eGriz
eGriz.com RULER!
Joined: 27 Mar 2002
Posts: 3585
Location: Missoula, Montana
1538 eGriz Bucks
|
Read ready to restore Grizzlies' image (Great Falls Tribune).
Dickenson says he's ready to play; Ex-Griz QB wants to start CFL opener (Missoulian).
Third & Long: I-AA WRs - Searching for Bullet Bob (Tony Moss, TSN).
Idaho's move raises NDSU's hope for Big Sky (The Forum).
UNC might be interested in CU's Harris; will look into defender's past (Rocky Mountain News).
***
Read ready to restore Grizzlies' image
By George Geise, Great Falls Tribune
You won't see Don Read lining the football field at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
You won't find him swinging at celebrity golf tournaments, or entertaining boosters with a song-and-dance routine.
But he'll be plenty visible on the banquet circuit, and you'll frequently see him with his hand out as he asks University of Montana sports fans to help erase an athletic department deficit that has reached nearly $1 million.
The 70-year-old Read was the most successful football coach in UM history, going 85-36 before retiring in the spring of 1996, but he's a rookie at his new job. He made his first trip to Great Falls Wednesday as the new Grizzly athletic director, visiting with boosters at two separate functions. Read replaced Marie Porter, who had been serving as interim AD since March when Wayne Hogan resigned under fire.
Read served under three different ADs during his decade in Missoula. He was hired in by Harley Lewis in 1985, worked for more than eight years under Bill Moos, then finished his career under Hogan.
"Those guys all had different styles," Read said after addressing Grizzly Scholarship Association members at a luncheon at the Charlie Russell Manor.
"Harley was very much a hands-on guy. You might find him out there lining the field, and he liked to come down and have coffee with the coaches. He enjoyed that.
"Bill was kind of a combination guy. He was an old lineman, and he loved football. But he would work like heck behind the scenes to get you what you needed."
Moos, currently a successful AD at Oregon, also was quick with a song and loved to fraternize with boosters.
That was a style that worked well for Hogan, who was comfortable on a golf course and most kinds of social functions.
"I worked less than a year with Wayne, but he was good at meeting people and raising money," said Read. "He was out there, doing what had to be done so coaches had a chance."
So what kind of athletic director will Read be?
"I hope I'm a hands-on guy. I think that's me," he said. "I visualize being out in the community a lot. I know public relations is a big part of the job, especially with the program in turmoil."
If the UM program weren't in turmoil, Read would still be doing some consulting, and finishing his latest football book. He would be living in Oregon, where his son, Bruce, is an assistant coach at Oregon State.
But with his beloved school in trouble, Read came to the rescue. UM President George Dennison wanted a strong, solid leader at the helm while the school dug itself out of the current financial mess. Read asked himself whether he was up to the challenge, and that's why he's in Missoula.
"I'm not afraid to go out and talk to people about our situation. I know fund-raising is a big part of this job," he said.
"I think it will be exciting. If you really believe in something, it's easy to sell."
Read wants to be a resource for second-year Grizzly football coach Bobby Hauck, who got his first job under Read as a UM graduate assistant in the late 1980s. Read is recognized as a strong advocate of the passing game, but he said he won't impose his football philosophy on his own head coach.
"He (Hauck) believes in throwing the football in a balanced way," said Read.
"But he had a big, ol' running back last year (Justin Green) who could knock a wall down, so why not give him the ball?
"You have to get the most out of the capabilities of your personnel. There isn't a Dave Dickenson down there now," he said, referring to the former Great Falls quarterback who led UM to a national I-AA championship in 1995.
"We did what Dave could do, and that was a lot."
Read added that he's impressed with the ability of current UM quarterback Craig Ochs, and said he thinks the Grizzly offense will be strong if Ochs remains healthy.
Read emphasized that arranging a balanced schedule is a key to keeping the football team in contention for national honors, which in turn is essential if UM is going to balance the budget.
"Bobby isn't opposed to playing Division I-A teams," said Read, "but we wouldn't play more than one in a year. It's not only who you play, but when you play them and where you play them.
"We want to give our coaches their best chance of being successful, and you want to be playing your best football when the playoffs arrive. You can't do that if your guys are all banged up."
Like all other university officials, Read has a one-year contract, but he expects to be on the job for three years. Dennison has indicated he will begin looking for Read's successor in 2006, and that the search could take a year.
"I used to be on a week-to-week contract as a football coach," Read joked.
***
Dickenson says he's ready to play
Ex-Griz QB wants to start CFL opener
By RIAL CUMMINGS of the Missoulian
Dave Dickenson missed all of training camp because of two offseason surgeries on an ailing left knee. Nevertheless, the veteran quarterback says he's ready to start Friday night when his British Columbia Lions host Hamilton in a Canadian Football League opener at B.C. Place in Vancouver.
"Personally, I think I'll be starting," the former Montana Grizzly standout said by phone on Wednesday after receiving the green light from his doctor.
"The knee isn't back to where we want it yet, but there's no reason I can't go. I've tried everything we have in the playbook. I'm ready to play, and they're paying me good money to play."
Dickenson, the CFL MVP in 2000, only began practicing last Sunday. According to newspaper accounts, he has passed the ball with his usual precision and looked comfortable moving in and out of the pocket, as well as on rollouts to both sides of the line of scrimmage.
Lions coach Wally Buono, however, hasn't announced whether Dickenson or backup Casey Printers will get the call. Friday's opener marks the start of an 18-game regular season that runs through October.
"Dave wants to play," the cautious Buono told the Vancouver Sun. "He's a competitor and he knows what he means to this club, but as I said all along we're just going to take it one day at a time."
With a healthy Dickenson and an improved offensive line, the Lions are considered one of the favorites to win the Western Division and reach the Grey Cup, the CFL's championship game. Dickenson led the Calgary Stampeders to a runner-up finish in the 1999 Grey Cup.
Dickenson, 31, rejoined the CFL last season after two years of inaction as an NFL backup, signing a four-year deal with the Lions reportedly worth $375,000 annually. He was a finalist for league MVP, posting a CFL-leading
112.7 pass efficiency rating while throwing for 5,496 yards and 36 touchdowns.
The Lions, after going 11-7 during the regular season, bowed out in the playoffs when Dickenson suffered a season-ending tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Surgery to repair the tear was successful, but Dickenson experienced problems during rehab, and underwent arthroscopic surgery on the same knee on May 14.
He was expected to be ready for training camp the last week of May, but had to sit out drills, as well as a pair of exhibition games on June 5 and June 10.
"It turned out it was a new injury, and it was good that once it became clear there was a problem, we were able to get it fixed," said Dickenson, named Montana's greatest all-time athlete in a recent poll published by Sports Illustrated. "The trouble was, it set me back a good five weeks. I'm older now, and it's a fact of life that you don't bounce back as quickly."
Could the same competitive zeal that allowed Dickenson to lead the Grizzlies to their first Division I-AA championship in 1995 lead him to return too soon?
"Well, it's possible," said the Great Falls native. "I don't like to sit, and anyone who knows me will tell you that. I think, as long as I am progressing, why not play? I'd like to get in there and see how it responds to getting knocked around. I don't feel normal, but I probably wouldn't feel normal in Week 2 either."
Printers, who played his college ball at Texas Christian and Florida A&M, performed well during exhibition games, winning the backup job over Giovanni Carmazzi, a former Hofstra star who was a third-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2000.
The Lions bolstered their running game during the offseason, and the receiving corps is considered one of the deepest and most talented in the CFL. The defense looks solid, with the exception of an inexperienced secondary.
"I think we're better, and I know we're deeper," Dickenson said. "And I think I'll play better. When I came in last year I hadn't played for two years, and I was pretty rusty. It wasn't that I couldn't throw the football, but I had to get back that feel for managing a game, for limiting the mistakes. Even though I missed training camp, I feel better about that going into this season."
Anyone who doubts Dickenson's hunger would be making a grave mistake.
"I'm not worried about being hobbled this year," Dickenson said. "And I wouldn't play, if I thought I was at greater risk. But when you have a knee injury at this point in your career, it makes you think the end is somewhere fairly near on the horizon. That means you treasure each week."
***
Third & Long: I-AA WRs - Searching for Bullet Bob
By Tony Moss, The Sports Network
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - "Bullet" Bob Hayes passed away two years ago this September, leaving behind a formidable legacy as one of the NFL’s first great multi-talented wide receivers. Once dubbed the "World’s Fastest Human," Hayes was credited with necessitating the advent of the zone defense during his standout years with the Dallas Cowboys (1965-1974), and the former Olympic sprinter remains the only person to win both a Super Bowl ring and a gold medal.
Before becoming a household name, "Bullet" Bob toiled in relative obscurity as a collegian at Florida A&M, where his skills on both offense and as a kick returner caught the attention of the pros. Though Jerry Rice is often held up as the prime example of I-AA talent blossoming into professional stardom, Hayes (who played before the I-A and I-AA monikers had been adopted by the NCAA) laid the foundation for the future receiving success of Rice and every other former I-AA wideout - Terrell Owens, Troy Brown, Jimmy Smith and Wayne Chrebet among them - with his various electrifying exploits.
And in reality, pro franchises are looking less to I-AA for the next Rice - a once-in-a-lifetime mix of talent and drive - than for a Hayes, a multi-faceted player that can help a team not only in the pass-catching game, but on special teams and other areas of the field. There probably isn’t another Rice among this year’s crop of I-AA receivers. Frankly, there’s not likely to be another Rice among this year’s BCS-level studs, and there might not be one among the next 20 classes either. But could there be another "Bullet" Bob in the bunch? That’s a question dozens of scouts from coast to coast will be attempting to answer this fall.
Below we take a look at the Top 15 returning receivers in I-AA, as selected by The Sports Network based on a variety of factors, with a profile of each and a thought from an opposing coach accompanying each name on the list.
Following the initial group of players, we rate the top five pass-catchers in the mid- major ranks, the best "No. 2" receivers, and five I-A transfers that figure to make an impact this season:
1. Vincent Jackson, Northern Colorado (Sr., 6-6, 235). Though not a Payton finalist in 2003 because of Northern Colorado’s half- Division II schedule, Jackson certainly proved his star-studded potential during the first year of the Bears’ transition to I-AA. The Colorado Springs native caught 66 passes for 1,462 yards and 21 touchdowns, numbers that would have placed him among the nation’s elite had he been eligible for I-AA statistics. Jackson would have ranked first in the country in receiving yards (132.9 per game), tied for third in scoring (11.5 points per game) and ranked fourth in all-purpose yards (177.2 per game), with the then-junior’s 487 yards in the return game contributing to the latter statistic. Hardly a paper tiger, Jackson registered 100-yard outings against four of UNC’s five I- AA opponents, pouring it on against Idaho State (6 catches for 214 yards and three
touchdowns) and Montana State (8 for 123 and a score), among others. This season, the wideout figures to be a fixture on the Payton list throughout the season (UNC plays 11 I-AA opponents), and with Jackson’s size, speed, and skills, you can bet both opposing coaches and pro scouts will be paying attention.
Idaho State head coach Larry Lewis on Jackson, "I’ve got a lot of respect for him. Not only is he big, but he’s also fast, and very deceptive. We were really shocked with his speed. As you watch him on film, you don’t think he’s that fast, but then I saw him run away from a couple of our kids who I thought were pretty fast."
2. Efrem Hill, Samford (Sr., 6-2, 185). Hill took the OVC by storm during Samford’s first year in the league, catching 92 balls for 1,387 yards and 15 scores as a junior. The conference Offensive Player of the Year and league- wide Male Athlete of the Year led the nation with 126.1 yards per game and finished second only to Fordham’s Javarus Dudley in receptions. Hill, who also served as a punt and kickoff return man, scored at least one touchdown in all but one contest, and eclipsed the 100-yard mark seven times in 2003.
In ’04, Hill will look to again frustrate defenses with his myriad skills, while attempting to lead his team to an improvement upon the 7-4 record it posted a year ago.
Tennessee-Martin head coach Matt Griffin on Hill, "Unbelievable. The best I’ve seen in 13 years. He’s a I-A kid. Their first series last year we had him 3rd- and-forever, and we’re thinking ‘Stop ‘em and we’re going to get the ball and score again and go up.’ And he makes four guys miss that have him literally cornered, and goes 85 for a touch to tie the ballgame early.
He’s that good. He’s a big kid, too. Big-framed kid with speed. He’s a pro kid, there’s no doubt."
3. Fred Amey, Sacramento State (Sr., 5-11, 190). Amey was the shining beacon in an otherwise horrendous season for Sac State, as the seemingly omnipotent wideout amassed 1,689 all-purpose yards despite battling injuries and playing without a competent quarterback during a year that spiraled into a
2-9 abyss. In just 10 outings, Amey made 56 receptions for 989 yards and five touchdowns, while also averaging more than 13.4 yards per punt return and ringing up close to 500 more on kickoff returns. The return of quarterback Ryan Leadingham and oft-injured running back Tyronne Gross can only help Amey’s production within the Sac State offense, and a big receiving year (1,137 yards, to be exact), would put the talented receiver over 4,000 yards for his career.
Northern Arizona head coach Jerome Souers on Amey, "The guy’s just so damn productive. He catches a lot of balls, and he’s a run-after-catch guy. If you’re not paying attention to where Fred Amey is on the field, you’re not paying attention. Given their situation last year at quarterback, it made things tougher but that kid was still real productive. Any time he touches the ball he’s dangerous."
4. Rob Giancola, Valparaiso (Sr., 6-0, 222). Giancola was the mid-major representative on the 2003 Walter Payton Award ballot, following a season in which the junior racked up 1,496 receiving yards and an astounding 23 touchdowns for the Pioneer League champs. Despite not catching a pass in the Crusaders’ opener against Murray State, Giancola would finish the year ranking second in both I-AA receiving yards (124.7 per game) and scoring
(11.67 points per game). The Whiting, IN native caught a modest 57 passes, good for just 61st in the country, but made his opportunities count to the tune of better than 26 yards per reception. Repeating that success could be a challenge for Giancola, as quarterback David Macchi (7,089 yards passing over the past two seasons) has taken his skills to the next level.
Jacksonville head coach Steve Gilbert on Giancola, "He had a big day against us. We were fortunate to beat them despite not covering him. He had seven catches for 233 yards and two long touchdowns of 56 and 63 yards. We’re pretty athletic in the secondary, we’ve got kids from all over the state of Florida that can run. And he’s got surprisingly good speed. He’s a tall, physical kid, he’s not afraid to go up and get the ball and he makes things happen after he catches the ball. They’re looking to get him the ball, we knew it, it was in our scouting report and we still couldn’t stop him. But really nobody did all year. He’s got great hands, and after catching the ball he can make things happen. There’s no question that Rob could have played at another level. I kind of wish he would have."
5. Alonzo Nix, Chattanooga (Sr., 6-1, 180). Nix seemed like an unlikely candidate for a breakout season in 2003, as new head coach Rodney Allison was advertising a run-first approach with a heavy emphasis on ball control in the preseason. And after the junior hauled in just eight passes for 82 yards during the Mocs’ 0-3 start, Nix’s stock wasn’t budging an inch. Then came a 15-catch, 168-yard day against Gardner-Webb in week four, and the Jones County (MS) JC transfer was anonymous no longer. Nix would put up six 100-yard games in his final nine outings, posting more eye-popping totals against first- division Southern Conference clubs like Wofford (18 receptions, 135 yards, 1 TD), The Citadel (8 for 147 and three scores) and Furman (13 for 161 and a TD). Though the Mocs stumbled to a 3-9 finish, Nix was named to the All-SoCon first team based on a season that saw him set school records with 90 catches and 1,060 yards to go along with seven scores. With Toledo transfer Cedric Stevens likely to be doing the passing in 2004, Nix could threaten to break those newly established marks during his senior campaign.
Furman head coach Bobby Lamb on Nix, "He’s a tremendous threat. We contained him pretty much the first half, and the second half he ended up catching about 11 or 12 balls. He’s one of the great receivers in our league and one of the best that’s been in there in a while. What scares you about him is the speed, and he’s also got good size and good range with his long arms. I think he’s a complete package and he’s a weapon that they can go to at any time. He’s very physical, and he can get balls across the middle, so he’s got the complete package."
6. Jerome Mathis, Hampton (Sr., 5-10, 180). After serving mostly in a backup role during the 2002 season, Mathis became a huge threat for Hampton during his junior season. The All-MEAC first-teamer rebounded from a slow start to haul in 41 passes for 993 yards and nine touchdowns, as the Pirates finished 7-4. A bona fide deep threat, Mathis averaged more than 24 yards per catch, punctuating his season with a 173-yard, three-touchdown outing against Savannah State. If Mathis can be a bit more consistent during his senior year (six of his nine touchdowns came against 0-12 SSU and Division II Tuskegee), he could find himself a spot on the postseason All-America team as the Pirates look for their first playoff bid since 1999.
Morgan State head coach Donald Hill on Mathis, "Jerome can be compared almost to Bullet Bob [Hayes] that FAMU had. He’s got players tying up their shoes the night before just trying to keep up with him. Very fast kid, you have to respect his speed which helps Hampton open up the offense, because you have to make sure you’ve got coverage on him and over top of him. A lot of times you get these guys that have fast 40s but their football speed is not fast. He’s a guy that plays at his speed."
7. Dan Castles, Penn (Sr., 6-3, 197). Castles was assigned the unenviable task of replacing all-time leading Quaker receiver Rob Milanese in the Penn offense, and quickly made team supporters ask "Rob who?" during a season that saw him finish in the national top 10 in both catches and yards. The Toms River, NJ native finished with 71 receptions for 1,067 yards and 13 TDs during the Quakers’ 10-0 campaign, doing lots of damage against the likes of Lehigh (12 receptions, 153 yards, 3 TD), Dartmouth (10 for 157 and one score), Columbia (9 for 120 and 1 TD) and Cornell (9 catches for 204 and four TDs), among others. The only thing missing from Castles’ resume is a top performance against an elite Ivy League club, after Yale and Harvard each held the wideout in check during his junior season. With stronger efforts against those teams, the angular Castle’s stock should continue to rise as Penn seeks its third consecutive Ivy League championship.
Columbia head coach Bob Shoop on Castles, "He’s awesome. He’s big, strong, catches the ball well, runs well, very physical, has tremendous ball skills.
He’s bigger than some of the small corners in our league and faster than some of the big corners in our league. Just a very, very productive player.
I wouldn’t say he has tremendous speed, but he always finds a way to get behind people, he’s one of those guys. They run a lot of double-cuts with him, slant- and-gos and things like that, and he’s got a real nice feel for that particular route."
8. Jason Peebler, Massachusetts (Sr., 6-1, 202). Peebler emerged from relative obscurity to become the top pass-catching threat on a UMass team that won an Atlantic 10 co-title and made its first postseason trip since
1999 a year ago. After catching just eight passes in all of 2002, Peebler broke out for a 50- catch, 1003-yard, 13-touchdown year as a junior, posting those numbers despite missing much of October due to injury. A former running back for the Minutemen, Peebler hit his stride late in the year, scoring eight touchdowns in a three-week stretch against Richmond, Delaware, and Rhode Island. Whether he can achieve repeat success is a question mark, as two-year starting quarterback Jeff Krohn has exhausted his eligibility and new head coach Don Brown figures to employ a run-first offensive approach.
Maine head coach Jack Cosgrove on Peebler, "He’s a playmaker for them, that’s for sure. Throughout the course of the year there would be instances where they would need a big play, a big catch-and-run, post-catch run, and he would do that for them. It looked to me like he had created a real good working relationship with Krohn at the quarterback position. Two guys in sync know what they’re doing together, and that special relationship sometimes exists between a quarterback and a receiver. He was obviously productive in big-play situations for UMass."
9. Andre Ralston, Eastern Kentucky (Jr., 5-11, 167). Ralston was a blazing symbol of Eastern Kentucky’s new offensive approach, catching 59 passes for
1,082 yards and nine touchdowns during the first year of the decidedly more pass-reliant Danny Hope era. After hauling in just eight passes as a freshman in ’02, Ralston became a frequent target for Colonel quarterback Matt Guice, recording three 100-yard outings in his final five contests.
Ralston made his presence felt by gutting I-A Central Michigan (8 catches,
211 yards, 2 TD) early in the season, and later netted big days against Southeast Missouri (11 for 178 and a score), Tennessee-Martin (6 for 151 and two TDs) and Tennessee State (4 for 128 and three touchdowns) within the OVC. Though also capable of a disappearing act (he combined for just 60 yards against Samford, Murray State, and Tennessee Tech), Ralston was nonetheless a dangerous piece of an EKU offense that figures to become more potent with experience.
Southeast Missouri head coach Tim Billings on Ralston, "He played really well against us, he’s a big return guy. Last year was kind of his breakout year and he had some big plays against us. We were really worried about him in the kicking game, and he didn’t really hurt us there. He hurt us on a couple of deep passes. He’s the same caliber as Efrem [Hill], if he improves like I think he has the ability to. I think he’s even faster than Efrem."
10. J.J. Outlaw, Villanova (Jr., 5-9, 180). Outlaw’s numbers were far subtler than those of recent VU receiving greats like Brian Finneran or Murle Sango, but the respect that the then-sophomore accrued led him to be selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First-Team nonetheless. The former Baltimore-area prep standout finished the year with modest totals of
54 receptions, 704 yards, and 2 TD, but added an additional 233 yards in the rushing game and 553 on returns. Outlaw looked to be on the way to an All-America-type season early-on, as he posted three 100-yard games in his first five, but inconsistency at the quarterback position limited his effectiveness thereafter. If the Wildcats can find some stability under center, Outlaw has the potential to move into the pantheon of VU pass-catching studs during his final two seasons on the Main Line.
Rhode Island head coach Tim Stowers on Outlaw, "I think he’s the best all- around [Atlantic 10] football player returning in 2004. We tried to recruit him. He could have the kind of year maybe back-to-back that our Wendell Williams had last year. He can do a lot of things with the ball and I think he’s an outstanding player. Maybe the best player in the league. Don’t punt it to him, don’t kick it to him. They do a good job of getting the ball to him in a lot of different ways - they’re smart."
11. Alfred Ard, Southern (Sr., 6-0, 180). Ard appreciated the value of stepping on the big stage, as he made himself a household name with a 144- yard, two-touchdown effort in a win against Grambling State in the
nationally- televised spectacle that is the Bayou Classic. In fact, most of the then- junior’s best efforts came against the SWAC’s top teams, as he shone brightest in other wins against Alabama State (six receptions, 97 yards, 2 TD) and Alabama A&M (6 receptions, 77 yards, 2 TD). For the season, Ard hauled in 50 passes for 863 yards and 11 scores, and was named a member of the SWAC’s All- Conference First-Team in the process. Whether Ard can improve upon last year’s efforts remains to be seen, as the defending league champ Jaguars will be without the services of departed quarterback and Payton finalist Quincy Richard.
Alabama A&M head coach Anthony Jones on Ard, "He’s a heck of a player. I thought Quincy Richard helped him to come into his own. He made some great plays. Got himself open and made some great catches, and more importantly he made some great runs after those catches. He’s going to be another kid that’s going to be hard to handle. He has good speed, very confident in catching the football. I think that he thinks he can beat anybody in a one-on-one situation. He’s what I would call a complete receiver. I don’t know what his actual speed is. He has real good speed but I think he also runs real good routes. He’s just a good overall receiver that can do a lot of things."
12. Luke Graham, Colgate (Sr., 6-3, 195). It was Graham, not eventual Payton winner Jamaal Branch or All-Conference quarterback Chris Brown, that was thought to have the most All-American potential for the 2003 Colgate offense as last season commenced. And while Graham had a solid year, catching 77 balls for 1,140 yards and eight scores during the Raiders’ magical run to the national title game, the lanky wideout was something less than the dominant force that his breakout season of 2002 suggested he might become.
Much of that likely had to do with Branch’s emergence as the team’s go-to guy, and Graham still did manage 100-yard receiving days against I-A Buffalo, Yale, and Holy Cross. With Branch still in the fold, the attention will likely continue to shift from Graham, making last year’s All-Patriot League Second-Team selection perhaps the most dangerous afterthought in the conference.
Lehigh head coach Pete Lembo on Graham, "I really think he’s an outstanding football player. He’s got very good size, he’s got very good hand-eye coordination, he really has the ability to go up and get the ball at its highest point and is big enough and strong enough to make the tough catch in traffic. In addition to that, I think he is one of the best in our league as a perimeter blocker, and of course with Colgate’s run-oriented offense, the ability to stalk-block, the ability to crack-block linebackers and those kinds of things is critical. He’s one of the best they’ve ever had at doing those things."
13. Tavarus Morgan, South Carolina State (Jr., 5-11, 190). Morgan had a big rookie year in Orangeburg, earning himself an All-MEAC First- Team selection following a season in which he caught 70 passes for 765 yards and seven touchdowns. The possession-oriented Morgan caught six or more passes in six different games for the Bulldogs, including 10 in a loss to eventual national semifinalist Wofford, 10 more against Morgan State, and eight in a satisfying late-season victory over Florida A&M. Morgan also posted three 100-yard outings on the season, providing quarterback Reese McCampbell with a top-notch receiving threat. McCampbell has graduated, but head coach Buddy Pough and SCSU will be relying on Morgan to boast continued improvement in the Bulldogs’ quest for a MEAC title.
Morgan State head coach Donald Hill on Morgan, "Real good receiver. He can either do it by being a possession guy or he can run by you. Uses his body well, and Coach [Buddy] Pough does a lot of good things to get him the ball.
Definitely an impact guy, then he does a great job when he doesn’t have the ball with his blocking and things of that nature."
14. Sale’ Key, Idaho State (Sr., 6-5, 216). Key was quietly effective for ISU in 2003, catching 58 passes for 882 yards and eight touchdowns as the Bengals went 8-4. The then-junior emerged with two-touchdown outings in narrow wins over Eastern Washington and Montana, and later improved his resume’ by putting up 100-yard receiving days against both Northern Arizona and Southern Utah. For his efforts, Key was named to the All-Big Sky First-Team along with luminaries such as Amey [see above] and eventual NFL draft pick Clarence Moore of Northern Arizona. With his tall frame and improving pass- catching skills, Key should continue to impress as the Bengals seek their third consecutive season of eight wins or more.
Weber State head coach Jerry Graybeal on Key, "He’s a good-sized kid. He’s one of those guys that’s tough to defend especially when you condense the field. You get down in that red zone area, those big guys like that are always tough to defend because you can just throw the ball up and they go up and get it. He’s been a go-to guy for them. Last year he kind of emerged.
He’s real solid. And the other thing he does real well is he’s a good blocker. Those big guys that actually want to block can be really dominant."
15. Brian Edwards, Harvard (Sr., 6-0, 181). Like Castles [see above], Edwards was another Ivy League player saddled with the task of replacing a legend, namely All-American wideout Carl Morris, last season. Though his numbers didn’t quite approach those of Morris, Edwards nonetheless became the dependable receiver that remains integral to the Crimson’s offensive approach. Edwards finished the 2003 season with 47 receptions for 864 yards and eight scores, emerging with 100-yard outings against Top 25 competition such as Northeastern and Penn. The native Californian was an All-Ivy League
Second- Team selection, and should once again be the go-to wideout in ’04 as Harvard attempts to improve on last year’s disappointing 7-3 mark.
Brown head coach Phil Estes on Edwards, "He’s very smooth, and he has some speed. He’s a guy that if he gets behind you, he’s going to make the big plays and even underneath. If he catches the ball underneath, he can make you miss. I thought he had a terrific game against us. I think he’s a lot like our kid from a few years ago, Steve Campbell, that may not have the great speed but when he caught the ball he just seemed to make some good things happen, and got a lot of yards after the catch."
Next Five: 16. Cory Parks, Northeastern (Jr., 5-11, 170); 17. Tony Tompkins, Stephen F. Austin (Jr., 5-8, 165); 18. Brian Bratton, Furman (Sr., 5-10, 185); 19. Rod Miller, Florida A&M (Sr., 5-10, 180); 20. Christian Pereira, Maine (Sr., 6-3, 210).
Mid-Major: 1. Rob Giancola, Valparaiso (Sr., 6-0, 222); 2. Adam Hannula, San Diego (Jr., 6-1, 193); 3. Michael Warfield, Duquesne (Sr., 6-1, 180); 4.
Kevin Knutson, Valparaiso (Sr., 6-3, 172); 5. Dennis Calacione, Iona (Jr., 6-3, 200).
No. 2 Receivers: 1. Jeremy Grier, Chattanooga (Sr., 6-2, 200); 2. Kevin Knutson, Valparaiso (Sr., 6-3, 172); 3. Ryan Waller, Maine (Jr., 6-0, 181); 4. Allen Evans, Eastern Kentucky (Sr., 5-11, 193); 5. Nick Garton, San Diego (Jr., 6-0, 193).
Transfers of Impact: 1. Daryl Lightfoot, Northern Arizona (Arizona State) (Sr., 5-9, 171); 2. Khary Sharp, James Madison (Duke) (Sr., 5-11, 175); 3.
Ronnie Rodamer, Montana (Notre Dame) (Sr., 6-4, 211); 4. Andy Bertrand, McNeese State (North Carolina State) (Sr., 6-2, 195); 5. Danny Rumley, Murray State (North Carolina) (Jr., 6-5, 210).
***
Idaho's move raises NDSU's hope for Big Sky
By Jeff Kolpack, The Forum (Fargo, ND)
With just eight members and the University of Idaho out of the picture, North Dakota State athletic director Gene Taylor said Wednesday he's interested to see if the Big Sky Conference will once again consider NDSU.
Idaho, a former Big Sky member, was said to be a candidate to move back to its old league.
"They kept dangling that out there," Taylor said.
But the Western Athletic Conference announced two weeks ago that Idaho accepted an invitation for membership. Idaho, which left the Big Sky in 1996, was a member of the Sun Belt Conference for football and the Big West Conference for all other sports.
The WAC and Sun Belt play Division I-A football while the Big Sky plays at the I-AA level.
The Big Sky Council of Presidents will meet in early August. NDSU and South Dakota State inquired into membership last year, but the issue never got past the discussion stages.
"It will be interesting to see what the Big Sky's next move is," Taylor said. "I'm not saying we're going to pick up the phone and call them. But the reports said they were waiting to see what happened with Idaho. That told me they were interested in expanding."
Taylor, who just returned from the annual National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Convention, said he was told the Mid-Continent talked about expansion recently, but nothing became of it.
"It's still moving at a snail's pace," Taylor said.
Mid-Continent officials will meet July 1 at an undisclosed location, according to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader newspaper.
The Big Sky and Mid-Con meetings come after Horizon League [includes Youngstown State, but excludes football] commissioner Jonathan LeCrone said SDSU and NDSU are not good fits for its league.
"It would surprise me if our membership strategy went beyond our current geographic configuration," LeCrone told the Argus Leader.
That did not surprise Taylor, who talked with Horizon League administrators around the time NDSU announced its Division I intentions in 2002.
"They said they were comfortable with nine," Taylor said.
NDSU and SDSU are part of the newly-formed Great West Football Conference that will begin play this fall. Both schools are searching for a league for its other sports.
Idaho's status as a I-A football program became an issue when the NCAA passed legislation that requires a minimum home football attendance requirement above Idaho's stadium capacity of 16,000.
There has since been a movement to counter that proposal. There has also been a movement among Division I leagues to add teams, something NDSU hopes has a trickle-down effect.
Leagues that fall below seven teams risk losing revenue distribution from the NCAA.
***
NORTHERN COLORADO: Griz play them September 25
UNC might be interested in CU's Harris
Dalton plans to look into defender's past
By Pat Rooney, Rocky Mountain News
Marques Harris has limited options as he begins the search for a college where he can continue his football career.
Harris, a defensive end who has announced his intentions to transfer from the University of Colorado, must move down to a Division I-AA or Division II school to retain his final year of eligibility in the fall.
One of the logical choices for Harris is the University of Northern Colorado. And though UNC coach Kay Dalton has yet to hear from Harris or his family, he said he intends to immediately begin a fact-searching mission to explore the chances of bringing Harris to Greeley.
"I haven't talked to anybody yet," Dalton said Wednesday. "But I'm going to try to find out all I can about him. Mainly what I'm trying to find out is what his situation is."
Harris, who Wednesday declined comment about his situation, was a preseason All-Big 12 Conference selection last year but was sidelined for the season after suffering a broken leg against UCLA in CU's second game. Toward the end of spring practice, he was suspended by interim coach Brian Cabral for a violation of an undisclosed team rule.
Harris, a pass-rushing specialist, was the last remaining player at CU of the four who were charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor in 2002. Those charges stemmed from a December 2001 off-campus party that led to much of the program's current troubles.
Dalton said he would welcome Harris to UNC if he is satisfied with his personal investigation into Harris' background.
"I'm mainly concerned about why he was disciplined," Dalton said. "I don't want any discipline problems up here.
"I'm trying to run it down to find out what the reasons were about spring ball and, if it's something else, why he left CU."
|
|
|
|
