PDF: View the printed version of Saturday`s section
Transcription
PDF: View the printed version of Saturday`s section
IP SHEET GEORGIAATTENNESSEE Time:3:30 p.m. at Neyland Stadium TV: WVLT (Craig Bolerjack, Steve Beuerlein) Radio:WIVK-FM 107.7, WNMLAM 990/FM 99.1, WNRX-FM 99.3 Line: Georgia 1 VolWalk:1:15 p.m. Gametimeforecast: Party cloudy, 88 degrees NEWS SENTINEL GAMEDAY [[ VV OO LL RR EE PP OO RR TT ]] GV3 GOVOLSXTRA.COM | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2007 | 50¢ GAMEOFSTREAKS Coach Mark Richt has led Georgia to three consecutive victories at Neyland Stadium. Not even Florida did that under coach Steve Spurrier. But that’s not the only streak on the line tonight. Georgia has lost four consecutive games in the SEC East. That includes three consecutive divisional losses last season and a loss to South Carolina last month. The most amazing aspect of that streak: losses to Vanderbilt and Kentucky in the same season. That hadn’t happened since 1973. In case you’re wondering, UT last lost to Vanderbilt and Kentucky in the same season in 1964. WINNINGUGA-LY Richt isn’t the only Bulldog with a winning record against the Vols. Uga VI, the latest in Georgia’s long line of English bulldog mascots, is 5-3 against the Vols and Smokey. Uga VI also has gotten the best of the SEC’s other dog mascot. Georgia is 20 against Mississippi State and Bully since Uga VI went to work in 1999. ADEFENSEFORTHE80S UT’s defense is off to its worst start ever. After four games, the Vols have given up 150 points. Not even the 1988 team, which lost its first six games, was that generous on defense. UT gave up 131 in its first four games in 1988. But it didn’t bottom out until the fifth game when Washington State scored 52 points. The Vols will have to give up 33 points to Georgia to match the 1988 team’s points-allowed pace through five games. POLL DoyouapproveofthejobPhillipFulmer isdoingascoachoftheTennessee footballteam? Yes 28 percent (1,391 votes) No 71 percent (3,489 votes) 4,880totalvotes ON GOVOLSXTRA.COM ■ Podcast: Dave Hooker previews today’s game. ■ Blog: Leave your comments during the game with Josh Ward MORE ■ Adams: Advantage in eye of beholder. GV2. ■ Fulmer wants Vols to give fans plenty to cheer about. GV2. ■ Pennington: Former Vols also questioning state of program. GV4. ■ Hooker: Vols want recruiting replay in South Florida. GV7. Playing for big stakes UT’s season at crossroads; win would silence critics BY DREW EDWARDS [email protected] Open a thesaurus, and flip to the entry for “big.” Use just about any of the synonyms listed to describe the University of Tennessee’s game this afternoon, and you’d be right more often than wrong. The hype, the buildup and the stakes of No. 12 Georgia’s visit to Neyland Stadium (TV: WVLT, 3:30 p.m.) are hard to exaggerate. Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge, a player not prone to exaggeration, has his own synonym of choice. “It’s huge,” he said. “It’s not do or die, but it’s very, very important.” In Phillip Fulmer’s 15 full seasons as head coach at his alma mater, the stakes have rarely been higher. Discontent has rarely been as loud — or as widespread — as it’s been after a 2-2 start to the season. But win today, and the volume gets turned down on Fulmer’s critics. Win today, and the Vols are still very much have a chance to win the SEC East. Win today, and the Vols will have defeated a top 15 opponent in Neyland Stadium for just the fourth time in their last nine tries. Win today, and it can all change. “It’s a championship-type game, yeah,” says linebacker Rico McCoy. “This is a big game in the East. This game is really going to add up at theend.ItcoulddeterminetheSECEastchamps. See VOLS on GV2 HOME FIELD DISADVANTAGE? Georgia coach Mark Richt is 3-0 against the Vols in Neyland Stadium. Here’s how the Vols have fared against teams ranked in the Associated Press top 20 at home since 2000. 2000 No. 6 Florida L, 27-23 2001 No. 14 LSU W, 26-18 No. 12 South Carolina W, 17-10 2002 No. 10 Florida No. 19 Alabama No. 1 Miami 2003 No. 8 Georgia L, 30-13 L, 34-14 L, 26-3 L, 41-14 2004 No. 11 Florida No. 8 Auburn 2005 No. 5 Georgia 2006 No. 9 Cal No. 7 Florida No. 13 LSU Vs. 1-10: 1-7 Totalrecord: 4-9 W, 30-28 L, 34-10 L, 27-14 W, 35-18 L, 21-20 L, 28-24 Vs. 10-20: 3-2 GV2 Saturday, October 6, 2007 GOVOLSXTRA knoxnews.com | NEWS SENTINEL Advantage in Georgia vs. UT in eye of beholder Georgia coach Mark Richt caught me by surprise at his Tuesday press luncheon when he pointed out that Tennessee currently has the upper hand in the UT-Georgia series. If he weren’t known as the most honest coach in the SEC, I would have challenged him right there. But he was right. UT has won two of the last three games between the teams. So technically, the Vols JOHN have the upper hand. ADAMS It just doesn’t seem that way. Maybe that’s because Georgia’s overall success overshadows anything the Vols have done recently. The Bulldogs have won two SEC championships in the last five years, and the Vols haven’t won one since 1998. The Bulldogs have finished in the top 10 four times in the last five years. UT hasn’t finished in the top 10 since 2001. Or maybe I think the series has been more pro-Georgia because I subconsciously connect the Bulldogs to UT’s mishaps in the Georgia Dome (i.e., back-to-back Peach Bowl fiascos and losses in their last two SEC championship games). Georgia 30, Tennessee 27: Never mind that the loser will have two SEC losses. It won’t be out of the East Division race, which is so muddled that Georgia Tech might think it has a shot. And it has been out of the league for 44 years. LSU 31, Florida 17: How stupid is Florida senior safety Tony Joiner? He was arrested for felony burglary after attempting to take his girlfriend’s car from a tow lot in the wee hours of the morning. All he had to do was ask his roommate to take the car. Nobody in Gainesville would arrest Tim Tebow. But Tebow won’t get any preferential treatment in Tiger Stadium, where LSU is 7-3-1 in match-ups between top-10 teams and where quarterbacks don’t run over the home team’s linebackers. Auburn 30, Vanderbilt 20: A week after the Tigers upset fourth-ranked Florida in The Swamp, they’re only a seven-point favorite at home against Vanderbilt, the consensus pick to finish last in the SEC East. What does that tell you? It tells you a couple of things you probably already knew: (1) The SEC is the most balanced conference in the country; (2) Odds-makers do their homework. They didn’t have to do much digging to find these key stats: Vanderbilt ranks third in the SEC with 11 forced turnovers. Auburn is last in the SEC with 14 turnovers. Sabama 37, Houston 24: A fire Nick Saban website was already up and running the day after the Tide lost its second consecutive game. That’s so premature. You don’t start talking about firing an Alabama coach after back-to-back losses. You wait until he loses back-to-back games to Auburn. Then, you start talking about firing him. Arkansas 72, Chattanooga 13: Just when you think the Razorbacks’ non-confer- ence schedule couldn’t get any easier, along comes Division I-AA Chattanooga. Since Arkansas can’t do anything to improve its stock in the SEC West this weekend, why not go all-out for Heisman Trophy candidate Darren McFadden? Give him the ball 35 times and see if he can break college football’s singlegame rushing record. So what if coach Houston Nutt would get accused of running up the score. He has been accused of much worse in the last year. Mississippi State 30, UAB 17: First, the Bulldogs lost quarterback Michael Henig to a broken hand. Then, last week, they lost quarterback Josh Riddell to a season-ending knee injury. Injured quarterbacks are nothing new at Mississippi State. In fact, its quarterbacks have been beaten up so frequently the last couple of years, I wonder what the coaches tell the parents of a prospective quarterback recruit. Maybe something like: “None of our quarterbacks has been permanently VOLS from GV1 There’s a lot riding on it.” Specifically, there’s a lot riding on the defense. Georgia (4-1, 2-1 SEC) enters today’s game with back-to-back wins over Alabama and Ole Miss. Against the Rebels, Georgia flexed its muscle on the ground, rushing for 328 yards on 45 carries, led by Thomas Brown with 180 yards and three touchdowns. Redshirt freshman tailback Knowshon Moreno leads the team with 432 rushing yards. “Georgia’s always had great backs,” UT defensive coordinator John Chavis said. “Every year they’re going to have three or four.They’regreattailbacks,andwe’vegot to do a great job tackling and do a great job swarming to the football.” Exceptthat’sexactlywhatTennesseehas struggled to do in its losses this season. Missed tackles and busted assignments are two of the major reasons why Tennessee’s defense ranks ninth in the SEC and 88th in the country with an average of 188 rushing yards allowed per game. Tennessee hasn’t been great against the pass (12th in the SEC in pass efficiency MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL Tennessee wide receiver Austin Rogers can’t reach this pass in front of Arkansas State’s Tyrell Johnson during a game on Sept. 22. defense) or as a whole (11th in total defense and 12th in scoring defense). “Of course it’s a problem,” McCoy says. “No one wants to be ranked last, or close to last.” The Vols (2-2, 0-1) are still dead last in thecountryinpuntreturncoverage,allowing a 28.8 yard average on six returns. Tworeturnshavegoneforatouchdown, crippled during a game.” Ole Miss 41, Louisiana Tech 27: This week’s SEC character award goes to Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron. After a 45-17 loss to Georgia, he stood bravely before the media and put all the blame on his untalented players. “It is obvious now we do not have SEC-caliber players,” Orgeron said. Others might wonder if they have an SEC-caliber head coach. Top 25: Southern Cal 48, Stanford 10; Ohio State 37, Purdue 21; Wisconsin 34, Illinois 31; Oklahoma 34, Texas 23; South Florida 38 Florida Atlantic 17; Boston College 38, Bowling Green 24; West Virginia 34, Syracuse 20; Clemson 27, Virginia Tech 23; Hawaii 51, Utah State 17; Missouri 37, Nebraska 34; Arizona State 41, Washington State 27; Rutgers 27, Cincinnati 24; Kansas 31, Kansas State 27. Record: 92-22 (.807) overall, 49-45 (.520) against the spread. Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or [email protected]. changes they could unveil this afternoon. On offense, the Vols have been solid in the passing game, led by a stellar Ainge, whohascompleted66percentofhispasses for more than 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns with just two interceptions. UT’s offense line has been among the nation’s best in pass protection, allowing just two sacks. Aingehasn’tbeensackedsincethethird play of the season against Cal, a streak of 160 consecutive pass attempts. ButGeorgia’spassdefenseisrankedsignificantlyhigherthananyofUT’sprevious opponents.It’spartofaunitthatranksthird in the SEC in total defense. And then, of course, there’s the Mark Richt factor. Since Richt took over seven years ago, the Bulldogs have not lost in Neyland Stadium. ThatrunbeganwhenGeorgiadrovethe field in 39 seconds for the game-winning touchdown in the famed “Hobnail Boot” game in 2001, and extends through a 27-14 win here in 2005. “I don’t know,” McCoy said when asked the reason for Georgia’s success in Knoxville. “It’s time for a change, isn’t it?” one by Cal’s DeSean Jackson and the other by Florida’s Brandon James. That’s good news for Georgia’s Mikey Henderson,whoaverages14yardsareturn andtookapuntbackforatouchdowninlast year’s loss to Tennessee in Athens. Drew Edwards covers University of The Vols spent plenty of time during their lone bye week this season working Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865on punt coverage, including a few scheme 342-6274. Fulmer wants Vols to give fans plenty to cheer about BY MARK BURGESS [email protected] PhillipFulmer’shopingtoavoid strikethree. The Tennessee football coach has seen his team take on two upper-echelon teams in California andFlorida. Neitheronewaspretty. Now the Vols (2-2, 0-1 SEC) get another shot at a quality opponent with No. 12-ranked Georgia (4-1, 2-1) visiting Neyland Stadium for today’s3:30p.m.kickoff(WVLT). “I’manxioustoseeusbefocused andplay60minutesofreallygood football against a really outstandingteam,”FulmersaidFridayafter UT held its usual walkthrough at Neyland. “We haven’t done that. We’ve had two opportunities and we haven’t done that consistently.” Atleastthisone’sathome. Butthathasn’tmeantawholelot inthisserieseither. Georgia has won the past three meetings in Knoxville. Tennessee haswontwoinarowinAthensand sixofthepasteight. “It’salittlebitoddthattherehas been that kind of record on both sides,” Fulmer said. “It’s just unusual. “In the Southeastern Conferenceit’shardtogoanywhereinthis league and win a road game. Both ofushavebeenabletodoit,butwe hopetochangethat(today).” Aselloutcrowdisexpectedand Fulmer anticipates they’ll be loud as long as UT lives up to its end of thebargain. “It’s our job to give them plenty to cheer about,” Fulmer said. “When we’ve done that (the support)hasbeengreat.” gia has significant implications in the SEC Eastern Division and league championship race,” Hamiltonwrote.“Inaddition,anumber of our sports teams have a significant number of key recruits on campusthisweekend. “I hope you will wear orange, arriveearly,haveasignificantpresence at Vol Walk and cheer loudly as we give our student-athletes the best home field advantage in theSEC.” HamiltonSendsLetter:UTathleticdirectorMikeHamiltonsentout a letter and e-mail to UT faithful thisweekaskingforthesamekind ofcrowdFulmerisexpecting. “Saturday’s game versus Geor- No Double Vision: Georgia’s Thomas Brown and Knowshon Moreno are the best tailback duo in the SEC besides Arkansas’ Felix JonesandDarrenMcFadden. Twostrongbacksareobviously Game Day Captains: Fulmer announced the UT captains for today’s game will be Xavier Mitchell, Erik Ainge, Ryan Karl, Britton Colquitt, Chris Brown and Jerod Mayo. toughertocontrolthanone. “I think they’re both fine players,” UT defensive coordinator JohnChavissaid.“Whicheverone’s got the ball in his hands, that’s the bestplayer. “Theydoagreatjobrunningthe football.Theydoagreatjobscheming you up front, getting a hat on a hat, blocking the right people. When you do those things, then you’regoingtomakeyardage.” Another Reunion: Offensive line coach Greg Adkins will coach against the Bulldogs for the fourth timesinceleavingAthensafterthe 2000season. The only current member of Georgia’sstaffwhoAdkinsworked with is defensive line coach, and former UT assistant, Rodney Garner. “They’re all meaningful,” Adkins said. “Anytime you tee it up on Saturday is a special day. Yeah, I know several people down there still and that sort of thing. But they’re all the same. We prepare forthemallthesame.” LegendsComeHome:UTlegends fortheGeorgiagamewillbeAaron HaydenandChuckSmith. The former Vols will be at the Volunteer Village in the Humanities Plaza from 1:30-2:15 to sign autographs. Smokey will be at the Pet Safe tentfrom12:30-1. StrawberryWine:Countrymusic starand1989UTgradDeanaCarter was on hand for UT’s afternoon walkthrough. Carter,whosesong“Strawberry Wine”wenttothetopofthecountry charts, will perform with the Pride of the Southland Marching Bandathalftimetoday. Drew Edwards contributed to this report. Spurrier wants more than contender for South Carolina Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. — Steve Spurrier wanted hisSouthCarolinaplayerstothinklikeSEC contenders.Now,theGamecocksareplaying like SEC contenders. “You got to believe,” defensive end Eric Norwood said. “Once you buy into it, there’s no letting up.” No. 11 South Carolina and Norwood didn’t let up Thursday night, ending Kentucky’s undefeated start and taking over first place in the SEC East with a 38-23 victory. Norwood tied an NCAA record with two return touchdowns while he and the rest of the defense held the eighth-ranked WildcatsandquarterbackAndreWoodson tohalfoftheirSEC-leadingscoringaverage coming in. Norwood said it wasn’t far fetched to imaginetheGamecocks(5-1,3-1SEC)playing for their first league title. “We don’t harp on it every game,” Norwood said. “But I know it’s in the back of everybody’s head.” Itwasplacedtherebyacraftyballcoach whoknowswhatittakestowinchampionships. Right after the Gamecocks went 3-5 in the SEC last fall — Spurrier’s first sub.500 SEC season — the coach increased the team’s goals. He wanted them to know theybelongedonthefieldwithschoolslike Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, which haveprettymuchownedthedivisionsince South Carolina became a league member in 1992. Now that the Gamecocks are playing like SEC contenders, Spurrier has a dif- ferent tone, saying it’s way too early to plan for the Georgia Dome and a spot in December’s title game. “The only reason I set that goal of winning the SEC is just in case we got in position,”Spurriersaid.“Justincasewehappen toluckupandbeatGeorgia,andincasethe ball bounced our way a little bit.” The Gamecocks did defeat Georgia 1612 on Sept. 8 for the first time in Spurrier’s threeseasons.Theyfellattop-rankedLSU 28-16,thenbouncedbackwithwinsintheir past two league games. Vols have chance to revive hopes Well, once again, opportunity has come a knockin’ for a Tennessee football team seemingly left for dead in the sweltering Florida Swamp. But a Florida loss and the prospect of another group of Tigers chompin’ down on some Gator tail, has RICK the Vols re- RUSSO energized for their stretch run through the SEC. That run begins this afternoon against a pack of hungry Dawgs, who are as eager to hunker down as Ole Smokey. As is usually the case, both teams find themselves in position to earn the title “Top Dog” in the SEC East. There’s no telling what a win today might do for these programs, who still face a difficult road ahead. The road is what concerns Tennessee fans. Georgia has won it’s last three games at Neyland Stadium all, of course, under coach Mark Richt who has been off the “Richter” scale when it comes to road wins. Richt is 23-3 in opponents stadiums, including 9-2 against ranked teams. His secret, well, he says the Dawgs use that usagainst-the-world mentality. Well, Vol fans, while it may not be the world, Neyland Stadium’s solar system is large enough to cause problems for any Division I-A program, at least it should. As Coach Fulmer told us this week, the crowd at home is always a factor in an SEC game. Just how much of a factor could very well help determine the outcome of this all-important SEC home opener for the Big Orange. The Top Vol says from here on out his team will treat each Saturday as Championship Saturday. If taken to heart, that mentality, more than anything, should prevent another Dawg Day afternoon at Neyland Stadium. Rick Russo is sports director of WVLT. & " " $" 0RUH SUR¿WV IRU \RX " " ($ "& " $" " "% ) '" % #)) &&&"& " 47 54 80 53 75 50 79 78 28 Right tackle Right guard Center Left guard Wide receiver Tight end Left tackle Snapper 50 Josh McNeil 75 Anthony Parker 54 Eric Young 81 Josh Briscoe 28 Chris Brown 78 Ramon Foster 79 Chris Scott 53 Morgan Cox 85 Casey Woods 45 Kevin Cooper 71 Steven Jones 65 Jacques McClendon 73 Michael Frogg 51 Vladimir Richard 72 Ramone Johnson 57 Nick Guess 541 Linebacker 12 Brandon Miller 51 Akeem Dent 12 Defensive end Defensive tackle 41 Roderick Battle 95 Jeff Owens 58 Demarcus Dobbs 90 Corvey Irvin Middle linebacker 33 Dannell Ellerbe 44 Marcus Washington 23 GEORGIA ROSTER No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 33 35 36 37 38 39 41 42 43 44 45 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 93 95 96 97 98 99 NAME Massaquoi, Mohamed Allen, Asher Evans, Bryan Bailey, Sean Byrd, CJ Lumpkin, Kregg Stafford, Matthew Spellman, Vernon Jones, Reshad Baldwin, Donavon Brown, Ramarcus Miller, Brandon Butler, Drew Cox, Joe Barnes, Blake Durham, Kris Coates, Antavious Bryant, A.J. Gray, Logan Brown, Thomas King, Caleb Miller, Prince Moreno, Knowshon Cuff, Vance Wilson, Tony Henderson, Mikey Wilson, Ben Flowers, Thomas Johnson, Kelin Banks, Quintin Mimbs, Brian Daniels, Kalvin Ellerbe, Dannell Curran, Rennie Southerland, Brannan Pittman, Mitchell Howard, Marcus Johnson, Jason Battle, Roderick Houston, Justin White, Charles Washington, Marcus Taylor, Tripp Williams, Andrew Munzenmaier, Fred Chapas, Shaun Gamble, Darryl Dent, Akeem Dewberry, Darius Gaunder, Chris Strickland, Tanner Lomax, Jeremy Atkins, Geno Boyd, Benjamin Dobbs, Demarcus Fowler, Bo Boling, Clint Fields, Justin Davis, Chris Tripp, Kiante Henson, Jeff White, Micky Adams, Chester Jacobs, Wes Gully, Andrew Haverkamp, Scott Lyles, Justin Vance, Vince Little, Chris Perez, Kevin Velasco, Fernando Harden, Ben Sturdivant, Trinton Davis, Josh Anderson, Justin Hill, Walter Ward, NaDerris Moore, Michael Gartrell, T.J. Nickels, Casey Watson, Coleman Goodman, Demiko Chandler, Tripp White, Aron Harris, Kenneth Figgins, Bruce Irvin, Corvey Weston, Kade Ball, Neland Bailey, Andy White, David Owens, Jeff Coutu, Brandon Wood, Brandon Crawford, Ricardo Wynn, Jarius Strong safety 30 Kelin Johnson 31 Quintin Banks POS. FLK SC WC SE FS TB QB SE FS SC WC MLB P QB QB SE SS FLK QB TB TB WC TB DB SE SE PK SC SS SS P TB WLB LB FB SLB DE TB DE SLB LB MLB DT FS FB FB WLB SLB SLB MLB LG DE DT MLB DE SN OL SLB LG RT SN RG RT DE DE RG DT OL OL C C OL OL RG RT WR TE FLK SE TE TE FLK TE WR FLK TE DT DT DE PK DL DT PK DT DT DE HT. 6-2 5-10 5-11 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-3 6-1 6-2 6-2 5-11 6-4 6-2 6-1 6-3 6-5 6-4 6-2 6-2 5-8 5-11 5-8 5-11 6-2 5-11 5-10 6-0 5-10 6-1 6-2 5-11 5-10 6-1 5-11 6-0 6-2 6-2 5-9 6-4 6-3 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-0 6-2 6-2 6-2 6-2 6-3 6-0 6-5 6-4 6-1 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-5 6-1 6-4 6-6 6-3 6-3 6-4 6-2 6-4 6-4 6-2 6-8 6-6 6-3 6-4 6-3 6-5 6-6 6-5 6-4 6-5 6-2 6-1 6-4 6-6 6-2 6-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-6 6-2 6-2 6-3 6-0 6-1 6-1 6-5 WT 198 190 188 174 193 222 237 184 203 204 170 257 205 208 225 200 214 205 180 200 212 190 207 194 205 156 204 186 200 210 205 182 232 220 240 217 250 213 261 240 217 250 265 197 233 236 237 218 236 216 328 247 290 210 266 215 290 244 292 272 258 331 335 245 250 310 280 320 360 270 318 310 293 293 328 214 255 188 181 240 256 190 263 228 215 254 286 316 232 227 270 298 188 280 297 273 Defensive tackle 91 Kade Weston 56 Geno Atkins YR. Jr. So. So. Sr. Jr. Sr. So. So. Fr. So. Jr. Sr. Fr. So. Jr. So. So. Sr. Fr. Sr. Fr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. So. Fr. Fr. Jr. So. Sr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Sr. Fr. Jr. So. Jr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Sr. So. So. Jr. Sr. So. Fr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Sr. Fr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Jr. So. Fr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Free safety 5 C.J. Byrd 9 Reshad Jones Flanker 27 Mikey Henderson 26 Tony Wilson Split end 4 Sean Bailey 1 Mohamed Massaquoi 27 20 Cornerback 2 Asher Allen 29 Thomas Flowers Kickoff returner 20 Thomas Brown 2 Asher Allen Linebacker 5 Rico McCoy 34 Dorian Davis Left tackle 98 Demonté Bolden 95 Walter Fisher 7 5 13 Free safety 33 Jonathan Hefney 23 Ricardo Kemp 3:30/WVLT 6/ESPN2 3:30 p.m. TBA TBA TBA TBA 2007 TENNESSEE STATISTICAL LEADERS RUSHING GP 4 3 4 4 Arian Foster LaMarcus Coker Totals... Opponent PASSING GP 4 3 4 4 Erik Ainge Jonathan Crompton Total Opponents Att. 59 24 124 146 Gain 298 124 577 822 Att 163 6 169 124 Loss 1 7 48 69 Cmp 108 3 111 72 RECEIVING GP 4 4 4 4 Lucas Taylor Austin Rogers Total Opponents TACKLES Jerod Mayo Rico McCoy Net 297 117 529 753 TD 3 1 5 7 Long 42 27 42 44 Int 2 1 3 4 Yds 1130 13 1143 1003 Td 10 0 10 6 No. 24 20 111 72 Yds 382 251 1143 1003 TD 2 1 10 6 G 4 4 Solo 19 10 Ast 6 12 Avg/G 74.2 39.0 132.2 188.2 Long 43 6 43 69 Long 43 32 43 69 Total 25 22 Avg/G 282.5 4.3 285.8 250.8 Avg/G 95.5 62.8 285.8 250.8 Sacks 0 0 2007 GEORGIA STATISTICAL LEADERS RUSHING Knowshon Moreno Thomas Brown Total Opponents PASSING Matthew Stafford Total Opponents RECEIVING Sean Bailey Knowshon Moreno Total Opponents TACKLES Dannell Ellerbe Asher Allen GP 5 5 5 5 Att. 78 70 197 169 GP 5 5 5 Gain 455 407 1020 730 Loss 23 14 129 135 Att 144 153 156 Net 432 393 891 595 Cmp 83 86 94 GP 5 5 5 5 Avg 5.5 5.6 4,5 3.5 Int 3 3 2 No. 16 11 86 94 Yds 237 148 1037 921 G 5 5 Middle linebacker 7 Jerod Mayo 35 Ellix Wilson TD 3 6 21 6 Yds 989 1037 921 Long 50 50 50 30 TD 7 8 2 Avg 14.8 13.5 12.1 9.8 Solo 18 21 TD 1 0 8 2 Ast 17 6 Avg/G 86.4 78.6 178.2 119.0 Lng Avg/G 47 197.8 47 207.4 45 184.2 Long Avg/G 47 47.4 35 29.6 47 207.4 45 184.2 Total 35 27 39 Punter 32 Brian Mimbs 13 Drew Butler Strong safety 14 Eric Berry 19 Jarod Parrish Sacks 1 1 No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 26 27 28 30 31 33 34 34 35 36 37 38 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 63 65 66 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 93 94 95 95 96 96 97 98 99 RETURNERS Linebacker 39 Ryan Karl 48 Adam Myers-White 33 Punt returner 33 Jonathan Hefney 21 Austin Rogers 31 22 Cornerback 31 Marsalous Johnson 24 DeAngelo Willingham TENNESSEE ROSTER SEPTEMBER 1 at California L, 45-31 8 Southern Miss w, 39-19 15 at Florida L, 59-20 22 Arkansas State W, 48-27 OCTOBER Today Georgia 3:30/WVLT 13 at Mississippi State 2:30 20 at Alabama 3:30/WVLT 27 South Carolina TBA NOVEMBER 3 La.-Lafayette 4/PPV 10 Arkansas TBA 17 Vanderbilt TBA 24 at Kentucky TBA W, 35-14 L, 16-12 W, 45-15 W, 26-23 W, 45-17 32 Right end 89 Antonio Reynolds 91 Robert Ayers 14 TENNESSEE SCHEDULE SEPTEMBER 1 Oklahoma St. 8 South Carolina 15 W. Carolina 22 at Alabama, OT 29 Mississippi OCTOBER 6 atTennessee 13 at Vanderbilt 27 Florida NOVEMBER 3 Troy 10 Auburn 17 Kentucky 24 at Georgia Tech 589 Right tackle 55 Dan Williams 99 J.T. Mapu 33 Left cornerback 13 Brent Vinson 24 DeAngelo Willingham GEORGIA SCHEDULE 555 598 Left end 93 Xavier Mitchell 94 Wes Brown 2 Tight end 86 Tripp Chandler 89 Bruce Figgins PUNT TEAM Left guard Center Right tackle Right guard Snapper Left tackle 75 Fernando Velasco 63 Chris Davis 77 Trinton Sturdivant 65 Jeff Henson 67 Chester Adams 60 Clint Boling 78 Josh Davis 72 Vince Vance 60 Clint Boling 70 Scott Havercamp 74 Kevin Perez 59 Bo Fowler 593 Linebacker Punt returner 52 Darius Dewberry 27 Mikey Henderson 33 Dannell Ellerbe 29 Thomas Flowers 52 33 Quarterback 7 Matthew Stafford 14 Joe Cox 27 RETURNERS Defensive end 38 Marcus Howard 55 Jeremy Lomax 5 30 Cornerback 23 Prince Miller 3 Bryan Evans 538 591 595 Holder 32 Brian Mimbs 15 Rowdy Francis 4 WHEN GEORGIA HAS THE BALL Fullback 36 Brannan Southerland 49 Shaun Chapas 67 Punter 47 Britton Colquitt 95 Chad Cunningham Tailback 20 Thomas Brown 24 Knowshon Moreno Placekicker 96 Brandon Coutu 93 Andy Bailey 60 Tight end 80 Jeff Cottam 88 Luke Stocker KICK TEAM 96 75 Quarterback 10 Erik Ainge 8 Jonathan Crompton PUNT TEAM 63 WHEN THE VOLS HAVE THE BALL Tailback 27 Arian Foster 22 LaMarcus Coker 2 Montario Hardesty Saturday, October 6, 2007 GV3 77 12 Wide receiver 12 Lucas Taylor 21 Austin Rogers 85 Casey Woods GOVOLSXTRA 32 Placekicker 26 Daniel Lincoln 47 Britton Colquitt Kickoffs 47 Britton Colquitt 95 Chad Cunningham Holder 85 Casey Woods 47 Britton Colquitt 47 85 81 knoxnews.com 86 KICK TEAM | 65 NEWS SENTINEL NAME Kenny O’Neal Montario Hardesty Lennon Creer Gerald Jones Rico McCoy Ja’Kouri Williams Jerod Mayo Jonathan Crompton Daryl Vereen Erik Ainge Todd Campbell Tyler Maples Lucas Taylor Brent Vinson Eric Berry Sinclair Cannon Nick Stephens B.J. Coleman Jarod Parrish Nevin McKenzie Austin Rogers LaMarcus Coker Ricardo Kemp DeAngelo Willingham Art Evans C.J. Fleming Daniel Lincoln Arian Foster Chris Brown David Holbert Marsalous Johnson Jonathan Hefney Dorian Davis Roy Olasimbo Ellix Wilson Anthony Anderson Antonio Gaines David Campbell Antonio Wardlow Ryan Karl Chris Donald Dennis Rogan LaMarcus Thompson Savion Frazier Josh Hawkins Kevin Cooper Andre Mathis Britton Colquitt Adam Myers-White Josh McNeil Vladimir Richard Victor Thomas Morgan Cox Eric Young Dan Williams Nick Reveiz Nick Guess Donald Langley Adam Gillem Jacques McClendon Cody Sullins Darius Myers Steven Jones Ramone Johnson Michael Frogg Jarrod Shaw Anthony Parker Darris Sawtelle Cody Pope Ramon Foster Chris Scott Jeff Cottam Josh Briscoe Ahmad Paige Denarius Moore Chris Walker Casey Woods Brad Cottam Quintin Hancock Luke Stocker Antonio Reynolds Ben Martin Robert Ayers Xavier Mitchell Wes Brown Chad Cunningham Walter Fisher Michael Crain William Brimfield Chase Nelson Demonte’ Bolden J.T. Mapu HT. 6-0 6-0 6-1 6-0 6-1 5-10 6-2 6-4 6-0 6-6 6-0 6-2 6-0 6-2 5-11 6-2 6-4 6-4 6-3 6-2 6-2 5-11 5-11 6-0 6-1 5-10 6-0 6-1 6-3 6-1 5-9 5-9 6-2 5-10 5-10 6-0 5-9 6-2 6-0 6-0 6-2 5-10 6-1 6-2 6-0 6-1 6-2 6-3 6-2 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-3 5-10 6-3 6-2 6-1 6-3 6-1 6-6 6-4 6-5 6-4 6-4 6-3 6-6 6-6 6-6 6-5 6-8 6-3 6-3 6-1 6-3 6-5 6-8 6-3 6-6 6-3 6-5 6-3 6-2 6-4 6-3 6-3 6-1 6-6 6-4 6-6 6-4 WT. 195 205 202 185 215 190 230 230 196 220 185 190 185 190 195 215 215 205 200 210 185 195 190 195 185 173 204 225 250 250 180 185 215 195 225 175 180 200 185 218 225 182 203 210 195 240 255 205 215 280 297 265 225 305 310 225 230 290 260 330 285 315 305 310 290 345 305 295 285 325 305 260 183 175 185 220 215 270 200 235 270 230 260 255 256 210 265 230 300 256 290 290 Kick returner 22 LaMarcus Coker 3 Lennon Creer YR. Jr. So. Fr. Fr. So. Jr. Jr. So. Fr. Sr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Jr. So. So. So. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. So.. Sr. Jr. Fr. Sr. So. So. Sr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Jr. Jr. So. So. Fr. So. Sr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Sr. So. So. Fr. Sr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Jr. So. So. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Sr. So. Fr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Sr. So. Fr. Jr. Sr. Fr. So. Jr. Sr. POS. WR TB TB WR LB DB LB QB TB QB WR WR WR WR DB DB QB QB DB DB WR TB DB DB DB DB PK TB TE TE DB DB LB TB LB DB DB P DB LB DE TB LB LB TB TE DE P LB C OG DT DS OT DT LB DS DT DE OG OL OG OT OT C OT OG OG OL OT OG TE WR WR WR DE WR TE WR TE DE DE DE DE DE P DT DE DT DT DT DT GV4 Saturday, October 6, 2007 GOVOLSXTRA knoxnews.com | NEWS SENTINEL Former Vols also questioning state of program Tennessee fans aren’t used to the kind of beating that Florida put on their Vols back in September. The Big Orange Nation is frustrated after a 2-2 start. For the past few weeks they’ve been asking questions as to why their program has won just 16 of its past 28 games. In speaking with a number of former UT players over the past several weeks, it’s become apparent to me that the men who used to wear the orange are also asking questions. Normally, when a player tells me “things are easier now than they used to be,” I shrug it off as “I used to walk to school uphill both ways” kind of stuff. Folks always think they had it tougher than anybody else. But when I had a couple of ex-Vols tell me of specific areas of concern within the current program, I began to track down more former players to see if they agreed. Indeed, certain things were brought up again and again by player after player: practice intensity, competitive spirit in the weight room, and player development. For the record, I’ve spoken with nine different former offensive and defensive players. I’ve dined with former starters and former back-ups. I’ve phoned players from the early JOHN 1990s, mid 1990s, late PENNINGTON 1990s and early 2000s. The players I spoke with have all maintained some connection to UT since their playing days. Whether they’ve taken in Vol practices or spent time in the Vol weight room, they have all seen, they say, changes in the program firsthand. These men also, let me be very clear, love Tennessee football. To a man they told me that Phillip Fulmer is a good football coach. But they also believe that small changes over the course of time have created a larger overall shift in the program’s success, not unlike a lobster slowly being brought to boil. At least that’s the belief that these men shared with me. And that’s what I want to share with you … the opinions of former Vols who can still observe practice and drop into the weight room. Are they correct? All I can go on is the large, diverse number of ex-Vols who agreed with these observations. (None of the players quoted in this column are or have been regulars on my Sports Source television show, by the way.) Issue No. 1: Player Development One of the common thoughts stated to me was “why aren’t our players getting better?” For example, why can’t a speedster like Kenny O’Neal find his way to the field in the first month of the season? Why have some players not progressed from last year to this year? Or even from one week to the next? “Fundamentals are not getting corrected,” said a player from the Peyton Manning Era. “It was clear in the Cal game what the problems were. And you’re supposed to correct those things in practice. But in Game Three against Florida, you saw the exact same problems.” Indeed, tackling, wrapping up and shooting through gaps, all appeared just as worrisome versus the Gators (and at times Arkansas State) as they did versus the Golden Bears. According to another former Vol, continued concerns exist in the secondary as well. “These guys aren’t squaring up against their man. They’re opening up AMY SMOTHERMAN-BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer leaves the field after the Vols’ 59-20 loss to Florida Sept. 15 in Gainesville. The lopsided loss, part of UT’s 2-2 start, has prompted questions and concerns about the state of the program. Some are being expressed by former players. as they run down the field. That gives a receiver more options. Is that going to get fixed?” Another ex-Vol added, “if they’re not actually practicing to get better, then all the talk of correcting mistakes is moot.” “As a fan and as an alumnus, I know that we used to have a talent gap on everybody. Now that the talent level is equal to a lot of other teams, it’s time to start developing the talent we do get.” Issue No. 2: Strength, Conditioning and Speed Florida tight end Derek Baldry had this to say following the Gators’ 52-20 win over UT: “In the locker room, that’s all everybody was talking about. It just seemed like we were going at a different speed than they were, especially at the end.” That comment (and sentiment) was voiced by more than half of the ex-Vols that spoke with me. “Tennessee’s workouts are just not as competitive and intense as they used to be,” said a player from UT’s national championship team. “We used to enter the weight room and it was like gameday in there.” Another player chimed in with stories of one-on-one competitions during workouts, yells of encouragement, even trash talk. Three of the players who say they’ve seen recent workouts tell me that that kind of attitude no longer exists. “It’s like walking on eggshells when you go in the weight room.” “Now they do their workouts, but there’s not the intensity. I’ve seen guys drop by the weight room with their bookbags between classes. That didn’t happen when I played. You didn’t go in there to talk and break the focus of guys who were working out. If you’re not working out, you’re not in there. And if you walked in there with nothing to do, they’d find something for you to do.” Tennessee has lost some very respected strength coaches that have moved on since the 1990s. They lost John Stuckey to health issues. Tommy Moffitt is now the strength and conditioning coach at LSU. Chris Carlisle is now the head strength coach as Southern Cal. In case you haven’t noticed, LSU and USC are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation right now. “Everything used to be about competition. From practice to gameday to the weightroom. We’d work out before practice, then we’d practice, then we’d run sleds, then some of us would go back to the weight room to lift some extra weights on our own. Just to always be better than the other guy.” Tennessee continues to set weightlifting records, but from what the exVols told me, players now spend less time “maxing out” (lifting a single rep to build power) and spend more time building endurance (lifting a lighter weight several times to equal a heavier, more powerful lift). For example, by most formulas, seven lifts of 285 pounds equals a single lift of 350 pounds. But on third and goal from the one, does it? The former players I spoke with have their doubts. Issue No. 3: Practice Intensity Where has the attitude gone in Tennessee’s practice sessions? That was a common question stated by men who still have the ability to view practice. “The intensity level is nowhere near where it was,” said a former player who’s seen Tennessee practice (and who was backed up by several others). “You don’t want to see a fight everyday, but that’s where the attitude comes from.” According to the players, there have also been major changes in the way the scout team is run. “I started out on scout team and I watched the transition,” said a former player who played in the late 1990s and the 2000s. “We used to really get after it on scout team, then they started telling us to ‘stand here, don’t move, you might get someone hurt.’ ” “We don’t want to get someone hurt?” another ex-player piped up. If this is true, scholarship limitations might have finally forced the UT staff to pull back a bit in practice, in order to conserve bodies. Twenty years ago, teams had twenty more players to bang around. Now they do not. That’s no excuse for scripting the scout teams’ duties as much as is now the case, at least not according to a player from the late 1990s. “Raynoch Thompson and Shaun Ellis used to totally shake it up on defense when they were going against Peyton, and Peyton used to get mad, but it made his offensive line better. It made him better.” “How good does it make the starter when the scout team doesn’t push him?” “We used to love practice. Practice was like a game. You think Al Wilson and Peyton Manning didn’t view practice as competition? It was all about winning those little battles in practice. And when you’re used to doing it in practice, it carries over in games.” Looking for Answers Fans and former players alike have a lot of questions. Still, most continue to believe that the current coaching staff can get things back to a championship level. “Coach Fulmer is a good coach,” said a player from the 2000s. “But in the real world people are held accountable for their work. So it’s fair for people to ask questions.” “Check out the names in that new Neyland Stadium club section of all the folks who are giving a whole lot of money. They deserve to have the right questions asked.” Are the issues stated above simply the complaints of old-timers who believe things were tougher in their day (when Tennessee sat near the top of national polls so often)? Has practice really become less game-like? Have scholarship limitations forced coaches to take an easier approach? Has the attitude in workouts changed? Are the Vols as strong as they used to be? Have those issues made a real difference in the program’s level of success? Starting with today’s game against Georgia and during the entire month of October, fans will start to get more answers. With a win this afternoon (coupled with a Florida loss at LSU), Tennessee can be right back in control of their own SEC destiny as early as tomorrow morning. That’s a reason for optimism … in a time of many questions. John Pennington hosts the Halls Salvage Sports Source on Sunday at 11 a.m. on WATE. NEWS SENTINEL | knoxnews.com GOVOLSXTRA Saturday, October 6, 2007 GV5 GV6 Saturday, October 6, 2007 GOVOLSXTRA TODAY’S MATCHUPS Vanderbilt (3-1, 1-1 SEC) at Auburn (3-2, 1-1) Time: 12:30 p.m. (TV: WVLT) Skinny: The question is: Can Auburn come down from it’s high of beating Florida in “The Swamp” and not take Vandy lightly? Considering the Tigers have already lost to South Florida and Mississippi State this season, that would be dangerous. Auburn has won 12 consecutive meetings against the Commodores and the all-time series is tied 19-19-1. KeyPlayers: Auburn QB Brandon Cox has rallied from a brutal start and completed 17 of 26 passes for 227 yards against the Gators. TB Brad Lester is back in the rotation after serving a lengthy suspension for academic shortcomings. For Vandy, former Central High School star Cassen Jackson-Garrison leads the team with 245 yards rushing and three TDs. WR Earl Bennett has 37 catches for 468 yards and four TDs. Bennett needs just 11 more catches to become the SEC’s all-time leader. Line: Auburn by 8 Louisiana Tech (1-3) at Ole Miss (1-4) Time: 2 p.m. Skinny: The Rebels could finally catch a break after losing four in a row to Missouri (38-25), Vanderbilt (31-17), Florida (30-24) and Georgia (45-17). Louisiana Tech is on its own three-game skid with losses to Hawaii (45-44), Cal (42-12) and Fresno State (17-6). Mississippi is 7-1 all-time against Tech, the last victory coming in 1992. KeyPlayers: Ole Miss, ranked 109th in the country at defending the rush, will have to stop Tech’s Patrick Jackson (80 carries, 361 yards and three TDs). Rebels’ QB Seth Adams went 24 of 35 passing for 228 yards and a TD in the loss to Georgia last week. RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis is fifth in the SEC with 103.2 yards per game. Line:Ole Miss by 13 Line: Mississippi State by 18 Houston (2-2) at Alabama (3-2) Time: 3 Skinny: Alabama tries to end its two-game losing skid after falling to Georgia and Florida State. The Crimson Tide has never lost to Houston in nine previous meetings, the last a 37-10 victory in 1999. The Cougars lost to Oregon in its season opener and East Carolina last week. They’ve beaten Tulane and Colorado State. KeyPlayers: If Houston is to have a chance against Alabama, it needs another huge game from WR Donnie Avery. He had nine catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns en route to 350 all-purpose yards against East Carolina. Alabama has its own premier WR in D.J. Hall (23 catches, 420 yards and three TDs). Line: Alabama by 11 Chattanooga (1-3) at Arkansas (2-2, 0-2) Time: 7 Skinny: Carson-Newman beat Chattanooga 29-17 a couple of weeks ago. The Citadel piled up 468 yards and beat the Mocs 41-16 last week. What do you think the Razorbacks might be able to do today in Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium? This is the first meeting between the two teams. KeyPlayers: It might be a good week for Arkansas coach Houston Nutt to play the RB tandem of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones about a quarter and then give them some rest. But wait. McFadden’s trying to win a Heisman, so he might run for 250 and four TDs. The Mocs rely on the QB-WR combination of Antonio Miller to Blue Cooper. Line: None Florida (4-1, 2-1 SEC) at LSU (5-0, 2-0) Time: 7:30 p.m. (TV: WVLT) Skinny: This game may have lost some of its luster UAB (1-3) at Mississippi State (3-2) after Florida’s loss to Auburn last week, but it’s huge Time: 2:30 in the hearts of Vol fans hoping for back-to-back Skinny: South Carolina snapped MSU’s three-game winning streak last week, but it wasn’t easy. Midway Gator losses. No. 9-ranked Florida leads the all-time series 28-22-3 and beat LSU 23-10 a year ago. The through the third quarter, the Bulldogs actually top-ranked Tigers feature the NCAA’s No. 1 defense led 21-17. UAB has played a tough schedule, losing (174.6 YPG, 6.4 PPG) against Florida’s No. 16 offense to Michigan State, Florida State and Tulsa with its (476.6 YPG, 42.8 PPG). The last time LSU went into lone victory a 22-0 decision against Alcorn State. a game ranked No. 1 in the country, Tennessee beat The teams have split two previous meetings, MSU them 14-13 in 1959. winning 16-10 last season in overtime and UAB KeyPlayers: Not even super sophomores Tim Tebow winning 27-13 in 2004. and Percy Harvin could save Florida against Auburn. KeyPlayers: The Bulldogs are hurting at quarterback. Tebow has the third highest passer rating in the Michael Henig broke his hand in a victory against Auburn and his replacement Josh Riddell tore his ACL nation (185.4). Harvin is averaging 125.8 all-purpose yards a game. LSU QB Matt Flynn passed for a careerlast week against South Carolina. Freshman Wesley high 258 yards in last week’s victory against Tulane. Carroll will take over this week. UAB QB Sam Hunt has passed for 680 yards and five TDs with Joseph Webb WR Early Doucet should return to the lineup after missing three games with an injury. acting as his favorite target. UAB safety Will Dunbar Line: LSU by 8½ leads the nation with 13.7 tackles per game. Mark Burgess Charge dropped against Joiner Prosecutor claims ‘without a victim, I have no crime’ Associated Press GAINESVILLE, Fla. — State prosecutors dropped a felony burglarychargeagainstFloridasafety Tony Joiner on Friday, clearing the way for the senior to play at top-ranked LSU tonight. Joiner was arrested around early Tuesday for allegedly trying to take his girlfriend’s car out of a towing company’s impound lot. SpencerMann,chiefinvestigatorfortheStateAttorney’sOffice, said the charge was dropped because the towing company “believes it’s a big misunderstanding.” “Thevictimisadamantthathe sustained no loss or damage and does not wish to pursue criminal charges,” Mann said. “Based on that information, we cannot sustain a criminal charge. Without a victim, I have no crime.” Joiner practiced with the ninth-rankedGatorsonWednesday and Thursday, and coach Urban Meyer said if the felony charge was dropped or reduced to a misdemeanor, he would be eligible to play. “Tony being out late on Monday is not consistent with the expectations of a leader and a team captain of our football program,” Meyer said in a statement. “Tony is no longer a captain of the Gator football team and he will pay a heavy price for his behavior internally for the next four weeks. He will travel with the team for our game vs. LSU.” According to the Gainesville PoliceDepartment,Joinerpushed open an electric gate, got into the carandstartedtodriveoff.When Joiner stopped to close the gate, he was confronted by a witness who called police. “We believe GPD conducted a proper investigation and made appropriate decisions based on thefactstheyhadatthetimethey responded,” Mann said. Shortly after Joiner’s arrest, towingcompanyownerStanForron said the player had arranged to pay the bill and pick up the car. But Forron said no one was around to take Joiner’s money, so he must have thought it was OK to take the car and settle up later. knoxnews.com | NEWS SENTINEL Byrum’s kick had message for Gators BY RON HIGGINS The Commercial Appeal Funny how things work out. There was Wes Byrum, AuburnfreshmankickerfromFort Lauderdale, Fla., doing the Gator chomp to the Florida fans aftertwicekickingagame-winning43-yardfieldgoalintheTigers’20-17victorylastweekend in Gainesville. Byrum didn’t even get a recruiting sniff from the Gators because Florida decided not to sign any kickers for this season. AllByrumhasdonesofarfor the Tigers is make 8-of-10 field goals, including three longer than 40 yards. None, though, was bigger thanthekickinGainesvillethat he had to make twice. Officials allowed Florida coach Urban Meyer to call timeout despite the fact Byrum’s first gamewinning kick appeared to be already in the air. Byrum said making the first kick loosened him up to nail it again. “I just hit the first one, so when it was time to hit the secondone,Ijustkindofwentback there and did the same thing,” Byrum said. Byrum admitted warming up on the sidelines before the final kick was taxing. He had to do it directly in front of the Florida student body. “I was called more names than I’ve ever been called in my life,” Byrum said. “Guys were screaming all types of things. The girls were saying whatever they could think of to anybody that walked by. It was awesome.” And then there was Auburn tight end Tommy Trott. While most Auburn players followed the unwritten rule of not talking to a kicker who may have to attempt a game-winning field goal, Trott did not. “Beforeeverykickthat’skind of big, Tommy Trott comes up to me, as we’re on the field, and says, ‘Don’t mess this up,’ and turns around and goes back to the line,” Byrum said. “(On Saturday),helookedatmeandsaid, ‘AllrightWes,I’msorry,butI’ve got to do this: Don’t mess this up.’ And then he turned around and walked back to the line.” Message From McFadden: A groupofArkansasfanswearing black shirts to show they don’t support coach Houston Nutt drew the ire of running back Darren McFadden following a 66-7 victory over North Texas last Saturday. After the game, following the team’s traditional singing of the fight song with the student section, McFadden grabbed a mike and delivered a message to the black shirts. He basically said that if those fans don’t support Nutt, then they don’t support the players. McFadden said he found out about the black shirts just before the game and felt it was his place as a team leader to say something. “A lot of our players feel the same way (that McFadden does) about Houston Nutt,” McFadden said. “He’s a great coach.” SEC STANDINGS EASTERNDIVISION Conference School W-L S. Carolina 3-1 Florida 2-1 Georgia 2-1 Kentucky 1-1 Vanderbilt 1-1 Tennessee 0-1 WESTERNDIVISION Conference School W-L LSU 2-0 Alabama 2-1 Auburn 1-1 Miss. State 1-2 Arkansas 0-2 Ole Miss 0-3 Overall W-L 5-1 4-1 4-1 5-1 3-1 2-2 Overall W-L 5-0 3-2 3-2 3-2 2-2 1-4 Thursday’sgame South Carolina 38, Kentucky 23 Today’sgames GeorgiaatTennessee,3:30,WVLT Vanderbilt at Auburn, 12:30, WVLT Louisiana Tech at Ole Miss, 2 UAB at Mississippi State, 2:30 Houston at Alabama, 3 Chattanooga at Arkansas, 7 Florida at LSU, 8, WVLT NextSaturday’sgames TennesseeatMississippiSt.,2:30 Alabama at Ole Miss, 12:30, WVLT LSU at Kentucky, 3:30, WVLT South Carolina at North Carolina, 3:30, WATE Georgia at Vanderbilt, 6, ESPN2 Auburn at Arkansas, 7:45, ESPN NEWS SENTINEL | knoxnews.com GOVOLSXTRA Saturday, October 6, 2007 GV7 Vols want recruiting replay in South Florida Fans scoffed when Tennessee set its sights on South Florida in 2004. Surely, the Vols couldn’t land three highly regarded prospects out from under Miami, Florida State and Florida. After all, two of the prospects had already committed to be Gators. The other seemed close to announcing the same decision. UT’s coaches, led by receivers coach Trooper Taylor, weren’t so pessimistic. They eventually landed defensive back Demetrice Morley, linebacker Gerald Williams and defensive lineman Vladimir DAVE Richard, capping off one of the highest-ratHOOKER ed classes in the nation Recruiting in 2005. “Yeah, but those guys have hardly had an impact at UT!” you might say. True. First, calm down and take a deep breath. Now, let’s review. Yes, Morley was dismissed in January for academic shortcomings after becoming a starter and is enrolled at Pellissippi State. And we all know that Williams is still struggling to get academically eligible, and might have grey hair before he enrolls at UT. As for the best of the bunch so far, that’s Richard — a reserve offensive lineman with a bright future and athleticism to spare, but nary a single start. But don’t judge UT’s recruiting on what those players have produced. Pull- SCOUTING REPORT A look at the high school football players visiting Tennessee this weekend. Name Size Pos. Home School Marcus Forston 6-2, 285 DT Miami Northwestern Aldarius Johnson 6-2, 200 WR Miami Northwestern Sean Spence 6-0, 185 LB Miami Northwestern The three have committed to Miami but are obviously still looking around. UT’s coaches hope the South Florida trio is wowed more by the Big Orange than the Orange Bowl. The game day environment in Knoxville will need to live up to its billing to pull this package deal away from the University of Miami. Jeff Demps 5-8, 165 Ath. Groveland, Fla. South Lake Got speed? Demps does. He ran a 10.26 in the 100-meter dash at the Junior Olympics in Knoxville last summer. The Vols certainly took notice. UT has shot out of the starting gate for Demps’ services. As long as they don’t fade down the stretch, the Vols have a great shot. (That completes the track analogy.) NotYetMyGuy: Lawrence Guy, a defensive end from Western High in Las Vegas, will not visit this weekend as he previously planned. Western coach Brian Murray said Guy won’t make the trip because of a scheduling conflict. Murray said Guy will re-schedule for the first available weekend he is able to visit. the three, who are determined to all de- load, the NCAA has mandated that ing the three was still an incredible reThe 6-foot-6, 275-pound Guy said prospects must register with the NCAA cruiting coup for a program that has had cide on the same school. last month that he would visit UT this Clearinghouse before they take their Trips to Florida, LSU and Southern little success in South Florida. weekend and then make a decision soon Cal are in the works. But with any pros- first official visit. Florida and Miami wanted the trio “Instead of sending their grades in the after. pect from Southern Florida, Miami is every bit as much as UT. At the time, Guy said UT was his last month, they have to get them in,” the school to watch. The Vols are trying to pull a similar leader ahead of Arizona State, Nebraska So what do the three know about UT? UT recruiting coordinator Matt Luke coup this week with defensive tackle and Oklahoma. said. “It forces kids to register for the “I know it’s a good program,” said Marcus Forston, receiver Aldarius John“I could see myself committing (to Johnson, who claimed there is no leader Clearinghouse. That gives information son and linebacker Sean Spence, who UT) because my eyes are focused on to those guys quicker.” are all from Miami Northwestern (Fla.) to land the three. “They’ve got big time that school only,” Guy said last month. “They can go to the guidance counreceivers in the NFL. They’ve got good High School. Murray said the only other school he selor and do that online. They just have players.” UT will pin its hopes on the game knows Guy plans to visit is Oklahoma to go do it.” Question is, will they have three day atmosphere today against Georgia next week. The responsibility of making sure more? at Neyland Stadium to lure this newest UT will be at home four straight that job is completed falls on college trio from South Florida north. That fesweeks starting Oct. 27. coaches, who know they can’t host a PassingtheBuck: The NCAA has tive atmosphere is a big reason the 2005 Murray said he expects Guy to make prospect without clearing the newly inheard the annual glut of criticism that bunch signed with the Vols. his college choice after he visits UT. stituted hurdles. coaches, fans and prospects have levJohnson is confident the three will With so much of the information eled against its outsourced and overhave a good trip to Knoxville. Josh Ward contributed to this report. already in house, prospects won’t have worked academic clearinghouse. “It will be a good visit,” he said. “Big much to complete and turn in once their Finally, they’ve done something stadium. Big facilities. We’ll have a good Dave Hooker covers recruiting, He may be high school days are over. about it. time up there.” “When they do send their final semes- reached at [email protected]. In order to lessen the summer workThis will be the first official visit for Barrett Jones 6-5, 280 OT Cordova Evangelical Christian Jones isn’t an official visitor this weekend, but he’s a very significant one. The offensive lineman from Evangelical Christian School is the News Sentinel’s third best prospect in Tennessee. Alabama and UT are thought to have the best shot. SCOREBOARD On Television Today’s Games Noon — Deleware at New Hampshire. CSS. Noon — Wisconsin at Illinois. ESPN. Noon — Miami at North Carolina. ESPN2. Noon — Kansas at Kansas State. FSN. 12:30 — Vanderbilt at Auburn. WVLT. 2 — Wofford at The Citadel. SportSouth. 3:30 — Hampton at Princeton. CSS. 3:30 — Oklahoma vs. Texas. WATE. 3:30 — Georgia at Tennessee. WVLT. 3:30 — North Carolina State at Florida State. ESPN2. 4 — Arizona St. at Washington State. FSN. 6 — Virginia Tech at Clemson. ESPN. 7 — Virginia at MTSU. CSS. 7 — Stanford at Southern Cal. VERSUS. 8 — Ohio St. at Purdue. WATE. 8 — Florida at LSU. WVLT. 8 — Cincinnati at Rutgers. ESPN2. 9:15 — Nebraska at Missouri. ESPN. Sunday’s Game 8 — New Mexico St. at Boise State. ESPN. Scores Late Thursday SOUTH Delaware St. 24, Bethune-Cookman 10 Jacksonville St. 27, Tenn.-Martin 24 South Carolina 38, Kentucky 23 Summary No. 11 SOUTH CAROLINA 38, No. 8 KENTUCKY 23 Kentucky 3 7 3 10 – 23 South Carolina 10 7 7 14 – 38 First Quarter SC–Norwood 2 fumble return (Succop kick), 10:53. Ky–FG Seiber 27, 5:02. SC–FG Succop 29, :57. Second Quarter Ky–Tamme 18 pass from Woodson (Seiber kick), 12:13. SC–Mi.Davis 3 run (Succop kick), :51. Third Quarter SC–Norwood 53 fumble return (Succop kick), 13:03. Ky–FG Seiber 41, 10:49. Fourth Quarter Ky–FG Seiber 23, 14:56. SC–DiMarco 7 pass from Smelley (Succop kick), 11:01. Ky–S.Johnson 6 pass from Woodson (Seiber kick), 6:59. SC–C.Boyd 27 pass from Smelley (Succop kick), 3:28. A–76,220. Ky SC First downs 26 18 Rushes-yards 38-157 36-86 Passing 227 256 Comp-Att-Int 23-40-1 17-30-0 Return Yards 7 38 Punts-Avg. 3-46.3 6-42.0 Fumbles-Lost 5-3 1-1 Penalties-Yards 5-49 6-44 Time of Possession 30:03 29:57 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING – Kentucky, Little 25-135, Dixon 7-49, Locke 2-22, Woodson 4-(minus 49). South Carolina, Mi.Davis 17-62, C.Boyd 14-57, Smelley 5-(minus 33). PASSING – Kentucky, Woodson 23-40-1-227. South Carolina, Smelley 17-30-0-256. RECEIVING – Kentucky, Burton 7-76, S.Johnson 4-38, Lyons 3-31, Dixon 3-24, Little 3-23, Tamme 2-35, Conner 1-0. South Carolina, McKinley 5-68, C.Boyd 3-47, J.Cook 2-36, F.Brown 2-26, Mi.Davis 2-(minus 2), Saunders 1-50, Lecorn 1-24, DiMarco 1-7. SCHEDULE Today’s games EAST Bowling Green (3-1) at Boston College (50), Noon Delaware (5-0) at New Hampshire (2-2), Noon West Virginia (4-1) at Syracuse (1-4), Noon Richmond (3-1) at Towson (2-3), Noon Holy Cross (2-2) at Brown (1-2), 12:30 p.m. James Madison (3-1) at Northeastern (1-3), 12:30 p.m. Dartmouth (1-2) at Yale (3-0), 12:30 p.m. ODDS: THE GLANTZ-CULVER LINE Today’sgames FAVORITE OPEN N. Illinois 4½ West Virginia 24½ at Rutgers 3 at Illinois 2½ at Indiana 9½ at Michigan St. 16 Miami 7½ Wake Forest 9 at Ball St. 11½ at Auburn 9½ at Boston College 19½ Ohio 5½ at Army 4½ at Michigan 33½ at Wyoming +1½ at Texas A&M 4½ at Mississippi St. 16½ at Kent St. 9½ at Kansas St. 3½ at Mississippi 12½ Colorado 10 at Clemson 5½ Oklahoma-x 10 at Missouri 7 at Penn St. 8 at Florida St. 19½ Georgia +1 at Nevada 2 at Alabama 13 at San Jose St. 7½ at Colorado St. 12 at Oregon St. 5½ at Southern Cal 39½ at W. Michigan 9½ Georgia Tech 3 at Texas Tech 27 UCF 2½ at LSU 9 Ohio St. 5½ at UCLA 22 at Air Force 6½ Tulsa 3½ Arizona St. 10 at Hawaii 39 South Florida 17 Arkansas St. 2½ at La.-Lafayette 7 Troy 20 Virginia 11 Sunday at Boise State 24½ Ohio (2-3) at Buffalo (1-4), 1 p.m. Bucknell (2-3) at Colgate (2-2), 1 p.m. Harvard (1-2) at Cornell (2-1), 1 p.m. Lehigh (3-1) at Fordham (3-2), 1 p.m. Iona (4-1) at La Salle (0-4), 1 p.m. Duquesne (2-2) at Marist (0-5), 1 p.m. Georgetown, D.C. (0-5) at Penn (0-3), 1 p.m. Wagner (3-1) at Robert Morris (3-2), 1 p.m. TDY 3½ 27 4 2½ 13½ 16½ 7 7½ 12½ 7½ 20 4 6½ 29½ 3 6½ 18½ 9 3½ 13 9 5½ 12 9 9 17½ 1 3 10½ 6½ 13½ 3 41 8½ 3½ 24½ 3½ 7 7 22 5½ 3 9 39 17 2½ 8 18 10 UNDERDOG at Temple at Syracuse Cincinnati Wisconsin Minnesota Northwestern at North Carolina at Duke Cent. Michigan Vanderbilt Bowling Green at Buffalo Tulane E. Michigan TCU Oklahoma St. UAB Miami (Ohio) Kansas La. Tech at Baylor Virginia Tech Texas Nebraska Iowa N.C. State at Tennessee Fresno St. Houston Idaho San Diego St. Arizona Stanford Akron at Maryland Iowa St. at East Carolina Florida at Purdue Notre Dame UNLV at UTEP at Washington St. Utah St. at Fla. Atlantic at La.-Monroe North Texas at Fla. Int’l at Middle Tenn. 24½ New Mexico St. Monmouth, N.J. (0-4) at Sacred Heart (23), 1 p.m. Cent. Connecticut St. (2-2) at St. Francis, Pa. (0-3), 1 p.m. N. Illinois (1-4) at Temple (0-5), 1 p.m. Maine (1-3) at Hofstra (4-0), 1:30 p.m. Iowa (2-3) at Penn St. (3-2), 3:30 p.m. Hampton (3-1) at Princeton (2-1), 3:30 p.m. Stony Brook (3-2) at Albany, N.Y. (1-3), 4 p.m. Columbia (1-2) at Lafayette (3-1), 6 p.m. William & Mary (3-2) at Villanova (3-1), 6 p.m. Tulane (1-3) at Army (2-3), 7 p.m. Cincinnati (5-0) at Rutgers (3-1), 8 p.m. SOUTH Georgia Tech (3-2) at Maryland (3-2), Noon Miami (4-1) at North Carolina (1-4), Noon Vanderbilt (3-1) at Auburn (3-2), 12:30 p.m. Morehead St. (3-1) at Davidson (3-1), 1 p.m. Wake Forest (2-2) at Duke (1-4), 1 p.m. Cheyney (1-4) at Howard (1-3), 1 p.m. Savannah St. (1-3) at Charleston Southern (2-3), 1:30 p.m. Coastal Carolina (1-3) at Furman (1-3), 2 p.m. S. Dakota St. (2-3) at Georgia Southern (31), 2 p.m. Louisiana Tech (1-3) at Mississippi (1-4), 2 p.m. S. Carolina St. (2-2) at Norfolk St. (3-1), 2 p.m. North Greenville (1-4) at Presbyterian (23), 2 p.m. Wofford (4-1) at The Citadel (3-1), 2 p.m. Gardner-Webb (2-2) at Appalachian St. (41), 2:30 p.m. UAB (1-3) at Mississippi St. (3-2), 2:30 p.m. Austin Peay (3-2) at Tennessee Tech (4-1), 2:30 p.m. Prairie View (2-2) at Alcorn St. (0-4), 3 p.m. MVSU (1-3) at Grambling St. (3-1), 3 p.m. Northwestern St. (2-2) at Nicholls St. (3-1), 3 p.m. Houston (2-2) at Alabama (3-2), 3:07 p.m. South Florida (4-0) at Florida Atlantic (3-2), 3:30 p.m. N.C. State (1-4) at Florida St. (3-1), 3:30 p.m. Georgia (4-1) at Tennessee (2-2), 3:30 p.m. Alabama St. (4-1) at Jackson St. (2-2), 4 p.m. N. Carolina A&T (0-5) at Morgan St. (2-3), 4 p.m. Virginia Tech (4-1) at Clemson (4-1), 6 p.m. Elon (2-2) at W. Carolina (1-4), 6 p.m. Alabama A&M (4-1) at Southern U. (5-0), 6:30 p.m. Troy (3-2) at Fla. International (0-5), 7 p.m. North Texas (0-4) at Louisiana-Lafayette (0-5), 7 p.m. Arkansas St. (2-2) at Louisiana-Monroe (04), 7 p.m. Virginia (4-1) at Middle Tennessee (1-4), 7 p.m. Stephen F.Austin (0-4) at SE Louisiana (13), 7 p.m. UCF (3-1) at East Carolina (2-3), 7:30 p.m. Florida (4-1) at LSU (5-0), 8 p.m. MIDWEST Cent. Michigan (2-3) at Ball St. (3-2), Noon Wisconsin (5-0) at Illinois (4-1), Noon Minnesota (1-4) at Indiana (4-1), Noon W. Illinois (3-2) at Indiana St. (0-5), Noon Kansas (4-0) at Kansas St. (3-1), Noon E. Michigan (2-3) at Michigan (3-2), Noon Northwestern (2-3) at Michigan St. (4-1), Noon Jacksonville (1-3) at Dayton (4-1), 1 p.m. Butler (4-1) at Drake (4-1), 2 p.m. UC Davis (2-3) at N. Dakota St. (4-0), 2 p.m. San Diego (4-0) at Valparaiso (3-2), 2 p.m. E. Kentucky (3-2) at E. Illinois (3-2), 2:30 p.m. Miami (Ohio) (2-3) at Kent St. (3-2), 3 p.m. Illinois St. (2-3) at Missouri St. (3-2), 3 p.m. Youngstown St. (4-1) at S. Illinois (5-0), 3:30 p.m. Florida A&M (2-2) vs. Winston-Salem (2-3) at Indianapolis, 4 p.m. Liberty (2-2) at Toledo (1-4), 7 p.m. Akron (2-3) at W. Michigan (2-3), 7 p.m. Ohio St. (5-0) at Purdue (5-0), 8 p.m. Nebraska (4-1) at Missouri (4-0), 9:15 p.m. SOUTHWEST Oklahoma (4-1) vs. Texas (4-1) at Dallas, 3:30 p.m. Chattanooga (1-3) vs. Arkansas (2-2) at Little Rock, Ark., 7 p.m. Colorado (3-2) at Baylor (3-2), 7 p.m. Cent. Arkansas (1-3) at Sam Houston St. (22), 7 p.m. McNeese St. (4-0) at Texas St. (1-3), 7 p.m. Iowa St. (1-4) at Texas Tech (4-1), 7 p.m. Oklahoma St. (3-2) at Texas A&M (4-1), 7:30 p.m. Tulsa (3-1) at UTEP (3-2), 9:05 p.m. FAR WEST TCU (3-2) at Wyoming (3-1), 2 p.m. E. Washington (3-1) at Montana (4-0), 3:05 p.m. Sacramento St. (1-3) at Weber St. (0-4), 3:05 p.m. S. Utah (0-4) at Montana St. (3-1), 3:35 p.m. Arizona (2-3) at Oregon St. (2-3), 4 p.m. Idaho (1-4) at San Jose St. (2-3), 4 p.m. Arizona St. (5-0) at Washington St. (2-3), 4 p.m. N. Colorado (0-5) at Idaho St. (1-3), 4:05 p.m. Fresno St. (2-2) at Nevada (2-2), 4:05 p.m. N. Arizona (2-3) at Portland St. (2-3), 4:30 p.m. San Diego St. (1-3) at Colorado St. (0-4), 5:30 p.m. Stanford (1-3) at Southern Cal (4-0), 7 p.m. Notre Dame (0-5) at UCLA (4-1), 8 p.m. UNLV (2-3) at Air Force (3-2), 9 p.m. Utah St. (0-5) at Hawaii (5-0), 12:05 a.m. Sunday’s game Far West New Mexico St. (3-2) at Boise St. (3-1), 8 p.m. The AP Top 25 The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sept. 29, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking: Rec. Pts Pvs 1. LSU (33) 5-0 1,593 2 2. Southern Cal (32) 4-0 1,591 1 3. California 5-0 1,475 6 4. Ohio St. 5-0 1,420 8 5. Wisconsin 5-0 1,271 9 6. South Florida 4-0 1,203 18 7. Boston College 5-0 1,172 12 8. Kentucky 5-0 1,143 14 9. Florida 4-1 1,031 4 10. Oklahoma 4-1 992 3 11. South Carolina 4-1 900 16 12. Georgia 4-1 885 15 13. West Virginia 4-1 861 5 14. Oregon 4-1 837 11 15. Virginia Tech 4-1 639 17 16. Hawaii 5-0 586 19 17. Missouri 4-0 561 20 18. Arizona St. 5-0 497 23 19. Texas 4-1 449 7 20. Cincinnati 5-0 377 24 21. Rutgers 3-1 299 10 22. Clemson 4-1 265 13 23. Purdue 5-0 218 – 24. Kansas St. 3-1 214 – 25. Nebraska 4-1 198 25 Others receiving votes: Florida St. 101, Miami 83, Illinois 59, Auburn 52, UCLA 49, Texas A&M 29, Michigan St. 16, Michigan 15, Connecticut 9, Alabama 6, Arkansas 5, Colorado 5, UCF 5, Penn St. 4, Boise St. 3, Kansas 3, Virginia 3, Washington 1. USA Today Top 25 Poll The Top 25 teams in the USA Today college football coaches poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sept. 29, total points based on 25 points for a firstplace vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking: Rec. Pts Pvs 1. Southern Cal (45) 4-0 1,483 1 2. LSU (14) 5-0 1,454 2 3. California 5-0 1,363 6 4. Ohio State (1) 5-0 1,313 8 5. Wisconsin 5-0 1,251 9 6. Boston College 5-0 1,138 11 7. Florida 4-1 1,000 3 8. Kentucky 5-0 971 15 9. South Florida 4-0 960 18 10. Oklahoma 4-1 925 4 11. Georgia 4-1 758 16 12. West Virginia 4-1 756 5 13. Oregon 4-1 697 12 14. Virginia Tech 4-1 661 14 15. Hawaii 5-0 585 17 16. Texas 4-1 573 7 17. Missouri 4-0 532 20 18. South Carolina 4-1 529 21 19. Arizona State 5-0 466 t25 20. Purdue 5-0 423 t25 21. Rutgers 3-1 347 10 22. Clemson 4-1 278 13 23. Nebraska 4-1 261 22 24. Cincinnati 5-0 249 NR 25. UCLA 4-1 79 NR Others receiving votes: Miami (Fla.) 68, Michigan State 63, Kansas 48, Florida State 46, Auburn 42, Kansas State 33, Boise State 25, Connecticut 23, Illinois 21, Tennessee 17, Virginia 15, Penn State 12, Michigan 10, Texas A&M 10, Alabama 5, Colorado 3, Georgia Tech 3, Central Florida 1, Indiana 1, Wake Forest 1, Wyoming 1. Russell revels in Tusculum’s spread offense BY SCOTT COOLBAUGH [email protected] Tusculum College quarterback Corey Russell is used to being tossed right into the action and figuring things out on his own. Injuries helped thrust the Cumberland Gap High School graduate into the starter’s role early in his career and he was forced to make due. “He got thrown in the heat of battle way too early in his career,” Tusculum coach Frankie DeBusk said. “He had to start for us as a redshirt freshman and that’s really not fair at the quarterback position. He took his lumps. ButifyouaskRussell,hewouldn’t ter grades in, they can do it quicker and turn it over faster,” Luke said, “so guys can get a final yes or a final no quicker.” Whether or not the new rule helps the NCAA Clearinghouse determine the academic fates of countless high school athletes remains to be seen. But, at least, they’ve got one less excuse at their disposal. have it any other way. “Iwantedtogosomewherewhere I could play early and make an impactearly—getonthefieldandplay and this was the perfect place to do it,” the junior said. It’s homecoming today in Greeneville. The Pioneers (2-3, 1-0 South Atlantic Conference) play LenoirRhyne (2-3, 0-0) with kickoff at 2 p.m. When Tusculum brought in a new no-huddle spread offense this season,itdidn’tseemtofazeRussell. Lastweekhethrewfourtouchdowns and set a Tusculum single-game record by throwing for 438 yards in a 31-28 win over Wingate. He was selected South Atlantic Conference Offensive Player of the Week. The performance also helped Russell to be named Football Gazette Division II National Offensive Player of the Week. “I love it,” Russell said of Tusculum’s offense. “It’s a chance to go just go out there and play. It’s just like backyard football — you get out there, you’re running around, you’re catching balls and throwing balls. It’s fun. Russellhasthrownfor1,193yards andleadstheSACwithanaverageof 267.2 total yards per game. “NowIseehimbecomingamore mature quarterback with every sin- gle game that we play-and every singlesnapthathetakeshebecomes more aware of the whole system instead of just playing quarterback,” DeBusk said. Like Tusculum, Lenoir-Rhyne dropped its first three games before reboundingtowintwoinarow.The Bears come in with a solid ground game, averaging nearly 200 yards per game. “We feel like we can go through theconferenceandtakecareofeach team that we need to each week,” Russell said. “But we’re just going to have to come to play week in and weekout.Thisisatoughconference, you can’t overlook anybody.” Mars Hill can’t forget C-N wideout Miller BY ADAM GREENE [email protected] JEFFERSON CITY — With a little over one minute left andtrailing7-3,Carson-NewmanCollegemadeadesperatemove.Facingfourthdownontheirown10-yard line, quarterback Alex Rouse took the snap from center and fired the ball out to wide receiver Otis Miller. Miller snatched the ball out of the air and powered through the Mars Hillcornerbackfor SAC STANDINGS thewinningtouchConf. All down in last year’s Catawba 1-0 5-0 game. “AllgameIknew Carson-Newman 1-0 5-0 they were playing Tusculum 1-0 2-3 10 or 15 yards off 1-0 2-3 me,” Miller said Lenoir-Rhyne 0-1 4-1 Thursday. “The Mars Hill coaches called the Newberry 0-1 4-1 passandthenIhad Wingate 0-1 4-1 to make the play 0-1 1-4 for our team to get Brevard the win.” Today’sgames Millernolonger Brevard at Wingate, 1:30 p.m. will be able to surprise anyone. The Carson-Newman at Mars Hill, 2 junior wideout Lenoir-Rhyne at Tusculum, 2 from Miami, Fla. Newberry at Catawba, 7 leads the Eagles with 250 yards receiving, averaging more than 20 yards a catch. “Otis has matured a lot as a football player and a person,” C-N coach Ken Sparks said. “He’s one of the leaders on our team. He’s consistent and always gives greateffort.Whenhecatchestheball,hebecomeseven more of a threat. He’s not through developing and he’s going to be a lot better before he gets out of here.” No. 7-ranked Carson Newman (5-0, 1-0 South Atlantic Conference) faces the Lions (4-1, 0-1) at Mears StadiuminMarsHilltodayat1p.m.Miller,whoplayed thepartoftheLiontamerlastseason,knowsheshould receive some special defensive attention. “I’ll probably have a few more eyes on me this game,” he said. “If they do that, then the other wide receivers are going to make the plays. We can’t be double-teamed. We have a lot of talented receivers and distribution is very important in our eyes. Our offenseisreallyclickingrightnow,soweexpecttoscore some points.” Points could be at a premium after last season’s defensive slugfest. Before Miller’s fourth-down score, C-N managed only an Aubrey Ingham field goal. The Lions’ touchdown came from a 92-yard fumble return by Nathaniel Smith. “It was a battle to the very end,” Sparks said. “They missed a lot of plays and so did we. I’m sure they left here feeling like they should have won the game. They’ve played us great the last two years and have a lot of returning starters on defense.” Ironically, Sparks feels that the Eagles might be the underdog.ScrappyMarsHillcouldverywellbeatrap game. “They probably have us right where they want us,” Sparks said. “We’re coming off a big win and they’re coming off a game where they struggled. They’ve playeduswelloverthelasttwoyearsandfeellikethey canbeatus.Theyhavethepsychologicaladvantageon us, no question.” TheEagleshavealsomadeahabitofgettingbehind early in games by double digits, before hitting the gas. Twice, Carson-Newman trailed 14-3 in the first quarter of games. Last Saturday, Newberry took a 13-7 lead before the Eagles took control. “Eventuallythatwillcatchupwithyou,”Sparkssaid. “I don’t like that formula, but we’ve been fortunate and the kids have great heart. They believe they’re going to win and that’s pretty powerful. Mars Hill takes away some of the things that we like to do. We have to execute better.” GV8 Saturday, October 6, 2007 GOVOLSXTRA knoxnews.com | NEWS SENTINEL