College FB '14 Dread News - Week 3

It wasn't that long ago (was it?) that a star HS wide receiver who wanted to play in college for a team in Florida instead ended up wearing the green and white of the Marshall Thundering Herd. Two years and 55 TD later (including at least 1 TD in every game he played), Randy Moss left Marshall following his sophomore season and began a career in the NFL that certainly will result in him being elected to the Hall of Fame. Some of the Marshall fans in attendance as the Herd whipped Ohio U 44-14 on Sept. 13 this year might have been thinking about Moss and thinking that history was about to repeat itself after enjoying the breakout performance by another WR who wasn't originally slated to suit up for the Herd.

Let's get one thing straight: I'm not saying that freshman WR Angelo Jean-Louis is or will ever be anywhere near as good as Moss, who arguably was the most talented WR to ever play. But after the first three games of this season, it's not that much of a reach to say he has a chance to enjoy the same team success during his stay at Marshall as Moss did.
Jean-Louis, listed at 6-foot-0 and 176 pounds, debuted with a 39-yard reception in a season-opening win over Miami (Ohio) and scored his 1st career TD in Week 2 against Rhode Island before bursting onto the scene against Ohio, making his first appearance on the dread stars list. The bulk of AJL's yardage came on two big plays - a 61-yard reception that converted a 3rd and 30 in the 2nd quarter on a drive that ended with a FG and then a 77-yard catch and run for his 2nd TD of the season to up the Herd's lead to 41-0 in the 3rd.

The same as with Moss, who also was denied admission to Notre Dame prior to being dismissed from Florida State after redshirting during his freshman year in 1995, playing for Marshall was the last thing Jean-Louis was thinking of while he was a 4-star recruit and Under Armour All-American at Palm Beach Central HS in Wellington. FL (about an hour north of Miami). He had his sights set on playing for the Miami Hurricanes, signing his letter of intent in February 2012, until academic woes forced him to detour to a prep school and then to Marshall, where he redshirted during the 2013 season. As you can tell (if you look closely) from the photos (above and below) the second edition of Jean-Louis' dreads (he cut off the first edition, I think, after his junior year in HS) are just starting to peek outside his helmet; but if he's planning to let them grow long this time, they'll be more easily seen by next season. You can also get a brief look at his dreads on the two links below (in the first one, from TV station WCHS, the reporter actually says his name in the correct, French pronunciation), both of which include the highlight of his 77-yard TD.

http://www.wchstv.com/sports/features/eyewitness-sports/stories/Marshall-Reclaims-The-Bell-38542.shtml#.VCFOuhZhuSq ..... (be patient and give it a few seconds to load)

http://wvmetronews.com/2014/09/15/herd-rewind-marshall-blows-out-bobcats-44-14/

Another similarity Jean-Louis has with Moss - unfortunately - is that he is no stranger to the inside of a jail cell (story on link below). Hopefully though, his fling with a stolen credit card will be forgotten, as I presume he has already successfully completed the 6-month pretrial diversion program he was sentenced to (along with 500 hours of community service), which would allow the charges to be dropped.

http://highschoolbuzz.blog.pbgametime.com/2013/04/09/football-former-palm-beach-central-standout-angelo-jean-louis-arrested-in-west-virginia/

Jean-Louis might be the only player with dreads to touch the ball on offense this season, but the Herd has plenty of dreads on defense - even without senior LB Jermaine Holmes, who sadly has cut off the dreads he had been growing since 7th grade. Senior CB Darryl Roberts recorded a career high 11 tackles (5-6) and had 2 PBU in the victory over Ohio. Sophomore S Tiquan Lang had 10 tackles (4-6) and 1 PBU. Junior S Taj Letman finished with 6 tackles (2-4) and got his 1st INT of the season. Sophomore DE Gary Thompson had 3 tackles (0-3). Sick junior DE Ricardo Williams (the transfer from the U, pressuring QB Derrius Vick in photo below), had 2 tackles (0-2). And senior LB Cortez Carter had 1 tackle (0-1).

Randy Moss scored 29 TD in his freshman season in 1996, and the Herd went 15-0 and were Division 1-AA (now known as FCS) champions. Jean-Louis probably is going to come up a bit short of those 29 TD in his freshman season; but looking at their schedule, an undefeated season is a very real possibility for the Herd. Only time will tell.
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Not to be outdone by Marshall, there's a team in the SEC with a lot of dreads on defense too - probably not the team that you'd expect. Would you believe the Kentucky Wildcats had five players with dreads in their starting lineup for their game at Florida? Five starters, and a key reserve with dreads too, came oh, so close to helping UK break "the streak". But in the end, it was business as usual, as Florida defeated the Wildcats for the 28th straight time, prevailing 36-30 in 3 overtimes.

If you have the ball against Kentucky in 2014, there's a good chance somebody with dreads will tackle you. Against Florida junior CB Fred Tiller (#3 in photo below, as junior RB Matt Jones carries the ball for the Gators) (8-3) and senior DE Za'Darius Smith (4-7) tied for the team lead with 11 tackles each. Both also had 1 PBU, and one of Smith's tackles was a half sack. Junior LB Josh Forrest had 10 tackles (5-5), including 1 TFL. Junior LB Khalid Henderson (#22 in photo below) had 8 tackles (3-5); and senior S Ashely Lowery (2-3) and senior DE Alvin Dupree (3-2) both finished with 5 tackles. A couple of players with dreads who starred for the Wildcats a few years ago are now starting in the NFL - LB Danny Trevathan and S Winston Guy. Hopefully (maybe) some of the guys on this year's team will be joining them in the near future.

Kentucky was one play away from victory. But after UK took the lead in the 1st overtime, Florida tied the game with a 9-yard TD on 4th and 7. Then after the Wildcats missed a FG attempt on their possession in the 3rd OT, Jones rushed for all 25 yards in 4 plays (one of the four in photo below), gaining 3, 16, and 5 yards before scoring the game-ending TD from 1 yard out. Jones made this week's dread stars list.

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There was another thriller in the SEC East on Sept. 13. And with all due respect to Kentucky and Florida, the matchup between Georgia and South Carolina figured to be more important in deciding the division race. Already stung by a season-opening home loss to Texas A&M, the Gamecocks could ill afford to fall to 0-2 in the league. And they didn't - somehow. After South Carolina emerged with a hard-fought 38-35 victory, Coach Spurrier - in an on-field interview - said, "Tonight it was meant for us to win." Indeed if Georgia goes on to win all of their remaining games (which they'll be favored to do) but finishes in 2nd place in the SEC East to the Gamecocks and gets bypassed for a playoff spot, what happened in the 4th quarter of this game will haunt them for a long time. 

With Jadeveon Clowney having moved on to the NFL, the Gamecocks' defense has been porous so far in 2014; so the offense knew they needed to put a lot of points on the board to beat Georgia. And they did early, taking a 24-13 lead into the locker room at halftime. But throughout the 2nd half it seemed like the Gamecocks were like a leaking dam trying to hold the Bulldogs off. How long would they be able to hold out? Star junior RB Todd Gurley, who had a 54-yard TD run nullified by penalty in the 1st quarter, ran for a 40-yard gain on Georgia's 5th snap of the 3rd quarter and then finished the 85-yard drive six plays later with a 1-yard TD run on 4th and goal. But the Gamecocks answered that with a 75-yard TD drive to make it 31-20. Late in the 3rd the Bulldogs gave the ball to Gurley on 3rd and 16, and he made something out of nothing, reversing his field to gain 17 yards (photo on left) and a 1st down at the Carolina 28. Three plays later it was 31-28. But once again the Gamecocks struck back - immediately - going 58 yards in 4 plays to up their lead to 38-28 with 13:01 remaining in the game.

A 22-yard reception by senior WR Chris Conley on 3rd and 11 got the Bulldogs' next drive going, and 8 plays later it was 38-35. And this time, finally, the Gamecocks' offense cracked, turning the ball over on an interception which gave UGA a 1st and goal at the 4-yard line. A handoff to Gurley seemed to be in order, but instead the Bulldogs called a pass play, and it ended disastrously with an intentional grounding penalty. Three plays later, fittingly, the Bulldogs came away with nothing when their usually reliable kicker missed a chip-shot 28-yard FG attempt. After the game Coach Richt had this to say about not giving the ball to his Heisman candidate on 1st and goal: "If I had to do it again, I'd have hammered it." Unfortunately for UGA fans, he didn't get to do it again. The damage was already done.

South Carolina took possession with 4:24 remaining and, after picking up one 1st down, faced 4th and inches from midfield with 1:26 to go. Not wanting to have to trust his defense again, Spurrier decided to go for it, only to have the Bulldogs stuff a QB sneak. It certainly looked like Georgia would get the ball, but .... "We might have got a good spot," as Spurrier put it. No Coach, not might - did get a good spot. In one of the closest measurements you'll ever see, the Gamecocks made the 1st down - by less than an inch. At that point Georgia still had a chance though because they still had all 3 of their timeouts. That was until they wasted one of them to challenge the spot where the ball was marked, even though there was no conclusive replay. With only 2 timeouts left, the Dawgs were done. The Gamecocks ran three times and time ran out before they had to punt on 4th down.

Gurley made the dread stars list for the 2nd straight game, but it seemed to me he should have gotten more than the 20 carries he had. I know, the Bulldogs have several other talented running backs, and they're trying to keep Gurley healthy for the whole season. But this was the toughest game on their schedule, and you needed your best player to have more of a say in the outcome than he did. Conley finished with 4 catches for 49 yards. Sick senior LB Ramik Wilson (photo above, trying to get a hold of RB Mike Davis) had a game high 13 tackles (9-4), including 2.5 TFL.

The South Carolina media guide is showing 10 players with dreads this season, including (believe it or not) one white player with dreads - reserve junior G Mike Matulis. But other than senior G (and all-America candidate) A.J. Cann, the Gamecocks no longer have any big-time star players with dreads. Junior LB Kaiwan Lewis finished with 4 tackles (2-2) against Georgia, and senior LB Sharrod Golightly (photo above, celebrating a missed FG by Georgia in the 1st half with LB Larenz Bryant) had 1 tackle (1-0).
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ELSEWHERE

Sophomore CB Zack Sanchez of Oklahoma had 2 tackles and got an INT for the 3rd straight week - in the end zone (photo on right) to preserve a 17-point lead in the 3rd quarter, and senior S Quentin Hayes had 5 tackles (4-1), 3 TFL, including 2 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR, and a PBU on 4th down as the Sooners defeated Tennessee 34-10; senior LB A.J. Johnson had 11 tackles (5-6), 2 TFL, and a blocked FG for the Volunteers ..... Senior DE Markus Golden had 5 tackles (3-2), including 1.5 sacks, and 300-pound sophomore DT Josh Augusta had 2 tackles (0-2) and his 1st career INT as Missouri won at home over UCF 38-10 ..... Freshman S Erick Smith had 1 tackle (0-1) and got his 1st career INT for Ohio State in a 66-0 blowout of Kent State ..... Freshman RB Darrel Williams rushed for 37 yards and 2 TD as LSU recorded back-to-back shutouts for the first time in 29 years, holding Louisiana-Monroe to 93 total yards in a 31-0 home victory ..... Junior RB DeVondrick Nealy and senior TE E.J. Bibbs both had TD catches as Iowa State rallied from a 14-3 halftime deficit to win at Iowa 20-17 on a FG with :02 remaining .....

Junior CB Ronald Zamort had 2 tackles (1-1), 3 PBU, and an INT (photo on left) for Western Michigan's 1st takeaway of the season, and junior DT Cleveland Smith nabbed MAC West defensive player of the week honors with the first 3 sacks of his career as the Broncos won at Idaho 45-33; sophomore RB Richard Montgomery finished with 153 all-purpose yards, including a 62-yard TD catch, narrowly missing the dread stars list, for the Vandals ..... Sophomore S Devin Centers had 4 tackles (1-3), including 1 sack, and took a fumble return 47 yards to the house for his 1st career TD for Utah State in a 36-24 home win over Wake Forest ..... Making his 1st career start for UNLV, senior RB Shaquille Murray-Lawrence gained 105 total yards, including 60 yards and 2 TD rushing, but the Rebels lost at home to Northern Illinois 48-34 ..... Junior WR Deontay Greenberry had 6 catches for 74 yards, including his first 2 TD catches of the season, but Houston lost at BYU 33-25 ..... And senior RB Tony Creecy had 71 total yards and 1 TD for North Carolina State as the Wolfpack enjoyed a dominating 589-159 advantage in total yards in a 49-17 road win over South Florida; freshman WR Ryeshene Bronson had a 75-yard reception for his 1st career TD for the Bulls.  
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IN THE FCS

I have to apologize again, but again I didn't have the time to check any of the FCS game recaps for this week, so I have nothing to report. But I did want to make a correction - an addition, actually - to last week's report. There was actually a 4-way tie for the Week 1 house of dread award, because ..... I wasn't sure at first because I had only seen him with a skull cap on. But now I have seen another video of Tennessee State junior RB Tom Smith, and it confirms that he does indeed have short dreads. Smith made the dread stars list in Week 1, rushing for 4 TD - covering 11, 3, 5, and 30 yards - in a 58-6 home win over Edward Waters. So you can add the end zone at LP Field in Nashville to the list of houses of dread for Week 1. Smith rushed for 66 yards and 2 more TD this week as TSU defeated Jackson State 35-7 in the annual Southern Heritage Classic at Memphis.
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FINALLY

Another week, another player for Texas A&M that I discover has beginner dreads - and this one is really big. In Week 1 I saw for the first time that senior WR Malcome Kennedy has started growing dreads. Last week it was redshirt freshman RB James White that I found out has dreads, after he scored his first 2 career TD. This week I'm welcoming to the house true freshman WR Speedy Noil, who just happens to be the top ranked WR prospect in the nation in the 2014 recruiting class. Unfortunately though, the moment I discovered he has dreads came during the 3rd quarter of the Aggies' 38-10 victory over Rice, when he had his helmet off as he was being carted from the sideline to the locker room after suffering an injury. Noil (in the photo on the right at the Meet the Aggies autograph day on Aug. 16) had 3 catches for 71 yards against Rice, including a 14-yard reception for his 1st career TD; but he won't be catching any more passes for about a month after injuring the MCL in his knee. Hopefully Speedy will make a speedy recovery. Heck, by the end of the season Texas A&M might very well be among the leaders in touchdowns by players with dreads; but with so many short dreads, nobody will even know it.
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DG

1. Being outweighed by 30 pounds, South Carolina S T.J. Gurley takes a leg while trying to make the tackle at the 30-yard line, as Georgia junior RB Todd Gurley checks to see if anybody else is coming on 1st and 20 midway through 1st quarter at Columbia. To the best of my knowledge, the two are not related. T.J. couldn't hold on but got credit for the tackle anyway because Todd's next step was out of bounds after he broke free from T.J. Todd gained 7 yards on the play, and Georgia settled for a FG three plays later to take a 10-7 lead.

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2. After taking the snap from the wildcat formation on 2nd and 8 late in 2nd quarter, WR Pharoh Cooper carries the ball on a sweep left but can't quite elude senior LB Ramik Wilson, who grabs onto his jersey at the South Carolina 33-yard line and eventually throws him to the ground at the 39. The play gained 10 yards, but Wilson saved a potentially big play. 7 plays later the Gamecocks kicked a FG on the last play of the half to take increase their lead to 24-13. Wilson was the leading tackler in the game, finishing with 13 (9-4), including 2.5 TFL. South Carolina kept their SEC title hopes alive with a huge 38-35 victory over Georgia. 

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3. Kentucky junior CB Fred Tiller makes the tackle the hard way, as he gets pancaked by Florida junior RB Matt Jones with 9:35 remaining during 2nd quarter at Gainesville. Jones picked up 17 yards on the play before being stopped at the UK 23-yard line, and four plays later the Gators kicked a FG to take a 3-0 lead. Tiller finished the game tied with teammate Za'Darius Smith with a game high 11 tackles (8-3), including a half TFL, and had 1 PBU.

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4. On the Gators' next possession junior LB Josh Forrest fares a little better than Tiller in his encounter with Matt Jones, wrapping him up at the UF 40-yard line for a gain of 7 on 1st and 10. The Gators punted 5 plays later. Forrest finished with 10 tackles (5-5), including 1 TFL. Jones made the dread stars list, recording his 2nd career 100-yard rushing game (both against Kentucky). The game was tied at 3 at the half and tied at 20 after regulation before the Gators pulled out the victory in 3 overtimes, defeating the Wildcats for the 28th straight time, 36-30.  

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5. Senior CB Floyd Raven of Texas A&M comes to help, but LB Tommy Sanders gets credit for a solo tackle of Rice sophomore RB Jowan Davis after a 7-yard reception on 2nd and 15 during 4th quarter. Rice punted two plays later. Raven finished with 2 tackles (1-1), while Davis came very close to making the dread stars list with 86 yards rushing on 23 carries and 4 catches for 41 yards. Texas A&M won easily 38-10 to improve to 3-0.

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6. Sophomore LB T.J. Simmons of Indiana sets to tackle Bowling Green WR Roger Lewis. Although I don't know for sure, this looks like the play in 2nd quarter where Simmons tackled Lewis after a 6-yard reception to the IU 30-yard line on 1st and 15. Simmons had a game high 13 tackles (5-8), but the Hoosiers lost to Bowling Green 45-42 on Lewis' 2-yard TD catch with :09 remaining.

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7. Boise State junior RB Jay Ajayi is wrapped up by UConn LB Marquise Vann, one of 7 times Vann tackled Ajayi in the game at East Hartford. Ajayi, the head dread for Week 2, had a tough time against the Huskies' defense, finishing with only 39 yards rushing on 18 carries plus 2 catches for 13 yards.

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8. Instead of making his 4th reception of the game, UConn senior WR Geremy Davis has the ball stolen from him by CB Donte Deayon for an INT on a short pass on 3rd and 1 with 4 minutes remaining in the game. Deayon returned the pick 50 yards for a TD for the final points of the day and the Broncos' 2nd defensive TD of the day. Davis finished with 3 catches for 47 yards and 1 TD, but Connecticut dropped to 1-2, losing at home to Boise State 38-21. 

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9. Sick senior S Derrick Wells led Minnesota with 11 tackles (7-4) but can't stop RB B.J. Catalon from scoring on a 1-yard run on this 2nd and goal play, as TCU ups their lead to 24-0 during 2nd quarter at Ft. Worth. Junior LB De'Vondre Campbell (#26), being blocked out of the way, finished with 6 tackles (3-3) and 1 FR. TCU cruised to a 30-7 victory.

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10. After Virginia senior S Anthony Harris gets his 1st INT of the season on a deflected pass, intended receiver James Quick tries to steal the ball from him as he returns it 7 yards to the Louisville 15-yard line late in 1st quarter. Three plays later Virginia scored a TD to tie the game at 7. Harris finished with 8 tackles and 1 PBU in addition to the INT. Junior CB Maurice Canady (#26), with a close-up view of the play, later got his 1st INT of the season, setting up a FG. Louisville scored 2 TD in 4th quarter to wipe out a 20-7 deficit, but Virginia kicked a FG with 3:42 to play to win 23-21, leaving both teams with 2-1 records.

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11. CB Alvin Hill of Maryland breaks up a pass intended for senior WR Kevin White of West Virginia (in the end zone, I think) on 1st and 10 from the 12-yard line midway through 1st quarter. 2 plays later the Mountaineers lost the ball on a fumble. Of 16 passes thrown to White in the game, this was one of only two times the pass was incomplete.
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12. It's not exactly a perfect form tackle, but it gets the job done for WVU CB Daryl Worley, as he stops RB Kenneth Goins for a 5-yard loss on a key 3rd and 1 play late in 4th quarter with the game tied. It was the only time Goins touched the ball in the game. The Terrapins punted on the next play with 2:35 remaining and never got the ball back. West Virginia went on a 13-play drive and kicked a 47-yard FG on the final play of the game to win 40-37. 

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13. Virginia Tech CB Chuck Clark tries to stop sophomore WR Jimmy Williams of East Carolina, but Williams breaks the tackle and ends up running after the catch for a gain of 11 to the ECU 25-yard line to convert a 2nd and 10 early in 2nd quarter at Blacksburg, VA. The Pirates punted four plays later. The ECU website still has the photo of Williams with the long braids he used to have, but it certainly looks like he has converted to dreads now. Jimmy finished the afternoon with 4 catches for 77 yards - the best game of his career so far.

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14. An INT return by CB Josh Hawkins (after his 2nd pick in less than a minute) comes to a screeching halt after 7 yards as he is upended by freshman RB Marshawn Williams at the Virginia Tech 11-yard line midway through 2nd quarter. A penalty moved the ball to the VT 21, and ECU missed a FG four plays later, keeping their lead at 21-0.  

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15. No, Derrell Johnson isn't still playing for East Carolina; it's just that sophomore DT Demetri McGill, who wore jersey #96 last year, changed to the #56 Johnson wore during his outstanding career with the Pirates from 2010-13. Here McGill has his sights on RB Marshawn Williams as he tries to shed a block by C Caleb Farris. Evidently McGill didn't get to Williams on the play because he finished the game with 0 tackles. Williams finished with a season high 74 yards rushing on 17 carries. Virginia Tech came all the way back from the 21-0 deficit, tying the game on a TD with 1:20 to play; but East Carolina came right back, scoring a TD with 16 seconds remaining to win 28-21. 

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16. Iowa State senior WR Jarvis West drops a pass over the middle on 2nd and 8, as Iowa CB Greg Mabin defends during 4th quarter at Iowa City .....

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17. ..... and then adding injury to insult, West gets whacked in the head by S Jordan Lomax. West was helped from the field after apparently suffering a concussion, while Lomax was charged with a targeting penalty and ejected from the game. Here is a video of the play: http://www.kcci.com/sports/isus-jarvis-west-had-concussionlike-symptoms/28052552 ..... West finished the afternoon with 4 catches for 47 yards. The drive ended with a TD six plays later, giving Iowa State a 17-14 lead. After Iowa tied the game, the Cyclones kicked a FG with 2 seconds remaining to win 20-17. Iowa State had a bye in Week 4, so hopefully Jarvis will be ready to return to action in time for their next game. 

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18. Sick junior S D.J. Cameron of Southern Illinois heads toward the end zone after getting his 1st INT of the season on 3rd and 10 but comes up a bit short, getting stopped at the Southeast Missouri State 2-yard line after an 18-yard return with 6:10 remaining in 1st quarter at Carbondale. It was the 3rd turnover of the game already for SEMO, including a FR by Cameron. Three plays later SIU scored a TD to make the score 21-0. Cameron finished with a game high 12 tackles (5-7) in addition to the FR and INT, and the Salukis improved to 3-0 with a 50-23 victory. 

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19. Sick junior S Trevon Stewart of Houston makes a highlight reel interception of a pass intended for BYU WR Mitch Juergens on 3rd and 9 midway through 4th quarter, giving UH the ball at the BYU 27-yard line. Houston settled for a FG four plays later to cut BYU's lead to 8 but later went four-and-out on their final possession of the night. Stewart finished with 8 tackles (5-3). BYU won the battle of the Cougars, defeating Houston 33-25.

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20. FAU senior WR Lucky Whitehead, with those cool red dreads, eludes Tulsa CB Austin McDaniel during FAU's home opener at Boca Raton. Whitehead had a game high 157 all-purpose yards, most of which coming on a 47-yard run, 5 catches for 38 yards, and punt returns of 32 and 39 yards - with both returns setting up scoring drives. After getting blown out by Nebraska and Alabama, the Owls picked on somebody their own size, whipping Tulsa 50-21. 
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DREAD STARS

• Angelo Jean-Louis - Marshall - 4 receptions for 158 yards, including 77-yard TD, in 44-14 home W over Ohio
• Matt Jones - Florida - 29 carries for 156 yards rushing, 1 reception for 14 yards, and scored game winning TD on 1-yard run in 3rd OT in 36-30 home W over Kentucky
• Alex Collins - Arkansas - 27 carries for career high 212 yards and 2 TD rushing in 49-28 road W over Texas Tech

• Travis Greene - Bowling Green - 123 yards and 1 TD rushing on 24 carries, and 3 receptions for 17 yards in 45-42 home W over Indiana
• Paul Perkins - UCLA - 24 carries for 126 yards rushing, and 5 receptions for 69 yards in 20-17 W over Texas
• Shaq Thompson - Washington - named Pac-12 defensive player of the week - 4 tackles (2-2), 1 FR, which he returned 52 yards for TD, and 1 INT, which he returned 36 yards for TD, in 44-19 home W over Illinois

• Kareem Hunt - Toledo - 12 carries for 101 yards and 1 TD rushing in 58-34 road L to Cincinnati
• Todd Gurley - Georgia - 131 yards and 1 TD rushing on 20 carries in 38-35 L at South Carolina
• Jacobi Green - Richmond - 15 carries for 133 yards rushing, including TD runs of 4 and 50 yards, in 42-17 home W over Hampton
• Kalif Phillips - UNC-Charlotte - 104 yards and 2 TD rushing on 14 carries in 40-28 road W over North Carolina Central
• Isiah Corbett - Southeastern Louisiana - named SLC defensive player of the week - 5 tackles (5-0), 1 TFL, and 2 INT in 35-20 road L to Tulane

• Adrian Wilkins - North Carolina Central - 7 receptions for 129 yards and 1 TD in 40-28 home L to UNC-Charlotte

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HOUSE OF DREAD

The end zone at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium in Durham, NC, gets the HOD award all to itself this week. Not the home of Duke, rather the home of the North Carolina Central Eagles saw 4 TD scored by players with dreads in NCCU's 40-28 loss to UNC-Charlotte. In addition to making his first appearance of the season on the dread stars list, sophomore RB Kalif Phillips scored on runs of 2 yards and 4 yards for the 49ers. Freshman RB Maetron Thomas added a 6-yard TD run for Charlotte. And star junior WR Adrian Wilkins scored on a 28-yard reception for the Eagles.
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HEAD DREAD

Continuing his outstanding start to the season that's looking more and more like it's going to be an outstanding whole season, senior WR Kevin White of West Virginia is the player of the week for Week 3. Although his performance wasn't the best game ever by a WVU receiver, it was in the top 5. White caught 13 passes for 216 yards (both career highs) and 1 TD in a 40-37 road win over Maryland that avenged last year's embarrassing 37-0 defeat at the hands of the Terrapins in a game played at Baltimore. White had no receptions in that game last season, but the Mountaineers let the Terps know early and often that the 6-foot-3, 210-pound White would be a major part of the game plan this year. 6 passes were thrown to White in the 1st quarter alone, and he caught 5 of them for 46 yards. White then found the end zone (photo below) on his 6th reception, catching a screen pass and eluding several would-be tacklers on the way to a 44-yard TD that made the score 21-3 early in the 2nd quarter. It was Kevin's 2nd TD of 2014.

For the day the Mountaineers scored 5 TD, and White contributed at least one reception on all five drives. Oddly though, his second and third longest gains did not come on scoring drives, as the Mountaineers fumbled the ball away 5 plays after his 42-yard reception in the 3rd quarter and had a FG attempt blocked after his 35-yard catch in the 4th. Kevin did not have any passes thrown to him on the Mountaineers' 65-yard drive that ended with the game-winning FG on the last play of the game. But hey, he already had done more than his fair share of damage before then. If you like, you can find out more about White by clicking on any of the three links below - including stories from the WVU Pros blog and ESPN.com and a video feature I especially recommend from the WVU website.
http://wvupros.com/featured/west-virginia-mountaineers-football-kevin-white-career-best-game-against-maryland-terrapins/

http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/89402/wvus-white-playing-like-a-man-on-fire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bcp7V1HlDzk
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NEXT
Obviously by now Week 4 has already come and gone. I heard that a couple of RBs with dreads that wear jersey #25 had pretty good games. And unlike most of the fans at Tiger Stadium, I stayed tuned until the end of the Mississippi State-LSU game - and saw what almost was the mother of all comebacks. Other than that, you know more about what happened last Saturday than I do. And instead of continuing to fall further behind, I'm just going to skip Week 4 for now. Starting next week, I finally will have a little more time to spend checking game recaps, so hopefully I'll have a complete report for a change.