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Notes From the Margins: ACC, Big 12 and Big East
By Jason Roberts | November 14, 2008
Week Twelve and most college fantasy football leagues are either entering their final week of game play or preparing for the first round of their league’s respective playoffs.
With big names like Graham Harrell, Michael Crabtree, and Sam Bradford off on bye-weeks in this third weekend of November, some team owners might be left feeling that the usual thrill of the game is approaching nothing more than an anti-climatic three-day span of non-critical conference and non-conference matchups. Think again. For as this week’s first half of “Notes From The Margin” explains, there’s still plenty to be marveled (and left dumbfounded) by both on and off the playing field, with some newsworthy items suggestive of interesting challenges to be faced by fantasy owners heading into Saturday afternoon and evening.
Check out as NFTM searches for answers to the questions of whether an injured Jermaine Thomas of Florida State will continue an impressive start to his collegiate career against Boston College, what the potential results of a large brawl involving Florida State football players in the school’s Student Union on Wednesday might entail, whether or not N.C. State’s Russell Wilson is currently doing his best to imitate Baylor’s Robert Griffin, the possibility of TAMU benefiting from a fully (re)loaded wide receiver corps this weekend, whether or not Louisville’s Hunter Caldwell should start under center this weekend versus Cincinnati, and what was the silver lining to the dark cloud suffered by West Virginia this past weekend in a heartbreaking loss to Cincinnati.
ACC
Florida State Seminoles
The Tallahassee Democrat reports this week that as the Florida State Seminoles’ coaching staff continues to become more and more impressed by the running of freshman tailback Jermaine Thomas, there was too concern after Saturday’s game against Clemson in which Thomas was diagnosed with turf toe. Head coach Bobby Bowden explained to reporters that Thomas did not practice on Monday but returned both Tuesday and Wednesday. As it looks now, then, expect the freshman to play Saturday in the Seminoles’ homecoming game against Boston College.
With the apparent clearance of Thomas to play Saturday, Florida State looked to head into the weekend on a high note; perhaps not so much now, this as the FSView student newspaper reveals Thursday that several Seminoles’ football players became involved in an altercation in the Oglesby Student Union Wednesday afternoon. Earlier reports are that the fight began when wide receiver Taiwan Easterling was punched by an unidentified student and other teammates jumped in. No word yet on any arrests or forthcoming suspensions, but stayed tuned to FCB for news as it becomes available.
Update: Police on campus at Florida State University confirmed that at least ten individuals were involved in Wednesday’s altercation and believe that the fight erupted as a result of growing tensions between members of the FSU football team and a campus fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma. A final report on the incident is still being put together at this point, but it is worthy to note that the athletic department’s policy stands firm that if any student is charged with a felony, there become ineligible to participate in any sport until such charges are investigated and judgment rendered.
Maryland Terrapins
Trouble for the Maryland Terrapins this week, as News9.net reports that senior linebacker Rick Costa has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities, including practice. The suspension, reports the website stems form an “off-campus incident” last weekend in which Costa is accused of punching a local police officer in a College Park bar.
North Carolina Tarheels
The Panama City News Herald writes this week that in place of injured wideout for the North Carolina Tar Heels, Brandon Tate, not only has Hakeem Nicks continued to develop as a solid go-to at receiver for quarterback Cam Sexton, but so too has Brooks Foster. The article notes that in the first five games played this season by Foster, the senior totaled 15 catches; in the last three contests, however, Foster nabbed 12 receptions for 122 yards.
Meanwhile, The News & Observer reveals that even though sophomore quarterback T.J. Yates played in the final offensive series of last week’s game against Georgia Tech, head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, Butch Davis, is planning on keeping junior Cam Sexton under center as a starter this weekend on the road in College Park, Maryland.
North Carolina State Wolfpack
In a storyline eerily similar to that of freshman quarterback for the Baylor Bears, Robert Griffin, the News Observer informs readers this week that redshirt freshman quarterback for the N.C. State Wolfpack, Russell Wilson, has as of last weekend’s win over the Duke Blue Devils, gone 142 passes without an interception throw. Currently, writes the articles, only Jamie Barnette during the 1998 season did better, going 179 straight throws without a pick.
Big XII
Baylor Bears
The website Big12Sports.com highlights that freshman quarterback for Baylor, Robert Griffin, has following the game with Texas last weekend accounted for 23 touchdowns this season, tying him with the school single-season record established last season by Blake Szymanski. The article also notes that the 64-yard run in the third quarter of Saturday’s loss was the longest play from scrimmage that Baylor has put up this year.
Kansas State Wildcats
The Omaha World-Herald writes this week that as head coach of the Kansas State Wildcats Ron Prince prepares to leave the university at the end year after being told he was being let go at the start of this week, junior quarterback Josh Freeman is left pondering his future: should he remain for his senior year or is 2008 the year to announce his intentions of heading to the NFL? The Herald points out that “in a conference full of standouts,” the junior “seems unanimously acclaimed as the Big 12’s top pro prospect at the position,” especially considering he had thrown for 2552 yards and 15 touchdowns but also emerged as a scrambler under pressure, leading the team with 369 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
After breakout games over the last two weeks in which Nebraska Cornhuskers’ tailback, Roy Helu, Jr, has put up 352 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, offensive coordinator Shawn Watson found himself getting question after question from local media as to why Helu wasn’t getting more opportunities to carry the ball. The answer, Watson explained, was simple; as the Daily Nebraskan quotes the Cornhuskers’ coordinator, “What’s so hard about it? You’re trying to make it so hard. It’s not hard. We have three guys. We’re going to play them of them.” (The players he is referring to here are Helu, Jr., Marlon Lucky, and Quentin Castille.) He continues: “Here’s what it does: We don’t have any selfish people . . . they’re all sharing in what they’re trying to accomplish. That’s the most important thing, really. It’s not rocket science.”
Oklahoma State Cowboys
A couple of notes of interest from the Tulsa World earlier this week: tight end Brandon Pettigrew finished with a team-high seven catches for 72 yards last week against Texas Tech, numbers good enough to move him to eighth all-time on Oklahoma State’s receptions list with 98. Wideout Dez Bryant currently rests seventh with 107 total catches. Pettigrew, the article notes, is also 11th in career receiving yards with 1,286. Worthy of recognition as well is tailback Kendall Hunter’s move to 11th place on the single-season rushing list with a 112 yard performance versus the Red Raiders; in doing so, Hunter leapt over former teammate Dantrell Savage and Tatum Bell, with the sophomore now having accumulated 1332 yards so far this season.
Texas A&M Aggies
The Star-Telegram shares with its readers the hopes of head coach for Texas A&M, Mike Sherman, that his Aggies’ squad will be back to full strength this weekend, as TAMU takes on the Baylor Bears Saturday afternoon. Wideouts Jeff Fuller and Terrence McCoy were both out for last weekend’s contest with Oklahoma, but were back at practice earlier this week. Sherman also explained to reporters that Mike Goodson was “a little ginger” with his sprained knee in practice, but should be near 100 percent by Saturday’s kickoff.
Within the same article as well rests the news that freshman Cyrus Gray was selected as the Big XII Special Teams Player of the Week, this after setting a single-game record for kickoff return yardage against the Oklahoma Sooners last Saturday. For the contest, Gray returned seven kicks for 261 yards, including a 98 yard touchdown, the first for the Aggies’ on a kickoff return since 2006. His total yardage, the Telegram, explains leaves his second in the Big XII record books behind Iowa State’s Leonard Johnson, who had 319 yards the previous week against Oklahoma State.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
The website RedRaiders.com reveals that Michael Crabtree, wide receiver for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, is a mere 98 yards away from breaking Wes Welker’s record of 3,069 career receiving yards; currently possessing 2,972 yards, Crabtree is also a mere 28 yards from being just the fourth player in TT history to obtain 3,000 yards or better in his collegiate career.
Big East
Louisville Cardinals
The website MyCentralNewJersey.com writes this week that head coach for the Louisville Cardinals, Steve Kragthorpe, has elected to stick with senior quarterback Hunter Cantwell for Friday night’s game against the #22 Cincinnati Bearcats, this even though the senior was pulled in favor of redshirt freshman Matt Simms not once, but twice, in a 41-7 loss against Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Panthers
The website PIttsburghLive.com reveals to readers that placekicker for the Pittsburgh Panthers, Connor Lee, moved into third place in the Big East record books for the most consecutive career PAT attempts made, moving past Virginia Tech’s Shayne Graham, who previously held the position with 102 points scored between 1997 and 1999. Lee now sits at 105 straight PATs, while West Virginia’s Pat McAfee remains in second with 106 between 2005 and 2007.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
The website APP.com this week states that senior Mike Teel may not fit the bill of the prototypical dual-threat quarterback, but he certainly prefers to move around in the pocket rather than “just stand back” and look for an open receiver to throw the ball to downfield. Teel seems to be getting his wish, the article notes, with the Rutgers’ lead man under center “flashing the kind of mobility he’s never shown before over the last few weeks.” That has yielded major results - three weeks ago, Rutgers ranked last in the Big East in scoring offense (16.7 points a game), yet over the span of the Scarlet Knights’ two most recent games, and with allowing Teel to move about a great deal more than usual, the offense has put up over 460 yards and 44.5 yards per game played.
South Florida Bulls
TBO.com informs loyal fans of the USF Bulls this week that beloved defensive end George Selvie remains unsure as to whether or not he will return for his season year or head into the NFL Draft this upcoming April. Currently projected as a first-round NFL pick by ESPN.com, Selvie, explains the article, “won’t even consider his future until after the Bulls’ bowl game.”
Syracuse Orangemen
Despite the controversy surrounding such a decision, The Daily Orange announced this week that both Cameron Dantley and Andrew Robinson will split time under center for Syracuse University this weekend against Connecticut. Head coach Greg Robinson clarified that it will be Dantley who starts, with Robinson likely to rotate in situationally; such is a continuation of last Saturday’s carousel of quarterbacks in a 35-17 loss to Rutgers, but is not viewed by many as holding much merit in its physical execution.
West Virginia Mountaineers
Despite a heartbreaking loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday night, the West Virginia Mountaineers still came away from a bit of good news; for as the Charleston Daily Mail reports midweek, Miramar (Florida) quarterback Eugene Smith and receiver Stedman Bailey were both in attendance at this weekend’s contest and subsequently committed to the WVU football program Monday morning. Smith, notes the piece, is a 6′3″, 175 pound dual-threat athlete that passed for more than 2,200 yards and 25 touchdowns last season; as the fifth-highest rated quarterback in the country, he has received more than 35 scholarship offers, including Alabama, Florida, Florida State, and Michigan. Bailey, in the meantime, is 5′ 10″ and 185 pounds, caught 566 yards and eight touchdowns this season and is ranked 46th amongst the nation’s senior receivers.
Topics: ACC, Big 12, Big East, College Football, Jason Roberts, Notes From the Margins |
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