College FB '15 Dread News - Week 8

Well, it seemed like a good idea.

Expecting that it would be a competitive and exciting contest, I decided ahead of time that the game I would write about to lead off my first report since coming out of exile would be the matchup between Clemson and Miami. Since Clemson plays in the Atlantic Division of the ACC and Miami in the Coastal Division, the Tigers and Hurricanes don't often play each other. Their meeting last Saturday (Oct. 24) was their first since 2010 and only their fifth since the Canes joined the league 11 years ago. The visiting team had won all four previous meetings, with both of the games played in Miami being decided in overtime; so I was expecting Clemson (6-0) to have a difficult time remaining undefeated.

Little did I know ......

..... that not only would the game not be competitive, it would become so one-sided that the stadium would be almost completely empty with still 4 minutes to play

..... that I would be watching Clemson shut out an opponent on the road for the first time in 20 years
..... and that I would be witnessing the worst defeat ever in the history of Miami football.

Honestly, did you ever think you'd live to see the day Miami - the U - trail in a game, a home game no less, by 58 points? The Hurricanes have been playing football for 90 years without ever before losing by that many points. There were a lot of long faces on the Hurricanes' sideline near the end of this one, including senior S Dallas Crawford's (photo above). Not surprisingly the 58-0 final score didn't sit too well with fans, alumni, and former players. And the next day Coach Golden was informed his services would no longer be required. They didn't bother waiting until the end of the season. Get out, now, and don't let the door hit you on your way out.    

To be fair to Golden, the Canes had to play most of the game with their 2nd string QB. But really, they were already well on their way to getting their ass kicked even before starting QB Brad Kaaya left the game due to injury (a concussion) early in the 2nd quarter. It was already 21-0 by then, and it became 42-0 by halftime.

That effectively made the entire 2nd half garbage time, and Clemson fans got to see a lot of players who usually don't play much. One of those was freshman S Van Smith, who got his 1st career INT (photo below) early in the 4th quarter, which set up the Tigers' final TD of the day, and also led the team with 6 tackles (6-0), including 1 TFL and also including a hard hit on QB Malik Rosier (photo above), knocking him backward and out of bounds to hold him to a 5-yard gain on 4th and 6 on the drive preceding his INT. Freshman LB Jalen Williams also was on the field and recorded his 1st career sack, one of his 2 tackles (2-0).

The players with dreads most likely to take one to the house for either team were not in uniform; and they haven't been on the field for a long time. You might remember that junior WR Mike Williams broke a bone in his neck when he collided with the goal post after being shoved by a Wofford defender while trying to make a catch during Clemson's season opener. The good news is that Williams is recovering and is expected to be healthy enough to play next season. It remains to be seen whether he'll be playing for Clemson or for one of those teams that play on Sundays. Miami junior RB Gus Edwards' first season with dreads ended before it even got started. Expected to get a lot of playing time, Edwards instead is redshirting this season after injuring his foot during a scrimmage at practice about a week before the start of the season.

There was one TD scored by a player with dreads - thanks only to the NCAA's ridiculous rule that forces a player to have to leave the game for one play if his helmet comes off. Starting RB Wayne Gallman lost his helmet after gaining 11 yards to the 1-yard line late in the 1st quarter; so junior RB Zac Brooks entered the game, took the handoff on 1st and goal and scored (photo above) to up the Tigers' lead to 21-0.

The only player with dreads touching the ball on offense for Miami was sophomore RB Trayone Gray, one of a half dozen or so players on the Hurricanes roster who are debuting their dreads this season. Gray gained 5 yards on 3 carries and returned 1 kickoff for 22 yards - all in the 4th quarter - before being injured on the Canes' final possession. Senior LB Tyriq McCord, another of those with beginner dreads, finished with 3 tackles (1-2).

There are also about a half dozen Canes with sick dreads, with freshman LB Mike Smith arguably having the sickest. Smith (photo on left, pressuring QB Deshaun Watson) finished with 2 tackles (0-2). I saw junior WR Malcolm Lewis on the sideline but never on the field (although the box score says he played); but with the way he had his dreads reduced, not seeing him play was no great loss.

You might remember I was worried a couple of years ago because I thought Golden didn't want a lot of players with dreads on his team. Well, I don't know if that's true or not; but like it or not, he's got a lot of them. According the Hurricanes' online media guide, there are 17 players with dreads currently on the team - which might be the most of any team in Division 1. Let's just hope that they along with their teammates that don't have dreads play better for whoever will be the new coach next season.
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Less is more.
In some cases this is true. But if you are among the few who have regularly been reading my football posts over the years, you already know that's a policy I almost never follow. I try to include as much information as possible; and if I lose some of you because you don't have all day to read everything, so be it. Unfortunately I now no longer have the time necessary to do a thorough report every week. So like it or not, from now on less is what you're going to get.

Even though the 2015 season is already past the halfway mark, I'm almost starting from scratch. I've been watching a few games each week; but I haven't been following how all the players with dreads have been doing very closely. So it's going to take a few weeks for me to get up to speed as I try to figure out who does and doesn't have dreads on all of the teams in Division 1. The one thing I have noticed so far this season is that if voters for the Heisman Trophy were only allowed to vote for players with dreads, there are two players who would get the vast majority of the votes: RBs Derrick Henry of Alabama and Dalvin Cook of Florida State.

Finally the #1 RB on the Crimson Tide's depth chart in his junior season, Henry this week made the dread stars list, upped his season total to 1,044 yards rushing, and scored the Tide's only 2 touchdowns of the game in their tough 19-14 home victory over Tennessee. After opening the scoring with a 20-yard run on the Tide's first drive of the game (photo above), Henry finished it with the game-winning 14-yard TD run with 2:24 remaining in the game (photo below), as the Tide answered with a 71-yard drive immediately after the Volunteers had taken a 14-13 lead on a TD with 5:49 to play. The touchdowns were the 13th and 14th of the season for Derrick, who has scored in all 8 of Alabama's games and is making a strong case to be at that Heisman ceremony in December.

Making life difficult for the Alabama offense were four players with dreads in the Tennessee starting lineup, names you just might see on this season's all-America with dreads team. Junior LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin almost made the dread stars list, finishing with a team high 11 tackles (6-5), including 2.5 TFL, one of which was a sack (right photo below) in the 1st quarter. Junior DE Corey Vereen contributed 5 tackles (4-1), including 2 sacks; senior S Brian Randolph got his 1st INT of the season and had 7 tackles (6-1), including one of Henry (left photo below) in the 1st quarter; and sophomore DT Kendal Vickers finished with 3 tackles (1-2). Maybe if their kicker hadn't missed all three of his FG attempts in the game, it would have been a happy ending for the Vols. Instead they fell to 3-4. Alabama is 7-1.

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Florida State's kicker made his first three FG attempts against Georgia Tech, but when he tried to win the game with a long, 56-yard attempt on the final play of the game, the Seminoles ended up with the 1st loss of the season instead. With the score tied at 16, the kick was blocked and went about 20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, where a GT player scooped up the ball and returned it 78 yards to the house to give the Yellow Jackets an improbable 22-16 victory.

As he has done all season Cook (photo below) was a big part of the Seminoles' offense, accounting for nearly half of their 280 total yards. He barely missed the dread stars list this week, finishing with 82 yards rushing on 17 carries and 4 catches for 50 yards, and scoring FSU's only TD (his 12th of the season) on a 2-yard run in the 2nd quarter. Nagging injuries have slowed Dalvin somewhat this season; but if he can get healthy and finish strong, he might be in a seat alongside Henry at the Heisman ceremony.

The Seminoles also have a potential superstar with dreads on defense. I'm talking about freshman DE Josh Sweat, who had 6 tackles (4-2), including 1 sack, and got his 1st career INT (photo below), tipping a pass up in the air and getting under it to make the catch and end Tech's opening drive of the game. Watching a video of the INT, I couldn't help but think about how much Sweat reminds me of when Jadeveon Clowney was a freshman (for South Carolina in 2011). We'll see how Josh turns out, but I can already see him up there on the stage for the 1st round of the 2018 NFL draft.

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Picking up where he left off last November, Wyoming sophomore RB Brian Hill has reached the 1,000-yard rushing mark faster this season than anyone in school history. Hill (photo below) did it in only 8 games, upping his season total to 1,061 after rushing for 76 yards on 23 carries (he also had 3 catches for 26 yards) in the Cowboys' 34-14 road loss to Boise State. Brian is the first Wyoming player to top 1,000 since 2008. Unfortunately all those yards aren't resulting in very many points. He has scored only 3 TD so far; and the Cowboys are having a poor season, already out of contention for a bowl game at 1-7.

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When I do my house calls post for this season, it might include two Pac-12 teams from Los Angeles. With junior RB Paul Perkins having another good season, UCLA figures to make a repeat appearance on the list of teams with at least 10 TD scored by players with dreads. But when the season began, I had no idea that USC had any chance of making the list. There haven't been very many TD by players with dreads in a USC uniform over the years, but that's changing this year.

Thanks mostly to freshman RB Ronald Jones, a 4-star recruit from McKinney, Texas, the Trojans are making steady progress toward that 10-TD mark. Jones (photo above), who has been very productive on an average of about 8 carries per game, had 73 yards rushing on 15 carries and scored his 4th TD of the season as USC dealt #3 ranked Utah their 1st defeat of the season 42-24. With Jones getting some help from WR Isaac Whitney, a junior college transfer who has 2 TD catches so far, the Trojans are looking good to get on that house calls list for the first time.
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Here's hoping for a speedy recovery for Wisconsin junior WR Robert Wheelwright, who was injured in the Badgers' 24-13 road win over Illinois. Wheelwright was blocking a defender downfield on a successful running play (that gained 56 yards) in the 3rd quarter when another defender, trying to make a diving tackle, instead of making the tackle slammed into the back of Wheelwright's legs - in effect in chop block from the rear. Robert never knew what hit him. No details were given about what exactly his injury is, only that he's not expected to return until the Badgers' bowl game.

Wisconsin (6-2) became bowl eligible with the win, and Wheelwright scored their 1st TD of the afternoon, making a nice catch along the sideline, staying inbounds and diving to the pylon (photo above) for a 23-yard score and a 7-3 lead early in the 2nd quarter - his 4th TD of the season. But after making that tough play, he couldn't make the easy one later in the 2nd. On 2nd and goal he was wide open in the end zone on a crossing route but dropped the on-target pass (argh!!), right off his hands. On the next play another pass intended for him was intercepted (photo below) and the score remained 10-6.

Wheelwright finished with 3 catches for 47 yards, and junior RB Dare Ogunbowale accounted for 105 total yards - 42 rushing on 16 carries along with 5 catches for 63 yards. Ogunbowale (left photo below) has moved up to the #1 RB on the depth chart because the two players who began the season ahead of him - Corey Clement and Taiwan Deal - have been injured.

When I noticed Clement growing his hair longer early last season, I thought he was going to convert it to dreads then; so I was kind of disappointed when he cut it shorter. But he decided to take the plunge this season; and when I found out he had started growing dreads (in the right photo above from Big 10 preseason media day), it meant that the Badgers just might successfully defend their crown from 2014 as the team with the most TD scored by players with dreads. Clement scored 11 TD last season as Melvin Gordon's sidekick, and with him moving into the starting lineup this year, there's no telling how many he would score. But his junior season got put on hold when he suffered a groin injury just before the season began and eventually had to undergo surgery. He has resumed practicing though and should be ready to play soon.
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ELSEWHERE

A couple of players named Dakota made big contributions during a game played in Oklahoma. Junior CB Dakota Austin had 11 tackles (11-0) and got his 1st INT of the season (photo on right) for Oklahoma in a 63-27 win over Texas Tech; freshman LB Dakota Allen had a game high 15 tackles (3-12) and 1 TFL for Texas Tech ..... Senior CB Lafayette Pitts got his 1st INT and had 6 tackles (6-0) as Pittsburgh improved to 6-1 with a 23-20 win at Syracuse ..... Junior CB Mondo Williams got his 1st career INT as Appalachian State became bowl eligible for the first time ever and handed Georgia Southern their 1st SBC loss ever (they had gone 11-0 since joining the league last season), whipping the Eagles 31-13 ..... Junior S Na'im McGee led San Diego State with 10 tackles (5-5) as the Aztecs spanked Utah State 48-14 for their first ever 4-0 start in the MWC .....
Sick sophomore S Kendall Gant had a team high 12 tackles (6-6) and 1 PBU as Marshall improved to 7-1 with a 30-13 home win over North Texas .....
Junior RB Martez Walker rushed for 86 yards and had 4 catches for 52 yards, including a 19-yard gain on a screen pass on 3rd and 18 on the drive for the game-winning FG in the 4th quarter as Central Michigan won at Ball State 23-21 ..... Entering the game with Wake Forest trailing 28-0, freshman QB Kendall Hinton (photo on left) rushed for 75 yards and 2 TD and went 12 for 22 for 107 yards passing, but it was too little, too late in a 35-17 home loss to North Carolina State ..... And senior LB Quentin Gause had 15 tackles (8-7), including 2 TFL, but it was a rough night for the Rutgers D (528 yards allowed) in a 49-7 home loss to Ohio State.
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IN THE FCS

When I tuned in to watch a bit of the big CAA showdown between #11 ranked Richmond and #4 JMU, I got ticked off because the game was blacked out. And when I found out what happened in the game, I got even more angry. I'll have more on that game later.

The FCS game I ended up watching the most was between Youngstown State and Southern Illinois. But I stayed tuned for only a few plays, and none in the 4th quarter, so I missed the Salukis' comeback from a 11-point deficit to win 38-31 in overtime. YSU led 31-20 after kicking a FG with 5:35 remaining, but SIU got right back in it when freshman RB Daquan Isom (left photo below) took a screen pass 75 yards to the house on 3rd and 10. A 2-point conversion made it 31-28. The Salukis then reached the 1-yard line on their next drive but settled for a FG with :06 on the clock before winning it in OT.

Among the plays I did see I noticed that SIU senior S D.J. Cameron (right photo above) still has those very long dreads that are likely to earn him another appearance on my dread all-America team. Senior DT Raysean Golden unfortunately had his sick dreads reduced. Cameron, who has changed numbers from #6 to #2 now, finished with 6 tackles (1-5) and a FF that resulted in a 1st quarter turnover; Golden had 3 tackles (1-2). There was no sign of CB Brandon Willingham, a starter on last season's dread all-America team. He's not even on the SIU roster (I'll have to investigate). There also is no sign of the three Youngstown State players who were on my 2014 all-dread sideline team. None of them are on this year's roster. But I did notice a couple of other players with great dreads for the Penguins - freshman WR Robert Byrd (who had 1 catch for 10 yards) and sophomore CB Solomon Warfield (who finished with 2 tackles). Because of them I'm going to have to make sure I see some more YSU games in the weeks ahead (if any are on TV).
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#1 ranked Coastal Carolina kicked a 30-yard FG on the last play of the game to win and escape at Monmouth 23-20. Junior RB De'Angelo Henderson barely missed the dread stars list, finishing with 91 yards rushing on 25 carries; but with his 2-yard TD run on 4th and goal in the 2nd quarter (left photo above) he extended his consecutive games streak of scoring at least one TD to 21 games - establishing a new FCS record that broke the mark set by RB David Sinisi, who set the mark in 2006-07 while playing for Monmouth ironically and met with Henderson after the game (right photo above). One other player with dreads touched the ball on offense for CCU - senior WR John Israel, who had 5 catches for 70 yards. Senior TE Hakeem Valles had 4 catches for 41 yards for Monmouth.
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Junior DE Asia Bolling (photo on left) had 9 tackles (1-8), 2 TFL, a half sack, 1 FF (which resulted in a safety), and 1 PBU to help Central Connecticut State pick up a 26-10 road win over Sacred Heart ..... Senior RB Shepard Little rushed for 39 yards and his 2nd and 3rd TD of the season as Eastern Illinois won at home 51-20 over Tennessee Tech ..... Junior CB Trey Morgan (photo below, with dreads just starting to be seen outside his helmet) had a career high 15 tackles (10-5), 1 TFL, and 1 PBU; and junior WR Spearman Robinson put the icing on the cake with a 49-yard return to the house of an onside kickoff with :46 to play as Western Carolina won at home 56-36 over Samford ..... Sophomore WR Deion Holliman took a kickoff return 100 yards to the house - the first kickoff return TD for Missouri State in 11 years - but it was the lone bright spot for the Bears in their 40-10 road loss to South Dakota .....

Sophomore WR Hakeem Deggs took a kickoff return 93 yards to the house, and junior CB Thomas Singleton had 13 tackles (7-6) and his 1st INT of the season for Northern Colorado, but the Bears lost a 43-41 heartbreaker at home to Eastern Washington on a FG on the last play of the game .....
Campbell senior CB Brandon Mobley, a player I hope to be seeing playing on Sundays next year, had 9 tackles (8-1), 1 TFL, and 4 PBU, but the Camels lost at home to Morehead State 31-27 ..... And junior DE Gabe Sherrod had 7 tackles (4-3), including 3.5 TFL and 1.5 sacks; and senior S Terrick Colston had 5 tackles (3-2), 1 FF, 1 PBU, and his 2nd INT for Delaware State, but they weren't enough to keep South Carolina State from spoiling DSU's homecoming game 34-7.
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FINALLY

I was about to turn to another channel with 10 seconds remaining in the Michigan State-Michigan game in Week 7. But then I remembered that the Spartans and Wolverines have had some crazy finishes over the years, so I had better stay tuned until the clock hit zero. Sure enough and right on cue, incredibly and much to my amazement and astonishment Michigan completely botched what should have been a routine punt, fumbling the ball, resulting in a fumble return by Michigan State for the game-winning TD - indeed the craziest finish of them all.

 
What I didn't know (and had no reason to think at the time) and didn't find out until a few days later is that it was a player with dreads who scored that TD. Redshirt freshman S Jalen Watts-Jackson has dreads too short to be seen when he has his helmet on, and the MSU website isn't helping at all with that photo of him from last season before he started growing his hair. But nobody had any trouble seeing his dreads at the press conference he had 4 days after the game (photo).
It wasn't until then that Watts-Jackson was able to meet the press because, as you've probably heard, he was in the hospital getting surgery done on his broken hip, an injury he suffered as he was yanked down from behind by a Michigan player just as he crossed the goal line. It was an injury similar to the one that ended Bo Jackson's football career all those years ago. Thankfully though, Watts-Jackson is expected to heal fully and be back in action next season. Get well asap, Jalen! Here are the details from the Lansing State Journal: http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/sports/college/msu/football/2015/10/21/jalen-watts-jackson-michigan-state-football/74338098/
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DG 

1. Junior S Jamal Carter led Miami in tackles in the game against Clemson, but neither he nor anybody else in a green jersey is making the tackle on this play, as backup QB Kelly Bryant races 59 yards for the first of his 2 TD runs, extending the Tigers' lead to 51-0 early in 4th quarter. Carter finished the game with a career high 11 tackles (5-6).

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2. Senior S Dallas Crawford and LB Jermaine Grace struggle to get RB Wayne Gallman tackled on 1st and 10 late in 1st quarter. Crawford was credited with a solo tackle after Gallman ran for a 17-yard gain to the Miami 22-yard line. 4 plays later the Tigers scored a TD to up their lead to 21-0.

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3. Dallas Crawford can't make the tackle this time as sophomore RB Tyshon Dye eludes him on a play in 4th quarter. Dye carried 8 times (6 of them in 4th quarter) for a season high 52 yards. Crawford finished the afternoon with 2 tackles (2-0).








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4. Adding injury to insult for the Hurricanes, freshman RB Trayone Gray is helped to the locker room after the game. Gray was injured while being tackled for no gain on a running play late in 4th quarter. He finished with 5 yards rushing on 3 carries and a 22-yard kickoff return.

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5. Coach Golden is on the field for post-game handshakes for the final time for Miami, walking in front of freshman CB Sheldrick Redwine. Golden was fired effective immediately a day after the 58-0 home loss to Clemson, the worst loss in school history. Miami dropped to 4-3 on the season. Clemson improved to 7-0.

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6. UCLA junior RB Paul Perkins tries to break a tackle by California CB Darius White on a carry during 2nd quarter at the Rose Bowl. Perkins failed to add to his season total of 8 TD, ending his streak of 5 straight games with a TD, mostly because he didn't play after suffering a minor knee injury midway through the 2nd quarter. He finished with 86 total yards, including 73 rushing on 11 carries in UCLA's 40-24 victory, leaving both teams at 5-2.

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7. Sophomore DT Bijhon Jackson of Arkansas tackles Auburn RB Peyton Barber during SEC action at Fayetteville. Jackson had 2 tackles (2-0) in the game, stopping Barber once for a 4-yard gain and the other time for a 4-yard loss. It took 4 overtimes to settle it, with Arkansas prevailing 54-46 to improve to 3-4. Auburn fell to 4-3.

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8. Marshall junior LB Shawn Petty rushes North Texas QB DaMarcus Smith during 3rd quarter in CUSA action at Huntington, WV. Smith was sacked only twice in the game but was under constant pressure. The box score gives the Thundering Herd defense credit for 20 QB hurries, including 2 by Petty, who's playing his first season for Marshall after transferring from Maryland. (You may remember that he threw 6 TD passes during his freshman season after a rash of injuries forced him into action at QB.) Petty finished with 2 tackles (0-2) as Marshall added to North Texas' miserable season, defeating the Mean Green 30-13. Marshall improves to 7-1, while North Texas is 0-7.

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9. Norfolk State sophomore LB Anthony Smith is already past Bethune-Cookman G Romia Wilson at the 20-yard line and on his way to the house, returning an INT 25 yards for his 1st career TD to tie the game at 14 late in 1st quarter in MEAC action at Daytona Beach. It was a rare good defensive play on a day where the two offenses combined for 1,090 total yards. Smith had 7 tackles (3-4), including a half TFL, in addition to his pick 6, but Norfolk State fell to 2-5, losing 59-49. B-C improves to 6-2.

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10. Kentucky S Darius West (#25) tries but fails to keep junior WR De'Runnya Wilson out of the end zone on 2nd and 10, as Wilson scores on a 13-yard reception to put Mississippi State in the lead (for good) 14-10 early in 2nd quarter at Starkville. It was the 6th TD catch of the season for De'Runnya, who almost made the dread stars list, finishing with 4 catches for 91 yards. The Bulldogs racked up 586 total yards as they improved to 6-2 with a 42-16 win over Kentucky (4-3).

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11. Sick junior WR Dionte Taylor of Illinois reaches for the ball after fumbling it almost immediately after making the catch on 4th and 3 during the final minute of the game at Champaign. The ball was stripped by Wisconsin S Michael Caputo (#7), and LB Chris Orr (#50) made the FR, ending any chance for a miracle finish by the Illini. Taylor tied his season high with 46 yards receiving on 3 catches as Illinois dropped to 4-3, losing their homecoming game to the Badgers 24-13.

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12. When Alabama LB Reuben Foster tackles you, he always does it as violently as possible, as Tennessee senior WR Von Pearson finds out after catching a pass for a 10-yard gain on the 2nd play from scrimmage at Tuscaloosa. Pearson had this catch and another one for a 5-yard gain two plays later and then nothing else for the rest of the game.
The "RIP 28" drawn on Foster's wristband is in remembrance of former Alabama RB Altee Tenpenny, who died tragically in a car crash 4 days before the game. It'll take a while for you to read it, but I recommend you click on the link below for a story about Tenpenny in the Birmingham News. It's really kind of heart-wrenching.
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/10/family_and_friends_believe_alt.html
 
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13. Junior RBs Derrick Henry of Alabama and Alvin Kamara of Tennessee have an emotional meeting after the game. Henry, Kamara, and Tenpenny were all part of Alabama's 2013 recruiting class. Kamara went through an injury and suspension-plagued freshman season with the Tide before transferring to junior college last season and then to Tennessee this season, where he's been very productive in a reserve role. Kamara rushed for 21 yards on 5 carries and had 4 catches for 44 yards against his old teammates but didn't get the win. Thanks to Henry's TD with 2:24 to play, Alabama improved to 7-1 with a 19-14 win over Tennessee (3-4). 

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DREAD STARS

• Derrick Henry - Alabama - 28 carries for 143 yards and 2 TD rushing, including game-winning 14-yard TD run with 2:24 remaining in game, in 19-14 home W over Tennessee
• Alex Collins - Arkansas - 105 yards and 1 TD rushing on 25 carries, and 3 receptions for 39 yards in 54-46 home W over Auburn in 4 OT

• Doroland Dorceus - Memphis - 32 carries for 138 yards rushing and 2 TD, and 1 reception for 7 yards in 66-42 road W over Tulsa
• Mike Boone - Cincinnati - 117 yards rushing on 13 carries, and 3 receptions for 17 yards in 37-13 home W over Connecticut

• Trae Elston - Mississippi - named SEC defensive player of the week - 3 tackles (2-1), 1 TFL, and career high 5 PBU in 23-3 home W over Texas A&M
• Bucky Hodges - Virginia Tech - 5 catches for 101 yards and 3 TD in 45-43 home L to Duke in 4 OT
• Bennie Coney - Eastern Kentucky - 27 for 41 for 292 yards and 3 TD (1 INT), and 3 carries for 38 yards and 1 TD rushing in 45-21 home W over Tennessee State
• Jalen Overstreet - Sam Houston State - 28 carries for career high 202 yards rushing and 1 TD in 37-7 home W over Nicholls State
• Kendell Anderson - William & Mary - tied career high with 191 yards and 1 TD rushing on 22 carries, and had 1 reception for 13 yards in 40-7 homecoming W over Hampton

• Daquan Isom - Southern Illinois - 15 carries for 69 yards rushing, and 2 receptions for 98 yards, including 75-yard TD in 38-31 home W over Youngstown State in OT
• Michael Fredrick - South Dakota - 22 carries for 129 yards and 1 TD rushing, and 1 reception for 5 yards in 40-10 home W over Missouri State 
• Daniel Brown - Southern - named SWAC defensive player of the week - 6 tackles (3-3), 4 sacks, and 1 FF in 40-21 road W over Texas Southern
• Janawski Davis - Murray State - named OVC specialist of the week - 85-yard kickoff return for TD, and 4 receptions for 112 yards and 2 TD in 52-45 road L to Tennessee-Martin

• Lorenzo Long - Wofford - 24 carries for 143 yards rushing in 20-17 home L to UT-Chattanooga

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HOUSE OF DREAD

The end zone where the most TD were scored by players with dreads was at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, VA, where there were five. All 5 were by Week 8's player of the week .....
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HEAD DREAD

"They just can't stop him today."

Those were the words of the Richmond football radio announcer last Saturday (Oct. 24) after one of the 27 carries by senior RB Jacobi Green. The Spiders racked up a school record 720 yards in a wild, 59-49 victory that spoiled homecoming at James Madison, and the 5-foot-9, 192-pounder accounted for 250 of them, including a career high 236 yards rushing. Great blocking, bad defense, whichever, Green took advantage to take home CAA offensive player of the week honors as well as his first ever head dread award.

Green let his intentions be known immediately, rushing for 21 yards on the first play from scrimmage. He later finished the 9-play, 75-yard drive with a 2-yard TD run on 3rd and goal . His 2nd TD came on a 1-yard run, ending an 11-play, 75-yard drive in the 2nd quarter. Then in the 3rd quarter he scored on a 40-yard run to tie the game at 35 and again on a 1-yard run on the Spiders' next drive for a 42-35 lead. Green contributed 29 yards on 3 carries on an 87-yard TD drive that made the score 49-35 early in the 4th quarter. And later in the 4th, on the first play after JMU had closed to within 52-49 with a TD with 4:02 remaining, Green broke loose for a season long 62-yard run to the 7-yard line. Then on 3rd and goal 3 plays later, he got his 5th TD of the game on a 1-yard run with 2:09 to play to finish off the scoring for the game.

That's why I was so upset that the telecast of the game was blacked out. (Somebody needs to explain to me why an FCS game between two Virginia schools and televised by a regional sports channel that's part of a package that I pay for has to be blacked out in Wisconsin. It makes no sense at all.) Sorry I couldn't see you, Jacobi. I sure would have loved to. With the victory Richmond remains undefeated in CAA play at 4-0 (6-1 overall), while JMU, a team that beat FBS school SMU earlier this season, suffers their 1st loss, dropping to 7-1, 4-1. Here is the release from the Spiders' website on Green's CAA honor.
http://www.richmondspiders.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=629561&SPID=91932&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=26800&ATCLID=210452187

And the link below is to a video of all of the Spiders' highlights in the game. Jacobi, as you already know if you follow this blog regularly, has arguably the longest dreads of any RB in Division 1 and has been a fixture on my dread all-America teams throughout his career. But for this game he had his dreads reduced (doesn't everybody these days?), so they don't look as impressive as they should.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HSVk8TXtTI