Sportaholic SEC Game Of The Week: LSU vs. Arkanasas

LSU vs. Arkansas Preview: MAN!!!! This season LSU has been in key games just about all year. This one definitely has major implications with the SEC WEST CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE LINE. This rivalry has been called the “Battle for the Boot” (because of the shape of the two states makes a boot apperance). These two teams started playing each other 1901 but it intensified when Arkansas entered the SEC in 1992. LSU leads the series 34-20, but Arkansas has won 3 of the last 4 meetings between the two.

This game has had its historic moments like for example the 1947 Cotton Bowl which is also referred to as the “ Ice Bowl” because of the ice, sleet, snow, rain, and sub-20 degree (Fahrenheit) weather which produced horrid playing conditions (it got so cold the teams burned their benches to stay warm on the sidelines). They battled to a 0-0 tie. In 1966 the Razorbacks came into Dallas playing the Tigers in the Cotton Bowl the Razorbacks were riding a 22 game winning streak and won the previous Southwest Conference and National Titles. LSU ENDED UP WINNING 14-7 snapping the Razorbacks win streak. In 2002 “The Miracle on Markham” (Markham is the main street that runs by War Memorial Stadium).Trailing 20-14 to LSU. Matt Jones passed for a 31-yd strike with 9 seconds left to DeCori Birmingham who leaped over LSU defensive back Randall Gay. Coming into the November 23, 2007 game which was played in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, LSU was ranked number one in the country in the BCS, and most major polls. The Razorbacks outlasted the Tigers in a grueling three overtime game to win the game in which star running back Darren McFadden rushed for 206 yards, three touchdowns, and threw for one touchdown to lift Arkansas to a 50-48 victory. The "Wild Hog" formation (Arkansas' name for the Wildcat offense) was run prominently in the game, led by McFadden, in which he was a triple threat to run, hand off, or throw.

In 2008, Arkansas quarterback Casey Dick threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver London Crawford on a fourth-down (with one yard to go) situation with only 22 seconds remaining on the game clock to give the Razorbacks a 31-30 victory over the Tigers at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Ironically, Crawford caught it in the same corner in the same end zone Decori Birmigham had scored the game winner six years earlier against LSU. The Razorbacks had trailed by a score of 30-14 early in the third quarter when Casey replaced his younger brother, Nathan at quarterback; LSU incurred several penalties which aided Arkansas in their comeback ending on the winning drive which included converting twice on fourth down. In a near top-ten battle in War Memorial Stadium, Arkansas retrieved the Golden Boot from the Tigers with a 31-23 season-defining victory. The Razorbacks’ offense recorded 464 total yards of offense against the Tigers, who had the top-ranked defense in the SEC entering the contest Arkansas’s sophomore running back Knile Davis rushed for 152 yards, including nine straight rushes on the final Arkansas drive, and Ryan Mallet broke the school record of 60 career touchdown passes in the contest.. Arkansas and LSU both closed the regular season with a record of 10-2, with Arkansas finishing second in the SEC Western Division behind Auburn, allowing the Razorbacks to earn a berth in the 2011 Sugar Bowl. With the history laid out lets go to the preview.

Offense vs. Offense: Both offense’s were clicking last weekend (Arkansas with a 44-17 beating of MSU and LSUs 52-3 humiliation of Ole Miss (could have been 59-3 but Miles felt bad for the Rebels). Tyler Wilson is picking up where Ryan Mallett off with an eye popping 3215 yds and 21 touchdowns and has a talented wide receiving corps of Jarius Wright with a 1000 yds and Joe Adams with 500 yds look to challenge the LSU secondary. The Razorback rushing attack is led by Dennis Johnson 606 yds Ronnie Wingo Jr. 424 yds (there has been a Kniles Davis sighting on Arkansas’s sideline who had a knee injury during the off season which has kept him out of most of the year, but whether if he going to see playing time is a mystery) look to pressure the LSU defensive line. LSU will counter with its dual QB treat in Jarrett Lee as a passing treat and Jordan Jefferson as option threat plus with its 4 deep running back corps in Michael Ford, Spencer Ware, Kenny Hilliard, and Alfred Blue and its talented WRs in Russell Shepard Odell Beckham Jr. and Rueben Randell. The WR corp. and passing attack must play a bigger part in the offense in the match-up to counter Arkansas’s offensive attack- DRAW

Defense vs. Defense: Now this is where it gets good, the last time Arkansas O-line faced a defense like this it was Alabama and they lost so I expect them to make adjustments and LSUs secondary which is 3rd in the SEC with 15 will face its second test in Mr. Wilson so the Honey Badger (Tyrann Mathieu) and his secondary teammates must play lights out and put pressure on the WRs. LSUs D-line must put pressure on the QB which has 27 sacks on the year and the improving LSU LB corp. must play solid like they did against Alabama’s running game. LSUs offensive line must be aware of Jake Bequette (he has 8 QB sacks on the year) and QB and WRs must be aware of Tramain Thomas with his 4 picks, but I’m giving the slight Edge to LSU

Intangibles: This series has gone back and forth. With the SEC West Championship on the line, it’s the day after Thanksgiving, it’s for the Golden Boot, and last Sunday Arkansas Red shirt freshman Tight-End Garrett Uekmen was found dead in his dorm room this is going to be a very emotional Arkansas team, Its LSUs SENIOR DAY and these guys will not want to lose their last game in Tiger Stadium, and with so much on the line both teams will play inspired ball. With both sides having something to prove and to gain. Field Goals, Kick Returns, Discipline football, turnovers, and of course 4th down conversions will make this game key. Plus the added fact the game is in Tiger Stadium the edge will go to LSU

Winner and why – Well I’m predicting that this is going to be record in attendance in Tiger Stadium the match-up. Both teams will come out fighting with emotions running high, each team will leave it on the line. Its going to be a close game but this season the Tigers have answered every challenge, been focused, and has bought into Les Miles philosophy “ No One Is Bigger Than The Team”, to be honestly that’s how championships are won not just one player but players who step up and lead and LSU has those. LSU will be eating Pork Chops, Bacon, and Ham - Final score LSU 35-21

Sportaholic College Football Weekend Setup 10/05/11

As we enter week 6 of the college football season, we can finally see some separation from the contending teams and the pretending teams. LSU, Bama, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma in the infamous words of Dennis Green’s Monday night football rant “Are who we thought they were” as all have been at the top of the polls since before the season started and they all have proved they belonged. On the other hand Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and Florida State have all tumbled out the top 10 and are just holding on for dear life to salvage their seasons. There have been a few upstarts as well as Clemson, Texas, and maybe the biggest surprise of them all in my book the Auburn Tigers have silently crept up the polls and put themselves in prime position to contend this year. The meat and potatoes of most programs schedules are now on deck and the battle for a spot in the BCS national championship really takes hold. This week’s feature games include the Red River Shootout between Texas and Oklahoma of course, which may be much more interesting this year than most of us anticipated. Florida vs. LSU would have been good match up this time last week until Bama made a pretzel out of Jeff Brantley’s ankle. Lord be with you Jeff Driskell, the freshman starting in place of Brantley against that mean LSU defense. Ohio State vs. Nebraska sounds like it should be to-notch game especially with the weight those two names usually carry, but that’s until you look at those two teams season so far. Ohio State has been dismal on offense and the Huskers just got husked by Wisconsin.

Our local products in Tennessee have fared well so far this year. The University of Tennessee is 3– 1 on the strength of Tyler Bray’s arm and the teams prolific aerial attack. Even the Vanderbilt Commodores are 3-1 although they are coming off a blowout loss to South Carolina. There is plenty to be excited about for both programs as both show potential to be in the mix of the SEC East this year and beyond. I know a lot of people reading this will say ok I will give you Tennessee but Vandy? Yes the Commodores traditionally stink but young James Franklin is bringing a certain level of swagger to that program and has picked up the recruiting as well. Don’t be surprised when Vanderbilt pulls out a few upset victories over the next couple of years.



Now let’s jump into a few breakdowns:

Red River Shootout: Texas (4-0) vs. Oklahoma (4-0) – Going into the season it was hard for me to imagine this game would be any good. Oklahoma was far and away the best team in the Big 12 and ranked # 1 in the pre-season polls. Texas was just trying to get their respect back after a disappointing 5-7 campaign last year that saw them miss a bowl game altogether. But with the emergence of the little bro duo as I like to call them, Case McCoy and Jaxon Shipley have brought the Longhorns back from the dead (And David Ash as well). Oklahoma has been rolling of course with that explosive offense and experienced defense. You can’t start off a conversation about Oklahoma’s offense without mentioning QB Landry Jones and his top WR Ryan Broyles. Those two guys are in sync more than Justin Timberlake and JC Chavez. They provide a tough match up for the young Longhorn secondary. Another bright spot for Texas is freshman RB Malcolm Brown who has provided the rushing attack the Longhorns missed so much over past few years. This one should be close just for the sheer hatred that both of these schools have for each other. But when push comes to shove and Jones begins to heat up for OU, I just don’t see how the young Texans will be able to stop the Boomer Sooners offense. The Pick: Oklahoma

Georgia (2-2) vs. Tennessee (3-1) - This is an elimination game of sorts. Both teams already have one lost in the SEC with Georgia going down to South Carolina and Florida drilling UT a couple of weeks ago. The winner of this game will at least be tied for first place in the SEC East after South Carolina lost to Auburn last week. The game itself should see excellent QB play as pre-season 1st team all SEC QB Andy Murray of Georgia will be going up against the Tennessee gunslinger himself Tyler Bray (Who surprisingly didn’t make the cut of All-SEC picks in the pre-season when guys like Stephen Garcia did, what a joke).Georgia’s young freshman RB Isaiah Crowell has picked it up of late rushing for 100 yards in both of the last two SEC games for the Bulldogs. The team that is able to stop the other’s offense should win this game. That easier said than done as both have potent attacks as I mentioned above. WR Da’Rick Rogers, who now is Bray’s new favorite target with the ACL tear to the dynamic Justin Hunter, will have to step up big time in this one. Tennessee will need to get him the ball early and also try to establish its run game. The Bulldogs have one of the better defenses in the SEC so that will be hard to do. If Andy Murray can control himself and RB Crowell gets going, I think it will be too much for the Vols even though the are playing in Knoxville. The Pick: Georgia

Auburn (4-1) vs. Arkansas (4-1): Another good SEC game on the docket and I just couldn’t help )myself from previewing this one. This one intrigues me because you have two teams with spread offenses capable of putting a lot of points of the board in a hurry. Arkansas proved that last week as they came back from 18 down to beat Texas A&M. Tyler Wilson was a MAN as he passed for 510 yards despite taking multiple hits from the Aggies. Auburn defeated South Carolina and now has the ol ball coach Steve Spurrier switching out his QBs after Stephen Garcia (9/23 with two picks) could only muster up 13 points for the Gamecocks. Auburn’s defense surprisingly held stud RB Marcus Lattimore to just 68 yards as well but they won’t have to worry about that much against the Razorbacks who’s running game has been absent every since RB Knile Davis went down. Michael Dyer will lead the Tigers on offense as they try to control the clock. Arkansas and Bobby Petrino likes to get up and down the field and especially with those receivers they have. Jarius Wright is just a beast and creates match up nightmares all over the field with his blend of size and speed. That not even mentioning Joe Adams, Greg Childs and Cobi Hamilton. Wilson just has too many targets and I think last weeks performance from the Auburn defense was more of the product of poor play from Stephen Garcia. Wilson will have no such let down so I will roll with the Razorbacks on this one. The Pick: Arkansas

Game of the Week: Texas vs. Oklahoma: Anytime the Red River Shootout is on the schedule its makes for an easy pick. This game will be closer than most expect as I stated earlier. Who knows maybe Texas can even spring the upset but even if they don’t it makes for an interesting game seeing Longhorn and Sooner fans interact. You can see the disdain for each other as they are entering the stadium and when the drinks get flowing the crowd will be rocking.

Most Intriguing Game: Nebraska vs. Ohio State: This sounds like it should a candidate for game of week or even of the year in most seasons. Unfortunately this isn’t your granddads Buckeye teams as they have just been horrific on offense this year. To add to there misery, they got word from the NCAA that RB Dan Herren and WR Devier Posey would has additional game added to there suspensions. Nebraska can’t be that happy either after getting it handed to them last week by Wisconsin. I think its intriguing because it’s the second game in the Big 10 for the Huskers after their baptism by fire last week. They should come out much more relaxed and run away in this one but Ohio State still has playmakers on defense so we will see what happens here.

Under the radar game: Arizona State (4-1) vs. Utah (2-2). Lets take a trip out west for a showdown in the Pac-12. If the Sun Devils can get by Utah then the schedule opens up nicely for them to make a run at the Pac-12 title. If they lose this will, it would make things much harder than it has to be.

Wake me when it over game: Lousiana Tech (1-4) vs. Idaho (1-4) – Both have lost three in a row and rank in the bottom tier of offense and defense. So no good offense to watch against bad defenses, sounds like a classic snoozer to me.

Coach better get it right game; Boston College (1-4) vs. Clemson (5-0) – Tom O’Brien is a good coach who has fallen on hard times with BC. He has a chance to show that his team is still somewhat relevant against the Tigers. He has to be on the hot seat after a miserable season last year and an even worse one this year. Good luck to him but I don’t see how he lasts past this year as their head coach but it he was to start a run to keep his job this would be the perfect game to start.

I also will be covering the Tennessee State vs. Southeast Missouri State game this weekend, so if your going to game make sure to holler at me.

College Football Finale 10/02/11

This was a defining weekend for the best teams in the country as Clemson, Alabama, and Wisconsin showed that they are championship material. All three of these teams faced a legit opponent and crushed them into oblivion. Wisconsin got it started as they took it to the outmatched Cornhuskers and beat them by 31 points. It really wasn’t even that close as Nebraska cleaned up with some garbage points at the end. “We’re sexy,” coach Bret Bielema said. Next it was Clemson fending off it old demons against Virginia Tech as they pounded the Hokies 23-3. Coach (Dabo) Swinney calls it the “Shock the World Tour,” start QB Tajh Boyd said. This is the best Clemson team I think I have ever seen. I asked myself during the game was Clemson this year’s Auburn? And last but certainly not least was the beatdown Alabama put on Florida. Bama stumbled out the gates, spotting the Gators an early lead but once Trent Richardson got cranked up, Florida didn’t have a chance. It was an even tougher loss for the Gators with Jeff Brantley going down in the defeat. Florida season may have died in the swamp last night with Brantley’s injury.


Just another fun weekend of football in the NCAA as their were plenty of great games to go around. Texas A&M are doing their best Minnesota Vikings impressions as they squandered yet another second half lead to Arkansas. South Carolina just mystifies me with all the talent they have but yet they can’t put up over 13 points an Auburn team that was allowing points in bunches to every other team it faced. Andrew Luck in Stanford keep winning under the radar as the Cardinal are the best team out west in my opinion. Ohio State is just plain pathetic on offense these days. They couldn’t even muster over 180 yards of total offense. Now with all that has been said lets jump into some game breakdowns.

Wisconsin 48 Nebraska 17 – All the talk going into this was that Russell Wilson and the Badgers haven’t faced competition on the level of what the Huskers were going to bring into Madison, but after this blowout win I think that won’t be a question they have to answer anymore. Wilson was his consistent self as he was 14/20 for 255 yards and 2 TDs. He even added a rushing TD for good measure. Nebraska just couldn’t stop the run against the Badgers as they rushed for 231 yards which setup Wilson for easy play-action strikes. Taylor Martinez was horrible with 3 interceptions on just 22 passing attempts. Martinez did have 61 yards on the ground but that wasn’t nearly enough to threat the Badgers. Wisconsin marches on as they look to be the best team in the Big 10.

Clemson 23 Virginia Tech 3 – The speed and efficiency is of Clemson’s offense is the first thing that usually catches ones eyes in watching the Tigers play but it was their defense in this one that should get a lot of praise. The Tigers handled the Hokies offense to the tune of posting four sacks, forced two turnovers and held Tech’s vaunted rushing attack to just 133 yards. Andre Branch was a man among boys as he had three of the four sacks for Clemson. And to top things off of course was Boyd who didn’t have the prettiest numbers only going 13/32 for 204 yards with a TD and a Int to his credit but he didn’t have to do much in this one. Mike Beallamy’s 31 yard scamper with 6:55 in the fourth sealed the game for the Tigers. This team resembles Auburn of last year to me in many of ways. They have an emerging QB in Tajh Boyd who doesn’t seem to be fazed by the pressure as a sophomore. Andre Branch is dominating defensively the way that Nick Fairley did for the other Tigers and they have an explosive player who take it to the house anytime he touches it in Sammy Watkins, akin to Michael Dyer for Auburn although they play different positions. Just a thought but if they do happen to make it to the BCS National Championship Game, know that you heard it hear first.

Alabama 38 Florida 10 – Florida came out guns a blazing as Jeff Brantley found an open Ashley Debose on the first play of the game for the Gators. It seemed Ol Charlie Weis was opening up his playbook going against the tough Bama defense but that would be really the only thing that worked for the Gators the rest of the way. Florida just couldn’t find any running lanes for their speedsters Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey. They also couldn’t stop the run as Trent Richardson and the Bama offensive line just bullied the Gators into submission. Richardson would go on to finish with 181 yards on 29 attempts. Bama pretty much just wore down the Gators as they controlled both lines of scrimmages. The shift of momentum happened on a Brantley interception that was taken to the house by Bama big man Courtney Upshaw. This game was never in doubt after Brantley was violently taken to the ground by Upshaw and catching his right foot under him as he went down. Brantley was 11/16 for 190 yards and a TD before going down. This was Florida’s worst home loss since losing to another Nick Saban team, the LSU Tigers 36-7 in 2002.

Other Notables and Games:

Texas A&M lets another opponent off the hook: The people in college station must be in a giving mood because this is the second straight week they have let an opponent come back to win in the second half. This time it was future league foe Arkansas in a game that looked all but dead going into the second half. The Aggies had put 35 points on the Razorbacks and looked to keep their foot on the pedal in the second half. But things would get interesting as Tyler Wilson of Arkansas got hot. He began to find open targets and get the ball in the hands of his playmakers. Jarius Wright just had his way as he finished with 13 catches for 281 yards for the Razorbacks and he was the biggest difference in the second half of play. He mad a few spectacular catches and shook off smaller defenders in the process. Mike Sherman and the Aggies biggest mistake was getting away from the run as RB Christine Michael had 230 yards and RB Cyrus Gray had 95 yards on the ground. Just another head scratching performance from the future SEC members and they can all but kiss their BCS aspirations good bye.

What is going on with South Carolina? I just can’t figure this team out. They have some of the best players in the nation and they can only put up 13 points on defensively challenged Auburn? And defensive linemen Melvin Ingram scored the Gamecocks only TD on a Int return. Ingram was downright the man in this game as he finished with 11 tackles 3.5 sacks and an interception. The rest of the team couldn’t get it into gear as the usual reliable Marcus Lattimore had only 66 yards and Stephen Garcia had just a terrible game going 9/23 for 160 yards and two picks. Not what you expect from the favorites to win the SEC East. The offensive has got to get it together if they are to win the East.