College FB '13 Dread News - Week 6

If you had told me before the start of the 2013 season that by the end of the first 6 weeks of the season Miami redshirt sophomore RB Dallas Crawford would score nearly 3 times as many touchdowns as his former HS teammate, Clemson junior WR Sammy Watkins, I probably would have been like Chief Lutz and asked you if you had "submitted yourself for drug testing yet?" But here we are approaching the middle of October, and it's a fact that Crawford has scored 8 TD so far for the Hurricanes, while Watkins has 3 TD for Clemson. Crawford used to throw passes to Watkins when they were at South Ft. Myers HS but also was a standout cornerback; so I figured when the 'Canes met the Tigers (if they ever meet them) we'd be seeing Crawford trying to cover Watkins, not trying to outscore him. But after playing on defense on the scout team while redshirting in 2011, Crawford switched to offense (RB, not QB) last season. And so far in 2013 he's been making quite a few house calls.

Crawford's 7th and 8th TD were scored last Saturday as Miami improved to 5-0, rallying from an early 17-7 deficit to defeat Georgia Tech 45-30.
It's not that I didn't think he was talented enough to be scoring all these TD, I just didn't think he was going to play enough. And in fact, he hasn't played that much. While Duke Johnson is and remains the starting RB, Crawford has managed to score his 8 TD on only 28 touches (119 yards rushing on 25 carries and 3 catches for 17 yards). His 2 TD against Georgia Tech came on consecutive possessions in the 4th quarter - a 3-yard run (photo below) that increased the Hurricanes' lead from 24-23 to 31-23, and an 18-yard run (photo above) that made it 38-23 with 1:46 to play. The two drives consisted of 14 total plays, with Johnson carrying 10 times and Crawford only 3 times. I guess you can just call Dallas "the closer." He's not likely to continue to score at this pace; but then again, if they want to keep taking Johnson out when they get to the red zone and putting him in, maybe he will. 

With their program under investigation by the NCAA, the Hurricanes self-imposed a bowl ban on themselves the last two seasons. But I don't think they're going to be doing that this year, especially if their 5-0 start turns into 10-2 (or better) by the time we get to Thanksgiving. So unless the NCAA says they can't, it's very likely the 'Canes will be coming to a bowl game near you to finish the season. I haven't mentioned much about Miami in my reports so far this season. I've been trying to avoid writing about all the disappointment. "All what disappointment? - they're 5-0", you say. Well, I'm talking about the disappointing dreads.

I was afraid this was going to happen when Coach Golden was hired at the end of the 2010 season. Having coached Temple to a winning season (two of them actually) - which rates as nothing short of a miracle - I thought he was a great choice to get the U back to prominence. But there's no escaping the fact that Temple, a team that didn't have a lot of players with dreads, became a team with no dreads at all while he was there (2007-10). And I was more than a bit concerned the same thing would happen at the U, where there are many more dreads at stake than at Temple. My fears went unrealized in his first two seasons. But this season - man, has it ever been tough to take. There were 14 players with dreads (at least) on the Miami roster in 2012. Incredibly only three of them remain on this year's roster. The 14 fit neatly into four categories:

NO LONGER ON TEAM - SENIORS LAST YEAR

• RB Darris Hughes
• S Andrew Swasey
• S Vaughn Telemaque

NO LONGER ON TEAM - TRANSFERRED

• CB Thomas Finnie (to Bethune-Cookman)
• LB Eddie Johnson (to Hinds Community College)
• DE Ricardo Williams (to Marshall)

STILL ON TEAM - STILL HAVE DREADS

• RB Dallas Crawford
• WR Malcolm Lewis
• DT Luther Robinson

STILL ON TEAM - NO LONGER HAVE DREADS

• DE Kelvin Cain
• OT Seantrel Henderson
• WR Allen Hurns
• DE Corey King
• TE Clive Walford

No need to adjust your picture - that final category is not a misprint. There really are 5 ex-dreads on the team - including Walford, who had dreads for the first couple of games this season before cutting them off. That's so many that I'm not sure if it's all Golden's fault or if that virus that struck the Dolphins last season moved across town to the Hurricanes. The 'Canes have added a couple of freshmen with dreads, and also now have junior S Nantambu Akil-Fentress (who I couldn't confirm if he he had dreads or not last season) and DE David Gilbert (who transferred in from Wisconsin for his senior season); but all in all, it hurts not seeing this team with as many players with dreads as there should be - especially Hurns and Walford, who both scored TD last Saturday and likely will score several more this season.

I don't know this for a fact, but I get the feeling that Golden's idea of what a football player should look like doesn't include any kind of long hair. Just as with Coach Saban at Alabama, I haven't heard Golden say anything in public about it. But in private conversations with the players I gotta believe he's recommending that they lose the dreads. I hope I'm wrong about that, but it doesn't seem like it. At any rate, to all HS football players with dreads out there: If keeping your dreads is important to you, you might want to think twice before signing to play for Coach Golden.
.

While Crawford figures to score all the TD by players with dreads for the U by himself, Watkins has a strong supporting cast at Clemson. In fact, that supporting cast has been doing just as well as he has so far. Watkins, sophomore RB Zac Brooks (photo above) and junior WR Martavis Bryant each scored his 3rd TD of the season as the Tigers improved to 5-0 with a 49-14 victory at Syracuse. The Tigers had no trouble moving the ball against the Syracuse defense, racking up 624 total yards, 466 of which were passing yards on only 23 completions. Brooks, who gained 70 total yards, had a 13-yard run and 24-yard reception on a 10-play, 92-yard drive in the 1st quarter which he finished with a 1-yard  run for a TD that made it 14-0. Bryant had 3 catches for 79 yards, including a 40-yard TD (photo below) that made it 35-7 midway through the 2nd quarter.

Watkins ended any hopes Syracuse had for a comeback late in the 3rd quarter, upping the lead to 42-14 with this highlight reel 91-yard TD reception (photo below): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S-1HoGoGRU .... It was the 2nd longest TD from scrimmage in Clemson history, and what I liked the most about it was that when the pass was thrown, CB Ri'Shard Anderson actually was in front of him; but by the time he made the catch he had blown past Anderson. Now that's some serious speed. Said Sammy about the pass from QB Tahj Boyd, "I had to run as fast as I've ever run to get it, but it was a great ball."

The Tigers have led big in four of their 5 games, so Watkins hasn't played as much as he might have. But with tougher games ahead, hopefully he'll be making more frequent trips to the end zone.
.
Speaking of tougher games ahead ...... Baylor is actually going to be playing a road game sometime this year. I checked their schedule, and it says they have 4 road games, plus a neutral site game against Texas Tech. Having enjoyed the comforts of home in their first 4 games, it's hard to get overly excited by their 4-0 start - no matter how great their offense has looked and how mind boggling the numbers they have put up are. But if this offense can play on the road at close to efficiency it has displayed so far, the Bears are heading for their best season ever.

In their first 4 games the fewest points they've scored is 69. In their Big 12 opener last Saturday night they scored 73 while demolishing West Virginia 73-42. The Bears, who incredibly have not had one single three-and-out possession yet all season, scored TD on 8 of their 9 possessions in the 1st half - failing only on a 2nd quarter drive that ended with an INT. I just laughed when Fox Sports 1 put up the graphic that Baylor had gained 367 total yards in the 1ST QUARTER. Heck, there's a bunch of teams that won't reach that number in any one game this whole year. The Bears were up to 617 yards at halftime and finished with a new Big 12 record 864 yards - shattering the not-so old mark of 807 yards that WVU had in their 70-63 home victory over Baylor last season.

As you may remember, it was current New York Jets QB Geno Smith throwing 8 TD passes in that game, finishing 45 of 51 for 656 yards. This year it was QB Clint Trickett going 9 for 28. You'd think that your game plan against Baylor would be to try to keep your offense on the field with long, time-consuming drives. But for most of the 1st half Trickett kept heaving passes deep downfield - one after another - with little success. At least all of those deep balls gave us the opportunity to see several close encounters by the sick dreads of WVU junior WR Kevin White and BU senior CB K.J. Morton (photos below). K.J. finished with 3 tackles (3-0), 1 PBU, and at least one interference penalty. The sideline camera was on White following his 39-yard TD catch in the 2nd quarter. But we couldn't hear whatever it was he was trying to say because the announcers wouldn't be quiet.

 




Another week, another 40-yard TD for senior WR Tevin Reese. All Reese does is catch 40-yard touchdowns - literally. 18 of his 20 career TD (and all 4 this season) have been on receptions of at least 40 yards. Reese finished short of the dread stars list with 3 catches for 75 yards, but this 47-yard TD in the 1st quarter (photos below) was one of his best plays ever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j0xGFYboaw ...... I'm sorry I couldn't find a video with a slo-mo replay, but the way he tipped the pass to himself while running at full speed was just incredible. He made that look way easier than it was.

Tevin's dreads are finally long enough to start becoming visible a little bit outside of his helmet, and he's already added some color to them - as you'll be able to see in this video featuring him from 3 weeks ago on the Baylor website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UB5dGo3YaQ

You might think that Baylor has another star player with dreads. But no. Upon closer examination, you'd notice that RB Lache Seastrunk has his hair in loose braids, not dreads. But no matter what kind of hair he has, Seastrunk, who rushed for 172 yards against WVU, is one of the best RBs in the nation. His great speed and elusiveness play a big part in making the Bears' offense so explosive. If the Bears' first 4-0 start in 22 years turns into 11-1 (or better), he'll get some serious Heisman consideration.
.
Coach Richt wasn't in the mood to celebrate after Georgia's latest thrilling victory. In his post-game media session he admitted the Bulldogs indeed had escaped with a 34-31 overtime victory at Tennessee. On the Volunteers' possession in overtime WR/RB Alton "Pig" Howard, who hopefully is planning to turn that hair he's been growing into dreads soon, lost control of the ball just before reaching the goal line on what looked like would be a dive into the end zone for a TD. Instead it was a touchback, and Georgia then kicked a FG on their possession to win it.

But what had Richt - and all of Bulldog Nation - so particularly disappointed was that three more skill position players went down with serious injuries. Sadly one of the three was sophomore RB Keith Marshall (photo below), who rushed for 33 yards on 5 carries before suffering a season-ending torn ACL when he was hit while trying to catch a pass late in the 1st quarter.

Marshall was starting in place of sophomore RB Todd Gurley, who was injured in last week's game. Todd looked cool on the field wearing his sunglasses before the game, although a lot of UGA fans probably think it'd be cooler if he was in uniform instead. But there's no telling how long it will be before he recovers from his ankle injury. When the Bulldogs next take the field, they'll be without their top 2 RBs and 3 of their 4 best WRs. Junior WR Chris Conley is still healthy (knock on wood). He had 5 catches for 64 yards and 1 TD against the Vols and hopefully will be ready for the increase in the number of passes he'll be seeing in the weeks ahead. Sick junior LB Ramik Wilson had 15 tackles (8-7), including 1 sack, for the Bulldogs. Sick junior LB A.J. Johnson finished with 12 tackles (6-6), including 1.5 TFL, for UT.
.
After taking a 7-0 lead, Northern Illinois decided to kick the ball to Kent State speedster Dri Archer; and they paid for it. Archer, the senior RB, took his 1st kickoff return of the season 100 yards to the house to tie the game and earn MAC East special teams player of the week honors. Not needing to be told twice, NIU kicked away from Archer the rest of the game and went on to beat KSU 38-24 in a rematch of the 2012 MAC championship game. Archer also had 93 total yards from scrimmage and fell a bit short of making the dread stars list. So did KSU junior RB Trayion Durham, who had 72 yards rushing and 1 catch for 34 yards. For NIU sophomore LB Booker Mays had 6 tackles (2-4), sick senior DT Ken Bishop had 4 tackles (3-1), and junior DT Donovan Gordon finished with 2 tackles (2-0). The Huskies' offense was fueled by another big game by junior RB Cameron Stingily.
.

East Carolina took a big step forward in the CUSA East race, improving to 2-0 (4-1 overall) with a 24-17 road victory over MTSU. Senior RB Vintavious Cooper, a dread star last week, rushed for 25 yards on 6 carries and scored the 1st TD of the game but left the game late in the 1st quarter when a hard hit caused him to fumble and gave him a concussion. His injury meant more playing time for 3rd string RB Breon Allen, and the junior contributed 28 yards on 7 carries. Freshman WR Davon Grayson had 7 catches for 66 yards. Sick senior LB Derrell Johnson finished with 6 tackles (4-2), 2 of which were TFL. For MTSU senior WR Kyle Griswould had 6 catches for 40 yards, while sophomore WR Christian Collis (photo above) had 3 catches for 21 yards.

On the first play after the Blue Raiders turned the ball over on an INT with 5:10 to play a tackle by junior DT Patrick Neil forced a fumble; but ECU recovered the fumble and went on to keep the ball and run out the clock. McNeil (photo above) finished with 3 tackles (2-1), including 1 sack. Junior LB Christian Henry had 7 tackles (6-1). ECU held the ball for 12:48 time of possession in the 4th quarter and ended up running 98 plays to just 69 for MTSU.
.

Up next for ECU is a trip to Tulane ..... and how 'bout them Green Wave! I know, the good times probably won't last for long, but right now the Green Wave is 4-2, their latest victory coming when they kicked a last-second FG to defeat North Texas 24-21. Two non-offensive TD less than 2 minutes apart in the 3rd quarter had given Tulane a 21-7 lead. First, sophomore S Darion Monroe blocked a UNT FG attempt (photo above), resulting in a 62-yard scoop and score (not by him); and then sick senior DT Chris Davenport deflected a pass that was intercepted (not by him) and returned 59 yards. Monroe finished with 5 tackles (4-1) and 1 PBU; Davenport had 3 tackles (1-2), including a half TFL. The CUSA West seems to be up for grabs this season, so maybe the good times will last.
.
ELSEWHERE

Freshman WR Chris Black led Alabama receivers with 6 catches for 54 yards and scored his 2nd TD of the season as the Crimson Tide improved to 5-0 with an easy 45-3 home win over Georgia State ..... Sophomore DE Charles Tapper had 5 tackles (4-1), including 2 sacks; freshman CB Zack Sanchez had 4 PBU, and senior FB Trey Millard scored an 8-yard TD on his only touch of the game as Oklahoma improved to 5-0 with a 20-17 home win over TCU ..... Junior DE Markus Golden had 1.5 of Missouri's 7 sacks and finished with 6 tackles (3-3) as the Tigers improved to 5-0 with a 51-28 road win over Vanderbilt ..... Junior CB Bradley Roby blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone for TD (photo on left) and added 7 tackles (5-2) as Ohio State improved to 6-0 with a tough 40-30 win at Northwestern ..... Freshman LB Jaylon Smith had a team high 9 tackles (6-3), 1.5 TFL, 1 FF, and 1 PBU, and junior S Matthias Farley got his 2nd INT of the season for Notre Dame in a 37-34 win over Arizona State ..... 

Freshman LB T.J. Simmons had 7 tackles (3-4) and 2 PBU, and junior WR Isaiah Roundtree's only reception of the game went for a 5-yard TD as Indiana defeated Penn State for the first time ever (ending an 0-16 streak) 44-24 ..... Senior DE Jason Ankrah had 2 tackles (1-1), including 1 sack, and his 1st career INT for Nebraska in a 39-19 home win over Illinois ...... 

With Oregon having a big lead over Colorado, junior RB Ayele Forde (photo on right) was in the game long enough to get 9 carries for 82 yards, as the Ducks improved to 5-0 with a 57-16 road victory; junior WR D.D. Goodson had a 75-yard TD catch for CU ..... UCF junior S Clayton Geathers had a game high 12 tackles (12-0), 1 TFL, and 2 PBU, and the Knights scored TDs with 2:05 and 1:56 remaining in the game to steal a 24-17 road win at Memphis in their AAC opener ..... Sophomore LB Steven Daniels had 11 tackles (9-2), including 3 TFL, 2 of which were sacks, for Boston College in a 48-27 home win over Army .....

 Junior CB Cortney Lester had an INT for the 2nd straight week, and junior S Witney Sherry got his 1st career INT in a Buffalo uniform in a 42-14 home win over Eastern Michigan ...... Western Michigan sophomore CB Ronald Zamort had 3 tackles (3-0) and a career high 4 PBU, but the Broncos fell to 0-6, losing at Toledo 47-20 ..... And junior RB Tre Mason (photo on left) came very close to making the dread stars list, finishing with 77 yards rushing, 3 catches for 62 yards, and 1 TD for Auburn in a 30-22 home win over Mississippi; also nearly a dread star, senior WR Ja-mes Logan had 5 catches for 92 yards for Ole Miss.
.
IN THE FCS

I'll have my usual slew off odds and ends to report, but nothing major happened in the FCS in Week 6. The best game of the day took place at Fargo, where #1 ranked North Dakota State had TD drives of 68 and 76 yards in the 4th quarter to wipe out a 23-10 deficit and pick up a huge 24-23 win over #4 Northern Iowa. Senior RB Sam Ojuri narrowly missed the dread stars list, carrying 17 times for 96 yards and scoring the winning TD on a 19-yard run with 2:52 remaining. Junior DT Xavier Williams had 9 tackles (1-8), 1.5 TFL, and 1 PBU for UNI.
.
The game with the best dreads was played in northern Alabama, where Mississippi Valley State spoiled homecoming at Alabama A&M, defeating the Bulldogs 28-9. There were at least 4 serious candidates for my dread all-America team on the field, and more than two dozen players with dreads in all in uniform. Sophomore S Terrance Hudson, making an in-season position change from WR, earned SWAC defensive player of the week honors, getting interceptions on AAMU's first and last possessions of the game. He returned his 1st INT 24 yards (photo below) to the 11-yard line to set up a TD three plays later that upped Valley's lead to 12-0 less than 4 minutes after the opening kickoff. Sick senior WR Kenneth Dabney muffed a punt return, resulting in a safety that made the score 12-2 but later put points on the board for MVSU too with a 47-yard TD catch in the 4th quarter. Senior LB Brandon Powe had 9 tackles (6-3) for the Delta Devils; Hudson finished with 6 tackles (2-4); and star senior DT Robert Simpson had 2 tackles (2-0), 1 FR, and 1 PBU. Sick senior S Kevin Eugene played (according to the box score) but had no stats.  

Sophomore QB Brandon Wells (photo below) rescued the Bulldogs with a late TD drive last week; but still trying to play with a broken thumb, he was brutal this week, going 2 for 15 for 46 yards and 4 INT. The Bulldogs had 6 turnovers in all, to none by MVSU. Sophomore RB Brandon Eldemire rushed for 57 yards and the Bulldogs' only TD on 10 carries. Sick junior LB Robert Nelson finished with 5 tackles (2-3). Senior CB Lawrence Barnett had 2 tackles (1-1), including the only sack by the AAMU D. Senior LB Jeremy Isabelle had 2 tackles (1-1), and sick senior CB Tremaine Shepherd had 0 tackles. AAMU drops to 2-4 (2-2 in the SWAC), while Valley improved to 1-4. 

Senior LB Monte Gaddis had 9 tackles (6-3) for the Towson D, and the Towson O racked up a school record 731 total yards as the Tigers went on a 41-0 run after trailing 20-3 to improve to 6-0 with a 44-28 home victory over New Hampshire ..... Junior LB Joey Harmon had 12 tackles (8-4) as Villanova improved to 2-0 in the CAA with a 20-16 home win over William & Mary ..... Freshman RB Khalid Abdullah rushed for 87 yards and 1 TD for JMU in a 40-13 home win over Albany ..... Senior LB Bryan Presume had 10 tackles (5-5), 2 sacks, and 1 FR, and sick sophomore S D.J. Cameron had a game high 11 tackles (7-4) plus a huge PBU on 4th down with 1:12 remaining as Southern Illinois picked up a big 27-24 win at South Dakota State ..... Junior S Pierre Warren had a game high 9 tackles (2-7) and 3 PBU as Jacksonville State improved to 5-1 with a 41-27 road win over Tennessee-Martin .....   

..... Sophomore RB Isaiah Jones had 82 yards rushing on 6 carries and a 10-yard reception for his 1st TD of the season; and sick sophomore CB Sherrod Baltimore took a fumble return 20 yards to the house (photo above) for his 1st career TD in a Maine uniform as the Black Bears improved to 5-1 with a 62-28 home win over Delaware ..... Freshman RB Lamont Brown rushed for 88 yards on 12 carries, including a 24-yard TD; and junior LB Cody Acker returned his 1st INT of the season 19 yards to the house with 4:41 to play to ice Morgan State's 34-21 home win over FAMU; freshman CB Darren Parker scooped and scored on an 89-yard return of a blocked FG for FAMU to make it 3 TD by players with dreads in the game ..... Junior CB Collin Frazier got his 1st INT in a Norfolk State uniform in a 26-24 home win over Savannah State; freshman LB Marquis Smith had a game high 16 tackles (9-7) for SSU, who lost when they had a FG attempt blocked with :02 to play ..... Junior LB Ariane McCree had 13 tackles (8-5), including 1 sack, and 1 PBU as Jackson State improved to 4-0 in the SWAC with a 42-33 home win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff ..... Senior LB Leland Baker had a team high 8 tackles (5-3), including 4 TFL, as Alabama State improved to 4-1 in the SWAC, holding Texas Southern to 185 total yards in a 34-2 road victory ..... 

Sick senior CB Cantrell Andrews had 7 tackles (6-1) and took a fumble return 68 yards to the house for his 1st TD in a Southeast Missouri State uniform, but the Redhawks lost at Tennessee State 40-16 ..... Tennessee Tech sophomore RB Ladarius Vanlier barely missed the dread stars list, finishing with 97 yards rushing in a 35-24 loss at Murray State ..... Junior WR Kitaro Lewis had 3 catches for 76 yards, including a 44-yarder for his 3rd TD of the season for Morehead State in a 45-36 road win over Campbell ..... Junior LB Isiah Corbett had a game high 9 tackles (4-5), including 3 TFL and 1.5 sacks for Southeastern Louisiana in a 35-3 home win over Incarnate Word ..... And freshman RB Alan Barnwell (photo above) had 97 yards rushing on 18 carries, including a 56-yard TD with 2:19 remaining, and junior S Martay Mattox had 9 tackles (6-3) and an INT that ignited a 29-0 run in the 4th quarter as UNC-Charlotte knocked off Gardner-Webb in a wild one 53-51.  
.
FINALLY

Junior CB Terell Floyd had a team high 5 tackles (5-0) and got his 1st INT of the season; junior DE Lorenzo Mauldin got his 5th and 6th sacks of the season; and senior RB Senorise Perry (photo) rushed for 53 yards on 10 carries as Louisville improved to 5-0, opening AAC play with a 30-7 win at Temple. I also would have reported that WR Eli Rogers had 5 catches for 74 yards and 1 TD; but I won't because Rogers, who just started his dreads late last season, has already cut them off. I saw a video of him with dreads during training camp in mid-August; but I noticed they were gone a couple of weeks ago.
In DG148 I mentioned that I didn't know which players had lost their dreads since the end of last season; but I have a better idea now. In addition to the 5 players with Miami, there are 20 others I'm aware of at this time (hopefully there aren't any more than that). Here's the entire (unhappy) list of the ex-dreads:

Miami (F) DE Kelvin Cain                                          Cincinnati QB Munchie Legaux        
Maine S Jamal Clay                                                    Samford DT Jerry Mathis
Eastern Washington RB Quincy Forte                          LSU CB Jalen Mills
FAU QB/WR Melvin German                                     Florida State DE Giorgio Newberry
Syracuse RB Prince-Tyson Gulley                               ODU CB Reggie Owens
San Diego State LB Vaness Harris                              Louisiana- Lafayette WR Jamal Robinson (became
Miami (F) OT Seantrel Henderson                                      ex-dread less than 2 weeks ago)
Miami (F) WR Allen Hurns                                         JMU RB Dejor Simmons
Florida State G Tre' Jackson                                       Auburn S Ryan Smith
Florida State DT Timmy Jernigan                                New Hampshire CB Steven Thames
Nevada DE Lenny Jones                                             North Texas S Marcus Trice
Miami (F) DE Corey King                                           Miami (F) TE Clive Walford
Utah State CB Nevin Lawson                                     Georgia State WR Albert Wilson
.
.
DG

.

1. Sophomore WR Kelvin Benjamin of Florida State finds an opening between defenders and makes a 5-yard TD catch 28 seconds before halftime to increase Seminoles' lead to 21-0 over Maryland. Benjamin also had a 21-yard TD in 4th quarter and finished with 5 catches for 60 yards in a 63-0 blowout of the Terrapins.

.

2. FAU sophomore CB Cre'Von LeBlanc can't tackle junior RB Darrin Reaves but does successfully get him out of bounds at the FAU 21-yard line after a 20-yard reception on UAB's opening drive of the game at Birmingham. The Blazers scored a TD 3 plays later to take a 7-3 lead. Reaves came very close to making the dread stars list, finishing with 48 yards rushing and 5 catches for 82 yards. LeBlanc finished with 5 tackles (3-2). FAU picked up their 1st win ever in CUSA play, defating UAB 37-23.

.

3. WR Mekale McKay makes a 22-yard TD catch against the coverage of senior CB Brandon Salinas, cutting South Florida's lead over Cincinnati to 13-6 during 2nd quarter at Tampa. Salinas finished with 4 tackles (3-1) and 1 PBU, and (surprise!!) the Bulls picked up their 1st win of the season, defeating the Bearcats 26-20 in their AAC opener.

.

4. Southern Mississippi RB Kendrick Hardy is brought down (and not gently) by senior LB Derrick Jones and CB Randy Harvey after a 3-yard gain on a screen pass on 3rd and 5 midway through 2nd quarter at Hattiesburg. USM punted on the next play. Jones finished with 2 tackles (1-1) and got his 1st career INT for FIU. In an epic battle between two 0-4 teams, Southern Miss dropped their 17th in a row, as FIU blocked a FG attempt on the final play of the game to hold on for a 24-23 win.

.

5. Michigan State sophomore CB Trae Waynes drops Iowa RB Damon Bullock after a catch for a 5-yard gain midway through 2nd quarter at Iowa City. This was the first play of a 75-yard TD drive that cut MSU's lead to 10-7. Waynes finished with 6 tackles (4-2) as Spartans improved to 5-1 and spoiled homecoming at Iowa, defeating the Hawkeyes 26-14.

.

6. Arizona State junior TE De'Marieya Nelson leaves behind Notre Dame junior S Matthias Farley and takes a reception 21 yards to the house for his 2nd TD of the season, tying the game at 27 midway through 4th quarter at Arlingtion, TX. Nelson fumbled after his only other reception in the game, finishing with 2 catches for 23 yards. Farley had 1 tackle (1-0) and an INT as Notre Dame won 37-34. 

.

7. Sophomore CB Tiko Thompson of Gardner-Webb reaches out to tackle UNC-Charlotte freshman RB Kalif Phillips for no gain at midfield on 2nd and 10 during 3rd quarter at Charlotte. UNCC missed a FG 7 plays later, keeping the G-W lead at 45-24. Phillips finished with 75 yards and 1 TD rushing on 14 carries, while Thompson had 3 tackles (3-0). UNC-Charlotte roared back in 4th quarter, going on a 29-0 run to take an 8-point lead and then holding on to defeat G-W 53-51.   

.

8. Junior S Angel Lopez and CB Caleb Withrow of FCS newbie Abilene Christian try to keep Pittsburg State (D-2) RB Jeff Seybold out of the end zone at Pittsburg, KS. Seybold rushed for 115 yards and his 10th, 11th, and 12th TD of the season for Pitt State. Lopez finished with a game high 11 tackles (8-3). ACU fell to 3-3, while Pitt State remained undefeated at 5-0 with a 28-20 victory.

.

9. After getting away with a subtle shove to gain separation from LSU CB Tre'Davious White while making the catch, freshman WR De'Runnya Wilson breaks away from White after making the catch and takes it 59 yards to the house to give Mississippi State a 23-21 lead midway through 2nd quarter at Starkville .....

.

10. ..... and De'Runnya celebrates his 1st TD in a Mississippi State uniform with junior WR Jameon Lewis. Wilson finished with 2 catches for 80 yards, but Bulldogs were dominated in 2nd half and lost at home to LSU 59-26.

.

11. After breaking the plane and being knocked back, Clemson sophomore RB Zac Brooks takes it back into the end zone just to be sure, as FB Darrell Smith (#40) and senior S Jeremi Wilkes look on during 1st quarter at Syracuse. The 1-yard TD on 1st and goal gave Tigers a 14-0 lead on their way to a 49-14 victory. 

.

12. Another week, another TD catch for Bradley Marquez? Not this time, as Marquez, the Texas Tech junior WR can't make the 5-yard TD catch on 2nd and goal as Kansas CB Dexter McDonald picks up the PI penalty during 2nd quarter at Lawrence. Marquez was held without a TD for the first time this season, finishing with 2 catches for 23 yards; but Red Raiders remained undefeated at 5-0 with a 54-16 rout of Kansas. 

.

13. Junior CB Adrian Lee of California makes sure he doesn't get beat deep, knocking away a would-be 27-yard TD pass intended for WR Gabe Marks on first play of 4th quarter at Berkeley. Washington State settled for a FG three plays later. Lee had 3 tackles (2-1) along with this PBU, but Bears lost to WSU 44-22. 

.

14. Not everything goes right for the Oregon offense. Here a deep pass intended for junior WR Eric Dungy is intercepted by Colorado CB Greg Henderson on 3rd and 3 late in 3rd quarter at Boulder. Dungy, who only plays when the Ducks are way ahead, had no receptions in the game, but Ducks cruised to a 57-16 road win.

.

15. Fresno State LB Ejiro Ederaine resorts to the legal but unethical method of tackling a RB with sick dreads but can't prevent Idaho senior RB James Baker from gaining 3 yards on 4th and 1 late in 1st quarter at Moscow. Baker got his dreads pulled on for nothing, as Vandals fumbled the ball away on the next snap. Baker finished with 52 yards rushing on 16 carries and had a garbage-time 15-yard TD catch. Idaho trailed 47-0 at halftime on their home field and ended up losing 61-14. 
.
.
DREAD STARS

• Jonathan Wallace - FAU - 117 yards and 1 TD rushing on 17 carries, and 2 catches for 14 yards in 37-23 road W over UAB
• Travis Greene - Bowling Green - 22 carries for season high 160 yards rushing in 28-7 home W over Massachusetts

• Breshad Perriman - UCF - 7 receptions for 107 yards in 24-17 road W over Memphis
• Sammy Watkins - Clemson - 4 receptions for 126 yards, including 91-yard TD, in 49-14 road W over Syracuse

•  Paul Perkins - UCLA - 92 yards rushing on 16 carries, and 2 receptions for 49 yards in 34-27 road W over Utah
• Kevin White - West Virginia - 7 receptions for 130 yards and 2 TD in 73-42 road L to Baylor
• Jameon Lewis - Mississippi State - 7 receptions for 111 yards and 1 TD in 59-26 home L to LSU

•  Tommy Gooden - Jackson State - 20 carries for 214 yards and 4 TD rushing in 42-33 home W over Arkansas-Pine Bluff
• Rolandan Finch - Norfolk State - 134 yards and 1 TD rushing on 23 carries in 26-24 home W over Savannah State
• Maikhail Miller - Murray State - 31 for 42 for 306 yards with 2 INT and 2 TD, and 44 yards rushing on 12 carries in 35-24 home W over Tennessee Tech
• Josh Manning - Murray State - named OVC defensive player of the week - 1 tackle (1-0), 1 INT, and 1 FR which he returned for 22-yard TD as Racers improve to 4-2
• Tray Butler - Georgia Southern - 3 receptions for 105 yards and 2 TD in 44-34 road L to Samford

.
HOUSE OF DREAD

Guess what? It's a 3-way tie again. There were three games in which there were 4 TD by players with dreads in Week 6. So the HOD award goes to the end zones at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Dix Stadium in Kent, OH, and Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco.
At Jackson, senior RB Tommy Gooden and his beginner dreads were a one-man house of dread, scoring on runs of 17, 43, 6, and 30 yards for Jackson State in a 42-33 victory over UAPB. In Northern Illinois' 38-24 win at Kent State, sensational senior RB Dri Archer scored on a 100-yard kickoff return and 66-yard reception for Kent State; while junior RB Cameron Stingily had TD runs of 17 and 1 yard for NIU. And there were 4 receiving TD in Baylor's 73-42 blowout of West Virginia. Sophomore WR Ronald Carswell had a 43-yard TD catch (photo above) for WVU; junior WR Kevin White scored on receptions of 1 and 39 yards for WVU; and senior WR Tevin Reese had a highlight reel 47-yard TD catch for Baylor. 
.

HEAD DREAD

I guess you can call Akeem Daniels the Wally Pipp of college football this season. Daniels, a senior RB, was supposed to be the starting RB for Northern Illinois this season but instead has been sidelined by a foot injury that refuses to heal. He'll probably end up redshirting this season. But at this point, even if he does return to health before the end of the season, it's hard to imagine him reclaiming his spot in the starting lineup. That spot is now occupied by junior RB Cameron Stingily. The huge game I referred to earlier was huge enough to earn the former LB this week's player of the week award.
Celebrating his 22nd birthday in style, Stingily earned MAC West offensive player of the week honors after carrying 37 times (with no fumbles despite rainy conditions) for 266 yards and 2 TD as the Huskies improved to 5-0 with a 38-24 road win over Kent State. Stingily capped NIU's 69-yard opening drive with a 17-yard TD run then scored from 1 yard out to break a 14-14 tie late in the 2nd quarter. And he carried 13 times in the 4th quarter, helping the Huskies break open what was a close game at 28-24.
And to think all of Cameron's new found success almost did not happen. Stingily, a 6-1, 244-pounder from suburban Chicago, admits that he wanted to quit football while spending two seasons on the scout team. Fast forward two years and now he's on pace to becoming a 1,000-yard rusher. Wow. If you want, the link below is to a recent article from the Rockford Register Star that tells more of the Cameron Stingily story.

http://www.rrstar.com/x882694067/College-Football-NIU-s-Cameron-Stingily-punishes-would-be-tacklers
.
NEXT  

There's a lot of good games for Week 7 - unfortunately a lot of them are on at the same time. I'm hoping to see at least a little bit of Florida-LSU, Baylor AT Kansas State, Troy-Georgia State, Marshall-FAU, Texas A&M-Mississippi, Boston College-Clemson, and Bowling Green-Mississippi State.