After being inconsitent through the season, D. Bowe stepped up in the Cap One Bowl. Our Mr. Reliable all season was Craig "Buster" Davis. Davis has great hands and can be very elusive, but for some reason he wasn't the 'go-to guy'.
Bowe will be a first rounder one day. Great attitude. Awsome ability and talent. He has a "win no matter what" quality about him.
Yet another reason why I like LSU in the Rose Bowl next year... If Russell uses his amazing Cap1 performance to step up and play to his enormous potential, LSU has the best WRs in the country, more NFL-caliber RBs than should be allowed by the rules, and some solid experience returning on the OL .Didn't Whitworth(sp?) decide to come back? It's silly to even talk about your D with so much talent returning... I HAVE to believe there are several great players ready to step in at the corners, which is the hardest hit area, correct? In summary of my thoughts, your defense will continue doing what they have been doing, and I actually think Miles & Co. will bring an offense in that better utilizes your immense talent on that side of the ball... Arizona State could end up being a very good early test. They are a good team, and I think LSU will beat them in BR... Later in the year, I think ASU has a shot at fUSC in Tempe....
Buster sometimes had a hard time getting open. He'll improve. Great combination, Buster, Bowe, Green, Carter. What more could you ask for?
What is Davis missing? Why did he never develop into the go-to-guy? Was it just QB preference? Bowe has all the makings of a superstar. We were hoping on a break out year for him this season and to be honest he didn't perform up to his capabilities. Next year will certainly be something! And, in reference to your CFN link... wow, we play 3 of those teams: Tennesse, Florida & Arizona St. and our schedule is "favorable".
FloridaHawk - who will be stepping up to fill the shoes of Roth and Babineaux, those guys were animals. How much of your O and D are returning ? What are your biggest O returners (I realize getting some RB healthy will be a plus).
In order to have a go to guy, you have to have consistent play from your QB...more than that, you have to have some one QB play most of the time. It works both ways...QBs get into a rhythm, but so do WRs....and if the QB is constantly switching, it breaks up their timing as well. It's hard to get into a rhythm if every game, much less every quarter, the QB is changing. ...and FloridaHawk82, stop flattering us! I'm starting to feel guilty that I don't know enough about your team to compliment you Your QB is a great playmaker though.
The Hawkeyes just got a reconfirmed verbal from Jake Christensen. From my point of view, he is the best HS QB available in the nation this year. And a good solid recruiting class to go with Jake. The future of Iowa football looks promising.
KTeam, you hit the proverbial "nail on the head". DL is the only area Iowa gets hit hard next year. We not only lose Roth and Babs, but the entire front 4. We have 8-10 highly-regarded Soph and RS Freshman DL waiting in the wings, and we are hopeful Ferentz and Co. have them ready. The word from the Iowa camp is that these kids could be better than the 4 leaving... we'll see. As far as the rest of our D, the back 7 returns with lots of depth behind them. You saw LBs Greenway and Hodge play. We feel very fortunate that they both are returning for their senior seasons, as virtually every NFL board had them 1st round if they left early. Our D will be strong again next year. As for the offense, of course Drew Tate returns, as well as his top 3 receivers, the starting TE, 4/5 of the O-Line, and about 5 very good running backs rehabed from surgery. We finally have a Top-Ten recruiting class (currently #4 on Scout.com and #5 on Rivals) ... It looks like all 24 could Redshirt, which is a good sign for the program. There might be a couple of true freshman who COULD make an impact. Kalvin Bailey is the top-ranked FB in the country and has the speed(4.5) to be a 250lb feature RB (they call him "mini-Bus" already). Another is Moeaki, the #2 TE in the country, who looks like he is ready to play already...
My prediction is that Russell will finish #2 in the SEC in passing behind Leak (Florida will have to pass more with Fiason leaving). The kid OBVIOUSLY has the physical tools, and I have to believe that if given the reigns and 1st team reps, he will light up the air with those great receivers to throw to. As far as knowing more about LSU than you know about Iowa, I have a bit of an unfair jump on you... I attended a game in Baton Rouge in 2001, and have kept a close eye on the Tigers ever since... I also love and follow ANYTHING about college football, in general.
