Around the SEC: Aggies turmoil, Vols’ flop, predictions
As if blowing a 34-point lead in one half (most of it one quarter, the last) against UCLA on Sunday night, now Texas Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin is having to deal with nuts.
On Thursday Sumlin’s wife Charlene put a picture of a note received at their home on Twitter (warning: the note contains an explicit word that can’t be edited out):
People of 2017: please tell me how any part of this is ok. And to the sender: did it occur to you that a child may open it?#orelseWHAT? pic.twitter.com/Co1s2Hb94r
— charlene sumlin (@courshel) September 7, 2017
Her response was slightly higher in class than what many of us would have responded with, I’m sure.
Texas A&M officials also went on Twitter to condemn the letter.
"We unequivocally condemn this disgusting and threatening letter"
– President Young & AD Woodward https://t.co/ZvmB6SaHXl— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) September 8, 2017
The really sad part is this may be the tip of iceberg for Sumlin if he doesn’t win.
But the bad part for the rest of the SEC is things like this have turned the Aggies into a unified, focus group from the fans down to the water boys and they have a history of being very, very dangerous when that happens.
It will be interesting to see how it plays out.
When a win doesn’t always help you
Butch Jones, who makes more sideline coaching mistakes in an average game than most SEC coaches make in a career, managed to get an overtime win Monday night, but no one in Knoxville is pleased.
Dan Wolken maybe summed it best in USA Today on Thursday:
At some point in the next 24 hours, Tennessee coach Butch Jones is going to realize that the nation’s lasting image of his program from Monday night wasn’t the grit to hang in the game or the timely turnovers his team created or even a stifled two-point conversion in the second overtime that allowed them to beat Georgia Tech.
It was a trash can.
And if the pattern from Jones’ four-plus seasons at Tennessee is any indication, it will displease him that the hokey motivational gimmick the Vols placed prominently on their sideline became the butt of jokes and Twitter memes, especially after a dramatic 42-41 victory.
But we know by now Jones is unlikely to let this go. Instead of ignoring the noise or commanding the conversation, Jones probably will double down and explain to the media how well it worked, turning a nothing story into a narrative that again exposes his notoriously thin skin.
Yes, Jones is under fire from all sides after winning a game in overtime.
“It’s all in how you tell the narrative,” Jones said after the Vols allowed 535 rushing yards and 655 total on 96 plays. “Maybe our program has great character and grit.”
Wolken pointed out what many have felt for a couple of years now:
“Indeed, judging Jones’ tenure indeed depends on which narrative you believe — and nothing that happened Monday night indicates that will change anytime soon.
Going down one path will tell you that he has brought Tennessee back to relevance after the administrative malpractice of handing the program to Derek Dooley, that he has improved the product every single season and that he has leveraged the program’s brand in recruiting as well as anybody could have.
The other path, however, would reveal that he is neither an elite coach nor a great fit at Tennessee, a combination that reveals itself both on the field (the Vols underachieved last season, despite going 9-4) and off it by routinely patronizing one of the best fan bases in college football (Champions of Life, anyone?).”
Tennessee football is like a train wreck you see coming, but you simply can’t look away.
Florida will only play 11 games … again this year
The Gators better hope they don’t get seriously into the College Football Playoff discussion or another 11-game season is going to cost them sooner or later.
Hurricane Irma’s expected impact on central Florida has forced the Gators’ game against Northern Colorado to be cancelled and it won’t be made up.
Apparently nobody else has an open date that weekend.
This is the second year for Florida to have to cancel a game.
While no one is questioning the necessity of cancelling the game (although it probably could have been played on Thursday … let’s face it Northern Colorado wouldn’t fare any worse), this is the second straight year hurricanes have wreaked havoc with Florida’s schedule.
But playing just 11 games could affect Florida’s postseason chances. They could end up with eight wins instead of nine … that could be the difference between playing on New Year’s Day and the week before.
SEC Week 2 Predictions:
Eastern Kentucky @ Kentucky, 11 a.m. Take the Wildcats in an easy win.
Tennessee-Martin @ Ole Miss, 11 a.m. It won’t be an overwhelming crowd, but the Rebels should hang 50 on the board … and the defense will give up 20.
Fresno State @ Alabama, 2:30 p.m. Really? You shouldn’t even ask.
Indiana State @ Tennessee, 3 p.m. This one will be considerably easier than Georgia Tech, but the Vols should win easily.
Alabama A&M @ Vanderbilt, 3 p.m. Yawn. Vandy goes to 2-0.
Auburn @ Clemson, 6 p.m. Best game of the night in the league. The Tigers will win. Seriously, you have to do that one. It is usually close and don’t be surprised if Auburn gets an upset, but you have to take Clemson.
South Carolina @ Missouri, 6 p.m. There may be over 100 points scored in this one. South Carolina has a very, very slight edge but a Missouri upset wouldn’t shock me.
Nicholls @ Texas A&M, 6 p.m. The Aggies may not quit scoring in a win that will be easy.
Chattanooga @ LSU, 6:30 p.m. This one may put you sound asleep if you try to watch it. It should be over by the end of the first quarter.
Georgia @ Notre Dame, 6:30 p.m. The most number of people will watch this game. It’s on broadcast television and it’s the Irish. But the Bulldogs will win because Notre Dame is in internal chaos right now.
Mississippi State @ Louisiana Tech, 6:30 p.m. This will be the least-watched game of the week. In 2008, a loss in Ruston started Sylvester Croom’s downhill slide. That won’t happen this year.
Martin becomes second receiver injured this week
It’s been a rough week for the Arkansas receivers’ group.
Brandon Martin became the second victim Thursday, injuring his hamstring, Bret Bielema announced on his weekly radio show Thursday night.
Freshman Koilan Jackson suffered an ACL injury Tuesday that will require surgery.
Martin does not have a redshirt available, so he is expected to return at some point this season.
“When he’s ready he’ll get back out there,” Bielema said on his radio show.
Martin, a sophomore transfer from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, was used sparingly in the Razorbacks’ opener against Florida A&M last Thursday.
He was targeted on a pass during a fourth quarter touchdown drive but it was overthrown by backup quarterback Cole Kelley.
Redlicki advances to Open semis at Collegiate Invitational
FLUSHING, N.Y. — Former Razorback All-American Mike Redlicki advanced to the semifinals of the Collegiate Invitational, a part of the U.S. Open, on Thursday.
A few months removed from his time at Arkansas, Redlicki defeated Christopher Eubanks of Georgia Tech 6-2, 6-4 to advance to Friday’s semifinals against Brandon Holt of the University of Southern California.
Friday’s match will begin at 11:00 a.m. Eubanks previously had won two main draw pro matches in Atlanta this summer and was a main draw of the the pro draw at the U.S. Open.
“The Razorbacks are very proud of Mike,” said Arkansas head coach Andy Jackson. “We are pulling hard for him to continue to play well.”
Last season in Flushing, Redlicki defeated the top collegiate player in Mikael Torpegaard of Ohio State 6-4, 6-3 to capture the ITA/USTA National Indoor Championship.
During his senior year in Fayetteville, the lefty finished 28-11 overall, including a 20-8 mark against ranked competition. He wrapped up his collegiate career ranked as the No. 12 singles player in the country, the fourth highest in the Southeastern Conference. At the NCAA Championships, Redlicki advanced to the round of 32.
Dye ‘excited about this Auburn football team’
Former Auburn coach Pat Dye joins The Paul Finebaum Show to discuss his thoughts on this year’s Auburn team and the Clemson matchup.
Game times set for Phil Knight Invitational
FAYETTEVILLE — Game times and television networks have been set for the Phil Knight Invitational, one of the largest regular season basketball tournaments ever created to honor Nike co-founder and chairman Phil Knight in advance of his 80th birthday.
Arkansas will play its opening game in Portland, Oregon, on Thanksgiving Day, tipping off in the Moda Center against Oklahoma at 4 p.m. on ESPN2.
A Razorback win would send them to Friday’s winner’s bracket for a 2:30 p.m. matchup against North Carolina/Portland on ESPN, while the loser’s bracket game is scheduled for 5 p.m. on ESPN3.
Both Friday games will be played in Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The event features two eight-team brackets running simultaneously from the Rose Quarter’s Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum with the crowning of two bracket champions.
Games will be played Thursday, Nov. 23, Friday, Nov. 24, and Sunday, Nov. 26, with all 24 contests televised across ESPN networks.
Arkansas is in the “Victory” bracket along with Oklahoma, North Carolina, Oregon, Connecticut, Michigan State, DePaul and Portland.
The “Motion” bracket features Butler, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Ohio State, Portland State, Stanford and Texas.
The Razorbacks meet Oklahoma for the 28th time in program history, with Arkansas holding a 15-12 edge in the all-time series, including an 81-78 victory in Bud Walton Arena in the most recent matchup during the 2012-13 season.
The Razorbacks are 4-0 all-time against Oklahoma in neutral site games.
The participating schools in Arkansas’ bracket have combined for 14 National Championships, 49 Final Fours, 212 NCAA Championship appearances and 373 NCAA Tournament wins.
Five of the eight schools have won a National Championship, including the defending National Champion North Carolina Tar Heels, and seven of the eight have made at least one Final Four appearance.
Single session tickets and all session passes are currently available at the Rose Quarter Box Office, by calling 800.745.3000 or online at pkinvitational.com/tickets.
Hogs scrimmaging three times over next three days
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ fall season went into full swing earlier this week.
To cap its first set of practices, the team will be scrimmaging today through Saturday inside Baum Stadium.
Today’s scrimmage is scheduled to start at 7:05 p.m., while Friday’s will start at 4 p.m.
Saturday’s scrimmage before the football game will be at 10 a.m. All scrimmages will be played at Baum Stadium.
In the case of any inclement weather, the team will move the scrimmage indoors to the Fowler Center and it will be closed to the public.
Thursday Scrimmage – 7:05 p.m.
Friday Scrimmage – 4 p.m.
Saturday Scrimmage – 10 a.m.
Arkansas opened its 2017 fall practice on Tuesday and head coach Dave Van Horn welcomed back 28 returning players and 16 newcomers.
Among those returning players, seniors Carson Shaddy and Luke Bonfield, as well as junior Blaine Knight headline the squad that hopes to improve on the team’s 45 wins from a season ago.
In what will be the second season under pitching coach Wes Johnson, Arkansas brings back a number of arms from a year ago that helped the team reach the SEC Tournament final and host the NCAA Regional for the first time since 2010.
Knight comes back after making 16 starts and compiling a 3.28 ERA over 90.2 innings. His eight wins were good for most on the team and was the most by a Razorback pitcher since 2014.
Joining Knight, Arkansas will get to utilize a healthy Isaiah Campbell and Keaton McKinney, who both were shut down early in the spring with arm injuries.
McKinney was a freshman all-american two years ago and Campbell made six starts as a freshman and looks to be able to shore up a strong rotation.
Offensively, Arkansas returns some of its best bats in recent years. Both Shaddy and Bonfield will be back in the lineup as both hit over .270 last year with 17 home runs and 89 RBIs combined.
Along with them, junior shortstop Jax Biggers returns as the Razorbacks’ top hitter, coming off a year where he hit .338 in 63 games with four home runs and 37 RBIs.
Freshman All-American Dominic Fletcher will captain the outfield as Arkansas’ returning centerfielder. Fletcher was one of the best hitting outfielders in the SEC last season.
His .291 average was second among all SEC freshmen, while his 12 home runs were first and was the most by an Arkansas freshman since Zack Cox hit 13 in 2009.
The baseball team will play its annual Fall World Series at Baum Stadium next month with dates still to be determined.
All practices and scrimmages are open to the public throughout the fall, weather permitting.
