Maurice Clarett Episode II

[PSUSkinsFan21]

Originally Posted by Defensewins

The score may not have reflected it, but OSU physically beat up Miami. The pre-game Vegas point spread had Miami favored by something like two or three TD's. So it was a huge upset. Not many college football experts gave OSU a chance in that game. Willis McGahee and Ken Dorsey got beat up in that game.
Regarding your comparison of 2002 season player stats of L.J. and M.C....you need to put your comparion into persective.
Do you think it is a fair to compare (in 2002) a 22 year old Larry Johnson to a 19 year old Maurice Clarret?
Larry Johson was born on 11/19/79.
Maurice Clarret was born on 10/29/83.
Not a very good comparison. But yet who has the NCAA Championship ring? If he has not pawned it for beer money.

I never said it wasn't an upset. It absolutely was. But that's still not a "trouncing". And to the extent they beat up Miami, you can credit OSU's defense for that........not the whopping 47 yards that Clarett put up.

As for the comparison: It was both of their first years as full-time starters, and they both went up against the same defenses that year. They are both Big Ten schools, so it's about as good a comparison as you can get. It's not like one was better than the other running in the Pac 10 or SEC. And it's not like LJ racked up his yards against a weak Big Ten while Clarett had to face a more competitive Big Ten in another year. This is as close to oranges to oranges you are likely ever going to get when it comes to college comparisons.

As for the age: I'll give you that Clarett got his opportunity earlier in age. Like I said, he was a tremedous high school player. I still don't see how that presently makes him twice the back? And again, I still don't know how it is that all the NFL scouts are missing so badly on this guy? I mean, if he's twice the back, shouldn't he be somewhere above the 27th or 28th rated RB/FB in this year's draft (according to Scouts Inc. on ESPN Insider......I could get more rankings, but I don't think they would differ all that much)? Shouldn't somebody who is knowledgable have him going in the first day, more less within the first 4 or 5 rounds if he's so much better than a first rounder from two years ago?

Again, it was OSU's Defense, not their offense that most college football buffs credit with the "ring." And I don't see how that should be any reason for comparison? Are you saying Cory Dillon was the best RB in the league last year? Or that Antwain Smith was the year before? Teams win rings, not individuals. Especially not individuals who contribute 47 yards in the championship game.

Again, I'm just looking for one legitimate fact that would point to Clarett being twice the back that LJ is? Just doesn't make sense to me.