NEWS & NOTES: Sept. 4
After a nice tune-up against Murray State last week in which they sustained no major injuries, the Memphis Tigers travel to Oxford, Miss., this week to face the Ole Miss Rebels for the first time since 1999. Ole Miss won that game 3-0.
Memphis' offense put on quite a show against Murray State, with sophomore QB Danny Wimprine setting a school record with five TD passes. Wimprine completed 23 of 32 passes for 245 yards, with his TD strikes covering 20, 24, 8, 15 and 11 yards.
The strong-armed Wimprine faces off against Ole Miss QB Eli Manning on Saturday in a battle of two high-profile offenses. Both signal-callers played their high school football in New Orleans, although they never went head-to-head. Manning played at the 2A level while Wimprine was at 4A.
In the Tigers' victory over Murray State, several other stars emerged. Most notable was freshman RB D'Angelo Williams, a strong, determined runner who picked up 129 yards on just 12 carries and scored one TD. On just his second carry, Williams darted 46 yards. Off the bench, Williams provides an excellent change-of-pace to starter Dante Brown (seven carries for 89 yards).
Senior WR Travis Anglin, a converted QB, appears to have made a smooth transition to wideout. An athletically gifted 6-3½, 195-pounder, Anglin had six receptions for 72 yards.
PURDUE GEARS UP FOR TRIP TO NOTRE DAME
After a convincing win over Illinois State last week, the Purdue Boilermakers face a tough early-season test Saturday against Notre Dame. The Irish figure to be at a fever pitch in their home opener. The Boilermakers' past two games at South Bend resulted in heartbreaking losses, 31-30 in 1998 and 23-21 in 2000.
In fact, the last time Purdue beat the Irish in South Bend was 1974. At the time of that game, Notre Dame was ranked second in the nation and Purdue was unranked. Led by QB Mike Terrizzi, RB Scott Dierking and WR Larry Burton, the Boilermakers won 31-20 after scoring 24 points in the first quarter.
Last week, in Purdue's win over Illinois State, coach Joe Tiller kept things basic, not wanting to reveal too much of the arsenal to Notre Dame. QB Kyle Orton completed 14 of 28 passes for 250 yards and three TDs, but the star on offense was speedy, game-breaking junior RB Joey Harris. He overshadowed senior RB Montrell Lowe in this game, accounting for 211 yards of total offense. Against Notre Dame, though, expect to see Lowe figure more prominently, basically splitting the overall carries with Harris.
Sophomore wideout Taylor Stubblefield likely won't play Saturday. Stubblefield, who has been practicing since early August without contact, is gradually working his way back from a fractured skull he sustained during a fall on July 4. His status will be re-evaluated on a week-to-week basis.
With Stubblefield sidelined, the Boilermakers' top three wideouts are juniors John Standeford and Anthony Chambers and senior Seth Morales, with blue-chip freshman Ray Williams also contributing. Williams, viewed as the team's fastest player, is looking for his first career reception.
Defensively, one of Purdue's key headliners, junior FS Stuart Schweigert, returns to action after sitting out versus Illinois State as a precautionary measure due to the knee he sprained in practice three weeks ago. Starting weakside LB Landon Johnson is listed as questionable because of a partially dislocated shoulder. If he's unable to go, junior Gilbert Gardner will start after working as a backup at strongside during preseason practice.
CAN NAVY PULL ANOTHER SURPRISE?
With Annapolis buzzing after Navy rolled to a 38-7 upset victory over SMU last week, the Midshipmen face a tough test on Saturday when they face N.C. State, which I rank as the 16th-best team in the nation.
Regardless of how this game turns out, there's no question that the Midshipmen are led by one of the bright, young coaches in college football. Paul Johnson, 46, brought the tough-to-deal-with triple option to Annapolis, and you have to applaud the way he goes about his business.
While Navy fans were euphoric after the SMU victory, Johnson pointed out all the missed assignments that showed up on both sides of the ball and the problems on special teams. By the way, the Middies' defense limited blue-chip SMU sophomore RB ShanDerrick Charles to just 41 yards on 11 carries. The surprising standout defensively was sophomore safety Josh Smith (14 tackles).
On offense, junior QB Craig Candeto rushed for 153 yards and three TDs while passing for 106 yards. Sophomore slot-back Eric Roberts was the star of the game, rushing for 72 yards and two TDs while grabbing three receptions for 96 yards.
SECONDARY KEY AS IOWA READIES FOR MIAMI (OHIO)
In a 57-21 victory over Akron last week, Iowa's new starting quarterback, Brad Banks, effectively managed the offense despite throwing just eight passes.
The stars of the game for the Hawkeyes were sophomore RBs Fred Russell and Jermelle Lewis. Filling in for injured RB Aaron Greving, the pair combined for nearly 300 yards on the ground. Russell carried the ball 14 times for 170 yards and three TDs, and Lewis had 123 yards rushing on 19 carries plus two TDs. Iowa's veteran offensive line keyed the overland attack, led by a pair of outstanding seniors, C Bruce Nelson and LG Eric Steinbach.
Greving hurt his ankle during preseason practice two weeks ago and is still questionable for Saturday's game at Miami (Ohio). Outstanding junior TE Dallas Clark caught just one pass versus Akron. This week, however, you would expect the sure-handed Clark to play a more significant role, with Banks needing to look his way in clutch situations.
Last year, the Hawkeyes rolled to a 44-19 victory over Miami (Ohio) at Iowa City. The key this time will be how the restructured Iowa secondary fares against talented RedHawks sophomore QB Ben Roethlisberger. Remember, blue-chip junior FS Bob Sanders is the only returning starter in Iowa's deep patrol. Because of an off-field problem, standout junior CB Benny Sapp was forced to move on, landing at Northern Iowa. Redshirt freshman Antwan Allen takes over for Sapp.
WILL AGGIES FACE QB DECISION?
When Texas A&M faces Pittsburgh at Heinz Field on Saturday afternoon, coach R.C. Slocum's squad must play a more sound game fundamentally to come away with the road victory. Against Louisiana-Lafayette last week, the mistake-prone Aggies were flagged 16 times for penalties.
In addition, QB Mark Farris struggled, completing just 13 of 32 passes for 171 yards and no TDs. In his defense, Farris had six balls dropped, and some of the penalties put the Aggies in bad down-and-distance situations. A major reason for Farris' rust and inconsistency stems from an elbow injury that prevented him from throwing much in practice during the two weeks leading up to the season opener. But Farris made no excuses after the game, realizing that significantly improved play is needed if the Aggies are to defeat the Panthers.
Against Louisiana-Lafayette, the Aggies used four QBs, with a real battle taking place for the No. 2 job. In the mix are sophomore Dustin Long, redshirt freshman Jason Carter and heralded freshman Reggie McNeal. The multitalented McNeal was 2-of-2 passing and rushed for 12 yards on designed running plays.
While Farris is the starter for now, that could change in the weeks to come unless the offense picks up the pace. McNeal is clearly the team's most talented QB, but his lack of experience figures to cause some trepidation on the part of Slocum and coordinator Dino Babers over handing him the reins.
On the injury front, senior OG Billy Yates remains sidelined with a broken left arm. I'm told there is a very slim chance he could return to action against Virginia Tech on Sept. 21. Defensively, blue-chip senior OLB Jarrod Penright suffered a hamstring injury last week and is listed as questionable for Saturday.
Against Louisiana-Lafayette, the aggressive and talented Aggies' defense set a Big 12 record by forcing 10 turnovers. Coming away with interceptions were CBs Sean Weston, Sammy Davis and Byron Jones (36-yard return for a TD), SS Terrence Kiel, FS Jaxson Appel and LB Brian Gamble.
The Aggies also recovered four fumbles. Gamble was all over the field, causing a fumble and recovering two fumbles on top of his interception.
