Jacksonville 51, Webber International 7
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Freshman quarterback Josh McGregor threw three touchdown passes and backup Erik Stepelton threw another as Jacksonville University rolled past Webber International University 51-7 for a homecoming win Thursday.
McGregor ended his night midway through the third quarter after the Division I-AA Dolphins (3-3) built a 35-0 lead. He exited with 284 passing yards and scoring passes to tight end Chris Kuck and wide receivers Elliott Finkley and Tommie Rogers. Stepelton, who had 112 passing yards, hit Kuck for another.
The combined four touchdown passes tied a school record for scoring passes in a game as the Dolphins put together three scoring drives of more than 80 yards.
Sophomore running back Rudell Small led the Dolphins with 57 yards rushing as Jacksonville gained 171 yards on the ground. Sophomore Taylor Atwood led Webber with 108 yards rushing.
Webber scored with 3:30 to play when senior quarterback Cory Johns hit Eric Snyder on a 37- yard pass.
The Dolphins forced four third-quarter turnovers, three fumbles and an interception, all of which led to touchdowns after having moved to a 21-0 halftime lead.
Playing only their second home game of the year, the Dolphins held the NAIA Warriors (0-6) to 186 total yards.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Pittsburgh 26, No. 10 South Florida 21
TAMPA, Fla. -- South Florida just doesn't have a whole lot of success when it's ranked in the Top Ten.
Last year, the Bulls rose to No. 2 in the country only to lose three straight games and drop out of the Big East title picture.
On Thursday night, LeSean McCoy ran for two touchdowns and Bill Stull threw for another as Pittsburgh beat the 10th-ranked Bulls 26-21 on Thursday night.
The Panthers (4-1, 2-0 Big East) have beaten the last three nationally ranked teams they have faced, including No. 23 Cincinnati and No. 2 West Virginia in 2007. They have won two of the last three games with South Florida (5-1, 0-1) in Tampa.
"West Virginia, obviously, is always going to be the best because they're our backyard rivals," Panthers coach Dave Wannstedt said. "But this, this is probably the closest it's going to get since I've been at Pitt."
The win was the fourth straight for Pittsburgh, which was ranked 25th in the preseason poll only to lose its opener to Bowling Green.
"I'm not going to go to the grave right now," Bulls coach Jim Leavitt said when asked what he would say to his team. "We're 5-1. We didn't play real well tonight. It's reality. That's the way it is.
"Nobody's gone through the Big East undefeated in all the years we've been in it. We've got to find a way to put it behind us."
Quarterback Matt Grothe accounted for most of South Florida's offense, but the Bulls didn't score any points on offense in the first half. Grothe was 11-of-20 for 129 yards and rushed 11 times for 25 yards, including a 1-yard keeper for a TD in the third.
Grothe threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jessie Hester in the fourth quarter to give the Bulls a 21-20 lead. But Pittsburgh came right back to take the lead, covering 60 yards on three plays in a quick drive that ended with a 3-yard run by McCoy. The 2-point attempt failed.
McCoy, a sophomore, rushed 28 times for a game-high 142 yards, his second straight game over 100.
Stull finished 16-of-27 for 228 yards.
Mike Ford ran 14 times for 73 yards for the Bulls.
"It's hard to go undefeated in college football," Grothe said. "They looked completely different than what they looked on film. I think they came a little bit more prepared than us. They backed us into a corner and made us do some things we didn't want to do."
South Florida struggled in the first half with the offense held to just 77 yards. Grothe was 5-of-12 with an interception. The pick by Don DeCicco was the first interception for Grothe in 107 passes and just his third in six games.
The Bulls had a 42-yard field goal attempt blocked by Greg Williams, and on their next field goal attempt, South Florida faked the kick but backup quarterback Grant Gregory failed to convert on fourth down.
"With all the mistakes we made in this game, I'm surprised (the score) wasn't farther apart than it was," Leavitt said. "We weren't in sync, I don't think, offensively, all game. We were kind of sporadic. Same on defense."
The Bulls scored first when Quenton Washington broke through untouched and blocked a punt by Dave Brytus. Charlton Sinclair picked up the fumble, returning it 27 yards for the score.
However, Pittsburgh scored on its next drive with Stull hitting receiver Jonathan Baldwin for a 52-yard touchdown pass.
The Panthers took a 14-7 lead on a 6-yard run by McCoy and extended the lead to 10 when Conor Lee hit a 35-yard field goal with 22 seconds left in the first half.
"In all, the offense is starting to come together," McCoy said. "That's the sign of a good team, and the win's great and we knew we could do it. We just can't think that far into the future and worry about the Big East because that will come."
Lee's 31-yard field goal made it 20-14 in the fourth.
All-America junior defensive end George Selvie did not start for the second straight game for South Florida, although he entered the game with 10:22 left in the second quarter and recorded two tackles, one for a loss.
South Florida forced two fumbles, both recovered by linebacker Kion Wilson, the first two of his career.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
No. 23 Pirates going with 3-headed rushing attack
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Ideally, Skip Holtz would already have found his next Chris Johnson, the speedy running back who led East Carolina's offense last season before becoming an NFL first-round draft pick.
Instead, the No. 23 Pirates are keeping everyone guessing as to who's going to get the next carry -- including their own backs.
So far, East Carolina has relied on Brandon Simmons, Jon Williams and Norman Whitley. Their playing time is fickle. Each week, one mistake could put them on the bench while a long run could keep them out there the rest of the day. Simmons has started all four games, though all three have led the Pirates in carries at least once this year.
"The coaches pretty much go with the guy with the hot hand or based off the way the game is going," Simmons said. "It's just a part of the game. You go out to practice every single day preparing for however many touches you might get. It's just about you making the most out of your opportunities."
It's hard to predict exactly how the carries will be divided each game for the Pirates (3-1, 1-0 Conference USA) heading into Saturday's matchup with Houston. Holtz is quick to say much of it depends on the flow of the game and the vulnerabilities of an opposing defense, and a change can be sudden.
Last year, the Pirates never stopped feeding the ball to Johnson, who ran for 1,423 yards and 17 touchdowns.
"I said at the beginning we were going to have to turn and replace Chris Johnson by committee," Holtz said, "and we're going to have to turn and put those guys where they're best."
Simmons has given the Pirates the tough, between-the-tackles yardage suited to his 223-pound frame. He had a combined 33 carries for 104 yards in the upsets of Virginia Tech and West Virginia, though he has had just 15 carries in the past two games.
Williams leads the team with 171 yards, highlighted by his 17-carry, 69-yard, two-touchdown day against the Mountaineers. The 6-foot-1 sophomore is averaging 4.5 yards per carry, though he's had just 11 in the past two games.
Whitley, a 5-9 sophomore, has been the big-play specialist. He didn't have a carry in the opener, but had a 51-yard touchdown catch against Tulane and a 42-yard scoring run in last weekend's overtime loss to North Carolina State. He led the team with nine carries in that game, an opportunity that presented itself once the Pirates decided to spread the field against the Wolfpack.
"They're pushing me to be the best I can be and I'm pushing them to be the best they can be," Whitley said. "Me and Jon have a great time in practice and in class when we talk about, 'Somebody has to have a good game."
The formula has worked well enough so far, though Holtz and running backs coach Junior Smith said it could change. Both hold out hope that one of the three backs will do enough in the coming weeks to seize control of the workload, perhaps even become the every-down back the Pirates lost with Johnson's departure.
Until then, the Pirates could have a different look behind quarterback Patrick Pinkney with each possession.
"It's very challenging from a morale standpoint because as soon as another guy carries, a guy might think he did something wrong or that you've got something against him," Smith said. "Basically we try to tell them it's about production: If you want to go in there and get more carries, then you've got to be productive and do what you've been doing through the week."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Notre Dame's Tate makes coaches smile
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame coaches can't help but smile when they talk about receiver Golden Tate.
It's not just his 10 catches for 220 yards and two touchdowns in the first two games, though everyone's certainly happy about that.
Tate just cracks them up.
"He's a comical kid. He has a lot of personality," offensive coordinator Mike Haywood said. "I love him. I just sit there and laugh at him all the time."
During a practice before the season began, Tate caught a slant pass and raced past the defenders before he suddenly stopped at the 50-yard line and just stared.
Haywood blew the whistle and asked him what he was doing. Tate told him he was thinking about what he would do when he scored a touchdown.
"He's a different bird," Haywood said.
Irish fans saw something similar last Saturday, after he caught a 48-yard TD pass to give Notre Dame (2-0) a 21-0 lead against Michigan. He ran over to the student section and stared for a moment, then ran back to the sideline.
"He looks at me and he says: 'I cannot be stopped!" coach Charlie Weis said, laughing heartily again at the story. "I couldn't help but bust out laughing when he said it."
Funny thing is, Weis thought he was joking. He wasn't.
"That's how I felt in the moment," Tate said.
Who can blame Tate for enjoying his moment after last season's struggles? Last season Tate caught three passes for 104 yards and a touchdown against Purdue, leaping above defenders on each one, exciting Irish fans everywhere. They thought the struggling Irish had finally found a spark.
They were quickly disappointed. Tate had just three catches for 27 yards the rest of the season. So why didn't the Irish coaching staff go to Tate more often? Because the former high school running back had no idea what he was doing.
"You ever hear that phrase, running around like a chicken with his head cut off? That was Golden," Haywood said.
Tate admits he was overwhelmed. Everything was a blur. He was in such a hurry he would break routes off five or six yards too early. Most of his catches came when all he had to do was run down the field on a go route. Even on his first catch against Purdue he ran the wrong route.
Tate's touchdown pass against Michigan on Saturday came on a play-action that showed how much he's improved. He ran seven strides toward Michigan safety Stevie Brown in the center of the field as though he were going to block him, then at the last moment turned up field and split the cornerbacks.
He raced down the field, turned his head to his right, saw the ball coming, caught the ball at the 5-yard line and ran in for the touchdown.
He said last year if he had tried the same play he would have turned away from the safety too soon -- if he ran toward him at all -- tipping off the pass play.
Tate, who also plays center field for the Irish baseball team, showed last year he had great hands, that he could jump high and he had blazing speed. He spent the offseason working on his routes and studying tape of former Notre Dame standout Rocket Ismail.
"I want to be just like him," he said. "I study his film and see what he does on the kickoff return and catching and running the ball."
Now that Tate has a better idea of how to run routes, the Irish believe they have a playmaker. He already has catches of 60, 48, 35 and 28 yards this season. But he's still learning.
"You just have to suffer through the growing pains. Because he might blow a route here, maybe blow a route there, may not convert on this play. But so what?" Haywood said. "He's going to make plays, so you just keep on getting him the ball."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Tide's Arenas provides big plays in return game
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Javier Arenas was going the wrong way.
He fielded the punt, spun away from a defender, reversed field and eventually made his way toward the end zone for an 87-yard return and yet another big play for No. 11 Alabama.
"When he popped out the back door, I'm thinking, 'What is he doing?" Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said. "Two seconds later you're saying, 'He may go all the way."
It's an increasingly familiar refrain whenever Arenas fields a punt with a little open space. The junior, also a starting cornerback, tied David Palmer's 15-year-old school record with his fourth punt return for a touchdown.
Arenas enters Saturday night's game against Western Kentucky ranked seventh nationally with an average of more than 24 yards per return. He also broke Harry Gilmer's 61-year-old mark for single-game return yards with 147 against Tulane.
Arenas downplays the records, treating them like a return and keeping his eyes focused in front of him. When he graduates, then there will be time to look back.
"It means something to me now, but it'll mean more to me then," Arenas said. "I'm just playing ball. I'm not really focusing on anything like that."
Arenas was forced to improvise on his 87-yarder and didn't reverse directions on purpose. He'll take the result, though.
"I was trying to go forward," he said. "A guy grabbed me and slung me around; that's the only reason why I went backwards. I didn't intend on going backwards. After that, I just had to make the best of the situation, so I just cut across the field. After that, my blockers took over. Guys made great blocks."
Later in the game, a hard hit briefly knocked Arenas out, prompting the fans to chant his name. He felt fine a few minutes later and has been cleared to play against Western Kentucky. Trainers wouldn't let him back in the game as a precaution.
"They took my helmet, man," he groused.
Arenas' returns have been a boost for a team that hasn't supplied many big plays on offense. The Tide's longest run is 28 yards and the longest pass is 24. Arenas has been getting about that on average.
No wonder teammates and fans alike keep a close eye when he lines up to take a punt.
"I mean, you never know what he's going to do," quarterback John Parker Wilson said. "He's pretty good. Usually, I get to go up there and walk up there and see it. I think everybody is interested in watching him."
Safety Rashad Johnson is on the punt return team, but sometimes wishes he could be a spectator.
"Sometimes it's just get a hand on my guy and then get out of the way, because I'm pretty sure Javy will make him miss if I miss that block," Johnson said. "When he gets the ball in his hands it's definitely electrifying. It's better to be on the sidelines so you can see him do what he does than to be on the field blocking for him."
The long returns ensures one thing: Arenas is still talked about more as a return man than a cornerback despite working his way into a starting job on defense.
He hasn't had all that many chances to rack up defensive stats. Arenas has six tackles and no pass breakups, partly because teams haven't tried to challenge him, even though he's the new guy opposite Kareem Jackson.
Arenas attributes some of that to the fact that he doesn't carry himself like a new guy. He said he even looks to the opposing sidelines trying to goad a coach into testing him.
"I'm not surprised. I've got a swagger out there," he said. "I look like I've been out there for like 17 years. I'm not thinking about that. If I thought about that, I'd be out there all stiff and nervous and jumping around.
"And college coaches are college coaches for a reason: They'll notice that and they'll attack."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Role reversal for Miami-Florida rematch in Swamp
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The last time Miami visited Florida Field, then-Gators coach Ron Zook watched the defending national champion Hurricanes go through pregame warmups, then turned to one of his assistants and said, "We're going to look like them in four or five years."
Zook's vision was impeccable. He just didn't expect Miami to look so different, too.
But when the two programs meet Saturday night in Gainesville for the first time since Miami's 41-16 victory in 2002, they will be in reversed roles.
The No. 5 Gators (1-0) are the highly ranked program with a recent national championship, not to mention their Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback and talented running backs and receivers all around him.
The Hurricanes (1-0), meanwhile, are a little more than a year removed from a coaching change, coming off a disappointing 5-7 season -- their worst in 30 years -- and trying to get back into the national spotlight.
"It's a whole different year," Florida linebacker Brandon Hicks said. "Miami's going to come in here and we're going to show them what the Florida Gators look like."
Florida looks much different than it did six years ago. Not only has Urban Meyer replaced Zook, but Florida has traded in all those bubble screens for the high-scoring spread offense and has playmakers everywhere.
There's Heisman winner Tim Tebow, and running backs Kestahn Moore, Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps. There's receivers Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy, linebacker Brandon Spikes, hard-hitting safety Major Wright and a slew of defensive linemen itching to rush the quarterback.
Florida even looks a little like Miami did in 2002, when quarterback Ken Dorsey needed three or four footballs to get everybody involved.
He had Andre Johnson, Roscoe Parrish and Kellen Winslow II running routes, Willis McGahee in the backfield and seven -- yes, seven -- future first-round NFL draft picks on defense. Sean Taylor, Jonathan Vilma, D.J. Williams, Vince Wilfork, Antrel Rolle, Jerome McDougle and William Joseph all played key roles on that side of the ball.
Miami rolled into The Swamp ranked No. 1 and looked every bit the part, manhandling Florida on both sides of the line of scrimmage and handing the Gators their worst home defeat since 1979. The 41 points were the most Florida had given up at home since 1970, a 63-14 loss to Auburn that came a full two decades before Steve Spurrier took over the program and led it to greatness.
But not even Spurrier could have saved the Gators against Miami. They were too overmatched.
The Hurricanes ran for 306 yards (204 for McGahee) and finished with 508 total yards, easily overcoming three turnovers and 14 penalties for 134 yards.
They were just as good on defense, badgering Rex Grossman into two interceptions, no TD passes and just 19 completions in 45 attempts.
"We want to have the same kind of players they've got," Zook said after the game. "And we will. We will do the recruiting job. We need to raise the talent level."
Six years later, the Hurricanes are the ones talking about closing the gap.
"You want to get to that level," Miami coach Randy Shannon said. "Florida's been one of the premier teams in the country for probably the last four or five years. You always want to get back to that level.
"We really need a game like this. This is a big-time game, big-time atmosphere, on the road. ... We need to know where we're at as a staff and as a football team at this point. Playing Florida is a great opportunity."
The Hurricanes opened with a 52-7 victory against Charleston Southern, a Championship Subdivision school that was overmatched at every position. It was a nice confidence builder for the Miami, but did little to sway oddsmakers in Las Vegas.
Miami was a 21½-point underdog against Florida, which thumped Hawaii 56-10 last week.
"There's a lot of emotions on this team right now," 'Canes left tackle Jason Fox said. "On the outside, those who aren't involved with this organization, not a lot of people are giving us a chance right now and that kind of fires everybody up."
The Gators have plenty of motivation, too, having lost the last six games in the series. Their last victory came in 1985, before most of the current players were even born.
"I know how good Miami's been over the years and how dominant they were," defensive lineman Duke Lemmens said. "They have a long winning streak in the series, but we're hoping to change that and we're hoping to show them a little something about The Swamp."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Former Ole Miss QB Austin leaves CFL for alma mater
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) -- Saskatchewan Roughriders coach Kent Austin has left the CFL to become offensive coordinator at Mississippi, where he once was a star quarterback.
Austin led the Roughriders to the Grey Cup last season, his first as head coach.
"I struggled with this one pretty big time," Austin told The Canadian Press on Wednesday. "But it is my alma mater, I have a great love and affection for my university ... if it had been any other university, I wouldn't have considered it."
Austin met with new Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt about the vacancy last week. He accepted a two-year contract worth $290,000 per year Tuesday night.
"It's hard to explain unless you've experienced it," he said. "When you grow up there, play high school football there -- it's a different world, it's a different culture."
Austin, 44, is the Rebels' No. 3 career passing leader with 6,184 yards and was inducted into the Ole Miss Hall of Fame in 2000.
He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1986 and joined the Roughriders a year later. He was the Grey Cup most valuable player after leading Saskatchewan to a league title in 1989 and earned a second Grey Cup with the British Columbia Lions in 1994. He retired two years later.
He entered coaching in 2003, helped the Toronto Argonauts to a Grey Cup as offensive coordinator in 2005 and took the Roughriders to the Cup in his first season as head coach last year.
"There's nothing like hiring a quarterback coach who has played the position, especially at his alma mater," Nutt said. "Kent Austin is a great character person and an excellent fundamental teacher.
"One of the first things you notice is his passion for coaching quarterbacks. With his knowledge and his expertise in coaching quarterbacks and the passing game, Kent will be a tremendous asset to our program."
The hiring of Austin completes a nearly two-week search after Nutt's first choice for offensive coordinator, David Lee, left to take a job with the NFL's Miami Dolphins.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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