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This Week’s Roundtable is hosted by:

Your Mother Slept with Wilt Chamberlain

This week’s Big Orange Roundtable is hosted by Thomas the Terrible over at YMSWWC.  As you may have noticed, I have been a bit scarce this week, while HSH has been burning it up with his awesome series of 2009 SEC Football Previews (which, by the way, are now linked and accessible via the links on the countdown widget in the sidebars).  Given the fact that he has done yeoman’s work this week already (and the fact that I have been so un-helpful due to a spate of pesky depositions), this week I am flying solo on the Big Orange Roundtable.  Which pretty much means that this set of responses will suck more than usual.

At any rate, here are my thoughts for the week:

Week 3

1) Now that we have covered the receivers & QB’s, let’s get to the running game.  Just how much improved do you think the running game will be??

Lawvol: Every time I make predictions about how good someone is going to be, how many games someone will win, or how likely it is that Charlie Weiss develops a gravitational field and causes opposing coaches to go into orbit, I look like a fool.  I am awful at this sort of thing.

I suppose that Niels Bohr got it right when he said “Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.”

All that said, I do think that the running backs this year have the chance to really do some special things … or fall flat on their faces.  We really have no choice but to lean on them.  My gut tells me that Bryce Brown will be great someday, but that it is simply unreasonable to expect him to come exploding out of the gates from day one.  While he might end up factoring-in significantly by mid-season I don’t see him being the cure-all for the Vols offensive woes from last season immediately.

For this reason, I see Montario Hardesty as the man on which the Vols’ early-season offensive hopes hangs.  If he can stay healthy and stay focused, I think he has the potential to really put up some gaudy numbers behind the re-tooled offensive line with its zone-blocking scheme.  Of course, no matter how good Hardesty may be, if Tennessee cannot improve its passing game at least a little, then defenses are simply going to stack-up to kill the run all day long.  As a result, I think whether Hardesty is able to actually make things happens depends a great deal on whether the quarterback under center can play his role effectively.  If so, then I think that Tennessee’s backs should be more than strong enough to score some points.  If not, then the scores may be low—and the risk of injuries to the running backs great—as opposing defenses pound away at the Vols ground attack.

Still, I am hopeful and optimistic that running backs, now coached by Eddie Gran, are up to the challenge.

2) During the SEC media days, Kiffin made the comment “Do I love every single thing I’ve done my (first) seven months?  No, I haven’t loved having to do it.  But it needed to be done, in my opinion, for us to get where we needed to be.”  What do you think he was talking about??

Lawvol: Well, it is fairly well documented that there are any number of things he could be referring to.  It’s not like he hasn’t had plenty of attention as a result of his statements and actions.  If, however, I had to guess (and it would only be guessing), I would imagine that Lane Kiffin would most like to have a “do-over” on the ESPN “Outside the Lines” fiasco where, in the process of talking about secondary violations at Tennessee, he committed another secondary violation by allowing ESPN to film him talking to recruits.

I imagine that he was not to pleased with ESPN after that little gambit, and may have even had a few harsh words for Bob Ley.  Still, getting the program’s name out and about to the world beyond Knoxville is important, and probably makes the end benefit worth the cost.

Of course, he could be talking about the evening he shared martini’s in the bathtub with SEC Commissioner Mike Slive, but it is hard to say.

3) Do you think giving Mike Hamilton a big raise and extension is a mistake before seeing how Kiffin performs as a head coach?

Lawvol: Well, I personally think that Mike Hamilton (a/k/a “Smiling Mike“) has earned an extension irrespective of what happens this year in football.  Hamilton has completely reshaped the face of Tennessee athletics in a positive way.  Some would say that he has money first—which is not necessarily unfair—but he has not forgotten the fans along the way.  Smiling Mike has made everything related to Tennessee more enjoyable and more polished than it was in the past.  You need only look at the Neyland Stadium Master Plan Renovations, or the recent renovations to the Tommy Bowl (f/k/a “The Big Brown Box”) to see this in real terms. Unlike his predecessor, the Big Dickey (for whom I have no love lost), Smiling Mike does seem to understand that without the fans and their money Tennessee athletics goes no where.  Hamilton has done more to show some appreciation to the fans than anyone at Tennessee ever.

Furthermore, independent of how Lane Kiffin’s first team performs on the field, Hamilton has made some superb moves in the personnel department—namely hiring Bruce Pearl.  I personally believe that Kiffin was also a good hire but—as we all know—the proof will come on the field.  Either way, Hamilton has re-energized the Tennessee Athletic Department and the fanbase in ways which still amaze me.  Let’s be honest, Tennessee’s fans have always been loyal, but for a long time the pulse of the program was faint at best.  Now, people are excited about Tennessee athletics—and not just football.

Has all of this come at a price?  Sure, it costs more to watch the Vols play; the program requires more and more money each year to operate; and the “Good Ol’ Boys” club is not as important as it used to be.  I would suggest, however, that the first two are simply a reality of life if you want to field a competitive program.  I would also contend that the death of the Good Ol’ Boys club is a good thing and was long overdue.  Sports at Tennessee are a business, plain and simple.  Mike Hamilton was smart enough to realize this and to make the commitment to putting the customer—the fans—first.  I think that earns him a feather in his cap.

Thus, I say keep Smiling Mike, while he may not always make everyone happy, he has a vision and has focused on making that a reality.

4) What is the one game Tennessee needs to win this season?

Western Kentucky's Bizarre Mascot

Lawvol: Well, as much as it would be easy to say that the Vols must beat the Kentucky Wildcats, the Vanderbilt Commodores, or the Western Kentucky Whatever-the-hell-that-little-red-blob-of-a-mascot-is-supposed-to-be’s because each of these teams are clearly weaker than the Vols, I have to agree with Thomas over at YMSWWC and say that the Vols must—emphasize MUST—defeat the Thunderchickens this year.  With Alabama and Florida both being long shots at best, and Georgia being a toss-up, The South Carolina Gamecocks are the only solid team in the SEC East that the Vols should beat and get to play in Knoxville.  Thus, a loss to the Cocks would be a bad thing.  In other words, lose to the Gamecocks and it sends the signal that the Vols are still slipping in the SEC East.

In my opinion (which is worthless, really) the South Carolina game is really what it all comes down to.  It is a milestone game in front of a home crowd.  It is a must-win game

The Rest of the Roundtable:

Having wasted your time on my largely meaningless and insignificant thoughts for this week, go check out what the other roundtablers (who actually know what they are talking about) have to say (in no particular order):

• Rocky Top Talk
• 3rd Saturday in Blogtober
• YMSWWC
• Loser With Socks
• MoonDog Sports
• Vol Junkies
• Pigskin Pathos
• Bleeding Orange

– So it goes …

Image(s) Courtesy of:     Western Kentucky AD ||  Statement on Fair Use

Gate 21 Tags: Big Orange Roundtable, Bruce Pearl, College Football, Excuses, Football, Gate 21, Kentucky Wildcats, Knoxville, Lane Kiffin, Links, Mike Hamilton, Neyland Stadium, SEC, SEC East, SEC Football, Smiling Mike, South Carolina Gamecocks, Tennessee Football, Tommy Bowl, Vanderbilt Commodores, Vols, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

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• Headlines, Links, & Lies: Post-BCS Hangover Vitriol Edition (3)
• 2009 Big Orange Roundtable: Week 2 (4)
• Who is Smarter, Smiling Mike or Bea Arthur? (or A Few Belated Comments on the Hiring of Coach Kiffin) (1)

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QUICK NOTE: Before I begin with the last of the SEC previews, one thing I want to point out. If you hadn’t noticed, lawvol has added an extra bullet (”2009 SEC Football Previews”) to the widget just to the right counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds to the beginning of the football season. If you click on it, the widget flips over and gives you links to each of these previews that have run here at the Gate over the last week. So it’s a quick link if you need to refer back to a specific preview, in case you need to check something or come back and call me a fool as South Carolina and Arkansas prepare to play for the SEC title. Anyways, now on to the final preview…

Prior to the 2004 season, Tommy Tuberville hired Al Borges to run his offense at Auburn. It’s not that Auburn’s offense was necessarily broken, but Borges – with the obvious help of having Cadillac Williams, Ronnie Brown, Jason Campbell, Courtney Taylor and others – was essential in Auburn’s 13-0 season 2004.

Auburn was 33-5 with Borges running the offense, but things went downhill after Auburn lost those three NFL first-rounders – Auburn’s scoring average went from 32 ppg in 2004 and 2005 to 25 in 2006 and 24 in 2007. In addition, Brandon Cox was outstanding his first year as a starter in 2005, but by the time he graduated after 2007, there were probably a fair share of Auburn fans glad to see him depart.

Then Tuberville decided to hire Troy’s offensive coordinator Tony Franklin. It worked out in his first go-round, a 23-20 overtime win over Clemson in the 2007 Chick-fil-a Bowl.

But that was as good as it got. Franklin’s offense never caught on, rumors abounded of him clashing with players and fellow coaches at practice, and Tuberville canned him mid-season, after Auburn lost to Vanderbilt.

That loss in Nashville – where Auburn led 13-0 at halftime – and the offensive coaching issues sent the Tigers into a tailspin: their only win the remainder of the year was over Tennessee-Martin. The offense was the obvious culprit, as Auburn averaged only 17 points a game last year, scoring more than 22 points three times (UL Monroe, Southern Miss and UTM).

Rumors swirled about Tuberville’s job, and he eventually resigned after ten years on the Plains. Auburn then hired Gene Chizik, much to the anger of their own fanbase and the comedic relief of everybody else. But Chizik’s quietly gone about hiring a solid staff and trying to raise Auburn’s recruiting profile to compete with Nick Saban and Alabama. So things are a little brighter than they were a few months ago – how will that translate on the field for the Tigers this fall?

Schedule Breakdown

Assumed wins:

• Louisiana Tech
• Ball State (the Cardinals lost much of the offense that led them to a 12-0 start last year; your Auburn-Ball State connection? BSU coach Brady Hoke’s now at San Diego State, where Borges is the offensive coordinator)
• Furman

Assumed losses:

• at Georgia
• Alabama (I know I gave Auburn a prayer in the Alabama preview, but I’ve since changed my mind)

Toss-ups:

• Mississippi State
• West Virginia (the Mountaineers scored 31 unanswered points en route to a 34-17 win in Morgantown last year)
• at Tennessee (Chizik’s first SEC road game pairs him with the other coaching change that made a splash in the SEC this offseason – sorry Dan Mullen)
• at Arkansas
• Kentucky
• at LSU
• Ole Miss

Studs

DE Antonio Coleman is the best player on the Auburn defense

DE Antonio Coleman (Sr.): I should note as I talk about Auburn’s studs that I got some outside help. I have a number of friends down there, and I went to them for some opinions. Coleman was the common theme. Coleman made first-team all-SEC last year, and he’s the cornerstone of an Auburn defensive line that allowed opponents to average four yards per carry last year. They’ll have to make up for losing Sen’Derrick Marks and Tez Doolittle, a pair of solid interior tackles.

LBs Craig Stevens and Josh Bynes: These junior linebackers were fourth and fifth on the team in tackles last year as first year starters. They’re also the only two returning linebackers Auburn’s got, and it’s likely these two will be staples in the defense of new coordinator Ted Roof, a former Duke head coach and Tim Brewster’s defensive coordinator at Minnesota last year. Auburn’s defense was dependable last year, but the offensive woes made it very difficult on them at times.

RB Ben Tate (Sr.): Tate was Auburn’s leading rusher last year, even though wasn’t exactly used very effectively in Tony Franklin’s inept offense. He’s more of a downhill, between-the-tackles runner at around 220 pounds, as opposed to the terribly predictable and ineffective shotgun sweeps he was running for half of 2008. Nevertheless, he was the Tigers’ workhorse last year, and he’s a candidate for a breakout this year in the new offense of Gus Malzahn, who’s been the coordinator at Arkansas with Darren McFadden and Felix Jones and last year at Tulsa, where he commanded the fifth best rushing attack in the country.

X-Factors

Quarterback: Chizik said at Media Days last week he was having an open competition at quarterback, so I’m not sure who’s going to start the year. Here’s the possibilities: junior Kodi Burns, an athletic runner who’s passing skills aren’t exactly great. Burns was the second-leading rusher and scored 5 rushing touchdowns last year, but threw 7 picks and just 2 TDs. Junior Neil Caudle has only attempted 8 passes in his Auburn career, but pushed Burns quite a bit in the spring. Senior Chris Todd, the scourge of the Auburn fanbase, was injured late last year and missed spring practice, but he’s still in the mix. Other possibilities include redshirt freshman Barrett Trotter (who tore a knee ligament in spring ball) and true freshman Tyrik Rollison. My money’s on Burns.

Wide receiver: Auburn’s had the likes of Courtney Taylor, Ben Obomanu, Devin Aromashadou and Rod Smith over the last few years, but there’s a hole at the position this year. Smith’s gone, leaving senior Montez Billings as the experienced guy, though he missed the spring due to academics. Chizik has said Billings will definitely play in the fall.

While senior tight end Tommy Trott and backs like Tate and Mario Fannin will relieve some of the wide receiver concerns in the Malzahn offense, juniors Terrell Zachary and Tim Hawthorne, who’s coming off an ankle injury, will have to step up to give the Tigers a playmaker at the position. Freshmen DeAngelo Benton, Emory Blake and Travante Stallworth add intrigue to the concerns the Tigers have at receiver.

Offensive line: From 2002 to 2007, the lowest rushing output Auburn had was 148 yards per game in 2006. Every other year was at 157 or above, but the Tigers fell to 137 last year, and just 3.5 yards per carry. Led by junior tackle Lee Ziemba, Auburn has three starters back and four players return with more than seven career starts, so the line play should hopefully improve for the Tigers.

What’s New, but Maybe Not Improved

Will Ben Tate thrive in the new Gus Malzahn offense?

Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn: This was probably Chizik’s biggest splash as a hire. Malzahn has run some statistically pretty impressive offenses at Arkansas (although Malzahn has said Houston Nutt was in charge of the Razorbacks offense) and Tulsa since jumping up from Arkansas high school football. At Tulsa the Golden Hurricane offense ranked first and second nationally for Malzahn’s two seasons. From the very little Tulsa football I may have watched last year, I specifically remember the tempo: no-huddle, mostly shotgun and spreading the field.

But it’s not the Franklin spread. It’s a run-first offense that is very uptempo and puts much of the control in the hands of the QB. For more info, here’s a nice little article from spring practice, or you can check out this book Malzahn wrote himself back in 2003.

But while this offense worked at Tulsa in the defenseless Conference USA, this is the SEC. I know we said the same thing about Urban Meyer’s offense when he was hired at Florida, but can the Malzahn offense work at Auburn? That remains to be seen, as for this year, there’s some questions as to the Tigers’ talent level at the key positions.

Chizik/Roof: Malzahn’s a nice hire for two reasons: first, he was really successful running his unusual brand of offense at Tulsa. Second, it allows Chizik to spend more time with his defense and coordinator Ted Roof (sort of what we have at Tennessee, with the major difference being Auburn doesn’t have Monte Kiffin). Chizik, as you know, ran Auburn’s defense from 2002 to 2004 before taking the same spot at Texas before his stint at Iowa State. Auburn’s defenses gave up just under 16 points per game in his three seasons (just 11 in the undefeated 2004 season).

Roof, meanwhile, took a Minnesota defense that allowed 37 points per game in 2007 and brought that down to a respectable 25 last year, as the Golden Gophers went from 1-11 to 7-6.

Secondary: I almost went with the freshman/everybody-has-a-clean-slate-with-a-new-staff angle, but Auburn’s secondary has had some injuries, meaning some new and inexperienced players may have to play significant roles. Starting safeties Zac Etheridge and Michael McNeil were limited in spring practice and cornerback Aairon Savage will likely miss the year. They also lost cornerback Jerraud Powers to the NFL, so things are a little iffy on the back end of the Auburn defense.

New Auburn coach Gene Chizik talks to his team after the spring game

HSH’ Bold Prediction

I must admit, I laughed when Auburn actually hired Gene Chizik, since despite Lane Kiffin’s relative failure with the Raiders, we Vols could say we at least didn’t hire a coach who went 5-19 in two years at Iowa State. But Chizik’s done a solid job to this point so far, generating some optimism to this point. It’s really an interesting connection between the Auburn and Tennessee football programs, but that’s a post for the week of October 3rd, leading up to the Chizik-Kiffin showdown in Knoxville that weekend.

As for on-the-field, I think Auburn could surprise some people this year. But can the gimmicky offense Malzahn ran at Tulsa be effective in the SEC? I know that’s what we all said when Urban Meyer brought his spread to Florida, but the Tigers certainly lack the horses Meyer’s had and recruited.

Either way, the bottom line is that Auburn should be in a bowl unless absolute disaster strikes and the quarterbacks all play awful. That said, I don’t know if Auburn can win more than 6 or 7 in 2009: assuming they go unbeaten at home excluding the Ole Miss and Alabama games, they would have to win at Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas or LSU to get above 6 wins. Methinks they’ll get one of those six games I just mentioned and beat West Virginia, and I’ll give Auburn 7 wins.

– … to me.

Images Courtesy of: Todd Van Emst / AP • Tricia Spaulding / Athens Banner-Herald • Todd Van Emst / AP

Gate 21 Tags: Alabama, Arkansas Razorbacks, Auburn Tigers, College Football, College Sports, Gene Chizik, Gus Malzahn, Lane Kiffin, Monte Kiffin, Nick Saban, Previews, Season Preview, SEC, SEC Football, SEC Football, SEC Sports, SEC West, Tennessee Football, Tennessee Volunteers, Trooper Taylor

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Jamar Hornsby, a player who had already been dismissed from Florida’s football team, was arrested in March for aggravated assault and petit larceny.  Brass knuckles — while it’s now believed they weren’t used in the beating — were apparently in his possession.  A federal indictment on the assault charge has now been handed down.

Houston Nutt, however, has said simply that Hornsby’s future at Ole Miss is in the hands of the court system.



Ben Axon, a South Carolina signee, was arrested in May when police found him in a car filled with 23 small bags of marijuana.  Realizing that he was either an anal retentive dope fiend or a dealer, prosecutors charged him with possession of marijuana with intent to sell.  He has now entered pre-trial intervention — which could get him off the legal hook.

Steve Spurrier has said Axon’s future with the Gamecocks is in the hands of the USC administration.



The beat goes on. 

Florida has defended itself all summer against columnists who’ve taken Urban Meyer to task for overseeing 24 arrests of his players in a four-year span.  (A number that’s now risen to 25.)

Tennessee got national exposure (brought up again at SEC Media Days) when Lane Kiffin awarded a scholarship to Daniel Hood, who — when he was 13, five years ago — was found guilty of taking part in the rape of his cousin.

At least Hood’s case transpired five years ago.  As horrific as any rape charge is, the time between the event and UT’s scholarship offer has allowed Vol officials to claim that the young man has turned his life around.  (Indeed, a number of people, including the victim of the rape, wrote letters of recommendation for Hood.)

Still, Tennessee has received a lot of negative press over the matter.  Ditto Florida, South Carolina and Ole Miss for their players’ conduct.

And those actions are much more recent.



I’m far from a hanging judge.  I’ve been the beneficiary of second chances in my life and I believe athletes deserve second and third chances just as much as anyone else.

But that doesn’t mean they deserve second chances on the football field.  Life isn’t football. 

A second chance doesn’t necessarily mean a young man — who had 23 bags of marijuana to sell just months before heading to Columbia — deserves to represent the University of South Carolina as a student-athlete.

(Due to the nature of his crime, it should be noted that the Columbia I speak of is the one in South Carolina, not the one in South America.)

And in Hornsby’s case, how many chances will this man be given to play football?  He was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and petit larceny.  Not even his own attorney has tried to pass the case off as some sort of self-defense.  It was “just a fight,” in his words.

Should Nutt not immediately have called the young man, talked to him about the case, querried the police on the matter, and then rendered his own decision — “This was your second chance… I’m not going to have someone getting into fights (and carrying brass knuckles) on my team.”

Should Spurrier not have done the same with Axon?  “I’m sorry, young man, but we can’t have a pot salesman on the team.”  This wasn’t a kid getting high after school.  This was a dealer.

And while I don’t think that’s cause for the death penalty, I do think it should be enough of a black eye to warrant a revocation of a football scholarship.



I’m left to wonder what the presidents at Florida, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Tennessee think about the bad press their schools have received.

Are my suspicions correct that these school officials are simply thinking, “This kid can really help our football team?”  I hope that isn’t the case.  But it sure looks that way.

A coach?  Well, I can understand a coach doing whatever is necessary to build a winner. 

But at some point there needs to be someone above the coach who says, “I don’t think this is the kind of representative we need for our university.”

So help the young man who gets in serious trouble to find a job.  Help him get into a junior college.  Help him get counseling.

Those are second chances as well.  They’re darn good ones.

And those don’t send the message to America’s sports fans that “we’ll stand by anyone for anything if he can help us win.”

As expected, a federal indictment has been handed down to Ole Miss football signee Jamar Hornsby for an aggravated assault.

You know the backstory by now — Hornsby was dismissed from Florida’s team after off-the-field incidents (including using a dead girl’s credit card), he signed with Ole Miss after a year at a junior college, then was arrested in March for allegedly beating a man with a set of brass knuckles and stealing six dollars from his pocket.

The brass knuckles were a part of the initial police report, but they were not mentioned in the federal indictment.

“As we’ve said all along, there were never any brass knuckles involved,” said Hornsby’s attorney, Steve Farese.

The fact that the brass knuckles were not mentioned in the new indictment “semi-vindicates us as far as this was just a fight.”

I’m guessing prosecuting attorneys won’t see it that way, but hey, Farese is speaking on behalf of his client so we can expect some positive spin.

Houston Nutt has refused to take any action with Hornsby (other than holding him out of practice) until the court system wraps up his case.  We’ll see if today’s federal indictment forces Nutt to act further. 

Or maybe he, too, feels this federal indictment is a “semi-vindication” of Hornsby.

The University of South Carolina football squad will officially report for fall camp on Monday, August 3, with the first practice scheduled for Tuesday, August 4. The first practice will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Bluff Road “Proving Grounds.”
(more)

STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Mississippi State softball team will be well represented on the United States Women's National teams that will be playing in the Japan Cup (Sendai City, Japan) and Pan Am Qualifier (Maracay, Venezuela) this weekend.
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The UF football team will compete in its second annual Gator Charity Challenge event tonight, Friday, July 31, at 6:30 p.m. in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Gates 1-4 on the west concourse of the stadium will be open for entrance to the event at 5:30 p.m.
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Defensive end Michael Brockers of Chavez High School in Houston, Texas, was one of the first commitments to the LSU class of 2009 and is a solid player.  Brockers is a player who was recruited as a hybrid offensive tackle/defensive end, but he is listed on LSU’s roster as a defensive end.  It seems like a good move to me.

His film, limited though it is, shows him as a defensive end, well-built for the purpose at 6’6″ and about 260#.  He is highly reminiscent of former Tiger defensive end Tyson Jackson, and with his size and strength that is probably the Tiger he should try to emulate.  In Brockers we see a player who, in high school, was appropriate the biggest and fastest guy on the field.  He has good tackling technique for a lineman, enveloping his target with his size while driving through him with his speed.  While he lacks the awe-inspiring quickness of a truly elite defensive end like 2010′s Jackson Jeffcoat, he possesses the kind of athleticism that, if he continues to develop as a player, will make him a very valuable asset to the Tigers.

Brockers has been a very quiet member of the class.  With his early commitment and his steadfast not-willing-to-waver, there has been very little discussion of him.  He’s almost a forgotten man among a very good defensive line class, of which he is the first to be profiled.  Also at defensive end will be Bennie Logan and Sam Montgomery, along with possibly Barkevious Mingo.  It will be tough to break through that class, and whoever does it will be an outstanding player.  There’s nothing wrong with being the boring guy in the class though.  

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Givens Update