Buzz Around Team Camps 10/29/08

Catch up on the latest Buzz Around Team Camps for this Wednesday, October 29th:

San Diego St. via http://www.signonsandiego.com

Redshirt freshman starting quarterback Ryan Lindley is still playing through some pain after suffering a slight separation in his throwing shoulder Oct. 4 at TCU. It may affect his deep ball at times, but he says it's improving. “I'm completely confident I'll be back to 100 percent, especially by the end of this year,” Lindley said.

Backup quarterback Drew Westling is still out with a staph infection in his foot. Sophomore Kelsey Sokoloski is the backup in his place. Receiver Mekell Wesley (back spasms) and linebacker Andrew Preston (shoulder) did not practice yesterday but may return this week.

Despite last week's loss, Long said he was encouraged by how his team handled outside criticism after the debacle at New Mexico.

“I know there were people ready to bury this football team, ready to get on them or whatever the case may be, me, the staff, whatever,” Long said. “But they really prepared in a great way, and I was proud of that.”

Michigan via http://www.mlive.com

It's been several years since Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez last experienced as tumultuous a season as his first one has been with the Wolverines. But he says that the key to breaking through is to fight through the frustration.

"We try to do things to motivate," Rodriguez explains in his weekly teleconference, "to keep the guys focused and competing – (we) appeal to their pride quite a bit. But I've been proud the way our guys have hung in there and given us good effort. And it's going to get tougher unless we're able to get a few wins. But at the same time, we're at a terrific place and they have an opportunity each and every week to get that good feeling back."

Michigan St. via http://www.freep.com

Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio today came to the defense of backup quarterback Kirk Cousins and at least one other Spartan who he said were wrongly implicated by two news agencies in connection with an on-going criminal investigation.

At his regular weekly press conference held at Spartan Stadium Dantonio made an unusual, but strongly worded, public rebuttal to a television report made by Detroit News columnist Rob Parker. Dantonio took issue with a remark Parker made over the weekend on WDIV-Detroit linking the former Holland Christian High School quarterback to an off-campus fight that broke out, allegedly between MSU football players and hockey players, in the early hours of Oct. 19, not long after the Spartans had lost on the football field to Ohio State.

Michigan State sophomore defensesman A.J. Sturges was hospitalized for two days while being treated for head injuries that resulted from the alleged the altercation. The Ingham County prosecutor's office is waiting for the results of the East Lansing police investigation.

"A lot of names being mentioned, but the one name being thrown out there big time is backup QB Kirk Cousins....and uh... he was a part of the big thing that happened," Parker reportedly said on the air.

Dantonio also took exception to an inference made by a suburban Detroit newspaper with regard to the 35 players, out of 105, who didn't travel to last Saturday's game at Michigan. Teams are allowed to take only 70 players to road games.

"I have 105 players on our football team, 105, that's more people than is in this room," Dantonio said. "I have a little focus every day that I talk about in certain points in time. Our focus today is from General Patton. I like quoting Patton.

"One of them is, protect the troops first. I will say that again, protect the troops first. I'm always going to protect our team. I'm not going to throw people under the bus. I'm not going to put things out there when things have not been substantiated. And I think that's the fair thing to do.

"I think what's not fair to do is to do what Rob Parker ... from The Detroit News did. I don't think I need to spell that name, Rob Parker, who went on TV the other day, WDIV-TV, on Sunday out of Detroit and he made reference to Kirk Cousins being at the heart of this whole matter, which is totally inaccurate.

"I take offense to that and his family takes offense to that. He was with his family all night (that) Saturday night and I think that borders on slander.

Purdue via http://boilerstation.jconline.com

There's a possibility that Purdue won't know who its starting quarterback will be Saturday against Michigan until the end of the week, and maybe not until kickoff. Senior starter Curtis Painter is trying to recover from a slight separation of his right, throwing shoulder suffered during last week's loss to Minnesota.

The team has Monday off, but Painter didn't participate in Sunday's light workout and threw very little during Tuesday's practice.

"Very minimal," Painter said. "I'm doing better but still pretty sore. I'll just keep going with the rehab, and hopefully we're at a point where we can get in there on Saturday and be successful. It's still early so hopefully I keep getting better."

If Painter can't go, redshirt freshman Justin Siller will replace him, like he did against the Gophers.

"We're starting out by saying we assume we're going to have (Painter), but we need to prepare as though we're not going to have him," coach Joe Tiller said. "And we'll make some adjustments based on Justin Siller's ability and what he can do."

Siller was recruited as a quarterback but was switched to running back earlier this season. He was moved back to QB last week, after backup quarterback Joey Elliott suffered a severe separation of his right, throwing shoulder Oct. 18 at Northwestern.

With only four days of practice under center, Siller directed a reduced offensive package against the Gophers.

"This week we'll be closer to having a similar package for the two of them because (Siller) will have another week back in the offense," Tiller said. "The fact that we're going to practice Justin more this week would also suggest that you're going to see Justin no matter what Curtis' status is (against Michigan).

"The silver lining in this cloud is we're all going to find out whether or not (Siller) can be the quarterback of the future."

Because of his experience, Tiller said Painter could still play even if he doesn't practice during the week. He could stand behind the offense during practices and attend meetings to learn the game plan for the Wolverines.

Washington via http://seattletimes.nwsource.com

The biggest immediate change for the coaches might be that they won't be doing much recruiting. Coaches said Tuesday they were still waiting for word from the school on how to proceed in recruiting.

Running Backs Coach Steve Gervais said a few coaches had been scheduled to head to L.A. early to do some recruiting in the area before Saturday's game at USC. Now, he said, those plans might be on hold.

Washington has five commitments for its Class of 2009, and hasn't received one since early September as players were reluctant to commit, knowing a change was possible.

Washington officials said they hope recruits who are seriously interested in the school will wait until a new coach is hired to make a decision.

Pittsburgh via http://www.post-gazette.com

The Panthers' secondary did not have much success Saturday against Rutgers as Scarlet Knights quarterback Mike Teel threw for 371 yards and six touchdowns, leading his team to the 54-34 win. Pitt gave up a number of big plays and had a hard time covering Rutgers receivers.

Pitt senior safety Eric Thatcher said yesterday to blame that loss on him and his teammates in the secondary because they didn't get the job done -- but he also said they've already put it behind them and are working hard to make sure it doesn't happen again.

"That was kind of tough on us as a group but we have to get back out there and work hard on our coverages and our cover skills," Thatcher said. "We have to get our swagger back, our confidence back in covering people. It was just one of those days, it just wasn't a good day for us. But I think we put that behind us.

"And really, we watched the game tape Sunday and really, it was four plays that really killed us. Other than that we covered them pretty well. We were in position, we just didn't make enough plays."

Notes via http://www.pittblather.com

Coach Dave Wannstedt said yesterday that the quarterback situation is still up in the air. "I'm optimistic that we'll know a lot more before [Saturday]," he said. "But we're just going to have to take it a day at a time and make the announcement Saturday." ... Wise, who spent much of his career in the NFL, talked about some of the challenges of working with college kids and figuring out if they are listening and understanding. "They've got a lot of things going on in their lives; it's been a process for me to learn," Wise said. "I had to learn what they didn't know and why they didn't know it. Obviously some guys may have slept at a meeting and they just may not have understood it. So there's been about two or three things: Why didn't they know it? Were they taught it but didn't understand it? Or are they just a knucklehead and not concentrating?" ... Pitt practiced indoors yesterday due to the rain and cold weather.

Navy via http://www.hometownannapolis.com

Navy made history last Saturday when it beat Southern Methodist University without attempting a pass. The Midshipmen had not gone an entire game without throwing the ball since at least 1948, which is when game statistics were first recorded. It also marked the first time a Division I-A (now Football Bowl Subdivision) team won a game without so much as throwing a single pass since Ohio did so during a 21-17victory over Akron on Oct. 25, 1997.

Navy tied a school record with 77 rushing attempts in the 34-7 victory over SMU. Offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper did not realize the Midshipmen had been all run, no pass until afterward. Frankly, it made sense considering the monsoon-like conditions in which the wind gusted to 35 miles per hour and the rain came down in buckets.

"Honestly, I didn't even know until it was over. I was like 'Wow, we didn't even attempt a pass!' It was strange," Jasper said. "There were a couple times when we were getting ready to throw a pass and the coaches on the field were like, 'It's too much wind, or the rain is coming down something awful out here.' I was happy to be able to come out with a win without throwing the football."

Syracuse via http://www.syracuse.com/orangefootball/

During his weekly news conference on Tuesday, Syracuse coach Greg Robinson refused to speculate about his job security, saying he controls his own destiny as the head coach of the football team. "If I can get them to perform well, things will go well for me," Robinson said.

Senior captain Bruce Williams says the team's main focus is improving on the field, not rumors about their coach's job. "We try not to focus on that and to think he'll be here and he'll be here for the rest of the season, so he's our captain right now, so we're going to follow him and let him lead us,' Williams said.

Southern Cal via http://www.latimes.com

USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian turned down the chance to coach the Oakland Raiders two years ago, saying at the time that he wanted to become a college head coach.

With Washington Coach Tyrone Willingham fired, effective at the end of the season, Sarkisian said he would be interested in the Huskies' job if school representatives contacted him.

"I'd look at it and assess it," Sarkisian said. "It's obviously been one of the premier jobs not only in the Pac-10 but in the country, so you'd have to look at it."

Sarkisian said after Tuesday's practice that he had not heard from Washington. Lane Kiffin, a former USC assistant who took the Raiders job and was fired last month, also has expressed interest in the job.

Quick Kicks via http://conquestchronicles.com

Receiver Vidal Hazelton did not practice because of a toe injury, but he said he would return today. "It's not my year," said Hazelton, who has suffered ankle injuries and a concussion this season. "It's the worst year of my life." Hazelton a few weeks ago requested to be a redshirt, but he played against Arizona, negating the chance to apply for the extra year of eligibility. . . . Cornerback Shareece Wright is scheduled to appear in San Bernardino Superior Court today for a settlement conference related to his Sept. 7 arrest for resisting a police officer, a felony. Wright has not practiced since suffering a fractured vertebra against Ohio State on Sept. 13 and will probably be a redshirt.

Keys to the Notre Dame - Pittsburgh Game

Riding on some momentum of winning their first road contest of the 2008 season, Notre Dame comes home to keep their unbeaten steak at the Stadium intact against a good Pittsburgh squad. Both teams are coming into this matchup on opposite ends, as the Irish beatdown Washington 33-7, while Pitt was torched through the air against Rutgers 54-34.

The Irish pounded the ball on the ground with ease as they had their best output since the 2005 Pittsburgh game by rushing for 252 yards. Charlie Weis and company look to make it two in a row, because the Panthers have one of the best defenses in the country (#32 nationally).

On the flip side, Pittsburgh is looking to shake from their momentary lapse at home to the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers' Mike Teel passed for six touchdown in the game, including five in the first half alone! They better fix that problem quickly, because Notre Dame's passing attack has been strong ever since the second half of the Michigan State contest.

1.) Get out of the gates early. I know I'm stating the obvious, but it will be vitally important for the Irish to start their offensive machine in high gear. Notre Dame has scored on their first possession the last three games, and it would be a positive to keep the pressure on the Panthers from the get go.

2.) Win the turnover battle. Notre Dame cannot afford a costly turnover in this game like the first play of the third quarter against North Carolina. One positive to this is that Pittsburgh is 100th in the country in turnover margin by losing 14 (8 fumbles, 6 ints) and taking away only 8 from their opposition (3 fumbles, 5 ints).

3.) Pass and pass some more. Yes, the Panthers are 34th in the nation in giving up only 187.14 yards through the air, but Pitt is also one of the worst in passing efficiency (94th among FBS squads). Rutgers was very effective with the deep ball, which is one of the Irish's strengths. So far this season, Notre Dame has had over 20 throws of 30 yards or more against their opposition. Last season the Irish had only 14 total.

The Irish have made a living torching opponents with fade routes, and that’s something the Panthers have not seen much of this season. Without question, Notre Dame has an advantage if it can turn this game into a shootout, with speedy targets like Golden Tate, David Grimes, Michael Floyd and Kyle Rudolph. There's too many targets for Pittsburgh to cover.

Pitt's secondary is very small as they have only one starter over six feet tall (SS Dom Decicco). Notre Dame should be very successful in the passing category against the Panthers.

4.) Contain McCoy and the Pitt ground game. Last week the Irish had their most dominant defensive game of the Weis era by giving up only 124 total yards against the Huskies, including, 26 yards on 23 carries.

Once again the Irish will face one of the best running backs in the country in the Panthers LeSean McCoy. McCoy is averaging 119.29 yards a game and 5.19 per carry. He also has 14 rushing touchdowns as well. Notre Dame did hold Javon Ringer in check for over three quarters, and will need the same strength and effort to do the say against Pittsburgh.

If the Irish can limit the Panthers to their [ND's defensive] season average of 120.6yards, they should keep their Notre Dame Stadium unbeaten streak intact.

Harrison Smith and Kyle McCarthy will be big X-factors in the game to help shut down the run. Also look for Pat Kuntz, Ian Williams, Darius Fleming and Ethan Johnson to have big games as well.

5.) Red Zone Proficiency. As of late, the Irish have made the most of their chances inside the red zone. However, they are still one of the worst in the nation converting around 60%.

Pittsburgh's opponents are converting nearly 80% of their opportunities within the red zone, which should bode well for the Irish. Since Brandon Walker is somewhat on a roll, making three consecutive field goals, Notre Dame should be in good shape to make good on their scoring chances.

6.) Win the Third Down Conversions battle. Something will have to give on Saturday, as the Panthers are one of the best by converting 44% of their third downs, while the Irish are holding their opponents to 37%.

If the Irish can limit the third and shorts and force Pitt to throw, Notre Dame will win this contest.

Classic Moments in the Notre Dame - Pittsburgh Series

1978


1982


1989


2005

IBB Report Card: Washington Game

The Fighting Irish started off with guns a-blazin' and never looked back as they beat the winless Washington Huskies 33-7 behind a great defensive performance. For their first win on the road this season, Notre Dame did their job in what was a one-sided affair throughout.

Offense
The Irish offense got it going early on their first two drives behind the stellar play of receivers Michael Floyd and Golden Tate. After that, Notre Dame established the run and pounded the ball at will against the Huskies and left no doubt who the superior team was at Husky Stadium.

QB: B-
Jimmy Clausen had a decent day throwing the ball (14-of-26 for 201 yards, 1 TD and 1 Int), but it could have been a lot better for the Irish and worse on the scoreboard for Washington. At times it looked like Clausen was forcing the issue by throwing into traffic and not looking off receivers. Maybe the week off put a little rust into the great chemistry the Irish passing attack had the past several weeks.

Make no bones about it though, Clausen is going to be something special and will get better.

RB: A-
The Irish new they could run the ball against Washington and wanted to establish that early on. Led by James Aldridge's 84 yards on 13 carries for 2 scores, Notre Dame's rushing attacked racked up 252 yards. That is the second most rushing total since the 2005 Pittsburgh game.

Aldridge had his breakout performance against the Huskies and was well deserved. Many folks, including myself, have been overly critical of James and was finally glad to see him run with power and dominate.

Both Armando Allen and Jonas Gray each had 62 yards a piece to help contribute to the Irish pounding the ball on the ground. Golden Tate made the most of his carries by scoring a 21-yard end around to put the Irish up 14-0 early in the 1st Quarter.

FB: B
Once again there's not too much to grade on because Aspah Schwapp was used as a blocker. But as a lead blocker, Schwapp provided enough "umph"!

WR: B+
This grade would have definitely been bumped up to an "A" if it wasn't for a few dropped passes, that would have padded the stat sheets. Other than that, this was a normal day in the park for the Irish receivers.

What more can you say about Michael Floyd? He led the Irish with 4 receptions for 107 yards and 1 Touchdown. His 51-yarder was great as he out ran the Husky defense.

Golden Tate made some good catches (3 rec. 47 yards), as did Robby Parris (3 rec. 19 yards).

OL: B+
Notre Dame's offensive line had one of their best showings run blocking and made sure who was the most physical team on the field. What stood out of the most in this game as Sam Young's two big blocks on the Irish's first two scores. Young paved the way for Floyd to break open and streak down the sidelines, and pummeled a Washington defender on Tate's end around.

Overall, the unit had it's moments pass blocking but did give up a few hurries and sacks to a below average Washington defense. They will turn things around just in time for Pittsburgh.

Overall Offensive Grade: B

Defense
The Irish dominated throughout the game behind the constant pressure of its defense. How dominating you ask? Well before their last and only scoring drive of the game, the Huskies managed only 55 yards of total offense against the blitzing Irish. And what was even more amazing is that Washington's first team offense scored on ND's third string defense. I guess Ty and his boys were looking for a moral victory. Unfortunately, moral victories get you the boot out the door! Sorry Ty, it was a heck of a ride for ya.

DL: B
This was probably the best showing so far from the defensive line this season. The hog mollies up front were key in clogging up the holes for the Husky running backs, and did supply pressure on Washington QB Ronnie Fouch.

Ian Williams led this group with 2 tackles, while both Ethan Johnson and Morrice Richardson each had one stop and half a sack a piece.

LB: A-
Harrison Smith had his best outing in a Irish uniform with play on Saturday. Harrison was all over the field flying to the ball carrier and harassing Fouch in the backfield. He finished the game with 5 stops and a team-leading two sacks.

Even though his streak of starts ended, Maurice Crum did lead the Irish with 6 tackles, while Brian Smith had four stops, including a vicious sack. Darius Fleming is getting better each week, as he ended up with 2 tackles for ND.

DB: A-
This is the first time this season someone else other than Kyle McCarthy or David Bruton led the secondary in tackles. Ray Herring led the way with 6 stops, as McCarthy and Bruton had 5 and 4 tackles, respectively.

Raeshon McNeil and Terrail Lambert did not give enough room for Washington's receivers to get open, and it showed.

Overall Defensive Grade: B+

ST: A
Bradon Walker made the most of his opportunities when he was called upon. During a week of hearing everything of how bad he was and that walkon David Ruffer would be making the trip to Seattle, Walker persevered. It was good to see him connect on both his 28 and 42-yard field goals.

Even though he muffed on his only shot, Ruffer got into the mix. Ryan Burkhart looks like he's getting closer to kicking the ball to the endzone, while Eric Maust gave his leg a rest.

Coaching: B+
Weis and Company did not get all wrapped up in this whole Ty Bowl like the media was portraying; or that Bob Davie would be in the booth to make it three Irish coaches participating in the contest.

They scripted the game well by throwing early and establishing the run. Defensively, Notre Dame knew it could get to the quarterback and apply pressure when needed. They did, game over!

Overall Grade: A very high B (3.24)

The Irish built some confidence that they can win on the road, and momentum heading into a huge contest at Notre Dame Stadium against the Pittsburgh Panthers. Standing at 5-2, the Irish are now one win from being mathematically bowl eligible. With two tough contests looming, Irish fans should hold on to your seats, because the best is yet to come.

Buzz Around Team Camps 10/28/08

Here's the latest Buzz Around Team Camps for this Tuesday, October 28th:

San Diego St. via http://www.signonsandiego.com

If his gut told him to go for the throat, his head told him to hang onto the lead. San Diego State coach Chuck Long said yesterday that trying to extend a 17-10 advantage near the end of the first half of Saturday's 38-34 loss to Colorado State was hampered by two things, the first being quarterback Ryan Lindley's shoulder, the second being a fear of history repeating itself.

With 1:03 remaining before the break, the Aztecs took possession at their own 27. SDSU had all three of its timeouts remaining. Rather than building on a rare moment of momentum, however, SDSU opted to run the ball once before Lindley took a knee to run out the clock.

Long said that in addition to Lindley still being limited by a shoulder injury that kept him out of the Air Force game three weeks ago, he also was conscious of a similar scenario that presented itself in the team's 21-13 loss at Notre Dame in early September.

Trailing the Aztecs 7-0 with just under two minutes remaining in the half, the Irish blocked a Brian Stahovich punt. Three plays later, Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen threw a 22-yard scoring pass to Michael Floyd, tying the game 7-7 with 1:14 to go before the break.

“You always want to go into the locker room with the lead, and we'd gotten a little snake-bit in that same situation earlier in the year against Notre Dame,” Long said. “We wanted to go for the jugular there, but we ended up with a blocked punt and Notre Dame ended up with seven points.

“But the biggest issue, really, was with Ryan's shoulder. He's still having a lot of trouble throwing intermediate and deep balls right now. He's playing tough, and he had a good game, but he's just not as crisp right now with his throws. That was a big factor that entered into our decision to do what we did.”

Michigan via http://www.mlive.com

Quarterback Steven Threet's accuracy hasn't been good this season - he's completing 51.7 percent of his passes - but he had been relatively effective at limiting interceptions. Until last Saturday, that is, when he was picked off three times, doubling his interception total. Part of the issue, Rodriguez said, may be that Threet is holding back on some throws.

"We want him to go ahead, be confident, let it loose," Rodriguez said. "I think sometimes as a quarterback, you know, you want to be perfect and you just aim and the ball doesn't come out with the velocity it can. Steve's got to trust his read, trust his vision, trust his arm strength and the timing.

"The biggest thing is the timing of the play. He's got to trust the timing and let it loose."

Sam McGuffie via http://www.mlive.com

A first-quarter hit by a Michigan State defender forced University of Michigan running back Sam McGuffie to fumble and also knocked him from Saturday's game with a mild concussion.

Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez Monday said McGuffie didn't practice Sunday and would be "day-to-day" this week. The freshman running back leads the Wolverines (2-6, 1-3 Big Ten) with 470 rushing yards. He also has 18 receptions, which ranks third on the team.

Rodriguez said he expects another freshman running back, Michael Shaw, to see additional time Saturday. Shaw, who has carried the ball 11 times for 76 yards this season, hasn't taken a carry in either of the last two games.

If McGuffie isn't cleared to play at Purdue (2-6, 0-4), Shaw and redshirt junior Kevin Grady will back up starter Brandon Minor. Rodriguez added that another player, second-string safety Mike Williams, is also day-to-day after suffering a mild concussion early in the loss to Michigan State.

Michigan St. via http://enlightenedspartan.com

It may not have been Brian Hoyer's best game, statistically speaking, for Michigan State but it was by far his greatest. And, it not only helped the Spartans beat Michigan 35-21 but also got him recognized as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.

Hoyer completed 17-of-29 passes (58.6 pct.) for 282 yards and a season-high three touchdown passes to lead MSU to its first win at Michigan since 1990. Hoyer also caught his first career pass, good for 24 yards, and surpassed 200 passing yards for the third time this season and the 11th time in his career.

Hoyer opened the scoring just over three minutes into the game with a 61-yard strike to Blair White give the Spartans an early 7-0 advantage. After the Wolverines claimed a 21-14 lead in the second half, Hoyer tossed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Gantt even the score at 21-21. After MSU reclaimed the lead, he put the game away with a 7-yard scoring toss to fullback Josh Rouse with just over three minutes remaining.

MSU has won four offensive POTW honors, with running back Javon Ringer garnering three in a row for the weeks of Sept. 8, 15 and 22. Place-kicker Brett Swenson has also won a special teams POTW.

MSU will be looking for its first defensive POTW Saturday against Wisconsin.

If that was indeed a breakout game for Hoyer and the passing game has caught up to the running attack, the Spartans will be a force to reckon with in the final three games of the season.

Washington via http://seattletimes.nwsource.com

Ten months later than it should have happened, Washington finally did what it had to do. Ten months after it became painfully clear that Tyrone Willingham wasn't the right man to lead Huskies football back to national prominence, the university finally forced him to resign.

New athletic director Scott Woodward had no choice. Every week was looking worse than the week before. Players were quitting on the field, and the simplest mistakes were getting repeated possession after possession. Washington football, a program that has been sinking for years, hit bottom, hit 0-7, and Willingham had to go.

Woodward did the right thing, waiting until the Huskies were mathematically eliminated from bowl consideration before making it official. But the call was as obvious as fourth-and-long.

Too bad it wasn't made last December when Woodward's predecessor, Todd Turner, chose to keep Willingham after Washington looked alarmingly disorganized while losing leads to Washington State and Hawaii at the end of last season.

Because Turner wouldn't fire Willingham, Washington now is stuck with a lame season and a lame-duck coach.

Woodward waited as long as he could. He had to make the decision now to signal recruits that Washington is serious about its football future. He had to quiet the daily rage of Washington's boosters. And he has to offer hope for the future at the same time he is asking for cash to improve his out-of-date football stadium.

Willingham wasn't working at Washington. His 11-32 record wouldn't be acceptable at Dartmouth, let alone Washington. The evidence against him was overwhelming.

Pittsburgh via http://www.post-gazette.com

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said yesterday that there might be some lineup changes this week in the wake of the 54-34 loss Saturday to Rutgers. However, he was extremely cryptic about how many and what the changes will be.

He also refused to name a starting quarterback for the game Saturday at Notre Dame (5-2). Redshirt junior Bill Stull left the loss to Rutgers with a concussion and stinger in the third quarter and was replaced by sophomore Pat Bostick. If Stull can't play, Bostick will make his first start of the season, but both quarterbacks have been made off-limits to the media this week, so Wannstedt's decision might not be known until Saturday.

One thing Wannstedt made abundantly clear was that regardless of who starts, the offense will not change much.

"Everyone will want to discuss is the status of Bill Stull," Wannstedt said at his weekly news conference. "The quarterback situation is that Billy was at practice yesterday observing things. We're just going to take things with him day to day. Everything we've received from Billy and everything that we've received from the doctors has been nothing but positive, so that's good news. It has not been determined whether he will play or how much or what his status is this week -- that will be made at a later time."

Bostick threw a key interception late in the game when he tried to throw across his body while rolling out to his left. That play all but sealed the Panthers' fate.

"We didn't do one thing different Saturday when he came in," Wannstedt said of Bostick. "It's unfortunate that he made three nice throws and took us down the field and then he got some pressure in his face and we had the turnover."

Not knowing which quarterback will start will make preparation a little more difficult for the Panthers (5-2), but if Bostick is the starter, expect the offense to have a healthy does of running back LeSean McCoy and a controlled, safe passing a game. As for the other personnel decisions, there could be a lot of things changing or hardly any.

"I'm not going to give you a whole lot of other personnel issues at this time because right now we're still working through some possibilities at a couple other spots," Wannstedt said.

There will be some shifting in the offensive line because starting center Robb Houser was lost for the season with a broken ankle. Wannstedt did concede that C.J. Davis would move from left guard to center, but Wannstedt didn't reveal his replacement yesterday. The logical choice would be senior Dom Williams, who was the starting left guard the last time the Panthers played Notre Dame (2005), but reserve tackle Lucas Nix could get a look there as well.

Davis said he's fairly confident Williams will get the nod because he's the most experienced player at that position and because he came into the game after Houser was injured. That was the first time Davis had taken snaps in a game in his career

"I think it will be Dom Williams playing left guard and I'll be playing center," Davis said. "When I came in 2005, he was the left guard, so I feel like he's ready to be plugged in there and we'll be ready to roll. I felt like we did OK [last week]. It was good for us to get that quarter in last week because this week we have a big game against Notre Dame."

The other areas that could see changes are in the secondary -- which was torched for 371 yards and six touchdowns by Rutgers' Mike Teel -- and at punt returner, where Aaron Berry has struggled and had a costly fumble against the Scarlet Knights. Reserve cornerbacks Ricky Gary and Antwuan Reed likely will get some extended looks in practice this week and split some time with Jovani Chappel. At safety, Elijah Fields might play more than he has had in recent games.

"I'm not going to stand up here and tell you that we're going to have changes," Wannstedt said. "But we are evaluating everyone on what we're doing and who we're dealing with."

Boston College via http://www.boston.com

Boston College defensive end Jerry Willette had arthroscopic surgery performed on his left knee today and will definitely miss this week's game against Clemson and perhaps next week's game against Notre Dame, although the extent of the damage to the knee, which he injured in the first half of Saturday's 45-24 loss at North Carolina, has yet to be determined.

Navy via http://www.hometownannapolis.com

Just when you thought you had the Navy quarterback situation figured out. Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo said on Monday that senior Jarod Bryant, who has started the last three games, would not be able to play on Saturday due to a shoulder injury suffered against SMU. So you would think that would mean that sophomore sensation Ricky Dobbs would start against Temple.

You would be wrong. Senior Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada participated in the team portion of practice and looked like his old self running the option then surprised even the coaching staff by running wind sprints afterward. Niumatalolo said he expects Kaheaku-Enhada to start against Temple and the senior from Hawaii confirmed that sentiment.

It will be Senior Day in Annapolis and Kaheaku-Enhada has eight close family members coming to town, including his mother and father. Both parents have only seen Kaipo play in-person once during his four-year career.

Southern Cal via http://latimes.com

Quarterback Mark Sanchez and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian acknowledged that Sanchez's incomplete pass on the Trojans' first play against Arizona stayed with the junior and caused him to struggle. Sanchez was angry with himself after overthrowing receiver Patrick Turner for what could have been a 25-yard scoring play.

"I definitely hung onto it a little too long," Sanchez said of the emotion.

Sanchez, who continues to lead the Pacific 10 Conference in passing efficiency and total offense, is still maturing, according to Sarkisian.

"Mark's such an emotional, charismatic, energetic guy and sometimes that kind of stuff harbors within him," Sarkisian said. "He'll be fine. It's part of the growing pains of playing the position."

Carroll agreed. He also said that Sanchez's ability to play conservatively when the situation called for it would improve with practice.

"He's still a young guy," Carroll said.

Quick Kicks via http://conquestchronicles.com

Defensive tackle Averell Spicer (ankle), defensive end Everson Griffen (toe) and receiver Damian Williams (shoulder) did not practice. . . . Washington has not defeated the Trojans since 2001.

Notre Dame vs Washington Highlights

The awakening of the Irish Defense!

Buzz Around Team Camps 10/27/08

Catch up on the latest Buzz Around Team Camps from this past weekend for Monday, October 27:

Michigan via http://www.mlive.com

This one mattered. Some members of the University of Michigan football team would prefer to think that it didn't. They'd prefer to keep pretending that this one will slide off their shoulders, just like the rest.

That this one, by season's end, will blur together with the others in this lost season, a jumble of missed tackles and deep passes. That, in the particular history of this rivalry, this is a one-game anomaly against an inferior program. It mattered more Saturday, and not because of the endless banter about the changing culture of college football in Michigan.

One win doesn't alter decades of domination, and one win won't make a program. It's too easy in the heat of the moment to believe that it will. But the Wolverines had a shot to salvage something from their season Saturday. And they didn't do it. They didn't even come close.

With a chance to prove that they're really making progress, that there is a silver lining in all this suffering and still an outside chance at preserving the history and tradition associated with their bowl streak, they whiffed.

Michigan State did its best to give the Wolverines every conceivable chance, missing two field goals and blocking another, fumbling away three possessions and generally looking as middle-of-the-pack as ever. But Michigan couldn't capitalize on its home field and sunk to 2-6 on the season.

The Wolverines looked exactly like the team that's appeared in every other game over the last month of the season, showing plenty of fight but not nearly enough discipline.

"It's just frustrating that the progress we see daily in practice is not showing up on Saturdays," coach Rich Rodriguez said after the game, echoing a statement that's become a familiar refrain for him this season.

Michigan St. via http://www.freep.com

Michigan State eventually will come down from its long-in-coming 35-21 victory against Michigan.

It just shouldn't be this week, as the Spartans, who moved back into the Associated Press poll at No. 22, prepare to host Wisconsin at noon Saturday at Spartan Stadium. Or, before the next game or the next, coach Mark Dantonio said Sunday night. Instead of suffering a letdown, MSU (7-2, 4-1 Big Ten) should be on the verge of a late-season surge.

"I'm very happy for our senior group to go out with a win over Michigan, and I think it sets the tone for our entire program," Dantonio said. "I think when you get to play your last three games of the season and your goals are still in front of you, it gives you a sense of being able to work toward them.

"It's going to still be fun to come to work and fun to come to practice because of the things we can still attain. We know we're going to go to a bowl game, that's very apparent. What bowl game we go to will depend on these next three games."

The Spartans are in contention for the Big Ten's top three bowls all Jan. 1 -- the Outback, the Capital One and the Rose.

Purdue via http://boilerstation.jconline.com

A first-degree (slight) separation of his right, throwing shoulder kept Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter out of practice Sunday. Coach Joe Tiller said he didn't know if Painter would practice Tuesday. The Boilermakers have today off.

"If he doesn't, there will be some question about whether or not he can get ready (for Saturday's game against Michigan)," Tiller said. "But he's a tough kid. Knowing him I think he'll be ready, but I don't know if (the doctors) will let him go."

If not, with backup Joey Elliott out with a fifth-degree (severe) separation of his right, throwing shoulder, that would mean redshirt freshman Justin Siller would replace Painter, like he did Saturday against Minnesota.

The game of quarterback roulette has not been easy on the wide receivers.

"You don't get those reps in practice with different guys," wideout Greg Orton said. "You're always going with Curtis. So when it comes to a game, it's a little awkward."

Purdue finished with only 109 yards passing against the Gophers, the fewest in Tiller's 12 seasons, and the offense has not scored a touchdown in 14 of the last 17 quarters.

North Carolina via http://www.newsobserver.com

No. 21 North Carolina, which climbed its way back into the polls with its 45-24 drubbing of then-No. 23 Boston College on Saturday, is bowl eligible for only the second time since 2001. But the Tar Heels want more.

"It just means we won six,'' coach Butch Davis said after the victory. "... I promise you, no one on this football team set out with the goal to win six, ever."

With four games left -- vs. Georgia Tech, at Maryland, vs. N.C. State and at Duke -- UNC is almost certain to have a winning record for the first time since 2001, too. Playing in the ACC championship game appears more difficult. Even if UNC were to win its last four games, it needs Virginia Tech to lose once and Virginia to lose twice in order to win the Coastal Division outright. Tiebreakers might still factor after that.

Washington via http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com

It was apparently just another day at the office for Washington coach Tyrone Willingham Sunday. He was scheduled to conduct all his usual day-after-game activities, such as meeting with the players and filming a few segments of a weekly cable TV show. Indications were that it all went as planned.

If, as many speculated, there was a lot going on behind the scenes, it was being kept well hidden. What is out in the open now, however, is that Willingham will soon be gone as UW's coach, the Huskies falling to 0-7 with Saturday's 33-7 loss at Notre Dame, dropping his Washington record to 11-32.

Saturday's loss meant that even the last remaining vestige of hope this season — running the table in the last six games to get to the postseason — is no more as the defeat mathematically eliminated UW from bowl contention.

There has been much speculation that once that bridge was crossed, a change could happen at any point, and even before halftime of Saturday's game the rumor mill began churning wildly.

UW athletic director Scott Woodward has said he doesn't foresee making an in-season change. But he hasn't ruled it out, and there is also the possibility of a negotiated resignation in which Willingham could end up coaching the team for the rest of the season.

If a change were to be made — whether it's this week or later in the season — it would likely happen on a Monday, before Willingham's weekly news conference and before the staff begins to put together a game plan for that Saturday's contest.

A UW spokesman said Sunday afternoon there was nothing out of the ordinary going on.

Pittsburgh via http://www.post-gazette.com

Pitt quarterback Bill Stull was released from UPMC Presbyterian Hospital this morning after medical tests on his head and neck returned normal. Stull, who was injured in the third quarter of the Panthers 54-34 loss to Rutgers yesterday, was held over night because it was originally thought to be a neck injury.

But Stull has been diagnosed with a concussion and a stinger and will undergo follow-up evaluations this week. He is questionable for Pitt's next game Saturday at Notre Dame.

"We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Billy is okay and out of the hospital," Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt said in a statement released by the athletic department.

If Stull is unable to play against the Irish, sophomore Pat Bostick will be the starting quarterback.

Boston College via http://www.boston.com

Suddenly, what seemed so certain only a few days ago, now should give Boston College fans reason for pause. Officially, BC needs one more victory to become bowl eligible for the 10th straight season. When that victory comes is now more of a question than it was a week ago. With back-to-back home games coming up against Clemson and Notre Dame, neither who is ranked this week, BC would seem to have an opportunity to get back into the mind set which will get into the post season.

But not without one basic fundamental of football which has been missing the last two weeks. ""We just have to take care of the ball,'' said BC coach Jeff Jagodzinski in his weekly conference call this afternoon. "We got away with last week against Virginia Tech (a 28-23 victory in which the Eagles committed five turnovers), but it came back to bite us (against North Carolina).

The cut from the bite might be deeper than the Eagles had expected if they don't reverse the trend, which resulted in a 45-24 blowout loss to North Carolina on Saturday.

Jagodzinski reiterated his belief that Clemson, despite a slow start which resulted in the resignation of Coach Tommy Bowden two weeks ago, is the most talented team in the ACC. After the Tigers visit Alumni Stadium, Notre Dame comes for a visit and while the Irish are just starting to re-emerge as a team which wins more games than it loses again, nothing is certain in what has become an emotional rivalry between the two schools, especially on the part of the Eagles who have proven they have been the better team the past several years with five consecutive victories against the Irish.

Navy via http://www.hometownannapolis.com

Navy offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper talked at length this week about the development of sophomore quarterback Ricky Dobbs. Jasper said the talented youngster was still learning how to execute the triple-option offense and was still making too many mental mistakes.

"If it got to Ricky, we could scale the game-plan down and he could go out there and play," Jasper said.

Navy needed Dobbs yesterday and the third string signal-caller showed that he could indeed play. Jasper scaled back the game-plan to basically feature a constant diet of Dobbs keepers and the Georgia native executed it to perfection.

Dobbs was nothing short of spectacular yesterday, rushing for 224 yards and four touchdowns to lead Navy to a 34-7 rout of SMU before 31,698 rain-soaked fans at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. It was the most yards rushing by a Navy quarterback since Chris McCoy had 268 against Kent State in 1997.

Dobbs was pressed into action after starting quarterback Jarod Bryant went down with a shoulder injury in the first quarter. Bryant made his third straight start, and fifth overall, in place of projected starter Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, who has been bothered by a lingering hamstring injury since early August and has played eight quarters this season.

Syracuse via http://www.syracuse.com

To advance today's discussion a bit about UConn head coach Randy Edsall, I checked with the Big East Conference and there is no rule about head coaches changing jobs within the league. It's not unprecedented in college football. It happened with Tom O'Brien leaving Boston College for North Carolina State (within the Atlantic Coast Conference), Tommy Tuberville leaving Ole Miss for Auburn (within the Southeastern Conference) and Houston Nutt leaving Arkansas for Ole Miss (SEC).

If Syracuse is willing to shell out Edsall's $1.5 million buyout clause, plus pay the remaining year of Greg Robinson's $1.1 million contract, it could set Syracuse back approximately $4 million to $4.5 million in salaries next year. Plus, while it's typical for college football coaches to earn more than their basketball counterparts, how does Syracuse justify paying its next football coach more than Jim Boeheim? It can't, so Boeheim stands to get a raise if the Orange is ready to pay up for its next coach.

Southern Cal via http://www.latimes.com

On a day when it fell in every poll but maintained its No. 5 position in the Bowl Championship Series standings, USC on Sunday emerged as No. 1 on one important list.

The Trojans' 17-10 victory over Arizona helped make USC the nation's top-ranked defense going into Saturday's game against winless Washington. USC gave up only 188 yards against Arizona and supplanted Texas Christian atop NCAA statistics by lowering its per-game average to 215.6. The Trojans also continue to rank first in scoring defense, giving up 8.1 points a game, and second in pass defense (130 yards a game).

After watching film of the Arizona game, Coach Pete Carroll determined that the Trojans succeeded by neutralizing the Wildcats' perimeter passing game.

"That stuff has been their bread and butter all year long and they just couldn't get it done," Carroll said.

That's pretty much the same thing Carroll said about the Trojans' offense and its inability to perform consistently well.

"The things we're doing in practice just didn't show up in the game," Carroll said.

Quick Kicks via http://conquestchronicles.com

After seeming to solve its penalty problems against Washington State, USC was penalized 10 times for 68 yards against Arizona. "It's amazing how poor we are at that compared to our opponents," Carroll said, sarcastically. Arizona was penalized once for 15 yards. . . . USC fell from sixth to seventh in the Associated Press poll, from fourth to sixth in the coaches' poll and from fifth to seventh in the Harris Interactive poll. The Trojans improved from 10th to sixth in the computer average that is part of the formula used to determine the BCS standings.

IBB Weekly Motivator: Week 31

I hate to say we told you so Washington, but WE TOLD YOU SO!

Ahhh, the memories.......

If you guys need a reason to get fired up for Saturday, remind yourself of this piece of s--- interview that Fraud did with John Saunders before we played Washington in 2005 ... I would give anything for Charlie to walk up to Ty before and the game and quote Gen. Nathan Jessup from a Few Good Men in his pregame speech ... "I'm gonna tear your eyes right outta your head and p--- in your dead skull. You f---- with the wrong marine." It's time to put this lying, whining piece of s--- where he belongs ... in a figurative body bag. Go Irish!!


John Saunders: It's only been ten months since Ty Willingham was let go by the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. You remember when he was hired three years earlier, he came in to help with a scandal in the hiring of George O'Leary who lied on his resume -- a fact that Notre Dame forgot about VERY QUICKLY three years later.

[Cue "tension" music. Shots of Basilica; cut to clip of Kevin White presser]

Kevin White: From Sunday through Friday, our football program has exceeded ALL expectations in every way. On Saturday, we struggled.

[interview segment begins]

Ty Willingham: If you take seven days, and six of those days are done absolutely perfectly, okay, it's kinda hard for that other day to fall totally apart.

John Saunders: You weren't just coming in and taking over a program that was storied and had stumbled on hard times. You were taking on a program that had stumbled into some scandal. You cleaned ALL of that up, and your reward was to get fired.

TW: That's life, you know, and that's what I prepared myself for when I took over the job. They say that the microscope is big there. No question about that. But I prepared myself for all of that, and as an African-American coach, your position is somewhat tenuous. There are not a lot of guarantees, as a matter of fact, there are not a lot of coaches getting positions, period, okay, so tenuous may be an understatement.

JS: You weren't given the five years that other coaches got to demonstrate those skills. Do you think it is in part because you're an African-American?

TW: I've always said that in this country there is no absence of racism, okay, we're all aware of that, it's been here for quite some time, okay. And to think it would NOT factor in may be naive on my part. But the people that really know that answer are the ones that we need to talk to.

JS: In my mind, I thought it was handled terribly and I thought what they did was wrong and unfair.

TW: Well then the question then becomes, if that is true, what is the responsibility of the individual? If they're wrong, they have to live with that. But I must handle Tyrone Willingham in the right manner.

[shot of Ty running alone out of UW tunnel in slo-mo]

TW: Regardless of what they do, you are to handle yourself as a true
professional, a true man of integrity.

[shot of Ty at practice, throwing a football]

JS: It's an interesting game not only because of the so-called revenge factor, but you can't tell me you wouldn't feel something special walking off the field on Saturday with a win over the school that let you go.

TW: I make no bones about it -- I am very competitive, I like to win, I like to win all the time. And Notre Dame will be no different.

[end interview - back to studio]

Saunders [in studio]: Guys, you know what stood out to me when I went out there to talk to Ty, a lot of people have said he's been passive, and bit
his tongue about this whole thing -- he really hasn't, you can see he has very strong feelings, he has very strong opinions about this. What he is, is a man of principle and class, and right now his focus is on Washington.

Aaron Taylor: Because he is that way, John, is why he's going to do well for UW. I think it's a great call and I think we need to play this forward and leave the past behind. It was a bad raw deal and I think Willingham should have had a little bit more time. He's gonna bring integrity, he's gonna bring class, and he's gonna bring a much-needed "oomph" to that program on the field and off it.

Craig James: When you look at it, I think you have to say hey, coach, let it go. It's gone, it's in the past, leave it alone. He needs to focus right now on going out and finding a quarterback, a QB who can help him win on the football field. Get back to coaching. Most parents out there would love to have a chance to play for Ty Willingham [sic], he's a good man, with integrity, and that's what he needs to concentrate on, going out and taking care of his business at Washington and forgetting about Notre Dame.

Saunders: He thinks he's got a great recruiting class coming in next year.

I wonder if John Saunders will think race played a part in Ty's exodus from Washington? Oh yeah John, great recruiting class for Washington!

Well here's Trev Alberts take on tomorrows matchup in Seattle.

Notre Dame vs. Washington: Tale of the Tape

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will face their former head coach on Saturday evening, as Tyrone Willingham and his winless Washington Huskies play the role of host in this non-conference affair at Husky Stadium in Seattle. Notre Dame has been idle since October 11th when it dropped a 29-24 decision to Notre Carolina on the road. That loss halted a two-game win streak for the Irish, who are now 4-2 overall. Still, they have exceeded their win total from last season and can become bowl eligible with two more victories. As for Washington, it has lost all six of its games this season, including four against Pac-10 foes. The Huskies, who are 0-4 at home as well, dropped a 34-13 decision to Oregon State in Seattle last weekend. Four of the losses have been lopsided, as the Huskies have really struggled to hold opposing offenses in check. Notre Dame owns a 6-0 series lead over Washington, including five lopsided victories over the Huskies. In 2005, the Fighting Irish rolled to a 36-17 triumph.

Through six outings, Notre Dame is averaging 25.5 ppg and 373.0 total ypg. The Fighting Irish have scored 19 offensive touchdowns, including 14 touchdown passes from sophomore quarterback Jimmy Clausen. One of the most prized recruits in the history of the storied program, Clausen has completed 61.6 percent of his passes for 1,631 yards, and although his total of eight interceptions is a bit high, it is safe to say that the young signal caller has been impressive. His favorite targets have been Golden Tate and Michael Floyd, both of whom have four touchdowns. Tate has caught 28 balls for 518 yards, while Floyd has 27 grabs for 426 yards. As for the ground attack, Armando Allen leads the charge with 298 yards and two scores. The running game only accounted for 89 yards against North Carolina last time out, but Clausen threw for 383 yards and two touchdowns to keep things close. On a down note, Clausen was intercepted twice and sacked four times. Both Floyd and Tate had a touchdown, combining for 214 yards along the way, but that production simply wasn't enough to earn the team a victory.

Opponents are scoring 20.7 ppg against Notre Dame, which is surrendering 367.7 total ypg. The Irish are allowing 4.4 yards per rushing attempt and 11.1 yards per pass completion, numbers which can certainly stand some improvement. Also, they have only generated seven sacks, a figure that must improve. On a positive note, Notre Dame does have 14 takeaways. Kyle McCarthy leads the Irish with 56 total tackles, and David Bruton has 53 stops to go along with two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Against North Carolina, Notre Dame surrendered 29 points, but the defense can not take all the blame. After all, the Tar Heels did return a Clausen interception for a touchdown. The Irish yielded 322 total yards, but failed to register a single takeaway to offset their five turnovers.

Considering that Washington is only averaging 17.7 ppg and 318.8 total ypg, it is obvious that the team has some major problems offensively. Ronnie Fouch got the start at quarterback for the injured Jake Locker in last weekend's game against Oregon State, and while the sophomore quarterback was able to throw for 276 yards, he tossed three costly interceptions and no touchdowns. Terrance Dailey, a true freshman tailback, rushed for 102 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown, and he is the first Husky to rush for over 100 yards this season. Washington came away scoreless on all three of its trips to the red zone, and four turnovers played a key role in those missed opportunities. Also, a 3-of-12 effort on third down conversion attempts was disappointing. The Huskies are posting 103.2 rushing ypg this season on an average of 3.0 ypc. They have failed to find a capable workhorse back up to this point, although Dailey may be ready to step into that role.

Washington simply did not get the job done defensively against Oregon State last weekend, as it allowed the Beavers to rack up 421 yards and four offensive touchdowns. The Huskies permitted three scores of over 30 yards, and those big plays proved to be the difference in the game. Washington yielded 230 yards on an average of 6.6 yards per rushing attempt. Mason Foster had 2.5 TFLs in the setback, but the negatives far outweighed that positives. Opponents are racking up 40.7 ppg against Washington, which is yielding 483.0 total ypg. The team is being victimized for well over 200 ypg both rushing and receiving, as it is allowing 5.8 ypc on the ground and 12.9 yards per pass completion. The fact that the Huskies have already permitted 32 touchdowns to opposing offenses is staggering.

Expect Notre Dame to knock off Washington on the road this weekend behind a strong performance by Clausen. After turning the ball over five times in their last game, the Irish will take much better care of the ball against the Huskies.

Notre Dame 42
Washington 20

Washington Injury Report
OL Ryan Bush (10/19, hamstring) is questionable
OL Casey Bulyca (10/14, knee surgery) will miss the remainder of the season
S John Fogerson (10/19, ankle) is questionable
RB Brandon Yakaboski (10/19, knee) is questionable
WR Chancellor Young (10/19, knee) is questionable
RB David Freeman (10/4, ankle) is out indefinitely
QB Jake Locker (9/28, right thumb surgery) is expected to miss 8 weeks
Tackle Mark Armelin (10/19, broken right foot) is questionable
RB Chris Polk (9/12, left shoulder surgery) is to miss the remainder of the season
S Darin Harris (10/19, concussion) is questionable
CB Byron Davenport (10/3, knee surgery) is to miss the remainder of the season
CB Anthony Gobern (9/26, shoulder) is expected to miss the remainder of the season
S Jason Wells (10/19, knee) is questionable
TE Chris Izbicki (10/19, disciplinary) is questionable
WR Curtis Shaw (8/27, personal) has left the team
CB Jordan Murchison (6/29, disciplinary) was dismissed from the team
RB J.R. Hasty (6/29, disciplinary) was dismissed from the team

Notre Dame Injury Report
FB Luke Schmidt (10/1, headaches) is out indefinitely
WR Barry Gallup Jr (10/19, undisclosed) is questionable
TE Will Yeatman (10/1, disciplinary/legal) will miss the remainder of the season
S Jashaad Gaines (9/12, personal) is out indefinitely
CB Darrin Walls (8/27, personal) will miss the fall semester
TE Mike Ragone (8/23, left knee surgery) will miss the entire season

Team Leaders
Receptions: UW Goodwin (32), ND Tate (28)
Rec. Yards: UW Goodwin (451), ND Tate (518)
Rushing Atts: UW Locker (56), ND Allen (62)
Rushing Yds: UW Locker (180), ND Allen (298)
Pass Atts: UW Fouch (107), ND Clausen (219)
Pass Comp: UW Fouch (54), ND Clausen (125)
Pass Yards: UW Fouch (782), ND Clausen (1,631)
Comp %: UW Locker (53.8), ND Clausen (61.6)
TD passes: UW Fouch (3), ND Clausen (14)
INTs: UW Fouch (4), ND Clausen (8)

Buzz Around Team Camps 10/24/08

Catch the latest Buzz Around Team Camps for Friday, October 24th:

San Diego St. via http://www.signonsandiego.com

In December 2005, San Diego State Athletic Director Jeff Schemmel held a news conference to announce the firing of football coach Tom Craft. The biggest reason for the firing, he said then, was that the football program lacked “a positive energy that the community could get excited about.”

Almost three years later, things have gotten worse under Craft's replacement, Chuck Long. Season-ticket sales have dropped to their lowest level since at least 2001 (10,200). This week, after Saturday's 70-7 loss at New Mexico, major donors to the SDSU athletics program have expressed serious concern about the program's future.
“I hate to say this, but we need a new coach, and we need a new athletic director,” said Art Flaming, a former SDSU Alumni Association president who recently gave $500,000 for the new SDSU Alumni Center.

Under Long, SDSU is 8-23 and has lost nine of its past 10 games dating to last year. By contrast, Craft had a 12-19 record in his first 31 games at SDSU.

“I'm very upset, as everybody is, about the progress,” said John Carlson, a member of SDSU's Director's Cabinet of donors who give at least $25,000 annually. “I feel Schemmel will do the right thing in the long run, so I've had patience with him. But I'm not too happy with it. If I were running it, I would do something now.”

Michigan via http://www.mlive.com

Video: "It's not going to help you get a first down." Rich Rodriguez on using the MSU rivalry for motivation.

Michigan St. via http://www.freep.com

Pat Narduzzi came to Michigan State with insight into the spread offense the Spartans defense will confront Saturday at Michigan. He faced it twice as Cincinnati's defensive coordinator when the Bearcats played West Virginia in 2005 and '06.

First-year Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez, who widely is acknowledged as the architect of the modern spread-option attack, was in charge at West Virginia back then. Narduzzi, who is in his second season as MSU's defensive coordinator, wasted no time tapping into his personal data bank this week.

"We were way ahead on Monday as opposed to where you might be looking for different things that might help you in game planning," Narduzzi said Thursday evening after practice. "It helps you a bunch."

Cincinnati lost those games by scores of 38-0 and 42-24. In '05, West Virginia won the Big East championship, finished 11-1 and was ranked No. 5 in the final Associated Press poll. In '06, the Mountaineers were 11-2 and ranked 10th. Those teams also had standout dual-threat quarterback Pat White running the spread and Steve Slaton, a third-round pick of the Houston Texans last spring, at running back.

"They had a pretty talented offensive group there," Narduzzi said. "We had some good plays, we had some bad plays. They were a good offense."

North Carolina via http://www.newsobserver.com

The benefit of having a versatile football player such as North Carolina's Greg Little is that he can do so many things. One of the challenges: finding the best way to use him. To that end, the UNC coaches have moved the sophomore back to his original wide receiver position. Before Saturday's loss at Virginia, he had started eight straight games at tailback. He is also returning kickoffs again, as he did last year.

"I'm just stepping up to the plate," said Little, who caught two passes for three yards last weekend. "... Shaun [Draughn] is doing a great job in the backfield, and I understand that we need some help on the wideout end, and I know I can step up and make some plays there."

The Tar Heels made the move for several reasons -- the season-ending injury to wide receiver/kick returner Brandon Tate; Draughn's success at tailback (he has averaged 112.6 yards per game over the past three games); and Little's own inconsistency in the backfield.

Although the Durham native had his positive moments -- rushing 69 times for 230 yards and three touchdowns -- he never seemed completely comfortable at tailback, sometimes not hitting the hole at the right moment or not finding the hole at all.

"That's where you lose yourself, not being very decisive in where you run the ball," he said.

Washington via http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com

Not much excitement today on the field. We updated the injury situation earlier and there were no further additions to the injured list as far as I could tell. When the media entered the stadium, QB Jake Locker watched warmups from the first row of the stands. He's still wearing a cast around his broken right hand.

As for the other Dawgs, it was obvious they miss Locker. During a two-minute drill that pitted the No. 1 offense against the No. 2 defense, backup cornerback Matt Mosley intercepted quarterback Ronnie Fouch's pass and returned it for a touchdown.

There was plenty of hoopla from the UW defense in the end zone, which is to be expected from a group that has just two interceptions this season. In case you're wondering the last time the UW returned an interception for a touchdown, it was Sept. 29, 2007, against USC when Mesphin Forrester returned a pick 54 yards.

More startling is the amount of time that's lapsed since the last UW player returned a fumble for a score. The last to do so was Terry Johnson on Sept. 20, 2003, against Idaho. That's five years and counting. Wow. After looking up that little factoid, it probably makes sense why the defensive linemen were practicing strip drills today.

Back to Fouch's pick. It was difficult to determine what went wrong, but there wasn't a receiver in the general vicinity, so I'm guessing there was a communication error.

Backup quarterback Taylor Bean continued the interception theme when he directed the No. 2 offense against a collection of backups. This time, Marquis Presley came down with the ball in a crowd.

Boston College via http://www.boston.com

Boston College football coach Jeff Jagodzinski had the perfect explanation for it. "It's that time of the year guys,'' said Jagodzinski as he went over the Eagle injury list this afternoon, picking out who and would not be ready to play against North Carolina Saturday afternoon.

"(Safety) Wes Davis is questionable,'' said Jagodzinski, talking about his starting free safety who has a sprained ankle. "He will go only in an emergency.''
Jagodzinski said that Marty Bowman will fill in for Davis.
Missing from today's practice was defensive ends Brad Newman (knee) and Austin Giles (blurred vision). . "Giles and Newman won't practice, but they will be ready for the game,'' said Jagodzinski.

Syracuse via http://blog.syracuse.com

An emailer wrote the other night that as soon as UConn head coach Randy Edsall's name came up in The New York Times story about Syracuse's enlistment of Chuck Neinas to help find a coaching replacement for Greg Robinson, it was time to sit back and watch the fireworks explode in Storrs. He was right.

Edsall opened a teleconference call on Thursday with a denial ... sort of. Some papers said Edsall sounded kind of heated, too. The Hartford Courant quoted Edsall saying:

"I don't deal in speculation and I just want you to know and everybody to know I haven't been contacted by any college, any university, the NFL, any person or people regarding and jobs. End of story," Edsall said.

Of course, The Times reported that Edsall's AGENT would not confirm he'd been contacted by Neinas on behalf of Syracuse, so Edsall can say HE has not been contacted, but he doesn't say his AGENT has not been contacted.

I sent an email to Connecticut athletic director Jeff Hathaway Wednesday night when The Times story broke seeking comment. Hathaway did not respond, but I got this response back from athletics department spokesman Michael Enright:

"It has been our long-standing practice at UConn not to comment on any human resources issues involving our school or any other institution," Enright said.
The backdrop to this story is that a search firm Syracuse used when it was seeking a replacement for Paul Pasqualoni four years ago reached out to Edsall. I've heard the UConn folks, including Hathaway, were furious. Imagine if it happened again? Kaboom! Lots of Connecticut newspapers are reporting that for Syracuse to get its hands on Edsall, it would likely cost the Orange in the neighborhood of $4 million in various buyout contracts.

Southern Cal via http://www.latimes.com

It's getting crowded again in USC's backfield. Sophomore tailback Joe McKnight, who did not play against Washington State because of a toe injury, practiced for the first time this week Thursday and will play Saturday at Arizona.

"I'm back," said McKnight, who rushed for a career-best 143 yards two weeks ago against Arizona State.

McKnight's return potentially jumbles a tailback rotation that worked smoothly and evenly against undermanned Washington State.

Redshirt freshman Broderick Green ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns in 18 carries in the Trojans' 69-0 victory. Junior Stafon Johnson had 112 yards in 11 carries and sophomore C.J. Gable ran for 109 yards and three touchdowns in 16 carries.

"It was a good game to mix everybody evenly but that was not by design until we realized how the game was going," Coach Pete Carroll said. "This is different. This will be like we always play and we'll just take the game as it comes to us."

Quick Kicks http://conquestchronicles.com

Alex Parsons will start again at right guard. . . . Receiver Damian Williams practiced despite a shoulder sprain and will play against Arizona. "I've had a lot of rehab," he said. "I've been in the training room since 8 this morning." . . . Defensive tackle Fili Moala (ankle) did not practice but said he would play Saturday.

We Are All Witnesses.

Buzz Around Team Camps 10/23/08

Here's the Buzz Around Team Camps for Thursday, October 23rd:

San Diego St. via http://www.signonsandiego.com

It may be perceived as a roll of the dice, but San Diego State Athletic Director Jeff Schemmel is convinced he's making a safe bet. Citing an unusually high number of injuries and inherited academic ills, Schemmel yesterday said Chuck Long will remain the Aztecs' head football coach through at least the 2009 season.

“I have no plans to fire my football coach,” said Schemmel, who hired Long in 2005 as the successor to Tom Craft. “He's 2½ years into a game plan that I believe in and approved of. We asked him to step into a program that was decimated by APR (Academic Progress Rate) problems and loss-of-scholarship problems. We asked him to step into that hole and he's finally digging out of it.
“When you couple the (scholarship losses) with the injuries we have, it becomes a game of attrition. I'm going to hold him accountable, but, to be fair, I need to hold him accountable when he's got a full plate.”

Long, who has two years remaining on a contract paying him $716,000 per year, has a career record of 8-23. The Aztecs are 1-6 under Long for the second time in three years and are coming off a 70-7 loss at New Mexico, the third-worst loss in school history. SDSU, which finished 3-9 in Long's inaugural season and 4-8 last year, has lost six straight Mountain West Conference games dating to last season.

Michigan via http://www.mlive.com

Place-kicker Anthony Fera, a senior at Houston (Texas) St. Pius X High School, has decommitted from Michigan, TheWolverine.com reported Wednesday.

Fera is the fourth player in the 2009 recruiting class to change his mind about Michigan, joining defensive tackle William Campbell, wide receiver Bryce McNeal and quarterback Kevin Newsome.

Michigan's current recruiting class includes 17 players who have verbally committed to the school. Those players can sign binding national letters of intent in February.

Justin Feagin via http://www.mlive.com

Will freshman Justin Feagin gets snaps at quarterback this season or not? Although Rodriguez and quarterbacks coach Rod Smith both said after the Penn State loss that they came close to using Feagin in spot duty, Rodriguez seems to be wavering about how he might use Feagin now. The coach said Feagin hadn't thrown in two days because of a shoulder issue. "We've been playing him more at receiver, slot receiver, which is easier for him to grasp," Rodriguez said. Feagin has yet to play this season.

Purdue via http://boilerstation.jconline.com

Chocolate, strawberry or vanilla? Purdue coach Joe Tiller says it's the latter, if you're describing the Boilermaker offense so far in 2008. Too vanilla, in fact. So, perhaps beginning with Saturday's Homecoming game against Minnesota, he predicts that things might change a bit.

"Ever since I've been a head coach, we've always gone into every game with what we call two deceptives (trick plays)," Tiller said. "Sometimes they get called and sometimes they don't. However, this year we haven't had those in our game plan on a regular basis.

"So my instructions to our staff on Sunday were, from this point forward, I want to see, when the game plan is presented, two deceptives. Now, I'm not guaranteeing you they're going to get called, but we're going to have them as a possibility."

Stanford via http://www.mercurynews.com

Chris Marinelli's left-shoulder injury isn't as serious as feared, and the Stanford offensive lineman could be back when the Cardinal plays at Oregon on Nov. 8.

"It's still going to take aggressive rehab and treatment to quiet down (the injury) because the shoulder did come out," Coach Jim Harbaugh said after practice Wednesday. "The earliest he could come back would be Oregon and more realistically USC."

Marinelli injured the shoulder in the fourth quarter of a 23-20 loss at UCLA last weekend. A CT scan Wednesday showed no damage to the area that was reconstructed after the 2006 season, which was the result Marinelli needed to receive. Had there been further damage, he probably would have been done for the year.

Now it appears the junior will be back for two — if not all — of Stanford's crucial three-game, season-ending stretch. "He was pretty happy," Harbaugh said.

Marinelli, one of Stanford's most versatile linemen, started the past two games at left guard in place of injured Chase Beeler, who could return after this week's bye. Beeler (high-ankle sprain) has missed the past three games. Before Beeler's injury, Marinelli started six games at right tackle.

Washington via http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com

--- Nothing much from practice. No new apparent injuries other than true freshman LB Bradly Roussel, who was not in pads but was running stairs. Not sure what his injury is. Otherwise, all the expected players were in pads, other than those who have been injured and are out.

--- Practice began with some two-minute drill work, and there were no surprises in the offensive lineup. We had to leave before the first drive ended but Ronnie Fouch was leading the team down the field against the No. 2 defense as we left.

--- Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell also spoke to us today. Donatell said the ND offense is similar to what Charlie Weis ran at New England. "He's imaginative and does a good job. They are a pro-style attack and has the quarterback doing a lot of things with cadence and empties --- he does a lot to develop the quarterback (Jimmy Clausen). They have excellent knowledge and command of their systems.'' He said the two faced off a few times in the NFL though he didn't recall any specifics of any games.

--- Donatell said ND likes to change its offense quite a bit based on the opponent it is playing that week: "They aren't as much no-huddle and they are opponent-specific. You don't just look at a tape. You have to look at somebody and say, 'Do they see us like them?' You have to pick a like opponent, because they will change, and that's their philosophy. And they've had a bye. They could be looking at a lot of things. They could be looking at their club, as well as how they match up with us.''

--- Donatell said it's obvious Weis has a lot of confidence in Clausen now. "He's got him pretty grooved. He just keeps getting better and more experienced. He went to (North) Carolina (the last game ND played tow weeks ago) and played pretty good. He spread the field and put a lot of it on (Clausen)."

Navy via http://www.hometownannapolis.com

Navy's quarterback situation is fast becoming a soap opera with all sorts of twists and turns. Of course, the media and fans help contribute to the drama.

Former starting quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada has not participated in the team portion of practice all week and will not play against Southern Methodist University on Saturday. Nothing has changed about Kaheaku-Enhada's status as he remains day-to-day with an injured hamstring. The senior from Hawaii said last week that his hamstring still felt weak and that he couldn't acceleration. It is a difficult situation since neither the player nor the coaches are sure how hard to push the rehabilitation without risking further damage.

At this point, it appears head coach Ken Niumatalolo is going to proceed with the utmost caution and it is beginning to look like Kaheaku-Enhada will not play until Nov. 15 against Notre Dame at the earliest. That game follows a bye week, which would give the quarterback three more weeks to heal.

"I probably pushed him too early. He helped us win some games, which was huge. But he probably came back too early," Niumatalolo said. "From now on, I'll stay out of it. I'll let the trainer and Kaipo make the decision."

Meanwhile, Niumatalolo and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Ivin Jasper talked on Monday about sophomore Ricky Dobbs. Both men were backup quarterbacks during their playing careers at the University of Hawaii and understand that fans unhappy with the performance of the starter always want to see a change.

Syracuse via http://blog.syracuse.com

Syracuse University director of athletics Daryl Gross denied Wednesday night a report in The New York Times that he has enlisted a search firm to assist in securing a replacement for embattled Orange football coach Greg Robinson.

The Times quoted an unnamed source who said Gross and Syracuse are using consultant Chuck Neinas, the former director of the College Football Association and commissioner of the Big Eight Conference, to help in the process of finding a new Orange football coach.

Gross said he has not hired Neinas or any consulting firm.
"No, it's absolutely not true," Gross told The Post-Standard. "The reality is ... I haven't hired anyone and the university hasn't hired anyone. Its speculation and it would be inappropriate for me to hire someone (a consulting firm or search firm) at this point."

Southern Cal via http://www.latimes.com

Nick Sanchez, father of junior quarterback Mark Sanchez, met this week with an advisor to learn about the NFL draft and the issues and processes that surround it.

"It was for no other reason than to gather information," Nick Sanchez said. "Mark has no intention and has never had any intention of coming out early."

Sanchez and his oldest son, Nick Jr., an attorney, met with Joe Mendes, a former NFL executive contracted by USC. The meeting was set up on the advice of Coach Pete Carroll.

"They just need to be informed so they understand the process," Carroll said.

Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said he would not discourage Mark Sanchez from exploring his options after the season, especially if he were projected as the possible first quarterback in the draft.

"The most important thing for Mark is to play well right now," Sarkisian said.

Quick Kicks via http://conquestchronicles.com

Defensive tackle Fili Moala sat out after collapsing during a drill because of an apparent ankle injury. Moala said that X-rays were negative and that he had suffered an ankle sprain. . . . Tailback Joe McKnight (toe) did not practice but said he intended to do so today and play Saturday.

Fields of Glory: Notre Dame Stadium

If you have 25 minutes to spare, sit back, relax and enjoy the essence of College Football. Fields of Glory takes you on a visit to Notre Dame Stadium, commerical free!

The only drawback to this video is that our opposing coach this coming Saturday is in the show. Other than that, Notre Dame is College Football!

As always, Go IRISH!

Keys to the Game: Washington

It's about time to move on after two weeks of recapping, dissecting, and rehashing, the first half of the 2008 Notre Dame season. If the Fighting Irish are going to keep a full head of steam, they'll have to start with a familiar face in Ty Willingham and his winless Huskies.

At 4-2, the Irish are looking to get their first road win of the season, while Washington is currently looking to break the nation's current, longest losing streak. Which one of these will be broken should not be hard to answer.

1.) Play error free ball. In their two losses of the season, Notre Dame is -7 (4 interceptions, 4 fumbles to only 1 takeaway). On the flip side, Washington hasn't been the most opportunistic defense around. The Huskies have two interceptions and recovered two fumbles through six games (-7 on the season).

As long as the Irish stick to their game plan and limit their mistakes, Notre Dame could easily put this one away. If not, another pins and needles game could make a call for some pepto bismol.

2.) Pass, Pass, and more Pass. Notre Dame is going up against the worst passing defenses in the country, period! Washington is dead last in the country in pass efficiency defense by giving up 18 touchdown passes, intercepting only two, while opposing offenses complete over 70 percent of their passes (72.5%). They are also giving up over 250 yards a game as well, which should play right into the hands of the Irish's strength.

Currently Jimmy Clausen and the Irish are the nation's 17th-best passing team at 271.8 yards a game. Clausen is also completing over 61 percent of his passes, and should have another career day against Washington. Look for Jimmy to have over 400 yards passing and four touchdown passes.

Clausen should have plenty of time to throw the ball, as the Washington defense has not had that much success getting to opposing quarterbacks. So far the Huskies have three sacks on the year.

3.) Spread the wealth. By facing one of the worst passing teams in the nation in Washington, the Irish receivers will most likely get a lot of attention. Depending on who the Husky defense will focus on, there are too many receivers for Jimmy Clausen to choose from.

Golden Tate will start off the second half of the season where he left off, leading the Irish. Michael Floyd will use his deceptive speed and height to his advantage over the Husky defenders, while Duval Kamara should fill in nicely for David Grimes' absence. Kamara finally showed signs of his 2007 form, by catching five balls.

Oh yeah, Kyle Rudolph is going to cause a lot of matchup problems in down the middle of the field for Washington too!

4.) Pound it when necessary. Besides having one of the worst passing defenses, the Washington rushing defense is not that much better. Currently the Huskies are 115th in the nation in run defense by giving up 232.8 yards per game. Even though Notre Dame is barely averaging over 100 yards a game on the ground (101.17 per game), look for Armando Allen, Robert Hughes, and James Aldridge to get plenty of opportunities to run through the Washington defense.

5.) Apply pressure early on. Since Jake Locker is not playing in this contest, Notre Dame needs to get to Ronnie Fouch early and often. The Washington offensive line has had a difficult time of keeping their quarterbacks off the turf, as they have given up 15 sacks to opposing defenses.

Look for Jon Tenuta's blitz-happy defense to get a few sacks, led by Brian Smith. This could be a breakout game for Harrison Smith as well!

6.) Move the chains with long sustained drives. For the Irish, using ball control, long sustained drives that keeps their defense on the field. Washington has been hit by injuries, and depth in endurance and experience may be a problem for them. Scoring 32 or more points in this game should earn us the win.

On Defense, Notre Dame needs to force them to turn to their run/ground game; which the Irish should be able to handle that. Get a few three and outs early by the Huskies and the first road win of the season should be in store for Notre Dame.

There should not be any hoopla surrounding this game like the 2005 contest. The only difference is that Bob Davie will be in the booth calling the game for ESPN2. In the end, there will be two former coaches going home unhappy, while Charlie Weis will start the second half of the season on the right track.

Buzz Around Camps 10/22/08

Here's the latest Buzz Around Team Camps for Wednesday, October 22nd:

San Diego St. via http://www.signonsandiego.com

Of all the emotions spilling out of San Diego State's 70-7 loss at New Mexico last week, remorse would seem the ranking sentiment.

First, Aztecs coach Chuck Long apologizes to an ever-shrinking pool of partisans for the third-worst loss in school history. Then, as though just accused of poking a puppy in the eye with a sharp stick, New Mexico coach Rocky Long offers his own regrets, apparently recognizing that a fair fight dictates both opponents be able to defend themselves.

At present, SDSU might be hard-pressed to defend itself in the heat of a quilting bee.

“We got off to a fast start, and when you do that against a team that's struggling, it usually kills the other team's momentum,” said Rocky Long, clearly cognizant of the momentum gained by the Aztecs in being beaten by a composite score of 76-17 in their previous two games.

“I've been on the other side of games like that. When you're on (the winning) side of it, the first 30 points or so, it's fun. But after that, even though it's probably fun for the players, it's not fun for the coaches.

“We put a lot of fresh, young guys in there after halftime, and it just so happened that they played really well. But games like that aren't fun for coaches on either side.”

Michigan via http://www.mlive.com

Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez says he and the team were obviously disappointed with their 46-17 loss to Penn State, but he saw some things that gave him hope for this week's intrastate game against Michigan State.

Rodriguez may be a rookie to this one but he's no stranger to rivalries, having been a part of the "Backyard Brawl" between West Virginia and Pitt. He knows a win would be important to his program.

"It'd be huge," he says during his weekly Big Ten teleconference. "Obviously it's a huge game. It's a rivalry game, In-state, just up the road. Y'know, a lot of our players know their players and, for us, I just like it for our players because they've put a lot work into it.

"The best feeling you get is after a win, and we haven't had very many of those, obviously. And I'd like, particularly for the seniors, to be able to have a good feeling after the game and to have a good weekend for a change."

Michigan St. via http://www.freep.com

Unlike his counterpart, Michigan's Rich Rodriguez, Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio is quite familiar with the Spartans' rivalry with the Wolverines. He was an assistant at MSU from 1995-2000. So while it the 45-7 loss to Ohio State last week was huge, Dantonio has no doubt that his players will be fired up for their in-state clash on Saturday.

"Whether we won or lost (against the Buckeyes)," Dantonio says during his weekly Big Ten teleconference, "the focus would need to be here for this game. You need to get yourself ready to play this (game). And that's something that you need to be prepared for at the beginning of August. When we walk in here, you know that's a game that's circled, and we need to be ready to play.

"So the focus will be there, the excitement, the emotion will be there, as it should, on both teams. I'm sure the team that makes the least amount of mistakes and can handle some adversity will be the team that has the chance of winning."

Purdue via http://boilerstation.jconline.com

Purdue running back Kory Sheets will have to do all his talking on the field for the remainder of the season. Boilermaker coach Joe Tiller has declared Sheets off limits to the media as the result of comments made following Purdue's 48-26 loss Saturday at Northwestern.

"As I said to our coaches, Kory has grown (physically) but not intellectually in the last four years," Tiller said. "So, if you know him, that's not a surprise. It's a disappointment."

Following Purdue's fourth defeat in a row, Sheets opened with criticism of quarterback Curtis Painter for not noticing that he was wide open in the flat early in the game.

"I'm kind of starting to get used to it," Sheets said. "It seems like the defenses aren't even covering me because they don't think I'm going to get the ball anyway. It's been that way last week and the week (before). So get used to it.

"A number of things are going through Painter's mind, and he's just kind of forgetting that I'm out there."

Later, Sheets was asked if Painter is the guy who can lead Purdue to victory.

After a bit of a pause, Sheets said, "No comment."

Washington via http://seattletimes.nwsource.com

Washington freshman receiver Cody Bruns, no longer wearing a figurative redshirt, was also without a literal one during Tuesday's practice.

Injured players often wear red jerseys in practice, signifying they are off-limits to contact. But the Prosser High grad was in full pads and running through drills in the 25 minutes of practice open to the media on Tuesday, indicating he is on the road to recovery from a hamstring injury that held him out of Saturday's game against Oregon State.

When Bruns sat out against the Beavers, it raised even more questions about the team's decision to take him off redshirt status against Arizona on Oct. 4. He saw only three plays against the Wildcats. But UW offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said the plan all along was for Bruns to see significant action against OSU, before he pulled his hamstring in practice.

"He will go this week," Lappano said. "I've talked to him and he wants to give it a go and whatever happens, happens. If he pulls that thing, then he pulls it and he's going to miss more time."

Lappano said Bruns didn't play against Oregon State because the Huskies didn't want to risk an injury that would keep him out longer.

"If we put him in there and he pulls it again, now we are going to lose him for four, five weeks and it's too bad for the kid.

"Trust me, he's a great kid and the last thing we want to do is mess with [him]. That's not the idea. The idea is to put it on ice [last] weekend and get the rest of the season out of him. Hopefully he has a good day today and that thing doesn't blow up."

Pittsburgh via http://www.post-gazette.com

Pitt is finding ways to win games despite its troublesome habit of turning the ball over. The Panthers are seventh in the eight-team Big East in turnover margin, at minus-5 for the season. They have fumbled the ball away seven times, been intercepted five times and have forced only seven opponent turnovers.

Only Connecticut and Louisville (13 turnovers each) have turned it over more among conference foes.

"We understand the turnover thing, and how it controls wins and losses," Stull said. "We've been able to somehow pull away with some big plays when we've had turnovers. And that's a credit to our defense, getting a three-and-out after I've coughed up a turnover or our offense has turned it over.

"Our defense is doing a heck of a job. But we understand as we play bigger defenses and guys who have been known to hurt us in the past that we have to be smarter with the ball and protect it more."

Syracuse via http://www.syracuse.com

This is absolutely not about making excuses - though I'm sure many will draw your weapons and flame away. So be it. When it comes to toughness of schedules, Syracuse is inching its way to the top of the gauntlet.

According to the NCAA, the Syracuse University football team has played the sixth toughest schedule in the country based on the cumulative records (39-21) of its entire lineup of opponents.

Based on the records of its past opponents (Northwestern through South Florida), Syracuse has played the fourth toughest schedule in the country. Those opponents have a cumulative record of 23-9. The Orange is a half-game out of the second toughest schedule.

Syracuse is 1-6 overall and 0-3 in the Big East going into its second bye weekend of the season. It has just finished playing Pittsburgh, West Virginia and South Florida in succession with two of those games on the road. Those three teams appear to be the class of the Big East Conference, which brings me to this little exchange between former SU head coach Dick MacPherson and current SU head coach Greg Robinson during Sunday's press conference.

"(Shoot), you've played the best three teams in the Big East right now," MacPherson said to Robinson. "That's a helluva schedule to play right in a row. I don't think I'd want to play South Florida, West Virginia and Pitt again. You know what I'm saying, right in a row. The encouraging thing for the kids, they've played and competed against the best of the Big East."

"I don't disagree," said Robinson. "I think we could've done a better job (Saturday against South Florida). At the same time, I don't want to minimize the effort of South Florida because they are a good football team. I think having a bye right now is very good for us because I think the next five weeks, we're playing teams we know a lot about. It'll be interesting to see how it all comes about."

Go ahead. Flame away.

Southern Cal via http://www.latimes.com

The e-mail first appeared on a USC fan-site message board last week, then quickly circulated across the Internet. "What is being done to ensure that my son is being cared for in a proper manner???"

Dexter Hazelton, father of Trojans receiver Vidal Hazelton, sent a six-paragraph e-mail to Coach Pete Carroll in September criticizing the football team's handling of his son's ankle injury.

Now, the whole world could read it, a situation that pulled back the curtain on a subtle and sometimes sensitive component that Carroll confronts as the leader of one of the nation's most successful football programs:

Dealing with parents.

Communication between parents and coach spans a range of issues, including injuries and academics, but Carroll acknowledges, "They basically call me about playing time."

He does not begrudge them; and most don't seem to begrudge him. "They just want to know what can their son do to be a bigger part of things," Carroll said.

So it goes, even for a coach whose teams have won or shared six consecutive Pacific 10 Conference titles, played in six straight Bowl Championship Series bowl games, won two national titles, and is in position to take a run at a third title-game appearance in five years.

That success was built on stockpiling talent, and none of the five-star recruits who chose USC did so with the intent of riding the Trojans' bench.

Dexter Hazelton, while critical of Carroll, does not blame the coach for the way he recruits or manages playing time.

"He has to do what he has to do for USC's program," he said in an interview. "If I was in his position, I would do the same thing. But I have to do what I have to do as a father, which is looking out for my son's interest."

The e-mail that appeared on the Internet last week is among several Hazelton has sent to Carroll over the years, and it called out the coach and USC's training staff for not providing his son with immediate treatment upon the team's return to Los Angeles after the season opener at Virginia.

Quick Kicks via http://conquestchronicles.com

Tailback Joe McKnight (toe) was limited to only a few drills but said he would play Saturday. . . . Juniors Nick Howell and Alex Parsons continued to work with the first unit at right tackle and right guard, respectively. . . . Fullback Stanley Havili is nursing a sore ankle.

College Football Musical

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Here's a preview of the upcoming movie College Football Musical: Michigan Sucks and USC Blows!

Buzz Around Team Camps 10/21/08

Catch the latest Buzz Around Team Camps for Tuesday, October 21st:

San Diego St. via http://www.signonsandiego.comIf Chuck

Long's job is in jeopardy, San Diego State Athletic Director Jeff Schemmel isn't saying. At least not yet.

The Aztecs, who are 8-21 since Long succeeded Tom Craft three years ago, suffered their second-worst loss in history yesterday when they were beaten 70-7 by New Mexico.

Said Schemmel: “I don't think this is an appropriate time for me to comment, particularly after a game like this.”

Schemmel, who said at the end of last season that he wanted to see progress, has instead been witness to a performance that is threatening to culminate in SDSU's worst record in 25 years.

Michigan via http://www.mlive.com

University of Michigan quarterback Steven Threet pointed to a spot on his right arm just above the elbow Monday.

"Basically from about here down, my whole hand tingles," he said, describing the sensation he felt in two recent games. "It's not necessarily pain, because you can play through pain, but I can't grip a ball."

The tingling sensation, which first occurred when Threet was tackled out of bounds and landed on his elbow during the second quarter of an Oct. 11 loss to Toledo, caused him to miss the second half of that game. It also forced him from last Saturday's Penn State loss in the third quarter.

Michigan St. via http://www.freep.com

Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio expressed disappointment over the off-the-field incident that has injected an unnecessary distraction into the run-up to Saturday's game at Michigan. At his regular weekly news conference today at Spartan Stadium, Dantonio confirmed that his program is working with police with regard to an off-campus altercation that took place early Sunday morning.

"My only statement will be on that is that we are cooperating with authorities and them handle that end of things," Dantonio said.

MSU football players are allegedly involved in the incident and a Spartans hockey player, identified by Lansing television station WILX as sophomore defenseman A.J. Sturges, was recovering from related head injuries at Sparrow Hospital. East Lansing police have confirmed that an investigation is on-going but that no arrests have been made. If warrants are issued, it may not be until next week. The incident occurred at an off-campus residence.

The week started badly for MSU with a 45-7 loss against Ohio State on Saturday and has gotten worse when the Spartans should be focuse solely on their archrival.

"It's challening because of those three things," Dantonio said. "It's very disappointing, the Ohio State game. Very disappointing for our fans. I thought we would have shown better. Now were we going to win the game?

"Based on what I saw we would have not made mistakes and they would have had to make some, so it was disappointing in that respect

"Then, to have an incident, that's disappointing, obviously.

"And then to play Michigan and have to get your focus back ..., but that's what we have to do. That's what my job is."

Stanford via http://www.mercurynews.com

Stanford might be the most physical team in the Pacific-10 Conference, but it's not playing smart football these days. A spate of turnovers, penalties and other gaffes in recent weeks — like fielding a punt at the 2-yard line — could cost Stanford its first bowl berth in seven years.

In its come-from-ahead loss at UCLA on Saturday, the Cardinal had three turnovers and 10 penalties. Several were of the 15-yard variety, and many contributed to UCLA scores. (The Bruins began their comeback with a second-quarter field goal set up by four Stanford penalties.) But the breakdowns are hardly specific to the Rose Bowl. In its past three games, Stanford has committed 10 turnovers and 23 penalties.

It's a wonder the Cardinal managed to beat Arizona and come within a few seconds of fending off the Bruins. (OK, maybe it's not a wonder; maybe it's the weak Pac-10.) Stanford, which ranks eighth in the league in penalties and eighth in turnover margin, isn't talented enough to win in spite of itself. And given its low-risk, run-oriented approach, it shouldn't come close to three turnovers a game.

Coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff deserve credit for molding Stanford into a more physical team and devising schemes that play well to their personnel. But the Cardinal would be best off spending its only bye week of the season on fundamentals. It's not a very sound team right now.

North Carolina via http://www.newsobserver.com

Although he's still listed as a tailback on the depth chart -- third behind Shaun Draughn and Ryan Houston -- it sounds like sophomore Greg Little has officially moved back to wide receiver, where he began his college career.

He's listed as Hakeem Nicks' backup on the depth chart and caught two passes Saturday at Virginia. He's also returning kicks in place of the injured Tate.

"It's a segue back into where he was last year, in some respect," Davis said. "The objective, what we look at is, is how -- in certain downs and distances, and within certain personnel packages and groupings -- how can we get the best 11 guys on the field for the situation that we're trying to do? ... And Greg is clearly one of the best offensive weapons that we've got, and we've got to continue to find ways for him [to contribute]."

Washington via http://seattletimes.nwsource.com

Tyrone Willingham's grin seemed to grow a little with each Notre Dame-related question that came his way Monday. He appeared increasingly amused that there was still so much attention devoted to the angle of his current team, Washington, playing his former team, Notre Dame, this Saturday at Husky Stadium.

"That's something that everyone else will dwell on," he said. "After we finish up [a news conference] this morning, I will simply be focused on our football game and trying to move our football team in that direction. And at some point some of you will tire of that so you will move on to something else."

Such as continuing to rehash the team's 0-6 start, UW's worst in 39 years, and eight-game losing streak, tied with North Texas for the longest in the nation? Given UW's dire straits, the Willingham-Notre Dame angle will at least give media and fans something else to focus on this weekend, even if the coach doesn't quite see it that way.

"I always try to take Tyrone Willingham out of things," said Willingham, who was 21-15 in three years at Notre Dame before being fired after the end of the 2004 regular season and hired at UW a few weeks later. "It's not about me, it's about the two teams for 2008 that will line up on the field and play, and the team that plays the best that day will win."

And to be sure, it's an angle that doesn't quite have the same sizzle it did in 2005, when the Irish visited Seattle the year following his firing in South Bend. Notre Dame won that game 36-17 with a team that included players mostly recruited by Willingham and his staff.

The Irish now have just three players remaining who were signed while Willingham was coach — defensive end Justin Brown, linebacker Maurice Crum Jr. and cornerback Terrail Lambert, all fifth-year seniors and starters. Another six players had committed to Notre Dame as part of the school's class of 2005 before Willingham was fired, according to Scout.com.

Four of those players are starters or co-starters, including receiver David Grimes, who along with Crum is one of the team's three captains for this season. The other captain, starting safety David Bruton, was also largely recruited by Willingham and his staff, committing in early January.

Also different from that initial meeting is that there is just one UW assistant left who came with Willingham from Notre Dame, offensive line coach Mike Denbrock. Four others who originally followed Willingham to UW from Notre Dame have since left, including two who were fired after last season — defensive coordinator Kent Baer and special teams/tight ends coach Bob Simmons.

While Willingham said the game held no special personal meaning, Denbrock admitted it had some.

"I consider myself a Husky and I'm very happy to be part of this program," he said. "But obviously it adds a little bit to it having been there."

But given Willingham's seemingly tenuous hold on his job at UW, a win over Notre Dame could serve as a momentary respite, something a few players said they recognize.

"Every game you want to win for coach Willingham since he is taking all this negativity," running back Terrance Dailey said. "So this would be a big game especially to win for him. But we are just trying to get the win and not really paying attention to all that other stuff."

Boston College via http://bceagles.cstv.com

Junior LB Mark Herzlich was named the ACC Defensive Back of the Week for his efforts in Boston College's 28-23 win against Virginia Tech on Saturday. He led the team with 13 tackles and had two for a loss.

The Eagles held Virginia Tech to a season-low 240 total yards - 150 on the ground and 90 through the air. The Hokies' offense was unable to get into the end zone the entire game and settled for three field goals.

Herzlich is the third ACC Player of the Week for Boston College this season. Senior QB Chris Crane was honored on October 6 as Offensive Back of the Week and freshman RB Montel Harris was the Rookie of the Week on September 29.

Southern Cal via http://www.latimes.com

Junior Nick Howell is on track to start again at right tackle after recording at least 18 knockdown blocks against Washington State. Howell, son of former USC All-American lineman Pat Howell, recalled a poignant father-son conversation after the game.

"He said he didn't think I made any mistakes, he knew I could do it and he knew how good I was," Howell said. "Just hearing him say that kind of stuff was emotional for me and my dad because we were waiting for this for three years."

Butch Lewis, who missed the game because of illness, returned to practice Monday and said he was prepared to compete to regain his spot. Lewis lost five pounds while sick with a virus, a victory of sorts for a player who dropped 55 pounds in the summer of 2007 because of a parasite.

"Compared to that, I feel great," he said.

Quick Kicks via http://conquestchronicles.com

Defensive lineman Everson Griffen, linebacker Jordan Campbell, tight end Jimmy Miller, receiver Jordan Cameron and snapper Chris Pousson returned from illness and receiver Vidal Hazleton returned from a concussion. . . . McKnight wore a tinted eye shield on his helmet, a piece of equipment the NCAA allows during practices but not in games. McKnight suffered a migraine during a night game against Ohio State and has said bright stadium lights affected him. Kickoff for Saturday's game is 7:15 p.m. . . . Cornerback Cary Harris (hamstring) did not practice but said he would attempt to today. . . . After USC committed only two penalties against Washington State, Carroll again summoned extra officials to keep the Trojans on point. . . . USC's Nov. 1 game against Washington at the Coliseum will kick off at 3:30 p.m. and will be televised nationally by FSN.

Mid-Season Recap and Awards

If you have some 15 minutes to spare, here's a good recap of the first half of the 2008 Fighting Irish season.

Buzz Around Team Camps 10/20/08

Here's the latest Buzz Around Team Camps from this past weekend for Monday, October 20th:

San Diego St. via http://www.signonsandiego.com

With the jury seemingly already having passed sentence, Chuck Long said yesterday that he feels it would be an injustice if he were fired as head football coach at San Diego State.

“I don't think that would be fair, especially considering what we've had to do here,” said Long, whose team endured the third-worst loss in school history Saturday in being annihilated 70-7 at New Mexico. “Our program is not healthy yet, but we do see light at the end of the tunnel with the issues we're dealing with inside (the program). So, no, I don't think (being fired) would be fair or right.”

Michigan via http://www.mlive.com

University of Michigan quarterback Steven Threet - who missed most of the second half of Saturday's loss to Penn State after re-aggravating an elbow injury - said he'll play against Michigan State.

Threet, who spoke to the media Monday, said the elbow, which was first bruised in the loss to Toledo, is improving and shouldn't keep him out of practices the rest of the week.

Michigan (2-5, 1-2 Big Ten) is looking to extend an eight-game home winning streak against Michigan State (6-2, 3-1). The Spartans haven't beaten Michigan in Ann Arbor since 1990.

Michigan St. via http://www.freep.com

After staying the course by winning more than it lost and never losing by more than seven points, Michigan State veered off course with a 45-7 loss to Ohio State on Saturday.

Getting the Spartans (6-2, 3-1 Big Ten) back on track before they end up in an even worse place was coach Mark Dantonio's primary concern Sunday night. He has the rest of the week to get the team ready for next Saturday's game at Michigan (3:30 p.m., ABC).

"My concern right now is our football team," Dantonio said. "We'll focus on what we did poorly and try to correct that, and then get we'll get ready for Michigan."

Purdue via http://boilerstation.jconline.com

The news doesn't appear to be good regarding backup quarterback Joey Elliott's injured throwing shoulder. Elliott was hit while picking up a first down in the second quarter of Purdue's 48-26loss Saturday at Northwestern. The initial word was that he had separated his right shoulder and would miss at least this week's Homecoming game against Minnesota.

But Purdue coach Joe Tiller has indicated Elliott is probably lost for the remainder of the season.

"Joey has a shoulder separation, most likely surgical, to be determined tomorrow," Tiller said before Sunday's practice. "To me, it's pretty certain talking to him, he's got a separation and they're going to have to go in there and surgically repair it. I'll be shocked if they don't. Which means he's done for the year."

Stanford via http://www.mercurynews.com

Instead of taking that giant step toward bowl eligibility in the sun-splashed Rose Bowl on Saturday, Stanford reluctantly will go the stormy route. Rather than defeat struggling UCLA, the Cardinal must beat Oregon, USC or Cal.

On an afternoon when the Cardinal tallied more penalty yards than passing yards, the Bruins cruised down the field in the final two-and-a-half minutes, then won 23-20 when Kevin Craft tossed a 7-yard pass to tight end Cory Harkey with 10 seconds to play.

"It's gut-wrenching," Stanford center Alex Fletcher said.

What essentially could have been a bowl coronation in the granddaddy of all bowl stadiums — Stanford would have needed just a victory over woeful Washington State to lock down a berth — instead became another Rose Bowl nightmare for the Cardinal. Stanford has not beaten the Bruins in Pasadena since 1996.

North Carolina via http://www.newsobserver.com

For the third time in four games, UNC allowed an opponent to drive down the field for a potentially pivotal late score. At Miami, safety Trimane Goddard grabbed an interception. Versus Notre Dame, Goddard recovered a fumble. But at Virginia on Saturday, the Tar Heels (5-2, 1-2 ACC) failed to force a turnover for the first time this year -- allowing the Cavaliers to drive 82 yards in the final three minutes to force overtime --and eventually lost 16-13.

After the game, several players said they didn't execute properly on that drive; as a result, UNC lost in Charlottesville for the 14th straight time and fell out of the polls. Coach Butch Davis indicated Sunday he doesn't plan to change his late-game defensive strategy -- of rushing three and dropping eight into pass coverage -- in that situation. The team will just work to do it better.

"Obviously, it's unbelievable how 20-20 the hindsight is the day after," he said. "... The same things we did in that drive were they same things that had allowed them [Virginia] to have very, very little success the first 57 minutes of the ballgame. Unfortunately, they made some plays at the most inopportune times."

Washington via http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com

While KJR-AM's Dave "Softy'' Mahler used his radio show this morning to ask for Tyrone Willingham to immediately resign as coach, it was business as usual up at UW today.

Willingham met with the media at noon for his regular Monday press luncheon, and much of the focus was on his past as the coach of Notre Dame, which rolls into town this Saturday to play the Huskies.

Willingham tried to deflect as much of that attention as possible, even seeming to laugh about the frequency of the questions on that topic at times --- though in the defense of the media, not a lot of other obvious story lines about this one right now.

Asked at one point if he's moved on from his ND years, Willingham merely said "I have,'' and then, uh, moved on to the next question. He said the game holds no more meaning to him than any other and that he didn't want the focus of the game to be about him, but simply the two teams on the field. "It comes down to one simple fact --- let's win the football game,'' he said.

I think UW fans would be more than happy with that outcome, having waited 11 months now for that to happen.

Boston College via http://www.boston.com

Boston College came away with a tough 28-23 victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday night, but the Eagles will be down a player for next week's game at North Carolina and perhaps longer.

Midway through the first quarter, Eagles linebacker Brian Toal went down with what appears to be a serious injury to his right leg. The fifth year senior was helped off the field and then went to the locker room for treatment. He did not return.

After the game, BC coach Jeff Jagodzinski was cautious in his response.

"I will let you know tomorrow,' said Jagodzinski.

Such caution does not bode well for Toal, who took a medical redshirt season last year as he recovered from a shoulder operation. When he was midway through the first quarter, Toal spent some time on the ground, but then was helped off the field by his teammates and immediately went into the locker room for an evaluation, with the prognosis ranging from a severe sprain to even a fracture of some kind.

If it is fracture, Toal's collegiate career would be over. Jagodzinski's cryptic response, would seem to indicate the injury is indeed serious.

Syracuse via http://www.syracuse.com

In the end, it was distressingly similar to each of the previous three meetings with South Florida and too many of the prior 41 games during the Greg Robinson era. The Syracuse University football team simply appeared to be in a different league, a double-A team going to bat against a World Series contender, although the standings this morning will confirm that the Orange and Bulls both compete in the Big East.

At least both are members of the Big East. "Compete" is word that fits SU's offensive performance in the first half Saturday afternoon at sweltering Raymond James Stadium, but it ill defined what occurred in the second. There, the Orange (1-6, 0-3) was outscored 24-0, outgained 275-9 and overwhelmed all around in a 45-13 defeat. In three previous meetings with the Bulls (6-1, 1-1) the Orange lost by an average score of 32-7 and was outgained by an average of 508-241 yards per game. Saturday was more of the same.

"Obviously, they are a better football team, and they came out on top," SU junior defensive tackle Arthur Jones said.

Southern Cal via http://www.latimes.com

USC has not shut out three consecutive opponents since 1947. And no one expects the Trojans, No. 5 in the Bowl Championship Series standings, to achieve the feat on Saturday against an Arizona team that averages 40 points a game.

But Coach Pete Carroll enters the week proud of a team that has blanked Arizona State and Washington State on consecutive weekends.

"It's a source of pride for defensive players and any team," Carroll said of a shutout. "That means there were no special teams [mistakes], no turnovers or field position that got them a score.

"It's not just the defense."

Mainly, though, it has been the defense that gave the Trojans opportunities to outscore opponents 138-0 since the second quarter of the Oregon game on Oct. 4.

The Trojans are first nationally in scoring defense, giving up 7.8 points per game, and second in total defense, giving up 220.2 yards per game.

"Every game, we critique the game for missed assignments and missed tackles -- it's not a zero there," linebacker Kaluka Maiava said after Saturday's 69-0 victory at Washington State. "We've shut out people, but there's still room for improvement."

IBB Weekly Motivator: Week 30

Rich Rod is probably saying to himself, "Country Road taking me home, to a place where I belong, West Virginia! Because Michigan SUCKS!

Buzz Around Team Camps 10/17/08

Catch the latest Buzz Around Team Camps for this Friday, October 17th:

Michigan via http://www.mlive.com

With both Steven Threet and Nick Sheridan showing some struggles with Michigan's passing attack, some fans are wondering why freshman quarterback Justin Feagin, as more of running QB, doesn't get a shot at running the offense.

While Feagin may play some at wide receiver, The Ann Arbor News' John Heuser doesn't think he's anywhere near being the Wolverines' signal caller.

"Feagin would definitely be an upgrade running the ball," Heuser says during his weekly lunchtime Q&A. "From what I've seen of practice, he's very, very raw as a passer, and couldn't measure up to Sheridan. As far as understanding the offense, he's got a long way to go, as well, judging from Rod's comments."

Stanford via http://www.mercurynews.com

Alex Loukas never would have had the opportunity to rally Stanford to a final-minute victory over Arizona last week if not for the Cardinal's defense. Before the backup quarterback guided Stanford on a 60-yard touchdown drive, one culminated by Toby Gerhart's 1-yard run, the defense slammed the door on three Wildcats drives in the red zone. Instead of touchdowns, Arizona settled for field goals.

An aberration? Hardly. Stanford's red-zone defense has become one of the Pacific-10 Conference's stingiest. Of 31 trips inside the Cardinal's 20-yard line, opponents have crossed the goal line just 17 times (54.8 percent).

Even more impressive, Stanford's red-zone offense is the Pac-10's best and ranked 16th nationally. Of its 21 trips inside the 20, the Cardinal has 15 touchdowns and four field goals. The ability to score and prevent touchdowns in the tight quarters is one reason Stanford (4-3, 3-1 Pac-10) needs only two wins in its final five games to become bowl eligible for the first time in seven years.

The Cardinal is still ranked last in the Pac-10 defending the pass (271.7 yards per game), largely because it is much less effective when opponents spread the field. Conversely, Stanford is ranked fourth in the conference against the run (114.3 yards per game), primarily because it has one of the league's most physical groups of defensive linemen and linebackers.

"I've been really pleased with the way the defense has played against the run all year," Coach Jim Harbaugh said. "And I like to see the resiliency. You like to see a football team that's got some resiliency, that can overcome some obstacles.

North Carolina via http://www.newsobserver.com

North Carolina tight end Zach Pianalto will not play at Virginia this weekend because of a sprained right ankle, according to the injury report released Thursday. Pianalto was hurt during UNC's win over Notre Dame on Saturday and has been day-to-day in practice all week.

Washington via http://seattletimes.nwsource.com

If anyone truly knows what Tyrone Willingham is feeling these days, it's Todd Dodge, whose North Texas football team is still searching for that elusive first victory. The Mean Green (0-6 overall, 0-2 Sun Belt Conference) and the Washington Huskies (0-5, 0-3 Pac-10) are the only winless teams among the 119 schools that compete in the Bowl Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-A.

But if you think misery loves company, then guess again.

"I have met Tyrone Willingham a couple of times and I have a lot of respect for him," Dodge said this week in a telephone interview from Denton, Texas. "He's a fine man. Shoot, I hope Washington goes out and gets a win this week because I know what he's going through.

"That program needs a win and so does the Mean Green here in North Texas. Maybe all the fans in Washington can root for us and we can do the same for them."

Admittedly, Dodge knows very little about the problems that plague Washington, which returns to action after an off week and faces Oregon State (3-3, 2-1) at 4 p.m. Saturday at Husky Stadium.

"I've got enough of my own to worry about," he said.

Still, Dodge could diagnose the Huskies' malaise without having intimate knowledge of the situation.

"You don't just stumble and fall into a hole like this," Dodge said. "In some ways, it's a perfect storm. Some years the scheduling turns in a way that you weren't expecting when you signed up to play those teams. Are they playing a lot of freshmen? That's always a contributing factor. We're a young football team and we've struggled with that.

Navy via http://www.hometownannapolis.com

Navy's defensive players have debated all week about what National Football League star has a running style similar to that of Pittsburgh tailback LeSean McCoy. Linebacker Clint Sovie said McCoy's rare combination of power and speed reminds him most of San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson. "He's just like LT because he can run inside or outside," Sovie said.

Safety Jeff Deliz thinks McCoy's quickness, moves and cutback ability are reminiscent of New Orleans' Reggie Bush. "McCoy is almost an exact replica of Reggie Bush, right down to the running style," he said.

What is not in debate is the fact McCoy is a special back who is destined to play on Sundays, perhaps as soon as next year.

"Oh my gracious alive, he's the best back we'll see all season. He makes everybody look silly," Navy defensive coordinator Buddy Green said. "He's hard to tackle in the open field. He makes people miss in close space. He has the power to run over people. If he gets on the edge and gets a step, he outruns you to the corner. He has all the tools."

Syracuse via http://blog.syracuse.com/orangefootball/

Cam Dantley, the starting quarterback on the Syracuse University football team, says "everybody can feel it coming." Most of the team's fans agree. Chances are, though, the two sides are anticipating different events.

Dantley was talking about the team turning the corner and winning some games. The fans are talking about the firing of head coach Greg Robinson, who is 8-33 since taking over in 2005 and 2-21 in the Big East Conference.

Dantley pointed to an offense that produced 346 yards and 20 first downs and controlled the clock for more than 35 minutes last week at West Virginia. He applauded a defense that held the Mountaineers to 268 yards, the fewest it has allowed since a 20-14 victory over Connecticut (266) in November 2006, a stretch of 18 games. He said that he and his teammates are excited and prepared to take the next step.

The other side argues that despite the offensive production and clock domination the Orange failed to score a touchdown. Despite the statistical improvement the defense still allowed a backbreaking 92-yard touchdown run that sealed the team's fate. And despite the optimism felt inside the locker room afterward, the bottom line is the team lost.

Southern Cal via http://www.latimes.com

USC tailback Allen Bradford, who did not suit up against Arizona State because of a lingering hip injury, will have season-ending surgery and apply for a medical redshirt year, Bradford said Thursday.

"I've been fighting through the pain for two years now, starting my freshman year," he said. "I'm just ready to get the pain over with so I don't have to worry about it anymore."

Bradford, a junior from San Bernardino, met with a hip specialist during practice. The doctor outlined several options, one of which put off surgery for a torn labrum until after the season.

But Bradford does not want to risk further injury and possibly waste a year of eligibility.

"It's worth it for my career to have the surgery now," he said. "I'd rather come back and do better than I have been doing and get more flexible and stronger.

"That's an upside. The downside is being out."

Bradford starred during spring practice and also performed well during training camp. But after not carrying the ball in USC's loss at Oregon State on Sept. 25, he told The Times that he was frustrated and wanted a larger role in a tailback rotation that included C.J. Gable, Stafon Johnson and Joe McKnight.

Marc Tyler Update via http://www.latimes.com

Joe McKnight did not practice because of a toe injury and will not make the trip to Saturday's game at Washington State, giving redshirt freshman Broderick Green a golden opportunity as the No. 3 tailback.

Meanwhile, fellow redshirt freshman Marc Tyler languishes because of a sore left quadriceps.

Tyler has had a series of physical setbacks on the left side of his body and he suspects all are related to the broken left leg he suffered during his senior season at Westlake Village Oaks Christian High.

"Everything is really tight from not doing anything for so long," he said. "I'm really happy for Broderick to finally get a chance to show what he can do. It's just hard for all these injuries to keep coming up from what happened in high school."

Mid-Term Most Improved Player, err, I mean Person

Many Notre Dame fans have seen the vast improvements by the Irish not only from last season to this season, but from escaping San Diego State to the heartbreaker last week against North Carolina. If someone told me before the season started that Notre Dame would be 4-2, I would have gladly accepted. Yes, the Irish schedule so far has not been as top heavy in previous seasons. Yes, they've not won a game on the road this season. But you'd have to be blind to not see the progress and upside this team is showing going into the second half of the season.

And it's not just the players either! That's why, I feel that Charlie Weis is Notre Dame's Most Improved Player for the first half of the 2008 season.

Coach Weis has made a remarkable transition from the previous seasons. Just when you think there would be times where he would jump right back to the NFL handbook after these losses, he didn't. One prime example was after the game last Saturday, Charlie was out on the tarmac of the plane making sure every player, ever coach, and everyone on the Notre Dame team charter plane making sure everyone was alright. You could hear him talking with his players like Jimmy Clausen and Michael Floyd asking them if they are doing okay or if they need a pick me up. Two years ago you wouldn't have seen that. He would have gotten on the plane and found a seat.

There are little things that he is doing right now that are making this team a better program and make him a better coach. And they all add up; and us Irish fans are going to see that the second half of the season and in 2009. If I didn't fully believe that, I would be one of the first ones to say he's not the guy to get it done. After last season I was on the fence about Coach Weis. But now I'm sold on the fact that he is 100% committed to becoming a better college football coach.

Another area where Coach Weis has made a complete transition is the fact that he's relying on his staff and he's not over the top of taking control of everything. You can see tidbits of mentors in coaches, and Weis would attribute that to both Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick. Both of them were "Control Freaks" at the NFL level, but in the college game it is so much different. Just from what I've seen on and off the field and have heard from folks inside the football offices of the GUG, is that Charlie Weis is a changed man. He's becoming more of a players coach, where his interactions with his players and coaches, the way he handles the gameplan, and the way he handles authority, is a complete 180. And I think that was a hard thing for Charlie to do, because he's the type of guy that thinks he needs to be in control of everything he is responsible for.

Make no mistake about it, he takes full responsibility for everything that involves this club. And when the Irish lose a game, he's not just standing in front of the microphones saying that "it's my fault", he feels that it is his fault. You can see it in his eyes that he hasn't slept and is going over and over to find a solution. He's changed in so many different ways and I think it has nothing but a positive effect.

I'll go one step further. After the Michigan game during the press conference, Rich Rodriguez goes and takes a shower and delays everything by 30 minutes. Here's Charlie Weis walking in with a torn ACL and MCL, and is struggling and doesn't feel good; yet, he does everything that is asked of him. Come on Dick Rod, give me a friggin' break. It just shows that Charlie Weis is all about the team first, rather than take a shower. Rodriguez is all about Rich. It showed when he left West Virginia, and it showed then too!

And if folks think that Coach Weis' leg is miraculously healing, it's not! He's in an amazing amount of pain. Last Thursday he said that it's hurting really bad. He went on to say, since his surgery, he never talks about pain anymore. Weis basically let that conversation go after that, because he's just happy to be around here and alive! The reason why he is not having the surgery to knee right now is that he doesn't want anything to distract or take away from his ability to prepare the team and do his job. Plus he doesn't want everybody to be worried and ask about Coach Weis. Basically, he's not putting it off because it doesn't hurt, he's putting it off because he thinks it would be a distraction to the team and the progress they are making this season.

A lot of coaches wouldn't have done that. He's paying the price to make this team and himself a better program overall. So far it's paid off, and will only get better the rest of the season and beyond! He's becoming the Notre Dame Man, every Irish fan was desperately seeking after Ty Willingham.

As always, GO IRISH!

Buzz Around Team Camps 10/16/08

Here's the latest Buzz Around Team Camps for this Thursday, October 16th:

Michigan via http://www.mlive.com

Before practice Wednesday, Michigan athletic department spokesman Dave Ablauf said running back Mike Milano has been suspended from the team. Ablauf did not cite a reason for the suspension.

Milano, a redshirt junior and former Michigan wrestler, has not played this season. A year ago, he carried the ball five times.

Ablauf said Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez would not comment about the situation because of an ongoing investigation by the university's department of public safety.

Threet Status via http://www.mlive.com

Quarterback Steven Threet remains a question mark for Saturday's game at Penn State. Rodriguez said that Threet, who suffered a bruised elbow in Michigan's loss to Toledo, did very little throwing at Tuesday's practice, but was expected to throw more on Wednesday.

"If he's 100 percent he'll start, if he's 80 percent or something like that, he won't," Rodriguez said. "It depends how good he is."

Michigan St. via http://www.freep.com

For some of the 24 Ohioans who play for Michigan State, becoming a Spartan was the next best thing to being a Buckeye. It's close to home, it isn't the University of Michigan and the potential for success is unlimited. For others, it's even better.

In many cases, long-standing loyalties dating back to birth were betrayed or ignored and new ones were formed. Saturday's game between No. 20 MSU and No. 12 Ohio State in Spartan Stadium will be nearly as personal for the Spartans from Ohio as the MSU-Michigan game is for those from in-state.

Of the Big Ten teams, only Ohio State has more players from the state of Ohio than Michigan State.

"I've been looking forward to this since the summer," redshirt junior offensive tackle Rocco Cironi said. "I was an Ohio State fan growing up, but not anymore."

Purdue via http://boilerstation.jconline.com

When Purdue lines up Saturday to play at Northwestern, it will signal the beginning of the second half of the season. Coaches and players consistently talk about the next game being the most important one of the season. Well, guess what? This game is crucial.

In terms of the 2-4 Boilermakers trying to salvage a winning season and become bowl eligible, they have very little room for error from here on out.

"I think you've got to be more urgent about the situation and not be so laid back," running back Kory Sheets said. "You don't have to be in a panic mode just yet. If we win most of our games, we'll still be bowl eligible. If we mess up on one, we still have the IU game to fall back on.

"But in the big scheme of things, you'd like to win out. That would make us the hot team. That would give us a big edge."

The bottom line is that Purdue needs to win four of its last six games to finish 6-6 and become bowl eligible. But to be safe, the Boilermakers may need to win five of their last six and finish 7-5, since last season Iowa and Northwestern ended up 6-6 but did not receive a bowl bid.

North Carolina via http://www.newsobserver.com

North Carolina wide receiver Brandon Tate on Wednesday had successful surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament and the medial collateral ligament in his right knee, coach Butch Davis said.
"He came out with flying colors," Davis said. "It was exactly like they speculated; when they got in there, there were no surprises. They fully expect him to have 100 percent recovery. They're going to keep him in the hospital overnight, just for observation. But he'll get out in the morning and be back over in the building tomorrow, and they were very pleased with how it went."

Tate tore the ligaments during the first quarter of Saturday's victory over Notre Dame. At the time, he was third in the nation in all-purpose yards, and a leading candidate for ACC Player of the Year.

The senior's college career is over, but he has said he is determined to play in the NFL. Davis said there's "no speculation" yet on how long Tate's rehabilitation process will take.

Washington via http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com

The Huskies hit the field today to the sounds of "Sharp Dressed Man'' blaring from the speakers.

One man not as dressed as the rest, however, was RB David Freeman, who was not in pads, apparently not playing this weekend against Oregon State, leaving UW with Willie Griffin, Terrance Dailey and Brandon Johnson in the backfield. Otherwise, the injury situation appeared as advertised. Kavario Middleton was back in full pads, shy a wisdom tooth that held him out of practice on Tuesday.

The organized portion of practice began with some field goal kicking, which was still under way when our available viewing time passed.

Notes via http://www.uwdawgpound.com

Willingham met with the media earlier than usual Wednesday to make way for basketball media day and said he had not yet gotten a report on Jake Locker's meeting with a hand specialist. But he said he didn't anticipate anything that would decrease the amount of time Locker could be sidelined. It's possible Locker is done for the year.

• Willingham said he didn't know the specifics of guard Casey Bulyca's knee surgery but that there is a good chance Bulyca is done for the season.

• RB David Freeman was not in pads for practice, indicating he is unlikely to play this week.

• TE Kavario Middleton was back in pads Wednesday, having missed Tuesday's practice to have a wisdom tooth pulled.

Pittsburgh via http://www.post-gazette.com

Pitt outside linebacker Shane Murray will miss the remainder of the season because of a torn ACL in his right knee. Murray will have surgery next Tuesday.

Murray entered the season as the starter but injured the knee during the preseason and missed the first three games. He appeared in the Panthers fourth game against Syracuse but played only a few snaps and did not play the next game against South Florida because the knee had regressed.

He then was re-examined by a doctor yesterday and underwent a second MRI which revealed the torn ligament.

Syracuse via http://www.syracuse.com/orangefootball/

Bottoms up on the Gatorades. It's hot and sunny on the Gulf Coast, which means, sweating and cramping on Saturday. Game time forecast for the Syracuse-South Florida game (noon kickoff) is for temperatures around 85 degrees.

- Sophomore Da'Mon Merkerson wore an orange jersey (offense) this week at practice. It appears he's been returned to receiver for now after his stint at cornerback.

- What's happened to Mike Stenclik? I believe the Orange linebacker was on the travel roster to West Virginia. Coaches wouldn't have taken him to Morgantown if he wasn't available to play. Don't know if Mike's concussion issues are keeping him off the field, but his absence is noted. He played in the first three games of the season, but hasn't played in the last three.

- Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson said on his weekly radio show that linebacker Derrell Smith was out of the West Virginia game on Noel Devine's 92-yard touchdown run ... because he'd lost his shoe on the previous play.

Southern Cal via http://www.latimes.com

Tailback Joe McKnight overcame several injuries and ailments during nearly 1 1/2 seasons at USC to play in 18 consecutive games. But the sophomore from Louisiana, who had a career-best rushing performance last week against Arizona State, said Wednesday that he probably would not play Saturday against struggling Washington State because of a toe injury.

"If we were playing somebody else I'd probably go," McKnight said.

"I can play with pain, but they just want me to rest up this week and come back next week for Arizona."

McKnight rushed for 143 yards against Arizona State, a week after a good performance mainly as a pass catcher against Oregon.

"It was kind of frustrating but I can't let it get the best of me," he said of the injury. "I've just got to come out next week and work hard and get back into the rhythm."

Possible Shuffle via http://www.latimes.com

Right tackle Butch Lewis was absent again because of illness, possibly putting junior Nick Howell on track to start at the spot and freshman Tyron Smith in line to play significant snaps.

Smith would spell Charles Brown at left tackle while Brown rotates to help on the right side.

"This is the other side of continuity right now," Coach Pete Carroll said. "This is trying to get guys ready to play and hope they can do well together."

Quick Kicks via http://conquestchronicles.com

Linebackers Brian Cushing (shoulder) and Kaluka Maiava (foot) said they would play against Washington State. However, Michael Morgan and Malcolm Smith are expected to play significant snaps at those spots. . . . Defensive end Everson Griffen and linebacker Jordan Campbell were absent again because of illness, Carroll said. . . . Mitch Mustain will be the No. 2 quarterback for the third consecutive game. . . . Johnson will return punts and receiver Brandon Carswell will back him up. . . . According to a report that must be filed annually as part of the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act of 1994, USC's athletic department balanced its budget, reporting total expenses and revenues of $76.4 million for the period covering July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008. The football program generated $28.6 million in revenues on expenses of $21 million. Athletic department revenue from sources such as support groups, donations and endowment income was $39million.

Look Who's Joined The IBB Party

Former Michigan offensive linemen Adam Kraus & Jake Long wanted to give IBB some love by performaing Hit Me Baby One More Time, by Britnay Spears. I guess those two went a little overboard, don't you think?

Here's a little tidbit to mull over: do you realize that Charlie Weis didn't lose his 5th game at ND until the last game of his second season (to USC) - his 24th game at ND? Unless UM pulls off a huge upset in Happy Valley, RichRod will have lost his 5th game in his first 7 games. While I doubt UM is 3-9 in RichRod's third year (or it will likely be his last), he's not likely to achieve anywhere near CW's 19-6 record over the first two seasons.

Happy Birthday IBB

Wow, I cannot believe it actually has been a year since I first started this little wrinky dink blog, Irish Band of Brothers. We've seen the worst of times (3-9 season), and the best of times (#1 recruiting class) this past year and most importantly, I'm glad that I've gotten the opportunity to share them with my fellow Fighting Irish Fans!

Thanks for helping me celebrate IBB's 1st Birthday! Here's to many more great accomplishments for Notre Dame. As always, GO IRISH!

Buzz Around Team Camps 10/15/08

Here's the daily Buzz Around Team Camps for this Wednesday, October 15:

San Diego St. via http://www.signonsandiego.com

San Diego State's four-year graduation success rate for football has dropped from previous years and now is tied for fifth in the nine-school Mountain West Conference, according to data released yesterday by the NCAA. SDSU's 56 percent GSR in football covers players in the four classes entering from 1998-2001 who graduated within six years. Those classes were recruited by coach Ted Tollner and coached mostly by him and Tom Craft, Tollner's successor.

Nationally, the GSR for all Division I student-athletes in this period was 78 percent, an all-time high.

Student-athletes “are increasingly doing better,” said Walter Harrison, chairman of the NCAA committee on academic performance. “I think that's something we should recognize and celebrate. Having said that, obviously we have problems in some teams, and we have problems in some sports.”

Last year, SDSU's 70 percent football GSR ranked second in the MWC and covered the four classes that entered from 1997-2000. The year before, SDSU football ranked third at 76 percent for classes entering 1996-99 (also Tollner recruits).

Michigan via http://www.milive.com

Now more than ever, Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez is hearing the naysayers raise their voices about his spread offense. With the Wolverines struggling – especially with the home loss to Toledo – many think that Rodriguez should adapt his offense to the players' talents. Some even think he shouldn't be running the spread at Michigan.

But Rodriguez is standing behind his offense. During his weekly Big Ten teleconference, he says the struggles have more to do with the youth of the team rather than a faulty system.

"If you researched what the situation is," he explains, "I don't know if it really matters what system you ran, you were going to have inexperience at every position. It's not like you were going to lean on the O-Line, or lean on the skill players on offense because, basically, they're all playing for the first time.

"So to say the lack of productivity is simply based on the scheme, to me, is not really truthful, or not really realistic."

Michigan St. via http://www.freep.com

It might make for a good story, but the 20-year anniversary of Michigan State's last Rose Bowl appearnce didn't play a factor in the focus of this year's team.

Like the 1987-88 club, which featured a strong rushing attack based squarely on Lorenzo White's shoulders, the 2008-09 Spartans are feeding opposing defenses heaping servings of running back Javon Ringer. Anniversary or not, though, head coach Mark Dantonio says teams must put the ball in the hands of their best players.

"We wanted to give (Ringer) a little bit of rest," Dantonio says during his weekly Big Ten teleconference. "But as we've worked through the season, it seems like he's become stronger in the fourth quarter. So many of his yards have come in the fourth quarter. He's an extremely well conditioned athlete. He's very durable; he's extremely tough. So we've used him when we've needed him. And we've needed him a lot.

"This year, we've sort of went the duration with him. Whether we continue to do that or not remains to be seen. It just depends on how tired he gets and where he would be at from a durability standpoint. But thus far, he's not the kind of guy who wants to stand on the sideline. He wants to be in the thick of it."

Purdue via http://boilerstation.jconline.com

Most football coaches believe they don't get an accurate read on their teams until after the third or fourth game of the season. Purdue's 16-3 loss Saturday at Ohio State was its sixth game. Since that game marked the halfway point of the 2008 season -- and it also signaled the end of a rough stretch of five games -- this is a good time to take a closer look at the 2-4 Boilermakers.

"I think we could be 4-2," Purdue coach Joe Tiller said Tuesday. "I'm not sure, based on the team that we have right now, that we could be 6-0. I hesitate to say that because some blogger will say, well, he doesn't believe they can win, which indicates IQ to me, or lack thereof.

"Realistically speaking, certainly there's a couple of those games that we could have won and would have felt pretty good about ourselves."

Washington via http://seattletimes.nwsource.com

If the Washington Huskies are to get any wins this season, sounds as if they might have to get them without Jake Locker. The sophomore quarterback was listed as out six to eight weeks after suffering a broken thumb against Stanford on Sept. 27, but offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said Tuesday he thought it was "highly unlikely" that Locker will play again this season.

Lappano said more will be known after Locker sees a hand specialist today. Locker broke the thumb on his throwing hand while attempting a block on a reverse in the second quarter against the Cardinal.

"Is he going to play this year before the season is over? Who knows," Lappano said. "It's highly unlikely, I would guess. But [today] we'll know more when they find out a little bit more about it."

Lappano said in an interview last week on KJR-AM that the injury "is a lot worse than people realized."

He said doctors inserted 12 pins into the hand and that one of the doctors said "it was one of the worst thumbs he had seen as far as how the bone was fractured." Lappano said Locker will need surgery again in a few weeks to take out a plate holding the thumb together. Officially, Locker was reported to have broken the first metacarpal, the bone which connects the thumb to the hand.

Pittsburgh via http://www.post-gazette.com

Pitt has not played in Annapolis since 1987, but Panthers coach Dave Wannstedt has plenty of experience playing road games against Navy. Pitt and Navy played every year from 1961-1979. Wannstedt was a varsity player for the Panthers from 1971-73 (he played on the freshman team in 1970) and an assistant coach from 1975-78.

In that time, the Panthers made trips to Navy four times -- 1972, '74, '76 and '78 and Wannstedt said every trip to the service academy is memorable because of the atmosphere and the pageantry surrounding the game.

"That is where Tony [Dorsett] broke the NCAA rushing record; I was on the sidelines [as a coach]," he said. "There was a lot of enthusiasm [at Navy], the noise level was always high and there was a lot of excitement there.

"The one thing I really remember from playing Navy ... when you got done playing [any of] the [service] academies, you were as sore physically as you were all year long. They were always physical games ... and that hasn't changed."

Pitt Notes via http://pittblather.com

Wannstedt said yesterday outside linebacker Shane Murray, who will miss the Navy game with a knee injury, could be facing surgery. Murray met with the doctor yesterday, and Wannstedt said they are going to wait to make a decision about his future until after they check the results of an MRI. "They are going to re-examine it, do an MRI and decide if something needs to be done now or later," Wannstedt said. ... Pitt has one player -- redshirt junior Josh Novotny -- who has some insight into life at the Naval Academy and its football program. Novotny, a walk-on from Carmichaels, played for the Midshipmen the past two seasons, but transferred to Pitt and is sitting out this season per NCAA transfer rules. "He's given us a little bit [of insight]," Wannstedt said. "He is an offensive lineman. So, he has talked a little bit about what they do with some of their techniques and schemes, so it has been helpful. But I don't know how much we'll change, but he's been helpful." ... Although the Oct. 25 Pitt game against Rutgers will not be televised, it will be streamed live online at ESPN360

Boston College via http://www.boston.com

Eagles went into full stride for their preparation against Tech at practice this afternoon with a completely healthy unit. Tight end Ryan Purvis (bone bruise) and WR Brandon Robinson (bell rung) were back at practice...Eagle are coming off their 38-31victory over North Carolina State on several high notes. QB Chris Crane had 470 yards in total offense against State, which was the third largest total in BC history, trailiing only two of former BC QB Doug Flutie's efforts--517 yards in the Hail Flutie game in 1984 and 507 yards against Penn State in 1982.

Wide receiver Rich Gunnell had a career high 11 catches for 123 yards against NC State and senior DT B.J. Raji had a career high three sacks against State.

Navy via http://www.hometownannapolis.com

Jarod Bryant swears he doesn't follow any of the media coverage of the Navy football program. He doesn't read newspaper stories or internet message boards.
That's probably a good thing for the senior quarterback who has been at the helm of the Mids' offense while its starter nurses a hamstring injury.

If Bryant did pay attention to the media, he would know that his ability to read defenses and execute Navy's triple-option offense has drawn scrutiny and become a hot-button topic on the popular fan site GoMids.com.

Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo and offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper have both said Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada has been the best quarterback of the triple-option era in terms of making the reads and distributing the ball. With Kaheaku-Enhada at the controls, the triple-option offense seems to click on all cylinders.

Bryant has struggled at times this season to direct the intricate attack, having enough missed reads and ball-handling issues to cause the coaching staff to be more conservative. The Midshipmen have reduced the read element of the triple-option in favor of more designed plays with Bryant at quarterback. However, that does not mean Bryant can't run the triple-option.

"We can run the triple option whether I'm at quarterback, Kaipo is at quarterback or Ricky Dobbs is at quarterback. We're a triple-option team and all the quarterbacks have been taught how to run it. We practice it every day," Bryant said yesterday.

"For whatever reason, we have struggled with it somewhat this season. I haven't done a great job of running it lately, but it's not because I don't know what to do. It's just lack of execution."

Syracuse via http://www.syracuse.com/orangefootball/

Syracuse University sophomore tailback Delone Carter practiced in full pads Tuesday and appears on his way to being available when the Orange meets South Florida in a Big East Conference football game Saturday in Tampa.

Carter has missed the last three games after pulling his hamstring Sept. 13 against Penn State. It appeared Carter was set to go again last week for the West Virginia game, but he felt tightness two days before the game and was a last-second scratch.

"I'm reluctant to say anything now," Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson said during his Tuesday press conference. "Hopefully, we'll have him back."

Wide receiver Dan Sheeran (broken leg) and linebacker Chad Battles (foot) have shed their crutches and wore shorts and practice jerseys Tuesday. Neither is running or practicing, though Robinson said he's hopeful both can return to action by the Louisville game Nov. 1.

Robinson said linebacker Ryan Gillum had surgery to remove an extra bone in his foot and will probably not be back this season.

Southern Cal via http://www.latimes.com

With a veritable herd of officials in black-and-white stripes filling the landscape, USC's practice facility looked more like the Serengeti than a football field.

USC employs a crew of officials at every practice, but after accruing 10 penalties last week against Arizona State, Coach Pete Carroll on Tuesday summoned extra whistle-blowers to help cure the Trojans. "We've got to find a way to fix this," Carroll said.

USC leads the Pacific 10 Conference in penalties, just one of the issues that, left unchecked, could prevent the Trojans from ascending in the polls and gaining a bid to the Bowl Championship Series title game.

With struggling Washington State, a 43-point underdog, coming up next, USC -- ranked No. 6 by the Associated Press, No. 5 in the Harris Interactive Poll and No. 4 in the USA Today coaches' poll -- is turning inward during preparation.

The Trojans are focusing on correcting problems. Some popped up in the first two games; others figured prominently in their loss at Oregon State and continued to varying degrees in victories over Oregon and Arizona State.

Quick Kicks via http://conquestchronicles.com

With linebackers Brian Cushing (shoulder) and Kaluka Maiava (ankle) possibly out of the game or limited, redshirt freshman Chris Galippo and sophomores Malcolm Moore and Michael Morgan took multiple first-team snaps. . . . Redshirt freshman DaJohn Harris moved from defensive tackle to tight end to supply depth.

Freshman tight end Blake Ayles sat out part of practice because of pain and symptoms of a groin or abdominal injury, but said he would play. . . . Offensive lineman Butch Lewis, defensive end Everson Griffen and linebacker Jordan Campbell did not practice because of illness, Coach Pete Carroll said, adding that he was unsure if they were suffering from the virus that swept through campus last week.

On This Date in Fighting Irish History

Future College Football Hall of Fame inductee Lou Holtz's No. 4-ranked Fighting Irish knock off No. 1 Miami 31-30 in South Bend, ending the Hurricanes' 36-game regular season winning streak. Pat Terrell's knockdown of Steve Walsh's pass for a two-point conversion with under a minute left seals the win for Notre Dame. The Irish go on to win the national championship.



Great behind the scenes video of the Rocket talking about the game!

Buzz Around Team Camps 10/14/08

Find out the latest Buzz Around Team Camps for Tuesday, October 14th:

San Diego St. via http://www.signonsandiego.com

If San Diego State's football team is anticipating a steady stream of sympathy cards and get-well-soon sentiments, the wait could prove a long one.

“The football world and the world in general isn't going to wait while you sit around feeling sorry for yourself, and the next opponent certainly won't either,” coach Chuck Long said yesterday in the wake of the Aztecs' 35-10 loss to Air Force on Saturday. “You've got to be able to put it behind you and move on.”

A group as beaten down as it is beaten up, SDSU is 1-5 after six games for the second time in Long's three-year tenure. The Aztecs, who are 0-2 in the Mountain West Conference, play three of their next four games on the road. The first stop is Saturday in Albuquerque, N.M., where SDSU has not beaten the Lobos since 2000

And then there is the injury factor, which has gone from being a matter of concern to being one of survival. The Aztecs, who already have lost four defensive linemen for the season, were forced to burn another redshirt Saturday by playing Eastlake High alum Henry Simon after end B.J. Williams suffered a concussion. SDSU, which started true freshman defensive tackle Jerome Long in the season opener because of an injury to senior Siaosi Fifita, also burned the redshirt of end J.J. Autele, who made his first career start against Air Force.

Michigan via http://www.mlive.com

The identity of the starting quarterback at the University of Michigan is again in doubt. Not because of performance, but because of injury. Steven Threet, who beat out Nick Sheridan for the job after the pair split time the first two games, didn't practice Sunday and is questionable for the Wolverines' matchup Saturday at No. 3-ranked Penn State.

A five-game starter for Michigan (2-4), Threet suffered a bruised elbow in the first half of last weekend's loss to Toledo and is still feeling the effects of the injury, Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said.

"You don't know how long those things will linger," Rodriguez added Monday.

Michigan St. via http://www.freep.com

For the second time this season, a Michigan State player has earned back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Week awards. Junior place-kicker Brett Swenson copped his second straight Special Teams POTW honor by scoring 13 points and setting a school record for consecutive field goals without a miss in Saturday's 37-20 victory at Northwestern.

Swenson made field goals of 26, 42 and 34 yards to increase his streak to 15 in a row. He broke the record Paul Edinger set with 13 straight in 1998. He also made four extra points.

The Spartans now have five POTW's. The other three belong to running back Javon Ringer who was named Offensive Player of the Week after his performances against Notre Dame, Florida Atlantic and Eastern Michigan.

Stanford via http://www.mercurynews.com

Stanford quarterback Tavita Pritchard is "likely" to play Saturday at UCLA, Coach Jim Harbaugh said Tuesday. Pritchard suffered what Harbaugh described as a mild concussion in last week's victory over Arizona. Pritchard was hit in the head late in the second quarter and did not play in the second half.

If Stanford beats UCLA, it would only have to defeat woeful Washington State to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2001.

North Carolina via http://www.newsobserver.com

North Carolina did not release an updated depth chart Monday. Probably because it would have had so many OR's. With versatile playmaker Brandon Tate sidelined for the rest of the season with torn ligaments in his right knee, No. 18 UNC is still looking for players to fill his roles of wide receiver, punt returner, kickoff returner -- and occasional rusher.

"We don't have another Brandon Tate that we just take off the shelf and plug him in and say, 'OK, everything is normal, we'll just go business as usual,' '' coach Butch Davis said. "For a period of time, it might take two or three guys to somewhat fulfill that role."

Davis said he has some ideas of who might initially fill the voids when the Tar Heels (5-1) travel to Virginia (3-3) on Saturday. "But rather than fax them to you or [Cavaliers coach] Al Groh, we thought we'd sit on them,'' he said.

Washington via http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com

There weren't a lot of players at the Husky press luncheon today, which is usually a key indicator that things aren't going well. But one who was, running back Brandon Johnson, said he still thinks there is some life in the Dawgs. Johnson said he thought the bye week was a real positive for the Huskies, with what he said were intense and fun practices. With the team not having a game to prepare for, practices were a little different. The team worked more with the one offense against the one defense, and Johnson said there were some competitions built in, such as the losing team in certain drills having to run, or having to carry the equipment for the winners.

Johnson said the practices were among the most spirited of the season.

"If you saw us practice,'' he said. "You'd never think we were 0-5. ... We felt like a team again. It just felt like everyone was starting to understand what it's going to take to win and go out and play hard.

"There's been a lot of negativity going around the internet and the newspapers and stuff like that. But our guys are like 'forget about all the negative things' We've got to stay positive so we can win the next seven games. We just have to believe it and do it. We can't talk about it. We just have to do it. Just go out and play hard every single play and leave it on the field.''

Pittsburgh via http://www.post-gazette.com

Optimism is high as the Pitt Panthers reach the midway point of their season, and for good reason -- they have won four in a row, have had a week off, they are 4-1 and ranked No. 23 in The Associated Press poll. But that optimism should be tempered by this dose of reality about the Panthers' next four opponents -- Navy, Rutgers, Notre Dame and Louisville -- Dave Wannstedt has not beaten any of them since he became Pitt's head coach.

Pitt under Wannstedt is 0-8 against the next four opponents on the schedule, which means it has a lot of history to try to reverse if it wants to continue its march toward a Big East Conference title and a Bowl Championship Series game.

"We'll take it one week at a time and prepare for the team that is ahead of us," Pitt middle linebacker Scott McKillop said. "The only thing I am worried about is Navy. I haven't focused on that other stuff, but when you take a minute and think about that, I guess you're right, it isn't good."

Syracuse via http://blog.syracuse.com

There's no feel-good story coming out of the 17-6 loss to West Virginia. While the Orange seems energized a bit from pushing the Mountaineers to the brink last weekend, the team still lost. Now it faces probably the toughest team left on its schedule when it visits South Florida on Saturday in Tampa.

Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson said during his Tuesday press conference that the Orange is ready to build off its performance against West Virginia.

"I know this - just seeing where the team was (mentally) on Sunday - they're really looking forward to going on and taking the next step," Robinson said. "The challenge is: Are we going to be the same team that was on film last Saturday (against West Virginia) or are we going to be a different team? That's what we're going to find out this week. I'd be very disappointed, and just from every indication I get, I think our team is really looking forward to getting to work today and getting themselves prepared to go down there and put out a great effort against South Florida and find a way to beat them."

Southern Cal via http://www.latimes.com

Tailback Joe McKnight did not practice because of a toe injury that required him to be fitted with a protective plastic boot on his right foot. McKnight said he felt pain in his big toe on the final play of his 143-yard rushing effort against Arizona State. He is scheduled for X-rays today.

Asked if the injury would keep him out of Saturday's game, McKnight said, "I hope not. We'll find out."

It is the latest in a series of injuries that have hindered McKnight throughout training camp and the season.

Running backs coach Todd McNair, however, does not expect McKnight to be affected come game time.

"He never misses a game," McNair said. "He's out there when he needs to be."

IBB Mid-Season Report Card

So far, the 2008 Notre Dame season has been a roller coaster of emotions, but overall, a very promising future ahead. Last season after six games, the Irish stood at 1-5 on the year and had no identity whatsoever as a team. This season Notre Dame has established a sound passing attack behind a healthy Jimmy Clausen and a talented corps of receivers; while the defense has held its own en route to a 4-2 start.

The schedule of opponents has not been a stellar cast from year's past, but will be getting better as they Irish are improving. The start of the season Notre Dame's Strength of Schedule (SOS) was near the worst in the Football Bowl Subdivision at 98th in the country. As of today, the Irish's SOS stands at #68.

I'm still right on schedule for my season prediction of 9-3 (see Season Preview: http://irishbandofbrothers.blogspot.com/2008/08/ibb-fighting-irish-season-preview.html) for the Irish and a bowl berth in the Cotton Bowl. So without further delay here are the Mid-Season Grades for Notre Dame:

QB: B+
What a big difference a healthy Jimmy Clausen can do for a Notre Dame offense looking for answers. The past three weeks, Clausen has eclipsed career numbers and will be looked upon to do more with a huge stretch of games starting with a trip out West to Washington.

On the year, Clausen has tossed 135-of-219 passes for 1,631 yards (61.64%), 14 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. He's currently the 37th-best passer in the country in Passing Efficiency (138.0 rating), and #21 in Total Offense (268.5 yards per game).

Clausen is making better decisions with the ball and putting the Irish in great position to score from wherever on the field. Look for Jimmy to put up huge numbers the second half of the season as he'll position himself as one of the frontrunner's for several awards for the 2009 preseason.

RB: C-
Notre Dame's rushing attack led by speedster Armando Allen (61 carries for 298 yards) and bruiser Robert Hughes (62 carries for 194 yards) has not had a great start for the Fighting Irish. In fact, the Irish are barely averaging over 100 yards a game on the ground (101.2 per game), and only a 3.2 yards per carry. This is definitely not what Coach Weis and his staff envisioned when they said Notre Dame would pound the ball.

The third back in the Irish rotation, James Aldridge (30 carries for 107 yards) is starting to pick up some steam with some powerful runs the past couple of games.

A lot of the Irish's running misfortunes can be attributed to the offensive line, which we'll get to in a minute, as well as, pleasantly surprising aerial attack. Notre Dame's grade would have been much lower if it wasn't for the fact that Allen's created a good safety valve for Clausen and the Irish passing attack (23 catches 120 yards 1 TD). Another positive for the Irish backs is how well they have picked up the blitz. There's still that imagine of that Navy defender leaping over a young Armando Allen on 4th down for the sack.

Look for the Irish to have the same mixed results from game-to-game. Notre Dame will have good showings against the likes of Washington, Navy, and Syracuse, while having a heck of time getting things going against Pittsburgh and Southern Cal.

FB: C
There's really not a whole lot to say about Asaph Schwapp except for the fact that when he is playing, he's done a decent job of blocking whether it's on pass protection or being the lead blocker on a run. Schwapp's best game to date was during the Irish's 38-21 victory over Purdue. He created a lot of running room for Armando Allen and the rest of the Irish backs.

Look for much of the same for Schwapp and Luke Schmidt if he ever gets back onto the field again this season.

WR: A-
This unit should be deemed what some Lou Holtz's receiving corps were named back in the late 80's and early 90's: The AFRO's. As in, America's Finest Receivers on Saturdays. There are not too many receiving corps in the nation that are good or better than the Irish. The scary part of this is that they are led by a sophomore and a freshman!

Golden Tate has made significant strides as being the most improved player on the Irish roster as he leads the group in receptions (28), yards receiving (518), and touchdowns (4). Currently Tate is 27th in the land in receiving yards per game with an 86.33 average.

Freshman Michael Floyd is everything they proclaimed him to be. Floyd is becoming a priority of opposing defenses with his deceptive speed and sure hands. So far he's second on the squad in receptions (27) and yards (426), and is tied for touchdowns with four. Like Tate, Floyd is one of the top receivers in the nation in receiving yards (56th with 71.00 yards per game average).

Senior captain David Grimes is making the most of his senior year with 21 catches for 182 yards and two scores. Sophomore Duval Kamara had a slow and rough start of the season, but is now showing signs of his freshman record breaking season. Kamara has caught 9 balls for 103 yards and one score.

America's Finest Receiver's on Saturdays will show the nation that they deservedly so should be called that with a strong second half of the season. Look for some possible post season accolades thrown at Tate's and Floyd's direction.

TE: B-
Coming into the season, this was the unit that was going to be stacked from top to bottom. Starting with Mike Ragone's seasoning ending injury during fall camp to Will Yeatman's second alcohol related offense, it's basically been the Kyle Rudolph show. And Rudolph has not disappointed any Irish fans.

Kyle has been steadily improving on his blocking, while becoming a major weapon down the middle of the field for Jimmy Clausen and the Irish offense. He has caught 14 balls for 166 yards and two scores. Rudolph is continuing the tradition of Tight End U.

OL: C+
Like Tate, this could be another unit that could vie for most improved on the Irish squad. After giving up an NCAA record 58 sacks, the Notre Dame offensive line is yielding only 1.5 sacks a game (43rd in the country). They are also helping the Irish average about 373.0 yards of total offense too (#57th in the NCAA).

On the flip side, the offensive line has not done a good job of run blocking for their running backs. Even on short yardage plays, it's becoming a frightening thing to see.

There have been a few mistakes along the offensive front with missed assignments and penalties, but overall, they have cut down on these mental errors. Look for the offensive line led by Sam Young and Chris Stewart to give a big push along the line of scrimmage and help the Notre Dame offense improve week in an week out.

Overall Offensive Grade: B-/C+ (2.61)

DL: D+
A major area of concerning coming into the season is still a big problem for the Irish defense. The big boys up front are not providing a lot of confusion up the middle or getting into the backfield with relative ease.

The only bright spot in this unit is Pat Kuntz who leads the unit with 17 tackles and leads the team in tackles for losses 4 and sacks (3). Kuntz also has one interception, one pass broken up, and one fumble recovery to his name.

Ian Williams (13 tackles), Justin Brown (11 tackles), and Ethan Johnson (6 tackles), need to step up and contribute in a major way, or this Irish defense won't be as effective as Corwin Brown and Jon Tenuta would like.

LB: B-
This unit starts and finishes with the inside tandem of Maurice Crum and Brian Smith. Crum and Smith are both third on the squad with 34 stops, and each have a sack.

Harrison Smith and Darius Fleming are also making a splash with 21 and 12 tackles, respectively.

Look for this unit to create a lot more chaos in the weeks ahead for the opposition, starting with Washington. The Irish should have a field day with the Huskies.

DB: B
A unit that was susceptible to giving up the big play has turned a corner with some stellar coverage. Besides giving up huge chunks of yardage to Desmond Tardy (Purdue) and Hakeem Nicks (North Carolina), the Irish secondary has provided some spectacular plays behind safeties Kyle McCarthy and David Bruton.

McCarthy (56 tackles) and Bruton (53) are tops on the team in tackles and in the nation. They stand 26th (McCarthy 9.33) and 38th (Bruton 8.83) in the land in tackles per contest. Bruton also leads the Irish in interceptions (2) and forced fumbles (2).

Terrail Lambert and Raeshon McNeil have been reliable corners for Notre Dame, while Sergio Brown and Robert Blanton have stepped it up in nickle and dime packages.

Look for All-America billings for both Bruton and McCarthy, as both have played themselves a spot on some teams NFL roster.

Overall Defensive Grade: C+ (2.33)

Special Teams: D+
25 percent (2-of-8) is not going to cut it for the Irish. Notre Dame needs to have an accurate, dependable kicker to provide them with some points in games. One could have come in handy last Saturday against North Carolina and we could be talking about the 5-1 and number 20-something team in the land right now. Unfortunately we are not, and we can expect the same until that kicking phobia of Brandon Walker goes away.

The one area that is over looked is the masterful job of punting Eric Maust has given Notre Dame. Notre Dame is 18th in the country in net punting (37.67) and are near the tops in punt coverage.

The kickoff coverage unit led by Mike Anello (14 stops) and Bruton makes up for the lack of kicking the ball into the endzone.

The return game has been spotty at best. Look for a kickoff or punt return for a touchdown the second half of the season by Allen or Tate.

Coaching: B-
Overall Charlie Weis has done an above average job of leading this team. In the two losses to Michigan St. and North Carolina, the Irish had opportunities to win those games. Weis is not responsible for turnovers! Now if he called a different game in East Lansing instead of trying to run the ball in the first half, Notre Dame's record would be different.

The playcalling of Mike Haywood is pretty much consistent of what you should expect from a Charlie Weis offense.

Corwin Brown and Jon Tenuta can coexist on the same defensive staff. Now if they can find a way to be more successful on blitzes, the Irish should be in good shape!

Overall Team Grade: C+ (2.42)

The second half of the season starts against one of the worst teams in Division One right now in Washington. The Irish cannot overlook the Huskies or the unthinkable could happen. Thankfully Notre Dame has two weeks to forget about the heartbreaking UNC loss and get ready for the TY Bowl II. What a proper way to send him out the door!

Pittsburgh and Boston College are one of those swing games where it could go either way. I definitely like Notre Dame's chances against the Panthers because 1.) it's at home, and 2.) Dave Pornstache will find a way to miss it up like Joe Tiller. Maybe they were separated at birth? Look for the Irish to go 2-0 during the most difficult stretch of the season.

Navy and Syracuse provide ample time to recoup and recover before the Thanksgiving weekend in Los Angeles. Payback is going to be a bitch for the Middies, as the Irish will win this contest by at least four scores. Syracuse is another one of the worst teams in the country and it will show during the last home game of the season. The Irish will be on a roll heading into the regular season finale at 8-2.

This Southern Cal game will have a 1986 feel to it. I'm not saying that Armando Allen is going to return a punt and set up a game winning field goal for Brandon Walker at the end of the game. This contest will show everyone that the Irish are turning the corner and will be the start of them being mentioned as one of the nation's elite programs once again. It will be a close game, but the Trojans will eek one out this time.

Look for the Irish to go bowling at 9-3 with a possible matchup in the Gator Bowl or Cotton Bowl. If the Irish go to Dallas a possible opponent could be Texas Tech. If they go to Jacksonville, the most likely opponents could be Georgia Tech or a rematch with North Carolina.

A 10-3 season would give the Irish one of the best turn around seasons in NCAA history and the start of something special in South Bend. Cheer, Cheer, for Old Notre Dame!

Buzz Around Team Camps 10/13/08

Here's the Buzz Around Team Camps from this past weekend for Monday, October 13th:

San Diego St. via http://www.signonsandiego.com

If San Diego State's football team is anticipating a steady stream of sympathy cards and get-well-soon sentiments, the wait could prove a long one.

“The football world and the world in general isn't going to wait while you sit around feeling sorry for yourself, and the next opponent certainly won't either,” coach Chuck Long said yesterday in the wake of the Aztecs' 35-10 loss to Air Force on Saturday. “You've got to be able to put it behind you and move on.”


A group as beaten down as it is beaten up, SDSU is 1-5 after six games for the second time in Long's three-year tenure. The Aztecs, who are 0-2 in the Mountain West Conference, play three of their next four games on the road. The first stop is Saturday in Albuquerque, N.M., where SDSU has not beaten the Lobos since 2000
And then there is the injury factor, which has gone from being a matter of concern to being one of survival. The Aztecs, who already have lost four defensive linemen for the season, were forced to burn another redshirt Saturday by playing Eastlake High alum Henry Simon after end B.J. Williams suffered a concussion. SDSU, which started true freshman defensive tackle Jerome Long in the season opener because of an injury to senior Siaosi Fifita, also burned the redshirt of end J.J. Autele, who made his first career start against Air Force.

“They're all gung-ho, and they want to play, but that's always something that you want to avoid,” Long said. “Unfortunately, we've just reached the point where we really have no choice; we have to play them.”

Michigan via http://www.mlive.com

A week ago, it was the University of Illinois football team and nationally regarded quarterback Isiah "Juice" Williams who beat Michigan. On Saturday, it was a bunch of no-names from a slumping Mid-American Conference program who entered Michigan Stadium. Toledo had lost three consecutive games, its defense was surrendering 35.8 points per game and its offense didn't score last week against Ball State.

None of that mattered against the Wolverines. Seconds after Michigan kicker K.C. Lopata punched a 26-yard field-goal attempt wide left, the Rockets became the first MAC opponent to ever defeat the Wolverines, and the latest team to topple Michigan this season.

With the 13-10 loss, the Wolverines (2-4) continued their slide toward the school's first losing campaign since 1967 and cast further doubt on their ability to earn a 34th consecutive bowl bid. To get there, Michigan needs to finish with at least a 6-6 record, something that seems improbable given Saturday's performance, and the Wolverines' challenging finishing stretch. Starting with No. 6-ranked Penn State in Happy Valley next Saturday and ending at No. 12 Ohio State, the Wolverines will play four of their final six games on the road.

"We've gotta hang in there, get back to work, but this will hurt for 24 hours for sure," Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said. "We've gotta make sure it doesn't hurt longer than that because we've got a top 10 team coming up next week."

Rich Rod Speaks via http://www.mlive.com

Video: "We don't want this game to beat us twice," said Rich Rodriguez

Michigan St. via http://www.freep.com

Revenge wouldn't be enough. The Michigan State defense played Saturday's game determined to punish Northwestern for what happened last year. The No. 23-ranked Spartans delivered enough hard hits to fill a season in a 37-20 victory over the Wildcats at Ryan Field.

The win was the sixth in a row for MSU (6-1, 3-0, Big Ten), which has a chance to establish itself as a contender for the conference championship in next Saturday's 3:30 p.m. game against No. 12 Ohio State in Spartan Stadium (ABC).

Michigan State more than atoned for the 520 yards -- the second-most ever by an opponent -- and five touchdowns Wildcats quarterback C.J. Bacher passed for while handing the Spartans 48-41 overtime loss last season in East Lansing. Bacher completed 34-of-61 passes for 283 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions this time around.

"I feel like it is redemption," said Greg Jones, who moved from outside linebacker to the middle in an effort to get more speed on the field against Northwestern's spread attack. "C.J. Bacher really put it on us last year and we wanted to limit him.

Purdue via http://boilerstation.jconline.com

It didn't take long for disaster to strike. On Purdue's opening series Saturday, punter Chris Summers bobbled the snap, Malcolm Jenkins blocked the punt and Etienne Sabino picked up the ball and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown.

Before all of the 105,378 fans were in their seats at Ohio Stadium, it was 7-0 Ohio State, barely three minutes into the game. The beginning of a severe whipping at the hands of the 12th-ranked Buckeyes, right? Guess again.

Purdue's defense turned in its best outing of the season, not allowing running back Chris "Beanie" Wells or super-talented quarterback Terrelle Pryor to dominate the action, and kept Ohio State's offense out of the end zone. Unfortunately for the Boilermakers, their offense couldn't find the end zone either, and they ended up suffering their 17th consecutive loss to a Top 25 team, 16-3.

"Our defense played really, really well," Purdue coach Joe Tiller said. "I thought we played at a high energy, high intensity level. I thought we were well prepared. They executed the game plan. They played extremely well against maybe as good a running back as there is in the country.

"They didn't give up a touchdown. It's pretty hard when you go on the road in this environment and to play that well on defense to say we're disappointed in anything defensively."

Stanford via http://www.mercurynews.com

When it ended, Stanford Coach Jim Harbaugh raised his arms in victory, exchanged a few high fives and hugged a player. It was not as spirited a celebration as the one that followed Stanford's upset of USC last year. And yet the 24-23 victory over Arizona on Saturday was, in one respect, more important.

By rallying to win in the final minute, Stanford moved to the brink of its first bowl bid in seven years. It needs just two victories in its final five games, and the lineup includes one of the worst teams in Pacific-10 Conference history.

The easiest path for Stanford, by far, is to defeat UCLA in the Rose Bowl on Saturday and then dispatch unfathomably bad Washington State in Stanford Stadium in early November. A loss in either game would force the Cardinal (4-3, 3-1) to win one of its final three, a gantlet comprised of Oregon, USC and Cal.

"To come off the disappointing loss to Notre Dame . . . this is definitely the momentum we want to start the second half (of the season)," said tailback Toby Gerhart, who scored the winning touchdown Saturday with 25 seconds remaining.

"This is huge. We're one win closer."

North Carolina via http://www.newsobserver.com

After even further review, both calls from the replay booth in the final minutes of North Carolina's 29-24 victory over Notre Dame were accurate, the ACC's coordinator of football officials said Sunday.
"They were both close, but there was irrefutable video evidence to support the reversals as correct,'' Doug Rhoads said in a phone interview.

There were actually four plays reviewed during Saturday's dramatic, and frankly bizarre, game at Kenan Stadium. But the final two -- in the final 2 minutes, 2 seconds -- were the most controversial and had the biggest impact on the outcome.

Pittsburgh via http://www.post-gazette.com

The Pitt football program has won four consecutive games, is ranked No. 23 in the latest Associated Press poll and looks to have rebounded from a season-opening loss against Bowling Green -- all that came into play for Thomas Jefferson High School tight end Brock DeCicco, who made a verbal commitment to the Panthers yesterday.

"Pitt is moving forward and I want to be a part of it all," said DeCicco, who is 6 feet 5, 225 pounds. "It is as simple as that."

DeCicco chose Pitt after narrowing his list of college suitors to the Panthers, Iowa and Wisconsin. He will play at Pitt with his brother, Dom, a sophomore safety.

"Dom was excited when I told him [about committing]," Brock said.

"He never pressured me throughout the recruiting process, but when I told him I decided on Pitt, he was definitely happy about it."

Boston College via http://www.boston.com

It is one of those glass half-full or half-empty situations. In examining the Atlantic Coast Conference standings, Boston College appears to be in fairly solid position with a 1-1 mark (4-1 overall).

Following their victory over North Carolina State Oct. 4, the Eagles had a week to reorganize and work on fundamentals as they move into the heart of their conference schedule. Considering that everyone in the ACC appears beatable, the Eagles should be considered a title contender as they get ready to meet defending champion Virginia Tech (5-1, 2-0) Saturday night at Alumni Stadium.

Tech, the current Coastal Conference leader, has not stumbled since its opening loss to East Carolina. In the Atlantic Division, Wake Forest is unbeaten in the league but has lost to Navy; Florida State has lost to Wake Forest; Maryland was blanked by Virginia; Clemson has lost to Wake Forest and Maryland; and North Carolina State has lost to Clemson and BC.

After Virginia Tech, BC will travel to North Carolina Oct. 25, then host Clemson and Notre Dame before dealing with Florida State and Wake Forest on the road.

The victory over North Carolina State bolstered the Eagles' spirit as quarterback Chris Crane threw for a career-high 428 yards, tossed two touchdowns, and ran for three scores.

Eagles coach Jeff Jagodzinski said he expects the offense and Crane to make more progress. "If we can get that Chris Crane [the one who played against N.C. State], I think we will have a heck of a chance," said Jagodzinski. "But I've told the team, what we have done so far has put us in a position where we could be in every game or we could lose every game."

Jagodzinski is encouraged by the parity he has seen.

"There is no clear-cut favorite," he said, noting that Virginia Tech is the best ACC team he has seen thus far.

Syracuse via http://www.syracuse.com

More than three months ago Greg Robinson sat in front of the media and pleaded that the spotlight shift from him to his players and their quest to become a competitive team. A 42-28 home loss to Akron in the second game officially ended the coach's request, and since then the drumbeat for his dismissal has grown steadily louder. It would be a shame if that noise deafened a fan base hardened by the team's 8-33 record under Robinson to the effort put forth and the progress made by the players in Saturday's 17-6 loss to West Virginia.

There is no question Robinson can be second-guessed for several coaching calls, including going for it on fourth-and-3 from the WVU 38-yard-line late in the third quarter trailing 7-6.

But for once it shouldn't be about him.

Southern Cal via http://www.latimes.com

USC's climb up the polls on Sunday appears to again put the Trojans in prime position for a run at the Bowl Championship Series title game. But it did not exactly move Trojans Coach Pete Carroll. "I'm certainly not going to try and figure it out," he said.

The Trojans' 28-0 victory over Arizona State, combined with losses by several other ranked teams, moved USC from ninth to fourth in the coaches' poll and from eighth to fifth in the Harris Interactive Poll. The two polls and computer rankings are used to determine the Bowl Championship Series standings, which come out for the first time next week.

The Trojans jumped from eighth to sixth in the Associated Press media poll after an uneven performance on offense Saturday. Carroll maintained that he was not concerned with margin of victory or other issues to sway pollsters.

"There are teams, when they get into that kind of mode where there's conversation about it, those are usually teams that aren't there very often and are making a pitch for their cause," he said. "I don't think we're in that position."

IBB Weekly Motivator: Week 29

Karma is a bitch, isn't it?

Notre Dame vs. North Carolina Highlights

This was a hard loss to swallow because we had the Tarheels up against the ropes and just needed one more uppercut to put them away.

Notre Dame Field Goal Tryouts Video Footage

Notre Dame vs. North Carolina: Tale of the Tape

The 22nd-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels are much improved under the guidance of head coach Butch Davis, and they will play host to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this weekend in Chapel Hill.

Notre Dame is attempting to improve to 5-1 for just the second time since 1998. The team was pushed to the limit by Stanford last weekend but managed to escape that home game with a 28-21 triumph. The Fighting Irish have now won two straight since their lone loss to Michigan State on the road.

North Carolina crushed Connecticut last weekend by a 38-12 final, the program's first win over a non-league ranked foe since 1997. The Tar Heels beat Miami two weeks ago, and their lone loss came by three points to a solid Virginia Tech squad. The remaining schedule is favorable for the Heels, who are very much alive and dangerous in the race for the ACC title.

Notre Dame holds a commanding 16-1 series advantage over North Carolina, including six consecutive victories over the Tar Heels.

Notre Dame is averaging 25.8 ppg and 353.2 total ypg, numbers that represent a huge improvement over last season's production. The Fighting Irish do most of their damage through the air, as sophomore quarterback Jimmy Clausen has been outstanding. Clausen has completed 60.8 percent of his passes for 1,248 yards and 12 touchdowns. One of the top recruits in the history of the storied program, Clausen is playing with a wealth of confidence. His top target on the outside has been Golden Tate, who has made 23 grabs for 397 yards and three touchdowns. Michael Floyd is close behind with 21 catches for 333 yards and three scores. The ground attack has produced modest results, but overall the offense has been solid.

Notre Dame only posted 83 rushing yards against Stanford last weekend, but Clausen more than made up for the deficiency by throwing for 347 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Floyd gained 115 yards and scored one on five catches. "Coming into every game, everyone's emotional and everybody getting hyped up is all it was," said tailback Armando Allen when asked about Notre Dame's intensity versus Stanford. "No bulletin board material, just a lot of emotion realizing we have something special going."

Opponents are scoring 19.0 ppg while gaining 376.8 total ypg against the Notre Dame defense, which has given the team a chance to win every week. The Irish are yielding 4.5 rushing yards per carry and over 11 yards per pass completion, so there is obviously room for improvement against both modes of attack. The fact that Notre Dame has 14 takeaways to its credit suggests that the defense has been extremely opportunistic. Kyle McCarthy paces the Fighting Irish with 52 total tackles, and David Bruton is second with 45 stops to go along with his two interceptions.

Stanford scored three offensive touchdowns and gained 343 yards against the Fighting Irish in South Bend last week, so which it is hard to say that Notre Dame played well defensively, the unit did put up a decent fight. "Last season a lot of people and teams lost respect for us," said McCarthy after the game. "We're Notre Dame, so people either love us or hate us and it's hard to earn back that respect, but I think we are getting it week by week."

North Carolina only managed 13 first downs and 263 total yards against Connecticut last weekend, so how did the team manage to post 38 points against the Huskies? Well, three UConn interceptions set the Tar Heels up with some outstanding field position. Also, UNC scored a touchdown on an interception return and also recovered a blocked punt in the end zone for another score. Cam Sexton made his first start of the season at quarterback and looked fairly solid, completing 9-of-16 passes for 117 yards with one touchdown and one interception. "I thought Cameron did an outstanding job of just managing the game," said coach Davis after the contest. Shaun Draughn did a nice job of running the football, as he finished with 109 yards and a score on 19 carries.

It is surprising that UNC is averaging 32.4 ppg this season considering that it is only gaining 326.2 ypg. The ground attack is accounting for only 3.7 ypc, but the passing game is gaining a staggering 15.8 yards per completion. T.J. Yates was off to a tremendous start at quarterback, but an ankle injury will keep him sidelined for at least another month. Therefore, Sexton has a chance to prove worthy of leading the offense.

Give a ton of credit to the North Carolina defense for its role in the victory over UConn. As mentioned, the group intercepted three Husky passes and took one back for a score. While 378 yards were surrendered, the fact that UNC held its then-ranked foe to 12 points is really the only stat that matters. The best player in a Tar Heels uniform was Bruce Carter, who blocked three punts. "I'm able to get a good jump on the ball," said Carter after the game. "With all the guys on the line going hard, you never know who's going to open up."

Opponents are scoring 19.0 ppg against UNC, which is surrendering 345.8 total ypg. The Heels are limiting foes to 3.8 rushing ypg, and the defense has intercepted a stellar total of 12 passes already. On a down note, UNC has only recovered one fumble and has a modest total of six sacks. Keep an eye on Mark Paschal, who has 41 tackles, including 5.5 TFLs. He has also tallied a pair of interceptions, two sacks and a forced fumble.

North Carolina is ranked in the Top-25 for the first time since 2001, but its stay in the poll will likely end this weekend. Notre Dame is better than UNC at the quarterback and receiver positions and will win a close one in Chapel Hill.

Notre Dame 28
North Carolina 24

North Carolina Injury Report
Defensive end Greg Elleby (10/5, ankle) is questionable
Offensive lineman Scott Mincey (10/5, ankle) is questionable
Linebacker Linwan Euwell (10/5, thigh) is questionable
Quarterback T.J. Yates (9/22, broken left ankle) out at least six weeks

Notre Dame Injury Report
Fullback Luke Schmidt (10/1, headaches) is out indefinitely
Wide receiver Barry Gallup Jr (10/5, undisclosed) is questionable
Tight end Will Yeatman (10/1, disciplinary/legal) is out indefinitely
Safety Jashaad Gaines (9/12, personal) is out indefinitely
Cornerback Darrin Walls (8/27, personal) will miss the fall semester
Tight end Mike Ragone (8/23, left knee surgery) will miss the entire season

Team Leaders
Receptions: NC Nicks (24), ND Tate (23)
Rec. Yards: NC Nicks (412), ND Tate (397)
Rushing Atts: NC Little (74), ND Hughes (57)
Rushing Yds: NC Little (421), ND Allen (238)
Pass Atts: NC Yates (66), ND Clausen (171)
Pass Comp: NC Yates (40), ND Clausen (104)
Pass Yards: NC Yates (623), ND Clausen (1,248)
Comp %: NC Yates (60.6), ND Clausen (60.8)
TD passes: NC Yates (6), ND Clausen (12)
INTs: NC Paulus (2), ND Clausen (6)

Buzz Around Team Camps 10/10/08

Catch the latest Buzz Around Team Camps for this Friday, October 10th:

Michigan via http://www.mlive.com

While Michigan struggled to get Illinois' powerful offense off the field in last week's 45-20 loss, they should have a slightly easier time Saturday against Toledo.

The Rockets still possess a solid attack, yet they don't have a player of Illini quarterback Juice Williams' caliber, explains The Ann Arbor News' John Heuser, in his weekly chat. The Wolverines offense should do well against a struggling Rockets defense, and Michigan may even wind up putting the game in the hands of its rushing attack.

"Toledo's defense has been lousy all season," Heuser says. "So this would be a great week for the Wolverines to get something going on offense.

"Toledo averages only 255 pounds up front and is allowing opposing QBs to complete 66 percent of their passes."

Video: U-M weekly press conference 10.06.08

Michigan St. via http://www.freep.com

Michigan State's two most effective defensive players Saturday's against Northwestern could be Javon Ringer and Brian Hoyer.

No, Ringer won't pull double-duty at running back and strong safety. And Hoyer won't play nickelback in addition to quarterback against the Wildcats' potent spread offense. But if the pair can contribute to MSU with a big advantage in time of possession, it will limit the number of cracks Northwestern will get on offense.

"With them having a spread offense, they just keep going and going and going," Ringer said. "The reality of that is it can eventually wear a defense down. So it's not good for us if they're continually driving down the field with their no-huddle offense and our defense continually gets tired.

Purdue via http://www.jconline.com

If you're fired up about the prospects of Purdue pulling off the upset Saturday at Ohio State, you might want to skip this post. But if you don't mind staring some ugly history right in the face, by all means, read on.

Most Boilermaker fans are well aware that the Purdue football team has lost 16 in a row to Top 25 opponents. But with the Buckeyes up next, I thought I'd take a look at how they've fared against the Big Ten Conference's so-called "Big Three" — Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State.

Let's start with Penn State, and only include games played against the Nittany Lions since they've been competing in the Big Ten (1993). During that time, the Boilermakers are 2-10 overall and 1-5 in State College.

Against Michigan, Purdue is 12-41 overall and 4-27 in Ann Arbor. Against Ohio State, the Boilermakers are 12-36-2 overall and 5-24-2 in Columbus. Purdue's last victory at Penn State was in 2004, but the Boilermakers haven't won at Ohio State since 1988 and they haven't won at Michigan since 1966.

Ouch. That hurts. If this has tarnished your Gold and Black glasses, you might want to stop here. Because it's time to add up the numbers. Drum roll, please.

Purdue's combined overall record against Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State is 26-87-2. Its overall record in Ann Arbor, Columbus and State College is 10-56-2.

Washington via http://seattletimes.nwsource.com

The Washington Huskies are off this weekend, leaving their coaches to a task that might be even more difficult than winning a game has been — recruiting.

Coach Tyrone Willingham said Thursday the Huskies will have the NCAA-maximum seven coaches out on the road recruiting this weekend, an apparent indication that their efforts in that area aren't waning even if their futures are in serious doubt. But try as hard as they might, UW coaches will likely run into a lot of road blocks trying to sell recruits on the Huskies.

"It's very difficult right now," said Greg Biggins, a recruiting analyst for ESPN.com. "As they say in recruiting circles, the rumor or threat of a coaching change is more damaging than the coaching change itself. Right now, you have to understand Washington is being negatively recruited like crazy by other schools ... 'if you go to Washington, welcome to the hot seat, the coaches are not going to last the year.' The players are hearing that.

"But even without a hot seat, it's hard to recruit when you haven't won many games. So add the lack of wins with the possibility of a coaching change and it makes it almost impossible to recruit at a high level."

Pittsburgh via http://www.post-gazette.com

The walls of Pitt offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh's office lend credibility to the fact that he is a detail-oriented and organized coach. There are diagrams of offensive plays and formations and even those of defensive schemes from opponents past and present.

There are charts with statistical analysis and personnel production charts and a video machine that doesn't ever seem to be off, as Cavanaugh is constantly watching and breaking down film of practices and games.

It is a reservoir of extreme offensive football knowledge, all written or compiled by Cavanaugh. Yet every year since he arrived at Pitt in 2005 -- and going back to his days as the Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator -- his ability to coach has been questioned by fans and members of the media.

And the criticisms are always along these lines: His offense is too conservative, he is too in love with the run game, his offenses are poorly designed and his offenses are boring.

Cavanaugh hears these criticisms and he understands them and he understands why they exist. He agrees that sometimes his offenses probably aren't going to be that fun to watch if that's the kind of game plan the situation, personnel or matchups dictate. But he knows that the bottom line is winning football games, and he's certain that if the Panthers, now on a four-game winning streak, continue to win, nobody will complain about style points.

Boston College via http://www.boston.com

Boston College has gone back to the tradition of "Offensive Line U," which has produced a steady flow of offensive linemen to the National Football League the last several years.

The linemen are more cohesive than they have been since a new coaching staff came to The Heights and changed the system, the way they played, the way they thought. All that is missing now is the customary final bonding with the quarterback, who shows his appreciation of the linemen's work by taking them to dinner.

"Hasn't done it yet," BC center Matt Tennant said with a look over his shoulder to quarterback Chris Crane. "Maybe I'll let [defensive right tackle B.J. Raji] hit him in practice."

It is easier to joke these days at offensive meetings. Putting up 578 yards of total offense (428 passing yards) in last week's 38-31 win over North Carolina State was not only a confidence booster, it eased the tension that was building as the Eagles' offense sputtered the first few weeks of the season.

Syracuse via http://blog.syracuse.com

Check that. Syracuse University sophomore tailback Delone Carter is now considered doubtful to play in his team's Big East Conference football game at West Virginia on Saturday, said head coach Greg Robinson.

Carter, who has missed the last two games with an injured hamstring, has practiced this week. Robinson said Carter practiced well until Thursday when Carter told him the hamstring had tightened up. Robinson said he now considers that Carter is doubtful for the game on Saturday.

"He's got to feel well, feel like he can burst and go all out," Robinson said Thursday night on his weekly television show. "Right now, he doesn't."

Southern Cal via http://www.latimes.com

One play away. Mitch Mustain knows the phrase, knows the ramifications.

He traveled more than 1,500 miles from Arkansas to Los Angeles to become USC's starting quarterback. Spent more than a year learning a new offense. And went up and down the depth chart with hopes of sticking at No. 1.

Saturday's game against Arizona State at the Coliseum might have been Mustain's opportunity. But Mark Sanchez has recovered from a knee injury that briefly sidelined him during last week's victory over Oregon and provided Mustain with his first taste of real playing time for the Trojans.

So Mustain waits. And prepares. He is content, for now, knowing he is one play away from getting back onto the field and leading the offense.

"Certainly, this is the best spot I've been in since I got here," he said this week.

IBB Watercooler 10/9/08

Here's a SPECIAL edition of the IBB Watercooler for North Carolina Week.

Getting Their Kicks: After last Saturday's performance by sophomore Brandon Walker, Coach Weis sent out an email to Irish Soccer Coach Bobby Clark on Sunday about open tryouts for a field goal kicker. Additions were also extended to two students who play interhall football as well.

Early in the week Junior forward Tamba Samba was the main target for the additions and might possibly be added to the Irish roster in the coming weeks. Samba did connect on several kicks, including some from 45+. Like Walker, he is a little bit on the inconsistent side.

As for the two interhall players, both struggled at times and really didn't make a solid impression for Coach Weis and the coaching staff to ask back for another day.

For the actually kicking competition, Brandon Walker was nearly flawless during practice, while Ryan Burkhart couldn't keep up with the incumbent. Come game time, I will be shocked to see Walker trot out and try anything over 30 yards.

Shaq Update: California receiver Shaquelle Evans made it public that he longer is a silent commit to the Southern Cal Trojans. In fact his visit to South Bend for the Purdue game was a success that he told several Irish players, including QB's Jimmy Clausen and Dayne Crist that this won't be the last they see of him.

All signs are pointing up towards Notre Dame as Evans has not panned down an official date to visit Michigan. Plus there is a recent photo cropping up on some myspace and facebook pages of Evans' mother sporting Notre Dame gear at one of Shaquelle's football games.

More information will be announced when it becomes available.

Yeatman Decision Still Not Decided: The Will Yeatman saga continues on for another week. Yeatman appeared before the university's Student Affairs Judicial Board and decided it will need a few more days to decide what to do with the two-sport athlete. In fact, they asked Yeatman to provide a few more character witnesses for his case.

This case is getting everyone involved in this matter, including the Indiana Excise Police, the Indiana State Police, and the South Bend Police Department. I don't know about you, but something seems awful wrong here if they have been putting this off for this long; especially since this is Yeatman's second announced offense with the law in a span of eight months.

Stay tuned for further updates.

Kick Coverage Goes Back To Original Form: The ND kickoff coverage team gave the Stanford Cardinal a different look, as they racked up good yardage against one of the stronger and more surprising units of this team. Coach Weis and Brian Polian switched back to the original package from previous games to combat the NCAA's best return man, Brandon Tate.

Look for the Irish to have good success on the coverage behind Mike Anello and David Bruton.

What to expect:
1.) Strong push from the offensive line. This unit had a strong and spirited week of practice. Look for the Irish to have a decent day running the ball.

2.) More safety and corner blitzes. The Irish are going to throw everything but the kitchen sink at UNC and Cam Sexton. Question is, will the Tar Heels be ready?

3.) More tricks up Weis' sleeve. Don't be surprised to see some special plays involving the likes of Golden Tate and some offensive linemen. Trust me, it could be interesting if the timing is right.

Buzz Around Team Camps 10/9/08

Catch the latest Buzz Around Team Camps for this Thursday, October 9th:

San Diego St. via http://www.signonsandiego.com

To boost ticket sales this year for Aztecs football games, San Diego State has been using a simple advertising slogan – “Affordable family fun.”

In response, the public has been making a statement of its own: No matter how affordable they may be, the games haven't been fun enough to attend, especially recently. Season-ticket sales for SDSU football have dropped 28 percent since Chuck Long's first season as head coach in 2006. This year's total of 10,203 (as of Friday) is its lowest figure since at least 2001, the oldest year the Union-Tribune has on record. The 28 percent decline in two years is by far the biggest drop in the Mountain West Conference during that period.

“It's very significant,” said Denny Fallon, who's had season tickets since the 1990s. For the non-renewers, he said, “it's their attempt to get somebody's attention in the athletic department.”

Fallon still renewed his four season tickets this year because he said he didn't want to penalize the players for the program's shortcomings, which include just eight wins in 29 games under Long.

Michigan via http://www.freep.com

Rich Rodriguez said before practice Wednesday he thinks Michigan has identified its top five offensive linemen. They are Perry Dorrestein, Mark Ortmann, David Molk, David Moosman and Steve Schilling. The coach is still not sure that the positions are settled, however. Rodriguez said he's contemplating moving Schilling from right tackle to left guard and Ortmann from left guard to right tackle.

Personnel updates via http://www.mlive.com

Defensive end Brandon Graham (leg infection) is questionable for Saturday. Out are linebacker Austin Panter (shoulder), running back Carlos Brown (foot) and wide receiver Junior Hemingway (mononucleosis). Rodriguez said he still hasn't decided if freshman wideout Darryl Stonum will play after being suspended from the Illinois loss for violating team rules. Stonum practiced with the second unit Wednesday.

Purdue via http://boilerstation.jconline.com

Most Purdue fans know that junior Kyle Adams, the starter at the beginning of the season, has been sidelined with a knee injury. The question applies to the bigger picture -- the absence of the tight end in the Boilermakers' passing game. The answer has a lot to do with Adams.

"We haven't thrown the ball in their direction much because Kyle Adams got all the work with the first team during training camp and then got hurt on the opening kickoff of the opening game," Purdue coach Joe Tiller said. "The other guys were out there, but you have the No. 1 tight end work with the No. 1 quarterback, and the No. 2 works with the No. 2 quarterback.

"So I think that's impacted our performance."

After the first five games, Purdue has completed 113 passes but only five have been caught by the tight ends. Senior Jerry Wasikowski has three receptions for 19 yards, and redshirt freshman Colton McKey has caught two passes for nine yards.

"When Kyle disappeared on us, I think that hurt us at that position," Tiller said. "We're now starting to get back to throwing it more to those other guys, although I don't think we're going to go out there Saturday and throw six or eight passes to the tight end. We might throw two to four."

Washington via http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com

If you're in the Seattle-area right now, you may want to check out KJR-AM, where there is a fairly raging debate about an interview Tim Lappano gave last night with Elise Woodward. Lappano does a regular weekly show with Woodward that normally runs Thursday but this week ran on Tuesday.

In it, Lappano said a lot of the same things he had told us earlier in the day in defending the use of Cody Bruns and Terrance Dailey in Saturday's game at Arizona. But he also went a step further than he had with us in saying that those who criticized the move by saying that the players involved may not have wanted to play needed to have their facts straight. And he specifically mentioned former UW QB Hugh Millen, now an analyst for KJR.

Lappano also went further in describing the injury to Jake Locker than I have previously heard. Lappano said the injury "is a lot worse than people realized.''

He said doctors inserted 12 pins into the hand and that one of the doctors said "it was one of the worst thumbs he had seen as far as how the bone was fractured.'' He said Locker will need surgery again in three weeks to take out a plate.

Lappano brought that up in response to a question about Locker playing another position. Lappano said he'd be against it anyway but that the seriousness of the injury should completely rule it out. "I'd say right now, unless it starts healing up and really quick, there is no way we are going to do that,'' he said.

Lappano also talked about his frustration over the 0-5 start, saying "no one saw this coming.''

Pittsburgh via http://www.pittblather.com/

University of Pittsburgh linebacker Scott McKillop has been named the FWAA/Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week for games of the weekend of Oct. 4. McKillop, a 6-2, 240-pound senior from Export, Pa., collected a team-high 12 tackles (all unassisted) and had two sacks and three total tackles for loss. He also stopped a run on a fake field goal attempt in Pittsburgh’s 26-21 upset victory at South Florida.

McKillop is already on the 2008 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy will be presented to the best defensive player in college football on Dec. 7 by the FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, N.C. Five finalists for the Nagurski Trophy will be announced on Nov. 17.

Boston College via http://www.boston.com

It was a good week to be a Boston College quarterback and a former BC quarterback. It started on Saturday when current Eagle QB Chris Crane threw for a career high 428 yards and 2 TD passes and also ran for 3 TDs, including the game-winner with 23.8 seconds left in a 38-31 victory over North Carolina State.

The next day last year's starting QB for the Eagles, Matt Ryan, threw for 194 yards and 2 TDs as the Atlanta Falcons beat the Packers 27-24 at Green Bay's Lambeau Field.

""He called me after the (BC victory') game,'' said Crane this afternoon. "And he said he had seen the game and I did really good. At the end, I told him he had go out and show the Packers how it's done.''

Both QB's certainly did that.

Crane says that the victory has made everyone feel better. "Any time you get a win, it's a good win,'' said Crane. "Any time you get a good win, the BC community is happy... as happy as it can be.''

Syracuse via http://blog.syracuse.com/orangefootball/

Maybe Joe Glenn is bunkered out in Wyoming secretly jabbing pins in dolls that look like Daryl Gross or Greg Robinson, which could help explain the football misery taking place way over here in Onondaga County. Is anyone ready to admit that just maybe, Syracuse shouldn't have backed out of that football game in 2009 at Wyoming? It's been pretty darn creepy since the Orange announced last summer it was backing out of its agreement to play a return game in Wyoming as part of a two-game series. Syracuse has won three times since that decision, which prompted Glenn, the Wyoming head football coach, to make this infamous remark:

"I've got a new favorite team this season," said Glenn in 2007. "Anybody who beats Syracuse.

"They leave a hole in our 2009 schedule, so if you want to wish bad luck on somebody this year, wish bad luck on Syracuse. They signed a contract to come to Laramie and play, and they didn't honor it so I'm putting all kinds of voodoo on them."

Spells are available to counter the Laramie hex. Of course, Joe Glenn's got his own problems. The Cowboys are 2-4 and Glenn appears to be as much on the hotseat as the coach at Manley. Wyoming hosts undefeated Utah this weekend in a Mountain West Conference game that got very ugly a year ago. The Utes were a little miffed that Glenn guaranteed a victory prior to the game. Utah won 50-0 which including an onside kick while nursing a 43-0 lead. Glenn fired off a one-finger salute to Utah coach Kyle Wittingham during the onslaught. (Thanx to the Wiz of Odds).

Southern Cal via http://www.latimes.com

It appeared doubtful a few days ago, but it looks as if USC will have its regular offensive and defensive play-callers in the starting lineup against Arizona State.

Quarterback Mark Sanchez practiced Wednesday for the first time since suffering a knee injury last week against Oregon, taking first-team snaps during several drills and moving and throwing the ball well.

Sanchez's status for Saturday's game hinges on how well his knee responds today and the rest of the week, Coach Pete Carroll said. If Sanchez cannot play, Mitch Mustain will start.

Carroll did not wait to announce that Rey Maualuga would start at middle linebacker against the Sun Devils, allowing Brian Cushing to return to the strong-side spot. Redshirt freshman Chris Galippo will back up Maualuga, who did not play against Oregon because of a knee sprain suffered against Oregon State.

Maualuga has been wearing a brace on his right knee and has been instructed to do so for three games. The senior seemed surprised when informed that Carroll announced him as the starter but said he would be ready. Asked if he was fully healed and ready to play, Maualuga said, "Am I the same 100% to do this and do that? It's too close to say because it's only Wednesday."

With only four games left at the Coliseum, however, Maualuga does not intend to miss any chances to finish his career with a flourish.

"I don't want to be selfish but . . . I want to enjoy it," he said.

Joe McKnight Catching On via http://www.latimes.com

Tailback Joe McKnight sat out most of practice because of right knee soreness, but not before completing extra pre-practice work catching punts.

"Just trying to sharpen my tools back up, get back to catching the ball," said McKnight, who has fumbled three punts this season, losing one.

McKnight said his problems stemmed from trying to make moves before he caught the ball. "I wasn't looking the ball in," he said. "I would catch it, but next thing you know it would just come out."

Stafon Johnson replaced McKnight after a fumble against Oregon and could get more opportunities against Arizona State.

Quick Kicks via http://www.conquestchronicles.com

Fullback Stanley Havili did not practice because of neck stiffness that resulted from a collision on the last play of Tuesday's practice. If Havili does not play Saturday, junior Adam Goodman would start and freshman D.J. Shoemate also would play, Carroll said. . . . Linebacker Luthur Brown (back) continues to practice but is still awaiting clearance to play. . . . Michael Morgan, who suffered a concussion against Oregon, has not practiced this week.

Keys to the Game: North Carolina

Keeping the momentum should be the main focus as the Irish head to Chapel Hill and face their first ranked opponent this season in #22 North Carolina. With this only being their second home game, Notre Dame looks to put together a better performance.

A Week 3 loss to Michigan State has done nothing to discourage the Irish, who are now unranked at 4-1 for the first time in school history after beating Stanford at home last week. It was a coming out party for quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who had a career day going 29-for-40 for 347 yards.

Meanwhile, the Tar Heels defeated then-No.25 Connecticut in a blowout 38-12. While many prognosticators were calling for a low-scoring affair in the absence of both teams’ starting quarterbacks, backup Cam Sexton managed the game well and relied on the Heels’ strong running game.

1.) Get out of the gates early. I know I'm stating the obvious, but it will be vitally important for the Irish to start their offensive machine in high gear. If Notre Dame can punch it in on the first or second series, it will bode well for the Irish.

2.) Pass and pass some more. Yes, North Carolina leads the nation in interceptions, but the Heels have given up plenty of yards through the air. UNC is giving up over 200 yards passing, including 239 in their season opener against FCS school McNeese State. Clausen has been on a roll as of late and will be looked upon to do more of the same to quiet the rowdy fans at Keenan Stadium.

The Irish have made a living torching opponents with fade routes, and that’s something the Tar Heels have not seen much of this season. Without question, Notre Dame has an advantage if it can turn this game into a shootout, with speedy targets like Golden Tate, David Grimes, Michael Floyd and Kyle Rudolph. There's too many targets for the Heels to cover.

3.) Contain the Carolina ground game. Last week the Irish struggled in the first quarter giving up over a 100 yards rushing to the Cardinal, but the final three quarters they yielded only 54. If Notre Dame can limit the Tarheels to their [ND's defensive] season average of 139 yards, the Irish should get their first road win of the season.

Harrison Smith and Kyle McCarthy will be big X-factors in the game to help shut down the run. Also look for Pat Kuntz and Ethan Johnson to have big games as well.

4.) Get pressure on Cam Sexton. Against a more conventional style of offense, the Irish defense got five sacks against Stanford. North Carolina's offensive line, meanwhile, is giving up an average of over two sacks a contest. UNC's line is better than Stanford's, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll stop the Irish's defensive pressure.

While Sexton was at the helm for their upset of UConn, he only completed nine passes and shouldn't pose any threat to Notre Dame’s secondary. North Carolina boasts great wideouts in Hakeem Nicks and Brandon Tate, but can its inexperienced quarterbacks get them the ball? Freshman Mike Paulus may get a look in this game, but not much is known about his play-calling ability.

If Notre Dame controls the run and gets out of the blocks early, Sexton will have to throw; and that will be the Irish's advantage.

5.) Get positive yards rushing. You think Notre Dame has a difficult time stopping the run, North Carolina is not any better. In fact, the Tarheels are currently 67th in the nation in rushing defense (144.4 yards per game), compared to Notre Dame which is 59th (139.4 yards per game). I would like to say that the Irish can be productive on the ground against UNC, because they can be. I'll just ask for something easier like no negative yards, and convert on those short yardage downs.

If Armando Allen and Robert Hughes can get the tough yards and extend Notre Dame drives, the Irish will be in the driver's seat. Look for the Irish to reach the century mark against the Heels behind an inspired offensive line.

6.) Special Teams supremacy. Before last week's Stanford game, Notre Dame's kick and punt coverage teams were excellent. They'll have to be on top of their game, because they're facing one of the NCAA's all-time greats in Brandon Tate. The Irish already faced a good return team in Purdue two weeks ago and shut them down. So whomever is handling the kickoffs might kick the other way.

Once again look for Mike Anello and David Bruton to be the main stoppers in the return game.

Hopefully this game will not come to the kicking game, because this is not the week to have a new field goal kicker win the game for the Irish, if Coach Weis decides to go that route.

Buzz Around Team Camps 10/8/08

Here's the latest Buzz Around Team Camps for Wednesday, October 8th:

San Diego St. via http://www.signonsandiego.com

While San Diego State continues to play it close to the vest, Drew Westling is intent on playing for keeps. With the status of Ryan Lindley having gone from doubtful to day-to-day to a possible game-time decision for this week's meeting with Air Force, Westling, the team's No. 2 quarterback, isn't wasting time awaiting official word.

“It's been a long journey for me,” said Westling, who is expected to start Saturday after Lindley suffered a slight separation of his throwing shoulder in last week's loss at TCU. “All of the sudden, you find yourself looking at some of the younger guys and you start to think, 'I'm getting old.' It just goes by so fast. It's a reminder of how you just have to enjoy every second of it.”

Michigan via http://www.mlive.com

Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said Tuesday that the team's leading receiver, freshman Martavious Odoms (sprained shoulder), is questionable for the Toledo game, as is defensive end Brandon Graham (infected leg).

Backup linebacker Austin Panter (shoulder) will be out, the coach said, but left tackle Perry Dorrestein should be able to play.

Dorrestein, who suffered a head injury against Illinois, was expected to participate in a limited fashion in Tuesday's practice, Rodriguez added.

Michigan St. via http://www.freep.com

Red flags went up when it was announced that Michigan State was closing early practice to the media at coach Mark Dantonio's regular weekly press conference today. That's a show-of-respect usually demonstrated for critical games against major rivals like Michigan, Notre Dame and Ohio State, not Northwestern.

But, it appears Dantonio wants his team's undivided attention while eliminating any chance of any of the fancy things the coaching staff may be putting in for the Wildcats doesn't get out.

Media is only allowed to watch the first 15-20 minutes of Tuesday's practice each week, so maybe they're putting in a new stretching drill to prevent a repeat of the 520 passing yards and five passing touchdowns the Wildcats used to beat MSU 48-41 in overtime last season.

"It's going to take a large amount of discipline and maturity in this next game," Dantonio said. "They were off last week so they've had an extra week to prepare for us, so with that will come some new wrinkles, I'm sure, offensively and defensively."

Purdue via http://boilerstation.jconline.com

With the Purdue football team having lost three of its last four games, coach Joe Tiller gave his thoughts Tuesday about fans booing at Ross-Ade Stadium and other college football venues. Not surprisingly, he's not a big fan of the practice. And he addresses the situation with his players every season.

"I remind them that when things are going well, everybody wants to pat you on the back and be your friend," Tiller said. "And, of course, when things don't go well, unfortunately they're pretty quick to turn the other way on you.

"It's a very fickle audience that you deal with. Not all of them, there are some people who are extremely loyal. It's all part of the growing process."

For the most part, Tiller subscribes to the belief that it's best to ignore fans who voice their displeasure as the coaches and players leave the field. But at times it's difficult to turn a deaf ear.

"Especially with the profanity," he said. "I don't mind opinions, but the profanity is way out of line because, around the locker room, there are (young kids), and those players are their heroes, and to hear some of the language at times I think is very offensive."

Tiller doesn't agree with fans who claim they have a right to boo because of the money they pay for tickets and because the players are on scholarship.

"They're wrong," he said. "They are believers of stinking thinking. ... If their life revolves around their ability to rip a young person, then there's something intimately wrong with that person. There's something wrong with their own self esteem."

North Carolina via http://www.newsobserver.com

North Carolina quarterback Cameron Sexton has a new look since the last time he was the starter, in 2006. The junior is wearing an elbow-to-bicep sleeve on his throwing arm, a la Allen Iverson. Like the NBA star, Sexton first donned the stretchy white fabric for function, but he now wears it for form.

"I started wearing it last year when I was feeling some soreness in my elbow, and I kind of threw it on," Sexton said. "I actually liked it a lot, and kind of stuck with it, and now it's sort of become my niche, I guess. I like it, so I'm sticking with it."

He has received a lot of good-natured ribbing, however, particularly from his offensive linemen. During Sunday's walk-through, he said, center Aaron Stahl walked onto the field wearing Sexton's No. 11 jersey -- and the arm-sleeve. The imitation earned a good laugh, especially from Sexton, who has thrown for 359 yards and three touchdowns in his last two games since replacing the injured T.J. Yates.

"The other guys wear it for more need reasons than I do, so it's not catching on, no," Sexton said.

"I still think it keeps my arm warm, and I'm throwing well with it, so it's not coming off now."

Washington via http://seattletimes.nwsource.com

You expect at some point that maybe the Huskies will change their name to Puppies for the rest of the season. Because if there is one overarching theme this year, it is the youth of the team. It's one coach Tyrone Willingham fell back on again earlier this week when he was asked how he would sell a recruit on the current Washington program.

"I think recruits can see this is a young football team out there playing that, with some growth, will be a much better football team," Willingham said.

And while fans might be tiring of hearing about the youth, there is little doubt it is a major factor in the team's 0-5 start, a record that has Willingham on the brink of losing his job, barring a miracle in the last seven games.

A scan of Pac-10 rosters reveals just how young the Huskies are. The Huskies had seven freshmen — including four redshirt freshmen — in the lineup for Saturday's 48-14 loss at Arizona. The rest of the conference combined had 14.

The only other team with as many as four freshmen in the starting lineup this week is UCLA (one redshirt). Maybe more telling, UW has an equal number of upperclassmen (juniors and seniors) as underclassmen (freshmen and sophomores) in its starting lineup — 11 each.

The only team with a ratio as close is Washington State — 12 upperclassmen, 10 underclassmen. Every other team has at least 14 upperclassmen in its lineup this week, led by Oregon's 19 and Arizona State's 18. To further state the point, UW has 81 scholarship players on its roster (of an allowed 85). Only 26 of those are upperclassmen, 16 seniors and 10 juniors. The other 55 are true freshmen, redshirt freshmen or sophomores.

Which begs the question — just how did the Huskies get so young in a season so critical?

Navy via http://navysports.cstv.com

College football's top kicking award, the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award sponsored by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission each week recognizes the three (3) top kickers from Division 1 schools who have made outstanding contributions during the past week.

Navy senior Matt Harmon tied a school record with four field goals and the Midshipmen beat Air Force for the sixth straight time with a 33-27 win on Saturday. The Greenville, South Carolina native connected from 35,48,44 and 32 yards and added 2 PAT'S. He has connected on 14 of his 15 field goal tries this season and is perfect after 19 PAT attempts, bringing his scoring total to 61 points which is second in the nation among kickers. This is the second time in three weeks that Harmon has been selected for the award.

Southern Cal via http://www.latimes.com

USC moved full speed ahead Tuesday with its game plan for Arizona State, but there remains some question about who will run the offense when the eighth-ranked Trojans play the Sun Devils on Saturday at the Coliseum.

Quarterback Mark Sanchez suited up in full pads for the workout, jogged at times from one part of the field to another and tossed a few passes during warmups, but team trainers directed him to the sideline to rest his sore left knee.

Meanwhile, sophomore transfer Mitch Mustain continued to take first-team snaps in preparation for what could be his first start for the Trojans. "I'm going to prepare to go even if he comes back," Mustain said.

Sanchez, who suffered a bone bruise against Oregon on Saturday, was examined after practice by team physician James Tibone. The junior said he hoped to practice today or Thursday and play against Arizona State. "It looks a lot better than it did and it feels a lot better," Sanchez said of his knee.

Mustain looked sharp during part of the workout but struggled at times with fatigue. "Tuesdays are never perfect," offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said.

During a blitz period, Mustain was under fire behind an offensive line that was without senior left guard Jeff Byers, who sat out to rest a sore knee.

"Spotty," was how Coach Pete Carroll described Mustain's performance during the drill. "Guys have to protect him better."

Quick Kicks via http://www.conquestchronicles.com

Middle linebacker Rey Maualuga (knee sprain) wore a brace and participated in several drills. "We'll see how far we can take it," he said of playing this week. . . . Fullback Stanley Havili suffered a neck strain on the final play of practice, but said he would play on Saturday. . . . Tailback Allen Bradford (hip) will not practice or play this week. Bradford said he would have an MRI exam and receive an injection on Friday with hopes of returning next week. If the junior does not play the rest of the season, he could apply for a medical redshirt. Fellow tailback C.J. Gable was granted a medical redshirt last season after playing in the first three games, then undergoing abdominal surgery. Bradford said he had not considered transferring.

Buzz Around Team Camps 10/7/08

Catch the latest Buzz Around Team Camps for Tuesday, October 7th:

San Diego St. via http://www.signonsandiego.com

San Diego State coach Chuck Long yesterday said starting quarterback Ryan Lindley suffered a “slight” separation of his throwing shoulder in Saturday's loss at TCU but did not rule out the possibility of the redshirt freshman playing this week.

Lindley, who left the game after being injured on the Aztecs' final possession of the first quarter, underwent a CT scan yesterday. He later was put through a series of exercises by trainer Don Kessler, who told Long that Lindley was “a lot better than he thought.”

Michigan via http://www.mlive.com

At his news conference last Monday, University of Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez said he has told his players there's nothing worse than being called lazy or soft.

Two days after Michigan was routed 45-20 by Illinois, Rodriguez used the term "soft" himself to describe his team's performance, and said it applied to all three areas of the game – offense, defense and special teams.

"I'm not saying we have soft guys, but if there's one guy, one out of 11 guys, that plays soft on one play, that's unacceptable," he said Monday. "That will never be acceptable."

Rich Rod Mad at his team via http://www.mlive.com

10.04.08: Post-game press conference U-M vs. Illinois

Michigan St. via http://enlightenedspartan.com

Michigan State place-kicker Brett Swenson's 3-for-3 field-goal kicking perfomance in the 16-13 victory over Iowa has earned him Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Swenson is the first Spartan to receive the award for special teams play since Demond Williams got it for kickoff returns on Oct. 31, 2005.

Injury Update via http://www.greenandwhite.com

Looks as if Chris Rucker is out for the Nwestern game with an arm injury, but reports are that he may return for the Ohio State stint. Expect Kendall Davis-Clark, who was the starter entering the year at safety but missed the last five weeks with a shoulder injury vs Cal, to return to his natural position and replace Rucker at cornerback. Otis Wiley also injured his leg (pulled hamstring) vs Iowa, but he will return this week against the Wildcats -- Marcus Hyde (#11) stepped in for Wiley in the fourth quarter and played very well, especially in run support. Ross Weaver also missed last week's game at corner with the flu, but he'll be back... still, Johnny Adams (#5) filled in for Weaver and again played well. Watch the tape -- other than the TD pass, all game long the secondary tackled well and kept receivers in front of them. There is lots of depth here, and MSU should be in for a real test against the pass-happy Wildcats, but they have the experience and talent to put up a good fight. It will be strength of NW vs. strength of MSU.

Purdue via http://www.purdueexponent.org

More and more young players are seeing the football field each week for the Purdue football team. The continual depth problems at linebacker cause fresh faces to be seen at that position as coach Joe Tiller tries to find a reliable third backer.

This week, fans saw freshmen Chris Carlino and Albert Evans and redshirt freshman DeVarro Greaves at the linebacker position. And with the injury-plagued Jason Werner still not ready to return from back surgery, fans will be seeing plenty more of these guys in the coming weeks.

Stanford via http://www.paloaltodailynews.com

Stanford football coach Ji Harbaugh was reprimanded Monday by Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen for public comments about the officiating in Saturday's Stanford-Notre Dame football game.

At this postgame media conference, Harbaugh criticized a second-quarter call in which Stanford was flagged for failing to provide a Notre Dame player an unimpeded opportunity to catch a punt. The penalty erased the recovery of a muffed punt.

"Pac-10 rules prohibit comments by a coach about officiating other than to the Conference office. Coach Harbaugh violated that rule by publicly criticizing the officials," Hansen said. "He and all other coaches must comply with the policies on officiating."

Hansen added: "In addition, Pac-10 officials have reviewed video of the play and it is apparent the Stanford player covering the punt impeded the Notre Dame player attempting to catch it. ... The call was correct."

Washington via http://seattletimes.nwsource.com

True freshman receiver Cody Bruns had little impact in Washington's 48-14loss at Arizona on Saturday, on the field for only three or four plays, all in the second half long after the game had been decided. But the fact that he was thrown into the game, the first of his college career, thereby assuring he can't redshirt this season, resonated with UW fans as much as anything else that happened Saturday.

Running back Terrance Dailey also saw his first action Saturday, meaning 12 true freshmen have played this season, the most in UW history. Many wondered, on radio talk shows and message boards, if it was worth spending a year of eligibility this late in a season that seems headed nowhere, particularly in the case of Bruns because he played so little. Dailey, who became the team's backup running back when Brandon Johnson suffered a thigh injury, entered in the first half and had six carries for 18 yards and could become a major factor the rest of the season.

On Monday, Willingham again defended using the two players, saying there is still a lot of season left — eight games heading into the Arizona contest — to allow each to see significant time. Bruns was put in the game in part because starting receiver D'Andre Goodwin was limited with bruised ribs.

"Any time you play a freshman at any point other than the first ballgame it raises eyebrows," Willingham said. "But I think if you go back and look over my career over the time that I have been here, we have been very wise in how we have used and utilized our freshmen. And I think that is still consistent with the freshmen we put in on Saturday. When they went in to play there were still eight games that we had remaining. We had injuries that affected their timing of going in and I think also the young men wanted to be involved and help our football team win."

Pittsburgh via http://www.post-gazette.com

Unlike last year, the Panthers have survived the early part of their season with few injuries. Linebacker Adam Gunn (neck) is the only starter who has been lost for the season. Pitt did have players banged up in the South Florida game, including receiver Derek Kinder (undisclosed) and quarterback Greg Cross (hand), but neither injury is considered serious.

Wannstedt said linebacker Shane Murray (knee) didn't play much Thursday because the Panthers used mostly their dime packages (six defensive backs) and did not have a lot of formations involving linebackers.

Quick Hits via http://www.post-gazette.com

Freshman cornerback Antwuan Reed had his redshirt broken and appeared in the South Florida game on defense and special teams. He became the fourth true freshman to play for the Panthers this season. "We're going to continue to work him in and put him in some positions where he can help us," Wannstedt said of Reed. "He's done a nice job in practice. You don't want to ever waste a year of a player, but if a guy kind of fits into a spot where he might be able to help you, then I think we need to do that. And I think that's the case here.". ... Wannstedt praised the work of offensive tackle Joe Thomas, who had struggled early in the season but has come on strong. "Joe is one of those guys who, every week, has gotten a little better. I think he's a great example of what this team has done the last four weeks.". ... Pitt will practice the next three days and Wannstedt said the practices will be split between skills and fundamentals work and Navy preparation.

Syracuse via http://media.www.dailyorange.com

Let's face it: This isn't a difficult argument to make. Why fire Syracuse football head coach Greg Robinson midseason? Jeez. The reasons stare everyone - the fans, the media, Syracuse Director of Athletics Daryl Gross - in the face.

There's the dwindling attendance figures (the 27,549 turnout for Pittsburgh last Saturday was the lowest at home attendance since 1986) and the malaise and discontent of the fan base. There's the program's mutation from powerhouse to punch line. There's the dearth of recruits (just four commitments for next year's class).

And, more than anything else, there's Robinson's record since he arrived in 2005.

Wins: eight. Losses: thirty-two. Robinson is 8-32 in his three-plus seasons. There is a cold reality in those numbers, an easy trump card to explain why this head coach should be axed sooner than later.

This year is only an extension of that. The Orange is 1-4. While the offense has improved under new coordinator Mitch Browning, the defense has floundered. This unit ranks below 100th place in every major statistical category right now: Rushing defense, passing defense, total defense, sacks, whatever, name a stat, the Orange probably dwells in the basement.

Oh, by the way, Robinson runs the defense.

Southern Cal via http://www.latimes.com

After watching practice from the driver's seat of an equipment cart Monday, USC quarterback Mark Sanchez sounded hopeful, if not completely optimistic, that he would be able to play Saturday against Arizona State.

"I'd be upset to be on the sideline but very supportive," said Sanchez, who suffered a bone bruise in his left knee against Oregon. "Hopefully, it doesn't come to that."

Sanchez overcame a dislocated kneecap in training camp but had several weeks to recover before starting the opener against Virginia. He has been icing his knee and receiving treatment from the team training staff for the last two days.

On Monday, Sanchez saw film of the play on which he was injured, a third-quarter sack by former high school teammate Nick Reed.

"It looked gross," Sanchez said. "That's not the way my leg's supposed to bend."

Maualuga mending via http://www.latimes.com

Middle linebacker Rey Maualuga, who did not play against Oregon because of a knee sprain, sprinted across the field to do a few drills, but was held out of the rest of practice.

Carroll said he did not expect Maualuga to practice before Wednesday. If Maualuga does not play, Brian Cushing would remain at middle linebacker.

Tailback Allen Bradford said he did not suit up against Oregon because of a torn labrum in his hip. Bradford will continue to rehabilitate the injury, which has bothered him off and on since last season, before considering surgery.

Other SC News via http://www.ap.com

Linebacker Michael Morgan, who suffered a concussion against Oregon, did not practice. . . . Carroll said he had spoken to USC compliance officials regarding his attending two high school games involving Loyola High in September. Carroll said it was his understanding that he was within NCAA rules, which limit how many times coaches can watch a recruit, because he was not evaluating Loyola players when he watched the Cubs against Concord De La Salle. Mike Matthews, associate commissioner of compliance for the Pac-10, declined to comment on whether the conference was investigating the matter. Speaking generally, he said coaches who attend games are considered to be evaluating every player involved in that game. He also said that if it was an isolated case, it would be considered a secondary violation.

IBB Report Card: Stanford

A career setting day for Jimmy Clausen proved to be just enough as the Irish withstood a late Stanford rally to upend the Cardinal 28-21, and improve Notre Dame's record to 4-1. Just like the San Diego State contest, a win is a win, is a win; and after last season, the Fighting Irish and their fans alike will take them any way they can get 'em.

From the sounds of things after Jim Harbaugh's post game press conference, it sounded like Notre Dame got away with highway robbery. Unfortunately once little Jimbo watches the tapes he'll see how much egg he'll have on his face, and how much of an ass he really is. Harbaugh we know the rules fairly well, it's you sir, who needs to brush up on them. Hey, you already had an advantage of using your conference officials, what more do you want?

There were plenty of areas the Irish regressed at, but in the end, when it mattered, they got the job done.

Offense
Once again the Irish offense excelled in the passing game, while sputtering running the ball. It seemed like a tale of two halves as, Notre Dame did make good on their first half possessions as they scored three touchdowns on their first five possessions.

In the second half the Irish only converted on one scoring drive and missing out on another as Brandon Walker missed another field goal that would have put the Irish up more than three scores. Fortunately for the Irish, it was the air attack that was unstoppable.

QB: A
Just when you thought he hit the ceiling, Jimmy Clausen outdid himself again by throwing a career-best 347 yards. He connected on 29-of-40 passes with three scores and no interceptions for the second-straight game. Clausen looked poised and did everything to perfection by rolling out, hitting his receivers in stride, adjusting to what the defense gives him, and being a strong, confident leader on the field.

Jimmy is on a good little streak connecting on 63.5% of his passes (49-of-75) for 622 yards, 6 TD's and ZERO interceptions. Hopefully he can get this string of career-breaking games going against the Tar Heels.

RB: C
The Irish ground game took a few steps back on Saturday as they only rushed for 56 yards from their three backs (Armando Allen 36 yards, Robert Hughes 23 yards, and James Aldridge 9 yards). The longest run of the day came from Harrison Smith's 23-yard scamper off a fake punt. Hughes and Aldridge have to do better than their 1.8 yards per carry to give Notre Dame some balance offensively.

The only saving grace from a below average grade was Allen's seven catches out of the backfield for 66 yards, including his 21-yard touchdown to start the scoring for the Irish. His 3-yard touchdown run didn't hurt the groups average either.

FB: C-
Once again there's not too much to grade on because Aspah Schwapp was used as a blocker. He did not do an exceptionally good job at that when it was needed the most to get those extra yards, however, he did have some most blocks during passing plays.

WR: A
If Notre Dame doesn't have one of the best receiving corps in the nation, please tell me who's better. The big three of Michael Floyd (5 catches for 115 yards, 1 TD), David Grimes (7 receptions for 60 yards), and Golden Tate (3 catches for 30 yards) made it a very long day for the Stanford secondary.

Floyd came up with some sick catches, including his 48-yard touchdown catch to give the Irish a 14 point lead in the second quarter.

Duval Kamara did make the most of his only pass thrown to him, a 2-yard catch! Baby steps Duval, baby steps.

TE: A-
Kyle Rudolph is coming into his own and it showed Saturday. He caught five balls for 70 yards including a 16-yard bullet from Jimmy Clausen to close out the scoring for the Irish. Rudolph is getting off the line fast and creating so much separation from defenders that it is impossible for Clausen not to throw to him.

He did do an adequate job of blocking this week on runs, but he'll definitely get better as the season goes on.

Rudolph could possibly get some relief soon, as Charlie Weis said he might tinkering with the notion of playing Kamara some at the TE position. We'll see soon enough if he was serious about this or not.

OL: B-
The only reason this grade wasn't significantly lower was the fact that the Irish pretty much manhandled the Cardinal on pass blocking. Other than that one sack, the offensive line gave ample of amount of time for Clausen to hit his receivers. As we all saw, it was a career day for Jimmy.

On the flip side, the Irish line just didn't cut it run blocking. Especially in the fourth quarter, when Coach Weis was emphasizing the run, the boys up front didn't get the push they are capable of doing. If Purdue had just as big a front defensive line, why couldn't the same results come against Stanford?

It has to get better and in a hurry, because North Carolina and Pittsburgh are two excellent defenses.

Overall Offensive Grade: B

Defense
For three quarters of the game, the Notre Dame defense was dominating. They got drive killing interceptions, big stops on third downs, and finally, a few sacks. Overall the Irish held the Cardinal just below their season rushing average with a 161 yards on the ground.

They gave Stanford quarterback Tavita Pritchard plenty of fits as he threw three interceptions and only 182 yards.

DL: B+
It was the Pat Kuntz all day long for the defensive line. The Indianapolis senior had his best day in an Irish uniform with 3 tackles, two for sacks, a pass broken up, a fumble recovery, and one interception. He was instrumental in giving the Irish some key stops of Cardinal runs up the middle.

Justin Brown (3 tackles), Ian Williams (1 tackle), and Ethan Johnson (1 tackle), also helped to the Irish cause in containing the Stanford running game.

LB: B
Overall, this unit had a solid performance, but the play of Brian Smith was just phenomenal. Smith led the group with 6 tackles, including one sack, and chasing down Stanford players all game long. Maurice Crum (4 tackles), Darius Flemming (3 tackles, 1 sack), and Harrison Smith (3 tackles), also put forth good efforts for the Irish.

DB: B
Surprise, surprise, look who the two leading tacklers of the game were for Notre Dame. Kyle McCarthy (14 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, and 1 interception) was everywhere Stanford players did not want to be, while David Bruton (9 tackles and 1 interception) is playing like a first day draft selection.

The secondary held the Cardinal in check for most of the game except for some late game drives when the Irish went more into a prevent shell. They did, however, step up when it mattered the most.

Raeshon McNeil and Terrail Lambert had four stops a piece for the Irish.

Overall Defensive Grade: B

Special Teams: D+
Everything looked completely off for the Notre Dame special teams. Brandon Walker is just not cutting it as a college kicker. I almost feel bad for the kid because you want him to do well, but he's supposed to do it. He's getting a free education to do one thing, make field goals. On the bright side, he hasn't missed an extra point!

The key play of the game came at the 3:23 mark of the fourth quarter as the Irish, up 28-21, punted the ball. Eric Maust boomed a 50 yard punt as Mike Anello made Stanford's Doug Baldwin backtrack into the endzone, while David Bruton tackled him at the 3 yard line. Any momentum Stanford gained from forcing the Irish to punt was deflated on that spectacular special teams play.

The special teams will have to be rectified in a hurry, because sooner or later, the kickers will be counted on to give Notre Dame some points.

Coaching: B
Coach Weis and Company had a good game plan of going no huddle most of the game and throwing all over the place. It definitely worked in the first half as they built a two touchdown halftime cushion. Once they were up three scores, it seemed as if they were just coasting. It almost costed them the game, and should be a good reminder that they need to finish what they started.

But like I said earlier, a win is a win, is a win, no matter how ugly it got.

Overall Grade: A low B to B- (2.85)

Notre Dame had the emotions flowing this week especially after Chris Marinelli's remarks made it to the Irish player's locker room. They also showcased what their defense can do when they face a more conventional offense (5 total sacks, 3 interceptions, and 1 fumble recovery).

At 4-1, the Irish are going to be facing their most difficult slate of the schedule with #23 UNC, Pittsburgh, and Boston College, sandwiched in between the TY Bowl at Washington. These games are going to show how much progressed this young team has made from last season.

The scary part of the fact is, Notre Dame still hasn't been playing its best ball they are capable of playing!

Buzz Around Team Camps 10/6/08

Here's the latest Buzz Around Team Camps for this Monday, October 6th:

San Diego St. via http://www.signonsandiego.com

San Diego State junior quarterback Drew Westling said he was looking forward to an opportunity for atonement. He's about to get his chance.

Coach Chuck Long said yesterday that Westling likely will make his first start of the season this week against Air Force after starter Ryan Lindley suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder in Saturday's 41-7 loss at TCU.

Lindley, who left the game at the end of the first quarter after being knocked out of bounds by Horned Frogs linebacker Daryl Washington, was still sporting a sling yesterday. While there was speculation during Long's postgame news conference that the redshirt freshman may have suffered a separated shoulder, Long said the extent of the injury will not be known until today when Lindley undergoes a CT scan.

Michigan via http://www.mlive.com

Remember that feel-good story Michigan was part of a week ago when the Wolverines overcame a 19-0 second-half deficit against Wisconsin and pulled out a 27-25 victory?Right now, it appears to have been just a fairy tale.

The Michigan offense reverted back to its boring, sluggish ways after a promising first quarter. And the defense was once again left on the field far too long while the Wolverines were manhandled by quarterback Juice Williams and a desperate Illinois team by a 45-20 score.

The loss brings the very real possibility of a losing Michigan season with a spread offense the continues to be questionable at best.

"That's a lack of execution, and it (comes) down to us getting it right in practice," said first-year Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez. "In practice, it seems like we are getting it right. But we aren't getting it done on the field."

Michigan St. via http://enlightenedspartan.com

None of the defensive backs who started Michigan State's season opener against California were on the field by the end of the Iowa game.

Cornerback Ross Weaver sat out Saturday's 16-13 win with a stomach virus, and free safety Kendell Davis-Clark still was recovering from a banged-up shoulder. Meantime, strong safety Otis Wiley (leg) and cornerback Chris L. Rucker (elbow) left with second-half injuries. Some coaches would consider such a situation a precarious predicament, especially with a team that operates a spread offense next on the schedule.

Purdue via http://boilerstation.jconline.com

Two weeks ago, during a 32-25 victory over Central Michigan, Purdue coach Joe Tiller told quarterback Curtis Painter that if he didn't produce in the next series that he'd be replaced by backup Joey Elliott.

After Painter threw an interception late in the third quarter during the Boilermakers' 20-6 loss Saturday to sixth-ranked Penn State, Tiller made good on his promise. But Painter's string of consecutive starts, 37, appears safe for now.

"Painter will start," Tiller said, referring to Purdue's game at No. 14 Ohio State next week. "He gives us the best chance to be successful. Curtis has done some good things, and we'll go back with the guy.

"The reason we (switched to Elliott against Penn State) was to give the team a little kickstart. That's not uncommon. It's something you do as a coach. But we'll go back and go with our veteran. We think he gives us the best chance to win."

North Carolina via http://www.newsobserver.com

North Carolina is back in The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since November 2001. And the No. 22 Tar Heels hope they have finally found the running attack to keep them there.

Converted safety Shaun Draughn accounted for 109 of UNC's 146 rushing yards during Saturday's 38-12 blowout against then-No. 24 Connecticut. Draughn is just the second Tar Heels player this season - and first tailback - to exceed 100 rushing yards in a game.

On UNC's Coaches Ranking via http://blogs.newsobserver.com

Where’s UNC? The short answer is No. 26. The long answer is the Tar Heels lost at home. You get extra credit for road wins and lose points for home losses in my book. Then why Wake at No. 20? Wake’s two good wins (at Florida State, vs. Ole Miss) are better than UNC’s (at Miami, vs. UConn). For the record, I did not rank UConn last week.

Oklahoma State edged out UNC for the last spot because the Cowboys are unbeaten (5-0). They also have to play Missouri this week, so if UNC beats Notre Dame, there will likely be an opening.

Along the same road loss/home loss lines of reasoning, I should have had USC in front of both Georgia and Florida last week. The Trojans are there this week, which was kind of a no-brainer after they routed Oregon.

I’m still unpopular in Provo and BYU still hasn’t beaten anyone. Patience, Cougars fans, patience.

Washington via http://seattletimes.nwsource.com

Saturday's loss was so demoralizing it caused yet another statement by athletic director Scott Woodward that he doesn't plan to fire Tyrone Willingham anytime soon. But the statement overshadowed what normally would have been one of the biggest stories of the season — the first career start for quarterback Ronnie Fouch.

Fouch, a redshirt freshman, took every snap of UW's 48-14 loss at Arizona Saturday in place of an injured Jake Locker, who is out six to eight weeks with a broken thumb. Fouch's numbers weren't overly impressive — 12 of 28 for 181 yards, one touchdown and one interception — but coaches felt that it was a serviceable enough first start.

"He's good enough to win with," offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said. "I thought he threw some nice balls [Saturday night] in some tough situations into the wind in the third quarter and the first quarter. That wasn't easy."

Pittsburgh via http://www.post-gazette.com

Pitt began the season ranked No. 25 in The Associated Press poll but promptly got knocked out of the rankings by losing its opener to Bowling Green. Since that loss, however, the Panthers have rebounded to win four consecutive games, including a 26-21upset at then-No. 10 South Florida Thursday.

Pitt is ranked No. 24 in the latest AP poll, released yesterday, marking the first time the Panthers have been ranked in the season since 2004. The Panthers (4-1) also are listed in the "receiving votes" category (No. 33) in the latest USA Today poll.

Boston College via http://www.boston.com

Call it a first step. Call it a giant first step. But Steve Logan wants to make one thing very clear about Boston College quarterback Chris Crane. "He's a rookie, he's a rookie, he's a rookie,'' said the BC offensive coordinator who marveled at the way his "rookie'' performed in Saturday's wild 38-31 victory over North Carolina State.

Logan was doing what he has done all season with Crane, who is actually a fifth year senior, but who has now started only six games in his BC career. He wanted to mix hope with reality. Great expectations with caution.

Crane did all that was asked of him against the Wolfpack and then some. He threw a pair of touchdown passes. He ran for three more, including the game-winner with 23 seconds left in regulation time. He had a career best 428 yards. And for the first time this season-he acted like the QB of the present, which was becoming an issue at BC after a month of slow, sometimes stuttering steps.

"It was time,'' said Logan, who decided to take most of the restrictions in the game plan off of Crane. "It was time to either do it or not do it. We were pretty explicit with him. We were going to take the gloves off. He had to prove that he could not only play aggressively, but smart and he did that for the most part.''

Navy via http://www.hometownannapolis.com

Navy's football team took a gigantic step toward claiming a sixth consecutive Commander-in-Chief's Trophy yesterday with a 33-27 victory over Air Force. Coming off last week's stunning win at 16th-ranked Wake Forest, the Midshipmen improved to 4-2 by beating their service academy rival and also improved their chances of playing in a sixth straight bowl game at season's end.

Senior kicker Matt Harmon tied a school record with four field goals while Navy scored two touchdowns off blocked punts en route to the win in front of 46,339 fans at Falcon Stadium. Air Force falls to 3-2.

"It never gets old beating Air Force," said Midshipman Harmon, who booted field goals of 32, 35, 44 and 48 yards.

Syracuse via http://www.syracuse.com

SU will already have it's hands full in Morgantown when it faces West Virginia Saturday. Dave Rahme reported Sunday that it appears the Orange will also be seeing White, as in Pat White, despite the fact the Heisman Trophy candidate left the game Saturday against Rutgers.

White took a blow to the head in the third quarter of a game West Virginia eventually won 24-17.

Former SU Player's Letter to the AD via http://blog.syracuse.com

Dr. Gross,

My name is Matt Neenan, a former player for the Orangemen in the early 90's. I wanted to put my request in for Randy Edsall as a head coach candidate. Randy recruited me from Williamsport, Pa. as an offensive lineman. Coming out of high school I was a 1st team USA Today All American, 1st Team Super Prep All American, and a Pa. heavyweight state wrestling champion. I ended up having a mediocre career at SU due to a knee injury that I suffered from a very stupid off the field event. My point is, however, at that time coming out of high school I could have went to any school in the country that I wanted to go to. I had full scholarship offers from PSU, Notre Dame, USC, Stanford, Miami, Fla. State among others. I chose to go to SU. In large part because of Randy Edsall. He had a very charasmatic style and personality that won over not only myself but my parents as well. There were several other players at that time that he recruited out of Pa. and Fla. that were very highly sought after coming out of high school. Many of those guys went on to play in the NFL. We all have seen what he has done at UConn. When we want to talk about strong relationships in the Northeast with high school coaches, I would be confident that Randy has his ground well established. I really believe that he has the best interest of the player at heart. I am sure that there are quite a few others that share my opinion. I think with Randy being a former player, assisstant, and recruiting coordinator, there would be no better fit. Unfortunately the players younger than myself did not have the pleasure of knowing Randy as he left with the transition of a new head coach in '91. The last thing I would like to say is that people can say what they want about firing coach P and George Deleone. Those guys were competitors and winners and when I was in school we had more than 1 top ten team. We did not have players come out in the media and say "we played our hearts out" after losing to Akron????? I think that during that time a player would be scared to death to ever breath those words after a loss to a team like that........Just my thoughts......

Thank you,

Matt Neenan '94

Southern Cal via http://www.latimes.com

USC quarterback Mark Sanchez suffered a bone bruise in his left knee against Oregon and "has a chance to play" this week against Arizona State, Coach Pete Carroll said Sunday.

Sanchez was injured in the third quarter of USC's 44-10 victory when he was sacked by former Mission Viejo High teammate Nick Reed. He left the field for one series but returned and played into the fourth quarter. Carroll said X-rays and an MRI exam revealed no ligament damage and that the injury was not related to the dislocated kneecap that forced Sanchez to sit out most of training camp.

Sanchez has worn a protective sleeve and a brace on his left knee since the kneecap injury.

"Thankfully, I had the patella stabilizer and the brace and that took care of me," Sanchez said Saturday night after the game.

Sanchez will not practice today and will be evaluated daily.

IBB Weekly Motivator: Week 28

Can Harbaugh be anymore of an annoying whiny little bitch? Jim, 1.) Those officials were from your conference, 2.) The ball hit your player first, which means the ball is down, and 3.) Get off the field before we sick Pat Kuntz on your scrawny ass!

Notre Dame vs. Stanford Highlights

Here are some great clips of Saturday's 28-21 victory over the Cardinal

Love Thee Notre Dame

Truly amazing from the oldest band in the land!

Notre Dame vs. Stanford: Tale of the Tape

The Stanford Cardinal invade South Bend this weekend for their annual clash with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Last week, Stanford posted a hard-fought 35-28 victory over Washington, marking the first time since 2005 that the program has notched back-to-back wins in the same season. The Cardinal, who are 2-1 in Pac-10 play, are aiming for their first 4-2 overall start since the 2005 campaign. Stanford opened the season with a victory over the same Oregon State team that recently knocked off USC, so it is clear that the Pac-10 has more parity than most fans and analysts believed. As for Notre Dame, it owns a 3-1 record, and all three wins have come at home. Last weekend, the Irish put forth a strong performance in a 38-21 victory over Purdue to match their win total from the entire 2007 campaign. Following this tilt, they will play four of their next five on the road. Notre Dame has won its last six meetings with Stanford to extend its series lead over the Cardinal to 16-6. Last season, the Irish won in California, 21-14.

Stanford was forced to play most of the game against Washington without the services of leading rusher Toby Gerhart, who left the game with a mild concussion. Fortunately, senior Anthony Kimble stepped in and played tremendous football, rushing for a career-high 157 yards on 15 carries, including a pair of touchdowns. Quarterback Tavita Pritchard put forth his best showing of the season, connecting on 16-of-24 passes for 222 yards and a career-high three touchdown passes. Through five outings, Stanford is scoring 25.0 ppg while gaining 311.2 total ypg. Gerhart has rushed for 421 yards and five touchdowns, and Pritchard has completed 56.5 percent of his passes for 691 yards and four touchdowns against four interceptions.

Last week, Stanford yielded 28 points, 27 first downs and 377 total yards to Washington, as the Cardinal defense did not play great football. Still, the unit fought hard, holding the Huskies to fewer than four yards per rush. The key this weekend will be eliminating big plays through the air, as Stanford permitted Washington to average over 13 yards per pass completion. Opponents are generating 27.6 ppg against the Cardinal, who are yielding 387.2 total ypg. They have surrendered 10 rushing scores and seven passing touchdowns, but they have also posted 15 sacks to go with eight takeaways. Clearly, there is room for improvement, but there are also positives to build on. Pat Maynor has registered 42 tackles this season to lead the club, and he has four sacks to his credit.

Last season, Jimmy Clausen took his lumps as the freshman quarterback of one of Notre Dame's worst teams ever. Now, as a sophomore, Clausen is surrounded by a better supporting cast, and he is delivering on the promise that made him one of the most prized recruits in school history. Against Purdue last week, Clausen completed 20-of-35 passes for 275 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Michael Floyd led the receivers with six grabs for 100 yards, and Golden Tate got into the end zone once again. As for the ground attack, Armando Allen led the way with 134 yards and a score on only 17 attempts. Notre Dame finished with over 200 yards both rushing and receiving in what was a strong all-around offensive effort. The Fighting Irish are generating 25.2 ppg and 334.0 total ypg, and although those numbers aren't eye-popping, they are much better than the figures posted by the 2007-08 club. Clausen has thrown for 901 yards and nine touchdowns in four games, overshadowing six interceptions and a mediocre .573 completion percentage. Tate has 20 catches for 367 yards and three scores to pace the team, and both Floyd and Grimes have two receiving scores.

Notre Dame was obviously challenged by a talented Purdue offense last weekend, and although the Boilermakers were able to rack up 462 total yards, they only got into the end zone three times. Holding Purdue to 21 points has to be seen as a positive by the Notre Dame coaches, but there is obviously some room for improvement. Through five outings, the Fighting Irish are yielding 385.2 total ypg and 18.5 ppg. Considering that the team is permitting 4.6 rushing ypc and 11.3 yards per pass completion, the defense is vulnerable against both forms of attack. But Notre Dame has done a good job in the red zone, sending opponents away scoreless on five of their 14 trips inside the 20-yard line. Kyle McCarthy is an active defender who leads Notre Dame with 38 total tackles. On a down note, he and his teammates have posted a grand total of one sack in 16 quarters of action.

Notre Dame will take care of business at home this weekend, extending its winning streak against Stanford. Clausen has a plethora of targets on the outside, as the passing game will be too much for the Cardinal to handle.

Notre Dame 35
Stanford 17

Stanford Injury Report
Wide receiver Richard Sherman (10/1, knee) is out
Defensive Back Corey Gatewood (9/28, leg) is questionable
Guard Gustav Rydstedt (9/28, concussion) is questionable
Wide receiver Marcus Rance (8/28, torn ACL) will miss the entire season
Quarterback Kellen Kiilsgaard (8/28, personal) has left the team
Cornerback Chris Hobbs (8/28, personal) has left the team
Tight end Ben Ladner (8/28, personal) has left the team
Wide receiver Wopamo Owusu (8/27, torn MCL) is out indefinitely
Safety Austin Yancy (8/27, hamstring) is out indefinitely
Tackle Allen Smith (8/28, knee surgery) is out indefinitely

Notre Dame Injury Report
Fullback Luke Schmidt (10/1, headaches) is out indefinitely
Wide receiver Barry Gallup Jr (9/28, undisclosed) is questionable
Tight end Will Yeatman (10/1, disciplinary/legal) is out indefinitely
Safety Jashaad Gaines (9/12, personal) is out indefinitely
Cornerback Darrin Walls (8/27, personal) will miss the fall semester
Tight end Mike Ragone (8/23, left knee surgery) will miss the entire season

Team Leaders
Receptions: SU Whalen (14), ND Tate (20)
Rec. Yards: SU Baldwin (159), ND Tate (367)
Rushing Atts: SU Gerhart (74), ND Hughes (49)
Rushing Yds: SU Gerhart (421), ND Allen (205)
Pass Atts: SU Pritchard (108), ND Clausen (131)
Pass Comp: SU Pritchard (61), ND Clausen (75)
Pass Yards: SU Pritchard (691), ND Clausen (901)
Comp %: SU Pritchard (56.5), ND Clausen (57.3)
TD passes: SU Pritchard (4), ND Clausen (9)
INTs: SU Pritchard (4), ND Clausen (6)

Buzz Around Team Camps 10/3/08

Here's the end of the week edition of the Buzz Around Team Camps for Friday, October 3rd:

San Diego St. via http://www.signonsandiego.com

Perhaps the best way to measure the progress of a struggling football team is to check its temperature after victories. Does it use its success to heat up some momentum? Or does it fall flat and cold in its next game?

For San Diego State, its record seems to show the answer. The Aztecs are 1-6 in games following wins under third-year coach Chuck Long, including some of their most embarrassing defeats ever. After getting their first victory of 2008 last week against Idaho, the Aztecs get their next test tomorrow at Texas Christian University (4-1).

“We've always come back hungry after a win,” senior running back Tyler Campbell said. “It's not guys getting lackadaisical. . . . We've always had the reputation of being that soft team from California. That's what a lot of people have said. But we've always come out here ready to prove a point.”

SDSU (1-3) still has only one winning streak under Long: two victories last November against Wyoming and UNLV. Other than that, Long's program usually has taken two or three steps backward after managing to put one foot forward.

Michigan via http://www.mlive.com

The difference is dramatic. In the first half, the University of Michigan football team gives up points by the bushel. In the second, the Wolverines become stingier than Scrooge with his shillings.

To be exact, Michigan (2-2, 1-0 Big Ten) has allowed 72 points through quarters one and two, compared with 19 in the third and fourth quarters.

The goal for Saturday's home game against Illinois (2-2, 0-1), Michigan defenders say, is to play at a high level for the entire 60 minutes.

Michigan St. via http://greenandwhite.com

It will take more than back-to-back wins against Notre Dame and Indiana to convince the disbelievers. Shoot, even Michigan State fifth-year senior defensive tackle Justin Kershaw isn't sure the Spartans truly know how to finish off opponents.

Then again, Kershaw has been around for awhile, so he knows MSU (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten) is only another blown win away from being labeled "same old Spartans."

Michigan State gets another reminder of its harebrained past when Iowa (3-2, 0-1) visits Spartan Stadium on homecoming at noon Saturday (ESPN2).

Stanford via http://www.paloaltodailynews.com

Stanford receiver Richard Sherman will be out four to six weeks after having an arthroscopic procedure and an injection in his left knee, the team announced Thursday. In a best-case scenario, Sherman, the Cardinal's most experienced receiver, would be back for the Washington State game Nov. 1. Worst-case, well, Sherman reportedly wrote on his facebook page that he is done for the season.

"That's not what the doctor said," Coach Jim Harbaugh said. "I don't read Richard Sherman's facebook."

Sherman played in four games, catching eight passes for 108 yards, but seemed far from full strength. Through four games last year, he had 20 receptions for 339 yards and two touchdowns.

Gerhart Cleared to Play Saturday via http://mercurynews.com

Running back Toby Gerhart was cleared to play against the Irish. Gerhart, Stanford's leading rusher, missed all but part of the first quarter last week after suffering what the team called a mild concussion.

"That was the first one where I really don't remember what happened," Gerhart said Thursday. "I remember the play and the last thing I can actually remember was like three minutes to go before halftime, right before Doug (Baldwin) scored his touchdown. From then on, I felt like I was perfectly fine."

Gerhart said he lobbied to get back on the field, even for an onside kick, but he was told no. "I didn't have my helmet," Gerhart said. "They definitely took it from me."

Washington via http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com

There was a new defensive back at Husky Stadium. Sort of. He wore sweat pants, a baseball cap and an uneasy smile. He stood about 5-9, weighed 170pounds and battled against UW defensive backs for interceptions during a drill. Ok, maybe battled is overstating things a bit, but it was fun watching coach Tyrone Willingham help out in a deep ball drill where defensive backs are supposed to catch passes. Willingham provided a little resistance and tried to distract the young secondary, which was easily distracted and dropped far too many passes. The coach even came down with an interception. It should be noted, Willingham was a two-sport athlete at Michigan State. He played quarterback and flanker in football and centerfield in baseball.

Ronnie Fouch in charge now via http://seattletimes.nwsource.com

QB Ronnie Fouch led the No. 1 offense against the No. 2 defense in a two-minute drill. RB Brandon Johnson began the drive in the backfield as the offense started in a four-receiver formation with TE Mike Gottlieb in the slot. Fouch connected with freshman WR Jermaine Kearse on a 50-plus yard touchdown. Kearse might have been out of bounds on the reception, however, the coaches gave him the catch, which should give Fouch a little confidence. Fouch has a strong arm and it wouldn't be surprising if he tests the Arizona secondary early with the deep ball.

Pittsburgh via http://www.post-gazette.com

LeSean McCoy ran for two touchdowns and Bill Stull threw for another as the University of Pittsburgh upset No. 10 South Florida 26-21 Thursday nigh.

The Panthers (4-1, 2-0 Big East) have beaten the last three nationally ranked teams they have faced, including No. 23 Cincinnati and No. 2 West Virginia in 2007. They have won two of the last three games with South Florida (5-1, 0-1) in Tampa.

Stull finished 16-for-27 for 228 yards.

Quarterback Matt Grothe accounted for most of South Florida's offense, but the Bulls didn't score any points on offense in the first half. Grothe was 11-of-20 for 129 yards and rushed 11 times for 25 yards, including a 1-yard keeper for a TD in the third.

Boston College via http://www.boston.com

We have all heard of an emergency quarterback--someone who comes in only in the most dire situations injury wise. Well, today Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski offered a new term: "emergency cornerback.''

A day after declaring his team 100 percent health wise, Jagodzinski backed off somewhat this afternoon when discussing the status of cornerback DeLeon Gause, who suffered a high ankle sprain in the first quarter of a 19-17 loss to Georgia Tech on Sept. 6.

"Gause is to be emergency only,'' said Jagodzinski before practice this afternoon ""He did not come along. We thought he would be fine. But he did not practice well enough yesterday, so he will be a third.''

Does emergency mean an injury to starting CB's Donnie Fletcher or Kevin Akins? Or does it mean trailing 14-0 in the first quarter after allowing a pair of touchdown passes by North Carolina State, the Eagles opponents in Saturday's ACC game? With Gause out, Fletcher, a true freshman, will continue to fill the starting role at one cornerback, along with Akins, a converted linebacker.

Navy via http://www.hometownannapolis.com

Fans and reporters alike have wondered what has changed with the Navy defense the last two games.

Navy struggled mightily in back-to-back losses to Ball State and Duke, giving up a total of 76 points and 884 total yards. The Midshipmen could not get a stop to save their lives in those two contests, allowing the Cardinals and Blue Devils to convert 15 of 22 third down situations.

Defensive coordinator Buddy Green has directed a dramatic turnaround ever since. Navy gave up just 21 points while forcing two crucial turnovers to key an upset of perennially strong Rutgers then held high-powered Wake Forest to 17 points while creating six turnovers en route to knocking off the nation's 15th-ranked team. Not surprisingly, the Midshipmen significantly improved their third down efficiency as the Scarlet Knights and Demon Deacons converted on just 12 of 28 of those situations.

Southern Cal via http://www.latimes.com

Mitch Mustain transferred to USC intent on becoming John David Booty's successor as the Trojans' starting quarterback. Mustain, however, was fourth on the depth chart behind starter Mark Sanchez, Garrett Green and Aaron Corp for last week's game against Oregon State.

So the low-key Mustain appeared more upbeat and confident than he has been in some time on Thursday after Coach Pete Carroll confirmed that he would back up Sanchez against No. 23 Oregon on Saturday.

"It was a big boost, " Mustain said after practice.

Mustain, a third-year sophomore, ran the scout team last season after transferring from Arkansas, where he started and won eight games as a true freshman. He was expected to battle Sanchez for the starting job in spring practice, but Sanchez's command of the offense was clearly superior and Mustain found himself competing for the back-up role.

Cushing moves inside via http://www.latimes.com

Linebacker Brian Cushing spent three seasons on the outside looking in as a strong-side linebacker. On Saturday, he'll be the man in the middle, starting in place of injured senior Rey Maualuga at middle linebacker.

"He's going to try and knock everybody's head in just like he's always done," Carroll said. "He misses at times because he's trying so hard to hit guys."

Cushing, 6 feet, 3 and 255 pounds, was at his best this season against Ohio State. Though Maualuga stole the spotlight by returning an interception for a touchdown, Cushing played a more productive and disruptive role with 10 tackles.

Cushing began his career on the strong side backing up Dallas Sartz, played the "elephant" position along the line of scrimmage as a sophomore and now gets a turn in the middle. The versatility could help the prospects of a player already regarded as a first- or second-round NFL draft pick.

"Hopefully, they can see I'm not just an outside guy," Cushing said of NFL scouts. "I can play inside too, and there's more game film for the guys to look at."

IBB Cheers & Jeers

After an exciting 38-21 victory over Purdue last Saturday, there has been a whole lot of cheers coming from the Irish Nation. Here's a look at the highs and lows heading into this Saturday against the Stanford Cardinal:

Cheers: First off, I have to give a huge shout out to my Chili Dawg, Nino B. for getting a job with the NCAA Headquarters in Indianapolis. First it is awesome that you are going to be back home again in Indiana, so you can make the short drive up north for home games. Lastly, you need to hook a brotha up with Final Four tickets!

Cheers: To the Irish Offensive line for smacking the Boilermakers back down to reality. 201 yards rushing is what this team needed to build their confidence up and show everyone that Notre Dame can run the football effectively.

Cheers: Armando Allen's surge up the national rankings in All-Purpose yardage. Allen currently stands as the nation's 21st-best all-purpose runner at 154 yards a game. His stats should increase the next couple of games against shotty defenses in Stanford and Washington. The UNC game could be a tough one to get plenty of yards, but then again, who knows. Allen's accolades coming out of high school are finally coming into fruition for the Irish.

Jeers: Sacks, as in, where the heck are they? A lot was made out of getting blitz happy, mad scientist Jon Tenuta from Georgia Tech. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy we have him and the Irish defense has been holding their own of sorts, but damn, can't Notre Dame get at least one sack a game?

Cheers: Sacks, as in, the Offensive Line isn't giving them up as often as a St. Mary's girl giving up her meal ticket. The Irish are 22nd nationally by giving up one sack a contest.

Jeers: For the bend, but don't break defense. I thought we got rid of that mentality when Rick Minter was shown the door. Unfortuantely, Notre Dame opponents have been racking up the yardage on the Irish with virtual ease.

Cheers: For that bend, but don't break defense in yielding only 18.5 points a game (34th in the nation) and having a 36.8 success rate of teams converting third downs. This is definitely light years ahead of where they were last season.

Jeers: Notre Dame Ushers for being completely and utterly retarded! To add to the craziness of home football weekends, last Saturday my nephew and his friend were using my father's tickets to the game, mind you that these tickets have been in the family for well over 27 years. My nephew who has sat in these seats more than a handful of times was harrassed by two, rather large folks. These two individuals are not regulars in these seats, asked my nephew and his friend to see their tickets because that row had little breathing room like a Chinese Buffet at a Weight Watchers Convention.

Anyway, the two large individuals claimed that these tickets were fake and called for an usher. This female usher was not only rude, but she was completely asinine. She did clarify to everyone that those tickets were indeed legit, but forced my nephew and his friend up to the overflow section above the student section. Not that minded that, but it's the principal of the matter. Season ticket holders, that have been using these seats among family members shold not be treated that way whatsoever. So much for friendly and courtesy ushers too!

Finally to get off my high horse, shouldn't large individuals, who take up about four seats between the both of them, be charged for two tickets each? If airlines can do this, Notre Dame should do the same. If not, then fatty should put down the hot dog and get his ass a moving!

Buzz Around Team Camps 10/2/08

Here's the latest from the Buzz Around Team Camps for this Thursday, October 2nd:

San Diego St. via http://www.signonsandiego.com

If Chuck Long didn't look like the cat that had just swallowed the canary, his expression was certainly a worthy facsimile thereof. After all, coaches never would place a phone call to former colleagues to obtain inside information on an opponent . . . would they?

“Never,” said Long, stifling a grin while discreetly attempting to sweep the canary feathers under the table. “Coaches never talk to other teams or their contacts or friends. There's no truth to it.”
Of course not. Nor is there any reason to believe the stock markets took a bit of a downturn this week.

Fact is, Long, whose San Diego State football team visits Texas Christian University on Saturday, spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at Oklahoma. Just so happens the No. 1-ranked Sooners played Saturday against, of all teams, TCU. Oklahoma won 35-10.

Michigan via http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/

Saturday's game against Illinois could be Michigan's chance to make its case for rejoining the Top 25. But with fleetfooted Illini quarterback Juice Williams on the loose, it's going to be a tough challenge for the Wolverines. Limiting mistakes will be crucial, says The Ann Arbor News' John Heuser, during his live weekly Q&A session.

"Offensively the biggest thing is the turnovers," he points out. "Michigan can't have them.

"Defensively, everything starts with keeping Juice Williams contained. I'm still not convinced that Williams is a good passer. Stop him from running, then see if he can beat you down the field."

Michigan St. via http://enlightenedspartan.com

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio doesn't think there's going to be a lot of flash when the Spartans host the Iowa Hawkeyes. At his weekly teleconference, he says it'll be some good old-fashioned, physical Big Ten football.

"Extremely tough, fundamentally sound, very disciplined defensive football team," Dantonio says of the Hawkeyes defense. "They tackle well. They're very firm up front. They two-gap you a lot. They're not going to try and fool you. You're going to know where they're at. You just have to be able to play against them. But they're very physical, so it'll be a huge challenge for us."

Either George Perles is really old and senile, or just plain stupid via http://www.mlive.com

Former Michigan State football coach George Perles said he was caught off guard by Tony Mandarich's admission to using steroids when he played for the Spartans' 1987 Big Ten championship team.

But, when contacted at his home Tuesday night, Perles said his feelings haven't changed for his former offensive tackle, who went on to become the No. 2 overall pick in the 1989 NFL draft.

Purdue via http://boilerstation.jconline.com

With four non-conference games in the rear view mirror and eight Big Ten Conference games looming ahead, perhaps this would be a good time to assess the 2008 Purdue football team.

The non-conference schedule was a pretty good one as far as providing a fairly accurate read on the Boilermakers. After opening with a soft season opener against Northern Colorado, coach Joe Tiller's 12th and final Purdue team has faced some pretty good competition -- Oregon, Central Michigan and Notre Dame. So, what's the take on the 2-2 Boilermakers to date?

"If you had asked me that two weeks ago, I would have said pretty good," Tiller said. "But isn't it something how one quarter of one game can change your outlook?"

Tiller, of course, was referring to the disastrous third quarter in last week's 38-21loss at Notre Dame.

"I think our receivers and quarterback are getting closer to being on the same page," he continued. "If we hadn't had the third quarter of the last game, I would have said that we've made progress defensively too.

Washington via http://seattletimes.nwsource.com

Bad as Washington's defense was in 2007, when it allowed a school-record 446.4 yards per game, the Huskies could still get to the quarterback at a respectable rate. The Huskies had 35 sacks last season, sixth in the Pac-10 but only four fewer than the third-place team UCLA (USC led with 45). But four games into this season, the Huskies are still waiting for their first one, making them the only team of 119 schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision without one.

"It's tough to believe," said junior defensive end Darrion Jones.

The coaches are searching for answers. They point optimistically to some near-misses as signs of progress — defensive end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim hit Stanford quarterback Tavita Pritchard six times Saturday. But they know that's not enough.

"We just keep trying," said defensive line coach Randy Hart. "They are nearly getting there, but nearly doesn't count. We are not playing horseshoes. So that has to improve."

The Huskies tried blitzing a bit more than usual against the Cardinal, but couldn't turn any into sacks, and were burned one time when Pritchard got rid of the ball quickly to throw a 61-yard touchdown pass to Doug Baldwin that swung the game late in the second quarter.

"There's been pressure on the quarterbacks, but not enough," said first-year defensive coordinator Ed Donatell.

Pittsburgh via http://www.post-gazette.com

In the past three games, Pitt's defense has allowed three points in the fourth quarter. The Panthers came from behind to win two of those games and held on to a slim lead to win the other.

It is the kind of dominant defense Panthers coach Dave Wannstedt has been building since he arrived before the 2005 season. There's just one problem: The defense has closed games in impressive fashion but has had a tough time getting off to a strong start.

Pitt might have been able to survive playing one quarter of great defense against Syracuse and Iowa, but Wannstedt knows that the Panthers must be much better at the start of games for the team to continue winning. And that is especially true tonight when Pitt (3-1, 1-0 Big East) plays No. 10 South Florida (5-0, 0-0) at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

On Wannstedt's Recruiting Classes via http://www.post-gazette.com

Have we overrated Dave Wannstedt's ability to evaluate talent and thus overrated some of Pitt's recruiting classes and players? Shouldn't this team be playing at a higher level than it is?

Great question -- my gut is yes in some cases and no in others. I think some positions, it is clear his recruits have been overrated, like linebacker, which should be right up his alley. I mean the fact that a former walk-on receiver, converted to linebacker about a week before the first game is starting and hasn't been beaten out yet is scary in terms of what it says for the linebacker depth. So there are some spots where, maybe, we should take a closer look at the players. But at other spots, like offensive line, he's brought in guys like Lucas Nix and Chris Jacobson who are going to be stars, John Malecki and Jason Pinkston who, I know, were recruited a.s defensive linemen but it was always known both would end up on offense. He has clearly made an impact on the defensive line as well. I think there is no question this team has good players and a lot of them. There are clearly some holes, but the bottom line is the team should be performing better than it has and you will never convince me that Bowling Green beat Pitt because it has better players

Boston College via http://www.boston.com

After Boston College racked up 289 yards and scored five touchdowns by essentially calling the same two running plays 40 times last week in a 42-0 win over Rhode Island, offensive coordinator Steve Logan offered a disclaimer.

First, as tight end Ryan Purvis tells it, "He said he's never been in a game where you can run the same play over and over again and be successful and score as many points as we did."

Then he added, "That will never happen again."

The benefit to running so well, Purvis said, is that the Eagles got to use their bread-and-butter play against an abundance of different looks from URI.

The reality is that at some point, the Eagles will have to pass. That's why the game plan for Saturday at North Carolina State calls for more of an emphasis on an attack that almost wound up on the endangered species list last week as BC threw the ball just nine times.

Syracuse via http://www.syracuse.com

An investigation into a reported sexual assault of a Syracuse University student is being performed by the Syracuse police and the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office, a police spokesman said.

WTVH-TV Channel 5 reports allegations involve SU football team. City police were called to the SU campus about 5 a.m. Tuesday by a female student, police said in a news release. Sgt. Tom Connellan, speaking for city police, declined to give details of the incident or who was involved.

"We are not identifying anyone involved in anything," Connellan said.

Connellan described the nature of the investigation as "very sensitive."

Police have interviewed all involved in the allegations, Connellan said.

The SU Department of Public Safety is cooperating with the investigation but the police asked that the university hold off on conducting an investigation until the police have finished its investigation, Connellan said.

"It is premature to speculate that a crime was committed or who or how many individuals may have been involved in this alleged incident," states a Syracuse Police news release issued Wednesday night.

Southern Cal via http://www.latimes.com

Two personal foul penalties called against USC nose tackle Averell Spicer cost the Trojans dearly in their upset loss against Oregon State. They also cost Spicer his starting job.

"I'm really paying for it now -- I'm not starting this week because of that," Spicer said Wednesday. "Coach had a talk with me and said that they can't start me having two personal fouls in a game.

"They told me I was supposed to be a better leader, to lead by example, and I definitely wasn't doing it. I understand that."

Spicer was among the defensive linemen who struggled against an Oregon State offensive front that pushed the Trojans off the line of scrimmage and led a 186-yard rushing effort by running back Jacquizz Rodgers.

Maualuga out, Cushing in via http://www.latimes.com

Middle linebacker Rey Maualuga will almost certainly sit out Saturday's game because of a right knee sprain, Coach Pete Carroll said.

"The way it looks, he's not going to make it back," Carroll said. "We need to take care of him and get him well for this long haul."

Junior Brian Cushing took most of the first-team snaps at middle linebacker and will probably start, with redshirt freshman Chris Galippo backing him up. Sophomore Michael Morgan would start in Cushing's spot at strong-side linebacker. Cushing has been wearing a cast to protect a broken bone in his right hand, but the cast will be replaced with customized protective wrap for the game.

Cushing said he would not try to do more with Maualuga sidelined.

"I wouldn't necessarily say I have to step it up that much because we have great backups, but it's going to be different without [Maualuga] out there," Cushing said.

Classic Moments in the Notre Dame - Stanford Series

Here are a few clips of the Notre Dame - Stanford Series.

1964


1990 Look away if you must!


2005


2006


2007 - THE CATCH


Televison View

Keys to the Game: Stanford

Being consistent will be the name of the game this week for the Fighting Irish when they host Stanford. After putting together one of the more complete offensive games in the Charlie Weis era, Notre Dame will look to do more of the same against the 3-2 Cardinal.

Stanford, also trying to shake the inconsistency bug, is striving to win its second consecutive game on the road this season. Last week the Cardinal beat Pac-10 and future Irish opponent, Washington, 35-28.

It's an emphasis of doing the little things during practice should result in big dividends come Saturday. Notre Dame is in no shape to take the Cardinal for granted, especially after a wild upset Saturday last week.

1.) Get Going From the Start: Notre Dame needs to pick back up where they left off from the Purdue game. If the Irish can get a few quick scores early, Stanford will be out of their game plan of running the ball behind Toby Gerhart (if he's healthy, of course).

2.) Shut Down the Stanford Ground Attack: Like last week against Purdue, Notre Dame has to limit Stanford's run game to minimal yardage. Although the Irish have faced better rushers statistically, Gerhart is a tough runner to bring down. He's the nation's 50th leading rusher with 84.2 yards per game, 5.69 per carry, and five touchdowns. Notre Dame defenders cannot afford to tackle high with this fella running the ball.

If Gerhart cannot go full speed on Saturday, Anthony Kimble is a suitable replacement rushing for 247 yards on the year, including over 120 against the Huskies last week.

Look for the Irish defense to creep up in the box and stuff the Cardinal run early on. This is the type of game where Patrick Kuntz, Ethan Johnson, and Ian Williams could have a field day.

3.) Air It Deep: Next to Washington and Navy, Stanford is the worst pass defense team they will face this season. Opponents complete nearly 65% of their passes against the Cardinal, while giving up 260 yards a game. Stanford is also penchant of giving up the deep ball a lot. They are giving up 11 yards a pass, not to mention, an average of 5 passes over 20 yards a game.

This will bode well for Golden Tate (#23 nationally in receiving yards with 91.75), Michael Floyd, David Grimes and Kyle Rudolph, who should stretch out the field for Jimmy Clausen. There's just too many weapons for the Cardinal to cover.

4.) Run Armando Run: Finally good things are happening with Armando Allen running with the football. Now as the featured back in the Irish offense, Allen needs to establish the tempo early with his runs and catches out of the backfield. He's currently the nation's 21st leader in All-Purpose yardage with 154 yards a game.

The more chances Allen gets with the ball, the better they will be for the Irish. This should be the game where he'll break a long one either running or returning a kick.

5.) Dominate the Line of Scrimmage: Last week proved that they can push defenses around. Saturday should be no different as the offensive line needs to establish from the get-go they can run the ball with ease and pass down the field. The right side of the line of Sam Young and Chris Stewart opened up big holes for the Irish running game. Kyle Rudolph also got in the mix sealing off blockers on several long runs by Allen.

I'm not saying they will achieve 201 yards rushing again, but it is definitely not out of the question!

Buzz Around Team Camps 10/1/08

Catch the latest Buzz Around Team Camps for Wednesday October 1st:

San Diego St. via http://www.signonsandiego.com

Having concluded ruminating on his team's loss at then-No. 2 Oklahoma over the weekend, TCU coach Gary Patterson yesterday was asked about Saturday's encounter with San Diego State. Specifically, the questioner was curious as to what Patterson thought of Aztecs redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Lindley. Trouble was, the questioner couldn't remember Lindley's name. Patterson, on the other hand, had no trouble.

“His name is Ryan Lindley,” said Patterson, “and he's a guy who's going to cause this league a lot of problems as he gets older.”

If his initial season was to be trial by fire, Ryan Lindley is fast dousing the flames. The former El Capitan High standout, faced with filling the sizable shoes of Kevin O'Connell, is coming off the best performance by a freshman quarterback in SDSU history.

Michigan via http://www.mlive.com

Despite a lack of players who fit his system, there was never any question for Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez about what kind of offense he would use. No thoughts of holding off on the system until he could recruit players more suitable for his version of the spread. And while Rodriguez says at his weekly press conference that the offense isn't running full throttle right now, he says it has nothing to do with the system itself.

"Well, it's not going well, for the most part," he admits, "but it's going well at times. There's going to be a transition period – and I've said this several times – it didn't matter what scheme you ran or who the coach was going to be – we were going to be in a transition year here because of the loss of all the great players to graduation.

"You had guys like Chad Henne, Mike Hart, Jake Long and several of those other that graduated and moved on to the NFL were multi-year starters. So I don't think it mattered what system you ran, you were going to be in a transition phase."

Purdue via http://boilerstation.jconline.com

It was three days after Purdue's 38-21 loss at Notre Dame, but the Boilermakers' third-quarter defensive meltdown against the Fighting Irish was still on the front burner. The primary reason is because the immediate schedule, with Saturday's game against No. 6 Penn State and next week's game at No. 14 Ohio State, doesn't get any easier.

Notre Dame's running game got well against the Boilermakers in the third quarter. The Irish had rushed 14 times for only 62 yards in the first half, but they came out and played smash-mouth football in the third quarter, rushing 25 times for 152 yards.

"It was just a mental lapse," Purdue starting defensive tackle Mike Neal said Tuesday. "Before the game even started we had guys running around, jumping around and really enthusiastic. And then we went into the locker room (at halftime) and you see a lot of (blank) faces.

"You can't have that going into the second half against a team like Notre Dame, especially playing at Notre Dame. We came out dead and they came out and punched us in the mouth. We didn't do a good job of responding. They just basically ran it down our throats."

Stanford via http://gostanford.cstv.com

Here's a sampling of some of head coach Jim Harbaugh's comments from today's Stanford football media luncheon as the Cardinal prepare to meet Notre Dame this Saturday in South Bend, Ind.

On Toby Gerhart
Toby is progressing well. He suffered a slight concussion on Saturday. He is symptom-free right now. We'll continue him on progressions this week, which included biking on Monday, this morning he lifted and tomorrow (Wednesday) he'll practice. If he remains symptom-free, he'll be able to play on Friday.

On Richard Sherman's Left Knee Injury
Richard will see Dr. Dragoo today. He won't be taking the trip to Notre Dame. There's a possibility he'll be out of practice this week and he could be on crutches. He might have to get an injection but we'll see after he meets with the doctor today.

On Playing at Notre Dame
It's an unbelievable setting. I had a chance to play there once as a college senior. It's something you'll remember for awhile. I told our team it's kind of like when you were nine-years old playing in the back yard and visualizing playing in front of a big crowd. Put yourself in that setting. We're not nine-years old anymore but we are in that setting. It's a great opportunity for our football team to go on the road again to a hostile environment and play a very good football team. Even though we are not nine, we can still capture that spirit and that joy from playing football.

On Notre Dame
They seem to be in gear. They have a lot of young guys playing skilled positions and they are not playing like freshmen. The quarterback (Jimmy Clausen) is starting to come into his own. He's confident back there and his passes are crisp. He likes throwing deep, especially on early downs. We'll be tested in the passing game. The tough thing for us is they are such a balanced offense. They can run and pass and they have a lot of young guys stepping up real big for them.

Washington via http://seattletimes.nwsource.com

The boos fell, harsh and heavy, on the Washington players when they ran off the field at halftime and again when they walked off late Saturday night, after their fourth loss in four games. Booing has become a new tradition at Husky Stadium. Washington fans and students have been angry for a long time and they've been eager to jeer anybody wearing purple. Certainly coach Tyrone Willingham hears them. No doubt, he even feels the sting.

This is his program. These are his players. He has been in their living rooms. He has met their parents. He has seen them play in high school. He has envisioned their potential. He never expected this.

After Saturday's loss, Willingham was more introspective than he has ever been. He talked, albeit briefly, about the swirl of speculation around the program and the effect it is having on his team. The speculation, of course, is about Willingham's Washington future, which at this 0-and-4 low point, is vanishing.

All of the early mornings and late nights, all of the adjustments, the personnel changes, the recruiting coups, haven't led to wins. Nothing Willingham has done to stop the flood of losses has worked.

And at the end of this, his fourth season, he will be gone.

Pittsburgh via http://www.post-gazette.com

Redshirt junior Oderick Turner has been inconsistent through four games, though he continues to hold onto his starting job. Turner has started three of the Panthers' four games and is slated to start tomorrow night against South Florida.

But he has continued to drop too many passes -- he had two key drops in the game against Syracuse -- and yesterday, Wannstedt said it was likely to begin to affect his playing time. That revelation brought the natural follow-up question -- does that mean dynamic freshman Jonathan Baldwin, who is listed as Turner's backup, will get more playing time?

"No, Cedric McGee will get more work," Wannstedt said. "It will be Ced."

Navy via http://www.hometownannapolis.com

Navy has been blessed with some outstanding fullbacks during the triple-option era.

Kyle Eckel (2002-2004) ranks fourth on Navy's all-time rushing list with 2,906 career yards and is now playing for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. Adam Ballard (2005-2007) stands seventh on the career rushing chart with 2,125 yards and also drew the interest of professional scouts.

Current starter Eric Kettani has the ability to be the best fullback in program history. The 6-foot-1, 243-pound senior is an impressive physical specimen - bigger, faster and stronger than the aforementioned standouts. Kettani caught the eye of NFL scouts last spring by running the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds during Navy's "Pro Day." He can bench press nearly 400 pounds and owns a 32-inch vertical leap.

"Eric has the potential to be as good as we've had here. He's got all the physical tools," head coach Ken Niumatalolo said.

Syracuse via http://www.syracuse.com

Syracuse fans have been buzzing about it in the Orange Football Forum on syracuse.com; Brent Axe has talked about it on his ESPN Radio show; and by most accounts, the fan blog Orange44 was the first to report rumblings that former Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr was on the SU hill recently.

The rumor has yet to be confirmed, and SU Athletics officials have denied it. In a Daily Orange article today, Zach Schonbrun writes the Carr rumor shows how the Internet 'blurs the line between fact and fiction.'

"It's really tough. You don't know who's making stuff up just to stir the pot. You don't know who is legit trying to get their message out there," Brent Axe told the Daily Orange.

Another Coaching Candidate via http://www.syracuse.com

Syracuse football fans' ears perked up when, as anticipated, Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis (an SU alum) fired head coach Lane Kiffin on Tuesday. Kiffin, like SU athletic director Daryl Gross, once worked for USC, and Gross has said, "Hypothetically speaking, Kiffin would be a candidate in any coaching search here if one were to take place and if he was available."

Southern Cal via http://www.latimes.com

Family and friends call to talk about the game. On campus, classmates offer their congratulations. USC players are accustomed to basking in the accolades after a win. But what happens when they lose?

In the wake of last week's upset defeat at Oregon State, they talk about all the text messages and phone calls, the questions from fellow students.

Receiver Patrick Turner: "Family will always be like, 'It's OK.' And your boys will ask what happened. It's almost embarrassing. You don't want to get text messages or phone calls. You don't want to talk to anybody."

Safety Kevin Ellison: "I just got people who said, 'Keep your head up' or, 'Good luck next game.' It wasn't so bad."

Offensive guard Jeff Byers: "There are guys in my MBA classes who are huge fans. You can't be surprised when people ask you. We're in the spotlight, we came here to be in the spotlight.

"When you lose games, you've got to expect to answer questions about it. You want to talk about it when you win, so you can't pick and choose."

On the SC Linebacker Situation via http://www.latimes.com

Chris Galippo envisioned a methodical path into the starting lineup when he arrived at USC in the fall of 2007: Play as a reserve behind a Butkus Award candidate, then gradually take over the middle linebacker position.

A back injury, however, forced Galippo to have surgery and redshirt after three games last season. A second back surgery 13 weeks ago kept him out of practice and off the sideline for the first three games this season.

But when the ninth-ranked Trojans play No. 23 Oregon on Saturday, Galippo could be in the starting lineup. If senior Rey Maualuga remains sidelined because of a knee sprain, Galippo might be running the defense for a team looking to bounce back from an upset loss at Oregon State.

"Sometimes opportunity's just thrown at you and you just have to be ready for it," Galippo said Tuesday after his second full practice.