Notes From the Margin: First Week Lessons
September 5th, 2008 by Jason Roberts
After a wild and raucous opening weekend to the 2008 college football season, we attempt to clean up the clouds of confusion surrounding many players initially regarded as must-haves by fantasy owners but who did little in terms of performance to merit keeping them in starting lineups for much longer. Along the way, we also find some excellent candidates for free agency, the majority of which play at wideout . . .
ACC
Clemson Tigers
According to Bart Wright of the website GreensvilleOnline.com, South Carolina Gamecocks’ head coach Steve Spurrier began a news conference on Sunday by telling reporters he didn’t want to field any questions about his view on the Clemson-Alabama game from Saturday night.
However, given the opportunity to speak to a few lingering sportswriters following the press event, Spurrier went on record as asking, “Does he always give a freshman a play like that,” referring to Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden’s decision to let first-year tailback Jamie Harper carry the ball on the Tiger’s first offensive possession. Readers that watched the game may recall that on that play, Harper fumbled the ball at the line, Alabama recovered, and with a few moments, the Crimson Tide had gone up on Clemson 6-0. “You’ll never see me do that,” Spurrier chattered, hinting that he’d heard Bowden often promised prize recruits at tailback the opportunity to open up the first offensive play of a given year with a run.
As for Spurrier? You won’t see him giving any freshman a role he doesn’t think the player can handle; “I just think you gotta’ earn it,” Spurrier closed before waving goodbye and heading off to practice.
Duke Blue Devils
The Times News for September 2, 2008 notes that fantasy owners may want to take notice of an interesting trend seen during the Duke’s season-opener against James Madison this past Saturday. Sportswriter Josh Jones makes the interesting observation that for the first time in recent memory, Duke focused much of their offensive game planning around rushing the ball, the net result of which landed senior running back Clifton Harris with a career-high 94 yards and two touchdowns on the day. Harris’ performance was the single highest game total for rushing acquired since Justin Boyle grabbed 113 yards against Vanderbilt back in 2006. Altogether, Duke mustered 218 yards on the ground against James Madison. This is the first time that the team broke the 200-yard mark since the 2006 season, (again, against Vanderbilt).
Florida State Seminoles
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel writes on September 2 that although offensive coordinator Jimbo Fischer is remaining secretive about who might get the call to start at quarterback this Saturday against Western Carolina, fans and fantasy owners can expect to see senior Drew Weatherford. Bianchi also extorts that even if Weatherford does get the start in the Seminoles’ season opener, he believes with confidence that “Richardson will finish the season as a starter,” particularly considering that Fisher loves the “dual-threat quarterback who might have the strongest arm and definitely has the fastest legs of all the QBs” at Florida State.
Miami Hurricanes
Scout.com reports on September 2, 2008 that quarterback Jacory Harris earned Rookie of the Week honors for his debut collegiate performance this past Saturday against Charleston Southern. He went 16-of-26 and 190 yards through the air which helped to lead Miami to a 52-7 win in the Hurricanes season-opener.
Despite that fact, the September 3rd Florida Today reports that head coach Randy Shannon has decided to give Robert Marve, who was on suspension last week and did not play against Charleston Southern, the nod at starter against the Florida Gators this upcoming Saturday night. Harris, notes Shannon, will still play on situational downs, but Marve will be considered the main man under center.
North Carolina Tarheels
Wide receiver Brandon Tate, a player that we highlighted in a column in the preseason, broke a school-record with a total of 397 all-purpose yards garnered in this past weekend’s season opener against McNeese State. Before all was said and done, reports The News & Observer, Tate became the first wide receiver in UNC history to rush for 100 yards in a game, finishing the day with 106 on just three carries, and was second best (only to himself, of course) with 198 return yards on special teams.
As well as Tate played on Saturday, head coach Butch Davis still had plenty to be concerned about when the final gun sounded. Hoping to dramatically improve the rushing numbers which his UNC Tarheels put on the ground in 2007, Davis noted he was unhappy with the production he got out of what many consider a deep and talented set of backs. Feature back Greg Little finished with just 40 yards on 14 carries while Shaun Draughn, Little’s main backup, grabbed 33 yards on seven rushing attempts.
North Carolina State Wolfpack
According to Scout.com for September 2, head coach Tom O’Brien told reporters at his weekly press conference that both starting quarterback Russell Wilson and senior tight end Anthony Hill will both miss Saturday’s game against William and Mary. Wilson, readers may already know, suffered what was eventually diagnosed as a grade three concussion last Thursday evening when he took a knee to the back of the helmet. Subsequently, Daniel Evans is listed at the starter for the Wolfpack’s second game. In the meantime, Hill, who against South Carolina was playing in his first game back from a knee injury which kept him out of competition all of last season, was said to be out “indefinitely” with a strained chest muscle. Junior tight end Matt Kushner will start in his place.
Big XII
Kansas Jayhawks
The website KansasCity.com notes that senior wideout Dexton Fields was held out of practice this past Sunday, this after injuring a left foot or ankle during the first quarter of the Jayhawks’ opening game against Florida International. Head coach Mark Mangino was quoted as saying that the team will have “a better feel for things after Tuesday’s practice,” and will reevaluate Fields’ ability to play in Kansas’ upcoming contest against Louisiana Tech sometime shortly after that practice is completed.
Also of note on the injury front, the University Daily Kansan reports on August 31 that junior running back Jocques Crawford was seen late Saturday evening walking slowly around Mrkonic Auditorium in preparation for meeting with press, head hung low because of an ankle injury that forced him to get x-rays after he was injured late in the first quarter of the season-opener. Head coach Mark Mangino noted of the ankle sprain that Crawford “got dinged up a little bit,” but that the injury was “nothing serious.” Crawford indicated that he hoped he would not have to miss any practice time this week as the team prepares to faceoff against Louisiana Tech this weekend.
In relation to the above: an interesting comment from the Daily Kansan for September 2, 2008 – with JUCO transfer Jocques Crawford injured in the first quarter of the Jayhawks’ season-opener against Florida International, head coach Mark Mangino was left to send out Jake Sharp into the backfield, where, as the article notes, the tailback “was more productive in the passing game seeing limited rushing action.” Junior quarterback Todd Reesing hit Sharp for an 18-yard gain in the first quarter of play, but all said and done, the junior running back finished the game with just eight carries for 27 yards, an average of 3.3 yards per carry. The move away from rushing the ball seems that with Sharp in the game, Mangino and staff felt it necessary to abandon the running game and instead allow “FIU’s defense to dictate that Reesing attempt a career-high 52 passes, even when the game was well in hand.” That being the case it appears Sharp is regarded as a player that “runs finesse plays and catches passes,” but cannot be relied on to carry the ball down in the trenches with frequent regularity. Subsequently the article suggests to watch for Angus Quigley, the team’s third string running back, to become a more integral part of the Jayhawks’ ground game after he led Kansas in rushing with 71 yards on nine carries.
Kansas State Wildcats
In a review of the Kansas State Wildcats’ romping of North Texas this past weekend, the website Kansas.com suggests two names to remember, either of which could end up having a major impact on the team’s ground and passing games before the season comes to a close. At tailback, the article highlights both JUCO transfer Keithen Valentine and freshman Logan Dold. It is the latter which the website seems to take favor, noting that the former Garden Plain tailback gained 53 yards on nine carries with a game-high 19 yard dash coming in the first half. At wide receiver, the piece turns to Brandon Banks, a 5’7″ and 142 pound speedster that in Saturday night’s game against the Mean Green caught three receptions for 88 yards and two touchdown passes for the game.
Texas A&M Aggies
A potential sleeper name to write down at wide receiver coming out of College Station; The Dallas Morning News highlights former high school quarterback-turned wide receiver Ryan Tannehill, who in the season opener for Texas A&M, caught five passes for 59 yards. A redshirt freshman, Tannehill stands 6’4″, has both excellent speed and hands and could have a major impact on the Aggies’ passing game as the season progresses.
Meanwhile, the Morning News for August 31, 2008 notes that it took head coach for the Texas A&M Aggies up till the morning of their season opener against Arkansas State to name a starter at kicker, his selection of senior Richie Bean over freshman Randy Bullock very well could be questioned by critics, as Bean struggled Saturday in the Aggies’ kicking game. For the contest, Bean missed two field goals – the second, a 25-yarder that could have sealed the game in the fourth quarter and allowed Arkansas State the opportunity to score the go-ahead touchdown moments later. No word yet as to whether or not Bullock will get a shot at the starter job this upcoming weekend, with Texas A&M taking on a tough New Mexico Lobos squad.
Big East
Louisville Cardinals
There wasn’t a whole lot positive that could be taken away from the 27-2 loss that the Cardinals’ suffered to in-state rival Kentucky Wildcats, but the Courier Press for September 2, 2008 noted three particular “bright spots” which may signal a turn in the right direction heading into its second game of the season versus Tennessee Tech on Saturday:
First, Kentucky scored just one offensive touchdown and that came after an interception by Louisville QB Hunter Cantwell put the Wildcats inside the Cardinals’ 10 yard-line.
Second, Louisville’s linebacker corps played solidly and shut down what many regard as a decent Kentucky Wildcats’ rushing attack.
Third, sophomore wide receiver Doug Beaumont had a wonderful outing for the night, grabbing nine receptions for 76 yards on the day.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Tailback Kordell Young may have been one of the few positives for a Greg Schiano team that suffered an embarrassing loss to Pat Hill’s Fresno State Bulldogs on Monday afternoon, rushing as he did for 94 yards on 26 carries. However, one particular statistic provided by the Star-Ledger of September 3, 2008 gives fantasy owners potential reason for concern:
On a total of 36 carries for the day, the Rutgers’ rush offense only managed to accumulate 106 yards on the ground; that’s an average of just over 3.1 yards-per-carry. Yet, even more disturbing is the fact that of those 36 rush attempts, 12 of them ended in gaining one yard or less to a Fresno State defense that in 2007 ranked second to last in the WAC for rush defense.
Syracuse Orangemen
Fantasy owners hoping to have identified a certified starter in the backfield for Syracuse need to pay attention to the report provided by the website Syracuse.com on September 3, 2008. Speaking on his decision to start Curtis Brinkley over Delone Carter and Doug Hogue, head coach Greg Robinson told reporters that he by no means was suggesting that Brinkley would be the go-to for the early portion of the season. Instead, he explained that his selection of Carter against Northwestern this past Saturday was just that – a decision to start the senior against the Wildcats only. Using this week’s practices as a measuring stick to identify which one of Syracuse’s three talented backs might go against Akron this weekend, Robinson assured that as of mid-week no decisions regarding a starter had been made and a decision might not come till game time.
West Virginia Mountaineers
In a revamped offensive scheme that saw standout quarterback Patrick White take to the air time and time again in the 48-21 routing of Villanova this past weekend, the Times West-Virginian points out that Alric Arnett may very well be on his way to becoming the next deep-threat at receiver for the Mountaineers. A former player for Scottsdale (Arizona) Community College that transferred to WVU prior to the start of the 2007 season, Arnett managed to take his first two catches as a Mountaineer for touchdowns. A combination of size, speed and athleticism, the redshirt junior is already drawing comparisons to Chris Henry and Brandon Myles, both of whom were the primary go-to receivers during the 2006 and 2007 seasons respectively.
Big Ten
Iowa Hawkeyes
Owners of Iowa tight end Tony Moeaki will also want to take note of the announcement provided in the Des Moines Register of September 2, 2008 that Kirk Ferentz does not believe the senior will play this coming Saturday against Florida International, as Moeaki continues to heal from a broken bone in his right foot.
Michigan Wolverines
Big news out of Ann Arbor, Michigan on September 3, 2008 as provided by the Detroit Free Press: head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, Rich Rodriguez, has not chosen a starting quarterback for this upcoming weekend’s contest, he has decided that tailback Kevin Grady, suspended from the team for a drunk driving arrest occurring this past summer, has been reinstated and will play against the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks. The article notes as well that Rodriguez regards Grady as currently being “at an even level with the other tailbacks on the depth chart.”
Minnesota Golden Gophers
The University of Minnesota may have won its season opener against Northern Illinois on Saturday afternoon, but it wasn’t by much. Taking till the very closing seconds of the contest with the Huskies to seal a four point win, Minnesota revealed a troubling statistic that may be pertinent to fantasy owners giving consideration to sophomore tailback Duane Bennett as a free agency acquisition. According to the Pioneer Press of September 3 Bennett may have rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns on the day, but the Golden Gophers as a team finished with 35 yards less than they had averaged in 2007, when Minnesota ranked eighth in the conference on the ground. It also points out that if one takes away the 61 yard breakaway run for a score by Bennett in the third quarter, the Gophers would have finished with 66 total yards on 30 carries, an average of just 2.2 yards-per-carry – and this against a Northern Illinois squad that last year finished 111th in the country on rush defense.
Another interesting note from the St. Cloud Times of September 2, 2008; quarterback MarQueis Gray, described in an article as “the centerpiece of Minnesota’s highly touted 2008 recruiting class,” has been ruled academically ineligible by the NCAA and will not be allowed to attend classes until the spring semester at the very earliest.
Penn State Nittany Lions
According to the The Daily Collegian for September 3, 2008, Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark has earned additional eligibility to play in 2009, this as reported to local media sources by sports information director for the Nittany Lions, Jeff Nelson. Enrolling as a graduate student in December, Clark will be considered a fifth year senior.
Purdue Boilermakers
In a discussion on the state of his wide receiving corps for 2008, head coach Joe Tiller tells the South Bend Tribune of September 2 that one of his favorites to have a breakout season this year is slot receiver Kevin Smith, who has gone from quarterback to safety, and from safety to wide receiver, but now “provides the Boilermakers their first physical presence at that position since Chris Daniels“.
Wisconsin Badgers
You knew it was going to happen, former tailback for the Wisconsin Badgers, Lance Smith, transferring to another school to play football, but, boy, we didn’t expect anything of this level to occur. Reports the website CommercialAppeal.comfor September 3, 2008, Smith has transferred to the University of Memphis and is currently practicing with the Tigers during the week. However, due to NCAA transfer eligibility rules, the native of Warren, Ohio will not be allowed to play officially until 2009. The fact that Smith rushed for 774 yards and eight touchdowns in two season as Wisconsin should mean big things for Memphis starting next year. Fantasy owners in keeper leagues might be wise to grab hold of the former Badgers’ tailback toward the end of the 2008 season in preparation for what should be a starting role starting next fall.
Pac-10
Arizona State Sun Devils
The East Valley Tribune for August 30 hosts a piece highlighting that though senior wide receiver Mike Jones had an outstanding season opener against Northern Arizona, grabbing six catches for 162 yards, sophomore wideout Kerry Taylor should not be overlooked by fantasy owners; Taylor, after all, had four catches for 93 yards, and caught a 52 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Rudy Carpenter to put the first point of the game on the board with just more than two minutes time having passed in the first quarter. The former Chandler Hamilton High School alumni is expected to share time at the slot receiver position with Kyle Williams, but backs up Jones on the outside as well, making him a solid candidate for free agency early on in the 2008 season.
California Bears
It may have taken him six years to acquire the opportunity to have an impact on the California Bears’ passing attack, but Sean Young impressed many on Saturday evening, as Jeff Tedford’s squad beat Michigan State 38-31 in the Bears’ season opener. As covered by the Modesto Bee for September 1, 2008, Young had an outstanding game against the Spartans, grabing four catches for 81 yards, with three receptions going for at least 10 yards; prior to starting this past weekend, the oft-injured wideout had accumulated just three total career catches, but was identified in fall camp by Tedford and others on the coaching staff as the most consistent receiver out on the practice field.
Oregon Ducks
A player we had wrote about in the preseason, wide receiver Jeff Maehl, played a major contributing part in the Ducks’ season opening win over the Washington Huskies by carrying, notes the Paradise Post, the ball three times for 19 yards, while also grabbing five catches for 49 yards and a touchdown in the 44-10 victory.
Meanwhile, The Oregonian of September 4, 2008 tells readers that quarterback for the Oregon Ducks, Justin Roper, is “about 100 percent” recovered from a concussion suffered in last week’s season opener against the Washington Huskies and is expected to start Saturday when the Ducks take on Utah State.
Stanford Cardinal
Jim Harbaugh had high praise for Stanford tailback Toby Gerhart this past week, as reported in the Tucson Citizen of September 3, 2008, telling reporters that the junior, who in the season opener against Oregon State rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries, “reminds me of John Riggins.”
Washington State Cougars
Starting quarterback for the Washington State Cougars, Gary Rodgers, may have looked horrible in his debut game this past weekend against the Oklahoma State Cowboys, but take some of the following considerations in mind before judging him too harshly. According to the Wenatchee World of September 1, 2008, Rodgers undoubtedly had a bad case of the jitters heading into the season opener, but also had to contend with a number of offensive starters at wide receiver and tight end being absent from the field / or hindered because of injury (Jeshua Anderson, Devin Frischknecht, Daniel Blackledge, and Michael Willis), a circumstance which left Paul Wulff, first year coach of the Cougars, commenting that he was unable to use “almost half of his offensive playbook.” Then there was the unusually inconsistent receiving of star wideout Brandon Gibson, who uncharacteristically dropped a number of balls that easily could have made the game a good deal more competitive. Those elements, coupled with missing “some checks at the line” and misreading “a few pass coverages,” led to a less-than-outstanding day for the senior, one in which he finished 12-of-24 for 82 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
SEC
Alabama Crimson Tide
No longer a relative-unknown at tight end for the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Dothan Eagle highlights that during fall camp, senior Nick Walker had told reporters that “the tight end’s role was going to be more versatile” now that the Tide play under a new offensive coordinator in Jim McElwain – yet no one seemed to fully believe him. Noting that Saturday’s contest against Clemson confirmed McElwain’s propensity for having tight ends lined up “in a lot of different spots,” including in the backfield and out on the edge at the receiver position – a situation which Walker states forces opposing defenders to play him one-on-one or release the senior downfield due to biting on play action by quarterback John Parker Wilson – the Eagle points out that teams like Clemson will subsequently have a hard time adjusting. That point was well-made Saturday night when it served to land Walker seven passes for 67 yards and a touchdown on the night.
Arkansas Razorbacks
A number of fantasy owners have thus far slept on Arkansas Razorbacks’ senior quarterback Casey Dick. That should change after a solid outing in the Razorbacks’ season-opener last Saturday, albeit it was a close contest against what a lesser opponent in Western Illinois. Dick throwing for 318 yards and two touchdowns (one interception) was a major component of the reason why Arkansas was able to pull off the win against the Leathernecks, but don’t overlook the effectiveness of head coach Bobby Petrino’s pre-scripted quarterbacks runs, which by the end of the game, yielded 12 yards and two additional scores for the Razorbacks’ quarterback. Petrino, says the The Arkansas Traveler of September 3, 2008, had during preseason camps “imparted to his quarterback that running was a necessary dimension which Dick needed to add to his game.” As such, expect to see Dick scrambling more often than he had under previous head coach Houston Nutt, a factor which adds additional value to what should be one of the SEC’s most productive quarterbacks in 2008.
Georgia Bulldogs
A player to watch at wide receiver for the Georgia Bulldogs, according to the Albany Herald, is 6’5″, 200 pound Kris Durham. Knicknamed “White Lightning” by teammates, Durham grabbed three passes for 74 yards this past Saturday in the season opener against Georgia Southern, including a 61 yard touchdown strike from quarterback Matt Stafford that put Georgia up 17-0. Having played the past two seasons with UGA, Durham had started only one game last season and accumulated just 16 catches for 151 yards. Coaches have noted that the junior looked more confident and comfortable than ever in preseason camps and subsequently should play a major role on offense this season.
Kentucky Wildcats
Head coach Rich Brooks may have talked to the The Leaf Chronicle about the poor play by the receivers but he did take time to praise true freshman WR Randall Cobb. Cobb split time at WR and QB during camp and is currently considered the backup to QB Mike Hartline. During the season opener with Louisville, he caught 3 passes for 31 yards. The offense even tried to maximize his athletic talents by running an end-around play for him. Based on the article, he is a player to keep an eye on as his role expands during the season.
Mississippi Rebels
Despite head coach Houston Nutt utilizing five different tailbacks in this past Saturday’s win over the University of Memphis (four of which had six carries or more on the day), Cordera Eason, according to the Sun Herald has been named starter for the Rebels in this upcoming weekend’s showdown with ACC opponent Wake Forest. Nutt told reporters that though Eason has “a little bit of an ankle strain . . . he should be ready to go.” Still, Nutt was careful to express his belief that Brandon Bolden, Enrique Davis, Devin Thomas, and Derrick Davis “are going to (be involved) in the game plan” as he feels “we are going to need every one of these guys.”
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Head coach Sylvester Croom opened the season with the plan to utilize a two-man rotation at quarterback. However, after the surprising loss this past weekend to Louisiana Tech, Croom announced that Wesley Carroll will be the sole QB against Southeastern Louisiana. Tyson Lee and Chris Relf will be available as backups.
Related posts:
