ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

I was away last weekend when the Gene Chizik hire went down at Auburn, but I'm back in the saddle now and the SEC blog is up and running full speed again. So that's the first order of business in this week's SEC mailbag:

Josh in Birmingham, Ala., writes: I know that Auburn is taking a beating in the national press. This does not make much sense to me. (Lane) Kiffin was also a "loser" as a head coach, but was received well at Tennessee and by the media at large. Tennessee didn't even interview a black head coach, and no one is referring to their powers that be as racists. Kiffin and Chizik both were successful coordinators, while I think that Chizik's resume is even more impressive. He had two undefeated years, back to back, at Auburn in 2004 and Texas in 2005. He is a proven winner at every other stop besides Iowa State. I guess I just can't understand the venom steered in the direction of Auburn. Yes, I'm a fan, but I'd like to think I'm fair and realistic. I just don't get this. No coverage from you and taking a beating by the press? Any insight would be appreciated. War Eagle!

Chris Low: Josh, sorry I haven't weighed in sooner. But for starters, Tennessee did interview a black head coaching candidate. Ironically enough, the Vols talked to Turner Gill. And I've seen varied reactions to the Kiffin hire. Many were impressed that he's bringing his father, Monte Kiffin, as defensive coordinator as well as former Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron as recruiting coordinator, but Lane Kiffin as a head coach is still very much an unknown quantity. I agree that Auburn is probably taking too much heat for not hiring a black head coach. The reality is that all of college football is guilty of not giving more black coaches chances to be head coaches. That said, I was stunned by the Chizik hire. You're right. He was extremely successful as a defensive coordinator. But Auburn wasn't hiring a coordinator. The Tigers were hiring a head coach, and several guys out there -- including Gill -- had more impressive head coaching resumes. With all the negativity surrounding his hiring, Chizik faces a daunting task on the Plains. I equate it to starting a basketball game down 14 or 16 points. Ultimately, it will come down to one thing. He better win and win big. The Nick Saban factor can't be discounted. With Saban recruiting the way he is and the Crimson Tide headed to a BCS bowl in only Saban's second year in Tuscaloosa, I can't see any coach at Auburn getting a particularly long leash.

Michael in Cleveland, Ohio writes: Chris, enjoyed reading your season summaries. I'd argue with your contention that LSU coach Les Miles should have relied more on Charles Scott because of the quarterback issues. When it became apparent that Jarrett Lee was limited in his effectiveness through the air and the Tigers really did have to rely solely on the running game, defenses began stacking the line to stop the run, and Scott and the other backs had major problems gaining yardage over the last 2-3 games. You might be right about getting Jordan Jefferson into the mix sooner. Miles kept saying he wasn't ready. Who knows? Perhaps that was indeed the case. But I would have liked to have seen him earlier, especially in the Alabama game. That was one occasion when one can definitely point to a single player and say he lost the game. Without the points Lee handed Bama on a platter (a pick-6 and another interception that set up a short scoring drive), LSU wins 21-10 (if I remember correctly) for its best victory of the season. Oh well, on to next year. I think Lee could turn into a good quarterback, but I wonder if he is so psychologically damaged from this year that his development will be permanently stunted. Any thoughts?

Chris Low: The Tigers don't beat Florida by running the ball, and they probably don't beat Ole Miss, either, simply by lining up and mashing the Rebels. But I felt like they could have won the other 10 by committing more to the run and not putting Lee in a situation where he had to throw so much. The best example is the one you point out. The Alabama game was anybody's to win, and the LSU coaches had Lee throw it 30-plus times. He threw three interceptions, and the Tigers lost in overtime. If the Tigers win that game, I think they're a much more formidable team in the last few weeks of the season. Still, you make a valid point. The troubles in the passing game just made it that much more difficult for Scott. As for Lee, I'm not sure what his future is. I'd say he will have his hands full beating out incoming freshman signee Russell Shepard in the spring. Shepard, one of the country's top dual-purpose quarterback prospects, is graduating high school early and will be on campus in January.

Collin in Memphis writes: I saw you gave props to both A.J. Green as well as Julio Jones. Now being a Georgia fan, I of course saw all those games, but did not have the chance to watch Alabama every Saturday. My question is: What separates these two? A.J. had the better numbers, but who do you think has more overall talent and potential and why?

Chris Low: Honestly, picking between Jones and Green is like picking between Augusta National and Pebble Beach. The biggest difference is that Green played in an offense this season that throws the ball a lot more and with a quarterback, Matthew Stafford, who might be a top 10 pick in April's NFL draft. They both have excellent hands. They both have good size, and Green might be a little faster. But Jones is stronger with better body control and is exceptional at using his body to create space and go get the football. Jones is also harder to tackle after the catch, whereas Green may have better separation skills. In the spirit of full disclosure, I might be a bit more partial to Jones because I saw him live a lot more than I saw Green this season. But I'd pay money to watch both players play any time.

Evan in Chattanooga, Tenn., writes: Chris, could you shed some light on how Malcolm Jenkins managed to win the Jim Thorpe Award over Eric Berry? With all due respect to Jenkins (and he was certainly worthy of being a finalist, as was Mays), I don't see how anyone can rationally argue that Jenkins or any other defensive back outperformed Berry this year. Is this just a case of a guy being penalized for playing on a losing team?

Chris Low: I think you nailed it with your last sentence. Berry, as great a football player as he is, played on a 5-7 team this season. There's no doubt in my mind that he would have won the Jim Thorpe Award if Tennessee would have just been 8-4 and playing in some bowl game. Rarely do players on losing teams win those national individual awards. It's unfortunate, because there's nothing in the fine print that says you have to be on a winning team to be considered. But I vote on several of those individual awards, and among the factors I always consider are how that player impacted his team, how that player performed in the big games and whether that player was able to elevate the level of play of the players around him. Berry was a stud in every game he played in, and frankly, the Vols should have used him a lot more on offense. But he played on a losing team, and that was his undoing in the Thorpe Award voting. He's easily the best defensi
ve back I've seen at Tennessee since Deon Grant and a much better tackler than Grant was.