College FB '13 Dread News - Week 4

There wasn't any one game that I watched from start to finish this week, and none of the games I watched portions of was going to be in the running for this week's house of dread award; so I started paying closer attention than usual to the scores flashing at the bottom of the TV screen. When the score Middle Tennessee 42 Florida Atlantic 35 came up, I thought I had my HOD winner. Well, not quite; but the small crowd on hand for FAU's home opener (much less than the announced 13,911) did get to see several players with dreads in prominent roles for both teams. MTSU vs. FAU - last year it was a Sun Belt Conference game. This year - still a conference game, but now in CUSA instead of the SBC. And for their first ever league game in CUSA the Blue Raiders (according to the MTSU website) took the field wearing white helmets for the first time in 35 years.

I figured MTSU against FAU would contend for HOD honors because MTSU has a couple of WRs with dreads, while FAU has a couple of WRs, a TE, and a starting RB with dreads.
MTSU sophomore WR Christian Collis was shut out in this one - 0 receptions. But the game play-by-play does have him down for a dropped pass early in the 2nd quarter. On the next play MTSU turned the ball over on an INT, and two plays after that FAU tied the game at 7 on an 8-yard TD catch by junior WR William Dukes, his 2nd TD of the season. Before injuring his ankle in the 3rd quarter Dukes caught 4 passes for 73 yards. Sick senior WR DeAndre Richardson (photo above being hit by S Kevin Byard) finished with 4 catches for 43 yards for the Owls. Senior RB Jonathan Wallace (photo below) came close to making the dread stars list, finishing with 85 yards rushing on 20 carries and 3 catches for 10 yards. Sick senior TE Alex DeLeon (blocking for Wallace in photo below) had no catches (he's had only 3 all season). 

Junior LB Christian Henry (photo below) had 10 tackles (5-5) for MTSU and 1 FF for a turnover in the 3rd quarter. Senior LB Roderic Blunt finished with 6 tackles (2-4), and junior DT Patrick McNeil had 3 tackles (2-1). Unfortunately another key member of the Blue Raiders D - LB Leighton Gasque - no longer has dreads. For the FAU D senior LB Randell Johnson had a quiet afternoon with just 1 tackle (1-0); sophomore DT Brandin Bryant had 3 tackles (0-3); and sophomore CB Cre'von LeBlanc had 3 tackles (3-0). After MTSU scored a TD with 1:32 to go to take a 35-28 lead, LeBlanc returned the ensuing kickoff 46 yards to give the Owls hope. And on 4th and 10 they tied it up on a 21-yard TD catch by junior WR Lucky Whitehead with :03 on the clock. For Whitehead and his lucky red dread tips it was his only reception of the game and his 1st TD in an FAU uniform. 

MTSU struck first in overtime, and it was another player with two-tone dreads scoring the TD, as senior WR Kyle Griswould, despite being interfered with (photo below), made a 19-yard reception on 3rd and 4 to put MTSU ahead 42-35. And when FAU's possession ended with an INT on 4th and 9, the Blue Raiders had themselves a hard-fought victory that improved their record to 3-1. For the game story from an FAU perspective you can click on the link below for the article from the Owl Access blog, including a video of some of the highlights (including Whitehead's TD).
http://www.fauowlaccess.com/articles/264/fau-left-feeling-blue-in-mtsu-loss.aspx

East Carolina and Marshall figure to be MTSU's biggest obstacles in CUSA East, and the Blue Raiders get both of them at home coming up in October. FAU drops to 0-4 and figures to remain winless for a while; but if the Owls can hang in there, the schedule gets a lot softer in November, and it's possible they might finish the season on a 4-game winning streak. 
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Not only MTSU and FAU, North Texas and FIU also made the move from the SBC to CUSA this season. Both had difficult road assignments for Week 4. As expected, North Texas was completely dominated by Georgia in total yards 641-245. And yet, after they returned a kickoff for a TD late in the 2nd quarter and blocked a punt that was recovered in the end zone for another TD early in the 3rd, the Mean Green found themselves tied with UGA 21-21. But the UNT offense picked up only 5 first downs the rest of the game, and the Bulldogs finally woke up and pulled away for a 45-21 victory. The blocked punt was by senior S Marcus Trice - which last year would have made me very happy; but this season all it does is remind me that he has cut off the awesome dreads he used to have. I didn't watch very much of the game; so if North Texas has any players with dreads, I didn't notice them.

I did notice that Georgia sophomore RB Todd Gurley (photo above) scored the first TD of the game - on a 12-yard run in the 1st quarter. For the first time this season (in 3 games) Gurley failed to make the dread stars list. With 91 yards rushing on 21 carries he fell just short. Junior WR Chris Conley had 5 catches for 63 yards, including a 4-yard reception for his 1st TD of the season, giving the Bulldogs a 35-21 lead late in the 3rd. Sophomore RB Keith Marshall had 45 total yards on 11 touches; and sick senior LB T.J. Stripling contributed with 2 tackles (0-2), including a half TFL. You get the feeling that Georgia kind of coasted through this game. And you also get the feeling they're going to be very ready for LSU.
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As for FIU ........ Coach Turner (Ron, that is, the brother of Norv) once coached Illinois to the Sugar Bowl, which is no easy thing; so he certainly is capable of getting the program heading in the right direction. FIU fans are going to have to have some faith, hope, and patience. I'll tell you, though, faith and hope have been hard to come by so far in 2013. I mean, this is one of the worst starts to a season we've ever seen. Week 1: a 43-10 loss at Maryland (it was 40-10 at the half before the Terrapins showed mercy). Week 2: shut out in their home opener 38-0 by UCF. Week 3: lost at home to Bethune-Cookman 34-13 (B-CU's first win ever against an FBS team). And last Saturday: a horrific 72-0 annihilation by Louisville, a game in which the Golden Panthers were outgained in total yards 464-30 and made only 2 first downs! Through 4 games FIU now has been outgained by an average of 445-151 and has made a not so grand total of 30 first downs. Heck, 30 first downs isn't even a good one game for offenses like Oregon and Baylor. With few starters returning (NFL draft picks Johnathan Cyprien and Tourek Williams are 2 of 16 starters last year who are no longer with the team), FIU was supposed to be bad. But this bad?

In addition to Williams and Cyprien, five other players with dreads were seniors, including Rupert Bryan and Junior Mertile, both of whom were in NFL training camps. Among the players with dreads who are still on the team ..... It's nice to see sick senior LB Derrick Jones (photo above) finally getting some playing time. He hardly played at all his first 4 seasons but is a starter now and had 1 tackle (0-1) against Louisville. I've also noticed D-linemen Isame Faciane (a senior), sophomore Denzell Perine, and freshman Leonard Washington on the field at times this season. For Louisville senior RB Senorise Perry (trying not to get stripped by Jones in photo above) gained 96 total yards on 9 touches, including a 26-yard TD run and a 34-yard TD reception. Junior DE Lorenzo Mauldin had 2 tackles (2-0), including 1 sack; and both of junior S Calvin Pryor's 2 tackles (1-1) were TFL. The Cardinals are now 4-0 heading into AAC play next week. 
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Is anybody going to challenge Louisville for the stop spot in the AAC (before they move on to the ACC next season)? Rutgers, also in their final year in the league formerly known as the Big East, has a chance to; but the Scarlet Knights are going to have to play better than they did in last Saturday's 28-24 home victory over Arkansas. The Razorbacks led 24-7 late in the 3rd quarter, and Rutgers looked dead. But then freshman WR Janarion Grant, who scored on a kickoff return in Week 1, jolted his team to life with a 58-yard punt return to the house (photos above) to make it 24-14. And all of a sudden, the Scarlet Knights could do no wrong. They drove 98 yards in 6 plays to pull within 24-21 with 9:55 to play. And when Arkansas punted on their next possession, Grant brought that one back 47 yards to the 33-yard line. 6 plays later Rutgers had the lead; and they stayed in the lead because the Razorbacks ended up punting on their last 6 possessions of the game. It's difficult to make the dread stars list on special teams alone. But Grant's two returns had such a big impact on the game that I'm including Janarion this week. Senior WR Quron Pratt had 5 catches for 66 yards, including a 17-yard gain on the game-winning drive. Sophomore LB Quentin Gause finished with 7 tackles (3-4), including 3 TFL. 

Arkansas, averaging 294 yards rushing, was held to 101 by Rutgers' stingy run defense. Freshman RB Alex Collins (63 yards on 16 carries) missed the dread stars list for the first time. Sophomore WR Keon Hatcher had 4 catches for 45 yards. Sick junior S Alan Turner had 5 tackles (1-4); freshman DT Darius Philon (photo above) had 3 tackles (3-0), 2 of which were sacks; and sophomore CB Will Hines finished with 7 tackles (2-5) but got beat by WR Leonte Carroo for the game-winning TD (photo below, but his dreads are too short to see) with 5:18 remaining.
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Senior WR Tevin Reese, on the brink of making the dread stars list at the half of Baylor's game against Louisiana-Monroe, got the one more reception he needed early in the 3rd quarter; so I figured I better switch to the Houston-Rice game before it ended - just to see if Rice has anyone with dreads. And right on cue, moments later, freshman LB Alex Lyons (whose dreads are almost ready to start peeking out from under his helmet) scooped up a blocked FG attempt and took it 62 yards to the house to bring Rice within 5 with 2:19 to play. And when the Owls then recovered what was one of the slickest onside kickoffs you'll ever see, Houston, which led 31-13 earlier in the 4th quarter, suddenly was in danger of losing.

UH sophomore WR Deontay Greenberry, not expecting the onside kick to come in his direction, just stood there frozen, waiting for the ball to roll to him - waiting too long as it turned out, as a Rice player beat him to it and made the recovery. But the UH D got him off the hook, allowing Rice to go no further than the 36-yard line before turning the ball over on downs. Greenberry (photo above), whose dreads won't be easily visible until next season, and sophomore RB Ryan Jackson (it'll probably be 2 more years before we'll see his dreads) both made the dread stars list for the 2nd straight week. Freshman LB Steven Taylor had a game high 11 tackles (3-8), including a half sack, and 1 PBU. Sophomore S Trevon Stewart finished with 7 tackles (2-5) and 1 PBU for the Cougars, who improved to 3-0. 

ELSEWHERE

Clemson junior WR Sammy Watkins (photo on left) barely missed the dread stars list, finishing with 10 catches for 96 yards, and junior WR Martavis Bryant had 6 catches for 73 yards and his first 2 TD of the season as the Tigers opened ACC play with a 26-14 road victory over North Carolina State ..... Senior LB Shane Gordon had 7 tackles (2-5) and his 1st career INT as Pittsburgh picked up their 1st ACC win ever, 58-55 at Duke ..... Senior RB Colby Goodwyn barely missed the dread stars list, finishing with 94 yards and 2 TD rushing and 3 catches for 29 yards; and junior RB Cam Boyd added 70 total yards and 2 TD as ODU won a wild one at home over The Citadel 59-58 ..... Freshman WR Chris Black (more sick dreads going to waste at Alabama) made his 1st career catch, and it went for a 14-yard TD to put the icing on the cake in the Crimson Tide's 31-6 home victory over Colorado State ..... Sophomore WR Marcus Johnson had 5 catches for a career high 70 yards for Texas in a 31-21 home win over Kansas State
..... Senior CB Deven Drane had a 4th quarter INT to set up a 21-yard TD drive, and sophomore DE Silverberry Mouhon had 1.5 sacks as Cincinnati defeated rival Miami (Ohio) for the 8th straight time, 14-0 ..... Senior LB Lamin Barrow had a game high 11 tackles (0-11) plus 1 FR, and senior S Craig Loston had 8 tackles (2-6) plus his 1st INT of the season as LSU improved to 4-0 with a 35-21 home win over Auburn ..... Junior S Corey Cooper tied for the team lead with 10 tackles (7-3), including 1 sack, for Nebraska in a 59-20 home win over South Dakota State ..... Junior CB Jamerson Love (photo on right) had 2 PBU and took an INT return 70 yards to the house for his 1st career TD to get the scoring started for Mississippi State in their 62-7 blowout of Troy ..... Senior CB Joe Williams took an INT return 41 yards to the house for his 2nd career pick 6 and for the 3rd of Baylor's 10 TD in their 70-7 romp over Louisiana-Monroe ..... And freshman CB Jhavon Williams had 4 tackles (3-1), 1 FF, and his 1st career INT for UConn, but the Huskies could not hold a 7-point 4th-quarter lead and lost at home to Michigan 24-21.

IN THE FCS

MEAC teams have enough trouble on the road against top FCS programs; so you know they have no business whatsoever being on the same field with any teams ranked in the top 20 of the FBS. But in search of the almighty dollar (900,000 of them in FAMU's case) that's exactly where three of them were last Saturday in what quickly turned into the MEAC MASSACRE.

FAMU may have won at the cash register, but it was nothing but ugly on the football field, as they were slaughtered by Ohio State 76-0 (yikes!). It was already 48-0 before the Rattlers even got a 1st down. The Buckeyes completely dominated in total yards (603-80) and first downs (34-2). Freshman CB Patrick Aiken appeared to have stopped the Buckeyes' opening drive with an INT on 3rd and goal; but he promptly fumbled the ball at the 3-yard line on the return, and OSU scored on the next play. Junior CB Bradley Roby did not fumble the ball after getting his 1st INT of the season for Ohio State. His 42-yard return to the 5-yard line late in the 1st quarter was cashed in with a TD on the next play, making the score 34-0. Sophomore DE Jamal Marcus finished with a team-leading 5 tackles (4-1) for the Buckeyes, who have won 16 games in a row.

Bethune-Cookman fared slightly better than FAMU, being outgained by only a 2-1 margin (492-242) in their 54-6 loss to Florida State. Some of the best performances in this game were by players with dreads too short to be seen. Junior RB Anthony Jordan rushed for 81 yards, and junior S Marquis Drayton had a team-leading 11 tackles (5-6) and 1 FR for the Wildcats. Usually a reserve, sophomore LB Terrance Smith got the starting nod a had a game-high 12 tackles (5-7), including 1 sack, for the Seminoles. As for the dreads you can see, junior CB Thomas Finnie (photo below), the transfer from the U, had 1 tackle (1-0) for B-CU, as did junior LB Tavarus Dantzler (0-1). Sophomore WR Kelvin Benjamin (blocking Finnie in photo below) had an 11-yard TD catch for FSU, and junior RB Devonta Freeman (carrying the ball in photo below) is a dread star this week. 

No doubt the most embarrassing defeat of the MEAC MASSACRE was suffered by Savannah State, 77-7 losers to Miami. The Hurricanes scored on their first 7 possessions to take a 49-0 halftime lead. And after they scored 4 more TD in the 3rd quarter, both coaches agreed it would be better if the 4th quarter were shortened to 12 minutes. The Canes' offense spent the rest of the game running the ball up the middle on every play, hoping not to score any more. Sophomore RB Dallas Crawford (photo below) touched the ball 6 times and scored 3 TD, finishing with 53 total yards. But sorry Dallas, you're going to have to do that against a real defense before I can put you on the dread stars list.

Morgan State and Delaware State were part of this MASSACRE too, although their opponents weren't quite as powerful as OSU, FSU, and the U. Morgan State lost to Western Kentucky 58-17 despite a team-leading 9 tackles (6-3) and half sack by junior LB Cody Acker. The Bears were outgained by WKU 588-317. And Delaware State went to Fargo and took a 51-0 whipping from FCS #1 ranked North Dakota State, being outgained 548-189 in the process. NDSU senior CB Marcus Williams took his 20th career INT 33 yards to the house for his 6th career pick 6, which ties the FCS record.
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Jacksonville State, the team you may recall last season that started five DBs with dreads in one game, lost a couple members of their sick secondary. CB Francis Duncan was a senior, and CB Jermaine Hough has cut off his dreads. But the Gamecocks added one also. Joining junior CB Rashod Byers, junior S Pierre Warren, and senior Robert Gray (who switched to LB after playing S his first three seasons) is sick CB Jamill Lott, who transferred over from Appalachian State for his senior season. Lott's INT and 18-yard return 37 seconds before halftime set up a 41-yard TD drive that gave the Gamecocks a 20-9 lead at the half. They blew the lead but eventually defeated Georgia State 32-26 in overtime at the Georgia Dome. Lott also had 4 tackles (3-1) and 1 PBU. Warren had 4 tackles (4-0) and set up JSU's 1st TD with a 29-yard fumble return to the 1-yard line. Gray (photo below), a dread all-American last year but who appears to have much shorter dreads now, finished with a team-leading 7 tackles (4-3) and had 2 PBU.

 

Junior DE Ryan Delaire had 4 tackles (3-1), including 2 sacks, and 2 PBU; and freshman RB Darius Victor rushed for 53 yards and his first 2 TD in a Towson uniform as the Tigers improved to 4-0 with a 35-17 road victory over North Carolina Central ..... Freshman LB Jordan Burton had 11 tackles (3-8), a half TFL, and his 1st career INT to help Stephen F. Austin knock off Montana State 52-38 ..... Sophomore RB Xavier Roberson almost made the dread stars list, carrying 8 times for 94 yards and 1 TD for Southeastern Louisiana in a 34-31 road victory over Samford .....

..... Alabama State junior RB Malcolm Cyrus almost made the dread stars list, finishing with 84 yards rushing, 2 catches for 37 yards, a 22-yard punt return, and 2 TD; and senior LB Leland Baker (photo above) had 2 sacks and 1 PBU as the Hornets defeated Grambling 52-21 ..... Junior LB Ariane McCree had 6 tackles (6-0), 1 TFL, and a blocked punt that rolled into the end zone and was recovered by Jackson State for a TD, breaking a 7-7 tie with 23 seconds to go until halftime, and the Tigers went on to do defeat Texas Southern 35-7 ..... Senior LB Calvin Bryant had 12 tackles (6-6), 2 sacks, and 2 FF to help Charleston Southern win at Norfolk State 20-12 ..... Montana has a player with dreads - sophomore LB Addison Owen (photo below) - who had 5 tackles (2-3), 1 FR, and his 1st career INT in a 47-14 home win over Oklahoma Panhandle State .....

..... Sophomore WR Yeovanti Williams had 2 catches for 80 yards, including a 58-yard TD on the 2nd play from scrimmage for the 1st of 9 TD by Jacksonville as the Dolphins scored 69 for the 2nd week in a row, defeating Warner 69-16 ..... Senior CB Lawrence Barnett, the transfer from Indiana, got his first 2 INT in an Alabama A&M uniform in a tough 28-26 road loss to Prairie View A&M ..... Junior S Martay Mattox finished with 18 tackles (5-13) as the UNC-Charlotte defense was on the field for 94 plays in a 34-7 road loss to JMU ...... And star sophomore WR Sean Price, or should we call him knucklehead WR Sean Price, made his 2013 debut for Appalachian State after serving a 2-game suspension and fell 1 yard short of the dread stars list, finishing with 8 catches for 99 yards, including a 41-yard TD, as ASU improved to 1-2, defeating Elon for the 18th straight time, 31-21. Apparently, being suspended is nothing new for Price, as is mentioned in this article (link below) from the Watauga Democrat detailing his latest suspension:
http://www2.wataugademocrat.com/News/story/UPDATE-ASUs-Sean-Price-suspended-after-arrest-id-012330
Wow. People really do some stupid stuff when they're drunk, don't they. Come on Sean, you've been blessed with NFL ability. Don't waste it.
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FINALLY    

After going the first 9 quarters of the season without one, the UAB defense finally got their 1st INT of the season on the 1st play of the 2nd quarter last Saturday in a 52-28 victory over Northwestern State. Doing the deed was a JC transfer with sick dreads, junior CB Jimmy Jean - that being 24-year old junior CB Jimmy Jean. It has taken a while, but Jean finally figured out that 6-foot-3 basketball players rarely stand out; but 6-foot-3 cornerbacks are a rare breed and have a chance to be special. I guess better late than never. Wouldn't it be something if he ends up playing on Sundays a couple of years from now. The first link below is the story from the Birmingham News about his 1st pick last Saturday. Below that is a get-to-know-you article (you only need to click on the video) from a couple of weeks before the start of the season.
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/09/jimmy_jean_comes_up_big_for_ua.html

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/08/uab_cornerback_jimmy_jean_now.html

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DG

1. UAB junior CB Jimmy Jean tackles Northwestern State freshman WR Shakeir Ryan for a 1-yard loss on 1st down late in 2nd quarter at Birmingham. Jean finished with 1 other tackle in the game along with getting UAB's 1st INT of the season. Ryan caught 8 passes but gained only 24 yards.

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2. Senior DT Lesley Deamer tries but can't stop junior RB Darrin Reaves. Deamer finished with 0 tackles, while Reaves made the dread stars list. UAB defeated Northwestern State 52-28.

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3. Michigan State sophomore CB Trae Waynes (a HS teammate of Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon) is called for a pass interference penalty while trying to keep Notre Dame WR Corey Robinson from making the catch. Waynes finished with 4 tackles (4-0) and 3 PI penalties (yikes) in the Spartans' 17-13 road loss.

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4. On 3rd and 15 with the game tied late in 4th quarter Marshall senior WR Devon Smith tries for the game-winning 39-yard TD catch but is foiled by Virginia Tech S Kyshoen Jarrett, who comes up with the INT. The game went into OT, with VT prevailing 29-21 in 3 overtimes. Smith finished with 4 catches for 68 yards and 1 TD and 3 punt returns for 37 yards as the Thundering Herd drop to 2-2. 

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5. Western Illinois WR Hi-C Scott can't make the catch as senior S Frank Crawford defends on 3rd and 9 early in 4th quarter at Las Vegas. Crawford did not get credit for a PBU as it looks like Scott already dropped the pass before he got there. Frank did finish with 7 tackles (4-3) as UNLV improved to 2-2 with a 38-7 victory.

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6. Junior CB Steven Nelson takes an INT return 16 yards to the house on 2nd and 19 - much to the dismay of the San Diego State players - turning a 30-28 Aztecs lead into a 34-30 Oregon State lead with just 2:31 remaining in 4th quarter at San Diego. Nelson stepped in front of an ill-advised floater in the right flat intended for WR Colin Lockett (#24) and scored easily. OSU hung on to win 34-30, and Nelson was named Pac-12 defensive player of the week. Here's what Steven had to say about it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9S9XJ46tAE

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7. Senior WR Lamar Davenport of Monmouth beats the coverage of Holy Cross CB Ben Coffaro and makes the 17-yard TD catch on 3rd and 7 for the first points of the game with 46 seconds to play until halftime at Worcester, MA. Davenport finished with 3 catches for 42 yards. Monmouth moved out to a 21-0 lead and held on for their 1st win of the season, 21-14 over Holy Cross.

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8. He started his career at Michigan, then transferred to Bowling Green. And now WR Je'Ron Stokes is playing his senior season for Norfolk State, here being tackled by S D.J. Curl of Charleston Southern at the 50-yard line after a 24-yard reception midway through 2nd quarter. Stokes finished with 3 catches for 48 yards, including a 10-yard TD with 6:19 remaining in the game that brought NSU within 14-12. But Charleston Southern held on to win 20-12.

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9. Sick junior LB De'Vondre Campbell of Minnesota makes one of his team-leading 6 tackles (5-1), stopping San Jose State RB Jason Simpson. I think (but am not sure) this was Campbell's 1 TFL in the game. He also had a key FF inside the Minnesota 10-yard line to end a SJSU drive. Minnesota improved to 4-0 with a 43-24 home victory.

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10. Sick junior LB Ramik Wilson of Georgia makes the tackle as WR Darnell Smith converts a 2nd and 6 with an 8-yard reception on the 2nd play from scrimmage at Athens, GA. Wilson finished with 9 tackles (6-3), including 2 TFL, in Georgia's 45-21 home victory over North Texas.

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11. Another week another TD catch by Texas Tech junior WR Bradley Marquez. This one, his 4th TD of the season, is a 10-yard reception on 3rd and goal in front of Texas State CB Xavier Daniels, increasing Tech's lead to 30-7 early in the 4th quarter. Marquez finished with 6 catches for 84 yards as the Red Raiders improved to 4-0 with a 33-7 home win over Texas State.

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DREAD STARS

• Melvin Gordon - Wisconsin - named Big 10 co-offensive player of the week - 16 carries for 147 yards and 3 TD in 41-10 home W over Purdue
• Janarion Grant - Rutgers - named AAC special teams player of the week - 4 punt returns for 106 yards, including 58-yard TD in 3rd quarter and 47-yarder in 4th quarter to set up game-winning TD drive in 28-24 home W over Arkansas
• Travis Greene - Bowling Green - 133 yards and 1 TD on 17 carries, and 2 catches for 34 yards in 48-7 home W over Murray State

• Isaiah Burse - Fresno State - 10 receptions for 148 yards, and 20 yards rushing on 1 carry in thrilling 41-40 home W over Boise State

• Jameon Lewis - Mississippi State - 2 catches for 96 yards, including 50-yard TD, 2 carries for 15 yards rushing, including 8-yard TD, and threw 36-yard TD pass in 62-7 home W over Troy

• Trey Edmunds - Virginia Tech - 110 yards rushing on 22 carries in 29-21 home W over Marshall in 3 overtimes
• Devonta Freeman - Florida State - 112 yards rushing and 1 TD on 10 carries in easy 54-6 home W over Bethune-Cookman

• Jamal Robinson - Louisiana-Lafayette - 8 receptions for 124 yards and 2 TD in 35-30 road W over Akron
• Tevin Reese - Baylor - 6 receptions for 123 yards, including 47-yard TD in 70-7 home W over Louisiana-Monroe - Baylor ties school record with 781 total yards and becomes 1st FBS team in 83 years to begin season 3-0 while scoring at least 60 points in each game

• Deontay Greenberry - Houston - 6 catches for 146 yards and 1 TD in 31-26 W over Rice
• Ryan Jackson - Houston - 87 yards and 1 TD rushing on 19 carries, and 4 catches for 57 yards and 1 TD as Cougars improve to 3-0
• Cameron Stingily - Northern Illinois - 21 carries for career high 134 yards rushing and 1 TD as NIU came back from 20-0 deficit for 43-39 home W over Eastern illinois

• Dayonne Nunley - Miami (Ohio) - named MAC East defensive player of the week - 10 tackles (8-2), 3 PBU, and 1 INT in 14-0 home L to Cincinnati
• Tre Mason - Auburn - 132 yards and 2 TD rushing on 26 carries in 35-21 road L at LSU
• Sammie Coates - Auburn - 4 receptions for career high 139 yards as he and Mason combine for 271 of Auburn's 437 total yards

• Gus Johnson - Stephen F. Austin - named SLC offensive player of the week - 26 carries for 157 yards rushing and 3 TD, and 3 catches for 11 yards in 52-38 home W over Montana State
• Timothy Flanders - Sam Houston State - 157 yards and 2 TD rushing on 15 carries in 52-21 home W over Incarnate Word - becomes SLC's all-time leading rusher with 4,720 yards (and counting!) 
• Jacobi Green - Richmond - 24 carries for career high 181 yards, and 3 catches for 11 yards in 30-21 home W over Liberty

• Marcus Washington - Nicholls State - 121 yards and 1 TD rushing on 19 carries, and 4 receptions for 26 yards and 1 TD in 42-22 home W over Langston
• Isaiah Crowell - Alabama State - 14 carries for 129 yards and 2 TD in 52-21 home W over Grambling

• Bryan Presume - Southern Illinois - named MVFC defensive player of the week - team-leading 9 tackles (7-2), 1 TFL, 1 FF, 1 PBU, 1 INT, and 1 blocked extra point in 36-19 W over Southeast Missouri state at St. Louis
• Brandon Powe - Mississippi Valley State - 12 tackles (6-6), 4.5 TFL, and 2 sacks in 17-7 home L to Southern
• Rolandan Finch - Norfolk State - 20 carries for 108 yards rushing, and 5 catches for 26 yards in 20-12 home L to Charleston Southern
• Brandon Eldemire (I think those are dreads) - Alabama A&M - 9 carries for 154 yards rushing, including 67-yard TD in 28-26 road L to Prairie View A&M

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HOUSE OF DREAD

For the 2nd week in a row there is a 3-way tie for the House of Dread award. 4 TD were scored by players with dreads in the end zones at Reliant Stadium (Houston-Rice), S.B. Ballard Stadium (Citadel-ODU), and the New ASU Stadium (Grambling-Alabama State).
Alabama State takes HOD honors for the 2nd straight week thanks to TD runs of 5 yards (photo below) and 26 yards by junior RB Malcolm Cyrus, and runs of 3 and 28 yards by junior RB Isaiah Crowell in the Hornets' 52-21 victory over Grambling.

At Houston sophomore RB Ryan Jackson scored on a 1-yard run and 32-yard reception and sophomore WR Deontay Greenberry on a 28-yard reception for the Cougars in their 31-26 victory over Rice. Freshman LB Alex Lyons scooped a blocked FG attempt and scored from 62 yards out for Rice. And with The Citadel (no dreads allowed) on the opposing sideline, ODU had to score all 4 TD themselves, and that was no problem in their 59-58 victory. Senior RB Colby Goodwyn scored on runs of 2 and 20 yards, and junior RB Cam Boyd had TD runs of 13 and 3 yards.

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HEAD DREAD

I almost didn't have a head dread this week, because none of the performances stand out above the others. Gus Johnson, Jameon Lewis, and Jacobi Green were seriously considered before I settled on UAB junior RB Darrin Reaves as the player of the week. Reaves racked up 185 total yards in the Blazers' 1st victory of 2013, 52-28 over Northwestern State. 178 of those were on the ground on only 17 carries, and 2 of the carries went for touchdowns. His 8-yard run 68 seconds before halftime made the score 31-14. And his career-long 50-yard run in the 3rd quarter, his 3rd TD of the season and 19th of his career, upped the lead to 45-21. Darrin also caught 1 pass for a gain of 7. By the way the NSU player in the photo is senior S Ryan Sorrell. Congratulations Darrin, and hopefully we'll see you here again before the season is over.


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NEXT

I'm sorry, but I keep getting later and later every week. Week 5 is already well underway, and there's a lot of good games to watch, including LSU-Georgia, Wisconsin-Ohio State, Miami-South Florida, East Carolina-North Carolina, and Virginia-Pittsburgh to name a few.