Bear Bryant Challenge: Alabama 2004

[Ben E Lou]

PRELIMINARIES

(The MAIN THREAD of this dynasty will explain the details.)

ACADEMICS: 46 reputation, 72nd overall ranking

PRESTIGE: 87

STAFF

None of the four key positions for us (OC, DC, Scout-DS, Scout-SE) are guys I intend to keep around long-term. Not worth going into to detail now.

SCHEDULE

Week	Opponent
2	UTAH STATE
$$3	42--MISSISSIPPI
4	EWA BEACH
$$5	38--at Arkansas
$$6	32--SOUTH CAROLINA
$$7	at Kentucky
8	SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
$$9	11--at Tennessee
$$11	MISSISSIPPI STATE
$$12	12--at Louisiana State
$$13	23--AUBURN

ROSTER

(Starters bold-faced and underlined, red-shirts appear red and italicized.)

QUARTERBACKS (SCOUT: Terrible)

Player	#	Pos	Elig	Current Estimate	Future Estimate
Gaylor, Artie	19	QB	JR	72	87
Daniels, Darrell	5	QB	JR	67	77
Maxfield, Bobby	18	QB	JR	56	92
Durm, Dale	7	QB	SR(RS)	41	44
Jordan, Rob	3	QB(WO)	FR	17	42

Well, I have three Junior QB's who have never been red-shirted, all who look like they could be winners. If Gaylor can stay healthy, I'll have two more seasons each out of Daniels and Maxfield. Gaylor looks to best at running the ball himself (a little option?), avoiding interceptions, deep passes, and short passes. His current rating in each of those categories are 93 or better. His lowest rating is a 45 in yards per throw.

BACKS (SCOUT: Pretty Good)

Urbina, Cory	48	RB	SR	63	64
DeMeester, Bernie	27	RB	JR	61	70
Wilson, Everett	37	RB	SR	60	60
Jankowski, Pete	22	RB	SR	59	59
Burns, Broderick	38	RB(WO)	FR	36	57
Burks, Brock	46	RB(WO)	FR	27	53
Ellis, Rex	40	FB	SR	70	70
Stephens, Dana	32	FB	FR	35	58
Whalen, Mark	42	FB	JR(RS)	28	60
Clay, Bruce	45	FB(WO)	FR	25	78

Urbina and DeMeester will basically split time at tailback. Their ratings are extremely similar. Both look like they can be pretty solid for me. FB Ellis can get a few carries, and is a very solid pass-catching FB. The freshmen FB's give me the luxury of not recruiting one this year.

RECEIVERS (SCOUT: Lousy)

Clemons, Devin	93	TE	SR	68	84
Burks, Joey	87	TE	SR	54	90
Sutter, David	82	TE(WO)	JR(RS)	30	36
Fernyhough, Kim	81	TE(WO)	FR	15	46
Moln, Kyle	2	WR	SR	84	100
Barton, Antonio	9	WR	JR	59	59
Mills, Dustin	83	WR	SR	57	57
Smalley, Rusty	85	WR	SO	56	71
Beyer, Butch	80	WR	SO	49	76
Canady, Ben	1	WR	SO	41	54
Bellas, Chester	89	WR(WO)	SO	28	83

At TE, Clemons and Burks are very similar players. Red-shirting Burks assures that I won't have to start a true freshman or crappy 5th-year Senior next year. I have a nice stable of young receivers after stud Moln. If the bars are to be believed, Canady and Bellas should be the best of the bunch.

OFFENSIVE LINE (SCOUT: Excellent)

Walker, Donnie	55	C	SR	65	81
Hall, Riddick	56	C	JR(RS)	35	58
Wagner, Lester	53	C	FR	29	85
Garner, Matt	70	G	JR(RS)	65	100
Hoffman, Leo	64	G	JR(RS)	35	65
Orth, Wes	74	G	SO(RS)	32	83
Terry, Ernest	60	G(WO)	SO(RS)	10	69
Malley, Wade	77	T	SR	74	74
Babic, Wes	78	T	JR(RS)	68	92
Coles, Jumbo	76	T	SR(RS)	53	53
Mahovlich, Buddy	71	T	SR(RS)	34	47
Ross, Adrian	61	T	JR(RS)	23	64

It looks like we'll be decent up the middle this year, and quite good at the tackles. Wagner has some very nice potential. We can definitely stand to sign two good tackles this year, though.

KICKING GAME (SCOUT: Pretty Good)

Pasich, Jose	17	P	SR	61	61
Frazier, Kevin	15	P	SR	59	72
Newman, Thurman	6	P	FR	24	72
Monroe, Bernie	11	K	SR	81	81
Lavoie, Cornell	12	K	SR	67	79
Cunningham, C.J.	14	K(WO)	FR	16	87

Looks like we should be pretty solid here.

DEFENSIVE LINE (SCOUT: Pretty Good)

Fulcher, Junior	73	DE	SR(RS)	56	56
Knaack, Stanley	79	DE	SR(RS)	53	67
Norton, Pat	68	DE	SR(RS)	50	50
Flannery, O.J.	90	DE(WO)	FR	19	77
Ruff, Deon	69	DE(WO)	SO(RS)	15	45
Teal, Todd	51	DE(WO)	FR	11	73
Maxfield, K.C.	75	DT	SR	67	67
Bruton, Ty	99	DT	SO	40	53
Welch, Rich	97	DT(WO)	FR	31	60
Newman, Reuben	91	DT(WO)	FR	20	51
Shapiro, Rusty	72	DT(WO)	FR	16	82

The DL should be fine against the Mississippi States of the world, but I have some serious concern as to how they'll hold up against Tennessee, Auburn, and LSU.

LINEBACKERS (SCOUT: Lousy)

Bradshaw, Donovan	92	ILB	JR	59	78
Walker, Jeffrey	98	ILB	JR	51	73
Burns, Kenneth	95	ILB(WO)	SO	35	74
Lang, Burt	57	ILB(WO)	FR	24	43
Dakota, Roosevelt	43	ILB(WO)	FR	21	76
Westbrook, Perry	54	OLB	SR	68	76
Newton, Russell	96	OLB	SR(RS)	53	64
Reid, Benjamin	59	OLB	SO	48	48
Andersen, Junior	58	OLB	JR(RS)	41	65
Clemons, Darrell	94	OLB	SR(RS)	33	41

Anderson starts over Newton and Reid due to some solid potential that I see in him. We should be ok here. With our depth and youth at MLB, I won't recruit one this year, and maybe even not next year, either.

SECONDARY (SCOUT: :Lousy)

Perkins, Trent	24	CB	JR	38	44
Liwienski, Burt	33	CB	FR	22	77
Poole, Rodney	25	CB(WO)	SO	34	45
Davison, Kelly	20	CB(WO)	SO	23	51
Kimble, Will	47	CB(WO)	SO	20	36
Donaldson, Amos	44	CB(WO)	FR	15	71
Jenkins, Lionel	49	S	SR	55	55
Davis, Phillip	29	S	SR	49	77
Caldwell, Tyrone	23	S	JR	38	71
Bills, Dean	28	S(WO)	FR	15	77

Ugh. This is an area of grave concern. At the start of the career, Auburn runs the single back, Georgia the run-and-shoot (BLASPHEMY!!!), LSU the run-and-shoot, and Tennessee the Trips Formation. Florida, with the Pro, is the only of the better SEC teams that doesn't start with a pass-happy offensive set, and our best DB is only mediocre. The good news is that Liwienski, Donaldson and Bills all have potentially bright futures ahead of them.

OVERALL ROSTER THOUGHTS

It looks like we will have a good and balanced offense, but a defense that will struggle against our three toughest opponents. I think 8-3 is a realistic expectation.

PRESEASON TOP 25

Team	Record	Conf	Comp	Poll	Loss	Sched	Total	Rank
Michigan	0-0	B10	1.00	1.00	0.00	0.52	2.52	1
Oklahoma	0-0	B12	2.00	3.00	0.00	1.12	6.12	2
Miami of Florida	0-0	ACC	3.00	3.00	0.00	1.36	7.36	3
Florida State	0-0	ACC	4.00	5.50	0.00	0.12	9.62	4
Ohio State	0-0	B10	5.00	5.50	0.00	0.68	11.18	5
Georgia	0-0	SEC	6.00	4.00	0.00	2.08	12.08	6
Nebraska	0-0	B12	7.00	10.50	0.00	1.04	18.54	7
Texas	0-0	B12	8.00	9.50	0.00	1.20	18.70	8
Louisiana State	0-0	SEC	12.00	8.50	0.00	2.40	22.90	9
Florida	0-0	SEC	10.00	11.00	0.00	2.04	23.04	10
UCLA	0-0	P10	9.00	12.50	0.00	1.88	23.38	11
Tennessee	0-0	SEC	11.00	13.00	0.00	2.20	26.20	12
Alabama	0-0	SEC	15.00	11.50	0.00	2.28	28.78	13
Southern California	0-0	P10	14.00	17.00	0.00	1.92	32.92	14
Notre Dame	0-0	IND	16.00	12.50	0.00	4.56	33.06	15
Penn State	0-0	B10	13.00	20.00	0.00	0.72	33.72	16
Wisconsin	0-0	B10	17.00	18.00	0.00	0.80	35.80	17
Kansas State	0-0	B12	20.00	15.00	0.00	0.96	35.96	18
Clemson	0-0	ACC	19.00	18.00	0.00	0.04	37.04	19
Virginia Tech	0-0	ACC	18.00	23.00	0.00	1.56	42.56	20
Washington	0-0	P10	24.00	18.50	0.00	1.96	44.46	21
Auburn	0-0	SEC	23.00	23.00	0.00	2.36	48.36	22
Texas A&M	0-0	B12	21.00	27.50	0.00	1.24	49.74	23
Oregon	0-0	P10	22.00	26.00	0.00	1.76	49.76	24
Maryland	0-0	ACC	27.00	24.50	0.00	0.20	51.70	25

I'm not harboring any realistic hopes of winning the SEC this year. I'd just like to make a solid showing and go to a Bowl Game this year.

[Ben E Lou]

WEEK ONE

RECRUITING

It becomes immediately obvious to me that this is going to be a different sort of TCY career than I'm used to playing. Typically, I take an SC8 school or a bad situation such as Kentucky and build them up to national prominence. This is a situation where I have a team that can be a winner with just a little improvement. However, the academic situation is not very good. Usually, I spend a few years recruiting 1200+ SAT guys only and not worrying about winning. I've decided that, for now at least, I'm going to try to improve the team immediately, even if it means recruiting not-so-bright guys. If this doesn't work out, I can fall back in three or four seasons and start pumping up the academics.

At any rate, in Week One, I mainly look at QB's. Immediately it looks like this is going to be a tough year for us in that area. It appears from the start that it is going to be important to keep at least one of my Junior QB's red-shirted all year long, because I doubt whoever I land in this class is going to be helpful. At this point, the most-likely candidate for signing appears to be QB Kendall Durham, the #35 QB in the land. He's a Prest*/Dist guy out of Baltimore, rated 72- with a Lousy atttitude. Yeah, he's my best option. I also draw a bead on a CB and RB this week.

GAME

None.

[Ben E Lou]

WEEK TWO

RECRUITING

I go ahead and offer QB Kendall Durham a scholly this week. I spend all my visit budget this week on in-state talent rated >60, and make offers to in-state guys at TE, DE, DT, OLB and CB. Then, I make phone calls to some top-tier players. As far as detail in recruiting reporting goes, I think I'll do this, and see how it feels: I'll report detailed as-we-go information about QB's, and about any players in the Top 10 of their position. Others will just get mentioned by position until they actually sign. With that in mind, I make offers to the following top-of-the-line players:

WR Alex Gotchy--This kid outta Memphis is the #2 WR in the nation, #18 overall. He's a Prst/Acad guy, also being recruited by UT, and the Vols are just slightly better at each than us.

G Charles Jack--He's a Prest/Acad from Massachusetts, and so far only Maryland is after him, and our Prestige trumps theirs.

RB Buddy Coy--The #3 RB in the nation is from Norfolk. Right now we're battling UGA and VT for him.

GAME

We're a 15-point favorite at home against Utah State this week, and we easily cover the spread with a 34-3 drubbing. Artie Gaylor was good, albeit a bit inconsistent: 21 for 33 for 295 yards, with 2 TD's and 3 INT's. The running game struggled, though, netting only 70 yards on 33 carries. Gaylor did show some promise as a runner, as expected. Discounting his four times being sacked, he rushed 5 times for 30 yards. Unfortunately, it has been a while since I played TCY, and I forgot to set our formation to I as I had planned, so we're in the Wing-T for this season. Other key stats:

• Kyle Moln caught 7 passes for 96 yards
  
• DT K.C. Maxfield had a strong day: 5 tackles, 3 assists, 1.5 sacks. He was named P.O.G.
  
• MLB Donovan Bradshad had 8 tackles, one for a loss
  
• DE Stanley Knaack showed a real "knack" (sorry) for getting into the backfield: 3 tackles for losses, .5 sacks.
  

NEW INJURIES OF SIGNIFICANCE

None.

[Ben E Lou]

WEEK THREE

RECRUITING

I now have an offer at every position I watn to sign this year: QB, RB, TE, WR, G, T, T, DE, DT, OLB, CB, S. I'll also be going after walk-ons at C, Pk, K, and S later on. Here's an update on the top-tier players:

Name	Home	Sct	Nat	Pos	GPA	SAT	Pref	Comments
WR Alex Gotchy	Memphis	83+	18	2	2.75	1047	Prest/Aca	Three higher-prestige schools have offered.
RB Buddy Coy	Norfolk	83+	51	3	2.96	930	Prest*/Aca	Visiting VT, but we have slightly higher Prestige.
G Charles Jack	Mass.	69+	80	8	2.68	1127	Prest/Aca	We have best Prestige among his offers.

MARQUEE GAMES/MAJOR UPSETS AROUND THE NATION

#30 Arkansas upsets #7 Texas 27-10

#13 Notre Dame spanks #1 Michigan 68-35

SEC ACTION

#5 UGA 41, #24 USC 17

# 30 Arkansas 27, #7 Texas 10

#8 Florida 33, Eastern Michigan 7

#17 Auburn 24, Mississippi State, 10

#10 LSU 60, Arkansas State 10

OUR GAME: #34 Ol' Miss (1-0) at #12 Alabama (1-0) (-6) (TV5)

After sputtering in the opener, the offense opens up a can in this one, dismantling the Rebs 40-10 in front of 83,800 rabid 'Bama fans. Gaylor looks very good: 21 for 28, 284 yards, 3 TD's, 0 INT's, and Urbina and DeMeester combine for 16 carries for 91 yards and 2 TD's. Other key stats...

• Antonio Barton catches 5 passes for 105 yards and 2 TD's.
  
• FB Rex Ellis provides a nice safety valve: 6 catches for 51 yards.
  
• MLB Bradshaw registers 5 tackles, 2 assists and a sack.
  
• We had 398 yards of offense on the day, and 26 first downs.
  

NEW INJURIES OF SIGNIFICANCE

DT K.C. Maxfield suffers a torn knee ligament, and is listed as Out (17wks). We un-redshirt Rusty Shapiro, and start soph. Ty Bruton..

[Ben E Lou]

WEEK FOUR

This week finds the SEC dominating the Polls. In the overall BCS one, LSU is #1, Florida is #2, we are #8, Arkansas is 13th, UGA is 18th, and UT is 23rd. Auburn is rather inexplicably ranked at #34, but looking at their roster, they'll move up before the year is over.

RECRUITING

Not much to report yet. Still doing strategic calls and visits. As far as news on the top guys...

Name	Home	Sct	Nat	Pos	GPA	SAT	Pref	Comments
WR Alex Gotchy	Memphis	83+	18	2	2.75	1047	Prest/Aca	He's got seven total offers, all from quality options.
RB Buddy Coy	Norfolk	83+	51	3	2.96	930	Prest*/Aca	Now visiting Oklahoma along with VT.
G Charles Jack	Mass.	69+	80	8	2.68	1127	Prest/Aca	We still have best Prestige among his offers.

MARQUEE GAMES/MAJOR UPSETS AROUND THE NATION

#24 N.C. State defeats #3 Ohio State 19-14.

SEC ACTION

#8 LSU 31, #16 Auburn 17

#9 Tennessee 20, #6 Florida 17

#4 UGA 49, Marshall 0

Kentucky 19, Indiana 0

Ol' Miss 41, Vandy 0

Arkansas 38, Louisiana-Monroe 0

USC 40, South Florida 7

OUR GAME: Ewa Beach (0-2) at #11 Alabama (2-0)

I guess I forgot to mention that I put the SC8 out in Hawaii, and our first encounter with them proves to be a laugher: 77-21. What's funny is that we actually trailed in this one for a few minutes. Teddy Treadway ran back our opening kickoff 102 yards to give Ewa Beach a 7-0 lead. The big ol' eye-poppin' key numbers...

• We had 672 yards of offense.
  
• Urbina and DeMeester had a combined 20 carries for 204 yards.
  
• Discounting sacks, Gaylor rushed 11 times for 43 yards and a TD to go along with his 20 for 26 for 373 yards and 4 TD's passing.
  
• Four different receivers caught the four TD passes.
  
• We only punted once all day long.
  

NEW INJURIES OF SIGNIFICANCE

We lose WR Kyle Moln for around 11 weeks due to a broken jaw. We remove Butch Beyer's redshirt tag in response.

[Ben E Lou]

WEEK FIVE

Me move up to #2 in the rankings--a place I'm not sure we deserve, having not really been tested yet. We travel to #18 Arkansas this week, though, which should provide us with at least something of a gauge of where we are. LSU remains #1, UGA is #6, UT is #8

RECRUITING

A couple of the in-state guys come to visit this week, and I feel pretty confident about landing them (TE and CB). Of the three marquee guys, only G Charles Jack looks like he might have a realistic chance of coming to 'Bama at this point.

Name	Home	Sct	Nat	Pos	GPA	SAT	Pref	Comments
WR Alex Gotchy	Memphis	83+	18	2	2.75	1047	Prest/Aca	He's got seven total offers, all from quality options.
RB Buddy Coy	Norfolk	83+	51	3	2.96	930	Prest*/Aca	Now visiting Oklahoma along with VT.
G Charles Jack	Mass.	69+	80	8	2.68	1127	Prest/Aca	We still have best Prestige among his offers.

MARQUEE GAMES/MAJOR UPSETS AROUND THE NATION

#11 Wisconsin 34, #8 Penn State 28

SEC ACTION

Florida 83, Kentucky 7

LSU 62, Mississippi State 10

Navy 45, Vandy 0

Pitt 40, Auburn 30

Ol' Miss 52, Wyoming 17

UT 45, La. Tech 6

USC 45, Troy State 7

OUR GAME: #9 Alabama (3-0) at #22 Arkansas (3-0)

OK, so maybe we're better than I thought. He humiliate the Razorbacks by a 52-14 count in Fayetteville. We click on all cylinders offensively and defensively. The details...

• Gaylor was 17 for 27 for 205 yards with 2 TD's and 0 INT's.
  
• Urbina and DeMeester combined for 27 carries and 162 yards.
  
• As a team, we pile up 443 yards and 30 first downs on the day.
  
• This time, we punt twice all day.
  

NEW INJURIES OF SIGNIFICANCE

None.

[Ben E Lou]

WEEK SIX

Well, we get a rejection letter from RB Buddy Coy. He'll be a Hokie in the fall. Not surprising. I had a fall-back option.

RECRUITING

I replace Coy with the fall-back option, and continue working the phones and visits. The news should start rolling in next week and beyond.

MARQUEE GAMES/MAJOR UPSETS AROUND THE NATION

#3 UGA 44, #6 LSU 0

SEC ACTION

UGA 44, LSU 0

Florida 37, Arkansas 0

UT 52, Auburn 26

Miss. St. 35, Vandy 28

Kentucky 41, Ohio 18

Ol' Miss 28, Arkansas St. 0

OUR GAME: #34 USC (4-1) at #6 Alabama (4-0) (-5)

OK, so maybe we're WORSE than I thought. The Gamecocks come to town and humble us. this one wasn't as close as the 33-31 USC score would indicate. We scored 10 points in the last 5 minutes of the game to make a 2-touchdown game look close, but the realty is that USC moved the ball at will. RB Sam Van Der Linden carried 26 times for 160 yards and 2 TD's, and QB Joseph Wasczewski was 14 for 19 for 258 yards with 1 TD and 0 INT's for Carolina. Gaylor was held to 154 yards on 13 for 23 passing as well. Just a tough day all around.

NEW INJURIES OF SIGNIFICANCE

DT Rich Welch goes down for 8-ish weeks with a herniated disk. Yup, both of our starting DT's are now Out. No more red-shirt for Reuben Newman.

[Ben E Lou]

WEEK SEVEN

RECRUITING

We sign an OLB recruit. I'll give details at the end of the regular season on all non-marquee signees.

MARQUEE GAMES/MAJOR UPSETS AROUND THE NATION

#2 UGA 44, #7 UT 7. (I am beginning to wonder if no one is going to touch the Dawgs this year.)

SEC ACTION

UGA 44, UT 7

Florida 34, LSU 24

USC 28, Ol' Miss 3

Vandy 38, Rutgers 13

UAB 38, Miss. St. 21

OUR GAME: #18 Alabama (4-1) (-14) at Kentucky (2-2)

We right the ship big-time with a 50-3 pimp-slapping of the Wildcats behind 477 yards of offense. DeMeester and Urbina combine for 188 yards on 35 carries, and Gaylor is 16 for 25 for 21 yards with 2 TD's and 0 INT's.

NEW INJURIES OF SIGNIFICANCE

None.

[Ben E Lou]

WEEK EIGHT

RECRUITING

Visit Week! Here are the guys who come a-callin':

Name	Home	Sct	Nat	Pos	GPA	SAT	Pref	Comments
QB Kendall Durham	Baltimore, MD	72-	440	35	2.33	1062	Pres*/Dist	Looks very likely to sign with us.
RB Norbert Mull	Gastonia, NC	65+	602	49	3.42	1399	Pres*/Dist	Also looking at USC and UNC. A close one.
TE Teddy Rodgers	Douglas	59+_	881	26	2.75	1100	Dist/Pres	We should land him easily.
WR Brady Woods	Clearwater, FL	90-	144	10	3.06	967	Pres*/Dist	Looks very close between us, LSU, and UT.
G Gene Lochner	Mandeville, LA	76+	164	23	3.51	1225	Pres/Acad	LSU, Bama, ND, VT all seem possible.
T Monty Givens	Dublin, GA	83+	178	19	3.39	1300	Pres/Dist	Idolizes UGA, but no offer from 'em yet.
DE Dana Gillespie	Bayou La Batre	78+	259	38	3.52	1337	Dist*/Acad	He should be a Red Elephant soon.
DT Brett Williford	Lanett	67+	841	56	3.57	1451	Acad*/Pres	We're his only offer so far.
OLB Corwin Moley	Tallassee	67+	447	32	2.9	1235	Acad/Pres	Signed already with us.
CB Dominic Caldwell	Athens	65+	464	31	2.94	1093	Dist/Pres	We look like the clear front-runner.

MARQUEE GAMES/MAJOR UPSETS AROUND THE NATION

None.

SEC ACTION

UT 48, Ol' Miss 22

UGA 38, Vandy 3

USC 59, Kentucky 14

Auburn 52, Arkansas 33

OUR GAME: Southern Mississippi (3-2) at #14 Alabama (5-1) (-12)

We defeat the outmanned Golden Eagles by a 38-10 count despite Urbina getting held to 41 yards on 14 carries. DeMeester had 11 for 67, and Gaylor was 16 for 26 for 228 yards with 2 TD's and 2 INT's, more than making up for Urbina, though.

NEW INJURIES OF SIGNIFICANCE

None.

[Ben E Lou]

WEEK NINE

RECRUITING

T Monty Givens finally gets an offer from UGA. I withdraw mine and look elsewhere. None of the guys on my visit list sign anywhere yet.

SEC ACTION

Georgia 53, Arkansas 17

Florida 34, Mississippi State 7

Auburn 38, Kentucky 21

Vandy 41, La-Monroe 0

LSU 56, Troy State 3

OUR GAME: #12 Alabama (6-1) (-1) at #10 Tennessee (5-1)

We get humbled on the banks of the Tennessee River, 41-3. We go to bed afterward with "Rocky Top" ringing in our ears. The Vols become the first team to truly exploit our defensive weakness--the secondary. They rush 32 times for 39 yards, but throw for 313 while holding Gaylor to--get this--2 for 22 for 26 yards and 1 INT on the day. We only managed 156 total yards and 7 first downs. Wow.

NEW INJURIES OF SIGNIFICANCE

None.

[Ben E Lou]

WEEK TEN

RECRUITING

Well, we land a few guys despite last week's debacle, but also lose one who I thought was a shoo-in. QB Kendall Durham, WR Brady Woods (a bit of a surprise, I guess he figured we could use the help against UT in the future) and CB Dominic Caldwell all decide to become Red Elephants. However, TE Teddy Rodgers picks MTSU over us. Heck, I guess MTSU looks more likely to beat UT that we do at this point.

SEC ACTION

Georgia 14, Florida 11

UT 26, USC 24

Auburn 33, Ol' Miss 15

Mississippi State 29, Kentucky 14

LSU 55, Vandy 7

OUR GAME: OFF

We rest this week and prepare to take out our misery on Mississippi State before closing with LSU and Auburn.

NEW INJURIES OF SIGNIFICANCE

None.

[Ben E Lou]

WEEK ELEVEN

RECRUITING

DE Dana Gillespie from Bayou La Batre decides to roll with the Tide, but TE Teddy Rodgers decides to head to MTSU.

SEC ACTION

USC 38, Arkansas 0

Florida 48, Vandy 0

UGA 52, Kentucky 10

Tennessee 42, Notre Dame 14

Auburn 28, Kailua 10

OUR GAME: Mississippi State (2-5) at #19 Alabama (6-2) (-25)

As expected, we destroy the Bulldogs. When the dust cleared, the scoreboard read 52-10 in our favor. Urbina and DeMeester combine for 21 carries, 131 yards, and 1 TD, and Gaylor bounces back to the tune of 19 for 25 for 298 yards with 3 TD's and 0 INT's. Our punter never sees the field in the first half, and we pile up 579 yards and 31 first downs on the day.

NEW INJURIES OF SIGNIFICANCE

None.

[Ben E Lou]

WEEK TWELVE

RECRUITING

RB Norbert Mull shuns us for Wake Forest.

SEC ACTION

UGA 56, Auburn 14

Florida 51, USC 21

Kentucky 13, Vandy 10

Arkansas 21, Ol' Miss 17

OUR GAME: #18 Alabama (7-2) at #16 LSU (6-2) (-4)

The BYU Bengals show the nation that our big loss to UT was no fluke. We again get humiliated at the hands of a top-tier SEC team, this time 55-7. Three Tiger QB's combined for 410 yards passing, 4 TD's, and 0 INT's. Ouch!

NEW INJURIES OF SIGNIFICANCE

None.

[Ben E Lou]

WEEK THIRTEEN

RECRUITING

No surprise in that DT Brett Williford from Lanett decides to join the team next year.

SEC ACTION

Clemson 31, USC 24

Florida 30, FSU 7

Tennessee 42, Vandy 0

LSU 45, Ol' Miss 3

Arkansas 45, Mississippi St. 17

OUR GAME: #35 Auburn (6-4) at #25 Alabama (7-3) (-12)

We post a big win in the Iron Bowl, our rivalry game, defeating the War Chickens 34-7. Gaylor throws for 280 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT, and the two-headed monster rushes 32 times for 134 yards and 2 TD's. The win solidifies our finish as 2nd in the SEC West, and pretty much assures us of a Bowl Bid.

NEW INJURIES OF SIGNIFICANCE

None.

[Ben E Lou]

WEEK FOURTEEN

RECRUITING

I sign my 2nd choice at TE--a guy from 'way up in Alaska--Jonathan Armstrong. I also sign a G, T and S, but still no RB. At this point, I decide to simply go for a smart walk-on RB, since I have two decent frosh being red-shirted.

SEC ACTION

UGA 45, Tech 24

LSU 26, Arkansas 10

UT 61, Kentucky 14

Ol' Miss 31, Mississippi State 12

OUR GAME: OFF

NEW INJURIES OF SIGNIFICANCE

None.

[Ben E Lou]

WEEK FIFTEEN

RECRUITING

My induced walk-ons all sign this week, rounding out the class at 16 players.

SEC ACTION

The #1 Dawgs CRUSH LSU 46-10 in the SEC Championship game. QB Eric Daft throws for 375 yards. Looking over UGA's roster, there are several potential Falcons on it, including Daft, a 94/94 Junior out of Powder Springs. On the whole, UGA has 6 Seniors rated >85.

OUR GAME: OFF

We get an invite to play in the Seattle Bowl (#4SEC vs. #6 ACC) against NC State.

NEW INJURIES OF SIGNIFICANCE

None.

[Ben E Lou]

RECRUITING AND BOWL WRAP-UP

RECRUITING

Player	Pos	ST	Visit Cost	Dist.	Fit Score	Scout	Phone	Visit	Emphasis	Status
$$Durham, Kendall	QB	MD	532	747	94	72-	3	1	Prest*/Dist	Committed *
##Lewis, Trent	RB	GA	297	192	81	40+	3	2	Acad/Prest	Committed *
##Armstrong, Jonathan	TE	AK	1336	4050	72	74+	3	2	Prest/Dist	Committed *
**Woods, Brady	WR	FL	398	471	94	90-	3	2	Prest*/Dist	Committed *
##Flemming, Mo	C	KY	327	325	78	37-	2	2	Acad/Dist	Committed *
##Garner, Tyrell	G	NC	406	514	77	60+	1	2	Dist*/Prest	Committed *
##Swisher, Geoff	T	GA	333	226	72	55-	1	2	Dist/Acad	Committed *
##Kippen, Robbie	T	ND	820	1264	78	56+	1	2	Acad*/Prest	Committed *
##Hutchins, Darrell	P	AL	249	45	84	20+	2	2	Prest/Dist	Committed *
##Moore, Wendell	K	CA	1184	1933	83	47-	2	2	Acad/Prest	Committed *
$$Gillespie, Dana	DE	AL	301	205	76	78+	2	2	Dist*/Acad	Committed *
##Williford, Brett	DT	AL	279	138	76	67+	2	2	Acad*/Prest	Committed *
$$Mosley, Corwin	OLB	AL	269	108	80	67+	3	2	Acad/Prest	Committed *
$$Caldwell, Dominic	CB	AL	271	114	88	65+	1	2	Dist/Prest	Committed *
##Monroe, Lamont	S	ME	873	1257	73	35+	4	1	Acad*/Prest	Committed *
##Mayes, Kelvin	S	FL	402	506	91	61+	4	1	Prest/Acad	Committed *

It looks like we signed some guys who can help on both sides of the ball.



TCY TODAY RECRUITING RANKINGS



(Top Five Overall, and all SEC teams included)

Rank	Team
1	Southern California
2	UCLA
3	Notre Dame
4	Penn State
5	Florida State
26	Auburn
30	Alabama
37	Florida
39	Arkansas
41	Tennessee
45	Georgia
60	Kentucky
74	Vanderbilt
76	Louisiana State
111	South Carolina
114	Mississippi

BOWL RECAP

Game	Matchup	Location	Payoff
Solecismic Bowl	Georgia (13-0) 31, Miami of Florida (10-2) 27	Columbus, GA	$7,200,000
Sugar Bowl	Nebraska (12-1) 26, Michigan (10-2) 21	New Orleans, LA	$4,800,000
Orange Bowl	Tennessee (11-1) 34, Oregon State (9-3) 10	Coral Gables, FL	$4,200,000
Rose Bowl	Georgia Tech (10-2) 21, Air Force (9-3) 9	Los Angeles, CA	$3,600,000
Cotton Bowl	Clemson (10-2) 41, Wisconsin (10-2) 23	Dallas, TX	$1,800,000
Citrus Bowl	Oklahoma (11-2) 21, UCLA (9-3) 14	Orlando, FL	$1,500,000
Sun Bowl	Virginia Tech (10-2) 28, Colorado (9-3) 21	El Paso, TX	$1,200,000
Gator Bowl	Louisiana State (10-3) 29, Syracuse (10-2) 10	Jacksonville, FL	$1,080,000
Holiday Bowl	Ohio State (9-3) 35, Colorado State (6-6) 6	San Diego, CA	$1,080,000
Outback Bowl	Florida State (8-4) 17, Arizona State (8-4) 14	Tampa, FL	$900,000
Alamo Bowl	Florida (10-2) 34, Penn State (8-4) 3	Montgomery, AL	$900,000
Liberty Bowl	Maryland (8-4) 38, Texas Christian (11-1) 24	Memphis, TN	$720,000
Independence Bowl	Texas (9-3) 41, Minnesota (7-5) 14	Shreveport, LA	$720,000
Insight.com Bowl	Notre Dame (9-3) 31, Utah (6-6) 25	Phoenix, AZ	$600,000
Seattle Bowl	Alabama (9-3) 54, North Carolina State (6-6) 32	Seattle, WA	$600,000
Houston Bowl	Iowa (7-5) 44, Boise State (10-2) 13	Houston, TX	$540,000
Music City Bowl	Oregon (9-3) 51, Central Michigan (8-5) 0	Nashville, TN	$480,000
Motor City Bowl	Iowa State (9-3) 33, Marshall (7-6) 7	Detroit, MI	$480,000
Peach Bowl	South Carolina (8-4) 52, California (6-6) 3	Atlanta, GA	$480,000
Hawaii Bowl	Pittsburgh (9-3) 38, Louisville (8-4) 0	Honolulu, HI	$480,000
Las Vegas Bowl	West Virginia (9-3) 33, Miami of Ohio (8-4) 6	Las Vegas, NV	$480,000
Humanitarian Bowl	Boston College (8-4) 51, Navy (6-6) 3	Boise City, ID	$480,000
Happy Fun Bowl	Kailua (8-4) 24, Troy State (8-4) 3	Los Alamos, NM	$480,000

[Ben E Lou]

YEAR-END WRAP-UP

SEC WEST

Team	W	L	T	Pct	PF	PA	W	L	T	Pct	PF	PA	Streak
Louisiana State	10	3	0	.769	484	211	6	2	0	.750	298	132	Won 1
Alabama	9	3	0	.750	472	239	5	3	0	.625	269	173	Won 2
Auburn	6	5	0	.545	325	305	4	4	0	.500	211	252	Lost 2
Arkansas	5	6	0	.454	260	327	2	6	0	.250	140	292	Lost 1
Mississippi	5	6	0	.454	250	251	2	6	0	.250	142	227	Won 1
Mississippi State	2	9	0	.181	179	388	2	6	0	.250	130	290	Lost 4

TEAM SUMMARY

Record: 9-3
  Rank: 18
  
 Alabama                 Team      Rank 
 Rushes                  444       38 (T) 
 Rushing Yards           1960      20 
 Yards Per Carry         4.41      12 (T) 
 Pass Attempts           366       36 (T) 
 Completions             214       24 (T) 
 Passing Yards           3134      17 
 Yards Per Attempt       8.56      15 (T) 
 3rd Down Conversions    39.7      27 (T) 
 Points Per Game         39.3      7 
 Turnovers               17        21 (T) 
 Turnover Margin         +4        40 (T) 
 
 Opponents               Team      Rank 
 Rushes                  368       33 
 Rushing Yards           964       21 
 Yards Per Carry         2.61      23 
 Pass Attempts           319       49 (T) 
 Completions             161       30 (T) 
 Passing Yards           2139      49 
 Yards Per Attempt       6.70      59 
 3rd Down Conversions    31.8      46 (T) 
 Points Per Game         19.9      38 
 Turnovers               21        77 (T) 
 
 Primary Formation: Wing-T Formation
  
 Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt 
 2     34    UTST (91)     3 
 3     40    MISS (65)     10 
 4     77    EWAB (83)     21 
 5     52    at ARKN (64)  14 
 6     31    SCAR (31)     33 
 7     50    at KNTK (100) 3 
 8     38    SMIS (59)     10 
 9     3     at TENN (3)   41 
 11    52    MSST (108)    10 
 12    7     at LSST (13)  55 
 13    34    AUBR (40)     7 
 17    54    vs NCST (49)  32 
 
 Passing             Pos   Att   Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int 
 19 Gaylor           QB    309   181   2623  8.48  21    11 
 7 Durm              QB    41    29    492   12.00 5     2 
 Team                ---   366   214   3134  8.56  27    13 
 
 Rushing             Pos   Att   Yards Y/Att TD    Stff  YdLst 
 48 Urbina           RB    147   770   5.23  7     27    55 
 27 DeMeester        RB    131   772   5.89  11    26    30 
 19 Gaylor           QB    91    198   2.17  8     27    155 
 46 Burks            RB    30    97    3.23  2     6     4 
 Team                ---   444   1960  4.41  32    103   263 
 
 Receiving           Pos   Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC   TD 
 9 Barton            WR    75    39    717   18.3  335   8 
 85 Smalley          WR    53    26    436   16.7  254   7 
 83 Mills            WR    48    20    360   18.0  162   2 
 40 Ellis            FB    42    34    347   10.2  167   1 
 93 Clemons          TE    42    28    364   13.0  153   4 
 2 Moln              WR    35    24    496   20.6  239   2 
 48 Urbina           RB    29    22    167   7.5   80    1 
 80 Beyer            WR    18    9     129   14.3  78    2 
 27 DeMeester        RB    15    8     67    8.3   48    0 
 Team                ---   366   214   3134  14.6  1535  27 
 
 Defense             Pos   Tack  Asst  Sack  TFL   Ints  Defn 
 92 Bradshaw         ILB   61    17    7.5   13    1     11 
 49 Jenkins          S     45    17    0.0   8     1     6 
 54 Westbrook        OLB   38    9     2.0   7     0     2 
 73 Fulcher          DE    35    10    8.5   14    0     0 
 99 Bruton           DT    35    10    4.5   12    0     0 
 25 Poole            CB    34    10    0.0   3     1     6
  24 Perkins          CB    34    7     1.0   3     0     3 
 20 Davison          CB    29    9     0.0   1     4     2 
 58 Andersen         OLB   28    12    3.0   7     0     0 
 79 Knaack           DE    26    10    3.0   13    0     1 
 29 Davis            S     26    15    0.0   6     2     7 
 47 Kimble           CB    24    4     0.0   2     2     3 
 68 Norton           DE    22    6     4.5   8     0     0 
 23 Caldwell         S     20    11    0.0   4     0     2 
 98 Walker           ILB   17    4     1.0   7     1     3 
 94 Clemons          OLB   12    2     4.0   6     1     0 
 Team                ---   592   180   45.0  123   14 47

FINAL TOP 25

Team	Record	Conf	Comp	Poll	Loss	Sched	Total	Rank
Georgia	13-0	SEC	1.00	1.00	0.00	0.08	2.08	1
Nebraska	12-1	B12	1.75	2.00	1.00	0.40	5.15	2
Tennessee	11-1	SEC	2.75	3.00	1.00	0.44	7.19	3
Oklahoma	11-2	B12	5.75	4.00	2.00	1.12	12.87	4
Miami of Florida	10-2	ACC	6.50	5.50	2.00	0.48	14.48	5
Florida	10-2	SEC	6.75	7.00	2.00	1.20	16.95	6
Clemson	10-2	ACC	6.00	10.00	2.00	0.96	18.96	7
Louisiana State	10-3	SEC	7.00	12.50	3.00	0.16	22.66	8
Georgia Tech	10-2	ACC	7.75	13.00	2.00	0.52	23.27	9
Virginia Tech	10-2	ACC	11.25	11.00	2.00	1.88	26.13	10
Michigan	10-2	B10	17.00	5.50	2.00	2.20	26.70	11
Texas Christian	11-1	USA	14.75	9.00	1.00	3.44	28.19	12
Wisconsin	10-2	B10	16.00	9.50	2.00	2.36	29.86	13
Syracuse	10-2	BGE	17.00	15.50	2.00	2.64	37.14	14
Notre Dame	9-3	IND	16.75	18.00	3.00	0.80	38.55	15
Alabama	9-3	SEC	18.00	17.00	3.00	1.72	39.72	16
Ohio State	9-3	B10	22.25	13.50	3.00	2.76	41.51	17
Florida State	8-4	ACC	14.50	22.00	4.00	1.04	41.54	18
Pittsburgh	9-3	BGE	12.25	26.00	3.00	0.72	41.97	19
Oregon State	9-3	P10	14.25	24.50	3.00	0.24	41.99	20
Texas	9-3	B12	20.50	16.50	3.00	2.40	42.40	21
Oregon	9-3	P10	18.00	21.50	3.00	2.68	45.18	22
UCLA	9-3	P10	24.50	17.50	3.00	1.60	46.60	23
Colorado	9-3	B12	19.75	23.00	3.00	1.00	46.75	24
Maryland	8-4	ACC	15.50	29.00	4.00	0.64	49.14	25

ALL-SEC FIRST TEAM

Position/Award	Name	Team
Quarterback	Eric Daft	Georgia
Running Back	J.R. White	Florida
**Fullback	Rex Ellis	Alabama
Tight End	J.C. Autry	Florida
Wide Receiver	Steven Stone	Georgia
Wide Receiver	Norm Keck	Georgia
Center	Eugene Hindman	Louisiana State
Offensive Guard	Walt McConnell	South Carolina
Offensive Guard	Shawn Wagner	Tennessee
Offensive Tackle	Ben Fairweather	Florida
Offensive Tackle	Dwight Stuart	Georgia
Punter	Terry Robbins	Louisiana State
Kicker	Bryce Nori	South Carolina
Defensive End	Junior Horn	Georgia
Defensive End	Roger Maxwell	Louisiana State
Defensive Tackle	Bryant Gordon	Georgia
Inside Linebacker	D.J. Reed	Georgia
Inside Linebacker	Warren Sanders	Louisiana State
Outside Linebacker	Earnest Mathews	Louisiana State
Outside Linebacker	Scottie Lee	Florida
Cornerback	Malcolm Durham	Tennessee
Cornerback	Mo Greer	Auburn
Safety	Robert Jenkins	Georgia
Safety	Dusty Hudson	South Carolina

ALL-SEC SECOND TEAM

Position/Award	Name	Team
Quarterback	Louie Hicks	Louisiana State
Running Back	Sam Van Der Linden	South Carolina
Fullback	B.J. Bernard	South Carolina
Tight End	Norman Delgado	South Carolina
Wide Receiver	Donovan Basnight	Georgia
Wide Receiver	Conrad Berlin	Auburn
Center	Devin Gilliard	South Carolina
Offensive Guard	Mike Pierce	Auburn
Offensive Guard	Richie Erickson	Florida
Offensive Tackle	Brenden Moschetti	Mississippi
Offensive Tackle	Lewis Brady	South Carolina
Punter	Frankie Syron	Tennessee
Kicker	Marc Durham	Louisiana State
Defensive End	Jamie Geller	Vanderbilt
Defensive End	Norman Hutton	Mississippi State
Defensive Tackle	Britt Barnes	Georgia
**Inside Linebacker	Donovan Bradshaw	Alabama
Inside Linebacker	Moe Bridges	Kentucky
Outside Linebacker	Toby Sandlin	Mississippi State
Outside Linebacker	Patrick Hastings	Tennessee
Cornerback	Greg Bracken	South Carolina
Cornerback	Kendrick Leeper	Georgia
Safety	Britt Kinney	Tennessee
Safety	Andy Shelton	South Carolina

NATIONAL AWARDS

Kentucky won none.

Georgia QB Eric Daft was named top offensive player, and was runner-up by one point for the Heisman. I can't wait for him to turn pro. He was also, of course, first team All American.



The SEC boasted several 2nd-Team All Americans:

TE J.C. Autry--Florida--So.

WR Steven Stone--UGA--Sr.

G Wal McConnell--USC--Sr. (one more year left)

P Terry Robbins--LSU--Sr.

DE Junior Horn--UGA--Jr

OLB Earnest Mathews--LSU--Sr.

CB Malcolm Durham--UT--Sr.



PROFESSOR LAERTES' RATINGS

Team Performance: 77

Academic Performance: 26

Recruiting Performance: 16

Television Revenue: 84

Alumni Donations: 81

Attendance/Stadium: 90



We've got some good players returning, and one of the better recruiting classes for the conference. Things look pretty good so far. As far as the Falcons go, I couldn't be happier. There should be plenty of SEC talent to pluck from in the 2005 Draft.

[Ben E Lou]

Alabama Crimson Tide 2005

Atlanta Falcons 2005-_____

[Ben E Lou]

Next Season