SEC Championship Game

5 Ways Georgia Can Beat Alabama

Georgia Bulldogs

The 2012 SEC Championship Game between #2 Alabama and #3 Georgia will be a classic.  College football fans will have the chance to see two very good football teams square off against one another.  This game will determine who will face Notre Dame in the BCS National Championship Game.  Most people are already putting Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game before they even step on the field against Georgia.  Not so fast my friends!  Georgia has more overall talent than Alabama on both sides of the ball.  The game is being played in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, which really makes it a home game for Georgia.  This piece offers five ways Georgia can defeat Alabama and win the 2012 SEC Championship Game.

1.  Throw the football early and often.  You have to be willing to exploit Alabama’s weak secondary.  This year, teams who have seriously committed to throwing the football have had success against Alabama.

2.  Don’t abandon the run.  Just because Alabama gets some tackles-for-loss in the run game does not mean you should not make an effort to run the football.  You must run the football to open up the play-action pass game, which Georgia is one of the best teams in the nation when it comes to play-action passing.

3.  Match Alabama’s physicality.  Alabama will try to simply beat you up if you let them.  Georgia can be just as physical as Alabama and will need to be as physical as Alabama to defeat them.  Georgia will match Alabama’s physicality.

 4.  Bring pressure often on defense.  It’s important for Georgia to put pressure on the quarterback.  When Georgia gets to the quarterback, they must sack him with great force.

 5.  Protect the quarterback.  If Aaron Murray gets the proper time, he can do real damage to the Alabama defense.  If Georgia’s offensive line protects Murray, and the offensive will protect him, Georgia will defeat Alabama.  Murray must be willing to take short passes, considering Alabama’s defense loves to give opposing offenses the short yardage passes.

 Georgia will defeat Alabama 21 – 17 and become the 2012 SEC Champs!

Antonio Maurice Daniels

University of Wisconsin-Madison  

Cameron Newton is a Fraud

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) should have declared Cameron Newton ineligible to participate in NCAA intercollegiate athletics until a full investigation into various allegations about Cameron Newton could have been conducted. Although Cameron Newton has played phenomenally this season, this should not give him any special privileges. The NCAA has found that Cecil Newton, Cameron Newton’s father, did seek money in exchange for his son’s signing with certain schools, but the NCAA contends that Cameron Newton did not know anything about it and neither did Auburn. Yeah right! Cam Newton claims that he did not know that his father was seeking money in exchange for his signing. Yeah right! If the NCAA does not immediately declare Cameron Newton ineligible and take away all of Auburn’s wins this season, then the NCAA will prove without a shadow of doubt that it is a corrupt cartel.

Now, if I would have interviewed Cameron Newton after he won the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship against the South Carolina Gamecocks, the interview would have went tremendously different. Trust me—I would not have allowed his use of a hackneyed biblical scripture to prevent me from asking him probing questions. My first question would have been where’s your daddy? My second question would have been did you commit academic fraud on three papers while a student at the University of Florida? If he answers no to that question, I would then ask him why are credible people associated with the University of Florida who oversee disciplinary issues involving students saying that you did? Next, I would ask him do you really expect for the American people to believe that you did not know that your father was seeking money in exchange for you playing at a certain school? I would finally ask him why is it that you always find yourself surrounded in controversies involving illegal and criminal activities? I would end by telling him that the scripture that he used only refers to those who are saved—he cannot be saved with all of those lies he continues to tell. Repent Cameron Newton! The interview he gave after the SEC Championship game would have certainly went very differently if I was the interviewer—that’s for sure. I’m too intelligent, too skilled of a questioner, and too unsettling of a person to allow him to evade those aforementioned questions that most people want real answers to. I would have asked probing follow-ups to those questions. It would have been a post-game interview to remember!

The NCAA has simply been unfair in how it has treated Cameron Newton in comparison with how wrong they treated A.J. Green of the Georgia Bulldogs. Did A.J. Green and/or Georgia not have enough money to please the NCAA? We need to replace the NCAA with a serious governing body that will be a fair agency to oversee intercollegiate athletics. At the end of the day, Auburn is a fraudulent university and Cameron Newton is a fraudulent student, student-athlete, and person. Oh yeah, Cecil Newton is a fraudulent person and pastor.

Antonio Maurice Daniels

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Proud of the Performance of the Arkansas Razorbacks against Alabama

On Saturday, the Arkansas Razorbacks performed tremendously well against top-ranked Alabama. Until the 4th quarter, Arkansas really dominated the game. In the 4th quarter, Alabama was able to control the time of possession so well that it did not leave the Arkansas offense many opportunities to get on the field. Ryan Mallett had an outstanding game, but he did have a few costly interceptions. He is not the reason that Arkansas lost the game. Arkansas did not lose the game because of its defense. Everyone played tremendously well. The Arkansas Razorbacks lost the game because Alabama dominated the 4th quarter—the quarter that you have to win the game in.

The Arkansas players have nothing to hang their heads about. I have to be honest—I did not think that Arkansas could match Alabama’s physicality, but they certainly proved me wrong. Now, I knew Arkansas was more talented than Alabama and that talent proved to help them against Alabama, but Arkansas just did not perform well in the 4th quarter. The Razorbacks will need to improve how they perform in the 4th quarter of games if they want to win all of the remaining games on the schedule. I certainly believe that they are going to win the rest of the games on the schedule. Although the Razorbacks will need some help from some other teams in the SEC, they can still win the SEC Championship and play in the national championship game.

I would like to thank the Arkansas Razorback fans for how supportive and Hog Wild they were at the game. Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium had its largest crowd ever. Arkansas fans, I know that the players appreciated your great support and your support will be needed for the remainder of the season. Continue to give our great Razorbacks your super support! Go to road games and let them know you really support them. The Arkansas Razorbacks are going to do some special things this year!

I heard some people really trying to downplay how great of a program Arkansas is—saying that we are not in the same class with Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Florida, but I would like you to know that Arkansas has won a national championship before in football. Arkansas is 4th all-time in overall total number of national championships. Arkansas has outstanding academics and tremendous facilities. Fayetteville, Arkansas is one of the most pleasant places to live and with some of the nicest people you can find in America. Please don’t try to downplay the value of the University of Arkansas! Arkansas is a Tradition like none other!

I would like to congratulate Alabama on defeating Arkansas. You certainly beat what I think is the best team in the nation. You were simply the better team on Saturday. I take my hat off to you for overcoming great adversity to find a way to win on Saturday. Arkansas is the best team you will face all year. This Saturday Alabama will have to face Florida and things are not going to be easy for you. Next, Alabama will face South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. As we all know, going on the road in the SEC is always tough. Plus, having to deal with the Old Ball Coach, Steve Spurrier, is not any fun.

Finally, I would like to congratulate the Arkansas Razorbacks’ Special Teams—you performed wonderfully against Alabama. Keep up the good work! Good job, Arkansas defense! Keep playing hard and improving!

In closing, I would just like to tell the Arkansas players to get over this tough loss because it is not the end of the world. Go out and win the SEC and win the national championship! Keep fighting!

Antonio Maurice Daniels

University of Wisconsin-Madison