Passionate SEC fans wild about getting chance to see their favorite teams in action

By David Moorman  |   Monday, April 20, 2009  |  Comments( 1 )

College Football
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If anyone ever doubted the importance of football in the Southeastern Conference, consider the size of the crowds at the eight spring games last Saturday.

Any number of schools would love to have a regular-season crowd of 84,050, which is what Alabama drew to its annual A-Day game.

Ole Miss didn’t have nearly that many, but it did attract a spring-record crowd of 28,357. Those fans got any early glimpse of the profound impact quarterback Jevan Snead is likely to make in his junior season.

Mississippi State, with a first-year head coach, also had a record crowd. First-year coaches also piqued the interest of those at Tennessee and Auburn.

A quick look, then, at what actually happened on the field:

<b>ALABAMA:<b> Snead isn’t the SEC’s only rising star. Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones is sure to have a stellar sophomore season, and he gave indication of that with his 10-yard touchdown reception.

Greg McElroy all but claimed the quarterback job in completing 16-of-30 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns while leading the Crimson team past the White team, 14-7.

<b>ARKANSAS:<b> -- Quarterbacks ruled the game before 30,000, as Ryan Mallett completed 15-of-26 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns with an interception and Tyler Wilson completed 23-of-36 passes for 301 yards and a touchdown with an interception. Wilson played for both squads in the Red team’s 49-21 victory over the White team.

<b>AUBURN:<b> The 45,381 who came to see the handiwork of first-year coach Gene Chizik and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn weren’t disappointed in the offense’s 57-31 victory over the defense.
Malzahn’s no-huddle offense led to a pair of touchdown runs from Ben Tate and a couple 70-yard scoring runs from Onterio McCalebb and Terrell Zachery, respectively. Missing was quarterback Barrett Trotter, who tore a knee ligament in practice two days before the game.

<b>FLORIDA:<b> Sixteen of the starters who received their national championship rings sat out, and quarterback Tim Tebow played only the first half.

Sophomore quarterback John Brantley used the opportunity to throw for 265 yards and three touchdowns in leading the Orange team past Tebow’s Blue squad, 31-21.

<b>LSU:<b> The 30,532 in Tiger Stadium watched the starter-laden White team drub the Purple team, 27-0. Charles Scott rushed for two touchdowns, Richard Murphy ran for another and cornerback Patrick Peterson returned an interception for a 69-yard touchdown on the last play of the game.

<b>MISSISSIPPI STATE:<b> The Bulldogs’ first spring game under coach Dan Mullen ended with Derek DePasquale’s 24-yard field goal that gave the Maroon team a 24-21 victory over the White team before a record crowd of 31,606.

<b>OLE MISS:<b> Snead dazzled everyone in completing 11-of-15 passes for 254 yards, with scoring tosses of 12, 20 and 70 yards. Snead directed six consecutive touchdown drives in the Blue team’s 55-28 victory over the Red team.

<b>TENNESSEE:<b> B.J. Coleman threw two touchdown passes, and Brandon Warren had two scoring receptions in the Volunteers’ first spring game under coach Lane Kiffin. The offense beat the defense, 41-23, in Kiffin’s scoring system.
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About David Moorman

Dave Moormann is an award-winning journalist, who has covered LSU athletics since 1980. He began his coverage with the Baton Rouge Advocate, where he was a writer and editor from 1980-98. In 1996, he authored a book on the history of LSU football entitled, "Fighting Tigers Handbook: Stories, Stats ...
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