Notes from the Margins – Mid-Majors
August 21st, 2008 by Jason Roberts
Conference USA
East Carolina Pirates
Troubling news from the website for North Carolina television station WRAL, reported on August 13, 2008: head coach Skip Holtz of the East Carolina Pirates announced that projected starting tailback Dominique Lindsay and senior defensive tackle Brandon Setzer are both facing knee surgery. Lindsay, who injured his knee on Tuesday night during practice, will be out for “an unspecified amount of time,” while Setzer will miss the entire 2008 season.
Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
A valuable spotlight on players to watch from the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes graces the pages of the Tulsa World for Friday, August 9, 2008. Writes Eric Bailey and Jimmie Tramel, though there is little doubt that Tarrion Adams, an all-Conference USA preseason pick, will be leaned upon heavily in his final season with the University of Tulsa, fantasy owners may also want to keep an eye on sophomore Jamad Williams and true freshman Willie Carter, particularly keeper leagues.
Williams, the two writers emphasize, is a solid rusher in his own right, having outdone former Tulane University great, Matt Forte, on the ground in a meeting between the Green Wave and the Golden Hurricanes during last season. Carter, in the meantime, is regarded as a powerback and should be seen taking snaps with the Tulsa offense either at tailback or fullback alongside Charles Clay or Tennial.
UCF Knights
In the Orlando Sentinel comes the news that head coach George O’Leary moved freshman recruit Brendan Kelly from tight end to running back, where he will join fellow freshmen Brandon Davis and Brynn Harvey, as well as upperclassmen Latavius Murray and Ronnie Weaver.
O’Leary elected to shift Kelly, notes the article, because he was looking for “a bigger player in the backfield.” At 6’3″ and 235 pounds, that the freshman was moved to tailback is no surprise, and will provide UCF’s backfield with a strong physical presence which should counter well the quickness and elusiveness of the team’s other smaller backs. That Kelly will be wearing Kevin Smith‘s old number, 24, seems a promising portent for the 2008 season, and the native of Shoreham, New York, should fit in well, particularly since Kelly played tailback while attending Shoreham-Wading River High school, where, for his career, he rushed for 4936 yards and 52 total touchdowns.
MAC
Miami (OH) Redhawks
Pete Conrad of the Middletown Journal writes on Thursday, August 14, 2008 that the Miami (OH) Redhawks have, apparently for the first time in the history of college football, had all three of their starting linebackers – Caleb Bostic, Clayton Mullins, and Joey Hudson – named to the preseason 2008 Butkus Award list.
Northern Illinois Huskies
Junior Justin Anderson may be the tailback from Northern Illinois that fantasy owners everywhere have on their minds heading into preseason drafting this fall, but the Daily Chronicle out of Dekalb, Illinois, suggests that freshman running back from Moss Point, Mississippi, Me’co Brown, is the guy in the Huskies’backfield that is making all the noise with one full week of fall camp now in the record books.
Says Alex Kube of Brown, who in a recent practice blew by the freshman All-American at safety for NIU without so much as being touched, “I feel like if I can tackle Me’co, I can tackle anybody in the country. He has that type of ability. He’s very fast, very quick.”
Western Michigan Broncos
Reports the website MLive.com for Tuesday, August 12, 2008, two players having a surprising impact at the wide receiver position for the Western Michigan Broncos in fall camp are true freshmen Eric Monette and E.J. Riley, both of whom were previously players at Portage Central High School in Portage, Michigan. Though doubtful that they will earn much time on the playing field this upcoming season, head coach Ryan Cubit has spoken highly of both young men and given each the opportunity to play on as high as the second-team offense in practices thus far.
Mountain West
Brigham Young Cougars
The Brigham Young University website, BYU Newsnet, suggests that value might indeed be found in picking up freshman kicker for the Cougars, Justin Sorenson, in preseason drafts, particularly for those leagues that feature keepers as a central component of their primary function. Sorenson, who currently is working with presumed starter Mitch Payne, was a monster in high school, averaging 70 yards-per-kickoff and racking up 81 touchbacks over the span of 88 total kicks. The article also mentions that the freshman missed only one PAT for all of 2007, and currently holds the Utah state record for PATs scored in a high school career, as well as field goals converted (28) and the longest field goal ever made in the history of the state.
Colorado State Rams
The Daily Camera reports on Tuesday, August 12, 2008 that senior Billy Farris of Colorado State University has been identified as the Rams’ starting quarterback for the 2008 season. Notes head coach Steve Fairchild of his selection under center, “I really liked the leadership and demeanor Billy showed in the spring. But he didn’t take anything for granted at that point. He really took charge over the summer, during our conditioning program and the players’ workouts. That was where he earned the respect and confidence of his teammates.”
New Mexico Lobos
The Las Cruces Sun-News provides readers with the news that Chris Hernandez, junior wideout for the University of New Mexico Lobos, has been named as the replacement to former Lobos’ standout at wide receiver, Marcus Smith, and will start the 2008 season in the X-spot. A 6’3″, 191 pound athlete out of Mayfield High School, Hernandez is a player, says offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin, that “has all the potential in the world. I believe he was insecure in some ways last year. He wasn’t sure about reading the opposing defense and he wasn’t always comfortable in the offense. However, he made strides in both of those departments . . .” Baldwin continues, saying, “Chris has great hands and he worked hard in the offseason.”
Wyoming Cowboys
The rumors surrounding the starting quarterback position at the University of Wyoming continue to swirl this week, but head coach Joe Glenn named junior college transfer Dax Crum as the man under center to start the 2008 season. Glenn told the Wyoming Star-Tribune for Friday, August 15, 2008, however, that he and his coaching staff were “talking about it (Thursday night), and right now anticipate (an announcement today), but it hasn’t been settled yet. We’re going to stay on the same timeline as we have been, we just need to finish talking about it.”
Crum replaces 2007 starter Karsten Sween, who as a sophomore, threw for over 2000 yards passing and 12 touchdowns, but added to those numbers 17 total interceptions.
Sun Belt
Arkansas State Red Wolves
Notes The Log Cabin Democrat of Conway, Arkansas, August 13, 2008, with quarterback Corey Leonard coming back in the 2008 season healthier and wiser, wide receivers coach for Arkansas State, Tyler Siskey, is looking to veteran receivers Kevin Jones and Brandon Thompkins to become strong targets for Leonard to throw to in the upcoming season. Jones, a senior, last year caught 18 passes for 236 yards. In the meantime, Thompkins, the Red Wolves’ second-leading receiver in 2007, caught 41 passes for 503 yards and one touchdown.
The Cabin also suggests that junior wideout Jarriel Norman should see additional time on the field this year, this after catching just three passes in 2006 and being hurt in 2007. Notes head coach Steve Roberts of Norman, “Jarriel makes a ton of big plays for us. Having him back fully healthy after his knee surgery last year is great for our football team. He’s a guy who adds another dimension to our receiving corps.”
Fantasy owners may also want to keep an eye on JUCO transfer Jahbari McLennan, a wide receiver who comes to the Red Wolves from Trinity Valley Junior College. In 2007, the native of Austin, Texas caught 29 passes for 550 yards and six touchdowns, landing him an all-conference selection for last season. Siskey seems particularly high on McLennan, telling reporters, “Jahbari has a chance to make a big play at any time. He’s really catching on and understanding the small things. He can just mix that with his athletic ability, and he’s doing a great job.”
Florida International Golden Panthers
The Florida Times-Union for Monday, August 11, 2008, hosts an article on the GP’s and the hopes head coach Mario Cristobal holds that his players can in 2008 bring an end to what staff writer Antonio Gonzalez refers to as a “losing culture” of collegiate football at the school.
A key component to such a turnaround will be the quarterback play of sophomore Wayne Younger and backups Paul McCall and Colt Anderson. Younger was solid last year, throwing for 1357 yards and nine touchdowns, and ended up second on the team for rushing with 536 yards in his freshman season, but was injured near the end of the year with a broken collarbone. McCall, at that point, came in for the last two games of 2007 and performed magnificently, passing for over 400 yards and five touchdowns, with just one interception.
As good as the passing attack might be in the hands (or arm, as the case may be) of Younger or McCall, FIU will still require breakaway players at the wide receiver position in order to keep opposing linebackers and defensive backs on their toes.
Perhaps the most talented of those the FIU head coach might draw upon in the upcoming year is T.Y. Hilton, a finalist, notes the article, for Miami-Dade County’s Athlete of the Year Award. A speedster with great hands, Hilton should inject a much needed down-field / vertical component to the Panthers’ aerial attack and is expected to produce almost immediately. Hilton was recruited by Mississippi, West Virginia, and Florida.
Troy Trojans
Head coach Larry Blakeney, tells the The Birmingham News of Thursday, August 14, 2008 that he is “staking his reputation” on freshman wide receiver and transfer from the Oklahoma Sooners, Josh Jarboe. Jarboe, a native of Decatur, Georgia, was recently dismissed from the University of Oklahoma’s football team when a YouTube video showing Jarboe engaged in a series of rap lyrics that appeared to glorify the use of guns and violence made its way onto the Internet.
The freshman recruit had previously been expelled from Cedar Grove High School as a senior after he was discovered carrying a pistol in his vehicle while parked on school property.
Troy is now awaiting a ruling from the NCAA as to whether or not Jarboe will be eligible to play in the upcoming season; in question is whether Jarboe was actually “enrolled” at Oklahoma for the fall semester (he had previously taken two classes during summer school in Norman) and should be forced to sit out a year according to the NCAA’s transfer rules, or if he was not actually a student at the university and therefore can be considered a brand new enrollee at Troy.
Frustrating as it might be, fans of the Troy Trojans (along with fantasy owners looking at picking up what might be one of the hottest sleeper quarterbacks in the Sun Belt) won’t be getting a true feel for the scrambling ability of sophomore quarterback Jamie Hampton anytime soon, as Hampton is protected by the “touch” rule during full-pad scrimmages.
Notes the Dothan Eagle of Sunday, August 10, 2008, neither will those hoping to catch a glimpse at what looks to be the future of Troy football get a strong read on how well Hampton can actually take a hit from opposing defenders – a point of key interest for many, particularly as the Trojans’ quarterback has put on 25 pounds of muscle since last season and comes in weighing around 210 pounds.
Fortunately, what did become obvious during Troy’s first scrimmage is that Hampton’s arm looks strong and his passing extremely accurate. On the day, the sophomore went 18 for 26, 149 yards and a score. Better yet, not one interception was thrown while Hampton was on the field. That kind of production is simply an extension of an excellent spring; in the span of two scrimmages, Hampton threw for over 500 yards and hit five touchdowns, with just one interception marring his overall numbers.
WAC
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
The Shreveport Times for Monday, August 18, 2008 tells readers that in a 122-play scrimmage held by the Louisiana Tech football team on Sunday evening, wide receiver Josh Wheeler, who has missed quite a bit of fall camp due to an injury, had a wonderful outing, grabbing three receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown. Wheeler, entering this season as a senior, played in only four games last year, but was excellent as a sophomore, catching 25 passes for 503 yards and four touchdowns. His leadership and experience should make him a solid presence in a Tech offense that, though favoring the rush thanks to the likes of Patrick Johnson and Daniel Porter, ought to still have plenty of firepower in the passing game with ex-Georgia Tech quarterback Tyler Bennett or former Auburn quarterback Steven Ensminger throwing the ball downfield.
Hawaii Warriors
Talk to anyone familiar with the Hawaii Warriors program this year, and, in talking about the potential for a shift toward a much more prevalent ground attack on offense for 2008, you’re sure to hear the name Leon Wright-Jackson mentioned. Yet, according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin for Thursday, August 14, 2008, while Wright-Jackson has seen a large number of repetitions in the Warriors’ backfield so far this fall, so too has lesser well-known tailback for the University of Hawaii, Daniel Libre.
It wasn’t until Kealoha Pilares was injured last season that then-coach June Jones drew upon the former wideout in Libre and started him against the Fresno State Bulldogs. In that game, the now-senior carried only eight times but turned it into 61 net yards on the ground. And in the final regular-season contest versus Washington, Libre accumulated 143 yards for the day.
Kaneshiro tells readers of his article that Libre has thus far in fall camp been splitting carries with both Wright-Jackson and junior tailback David Farmer; all three bring an unique strength to the running game, with Libre serving as “the scatback of the bunch.”
San Jose State Spartans
Head coach Dick Tomey for the San Jose State Spartans appears to have shored up his starting quarterback position for the 2008 season, with Myles Eden looking as if he’ll be the man to go for the Spartans in the first game of the year against UC-Davis.
Yet, good as that news might be, as the Times-Herald reports on Wednesday, August 13, 2008, SJSU is still struggling to come up with a comprehensive game plan for remanufacturing their ground game.
Developing a successful rushing attack, notes Laurence Miedema of the Times-Herald, will be crucial to the team in 2008, as the Spartans have a 13-6 record when they rush for 100 yards or more in a game, but only 4-13 when they do not. The return to eligibility of Yonus Davis (sixth season of eligibility) will help significantly, but if and only if he can stay healthy. He has all the ability in the world, having rushed for 1007 yards back in 2006, but the question remains to be asked, just how will Davis fair returning to the playing field for the first time in a year due to a serious injury to his ankle and upon him receiving a waiver to compete for a sixth year.
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