DMN--Aggies set for daunting SEC competition
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 7:59 am
Good points by Carlton today in the DMN----Love this quote from the article and since SEC has the top teams in the NCAA, isn't this really the way D-1 teams should shape themselves, defense and running backs......SMU?
"In the Big 12, you have more wide-open offenses, more quarterback-oriented," Tuberville said.In the SEC, you have more running-back offenses, less quarterback philosophies in terms of throwing the ball down the field, and built around running backs and defenses."
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Carlton: Despite struggles, Aggies set for daunting SEC competition
By CHUCK CARLTON
[email protected]
Published: 21 November 2011 11:29 PM
Texas A&M got a remarkable preview of its football future in the latest BCS standings.
LSU, Alabama and Arkansas stood atop the college football world, 1-2-3, two weeks before the end of the season. Their combined record was 31-2, with the two losses coming against each other.
Each is a member of the Southeastern Conference. Each calls the West Division home. And you thought the former Big 12 South Division was tough? Welcome to the reality that is the SEC West.
Jackie Sherrill knows the challenge. He led a resurgence of Texas A&M football in the 1980s, started the Wrecking Crew tradition and later coached in the SEC at Mississippi State.
"Can A&M compete in the SEC? Yes, they can," Sherrill said. "Can they walk in and beat LSU and Alabama right now? No."
He believes that recruiting will continue to improve, that A&M will rise to the level of SEC contender.
"A&M fits in the SEC, with the stadium, with the fan support," Sherrill said.
Not everybody agrees. Even when A&M was talking with the SEC before the start of the season, skeptics pointed to A&M’s winless streak against the conference as a Big 12 member, a record that’s grown to 0-7 this season.
The Aggies have won one Big 12 title, back in 1998, people noted.
Things appeared to have turned. A&M reached the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic and finished 9-4 last season. When the official SEC membership was announced in September, A&M had just lost to Oklahoma State but was still ranked 14th by the AP.
Now, the Aggies will take a 6-5 record into the final Thanksgiving game with archrival Texas for the foreseeable future. They just became bowl-eligible with a 61-7 laugher over Kansas after three consecutive losses. In four of the five defeats, A&M had led by at least 14 points, making the record even more frustrating.
During a recent interview, school president R. Bowen Loftin said he expected A&M to be competitive in the SEC, not only in football but in all sports, immediately. He said A&M has a commitment to excellence in academics and athletics.
Success comes in cycles, Loftin said with a perspective dating to the 1960s.
"There is no program that’s had an unbroken string of success over an entire decade," Loftin said. "That’s how I approach this. I can’t be driven by emotion. I mean, I’m emotional, too.
"When I watch football, I’m frustrated or I’m happy with whatever happens. But then you take a step back or a deep breath and say, ‘OK, this is one game out of how many?’ We’ll go forward and endure as a great university."
Football coach Mike Sherman sent mixed messages about the SEC, dodging questions initially about the move and deferring to Loftin and athletic director Bill Byrne. Message boards percolated with debate about whether Sherman was the best person to guide the Aggies to a brave, new world.
He finally offered a definitive response on one of his recent radio shows.
"I know some people have wondered whether I’m on board or not," Sherman said this week on the Aggie Hour radio show. "I’m totally on board. It’s going to be a great deal."
Sherman said he didn’t want to overload his players or distract them from their final season in the Big 12. For seniors, the conference move won’t be an issue anyway.
"We can’t be worried about next year, we have to take care of this year," Sherman said.
Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville, who led Auburn to a 13-0 season in 2004, said A&M will be moving to a conference with a different football philosophy.
"In the Big 12, you have more wide-open offenses, more quarterback-oriented," Tuberville said. "In the SEC, you have more running-back offenses, less quarterback philosophies in terms of throwing the ball down the field, and built around running backs and defenses."
Added Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads, a former SEC defensive coordinator: "There are just loads of talent, especially on the defensive side of the ball. There’s no shortage of speed, great coaching."
Aggies legend Gene Stallings knows what succeeds in the SEC. He won a national championship at Alabama in 1992, thanks to a defense for the ages.
Football means every bit as much across the entire footprint of the SEC as it does in Texas, Stallings said.
"It’s really important to all those teams," Stallings said. "Nearly every game is a sellout. Nearly every game is competitive."
Then Stallings mentioned the stat that trumps everything else: the five consecutive BCS national titles by SEC teams. Stallings said he wouldn’t be surprised if the streak hit six, then shifted the focus to A&M.
"They’re talking about Arkansas now having a chance to play for the national championship," Stallings said, remembering an 18-point lead on the Razorbacks this season. "We were a lot ahead of Arkansas this year. I think A&M will be able to compete."
"In the Big 12, you have more wide-open offenses, more quarterback-oriented," Tuberville said.In the SEC, you have more running-back offenses, less quarterback philosophies in terms of throwing the ball down the field, and built around running backs and defenses."
http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/colleg ... reregister
Carlton: Despite struggles, Aggies set for daunting SEC competition
By CHUCK CARLTON
[email protected]
Published: 21 November 2011 11:29 PM
Texas A&M got a remarkable preview of its football future in the latest BCS standings.
LSU, Alabama and Arkansas stood atop the college football world, 1-2-3, two weeks before the end of the season. Their combined record was 31-2, with the two losses coming against each other.
Each is a member of the Southeastern Conference. Each calls the West Division home. And you thought the former Big 12 South Division was tough? Welcome to the reality that is the SEC West.
Jackie Sherrill knows the challenge. He led a resurgence of Texas A&M football in the 1980s, started the Wrecking Crew tradition and later coached in the SEC at Mississippi State.
"Can A&M compete in the SEC? Yes, they can," Sherrill said. "Can they walk in and beat LSU and Alabama right now? No."
He believes that recruiting will continue to improve, that A&M will rise to the level of SEC contender.
"A&M fits in the SEC, with the stadium, with the fan support," Sherrill said.
Not everybody agrees. Even when A&M was talking with the SEC before the start of the season, skeptics pointed to A&M’s winless streak against the conference as a Big 12 member, a record that’s grown to 0-7 this season.
The Aggies have won one Big 12 title, back in 1998, people noted.
Things appeared to have turned. A&M reached the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic and finished 9-4 last season. When the official SEC membership was announced in September, A&M had just lost to Oklahoma State but was still ranked 14th by the AP.
Now, the Aggies will take a 6-5 record into the final Thanksgiving game with archrival Texas for the foreseeable future. They just became bowl-eligible with a 61-7 laugher over Kansas after three consecutive losses. In four of the five defeats, A&M had led by at least 14 points, making the record even more frustrating.
During a recent interview, school president R. Bowen Loftin said he expected A&M to be competitive in the SEC, not only in football but in all sports, immediately. He said A&M has a commitment to excellence in academics and athletics.
Success comes in cycles, Loftin said with a perspective dating to the 1960s.
"There is no program that’s had an unbroken string of success over an entire decade," Loftin said. "That’s how I approach this. I can’t be driven by emotion. I mean, I’m emotional, too.
"When I watch football, I’m frustrated or I’m happy with whatever happens. But then you take a step back or a deep breath and say, ‘OK, this is one game out of how many?’ We’ll go forward and endure as a great university."
Football coach Mike Sherman sent mixed messages about the SEC, dodging questions initially about the move and deferring to Loftin and athletic director Bill Byrne. Message boards percolated with debate about whether Sherman was the best person to guide the Aggies to a brave, new world.
He finally offered a definitive response on one of his recent radio shows.
"I know some people have wondered whether I’m on board or not," Sherman said this week on the Aggie Hour radio show. "I’m totally on board. It’s going to be a great deal."
Sherman said he didn’t want to overload his players or distract them from their final season in the Big 12. For seniors, the conference move won’t be an issue anyway.
"We can’t be worried about next year, we have to take care of this year," Sherman said.
Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville, who led Auburn to a 13-0 season in 2004, said A&M will be moving to a conference with a different football philosophy.
"In the Big 12, you have more wide-open offenses, more quarterback-oriented," Tuberville said. "In the SEC, you have more running-back offenses, less quarterback philosophies in terms of throwing the ball down the field, and built around running backs and defenses."
Added Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads, a former SEC defensive coordinator: "There are just loads of talent, especially on the defensive side of the ball. There’s no shortage of speed, great coaching."
Aggies legend Gene Stallings knows what succeeds in the SEC. He won a national championship at Alabama in 1992, thanks to a defense for the ages.
Football means every bit as much across the entire footprint of the SEC as it does in Texas, Stallings said.
"It’s really important to all those teams," Stallings said. "Nearly every game is a sellout. Nearly every game is competitive."
Then Stallings mentioned the stat that trumps everything else: the five consecutive BCS national titles by SEC teams. Stallings said he wouldn’t be surprised if the streak hit six, then shifted the focus to A&M.
"They’re talking about Arkansas now having a chance to play for the national championship," Stallings said, remembering an 18-point lead on the Razorbacks this season. "We were a lot ahead of Arkansas this year. I think A&M will be able to compete."