College FB '12 Dread News - Week 7

TCU was deemed undesirable when the Big 8 and SWC merged 16 years ago to form the Big 12. But thanks to their recent run of tremendous success in football, and with the Big 12 desperate to add teams following the defections by Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, and Texas A&M, the Horned Frogs were welcomed into the conference beginning this fall. Likely the most enjoyable part of that success for TCU fans was that dream-come-true 13-0 season in 2010, culminating with an unlikely appearance in the Rose Bowl. Included in that season was a 45-10 blowout of Baylor in Week 3 - a whipping that apparently was not forgotten by the Baylor players. And when TCU opened the 2011 season at Baylor, well, revenge was served, to say the least.

The TCU defense, which allowed 229 yards per game in 2010, was shredded for 564 yards that night by the Bears. After allowing 10 TD passes all season in 2010, the TCU D gave up 6 in one game that night.
Although there was plenty of blame to go around, one player who had a particularly horrific evening was CB Jason Verrett (photo above). In his first game in a TCU uniform after playing one season in junior college, Verrett had about as embarrassing a half of football as a DB can have. Earlier this week I viewed the highlights of the game on the Baylor website, and that #2 with the sick dreads was in a lot of them. Verrett was beaten in coverage - badly - three times for big gains, including 2 TD. And he also had a blown coverage that resulted in another easy TD for Baylor. It got so bad that they had to take him out of the game (Actually I'm not sure about that, but I don't remember seeing him on the field at all in the 2nd half.). Baylor ended up winning 50-48, the first time since 2006 that TCU had allowed that many points in a game. 
Honestly though, as it turned out Verrett didn't need to have felt too bad about his performance. After all, thanks to a certain Heisman Trophy winning QB and an NFL 1st round WR, the Baylor offense had their way with a lot of other DBs too last season. And indeed Jason rose from the ashes of that first game to earn honorable mention all-MWC honors by the time the season was over.

Now in the same conference as Baylor, TCU's schedule included a game at Baylor again this season. And so Verrett and his fellow DBs returned to the scene of the crime - Waco - last Saturday looking for redemption. It certainly was a shaky start, but in the end it was mission accomplished for the TCU secondary as the Frogs whipped the Bears 49-21 to end Baylor's 9-game home winning streak. This time it was the Baylor sideline eating humble pie. "It was very humbling, very embarrassing, and very uncharacteristic for us to turn the ball over that many times," said Coach Briles of the Bears' 6-turnover evening, including 4 INT.

The game began as if it would be a repeat of last season's game, as a wide open Baylor WR scored a 74-yard TD on the second play from scrimmage. But then things got better in a hurry for TCU. Baylor's second possession ended when Verrett got his 4th INT of the season. The TCU offense cashed that in with a 55-yard TD drive to tie the game. That got the Frogs started on a 21-0 run, and they would lead the entire 2nd half. The TCU secondary did allow 326 yards passing; but when you get 4 interceptions, you can call it a good game. You won't see much of Verrett on Baylor's highlights this year. The only time he made the reel was on a play midway through the 1st quarter, when he had the coverage on a diving catch by WR Lanear Sampson for a 9-yard gain (photo above). In addition to his pick, Verrett had 3 tackles (3-0) and 1 PBU.

While Verrett did OK, TCU's other #2 was the star of the game. That would be QB Trevone Boykin, who rushed for 1 TD and threw 4 TD passes. Indeed thanks to Boykin, it was Baylor's CBs with dreads getting beat for TDs, with junior Joe Williams (left photo below) and junior K.J. Morton (right photo) giving up 1 TD each. Morton finished with 9 tackles (9-0). Junior WR Tevin Reese, a regular on the dread stars list, was held to 4 catches for 75 yards.

Stop the presses! Tulane has won! I repeat, TULANE HAS WON!!! It took a month longer than was hoped, but the Green Wave finally got that victory to dedicate to injured (and likely crippled) S Devon Walker and in the process ended their 15-game losing streak. It looked like it would be just another Tulane defeat when a 20-6 halftime lead disappeared thanks to a 20-0 SMU run. But after doing nothing on offense the entire 2nd half (5 three-and-outs and 1 turnover), the Green Wave suddenly drove 68 yards in 5 plays, tying the game on a 16-yard TD reception by sophomore RB Rob Kelley with :35 remaining and then kicking the point after to win it 27-26. Kelley also finished Tulane's first drive of the game with a TD reception and finished with 4 catches for 64 yards. Freshman S Darion Monroe had 13 tackles (10-3). 

With South Carolina facing back-to-back road games against LSU and Florida, only the greediest of Gamecock fans would dare wish for their team to win both. No, a split was realistically the best they could hope for. And with the Gamecocks and Gators battling for the top spot in the East Division of the SEC, a win over Florida would be much more important than a win over LSU. So all was not lost last Saturday night, when the Gamecocks dropped a tough one at Baton Rouge 23-21 to end their 10-game winning streak. With nearly 30 players with dreads in uniform, this was the must-see game for Week 7. And although I was extremely tired, I managed to make it almost all the way through without dozing off.

LSU dominated in total yards 406-211, but South Carolina stubbornly hung in there. A 2-yard TD reception by junior WR Ace Sanders (beating the coverage by junior S Craig Loston, photo above), set up by a 70-yard INT return, put the Gamecocks in front 7-3 early in the 2nd quarter. And they regained the lead 14-10 in the 3rd on a TD that was set up by Sanders' 50-yard punt return followed by a 29-yard reception to the 2-yard line by senior TE Justice Cunningham (photo below).

But to beat the Tigers you have to stop the run, and South Carolina failed to do that. The defense got tired late, and LSU scored on three straight possessions (2 FG, 1 TD) in the 4th to take a 23-14 lead with 5:03 to go and held on. Junior RB Spencer Ware (photo below) contributed for LSU with 55 yards rushing on 14 carries and a 27-yard reception. Much better at rushing the passer than stopping the run, sophomore DE Jadeveon Clowney was not a major factor for the Gamecocks. He had 6 tackles (4-2), 0.5 TFL, and 2 PBU. Sick senior LB Shaq Wilson was busy, finishing with 14 tackles (5-9), 1 sack, and 1 FF. And senior S D.J.Swearinger (zeroing in on Ware, photo below) had 10 tackles (5-5), including one in the 3rd quarter where he grabbed Ware's dreads to bring him down (yikes!).

Junior LB Lamin Barrow (photo below) had 12 tackles (4-8) and 1 TFL for LSU; and Loston got his 1st INT of the season, picking off a Hail Mary on the final play of the game. Both teams left the field with 6-1 records. And if the Gamecocks don't want to be 6-2, they better figure out a way to do a lot better on offense against Florida. 

It hardly seems fair. Alabama loses 5 players taken in the top 35 picks of the NFL draft from a team that wins the BCS title game, and they get better the next year? Wow. Missouri Coach Pinkel is a believer. "That is maybe the best team I have ever seen," said Pinkel after watching his Tigers get crushed at home by the Crimson Tide 42-10. Alabama had the wide advantage in total yards 533-129, with Missouri's only TD coming on a kickoff return. Junior RB Eddie Lacy (photo below) ran 73 yards to the house on the second play from scrimmage and scored again later in the 1st on a 3-yard run set up a by a 44-yard reception by junior WR Kenny Bell to the 6-yard line.

Just once it'd be nice to see Lacy's dreads in their natural condition during a game. But it ain't gonna happen as long as he's wearing an Alabama uniform. I mean, they take their dreads hating seriously at Alabama. After Eddie ended up at the bottom of a pile trying to recover his fumble during the 2nd quarter, there was a shot of him on the sideline having a manager immediately putting a rubber band back around his already reduced dreads after it had come loose during the pileup. I don't know. Maybe Coach Saban makes you run the stadium steps if your dreads are hanging too far out of your helmet ....... Alabama, now 6-0, looks unstoppable. But remember, they have to play LSU on the road this year - coming up in a few weeks. 

ELSEWHERE

If you carried the ball for Pittsburgh last Saturday, you probably got tackled by a Louisville player with dreads: freshman LB Keith Brown had 12 tackles (5-7); sophomore S Calvin Pryor had 8 (3-5); sophomore CB Terell Floyd had 7 (4-3), including 1 sack, along with 1 PBU; senior CB Adrian Bushell had 6 (6-0); and sophomore DE Lorenzo Mauldin had 5 (2-3), including 1.5 sacks, as the Cardinals improved to 6-0 with a 45-35 road victory ..... Junior QB Munchie Legaux passed for 262 yards and 2 TD and also ran for a TD as Cincinnati defeated Fordham 49-17 to improve to 5-0 ..... Sophomore CB Bradley Roby scored a TD for the 2nd straight week, recovering a blocked punt in the end zone, and had 3 PBU as Ohio State improved to 7-0 with a wild 52-49 road win over Indiana ..... Junior DT Will Sutton boosted his season total of TFL to 13 with 3 more, including 2 sacks, for Arizona State in a 51-17 road win over Colorado ..... Freshman WR Breshad Perriman had season highs with 5 catches for 55 yards, and senior S Kemal Ishmael got his 2nd INT of the season (photo below) on Southern Mississippi's first play of the 2nd overtime to end the game as UCF improved to 2-0 in CUSA East with a 38-31 home victory ..... 

..... Almost making the dread stars list were Boise State freshman RB Jay Ajayi (91 yards rushing in a 20-10 home win over Fresno State), East Carolina junior RB Vintavious Cooper (96 yards rushing on 16 carries in a 41-7 home win over Memphis) and FAU sophomore WR William Dukes (5 catches for 96 yards in a 35-14 loss at Louisiana-Monroe) ..... Sophomore S/CB Josh Shaw (photo below), the transfer from Florida, had a season high 5 tackles (2-3) and got his 2nd INT of the season to help USC win at Washington 24-14 ..... Junior RB SaDale Foster (a JC transfer) had 82 yards rushing , including a big 53-yard TD, as Texas Tech whipped #5 West Virginia 49-14 ..... And standout junior S Jerry Gates, better known as BooBoo, whom I just recently found out has started growing dreads, had a team-leading 8 tackles (5-3), 1 PBU, and took an INT return 37 yards to the house for his 2nd TD of the season (and 5th of his career) for Bowling Green in a 37-12 home win over Miami (Ohio). Welcome to the house, Boo Boo.  

IN THE FCS

It started out like it was going to be just another day at the office for the high-scoring ODU offense. Senior WR Nick Mayers' 17-yard TD reception just 67 seconds after the opening kickoff put the Monarchs in front, and another TD on their third possession of the game made it 14-0 at the 4:59 mark of the 1st quarter. With #1 North Dakota State and #2 Montana State having already lost earlier in the day (both at home), the #3 ranked Monarchs were in perfect position to treat their homecoming crowd to a victory that would lift the program to their first ever #1 ranking. But then something funny happened - they didn't score again the rest of the game. Huh?

That's right, the same team that had scored 57, 70, and 64 points in their first three home games went scoreless over their final 8 possessions. Villanova recovered from their bad start and proceeded to put a whipping on ODU 38-14. "In the 2nd half it was as one-sided a football game as I've been involved with. They completely dominated us," said Coach Wilder after watching Villanova gash his defense for 376 yards rushing, which allowed the Wildcats to keep the ball for 39:56 time of possession. Wilder didn't like the view in the little time his offense was on the field either. After taking the 14-0 lead, ODU punted 5 times in a row, and their next drive ended with a fumble by junior RB Colby Goodwyn (photo below), ruining what would have been at least a 15-yard gain. Goodwyn finished with 39 yards rushing on 5 carries. Mayers had 2 catches for 29 yards (his second worst output of the season). Sophomore CB Reggie Owens contributed with 5 tackles (5-0), including 2 sacks, and 1 PBU.  Senior S Ronnie Akins, a key player in the Villanova secondary, tied for the team-lead with 8 tackles (6-2) for the Wildcats.

 I was planning on watching a lot of the Richmond-New Hampshire game, but those plans changed when I saw that UR's sick senior CB Darryl Hamilton had his dreads reduced. The Spiders' other player with awesome dreads, freshman RB Jacobi Green, thankfully was not reduced. Green gained 21 total yards and had 4 kickoff returns for 56 yards. For New Hampshire senior CB Dontra Peters had 2 kickoff returns for 51 yards, 6 tackles (6-0), and 2 PBU. UNH won a thriller 44-40. 

Later in the afternoon I found myself tuned in to the Eastern Washington-Montana State game in a matchup of two Top 10 teams. And there was some disappointment there too, as I found out that Montana State's star LB Jody Owens doesn't have dreads anymore. He had them during training camp back in August, but they're gone now. I guess we'll have to remove him from the Week 5 dread stars list. #2 MSU dominated in total yards 365-211; but #6 EWU scored touchdowns on a blocked punt and an INT return 59 seconds apart early in the 4th quarter to take a 27-17 lead and held on to win 27-24. Junior RB Demitrius Bronson rushed for 41 yards for EWU, and sophomore RB Quincey Forte rushed for 27 yards and had a 33-yard reception for the Eagles' only offensive TD.   

Murray State, the team that brought you that 72-59 game against Missouri State two seasons ago, was at it again, playing another game that threatened to cause the scoreboard to blow a fuse. Once again the losing team scored 59 points, and this time it was the Racers, who fell at home to Tennessee-Martin 66-59. Defense? Well, except for that pick 6 on the opening drive of the game, if you like good defense, this one would have had you crying. Murray State had a slight edge in total yards (747-693) and 1st downs (40-35). The two QBs combined to go 87 for 113 (that's 77%) for 1,097 yards with 15 TD and only the 1 INT. With numbers like those, you might think it would be a big game for a couple of Murray State WRs with sick dreads. But unfortunately seniors Patrick Robertson and Ja-Vonta Trotter haven't been the main targets this season for the Racers. In this game Robertson finally got his 1st TD reception of the season, finishing with 4 catches for 52 yards. And Trotter chipped in with 4 catches for 45 yards and 2 TD. 

Junior CB Tavares Crawford took an INT return 39 yards to the house (photo above) for his 2nd career TD and Eastern Illinois' first pick 6 since 2009 in a 31-28 home win over Jacksonville State; sophomore CB Rashod Byers had 2 PBU and his 1st career INT for JSU ..... Senior CB Justin Bell took an INT return 16 yards to the house for his 2nd career TD for Eastern Kentucky in a 45-14 home win over Austin Peay ..... Sick junior LB Patrick Atkinson had a team leading 9 tackles (3-6) to help Central Connecticut State get their 1st win of the season, a 38-31 upset of Duquesne in the NEC; sick senior S Serge Kona had 13 tackles (7-6) for the Dukes .....Almost making the dread stars list were Georgia State junior WR Albert Wilson (94 total yards on 5 touches and 33 yards on 2 punt returns in a 41-7 win at Rhode Island - GSU's 1st W of the season) and Morehead State senior WR Kevin Thomas (8 catches for 94 yards and 1 TD in a 41-27 loss at Dayton) .....

 .... Junior RB Teddy Allen rushed for 50 yards and his 1st TD of the season, sophomore WR Chris Theodore scored a 12-yard TD on his 1st catch of the season, and senior WR Chase Jones had a 51-yard TD pass as Charleston Southern whipped VMI 32-14 ...... Junior DT Robert Simpson had 5 tackles (4-1), including 4 TFL and 1 sack, and had 1 FR and 1 PBU, and senior CB Marquez Floyd had 4 tackles (3-1) and 3 PBU to help Mississippi Valley State defeat Grambling for the first time in 16 years, 45-21 ..... Junior LB Bryan Presume scooped up a Northern Iowa fumble in the end zone and took it 100 yards to the house for a crucial game-changing TD in Southern Illinois' 34-31 home win over UNI ..... And freshman RB Xavier Roberson (photo above) rushed for 85 yards and 2 TD on 15 carries as upstart Southeastern Louisiana improved to 3-0 in the SLC with a 27-22 home win over Northwestern State. 

FINALLY

 I don't care if he plays for Tennessee and that can't see his dreads, I just had to include junior WR Cordarrelle Patterson on my list of favorite players. Even though he's big for a WR (6-3, 205), I love watching his tremendous ability to make tacklers miss. You give him the ball in open space, and he's got as good a chance as anybody in the nation to take it to the house. Patterson scored his 5th and 6th TDs of the season in a 41-31 loss to Mississippi State. And as an added bonus, we actually got to see his dreads (a little bit) as he finally discarded that cigar wrapper. Hopefully we'll get to see those dreads full blown next season - on Sundays. With the kind of season he's having, you know that Cordarrelle is already thinking about entering the 2013 NFL draft. 

DG

1. Texas A&M WR Mike Evans beats Louisiana Tech senior CB Dave Clark deep for a 75-yard TD catch and a 34-7 A&M lead during 2nd quarter at Shreveport. Clark had 6 tackles (4-2) and 2 PBU in the game. La Tech rallied but came up short, ending their dreams of an undefeated season. In a game that took 4 hours 28 minutes to play, Texas A&M won 59-57.

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2. After Fordham drove to the Cincinnati 17-yard line on their opening drive of the game, disaster struck. A sack and strip on a 1st down play results in a scoop and score for junior CB Deven Drane, who picks up the fumble and takes it 76 yards to the house for his 1st career TD. UC went on to win 49-17. 

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3. Back in action after missing 2 games due to injury, Minnesota senior QB MarQueis Gray carries the ball during 1st half against Northwestern. Gray rushed for 86 yards and 1 TD, passed for 66 yards and 1 INT, and caught 1 pass for 16 yards before re-injuring the ankle during 3rd quarter. He's listed as questionable for next week's game. Minnesota lost at home to Northwestern 21-13.

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4. By now I'm sure you've heard that Michigan senior QB Denard Robinson's nickname is "Shoelace." Well here Shoelace goes shoe-less as he looks for running room during 2nd quarter against Illinois .....

5. ..... No shoe, no problem. Robinson picks up 33 yards before being knocked out of bounds at the 10-yard line. Three plays later Robinson scored the first of his 2 TD, giving Michigan a 17-0 lead. The Wolverines went on to rout Illinois 45-0.

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6. Sophomore WR Chris Briggs of Southern Mississippi is tackled by UCF senior S Kemal Ishmael at the UCF 16-yard line after a 14-yard reception that converted a 3rd and 9 midway through 2nd quarter. It was Briggs' only catch of the game. USM scored a TD on the next play to pull within 10-7. Ishmael would have the last say in this one. After UCF scored on their possession in the 2nd OT to take a 38-31 lead, Ishmael intercepted a USM pass to end the game.

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7. After Appalachian State blew a 21-10 4th quarter lead at Samford, freshman WR Sean Price comes to the rescue, making the game-winning 22-yard TD catch with :22 on the clock, completing a 7-play, 80-yard drive. Price finished with 5 catches for 90 yards in ASU's big SOCON win, 28-25. 

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8. Sick junior WR Kenneth Dabney of Mississippi Valley State tries to break a tackle as he picks up 8 yards on his only reception of the game to convert a 3rd and 4 during 2nd quarter against Grambling. The drive ended with a TD 4 plays later for a 17-0 lead. The Delta Devils went on to spank Grambling 45-21, their 1st win over GSU in 16 years.

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9. Eastern  Illinois senior RB Jake Walker, with some of the sickest dreads in the FCS, breaks away from freshman CB Jermaine Hough and LB Brenton Tolson of Jacksonville State for a key 24-yard run on the Panthers' game-winning drive in 4th quarter. EIU scored 3 plays later to take a 31-28 lead. JSU drove into FG range on their final drive, but thanks to brutal clock management, time ran out before they could attempt the FG, resulting in a crushing 31-28 loss to Eastern.

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10. CB Thad Williams of Tennessee-Martin tries to bring down Murray State senior WR Patrick Robertson after a reception midway through 4th quarter at Murray, KY. Maybe he should have tried to grab Robertson's dreads instead .....

11. ..... because Robertson breaks the tackle and heads for the end zone. But unfortunately Patrick steps out of bounds at the 15-yard line and has to settle for a 30-yard gain. The drive ended with a TD three plays later, bringing Murray State to within 59-52. But UTM held on to win a wild one 66-59.

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12. Junior WR Isaiah Burse of Fresno State has his kickoff return come to an end at the 20-yard line thanks to a tackle by Boise State S Darian Thompson during 1st quarter at Boise. The 20-yard return was Burse's longest of the 3 kickoffs he handled. He also caught 2 passes for 35 yards.

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13. Senior S Phillip Thomas closes in on RB D.J. Harper. Thomas led Fresno State with 9 tackles (6-3), including 1 TFL. But he also had a costly roughing the passer penalty then missed the tackle on Harper's 28-yard TD run in 2nd quarter that gave Boise State a 17-0 lead.

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14. To the victors goes the .... Milk Can trophy. I don't know why Fresno State and Boise State play for a trophy, but they do, and here it is. D.J. Harper and freshman RB Jay Ajayi pose with the Milk Can after the game. Harper rushed for 122 yards, and Ajayi ran for 91 yards on 15 carries as Boise State won 20-10.

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 DREAD STARS

•  Eddie Lacy - Alabama - career high 177 yards rushing and 3 TD on 18 carries and 2 catches for 17 yards  in 42-10 win at Missouri
• Jeff Scott - Mississippi - 21 carries for 137 yards rushing, and 3 catches for 70 yards, including highlight reel 55-yard TD, in 41-20 home win over Auburn
• Senorise Perry - Louisville - named Big East offensive player of the week - 101 yards and 4 TD rushing on 12 carries, and 2 catches for 17 yards in 45-35 road win over Pittsburgh

• Khaseem Greene - Rutgers - named Big East defensive player of the week - 14 tackles (9-5), 1.5 sacks, 3 FF (2 of which were turnovers and converted into 10 points), and got his 2nd INT of the season in 23-15 home win over Syracuse
  
  Denard Robinson - Michigan - 128 yards and 2 TD rushing on 11 carries - went 7 for 11 passing for 159 yards and 2 TD with 0 INT in 45-0 blowout of Illinois
  
  Anthony Amos - MTSU - 8 catches for 148 yards and 1 TD in 34-30 win at FIU
• Markus Wheaton - Oregon State - 5 catches for 66 yards and 2 TD, and scored 12-yard TD run on reverse in 42-24 road win over BYU
• Cordarrelle Patterson - Tennessee - 57 yards rushing on 3 carries, 2 catches for 25 yards and 1 TD, and had 98-yard kickoff return for TD in 41-31 loss at Mississippi State
• A.J.Johnson  - Tennessee - 21 tackles (4-17), 1.5 TFL, becoming first Tennessee player in 48 years with 20+ tackles in one game

• Dominique Swope - Georgia Southern - named SOCON offensive player of the week - 137 yards and 2 TD rushing on 25 carries in huge 17-9 home win over Wofford
• Julian Burton - Missouri State- named MVFC special teams player of the week - 4 catches for 98 yards and 1 TD, and had 3 punt returns for 68 yards, including 30-yarder with :53 to go to help set up game-winning FG as MSU scored 17 points in the final 5:36 to get 1st W of season, 27-24 over South Dakota
• Cameron Bailey - Eastern Kentucky - 3 catches for 125 yards, including 84-yard TD, in 45-14 home win over Austin Peay
• Jordan Harris - Bryant - 10 catches for 201 yards and 2 TD , including game-winning 16-yarder as Bulldogs got 1st W of season, 38-35 over Robert Morris

• Lenworth Lennon - FAMU - 6 receptions for 134 yards, including 57-yard TD, in 44-3 blowout of Savannah State
• Rico Richardson - Jackson State - 5 receptions for 144 yards and 1 TD in 37-34 win at Alabama State
• D'Vonte Graham - North Carolina A&T - 2 PBU and 2 INT, one of which he returned 58 yards to the house in 38-10 home win over Howard
• Johnny Towalid - Indiana State - named MVFC defensive player of the week - 6 tackles (2-4), 1 PBU, and 2 INT, both of which he took to the house, a 27-yarder in 2nd quarter and a 31-yarder in 4th quarter, for ISU's only TD of game in shocking road victory over FCS #1 North Dakota State 17-14

• Jake Walker - Eastern Illinois - 22 carries for 103 yards rushing and 1 TD, and 3 catches for 10 yards in big 31-28 OVC home win over Jacksonville State
• Deonte Williams - Cal Poly - 117 yards and 3 TD rushing on 22 carries in 56-28 home win over Northern Colorado

• Lyndell Gibson - Hampton - 8 tackles (3-5), 0.5 TFL, 4 PBU and 2 key INT as HU picked up 1st W of season, 28-14 over rival Norfolk State

• Keion Wade - St. Francis (PA) - 106 yards rushing, including 53-yard TD, and 26 yards receiving in 36-13 loss at Albany

HOUSE OF DREAD

With the way things have been going at Alabama State this year, it's only fitting that their last home game at Cramton Bowl would take the HOD award for Week 7. In Jackson state's 37-34 come-from-behind win over ASU there were 5 TDs by players with dreads. Senior WR T.C. McWilliams had a 6-yard reception (photo below), senior QB Greg Jenkins had a 20-yard run, and sophomore RB Isaiah Crowell had TD runs of 4 and 11 yards for the Hornets. Star senior WR Rico Richardson had a 17-yard TD catch for JSU. After playing their next 3 games on the road, Alabama Staste will make their debut in their brand new stadium in their annual Thanksgiving Day game against Tuskegee (hich will be televised, as usual, by ESPNU).

Sharing this week's award with Cramton Bowl is the end zone at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, home of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers and also the Pittsburgh Panthers. In Pitt's 45-35 loss to Louisville, junior RB Senorise Perry scored on runs of 6, 2, 1, and 59 yards for the U of L. Sick senior WR Cameron Saddler got a foot down inbounds in the back right corner of the end zone (photo below) for a nice 7-yard TD catch for Pittsburgh.

HEAD DREAD

There were a lot of standout performances under consideration for this week's player of the week. I'm going to give it to the player who worked the hardest for it. That would be Tennessee State junior RB Trabis Ward, who carried the ball 43 times in the Tigers' 40-28 win at Southeast Missouri State. Ward earned OVC co-offensive player of the week honors as he rushed for 267 yards (second most in TSU history) and 4 TD. After scoring on runs of 7, 4, and 1 yard, his 30-yard TD with 1:26 to go iced the victory as TSU improved to 7-0. Congratulations, Trabis, and we look forward to seeing you do that again next week -on TV.

NEXT


That's right, Tennessee State will be on TV (Fox College Sports), and their undefeated record is in jeopardy as they travel to Jacksonville State. I'll also be trying to keep an eye on South Carolina-Florida, Virginia Tech-Clemson, and Florida State-Miami, among others.