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NOTES FROM THE MARGIN…”It’s A Family Affair”
By Jason Roberts | November 7, 2008
It’s Week Eleven of the season, and though Halloween has past, the specter of the strange and unexplained continues to harass collegiate football as we know it.
Check out this week the interesting fallout from a supposed "family dispute" erupting between Mikel LeShoure and Jeff Cumberland
this past weekend, one which left LeShoure with a broken jaw, the request for a "Greeneout" this coming weekend at the University of Iowa, the possibility of the next Great Pumpkin at Tennessee being a current Golden Gopher, a very public (and personal) feud between the father of wide receiver Ray Small and Jim Tressel at the Ohio State University, a request for exile of certain team members of Washington State by junior quarterback Kevin Lopina , and Kenny Miles run-in with road rash at the University of South Carolina.
The Chicago Sun Times asks the question this week whether or not Ron Zook’s Illinois Fighting Illini can manufacture some semblance of a solid run game this upcoming weekend versus Western Michigan, particularly given that Mikel LeShoure is currently sidelined with a broken jaw stemming from an off-field fight with wide receiver for the Illini, Jeff Cumberland , and Daniel Dufrene returns after a one-game absence due to "unspecified personal problems." Zook, claims the article, "expressed confidence" that Dufrene, Jason Ford , and Troy Pollard would all be available against the Broncos, and will look to improve upon a combined 148 yards total team rushing yards against Illinois’ last two opponents, the Iowa Hawkeyes and Wisconsin Badgers.
In other news originating in the Sun Times : Head coach Ron Zook’s response to the fight that landed freshman tailback Mikel LeShoure a broken jaw by Illini wideout Jeff Cumberland ? "It was a family dispute. We are going to handle it like you would a family dispute. But things do happen. I’m not making light of it, but it’s something we will deal with within the team, in a family manner."
Indiana Hoosiers
Some interesting analysis on last week’s quarterback rotation for the Indiana Hoosiers from The Journal Gazette : Head coach Bill Lynch told reporters that junior Kellen Lewis was nearly back to full-speed heading into last Saturday’s game against Central Michigan. this after going down with a high-ankle sprain two weeks earlier. Still, Lynch did not think Lewis "would make it through 70-75 snaps," and as such, incorporated both Ben Chappell and wide receiver Mitchell Evans on a situational basis. The scheme apparently worked, with IU garnering 485 yards of total offense, but did not manufacture a win. Lewis, the article notes as well, was forced to leave the contest with CMU in the third quarter after re-injuring his ankle; he has practiced this week, however, and could be available this weekend.
Quick interesting note from the name article mentioned above: As Indiana prepares to take on Wisconsin this Saturday, Dustin Sherer, starting quarterback for the Badgers, will be facing off against his younger brother, Chad Sherer ; Chad, the piece points out, is a freshman playing linebacker for the Hoosiers, but who has yet to see playing time to the point in the 2008 season.
Iowa Hawkeyes
A quick personnel note for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes is offered by the Iowa City Press Citizen this week. Notes the paper, sophomore linebacker for UI, Dezman Moses , has decided to leave the team and transfer to another school. A 6’2" and 240-pound linebacker from Willingboro, New Jersey, Moses had just recently returned to active status with the team, this after being suspended for the last four games due to a public intoxication charge entered against Moses back in September.
Meanwhile, The Hawk Eye writes this week that in a nifty twist on a clichéd act of support by fans for their favorite collegiate football programs, this weekend’s contest between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions with feature not only the standard school color-based "blackout" by general fans and supporters of IU, but will see the student section honoring Heisman Trophy-candidate Shonn Greene by participating in a "Greeneout" in substitution.
Also, reports the Press-Citizen , senior Andy Brodell , wideout for the Iowa Hawkeyes, has of late literally been "catching" the eye of fans and coaches alike, this as Brodell has through the first five games since conference play started this season netted 20 receptions for 381 yards and four touchdowns. In comparison, the remainder of the Hawkeyes’ wide receiving corps has, over the same time period, netted 24 receptions for 211 yards and no touchdowns. Sophomore Derrell Johnson-Koulianos originally led the team through the first five games of the season in both total receptions and yardage, but since has only caught seven passes for 57 yards.
Michigan Wolverines
The Detroit News
offers readers the frustrating news that starting quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines, Steven Threet , is "very, very questionable" for this weekend’s Big Ten matchup with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, this as the freshman continues to recover from a concussion suffered last week versus Purdue. UM fans then can expect to see Nick Sheridan starting under center Saturday, while highly touted fresman recruit, Justin Feagin, will once more start at wide receiver.
As if the problems on the field for the Michigan Wolverines weren’t already enough; according to the news station website WSBT , freshman wide receiver Darryl Stonum, it has been officially acknowledged, was arrested on a drunk driving charge late in September and will face arraignment on November 19th.
Readers may recall that NFTM early in October wrote that Stonum had been suspended by head coach Rich Rodriguez for the Illinois game and did not start (though played) the following week versus Toledo. For the year, the freshman has caught a total of 10 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown.
A couple of other quick notes on Michigan, as provided by the website MLive.com: First, junior tailback, Brandon Minor , has a sore wrist but is expected to play this weekend on the road at Minnesota. Meanwhile, freshman tailback Sam McGuffie is expected to return to the playing field this weekend after suffering from a concussion that had him on the sidelines for last Saturday’s Purdue game.
Michigan State Spartans
The news station WSBT writes this week of junior walk-on at wide receiver for Michigan State, Blair White , that not since Charles Rodgers in 2002 has a MSU wideout had two consecutive 100+ yard receiving days, a feat which Blair pulled off last Saturday against Wisconsin after grabbing seven catches for 164 yards in a 25-24 win for the Spartans. Should White pull of yet a third straight contest with 100 yards or better as a pass catcher, he’ll become just the fourth receiver in school history to have gone three consecutive games doing so. That, notes the article, would put the junior in some pretty elite company, including Andre Rison, Derrick Mason , and of course, the aforementioned Mr. Rodgers.
Also, from the Detroit Free-Press : At this point in his career, senior tailback for Michigan State, Javon Ringer , has put together 4,188 rushing yards; a mere 25 more with move Ringer into second-place, overtaking Tico Duckett as one of the top-two producers on the ground in Spartans’ history. Lorenzo White remains the leader 4,887 yards, yet Ringer has already established himself as the university’s top-producer in career all-purpose yardage with 5,156.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Could it really be possible that head coach for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Tim Brewster, might be considered for the soon-to-be vacant opening at the University of Tennessee? According to the Post-Bulletin , the rumor mills around UM are buzzing this week with rumors that Brewster is one of those whose name is most frequently being mentioned as a favored candidate for the Volunteers’ head coaching position, this after the announcement this week that Phil Fulmer would not be returning to UT after the end of this season.
From the website SCTimes.com : The University of Minnesota coaching staff acknowledged Tuesday afternoon that junior standout wide receiver for the Golden Gophers, Eric Decker , has been limited in practice this week due to a sprained left ankle suffered in last week’s loss to the Northwestern Wildcats. Head coach Tim Brewster, however, tells local media that he "fully expects" that the team’s leading pass catcher will be back in uniform come Saturday, as Minnesota takes on the Michigan Wolverines.
TwinCities.com
writes this week that there is reason to celebrate for the Golden Gophers, this as the highest-recruited member of the class of 2008, quarterback MarQueis Gray , has finally cleared hurdles related to ACT tests scores and academic eligibility at the University of Minnesota. Subsequently, Gray is expected to be able to participate with the team in preseason practices in preparation for 2009 and could begin to see playing time as early as next year. In addition, expect the talented freshman to play a major role this weekend off the field, particularly given that six of the top potential recruits for the class of 2009 will be in attendance at the Metrodome to watch the Saturday’s contest between the Gophers and Michigan Wolverines.
Northwestern Wildcats
The Beacon News reports Friday that the lines remain crossed at Northwestern as to whether or not senior C.J. Bacher will start this upcoming weekend against Ohio State; remember that the incumbent starter was injured against Indiana two weeks ago and yielded services under center to junior Mike Kafka last week as Northwestern took on Purdue. What is clear, however, is that senior running back Omar Conteh will not be playing in place of injured Tyrell Sutton , this after having injured his knee in a non-contact drill on Wednesday.
Ohio State Buckeyes
As the website Cleveland.com writes this week, things are apparently starting to get a bit ugly in Columbus, with a war of words erupting between head coach Jim Tressel and the father of suspended receiver Ray Small over the recent announcement that Small would not play this weekend against Northwestern apparently due to being absent one too-many times from classes. Small’s father, Ken, told reporters earlier this week that Tressel’s accusations about his son missing courses is false and is part of a larger scheme hatched by the OSU coaching staff to "intentionally " blow off "his whole career." Unable to explain what would cause the football program’s coaches to single out the junior receiver, the senior Small specified, "Whatever it is, it’s personal," and would prefer to see his son either turn pro or transfer to a FCS subdivision school.
Penn State Nittany Lions
The Reporter
notes on Wednesday that starting quarterback for the Penn State Nittany Lions, Darryl Clark , is expected to play Saturday, this even though he suffered a mild concussion in the October 25th game against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Purdue Boilermakers
The South Bend Tribune suggests to readers that, in its humble opinion, the Purdue Boilermakers should keep sophomore backup quarterback Justin Siller under center this coming weekend against Michigan State, even though head coach Joe Tiller noted that he felt if regular starting quarterback Curtis Painter was healthy enough to start versus the Spartans, he should be given the opportunity to do so. Tiller was quick to point out in a press conference Tuesday afternoon, after all, that while the sophomore quarterback was versus Michigan able to go 21-of-34 passing for 266 yards and three touchdowns, along with 77 rushing yards and a touchdown, Siller was capable of doing so only because the offense he was provided was "drastically scaled down from what Painter would run."
The website DailyWildcat.com reports this week that should (as expected) the Arizona Wildcats find themselves in the midst of a blow out this weekend against conference foe, the Washington State Cougars, "countless" UA players could see increased playing time in preparation for the 2009 season and beyond. Among those most likely to see extended snaps under center? Notes article author Brian Kimball, highly touted quarterback recruits, Matt Scott and Robert Golden , both of whom are freshman. Of the two, however, Scott is expected to the bulk of plays under center if and when senior starter Willie Tuitama leaves Saturday’s contest.
Other news provided by the Tucson Citizen : Over the last three games that the Washington State Cougars have played, the total number of yards given up by the team’s rush defense equals 1029. On the year, nine players have put up 100+ yards rushing against WSU in 2008, led by Robert Griffin of Baylor with 217 yards.
Arizona State Sun Devils
The East Valley Tribune writes earlier this week that head coach for the Arizona State Sun Devils, Dennis Erickson, has elected to allow sophomore placekicker Thomas Weber to take on punting duties for the team starting this coming Saturday against the Washington Huskies. As Weber struggled earlier on in the season, sophomore walk-on Trevor Hankins saw most of the punting over the last weeks, but will relinquish that role once more to Weber, averaging 41 yards on the 35 punts he’s accounted for this season.
Meanwhile, same paper reports in a separate article that the Sun Devils’ struggles inside the red zone continue after last weekend’s loss to Oregon State; yes, ASU has scored on 23-of-28 trips inside the 20-yard line so far in 2008, but only twelve, notes the Tribune have resulted in touchdowns. Stanford, in comparison, has gone 29-of-31 with 24 touchdowns when inside the red zone, good enough for a conference-leading percentage of 93.5. Offensive coordinator Rich Olson hopes to improve ASU’s overall numbers in this particular area starting this weekend, utilizing the talents of junior running back Shaun DeWitty , who last weekend became the first 100-yard rusher for the Sun Devils this season.
Speaking of DeWitty; says the East Valley Tribune in yet another piece, the junior tailback did well enough in the eyes of head coach Dennis Erickson last Saturday evening to be named "starting tailback" for the team, this despite the fact that he has been regarded as injury prone. Meanwhile, the Sun Devils’ released information that freshman running back Ryan Bass has been limited by what is described as a "sore hamstring," but is expected back in rotation against Washington this upcoming weekend.
California Bears
USA Today
reports midweek that sophomore quarterback for the California Bears, Kevin Riley , has returned to practice after sustaining a concussion in last week’s game against the Oregon Ducks. Coach Jeff Tedford, however, has yet to name a starter under center, leaving speculation as to whether Riley or senior Nate Longshore might get the call in an all-important Pac-10 showdown with USC.
Oregon State Beavers
A story provided by the website OregonLive.com this week notes that in the opinion of the Oregon State coaching staff, the player that stepped in under center in relief of injured starting quarterback Lyle Moevao this past Saturday night versus Arizona State, was a completely "different" player than they’d seen prior to that point in time. The man that they spoke of, fellow junior Sean Canfield , was "more energetic than usual," "fired up" in a manner which teammates like slotback Shane Morales had not before seen. Head coach Mike Riley, taking into consideration that because of injury, Canfield had not seen very much time with the first string offense leading into Saturday’s contest, called it perhaps "the best performance of his career," with the Carlsbad, California native finishing the game in place of Moevao by throwing for 218 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-28 passing. The junior himself told reporters of his involvement in the 27-25 win at home in Corvallis, ". . . it was probably the most fun I’ve had playing football . . . . I was pretty psyched up. I was pretty amped up . . . . It had been a long time since I had played that much." No wonder then that the team feels good in knowing that Canfield will likely lead the offense yet once again this weekend versus UCLA, especially now that the Beavers’ quarterback says he recognizes that last season he was often left "trying to hard to make something happen," and thereby "forcing balls into coverage."
Meanwhile, the Corvallis Gazette Times tells its readership this week that junior quarterback for Oregon State, Lyle Moevao , has a strained muscle in his throwing shoulder, and while not serious, will likely keep the regular starter under center for the Beavers out this weekend on the road in the Rose Bowl versus UCLA.
Stanford Cardinal
Sources close to the Mercury News have stated that head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Stanford Cardinal has been contacted by the NFL’s Oakland Raiders in order to discuss a possible interest in having Harbaugh take over the team as soon as possible. Members of the university’s athletic department have responded by noting they are working to "keep Kim at Stanford as long as possible," and entered into discussions with Harbaugh and his agent regarding the possibility of a contact extension. The head coach is currently in the second of a current five-year original coaching agreement.
According to the same article mentioned above: the total number of passes attempted by the Stanford Cardinal over its last two games totals just 26; then again, why be concerned about balance when tailbacks Toby Gerhart and Anthony Kimble are currently running so well?
UCLA Bruins
According to the San Bernardino County Sun , the UCLA Bruins will be without two of its most experienced players along the offensive line this coming Saturday, as both senior guards Scott Glicksberg and Micah Reed , along with junior defensive tackle Jess Ward , have been suspended versus Oregon State due to "a violation of athletic department rules."
Notes the same article mentioned above as well, oft-injured quarterback for the Bruins, Ben Olson , was seen this week taking his first practice reps since breaking his foot in preseason training camp; regardless, head coach of the UCLA, Rick Neuheisel, notes that he does not expect the senior to be ready to play "any time soon."
USC Trojans
Blake Ayles
, freshman tight end for the USC Trojans, tells the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin that due to a bruised knee cap sustained when the youngster collided with junior quarterback for Southern California, Matt Sanchez , he does not foresee himself able to play this weekend against the California Bears. Subsequently, expectations are that tight end Anthony McCoy will see more action this weekend, this even though McCoy has caught just seven passes in eight games this season.
From USC.FreedomBlogging.com : Joe McKnight , running back for the USC Trojans, seems to have recovered fully from a turf-toe injury that has kept him off the playing field for the team’s last two games. "I’ve kind of been holding my breath a little bit," Coach Pete Carroll told the media late Thursday afternoon. "He looked 100 percent all week long and he was determined to show that." Expect, at least for now then, that McKnight will get the call come Saturday afternoon versus California.
Washington State Cougars
We already knew that the situation in Pullman, Washington was bad, but The Olympian suggests to readers this week that things might have gotten even worse after Washington State’s 58-0 loss to Stanford Saturday. The sentiment in the locker room on Staruday after the game was beyond dreary, with junior quarterback Kevin Lopina stating when meeting with the press, "We have some people, when we lose, it’s not really a big deal to them. Right now, I’m embarrassed, just because of how we’ve been performing." Asked if he felt that some members of the team should subsequently be dismissed, the Pleasanton, California native replied resounding, "I think we need that." Cornerback for the Cougars, Romeo Pellum , reinforced such thinking, telling member of the media himself, "A lot of guys are trying to do their own thing. We’re not on the same page."
SEC
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Log Cabin Democrat highlights this week Arkansas wide receiver Jarius Wright , who last weekend, versus an undefeated Tulsa Golden Hurricane, caught five passes for 112 yards, career-highs in both categories. A true freshman, Wright had 1350 yards receiving as a senior in high school in 2007, and is making up for a slow start at the beginning of the season, where fellow underclassmen such as Greg Childs and Joe Adams initially took the reigns at wideout.
Auburn Tigers
The Montgomery Advertiser discusses the fact that Auburn University may very well have identified a playmaker at the wideout position this past weekend as the Tigers took on Ole Miss in a matchup that ended up a 17-7 loss for Tommy Tuberville’s squad. Star of the game, notes the article, was sophomore receiver Chris Slaughter , who made the most of an opportunity to prove himself to the team’s coaching staff by pulling in eight catches for 131 yards on the day in relief of injured started Rod Smith . Oddly, not everything seems to have come up roses in the mind of Tuberville, with the head coach suggesting that Slaughter didn’t have the breakaway speed that Smith did in gathering yards after-the-catch. "Chris," Tuberville stated, "is more of a possession guy. Christ is going to be a role player. You’d like for a little bit faster guy . . . to step up.".
Florida Gators
Emmanuel Moody
, writes the website TBO.com , is ready to begin contributing in a much more significant way than he has so far to this point in his career with the University of Florida been able to do; a deeply-rooted desire to be a playmaker for Urban Meyer’s Gators began to show through clearly this past weekend, with the redshirt sophomore taking seven carries for 72 yards in the fourth quarter of a 49-10 rout of the Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville, Florida. Still, with UF’s backfield now back up to full strength after Chris Rainey , Kesthan Moore , and Moody all suffering from a varying degree of injuries so far this season, that task may become an increasingly difficult one, particular given the big-play capabilities of Rainey and Jeff Demps , as revealed over the last few weeks with Moody on the sideline.
The Fort Myers News-Press confirms Wednesday that backup quarterback for the Florida Gators, Cameron Newton , was involved in a car accident on Tuesday; reports suggest that Newton was rear-ended by a truck, subsequently suffering from headaches throughout Wednesday, but is expected to make the trip to Nashville, Tennessee in order to be on the sidelines with teammates as UF takes on Vanderbilt Saturday afternoon.
Georgia Bulldogs
The Gainsville Times reveals Thursday that freshman tailback for the Georgia Bulldogs, Richard Samuel , could very well move past Caleb King for the backup spot behind current starter Knowshon Moreno . Thus far for the season, King has put together 60 carreis for 246 yards and a touchdown, while Samuel has gone for 127 yards and a score on just 22 carries.
Kentucky Wildcats
The last thing that head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, Rich Brooks, wants to deal with this season is the emergence of a dual-quarterback-type system. Still, Brooks admits to members of the press this week, as revealed by The State Journal , that he very well be "stuck" in playing a two quarterback rotation heading forward this season, with freshman Randall Cobb the likely starter, while sophomore Mike Hartline will come in situations favorable to the latter throwing the ball. Of the two young passers, Kentucky’s head coach notes Cobb "has arguably been more effective," yet leaves the Wildcats’ coaching staff hard pressed considering Cobb is also the team’s leading active receiver and top punt returner.
Louisiana State Tigers
The website Al.com writes on Monday of this week that blue-chip freshman recruit at quarterback for the LSU Tigers, Jordan Jefferson , could find himself playing a major role this coming Saturday in a key matchup against the undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide. Head coach Les Miles commented, "We’re going to stay with Jarrett Lee ," but, at the same time, are "preparing to play" Jefferson, albeit not as a starter. "I think that he’s [Jefferson] a guy that we will play in this game," Miles added. "We look to play him in this game in certain situations, maybe the first half, maybe not the second half."
South Carolina Gamecocks
It’s slightly ironic, but The Post and Courier announced Friday that, taking on a tradition made popular by Frank Beemer at Virginia Tech, head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks, Steve Spurrier, will wait until pregame warmups on Saturday to make a decision on who the starting quarterback – Stephen Garcia or Chris Smelley – will start against the Arkansas Razorbacks. The reason we note the irony? Spurrier’s Gamecocks now host Beamer’s son amongst those on the South Carolina coaching staff.
Meanwhile, the website GoGamecocks.com reveals this week that freshman tailback Kenny Miles will be out for the next two weeks due to abrasions suffered in a recent scooter wreck; strangely enough, the same type of incident – involving a scooter – has now taken place so far this year.
Tennessee Volunteers
The International Herald Tribune claims Thursday that tailback for the Tennessee Volunteers, Montario Hardesty , has been determined as having sustained a stress fracture in his leg and subsequently will not play this coming weekend against the Wyoming Cowboys.
The same article mentions that cornerback Brent Vinson was suspended last week due to being cited by local police for possession of marijuana and a violation of open container laws in the state of Tennesseee; in all, the sophomore received five different citations after being pulled over for speeding around 10pm on October 29th.
Vanderbilt Commodores
The Tennessean.com reports this week that heading into this weekend’s matchup with the Florida Gators, Vanderbilt freshman Chris Marve currently stands as the only freshman ranked among the to 10 tacklers in the SEC. Last week, Marve showed just how good he was, posting a career-high 16 stops against the Duke Blue Devils and earning team co-defensive player of the week honors along with Greg Billinger and Broderick Stewart .
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