(AP photo)

Big Blue Links for Thursday:

• Three prep schools steered clear of Enes Kanter because of fear he was a professional, reports Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader.
• My column says that with the NCAA, Kentucky’s wait on Enes Kanter could be a long one.
• Young receivers Matt Roark and LaRod King give UK depth at that position, reports Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader.
• Furor over Kanter one more challenge for John Calipari, writes Rick Bozich of the Courier-Journal.
• Kanter’s biggest problem is geography, blogs Eric Crawford of the C-J.
• The burden of proof in Kanter case is on Kentucky, writes Andy Katz of espn.com.
• Kentucky’s football players are open to a scheduling change, writes B.W. Jones of the Kentucky Kernel.
• Lauren Rapp has become the face of UK volleyball, writes Ethan Levine of the Kernel.
• Another Turk gives his perspective on the Enes Kanter situation to Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger.
• Assistant coach says his words were taken out of context by New York Times, blogs USA Today.

• Mary Jo Perino of WLEX-TV on Steve Brown’s move from the press box to the field.
• A Sea of Blue writes that recruiting without prejudice is Calipari’s approach.
• Rob Dauster of Ballin’ is a Habit wonders what’s the difference in the money Kanter allegedly received?
• Athletics department will miss Lee Todd’s presence, blogs Eric Lindsey of UK’s Cat Scratches.
• Joker Phillips has been happy with his team’s practice level, writes Matt May of the Cats Pause.
• Some football recruiting notes from Bleed Blue Kentucky.
• Ron Bellamy of the Eugene Register-Guard talks to new Oregon AD Rob Mullens, who was an associate AD at Kentucky. (Hat tip to Spam’s Wildcat Page.)

Henry Abbott

Liked this piece from Henry Abbott of espn.com’s True Hoop blog.

Abbott is one basketball blogger who knows his stuff, especially when it comes to professional and international basketball. His take on Kanter deals more with the bigger question of the NCAA and supposed quasi-amateurism, how money is always at the root of things, and the pure simple fact that in this case someone is trying to get the best of someone somewhere.

When it comes to big-time sports these days, no one’s motives are pure.

An excerpt:

Whether Kanter was paid or not, and whether he passes NCAA muster or not, he’s exactly what the NCAA’s best stars are: a de facto professional, whose valuable work can make lots of people money except, oddly, him. He’s right on track to join the NBA in 2011, and no matter where he plays between now and then, in terms of his bizarro employment status and income, he’ll likely fit right in with the best young players from around the world. The players all know that, the teams all know that and the agents all know that. It’s too bad this underground, backstabbing NCAA world, and the myth of the amateur student-athlete, keep the system from being reshaped to accommodate the reality that valuable players generally do get paid, one way or another.

SEC links for Thursday:

• Rick Cleveland of the Clarion-Ledger writes that tonight’s game with Auburn could be a statement game for Mississippi State.
• Auburn’s Cameron Newton gets to face off against his former coach, reports Jay G. Tate of the Montgomery Advertiser.
• Work is paying dividends for MSU receiver Brandon Heavens, reports Brad Locke of the NE Mississippi Daily Journal.
• Mark Bradley of the AJC on the ridiculous NCAA suspension of Georgia’s A.J. Green.
• Georgia plans its appeal, reports Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald.
• Does A.J. Green’s time fit the crime? asks Chris Low of espn.com.
• Big Ten tells Vanderbilt it’s sorry for the official’s error, reports Jeff Lockridge of the Tennessean.

• Nick Saban and Joe Paterno are ready to square off again, writes Chase Goodbread of the Tuscaloosa News.
• Good friends Urban Meyer and Skip Holtz set to square off Saturday, writes Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun.
• Florida’s running backs addressing their fumble problems, reports Anthony Chiang of the Orlando Sentinel.
• Defending the Ducks will be a tough job for Tennessee, writes Wes Rucker of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
• LSU’s Patrick Peterson is not afraid of the limelight, writes Scott Hotard of The Advocate.

It’s amazing the amount of importance that can be placed on a single game. For MSU, the next 3 weeks could signal the fact that Mullen and the Bulldogs have turned the corner, or it could also reveal the fact that they are not quite there yet. One things for sure, clarity is on the brink, and many questions will be answered tonight. Auburn comes into Starkville ranked 21st in the nation, hoping to replicate their 2009 beginnings, in which the Tigers clawed to 5-0 start. Can MSU earn the SEC’s and the country’s respect? Can Auburn keep up their momentum as a program on the rise? Let’s take look…

All eyes will be on two players for sure, that would be the SEC Freshman of the Week-Tyler Russell, and the SEC Offensive Player of the Week-Cam Newton. Russell passed for 256 yards, on 13-16 passing, for 4 TDs. Newton, known for his duel-threat abilities, rushed for 171 yards, threw for 185 more, and posted 3 TDs. But, there is one player, who if ignored, could have the biggest effect on the outcome of Thursday’s battle. That player, is MSU QB Chris Relf. The Bulldogs ran what Dan Mullen even admitted to as being a ‘vanilla’ style of offense, in the Memphis game this past Saturday. One of the main things that made the offense appear so ‘basic’, was the fact that Relf wasn’t given as many carries as everyone expected. This of course, was done in order to keep Auburn from gaining insight and or any type of edge, against MSU’s rushing attack. Even though Mullen held back, the offense still racked up 569 total yards, 197 of those being rushing yards. In Auburn’s case, it didn’t appear that Gene Chizik or Gus Malzahn held back, attacking through the air and on the ground, to the tune of 608 total yards.

Arkansas’ defense held an opponent out of the end zone for the first time under third-year defensive coordinator Willy Robinson on Saturday in the Razorbacks’ 44-3 win over Tennessee Tech.
In his first meeting with the media since watching film of the season-opener, Robinson said he was pleased with his unit’s effort.
“It was a great game [...]

LSU Offers QB Zach Mettenberger

Quick show of hands: who here over the age of 21 could use a responsibly consumed adult beverage right about now?

{Scans the room. Counts until the depression returns and he gives up on this, too.}

Then let’s do this thing. However many times you thought Aaron Murray would see 7 or 8 men in the box before, double it. One way to deal with that is of course to just throw the ball. Coach Bobo demonstrated last week that he isn’t afraid to put the ball in the hands of his redshirt freshman quarterback. I for one was not anticipating Murray throwing the ball 26 times in less than 3 quarters of action.  But Kris Durham can only catch so many footballs. At some point we’re going to have to be able to run the ball.

I cannot emphasize enough how important the running game will be on Saturday. Frankly, we didn’t control the line of scrimmage against the University of Louisiana as well as we should have, and that worries me a little. Everybody wants to be on the same page, I’m just not sure when they’ll get there.

And I would like to see Todd Grantham’s defense off the field as much as possible for a couple of reasons. One, they’ll need a good bit of time to make adjustments to South Carolina’s offense. Two, Columbia in September is about as hot and humid as any place on Earth. I think it’s the hell hole the place sits on, but I’m not exactly sure. In any event, we have a track meet with Ryan Mallett and the Arkansas Razorbacks scheduled for next Saturday, and we don’t need the D to be worn out before we even get to the starting blocks. I’m dreaming of a 17-7 victory over the Gamecocks that is so unbelievably boring that Lou Holtz falls asleep watching it. Oh hell, who am I kidding? Holtz falls asleep watching most games these days. I want him to doze off by halftime and have Mark May explain to him what transpired while Coach Kiebler Elf was committing secondary violations in dream land. If we can force South Carolina to keep 8 guys in the box to stop the run it will make life easier for Aaron Murray. Starting his first SEC game and his first conference road game on the same night, Murray will need all the help he can get.

Here’s hoping our offensive line, led by senior Clint Boling, rolls right over the Gamecocks. Like a bowling ball. No, a Boling Ball. It goes a little something like this:

4 oz. strong tea

4 oz. bourbon

3 oz. orange juice

3 oz. lemon juice

2 teaspoons sugar

Shake all ingredients together and serve over ice. Then shake some more and serve again. And again. Like Washaun Ealey on a halfback iso, keep running it until someone stops you. But before you do, please check in on Orson Charles, Aron White, Kris Durham, Tavarres King, Israel Troupe, Rantavious Wooten and Marlon Brown. Call them individually and make sure their drivers’ licenses are valid, their middle names are known, and none of them has engaged in any mildly profitable sports memorabilia deals. Until later . . .

Go ‘Dawgs!!!

Billy, Wee, and Poseur review last week’s UNC game, talk about farting rainbows, compare something to Bama at least sixteen times, and do a whole preview of Vandy without mentioning Warren Norman. All that, plus this weeks picks. Subscribe in iTunes or stream it live from the links below.

I want to apologize to my coaches, teammates, and the Georgia fans for the mistake in judgment. I very much regret all that has taken place and the distraction that’s been caused. I’ve learned a valuable lesson and hope others can learn from my mistake. I can only focus my attention now on practicing and looking ahead to getting back with my teammates as quickly as possible.

A.J. Green

As you heard first right here at Dawg Sports, A.J. Green has been suspended for four games as a condition of the reinstatement of his collegiate eligibility. Here’s the thing, though: I’m not convinced A.J. is the one who owes anyone an apology.

Earlier today, before the bad news broke, I called this a witch hunt, and subsequent events have done little to persuade me that this characterization is unwarranted.

Yes, he sold a jersey, and, yes, he sold it to someone who meets the NCAA’s definition of an agent, but meeting the NCAA’s definition of an agent and being what a reasonable human being would call an agent are two different things. It’s not at all clear whether this was an agent per se, and I’m missing the significance of that fact even if he was.

It’s one thing for an agent to pay for a college athlete to fly to Miami and be plied with alcohol at a party; the benefits, and the impropriety thereof, are obvious. The problem with A.J. Green selling a jersey he wore in a game, however, is that he’s profiting from his celebrity in a way the NCAA deems impermissible. Whether the purchaser was a sports agent, an orthodontist, or an overzealous fan hoping to surprise his kid with an extra-special birthday gift ought to be immaterial. It was hardly an act of subterfuge to conceal the transfer of cash from an agent to a 2011 first-round draft pick if an agent—or someone connected to someone the NCAA says meets the definition of an agent—paid for a valuable item the price the market would bear, and I know more than a few Georgia fans who would drop that kind of cash for a jersey A.J. Green wore in a bowl game.

What ought not to be immaterial, on the other hand, is the fact that Green appears to have been entirely forthcoming and completely vindicated in the investigation that placed him in the NCAA’s crosshairs in the first place. Mark Schlabach reported that Green was cooperative and honest with the authorities; the fact that Mark Richt has been nothing but supportive of his star player, after having earlier in the year booted his would-be starting quarterback from the squad after the signal caller failed to come clean with his head coach, appears to confirm this.

Green’s candor has been on display from the outset. His statement regarding the infamous soiree in South Beach was utterly unequivocal, his alibi was verified independently, and his desire to speak in his own defense was quite clear. Everything we know indicates that Green engaged in a single arm’s-length business transaction, had nothing to do with an agent in any circumstances in which the agent’s status as such was relevant, donated the profits to charity, and answered all questions truthfully.

Thus far this young season, the NCAA is the MVP of the SEC, at least insofar as the hectoring busybodies in Indianapolis are affecting the outcomes of games. The absence of the North Carolina players sidelined by the agent scandal almost certainly made the difference in the Tar Heels’ down-to-the-wire loss to an underperforming LSU squad, while preseason No. 1 Alabama has not been helped in its efforts to reload defensively by the two-game suspension levied against Marcell Dareus. One of the most significant showdowns in the long history of the Georgia-South Carolina series will be marred by the absence of marquee players on both sides.

To some extent, this is warranted, although there appears to have been more wrongdoing in Chapel Hill than in Athens, Columbia, and Tuscaloosa combined. Even in SEC country, the punishments appear disproportionate. Dareus had a four-game suspension reduced to two games after receiving approximately $1,800 worth of benefits in the form of air fare, lodging, meals, and transportation during two separate trips to Miami. While he pled ignorance—a tough sell, considering the two trips—and came clean, the fact is that Dareus had twice as many incidents involving contacts with agents, received roughly twice as much in financial benefits, and had far more extensive involvement in the activity that spawned this entire investigation . . . yet he received exactly the same original punishment, which later was cut in half.

That is not to say that the NCAA went too easy on Marcell Dareus; the Crimson Tide defensive lineman very well may have been subjected to reasonable sanctions. Assuming, probably safely, equal degrees of honesty on the part of both players, Marcell Dareus’s situation looks a good deal more fishy, and A.J. Green’s error was much more minor. Do we even know he knew he was dealing with an agent—or an associate of someone meeting the NCAA’s definition of an agent—when he sold the jersey? Unlike the NCAA, the Georgia receiver has no background in investigating such matters; he’s A.J. Green, not A.J. Simon, and, as EricBDawg astutely pointed out, the NCAA says “[t]he university declared the student-athlete ineligible” and the suspension is based upon “the facts of the case submitted by Georgia.” All appearances are that Georgia and Green were cooperative and candid.

That is not to say, of course, that A.J. Green did nothing wrong; he sold a jersey he should not have sold, whether to an agent or to anyone else, and he knew better. That rule is a rule, and, while reasonable arguments may be made against its existence, it exists, and it was violated. There have to be consequences for that.

What ought not to be lost in all of this, though, is that all this began because of a party in Miami . . . and the NCAA appears to have turned up nothing on that front, probably because there was nothing for the NCAA to turn up on that front. Various other rumors have circulated, about insurance policies and suchlike, and there appears to have been nothing to any of that. The NCAA interviewed Green in July and has kept him twisting in the wind for weeks on end while the organization tried to justify this massive expenditure of effort, all to uncover a single sale of one lousy Independence Bowl jersey.

A mistake—a mistake; one; uno—was made, the money was paid back, and he sat out for one game. That is a punishment proportional to the affront, particularly if Marcell Dareus got a two-game suspension for twice as many contacts and twice as much profit. Benching A.J. Green for two games would be a stretch, but at least it could be argued with a straight face that it’s reasonable.

A four-game suspension, however, is unfair, disproportionate, and overkill. The NCAA is punishing Green as though he did the things he was accused of doing and that the investigation leaves us to conclude he did not do. As with the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at the end of last year’s LSU game, Green has been flagged for an offense the replay does not show. This is not justifiable, and this should not stand.

A.J. Green doesn’t owe Bulldog Nation an apology. The NCAA does.

Go ‘Dawgs!

I’ve told you what I think about A.J. Green‘s suspension, while WindyCityDawg has taken the opposing viewpoint. Now it’s your turn. What punishment do you think is warranted for the sale of a game jersey to an agent?

As always, continue the conversation in the comments below after voting in the poll.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Let me be clear: I love AJ Green.  In my humble opinion, he is the best receiver in Georgia history and is likely to go on to be one of the top 25 receivers in NFL history.  There are few individuals playing on Saturday here in this great nation that have more talent than AJ.  To top it off, he sacrifices his body for the better of the team every Saturday, without hesitation, without reserve, and without any thought towards his NFL future. 

AJ Green sold a game jersey.  To an agent.  There is no way that AJ thought this was okay.  In fact, he undoubtedly knew or should have known this was a violation of NCAA rules.  After the 2003 debacle wherein a number of our past heroes sold their SEC CG rings, AJ absolutely knew this type of transaction was against the rules.  He knew the rules and he violated the rules.  And he deserves to be suspended.

To top it off, the sale was not to some random person on eBay.  It wasn’t to some fan like….me….or any of my friends.  It was to an agent.  Frankly, the reports out now don’t even make it sound like it was that much of a mystery: it wasn’t a go-between or a friend of an agent.  The sale was to an individual defined as an agent under NCAA rules. 

The NCAA took a long time to reach a decision on this.  That’s because the infraction involved a) an improper benefit received by a player; b) that stemmed from an improper transaction; c) that involved an AGENT.  My guess is they investigated the sale, the method of sale, and the individual (who turned out to be an AGENT).  They probably spent another week figuring out the punishment.  I think this is an appropriate, albeit frustrating amount of time to reach a just conclusion and result.  Sale without an agent = 2 games.  Agent interaction, no money in hand = 2 games.  Sale + agent interaction = 4 games.  I don’t see any problem with this.

I wish AJ was playing this week, but he isn’t and he shouldn’t be.  He shouldn’t play week 3 or week 4 either.  What he should do is apologize to his family first, his teammates second, and his fans third.  I hope he stays; he doesn’t owe anybody anything, but it’d be nice to have a full season of AJ Green before we see him off to his profitable and, hopefully, glorious NFL career.  I love watching AJ play, but this is an appropriate consequence of a poor decision.

Those of you that hang out around these parts probably know AuditDawg, our fine furry friend. Audit runs the UGA blog Hobnail Boot, and he was gracious enough to participate in a blogger tete-a-tete to talk about this weekend’s game. His responses to my questions are below; I’ll notify you when he publishes my responses to his.

1. We all know that it’s difficult to judge a performance against a team like ULL, but tell us about what you took away from the game. Aaron Murray and the defense’s stat lines look solid–what did you see that’s indicative of success and / or problems down the road against USC and the rest of your SEC slate?  

Similar to South Carolina, the fact that we handled an overmatched team was encouraging after some of the results from the last few years.  I believe we gave up 300 yards of rushing to GA Southern the 2008 season opener so it was nice to see the defense handle a team that should be handled.  Murray showed off a stronger arm than I realized he had and his ability to move the pocket and escape from trouble was encouraging.  On the other hand, he definitely made some of the usual freshman mistakes (locking onto receivers, not throwing the ball away, sliding head first) that will get him absolutely obliterated in Columbia next week.  There is no doubt in my mind now that Murray has the talent to win in the SEC, the question is whether he’ll have the decision making skills to do it.

2. USC’s talented wide receivers had a lot of success against an overmatched USM secondary. They made some nice catches and could have had more if Stephen Garcia and Connor Shaw had been slightly more accurate. What will UGA’s approach to limiting the effectiveness of USC’s physically imposing receivers?  

The first step in the approach must be to rid the secondary and LB’s of the Willie Martinez/John Jancek method of coverage where DB’s didn’t believe in being within 10 yards of opposing receivers and TE’s were free to roam over the middle.  I think the UGA secondary matches up a lot better with the USC receivers just because there’s not really a talent gap between the two units as obvious as between USC and USM.  I expect the defense to press the receivers at the line and be very physical with them.  I also assume that Grantham is going to try to take away Alshon Jeffrey with a lot of double coverage over the top of him.  The matchup between the USC receivers and the UGA DBs is the one I’m looking forward to the most on Saturday.

3. If you could have one player off of USC’s roster, who would it be? And why?  

This is a tough question because there are a lot of similar players up and down both rosters.  In all seriousness though, I think the player I’d like most to have from USC’s roster has to be Alshon Jeffrey. This kid is just a stud and a big time playmaker at the receiver position.  It doesn’t hurt that he’s currently eligible, either…

4. What’s your favorite memory from the USC-UGA series?

I’ve been attending UGA/USC games since 2000 when I was a sophomore in high school.  The only game I’ve missed since then was 2008 and that was due to work obligations.  To me, this is one of my favorite games to attend every year so I’ve got a lot of memories both good and bad from this series. Probably my most memorable moment had to be in 2002.  It was just a miserable rainy day in Columbia. I believe the game was delayed due to lightning several times. Overall the game was very sluggish and didn’t have many highlights.  I’ll never forget the David Pollack strip/INT/TD in the end zone.  Still one of the most amazing plays I’ve ever seen in person (Knowshon’s leap against Central Michigan is either 1st or 2nd on that list).  Most people count the win at Alabama when Pat Dye said Georgia wasn’t man enough as the launching pad for the 2002 SEC Championship, but I believe that USC game and particularly the Pollack play was the moment when I realized that we might have a pretty special team that year.

5. Although most USC fans consider UGA our second-biggest rival, some UGA fans don’t seem to consider USC a rival at all. While that seems reasonable considering the disparity in success enjoyed by the two schools and because UGA has several other schools it considers rivals, I find the tendency of UGA fans to dismiss USC a little odd considering how much attention UGA fans seem to pay to us. What do you think about this series–is it a rivalry to you?

This was the question I had to think about the longest when posed to me.  From my lurking and posting at Garnet and Black Attack, I realize that UGA fans’ dismissive attitude towards the USC program is a point of contention for yourself and your readers from time to time.  And considering that the two schools are a lot closer to each other in reality than say UGA and Florida, from the outside looking in that does seem a bit odd.  To me the general dismissiveness of USC boils down to one thing and that’s the W-L record.  Just like Florida fans born after 1980 believe the UGA game is their birthright to win and are dismissive of UGA, most of our fans feel the same way about South Carolina because the overall record is so one-sided.  As I stated before, just as is the case with our program and Florida’s, the only way the perception is going to change is for the underdogs in these two series to start winning more frequently.  Until then, due to the fact that there are four or five schools that UGA could legitimately consider a serious rival and the overall record between UGA and USC; UGA fans will continue to be dismissive of USC for better or worse.  However, I’m a unique case as I was born and raised in Augusta before matriculating to Athens so I always have viewed USC as one of our biggest rivals.

Many thanks to AuditDawg for taking part in this conversation.

“My genuine opinion of the Kentucky basketball program is that there is only one and it is top drawer, Park Avenue, and that all other basketball programs in the country think they are, but they are not.  At Kentucky, basketball is a type of religion, such a fanatical obsession that they expect to be national champions each year, and they live and die with each ball game.”

“I’m not looking to throw a party for Kentucky, but that is how I feel.  I think it’s an honest appraisal because I’ve seen all the programs, touching them as a coach, a player and as an NBC broadcast commentator … I have touched all the so-called capitals of basketball, but when it gets down to the short stroke, the only true capital of basketball is in Lexington.” 

Al McGuire

 

Word on the street is; Kentucky basketball fans just want a winner.  They don’t want double-digit loss seasons, they don’t want anything approaching mediocrity in anything the boys in blue do, either on or off the court.  They demand to be entertained, and the best way for a Kentucky basketball fan to be entertained is to witness their beloved Cats throttle those who dare challenge Big Blue.  It is those types of demands by the fan base who support the Cats with either their dollars through the purchase of apparel, tickets, or donations to the athletic department  that are the reason Kentucky basketball stands perched above those who think college basketball is merely a game that young men play.  To Kentucky fans, Wildcat basketball isn’t a game, it’s a lifestyle, it’s a birthright, it’s a quasi-religion, loudly and proudly passed down from grandparent, to parent, to offspring. 

Simply put, pity the fool who fails to realize the righteous truth of Kentucky basketball as being all-important to the Commonwealth.  One man, though, whose eyes are open to the realization that UK basketball fans are a serious lot, is John Calipari.

Upon Calipari’s hiring last spring, the Big Blue Nation, almost as if on cue, cheered and rejoiced at the marriage of the hottest coach in the land with the most prodigious program in the land.  Thoughts of Final Fours and national championships danced through the heads of all those whose allegiance is sworn to the Cats of Kentucky.  After four years of mind-numbing mediocrity, Kentucky fans pontificated it would take Calipari and his recruiting genius only a snippet of time to bring Camelot back to its former glory and prestige.

But, at what cost?

Winning, rather, winning at the highest level in the new age of college basketball comes with a certain amount of measured risk.  Due to the collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and the NBA Player’s Association, struck in 2004 and first instituted in the 2005 NBA Draft, states that in order for a player to be eligible to play in the Association the player must be at least one year out of high school, and at least 19-years-old.  

For various reasons, the Kentucky basketball program has not had to deal with the well-meaning but flawed NBA age limit rule until now — Former Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith famously refused to deal with street agents, runners, or AAU coaches during his 10 years at the helm of the Kentucky basketball program, which curtailed his ability to successfully recruit the top flight talent to Lexington; Rick Pitino didn’t have to deal with these issues because there was no “one-and-done” rule during his tenure with the Cats; and Billy Gillispie didn’t have to deal with these issues because he consistently swung and missed on his blue chip (Patrick Patterson and Daniel Orton were not thought to be one-and-done propsects out of high school), NBA-or-bust recruiting prospects.  John Calipari has no such problems, but he does have other issues to deal with.  Issues, that, for the first time, UK fans are being forced to confront.  

Because of the Kentucky head coach’s God-given charisma, his player-friendly dribble-drive offense, and the coupling of Calipari with Kentucky, the man in charge has drawn the interest of most of the NBA-level high school talent.  Not only within the boundaries of the United States, but around the basketball playing world.  And elite talent comes with, at times, question marks.  Question marks about academic integrity, question marks about narcissistic agents, question marks about unscrupulous AAU coaches, and question marks about whether a foreign recruit drew a salary while playing overseas.  Instead of the best players in the country (and around the world) declaring for the NBA Draft directly out of high school, now, a college coach interested in luring said talent to their campus are forced to navigate the shark-infested waters of elite prospect recruiting, as well as NCAA eligibility issues that are part and parcel in modern-day top-tier talent recruitment.

Calipari, instead of refusing to recruit those with possible eligibility issues, has taken a tack tilted toward getting the best players possible, while leaving eligibility issues for UK’s compliance department, ably headed by Sandy Bell, and the NCAA Eligibility Center to figure out.  And although the NCAA burned Calipari (indirectly) and Memphis (directly) over the Derrick Rose ACT issue, Calipari has rightfully opted to press forward in his quest for the next great player for the fanatics occupying Rupp Arena to cheer on.

And, really, would Kentucky basketball fans have it any other way?  No rule breaking, no backroom deals, rather, a winner within the parameters of NCAA statutes, that is in essence, what UK bluebloods want.  And that is just what Calipari is giving the masses in the Bluegrass with his recruiting posture.

Kentucky didn’t become the standard-bearer of excellence in the world of college basketball by recruiting mediocre talent.  Kentucky became the 20th century’s ”Roman Empire” by chasing, catching, and developing the best basketball players in the world.  To toss that tried and true (blue) philosophy aside because of the headaches inherent in bringing the best talent to Lexington would be foolhardy, and a sure recipe for the descent of UK basketball into the realm of the once-greats.  Which is not the legacy handed down over the past 70 years from grandparents, to parents, to offspring.  And a circumstance best left to nightmares, rather than reality.

Thanks for reading, and Go Cats!

Among the new things we’ll be doing here in the Slophouse is expanding our relationship with our sister publication Hawgs Illustrated.
One of the ways we’ll do that is to host their weekly podcast, HI Radio. This week Clay Henry and I sit down to talk about Arkansas’ season-opening win over Tennessee Tech and preview [...]

Sorry for the delay today, fighting off a nasty head cold and trying to get right for the weekend.

P90X Ain’t got nothing on this

REMINDER: PICK’EM PICKS DUE THURSDAY BEFORE KICKOFF

Just to make sure we are all on the same page, LSU is playing Oregon at JerryWorld. Poesur has already volunteered to host a huge tailgate in his driveway, right Poseur?

Awards keep rolling in for Peterson’s historic performance on Saturday: SEC Special Teams Player of the Week; Lott Player of the Week. He’s even getting some serious Heisman talk from ESPN and our SB Nation mothership. It’s early, but still you’ve got to like his chances if he can keep that level of production up.

Heading to Vanderbilt? Despite the down home good ol’ boy coach, remember that it’s still Vanderbilt, where the practice of cooking meats outdoors is for savages.

Despite my own predictions, We’ve moved up in the AP and held steady in the Grad Asst poll. We even moved up a spot in the BlogPoll (no dobt helped by a #3 ranking from Doc Saturday) but don’t get excited. Stil a Lot of football to play.

Late word from Wednesday’s practice: Ryan Baker, Karnell Hatcher and Chris Tolliver have all been cleared for Saturday. The post-practice interview video courtesy of the Times-Pic after the break. Elsewhere, Rosetta does some speculation about the O-line personnel after Will Blackwell’s injury.

By LSU’s count, there are nearly 60 former Tigers on NFL rosters and practice squads this season. (Note that Al Woods got picked up on the Steelers practice squad just a few days ago)

It’s a far cry from the days of the Ole War Skule, but 11 new ROTC scholarship cadets took their oaths at The Box this week.

Soccer will try to get off the skid Thursday @ #10 BYU. The game will be live on the BYU network, which some of you on satellite systems will be able to catch.

After the break, an update on the Old Alex Box Lot

I must have missed something in the NCAA’s report. When A.J. Green sold his jersey for $1,000 did he leave a live a baby in it or a dead hooker? Or maybe he sold the jersey to Myles Brand’s zombie corpse?

Why the hell is he getting suspended for four games? Clay Travis had a great comment on this via Twitter:

On A.J., if he’d stolen ten jerseys, he probably misses a game. Sell one he owns, four games. Felonies count less than making money in NCAA.

What Clay didn’t mention is…you beat up an cop in Knoxville and it’s zero games on the suspension.

I also agree with Orson Swindle in that it’s a very random punishment. I think the punishment will be reduced by a game or two, but who knows. This is as arbitrary a punishment as I’ve seen in a while by the NCAA.

By the way…I know Dean Legge is taking a ton of crap for his “AJ will play on Saturday announcement.” I also know that in that profession you need to be right 100% of the time. But it’s not like other media sources covering the Dawgs haven’t been wrong about this exact sort of thing. It happens. You whiff, admit you were wrong, apologize and move on.

What a weird couple of months. I think we beat SC and Mississippi State with or without AJ Green. Arkansas on the other hand…that’s going to be tricky.

PWD

Earlier this afternoon, I received a contact from a source who reported to me that the University of Georgia has received word from the NCAA that A.J. Green will be suspended for four games.

Last Saturday’s season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette reportedly will count as the first game of the suspension, the remaining three games of which will be served during the Georgia Bulldogs‘ upcoming contests against South Carolina, Arkansas, and Mississippi State. I am informed that Green is scheduled to return for the Bulldogs’ game against Colorado on October 2. I am told that the University will appeal, although it is unlikely that the suspension will be reduced, and, obviously, no reduction could come in time for this weekend’s game in Columbia.

Unfortunately, the source who contacted me did so while I was in Atlanta, just prior to the beginning of a court proceeding for which I was present in my professional capacity. Naturally, I had to turn my cell phone off before the proceeding began, and I did not have internet access. Accordingly, I made a couple of phone calls once I was back outside. My thanks go out to College Buddy for posting the news I relayed to him, and to MaconDawg for promoting College Buddy’s fanpost to the front page until I could get back to my computer.

An announcement should be forthcoming shortly—frankly, I’m surprised I made it home before word got out—but I have confidence that this source is reliable. More will follow once we have confirmation that the news is true. (I’d be happy to be wrong about this, but, again, I trust the person who contacted me; I just wish the timing had been better, but it couldn’t be helped.)

Go ‘Dawgs!

The Georgia Bulldogs got some bad news today: it appears that star receiver A.J. Green is out for both our upcoming game and a few more. Green apparently sold his Independence Bowl jersey for a cool $1000 to an agent. That seems like a small crime for such a stiff penalty to me. At the same time you can see how the NCAA might interpret the act as a clear intent to profit off amateur status, but, still–I would imagine the NCAA has given weaker punishments for worse before. The NCAA’s official ruling is as follows:

At any rate, Carolina definitely benefits from this. I don’t think that Green is the key figure in this game, which I think will be won in the trenches. However, Green is clearly a weapon Aaron Murray could use to help him out if we’re able to force the game out of Georgia’s RB’s hands. Green’s absence will give Ellis Johnson a bit more of a carte blanche to play the run and to blitz Murray when he throws. This is all to say that if Georgia can run the ball, they’ll still likely win, barring a phenomenal offensive performance from our guys. It’s also to say, though, that if Georgia can’t run, their doom is likely all the more sealed.

Anyone out there in VSLNation go 2 seats they’d like to part with for an O’Shea discount. Email the newsroom if you can oblige.

Tim Tebow's first Tweet.

For any Gator fans who miss former standout Tim Tebow, now a backup with the Denver Broncos, you can follow his every thought. Or, at least, you can follow him on Twitter. The QB joined as part of a marketing strategy developed by XV Enterprises, a company Tebow’s brother, Robby, and longtime friend Angel Gonzalez created.

From Darren Rovell’s CNBC story:

“We interviewed the top 15 marketing agencies in the world and went through their dog and pony show,” said Robby, Tebow’s older brother. “They were big and smooth and wore three-piece suits and some of them are very good at what they do. But one thing we realized is that they were talking about the things for Timmy that we were already thinking about. And when it came to negotiating we could do the job as good as they could and we weren’t necessarily worrying about that 20 percent cut.”

You can check out Tebow’s website, where there is a short video documentary on the QB. You can follow Tebow on Twitter at @timtebow. He’s got more than 10,000, as of 4:16 p.m. Over-under on him topping 100K today?

Former Arkansas receiver Marquel Wade has enrolled at Milford Academy, a prep school in New York, according to the program’s roster.
Wade (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) enrolled at Arkansas and began going through preseason drills, but abruptly returned to his home in Jacksonville, Fla., on Aug. 19. When asked about the matter, Razorback coach Bobby Petrino said, [...]

Per Kyle, NCAA has suspended A. J. Green for four games.  First game back will be Colorado on October 2.  More to follow when Kyle gets back to his computer.  He actually found out about this while in downtown Atlanta pursuing his day job. 

More words, more words, more words, more words, more words, more words, more words, more words, more words, more words, more words, more words, more words, more words, more words, more words, more words, more words, more words. . .

Despite the return of Xavier Nixon, Maurice Hurt will play right tackle this week rather than shift back to guard. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

While offensive line coach/offensive coordinator Steve Addazio said Tuesday that he’d ideally like to move Marcus Gilbert back to right tackle and start Xavier Nixon at left tackle, that won’t happen this week.

Maurice Hurt said he’s been taking the first-team reps at right tackle this week, and Gilbert has been playing at left tackle.

“We’re still getting some guys back and we’re still shuffling the rotation, but for now I think I’m going to be at right tackle,” said Hurt, who regularly plays guard.

With Nixon and Matt Patchan (who will miss several more weeks) out, the Gators were forced to shuffle the offensive line around. This meant moving Gilbert from right tackle to left tackle, and Hurt from guard to right tackle.

The offensive line played OK on Saturday in its new set-up, but there is room for improvement.

The good news this week is that Nixon is practicing with contact and will probably play this week. He’ll begin as a backup to Gilbert at left tackle, but should rotate in to get some snaps.

The line also will receive a boost with the return of left guard Carl Johnson, who was suspended last week for undisclosed reasons.

The injury situation leaves Hurt a bit uncertain about what position he’ll play from week to week, but he’s OK with that.

“Our coach wants us to rotate and be versatile,” Hurt said. “It’s the nature of the game.”

A complete injury update is after the jump.

Other injury updates: WR Frankie Hammond Jr. (suspension), DT Terron Sanders (knee), S Will Hill (suspension) and TE Jordan Reed (knee) are expected to play this week. LT Matt Patchan (knee) will be out “several weeks,” Meyer said. CB Moses Jenkins will miss at least six weeks.

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit says Tim Tebow's "creativity and determination" fueled the Gators' offense last year. / Photo by Gary W. Green, Orlando Sentinel

On South Florida’s WQAM with Joe Rose this morning, ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit raised some concerns he has about the Florida offense. Among his comments:

“I really go back to Dan Mullen leaving Florida and think now is the time that Steve Addazio and Urban Meyer are going to have to show where this offense is.

“I’m just saying all of last year I wasn’t necessarily sold on the continuity of the offense without Dan Mullen, and now you take Tim Tebow out of there and Riley Cooper and Aaron Hernandez and David Nelson, and now it’s a new cast of characters and now we’re going to learn more about Florida’s offense.”

Is Herbstreit right?

To top off  this easy, uneventful Wednesday — sure wish something would happen around here — I’ll be part of a roundtable discussion tonight with fellow scribes Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader and Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal from 6-8 on WLAP-630, with host Dick Gabriel.

Football is the scheduled topic, but why do I have this strange hunch that other subjects might make their way onto the menu — and into the minds of Dick’s callers?

Sure hope the delay button is working.

CBS Sportsline’s Garry Parrishs has weighed in on the Enes Kanter Eligibility Event, or something like that.

It’s a good piece, by the way.

An excerpt:

But what I will do is tell you that though many of the details in this week’s well-reported New York Times story shocked casual fans, nothing printed should’ve surprised Kentucky officials because they had to know what they were getting into when they opted to accept a commitment from Kanter last March.

I mean, everybody else knew.

In my years of covering college basketball, I’ve never heard an incoming freshman called a “pro” more than Kanter has been called a pro by industry sources. One coach who initially recruited Kanter but quickly stopped told me he did so after determining “the kid should be ruled ineligible for life.” Other coaches have laughed when I told that story, but nobody has ever argued the other side.

Through most of fall camp, the assumption was Brad Durham would be UK’s starting right tackle. Then the depth chart came out the week of the Louisville game and Billy Joe Murphy had moved up to No. 1 pushing Durham down to second-string. But the senior from Rockcastle County recovered nicely and played well against Louisville last Saturday.

Here’s Durham at UK’s weekly press luncheon on Monday talking to the media.

As Ken mentioned in this post last night, the New York Times’ Pete Thamel has reported that the Turkish team Kanter played with is claiming they paid more than $100,000 to Kanter and his family, and a “salary” of $6,500/month.

What we have to speculate on here is, “What does this mean for the Kentucky Wildcats?”  As you would expect, many people in the sports world have taken an interest in this story and have opined on it, one of whom is Luke Winn from Sports Illustrated.  Here is the crux of the biscuit, as Frank Zappa would say:

The NCAA is still reviewing Kanter’s case, Kentucky is defending his status as an amateur, and the public has yet to see the financial documentation Fenerbahce says it gave to the NCAA. But if Fenerbahce’s claims are legitimate, there’s no chance Kanter will play at Kentucky. The key here isn’t the $100-150K that Kanter allegedly received, since amateurs in the European system are allowed to receive necessary travel, lodging and food benefits from their clubs and still be eligible in the eyes of the NCAA. What matters is that Kanter, according to Karakas, was paid a salary for his time with Fenerbahce’s senior club.

I think this is right.  If Kanter indeed took a salary, any salary at all, that makes him a professional, period.  It’s one thing to have expenses paid, but it is entirely another to take a salary.

Winn goes on to scoff at Fenerbahce’s claim of pure motives and trying to do the right thing.  From the original Thamel article linked above, Fenerbahce’s general manager, Nedim Karakas, made this rather extraordinary claim:

“I am sorry for telling this for Enes, but we cannot lie if someone asks the whole story, we cannot hide,” Karakas said.

I don’t believe Kanter or anyone else asked Mr. Karakas to lie.  The fact is, Karakas has a vested interest in the NCAA turning down Kanter’s appeal, to the tune of a six-figure transfer fee.  If Kanter is admitted, Fenerbahce gets zero.  Karakas is being as false as Marv Albert’s brown locks in this comment, and unabashedly so.

Thamel’s article goes on to describe how unhappy the leadership of Fenerbahce was about Kanter’s decision.  I think that’s understandable, but before you start pointing the finger at them, recognize that Euro leagues as a whole are rooting against Kanter in this affair.  If the NCAA makes an easy path to college for underage “club” players, it could cost them millions of dollars worth of defections to NCAA basketball.

Mike DeCourcy explains for Sporting News:

And in any debate about that issue, it should be hard to trust the word of the club.

The European clubs have obvious motivation to dissuade their best young players from coming here to play. For starters, if somebody’s playing in the NCAA Tournament, he can’t be playing in the Euroleague. Also, if a young player is under contract to a European club and is ready to try the NBA, the club almost certainly will receive a substantial buyout in return. A 19-year old who wants to leave Kentucky for the draft merely signs a paper declaring that intent. He is free to leave.

That’s exactly right.  The thing you have to notice here is that the Fenerbahce people failed to provide proof of their claims to Pete Thamel.  The reason is fairly clear — the proof they have very likely does not live up to the standards that they claim it does.  

Indeed, DeCourcy goes on to tell us that FIBA rules do not permit teams to enter into contracts with players under 18 years of age, which would include Kanter.  If they were paying him a salary, as they claim, I suspect it would be in violation of the rules of their oversight authority in spirit if not the letter.  I’m not sure about that, though, but if is against the rules to sign them to a contract, it would seem to be suspect to pay them money described as a “salary.”  But FIBA’s interests lie squarely with Fenerbahce, so I wouldn’t expect any help from them on the matter.

The purpose of the Thamel article was clearly to create a public relations problem for Kanter, the NCAA and Kentucky.  Evidently, Fenerbahce hopes that by doing so, the NCAA will find enough “complexity” in the matter to declare Kanter a professional.  It may or may not work, but keep in mind that the NCAA is an inherently conservative organization, and this rule change was a real departure for them.  They may decide that it is wisdom to err on the conservative side of amateurism (a view that I suspect few NCAA coaches or presidents would oppose, particularly when the subject is a Kentucky player), and that hope is clearly revealed in Karakas’ disingenuous comments.

What does this mean for Kentucky?  Well, obviously it would hurt the team’s chances, since Kanter was to be the workhorse in the inside game.  If Kanter becomes disqualified by the NCAA, Kentucky will have to rely on Josh Harrellson and Eloy Vargas, both finesse rather than power players like Kanter, to take care of the work inside.

There is no doubt that Kanter’s loss would leave Kentucky’s team in a much worse roster condition this year, not to mention incredibly thin in the front court.  Overall, it would leave the ‘Cats with only 10 players on the team, one of them a walk-on guard who was granted a likely one-year deal.  But somehow, they will find a way — the Wildcats always do — to be as good as they can be.

For those of you who want to harshly criticize Thamel, don’t bother.  We should not be taking shots at a guy who is trying to earn a living, and reporting on Kentucky, particularly negative reporting, is good for business.  His article contained all the relevant facts necessary for a person to recognize the strong conflict of interest that Karakas and Fenerbahce have in their claims of altruistic motivations, and clearly points out the lack of proof provided.

In the end, we’ll just have to hope for the best.  In any case, this year’s Kentucky team was not shaping up to be championship-caliber on paper anyway, but if the Kanter matter goes ill for UK, the road will become significantly more difficult to the more minor milestones, like the SEC championship and a high national ranking.

In the end, if the worst happens, that’s just how life goes sometimes.  We’ll still have a good team, and you can never tell if the loss of a particular player can be a major blow, or addition by subtraction.  Sometimes, it’s just not obvious and can’t be predicted.

But the smart money would be betting against us.

We mentioned in an earlier thread how rain was a good thing for the Arkansas football program this week, but as is often the case it has an adverse effect on baseball.
Dave Van Horn’s club was slated to begin fall drills Tuesday but because of the rain has had to postpone that start date until [...]

Arkansas spent Tuesday practicing in a steady Ozark Mountain rain, and if the forecast is any indication, the Hogs could end up doing the same for the rest of the week.
Speaking on the Southeastern Conference coaches’ teleconference Wednesday, Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said he liked the way his team practiced in the wet weather, especially [...]

A 44-3 opening-season win might be acceptable to fans, but it was little surprise Arkansas coaches found plenty to be displeased with after watching film of the Hogs’ game with Tennessee Tech.
Arkansas offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said the Razorbacks spent a rainy Tuesday practice cleaning up fine details.
“I told them to the outside eye and [...]

Ah, September 2008. As most of the nation was wrapped up in the most interesting presidential election in decades, the attention of Razorback fans was occupied by a more important matter: the extremely shaky state of the Arkansas football team.

Sitting here in the midst of the high-flying Ryan Mallett Era, it’s almost hard to remember, but the Hogs were bad at the beginning of that season. Like, really bad. So bad that they had to mount furious 4th quarter comebacks to defeat  Western Illinois (a Division I-AA team) and Louisiana-Monroe in consecutive weeks, earning them the dubious distinction of being the worst 2-0 team in history. Seems like way more than two years ago, doesn’t it?

So, here we sit today, one game into a hugely anticipated season and ready to face the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks again. Although no one expects anything close to a repeat of that 2008 battle (knock on wood), it’s worth taking a few minutes to reflect back on that last game and appreciate just how far we’ve come.

* Check out the official recap and box score. You may feel like sending a belated thank you note to the likes of Michael Smith and Casey Dick.

* Here’s our immediate post-game reaction (note the gloomy prediction of not winning again for the rest of the season…it seemed extremely possible at the time) followed by KevinHog’s much more substantive eyewitness report.

* The Razorbloggers rounded up reactions from the media…lots of good links here.

* Lastly, enjoy the very slim highlights video of the game.

Once you’ve checked out those links be sure to take a deep breath and cleanse those memories from your system..it’s a very different season now. WPS!

Enes Kanter

Luke Winn of cnnsi.com has weighed in with his thoughts on the Enes Kanter eligibility issue.

He says the $100,000 is really immaterial to whether or not Kanter received a salary for playing.

He also justly points out that Kanter’s old team does not want to see him playing in the U.S.

An excerpt:

Fenerbahce’s claim that it was doing the noble thing by telling the truth about Kanter (”The NCAA’s main goal is to protect the amateur side of sports,” Karakas told the Times) is disingenuous. The club was irate when Kanter was yanked out of its system — by his Turkish “advisor,” Max Ergul, according to sources — and transported to the U.S. for prep school last season. Fenerbahce doesn’t care about the NCAA or Kentucky; it cares about sending a message that the talent it develops can’t be poached. The club also stands to receive a six-figure transfer fee if Kanter were to return to Europe this season and attempt to play for a new team.

That doesn’t mean Winn believes Kanter is a cinch to be eligible, writing, “if Fenerbahce’s claims are legitimate, there’s no chance Kanter will play at Kentucky.”

This is taken after today’s practice. What you can’t see (or hear) is Donald Russell standing behind Locke (yelling), as Derrick is asked the question.

Ex-UK quarterback Andre Woodson was a visitor at football practice today. Here he is talking with current quarterback Mike Hartline after the workout.

(Photo by John Clay)

Georgia officials are hoping the NCAA makes a ruling on Green’s eligibility as soon as Wednesday. . . .

A person familiar with the NCAA investigation told ESPN.com that Green did not sell his jersey on eBay and received less than $1,000 for it. The source said Green has been forthcoming and honest with NCAA investigators, but added there were “some twists and turns” involved with the case.

Green, a preseason All-SEC selection, also is linked to the NCAA’s ongoing investigation into alleged improper contact with agents by players at Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina. But a person familiar with the investigation told ESPN.com that Green has adamantly denied attending the agent-sponsored party in Miami or ever traveling to South Florida. . . .

Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told reporters he hoped to learn Green’s fate sometime this week.

“I’d be highly disappointed if we don’t hear something this week,” Richt said on Tuesday. “I would think we will.”

How is it that only 1 other person has joined the VSL Nation group for NFL Pick’em?

Don’t make me beg: Sign up.

Group Name: VSL Nation
Password: vslnation

Watching, hearing or reading about Mike Pouncey’s snap problems has been unavoidable this week. Understandably, it’s the primary topic of conversation in Florida Gators circles.

Steve Addazio does not believe it will be a concern this week against USF, and he seems to be pretty irritated at hearing about it.

Watch the video after the jump.

Word out of practice yesterday is that Nathan Stanley and Jeremiah Masoli are splitting snaps, an indication that Houston Nutt will continue to play both quarterbacks this weekend. After the loss in week one, everybody is looking for a quick fix, and one of the top suggestions is that Nutt should pick a quarterback, namely Masoli, and go with him. Let me say up front that while it may be in the best interest of the Rebels to pick a quarterback sooner rather than later, I’m not necessarily saying that’s why the Rebels lost the Jacksonville State game. Both quarterbacks played well in that game. Both also made crucial errors that resulted in touchdowns for the Gamecocks. It’s hard to find fault with Nutt wanting to continue to play both quarterbacks against Tulane. But I did anyway.

WHY is Nutt playing two quarterbacks? Obviously, at 3 million dollars a year, Nutt wants to win as many games is possible, which causes the question: Is he having a hard time deciding which quarterback gives him the best chance to win? Does Stanley look better that Masoli at practice? Or does Nutt feel a sense of loyalty to Stanley since Masoli was thrust upon him so late in the summer? Does Nutt want to use these first supposedly (insert laugh here) easy games to give Stanley experience for next year? Just why is Nutt still intent on using Stanley and Masoli?

Given the NCAA chaos of last week, it’s not hard to figure out why Stanley started Game 1. And he started it with a bang, throwing a pair of beautiful touchdown passes. After seeing throws like that it’s understandable that Nutt might be reluctant to put Stanley on the bench.

But let’s face it, Masoli brings talent to the field that not many quarterbacks possess. And you can’t help but wonder how much more effective Masoli might have been in the second half against J-State if he’d been on the field the whole game. In the second half neither quarterback was effective, and the reasons are plentiful. The offensive line seemed to lose its edge in the third quarter. The play calling got a little stale. Whatever it was, Masoli would have been better in the 3rd and 4th quarters if he’d played every snap of the game. He never had the chance to build any momentum. When overtime came around, Masoli was the cool senior leader everybody knew he would be. The coaches say he was put in to give the Rebels the option threat. The threat was real, and Ole Miss scored on both possessions. The guy is good, and if he’s going to be the quarterback when it counts this year, Nutt should hurry up and make him the guy. He wasn’t brought to Oxford to ride the pine. Saving him for when the real action starts could bite the Rebels later. In fact, it may already have.

LOCKETT AND INGRAM RETURN: The big news out of practice yesterday is that injured safety Fon Ingram is back and expects to play Saturday. Considering he had knee surgery less than two weeks ago, that’s pretty remarkable. Ingram’s presence in the defensive backfield should help. The other big news is that defensive end Kentrell Lockett expects to be back on the field Saturday. Between them, the two seniors bring a lot of experience to the field.

THIS HURTS: Don’t read this link if you’re starting to see sunshine again when you wake up in the morning.

Apparently he is some kind of country music singer, whatever I’m from New York. But I appreciate him paying to have CRC’s face put on the wall by what used to be “Me Greek, You Greek” according to the Tennessean. Gracias!
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100904/SPORTS0602/9040317/2197/SPORTS

Lets get some talk about Vandy/LSU this week. Why does this game always end up on ESPNU? Last year for this game I was in Washington D.C. my 3rd stop in my drive cross country. Now I live in D.C. but will be up in NY for the game. Umm but enough about me. How much does ESPNU’s football game coverage suck?

Jeremy Brown amazingly came back two days after suffering an ankle injury. (Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel)

It’s a minor miracle Jeremy Brown played on Saturday.

The Gators cornerback injured his ankle on Thursday, putting him in crutches and doubtful for Florida’s game against Miami of Ohio. While Gators coach Urban Meyer reminded Brown that it was a long season, Brown worked with the training staff all Friday night to devise a plan to get him on the field.

On Saturday morning he received a solid tape job, a shot and was ready to go. Less than 24 hours after walking around on crutches.

“I was in the gym the whole night,” said Brown, who registered one of the Gators’ four interceptions in the34-12 victory.

Now, with cornerback Moses Jenkins out at last six weeks with an elbow injury, Brown will take on an even bigger role.

“It definitely puts a little pressure on me to step up because behind me and Janoris [Jenkins] we have three freshmen,” said Brown, referring to freshmen Josh Shaw, Jaylen Watkins and Cody Riggs. “I know how that is. It’s a little tougher as a true freshman.

“I’m definitely stepping up and taking the leadership role in that secondary because those are some talented corners. I’m trying to help them mature as fast as I can, because one of them is going to have to step up and play.”

You know that Brown, after missing the last two years with a back injury, is pumped to be back on the field and playing a big role with the team.

(H-L photo/David Perry)

Saw this on Twitter this morning:

@TweetNBA: NBA AM: Another Coach Cal Scandal? http://bit.ly/a2oPM4

Please.

Enes Kanter isn’t a John Calipari scandal.

It isn’t even a scandal.

It’s a thorny eligibility issue that existed long before Calipari coaxed the Turkish star with the tremendous upside into signing on the dotted line to play Kentucky basketball. There have always been lingering questions about Kanter’s eligibility, and such issues were illuminated by Pete Thamel fo the New York Times with his story posted Tuesday night.

A note here about Thamel. Despite ill-informed claims from  the burning blogosphere, the Times did not open its wallet to send the college basketball reporter to Istanbul in hopes of bringing Calipari crashing down. Thamel is in Turkey covering the FIBA World Basketball Championships. Given the Kanter questions out there, makes sense Thamel would do some reporting on the side there, if possible. He got an interview with the manager of Kanter’s team. He printed what the manager said. He put what the manager said into context by explaining that the manager could have an ulterior motive for his claims. That’s called reporting.

Besides, this is not really a Calipari story, not in any scandalous sense, just as it would not be a Lorenzo Romar story had Kanter stuck with his earlier commitment to Washington. It would only be a Calipari story if the coach, or UK, attempted to keep information from the NCAA that would affect Kanter’s eligibility. There is no evidence of that.

If the NCAA in facts rules Kanter ineligible over the alleged $100,000+ in payments, all Calipari could be accused of making a questionable recruiting decision, banking on an international player with eligibility issues.

But considering that UK has just 10 players on scholarship – 11 now with former walk-on Jarrod Polson – it’s not as if Cal opted to pass on another prospect for the purpose of signing Kanter. And there are plenty of coaches who would have done the same as Calipari, get the signature and hope for the best.

Fall around these parts means three things: football season, a new crop of marginally talented unpaid interns and the SEC Power Poll. Here are our insightful thoughts on the state of the conference after the first weekend of games (our preseason rankings are in parentheses):

1. (1) Alabama - Rolling.

2. (3) Georgia - A nice start to the season…but where’s A.J. Green?

3. (2) Florida - Possibly should be lower based on their anemic first game, but moving them below the Hogs so soon would run the risk of jinxing too many things.

4. (4) Arkansas - Season starts on September 18.

5. (7) South Carolina - Very solid opening week just makes the inevitable late season collapse more painful.

6. (5) Auburn - Gus knows offense, but they gave up waaaay too many points against Arkansas State.

7. (7) LSU  - Les Miles just makes everything more fun.

8. (8) Mississippi State - Boldly staking their claim as the best team in Mississippi.

9. (9) Kentucky - We’ll repeat last week’s hilarious joke: only a few more weeks until basketball season!

10. (10) Tennessee - This weekend’s game against Oregon could get ugly.

11. (12) Vanderbilt - Advanced by virtue of losing to a Division 1 team.

12. (9) Ole Miss - The good news is that they don’t have to play any more FCS teams this year.

Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

• Turkish team says it paid Enes Kanter over $100,000, reports Pete Thamel of the New York Times.
• No Lexington TV outlet yet for UK-WKU football game, says Herald-Leader staff report.
• Moncel Allen sees opportunity in Kentucky fullback role, reports Chip Cosby of the H-L.
• UK football season ticket sales are down eight percent, reports Cosby.
• Kentucky and, yes, Louisville are benefiting from basketball recruiting wars, so writes me.
• Diligence pays off for Micah Johnson, writes Andy Kent of miamidolphins.com. (Hat tip to Tom Leach.)
• Bowling Green basketball star Chane Behanan commits to Louisville, reports Jody Demling of the Courier-Journal.
• Rick Bozich of the C-J blogs on Enes Kanter story.
• Eric Crawford of the C-J does a Q&A with himself about the Kanter story.
• Luke McDermott, Freaky Luke, got to prove he can play, writes Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal.
• Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger gives his take on the Enes Kanter story.
• Eamonn Brennan of espn.com blogs about the New York Times and Enes Kanter.

SEC links for Wednesday:

• Jeff Schultz of the AJC on Georgia’s walking rumor, A.J. Green.
• Ron Morris of The State on the Georgia-South Carolina rivalry.
• Player status up in the air on both Georgia and South Carolina, reports Travis Haney of the Charleston Post and Courier.
• Thursday showcase could be a blessing or a curse for Auburn, writes Jay G. Tate of the Montgomery Advertiser.
• Auburn’s defense will expand its playbook, reports Charles Goldberg of the Birmingham News.
• Mississippi State’s offense looks much-improved, writes David Brandt of the AP.
• It’s the Alabama defense vs. Penn State’s true freshman quarterback, writes Chase Goodbread of the Tuscaloosa News.
• Ole Miss’ Kentrell Lockett is thrilled to be back on the field, reports Rod Walker of the Clarion-Ledger.
• Bryce Brown’s father considering suing Tennessee over release, reports Austin Ward of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Real season starts for Tennessee against Oregon, blogs Chris Low of espn.com.

Having provided you with this week’s SEC picks, I now turn my attention to the national games of interest. Regrettably, I did not fare well in my Labor Day weekend national prognostications, in which I posted just a 4-2 record. This should serve as an adequate reminder that I am bad at predicting the outcomes of college football games. Consequently, I offer my weekly disclaimer: Don’t Bet On It!

All of the following games will be played on Saturday, September 11:

Colorado Buffaloes at California Golden Bears: All right, I’ll admit it; this one received serious consideration for recognition as the national game of disinterest. However, it is intriguing for three reasons. First of all, the Georgia Bulldogs play the Buffs on the day of the First Annual Dawg Sports Sacrificial Goat Roast. Secondly, the game pits future Pac-10 rivals. Finally, neither team appears to be where it was a few years ago, so there’s a chance it might be competitive. Yeah, all right, probably not. I’m going with Cal.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Kansas Jayhawks: Yeah, this one’s looking a little less compelling than it did a week ago, and a whole passel of Auburn fans are lining up to remind you that there may have been a legitimate reason why the Tigers didn’t hire Turner Gill on the strength of one good season with the Buffalo Bulls, after all. The Ramblin’ Wreck may have been a bit rusty, but at least the Golden Tornado took care of business against its patsy opponent, so this will be the game in which the Engineers finally exact their long-overdue revenge on the Jayhawks for launching Pepper Rodgers’ coaching career.

Iowa St. Cyclones at Iowa Hawkeyes: This rivalry ranks right up there with Colorado-Colorado State as an annual reminder that, where in-state grudge matches are concerned, the race is not always to the fleet, nor the battle to the strong, nor is that even the way to bet most of the time. You may not have noticed, but ISU actually took care of business last weekend, and arguably to a greater degree than the Hawkeyes did. I’m still going with Iowa, although it won’t surprise me if I regret this pick later. By the way, this forecast is offered for the sole purpose of providing a subliminal reminder that it’s O.K. to get your in-state rivalry game out of the way early in the season. I’m just saying.

Michigan Wolverines at Notre Dame Fighting Irish: In theory, Rich Rodriguez and Brian Kelly traded up when they landed their respective current gigs, although you’d be hard pressed to convince me that either of these teams was a Big East championship contender, in spite of their week one performances. The luster is off of this rivalry like the wings of Tate Forcier’s helmet, yet I am compelled to call this game because Beano Cook and Lou Holtz assure me that it ranks right up there with Army-Navy on the list of consequential college football rivalries for fans who are skewing the average age of the AARP upward. Since the Maize and Blue (unlike their in-state rivals) tend to struggle in South Bend, I’m going to go with the Irish to improve to 2-0.

Florida St. Seminoles at Oklahoma Sooners: This sure is a lot of hype for a couple of teams that combined to go 15-11 last season. I always wondered why the Sooners were getting all the love, and I can’t help noticing that Oklahoma gave up 341 passing yards to Utah State. Forget about all this business about it being Stoops brother against Stoops brother; this is a battle between Christian Ponder and the Sooners’ secondary coach. At the risk of being flagged by AuditDawg for unnecessary meanness shown to the best quarterbacks coach in college football, I’m siding with the Jimbo Fisher-coached signal caller to get the better of the Willie Martinez-coached defensive backs as the Seminoles roll and Bulldog Nation finally gets back at Oklahoma for sending us Gary Gibbs.

Miami Hurricanes at Ohio St. Buckeyes: The generals are always fighting the last war and the pundits are always predicting the last football season, so forgive ESPN for its faith that the Ohio State University turned a corner with last year’s Rose Bowl. However, we would do well to remember that it hasn’t all been roses for the Buckeyes in big non-conference games lately. If I believed the ‘Canes were as “back” as the Worldwide Leader suggests, I would pick Miami to exact payback for the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, but there are only so many myths I can permit myself to buy about fallen former powers playing in the Sunshine State in one week, and Florida State already has used up all the goodwill I am willing to show the ACC this Saturday. The Hurricanes will make it close, but the Buckeyes will get both the win and more credit for the win than they deserve.

As last weekend’s record attests, I am even worse at forecasting non-SEC games than I am at predicting the outcomes of contests involving teams with which I am familiar. There is, therefore, only one way to approach my weekly prognostications, and that is to follow one simple rule: Don’t Bet On It!

Coming Soon: National Game of Disinterest.

Go ‘Dawgs!

FOOTBALL

Bulldogs, Gamecocks aren’t far apart in the polls | UGA sports blog

“I would have to imagine another knockdown dragout in Columbia,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said Tuesday.

-Mark Richt stating the obvious

Week One BlogPoll Ballot Draft: Boise State, Alabama, and Ohio State Stay on Top | Dawg Sports
Speaking of the polls, T Kyle King – noted pessimist and Todd Grantham enthusiast – is up to his old tricks. Here’s an excerpt from his latest BlogPoll ballot.

17 South Carolina Gamecocks

18 Georgia Bulldogs

That’s right, he’s summoning up all the bad Karma he can muster by ranking us ahead of his ‘Dawgs. And we’re just one spot above the ‘Dawgs to boot, so you know he would really rank UGA ahead if not for his superstitions. The nerve!

I mean, did you see the stats from their game against ULL? They looked like world beaters with a QB that had no experience. Imagine how they’ll dismantle our defense with one game of experience under their belt. They could probably saunter onto the field after a four-course meal and still flay us to pieces. Don’t even get me started on their defense and special teams.

This aggression shall not stand. Hence forth, being ranked shall be referred to as “The Recent Unpleasantness.”

Steve Spurrier’s Weekly Press Conference Quotes & Videos | Gamecocks Online
The title says it all.

Quick Practice Recap | Rivals.com
Wilson and Allen’s statuses are still up in the air due to injury while Cully and King are at practice but still uncertain for the game. Maddox will probably start at fullback – something we here at GABA have been wondering about since the spring.

Maddox’s Move to Fullback Overdue | Leftover hot Dog
LOHD agrees.

LeCorn moves to defense | Scout.com
Defensive Coordinator Lorenzo Ward (sic) comments on moving Deon LeCorn to the Spur.

“There was a lot of receivers in front of him because he was out injured for a little while, so he felt the best chance to get onto the field and play was to move to defense and try to help us,” Ward said.

Meanwhile, Akeem Auguste sees your red-shirt Freshman QB and raises you a salty secondary.

Though he didn’t see a lot of the Georgia-ULL game, junior free safety Akeem Auguste was impressed by Murray’s legs. “I saw he likes to run,” Auguste said. “He’s a little Connor Shaw-type quarterback. I saw him make some throws, but he’s still a freshman in my eyes and has a lot to prove. We’ll see if he can prove it to one of the best secondaries in the nation.”

I like your attitude young man.

Wait continues for Green, Culliver | SEC Blog – ESPN
All signs point to A.J. Green being ready to for this Saturday’s tilt versus UGA.

“I will be highly disappointed if we don’t hear something this week,” Richt said.

Meanwhile Spurrier is still in the dark with regards to our players. But he is dutifully paying lip service to the NCAA.

“I think we will.” “The NCAA runs college football,” Spurrier said. “You gotta have a sheriff. As coaches and administrators, we understand they have a difficult job to do. We’ll just have to wait it out and see what happens.”

Have USC’s Special Teams Turned A Corner? | Rivals.com
I ‘m not sure I buy that our special teams have improved. Thursday’s game didn’t prove much since USM isn’t know for its special teams prowess. We’ve been too bad on special teams for too long. I Expect at least one run-back by Georgia on Saturday. Why shouldn’t I?

Spurrier: Shaq Might Not Play In 2010 | Rivals.com
Spurrier & Co. are considering red-shirting Shaq Wilson for the 2010 season. If he doesn’t play against Georgia, then it makes sense to go ahead and sit him against Furman as well. By that time he will already have missed 1/4 the season. Is there any truth to this or is it just misinformation directed at the ‘Dawgs?

Gamecocks Podcast: Southern Miss Review & Dawgs Preview on Episode 13 | Leftover Hot Dog
Moose, the General, and Flounder discuss the goings-ons in Gamecock nation from last week.

The Comeuppance Report; or, Who I’m Pulling Against This Week | The Rubber Chickens
A look at everything most loathsome this week in college football.

Tulane (who is hosting Ole Miss) – We’ve all had a good laugh, now it’s time to move on. You know you thought “what if that happened to us?” You know you did. And how did it feel? Horrifying, right?

/Shivers. It’s like he’s inside my head…

And for the record, I think “The Comeuppance Report” is a much better title than “This Week in Schadenfreude.”

TICKETS

USC offers ticket forgiveness | The Daily Gamecock
After taking a hard line yesterday, the University goes back on it’s vow to be tough on no-shows.

USC officials granted forgiveness to more than 1,200 students who missed Thursday’s season opener without canceling their tickets, reversing earlier statements that promised to revoke student tickets for any student who missed one game without canceling their tickets online.

Disgraceful. On a positive side, 13,170 students requested tickets for this game, 2,000 more than ever before. Then again 4,000 of those will be unable to receive a ticket while people who skipped the USM game will take their place -if they show up.