Countdown to football season 2010

Hello football fans! The season is now less than 100 days away and SportsNet has plans to make sure you’re ready for the upcoming season. For the next 11 weeks, we will preview the 2010 opponents for LSU, Nicholls State and the New Orleans Saints.

On the 12th week, we will preview the teams we love – the Tigers, Colonels and the defending Super Bowl Champions.

Today’s version of the series begins with previews of our teams’ Week 2 opponents, Vanderbilt (LSU), Western Michigan (Nicholls) and the 49ers (Saints).

Here’s to football!

Vandy looking for change of fortune

Things may not come easy to the Vanderbilt football team in 2010.

Most struggling teams have youth at their disposal, but the Commodores return just 11 starters from their veteran squad last season.

Combine that with the usual Southeastern Conference slate that pits the team in home contests against Florida and LSU, as well as road contests with Ole Miss, Georgia and Arkansas, and things get even worse.

But after a slow start to spring practices, Commodores’ coach Bobby Johnson said his team got better and could be competitive this season.

“Overall, I think we got better as a football team, especially over the last week or 10 days,” he said. “Offensively, we’re starting to move the football, and see some positive results from the work we’re putting in.”

Moving the football was something Vanderbilt did not do in 2009 – and it ultimately led to an 0-8 SEC record.

The Commodores were held to 13 points or less in eight of their 12 games, and they did not score 20 points in any SEC game.

But the team returns veteran junior quarterback Larry Smith, who saw significant time under center in 2009.

Vanderbilt will pair Smith with electric sophomore halfback Warren Norman for what they hope will be a solid SEC one-two punch.

Norman had a breakout season last season, rushing for 783 yards, while also serving as one of the most dangerous kick returners in America.

The halfback broke the SEC freshman record for all-purpose yards with 1,941 yards.

Johnson said that duo, as well as a new offensive tempo headed by longtime offensive coordinator Jimmy Kiser, will look to keep opposing defenses off balance throughout the year.

“There are going to be some different looks with maybe even a different tempo,” he said. “We’re going to have about three different tempos. We’re not going to be a team that’s going to run up to the line of scrimmage all the time. We’re going to try to get the defense to identify itself some and then react off of that. Sometimes we’ll try to put them in a hurry-up mode. Sometimes we’ll try to milk the clock down further and try to help our defense from staying off the field.”

On defense things are a little sturdier.

The Commodores were No. 46 in America in scoring defense in 2009, allowing 23 points per game.

Vanderbilt was even better in passing defense and ranked No. 9 in the country, allowing just more than 160 yards per game through the year.

But the team will lose a large reason for that success this year and will have to replace All-American cornerback Myron Lewis, who was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of April’s NFL Draft.

But the defense didn’t appear to be too far behind without him for most of the spring, keeping the Commodore offense on its heels.

“It’s good having a real great defense like ours,” Norman said. “It makes the offense work that much harder.”

Key returners on the defense are linebacker Chris Marve, cornerback Casey Hayward and safeties Jay Fullam and Sean Richardson.

Marve recorded 121 tackles for Vanderbilt last season, while Hayward, Fullam and Richardson ball-hawked and deflected nine combined passes.

But regardless of how good the defense is in 2010, the Commodores know it’s all about the offense – and it was hard not to cheer when the offense mustered a big play in scrimmages.

“Of course you want to stop them, but sure, when they have a good play, you just have to say, ‘That’s our offense. That’s good. That will keep us off the field in a game.’ You always want to stop them, but deep down, we were happy every time we say them make a big play.”

VANDERBILT COMMODORES

2009 Record: 2-10

Starters Returning: 11

Key Returners: Linebacker Chris Marve, halfback Warren Norman, cornerback Casey Hayward, safety Sean Richardson

Coach: Bobby Johnson (89-102 career; 29-66 at Vanderbilt)

2009 STATS

Scoring Offense: 16.33 points per game

Scoring Defense: 23.33 points allowed per game

Total Offense: 306.33 yards per game

Total Defense: 362.75 yards allowed per game

49ers predicted by many to be Super Bowl sleeper

Long considered one of the most prestigious franchises in the NFL, the Super Bowl well has run dry as of late for the San Francisco 49ers.

It’s been 15 years since the team has played in a Super Bowl and seven years since the team’s last playoff appearance.

But with some new pieces in place this year, the 49ers hope to take a giant leap back to the top of the NFL in 2010.

“This is a good group,” said 49ers’ third-year coach Mike Singletary. “The group that we brought in this offseason has got to be one of the best I’ve seen. I’m very excited about that group and also about our team.”

The 49ers finished last season with an 8-8 record, but took momentum into the winter and won three of their final four games to finish the season.

The 49ers had one of the most successful offseasons in the league, according to NFL analysts across the country.

With offense a sore spot in the team’s 2009 season, the team traded for versatile wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr and signed veteran backup quarterback David Carr.

In the NFL Draft, the team beefed up their offensive line, selecting Rutgers offensive tackle Anthony Davis and Idaho guard Mike Iupati with the No. 11 and No. 17 picks in the 2010 NFL Draft.

The team also drafted USC safety Taylor Mays and versatile Mississippi State halfback Anthony Dixon.

“The coaches are really excited about working with them,” Singletary said. “They aren’t just leaving here and going run around and watch TV. These guys are out here studying their playbooks … it’s a breathe of fresh air.”

ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Mel Kiper Jr. agreed with the coach and said in his draft grades report that the 49ers got better this offseason.

“Give San Francisco credit. Early on in the draft, it had a chance to get better in a couple of places and decided to get a lot better in one,” he said. “By taking Anthony Davis … and then a lock to be a good NFL guard in Mike Iupati, the Niners are a better running team right now.”

But it wasn’t running that was the problem for the team last year, it was throwing the ball.

Shaun Hill was replaced as the team’s starter midseason by former first overall draft choice Alex Smith.

Smith had statistical success, tossing 18 touchdowns and 2,350 yards, but the team had just a 5-6 record with him in the lineup thanks in part to 12 interceptions.

But Smith will still be in the lineup now and in the foreseeable future, according to Singletary.

“We’re not going to be a flavor-of-the-month kind of thing,” Singletary told ESPN when he named Smith the starter. “I wanted to make the decision based upon who I feel gives us the best chance to win.”

A lot of the team’s predicted success also comes at the expense of others. The previous NFC West Champion Arizona Cardinals lost their quarterback Kurt Warner to retirement, leaving many to appoint the 49ers as the most likely team to take the title if the defending champions take a step back.

“Wherever you look, there’s competition,” Singletary said. “That’s very exciting, so it’s going to be a nice offseason. It gives us a great opportunity to continue to get better and those 53 guys that come out of this … they will be exciting.”

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

2009 Record: 8-8

Starters Returning: 16

Key Returners: Linebacker Patrick Willis, halfback Frank Gore, receiver Michael Crabtree, cornerback Nate Clements

Key Departures: quarterback Shaun Hill

Coach: Mike Singletary (13-12 career, all with 49ers)

2009 STATS

Scoring Offense: 20.60 ppg

Scoring Defense: 17.40 papg

Total Offense: 290.8 ypg

Total Defense: 326.4 yapg

Mustangs must replace 2nd Team All Conf. QB

After the Nicholls State Colonels open up their 2011 season on the Pacific Coast, the team will hop on a plane again and head to the Great Lakes in Week 2.

Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Mi. will be the site, home of the Western Michigan Broncos.

Western Michigan will be coming off a season opening game against cross-state foe Michigan St., and judging by last year’s 49-14 thrashing in East Lansing, the Broncos will probably be coming off a loss.

Last year, the Broncos finished the season 5-7 with a 4-4 Mid American Conference (MAC) record and three losses to Big 10 opponents.

Returning seven starters on both offense and defense, the Broncos will feature a mixture of experienced veterans and first-time starters – including a new quarterback.

After going 14-for-18 for 147 yards and a touchdown in Western Michigan’s Spring Game, Sophomore Alex Carder will likely win the starting job. But he will face stiff competition after strong performances from senior Drew Burdi and redshirt freshman Tyler VanTubbergen.

Whoever wins the job will have large shoes to fill replacing four-year starter and second-team AllMAC quarterback Tim Hiller, who amassed 99 touchdown passes compared to 41 interceptions.

Luckily for West Michigan, the signal caller will have plenty of help surrounding him with the return of four starters on an experienced offensive line, as well as all five of the Broncos’ top receivers.

With five wide receiver sets a normalcy in the Bronco offensive attack, injuries to wide receivers Juan Nunez and Jordan White last season forced others to step up on a team that threw the ball 528 times, compared to only 344 runs.

Head coach Bill Culbit said the play of his wide receivers stood out this spring.

“I thought the wide outs played better,” said Culbit in an interview on wmubroncos.com. “You could see there was going to be some growth this year. It was never an issue of talent. We missed Juan and Jordan in certain situations last year, and that really hurt us.”

Last year’s starting right tackle Phillip Swanson will move inside to right guard and freshman Dann O’Neill has been taking reps as the new starting right tackle.

The 6-foot-7 316-pound O’Neill will join last year’s Second Team All-MAC left tackle Anthony Parker on the edge.

“We’ve got great size on the outside along with a lot of experience inside, and every year is just another year to add to it,” said Swanson in an interview on wmubroncos.com. “It’s good to have Dann in there in games and not sitting on the sidelines.”

A veteran offensive line is always a welcome safety net to a first-year starting quarterback, but with a new quarterback comes new tendencies. According to Swanson, Western Michigan’s quarterbacks have shown more elusiveness and running ability this spring than Hiller showed in year’s past.

“You never know where they’re going to go. They can get out of the pocket and maybe what was a 5-yard loss is now a 15-yard gain – especially when you spread the field with five wides, and the linebackers drop into coverage,” said the offensive lineman. “Sometimes I wish they’d give you a call when they run down field. You see them pass you and think, ‘I wish I could have gotten down field to help you’.”

Averaging 24.7 points per game, offense wasn’t the Broncos problem last year. Instead, they will need to improve upon a defense that allowed 27.5 points per game – something that may bode well for the Nicholls’ newfound passing attack.

But if the Colonels hope to have a chance against the high-powered Bronco attack, they will need to get an early lead. Last season, Western Michigan was undefeated when leading at halftime and winless when trailing at halftime.

WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS

2009 Record: 5-7

Starters Returning: 14

Key Returners: Left tackle Anthony Parker, wide receivers Juan Nunez and Robert Arnheim, linebacker Austin Pritchard

Coach: Bill Culbit (68-45-1 career; 34-27 at Western Michigan)

2009 STATS

Scoring Offense: 24.67 ppg

Scoring Defense: 27.5 papg

Total Offense: 387.83 ypg

Total Defense: 418.83 yapg