GASP a new contributor! Also, the 6 Players Who Aren’t The Big 12's National Stars… Yet…
by Nick Cantilo
Good evening, folks! Big love to Marshall for inviting me
to be a part of this blog. I’ve been reading this one for a bit, and I finally
made the cut. The bad news for a lot of you, I suspect, is that I’ll be the
resident Horns fan here. Until this blog opens to things I know about other
than college football, that’s what I’m gonna be givin’ ya. And boy am I
excited. Let's get started.
You folks are probably tired of hearing the same names no
matter what happens (see: Johnny Manziel). Major media (read: ESPN) just can’t
get enough of that bag of maroon dicks, can they? Well I’ve had my fill. And I
don’t really feel like writing about the SEC at the moment either. Texas was
the last non-SEC team to take the Crystal Football home. Bevo willing, they’ll
be the next, but nobody wants to hear more of that story. To the point, then. I’d like to bring up The Almost Big 6.
These guys are the 6 players that I think will make a big
difference in the Big 12, but aren’t getting the deserved national press time for
their football talents. In some cases, that’s their fault. In others, it’s the
fault of time or the system. In any case, keep an eye on these characters going
forward. I expect some (I hope all, so that I don’t look like a clown in my
first sports blog post) will make their mark this year. But these should be
names we remember in the 2014 season too, whether it’s because they’re poised
to break into the national awards spotlight that year or because their teams
are poised to break down without them. These are in no particular order, except
that I definitely had to start with one of my Burnt Orange brethren. Without
further ado:
Daje Johnson (WR/RB) – Sophomore – Texas Longhorns
Don’t misunderstand me here. Daje has gotten some regional press, but
I don’t think enough folks outside of Texas realize just what this young man could do for the Horns.
Here’s a guy who is not too unlike a D.J. Monroe or a Marquise Goodwin in that,
if you see his back then it’s too late. Now he may not quite have the Olympic
speed that Marquise had, but it seems that he may have a little more football
sense to him. Also, look for this guy to benefit from better coaching attention
and development. Some guy named Greg Davis whiffed on DJ Monroe and, in part,
Marquise. I know this is a great shock to everyone. I mean, the guy won a
Broyles award for doing a superb job with Vince Young, who needed a lot of
coaching. Bryan Hardon didn’t have the right idea for Marquise Goodwin either.
I honestly couldn’t figure that guy out. I thought he would do more. Major
Applewhite has seen both of those players leave the program without having
been fully used. He won’t make that mistake with Daje. Expect Daje to be a
serious headache for defensive coordinators. If you don’t believe me, ask
Baylor. They found out on the first play of that game last year.
James Sims (RB) – Senior – Kansas Jayhawks
=
Wait a minute… Didn’t this guy lead the conference in YPG
last year? And isn’t he a senior? And isn’t he just about the only bright spot
on Kansas’ offense? Yes. Yes. Yes. James Sims is the epitome of that second
category I mentioned – the one where Kansas is going to have to do some serious
problem solving once he’s gone – in the outset. Charlie Weis told the folks in
the NFL camp that they can expect James to be around on Sundays. I don’t find
that unreasonable at all. James is a talented runner and a tough
son-of-a-bitch. This guy carried the ball 24 times a game… for the Jayhawks.
There aren’t many less glorious roles in a conference like the Big 12. How did
James react? By running for nearly 113 years each game. I think he likely would
have rushed for a great deal more yardage than Randle, who led the conference
in total rushing yards for the Cowboys, if Sims had been able to play every
game. He only played in 9, if you remember. Two of those were South Dakota
State (who??) and the silliest marching band in Texas. The third was TCU. I don’t
imagine he would have had 113 yards against the Frogs, but he would have made a
mess of the other two. Expect him to be solid again this year… Because he has
to be. Kansas won’t make it without him.
Trey Metoyer (WR) – Sophomore – Oklahoma Sooners
Here’s a name some will know. Others may not remember him.
He had a few flashes last year. He only had 17 catches, about a quarter of which
came against the University of Texas - El Mexico’s Miners in Week 1. If you
watched the Sooners at all this spring and kept up this summer, - not that I
would ever do that – you probably heard the name. He’s got a lot of talent and
physical skill. Oklahoma has been excited about this guy since 2011. He had
some off-field issues keep him off the field that year. He wowed just about
everybody in Norman in the spring of 2012. Unfortunately, he probably didn’t
quite have the maturity to handle the starting spot for Oklahoma last year.
After four games, Bob Poops agreed and removed Metoyer from the starting spot.
He looked good again this year in the spring. Ol’ Poops says that Metoyer is “more
comfortable” in the offense and team settings now. Provided that the Spooners
have a decent arm in the backfield this year, which they likely will, I expect
Metoyer to show folks what he can do. He’ll probably make at least one great
catch over both Carrington Byndom and Jason Verrett (arguably the two best pure
corners in the Big 12 South, if there was still a South) if he gets the opportunities.
I’m not saying he’ll embarrass either defensive back, but this dude can climb
the ladder to grab the football.
Casey Pachall (QB) – Senior – Texas Christian Horned Frogs
Here’s a guy who has actually gotten some national press
here and there. As we all know, that press has been a mixed bag. Casey is ready
to put all that stuff behind him. He could be one of the best Big 12 QB’s. The
good news for Pachall is that he doesn’t have to be the Big 12’s best QB. As
compared to say… David Ash, Pachall’s fans won’t throw a hissy fit if he doesn’t
win a Unitas award this year. Pachall will be solid. He will deliver. That’s
what TCU needs. That offense knew it wouldn’t win shootout after shootout last
year. Gary Patterson engineered the team a little differently than that. Now
return a QB who can lead a dangerous offense, and you’ve got a lean, mean
fighting machine over in Ft. Worth. If Pachall is even good (he doesn’t even
have to be great), then TCU will be one of four teams with a very legitimate
shot of securing the Big 12’s auto-BCS berth. Let’s just make sure he can keep
his nose clean this year, shall we TCU?
Cortez Johnson (CB) – Sophomore – Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma’s defense was not up to Bob Poops standards last
year by a long shot. While the celebration of Cortez Johnson’s eligibility
would suggest it to the untrained eye, the Sooners’ defense wasn’t in trouble
when thrown against. The Sooners ranked 3rd nationally in Adjusted
Yards Per Pass Attempt last year. Impressive, no? Why, then, are folks in
Norman so concerned with the eligibility of Cortez? He is already a good pass defender. He’s also big. And he’s a warrior. <-- These things matter. The Sooners ranked 103rd
nationally in Adjusted True Yards Per Carry Allowed (True Rush Defense
Efficiency) last year. That’s astounding. Want a bigger shock? That was worse
than Texas’s rush defense. Did anyone watch Texas’s defense last year? Now
imagine worse. Woof. Oklahoma managed to quietly have one of the worst run
defenses in the country. Stoops will need Cortez to fight off strong receivers in man coverage and shifty receiving backs in
zone coverage. He should help a lot here.
--> (If you want an explanation of all the “Adjusted” or “True”
statistics I’ll use on this blog, hit me up privately. I’ll own explain them
sporadically, as they’re complicated. Basically, it means that I take away
stats that mean nothing and shouldn’t really count against that unit. For
example, sacks shouldn’t count against offensive rushing. They’re part of the
passing game, on both sides.) <--
Cedric Reed (DE) – Junior – Texas Longhorns
Alex Okafor is gone. And boy will Austin miss that guy. Did
you watch the Alamo Bowl? Oregon State was no slouch team, and they were well
matched to beat Texas. Okafor made that poor offensive tackle, and anyone else
who tried to block him, look like a child. He’s gone, though. He’s being
replaced by Cedric Reed. Normally you don’t call a guy to immediately pick up
the slack like this. Cedric can. He played a lot last year for an injured
Jeffcoat, who is back now. Jeffcoat is a beast, and will command a lot of
attention from O-lines. Then bring into account that the defensive tackle unit
for Texas is massive and deep (pun intended). Cedric will receive the least
respect on this defensive line at times. This is when I expect Texas to do some
real damage to opposing offensive efficiency ratings. Cedric is strong enough
to alter a rushing play, finessed enough to get to quarterbacks, and experienced
enough to know when he needs to be which. Look for him to have a fair number of
TFLs and sacks.
In the name of the Bevo, Vince Young, and Coach Darrell Royal,
Amen!
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