09/02/10- Noel Devine, Sr, West Virginia, 5-08, 180 After angry environmentalists objected to a Nike promotional ad for a new West Virginia University football uniform, the athletic apparel giant said Thursday it will modify a graphic depicting a mountaintop removal mine. Nike issued a statement through the university, repeating what the school had said earlier in the day: The new black and white Pro Combat uniform was designed to honor the heritage of coal mining and 29 men killed in the April explosion at Upper Big Branch mine. “We are modifying the graphic of the player on our website to address concerns,” the statement said. The Oregon-based company did not return repeated messages from The Associated Press. The Mountaineers will wear the coal-themed uniform for only one game this season, the Nov. 26 Backyard Brawl at Pittsburgh. Nike paid for the new gear. The problem environmental activists had with the ad was not the color of the gear - off-white that appears coated in coal dust - or the number 29 on the coal-black helmets. It’s the depiction of a mountaintop removal mine behind the image of a player, complete with flat, treeless mountaintop, the sound of an explosion and the image of falling rock. The ad appeared to be a tacit endorsement of the controversial form of strip mining, the activists argued. Before Nike announced it would modify the ad, opposition was rampant. - AP Sports
09/02/10- Trent Richardson, So, Alabama, 5-11, 220 No. 1 Alabama is handing off to Trent Richardson earlier than expected. The Crimson Tide tailback is temporarily taking over for Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram. Ingram is out for Saturday night's opener against San Jose State with a knee injury. Tide coach Nick Saban says Ingram's recovery time figures to be "relatively short." The presence of the playmaking Richardson helps ease Alabama's concerns. He was already set to play a prominent role in the offense after running for 745 yards as a freshman. Richardson will also return kicks. He ran for 109 yards against Texas in the BCS national championship game. Richardson joined Ingram as a preseason first-team All-SEC pick. - AP Sports
09/02/10- Donald Buckram, rSr, Texas-El Paso, 5-10, 195 Texas-El Paso running back Donald Buckram has a bruised knee and may be able to play against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Saturday’s season-opener for both teams. Buckram was carted off the field during practice Wednesday, a scary sight for the Miners. Team spokesman Jeff Darby said Thursday that an MRI showed that Buckram did not suffer any ligament damage and coaches will decide at game time whether he can play. Buckram was all-Conference USA as a junior in 2009 and was one of 10 semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award, given to the nation’s top running back. The 5-foot-10, 195-pounder from Copperas Cove rushed for 1,594 yards and 18 touchdowns in 259 carries and caught 30 passes for 453 yards and three TDs. - AP Sports
09/02/10- Dion Lewis, So, Pittsburgh, 5-08, 195 With a new starting quarterback in Tino Sunseri, who threw just 17 passes last season, new tight ends and a new set of interior linemen, Lewis and his teammates could face challenges with their running game. Lewis says he wants to be a more effective blocker for Sunseri and fellow running back Ray Graham. He talks about a dropped pass against Connecticut last season and says he wants to be a better receiver. Pound for pound, Lewis remains one of Pitt's strongest players, Wannstedt says, evident in his 365-pound bench press. "He makes a large amount of his yardage after he's been hit," Wannstedt says. "He has the ability to break tackles, run through tackles and make extra yards." Says Lewis of the hits he takes: "It's not as bad as it looks." If this season is anything like his last, he will hear an earful on the field. In the loss against Cincinnati, in which he scored three touchdowns, Lewis says a towering defender tried to intimidate him. " 'You're a little boy; I'm a grown man,' " Lewis recalls being told. Lewis says he laughed off the trash-talk and still does. "I was laughing because (size) has nothing to do with football. "I'm not little. I just wasn't as tall as he was." - Marlen Garcia, USA TODAY
09/02/10- Marc Tyler, rJr, Southern Cal, 6-0, 225 PLAYERS TO WATCH: RB Marc Tyler - The junior won the starting job in fall camp and now has to put his best foot forward to keep it. Tyler played in only one game last season because of a sprained toe, but he did have 72 yards on five carries in the opener against San Jose State. He has 41 carries for 270 yards in his career.
09/02/10- Phillip Tanner, rSr, Middle Tennessee State, 5-11, 208 THIS WEEK'S GAME: Minnesota at Middle Tennessee, Sept. 2 - It's a chance for the Blue Raiders to seize the moment. This is the first time a Big Ten school has made a trip to Murfreesboro. And while there won't be any Brutus Buckeye or Joe Pa on the opposing sidelines, a win over a BCS school on national television in front of your home crowd would be the ideal way to start the season. KEYS TO THE GAME: The Blue Raiders must shake off the loss of quarterback Dwight Dasher and concentrate on the matter at hand. The offense has to hang on to the ball. The defense has to hold its own and create turnovers. PLAYERS TO WATCH: RB Phillip Tanner - He's back for a fifth year after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the second game of 2009. Tanner is one of 49 candidates for the Doak Walker Award.
09/02/10- Marc Tyler, rJr, Southern Cal, 6-0, 225 SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: The Trojans don't have the crazy depth they had a few years ago, but the offense's front-line players still rank among the best in the Pac-10. The biggest news might be the surprising emergence this fall of RB Marc Tyler, an oft-injured junior who sprinted up the depth chart and wrested the starting assignment away from Allen Bradford. True freshman RB Dillon Baxter is suspended for the opener, but look for a pair of classmates to make an impact right away -- WR Robert Woods and WR Kyle Prater.
09/02/10- Dillon Baxter, Fr, Southern Cal, 6-0, 205 Freshman RB Dillon Baxter, who became a YouTube sensation in spring, is suspended for the season-opener at Hawaii for an unspecified violation of team rules. He won't be on the traveling squad.
09/02/10- Dillon Baxter, Fr, Southern Cal, 6-0, 205 NEWCOMER TO WATCH: RB Dillon Baxter - The true freshman enrolled early, became a YouTube sensation for some of his runs in spring drills and quickly earned the title of "the next Reggie Bush" ... hopefully, without the violations. USC can use Baxter as a wildcard, lining up as tailback as a receiver or taking snaps from the Wildcat formation. Other newcomers to watch are receivers Kyle Prater, Robert Woods and Markeith Ambles.
09/02/10- D.D. Kyles, rJr, Middle Tennessee State, 6-1, 198 RB D.D. Kyles lost ground in the tailback competition, and it's unclear how much he'll play. Kyles didn't impress the coaches in spring ball and has been battling a hamstring injury.
09/02/10- Dwight Dasher, Sr, Middle Tennessee State, 5-10, 205 Losing your star quarterback less than a week before what might be the biggest home game in school history isn't the ideal way to begin your season. Blue Raiders coach Rick Stockstill and his players, however, are going to have to make the best of it. Dwight Dasher, Middle Tennessee's Mr. Everything, has been suspended indefinitely for accepting a $1,500 loan in violation of NCAA rules. It's unclear how long Dasher will be out. It's been speculated he'll miss three or four games, but the NCAA could lengthen or shorten that time period. The only issue that matters is he won't play on Thursday when the Blue Raiders host Minnesota in a nationally televised contest. The excitement of opening the season at home against a team from a BCS Conference has definitely taken a hit, along with Middle Tennessee's chances to win the game. Dasher was the Sun Belt Conference's preseason Offensive Player of the Year. He threw for 2,789 yards and ran for 1,154 last season. Overall, he accounted for 3,943 total yards and averaged 303.3 yards a game. Thanks mostly to Dasher's arm and legs, Middle Tennessee averaged 32 points and 422 yards a game. The Blue Raiders finished 10-3 last season and defeated Southern Mississippi in the New Orleans Bowl. Middle Tennessee entered spring and fall practices with the goal of unseating Troy as conference champions. That outlook will obviously change if Dasher faces a long suspension. Junior college transfers Logan Kilgore and Jeff Murphy are in line to start against Minnesota.
09/02/10- Marcus Lattimore, Fr, South Carolina, 6-0, 210 THIS WEEK'S GAME: Southern Miss at South Carolina, Sept. 2 - The Gamecocks are 6-2 in Thursday night encounters under Steve Spurrier, including a 4-1 record in Williams-Brice Stadium. With a home rivalry game against Georgia looming a week later, USC needs to get off to a quick start if it is to have the breakout season their coach believes is within reach. KEYS TO THE GAME: The offense must prove it can run the football after finishing 12th in the Southeastern Conference in rushing yards last season. The team has four capable running backs, led by redshirt sophomore Kenny Miles and freshman Marcus Lattimore, but needs vastly improved line play to make it happen. Defensively the squad needs to find a way to produce turnovers after managing only 17 last season, including just six interceptions.
09/02/10- Phillip Tanner, rSr, Middle Tennessee State, 5-11, 208 Fifth-year senior Phillip Tanner and sophomore Ben Cunningham are in at tailback. D.D. Kyles, who played most of last season when Tanner was injured, could be out all together. Tanner and Cunningham will share the duties.
09/02/10- Duane Bennett, rJr, Minnesota, 5-09, 205 Brewster was hoping someone would emerge as the Gophers' main threat in the backfield. That hasn't happened so a three-back rotation consisting of juniors Duane Bennett and DeLeon Eskridge and freshman Donnell Kirkwood will be used for now.
09/02/10- Marcus Lattimore, Fr, South Carolina, 6-0, 210 NEWCOMER TO WATCH: RB Marcus Lattimore - Rated the nation's top running back recruit by several organizations, Lattimore is expected to become the starter at tailback sometime during the 2010 season. Although several capable performers return in Kenny Miles, Brian Maddox and Jarvis Giles, no has Lattimore's combination of size, speed, vision and pass catching ability. The coaching staff was impressed with his work ethic during the summer.
09/02/10- Kenny Miles, rSo, South Carolina, 5-09, 188 In addition to QB Connor Shaw, several freshmen have worked their way onto the depth chart. Marcus Lattimore is listed as a co-starter with redshirt sophomore Kenny Miles at tailback. WR Ace Sanders is a backup, as are C Ronald Patrick and RG A. J. Cann.
09/02/10- Graig Cooper, Sr, Miami, 6-0, 205 Miami will start the season playing three running backs with senior Damien Berry sharing time with redshirt freshman Lamar Miller and sophomore Mike James. True freshman Storm Johnson, who has had some impressive moments in fall camp, could see duty on return teams. Senior Graig Cooper is still recovering from knee surgery and isn't likely to be a full contributor until later. He didn't take part in a recent scrimmage because of a wet field.
09/02/10- V.J. Floyd, Sr, Southern Miss, 5-10, 196 BREAKOUT STAR: RB V.J. Floyd - It's never easy to replace a school's all-time leading rusher. That's the task Floyd likely will be charged with this season. It seems like big cleats to fill for a senior that has rushed for less than 400 yards in his career and two touchdowns. Floyd is a veteran and a back with all-around skills. He showed promise in the spring game and could be a leader on the offense.
09/02/10- Martin Ward, rSo, Marshall, 5-09, 201 MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER: RB Martin Ward has the inside track on replacing Darius Marshall. The sophomore tailback finished with just 393 yards last season, but 136 of those came in a win over SMU that virtually clinch a bowl berth for the Herd, and then added 72 yards and two touchdowns in an MVP performance in the Pizza Bowl. He averaged 4.8 yards per carry.
09/02/10- Andre Booker, So, Marshall, 5-10, 178 SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: Uncertainty exists for the Marshall offense, with the Herd having to replace running back Darius Marshall, who ran for 1,131 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. Andre Booker will start at running back, ahead of Martin Ward, who was the MVP of the Herd's bowl victory. Brian Anderson does have weapons, led by tight end Lee Smith, who is on the John Mackey Award list, and promising receiver Antavious Wilson. Marshall's offensive line, which includes three returning starters, will try to protect against a talented defense paced by All-America candidates in linebacker Brian Rolle and defensive end Cameron Heyward.
09/02/10- Victor Anderson, rJr, Louisville, 5-09, 185 The Louisville running backs are worth watching, with the coaching staff promising to rotate carries among a number of players. But the one guy who could seize the bull by the horns is Victor Anderson. Anderson broke out as a freshman with 1,047 yards, but was bothered by injuries in 2009 and had less than half that as a sophomore. He's one of the best backs in the Big East if he can stay healthy.
09/02/10- Derrick Locke, Sr, Kentucky, 5-09, 182 THIS WEEK'S GAME: Kentucky at Louisville, Sept. 4 - The Wildcats are looking for their fourth straight Governor's Cup in the heated in-state rivalry. Kentucky lost seven of eight to Louisville from 1999-2006 before the recent turnaround. KEYS TO THE GAME: RB Derrick Locke was a one-player wrecking crew in Kentucky's victory over the Cardinals last season when he had 310 all-purpose yards, and it's safe to say Louisville's defense and special teams need to defend him better. Locke rushed for 72 yards and one touchdown, had four receptions for 47 yards and returned four kickoffs for 191 yards, including a 100-yard TD return. Defensively, the Wildcats need to be ready for anything with Louisville featuring a new offensive coordinator in Mike Sanford.
09/02/10- Jordan Todman, Jr, Connecticut, 5-09, 190 THIS WEEK'S GAME: Connecticut at Michigan, September 4 -- This may not be a vintage Michigan team, but it still would be a huge victory for the UConn program if it can score the win on the road. A win gets this team some badly needed national spotlight, while a loss probably keeps it as an afterthought until and unless it makes a big run in the Big East. KEYS TO THE GAME: The big thing for UConn is not to be intimidated by the atmosphere. Playing at Michigan is tough, but the Huskies might be a more talented team, player for player, than the Wolverines. If they play smart football and take advantage of their opportunities, there's no reason the Huskies can't win here.
09/02/10- V.J. Floyd, Sr, Southern Miss, 5-10, 196 Running backs V.J. Floyd (ankle) and Tracy Lampley (knee) are back healthy and should be ready for a heavy workload after missing significant time in camp with minor injuries.
09/02/10- Teric Jones, So, Michigan, 5-09, 195 Safety Teric Jones has been moved from the defense to running back to bolster that position. He played three years on offense in high school, but was moved to defense a year ago.
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