College FB '13 Dread News - Week 5

When I mentioned last week that Rutgers might be a threat to spoil Louisville's expected romp to the AAC title, you could almost hear the grumbling all the way from Orlando: What about UCF? I agree - what about UCF? Well, apparently I wasn't the only one curious to see if the Knights were for real after getting off to an impressive 3-0 start this season, because a sellout crowd of 47,605 was on hand (the second largest crowd since UCF opened their new stadium 6 years ago) last Saturday to see how they would fare against one of the better teams in the SEC. With Coach Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks on the opposing sideline, the Knights made their first ever appearance on ABC television. And although they did not pass the test, at least the day wasn't a total failure for UCF. The Knights led by 10 early, the Gamecocks went on a 28-0 run, and the Knights finished strong, with South Carolina hanging on for a 28-25 victory that left both teams at 3-1.

The game got off to a bad start for the Gamecocks, as starting QB Connor Shaw went down with an injury on their opening possession. They fell behind 10-0 and might have faced an even larger deficit at halftime if not for the 1st INT of the season by junior CB Victor Hampton, which ended a UCF drive that had reached FG range with 1:17 remaining in the half.

The Gamecocks got serious in the 2nd half, driving 75 and 97 yards for TD to take the lead and then cashing in a couple of UCF turnovers with TD drives of 34 and 31 yards to make it 28-10 with 10:31 remaining in the game. The Knights got back in it thanks to their pair of starting WRs with dreads. Sick junior Rannell Hall's 73-yard catch and run to the house made it 28-18; and later a 79-yard catch and run by sophomore Breshad Perriman (photo above, with Hampton trying to run him down) was followed by Hall's 7-yard TD catch on the next play to make it 28-25 with 1:54 to play. But there was no further drama, as the Gamecocks then recovered the onside kickoff and ran out the clock, relieved to get away with the 3-point victory. 

This was a game I was looking forward to watching, but unfortunately I ended up not seeing any of it (after posting last week's report, I decided to get at least some sleep before the LSU-Georgia game came on). Had I seen it, no doubt I would have been disappointed seeing junior S Kadetrix Marcus on the field with reduced dreads (photo above). What made the Gamecocks so much fun to watch the last couple of seasons was not only did they have a lot of good players with sick dreads, you also almost never saw anyone with his dreads reduced. I also would have been disappointed (and I was very disappointed when I found out while viewing photos of the game) seeing Drew Owens. Reduced dreads can be cured, but there is no cure for no dreads. I was hoping that Owens, a redshirt sophomore, would replace Justice Cunningham as the next tight end with sick dreads on the team. But after seeing photos of him without dreads, I checked his Twitter account and got the bad news confirmed that he cut them off during the summer. What a shame. 

Junior S Sharrod Golightly still has his long dreads. Both he and sophomore LB Kaiwan Lewis (both closing in on QB Blake Bortles in photo above), whose dreads are still confined inside his helmet, had identical stats, tying for the team lead with 5 tackles (3-2). Marcus finished with 4 tackles (3-1). Hampton had 4 tackles (3-1), including 2 TFL, in addition to his pick. Superstar junior DE Jadeveon Clowney, who hasn't been playing like a superstar due to a foot injury, had 2 tackles (0-2) (the tackle in photo below did not count because the Gamecocks accepted a holding penalty against UCF instead).

For UCF, thanks to their big plays, Hall and Perriman both made the dread stars list. Junior S Clayton Geathers had 11 tackles (2-9) and 1 FR; junior CB Jordan Ozerities had 8 tackles (5-3); and senior DT E.J. Dunston finished with 5 tackles (2-3), 1 TFL, and 1 PBU. The Knights play Louisville in Week 7. Unfortunately for them it's at Louisville, which will decrease their chance for an upset. They do get Rutgers at home - coming up in November.
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Georgia has survived their killer September schedule, which had them facing teams ranked in the top 10 in 3 of their first 4 games. The Bulldogs improved to 3-1, and (most importantly) 2-0 in the SEC after edging LSU 44-41 last Saturday afternoon at Athens. As you've probably noticed, offense has really taken over in college football in recent years. Even in the SEC, where you used to be able to count on seeing good defense played, high-scoring shootouts have become more common. Of course, LSU and Georgia lost so many good defensive players from last year's teams that they had no choice but to rely on offense.

And so it was last Saturday, with the Bulldogs holding a slight edge in total yards 494-449 and both teams punting just twice. LSU took the lead twice, but each time they did it was gone so quickly they didn't even have time to enjoy it. After the Tigers took a 14-7 lead in the 1st quarter, it took the Bulldogs only 5 plays to drive 79 yards and tie the game. And when LSU took a 41-37 lead with 4:14 to go on a 75-yard drive that included a conversion on 3rd and 22, Georgia responded with a 6-play drive covering 75 yards, scoring the winning TD with 1:47 remaining.

Sophomore RB Todd Gurley was well on his way to making the dread stars list, rushing for 73 yards on his first 8 carries. But his day ended early, as he injured an ankle at the end of a 23-yard run to midfield early in the 2nd quarter when he was tackled on the sideline by senior S Craig Loston (photo above), who also was injured on the play. Sophomore RB Keith Marshall replaced Gurley and also fell just short of the dread stars list, finishing with 96 yards rushing on 20 carries. The only player who did make the dread stars list was junior WR Chris Conley, whose beginner dreads you can see a little bit in the photo below as he celebrates his 25-yard TD catch with QB Aaron Murray that tied the game at 14. It was the only TD by anyone with dreads of the 10 TD in the game. Reserve junior RB Terrence Magee got only 4 touches for LSU and gained only 8 yards.

On defense Loston, who strained a groin, was able to return to the game and finished with 6 tackles (4-2). Senior LB Lamin Barrow had 8 tackles (1-7), and sophomore CB Jalen Collins had 4 (3-1). The LSU D recorded only 2 TFL all game. For Georgia sick junior LB Ramik Wilson finished with 6 tackles (3-3). And sick senior LB T.J. Stripling earned his scholarship, making an open-field tackle of WR Odell Beckham at the LSU 24-yard line (photo below) on the kickoff return following the Bulldogs' final TD. Otherwise the Tigers would have started their final drive in much better field position than they did.

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Bo don't know - Bo being, of course, Mississippi QB Bo Wallace; and apparently he don't know when and when not to keep his mouth shut. In the days leading up to the Rebels' game at Alabama he was quoted as saying, "We can put points on anybody." ...... And your final score from Tuscaloosa last Saturday - Bama 25 Ole Miss nothing. Nothing, as in no points at all and only 205 total yards. Of course, they probably would have scored some points if Coach Freeze had decided to settle for field goals on 4th down instead of going for the 1st down the three times they drove into FG range. Instead they settled for being shut out for the first time in 15 years. The Crimson Tide did kick FGs - three of them - to take a 9-0 lead at halftime before pulling away with a pair of long TD runs.

Senior RB Jeff Scott (photo above) was held to only 40 total yards on 11 touches. Senior WR Ja-mes Logan had 2 catches for 22 yards. And it's good to see redshirt sophomore G Justin Bell on the field more often after not playing much last season. He's the guy you probably noticed with the dreads all the way down to the bottom of the number of the back of his jersey. Alabama has an O-lineman with sick dreads too - JC transfer Leon Brown - but of course, Coach Saban will not allow us to see them. Freshman RB Derrick Henry had 18 yards on 2 carries for the Tide. On defense sophomore S Trae Elston had 6 tackles (3-3), including 1.5 TFL, and junior DT Bryon Bennett had a sack for Ole Miss. Senior DE Ed Stinson had 2 tackles (1-1) and 1 FR for Alabama.
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In the Big 10, Ohio State won their 17th in a row, improving to 5-0 this season with a key Leaders Division home win over Wisconsin 31-24 in ABC's prime time telecast. Not to take anything away from the Buckeyes (certainly they're the better team), but it was the Badgers' own unforced errors that caused their demise in this one as much as anything the Buckeyes did. An illegal formation penalty on a punt negated a fumble on the punt return by the Buckeyes that would have given UW the ball at the OSU 31-yard line. Earlier the Badgers missed a 32-yard FG attempt. And the real killer was the 40-yard TD catch (link below) by OSU WR Corey "Philly" Brown (not to be confused with OSU S Corey "Pitt" Brown) with :01 remaining in the 1st half.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN19Pg_TAR8
In all but directly blaming CB Peniel Jean for the blown coverage, senior S Dezmen Southward (photo below watching Brown make the TD catch) said after the game, "It's basically a play that shouldn't ever happen. There was no miscommunication. It was just a bad play." But the thing is, Dez, I didn't see any receivers in the area you were responsible to cover. Why didn't you help Jean with the coverage? Isn't that what safeties are supposed to do? That made it 24-14 at the half instead of 17-14. 

The Buckeyes' strategy was to stop Wisconsin's potent ground game and dare the Badgers to beat them with the pass. That turned out to not be a good thing for the two best players with dreads in uniform. OSU did succeed in stopping the run, holding UW to 104 yards rushing. Star sophomore RB Melvin Gordon had 74 of those on 15 carries (even when he has a bad game, his numbers are still respectable), missing the dread stars list for the first time this season. He also missed the 4th quarter due to what is believed to be a minor knee injury.

While committing to stopping the run, the Buckeyes' coaches were hoping star junior CB Bradley Roby would be able to shut down the Badgers' best WR, Jared Abbrederis, one-on-one. Although Roby got an INT for the 2nd week in a row and finished with 3 PBU and 8 tackles (6-2), including 1 TFL, it had to be a humbling evening for him, as Abbrederis went off - to the tune of 207 yards on 10 receptions, including a 36-yard TD (photo above). I mean, even when Roby had tight coverage (which wasn't often), Abbrederis still made the catch. Bradley might have been seeing that #4 in a few nightmares this week, but at least he got the win. As for Abbrederis and the Badgers, if they want to take their 4th consecutive Big 10 championship, they'll need the Buckeyes to lose at least 2 of their remaining 7 games - and that just is not likely to happen.
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ELSEWHERE 

Sophomore RB Ryan Jackson rushed for 68 yards and caught 4 passes for 50 yards and 1 TD, and sophomore S Tre'Von Stewart got his 1st INT of the season as Houston improved to 4-0 with a 59-28 road win over UTSA ..... Senior WR Jamill Smith barely missed the dread stars list, finishing with 11 catches for 99 yards for Ball State in a 31-24 home win over Toledo ..... Sophomore WR Ronald Carswell had 5 catches for 76 yards, and sick junior WR Kevin White scored a 17-yard TD on his only reception of the game (photo on right), putting West Virginia ahead (to stay) 14-7 in a 30-21 home win over Oklahoma State ..... Junior WR Jarvis West had a 10-yard TD catch to tie the game at 14 with :15 to go until halftime, and junior TE E.J. Bibbs finished with 4 catches for 49 yards, including a 16-yarder for his 1st TD in an Iowa State uniform as the Cyclones got their 1st win, 38-21 at Tulsa .....  Junior S Quentin Hayes tied for the team lead with 8 tackles (3-5), including 0.5 TFL, and freshman CB Zack Sanchez had 3 PBU as Oklahoma improved to 4-0 with a 35-21 road win over Notre Dame ..... Kent State senior RB Dri Archer, healthy again after injuring his ankle early in the season opener, scored his 1st TD of the season on a 31-yard reception and had 73 yards rushing on 6 carries in a 32-14 win at Western Michigan ..... Junior RB Rob Kelley rushed for 76 yards and his 2nd TD of the season, and sophomore S Darion Monroe had 6 tackles (3-3), 1 sack, and 1 PBU for Tulane in a 31-14 road win over Louisiana-Monroe ..... Senior WR Derel Walker had 7 catches for a career high 81 yards as Texas A&M picked up a 45-33 SEC road win over Arkansas; junior S Alan Turner had a game high 12 tackles (9-3) and 1 PBU for the Razorbacks ..... Sophomore CB Maurice Canady had 5 tackles (3-2), including 2 sacks, and junior CB Demetrious Nicholson (photo on left) had 5 tackles (4-1) and his 1st INT of the season, but Virginia lost at Pittsburgh 14-3 ..... And senior S Aaron Matthews had a team-leading 9 tackles (8-1), and junior WR Ben Ijah had a 26-yard reception for his 1st TD of the season for Texas State in a 42-21 home victory over Wyoming; senior CB Marqueston Huff had a game high 11 tackles (9-2) and his 1st INT of the season (photo below) for Wyoming. 

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IN THE FCS

The more things don't change, the more they stay the same. North Dakota State and Sam Houston State have met for the championship the last two seasons, and after what took place last Saturday, it's evident that it's going to take a tremendous performance by somebody come playoff time to keep them from meeting a 3rd straight time.

Defending champ North Dakota State went on the road for the 101st all-time meeting with rival South Dakota State; and with a record crowd of 16,498 on hand hoping to see their #6 ranked Jackrabbits pull off the upset, they instead watched in horror as the NDSU defense completely dominated the game, leading the Bison to a 20-0 victory. The loss ended a 9-game home winning streak for South Dakota State, which began after NDSU's last visit to Brookings 2 years ago, and was the first time in 22 years that the Jackrabbits had been shut out at home. South Dakota State was held to a puny 124 total yards; crossed midfield just twice in their 12 possessions (and not at all in the 2nd half); and their deepest penetration was the NDSU 31-yard line late in the 1st quarter (they punted on 4th and 14 four plays later). One week after gashing the Nebraska defense for 202 yards rushing, RB Zach Zenner (leading the FCS with an average of 185 rushing yards per game) gained all of 4 yards on 8 carries. Ouch.

There are not a lot of dreads on these teams. Star senior CB Marcus Williams had a quiet day for the Bison, finishing with 1 tackle (1-0). Senior RB Sam Ojuri made the dread stars list. He didn't score but did have 43 of the 66 yards on NDSU's 3rd TD drive of the day, putting the game away with 4:44 remaining in the 4th. Sophomore CB Je Ryan Butler had 3 tackles (2-1) and 2 PBU for South Dakota State.  
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As for Sam Houston State, the #4 ranked Bearkats hosted #2 Eastern Washington, the team they defeated 45-42 in the semifinals last December. It wasn't that close this time. With the EWU defense unable to stop the run, SHSU kept on running it, to the tune of 450 yards rushing (on 54 attempts) in a 49-34 victory. The game would have taken this week's house of dread award - if EWU RB Quincy Forte hadn't cut off his dreads during the offseason. So his 2 TD in this one didn't count. Short yardage senior RB Demitrius Bronson had 11 yards and 2 TD on 5 carries for the Eagles. And sensational senior RB Timothy Flanders had 2 TD runs as part of his huge game for SHSU.
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One week after their impressive victory over Montana State, Stephen F. Austin racked up a school record and Southland Conference record 827 total yards against PrairieView A&M. And oh, they lost the game too. Fueled by 5 SFA turnovers and 582 total yards of their own, PVAMU pulled off the head-shaking upset 56-48, their first win over an SLC opponent in 28 years. I can't put you on the dread stars list when you give up 800 yards, but sick senior LB Raheem Cardwell did play a part in 3 of the turnovers with 1 FF, 1 FR, and 1 INT. He also finished with 9 tackles (6-3). Freshman LB Jordan Burton recorded 20 tackles (9-11), including 1.5 TFL, for SFA. Junior CB Keavon Madison (on the ground after missing a tackle in photo above) had 7 tackles (2-5); And junior RB Gus Johnson made the dread stars list, although his near 200-yard game was spoiled by a couple of fumbles lost.
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The one FCS game I was planning to watch a bit of was the CAA matchup between Maine and Richmond. I wanted to check out the very long dreads of Spiders sophomore RB Jacobi Green. But I bailed out after only a few minutes (I'm sorry, Jacobi) in favor of Houston against UTSA. What I missed was Green following up his big game last week with a little one (22 yards on 10 carries) as UR lost to Maine 28-21. Sick sophomore CB Sherrod Baltimore had 2 tackles (2-0) for the Black Bears; and junior WR Arthur Williams (who according to the photo on the Maine website now has dreads after having his hair in braids previously) had 3 catches for 74 yards, including the game-winning 48-yard TD with 5:16 remaining in the game. 
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Robert Morris junior CB Antwan Eddie took NEC special teams player of the week honors for the 2nd time this season after taking a punt return 88 yards to the house (the longest punt return in RMU history) in a 37-31 road win in overtime over VMI ..... Sick senior CB Jeremy Woodson got his 1st INT of the season - in the end zone to end a threat - as Bryant opened NEC play with a 47-28 road win over defending champ Wagner .....Senior CB Jaron Wilson took an INT return 51 yards to the house for Harvard in a 41-23 home win over Brown .... Sophomore CB Anthony Goodman had a team-leading 8 tackles (5-3) and took a fumble return 70 yards to the house for a 35-0 lead with 23 seconds to go until halftime to earn OVC co-defensive player of the week honors as Eastern Illinois won at home 42-7 over Eastern Kentucky ..... Senior DE Will Hunt had 5 tackles (2-3), 1 sack, and 1 FF as Charleston Southern improved to 5-0 with a surprising 27-24 road win over Appalachian State ..... Freshman RB Darius Victor rushed for 45 yards on 5 carries, including a 31-yard TD to give Towson a 28-21 lead with 2:38 to play; and junior DE Ryan Delaire had 3 sacks, one of which was a FF on the ensuing Stony Brook drive and on which a teammate scooped and scored with :42 remaining as the Tigers improved to 5-0 with a 35-21 win over the Seawolves ..... Senior S Blair Wishom had a team-leading 9 tackles (7-2) and 1 FF for Northern Arizona in a 39-16 home win over Montana .....

..... Almost making the dread stars list were: San Diego senior RB Joe Ferguson (91 yards and 2 TD on 6 carries in a 59-0 road win over Stetson) ..... Nicholls State senior RB Marcus Washington (73 yards rushing, 49 yards receiving, and 2 TD in a 44-34 home win over Arkansas Tech) ..... Lamar junior WR Mark Roberts (3 catches for 99 yards and 1 TD in a 27-16 win at Grambling) ..... Tennessee State junior RB Darion Hall (photo above) (5 carries for 94 yards, including a 63-yard TD in a 73-6 romp over Central State) ..... Northern Colorado senior RB Tromaine Dennis (34 yards rushing and 7 catches for 94 yards in a 27-21 home loss to Southern Utah) ..... and Appalachian State sophomore WR Sean Price (again) (5 catches for 98 yards in the loss to Charleston Southern as the Mountaineers lose back-to-back home games for the first time in 17 years .....

..... Sophomore QB Brandon Wells came off the bench late in the 4th quarter and led an 8-play, 49-yard drive, scoring the game-winning 4-yard TD run with 1:48 to play for Alabama A&M in a 12-10 home win over Texas Southern ..... Senior CB D'Vonte Graham had 2 PBU and his 1st INT of the season for North Carolina A&T in a 27-19 home win over Howard; junior WR Stewart Hartman had 6 catches for a career high 60 yards and 1 TD for HU ..... Junior LB Cody Acker had 14 tackles (12-2), 2 TFL, and 2 FF, but Morgan State lost 27-21 at home to Norfolk State ...... Sophomore DE Ronald Cooper had 8 tackles (3-5), including 3 sacks, as Morehead State picked up their 1st win, 45-14 at home over Davidson ..... Sophomore S Cody Cotton had 13 tackles (7-6) and 2 FF to help Valparaiso win their homecoming game 49-42 in OT over Campbell ..... And junior CB Tevin Allen (photo above) had a FR and 22-yard return to the 4-yard line to set up a TD and got his 1st career INT in an Illinois State uniform, but little else went right for the Redbirds in a 37-10 loss at Missouri State.
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FINALLY

I have a correction and an apology to make. In last week's report I mentioned that FAU's loss to MTSU dropped their record to 0-4. But that's not right. The Owls can't be winless - because one of their games was against South Florida, and the Bulls can't beat anybody. Sorry to all (any?) FAU fans out there. Your Owls were actually 1-3 after last week's heartbreaking defeat. And now they're 1-4 after this week's heartbreaking defeat. Leading Rice by 8 and with the ball with less than 5 minutes to play, FAU snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, turning the ball over twice (on consecutive snaps), resulting in TD for Rice with 4:17 and 3:35 remaining, and turning a would-be 14-6 victory into an 18-14 defeat. Senior RB Jonathan Wallace rushed for 73 yards, and junior WR William Dukes (photo) had 3 catches for 72 yards, including a 58-yard TD, but FAU couldn't hold on despite a 366-273 advantage in total yards. Wow. That had to hurt. 
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DG

1. Washington sophomore LB Shaq Thompson tries to get a hold of Arizona star RB Ka'Deem Carey during 1st half at Seattle. Thompson had a team high 13 tackles (6-7) to help the Huskies improve to 4-0 with a 31-13 victory over Arizona.

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2. Sophomore WR J.D.McKissic of Arkansas State runs after the catch during 1st quarter at Columbia, MO. McKissic set a new ASU school record with 15 receptions in the game, but the Red Wolves lost to Missouri 41-19.

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3. Sick senior WR Chris Williams of Troy tries to elude Duke S Anthony Young-Wiseman as he runs after a catch at Durham. Williams had his best game in a Troy uniform, finishing with 5 catches for 57 yards, but the Trojans lost a tough one to Duke 38-31.

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4. On 3rd and 10 Buffalo junior CB Cortney Lester returns the ball 16 yards to the UConn 37-yard line after getting his 1st INT of the season with 4:57 remaining in 3rd quarter at Buffalo. It was Lester's 7th career INT. The Bulls settled for a FG 4 plays later to up their lead to 34-12 and went on to whip the Huskies 41-12.

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5. Senior S Rickie Hill of Lehigh puts the wraps on New Hampshire QB Andy Vailas at the 1-yard line after a 5-yard gain on 1st and goal early in 2nd quarter at Bethlehem, PA. Vailas scored the TD on the next play to up the UNH lead to 19-3. Hill finished with 6 tackles (3-3), and Lehigh rallied in the 2nd half to knock off FCS #10 ranked New Hampshire 34-27 - their first victory over the Wildcats in 31 years, snapping an 0-9 streak in the series.

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6. Jackson State junior S Ryan Griffin intercepts a deep pass intended for Southern U WR Willie Quinn at the JSU 15-yard line as senior CB Qua Cox also defends midway through 4th quarter at Baton Rouge. It was Griffin's 2nd pick of the season. SU reached the JSU 6-yard line on their next and final possession but once again failed to score. Cox had 2 tackles (2-0), while Griffin led the Tigers with 7 tackles (3-4). In front of a big crowd of nearly 31,000, JSU improved to 3-0 in the SWAC with a 19-14 win over Southern.

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7. Alcorn State's first possession of the evening comes to an end on 3rd and 10 as sophomore S Najee Bright picks off his 1st career INT in an Alabama State uniform at the Alabama State 47-yard line on a pass intended for WR Felando Warr. Bright also had 5 tackles (3-2) in the game as the Hornets improved to 3-1 in the SWAC, dropping Alcorn State to 2-1 with a 49-30 home victory. 

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8. Sick junior LB Robert Nelson of Alabama A&M, a safe bet to be on my postseason dread all-America team, sacks Texas Southern QB Homer Causey for a 13-yard loss on 3rd and goal early in 2nd quarter at Normal, AL. TSU botched the FG attempt on the next play. Nelson finished with 8 tackles (4-4), and the Bulldogs improved to 2-0 in the SWAC, escaping with a 12-10 victory when TSU missed a 42-yard FG attempt in the closing seconds. 

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9. Plenty of sick dreads here, as Miami sophomore RB Dallas Crawford is tackled by South Florida senior CB Brandon Salinas after a 9-yard run to the USF 22-yard line during 1st quarter at Tampa. The Hurricanes scored a TD 3 plays later to take a 14-7 lead. Salinas finished with 5 tackles (3-2), while Crawford rushed for 34 yards and his 5th and 6th TD of the season as Miami improved to 4-0 with the 49-21 road win over the Bulls.

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10. On the 3rd play from scrimmage Clemson junior WR Sammy Watkins (a former HS teammate of Dallas Crawford) beats the coverage of CB Merrill Noel and makes a leaping catch at the Wake Forest 35-yard line .....

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11. ..... Watkins heads toward the end zone after eluding a diving tackle attempt by Noel and puts his arm out to stiff-arm (if necessary) S A.J. Marshall (not in the picture). Sammy outraced Marshall to finish off the 64-yard TD reception, giving the Tigers a 7-0 lead after 46 seconds.

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12. Sophomore RB Zac Brooks breaks a tackle by S A.J. Marshall at the 2-yard line and scores on a 10-yard run, putting Clemson back in front 14-7 with 9:56 remaining in 1st quarter. It was Brooks' 2nd TD of the season. He finished with 24 yards on 5 carries as Clemson improved to 4-0 with a 56-7 blowout of Wake Forest.

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13. Junior DE Jadeveon Clowney of South Carolina shakes hands with UCF sophomore WR Breshad Perriman after the Gamecocks' hard-fought 28-25 win at Orlando. Jadeveon finished with 2 tackles (0-2) and no sacks, while Perriman made the dread stars list. Next up: Carolina is at home against Kentucky, while UCF travels to Memphis for their first AAC game. 

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DREAD STARS

• Matt Jones - Florida - 28 carries for 176 yards rushing and 1 TD, and 3 receptions for 20 yards in 24-7 road W over Kentucky
• Trayion Durham - Kent State - 154 yards and 2 TD rushing on 26 carries in 32-14 road W over Western Michigan (KSU's first W at WMU in 25 years)
• Vintavious Cooper - East Carolina - 35 carries for 186 yards rushing, and 8 receptions for 70 yards in 55-31 road W over North Carolina ...... http://www.ecupirates.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/092813aab.html

• Sammy Watkins - Clemson - 6 receptions for 113 yards, including 64-yard TD, in 56-7 home W over wake Forest
• Deontay Greenberry - Houston - 9 receptions for 149 yards and 1 TD in 59-28 road W over UTSA

• Chris Conley - Georgia - 5 receptions for 112 yards and 1 TD in 44-41 home W over LSU
• Kelvin Benjamin - Florida State - 3 receptions for 103 yards, all on scoring drives, in 48-34 road W over Boston College

• Travis Greene - Bowling Green - named MAC East offensive player of the week - 142 yards and 1 TD rushing on 24 carries, and 4 catches for 71 yards, including 30-yard TD, in 31-14 home W over Akron
• Colby Goodwyn - ODU - 42 yards and 3 TD rushing on 12 carries, and 4 catches for 54 yards in 66-10 home W over Albany
• Alex Collins - Arkansas - 14 carries for 116 yards and 1 TD rushing in 45-33 home L to Texas A&M
• Rannell Hall - UCF - 8 receptions for 142 yards and 2 TD, one of them a 73-yarder, in 28-25 home L to South Carolina

• Breshad Perriman - UCF - 3 receptions for 109 yards as Knights drop to 3-1
• Geremy Davis - Connecticut - 5 receptions for 102 yards in embarrassing 41-12 road L to Buffalo that got Coach Pasqualoni fired
• J.D. McKissic - Arkansas State - new ASU school record 15 receptions for 117 yards, and 4 rushes for 36 yards in 41-19 road L to Missouri 
• Julian Jones - Arkansas State - 10 receptions for career high 136 yards and 1 TD as he and McKissic combine for 253 of Red Wolves' 308 yards passing in the game

• Maikhail Miller - Murray State - 24 carries for 134 yards and 2 TD rushing, including 1-yarder in OT, and 14 for 26 for 109 yards passing and 1 TD, and completed pass for game-winning 2-point conversion in 35-34 road W in OT over Jacksonville State ..... http://www.goracers.com/news/2013/9/29/FB_0929132627.aspx 
• Fred Gladney - Valparaiso - 10 receptions for 156 yards and 2 TD in 49-42 home W in OT over Campbell
• Donte Jeter - Robert Morris - 8 receptions for 112 yards and 1 TD in 37-31 road W in 2 OT over VMI
• Isaiah Crowell - Alabama State - 19 carries for 133 yards and 4 TD rushing in 49-30 home W over Alcorn State 

• Sam Ojuri - North Dakota State - 19 carries for 113 yards rushing in 20-0 road W over South Dakota State
• Gus Johnson - Stephen F. Austin - 18 carries for 179 yards and 1 TD rushing, and 2 catches for 18 yards in 56-48 home L to Prairie View A&M
• Bishop Neal - St. Francis (PA) - 12 tackles (7-5), 4.5 TFL (for 22 yards lost), and 1 sack in 38-20 home L to Fordham

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HOUSE OF DREAD

Once again this week there is a 3-way for the game with the most TD by players with dreads. This time, however, it took 5 TD to claim HOD honors.
For the 2nd straight week the end zone at the New ASU Stadium in Montgomery, AL, is one of the houses of dread. Dread star Isaiah Crowell ran for 4 TD, covering 4, 25 (photo), 4 and 1 yards; and his sidekick, junior RB Malcolm Cyrus added an 18-yard score as Alabama State whipped Alcorn State 49-30.
The end zone at Bailey Stadium in Clinton, SC, home of the Presbyterian Blue Hose, also was the house of dread as UNC-Charlotte picked up their 1st road win ever, 45-21 over PC. Freshman RB Kalif Phillips (12 carries for 79 yards) scored on runs of 1 and 7 yards for UNCC. Freshman RB Alan Barnwell (17 carries for 88 yards) had a 1-yard TD run for the 49ers. And junior RB Demarcus Rouse (18 carries for 79 yards) scored on runs of 1 and 2 yards for Presbyterian.
The third HOD was the end zone at the Alamodome in San Antonio, home of UTSA, where all 5 TD were via the pass in Houston's 59-28 victory over UTSA. Sophomore RB Ryan Jackson scored on a 15-yard reception; dread star Deontay Greenberry had a 20-yard reception; and senior WR Xavier Maxwell had TD catches of 7 and 22 yards for UH. Junior WR Earon Holmes had a 6-yard TD reception for UTSA.  
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HEAD DREAD

Last week nobody had a standout performance. This week, great performances by Matt Jones, Travis Greene, and Vintavious Cooper weren't good enough to earn the player of the week. That's because the head dread for Week 5 outgained them all - by a mile. I'm talking about Sam Houston State senior RB Timothy Flanders. And thank heaven the SHSU website updates the players' photos each year (many sites do not), otherwise I would never have known that Flanders, one of the best running backs to ever play in the FCS, had begun growing dreads.

                   








In SHSU's big 49-34 home win over FCS #2 ranked Eastern Washington, Flanders carried 32 times and averaged close to 10 yards per carry, finishing with 280 yards rushing. He scored 2 TD, a 60-yard run early in the 3rd quarter to give the Bearkats some breathing room at 35-20; and his 12-yard TD run with 6:10 to play made the score 49-27 and pretty much closed the door on any EWU hopes for a miracle finish. Flanders was named SLC offensive player of the week for his performance. The 280 yards pushes his career total past the 5,000-yard mark, as is mentioned in an article (first link below) from the SHSU website. The link below that is to a video of several of his highlights from the game. You can get a quick look at his dreads at the 2:15 mark of the video during his post-game interview.
http://www.gobearkats.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=92955&SPID=11345&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=19900&ATCLID=209271292
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot8WmWZY_G4
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NEXT

Well, I guess I won't be watching any of the early games again. But that's OK. The games I'm most interested in for Week 6 are East Carolina-MTSU, LSU-Mississippi State, - Mississippi-Auburn, and West Virginia-Baylor.