Final prep roundup for 2012 high school football season
November 13, 2012
Nicholls men ready to make Southland push
November 13, 2012
Saints
Quarterbacks – Drew Brees apparently made the conscious decision to spot the Falcons a half a quarter. After throwing an interception on his first pass of the game, Brees was near flawless in a huge victory.
Grade: A
Halfbacks – If Chris Ivory stays healthy, he will give the Saints a weapon they need to be able to pound the football against cold weather teams late in the season. That’s a big if, though.
Grade: B+
Receivers – Jimmy Graham and Lance Moore were absolutely huge in a big victory. The duo combined for 14 receptions and 237 yards and two scores. They made up for Marques Colston, who struggled against Asante Samuel.
Grade: A
Offensive line – The Falcons tried their hardest to get pressure on Brees. For the most part, their efforts failed. The Saints’ offensive line continues to be one of the bright spots of the team. Don’t underestimate Aaron Kromer returning to his full-time position as offensive line coach.
Grade: A
Defensive line – Atlanta usually has a pounding rushing game. Against the Saints, they had nothing. These guys were the unsung heroes of Sunday’s game, keeping the Falcons out of the end zone on multiple possessions, forcing field goals, instead of touchdowns.
Grade: B+
Linebackers – There probably isn’t anyone in the country that can consistently guard Tony Gonzales. But the Saints’ linebackers and safeties surely had a whale of a time trying to keep the powerful tight end in check. He’s a whale of a player.
Grade: C
Defensive backs – Sure, they made some plays late to secure the victory, but allowing 400 yards passing? That type of stuff will get you beaten before long.
Grade: D
Special teams – The overlooked play of Sunday’s game is punter Thomas Morstead’s punt out of his own end-zone late in the game that flipped the field for the Falcons’ final drive. Those types of plays are always the difference between victory and defeat in the parity-stricken NFL.
Grade: B+
Coaching staff – The Saints were a little bit too amped up early, but they showed poise and composure to overcome the 10-0 deficit. The difference between Joe Vitt and Aaron Kromer is remarkable. He truly has a calming effect on the team.
Grade: B+
Overall – It’s as simple as this – no matter how ugly things may have been at various points, if you beat the NFL’s best team, you get an A.
Grade: A
LSU
Quarterbacks – Ladies and gentlemen, LSU appears to have a quarterback. After a slow start to the season, things are clicking for Zach Mettenberger. In the past two games, the Tigers’ signal caller has been flawless.
Grade: A
Halfbacks – LSU’s powerful running game was kept in check by Mississippi State’s stout front. If this were earlier in the season, LSU could have been in big trouble.
Grade: C+
Receivers – It took a while, but Jarvis Landry is turning into a heck of a wide receiver. A nine-catch, 109-yard effort is another step in the right direction for the promising receiver.
Grade: B+
Offensive line – The LSU offensive line couldn’t open holes in the running game. But we’ll credit that to the numbers Mississippi State had in the box. The most important thing about Saturday’s game was the fact that Mettenberger’s jersey remained bright white throughout the game. He was mostly untouched.
Grade: A
Defensive line – Mississippi State had no shot running the football against the Tigers’ massive front. It was disheartening to see LSU struggle to get pressure on Tyler Russell throughout the night, though.
Grade: B
Linebackers – Mississippi State did a solid job putting the LSU linebackers in coverage down the middle of the field. The job the Tigers did in those situations wasn’t exactly awe-inspiring.
Grade: C
Defensive backs – For the first time this season, the LSU defensive backs ran into a team able to exploit its youth. This grade would be a lot lower if not for a pick-six from safety Craig Loston, which put the game on ice for LSU.
Grade: B
Special teams – Brad Wing did a solid job keeping Mississippi State deep in its own territory with coffin corner kicking. It’s about time the punter has a positive impact like he did in his freshman season.
Grade: B+
Coaching staff – This may have been the best job the LSU coaching staff has done all season. As we saw in Tuscaloosa, it’s not easy to pull a team together in just seven days after a gut-wrenching game like LSU and Alabama. But unlike the Tide, LSU held itself together and played a sound game free from many mental mistakes.
Grade: A
Overall – No SEC school owns another more than LSU owns Mississippi State. The Tigers have won 13-straight games against the Western Division foe. With the win and Alabama’s loss, LSU keeps itself alive for the SEC Western Division title. Of course, Alabama would need to lose to Auburn for that to happen. Pigs would likely fly before that occurs, but you just never know, right?
Grade: A
Nicholls
Quarterbacks – For the second-straight week, Landry Klann completed a high percentage of his passes. For the second-straight week, no one cares because the quarterback turned over the football multiple times.
Grade: C-
Halfbacks – For the second-straight week, Nicholls had success running the football. For the second-straight week, they inexplicably refused to do it, but instead opted to continue to throw the ball.
Grade: B+
Receivers – With Landry Klann being sacked repeatedly, it was difficult for the Colonels’ receivers to get far enough down the field on passing plays to stretch the field. The modest passing numbers aren’t surprising.
Grade: B-
Offensive line – When the team ran the football, it had success. It’s hard to always blame the offensive line. At some point, the fact that the defense is teeing off on Klann because of predictable play-calling needs to be considered.
Grade: C+
Defensive line – Lamar had a solid amount of success on the ground, rushing for 159 yards with a touchdown. The Colonels’ front needs to do better.
Grade: C
Linebackers – The Colonels’ linebackers did a good job limiting Lamar to just moderate gains on the ground. They did a solid job making tackles in the open field.
Grade: B
Defensive backs – Do we base the grade on the two interceptions or on the three touchdown passes allowed? We’re going to give the team a little bit of both in our mark.
Grade: C
Special teams – Andrew Dolan missed a 53-yard field goal in the game, but is that really his fault? Some pros can’t even make that kick. Away from that mishap, the team had a solid day.
Grade: B
Coaching staff – When a quarterback is slinging passes to the wrong team and a halfback has 100 yards rushing on just 15 carries, it is puzzling as to why the running game isn’t more a part of a team’s offense. The Colonels have to look long and hard toward changing the way they do things. Last place in the conference and annually beating junior high school-level Evangel College isn’t good enough.
Grade: D
Overall – Programs that are successfully “turned around” wouldn’t lose to Lamar, regardless of where the game is played. But the Colonels haven’t quite made that leap yet and are still limping to find an identity. They are farther away than we realize, folks.
Grade: D
LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger drops back for a pass during Saturday’s win against Mississippi St. For the second-straight game, the Tigers’ quarterback performed at a high level, dominating the Bulldogs’ defense.
