College FB '14 Dread News - Week 2

As you may remember, the 2013 season ended with a TD catch by WR Kelvin Benjamin to give Florida State a BCS title game victory over Auburn. The same Kelvin Benjamin scored his 1st NFL TD last Sunday, helping the Carolina Panthers pick up a road victory over the offensively challenged Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On the same field 24 hours earlier Tampa Bay's offensively challenged college team - the South Florida Bulls - put on their typical display of futility, costing them their chance to get off to a 2-0 start. While pretty much ignoring the marquee matchups involving Big 10 teams Ohio State, Michigan State, and Michigan, the game I spent the most time watching last Saturday had Big 10 newbie Maryland doing almost everything possible to give away the game to South Florida - and the Bulls absolutely refusing to accept the gift. Despite turning the ball over 6 times, the Terrapins escaped with a 24-17 victory that no doubt had fans of both teams cringing throughout the afternoon.

USF wasn't offensively challenged in their opening game of 2014. But their 485 total yards came against Western Carolina, a lousy FCS team. Maryland figured to be a much fairer test to see if the Bulls' offense truly has improved since last season, when they scored a measly 11 offensive TD all year. Unfortunately for USF fans, the Bulls' offense looked all too familiar against the Terrapins, managing only 257 yards and 1 offensive TD. Obviously it didn't help that the Bulls lost starting QB Mike White due to injury on the first play from scrimmage; but his backup, Steven Bench, is supposed to be more competent than he was last season, so it was disappointing to see the offense struggle so badly. The Bulls had a 76-yard drive in 11 plays to tie the game at 14 in the 2nd quarter and later had a 13-play, 57-yard drive that ended with a FG to make it 17-14 at halftime. But throughout the 2nd half you got the feeling that if Maryland ever took the lead, the game would be over. The Bulls made only 3 first downs in the 2nd half, none on their three possessions after the Terrapins scored and took the lead on a blocked punt with 12:25 remaining in the game. You don't win very often when you have a minus 5 turnover margin; but the Terrapins pulled it off, and they have the ineptitude of their opponent to thank for it.

The Bulls certainly aren't inept when it comes to dreads, however. That's why if you don't have them on your list of must-see teams, you need to include them. Yes, it was disappointing to see that RB Darius Tice no longer has the long dreads he had last season; and yes, there were too many players with reduced dreads (hopefully that will get better as the season moves along). But with at least 15 players with dreads on the roster, it would be hard to find a better-looking sideline anywhere else in Division 1.

Five of those 15 started on defense last Saturday, and that includes senior Chris Dunkley, now playing CB after being a WR prior to this season. Dunkley arguably had the best dreads on the team last season; but if he's going to keep them reduced like the way he did last Saturday (bottom photo above, as he chases WR Deon Long) for the rest of the season, it'll be seriously disappointing. Dunkley should still get plenty of chances to carry the ball, as he remains the Bulls' first-choice kick returner. He had 4 kickoff returns for 81 yards along with 4 tackles (4-0). Sick junior S Jamie Byrd, an early contender for this season's dread all-America team, had 6 tackles (6-0) and 1 FF. Sophomore CB Johnny Ward had 3 tackles (2-1), 1 FR, and 1 INT (top photo above). Senior DT Todd Chandler contributed 5 tackles (2-3) and 1 FR. And sophomore LB Nigel Harris finished with a game high 9 tackles (8-1), including 1 sack, and had 2 FF and 1 FR. On offense, senior WR Deonte Welch (photo below) had 4 catches for 43 yards.

Maryland has very few players with dreads, but two of those few were heard from loud and clear, as they were responsible for all three of the Terps' TD. Junior WR Marcus Leak (also going with his dreads reduced) had TD receptions of 10 yards and 44 yards (photo below) to give Maryland leads of 7-0 and 14-7 in the 1st quarter. And although sophomore RB Kenneth Goins had only 1 rush for 4 yards and 1 catch for 17 yards, he made a big play on special teams, as he pushed the blocker protecting the punter back close enough to the punter to cause the kick to be blocked, resulting in a scoop and score that put Maryland ahead to stay. 

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Due partly to injuries and partly to his own fault, sick WR Jarvis West has not played up to his potential during his career at Iowa State. But he still has one more season to go; and if what happened at Ames last Saturday is any indication, the 5-foot-7, 170-pound redshirt senior is planning to go out with a bang. I always seem to not be watching when West has shown flashes of brilliance - most notably his 3-touchdown game against Baylor in 2012 - and unfortunately I also missed the 1st half of the Cyclones' game against Kansas State. But as brilliant a flash as it was, there were also a couple of bad plays in the 4th quarter that bothered me enough to exclude him from this week's dread stars list.

With ISU trailing 13-0, West got the Cyclones on the board with a 17-yard TD catch (photo above) with :13 to play in the 1st quarter. And he was back in the house again less than 3 minutes later, scoring on an 82-yard punt return to give ISU the lead. The return earned West Big 12 special teams player of the week honors. Junior RB DeVondrick Nealy temporarily interrupted the Jarvis West Show later in the 2nd quarter with a 2-yard TD dive to make it 21-13 (photo below). Nealy finished with 38 yards rushing on 10 carries. West was back at it again on ISU's next possession, taking a handoff on a reverse and then throwing (almost overthrowing) a 29-yard TD pass to make it 28-13 and make him one of the few players ever with a TD pass, a TD catch, and a punt return TD in the same game. But that wasn't enough to get him on the dread stars list, because .....

With the Cyclones looking to increase a 28-20 lead in the 4th, West appeared to have made the catch near midfield that would have converted a 3rd and 3 but instead had the ball stolen from him by CB Randall Evans for an INT - a turnover that changed the momentum of the game. The caption with the DesMoines Register photos (below) made it a point to mention that West had possession with his knee on the ground; but the interception stood, and the Wildcats cashed it in with a 54-yard drive to pull within 28-26.

K-State finally regained the lead on a TD with 1:30 to play but left enough time for the Cyclones to answer. Senior TE E.J. Bibbs, who finished with 4 catches for 31 yards, had receptions of 18 and 5 yards to help ISU drive to the K-State 39. But on 3rd and 5 West could not making a leaping catch over the middle that would have picked up the first down. It was a tough catch but not that tough, and at that point of the game it's a play you have to make. ISU's hopes died with a sack on the next play. West finished the afternoon with 75 yards receiving on a career high 8 catches along with 178 all-purpose yards. Ready or not, Jarvis is now the #1 receiving option for the Cyclones. Let's hope he's going to be up to the task. If you like, click on the link below for more on West from the Ames Tribune (but don't bother with that video - all it is basically is one big ad).
http://amestrib.com/sports/football-why-salad-and-better-nutrition-are-helping-west-make-bigger-impact-isu 
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In my bowl wrap-up report last season I mentioned that several WR spots on my all-America with dreads team were going to be up for grabs this season. And stepping up to grab them might very well be some players whose dreads are too short to be seen when their helmets are on. Three players, specifically, who are debuting their dreads this season figure to be in contention for the team. Texas A&M senior Malcome Kennedy made his 1st TD catch of the season in the Aggies' slaughter of Lamar this week after making the dread stars list in a Week 1 road win over South Carolina. It might be a little harder for Tennessee junior Pig Howard (photo on right) to make the team because the Volunteers have several other talented receivers; but Howard, a slot receiver, has 9 catches for 67 yards in the first two games and has scored a rushing TD. And with QB Everett Golson back on the field (after missing 2013 due to academic issues) that's good news for all of Notre Dame's WRs. And that includes sophomore Will Fuller, whose 9 catches for 89 yards, including a 24-yard TD, in a victory over Michigan left him a bit short of making this week's dread stars list. 
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Nothing against Kennedy, Howard, and Fuller - I always have room in the house for new members - but I need some sick dreads on the team too. One player in particular who I was hoping would contend for the team is off to a strong start.Senior WR Kevin White, who has dreads nobody has any trouble seeing (photo on left), scored West Virginia's 1st TD of the season on a 19-yard reception in the opener against Alabama; and although he failed to score this week - Coach Holgorsen teased him after he was tackled inside the 10-yard line on three of his receptions - he did just enough to make the dread stars list for the 2nd straight week in the Mountaineers' easy win over Towson. I figured White, who had 35 catches for 507 yards and 5 TD last season, might be breaking out this season because he was one of the players invited to the Big 12's preseason media days. Hopefully by the end of the season he'll get the nod on my all-America with dreads team as well as be a repeat selection on the dread all-America team.
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As was mentioned in Part 2 of last season's bowl review, the race for WR spots on the all-America with dreads team became more wide open than expected because star players Rannell Hall of UCF and Jameon Lewis of Mississippi State cut off their dreads shortly after the end of the season. Since then I have added 13 more names to the ex-dread list, and very likely there will be more to come. I'll do the whole list later in the season, but I'll mention right now that it was particularly painful to have added the names of WR William Dukes and TE Alex DeLeon of FAU; DT Montravius Adams of Auburn, who probably will be in the NFL in a couple of years; and CB James Davis of Northern Colorado, who will not be making another appearance on the dread all-America team after cutting off his awesome dreads.  
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FIRSTS
With all four of their players with dreads being seniors last season, I was concerned that Baylor might not have any players with dreads this this season. So I'm happy to report the Bears have at least two on the 2014 roster, and one of them scored his 1st career TD last Saturday. Dressed in the #16 jersey formerly worn by star WR Tevin Reese, freshman WR Davion Hall had 4 catches for 78 yards, including a 57-yard TD, in Baylor's 70-6 blowout of Northwestern State ..... With beginner dreads a little bit longer than the baby dreads of Malcome Kennedy, redshirt freshman RB James White scored his first 2 TD in a Texas A&M uniform, finishing with 62 yards rushing on 11 carries in a 73-3 win over Lamar ..... Making his debut for LSU, freshman RB Darrel Williams (photo on right) rushed for 65 yards and his 1st career TD in a 56-0 win over Sam Houston State ..... Freshman RB Brandon Powell scored a 12-yard TD run in his first game for Florida as the Gators whipped Eastern Michigan 65-0 ..... And highly touted freshman RB Dalvin Cook scored his 1st TD for Florida State and led the Seminoles in rushing with 67 yards in a 37-12 victory over The Citadel.
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ELSEWHERE  

Freshman RB Marshawn Williams didn't do much on his other 10 carries but scored a 14-yard TD on a carry in the 2nd quarter (photo on left) to help Virginia Tech pick up a nice road win over Ohio State 35-21 ..... Sophomore LB Jaylon Smith had 10 tackles (5-5), including 1 TFL, for Notre Dame in a 31-0 home win over Michigan - the first time in 30 years that the Wolverines have been shut out ..... Debuting his dreads this season, sophomore DE Greg McMullen had 9 tackles (6-3), 2 TFL, and 1 sack for Nebraska in a too-close-for-comfort 31-24 home win over McNeese State ...... Sophomore LB Jack Lynn had 10 tackles (6-4), including 1 TFL, for Minnesota in a 35-24 home win over MTSU ..... Making the position switch to CB after three seasons as a WR, senior Trovon Reed got his 1st INT for Auburn in a 59-13 home win over San Jose State ..... Senior CB Steven Nelson had 8 tackles (5-3), 2 PBU, and 1 INT as Oregon State won at Hawaii 38-30 ..... Sophomore DE Daeshon Hall led Texas A&M with 7 tackles (3-4), including 2 TFL and 1 sack, as the Aggies improved to 2-0, spanking Lamar 73-3 ..... 

senior LB A.J. Johnson had 9 tackles (7-2) and 1 PBU, sophomore LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin had 6 tackles (2-4), 2 TFL, and 1 sack, and junior WR Von Pearson had 4 catches for 71 yards before unfortunately exiting with an ankle injury (photo on right) as Tennessee improved to 2-0 with a 34-19 victory over Arkansas State ..... UCLA junior RB Paul Perkins almost made the dread stars list, finishing with 98 yards and 2 TD rushing on 23 carries in a 42-35 home win over Memphis ..... Sophomore TE Jay Jay McCullough had 3 catches for 61 yards, including a 34-yarder for his 1st career TD, as Clemson annihilated South Carolina State 73-7, the Tigers' largest margin of victory in 57 years; Clemson held a 'slight' edge in total yards 735-44 ..... And freshman CB Parry Nickerson got his 2nd INT of the season already for Tulane; but the Green Wave, opening their new stadium after playing their home games in the Superdome for 39 years, suffered a sweltering 38-21 loss to Georgia Tech. Yo Tulane, for the fans sake, take a page out of LSU's book and please schedule all night games from now on.
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IN THE FCS

Other than games where FCS teams took on FBS teams, I didn't get to any of the recaps of FCS games yet (and that's likely to continue to be the case for a couple more weeks until I get back into the swing of things); but there are a couple of things I wanted to mention.

Led by the dynamic duo of freshman RBs Kalif Phillips and Alan Barnwell, UNC-Charlotte had 18 TD scored by players with dreads in their inaugural season in 2013, third highest of all FCS teams. But with Barnwell being dismissed from the team back in May, Phillips, who had 13 TD last season, needed a new sidekick to assure the 49ers would make another appearance on the house calls list at the end of the season. And it looks like he has found one. Freshman RB Maetron Thomas scored on a 60-yard run, while Phillips (photo on left) had 62 total yards and 3 TD in a 56-0 win over Johnson C. Smith. It's the 2nd week in a row the new dynamic duo have combined for 4 TD. If this keeps up, UNCC of course won't just make my house calls list, they'll be at the top of it.
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Speaking of 4 touchdowns, junior WR Janawski Davis of Murray State did that in Week 1, but that was against Union, an NAIA school. Davis scored 'only' 2 TD this week, but it was a much more impressive 2nd straight appearance on the dread stars list because he did it against Louisville. The 5-foot-7, 164-pounder (photo below) took receptions 57 and 9 yards to the house in the Racers' 66-21 loss to the Cardinals. In two weeks Davis has already far surpassed the total of 2 TD he scored in his first two seasons combined; and in the team's pass-happy offense, hopefully there will be many more TD to come in the weeks ahead.

Senior WR Julian Burton of Missouri State nearly made the dread stars list - and would have made it had he not dropped a deep pass that would have been a 45-yard TD in the 1st quarter - finishing with 6 catches for 86 yards and 2 TD in a 40-23 road loss to Oklahoma State ..... Junior S Donnell Lewis, sporting beginner dreads according to the photo on the Towson website, had a busy night, finishing with 15 tackles (13-2), including 4 tackles of Kevin White, in the Tigers' 54-0 loss at West Virginia ..... And junior S Naim Cheeseboro had a team-leading 7 tackles (4-3) and scored a TD on a FR in the end zone, but Stony Brook lost a tough one at Connecticut 19-16.
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You may find this hard to believe, but this really happened (you can look it up). Having just finished posting DG154 back on Aug. 23, I checked to see if the ESPN special FCS opener between Sam Houston State and Eastern Washington was still on after nearly four hours. It still was, with EWU leading 56-35 in the final half minute. And as it turned out, I tuned in just in time, because the final three plays of the game were really all I needed to see. Sophomore RB Jalen Overstreet, the transfer from Texas, had a 15-yard reception on his only touch of of the game for SHSU. Next play, sick junior RB Donavan Williams caught a pass for a gain of 8. And then on the next play a pass into the end zone was intercepted by senior S Isaiah Jenkins, who might be the only player with dreads on the EWU roster (and sick dreads at that). Talk about good timing. 
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FINALLY

I hope Altee Tenpenny was watching .....
Tenpenny, you may recall, is the RB for Alabama whom I recommended should transfer to another school to get more playing time (in my bowl 2013 bowl wrap-up). And if he was watching on Friday night in Week 1, he found out why. Colorado State defeated Colorado 31-17 on Aug. 29, and playing a major role in the Rams' victory was none other than the other RB I was hoping would transfer from Alabama, Dee Hart. After carrying the ball a total of 43 times (plus 2 receptions) in his 4 years with the Crimson Tide, Hart began his redshirt senior season with 22 carries in his first game in a Colorado State uniform and made his first appearance on the dread stars list, rushing for 139 yards and 2 TD. And how nice it was also to actually be able to see his dreads - which ain't happening at Alabama as long as King, I mean Coach, Saban is there.
Things didn't go nearly as well for Dee against Boise State this week (10 carries for 16 yards); but at least he's finally getting a chance to play, something that Tenpenny should keep in mind as he sits on the bench for a 2nd straight season with the Tide. Altee had no carries in the season opener against West Virginia and only 2 against FAU this week, as the last 7:53 of the game was rained out, washing away one of the few chances for him to play this season. After this season, please Altee, you need to transfer. You're too good a player to be sitting on the bench.   
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DG

1. Making his first career appearance as a RB, Washington LB Shaq Thompson takes it 57 yards to the house, giving the Huskies a 21-0 lead over Eastern Washington midway through 1st quarter at Seattle. Thompson gained all 66 yards on the drive, picking up 9 yards on his first two carries before breaking loose on 3rd and 1. Those were his only carries of the day, as he was needed much more on defense. Shaq finished with 15 tackles (10-5), including 1 sack, on an unsuccessful day for the Huskies' D. EWU, the #2 ranked team in the FCS, racked up 573 total yards and scored 7 TD, but Washington scored even more and won it 59-52.

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2. Junior RB Jay Ajayi of Boise State is upended by S Kevin Pierre-Louis after a 13-yard reception to the Colorado State 26-yard line during 1st quarter at Boise. Ajayi finished the Broncos' 75-yard opening drive with a TD 3 plays later, the start of a very big night for him as Boise State picked up the 1st victory in the Coach Harsin era, 37-24.

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3. Sick junior LB De'Vondre Campbell of Minnesota puts the clamps on MTSU WR Ed'Marques Batties, holding him to a 2-yard gain after a reception on 1st and 10 late in 1st quarter at Minneapolis. The drive ended with an INT four plays later. Campbell had 7 tackles (6-1) as the Gophers defeated the Blue Raiders 35-24.

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4. On 3rd and goal from the 7-yard line in the final minute before halftime, Western Kentucky sick senior LB Terran Williams hits Illinois WR Geronimo Allison at the 1-yard line and forces him to fumble. Unfortunately for Williams, the ball was recovered by WR Mike Dudek in the end zone for a TD, a huge play that cut WKU's lead to 17-14. Williams finished the afternoon with 8 tackles (6-2) and 1 PBU in addition to the FF.

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5. On the first play after Illinois took the lead with a TD during 3rd quarter, senior S Earnest Thomas drops RB Leon Allen for a 4-yard loss at the WKU 21-yard line. The Hilltoppers punted 3 plays later. Thomas finished with 6 tackles (2-4). The TD, which put the Illini in front 21-17 .....

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6. ..... was scored by Illinois' other #9 with dreads, senior WR Martize Barr, making an 8-yard reception in front of S Ricardo Singh, who was giving away too much cushion on 3rd and goal and couldn't arrive in time to prevent the TD. It was the 2nd TD catch of the season for Barr, who finished the afternoon with 4 catches for 44 yards. Illinois improved to 2-0, defeating Western Kentucky 42-34.

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7. Sick junior RB Matt Jones of Florida, healthy again after missing most of last season with a knee injury, is tackled by Eastern Michigan CB Jason Beck at the 16-yard line after a 5-yard gain on a screen pass on 2nd and 10 on the Gators' first offensive possession of the season. The Gators settled for a FG two plays later, but there were plenty of touchdowns from then on, including two by Jones. Matt finished with 65 yards rushing on 8 carries as Florida won easily 65-0. 

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8. WR Rashad Ponder uses a legal stiff-arm to the face of Virginia senior S Anthony Harris in a duel of crazy 8's at Charlottesville. Harris finished the afternoon with 6 tackles (3-3) and junior CB Maurice Canady (#26, watching the play) had 5 tackles (3-2) and 2 PBU. Virginia got their 1st win of the season, whipping Richmond 45-13.

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9. Every little bit helps, and maybe this desperation grab of the jersey by sick senior LB Travis Taylor of Murray State was just enough to help S Shawn Samuels-Connell get Louisville RB Dominique Brown stopped just short of the end zone for a gain of 4 on 1st and goal on the first play of 2nd quarter. Louisville got the TD on the next play, upping their lead to 28-7. Taylor finished with a game high 12 tackles (7-5), including 2 TFL and 1 sack in the Racers' 66-21 defeat.  

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10. Sick senior CB Justin Elias of Southeast Missouri State can't stop Kansas WR Nick Harwell in the open field at the 5-yard line on 3rd and goal, and Harwell takes it in for a 10-yard TD reception, upping the Jayhawks' lead to 24-0 late in 1st quarter. Elias finished with 0 tackles in the game. SEMO roared back in 4th quarter to make it close, but KU held on to win 34-28.  

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DREAD STARS (The list is incomplete. I will update it in a report sometime later in the season)

• Alex Collins - Arkansas - 131 yards and 3 TD rushing on 13 carries in 73-7 home W over Nicholls State

• Travis Greene - Bowling Green - 18 carries for 129 yards and 2 TD rushing, and 2 receptions for 8 yards, in 48-7 home win over VMI
• Kevin White - West Virginia - 10 receptions for 101 yards in 54-0 home W over Towson

• Geremy Davis - Connecticut - 6 receptions for 113 yards, including 30-yard TD, in 19-16 home W over Stony Brook
• Deontay Greenberry - Houston - 5 receptions for 110 yards in 47-0 home W over Grambling
• Bradley Marquez - Texas Tech - had only 3 receptions for 33 yards, but all 3 were for TD, including a 9-yarder for the game-winning TD with 2:32 remaining in 30-26 road W over UTEP ..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sACjXLR90Hk 

• Krysten Hammon - Georgia State - 123 yards and 2 TD rushing on 25 carries, and 3 receptions for 20 yards in 34-31 home L to New Mexico State
• Kareem Hunt - Toledo - 148 yards rushing and 3 TD on 15 carries, and 3 receptions for 12 yards in 49-24 home L to Missouri
• Malcom Brown - Texas - career high 10 tackles (5-5), 4 TFL, 2.5 sacks, and 1 FF in 41-7 home L to BYU
• Janawski Davis - Murray State - 5 receptions for 100 yards and 2 TD in 66-21 road L to Louisville

HOUSE OF DREAD

The end zone where the most TD by players with dreads were scored in Week 2 was at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, AR, where there were 5 in Arkansas' 73-7 blowout of Nicholls State. Sophomore RB and dread star Alex Collins scored on runs of 33, 2, and 13 yards. And junior WR Keon Hatcher had the other two, taking a reverse 82 yards to the house (photo) on the first play from scrimmage and later scoring on a 50-yard reception.
In Week 1 there was a 3-way tie for the HOD award, with 4 TD being scored in the end zones at Stewart Stadium in Murray, KY; Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek, NC; and Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA. At Barker-Lane, home of the Campbell Camels, UNC-Charlotte defeated the home team 33-9, thanks to TD runs of 1, 1, and 10 yards by sophomore RB Kalif Phillips and a 40-yard score by freshman RB Maetron Thomas. In Murray State's season opening 73-26 rout of Union, junior WR Janawski Davis scored on receptions of 12, 28, and 11 yards as well as a 62-yard punt return. And, of course, at Georgia all 4 TD were scored by the Week 1 player of the week .....    
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HEAD DREAD

Now that's the way to begin a Heisman campaign! I didn't have time to go through any recaps of games from Week 1, but I didn't need to to figure out who our first head dread of 2014 is. No matter what anybody else did matters not because it wouldn't be enough to change my decision: the player of the week is Georgia junior RB Todd Gurley. In the Bulldogs' 45-21 home victory over Clemson Gurley rushed for a career high 198 yards and 3 TD on only 15 carries and took a kickoff return 100+ yards to the house, finishing the evening with a new Georgia record 293 all-purpose yards.

After scoring the Bulldogs' 1st TD of the season on a 23-yard run midway through the 1st quarter, the 6-foot-1, 225-pounder showed off his blazing speed as he returned a kickoff for a TD for the second time in his career. The return, which tied the game at 21 in the 2nd quarter, was a thing of beauty for UGA fans - and a piece of cake for Gurley. He was already heading forward before anyone covering the kickoff for Clemson reached the 20-yard line. Taking it right up the middle, Todd took advantage of some good blocking, quickly broke into the clear and was not caught from behind. Later, with the Clemson defense near exhaustion in the 4th quarter, Gurley scored his final 2 TD on his last 2 carries of the game, a 19-yard run to make the score 31-21 with 10:26 remaining and a 51-yarder to finish the scoring with 7:34 to play. Gurley's performance earned him SEC co-offensive player of the week honors. Here's more from UGA's student newspaper, the Red and Black: http://www.redandblack.com/sports/football/the-heisman-campaign-begins-for-todd-gurley/article_28e58bb2-30ca-11e4-b414-0017a43b2370.html

Not conceding anything to Todd Gurley, Boise State junior RB Jay Ajayi is hoping there's room for two running backs with dreads at the Heisman ceremony. That's where Ajayi, the 6-0, 215-pounder with the colorful dreads is going to be come December if he has more performances like the one he had last Saturday. Ajayi is the head dread for Week 2, earning MWC offensive player of the week honors as well after racking up a new Boise State record 280 total yards in a 37-24 home win over Colorado State. 

Ajayi scored all 3 of his TD and rushed for 121 yards in the 1st half alone, scoring on runs of 8 and 14 yards as well as a 21-yard reception as the Broncos built a 30-10 halftime lead. Ajayi finished with 219 yards rushing on 33 carries and caught 4 passes for 61 yards. The 37 touches - to go along with the 32 touches he had in Week 1 - have Jay on pace for a whole lot of yards this season. And apparently he better be ready to handle the heavy workload, because Coach Harsin is planning on giving his best player the ball as many times as possible. According to the article from the Idaho Statesman (link below), through 2 games Ajayi is on pace to set the NCAA record for total yards in a season. It's a pace that I don't believe for a minute he'll be able to maintain; but nevertheless if he can remain healthy, he's going to have a very special season.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/09/12/3371533_boise-state-footballs-jay-ajayi.html?sp=/99/104/125/124/&rh=1
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NEXT

As you can see, I'm off to a slow start this season (no report in Week 1 and late report in Week 2). I'm still aiming to get my reports posted on Saturday mornings - before the next week's action begins instead of after. This early in the season I'm still going through the process of making sure who does and who doesn't have dreads on every team. Once I figure that out I should be able to get the reports done on time.