College Football Feature Capsules: McCoy has light class load while chasing title

AUSTIN — With his team in the hunt for a national championship and his name among the favorites for the Heisman Trophy, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy will have plenty of things on his mind this season.

What he won’t have to juggle is a heavy academic load. He has only one class this semester.

The fifth-year senior is on track to graduate in December with a degree in sports management. Under NCAA rules, an athlete in his last semester of competition is required to take only the course load needed to complete a degree.

That makes it much easier for McCoy to prepare for Saturday night’s season-opener against Louisiana-Monroe. Or take a little extra time for fishing or hunting.

By comparison, Chris Hall, the guy snapping McCoy the ball, is taking 14 credit hours this semester. Former Southern California quarterback Matt Leinart took a single class in ballroom dancing in the 2005 season.

In McCoy’s case, his final schooling is a course called "Management of Sport, Health Promotion and Fitness." His first assignments include turning in a resume and competing with a classmate in a mock job interview.

McCoy should ace the interview part, considering his countless meetings with reporters over the last four years.

"I hope so," McCoy said this week. "Maybe I’ll have a little advantage."

GETTING CHIPPY

For three weeks, the frustration has been building for Texas defenders. They want to hit somebody not wearing burnt orange and they’d really love to tee off on a quarterback.

"We can’t even touch Colt, so it feels like you’re chasing a ghost," said Texas’ best pass rusher, linebacker Sergio Kindle.

Coach Mack Brown doesn’t want defenders even getting close to avoid any chance of injuring their star quarterback.

"I’ve been screaming for three weeks, stay out of Colt’s legs," Brown said. "I told them once if anybody hit Colt while he was throwing the ball, it would be worth it to me to cut their scholarship and fire their coach."

That led to some frustration and some good battles at the line of scrimmage.

"We didn’t have fights, but they’ll push and shove and scream at each other," Brown said.

"I told them, ‘How dumb are you to fight when you’ve all got helmets on and the best thing you can do is break your hand?’ I told them, ‘If you really want to fight, we can take all this off and have a fight.’ They were too tired to be interested in that."

TWO-WAY TRAY

Junior Tray Allen, 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, is listed on the two-deep depth chart at both offensive and defensive tackles, and could play both positions Saturday.

"We’re a little thin at both sides on experience," Brown said.

Allen was an All-American offensive tackle in high school. He’s played 20 career games, all on offense and special teams. He started working with the defense during training camp.

"He’s spent most of the time on defense but stays in tune with the offense. He needs to know that if we get an injury at either place, he’ll probably stay there," Brown said.

Allen’s not the only Longhorn who could see time on both sides of the ball.

Defensive tackle Lamarr Houston, 6-3, 300 pounds, plays fullback in the goal-line "jumbo" offense. It should be familiar to him. Houston played some running back in high school and rushed for more than 3,300 yards and 49 touchdowns.

"I still think attack, but there’s a lot more going on in my mind instead of just running the ball. I have to know signs. I have to know where to be and where not to be," Houston said.

SHAVING THE ’STACHE

After bemoaning the ugliness of a scratchy mustache and beard he grew during training camp, McCoy says he kind of misses it now that he’s shaved clean.

Thin, red and prickly, the facial hair was quite the attention getter. Some teammates said the mustache made him look like a 1980s tennis player (think Bjorn Borg) and the characters Mario and Luigi from the Mario Bros. video game.

"After it was gone, I heard a lot of, ‘Dude, I loved the ‘stache,"’ McCoy said.

NEW TURF

The Longhorns will play their first game on the new artificial surface at Royal-Memorial Stadium. Texas officials tore out the natural grass field after it showed a lot of wear and tear last season.

"At first I was kind of skeptical, I was thinking, ‘Man, there are going to be some burns,’ but we’ve been scrimmaging out there and doing a lot of practice stuff out there and I really haven’t noticed that much difference," said guard Charlie Tanner.

"It gets kind of warm, but that’s a good thing for us because we’re able to practice on that and hopefully it will be our advantage come game time."

Temperatures are supposed to reach the low 90s Saturday, a mild cool spell after 67 days of 100 degrees or hotter this summer.

QUOTABLE

"If you win one national championship, you’re more hungry to win another one." — Brown on advice from Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden on chasing a second national title.

North Dakota faces big Texas challenge

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — North Dakota’s players can’t help themselves, joking about the warm weather in the forecast for their road trip to take on Texas Tech in the season-opener for both teams.

"The forecast calls for a high of only 83, with scattered thunderstorms," coach Chris Mussman said. "Eighty-three degrees isn’t too bad, but we’d prefer playing in a torrential downpour of biblical proportions."

The weather, of course, is the least of Mussman’s concerns. A few raindrops won’t help when it comes to containing Tech’s fast, highly skilled offense that passes 80 percent of the time.

After beating Texas last year, Texas Tech was ranked No. 2 at one point. The Red Raiders averaged a whopping 535 yards per game in a season where a loss to Oklahoma spoiled their title hopes.

North Dakota is at the other end of the Division I spectrum, in only its second year in the Football Playoff Subdivision formerly known as I-AA.

"Yes, we’ve bit off a mouthful," said Mussman, in his second year as head coach. "It’s quite a leap."

UND and its in-state rival, North Dakota State, have played other teams in the top division before and after moving up to Division I but few have been the caliber of Texas Tech.

"We know what we’re up against and are realistic," Mussman said. "But we also want to have some fun with it. All we can do is to prepare the way we always prepare and go play hard."

UND will receive $350,000 from Tech for the game, welcome money for the budget.

"We have to generate certain revenue dollars," Mussman said. "And, our biggest struggle is scheduling because our five-team league guarantees you only four games."

That makes scheduling the Red Raiders a necessity. The Sioux look at the game as an opportunity.

"It’s exciting," offensive lineman Kyle Bondy said. "You grow up watching these types of teams on TV. It brings out your competitive side to see where you stand as a team and as an individual. It’s cool to test your limits."

Defensive lineman Ty Boyle said the caliber of opponent doesn’t change the approach. "We know what we’re dealing with, but we’ll prepare the same," he said. "Every week is the same — prepare to win."

The game is good for UND football, no matter the final score, Boyle said.

"It’s great exposure for the program," he said. "It will help recruiting because players want the opportunity to face the best."

Mussman said he could tell a difference at the team meeting to talk about Texas Tech. "There was a different look in the room," he said. "It was either intensity or anxiety or both.

"They should be nervous and fired up," he said. "I know I am."

Haitian DB Antoine is No. 9 Cowboys’ ‘Punisher’

STILLWATER, Okla. — Late at night after football practice was over, when no one else was around, Lucien Antoine was still at it.

Wearing his sneakers at a basketball gym at Fort Scott Community College, Antoine would backpedal quickly, trying to teach himself to become a better defensive back.

Defense was in his blood. He’d grown up in Haiti, playing goalie and defense in the only kind of football he knew, soccer. But the twists and turns of life guided him to American football in a corner of southeastern Kansas.

"When you want something, you do whatever it takes to get better at it and follow your dreams," Antoine said.

Antoine was raised in one of the poorest countries in the world and got out during one of the frequent times of political unrest on the Caribbean island. Through hard work, he finds himself in position to start at free safety for No. 9 Oklahoma State against 13th-ranked Georgia on Saturday.

The creature comforts like flat-panel, big screen TVs and a healthy training table are nothing like home.

"There’s no question he appreciates the food and the locker room and where he gets to sleep," defensive backs coach Joe DeForest said. "He’s got an 8-foot bed. Back in Haiti, he had three people sleeping on that one bed."

The way he tells it, Antoine was able to avoid the worst in Haiti. He and his family had food to eat and clothes to wear, in part because his mother, Philocia, was already working in the U.S. But there were scary times, too, like when roadblocks made his walk home from school a long, uncertain path.

"It was pretty violent. At times, I would see violence going on. But it was never toward me," said Antoine, his accent still prevalent. "It was always about the government, the politicking. At the same time, innocent people would get hurt sometimes."

Antoine considers himself one of the fortunate ones and he doesn’t see his homeland in a negative light.

"The way the people think it is, they think it’s real bad. When you’re raised in a place, you don’t see it as bad as the outsiders see it," Antoine said. "I always had fun in Haiti."

Still, he’s grateful for the opportunity he’s been given and he’s trying to make the most of it.

Antoine’s mother moved him to the U.S. in 2001, leaving most of the rest of his family behind. It wasn’t until his senior year at Coral Springs (Fla.) High School that he picked up football. With no scholarship offers, Antoine went surfing on the Web to find somewhere to play next.

He discovered Fort Scott, a member of the junior college Jayhawk Conference that’s a frequent feeder for Division I schools. Even with the winless Greyhounds, there was no scholarship to be had so he walked on.

After starting out as a defensive end, Antoine’s late-night gym sessions helped transform him into one of the team’s best players in the secondary. When Russ Pickett arrived to be Fort Scott’s defensive coordinator, it wasn’t long before Antoine made an impression.

Pickett assigned his new players a tricky jump rope routine that made everyone struggle. Then one day, he ran into Antoine walking around campus, jump rope in hand. "Coach, I’ve been working on it," the player said.

"He doesn’t like to be average at anything," said Pickett, now a high school coach in Benton, Ark. Pickett called him the best natural hitter he’s ever coached but "still a baby in the game" since he started playing so late.

"There’s no question a lot of kids these days are given everything, especially high-profile athletes coming out of high school. They’re usually catered to. That’s not the case with Lucien," Pickett said. "He’s worked for everything he’s gotten in his life."

That showed in the way Antoine worked with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, cleaning up the gym and doing odd jobs to pay his way through junior college. He earned a partial scholarship his second season at Fort Scott, then started getting interest from places like Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Louisville and Purdue.

A year later, he was making his home debut for the Cowboys when he suffered a season-ending left knee injury.

"That’s all I’d been working for. I always wanted to come to a D-I program and just play," Antoine said. "That was my goal and I worked hard and get there, and then I got hurt. It was the worst feeling ever. It was the worst thing I ever experienced."

As his second chance approaches, Antoine is getting back to his old self. Teammates have nicknamed him "The Punisher" for his bone-crushing hits and "All Day" for his relentless workouts. Cornerback Perrish Cox tells of how strength coach Rob Glass has to practically chase Antoine away after he keeps asking to lift more weight.

"By the time we leave the weight room, my arms are so tight I feel like I’m about to bust open," Cox said. "But he wants to get extra."

Giving his all is the only way Antoine knows. After all, he’s chasing a dream, and not just for himself. If he’s able to reach the next level, he wants to pay forward the gift of opportunity his mother afforded him.

"If I’m living good, hopefully I will have money to help my family," Antoine said. "That’s my mom’s goal, so I’ve got to help her do that."

-- Jeff Latzke

DT Suh planning final campaign for No. 24 Huskers

LINCOLN, Neb. — Charlie McBride, the often gruff defensive coordinator who oversaw Nebraska’s national champion units in the 1990s, isn’t one to gush. Mention Ndamukong Suh’s name, though, and McBride can’t help himself.

"When I see him play, I think to myself that this is as good as I’ve seen around here," said McBride, who coached All-Americans such as Neil Smith, Grant Wistrom and Jason Peter. "He’s got all the tools anybody had. You could take a piece of all the guys I had — athleticism, ability to run, stuff like that — and you would have one Ndamukong Suh."

The 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive tackle from Portland, Ore., is known as "Big Suh" around the program. He developed into one of the most intimidating linemen in the nation last year and considered turning pro as an underclassmen.

But he liked the environment created by defensive-minded head coach Bo Pelini and chose to come back for some more seasoning.

The Big 12’s preseason defensive player of the year already is projected as a potential top-10 pick in next year’s NFL draft, and he leads one of the best front fours in college football.

"They say I’m a marked man now," Suh said. "I have to continue to be a marked man."

Suh’s decision to play his senior year should help the Cornhuskers build on a 9-4 year.

Suh became a force the second half of the season, and Nebraska won six of its last seven games. He was the first lineman to lead Nebraska in tackles since 1973. His 76 stops were the most by a lineman since 1992. And he was the Huskers’ first interior defensive lineman to earn first-team all-conference honors since Steve Warren in 1999.

The season opener Saturday against Florida Atlantic and next week’s game against Arkansas State will serve as tuneups before Suh steps into the national spotlight Sept. 19 when the 24th-ranked Huskers play at No. 7 Virginia Tech.

"I’m glad the season is finally here," Suh said. "I am ready. I’ve always been eager to get back into game situations and get into game week preparations. ... When Friday classes are over with, it’s all about football. That is my main focus, to go ahead and take care of business."

Opponents certainly will be doing their homework on Suh, who anchors a front that includes tackle Jared Crick and talented ends Pierre Allen and Barry Turner.

Trying to go mano a mano with Suh would be a difficult proposition. But double- or triple-teaming him has drawbacks, too.

"If you are double-teaming me or Crick, you have two linebackers that will flow to the ball and hit the hole hard and make plays," Suh said. "It’s kind of tough. If you’re giving up one thing, then you have to accept another thing."

Suh flashed his versatility in a number of areas last year.

His 7.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss led the Huskers. He also ran back two interceptions for touchdowns, the first a 49-yarder against San Jose State and a 30-yarder in the final minute to secure a come-from-behind win over Colorado.

He wrapped up the season with eight tackles, two sacks and a blocked field goal against Clemson in the Gator Bowl.

Nebraska even used Suh on offense in goal-line situations the second half of the season — like the 1985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears did with William "Refrigerator" Perry — and he scored against Kansas on a 2-yard pass from Joe Ganz.

Pelini said Suh is just beginning to show what he’s capable of, and Suh agrees.

"Obviously, it’s my last year of playing collegiate football, and it’s coming to a quick end," Suh said. "I need to make the most of it, and I think this team will make the most of it. We’ve put in a lot of work in the offseason and this fall camp. I think it’s time to go out there, and with all the hard work we’ve put in, to reap some of those benefits."

Suh will be remembered for his name as much as his accomplishments. Ndamukong, pronounced "En-dom-ah-ken," means "House of Spears" in the language of the Ngema tribe of Cameroon, the homeland of his father, Michael.

Former coach Bill Callahan made Suh, pronounced "Soo," the Huskers’ first scholarship recipient from Oregon. Set back by knee problems early in his career, Suh became a starter as a third-year sophomore in 2007.

Now his teammates look to Suh as a leader, and not just on defense.

"He’s not a guy who’s going to be a rah-rah type leader and that’s OK," Pelini said. "Leadership comes in a lot of different forms."

Suh said he isn’t one to make speeches, but his actions speak loud and clear on the practice and game fields, according to teammates.

"He’ll get in a lot of fights," center Jacob Hickman said. "It’s not like bad fights, but frustration, shoving matches, especially him and (offensive lineman) Ricky Henry. It’s a good thing, as long as he doesn’t get a penalty."

McBride, who retired after the 1999 season, said Suh’s demeanor has changed for the better over the years.

"When he came in, he looked a little bit soft. He didn’t seem to have a lot of fire when he was at practice," McBride said.

He said Pelini and his brother, defensive coordinator Carl Pelini, have done wonders for Suh.

"If he keeps playing like he is," McBride said, "he’s going to be right up there with a pocket full of change after he leaves Nebraska."

-- Eric Olson

Illinois favored for change in Missouri opener

ST. LOUIS — For a change, it’s Illinois bringing all the star power to the neutral-site opener against Missouri. For the first time in a long while, it’s the Tigers who are untested and unappreciated.

Illini quarterback Juice Williams passed for more than 450 yards and five touchdowns in a losing cause against Missouri last year, among three stadium yardage records he set. He’s unquestionably the marquee name heading into Saturday’s so-called Arch Rivalry, one of eight returning starters on offense that makes the Illini close to a touchdown favorite to end a four-game losing streak in the series.

Not too confident, though. Illinois was 5-7 last year, after all.

"We want to see if we’ve learned the things we needed to learn in the offseason," coach Ron Zook said. "We have a great challenge in front of us, a team we haven’t beaten yet."

Missouri is starting over, in a sense, coming off a 10-4 record and heading into coach Gary Pinkel’s ninth season. Virtually all the headliners are gone from teams that combined for 22 victories, two bowl triumphs and a brief stay at No. 1 during the heyday of a high-flying spread offense featuring quarterback Chase Daniel and receiver Jeremy Maclin.

Maclin and defensive tackle Ziggy Hood gave Missouri two first-round NFL draft picks for the first time since 1977, safety William Moore was a second-rounder and tight end Chase Coffman was taken in the third round.

Besides losing their nucleus, the Tigers had to replace both coordinators, an offshoot of all that success. Yet Pinkel is confident he’ll field a team that can compete for a third straight Big 12 North title, rather than the third-place finish that’s been forecast.

"You think our fans care whether we lost one or two starters or 10 starters?" Pinkel said. "I don’t care. We have high expectations and we want to play the best we can. Youth or lack of experience to me is absolutely insignificant."

Daniel’s replacement is sophomore Blaine Gabbert, who’ll make his first career college start in his hometown. Missouri is likely to use junior tailback Derrick Washington, the top returning skill player on offense, to ease Gabbert’s load at least early in the season.

Pinkel downplays the pressure on Gabbert, a former blue chip recruit who got limited playing time last season.

"It’s been a fun ride, and now it’s time to get down to business," Gabbert said. "It’ll be big. I just have to stay calm and relaxed."

The key to the game could be Williams vs. the Missouri defense.

Williams totaled 451 passing yards last year in a 52-42 shootout loss, setting a record for yardage in the St. Louis Rams’ home stadium. Missouri defensive players don’t want to be turnstiles this year and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon had a Twitter posting this summer saying he’d "squeeze the pulp" out of Williams.

Zook took the high road, at least publicly.

"If anyone can squeeze the pulp out of Juice, it’s him," the coach said. "He is a game-changer. I hope he’s wrong, I hope he’s not able to."

Illinois receiver Arrelious Benn was a first-team All-Big Ten selection for an offense that topped 5,000 yards for the second straight season, and Florida transfer Jarred Fayson figures to give Williams another top option.

Illinois lost a first-round draft pick on defense, cornerback Vontae Davis, and junior Martez Wilson takes over at middle linebacker.

The neutral-site series will end after next season, with both schools getting an additional home game starting in 2011. In the meantime, they will try to rise to the early test both will be getting.

"It forces your guys to get ready," Zook said. "This is not going to be a warmup, this is going to be all-out and right from the very beginning."

Zook did not want to discuss opening the season in Champaign, Ill., in 2011.

"Can we stick to Saturday?" the coach said. "I’m serious, this is a big game. It really is."

-- R.B. Fallstrom

Elsewhere

Florida’s James vows to score on kickoff

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s Brandon James believes it could happen this week. If not, maybe this month. He knows it will happen this year.

James, one of the nation’s top returners the last three years, is still looking for his first kickoff return for a touchdown.

He thought he had one against Arkansas last season, but his 89-yard return was nullified by a holding penalty. He thought he had two others earlier in his career, but both were called back.

James is ready to end the drought.

"We’re going to get one this year," James said. "We’ve just got to (avoid) the penalties. We’ve had three since I’ve been here, but all three didn’t count. We’ll get one this year. Hopefully, it’s at the beginning of the season. I want to get it out of the way."

James will get his first chance Saturday night when the top-ranked Gators begin their quest for a third national title in four years against Charleston Southern.

The Buccaneers, who play in the Football Championship Subdivision, should be overmatched at every position. Considering what James has done against other opponents, he could have a huge advantage in the opener.

The 5-foot-7, 185-pound senior has returned 83 kickoffs for a school-record 1,962 yards, averaging 23.6 yards a return. He’s made defenders miss, shed tackles and found himself in the open field several times. But he hasn’t been able to find the end zone — at least not without a yellow flag on the ground.

Former Florida running back Bo Carroll was the last Florida player to return a kickoff for a touchdown. He did it Oct. 9, 1999, against LSU. The Gators have played 123 games since without one, a streak James thinks about and hears about all the time.

Carroll even mentioned it to him this summer when they crossed paths in the team’s football facility.

"He actually got on to me about that, but I explained the same thing," James said. "I’ve gotten three. What more do you want me to do?"

The Gators have more in store for James this fall.

After losing their top two receivers, Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy, coaches moved James from part-time running back to full-time receiver.

"Brandon is a dynamic runner. We’ve always felt that way," Florida coach Urban Meyer said. "But with Percy back there and we needed a return guy, we didn’t use him very much. But he’s had an excellent camp."

James is expected to take on Harvin’s workload, which included lining up all over the field and burning defense with speed, elusiveness and big-play ability.

"A lot more involved in the offense," said James, who was Harvin’s roommate last season. "It’s something I’m really excited about. I pretty much know everything about the position. I picked up on a lot of things he did."

Meyer tabbed highly touted freshman Andre Debose as Harvin’s replacement back in February. But Debose injured his hamstring at the state high school track meet last spring, re-injured it during summer workouts and tweaked it on the first day of fall practice.

Team doctors initially thought it was just a pulled muscle, but tests showed there was partially torn tendon. Debose is considering surgery.

James, meanwhile, is eager for more.

"It’s my turn to step in and fill the offensive void," he said. "I’ve been waiting on it for a long time. We had a lot of depth, a lot of playmakers. I just had to wait my turn."

James ran 14 times for 59 yards and two touchdowns last season, and caught 11 passes for 95 yards and a score. Most of his contributions came on special teams, where he returned two punts for touchdowns. His four career punt returns for touchdowns are tied for the most in school history and ranked third all time in the Southeastern Conference.

But what he wants more than anything is to finally score on a kickoff return.

"The coaches are always on me about it," James said. "They always remind me that we’ve gotten three, but all three were called back. We’re working real hard with the return team. I think this will be the year."

-- Mark Long

No. 9 Penn St. breaks in new secondary

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Safety Nick Sukay hasn’t played a down of college football, so it’s quite an accomplishment that he’s secured a starting job at No. 9 Penn State.

He’s not the only rookie starter in Happy Valley. With the Nittany Lions debuting a new secondary in the season opener Saturday against Akron, Penn State fans are wondering just how they’ll hold up against the pass.

Zips coach J.D. Brookhart thinks the newcomers will do just fine.

"I know they have questions marks, or they appear to have question marks in the secondary, but they have five-star players who just haven’t played a lot of football yet," Brookhart said this week.

That’s especially true of Sukay, a highly recruited prospect in 2007 from western Pennsylvania. After redshirting a year, he missed all of 2008 because of right foot surgery.

Sukay also has been hampered by shoulder pain, but he’s healthy again and is seizing the opening created by the departure of last year’s starter, Mark Rubin.

"Well, Sukay has been hurt a lot, so it appears he’s come out of nowhere, which really hasn’t been accurate," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "He’s always had tremendous potential ... So he’s never really had the opportunity to show what he can do."

Last year’s fifth defensive back, sophomore Drew Astorino, takes over at free safety, while senior Knowledge Timmons and sophomore D’Anton Lynn are the new cornerbacks.

At least for now, while Paterno decides what to do with senior A.J. Wallace. He’s arguably the team’s most talented defensive back, though he found a spot in Paterno’s infamous doghouse this preseason for cutting classes.

Paterno said last month that Wallace might miss the first two games of the year as punishment. JoePa softened his stance this week and said Wallace may play Saturday after the cornerback achieved certain grades and abided by other rules he set.

After Wallace, Penn State is otherwise young or even more inexperienced in the secondary. They could be tested by a veteran Akron offense that features a third-year starter in QB Chris Jacquemain and four returning receivers.

"There’s been a lot of talk about us. We have to go prove ourselves," Astorino said. "There’s going to be mistakes made ... but we’re going to work harder."

They should also benefit from a solid front seven.

Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley doesn’t like to blitz, so the D-line will be counted on to pressure the quarterback, and the impressive linebacking corps must contain the running game and cover short passing routes.

Top outside linebackers Sean Lee and Navorro Bowman have shown plenty of ability to handle those jobs.

Factor in returning middle linebacker Josh Hull’s experience and quality depth in Bani Gbadyu and Nathan Stupar, and it’s easy to see why Paterno hadn’t even decided on who might play nickel back earlier this week.

"If our linebackers can play the way we think, and they can be outside linebackers that can walk away from the line of scrimmage and help on the pass game, we may not use a nickel," Paterno said. "A lot will depend on how a couple kids in the secondary come along."

NOTE: Reserve linebacker Jon Ditto is no longer with the Nittany Lions, and the team did not say why. A team spokesman said Thursday it appeared Ditto would stay at the university as a student. The sophomore from Monroeville was buried on the depth chart at the team’s deepest position.

-- Genaro C. Armas

Two Buckeyes glad to finally be in spotlight

COLUMBUS, Ohio — For five years Andre Amos and Austin Spitler have labored on the Ohio State football team, one perpetually injured and the other stuck behind a perpetual All-American.

With the No. 6 Buckeyes poised to open their season against Navy on Saturday, both find themselves in an unfamiliar place — the spotlight.

"Patience is not necessarily a virtue of young people," coach Jim Tressel said Thursday.

Except for maybe Amos and Spitler.

Asked during camp if he were going to start the first game, Amos said all the right things about being in a battle with Devon Torrence at cornerback. The reporter followed up by asking why he smiled as he answered.

"I’m just a happy guy," Amos said.

No wonder. He has played just 67 total minutes in his four previous years on campus because of a series of injuries. Now he’s getting the call to start opposite Chimdi Chekwa against the Midshipmen, who have rushed for more yards than any other major college team a record four years in a row.

Amos looks forward to what amounts to his final shot at college football.

"Man, this means everything. That’s all I can say," he said. "I played early and I’ve had two down seasons and now it’s time to get back on track."

Spitler also will be a central figure in the game. Labeled a fifth-year senior, he graduated on Sunday with a degree in communications and will pursue a second degree in human development. He has been tapped to start at linebacker.

If you’ve never heard of Spitler, it’s because he was locked away on the second team behind Butkus and Nagurski winner James Laurinaitis for each of the past four years. Laurinaitis seldom came out of games and only his graduation paved the way for Spitler to show what he can do.

"I obviously haven’t played all that much here. I kind of like it that way, flying under the radar," said Spitler, selected as one of Ohio State’s three captains. "(Waiting) has definitely paid off. We’ve got a long season ahead of us and a lot of goals ahead of us that are going to take a lot of hard work. But I’m truly grateful for the position I’m in. I can’t wait for Saturday. It’ll be one great day."

Their teammates have been pulling for them all along. They’ve noticed the hours of hard work, and in Amos’ case the days and weeks spent rehabbing injuries.

"I’m so happy that ‘Dre’s doing well this year," safety Anderson Russell said. "I feel sympathy with him because we both had (torn) ACLs. Then last year he was kind of getting back in the flow of things and was thinking he was going to get some playing time and he had another injury. I’m just glad that he’s healthy right now and everything’s working out for him."

After a redshirt year, Amos had a promising freshman season in 2006 when he played in all 12 games. But he underwent knee surgery the next spring and saw only limited time the following fall. A year ago, he had shoulder problems that caused him to spend his time waiting and watching others hit the field.

"There’s a great example of handling adversity," Tressel said. "He kept hanging in there. He just kept fighting through injury."

Spitler has spent his time as a special-teams demon but he always longed to be more than a guy who was cannon fodder during practice. More than anyone else, Laurinaitis, drafted in the second round by the St. Louis Rams, recognized how difficult the waiting around was on his close friend. He often complimented Spitler and said he could start on any other team in the nation.

When a reporter earlier this week joked that Laurinaitis was considering coming back to Ohio State, Spitler just laughed.

"In Austin’s case, he did a nice job of embracing the fact that he really did have a role in special teams, which were 15-20 plays a game. He was on everything, making a difference there and he was always ready to play," Tressel said. "He loved where he was, he loved his teammates.

"But that takes a focused guy, to look at the big picture."

That goes double for Amos.

-- Rusty Miller

QBs aiming to lead Tide-Hokies to big things

The jitters were sure to hit Greg McElroy, with all the usual signs. Sweaty palms. Butterflies. Racing heart.

Once the plane lands in Atlanta, No. 5 Alabama’s new starting quarterback figures he’ll be OK, though.

"I’m scared to fly," McElroy said. "That’s about as nervous as I’ll probably get just boarding that plane."

He will make his starting debut in the Georgia Dome Saturday night against No. 7 Virginia Tech in a nationally televised game, but he’s more comfortable in that kind of environment than on planes.

McElroy’s first high school start came as a senior against Midland Lee, the powerhouse Texas school of "Friday Night Lights" fame.

"I’m used to playing on the big stage for my first start," he said. "It’s the only thing I’ve ever known. It’s only fitting because if this team wants to achieve great things, then we’ve got to beat great opponents."

And if Virginia Tech expects to do great things, the Hokies will need their quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, to stay healthy. Experience isn’t the question for him — it’s whether he can avoid injury and be as dangerous passing as he was running last season.

Taylor is 13-1 as a starter not counting the loss at Florida State last year when his game ended with an injury on the first offensive play. He had four 100-yard rushing games last season.

Alabama cornerback Javier Arenas called him "a very dangerous guy" even if he’s just using his feet to buy time to find a receiver.

"It can wreak a lot of havoc for the secondary," Arenas said. "You typically cover a guy for 4-5 seconds, 6 at the most. A guy like that you can possibly be covering up to 11 or 12 seconds. It gives him a greater opportunity to complete a pass.

"Our defensive line’s going to have to try to cut that down and make our job easier. It’s a team effort to stop a guy like him."

Taylor has the reins now after sharing playing time with Sean Glennon the past two years. He said he will be smart about when to run and when to avoid taking unnecessary hits.

"The injuries that I’ve had in the past, I really can’t control those," Taylor said. "As far as me changing my game, maybe getting down more or getting out of bounds quicker, but it’s nothing that I think about because when you think about injuries, that’s when they happen."

Or as coach Frank Beamer said, "You want to play smart but I certainly don’t think you want to play scared. You’ve got to do what you do."

McElroy has had to bide his time for three seasons behind John Parker Wilson.

Taylor and McElroy have different styles — the scrambler and the drop-back passer — but similar burdens. McElroy is facing life without All-America linemen Andre Smith and Antoine Caldwell and tailback Glen Coffee. Taylor won’t have injured runner Darren Evans.

The biggest similarity: Both fan bases are expecting their quarterbacks to deliver plenty of wins. McElroy is familiar with that kind of pressure from Southlake Carroll High School.

"We were 63-1 in my four years with our one loss being my sophomore year, we lost 16-15," he said. "Winning is a way of life. That’s the way I’ve been brought up. That’s what I expect to do. I’ve never lost a game as a starter, dating back to ninth grade."

Playing in a town that revolved around high school football on Friday nights in the fall — like Tuscaloosa does on Saturdays — helped, too.

"I think that it did prepare me for this moment in the sense that I understand the magnitude of each game," McElroy said. "Obviously it’s bigger here, but it’s something I’m ready for and something I’ve prepared for my entire life."

Tide coach Nick Saban doesn’t sound too worried about how his new quarterback will handle the situation. Wilson was surrounded by veteran stars, though. McElroy won’t have that luxury.

"We have every confidence in him as a quarterback," Saban said. "My concern would be more, are the players around him going to play well enough to allow him to do what he needs to do to be a good player?

"Quarterback is a difficult position to play if you don’t have the people around you playing well."

Or if they don’t believe in you.

Hokies quarterbacks coach Mike O’Cain figures Taylor’s teammates noticed all the work he did on his throwing and reading defenses during the offseason.

"Most of his leadership comes by guys respecting him for what he can do and the way he goes about his business," O’Cain said. "He worked his rear end off this spring and this summer throwing the ball."

-- John Zenor

Tigers brace for ‘Clemson North’

CLEMSON, S.C. — The coaching bonds between Clemson and Middle Tennessee go much deeper than healthy respect and friendly offseason phone calls.

Middle Tennessee assistant Willie Simmons once spent six months living in Clemson coach Dabo Swinney’s basement. Swinney’s accountant? The father of Blue Raiders strength coach Russell Patterson.

And maybe Swinney wouldn’t even have his current job if Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee’s head man, hadn’t left Clemson after 14 years coaching offense.

"I’ve been calling them ‘Clemson North,"’ Swinney said.

The Tigers latest family feud takes place Saturday when Middle Tennessee comes to Death Valley to start the season.

Stockstill brings a formable group of former Tigers to a stadium they know well, perhaps too well for Swinney’s taste.

"You can’t minimize that," said Swinney, who begins his first full season in charge. "They really understand Death Valley and playing here."

And well they should.

Stockstill cut his coaching teeth for Clemson’s Danny Ford, Ken Hatfield, Tommy West and Tommy Bowden from 1989-2002. Even before Rick’s time as assistant, the Stockstill family was linked to Clemson: Stockstill’s brother, Jeff, was a member of the school’s 1981 national champions and can be seen forever in a photo of Tigers lifting Ford off the field after the 22-15 Orange Bowl victory over Nebraska.

The connections don’t stop there.

Simmons was the first major recruit of Clemson coach Tommy Bowden in 1999. After finishing his career at The Citadel, Simmons came back to the Tigers as a a graduate assistant in 2006 — when he lived with the Swinneys — before joining the Blue Raiders a season later.

Les Herrin, Middle Tennessee assistant head coach, logged as many years as an assistant as Stockstill and coached on Clemson’s national championship team.

Safeties coach David Bibee was a Tiger assistant for two seasons. Receivers coach Justin Watts was part of four bowl teams for the Tigers. Patterson spent four seasons in Clemson’s strength program.

In all, 10 members of Middle Tennessee’s football program have a tie to Clemson and at one time lived for Tiger football Saturdays.

Even Stockstill’s equipment manager, Troy Johnson, carries a Clemson degree.

Despite the history, Tiger tailback C.J. Spiller points out, "Those coaches can’t get out on the field and make plays."

Although Stockstill’s departure certainly shaped the program.

After 2002, "Coach Stock" left to become East Carolina’s offensive coordinator. Bowden hired Swinney, a former Alabama assistant who had been out of the game selling commercial real estate for a couple of years, as Stockstill’s replacement.

Swinney became one of the team’s most dogged and reliable recruiters, luring talented stars like Spiller to campus.

So with Clemson languishing at 3-3 last October, Bowden stepped down and the Tigers turned to Swinney as interim coach. He got the job permanently as Clemson won four of its final five regular-season games.

"It was a good situation for him and it was a good situation for me," Swinney said.

When Swinney first began recruiting off campus for the Crimson Tide in the mid-1990s, one of the first people he ran into was Stockstill and his Tiger paw cap. The two found they had a lot in common and stayed friendly ever since.

"He’s a good guy," Swinney said. "I’m really proud of him and what he’s accomplished."

Stockstill has spent the offseason, at least publicly, concentrating on Clemson’s personnel and not his lengthy Tiger history. When asked about the Tiger reunion at this week’s media gathering, Stockstill said he had not and would not mention it to players.

End of story.

Maybe Stockstill got that perspective from his Clemson days, too. He watched his former boss Tommy Bowden endure the highs and lows of playing his father, Florida State coach Bobby, in the "Bowden Bowl" each year.

Stockstill also went through what some Death Valley diehards consider the ultimate treason — returning to Clemson in South Carolina colors as he did in 2004 as Lou Holtz’s assistant.

"I’m sorry he wound up at South Carolina for a couple of years," Swinney joked.

Swinney expects Stockstill to work just as hard as ever in preparing for the Tigers. "He’s done a great job with that program," Swinney said. "He’s generated a lot of excitement and getting them to be a very competitive team."

-- Pete Iacobelli

Notre Dame prepares to disarm Nevada’s pistol

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Nevada runs an offense Knute Rockne would surely appreciate.

The pistol offense was devised by coach Chris Ault when he took over the Wolf Pack program again in 2005. It has been called a version of the old single wing widely used in the days of leather helmets, when Rockne used the "Notre Dame Box" formation made famous in the early 1920s by Elmer Layden, Don Miller, Harry Stuhldreher and Jim Crowley, better known as the Four Horsemen.

Ault, though, says the offense has more modern origins. The pistol is a modified shotgun offense where the quarterback lines up about 4 yards behind center, several yards closer than the traditional shotgun, and the running back is behind the quarterback. Ault, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002, said the pistol has elements of the spread offense but focuses more on straight ahead running and play-action passing.

Still, it’s a hard offense to figure.

"It’s not like Navy; but there’s Navy elements. It’s not like Texas when Vince Young when they were really running the shotgun offense with offset backs, but it has elements of it," Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said.

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta said the pistol has components of the option, the spread and the wing T. The Wolf Pack make it even more complicated by putting people in motion and giving different looks.

"You can say it’s window dressing, but it’s part of how they attack you," he said.

Nevada has gone to four straight bowl games since switching to the pistol. With quarterback Colin Kaepernick at the trigger last season, the Wolf Pack were third in the country in rushing at 277 yards a game and fifth in total offense at 508 yards a game.

Kaepernick, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound junior who was once recruited to play baseball at Notre Dame, ran for 1,130 yards last season and passed for 2,849 yards.

"He can run the football, he can make guys miss in space," Tenuta said. "He’s got touch on the ball, he’s got a strong arm. The guy’s a complete player."

The Wolf Pack also have running backs Vai Taua and Luke Lippincott. Taua led the Western Athletic Conference in rushing last year with 1,521 yards and 15 touchdowns. Lippincott, granted a medical redshirt after injuring his left knee last season, led the WAC in rushing a year earlier with 1,420 yards. That gives Nevada three 1,000 yard rushers in one backfield.

That’s a concern because No. 23 Notre Dame hasn’t been good against the run since 2004. Last year the Irish were 45th in the country in rushing defense, giving up 134 yards a game. Tenuta said the Irish need to be better.

"In every game you play you have to stop the run first and foremost or they’ll run the clock on you," he said. "That’s No. 1, stop the run, then attack the pass."

Notre Dame players say they see Nevada’s offense as a mix of Navy and Michigan. The key for the Irish, they said, is to stay disciplined and to play assignment defense.

Playing such a prolific offense to start the season will give the Irish defense an early indication of where it is, linebacker Brian Smith said.

"This defense has come a long way," he said. "I’ve said from the first day of camp we’re going to be a stingy defense. I think we’re well on our way to being a stingy defense."

-- Tom Coyne

Vols QB Jonathan Crompton enjoying new confidence

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Jonathan Crompton’s father gave him a piece of advice on getting over his miserable season as Tennessee’s quarterback.

"‘Just let it all hang loose. What do you have to lose? Nothing,"’ the senior recalled his father saying. "That’s what it’s all about. It’s still a game."

Something about that clicked, Crompton said. Now, as the Volunteers prepare for Saturday’s opener against Western Kentucky, he’s enjoying a resurgence in confidence.

Crompton won the starting job nearly two weeks ago for a second season after a tight competition in fall camp with his backup from last season, junior Nick Stephens.

They’re the same two who were engaged in a season long soap opera in 2008 with the quarterbacks and their teammates wondering weekly which one would start.

Stephens was tabbed after Crompton struggled through the first four games and started until the Vols lost to Wyoming. Crompton won the starting job back for the last two games, but Stephens and third-string quarterback B.J. Coleman still saw plenty of playing time.

Crompton finished the season with 889 yards passing, only four touchdowns and five interceptions. He had as many touchdowns in 2006 playing back up to Erik Ainge.

Crompton was at times booed by fans, and the quarterback said he received threatening e-mails as the season tanked.

Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin could see what Crompton through last season during some early fall practices.

"It’s like a bad relationship," Kiffin said at the time. "He’s hurt. You can tell when things go bad because he freezes up a little bit because he’s been beat up for so long here."

Kiffin has pledged not to rotate quarterbacks. Now Crompton looks more relaxed. He still throws the occasional interception but walks back to the huddle as if nothing happened. He stays after practice to throw with the wide receivers and has filled notebooks with notes.

Last season he would stiffly respond to questions with succinct answers. Now he doesn’t mind elaborating and will even joke.

"It’s still the game of football, and that’s the game I chose as a little kid that I wanted to play. And I love it, and I’m passionate about it," Crompton said.

The confidence is carrying over to the entire offense.

"You see guys that are practicing hard, they’ve got a smile on their face when it’s working for them," defensive tackle Wes Brown said. "That’s really good to see because they’ve really been coming on the last couple of weeks."

Crompton likes the new offensive system under the first-year coach. He doesn’t have to think too much. He just plays.

"I guess you say it’s a cliche, but it’s like it just clicked, and something just happened," he said. "I guess you could say I just went back to my old self. And it’s been fun ever since that happened."

-- Beth Rucker

Hawaii looking to open season on winning note

HONOLULU — Hawaii quarterback Greg Alexander got an ugly welcome to Division I football.

In the 2008 season opener at top-ranked Florida, Alexander threw two interceptions and fumbled twice before being benched as the Warriors lost 56-10. He also lost the starting job for the next six games.

Alexander and the Warriors should have more success when they open the season Friday night at home against Central Arkansas, a member of the Football Championship Subdivision.

"That was a tough situation," he said about playing the Gators. "I would love to go back this year and play them with this team, see how we stack up against them again. But everyone’s excited to get out there on that Friday against Central Arkansas."

Hawaii, which is coming off a 7-7 season capped by a lopsided loss to Notre Dame in the Hawaii Bowl, is looking for an early knockout.

"We’ve got to come in there and put up some points and shut them down right away," center John Estes said. "We don’t want to be in a dogfight the whole game. We’re just looking forward to playing Central Arkansas. We know they’re from the South. We know they’ve got a lot of speed. We’ve just got to execute."

Alexander and Estes are among the familiar faces from last year’s offense. But the game will be the first look at the defense that features 10 new starters. The lone returning starter, defensive end John Fonoti, bruised his left knee in practice on Tuesday but is expected to play.

The defense may be tested against a Central Arkansas squad that is not eligible for the postseason since it is in the final year of a four-year transition from Division II to FCS. The Bears were 10-2 last season and finished first in the Southland Conference.

"Central Arkansas is a very dangerous team," second-year Warriors coach Greg McMackin said. "They’re a very skilled team. ... They’re fast. They’re athletic."

UCA quarterback Robbie Park, who backed up Nathan Brown the last three seasons, will make his first start since his sophomore season, when he filled in for an injured Brown in three games.

These two teams are meeting because Central Arkansas was granted a 12th regular-season game, the only FCS team to get an extra game. So the Bears took advantage and scheduled a game in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

"We felt like we wanted to do something a little bit exotic since we can’t play in the postseason, so we kind of see this as the next step in the progression of our program," Bears coach Clint Conque said.

Conque noted that Hawaii played in the Sugar Bowl 18 months ago against Georgia and faced Notre Dame in the Hawaii Bowl.

For the first time in school history, the Bears will play two FBS teams in the same season.

UCA is 0-4 against FBS teams, including losses to Arkansas State in 1996 and 1997, to Louisiana Tech in 2007 and to Tulsa last year.