Best wishes, Jarvis.

If there’s anybody who has nothing left to prove by coming back for a final college year, it’s Jarvis Jones.

“This has been a difficult decision, and one that I have talked over with my family and coaches. I want to thank my family, teammates, coaches and support staff and the Bulldog Nation for everything over the last three years. I will always appreciate the chance Georgia gave me after my injury at Southern Cal. There is nothing like the Bulldog fans and I will forever be proud to wear the ‘G’. I think this decision comes at the right time for me and my family and I look forward to seeing what the next level holds for me. Go Dogs!”

Tear ‘em up at the next level, big guy.  I’ve no doubt you’ll come back to Athens now and then.

About these ads

Big 12 pride

I get that Texas A&M has had a helluva year on offense.  Sumlin knows what he’s doing.  Manziel is a helluva talent.  But still…

It took Texas A&M going to the SEC to validate Big 12 offenses. Took A&M going to the SEC to prove that prolific Big 12 offenses weren’t the result of porous Big 12 defenses.

The Aggies led the SEC in scoring (44.8 points per game) and total offense (552.3 yards), ranking third nationally in both categories.

“We’re really proud of the way they went into the SEC and played the way they did,” said OU linebacker Tom Wort. “I’m proud of the way they handled themselves and kind of represented the Big 12 in a little way.”

I’d find the chest thumping a little more authoritative if they’d have mentioned how the other Big 12 refugee handled those big, bad SEC defenses, but somehow there’s no mention of Missouri’s 2012 performance anywhere in the article.

And this?

Six straight SEC national championships, including a Florida victory over OU four years ago in the Big Bowl, have established the idea that Big 12 offenses don’t travel. That the spread concepts that flourish outside the SEC won’t work in the league that features big, mean and fast defenders.

How you can mention the SEC’s national title run, which included two schools running spread offenses, and act like nobody in the SEC has ever run the spread before in the same paragraph is a pretty neat trick.  And, again, Sumlin’s offense springs from the Hal Mumme tree, which got its major college start at Kentucky.

I can’t figure this part out, either.

“We have a lot of talented offenses in our league and a lot of good quarterback play,” Norvell said. “That allows the teams to play the style of offense that we play. I’m not saying the SEC doesn’t have that type of quarterback, but it doesn’t seem they’re exploiting that position as much in their league as we are in ours.”

No offense, but Alabama and Georgia exploited that position just fine.  Their quarterbacks will finish this season earning the top two passer ratings not only in the conference, but in the country.

Point here isn’t that Texas A & M’s offense wasn’t prolific.  It was.  But there are plenty of ways to skin that “offense succeeds in the SEC” cat.  Most, though, involve having a really good quarterback as a starting point.