You have no idea how long it took me to make this picture. The article's been done for weeks. Totally worth it though.
It doesn’t always mean much, but it sure is fun to watch. Every season a group of three offensive stars takes the crown and combines for more yardage than any other trio in the nation.
Last year, Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, and a pick ‘em of running backs were pretty impressive. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Ohio State had something to say about that too. And of course a few little guys, like Nevada with Colin Kaepernick, Vai Taua, and Marko Mitchell, made the cut.
But who’s it going to be this year? The Cowboys have the early lead, and they’re doing it in the traditional sense with a dual threat QB, a strong RB, and an actual WR. But three of the ten team listed below have some pretty powerful tight ends looking to revolutionize the way we define “wide receiver.” At the very least, all of these offenses should really click in 2009. Some of them will have to with the way their defenses play.
1.) Oklahoma State Cowboys (QB Zac Robinson, RB Kendall Hunter, WR Dez Bryant)
Here’s your number one. There isn’t a more productive set of offensive stars in the nation, and they might just be better in 2009.
The biggest reason for their projected success actually comes from outside the trio. Left tackle Russell Okung is the best player at his position in the country, and he’ll be walling off the front all season long against some suspect defenses. When you combine great blocking with Robinson’s scrambling ability, that means big things for the offense. Not only does it buy Robinson more time and eradicate any worries he might have about his blindside, Okung’s presence allows Bryant to stretch the field.
Of course he helps in the rushing game too where he opened up 1555 yards worth of room for Hunter. But it’s not all Okung’s doing. Robinson, Bryant, and Hunter combined for 4609 yards and 49 touchdowns last year. With Robinson entering his senior year, and Hunter and Bryant stepping up as juniors, there won’t be a more productive trio anywhere. Now if they could just do something about that defense…
2.) Oklahoma Sooners (QB Sam Bradford, RB DeMarco Murray, TE Jermaine Gresham)
I suppose you could substitute Chris Brown for Demarco Murray, but I still believe Murray is the more talented back, and it’ll show if he can stay healthy this season. After all, he did manage over 1000 yards and 14 TDs last season despite missing the majority, or all, of three games. So whether it’s Brown or Murray toting the rock, the running piece of the puzzle is taken care of.
Then there’s Gresham. Sure he’s a tight end, but he plays like a 6-06 260 receiver. Check out his stats: 66 catches, 940 yards and 14 TDs. With so many WRs getting so much credit in the Big 12, it’s important to realize that only four guys come back in the league with more receiving yards, and only two had more scores last season. With Bradford’s top two wideouts off to the NFL, Gresham should be in for a bigger workload.
Which brings us to the engine of the offense. Sam Bradford has had the most productive first two years by a quarterback in the history of the sport. He’s already been mentioned so many times, that I won’t get too deep into his accomplishments here, but he’s a great college QB and a great guy. He’ll again finish near the top in every major category. 7841 yards and 86 TDs is not a bad start.
3.) Houston Cougars (QB Case Keenum, RB Bryce Beall, WR Tyron Carrier)
A lesser known trio outside of Keenum, this group could really challenge the top two in yards per game. Of course, it all starts with the quarterback. Keenum is this year’s Graham Harrell. After throwing for 44 TDs and over 5000 yards in his first year as the full-time starter, big things are expected.
And big things should be coming considering he plays in a pass happy offense and returns his top receiver, Tyron Carrier. Sure seems like there should be an “e” on the end of his first name. Anyway, Carrier hauled in 80 passes last season, good for second on the team, but now that Mark Hafner is gone, that number should jump into the hundreds and his team-leading 1026 receiving yards should spike as well. He’s not a big guy, so he’ll never be a lock for redzone targets, but he gets his fair share.
And then there’s Bryce Beall. It’s hard to imagine how a freshman running back can go unnoticed after rushing for 1247 yards and 13 TDs, especially in an offense that puts the onus on the passing game. But Beall managed to fly under the radar last fall, a luxury he won’t have in 2009. Of course, he should be getting some credit considering he added 34 catches and four touchdowns as a pass catcher.
4.) Florida Gators (QB Tim Tebow, RB Jeffrey Demps, WR, Riley Cooper)
Tim Tebow might make this trio the top group on his own, but the lack of a proven wide receiver keeps the Gators out of the top spot. Still, it’s hard to argue with Tebow’s personal production. In two years as a starter, Superman has a 62-10 TD-INT ratio, 6032 passing yards, 1568 rushing yards, and 35 scores on the ground. That’s not counting his eight rushing and five passing TDs from his freshman year. I’m sure eveyone’s heard enough about Tebow on this site already, so I’ll stop there, but come on, how does that not get you two Heismans?
In the backfield, Jeffrey Demps is looking to carry more of the load now that Percy Harvin is gone. He only carried the ball 78 times as a freshman, but he turned in a 7.8 ypc average which was good enough to get him 702 yards and 7 TDs. He’ll be a bigger part of the offense in 2009, and I don’t expect five games with three or fewer carried again.
Demps isn’t the only one looking to fill Harvin’s shoes. Most pundits are pointing to sophomore Deonte Thompson to step in for Mr. Everything, and he does fit the mold athletically. Well, at least as closely as anyone can be expected to do so. But the guy who should lead the team in receiving is Tebow’s roommate, Riley Cooper. There’s a funky connection between QBs and their WR bunkmates, just ask Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley, and with Harvin off to Minnesota for flu treatments, Cooper should be in for a big year. He only caught 18 balls as a junior, but with Tebow operating out of more pro sets, he’ll need a 6-03 target to find.
5.) BYU Cougars (QB Max Hall, RB Harvey Unga, TE Dennis Pitta)
And coming in at number five is another group with a tight end leading the receiving way. The Cougars were a lock for top five consideration last season with WR Austin Collie in the mix, and even though he’s off to Indy to play with Peyton, the QB he left behind should have plenty of production this fall.
Max Hall is coming off of his second consecutive 3800+ yard passing season, and he’s not slowing down. Which could be good or bad. He’s tossed 26 picks over the last two years, and if BYU wants any chance of winning the MWC, that number will have to drop in a big way. But he will have one of the best safety nets in the biz in TE Dennis Pitta. Pitta is a lock for more of a role in 2009 now that Collie is gone. Even with the top WR in college ball playing with him, Dennis still grabbed 83 balls and broke the 1000 yard mark. Now that he’ll be Hall’s top target, both numbers should really rise, and I know he can do better than six TDs.
In the backfield, Harvey Unga is a strange site in a spread offense. Instead of the quick, scatback type, Unga is a load at 6-00 240, and he plays with surprising shiftiness. Unga just completed his second consecutive season of 1100 plus yards on the ground and double-digit TDs. But what makes him such a great fit in Provo is his ability to help out in the passing attack. He’s one of the most underrated running backs in the whole country when it comes to catching the ball. How you can grab 86 balls for almost 1000 yards and eight scores in two years and still go unnoticed is beyond me.
Honorable Mention:
Southern Miss (QB Austin Davis, RB Damion Fletcher, WR DeAndre Brown)
LSU (QB Jordan Jefferson, RB Charles Scott, WR Brandon Lafell)
Kansas (QB Todd Reesing, RB Jake Sharp, WR Dezmon Briscoe)
Illinois (QB Juice Williams, RB Daniel Dufrene, WR Arrelious Benn)
Oregon (QB Jeremiah Masoli, RB LeGarrette Blount, TE Ed Dickson)
