Category Archives: Football

Bringing all the latest news and updates related to SEC football.

Alabama strength coach placed on leave

Alabama assistant strength and conditioning coach Corey Harris has been put on administrative leave after providing benefits to safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, ESPN confirmed on Thursday.

Clinton-Dix was given a loan less than $500 from Harris over the summer, which he repaid Harris before the season started. Head coach Nick Saban has suspended Clinton-Dix indefinitely for a violation of team rules.

The loan would constitute a violation of NCAA bylaw 16.11.2.2, which says, “an institutional employee or representative of the institution’s athletics interests may not provide a student-athlete with extra benefits or services, including, but not limited to … a loan of money.”

Sources close to ESPN said Clinton-Dix was the only player who was involved.

Clinton-Dix will miss the upcoming game against Georgia State and is expected to return within the month.

“When guys get suspended, I never, ever say what it’s for, so I’m not going there, so don’t ask me,” Saban told reporters Wednesday. “It’s the way I’ve always handled this — every guy. They do right, they wouldn’t be getting suspended. And I don’t know for how long this will be, so don’t ask me that either.”

Now with Clinton-Dix gone, who will fill his shoes? It will either be Landon Collins or Geno Smith. Collins was a five-star safety coming out of high school and has seen a lot of action at cornerback this year. Smith hasn’t seen too much playing time this year due to being arrested for driving under the influence before the season started.

Saban is all about team discipline, he won’t put up with no crap. These kids have it made there at Alabama. They need to get their acts together and stay out of trouble if they want a shot at another title.

SEC Battle in the Swamp

The Gators return home to face Arkansas this Saturday after a 24-7 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington, Kentucky. Head coach Will Muschamp said, on Monday, that he was “pleased with the win. Offensively we were very workman-like, very efficient…Defensively I thought we handled the tempo very well.” The Gators Defense stepped up in their first game without defensive tackle Dominique Easley. Easley underwent a season-ending knee injury during practice last Tuesday. The Gators had to start Dante Fowler and Ronald Powell on the outside against the Wildcats and repositioned Jonathan Bullard inside beside defensive tackle Damien Jacobs. Even with the injuries the gators have sustained on defense, the two-deep rotation is solid but untested.

Arkansas(3-2, 0-1) and Florida(3-1, 2-0) have not played each other since 2009, when the ranked #1 Gators kicked a field goal in the closing nine seconds of the game propelling the Gators to a win with a score of 23-20. The Razorbacks are coming of an impressive game putting up 33 points against Texas A&M in Fayetteville, AR. Although they fell short losing 45-33, Arkansas stayed close in points throughout the game, boosted by the return of quarterback Brandon Allen. Allen left the game early against Southern Miss, and missed the following Rutgers game due to a sprained shoulder. Allen started against Texas A&M and threw for 282 yards and three touchdowns in the impressive effort.

Florida’s defensive tackle Damien Jacobs anticipates a very physical game with Arkansas’s offensive line. “They’re real physical,” Jacobs said to the Orlando Sentinel, “I think they’re a little chippy. They’re a little dirty. So we’re going to have to be ready for it all this week.” Arkansas has an average of 237 rushing yards a game, ranking second in the SEC. In contrast, Florida through the first three games had only relinquished 214 rushing yards. Florida has been the best team in the country at preventing the running game, only allowing 53.5 yards per game. Even without defensive tackle Dominic Easley Arkansas had coach Bret Bielema said that the gators are still dangerous. According to the Arkansas News website Bielema stated,  “Obviously, they lost a real good player in (Easley), But across the board up front, they use their hands well. They’re powerful. Their linebackers run.” In my opinion, the key to winning this game is to win the battle on the line of scrimmage. Let the games begin. The game will be on ESPN2 at 7pm on Saturday.

Information from The Associated Press, Sbnation, GatorZone, The Orlando Sentinel and The SEC Network was used in this article.

Freshman Star Emerges In Florida’s DB

By: John Whitelow

In just four games, Florida’s corner back Vernon Hargreaves III has managed to produce seven tackles, four pass break ups and three interceptions for 39 return yards. Hargreaves is tied for No. 2 nationally in interceptions and is tied for No. 1 in the SEC.

Hargreaves was originally listed as a back up corner at the stat of the season up until they faced Kentucky this past weekend, he earned his first career start. In that game alone he racked up two tackles, an interception and a pass break up.

Yesterday Hargreaves earned the SEC Freshman player of the week award. Hargreaves intercepted a pass in the end zone from Kentucky’s Maxwell Smith and also leads the gators in interceptions. Hargreaves currently holds the most interceptions by an SEC freshman and the third-most nationally among freshmen.

Hargreaves is definitely a big impact on the SEC’s best pass defense. The group of guys around him will only push Hargreaves to get better and already seems to have good chemistry and trust with each other. Hargreaves has yet to face the tougher teams of the SEC but will only improve through the season. This rookie for Florida is the real deal and by the end of the season, he will be known as one of the best corners in the nation.

Connor Shaw may start Saturday vs Kentucky

According to South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier, quarterback Connor Shaw might start against the Kentucky Wildcats this Saturday.

Shaw injured his shoulder last week against UCF, and was expected to miss up to three weeks. Shaw practiced with the team on Monday and threw the ball about 60 yards Spurrier said. If he continues to show that he is healthy, you may see Shaw starting this week. The No. 13 (3-1) Gamecocks host Kentucky (1-3) at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Spurrier had no idea that Shaw would show this much progress this early.

“Our trainer had him out two to three weeks,” Spurrier said. “You’ll have to ask our trainers how he made such a miraculous recovery.”

Shaw left the game early and was taken to the locker room, but later returned with his right shoulder in a sling with ice. It looked as if he was another fallen soldier in the SEC and his season was ending early.

For those who remember, Shaw injured his same throwing shoulder in 2012 against Vanderbilt in their season opener. Shaw returned late in the game and led the Gamecocks to the winning drive in their 17-13 win.

Spurrier said he will not be making a decision on who will start this week until Shaw practices more and see if he progresses more.

If Shaw does miss Saturday’s game, it will be a big loss for the Gamecocks. Kentucky gave Florida a small test last week and South Carolina will need to be ready.

Shaw is fourth in SEC pass efficiency and has thrown six touchdowns without a single interception.

South Carolina 28 UCF 25: Post game Thoughts

UCFSouthCarolina-wrI got the opportunity to attend the game between the #13 South Carolina Gamecocks and the UCF Knights on Saturday. There was probably a 50-50 split among the fans in the north end zone where my seats were located. I got a chance to talk to a few South Carolina fans during and after the game as there was no shortage of them.

One of the things I like to do after a game is talk to the opposing fans. (I am a UCF grad, so by opposing I mean South Carolina). They were none too happy with how their team performed. Another thing I like to do after the game is check out some of the message boards of different teams. The Tennessee Volunteers fans were also none too pleased about a 31-24 victory over South Alabama.

The thing is, just because both of their opponents have a direction in front of the state in their name, USC fans have nothing to be embarrassed over. UCF has a darn good team. The Knights came into the game 3-0 with blowouts over Akron and FIU and a road win over Penn State. In none of those games had UCF even been behind. If the Knights played in the SEC, they could hang with nearly every team. South Carolina did just fine coming out of Orlando with a win.

South Alabama on the other hand, that’s just embarrassing. The Jaguars are only in the third year of existence and in the second year in the FBS. This team should not be going into any SEC stadium and hanging around the entire game. What has happened to the once mighty Vols? Next week they will host the Georgia Bulldogs.  The Dawgs have already played three top teams this season and are 2-1 in those games. Tennessee is going to seem like a bye week.

Gamecocks to Take on Unbeaten Knights

The South Carolina Gamecocks are on upset alert this week as they travel to Orlando to take on the undefeated UCF Knights. Many are probably wondering why the Gamecocks would go to play UCF on the road. When they scheduled the game, they probably had no idea they would be this tough. The #13 Gamecocks are playing in Orlando for a return game in 2015. If they did not agree to a game in Orlando, they would have had to pay UCF about $1,000,000.00.

UCF comes into the contest off an upset win on the road over the Penn State Nittany Lions. A win over the Gamecocks would elevate the program into a serious BCS contender. They would still have a tough road game coming up at Louisville in two weeks with a possible BCS berth riding on it.

The Gamecocks are still in the running for a national championship. Even with a road loss at the Georgia Bulldogs, if the Gamecocks win out they can find themselves playing for the national championship.

Tomorrow’s game will be the biggest in UCF history in front of a sell out crowd at Bright House Networks Stadium and a network TV audience, the first time UCF has appeared on network television.

Two SEC teams rank in top loudest stadiums

Ncaa.com previously ranked the top five loudest stadiums in the country, and two of the five ranked are SEC teams.

The top five loudest stadiums for 2013:

5. Virginia Tech (Lane Stadium)
4. Wisconsin (Camp Randall Stadium)
3. Texas A&M (Kyle Field)
2. Oregon (Autzen Stadium)
1. LSU (Tiger Stadium)

[Kyle Field]

“It’s one of the coolest and loudest events in college football. A pregame yell practice. Yep, you heard right. Fans gather at Kyle Field the night before a game and practice their gameday yells and chants. These 83,000 fans take their role very seriously. Don’t mess with Texas, A&M that is.”

[Tiger Stadium]

“Some call it Death Valley. We call it Deaf Valley. LSU, the most frightening place for a team to play, especially if you are unfortunate enough to be scheduled for a night game.”

Floyd Mayweather places bet on Aggies

Famous boxer Floyd Mayweather has some major confidence in Johnny Manziel and the Aggies. ”Johnny Football never has an off day” Mayweather told Howard Stern earlier today.

Mayweather told Stern that he will be placing a $300,000 bet on Texas A&M over the Arkansas Razorbacks. Last weekend, Mayweather placed a $220,000 bet on Manziel and the Aggies to cover a 17.5 spread for the first half against SMU. A&M did so and Mayweather cashed in a quick $200,000. Mayweather sent out a picture of the ticket on his Twitter of the winnings.

Even if Mayweather loses his $300,000 bet this week, he can afford it. Its about equivalent to a five dollar bill to him.

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Former Bulldog, Charger Paul Oliver found dead

Former Georgia Bulldog and San Diego Charger safety Paul Oliver has died at the age of 29, according to UT San Diego.

“We appreciate all the thoughts and prayers,” the Oliver family said in a statement. “We request privacy in the wake of this tragic loss.”

Oliver was a huge standout at the University of Georgia after being ranked as the number one safety in high school. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2007 draft. Oliver went on to sign with the Chargers where he played 57 games with 11 starts from 2008-11. He recorded 96 tackles and four interceptions during his career in San Diego.

“It’s heartbreaking for me personally, for our staff, for the Bulldog Nation I’m sure, and obviously for his family,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said, according to the Athens Banner-Herald.

Although his death is not yet confirmed, according to the San Diego Union Tribune’s Kevin Acee: “Former Charger Paul Oliver is dead at 29. Committed suicide … A good dude. Always enjoyed talking to him. Dang, this is sad.”

Oliver was far too young to leave this world. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

Dominique Easley suffers right knee injury

Florida DT Dominique Easley said earlier Wednesday that he could miss the rest of the season after injuring his right knee in practice.

Easley posted on his Twitter that he was done for the year; “Gatornation thank you for all of 4 yrs of sticking with me but god has something else planned for and have no worries #believe.”

However, head coach Will Muschamp reported that Easley’s right knee was only “tweaked” during a non-contact drill during Tuesday’s practice. Muschamp said “we think he’ll be fine. We just need more information right now.”

Through the first four games, Easley has recorded four quarterback hurries and two tackles for a loss. He suffered from a anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee back in 2011.

If the news is true, this will be a huge blow for the Gators. Easley will be the second starter in less than a week who will miss the rest of the season. Quarterback Jeff Driskel fractured his right fibula last weekend in the victory over Tennessee.

The Gators will travel this Saturday to take on Kentucky at 7pm.