Other College Football Capsules: Davis' dramatic TD lifts ECU past Tulsa 51-49
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) — In his first start at East Carolina, quarterback Dominique Davis provided one of the greatest finishes in the history of the program.
Davis heaved a 33-yard touchdown pass to a leaping Justin Jones as time expired to give the Pirates a wild 51-49 win against Tulsa on Sunday in coach Ruffin McNeill's debut at his alma mater.
Davis was 27 of 46 for 383 yards with five touchdown passes — two to Lance Lewis, two to Dwayne Harris — and one rushing TD in his first start for East Carolina (1-0, 1-0 Conference USA).
"That was the greatest experience of my life," said Davis, the former Boston College quarterback said. "There was probably people in the stands — our fans — who probably thought the game was over. But I told the team, 'Just trust.' As soon as I let it go, I knew he was going to catch it."
G.J. Kinne finished 28 of 43 for 399 yards for Tulsa (0-1, 0-1). His fifth touchdown pass — a 3-yard toss to Charles Clay with 1:22 left — appeared to have been enough for the Golden Hurricane.
But Davis whisked the Pirates downfield in nine plays. On the final snap, he launched the ball high toward a handful of players in the end zone. The 6-foot-8 Jones outjumped everyone for it, setting off a massive celebration.
"I've been doing this for 24 years, and that's never happened to me," Tulsa coach Todd Graham said. "We usually have a play we execute to put pressure on the quarterback so he can't make that throw. We called the play and didn't execute. That's our fault."
A brief review upheld the call and the Pirates, who were flagged for an excessive celebration, skipped the extra point and instead took a knee.
"I guess I'm just lucky I'm taller than everybody," Jones said. "My first thought (in the pile-up in the end zone) was just get the ball safe, and the next thing I know, I felt like I'm being crushed by a truck."
The teams combined for 1,117 total yards and the lead changed hands 12 times during a wacky, back-and-forth C-USA shootout in which defense seemed optional. Harris caught seven passes for 121 yards while Lewis finished with six grabs for 105 yards.
Those two were the biggest beneficiaries of Davis' big day. He led BC to the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, but left the program and transferred to a junior college. He signed with East Carolina to play for Skip Holtz, but he faced an uncertain future when Holtz left for South Florida in January and McNeill returned to his alma mater to replace him.
The best-kept secret in Greenville this summer was who would start under center, and nobody knew who McNeill had picked until Davis trotted off the sideline for the first play from scrimmage. Davis said he was told "a while ago" that he would start but to keep it under wraps, though McNeill maintained all week that he was waffling between Davis and sophomore walk-on Brad Wornick.
Looks like he picked the right guy.
Davis had touchdown passes of 43 and 30 yards to Lewis and 6 and 34 yards to Harris. He scored on a 2-yard keeper on the fourth play of the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, his counterpart was just as productive. Kinne had TDs of 12 yards to Clay Sears, 3 yards to Jameel Owens and 75 yards to Willie Carter before he got a fortunate bounce on one of his throws. His hard pass into the end zone bounced high off Thomas Roberson. The crowd had already started cheering an apparent incompletion when Trae Johnson leaped and pulled it out of the air. That 11-yard touchdown put Tulsa up 42-38.
Still, there was 8:15 remaining — plenty of time for more fireworks.
Two plays after Davis' 26-yard pass to Joe Womack on fourth-and-3, he tossed a quick strike to Harris, who cut across the middle of the field and scored from 34 yards out to make it 45-42 with 6:05 left.
But that only meant it was Tulsa's turn to score again. Kinne led the Golden Hurricane 76 yards in 11 plays, capped by the flip to Clay that seemingly had decided it.
"We knew we had to put up a lot of points," Harris said. "We really took that as a challenge as an offensive team, and the quarterback took that as a challenge to get the ball to the receivers and make plays, and that's what we did."
Commentary
Proud powers get early test on rebuilding efforts
Michigan-Notre Dame seems so last century now.
The game burnished reputations, showcased a handful of top NFL draft picks and often signaled whether either Midwestern power was likely to land a spot in the national championship picture. But the meeting of the sport's two winningest programs in South Bend this weekend will resemble something closer to "Extreme Makeover: College Football Edition."
Neither has been relevant the last few years and both are in the midst of rebuilding. On the admittedly slim evidence of Saturday's openers, each suggested a change of fortune may be in the offing.
"We've been through a lot. It's been tough on the coaches. It's been tough on the players," Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said after the Wolverines pounded visiting Connecticut.
"This is just one win," he added, "but I'm going to let our players enjoy it."
"I took on the challenge at Notre Dame because I want to see this program back to where I believe it should be," said coach Brian Kelly after a convincing win over Purdue in his first game in charge of the Irish, "and that's amongst the elite in college football."
While their problems have been similar, the programs have gone about rebuilding differently.
The Irish have been impatient. Kelly is their sixth coach since the start of the decade — counting George O'Leary, who never coached a game, and Kent Baer, who served in an interim role for a bowl game after Ty Willingham was fired — and the lack of continuity has shown on defense.
Like his predecessor, Charlie Weis, Kelly brought glittering offensive credentials and a reputation for developing quarterbacks to South Bend.
But against Purdue, the rigorous offseason conditioning program Kelly installed yielded immediate dividends on defense — four sacks and two interceptions by a team that was losing the turnover battle regularly. And Notre Dame's ground game was just as tough, piling up 153 yards with Armando Allen and Cierre Wood taking turns slicing and dicing the Boilermakers' defense.
Purdue coach Danny Hope called Allen "the biggest difference-maker in the game. He's going to make a lot of other people miss, too."
Connecticut coach Randy Edsall said something similar about Michigan's quarterback, the breakout star of the opening weekend.
"Denard Robinson is going to make people look bad," he said.
Robinson's debut couldn't have come a moment too soon for Rodriguez. Michigan has always taken the long-term view, and Rodriguez' predecessor, Lloyd Carr, held the job for the 13 seasons before that. Rodriguez was brought in to update the offense, but the results were so poor in his first two seasons that more than a few high-profile programs wouldn't have kept him around for a third.
Throw in run-ins with the NCAA over practice time — a first for the Wolverines' football program — and Rodriguez' continued employment prospects were dimming. But his Michigan higher-ups weren't the only one counseling patience. Rodriguez told anyone willing to listen that the spread offense that worked so well at every one of his last stops would succeed in Ann Arbor once he had the personnel in place. And Robinson turned out to be just the guy.
He ran 29 times for 197 yards and threw for another 186 yards, completing 19 of 22 passes. That's a lot of touches without even one turnover, something that killed Michigan down the stretch last season.
Speaking of which, the Wolverines began last season with plenty of promise, slipping past Notre Dame en route to a 4-0 start, only to lose seven of their final eight games, including five in a row. The same game proved an accurate barometer of where the Irish were headed. They stumbled to a 6-6 finish.
That explained Rodriguez' refusal to make too much of what might have been his biggest achievement so far in charge of the maize and blue. In his mind, preparations for Notre Dame couldn't begin soon enough.
"I will enjoy this for the next three hours and 10 minutes," he said, "and try to get five hours of sleep."
Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for the Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke@ap.org.
Features
Kelly savors 1st win, Michigan up next for Irish
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Brian Kelly relaxed after his first victory at Notre Dame as only a coach can. He tuned in to some more football, catching the second half of a game involving the school he led to an unbeaten record last season.
After a long day of football and ceremony in which he helped sing the fight song in the locker room following Notre Dame's 23-12 win over Purdue on Saturday, Kelly says he watched the second half of Cincinnati's game against Fresno State.
What he'll be looking at this week is how to handle an improved Michigan team that beat Connecticut in its opener and will present a formidable challenge for an Irish defense that made a solid showing against the Boilermakers.
Kelly said in a Sunday conference call he saw no "gross errors" against the Boilermakers, although top receiver Michael Floyd fumbled around the 2 after catching a pass from Dayne Crist. Had he hung on and completed the short trip to the end zone, the Irish would have taken a 27-3 lead in the third quarter.
"Most of these are things that we can get better at from week one to week two," Kelly said.
Notre Dame's depth, especially on defense, was a factor. Starting linebacker Darius Fleming and backup linebacker Prince Shembo were troubled with cramping Saturday, and starting safety Jamoris Slaughter sprained an ankle.
But the Irish gave up only 10 points — another two came from a safety. They had four sacks and two pass interceptions, one by nose tackle Ian Williams after cornerback Gary Gray tipped the ball. But there were also missed tackles, including several by standout middle linebacker Manti Te'o.
Notre Dame was able to rotate defensive linemen and keep its front fresh. It did the same with its two running backs. Backup Cierre Wood was able to break off some nice runs while filling in for starter Armando Allen, and the duo combined to rush for 151 yards.
The Irish used six freshmen Saturday and eight other players made their first career appearances. The two-deep was really that and using numerous player can help the energy late in games that close.
"We felt like going in the strength of this team could be its depth and it proved to be that way on defense," Kelly said.
"We're going to keep our guys fresh. I know that some philosophies would just have you stick with our 11 guys that are No. 1s. We truly try to develop it differently here. We want guys to all feel like part of their victories. ... There is no sense in putting guys out there dog tired."
T'eo tied for the team lead with nine tackles Saturday along with fellow linebacker Carlo Calabrese and Gray. But there were others he could have made.
"He was all over the place," Kelly said. "He swung and missed a lot out of the strike zone, which was uncharacteristic for him. He was in great position so many times ... He just has to slow down a step."
Notre Dame won't be able to afford missed tackles Saturday against Michigan, especially with Wolverines' quarterback Denard Robinson running the offense. Robinson used his speed to run for 197 yards while passing for 186 in a 30-10 win over UConn.
Kelly said he watched his former team at Cincinnati as a way of winding down. He led the Bearcats to a 12-0 regular season a year ago before leaving for South Bend. Cincinnati lost to Fresno State on Saturday, ending its 18-game regular-season winning streak.
"That was more of a relaxation after a great win, moreso than being inquisitive about how they were doing," Kelly said.
-- Rick Gano
Michigan QB Robinson aims for focus at Notre Dame
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Denard Robinson's dazzling day was witnessed by the largest crowd to watch a football game and by many more on television.
Michigan's speedy quarterback with a solid arm and catchy nickname is about to take his talents to a bigger stage.
Robinson and the Wolverines, coming off a season-opening rout over Connecticut, will play rival Notre Dame in its iconic stadium on network TV with millions tuning in Saturday to see if he can duplicate his first start.
"I just have to stay focused," he said.
Good luck, Shoelace. Robinson created a buzz by running for 197 yards and a touchdown and throwing for 186 yards and another score in a 30-10 win against the Huskies.
His head-turning speed, savvy in the pocket and accurate arm encouraged 113,090 fans at the Big House and embattled coach Rich Rodriguez.
College football's winningest team desperately needed a star to emerge this season after a pair of miserable years stunted enthusiasm about the Wolverines. Doubts had been raised about whether Rodriguez's spread offense could work for the team after Bo Schembechler and two of his assistants, Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr, led the program to success for decades with offenses that were more traditional.
Rodriguez's ways have worked at every stop he's made from Glenville State to West Virginia.
Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly is well aware of what is coming, but says Robinson makes Rodriguez's scheme tough to stop.
"If you look at Rich Rodriguez's quarterback situation, with Pat White obviously, he's had some extraordinarily gifted quarterbacks," Kelly said Sunday. "That's what makes it the most difficult because you are isolating one-on-one a linebacker, a defensive end, on a quarterback who is not just a quarterback, he's a great athlete."
Connecticut coach Randy Edsall lost to Rodriguez in all four meetings when he led West Virginia and had a flashback of sorts during his fifth straight loss to him.
"I would say that Rich would feel very, very comfortable with this guy at quarterback because this is what Rich did when we played him at West Virginia with Pat White," Edsall said. "I'm not saying that he's Pat White because Pat was pretty good, but with time I think that this young man will have a chance to become a very good quarterback."
Rodriguez acknowledged how Robinson played reminded him of some of White's performances with the Mountaineers.
"Yeah, he runs fast," Rodriguez said. "Very similar to Pat, Denard really showed a sense of feel and maturity. The game may be fast for everybody else, but it's slowing down for him."
Robinson said Connecticut tried to slow him down by taking off his shoes in pileups.
The sophomore from Deerfield Beach, Fla., has been known as Shoelace since he was 7 because he never ties the laces on his cleats. Robinson wasn't known to all as Michigan's No. 1 QB until he took the first snap Saturday at his 4.
He rolled left and threw a strike to the flat on his first pass and sprinted for 9 yards on his first run, setting up a 14-play, 96-yard touchdown drive. On his second possession, he ran for a 32-yard TD to put him over the 100-yard mark en route to setting a rushing record for a Michigan QB.
"I knew I had to play well or somebody else would take the snaps," Robinson said.
Robinson carried the ball 29 times — mostly by design — and said a shot to his hip was what knocked him out of the game briefly.
"I'm a tough guy," he said. "I'm not changing anything."
Rodriguez said "stay tuned," when asked if Robinson earned the start against Notre Dame. But barring an injury, seeing Devin Gardner or Tate Forcier under center for the first snap against Notre Dame would be stunning.
Rodriguez lost a school-record nine games in his debut season in Ann Arbor without a quarterback who fit his read-option scheme and was forced to play freshmen last year, turning a 4-0 start into a 5-7 flop.
UConn, though, was the first team to find out Rodriguez has a player under center who can do what he wants with his feet and arm.
"It's a totally different team because of the quarterback," Edsall said.
-- Larry Lage
Veteran coach Jack Crowe leads JSU to huge victory
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Jack Crowe has been coaching football for 40 years, but even he was at a loss to describe how Jacksonville State pulled off the unthinkable with a 49-48 double-overtime victory over Mississippi on Saturday.
"I don't believe you could repeat the circumstances again in a hundred years," Crowe said. "You just couldn't."
Not only was it undoubtedly the biggest win in school history, but the way it played out made the final score even more unbelievable.
The Gamecocks erased a 31-10 halftime deficit, marking the school's biggest comeback win. Then in double overtime, Crowe gambled after his team scored a touchdown to pull to 48-47, electing to go for the 2-point conversion instead of kicking the extra point.
It turned out to be a decision that Jacksonville State fans, and Ole Miss fans, will remember for a long time. It was the Rebels' first loss to a Football Championship Subdivision team in school history.
On the final play, Jacksonville State freshman quarterback Coty Blanchard took the snap and had to retreat almost immediately because Ole Miss brought a huge pass rush. Then in desperation, he threw what looked like a basketball hook shot into the end zone.
Calvin Middleton was right there to grab the football, falling just past the goal line to ignite a wild celebration at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Blanchard, who was Alabama's high school Mr. Football last season, admitted the play didn't go exactly as planned.
Of course, that didn't really matter after the result.
"We'll take whatever we can get," Blanchard said.
Jacksonville State used two quarterbacks with Blanchard and Marques Ivory. Both made important plays during the upset, combining to go 22 of 36 for 252 yards and four touchdowns. The Gamecocks scored on their final six possessions, including touchdowns on the final five.
The win was especially sweet for Crowe, who's been on the wrong end of an upset like this before. In 1992, he was the coach at Arkansas when the Razorbacks lost to The Citadel — which also played at a lower-level.
He was fired the next day.
Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt, who has won 18 games over the past two seasons, won't face the same fate. Nutt was the receivers coach under Crowe during that 1992 season.
"I normally wouldn't do this, but I think of Houston as a brother," Crowe said. "I think we took advantage of them while they're still in the search to find themselves. I've just got a tremendous amount of respect for him and their program. That's a quality football team that's going to win a lot of games."
Now the challenge is to deal with success while preparing to face Chattanooga on Saturday in Jacksonville, Ala. If there's one thing the Gamecocks now know, it's that anything can happen on the football field.
"I think we have to be real careful," Crowe said.
But for now, there's probably still some celebrating going on up in northeastern Alabama.
"Years from now, we'll still be talking about it like it happened today," receiver Jeffrey Cameron said.
-- David Brandt
After shocking loss, Mississippi tries to regroup
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — For the most part, things have gone quite well for Mississippi's football program since coach Houston Nutt arrived on campus in November of 2007.
There have been two top-25 finishes. Two Cotton Bowl victories. And two successful seasons to heal the wounds from the three disastrous Ed Orgeron years.
But the Nutt era suffered its first true black eye on Saturday, when the Rebels inexplicably lost to Jacksonville State 49-48 in double overtime. It was the first time Ole Miss lost to a Football Championship Subdivision team in school history.
Nutt, like his players, appeared stunned immediately afterward. And that sick feeling hadn't changed on Sunday, as the coaches dissected the ugly loss.
"It's the toughest night and toughest film session I've ever had," Nutt said.
Now, with 11 games left, his charge is to make sure it doesn't define the season.
Although just about every facet of the Ole Miss football team had issues in the loss, the defensive collapse was most stunning. Ole Miss led 31-13 midway through the third quarter, but then Jacksonville State scored on its final six possessions, including touchdowns on the final five.
"I give all the credit to Jacksonville State for never giving up, but we played embarrassingly," linebacker D.T. Shackelford said. "That's not up to our standards at all."
Mississippi defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix was given a three-year contract worth $500,000 per year in the offseason after his defense ranked among the top half of the Southeastern Conference in most major categories last season.
But that wasn't the case on Saturday, when the Rebels had a load of missed tackles and busted assignments.
"We're just better than that," Nutt said. "That's what's frustrating."
The Rebels were also hurt by three turnovers. One of them — a fumble by quarterback Nathan Stanley — led directly to a Jacksonville State touchdown. The Gamecocks had no turnovers.
Mississippi plays at Tulane on Saturday. It's the first time the two teams will face off since 2000, when the Rebels won 49-20 in Oxford.
"I told them that this is when we find out what everybody is about," Nutt said. "... There will be people on the outside trying to turn you into a locker room lawyer, but don't listen to them. Come back and just work."
Nutt said he doesn't expect to get much sleep the next few days, as the Rebels try to regroup from one of the most embarrassing losses in school history.
"The one thing I know about this group is you roll up your sleeve and you get back to work," Nutt said. "You turn everything off, get lost in your work and try to get rid of that sick feeling.
"There's only one way to do that. You've got to win the next one."
-- David Brandt
Tennessee facing tough stretch of schedule
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee got a confidence-building win in a game where the Volunteers clearly were the bigger, faster and stronger team — a 50-0 victory over Tennessee-Martin.
Things are about to get a little tougher.
The Volunteers host No. 11 Oregon, who handily won 72-0 over New Mexico in its season opener. After that comes No. 4 Florida, who struggled in a 34-12 win over Miami (Ohio), but has beat Tennessee five consecutive seasons. Trips to LSU and Georgia are looming in early October.
"The team we're playing beat a team by about 70," Dooley said after Saturday night's season-opening win. "Yeah, so, how's that for confidence? ... We start big-boy ball next week."
Tennessee will face Oregon without starting wide receiver Gerald Jones, who broke a bone in his left hand catching a 37-yard pass against Tennessee-Martin. Jones, the Vols' leading receiver from the past two seasons, had 86 yards on six catches before suffering the injury midway through the third quarter.
The Vols could also be without Jones' fellow starting wide receiver, Denarius Moore, and starting offensive guard Jarrod Shaw after both injured an ankle in the game.
"It's bad news on Gerald. It looks like he's going to miss at least two to three games with his hand," Dooley said.
The Vols had plenty of promising moments against the mismatched Skyhawks. On offense, they outgained UT Martin 537 to 142 yards and 23 first downs to three.
The running game was nearly unstoppable with Tauren Poole and David Oku having their way on the field. Poole had touchdown runs of 24 and 14 yards while picking up 110 yards on 17 carries before sitting out the fourth quarter. Oku added a TD run of 44 yards.
The young and inexperienced offensive line had little trouble protecting Matt Simms in the passing game. Simms completed 14 of 24 for 181 yards before resting most of the fourth quarter too.
Perhaps the Vols' best stretch came in the third quarter when Moore took the handoff on a sweep and ran 58 yards for a touchdown. On third-and-11 on UT Martin's subsequent drive, Austin Johnson picked off Derek Carr, and Simms and Moore connected for a 42-yard TD pass on the very next play.
Daniel Lincoln was perfect on his field goal attempts of 21 and 35 yards, Johnson tackled D.J. McNeil in the end zone for a safety and Prentiss Waggner took an interception 54 yard for a touchdown.
So Tennessee should be well-prepared for the defending Pac-10 champions next week, right? Not so fast.
"We made a lot of mistakes that we'll have to correct," Dooley said.
Jones fumbled his first punt return of the game, and UT Martin's Kendal Harper recovered on the Tennessee 36. The Vols finished with minus-8 yards on punt returns.
Simms overthrew Luke Stocker several times, and Stocker dropped a few passes too. There was a false start on the 1-yard line that likely cost a touchdown, and an illegal formation penalty forced Lincoln to redo a field goal attempt.
Still, Dooley was encouraged by how his team handled one struggle: a second quarter lull that included three series that ended in punts, two of which were three-and-out.
"We're young. We have a lot of young guys who have to get used to the whole game atmosphere and the crowd noise, and we have to get used to playing together," Poole said. "Like coach Dooley always says, it takes time, and we will continue to move forward."
-- Beth Rucker
Nichol finds home at receiver for Michigan State
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Instead of throwing touchdown passes, Keith Nichol is catching them for Michigan State.
The converted quarterback caught a go-ahead touchdown pass Saturday in Michigan State's 38-14 victory over Western Michigan. He also had some key downfield blocks, including one that sealed a touchdown run for Edwin Baker.
Nichol — an athletic 6-foot-2, 222-pound junior — is a starting receiver for the Spartans. He's found a way to regularly contribute on the field after a long journey that took him from Michigan to Oklahoma and back home again.
The highly coveted recruit from Lowell, Mich., originally committed to Michigan State and planned to join the program before the 2007 season. But the Spartans made a coaching change, firing pass-oriented John L. Smith and replacing him with defensive-minded Mark Dantonio.
Nichol changed his plans and signed with Oklahoma, where he competed in a three-way race to become the starting quarterback. That job eventually was won by Sam Bradford, who went on to win a Heisman Trophy.
Nichol transferred to Michigan State after his freshman year and had to sit out the 2008 season. Then Kirk Cousins beat him out to become the Spartans starting QB in 2009.
Nichol kept a positive attitude and has remained a key player in the Michigan State program.
"It was a sense of relief," Nichol said of his emotions after beating a double-team to make the leaping touchdown catch Saturday in the Spartans' season-opener. "I can't explain how calming it almost felt, you know. It's like a weight off your shoulders. It felt good."
Nichol and Cousins hugged and celebrated after the play, which gave Michigan State a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter. The play seemed to energize the Spartans (1-0), who had started sluggishly against the Broncos (0-1).
"That was all Keith," Cousins said of the touchdown connection. "It was basically 2-on-1, and Keith made the play."
Nichol completed 49 of 91 passes for 764 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions as a quarterback for Michigan State last season.
He was pressed into emergency duty as a receiver for last season's Alamo Bowl loss to Texas Tech. Suspensions related to an off-campus fight had left the Spartans particularly thin at that position.
The move became permanent. Nichol has worked as a receiver ever since.
He caught two passes for 32 yards Saturday. Michigan State emphasized the ground game against Western Michigan behind tailbacks Le'Veon Bell and Edwin Baker.
Bell, a freshman, gained 141 yards and scored two touchdowns on 10 carries. Baker had 117 yards and two TDs on 17 carries.
Western Michigan couldn't run the ball effectively against the Spartans, led by returning All-America linebacker Greg Jones — who collected nine tackles, forced a fumble and broke up a pass Saturday.
Alex Carder, making his first start for the Broncos, completed 27 of 49 passes for 220 yards and two TDs with an interception. He's trying to replace Tim Hiller, who set several career and single-season school passing records while at Western Michigan.
"He's a competitive, strong guy, and he isn't going to back away from anyone," Western Michigan coach Bill Cubit said of Carder. "And I think a lot of the other guys feed off of that."
Michigan State plays Florida Atlantic at Detroit's Ford Field next Saturday. Western Michigan hosts Nicholls State.
-- Tim Martin
QB thinks he started bit too relaxed in his debut
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Dan Persa says he went from nervous to a bit too relaxed at the beginning of his first collegiate start for Northwestern.
One thing's for sure: The junior quarterback has set a high standard for himself.
Persa was 19 of 21 for 222 yards and three touchdowns, and he also led the Wildcats with a team-high 17 rushes for 82 yards in leading Northwestern to a 23-21 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday night.
Still, the quarterback was pretty hard on himself after the game.
"I don't think I had the right sense of urgency," Persa said. "As the game went on, I felt more pressure to try and perform a little bit better."
As a result, Northwestern won its sixth straight opener and kept Fitzgerald a perfect 5-0. The Wildcats have set their sights on a third straight bowl berth after going 8-5 last season and losing the Outback Bowl to Auburn 38-35 in overtime with Kafka.
Persa has had plenty of work in college before Saturday night. He had played in 21 games, including extensive playing time against Penn State and Iowa just last season. But the pressure's always different for the quarterback starting the game, and Persa had the added intensity of opening the season in Southeastern Conference territory.
Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald was impressed by what he saw.
"To see a guy come out in his first true start, go 19 for 21 in the passing game and carry the ball 17 times for (82) yards. I think it speaks volumes of who he is as a competitor," Fitzgerald said.
Persa completed his first four passes of the game. His first incompletion actually was batted down by a defender, but Persa credited the game plan for his start.
"They were easy throws. I didn't make any special throws. Guys were making good catches. Jeremy had a tipped ball ... That was the biggest thing more than anything," Persa said.
Pesa completed at least two passes to seven different teammates. He tossed a 33-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Ebert in the first quarter, a 9-yard TD pass to Drake Dunsmore in the third and provided the winning margin with a 2-yard pass to Josh Rooks.
Ebert said Persa played great but nothing his teammates hadn't seen during fall practice.
"It's showing up on the field now," Ebert said.
He finished with five catches for 99 yards, and he credited Persa for doing the hard work on the TD pass.
"He threw a great ball and led me right where I needed to be. It was easy after that," Ebert said.
Persa also showed off his legs, running right through the middle of Vanderbilt's defense or sprinting outside seemingly at will.
Vanderbilt coach Robbie Caldwell said he had tried to warn people how dangerous Persa could be, calling him essentially a tailback who also could throw.
"They worked hard trying to stop him. It's about impossible to do," Caldwell said.
It doesn't get any easier for Vanderbilt. LSU visits next in the Commodores' SEC opener with Caldwell needing to fix discipline problems that led to nine penalties for 91 yards, including three different personal fouls. That ruined a game in which they outgained Northwestern 432-365 in total offense but missed an extra point and two 2-point conversions.
"We should've won the game," Caldwell said. "We should've, would've, could've. That's what we've got to do is learn to finish."
Northwestern returns home to play Illinois State.
Persa insisted he felt fine after the game. But he took a bit of a beating, including on a run on third-and-6 when the Wildcats needed a first down. Vanderbilt safety Jay Fullam thought he stopped Persa short of the first-down marker only to be flagged for a personal foul. Officials said Fullam hit Persa high, and both Fitzgerald and Persa said he was hit in the helmet.
"I feel fine," Persa said. "I only took about two hits that kind of rocked me. Other than that, I was fine."
That second hit? Yes, it was that one that drew the flag and the first down that allowed the Wildcats to run out the clock.
-- Teresa M. Walker
Navy-Maryland: In-state rivalry slow to catch on
BALTIMORE (AP) — Navy and Maryland play Monday for the Crab Bowl trophy, a shiny piece of hardware that will probably gather dust for years before these rivals face each other again.
The schools are located 28 miles apart, yet this is only the second meeting in the last 45 years between the two most prominent football teams in Maryland.
It's an intriguing matchup: The Midshipmen are coming off a 10-win season and on the cusp of becoming a Top 25 team, and the Terrapins are determined to bounce back from last year's 2-10 record.
"They are going to come out ready to go," Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said of the Terrapins. "If we think any differently, we aren't very smart."
Navy's main rival will always be Army, but there's something to be said about a duel that forces thousands of fans within the state to choose sides.
"To have an in-state rivalry, I think it just helps the whole state," Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said. "People can rally behind each school. It just brings the whole state together. Having it in Baltimore just accentuates that."
So, why haven't Navy and Maryland played since 2005? The main reason is that both teams set their schedules years in advance, and the Terrapins' slate includes mandated matchups within the Atlantic Coast Conference.
At this point, an annual meeting might be stretching it. But the man who played a key role in making Monday's game happen is working to make the encore happen sooner than later.
"We recognize we can't do it every year, but once every three years, I think both schools would benefit," said Mark Burdett, who works for the Baltimore Ravens, whose home stadium will serve as the site for Monday's game.
Burdett graduated from Maryland and played for its lacrosse team. His father went to the Naval Academy. Those factors, along with his allegiance to the Ravens, goes a long way toward explaining why he heads the committee to keep the rivalry in Baltimore on a regular basis.
"Both teams get paid for playing in this event, and holding it at a neutral site gives both schools the opportunity for a bigger payday and a bigger audience," Burdett said. "Also, it's great for the fans."
His goal is to get the teams together again in 2013.
Discussions between Navy and Maryland were put on hold after Terps athletic director Debbie Yow left for North Carolina State in July.
"Right now, Maryland needs to get a new athletic director in place so that person and I can discuss the prospect of playing this game on a more regular basis," Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk said. "I don't want to talk specifically about how often because I cannot speak for Maryland and I don't want to be seen as the person trying to ramrod this thing through."
Maryland hired Kevin Anderson to fill the position Saturday. Anderson comes from Army, which could be a positive because he certainly is familiar with the Naval Academy.
Gladchuk won't have to convince Niumatalolo, who's all for it.
"We need to play more. You have two great institutions so close together, and there's a history involved," the coach said. "Hopefully, we can continue this series. I know we're looking forward to it and Maryland is looking forward to it."
For Navy, it's an opportunity to extend the momentum created by a rout of Missouri in the Texas Bowl last December. Maryland will be looking to snap a seven-game skid that began in October.
Also at stake is the Crab Bowl, created by the Touchdown Club of Annapolis to give the rare in-state game a bit more significance.
"Our hope," said Dean D'Camera, a two-term past president of the Touchdown Club, "is that future Midshipmen and Terrapins will take pride in playing for the Crab Bowl every time Maryland and Navy square off in football."
-- David Ginsburg
News & Notes
Vandy fans upset over late game call in loss
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vanderbilt fans were upset with an official's call late in a 23-21 loss to Northwestern, with more than a dozen plastic bottles being hurled onto the field after the penalty.
The Tennessean reported that a man dressed in Vanderbilt colors sprayed the Big Ten officiating crew with a bottle of liquid as the officials ran into the tunnel
The call came with 1:45 remaining in Saturday's game. Commodores safety Jay Fullam hit Wildcats quarterback Dan Persa, stopping him short of a first down. If the play had stood, Northwestern would have been faced with a fourth down.
The official called a personal foul on Fullam, giving the Wildcats a first down and allowing them to run out the clock for a win.
Vanderbilt coach Robbie Caldwell wouldn't comment on the fans or the call, saying only "I'm anxious to see the tape."
Gamecocks' Spurrier unsure of players' return
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier says he's unsure if starters Jarriel King and Chris Culliver who did not play in a win over Southern Miss will be eligible against Georgia this week.
Spurrier said Sunday he had not heard anything new from the NCAA about the status of left tackle King and cornerback Culliver. Neither had been cleared by the NCAA and sat out the Gamecocks' 41-13 victory over Southern Miss.
Tight end Weslye Saunders has not practiced with the team since his Aug. 23 suspension and missed the Southern Miss game. Saunders has been a focus of the NCAA's inquiry for potential contact with agents in connection with a party in South Beach, Fla., this past spring.
Spurrier also said that starting linebacker Shaq Wilson would likely miss his second-straight game because of a hamstring injury.
TV ratings for Notre Dame opener up 77 percent
NEW YORK (AP) — The start of the Brian Kelly era attracted a large television audience for Notre Dame.
Saturday's preliminary rating was up 77 percent from last year's opener. NBC said Sunday that the Fighting Irish's 23-12 win over Purdue drew a 2.3 overnight rating and 6 share. It was up 15 percent from the last Notre Dame home game against Purdue in 2008.
The 2009 opener against Nevada earned a 1.3 rating and 3 share.
Ratings represent the percentage of all homes with televisions tuned into a program. Shares represent the percentage of all homes with TVs in use at the time. Overnight ratings measure the country's largest markets.
Kentucky sits pair as discipline for tardiness
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — University of Kentucky free safety Winston Guy and defensive end DeQuin Evans didn't start against Louisville as punishment for tardiness to a team meeting.
Wildcats coach Joker Phillips also held Evans back from the coin toss with game captains as punishment.
Once the two got into Kentucky's 23-16 in over the Cardinals on Saturday, they made an impact.
Guy was second on the team with 5½ tackles, and Evans was a key in the pass rush.
Phillips told The Lexington Herald-Leader that the move was necessary to impress upon the players the importance of being on time and to set the tone for discipline for the season.
Smith set to start for Memphis vs. East Carolina
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis football coach Larry Porter says Cannon Smith is still the starter as the Tigers game against East Carolina approaches.
Porter lifted Smith, the son of FedEx founder Fred Smith, in favor a true freshman Ryan Williams after three series Saturday.
Smith was 4-of-7 for 30 yards, but failed to lead the Tigers to a first down and missed several open receivers. Williams entered and completed his first two passes for 41 yards, although a holding penalty negated the second one, a 23-yarder to Jermaine McKenzie.
Smith re-entered the game late in the second half and led the Tigers to their only score: a 27-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Rucker. He finished 10-of-15 for 111 yards and a touchdown.
Vols' Jones could miss 2-3 games with hand injury
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee starting wide receiver Gerald Jones has a broken bone in his left hand and could miss at least two or three games.
That would keep out the Volunteers' leading receiver from the past two seasons for games against No. 11 Oregon, No. 4 Florida and UAB.
Jones, who is a senior, led Tennessee (1-0) in a 50-0 win over Tennessee-Martin on Saturday with 86 yards on six catches. He left the field clutching his left hand midway through the third quarter after catching a 37-yard pass from Matt Simms, his longest reception of the game.
Dooley also says wide receiver Denarius Moore is questionable for Oregon on Saturday after suffering a "banged-up ankle," and offensive guard Jerrod Shaw is questionable with a right ankle injury.
Other College Sports Capsules
Men's Basketball
Nashville tapped for 8 hoops tournaments
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Southeastern Conference has tapped Nashville to host eight postseason men's and women's basketball tournaments through 2019.
The city will host a trio of SEC men's tournaments in 2015, 2016 and 2019. The Tennessean reports that Atlanta gets the 2011 and 2014 SEC men's tournaments. New Orleans will host the conference's 2012 men's event. The SEC had previously named Nashville as host of its 2013 men's tournament.
Along with the men's tournaments, the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament will be held in Nashville in 2011 and 2012.
The NCAA men's second- and third-round games during the NCAA tournament will be in Nashville in 2012, and the NCAA Women's Final Four will is set for Nashville in 2014.
Baseball
Ex-VT baseball coach gets job at Fairfield
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Former University of Vermont baseball coach Bill Currier is going to be back on the diamond. Currier was hired this week by Fairfield University in Connecticut to become associate coach.
After Fairfield's longtime coach John Slosar retires at the end of the 2011 season, Currier will become head coach. Currier coached at UVM for 22 years, compiling a 240-203 record.
UVM eliminated its baseball program last year in a budget-cutting move. The 50-year-old Currier says his job will be to improve the Fairfield program. And he says he'll have seven scholarships with which to attract top talent.
