Will Muschamp News

Big news out of Austin this afternoon: Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, one of the hottest commodities on the Coaching Carousel, isn't going anywhere.

Mack Brown announced today that Muschamp will remain on staff as the defensive coordinator, and will eventually replace Brown as the head coach when he decides to retire. [LINK]

This is big news because Muschamp has been linked to a number of open jobs (Clemson and Tennessee to name two). He's such a hot commodity because he has consistently coordinated great defenses over the last several years, including the national championship defense at LSU in 2004.

I'm sure the rest of the Big XII wasn't as happy with this news as the people in Austin.

Mack Brown still has eight years left on his contract, and said he has no plans of retiring in the immediate future. That means there is still plenty of time for Muschamp to change his mind. Personally, I believe he'll stay in Austin because the Texas job is one of the top gems in the coaching world - 95% of all coaches would kill for it. Even if Muschamp has to wait eight years, he'll only be 46 years old when he gets the job. And taking over the Texas job when you're 46 is a pretty sweet gig.

Even if he does end up getting wooed to go somewhere else in a couple years, at least he drove up his price a little bit. And Texas will get at least a couple more years of great defenses out of him.

News & Notes

*BYU could be without two key starters on offense Saturday night when they take on undefeated rival Utah. All-Mountain West offensive lineman Ray Feinga is listed as questionable due to a lower back strain. Tight end Dennis Pitta, a big part of the passing game with 76 receptions for 992 yards (3rd best in the conference), is also listed as questionable due to a sprained knee. If both of these players aren't able to play, it could spell big trouble against the stout Ute defense.

*North Carolina head coach Butch Davis has opened up the quarterback job again. T.J. Yates, the starter until a broken left ankle caused him to miss the last 7 games, is now healthy enough to play. Cam Sexton went 4-2 in his absence, but his struggles against Maryland caused Davis to re-evaluate the position. I expect Yates to win his job back and lead the Tarheels the rest of the way.

*Steven Threet probably won't be available for Michigan this weekend thanks to a shoulder injury. The reeling Wolverines take on bitter rival Ohio State, and they will be forced to go with Nick Sheridan at quarterback. With a 3-8 record already guaranteeing this to be the worst season in the program's history, Threet's injury can't be considered much more than par for the course this year.

*Notre Dame will be without two starters for the next two games. Freshman wide receiver Michael Floyd and middle linebacker Brian Smith both suffered knee injuries in the win against Navy Saturday. Smith was the team's fourth leading tackler, but Floyd is the more damaging loss. The rangy freshman is easily one of the best skill players the Domers have had in years and he has already had a notable impact on the offense.

*Tennessee head coach Phil Fulmer is electing to start Jonathan Crompton at quarterback. The Vols travel to face in-state rival Vanderbilt this weekend, who happen to have one of the most talented secondaries in the SEC. I have a feeling it won't take long for Compton to get yanked for poor play once again.

*Finally, here's some early news for the Ball State/Western Michigan game in a couple of weeks. Two time All-MAC cornerback Londen Fryar might miss what could be an epic matchup due to a toe injury. The injury caused him to miss last week's game against Toledo, but the Broncos have a bye week and hope he can recover in time.

News & Notes

*Minnesota will be without leading receiver Eric Decker for their matchup with rival Wisconsin on Saturday. Decker has a high ankle sprain and should be ready for the season finale against Iowa. The absence of Decker, the Big Ten's leader in receptions, opens the door for speedy freshman Brandon Green to take center stage in trying to get the Golden Gophers season back on track.

*The revolving door at quarterback for California continues. Kevin Riley will get the start against Oregon State on Saturday a week after Nate Longshore drew the starting assignment against USC. Riley won't impress you stats-wise, but he is much more confident in the pocket and less likely to make big mistakes that cost his team wins.

*Miami left tackle Jason Fox is listed as doubtful for the Canes Thursday night matchup with Virginia Tech. Fox sprained his ankle against Virginia and has not been able to practice since. With Jason Worilds and the active Hokie front coming to town, now is not the best time for Miami to have to shake up their offensive line.

NEWS & NOTES - NEBRASKA EDITION

*Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini finally handed out the Blackshirts on Tuesday. The defense's performance against Kansas on Saturday wasn't quite up to the standards set by Blackshirt units of the past, but defensive coordinator Carl Pelini liked the physical play and felt like the time was now. The first eleven Blackshirts of the Pelini era were awarded to Pierre Allen, Larry Asante, Phillip Dillard, Eric Hagg, Armando Murillo, Zach Potter, Ty Steinkuhler, Clayton Sievers, Ndamukong Suh, Anthony West and Tyler Wortman.

*Notably absent from the list of Blackshirt recipients is linebacker Cody Glenn. Glenn was suspended indefinitely on Tuesday for violating team rules. Carl Pelini wouldn't give any further explanation other than to say "there's lots of rules that cause suspension, let's move on to another topic." Glenn was easily one of the most athletic players on the Nebraska defense and his presence in the lineup will be missed.

News & Notes

* After a 17 year career that included a national championship in the 1998 season, Phil Fulmer is stepping down as head coach at the University of Tennessee at the end of the season. Fulmer had great success in his time in Knoxville, where he guided his alma mater to their first national championship in 47 years. But the program hit a lull and his 27-20 record over the last four seasons finally caught up with him.

* In other coaching carousel news, Toledo (2-6) head coach Tom Amstutz announced he will resign at the end of this season as well. Toledo beat Michigan earlier this year, but the Rockets are only 2-6 overall. Amstutz had a successful eight year run in which he went 57-38 overall and guided Toledo to four bowl games and two MAC championship game appearances.

* USC safety Kevin Ellison will probably be out the next 2-4 weeks due to a knee injury suffered in practice last week.

* Oklahoma defensive end Auston English left the Nebraska game early with an apparent leg injury. Head coach Bob Stoops said the pass rush specialist would be out “maybe 3 weeks,” which would include their matchup with Texas Tech on November 22.

* Colorado mighty mite running back Rodney Stewart is likely out for the rest of the season with a broken leg suffered on a horse-collar tackle against Texas A&M. The freshman has been a revelation for the Buffaloes this year, and he was quickly becoming one of my favorite players to watch, so here’s hoping he makes a full recovery.

News & Notes

*After losing wide receiver Dicky Lyons for the season a week ago, Kentucky received some more bad news. Three of the Wildcats best players are injured and will probably miss the game with Florida this Saturday. Defensive tackle Myron Pryor and linebacker Micah Johnson are hobbled by high ankle sprains, and running back Derrick Locke is out for the season with torn knee ligaments.

*Northwestern senior middle linebacker Malcolm Arrington will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Arrington was third on the team in tackles.

*Talented linebacker Brian Toal’s career at Boston College is apparently over. The senior, who redshirted last year due to a shoulder injury, broke his right fibula and will be out for the year. It’s an unfortunate end to an injury plagued career.

*Oklahoma wide receiver Maunel Johnson is out for the season with an apparent arm injury. Johnson was the Sooners leading receiver, and he had scored seven touchdowns in the last three weeks.

*In case the anti-Curtis Painter bandwagon wasn’t full enough already, apparently we can now count Purdue running back Kory Sheets as a member. Here are some of his comments after the loss to Northwestern:

"In my eyes, I need some help. I can't do it all by myself. Everybody's coming up to me, 'Sheets, get the offense going.' I do something good and then something bad happens. I need some help."

"If they want to ask more of me, they just have to put the ball in my hands a little bit more, and they're going to get a lot more out of me. They put the ball in my hands, I feel we'll be a lot more successful."

When asked about Purdue's quarterback situation, since Curtis Painter was yanked in games against Penn State and Northwestern, Sheets said: "You need somebody in there who's going to be consistent. Right now, Painter hasn't been consistent and they're trying to find out if Joey (Elliott) can be consistent, but he got hurt. If they don't have consistency at quarterback, and I'm being real consistent, I think they have to start looking at me for some answers, and giving me the ball and letting me carry the team, instead of keep putting it in Painter's hands."

Finally, when asked if Painter was the guy who can lead this team to victory, Sheets paused and said, "No comment."

I definitely don't condone players airing their grievances to the press, but in this case Sheets is pretty much dead on. Sheets is an underrated, underused talent that could take some heat off the lousy quarterback situation if the coaching staff gave him the chance. I’m just not sure this is the way to go about getting more carries. The only certainty in West Lafayette right now is that Joe Tiller is going to end his career on a losing note.

News & Notes

*More breaking news: Clemson fires Tommy Bowden!

It appears those with their fingers on the triggers are getting more and more impatient. Coaching moves that used to be made at the end of the season are now being made in the middle of it. Last week it was Tommy Tuberville cutting offensive coordinator Tony Franklin loose due to the sputtering offense. This week it's Clemson firing head coach Tommy Bowden after a 3-3 start crushed expectations of an ACC title and perhaps even more than that. Bowden will be replaced by interim head coach Dabo Swinney.

Auburn was rewarded with a loss to floundering Arkansas, so you can bet Georgia Tech is licking their chops to play a reeling Clemson team without a head coach.

*In other Clemson related news, redshirt freshman quarterback was named the starter ahead of Cullen Harper for this week's matchup against the Ramblin' Wreck. With the coaching change this decision might no longer be final, but it looks like the freshman Korn will get his first start against probably the best defense in the ACC.

*If there's a season ending injury to a lineman, you know Georgia is involved. The Bulldogs injury plagued season continues with the news that offensive tackle Vince Vance will be out for the season due to reconstructive knee surgery. No word yet on the Valiants.

Vance was already the school's second starting left tackle this season. Trinton Sturdivant, a rising star in the SEC, tore up his knee just prior to the season and is out for the year as well. Considering all the injuries and the blowout loss to Alabama, what was supposed to be a national title season for Georgia is turning into a nightmare. As long as the defense keeps playing at a high level though, the Dawgs should remain around the top 10.

*Potentially the worst news of the week is that Brandon Tate, North Carolina's athletic wide receiver/punt returner extraordinaire, tore up his knee against Notre Dame and will be out for the season. Tate was a major Sproles/Sauerbrun Award candidate, and a dark horse for the Bo Jackson Trophy, but his career as a Tar Heel is now over.

News & Notes

*Just when you thought Georgia’s injury situation couldn't get any worse, there's this. Running back Knowshon Moreno suffered a severely bruised elbow against Alabama and might have to miss the game against Tennessee in two weeks.

Tight end Tripp Chandler is also doubtful for the Tennessee game due to an aggravating shoulder problem. He also has an aggravating habit of dropping passes, but that’s another story. Backup tight end Bruce Figgins didn’t play against Alabama thanks to a separated shoulder that will likely require surgery. That leaves redshirt freshman Aron White and converted tackle Kiante Tripp to man the position in their absence.

If that isn’t enough, stud linebacker Dannell Ellerbe injured his knee in the first quarter against Alabama. Mark Richt said he “has an outside shot to play in the next game,” but he won’t be 100%.

*Cal running back Jahvid Best dislocated his elbow in the third quarter against Colorado State so he’ll be out of this week’s game against Arizona State. His 215.5 all-purpose yards per game (#3 nationally) will be missed, especially now that Jeff Tedford is giving Nate Longspare another chance to win the starting quarterback job.

*Undefeated UConn will be without their starting quarterback for at least the next 6 weeks. Tyler Lorenzen broke his foot against Louisville and will be replaced in the lineup by Zach Frazier. That means you can expect running back Donald Brown to continue getting the ball 30 times a game for the next several weeks. Tight end Steve Brouse is also expected to miss the next 6-8 weeks due to a broken leg.

*Thanks to Jonathan Crompton’s awful play so far this season, Phil Fulmer has opened up the quarterback job at Tennessee. Crompton was 8/23 for 67 yards against Auburn last week, and has only thrown 2 touchdown passes all season (both against lowly UAB). Nick Stephens will get more opportunities in practice and will probably see significant action against Northern Illinois in the hopes that one of the quarterbacks will step up in time to lead the offense against Georgia in two weeks.

*Cincinnati Heisman candidate and Pikes Picks favorite Tony Pike broke his left (non-throwing) forearm against Akron. Luckily he will probably only miss the next two games, which means redshirt freshmen Zach Collaros and Chazz Anderson only have to hold down the fort against Marshall and Rutgers until Pike gets back for the matchup with UConn at the end of October.

*Colorado lost starting offensive tackle Ryan Miller for the season. Miller suffered a broken left fibula in the loss to Florida State and will apply for a medical redshirt for this season. That doesn’t leave Colorado in good shape up front against a Texas team that racked up 7 sacks a week ago.

*Washington quarterback Jake Locker suffered a broken right thumb against Stanford and will probably miss the next 6-8 weeks recovering. Ronnie Fouch will start in his place as Washington looks to avoid their first 0-5 start in 39 years. One interesting note: Locker has expressed interest in playing another position once he has a cast for his right (throwing) hand if it will help out the team. You can’t question the guy’s heart, that’s for sure.

News & Notes

*Oklahoma defensive tackle DeMarcus Granger is going to be out for at least the next 4-6 weeks. Granger’s foot was injured when he was gang tackled by three Washington offensive linemen in a dirty retaliation attempt [YOUTUBE LINK], and might have to miss the season. Nice job Huskies.

*Texas tight end Blaine Irby will miss the remainder of the season after dislocating his knee against Rice. The injury looked like it could be much more serious (don’t watch the replay if you’re squeamish), so the fact there is no ligament damage is surprising. The offense will miss his playmaking ability because no other tight end on the roster possesses his skills in the passing game.

*South Florida linebacker (and J.Pike Fave) Brouce Mompremier was cleared to return home and will miss at least the next 2 games. He was airlifted to the hospital after a collision with teammate Carlton Williams against Florida International left him motionless on the field.

*The biggest injury update of the week is that Faulk Trophy candidate Dante Love’s football career is probably over. The Ball State wide receiver suffered a cervical spine fracture and a spinal cord injury during the first quarter of Saturday's game against Indiana. Love was injured in a helmet-to-helmet hit that left him briefly unconscious. We wish him all the best in his recovery.

*North Carolina has lost their starting quarterback for at least 6 weeks. T.J. Yates suffered an ankle fracture against Virginia Tech. The injury couldn’t have come at a worse time with a trip to Miami scheduled for this weekend. Mike Paulus and Cameron Sexton will fill in, but don’t bring the same confidence and sturdy leadership to the position Yates does.

*More bad news for Kansas State. Not only do the Wildcats look every bit as bad as they did in 2007 – now starting running back Leon Patton is off the team. Ron Prince kicked the senior off the team after he was accused of child abuse. Patton allegedly shook a little baby.

*Another preseason Faulk Trophy candidate will be out for the rest of the season. New Mexico quarterback Donovan Porterie tore his right ACL and MCL in the first half against Tulsa.

*Virginia coach Al Groh finally kicked quarterback Peter Lalich off the team. Lalich violated his alcohol-related probation by getting caught drinking. He later lied about it to the press proving he’s not the smartest cookie in the jar. Virginia’s woeful season will continue.

News & Notes

*As expected, Oregon quarterback Justin Roper is going to be out 2-4 weeks nursing a partially torn MCL suffered in overtime of the Purdue game on Saturday. Freshman Chris Harper and JC transfer Jeremiah Masoli will take his place in the lineup, but I’m not sure how excited they are – Oregon has lost three quarterbacks to knee injuries in the last 10 months!

*The East Carolina defense took a blow this weekend when Quentin Cotton injured his knee against Tulane. This week the Pirates learned they will probably be without their star linebacker for the rest of the season.

*Texas A&M quarterback Stephen McGee is throwing again in practice this week. McGee injured his throwing shoulder two weeks ago in the first quarter against New Mexico and hasn’t been able to throw since then. I wasn’t aware he could throw before the shoulder injury, so that part is news to me. Anyway, Mike Sherman hasn’t decided if he’ll play against Miami this weekend or not, but I’m pretty sure Jarrod Johnson will be taking all the meaningful snaps the rest of the year.

*The best news of the week is that Cincinnati quarterback Dustin Grutza will likely be out for the rest of the season. The ligament damage he suffered against Oklahoma will be re-evaluated in three weeks, and the Cincinnati coaches aren’t expecting it to be healed. Why is this good news? Because it opens the door for Tony Pike to go live. Pike has been riding the pine all three years he’s been on campus thanks to the steady play of Ben Mauk and Grutza. But Saturday night in the Battle for the Victory Bell against Miami(OH) we'll finally get to see a Pike starting at quarterback for a major college football team.

*Finally, in case you didn’t notice, in the sidebar I have updated the leading candidates for each of the three major awards we’ll be giving out here at Pikes Picks. The top three for the Bo Jackson Award were pretty obvious to me. Chase Daniel, Knowshon Moreno, and Jeremy Maclin are just a step ahead of everybody else at this stage of the game.
(See LINK for a list and description of all our awards)

News & Notes

*An already thin Utah defensive line took another blow this weekend as Lei Talamaivao broke his fibula and will miss the rest of the season. He joins fellow lineman Kenape Eliapo in the operating room, who broke his foot in the first week of the season. It looks like top recruit Dave Kruger will be forced out of his planned redshirt to provide depth.

*Nebraska defensive end Barry Turner broke a bone in his left leg in the victory over San Jose State on saturday and will probably sit out the rest of the year. Pierre Allen stepped in and played well, but losing a leader like Turner off a defense that needs players won't help matters with loaded offenses at Missouri and Oklahoma looming on the schedule.

*As if things couldn't get any worse for Penn State, now comes word that defensive end Jerome Hayes has a torn ACL and is out for the rest of the season. A defensive line that has been decimated by suspensions and injuries already can't afford many more setbacks if the Nittany Lions are going to make a legitimate run at the Big Ten title.

*Arizona's sophomore wide receiver Terrell Reese has been suspended from the team indefinitely by coach Mike Stoops after a DWI arrest.

*Pittsburgh linebacker Adam Gunn will miss the rest of the season after suffering a broken neck. The senior collided with Scott McKillop (he tackles everybody!) in the season opening loss to Bowling Green.

News & Notes

*Jim Tressell said that running back Chris Wells will be fine. However, he did not give any indication whether he would be okay to play this weekend against Ohio or not. My guess is they hold him out this weekend to make sure he’s healthy for USC next week.

*Georgia suffered another blow this weekend when defensive tackle Jeff Owens tore his ACL against Georgia Southern and will be out for the rest of the season. Georgia already lost their best offensive lineman Trinton Sturdivant to a knee injury a couple weeks ago and can’t afford any more serious injuries to key players considering the ridiculous schedule they must face this year.

*Mack Brown has suspended defensive tackle Lamarr Houston for the game this weekend against UTEP. Houston played well against Florida Atlantic and is a key player on the defensive line, but he picked up a DWI charge after the game on Saturday night.

*Missouri's Bo Jackson Award candidate Jeremy Maclin might play this weekend against Southeast Missouri State despite a sprained ankle. This is good news to Tiger fans because it means Maclin should be able to get back to 100% by the time the Big XII schedule rolls around.

*Reports out of Louisiana indicate that the Troy at LSU game scheduled for this weekend will be postponed. Both teams have an open date on November 15th, so that seems to be the most likely date for the game to be played.

*Chris Todd was named the starting quarterback for Auburn’s game against Southern Miss this weekend. Kodi Burns, who started last weekend, suffered a cut on his leg, but Tuberville said he wouldn’t have started anyway.

*After playing well in relief of Tommy Beecher last Thursday night, Chris Smelley will start for South Carolina this Thursday night against Vanderbilt. Stephen Garcia is expected to be the backup as Spurrier’s revolving door at quarterback continues.

*Yeah, that was a bad idea. Frank Beamer has decided not to redshirt quarterback Tyrod Taylor after all. Sean Glennon played, well, like Sean Glennon in the loss to East Carolina on Saturday, and Beamer apparently realized Taylor is the only offensive weapon on the roster. Glennon will start, but Taylor will play this weekend against Furman.

*Rich Rodriguez announced that he will redshirt quarterback Justin Feagin this season. Despite the struggles of Nick Sheridan and Stephen Threat against Utah, Rodriguez said the speedy freshman “isn’t ready yet.”

*The funniest story of the weekend had to be in North Carolina where parachuters jumped into the wrong stadium with the game ball. Read for yourself. [LINK]

Updates

* Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer announced today his plans to redshirt Tyrod Taylor and go with Sean Glennon at quarterback. Uh oh Hokie fans - there goes your one and only playmaker on offense. This puts even more pressure on an inexperienced defense to carry the load. If Taylor does indeed redshirt this season, I don't think Poly will win the ACC Coastal Division.

* Joe Paterno has named Darryl Clark as the starting quarterback for Penn State. Clark beat out Pat Devlin for the job, and appears to have Paterno's full support. There might not be a quarterback controversy here after all.

Updates

* Oregon quarterback Nate Costa's knee is as seriously injured as the Ducks feared. He'll be out at least 8-10 weeks. Justin Roper will start in his place, but I'm sure JC transfer Jeremiah Masoli will get a shot at the job as well.

* Florida receiver Percy Harvin and linebacker Brandon Spikes, two All America candidates, are not expected to play in the season opener against Hawaii. Both are nursing foot injuries and will need an extra week to get back to full speed.

* Arizona will be without tight end Rob Gronkowski for the first couple weeks of the season. He has strep throat and possibly mono.

News & Notes

* Wyoming head coach Joe Glenn named JC transfer Dax Crum the starting quarterback. That leaves Karsten Sween, who started for the Cowboys the past two seasons, relegated to backup duty. Which begs the question: what the hell kind of name is “Dax Crum”?

* USC’s Matt Sanchez and Joe McKnight each suffered minor injuries in practice. Both are expected to be fine for the regular season, but this offense has been slipping recently, and these are two first time starters who could use the repetitions to gel with the rest of the offense.

An interesting side note to the Sanchez injury – redshirt freshman Aaron Corp is taking the snaps with the first team offense in his place instead of the highly touted Mitch Mustain. I’m guessing Pete Carroll is going to receive an angry call from Momma Mustain soon.

* Virginia Tech lost another wide receiver when Frank Beamer suspended Zach Luckett from the team indefinitely. The Hokies top four receivers from last season all graduated and the top three heading into ‘08 have all been lost due to injury or suspension. Now Poly must rely on true freshmen to get the job done. Tyrod Taylor better be ready to take over the QB job full time because he’s the only playmaker left on this depleted offense.

* Colorado named Demetrius Sumler the starting running back ahead of stud true freshman Darrell Scott. Sumler is a fine player, so all this means is the Buffs will have excellent depth in the running game.

* Tennessee tight end Brandon Warren has been cleared to play this season after transferring from Florida State. Two years ago Warren was one of the most impressive freshmen in the country, and he’ll make an immediate impact at Tennessee.

This news couldn’t come at a better time for the Vols either. After losing tight ends Chris Brown and Brad Cottam to the NFL draft, projected starter Jeff Cottam injured his knee in practice and will be miss the first half of the season.

* Purdue running back Jaycen Taylor tore up his knee and will miss the 2008 season. Kory Sheets will take over full time, but he doesn’t have quite the same ability Taylor does.

* SMU senior quarterback Justin Willis has been demoted to third string on new head coach June Jones’ depth chart behind somebody called Bo Levi Mitchell. Willis has started for the Mustangs the past three years so the move comes as a surprise.

* As expected, UCLA has named Kevin Craft the starting quarterback. Craft, a transfer from San Diego State, got the nod in large part because Ben Olson and Patrick Cowan are the two most injury-prone players to ever play major college football. But Craft can play a little bit too, so expect him to have a fine season playing for Rick Neuheisel and Norm Chow.

* Ralph Friedgen has changed his starting quarterback again. Chris Turner, who played well in spots last season, has been replaced in the lineup by injury-plagued Jordan Steffy. Josh Portis, a transfer from Florida, is expected to see action as well. Friedgen said Portis has as much athleticism as any player he’s ever coached, so expect him to contribute a highlight reel play at some point this year.

* In another quarterback competition that went as expected, Cal has named Kevin Riley the starter over Nate Longshore. Long”spare” has been playing mediocre football for far too long, and Riley proved in the Bears’ bowl win over Air Force that he has what it takes to succeed in Jeff Tedford’s offense.

* Oregon quarterback Nate Costa suffered an injury to the same knee that caused him to miss all of last season. As of now the severity of the injury is unknown, but I have a hunch that Justin Roper is warming up in the bullpen already. Get your panic buttons ready Duck fans.

* Miami has suspended projected starting quarterback Robert Marve for the season opener against Charleston Southern. That means true freshman Jacory Harris will have the first shot at filling the ballerina slippers of Kirby Freeman and Kyle Wright.

* Gene Chizik has chosen a winner in the heated quarterback competition at Iowa State. Austen Arnaud will get first crack at the job. Phillip Bates will see the field though - he played wide receiver last season and has too much athleticism to keep on the sidelines.

* N.C. State redshirt freshman Russell Wilson was tabbed by head coach Tom O’Brien as the starter for the Thursday night opener against South Carolina. Wilson beat out incumbent Daniel Evans, Nebraska transfer Harrison Beck, and Justin Burke, who is transfering to Louisville.

* Notre Dame tight end Mike Ragone tore up his knee and will sit out the season. The Domers were already thin at tight end, so it will be up to incoming freshmen to handle an important position in Charlie Weis’ offense.

Smack - Schnelly Style

Florida vs Georgia is still months away, but that's not the only game with some trash talking going on already. Florida Atlantic head coach Howard Schnellenberger has called out Texas. Yes - Florida Atlantic is talking trash to Texas. How far has the FAU program progressed under Schnelly? Apparently far enough for him to think they can win the battle in the trenches against Texas:

"...they aren’t tough, they aren’t a physically tough team."

Impressive. I'm not going to lie, I don't entirely disagree with his comments. Texas can play soft at times. But the last time somebody called out Texas, Rudy Carpenter ended up smeared across the turf in San Diego. And that was a top ten team - not a Sun Belt team.

Georgia OT Injured

Georgia left tackle Trinton Sturdivant hurt his knee at practice on Monday and now it looks like he will be out for the season because he needs reconstructive surgery. This is bad news for Georgia because Sturdivant was an anchor on the offensive line after being named a freshman All American a year ago. He was a big piece of the puzzle for a team that many consider to be the best team in the nation heading into the season.

Dude, Just Give It Up

Newsflash!
UCLA quarterback Ben Olson injured his foot! This may sound familiar because it has happened before. Olson hurt his foot the same way he hurt it back in the spring by - get this - taking the snap and dropping back in the pocket. You know, something most other quarterbacks can manage without breaking a foot. Olson has spent more time on crutches in his career than in shoulder pads, and this might be the last straw. He'll be out for about two months which leaves Kevin Craft as the potential starter for the Bruins.

August Updates

* Cranky JoePa kicks two defensive linemen off the team
Luckily Penn State was already stacked on the D-Line. Losing Phil Taylor and Chris Baker hurts, but it will essentially only affect depth at the position. The Lions will still be fine up front, they just won't be able to rotate in as many guys as they were planning on.

* Wisconsin's Lance Smith kicked off the team
This isn't really that shocking. Smith was suspended from traveling with the team to road games last year, and Wisconsin has great depth at running back. So while Smith is a talented player, his presence on the roster won't be missed.

* Kentucky quarterback Curtis Pulley kicked off the team
The heir apparent to Andre' Woodson was booted off the team last week due to some off-the-field issues. Pulley would have brought a ton of athleticism to the quarterback spot at Kentucky, but now the job falls to sophomore Mike Hartline.

* Cincinnati's Ben Mauk denied extra year of eligibility
No offense to Ben Mauk, but I'm glad the NCAA made this decision. Mauk redshirted at Wake Forest, then played two full seasons. He was injured in the season opener his third year at Wake and then decided to transfer to Cincinnati where he played last season. He used all his eligibility - end of story. The NCAA doesn't need to be awarding all kinds of extra years to players every time they get hurt or we'll start seeing a bunch of Paul Blakes running around on the field - nobody wants that. I like Ben Mauk and it sucks that he's suffered so many injuries in his career, but the NCAA made the right decision and he needs to move on.

Texas Practice Report

I attended the two hour Texas practice tonight. There was a lot of youth and fresh faces out there, particularly at wide receiver and in the secondary. There is experience in key positions though, like linebacker and the O-Line. Here are some observations.

Quarterbacks
Make no mistake about it, Colt McCoy is the man. He showed great touch on the deep ball and displayed leadership skills when yelling at freshmen receivers for giving up on their routes. There is still some work to be done on the intermediate passing routes, but he has complete command of this offense.

John Chiles still has some work to do in the passing game, but his skill at running the zone read continues to impress me. He has great ball skills and was able to keep the ball hidden from defenders extremely well, and his agility and feel for improvisation was impressive on a couple long runs. He also lined up at wide receiver on several occasions, one of which he ended up motioning into the backfield with McCoy.

Sherrod Harris has to be one of the better third string quarterbacks in the nation. If he was forced into action for any reason, there wouldn't be too much reason for panic. Harris looked sharp on the intermediate routes. He doesn't have the arm strength McCoy does, but he definitely plays with enough confidence to run the offense.

Running Backs & Offensive Line
It was hard to get a read on the offensive line since there wasn't much contact, which also meant the running backs weren't going to be absorbing much contact. Redshirt freshman Fozzy Whittaker did manage to show off his low center of gravity though by refusing to go all the way down in some of his scrimmage runs. He did get blown up by Sergio Kindle on a blitz though, so I'm guessing you'll see Chris Ogbonnaya most of the time in passing situations. Ogbonnaya took the majority of the snaps with the first team offense by the way.

Wide Receivers
Quan Cosby is most definitely the go-to target on this team. He was by far the most confident route runner and most consistent pass catcher tonight. Jordan Shipley will be the #2 guy.

After those two it looks like the depth chart is wide open. Sophomore James Kirkendoll got first crack as the third receiver, but redshirt freshman Malcolm Williams was the most impressive of the group. He has great size and displayed excellent soft hands and should develop into a very good receiver. Sophomore Brandon Collins got several key reps as well.

Sophomore tight end Blaine Irby also gave hope that there won't be much of a drop off after losing Jermichael Finley early to the NFL draft.

Linebackers
The only surprise here is that redshirt freshman Keenan Robinson (#1) was taking all the snaps with the first team defense. Rashad Bobino and Roddrick Muckelroy were the other two starting linebackers, which left Sergio Kindle and Jared Norton - two impressive prospects - working with the second team defense. This is probably part of the reason the second team defense destroyed the second team offense during the short scrimmage session.

Secondary
This unit seemed to get the most work during tonight's practice. They worked on a number of different zone and man coverage schemes in an effort to learn Will Muschamp's new defense. The cornerbacks (particularly Ryan Palmer) looked noticeably smaller than the Texas DB's of the recent past.

The safeties seem to be in a state of flux at the moment. Redshirt freshman Earl Thomas and true freshman Blake Gideon seemed to be getting the majority of the first team snaps with redshirt freshman Christian Scott coming in as the nickel back. Scott passes the "eye test" and was one of the more impressive performers in the practice session. He also delivered the biggest hit of the night. He's one to keep an eye on this season.