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Triage Time: Sssh Bachelor Party Ahead
By Will Carroll | October 23, 2008
Late? Yeah a little. There’s a funny story I could tell you about Tampa being in the World Series, setting up a bachelor party, the changing of the seasons, and a book pitch, but all you want to know is who’s healthy and who’s not. Therefore, accept my apology and get ready for info:
QB Dan LeFevour QB CENTRAL MICHIGAN
It’s not good when the same guy top lines my column two weeks in a row. LeFevour was expected to play last week, but didn’t after his ankle just didn’t progress from midweek and his limitations were simply too much to risk. Once again, he’s expected back this week to take on Toledo, but the same caveats apply. LeFevour will need to make it through a full week of practice if he’s going to start. More than most QBs, LeFevour has to have full mobility. He throws on the run very well, but the Chippewa staff isn’t convinced that Brian Brunner is far behind him as a pocket guy.
Michael Crabtree WR TEXAS TECH
Yes, Michael Crabtree is the WR1 for the most dangerous offense in the land. Yes, he sprained his ankle last week and missed some plays, but he was quickly back after having his ankle spatted and showed no problems. He’s been a bit slowed in practice, but that’s been more as a precaution. Thing is, the Raiders have five or six guys who are just like Crabtree - maybe not quite as good or quite as polished, but equally talented behind him and available at the wave of Mike Leach’s hand. Crabtree will play and play well this week in a big matchup. Given Kansas’ problems with good passing teams, it’s going to be tough for them to stop a great passing team.
Kealoha Pilares RB HAWAII
Last year, a RB injury wouldn’t have mattered much to the Warriors. This year, Kealoha Pilares has become one of their best options and certainly their most productive runner. Unfortunately, a sprained foot will keep him out at least two weeks. While the RB slot has been a committee, Pilares also lines up in the slot when he’s not in the backfield. That makes him tougher to replace in a 1:1 manner, but the Warriors use a lot of bodies anyway. It makes it tough to figure out who’s going to get the TDs or break big plays, but it does make it easier for a team to work around its injuries.
Mike Smith RB ARKANSAS
Concussions are serious. If we called them “brain injury” instead of the antiseptic “concussion”, maybe we’d take them more seriously. Mike Smith was knocked out last week and is very iffy for the Ole Miss game. The Arkansas staff has already tipped that they’ll be using the backups more, if not a majority of the time. Smith has great fantasy numbers, but even if he plays, he’s not going to be a great play this week. Concussions are always tough to read, so it’s best to look elsewhere this week and check back next week to see if he’s full go.
Charles Clay RB TULSA
Everything Tulsa has done this year has gone right. The offense seems unstoppable, with John Huss telling me that “if my grandmother starts for Tulsa, you play them.” There’s a lot of mid-majors doing well and really messing with the BCS hegemony, including Tulsa and Ball State at 19 and 20. You could say South Florida and Boise State have graduated to the next level, but it’s still nice to see that college football is more than just the dynasties. As for Charles Clay, Tulsa’s not saying what the issue is that kept him out last week or whether he’ll play against UCF this week, so you should probably look elsewhere. Listed as FB, he’s actually more of an H-back in the Tulsa offense.
Michael Greco QB CENTRAL FLORIDA
If Central Florida has any hope this week against Tulsa’s offensive explosion, it will be that Michael Greco should be back under center. The Knights only let Greco play one series last week against Miami, pulling him after he just wasn’t healthy enough to be effective. George O’Leary says that Greco is finally at “full go” so it seems like he’ll start. Greco did miss a couple practices this week due to a family emergency, which makes it tougher to get a read. Against unbeaten Tulsa, it might not matter.
Arkelon Hall QB MEMPHIS
If it’s not bad enough that Arkelon Hall broke his thumb six plays into last week’s game, that his replacement, Will Hudgens, blew out his knee later in the game puts the Tigers in a really bad position. Normally, this type of injury will take about a month to come back from, potentially longer depending on grip and the style of offense. There’s just no way to “fake” Hall back into a starting role, meaning Memphis is going to have to get by for at least a couple weeks way down the depth chart.
Manuel Johnson WR OKLAHOMA
Dislocations hurt. Dislocated elbows are among the most painful dislocations. WRs use their arms. Put that all together and you’ll see why “questionable” is a very questionable designation for Manuel Johnson. Juaquin Iglesias stepped in and had a big game, but Enrique’s little brother isn’t the threat that Johnson is when healthy. It took Jahvid Best, the Cal RB, a couple weeks to come back and he’s still not fully healthy, so it’s unlikely that Johnson will be available for this weekend’s game against Kansas State.
Pat White QB WEST VIRGINIA
Pat White missed last week’s game suffering from the after effects of a concussion. As Auburn comes to Morgantown, White looks to be ready to come back. There was a huge difference last week without White, so if the Mountaineers have White back, the game should be more competitive. White’s much more the first option in the offense this year rather than second or even third in some plans. White’s had no problems with the post-concussive symptoms this week, I’m told, so things look good for him playing, though running QBs are at more risk for recurrence.
Kellen Lewis QB INDIANA
The Hoosiers aren’t hurrying anywhere, especially without Kellen Lewis. Their QB, once compared to Antwaan Randle-El, is just another physically skilled QB on a team that’s going nowhere. There’s a lot of those in college. The Hoosiers do have a decent option as Lewis continues to try and get over his sprained ankle with Ben Chappell, who got most of the work in the spring as Lewis fought off-field issues and was pushed to shift to WR by the coaching staff. While there’s no evidence this staff has been right about anything ever, that might have been something they were right about.
Topics: College Football, Triage Time, Will Carroll |
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