UCS Team Report

All that worry about quarterback Mark Sanchez might have been for nothing.

USC figures to start another run for the national championship with Sanchez under center, even though he missed the bulk of camp because of a fractured kneecap.

Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain and redshirt freshman Aaron Corp battled at quarterback while Sanchez was out, with no clear winner in that duel. Sanchez returned to practice the Monday and should be able to start the opener at Virginia on Aug. 30.

“I’m expecting him to play,” coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday. “Mark looks good, and it looks like he’s going to make it.”

Sanchez won the job in spring and earned pre-camp raves from Carroll about the way he handled himself in the offseason. The only question now is Sanchez’s conditioning, which might not be up to par for a few weeks, which keeps Mustain and Corp in play for the opening week, although Carroll wasn’t ready early in the week to say which player is No. 2.

“Mitch has made a tremendous amount of progress, as Aaron Corp has,” Carroll said. “They were really battling and going for it. I think it has really accelerated the process in terms of getting up to speed. …

“Both guys are ready to go. We’re just going to leave that competition open and watch it develop and see how they’re doing.”

Sanchez should be much better conditioning-wise for the big second game—vs. Ohio State on Sept. 13.

Notes, Quotes

Scouting The Offense: USC is going with a mix at running back, with coach Pete Carroll expected to rotate Stafon Johnson, Joe McKnight (who has been banged up in fall camp) and C.J. Gable, along with Allen Bradford, a more powerful option. The line has four new starters, but the new guys do have some experience, so USC isn’t totally starting from scratch. They’ll be going against a talented group of Virginia linebackers, led by Clint Sintim.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: It’s this defense that really separates USC from everyone else in the Pac-10 and makes the Trojans a national championship contender, even with some of the questions at quarterback, offensive line and receiver. USC has seven starters back—and several All-America candidates—from a unit that ranked second nationally in scoring defense last season (16.0 points per game). What coach Pete Carroll wants to see is a better ball-hawking, turnover-creating unit, which could be possible this week against a new Virginia quarterback.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “We think it’s a really good spot for us. As we’ve done in the past, we’re going to go with the guy who best fits the situation and who is hot at the time.”—Coach Pete Carroll, on his running back situation.

Strategy And Personnel

THIS WEEK’S GAME: USC at Virginia, Aug. 30—Playing a big-time opener is nothing new for USC, which has beaten Auburn (twice), Virginia Tech and Arkansas to start seasons under Pete Carroll. This would have been a better matchup last season, when Virginia went 9-4 and featured defensive end Chris Long, but even so the Cavs figure to be no pushovers and should provide a solid test for USC quarterback Mark Sanchez.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: LB Rey Maualuga—This will be the beginning of what very well could be an All-American season, if Maualuga is able to stay healthy. The middle linebacker will try to navigate a largely unproven untested Virginia offensive line in the opener.

DE Everson Griffen—In a bit of a surprise, the sophomore was only listed as a co-starter at defensive end with Clay Matthews. Griffen, perhaps the top defensive recruit in the nation in the class of 2007, needs to show he’s the pass-rushing terror he was advertised to be. A big opener would set him on that path.

RB Joe McKnight—The sophomore hasn’t been a full-go this fall because of various injuries, but he’s the closest thing USC has to a open-field playmaker. For the Trojans to be dynamic, McKnight needs to get the ball in multiple ways and start doing weekly Reggie Bush impersonations.

ROSTER REPORT:

—LB Luthur Brown (back) missed most of fall camp and is not on the opening-week depth chart.

—CB Shareece Wright, suffering from abdominal pain, might not be ready to start or play in the opener against Virginia. USC has Josh Pinkard, who has missed almost all of the past two seasons due to injury, waiting in the wings, if necessary.

—WR Patrick Turner, a senior expected to be the leader of the receiving corps, is listed as a co-starter with Arkansas transfer Damian Williams.

—Touted true freshman Blake Ayles is listed as a third-stringer at tight end behind junior Anthony McCoy and redshirt freshman Rhett Ellison.

Ohio State Team Report

To their credit, a number of Ohio State players fully understand why the rest of the country might not like the Buckeyes. That doesn’t diminish their desire, though, for a third-straight championship game.

The Buckeyes begin their quest for a third-straight national championship game appearance with a home date against Youngstown State. Given how many veterans are back, everyone remembers what happened to nemesis Appalachian State last year when the Wolverines dropped down to play a FCS school. It puts the players in a no-win situation—win and it was expected. Lose and it’s disaster.

“Somebody told me the hardest thing to do is to beat someone you’re supposed to beat,” Jenkins said. “We’re tired of hitting each other. It doesn’t matter who they put in that stadium. We’re just ready to play.”

Barring a team dropping off the schedule, Ohio State won’t play another FCS opponent until at least 2013. Coach Jim Tressel has said in the past that the only FCS school he would schedule is Youngstown State, where he coached for 14 seasons before moving on to the Buckeyes.

Notes, Quotes

Scouting The Offense: The only concern is at fullback and third receiver, and the two are related. Ohio State had open auditions at fullback and came away with Brandon Smith, a converted linebacker and tight end. How much time the Buckeyes spend with a fullback on the field depends on whether or not a third receiver emerges to complement Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline. Ray Small, who has never lived up to expectations, and sophomore Dane Sanzenbacher are battling for the spot. Whichever position emerges first, a strong fullback or a strong third receiver, could dictate the direction the offense goes.

Scouting The Defense: Ten starters return, although cornerback Donald Washington has been suspended for the first two games. The focus has been on creating more pressure with the defensive linemen, who totaled only four sacks last year. If the line ties up blockers, allowing the linebackers to make plays, and if the defensive backs can catch the interceptions they dropped last year, the Buckeyes should again be one of the top units in the nation. They led the nation in points allowed (12.7) and total defense (233 yards) last year.

Quote To Note: “If I were anywhere else, I’d be sick of us too. But, sorry America, we’re trying to get back there again.”—CB Malcolm Jenkins, on the nation’s disdain toward Ohio State.

Strategy And Personnel

THIS WEEK’S GAME: Youngstown State at Ohio State, Aug. 30—For the second-straight year, the Buckeyes open against coach Jim Tressel’s former employer. It will be a $650,000 payday for the Penguins and an easy victory for the Buckeyes. Two starters with more at stake might be Beanie Wells and Lawrence Wilson. Wells struggled miserably against YSU last year, gaining 46 yards on 16 carries. Wilson broke his leg and missed the rest of the season. Both are keys to this year, and both are poised to have big games.

Players To Watch:

LB James Laurinaitis—He passed up millions as a sure first-round pick for another year of college. Laurinaitis insists he didn’t return for another crack at the national championship, but the two-time All-American surely helps the Buckeyes’ chances.

RB Beanie Wells—Set a sophomore record with more than 1,600 rushing yards last year, despite playing the entire season with a bad ankle and a broken bone in his wrist. Now healthy, Wells is poised to make a run at 2,000 yards and the Heisman Trophy.

QB Todd Boeckman—Might lose some snaps to freshman sensation Terrelle Pryor, but his bigger concern must be rebounding from three subpar games to close the season. Boeckman must return to the form from early last year, when he threw 23 touchdowns and six interceptions through the first 10 games.

Roster Report:

• DBs Donald Washington and Jamario O’Neal have been suspended for the first two games of the season. The loss of Washington hurts, since he starts opposite Malcolm Jenkins at corner. But the Buckeyes open with Youngstown State and Ohio, and Washington will be back in time for the big Sept. 13 clash at USC.

• DT Doug Worthington, arrested over the summer for drunken driving, will dress Aug. 30, but his status is yet to be determined. Coach Jim Tressel hasn’t decided yet whether or not Worthington will play. He was underage when he was arrested.

• Tressel would like to play all three quarterbacks in the first half, meaning phenom Terrelle Pryor will get into the game early against Youngstown State. Tressel said Pryor and Joe Bauserman are about even in the race to back up Boeckman at quarterback.

• LB James Laurinaitis became the seventh player in school history to be named a captain twice. He is the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

• RB Beanie Wells’ 1,609 yards last season were the most for any sophomore in school history.

Georgia Team Report

Whether the Georgia Bulldogs live up to their No. 1 ranking will depend an awful lot on their young offensive line.

The line received a severe blow in camp when left tackle Trinton Sturdivant suffered a season-ending knee injury. Georgia will start four sophomores up front, and freshmen are the top backups at four positions.

“It’s kind of scary sometimes,” offensive coordinator Mike Bobo admitted to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about playing freshmen.

If the line jells, the Bulldogs have a great shot at their first national championship since 1980.

The good news is that Georgia opens with Georgia Southern and Central Michigan at home.

Those sure victories should give Bobo and coach Mark Richt time for tinkering before the Bulldogs travel to South Carolina (Sept. 13) and Arizona State (Sept. 20).

Notes, Quotes

Scouting The Offense: The Bulldogs scored 32.4 points a game last season and could be even more potent this fall. With QB Matthew Stafford, RB Knowshon Moreno, WR Mohammed Massaquoi and TE Tripp Chandler, it can be argued few teams have better skill players. But there are questions about the young offensive line, especially now that LT Trinton Sturdivant has been lost for the season with a knee injury.

Scouting The Defense: Georgia gave up 20.2 points a game last year, which ranked 18th in the nation, and nine starters return. DT Geno Atkins is a run stuffer who can get to the quarterback too (7.5 sacks last year), and the back seven is frighteningly quick. CB Asher Allen is a burner who had three interceptions last year. LBs Dannell Ellerbe, Rennie Curran and Akeem Dent form one of the best trios in the SEC.

Quote To Note: “We all know it doesn’t matter where you start as much as where you finish, but the coaches’ poll is part of the decision-making process to see who plays in the big game down the road … It’s nice to have a third of (that selection process) think highly of your team as you begin.”—Coach Mark Richt to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, on his team’s No. 1 ranking.

Strategy And Personnel

THIS WEEK’S GAME: Georgia Southern at Georgia, Aug. 30—Perhaps the most important thing for Georgia, the consensus No. 1 team in the nation, is to get out of their first two games without suffering any more big injuries. Georgia should dominate Georgia Southern and Central Michigan at home before a challenging two-game road trip to South Carolina and Arizona State. Georgia Southern won’t be helped by the fact that coach Chris Hatcher had to suspend eight players for this game.

Players To Watch:

QB Matthew Stafford—The rocket-armed junior, who threw 19 touchdowns last season, has a clear mandate from coaches: become a more efficient quarterback. He ranked 56th among Division I-A quarterbacks last season with a pass efficiency rating of 128.9. Stafford must elevate his completion percentage (55.7).

RB Knowshon Moreno—The electric Moreno, who ran for 1,332 yards and 14 touchdowns as a freshman last year, is the emotional leader of the offense. With backup Caleb King banged up (but now participating in contact drills), Moreno should get a sizable workload early this season.

LB Dannell Ellerbe—The All-SEC performer had a team-high 93 tackles last season, including 12 for losses, and 4.5 sacks. He’ll anchor one of the fastest defenses in the country.

Roster Report:

• LB Charles White ruptured his Achilles tendon and is out for the year. White was a third-teamer at middle linebacker but played a lot on special teams.

• The dramatic improvement of free safety Reshad Jones allowed the Bulldogs to move senior CJ Byrd to strong safety. Jones led UGA safeties with 57 tackles last season despite playing mostly as a backup.

• Senior FB Brannan Southerland is on track in his recovery from a broken left foot. The best-case scenario has him returning for the Sept. 20 game at Arizona State. Southerland plans to be back no later than the Tennessee game Oct. 11.

LSU Team Report

Game week has come at LSU with no announcement from coach Les Miles as to who will start at quarterback when the Tigers open their 2008 card against Appalachian State.

Sophomore Andrew Hatch would seem to have gained an edge over Jarrett Lee, a redshirt freshman who missed some practices with a back problem, and true freshman Jordan Jefferson, but then Hatch, a transfer from Harvard, also left the team’s final scrimmage early for undisclosed reasons.

Miles said all three are ready to go, however, and still considers it a three-man race.

“I would not be surprised if all three played at certain times,” Miles said as the Tigers began their final week of workouts before the opener. “The great thing about a quarterback who is new is if you have veterans all around him, if you have receivers who know where they are supposed to be, you have an offensive line that can give him some protection and guidance, and veteran backs that know how to carry the football.”

Whoever gets the nod behind center will have plenty of help in front of him. The Tigers return four starters to their interior line, including Rimington Award candidate Brett Helms at center and All-SEC contender Herman Johnson at guard, along with all-star candidates at tight end (Richard Dickson) and wide receiver (Demetrius Byrd).

Their presence gives Miles the luxury of not demanding too much from his new quarterback right out of the box.

“We’re going to ask him to do the things that we need out of the quarterback spot,” Miles said, “but nothing that he is not capable of doing.”

No such quarterback quandary confronts Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore. He’ll start an accomplished veteran in Armanti Edwards, who engineered the upset of Michigan a year ago. Despite an injury that sidelined him for more than four games, Edwards led the Mountaineers to the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) title.

LSU’s game against Appalachian State will be the first of three consecutive nonconference home affairs before the Tigers open SEC play at Auburn on Sept. 20.

Notes, Quotes

Scouting The Offense: LSU was the second-highest scoring team in the SEC last season, averaging just under 39 points a game. The loss of key personnel at quarterback and running back likely will result in a drop in that production early on, but the Tigers do return four of five starters on the offensive line and they have a solid receiving corps returning. That experience should ease the transition of quarterback.

Scouting The Defense: As good as the Tigers were offensively in 2007, they were equally impressive on the other side of the ball. They led the SEC in total defense and were the second stingiest team in giving up points, holding opponents to under 20 a game. The front four has the potential to be dominant, but there are some questions in the secondary, where there are three new starters.

Quote To Note: “I have great confidence in all three of them. I can’t tell you today who will take the field first, but I will be very comfortable with whoever that is. We’ll kind of see how it plays out from here.”—Coach Les Miles, noting that as game week came he still had not decided who would start at quarterback among Andrew Hatch, Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson.

Strategy And Personnel

THIS WEEK’S GAME: Appalachian State at LSU, Aug. 30—This game took on new meaning because of what happened a year ago in Ann Arbor, Mich., where the Mountaineers pulled off one of college football’s greatest upsets ever with their victory over Michigan. This will be the first time that the defending champion from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly I-A) has met the defending champ from the Football Championship Subdivision (former I-AA) in the season opener the following year. The two teams met in 2005 with LSU winning 24-0, but the score was only 14-0 going into the fourth quarter.

Players To Watch:

WR Demetrius Byrd—Byrd is a potential game-breaker any time he touches the football. He is the team’s leading returning receiver after making 35 catches in 2007, which ranked third. Nine of the receptions were for more than 20 yards. He led the Tigers with seven touchdown catches, including one with one second remaining to beat Auburn.

DE Kirston Pittman—Pittman was LSU’s leading sack man in 2007 after being credited with eight sacks among his 13.5 tackles for loss. He was granted a sixth year of eligibility after foot and Achilles’ heel injuries sidelined him for the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Since he played as a true freshman in 2003 and was a starter last year, he has been part of two national championship teams at LSU.

DT Rick Jean-Francois—Jean-Francois played in only two games in 2007 because of academic problems, but he had a significant impact in both. He was credited with three tackles in the SEC title game win over Tennessee, then earned Defensive MVP of the national championship victory over Ohio State with six tackles and a blocked field goal.

DT Charles Alexander—Alexander will make for a big addition to the Tigers’ defense if he remains healthy. He played in only three games in 2007 before being sidelined by a knee injury. A hamstring problem kept him out of several practices in preseason camp, but coaches remain “optimistic he’ll be ready to play,” Les Miles said.

Roster Report:

• C Brett Helms missed a late scrimmage to nurse an undisclosed injury, but he looks to be 100 percent by game time. Alexander also sat out the scrimmage, and his status likely will be determined during practices leading up to the game. Both are listed at the top of the depth chart.

• In addition to the listing of three quarterbacks, the depth chart also lists three possibilities as the starter at running back: juniors Charles Scott and Keiland Williams and sophomore Richard Murphy. Williams was the second-leading rusher on the team last year with 428 yards. Scott ran for 324 and Murphy 230.

Charter strikes deal to carry Big Ten Network

Charter Communications Inc. has reached a multiyear distribution agreement with the Big Ten Network.

The St. Louis-based cable operator said Wednesday it will carry the network and related programming in Big Ten regions, including Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Northern Illinois.

Charter initially expects to launch the network on its expanded basic cable tier in time for Saturday’s Big Ten college football openers.

Glennon to start for Virginia Tech, Taylor redshirted

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP)—Sean Glennon will be Virginia Tech’s starting quarterback this year while sophomore Tyrod Taylor redshirts.

“For the long term and for the good of the program, this is in our best interest,” Hokies coach Frank Beamer said Tuesday.

Cory Holt will begin the season as the nominal backup, and Taylor could be called on if Glennon can’t play, but only up to a certain point in the season, Beamer said. After that date, which he did not reveal, protecting Taylor’s redshirt season will be a priority.

The decision is one Taylor supports, Beamer said.

“Tyrod wanted to redshirt and we are trying to do what is in his best interest for him,” Beamer said.

Glennon learned he’d be the starter after practice on Saturday.

“Obviously it was what I was hoping for,” he said. “That was my goal this whole offseason. I wanted to be the guy. … It’s what I’ve been working for, and it all worked out.”

Glennon also began last season as the Hokies’ starter, but was replaced by Taylor after a slow start in a season-opening 48-7 loss at LSU. Glennon got a second chance midway through the season when Taylor was injured, and reclaimed the job by playing well.

If he sits all year, Taylor would have three years of eligibility remaining after this season, and would join a young offense that will be nurtured along this year.

The presence of Holt makes it work, Beamer said, and the decision gives the coach peace of mind heading into the No. 17 Hokies’ season opener against East Carolina on Saturday.

“We talked about the move all weekend,” Beamer said. “I wanted this to be settled and that is the way I like things to be. Now we know what direction we will be going in this season.”

Glennon’s junior season was highlighted by his performance in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, where he was 18-of-27 for 174 yards with three TD passes against Boston College to earn the MVP.

Jarboe dismissed from OU football team

A freestyle rap video by OU freshman Joshua Jarboe was released on the Internet Tuesday afternoon. In the video, Jarboe's obscenity-laced rap talks about guns and shooting people in the head. After plenty of debate on Internet message boards and talk radio, a conclusion to the situation has been rendered. Joshua Jarboe is no longer a member of the OU football program.

Jarboe's time at Oklahoma didn't last long

"We are disappointed in this outcome, but our complete review and this final decision is in the best interest of our program" Stoops said in a statement just released by OU.

"We outlined for Josh the expectations we had for him when he arrived and, unfortunately, those expectations have not been met. Josh needs to learn from this experience. We hope he can move forward in a positive manner."

Jarboe was arrested on felony gun charges March 6th, just a month after signing with Oklahoma out of Cedar Grove High School in Ellenwood, Ga.

Jarboe ended up pleading guilty to two felony charges relating to the stolen handgun. The charges were reduced to misdemeanors under Georgia's First Time Offenders Act.

The reduction of charges opened up the door for Jarboe to enroll at The University of Oklahoma.

At the time of Jarboe's admission to OU, Bob Stoops issued a statement concerning his troubled recruit.

"He became involved in a situation at his school during his senior year that certainly has caused us concern. At the same time, we have personal knowledge of Josh through our recruiting contact with him and from personal references from his school and individuals of authority in his life. We feel that he will be a positive contributor to our campus," Stoops said at the time.

Stoops was also quite clear at the time of his statement that no other incidents from Jarboe would be tolerated.

"We have already stressed to him that his citizenship is of the utmost importance. He understands that anything less than exemplary behavior will not be tolerated."

On Friday morning, The Oklahoman printed a story with quotes from Bob Stoops concerning the Jarboe rap video.

In the video, Jarboe rapped about guns and shooting people.

Shoot you in the head and you might be dead with a halo

So hold on, don't beg for your life

Hold on, don't ask please

The video was also laced with obscenities and crude references to women.

In the only public comment Stoops made concerning the Jarboe Internet video, the Oklahoma head coach was defensive of the cries to dismiss Jarboe from the team.

"Kick a guy off the team for what he says? We're starting to talk about everything kids say and do," Stoops told the Oklahoman late last night. "Now we're in people's homes, in their private spaces."