Baton Rouge Advocate's Football Tab is Out

[GeauxLions94]

Just came out today (with a nice story on Felton Huggins BTW). :beerchug: This could be perhaps the best football tab in the country dealing with high school, college and pro football. :twocents: Good insight on all the I-AA programs in Louisiana (and those in-state I-A programs that wanna be like LSU)

Baton Rouge Advocate's Football Tab (http://www.2theadvocate.com/football2k5/)

[McTailGator]

http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/evergreen/foo_mcneese001.shtml

It appears they spent some time covering all the state schools this week.


McNeese tries to rebound from rare losing season
By CARL DUBOIS
[email protected]
Advocate sportswriter

LAKE CHARLES -- The top line on the front of the T-shirt is, in reality, the bottom line at McNeese State: Get Back the Swagger.
At an early-August practice, a football manager walked the sidelines with the message across his chest. Below it was another strong statement about some of the goals the Cowboys will bring into this season: Payback Tour 2005.

The back of the shirt listed the itinerary -- the game-by-game schedule -- under the heading: Payback Tour Dates.

McNeese coaches said they don't know the origin of the T-shirt, but nobody asked the manager to remove it. When you are coming off a 4-7 season, the second losing season in the program's last 14 years, little reminders have their place.

After three consecutive Southland Conference championships, a stretch in which the Cowboys didn't lose a conference game, McNeese plummeted to its worst record since 1996, when a 3-8 season fell between a trip to the Division I-AA semifinals and the I-AA national championship game.

"It was one of those years when you couldn't put your finger on it," sixth-year coach Tommy Tate said of the 2004 season. "There were a lot of factors involved, and it just became a snowball effect."

The Cowboys began the season with injuries in the backfield. They moved players around to fill needs. They popped Southern 35-18 in the season opener, and then the bottom fell out.

Southeastern Louisiana's 51-17 blowout of McNeese in the second game was a sign of things to come: The Cowboys went on to turn the ball over a record 44 times, and they surrendered 423 points, by far the worst defensive effort in school history.

Swagger? McNeese, historically one of the top defensive teams in I-AA, staggered toward the finish line, threatening to go winless in the SLC for the first time.

"We weren't a very good tackling defense," Tate said. "Then, in the last six games, we had to ask our place-kicker to handle our punting chores, and we had some breakdowns in the punting game."

The Cowboys regrouped, defeating Nicholls State 30-9 in the season finale.

"We won our last game," McNeese offensive coordinator Matt Viator said, aware of the bittersweet nature of that feat. In Division I-AA, the only teams that win their last game of the season are the national champion and teams that don't make the playoffs. ...

Read the whole thing: http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/evergreen/foo_mcneese001.shtml

[McNeese72]

Carl Dubois always does a good job. And the USL (now ULL) guys always seem to hate him. So you know he is doing good. :D

[GeauxLions94]

:nod:

The sportswriter who wrote the McNeese piece is a former writer in Lake Charles. One in a pretty good line of writers covering I-AA schools. :nod:

[mikebigg]

I didn't recall Huggins being at Grambling... I think Doug is related to the Huggins (hell seems like everyone in Chaneyville... community where Doug and Huggins are from) so it's kinda strange that he left Grambling.

Glad it worked out for him at Southeastern...he definitely put up some impressive numbers.

[SUjagTILLiDIE]

I didn't recall Huggins being at Grambling... I think Doug is related to the Huggins (hell seems like everyone in Chaneyville... community where Doug and Huggins are from) so it's kinda strange that he left Grambling.

Glad it worked out for him at Southeastern...he definitely put up some impressive numbers.
Yea he went to Gram. He left because no playing time was in sight.

[McTailGator]

Carl Dubois always does a good job. And the USL (now ULL) guys always seem to hate him. So you know he is doing good. :D

LOL...

That would be a GREAT rule of measurement on a writer that really knows his stuff. :smiley_wi

[Catmendue2]

Yea he went to Gram. He left because no playing time was in sight.


That's exactly what happen at Grambling, Douglas, Abney, Harris, and he hadn't and wasn't gonna see the lite of day. :)

[golionsgo]

Yea he went to Gram. He left because no playing time was in sight.

That's because they didn't realize what they had, and honestly, I don't think we did either until about midway through the 2003 season. He was a stick skinny kid who was a DB at Grambling. He came to Southeastern to run track but a couple of players talked him in to walking on. The rest, as they say, is history!!!

[mikebigg]

That's because they didn't realize what they had, and honestly, I don't think we did either until about midway through the 2003 season. He was a stick skinny kid who was a DB at Grambling. He came to Southeastern to run track but a couple of players talked him in to walking on. The rest, as they say, is history!!!

It happens a lot. A kid doesn't get a look (understandable if Coaches got an abundance of talented and more experienced kids). Fortunately for him, he got a chance at Southeastern and has done well. I like hearing stories of kids who got a break and made the most of it.

[JohnStOnge]

That's exactly what happen at Grambling, Douglas, Abney, Harris, and he hadn't and wasn't gonna see the lite of day. :)


I gotta tell you guys, I think if Huggins wasn't going to see the light of day at Grambling the Grambling coaching staff made an error in evaluation of player potential. Maybe the problem was that he didn't play receiver in high school so he had to develop his skills. But my bet is he'll turn out to be more of an NFL prospect than any of the guys who beat him out up there. And I did see Grambling play McNeese twice. The Tigers had some really good receivers, but I'd rather have Huggins than any of them.

[SUjagTILLiDIE]

It happens a lot. A kid doesn't get a look (understandable if Coaches got an abundance of talented and more experienced kids). Fortunately for him, he got a chance at Southeastern and has done well. I like hearing stories of kids who got a break and made the most of it.
He actually left Gram and went to ULL. I don't know how he has all of this elgibility.

[SUjagTILLiDIE]

I gotta tell you guys, I think if Huggins wasn't going to see the light of day at Grambling the Grambling coaching staff made an error in evaluation of player potential. Maybe the problem was that he didn't play receiver in high school so he had to develop his skills. But my bet is he'll turn out to be more of an NFL prospect than any of the guys who beat him out up there. And I did see Grambling play McNeese twice. The Tigers had some really good receivers, but I'd rather have Huggins than any of them.
Randy Hymes(Baltimore Ravens) was also a reciever on the team when Huggins first came to Gram. Huggins is a good reciever but he is not Randy Hymes. Huggins evidently evolved into a good reciever because he was no where close to being that player at Gram.

[GeauxLions94]

Maybe the problem was that he didn't play receiver in high school so he had to develop his skills.

He didn't play WR in high school. Was the QB! :nod:

[SUjagTILLiDIE]

He didn't play WR in high school. Was the QB! :nod:
Yea he went to Northeast High. The same high school that Doug Williams went to. Well it was Chanyeville High back then. I have plenty of relatives that went to that school and played with Huggins. All of their college level players usually go to either Southern or Grambling with Trindon Holiday being the exception. He chose Lsu over Southern.Trindon is the first athlete that I can remember out of that school that Southern or Grambling recruited heavily and didn't get him. He was the fastest player in the state and possibly the nation this season. He won several national track meets. Don't get me wrong Huggins is a helluva reciever but during the time he was at Gram he couldn't touch those recievers they had.

[golionsgo]

He actually left Gram and went to ULL. I don't know how he has all of this elgibility.


I don't recall him going to ULL, but even if he did, it was just for a semester and would have no effect on his eligibility. Bottom line is we have him now and he's 1000 percent improved from the day he walked on to our football team. He's a man among boys at this level and it's virtually impossible to cover him man-to-man.

[Catmendue2]

Yea he went to Northeast High. The same high school that Doug Williams went to. Well it was Chanyeville High back then. I have plenty of relatives that went to that school and played with Huggins. All of their college level players usually go to either Southern or Grambling with Trindon Holiday being the exception. He chose Lsu over Southern.Trindon is the first athlete that I can remember out of that school that Southern or Grambling recruited heavily and didn't get him. He was the fastest player in the state and possibly the nation this season. He won several national track meets. Don't get me wrong Huggins is a helluva reciever but during the time he was at Gram he couldn't touch those recievers they had.


Plus, if he kin to Doug, he kin to Spears and Spears is one of the best recruiters and judges of talent in college football and there is no way Spears wouldn't have given him a fair evaluation. To be honest the kid did not measure up to what was at already at Grambling. SELU had Mumme an excellent coach and very little talent for Huggins to compete against, so Mumme build the system around him with a good QB. Lets see where he gose from here after losing his all world QB Hankins. ;)

[JohnStOnge]

Randy Hymes(Baltimore Ravens) was also a reciever on the team when Huggins first came to Gram. Huggins is a good reciever but he is not Randy Hymes. Huggins evidently evolved into a good reciever because he was no where close to being that player at Gram.

Hymes was already in the NFL when Grambling played McNeese so I didn't see him. I think the best receiver Grambling had when I did see them play McNeese was the guy that set the record for receptions in a single game when McNeese played up there in 2003. Was his name Trumain Johnson?

Anyway, I think that guy was an absolutely great I-AA receiver. Great hands especially. But, if I had to pick one of the two to be on the team I'm pulling for, I'd pick Huggins. I just think he's bigger, faster, more explosive, and his hands are comparable though maybe not quite as good. Just an opinion.

[golionsgo]

SELU had Mumme an excellent coach and very little talent for Huggins to compete against, so Mumme build the system around him with a good QB. Lets see where he gose from here after losing his all world QB Hankins. ;)


Incorrect. Our offense is not built around any individual, be it the coach, the QB, any of the WRs, or RB. It's an amazingly simple system designed to stretch the field horizontally and vertically and we exploit what the defense gives us. True, we'll have a different brain calling plays and a different QB under center, but the concepts and design of the offense are exactly the same and we'll continue to do what we've always done whether Mumme and Hankins are here or not. Our schedule is much tougher so I don't expect to match our offensive output of a year ago, but we have a good system, we have weapons, and we're still going to be a very potent offense.

As for Huggins, he's the REAL DEAL and Spears would take him back in a HEARTBEAT!!!!! No one could foresee him developing as a WR the way he has and we're lucky Felton didn't hang around Grambling long enough for them to figure out what they had.

[mikebigg]

Huggins made a good decision to transfer. He got overlooked but that's understandable. He probably wasn't as polished as those guys were at that time and maybe hadn't physically matured. He's obviously got his game going now. I wish the young man well... If he's what I've been hearing, he should make the League. I would like to see him play Alcorn this year. If I can, I might drive to Hammond and check him out.

[Catmendue2]

Hymes was already in the NFL when Grambling played McNeese so I didn't see him. I think the best receiver Grambling had when I did see them play McNeese was the guy that set the record for receptions in a single game when McNeese played up there in 2003. Was his name Trumain Johnson?

Anyway, I think that guy was an absolutely great I-AA receiver. Great hands especially. But, if I had to pick one of the two to be on the team I'm pulling for, I'd pick Huggins. I just think he's bigger, faster, more explosive, and his hands are comparable though maybe not quite as good. Just an opinion.


I hate to tell you this but Tramon Douglas was injured when he broke that record. Huggins is good but he was so far down on the depth chart at Grambling he would still be looking for playing time. Colquitt, Harris, Seazer, and Browbfield were all ahead of him. Grambling brought in Day, Abney and Edwards and if he was at Grambling right now he would not be starting. I would not trade the receivers Grambling will be starting this year for Huggins, If Abney is healthy and Mose Harris plays to his potential Grambling's receiving corp is going to be unstoppable. If you haven't seen Clyde Edwards then stay tuned. ;) Grambling also signed RenaldoGraves out of Evangel and he going to be looking for playing time along with Landry Carter and Morris Burns out of Amite. Grambling got more receivers than Spears know what to do with. Huggins will not be missed at Grambling, if I had a choice to take a receiver from anyplace, it would be ALcornSt wideout Spiller, he the best in 1AA.

[golionsgo]

[quote]Huggins will not be missed at Grambling, if I had a choice to take a receiver from anyplace, it would be ALcornSt wideout Spiller, he the best in 1AA.[quote]


You need to get out more. Spiller IS NOT a better WR than Felton Huggins and he's not remotely close to being the best in I-AA. We've played Alcorn the last two years and he's not even the best receiver we played against. Sam Houston had three guys better just on their team alone.

As for Grambling missing Huggins, it's hard to miss what you didn't realize you had. Chances are he would not have developed there because they never would have figured out how to use him.

[SUjagTILLiDIE]

if I had a choice to take a receiver from anyplace, it would be ALcornSt wideout Spiller, he the best in 1AA.
I have to disagree on this one. James Vernon is the best in 1AA.

[golionsgo]

What about:
Eric Kimble, Eastern Washington
David Ball, New Hampshire
Cory Parks, Northeastern


Hard to say ONE guy is better than another when you don't have a chance to compare them other than by statistics. And even if you could compare them, one is probably as good as the other anyway. The way I look at it, they're all talented and equally important to their teams. I just know I wouldn't trade Felton Huggins for anybody at this level. He has speed, size, hands, gets open, and runs after the catch. He's a big play waiting to happen and that's all I care about. Whether he's considered THE BEST doesn't concern me. It's all an opinion anyway.

[mikebigg]

All those guys that's been named are good college players. I've never seen Huggins in person but his numbers speaks volumes. I've seen Spillers at Alcorn but I was more impressed with #5 Hughes(?) in the games I saw the Braves play in. James Vernon has been impressive to me since high school at Glen Oaks. He's dangerous with the ball in his hand...whether on short routes or deep patterns.

Of course I like the GSU receivers... I agree with Catmendue about them being talented. If Abney has recovered from that aggravated groin he will be awesome. Mose Harris is proven (55 catches when he was the "other" receiver to Tramon Douglas) and I'm especially impressed with true sophomore Clyde Edwards. He really stepped up as a true freshman last year and if he remains healthy will be one of the best to ever play in the state of Louisiana.

Looking forward to seeing Alcorn vs Southeastern this year... will get an opportunity to see Huggins in person.