Take a pile of information, mix in some personal opinion and a dash of insight.  Stir it all together and you've got a steaming pot of HogsHead soup.  Today we look around the early SEC preseason camps.  Grab you a big ol' bowl, its goooood.

sec east

FLORIDA - Coach Urban Meyer enters his second season with high expectations and a talented team that appears capable of meeting them.  Offensively, the QB and receivers are the strength of the unit.  The O-line is rebuilding, and the RB position still has Meyer grumbling.  So, to settle things.....Meyer threw a little fuel on the QB fire.  Freshman sensation Tim Tebow turned heads in the spring, and Meyer has done little to comfort Chris Leak, the preseason All-SEC performer. Leak has the chance to set all the Florida and SEC QB  records.  So, quoting Meyer, "Tim will play in the first game.  How much depends on him."  I would think how much would depend on Leak, but I've never coached in the Mountain West. (Or is it WAC, who knows?)

Defensively, Jarvis Moss has been impressive on the D-line, and Ryan Smith, the transfer from Utah has shown that he will be a factor for playing time.  Look for the defense to be the overall strength of the team.

GEORGIA - Little is being heard out of the Georgia camp about the QB situation.  My personal opinion is that freshman Matt Stafford will play early and soon become The Man.  The offensive and defensive lines have been plagued by a rash of minor injuries, but head coach Mark Richt seems unconcerned as long as they remain minor.  This is somewhat of a reloading year for the Bulldogs, but Richt has built the team into the SEC's most solid program.  Look for another strong campaign from his squad.

Suspended cornerback Thomas Flowers has learned what happens on a team as talented as his.  You snooze, you lose.  Remarcus Brown has stepped up and is having an impressive fall.  When Flowers returns after the first three games, he will have to play his way back into the mix.

TENNESSEE - The Vol's had their first scrimmage Tuesday, and coach Phil Fulmer was pleased with the level of concentration and discipline in the running game.  Five dropped passes did nothing to ease the mind of David Cutcliffe as he tries to develop the passing game.  Look for the Vol's to put a big load this season on star RB Arian Foster to lessen the pressure on QB Eric Ainge. For a team of underachievers, a new focus and dedication is essential.  Fulmer is under pressure, and pressure runs downhill, as the old saying goes.

Tennessee will be hard pressed to be as good defensively this year as they were last, but look for them to be just as talented.   With nine upper classmen filling the eleven positions, expect another strong defense in Knoxville.

SOUTH CAROLINA - TE Andy Boyd has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, and should be a key part of Steve Spurrier's  offense this year.  With outstanding big-play receiver Sydney Rice, returning QB Blake Mitchell and running back Mike Davis on offense, the skill positions are solid.  Spurrier will find a way to put points on the board, but will they be enough?

The Gamecocks return only three starters from a defense that ranked 10th in the SEC last year.  Spurrier sees it as a good thing. "When you look at us statistically across the board, we weren't all that impressive last year.  So you gotta believe we're going to be better."  Senior Fred Bennett is having an outstanding camp, and will be counted on heavily for leadership.  Only one other senior appears on a two-deep loaded with sophomores and redshirt freshmen. 

KENTUCKY - Closed practices have limited the information coming out of Lexington this fall.  Rich Brooks is under pressure to produce and has circled the wagons.   The 'Cats are finally coming off the penalties from the Hal Mumme years, and Brooks has been pleased with the increase in numbers and improved athleticism of his squad.  In the SEC, you better have athletes, and it's doubtful whether there are enough around to save Brooks' job. 

When the previous coach bails out to go to Baylor....

VANDERBILT - The news out of Nashville is that once again the Commodores will have a "brick house" defense.  (Sorry, I've just always wanted to use that line.)  The D-line is young but talented, and as always the linebackers will be strong.  Freshman safety Myron Lewis has impressed.  There have been a few minor injuries and one more serious setback.  First teamer Joel Caldwell dislocated his right elbow and is out indefinitely.

Freshman RB Gaston Miller has turned some heads in practice, and had a nice 25 yard run in full-contact drills.  We haven't heard much about the QB spot yet.  Someone will have to step up big to fill departed star Jay Cutler's shoes.

sec west

AUBURN - Coach Tommy Tuberville has been so worried about the number of minor injuries that he is considering moving Saturday's scrimmage to Sunday.  The biggest news out of Auburn is that the athletic department has been cleared by an internal investigation of any wrongdoing in the directed study scandal that broke last week. (I'm surprised they found themselves innocent, aren't you?)

Tuberville has not been pleased with early scrimmage work.  "We had good effort, but a lot of mistakes.  We're not a very good football team right now."  All together now, let's cry for Tommy's top 5 nationally ranked preseason pick for SEC champs.

LSU - Les Miles, on the other hand, says "We feel like we can play and win every game that's on our schedule."  Way to slip under the radar Coach.  I have personally mailed this quote to all the teams you play this year.   The biggest story out of Baton Rouge is the competition at QB.  With JaMarcus Russell, Matt Flynn and Ryan Perilloux in the mix, there ain't enough footballs to go around.  Miles clarified the situation with this quote, "We're going to look at JaMarcus first.  Matt deserves every consideration, and Ryan Perilloux had a very significant spring.  We'll play them all."  Wow, glad he settled that.

If Miles can keep his mouth closed, LSU should have another stong season.  The talent is there, but a tough schedule looms with road games at Florida, Auburn, Tennessee and Arkansas.  That's by far the toughest road schedule in the SEC this year.

ARKANSAS - The Arkansas QB situation gets more intriguing every day.  Casey D!ck emerged as the starter last season, but an injured back has kept him out of practice this week.  In his absence, freshman Mitch Mustain has received most of the first team work and has shown flashes of the talent that created all the hype.  Robert Johnson continues to be in the mix, but at some point he's going to have to perform in a game situation.

Cornerback Materrial Richardson has been given a different jersey number.  He now sports the "9"  last worn by Matt Jones.  Coach Houston Nutt felt it best to give the number to a defensive player, and Richardson's old "16" now belongs to Mustain.  Richardson is having an outstanding camp, with two interception returns for TD's.

'BAMA - The Tide has gone Southern to replace Brody Croyle at QB.  John Parker Wilson, (only a Southerner would still be using three names at his age) is being counted on to fill the void.  Fortunately for him, there is experience around him. The O-line and RB Ken Darby should be the strength offensively. Coach Miles, listen to a politically correct quote from Wilson. "I'ts good to know you've got guys with game experience."

Defensively, 'Bama must replace seven starters from a unit that carried the team a year ago.  Coach Mike Shula said there are several "...redshirt freshmen that are going to have to come in and contribute."  Good luck with that, Coach. Redshirt freshmen are the key to any great defense in the SEC.

OLE MISS - The Rebels are coming off their worst season since 1987.  Welcome to the SEC Coach Ed Orgeron.  Orgeron has shown, though that he understands what it take to be a head coach.  He immediately fired half his staff and said it was their fault.  (Not in so many words, but we understand, Coach, wink-wink.) Incoming talent Brent Schaeffer is being counted on to save the day, and he could well do it.  He's lighting up Orgeron's defense in practice and will be Newcomer of the Year in the SEC.

Orgeron has been excited by early practices, and he did make some outstanding hires in his staff.  Look for Ole Miss to be a darkhorse in the SEC West.

MISSISSIPPI STATE - Starkville has had a rough time lately, but Coach Sylvester Crooms sees reason for optimism this season.  The Bulldogs are another group that's been hounded by the injury bug, but Crooms has remained upbeat. "We're on the right track, we're getting better every day.  The work ethic has been good.  Hopefully that will pay off in the long run.  We just need to get healthy."  Those words have sent chills down the spine of SEC coaches who now fear the 'Dogs and their impressive collection of mediocre talent.

On defense, MSU will be good.They better be real good, because the offense still hasn't caught on to Crooms West Coast schemes.

**************************

Well there you have it. Go on, admit it, kinda tasty huh? Feel free to add your spice to the pot.

Sources:

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,Huntsville Times, Mobil Press-Register, Sun-Herald, Washington Post, Clarion-Ledger, NE Mississippi Daily Journal, The Tennessean,Louisville Courier-Journal, Greenville News,Maryville Daily Times, Nashville City Paper, Sports Illustrated, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

As the crowd gathered around a fight in a liquor store parking lot in central Little Rock, the Hog flag began slowly lowering to half-mast over Razorback Nation.

Darren McFadden, the 18 year old sensational star running back for the University of Arkansas, suffered a dislocation of his distal great toe during the altercation, and is now listed by Arkansas trainer Dean Weber as doubtful for the season opener against Southern Cal.

McFadden rushed for over 1100 yards in eight starts last season, and was on several early watch lists for Heisman Trophy and Doak Walker Award consideration.  Coach Houston Nutt issued the following statement:

"We are all disappointed that Darren won't be able to join us for the start of fall camp.  I know that no one is more disappointed with what happened than Darren.  While we are still gathering details about how the injury came about, our first priority is to help him with his recovery.  He underwent surgery this (Saturday) morning and will begin the rehabilitation process soon.  We are all hoping for a speedy recovery and look forward to his return to the Razorback family."

McFadden's loss will place extra burden on running backs Felix Jones,  Peyton Hillis and redshirt freshman Michael Smith.  With McFadden, the Hog runners were considered one of the elite groups in the country.  Without him, they look much less so.

(Evidently the parking lot is shared by a neighboring night club, and McFadden was arguing with patrons from the club.  During the argument, someone tried to steal his car.  He hurt his toe kicking at the car thief.  The car was subsequently recovered.  No charges have been filed.)

(Information used in this post came from The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

fantastic freshmen

Felix Jones had one of the most remarkable high school careers in the history of Oklahoma football.  Playing for 5A Tulsa Washington High, Jones piled up 2282 rushing yards his senior year, averaging 11.1 yards per carry.  More startling than those stats were his 48 touchdowns on 205 carries, an amazing average of one touchdown every four carries.  He led Tulsa Washington to the 5A finals, where he rushed for 166 yards, and of course, three touchdowns.  All he had to do now was wait for the University of Oklahoma to call.

But to the surprise of the OU coaching staff, he didn't wait.  When other schools showed more interest early,  Jones decided to move on.  Barry Switzer publicly criticized  OU, saying Stoops had let a great one get away.  Jones was listed by recruiting services as one of the top twenty athletes in the nation, and several schools, including Tennessee, LSU and Arkansas came calling.  To the delight of Houston Nutt, Felix Jones chose the Hogs.

Jones impact at Arkansas was immediate, and the word was soon out, despite closed preseason practices, that Arkansas had something special.  Arkansas fans were somewhat surprised by all the talk about Jones.  Most fans had expected the Parade All-American  from North Little Rock,  Darren McFadden, to be the early season buzz.  Yet it was Jones who ran wild in the opening game against Missouri State, with 137 yards on just 8 carries, including an 80 yard touchdown run.

The following week against Vanderbilt, Nutt made the first of several season long poor coaching decisions, choosing to play senior  D'Arrius Howard ahead of Jones and McFadden. The two freshmen carried only twice between them for 5 total yards. Jay Cutler worked some 4th quarter magic, and after the disturbing loss to Vandy, it became apparent to even Nutt that the future was now.  In the demoralizing slaughter at the hands of USC the following week, the freshmen backs were one of the few Hog highlights, combining for 154 yards on 25 carries.

Yet if Jones had started strong, McFadden was closing fast.  Rushing for almost 100 yards against  'Bama, McFadden was making his move to become the feature back.  Both backs went over the 100 yard mark against Louisiana-Monroe, but by now McFadden was in a groove.  His combination of physical running and blazing speed were turning heads in the SEC, a conference more than familiar with great backs.  When McFadden exploded for 190 yards at Georgia, including an electrifying 78 yard burst to the end zone, the dye was cast.   McFadden would go on to rush for 1113 yards for the season, earning  first team All SEC, freshman All-American and SEC freshman of the year honors.

Jones, though, was too good not to play.  He continued to get spot duty at running back and finished with 626 yards rushing for the season, matching McFadden's 6.3  average per carry.   But the true measure of Jones value to the team was elsewhere.  Showing that he was not totally immune to good coaching decisions, Nutt put Jones and McFadden together returning kickoffs. 

And Jones made the most of his opportunity.   With teams leery of kicking to McFadden, Jones blossomed, going on to finish the season with 1280 all-purpose yards, including  four returns of over 35 yards, and a school record 100 yarder against Mississippi State.   His 31.9 yard return average was 2nd in the nation, and Jones earned first team All-SEC honors as a return specialist, becoming one of 5 UA players to earn freshman All-American recognition.  Nutt's  objective now was a simple one.  Get these two guys on the field at the same time, and not just on kickoffs.

staff shake-up

Enter Gus Malzahn, from nearby Springdale High School.  Under pressure from all sides, Coach Nutt hired his first-ever offensive cordinator.  The choice of a high school coach turned heads around the country, and snickers could be heard throughout the SEC.  Most assumed it was one of those two for one, shady, hire-a-coach, get-a-player deals, with the prize being national high school player of the year  QB Mitch Mustain.   Malzahn proved it was more than that.  He was also able to pursuade  Mustain's teammate and favorite target, Arkansas player of the year Damien Williams, to switch his commitment from Florida to the Hogs.  Despite a last chance half-day visit from Urban Meyer, Williams chose the Hogs.  Add two more players from the top 5 nationally ranked Springdale squad, and it was at least now a hire-a-coach, get-four- players deal.  And Nutt did a nice job of balancing Malzahn's hire with the acquisition of veteran  Alex Wood as QB coach.

A good hire at the QB coaching position was essential, because the quarterback position is the lingering question with the offense.  Casey Dick and Robert Johnson shared playing time in 2005, with coaches pulling Dick's redshirt late in the season after Johnson struggled and lost confidence.   Dick had a mediocre spring, and Johnson has yet to perform in games to the level he shows in practice.  Mustain may be the most talented Arkansas QB since Joe Ferguson, and he will be given the opportunity to earn the starting job.

Malzahn has installed his innovative hurry-up spread offense, but  he still has to prove he can coach at this level.  Will his schemes work against the speed and athleticism of SEC defenses? Can he match X's and O's with some of the greatest defensive coordinators in all of college football? Are Jones and McFadden going to be utilized together?  He must also figure out how to blend in talented Peyton Hillis, a 230 pound, hard running power back with the best hands on the team, along with big-play receiver Marcus Monk.

nothing new

With an offensive line rated top 10 nationally as a unit by several publications, and QB the biggest question mark on the offense, Malzahn has said Arkansas will still be primarily a running team.  He hopes to stretch the field and utilize schemes to keep opponents from stacking up against the ground assault.  If one of the quarterbacks steps up, Arkansas could be sensational on offense.  If not,  Nutt may be looking for work.

I know I'm new to this site,  so as my contribution I thought I would give some of you  guys a few  guidlines for selecting categories.   Obviously, the first category you need to select is NFL, because as you scroll the front page, it comes up first.  It doesn't really matter what you posted on, just get your stuff out there.  Also, post on as many categories as possible.  Deception is a key element in good blogging.  I am personally trying to get FoxSports to include a select-all button.

Seriously guys,  I wrote a piece on college football, and when I check the front page header I see one post on college football.  There is a post on Reggie Bush which is close, and maybe forgiveable, but there is also baseball, boxing and video games.  This is not about my post not being listed, (well, maybe a little).  Let's return some functionality to the front page and simply list categories that are pertinent. 

Sorry for the rant all, felt it better to put it in my own blog than someone elses.  Gotta go.....now where is that select-all button?