First Rock

No, this is not a post about what happened in Massachusetts way back in 1620. And it's not about the planet Mercury either. Instead, I thought I'd lead off my preview of the 2013 NFL draft with the first rock of football. You'll find it in the state of South Carolina.

Honestly, up until 4 years ago, when I included a photo of Stephon Gilmore in dread gallery 45 (the DG I did featuring National Signing Day '09), I had never heard of Rock Hill before. And up until I went to Wikipedia and Google Maps last week, I wouldn't have been able to tell you that it's located in the northern part of South Carolina, about 25 miles southwest of Charlotte. But make no mistake, of all the cities and towns with "rock" as part of their name, Rock Hill is first when it comes to football.

College FB '12 House Calls

Alabama was the team with the most TD scored by players with dreads in 2011, but with Trent Richardson taking it to the house on Sundays in 2012, the Crimson Tide wasn't in the running for the top spot this season. They finished in 5th place. However, the crown will not be leaving the state of Alabama. Its new home is 100 miles or so southeast of Tuscaloosa, in the capital city of Montgomery.

When Isaiah Crowell left Georgia last summer and transferred to Alabama State, the Hornets instantly became top contenders for the crown. And sure enough, led by Crowell's 15 TD, ASU finished #1 in Division 1 this season. Of the Hornets' 48 total TD, 34 of them (71%!) were scored by players with dreads.

College FB '12 Dread News - Bowl Review (Part 1)

As it turned out, the bowls I ranked 1 and 2 for having the best dreads also were two of the most exciting games on the 2012-13 bowl schedule, with Clemson defeating LSU 25-24 on a last-second FG and South Carolina scoring a TD with 11 seconds to play to edge Michigan 33-28. They also happened to be the only two bowls I watched a significant portion of. I was so busy doing NFL stuff that I didn't have time to watch as many bowl games as I usually do. And you can also blame those 7 weeks I spent on the NFL for why my final 2012 college football report is so late. I mean, almost everybody has started spring practice for the 2013 season already. But there were a few things (quite a few, actually) I wanted to mention before I wrap up 2012, so here we go.

Despite a 10-2 overall record, South Carolina finished 3rd in the SEC East and had to settle for a trip to the Outback Bowl, played annually on New Year's Day at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. But that was just fine as far as Ace Sanders was concerned. Other than a BCS bowl, there was no bowl Sanders would rather have played in more than the one closest to his hometown of Bradenton. Not surprisingly, the junior WR put on quite a show for his family and friends - and the rest of the Gamecocks fans in attendance - scoring three of his team's 5 touchdowns in the thrilling victory over Michigan.

College FB '12 Dread News - Bowl Review (Part 2)

Let's continue now with part 2 of my recap of the action involving players with dreads from the 2012 postseason in college football.

IN THE FCS

North Dakota State and Sam Houston State met in the championship game for the 2nd year in a row; but how the Bison and Bearkats got there turned out to be far more dramatic than the championship game itself.

Georgia Southern Coach Monken was in tears at the post-game media session after his team was eliminated at North Dakota State for the 2nd straight year. "It hurts. It hurts bad," said Monken after the Eagles dropped a hard fought 23-20 heartbreaker in the semifinals despite outgaining the Bison 430-276 in total yards.