College Notebook
By Bruce Marshall
Air Force...Falcons senior starting LB Patrick Hennessey will likely miss the remainder of the season with a severe thumb injury. The position is one of the deepest on the AFA roster, although Hennessey's leadership could be missed.
Akron...The Zips continue to get boat-raced, now outscored 142-17 in losing their first three games after last Saturday's 59-14 beatdown courtesy of Cincinnati. HC Rob Ianello was forced to bench QB Clayton "Lone Ranger" Moore in the second half at Nippert Stadium after he was responsible for three turnovers (a fumble and two picks) that became Bearcat TDs in a 49-0 first half. Junior Patrick Nicely, last year's starter, was hardly more effective and Moore returned late to throw a pair of 4th Q TDs after the deficit had mushroomed to 59-0.
Arizona...WR Juron Criner, who underwent an emergency appendectomy just ten days earlier, returned to action at least a week sooner than expected for the Wildcats last Saturday vs. Stanford, catching six passes vs. the Cardinal. It mattered little in a numbing 37-10 loss, UA's seventh straight vs. FBS foes, with rumblings of heat beginning to turn up on HC Mike Stoops as Cats were again very imbalanced (just 52 YR after a mere 41 YR the previous week at Ok State) in lopsided home defeat.
Colorado State...Bad news for Ram defense, which lost its best player and perhaps the Mountain West's top defender when hybrid LB sr. Mychal Sisson, a starter since his freshman season, suffered a broken ankle in the Sept. 10 win over Northern Colorado and is likely lost for the season. CSU's stop unit had already seen DE Broderick Sargent KO'd by an ACL tear in the New Mexico opener. Reserves stepped into the breach admirably last week vs. Colorado before the Ram "D" wore out in the 4th Q of eventual 28-14 defeat in Denver.
Duke...RB Desmond Scott, last year's leading Blue Devil rusher with 511 yards, missed his second straight game due to a leg injury last week at Boston College. Duke gained only 81 YR in his absence at Chestnut Hill, but coped thanks to QB Sean Renfree's school-record 41 completions, and a missed 23-yard FG by Eagle PK Nate Freese in the final seconds. Scott is expected to be available for Saturday's game vs. Tulane.
Florida Atlantic...One of many reasons the Owls have started an ugly 0-2 is the absence of impact LB and all-name team Yourhighness Morgan, yet to be cleared to participate this season due to a concussion.
Florida State...Starting QB E.J. Manuel was KO'd with a shoulder injury in the 3rd quarter of last Saturday's major intersectional vs. Oklahoma, and his status is up in the air for this week's ACC showdown at Clemson. RS frosh backup QB Clint Trickett, son of FSU assistant Rick Trickett, led the Noles' only TD drive vs. the Sooners and kept FSU in the game until deep int he 4th Q of OU's eventual 23-13 win.
Georgia Tech...Those passing stats for Tech option QB Tevin Washington are no misprint; 17 of 28 for 637 yards and 7 TDs in the Jackets' first three games! Tech's fireworks continued with 768 yards of offense last Saturday vs. Kansas, with Paul Johnson's team scoring a hefty 59.7 ppg in three outings!
Hawaii...The Warriors were minus key slotback Jeremiah Ostrowski, who caught 19 passes in Hawaii's first two games, due to a foot injury last Saturday at UNLV. Although his replacement Justin Clapp caught 2 TD passes, its doubtful Ostrowski's absence was responsible for a poor showing by the Warriors, who gained only 208 yards and looked completely lethargic in a shock 40-20 loss to the Rebels. Ostrowski is likely to have returned by the Warriors' next WAC game, October 1, at La Tech.
Kansas...Explosive WR JaCorey Shepherd (27.5 yards per catch and 2 TDs in the first two games) missed last Saturday's Georgia Tech tilt with a strained groin, although with a bye upcoming he could be ready for the next game October 1 vs. Texas Tech. The Jayhawks needed a lot more help than Shepherd vs. the Jackets, especially on defense after allowing Tech to erupt for a whopping 768 yards in a 66-24 wipeout over KU.
Louisville...Starting QB Will Stein was KO'd in the 2nd Q last Saturday at Kentucky with a shoulder injury, opening the door for touted true frosh Teddy Bridgewater, a Miami area product, to take control of the offense a bit earlier than expected. Don't be surprised if Bridgewater keeps the job after completing 10 of 18 passes and 2 TDs in the Cards' 24-17 upset win at Lexington.
LSU...Explosive WR Russell Shepard is likely to return from suspension for the Tigers game this Saturday at West Virginia.
Maryland...Key WRs Ronnie Tyler and Quintin McCree were suspended indefinitely by HC Randy Edsall prior to last Saturday's game vs. West Virginia. Tyler, who was the Terps' leading career receiver on the roster with 67 catches, was recently charged with an assault relating to an incident in the dangerous Prince George's County. McCree was not charged in the incident but was similarly suspended for conduct unbecoming to the team. It took QB Danny O'Brien a while to adjust to their absences in an eventual 37-31 loss to the Mountaineers at College Park.
Memphis...RB Jerrell Rhodes, the Tigers' most-explosive back, missed his second straight game last week vs. Austin Peay (a rare Memphis with) with a lingering knee injury. His return date in unknown for Memphis, which could use him this Saturday vs. SMU at the Liberty Bowl.
Ole Miss...The war drums are beating for HC Houston Nutt in Oxford after last Saturday's ugly 30-7 loss at Vanderbilt, Nutt's third loss to the Dores in four years as Rebel coach. The QB situation continues to deteriorate, as starter Zack Stoudt tossed five picks at Nashville and was replaced by juco RS Randall Mackey in the second half, only to return to fire the last two of his five picks. Original starter Barry Brunetti didn't even get into the game at Vandy.
Navy...The Mid defense was thinned last Saturday at South Carolina, with starting LBs Jarrod Shannon (shoulder) and Mason Graham (knee) out vs. the Gamecocks. The Annapolis could have used them both to better slow SC RB Marcus Lattimore, who rumbled for 249 YR in the Cocks' narrow 24-21 win. D.c. Buddy Green hopes to have both back in the lineup for the next game, October 1, vs. hated Air Force.
Northwestern...Expect QB Dan Persa, who has been rehabbing from Achilles tendon surgery, to be in the starting lineup for the first time this season when NU next takes the field October 1 at Illinois. HC Pat Fitzgerald indicated that Persa could have been used in "emergency duty" last weekend at Army; that definition apparently didn't include ineffectiveness by starter Kain Colter, who was pulled in the 2nd half after three straight possessions with gaining a first down. Backup Trevor Siemian tossed a 62-yard TD to Jeremy Ebert (who broke the short pass for a long gain) in relief, but the Cats' inability to control the West Point option and its 381 rush yards proved too much in a 21-14 Army win.
Oklahoma...Star LB Travis Lewis returned to the lineup earlier than expected from a recent broken toe, back on the field last Saturday in the Sooners' 23-13 win at Florida State.
Oregon State...The banged-up Beavers took advantage of last week's bye and hope to have the services of RB Malcolm Agnew (223 YR in opener vs. Sac State but out with a hamstring vs. Wisconsin) and TE Joe Halahuni (66 career catches but has missed both games with shoulder problems) for this week's game vs. visiting UCLA. It's unknown, however, if OSU will have available leading WR Markus Wheaton (14 catches but injured ribs at Wisconsin) or the explosive but long absent WR James Rodgers, still rehabbing his knee that was injured last October at Arizona. Sources say HC Mike Riley, dealing with a QB controversy in Corvallis, is likely to start RS frosh Sean Mannion over 2010 starter Ryan Katz for this week's game vs. the Bruins.
Purdue...QB Robert Marve, out since last year after ACL injury, returned to action last Saturday vs. SE Missouri State and completed 7 of 8 passes in the 2nd Q of eventual 59-0 Boilermaker blowout. Caleb TerBush remains Danny Hope's starting QB for the moment, but Marve's availability now gives Purdue some extra options that were absent when Marve and Rob Henry (out for the year with a knee injury) were both unavailable.
San Jose State...Don't be surprised if HC Mike McIntyre makes his second QB switch in September and goes back to original starter Matt Faulkner for this week's game vs. New Mexico State. Senior Faulkner, who has earlier relinquished the job, relieved his ineffective replacement Dasmen Stewart in the second half last Saturday vs. Nevada. Faulker completed 10 of 19 passes and ignited a late Spartan rally that fell just short in a 17-14 loss to the Wolf Pack.
TCU...RB Ed Wesley, last year's leading Frog rusher, missed his second straight game last week vs. UL-Monroe with a shoulder injury. The deep TCU backfield compensated effectively while churning out 205 yards rushing vs. the Warhawks, and might see Wesley held out one more week vs. FCS Portland State before the Metroplex showdown vs. SMU on September 30.
Texas...As expected, HC Mack Brown has benched original starting QB Garrett Gilbert, who is unlikely to see the field the rest of the season if sophomore Case McCoy and frosh David Ash continue to perform as they have since relieving Gilbert vs. BYU on Sept. 10. McCoy took the majority of the snaps and completed 12 of 15 passes for 2 TDs last week at UCLA, with Ash completing all 3 of his throws in a 49-20 romp past the Bruins.
Texas Tech...Those passing stats for the Red Raiders last Saturday at New Mexico were no mirage; 45 of 50 completions for 446 yards and 6 TD passes in a 59-13 wipeout over the Lobos. Starting QB Seth Doege gets credit for 40 of those completions in 44 attempts as well as 5 TDs in the rout at Albuquerque.
Tulsa...QB G.J. Kinne was KO'd with an apparent knee injury in the first half of last Saturday's (or should we say early Sunday morning) game vs. Oklahoma State and did not return to the game. Backup Kalen Henderson struggled in Kinne's absence, completing just 6 of 20 passes in the Cowboys' lopsided 59-33 win.
UCLA...HC Rick Neuheisel yanked QB Kevin Prince, returning to the lineup for the first time since being forced out of the opener vs. Houston with a neck stinger, after three picks in his first seven passes during last Saturday's humbling 49-20 loss to Texas. Backup Richard Brehaut, who has started more games than the injury-prone Prince since last season, completed only 8 of 19 passes in an ugly beatdown administered by the Longhorns, as the heat gets turned up another notch on Neuheisel.
UTEP...With QB Nick Lamaison sidelined another couple of weeks due to a shoulder injury suffered Sept. 10 at SMU, backup Jay Hall was at the controls for the Miners last Saturday at New Mexico State, and led UTEP to a 16-10 win despite completing only 9 of his 28 passes.
Vanderbilt...Look out for the Dores, undefeated for new HC James Franklin and off of their biggest SEC win in 40 years after last Saturday's 30-7 romp pass beleaguered Ole Miss. Vandy succeeded without a couple of key offensive cogs, RB Warren Norman (knee) and TE Brandon Barden (ankle), but replacements stepped in nicely, especially RB Zac Stacy , who zoomed for 132 YR vs. the Rebs, including a 77-yard TD jaunt.
UAB...Star RB Pat Shed, who missed the Blazers' Florida opener with a sports hernia and wasn't expected to return until Sept. 24 at ECU, was back in action last Saturday vs. Tulane. Underlining UAB's plight, Shed's mere 21 yards on 7 carries led all UAB rushers in a lopsided 49-10 defeat that turns up the heat on HC Neil Callaway. A lot of good new d.c. Tommy West is doing the Blazers, too, allowing 44 ppg the first two outings and surrendering 540 yards to a Green Wave outfit held without a TD in its previous game vs. Tulsa.