From: Shane Artim
Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2000 7:56 PM
To: Feldman, Bruce
Subject: Thanks

Bruce: Thanks for noticing the gains the Temple Owls have made on the field. I wish one of your colleagues at ESPN would wise up and not rely on sound bites during telecasts by bringing up comparisons of the Owls of old. It's just cliche.

—Shane Artim, Washington, DC

Hey Shane,
I'm sure people will start to notice Temple if the Owls are 3-1 and then beat West Virginia. ... I have to pull for the Owls a little. My stepdad was a starting linebacker for them way back in the day when they were a bit more respectable.

-Bruce

From: Towele@aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2000 3:14 PM
To: Feldman, Bruce
Subject: Most Improved Players

Josh Reed at LSU should get consideration for this list. Last year he started season as a RB on the bench and ended it at WR on the field. His stats for his freshmen year: Six carries for 58 yards and eight receptions for 134 yards.

This is his sophomore year, and he already has 16 receptions (tied for 28th in nation) 380 recieving yards (first in nation) and a whopping 23.8 yards per reception. He has averaged over 20 yards per reception in each of his first 3 games.

More LSU players for that list: LB Bradie James (3rd in SEC in tackles) and LB Treverance Faulk (1st in SEC in tackles).

I actually thought about Reed. He's made the transition to WR pretty quickly and already is their big-play guy, replacing Jerel Myers... James and Faulk will be a great LB tandem for the next few years, but they should've done a better job shutting down Rudi in the fourth quarter if LSU was gonna win that game.

From: Tony
Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2000 1:56 PM
To: Feldman, Bruce
Subject: Sage

Bruce,
What about our star QB Sage Rosenfels at Iowa State? Ever heard of him? He's really good, but no one talks about him because they don't give us respect here.

Also, do you think Va Tech is really THAT good? I think they just don't play anyone and Vick's a bunch of hype.

You're da man.

—Tony

Tony,
I think Iowa State is decent now and probably will go 5-6 and might even make a bowl. Rosenfels is solid, but I still think the Cyclones need to hang with Nebraska Oct. 7 and not get blown out for people to start to take them seriously.

And yes, the Hokies are that good. Their offense is as explosive as anyone's. They have a bunch of game-breakers (Vick, Suggs, Davis, Kendrick, Johnson) and a fast-rising defense that has more speed than last year's. Plus, they have very good special teams. And Vick is—by far—the best player in college football. No one's close. He's the best runner, the best passer and the best playmaker.

-Bruce

From: Connor Bryan
Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2000 8:57 PM
To: Feldman, Bruce

Bruce,

What about Woodrow Danzler of Clemson? He is leading the ACC in both passing and rushing.

—Connor Bryan

Bryan,

I almost went with Woody, but then I checked his numbers from last year (passed for over 1500 yards and ran for 580) and realized next to Weinke, he was probably the ACC's second-best returning QB coming into the year.

That said, he really seems to have made a huge leap coming off a strong spring.

-Bruce

P.S. The others considered were Cal QB Kyle Boller; Clemson QB Woody Dantzler; FSU WR Marvin Minnis; LSU WR Josh Reed; Kentucky TE Derek Smith; K-State DE Chris Johnson; USC DT Bernard Riley; Oregon LB Matt Smith; ND CB Shane Walton and Louisville safety Curry Burns.

From: David Angel
Sent: Monday, September 18, 2000 8:53 PM
To: Feldman, Bruce
Subject: Re: 9/6/00 Column

Here's my take on Texas. They did not prepare sufficiently for the revenge factor in legitimate football program that was defeated by 40+ points in the previous year. They were beaten to the ball on the majority of important plays (giving up a go-ahead touchdown in the red zone in the last two minutes.) Then, they could not move the ball with the last chance to win.

—David

David,
UT's problems start with its O-line. They stunk at the end of last season, so they dropped about 20 lbs. per man. And against the Cardinal, they still stunk. Riall Johnson beat everyone he went up against. On defense, they couldn't rattle a young QB like Chris Lewis, who really doesn't have that many weapons. Give credit to Willingham. He's a great coach, but I think you are right, Texas wasn't ready for this game.

I still think UT will play and beat Nebraska in the Big 12 title game because their young WRs (especially Roy Williams) should be able to dominate in that conference. That is, provided the line can give their QBs more than two seconds to make a play.

-Bruce

From: Mark Stevens
Sent:Thursday, September 14, 2000 2:47 PM
To: Feldman, Bruce
Subject: KSU and the Miracle in Manhattan

Bruce,
I, for one, am tired of the obvious prejudice of the national sports media against Kansas State Football and Coach Bill Snyder. You would think that the national sports media would be tickled to death to have a rags to riches story like the one Bill Snyder and KSU have written. Give credit where credit is due.

This little university has not had the money nor the success, until recently, to compete with the big dogs for recruits. That in itself makes what Bill Snyder has done even more remarkable!! Now they are competing head to head for the very recruits they could not touch before. And they have had players competing for some prestigious awards, i.e. Butkus, Heisman, Groza, et al. So get off their back.

Now, if KSU beats Ball State by a wider margin than Florida did two weeks ago, does that mean they are in the same leage with the Gators?

We may not have yet arrived on the national scene as a perennial powerhouse, but we are sure making other people nervous. You can hear them whisper, 'who are these guys'?

—Mark Stevens

Mark,
Again, K-State is a great story. And K-State probably gets ripped more than it should at this point, but keep in mind K-State plays a few tough teams because they have to. Nebraska and Colorado are in-conference. And while I'm not defending Florida for Ball State and Middle Tennessee, the Gators do play FSU in their non-conference sked. ... I do think some of the criticism will diminish next year with USC on board, for whatever it's worth.

I don't know if Ell Roberson will do better, but I think Beasley will be their downfall against Nebraska. At least the nation will be watching, and 10 years ago who would've imagined that?

-Bruce

Got a question or comment for Bruce? To e-mail him, click .