Tyrann Mathieu: LSU's Version Of Troy Polamalu?

Strong Safety Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers and cornerback Tyrann Mathieu of LSU may play different positions in the secondary and have very distinctive, contrasting hairstyles; but in my opinion its hard to find two players whose physical, ball-hawking playing styles resembles each other more closely at their respective levels.
Excellent feature below from ESPN SEC blogger Edward Aschoff on Mathieu's standout performance this year for the #1 ranked Tigers.  After showing great promise as a true freshman learning under All American cornerback Patrick Peterson, the undersized Mathieu (5'9, 170 lbs) has been a fearless turnover creating machine his sophomore season.  Surprisingly, Mathieu was only lightly recruited, earning only a 3 star ranking coming out of Saint Augustine High School in New Orleans.

Aggression, elegance fuel Mathieu's game

By Edward Aschoff

Tyrann Mathieu has a graceful recklessness about him.

LSU’s sophomore cornerback plays like a daredevil, yet is extremely nimble when tracking down both players and the pigskin.

The fleet-footed ball hawk has been one of the most exciting players to watch this season because of his insatiable ability to float around the ball. He leads the Tigers in tackles with 30, has three tackles for loss, four pass breakups, one interception, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

His strip and recovery against West Virginia last week moved him into first all-time at LSU with seven forced fumbles -- and he’s only 17 games into his career. Six of those forces and four of his five recoveries have come against top-20 opponents.
For full article:   http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/29105/aggression-elegance-fuel-mathieus-game

Emmitt Smith Impressed By New Vibe At Florida

Emmitt Smith returned to Gainesville Saturday for the Gators SEC opener against Tennessee and was very enthused by the excitement taking place around the Florida football program under new Coach Will Muschamp and around the city itself.

Here is a great article from Bill Vilona of the Pensacola News Journal describing Smith's reaction to the positive vibe surrounding the Florida football program under Muschamp, along with the renaissance of big time college football  taking place throughout the Sunshine State.

Bill Vilona: The good ol' days return to Florida

Emmitt Smith took a look around and couldn't believe the place.
A new vibe in Gainesville.
"It is absolutely awesome," said Smith, the Escambia High graduate and Pro Football Hall of Fame member, speaking to media members who attended Smith's book signing event Saturday, not far from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, where Smith once shined.
To continue reading:  http://www.pnj.com/article/20110918/SPORTS/109180332/Bill-Vilona-good-ol-days-return-Florida?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

Mobile's Mark Barron Named SEC Defensive Player Of The Week In Crimson Tide Victory.

The Gulf Coast continues to rack up SEC Player of the Week honors.  In week one, Mississippi State RB Vick Ballard of Pascagoula was named the Offensive Player of the Week and LSU Cornerback Tyrann Mathieu of New Orleans was the Defensive Player of the Week.

In Week Two, Alabama's Mark Barron of Mobile has been named the Defensive Player of the Week.  Barron, a St. Paul's Alum, had a monster game in the Crimson Tide's 27-11 victory over Penn State. 
The 6-2, 218 pound Free Safety had an interception, fumble recovery and lead the team with seven tackles.

Here is a full summary of Barron's performance from Al.com:   http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/09/tide_safety_mark_barron_named_1.html

Gulf Coast Natives Claim SEC Player Of The Week Honors

The Gulf Coast region represented strong in the opening weekend of College Football.  Both the SEC Offensive and Defensive players of the week are Gulf Coast natives.  Mississippi State Running Back Vick Ballard of Pascagoula was named the Offensive Player of the Week rushing for 166 yards on 10 carries and 3 touchdowns.  The Pascagoula High School and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College product has been an absolute steal for the Bulldogs, picking up from his 19 touchdown performance in 2010 after only being lightly recruited out of both high school and community college.

New Orleans native Tyrann Mathieu of LSU was named the Defensive Player of the Week in the Tigers
40-27 victory over the Oregon Ducks in Dallas.  The 5-9, 175 pound Sophomore Cornerback had a monster game recording 10 tackles, 2 pass break-ups, causing a fumble then returning it for a touchdown.  Coming out of St. Augustine High School, Mathieu was more heavily recruited than Ballard.  Rivals.com ranked him as the 13th best cornerback in the nation and the ninth best player in the State of Louisiana.  However, after also showing great promise as a true Freshman in 2009,  I think it would be sufficient to say that, like Ballard, Mathieu has also surpassed  his recruiting projections.

Look for our SEC Offensive and Defensive players of the week to become more familiar with each other very soon.  In only 9 days, LSU comes to Starkville to take on the Bulldogs in a big Thursday night SEC matchup, and with the physical style of play that both Ballard and Mathieu possess, I'm sure a few
one-on-one full contact introductions will take place.

- Win

Dutchtown's Eddie Lacy Receives High Praise From Nick Saban

Dutchtown High School in Geismar, Louisiana has become a hotbed for producing Division I College Football prospects, including the state's top prospect this season in defensive back Landon Collins.  One of those blue chips who LSU let escape out of their own backyard is Sophomore Running Back Eddie Lacy who will be up Heisman candidate Trent Richardson at Alabama this season.  Lacy recently earned high praise from Nick Saban for an excellent camp and improvement in holding onto the ball:

Saban was asked about second-team running back Eddie Lacy, who lost two fumbles early last season. How has the redshirt sophomore been doing in regards to ball security in preseason practices.
"Well, he's doing fine," Saban said. "He hasn't had any issues or problems. He's had a really good fall camp, and I think his energy and enthusiasm goes up with his confidence and his knowledge of the offense, and I think he feels a lot more comfortable and confident now, and he's had a really good fall camp.
For full article and Saban's definition of mental toughness:  http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/08/tide_notes_what_is_nick_sabans.htm