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Notes from the Margin: Concussions, spliffs, soft QBs and fumbles
By Jason Roberts | September 19, 2008
As a major weekend of college football approaches, one that looks to separate the contenders from the imposters.
I scour the nation’s newspapers once more to find out the lowdown on collegiate football’s six major BCS conferences, and find Clemson’s Tommy Bowden telling Cullen Harper (right, Icon SMI) to lay down a injured shoulder to get extra yards, Virginia’s Peter Lalich excused from the Cavalier’s football program for one too many joints, a Kansas’ Jayhawks quarterback the nation’s leading receiver in terms of receptions and yards per catch, Joe Paterno playing musical chairs (possibly) at the quarterback position for PSU, and UCLA attempting to pull a tailback out of thin air in preparation for a Pac-10 showdown against Arizona.
ACC
Clemson Tigers
ProFootballWeekly.com notes head coach of the Clemson Tigers, Tommy Bowden, was anything but pleased with the decision making of his senior quarterback, Cullen Harper, Saturday against North Carolina State, this as Harper scrambled 11 yards on third and 13 early in the second quarter, then stepped out of bounds two yards short of moving the chains. In his defense, some members along the Clemson sideline cited that Harper’s move was one made to try and protect a sore right shoulder, but Bowden expressed to reporters following the game that, in his opinion, Harper should have lowered “the sore (shoulder) and go win a conference game.” He continued on, saying, “Take the sore one, lower it, run over him, and get as close to it, and make them both sore.” If not capable of doing so, Bowden was more than happy to remind his senior starter, “We’ve got another quarterback.”
Meanwhile, TheState.com reports that senior wide receiver for the Clemson Tigers, Tyler Grisham, has sustained his fifth concussion since joining the university’s football program, giving rise to concerns that he might experience symptoms of post-concussion syndrome. Says Grisham, however, ” . . . I can’t worry about that kind of stuff, there’s really no need. I just have to go out there and play and not think about it.”
Florida State Seminoles
The Tallahassee Democrat expresses concern regarding the state of affairs in the Florida State Seminoles’ kicking game heading into this weekend’s showdown with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, noting that Graham Gano has been labeled “probably unlikely” to play Saturday, as he continues to recover for torn cartilage in his kicking leg, but could possible ve available to handle short-range field goals and extra-points. If he cannot do so, then either Zach Hobby - who missed two PATs and three field goal attempts from 40 or more yards - or walk-on James Esco, who thus far this season has only handled kickoffs, will be asked to step in.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
A main concern for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets heading into this weekend’s non-conference game with Mississippi State, at least according to the Albany Herald, is the fact that Tech has in its first three games fumbled the ball 11 times, losing seven of them. That places GT last in their conference and 119th nationally in the latter category. Such numbers also, says the article, rank ninth the Yellow Jackets ninth in the ACC and 74th nationally in turnover margin.
Maryland Terrapins
DiamondbackOnline.com notes there is a strong possibility that the Terrapins will start freshman tailback Davin Meggett this weekend against Eastern Michigan, as starter Da’Rel Scott sustained a left shoulder injury last week in Maryland’s impressive victory over the California Bears and, according to head coach Ralph Friedgen, remains “very sore.” Should Meggett get the call, the Terrapins’ ground game shouldn’t suffer much as against the Bears Meggett put on an impressive performance, rushing 22 times for 136 yards.
Miami Hurricanes
Head coach Randy Shannon of the Miami Hurricanes tells the Orlando Sentinel that wide receiver Jermain McKenzie has seen a lack of playing time so far this season because of nagging injuries. Notes Shannon, “Whenever Jermaine McKenzie is ready to crack the rotation, he will . . . . [But we] don’t play favorites here. Whoever’s good to play, we’re going to play.”
Shannon also states in the article his intentions to trim the wide receiver rotation from eight to seven; among the changes he intends to make - moving Sam Shields to first on the depth chart and Leonard Hankerson going from flanker to split end.
North Carolina Tarheels
WR Brandon Tate as the subject of one of this website’s preseason Player Spotlights, and for good reason; as the Citizen-Times reports in a recent piece on the senior. Tate as in just two games this season accounted for eight catches for 231 yards, five rushes for 125 yards, four punt returns for 146 yards, and three kickoff returns for 114 yards. For those doing the math, that breaks down to an average of 30.8 yards each time the wideout touches the ball, and leaves him currently the nation’s leader in all-purpose yards with 308 per contest played.
N.C. State Wolfpack
Is it time for fantasy owners to start giving consideration to tailback Andre Brown of N.C. State? According to Scout.com, Tom O’Brien, head coach of the Wolfpack, speaking with writer James Henderson, O’Brien said the following about his senior rusher against Clemson last Saturday:
I think Andre has matured a lot from the day I got here. You look at him as a running back, he had a great couple of runs as a freshman or sophomore here actually, nice long runs, but some of the things that we asked him to do he wasn’t real good at when we first got here. As I told him this Sunday at a team meeting, I thought it was by far the best he’s run since I’ve been here. He was running tough inside, he was getting tough yards, and he was going forward. He caught the ball and got hit and made yards after contact… he was much more a complete back, as far as I was concerned, Saturday than at anytime since I’ve seen him here.
In the same piece, O’Brien also speaks about wide receiver T.J. Graham, and the possibility of using him in a fashion similar to that of Clemson wideout Jacoby Ford. The NC head coach states, “I don’t know how much we’ll use him going forward as a running back the way [Clemson] use Ford, but certainly he has the ability to be a special player, I think. Now whether he will or not, that’s going to come down to him, but certainly in the return game.”
Virginia Cavaliers
In a surprising move by the University of Virginia Cavaliers football program, The Roanoke Times reports that quarterback Peter Lalich, the highest-rated recruit at his position to ever sign with UVA, was dismissed Wednesday from the program, this less than one month into his second year with the team. Athletic director for the University, Craig Littlepage, cited as the reason for Lalich’s release the quarterback’s admittance to a Charlottesville General District Court that he had violated probation stemming from a charge originating this past July in which the 20-year old was accused of unlawful purchase and possession of alcohol.
Virginia Tech Hokies
The Daily Press informs readers that freshman running back Ryan Williams is going to take a redshirt this season, this after having every intention to play for Virginia Tech and contribute to its offense in his first year on campus, but not seeing any playing time in the Hokies’ first three games of 2008. “I’m okay with it,” Williams is quoted as saying on the subject of his redshirt, adding, “That wasn’t my plans coming into any school, really, but I made the call based on I really didn’t want to waste a year.” “For the first three games,” Williams continues, “I thought I was going to get some playing time so it could increase . . . but I really didn’t get any plays or playing time, and I felt like that would probably continue through the rest o the year.”
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Fantasy owners will probably be familiar with the name D.J. Boldin, but if not, take a serious look at the youngster at wideout for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons; per the TBO.com, the senior receiver currently sits at second in the ACC for yardage per contest with 93. The younger brother of former Florida State standout receiver Anquan Boldin, he has over two games grabbed 18 receptions for 156 yards, with the majority of that compiled in Wake Forest’s last contest versus Mississippi.
Big XII
Colorado Buffaloes
The Charleston Daily-Mail contains a telling piece on sophomore wide receiver Scotty McKnight, who last year travelled the road from a walk-on for the Colorado Buffaloes to the team’s leading receiver in both receptions and pass yardage. “I never really bother to think about [leading the team] because at first all I wanted to do was try to get in the mix,” McKnight states, continuing, ” I figured if I could take care of that first, some of the other things could happen, but even then I had some older guys in front of me in the lineup.” Yet, as the sophomore is quoted as saying, “. . . once I did crack the lineup, things started to happen.” Happen indeed. A former prospect for Boise State before Dan Hawkins became the head coach at Colorado, McKnight has quickly established himself as one of the team’s best overall athletes, and though starting off slowly in so far in 2008 (111 yards receiving, one touchdown), looks to improve greatly on his freshman production.
Iowa State Cyclones
The Gazette suggests that head coach for the Iowa State Cyclones Gene Chizik has grows displeased over the inability of his team’s offense to convert short-yardage situations on both third and fourth down, exemplified in ISU’s game last Saturday against the Iowa Hawkeyes, in which the Cyclones face third-and-4 or shorter eight times and converted on only three. The article notes that Iowa State’s offense was stopped on a fourth-and-goal from the Iowa 4-yard line as well.
The same piece mentioned above also states that freshman Grant Mahoney, placekicker for the Iowa State Cyclones, will remain the starter this coming weekend against UNLV, this despite missing three of his four kicks against the Hawkeyes this past Saturday. He had been 5-for-6 in ISU’s two previous contests.
Kansas Jayhawks
The University Daily Kansan highlights the abilities of junior ex-quarterback-now-turned-receiver Kerry Meier; while serving as one of the Kansas Jayhawks’ most dominant pass-catchers, Meier also has completed 29 passes for 253 yards through KU’s’ first three games of the year. First splitting the then-sophomore out at wide receiver in the fourth game of last season, in a contest against Florida International, coach Mark Mangino decided to experiment with getting Meier out on the field once more, this after a freshman by the name of Todd Reesing overtook him at the starting quarterback position in the 2007 preseason. The move didn’t pay off much in terms of statistical dividends through the remainder of last season, but has since led to Meier being identified as Reesing’s favorite receiver thus far in 2008, with the junior not only leading the Jayhawks in receptions in every game played this year, but also topping the FBS in average catches per contest with 9.67.
Big East
Cincinnati Bearcats
The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that head coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats, Brian Kelly, is likely to select senior quarterback Tony Pike to start this coming weekend against Miami (OH), this after Dustin Grutza broke his leg on September 6th in the Bearcats’ game against the Oklahoma Sooners. A youngster that greyshirted in 2005, redshirted in 2005, did not play in 2006, and threw just 20 passes in 2007, Pike comes into the starting role inexperienced at the college level, but having passed for 4,355 yards and 46 touchdowns while playing for Reading High School.
Connecticut Huskies
Head coach of the Connecticut Huskies, Randy Edsall, is, according to The New Haven Register, being heralded as a “genius” for his decision to allow senior cornerback Darius Butler to play on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, this after Butler last week ran a reverse in for a 13-yard touchdown and grabbed a 29-yar pass reception against the Virginia Cavaliers. “It’s just my keen eye for talent,” Edsall joked when asked about his decision to let Butler play two-ways. “It goes all the way back to the spring when we knew we had some issues with the wide receivers. We look at it and you try to get your best guys on the field. He’s a guy you can do that with, and being a quarterback in high school, he has some skills you can use as a wide receiver. He’s quick, he’s fast, he’s athletic . . . “
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
MyCentraJersey.com writes that a player to watch in this weekend’s contest between the Rutgers’ Scarlet Knights and the Navy Midshipmen is redshirt freshman Jourdan Brooks, who last week made his debut against the North Carolina Tarheels and, in the process, managed to impress the Rutgers’ coaching staff. Head coach Greg Schiano says of the Brooks, “I think he can contribute more. He had seven carries [for 42 yards] . . . maybe he can touch it a few more times.” Schiano admits that the redshirt freshman is “young” and needs to work on “[pass] protection and ball security,” but is getting to the point where he can contribute more, particularly considering that Kordell Young may not play this Saturday due to a knee injury sustained last week against North Carolina.
South Florida Bulls
TBO.com tells readers that running backs Ben Williams and Mike Ford are both probable for this coming weekend’s contest against FIU, though both have bee struggling to recover from ankle injuries. They have, the article notes, combined for just two carries for two yards in the last two games.
In light of the above, the Bradenton Herald notes to keep an eye on 5′9″, 200 pound running back Jamar Taylor; a sophomore from Lakeland High, Taylor normally takes the field on special teams for the Bulls, but last week also carried 11 times for 72 yards and a touchdown.
Syracuse Orangemen
The website Syracuse.com contains a piece which states that though head coach of the Syracuse Orangemen, Greg Robinson, gave serious consideration to making a switch at quarterback after SU’s loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions last week, Robinson has elected to stay with current starting quarterback Cameron Dantley, who has been the lead under center over the past two games for the Orangemen.
Big Ten
Indiana Hoosiers
The Indiana Hoosiers notes the Journal Gazette may be averaging 275.5 rushing yards so far this season, but head coach Bill Lynch states that those numbers are in reality misleading. “I think we still have to continually work at it to run the ball better,” Lynch told local reporters recently. “We have some big numbers, but we have some big numbers because of some big hits. [Quarterback] Kellen [Lewis] had the big hits in the first game and [running back] Marcus [Thigpen] had the big hits in the second game.” Lynch here is referring to the fact that Lewis ran for touchdowns of 75 and 62 yards against Western Kentucky in the season opener, while Thigpen had rushes of 67 and 31 yards in the Hoosiers’ victory over Murray State on September 6th.
Michigan Wolverines
The website MLive.com claims that though the Michigan Wolverines may not have won last weekend’s game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, it does appear that UM has identified its starting quarterback for the year, this after Steve Threet had been rotated in and out of the lineup over the first three games of the year with redshirt sophomore Nick Sheridan. States the article, against Notre Dame, “Threet played with confidence, threw the ball with accuracy, and spread his passes among five different receivers . . . “; and though “not immune to turnovers himself in a soggy second half,” the redshirt freshman put forth a “performance [that] was the best by far from a Michigan quarterback this season . . .” Head coach Rich Rodriguez seems to agree with such an assessment, claiming, “He’s gonna be the starter. He played well enough in that game for us to have confidence in him.”
Minnesota Golden Gophers
An interesting tidbit to keep fantasy owners looking for players in free agency at the Star-Tribune. The piece notes that, perhaps surprisingly, Minnesota is the only Division I team to score a touchdown each time it has advanced the ball inside the 20-yard line in 2008. Thus far this season, the Gophers have entered the redzone 11 times, which each trip resulting in a touchdown.
Penn State Nittany Lions
Just when you thought that the quarterback situation at Penn State University was no longer a matter of discussion, the website DailyLocal.com notes that Joe Paterno isn’t making any promises that current starter Darryl Clark will retain his hold on the position. Reporters asking Paterno about his decision to allow Pat Devlin to play in the first half of last week’s contest against the Syracuse Orangemen were shocked to here the head coach of the Nittany Lions respond by saying, “I don’t like to pin myself down to something when I don’t have to. I’m not ready to say what we are going to do with the quarterbacks.” Paterno attempted to clarify, noting, “I just think that Devlin is a guy that can play. I made up my mind after watching practice on Wednesday that I was going to play him. In the back of my mind I was hoping to play him in the second quarter and it worked out.” Devlin, the website highlights, responded accordingly, and played “impressively” in his time on the field by connecting on eight-of-13 pass attempts, and landing 130 yards and two touchdown passes.
Pac-10
Arizona Wildcats
From the Arizona Daily-Star comes a piece highlighting the fact that senior wideout for the Arizona Wildcats, Mike Thomas, is currently second nationally among receivers with 211 career receptions, just 16 less than Rice’s Jarrett Dillard. The article also points out that the DeSoto, Texas native currently leads all Pac-10 receivers with 8.7 catches and 100.7 yards per game and is fourth with 138.7 yards of total offense accumulated per contest played. Should Thomas acquire just 48 more catches in his final year with the University of Arizona, he will become the conference’s all-time receptions leader, which he is on pace to break at this point around the time that the Wildcats play the Washington Huskies at the end of October.
DailyWildcat.com notes, in the meantime, that offensive coordinator for Arizona, Sonny Dykes, is concerned with the way that the team moved away from the run game this past weekend against New Mexico, as sophomore running back Nicholas Grigsby gained just 72 yards and a touchdown after two back-to-back weeks with at least 135 yards rushing. Yet, Dykes states that he feels that the planned return of sophomore tight end Rob Gronkowski this weekend against UCLA will help address this issue, as Gronkowski gives a boost not only to the UA passing attack given his excellent receiving skills, but also in the trenches as one of the offensive line’s better blockers.
Oregon Ducks
The Idaho Statesman confirms a suspicion we had in light of last weekend’s injury to Oregon Ducks’ starting quarterback, Justin Roper, while playing the Purdue Boilermakers - true freshman Chris Harper and sophomore transfer from the City College of San Franciso, Joseph Masoli, will be splitting reps in UO’s contest this Saturday against the Boise State Broncos. Masoli, described as a “strong-armed passer with running ability,” and Harper, “a powerful accomplished runner who is developing his passing skills,” will see playing time as determined by a “play-by-play basis,” but noted head coach Mike Bellotti, “They are both going to play a tremendous amount. It’s going to be more based on what we’re doing and who we feel most comfortable with.”
Stanford Cardinal
The San Francisco Chronicle reveals that head coach of the Stanford Cardinal, Jim Harbaugh, has announced his intention to have five-star recruit at quarterback, Andrew Luck, ready to make his college debut this Saturday against San Jose State. “I don’t want to talk about a whole lot of scenarios,” Harbaugh told members of the local press, but instead wanted to focus on the question, “What’s best for the team and what’s best for him?” Luck, who threw for 7,139 yards and 53 touchdowns in high school, seems “physically and mentally ready” to take the field, Stanford’s coach commented, yet will still relinquish the starting role - at least for the first quarter against the Spartans - to junior Tavita Pritchard.
UCLA Bruins
According to the Tucson Citizen, the main focus of Rick Neuheisel and the remainder of his coaching staff in this weekend’s contest against the Arizona Wildcats and beyond will be to jump start a rushing attack that currently is averaging only 19 yards a game and 0.8 yard a carry. Says Neuheisel, “We need to go back to playing a sufficient style of football. We’re going to keep practicing [the running game] and maybe looking at different combinations and different schemes. Hopefully we will see the fruit of our labors.” In order to do, UCLA will have to overcome a number of significant challenges, the majority of which center on a string of injuries that have decimated the Bruins’ depth chart at tailback; Kahlil Bell currently remains doubtful because of an ankle sprain sustained in the season opener with Tennessee, Raymond Carter has a knee injury, and Aundre Dean also is hobbled by a bad ankle. That leaves only Chad Moline to function as the team’s main ball carrier, a troubling scenario considering that he has thus far taken 13 carries for 17 yards thus far in 2008.
Yet, there is hope; says the Orange County Register, watch for freshman Derrick Coleman to play a more significant role in this weekend’s contest with the Arizona Wildcats. A youngster that impressed coaches in fall camp before falling victim to a knee injury that required minor surgery, Coleman returned to practice last week and was taking snaps with the first-team offense this past week in preparation for entering the Bruins game plan as early as Saturday’s game.
USC Trojans
The Los Angeles Times reports that freshman running back Curtis McNeal, finally admitted to the University of Southern California by the NCAA, was sighted imitating Oregon State Beavers’ tailback Jacquizz Rodgers during scout-drills during this, his first week of practice on campus with Trojans’ football squad.
Washington Huskies
The Everett, Washington Herald summarizes the comments of offensive coordinator for the Washington Huskies, Tim Lappano, from this past Tuesday’s regularly scheduled press conference with local media. Lappano notes that the primary goal for the team will be to “get our run game cranked up,” establishing “consistency in the two-back game or the one-back game.” He mentioned as well that he will be looking at young players at wideout who have yet to break into the rotation, with Anthony Boyles and Cody Bruns two specific receivers Lappano named as being considered for playing time in the Huskies’ next game against Stanford on September 27th. Meanwhile, UW’s offensive coordinator commented that Kavario Middleton, who had caught eight passes in his first two games, hurt his knee “pretty good” against BYU, giving explanation as to why some felt the young wideout did not seem to be playing up to standard last weekend versus Oklahoma.
Washington State Cougars
The Tri-City Herald tells readers that junior quarterback Kevin Lopina will be starting under center yet again this week for the Washington State Cougars against Portland State, but could be hampered in his ability to throw due to an injury sustained to his wrist earlier this week in practice.
SEC
Alabama Crimson Tide
After a three reception, 50 yard day against Western Kentucky this past Saturday, The Birmingham News tells readers to keep an eye on third-year sophomore Earl Alexander at wide receiver for the Alabama Crimson Tide; head coach Nick Saban has recently been high on the young wideout, and given the fact that Alexander is now 100% after injuring an ankle, should see to it that the Alabama receiver gets an increase in production starting with this weekend’s upcoming SEC showdown against Arkansas.
Florida Gators
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune writes in a recent article that head coach for the Florida Gators, Urban Meyer, has vowed to get former-USC running back Emmanuel Moody on the field more often starting this weekend in UF’s showdown with the University of Tennessee, this after the sophomore touched the ball just twice in the season opener against Hawaii and did not once take the field in the Gators’ second game of the year against the Miami Hurricanes.
Kentucky Wildcats
The Courier-Journal informs readers this week that University of Kentucky kicker Ryan Tydlacka will get the opportunity to start for the Wildcats this coming weekend against Western Kentucky, this after UK’s starting placekicker, Lones Seiber, missed three field goal attempts and had a fourth blocked in a 20-14 win against Middle Tennessee State last Saturday evening.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
The website Scout.com notes this week that though suffering from a groin pull injury, lead tailback for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Anthony Dixon, is likely to play this weekend as MSU travels to Atlanta to face off against the ACC’s Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Head coach Sylvester Croom stated that Dixon “looked OK” in light drills earlier this week, but still leaves the MSU coach concerned, as his running back has now not officially participated in practices all week. “There’s not way he can be as sharp as he normally is,” Croom stated about the possibility of Dixon traveling with the team and suiting up against the Yellow Jackets. “But we’re better with him than without him.”
Vanderbilt Commodores
The Tennessean explains to readers that while in the past three seasons, Vanderbilt Commodores’ tailbacks have rushed for 84 or more yards on just six occasions, current junior running back Jared Hawkins has already accomplished that task in each of his first two starts with in the Commodores in 2008. His 242 combined yards on the season have him tied for tied for the fifth-best rushing total in the Southeastern Conference at this point in time and leave Hawkins just 56 yards short of the career high he set two years ago.
Topics: ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, College Football, Jason Roberts, Notes From the Margins, Pac 10, SEC |
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