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ALABAMA: After Saturday’s scrimmage, coach Nick Saban said Rashad Johnson, Kareem Jackson and Javier Arenas as the most consistent players in the secondary. Saban said defensive back Mark Barron, linebacker Don’ta Hightower and junior college signee Terrence Cody, a defensive lineman, were some of the newcomers who played well. Freshman receiver Julio Jones caught two passes for 59 yards and a score.
John Parker Wilson was 17- of- 30 for 309 yards with two touchdowns and two turnovers. Saban said when Wilson makes a mistake now it’s not always bad judgment. Greg McElroy, who was 9- of- 18, is the likely choice for the backup quarterback. Punter P. J. Fitzgerald punted seven times for a 42 yard average.
Tailback Glen Coffee gained 42 yards rushing and caught six passes for 79 yards. Receiver Mike McCoy caught three passes for 119 yards. Freshman tailback Mark Ingram caught three passes for 31 yards and gained another 42 yards rushing. Receiver Marquis Maze caught two passes for 74 yards. Maze (5-9, 167), a redshirt freshman, has earned more touches this season. Linebacker Charlie Higginbotham led the defense with eight tackles. Sophomore linebacker Rolando McClain had five tackles included two for loss, one pick and one pass breakup.
The defensive line is four deep for the first time in memory. One of the more impressive players is freshman end Marcel Dareus. There is also depth at running back with the addition of Ingram, Chris Jordan and Ivan Matchett. Grant and Coffee are atop the depth chart.
Linebacker Prince Hall has lost 20 pounds (235) since last year. The team has spent a lot of time on third-down efficiency, red-zone efficiency and turnover efficiency in practice.
The Tide is one step closer to opening the season next year again at the Georgia Dome this time against Virginia Tech. One of the major hurdles was to replace Alabama on the Tulane schedule and that has been done. ESPN has promised Tulane four future games for changing their contract.
ARKANSAS: The Hogs went through a 140-play scrimmage Sunday morning and a 110-play scrimmage Wednesday. The offense is light years ahead of the defense in fall camp.
In the first scrimmage, starting quarterback Casey Dick was 22- of- 38 with three touchdowns and two picks. Nathan Dick, his brother, was 6- of- 11 for 57 yards. Alex Mortensen was 5- of- 11 for 69 yards and two scores. The leading rusher was Michael Smith, a junior from Tallahassee, with five carries for 141 yard. True freshman De’Anthony Curtis gained 97 yards on 12 carries and a score. Curtis is out for two weeks with a knee sprain. London Crawford led the receivers with six catches for 84 yards. Tight end Ben Williams caught five passes for 71 yards.
Receiver Carlton Salters has demonstrated sure hands. Receiver Joe Adams, tight end D. J. Williams and defensive end Jake Bequette are having excellent camps. Ryan Mallett is getting some reps at quarterback, but the receivers are having trouble adjusting to the velocity of his passes. Tailback Brandon Barnett is back at practice after having his knee scoped. Chip Gregory (6-3, 218), who is one of the bigger backs, has come on in recent practices. True freshman Elton Ford has moved ahead of Matt Harris at free safety. Another true freshman, quarterback Tyler Wilson, is pushing Nathan Dick for the backup role.
AUBURN: The Tigers had their first scrimmage of the preseason on Saturday. Coach Tommy Tuberville didn’t release stats from the scrimmage. He said both quarterbacks, Kodi Burns and Chris Todd, did well and didn’t throw a pick. Tailback Brad Lester had a long run. Running back Eric Smith, who is from Seffner (Fla.) Armwood, drew praise from Tuberville which is important since the Tigers have only three scholarship running backs in Brad Lester, Tristan Davis and Ben Tate.
The Tigers are really hurting in the secondary after freshman safety Marcus Jemison broke his leg in the scrimmage forcing him to redshirt, Aairon Savage tore his ACL, and safety DeRon Furr left school. Tuberville has also implied that cornerback Ryan Williams’ status is undecided. Chris Evans and Merrill Johnson are locked in a battle for the starting weakside linebacker position.
Center Jason Bosley and backup Ryan Pugh missed Sunday’s practice, but Bart Eddins was a valuable sub. Bosley was back at practice on Tuesday after missing a week. Pugh and defensive end Antonio Coleman started a fight on Tuesday that involved both lines of scrimmage. Through 12 practices, Kodi Burns has completed 66% (221- of- 332) of his passes and Chris Todd 72% (260- of- 363). Both quarterbacks have thrown a combined near 700 passes. Freshman quarterback Barrett Trotter also had a productive scrimmage.
Tiger freshman cornerback Neiko Lipscomb is vying for plenty of playing time this season. Offensive coordinator Tony Franklin has noted the improvement of receiver Chris Slaughter and tight end Gabe McKenzie.
FLORIDA: After Thursday’s practice, Coach Urban Meyer said he was pleased with the linebackers. He said Dustin Doe has had a strong summer despite a minor hamstring injury, Brandon Spikes has NFL potential, A. J. Jones has improved and Brandon Hicks and Lorenzo Edwards are pushing for playing time. Meyer said the running backs have been a bright spot because they are learning to run correct routes and make defenders miss. Caleb Sturgis and Jonathan Phillips are battling for the starting kicking position. Brandon James is one of the return specialists, but Meyer said Chris Rainey, Joe Haden, and Louis Murphy, who is battling a sprained ankle, could be used there. Meyer said no decision has been made for a backup quarterback between Cam Newton and John Brantley. Newton gives the element of a better runner. Meyer said junior receivers Riley Cooper and Carl Moore are battli ng for a starting spot. Deonte Thompson and David Nelson have been consistent. Meyer said Percy Harvin is close to being full speed. Freshman defensive tackles Matt Patchan and Omar Hunter are both limited. Freshman defensive end William Green, who is up to 218 after gaining nearly 20 pounds, will definitely play. Meyer compared him to a Jarvis Moss type player.
After Wednesday’s scrimmage, offensive coordinator Dan Mullen said the running backs have improved ball security, both tight ends—Tate Casey and Aaron Hernandez—are doing well and quarterback Tim Tebow is improving his decision making. He noted that Thompson made a great block by picking up a blitzing linebacker. Mullen said Jeff Demps, Emanuel Moody and Rainey. Justin Williams, the former receiver, had two picks in the scrimmage. Williams and sophomores Ahmad Black and Major Wright and freshman Will Hill will play a major role in the two deep. Defensive coordinator Charlie Strong said the defense played better in the scrimmage than any game last season.
Meyer praised receiver Frankie Hammond, Jr., as one of the best receivers during the first three days of practice. Meyer said redshirt freshman defensive tackle Jaye Howard is one of the most improved players on the team. He also said Murphy needs to be the go-to receiver. Meyer said running back Kestahn Moore had been dynamic after four practices. Moore might play some at fullback to get another tailback on the field. Running backs coach Kenny Carter said Moore could also play fullback. Freshman cornerbacks Jeremy Brown and Janoris Jenkins and Green have caught the coaches eye. Freshman T J Lawrence, who was moved to safety the first week of practice, has been moved back to receiver. Defensive tackle Torrey Davis will miss the opener due to a variety of issues including academic concerns. Safety Bryan Thomas will also miss t he first game after having a cyst removed from his knee recently. Freshman defensive tackle Omar Hunter is still dealing with a sore back. Freshman lineman Matt Patchan is being eased back in with a pectoral muscle.
Five Gator players have gone down with ACL injuries. Three of the injuries have come from non-contact drills. Last year, they have several high ankle sprains and the year before was shoulder injuries. The latest has been freshman linebacker Brandon Beal and redshirt freshman offensive lineman Jim Barrie. Ryan Stamper has replaced Beal. Freshman T. J. Lawrence, who recently moved back to receiver, has a shoulder subluxation, which will sideline him indefinitely. Freshman Will Hill and sophomore Moses Jenkins are both dealing with concussions. Freshman offensive lineman Sam Robey dislocated his kneecap in the scrimmage.
GEORGIA: Coach Mark Richt said Thursday that the coaches were looking at tailback Knowshon Moreno, backup quarterback Logan Gray and freshman running back Carlton Thomas as possible punt returners. Asher Allen will return kickoffs. Richt also said all the freshman running backs (Dontavious Jackson, Richard Samuel and Carlton Thomas), receivers (A J Green and Tavarris King) and defensive backs (Baccari Rambo and Sanders Commings) will see a lot of playing time.
Trinton Sturdivant, a sophomore left tackle, will miss the season after tearing his ACL, MCL and PCL Monday’s scrimmage. Sturdivant played an important position that he protected the quarterback’s blind side and had to usually take on the opponent’s best pass rusher. The best news of the injury is that Sturdivant has no nerve damage meaning he should recover in nine-12 months. Josh Davis, Vince Vance, Clint Boling, Cordy Glenn or Kiante Tripp could replace him. Davis continues to get most of the work with the No. 1 unit. Freshman Ben Jones has been impressive. His natural position might be center.
During the first scrimmage, quarterback Matthew Stafford was 11- of- 21 for 108 yards with no touchdowns and a pick. Logan Gray was 12- of- 22 for 119 yards. Joe Cox did not play due to his injury. Caleb King led the team in rushing with 52 yards and Samuel had 45 yards. Green had three catches for 28 yards. Cornerback Ramarcus Brown led the team with 11 tackles. Blair Walsh has done well kicking. He made all his field goal attempts and extra points.
Backup safety Quintin Banks will be lost for six week with a torn MCL. Rambo is the No. 2 safety following the loss of Banks. Redshirt freshman John Knox will take over for Banks who is the backup to safety Reshad Jones and strong safety C. J. Byrd. Moreno has been wearing a non-contact jersey to protect his sore left shoulder. Safety Makiri Pugh is also out for a week following an ankle injury.. Safety Donovan Baldwin has been indefinitely suspended after his recent bar fight. Baldwin had 25 stitches in the head after being hit with a beer bottle. TCU has approached Georgia for a series sometime in the next decade. One of the games would be played in the Cowboys new stadium.
OLE MISS: Quarterback Jevan Snead had an excellent scrimmage Saturday throwing three scores including a 65-yard touchdown pass to receiver Mike Wallace. He also hit Dexter McCluster on a 45-yard pass during the scrimmage. Linebacker Allen Walker sustained a knee injury during the scrimmage, but he was back at practice on Thursday.
Rebel defensive lineman Greg Hardy will miss 6-8 weeks after having surgery to repair a stress fracture. Hardy, who led the SEC with 10 sacks last year, may not come back until the Alabama game on Oct. 18. He is the third lineman lost in the past two weeks. Ted Laurent tore a right meniscus in his knee and might miss the opener against Memphis. Defensive tackle Peria Jerry is back at practice after straining his MCL.
TENNESSEE: In Saturday’s scrimmage, defensive back Demetrice Morley intercepted one pass and should have picked off another, but the whistle blew early. The defensive line was strong against the run, partly due to starting tailback Arian Foster sitting out most of the scrimmage. Foster has been diagnosed with a bone bruise, which might explain the soreness in his knee. Tennessee’s defense held the offense to one touchdown and 45 yards rushing. Gerald Williams, who was playing outside linebacker, made a favorable impression. Williams said he is more comfortable as a middle linebacker. Chad Cunningham punted well. Starting quarterback Jonathan Crompton had a good scrimmage except for one pick and nearly another. The offensive line and runn ing backs did little during the scrimmage.
Eric Berry and Gerald Jones have lined up at quarterback in practice. Both players have packages in order to get the ball in their hands. Berry’s package is called the “Wild Berry”. Offensive coordinator Dave Clawson wants the playmakers to get the ball. Tight end Brandon Warren, a FSU transfer, still has not heard an answer on his appeal to the SEC and NCAA for playing time. Nothing is expected until the end of the week at least. Tight end Jeff Cottam is likely not to return anytime soon due to a leg injury.
UCLA quarterback Ben Olson broke his foot last Saturday and will miss two months. He broke the same foot in the spring. Kevin Craft, a junior college transfer, and redshirt freshman Chris Forcier are expected to compete. Patrick Cowan, who was set to be the starting quarterback, sustained a knee injury in the spring, and is out for the year.
KENTUCKY: Mike Hartline has the clear lead as starting quarterback. Freshman lineman Jake Lanefski sustained a broken hand after expressing his frustration of missing a block by punching the turf.
LSU: After the first week of practice, the quarterbacks-Jordan Jefferson, Jarrett Lee and Andrew Hatch were in a dead heat. However, Lee, who is back at practice, lost some time with an ankle injury. Hatch and Jefferson received most of the reps. Miles added that he doubted Jefferson would be ready the start the opener.
The Tigers had a Tuesday mini-scrimmage that included a few good runs by Richard Murphy. Hatch threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Richard Dickson. Fullback Steven Ridley blocked a punt. DT Rickey Jean-Francois had a couple of sacks.
Of the three main running backs-Charles Scott, Keiland Williams and Murphy-Miles said that Scott might be primed to have a Jacob Hester-type season. Murphy is also pushing to be the lead back. Miles also said receiver Trindon Holliday will take more snaps this season. Miles also praised freshman cornerbacks Deangelo Peterson and Brandon Taylor for having an exceptional camp. Starting cornerbacks Jai Eugene and Chris Hawkins are trying to hold them off. Linebacker is another area of concern because Darry Beckwith is the only returning full-time starter, but Kelvin Sheppard, Perry Riley and Jacob Cutrera all have experience. Safety Stefoin Francois has missed practice due to disciplinary issues. Miles said he is not yet suspended from the team.
MISSISSIPPI STATE: The offense scored only once in Saturday’s scrimmage. The defense picked off two passes and stuffed the offense four times inside the five-yard line. Coach Sly Croom said the punting was poor. Defensive back Tay Bowser and linebacker Jamie Jones drew praise from Croom. Quarterback Wesley Carroll was 12- of- 21 for 131 yards and one pick. Redshirt freshman Robert Elliott ran for 50 yards and Christian Ducre picked up 52. Linebacker Jamon Hughes is transferring to Memphis. He was one of three players involved in the shooting incident on campus this past March. Backup left guard Tobias Smith hurt his leg in the Saturday scrimmage.
SOUTH CAROLINA: In Wednesday’s scrimmage, quarterback Tommy Beecher struggled completing only 15- of- 30 passes. Several starters on the offensive line and at receiver were missing. Brian Maddox, who had seven carries for 48 yards in the scrimmage, has made progress as the No. 2 tailback behind injured starter Mike Davis. Coach Steve Spurrier repeated Thursday night on his first call-in show that Beecher would remain the starter. Spurrier said Beecher’s mobility is what separates him from Smelley. He also said the offensive line is improving with at least eight players who can help. Spurrier raved about defensive end Cliff Matthews calling him the surprise of preseason camp.
In the first scrimmage, Spurrier said he was fairly pleased with the quarterbacks-Chris Smelley, who is battling a thumb injury, (9- of- 18 for 114 yards with two scores and no picks) and Tommy Beecher (9- of- 13 for 123 yards and two scores)-after both completed over 50% of their passes and threw for over 100 yards passing. Stephen Garcia was 6- of- 8 for 67 yards and a pick. He also ran three times for 21 yards. Garcia will miss a week of practice due to a sprained ankle. Spurrier hinted that he might be having doubts to how Garcia hurt his ankle. Starting tailback Mike Davis is due back any day from a shoulder injury. Maddox and Eric Baker are the top two running backs. Tight end Wesley Saunders caught three passes for a leading 36 yards and two scores. The offense totaled over 300 yards. Freshmen Aramis Hillary and Reid McCollum are expected to be redshirted. Defens ive tackle Nathan Pepper is nearly completely healthy after knee surgery. Tight end Jared Cook has returned from a broken toe.
SEC DEAL WITH CBS: The league is very happy with the 15-year deal with CBS that begins in the 2009-10 school year. ESPN is rumored to want to buy the rest of the SEC TV rights and sell what they don’t want back to Raycom. Commissioner Mike Slive wants to get the rest of the TV deals done in the next three weeks. This might mean the death or at least the delay of the SEC TV network. In this new deal, CBS gets the right to choose the first game every week. In the old deal, ESPN got to cherry pick a few games. CBS will do one prime time game per season leaving the rest to ESPN.
ACC NOTES
CLEMSON: Coach Tommy Bowden said defensive end Ricky Sapp couldn’t be blocked in Thursday’s practice. That might also say something about the struggles at offensive tackle. Still, Bowden said he wants to see another pass rusher step up such as junior Kevin Alexander or freshman Da’Quan Bowers. Bowden also said freshman Jaron Brown is making progress. Senior running back Rendrick Taylor will likely redshirt.
In Monday’s AJC, Tony Barnhart noted that after James Davis decided to return to school, heralded recruit Jamie Harper considered going to Illinois. Coach Tommy Bowden said Harper would receive significant playing time this season. Freshman tailback Andre Ellington will also play. Since 1965, Clemson has had to replace four offensive linemen 13 times. In those seasons combined, the Tigers are 79-66-4. Barnhart also mentioned that Jacoby Ford could be the “X” factor for the Tigers since he ran a 10.21 in the 100-meter dash in the NCAA East Regionals. Defensive tackle Rashaad Jackson will miss half the season after having surgery on a torn tendon in his leg. Jackson started 10 of 13 games last year. Junior Jamie Cumbie will likely replace him. However, Cumbie broke his hand the day after Jackson went down. Cumbie said the injury will likely not affect his status. He is battling sophomore Jarvis Jenkins to replace Jackson.
FLORIDA STATE: Offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher said he was pleased with the progress of quarterback D’Vontrey Richardson and Christian Ponder. He wouldn’t say if either has passed Drew Weatherford, but he did say that Weatherford had done nothing to make any separation. Fisher wants to see who does best in ball security, consistency in reads, handling the huddle and making plays downfield. Zach Hobby is battling Graham Gano for punting and kicking honors. Zack Aronson and Shawn Powell appear to have the long-snapper and holder job nailed down. With Preston Parker suspended for the first two games, Bert Reed may be ready to help at slot receiver. Parker is dealing with a cervical sprain. Tony Carter is back after dealing with a similar issue. Juco defensive end Markus White is fine after having his seizure medication regulated. As of Thursday, freshman running back Tavares Pressley still had not been cleared.
Offensive line coach Rick Trickett said he is pleased that he can teach his unit instead of having to prod them along like last year. He is happy about the progress of freshman Zebrie Sanders. Trickett also praised the effort of Joe Tonga.
Fisher was upset with several players on Monday who came to meetings late. He did praise the leadership of the quarterbacks including D’Vontrey Richardson. Defensive tackles Emmanuel Dunbar and Kendrick Stewart said they are ready to take on an extra load in the first three games. Safety Myron Rolle is dealing with an ankle injury. FSU has worked extensively on red zone offense, which was awful last season. Defensive back Michael Ray Garvin has made picks in three of the first four practices. He missed most of spring working with the track team. Defensive end Kevin McNeil is back at practice after missing three days.
MIAMI: The Canes will hold their second of three scrimmages Friday night. Sometime in the next few days, Coach Randy Shannon might be naming starting quarterback. Likely Robert Marve will be named the starter with Jacory Harris backing him up. Jarvarris James and Graig Cooper are the starters at tailback. They will not likely be in the backfield at the same time. John Calhoun and Patrick Hill will battle at fullback. Three tight ends-Dedrick Epps, Richard Gordon and Chris Zellner (best blocker) will rotate. The tackles are strong with Reggie Youngblood and Jason Fox. A J Trump will likely backup Xavier Shannon at center. Orlando Franklin and Joel Figueroa are the two guards. The loss of Chris Barney was a blow. At receiver, Khalil Jones and Kayne Farquharson are on top of the depth chart. Sam Shields is not far behind. Leonard Hankerson could get a start. Redshirt freshman Jermaine McKenzie should play a lot. Also true freshman Aldarius Johnson, Laron Byrd, Travis Benjamin and Davon Johnson will get a look.
On defense, the tackle position is a concern. Antonio Dixon is in great shape but neither Dwayne Hendricks nor Joe Joseph has made much of a move. Freshman Marcus Fortson and Micanor Regis have shown flashes. End Eric Moncur should return for the opener. Allen Bailey will be worked in slowly. Ends Steven Wesley and Adewale Ojomo are getting the most reps. The strength of the team are linebackers Colin McCarthy, Glenn Cook and Darryl Sharpton. Freshman Sean Spence and Arthur Brown will play a lot. Spence has had a tremendous camp.
The surprise of fall camp has been safety JoJo Nicolas who has passed Anthony Reddick, Lovon Ponder and Randy Phillips to make first team. Reddick will likely start opposite Nicolas if healthy. Bruce Johnson and Chavez Grant will likely be the cornerbacks. True freshman Brandon Harris will also see playing time.
Coach Randy Shannon said Bailey should be ready for the opener. He also said defensive end Moncur should also be ready. Dixon is back at practice after being hospitalized last week. Reddick is back at practice after returning from last year’s knee injury. Shannon said all the returning players are academically eligible. Fortson said his biggest adjustment is using his hands (technique) on every play against stronger guys. The next scrimmage is Friday night. Matt Bosher might handle punts, kickoffs and field goals.
Miami defensive back signee Joe Wylie has been cleared, but C.J. Odom never showed up at Milford Prep and he may no long be involved with Miami.
N C STATE: Junior Jason Beck and Justin Burke have been eliminated from the starting quarterback race. Coach Tom O’Brien is choosing from senior Daniel Evans, redshirt freshman Russell Wilson and freshman Mike Glennon.
NORTH CAROLINA: T J Yates is the likely starter at quarterback. He will benefit from an improved running game with Greg Little and Shaun Draughn.
GEORGIA TECH: Quarterback Josh Nesbitt is back at practice after bruising his shoulder on Wednesday when the quarterbacks were “live” during practice. Nesbitt is on top the quarterback depth chart. Freshman Jaybo Shaw is second and Bryce Dykes is third.
VIRGINIA: No decision has been made at quarterback between sophomore Peter Lalich, senior Scott Deke or sophomore Marc Verica.
MARYLAND: Coach Ralph Friedgen has made no decision on a quarterback. This weekend is the third scrimmage. Senior Jordan Steffy had the most productive day in the last scrimmage. Chris Turner and Josh Portis are still battling.
VIRGINIA TECH: Neither quarterback made much separation in Tuesday’s scrimmage. Both Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor were 6- of- 10. Neither threw for more than 50 yards. The defense dominated the scrimmage. Tech’s defensive line with Orion Martin, Nekos Brown, and Jason Worilds had their way with the offensive line.
OTHER TEAMS
SOUTH FLORIDA: Quarterback Matt Groethe is back this season hoping to build on consecutive nine win seasons. Groethe is trying to cut down on his turnovers. USF is, 9-0, when Groethe doesn’t throw a pick. He has also lost 20 pounds after cutting down on his trips to Chick-Fil-A to get chicken nuggets and a sweet tea. In USF’s 18 wins the past two seasons, Groethe has 25 touchdowns and 13 picks. In the team’s eight losses, he has four touchdowns and 15 picks.
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.
E-MAIL BRENT AT brentbeaird@comcast.net
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