SEC Coordinator of Officials Steve Shaw speaks to the media about rule changes at the Southeastern Conference media days on Wednesday, in Hoover, Ala. (AP/Butch Dill)
HOOVER, Ala.- The media frenzy that is SEC Media Days continued Wednesday as Missouri, LSU and Arkansas were represented by their head coaches and three student athletes.
Wednesday started off as rule changes were presented by Steve Shaw, SEC coordinator of officials.
Shaw announced that there have been changes to the targeting rule. If the replay overturns a targeting foul called, there will not be a 15-yard penalty assessed at the end of the play.
“We had to change player behavior,” Shaw said.
Another rule change has been made to hits on passers. The rule is a passer cannot be hit below the knees when in the passing stance and/or motion. Shaw would add that there is now a “strike zone” for quarterbacks, which are hits above the neck and below the knees.
One SEC official crew will have en eighth official to be a center judge and make sure the refs are ready before the ball is snapped. Shaw said this is only an experiment to help the pace of the game for the officials.
Missouri:
Missouri had a magical season in 2013 going 12-2 overall, 7-1 in conference play and winning the SEC East. They would end up losing to Auburn in the SEC championship game.
Expectations are high for Missouri in 2014 as head coach Gary Pinkel and the Tigers look to continue their recent success.
“When we go into a different year, as the years change, in ’13 to’14, you lose your seniors, you bring new players in, it’s a constant transition of the leadership and changes of the team. That’s what we work on all the time at Missouri,” Pinkel said. “We’re very excited about the year. We’ve worked very hard. We’re honored to be in the SEC.”
Missouri lost their star wide receiver from 2013 in Dorial Green-Beckham after being dismissed from the team in April. He has since decided to attend the University of Oklahoma. Losing Green-Beckham is a big loss for the receiving core and will change the offensive game plan.
“We lost a really great player. I wish Dorial (Green-Beckham) the best,” Pinkel said. “The most important thing, you make mistakes, you have a chance to learn lessons, and I think he will.”
Former defensive end Michael Sam made an impact not only on the Missouri football team and for the university, but also in American culture, being the first gay professional athlete to come out in the NFL. Pinkel knows how much Sam meant to the university.
“It was going to be much bigger than football or Missouri,” Pinkel said. “The societal influence. This is really important in terms of that.”
Sophomore quarterback Maty Mauk will take over the quarterback duties for the Tigers. Mauk replaced former starter James Franklin for four games after Franklin missed some time due to injuries. Mauk made his first start of the season against Florida and flourished from there on.
“Going into the week I had the opportunity to talk to the other players, like the wide receivers, and I told them to go out there and pretend like nothing ever happen and to believe in me,” Mauk said. “I also told them to give me a chance, and they did believe in me. That carried on ever since.”
LSU:
Head coach Les Miles was quick to point out that his LSU Tigers have gone four straight season winning at least 10 games. Miles went on to say that his team returns 16 starters: six on offense, seven on defense and three on special teams. LSU went 10-3 last season and look to improve in many areas on both sides of the ball.
“We’re a team that’s really on the cusp of an opportunity to win championships,” Miles said. “If you look at the three games we lost, turnovers played a very significant role. It’s an annual battle. Certainly we have, in my opinion, the style of team that can win championships.”
The offensive line for LSU will be a strong point for the tigers to build around, as La’el Collins and Jerald Hawkins “will be two of the finest tackles in our league.”
The quarterback spot will come down to a battle between Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris. Miles said it will be competitive from start to finish and that offensive coordinator Cam Cameron will help develop both of his quarterbacks.
Year after year, Les Miles always seems to have a strong defense at his disposal. Having John Chavis for a sixth year at defensive coordinator, Miles said the defense will feature speedy linebackers, physical corners in Tre’Davious White and Rashard Robinson and a big, physical defensive line.
Miles is thankful for his time in Tigerland and looks to build something special.
“First of all, you have to have a great school,” Miles said. “I think the opportunity that we present in recruiting is a place where you’re going to get your degree, you’re going to play championship football, you’re going to play one in one of the historic venues in college football. I think you have to have one of those. I recognize how fortunate I’ve been to be at LSU for the length of time that I have.”
Arkansas:
Head coach Bret Bielema would be the last head coach to address the media Wednesday.
When Bielema made the switch to come to Arkansas from Big 10 powerhouse Wisconsin, he wanted to win and change the culture.
Year one under Bielema was a difficult one for Arkansas, as they went 3-9 overall and going 0-8 in conference play. Bielema hopes year two is going to be a big improvement.
“I think the biggest thing I took away, especially after the season, is you have to be try to who you are, what you’ve been. Don’t flinch,” Bielema said. “There’s some teams that go through adversity, you know, for a sure team that doesn’t win a game in their conference, they’re going to change out philosophy, get a new idea, new this, new that. I believe you have to do what you do better.
“We’re going to stick to our principles and do it better.”
Arkansas returns star running back Alex Collins, starting quarterback Brandon Allen and defensive end Trey Flowers.
Trey Flowers decided to return to play for Bielema and Arkansas for his senior year. After going winless in SEC play, many questioned his decision, but he saw a vision and believes in what Bielema is building for the Razorbacks.
“I understand what we’ve been through the last two years,” Flowers said. “From my freshman year having an 11-win season, I understand what it takes to win. Just coming back to be a leader and help my team win is what it was.”
For coverage and live updates of the 2014 SEC Media Days, follow @drubino11 and @thedm_sports on Twitter.
