Lane Kiffin Has 126 Problems

Lane Kiffin has certainly made a splash in his short time in the SEC coaching ranks. Wait, before I go any further let's get a little background music going...



Anyway, his newest cannonball into the SEC pool produced allegations that Florida coach Urban Meyer "cheated" while trying to recruit Nu'Keese Richardson. Exactly what did Kiffin say?

"I'm gonna turn Florida in right here in front of you," Kiffin said, according to WVLT-TV. "While Nu'Keese was on campus, his phone kept ringing. One of the coaches says, 'who's that?' And he said, 'Urban Meyer.' "

Unfortunately for Kiffin, and the UT fans that rallied around his statement, there is no rule against that type of contact. NCAA and SEC officials confirmed that this afternoon.

So, not only did Kiffin try to pull a bitch move by "outting" Meyer over supposed cheating, but he did so without even being fully aware of what the rule did and did not prohibit. Now, he just looks like jackass, and has given Meyer and his team, you know the ones that won the SEC and the BCS last year, early bulletin board material for that September 19 showdown in Gainesville.

The Gators will be looking to extend their winning streak to four consecutive against the Vols, and Kiffin will probably be hoping that Meyer doesn't add too many more digits to those 126 problems that he's already dealing with. And exactly what are the 126 problems? That's the number of points that the Gators have totalled over that four game win streak, outscoring the Vols 126-53.

Welcome to the SEC, Lane. Try not to let your mouth write checks that your ass can't cash.

The Quiet Stars of The UF BCS Win

For much of this(and last) season, most of the focus on UF's offense was on their proverbial homerun hitters. Tebow, Harvin, Rainey, Demps, James, Cooper, etc. Until Harvin's injury, wide receiver Louis Murphy wasn't mentioned all that often, and David Nelson was doing a great impression of the Invisible Man. However, when their team needed them most they showed up in a big way.

Against the Oklahoma Sooners in the BCS Title Game, Murphy and Nelson accounted for 12 of UF's 24 points. Murphy caught Tebow's first TD pass to put the Gators ahead 6-0, and Nelson caught Tebow's 2nd pass to basically ice the game at 23-14 with 3:00 left in the 4th quarter.

It was great to see these two players impact such a big game in such a big way, and for Murhpy it was an awesome way for him to close out his senior season in Gainesville.

Everyday UF Is Hustlin'

Yes, that is a shitty screen capture, but thanks to FOX's reluctance to replay any game action at all it's the best I have. Anyway, it's Torrey Davis doing his very best Rick Ross impersonation. Which is fitting because the game was played in Miami, and the Sooners got hustled. Check out Davis around the 1:00 mark where he shows Bob Stoops that he's tha boss.

Urban Meyer Gets "SEC'ed"

Lots more breakdown tomorrow, but for now just sleep tight knowing that the SEC is still the elite conference and Cheaty McSweatervest can't beat them.

Oh yeah, Urban Meyer is capable of smiling, even if he does look like he wants to snap Jai Eugene's arm off at the elbow.



Update 1/9/08: Thanks to all of you stopping by from TigerDroppings, AllHipHop, FightinTigahs, the Miami Scout boards and other various referrers. Your traffic is greatly appreciated.

Breaking Down The BCS Title Game

Yes, this thing is getting broken down like Pete Rock doin' some samples yo!



With that out of the way, I'm going to take a look at what each team must do to win tonight's game. I already made my predicition in the Bowl-O-Rama post, but this one is going to be a bit more in-depth.

Ohio State Can Win If...
They can stop LSU's strong rushing attack. In their loss against Illinois, the Buckeyes were ran over to the tune of 260 yards with a 5.1yards/carry average. Their average for the season ended up being 77yards/game and 2.5yards/carry. Not being able to stop the run like they had been really took them out of their element.

Their inability to stop the run also allowed Illinois to control the clock, and hold Ohio State's time of possession below their average. In that game, the Buckeyes had the ball for 27 minutes. For the season, they averaged about 32 minutes.

A second key to Ohio State getting a victory will be their production on third down. Throughout the course of the season, they averaged a success rate of 47.6% on third downs. Against the Illini, they averaged just 38% on third down.

Vernon Gholston is going to have to be a disruptive force along the defensive line, but LSU is probably going to concentrate on blocking him out of most plays. That means that other d-linemen like Heyward and Larimore will have to step up their game.

LSU Can Win If...
They can consistently get their backs into the second and third levels. The Tigers need to get their strong rushing attack going early. If they can dominate the line of scrimmage early, and allow their running backs to force the linebackers and defensive backs to make tackles on them, then they can wear them down. This would in turn allow LSU to turn short pass plays into long gains as a result of sloppy tackling because of fatigue. I wouldn't be surprised to see a consistent rotation at running back to keep those guys fresh, and keep the pressure on OSU's LB's and DB's.

LSU also needs to focus on pressuring Boeckman. The Buckeyes have allowed just 14 sacks all year. If the Tigers can bring pressure from different areas on the field, like bringing McCray on blitzes, then they should be able to force Boeckman out of his comfort zone and into making some mistakes.

Why I Think LSU Will Win
In the end, I think that LSU's rushing attack will prove to be too much. They were held under 150yds rushing in just two games this year(Tulane-134, 'Bama-87). That attack will wear down Ohio State's defense, and allow Matt Flynn to make some plays downfield. It will also give the receivers a chance to catch some short passes, and turn them into long gains. And a healthier Glenn Dorsey should help ratchet up the pressure on Boeckman. All of which leads to an LSU victory.

Hopefully Baltimore Doesn't Have to Play Denver Anytime Soon

By now, I'm sure that most of you know that Heisman Trophy winner(didn't Florida take that from him too?) Troy Smith was drafted in the fifth round by the Baltimore Ravens. Now the talk is that he's headed into a good situation there because Steve McNair doesn't have the best health record, and Kyle Boller's contract is up in the near future. Some are speculating that there's a decent chance he could be groomed as the Ravens' starting QB. All Florida vs OSU jokes aside, I'm happy to see a kid that seems humble and dedicated get a shot at playing in the NFL. However, he better hope that Baltimore doesn't have to face Denver while he's under center(cue Florida vs OSU jokes!).

Yesterday, Denver used two of their picks on defensive linemen from the '06-'07 National Champion Florida Gators team. Jarvis Moss went first, at number 17, and in case you forgot about him he tallied two sacks, a forced fumble, and lots of general mayhem when he faced Troy Smith in the BCS title game. The second Gators lineman to be drafted by the Broncos was Marcus Thomas. Thomas was kicked off of the Florida team in early November, and was arguably the most talented lineman of the group. I'm pretty sure he too could have given Troy Smith some fuel for his nightmares. Then, after drafting those players, Denver signs Steven Harris, another '06-'07 UF d-lineman, as an undrafted free agent. Harris didn't rack up too many stats against OSU(and is probably a longshot to make the team), but he was part of that group that harrassed Troy Smith all night back in early January.

So there you go, three Florida linemen from the '06-'07 national championship squad all on the same NFL team, for now at least. Mike Shanahan is probably wishing that Troy Smith would have been drafted by an AFC West team right about now.