2008 SEC - From Left to Right (Part 3)

Breaking down the 2008 SEC teams for two weeks; Two-A-Days

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The third in a six part series.

“You wanna waste my time? Okay. I call my lawyer. He's the best lawyer in Miami. He's such a good lawyer that by tomorrow morning, you gonna be working in Alaska. So dress warm.” -- Tony Montana


WHAT’S GOING ON DOWN IN TUSCALOOSA? 10 arrests in the last year? Jimmy off trying his best Todd Marinovich. Only worse – six felony counts including possession with intent to distribute. Well, look on the bright side – it could have been worse. He could have been caught trying to sneak into a casino with a fake ID.

(An interesting, but under-reported, side note - or 'timing is everything'. Saban was quoted just 12 days before the big bust, saying that even if LB Prince Hall returns from his indefinite suspension, he won't start right away. "If (Hall) does everything he's supposed to do... he will have some kind of suspension that he'll be facing when the season begins." Yeah... like the first coin toss.)

Continuing where we left off (and finishing out the West), our SEC “look-back-to-look-forward” – a cheat sheet for 2008 – finds us packing our etouffee and gumbo and leaving the friendly bayous of Louisiana, rolling east on Interstate 10 to the great state of Mississippi. Just ask ‘em. The Good, The Bad and The DuBose for Ole Miss and MSU. As always, come here with thick skin and a sense of humor, plus an interest in digging deep into the SEC, our nation’s greatest college football conference.


Ole Miss

The Good: One could go a number of directions: the D-line’s solid… but its star Hardy (Jr.) is a head case. All three starting WRs return, and they are all talented, speeeeeedy and upperclassmen. But The Good is the O-line… again. (Boy, this is a bad year to have a weak D-line in the SEC.) Four starters return, including 4-yr LT Mr. Michael Oher, and once again, experience: the six wide, two deep has ten upperclassmen, including all six starters. That deep sigh you hear coming outta West Texas is Mamma Snead.

The Bad: You’re kidding, right? It could be the savior label already slapped on incoming frosh RB Enrique Davis – though he just might be that good. It could be the savior label already slapped on incoming soph QB Jevon Snead – though he just might be that good, too. But The Bad is overall depth with the D. Johnny Reb returns eight starters, but keep your fingers (Blue) crossed that no one gets hurt; quite unlikely in the SEC (especially if you have the Auburn O-line on your schedule). Seven of the 11 backups are underclassmen, with precious little on-the-job experience; and with all due respect to Coach O apologists (all two of you), average talent by SEC standards. That’s perhaps an upgrade for Ole Miss, but still average.

The DuBose: Really struggled for something constructive to add here. Funny, sure, but that’s too easy. But insightful… Nope, drawin’ a blank. Oooh, wait – speaking of blanks… 0-8, right? Do Not Pass Go, Geaux Straight To _____! (Ya’ll know where to go Rebs fans, don’tcha!) :)

The Jim Bob Cooter Award: Throw a dart.


MSU

The Good: With even a modest improvement in the passing game (#113 in ’07), opposing defenses won’t be able to stack the box – setting loose the underrated tank-that-masquerades-as-one A. Dixon (Jr.). And if change-of-pace TB R. Elliott (Fr.) and jack-of-all-trades C. Ducre (Jr.) contribute, this RB troupe could steamroll weak front sevens. But that’s a big IF (improvement of the passing attack). So The Good here is once again the Bulldog D, even with Croom breaking in a new DC (Harbison). Last year the Bulldogs ranked seventh against the pass and 21st overall, and return seven starters spread evenly across all units (including three of the four DBs). And the starters are an experienced group: eight seniors and two juniors.

The Bad: Starkville. Ok seriously, one could point to no depth in the Offense outside of RB, and there’s always the risk that integrating Harbison will mess up a good thing – which would be a HUGE setback. Or one could point to a poor job of recruiting, failing to capitalize on an 8-5 season that saw big wins against both neighbors to the East. But The Bad is the O-line, which returns just one starter after Mike Brown’s arrest and banishment. How’s the passing game going to improve with this line? If QB Carroll (So.) was a Sr., maybe. But he’s not. And WR Co-Eric Riley (Sr.) is about as close to living up to his lofty JC transfer expectations as Britney is to escaping her 20s.

The DuBose: I’m torn here, but I’m giving this to Croom. You just gotta do a better job of recruiting, man, if you’re going to keep your job. It’s like you can only recruit defensive players; Mitchell and Hardy should contribute right away, but it was another class heavy on D, when what you really needed was depth on the other side. I love how you held this team together after opening with that 45-0 shellacking, at home, on national TV. And as you’ve pointed out, Carroll is stronger and could develop into something special. But you gotta get more horses, Croom. Cheat. Steal… Just do something! Go hang out with Meyer for a summer.

The Jim Bob Cooter Award: Co-Eric Riley; WR (Sr.)



- 2008 SEC - From Left to Right (Part 2), July 3
- 2008 SEC - From Left to Right (Part 1), July 1