College Football Capsules: 'Hammer' making noise in Oklahoma's defense
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Ronnell Lewis' teammates at Oklahoma have learned to recognize the sound of the "Hammer" at work.
Instead of driving nails, the Sooners' hard-hitting linebacker excels at smashing opponents — and sometimes teammates in practice — into the ground. Enough so that coach Bob Stoops gave him his moniker after the Sooners' Sun Bowl win last season.
"He's the most violent hitter I've been around," said defensive coordinator Brent Venables, whose former pupils include two Butkus Award winners and a handful of Big 12 defensive players of the year.
"I haven't been all over the place, OK, but I've been here and I've had some good players and he's as violent as they come."
Venables even told the Sooners' incoming freshmen that they were in for a treat by getting to witness Lewis, a sophomore with only one start under his belt, at work. He describes Lewis as having a natural gift of being able to generate speed and power and still hit people flush with regularity.
And when it happens, it's music to the ears of any defensive player.
"His hitting is — I don't even know what type of level that is. It just seems like on every contact he makes, it's a hard hit," freshman safety Tony Jefferson said.
"You know when it's Hammer. It's a unique sound. It's not just a regular hit. You know when Hammer hits someone."
Lewis brings a different pedigree than the NFL-caliber linebackers who have come through Oklahoma's system in recent years. He played eight-man football at Dewar High School in eastern Oklahoma but was dominant enough that he caught the eyes of the Sooners' coaching staff and recruiting experts across the nation.
As a junior, he rushed for 2,000 yards and 40 touchdowns while also picking off 11 passes as a safety. When Venables got the chance to meet him, he was even more impressed than when he watched tape of Lewis dominating overmatched competition.
"He walked in the room and he looked like a million bucks," Venables said. "He looked like The Incredible Hulk when he walked into the room, and he had a fabulous smile, a fabulous demeanor, a great presence to him. I couldn't find a person that would say a bad thing about him."
Lewis grew up with six sisters and one brother in Hoffman before moving a few miles west to Dewar, a slightly bigger but still a small town. There, he got involved in basketball, track, power lifting and rodeo before excelling at football.
And when football practice was over, he'd go to his coach's ranch to ride horses and sometimes go fishing — hobbies he'll still pursue as a release from all those hard hits.
It's that background that Venables credits with Lewis' physical strength.
"He learned that out there wrestlin' steers," Venables said. "He's just got country strength to him."
Lewis, the third-born of his siblings, can remember thinking when he was young that he should do something to help his father support the family. By his sophomore year of high school, he started thinking football might be the answer.
"I never thought it would be OU," Lewis said. "It was a dream that came true."
Now, he's the first one to go to college, and he hopes football takes him even farther.
"I just wanted to make a change for my family. We grew up struggling and I just want to try and change that path, go get a good education and hopefully go to the next level," Lewis said.
Not that he views life in his close-knit clan in a bad light.
"We didn't have certain things that other kids and families had," Lewis said. "We had a roof over our heads and clothes on our back and food, but there's just some things we did struggle with from time to time over the years. But we overcame that."
That means there's still work to do, and Lewis has been more than willing to do it. Stoops complimented him for being one of the standard-setters in the weight room for the Sooners.
"Ronnell's one of those guys that's a physical phenom like an Adrian (Peterson) that just can't get enough. He just loves it," Stoops said. "The guys see it. They see the work ethic and the attitude, and then he backs it up on the field. He's a very physical player when he plays."
As a result, Lewis has Oklahoma's coaches looking for ways to get him on the field more often. Among the possibilities: putting him in more of a defensive end's role when the Sooners use a 3-4 scheme.
"Wherever the coaches put me, I'm going to try and do the best I can," Lewis said, "and really just work hard and show them that I can play here or there and give it my all."
QB Sorenson moves to WR for Oklahoma State
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Freshman quarterback Nate Sorenson has started practicing at wide receiver for Oklahoma State.
Sorenson made the position switch at practice Wednesday, but the Cowboys' coaches are saying it isn't permanent.
Sorenson was one of two quarterbacks who signed with the Cowboys in February, along with fellow freshman Johnny Deaton from Sand Springs. Those two are in the mix to be OSU's backup behind first-year starter Brandon Weeden, but he might be more able to contribute quickly at receiver.
Coach Mike Gundy has said the Cowboys are trying to find more players who will fit into new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen's four-receiver scheme.
As a senior at Texas High School in Texarkana, Texas, Sorenson threw for 1,700 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Nebraska's Smith out for season with broken leg
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska senior offensive lineman Mike Smith is out for the season because of a broken leg.
Coach Bo Pelini said after Wednesday's practice that Smith was injured during a contact drill on Tuesday. Smith started 14 games at left tackle last season but was expected to play a backup role at guard and center this year.
Offensive lineman Jermarcus "Yoshi" Hardrick missed his second practice in a row after being hospitalized briefly for dehydration Monday. Pelini said Hardrick should be back on the field Thursday.
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Meyer 'feels great' in latest return to Florida
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — He resigned, then returned. He took a leave of absence, then kept working. He guarded details about his health like a playbook, then revealed a few. He finally stepped away, then enjoyed the downtime so much he promised to do it again.
The last eight months have been far from routine for Florida coach Urban Meyer, who provided the college football world with more twists and turns than Percy Harvin in the open field.
Now, he's back — again — and looks healthy, re-energized and eager to lead the Gators to the Southeastern Conference championship game for the fourth time in five years.
"I feel great, especially when I get to see what kind of team we have," Meyer said. "It's a good-looking team."
Nothing at Florida looked good on Dec. 26, when Meyer announced his resignation three weeks after he was rushed to the hospital with chest pain.
Meyer's decision surprised players, assistant coaches and fans. He spent the previous three weeks brushing aside questions about his health, granting few people access to the thoughts running through his head. There was even less information about his medical condition.
His chest pain started about four years ago and became "rather significant" in 2007. Still, he didn't do anything about it until he fainted getting out of bed Dec. 6 — hours after a 32-13 loss to Alabama in the SEC title game — and his wife called 911.
"If you haven't walked in those shoes, you really don't have any idea," said Florida defensive line coach Dan McCarney, who spent 12 years in charge at Iowa State. "You can hear about it or see it or read about it, but you don't know until you walk in those shoes and feel the pressure every day of trying to be as good as you can be and make sure everybody's the best they can be."
Meyer underwent a battery of tests. It was the kind of scare that would make most 45-year-old fathers reconsider their daily routine. Doctors later told him he needed to get his condition fixed or he could end up in worse shape.
That's when Meyer decided to re-prioritize his life, coming to the conclusion that he needed to step down as head coach.
At least for a few hours.
"The biggest concern was not knowing what the problem was," Meyer said. "Have I had that before? I have. But not to the detail that occurred last December. I just didn't know and I wasn't getting the answers. Saying 'Don't worry about that pain,' that's not easy to live with."
Although he was still worried about his health and his family, Meyer withdrew his resignation the following day after an emotional team meeting, a sleepless night and a morning practice. He called athletic director Jeremy Foley from the practice field, then told his wife, three children, players and assistant coaches just before they boarded a flight to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl.
Meyer instead decided to take an indefinite leave of absence.
That plan was short-lived, too. He stuck around after the bowl game to hire four assistant coaches and lock up the nation's top recruiting class.
He took a few weeks off after national signing day — he went to Hawaii on a coaching junket — then was back in the office two weeks before spring practice. He finally got away in April. He traveled to Rome and saw the Pope, took a trip to Israel, visited the Masters golf tournament with his daughter and took in a Tampa Bay Rays baseball game.
It was the first time in a decade as a head coach that Meyer had been gone for several days at a time.
"I'm going to do that again," he said. "I'm going to spend time (away), especially when you look at what stage I am in my life, with my children at their ages. I think I learned something, and it made that part that much more enjoyable."
He returned to work with a summer tan, weighing more than he normally does during the season and walking with a bounce in his step.
"He's just appreciating life a little bit more, trying to take an extra breath or two now and then," McCarney said. "The last few months he's probably spent more time with his family, and I just see a real peace of mind with him right now.
"I just think he's enjoying coming to work more and I think he's enjoying and embracing every day even more than he ever has."
He also has another stellar team coming back. The Gators are not quite as experienced as they were last season, and Tim Tebow is now in the NFL. Without Meyer, Florida would have been a wild card this season. With him, the Gators are national title contenders again.
"He's the same guy. He hasn't slacked off or anything," center Mike Pouncey said.
"We weren't worried. We knew he was going to be back."
Meyer opened up about his condition at the league's spring meetings in Sandestin, telling reporters he had been diagnosed with esophageal spasms and is taking prescription medication to minimize the attacks. A month later he disclosed his medication, Nexium.
"There's a systematic approach to when I do get pain; I know exactly what it is," Meyer said. "The thing that everybody has to remember is it's all due to one reason, and that was because of a certain pain I had. Now I know what that is. I haven't really thought much about it."
He thought enough about it to make his staff undergo "executive physicals" during the offseason. The extensive checkups included blood panels and stress tests. It was the first time many of Florida's coaches had ever gone through such detailed exams.
"We've only got one body and we better take care of it and we better keep an eye on it and keep it in check," McCarney said. "Unless you've been in this arena as a coach, most people don't really realize the toll it can take on you mentally and physically."
Meyer does now.
"Anybody who knows Urban knows he has a phenomenal work ethic," co-defensive coordinator Chuck Heater said. "He anguishes over things. He believes you can control much of what happens, but some things happen that you can't control. That's frustrating when you're coming from that management style. So that made it all-encompassing for him.
"He's trying to balance that a little bit because that's a tough road to hoe and a tough race to run over a period of time. That's the part he's doing great."
-- Mark Long
Luck takes on bigger role for Stanford offense
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Whenever Andrew Luck faced a dicey situation in his first season as Stanford's starting quarterback, he knew he always had Heisman Trophy runner-up Toby Gerhart to help him handle it.
With his powerful, touchdown-producing running back off to the NFL, Luck is getting used to life without his security blanket.
"I got over the strangeness part in spring ball," Luck said Wednesday. "Toby was great but I don't think we can dwell on him forever. I love him to death but we have to move forward."
Stanford is moving forward this season with a team centered around Luck instead of Gerhart. The Cardinal are coming off an 8-5 season that ended with their first bowl game in eight years.
Now Luck is looking to lead Stanford to a bowl game in consecutive seasons for just the fourth time since 1936. He'll have to do it without Gerhart, who ran for 1,871 yards and scored 28 touchdowns last season.
His teammates believe he is fully up to the task.
"Andrew is a great talent," said running back Jeremy Stewart, one of the players trying to replace Gerhart. "He has all the intangibles. He can make any throw on the field. He's really athletic. People don't know how athletic he is. He's a great leader and everybody loves him."
Luck, who sat out his freshman year as a redshirt, completed 56.3 percent of his passes for 2,575 yards, 13 touchdowns and four interceptions despite missing the Sun Bowl loss to Oklahoma with a broken right index finger.
From his poise on the field to his ease at handling interviews, it's clear Luck is a different quarterback than the one who arrived at camp last year as a heralded but unproven prospect.
"I have a lot more confidence," he said. "Playing a year is a whole world of experience that you can't practice, you can't simulate. That's a big part of it."
Luck's finger was fully recovered by spring ball and he spent part of his summer at the Manning family's annual football camp in Louisiana, where he got to learn from an NFL great like Peyton Manning and compare notes with other top college passers.
Luck also spent time at ESPN's campus in Connecticut and is considered one of the top pro prospects heading into what could be his final collegiate season if he chooses to enter the NFL draft.
Along with dealing with defenses, Luck is dealing with managing the hype that now surrounds him.
"One part is great because Stanford's name is getting out there more," he said. "Anytime my name is mentioned, Stanford is mentioned. I try not to pay attention to it too much. I understand I honestly haven't done squat on the football field. If I do get a big head, my teammates will keep me well-grounded. They don't let me get away with much."
Coach Jim Harbaugh said that Luck exceeded even the lofty expectations the Cardinal had for him his first season. But the coaching staff expects even more this season.
Two of the specific improvements Harbaugh is looking for from his star quarterback are getting the ball out quicker and more red zone production.
"Making the tight throw that needs to be made in the red zone," Harbaugh said. "Things happen faster, quicker. There are tighter throws in the red zone. He's done a nice job. He's really worked hard. He's made the changes over the summer in his drop that we were looking for. He is really looking good."
Luck threw only six of his 13 touchdown passes a year ago from inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Luck's most notable red zone pass ended horribly for the Cardinal.
With Stanford driving for the go-ahead score late in the Big Game against California, Luck's pass from the 13-yard line to Coby Fleener in the end zone was intercepted by linebacker Mike Mohamed with 1:03 left to seal the victory for the Golden Bears and end Stanford's hopes of a Pac-10 title.
"If you make a bad decision down there, you'll have to pay for it in a much more costly way than maybe out in the open field," Luck said. "I'm just trying to work on making those decisions a little quicker and with more decisiveness."
-- Josh Dubow
Auburn's Freeman hoping for better season
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Eltoro Freeman had to hit bottom before he could climb back up Auburn's depth chart.
The junior linebacker was benched after one defensive play against Tennessee last season, and wasn't even allowed to make the trip to Arkansas the following week.
"I don't miss games — not unless you're injured or whatever," Freeman said. "I felt like I was on the wrong track."
The coaches clearly agreed. Freeman got his act together late last season and is trying to stay on that path. He has moved back from middle linebacker to his original will position, backing up entrenched starter Craig Stevens.
Stevens and Josh Bynes both had little relief last season and stayed on the field for almost every snap.
Not so for Freeman, a junior college transfer who was expected to make an immediate impact after enrolling in January 2009. He had only seven tackles in the first seven games.
Coach Gene Chizik saw Freeman's growing frustration, and their talk before sitting the player down on Arkansas week helped instead of causing it to boil over.
"We had a really good conversation," Freeman said. "He was like, 'Eltoro, we're going to be there for you. Just get your mind back together.' That was real big. I told coach Chiz when I come back I'm going to be ready to play and help Auburn win."
He then played only on special teams against Kentucky before having a breakout game. Freeman made 12 tackles at LSU and nine the following week against Mississippi.
Then came another setback. Freeman sustained a concussion and sat out the Alabama game.
Now, he's more than hungry to prove himself.
"I'm starving," he said.
Freeman said he put too much pressure on himself last season and got frustrated after making mistakes. Now, he says, he brings a better understanding of assignments and a more mature perspective into this season.
"I don't think it was a lost year," he said. "I learned a lot from the '09 year mentally, how to handle things. I feel like '09 was a great year, and if I could change '09 I wouldn't. I would want it to be the way that it happened. I think that made me the person and the player that I am today."
Freeman said he's not fretting over his position on the depth chart, but Chizik said the Tigers "absolutely" need Freeman to step up.
"Toro's done a nice job of working," Chizik said. "He's really tried to focus. He's probably stayed healthier up to this point than he's been in the past, which has helped. But for the most part I think he's tried to focus in and become a better football player."
Stevens and Josh Bynes are the Tigers' only proven linebackers and the most experienced defenders. There's considerably more competition for playing time at the position heading into this season.
Starting safety Darren Bates has moved to linebacker. Sophomore Jonathan Evans gained some experience last season, and the Tigers have four freshmen linebackers. One of them, Jessel Curry, went through spring practices.
"We need them all to step up but (Freeman's) been here a year and it's time for him to step up and play football," Chizik said.
-- John Zenor
Notes
Most donations to rise for R'back season tickets
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — University of Arkansas athletic officials say football fans who want to be sure they can attend all the Razorback home games next year will have to pay more.
Season-ticket prices themselves are not going up, but required "donations" to the Razorback Foundation — the fund-raising arm of the Arkansas sports program — for the privilege of buying those tickets will rise, beginning with the 2011 season.
Arkansas officials said at a news conference Wednesday that the higher minimum donations would apply to 9,288 of 14,116 current season-ticket holder accounts. They did not say how many seats were involved with those accounts.
They said donations required to buy season tickets for Razorback Stadium at Fayetteville will range from $50 per seat for some upper deck seats to $300 per seat for midfield seating. At War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, where two home games are played each season, required donations will range from $75 to $160, depending on the section.
The $300 required donation for midfield seating at Fayetteville represents a doubling of the current $150 per seat minimum donation required to obtain the right to buy season tickets.
Athletic director Jeff Long said the minimum-donation levels would still be below those required at most other schools in the 12-member Southeastern Conference. The Arkansas officials said that, at Alabama, for instance, holders of season tickets for midfield sections are required to make donations of $1,300 per seat before they can buy season tickets.
Wyoming suspends kicker, 2 others for first game
LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming suspended kicker Ian Watts and two other players for the first game of the season against Southern Utah.
Coach Dave Christensen said on Wednesday that Watts, reserve cornerback Kenny Browder and freshman running back Nehemie Kankolongo had violated team rules. He declined to provide further details.
Watts ranked third in the Mountain West Conference last season in field goal percentage, making 12 of 15 as a freshman.
Christensen also announced freshman wide receiver Turmour Battle has been dismissed from the team and redshirt freshman free safety Larry Mitchell and sophomore wide receiver David Tooley have decided to leave the team for personal reasons.
USC suspends frosh Baxter for opener
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California freshman running back Dillon Baxter was suspended for the season opener at Hawaii.
Trojans coach Lane Kiffin told reporters Wednesday after practice that Baxter was suspended for violating team rules, but gave no details.
"I think this is an extremely strong message, a very severe punishment, for a player that may be our most potentially skilled player on our whole roster to miss his first game," Kiffin said.
Baxter will continue to practice with the team. He was one of the stars of spring practice for USC and was expected to have a significant role in the Trojans' offense.
Wildcats' practice less than perfect
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The midsummer heat wave isn't exactly bringing out the best in Kentucky. Coach Joker Phillips chastised the Wildcats on Wednesday after they struggled through their first two-a-day practice session.
Phillips said effort was an issue in the morning while concentration proved to be a problem in the afternoon. Though Phillips said it's natural for a team to struggle with temperatures hovering in the mid-90s, he expects his players to develop the toughness necessary to get through it.
Phillips criticized his receivers for dropping too many passes in the afternoon session and other players for missing assignments. He said the team needs to concentrate better if it expects to move up the ladder in the Southeastern Conference.
UAB's QB race down to 3 contenders
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — UAB coaches have narrowed the team's quarterback race down to three. Sophomore David Isabelle, junior Bryan Ellis and junior college transfer Emmanuel Taylor are still in the running. They're vying to replace Joe Webb, who's now with the Minnesota Vikings.
Coach Neil Callaway and offensive coordinator Kim Helton said Tuesday that Joe Bento and Jonathan Perry have fallen from the competition after the first seven practices. Callaway says no real pecking order has been set among Isabelle, Ellis and Taylor.
He says the competition will be reevaluated after Saturdays' scrimmage at Legion Field. None of the three contenders have logged significant passing numbers for the Blazers.
Virginia football player's dad among dead in crash
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — The University of Virginia says the father of a Cavaliers football player was among the five people killed in a plane crash in Alaska.
The school said Wednesday that tight end Colter Phillips left the team to be with his family after his father, William Phillips Sr., was killed in the crash that also claimed the life of former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens. Phillips' brother, 13-year-old William Jr., was injured.
Investigators are still working to determine why the float plane crashed into a mountain during a fishing trip. The younger Phillips was one of four survivors of Monday's crash.
SDSU football team to play Kansas in 2012
BROOKINGS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota State University says it has reached an agreement to play another regional NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision opponent.
The Jackrabbits will open the 2012 season at Kansas.
SDSU is a Football Championship Subdivision school. Head coach John Stiegelmeier says the goal in scheduling FBS opponents is to play top programs, especially within the region.
SDSU in past years has played regional FBS opponents Iowa State and Minnesota. The Jackrabbits will play Nebraska this season and Illinois in 2011. In 2015, they will play Minnesota again.
Heat forces early practice at APSU
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Austin Peay State University has gone to early morning practices to deal with very hot weather.
Coach Rick Christophel said moving practice to 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday didn't work. The heat index reached 103 degrees about 45 minutes into the drills on the Clarksville campus.
On Wednesday, practice began at 7:30 a.m. Christophel says the extremely hot weather makes it hard for players to learn.
Michigan CB J.T. Turner granted release from team
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan cornerback J.T. Turner is no longer a Wolverine.
The school said Wednesday that Turner asked for and was granted his release. He had a chance to start this season after cornerback Donovan Warren chose to skip his senior season to enter the NFL draft.
Turner, who is from Massillon, Ohio, was one of coach Rich Rodriguez's highly touted recruits last year and then redshirted last season as a freshman.
