prewitt, CB Senquez Golson, CB Mike Hilton)

The team will also need a talented group of sophomores — led by receiver Laquon Treadwell, defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche and offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil — to improve upon their impressive freshmen seasons.

OleMissopensitsseasonwith aneutral site game against Boise State on Aug. 28 in Atlanta.

“Wehavetocreatesomemore depth,” Freeze said. “We know what some of our guys can do.

Some guys, physically, I really likewheretheyarebuttheyneed

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5 things to watch in Mississippi’s season: THE WALLACE FINALE: Veteran quarterback Bo Wallace has had two good seasons at Ole Miss, throwing for 6,340 yards and leading the program to 15 wins and two straight bowl victories. He expects his third season to be even better. Wallace fought an injury to his throwing shoulder during his sophomore season and then struggled some with the recovery during his junior season. Now he feels it’s completely healthy and that should allow him to throw with greater accuracy downfield.

OFFENSIVE LINE QUESTIONS: Ole Miss returns experience at almost every position on the field, but offensive line is one big exception. Laremy Tunsil and Justin Bell are two mainstays, but the Rebels are replacing three starters from last season. The return of guard Aaron Morris — after he missed almost all of last season because of a knee injury — should help, but Freeze is hoping for very quick development from guys like Fahn Cooper, Robert Conyers and Rod Taylor.

A BIG BACK: Ole Miss struggled badly last year in 3rdand-short situations, mainly because the team didn’t have a true power running back.

The Rebels hope 220-pound transfer Akeem Judd can help in those situations and Freeze has also experimented with formations that include safety Anthony Alford (212 pounds) or tight end Jeremy Liggins (296 pounds) under center.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

VANDERBILT COMMODORES

New era for Commodores Mason looks to match James Franklin’s success in first season

By TERESA M. WALKER Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt’s national championship in baseball has raised the bar on campus. The Commodores have a new football coach and setting their sights higher on the gridiron as well.

Linebacker Kyle Woestmann says the football team watched the Commodores clinch the College World Series in June and are inspired to make their mark in the Southeastern Conference.

“It’s time for us to win a SEC championship,” Woestmann said. “And people know

if you’re winning in the SEC, you’re probably going to go to the national championship. All we’ve got to do is focus on one SEC game at a time and work our way through the East and see where we stand at the end of the season.”

First-year coach Derek Mason already has talked about Vanderbilt’s goal of winning the SEC — an idea previously laughable for a program that has never won 10 games in a single season.

He takes over a team coming off consecutive 9-4 seasons capped by bowl wins and a spot in The Associated Press’ final top 25 rankings. The

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Beat writer’s take:

7-5 “Vanderbilt loses much of its offense in receiver Jordan Matthews and quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels, but the out-of-conference schedule will be kind. Derek Mason will install the 3-4 defense that brought him success as Stanford’s defensive coordinator. - Cole Nicholas, Tennessean

talent hasn’t been this good or deep on this roster in decades, and the man who was defensive coordinator at Stanford

Schedule Date

Opponent

Time

Aug. 28 Temple

8:15 p.m.

Sep. 6

3:30 p.m.

Mississippi

Sep. 13 UMass

11 a.m.

Sep. 20 South Carolina

TBA

Sep. 27 at Kentucky

TBA

Oct. 4

at Georgia

TBA

Oct. 11

Charleston SouthernTBA

Oct. 25 at Missouri

TBA

Nov. 1

Old Dominion

TBA

Nov. 8

Florida

TBA

Nov. 22 at Mississippi St.

TBA

Nov. 29 Tennessee

TBA

has 12 starters returning, 13 if counting the punter.

Mason likes dreaming big, even though preseason

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Quick facts Enrollment: 6,875 Stadium: Dudley Field/ Vanderbilt Stadium (40,350) 2013 record: 9-4, 4-4 in the SEC, 4th the East 2013 bowl result: Compass: Vanderbilt 41, Houston 24 Coach: Derek Mason (first season) Returning starters: 12 (7

off. - RB Jerron Seymour, WR Jordan Cunningham, TE Steven Scheu, C Joe Townsend, G Jake Bernstein, G Spencer Pulley, T Andrew Jelks; 5 def. - L Kyle Woestmann, L Adam Butler, L Vince Taylor, LB Darreon Herring, LB Jake Sealand)

predictions put Vandy near the bottom of the SEC East.

“I don’t think I’ve ever picked on top,” Mason said.

Woestmann says Mason’s confidence has helped players who talked about winning the

SEC yet didn’t feel the previous staff thought that was possible.

“It’s hard not to buy in and want to sell out for a man who’s trying to take you to where you’re trying to go,” Woestmann said.

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27

GEORGIA BULLDOGS

The new sheriff in Athens Mason takes the reigns of the Georgia offense in his 4th year

By PAUL NEWBERRY Associated Press ATHENS, Ga. — If they gave out an award for the most patient player, Georgia’s Hutson Mason would surely be one of the top contenders.

Four years after he signed with the Bulldogs, the quarterback job is finally his.

“You’re not really used to being the guy that people come to ask questions or to make important decisions,” Mason said. “You feel a little bit more important. To the guys, the coaches, the staff, you’re the guy.”

Mason was a backup through most of his career, but he got a head-start on his new role late last season when four-year starter Aaron Murray went down with a knee injury.

In the final two games of a disappointing 8-5 season, Mason gave his teammates plenty of reason to be hopeful. He completed 43 of 75 passes for 619 yards, with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

“It’s not a freshman coming in. It’s not even a sophomore. It’s a guy who’s been here for so long,” receiver Michael Bennett said. “He knows the offense in and out.

He’s going to make the right decisions.”

In addition to a new quarterback, here are five things to watch for when the Bulldogs open the season Aug. 30: EARLY SCHEDULE: For the second year in a row, Georgia will begin the season with two of its toughest games. The Bulldogs host Clemson in the opener at

Beat writer’s take:

Sanford Stadium, looking to avenge last season’s 38-35 defeat in Death Valley, then travel to South Carolina to take on Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks. That game usually sets the tone in the SEC East, with the winner gaining an early upper hand in the division race. South Carolina has won 18 straight games at Williams-Brice Stadium, where Georgia’s last victory came in 2008. If the Bulldogs win their first two games, they could very well be unbeaten heading into the annual showdown with Florida on Nov. 1.

NEW DEFENSIVE BOSS: Jeremy Pruitt takes over as defensive coordinator for Todd Grantham, who left to join Bobby Petrino’s staff at Louisville. Pruitt comes to Georgia after one highly successful season as the coordinator at Florida State, which won the national championship and led the country in fewest points allowed. Under Grantham, the Bulldogs had plenty of talented players — many of whom are now on NFL rosters — but developed a reputation for underachieving. Last year, with a very young group, Georgia surrendered at last 30 points in eight of 13 games.

GURLEY FOR HEISMAN: Todd Gurley just missed his second straight 1,000-yard season, despite missing three-plus games with an ankle injury and not being at full strength when he returned. One of the top priorities of the offseason was making sure Gurley was at full strength heading into his third — and possibly final — season in Athens. As a

28 College Football 2014

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10-2 “Georgia’s secondary, disastrous last year, could be a little bit better. QB Hutson Mason, while no Aaron Murray, should still be pretty good, and the offensive line should be better. There’s enough talent to win a national title, especially with Todd Gurley, but that secondary is still the big worry.”

— Seth Emerson, Macon Telegraph

Schedule Date

Opponent

Aug. 30 Clemson

Time 4:30 p.m.

Sep. 13 at S. Carolina 2:30 p.m.

Sep. 20 Troy

TBA

Oct. 4

Vanderbilt

TBA

Oct. 11

at Missouri

TBA

Oct. 18 at Arkansas

AP photo Georgia junior running back Todd Gurley, widely considered the best running back in the country and a candidate for the Heisman Trophy, returns to power an offense with a new signal-caller.

Quick facts Enrollment: 34,475 Stadium: Sanford Stadium (92,746) 2013 record: 8-5, 5-3 in the SEC, 3rd in East 2013 bowl result: Gator Bowl: Nebraska 24, Georgia 19 Coach: Mark Richt (126-45, all at Georgia) Returning starters: 14 (6

off. - C David Andrews, T John Theus, RB Todd Gurley, FB Merrill Hall, SE Michael Bennett, FL Chris Conley; 8 def. - ILB Ramik Wilson, ILB Amarlo Herrera, E Sterling Bailey, NG Chris Mayes, OLB Jordan Jenkins, OLB Leonard Floyd, CB Damian Swann; FS Quincy Mauger)

freshman, he rushed for 1,385 yards and 17 touchdowns.

He could very well be one of the top contenders for the Heisman Trophy if he stays healthy.

SHAKY SECONDARY: The Bulldogs were burned through the air in plenty of games last season, most notably when they gave up

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a 73-yard touchdown on fourth-and-18 with 25 seconds left against Auburn, giving the Tigers an improbable 43-38 victory. Now, they’ve got to replace three regulars.

Richt kicked a pair of safeties, Josh Harvey-Clemons and Tray Matthews, off the team for violating team rules.

Cornerback Shaq Wiggins followed Grantham to Louisville. Damian Swann is the top returnee, J.J. Green moved over from running back, and several newcomers will get a shot at immediate playing time.

11 a.m.

Sep. 27 Tennessee

Nov. 1

Florida

Nov. 8

at Kentucky

Nov. 15 Auburn

TBA 2:30 p.m.

TBA TBA

Nov. 22 Charleston SouthernTBA Nov. 29 Georgia Tech

TBA

MITCHELL’S HEALTH: Malcolm Mitchell went into last season rated as Georgia’s top receiver. But he tore up his right knee in the opener and was done for the year, had to cut short spring practice because of a problem with his left knee, then re-injured his right knee just before the start of preseason practice while doing drills. He’s had four knee injuries in all, raising doubts about whether he’ll ever get healthy enough to make a big contribution. The Bulldogs are still hopeful he can help the offense before his career is done.

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MISSOURI TIGERS

Mizzou flying under radar Despite only eight starters returning, Tigers have experience Beat writer’s take:

8-4 “The Tigers’ offense is in capable hands with sophomore quarterback Maty Mauk and, with three linemen returning and two of their top three backs returning, the run game could be just as healthy as it was last season.

“Missouri has some questions to answer through the air with the loss of its top three receiving options. If Mauk can establish consistent targets to throw to early in the season, the offense could put up some of the same numbers it did last year.

“Despite the loss of All-SEC ends Michael Sam and Kony Ealy, the defensive front has its top four interior lineman and two backup ends from last year - Markus Golden and Shane Ray - that were very productive in limited snaps. The main trouble points for the Tigers could come in the back seven, where they replace two starting linebackers and three starting defensive backs.” — David Morrison, Columbia Tribune

Schedule Date

Opponent

Aug. 30 S. Dakota St. Sep. 6

at Toledo

Sep. 13 UCF Sep. 20 Indiana

Time 2:30 p.m.

Noon Noon TBA

Sep. 27 at South Carolina TBA Oct. 11

Georgia

Oct. 18 at Florida

TBA TBA

Oct. 25 Vanderbilt

TBA

Nov. 1

TBA

Kentucky

Nov. 15 at Texas A&M

TBA

Nov. 22 at Tennessee

TBA

Nov. 29 Arkansas

1:30 p.m.

By R.B. FALLSTROM Associated Press COLUMBIA, Mo. — It’s a new year and the same old story at Missouri, coming off a 12-win season and once again lightly regarded. Time to show ‘em all — again.

Getting picked to finish fourth in the Eastern Division should serve as motivation for a program being marked down because of the long list of players who have departed.

“We’re guys trying to prove ourselves,” offensive tackle Mitch Morse said. “I personally like coming from behind, I enjoy it.”

Nine players are in NFL camps, including first-round pick Kony Ealy, secondrounder Justin Britt and SEC co-defensive player of the year Michael Sam. Coach Gary Pinkel points out before that stinker of a 5-7 debut in the Southeastern Conference that was sabotaged by key injuries, the Tigers had played in seven consecutive bowl games. Though there are nine returning starters, seven others have starting experience and both specialists are back.

Quarterback Maty Mauk is back after going 3-1 in the SEC when James Franklin was injured. He had 11 touchdown passes and just two interceptions. Tailbacks Russell Hansbrough and Marcus Murphy combined for 1,286 yards and 13 touchdowns last season behind Henry Josey.

Guard Anthony Gatti and cornerback Aarion Penton had two starts apiece and Ian Simon made seven starts as the fifth defensive back.

“We’ve got a lot of guys who played a lot last year,” Pinkel said. “We’ve got a much more

30 College Football 2014

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chance, especially right now.”

The returning cast is already down one. Sophomore Levi Copeland was suspended for the season and loses a year of eligibility for using a supplement banned by the NCAA that Pinkel said was purchased at a “supplement store at the mall.”

ON THE LINE: Senior Markus Golden is the rare junior college transfer that Pinkel has named a team captain, and leads a pass rush moving on without Sam and Ealy. Golden led defensive linemen in tackles and had 6 1-2 sacks. Junior Shane Ray also was a major contributor in the rotation with 4 1/2 sacks.

AP photo Sophomore quarterback Maty Mauk is set to take the reigns after going 3-1 while starter James Franklin was hurt last year. Mauk is one of several new faces stepping into starting roles for Missouri.

Quick facts Enrollment: 34,658 Stadium: Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium (72,000) 2013 record: 12-2, 7-1 1st in East 2013 bowl result: Cotton: Missouri 41, Oklahoma State 31 Coach: Gary Pinkel 175-

100-3, 102-62 at Missouri Returning starters: 8 (4 off.

- C Evan Boehm, RG Connor McGovern, LT Mitch Morse; WR Bud Sasser; 5 def. - LB Kentrell Brothers, L Matt Hoch, S Ian Simon, FS Braylon Webb, L Lucas Vincent)

experienced team than I think it might appear.”

Cotton Bowl. Pinkel passed Don Faurot for first on the school’s career win list and is 102-63 in 13 seasons with the Tigers. Twice, Pinkel has led Missouri to school-record 12win seasons.

Five things to watch at Missouri this season: HE’S NO. 1: Missouri washed out the bad taste from its defensive collapse in the SEC championship game by beating Oklahoma State in the

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RECEIVING LINE: Marcus Lucas, L’Damian Washington and Dorial Green-

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Beckham combined for 167 catches and 25 touchdowns last season and all must be replaced, the first two because they ran out of eligibility and the third because he was kicked off the team this spring and is now at Oklahoma. That means it’s time to step up for wide receivers Bud Sasser, who had 26 catches, and Jimmie Hunt, who had 22. Senior Darius White, a Texas transfer who caught seven passes, also is expected to start.

Pinkel has told incoming freshmen they could be in line to contribute right away, too.

“It can be a walk-on guy, we don’t really care who it is,” Sasser said. “You’ve got to let them know they’ve got a good

MR. VERSATILE: While the Tigers are thin at wide receiver, they’re deep at tailback.

So Murphy, who led the team with 1,425 all-purpose yards and totaled 10 touchdowns, is getting a long look in the slot. Murphy, a senior, last played wide receiver in high school. But he was used out of the backfield a lot last year on swing routes and dump-off passes.

“They just want to give me open-field space, find different ways to get me the ball,” Murphy said. “I think it’ll add a little element to our offense.”

SCHEDULE CHALLENGE: Two of the pre-conference games could be tests, Toledo on the road and Central Florida at home in Weeks 2 and 3, and the only true gimme is the opener Aug. 30 against South Dakota State. The first four games could set up an SEC slate that opens at South Carolina on Sept. 27. The Tigers also play at Florida, Texas A&M and Tennessee.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS

Gamecocks still dangerous Spurrier confident in his team despite losing Shaw, Clowney Beat writer’s take:

9-3 “While the East remains wide open, the West rotation gets tougher as the Aggies and defending SEC champion Auburn replace Arkansas and Mississippi State.

“Offensively, the Gamecocks have the best offensive line of the Steve Spurrier era but still don’t know how senior quarterSPURRIER back Dylan Thompson will react to being in charge after the departure of Connor Shaw.

“Defensively, South Carolina hopes an abundance of very good linebackers helps them mask depth issues on the defensive line and at cornerback early in the season.” — Joshua Kendall, The State

Schedule Date

Opponent

Time

Aug. 28 Texas A&M

5 p.m.

Sep. 6

6 p.m.

East Carolina

Sep. 13 Georgia

2 p.m.

Sep. 20 at Vanderbilt

TBA

Sep. 27 Missouri

TBA

Oct. 4

at Kentucky

TBA

Oct. 18 Furman

TBA

Oct. 25 at Auburn

TBA

Nov. 1

Tennessee

TBA

Nov. 15 at Florida

TBA

Nov. 22 South Alabama

TBA

Nov. 29 at Clemson

TBA

By PETE IACOBELLI Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. — Steve Spurrier’s confident South Carolina hasn’t run out of football talent, even with some of the best in the game off to the NFL. The Gamecocks coach is entering his 10th year and believes after three-straight 11-2 seasons, his club is prepared for that next step of a Southeastern Conference championship.

“Our guys can play some ball now,” Spurrier said.

Spurrier’s not alone in that belief. South Carolina was the preseason pick last month to win the SEC East and give the head ball coach a shot at his first league crown since his “Fun-n-Gun” days at Florida.

Still, that might be hard for some to swallow with the topflight performers the Gamecocks have sent to the pros in recent years including Buffalo cornerback Stephon Gilmore, Chicago receiver Alshon Jeffery and Houston defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, the NFL draft’s No. 1 overall pick in May. Also gone from last year is sack leader Kelcy Quarles and quarterback Connor Shaw, who Spurrier has said several times is the greatest quarterback in team history.

But Spurrier’s not chalking this season up to a rebuilding act. His staff has worked hard to recruit players to fill those openings these past few years and Spurrier believes those players are ready to step into the spotlight.

“I do think we’re a school with advantages now,” Spurrier said. “We graduate our players, they stay out of trouble and we win. ... And we send them to the NFL. We have

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Clowney. “We’re going to line up and play football,” is his blunt response.

DAVIS’ TIME: One of the few recognizable names for the Gamecocks is running back Mike Davis. He finished with 1,183 yards last season, the fourth best single-season mark in South Carolina history. Davis rushed for 100 yards or more in seven of the first nine games before fading down the stretch with injuries. He’s gotten stronger in the offseason, knowing that another 1,000-yard year could make him the next South Carolina junior to jump into the NFL draft.

AP photo South Carolina junior running back Mike Davis will be the focal point of the Gamecock offense with new starter Dylan Thompson under center. Davis will look to repeat a successful 2013 campaign.

Quick facts Enrollment: 31,964 Stadium: Williams-Brice (80,250) 2013 record: 11-2, 6-2 in SEC, 2nd in East 2013 bowl result: Capital One: S. Carolina 34, Wisconsin 24 Coach: Steve Spurrier 266-120-2 (77-39 at S. Carolina) Returning starters: 14 (8

off. - TE Rory Anderson, WR Damiere Byrd, TB Mike Davis, G A.J. Cann, T Corey Robinson, WR Shaq Roland, T Brandon Shell, C Clayton Stadnik; 6 def. - LB Sharrod Golightly, LB Kaiwan Lewis, FS Kadetrix Marcus, LB Marcquis Roberts, T J.T. Surratt, SS Brison Williams)

track record with all that.”

tion at South Carolina focused on Clowney, the 6-foot-5, 266-pound defensive end.

From the time he slipped on his Gamecocks cap on Valentine’s Day 2011 — his 18th birthday — to his pro day at Williams-Brice Stadium last

5 Things to know about the 2014 Gamecocks: WHERE’S CLOWNEY?: For all the success of the past four years, most of the atten-

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•

April, Clowney was the team’s larger-than-life character.

While Spurrier says Clowney was never a distraction, he likes the effort and attitude of the players back this year. “There’s a lot of chemistry,” the coach said. “Nobody’s standing on the sidelines, nobody was hurt, nobody’s pouting.”

REBUILT D-LINE: 6-6 sophomore Darius English will take Clowney’s end spot with Gerald Dixon, another sophomore, replacing Chaz Sutton.

Dixon’s brother, Gerald Dixon Jr., will play defensive tackle alongside J.T. Surratt, the only returnee. Defensive line coach Deke Adams can’t count how often he’s been asked what the Gamecocks will do without

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NEW QB: The Gamecocks will be without quarterback Connor Shaw — up in Cleveland Browns camp fighting for a reserve spot behind Johnny Manziel and Brian Hoyer — who was the team’s starter the past three seasons.

Spurrier has heaped on the praise ever since, leaving a big hole for fifth-year senior Dylan Thompson to fill. Thompson, though, is more of a drop back, downfield thrower Spurrier cultivated at Florida and that has fans hopeful of more big plays this season.

THE STREAK: Ask Spurrier what he might be proudest of at South Carolina and the current home streak is way up there on the list.

The Gamecocks have won a school-record 18 straight at Williams-Brice Stadium. Northern Illinois has a 26-game win streak at its home stadium, but the NCAA considers its loss to Iowa at Chicago’s Soldier Field a home defeat and counts its streak at 12 straight wins.

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Wednesday, August 27, 2014