MEDIA DAYS NOTEBOOK: Gators tabbed as SEC favorites by media

Ken Rogers
Media General News Service
Published: July 25, 2008

HOOVER - Florida left SEC Football Media Days with a target on its back. Attending media made the Gators the team to beat this fall.

Auburn hasn’t named a starting quarterback, but is the choice to win what is expected to be a wild West. The Tigers did even better in the all-conference selections, placing nine players on the first and second teams, the most of any team.

“I was really excited until I got up this morning and you guys picked us to win the West,” Tigers coach Tommy Tuberville said. “Y’all are never right. That puts me in a bind. I don’t know what I’m going to tell my team.”

LSU was next with eight players, followed by Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina with five players each.

There were no unanimous selections to the preseason All-SEC team.

Urban Meyer’s Gators had the most first-team players with five. LSU and Tennessee had four first-teamers each.

Auburn players on the first team are defensive lineman Sen’Derrick Marks and punter Ryan Shoemaker. Tigers on the second team are offensive linemen Tyronne Green and Lee Ziemba, running back Ben Tate, defensive lineman Antonio Coleman, defensive back Jerraud Powers linebacker Tray Blackmon and placekicker Wes Byrum.

Alabama, picked to finish third in the Western Division behind Auburn and LSU, had two first-team picks - offensive tackle Andre Smith and safety Rashad Johnson.

Crimson Tide players picked for the second team were center Antoine Caldwell, linebacker Rolando McClain and kick return specialist Javier Arenas.

Life after Woodson
Star quarterback Andre’ Woodson is gone, but Kentucky coach Rich Brooks said the Wildcats aren’t starting over.

“I think that we’ll have the best offensive line we’ve ever had,” Brooks said. “That’s the same statement I made last year and I’ll say it again this year. This will be the best offensive line we’ve had since I’ve been at Kentucky.”

Eight defensive starters return for the Wildcats, which Brooks said will be a key.

“Defense in this league is what has ended up winning the championships,” he said. “We now have what I would call quality, all-SEC-type defensive players.”

Asked about the difference between Kentucky’s talent compared to Georgia and Florida, Brooks said, “It’s not what it used to be.”

“When I got to Kentucky the first year we had one player that could run under a 4.5 (40). Last year we had 17,” the coach said. “We have more speed. We have more talent. We have more players that are capable of playing at Florida and Georgia and Tennessee.”

Rivalry renewed
Bobby Petrino’s arrival at Arkansas in the SEC renews a rivalry with Brooks.

Petrino turned around Louisville’s program, helped by whipping Kentucky several times in that process.

“He’s got a 4-0 record on me, whooped me up the head pretty good,” Brooks said of Petrino. “You know, I think a lot of those things are overrated as far as rivals, coaches getting into each other and all that stuff.

“He’s done an outstanding job at the University of Louisville. He took them to the best season in their school’s history. ... He’s an outstanding football coach and he’s coaching at a great school.”

Petrino noted the big difference from the way he looks at the Kentucky game at Arkansas than when he was at Louisville.

“We used to work on that game the entire winter and summer,” he said.

Petrino said he was looking forward to playing in Lexington this season.

“It’s always fun playing in front of a hostile crowd, in a hostile environment,” he said.

QB, a family thing
Arkansas senior Casey Dick remains the Razorbacks’ No. 1 quarterback.

Petrino said coming out of spring practice the backup quarterback is Casey’s younger brother, redshirt freshman Nathan Dick.

“(Casey) did a nice job of learning and working had on understand the offense,” Petrino said. “I thought he did a real nice job of getting to know the other side of the ball, understanding what defenses are trying to do, the difference in coverages, the difference in zone blitzes and man blitzes.

“He’s a guy that has experience, has won games, has games at the end of the game.”

As for Nathan, Petrino said he liked the younger Dick’s understanding of where the rush is coming from.

“He might be like a young man I coached at Louisville, that you don’t really know how good he is until it’s live, because you don’t tackle the quarterback in practice,” Petrino said. “He might make more plays when it’s live because of his ability to run, move around, throw the ball down the field after that.”

Sacking the NFL
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier saw Petrino leave his interview session and jokingly reminded him, “I’ve got you by 15 years.”

“This is his first SEC Media Days and my 16th,” Spurrier explained.

Petrino became the most recent coach to bolt the NFL for the SEC. Spurrier and Nick Saban made similar moves.

“I told Bobby when he took the (Arkansas) job, I was going to give you two years ... and you’ll come back to college,” Spurrier said. “I think his lifestyle, I guess, is a lot like mine in that he enjoys a little bit of an offseason.

“I’ve always enjoyed it, to try to recharge your batteries getting ready for August, the real season. Whereas, the NFL guys, they pretty much like to grind, oh, 11 months a year.”

Sticking with one QB?
Spurrier has switched quarterbacks numerous times at South Carolina. The coach said new starter Tommy Beecher, who beat out Chris Smelley for the job this spring, will be given every opportunity to keep it.

“He’s very smart,” Spurrier said Beecher, a junior. “He can run. He can make all the throws. He just hasn’t played that much yet. This summer, I think he has accepted the fact that he’s the quarterback, and I think he’s done a pretty good job getting the guys organized, throwing the ball around, and giving him a chance to develop as a leader of the offense.”

Spurrier said Beecher’s running and scrambling ability set him apart.

“Chris played a whole bunch last year, so we’ve watched him play,” Spurrier said. “But we’ve not seen Tommy much at all. Tommy has performed a little bit better in the scrimmages. So it was time to make him the starter. ... he doesn’t have to worry about one interception, he’s our guy. We’re going to give him a chance. We believe he deserves a chance to run with it.”