I know, I know. Arkansas is supposed to be good and they are. However, they aren’t great. Great doesn’t almost lose to Vanderbilt and Ole Miss. Great destroys teams by double digits. Great limits conference opponents to 7 points per game, not 22. Great goes to war in Tuscaloosa and wins. It doesn’t leave bragging that it got two scores after giving up 38. Great has a 0 in the loss column, not a 1.

Not to discredit anything Arkansas has done, but against the one superb defense it has faced, the Arkansas offense misfired badly. Wilson had his worst game of the season, being held to 185 yards with 2TDs and pick. Solid if you are playing for LSU, horrible if you are playing for Petrino. Arkansas was also held to a net 17 yards rushing. That game also saw Arkansas yield 197 rushing yards to the Tide.

What does this have to do with LSU? This Friday, Arkansas will be playing against the nation’s other top defense and the SEC’s top rushing offense. Granted, Arkansas is better than it was in September, but this defense is better than the one it faced in September as well. The ground game of LSU is also better. Les Miles doesn’t mask anything. He is going to play defense on both sides of the ball. First he is going to play keep away and pound an opponent into submission with the ground game. Then he suffocates opponents with a relentless defense.

Arkansas is susceptible to both attacks. Arkansas gives up 166 yards rushing per game. It has been at its worst when facing run first teams. Arkansas has given up over 150 yards rushing 5 times this season with a high of 381 against Texas A&M. 150 is important because in the past two seasons, LSU is 22-0 when reaching the 150 yard plateau. The Tigers, 211 rushing YPG, will try to exploit this advantage early and often. Arkansas will find that over-committing to stop this assault can be lethal because the LSU quarterbacks are more than capable of burning a secondary with Reuben Randle, Russell Shepard and Odell Beckham. However, even when LSU passes, the assault never really stops. LSU has five running backs that can be used behind a line that seems to get more dominant as the game goes on. Ware and Hilliard are the thunder while Blue and Ford are the lightning and all have been deadly this year.

But the question isn’t whether the Tigers will score or not. They will. The real must see TV on Friday is the LSU secondary versus Tyler Wilson and his aerial assault team. It will be a war between the SEC’s best QB and the best secondary. The highlight will be the battle between Morris Claiborne and Jarius Wright. This clash will be just as epic as Patrick Peterson vs. Julio Jones as both are the best in the SEC at their positions.

Wright and Wilson are good enough to make some hay against LSU, but are the other Razorback receivers ready? Adams, Hamilton and TE Gragg are all about to line up against NFL ready corners and safeties. Will they be able to get open before the LSU pressure reaches Wilson? LSU is relentless; the pressure isn’t going to stop. The Tigers play a lot of man and nickel coverage that allows Chavis to keep enough men near the line to defend the run and attack the QB for a whole sixty minutes. He is able to do so because at the DB and DL positions, LSU has no drop-off in talent throughout the two deep. Like the offense, the LSU defense is able to wear down opponents by attacking with wave after wave of fresh talent.

Wright vs. Claiborne is a great match-up, but there is one other that is as equally as important. Wing vs. Adams. Both are the league’s best at winning the field position battle. One eliminates space while the other creates it. One is backed by a unit that allows only .6 yards per return. One averages almost 12 per return and is a threat to score every time he fields a kick. Both are capable of turning the fortunes of this game with their legs.

In the end, Arkansas is going to play LSU close for two or three quarters because they are a good team. Then LSU’s ridiculous depth will overtake the Razorbacks.

This year, LSU throws a cochon de lait for 92,000 plus on Friday. If you are wondering what that means, see below.

LSU-27
Arkansas-13

However, it was Patrick Peterson that brought home the victory with his 89 yard touchdown on a punt return:

Cam Newton’s debut may have been a team loss, but individually the Heisman Trophy winner put on a record-breaking display. Newton became the first player in NFL history to throw for 400 yards in his debut in NFL history. The No. 1 pick in the draft who had struggled at times in the preseason, Newton completed 24 of 37 passes for 422 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.

“He was everything everybody didn’t expect him to be,” said Steve Smith, who caught eight of those passes for 178 yards and both scores. “He was on point, he made some great runs, he made some great reads, made some fantastic throws. He made some throws out there that honestly as a receiver it made it easy to catch them.”

The statistics seemed to mean little to the big, young quarterback, who was unbeaten in his BCS championship season at Auburn.

“The last time I lost a game was Navarro Junior College,” Newton said. “What do you want me to say, it feels great? It is not a comfortable feeling for me.”

The Panthers had a first down at the Arizona 11 late in the game, and even got an extra down on an offside call, but failed to score.

Peterson, the fifth overall pick in the draft out of LSU, was not surprised by Newton’s debut.
“I can’t wait to see what he’s going to do throughout the season because there were so many critics coming into the draft,” Peterson said. “I thought he had a pretty good night tonight, so we’ll definitely see what the season brings for Mr. Cam.”

The same could be said for Mr. Peterson.

He hauled in the punt and broke a tackle and darted downfield on the long run, but almost paid dearly for a showboat move at the finish.

Peterson began to strut, not realizing Carolina’s Mike Goodson was gaining on him. Peterson glanced around, realized the error of his ways, and sprinted away, diving over the goal line to put Arizona ahead 28-21 with 7:15 to play. It was the second-longest punt return in franchise history.
“Yeah, he was pretty close,” Peterson said.

Since 2000, LSU has put 17 Tiger defensive backs on NFL rosters. Recruiting the best athletes for these positions is a priority and LSU has been successful in the endeavor. It also doesn’t hurt that many play as true freshmen and eventually end up in the NFL. In 2011, LSU will have three players who could start for any team in the nation. Ron Brooks, Morris Claiborne, and Tyrann Mathieu will all be splitting time on the island this year.

Claiborne and Mathieu are penciled in as starters, but don’t count out Brooks. He will spend a lot of time on the field due to Chavis’ multiple uses for Mathieu. How does this equal a bona fide replacement for Patrick Peterson? Easy enough. While Peterson was taking away whole sides of fields from opposing offenses, it was Morris Claiborne who was quietly shutting things down on the other side. When LSU needed a big-time play and Peterson was covering a post or fly pattern down field, it was Mathieu turning into a one man wrecking crew. Who filled in when someone had to come off the field? Ron Brooks. All this happened with little to no drop-off in execution or performance. Patrick Peterson earned his bones and all the respect that goes with it, but his attitude and mentoring has left the Tiger cornerbacks in very good shape for many years to come.

What about replacing Drake Nevis? Kelvin Sheppard?

How do you make up for losing the motor of the defensive line as well as the team captain and leading tackler? Recruiting. Plain and simple: if you are LSU, you go sign the top rated defensive lineman in the country, Anthony “Freak” Johnson, bring him early and have him make the two-deep during spring drills. Then give him four months with Tommy Moffitt in the weight room and have him emerge as something more than human. The whole time, every last person in the program, even the cleaning lady, declares that there is no way that Freak Johnson stays off the field his freshman year, and that he is going to be dominant from the first snap. That’s how you make up for the loss of Nevis. That isn’t even mentioning the talent around Johnson in the rotation. Josh Down, Michael Brockers and Bennie Logan will all be mixing up with Johnson to draw double teams and wreak havoc on opposing offenses. FYI, since 2002, 14 Tiger defensive linemen have made NFL rosters. Johnson could be the cream of that crop.

Making up for Sheppard might not be that easy. Although his production can be made up through team contribution, it is the leadership aspects that need to be in place by the opening of fall camp. The 2011 linebacker corps has all the talent, speed and athleticism to make the plays from sideline to sideline. What is lacks is experience. Senior Ryan Baker will lead a two deep littered with freshmen and sophomores. While Baker, Kevin Minter and Stefoin Francois will all contribute, it will likely be safety Brandon Taylor calling the shots on defense. However, reading alignments and making adjustments doesn’t motivate a fellow player to find the stones to make a desperately needed big play. Sheppard had that quality. Hopefully, one or many are cultivating that spirit during team workouts and preparations for fall camp.

The Rest of the Gang

The defensive ends and safeties should be feeding off of each other greatly. John Chavis has stated that in no time in his career has he ever accumulated so much talent and speed at the end position. The two deep is loaded with legitimate SEC starters. Sam Montgomery is back from injury to rejoin his fellow merchants of menace, Lavar Edwards, Ken Adams and Barkevious Mingo. Chavis has claimed that Mingo will be the premier pass rusher in the SEC, bar none. Add to that mix, Ego Ferguson, who can move in and out along the line to create mismatches on any given down. Combined with stout pressure from the middle, opposing quarterbacks will have to get rid of the ball quick or get planted into the turf.

That type of pressure limits passing options, especially when combined with lock down corners. It also creates mismatches in protection, both of which benefit safeties. Brandon Taylor, Craig Loston, Karnell Hatcher and up and comer, Tharold Simon should enjoy a feast of errant passes, open lane blitzes and blowing up last resort receivers. While Taylor and Hatcher bring experience to the game, it is the big hitting ability of Loston that will likely draw the most comparisons to LaRon Landry and Chad Jones, two of the most ferocious Tiger playmakers in the past decade. Simon showed in the Spring Game that he has the talent to be on the field, which is no easy feat, considering all the talent on LSU’s defense.

Who will be “That Guy”?

By the end of 2010 all opposing offenses had starting accounting for a Tiger wildcard. He made plays behind the line of scrimmage, in the flats and in the secondary. His ability allowed John Chavis to play fast and furious on almost every down. This “Little Ball of Hate” terrorized opponents as a TRUE FRESHMAN (59 Tackles, 4.5 Sacks, 2 FF, 2INT). Tyrann Mathieu will be that guy for John Chavis. Mathieu adopted Patrick Peterson’s No. 7 and is ready to carry on the legacy of opposing offenses avoiding the number like the plague. The talent on the LSU defense is exceptional, and this allows Chavis to use Mathieu as nasty, ball hawking, destruction bent equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife. Mathieu can be relied upon to produce under any circumstance or condition, in other words – That Guy.

While Mel Kiper’s Big Board has been changing over time, he’s had four SEC guys consistently in his top five: Patrick Peterson, AJ Green, Nick Fairley and Marcell Dareus.  Moreover, the most likely #1 pick might be none of them, but instead be Auburn’s controversial Heisman winner, Cam Newton.

So, who would you pick?  Let’s look at the case for each quickly…

Cam Newton – There is no need to even mention his talent.  We’re all aware of it, and nobody can deny the incredible athletic and quarterbacking ability of Cam Newton.  The risks are pretty well known as well considering the off-the-field allegations that have been with him now since the middle of the 2010 season.  He also didn’t do himself any favors last week when he drew a blank when asked to recite a verbal play call by ESPN’s Jon Gruden.  NFL quarterbacking is as much an exercise in intelligence as it is in athleticism, so you can be sure this didn’t win him any points with NFL scouts.  The problem here is that with the #1 pick in the draft and with the amount of money at stake, it’s tough to argue to take any sort of risk.  If I’m a GM, I go with the sure thing and most quarterbacks unfortunately aren’t sure things going from college to the NFL.  With that said, Cam probably has the highest upside potential.

Patrick Peterson – Some say he’s the best athlete in the draft.  He out-squatted the offensive line at LSU and runs a 4.3.  He can instantly start as a great cornerback and return kicks.  He’s probably as close to a sure thing as it gets in the draft, and will undoubtedly have a great career in the NFL.  Peterson has been atop the Big Board of Mel Kiper’s at the #1 slot.

AJ Green – AJ Green might be Randy Moss minus the poor attitude and work ethic.  In terms of a wide receiver, he’s nothing but money.  Despite his suspension in 2010, most scouts don’t really view him as an off-the-field risk considering his suspension was selling a jersey (sort of silly).  Green is more of the Randy Moss type where Alabama’s Julio Jones is more the Larry Fitzgerald build.  If I’m the Carolina Panthers, I would strongly consider taking AJ Green as Steve Smith is getting older, and Jimmy Clausen (if he plays next year) could use someone else to throw to.  Whoever takes AJ Green is getting a killer wide out.

Nick Fairley – If AJ Green is Randy Moss’s talent without the attitude, I think Nick Fairley is Warren Sapp with talent, attitude, and all included.  If Cam Newton had the biggest breakout season in 2010, Fairley had the second.  His dominant performance all season including the National Championship Game against Oregon made him some serious dollars and catapulted him into the top echelon of NFL prospects.  I would make the case that Fairley’s attitude is an asset more than a liability.  It’s not like Fairley was screwing around off the field; rather, he got the reputation for some late hits in college.  If anything it shows he’s all business on the field.  I want this guy on my team, and I sure as heck don’t want him on the team I’m playing.  The only risk associated with Fairley is the fact that he’s only performed at this high level for one season which has led some to rank Marcell Dareus ahead of him.  Folks, he played a year in the SEC West, played in the SECCG then the BCSCG.  He’s battled tested I assure you.

Marcell Dareus – While Fairley only has a small sample size of SEC play, Dareus does not and therefore is possibly a lower risk pick.  Know for knocking Colt McCoy out of the BCSCG and for years of consistent play for coach Nick Saban, Dareus is a sure thing in the NFL and ready to contribute immediately.  Dareus made noise at the NFL Combine or running a sub-5 second 40 yard dash while weighing in over 300 pounds.  He’s like a freaking bear running at you.  Scary.

This is pretty interest if you look at this five.  The NFL is indeed continuing its transition into a passing-dominated league.  Quarterback, receiver, cornerback, defensive line.  All impactful positions in the passing game (or stopping it).  No running backs in the top picks tonight.  Mark Ingram likely to be the only RB taken in the first round.

If I have to pick, I’m going Patrick Peterson.  He’s going to have a solid career and can definitely take on #1 receivers immediately.  Plus, you can plug him in on the kick return game immediately.  Yes, I’ll take PP over the other four.

You’re On The Clock

Talk to me SDS readers… who should go #1 and why?  Make your case here.

Tonight is the first round of the NFL draft, and it looks to be a showcase of the dominance of the SEC.  As we noted the other day, there are nine SEC studs that are attending the draft in person and all (with maybe the exception of Randall Cobb) look to be first rounders.

Let’s look back at the 2010 first rounders from the SEC and do a little comparison action:

• 5. Eric Berry, Tennessee
• 7. Joe Haden, Florida
• 8. Rolando Mcclain, Alabama
• 18. Maurkice Pouncey, Florida
• 20. Kareem Jackson, Alabama
• 25. Tim Tebow, Florida
• 26. Dan Williams, Tennessee

While this list isn’t anything to shake a stick at, the 2011 list is just plain filthy.

Just to recap, here who should be in the top ten: Marcell Dareus, Nick Fairley, AJ Green, Cam Newton, Patrick Peterson.  Yes that is five in the top ten.  These guys are all serious studs that should all be immediate impacts (with exception to Cam Newton simply because most quarterbacks aren’t immediate impacts).

Then, Mark Ingram, Julio Jones and Mike Pouncey should also be first rounders.

The SEC will be the featured conference on display tonight much like the Big 12 was last year with all the Texas and Oklahoma studs that came off the board early.

Be sure to follow @SDS for NFL Draft updates tonight that will make a college football fan proud…

What has the deepest-rooted rivalry?

Who pays the most per recruiting class?

Who has the best freshman quarterback who hasn’t proven anything yet?

Which team knows the police better?

Which cheerleaders are the most … “entertaining?”

Get the picture?  College football fans, especially the guys that follow the best conference on the planet, are going to find something to argue about with their buddies.  And this time of year – the most boring season for college football fans – one argument sticks out above all others:

Which team puts the most talent in to The League?

Recently, Pete Bigelow of AnnArbor.com wrote an article highlighting the fall of the Big 10 (or 11 or 12 – however many teams they have at this point) by showing the decreasing number of 1^st round draft picks produced by the conference.  Bigelow also noted a pretty big influx of SEC talent in the 1^st round and drew the conclusion that the SEC has become the most talented conference in college football (Tell us something we don’t know, right?).

This year, out of the 25 players selected to be in New York for the draft, 9 (Randall Cobb, Marcell Dareus, Nick Fairley, AJ Green, Mark Ingram, Julio Jones, Cam Newton, Patrick Peterson, and Mike Pouncey) hail from the SEC.  In addition to that, some NFL Draft projections have put as many as 6 SEC guys in the top 10.  If that scenario plays out, it’ll only solidify what we already know – that the SEC is the conference with the most talent in the country.

With that in mind, we’re going to take a look at how the SEC teams stack up against one another in terms of putting players in The League.

At The Top

Over the last 10 years, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee have put more talent in the league than anyone in the SEC.  Over that stretch, Florida had 59 players drafted with 12 going in the first round, Georgia had 61 players drafted with 11 going in the first round, and Tennessee had 60 draftees with 12 of them being 1^st rounders.

One thing that sticks out about those figures is that Florida has really maximized the production from their talented kids.  Their 3 BCS Bowls and 2 BCS Championships definitely speak to their ability to amplify the impact of their great talent.  Georgia did put together a couple of SEC Championships during the last decade, but Florida took it a step farther with the BCS Championships.

Tennessee?  What has been going on in Knoxville?  Tennessee has had the 2^nd most players drafted in the SEC – 4^th most in the nation – and the most 1^st rounders in the SEC, but they’ve turned it into zero conference championships, zero BCS Bowls, and obviously zero BCS Championships over the last 10 years.  With an average of 6 future professional football players joining the team each year over the last decade, it really appears that Tennessee should have won a lot more over the past few years.  Nevertheless, you can’t knock the rich tradition of talent that the Vols have had over the last 10 years.

Middle Of The Road

Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, and South Carolina make up the next level of SEC teams in terms of NFL talent production.  In fact, LSU might be better suited in the top category, but I only included in that group teams that had either 60+ players drafted or 10+ first rounders over the last 10 years.  LSU, though, with 55 players drafted over the last decade (9 in the 1^st round), has made the most of their talent level, translating it into a couple of BCS Championships.

And most recently, Alabama (42 players drafted) and Auburn (38 players drafted) have cashed in (probable pun) on their talent.  Now, with players like Marcell Dareus, Cam Newton, Julio Jones, and Nick Fairley projected to be selected in the 1^st round (and plenty of other guys who’ll be picked later), Alabama and Auburn will make huge strides in joining Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee at the top of this list.  Another interesting note: out of the 9 SEC players invited to the Draft, 5 played their football at either Alabama or Auburn.  It’s pretty easy to see who’s been stockpiling the talent over the last couple years.

On The Bottom

Kentucky, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt come together to form the “We didn’t know you could play football after college” club.  Each of these teams had less than 20 players drafted over the last decade, and none has had more than a couple players drafted in the first round over the same period.  Worst of all, Mississippi State’s last 1^st rounder was Walt Harris in 1996 – 15 years ago.  That’s quite a difference from the rest of the SEC.

What do you think about these numbers?  Do you think they are an indicator of the value of the football program?  Or are you of the opinion that college football is about wins and losses – nothing more?

Your turn.

1. Randall Cobb – This is really interesting because isn’t he not even projected to be a first rounder?
2. Marcell Dareus
3. Nick Fairley
4. AJ Green
5. Julio Jones
6. Mark Ingram
7. Cam Newton
8. Patrick Peterson
9. Mike Pouncey

What a group!

9 of the 25 players attending the draft are from the SEC.

After two scrimmages, according to coaches and players alike, Jordan has emerged as a real leader with a real understanding of the position.  Jefferson is throwing touchdowns and is proving himself against arguably the top defense in the SEC for 2011.  When listening to coaches, it seems the only real position battle in the Tiger passing game is for the third wide-out position.

Although the praise is gushing for all three Tiger quarterbacks, that could all change on a dime.  Last Spring, similar, glowing reports were being issued about Jordan.  In the spring game, the Tiger passing attack tanked in a “live” situation and mirrored to a “T” what fans were to witness during the 2010 season.

Will there be a repeat performance in 2011?  Not likely.  Les Miles has a genuine QB coach in Kragthorpe who is already developing his wards into legitimate SEC gun slingers.  Also, it has been a few years since the LSU roster was blessed with an underclassmen who could legitimately take over the position in a heartbeat.  This has created the stability LSU so desperately needed at its weakest position.  Not to mention, making the Tigers that much more likely to be hunting championships this December.

NEWS and NOTES:

On the heels of another pay-to-play scandal, Both Patrick Peterson and his father have immediately and vehemently denied that they had any connection to Willie Lyles and his recruiting service.  This is in stark contrast to the “no comments” issued by the Newton family last November.

Tight end John Thomas of Airline High in Bossier City became LSU’s sixth football commitment for the 2012 class.

Drake Nevis and Daniel Graff have been invited to work out for the New Orleans Saints prior to the NFL draft.

Apparently, neither are true.

Why do you lie about visiting a school which is a pretty easy fact to verify?  Not really very smart.  Peterson would probably be better off just keeping his mouth shut.  Why he is even worried about it?  He’s going to the NFL where nobody cares about recruiting violations of college schools.

You can read more at Dr Saturday.

Even more, I think fans are getting “violation fatigue” where our reaction each time is incrementally muted.  Oh, Patrick Peterson, the best player in college football arguably may have been involved (or someone close to him) in some kind of pay for play situation?  Stop the press.

At this point, I sort of assume anyone of any decent skill level is either getting paid or he has some sort of “recruiting service” guy that is representing him and shopping him to the schools.  I mean honestly, let’s not be naive.

One of the Auburn players also claimed that he received sexual favors while being recruited by Ohio State.  Are these kids not “messing around” otherwise?  Unless the sexual favors were by Jim Tressel than who cares?

Frankly, the headlines are sort of boring at this point.

The story is getting sort of old and it’s probably doing more harm than good because fans are getting used to these things and are becoming less and less bothered.  So, unless something big happens, maybe we should stop discussing the allegations about player X and booster Y.  By big, I mean the death penalty handed down by the NCAA, or the NFL stepping in and saying any agent that tampers with college athletes is banned from The League, or again, Jim Tressel is found to be offering sexual favors to recruits.  If any of those occur, sure, let’s talk about it.