2014 a&m football

A&M Football 14The Eagle • AggieSports.com • MyAggieNation.com

Ready Kenny?A&M coaches, players believe in Hill

SEASON PREVIEW & ANALYSIS • DEPTH CHARTCEASE GRADES THE AGGIES • EXPERT PICKS

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

College Football 2014 • The Eagle • AggieSports.com2 Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Texas A&M’sdefense willbe better thisseason becausewithout Johnny

Manziel the offense will bedesigned not to score asquickly, thus thedefenders won’tbe on the fieldas much. They’llbe fresher whichwill allow themto make morestops, and forcemore turnovers.It sounds logi-

cal, andmaybesomeoneevenreceiveda govern-ment grant to research it andsomehow found enough datato support it, but it’s hogwash.A&M’s defense last seasonwas bad to atrocious and theoffense couldn’t have done athing tomake it better.Yeah, the other team didn’t

score when A&Mhad the ballbut the offense’s job wasn’t toscore slowly and often. It wasjust to score as fast as it could.That’s not going to change,even withoutManziel. A&Mstill plans to score quicklyand let me dispel the notionA&Mneeds to worry about thedefense getting worn down.Last season in SoutheasternConference play and theChick-fil-A Bowl, A&Mhad11 possessions that lasted atleast fourminutes. Opponentsresponded by scoring on eightpossessions – four touchdownsand four field goals. Somuchfor the extra rest helping thedefense be better.

Youmight say that’s notenough data for concrete con-clusions, until you go back aseason, to 2012 whenManzielburst onto the scene. It was allabout Johnny Football duringhis march to the Heisman but

let’s not forgetA&Mhad a soliddefense.A&M’s offense

that season inleague play and theCotton Bowl had14 drives of at leastfourminutes. Op-ponents responded

by scor-ing onlythreetimes.By itselfyou could

argue that it shows the A&Mdefenders rested up andcome out stronger. Not re-ally, though, because A&M’sdefense was pretty good all thetime. The Aggies streamrolledArkansas and Oklahoma by acombined score of 99-23. A&Mdidn’t have a single possessionover threeminutes in thosegames, yet the defense didn’thave any problem getting offthe field, allowing scores ononly 5 of 28 possessions.You can argue that the de-

fense fed off the offense andvice versa, but the defensehad playmakers at everylevel with end DamontreMoore, linebackers JonathanStewart and Sean Porter, andsafety Steven Terrell. Lastseason’s defense made someplays, none bigger than theinterceptions by Toney HurdJr., and Nate Askew in the

Ags’ defensemust standon its own

Robert [email protected]

2013 ResultsDate Opponent ResultAug. 31 Rice 52-31Sept. 7 Sam Houston St. 65-28Sept. 14 Alabama 42-49Sept. 21 SMU 42-13Sept. 28 at Arkansas 45-33Oct. 12 at Ole Miss 41-38Oct. 19 Auburn 41-45Oct. 26 Vanderbilt 56-24Nov. 2 UTEP 57-7Nov. 9 Mississippi St. 51-41Nov. 23 at LSU 10-31Nov. 30 at Missouri 21-28Dec. 31 vs. *Duke 52-48* Chick-fil-A Bowl at GeorgiaDome

2014 ScheduleDate Opponent TimeAug. 28 at South Carolina 5Sep. 6 Lamar 6:30Sep. 13 Rice 8Sep. 20 at SMU, TBASep. 27 *Arkansas TBAOct. 4 at Mississippi St. TBAOct. 11 Mississippi TBAOct. 18 at Alabama TBANov. 1 Louisiana-Monroe TBANov. 8 at Auburn TBANov. 15 Missouri TBANov. 27 LSU 6:30*-at AT&T Stadium, Arlington

Table of contentsUp-Hill battle: In addition to thedefenses he’ll face week-in andweek-out, Kenny Hill also mustcombat fan expectations andcomparisons to Johnny Manziel. .4

Do the right thing: Left tackleCedric Ogbuehi is glad to beback and both he and the Aggiesstand to benefit from the deci-sion. ...................................................................................6

Ready to roll: Offensive coordi-nator Jake Spavital has plenty oftoys to play with on offense, buthow will he use them? ...........................8

Definitely bigger, maybe bet-ter: Mark Snyder’s defense hasbeefed up, but it will fill manyholes with untested players thisseason. ...........................................................................9

Season preview: A&M aimsto build off the momentum itgained the last two seasons, de-spite roster turnover. ............................10

Leading the way: DeshazorEverett will be counted on to an-chor a secondary by staying putat cornerback. ................................................ 12

Cease Grades the Aggies:Executive sports editor RobertCessna evaluates A&M’s strengthsand weaknesses. ........................................... 13

Depth chart: Which players willbe starting at South Carolina? 15

SEC team previews: Beatwriters weigh in on how theschools they cover will farethis season ..................................... 16-31 Continued on Page 5

Eagle photo by Stuart VillanuevaTexas A&M defensive back Sam Moeller blocks a punt during the Aggies’ win over Mississippi State. Moeller was A&M’s “12th Man” lastseason. He has since been given a scholarship, but will continue to wear No. 12.

College Football 2014 • The Eagle • AggieSports.com 3Wednesday, August 27, 2014

By AUBREY [email protected]

KennyHill won his first majorbattle of the season, beating out KyleAllen as Texas A&M’s starting quar-terback.When the ball is snappedThursday in South Carolina, he willface an opponent besides the one onthe field.With each playHill will be

compared not just toJohnnyManziel, but tothe legend and legacyleft byManziel.The question is

whether or not Hill letsthat battle play out inhis own head.Will thesophomore signal-caller feel the pressureto live up to impossibleexpectations, let alonethe pressure of open-ing on the road againstSouth Carolina’sdefense?His former coach at

Southlake Carroll, HalWasson, says the answer is no.“There was never a stage too big

for him in high school,” saidWasson.“The bigger the stage, the bigger heplayed. And I’ve always admired thatin him.”Wasson coached KennyHill to a

UIL 5A State Championship in 2011in front of over 40,000 fans at AT&TStadium, and saw howHill preparedfor big games.“I’ve never had a great quarterback

who’s in there head-butting everyonebefore the game or acting like theclass clown,” he said. “Kenny’s veryreserved. I saw that kind of gleam inhis eye, that ‘I’m about going to goball’ look.

In fact,Wasson said he sawsomething special fromHill before hestarted his first game at Carroll.“He went and sat with his offensive

linemenwhich toldme he’s reallysmart,” he laughed. “He’s not sittingwith the skill guys. He kind of set thebar with that when he was a sopho-more. Nobody told him to do that. Ijust said that’s pretty special for a guysmart enough to know that he’s going

to be as good as thoseguys are protectinghim, and he wantsthose guys to knowhe’s in it with them.”Their contrasts

aside, Hill has walkeda similar path toMan-ziel en route to theA&M starting job.Both took over their

high school startingjobs their sophomoreyears, and neither wasa particularly heraldedrecruit. In fact, neitherwas offered by Texasor Oklahoma.Manziel

was the 13th ranked dual-threatpasser in the class of 2010 accordingto the 247Composite, a ranking thataverages the rankings of the fourma-jor recruiting outlets. Hill was ranked10th in 2013. Hill barely cracked theTop 250 players in his class.Despite not being highly ranked,

they both brought home somebig-time awards. Hill was the TexasGatorade Player of the Year in 2013.Manziel was the National HighSchool Coaches Association Player ofthe Year.Both were two-sport athletes in

high school and planned on playing

Winning willhelp fans forgetaboutManzielCoaches, players confidentin Hill’s ability to lead A&M

“The biggerthe stage,the bigger heplayed. AndI’ve alwaysadmired thatin him.”

— Southlake Carrollcoach Hal Wasson

Continued on Page 5

AP photoNow Texas A&M’s startingquarterback, Kenny Hill ledSouthlake Carroll to the 5Astate title in 2011.


baseball and football for theAggies. Both came to A&Mbehind entrenched starters.Manziel got his first start

for A&Magainst a conferenceopponent, a Florida team thatranked sixth in total defensethat season. Hill’s first startwill come against a SouthCarolina defense expected tobe one of the conference’s best.Hill won a state champi-

onship at Southlake Carrollthough, somethingManzieldidn’t do at Kerrville Tivy. IfHill wants to escapeManziel’sshadow in College Station,winning would do the trick.For all ofManziel’s personalaccolades, the Aggies didn’tcapture any conference cham-

pionships ormake a BCS bowl.Hill’s A&M teammates

describe him as composed andmature. They praise his abilityto stay even-keel and not letlittle things bother him. TheA&M coaching staff seems toagree as well.“I just kind of went back to

my gut feeling and thematu-rity of him and being aroundthis system for one year,”offensive coordinator JakeSpavital said. “There were a lotof other factors, but that wasthe one that kind of stood outthemost tome because he’ssat here andwatched Johnnyfor a year and he’s going tobe put in some situations thathe’s probably, hopefully, seenbefore and he can get us out ofthose bad looks.”ForWasson, everything

comes back to thementalapproach. He saysHill is thebest he’s coached despite theimpressive list of quarter-backs that have come out ofSouthlake Carroll.“You’re going to see a tough

mentality,” saidWasson.“Kenny’s highly competitive.He’s a great team player.We always say around herethat talent will win you somegames, it may win you a lot ofgames, but yourmentality isgoing to win championships.And Kenny has a champion-shipmentality.“He’s never going to sur-

render. He’s going to keepcompeting. And he’s going towork hard tomake sure he’sas good as he can be so thoseguys around himwill believein him.”

Chick-fil-A Bowl. The unitmade a few other big plays –Daeshon Hall’s interceptionagainst Mississippi State andDeshazor Everett’s intercep-tion against Arkansas cometo mind - but it really hadno consistent playmakers orif they did they were swal-lowed up by horrendous playaround them.That’s the bottom line, you

gottta have studs the otherteam’s offense has to gameplan for. A&M’s offense haspassed the point where itneeds to reloads, it’s betterthan that. The newcomerscracking this year’s depthchart were muchmore highlytouted than those of 5-6 yearsago. Former head coachMike Sherman had an eye foroffensive talent, building astrong foundation. Considerthat Sherman’s starting of-fense near the end of the 2009season included Jeff Fuller,Uzoma Nwachukwu and RyanSwope at receivers; LukeJoeckel, Patrick Lewis, Cedric

Ogbuehi and JakeMatthewswere four of the starting line-men, and the quarterback wasRyan Tannehill with CyrusGray at tailback. That’s salty.Kevin Sumlin has been able

to take that offense to a morecomplete level, especially byimproving the depth acrossthe board.

The challenge remains forthe defense to close the gap,which last season showed us iswide. It’s perplexing and frus-trating to Aggies because theprogram’s success in the 1980sand ‘90s was built on the de-fense, not the offense. Recentperformers such at VonMiller,Tony Jerod-Eddie, Moore and

Porter have whetted fans’ ap-pettite allowing them to thinktheWrecking Crew was aboutto return. It wasn’t and it’s not.And it’s doubtful as long as

Sumlin is here that the defenseever will overshadow the of-fense, but if the defense couldever be good enough to leadthe Southeastern Conference

inmost of themajor categoriesthe Aggies would be in theCollege Football Playoff. Thatcould be as soon as a year awayif the defense gets in gear.A&M is expected to start

eight underclassmen on de-fense this season. There’s an-other 11 underclassmen on thedepth chart and that doesn’tinclude sophomore linebackerShaanWashington who is outwith an injury.If A&M’s defense can take

a significant step forward thisseason the Aggies will be acontender for the national titlesoon. That, though, could beasking too much consideringhow bad last season’s defensewas. A&M’s defense this sea-son has to at least move pastthe point where it seems itwould be good for the offenseto take longer to score.

• Robert Cessna’s emailaddress is [email protected]

Cessna: Defense will decide how far A&M goes

Hill: Spav’s ‘gut choice’

Continued from Page 3

Continued from Page 4

Picking a season record in Au-gust is rather pointless. You haveno idea who might get injured nordo you know what key playershave fallen from grace with thecoaches or what phenoms areabout to burst on the scene. Still,we all like to think we can inter-pret the facts better than otherswhen it comes to taking a stab atthe future.

I’ve settled on 7-5 for TexasA&M for several reasons, the mainone being that Southeastern Con-ference road schedule. The Aggiesmade a big splash by winning theirfirst six league games on the roadbut last season was probably moreindicative of life in the SEC withA&M earning a split. And it was ashaky split. Even Arkansas which

didn’t win a league game gavethe Aggies a good game for threequarters, then the following weekA&M rallied for a 41-38 victoryat Ole Miss. You might say A&M’sroad luck ran out in back-to-backlosses at LSU and Missouri to endthe regular season, but luck hadnothing to do with it. LSU and Mis-souri were the better teams.

Looking at the schedule rightnow, South Carolina, Alabama andAuburn appear to be better thanA&M and those teams also havethe advantage of playing the Ag-gies at home as does MississippiState, which right now looks anequal to A&M. It wouldn’t surpriseme if A&M went 1-3 on the road,even if it does play well.

A&M has to offset that by pro-

tecting Kyle Field, something that’sconsistency been a problem sincethe 1990s. The Ole Miss game onOct. 11 shapes up as a key contest,coming on the heels of playing atMississippi State. You figure A&Mshould be able to beat Ole Miss athome after winning there twice,but Ole Miss is talented enoughthat it could make its own state-ment just as the Aggies did whenthey went to Oxford.

The regular season-endinggames at home against Missouriand LSU are tough to forecast.Missouri limped in here a coupleof years ago, but the Tigers havea history of playing well at KyleField and LSU got a huge victorytwo years ago. — Robert Cessna

How will the Aggies finish?


By ROBERT [email protected]

Cedric Ogbuehi’s college careeris going to end with him walk-ing across the stage at the2015 NFL Draft, maybe as the

overall No. 1 pick, which would be a firstfor Texas A&M.As neat as that would be, he didn’t

want to leave A&M early and miss outon another walk. On Aug. 15, Ogbuehiwalked across the stage at Reed Arenato receive his bachelor’s degree in recre-ation, parks, and tourism sciences.“It felt great,” Ogbuehi said. “That

was part of the reason I came back, togo ahead and accomplish that goal, justknowing I’m a graduate of Texas A&M.It’s a blessing.”A&M is blessed for one more season

to have the 6-foot-5, 305-pound Og-buehi who received a first-round gradefrom the NFL Draft Advisory Board af-ter his junior season. When Ogbuehi an-nounced in January he’d be returning,the reasons he cited were the 12th Man,playing another season with his team-mates and getting his degree. However,another reason, maybe the biggest, wasthat A&M spent more than $50,000 onan insurance policy for Ogbuehi in casehe was injured. A&M did it under theStudent Assistance Fund.“That was one of the big selling

points, that I could have a free insur-ance policy,” Ogbuehi said last week. “Ithelped a lot with my decision.”Ogbuehi said he didn’t know if his

parents would have tried to obtain aninsurance policy on their own.“We didn’t talk about that since they

gave us the option they’ll pay for it,”Ogbuehi said.A&M’s shrewd investment made

national news when FOX’s Bruce Feld-man reported it at SEC Media Days,but it turns out other schools had doneor were about to do the same thing,including Florida State with Heismanwinner Jameis Winston, and Oregon

is reimbursing four families who tookout insurances policies on their sons,including quarterback Marcus Mariota.No matter how it came about,

Ogbuehi is just glad he can focus onplaying and enjoying his final season asa student-athlete.“College is fun,” he said. “A&M is a

fun school, I’ve enjoyed my time here.I just figured hey, ‘Why not one moreyear?’”It’s a big year as Ogbuehi makes

the transition from right tackle to lefttackle, attempting to become the pro-gram’s third straight NFL first-roundpick. Luke Joeckel started it by beingdrafted second by Jacksonville in 2013and Jake Matthews followed by goingsixth to Atlanta. Matthews also turneddown the temptation to turn pro afterhis junior season, which allowed him tomove from the right to the left side forhis senior season.NFL Draft analysts wrote that Mat-

thews by doing that probably made mil-lions in improving his draft status. Themove to the left side looks even smarternow after veteran Falcon left tackle SamBaker tore the patellar tendon in hisright knee against the Houston Texans.Atlanta which had planned to play Mat-thews on the right side, but with Bakerout, moved Matthews to the left side.Ogbuehi has the chance to be just as

good at the position, if not better. He’srated the SEC’s top NFL prospect head-ing into the season by cbssports.com.“Cedric has the ability to play wher-

ever he wants on the line,”A&M headcoach Kevin Sumlin said. “He’s veryathletic and very long. Some guys willsay he’s more athletic than the last twoguys [Joeckel and Matthews]. That maybe true. Those two guys were prettygood.”Matthews spent some time this sum-

mer tutoring Ogbuehi about the move.“He was showing me some footwork,

steps and technique,”said Ogbuehi atthe SEC Media Days. “He didn’t reallysay much, but just me watching him doit helped the most.”Ogbuehi said he just needed reps at

his new spot during fall camp, howeverhe had his foot in a boot for some prac-tices, though it wasn’t serious.“I feel comfortable,” he said last

week. “I’ve had a lot of reps, so I’m goodnow. I’m really comfortable.”Ogbuehi is the centerpiece on an im-

posing offensive line that returns fourstarters. Even the new starter, juniorright guard Joseph Cheek, has played

Ogbuehi feels he maderight decision returningto A&M for senior season

“It’s hard to find big,athletic pass protec-tors with long armsand quick feet, butscouts will quickly dis-cover that Ogbuehi isa rare player at theposition. The 6-foot-5,305-pound senior is atechnical marvel ca-pable of manning eitherside of the line on theedges. More important-ly, Ogbuehi is a stand-out performer with thesize, athleticism andskill to be a franchiseplayer at the next level.If he continues to putdominant performanc-es on tape in 2014.”

— NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks

Eagle photo by Stuart Villanueva


in 26 games and was able toredshirt when he arrived.“Really, it’s the most depth

I’ve seen since my freshmanyear,” Ogbuehi said. “We’realmost four deep. It’s good tohave depth because it bringsmore competition, so it’sgood to see.”Senior left guard Jarvis

Harrison has a team-high31 career starts but he’sbeen slow to recover fromoffseason shoulder surgeryand is listed as a co-starterwith senior Garrett Gramlingfor Thursday’s opener atninth-ranked South Carolina.Gramling is battle testedhaving started at left guardlast season in victories overVanderbilt and Texas-El Pasowhen Ogbuehi was out withan injury.Sophomore Germain

Ifedi, who started at rightguard last season, moves outto right tackle as he couldeventually land at left tacklenext season. And junior MikeMatthews returns for secondseason to start at center.

“We’re right where we werelast year,” Sumlin said. “Lastyear we had a new piece inMike Matthews and a newsituation in moving Jakefrom right to left. That’s a dif-ferent post foot, different leadhands, it’s different. It’s beenthe same with Cedric. We’vemoved [Ifedi] from guard totackle. It’s really a similarsituation. We’ve got guys whoplayed substantially — Jarvis

got hurt and Cedric missedtwo games last year and weplayed Gramling and Cheek— so we’re about where wewere last year, because Mikeis the only guy that’s return-ing at the same spot. We’vegot six guys who have playedsignificant minutes on theoffensive line, they’re just indifferent positions.”All that experience, a com-

bined 89 starts, adds up to

cohesiveness and leadership.“I mean we’ve played so

many games, we’ve seen itall,” Ogbuehi said. “A lot of ofthe young guys, they respondto us really easily.”Ogbuehi will be verbal

when needed, “but I’m moreabout the business,” hesaid. “I’m not very talkative.Mikey, I mean he talks themost, so I let him do the hypetalk. But I’m vocal also, I can

get after it, a little bit.”Ogbuehi has been a huge

help for Ifedi.“Every day he’s in my ear,”

Ifedi said. “We just give eachother feedback, I’m tellinghim what I need to workon and he’s just giving mefeedback because he madethe same exact transition.So he’s been a big help tome, I’m blessed to have himhere.”A leadership role is some-

thing Ogbuehi has growninto. He was part of a 2010signing class that hit themother lode when it came tothe offensive linemen withformer A&M head coachMike Sherman, who oncewas the program’s offensiveline coach, signing Joeckel,Matthews, Harrison andGramling.“It was a big family atmo-

sphere on the campus, every-one was friendly, the coacheswere, back then, Coach Sher-man did a great job,” saidOgbuehi of why he pickedthe Aggies. “ It was close to

home, that was a big factor,there were a lot of small fac-tors, but just being close tohome and a good atmospherewere the big points.”A couple of former high

school teammates at Allen,wide receiver Uzoma Nwa-chukwu and safety StevenTerrell, played a big part ingetting Ogbuehi to Aggieland.“They loved it and they

bragged about it all thetime,”Ogbuehi said. “Every-thing you could think about,they said it.”A&M could have another

star in the future from Allen.Quarterback Kyler Murray,son of former Aggie quarter-back Kevin Murray, has wonback-to-back championshipsand pledged to A&M duringthe summer.Ogbuehi didn’t have to

sell Murray a la Terrell andNwachukwu.“I didn’t say much, that

was his choice, and he madethe right choice,” said Og-buehi who knows a thing ortwo about making them.

Here are the nation’s Top 10 NFL Draft Prospects for 2015 according to cbssports.comas of Aug. 22.

1, QB Marcus Mariota, Oregon, 6-4, 315, jr.; 2, DE Leonard Williams, Southern Cal, 6-5,298, jr.; 3, OT Cedric Ogbuehi, Texas A&M, 6-5, 300, sr.; 4, DE Randy Gregory, Nebraska,, 6-6, 245, jr.; 5, OT Brandon Scherff, Iowa, 6-5, 320, sr.; 6, QB Jameis Winston, FloridaState, 6-4, 235, soph.; 7, DE Shilique Calhoun, Michigan State, , 6-4, 257, jr.; OT AndrusPeat, Stanford, 6-7, 312, jr.; WR Sammie Coates, Auburn, 6-2, 201, jr.; CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu,Oregon, , 5-9, 195, sr.

Other SEC players in the Top 10011, SS Landon Collins, Alabama, 6-0, 215, jr.; 14, WR Amari Cooper, Alabama, 6-1, 202,

jr.; 16, OT La’el Collins, LSU, 6-5, 315, sr.; 18, RB Todd Gurley, Georgia, 6-1, 232, jr.; 20, DEDante Fowler, Florida, 6-2, 261, jr.; 23,RB Mike Davis, South Carolina, 5-9, 216, jr.; 26, RBT.J. Yeldon, Alabama, 6-2, 218, jr.; 38, OG AJ Cann, South Carolina, 6-3, 318, sr.; 54, DE BudDupree, Kentucky, 6-4, 267, sr.; 55, LB Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State, 6-4, 245,jr.; 56, DT Gabe Wright, Auburn, 6-2, 285, sr.; 58, C Reese Dismukes, Auburn, 6-3, 296, sr.;59, OG Arie Kouandjio, Alabama, 6-5, 318, sr.; 97, OT Corey Robinson, South Carolina, 6-7,348, sr.; 81, S Cody Prewitt, Ole Miss, 6-2, 212, sr.; 86, DT Leon Orr, Florida, 6-4, 305, sr.; 92,OLB Jordan Jenkins, Georgia, 6-2, 246, jr.; 100, LB A.J. Johnson, Tennessee, 6-2, 242, sr.

SEC’S TOP PROSPECTS FOR 2015 NFL DRAFT


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Since walking off of theGeorgia Dome turf in the earlymorning hours after the ChickFil-A Bowl, Jake Spavitalhas been busy. He’s prepar-ing for his first full season asoffensive coordinato, a jobthat came with an unenviableassignment.He has to replace Johnny

Manziel, and while he mayhave been just one player,replacing him will involveseveral.It’s a task so daunting that

you could forgive Spavital ifhe showed up to the first pressconference of the season look-ing disheveled and stressedfrom pulling his hair out allsummer. Yet, the 29-yearold coach walked in with hishair perfectly parted, smilingwith the confidence of a coachmuch further along in hiscareer.And why not? The last

coach that Kevin Sumlinpulled up the career ladderthis quickly was Kliff Kings-bury. Kingsbury became thehead coach at Texas Texas justfour years after joining Sum-lin’s staff at the University ofHouston in a quality-controlrole.When Kingsbury left A&M

in 2012, Sumlin promotedrunning backs coach ClarenceMcKinney to offensive coordi-nator and brought in Spavitalas quarterbacks coach.Spavital was working as a

graduate assistant at Tulsa in2008. A year later, he joinedSumlin’s staff at Houston asa GA under then-offensivecoordinator Dana Holgerson,which is where he met Kings-bury. He would follow Holger-son to Oklahoma State wherehe helped install the offenseeven though his official titlewas still graduate assistant.

When Holgerson left forWest Virginia, so did Spavital,spending two seasons as theMountaineers quarterbackscoach before he got the callfrom Sumlin.“He did a great job at

Oklahoma State and did agreat job, obviously, at WestVirginia,” Sumlin said in 2012.“Just his ability, [he’s] froma coaching family, and justbeing able to communicateand really work mechanically... I think you can see howhe’s been able to help developquarterbacks all over thecountry.”A&M’s offense was impres-

sive on paper last season,but it didn’t quite have thesame magic as in 2012 whenKingsbury was calling theplays. As a result, Spavitalwas promoted to signal-callerbefore the Chick Fil-A Bowl,and like McKinney did in theCotton Bowl the year before,had an impressive debut.But how to build on it?Spavital’s most obvious task

was to find a quarterback. Foradvice he turned to his friendKingsbury, who has overseena couple of quarterback battlesalready in his short coachingcareer.“Kliff told me that whatever

he said, just go ahead and dothe exact opposite,” he joked.“He told me to go with my gutdecision, don’t look back, lookforward and just try to go beatSouth Carolina.”That journey alone took

him through spring practiceand midway into the fall be-fore he settled on sophomoreKenny Hill. Even with a newquarterback, Spavital said hisapproach hasn’t changed fromthe year before.“It’s a bit different situation

without Johnny being there,but we’re dealing with two in-experienced quarterbacks andthere’s going to be a bit more

coaching involved,” he said. “There’ll be a lot less repeat-ing myself than last year withJohnny, but these guys will be[coached].”Sumlin said that with each

new coordinator comes a newtwist on the so-called “AirRaid” system.“I think what happens is

we’ve got a system that’s inplace that we believe in and Ithink each guy kind of puts hisown personality on it, I’ll putit that way,” said Sumlin.Since South Carolina

doesn’t have any video ofSpavital calling an offensewithout Manziel at the helm,Spavital wasn’t going to giveout what exactly his offensivepersonality is going to be.“I don’t know yet,” he said.

“I think it changes every yearto be honest with you whichis due to personnel that youhave. You can be a little bitmore unique with body typeswith Cam Clear and the

amount of receivers we haveand the amount of runningbacks we have. I think you canbe a little more balanced in-stead of always just going outthere and throwing it arounda bit.”More than anything, that’s

probably going to be the big-gest change in A&M’s offensethis season -- balance. Thepressure won’t just be on oneplayer this year.Manziel was the only Aggie

to break the 100-yard markin a game last season, and heled the Aggies in rushing for asecond season in a row. Don’texpect Hill to lead the Aggiesin rushing this season, evenif he does have the ability toextend plays.His influence went even fur-

ther. The offense was so tai-lored around him that some ofits weapons had to take a backseat. Clear was a non-factormost of last season. Accord-ing to Sumlin, a big part of

the reason Clear wasn’t moreinvolved was keeping defensesspread out for Manziel.Spavital’s quest to get Clear

more involved led him to OhioState and Clemson. He alsoacquired film on the DenverBroncos, Green Bay Packersand New England Patriots.Manziel also wasn’t the

only all-time great on theoffense last season. ReplacingMike Evans, perhaps the bestreceiver in Aggie history, isalso going to prove difficult.The most likely candidate tostep into the big-play shoes istrue freshman Speedy Noil,even though he’s never playedreceiver before.That’s the puzzle that

Spavital has had almost ninemonths to put together, eachsmall piece a part of an effortto replace two giant ones.At this point, Spavital

appears confident. If he wasstressed out by diving into thefilm room to replace Manziel,

he isn’t showing it. He evenfound time this summer tosecure a commitment of hisown. He got engaged to aformer West Virginia gymnastover the summer.This fall he’ll probably

spend as much time with Hillas he will his new fiancée. Forboth he and Hill, the ques-tion is howmuch time spentwatching can they put intoaction. Spavital has spent timewatching some of the mostdynamic play-callers in thegame. And Hill spent last sea-son watching one of its mostdynamic players.“There’s going to be some

experiences he hasn’t seen,but he has seen a little morethan Kyle has right now andthat was one of the decidingfactors for us,” Spavital said.“For right now. The way I lookat it is we’re moving forwardwith Kenny. He’s our guy andwe’re putting all our eggs inthat basket.”

Spavital ready for post-Johnny challengesAggies will utilize greaterrange of weapons in 2014

Eagle photo by Stuart VillanuevaTexas A&M offensive coordinator Jake Spavital (center) helped pick Kenny Hill (right) over Kyle Allen (far left) as the Aggies’ starting quarterback.


By RICHARD [email protected]

When asked if he’d seenanything in fall camp that couldensure Texas A&M’s defensewill be able to slow down arunning game similar to theone the Aggies face in theiropener, defensive coordinatorMark Snyder didn’t exactly givea ringing endorsement.“We’ll see whenwe get

there,” Snyder said. “Talk ischeap, so we’ll all know thatnight at the end of the game.”Snyder has reason to take a

wait-and-see perspective.Many of the projected front

seven, which includes defensivelinemen Julien Obioha, AlonzoWilliams, HardreckWalker,DaeshonHall and linebackersDonnie Baggs, JordanMas-trogiovani and A.J. Hilliard,

Snyder will send out againstSouth Carolina on Thursdaywill be getting their baptismas starters in a SoutheasternConference game.A&M’s is so inexperienced

up front that the seven starting

Aggies assigned to stop therun have fewer career tacklescombined (218) than Tennes-see linebacker A.J. Johnson(324) andGeorgia linebackerAmarioHerrera (219) haveindividually.Defensive backs aside, junior

defensive endObioha is theleading returnee in tackles forthe Aggies with 38. The nextlowest number among teamleaders in the SECwas 54 bySouth Carolina linebackerKaiwan Lewis, while five teamleaders among players in theleague had at least doubleObioha’s total.Whatmakesmatters worse,

those statistics would havebeen irrelevent if not fordismissals, a veteran leavingfor personal reasons and a key

Here are the top returning tacklers on front seven for each SEC team:School Player Year Position 2013 tackles Career tacklesOle Miss Serderius Bryant Sr. LB 52-26=78 97-70=163Mississppi St. Benardrick McKinney Jr. LB 42-28=70 87-85=172Florida Michael Taylor Sr. LB 30-32=62 72-57=129Alabama Trey DePriest Sr. LB 31-34-=65 72-77=149Arkansas Braylon Mitchell Sr. LB 31-46=77 34-51=85Auburn Cassanova McKinzy Jr. LB 43-32=75 56-42=98Georgia Amario Herrera Sr. LB 54-58=112 103-116=219Kentucky Alvin Dupree Sr. DL 34-27=61 100-73=173LSU D.J Welter Sr. LB 25-55=80 26-61=87Missouri Kentrell Brothers Jr. LB 40-30=70 47-37=84South Carolina Kaiwan Lewis Jr. LB 31-23=54 32-24=56Tennessee A.J. Johnson Sr. LB 60-46=106 160-164=324Vanderbilt Darreion Herring Jr. LB 44-40=84 63-54=117

Here are Texas A&M’s projected starting front seven:Player Year Position 2013 tackles Career tacklesJulien Obioha Jr. DL 16-22=38 29-34=63Alonzo Williams Jr. DL 9-17=26 11-20=31Hardreck Walker So. DL 2-3=5 2-3=5Daeshon Hall So. DL 12-17=29 12-17=29Donnie Baggs Sr. LB 11-19=30 32-31=63Jordan Mastrogiovani So. LB 7-19=26 7-19=26A.J. Hilliard So. LB 0-0=0 1-0=1

Total 57-97=154 94-124=218Here are projected Texas A&M starters among the front seven lost before the start of the season:Player Year Position 2013 tackles Career tackles

Darian Claiborne So. LB 29-60=89 29-60=89Gavin Stansbury Sr. DE 29-18=47 40-33=73Isaiah Golden So. DL 8-24=32 8-24-32Shaan Washington So. LB 10-16=26 10-16=26

Total 76-118=194 87-133=220

SEC’s Top Front-Seven Playmakers

Will bigger Aggie Dbe better this season?Snyder will lean on youth, potentialto make up for veteran losses up front

“It is what it is.“We’re in collegefootball. It’s partof what we dealwith as collegecoaches and aspart of the collegegame.”

— defensive coordinatorMark Snyder

Eagle photo by Stuart VillanuevaDefensive coordinator MarkSnyder leads a crew lookingfor redemption in 2014.

Continued on Page 14


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Johnny Manziel is gonebut the feeling he helpedgenerate around the pro-gram remains. If anything,it’s magnified coming off astretch of Texas A&M havingwon 20 of its last 26 games.“Our expectations are

not going to change,” TexasA&M head coach KevinSumlin said. “We’re goingto try to go out there, winevery game, put our guys ina position to do so with thementality that we are here towin. Just to say, you know,this is just one of thoseyears, I don’t think I’veever done that as a coach,as a head coach or as anassistant.”Topping the list of chal-

lenges for A&M’s thirdseason in the SoutheasternConference is sophomoreKenny Hill replacingManziel, the 2012 Heismanwinner. The defense, whichwas last in the SEC in totaldefense and scoring defense,lost three projected startersin the offseason after eachhad off-the-field problems.Defensive coordinator MarkSnyder will lean on youngerplayers to fill their void,though the youth movementfor the unit started last sea-son which in part explainedallowing 475.8 yards and32.2 points per game. A newstarting quarterback and asmany as 11 other new start-ers is a concern as the Aggiesface their toughest schedulesince joining the leaguewith road games at SouthCarolina, Mississippi State,Alabama and Auburn.“Last year, I didn’t say

hold on, we’re not there yet,”Sumlin said. “First year Ididn’t say we can’t do that.

It’s our job to get the mostout of our team.”Sumlin’s first step in in

making the transition fromManziel to Hill was to changeoffensive coordinators forthe Chick-fil-A Bowl lastseason, adding play-callingduties to quarterbacks coachJake Spavital. A&M re-sponded with a 52-48 victoryover Duke, rallying from a21-point deficit. A&M scored35 second-half points withthe plays called by Spavital,who worked with BrandonWeedon at Oklahoma Stateand Geno Smith at West Vir-ginia, but also as a graduateassistant at the Universityof Houston in 2009 under

Sumlin when his quarter-back was Case Keenum.“I think the transition has

been good,” said Sumlin,adding that Spavital hasmore options this seasonbecause of the personnel.Hill is a running threat,

a la Manziel, which shouldhelp. Hill was sharp inlimited playing time lastseason, completing 16 of 22passes for 183 yards, adding37 yards rushing on sevencarries.“He’s been in four games

and has that game experi-ence,” Sumlin said. “Theexperience of being hereand watching how we dothings offensively and see-ing Johnny play has helpedhim.”Hill took another page

from Manziel in opting notto talk to the media, butthat was decided before hegot the nod over true fresh-man Kenny Allen. Hill saidif picked he wanted to focusjust on preparation, andwould talk after Thursday’sseason opener at ninth-ranked South Carolina.“I think Kenny’s going to

handle the offense well, he’sa great player, he’s ready forit,” said senior wide receiverMalcome Kennedy, who had60 catches last season for658 yards and seven touch-downs. “I spent two yearswith Johnny, it’s going to becrazy, but I did it before, Ispent two years with RyanTannehill then I went toJohnny.”It will be interesting to see

how A&M utilizes Hill.The last two seasons, A&M

spread the field because ofManziel, who was easilythe team’s leading rushereach season. A&M stillplans to spread the field butalso wants to better utilize

6-foot-6, 277-pound tightend Cam Clear, who had onlyfour catches for 42 yards lastseason.“Cam is an exceptional

player and we’ll use him,”Sumlin said.The Aggies can go with a

jumbo package by adding6-5, 235-pound freshmanwide receiver Ricky Seals-Jones, who got a medicalredshirt for last seasonafter playing in two games.Seals-Jones also was used at

H-back during spring drillsafter asking for the opportu-nity to get more snaps.“Ricky’s had a great fall

camp,” Spavital said. “Go-ing through spring ball hewas a little rusty, still notat 100-percent healthy, buthe’s been moving aroundwith a great sense of urgencyand he’ll be a big target likeMike [Evans]. Those guysare more comfortable forquarterbacks because theydon’t have to be as accurate

with the ball.”A&M has several speed-

sters on the outside whocan stretch the field led byfreshman Speedy Noil andsophomore transfer JoshReynolds, who have claimedstarting jobs. SophomoresLaQuvionte Gonzalez,Edward Pope and JeremyTabuyo along with juniorSabian Holmes will be in therotation. Holmes (23 career

Aggies aim to stay on top despite turnoverA&M is counting on younger playersin prominent role on both sides of ball

“Our expectationsare not going tochange. We’regoing to try togo out there, winevery game, putour guys in aposition to do sowith the mental-ity that we arehere to win. Justto say, you know,this is just oneof those years, Idon’t think I’veever done thatas a coach, as ahead coach or asan assistant.”— head coach Kevin Sumlin

Eagle photo by Stuart VillanuevaMalcome Kennedy returns asTexas A&M’s most polishedreceiver. For his career, he has97 catches for 1,083 yards andnine touchdowns.

Continued on Page 15



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In the past, senior defen-sive back Deshazor Everett’sversatilty has been a benefitto both himself and the TexasA&M defense.Looking ahead, both parties

are hoping Everett focusingon one position will pay divi-dends to all involved.“He’s played a lot of foot-

ball in a very good league,”A&M defensive coordinatorMark Snyder said. “He’s soversatile. That’s what makesDeshazor really good. Hecould play nickel, corner orsafety. That’s going to bodereally well for him in thefuture”In the past two seasons,

Everett has, with a great dealof success, started 14 gamesat cornerback and eight atsafety. He has scored a touch-down from both positions andhas been among the top threein tackles five times lining upacross from the opponentsbest receiver and three timesas the back line of the defense.With only 45 players

allowed to suit up in NFLgames, Everett knows defend-ing offenses from two dif-ferent perspectives can onlyenhance his pro prospects.“They want to see that you

are versatile, so they knowhey he can play safety and he

can play corner,” Everett said.“That’s a plus. You don’t gettoo many guys who can playboth. I’m not really built forsafety but if I put on weightand still had the speed, maybeI could make the transition. Ican always say hey, I’ve madeplays at safety.”Snyder and new second-

ary coach Terry Joseph havemade the decision to go withEverett strictly at cornerbackin 2014.“[We want] to try our best

to keep him at one position,that is why he is worked exclu-sively at corner,” Joseph said.“He still has ability to playsafety and he gets in the safetymeetings every now and thento brush up on his skills. Butfor him to specialize at cornerand just become a student ofthe game and learn more ofthe details about what he’ssupposed to do on every play[is what we want].”At 6-foot, 193 pounds,

Everett is definitely built forcornerback rather than safety.“It’s given me some con-

fidence just to [practice] atcorner,” Everett said. “I knowwhere I’m at on the field. Iknow what I can do. I under-stand where my help is. I trustthat I just need to be at cornerbecause coach knows what heis doing with the safeties andother positions.”A&M coaches aren’t the

only ones who have appreci-ated what Everett has doneduring his two seasons in theSoutheastern Conference. Hewas recently voted preseasonfirst team All-SEC by thecoaches.In the past two years,

Everett has 67 solo tackles,assisted on 62 tackles, brokenup 13 passes, intercpetedtwo passes and recovered afumble.“Hardest thing for De-

shazor right now is I’m hishardest critic because withhim having as many snapsunder his belt the youngerguys are looking to see how

he responds to certain situa-tions,” said Joseph, who is afellow Louisiana native andwhile at Tennessee recruitedEverett. “Biggest thing I’vestressed with Deshazor iswhatever happens doesn’treally matter because there isa another play, so good badindifferent doesnt matter, goto the next play and the youngguys can see him respond tosome adversity because weare going to face some.”Everett and senior saftey

Howard Matthews will likelyline up in the opener againstNo. 9 South Carolina withfreshmen Victor Davis at

cornerback and Armani Wattsat safety. And when the Ag-gies go to their nickel defense,Devonta Burns, a junior withvery little experience entersthe game.Everett has been at his best

in games against ranked op-ponents. He is best known forintercepting A.J. McCarronon fourth down to preservethe Aggies’ upset at No. 1Alabama in 2013.The DeRidder, Louisiana

native posted his career highin tackles with 12 against No.18 LSU. He has 52 tackles,an interception and fourpass breakups in nine games

against Top 25 teams andcombined for 11 solo tackles(14 overall) and two pass de-flections in two bowl games.“I think Deshazor’s a really

good football player,” Snydersaid. “He’s got tremendousburst, tremendous speed, he’sa great kid and he under-stands football.”All of that explains why

Snyder trusts Everertt nomatter where he plays him onthe field.

Here are senior DeshazorEverett’s defensive statisticsas cornerback, safety and as asubstitute:Starting cornerback

tackles pass fum.G solo ast def. int. rec.14 48 36 11 1 0Starting safety

tackles pass fum.G solo ast def. int. rec.8 15 19 2 2 1Off the bench

tackles pass fum.G solo ast def. int. rec.15 9 12 0 1 0

Deshazor Everett’s Highlights:• In 29-24 win over No.1 Alabama in 2012, keptCrimson Tide from tak-ing lead with intercep-tion at goal line with1:36 remaining.• Returned an intercep-tion for a touchdownto score final points in70-14 win over SouthCarolina State.• Returned a fumble fortouchdown in 42-13 winover SMU• Was among top threeleading tacklers forA&M in eight games.• Led team in tackleswith a career-high 12,and had a pass breakupagainst LSU in 2013.• Has 11 solo tackles,3 assists and 2 passbreakups in two bowlgames• Has 36 solo tackles, 16assists, 1 interceptionand 4 pass breakups innine games vs Top 25teams• Coaches 2014 pre-season All-SEC first-team cornerback

Comingintofocus

A&M hopes concentratingon just one positionwill helpEverett anchor secondary

Eagle photo by Stuart VillanuevaAfter splitting time between defensive backfield positions, senior Deshazor Everett has focused on playingcornerback this season. Everett was the Aggies’ fourth-leading tackler last season with 73.

Everett’s Impact

“He still has ability to play safety and he gets in thesafety meetings every now and then to brush up on hisskills. But for him to specialize at corner and just be-come a student of the game and learn more of the detailsabout what he’s supposed to do on every play [is whatwe want].”— defensive backs coach Terry Joseph


Here are Robert Cessna’spreseason grades forthe Aggies (last season’spreseason grades are inparenthesis)QURTERBACKS: C- (A+)The good: Sophomore Ken-ny Hill is a two-way threat.He’s not Johnny Manziel,but has size at 215 poundsto take a hit. Look for Hillto be more of a distributor,at least until he’s settledin. It even took Manziel agame to get going. If Hillhas hiccups against inferioropponents all is not lostbecause backup Kyle Allenhas a big-time arm with ahuge upside.The bad: A&M goes intothe season without a quar-terback who has started acollege game. The Aggiescan ill afford an injury.Connor McQueen is a nicestory going from walk-onto scholarship player, butthat’s only because MattJoeckel and Matt Davistransferred out.Bottom line: A&M is goingto need smart quarter-back play to win at SouthCarolina, Mississippi State,Alabama and Auburn.

RUNNING BACKS: A- (A)The good: Tra Carson,Brandon Williams and TreyWilliams are interchange-able. A&M always will havefresh legs even if someonegets hurt because redshirtfreshman James White isready to see action.The bad: None of thebacks have dominated aseries or two consistentlyto become the featuredguy. They also need to bebetter pass blockers andthreats out of the backfield– reliable Ben Malena had21 catches last season, theother three combined for18. Then there was Malena’sleadership. Who takes over?

Bottom line: A&M shouldbe able to play smash-mouth football with the235-pound Carson but itsalso has enough speed withWilliams and Williams toget to the perimeter andkeep the up-tempo offenserolling.

OFFENSIVE LINE: A (A-)The good: The Aggiesplug in junior JosephCheek at right guard andaway they go. Left guardJarvis Harrison has ateam-best 31 career starts,but he didn’t report in greatshape and is being chal-lenged by Garrett Gramlingwho started two games lastseason. Avery Gennesy andJermaine Eluemunor, juniorcollege transfers, aren’tgood enough to start butadd to the depth and they’llonly get better.The bad: The 6-foot-4,330-pound Harrison is aload when healthy. It wouldhelp if he regained theform that last two seasonsthat allowed him to fendoff Gramling and Cheek.Bottom line: A&M has anSEC group, talented, physi-cal and deep.

RECEIVING CORPS: C (B)The good: Based on hisimprovement each season,Malcome Kennedy shouldbe poised for more than100 catches and 1,300yards. But anything closewill be fine. Tight end CamClear (6-6, 277 pounds)has been under utilized,though that could be readyto change under first-year offensive coordinatorJake Spavital. Throw in235-pound wide receiverRicky Seals-Jones andspeedy freshman SpeedyNoil, a pair of all-confer-ence players in the making,and the Aggies have powerand the ability to stretchthe field.The bad: Seven of the nineplayers listed on the depthchart at the four widereceiver spots are fresh-men and sophomores. Theyhave some learning to do.After Kennedy, the receiverwith the most catches re-turning from last season isLaQuvionte Gonzales whohad 21.Bottom line: Hill needs tofind a couple go-to guys butnot forget about the rest of

the group which it seemedManziel did at times.

DEFENSIVE LINE: D (C-)The good: A&M hasenough depth that they’llbe able to rotate players atevery position. A&M mightbe able to get pressure onthe quarterback with endswho have the physical lookof SEC guys who meet atthe quarterback.The bad: A&M has to getpressure from its frontfour coming off a seasonit had only 21 sacks and67 tackles for loss to rank90th and 99th respectivelyin the nation. Sophomorelineman Isaiah Golden wasdismissed and senior endGavin Stansbury left theprogram, both would haveseen significant playingtime. So much is expectedfrom the ends but juniorJulien Obioha is the loneupperclassmen listed onthe depth chart.Bottom line: Daeshon Hallalong with one of the new-comers at end, Myles Gar-rett, Qualen Cunninghamor Jarrell Johnson need tobecome forces to reckonwith in a hurry.

LINEBACKERS: C- (C-)The good: Middle line-backer Jordan Mastro-giovanni (6-3, 244 pounds)has the physicality that’sneeded to win in the SEC.The bad: The unit re-mains thin enough thattrue freshmen will have topay immediate dividends.It’s the last chance forsenior Donnie Baggs tohave a break-out season,and sophomore transferA.J. Hilliard needs to shakeoff the rust in a hurry andindications are he will.Bottom line: Darian Clai-borne had to go because ofhis off-the-field problems,

but he leaves a void. Don’tforget that when he missedthe season finale a yearago, Duke rushed for 234yards on 37 carries.

SECONDARY: D (C-)The good: DeshazorEverett is going to stay atcornerback, but that settlesonly one position.The bad: CornerbackDa’Vante Harris (urinarytract) is still at least a fewweeks from playing. A&Mis searching for two big-play safeties. Howard Mat-thews started every gameseason, but he needs to domore than just start. FloydRaven Sr., had five starts,but he’s lost his job to truefreshman Armani Watts.Bottom line: There’s goingto be busts with potentiallya true freshman startingat free safety (Watts) anda redshirt freshman atcornerback (Victor Davis),but the key will be theirnumber of mistakes andhow quickly they diminish.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A- (D)The good: Drew Kaser av-eraged 47.4 yards per puntwith 17 of his 44 kicksinside the 20. He’s not afluke. He’s Shane Lechlerreincarnated, maybe better.Josh Lambo and Tay-lor Bertolet combined tomake 10 of 13 field goals,including all four attemptsbetween the 40-49. Noilwill make the return gamebetter while another tal-ented freshman class willallow the coverage teamsto shave off a few moreyards.The bad: In a perfectworld, A&M’s offenseseldom will have to bailedout by a punt, and kickingany field goal other than agame-winner is a letdown.Bottom line: A&M shouldn’t

lose a game because ofspecial teams, and maybe,just maybe could win oneof those big road games be-cause of the kicking game.

COACHING: B (A)The good: It seems thathardly a week goes by thatSumlin doesn’t land an-other top commitment. He’sa charmer when it comesto the national limelight.And then there’s that 20-6record in two years.The bad: The off-the-fieldproblems have to stop. Theyhaven’t been damaging, butthey could eventually provecostly. If the Aggies evenslip to 6-6, or gulp, evenworse, the critics will blameit on a lack of discipline,rattling off all the arrests.Bottom line: Sumlin hasn’twon a championship, yet noone would be surprised ifthe Aggies won a nationaltitle in the next few years.

OVERALL: B (A-)The good: You’ll be hardpressed to find a bettertime to be wearing maroon,which thanks to joining theSoutheastern Conferencehas a deep, rich, successfulshade to it. A&M had theNo. 6 recruiting class thispast season - getting all ofthem in school - and it cur-rently has the No. 4 classfor 2015. Kyle Field looksbetter every day.The bad: You’re only asgood as your last game,which saw the Aggies wipeout a 21-point deficit in theChick-fil-A Bowl for a 52-48 victory. A&M was a playaway from an 8-5 season,and carrying a three-gamelosing streak through theoffseason would have beentrying. Instead, A&M was9-4 and the sky is the limit.Bottom line: It’s a goodtime to be an Aggie.

Eagle photo by Stuart VillanuevaTexas A&M punter Drew Kaser averaged 47.4 yards per punt last sea-son and put 17 of his 44 kicks inside of the opponent’s 20-yard line.

CEASE GRADES THE AGGIES

Questions abound entering season


injury in fall camp.Four players whowould

likely have started on the frontseven in the opener, sopho-more linebacker Darian Clai-borne, sophomore defensivetackle Isaiah Golden, seniordefensive endGavin Stansburyand sophomore linebackerShaanWashington, totaled 194tackles last season, 40morethan the seven expected to startthe opener.Claiborne, whowas third

on the teamwith 89 tacklesin 2013, and Goldenweredismissed from the team in thespring, Stansbury left the teamjust before fall camp startedandWashington injured hiscollarbone in the secondweekof practice.“It is what it is,” said Snyder.

“We’re in college football. It’spart of what we deal with ascollege coaches and as part of

the college game.”Nomatter who A&Mhad on

the field last season defensivelythe numbers were dismal.The Aggies were last in the

SEC in total defense, rush-ing defense, and scoringdefense.A&M surrendered 222yards a game on the groundand 32.2 points a game. Bothnumbers were twice that ofAlabama, which gave up 106yards rushing and 13.9 pointsa game.The Aggies’ 475 total yards

surrendered a gamewas 48yards worse than Kentucky,which was 13th defensively inthe SEC.Therewere other numbers

that provedhowovermatchedthe youngundersizedAggiedefensewas last season.A&Mwas 10th in sackswith 21, 11thin third-downeffieciency at 41percent and last in red zoneefficiency by allowing 35 touch-downs in the 48 times oppo-nents got inside the 20 yard line.

Senior cornerback DeshazorEverett summed it up at theSECMedia Days, by answer-ing a question with a question,“Could we getmuchworse?”Aggie fans will soon find out.A&M coaches are counting

on the answer being no becauseof an influx of young playersandwith the growth, literally,of those who enduredmuch oflast season’s woes.”Last year I wasn’t as heavy,

maybe 275 and at one pointin time got down to 265 inthe season and I was gettingknocked around,” saidWil-liams, who is up to 301 pounds.“Six-hundred pounds comingat you every play is pretty toughon you as a small guy. I wasjust tired of it so I said I’ve gotto get going.”Williams isn’t the only one

who gained a considerableamount of weight in order tosustain the rigors of the SECschedule and fend off the of-fensive linemen.

Mastrogiovani was going toplay a key role for the Aggieseven before Claiborne wasdropped from the team.Heis now the center piece of thedefense and his first job is tomake sure the Aggies don’thave a repeat of allowing aleague-worst 5.4 yards a carry.Mastrogiovani says he is

ready in part because of hisphysical growth and startingthe bowl game when Claibornewas suspended.“I was playing at 225 last

year atmiddle linebacker at anSEC school and that’s definitelyon the lighter side and I didn’tknow all the plays, didn’t knowmany of the guys, so I thinkafter this year of experince andputting on 20 pounds I’m fairlyconfident I’m better now,”Mastrogiovani said. “I learnedmore in that half [againstDuke] than I have in any othermoment inmy football careerso far. That first half wasjust terrible and youwant to

disregard it and act like it neverhappened. The second half Ideveloped as a playermentallyand physically.We got a lotmore physical that second halfand trusted each other.”Duke scored 38 points in the

first half, 10 in the second andA&Mwon 52-48.Snyder and the Aggies are

also feeling better about play-ing a 3-3-5 formation alongwith their base 4-3 defense.A&Mhad 21 sacks in 2013.

Snyder and defensive linecoach Terry Price believe withmore athletic ends at theirdisposal those numbers shouldclimb.“I feel really good about it

because whenwe go to our3-down stuff we have a chanceto put some speed on the fieldand become a very fast defensefrom a pass rush standpoint toa back end standpoint,” Snydersaid. “Then obviously we haveto hold the rigors of the SEC inthe run game so our big guys

got to hold up, so again withthe numbers we are able topiece-meal it a little bit and it’snot just one group out there thewhole day.”Again it’s not just about the

newcomers when it comes togetting to the quarterback.Hall will be the rush end,

which allows Obioha tomoveback to the strong-side end.Hall will be counted on to puthis 40-poundweight gain togood use.“Take a guy like Daeshon

Hall whowas 220 at 6-foot-6, he couldn’t bull rush lastyear,” Price said. “Inside guyswere 270 pounds instead of300 pounds and they couldn’tbull rush last year. So with theaddedweight gained it makesthem strongermore physicaland they can bull rush and youcan’t be a great rush guy unlessyou can power and speed rush.”If Price’s analysis is correct,

those tackle numbers shouldstart swaying the Aggies’ way.

Mastrogiovani being counted on at linebackerContinued from Page 9


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catches for 258 yards) andGonzalez (21-240) have themost experience.The most experienced

skill players are the juniorrunning backs, Tra Carson,Brandon Williams and TreyWilliams, who have com-bined for 229 career carriesfor 1,381 yards and 19 touch-downs.“You can be more unique

with body types like CamClear and the amount ofreceivers we have and theamount of running backs wehave,” Spavital said. “We canbe more balanced instead ofjust throwing it around outthere.”A&M should have that

luxury because four of theoffense’s five returningstarters are on the offensiveline led by senior left tackleCedric Ogbuehi, a projectedNFL first-round pick. Soph-omore right tackle GermainIfedi and junior center

Mike Matthews startedevery game last season, andthe 6-5, 325-pound Ifedialready is drawing the at-tention of NFL scouts whileMatthews was a third-teampreseason All-SEC pick bythe coaches.“I feel like we are going

to feature the running gamemore,” Carson said. “I justfeel like we can run on anyteam with our veteran of-fensive line.”The offensive line helped

A&M finish fourth nationallyin total offense with 538.4yards per game and fifth inscoring offense at 44.2 pointsper game.The defensive numbers,

though, were at the oppositeend of the spectrum. A&Mranked 109th in total defenseand 95th in scoring.“Last year, I think on

defense we lacked leader-ship because it’s hard to leadwhen you’re young,” Sumlinsaid. “You’re just tryingto figure out what the hellyou’re doing.”

Three of those players,rush end Daeshon Hall, noseguard Hardreck Walker andmiddle linebacker JordanMastrogiovanni are nowstarters as sophomores.Hall (6-6, 260) beefed up inthe offseason as he battlesincoming freshman MylesGarrett, rated the nation’sbest 2014 recruit at his posi-tion by 247.com.“Daeshon is still defend-

ing off Garrett,” Snydersaid. “His lower body hasreally, really improved. Helooks like the guy. We stillhave upper body work to dobecause he had two shoul-der injuries, but once thatcatches up with his lowerhalf, he has a chance to dosome things for us.”Mastrogiovanni started

at middle linebacker in theChick-fil-A Bowl after thesuspension of freshman Dar-ian Claiborne, who duringthe offseason was dismissedfrom the team along withsophomore defensive line-man Isaiah Golden. Both

were arrested for allegedarmed robbery. Also gone issenior defensive end GavinStansberry, who enrolled atthe University of Houston.Mastrogivonni is the

leader of the new guard.“[Mastrogiovanni] is still

in the growing process,”Snyder said. “We talk everyday about him being thecoordinator on the field.That comes as you play a lot.That’s one of those positionsyou have to play to learn.That’s why we’ve got JustinBass backing him up. Helearned under Sean [Porter]and Stew [Jonathan Stewart]and he knows the defense.But I’ve been pleased withJordan.”Mastrogiovanni said he’s

settled in as the unit’s quar-terback.“It was overwhelming a

little bit at the beginningof spring,” Mastrogiovannisaid. “But I’m really com-fortable with it now, I’ve hada lot of practice, it’s secondnature with me now.

Another key sophomorestarter is weak side line-backer A.J. Hilliard, whosat out last season aftertransferring from TexasChristian.“I like A.J.,” Snyder said.

“But I don’t want to put a lotof pressure on him.”A&M has five returning

starters on defense and 12others listed on the depthchart have seen action butthe unit is still very young.A&M’s depth chart for SouthCarolina has 10 freshmen,probably at least seven ofthem will play and two willlikely start, Victor Davisat cornerback and ArmaniWatts at free safety.“We have talent across the

board,” said senior corner-back Deshazor Everett, apreseason All-SEC pick.“Victor Davis he’s athletic,he understands things, wejust gotta get him going,have his confidence [high].”Getting to the point where

they’re playing with confi-dence also concerns Snyder.

“We gotta start fast,”Snyder said. “Two years agoout here against Florida,we played pretty well andit kinda snowballed. Wegained some confidence andwe ended up playing prettygood. Last year, again wewere young and didn’t startfast and didn’t start with abunch of confidence. It tookabout until the Vanderbiltgame before I felt like wewere starting to gel a littlebit.”South Carolina will be

a good barometer for thedefense and the team. A&Mprobably won’t play anotherranked team until Octoberas the Aggies look to buildon the momentum of theirfirst two SEC seasons.“Yeah, it’s important to

win, just like the first year,”Sumlin said. “You heardme say it before, is it onething? No. Is it the coachingchange? Is it the SEC? Is itJohnny? Is it A&M? It’s allthose things that have madethis process possible.”

Daeshon Hall ‘looks like the guy’ to SnyderContinued from Page 10

OFFENSENo. Name Ht. Wt. Class

Wide receiver2 Speedy Noil 5-11 185 Fr.18 Edward Pope 6-4 180 So.

Left tackle70 Cedric Ogbuehi 6-5 305 Sr.65 Avery Gennesy 6-5 305 Jr.

Left guard51 Jarvis Harrison 6-4 330 Sr.78 Garrett Gramling 6-6 310 Sr.

Center56 Mike Matthews 6-2 290 Jr.68 Ben Compton 6-4 300 Sr.

Right guard79 Joseph Cheek 6-7 310 Jr.72 Jermaine Eluemunor 6-4 315 Jr.

Right tackle74 Germain Ifedi 6-5 315 So.63 Ryan Lindblade 6-7 305 So.

Tight end85 Cameron Clear 6-6 277 Sr.41 Brandon Alexander 6-6 266 Jr.

Wide receiver9 Ricky Seals-Jones 6-5 235 Fr.23 Sabian Holmes 5-11 175 Jr.6 LaQuvionte Gonzalez5-10 165 So.

Wide receiver11 Josh Reynolds 6-4 190 So.15 Frank Iheanacho 6-6 220 Fr.

Wide receiver84 Malcome Kennedy 6-0 205 Sr.19 Jeremy Tabuyo 5-11 180 So.

Quarterback7 Kenny Hill 6-1 215 So.10 Kyle Allen 6-3 205 Fr.

Tailback21 Tra Carson 6-0 235 Jr.5 Brandon Williams 6-0 200 Jr.3 Trey Williams 5-8 195 Jr.

DEFENSENo. Name Ht. Wt. Class

End95 Julien Obioha 6-4 265 Jr.9 Qualen Cunningham 6-3 247 Fr.40 Jarrett Johnson 6-3 260 Fr.

Tackle83 Alonzo Williams 6-4 296 Jr.89 Ivan Robinson 6-3 290 Sr.96 Jay Arnold 6-4 284 So.

Nose guard98 Hardreck Walker 6-2 300 So.92 Zaycoven Henderson 6-1 315 Fr.

Rush end10 Daeshon Hall 6-6 260 So.15 Myles Garrett 6-5 255 Fr.

Weakside linebacker46 A.J. Hilliard 6-2 230 So.3 Tommy Sanders 6-2 220 Sr.

Middle linebacker45 Jordan Mastrogiovanni6-3 244 So.43 Justin Bass 6-2 231 Sr.14 Josh Walker 6-1 233 Fr.

Strongside linebacker16 Donnie Baggs 6-1 230 Sr.42 Otaro Alaka 6-3 225 Fr.

Cornerback28 Victor Davis 6-0 191 Fr.8 Nick Harvey 5-10 180 Fr.

Cornerback29 Deshazor Everett 6-0 193 Sr.22 Tavares Garner 6-0 183 So.

Back safety31 Howard Matthews 6-2 210 Sr.18 Donovan Wilson 6-1 192 Fr.25 Clay Honeycutt 6-2 200 Sr.

Free safety23 Armani Watts 5-11 190 Fr.5 Floyd Raven Sr. 6-2 200 Sr.25 Honeycutt 6-2 200 Sr.

Nickel cornerback26 Devonta Burns 6-0 214 Jr.12 Sam Moeller 5-11 186 Jr.

SPECIAL TEAMSNo. Name Ht. Wt. Class

Place-kicker49 Josh Lambo 6-0 220 Sr.24 Taylor Bertolet 5-9 185 Jr.

Holder38 Drew Kaser 6-3 210 Jr.14 Conner McQueen 5-10 175 So.

Punter38 Kaser 6-3 210 Jr.46 Shane Tripucka 6-3 215 Fr.

Snapper54 Alex Freeman 6-1 235 Sr.

Punt returner2 Noil 5-11 185 Fr.6 Gonzalez 5-10 165 So.8 Harvey 5-10 180 Fr.

Kickoff returner3 Williams 5-8 195 Jr.2 Noil 5-11 185 Fr.6 Gonzalez 5-10 165 So.

Texas A&M Depth Chart


Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama looks to reboundCrimson Tide will try to regain its championship form in 2014

Beat writer’s take:

11-1“Yes, even a program

like a Alabama can havequestion marks. But thosemarks are always a bitsmaller when you recruitthe way Nick Saban andCo. does every season.First, theissues:The Crim-son Tidewill haveto provesomethingat quarter-back, it willhave to showconsistencyat cornerback and issueslinger in the kicking game.“Still, the talent is over-

flowing at the skill posi-tions on offense, the frontseven could be the bestand deepest Alabama hasseen in years - taking somepressure off those youngdefensive backs - andAlabama is, well, Alabama;it’s roster is one of themost talented in the nation.Bottom line: If it can findsuccess at QB, the sky isthe limit.” — D.C. Reeves,The Tuscaloosa News

ScheduleDate Opponent TimeAug. 30 West Virginia 2:30 p.m.

Sep. 6 FAU 11 a.m.

Sep. 13 Southern Miss. 5 p.m.

Sep. 20 Florida TBA

Oct. 4 at Mississippi TBA

Oct. 11 at Arkansas TBA

Oct. 18 Texas A&M TBA

Oct. 25 at Tennessee TBA

Nov. 8 at LSU TBA

Nov. 15 Mississippi St. TBA

Nov. 22 W. Carolina TBA

Nov. 29 Auburn TBA

SABAN

By JOHNZENORAssociated Press

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. —Reel-ing from a loss that ended Ala-bama’s national championshiphopes during the 2008 season,the Crimson Tide followed upwith a shaky Sugar Bowl per-formance.After losses to Florida and

Utah, respectively, the Tiderebounded with three nationalchampionships and 49winsover four years. The challengenow is to do it again after asimilar end-of-season fade— alast-play loss to Auburn anda beating fromOklahoma inNewOrleans.“The time is now to resur-

rect the identity of the Ala-bama football program,” coachNick Saban said.It might bemore of a reboot

than a resurrection, but theending did cast a pall on aseason that seemed pointed to-ward a shot at a third straightnational title.There’s little question Ala-

bama remains talented enoughto again contend for at leasta Southeastern Conferencetitle, evenminus stars likequarterback AJMcCarron andlinebacker C.J.Mosley.The T.J. Yeldon-led back-

field is loaded. Amari Cooperheadlines a deep, talentedgroup of receivers. The defensehas preseason first-teamAll-SEC picks in safety LandonCollins, linebacker TreyDePriest and defensive endA’ShawnRobinson.And the latest No. 1 recruit-

ing class is in place to lend ahand. The newcomers includethe leading contender to bethe starting quarterback,Florida State transfer JacobCoker.“We’re ready to get back out

there and prove to the NCAA

that we can be one of the top-notch teams,” safety LandonCollins said.

5 things to watch in Ala-bama’s season:

QUARTERBACKPLAY:Three-year starterMcCarronleft withmany of Alabama’s

passing records, awards andtwo national titles as starter.His replacement will either beCoker orMcCarron’s backupBlake Sims. The 6-foot-5,230-pound Coker is more inMcCarron’s mold, even com-ing from the sameMobile highschool and saw action in 11games for the Seminoles over

the past two years. The 6-foot,208-pound Sims is athleticenough that he wasmovedto running back as a redshirtfreshman. He spent time witha quarterbacks coach duringspring and summer breaktrying to improve his passingtechnique.

LANECHANGES: LaneKiffinmade his name as anoffensive whiz as a SouthernCalifornia assistant. Fired lastyear as USC’s head coach, nowhe’s Saban’s fourth offensivecoordinator in eight seasons.The core philosophy shouldremain the same. “We’re goingto run the ball effectively andwe’re going to start off withgreat play-action passes justlike we always have,” tight end

Brian Vogler said. “It’s ourstyle.”

3BACKS, 1 BALL: T.J.Yeldon is the first Alabamarunning back to start his careerwith two straight 1,000-yardseasons, while Derrick Henrydazzled in the Sugar Bowland KenyanDrake averaged7.5 yards on 92 carries lastseason. Even for Alabama,this backfield is imposing, butit remains to be seen how thecarries will be divvied.

SECONDARY:Defensivecoordinator Kirby Smart isback in charge of a secondarygroup that built experienceeven as it was up and downwith youth and injuries lastseason. Landon Collins was aJim Thorpe Award semifinalistwhile JarrickWilliams is backat the other safety spot. CyrusJones, a converted receiver,is likely to start at one corner-back position while the other isup for grabs. Freshman TonyBrown participated in springpractice and is almost certainto be in the rotation, possiblyas a starter. Ditto for fellowfive-star prospectMarlonHumphrey. Eddie Jackson isrecovering from spring kneesurgery.

ATTITUDE: Players in-cludingMcCarron have said asense of entitlement crept intothe locker room last season. Ifthat shortcoming was evident,it was in the Sugar Bowl. Threedefenders, including startingnose guard Brandon Ivory,opened camp on suspension.Drake and junior college trans-fer Jarran Reed were arrestedover the summer. Saban saidthe coaches like this team, butultimately the outcomemayboil down to one question:“What’s their mind-set?”

Enrollment: 34,852Stadium: Bryant-DennyStadium (101,821)2013 record: 11-2, 7-1 inSEC, tied for first in West2013 bowl result: Sugar:Oklahoma 45, Alabama 31Coach: Nick Saban (180-74-1, 74-15 at Alabama)Returning starters: 12 (7

off - WR Amari Coo-per, WR Christion Jones,C Ryan Kelly, OG ArieKouandijo, OT AustinShepherd, TE Brian Vogler,RB T.J. Yeldon; 5 def. - DBLandon Collins, LB TreyDePriest, LB Denzel Devall,L Brandon Ivory, DB JarrickWilliams)

Quick facts

AP photoJunior running back T.J. Yeldon leads a talented Crimson Tide backfield that will be the focalpoint of the offense.


By MARK LONGAssociated Press

GAINESVILLE, Fla. —Little, if anything, went rightfor Florida last year.Mounting injuries, includ-

ing a devastating one toquarterback Jeff Driskel inthe third game of the season,were the main culprit inthe program’s first losingseason since 1979. Coachingconflicts, locker room issuesand a woe-is-me mentalitymade a difficult situationdownright dire.Coach Will Muschamp

fired two assistants aday after the 4-8 debacle

ended, overhauled one of theleague’s worst offenses inthe offseason and vowed toreturn the Gators to the topof the Southeastern Confer-ence’s Eastern Division.It’s a lofty goal, but far

from impossible for Florida.“We’ve got a good roster

and our guys are motivated,”Muschamp said.Equally important, the

Gators are healthy.Driskel, running back

Matt Jones, receiver AndreDebose and offensive tackleChaz Green have returnedafter missing most or all oflast season with injuries. AndFlorida has a number of bud-

ding stars with another yearof experience, including cor-nerback Vernon HargreavesIII, defensive end Dante

Fowler Jr., linebacker JarradDavis and receiver DemarcusRobinson.They’re eager to move past

2013, but not quite ready toforget the feeling of failure.“You want to put it behind

you, but you’ve got to learnfrom your past mistakes oryou’ll repeat them,” line-backer Michael Taylor said.

“When you’re a kid, you’renot going to put your handon a hot over repeatedly.You’re going to learn to nottouch a hot stove. We’re notgetting anywhere close tothat oven now.”

FLORIDA GATORS

Gators healthy, set to winAfter 4-8 debacle, Muschamp vows to return Florida to elite


8-4“A healthy and moreproductive offense undernew coordinator Kurt Ropershould give the Gators achance to win some ofthose close games they losta year ago in an injury-rid-dled season. The defense, asit has done under Will Mus-champ, will keep the Gatorsin most games.”- Robbie An-dreu, The Gainesville Sun

ScheduleDate Opponent TimeAug. 30 Idaho 6 p.m.

Sep. 6 E. Michigan 3 p.m.

Sep. 13 Kentucky 6:30 p.m.

Sep. 20 at Alabama TBA

Oct. 4 at Tennessee TBA

Oct. 11 LSU TBA

Oct. 18 Missouri TBA

Nov. 1 at Georgia TBA

Nov. 8 at Vanderbilt TBA

Nov. 15 South Carolina TBA

Nov. 22 E. Kentucky TBA

Nov. 29 at Florida St. TBA

Enrollment: 49,913Stadium: Ben Hill GriffinStadium at Florida Field(88,548)2013 record: 4-8, 3-5 in theSEC, 5th in EastCoach: Will Muschamp (22-16, all at Florida)Returning starters: 14 (7off. - LT D.J. Humphries,

C Max Garcia, LG TylerMoore, TE Clay Burton, WRQuinton Dunbar, QB JeffDriskel, RB Kelvin Taylor;7 def. - L Darious Cum-mings, L Leon Orr, L DanteFowler, Jr., L Jon Bullard,LB Antonio Morrison, LBMike Taylor, DB VernonHargreaves III)

Quick facts


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AUBURN TIGERS

Second not good enoughAfter runner-up finish, Auburn strives to be ‘13 seconds better’


10-2“Winners of the last five

SEC championships, theWest is still king in thetoughest conference incollege football, and thisseason should be no dif-ferent with Alabama, LSUand defend-ing cham-pion Auburnall viablecontenders.With return-ing startingquarter-back NickMarshall,the first ofGus Malzahn’s collegiatecareer, Auburn’s offense isexpected to take the nextstep and become morebalanced after dependingso heavily on the run lastseason.“The Tigers will be a par-

tially rebuilt defensive unitafter returning six starters,and is eager to develop apass rush from a defen-sive line that has beendecimated by injuries anddepartures this offseason.”— Alex Byington, Opelika-Auburn News

ScheduleDate Opponent TimeAug. 30 Arkansas 3 p.m.

Sep. 6 San Jose St. 6 p.m.

Sep. 18 at Kansas St. 6:30 p.m.

Sep. 27 Louisiana Tech TBA

Oct. 4 LSU TBA

Oct. 11 at Mississippi St. TBA

Oct. 25 South Carolina TBA

Nov. 1 at Mississippi TBA

Nov. 8 Texas A&M TBA

Nov. 15 at Georgia TBA

Nov. 22 Samford TBA

Nov. 29 at Alabama TBA

MALZAHN

By JOHNZENORAssociated Press

AUBURN, Ala. — Thetheme around Auburn’sfootball building since Janu-ary has been about being “13seconds better.”Just being better than ‘13 is

a lofty enough goal.The Tigers won’t be able to

sneak up on anyone again af-ter winning the SoutheasternConference and making it tothe brink of the 2013 nationaltitle, before Florida State’sgame-winning touchdownwith 13 seconds remaining inthe championship game.“This year we’re going to

be circled,” said coach GusMalzahn, who directed thebiggest one-year turnaroundin SEC history during hisdebut season. “We told ourplayers that. We’re going tohave to be better in everyphase, especially early in theseason.”The Tigers might be better

and still not duplicate lastyear’s run that included onewin on a deflected Hail Mary(Georgia) and another on alast-play return of a missedfield goal (Alabama).Shon Coleman replaces

the second overall NFL draftpick Greg Robinson at lefttackle four years after beingdiagnosed with leukemia.The Tigers also must replacedefensive end Dee Ford, alsoa first-rounder, and HeismanTrophy finalist tailback TreMason. Quarterback NickMarshall, receiver SammieCoates and leading tacklerCassanova McKinzy are back.Center Reese Dismukes

said the “13 seconds” anthemhas been a motivator but abig takeaway from last seasonis “knowing that we’re neverout of it. Anything can hap-

pen.”

5 Things to watch duringAuburn’s upcoming season:

PASSINGMORE: Fanswill have to wait a bit to seehow much Marshall’s workon his passing has paid offsince he won’t start against

Arkansas as punishmentafter being cited for having asmall amount of marijuana inhis car. Sophomore JeremyJohnson will open the gamebut it’s not clear how longMarshall will remain on thebench. Marshall becamesuch a threat with the zoneread and his running ability,

that he only averaged 150yards a game passing. Now,he’s got deep threat SammieCoates and top junior collegeprospect D’haquille Williamsheading a receiving groupthat could become a strengthof the offense. “We knewcoming into the season thatwe have to be more dynamicin the passing game,” tightend C.J. Uzomah said. “That’ssomething that he’s beenemphasizing. We plan onstretching the field verticallyand horizontally.”

LATE-GAMEMAGIC:The Iron Bowl and Georgiagame weren’t the only timesAuburn pulled out a win inthe final minutes either withlate touchdowns or defensivestands. It was a knack thatonly failed in the title game

with Florida State. Now thequestion remains if one ortwo of those type games couldgo the other way this season.

MISSING START-ERS: Guard Alex Kozan anddefensive end Carl Lawson,two of Auburn’s best linemen,could both be lost for theseason. Kozan is out afterback surgery. Lawson hadknee surgery in early Mayand the Tigers haven’t ruledout a return this fall. Auburnhas an experienced replace-ment at guard in AveryYoung. Replacing Lawson’spass rushing ability could bemore challenging, with GabeWright moving over fromtackle and a package thathas linebacker CassanovaMcKinzy up front in passingsituations.

DIVVYING CARRIES:Corey Grant and CameronArtis-Payne both ran for 600-plus yards behind Mason lastseason, when Auburn becamethe first SEC team to lead thenation in rushing. They’rejoined by five-star freshmansignee Roc Thomas. Grant av-eraged 9.8 yards a carry lastseason. All three should getplenty of chances to establishthemselves as the go-to back.

SPECIAL TEAMS:Auburn must replace punterSteven Clark, placekickerCody Parkey and dangerousreturn men Mason and ChrisDavis. Clark became an ef-fective weapon by burying 26kicks inside the 20. Grant hada 90-yard kick return last sea-son and could be the answerin replacing Mason. They’restill searching for a punterbut redshirt freshman DanielCarlson appears poised totake over for Parkey.

Eagle photo by Stuart VillanuevaAuburn quarterback Nick Marshall enters the season as one of the favorites to win the Heis-man Trophy. The Tigers will need Marshall to play up to that billing to duplicate last season.

Enrollment: 25,469Stadium: Jordan-Hare Sta-dium (87,451)2013 record: 12-2, 7-1, 1stWest, SEC champ2013 bowl result: NationalChampionship: FloridaState 34, Auburn 31Coach: Guz Malzahn (21-5,12-2 at Auburn)Returning starters: 15 (9off. - WR Quan Bray, WR

Sammie Coates, C ReeseDismukes, G Alex Kozan,WR Ricardo Louis, QB NickMarshall, G Chad Slade,TE C.J. Uzomah, T AveryYoung; 6 def. - LB Cassano-va McKinzy, DB JonathonMincy, E LaDarius Owens,LB Robenson Therezie, DBJermaine Whitehead, LGabe Wright)

Quick facts


LSU TIGERS

LSU to be young, talentedTigers will be counting on youth to contribute in key positions


9-3“As usual the Tigers

will be talented, but theywill have to use that tal-ent to overcome a severelack of experience atquarterback and in thewide receiver corps. LSUalso needs to come upwith a dependable rota-tion at defensive tackle.Strengths will be atrunning back - freshmanLeonard Fournette is ahighly hyped star - on theoffensive line and in thesecondary.“If the Tigers ad-

equately answer theirquestion marks at QB,WR and DT, a 10-2 recordisn’t out of the ques-tion. If LSU spends theseason searching for theright players at thosespots, the Tigers couldstruggle to 7-5. Let’s gopretty much down themiddle and peg the LSUat 9-3. The swing gameswill be at home againstAlabama, Ole Miss andMississippi State, andon the road at Auburn,Florida and Texas A&M.”— Scott Rabalais, BatonRouge-Advocate

ScheduleDate Opponent TimeAug. 30 Wisconsin 8 p.m.

Sep. 6 SHSU 6:30 p.m.

Sep. 13 La.-Monroe 6 p.m.

Sep. 20 Mississippi St. TBA

Sep. 27 New Mexico St. TBA

Oct. 4 at Auburn TBA

Oct. 11 at Florida TBA

Oct. 18 Kentucky TBA

Oct. 25 Mississippi TBA

Nov. 8 Alabama TBA

Nov. 15 at Arkansas TBA

Nov. 27 at Texas A&M 6:30 p.m.

Enrollment: 29,865Stadium: Tiger Stadium(100,000 plus)2013 record: 10-3, 5-3 inSEC, third in West2013 bowl result: Outback:LSU 21, Iowa 14Coach: Les Miles 123-45overall, 95-24 at LSUReturning starters: 13 (6off. - T La’el Collins, T

Jerald Hawkins, G VadalAlexander, C Elliot Por-ter, TE Dillon Gordon, FBConnor Neighbors; 7 def.- E Jermauria Rasco, EDaniell Hunter, LB KwonAlexander, LB D.J. Welter,CB Tre’Davoius Smith, CBRashard Robinson, DB JalenMills)

Quick facts

AP photoSenior running back Terrence Magee will play an important rolein a backfield that includes top freshman Leonard Fournette.

By BRETTMARTELAssociated Press

LSU coach LesMiles hasn’thad a team fall short of dou-ble-digit victories since 2009.For theTigers towinat least

10 games for a fifth straightseason, it will require morehelp from new players at keypositions than at any time inthe past half-decade.“This is a new team,” said

senior running back TerrenceMagee, one of the few elderstatesmen on the Tigers’offense. “There is a lot ofyouth.”The offense in particular,

will require major contribu-tions from players with littleor no previous regular seasonexperience. Several of the can-didates to take over startingroles are true freshmen, in-cluding Brandon Harris, whois challenging sophomoreAnthony Jennings to start atquarterback. Whoever winsthat job will replace currentTennessee Titans rookieZach Mettenberger, who lastseason passed for more than3,000 yards at LSU.That would be a tough

enough void to fill on its own,never mind the fact that theTigers also sent a pair of1,000-yard receivers to theNFL:Odell BeckhamJr. to theNew York Giants and JarvisLandry to Miami.“If we can get the quarter-

backs to facilitate and func-tion, we’re going to be goodon offense,” Miles said. “I saythat with the idea that youngplayers are going to play. I saythat with the idea that they’retalented and they were re-cruited to that void.”“We’re going to coach them

hard. We’re going to makesure that we try to anticipatemistakes and avoid them,”

Miles added. “I’m not antici-pating just terrible growingpains there.”There will be more expe-

rience on defense, and co-ordinator John Chavis alsobelieves some young playerson his unit have the talent topush for playing time at cer-tain positions.“Athleticism will usu-

ally overcome experience ifyou’re working in the rightdirection,” Chavis said. “Ath-leticism is a big part of whatwe do.”

5 Things to watch duringLSU’s upcoming season:

QBCONTEST:Miles doesnot appear to be in any rush toannounce a starting quarter-back in advance of the seasonopener against Wisconsin inHoustononAug. 30. Jenningshas a slight edge in experi-ence. He was forced into ac-tion when Mettenberger wasinjured in the second half ofLSU’s 2013 regular seasonfinale against Arkansas andled a game-winning touch-down drive. He then startedthe Outback Bowl but playedinconsistently in the Tigers’21-14 victory over Iowa. “Thenaming of a starter at quarter-back will be when one sepa-rates himself from the other....We’re not there,”Miles saidSunday.

STYLEPOINTS:Coachessay LSU’s offense will prob-ably look a lot different, sty-listically, than it did a seasonago. Mettenberger was a tall,strong-armed prototypicalpocket passer. Jennings andHarris, meanwhile, bothcount running with the ball,be it scrambling or runningthe option, as a significantpart of their game. “The con-

stant themewith our quarter-backs is that they’re athletic.They can all run, which is apositive,” offensive coordina-tor Cam Cameron said.

VETERAN DEFENSE:LSU has most top play-makers returning to its thedefensive backfield, includ-ing Tre’Davious White, JalenCollins and Jalen Mills. Twostarters return at linebackerand defensive end. But arecent hole has emerged atdefensive tackle because ofa biceps injury to QuentinThomas, who is out indefi-nitely.

FOURNETTE’SFOCUS:The return of bothMagee andKenny Hilliard give LSU twoseniors in its running backcorps, but there’s a chancethat true freshman LeonardFournette could emerge asthe No. 1 back. The 6-foot-1,230-pound running backfrom New Orleans was themost coveted running backrecruit in America after fin-ishing his high school ca-reer with 7,619 yards and88 touchdowns rushing.Fournette said his immedi-ate goals include rushing for1,000 yards and being recog-nized as a Heisman Trophycandidate. “I am fast and Iam a north-south runner,” aconfident Fournette said. “Ihave great hands for a run-ning back and I can block.”

YOUNG RECEIVERS:Sophomore Travin Dural,who had only seven catcheslast season, is now the mostexperienced receiver on theroster. True freshman Mala-chi Dupre and redshirt fresh-man John Diarse appearprimed to emerge as regularsas well.


Mississippi State BULLDOGS

MSU ready for break outBulldogs will lean on QB Prescott to take them to new heightsBeat writer’s take:

9-3“Several factorsweighed heavily in thisprediction. The Bull-dogs not only have oneof the league’s mostexperienced teams (18starters back) and oneof the league’s top threequarterbacks (juniorDak Prescott), but theschedule, both in and outof conference, is veryfavorable.“Mississippi Stateshould sweep its non-conference games andwithin the league, theBulldogs not only drawVanderbilt and Kentuckyfrom the East, they alsoget games against TexasA&M, Auburn and Ar-kansas at home. Tough-est tests on the road areat LSU, at Bama and atOle Miss.“With so much experi-ence and a friendly slate,if the Bulldogs are evergoing to break through inthe SEC West, this couldbe the year.” — Bran-don Walker, CommercialDispatch

ScheduleDate Opponent TimeAug. 30 Southern Miss. 6:30 p.m.

Sep. 6 UAB 1 p.m.

Sep. 13 at South Alabama3 p.m.

Sep. 20 at LSU TBA

Oct. 4 Texas A&M TBA

Oct. 11 Auburn TBA

Oct. 25 at Kentucky TBA

Nov. 1 Arkansas TBA

Nov. 8 UT-Martin TBA

Nov. 15 at Alabama TBA

Nov. 22 Vanderbilt TBA

Nov. 29 at Mississippi TBA

Enrollment: 20, 365Stadium: Davis WadeStadium at Scott Field(61,337)2013 record: 7-6, 3-5 in theSEC, tied for 5th in West2013 bowl result: Liberty:Mississippi State 44, North-western 7Coach: Dan Mullen 36-28,all at MSUReturning starters: 17 (8off. - WR Jameon Lewis,

TE Malcolm Johnson, WRRobert Johnson, QB DakPrescott, WR Jay Hughes, CDillon Day, G Ben Beckwith,T Blaine Clausell; 9 def. -CB Jamerson Love, LB MattWells, CB Taveze Calhoun,FS De’Runnya Wilson, SSKendrick Market, LB Bena-rdrick McKinney, E PrestonSmith, T Kaleb Eulls, T P.J.Jones)

Quick facts

AP photoMississippi State junior quarterback Dak Prescott is poised toput the Bulldogs in contention for an SEC Championship.

ByDAVIDBRANDTAssociated Press

STARKVILLE, Miss. —Mississippi State was a foot-ball program in a tailspinheading down the stretch lastseason.Then camemid-November,

and the Bulldogs went on athree-game winning streakto end the 2013 season, whichhas led to skyrocketing expec-tations heading into this fall.Mississippi State finished

with a 7-6 record and returnsnearly its entire team, includ-ing dual-threat quarterbackDak Prescott and nine defen-sive starters.Prescott earnedhisway into

Bulldog lore during last year’sEgg Bowl, when he overcamean injury to his non-throwingarm to lead Mississippi Statepast rivalMississippi 17-10 inovertime.Now the junior will try to

provide some of those sameheroics over an entire sea-son. Mississippi State opensits season on Aug. 30 againstSouthernMississippi at newlyrenovated Davis Wade Sta-dium.“Everyone is going to have

expectations, good or bad,”Prescott said. “In this facil-ity that we’re in, we have ourown expectations. That’s allwe’re worried about reachingand making sure everybodyis reaching their individualexpectations.”Mullen is quick to praise

the charismatic 6-foot-2,230-pound Prescott, whoplayed very well last seasonwhile splitting time with se-nior Tyler Russell.Prescott has some of the

same dual-threat capabilities— and also a similarmagneticpersonality. He rushed for829 yards and 13 touchdowns

last season while passing for1,940 yards, 10 touchdownsand seven interceptions.“He’s constantly work-

ing on being a student of thegame, being really footballsharp and trying to take that

to the next level,”Mullen said.“Hewants to understandwhywe do things, why we’re at-tacking a defense a certainway and all of those types ofthings are huge.”Mississippi State also re-

turns talented players aroundPrescott.Senior receiver Jameon

Lewis is back after catching64 passes for 923 yards andfive touchdowns. JoshRobin-son will likely be the featurerunning back after rushingfor 459 and nearly six yardsper carry last season as thebackup.On defense, the Bulldogs

have veterans at nearly everyposition. Junior linebackerBenardrick McKinney willanchor the middle of thefield while sophomore defen-sive tackle Chris Jones hasemerged as one of the league’sbest young talents.Mississippi State has quali-

fied for four straight bowlgames — a first in programhistory. Now the Bulldogs areready for more.

5 things to watch for Mis-sissippi State this season:

DAK ATTACK: There’sno doubt that this offensewill revolve around 6-foot-2,230-pound quarterback DakPrescott. The junior had abreakout season in 2013,throwing for 1,940 yardswhile also leading the team inrushing. He needs to improvehis passing accuracy — hecompleted just 58.4 percentof his throws last season —but if he does, he could be asuperstar.

GETTING DAK SOMEHELP: Prescott can some-times turn into a one-manoffense, but he could cer-tainly use some help. Seniorreceiver Jameon Lewis is anexperienced playmaker onthe edge, catching 64 passesfor 923 yards and five touch-downs last season. He’s partof an experienced group of

receivers that includesRobertJohnson, Malcolm Johnsonand De’Runnya Wilson.

A FRIENDLY SCHED-ULE: There is no such thingas an easy road in the South-eastern Conference, but Mis-sissippi State might have aneasier path than most teams.The Bulldogs’ first threegames are against SouthernMississippi, UAB and SouthAlabama, which should allowsome time to build momen-tumbefore a tough road gameagainst LSU.

D E F E N S I V E A N -CHORS: Mississippi Statereturns nine defensive start-ers, including linebackerBenardrick McKinney. The6-foot-5, 245-pound junioris an example of Mullen’s re-cruiting philosophy, evolvingfrom an unheralded recruitfromTunica,Mississippi, intoone of the best linebackers inthe SEC. Sophomore ChrisJones didn’t start last sea-son, but the freshman quicklyturned into a playmaker andis expected to be one of theSEC’s elite defensive linementhis season.

FIGHTING TO BREAKTHROUGH: Mullen hasbuilt a consistent winner atMississippi State, leading theprogram to four straight bowlgames for the first time inschool history. But it’s toughto make it to the top of theSEC Western Division thatincludes powerhouse pro-grams like Alabama, Auburn,LSU and Texas A&M.Mullenhasn’t beaten Alabama orLSU during his tenure anda win against at least one ofthem will likely be neededto seriously contend for thedivision.



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ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS

Hogs expect improvementContinuity for first time in three years gives hope for ArkansasBeat writer’s take:

5-7“Arkansas takes a

12-game SEC losing streakinto the season, but thereare signs the Razorbackswill be improved - thoughthe record may not reflectitbecauseof abrutalsched-ule.“Arkansas needs junior

quarterback Brandon Al-len to stay healthy andbuild off his first season asa starterand for someplay-makingreceivers toemergebesides tight end HunterHenry. The running gameshould be good with tail-backs Jonathan Williams,Alex Collins and KorlissMarshall.“The defense, led by end

Trey Flowers, will bemoreaggressive under new co-ordinator Robb Smith andneeds to do a better job offorcing turnovers.“Two games in Texasagainst old SWC foes - atTexas Tech and vs. TexasA&M in Arlington - figureto be pivotal if the Razor-backs are to make a bowlgame.” — Bob Holt, Arkan-sas Democrat-Gazette

ScheduleDate Opponent TimeAug. 30 at Auburn 3 p.m.

Sep. 6 Nicholls St. 3 p.m.

Sep. 13 at Texas Tech 2:30 p.m.

Sep. 20 Northern Illinois TBA

Sep. 27 at Texas A&M TBA

Oct. 11 Alabama TBA

Oct. 18 Georgia TBA

Oct. 25 UAB TBA

Nov. 1 at Mississippi St. TBA

Nov. 15 LSU TBA

Nov. 22 Mississippi TBA

Nov. 29 at Missouri 1:30 p.m.

Enrollment: 25,365Stadium: Donald W. Reyn-olds Razorback Stadium inFayetteville (72,000) andWar Memorial Stadium inLittle Rock (54,120)2013 record: 3-9, 0-8 inSEC, 7th in WestCoach: Bret Bielema (71-33,3-9 at Arkansas)Returning starters: 13 (7

off. - QB Brandon Allen,G Denver Kirkland, T DanSkipper, G Brey Cook, RBJonathan Williams, TEHunter Henry, WR KeonHatcher; 6 def. - E TreyFlowers, LB Brooks Ellis,CB Will Hines, CB TevinMitchell, S Alan Turner, SRohan Gaines)

Quick facts

AP photoArkansas sophomore running backAlex Collins leads a trio of tal-ented running backs that should power the Razorback offense.

ByKURTVOIGTAssociated Press

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. —BretBielemahasexperiencedanew sense of excitement head-ing into his second season atArkansas.Simple things — increased

intensity during practice and arenewed belief — have been awelcomed reboot for both theRazorbacks coach and an en-tireprogramindesperateneedexactly thatafterbottomingoutlast season.The 3-9 season, the first los-

ing record of Bielema’s headcoaching career and Arkan-sas’ worst mark since joiningthe Southeastern Conference,capped a disheartening two-year run for a program consid-ered among the league’s bestjust a few years ago.It was also an eye-opening

experience for Bielema, theformer Wisconsin coach whopromised towin the SECwhenhewashiredbytheRazorbacks.Setback or not, last season

hasdonelittletoquellBielema’sbelief in himself, his coachingstaff and his players — despitebeing picked to finish last inthe SECWest this season. Andwith a second recruiting classto back him, Bielema is readyto showmarked improvementatArkansas—a turnaroundheexpects to be just the start ofwhat’s yet to come.“I’m not saying when we’re

going to get to the top of themountain,” Bielema said.“But I know we’re going to getthere.”For the Razorbacks to reach

a bowl game for the first timesince2011, theymustovercomethemental fatigue fromacom-bined 7-17 record over the lasttwo seasons.Arkansas has experienced

more than its fair share of tur-

moil since former coachBobbyPetrino’s motorcycle accidentin the spring of 2012, but it en-ters thisseasonwithsomethingit hasn’t had since Petrino’smishap.Stability.Now it’s up to the Razor-

backs to show if that’s enoughto rebound from last season’swinless march through theSEC, something they fully be-lieve is possible.“We have a quiet confi-

dence,” Arkansas quarterbackBrandon Allen said. “Obvi-ously, we have a lot of peoplethat don’t believe in us, don’tbelieve in our team. We’re outtoprove themwrong,butout toprove themwrongonthefield.”If theRazorbacksaretocom-

pete in thedauntingSECWest,it will be on the back of the trioof Alex Collins, Jonathan Wil-liams and Korliss Marshall.

Five things to watch as Ar-kansas tries to end an 11-gameSEC losing streak:

ALLEN’S REBOUND:Littlecouldhavegoneworse forAllen lastseasoninhisfirstyearas the starter for the Razor-backs. The Fayetteville nativeinjured his throwing shoulderin the thirdgameof the season,and Arkansas never won afterthat — with Allen completingonly 49.6 percent of his passeswhileplaying throughthepain.Now a junior, Allen is fullyhealthy and continues to havethe full support of Bielema asthe starter. How he plays earlycould determine how long thatsupport lasts.

SMITH’S IMPACT: TheRazorbacks were 12th in theSEC last season in pointsallowed, giving up an aver-age of 30.8 points per game.New defensive coordinator

Robb Smith has been chargedwith improving that, and he’spromised a more aggressiveapproach — particularly fromArkansas’ maligned second-ary. Smith has a track recordof success, having led a Rut-gers defense that was fourth inthe country in points allowed(14.2) in 2012, but this couldbe the biggest challenge of hiscareer.

P L A Y M A K E R SSOUGHT: Arkansas was lastin the SEC in passing offenselast season, gaining 148.5yardspergamethroughtheair.While Allen’s struggles wereapparent, the Razorbacks re-ceiving corpswere aswell afterDemetrius Wilson missed theseasonwithapreseason injury.Wilson is back and healthy forhis senior year, and he andjunior Keon Hatcher hope toprovide plenty of support forsophomore All-SEC tight endHunter Henry.

CENTER OF ATTEN-TION: Four-year starter Tra-visSwanson left for theNFLaf-ter last season, leavingagapinglack of experience at center forthe Razorbacks. Arkansas hasbuilt its offensive line into astrength under Bielema andoffensive line coach Sam Pitt-man, but it could open the sea-son at Auburn with freshmanFrank Ragnow over the ball.

STRENGTHOFSCHED-ULE:SpeakingofAuburn, theRazorbacks waste no time fac-ing one of the country’s bestthis season — opening againstthe defending SEC championTigers on Aug. 30. The openeris the start of a difficult sched-ule that includes anon-confer-ence game at Texas Tech andhomecontestagainstNorthernIllinois.


ByGARYB. GRAVESAssociated Press

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Theoptimistic outlook by Ken-tucky’s veteran players anda top-20 recruiting class arereflections of coach MarkStoops’ impact.Stoops is looking to make

an even bigger mark withmore wins in his second sea-son after going 2-10 last year.Kentucky figured to

struggle last season with thetransition to a new coach-ing staff and a challengingschedule that featured fourconsecutive games againstranked teams. And they did.

The Wildcats enduredanother winless season inthe Southeastern Conferenceand their league losing streakis at 16, dating back to 2011.Kentucky is picked to

finish last in the Easterndivision again — thoughplayers are hungry to provetheir doubters wrong. Whilethe young Wildcats under-stand it’s a process of smallsteps, they’re determined toshowcase their progress.“Everybody is pumped,”

sophomore running backJojo Kemp said of the at-titude shift. “You’re going tosee a hungry, humble teamthat’s been working hard.

The guys don’t want to goback to losing, so they’regoing to be out there giving

their all on every play.“I’m excited and feel my

teammates are excited. I

know that’s going to carryover to the field.”Kentucky is young again at

many positions, but having36 of 49 returnees with atleast one career start helps.Eight defensive starters are

back in the 4-3 scheme andthat unit will likely have tocarry the load.Theoffense returns seven

starters but is preparing for anewquarterback to lead thepass-oriented “AirRaid” attack.

KENTUCKY WILDCATS

Cats seek growth in Year 2With Top-20 recruiting class, Stoops has Kentucky trending up


4-8“It will be baby steps of

progress in year two ofMark Stoops’ Kentuckycoaching career. Theschedule gets easier thanlast year, so more winsare likely, but the Cats arestill struggling with a lackof depth at several keyskill positions. But theyshould look better - evenin losses.”- Jen Smith, Lex-ington Herald-Leader

ScheduleDate Opponent TimeAug. 30 UT-Martin 11 a.m.

Sep. 6 Ohio 2:30 p.m.

Sep. 13 at Florida 6:30 p.m.

Sep. 27 Vanderbilt TBA

Oct. 4 South Carolina TBA

Oct. 11 La.-Monroe TBA

Oct. 18 at LSU TBA

Oct. 25 Mississippi St. TBA

Nov. 1 at Missouri TBA

Nov. 8 Georgia TBA

Nov. 15 at Tennessee TBA

Nov. 29 at Louisville TBA

Enrollment: 29,410Stadium: Commonwealth(62,093)2013 record: 2-10, 0-8 inSEC, 7th in the EastCoach: Mark Stoops 2-10Returning starters: 15 (7off. - T Jordan Swindle,T Darrian Miller, G ZachWest, C Jon Toth, WR

Javess Blue, WR DemarcoRobinson, WR Ryan Tim-mons; 8 def. - E AlvinDupree, E Za’Darius Smith,LB Khalid Henderson, CBBlake McClain, CB NateWillis, CB Fred Tiller; SAshely Lowery; S EricDixon)

Quick facts


TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

Vols still have a ways to goInexperience, tough schedule could hamper Tennesee in 2014


6-6“Vols will be heavily

dependent on a strongfreshman class, whichshould lead to a betterNovember than Sep-tember.” — John Adams,Knoxville News

ScheduleDate Opponent TimeAug. 31 Utah State 6 p.m.

Sep. 6 Arkansas St. 11 a.m.

Sep. 13 at Oklahoma 7 p.m.

Sep. 27 at Georgia TBA

Oct. 4 Florida TBA

Oct. 11 Chattanooga TBA

Oct. 18 at Mississippi TBA

Oct. 25 Alabama TBA

Nov. 1 at South Carolina TBA

Nov. 15 Kentucky TBA

Nov. 22 Missouri TBA

Nov. 29 at Vanderbilt TBA

Enrollment: 27,523Stadium: Neyland Stadium(102,455)2013 record: 5-7, 2-6 inSEC, 6th in EastCoach: Butch Jones 55-34,5-7 at TennesseeReturning starters: 10 (5off. - QB Joshua Dobbs, QB

Justin Worley, TE BrendanDowns, WR Jason Croom,WR Pig Howard, QB Mar-quez North; 5 def. - LB A.J.Johnson, DB Justin Cole-man, DB Brian Randolph,DB Cameron Sutton, DBLaDarrell McNeil)

Quick facts

AP photoSenior quarterback Justin Worley beat out sophomores Josh Dobbs and Nathan Peterman for thestarting job.Hewill have to improveon last season’s quarterbackplay for theVolunteers to compete.

By STEVEMEGARGEEAssociated Press

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. —Tennessee believes it’s onthe way to recapturing itsformer status as anperen-nial SoutheasternConfer-ence contender.

There’s no shortcuts inthe SEC and the Volun-teers still have far to go.

This year’s Tennesseeteam has more playmak-ers than the squad thatwent 5-7 in Butch Jones’debut season last fall,but it’s much less experi-enced. The Vols also arefacing a brutal schedulethat includes trips toOklahoma, Georgia, OleMiss and South Carolinaplus home games withFlorida, Alabama andMissouri.

That could make it diffi-cult forTennessee to endastring of four straight los-ing seasons.

“The culture is in placeand the language is inplace, but there is stillmore to earning that rightto win,” Tennessee coachButch Jones said. “It’s notjust hoping to win, but it’searning that right to winin your approach, teamchemistry, leadership,your toughness or mentalconditioning. It’s playersstepping up and makingbig-time plays.”

Jones has stabilizedTennessee’s programsince his arrival last sea-son. The Vols say it’s onlya matter of time beforethose efforts are reward-ed. Thefirst step is to earna bowl bid, somethingthat’s eluded Tennesseesince a 2010 Music CityBowl appearance.

“That’s one of our maingoals for our team - wina bowl game, not just getthere,” junior safety Bri-an Randolph said.

Whether the Vols takethat step this year likelydepends on how quicklytheir 32 newcomers ad-just to SEC football. Ten-nessee is relying heavilyon a jumbo-sized recruit-ing class that was rankedamong the top five in thenation by multiple ser-vices.

“This team’s got abright future,” said run-ningbackJalenHurd, oneof the most highly toutedrecruits in Tennessee’sfreshman class. “We’reworking really hard. Ithink we’re going to dowell.”

Here are five things towatch about Tennessee:

WORLEY UNDERCENTER: Senior JustinWorley beat out sopho-mores Joshua Dobbs andNathan Peterman in thequarterback competi-tion. Worley stared sevengames, Dobbs made fourstarts and Peterman hadone start last year. Ten-nessee needs more pro-duction from the quarter-backposition, as the threecontenders combined for16 interceptions and 12touchdown passes lastseason.

YOUNG LINES: Ten-nessee is the onlyFootballBowl Subdivision teamthat has no returningstarters on both the offen-sive and defensive lines.Nobody on either linestarted more than three

games last season. Thesituation is particularlyconcerning at offensivetackle. The likely start-ing right tackle is fresh-man Coleman Thomas.Jacob Gilliam, a formerwalk-on who was just puton scholarship this sum-mer, is competing withjunior-college transferDontavius Blair at left

tackle.

SPEED OVER SIZE:On defense, Tennessee iscounting on its improvedspeed tomakeup for its di-minished size as the Volsreplace 361-pound tackleandsixth-rounddraft pickDaniel McCullers. Ten-nessee boosted its speedon defense with a variety

of position switches thatincluded moving CurtMaggitt from linebackerto end, shifting JordanWilliams fromend to tack-le and moving DevaunSwafford from nickelbackto safety. Jalen Reeves-Maybin, who alternatedbetween linebacker andsafety last year, is now afull-time linebacker.

K I C K I N G C ON -CERNS: Jones has saidthe most valuable playerof Tennessee’s 2013 teamwas Michael Palardy, whokicked field goals, puntedand handled kickoff du-ties for the Vols. Now thatPalardy’s completed hiseligibility, the Vols mustfind new players to fill

all those roles. Tennes-see also must find a newlong snapper and holder.Freshman Aaron Medleyis competing with GeorgeBullock and Derrick Bro-dus for the kicking job.MattDarr appears tohavethe edge at punter.

D E M A N D I N GSCHEDULE: After open-ing the season with homegames against Utah Stateand Arkansas State - twoteams that won bowlgames last year - Ten-nessee has consecutivematchups with Oklaho-ma, Georgia and Florida.Later in the season, Ten-nessee faces Ole Miss,Alabama and South Caro-lina in consecutive weeks.


OLE MISS REBELS

Rebels could surprise SECDark horse Ole Miss has star power on offense and defense


8-4“TheRebelsareapopular

picktomakesomeheadwayin the SEC West standingsdespite being picked byme-diamemberstofinishfourthin the division. Led by theleague’s most experiencedquarterback in senior BoWallace (26 starts) OleMissshould be able to at leastmatch its 30-points-per-game output a season ago.“Sophomore left tackle

LaremyTunsil isonthefasttrack to the NFL, but thereare other question marksalong a line that has to re-place three starters.“Robert Nkemdiche, the

nation’s top-rated recruitin the 2013 class, is back atdefensivetackle.Everybodyis back in the secondary, in-cludingAll-AmericansafetyCody Prewitt.“This is the best team

coach Hugh Freeze hashad in his three yearsat the helm, but whencompeting in the nation’stoughest conference, thatdoesn’t always show in thewin-loss column.” — DavisPotter Oxford Eagle

ScheduleDate Opponent TimeAug. 28 Boise St. 7 p.m.

Sep. 6 at Vanderbilt 3:30 p.m.

Sep. 13 La.-Lafayette 3 p.m.

Sep. 27 Memphis TBA

Oct. 4 Alabama TBA

Oct. 11 at Texas A&M TBA

Oct. 18 Tennessee TBA

Oct. 25 at LSU TBA

Nov. 1 Auburn TBA

Nov. 8 Presbyterian TBA

Nov. 22 at Arkansas TBA

Nov. 29 Mississippi St. TBA

Enrollment: 22,286Stadium: Vaught-Heming-way (60,580)2013 record: 8-5, 3-5 in theSEC, tied for 5th in West2013 bowl result: MusicCity: Ole Miss 25, GeorgiaTech 17Coach: Hugh Freeze 45-18,15-11 at Ole MissReturning starters: 15 (6off. - QB Bo Wallace, RB

Jaylen Walton, WR La-quon Treadwell, TE EvanEngram, LG Justin Bell, LTLaremy Tunsil; 9 def. - TByron Bennett, T WoodrowHamilton, T Robert Nkem-diche, LB Serderius Bryant,S Tony Conner, LB TraeElston, FS Cody Prewitt, CBSenquez Golson, CB MikeHilton)

Quick facts

AP photoOle Miss senior quarterback Bo Wallace returns as the most experienced passer in the SEC tolead one of the conferences most prolific offenses in head coach Hugh Freeze’s third year.

ByDAVIDBRANDTAssociated Press

OXFORD,Miss.—Inhis twoseasons at Mississippi, coachHugh Freeze has managed tobuild a program that’s talent-ed and capable of winning biggames.It remains to be seen if the

Rebels are a program that canactually win the SoutheasternConference.Freezeisn’tshyingawayfrom

theprogram’s increased expec-tations, but he also knows thatthe margin between an SECchampionandamiddle-of-the-pack program isn’tmuch.“You need a ball to bounce

your way, to make a field goalhere, to not miss one here,”Freeze said. “You’re going toneedall of that to go fromgoodtogreat.There’snothingwrongwithbeinggood.We’re strivingto be great.”Ole Miss returns 15 start-

ers from a team that finishedwith an 8-5 record last season,including nine on the defense.Senior quarterback Bo Wal-lace comes back for his thirdstraight season as the starterandhasachance tobecometheschool’s passing leader.Wallacehasdealtwithan in-

jury to his throwing shoulder— and the subsequent recov-ery from surgery for that sameshoulder — for nearly his en-tire tenure at OleMiss. But the6-foot-5,215-poundersayshe’sfinallyhealthy for thefirst timein nearly two years.Even with the health issues,

he’s thrown for 6,340 yardsover two seasons.“I feel asgoodas I’veever felt

except thefirstyearcoming in,”Wallace said. “I feel 100 per-cent. Throwing the ball, I canpush the ball down the fieldmore. I’m anxious to get outthere and start.”

The team will also need atalented group of sophomores— led by receiver LaquonTreadwell, defensive tackleRobert Nkemdiche and offen-sive tackle Laremy Tunsil — toimproveupon their impressivefreshmen seasons.

OleMissopensitsseasonwithaneutralsitegameagainstBoiseState onAug. 28 inAtlanta.“Wehavetocreatesomemore

depth,” Freeze said. “We knowwhat some of our guys can do.Some guys, physically, I reallylikewheretheyarebuttheyneed

to develop somementally.”

5 things to watch in Missis-sippi’s season:

THE WALLACE FI-NALE: Veteran quarterbackBo Wallace has had two goodseasons at Ole Miss, throwingfor 6,340 yards and leadingthe program to 15 wins andtwo straight bowl victories. Heexpects his third season to beeven better.Wallace fought aninjury tohis throwingshoulderduring his sophomore seasonand then struggled some withthe recovery during his juniorseason. Now he feels it’s com-pletelyhealthyand that shouldallowhimtothrowwithgreateraccuracy downfield.

SUPERSOPHOMORES:Ole Miss had one of the mosthighly-regarded recruitingclasses in the nation in 2013and several players immedi-ately contributed. Now stand-out sophomores like LaquonTreadwell (receiver), RobertNkemdiche (defensive tackle)andLaremyTunsil (left tackle)will be expected to be amongthe best players on the team.

EXPERIENCED DE-FENSE: The Rebels returnnine starters on the defensiveside of the ball and should beespecially good in the second-ary.All-AmericanCodyPrewittreturnsatsafetyandhe’s joinedby experienced and talentedholdovers like Trae Elston,SenquezGolson,TonyConnor,MikeHiltonandDerrickJones.

OFFENS IVE L INEQUESTIONS: Ole Miss re-turns experience at almostevery position on the field, butoffensive line is one big excep-tion. Laremy Tunsil and JustinBell are twomainstays, but theRebelsarereplacingthreestart-ers fromlastseason.Thereturnof guard Aaron Morris — afterhemissed almost all of last sea-son because of a knee injury —should help, but Freeze is hop-ing for very quick developmentfrom guys like Fahn Cooper,RobertConyersandRodTaylor.

A BIG BACK: Ole Missstruggledbadly lastyear in3rd-and-short situations, mainlybecause the team didn’t havea true power running back.The Rebels hope 220-poundtransfer Akeem Judd can helpin those situations and Freezehasalsoexperimentedwithfor-mations that includesafetyAn-thony Alford (212 pounds) ortight end Jeremy Liggins (296pounds) under center.


By TERESAM.WALKERAssociated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Vanderbilt’s national champi-onship in baseball has raisedthe bar on campus. The Com-modores have a new footballcoach and setting their sightshigher on the gridiron as well.Linebacker KyleWoest-

mann says the football teamwatched the Commodoresclinch the CollegeWorld Seriesin June and are inspired tomake theirmark in the South-eastern Conference.“It’s time for us towin a

SEC championship,”Woest-mann said. “And people know

if you’re winning in the SEC,you’re probably going to go tothe national championship. Allwe’ve got to do is focus on oneSEC game at a time andworkourway through the East andseewherewe stand at the endof the season.”First-year coachDerekMa-

son already has talked aboutVanderbilt’s goal of winningthe SEC—an idea previouslylaughable for a program thathas never won 10 games in asingle season.He takes over a team com-

ing off consecutive 9-4 seasonscapped by bowl wins and aspot inThe Associated Press’final top 25 rankings. The

talent hasn’t been this good ordeep on this roster in decades,and themanwhowas defen-sive coordinator at Stanford

has 12 starters returning, 13 ifcounting the punter.Mason likes dreaming

big, even though preseason

predictions put Vandy near thebottomof the SECEast.“I don’t think I’ve ever

picked on top,”Mason said.Woestmann saysMason’s

confidence has helped playerswho talked about winning the

SEC yet didn’t feel the previousstaff thought that was possible.“It’s hard not to buy in and

want to sell out for amanwho’s trying to take you towhere you’re trying to go,”Woestmann said.

VANDERBILT COMMODORES

New era for CommodoresMason looks to match James Franklin’s success in first season


7-5“Vanderbilt loses much

of its offense in receiverJordan Matthews andquarterback AustynCarta-Samuels, but theout-of-conference sched-ule will be kind. DerekMason will install the 3-4defense that brought himsuccess as Stanford’s de-fensive coordinator. - ColeNicholas, Tennessean

ScheduleDate Opponent TimeAug. 28 Temple 8:15 p.m.

Sep. 6 Mississippi 3:30 p.m.

Sep. 13 UMass 11 a.m.

Sep. 20 South Carolina TBA

Sep. 27 at Kentucky TBA

Oct. 4 at Georgia TBA

Oct. 11 Charleston SouthernTBA

Oct. 25 at Missouri TBA

Nov. 1 Old Dominion TBA

Nov. 8 Florida TBA

Nov. 22 at Mississippi St. TBA

Nov. 29 Tennessee TBA

Enrollment: 6,875Stadium: Dudley Field/Vanderbilt Stadium(40,350)2013 record: 9-4, 4-4 in theSEC, 4th the East2013 bowl result: Compass:Vanderbilt 41, Houston 24Coach: Derek Mason (firstseason)Returning starters: 12 (7

off. - RB Jerron Seymour,WR Jordan Cunningham,TE Steven Scheu, C JoeTownsend, G Jake Bern-stein, G Spencer Pulley, TAndrew Jelks; 5 def. - LKyle Woestmann, L AdamButler, L Vince Taylor, LBDarreon Herring, LB JakeSealand)

Quick facts


GEORGIA BULLDOGS

The new sheriff in AthensMason takes the reigns of the Georgia offense in his 4th year


10-2“Georgia’s secondary,

disastrous last year, couldbe a little bit better. QBHutson Mason, while noAaron Murray, shouldstill be pretty good, andthe offensive line shouldbe better. There’s enoughtalent to win a nationaltitle, especially with ToddGurley, but that second-ary is still the big worry.”— Seth Emerson, MaconTelegraph

ScheduleDate Opponent TimeAug. 30 Clemson 4:30 p.m.

Sep. 13 at S. Carolina 2:30 p.m.

Sep. 20 Troy 11 a.m.

Sep. 27 Tennessee TBA

Oct. 4 Vanderbilt TBA

Oct. 11 at Missouri TBA

Oct. 18 at Arkansas TBA

Nov. 1 Florida 2:30 p.m.

Nov. 8 at Kentucky TBA

Nov. 15 Auburn TBA

Nov. 22 Charleston SouthernTBA

Nov. 29 Georgia Tech TBA

Enrollment: 34,475Stadium: Sanford Stadium(92,746)2013 record: 8-5, 5-3 in theSEC, 3rd in East2013 bowl result: GatorBowl: Nebraska 24, Georgia19Coach: Mark Richt (126-45,all at Georgia)Returning starters: 14 (6

off. - C David Andrews,T John Theus, RB ToddGurley, FB Merrill Hall, SEMichael Bennett, FL ChrisConley; 8 def. - ILB RamikWilson, ILB Amarlo Her-rera, E Sterling Bailey, NGChris Mayes, OLB JordanJenkins, OLB LeonardFloyd, CB Damian Swann;FS Quincy Mauger)

Quick facts

AP photoGeorgia junior running back Todd Gurley, widely considered the best running back in the countryand a candidate for the Heisman Trophy, returns to power an offense with a new signal-caller.

By PAULNEWBERRYAssociated Press

ATHENS, Ga. — If theygave out an award for themost patient player, Geor-gia’s Hutson Mason wouldsurely be one of the top con-tenders.Four years after he signed

with the Bulldogs, the quar-terback job is finally his.“You’re not really used to

being the guy that peoplecome to ask questions or tomake important decisions,”Mason said. “You feel a littlebit more important. To theguys, the coaches, the staff,you’re the guy.”Mason was a backup

through most of his career,but he got a head-start on hisnew role late last seasonwhenfour-year starter Aaron Mur-ray went down with a kneeinjury.In the final two games of

a disappointing 8-5 season,Mason gave his teammatesplenty of reason to be hope-ful. He completed 43 of 75passes for 619 yards, withthree touchdowns and twointerceptions.“It’s not a freshman com-

ing in. It’s not even a sopho-more. It’s a guy who’s beenhere for so long,” receiverMichael Bennett said. “Heknows the offense in and out.He’s going to make the rightdecisions.”

In addition to a new quar-terback, here are five things towatch for when the Bulldogsopen the season Aug. 30:

EARLY SCHEDULE:For the second year in a row,Georgia will begin the sea-son with two of its toughestgames. The Bulldogs hostClemson in the opener at

Sanford Stadium, looking toavenge last season’s 38-35defeat in Death Valley, thentravel to South Carolina totake on Steve Spurrier andthe Gamecocks. That gameusually sets the tone in theSEC East, with the winnergaining an early upper handin the division race. SouthCarolina has won 18 straightgames atWilliams-Brice Sta-dium, where Georgia’s lastvictory came in 2008. If theBulldogs win their first twogames, they could very wellbe unbeaten heading intothe annual showdown withFlorida on Nov. 1.

NEW DEFENS IVEBOSS: Jeremy Pruitt takesover as defensive coordinatorfor Todd Grantham, who leftto join Bobby Petrino’s staffat Louisville. Pruitt comes toGeorgia after one highly suc-cessful season as the coordi-nator at Florida State, whichwon the national champion-ship and led the country infewest points allowed. UnderGrantham, the Bulldogs hadplenty of talented players —many of whom are now onNFL rosters — but developeda reputation for underachiev-ing. Last year, with a veryyoung group, Georgia sur-rendered at last 30 points ineight of 13 games.

GURLEY FOR HEIS-MAN: Todd Gurley justmissed his second straight1,000-yard season, despitemissing three-plus gameswith an ankle injury and notbeing at full strength whenhe returned. One of the toppriorities of the offseasonwas making sure Gurley wasat full strength heading intohis third — and possibly fi-nal — season in Athens. As a

freshman, he rushed for 1,385yards and 17 touchdowns.He could very well be one ofthe top contenders for theHeisman Trophy if he stayshealthy.

SHAKY SECONDARY:The Bulldogs were burnedthrough the air in plentyof games last season, mostnotably when they gave up

a 73-yard touchdown onfourth-and-18 with 25 sec-onds left against Auburn, giv-ing the Tigers an improbable43-38 victory. Now, they’vegot to replace three regulars.Richt kicked a pair of safe-ties, Josh Harvey-Clemonsand Tray Matthews, off theteam for violating team rules.Cornerback Shaq Wigginsfollowed Grantham to Lou-isville. Damian Swann isthe top returnee, J.J. Greenmoved over from runningback, and several newcomerswill get a shot at immediateplaying time.

MITCHELL’SHEALTH:Malcolm Mitchell went intolast season rated as Georgia’stop receiver. But he tore uphis right knee in the openerand was done for the year,had to cut short spring prac-tice because of a problemwithhis left knee, then re-injuredhis right knee just before thestart of preseason practicewhile doing drills. He’s hadfour knee injuries in all, rais-ingdoubts aboutwhetherhe’llever get healthy enough tomake a big contribution. TheBulldogs are still hopeful hecanhelp the offense before hiscareer is done.



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MISSOURI TIGERS

Mizzou flying under radarDespite only eight starters returning, Tigers have experience


8-4“The Tigers’ offense is in

capable hands with sopho-more quarterbackMatyMauk and, with three line-men returning and twoof their top three backsreturning, the run gamecould be just as healthy asit was last season.“Missouri has some ques-

tions to answer throughthe air with the loss ofits top three receivingoptions. If Mauk can es-tablish consistent targetsto throw to early in theseason, the offense couldput up some of the samenumbers it did last year.“Despite the loss of

All-SEC ends MichaelSam and Kony Ealy, thedefensive front has its topfour interior lineman andtwo backup ends fromlast year - Markus Goldenand Shane Ray - that werevery productive in limitedsnaps. The main troublepoints for the Tigers couldcome in the back seven,where they replace twostarting linebackers andthree starting defensivebacks.” — David Morrison,Columbia Tribune

ScheduleDate Opponent TimeAug. 30 S. Dakota St. 2:30 p.m.

Sep. 6 at Toledo Noon

Sep. 13 UCF Noon

Sep. 20 Indiana TBA

Sep. 27 at South Carolina TBA

Oct. 11 Georgia TBA

Oct. 18 at Florida TBA

Oct. 25 Vanderbilt TBA

Nov. 1 Kentucky TBA

Nov. 15 at Texas A&M TBA

Nov. 22 at Tennessee TBA

Nov. 29 Arkansas 1:30 p.m.

Enrollment: 34,658Stadium: Faurot Field/Me-morial Stadium (72,000)2013 record: 12-2, 7-1 1stin East2013 bowl result: Cotton:Missouri 41, OklahomaState 31Coach: Gary Pinkel 175-

100-3, 102-62 at MissouriReturning starters: 8 (4 off.- C Evan Boehm, RG Con-nor McGovern, LT MitchMorse; WR Bud Sasser; 5def. - LB Kentrell Brothers,L Matt Hoch, S Ian Simon,FS Braylon Webb, L LucasVincent)

Quick facts

AP photoSophomore quarterback Maty Mauk is set to take the reigns after going 3-1 while starter JamesFranklinwashurt last year.Mauk is oneof several new faces stepping into starting roles forMissouri.

ByR.B. FALLSTROMAssociated Press

COLUMBIA, Mo. — It’s anew year and the same oldstory atMissouri, coming off a12-win season and once againlightly regarded. Time to show‘em all — again.Getting picked to finish

fourth in the Eastern Divisionshould serve as motivation foraprogrambeingmarkeddownbecause of the long list of play-ers who have departed.“We’re guys trying to prove

ourselves,” offensive tackleMitch Morse said. “I person-ally like coming from behind,I enjoy it.”Nine players are in NFL

camps, including first-roundpick Kony Ealy, second-rounder Justin Britt and SECco-defensive player of the yearMichael Sam.Coach Gary Pinkel points

out before that stinker of a5-7 debut in the SoutheasternConference thatwassabotagedby key injuries, the Tigers hadplayed in seven consecutivebowl games. Though there arenine returning starters, sevenothers have starting experi-ence and both specialists areback.Quarterback Maty Mauk is

back after going 3-1 in the SECwhen James Franklin was in-jured. He had 11 touchdownpasses and just two intercep-tions. Tailbacks Russell Hans-brough and Marcus Murphycombined for 1,286 yards and13 touchdowns last season be-hind Henry Josey.Guard Anthony Gatti and

cornerback Aarion Pentonhad two starts apiece and IanSimonmadesevenstartsas thefifth defensive back.“We’ve got a lot of guys who

played a lot last year,” Pinkelsaid. “We’ve got a much more

experienced team than I thinkit might appear.”

Five things to watch at Mis-souri this season:

HE’S NO. 1: Missouriwashed out the bad taste fromits defensive collapse in theSEC championship game bybeating Oklahoma State in the

Cotton Bowl. Pinkel passedDon Faurot for first on theschool’s career win list and is102-63 in 13 seasons with theTigers. Twice, Pinkel has ledMissouri to school-record 12-win seasons.

RECEIVINGLINE:Mar-cus Lucas, L’Damian Wash-ington and Dorial Green-

Beckham combined for 167catches and 25 touchdownslast season and all must be re-placed, the first two becausethey ran out of eligibilityand the third because he waskicked off the team this springand is now at Oklahoma. Thatmeans it’s time to step up forwide receivers Bud Sasser,who had 26 catches, and Jim-mieHunt, who had 22. SeniorDariusWhite, aTexas transferwho caught seven passes, alsois expected to start.Pinkel has told incoming

freshmen they could be inline to contribute right away,too.“It can be a walk-on guy,

we don’t really care who it is,”Sasser said. “You’ve got to letthem know they’ve got a good

chance, especially right now.”The returningcast is already

down one. Sophomore LeviCopeland was suspended forthe season and loses a year ofeligibility for using a supple-ment banned by the NCAAthatPinkel saidwaspurchasedat a “supplement store at themall.”

ON THE LINE: SeniorMarkus Golden is the rare ju-niorcollege transfer thatPinkelhasnameda teamcaptain, andleads a pass rush moving onwithout Sam and Ealy. Goldenled defensive linemen in tack-les and had 6 1-2 sacks. JuniorShane Ray also was a majorcontributor in therotationwith4 1/2 sacks.

MR. VERSATILE:Whilethe Tigers are thin at wide re-ceiver, they’re deepat tailback.So Murphy, who led the teamwith 1,425 all-purpose yardsand totaled 10 touchdowns,is getting a long look in theslot. Murphy, a senior, lastplayed wide receiver in highschool. But he was used outof the backfield a lot last yearon swing routes and dump-offpasses.“They just want to give me

open-field space, finddifferentways to get me the ball,” Mur-physaid. “I think it’ll adda littleelement to our offense.”

SCHEDULE CHAL-LENGE: Two of the pre-con-ference games could be tests,Toledoon the roadandCentralFloridaathomeinWeeks2and3, and the only true gimme isthe opener Aug. 30 againstSouth Dakota State. The firstfourgamescouldsetupanSECslate that opens at SouthCaro-linaonSept.27.TheTigersalsoplayatFlorida,TexasA&MandTennessee.


SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS

Gamecocks still dangerousSpurrier confident in his team despite losing Shaw, ClowneyBeat writer’s take:

9-3“While the East re-

mains wide open, theWest rotation gets tough-er as the Aggies anddefending SEC championAuburn replace Ar-kansas and MississippiState.“Offensively, the Game-

cocks havethe best of-fensive lineof the SteveSpurrierera but stilldon’t knowhow seniorquarter-back DylanThompsonwill react to being incharge after the depar-ture of Connor Shaw.“Defensively, South

Carolina hopes anabundance of very goodlinebackers helps themmask depth issues onthe defensive line and atcornerback early in theseason.” — Joshua Kend-all, The State

ScheduleDate Opponent TimeAug. 28 Texas A&M 5 p.m.

Sep. 6 East Carolina 6 p.m.

Sep. 13 Georgia 2 p.m.

Sep. 20 at Vanderbilt TBA

Sep. 27 Missouri TBA

Oct. 4 at Kentucky TBA

Oct. 18 Furman TBA

Oct. 25 at Auburn TBA

Nov. 1 Tennessee TBA

Nov. 15 at Florida TBA

Nov. 22 South Alabama TBA

Nov. 29 at Clemson TBA

SPURRIER

Enrollment: 31,964Stadium: Williams-Brice(80,250)2013 record: 11-2, 6-2 inSEC, 2nd in East2013 bowl result: CapitalOne: S. Carolina 34, Wis-consin 24Coach: Steve Spurrier266-120-2 (77-39 at S.Carolina)Returning starters: 14 (8

off. - TE Rory Anderson,WR Damiere Byrd, TB MikeDavis, G A.J. Cann, T CoreyRobinson, WR Shaq Roland,T Brandon Shell, C ClaytonStadnik; 6 def. - LB Shar-rod Golightly, LB KaiwanLewis, FS Kadetrix Marcus,LB Marcquis Roberts, T J.T.Surratt, SS Brison Wil-liams)

Quick facts

AP photoSouth Carolina junior running backMikeDaviswill be the focal point of theGamecock offensewithnew starter Dylan Thompson under center. Davis will look to repeat a successful 2013 campaign.

By PETE IACOBELLIAssociated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. — SteveSpurrier’s confident SouthCarolina hasn’t run out offootball talent, even withsome of the best in the gameoff to the NFL.The Gamecocks coach is

entering his 10th year andbelieves after three-straight11-2 seasons, his club is pre-pared for that next step ofa Southeastern Conferencechampionship.“Our guys can play some

ball now,” Spurrier said.Spurrier’s not alone in that

belief. South Carolina was thepreseason pick last month towin the SEC East and give thehead ball coach a shot at hisfirst league crown since his“Fun-n-Gun” days at Florida.Still, thatmightbehard for

some to swallowwith the top-flightperformers theGame-cockshave sent to thepros inrecent years includingBuffalocornerbackStephonGilmore,Chicago receiverAlshonJefferyandHoustondefensive endJadeveonClowney, theNFLdraft’sNo. 1 overall pick inMay.Also gone from last year is

sack leader Kelcy Quarles andquarterback Connor Shaw,who Spurrier has said severaltimes is the greatest quarter-back in team history.But Spurrier’s not chalking

this season up to a rebuildingact. His staff has worked hardto recruit players to fill thoseopenings these past few yearsand Spurrier believes thoseplayers are ready to step intothe spotlight.“I do thinkwe’re a school

with advantages now,” Spurri-er said. “We graduate our play-ers, they stay out of troubleandwewin. ... Andwe sendthem to theNFL.We have

track recordwith all that.”

5 Things to know about the2014 Gamecocks:

WHERE’SCLOWNEY?:For all the success of the pastfour years,most of the atten-

tion at SouthCarolina focusedonClowney, the 6-foot-5,266-pounddefensive end.From the timehe slipped onhisGamecocks cap onVal-entine’sDay 2011—his 18thbirthday— tohis pro day atWilliams-Brice Stadium last

April, Clowneywas the team’slarger-than-life character.While Spurrier says Clowneywas never a distraction, he likesthe effort and attitude of theplayers back this year. “There’sa lot of chemistry,” the coachsaid. “Nobody’s standing onthe sidelines, nobodywas hurt,nobody’s pouting.”

REBUILTD-LINE: 6-6sophomoreDarius Englishwilltake Clowney’s end spot withGerald Dixon, another sopho-more, replacing Chaz Sutton.Dixon’s brother, Gerald DixonJr., will play defensive tacklealongside J.T. Surratt, the onlyreturnee. Defensive line coachDeke Adams can’t count howoften he’s been askedwhat theGamecocks will do without

Clowney. “We’re going to lineup and play football,” is hisblunt response.

DAVIS’ TIME:One ofthe few recognizable namesfor the Gamecocks is runningbackMike Davis. He finishedwith 1,183 yards last season,the fourth best single-seasonmark in South Carolina his-tory. Davis rushed for 100yards or more in seven ofthe first nine games beforefading down the stretch withinjuries. He’s gotten strongerin the offseason, knowingthat another 1,000-yard yearcouldmake him the nextSouth Carolina junior to jumpinto the NFL draft.

NEWQB:TheGamecockswill be without quarterbackConnor Shaw—up in Cleve-land Browns camp fightingfor a reserve spot behindJohnnyManziel and BrianHoyer—whowas the team’sstarter the past three seasons.Spurrier has heaped on thepraise ever since, leaving a bighole for fifth-year senior DylanThompson to fill. Thompson,though, ismore of a drop back,downfield thrower Spurriercultivated at Florida and thathas fans hopeful ofmore bigplays this season.

THE STREAK: AskSpurrier what hemight beproudest of at South Carolinaand the current home streakis way up there on the list.The Gamecocks have wona school-record 18 straightatWilliams-Brice Sta-dium. Northern Illinois hasa 26-game win streak at itshome stadium, but the NCAAconsiders its loss to Iowaat Chicago’s Soldier Field ahome defeat and counts itsstreak at 12 straight wins.



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