Burn It Down, Mississippi State Style.

For any of you that know me personally, you know the frustrations I have had with the Mississippi State basketball program in years past. Well after last nights lost (which I predicted) I began to ponder on things I have said in the past several years and the arguments I have heard defending the program, and more specifically the head recruiter/coach. The argument that I hear more than any other is: "But what better can we get??". Well if Mississippi State fans are satisfied with mediocrity year in and year out, WELL THEN YOU HAVE YOUR MAN!!! If not, I have come up with a list of people I feel are better. Now I'm not suggesting we would have a shot to hire any of these people, just a simple list.

Robert Kirby

Jeff Capel
Shocka Smart
Josh Pastner
Sean Miller
Brad Stevens
Big Bird
Buzz Williams
Chris Mooney
Robert Kirby
Sean Miller
Bruce Pearl
Matthew Mitchell
Dan Mullen
Mike Jarvis

Rick's Rowdies (RIP)

My Coach At The YMCA in 3rd Grade
Lorenzo Lamar
Tommy Amaker
Mark Fox
Hellen Keller
Anthony Grant
Richard Williams
Dana Altman
The Ginger Who Lead Rick's Rowdies
Fran Mcaffery

The list could go on forever, but you get the point. There IS better out there that would jump at a chance to coach in the SEC. It's time to move on and let go of what is not working.

What To Watch For This Weekend
Alabama at Kentucky
Missouri at Baylor
Giants at 49ers
Ravens at Patriots
Lakers at Heat

 

The Year That Was, In The SEC, Part IV.

I know all of you have been anxiously awaiting the latest installment of the blog, but no worries people, we are here to finish a look at the SEC. Just to clarify why I waited so long, the blog will most certainly not be an everyday thing. I have been out of town most of this past week. I plan on trying my hardest to write one blog Mondays to recap the weekend and one blog on Thursdays to talk about mid-week activities. We now continue our look at the SEC and it's top 3 team.

3. South Carolina- Now I know this is probably the biggest shocker of the countdown but there were a couple of reasons I thought this was the case. 1. I hate The University of Arkansas and 2. for the amount of injuries the team endured, and the inner turmoil that was Stephen Garcia, Steve Spurrier did a masterful job to keep this team together and only lose 2 games, and only 1 under new comer Connor Shaw. The gamecocks were just too inconsistant to get over the hump again this year and make it back to Atlanta. Althought they scored an average of 25 points in leaue play, they turned the ball over 21 times in those 8 games. Now as just a personal footnote to this team, in all my years of watching SEC football, this defensive front might have been the most fun to ever watch. They are absolute animals. Having it's first 11 win season in school history, this season was a major success for the people of South Carolina. The cocks should be a mainstay in the SEC East for years to come.

Now before we break down the top 2 teams, I will go ahead and admit I am taking the pansy way out of this and both teams are number 1. It's just not fair to punish the tigers for one weak performance after 13 perfect ones, but in the same breath I can't punish Bama for their idiot kicker being a dumbass. With that said, let's revue their seasons.

1b. LSU- After reading my post thus far, you should begin to pick up on the fact that coaching means a lot to me and how it translates to their respective teams performances. And what Les Miles did after the off field issues that were suffered right before the season started was nothing short of a miracle. When Jordan Jefferson decided to take selfishness to a new level and beat the shit out of some poor soul in Baton Rouge it seemed as if the season might be lost. But what no one realized, maybe not even Les himself, was that the tigers had 11 future NFL players on the defensive side of the ball. They didn't do anything special on offense, but they won. Not enough can be said about Jarrett Lee and how he got the tigers past the first half of the season undefeated. And although I think he would have made NO difference in the championhip game, he was owed that chance. As dissappointing as the loss was at the end of the season, the Tigers will for sure be my preseaon #1 in 2012.

1a. Alabama- IT'S 14 NATIONAL CHAMIONSHIPS Y'ALL. ALL OTHER PROGRAMS SUCK. RTR. I LOVE YOU PAAAWWWLLLL. (20 minutes after he raised the crystal ball, Nick Saban was pissed thinking about 2012. He then proceeded to slap a 7 year old girl, and shake a baby until it started crying.) Anything positive that I was going to say about this program, which was a lot, was taken away by the class act who sexually assaulted an LSU fan on bourbon. (You know which video I'm talking about)

The Year That Was, In The SEC, Part III.

We continue our end of season rankings in the SEC. 

 

6. Auburn- I can not remember in recent years the team coming off the national championship, having lower expectations. To replace a player like Cam Newton, was a near impossible task, and the Tigers...or War Eagles (whatever the hell they are), proved that this year. Now this team was extremely young, and behind Michael Dyer (who for the 2nd straight year rushed for 1,000 yards) they had no returning stars from last years championship team. The tigers averaged just 24.2 points per game, down from their record breaking year of 41.2. Now a 2 QB system rarely works at the college level, much less a 3 QB system, which is what Auburn was forced to do most of the year. A shaky offensive line made matters much worse, giving up 31 sacks. Now last year, on the defense side of the ball, Auburn wasn't great but they found ways to win. this year they were down right awful. In just their first 3 games they gave up 1,600 yards of total offense!! (Take time to read that sentence again) Gene Chizik came in and won him a National Championship in just his second year, but down on the plains, things don't look so good. Defensive Coordinator, Ted Roof left before he could be fired and Offensive Coordinator, Gus Malzahn took a pay cut to become the head coach at Arkansas State. Something smells really fishy here and to make matters worse the one star the Tigers did have, Michael Dyer, is transferring sighting that he can't stand Chizik. Auburn will be a question mark for years to come.

Overall Grade: C

5. Georgia- For team that at one point during the season had a 10 game win streak and won the SEC East, there really aren't a whole lot of positives. To start off the season in the their own back yard, in the Georgia Dome, and lose to Boise State, set a tone that the bulldogs would start and finish with. Going into the season the dawgs thought there offense would be unstoppable with Aaron Murray leading the way after an impressive freshman year, a gigantic OL and one of the top running back prospects, Isaiah Crowell. Well Murray struggled early but finally found his rhythm towards the end of the season setting the school record with 33 TDs. Isaiah Crowell had flashes of brilliance going over 100 yards 4 times, but just couldn't stay healthy. Being in the SEC, 2 other teams got all the glory for being impressive defensive units, but this defensive unit was stout. They ranked 4th nationally, only giving up 268.5 yards per game. Now this begs the question: how did Georgia lose 4 games? With an absolutely awful effort in the Outback Bowl, Mark Richt and his coaching staff have a lot of work to do to satisfy disgruntled fans.

Overall Grade: B-

4. Arkansas- Now I know this ranking might come as a shock to most and many of you might disagree, but I hope to explain my reasoning. Coming into the season many razorback faithful thought replacing Ryan Mallett would be a near impossible task, but Tyler Wilson came in and did a wonderful job, excluding a few games. This offense, when playing its best, could compete with any one in the country. But 4 specific games stick out to me and you really have to question, who is the real Arkansas team? The first being the Alabama game, where they laid a big fat egg and were made to look like completely inferior athletes. The second is the LSU game. When the tigers finally woke up it was very apparent the hogs had no business on the field with this team. Now these 2 games are completely acceptable because the tide and the tigers killed everybody, but it' the next 2 games that make me question whether the hogs were real. The first was the Ole Miss game. Now I'm not here to bash the rebels/bears, but to be down to this team 17-7 at halftime is an absolute embarrassment. The next game that baffled me was the Vanderbilt game. Although the Commodores had a great season, to be on the field with such inferior athletes and the game come down to a missed kick is, again, an embarrassment. Now Arkansas plays in the Cotton Bowl tonight and i think they will win handily, but this season could have been so much more.

Overall Grade: B+

Recap:
12. Ole Miss
11. Tennessee
10. Kentucky
9. Vanderbilt
8. Florida
7. Miss. State

Next up: The ol' ball coach, a team kicking themselves in the butt and hat that won't be denied.

The Year That Was, In The SEC, Part II.

We continue our end of season rankings in the SEC.

9. Vanderbilt- Even the Commodores come in at number 9, what first year coach, James Franklin, did with this team is pretty great. Any coach in the nation would love to end up as a head coach in the SEC, but Vandy is the one place all people who know the game, say it is impossible to succeed. Well Franklin came in his first year and said to hell with all the critics and did it his way. With almost know upperclassmen leadership on the team, he went out and found a way to get 6 wins. And if you want to dig really deep, he was a blown officiating call away from beating Tennessee and a kicker away from beating Arkansas. (Veiw blog name to see my feelings on that subject) After they found Jordan Rogers the identity changed and they began to believe they could win games. But because they finished with a losing record (6-7) I had to put them at #9. This team has a lot to look forward to in the future, if Franklin decides to stay put in Nashville.

Overall Grade: C-

8. Florida- (Before we begin this excerpt, throughout this blog, Charlie Weis will be referred to as "the fat boy") I have absolutely no idea where to start with this team. Will Muschamp came in and made one of the strangest coaches hires I have ever seen. To hire the fat boy, a failed college coach, was a sign of things to come. Everyone on the roster, specifically on the offensive side of the ball, was recruited by Urban Meyer, and they had absolutely no idea how to run the power style offense Coach Muschamp and the fat boy tried to implement. John Brantley looked lost at the first part of the season until Alabama more or less snapped his leg off. The offensive line, who were recuited as big athletes who could move in the spread style offense, couldn't block a soul. And the 5'6" scat backs were murdered all year as power running backs. (Unsolicited advice to Coach Mushamp: burn the entire offense down and start over) The defense was pretty solid all year, which is exactly what you would expect from a mastermind like Muschamp. But with the schedule they were given it was impossible to succeed. They should be better next year now that Kansas decided it would be a good idea to hire the fat boy. (hahahahahahaha) The SEC just seems strange without Florida dominating the East.

Overall Grade: C-

7. Mississippi State- Now many bulldog fans veiw this season as a disappointment but for someone who saw Sylvester Croom try to run an offense for 4 years, things really aren't that bad. Coming off one of the most exciting years many bulldogs can remember, most were ready for even better things. But they just never could seem to turn the corner and get a big win. The whole feel of the season was drastically changed when Chris Relf came up just short on the goal line with time running out at Auburn. Truthfully, the team never recovered from this. Though competitive in every game they played (excluding Arkansas), the offensive struggles, a banged up OL and some of the strangest playing calling from Les Koenning and Dan Mullen, held the dawgs back from winning more games. But you don't play to be competitive, you play to win the game (God bless Herm Edwards). Although fans expected more, to end the season with 2 wins is always an awesome feeling going into spring. Now it's just time for the cockiest coach I have ever been around (and I love it) to learn to win in the SEC West.

Overall Grade: C

Recap:
12. Ole Miss
11. Tennessee
10. Kentucky

Next up: a team that got what they paid for, the secondest longest losing streak in the SEC, and messy situation.

The Year That Was, In The SEC.

First off I would like to thank all of you who have returned to read this. It's now time to break down all 12 of the SEC teams through their 2011 season. To keep things easier we'll break down 3 teams at a time, starting with the 3 who did not become bowl eligible.

12. Ole Miss- Now for all my rebel/black bear friends reading this thinking "he just wants to bash us," I assure that is not the case. Seeing this team play in the last game of their season from hell, I can honestly say this is the most unorganized SEC football team I have ever seen play (and I watched 4 years of Croom coached football). The BYU game sat the tone for what the Rebs would be the rest of the season and the seemed to quit with 4 or 5 games left. It all started with the QB play. The 3 who saw time at the position combined for just 9 TDs and 13 INTs. A bright spot coming into the season was thought to be Sr. RB Brandon Bolden but after his injury in the BYU game, he never seemed to recover. And to cap one of the worst seasons in school history their athletics department decided to fire Houston Nutt (RIP) but keep him on board for the last 3 games. Baffling. However, the one bright spot from this season was true freshman WR Donte Moncreif. The kid is gonna be a player.

Overall Grade: F

11. Tennessee- For a program who has almost no competition in recruiting and facilities that rival anyone in the nation, this season was one to truly forgot. You have to wonder when the Volunteers will quit blaming all their problems on Lane Kiffin (what an asshole). This team lost any respect I had for them when in the last game of the season, they traveled to Lexington and simply needed a win to become bowl eligible and lost. Not only did they lose, but the Wildcats were without the services of either QB listed on the roster and ran the wildcat (no pun intended) the entire game with a receiver. The Vols were plagued with several injuries but that in no way excuses the sorriness that was shown at the end of the season. And you know what they have to look forward to next season? Absolutely nothing.

Overall Grade: D-

10. Kentucky- After an overachieving year last season, the Wildcats just could never find their rhythm. Through 6 they were being outscored 202-53, obviously missing the offensive productivity from Randell Kobb. There was just too much youth on the field to compete in the SEC. They do have a good coach in Joker Philips, but the people of Lexington just do not seem to care about football at all. Beating Tennessee the last game of the season will give them a boost going into next year along with returning a bunch of skill position players, but can they turn the corner from an easy win in the SEC to competing week in and week out? We shall see... 

Overall Grade: D+

Next up: a team that just can't catch a break, the most questionable coaching job one has ever seen and a cockiness unlike any other.

Why, you ask?

If you are reading this you have no doubt by now asked yourself, "why the hell is this guy writing a blog?" Well I am here to explain myself and ask you to give me chance. Ever since I can remember sports have been part of my life and my passion has only grown through my college experience. It started with my parents. My mother was a girls basketball coach for (I have no idea) years and has since been a physical education teacher. My father was a basketball and football coach for (again, I have no idea) years and has since been in sports administration for the past 20. It was a part of me and still is; I love sports. With that said, my passion sometimes leads me to go on rants on twitter (@rtriplett41) which I realize gets on everybody's nerves. So I have decided to kill two birds with one stone and start a sports blog to quit boring many of you with my tweets and to dive deeper into something I love, sports.

Now this blog will discuss mainly college athletics, mostly focussing on the SEC. And no, it won't be all Mississippi State, I love to make fun of everyone. It will be mostly sarcastic pondering over the fact no one in the sports world is as smart as I am. Thanks for reading and I hope you guys will come back and read more. My first Topic will be breaking down the 2011 football seasons of all 12 SEC teams, coming soon...