Rick Cleveland, fix your trophy!

[shotgunDawg]

Tonight, a mockery was made of the Conerly Trophy and what it means. The award is SUPPOSED to go the "most outstanding football player in Mississippi". There is no doubt that Bo Wallace plays hard and helped OM win some games. However, he also had 19 TD passes to 15 INTS and led the SEC in turnovers. Furthermore, he apparently beat a guy who is one 3 finalists for the best defensive back in the country, the Jim Thorpe Award. He also is not even the best player on his own team. That award goes Donte Moncreif, who by the way, had much more to do with the big plays in the Egg Bowl and against LSU than Bo Wallace did. Wallace also, apparently, beat out an MSU QB that threw for 22 TDs and only 6 interceptions. Which by the way is 13 17ing less than Wallace.

So tonight, a mockery and disgrace was made of what should be reputable award. Not because Bo Wallace isn't a good player, but because others were much better players and more deserving choices for this award.

I blame this problem on the media and their inability to evaluate players or understand football. It is time for the Conerly award to be voted on, like the Ferris Award, by NFL scouts and talent evaluators; people who actually know what they are looking at. The media's voting for this award did not in anyway consider body of work, stats, or actual talent of the player. No, the media simply went with their emotions and voted for a guy who looked like he had a great Egg Bowl, although he still threw 2 interceptions, and with it robbed the Conerly Award of its integrity and legitimacy as a credible award.

 

[Shmuley]

Giving it to Wallace instead of Moncrief probably prevented another campus riot.

 

[topbulldawg]

And a fumble, 3 turnovers in his "BIG" game

 

[IamGabbyJohnson]

I haven't seen much of banks this year to form an opinion. I thought he was a first rounder had he left after last season.

What has he done this year (aside from being nominated to watch lists etc) to warrant the Connerly Trophy. Only stats I could find were 4 interceptions, which was second on your team to Slay.

Not trying to flame here...I am generally interested in what makes you think Banks was the best player in the state THIS year.

Not for nothin, but I would have given to Nkemdiche over Bo and Moncrief. He had a monster year.

 

[RobbieRandolph]

Who cares. Norwood won it over Patrick Willis when we won the egg bowl in 05.

And Patrick Willis >>>>> Jerious Norwood.

 

[biguglyjoe]

His stats are low because people avoided throwing his way. This, in turn, helped Slay's stats.

 

[GhostOfJackie]

You're correct. And that still means the Conerly Trophy is a big joke. Willis should have won it that year, Banks this year. It might as well be an egg bowl MVP trophy. I'ts not just this year that it's happened. And it's not just because this year "didnt go our way". It's every year and it's a joke.

 

[SkinkTyree]

Wallace did have WAY too many turnovers, but he also had

more yards than Russell, a high QB rating than Russell, had more total TDs than Russell (ran for 8 and caught 1), was 4th in the SEC in total yards and did not disappear in games against good teams.

But you're right that Moncrief is better. Wallace is still the MVP, though.

 

[InaccuratePredictionsDawg]

I possess limited knowledge of the Conerly Trophy...

..but WTF are they doing handing out this trophy a couple of days after the Egg Bowl ends? This award should not even be presented until all college football is finshed in Mississippi. And this year, all college football in MS may not be finished until Jan. 6, 2013. If you still want to rush it, at least wait until after the SECCG has been played. That way all the Egg Bowl emotions will have died down, & you don't end up awarding it to the player who displayed the most flash in the Egg Bowl. As has already been noted, Moncrief was, by far, the best college football player in the state this year. That it was awarded to an interception machine whose only significant victory was against a MSU team he was favored to beat is a joke.

 

[patdog]

Agree completely. Moncrief would have had something like 20 catches for the season if he didn't have Wallace to throw to him. Moncrief is a better player, but Wallace deserved the Conorly.

 

[Godfrey]

As much as Wallace won it with the Egg Bowl, Banks lost it with the Egg Bowl.

Most of the press box was astounded at how far off the State DBs played. They certainly didn't come in as advertised, and that was possibly their worst game of the year.

 

[Wizard.sixpack]

^^nice!!^^

Giving it to Wallace instead of Moncrief probably prevented another campus riot.

.

 

[SkinkTyree]

Yeah, and I'm not trying to denigrate Russell. He had a great year and is a

really good QB. I'll entertain any arguments that Wallace shouldn't have won it, but I can't accept that it's ludicrous for him to have won it.

If Russell had been the nominee instead of Banks, I think Russell might have won. He was far more important to State than Banks was.

 

[RougeDawg]

Guessing this was the first live action any bears had witnessed all year then...

Most of the press box was astounded at how far off the State DBs played. They certainly didn't come in as advertised, and that was possibly their worst game of the year.

Don't come here with that ****. Wilson played them that way all GD year and I know about 99.875% of you bears watched us prior to EB, hoping we'd get pounded.

No reason a QB with that many Ints wins any award unless its a single game MVP award in a bowl. Compilation of season stats does not warrant Wallace winning.

 

[ClevelandBrownII]

Most of the press box was astounded at how far off the State DBs played. They certainly didn't come in as advertised, and that was possibly their worst game of the year.

I agree. It wasn't how Bo Wallace played, those voters based it on how bad Banks played, fair or unfair. IMO, Banks had a bad second half of the season. I watched this Egg Bowl twice on DVR and the first touchdown scored was on Banks looking in the backfield. Mosely was his man on that play and he let him run past him. I don't want to talk about what Moncrief did to him. Banks didn't deserve the award and neither did Wallace with his million turnovers. The guy led the league! The winner should have been Jackson State WR Rico Richardson. He had the best year out of the nominees IMO. Yes, he's in the SWAC blah blah blah. But he had a better year than Banks and Wallace.

 

[Godfrey]

Wilson might have, but...

It was more effective in previous games. Also, if you're acknowledging that the DBs were in a poor alignment that exposed them... why would you be surprised the voters didn't recognize Banks?

 

[FormerlyHighLifeRebel]

Just watched some of the replays of the game.

OM scored just about every touchdown by throwing right at Banks. I'm not saying that Wallace is or will be a better player than Banks, but it's hard to imagine anyone voting for Banks as the best player in the State when he literally got his *** beat all over the field by a 6-6 team just a few days prior.

 

[thf24]

I just watched some myself. Only two of Wallace's five touchdowns were in Banks' area, and neither of them was "right at" Banks, rather right at where his safety help was supposed to be.

 

[slickdawg]

Twice Ole Miss has lost the Egg Bowl and still had a player win the Conerly. It's never happened to State - imagine that........
1997 - Stewart Patridge (egg bowl winner)
1998 - JJ Johnson (egg bowl winner)
1999 - Deuce McAllister (egg bowl loser)
2001 - Eli Manning (egg bowl loser)
2003 - Eli Manning (egg bowl winner)
2005 - Jerious Norwood (egg bowl winner)
2006 - Patrick Willis (egg bowl winner)
2009 - Anthony Dixon (egg bowl winner)
2010 - Chris White (egg bowl winner)
2012 - Bo Wallace (egg bowl winner)

 

[patdog]

On the other hand, we've never had a player like McAllister or Manning playing on an Egg Bowl loser. I don't know that we've had a player of those two's caliber since the Conerly was started.

 

[slickdawg]

On the other hand, we've never had a player like McAllister or Manning playing on an Egg Bowl loser. I don't know that we've had a player of those two's caliber since the Conerly was started.

NFL draft scouts will tell us about Banks, but its widely believed he will be a first round pick, just as Manning (#1) and McAllister (#23) were.

 

[patdog]

He sure won't be the #1 pick. I suspect he'll go it the late 1st to early 2nd round. But I don't think he's going to make it in the NFL at corner. I think he's a safety playing out of position. He's a great read and react to the ball player, but from what I've seen, he's not that great at 1-on-1 coverage.