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AUBURN has its spring game Saturday, but they will close out their work with a scrimmage on April 2. The Tigers are basically down to one healthy tailback in Brad Lester. Mario Fannin is out for the rest of spring after undergoing shoulder surgery. Ben Tate is battling a hamstring injury. Tiger sophomore linebacker Josh Bynes has led the Tiger defense with nearly 20 tackles in two scrimmages. He is backing up Tray Blackmon, but his efforts have earned him some time with the first team. Bynes is playing at 234 pounds after gaining 15. Offensive coordinator Tony Franklin said he will not name a starting quarterback until the fall partly because quarterback Chris Todd continues to struggle with a shoulder problem. In the last scrimmage, Todd was 17- of- 25 for 168 yards and three touchdowns despite the bad shoulder. Neil Caudle would likely be the third team quarterback. Freshman DeRon Furr is still learning the system. Receiver Terrell Zachery, who missed all of last season due to academics, has emerged as one of the go-to receivers this spring.
GEORGIA linebacker Darryl Gamble had six tackles, two interceptions and batted down a pass in the Bulldog’s scrimmage last Saturday. Gamble took advantage of playing time with fellow linebacker Rennie Curran out attending a funeral. One of Gamble’s picks was returned for a touchdown. Redshirt freshman tailback Caleb King carried 12 times for 42 yards and one score. King, who was held out with a sore knee, returned to practice Wednesday after an MRI showed he had no knee serious damage. Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw three touchdowns. Knowshon Moreno, Asher Allen and Tony Wilson returned punts. Wilson, who caught 14 passes for 124 yards last season, had surgery Saturday on his ankle that he fractured during the scrimmage. He will be ready to play in the fall. Bulldog linebacker Marcus Washington will likely miss the 2008 season after injuring his shoulder. Washington, who started six of the 11 games he played in last year, will likely be replaced by Gamble or Akeem Dent. Linebacker Darius Dewberry is out for the remainder of spring with a groin injury that will require surgery in a few weeks. The defense, which has more depth than the offense, continues to dominant Georgia’s practices. Safeties Reshad Jones and Quintin Banks drew praise from the coaches for the work this week. Redshirt freshman John Knox has been impressive at safety. OLE MISS junior Cordera Eason is emerging as the starting tailback. Eason has shown an impressive burst of speed despite his 225 pound frame. There is plenty of competition at linebacker with Ashlee Palmer, Allen Walker, Tony Fein and Jonathan Cornell, who is back in full pads for the first time since injuring his shoulder last year. Michael Oher, who spurned the NFL draft to return for his senior season, is in the best shape of his life. Oher (6-6, 322), who has recently added 70 pounds to his bench press, easily outruns the rest of the line. SOUTH CAROLINA redshirt freshman quarterback Stephen Garcia is in trouble for the third time since January 2007. Garcia was one of three players charged with underage drinking outside a dorm last Saturday night. Garcia, offensive lineman Heath Batchelor and quarterback Zac Brindise were all cited for the same offense. Five hours later there was a second incident involving Garcia. Fire officials were called to the dorm around 11 p.m. and discover that a fire extinguisher had been discharged. Garcia said he used it after he saw sparks coming from his stove. The school has suspended him until Aug. 15. He has been suspended from summer school and will have to comply with several stipulations including drug testing. If he passes his classes this semester, he would be eligible this fall. Gamecock receiver Chris Culliver has moved to defensive back, his main position in high school. Culliver, a sophomore, was the Gamecocks best kickoff returner averaging 23 yards per kick return. Eric Norwood, South Carolina’s most productive defensive end last year, has moved to linebacker. Sophomore receiver Dion Lecorn, who was arrested recently on a simple possession of marijuana, has been reinstated to the team. Coach Steve Spurrier said cornerback Carlos Thomas, who was suspended for inappropriate behavior, will be reinstated next week. Chris Smelley is the No. 1 quarterback on the depth chart despite all the hype for Garcia. Smelley is throwing better after having shoulder surgery to remove a bone chip he sustained early last season. Middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley weighs 275 pounds with only 5-7% body fat. LSU coach Les Miles said the suspension for quarterback Ryan Perrilloux has been lifted even though he doesn’t have practice or playing privileges. Miles said if he continues to catch up with his workouts and academics, then he will be back with the team before the spring game. Defensive tackle Charles Alexander returned to practice for the first time since the South Carolina game last year when he tore his ACL. The Tigers game at Arkansas has been moved to the Friday after Thanksgiving for a CBS broadcast. The game has been a staple on Friday’s for 12 straight years. Last year, Arkansas beat LSU, 50-48, in triple overtime. The winner of the game has won the SEC won in four of the past seven years. LSU returned from spring break this week. Redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee has been more accurate in throwing drills than Andrew Hatch. The two most impressive running backs have been sophomores Richard Murphy and redshirt freshman Stevan Ridley. Juniors Keiland Williams and Charles Scott have been less than consistent. Junior Brandon LaFell and senior Demetrius Byrd are the top two receivers. Sophomore Terrance Tolliver is still a work in progress. Doug Moreau, a member of the LSU broadcast team and a district attorney in Baton Rouge, has applied for the LSU AD job. He was a finalist before Skip Bertman was selected. TENNESSEE had its first practice in full pads this week. Coach Phil Fulmer said the backup offensive linemen were soft. Fulmer also said defensive lineman Victor Thomas has never done a “darn” thing except to travel around campus as a football player. Vol junior safety Demetrice Morley, a former high school star from Miami (Fla.) Killian, is doing well after returning to field. Morley missed the entire 2007 season after being suspended for academics. Receiver Kenny O’Neal will miss most of spring due to academic issues. Defensive back Ricardo Kemp, who had a big pick in the Kentucky win last year, is leaving the program after intercepting a pass and collecting two sacks last year. Freshman running back Tauren Poole has earned the respect of the coaches. There is speculation that Tennessee might have to pay Bruce Pearl more than Phil Fulmer’s ($2 million) in order to keep him especially if Indiana offers him a mint. Vol officials have signed a home-and-home series with Ohio State in 2018 and 2019. Junior tight end Jeff Cottam broken is leg and is out for the remainder of spring. He is expected back this fall. ALABAMA on- field assistant coaches made $2.24 million last year, the most in the SEC. The staff received a raise of $155,000 in the offseason. New offensive coordinator Jim McElwain will make $325,000 in his first year, which is $75,000 more than former coordinator Major Applewhite. Defensive lineman Luther Davis is back at practice after missing time due to personal reasons. Former running back Jimmy Johns is adjusting to his linebacker position. It is important that Johns plays this season since Prince Hall is indefinitely suspended and Zeke Knight is struggling with heart ailment. The players are excited about new offensive coordinator Jim McElwain. Sophomore Taylor Pharr and junior Drew Davis are battling for the right tackle spot. FLORIDA Coach Urban Meyer said Wednesday that Kestahn Moore is the No. 1 tailback. He also said Chris Rainey has been impressive. Offensive coordinator Dan Mullen said Rainey would do some of the things that receiver Percy Harvin does for the offense. Rainey has bulked up, but has maintained his explosiveness. Meyer said Emmanuel Moody and Mon Williams are also in the mix. Running backs coach Kenny Carter also said he likes Moore. Meyer said he has been pleasantly surprised with Rainey, receiver Riley Cooper and quarterback Cam Newton. Dorian Munroe and Major Wright have caught Meyer’s eye. Freshman lineman Matt Patchan has been moved to the defense. Freshman Brandon Beal recovered two fumbles in Wednesday’s practice. Freshmen Earl Okine and Janoris Jenkins are seeing the most time with the second team defense. The Gator offense is experimenting with a no-huddle attack. Meyer also said he was going to utilize more of a two-quarterback system this season. Harvin, who had a great first week, could miss the rest of spring with a heel injury. The battle for the backup quarterback position continues between Cam Newton and John Brantley, who is still nursing a shoulder injury. Brantley looked very good in 1-on-1 and 7-on-7 drills. Newton made some plays with his feet and his arm. Junior college receiver Carl Moore is not as big as advertised, but he has shown fine potential. Deonte Thompson continues to progress. Cornelius Ingram, Aaron Hernandez and Tate Casey have all had their moments at tight end. The offensive line led by Jim Tartt and Jason Watkins had a good week. Watkins has changed the shape of his body and became more technically sound. Florida’s defense line had a disappointing first week except for Troy Epps who has performed beyond his three-star ranking. Torrey Davis, another defensive lineman, has been struggling to maintain his grades. Lorenzo Edwards was the most impressive linebacker. Joe Haden has been the best of the defensive backs. Kicker Caleb Sturgis is still learning the ropes. For the first time ESPN’s College GameDay will be at a college spring game this time at Florida. ESPN will televise the spring game after a two-hour college GameDay. ESPNU will televise the Missouri spring game on April 19 at 2 pm and ESPN2 will show College Football GameDay Final on April 12 at 10 pm and Saturday, April, 19 at 7 pm. KENTUCKY started spring practice Wednesday. The Wildcats lost quarterback Andre Woodson, and receivers Keenan Burton, Jacob Tamme, Rafael Little, Steve Johnson and linebacker Wesley Woodyard. Wildcat cornerback Paul Warford has been reinstated to the team after being suspended last month. Sophomore linebacker Brandon Thurmond has reinjured the same knee that caused him to miss most of last season. Junior Curtis Pulley and sophomore Mike Hartline are the top two quarterbacks in order on the depth chart. ARKANSAS linebacker Freddie Fairchild has been suspended from the team after being arrested for misdemeanor charges of battery and false imprisonment. The arrest report said he allegedly attacked a woman he has had a relationship with for more than a year. MISSISSIPPI STATE has its spring game Saturday. The Bulldogs had its first scrimmage this week. Quarterback Wesley Carroll was 4- of- 8 for 46 yards. Junior college transfer Tyson Lee was 19- of- 24 for 201 yards and two scores. Tailback Robert Elliott had 83 yards on 24 carries. Defensive back Derek Pegues had 11 tackles. State is in good shape at tailback with Elliott, Anthony Dixon, Christian Ducre, and converted safety Wade Bonner. ACC NOTES CLEMSON’s Rendrick Taylor (6-1, 242) is no longer working with linebackers. He is now with running backs. He might end up back at receiver or even at tight end. Tailback James Davis will miss the rest of spring practice after sustaining a separated shoulder in Thursday’s scrimmage. Freshman defensive end DaQuan Bowers is earning more reps with the first string. True freshman receiver Marquan Jones has drawn rave reviews from Clemson coaches. Backup quarterback Willy Korn is back shaking off the rust after breaking his collarbone against Furman last Sept. He has earned a medical redshirt. Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said he never said anything about the injury because it would have made quarterback Cullen Harper a bigger target. Bowden added that an injury to Harper would have reduced the Tigers down to their third team quarterback. FLORIDA STATE’s Wednesday’s scrimmage was productive for the quarterbacks. The offense led by Christian Ponder scored five touchdowns and had two more plays stopped near the 1-yard line in a 12-play red zone situation. Ponder, who was 9- of- 19 for 130 yards with four touchdowns and one pick, hit freshman receiver Tawain Easterling and junior Rod Owens on scoring pass of nearly 20 yards. Richardson was 4- of- 9 for 71 yards with the second team. Also freshman defenders—cornerback Terrance Parks, linebacker Nigel Bradham and linebacker Vincent Williams—made big plays. Receiver Bert Reed has taken advantage of Preston Parker (groin) and Gregg Carr (limited snaps)—not being on the field. Quarterback Drew Weatherford, who was 7- of -10 for 50 yards, tweaked his knee last week in the Saturday scrimmage which means more work for Ponder and D’Vontrey Richardson. Weatherford will have meniscus surgery which will put him out the remainder of the spring. Ponder, who was 4-of-9 for 116 yards and two scores in Saturday’s scrimmage, hit Rod Owens on a 70-yard play on the first day of pads last Saturday. It was the only offensive play that gained more than 25 yards. Still, the offense struggled with drops, poor protection and penalties. Offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher said Ponder has earned the right to compete for the starting job. Receiver Bert Reed led his group with four catches for 56 yards. Dumaka Atkins is adjusting to the defensive line after moving form the offensive line. He sat out last year with an ACL tear. Defensive end Everette Brown had two sacks in the scrimmage. Brown said he wants to be dominant this season. MIAMI has its spring game Saturday morning. Coach Randy Shannon said it will be offense vs. defense. The NCAA has approved linebacker Glen Cook’s sixth year of eligibility. Miami players had their second scrimmage Saturday. Freshman defensive lineman Allen Bailey had several tackles including a sack and a safety. Marcus Fortson and Darryl Sharpton both had safeties. Coach Randy Shannon had the offense start on its own two-yard line for 18 consecutive series. Only a couple of the drives resulted in field goal tries. Bruce Johnson picked off quarterback Robert Marve’s pass and returned it 65-yards for a score. The second half of the scrimmage started in defensive territory. Tailback Graig Cooper scored three touchdowns. Derron Thomas, another tailback, had some nice runs in the scrimmage. Tight end Dedrick Epps had a 60-yard catch and run. Marve got snaps with the first team mostly. Daniel Adderly (6-6), who signed as a receiver, has moved to tight end. Receiver Jermaine McKenzie was struggling to walk after Wednesday’s practice. Receivers coach Aubrey Hill said sophomore Leonard Hankerson and senior Khalil Jones have impressed him. Shannon said Sam Sheilds is a “1,000 times better than last year.” Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland said Reggie Youngblood quietly has had a very good spring. Special teams coach Joe Pannunzio said Shields could be a factor in blocking kicks this season. GEORGIA TECH has started spring practice. Tackles Darryl Richard and Vance Walker form a tandem (13 sacks and 30 tackles for loss) that is one of the best in the nation. Quarterback with Auburn transfer Calvin Booker and Josh Nesbitt is a question mark after Taylor Bennett transferred. Tech returns only one starter at linebacker and had two first-year starters at safety. Tailback Jonathan Dwyer, a sophomore, should carry the load after Tashard Choice has left for the NFL. Navy’s offense last year led the nation in rushing and scored 30 or more points in 11- of- 13 games. Defensive coordinator Dave Wommack is making several changes to the Tech defensive scheme. He is going to use more man-to-man coverage go along with the typical zone schemes. MARYLAND starts spring practice this week with three quarterbacks-Josh Portis, the Florida transfer, Chris Turner and Jordan Steffy. Portis was suspended before the start of the 2007 season for a violation of the school’s academic code. Turner will likely begin as the starter since he played so well last season. VIRGINIA officials have scheduled a home-and-home series with Southern Miss starting in 2009 at home and continuing in 2011 on the road. MICHIGAN has had eleven players with eligibility are not returning to Michigan including offensive lineman Justin Boren, who made 14 starts. SEC HOOPS NOTES The SEC was able to continue a trend with Tennessee advancing to the Sweet Sixteen. Since 1990, at least one conference team has made it through the second round each year. Unfortunately for the league, the Vols were the only team to advance, further contributing to the perception that SEC was not very strong this season. Mississippi State and Arkansas lost in the second round while Kentucky and Vanderbilt went home after the first day. Mississippi State probably deserved a better fate. The Bulldogs were seeded too low (No. 8 seed) to begin with so they had to face No. 1 seed Memphis. State represented itself well losing by only three points. FLORIDA (24-11): The Gators face UMass, coached by Travis Ford, on Tuesday night. The other semifinal game is Ole Miss vs. Ohio State. Walter Hodge led five players in double figures with 18 points. Chandler Parson added 15 points off the bench. Florida made 12- of- 25 from the arc and 60% shooting overall. Marreese Speights had 14 points and 10 rebounds while Nick Calathes had 14 and 9. Defensively, the Gators held their third straight NIT opponent to under 60 points. Florida led by six at halftime. TENNESSEE (31-5) lost to Louisville in the round of 16. The problems at point guard hampered the Vols again. Point guard J. P. Prince scored two points and committed four turnovers. Tennessee forced 20 turnovers, but committed 17. Louisville shot 66% in the second half. The Vols barely survived in overtime to beat Butler in order to earn a meeting against Louisville Thursday night in Charlotte, N. C. Wayne Chism led the Vols with 16 points and Tyler Smith had 15 points and eight rebounds. Coach Bruce Pearl was not happy with the point guard situation so he Prince in the rotation against Butler and reduced the minutes for Jordan Howell and Ramar Smith. Prince had nine points, seven rebounds, five assists and six turnovers in the Butler win. However, Pearl reinserted Ramar Smith back at point guard in overtime. In Tennessee’s four games in the postseason, the Vols have five more turnovers than their opponents. Tennessee’s propensity for turnovers (they had 20 against Butler) toward the latter part of the season has prevented the Vols from playing up tempo and cut down on easy baskets. The Vols full court press has also lost some effectiveness as the season progressed even though the Vols limited Butler guards Mike Green and A. J. Graves to only 28% shooting. In their last four games, Tennessee allowed 53 offensive rebounds. They surrendered 12 against Butler. Chris Lofton, who was 4-of-18 from the field, scored only nine points in the Butler win. Tennessee won the rebound battle 46-39. Tennessee was only 5-of-19 from the arc. There are reports that Indiana might want to hire Pearl, but Vol athletic director Mike Hamilton wants to increase his $1.3 million deal. MISSISSIPPI STATE couldn’t quite get over the hump to beat No. 1 seed Memphis despite the Tigers missing 17 free throws. Bulldog guard Jamont Gordon scored 21 points and added 11 rebounds. Ben Hansbrough scored 19 points. The Bulldogs rallied from being down by 13 points and by eight points with 24 seconds left. Senior Charles Rhodes had 13 points and 10 rebounds. State had a chance to foul out several Tiger players, but could only send Robert Dozier to the bench. By the time Dozier took a seat, Memphis was ahead by seven with 3:35 to play. Memphis outrebounded State, 45-37, including 19 offensive rebounds. Barry Stewart was only 1-of-12 from the field. Jarvis Varnado blocked five shots in the game giving him 157 on the season which tied Shaquille O’Neal from LSU for the best single season mark. The big question left to be answered is does Gordon return for his senior season? State had one of the league’s most impressive NCAA Tournament wins over Oregon as the Bulldogs overcame a 13-point second half deficit. Charles Rhodes had a career high 34 points. He also had nine rebounds and no turnovers. State’s defense was a key in the second half. Oregon hit only 2- of- 21 from the arc. State has not been to the Sweet Sixteen round since 1996. ARKANSAS was simply overwhelmed by North Carolina in its second round game Sunday. Senior Sonny Weems, who was 8-of-20 from the floor, led the Hogs with 19 points. Arkansas won its first NCAA Tournament game since 1999 with a first round victory over Indiana. Weems scored a career high 31 points in the Hoosier win. The Hog defense held Hoosier star Eric Gordon to only eight points, tying a season low. Hog center Darian Townes scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Seniors Vincent Hunter, Steven Hill and Charles Thomas finished their career against North Carolina. UNC guards Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington combined for 39 points in the loss. VANDERBILT was easily the most disappointing SEC team in the NCAA Tournament after No. 13 seed Siena pummeled them in a first round game. Shan Foster, the SEC MVP, scored only two points in the second half on three attempts. Siena shot 56% from the field in one of Vandy’s worst defensive performances of the season. The Commodores shot only 4- of- 20 from the arc, a season low. Guards Alex Gordon, Jermaine Beal and Keegan Bell combined for only 11 points. Coach Kevin Stallings must replace Foster, Ross Neltner, Gordon and Alan Metcalfe next season. In hindsight, the Commodores won 26 games, the second most in school history and 10 SEC wins for the second straight season. Foster became the school’s first 2,000 point scorer. Stallings said the biggest problem with the team was a consistent lack of defensive production. KENTUCKY was one and done in the NCAA Tournament, but the outmanned Wildcats were within two points of Marquette with less than 25 seconds left in the game. Kentucky players including Patrick Patterson, Jodie Meeks and Derrick Jasper missed 42 games due to injuries this season. Still, the Wildcats finished with a, 12-4, record in the league after starting, 6-7. Coach Billy Gillespie loses seniors Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford, but the addition of heralded freshmen signees Darius Miller from the state of Kentucky and DeAndre Liggins of Chicago will help. GEORGIA lost an 11 point lead in the last 16 minutes in its first round NCAA Tournament loss to Xavier. Coach Dennis Felton must rebuild his team next year without the services of senior co-captains Dave Bliss and Sundiata Gaines. Senior guards Corey Butler, Billy Humphrey and Terrance Woodberry must provide leadership. Woodberry averaged nearly 16 points, five rebounds and shot 52% from the arc in the postseason. OLE MISS beat Virginia Tech Wednesday night to advance in the NIT. The Rebels beat Nebraska Monday in the NIT. The Rebels have won six of their last seven games. Ole Miss plays Ohio State in Madison Square Garden Tuesday night. Chris Warren scored 22 points and Dwayne Curtis added 17. SOUTH CAROLINA is still rumored to be pursuing Western Kentucky coach Darrin Horn. Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel appears to be getting an extension and raise in Norman. The Sooners lost to Louisville in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. Capel, who has family in North Carolina, was a member of the 1994 Duke national title team. Miami’s Frank Haith could also be a candidate. LSU is still looking for a coach. VCU coach Anthony Grant has been reported to be the top candidate for head coaching vacancy. Tiger officials, primarily John Lombardi, have to hire an athletic director along with a basketball coach.
BRENT BEAIRD IS A SPORTS WRITER FOR MYCLAYSUN IN ORANGE PARK, FLA. HE ALSO WRITES FOR RIVALS.COM, SAMSPORTSLINE.COM AND GATOR BAIT MAGAZINE. HE CAN BE HEARD ON SPORTS RADIO 1010 XL.
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