Mike Shanahan Rates Vick Ballard As Strong Running Back Prospect In Senior Bowl Preparations

Mississippi State Running Back Vick Ballard of Pascagoula is playing his final college football game very close to home at the Senior Bowl in Mobile.  South Coach and Washington Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan says that Ballard has the tools to be a quality NFL running back.  Here is more on Ballard's week of practice from Mike Herndon of the Mobile Press-Register:

MOBILE, Alabama -- Running backs are no longer a particularly hot commodity in the NFL draft. Only four running backs have been selected in the first round in the past two years and only one of those, Buffalo's C.J. Spiller, was in the top 10.
None of the league's top five rushers in 2011 were first-round picks -- two of them lasted beyond the fourth round. The leading rushers for this year's Super Bowl teams, New York's Ahmad Bradshaw and New England's BenJarvus Green-Ellis, were a seventh-round pick and an undrafted free agent, respectively.
For full article:  http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/01/pascagoulas_vick_ballard_under.html

Alabama Wide Receiver Kevin Norwood from D'Iberville, Mississippi putting together impressive performance filling in for Maze.

Just gotta say that with Marquis Maze getting injured in the first quarter and out of the game, Alabama wide receiver Kevin Norwood from D'Iberville, Mississippi is doing a superb job filling in and could challenge Quarterback A.J. McCarron for offensive player of the game should the Crimson Tide hold on and pull off the win which seems very likely at this point.

HARVEY UPDYKE SIGHTING IN FRENCH QUARTER. WHAT IS HE TRYING TO POISON NOW?

Alabama fan Harvey Updyke, who became famous for his call in to the Paul Finebaum Radio Show, in which he proudly stated that he poisoned the beloved trees lining Toomer's Corner on the Auburn University campus has been seen walking the streets of the French Quarter this past weekend leading up to tonight's Alabama/LSU National Championship game.  The French Quarter is even a much bigger landmark than Toomer's Corner, and while enjoyed by sports fans of all types, I would definitley say that you will find more LSU fans occupying its streets year round than any other college team.  I'm sure after LSU defeated Alabama 9-6 in the regular season, Harvey Updyke felt like he had just been stabbed in the heart.  Should LSU fans and anybody else who has ever had a great time on Bouron Street and anywhere else in the French Quarter be concerned that Harvey Updyke has been spotted in possibly our nation's most famous neighborhood? 

Harvey Updyke has allegedly already destroyed a famous landmark in the trees at Toomer's Corner, just imagine what he could get his hands on in The French Quarter!  What is the French Quarter's greatest asset that should be protected at all costs while Harvey Updyke is roaming its streets?  The fine cuisine?  The Hurricanes and Hand Grenades?  The Street Jazz Bands?  Saint Louis Cathedral?  Or even worse, the stripper poles!  

Here is an article from Al.com about Harvey Updyke being sighted on Bourbon Street and fans getting their picture taken with him, which caused a backlash from Auburn fans that seemed to be calling into question the legitimacy behind the earlier renouncement of this actions by the Crimson Tide faithful in which the Alabama fans aggressively fired back. 

NEW ORLEANS -- The night before the BCS Championship rematch between Alabama and LSU, New Orleans' legendary party destination Bourbon Street has been awash with Tide and Tigers fans looking for a good time the night before the big game.
Among the Crimson Tide fans enjoying themselves tonight, none is more famous than Harvey Updyke, the Alabama fan who allegedly poisoned the legendary oaks at Toomer's Corner in Auburn, then bragged about it on the Paul Finebaum Radio Network.
For full article:  http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/01/2012_bcs_championship_harvey_u.html
      

National Championship Game Will Be Only The Second Time To Superdome For The Honey Badger

Interesting article from Les East of the Baton Rouge Advocate on Tyrann Mathieu's background and how attending and playing sports at St. Augustine helped him with the challenges he faced in the New Orleans neighborhood where he grew up:

LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu was born and raised in New Orleans, but as near as he can recall, he has been in the Superdome only one time. It was to watch some nondescript New Orleans Saints game “awhile ago.”
When it comes to football, Mathieu is definitely a doer and not a watcher.
“I can’t watch football,” Mathieu said. “I’d rather go throw a ball in the yard or something. I have to be the one out there playing. I’ve never really been a spectator. It would have to be a really big-time game for me to watch it on TV.”
To continue reading:  http://theadvocate.com/sports/1714526-32/opportunistic.html

Is Virginia Tech vs Michigan Sugar Bowl Lite?

Tonight's Sugar Bowl matchup between #11 Michigan and #13 Virginia Tech just doesn't seem to carry the prestige of what you would expect from a BCS Bowl Game.  I mean I even had a hard time of remembering that it was on tonight.  With neither team being ranked in the Top 10, it seems llike more of what you would expect from a high profile out of conference season opener classic than from one of the most prestigious bowl games in college football.  Perhaps I would feel more excited about it if I was actually partying in Champions Square right now and getting one more beverage in me before entering the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.  Now that I have bashed it, it will probably be the game of the year.  Here is a game preview from The Washington Post::

Ever since the Sugar Bowl shocked the college football world by selecting Virginia Tech to face Michigan, it seems the discussion has centered on everything but the game.
We’ve written plenty about whether the Hokies deserve to be in New Orleans, their struggles in bowl games, how two kickers got in off-field trouble and even the potential that running back David Wilson and cornerback Jayron Hosley could be playing their final game in a Virginia Tech uniform. We even explored some of the reasons behind Michigan’s resurgence this season under first-year coach Brady Hoke.
But lost in all the rhetoric that inevitably occurs when there’s a month of build-up is the fact that on paper, Tuesday night’s Sugar Bowl pits two evenly matched teams. Just look at the similarities between Michigan and Virginia Tech after the jump.
To continue reading:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/hokies-journal/post/2012-sugar-bowl-poll-virginia-tech-or-michigan/2012/01/03/gIQAnaHBYP_blog.html

USM Graduate's Successful Online Merchandise Company Began With LSU Products

Here is a great feature story I ran across in Forbes about a USM Graduate whose highly successful college football merchandise online began  as a brick and mortar store in Baton Rouge selling solely LSU products:

By Chris Smith
In 2004, Jared Loftus moved to Baton Rouge, La. with the dream of opening a successful T-shirt shop in the shadow of Louisiana State University’s Tiger Stadium.  His inspiration came while selling bootleg merchandise out of a backpack to raise money for his campaign for student body president at the University of Southern Mississippi.  Loftus noticed a significant demand for the custom merchandise. He found a licensed manufacturer and opened Tiger District in November of 2004.

For full article:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/chrissmith/2011/12/19/college-footballs-biggest-entrepreneur/

Saban And Miles Play Role Reversal

The explanation to LSU fans was written less than two weeks after the end of the 2009 season, almost two years to the day from the Tigers' most recent national championship.
One of the reasons for his blog, as LSU athletic director Joe Alleva says, is that he wants to leave no room for interpretation. And there was no denying the message.
What's going on now isn't good enough. The man in charge will fix it.
Or else.
For full article:  http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/01/pursuit_is_on_as_saban_is_now.html

Gunner Kiel, Nation's Top QB, Commits To LSU

Ken Trahan of SportsNola.com discusses the impact of Gunner Kiel on LSU's Quarterback competition for 2012:

I have seen many lists of the top schools and how their recruiting classes rank for the Class of 2012 in college football.
Surprisingly, LSU did not rank among the best or top ten classes on many fronts. That may change after the event on Tuesday.
Blue-chip quarterback Gunner Kiel of Columbus East High School in Columbus, Indiana cast his lot with Les Miles and the Tigers, choosing LSU over Notre Dame and Vanderbilt. He went to Notre Dame, considered the favorite for his services, on two occasions, making an unofficial visit on October 22 and taking an official visit to South Bend on December 9.
To continue reading:  http://www.sportsnola.com/sports/sports-blogs/ken-trahan/578834.html

Pascagoula's Vick Ballard Accepts Senior Bowl Invite

Vick Ballard has spent most of his football career trying to defy expectations.
Mississippi State's star running back will do that again later this month when he competes in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 28 at Mobile's Ladd-Peebles Stadium. This year's kickoff is set for 3 p.m. The game will be televised by the NFL Network.
Ballard closed his Mississippi State career in fine fashion Friday night, rushing for a career-high 180 yards and earning MVP honors as the Bulldogs beat Wake Forest 23-17 in the Music City Bowl. The Pascagoula native scored on runs of 60 and 72 yards as MSU finished 7-6.
To continue reading:  http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-sports/2011/12/mississippi_states_vick_ballar.html