Notes From the Margin
September 12th, 2008 by Jason Roberts
ACC
Clemson Tigers
The Greenville News of September 9, 2008 reveals to readers that sophomore tight end Brian Linthicumhas elected to transfer to another school, a decision confirmed by head coach Tommy Bowden in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. Linthicum, the article notes, had three touchdown receptions last year when he played in 13 games, five of which he started. He also was involved in five snaps in the opening game of this year against Alabama.
TheState.com also provides the news that starting quarterback Cullen Harper, has been playing the first two games of the season with a shoulder strain, but expects to be back at 100% this weekend against North Carolina State.
Big XII
Baylor Bears
Coach Art Briles clearly has no doubt that freshman starting quarterback Robert Griffin can make plays running the ball; still, he tells The Dallas Morning News on September 9, 2008 that the majority of rushing attempts Griffin has made thus far are of a scripted variety. In the second game of the year for example, four of the ten times the freshman ran this past Saturday against Northwestern State came on staff-designed plays. Briles says he will see to it that Griffin gets additional opportunities to carry the ball under center, thus taking advantage of the youngster’s track-type speed (Griffin placed third in the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA championships). However, he wants to make sure his quarterback develops properly his ability to throw the ball as well as he currently shows running with it.
Kansas Jayhawks
According to The University Daily Kansan of September 9, 2008, fantasy owners may want to keep the name Angus Quigley near the forefront of their mind as someone to remember at the tailback position for the Kansas Jayhawks. The only running back that committed to the university back in 2005 and having since played limitedly as a backup to talented seniors such as Jon Cornish and Brandon McAnderson, Quigley appears to be on the verge of overcoming Jake Sharp as the lead tailback for the Jayhwaks, this after emerging as “by far the most [productive] of any KU running back” to this point in the season. In the Jayhawks’ opener against FIU, Quigley grabbed 71 all-purpose yards and averaged nearly eight yards a carry on the ground; and after Sharp and JUCO transfer Jocques Crawford combined for merely 40 yards on 13 carries against Louisiana Tech this past Saturday, Quigley again got the call from head coach Mark Mangino and finished the day with 84 yards rushing (5.6 yards a carry) and 12 yards receiving. That being said, the likelihood of the junior from Cleburne, Texas starting for Kansas in Friday evening’s huge game on the road in Tampa against the USF Bulls seems strong, and could open the door for Quigley to take over full-time duties in the backfield for the remainder of the season. Keep an eye on this one.
Kansas State Wildcats
The Wichita Eagle of Wednesday, September 10, 2008, calls attention to wide receiver Brandon Banks, a 142 pound, 5’7″ junior, who after the first two games of the season leads the team in all pass-catching categories. Despite his size – or lack thereof – Banks has caught nine passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns. The junior notes that while he “had some apprehension at first about playing” at the Division I level – this after catching 93 passes for 1397 yards at Bakersfield (California) College in 2007 – he has “something to prove” in showing that he “does not accept those limitations that other put on him,” as head coach Ron Prince has said of Banks. That being the case, fantasy owners can expect the Wildcats’ wideout to play “better and faster” than most anyone on the team, making him a solid acquisition for free agency next week, as Kansas State prepares to take on Louisville.
Missouri Tigers
The Topeka Capital-Journal for September 9, 2008 attempts to answer the question on the lips of numerous Missouri Tigers fans this week, one which asks specifically why head coach Gary Pinkel decided to burn the redshirt of freshman quarterback Blaine Gabbert this past weekend against Southeast Missouri State. The answer, notes the Journal, rests in two specific reasons: a) he will carry in whatever experience he gains this year into camp next preseason, when Missouri expects to be joined by incoming recruit from Blue Springs South, Blaine Dalton; and b) Galbert will create a line of succession at quarterback which could see the sophomore as the Tigers number one option in 2009, with Dalton serving as his backup. As such, fantasy owners can expect to see Gabbert getting time on the field in any game this season in which Missouri has obtained a comfortable lead; that should provide some incentive to consider him as a keeper league acquisition in free agency and monitor his development over the next few months.
The same article in the Journal also notes that wide receiver Danario Alexander, who has been rehabilitating from a second ACL injury, will be available to play this coming weekend against the Nevada Wolfpack, this a full three weeks earlier than originally expected.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
According to the Omaha World-Herald of September 8, 2008, the leading rusher for what has been thus far a beleaguered Nebraska Cornhuskers rushing attack isn’t Marlon Lucky, but instead a 6’0″, 215 pound youngster out of Danville, California named Roy Helu, Jr. Though currently last in a three-back rotation that has taken the field against Western Michigan and San Jose State so far this, Helu has rushed for 111 yards on just 16 attempts, an average of 6.9 yards per carry, while starter Lucky has average just 3.5 yards and backup Quentin Castille has accumulated just 12 yards on 12 carries. What such statistics mean in terms of Helu’s role in upcoming contests this season remains to be seen.
Texas A&M Aggies
Despite a solid performance filling in for starting quarterback Stephen McGee this past Saturday against the New Mexico Lobos, it appears, writes Kate Hairopoulos of The Dallas Morning News of September 10, 2008, that sophomore Jerrod Johnson will not get the chance to be the starting quarterback for the Aggies as they prepare to take on the Miami Hurricanes next week.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
An interesting piece provided by the website RedRaiders.com on September 10, 2008 ponders whether or not starting quarterback Graham Harrell was playing hurt last weekend against the Nevada Wolfpack. The author of the piece points out that the Red Raiders’ starting quarterback was hit several times during the season opener against Eastern Washington (even remaining face down on the turf for a few moments after one tackle) and following the first quarter of that game, Harrell has gone to hitting just 55% of his passing attempts. It could be coincidence, the article ends, but something just does not seem right with Harrell, a scenario which now clearly has more than one Texas Tech fan filled with concern.
Big East
Cincinnati Bearcats
From the pages of the Cincinnati Enquirer for September 9, 2008: with starting quarterback Dustin Graza out for at least the next month with a fractured right fibula and needing surgery to repair collateral issues in his ankle, head coach Brian Kelly noted Monday that plans are for now to start junior backup quarterback Tony Pike, but with sophomore Demetrius Jones getting an extended look (10-12 plays per game) as the Bearcats prepare to play Miami on September 20th.
South Florida Bulls
The website Bradenton.com hosts an article on Cedric Hill, senior tight end, and points out that his four catches for 62 yards and two touchdowns this past weekend against UCF total the number of touchdown receptions he’s had in all four years combined playing on the Bulls’ football team. He now has five receptions for 79 yards (average of 15.8 yards a catch) and could become a much more prominent part of USF’s offense standing 6’3″ and 244 pounds.
Syracuse Orangemen
Donnie Webb of The Post-Standard for September 10, 2008 informs readers that senior Bruce Williams has changed sides of the ball yet again this week, returning to his original playing position at safety after starting the first two games of 2008 at wide receiver. Williams will take the field Saturday against Penn State with the Orangemen’s defensive unit as starting free safety Randy McKinnon is currently nursing a bone bruise below his knee.
West Virginia Mountaineers
The Charleston Daily Mail of September 11, 2008 alerts readers to the fact that perhaps the most significant reason why the West Virginia Mountaineers’ offensive unit had has so many problems moving the ball downfield over its first two games of the season rests in the fact that the team has converted only nine of 21 third-down attempts, a scenario that has left WVU with the ball for all of 46 minutes and 110 snaps thus far on the year. In comparison, the Mountaineers defense has seen 158 plays against Villanova and East Carolina, and put in over 73 minutes on the field in both contests.
Big Ten
Illinois Fighting Illini
The Daily Herald for September 11, 2008 highlights that although freshman slot receiver Jack Ramsey has yet to play in a game in 2008, this due to academic issues, he is earning his keep on the practice field this week as he is currently portraying quarterback Michael Desormeaux of Louisiana-Lafayette on the Illinois’ scout team. Head coach Ron Zook notes that he appreciates what Ramsey brings in terms of his speed substituting as Desormeaux – who rushed for over 1100 yards and seven touchdowns in 2007 – and hopes that his heading up the Illini’s scout squad will prepare a defensive unit that is currently last in the Big Ten in rush defense to get used to “grabbing hold and tackling guys.”
Indiana Hoosiers
Fantasy owners may find it worthwhile to peruse an article in the September 7, 2008 edition of the Indianapolis Star which highlights freshman receiver Tandon Doss. A native of Indianapolis, Doss originally reported to fall camp with high hopes, but was sent home as the NCAA Clearinghouse worked to clear up eligibility issues that prevented him from joining his teammates on the practice field. He was shortly afterward reinstated, but then suffered a separated shoulder, which kept him on the sidelines until the past weekend’s contest against Murray State. The freshman grabbed just three passes for 33 yards in a 45-3 victory, but should put up increasingly better numbers as he gets additional experience under his belt.
Iowa Hawkeyes
After vowing to use a two-man rotation at quarterback during the 2008 season, head coach Kirk Ferentz, revealed to the Globe Gazette and other media outlets on Tuesday that he was electing to name sophomore quarterback Ricky Stanzi as a starter this weekend against in-state rival Iowa State instead of having Stanzi share time under center with junior Jake Christensen. The move comes a mere few days after the underclassmen passer threw for 162 yards and three touchdowns in less than a half of work this past Saturday versus Florida International.
Michigan Wolverines
The television station WNWO NBC24 on September 9, 2008 revealed that head coach Rich Rodriguez plans to start Steven Threet at quarterback this weekend against Notre Dame, yet expects that Nick Sheridan will continue to see snaps on a rotational basis as down and yardage necessitates.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Poor University of Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster; his team just seems unable to catch a break. According to The Daily Press of September 9. 2008, Duane Bennett, sophomore tailback and leading rusher for the Golden Gophers, apparently suffered a torn ligament in his knee Saturday against Bowling Green, and will miss the rest of the year. In his place, freshmen Shady Salomon and DeLeon Eskridge will split carries, along with junior Jay Thomas.
Wisconsin Badgers
According to the Wisconsin State Journal of September 8, 2008, one would think the absence of injured star tight end Travis Beckum from the starting lineup for the Wisconsin Badgers during the first two weeks of the season would have a major impact on the Badgers’ short and medium-range passing attack. Yet, thanks to the outstanding play of two of Beckum’s backups – junior Garrett Graham and sophomore Lance Kendricks – against the Akron Golden Zips and Marshall Thundering Herd, Wisconsin hasn’t seen a dramatic drop off in production from quarterback Allen Evridge, and, in fact, may have allowed the first-year starting senior to play more effectively than most originally thought he might. Against Marshall in particular, the tandem of Graham and Kendricks was an impressive one, with the two combining for seven catches, 167 yards receiving, and a touchdown on the day. Beckum is expected to return to the playing field this upcoming week, with the Badgers preparing for a huge road game at Fresno State, but don’t count out either Graham or Kendricks when it comes to a Wisconsin tight end coming up with a big play against the Bulldogs.
Conference USA
East Carolina Pirates
The Greenville Sun Journal for Sunday, September 7, 2008 hosts an article that might be of interest for fantasy owners in keeper leagues seeking to identify potential up-and-coming young talent at tailback. Highlighting sophomore backup running back for the East Carolina Pirates, Jonathan Williams, the Journal explains how in the aftermath of ECU’s Dominique Lindsey going down in fall camp with a season-ending knee injury, Williams became the focus of both players and coaching staff concerned with the future of the Pirates’ backfield. Taken under the wing of senior running back Brandon Simmons, the sophomore has worked hard to overcome the negative press surrounding him after a preseason run-in with law enforcement back in April that resulted in a charge of DUI. Coaches have recently praised Williams, with Skip Holtz, ECU’s head coach, commenting, “He is maturing as a football player and as a young man. I am really proud of him. He is running physical and he is a tremendous talent. He has got a great role model in Brandon Simmons, to show him how to do it every single day . . . ” Thus far in the season, Williams has carried the ball 27 times for 117 yards and three touchdowns, and as of this past Saturday’s home win against West Virginia, actually leads all ECU rushers for 2008.
Southern Methodist Mustangs
The Dallas Morning News for Sunday, September 7, 2008 reveals to readers that there may not be a potential quarterback controversy brewing at Southern Methodist University, but junior quarterback Justin Willis will continue to be seen on the playing field as he was Saturday night in the Mustangs’ 47-36 victory over Texas State. Used primarily for the purpose of running the ball on short yardage down situations, the appearance by Willis raises speculation that new head coach for SMU, June Jones, may be moving away from an original statement to the press that he was not a “two-quarterback guy” and would settle on a single starter under center for the 2008 season – in this case, Bo Levi Mitchell – coming out of fall camp. Such supposition is only made stronger by the fact that Willis took an increased number of snaps in practice last week and is expected to continue running with the first-team offense from this point forward. Jones claims that using the junior is merely an expression of his coaching staff’s desire “to do everything . . . to win the game,” especially since he believes that Willis provides the Mustangs “the best chance running some particular packages.” “I’m going to put him in there,” Jones continues, referring to his more experienced quarterback, “until Bo gets to that point where he can do all of those things” as well as Willis. Such a move supposedly fits Jones’ philosophy that he “try to use the best players” out on the field; given that Willis is, in the coach’s words, “a pretty good athlete,” fantasy owners can expect to see the junior seeing more time on the field – even at times, notes Jones, at wide receiver.
Another note of interest regarding SMU: points out The Dallas Morning News of September 9, 2008, sophomore wide receiver Aldrick Robinson and junior Emanuel Sanders became the first pair of Mustangs’ receivers to post 100+ yards receiving in the same game this past weekend against Texas State since Cody Cardwell and Chris Cunningham did so playing Tulsa in 1999.
Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
Head coach for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, Larry Fedora, didn’t have much to smile about after his team’s 27-13 loss to the Auburn Tigers on Saturday, but according to the Hattiesburg American, Fedora remained optimistic that his team can improve, particularly considering the play of his true freshman quarterback, Austin Davis. Though throwing two interceptions against the Tigers’ secondary, Davis still played solid, completing 66% of his throws (33-of-50) for 268 yards and two touchdowns. That performance builds on a strong showing in the Golden Eagles’ season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette, in which Davis hit 14-of-21 for 206 yards and two touchdowns and only one interception. As such, fantasy owners should be taking a serious look at the freshman as a potential breakthrough free agent acquisition, particularly as Southern Miss begins a softer non-conference against Arkansas State this upcoming weekend and heads into a conference matchup with Marshall on September 20th.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
The Tulsa World for September 7, 2008 provides fantasy owners with an interesting statistic to take into consideration when giving consideration to the acquisition of a starting wide receiver in free agency in the next couple of weeks. As the Tulsa Golden Hurricane manhandled the University of North Texas in a 56-26 home win at Fouts Field, first-year starter at quarterback, senior David Johnson, threw for 418 yards passing and six touchdowns – all of which went to separate pass catchers, respectively. All said and done, Johnson hit eight different receivers on the day, with senior Brennan Marrion and junior Slick Shelleay teaming up to combine for 189 yards receiving, and four different Tulsa wideouts going for 50 yards of better for the game.
Mountain West
Air Force Fighting Falcons
The Gazette of Colorado Springs for September 6, 2008, highlights Air Force Falcons wide receiver Kyle Halderman, who in the first two games of the season, has been a major playmaker on the offensive side of the ball. In the Falcons season opener against Southern Utah, the sophomore broke a 48 yard run for a score in the third quarter, while this past Saturday, playing conference rival Wyoming, Halderman dashed 74 yards off an option play to set up a one yard touchdown run by team quarterback, Shea Smith. Thus far for the season, Halderman has yet to catch a pass reception, but has carried the ball nine times for 172 yards and a score, making him a viable addition in free agency for fantasy owners.
Colorado State Rams
While the Colorado State Rams have disappointed fantasy owners everywhere with a less-than-lucrative ground game headed up by tailbacks Gartrell Johnson and Kyle Bell, an interesting quarterback-receiver tandem has begun to emerge over the first two games of the season for Steve Farris’ squad, one which could be of interest to fantasy players over the next few weeks. Writes S. Scott Rosenberg of The Gazette for September 8, 2008, senior quarterback Billy Farris and junior wideout Rashaun Greer have quickly developed a chemistry which has provided Greer the opportunity to become Farris’ main target on passing downs so far this season. This was particularly apparent this past Saturday, as the CSU pass catcher grabbed nine receptions for 152 yards against Sacramento State, 32 of which came on a drive which ended with the Rams hitting a field goal to tie the game up at 20-20 in the fourth quarter. Those numbers build upon an eight catch, 70 yard outing against the Colorado Buffaloes in Week One. Farris says of his teammate, “Rashaun, that’s my man. He catches everything. He’s a solid receiver.” As such, he should be a name to remember at wideout for fantasy owners seeking an immediate payoff in free agency at that position.
New Mexico Lobos
The Daily Lobo for September 8, 2008 contains a interesting piece which compares the performances of starting quarterback for the New Mexico Lobos, Donovan Porterie, over the first two games of this season with his production during the same number of contests in 2007. The results, as the Lobo notes, are telling. Porterie at this point last year had already amassed an impressive 532 yards passing, two touchdowns, and no interceptions; thus far in 2008, however, the junior has played quite an opposite role, struggling to complete 50% of his passes, scoring no touchdowns, and throwing three total interceptions. Porterie has squarely taken the blame on his shoulders, and seems fairly aware that less he start playing much better – and soon – the UNM coaching staff may very well lose confidence in him and opt to bench the season veteran in favor of redshirt freshman Brian Gruner.
Pac-10
Arizona Wildcats
According to the website DailyWildcat.com of September 10, 2008, the Arizona Wildcats have found a dual threat tailback / kick return specialist in freshman Keola Antolin, a 5’8″, 180 pound youngster out of Las Vegas, Nevada. Taking advantage of extra snaps in fall practice and during the final scrimmage before the start of the season when sophomore Nic Grigsby was ejected for fighting with a teammate, Antolin has since convinced the UA coaching staff that “his upside is drastically going to improve,” as running back coach Dana Dimel is quoted as saying. He has thus far played sparingly, taking four carries for 11 yards against Idaho in the season opener, while grabbing 23 yards on nine attempts last week versus Toledo, but has impressed enough with his finesse and speed to be identified as “slightly ahead” of other Wildcats’ tailbacks for the backup position behind Grigsby. Fantasy owners may also find it useful to take note that as a deep man on kickoff returns against the Rockets, Antolin also returned three kicks for 98 yards, the longest of which was a 41 yards.
Oregon Ducks
Bob Rickert is the author of an article on OregonLive.com that notes while the Oregon Ducks’ defensive secondary has thus far this season played “terrific” against opponents like the Washington Huskies and Utah State, it has yet to be truly tested against a solid passing team, a circumstance which absolutely should be the case this weekend as Oregon takes on the Purdue Boilermakers. Rickert writes in his piece that, in his humble opinion, Purdue’s starter under center, Curtis Painter, isn’t necessarily “better than other Pac-10 quarterbacks the Ducks will face this year”; he does, however, present himself as “a player who can make plays if the Ducks make mistakes, and sometimes even if they don’t.” Being a pro-style quarterback, Oregon won’t have to worry about the senior scrambling down field as did Jake Locker in their season opener in Eugene, but will need to cover carefully targets such as Greg Orton in order to prevent Painter from getting a hot hand on Saturday. Last year, the senior completed 62% of all his passes and threw for 29 touchdowns on the season.
Stanford Cardinal
The website PaloAltoOnline.com for September 10, 2008 carries an article that highlights the fact that due to inconsistency by quarterbacks breaking the huddle under center for the Stanford Cardinal in the games earlier in the season, head coach Jim Harbaugh elected last Saturday to utilize a three-man rotation at the position and may do so again this weekend, as Stanford prepares to take on the Texas Christian Horned Frogs. The results coming out of a 41-17 loss to the Sun Deveils still left much to be desired by Harbaugh and his staff, as the combination of Tavita Pritchard, Jason Forcier, and Alex Loukas only managed to produce a total 120 yards passing and three interceptions. Still, the Cardinal’s head coach notes that he doesn’t “want to go three, four weeks” without Focier and Loukas continuing to get snaps, telling that “I know we’re going to need those guys.” This suggests, perhaps, that Harbuagh is losing confidence and Pritchard and that a change at quarterback may be inevitable.
USC Trojans
The Daily News for September 10, 2008 provides a few important notes regarding a USC Trojans squad that this weekend heads into a showdown with Big Ten Conference foe Ohio State:
Nick Perry continues to scramble to get a course grade appeal approved by the NCAA Clearinghouse before Friday. If he does not do so, he will be unable to enroll at the university this semester. Venice tailback Curtis McNeal faces a similar situation.
Vidal Hazelton, wide receiver for the Trojans, was at practices earlier this week, though suffering with a sprained ankle. His status for the upcoming weekend’s game with the Buckeyes is unknown.
Brian Cushing, linebacker for USC, continues to deal with a sore hip sustained during a walk-through on Tuesday, but should be okay to take the field on Saturday.
UCLA Bruins
The Press-Enterprise of September 10, 2008 includes a piece on junior tight end Ryan Moya. Having missed all of last year on extended leave due to an improperly healed broken left leg sustained in a 2006 game against the Oregon Ducks, Moya looks to rebound in 2008 and is off to a good start,. In the season opener for the against Tennessee, he caught seven receptions for 65 yards and the go-ahead score. The junior will make his second start this coming Saturday against Brigham Young and should be one for fantasy owners to keep an eye on, particularly given that offensive coordinator Norm Chow’s offense features a load of plays that involve the tight end position.
Washington State Cougars
Head coach Paul Wulff is quoted as telling reporters on September 10, 2008 (NWCN.com) that a decision as to who will start under center for the Cougars come Friday night’s came against the Baylor Bears will likely not be made until game time. Wulff will have a challenge in coming to any type of solid conclusion, however, considering that original starter Gary Rogers has had significant trouble over the first two games of the 2008 season, yet back up Kevin Lopina fared little better playing in the second-half of what ended up being WSU’s worst defeat in team history as played against the California Bears. Regardless of whomever is identified as a starter, however, expect to see both Rogers and Lopina taking the field at one time or another, as Wulff clarified he feels that the problem the team has faced at quarterback “is not a one-person issue,” and we continue to evaluate to see which of his options at the position will provide the Cougars the best opportunity to win ball games.
SEC
Alabama Crimson Tide
The Huntsville Times for September 10, 2008 highlights an interesting statistic for the Alabama Crimson Tide: in the first two games of head coach Nick Saban’s second year with the University of Alabama, twelve true freshmen have to one degree or another participated on either the offensive or defensive side of the ball. With only three other teams in Division IA – Florida State, Arkansas, and SMU – having played more first year recruits than the Crimson Tide (22, 15, and 3, respectively), Saban claims the Alabama faithful can expect his coaching staff to consider the possibility of playing even more in upcoming contests.
Arkansas Razorbacks
Michael Smith, junior tailback for the Arkansas Razorbacks, tells the Arkansas Democrat of September 11, 2008 that he “wasn’t physically ready” to play last Saturday night against Louisiana-Monroe, and despite taking 13 carries for 121 yards in the first and second quarters, had by halftime “hit a wall” which left him feeling very fatigued. Following the Razorback’s 28-27 win over ULM, Smith admitted that he’d “allowed myself to get out of shape” in the time span between the end of fall camp and the second game of the season, with the first contest of 2008 missed due to Smith having been cited with “improper use of scholarship textbooks”; still, with every intention of doing “a little bit more running now,” the junior hopes to quickly regain his endurance and have a greater impact in games played from this point forward.
Auburn Tigers
Offensive coordinator Tony Franklin announced mid-week, the Press-Register of September 11, 2008 reports, his decision to go with Chris Todd as the starting quarterback for the Tigers in the immediate future. Notes the Register, sophomore Kodi Burns initially was understandably upset with Franklin’s choice, but following a meeting with head coach Tommy Tuberville, expressed to reporters that he felt that he’d gotten “a fair shot” to earn the starter role under center, but did not feel the team was “going to play favorites” in putting “who they feel like should be on the field” in order to make the team a success.
Florida Gators
Is there something going on in the Florida Gators’ backfield that should have fans and fantasy owners alike concerned heading into only the third week of the 2008 season? That’s a question which the website FloridaToday.com attempts to answer on September 11, 2008, noting that tailback Emmanuel Moody – a former USC Trojans’ ball carrier that was “supposed to be the guy to revolutionize the running back position at Florida” – carried only one time for two yards in the season opener against the Hawaii Warriors, and did not take the field at all this past weekend versus Miami (FL). Even worse, the remaining Gators’ running backs playing in the game with the Hurricanes Saturday night combined for a mere seven yard on nine carries, a statistic that will have to get progressively better as it prepares to battle SEC opponent Tennessee on September 20th and enters into heart of its brutal conference schedule thereafter.
Georgia Bulldogs
According to the Ledger-Enquirer of September 10, 2008, just two weeks into his college career as a wide receiver for the University of Georgia Bulldogs, wide receiver A.J. Green may be not be identified as a starter this upcoming weekend against Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina Gamecocks. Originally given the opportunity to play because of an injury to starting split end Kenneth Harris, Green has in the Bulldogs’ first two games caught five passes for 80 yards and a touchdown; still, according to Mark Richt, head coach of Georgia, that does not necessitate that the freshman will start versus the Gamecocks, though, admittedly, says Richt, “he’ll definitely play a lot.”
Kentucky Wildcats
A major article of note from The Courier Journal of September 11, 2008: Head coach Rich Brooks claims that heading into Saturday’s game against Middle Tennessee State, he has yet to decide on a starter at quarterback, this after true freshman Randall Cobb outshined team starter under center, Mike Hartline, in the Wildcats second game of the season versus Norfolk State. Cobb, the article notes, caused quite a stir last weekend as he led Kentucky on three straight touchdown drives in the first half; while Hartline has played the majority of snaps in both the season opener against Louisville and this past Saturday, Cobb could find himself taking over the sophomore’s position, particularly since Brooks plans on playing both quarterbacks to start the game with the Blue Raiders.
Mississippi Rebels
The Northeast Mississippi Daily-Journal of September 11, 2008 writes that despite the level of talent which exists in the backfield of this year’s Mississippi Rebels’ offense, head coach Houston Nutt feels that the team has been getting inconsistent play out of both the offensive line and its running backs. One exception to the latter, however, seems to be Brandon Bolden, who last week against Wake Forest, ran for 43 yards on eight carries, most of which came off of a base rush formation. That Bolden should see more time on the field in upcoming contests seems a near certainty, but Nutt will need, says the article, to find a more pronounced ground game outside of his Wild Rebel formation, in which a running back or wide receiver takes a direct snap and either hands off, runs with, or passes the ball downfield.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
The Clarion Ledger for September 7, 2008 highlights wide receiver for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Brandon McRae, and the fact that while catching just two passes for 50 yards during the entire 2007 season, expectations for this year are much greater, especially considering that over the first two games of 2008, the junior has taken 12 receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
South Carolina Gamecocks
With standout wide receiver Kenny McKinney going down with a hamstring injury last week against the Vanderbilt Commodores, the “focal point of the Carolina offense,” notes the website TheItem.com, became 6’5″, 242 pound tight end Jared Cook. By the end of the game, Cook had caught a career-high eight passes for 111 yards, accounting for over 1/3 of South Carolina’s total yards on offense for the game. Having grabbed 30 catches for 421 yards and three touchdowns last year, Cook looks to further exploit his speed, size, and “God-given ability,” states head coach Steve Spurrier, to become a go-to target in 2008 as a “combination player – a wide receiver/tight end” that can easily control the offensive tempo of a game with his presence on the playing field.
Tennessee Volunteers
In the wake of an incredibly surprising upset to the UCLA Bruins in their season opener, The Tennessean of September 7, 2008 writes that the Tennessee Volunteers’ coaching staff has worked toward identifying and correcting six categories of game play which their team in the season opener failed to completely address:
Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton had too much placed on his shoulders too quickly; the pace of the game at UCLA found the first-year starter throwing 41 times for the game, but only completing 19. More short, quick passes should have been called in from the sidelines as well in order to build up the junior’s confidence.
Adrian Foster may have racked up 96 rushing yards on the night at tailback, but it was junior Montario Hardesty that was the Volunteers’ best overall running back against UCLA. He should see increased playing time starting with this weekend’s game with UAB.
Tennessee must defend against the short / slant pass much better than it did in the second half of the contest with the Bruins.
Wide receiver Gerald Jones, perhaps the most explosive player Tennessee can put out on the field on the offensive side of the ball, touched the ball only six times for the game; he should be given, says the article, 13-15 touches per contest in the future.
The Volunteers failed to finish drives, far too often settling for long field goals that missed their target and eventually cost Tennessee the game in overtime.
Tennessee’s offensive line was flopped (right side to left, and vice versa) in the offseason by offensive coordinator Dave Clawson, which, according to the Tennessean aided in the multiple false start penalties called against the Volunteers in the season-opening loss.
Vanderbilt Commodores
The Tennessean of September 10, 2008 announces the return to the Vanderbilt Commodores’ practice field of both George Smith and Alex Washington at wide receiver. Both participated in mostly individual workouts on Tuesday afternoon, with Smith getting in some route-running as well. Head coach Bobby Johnson noted that neither wideout should be expected to return to the huddle too quickly, but that the team was finally “seeing good signs” in the attempt to reinvigorate what is currently a depleted wide receiver corps, with Chris Reinart and John Coles currently sidelined with serious leg injuries.
Sun Belt
North Texas Mean Green
When head coach of the University of North Texas, Todd Dodge, needed a boost at the wide receiver position this Saturday against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, he did something highly unusual, reports the Tulsa World for September 7, 2008; moving slot receiver B.J. Lewis over on the defensive side of the ball in the first quarter, Dodge inserted his son, second string quarterback Riley Dodge, in Lewis’ place, and watched as the youngster set up the Mean Green’s only touchdown of the first half on a 27-yard reverse which took the ball down to the Tulsa 2-yard line. For the game, the true freshman – debuting in his first collegiate game and ending speculation that he would be redshirted in 2008 – took two rushes for 31 yards and grabbed five catches for 25 yards receiving.
WAC
The Reno Gazette-Journal of September 10, 2008 notes that as a result of a tear to his left ACL and MCL sustained as the Nevada Wolfpack played the Texas Tech Red Raiders this past weekend, senior tailback Luke Lippincott will undergo surgery on his knee in about three weeks and undergo approximately nine months of recovery, if all goes well. Nevada subsequently will seek to petition the NCAA for a hardship waiver for Lippincott, which would allow him, if granted, the opportunity to play for a sixth year with the Wolfpack.
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