Bleacher Report - Articles by Jared Cox

Top Two Reasons Mullen Will Fail at Mississippi State

Jared Cox — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:49:39 -0500

First of all, this article, in no way, shape, or form is meant to discredit Mississippi State or really even Dan Mullen for that matter. It's more just my thoughts on the SEC, the spread offense, and why the program will suffer from trying to teach a bunch of old dogs new tricks. So let's get on with it shall we.

To start, I know a bunch of you out there are going to say the spread is already working in the SEC, look at Florida. Ironically, my reasons it won't work at Mississippi State are actually the reasons it has worked at Florida.

1. Mississippi State does not have Tim Tebow.

Hate him, love him, or just hate to love him. Tebow may not be Superman, but he is pretty close. The kid has everything when it comes to being a great leader and the ability to run the spread. One of Urban Meyer's assistants said upon arriving in Florida that if they didn't get Tebow the program would be set back ten years. So, my question is, where is the next Superman that's gonna keep Mississippi State from being set back ten years.

2. Anybody ever wonder why Florida teams always have such good quarterbacks and receivers?

Is it because they use the sunshine to lure great players in from all over? The answer is no, these players are born and raised there. So how is it the state of Florida produces such great QBs and WRs, the water maybe? Nope, it's the fact they have a whole high school football spring season committed to it.

Not just another football season, but a season completely devoted to QBs, WRs, and DBs. So while Mississippi players are running track or playing baseball in the spring, Florida is training QBs and WRs. I.E. Florida has tons of spread type players being bred within the state, Mississippi does not.

So recruit out of state, right. From where I ask? Alabama, Saban has the lock down there. Louisiana, don't think so, LSU is pulling those guys. Arkansas, Bobby Petrino is running the spread up there, so why would I go to Mississippi Coach Mullen?

In essence the spread has worked at Florida because of an outstanding spread quarterback that Meyer has been blessed to have, and Florida is a hot bed for spread type players. Unfortunately Mississippi doesn't have either of these things, but what they do have is Houstan Nutt. Good luck dogs, but I don't see it happening with Mullen.

I may be wrong, but for all I know, I may be right....

Bye Week Blues: Who Should Alabama Fans Cheer for?

Jared Cox — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:36:04 -0400

Well, here we are at Week Seven, and the Tide is rolling 6-0. I'm still going to need to watch some college football this weekend to get my fix, so let's take a look across the country and see what upsets may be on the horizon—and what losses would benefit Bama.

1. No. 11 Florida (4-1) plays host to No. 4 LSU (5-0)

Florida has had one loss this year to Ole Miss, but other than that the Gators have looked fairly strong. LSU has had close games against a struggling Auburn program and a weak Mississippi State team.

Right now I think LSU has been living a little bit off the hype of their National Championship and have yet to show themselves as a dominant team. Neither team seems to be living up to their preseason hype, but I think LSU is about to drown in the Swamp.

Florida 27, LSU 24

How does this play out for Bama? You can look at it two ways. One, it helps affirm Alabama's spot at the top of the West, and if LSU loses to Georgia as well, there's not much between Alabama and an SEC championship game. On the other hand, LSU will drop in the polls and not be ranked as high when Bama plays them.

Tough call on this one. Even though I see an upset in the making, I think we gotta pull for the Tigers.

2. No. 3 Mizzou (5-0) invites No. 17 Oklahoma State (5-0) over for a shootout

Mizzou has yet to play anyone this season that impresses me, and Oklahoma State's schedule hasn't been any more demanding. Both of these teams have high-powered offenses (mainly because they haven't played good defenses), and (although they may claim it) neither one can play defense worth a flip.

Considering there isn't too much to base a choice on, since neither team has had a true challenge, I'm going to say that OSU pulls an upset because Mizzou and Chase Daniels come in thinking they are bigger than life and are begging to be proven wrong.

OSU 45, Mizzou 42

Bama fans should definitely be rooting for this upset. It would be nice to see Mizzou drop one to someone besides Texas in the regular season, and this is one of the best chances to see that happen. And don't worry—Oklahoma State will lose to Texas or Oklahoma for sure.

3. No. 5 Texas (5-0) and No. 1 Oklahoma (5-0) in the Red River Rivalry

Oklahoma looks to be the better team coming into this matchup. From games I've seen, they seem to have a slight edge on the defensive side of the ball, but don't count Texas out. This one is too close to call, but just pulling it out of the air I'll say...

Oklahoma 38, Texas 35

I'm gonna be rooting for Texas to pull the upset though. If Oklahoma gets past Texas, they have an easier road to the Big 12 championship game, whereas Texas still has to go through Mizzou.

4. No. 6 Penn State (6-0) travels to Wisconsin (3-2)

Although Wisconsin has two losses, they've played a much tougher schedule than Penn State, including Michigan and Ohio State. Penn State, on the other hand, hasn't had a true test.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and call an upset in this one. I think Penn State has played one too many games in a row and has had a little too much smoke blown up their rear ends. To cap it all off, a long trip to Wisconsin to visit a team that wants to prove they're not as bad as their record shows spells upset in my mind.

Wisconsin 24, Penn State 20

This would be great for Bama. Since everyone else in the Big Ten has a loss, it'd be nice to see Penn State join the rest of the one-loss teams.

Sorry this article is more from the heart than based on true facts. But hey, Bama's got a bye this week—figured I might slack a little too.

Comment and let me know how y'all see these games playing out and what would benefit Bama the most in your eyes.

Why Does LSU Hate Nick Saban?

Jared Cox — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 21:49:35 -0400

To start, I've been an Alabama fan since I can possibly remember. I grew up chanting "Roll Tide" and have done so through the good years and the bad.

Secondly, I've been an SEC fan since I can remember. I am always proud to see what I consider the best conference in the nation taking it to the Trojans, Buckeyes, Longhorns, and whomever else the team plays.

Thirdly, I have always said if I was not a 'Bama fan, I would be an LSU fan because I admire the heart that their fans and players have always shown.

But, man, now every week I get on the Internet to read about Alabama and/or Nick Saban, and all I see is LSU fans straight-up whining and griping about Saban. And I've got to ask...why do you hate him so much?

Saban restored your program, brought you a national championship, and players to win a second. He left not out of hatred toward LSU, but because he wanted probably two things: more money and a chance at the pros.

Whats wrong with that? He's not the first coach to do it, and wouldn't you do the same? Name one person that wouldn't leave their job for one that pays twice as much and offers a chance to showcase their abilities. So sorry if he didn't stay, but that's life.

The days of the Joe Paternos and Bear Bryants is coming to an end. It's going to be hard to find a coach that has a chance to go on to something better, but will stay put out of love.

Does Les Miles get ridiculed by Oklahoma State fans for leaving them, or does Urban Meyer get death threats from the University of Utah? If you say, "Well it's 'cause he came back to the same conference," then what about Steve Spurrier? He did the exact same thing, but I don't think he's getting much grief from Florida.

As an Alabama fan, I don't expect Saban to stay forever, but I'll tell you one thing: I'm glad he's here while he is, and LSU fans should've felt the same.

He brought you a national championship, he brought you pride, he brought you some great years. So why would you hate him? He wasn't your girlfriend, and he didn't marry you, so all these hateful statements about how he left make you sound, to be honest, like a jealous ex-lover.

And it's gone past yelling and screaming; Saban is actually riding on a separate bus to the game in Death Valley this year for the other coaches' and the players' safety. I must ask, is that truly the type of statement you want to send to the nation?

I love, and I mean love Alabama football, and I hate Auburn. But I don't plan on actually hurting anyone, and I've never seen such effort being put into hating and ridiculing, not a team, but a coach.

There are YouTube videos left and right posted by LSU fans that took quite a bit of effort to make—just to show their hatred of Saban. Why not spend the time showing your love of LSU, instead of Saban hate?

I guess it just boggles me. So could someone please explain it?

Alabama Fans, Stay Outta That Kool-Aid

Jared Cox — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:08:53 -0400

Coming into the season, as probably most of us did, I had hopes of Alabama having a winning season and knocking off Auburn so we Bama fans could start some counting of our own—with the middle finger, that is.

But now five games in, undefeated, and with two top 10 teams taken care of, my hopes have changed.

Right now the only thing on the horizon that can keep Bama out of the SEC championship game and rolling on into a national championship game is Bama. The Tide is rolling like no one could have predicted.

Why has Bama had so much success so far? They have managed to go into games week in and week out and dominate. This comes from respecting their opponents, preparing for who's next, not focusing on what happened last weekend, and coming out ready to dominate the guys across the line.

Saban has stressed consistency, preparation, and the 24-hour rule all year long. Obviously it's working, but the press has been making it hard for him.

So as a fan, I've decided to join the Saban bandwagon and try to stay out of the Kool-Aid. I hope some of you reading this will join in.

In doing so, I have to say great win last weekend, but here's what Bama faces this week.

Kentucky (4-0) comes in sporting the number one defense in the nation in points allowed per game at only 5.5, and number eight in yards allowed at 227. They have yet to allow a rushing touchdown and are the eighth-best passing defense in the nation, allowing only 15 yards passing in last week's game against Western Kentucky.

The defense also scored two touchdowns against Louisville and set up another with an interception.

Offensively, they are averaging 32 points and 352 yards of total offense a game, and their special teams already have a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown this year.

Kentucky is a very formidable team, and Bama needs to bring its A-game this week and come out and bloody the Wildcats' nose from the start—then keep punching them in the nose for the full 60 minutes.

As a side note, a ton of top recruits will be there evaluating Bama this week, so it would be nice to put on a good show for them.

I think Bama wins this one, but I'm not happy with wins anymore. I want domination. I want them to not just seem to be National Contenders—I want them to be THE National Contender. I want to see tough, beat 'em down, good ol' Alabama football this weekend and for our players to not be satisfied with just a win.

Bama's showed what type of team they can be—now, Bama show everyone what type of team you are.

Roll Tide!