SEC Football: Top 5 Wide Receiver Candidates for 2011

Joe Adams (pictured r.) in 2011 spring scrimmage

Over the last three seasons, the SEC has seen plenty of talent at wide receiver, but the media love was pointed squarely on the jersey's of two phenoms: A.J. Green and Julio Jones. Both players were game-changers for their respective teams and their potential as impact players on the next level led them to be selected in the Top 10 of this years NFL Draft. Their departures leave the door wide open for a few other difference-makers in the SEC, some of whom need no introductions, to make their presence felt on a national level.

The players you will find in this list are guys who have made key contributions on their teams already and could be poised to have an outstanding season in 2011:

1. Alshon Jeffery, South Carolina: This is a no-brainer. Jeffery could have been a first-round pick in this year's draft had he been eligible, but his under-classmen's status will be South Carolina's gain this year as his return is sure to have SEC defensive backs running scared. Last season, he put up some beastly numbers (88 receptions, 1,517 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 17.24 ypc average) on his way to helping lead the Gamecocks to their first SEC Championship Game appearance in more than two decades. This season, if South Carolina can settle their quarterback situation, you can expect to see a lot more of him on the highlight reel.

2. Joe Adams, Arkansas: Where Cobi Hamilton (see next) brings the thunder, Adams is most certainly the lightning as the rising senior lit up the Arkansas spring game for 183 yards and two touchdowns. He is clearly on a mission to lay waste in the SEC West this season and assert himself as a candidate for the league's best player. Look for him to make a marked improvement over last season's numbers in Petrino's pass-happy offense (50 receptions, 813 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 16.26 ypc average).

3. Cobi Hamilton, Arkansas: Before you figure me for a fool because I neglected to name either Greg Childs or Jarius Wright in this space, hear me out. Hamilton, the junior receiver who is often lost in the shuffle of the Razorbacks plethora of talent at receiver, did more with less than any other wide receiver on the team last season (32 receptions, 680 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 19.69 ypc average). Even more, he barely played until after the first four games were in the books. Hamilton had a great spring and looks to be on track for a breakout season with the Hogs.

4. Justin Hunter, Tennessee: Denarious Moore is gone and the Vols will be looking to a new guy to fill that void, look no further than Justin Hunter (16 receptions, 415 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 25.94 ypc average). Hunter has the size, the physical playing style, and the talent to both stretch the field and make the big plays.With Tyler Bray solidifying his place at quarterback—stabilizing the Vols passing game—you can expect to see a lot more of Houston in 2011.

5. Chad Bumphis, Mississippi State: Bulldog quarterback, Chris Relf, isn't exactly a candidate to win any Heisman trophies, but he won't have to be if he can avoid making bad decisions with the football. Bumphis (44 receptions, 634 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 14.41 ypc average) is a skilled receiver with a ton of speed and he can definitely make plays in the open field. With the Bulldogs returning much of their offense, bolstered in part by the stout running of Vick Ballard, Mississippi State could be tough yet again.

Other notable players: Orson Charles, Georgia, Jarius Wright, Arkansas, Rueben Randle, LSU, Emory Blake, Auburn, LaDarius Perkins, Mississippi State

So, who did I miss? Go ahead...feel free to let me know.

*All stats appear courtesy of cfbstats.com.

College Football ATS Picks: South Carolina Looks To Knock Off Florida State

The biggest game on the national menu will take place in the Georgia Dome this evening as Florida State locks up with South Carolina for the rights to a 10-win season—the first either team will have seen in quite some time.

South Carolina has fresh memories of their last trip to the Dome—a 56-17 beat down at the hands of Cam Newton and the Auburn Tigers—however this game won't bear any resemblance to that one.

Florida State quarterback, Christian Ponder, is expected to make his triumphant return, but he's no Cam Newton and the Seminoles won't have a Nick Fairley to terrorize quarterback Stephen Garcia.

South Carolina has plenty of weapons at its disposal—from freshman running sensation Marcus Lattimore to future NFL draft pick, Alshon Jeffery—not to mention a defense that is tough against the run and well-rested coming into the contest.

Florida State has shown brilliance on both offense and defense this season, but there are questions about the consistency of both units. Can the Seminoles contain the Gamecock's rushing attack for a full 60 minutes?

Will Christian Ponder be ready to come back at full-strength and infuse the Seminoles' offense with the leadership it needs to win the game?

Both teams have plenty to play for so the only question truly is 'who wants it more'?

ATS picks follow. All lines are courtesy of VegasInsider.com. The 'Lady' is 8-9 in ATS bowl picks thus far.

South Florida at Clemson, Meineke Car Care Bowl: Clemson (-5.5)

Clemson isn't a world-beater, but they field a very tough defense and it's tough to imagine that the Bulls will have an answer for anything the Tigers throw at them today—Da'Quan Bowers should be in for another big game.

The Lady's Pick: Clemson to cover

Notre Dame at Miami Hurricanes, Sun Bowl: Miami (-2.5)

Flip a coin in this game as neither side is in the best shape coming into the contest.

The Irish lost many of their games this season due to inconsistent play and key injury. However, they want to finish the year strong and reset for 2011.

As for Miami, coach Shannon is gone, and it is unclear how many players will be motivated to play their best brand of football without their guy on the sideline.

It's a tough one to call, but the return of Jacory Harris might be the difference in this one.

The Lady's Pick: Miami to cover

Central Florida at Georgia, Liberty Bowl: Georgia (-6.5)

Pay attention to the way Georgia plays the run in this one. The Knights are a strong rushing team behind the trio of Ronnie Weaver, Jeff Godfrey, and Latavius Murray and five of Georgia's six losses this season came as a result of poor run defense biting them in the backside.

As for the Knights, they will have the tough task of defending a Georgia passing game that features, arguably, the best wide receiver in the country in A.J. Green. Look for Aaron Murray to take to the air early in this one—hopefully opening up some room for Washaun Ealey and Carlton Thomas to make a play or two against a tough Knights run defense.

The Lady's Pick: UCF to cover

Florida State at South Carolina, Chick-Fil-A Bowl: South Carolina (-3)

Florida State will see the return of Christian Ponder, but unless the Seminole defense can find an answer for a healthy Marcus Lattimore and a determined Alshon Jeffery, that won't matter much.

While both teams sport good run defenses, the edge has to go to the Gamecocks here as they will likely be the most motivated to play well today—erasing the debacle of the SEC Championship from their memory.

The Lady's Pick: South Carolina to cover

Related articles

• Florida State vs. South Carolina Pick, Point Spread & Betting Trends: December 31st 2010 (touthouse.com)
• 2010 SEC Bowl Previews (blogcritics.org)
• Chick-Fil-A Bowl, South Carolina Vs. Florida State: Two Near-BCS Teams Do Battle In Atlanta (sbnation.com)

Alshon Jeffery on Auburn: They Aren't Great...It Was Just Their Day

Talk about having sour grapes.

South Carolina's Alshon Jeffery skipped the normal, sportsmanlike, commentary and simply decided to let the world know how he really felt after his team got spanked by the Auburn Tigers this afternoon—56-17.

When asked what he thought about Auburn, Jeffery stated that "...we could have won that game. I wouldn’t say they were a complete team. It was just their day." And, if that weren't enough, he had this to add "...I wouldn’t say they’re a great team. To me, ain’t nobody a great team."

It would be nice to see what a great team looks like in Alshon's world because, in the world of the real, Auburn comes pretty darn close. They completely dismantled South Carolina's defense—simply picked it to pieces. 


The Tigers defense was on point from snap one and they made it difficult for the South Carolina offense to find it's rhythm at any point during the game.


As for their offense, Cam Newton was Cam Newton—just as he's been all season He went beast all over the Gamecocks tonight—contributing 407 yards of total offense and six touchdowns. The Gamecocks had absolutely no answer for him or his favorite target all season, Darvin Adams. 


His performance tonight all but puts a guarantee on him winning the Heisman in a matter of weeks. There is simply not a better player in the nation than him right now.


As for Jeffery, his comedy didn't end with those comments about Auburn's lack of greatness. No, he had the good grace to explain away his ineffectiveness by stating that we should "talk to Coach about that."

Wonder how the ol' ball coach will feel about that one? Last we checked, it wasn't Spurrier who was out there running routes and getting punked by Auburn's secondary. If anything, Jeffery might have thought he was in for a big game again based on the success he had in their first meeting. 

Unfortunately, Auburn had a plan for him this time and it worked to perfection. 


Don't worry, Alshon, there's always next year. 


*All quotes courtesy of Wes Rucker.

Georgia Bulldogs Football: The Secondary Needs To Tighten Up Before Facing Florida

As Georgia fans bask in the glory that is a satisfying three-game winning streak, it seems only fitting to throw some water on those flames of confidence by mentioning one teeny, tiny, miniscule, little detail: the secondary did not play well last night.

For all the domination the front seven seemed to exact on the young, inexperienced, offensive line of the Kentucky Wildcats, the secondary still managed to give up way too many big plays on third-and-long, and there were far too many occasions of receivers getting behind Georgia's defensive backs for big gainers after the catch.

There was no excuse for the 353-yards that was given up to Mike Hartline—minus Derrick Locke and with little help from Randall Cobb.

Chris Matthews and La'Rod King absolutely killed Georgia. Combined, the two tallied 7 catches, 171-yards, and 3 touchdowns. That's too much freedom for comfort, and Georgia is going to have to address that problem—Vance Cuff, in particular, looks like he may need more coverage help.

Cuff was caught lunging on more than one occasion as a Kentucky receiver was able to get behind him for a catch and score. Cuff, obviously, was in need of more help from the safeties because, on an island, he was burned all day.

That said, it seems fair to mention that Kentucky has a plethora of talent at wide receiver, most of them big, most of them physical, but Georgia has to find a way to maximize the skills of their defensive backs when facing a more physical receiver. This is not a new issue, Georgia has had problems with big receivers all season.

Alshon Jeffery of South Carolina (7 receptions for 103-yards), Greg Childs of Arkansas (3 receptions for 82-yards), and Justin Hunter of Tennessee (4 receptions for 110-yards) all had some of their biggest games of the season against Georgia.

Florida may be reeling right now, but the Bulldogs don't need to give the Gators any glaring holes to trample through. Remember, the Bulldogs were on a four-game losing streak of their own before finally getting back on track—don't underestimate the motivation of Urban Meyer where his Florida Gators are concerned.

This is a match-up where the "better" team isn't necessarily the one that wins.

The secondary needs to find a better way of working together to contain both the receivers and the quarterback. Last night, Mike Hartline found too many easy passing lanes to throw the ball through and that's not what you'd like to see. Granted, Hartline is a much better quarterback this season than he has been in years past, but consistency must be found somehow if Georgia intends to finish strong.