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Thursday, August 18, 2011MERIDIAN STARTHE

Enterprise High School dominated on thefield in 1986, even as questions circled offit about the viability of their school.

Fight for Survival

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1986 Enterprise High Bulldogs Pg. 3• Bulldogs won on the field, in court in ’86

Meridian High Pg. 6• Inexperienced Wildcats learning on the go

Clarkdale Pg. 8• Richmond wants to build family with Bulldogs

Northeast Lauderdale Pg. 10• Trojans look to finish in 2011

Southeast Lauderdale Pg. 12• Tigers have raised expectations

West Lauderdale Pg. 14• Knights hungry heading into new season

Lamar Pg. 16• Depth a main concern for Raiders

Russell Christian Pg. 18• Warriors taking move to 8-Man in stride

Calvary Christian Pg. 20• Cougars look to bounce back

Enterprise Pg. 21• Hard-nosed Bulldogs stick with plan

Quitman Pg. 22• Young Panthers will lean on defense

Newton Pg. 23• Tigers aim to elevate game along with class

Newton County Academy Pg. 24• Speedy Generals look to run to title

Newton County Pg. 25• Cougars eye balanced spread attack

Kemper Academy Pg. 26

• Rams have undergone transformation after titleKemper County Pg. 27

• Wildcats ‘ready to move past’ 2010Choctaw Central Pg. 28

• Confident Warriors hope to build off ’10Neshoba Central Pg. 29

• Rockets hope for health, trip back to playoffsUnion Pg. 30

• ’Jackets depending on backfield newcomersPhiladelphia Pg. 31

• Tornadoes look to get over humpEast Mississippi Community College Pg. 32

• New home, same goals for LionsEast Central Community College Pg. 35

• Warriors looking for good thingsOle Miss Pg. 37

• Rebels aim to surprise in SECMississippi State Pg. 38

• Bulldogs have no issues with high hopesSouthern Miss Pg. 39

• Golden Eagles target C-USA titleJackson State Pg. 40

• Big expectations for Tigers, TherriaultAlcorn State Pg. 41

• Confident Spears takes over BravesMississippi Valley State Pg. 42

• Devils looking for wins in Morgan’s second yearAlabama Pg. 43

• Tide working on to-do list amid hype

Auburn Pg. 44• Tigers hoping to overcome big roster losses

Arkansas Pg. 45• Strong senior class lifts Razorbacks’ goals

LSU Pg. 45• Tigers envision another BCS title in Big Easy

Florida Pg. 46• Brantley’s development key for Gators

Georgia Pg. 46• Bulldogs look to rally around embattled coach

Kentucky Pg. 47• Wildcats ready for season after overhaul work

South Carolina Pg. 47• Spurrier finally feels good about Gamecocks

Tennessee Pg. 48• Dooley expects more out of young Volunteers

Vanderbilt Pg. 48• Franklin’s confidence rubbing off on ’Dores

ACC Pg. 49• Improved FSU could boost reputation

Big East Pg. 50• Conference gets offensive — in a good way

Big Ten Pg. 51• Ohio St., Michigan no favorites

Big 12 Pg. 52• Oklahoma’s expectations unchanged

Pac-12 Pg. 53• Expanded conference has big ambitions

Conference USA Pg. 54• Elite QBs lead C-USA favorites

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOOTBALL PREVIEW2 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

submitted photo

Enterprise’s Carl Murray, Larell Green andKip Murray hold the South State and statechampionship trophies aloft after theBulldogs defeated Noxapater.

A lesson in surviving — and thrivingThe ground Thunders beneath our feet, For we our proud to serve our fleetour heads held high as we walk by“The Bulldogs Number One!”we will cryOur pride is strong our faith is trueFor we know the task we’ve trained to doour school to defend, our enemies to defeatThese are the goals we’ve sworn to meetThis team we love and hold so dearbut to our foes we show no fearand if in battle our game we lose“DEFEAT” — not "SURRENDER” is what we chooseWe’ll fight to the end under any condition.To uphold Enterprise Bulldogs well-known tradition.

— Enterprise creed

Never has that creed or motto been more evident than withthe 1986 Enterprise Bulldogs. While they had everythingneeded on the field — great coaching, a little size, speed, andseeing as how it is an Enterprise football team, more thanenough toughness — to be champions, those Bulldogs had toovercome obstacles off the field.

That is where those Bulldogs — and the rest of the Enter-prise community — lived those words.

Mired in a seemingly never-ending web of lawsuits, theEnterprise School District was fighting for survival. It wasfighting to keep its high school open. The entire community —football players and coaches included — were well aware of thefight going on off the field.

But their pride was strong, their faith was true. They showedno fear, and had they lost, it would have been through defeat,definitely not surrender. They did fight — through court battleafter court battle — to the end. An end that resuled in federalcourt keeping the school open.

Sports and the lessons they teach really can translate to suc-cesses off the field, or off the court. That fight, grit and determi-nation that the Bulldogs have used to win for 80-plus years onthe football field translated to a win in the courtroom. Theyreally are traits that come in handy, not just on the gridiron.

But those same characteristics were at play on the field. Withthe controversy circling around, those Bulldogs didn’t give up,didn’t surrender. Instead they rallied. And won. And won, all 13games and a state title in 1986. And all 13 games and a state titlein 1987.

There was no obstacle going to stop them. There was no roadblock that couldn’t be passed. It’s something every team willencounter. Those that find the solution, go on to find success,whether it’s just a winning season and playoff berth, or whetherit leads to holding a championship trophy aloft.

Those that are unable to circumvent the issues presented,find themselves at home early, struggling through a disap-pointing year.

That creed — and the way Enterprise enacted it, lived it onthe field in 1986 — is something any team could follow when thefootball finally takes flight Friday night (or tonight for Clarkdaleand Southeast Lauderdale).

Which teams will live that fight this season? We’re about tofind out.

Jamie Wachtersports editor

1986 ENTERPRISE BULLDOGS 3THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

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Bulldogs won on thefield, in court in ’86

submitted photo

Enterprise coach Jud Gartman led the Bulldogs to undefeated state championships in1986 (Class 1A) and 1987 (Class 2A). Gartman is an Enterprise alum.

By Jamie [email protected]

There was no way Enterprise wasgoing to lose.

It didn’t matter that the Bulldogstrailed at halftime for the first time allseason. It didn’t matter that Enterprise’sunbeaten season was on the line, as wellas a trip to the Class A playoffs.

Nope, there was no way Enterprise wasgoing to lose.

“At halftime, the kids kept saying, ‘Wearen’t going to lose,’” then-Enterprisecoach Jud Gartman recalled. “As wewalked down those steps to go on thefield, you could sense it.”

And those Bulldogs didn’t. Showingthe grit and determination that is syn-onomous with Enterprise football, theBulldogs partially blocked a punt in theclosing minutes to set up the go-ahead

score. Enterprise 12, Mize 7.“We were able to block a punt,”

Gartman said. “That was it.”And from there, it was clear sailing for

Enterprise, which finished the year 13-0and Class !A champions, the first Southteam to win the small-school title.

In their playoff run to the title, the Bull-dogs’ closest game was a 21-0 dominationof Decatur in the first round. Followingthat, Enterprise hammered Utica 34-6, dis-mantled William Winans 40-0 to win SouthState and then whipped previouslyunbeaten Noxapater 28-0 for the title.

“We had went down to Mount Olive myfreshman year and got beat, and then thatnext year both Mount Olive and Mize hadto come to Enterprise,” linebacker ScottSisson recalled. “We kind of took it toheart and basically just said, ‘This isn’t

See COVER on page 4

1986 ENTERPRISE BULLDOGS4 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

Game 1Enterprise 27, Union 7

Big plays and a stifling defensive effort ledthe Bulldogs past the visiting Yellowjackets.Senior Larell Green scored on his only two car-ries — 39 and 45 yards — and Reggie McGeeadded a 40-yard touchdown run. Enterprise’sdefense, meanwhile held Union to 129 yards ofoffense and just one pass completion.

Game 2Enterprise 31, Clarkdale 0

Enterprise scored 25 points in the first quar-ter to ease past their rival Bulldogs. McGeecaught a 28-yard pass from Richard White andthen scored on a 51-yard run. Tim Miller had a27-yard scoring run and James Williams scoredfrom 31 yards out. Danny May tacked on ascore in the fourth quarter from 34 yards.

Game 3Enterprise 34, Stringer 0

Enterprise, which pitched its second straightshutout, jumped ahead early on a 3-yard scorefrom Miller. However, the Bulldogs broke it openwith third quarter scores from Victor McNair (34-yard run), McGee (54-yard pass from White) andWhite (1-yard sneak). Scott Sisson racked up20 tackles to lead the defense.

Game 4Enterprise 28, Mount Olive 6

The Bulldogs avenged their lone loss from1985 with an inspired first half. Jumping aheadof visiting Mount Olive, Enterprise scored on an11-yard run from Green, a 3-yard run fromMiller, a 40-yard interception return from McNairand a 2-yard run from Miller.

Game 5Enterprise 47, Hickory 13

McGee scored on a kickoff return andrushed for another touchdown as five Bulldogsscored in the rout. In addition McGee’s 86-yardreturn score and 38-yard scoring run, Enterprisescored on a 52-yard interception return fromCharles Goodwin, a 15-yard run from Miller, a10-yard run from White and a 21-yard run fromSisson.

Game 6Enterprise 28, Clara 7

McGee and Miller combined for 232 yardsrushing as the Bulldogs jumped on top of visit-ing Clara 14-0 in the first quarter (scoring runsfrom McNair and Green). Reggie Williams addeda touchdown in the second quarter and Millerlater scored from 9 yards out.

Game 7Enterprise 33, Beulah Hubbard 6

McGee got the Bulldogs started on the rightfoot when he returned the opening kickoff 90yards to get the blowout started. He later addedtouchdown runs of 15 and 64 yards, while Milleradded a 1-yard plunge and McNair scored from1 yard out.

Game 8

Enterprise 40, Beat Four 13Ranked No. 3 in the Little Ten poll, Enterprise

was in for a challenge from the Tigers for awhile.Leading just 12-7, the Bulldogs used an 85-yardkickoff return for a touchdown from Green tobreak it open. McNair, McGee and White then alltacked on scores.

Game 9Enterprise 12, Mize 7

In their toughest game of the year, theBulldogs wrapped up the division title with acomeback win. Trailing in the second half for thefirst time, Enterprise used a blocked punt with 21/2 minutes left to catch fire. McGee got apiece of the punt on fourth-and-15 from the theMize 9. Three plays later, Miller scored to putEnterprise on top.

Game 10Enterprise 21, Decatur 0

The Bulldogs opened the Class A playoffs byshutting down the potent Warrior offense, limitingDecatur to just 142 yards of offense. Enterprisescored on the first play of the second quarterwhen White hit Green for a 39-yard score. AMcNair interception and 39-yard return set up a1-yard score from Miller, who then recovered afumble at the Decatur 11. Four plays later, theQuitman transfer scored again, this time from the2.

Game 11Enterprise 34, Utica 6

The Blue Wave fumbled six times, losing five,and threw two interceptions while being outrushed212 to 34. Green started the scoring with a 45-yard touchdown before the Bulldogs tacked onthree scores in the second quarter — a 25-yardrun from White, a 22-yard run from Green and an8-yard run from White. McNair tacked on a scorein the third as Enterprise won 11 games for thefirst time in school history — the Bulldogs had won10 the previous two seasons.

Game 12Enterprise 40, William Winans 0

The Bulldogs won South State by harrassingthe Eagles’ star quarterback Michael Haynes intoan 8 for 20 outing for just 63 yards. WilliamWinans totalled only 91 yards of offense andfour first downs. The Bulldogs, meanwhile,scored every time they touched the ball in thefirst half, including a 34-yard touchdown passfrom White to McGee on the last play beforeintermission that made it 34-0.

Game 13Enterprise 28, Noxapater 0

The Bulldogs became the first South Statechampion to win the Class A state title, blankingpreviously unbeaten Noxapater in Clinton.Enterprise ran for 251 yards and got touchdownson a 40-yard pass from White to McGee, a 54-yard interception return from McNair, a 1-yardrun from McNair and a 35-yard run from McGee.“We don’t even have a trophy case at Enterprise,”Gartman said after the game. “But we’re fixing tobuild one.”

GAME-BY-GAME LOOK AT THE 1986 EHS BULLDOGS

submitted photo

Enterprise’s Vic McNair runs against Decatur in the first round of the Class A state playoffs. McNairwas one of four Bulldogs that rushed for more than 500 yards during the championship season.

going to happen.’“There were a lot of strong-willed person-

alities on that team. Basically throughout myhigh school career going from ninth grade allthe way through my senior year, there was alot of strong-willed guys. And we took it toheart, especially when it comes to Enter-prise.”

The playoffs were just more of the same forEnterprise, which outscored its opponents403-65 on the year. The only game closer than20 points was the escape against Mize.

While Enterprise was rolling through theopposition, it was based on a complete teamconcept. The Bulldogs rushed for 2,933 yardsin running to the title. Still, there wasn’t asingle player with 1,000 yards. Tim Miller,who transferred the year before fromQuitman, led the way with 742 yards as ajunior. Reggie McGee added 694 and VicMcNair churned out 673. Larell Green alsotopped 500 yards.

That well-rounded backfield came in handywhen Miller, who would sign with SouthernMiss, got ejected in the first half for throwing,according to the official, a flagrant elbow. Inhis place, McNair stepped in and rushed for91 yards and a touchdown.

“We could have easily frozen up thatgame,” Gartman said of the championship. “Itwas our first time there, it was our first chanceto have a state championship in anything.

“There was a lot of pride within thatschool.”

Building something special

It wasn’t always that easy at Enterprise,not even for Gartman, an EHS alum.

Returning to take over the reins of theBulldogs in 1980, Gartman’s first three teamswent a combined 6-23-1. In 1983, though,Enterprise improved to 6-4 and then it tookoff.

In 1984, Enterprise went 10-2 and won theDivision 5-2A title and the Bulldogs were 10-0in 1985 before falling to Mt. Olive in the Divi-sion 5-1A subdivision title game.

Those successes laid the foundation.“It didn’t just start then,” Gartman said.

“In 1984 we played for South State in Class2A, and lost by a score to Bassfield. The nextweek they won state 38-0. That’s when ourguys realized they could get there. 1984 kindof got it started, really.

“A lot of folks think it’s Xs and Os, butreally it’s about the Jimmie’s and Joe’s. I wentback because I played there. I knew a lot ofteams that could have contended over theyears, but it was before playoffs existed. Iknew a lot of the parents, and I knew as acoach that if I was going to win a champi-onship, I thought it was my best shot at it.

“After year three, you could start to see itcoming together — but there was a lot of heaton me, a lot of grumbling — but the attitudewas changing and the numbers were gettingthere, too.”

And the Bulldogs didn’t just stop there,either. Despite moving back up to Class 2A in1987, Enterprise kept on winning, again fin-ishing 13-0 with another state championship.

“In the years prior to that, you could see afoundation being built,” Sisson said. “The

See COVER on page 5

COVER from page 3

1986 ENTERPRISE BULLDOGS 5THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

first state championship team, Iwas only a sophomore. I was onthe team as a freshman, andeven a couple years prior to that,Enterprise had made their wayto several playoff games.

“By the time I got up to beinga freshman, the foundationblocks had been built and therewas now a standard, where this iswhat we’re going to do.”

Granted that road was a littlebit tougher.

After winning six of their firstseven games handily, the Bull-dogs won their final two divisiongames by a combined 21 pointsagainst Philadelphia and Lake.Then, after a blowout againstRaymond to open the Class 2Aplayoffs, the Bulldogs won thenext three by a combined 34-20.Enterprise edged Gulfport-St.John 7-0, Lake 6-0 for South Stateand then squeezed past MoundBayou 21-20 for the title.

“We had a lot of starterscoming back,” Gartman said.“Winning it, getting there, it wasa big confidence boost to that.They felt like they could win it

again, but I don’t think theyunderstood it was going to bethat hard.

“It was a pride thing. Theydidn’t want to lose a game. The1987 seniors, once they got intothe ninth grade and throughtheir senior season, they wentlike 46-3. They were very proudof that.”

Added Sisson: “After the firstone, when we came into summercamp, we basically said it’s hap-pened once and we didn’t want tobe the team that didn’t make ithappen again.

“Repeating was basically oneverybody’s mind, and we reallyjust hated the word loss andlosing.”

The fight for survivalBut the biggest motivation for

the Bulldogs didn’t come inkeeping the winning streakalive. Or in building off therecent turnaround.

These Bulldogs were playingfor something more. They wereplaying for not just themselves,but for the entire school, theentire community.

As Enterprise was dominatingon the football field, its school

board was battling in court tokeep the school open.

“Man did we ever have tobattle to stay on solid ground,”former ESB Board of TrusteeCecil Melton said. “We werebeing pulled from two direc-tions, Quitman was pulling on usand Clarkdale was pulling on us.

“We were in lawsuits all thetime about students goingwhere. We were missing stu-dents and they were missing stu-dents, it was a hassle trying tokeep track of everybody.”

Added Gartman: “It reallywas a story within a story. Whilewe were playing football, therewere a handful of supportersthat were battling in court. Itwas a fight for survival of ourschool.”

That fight eventually led tofederal court where Enterprisewon their district, survival andeventually, great success. Enter-prise was named a Star Districtlast year.

“We really had to battle all thetime, and I’ll tell you how we gotout of it,” Melton said. “We werebattling in court here and incourt there, and our attorneysaid we’re fixing to go into a law-

suit and going into federal court.“And we did, we got it into

federal court. The first thing thejudge told us when we got up tothe court house in LauderdaleCounty that first morning was,‘My job is not elected. And I canmake anybody mad that I wantto and I’m going to make all ofyou made before this over.’

“And he did. He was lettingus know that he was going tomake a decision according towhat he thought, not any pres-sure. And what he decidedended up being good for us.”

With all that circling aroundEnterprise, the Bulldogs werewell aware. Gartman said it wasa topic that came up frequently.

“We realized it was going on,”he said. “We used it. We talkedabout it a pretty good bit. I’m notgoing to say football saved theschool. But it helped. A lot ofthose supporters would weartheir Enterprise shirts and capsto court.

“Those guys can look backalong with those supporters andthe school board, and see wherewe were and where Enterprise isnow.”

Said Sisson: “It was a big

factor in it. We took it to Enter-prise, Enterprise was our schooland we basically wanted to telleverybody, hey this is Enter-prise, this is the Enterprise com-munity, which still today is astrong community, and we kindof rallied at that.

“Basically, we wanted to leteveryone know we were goingto send a message. And you canrea between the lines how youwant to take the message.”

But the motivation wasn’t justa one-way street. While theEnterprise football team tookthe fight for existence to pushthem on the field, Melton saidthe school board and lawyerstook pride in the on-field accom-plishments and it helped spurthe fight, as well.

“Our football team, backwhen Jud was here, he had somedoozies,” he added. “Jud is agood coach, and he had somegood teams.

“That was a motivation. Wewanted to stand behind themwhere we could. And where wecould was through the board.And we did do that.”

In the end, there was no wayEnterprise could lose.

COVER from page 4

MERIDIAN HIGH SCHOOL6 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

Meridian High School Wildcats


What a difference a yearmakes.

A year ago, Meridian headedinto the season with seniors andexperience dotting the lineup.This year, those seniors are goneand the Wildcats that are backfrom the 14-1 Class 6A state run-ners-up are young and inexperi-enced.

"It's kind of a slow go,"Meridian coach Larry Weems."Just to show that consistency, it'sbeen a slow go because there's somany new guys. They're takingturns messing up, today this onemay do it right and then there'sone or two that mess up. So just tosee that consistency is hard andthat comes with inexperience andhaving a young team.

"That doesn't mean everyone isa freshman or a sophomore, youcan have 11th and 12th gradersthat are inexperienced simplybecause they didn't play last year.So we have a lot of inexperienceregardless of our age, and thattakes time.

"We'll stay at it, they'll stay itand we'll just keep working."

That work begins at quarter-back where the Wildcats are look-ing to replace Antoinne Adkinsand Luke Stanley, who both start-ed over the past two seasons.Seniors Jibril Cox and ShantonMurphy are leading the competi-tion in the backfield, although jun-ior Kyle Russell, sophomoresRichard L. McQuarly and KereonWallace and freshman Jmar Smithare all competing as well. Murphycompleted 9 of 15 passes last yearfor 123 yards and a touchdown,while Cox completed 2 of 5attempts for 13 yards.

"The two seniors know more in-depth about the offense as far asthat goes," Weems said. "We mayplay the first two or three gamesand we'll take this preparationcamp time and the nondivisiongames and see what our best com-bination is and who our best play-ers are based on performance andtry and get ready to go for whenwe get to division play and try tomake the playoffs."

But in addition to needing tofind a quarterback, the Wildcats

are also looking for playmakers atrunning back and that adds to thedilemna. Cox, who started at cor-nerback last year and will playthere again, is also one ofMeridian's top running backs andthe Wildcats have to piece togeth-er the right backfield puzzle, espe-cially with senior running backMichael Hubbard suspended thefirst three weeks.

"Honest to goodness, I needanother guy to step up at quarter-back," Weems added. "(Cox) is avery good running back, and weneed that, we don't have a lot ofdepth there. I need him at run-ning back and I need him at cor-nerback. So when you look at allthe things you need them to do, Ineed a kid to step up and handlethat position because that would

make us better as a team. "That's kind of what I was

alluding to, what makes us best asa team on how this thing shapesup and how should we approachthis season and a lot of thatdepends on how these other guyscan handle the quarterback posi-tion, or if they can."

Inexperienced Wildcats learning on the goWILDCATS AT A GLANCE

2010 record: 14-12010 finish: Lost28-7 to SouthPanola in Class 6Astate championshipHead coach: LarryWeems (sixth year,61-11)League: Division 3-6A

2011 scheduleAug. 19 at ClintonAug. 26 Wayne CountySept. 2 at CantonSept. 9 QuitmanSept. 23 NatchezSept. 30 at HattiesburgOct. 7 Oak Grove

Oct. 14 at BrandonOct. 21 at PetalOct. 28 TerryNov. 4 Forest Hill

2010 resultsWest Lauderdale 28-7Wayne County 26-6Starkville 14-7Quitman 20-0Natchez 24-20Hattiesburg 37-12Oak Grove 35-6Brandon 14-0Wingfield 36-12Jim Hill 48-8Terry 42-7• Ocean Springs 22-0• Gulfport 37-7

• Oak Grove 34-0• South Panola 7-28

• — denotes playoff game

Last 10 years2010 14-1•2009 11-2•2008 14-1•2007 11-3•2006 11-4•2005 11-4•2004 9-2-1•2003 8-5•2002 3-82001 4-710-year record: 96-37-1Record since 1921: 653-267-3

• — denotes playoff appearance

Weems

See WILDCATS on page 7

MERIDIAN HIGH SCHOOL 7THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

No. Name Grade1 Dequan Anderson Jr.2 Emmanuel Grant Sr.3 Aaron Finley Sr.4 C.J. Hampton Soph.5 David Hood Jr.6 Isaac Johnson Jr.7 Jathondrae Rhone Jr.8 Shelton Cole Sr.9 Alex Brooks Soph.10 Jibril Cox Sr.11 Richard L. McQuarly Soph.12 Terrell Johnson Sr.13 Boderick Oliver Jr.14 Shanton Murphy Sr.15 Jmar Smith Fresh.16 Quadry Burrage Jr.17 Kyle Russell Jr.18 Andre Ratliff Jr.19 Todrian Laphand Sr.20 John Griffen Sr.21 Laderick Roberts Sr.22 Dannika O'Hara Jr.23 Michael Hubbard Sr.24 Kelvin Harris Soph.25 JaKari Houston Soph.26 Marquez Moton Soph.27 Jamarlon Moffite Jr.28 J.C. McElroy Sr.29 Ladarius Armstrong Jr.30 Jaquarius Cole Soph.31 Ed Glenn Fresh.32 Juantavious Matthews Jr.33 Austin Holt Soph.34 Caleb McWilliams Soph.

No. Name Grade35 Jalen Heath Sr.36 Kereon Wallace Soph.37 Kadarius Bush Jr.38 Quendarius Graham Jr.39 Jaquarius Ratliff Soph.40 Tobias Griffin Sr.41 Bryston Brown Soph.43 Rodney Hall Sr.44 Andrew Bator Soph.46 Keyaurda Davis Soph.47 Johndarik Washam Soph.50 Quez Scott Jr.51 Temarcus Miller Soph.52 Jesuan Straughter Sr.54 Jamal Horne Fresh.55 Harvey Anderson Soph.56 Pierre Byrd Soph.58 Malcolm Bland Sr.59 Cohlby Sims Sr.60 Benjahmin Gathwright Jr.61 Michael Reed Soph.65 Lamonta Hutton Soph.72 Ladaryl Dean Jr.76 Autin Rowell Soph.81 Anthony Boudreaux Jr.84 Rico Andrews Soph.85 Tyler Henderson Sr.86 Eddie Barrett Jr.87 Antonio Owens Soph.88 Richard E. McQuarley Soph.90 Pieter Both Sr.91 Kyle Boykin Soph.95 Arron Garrett Soph.99 D.J. Jackson Fresh.

MERIDIAN ROSTER

Whoever emerges at quarterbackshould have options to throw the ball towith a trio of experienced wideouts return-ing. Shelton Cole and Emmanuel Grant,both seniors, saw time there last year andjunior Isaac Johnson started last season.Lamar transfer John Clinton McElroy andsenior Tyrone Henderson will also playsome at receiver. Johnson led MHS with 26catches for 323 yards and three touch-downs last year, while Cole added 14 recep-tions — three touchdowns — and 245yards. Grant hauled in nine passes for 112yards with two scores.

The Wildcats' inexperience also includesthe offensive line where at most, Meridianwill feature just one senior in MalcolmBland. Other linemen battling include jun-iors Quez Scott and Ben Gathwright andsophomores Harvey Anderson and PierreByrd.

"Think of all those skill spots and youhave people that are young or haven'tplayed much and it's not like we have anoffensive line up there that can help themalong and cover that up a little bit," Weemssaid. "They're all young. And we’re prettymuch starting from scratch there, too. AndI think most of those guys are going to besolid offensive linemen by the time they getdone with high school, it's just they're allyoung.

"The good thing is at least next yearwe'll say we've got some experience there.But as for right now, I think they all can begood linemen but I need them to be good

linemen by Friday."The MHS defense, which allowed just 8

points per game last year, was also decimat-ed by graduation. Senior Laderick Robertsreturns at linebacker after amassing 60tackles last year and Cox is back at corner-back. Other than that, Meridian will play ahost of new faces.

On the defensive line, Jalen Heath andTerrell Johnson will play as will several ofthe offensive linemen.

"We don't have many linemen," Weemssaid. "We're going to have to do it by com-mittee."

David Hood, Tobias Griffin and JohnGriffen figure to join Roberts at linebacker.Other than Roberts' 60 stops, the otherscombined for four tackles and one intercep-tion.

And alongside Cox at defensive back willbe McElroy with C.J. Hampton, AaronFinley and Isaac Johnson playing safety.

"We think JC can help us, he has achance to start for us at DB, but he'll havea chance to play on offense," Weems said."He runs well and has some hands, it's justteaching him what to do. He's having tolearn everthing new on both sides of theball. A lot of what we do is very in-depthwith the verbiage and making calls on theline.

"He's a senior and a good athlete, it'sjust a lot to learn.”

Pieter Both, a senior, returns at kickerafter handling kickoffs last year and ArronGarrett may handle the punting duties inaddition to backing up Both at kicker.

WILDCATS from page B1

Paula Merritt/The Meridian Star

Meridian wide receiver Isaac Johnson turns upfield after a catch against Ocean Springs inthe Class 6A playoffs last season.

Paula Merritt/

The Meridian Star

MeridianlinebackerLaderickRobertscauses afumble as hehits StarkvillequarterbackJaquezJohnson lastyear at RayStadium


One family. One mission.That is the slogan Clarkdale is

taking into Chris Richmond’s firstseason at the helm. Richmond, aformer defensive coordinator atKosciusko and West Lauderdale,replaces Jud Gartman in guidingthe Bulldogs, who went 3-9 inmaking the playoffs for the sec-ond straight season in Class 3A.Clarkdale has since dropped downto Class 2A.

“What that means is we’ve gotto come together as a family,”Richmond said, explaining the slo-gan. “When we started this in thespring we had a lot of individualsand it didn’t seem like we likedeach other very much. So, I’vebeen preaching that we have tocome together as a family.

“And then our mission is thegoals that we set and if we canreach those goals, I think we’ll bea better team. Our main goal is toget better every day, to get betterspiritually, to get better mentallyin school and to get better physi-cally in football. And if we can dothat and get better every day thenwe’ll be able to achieve whateverwe set our minds to.”

Right now, Clarkdale is just set-ting their minds on overcomingthe lack of depth that comes witha 29-man roster and having to playboth ways. Leading that ironmanphilosophy will be MicahRedmond, who in addition to play-ing quarterback and safety, willalso handle kicking and puntingduties. The senior has seen hisseason cut short by broken ankleseach of the past two years.Needless to say, his health is a

major priority for Clarkdale andRichmond.

“We’ve got to keep himhealthy, and if we can keep himhealthy I think we have a chanceto win ballgames,” Richmond said.“Without him right now, we’llhave to change a lot of the stuffwe do. Our backup is a ninth-grad-er and while he’s doing a goodjob, he’s just not ready to take the

full load.“We have to watch what we do

with him. He hasn’t been 100 per-cent in two years. He’s broken anankle both years, so now he’s gottitanium ankles and we’re hopinghe’s got ankles that can last thisyear.”

Joining Redmond as a brightspot in Clarkdale’s lineup is theoffensive line of senior Jake

Welburn, juniors Brad Burcham,Sean Datuch and Matt Warrenand sophomore Colin Duke.

“The line I think is where we’remost solid at right now if I saidwe’re solid anywhere,” Richmondadded. “I’m real pleased with ourline right now.”

Senior Gabe Shelby is at full-

CLARKDALE HIGH SCHOOL8 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

Clarkdale High School Bulldogs

BULLDOGS AT A GLANCE2010 record: 3-92010 finish: Lost49-0 to Forest infirst round of Class3A playoffsHead coach: ChrisRichmond (firstyear)League: Division 7-2A

2011 scheduleAug. 18 at SE LauderdaleAug. 26 at SebastopolSept. 2 UnionSept. 9 at LakeSept. 16 RichtonSept. 23 Nanih Waiya

Sept. 30 at TaylorsvilleOct. 7 EnterpriseOct. 14 at Bay SpringsOct. 21 St. PatrickOct. 28 Mize

2010 resultsRichton 12-0Enterprise 20-27Union 15-42Lake 24-27Scott Central 16-54Pisgah 26-27Philadelphia 7-37Heidelberg 41-38Kemper County 7-14^Choctaw Central 20-50SE Lauderdale 0-35

• Forest 0-49• — denotes playoff game

^ — denotes forfeit win

Last 10 years2010 3-9•2009 4-8•2008 1-92007 2-82006 6-5•2005 6-4•2004 4-6•2003 2-82002 7-4•2001 3-710-year record: 38-68All-time record: 138-348-5


Richmond wants to build family with Bulldogs

Richmond

See BULLDOGS on page 9

First-year coach guidesClarkdale into Class 2A

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No. Name Pos. Grade2 James Glover RB/DB Soph.3 Tyler Dearman RB/DB Sr.6 Blake Mauldin WR/DB Jr.7 Jamal Neal WR/DB Fresh.8 Dontae Shelby QB/FB/LB Fresh.9 Trae Rutherford WR/DB Soph.11 Chad Hinton TE/LB Sr.15 Gabe Shelby FB/LB Sr.16 Brett Bonner WR/LB Fresh.17 Travis Logan WR/LB Sr.

No. Name Pos. Grade18 Conner Moheb LB/RB Fresh.19 Arron Singleton LB/FB Fresh.20 Justice Morris LB/RB Fresh.21 Micah Redmond QB/DB Sr.22 Dustin Alsup RB/DB Fresh.44 Cal Hales RB/DB Jr.50 John Caldwell LB/OL Sr.51 Austin Emmerson OL/LB Fresh.52 Colin Duke OL/DL Soph.53 Jake Welborn OL/DL Sr.

No. Name Pos. Grade59 Chris Agent DL/OL Soph.60 Andrew Strickland OL/DL Sr.63 Sean Datuch OL/DL Jr.64 Matt Warren OL/DL Jr.67 Brad Burcham OL/DL Jr.68 Jarrod Hyde OL/DL Fresh.70 Josh Beatty DL/OL Fresh.71 Thorton Moffett DL/OL Jr.88 Tanner McQueen LB/TE Soph.

CLARKDALE ROSTER

back along with wingbacks Tyler Dearman,Kyle Hales, James Glover and DustinAlsup. The Bulldogs are also light on expe-rience at wide receiver.

“We’re going to have to grow up andgrow up in a hurry,” Richmond said. “I

think we have a lot of guys that have tomature quicker than they needed to. Butwe’re looking to make some noise thisyear.

“That’s what I tell the kids, you gottabelieve.”

Those same Bulldogs that lined up onoffense will also fill roles on the defensiveside with Welburn, Warren, Burcham andDatuch rotating on Clarkdale’s three-down

front. Senior Chad Hinton will start at oneoutside linebacker position and all threeinside linebackers are seniors in Shelby,Dearman and John Caldwell.

Joining Redmond in the secondary willbe cornerbacks Glover and Alsup.

“We’re struggling right now with gettingin shape enough to go both ways,”Richmond said. “That’s the reality of wherewe’re at. We have no depth. We’re working

hard, the kids are working hard and doingeverything we ask them to do.

“I think the drop to 2A helps us becausethere will be teams with our same problem.They also won’t have depth and are playingguys both ways and by the fourth quarterwe’ll be equally tired and at that point, it’lljust be who can gut it out. I think that willhelp us tremendously.”

BULLDOGS from page 8


Clarkdale linebacker Gabe Shelby races down the Bulldogs sideline after scooping up a Kemper County fumble last season. Shelby scored on the play.

CLARKDALE HIGH SCHOOL 9THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

NORTHEAST LAUDERDALE HIGH SCHOOL10 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

Northeast Lauderdale High School Trojans

By Josh TaylorThe Meridian Star

Northeast Lauderdale’s Steve Nelsonenters his 10th year as head coach of theTrojans with the same grit and determina-tion that has been with him throughout hiscoaching career. As the dean of Lauderdalecounty public school coaches, Nelson’s mes-sage is simple.

“Finish,” said Nelson. “That’s been ourbattle cry this offseason. Our goal is thesame as always, to win a division champi-onship.”

The Trojans finished the 2010 season at 8-5, advancing to the second round of the play-

offs after dropping their final two Division 5-4A games with a chance to secure that elu-sive district crown. Inexperience will be theirbiggest hurdle to improving on that in 2011.

Northeast only has three returningstarters on offense and five on defense. Allfour of last year’s receiving corps and a num-ber of offensive linemen are gone.

“We don’t have a lot of experience right

now,” said Nelson. “We’ve got to get theseguys some game confidence. We’ve got a lotof growing up to do.”

The Trojans do have experience in anumber of key positions.

Senior quarterback Alex Nicholson picksup where he left off last year as the captainof the red brigade. In his first year starting,Nicholson threw for more than 1,700 yards.

“I’m feeling pretty good right now,” saidNicholson. “Our chemistry is really comingtogether. I’m hoping we get the experiencewe need before we get to district. More thananything, I’m ready to get back on the fieldand get going.”

The Trojans balanced attack is support-

Trojans look to finish in ’11TROJANS AT A GLANCE

2010 record: 8-52010 finish: Lost 22-17 toForrest County AHS in sec-ond round of Class 4A play-offsHead coach: Steve Nelson(10th year, 46-53)League: Division 5-4A

2011 scheduleAug. 19 at NewtonAug. 26 Jackson Aca.Sept. 2 at SE LauderdaleSept. 9 Neshoba CentralSept. 16 PhiladelphiaSept. 23 at MortonSept. 30 at Quitman

Oct. 7 Newton CountyOct. 14 NE JonesOct. 21 at LaurelOct. 28 at West Lauderdale

2010 resultsMorton 22-15Collins 16-14SE Lauderdale 14-33Neshoba Central 14-7Gulfport 28-42Newton County 36-18Quitman 23-22South Jones 24-21NE Jones 21-14Laurel 21-28West Lauderdale 15-22

• Magee 40-18• Forrest County AHS 17-22


Last 10 years2010 8-5•2009 6-52008 1-92007 6-5•2006 7-4•2005 7-4•2004 2-82003 5-7•2002 4-62001 3-710-year record: 49-60All-time record: 274-276-13


Nelson

Northeast eyesdivision titleafter slow finishproved costly

See TROJANS on page 11

NORTHEAST LAUDERDALE HIGH SCHOOL 11THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

No. Name Pos. Grade1 Jakari Rush WR/DB Sr.2 Cody Crowe WR/DB Soph.3 Josh Carlson WR/LB Jr.4 Kevin Williams WR/DB Jr.5 Kenderius Naylor RB/LB Soph.6 Hayden Lee QB/DB Fresh.7 Josh Everett WR/DB Jr.8 Kenny Gardner WR/DB Soph.10 Kyle Turnipseed WR/DB Jr.11 Ladale Cockrell WR/DB Soph.12 Keatron Butler WR/DB Soph.14 Jesse Lang P/K Sr.15 Gerry Parker WR/DB Soph.16 Logan Powell WR/LB Soph.17 Alex Nicholson QB/LS Sr.18 Troy Neely QB/DB Soph.20 Nick Ballou WR/DB Fresh.22 Davion Sutton WR/LB Fresh.24 Stevie Sanders RB/DE Soph.25 Johnny McDonald WR/DB Sr.27 Phillip Everett RB/LB Jr.28 Cassie Collins WR/DB Fresh.30 Aaron McMillan WR/DB Jr.32 Robert Collins RB/DB Fresh.33 Jaterris Powell WR/DB Fresh.34 William Serton RB/LB Fresh.35 Weston Lindemann WR/DB Fresh.42 Jamal McMillan WR/DB Fresh.50 Reginald Hopson OT/DL Soph.51 Cordarion Porter OG/LB Sr.54 Tyler Granger OG/DT Jr.55 Tarabio Brown OG/DT Fresh.58 Jacarrius Gaddis OG/DT Fresh.59 Bernard Hannah OG/DE Jr.61 Shuyrain Macon OG/DT Jr.62 Matthew Ward OG/DT Sr.64 Detarious Haynes DE Jr.65 Nick Kosier OG/LB Jr.66 Jamorrious Moore OG/DT Jr.68 Trenton Smith C/DT Soph.69 Austin Randall C/DT Jr.71 William Spinks DT Jr.72 Otis Mosley OG/LB Soph.74 Richard Moore OT/DT Fresh.75 Brandon Windham OG/DT Soph.80 Dustin McDaniel TE/DE Sr.81 Greg Rice TE/DE Soph.82 Antwan McDonald WR/DB Fresh.83 Demondrez Hopson WR/DB Fresh.84 T.K. Hill WR/DB Fresh.

NORTHEAST LAUDERDALE ROSTER

ed by returning junior runningback Phillipp Everett. Everett willlikely carry the load early on forthe Trojans as the new receivingcorps settles in. Everett rushed forclose to 1,000 yards as a sopho-more.

Senior Cordarian Porter headsup an enthusiastic defense.

“We’re looking forward to a

great season,” said Porter. “We’reprogressing fast and I feel likewe’re really coming together.”

When asked to sum up themantra of the team heading intothe 2011 season, Porter respondedwith one word.

“Effort,” said Porter. “We can goa long way with effort.”

Northeast opens Aug. 19 atNewton, before hosting JacksonAcademy on Aug. 26 in the homeopener.

TROJANS from page 10

Paula Merritt/

The Meridian Star

AAbboovvee, NortheastLauderdale running backPhillip Everett follows ablock against Laurel lastseason. LLeefftt, Trojansquarterback Alex Nicholsonlooks for an open targetagainst a rush from theGolden Tornadoes.

Southeast Lauderdale High School Tigers

By Josh TaylorThe Meridian Star

The bar has been raised atSoutheast Lauderdale. TheTigers finished the 2010 footballseason with a 10-3 record.That’s the first 10-win season inschool history. And third-yearhead coach Boo Smith is look-ing for more in 2011.

“We’re always striving to getbetter,” said Smith. “We’ve beenworking all summer, gettingready to play and improve onthe success we had last season.The nucleus is there.”

The Tigers are in good posi-tion with a strong senior class

returning for the 2011 season.Senior running backs LedariousClark and Terreon Larkin arecertainly no strangers to thegridiron.

The duo will likely be theworkhorses of this offense.Clark rushed for 905 yards and15 touchdowns, while adding526 yards and three scores on34 receptions, a team high.Larkin added 71 yards rushingon 24 carries, while fullbackLakelvin Newell finished with293 yards on 60 carries.

Junior quarterback AndrewBlack replaces three-yearstarter Shelby Moseley undercenter to give the Tigers’

offense the leadership thathelped it succeed in 2010.

On the defensive side of theball, the Tigers are returning allof last season’s linebackers andsecondary core.

The only real question markfor the Tigers is offensive anddefensive line. Both sides of the

line will see a lot of new facesheading into 2011. One face thatremains the same is senioroffensive tackle Jontre Goudy.

“We lost some key guys onthe line, but the young guys arereally stepping up to the chal-lenge,” said Goudy. “We’ve beenworking with them and they’ve

responded well. Right now we’reanxious, ready for play some ofour brand of ball.”

Goudy shares the attitude ofmuch of the team.

“I feel like we got their atten-tion last year,” said Goudy. “We

TIGERS AT A GLANCE2010 record: 10-32010 finish: Lost31-7 to Tylertown insecond round ofClass 3A playoffsHead coach: BooSmith (third year,15-10)League: Division 5-3A

2011 scheduleAug. 18 ClarkdaleAug. 26 at Newton CountySept. 2 NE LauderdaleSept. 9 at West LauderdaleSept. 16 LumbertonSept. 23 at Quitman

Sept. 30 Kemper CountyOct. 7 at PhiladelphiaOct. 14 at Choctaw CentralOct. 21 HeidelbergOct. 28 Newton

2010 resultsScott Central 33-10Newton County 6-7NE Lauderdale 33-14West Lauderdale 13-3Newton 33-12North Forrest 16-6Kemper County 7-18^Philadelphia 7-45Choctaw Central 33-0Heidelberg 42-14Clarkdale 35-0

• Velma Jackson 36-26• Tylertown 7-31

• — denotes playoff game^ — denotes forfeit win

Last 10 years2010 10-3•2009 5-7•2008 4-6•2007 6-5•2006 8-5•2005 2-82004 5-5•2003 1-92002 1-92001 3-610-year record: 45-63All-time record: 208-281-6


Smith

Southeast looks to buildon first 10-win seasonin program history

See TIGERS on page 13

Tigers have raised expectationsSOUTHEAST LAUDERDALE HIGH SCHOOL12 THE MERIDIAN STAR

Thursday, August 18, 2011

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good Luck good Luck good Luck southeast southeast southeast tigers! tigers! tigers!

No. Name Grade1 Ledarious Clark Sr.2 Jadarius Edwards Sr.3 Javaris DeLoach Fresh.4 PaDarius Martin Fresh.5 Terrion Larkin Sr.6 JaGradi Webster Sr.7 Jacob Fraysur Sr.8 Anthony Donald Jr.10 Andrew Black Jr.11 Desmond Griggs Jr.12 Trent Hudson Fresh.15 Damion Willis Fresh.18 C.J. Scott Sr.22 Dalton Hodgins Fresh.23 Josh Swint Jr.24 Malik Hill Fresh.

No. Name Grade25 Quan Naylor Jr.27 Kriston Eadie Fresh.29 Jarrett Jenkins Soph.31 Stefan Lewis Sr.32 LaKelvin Newell Sr.33 Rodrigo Hilkner Jr.34 JaQuinton Horner Sr.38 JaKobe Wilson Fresh.40 Shane Mitchell Sr.53 Logan Miller Fresh.55 Richard Terrell Sr.56 Johntre Goudy Sr.57 Johnny Robinson Fresh.58 Christian Shelby Jr.60 Habib Ruffin Fresh.63 Robert Edwards Fresh.

No. Name Grade64 Colby Ramey Sr.65 Jerry Ivy Fresh.66 Jake Miller Soph.70 Josh Frazier Sr.72 Johnny Blanks Sr.73 Mignon Madison Soph.75 Trey Joiner Jr.76 Tommy Curtis Soph.77 Ian Gibson Jr.78 Michael Greer Jr.81 Damonta Barrett Sr.82 DaWyll Hopson Soph.83 Lenny Fetscher Jr.85 LaDarius Shoemaker Fresh.90 Jacob Minor Fresh.

SOUTHEAST LAUDERDALE ROSTER

did good last season, but we can do better.”Added Smith: “Our season depends on how

the offensive and defensive lines play. Theseyoung guys have got to step up. So far, they’vebeen doing that.”

The 3A Tigers face a daunting task with four4A teams on the schedule. The Tigers openAug. 18 at home against rival Clarkdale.

Smith is supported by a confident pair ofassistant coaches. Charles Black handles thedefense while Darryl Jones primarily works withthe offensive line.

Right now, the future looks bright for theboys in blue.

“Keep building,” said Goudy. “That’s been ourmotto this offseason.”

Added Smith: “With teamwork, we can get itdone.”

TIGERS from page 12


AAbboovvee,, Southeast Lauderdale’s LedariousClark looks to outrun a Philadelphiadefender. RRiigghhtt,, Southeast’s LaKelvin Newellsizes up a Northeast Lauderdale defender.

SOUTHEAST LAUDERDALE HIGH SCHOOL 13THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011


Hunger won’t be an issue for WestLauderdale.

After scuffling to a 1-10 record in 2010— losing their first 10 before knockingoff rival Northeast Lauderdale in the sea-son finale — the Knights have beeneager to get back on the field.

“They all came back with a purposeafter the spring, they all came in with apurpose and that’s kind of to make surewhat happened doesn’t happen again,”West coach Glen Sanders said. “They’veworked hard and we really haven’t hadany problems trying to get anyone moti-vated to go and practice.”

It has also helped fuel the hunger thatthe Knights return a host of players, par-ticularly in the backfield. Leading thosereturners is senior quarterback DanielLott. After sharing time last season, thekeys to the Knights’ Wing-T have beenfully handed to Lott.

“He knows the job is his,” Sanderssaid. “We just ask Daniel to just be effi-cient in what we do, run the offense anddon’t try and do too much, just stay with-in the confines of what we do on offense.

“He’ll do that. This is his third year to

be a quarterback and his second full yearas a starter. He won’t be looking over hisshoulder, he knows we’re counting onhim and he’s stepped up and been aleader for us. We’re expecting him toallow us to be successful offensively.”

Also helping that success level will bethe return of senior fullback RobertSillimon as well as running backs DejuanGrace and Shydai Lewis. Grace, a senior,and Lewis, a junior, will also be joined byRick Thomas and Jonathan Williams. Butthe key is Sillimon, a three-year starter.

“We’ve challenged Robert to be theguy, that’s what we’ve done,” Sandersadded. “We’ve talked to him about beingthe guy this year, about him stepping upand being the back we need him to be.He had a great sophomore year and thenhis junior year, everyone knew about himand it was harder.

“So we’ve challenged him in the off-

season about stepping up and he’sworked hard in the weight room. Hischallenge from us is to be the guy, andthat’s what we’re hoping for.”

Also returning on offense is seniorwide receiver Deondra Williams, who willbe joined out wide by Jalen Terrell andAntron Brooks. Seth Mitchell, who start-ed opposite Williams last year, has beenmoved to tight end.

One place where West isn’t experi-enced, though, is on the offensive line.There the Knights have just two playerswith any varsity experience, led by seniorcenter Reid Johnson. Johnson startedagainst Northeast Lauderdale in the sea-son finale last year.

Joining Johnson on the line will beseniors Tyler Vick and Adam Swannerand sophomores Dalton House, JoshMcDaniel and Montgomery Campbell.

That inexperience extends to the

defense as well, particularly up front.Rotez Johnson, who started on the offen-sive line last year, and Fletcher McKee,who started a couple of games at defen-sive end, figure to anchor the Knights’defensive line. They will be joined byCorey Fox and Chase Harris at the nose.

“We’ve put the biggest guys on theteam on the defensive line,” Sandersnoted. “And those guys have to do a goodjob for us.”

If they do a good job, it will open upplaymaking opportunities for outside line-backers Thomas, who returns at thestrongside end, Monterio Ridgeley,Dominick Goucher, Whitson Lewis,Grace and Sillimon. Plugging the insidewill be Derek Schulte, Chase Irby andGrant Hill.

“We’re a bit undersized on the inside,

WEST LAUDERDALE HIGH SCHOOL14 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

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Knights hungry heading into new season

See KNIGHTS on page 15

West aims to atonefor 1-win showing

but those are 2-3 guys that can reallymake plays,” Sanders said.

One place West does have some expe-rience is in the secondary where

Williams and Warren Trussell return atsafety. Both seniors are three-yearstarters after moving to safety last seasonfrom cornerback. At cornerback, though,West is turning to the untested DamiRoberts and Marquez Clayton.

“They both have the ability,” Sanders

said. “They can run and are agile. Theyjust lack the experience.”

Also lacking experience is kickerChris Mallette. The soccer star joined thefootball team over the summer, anddespite that inexperience Sanders isexpecting a solid performance alongside

Lott, returning at punter, and McKee,returning as West’s deep snapper.

“He’s learning how to kick and weexpect big things out of him,” Sanderssaid. “I think we have a good snapper, agood punter and hope we have a goodkicker.”

WEST LAUDERDALE HIGH SCHOOL 15THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

Good Luck

Knights!

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KNIGHTS AT A GLANCE2010 record: 1-102010 finish: Beat NortheastLauderdale 22-15 in regularseason finaleHead coach: Glen Sanders(third year, 10-13)League: Division 5-4A

2011 scheduleAug.19 ForestAug. 26 at Neshoba CentralSept. 2 PhiladelphiaSept. 9 SE LauderdaleSept. 16 at MortonSept. 23 at NewtonSept. 30 LaurelOct. 7 at NE JonesOct. 14 at QuitmanOct. 21 Newton CountyOct. 28 NE Lauderdale

2010 resultsMeridian 7-28Neshoba Central 6-28

Gulfport 0-38SE Lauderdale 3-13Newton County 14-17Louisville 7-21Laurel 7-26NE Jones 18-30Quitman 14-42South Jones 15-42NE Lauderdale 22-15

Last 10 years2010 1-102009 9-3•2008 8-4•2007 6-6•2006 8-3•2005 12-1•2004 11-4•2003 9-3•2002 3-62001 7-5•10-year record: 74-45All-time record: 236-272-12


No. Name Pos. Grade1 DeJuan Grace RB/LB Sr.2 Jalen Terrell WR Sr.3 Daniel Lott QB/K Sr.4 Shydai Lewis RB Jr.5 Marquez Clayton DB Jr.6 Seth Mitchell TE Sr.7 Derek Schulte LB Jr.8 Deondra Williams WR/DB Sr.9 Rick Thomas LB/RB Sr.10 Monterio Ridgeley LB/RB Sr.13 Warren Trussell DB Sr.15 Noah Nix RB Fresh.16 Tyrin Henry WR Soph.17 Kadeja Thams WR Jr.18 Bailey Mayatt DB Fresh.19 Parker Watson TE Jr.20 Dami Roberts DB Soph.22 Antron Brooks WR Jr.24 Dominick Goucher LB Sr.25 Jonathan Williams RB Soph.26 Lagarian McDaniel RB Soph.27 Jonathan Poe WR Jr.28 Winston Lewis LB Jr.29 KJ McDonald RB Fresh.30 Tony Powers DB Soph.32 Logan Hudnall LB Fresh.33 Brandon Lee LB Soph.34 Robert Sillimon RB/LB Sr.36 Joseph Elfe RB Jr.37 Blake Anderson LB Soph.38 Spencer Brewer LB Soph.39 Brooks Breland LB Soph.40 Grant Hill LB Sr.

No. Name Pos. Grade41 Jared Overby LB Soph.42 Jackson Little DB Soph.44 Dalton Williams LB Soph.45 Marcus Brooks LB Sr.46 Dylan White LB Soph.48 Pavel Nasarev LB Sr.49 Dre Ratcliff DL Soph.50 Alex Vick DL Fresh.52 Luther Ellis DL Sr.53 Dalton House OL Soph.54 Grant Hartman OL Soph.55 Adam Swanner OL Sr.56 Corey Fox DL Jr.57 Tyler Vick OL Sr.59 Chase Irby LB Jr.60 Reid Johnson OL Sr.61 Rotez Johnson DL Sr.62 Levi McGuire OL Fresh.63 LK Kinney OL Fresh.65 Alex Smith OL Fresh.68 JT Regan DL Soph.69 Chase Harris DL Sr.70 Brandon Brown OL Soph.71 Noah Dooley DL Fresh.72 Andrew Regan DL Fresh.73 Josh McDaniel OL Soph.75 Montgomery Campbell OL Soph.78 Rob Bible DL Soph.80 Aaron Ricks WR Soph.84 Fletcher McKee DL Sr.86 Mason Wooldridge LB Soph.88 Nathan Chisolm WR Soph.

WEST LAUDERDALE ROSTER

KNIGHTS from page 14

Sanders


AAbboovvee,, West Lauderdale runningback Shydai Lewis cuts upfieldagainst Southeast Lauderdale lastseason. BBeellooww,, Knights runningback Robert Sillimon plows aheadagainst the Tigers.

LAMAR SCHOOL16 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

Lamar School Raiders

By Daniel [email protected]

As the 2011 season kicks off for Lamarone thing jumps right out. That is the factthat the Raiders only have 26 players ontheir roster.

However, to 11th year head coach MacBarnes, there is a big difference betweenhaving 24 guys that can actually play thegame of football and having 40 that are justbodies taking up space on the sideline.

"This is a good group," said Barnes."Right now we only have 24 guys that areready to go. We have two others that are bat-tling some injury issues and we really don'tknow what their status is. That's not a lot,but we are only starting two guys both ways.We are going to play a lot of guys and Ithink we have good athletes with a goodcombination of size and speed. We've alsogot a good bit of talent.

"You know there are a lot of teams rightnow that might have 35 or 40 players rightnow, but might not have 24 players that canactually play. So why we don't have the num-bers as far as bodies, all our guys can play."

With such small numbers Lamar willhave to cross its fingers in order to avoidthe injury bug. And with all of the Raiders

division contests being in the last threeweeks of the season, they will have to playthrough the first eight games coming intotheir own while staying healthy at the sametime.

"We are going to have to stay healthy,"added Barnes. "Depth is our main concern.Our division games are our last threegames so we are going to have to use thegames leading up to that to really find our-selves. I like that part of it, but it's just thedeeper you get into the season the more theinjuries and lack of depth begin to sink in.The real key with us is making sure our 24guys are able to play. An injury here orthere really affects us in a bad way."

The offense will be led by either lastyear's starting quarterback Tyler Harris orBarrett Dudley. The two were battling forthe starting job last season until a shoulderinjury took Dudley out of the running.Dudley took all the snaps during summerpractices because Harris went down with abroken arm in Lamar's spring game.

Barnes will look for his offense to runseveral formation as he has several playerscapable of making plays, especially throughthe passing game.

"We are still going to be in the shotgunthis year," said Barnes. "We are better at

throwing the ball than running it. We arestill trying to put together the right combi-nation on that offensive line. It takes time todevelop that offensive unity.

"One thing I like is that we have guysthat can go into the backfield and run it orcatch it so we will probably use more forma-tions this year and try to get people in goodmatchups."

Senior running backs Michael Marcelloand Gane Duggan as well as Clarkdaletransfer Corey Skinner are three of thoseversatile athletes the Raiders plan to utilize.

See RAIDERS on page 17

Depth a main concern for RaidersNo. Name Pos. Grade4 Tyler Harris QB Sr.9 Chris Scott DB Sr.10 Barrett Dudley QB Jr.11/60 Andy Shine TE Jr.12 Dusty Weisner LB Sr.14 Joseph Marcello DB Soph.15 Gane Duggan RB Sr.16 Danny Weisner WR Soph.18 Michael Marcello RB/LB Sr.20 Corey Skinner RB/LB Jr.22 Chase Davis WR Jr.25 Lee Martin RB/LB Soph.31 Shane Blanton DE Soph.40 Jesse Seale DE Soph.51 Peyt Mosley DL Jr.55 Brett Stewart OL Jr.57/88 Jonathan Young DL Soph.62 Adam Goodman LB Jr.63 Brock Williams OL Sr.64 Nathan Millerr OL Sr.66 Andrew Wallace OL Sr.68 Trevor Boling OL Soph.69 Chris Waldron OL Soph.74 Shane Brewer OL Sr.76 Josh Rankin OL Jr.

LAMAR ROSTER

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LAMAR SCHOOL 17THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

2010 record:5-62010 finish:Lost 35-14 toSimpsonCountyAcademy infirst round ofMAIS ClassAA playoffsHead coach:Mac Barnes (11th year, 78-45)League: MAIS Division 4-AA

2011 scheduleAug. 19 Heritage Aca.Aug. 26 at Enterprise

Sept. 2 Winston Aca.Sept. 9 at Central HindsSept. 16 at Jackson Aca.Sept. 23 Leake Aca.Sept. 30 Newton Aca.Oct. 7 at East RankinOct. 14 Wayne Aca.Oct. 21 at Sylva-Bay Aca.Oct. 28 Simpson Aca.

2010 resultsEast Rankin Aca. 0-17Starkville Aca. 21-20Central Hinds 14-31Heritage Aca. 14-22Canton Aca. 48-13Oak Hill Aca. 56-21Hillcrest Christian 49-14Winston Aca. 41-17

Simpson Aca. 14-28Leake Aca. 31-56• Simpson Aca. 14-35


Last 10 years2010 5-6•2009 12-2•2008 9-3•2007 11-2•2006 9-4•2005 4-7•2004 7-5•2003 11-2•2002 7-5•2001 3-910-year record: 78-45All-time record:


Barnes

RAIDERS AT A GLANCE

Former Enterprise and Clarkdale coachJud Gartman will be taking over the reignsof the defense this season. With the lack ofsize on that side of the ball, the Raiders willhave to rely on their speed according to

Barnes."Hopefully we are going to be fast and be

good tacklers," added Barnes. "We arestarting five sophomores on that side of theball. We aren't very big, but we do havegood speed and good athletes. I'm reallyexcited about coach Gartman coming backwith us to be our defensive coordinator."

RAIDERS from page 16


Lamar running back Michael Marcello pushes ahead against Simpson County Academylast season.

RUSSELL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY18 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

K evin M osley, Head of School Phon e: 601-484-5888 • Fax: 601-484-5722

em ail: km osley@ russellw arriors.com w w w .russellw arriors.com

R U SSE L L CH R IST IA N A C A D E M Y WARRIORS FOR CHRIST 1844D Highway 11 & 80 Meridian, MS 39301

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Russell Christian Academy Warriors


It is a season of change at RussellChristian Academy.

The Warriors are moving back into theMAIS 8-Man classification after two yearsplaying 11-Man in Class A. RCA is also wel-coming a new head coach — its third inthree years — in Nate Ballard.

With all the change around, though,Ballard is sticking with what he knows: theWing-T.

“We’re going to run the Wing-T andthere’s not going to be a lot of trickery,” hesaid. “We’re going to run it right at themand if they can stop us, they can stop us.”

Helping that cause will be an experi-enced lineup led by four starters returningon the offensive line. That provides depthin 8-Man, where teams utilize just threedown linemen. Wesley Kelly, a 5-foot-10,265-pound sophomore will anchor the lineat center with Nathan Gordon and BaylieEtheridge, also sophomores, flanking him

at guard. “As freshmen they led our junior varsity

that went 6-2 last year and were also ourstarters on varsity,” Ballard said. “They’recoming up and should be a real strength.”

Behind those three sophomores will bea senior and a sophomore splitting time atquarterback. In replacing last year’s starterZac Harper, the Warriors are turning toAndrew Culpepper and Jacob Howse to runthe offense. The duo each bring their ownstrengths to the spot.

“Culpepper does a lot of the running forus — running the option and the bootlegplays,” Ballard said of his senior. “JacobHowse is going to be more of our throwingquarterback.

“They both run the offense effectively.They both have different qualities. We don’thave a starter and whoever is hot will finishthe game. They both can throw it and bothcan run it, but to break them down that’show they differ.”

Warriors taking moveto 8-Man in stride

See WARRIORS on page 19

RUSSELL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 19THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

GOOD LUCK TO ALL TEAMS!

Arik Washington, a sophomore, will startat fullback after starring on the Warriors’junior varsity last year. Camryn Lee, a sen-ior, will play running back, in his first yearplaying football. At wide receiver, JacobPalmer is Russell’s top target.

On the defensive side, where Russell isstill getting accustomed to playing man-to-man after being a zone team last season,Ballard looks to senior Joseph Spurlock tolead the way from his middle linebackerposition.

“He’s going to be our anchor ondefense,” Ballard said. “We’re going to playa three-stack defense.”

In front of Spurlock will be CortezMcDonald and Mikial McDonald at nosetackle, with freshman Dylan Joles at adefensive end. Flanking Spurlock at outsidelinebacker are sophomores Jesse Barksdaleand Ben McGraw, both returning starters.

At cornerback, senior Josh McQueenreturns and is joined by sophomore JacobStephens.

“The big thing is just going to be cover-age,” Ballard said. “In 8-Man, there’s reallyno way to play a zone, so playing man-to-man is going to be our hardest thing to do.

“We’re 3-5 and you can blitz, but the fieldis so wide and there’s so much to cover.We’ll blitz some but for the most part we’lltry and guard them man-to-man. That tome is the hardest transition I’ve seen sofar.”

Stevens will handle kicking duties forthe Warriors, while Culpepper and Howsewill punt.

WARRIORS from page 18

No. Name Pos. Grade1 Camryn Lee RB/LB Sr.2 Jacob Stephens WR/DB Soph.4 Jacob Howse QB/DB Soph.5 Jesse Barksdale RB/LB Soph.6 Jacob Palmer WR/LB Sr.13 Josh McQueen WR/DB Sr.18 Andrew Culpepper QB/DB Sr.25 Adam Shaw WR/DE Jr.39 Ben McGraw WR/DB Soph.44 Arik Washington RB/LB Soph.

No. Name Pos. Grade50 Michael Harwell G/DT Jr.51 Nathan Gordon G/DE Soph.55 Jacob Knost G/DE/TE Soph.56 Dylan Joles G/DE Fresh.61 Baylie Etheridge G/DT Soph.70 Mikial McDonald NG/G Fresh.73 Wesley Kelly C/NG Soph.77 Cortez McDonald NG/C Soph.83 Joseph Spurlock WR/LB Sr.98 Joshua Acosta C/NG Jr.

RUSSELL CHRISTIAN ROSTER

WARRIORS AT A GLANCE2010 record: 2-82010 finish: Lost 62-28 toWayne Academy in regularseason finaleHead coach: Nate Ballard(first year)League: MAIS 8-Man District1

2011 scheduleAug. 19 at Christian CollegiateAug. 26 at Clinton ChristianSept. 2 Rebul Aca.Sept. 9 Delta Aca.Sept. 16 North SunflowerSept. 23 Calvary ChristianSept. 30 at Central Aca.Oct. 7 Marvell Aca.Oct. 14 Kemper Aca.Oct. 21 at Calhoun Aca.

2010 resultsHeidelberg Aca. 7-47Alpha Christian 0-26Greenville Christian 6-48Clinton Christian 40-21Newton County Aca. 29-62Ben's Ford (La.) 20-14Porter's Chapel 0-62University Christian 0-45Bayou Aca. 0-61Wayne Aca. 28-62

Last 4 years2010 2-82009 2-82008 2-82007 2-8All-time record: 8-32

Ballard

CALVARY CHRISTIAN20 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

Calvary Christian Cougars No. Name Pos. Grade2 Hunter Baskin QB Fresh.7 Carl harper TE Fresh.8 Josh Roberts WR Soph.9 Brett Johnson QB Sr.10 Jacob McClaney WR Jr.12 Josh Bartlett LB Sr.13 Dalton Baskin WR 7th28 Jeremy McFadden OL/LB Jr.33 Will Dunn OL Jr.50 Drew Espey OL 7th52 Fred Dunn OL Soph.55 Justin Hancock LB/WR Soph.56 Dustin Kellogg OL/QB Fresh.57 Beau Miller DB Fresh.63 Beto Medina OL Soph.66 Luis Medina LB Sr.70 Taylor Johnson OL 8th75 Hampton Jones LB 8th82 Zach Crain WR 8th84 Cody Gentry DT Jr.88 Josh Carraway WB/LB Jr.89 Zach Richardson OL Jr.

CALVARY CHRISTIAN ROSTER


After two straight MAIS 8-Man state championships,Calvary Christian stumbled to alosing record in 2010.

However, the Cougars’ expec-tations haven’t changed, even iftheir offensive philosophy has.

“I don’t see any reason whywe shouldn’t think playoffs,”Calvary coach Kirby Newell said.“We’re capable. We have thepotential to be a playoff team.Whether these kids believe thator believe in themselves enoughright now is something we’llhave to find out when we get outthere and play.”

But in getting back to thatlevel, Calvary is looking to animproved running game to lead

the way not the four-wide pass-heavy style that led to the 19-3combined record in 2009-10 andthe two titles.

“The things we really neededto work on as far as running thefootball, which you and me bothknow we’re going to do this year,we’re a little behind there in therunning game,” Newell added.“Calvary football is four-wide, wehaven’t junked it. If we need it,it’s there. But we’re going toestablish the run. That’s whatwe’re going to do.”

In the new run-orientedoffense, Calvary looks to lean onJeremy McFadden and JoshCarraway to do the heavy liftingout of the backfield. The duo willalso be utilized through the pass-ing game, as the Cougars hopeto get them the ball about 12

times each a game.Making sure the ball gets into

those two playmakers’ hands willbe senior quarterback BrettJohnson. Calvary began fall prac-tice July 26 without Johnson,who was planning at that time toenter the military. However,Johnson reconsidered and nowgives freshman Hunter Baskin achance to grow into the position.

“We’ve put in some different

protections and he’s alreadystarting to feel more comfortableback there,” Newell said aboutJohnson’s return. “His firstinstinct was to take off and run,and you can’t blame him, he hadpeople breathing down his neck.Here in practice, he’s sat back inthe pocket and has started to seehe may have a little more time.He’s got a heck of an arm whenhe gets to throw it, it’s just his

first instinct is to run all thetime.

“We shore that up, I promiseyou we’re going to be a betterfootball team.”

If the Cougars’ ground gameis going to get moving, it will beup to Dustin Kellogg, ZachRichardson, and brothers Fredand Will Dunn up front to lead

2010 record: 4-62010 finish: Lost44-20 to NorthSunflower Academyin regular seasonfinaleHead coach: KirbyNewell (fourth year,23-9)League: MAIS 8-Man District 1

2011 scheduleAug. 19 Central Aca.Aug. 26 at Kemper Aca.

Sept. 9 at North SunflowerSept. 16 Calhoun Aca.Sept. 23 at Russell ChristianSept. 30 at Marvell (Ark.) Aca.Oct. 7 Kemper Aca.Oct. 14 Delta Aca.Oct. 21 at Central Aca.

2010 resultsTensas (La.) Aca. 8-44Park Place Christian 32-6Rebul Aca. 12-13Mt. Salus Christian 36-6Veritas 56-66Delta Aca. 48-20

Calhoun Aca. 42-20Kemper Aca. 6-54Central Aca. 14-44North Sunflower 20-44

Last 5 years2010 4-62009 10-1•2008 9-2•2007 8-22006 0-4All-time record: 31-15


Newell

See CALVARY on page 55

Calvary followed back-to-backstate titles with losing record

Cougars look to bounce backCOUGARS AT A GLANCE


ENTERPRISE — Hard-nosed footballruns deep in Enterprise. About as deep asthe length of time the Bulldogs have uti-lized their physical style of play.

And that run-first style isn’t about to

change, ninth-year head coach Joel Speedsaid as the Bulldogs look to improve onlast year’s 6-5 mark and playoff berth.

“Generally speaking, here, this hasalways been a program where whether it’sbeen coach (L.J.) Davis or coach (Jud)Gartman or myself, that we’re going tolook and try to run the football,” Speedsaid. “That usually suits us best with thekids we generally have come throughhere. Occasionally we may get somereceiver types and a quarterback that canthrow it 30 times a game. But it’s rare thatwe get the quarterback and 3-4 receiversthat you can throw it that many times.

“Our kids take a lot of pride in runningthe football or trying to run the football.That’s something the parents here thatplayed here have done the same thing,and that won’t change. We’re going to tryand run the football, and then if we thinkwe can do play-action or some differentthings to throw the ball to keep the defen-sive backs and all of 11 of them from pil-

ing up at the line of scrimmage, we’ll doit.”

And with senior Maxwell Harmon backfor his third year starting at quarterback,the Bulldogs possess the weapon in the

backfield to throw it when they need to.Harmon threw for 381 yards and twotouchdowns last season, while adding 459

ENTERPRISE HIGH SCHOOL 21THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

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BULLDOGS AT A GLANCE2010 record: 5-62010 finish: Lost 38-0 toBassfield in first round ofClass 2A playoffsHead coach: Joel Speed(ninth year, 55-38)League: Division 7-2A

2011 scheduleAug. 26 LamarSept. 2 at PoplarvilleSept. 9 UnionSept. 16 LakeSept. 22 at Choctaw CentralSept. 30 Bay SpringsOct. 7 at ClarkdaleOct. 14 MizeOct. 21 at TaylorsvilleOct. 28 at Pisgah

2010 resultsClarkdale 27-20Lake 34-18

Union 27-25North Forrest 7-32Seminary 21-34Taylorsville 7-55Mize 12-35St. Andrew's 34-28Bay Springs 20-14Stringer 14-28• Bassfield 0-38


Last 10 years2010 5-6•2009 6-5•2008 8-3•2007 11-3•2006 10-2•2005 3-72004 5-6•2003 7-6•2002 9-3•2001 6-5•10-year record: 70-46


Speed

Enterprise hopes to run way toimprovement in Division 7-2A

See ENTERPRISE on page 55

Hard-nosed Bulldogs stick with plan


At this time last year thingswere looking very good for sixth-year Quitman head coach JohnDouglass. He had 16 of his 22starters returning.

That team went on to capturethe Division 5-4A crown, compiledan 8-5 record and made it to thesecond round of the Class 4A play-offs.

However, this year Quitmanwill be without 24 of those playersthat were lost to graduation.

Douglass believes that defensewill have to be the Panthers’strong point in 2011 if they are tobe successful. The experience thatremains from the 2010 team isconcentrated on that side of theball.

"Our strong point has got to beour defense this year," saidDouglass. "We lost a lot of guyslast year, 24 seniors. Most of ourexperience and people that arecoming back are on the defensiveside of the ball so we are going torely on those guys a lot this yearto keep us in ballgames and whatnot."

Some of the players Douglasswill look for to step up are seniorsFred McGruder, Eric Ransom,Bakarri Rembert, AldariusHopson, Montrell Owens andPhakezian Walker. These battle-tested upperclassmen are spreadout evenly in the defense withMcGruder and Ransom anchoringthe defensive front, whileRembert and Hopson lead thelinebacking corp. Owens andWalker will try and make big

plays and hits at the cornerbackand safety positions.

Offensively, Quitman will con-tinue to rely on its speed as it hasthe past couple of years. However,the Panthers will have to face thisseason without last year startingquarterback and The MeridianStar Player of the Year EricGodette taking the snaps. QHS

also will have to replace the major-ity of its offensive line.

"We've still got a lot of speedcoming back on offense," addedDouglass. "I think the big thingwe have to replace is the offensiveline. Four of the five guys that hadstarted for us on the line for twoyears are gone. We're really inex-perienced up there and not nearly

as talented as we have been in thepast, but you know those guys areworking hard and they’re comingalong.

"We are going to have to bepretty creative at times to helpthose guys out and hopefully takea little pressure off them."

2010 record: 8-52010 finish: Lost28-22 to St.Stanislaus in secondround of Class 4AplayoffsHead coach: JohnDouglass (sixthyear, 31-26)League: Division 5-4A

2011 scheduleAug. 19 Neshoba CentralAug. 26 Greene CountySept. 2 at HeidelbergSept. 9 at MeridianSept. 16 at North Forrest

Sept. 23 SE LauderdaleSept. 30 NE LauderdaleOct. 7 at LaurelOct. 14 West LauderdaleOct. 21 at NE JonesOct. 28 at Newton County

2010 resultsPearl 18-16Heidelberg 39-0Louisville 14-26Meridian 0-20Bassfield 16-41Lawrence County 43-24NE Lauderdale 22-23Laurel 41-34West Lauderdale 42-14NE Jones 30-0

South Jones 28-14• Newton County 40-14• St. Stanislaus 22-28


Last 10 years2010 8-5•2009 6-6•2008 10-2•2007 5-52006 2-82005 5-5•2004 4-52003 7-5•2002 4-7•2001 9-3•10-year record: 60-51


Douglass

PANTHERS AT A GLANCE

See PANTHERS on page 55

Quitman lost 24 seniorsoff 2010 division champs

Young Panthers will lean on defenseQUITMAN HIGH SCHOOL22 THE MERIDIAN STAR

Thursday, August 18, 2011

AREA DIVISON STANDINGSDivision 3-6A

Overall RegionW L W L PF PA

Meridian 14 1 7 0 427 120Brandon 7 6 5 2 316 219Natchez 9 3 5 2 376 202Oak Grove 8 5 5 2 357 272Hattiesburg 4 7 3 4 158 280Terry 4 7 2 5 214 305Wingfield 3 8 1 6 147 307Jim Hill 1 10 0 7 84 373Class 6A First Round

Brandon 28, George County 0Gulfport 38, Natchez 27Meridian 22, Ocean Springs 0Oak Grove 35, Petal 34Madison Central 48, Tupelo 10NW Rankin 36, Southaven 33Olive Branch 42, Clinton 14South Panola 56, Grenada 0

Class 6A Second RoundMeridian 37, Gulfport 7Oak Grove 37, Brandon 12Madison Central 27, NW Rankin 20South Panola 24, Olive Branch 13

Class 6A South StateMeridian 34, Oak Grove 0

Class 6A North StateSouth Panola 43, Madison Central 7

Class 6A State ChampionshipSouth Panola 28, Meridian 7

Division 2-5AOverall RegionW L W L PF PA

Ridgeland 13 1 7 0 435 291Pearl 8 4 6 1 394 306Callaway 9 3 5 2 330 216Provine 5 7 4 3 223 232Neshoba 5 6 3 4 289 231Canton 3 8 2 5 240 363Lanier 3 8 1 6 187 297Yazoo City 2 8 0 6 146 247Class 5A First Round

Brookhaven 23, Long Beach 21Vancleave 34, Picayune 23Wayne County 35, Moss Point 28West Jones 31, D’Iberville 7New Hope 46, Callaway 22

Oxford 49, Pearl 14Ridgeland 31, Lake Cormorant 19West Point 36, Provine 14

Class 5A Second RoundBrookhaven 21, Wayne County 14West Jones 25, Vancleave 0Ridgeland 34, New Hope 27West Point 27, Oxford 12

Class 5A South StateBrookhaven 27, West Jones 26

Class 5A North StateWest Point 47, Ridgeland 0

Class 5A State ChampionshipWest Point 21, Brookhaven 3


Quitman 8 5 4 1 355 253Laurel 7 5 3 2 309 244NE Laud. 8 5 3 2 305 262NE Jones 4 8 2 3 136 243South Jones 4 5 2 3 174 160West Laud. 1 10 1 4 113 300Division 6-4AMendenhall 10 5 5 0 391 276Magee 7 4 4 1 244 209Florence 4 7 3 2 282 284Newton Co. 6 5 3 2 237 217Raymond 2 9 1 4 133 284Richland 3 8 0 5 150 276Class 4A First Round

Forrest County AHS 37, Port Gibson 14Laurel 41, Florence 16Mendenhall 25, NE Jones 22NE Lauderdale 40, Magee 18North Pike 26, Greene County 22Purvis 30, South Pike 0Quitman 40, Newton County 14St. Stanislaus 30, Lawrence County 21Center Hill 35, Itawamba AHS 21Greenwood 14, Amory 7Kosciusko 33, Cleveland 10Lafayette County 49, North Pontotoc 7Louisville 32, Greenwood Elzy 8New Albany 45, Tunica Rosa Fort 9Noxubee County 37, Lexington McClain 0Shannon 48, Senatobia 26

Class 4A Second Round

Forrest Co. AHS 22, NE Lauderdale 17Mendenhall 27, Purvis 21North Pike 38, Laurel 30St. Stanislaus 28, Quitman 22Lafayette County 44, Louisville 12New Albany 28, Kosciusko 0Noxubee County 12, Center Hill 6Shannon 42, Greenwood 8

Class 4A QuarterfinalsMendenhall 27, St. Stanislaus 21North Pike 14, Forrest County AHS 10Lafayette County 35, New Albany 0Noxubee County 28, Shannon 7

Class 4A South StateNorth Pike 20, Mendenhall 0

Class 4A North StateLafayette County 20, Noxubee County 0

Class 4A State ChampionshipLafayette County 31, North Pike 6


Philadelphia 12 1 5 0 540 112SE Laud. 10 3 4 1 301 188Choctaw Cen. 7 5 3 2 254 348Clarkdale 3 9 2 3 188 400Kemper Co. 2 9 1 4 243 209Heidelberg 1 10 0 5 140 380Class 3A First Round

Forest 49, Clarkdale 0Franklin County 27, Collins 6Hazlehurst 32, West Marion 0Jefferson County 28, Seminary 23Morton 22, Choctaw Central 12Philadelphia 42, Raleigh 20SE Lauderdale 36, Velma Jackson 26Tylertown 63, St. Patrick 0Aberdeen 50, Kossuth 6Belmont 43, South Pontotoc 0Charleston 69, Riverside 6Cleveland East Side 38, South Delta 18Leland 18, Marks Palmer 14Ruleville 30, Leflore County 24Water Valley 28, Corinth 0Winona 37, Booneville 21

Class 3A Second RoundForest 43, Franklin County 7Hazlehurst 16, Philadelphia 14

Jefferson County 58, Morton 20Tylertown 31, SE Lauderdale 7Aberdeen 42, Leland 0Belmont 49, Cleveland East Side 26Water Valley 31, Ruleville 0Winona 28, Charleston 13

Class 3A QuarterfinalsForest 30, Hazlehurst 0Tylertown 33, Jefferson County 12Aberdeen 37, Belmont 14Winona 10, Water Valley 7

Class 3A South StateForest 21, Tylertown 0

Class 3A North StateAberdeen 28, Winona 0

Class 3A State ChampionshipForest 10, Aberdeen 8


Scott Central 10 3 5 0 376 187Union 6 7 3 2 342 309Newton 6 6 3 2 253 338Pelahatchie 6 6 3 2 283 305Lake 4 6 1 4 235 314Pisgah 5 6 0 5 287 341Division 7-2ATaylorsville 13 1 4 0 436 150Mize 10 4 3 1 348 281Stringer 4 8 2 2 236 284Enterprise 5 6 1 3 203 327Bay Springs 0 10 0 4 54 301Class 2A First Round

Bassfield 38, Enterprise 0Lumberton 39, Stringer 14Mize 27, East Marion 20Puckett 39, Pelahatchie 0Scott Central 31, Madison-St. Joseph 13Taylorsville 33, North Forrest 6Union 47, Loyd Star 14Wesson 42, Newton 8Baldwyn 58, West Lowndes 24Calhoun City 40, Hamilton 3Coahoma Co. 26, Greenville O’Bannon 6East Webster 35, Bruce 20Eupora 26, Walnut 13Hollandale Simmons 38, Broad Street 26

Mound Bayou JFK 39, Coahoma AHS 12West Bolivar 52, West Tallahatchie 0

Class 2A Second RoundBassfield 46, Wesson 0Lumberton 44, Puckett 36Mize 21, Scott Central 10Taylorsville 33, Union 12Calhoun CIty 48, Hollandale Simmons 6Coahoma Co. 26, Baldwyn 9East Webster 38, Mound Bayou JFK 12West Bolivar 14, Eupora 6

Class 2A QuarterfinalsLumberton 52, Mize 14Taylorsville 42, Bassfield 41Calhoun City 23, East Webster 21West Bolivar 28, Coahoma Co. 14

Class 2A South StateLumberton 18, Taylorsville 6

Class 2A North StateCalhoun City 30, West Bolivar 19

Class 2A State ChampionshipLumberton 26, Calhoun City 24

MAIS Division 3-AAOverall RegionW L W L PF PA

Simpson Aca. 9 3 4 0 377 163Leake Aca. 11 3 3 1 543 218Lamar 5 6 2 2 302 274Canton Aca. 3 8 1 3 169 335Hillcrest Chr. 0 11 0 4 160 446Class AA First Round

North Delta 34, Manchester Aca. 0Simpson Aca. 35, Lamar 14Winston Aca. 32, Indianola Aca. 7Leake Aca. 30, Marshall Aca. 0River Oaks (La.) 35, Central Hinds 0Centerville Aca. 34, Bowling Green 7Brookhaven Aca. 52, Adams Christian 28Cenla Christian 16, Central Private 6

Class AA Second RoundLeake Aca. 23, Winston Aca. 21North Delta 28, Simpson Aca. 17Brookhaven Aca. 50, Cenla Christian 18River Oaks (La.) 21, Centreville Aca. 13

Class AA South StateRiver Oaks (La.) 17, Brookhaven Aca. 14

Class AA North State

Leake Aca. 42, North Delta 35, OTClass AA State Championshio

River Oaks (La.) 40, Leake Aca. 13

MAIS Division 5-AOverall RegionW L W L PF PA

Univ. Chr. 9 3 3 0 335 180Newton Aca. 7 5 2 1 332 344Porter’s Chap. 5 6 1 2 261 302Russell Chr. 2 8 0 3 130 447Class A First Round

Newton Aca. 38, Claiborne (La.) 34Sylva-Bay Aca. 71, Tallulah (La.) 6Trinity Episopal 41, Wayne Aca. 13Univ. Christian 31, Riverfield (La.) 14DeSoto (Ark.) 33, Bayou Aca. 0Tri-County Aca. 48, Immanuel Christian 0Tunica Aca. 48, Greenville Christian 7Winona Christian 28, Benton Aca. 7

Second RoundSylva-Bay Aca. 38, Newton Aca. 0Trinity Episcopal 55, Univ. Christian 14Tri-County Aca. 35, DeSoto (Ark.) 28Tunica Aca. 27, Winona Christian 6

Class A South StateTrinity Episcopal 43, Sylva-Bay Aca. 13

Class A North StateTri-County Aca. 21, Tunica Aca. 14

Class A State ChampionshipTrinity Episcopal 46, Tri-County Aca. 14

MAIS 8-ManDistrict 1

Overall RegionW L W L PF PA

Kemper Aca. 10 0 6 0 533 84Central Aca. 10 2 5 1 408 298N. Sunflower 6 3 4 2 364 172Veritas 6 4 3 3 322 378Calvary Chr. 4 6 2 4 274 317Delta Aca. 2 7 1 5 134 340Calhoun Aca. 1 9 0 6 186 3578-Man Semifinals

Kemper Aca. 80, Briarfield (La.) 20Central Aca. 22, Tensas (La.) 20

State ChampionshipKemper Aca. 56, Central Aca. 18

NEWTON HIGH SCHOOL 23THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

Newton High School Tigers

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NEWTON — Ed Stanley's first season atthe helm of Newton High School has to bequalified a success: a trip to the Class 2Aplayoffs and a berth in a division champi-onship game.

However, Stanley knows the task ismuch tougher heading into his second sea-son as his Tigers have now moved up toClass 3A.

“Last year was a getting to know year forthe players and coaches,” Stanley said.“Last year was a good year that we canbuild off of, but it really has taken a turnwith the move up that we really haven't hadmuch time to think about the fact weplayed for a division championship lastyear. And that was a very good thing for us.

“Now we've moved up to Class 3A andour division is much tougher and ourschedule is much tougher. But we're amuch better team.”

Part of Stanley's optimism surroundingthe improvement of the Tigers stems fromthe familiarity between the players and thecoaches' expectations. Nowhere is thatmore evident than in the offseasonweightlifting program.

“Our kids have gotten more acquaintedwith how we want to practice,” heexplained. “We've gotten better, but thechallenge has really been out there for us

in moving up in classification.“We've had a very good offseason and a

very good summer. We've improvedtremendously in the weight room, even ifwe haven't had long enough. It usuallytakes three or four years to get your pro-gram established and we're only in our sec-ond year. But they are working hard. I cansee a lot of improvement.”

That increased strength will be neededas Stanley is looking for Newton to improveits running attack as a way to compete inDivision 5-3A.

“We've really worked hard at getting bet-ter at running the football,” he said as J.J.Brown is among the Tigers competing atrunning back. “We're going to try and uti-lize our speed in running the football.We're going to try and use motion as helpto our running game and passing game.

“We've got guys that run well and wewant to get them the ball more in the rungame.”

Beside them in the backfield will bereturning quarterback DeKarion Beasleyand Junior Watts, who missed last seasonafter being injured in a car accident.Beasley, a senior, threw for 1,938 yards and11 touchdowns last year while rushing for378 more.

“He's a very good athlete and will proba-bly be playing in a dual role as a quarter-back and running back,” Stanley said.

Tigers aim to elevate game along with class

See NEWTON on page 56

NEWTON COUNTY ACADEMY24 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

Newton County Academy Generals


Robert Roberts isn’t used to this kind of NewtonCounty Academy team.

Heading into his sixth year at the helm of theGenerals, Roberts has coached teams that won —NCA went 6-5 in 2007 and 2008 and finished 7-5 lastyear before falling to Sylva-Bay Academy in the sec-ond round of the MAIS Class A playoffs — but hehasn’t had a team that resembled this one.

“We have more speed that we’ve ever hadbefore,” he said. “We have four kids that run under4.6, that are running in the 4.5s in the 40.

“We have so much speed.”And the Generals, who open the season atop the

MAIS Class A rankings from the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, plan to utilize that speed, especially on thedefensive side.

“We have a lot of speed on the defensive side,”Roberts added. “We’re going to put them out thereand let them go.”

That speed will come from linebackers AlexHarrison (a transfer from Newton County), ZachShelton, Kizer Ables and Regan Reiss (a transferfrom Scott Central), as well as safety Thomas Jones(also transferred in from Newton County) and cor-nerbacks Cody Hollingsworth and Joseph Little.

The defensive line will feature seniors JentzenJones, Kendall Roebuck and Mason Posey and jun-

ior Samuel Williams.The hope is those players play well enough that

Roberts won’t have to put Dillon Williams on the

Speedy Generals look to run to title

See GENERALS on page 56

GENERALS AT A GLANCE2010 record: 7-52010 finish: Lost38-14 to Sylva-BayAcademy in secondround of MAIS ClassA playoffsHead coach: RobertRoberts (sixth year,26-28)League: MAISDivision 4-A

2011 scheduleAug. 19 at Oak Hill Aca.Aug. 26 Wayne Aca.Sept. 9 Porter's ChapelSept. 16 Prentiss ChristianSept. 23 at Heidelberg Aca.Sept. 30 at LamarOct. 7 Tri-County Aca.Oct. 14 Leake Aca.Oct. 21 at Park PlaceOct. 28 at Ben's Ford

2010 resultsHebron Christian 38-0Heidelberg Aca. 26-14

Tri-County Aca. 20-26Sylva-Bay Aca. 14-58Russell Christian 62-29Wayne Aca. 28-26University Christian 6-7Leake Aca. 6-59Hillcrest Christian 54-26Porter's Chapel 40-27• Claiborne (La.) Aca. 38-34• Sylva-Bay Aca. 14-38


Last 10 years2010 7-5•2009 3-72008 6-5•2007 6-52006 4-62005 6-42004 8-3•2003 5-52002 2-82001 0-1010-year record: 47-58All-time record: 141-250


Roberts


Newton County Academy running back DillonWilliams runs past a Russell Christian Academydefender last season.


DECATUR — One thing Charlie Borenbrought with him from Alabama when hetook the Newton County job in April was thespread offense.

But don't expect the Cougars to startthrowing the football all over the field.Rather, Boren's spread offense relies on therun as he looks to get Newton County intothe playoffs for the fifth straight season andfor the 12th time in the past 13 seasons.

The Cougars, who went 6-5 last season,open the season a week later than mostschools, hosting Southeast Lauderdale onAug. 26 in Boren's debut.

“Football at any level, you've got to be

able to run the football to have success,”said Boren, who amassed a 109-75 record in17 seasons at four schools in Alabama.“There's obviously some things we're doingdifferently out of the spread concepts.

“A lot of times when people hear spread,they think people all over the place throwingthe football and not running it. We're stillrunning the football. We're spreading thefield, we want to make people defend thewhole field, but we're still going to be run-ning it.”

Leading that charge at keeping theCougars' offense running will be sophomoreback Jamoral Graham. Last season, Grahamled Newton County with 447 rushing yardswhile hauling in 17 passes (tied for the teamlead) for 320 yards. He added 14 touch-

downs.“He has all the talent in the world,”

Boren said.Joining Graham in the backfield will be

senior quarterback Jordan Walker, whothrew for 656 yards and eight touchdowns ayear ago. Among his leading targets will bejunior Joe Wansley, sophomore DeAndreWansley, eighth-grader DeRyan Wansley

and senior Zach May, who didn't play foot-ball before but has starred for the NewtonCounty baseball team.

“We think we're two deep at receiver withguys that can play,” Boren said. “That maybe our biggest strength heading into theyear.

NEWTON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL 25THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

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Newton County Cougars

No. Name Grade2 Joe Wansley Jr.3 Jamoral Graham Soph.4 Tevin Campbell Soph.5 Jadarus Patrick Jr.6 DeRyan Wansley 8th7 Patrick Ross Fresh.8 Zach May Sr.10 Ken Jones Sr.11 Jordan Walker Sr.12 DeAndre Wansley Soph.14 Jacob Edwards 8th15 Davontae Smith Jr.16 Cole Ballard Sr.17 Roderick Smith Jr.18 Tommy Griffin Soph.20 Dan Nelson Jr.21 Xavier Sharkey Fresh.22 Anterrian Martin Sr.23 Caleb Weaver Jr.

No. Name Grade24 Xavier Willis Sr.25 Sed Johnson Sr.30 Michael Lee Sr.32 Demetri Mcleon Jr.34 Demetrius Gooden Soph.35 Brandon Ellis Jr.40 David Brand42 Cale Hollingsworth Soph.43 Cody Buckley Soph.48 Lee Wallace Soph.50 Walter Williams Fresh.51 Wesley Finley Jr.52 A.J. Dendis Soph.53 Daniel McMahon Soph.55 Kieron Evans Soph.56 Charles Thorn Jr.57 Acea Ange Jr.58 Stefan McClellan Soph.60 Rusty Potts Soph.

No. Name Grade61 Tyler White Sr.62 Lee Jones Jr.63 Sammy Hand Soph.64 Lane Sessums Soph.65 Levonte Buckley Jr.66 Jamey Seals Soph.68 Charles Wansley Jr.70 Jacob Mason Soph.72 Michael Evans Jr.74 Bryant Wiliams Sr.75 Cameron Kelly Soph.76 Brandon Hollingsworth Soph.80 Lane Wilkerson Soph.81 Tim Ealy Fresh.82 Nathon Perkins Soph.85 Joseph Page Soph.86 Alex Harrison Jr.88 Brandon Davis Jr.

NEWTON COUNTY ROSTER

Cougars eye balanced spread attack

See COUGARS on page 58

By Rocky HigginbothamSpecial to The Star

DEKALB — When Kemper Academytakes the field for its first game Aug. 19 atthe Veritas School, head coach PeteMcCleskey will officially have coached inparts of five decades.

It's unlikely, however, McCleskey hasever seen a transformation for a team fromone season to the next that's quite as drasticas the one undergone by his current squadin the last nine months.

Kemper Academy put up jaw-droppingnumbers during a record-setting, state-championship season a year ago — whenthe Rams were unchallenged during a runto the Mississippi Association ofIndependent Schools 8-Man crown.

But while the Ram faithful was enjoyingsuch eye-popping numbers as 53.3 pointsper game and more than 469 yards ofoffense per outing in last year's perfect, 10-0campaign, consider these numbers for the2011 squad: Just five lettermen return from2010, and just three of them started last sea-son.

"Yep, things are different," McCleskeychuckled as his team entered its third weekof practice for the 2011 season.

Kemper rolled to its first-ever official

state title last season with blazing speed, astingy, swarming defense and depth not usu-ally enjoyed in the 8-Man game. But afterthe Rams were hit extra heavy in the gradu-ation department, McCleskey is trying topiece together a new team.

A year ago, KA had the luxury of 12 sen-iors. This year, McCleskey hasn't had morethan 10 high-schoolers.

Among Kemper's 18-man roster are five

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RAMS AT A GLANCE2010 record: 10-02010 finish: Beat CentralAcademy 56-18 to win MAIS8-Man state championshipHead coach: Pete McCleskey(second year of currenttenure, 10-0)League: MAIS 8-Man District1

2011 scheduleAug. 19 at VeritasAug. 26 Calvary ChristianSept. 2 North SunflowerSept. 9 at Calhoun Aca.Sept. 16 Central Aca.Sept. 23 at Delta Aca.Oct. 7 at Calvary ChristianOct. 14 at Russell ChristianOct. 21 Marvell (Ark.) Aca.

2010 resultsChristian Collegiate 68-0Calhoun Aca. 36-6

Delta Aca. 44-0Tensas (La.) Aca. 48-12North Sunflower 32-22Veritas 61-0Calvary Christian 54-6Central Aca. 54-0• Briarfield (La.) Aca. 80-20• Central Aca. 56-18


Last 10 years2010 10-0•2009 4-52008 7-32007 10-02006 1-02005 1-92004 4-62003 3-72002 5-52001 3-710-year record: 48-42


No. Name Grade1 Dustin Davis Soph.2 Hayden Roberson Sr.4 Jordan Jones Jr.9 Lee James Soph.10 Tanner Hollingsworth Soph.12 Jason Craig Fresh.20 Cole Thomas Soph.22 Hunter Hall Sr.32 Clint Quinn Sr.44 Glenn Rawson Soph.50 Jake Owen Soph.55 Cory Fleming Soph.66 Dalton Thomas Sr.70 Dow Hailey Fresh.72 Dylan Bobo Jr.

KEMPER ACADEMY ROSTER

McCleskey

Rams have undergone transformation after title

See RAMS on page 57

By Rocky HigginbothamSpecial to The Star

DEKALB — Kemper County HighSchool's 2010 football season has been well-chronicled as a year of "what ifs" after theWildcats had a record-setting campaign nulli-fied because of seven forfeited victories.

But despite the bad taste of 2010, the lossof about a dozen key contributors andarguably the toughest non-division schedulein school history — the Wildcats are chomp-ing at the bit to get their 2011 campaign start-ed.

"We can't change what happened to us last

year, but we're ready to move past it," third-year Kemper County head coach DarrylCarter said. "It may have cost us a chance fora deep run in the playoffs ... we'll never know.But these guys are ready to move on."

A year ago, Kemper had set a schoolrecord for wins in a season when — a fewdays prior to their regular-season finale withHeidelberg — the Wildcats were forced toforfeit seven victories because the MississippiHigh School Activities Association deter-mined KC used an ineligible player.

The player in question was a transfer, andapparently, one sheet of paperwork wasn'tfiled properly. That cost Kemper Countyseven wins, a fine and probation. The MHSAAlater lifted the probation and some of theother penalties, but the seven forfeits stood.

On the field, Kemper won nine games andlost only to eventual state champion Forestand a Philadelphia team which finished 12-1.In the record books, the Wildcats were pen-ciled in for a 2-9 season.

Gone from that team are nine seniorsincluding a quartet which signed with EastMississippi Community College. Two-waystarters Geovontae Carter and MichaelCastro have moved on, as have bookend twintackles Robert and Roderick Miller, lineback-ers Michael Watts and Kenneth Davis, kicker

Chad Hickman and about four others whowere expected to contribute but are no longerwith the team for various reasons.

But don't go feeling sorry just yet forCarter — who guided the school to its first-ever home playoff game in 2009. His leadingrusher and leading tackler from a year agoboth return, as do at least a dozen others whocontributed last season.

"We did lose some good guys in keyspots," Carter said. "But with the lineups androtations we used last year, we have severalguys who have some experience."

Senior tailback Tevin Roberts heads upthat list after he scampered for 1,595 rushingyards in a breakout season a year ago. Carter

KEMPER COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL 27THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

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Kemper County Wildcats

No. Name Pos. Grade2 Willie McCray RB/LB Soph.4 Zacharcian Thurman WR/DB Jr.5 Nicholas Giles WR/DB Sr.6 Joshua McClelland WR/DB Jr.7 Trenard Rush QB/DB Jr.8 Devonta Pollard DB/WR Sr.9 Darren Bennoman WR/DB Soph.11 Quinten Pollock WR/DB Soph.12 Joman Davis TE/DE Sr.13 Tyler Cole WR/DB Jr.14 Zacchaeus Cole QB/DB Sr.15 Anthony Ruffin DB/WR Jr.16 Jonathan Jones DB/WR Fresh.17 Tevin Roberts RB/DB Sr.18 Milon Roberts RB/DB Jr.20 Christeon Crump WR/DB Fresh.23 Ladarius McCoy LB/RB Jr.

No. Name Pos. Grade24 Devante Vickers RB/DB Soph.25 Charles Cross DL/TE Jr.28 Roshard Simmons LB/DB Jr.30 Quynndarius Pettus DL/LB Jr.34 Steven Brazie LB/DB Sr.50 Tevin Williams OL/DL Jr.52 Graylin Watt OL/LB Soph.54 Jaquan Craig LB/DL Soph.55 Givante Oliver LB/OL Sr.56 J Karie Johnson OL/DL Jr.57 Tabias Rencher OL/DL Jr.60 Drahcir Hoskins OL/DL Jr.61 Javon Sanders OL/DL Soph.68 Thomas White OL/DL Sr.70 Jamorris Cole OL/DL Soph.75 Fre'Deric Bourrage OL/DL Soph.

KEMPER COUNTY ROSTER

Wildcats ‘ready to move past’ 2010

See KEMPER on page 57

CHOCTAW CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL28 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

Choctaw Central Warriors


CHOCTAW — After eightstraight losing seasons and 11 con-secutive years without a winningrecord, Choctaw Central brokethrough in 2010.

Now the chore for the Warriorswill be to build off that 7-5 markand first playoff appearance since1996. Helping that cause will be theconfidence boost Choctaw got fromthe breakthrough season.

“It meant a lot for the kids,” sec-ond-year Choctaw head coach TroySavell said. “We, as coaches, under-stand it had a lot to do with ourschedule. If we had played sometougher games, we probably don'thave the record we did.

“But it helped a lot in getting usto believe. And these kids are play-ing hard, and if you play hard youcan overcome a lot.”

To do that, though, the Warriorswill have to overcome slim pickingson the offensive line. While seniorcenter Blake Edwards returns,Choctaw is still trying to find the

right pieces to complement the 305-pounder.

“We're short on linemen thisyear,” Savell said. “Our skill guysare looking pretty good, but we'rehurting on linemen. If we can get aline beat into shape, we should beOK. But that is where we're hurt-ing right now.”

But if Choctaw is able to piecetogether an offensive line, Savell isoptimistic about the Warriors'chances, thanks to some talentedplayers at the skill positions. Thosetalented Warriors are led by quar-terback Janerra Bollin, a junior. Inspot duty last year, he completedjust three passes, although twowent for touchdowns. But he alsoadded 39 yards rushing and had ateam-high 21 receptions for 291yards.

“He's made great strides,” Savellsaid. “He's throwing the ball betterand he's faster than what he waslast year. We're looking for bigthings from him.

“We're spreading people out andgoing to let Janerra run the show.He's our best athlete and he's thefastest. So why should we have him

hand the ball off all the time.”With Bollin moving to behind

center, Kanyon Jimmie, BraxtonAmos, Dalton Clegg andDemarquis Wilson look to be hischief targets. Jimmie, also a junior,had a team-leading six touchdowncatches last year, hauling in 16passes for 247 yards. Amos hasemerged as Choctaw's top leader

and Clegg may be the most talent-ed Warrior of all.

“(Clegg) would be the best play-er to come through here in eightyears,” Savell added. “He would bethe first one I would tell collegecoaches that he's a Division Iprospect. He's 6-1 or 6-2 and 210-220 pounds and probably thestrongest player on the team.

“He played a little last year butdidn't have any belief or confidencein himself. He made it through thespring game and finally started torealize he could play. He's been inthe weight room all summer, work-ing hard. You will hear big thingsfrom Dalton Clegg. Just wait and

Confident Warriors hope to build off ’10WARRIORS AT A GLANCE

2010 record: 7-52010 finish: Lost22-12 to Morton infirst round of Class3A playoffsHead coach: TroySavell (second year,7-5)League: Division 5-3A

2011 scheduleAug. 19 at Leake CentralAug. 26 at UnionSept. 2 Newton CountySept. 9 Cherokee (N.C.)Sept. 22 EnterpriseSept. 30 at Heidelberg

Oct. 7 Kemper CountyOct. 14 SE LauderdaleOct. 21 at NewtonOct. 28 Philadelphia

2010 resultsNoxapater 33-13Union 30-10Newton County 24-45Cherokee (N.C.) 33-28Morton 6-48Ackerman 21-18Heidelberg 32-14Kemper County 0-52^SE Lauderdale 0-33Clarkdale 50-20Philadelphia 13-45• Morton 12-22


^ — denotes forfeit win

Last 10 years2010 7-5•2009 5-62008 1-92007 2-82006 3-72005 3-62004 0-102003 4-62002 3-72001 5-510-year record: 33-69All-time record: 225-216-1


Savell

See WARRIORS on page 58

NESHOBA CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL 29THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

Neshoba Central Rockets


PHILADELPHIA — Neshoba Centralblasted off to a quick start in coach ChuckFriend's fourth year back at the helm.

However injuries and off the field dis-tractions soon short-circuited that successand the Rockets stumbled to a secondstraight 5-6 finish and missed the playoffsfor the seventh straight season. But with awealth of experience returning, Friend ishoping better health can lead to a betterresult.

“We feel like we're getting close,” hesaid. “You've got to take a step back attimes, but hopefully, we can take a couplesteps forward this year.

“We had a couple of good wins early andthought we were going to continue to havea good year. Injuries and some other thingskind of took us out of it, and I don't thinkwe ever recovered.”

One of those Rockets that missed timelast year was starting running back O'NeilMcCarty. After rushing for almost 1,000yards as a freshman, McCarty churnedout 536 yards last year despite playing in

just six games. The junior will be joined inthe backfield by fullback KendrickMcKinney, who added 320 yards rushing.

Also returning in the backfield are apair of quarterbacks, senior Josh Stewartand sophomore Joseph Willis. Stewart,who has started the past two seasons,threw for 206 yards and rushed for 515more along with seven total touchdowns.Willis, meanwhile, passed for 383 yardsand three scores.

“They are both working the positionnow,” Friend said. “They both will play.Josh is one of our starting defensivebacks, and he's an excellent defensiveplayer. So they will probably split sometime at quarterback.”

And the other key component toNeshoba's run-oriented attack — theRockets rushed for 2,830 yards last season— is an experienced offensive line withfour starters back in Jamaal White (athree-year starter), sophomores KenEdwards and John Brewer and juniorAdrian Dennis. Rounding out the offensivefront will be Tyler Spears or JacobStewart, both juniors.

“We've got a good nucleus on bothsides of the ball that we can build off of,”

Friend added.One area where Neshoba doesn't have

a good returning nucleus is on the defen-sive line where tackle Syconi Seales is thelone returner. Looking to fill in around thejunior are ends Chase Robinson and

Christian Steele. “We're thin in a lot of spots,” Friend

said. “We're going to have to rebuild ourfront a little bit.”

Rockets hope for health, trip back to playoffsNeshoba Central hasn’t advancedto postseason in eight seasons

See ROCKETS on page 58

No. Name Grade Pos1 Jimmy Russell DB Sr.3 Josh Stewart QB Sr.4 Darrion Burnside DB Jr.5 O'Neal McCarty RB Jr.6 Cortez Peebles LB Sr.7 Thomas McCool LB Jr.9 Joel Whitney DB Sr.10 Edrick McClendon WR Fresh.11 Tanner Elrod DL Soph.12 Joseph Willis QB Soph.14 Tanner Seales DB Jr.16 Caleb Crenshaw K/WR Jr.17 Josh Gaines FB Sr.18 Shundrick Russell DB Jr.19 Jamien Savage LB Jr.21 Eric Carson DB Soph.24 Roland Ellerby RB Sr.25 Christian Steele DL Soph.26 Desmond Rush DB Sr.27 K.D. Monroe LB Jr.28 Patrick Burrage RB Soph.30 Damien Savage LB Jr.31 Kedrick McKinney FB Jr.36 Tanner Rhodes LB Jr.

No. Name Grade Pos38 Devin Skinner DB Soph.40 Syconi Seales DL Jr.45 John Tubby TE Soph.54 Ken Edwards OL Soph.56 Adrian Dennis OL Jr.59 Ty Gilmer OL Soph.62 Tyler Spears OL Jr.63 Jacob Stewart OL Jr.65 Gregory Woodson OL Soph.67 Chase Robinson DL Jr.69 John Brewer OL Soph.72 James Kelly DL Soph.73 Scottie Stewart DL Sr.74 Kevin Golden DL Jr.76 Mitchell Savall OL Soph.78 Nigel Lyons OL Jr.79 Jamaal White OL Sr.80 Ryan Moore TE Soph.82 Alex Henderson TE Sr.83 Matthew Turcotte TE Soph.85 Jason Hardy TE Jr.86 Allen Buckley DL Soph.87 Will James WR Jr.88 Nick Warrick TE Sr.

NESHOBA CENTRAL ROSTER


UNION — Union returns its entire offen-sive line. The Yellowjackets bring back apair of wide receivers and two punishing full-backs.

However, it's the two holes that have tobe filled in the backfield that will determinehow high these ’Jackets will fly in 2011.

“The main thing is going to be how ourquarterback comes along,” 11th-year coach

Brad Breland said. “How does he managethe game, take care of the football, not turn-ing it over and limit mistakes. If we have topunt, that's fine. We just don't want to turn itover.”

While Union has plenty of experienceback off last year's 6-7 team that advanced tothe second round of the playoffs, the gradua-tion of quarterback Chance Lowery and run-ning back Forzetra Ealy leaves a pair of big

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YELLOWJACKETS AT A GLANCE2010 record: 6-72010 finish: Lost 33-12 toTaylorsville in secondround of Class 2A playoffsHead coach: Brad Breland(11th year, 73-44)League: Division 5-2A

2011 scheduleAug. 19 Nanih WaiyaAug. 26 Choctaw CentralSept. 2 at ClarkdaleSept. 9 at EnterpriseSept. 16 Leake CentralSept. 23 at Madison-St. JosephSept. 30 at Leake CountyOct. 7 PisgahOct. 13 at LakeOct. 21 at SebastopolOct. 28 Scott Central

2010 resultsNanih Waiya 9-0Choctaw Central 10-30Clarkdale 42-15Enterprise 25-27

Sebastopol 28-29Kemper County 24-30Newton 40-22Pelahatchie 29-34Lake 41-28Scott Central 0-26Pisgah 35-21• Loyd Star 47-14• Taylorsville 12-33


Last 10 years2010 6-7•2009 7-5•2008 5-52007 4-62006 10-3•2005 9-2•2004 10-2•2003 6-42002 10-4•2001 6-6•10-year record: 73-44Record since 1936: 352-385-24


’Jackets depending on backfield newcomers

Breland

See JACKETS on page 59

Union returns experience fromsecond-round playoff team

Philadelphia High School Tornadoes


Philadelphia had everything going its wayin 2010. A Dandy Dozen linebacker in C.J.Johnson, an undefeated regular season andtalent oozing out of its pores.

Then came the road block. TheTornadoes, ranked No. 2 in Class 3A, wereupset by Hazlehurst 16-14 in the secondround of the MHSAA playoffs. That was thethird straight year Philly had made its exit inthe second round.

However, this year coach Teddy Dyesssays they have searched the program to find away to get over that hump. He also believesthis is the best team he has had in his 20years of coaching and that there is no ceilingon what this team can accomplish.

"We are probably the best that we havebeen since I have been here," said Dyess."This group has been together for five yearsnow and they are a very good class.

"After last year's loss to Hazlehurst westarted to talk about what it was going to taketo find those two points. There's somethingsince I've been here where we've lost in close,close ballgames and we really have searchedour program to try to find out what it's goingto take to get over that hump."

Getting over that hurdle will begin with apotent offense spearheaded by four-year start-ing quarterback Lee Smith. Dyess will look towide receiver Latimer Smith to come up withsome big plays, while relying on running back

Marquise Matthews, who rushed for morethan 1,600 yards last season, to pound thefootball. In all, the Tornadoes return sevenstarters on the offensive side of the ball.

"We've got a good nucleus on offense to

build around," added Dyess. "There is noth-ing that is going to happen on a Friday nighton that field that Lee hasn't seen before."

Tornadoes look to get over hump

See TORNADOES on page 59

No. Name Pos. Grade1 Ray Kelly WR Sr.2 Caleb Moore Jr.3 Tyson Griffin WR Jr.4 Pat Conner LB Sr.5 Tevante Houston DL Sr.6 Medgal Peebles LB Soph.7 Caleb Gamblin DE Sr.8 Dustin Sullivan WR Sr.9 Montrel Jordan DB Jr.10 Abe Mars LB Soph.11 Latimer Smith WR Sr.12 Jajuan Fuller LB Sr.14 Tae Moore WR Sr.15 Malek Moore Soph.16 Anthony Triplett Sr.17 Lee Smith QB Sr.18 Josh Fulton LB Soph.20 Keaton Lang DE Sr.21 Romon Gray DB Soph.23 Marquise Matthews RB Sr.

No. Name Grade Pos24 Fent Mars LB Soph.25 Pat Seales Jr.26 Luke Eldridge WR Soph.27 T.J. Hudson WR Soph.30 Kenshon Henderson DB Jr.31 John Smith DL Fresh.33 Jacardius Griffin DB Soph.34 Johntreal Pickens RB Soph.35 Ken Triplett LB Jr.44 Levondrick Carter DL Jr.45 Josh Rush DE Fresh.46 KJ Peebles Fresh.47 Kaylon Gray Fresh.48 Hunter Ketteringham Sr.49 Breland Gardner Fresh.50 Mark Hughes LB Jr.51 Zack Ingram LB Soph.52 Will Cole Soph.54 Jerron Bennett OL Fresh.55 Aron McCarty C Sr.

No. Name Grade Pos56 Vincent Moore Sr.57 Adrian Jones DE Jr.60 Darell Rosell DL Soph.61 Gray Moorehead K Soph.64 Jarvis Jones C Soph.65 Javon Ford T Sr.66 Doug Taylor T Jr.68 Jaylon Carter Sr.72 Grant Gordon OL Soph.73 Warchez Spencer DL Soph.75 Bradley Horne T Fresh.76 Chris Gill T Soph.77 Tevin McNair T Sr.78 Tamario Talley G Sr.80 Kazio Harrington TE Fresh.81 Chris Coburn LB Soph.82 Ron Clemens DB Fresh.87 Calvin Moncrease WR Soph.88 Raheem Johnson LB Jr.90 Jojo Beard DB Fresh.

PHILADELPHIA ROSTER

PHILADELPHIA HIGH SCHOOL 31THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

EAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE32 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011


After an offseason of con-struction and hard work, theEast Mississippi CommunityCollege football team will have anew home when it kicks offagainst defending MACJC statechampion Mississippi Gulf Coaston Sept. 1. That new home beingthe new Sullivan-WindhamField, which seats 5,000.

Even though the Lions wel-come the $4.7 million facility,their goals remain just as theyhave been over the first threeyears of head coach BuddyStephens’ tenure.

"Having the opportunity toplay in a new stadium is some-thing everyone is excited aboutthis year," Stephens said in arelease. "It remains very specialto me to be a part of EMCC'stotal commitment for our entireathletic program, and it is atribute to our administration forenabling our sports teams to col-lectively compete for champi-onships on some of the finestathletic facilities to be found any-where.

"One of the things we've donewith this program is that we'vecome to expect to compete forchampionships every year hereat EMCC, and this year is no dif-

ferent." EMCC will look to rebound

from a disappointing runner-upfinish in the MACJC North Divi-sion and a .500 record in 2010.The Lions made their exit in thefirst round of the MACJC play-offs with a 48-21 loss to Copiah-Lincoln. That came on the heelsof a state title and MississippiBowl win in 2009.

"We were very, very younglast year and we were also veryinmature," recalled Stephens."This year's team has remainedvery business-like throughoutthe offseason. The players arestaying motivated and nowunderstand the need to workhard every day."

This season, however, EMCCenters the season ranked No. 16

in the nation and armed with lastyear's offense that ranked fourthin the nation last season, looksto bring home its second statetitle and contend for a nationaltitle. The Lions return all of theirstarters on the offensive line, aswell as a handful of receivers —including former Meridian

New home, same goals for EMCCLIONS AT A GLANCE

2010 record: 5-52010 finish: Lost48-21 to Copiah-Lincoln in first roundof MACJC stateplayoffsHead coach:Buddy Stephens(fourth year, 24-8)League: MACJCNorth Division

2011 scheduleSept. 1 Gulf CoastSept. 8 at HindsSept. 15 at Northwest

Sept. 22 ItawambaOct. 1 CoahomaOct. 8 at NortheastOct. 15 at Pearl RiverOct. 20 DeltaOct. 27 at Holmes

2010 resultsMississippi Gulf Coast 21-40Hinds 42-50Northwest Mississippi 19-25Itawamba 37-10Coahoma 49-14Northeast Mississippi 42-49Pearl River 42-36Mississippi Delta 42-27

Holmes 38-14• Copiah-Lincoln 21-48


Last 10 years2010 5-5•2009 11-1•2008 8-2•2007 4-52006 3-62005 2-52004 1-82003 3-62003 3-62001 2-710-year record: 42-51


Stephens

See EMCC on page 34

Lions still eyeingchampionships in newSullivan-Windham Field

EMCC photo

East Mississippi Community College will begin play in the new Sullivan-Windham Field this season. The $4.7 million, 5,000-seat facility will host its first game Sept. 1 against Gulf Coast.

EAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE 33THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

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S ep t. 1 . . . . . M IS S . GUL F COAS T . . . . 7:00 p .m . . . . S COOBA S ep t. 8 . . . . . a t H in d s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 :3 0 p .m . . . . Ra ym on d S ep t. 15 . . . a t N W M ississip p i* . . . . 6 :3 0 p .m . . . . S en a tob ia S ep t. 22 . . . ITAW AM BA* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:00 p .m . . . . S COOBA S ep t. 29 . . . COAH OM A* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:00 p .m . . . . S COOBA

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EAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE34 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

CoahomaSept. 1 Copiah-LincolnSept. 8 at Jones CountySept. 15 at HolmesSept. 22 Northwest MississippiSept. 29 at East MississippiOct. 8 ItawambaOct. 13 Northeast MississippiOct. 22 at Mississippi Gulf CoastOct. 27 at Mississippi Delta

HolmesSept. 1 at Southwest MississippiSept. 8 Copiah-LincolnSept. 15 CoahomaSept. 22 at Northeast MississippiSept. 29 Jones CountyOct. 8 Mississippi DeltaOct. 13 at ItawambaOct. 22 at Northwest MississippiOct. 27 East Mississippi

ItawambaSept. 1 at HindsSept. 8 Pearl RiverSept. 15 East CentralSept. 22 at East MississippiOct. 1 Mississippi DeltaOct. 8 at CoahomaOct. 13 HolmesOct. 20 at Northeast MississippiOct. 27 Northwest Mississippi

Mississippi DeltaSept. 1 at Jones CountySept. 8 Mississippi Gulf CoastSept. 15 Northeast MississippiSept. 22 HindsOct. 1 at ItawambaOct. 8 at HolmesOct. 13 Northwest MississippiOct. 22 at East MississippiOct. 27 Coahoma

Northeast MississippiSept. 1 East CentralSept. 8 Southwest MississippiSept. 15 at Mississippi DeltaSept. 22 HolmesSept. 29 at Northwest MississippiOct. 8 East MississippiOct. 13 at CoahomaOct. 20 ItawambaOct. 27 at Copiah-Lincoln

Northwest MississippiSept. 1 Pearl RiverSept. 8 at East CentralSept. 15 East MississippiSept. 22 at CoahomaSept. 29 Northeast MississippiOct. 6 at Southwest MississippiOct. 13 at Mississippi DeltaOct. 22 HolmesOct. 27 at Itawamba

NORTH DIVISION SCHEDULES

standouts Hamp Glover and J.J.Harbin as well as formerKemper County quarterbackLacoltan Bester.

However, replacing NJCAAAll-American quarterback BradHenderson is a task yet to beaccomplished. Arkansas Statetransfer Bo Wallace, NoxubeeCounty's Termarcus Conner andformer Starkville star JaquezJohnson are all battling for thestarting gig.

Defensively, Stephens willlook for the defensive line to bea cornerstone for the team. Lastyear the Lions struggled to stopthe run. Still, this year's line con-sists of Division I prospectsDenico Autry — one of the topjunior college recruits in thenation — and Damien Jacobs,along with former MHS starLauren Jackson and Alabamacommit Brandon Moore willlook to put that memory to rest.

"They are really good," saiddefensive coordinator and asso-ciate head coach William Jones."We are going to be able to dojust about anything we want. It'sgoing to be fun to watch theseguys play."

In the three years Stephenshas been at the helm in Scooba,he has compiled a record of 24-8(16-2 in division play.) Hebelieves with this year's teamhas the talent and chemistry tocompete not only for a state title,but a national championship.

"We have the talent andability, along with the teammakeup to compete for a statechampionship,” he said. “With alittle luck, we can compete for anational title."

EMCC from page 32

EMCC photos

AAbboovvee,, East Mississippi Community College wide receiver J.J. Harbin, a former Meridian star,hauls in a pass down the sideline last season. LLeefftt, EMCC defensive lineman Denico Autry isone of the top junior college prospects in the nation.

EAST CENTRAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE 35THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011


East Central Community Collegehead coach Brian Anderson is excit-ed about what is to come for hisfootball team this season. And whyshouldn't he be with 2011 markingthe first time the third-year coachhas had a team made up of entirelyhis own recruits.

Anderson was tabbed as theinterim head coach in 2009 beforehaving the interim tag removed lastyear.

"I think that it's important to usbecause it's our first year as a staffgoing through an entire recruitingseason from start to finish," saidAnderson. "Every player we have isone that this staff has recruited. Ithink we were able to get not onlygood players, but good people. Ithink our character has improved. Ithink these guys are going to gel."

In 2010, the Warriors enjoyedgreat success on both the offensive

and defensive side of the ball.ECCC ranked fourth in totaloffense and second in total defensein the MACJC and in the top 20nationally.

However, East Central still stum-bled to a 2-7 record despite beingclose in almost every contest.

Costly turnovers and a sub-parspecial teams unit plagued theWarriors throughout the season.That is something that Andersonhas spent a lot of time rectifyingduring recruiting and summer prac-tices.

"We weren't consistent in specialteams last year," added Anderson."The thing that excites me aboutthis year's team is that when youplay well both offensively anddefensively you give yourself achance to win. When you can't do itin the kicking game you are goingto come up short in a lot of games.We've got a good punter this year,as good as any in the league in RobMoffett and our kicker Dylan

Alford, we are pleased with. Theyare better than good at both ofthose positions so we are excitedabout special teams.

"Absolutely turnovers were a bigfactor in how we fared last year.That is a big thing we had toaddress. That's a mental thing anda taking care of the football thing. Ithink we have a quarterback this

year that's going to be that coachon the field and understand thosesituations and the things that you'vegot to do and the things that youcan't do."

The quarterback the Warriorswill look to for leadership is fresh-man Mitch Manley, who takes overthe reins from starter BlakeMatherne, who departed for Mary

Hardin Baylor. Manley was a pre-season All-State selection his senioryear in Texas.

Manley will look to returningwideouts Reggie Hall and CoreyCollier to be his biggest targetsthrough the air. Hall will also han-dle kickoff and punt return duties.

ECCC looking for good thingsWARRIORS AT A GLANCE

2010 record: 2-72010 finish: Lost20-15 to SouthwestMississippi in regu-lar season finaleHead coach: BrianAnderson (secondyear, 2-7)League: MACJCSouth Division

2011 scheduleSept. 1 at NortheastSept. 8 NorthwestSept. 15 at Itawamba

Sept. 22 Pearl RiverSept. 29 at HindsOct. 8 Gulf CoastOct. 15 at Jones CountyOct. 20 Co-LinOct. 27 at Southwest

2010 resultsNortheast Mississippi 6-34Northwest Mississippi 26-41Itawamba 14-21Pearl River 13-44Hinds 37-35Mississippi Gulf Coast 16-42Jones County 24-14

Copiah-Lincoln 35-42Southwest Mississippi 15-20

Last 10 years2010 2-72009 2-72008 4-52007 2-72006 2-72005 3-42004 4-52003 2-72002 3-62001 6-4•10-year record: 30-59

Anderson

See ECCC on page 36

Paula Merritt/The

Meridian Star

East CentralCommunityCollege run-ning backBrandonWillis, a for-merPhiladelphiastar, eyesrunningroom lastseason.

Also adding to the receivingcorps is freshman GregTimmons. Timmons was tabbedas the top receiver in Texas in

2009 and was a Parade All-American.

Lavadius Lyles, of Forest, willtake on the starting role at run-ning back for the Warriors.

With all the firepower on theoffensive side, Anderson is more

excited about what the defensehas to offer.

Spearheading that defensiveunit, which allowed just 279yards per game in 2010, is hon-orable mention All-Americanlinebacker Chris Ficklin. Ficklin

led the state and was second inthe nation in tackles in his fresh-man year.

"We are going to look to him(Ficklin) for a lot," saidAnderson. "He's a tremendousleader for us."

Copiah-LincolnSept. 1 at CoahomaSept. 8 at HolmesSept. 15 HindsSept. 24 at Jones CountySept. 29 Southwest MississippiOct. 6 at Pearl RiverOct. 15 Mississippi Gulf CoastOct. 20 at East CentralOct. 27 Northeast Mississippi

HindsSept. 1 ItawambaSept. 8 East MississippiSept. 15 at Copiah-LincolnSept. 22 at Mississippi DeltaSept. 29 East CentralOct. 6 Jones CountyOct. 15 at Southwest MississippiOct. 22 Pearl RiverOct. 29 at Mississippi Gulf Coast

Jones CountySept. 1 Mississippi DeltaSept. 8 CoahomaSept. 15 at Mississippi Gulf CoastSept. 24 Copiah-LincolnSept. 29 at HolmesOct. 6 at HindsOct. 15 East CentralOct. 20 Southwest MississippiOct. 27 at Pearl River

Mississippi Gulf CoastSept. 1 at East MississippiSept. 8 at Mississippi DeltaSept. 15 Jones CountySept. 22 at Southwest MississippiSept. 29 Pearl RiverOct. 8 at East CentralOct. 15 at Copiah-LincolnOct. 22 CoahomaOct. 29 Hinds

Pearl RiverSept. 1 at Northwest MississippiSept. 8 at ItawambaSept. 15 Southwest MississippiSept. 22 at East CentralSept. 29 at Mississippi Gulf CoastOct. 6 Copiah-LincolnOct. 15 East MississippiOct. 22 at HindsOct. 27 Jones County

Southwest MississippiSept. 1 HolmesSept. 8 at Northeast MississippiSept. 15 at Pearl RiverSept. 22 Mississippi Gulf CoastSept. 29 at Copiah-LincolnOct. 6 Northwest MississippiOct. 15 HindsOct. 20 at Jones CountyOct. 27 East Central

SOUTH DIVISION SCHEDULESECCC from page 35


East Central Community College wide receiver Reggie Hall looks for an opening against Northeast Mississippi Community College lastseason.

EAST CENTRAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE36 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

By David BrandtAP Sports Writer

OXFORD — During Houston Nutt’s 14-year coaching career in the SoutheasternConference, he’s been known to turn a teamwith low expectations into one of theSoutheastern Conference’s best.

Maybe that’s a good thing for Mississippi.Few expect the Rebels to compete in whatlooks like a loaded SEC Western Division.

“That doesn’t bother me,” Nutt said. “Idon’t worry about that. I like the position.Again, it’s about what you do on the field inbetween those lines. You just want a team toplay with an unbelievable amount of passionand spirit ... I love our attitude right now.”

Nutt’s three years at Ole Miss have pro-duced some spectacular highs and lows.The Rebels won back-to-back Cotton Bowlsin 2008 and ’09, winning a combined 18games for their best two-year stretch in 40years.

But the program’s fall last season wasequally dramatic. The Rebels finished with a4-8 record and a 1-7 mark in the SEC, punc-tuated by losses to Football ChampionshipSubdivision program Jacksonville State anda second-straight loss to rival MississippiState.

Now in his fourth season, the Rebels arelooking for improvement and stability.

“Nobody wants to go through what hap-pened last year again,” junior linebackerJoel Kight said. “It wasn’t fun. But we feellike we’ve got the guys to turn this aroundquickly.”

During the preseason’s early practices,it’s become obvious Ole Miss will rely onseveral true freshmen. Receivers NickolasBrassell, Donte Moncrief and TobiasSingleton could all have prominent rolesimmediately. Nutt is also high on linebackerC.J. Johnson, a former Philadelphia Highstar, and cornerbacks Chief Brown andSenquez Golson.

All six freshmen are from Mississippi.“We went back to square one and started

with recruiting,” Nutt said. “Felt like we gota lot of momentum. Got the best players outof Mississippi.”

Ole Miss returns nine starters onoffense, including the entire offensive line.Left tackle is anchored by 6-foot-7, 315-pound senior Bradley Sowell, who entershis third season as the starter.

The team’s three top running backs froma year ago — Brandon Bolden, Jeff Scottand Enrique Davis — also return. Bolden, a5-foot-11, 221-pound senior, has been a con-stant in the backfield for three seasons, andrushed for 976 yards and 14 touchdowns

last season.“We want to be a physical football team,”

Nutt said. “We have a big, outstanding goffensive line. I want them to continue toget better, get better chemistry, be betterblockers.”

Nutt still hasn’t settled on a startingquarterback. He’s said a three-man positionbattle between sophomore Barry Brunettiand juniors Randall Mackey, who was anNJCAA All-American at East MississippiCommunity College, and Zack Stoudt couldlast most of August. The coaches have indi-cated Brunetti, a 6-foot-0, 213-pound trans-fer from West Virginia, has a slight edge inthe race.

“He’s really had command of the huddlethe first two days and I think he’s throwingmuch better,” Nutt said. “But he knowshe’ll have competition and to me that’s acoach’s best friend.

Brunetti and Mackey, a 5-foot-11, 195-pounder who redshirted last season aftertransferring from EMCC, are both dual-threat quarterbacks who are just as com-fortable running as throwing. At 6-foot-4and 222 pounds, Stoudt is more of a pro-style quarterback who likes to stay in thepocket and use his strong arm to deliverpasses downfield.

They’ve been working with new offen-sive coordinator David Lee, a veteran coachwho was with the NFL’s Miami Dolphinsthe past three seasons working with quar-terbacks.

“Especially with these freshmen comingin, we feel like we’ve got more bullets touse,” Lee said. “We can’t ask any of ourquarterbacks to be perfect because none ofthem have much game experience. But wedo have to avoid disasters.”

The Ole Miss defense returns fivestarters, including sixth-year seniorKentrell Lockett. The 6-foot-5, 248-poundLockett should give the Rebels some need-ed experience. He had 10 tackles for a lossand five sacks in 2009, but missed most oflast season with a knee injury.

Unlike the last few seasons, when theRebels’ defense produced NFL draft pickslike Peria Jerry, Kendrick Lewis and JerrellPowe, this year’s group is void of super-stars.

But defensive coordinator Tyrone Nixsaid the lack of egos might be a good thing.Ole Miss gave up more than 35 points pergame last season, which ranked last in theleague.

“We have hopefully 11 guys who loveeach other and want to lay it on the lineevery play out there,” Nix said. “When youhave that accountability, that focus and thatlove, that’s when great things happen.”

OLE MISS 37THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

Rebels aim to surprise in SEC

Associated Press

Ole Miss freshman C.J. Johnson stretches during practice Aug. 7 in Oxford.


STARKVILLE — For the firsttime in a long time, there’s chatterthat Mississippi State might be oneof the better teams in theSoutheastern Conference this year.

The Bulldogs return much oftheir team from a 9-4 season thatincluded wins over Florida, Georgiaand Michigan.

But for a program that hasn’tbeen consistently near the top of theSEC since the late 1990s, highexpectations are almost a foreignconcept. Such expectations havecrushed seasons before, butMississippi State’s third-year coachDan Mullen doesn’t see any issues.

‘‘I’m sure our expectations areeven higher than anybody in themedia or how anybody votes us,’’Mullen said. ‘‘Our goals are to get toAtlanta. Nobody picked us first (inthe Western Division) so our expec-tations are even higher than every-body else.’’

It’s true that even thoughMississippi State has newfoundrespect in the SEC, the program isoften lost in the shuffle behinddefending national championAuburn, along with perennial pow-erhouse programs like Alabama,LSU and Arkansas.

As good as the Bulldogs werelast season, they were 1-4 in theWestern Division, only beating rivalMississippi. And that’s one of manythings that keeps players hungry.

‘‘We beat the school up north,but nobody else in the West,’’ juniorcornerback Corey Bloomfield said.‘‘We’re not complacent at all. Wehaven’t done anything.’’

Mississippi State hopes it has thetalent to change that this season.The Bulldogs return quarterbackChris Relf, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound sen-ior who had a breakout season in2010, throwing for 1,789 yards and13 touchdowns while also rushingfor 713 yards and five touchdowns.

Relf has obviously grown morecomfortable with offense. NowMullen said he wants Relf to reach‘‘doctorate level’’ in his understand-ing, which means grasping blitzes,coverages and adjusting playsbefore the snap.

‘‘Those are the things that I don’tknow you can teach — I think it justcomes with time,’’ Mullen said. ‘‘It

takes a long time for you to reallyunderstand those things.’’

The Bulldogs also return seniorrunning back Vick Ballard, whorushed for 968 yards and a pro-gram-record 19 touchdowns lastseason. He’ll be running behind anoffensive line that returns threestarting offensive linemen.

The only real question is at lefttackle, where James Carmon is thelikely starter after moving from thedefensive line during the spring. At6-foot-7 and about 310 pounds,Carmon has the athleticism andstrength to handle the position. It’sjust a matter of mastering the tech-nique at a position that’s vital to pro-tecting the quarterback’s blind side.

‘‘I’m picking it up,’’ Carmon said.‘‘I’m not trying to take it too fast. I’mjust going step by step. But I’ve defi-nitely progressed.’’

Mississippi State returns sevendefensive starters, including defen-sive tackles Fletcher Cox and JoshBoyd. The secondary is also loaded,with all four starters returning fromlast season. Senior safety CharlesMitchell anchors the group aftermaking 93 tackles last season.

The Bulldogs are trying toreplace all three starters at line-backer, including Chris White andK.J. Wright, who combined for 208tackles last season, including 23.5for a loss. Mullen said there mightnot be two linebackers who can fillthat void by themselves, but there’sa solid group of linebackers that cancollectively be very good.

Deontae Skinner, CameronLawrence, Brandon Wilson,Matthew Wells, Chris Hughes andFerlando Bohanna could all seeextended playing time. Clemsontransfer Brandon Maye could alsomake an impact immediately.

The depth at linebacker matchesmust of the rest of the team, whichMullen says is one of this team’sstrengths.

‘‘I think it certainly helps,’’Mullen said. ‘‘One, depth increasescompetition at practice. When guysstart clawing and scratching just toget a rep at practice you’re going tosee drastic improvement. So that’sgreat for our development withinthe program. But also when you’relooking at having to play a SECschedule, you’d better have someguys that are ready to jump in thefire and go play.’’

Bulldogs have no issue with high hopes

Associated Press

Mississippi State defensive back Matthew Wells tries to tackle running back LaDarius Perkins during practicein Starkville on Aug. 8.

MISSISSIPPI STATE38 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011


HATTIESBURG — Austin Davishas been the quarterback for threereally good football teams atSouthern Miss. He’s gone to bowlgames. He’s won a bowl game. He’sbeaten teams from BCS confer-ences.

But in his final season with theGolden Eagles, Davis doesn’t wantto be just really good again. Hewants a Conference USA champi-onship.

‘‘We’ve been a game or twoaway, maybe even a play or twoaway, from winning the EasternDivision,’’ Davis said. ‘‘If you look atthe last three years, we’ve beatenthe conference champion everytime.’’

Yet there’s always been a slip-upat some point during conferenceplay. Last year, it was heartbreakingovertime losses to East Carolinaand UAB that derailed a promisingseason. Now with 15 startersreturning, Davis hopes this is theteam that can finally break throughand win a conference championshipfor the first time since 2003.

Southern Miss has alreadyestablished itself as one of the mostconsistent football programs inConference USA, with 17 straightwinning seasons. Only Florida,Florida State and Virginia Tech cantop that current streak.

More is expected this season.Southern Miss coach Larry Fedoraisn’t shying away from the expecta-tions.

‘‘People should be excited aboutit. I know I am,’’ said Fedora, who isentering his fourth season atSouthern Miss. ‘‘When you’ve got aquarterback coming back that’s thecaliber of Austin Davis and some ofthe other guys around him, you’vegot to be excited. It should be fun.’’

Davis returns after throwing for3,103 yards, 20 touchdowns and justsix interceptions last season. The 6-foot-2, 221-pound senior from WestLauderdale wasn’t highly recruitedout of high school, but has maturedinto one of the best quarterbacks inUSM history — even threateningseveral career records held by BrettFavre.

‘‘He’s always been very intelli-gent and understood the offense

very quickly,’’ Fedora said. ‘‘Andnow as the game’s slowed down forhim, he always puts the ball whereit needs to be. We know he’salways going to prepare and play ata high level. Now his job as a sen-ior is to make sure he raises thelevel of everyone around him.’’

He’ll have experienced playmak-ers around him, includingKendrick Hardy, a 6-foot-0, 217-pound sophomore who rushed for903 yards and seven touchdownslast season. Receivers QuentinPierce and Kelvin Bolden are backafter combining for nearly 1,200receiving yards and 10 touch-downs.

While the offense appearsloaded, there’s much more uncer-tainty surrounding the defense.

The Golden Eagles return sevenstarters from last season, but that’snot necessarily a good thing con-sidering they gave up nearly 30points per game.

Fedora hired former Illinoisassistant Dan Disch as a co-defen-sive coordinator during the offsea-son to help implement a new 4-2-5defense. So far, Fedora says thingsare going smoothly. Programssometimes have an adjustment peri-od when learning a new defense,but Fedora said the Golden Eaglesdon’t have that luxury.

‘‘We don’t have a year,’’ Fedorasaid. ‘‘We’ve never said, from thebeginning, that we’ve got a year forthe learning curve. We gave themthe spring. They had 15 days. Andthen over the summer those guysworked at it.’’

Linebackers Korey Williams andJamie Collins return after combin-ing for 168 tackles last season.Williams, a 6-foot-2, 243-pound sen-ior, was particularly effective lastseason, with 15.5 tackles for a loss,including three sacks.

Davis said he’s very excitedabout the personnel coming backon both sides of the ball, but theGolden Eagles’ issues have neverbeen about a lack of good players.It’s been inconsistency. He hopes tochange that this season.

‘‘In the past, we’ve shown a lotof immaturity by looking pastteams,’’ Davis said ‘‘We don’t needto look past anybody. No one canafford to do that. Every Saturdayyou’ve got to come to play.’’

Golden Eagles target C-USA crown

Associated Press

AAbboovvee, Southern Miss quarterbackAustin Davis, a former WestLauderdale star, speaks withoffensive coordinator andquarterback coach BlakeAnderson during practice inHattiesburg on Aug. 5. LLeefftt, TracyLampley, a former Wayne Countystandout, looks to pull in a puntduring practice Aug. 5.

SOUTHERN MISS 39THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011


Jackson State coach Rick Comegybelieves he’s going to have a good foot-ball team this season. And he’s not afraidto say so.

“We’ve got guys who are mature andwe’ve got guys who can play ball,” saidComegy, who enters his fifth seasonwith the Tigers. “This should be thekind of year where we show how footballat Jackson State is played.”

Confidence abounds at Jackson State,which is coming off an 8-3 season.

Much of that bravado is due to thereturn of quarterback Casey Therriault,who is coming off one of the best pass-ing seasons in school history. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound senior threw for 3,436yards last season and tied a schoolrecord with 31 touchdowns passes. Healso rushed for 10 touchdowns in hisfirst season after transferring from juniorcollege.

Jackson State was picked to win theSouthwestern Athletic ConferenceEastern Division in a poll of the league’scoaches. Therriault doesn’t shy awayfrom the expectations, but stressed theTigers haven’t accomplished anything.

“There’s a lot of things I need toimprove and the team needs toimprove,” Therriault said. “Just becausewe’re getting a lot of preseason honorsdoesn’t mean it’ll be that way in the post-season.”

Jackson State’s goals have been limit-ed by the NCAA and SWAC this season.The program was banned from theNCAA’s postseason because of subparAcademic Progress Rate scores. Duringits summer meetings, the conferenceruled that ban will also apply to the con-ference championship game.

“It’s disappointing, but they didn’tcancel our season,” Therriault said. “Wewant to win every game this year and wethink that’s possible.”

The Tigers also returning runningback B.J. Lee, who rushed for a team-high 439 yards last season. Leadingreceiver Marcellos Wilder, who caught57 passes for 726 yards and eight touch-downs, is also back.

“It could be a pretty devastating yearfor that group,” Comegy said. “Weshould be able to run the ball a little bet-ter this year and that should really freeCasey to make some big plays down-field.”

Though the offense should beimpressive, the defense isn’t as sea-soned.

The Tigers will lean on defensive endDonovan Robinson to make big plays.The 6-foot-3, 250-pound senior made 18.5tackles for a loss season, including eightsacks.

“The defense has matured a lot in theoffseason,” Robinson said. “Last year weweren’t very good, but we’re ready tocarry our share of the load this seasonand beat some people up.”

Big expectations for Tigers, Therriault

Associated Press file

Jackson Statewide receiverMarcellosWilder tries toescape fromMississippiState defensiveback ZachSmith during agame inStarkville onSept. 5, 2009.


Jackson State football coach Rick Comegy calls out to an assistant coach during a gameagainst Mississippi State in Starkville on Sept. 5, 2009.

Tigers 2011 Schedule

Sept. 3 ConcordiaSept. 10 vs. Tennessee StateSept. 17 at SouthernSept. 24 Alabama StateSept. 29 Texas SouthernOct. 8 Arkansas-Pine BlluffOct. 15 at Mississippi Valley StateOct. 29 at Prairie View A&MNov. 5 Grambling StateNov. 12 at Alabama A&MNov. 19 Alcorn State

JACKSON STATE40 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011


With his sunglasses and swagger, first-year Alcorn State coach Melvin Spearslooks like a cocky guy.

Braves’ defensive lineman BrandonMorris says those first impressions areright on target.

‘‘That’s how he is 100 percent of thetime. He’s got that swagger and that confi-dence to him — it’s infectious for us.’’Morris said. ‘‘But people don’t understandthat he’s a really easy person to like. He’sdefinitely a people person and someone ourteam really respects.’’

Spears, 51, was hired by the Braves dur-ing the offseason after Earnest Collins leftto take the head coaching job at NorthernColorado. The 1983 Alcorn State graduatewon the Southwestern Athletic Conferencetitle in 2005 while at Grambling.

Now he’s trying to do the same thingwith the Braves. Spears said he has thepieces to be competitive immediately.

‘‘Certainly having an outstanding quar-terback gives you a leg up,’’ Spears said.‘‘We’ve just go to get some other piecesaround him who can play at a high level.We were decimated on defense, but we’vebrought in some folks who I hope can helpus out.’’

Alcorn State has one of the league’syoung stars in sophomore quarterbackBrandon Bridge. Nicknamed ‘‘Air Canada’’because of his Ontario home, the 6-foot-5,195-pound Bridge threw for 2,086 yards and19 touchdowns as a true freshman and wasnamed the SWAC’s Newcomer of the Year.He also rushed for 601 yards and eighttouchdowns as the Braves finished with a 5-

6 record. ‘‘We have more of a multiple, pro type of

offense that he’ll have to adjust to,’’ Spearssaid. ‘‘He just needs to have outstandingfundamentals and understand the thingsthat go with our system. He’s a great stu-dent in the classroom and that’s carriedover to the field. It allows him to learn veryfast.’’

Leading running back Gabriel Nash alsoreturns. The sophomore rushed for 612yards and six touchdowns last season.

Alcorn State ranked near the bottom ofthe conference last season in defense, giv-ing up 29 points per game. Spears hopessome incoming freshmen and junior collegetransfers can provide depth to make theBraves better.

Morris, a 5-foot-10, 265-pound junior, isone of the leading returners with 8.5 tack-les for a loss, including 3.5 sacks last sea-son.

‘‘We’re going to be full attack all thetime,’’ Morris said. ‘‘We feel like the coach-es have given us everything we need to besuccessful. Now we have to follow up onour end and make plays.’’

Confident Spearstakes over Braves

Braves 2011 ScheduleSept. 3 Grambling StateSept. 10 at Arkansas-Pine BluffSept. 17 Mississippi Valley StateSept. 24 at Texas SouthernOct. 1 at Alabama StateOct. 22 Concordia CollegeOct. 29 at Southern Nov. 5 Alabama A&MNov. 12 Prairie View A&MNov. 19 at Jackson State


Alcorn State quarterback Brandon Bridge, left, runs for a 2-yard gain as Mississippi Statedefensive lineman Sean Ferguson makes the tackle Oct 2, 2010, in Starkville.


New AlcornState footballcoach MelvinSpears tries ona hat Jan. 19during a newsconference inJackson.

ALCORN STATE 41THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

By David BrandtAP Spor ts Writer

Mississippi Valley didn’t win agame during the 2010 season,losing all 10 games by at leasttwo touchdowns.

It wasn’t much fun. But sec-ond-year coach Karl Morgansays the Delta Devils’ turn-around is near.

‘‘Things are progressingsteadily,’’ Morgan said. ‘‘I reallythink some positive things arehappening at Mississippi Valley.’’

Morgan had one of the tough-est head coaching jobs in collegefootball in 2010. Not only was hedealing with a depleted rosterand tight budget, but MVSU’s

on-campus stadium was con-demned because of crumblingconcrete. Home games wereplayed nearly an hour away at ahigh school field in Greenville,making the season seem like aconstant road show.

But millions were spent in theoffseason to renovate the grand-stand and the Delta Devils alsoraised money for a new weightroom.

Morgan called that a ‘‘minormiracle’’ considering MVSU’slimited budget and fundraisingcapability. Senior receiver PaulCox says the new facilities haveadded to the program’s pride.

‘‘That just makes you wake upevery day and work harder,’’

Cox said. ‘‘It’s been a blessing. Itwas tough not having a homestadium because there just was-n’t that home atmosphere thatmakes playing on campus sospecial.’’

Now it’s a matter of bringingbetter talent to campus. Morgansays he believes he’s done that,though the Delta Devils were hitwith another blow when startingquarterback Oliver Hughes suf-fered a season-ending kneeinjury near the end of springpractice. Sophomore Carl Davisreturns after completing 12 of 21passes for 73 yards last season.Morgan also said he’s got somejunior college quarterbacks com-ing in to add to the competition.

The new quarterback willhave some playmakers aroundhim. Cox led the team with 520receiving yards and five touch-downs last season. Junior ChrisWilliams led the Delta Devilswith 32 receptions last season.

Safety Carlos Hollis, a presea-son second-team All-SWAC selec-tion, leads the defense. The 6-foot-0, 180-pounder Hollis made52 tackles and had two intercep-tions last season.

‘‘We have eight starters com-ing back on defense, so I expectus to be better than last year,’’Morgan said. ‘‘Our talent levelshould be better than it was lastseason so that’s a positive. We’vejust got to keep doing things the

right way. If we do that, weshould be much more competi-tive.’’

MVSU looking for wins in Morgan’s second yearDelta Devils

2011 Schedule

Sept. 3 Alabama StateSept. 10 Murray StateSept. 17 at Alcorn StateSept. 24 at Prairie View A&MOct. 1 SouthernOct. 8 at Alabama A&MOct. 15 Jackson StateOct. 22 at Grambling StateOct. 29 Texas SouthernNov. 3 at South AlabamaNov. 12 Arkansas-Pine Bluff


MississippiValley Statefootball coachKarl Morgan,shown in aNov. 3, 2010,photo, haskept a positiveattitude aboutthe future ofthe DeltaDevils eventhrough arough first sea-son whenMVSU playedwithout theuse of a sta-dium on cam-pus.

MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE42 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

By John ZenorAP Sports Writer

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. —Alabama’s August to-do list: Pickstarting quarterback. ReplaceHeisman Trophy winner and a fewother first-round draft picks. Findleft tackle, playmaking receiversand a defensive lineman or two.

It’s almost enough to distract theCrimson Tide from all that nationaltitle talk.

Some of the important pieceshave changed and a few key ques-tions remain unanswered, but blue-chip replacements keep the presea-son conversation in Tuscaloosa con-sistent.

“We want to come out and win anational championship, to be unde-feated,” All-America safety MarkBarron said. “Every time we stepout on the field, one of our motivat-ing factors is to be special.”

It didn’t happen with champi-onship-caliber regularity last seasonwhen the Tide viewed its 10 wins asa letdown.

The offseason was traumaticwith a devastating tornado strikingthe city in April followed by theMay death of left tackle AaronDouglas in May. Tide players andfans enter this season with heavyhearts — and high hopes.

Tailback Trent Richardson stepsin for 2009 Heisman winner MarkIngram. There’s less certaintyabout the fill-ins for the other first-rounders — defensive end MarcellDareus, wide receiver Julio Jonesand left tackle James Carpenter.

But coach Nick Saban has stock-piled highly rated recruiting classesand won 36 games and one nationaltitle the last three seasons. Even hedoesn’t downplay his team’s talentlevel much while asserting that apreseason Top-5 projection “meansnothing.”

“Whatever we do this year, we’regoing to have to do it on the field,”Saban said.,

Richardson brushes off the pre-season hype as old hat.

“It’s like that every year,” saidRichardson, who goes from punish-ing, flashy backup to the offensivecenterpiece. “It’s not a shock to me,but at the same time everybodythat picked us to win it, we can’t letthem down. We can’t let them downat all.”

The biggest reason for all theoptimism is a defense that yieldedthe nation’s third-fewest points lastseason and features five preseasonfirst-team All-SEC picks.Linebackers Dont’a Hightower andCourtney Upshaw, safeties Barronand Robert Lester and noseguardJosh Chapman are projected asfirst-teamers, while players like cor-nerback Dre’ Kirkpatrick haveflashed star potential, too.

“We have one of the most athlet-ic defenses that’s been throughAlabama,” Hightower proclaimed.

A new quarterback, a Heismanhopeful runner and a loadeddefense is the same formulaAlabama used to win the nationaltitle two years ago. The combina-

tion is also the reason Saban stress-es that he wants quarterbacks AJMcCarron and/or Phillip Sims toplay “winning football,” makingsmart decisions and not stickingthat defense into bad spots withturnovers.

The sophomore McCarron sawlimited action in a backup role lastseason, while Sims is a redshirtfreshman who hasn’t played yet.Both could get into the Kent Stategame on Sept. 3.

“The good news is we haveoptions at the position and a lot ofplaces in the country are searchingfor a guy to get back there,” offen-sive coordinator Jim McElwain said.

All-SEC guard Barrett Jonescould be protecting their blind side

at left tackle, where he has loggedpractice time since the spring.Freshman Cyrus Kouandjio, one ofthe nation’s top recruits, also coulddevelop into that role.

At receiver, both Marquis Mazeand Darius Hanks have experiencebut always in a supporting role toJones. Other candidates includeredshirt freshman DeAndrewWhite and junior college transferDuron Carter — who couldn’t prac-tice to start fall camp while awaitingon approval of his transcript.

Hanks will miss the first twogames, including a rare visit toPenn State, under the NCAA partic-ipation rule because he played in agame as a freshman and wasn’tallowed to claim a redshirt year.

The Tide’s road won’t be easy.Alabama also visits Florida,Mississippi State and defendingnational champion Auburn.

Some of the preseason hooplastems from the Tide’s going awayparty last season, when the teamblasted Michigan State 49-7 in theCapital One Bowl in a performancethat added to the what-could-have-been sentiment from 2010.

The previous game, a collapseagainst rival Auburn after leading24-0, led to “Never Again” signs inthe weight room and even players’houses. But the Tide is hoping thatfinale is a more accurate barometerfor this team’s potential.

“Finishing is a big thing for thisteam,” Saban said.

Tide working on to-do list amid hype

Associated Press

Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower works out during preseason drills Aug. 7 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA 43THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

By John ZenorAP Sports Writer

AUBURN, Ala. — The Auburn Tigersinsist they’ve heard it all before.

The defending national championsapproach the season with an overhauled ros-ter and a defiant response to anyone who saysthey’re headed from perfection to mediocrityas quick as Cam Newton went from obscurityto Heisman Trophy winner.

‘‘It’s kind of similar to last year. They didn’tpick us (high),’’ cornerback T’Sharvan Bellsaid. ‘‘But now, no Cam Newton, no NickFairley. Now they’re like, ’They really don’thave a chance.’ You just take that, put it intowhat you eat in the morning. I already put itinto my breakfast, lunch and dinner. It justfires me up.’’

But will that spiced-up menu translate intoextra wins?

Newton, the dynamic quarterback, andLombardi Award winner Fairley moved on tothe NFL as the No. 1 and 13 picks, respective-ly. In fact, 18 starters are gone, including eightapiece on both sides of the ball.

The result is a team picked to finish fifth inthe Southeastern Conference WesternDivision and a rare defending champ that canderive its motivation from the underdog role.

‘‘If I’m not mistaken, this time last year,nobody used ’Auburn’ and ’championship’ inthe same sentence,’’ quarterback ClintMoseley said. ‘‘So that’s what makes collegefootball so great. Everybody’s got opinionsand everybody loves this time of year to pre-dict who’s going to do what. So that’s all good.I don’t have the time or energy to worryabout it.’’

He’s too busy competing with BarrettTrotter and freshman Kiehl Frazier to replaceNewton.

This season, maybe more than last, couldbe indicative of how much the program reallyhas stabilized under coach Gene Chizik. TheTigers have pulled in back-to-back consensusTop 5 recruiting classes, but last year’s teamwon largely with Newton, Fairley and a bunchof seniors.

The good news for Auburn is that offen-sive coordinator Gus Malzahn rejected over-tures from Vanderbilt for its head coachingposition, and he has proven adept at groom-ing new quarterbacks and fitting his offenseto their abilities — and limitations.

BCS championship game MVP MichaelDyer and Onterio McCalebb return at tail-back after combining for nearly 2,000 yardsrushing.

The Tigers still have plenty of unsettledissues, starting with the three-man race tosucceed Newton. The offensive and defensivelines each have one player back who startedin the national championship game againstOregon.

And besides Emory Blake and tight endPhilip Lutzenkirchen, no wide receiver is backwho had more than three catches last season.

Not to mention a schedule that includestrips to Clemson, South Carolina, Arkansas,LSU and Georgia.

It’s a formidable challenge for such aninexperienced team. Among the quarter-backs, Trotter is the only one who has playedin a game for the Tigers and he has attemptednine career passes.

Whoever is assigned to run Malzahn’soffense will have to labor in the shadow ofNewton, a dual-threat marvel who was theNo. 1 overall NFL draft pick by the CarolinaPanthers.

A bigger potential challenge: Operatingbehind a line that lost four seniors. Right tack-le Brandon Mosley is a preseason All-SECpick — Auburn’s only first-teamer — after tak-ing over when A.J. Greene was hurt threegames into last season. Greene also is back.

The center battle is between a freshman(Reese Dismukes) and a walk-on (BlakeBurgess), while other freshmen like toprecruit Christian Westerman and GregoryRobinson could compete for starting jobs onthe line.

The defense also has plenty of unknownswith only one starter apiece on the line, atlinebacker and in the secondary. And one ofthose, Neiko Thorpe, is moving from corner-back to safety, a position Auburn coaches feelsuits him better. Bell emerged as like theTigers’ best cover corner by last season’s end,starting in both the SEC championship andnational title games for the 108th-rated passdefense.

End Nosa Eguae returns on the defensiveline but both interior spots were vacated,including the quarterback-abusing Fairley.That’s where sophomores Kenneth Carterand Jeffrey Whitaker are hoping to go fromlittle-used backups to starters.

Daren Bates and five-game starter EltoroFreeman are back at linebacker, but vocalleader and leading tackler Josh Bynes is gone.

Kicker Wes Byrum, who made the game-winner in the national title game, and punterRyan Shoemaker are also gone.

The total picture explains the modest out-look most have for this team. Doesn’t meanthe Tigers won’t use it for motivation.

‘‘That’s kind of been the mentality atAuburn for the last couple years becauseevery year we come into it and we’re expect-ed to fail and not to get to where we want, sowe’ve embraced the role of playing with achip on our shoulder game-in, game-out,’’Lutzenkirchen said. ‘‘I think you saw a lot ofthat last year too. We didn’t really get credituntil we were 9-0.

‘‘We’re just going in there and we’re goingto try and prove everyone wrong.’’

Auburn hoping to overcome big roster losses

Associated Press

Auburn running back Michael Dyer runs drills during practice Aug. 5 in Auburn, Ala.

AUBURN UNIVERSITY44 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

By Kurt VoigtAP Sports Writer

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. —Arkansas linebackers coach ReggieJohnson had just teed off during apreseason golf outing when one ofhis playing partners offered up apotentially burdensome piece ofnews.

‘‘Coach, we’ve already reservedour hotel room in New Orleans andcan’t wait to see you there,’’ theRazorbacks fan said.

Such is life these days for thecoaches and players at Arkansas,where thoughts of a SoutheasternConference title and trips to the BigEasy for the BCS NationalChampionship game lean moretoward expected than hopeful.

The Razorbacks have come along way as coach Bobby Petrinoprepares for his fourth season. Aftersuffering through a 5-7 season inPetrino’s first season in 2008, theRazorbacks went 10-3 last seasonand reached their first BCS bowl

game.Thirteen true freshmen and

seven other redshirt freshmen tookthe field that first season. The 18 ofthose who remain are eager to captheir careers with an exclamationmark in the post-Ryan Mallett era.

‘‘That’s what is exciting for me isthat senior class,’’ Petrino said. ‘‘Themessage to them is ‘It’s your last go-around. You’ve done a lot for thisprogram ... You’re the guys whohave established our standards andhow we operate.’

‘‘Now let’s go finish it.’’Mallett left for the NFL following

last season after he helped guideArkansas to 18 wins in two seasonsand set the school record for mostpassing yards in school history.

Petrino has yet to name Mallett’ssuccessor at quarterback, thoughjunior Tyler Wilson is perceived tohave the edge over sophomoreBrandon Mitchell. Wilson threw for332 yards and 4 touchdowns inrelief of Mallett at Auburn last sea-son, and he was selected by his

teammates as one of six team cap-tains.

The starter will have an abun-dance of returning offensive talentat his disposal. That includes juniorKnile Davis, who led all SEC run-ning backs with 1,322 yards rushinglast season — averaging 147 yardsper game over the final sevengames of the season.

And he will also have expecta-tions hovering over every snap.Replacing Mallett isn’t easy, butWilson hasn’t shied away fromencouraging the high hopes forArkansas.

‘‘You’ve got to embrace andvocalize those expectations to anextent,’’ Wilson said. ‘‘Because ifyou don’t have any dreams or goals,then where do you aim? We’regoing to take those expectations andride them as far as we’ll go.’’

Senior Greg Childs is one of fourArkansas receivers named to thepreseason Biletnikoff Award watchlist, along with Joe Adams, CobiHamilton and Jarius Wright. Childs

was the team’s leading receiverwhen he suffered a season-endingknee injury midway through lastseason against Vanderbilt.

He thought about leaving for theNFL but decided to return becauseof his closeness with high schoolteammates Wright and tight endChris Gragg.

Many of those were a part of thefreshmen group that sufferedthrough Petrino’s first season,which included being outscored139-31 during a three-game stretchof losses to Alabama, Texas andFlorida.

Despite the success of last sea-son, Childs feels like theRazorbacks have unfinished busi-ness on the field.

‘‘We got beat down that first sea-son,’’ Childs said. ‘‘But from there tonow is a complete turnaround. You’llnever see one of those games againfor Arkansas.’’

Senior safety Tramain Thomaswas another of the 2008 freshmen,playing in all 12 games. Thomas

said he has ‘‘no doubts at all’’ thatArkansas can compete for both theSEC and national titles, even with-out Mallett.

Strong senior class lifts Arkansas’ goals

Associated Press

Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilsoncarries the ball during the secondquarter of a scrimmage inFayetteville, Ark., in April 2009.

By Brett MartelAP Sports Writer

BATON ROUGE, La. — The last twotimes the BCS national championship gamewas played in New Orleans, LSU won it.

The big game is coming back to the BigEasy this season, and LSU again is amongthe favorites to be there.

The Tigers are as stacked as they’vebeen since 2007, the last time they closedout a season with an 85-mile trip to theirhome away from home, the LouisianaSuperdome, to claim the BCS’s covetedcrystal football.

They have 15 starters back from a squadthat went 11-2 last season, along withyoung but proven players like cornerbackTryann Mathieu and running back SpencerWare, who did not start in 2010 but madebig plays when given the chance.

They’ve reported for fall camp supreme-ly confident, not shying away from talk oflofty expectations.

‘‘It’s just having that championshipswagger,’’ said Mathieu, a versatile defen-sive back who is expected to start at cor-nerback and move to nickel back in passing

situations. ‘‘Last year was a disappointingseason for us. We finished 11-2 and we fin-ished in the Top 10, but we pride ourselveson being a champion.’’

Should the Tigers realize their ambi-tions, they’ll have done so after an offsea-son with its share of distractions.

In July, LSU was placed on one year’sprobation after the NCAA cited a formerassistant coach for unethical conduct.

LSU also announced that it was cooper-ating with another NCAA probe involvingseveral schools that did business with ascouting service owned by Willie Lyles.The NCAA is concerned Lyles may havesought payment in exchange for influenc-ing recruits’ decisions about where to play,but LSU officials have said they only paidLyles for permitted video clips.

This month, as players reported for fallcamp, they learned that Steve Kragthorpe,hired last January as LSU’s new offensivecoordinator and quarterbacks coach, hadbeen diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.Kragthorpe gave up coordinator duties, butis remaining as quarterbacks coach.

Head coach Les Miles promoted offen-sive line coach Greg Studrawa to offensivecoordinator. Studrawa, a former BowlingGreen offensive coordinator who enters hisfifth season at LSU, believes he is ready forthe job. He also suggests there are certainadvantages to having plays called by thecoach who knows the offensive linemenbest.

‘‘The first thing I want to know when wecall a play is how we’re going to block it,’’said Studrawa, adding that creative ideasabout skill positions amount to little if pro-tection collapses.

That should not be a problem for theTigers, whose offensive line is an experi-enced group with four starters back and 6-foot-6, 325-pound sophomore Chris Faulkexpected to take over at left tackle.

Miles and Studrawa are confident they’llhave the push up front to allow LSU to con-trol the ball and wear down foes with a pun-ishing running game featuring Ware,Michael Ford and Alfred Blue.

At the same time, Studrawa pledgedhe’ll be aggressive about taking shotsdownfield to receivers Rueben Randle,Russell Shepard and possibly some stand-out freshmen like Odell Beckham andJarvis Landry.

The success of the passing game willhinge on whether senior Jordan Jeffersonhas improved as much as Miles claims.LSU ranked last in the SoutheasternConference in passing last season with155.6 yards per game, but Jefferson also isan effective runner.

LSU envisions another BCS title in the Big Easy

Associated Press

LSU defensive backs Tyrann Mathieu (7),Morris Claiborne (17), Ron Brooks (13), andTharold Simon (24) pose for photographersduring media day in Baton Rouge, La.

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE WEST DIVISION 45THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

By Mark LongAP Sports Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — John Brantleynever really fit in Florida’s spread offense.

He seemed fine sitting on the benchbehind Tim Tebow. But when it was histurn, little went right. Brantley struggled toread defenses, missed open receivers andoften held the ball too long.

Things were so bad that Brantley, a life-long Gators fan whose father and uncleplayed in Gainesville, considered followingcoach Urban Meyer out the door.

He eventually chose to stick aroundunder first-year head coach Will Muschamp,swayed by the hiring of offensive coordina-tor Charlie Weis.

His decision and his ability to transitionto Weis’ pro-style offense could be keys asFlorida tries to survive a tough schedule andcompete in the Southeastern Conference.The Gators open the season Sept. 3 againstFlorida Atlantic. They also face Alabama,LSU, South Carolina and Florida State.

For Florida to have success, they needmore Brantley. Teammates insist they’vealready seen improvement.

‘‘Big difference,’’ receiver DeonteThompson said. ‘‘He came in confident. He’staking control of the huddle. He walksaround different. His whole swagger’s backright now. We expect big things from him.’’

The Gators expected big things fromBrantley last year, too.

He completed 61 percent of his passes for2,061 yards, with nine touchdowns and 10interceptions. He became the first player tolead Florida in passing and throw moreINTs than TDs since Kyle Morris in 1988.

That dubious distinction is far from whatanyone expected from one of the country’sprized recruits in 2007. Brantley watchedand learned from Tebow for three seasons,and some expected Florida’s offense to runas smoothly with Brantley under center. Itwasn’t even close.

It didn’t help that the Gators wereplagued by bad snaps, dropped passes,turnovers, sacks, missed field goals andpoor execution in the red zone. All theissues resulted in some of the program’sworst offensive performances in more thantwo decades.

Brantley received the brunt of the blame.Meyer, who quit shortly after the season,

tried to spark the floundering offense byexperimenting with tight end Jordan Reedand versatile Trey Burton at quarterback.Neither proved to be a long-term solution.

‘‘I definitely learned last year that when

things aren’t going right or when things arejust going wrong, you need to forget about itand just move on,’’ Brantley said. ‘‘You haveto keep your head up and keep pushing for-ward. If your head is down, other people’sheads are going to go down.

‘‘You have to keep moving. Bad thingsaren’t unavoidable. They’ve going to happen,even if you’re the No. 1 team in the country.A play or two is not always going to be per-fect. You just have to forget about it andmove on.’’

Muschamp, the former head coach-in-waiting at Texas, said Brantley is the clear-cut starter ahead of freshmen Tyler Murphy,Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett heading intothe Sept. 3 season opener against FloridaAtlantic.

Muschamp said Weis’ history of develop-ing quarterbacks — Tom Brady, BradyQuinn, Jimmy Clausen and Matt Cassel areon his resume — should benefit Brantley.

‘‘He’s got great confidence in John. Thatshould give John great confidence,’’Muschamp said. ‘‘Here’s Charlie Weis, who’scoached some of the best quarterbacks thatmaybe have ever played the game. ... Thatought to give him great confidence as aquarterback, and I think it does.’’

Even though Brantley is a senior and anintegral part of the offense, the Gators don’tplan to lean on him in 2011. Muschampwants a stout running game, with under-sized backs Jeff Demps and Chris Raineycarrying the load, and hopes to get chunksof yards through play-action passes.

It could be a good fit for Brantley. At leasta better fit than the spread.

‘‘Coming off last year, (Brantley’s) defi-nitely more confident,’’ receiver FrankieHammond Jr. said. ‘‘He looks more settled.Things should turn around and it should getbetter.’’

Brantley’s developmentkey for Florida in 2011

By Paul NewberryAP College Football Writer

ATHENS, Ga. — All around, the GeorgiaBulldogs are surrounded by rivals baskingin championship glory.

Florida won a national title, followed byLSU. The Gators took another turn at No. 1.Alabama was next in line. And, finally, it wasAuburn hoisting the biggest trophy of alllast season.

Even South Carolina, long aSoutheastern Conference patsy, rose toprominence under coach Steve Spurrier. Heled the Gamecocks to the SEC East crown ayear ago, and they’re favored to win it againthis season.

As for Georgia, it’s been a slow, steadyslide to irrelevance.

If that doesn’t change — probably assoon as this season — the Bulldogs couldbe looking for a new coach. Mark Richt isfeeling the heat, and his players know it, too.How could they not? All they have to do iswatch TV, flip on the radio or check out theInternet.

‘‘It’s extreme motivation to hear peoplesaying coach Richt might be on the hotseat,’’ defensive end Abry Jones said.

Richt was the toast of the red-and-blackworld when he led Georgia — which hadnot won an SEC title since 1982 — to a pairof conference championships in his first fiveyears on the job.

The program still appeared on the righttrack as late as 2007. A strong finish andSugar Bowl romp left the Bulldogs at No. 2in the final rankings, setting up nicely for arun at the top spot with a team led by futurefirst-round draft picks Matthew Stafford andKnowshon Moreno.

Instead, Georgia has gone the wrong way. Richt’s teams are barely above .500 in the

SEC (13-11) over the last three seasons, andthis group is trying to bounce back from a 6-7 debacle — the school’s first losing yearsince 1996.

While a highly rated recruiting classeased some of the pressure on Richt, hisfuture will come down to how many gameshe wins. The players are rallying aroundhim, trying to use the criticism as motiva-tion.

‘‘I love my coach. I love this team. I lovethis university,’’ receiver Tavarres King said.‘‘Any time someone is criticizing them, I feellike they’re criticizing me. I take things per-sonal. So, definitely, it’s in my ear. I wannago get it.’’

With Auburn losing Heisman Trophy

winner Cam Newton and Florida breaking ina new coach, there’s certainly an opening fora team such as Georgia to claw its way intothe championship mix.

Richt shrugs off any speculation abouthis future and insists that he’s optimisticabout turning things around.

‘‘Everything is geared toward this sea-son, the excitement of it and the fact that wehave a chance to have a great year,’’ he said.‘‘I’m really as optimistic as any year sinceI’ve been at Georgia.’’

The Bulldogs should get a pretty goodindication of their chances in the first twoweeks of the season.

They open against Boise State in theChick-fil-A kickoff game at Atlanta, onlyabout an hour from campus and essentiallya home game. Then, in the actual homeopener, Georgia hosts South Carolina toestablish an early balance of power in theSEC East.

‘‘If we win that, we’re in the driver’s seat,’’senior center Ben Jones said. ‘‘If we lose,we’re at the bottom.’’

Georgia will have to carry on without itsbest player. A.J. Green left a year early forthe NFL, leaving a huge hole in the offense.

The Bulldogs don’t have one receiver tofill the void, but they’re counting on a groupeffort with King, Marlon Brown and a hostof others.

‘‘What’s his name again?’’ King quipped,when asked about Green.

With No. 8 now playing in the NFL, thisteam firmly belongs to sophomore quarter-back Aaron Murray, who is coming off astellar season that showed both his potentialand his toughness.

Hardly looking like a redshirt freshman,he completed more than 61 percent of hispasses for 3,049 yards, with 24 touchdownsand just eight interceptions.

Georgia looks to rallyaround embattled coach

Associated Press

Florida quarterback John Brantley standson the sideline near the end of Florida's 31-6 loss to Alabama last Oct. 2.

Associated Press

Georiga coach Mark Richt looks on duringpractice Aug. 4 in Athens, Ga.

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE EAST DIVISION46 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

from wire reports

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky footballcoach Joker Phillips has spent the off-seasonpicking up pieces on offense and defense.

The second-year head coach had toreplace a lot of offensive production:Quarterback Mike Hartline, running backDerrick Locke and wide receiver ChrisMatthews all graduated, and junior widereceiver Randall Cobb left for the NFL Draft.

In all, the Wildcats had to replace all 26touchdown passes, 19 of 26 rushing touch-downs and 18 of 26 touchdown catches.

The Wildcats’ top 11 tacklers from 2010return, including senior linebacker DannyTrevathan, who led the SoutheasternConference with 144 tackles last season. Butnew co-defensive coordinator Rick Minterhas taught the team an entirely new defenseafter a 6-7 season, which included a 27-10loss to Pittsburgh in the BBVA CompassBowl.

Minter was hired in December 2010, justa few weeks before the school-record fifth-straight bowl appearance. He waited untilafter the loss and into spring practice to startinstalling his new schemes, which call for anumber of different formations.

Several veterans even changed positions:senior Winston Guy, second on the teamwith 106 tackles in 2010, shifted from safetyto a hybrid safety-linebacker; juniorMartavius Neloms switched from corner-back to safety; and junior linebacker RidgeWilson switched to a hybrid linebacker-defensive end.

Phillips wanted Minter to overhaul thedefense, which finished 10th in theSoutheastern Conference in scoring defenselast year.

‘‘All (Minter) talks about is turnovers andminus-yardage plays and those things, andthose are the things that we were looking forwhen we went out and got Rick,’’ Phillipssaid. ‘‘For us to be successful ... you’ve got toplay dominant defense. Not good, not greatdefense, you’ve got to play dominantdefense. That’s the mindset that Rick hasbrought to this football team.’’

Another important element for Phillips isnew starting quarterback Morgan Newton, a6-4, 220-pound junior from Carmel, Ind.Newton earned eight starts as a true fresh-man in 2009 when Hartline suffered a kneeinjury, and he won five of those games. Buthe struggled in the BBVA Compass Bowlduring Hartline’s suspension.

Newton said he could have been moreprepared for his only start as a sophomore.So he spent the offseason studying the play-book, learning the nuances of the offenseand working toward understanding his pro-tections with the offensive line.

‘‘I remember coming in to my first camptwo years ago and basically not knowing any-thing, and then playing and still not reallyknowing a whole lot,’’ Newton said. ‘‘To beable to open that playbook and to talk withmy teammates and know what’s going on,that’s pretty refreshing. I feel confident aboutwhat’s going on.’’

Having such an experienced offensiveline will help Newton tremendously, he said.Four starters return from the line that wassecond in the SEC last season with just 19sacks surrendered. The line not only willhelp Newton, Phillips said it also will espe-cially help his young running backs and widereceivers as they adapt to expanded roles.

Phillips said a number of true freshmencould get a lot of playing time, especially atwide receiver.

Relying on such youth can be dangerous.But Phillips is comfortable with the improve-ments on offense, defense and on his staff.

‘‘We got some of our question marks

answered in the spring. Everybody has ques-tions in the spring and maybe we had a fewmore,’’ Phillips said. ‘‘We’ll get some moreanswered here in fall camp and we’ll beready to go to battle with whoever lines up infront of us.’’

Kentucky readies for season after overhaul work

Associated Press

Junior quarterback Morgan Newton walkswith quarterback coach and offensivecoordinator Randy Sanders duringKentucky media day at CommonwealthStadium in Lexington, Ky., on Aug. 5.

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE EAST DIVISION 47THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

By Pete IacobelliAP Sports Writer

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Steve Spurrier haswaited a long time to feel this good aboutSouth Carolina.

Spurrier, starting his seventh season, saidthis will be his strongest team yet with theGamecocks, a versatile, speedy group thatcan score when they need to and stop othersfrom answering back. And maybe just bringhim what he’s wanted since his return inNovember 2004 — a SoutheasternConference championship.

‘‘The team we’ve assembled, hopefully, isone of our best teams ever,’’ Spurrier said.‘‘Time will tell.’’

Spurrier has tempered his praise of histeam through the years, knowing he hadn’tyet gotten together the necessary pieces toreally compete for the top. These days,though, he can’t help his confidence.

The Gamecocks offense features a pair offrontline playmakers in tailback MarcusLattimore and receiver Alshon Jeffery. Bothhelped the Gamecocks win the SEC East andplay in their first league championship game.

Lattimore ran through much of the

league’s top defenses, had gained 93 yardsand two scores in South Carolina’s upset ofNo. 1 Alabama, and 212 yards and threescores in the division clinching win atFlorida, a place the Gamecocks had neverwon before.

Jeffery set single season records last yearwith 88 catches for 1,517 yards. Jeffery is sotalented, Spurrier says, he tells quarterbacksto just throw the ball up somewhere high in

Jefferry’s direction ‘‘and he’s going to get it.’’ Quarterback could be a strength or a lia-

bility, depending on your view of starterStephen Garcia. He’s a second-team presea-son all-SEC pick and the leader amongreturning league quarterbacks with 3,059yards. He has started the last 28 games andhas shown toughness and skill.

But he’s been suspended five times bySpurrier, including two this spring. Spurriersaid Garcia’s shown better and commitmentand leadership since his latest flare-up inApril.

If he’s as productive as last season, Garciacould leave as South Carolina’s all-time leaderin passing yardage.

Another difference is the inclusion of lastyear’s top high-school prospect in defensiveend Jadeveon Clowney, who picked theGamecocks over Alabama and Clemson lastValentine’s Day. Clowney is considered aonce-a-decade talent, a 6-foot-6 dynamo whocombines speed and strength.

More than 2,000 or so fans turned out forSouth Carolina’s first practice last week,oohing over just about anything Clowney did.‘‘I’d never seen that many people for a prac-tice,’’ Clowney said in amazement.

Clowney may gain headlines but he’s onlya part of what should be a solid, run-stoppingline. Junior defensive end Devin Taylor had 71/2 sacks last season while tackle TravianRobertson will benefit from the attentiongiven Clowney gets on the end.

If South Carolina had a weakness, it wasagainst the pass. The Gamecocks were 10thin the SEC, giving up nearly 242 yards agame through the air. Cornerback StephonGilmore said the defensive staff have simpli-fied the schemes to tighten up in the second-ary. Gilmore said the defensive backs havealso put in the work to improve and not getbeaten over the top so often this season. ‘‘Wedon’t want that to happen again,’’ he said.

The most difficult thing for South Carolinamight be handling the lofty expectations.Spurrier has talked to them about playingwithin themselves, yet he says the team hasworked hard the past few years to bring inplayers who welcome the attention and striveto achieve great things.

Gilmore, Jeffery, Lattimore and Clowneywere all prep standouts in South Carolinawhose goals were to be the best, Spurriersaid. Now, it’s up to them to carry that atti-tude to the Gamecocks.

Spurrier finally feels good about Gamecocks

Associated Press

South Carolina defensive end JadeveonClowney goes through a drill duringpractice Aug. 3 in Columbia, S.C.

By Beth RuckerAP Sports Writer

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — There’s one veryobvious thing about the 2011 TennesseeVolunteers: They’re extremely young.

‘‘We know we’re young. We know wearen’t going to use that as an excuse for fail-ure,’’ coach Derek Dooley said. ‘‘We havesome guys who flashed a lot of good thingslast year but nobody really who played 12games consistently in a championship way.So it’s time to quit talking, get on the fieldand see what we can develop here the nextfew weeks before kickoff.’’

Tennessee has been plagued the past fewseasons by player attrition from back-to-backcoaching transitions, and the Vols have hadtheir fair share of injuries too. That’s leftthem with just 26 upperclassmen on scholar-ship, compared to 27 sophomores and 26freshmen.

Still, there’s a lot of talent and potentialamong the Vols’ youngest players.

‘‘I think we’re going to need them at justabout every position; if not from a starter,from a role guy, from a spell guy and from aguy who can go out there and push the guyahead of them to be better,’’ Dooley said. ‘‘It’shard to say you’re not going to need them insome capacity.’’

Tennessee will need them to play well fair-ly early in the season, too, if it wants to avoida predicted fourth-place finish in theSoutheastern Conference’s East Division.After hosting Montana and Cincinnati, theVols begin a six-game run that includes a tripto Florida, home games against Georgia,LSU and South Carolina and a trip toAlabama. Tennessee also travels to Arkansasin November.

The Vols finished the 2010 season 6-7 inDooley’s first year with the team, nearly scor-ing a major upset over LSU and a win in theMusic City Bowl against North Carolina.They showed several flashes of potential buteven more silly, youthful mistakes.

The returning players spent the offseasontraining with new strength and conditioningcoach Ron McKeefery, working on theirskills with one another and studying film andthe playbook. Dooley said the returning Volscame back bigger, stronger and faster andappeared to retain a lot of knowledge ofTennessee’s schemes. Now he’s waiting tosee if that will translate into improved play.

A few young players were thrust intomajor roles last season. Chief among them issophomore quarterback Tyler Bray, whostarted the final five games of the 2010 sea-

son and led Tennessee to victory in four ofthose games.

Despite playing a limited number of snapslast season, Bray set team freshmen recordsby passing for 1,849 yards and 18 touch-downs. The tall yet gangly Bray lost his go-totargets in Gerald Jones, Denarius Moore andLuke Stocker but dedicated his summer topacking on some more muscle, memorizingthe Vols’ offense and finding rhythm withwide receivers Da’Rick Rogers and JustinHunter and center James Stone, all fellowsophomores.

The offensive line is stacked with sopho-mores, but Tennessee got a combined 31starts out of those players last season. Theline struggled at times last year but still man-aged to pave the way for running backTauren Poole to gain 1,034 yards.

Poole returns as a senior and one of theVols’ few elder statesmen, and the line haspromised him a 2,000-yard season this year.

On the defensive side, Tennessee willstart the season with just one returningstarter in the front seven, senior defensivetackle Malik Jackson. The Vols lost returningstarting linebacker Herman Lathers at leastfor part of the season when the junior brokehis ankle in June.

Jackson, who finished 2010 with 48 tack-les, 11 tackles for loss and five sacks, willmiss part of fall camp with a sprained rightknee but is expected to return before theVols open Sept. 3.

Dooley expects more outof young Volunteers

Franklin’s confidencerubbing off on VandyBy Teresa M. WalkerAP Sports Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — James Franklin isyoung and exuberant, and his confidence isrubbing off on the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Franklin is their third coach in as manyyears, and at 39, he’s younger than what theCommodores have been used to in recentyears with first Bobby Johnson, then RobbieCaldwell last season. That age difference ishelping Franklin connect with theCommodores as he pitches his plan to turnthe Southeastern Conference’s worst teaminto winners.

Senior linebacker Chris Marve saidFranklin has great enthusiasm.

‘‘It’s just something about him you cantrust him. From day one when I met him, hehad my respect and he had my trust. ... Hecan relate to us at different levels as well asget in our face when we need it,’’ Marvesaid. ‘‘He has all the intangibles as a headcoach.’’

The SEC’s only private school has onebowl victory since 1955 and only one win-ning record since 1982, and theCommodores had to win the 2008 MusicCity Bowl to do that. It’s been a dauntingchallenge, and Franklin now is in charge ofprogram that hasn’t had consecutive win-ning seasons since 1974-75 under SteveSloan, then Fred Pancoast.

‘‘We know what we’ve signed up for,’’Franklin said. ‘‘We know this is a challenge,a tremendous challenge. We also look at thisas an unbelievable challenge.’’

Franklin started off by achieving recruit-ing successes unseen at Vanderbilt in thefirst few weeks, and he’s kept up the workon the trail landing enough verbal commit-ments this summer to set tongues waggingand message boards burning. He put theCommodores to work with strength coachDwight Galt, and they kept it up during thesummer.

The new coach said he sees a strongerand faster team. He needs it with Vanderbiltcoming off consecutive 2-10 seasons that leftplayers bruised and mentally battered.

‘‘We’re ready to turn it around,’’ quarter-back Jordan Rodgers said. ‘‘We’re ready towin games. Anybody that comes in, has con-fidence, enthusiasm and charisma thatcoach Franklin has, it rubs off, and it makesus more confident.’’

Franklin has 21 starters back from lastseason, though he’s promised all jobs areopen to promote competition. All 11 areback on offense where quarterback will be

the most-watched fight. Rodgers is healthyafter shoulder surgery late last year, LarrySmith has been the starter the past two sea-sons and Lafonte Thourogood is one ofthree freshmen ready to push for the job.

Smith isn’t willing to cede the job either.But the Commodores have so much roomfor improvement after ranking 110th in FBSin total offense and 112th in scoring offenseaveraging 16.9 points per game.

Franklin isn’t disclosing exactly whatoffense Vandy will run except to say theCommodores will be multiple and able torun or pass when needed. Running will behelped by a healthy Warren Norman, the2009 SEC freshman of the year, missed thelast four games with an injured hand, andZac Stacy missed the last three games withhis own injury.

On defense, Marve also is healthy afterplaying through injuries last season, andsenior cornerback Casey Heyward led theSEC in 2010 with 17 passes deflected.

Vanderbilt opens against Elon on Sept. 3before hosting Connecticut and Mississippi.Franklin, a former assistant head coach atMaryland, will get a taste of the SEC withvisits to South Carolina and Alabama whileGeorgia and Arkansas come to Nashville.

The coach has been busy selling the pro-gram, urging fans to show up early and staylate decked out in black and gold. Marvebelieves they will give them plenty to cheerwith another bowl berth.

Associated Press

Vanderbilt coach James Franklin directs hisplayers during practice Aug. 5 in Nashville,Tenn. Franklin has 19 starters, including all11 on offense, from a team that went 2-10in 2010.

Associated Press

Tennessee tailback Tauren Poole runs theball during practice at Haslam Field inKnoxville, Tenn., on Aug. 6.

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE EAST DIVISION48 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

By Joedy McCrearyAP Sports Writer

PINEHURST, N.C. — The AtlanticCoast Conference’s reputation hastaken plenty of hits in recent years.

Jimbo Fisher figures it’s time tochange that, and he hopes his FloridaState team is the one to lead the way.

From the moment the Seminolesstepped into the ACC 20 years ago,they were the league’s clear gold stan-dard.

After yielding that title to VirginiaTech for a while, they seem ready toreclaim it.

‘‘I think it’s important to every con-ference to have somebody in that(national championship) game or inthat limelight, that atmosphere, youknow?’’ Fisher said. ‘‘But you have toearn it. You have to get there. Wehaven’t here recently. Everything goesin strides. Go back in the (1990s), theSEC won a few but they weren’t in it.Florida State was in it. Miami. It allgoes in cycles and comes around.’’

And now, it seems the Seminoleshave cycled back to being on top.

The media that cover the ACC havemade Florida State the favorite to winits first league title since 2005 — theyear the conference expanded to 12teams. Since then, the Seminoles hadthree 7-6 finishes during BobbyBowden’s final four seasons (2006-09) .

In Fisher’s first season as the headcoach they finished 10-4 — with two

losses coming by a total six points —and won the Atlantic Division and theChick-fil-A Bowl. And with the nucleusof that team returning, they haveobservers thinking that maybe thoseold, swaggering Seminoles are back.

Even if these Seminoles won’t comeout and say it.

‘‘I’m not going to say we’re back oranything like that, because that wouldbe taking respect away from thoseteams that were what Florida State isnow,’’ quarterback E.J. Manuel said.‘‘That’s what we’re working toward.Hopefully we can get to that point andjust continue to win games.’’

That certainly can’t hurt the percep-tion of the ACC, which took plenty ofhits when bellwether programs FloridaState and Miami were sagging. Whenthey struggle, the ACC seems weak,too.

Now the across-the-league hope isthat when upsets inevitably happen,that’s because the underdogs areimproved — and not because thefavorites are overrated.

‘‘Sometimes, you had teams thatweren’t as good as other teams,’’Manuel said. ‘‘But now, in this day andage, athletes are good everywhere. Itdoesn’t matter whether you go to ourschool, Duke, wherever. It’s still goingto have a good program, and you can’tgo into a game thinking you’re goingto blow out somebody. You have to goin there and make plays, and actuallydo it yourself, not just in your mind.’’

Improved FSU could boost ACC’s reputation

Associated

Press

FloridaState’s E.J.Manualwarms upduringpracticeAug. 8 inTallahassee,Fla.

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE 49THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

FLORIDA STATE Key players: QB E.J. Manuel, WR Bert Reed, T Andrew

Datko; DE Brandon Jenkins. Returningstarters: 7 offense, 8 defense.

Notes: The Seminoles are looking formuch bigger things than just their 35thstraight winning season. Key test comes inWeek 3 against Oklahoma. ... Florida State’s total of 17 return-ing starters doesn’t include Manuel, whose six career startscame when NFL first-round pick Christian Ponder was injured.

CLEMSON Key players: RB Andre Ellington, C Dalton Freeman; DT

Brandon Thompson. Returning starters: 8offense, 5 defense.

Notes: All eyes will be on sophomore QBTajh Boyd, who replaces Kyle Parker afterParker gave up football for a pro baseballcareer. ... Tigers lost six defensive starters who combined tomake 171 starts, including All-America DE Da’Quan Bowers. ...Ellington and RB Jamie Harper give Clemson a solid 1-2 punchin the backfield.

NORTH CAROLINA STATE Key players: QB Mike Glennon, TE George Bryan; LB Audie

Cole, DT J.R. Sweezy. Returning starters: 6offense, 8 defense.

Notes: Glennon, a promising pocketpasser, takes over after three-year starterRussell Wilson was released and transferredto Wisconsin. ... Wolfpack have a special teams weapon in T.J.Graham, who has returned three kicks for TDs and is 522yards shy of the ACC’s career kickoff return yardage record.

BOSTON COLLEGE Key players: RB Montel Harris, TE Chris Pantale; LB Luke

Kuechly. Returning starters: 7 offense, 7defense.

Notes: Kuechly led the nation with 14tackles per game last season. ... Harris wastops in the ACC in rushing and is 1,002yards shy of the ACC career rushing record. ... Eagles chasingtheir 13th straight bowl berth.

MARYLAND Key players: QB Danny O’Brien, WR Tony Logan; LB Kenny

Tate. Returning starters: 5 offense, 7defense.

Notes: New coach Randy Edsall enterswith serious questions at the skill positions.He must replace WR Torrey Smith and RBDa’Rel Scott. ... Logan returned 31 punts for 560 yards lastseason. ... Former Division I head coaches Gary Crowton (BYU)and Greg Gattuso (Duquesne) are on Edsall’s staff.

WAKE FOREST Key players: QB Tanner Price, RB Josh Harris; DE Kyle

Wilber. Returning starters: 7 offense, 9defense.

Notes: Demon Deacons return four sen-ior starters on offensive line. ... Wake Forestplays nine bowl teams from 2010, includingSyracuse and Notre Dame. ... Price started nine games as afreshman, a rarity at a school that prefers to redshirt all incom-ing players.

ATLANTIC DIVISIONVIRGINIA TECH

Key players: WRs Jarrett Boykin and Danny Coale, RB DavidWilson; CB Jayron Hosley, S Eddie Whitley.Returning starters: 6 offense, 6 defense.

Notes: Hokies are ACC's only recognizedchampion from 2007-10 after Georgia Techvacated its 2009 league title. ... Virginia Techfaces a more manageable nonconference schedule (AppalachianState, East Carolina, Arkansas State, Marshall) than in recentyears. ... Hokies must replace QB Tyrod Taylor and RBs DarrenEvans and Ryan Williams.All eyes will be on QB Logan Thomas.

MIAMI Key players: WR Travis Benjamin; LB Sean Spence, S Ray-Ray

Armstrong. Returning starters: 6 offense, 7defense.

Notes: New coach Al Golden must settleon a quarterback — Jacory Harris or StephenMorris — after Hurricanes threw 27 intercep-tions last season. ... Nine opponents played in bowl games lastseason, including Ohio State, Kansas State and South Florida. ...Spence, on whether the Hurricanes have underachieved: "Wehave a whole bunch of talent, as you can see. ... To be 7-6, it justdoesn't add up.We know that."

NORTH CAROLINA Key players: RB Ryan Houston, QB Bryn Renner; DT Quinton

Coples, CB Charles Brown. Returning starters:6 offense, 6 defense.

Notes: League's biggest question mark ishow Tar Heels will respond to late July firing ofcoach Butch Davis. ... Defensive coordinatorEverett Withers steps in as the interim replacement. ... Houston,who elected to redshirt last season, had surgery to repair a bro-ken shoulder blade suffered in the spring game.

GEORGIA TECH Key players: RB Roddy Jones; DT Logan Walls, LB Steven

Sylvester. Returning starters: 6 offense, 5defense.

Notes: QBs Tevin Washington and SynjynDays are competing to replace three-yearstarter Joshua Nesbitt. ... Yellow Jackets weremade to vacate their 2009 ACC championship and OrangeBowl appearance following an NCAA investigation. ... Jones hasaveraged 7.46 yards per carry for his career.

VIRGINIA Key players: WR Kris Burd, OG Austin Pasztor; DT Matt

Conrath, CB Chase Minnifield. Returningstarters: 8 offense, 9 defense.

Notes: Cavaliers lead the ACC with 19returning starters. ... Minnifield's 10 careerinterceptions lead all active players. ... CoachMike London must settle on a replacement for QB Marc Verica.

DUKE Key players: QB Sean Renfree, WRs Connor Vernon and

Donovan Varner; S Matt Daniels. Returningstarters: 7 offense, 8 defense.

Notes: Blue Devils welcome back theleague's top returning passer (Renfree), toptwo receivers (Vernon, Varner) and top kicker(Will Snyderwine). ... Duke hopes its 4-2-5 scheme will showimprovement after it was the league's worst defense in 2010.

COASTAL DIVISION

By Ralph D. RussoAP College Football Writer

After a lackluster season in the Big East that fin-ished with none of its teams ranked in the Top 25, theconference that’s forever fighting for national respectis about to get a lot more entertaining.

Maybe not better, but definitely more entertaining.There are three new coaches in the conference

this season and two of them — West Virginia’s DanaHolgorsen and Pittsburgh’s Todd Graham — bringreputations for producing high-scoring and fast mov-ing offenses.

Holgorsen was hired after last season to be offen-sive coordinator and head-coach-in-waiting behindBill Stewart. He didn’t have to wait long. Stewart wasforced out in June. Now Holgorsen, who coachedunder Mike Leach at Texas Tech and last seasondirected the third-ranked offense in the nation asOklahoma State’s coordinator, is a head coach for thefirst time.

Big things are expected of West Virginia’s GenoSmith, the top-rated passer in the Big East last sea-son, playing in Holgorsen’s spread offense.

‘‘I knew about his resume. The quarterbacks he’shad and the numbers he’s put up,’’ Smith said. ‘‘The

offense has been proven, it’s been putting up num-bers. I think I give it a different dynamic because I’mable to do more things. I’m athletic. I can run arounda little bit, extend plays. And I can make throws.’’

The other half of the Backyard Brawl rivalry willalso have a new-look offense.

Graham was hired after Pitt’s first pick to replaceDave Wannstedt, Mike Haywood, was fired afterbeing charged with domestic violence in Indiana.

Graham is a defensive coach by pedigree, but he’sa proponent of the type of up-tempo, spread offensesthat teams such as Oregon and Auburn use. In fact,Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn workedfor Graham at Tulsa.

Graham had the Panthers moving at a whole newgear during the spring.

‘‘We weren’t even halfway through practice andpeople, their legs were dead already,’’ safety JaredHolley said. ‘‘I think it’s exciting. You hear aboutOregon and their offense and how fast they run playsand wonder what that’s like.

‘‘It’s a bit of a challenge. I think we really boughtinto it.’’

The other coaching change comes with far lessfanfare. Defending champion Connecticut hired long-time Syracuse coach Paul Pasqualoni to replaceRandy Edsall, who left for Maryland.

Big East gets offensive — in a good way

Associated Press

West Virginia head football coach Dana Holgorsen, right, instructs quarterback Paul Millard during practice inMorgantown, W.Va. on Aug. 5.

BIG EAST CONFERENCE50 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

WEST VIRGINIAKey players: QB Geno Smith; WR Tavon

Austin; CB Keith Tandy.Returning starters: 9offense, 4 defense.

Notes: Holgorsendoesn’t have anything todo with the defense, so keeping highlyregarded coordinator Jeff Casteel on staffwas key. ... West Virginia was second inthe nation in sacks last season and No. 3in scoring and total defense. ... With NoelDevine gone, Mountaineers are looking fora new go-to back. Maybe freshmanVernard Roberts?

CINCINNATI Key players: QB Zach Collaros, LB JK

Schaffer, RB IsaishPead. Returning starters:5 offense, 11 defense.

Notes: The No. 1goal of Year 2 undercoach Butch Jones for the Bearcats: fewermistakes. Cincinnati was the only team inthe Big East to average more than 400yards per game in offense, but theBearcats were last in the Big East with aminus 15 turnover margin. ... They alsohad the second most penalty yards pergame. ... Will play two home games atPaul Brown Stadium, home of the NFL’sBengals.

SOUTH FLORIDA Key players: QB B.J. Daniels, LB DeDe

Lattimore; DE RyneGiddins. Returningstarters: 3 offense, 6defense.

Notes: RememberRB Darrell Scott? He was one of the mostheralded recruits in the country in 2008?He washed out in two years at Coloradoand transferred to USF. After sitting outlast year, he gets a chance to shed thebust label this season. ... Bulls open atNotre Dame, where Skip Holtz graduatedfrom in 1986 and was once an assistantfor his father, Lou.

PITTSBURGH Key players: QB Tino Sunseri; DE

Brandon Lindsey; SJared Holley. Returningstarters 6 offense, 8defense.

Notes: Panthersneed to improve their efficiency in the redzone. They scored only 26 touchdowns in51 trips inside the opponents 20 lastseason. That’s too many field goals. ... Thenonconference schedule has a trip toIowa (Sept. 17) and home games againstNotre Dame (Sept. 24) and Utah (Oct.15).

CONNECTICUT Key players: DT Kendall Reyes, OT Mike

Ryan, CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson. Returning starters:7 offense, 9 defense.

Notes: PaulPasqualoni is the othernew coach in the Big East, new to his currentschool, that is. Pasqualoni spent 14 yearswith Syracuse, winning 64 percent of hisgames. He was not, however, a popularchoice among UConn fans to replace RandyEdsall. ... USC transfer D.J. Shoemate couldhelp make up for the loss of Jordan Todman.

RUTGERS Key players: QB Chas Dodd; DE Manny

Abreu; WR MohamedSanu. Returning starters:10 offense, 5 defense.

Notes: Greg Schianois entering his 11th sea-son as Rutgers coach. No other Big Eastcoach has been in the league more thantwo years ... The Scarlet Knights lost theirlast six games and allowed 144 points inthe final three, bringing back memories ofthe days when Rutgers was just about theworst program in college football. This turn-around shouldn’t be anywhere near astough for Schiano.

SYRACUSE Key players: QB Ryan Nassib, DE

Chandler Jones, RBAntwon Bailey. Returningstarters: 7 offense, 5defense.

Notes: Coach DougMarrone’s rebuilding job at his almamater kick into high gear last year. TheOrange had a winning record and won abowl for the first time since 2001. ...Defensive gains have made the biggestdifference. Orange have gone from 114thto 37th to seventh in nation total defensethe last three years, though it looks as if itwill be difficult to avoid taking a stepback after losing several key players.

LOUISVILLE Key players: S Hakeem Smith, RB Victor

Anderson, DE B.J. Butler.Returning starters: 4offense, 7 defense.

Notes: If coachCharlie Strong can con-tinue the progress in his second seasonthat he made in his first, an inexperiencedquarterback will have to blossom. WillStein, who made two starts in 2009, is thefront-runner, but freshman TeddyBridgewater has a chance to play soon. ...Louisville allowed only 17 sacks last sea-son, but has only one returning starter onthe line.

By Ralph D. RussoAP College Football Writer

CHICAGO — The first Big Ten football championship game will be played inDecember at the home of the Indianapolis Colts.

If neither Ohio State nor Michigan is playing at Lucas Oil Stadium that day,no one will be particularly surprised. The teams that have combined to win 77Big Ten titles aren’t even favored to win their divisions.

Things really have changed in the Big Ten, haven’t they?In Columbus, Ohio, the Buckeyes are coming off a sixth straight season in

which they at least tied for first in the Big Ten. But a stormy offseason cost themcoach Jim Tressel and quarterback Terrelle Pryor and could lead to NCAAsanctions.

Further complicating Ohio State’s season is the suspension of four key play-ers, including running back Daniel Herron and receiver DeVier Posey, for thefirst five games of the season for their involvement in the tattoo-for-memorabliascandal that led to Tressel and Pryor’s departures.

The Buckeyes don’t lack talent, but so much uncertainty could be difficult foriterim coach Luke Fickell to overcome.

Of course football players never miss a chance to turn adversity into motiva-tion.

‘‘It is different than the past three years,’’ senior center Mike Brewster said.‘‘But I think we’re kind of embracing the challenge. Let’s prove people wrong.People are counting us out, but we’re more alive than ever now.’’

Up the road in Ann Arbor, Mich., things haven’t been too rosey lately, either.Three years under Rich Rodriguez produced one winning season and one

case of major NCAA violations. Rodriguez was let go after last season and theWolverines turned to former Michigan assistant Brady Hoke to turn thingsaround.

Ohio St., Michigan no favorites in new Big Ten

Associated Press

Ohio State head coach Luke Fickell, left, watches quarterback Braxton Millertake a snap during the first day of practice Aug. 8 in Columbus, Ohio.

BIG TEN CONFERENCE 51THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

LEGENDS DIVISIONMICHIGAN STATE

Key players: QB Kirk Cousins, RB Edwin Baker; DL JerelWorthy. Returning starters: 7 offense, 6defense.

Notes: Cousins, a fifth-year senior goingonto his third season as starter, holds theschool record for career completion percent-age at 64 percent. But even he ackowledges the Spartansmust run well to win ... Baker ran for 1,201 yards and scored13 TDs, but he should get plenty of help from fellow sopho-more Le’Veon Bell and junior Larry Casper.

NEBRASKA Key players: QB Taylor Martinez, DT Jared Crick; LB Lavonte

David. Returning starters: 6 offense; 7defense.

Notes: Martinez started his freshmanseason looking like a Heisman Trophy candi-date, but injuries slowed him and defensesstarted to adjust. ... Over the past two seasons, Nebraska hasallowed the fourth fewest points in the nation. ... The Huskers’first Big Ten schedule is brutal. They DON’T play Indiana, Illinoisand Purdue.

MICHIGAN Key players: QB Denard Robinson; DT Mike Martin; WR Roy

Roundtree. Returning starters: 9 offense, 9defense.

Notes: Hoke brings a prostyle offenseback to The Big House. Robinson excelled inthe spread, averaging 328 total yards pergame, but Hoke is confident he’ll be just as good spendingless time in the shotgun. ... New defensive coordinator GregMattison is switching to a 4-3 scheme.

NORTHWESTERN Key players: QB Dan Persa, SS Brian Peters, Jeremy Ebert.

Returning starters: 9 offense, 7 defense.Notes: The school is pumping up Persa,

one of the most overlooked players in thecountry last season, as a Heisman con-tender in 2011. The campaign slogan isPersaStrong and the school has been sending media memberspurple 7-pound dumbells in the mail.

IOWA Key players: WR Marvin McNutt; CB Shaun Prater; T Reily

Reiff. Returning starters: 5 offense, 5defense.

Notes: QB James Vandenberg replacesthe departed Ricky Stanzi. Vanderberg wasthrown into big games as a freshman in ’09and had some memorable moments. ... Sophomore C.J.Fiedorowicz could be Iowa’s next All-American tight end.

MINNESOTA Key players: QB MarQueis Gray; LB Gary Tinsley; WR Da’Jon

McKnight. Returning starters: 6 offense, 8defense.

Notes: What has Minnesota fans excitedis Gray being installed as the starting quar-terback by new coach Jerry Kill. He was ahuge quarterback recruit out of high school, but has mostlyplayed receiver.

LEADERS DIVISIONWISCONSIN

Key players: QB Russell Wilson, RB LB Chris Borland, RBJames White. Returning starters: 6 offense, 6defense.

Notes: Coach Bret Bielema calledWilson, the North Carolina State transfer, a‘‘potential starter’’ during Big Ten media day.In reality, he’s the type of player who could push the Badgersinto national title contention ... First true road game comesOct. 22 at Michigan State. Then Badgers play at Ohio State thenext week.

OHIO STATE Key players: DT John Simon, OT Mike Adams, WR DeVier

Posey. Returning starters: 6 offense, 4defense.

Notes: Who plays quarterback? WithPryor gone, it opens the possibility thatfreshman Braxton Miller could grab the job.Senior Joe Bauserman might be the front-runner to start ... Posey, Adams, Herron and DE SolomonThomas will miss first five games. Of those five, a trip to Miamiand the Big Ten opener vs. Michigan State could be problemat-ic.

PENN STATE Key players: LB Mike Mauti, DE Jack Crawford, WR Derek

Moye. Returning starters: 7 offense, 7defense.

Notes: QB controversy in Happy Valley?Joe Paterno, entering his 46th season asNittany Lions coach, hopes not. Rob Boldenstarted as a freshman last year. Matt McGloin ended the sea-son as the starter. One of them has to emerge for Penn Stateto succeed.

ILLINOIS Key players: QB Nathan Scheelhaase, CB Tavon Wilson, WR

A.J. Jenkins. Returning starters: 7 offense, 6defense.

Notes: The schedule shapes up nicely forcoach Ron Zook’s team with road trips toIndiana, Purdue, Penn State and Minnesotaand the rest of the Illini’s games at home. ... Can RB JasonFord become Illinois’ next star runner.

PURDUE Key players: DL Kawann Short, DT Bruce Gaston, RB Ralph

Bolden. Returning starters: 6 offense, 9defense.

Notes: QB Robert Marve returns for aknee injury, along with Rob Henry, who filledin for Marve. Coach Danny Hope says hemight play both. ... Bolden also returns from a knee injury.

INDIANA Key players: WR Demarlo Belcher; RB Darius Willis; DE

Darius Johnson. Returning starters: 9offense, 6 defense.

Notes: Former Oklahoma offensive coor-dinator Kevin Wilson takes over a programthat has floundered for years. The Hoosierswon’t be any good this year, but there is rea-son for optimism: five-star quarterback recruit Gunner Kiel fromColumbus, Indiana, has committed to the Hoosiers.

By Stephen HawkinsAP Sports Writer

DALLAS — There are no more divisions andtwo fewer teams. Welcome to the new-look Big12, where one thing hasn’t changed.

Oklahoma is still king.The Sooners have won seven of the last 11

titles, including a season ago before Nebraskaand Colorado left the 15-year-old conference.Now with confident quarterback Landry Jonesthrowing to All-America receiver Ryan Broylesand linebacker Travis Lewis fronting a soliddefense, Oklahoma is an overwhelming favoriteto win another Big 12 trophy and be a nationalchampionship contender.

‘‘I think we are,’’ Jones said. ‘‘At OU, we havethe talent year in and year out to be at thatgame.’’

Coach Bob Stoops won a national title in2000, his second season in Oklahoma. Thecoach is still looking for No. 2 even though theSooners have played for the championship threemore times since then.

Texas, which won the Big 12’s last nationaltitle six seasons ago, is trying to recover fromthe humbling of its first losing season under

Mack Brown. Texas A&M still has to prove itcan be consistently good under Mike Shermanwhile Oklahoma State is loaded on offense forMike Gundy but has to quickly grow up ondefense.

Jones led the Big 12 with 4,718 yards passingand 38 touchdowns last season, when theSooners finished 12-2 with a five-game winningstreak after their two-touchdown loss at TexasA&M. The Aggies had a six-game winningstreak before their Cotton Bowl loss to LSU thatdenied them a 10-win season.

With a round-robin conference schedule,there are no more worries about divisionaltiebreakers — such as the three-way mess threeseasons ago when Oklahoma, Texas and TexasTech all were 7-1 in the South and 11-1 overall.Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas A&Mhad a three-way tie atop the South last year.

‘‘At the end of the season there won’t be anyteams that say that a certain team from theNorth or a certain team from the South didn’tplay each other and didn’t deserve to be in aconference championship game,’’ Gundy said.‘‘Ultimately at the end of the season, whoeverhas the best record in the conference will be theconference champion.’’

Oklahoma’s expectations unchanged in Big 12

Associated Press

Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones throws a pass against Connecticut during the second quar-ter of the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 2.

BIG 12 CONFERENCE52

OKLAHOMA Key players: LB Travis Lewis, WR Ryan Broyles,

QB Landry Jones. Returningstarters: 8 offense, 7 defense.

Notes: Oklahoma has haddouble-digit leads in 129 of its160 games (81 percent) underStoops. ... With RB DeMarco Murray in the NFLafter setting school records for points and all-pur-pose yards, best candidate to take over is sopho-more Roy Finch, who ran for 398 yards in eightgames. ... Lewis has 362 career tackles, leadingteam each of last three seasons.

OKLAHOMA STATE Key players: QB Brandon Weeden, WR Justin

Blackmon, S Markelle Martin.Returning starters: 9 offense, 7defense.

Notes: Blackmon set anNCAA record with at least 100yards receiving and a touchdown in 12 consecu-tive games, a still-active streak. ... New offensivecoordinator Todd Monken was previously atOklahoma State when coach Mike Gundy wasoffensive coordinator. ... Weeden, who playedminor league baseball before getting to Stillwater,turns 28 halfway through the season.

TEXAS A&M Key players: QB Ryan Tannehill, RB Cyrus Gray,

WR Jeff Fuller. Returningstarters: 10 offense, 8 defense.

Notes: SMU, South Carolinaand Toledo are only other FBSteams returning 1,000-yardpasser, rusher (Gray) and receiver (Fuller) ... Firsttime Aggies had 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver in same season. ... Aggies last sea-son were first Big 12 team to beat Oklahoma,Nebraska and Texas in same season — and did ina span of 19 days.

MISSOURI Key players: WR T.J. Moe, DB Kenji Jackson, DE

Jacquies Smith. Returningstarters: 9 offense, 7 defense.

Notes: Best four-year run inschool history with 40 wins,including three 10-win seasons.... Two departed offensive starters were in middleof action — C Tim Barnes and QB Blaine Gabbert.... Tigers allowed 16 points a game, best in Big 12and lowest by Missouri since 1981.

BAYLOR Key players: QB Robert Griffin III,WR Kendall

Wright, LB Elliot Coffey. Returningstarters: 8 offense, 5 defense.

Notes: New defensive coordi-nator Phil Bennett trying torebuild defense that lost top fivetacklers. ...While going to first bowl since 1994,Baylor set 55 offensive school records — 22 teammarks and 33 individual records, many by Griffin. ...Griffin, listed as a junior, received undergraduatedegree (political science) in December.

TEXAS Key players: LB Emmanuel Acho, RB Fozzy

Whittaker, S Blake Gideon.Returning starters: 5 offense, 7defense.

Notes: Only Boise State(140) and Oklahoma (134)have won more games than Texas (133) sincecoach Mack Brown’s arrival in 1998, even with 5-7 record last season. ... Nine returners on defensehave combined for 131 career starts. ... WithGarrett Gilbert’s struggles last season, there couldbe another McCoy at quarterback — sophomoreCase, Colt’s younger brother.

TEXAS TECH Key players: QB Seth Doege, S Cody Davis, RT

Mickey Okafor. Returningstarters: 7 offense, 7 defense.

Notes: New defensive coor-dinator Chad Glasgow switchingfrom 3-4 to 4-2-5 scheme hehelped run past decade at TCU. ... Doege last full-time starter in 2005, as sophomore in high schoolbefore two major knee injuries and then waiting atTech for his turn. ... All five starting offensive line-men return.

KANSAS STATE Key players: LB Arthur Brown, DB Tysyn Hartman,

QB Collin Klein. Returningstarters: 6 offense, 7 defense.

Notes: Couple of transfers,who happen to be brothers fromWichita, expected to makeimpact. RB Bryce Brown, who came from Tennessee,is younger brother of LB Arthur Brown, eligible aftertransferring from Miami. ... Since consecutive 11-winseasons (2002-03), coach Bill Snyder has won only22 games his last four seasons, including two sincecoming out of a three-year retirement. ... Klein hadtwo 100-yard rushing games last season.

IOWA STATE Key players: LB Jake Knott, LT Kelechi

Osemele, WR Darius Darks.Returning starters: 6 offense, 7defense.

Notes: Coach Paul Rhoadswas born only 10 minutes fromIowa State’s stadium. ... Knott, team’s leadingtackler, broke arm two days before spring game. ...Osemele has started 30 consecutive games whileplaying 36 past three seasons.

KANSAS Key players: TE Tim Biere, OL Jeremiah Hatch,

LB Steven Johnson. Returning starters: 7 offense,8 defense.

Notes: Jayhawks return play-ers responsible for all theirpassing yardage, 84 percent oftheir rushing yards and 72 per-cent of the receiving yards last season. ... Moreplayers from Texas (38) than Kansas (24) on ros-ter. ... Second-year coach Turner Gill could alreadybe facing a win-or-else season.

By Greg BeachamAP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES — Even before Utah visits Southern California for the firstPac-12 game on Sept. 10, Utes coach Kyle Whittingham is confident his schoolis getting in on something big.

‘‘You couldn’t be in a better place at a better time, as a school or a pro-gram,’’ said Whittingham, whose Utes no longer need to bust the BCS. ‘‘Thisis a tremendous opportunity for everybody involved in this conference.’’

Utah and Colorado have joined the Pac-10 teams to form a league fromSeattle to Tucson, from Boulder to Berkeley — and its footprint is just as bigas its ambition.

The Pac-12 hasn’t lost its West Coast flair with the addition of two moun-tain-based schools. The league still has several inventive offenses and animpressive collection of star quarterbacks, including Stanford’s Andrew Luckand USC’s Matt Barkley, while its lucrative new television deal eventually willexpose its stars to an even broader audience.

Many of those stars are still at Oregon, which is favored to win its thirdstraight league title after last season’s run to the national championship game.Yet the high-octane Ducks begin the season under a cloud of NCAA investiga-tion into coach Chip Kelly’s questionable use of a recruiting service.

‘‘It’s nice to be picked to win,’’ Kelly said. ‘‘It’s nice to be picked top-five inthe country, but it doesn’t mean anything until you go out and play the game,so that mindset won’t change. Hopefully, our motivation comes from within.’’

Expanded Pac-12 has big ambitionsPAC-12 CONFERENCE 53THE MERIDIAN STAR

Thursday, Augut 18, 2011

NORTH DIVISIONOREGON

Key players: RB LaMichael James, QB Darron Thomas, DBCliff Harris, DB John Boyett, LB Josh Kaddu.Returning starters: 7 offense, 6 defense.

Notes: The Ducks are the class of thenew conference after last season’s unbeatenrun through the Pac-10. ... Coach Chip Kellydoesn’t believe Oregon’s recruiting investigation will become adistraction. ... Oregon returns enviable offensive talent forKelly’s fast-paced scheme, including Heisman contenderJames. ... Tough season opener vs. LSU in Arlington, Tex.

STANFORD Key players: QB Andrew Luck, RB Stepfan Taylor, LB Shayne

Skov, S Michael Thomas, OT Jonathan Martin.Returning starters: 5 offense, 6 defense.

Notes: Coach Jim Harbaugh jumped to the49ers after last season’s stunning run to anOrange Bowl victory, leaving David Shaw incharge. ... Heisman runner-up Luck’s top two WRs are gone, butTaylor returns. ... Cardinal still have ample talent, but recapturinglast season’s unexpected momentum will be huge challenge.

WASHINGTON Key players: RB Chris Polk, QB Keith Price, WR Jermaine

Kearse, S Nate Fellner. Returning starters: 7offense, 8 defense.

Notes: Huskies coming off first winningseason since 2002. ... Won 4 straight to endseason, including first bowl win since 2001.... Price is likely replacement for Jake Locker, but Washingtonwill rely early on 1,400-yard rusher Polk and a sturdy defense.

CALIFORNIA Key players: WR Keenan Allen, LB Mychal Kendricks, OL

Mitchell Schwartz, DB Sean Cattouse.Returning starters: 7 offense, 6 defense.

Notes: Golden Bears hope to bounceback from disappointing 2010, which endedstreaks of 8 straight winning seasons and 7straight bowl games. ... Coach Jeff Tedford rehired offensiveassistants Jim Michalczik and Eric Kiesau, but Tedford plans tocall plays.

OREGON STATE Key players: WR James Rodgers, S Lance Mitchell, DT Kevin

Frahm, OT Mike Remmers, LB CameronCollins. Returning starters: 7 offense, 4defense.

Notes: Coming off 5-7 season and firstbowl miss since 2005. ... Rodgers is backfrom two major knee surgeries, but coach Mike Riley isn’t surehow much he can play. ... With plenty of new players ondefense, Beavers will rely on offense and strong special teams.

WASHINGTON STATEKey players: QB Jeff Tuel, WR Marquess Wilson, WR Jared

Karstetter, S Deone Bucannon, DE TravisLong. Returning starters: 9 offense, 8defense.

Notes: The Cougars have won just 5games in first three seasons under coachPaul Wulff, who could be down to his last chance. ... IdahoState and UNLV provide good chance for 2-0 start.

SOUTH DIVISIONSOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Key players: QB Matt Barkley, WR Robert Woods, OT MattKalil, DL Nick Perry, S T.J. McDonald.Returning starters: 6 offense, 7 defense.

Notes: Ineligible for postseason play infinal season of bowl ban. ... Coach LaneKiffin’s staff returns largely intact for 2ndseason after stocking roster with talent during NCAA sanctionsappeal. ... Junior QB Barkley’s enviable targets include Woodsand touted newcomers Kyle Prater and George Farmer.

ARIZONA STATE Key players: QB Brock Osweiler, RB Cameron Marshall, RB

Deantre Lewis, LB Vontaze Burfict, DE JuniorOnyeali. Returning starters: 11 offense, 9defense.

Notes: All 5 starters return on coachDennis Erickson’s offensive line in front ofOsweiler, the junior who led an OT win over Arizona in his onlystart last season. ... Sun Devils will debut their slick new uni-forms and helmets Sept. 1 vs. UC Davis.

UTAH Key players: QB Jordan Wynn, OL Tony Bergstrom, LB Brian

Blechen, DT Star Lotulelei, KR ShakySmithson. Returning starters: 7 offense, 5defense.

Notes: Utes are coming off 8 straightwinning seasons in Mountain West. ... Theygot the luck of the draw in Pac-12 scheduling, avoidingOregon and Stanford this season. ... Wynn should fit comfort-ably into the conference’s class of outstanding QBs, but Utahmust rebuild defense on the move.

ARIZONA Key players: QB Nick Foles,WR Juron Criner, RB Keola Antolin,

LB Paul Vassallo, CB Trevin Wade. Returningstarters: 5 offense, 7 defense.

Notes: Perpetually on-the-bubble coachMike Stoops has led Wildcats to three straightbowl games, but is 40-45 overall. ... Foles andhis top 3 WRs return, but Wildcats must replace offensive line.

UCLA Key players: RB Johnathan Franklin, QB Kevin Prince, S Tony

Dye, LB Sean Westgate, DE Datone Jones.Returning starters: 7 offense, 8 defense.

Notes: Coach Rick Neuheisel knows he’son hot seat after just one winning season in 3years, so he hired hungry young coordinatorsMike Johnson and Joe Tresey. ... Bruins’ annual injury woesalready have started: QB prospect Brett Hundley hopes to returnmid-camp after tearing his meniscus playing basketball.

COLORADO Key players: QB Tyler Hansen, RB Rodney Stewart, S Ray Polk.

Returning starters: 9 offense, 8 defense.Notes: New coach Jon Embree thinks Pac-

12 is much better fit for his alma mater thanBig 12. He faces a high degree of debut diffi-culty: After taking over a program with 5straight losing seasons, the Buffaloes play 13 games without abye week. ... Colorado hasn’t won on the road since Oct. 27,2007, but opens at Hawaii on Sept. 3.

Associated Press

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck passes during practice in Stanford, Calif.,on Aug. 8.


MEMPHIS — Tulsa quarterback G.J.Kinne had a phenomenal 2010 season,throwing for 3,650 yards, rushing for 561more and accounting for 38 touchdowns.He ranked fourth in the nation in totaloffense.

In Conference USA, he is just anotherface in the crowd.

‘‘Every once in a while, you get a spe-cial year like this,’’ Tulsa coach BillBlankenship. ‘‘You’ve got a lot of quarter-backs with a lot of experience surround-ed by plenty of playmakers. It should bea really fun season.’’

Offense should be easy to find thisseason in Conference USA, with talentedand experienced quarterbacks on nearlyevery roster.

Houston senior Case Keenum head-lines the group after the NCAA grantedhim a sixth-year of eligibility following aseason-ending knee injury. He’s alreadyin the NCAA career top 10 for passingyards and touchdown passes and is oneof just two quarterbacks in Football Bowl

Subdivision history to throw for morethan 5,000 yards twice.

Joining Keenum and Kinne is EastCarolina quarterback Dominique Davis,who threw for 3,967 yards and 37 touch-downs. There’s also SMU’s Kyle Padron,who threw for 3,828 yards and 31 touch-downs. And don’t forget Southern Miss’Austin Davis, who threw for 3,103 yardsand 20 touchdowns. There is alsoCentral Florida sophomore Jeff Godfrey,who threw for 2,159 yards and 13 touch-downs as a true freshman to lead theKnights to the conference title.

While all are prolific, each has aslightly different way of making hisoffense go.

‘‘A lot of people are doing a lot ofthings,’’ Houston coach Kevin Sumlinsaid. ‘‘There’s a million ways to skin acat. All you’ve got to do is look at thenumbers and it will scare you.’’

It remains to be seen if one of the starquarterbacks can turn his team into theBCS-buster that Conference USA hascoveted, but can’t find. Houston,Southern Miss and Central Florida arethe early conference favorites.

Elite QBs lead Conference USA favorites


Tulsa quarterback G.J. Kinne is pictured during practice in Tulsa, Okla., on Aug.10.Kinne is one of Conference USA’s top quarterbacks.

CONFERENCE USA54 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

CENTRAL FLORIDA Key players: QB Jeff Godfrey, RB Ronnie Weaver, DB Kemal

Ishmael, DB Josh Robinson. Returningstarters: 7 offense, 4 defense.

Notes: The Knights won their second C-USA championship in four years last season,and also beat Georgia in the Liberty Bowl. ...UCF set a school record with 11 wins in 2010 and finishedranked 21st in the Top 25. ... UCF has led C-USA in totaldefense the past three seasons.

SOUTHERN MISS Key Players: QB Austin Davis, K Danny Hrapmann, DL

Cordarro Law, RB Kendrick Hardy. Returningstarters: 8 offense, 7 defense.

Notes: The Golden Eagles have had 17consecutive winning seasons, which is thefourth-longest active streak in FBS, trailingonly Florida State (29), Florida (20) and Virginia Tech (18) ...Coach Larry Fedora hired new defensive coordinator DanDisch, who will change the defense from a 4-3 base to a 4-2-5formation.

HOUSTON Key players: QB Case Keenum, KR/PR Patrick Edwards, RB

Bryce Beall, OL Chris Thompson. Returningstarters: 7 offense, 7 defense.

Notes: Keenum has already thrown for13,586 career yards and 107 touchdowns. ..Beall led C-USA with 12 rushing touchdownslast season. .. Senior linebacker Marcus McGraw has led theteam in tackles the last two seasons, with 110 tackles last year.

TULSA Key players: QB G.J. Kinne, DB Marco Nelson, PR Damaris

Johnson, OL Clint Anderson. Returningstarters: 10 offense, 8 defense.

Notes: The Golden Hurricane ended theseason on a seven-game winning streak,including a 62-35 victory over Hawaii in theHawaii Bowl. They finished 24th in the Top 25. .. Johnson has7,796 career all-purpose yards, including 2,693 last season.He had 560 rushing yards, 872 receiving yards, 292 yards onpunt returns and 904 yards on kick returns.

SMU Key players: QB Kyle Padron, RB Zach Line, OL Kelvin

Beachum, DL Taylor Thompson. Returningstarters: 10 offense, 8 defense.

Notes: Padron’s 3,828 yards passing, 31touchdown passes and 35 total touchdownslast season all set school records. .. Linerushed for 1,494 yards last year, which was the second-highesttotal in school history, trailing only Eric Dickerson’s 1,617 rush-ing yards in 1982.

EAST CAROLINA Key players: QB Dominique Davis,WR Lance Lewis, DB

Emanuel Davis, DB Bradley Jacobs: Returningstarters: 6 offense, 7 defense.

Notes: Davis accounted for 46 of thePirates’ 60 touchdowns last season, earning C-USA Newcomer of the Year honors. .. CoachRuffin McNeill is noticeably slimmer than last season. During C-USA Media Day, he said he had lost a ‘‘fourth-grader’’ since the2010 season.

MARSHALL Key players: DE Vinny Curry, WR Aaron Dobson, DB

Omar Brown, DB Donald Brown.Returning starters: 5 offense, 9defense.

Notes: Curry was one of the mostproductive defensive players in thenation last season with 18 tackles for a loss and 12sacks. .. The Thundering Herd won four of their last fivegames last season under first-year coach Doc Holliday.

UAB Key players: QB Bryan Ellis, OL Matt McCants, DL

Elliott Henigan, RB Pat Shed. Returningstarters: 7 offense, 7 defense.

Notes: Ellis finished with 2,940yards passing despite not becoming thestarter until the fourth game of the sea-son. .. Shed rushed for 847 yards last season and caughta team-high 47 passes for 471 yards.

RICE Key players: P Kyle Martens, DB Travis Bradshaw, RB

Sam McGuffie, LB Corey Frazier.Returning starters: 9 offense, 9defense.

Notes: McGuffie was one of justthree FBS running backs with at least880 yards rushing and 380 yards receiving last season. ..The Owls are the only team in C-USA to have at least ninestarters returning on both sides of the ball. .. Martensaveraged 46 yards per punt last season, which rankedthird in the country.

TULANE Key players: RB Orleans Darkwa, LB Trent Mackey, QB

Ryan Griffin, DB Shakiel Smith.Returning starters: 7 offense, 7defense.

Notes: Darkwa rushed for 925 yardsand scored 11 touchdowns, settingschool records for a freshman in both categories. ..Mackey had 124 tackles last season, which ranked thirdin C-USA.

UTEP Key players: DB Travaun Nixon, RB Joe Banyard, LB Jamie

Irving, LB Isaiah Carter. Returning starters:2 offense, 9 defense.

Notes: Banyard rushed for a team-hihg 623 yards and eight touchdownslast season. He averaged 5.7 yards percarry. .. Of the Miners’ nine defensive starters returning, line-backer Royzell Smith is the most experienced, with 24 starts.

MEMPHIS Key players: WR Marcus Rucker, DL Frank Trotter, LB

DeRon Furr, P Tom Hornsey. Returningstarters: 4 offense, 5 defense.

Notes: Memphis hopes to bounceback from a brutal first season undercoach Larry Porter. The Tigers finished1-11, losing their last nine games, including the last eightby at least two touchdowns. .. Rucker has caught a passin 12 consecutive games, and led the team with 704receiving yards and eight touchdowns last season.

yards and eight touchdowns rushing. He is joined in the backfield by fel-

low seniors Zac Morgan and DustyAcreman at tailback and DustinSullivan and Freddie Sumrall at full-back. Morgan led the Bulldogs with594 yards rushing last year, whileAcreman added 504 and Sumrall fin-ished with 29 yards in limited oppor-tunities. Sullivan is in his first seasonon the Enterprise roster after trans-ferring last year from Clarkdale.

Caleb Rozzell and Jage Doss leadthe Enterprise offensive line, wherethe Bulldogs are still looking forsome guys to step up alongside them.Dalton Kamper returns at tight end,where Enterprise will also play ZacBroadway.

Doss and Rozzell will also see timeon the defensive line alongside WillKidd. Sumrall, Sullivan and DylanTaylor figure to see time at line-backer with Morgan and Maxwellback at safety and Leslie Robinson,Acreman and Kamper playing corner-back.

“We should be better on defense,”Speed said. “Last year we were soyoung at linebacker.”

2011 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 55THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

No. Name Grade1 David Melton Jr.2 Maxwell Harmon Sr.3 Dusty Sullivan Sr.4 Aaron Shirley Jr.5 Zac Morgan Sr.7 Brady Bilello Soph.8 Chance Partin Soph.9 Conner Ethridge Jr.10 Jason McCutcheon Soph.11 Dalton Kamper Jr.12 Freddie Sumrall Sr.15 Daniel Alwell Soph.16 Miles Barrett Jr.17 Ty Reece Fresh.20 Reece Williams Fresh.21 Cade Gibson Fresh.22 Dylan Richie Jr.24 Dylan Taylor Soph.25 Dusty Acreman Sr.26 Cameron Stephens Fresh.27 David Stephens Fresh.28 Noah Bailey Fresh.29 Eric Bruce Fresh.30 Brett Carney Fresh.32 Ly'Johntay Horton Fresh.33 Wesley Robinson Soph.34 Auston Thomas Fresh.35 Kadarius Brunson Fresh.

No. Name Grade41 Garrett Thornton Fresh.42 Collin Chandler Fresh.47 Jackson Turner Soph.50 Caleb Griffin Soph.51 Jage Doss Sr.52 Deante Couch Fresh.53 Caleb Mercer Fresh.54 Caleb Rozzell Jr.55 Caleb Stallings Jr.57 Ben Moore Soph.61 Dexter Jordan Fresh.62 Nick Rigdon Fresh.63 Mase Wade Fresh.64 Thomas Jay Fresh.66 Will Kidd Sr.67 Cody Dickerson Soph.68 Dillon Jeffers Fresh.71 Cameron Horne Jr.72 Colby Howard Soph.73 Harley Brownlee Soph.75 Jared Ivy Fresh.77 Justin Mayo Soph.79 Arthur Smith Soph.80 Justin Bean Jr.83 Josh Satcher Fresh.85 Justin McCoy Fresh.87 Zack Broadway Jr.88 Jesse Dotson Soph.

ENTERPRISE ROSTER ENTERPRISE from page 21

Paula Merrit/The Meridian Star

Enterprise running back Dusty Acreman slips through a hole againstClarkdale last season.

the way. Kellogg, a freshman,is 5-foot-10, 260 pounds, andcould be a college prospectbefore his time at Calvary isup, according to Newell.

Defensively, Newell is look-ing for improvement as wellwith more speed on that sideof the ball. Leading the waywill be senior middle line-backer Josh Bartlett. Flankinghim at linebacker will beMcFadden and Carraway withJohnson and Baskin at thecorners.

“I think we’re going to bebetter defensively simplybecause we’re going to havemore speed on the edge,”Newell noted. “What we’rethinking is if we can score 20,25, 30 points a night, we’llhave a chance to win.

“Bartlett is the youngerbrother of JB (JonathanBartlett). He’s a different typeof player. He’s more of a hard-nosed, energetic-type player.Not going to beat you with hisspeed or his charisma, but weneed him to step up.”

CALVARY from page 20

Douglass' new quarterback isFranklin Jones and he will beexpected to play solid. Also thePanthers will look for a sparkfrom running back Justin Everett,who was the starting back lastyear until he went down withinjury. The senior rushed for 105yards on 21 carries, while alsocatching 13 passes for 114 yards.Quitman also returns two-yearstarter Quintez McDonald at thewideout position. McDonaldhauled in 20 passes — second-most on the team — for 215yards.

As for what to expect from histeam this year, Douglass said:"You know a lot of people keepasking me how are we gonna be,how are we gonna be. I told thecoaches last night I really neverknow until we line up and playsomebody. So I think that wearen't as talented as we have beenin the past, but the last eight or 10days of practice have been veryenthusiastic and competitive. I'vebeen really pleased with theireffort and it’s been very enjoyableto be out there with them.

"If they get their feet wet andget some playing experience,which is the whole plan, hopefullythey will have played themselvesinto a solid group by the time wehave our first division game withNortheast Lauderdale."

No. Name2 Justin Everett3 Jeremy Holloway4 Ken Barlow5 Tez McDonald6 Bakarri Rembert7 Franklin Jones8 Charleston Satcher9 Walker Mosby10 Montrel Owens11 Tyler Matthews12 Jamott Duncan13 Dalton Smith

No. Name14 Mondarius Trotter15 Phazekian Walker16 Joshua Robinson17 Anthony McGee18 Kyle Colston19 Jamarious Evans20 Jeffrey Duncan21 Jeremy Sumrall22 James Daniels23 Tarvarius Moore24 Toriano Howard25 Aldarius Hopson

No. Name26 Shurnita Shope27 Tymdrick Parker28 Lamarius Newbern29 Christopher Taylor30 Derrick Nettles33 Nick Dearman34 Cordariyon McDyess37 Deandre Smith38 Jaquan Godette41 Jamarcus Bonner43 Johnny McCarty50 Dykarius Arrington

No. Name51 Lafredrick Leggett52 Cordel Pacly53 Eric Ransom54 Fred McGruder55 Chris Berry56 Reginald Hamilton57 Trey Irving58 James Chavez60 Carlius Brooks62 Eris Spencer63 Lance Lyon69 Erick Anderson70 Thomas Tucker

QUITMAN ROSTERPANTHERS from page 22


Quitman running back JustinEverett tries to shake aNortheast Lauderdale defenderlast season in the Division 5-4Aopener for both teams. Everettrushed for 105 yards, whilecatching 13 passes for 114yards last year.

TIGERS AT A GLANCE2010 record: 6-62010 finish: Lost 42-8to Wesson in firstround of Class 2AplayoffsHead coach: EdStanley (second year,6-6)League: Division 5-3A

2011 scheduleAug. 19 NE LauderdaleAug. 26 at Scott CentralSept. 2 Leake CountySept. 9 NE JonesSept. 16 at McLaurinSept. 23 West LauderdaleSept. 30 PhiladelphiaOct. 7 at HeidelbergOct. 14 at Kemper CountyOct. 21 Choctaw CentralOct. 28 at SE Lauderdale

2010 resultsKemper County 6-24^Bay Springs 18-6Heidelberg 37-8Morton 12-26SE Lauderdale 12-33Philadelphia 0-51Union 22-40Lake 46-28Pisgah 32-26Pelahatchie 34-13Scott Central 18-37• Wesson 8-42

• — denotes playoff game^ — denotes forfeit win

Last 10 years2010 6-6•2009 2-92008 5-6•2007 4-62006 2-72005 0-92004 3-8•2003 4-7•2002 8-3•2001 9-3•10-year record: 43-64Record since 1961: 246-271-10


No. Name Grade2 Chris Turner Sr.3 Kenadaria Watts Sr.4 Qualyn Watts Sr.5 Mitchell Hardy Sr.6 DeKarian Beasley Sr.7 Marcus Quince Sr.8 Ryan Wright Sr.9 Keoddrick Hillie Jr.10 Jerdarius Irby Jr.11 Jodovaka Moncrief Soph.14 Roderick Young Sr.15 Richard Russell Soph.16 Josh Donald Jr.17 Michael McCune Soph.18 Demetrius Wash Sr.

No. Name Grade19 Donnell Caraway Soph.20 Keirris Brown Jr.21 Faizon Ross Soph.22 Robert Jones Sr.23 Rhian Young Soph.24 Darkenius Bender Sr.25 Vintavious Ficklin Fresh.30 Demarquan Bolden Fresh.31 Jonathan Irby Fresh.32 Gerrie Glasper Jr.33 Deon Carter Jr.35 Joseph Buckley Soph.36 Gary Jones Soph.51 Terrance Curry Jr.53 Tyler Pace Jr.

No. Name Grade54 Robert Seals Jr.55 Kadarius Buckley Jr.56 Lekendricks Griffin Sr.59 Chirstopher Caraway Soph.60 Eddie Houston Soph.61 Cedric Snow Fresh.62 Javaris Moore Sr.64 Kirby Harris Soph.65 Albert Parker Jr.75 Deandre Wilson Soph.78 Stephon Leonard Fresh.81 Marcus Blaylock Fresh.83 C.J. Edwards Fresh.

NEWTON ROSTER

“(Watts) didn't get to step on the field last year,but we're really expecting some big things outof those guys.”

Terrence Evans, Beasley's top target a yearago, graduated but Newton does bring backChris Turner and Darkenius Bender. Turner, asenior, hauled in 39 receptions for 641 yardsand five touchdowns, while Bender added 26receptions for 442 yards and four scores.

Craig Evans, a senior, and Eddie Houston, asophomore, return to head the Tigers' frontline.

That same speed that Newton hopes to uti-lize on offense will be a key component to theTigers' defensive plan.

“We feel like we're going to have gooddefensive speed,” Stanley said. “We're comfort-able with what we're doing. Last year at thistime, we weren't totally sure what we weregoing to do defensively, but now we know whatwe want to do and can get the kids in the rightspot to make plays.”

Among the players Newton is relying on tomake plays are returning linebackers RoderickYoung and Lekendricks Griffin, as well asemerging starters Mitchell Hardy and QualynWatts in the secondary, and Tyler Pace andDeandre Wilson on the defensive front.

Stanley

NEWTON from page 23


Newton’s Fazion Ross stiff-arms a Southeast Lauderdale defender last season. Ross and theTigers move up to Class 3A this year where they will compete with Southeast in Division 5-3A.

No. Name Grade2 Cody Hollingsworth Jr.5 Zack Meeks Jr.7 Joseph Little Soph.8 Alex Harrison Jr.12 Tanner Smith Jr.15 Clay Upton Sr.21 Zach Shelton Soph.23 Kizer Ables Sr.30 Thomas Jones Jr.31 Dillon Williams Sr.34 Regan Reiss Jr.36 Nate Johnson Soph.53 Samuel Williams Jr.54 Mason Posey Sr.57 Blain Rose Jr.64 Tyler Thorne Soph.65 Shelby Lang Soph.75 Kendall Roebuck Sr.80 Jentzen Jones Sr.88 Tre' Collins Jr.

NCA ROSTER

defensive side. And that is Roberts’hope because of how valuable the sen-ior running back is offensively. TheDivision 5-A player of the year as asophomore then rushed for 1,988 yardsand 27 touchdowns last year. At 5-foot-11, Williams has added 15 pounds ofmuscle since last season and is up to196 pounds total.

“He’s tough and is going to be aload,” Roberts said. “He’s worked superhard in the weight room all summer,has never missed a workout. He’s ourNo. 1 and he’s a hoss.

“He can definitely play at that nextlevel.”

The Generals, who open the seasonAug. 19 at Oak Hill Academy, will espe-cially ride Williams early until quarter-back Turner Smith can return from abroken bone suffered during two-a-days. Smith, a junior, is expected toreturn by the start of Division 4-A playSept. 9.

In his place, Reiss and Harrison willshare time at quarterback.

“We played those two in the jam-boree and we’ll rely on the run hereearly,” Roberts said, adding that juniorZack Meeks returns in the backfield aswell.

Keeping them upright and paving theway for Williams will be an offensiveline that is young outside of returningsenior starters Blain Rose and Posey.

“We lost everybody up there butthose two seniors,” Roberts added.“The rest of them are young. I thinkwe’ll be good, they’re just young andundersized.

“We’ve got a small team, but we havea lot of speed.”

GENERALS from page 24

2011 FOOTBALL PREVIEW56 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

junior-high players, twoplayers McCleskey hadn'tseen after two weeks ofpractice and a couple whoweren't able to practicebecause of injury.

"Offensively, we kindaknow where most of theguys will play," he said."Defensively, it's still up inthe air."

Gone from a year ago area dozen graduating seniors,many of whom were four-year starters and longtimefixtures in the program:Kyle Vernon, TylerSanderford, Daniel Harrity,Tyler Stovall, Johnny Allen,Cassidy Coleman, SonnyLeonard, Justin Payne,Justin Jones, Eli McCarty,Andy Nelson and ClayHunnicutt, althoughHunnicutt missed the entireyear with a back injury.

Sanderford ran for ateam-high 1,643 yards, whileAllen ran for 1,066 yards.Leonard caught 19 passesfor 658 yards; while Allenand Sanderford combinedfor 28 catches and 661 yardsreceiving. Sanderfordscored a team-high 200points, and all three of thoseguys scored more than 100while McCarty and Jonesanchored the offensive line.

And, seven of those 12registered at least 20 tacklesfor a defense which yieldedjust 8.4 points per game, anabsurd number for 8-Manfootball. In fact, the state'sNo. 2 scoring defense gaveup 19.1 points per contest.

"Speed and depth,"McCleskey said. "We hadplenty of it last year and wewere fortunate that we did-n't have any major injuriesonce the season got start-ed."

The loss of the 12 seniorswas expected, but the unex-pected loss of one of theteam's top returning playersthrew KA for a loop as pre-season practices began.

Austin McAdory — whoactually led the squad with98 tackles as a sophomorelast year — moved toNoxapater and transferredto another school. With an

average of better than 10yards per carry in limitedaction (15 rushes for 156yards), McAdory wouldhave been the team's lead-ing returning ground gainerin addition to an anchor ondefense.

"That was a big blow, nodoubt," McCleskey said."Our leading tackler fromlast year and the fastest manwe had ... and, he wouldhave run the ball for us thisyear, too."

Instead, KA will relyheavily on the five letterwin-ners who do return, as wellas a sophomore class whichruns seven deep.

Seniors Clint Quinn,Hayden Roberson andDalton Thomas are thethree returning starters andwill be be leaned on for lead-ership in 2011, as well.

Quinn completed 53 of82passes a year ago for 1,378yards and had an amazing23-to-3 touchdown-to-inter-ception ratio.

Roberson, meanwhile,will move from wideout totailback, with sophomoreLee James filling in at full-back. That pair combined tocarry the football seventimes in 2010.

Senior Hunter Hall andjunior Jordan Jones are thesplit ends, while sopho-mores Jake Owen and ColeThomas are the tight ends.

Thomas, junior Dylan

Bobo, sophomore CoryFleming and Owen will manthe line up front — whileHall, Thomas and sopho-more Dustin Davis couldrotate in the backfield.

Sophomore GlennRawson and freshmen BillSheppard, Craig Cawthorn,Austin Thomas and DowHailey could all contributeon the offensive line, whileMcCleskey said he was wait-ing to get a good look atsophomore TannerHollingsworth and fresh-man Jason Craig.

Dalton Thomas, with 63stops a year ago, is the lead-ing returning tackler andwill anchor the defensivefront — a group whichcould include Fleming,Quinn, Owen and Bobo.

James, who registered 20tackles as a freshman, willbe joined in the linebackingcorps by Roberson — whohad 43 stops as a corner ayear ago. The secondarycould include Hall andJones, among others.

"With as few a number ofhigh schoolers as we have,most of them are going tohave to go both ways all thetime," McCleskey said."Like last year, we were ableto keep (Quinn) on the side-lines most of the time whenwe were on defense. We'dlove to do that again, but Idon't know that we'll be ableto.”

RAMS from page 26


Kemper Academy quarterback Clint Quinn looks for anopen receiver against Calvary Christian last season.

said some college programs have shied awayfrom Roberts because of his diminutive size— but that he's still getting plenty of atten-tion after rushing for 16 scores last year.

He will be joined by at least four or fiveothers in a rotating backfield, with seniorZacchaeus Cole and junior Trenard Rushexpected to split snaps at quarterback. Colethrew for 674 yards and six TDs a year ago.

Kemper has no shortage of talent at itswide receiver spots, either, with seniorsNicholas Giles and Devonta Pollard joiningjunior Josh McClelland and sophomoresWillie McCray, Devante Vickers, QuintenPollock and Z.Z. Thurman all expected tocatch passes.

The athletic McClelland led Kemper inreceiving yards with 482 on 21 catches a yearago, while Giles — the point guard on theKC basketball team — also caught 21 ballsfor 217 yards. The lanky, 6-foot-7 Pollard,meanwhile — ranked as high as the No. 4prep basketball prospect in the nation — isalso back on the gridiron. He caught a pair oftouchdowns in Kemper's spring jamboreeaction in May.

Up front, Carter said as many as 10 ormore players could see action in an effort tostay fresh and replace the Millers andJakeem Short, who graduated.

Seniors Thomas White and GivanteOliver and juniors J Karie Johnson andTabias Rencher headline the rotation alongthe offensive line, while sophomoresJamorris Cole, Graylin Watt, Jaquan Craig,Tevin Williams and Javon Sanders and juniorDrahcir Hoskins will also see time.

"Man" McCoy also registered 104 tacklesin 2010 to lead the team, and will be back to

anchor the defense from his linebackingposition. Oliver, Craig, Davis and juniorCharles Cross will also join him in the line-backing corps, while White, Rencher andQuynndarius Pettus could see time along thedefensive front.

"We've got a lot of tweeners," Carter said."A lot of guys who can play more than onespot and will depending on what set we'rerunning. We have guys we'll rotate at line-backer and up front and then rotate seven oreight guys between corner and safety andsome of them will roll down and play line-backer.

"Whatever we do, if we stay healthy, weshouldn't have the same 11 guys startingoffense and defense. We have lots of differ-ent formations and hopefully we can keepsome of the guys fresh."

Rush, Milon Roberts and junior AnthonyRuffin, as well as McClelland and Giles, headup a secondary that also includes Vickers,Jonathan Jones, Tevin Roberts and juniorRoshard Simmons.

Pollock and Rush will likely handle thekicking duties, and Pettus is the punter.

On the field, Kemper has been theRegion 5-3A runnerup to perennial powerPhiladelphia in both of Carter's two seasons— and most preseason polls have theWildcats pegged to have a chance to do thesame thing again in 2011.

"I sure hope we're competing," saidCarter, adding that changing the mindset ofsome in the program was a top priority whenhe took over two years ago.

"We're still new to success here," he said."But we haven't really done anything yet ...with the talent we have here, we're supposedto beat some of those teams. We're supposedto win some games. We've got to be able toexpect to win."

KEMPER from page 27


WILDCATS AT A GLANCE2010 record: 2-9 due toseven forfeit losses2010 finish: BeatHeidelberg 21-12 in regularseason finaleHead coach: Darryl Carter(third year, 9-14)League: Division 5-3A

2011 scheduleAug. 19 at LumbertonAug. 26 at Nanih WaiyaSept. 2 NoxapaterSept. 9 LouisvilleSept. 16 at NE JonesSept. 23 Noxubee CountySept. 30 at SE LauderdaleOct. 7 at Choctaw CentralOct. 14 NewtonOct. 21 at PhiladelphiaOct. 28 Heidelberg

2010 resultsNewton 24-6^Nanih Waiya 26-21^

Carthage 38-22^Forest 0-43Lake 20-19^Union 30-24SE Lauderdale 18-7^Choctaw Central 52-0^Clarkdale 14-7^Philadelphia 0-48Heidelberg 21-12

^ — denotes forfeit loss

Last 10 years2010 2-92009 7-5•2008 2-82007 1-92006 4-7•2005 1-92004 4-52003 2-9•2002 1-92001 2-9•10-year record: 26-79All-time record: 58-167


Carter

ROCKETS AT A GLANCE2010 record: 5-62010 finish: Lost48-28 to Pearl inregular seasonfinaleHead coach: ChuckFriend (fifth year,17-25)League: Division 2-5A

2011 scheduleAug. 19 at QuitmanAug. 26 West LauderdaleSept. 2 LouisvilleSept. 9 at NE LauderdaleSept. 23 at Yazoo CitySept. 30 CallawayOct. 7 at CantonOct. 14 ProvineOct. 21 at RidgelandOct. 28 at LanierNov. 4 Starkville

2010 resultsDeSoto Central 43-6West Lauderdale 28-6Philadelphia 14-42NE Lauderdale 7-14Yazoo City 35-6Callaway 14-35Canton 42-21Provine 9-21Ridgeland 20-32Lanier 49-0Pearl 28-48

Last 10 years2010 5-62009 5-62008 6-42007 1-92006 4-62005 1-92004 3-72003 5-6•2002 2-82001 2-810-year record: 34-69All-time record: 265-263-9


If it isn't the receiving corpsthat is the bright spot for theCougars offense, it may be theoffensive line. The Cougars havetwo juniors — Charles Thorn andCharles Wansley — and two sen-iors — Tyler White and BryantWilliams — on the offensive lineand Boren is expecting them tolead the way in the transition tothe spread.

“Wansley is a guy we reallykind of found in the spring,” headded. “He was a guy that hadbeen on the defensive side andwasn't seeing much playing time.We moved him over and are reallypleased with what he's beendoing.

“I think our offensive line is

going to end up a real strength forus.”

While Newton County is rely-ing on the spread offensively, theCougars are going to be multiple

defensively. “We're doing a lot of things dif-

ferently,” Boren said. “We'll baseout of an odd front and run somemultiple coverage packages out

there.”Headlining that defense will be

Cougars such as Acea Ange,Demetrius Gooden, DemetriMcleon and Caleb Weaver.

COUGARS from page 25 COUGARS AT A GLANCE2010 record: 6-52010 finish: Lost40-4 to Quitman infirst round of Class4A playoffsHead coach:Charlie Boren (firstyear)League: Division5-4A

2011 scheduleAug. 26 SE LauderdaleSept. 2 at Choctaw CentralSept. 9 Leake CentralSept. 16 FlorenceSept. 30 NE Jones

Oct. 7 at NE LauderdaleOct. 14 LaurelOct. 21 at West LauderdaleOct. 28 Quitman

2010 resultsCarthage 32-0SE Lauderdale 7-6Choctaw Central 45-24West Lauderdale 17-14NE Lauderdale 18-36Richland 35-0Florence 14-21Magee 21-29Mendenhall 6-33Raymond 28-14• Quitman 14-40


Last 10 years2010 6-5•2009 3-8•2008 11-2•2007 11-2•2006 2-82005 6-5•2004 7-4•2003 6-5•2002 13-1•2001 12-1•10-year record: 77-41All-time record: 136-100


Boren

see.”Rounding out Chcotaw's offense will be a

running back by committee that includesMagael Cruz, Alex Lacy and Payton Williams.

Defensively, Choctaw brings back just fourstarters but Savell has seen improvement andhas a plan of attack ready.

“The defense is looking better than they didin the spring,” he said. “They are better mak-ing their reads.

“We want people to have to throw to beatus. That's what we hope to do.”

For that plan to work, a pair of returningstarters and a couple of first-time starters onthe defensive front will have to lead the way.Lonzo Shoemake, a senior, has moved fromtackle to defensive end alongside CodyAnderson, a junior. Inside will be Dallis Steveand Brian Farmer, who have just broken intothe lineup. Other returning starters for theWarriors will be Wilson at safety and Cruz atlinebacker. Clegg will also start at safety.

And the Warriors also include a weapon on

special teams in kicker Ricky Thompson, whohad several touchbacks last season.

“We've got the ol' flat-toe shoe, he looks likeTom Dempsey,” Savell said. “He can kick a 45-

50 yarder with ease, he just needs more consis-tency. I've told him when he starts making fivein a row in practice, then we'll let you kick onein a game.”

WARRIORS from page 28No. Name Grade Pos1 Magael Cruz RB/LB Sr.2 Dalton Clegg WR/DB Jr.3 Jannera Bolin QB/DB Jr.4 Christian Deon QB/DB Fresh.6 Alex Lacy WR/DB Jr.7 Tavion Bond WR/DB Sr.8 Brian Farmer DL/LB Jr.9 Josh Jim WR/DB Jr.10 Braxton Amos WR/DB Sr.11 Kameron Thomas WR/DB Sr.14 Rafael Cruz WR/DB Sr.20 Payton Williams RB/LB Fresh.22 Dalen Wheeler TE/LB Soph.23 Demarquis Wilson QB/DB Soph.24 Tobiah Ben DB/WR Jr.30 Ben Guyette RB/LB Fresh.32 Brandon Kennedy TE/LB Fresh.

No. Name Grade Pos33 Dexton Nickey WR/DB Fresh.34 Tyler Mitch RB/LB Jr.40 Jashaun Tubby RB/LB Fresh.50 Fabian Anderson DL/OL Soph.51 Cody Anderson DE/OL Sr.52 Tyler Lewis DL/OL Soph.54 Devin Charlie LB/DL Jr.55 Joey Anderson OL/DL Fresh.56 Lonzo Shoemake DE/OL Sr.60 Dallis Steve DL/OL Soph.62 Travis Dumont OL/DL Fresh.66 Blake Edwards OL/DL Sr.67 Hilowah Davis OL/DL Fresh.74 Truvette Thompson OL/DL Soph.81 Derald Isom WR/DB Fresh.88 Jaycee Henry LB/DL Soph.

CHOCTAW CENTRAL ROSTER


Still, the key for Neshoba maybe keeping their players on thefield. It is something Friend hasfocused on.

“We're optimistic,” he noted.“We were optimistic last year atthis time. I think we won our firsttwo games, and then had someinternal problems with kids get-ting in trouble and it seemed likethe wheels fell off after that. Wejust have to make sure that does-n't happen this year and stayfocused on what we're doing.”

ROCKETS from page 29Paula Merritt/

The Meridian Star

ChoctawCentral’sLonzoShoemakeforces afumbleagainstClarkdale in2009.Shoemakewill movethis year todefensiveend from atackle spot.

Friend

TORNADOES AT A GLANCE2010 record: 12-12010 finish: Lost16-14 to Hazlehurstin second round ofClass 3A playoffsHead coach: TeddyDyess (fifth year,42-9)League: Division 5-3A

2011 scheduleAug. 19 MortonAug. 26 KosciuskoSept. 2 at West LauderdaleSept. 9 at Leake CountySept. 16 at NE LauderdaleSept. 23 Leflore CountySept. 30 at NewtonOct. 7 SE LauderdaleOct. 14 at HeidelbergOct. 21 Kemper CountyOct. 28 at Choctaw Central

2010 resultsSouth Leake 49-0McClain 46-6

Neshoba Central 42-14West Lowndes 35-10Kosciusko 43-19Newton 51-0Clarkdale 37-7SE Lauderdale 45-7Heidelberg 43-0Kemper County 48-0Choctaw Central 45-13• Raleigh 42-20• Hazlehurst 14-16


Last 10 years2010 12-1•2009 11-2•2008 9-3•2007 10-3•2006 5-52005 11-2•2004 10-2•2003 8-3•2002 7-4•2001 7-5•10-year record: 90-30Record since 1934: 550-267-20


Dyess

The Philly defense will also return someexperienced starters. The Tornadoes returnall three of last year's down-linemen alongwith numerous playmakers in the secondary.

However, they do have to fill holes left as allof the starting linebackers were lost to gradu-ation, including Johnson, who will knowspend his Saturday's playing for Ole Miss.

"We are probably by far the fastest ondefense that we've ever been. These guys canreally run. We've got a lot of experienced

players returning."As for his aspirations for the 2011 season,

Dyess wants nothing less than a state title."We think we can win a 3A champi-

onship," said Dyess. "To me if you don't thinkyou can win it every year then you probablyshouldn't be in football."

The Tornadoes practice hard which Dyesssays turns into playing harder on the field.He thinks his team's chemistry is outstand-ing.

"If the coaches decided to stay at home forpractice, these players could run it them-selves," Dyess elaborated.

TORNADOES from page 31

No. Name Grade Pos1 Jim Franklin WR/DB Sr.2 Cody Wilkerson TE/LB Soph.3 Dalton Thames QB/DB Sr.4 Ricardo Arreola FB/LB Jr.5 Laviel Wells RB/DB Fresh.6 Dustin Bates WR/DB Soph.7 Trey Bogan WR/DB Soph.8 Jacob Rash WR/DB Sr.9 Nathan Griffin WR/LB Sr.10 Jesse Gill WR/DB Jr.11 Taylor Coker QB/DB Jr.12 Paul White QB/LB Soph.14 Thomas Patterson WR/DB Soph.17 Daniel Giles WR/DB Jr.20 Kevin amos RB/DB Fresh.21 Jeremy Brazzle RB/LB Sr.22 Adrian Campbell RB/DB Soph.24 James Huddleston WR/DB Soph.25 Jake Rawson WR/DB Soph.30 Wayne Sanders QB/DB Fresh.32 Najee Thompson TE/LB Sr.35 Adam Richardson QB/DB Fresh.40 Marvin Norris RB/LB Fresh.41 Demantreo Johnson FB/DL Sr.

No. Name Grade Pos44 Joseph Alford FB/LB Soph.48 Chrisean Tyson FB/DL Sr.52 Adam Moore OL/LB Sr.55 Kolt Hagan OL/DL Fresh.56 Thomas Kornegay OL/DL Fresh.60 Jonathan Parker OL/DL Soph.62 J.T. Gardner OL/DL Fresh.63 Tyler Hollingsworth OL/DE Jr.65 Daniel Keneker OL/DL Soph.66 David Rushing OL/DE Sr.68 Warren Hardin OL/DL Jr.70 Josh McGee OL/DL Soph.71 Ben Killen OL/DE Jr.72 Emangrel Jones OL/DL Fresh.73 Ryan Baysinger OL/DL Fresh.74 Tristan Smith OL/DL Soph.75 Jon E. Parker OL/DL Jr.78 Austin McElhenney OL/DL Soph.79 Chris Smith OL/DL Fresh.80 Malik Thompson WR/DB Fresh.81 Quinton Campbell WR/DB Fresh.82 Deondre' McDonald TE/DL Soph.83 Clarence Thompson WR/DB Fresh.84 Kyle Adkins TE/DE Sr.

UNION ROSTER

shoes to fill.Getting those opportunities will be junior

Jesse Gill at quarterback and freshmanLaviel Wells and sophomore AdrianCampbell at running back. Gill saw time atquarterback last year in addition to spellingEaly at running back as well.

“We've got some people in there thatkind of split some time,” Breland said. “Themain one that has to come on is Jesse Gill.He played a little bit of quarterback for usand a little bit of tailback for us. And he didgood at both, but now he has to take overand be the leader and run the show outthere on offense. He has to come on. Ithink he'll be OK, he just has to manage thegame.

“They both run well. They're not quiteas shifty as Forzetra, but they both runwell. They'll have to get out in the open andget what they can. I don't know that theyare as much of a big-play back like Forzetrawas.”

Surrounding those newcomers will besenior fullbacks Chrisean Tyson andDemantreo Johnson, wide receivers Dalton

Thames and Trey Bogan as well as a hostof offensive linemen.

Returning up front are Kyle Adkins andNajee Thompson at tight end, Tristan Smithat right tackle, Ben Killen at right guard,Warren Hardin at center, Adam Moore atleft guard with Jon E. Parker stepping intothe lineup at left tackle.

That experience is something Unionlooks to rely on until its backfield finds itsfooting.

“We're expecting them to make someholes and hopefully make it a little bit easieron all those young guys that'll be runningthe football,” Breland said.

That experience extends to the defensiveside as well with Johnson and Adkins backat defensive end with Jonathan Parkerreturning at nose guard. The linebackingcorps are handled by seniors Nathan Griffinand David Rushing on the outside andMoore and Jeremy Brazzle on the inside.

Gill, Wells and Jim Franklin will see timeat safety, while Jacob Rash, Taylor Coker,Campbell and Jake Rawson figure to manthe cornerback positions.

Franklin will also be a key part ofUnion's special teams at kicker with DustinBates punting.

JACKETS from page 30


Philadelphia runningback MarquiseMatthews eyes aSoutheast Lauderdaledefender in a Division 5-3A game last season.


AIR FORCESep. 3 South Dakota, 2 p.m.Sep. 10 TCU, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 24 Tennessee St., 3 p.m.Oct. 1 at Navy, NoonOct. 8 at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 13 San Diego St., 8 p.m.Oct. 22 at Boise St., 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 at New Mexico, 2 p.m.Nov. 5 Army, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 12 Wyoming, 2 p.m.Nov. 19 UNLV, 6 p.m.Nov. 26 at Colorado St., 6 p.m.

AKRONSep. 3 at Ohio St., NoonSep. 10 Temple, 6 p.m.Sep. 17 at Cincinnati, TBASep. 24 VMI, 2 p.m.Oct. 1 at E. Michigan, 1 p.m.Oct. 8 FIU, 2 p.m.Oct. 22 Ohio, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 Cent. Michigan, NoonNov. 3 at Miami (Ohio), 7:30 p.m.Nov. 12 Kent St., 2 p.m.Nov. 19 at Buffalo, NoonNov. 25 at W. Michigan, TBA

ALABAMASep. 3 Kent St., 12:20 p.m.Sep. 10 at Penn St., 3:30 p.m.Sep. 17 North Texas, 7:30 p.m.Sep. 24 Arkansas, TBAOct. 1 at Florida, TBAOct. 8 Vanderbilt, TBAOct. 15 at Mississippi, TBAOct. 22 Tennessee, TBANov. 5 LSU, TBANov. 12 at Mississippi St., TBANov. 19 Georgia Southern, TBANov. 26 at Auburn, TBA

ARIZONASep. 3 N.Arizona, TBASep. 8 at Oklahoma St., 8 p.m.Sep. 17 Stanford, 10:45 p.m.Sep. 24 Oregon, 10:15 p.m.Oct. 1 at Southern Cal, TBAOct. 8 at Oregon St., TBAOct. 20 UCLA, 9 p.m.Oct. 29 at Washington, TBANov. 5 Utah, TBANov. 12 at Colorado, TBANov. 19 at Arizona St., TBANov. 26 Louisiana-Lafayette, TBA

ARIZONA ST.Sep. 1 UC Davis, 10 p.m.Sep. 9 Missouri, 10:30 p.m.Sep. 17 at Illinois, 7 p.m.Sep. 24 Southern Cal, 10:15 p.m.Oct. 1 Oregon St., TBAOct. 8 at Utah, TBAOct. 15 at Oregon, TBAOct. 29 Colorado, TBANov. 5 at UCLA, TBANov. 12 at Washington St., TBANov. 19 Arizona, TBANov. 25 California, 10:15 p.m.

ARKANSASSep. 3 Missouri St., 7 p.m.Sep. 10 at New Mexico, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 Troy, 7:30 p.m.Sep. 24 at Alabama, TBAOct. 1 at Texas A&M, TBAOct. 8 Auburn, TBAOct. 22 at Mississippi, TBAOct. 29 at Vanderbilt, TBANov. 5 South Carolina, TBANov. 12 Tennessee, TBANov. 19 Mississippi St., TBANov. 25 at LSU, 2:30 p.m.

ARKANSAS ST.Sep. 3 at Illinois, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 10 Memphis, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 at Virginia Tech, 4 p.m.Sep. 24 Cent. Arkansas, 8 p.m.Oct. 1 at W. Kentucky, 4 p.m.Oct. 8 at Louisiana-Monroe, 7 p.m.Oct. 18 FIU, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 North Texas, TBANov. 5 at FAU, TBANov. 12 Louisiana-Lafayette, TBANov. 19 at Middle Tennessee, TBADec. 3 Troy, TBA

ARMYSep. 3 at N. Illinois, 7 p.m.Sep. 10 San Diego St., NoonSep. 17 Northwestern, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 24 at Ball St., 2 p.m.Oct. 1 Tulane, NoonOct. 8 at Miami (Ohio), 1 p.m.Oct. 22 at Vanderbilt, TBAOct. 29 Fordham, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 at Air Force, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 12 Rutgers, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 19 at Temple, 1 p.m.Dec. 10 Navy, 2:30 p.m.

AUBURNSep. 3 Utah St., NoonSep. 10 Mississippi St., 12:20 p.m.Sep. 17 at Clemson, NoonSep. 24 FAU, TBAOct. 1 at South Carolina, TBAOct. 8 at Arkansas, TBAOct. 15 Florida, TBA

Oct. 22 at LSU, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 Mississippi, TBANov. 12 at Georgia, TBANov. 19 Samford, TBANov. 26 Alabama, TBA

BYUSep. 3 at Mississippi, 4:45 p.m.Sep. 10 at Texas, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 Utah, 9:15 p.m.Sep. 23 UCF, 8 p.m.Sep. 30 Utah St., 8 p.m.Oct. 8 San Jose St., TBAOct. 15 at Oregon St., TBAOct. 22 Idaho St., 3 p.m.Oct. 28 at TCU, 8 p.m.Nov. 12 Idaho, TBANov. 19 New Mexico St., TBADec. 3 at Hawaii, 7:30 p.m.

BALL ST.Sep. 3 Indiana, 7 p.m.Sep. 10 at South Florida, TBASep. 17 Buffalo, 7 p.m.Sep. 24 Army, 2 p.m.Oct. 1 at Oklahoma, TBAOct. 8 Temple, 2 p.m.Oct. 15 at Ohio, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 Cent. Michigan, 2 p.m.Oct. 29 at W. Michigan, 2 p.m.Nov. 5 at E. Michigan, NoonNov. 15 at N. Illinois, 8 p.m.Nov. 25 Toledo, 2 p.m.

BAYLORSep. 2 TCU, 8 p.m.Sep. 17 Stephen F. Austin, 7 p.m.Sep. 24 Rice, 7 p.m.Oct. 1 at Kansas St., TBAOct. 8 Iowa St., TBAOct. 15 at Texas A&M, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 at Oklahoma St., TBANov. 5 Missouri, TBANov. 12 at Kansas, TBANov. 19 Oklahoma, TBANov. 26 Texas Tech, 3:30 p.m.Dec. 3 Texas, TBA

BOISE ST.Sep. 3 at Georgia, 8 p.m.Sep. 16 at Toledo, 8 p.m.Sep. 24 Tulsa, 8 p.m.Oct. 1 Nevada, 2:30 p.m.Oct. 7 at Fresno St., 9 p.m.Oct. 15 at Colorado St., 6 p.m.Oct. 22 Air Force, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 at UNLV, 10:30 p.m.Nov. 12 TCU, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 19 at San Diego St., 8 p.m.Nov. 26 Wyoming, 2 p.m.Dec. 3 New Mexico, 6 p.m.

BOSTON COLLEGESep. 3 Northwestern, NoonSep. 10 at UCF, 8 p.m.Sep. 17 Duke, 12:30 p.m.Sep. 24 UMass, TBAOct. 1 Wake Forest, TBAOct. 8 at Clemson, TBAOct. 22 at Virginia Tech, TBAOct. 29 at Maryland, TBANov. 3 Florida St., 8 p.m.Nov. 12 NC State, TBANov. 19 at Notre Dame, 4 p.m.Nov. 25 at Miami, 3:30 p.m.

BOWLING GREENSep. 1 at Idaho, 9 p.m.Sep. 10 Morgan St., 7 p.m.Sep. 17 Wyoming, TBASep. 24 at Miami (Ohio), 1 p.m.Oct. 1 at West Virginia, TBAOct. 8 at W. Michigan, 2 p.m.Oct. 15 Toledo, NoonOct. 22 Temple, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 at Kent St., 1 p.m.Nov. 8 N. Illinois, 8 p.m.Nov. 16 Ohio, 8 p.m.Nov. 25 at Buffalo, TBA

BUFFALOSep. 3 at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m.Sep. 10 Stony Brook, 6 p.m.Sep. 17 at Ball St., 7 p.m.Sep. 24 UConn, 6 p.m.Oct. 1 at Tennessee, TBAOct. 8 Ohio, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 15 at Temple, 1 p.m.Oct. 22 N. Illinois, NoonOct. 29 at Miami (Ohio), 3:30 p.m.Nov. 12 at E. Michigan, 1 p.m.Nov. 19 Akron, NoonNov. 25 Bowling Green, TBA

CALIFORNIASep. 3 Fresno St., 7 p.m.Sep. 10 at Colorado, TBASep. 17 Presbyterian, TBASep. 24 at Washington, TBAOct. 6 at Oregon, 9 p.m.Oct. 13 Southern Cal, 9 p.m.Oct. 22 Utah, TBAOct. 29 at UCLA, TBANov. 5 Washington St., TBANov. 12 Oregon St., TBANov. 19 at Stanford, TBANov. 25 at Arizona St., 10:15 p.m.

CENT. MICHIGANSep. 1 SC State, 7 p.m.Sep. 10 at Kentucky, Noon

Sep. 17 at W. Michigan, NoonSep. 24 at Michigan St., TBAOct. 1 N. Illinois, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 8 at NC State, TBAOct. 15 E. Michigan, 3 p.m.Oct. 22 at Ball St., 2 p.m.Oct. 29 at Akron, NoonNov. 4 at Kent St., 6 p.m.Nov. 10 Ohio, 7:30 p.m.Nov. 18 Toledo, 8 p.m.

CINCINNATISep. 3 Austin Peay, 7 p.m.Sep. 10 at Tennessee, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 17 Akron, TBASep. 22 NC State, 8 p.m.Oct. 1 at Miami (Ohio), 1 p.m.Oct. 15 Louisville, TBAOct. 22 at South Florida, TBANov. 5 at Pittsburgh, TBANov. 12 West Virginia, TBANov. 19 at Rutgers, TBANov. 26 at Syracuse, TBADec. 3 UConn, TBA

CLEMSONSep. 3 Troy, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 10 Wofford, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 17 Auburn, NoonSep. 24 Florida St., TBAOct. 1 at Virginia Tech, TBAOct. 8 Boston College, TBAOct. 15 at Maryland, TBAOct. 22 North Carolina, TBAOct. 29 at Georgia Tech, TBANov. 12 Wake Forest, TBANov. 19 at NC State, TBANov. 26 at South Carolina, TBA

COLORADOSep. 3 at Hawaii, 10:15 p.m.Sep. 10 California, TBASep. 17 Colorado St., 1:30 p.m.Sep. 24 at Ohio St., TBAOct. 1 Washington St., TBAOct. 8 at Stanford, TBAOct. 15 at Washington, TBAOct. 22 Oregon, TBAOct. 29 at Arizona St., TBANov. 4 Southern Cal, 9 p.m.Nov. 12 Arizona, TBANov. 19 at UCLA, TBANov. 25 at Utah, 3:30 p.m.

COLORADO ST.Sep. 3 at New Mexico, 6 p.m.Sep. 10 N. Colorado, 2 p.m.Sep. 17 at Colorado, 1:30 p.m.Sep. 24 at Utah St., 8 p.m.Oct. 1 San Jose St., 4 p.m.Oct. 15 Boise St., 6 p.m.Oct. 22 at UTEP, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 at UNLV, 6 p.m.Nov. 12 San Diego St., 6 p.m.Nov. 19 at TCU, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 26 Air Force, 6 p.m.Dec. 3 Wyoming, 2 p.m.

DUKESep. 3 Richmond, 7 p.m.Sep. 10 Stanford, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 17 at Boston College, 12:30 p.m.Sep. 24 Tulane, TBAOct. 1 at FIU, 6 p.m.Oct. 15 Florida St., TBAOct. 22 Wake Forest, TBAOct. 29 Virginia Tech, TBANov. 5 at Miami, TBANov. 12 at Virginia, TBANov. 19 Georgia Tech, TBANov. 26 at North Carolina, TBA

E. MICHIGANSep. 3 Howard, 7 p.m.Sep. 10 Alabama St., 1 p.m.Sep. 17 at Michigan, NoonSep. 24 at Penn St., TBAOct. 1 Akron, 1 p.m.Oct. 8 at Toledo, 3 p.m.Oct. 15 at Cent. Michigan, 3 p.m.Oct. 22 W. Michigan, 1 p.m.Nov. 5 Ball St., NoonNov. 12 Buffalo, 1 p.m.Nov. 19 at Kent St., 1 p.m.Nov. 25 at N. Illinois, TBA

EAST CAROLINASep. 3 South Carolina, 7 p.m.Sep. 10 Virginia Tech, TBASep. 24 UAB, TBAOct. 1 North Carolina, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 at Houston, 7 p.m.Oct. 15 at Memphis, 7 p.m.Oct. 22 at Navy, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 Tulane, TBANov. 5 Southern Miss., 4 p.m.Nov. 12 at UTEP, 8 p.m.Nov. 19 UCF, TBANov. 26 at Marshall, TBA

FAUSep. 3 at Florida, 7 p.m.Sep. 10 at Michigan St., NoonSep. 24 at Auburn, TBAOct. 1 at Louisiana-Lafayette, TBAOct. 8 at North Texas, 7:30 p.m.Oct. 15 W. Kentucky, TBAOct. 22 Middle Tennessee, 7 p.m.Nov. 5 Arkansas St., TBANov. 12 at FIU, TBA

Nov. 19 at Troy, TBANov. 26 UAB, TBADec. 3 Louisiana-Monroe, TBA

FIUSep. 1 North Texas, 7 p.m.Sep. 9 at Louisville, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 UCF, 6 p.m.Sep. 24 Louisiana-Lafayette, TBAOct. 1 Duke, 6 p.m.Oct. 8 at Akron, 2 p.m.Oct. 18 at Arkansas St., 8 p.m.Oct. 25 Troy, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 at W. Kentucky, 4 p.m.Nov. 12 FAU, TBANov. 19 at Louisiana-Monroe, TBANov. 26 at Middle Tennessee, TBA

FLORIDASep. 3 FAU, 7 p.m.Sep. 10 UAB, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 Tennessee, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 24 at Kentucky, TBAOct. 1 Alabama, TBAOct. 8 at LSU, 8 p.m.Oct. 15 at Auburn, TBAOct. 29 at Georgia, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 Vanderbilt, TBANov. 12 at South Carolina, TBANov. 19 Furman, TBANov. 26 Florida St., TBA

FLORIDA ST.Sep. 3 Louisiana-Monroe, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 10 Charleston Southern, 6 p.m.Sep. 17 Oklahoma, TBASep. 24 at Clemson, TBAOct. 8 at Wake Forest, TBAOct. 15 at Duke, TBAOct. 22 Maryland, TBAOct. 29 NC State, TBANov. 3 at Boston College, 8 p.m.Nov. 12 Miami, TBANov. 19 Virginia, TBANov. 26 at Florida, TBA

FRESNO ST.Sep. 3 at California, 7 p.m.Sep. 10 at Nebraska, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 North Dakota, 10 p.m.Sep. 24 at Idaho, 5 p.m.Oct. 1 Mississippi, 9:15 p.m.Oct. 7 Boise St., 9 p.m.Oct. 15 Utah St., 10 p.m.Oct. 22 at Nevada, 4:05 p.m.Nov. 5 Louisiana Tech, 8 p.m.Nov. 12 at New Mexico St., 8 p.m.Nov. 19 at Hawaii, 11 p.m.Nov. 26 San Jose St., 8 p.m.Dec. 3 at San Diego St., 8 p.m.

GEORGIASep. 3 Boise St., 8 p.m.Sep. 10 South Carolina, 4:30 p.m.Sep. 17 Coastal Carolina, 1 p.m.Sep. 24 at Mississippi, TBAOct. 1 Mississippi St., TBAOct. 8 at Tennessee, TBAOct. 15 at Vanderbilt, TBAOct. 29 Florida, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 New Mexico St., TBANov. 12 Auburn, TBANov. 19 Kentucky, TBANov. 26 at Georgia Tech, TBA

GEORGIA TECHSep. 1 W. Carolina, 7:30 p.m.Sep. 10 at Middle Tennessee, 8 p.m.Sep. 17 Kansas, 12:30 p.m.Sep. 24 North Carolina, TBAOct. 1 at NC State, TBAOct. 8 Maryland, TBAOct. 15 at Virginia, TBAOct. 22 at Miami, TBAOct. 29 Clemson, TBANov. 10 Virginia Tech, 8 p.m.Nov. 19 at Duke, TBANov. 26 Georgia, TBA

HAWAIISep. 3 Colorado, 10:15 p.m.Sep. 10 at Washington, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 17 at UNLV, 10 p.m.Sep. 24 UC Davis, MidOct. 1 at Louisiana Tech, 7 p.m.Oct. 14 at San Jose St., 9 p.m.Oct. 22 New Mexico St., MidOct. 29 at Idaho, 5 p.m.Nov. 5 Utah St., MidNov. 12 at Nevada, 4:05 p.m.Nov. 19 Fresno St., 11 p.m.Nov. 26 Tulane, 11 p.m.Dec. 3 BYU, 7:30 p.m.

HOUSTONSep. 3 UCLA, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 10 at North Texas, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 at Louisiana Tech, 7 p.m.Sep. 24 Georgia St., 8 p.m.Sep. 29 at UTEP, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 East Carolina, 7 p.m.Oct. 22 Marshall, 4:30 p.m.Oct. 27 Rice, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 at UAB, 7 p.m.Nov. 10 at Tulane, 8 p.m.Nov. 19 SMU, TBANov. 25 at Tulsa, Noon

IDAHOSep. 1 Bowling Green, 9 p.m.Sep. 10 North Dakota, 5 p.m.

Sep. 17 at Texas A&M, 7 p.m.Sep. 24 Fresno St., 5 p.m.Oct. 1 at Virginia, TBAOct. 8 Louisiana Tech, 5 p.m.Oct. 15 at New Mexico St., 8 p.m.Oct. 29 Hawaii, 5 p.m.Nov. 5 at San Jose St., 4 p.m.Nov. 12 at BYU, TBANov. 19 Utah St., 5 p.m.Dec. 3 at Nevada, 4:05 p.m.

ILLINOISSep. 3 Arkansas St., 3:30 p.m.Sep. 10 S. Dakota St., NoonSep. 17 Arizona St., 7 p.m.Sep. 24 W. Michigan, TBAOct. 1 Northwestern, NoonOct. 8 at Indiana, TBAOct. 15 Ohio St., TBAOct. 22 at Purdue, NoonOct. 29 at Penn St., TBANov. 12 Michigan, TBANov. 19 Wisconsin, TBANov. 26 at Minnesota, TBA

INDIANASep. 3 at Ball St., 7 p.m.Sep. 10 Virginia, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 SC State, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 24 at North Texas, 7 p.m.Oct. 1 Penn St., TBAOct. 8 Illinois, TBAOct. 15 at Wisconsin, NoonOct. 22 at Iowa, NoonOct. 29 Northwestern, NoonNov. 5 at Ohio St., TBANov. 19 at Michigan St., TBANov. 26 Purdue, TBA

IOWASep. 3 Tennessee Tech, NoonSep. 10 at Iowa St., NoonSep. 17 Pittsburgh, NoonSep. 24 Louisiana-Monroe, TBAOct. 8 at Penn St., TBAOct. 15 Northwestern, 7 p.m.Oct. 22 Indiana, NoonOct. 29 at Minnesota, TBANov. 5 Michigan, TBANov. 12 Michigan St., TBANov. 19 at Purdue, TBANov. 25 at Nebraska, Noon

IOWA ST.Sep. 3 N. Iowa, 7 p.m.Sep. 10 Iowa, NoonSep. 16 at UConn, 8 p.m.Oct. 1 Texas, TBAOct. 8 at Baylor, TBAOct. 15 at Missouri, TBAOct. 22 Texas A&M, TBAOct. 29 at Texas Tech, TBANov. 5 Kansas, TBANov. 18 Oklahoma St., 9 p.m.Nov. 26 at Oklahoma, 8 p.m.Dec. 3 at Kansas St., 12:30 p.m.

KANSASSep. 3 McNeese St., 7 p.m.Sep. 10 N. Illinois, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 at Georgia Tech, 12:30 p.m.Oct. 1 Texas Tech, TBAOct. 8 at Oklahoma St., TBAOct. 15 Oklahoma, TBAOct. 22 Kansas St., TBAOct. 29 at Texas, TBANov. 5 at Iowa St., TBANov. 12 Baylor, TBANov. 19 at Texas A&M, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 26 Missouri, Noon

KANSAS ST.Sep. 3 E. Kentucky, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 Kent St., 7 p.m.Sep. 24 at Miami, TBAOct. 1 Baylor, TBAOct. 8 Missouri, TBAOct. 15 at Texas Tech, TBAOct. 22 at Kansas, TBAOct. 29 Oklahoma, TBANov. 5 at Oklahoma St., TBANov. 12 Texas A&M, TBANov. 19 at Texas, TBADec. 3 Iowa St., 12:30 p.m.

KENT ST.Sep. 3 at Alabama, 12:20 p.m.Sep. 10 Louisiana-Lafayette, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 at Kansas St., 7 p.m.Sep. 24 South Alabama, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 1 at Ohio, 2 p.m.Oct. 8 at N. Illinois, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 15 Miami (Ohio), 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 Bowling Green, 1 p.m.Nov. 4 Cent. Michigan, 6 p.m.Nov. 12 at Akron, 2 p.m.Nov. 19 E. Michigan, 1 p.m.Nov. 25 at Temple, TBA

KENTUCKYSep. 1 at W. Kentucky, 9:15 p.m.Sep. 10 Cent. Michigan, NoonSep. 17 Louisville, 6 p.m.Sep. 24 Florida, TBAOct. 1 at LSU, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 at South Carolina, TBAOct. 22 Jacksonville St., TBAOct. 29 Mississippi St., TBANov. 5 Mississippi, TBANov. 12 at Vanderbilt, TBA

Nov. 19 at Georgia, TBANov. 26 Tennessee, TBA

LSUSep. 3 at Oregon, 8 p.m.Sep. 10 Northwestern St., 8 p.m.Sep. 15 at Mississippi St., 8 p.m.Sep. 24 at West Virginia, TBAOct. 1 Kentucky, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 Florida, 8 p.m.Oct. 15 at Tennessee, TBAOct. 22 Auburn, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 at Alabama, TBANov. 12 W. Kentucky, 8 p.m.Nov. 19 at Mississippi, TBANov. 25 Arkansas, 2:30 p.m.

LOUISIANA TECHSep. 3 at Southern Miss., 10 p.m.Sep. 10 Cent. Arkansas, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 Houston, 7 p.m.Sep. 24 at Mississippi St., TBAOct. 1 Hawaii, 7 p.m.Oct. 8 at Idaho, 5 p.m.Oct. 22 at Utah St., 3 p.m.Oct. 29 San Jose St., 4 p.m.Nov. 5 at Fresno St., 8 p.m.Nov. 12 at Mississippi, TBANov. 19 at Nevada, 4:05 p.m.Nov. 26 New Mexico St., 4 p.m.

LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTESep. 3 at Oklahoma St., TBASep. 10 at Kent St., 7 p.m.Sep. 17 Nicholls St., TBASep. 24 at FIU, TBAOct. 1 FAU, TBAOct. 8 Troy, TBAOct. 15 North Texas, 5 p.m.Oct. 22 at W. Kentucky, 4 p.m.Oct. 29 at Middle Tennessee, 7:30 p.m.Nov. 5 Louisiana-Monroe, TBANov. 12 at Arkansas St., TBANov. 26 at Arizona, TBA

LOUISIANA-MONROESep. 3 at Florida St., 3:30 p.m.Sep. 10 Grambling St., 7 p.m.Sep. 17 at TCU, 2 p.m.Sep. 24 at Iowa, TBAOct. 8 Arkansas St., 7 p.m.Oct. 15 at Troy, TBAOct. 22 at North Texas, 7 p.m.Oct. 29 W. Kentucky, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 at Louisiana-Lafayette, TBANov. 12 Middle Tennessee, TBANov. 19 FIU, TBADec. 3 at FAU, TBA

LOUISVILLESep. 1 Murray St., 6 p.m.Sep. 9 FIU, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 at Kentucky, 6 p.m.Oct. 1 Marshall, TBAOct. 8 at North Carolina, TBAOct. 15 at Cincinnati, TBAOct. 21 Rutgers, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 Syracuse, TBANov. 5 at West Virginia, TBANov. 12 Pittsburgh, TBANov. 19 at UConn, TBANov. 25 at South Florida, TBA

MARSHALLSep. 4 at West Virginia, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 10 Southern Miss., 3:30 p.m.Sep. 17 at Ohio, 7 p.m.Sep. 24 Virginia Tech, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 1 at Louisville, TBAOct. 8 at UCF, 4 p.m.Oct. 15 Rice, TBAOct. 22 at Houston, 4:30 p.m.Oct. 29 UAB, NoonNov. 12 at Tulsa, TBANov. 17 at Memphis, 8 p.m.Nov. 26 East Carolina, TBA

MARYLANDSep. 5 Miami, 8 p.m.Sep. 17 West Virginia, NoonSep. 24 Temple, TBAOct. 1 Towson, TBAOct. 8 at Georgia Tech, TBAOct. 15 Clemson, TBAOct. 22 at Florida St., TBAOct. 29 Boston College, TBANov. 5 Virginia, TBANov. 12 at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m.Nov. 19 at Wake Forest, TBANov. 26 at NC State, TBA

MEMPHISSep. 1 Mississippi St., 8 p.m.Sep. 10 at Arkansas St., 7 p.m.Sep. 17 Austin Peay, 7 p.m.Sep. 24 SMU, NoonOct. 1 at Middle Tennessee, 7 p.m.Oct. 8 at Rice, 12:30 p.m.Oct. 15 East Carolina, 7 p.m.Oct. 22 at Tulane, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 at UCF, 4 p.m.Nov. 12 UAB, 4:15 p.m.Nov. 17 Marshall, 8 p.m.Nov. 26 at Southern Miss., 4 p.m.

MIAMISep. 5 at Maryland, 8 p.m.Sep. 17 Ohio St., TBASep. 24 Kansas St., TBAOct. 1 Bethune-Cookman, TBAOct. 8 at Virginia Tech, TBA

Oct. 15 at North Carolina, TBAOct. 22 Georgia Tech, TBAOct. 27 Virginia, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 Duke, TBANov. 12 at Florida St., TBANov. 19 at South Florida, TBANov. 25 Boston College, 3:30 p.m.

MIAMI (OHIO)Sep. 3 at Missouri, NoonSep. 17 at Minnesota, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 24 Bowling Green, 1 p.m.Oct. 1 Cincinnati, 1 p.m.Oct. 8 Army, 1 p.m.Oct. 15 at Kent St., 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 at Toledo, 7 p.m.Oct. 29 Buffalo, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 3 Akron, 7:30 p.m.Nov. 9 at Temple, 8 p.m.Nov. 16 W. Michigan, 8 p.m.Nov. 22 at Ohio, 7 p.m.

MICHIGANSep. 3 W. Michigan, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 10 Notre Dame, 8 p.m.Sep. 17 E. Michigan, NoonSep. 24 San Diego St., TBAOct. 1 Minnesota, TBAOct. 8 at Northwestern, 7 p.m.Oct. 15 at Michigan St., TBAOct. 29 Purdue, NoonNov. 5 at Iowa, TBANov. 12 at Illinois, TBANov. 19 Nebraska, TBANov. 26 Ohio St., TBA

MICHIGAN ST.Sep. 2 Youngstown St., 7:30 p.m.Sep. 10 FAU, NoonSep. 17 at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 24 Cent. Michigan, TBAOct. 1 at Ohio St., TBAOct. 15 Michigan, TBAOct. 22 Wisconsin, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 at Nebraska, TBANov. 5 Minnesota, TBANov. 12 at Iowa, TBANov. 19 Indiana, TBANov. 26 at Northwestern, TBA

MIDDLE TENNESSEESep. 3 at Purdue, NoonSep. 10 Georgia Tech, 8 p.m.Sep. 24 at Troy, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 1 Memphis, 7 p.m.Oct. 6 W. Kentucky, 7:30 p.m.Oct. 22 at FAU, 7 p.m.Oct. 29 Louisiana-Lafayette, 7:30 p.m.Nov. 5 at Tennessee, TBANov. 12 at Louisiana-Monroe, TBANov. 19 Arkansas St., TBANov. 26 FIU, TBADec. 3 at North Texas, 4 p.m.

MINNESOTASep. 3 at Southern Cal, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 10 New Mexico St., 3 p.m.Sep. 17 Miami (Ohio), 3:30 p.m.Sep. 24 N. Dakota St., 7 p.m.Oct. 1 at Michigan, TBAOct. 8 at Purdue, TBAOct. 22 Nebraska, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 Iowa, TBANov. 5 at Michigan St., TBANov. 12 Wisconsin, TBANov. 19 at Northwestern, TBANov. 26 Illinois, TBA

MISSISSIPPISep. 3 BYU, 4:45 p.m.Sep. 10 S. Illinois, 6 p.m.Sep. 17 at Vanderbilt, 12:20 p.m.Sep. 24 Georgia, TBAOct. 1 at Fresno St., 9:15 p.m.Oct. 15 Alabama, TBAOct. 22 Arkansas, TBAOct. 29 at Auburn, TBANov. 5 at Kentucky, TBANov. 12 Louisiana Tech, TBANov. 19 LSU, TBANov. 26 at Mississippi St., TBA

MISSISSIPPI ST.Sep. 1 at Memphis, 8 p.m.Sep. 10 at Auburn, 12:20 p.m.Sep. 15 LSU, 8 p.m.Sep. 24 Louisiana Tech, TBAOct. 1 at Georgia, TBAOct. 8 at UAB, NoonOct. 15 South Carolina, TBAOct. 29 at Kentucky, TBANov. 5 UT-Martin, TBANov. 12 Alabama, TBANov. 19 at Arkansas, TBANov. 26 Mississippi, TBA

MISSOURISep. 3 Miami (Ohio), NoonSep. 9 at Arizona St., 10:30 p.m.Sep. 17 W. Illinois, TBASep. 24 at Oklahoma, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 at Kansas St., TBAOct. 15 Iowa St., TBAOct. 22 Oklahoma St., TBAOct. 29 at Texas A&M, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 at Baylor, TBANov. 12 Texas, TBANov. 19 Texas Tech, TBANov. 26 at Kansas, Noon

N. ILLINOIS

MAJOR COLLEGE SCHEDULES60 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

Sep. 3 Army, 7 p.m.Sep. 10 at Kansas, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 Wisconsin, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 24 Cal Poly, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 1 at Cent. Michigan, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 8 Kent St., 3:30 p.m.Oct. 15 W. Michigan, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 at Buffalo, NoonNov. 1 at Toledo, 7 p.m.Nov. 8 at Bowling Green, 8 p.m.Nov. 15 Ball St., 8 p.m.Nov. 25 E. Michigan, TBA

NC STATESep. 3 Liberty, 6 p.m.Sep. 10 at Wake Forest, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 17 South Alabama, 6 p.m.Sep. 22 at Cincinnati, 8 p.m.Oct. 1 Georgia Tech, TBAOct. 8 Cent. Michigan, TBAOct. 22 at Virginia, TBAOct. 29 at Florida St., TBANov. 5 North Carolina, TBANov. 12 at Boston College, TBANov. 19 Clemson, TBANov. 26 Maryland, TBA

NAVYSep. 3 Delaware, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 10 at W. Kentucky, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 at South Carolina, 6 p.m.Oct. 1 Air Force, NoonOct. 8 Southern Miss., 3:30 p.m.Oct. 15 at Rutgers, TBAOct. 22 East Carolina, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 Troy, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 12 at SMU, TBANov. 19 at San Jose St., 4 p.m.Dec. 10 at Army, 2:30 p.m.

NEBRASKASep. 3 Chattanooga, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 10 Fresno St., 7 p.m.Sep. 17 Washington, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 24 at Wyoming, 7:30 p.m.Oct. 1 at Wisconsin, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 Ohio St., 8 p.m.Oct. 22 at Minnesota, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 Michigan St., TBANov. 5 Northwestern, TBANov. 12 at Penn St., TBANov. 19 at Michigan, TBANov. 25 Iowa, Noon

NEVADASep. 10 at Oregon, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 17 at San Jose St., 4 p.m.Sep. 24 at Texas Tech, 7 p.m.Oct. 1 at Boise St., 2:30 p.m.Oct. 8 UNLV, 4:05 p.m.Oct. 15 New Mexico, 4:05 p.m.Oct. 22 Fresno St., 4:05 p.m.Oct. 29 at New Mexico St., 8 p.m.Nov. 12 Hawaii, 4:05 p.m.Nov. 19 Louisiana Tech, 4:05 p.m.Nov. 26 at Utah St., 3 p.m.Dec. 3 Idaho, 4:05 p.m.

NEW MEXICOSep. 3 Colorado St., 6 p.m.Sep. 10 Arkansas, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 Texas Tech, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 24 Sam Houston St., 6 p.m.Oct. 1 New Mexico St., 8 p.m.Oct. 15 at Nevada, 4:05 p.m.Oct. 22 at TCU, 2 p.m.Oct. 29 Air Force, 2 p.m.Nov. 5 at San Diego St., 8 p.m.Nov. 12 UNLV, 10 p.m.Nov. 19 at Wyoming, 2 p.m.Dec. 3 at Boise St., 6 p.m.

NEW MEXICO ST.Sep. 3 Ohio, 8 p.m.Sep. 10 at Minnesota, 3 p.m.Sep. 17 UTEP, 8 p.m.Sep. 24 at San Jose St., 4 p.m.Oct. 1 at New Mexico, 8 p.m.Oct. 15 Idaho, 8 p.m.Oct. 22 at Hawaii, MidOct. 29 Nevada, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 at Georgia, TBANov. 12 Fresno St., 8 p.m.Nov. 19 at BYU, TBANov. 26 at Louisiana Tech, 4 p.m.Dec. 3 Utah St., 8 p.m.

NORTH CAROLINASep. 3 James Madison, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 10 Rutgers, 12:30 p.m.Sep. 17 Virginia, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 24 at Georgia Tech, TBAOct. 1 at East Carolina, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 Louisville, TBAOct. 15 Miami, TBAOct. 22 at Clemson, TBAOct. 29 Wake Forest, TBANov. 5 at NC State, TBANov. 17 at Virginia Tech, 8 p.m.Nov. 26 Duke, TBA

NORTH TEXASSep. 1 at FIU, 7 p.m.Sep. 10 Houston, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 at Alabama, 7:30 p.m.Sep. 24 Indiana, 7 p.m.Oct. 1 at Tulsa, 7 p.m.Oct. 8 FAU, 7:30 p.m.Oct. 15 at Louisiana-Lafayette, 5 p.m.

Oct. 22 Louisiana-Monroe, 7 p.m.Oct. 29 at Arkansas St., TBANov. 12 at Troy, TBANov. 19 W. Kentucky, 4 p.m.Dec. 3 Middle Tennessee, 4 p.m.

NORTHWESTERNSep. 3 at Boston College, NoonSep. 10 E. Illinois, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 17 at Army, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 1 at Illinois, NoonOct. 8 Michigan, 7 p.m.Oct. 15 at Iowa, 7 p.m.Oct. 22 Penn St., 7 p.m.Oct. 29 at Indiana, NoonNov. 5 at Nebraska, TBANov. 12 Rice, TBANov. 19 Minnesota, TBANov. 26 Michigan St., TBA

NOTRE DAMESep. 3 South Florida, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 10 at Michigan, 8 p.m.Sep. 17 Michigan St., 3:30 p.m.Sep. 24 at Pittsburgh, TBAOct. 1 at Purdue, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 Air Force, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 Southern Cal, 7:30 p.m.Oct. 29 Navy, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 at Wake Forest, TBANov. 12 Maryland, 7:30 p.m.Nov. 19 Boston College, 4 p.m.Nov. 26 at Stanford, 8 p.m.

OHIOSep. 3 at New Mexico St., 8 p.m.Sep. 10 Gardner-Webb, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 Marshall, 7 p.m.Sep. 24 at Rutgers, TBAOct. 1 Kent St., 2 p.m.Oct. 8 at Buffalo, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 15 Ball St., 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 at Akron, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 2 Temple, 8 p.m.Nov. 10 at Cent. Michigan, 7:30 p.m.Nov. 16 at Bowling Green, 8 p.m.Nov. 22 Miami (Ohio), 7 p.m.

OHIO ST.Sep. 3 Akron, NoonSep. 10 Toledo, NoonSep. 17 at Miami, TBASep. 24 Colorado, TBAOct. 1 Michigan St., TBAOct. 8 at Nebraska, 8 p.m.Oct. 15 at Illinois, TBAOct. 29 Wisconsin, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 Indiana, TBANov. 12 at Purdue, TBANov. 19 Penn St., TBANov. 26 at Michigan, TBA

OKLAHOMASep. 3 Tulsa, 8 p.m.Sep. 17 at Florida St., TBASep. 24 Missouri, 8 p.m.Oct. 1 Ball St., TBAOct. 8 at Texas, NoonOct. 15 at Kansas, TBAOct. 22 Texas Tech, TBAOct. 29 at Kansas St., TBANov. 5 Texas A&M, TBANov. 19 at Baylor, TBANov. 26 Iowa St., 8 p.m.Dec. 3 at Oklahoma St., TBA

OKLAHOMA ST.Sep. 3 Louisiana-Lafayette, TBASep. 8 Arizona, 8 p.m.Sep. 17 at Tulsa, 10 p.m.Sep. 24 at Texas A&M, 7 p.m.Oct. 8 Kansas, TBAOct. 15 at Texas, TBAOct. 22 at Missouri, TBAOct. 29 Baylor, TBANov. 5 Kansas St., TBANov. 12 at Texas Tech, TBANov. 18 at Iowa St., 9 p.m.Dec. 3 Oklahoma, TBA

OREGONSep. 3 LSU, 8 p.m.Sep. 10 Nevada, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 17 Missouri St., 3:30 p.m.Sep. 24 at Arizona, 10:15 p.m.Oct. 6 California, 9 p.m.Oct. 15 Arizona St., TBAOct. 22 at Colorado, TBAOct. 29 Washington St., TBANov. 5 at Washington, TBANov. 12 at Stanford, TBANov. 19 Southern Cal, 8 p.m.Nov. 26 Oregon St., TBA

OREGON ST.Sep. 3 Sacramento St., TBASep. 10 at Wisconsin, NoonSep. 24 UCLA, TBAOct. 1 at Arizona St., TBAOct. 8 Arizona, TBAOct. 15 BYU, TBAOct. 22 at Washington St., TBAOct. 29 at Utah, TBANov. 5 Stanford, TBANov. 12 at California, TBANov. 19 Washington, TBANov. 26 at Oregon, TBA

PENN ST.Sep. 3 Indiana St., NoonSep. 10 Alabama, 3:30 p.m.

Sep. 17 at Temple, NoonSep. 24 E. Michigan, TBAOct. 1 at Indiana, TBAOct. 8 Iowa, TBAOct. 15 Purdue, NoonOct. 22 at Northwestern, 7 p.m.Oct. 29 Illinois, TBANov. 12 Nebraska, TBANov. 19 at Ohio St., TBANov. 26 at Wisconsin, TBA

PITTSBURGHSep. 3 Buffalo, 6 p.m.Sep. 10 Maine, 1 p.m.Sep. 17 at Iowa, NoonSep. 24 Notre Dame, TBASep. 29 South Florida, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 at Rutgers, TBAOct. 15 Utah, TBAOct. 26 UConn, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 Cincinnati, TBANov. 12 at Louisville, TBANov. 25 at West Virginia, TBADec. 3 Syracuse, TBA

PURDUESep. 3 Middle Tennessee, NoonSep. 10 at Rice, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 17 SE Missouri, NoonOct. 1 Notre Dame, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 Minnesota, TBAOct. 15 at Penn St., NoonOct. 22 Illinois, NoonOct. 29 at Michigan, NoonNov. 5 at Wisconsin, TBANov. 12 Ohio St., TBANov. 19 Iowa, TBANov. 26 at Indiana, TBA

RICESep. 3 at Texas, 7 p.m.Sep. 10 Purdue, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 24 at Baylor, 7 p.m.Oct. 1 at Southern Miss., 7:30 p.m.Oct. 8 Memphis, 12:30 p.m.Oct. 15 at Marshall, TBAOct. 22 Tulsa, TBAOct. 27 at Houston, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 UTEP, TBANov. 12 at Northwestern, TBANov. 19 Tulane, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 26 at SMU, TBA

RUTGERSSep. 1 NC Central, 7:30 p.m.Sep. 10 at North Carolina, 12:30 p.m.Sep. 24 Ohio, TBAOct. 1 at Syracuse, TBAOct. 8 Pittsburgh, TBAOct. 15 Navy, TBAOct. 21 at Louisville, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 West Virginia, TBANov. 5 South Florida, TBANov. 12 at Army, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 19 Cincinnati, TBANov. 26 at UConn, TBA

SMUSep. 4 at Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m.Sep. 10 UTEP, TBASep. 17 Northwestern St., 8 p.m.Sep. 24 at Memphis, NoonSep. 30 at TCU, 8 p.m.Oct. 15 UCF, TBAOct. 22 at Southern Miss., 8 p.m.Oct. 29 at Tulsa, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 Tulane, 3 p.m.Nov. 12 Navy, TBANov. 19 at Houston, TBANov. 26 Rice, TBA

SAN DIEGO ST.Sep. 3 Cal Poly, 10 p.m.Sep. 10 at Army, NoonSep. 17 Washington St., 6:30 p.m.Sep. 24 at Michigan, TBAOct. 8 TCU, 10:30 p.m.Oct. 13 at Air Force, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 Wyoming, 10 p.m.Nov. 5 New Mexico, 8 p.m.Nov. 12 at Colorado St., 6 p.m.Nov. 19 Boise St., 8 p.m.Nov. 26 at UNLV, 10 p.m.Dec. 3 Fresno St., 8 p.m.

SAN JOSE ST.Sep. 3 at Stanford, 5 p.m.Sep. 10 at UCLA, 10 p.m.Sep. 17 Nevada, 4 p.m.Sep. 24 New Mexico St., 4 p.m.Oct. 1 at Colorado St., 4 p.m.Oct. 8 at BYU, TBAOct. 14 Hawaii, 9 p.m.Oct. 29 at Louisiana Tech, 4 p.m.Nov. 5 Idaho, 4 p.m.Nov. 12 at Utah St., 3 p.m.Nov. 19 Navy, 4 p.m.Nov. 26 at Fresno St., 8 p.m.

SOUTH CAROLINASep. 3 at East Carolina, 7 p.m.Sep. 10 at Georgia, 4:30 p.m.Sep. 17 Navy, 6 p.m.Sep. 24 Vanderbilt, TBAOct. 1 Auburn, TBAOct. 8 Kentucky, TBAOct. 15 at Mississippi St., TBAOct. 29 at Tennessee, TBANov. 5 at Arkansas, TBANov. 12 Florida, TBA

Nov. 19 The Citadel, NoonNov. 26 Clemson, TBA

SOUTH FLORIDASep. 3 at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 10 Ball St., TBASep. 17 Florida A&M, TBASep. 24 UTEP, TBASep. 29 at Pittsburgh, 8 p.m.Oct. 15 at UConn, TBAOct. 22 Cincinnati, TBANov. 5 at Rutgers, TBANov. 11 at Syracuse, 8 p.m.Nov. 19 Miami, TBANov. 25 Louisville, TBADec. 1 West Virginia, 8 p.m.

SOUTHERN CALSep. 3 Minnesota, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 10 Utah, 7:30 p.m.Sep. 17 Syracuse, 8 p.m.Sep. 24 at Arizona St., 10:15 p.m.Oct. 1 Arizona, TBAOct. 13 at California, 9 p.m.Oct. 22 at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m.Oct. 29 Stanford, 8 p.m.Nov. 4 at Colorado, 9 p.m.Nov. 12 Washington, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 19 at Oregon, 8 p.m.Nov. 26 UCLA, 10 p.m.

SOUTHERN MISS.Sep. 3 Louisiana Tech, 10 p.m.Sep. 10 at Marshall, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 17 SE Louisiana, 7 p.m.Sep. 24 at Virginia, TBAOct. 1 Rice, 7:30 p.m.Oct. 8 at Navy, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 SMU, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 at UTEP, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 at East Carolina, 4 p.m.Nov. 12 UCF, 8 p.m.Nov. 17 at UAB, 8 p.m.Nov. 26 Memphis, 4 p.m.

STANFORDSep. 3 San Jose St., 5 p.m.Sep. 10 at Duke, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 17 at Arizona, 10:45 p.m.Oct. 1 UCLA, TBAOct. 8 Colorado, TBAOct. 15 at Washington St., TBAOct. 22 Washington, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 at Southern Cal, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 at Oregon St., TBANov. 12 Oregon, TBANov. 19 California, TBANov. 26 Notre Dame, 8 p.m.

SYRACUSESep. 1 Wake Forest, 8 p.m.Sep. 10 Rhode Island, TBASep. 17 at Southern Cal, 8 p.m.Sep. 24 Toledo, TBAOct. 1 Rutgers, TBAOct. 8 at Tulane, 8 p.m.Oct. 21 West Virginia, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 at Louisville, TBANov. 5 at UConn, TBANov. 11 South Florida, 8 p.m.Nov. 26 Cincinnati, TBADec. 3 at Pittsburgh, TBA

TCUSep. 2 at Baylor, 8 p.m.Sep. 10 at Air Force, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 17 Louisiana-Monroe, 2 p.m.Sep. 24 Portland St., 7 p.m.Sep. 30 SMU, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 at San Diego St., 10:30 p.m.Oct. 22 New Mexico, 2 p.m.Oct. 28 BYU, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 at Wyoming, 2 p.m.Nov. 12 at Boise St., 3:30 p.m.Nov. 19 Colorado St., 3:30 p.m.Dec. 3 UNLV, 2:30 p.m.

TEMPLESep. 1 Villanova, 7 p.m.Sep. 10 at Akron, 6 p.m.Sep. 17 Penn St., NoonSep. 24 at Maryland, TBAOct. 1 Toledo, NoonOct. 8 at Ball St., 2 p.m.Oct. 15 Buffalo, 1 p.m.Oct. 22 at Bowling Green, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 2 at Ohio, 8 p.m.Nov. 9 Miami (Ohio), 8 p.m.Nov. 19 Army, 1 p.m.Nov. 25 Kent St., TBA

TENNESSEESep. 3 Montana, 6 p.m.Sep. 10 Cincinnati, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 17 at Florida, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 1 Buffalo, TBAOct. 8 Georgia, TBAOct. 15 LSU, TBAOct. 22 at Alabama, TBAOct. 29 South Carolina, TBANov. 5 Middle Tennessee, TBANov. 12 at Arkansas, TBANov. 19 Vanderbilt, TBANov. 26 at Kentucky, TBA

TEXASSep. 3 Rice, 7 p.m.Sep. 10 BYU, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 at UCLA, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 1 at Iowa St., TBAOct. 8 Oklahoma, Noon

Oct. 15 Oklahoma St., TBAOct. 29 Kansas, TBANov. 5 Texas Tech, TBANov. 12 at Missouri, TBANov. 19 Kansas St., TBANov. 24 at Texas A&M, 8 p.m.Dec. 3 at Baylor, TBA

TEXAS A&MSep. 4 SMU, 7:30 p.m.Sep. 17 Idaho, 7 p.m.Sep. 24 Oklahoma St., 7 p.m.Oct. 1 Arkansas, TBAOct. 8 at Texas Tech, TBAOct. 15 Baylor, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 at Iowa St., TBAOct. 29 Missouri, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 at Oklahoma, TBANov. 12 at Kansas St., TBANov. 19 Kansas, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 24 Texas, 8 p.m.

TEXAS TECHSep. 3 Texas St., 7 p.m.Sep. 17 at New Mexico, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 24 Nevada, 7 p.m.Oct. 1 at Kansas, TBAOct. 8 Texas A&M, TBAOct. 15 Kansas St., TBAOct. 22 at Oklahoma, TBAOct. 29 Iowa St., TBANov. 5 at Texas, TBANov. 12 Oklahoma St., TBANov. 19 at Missouri, TBANov. 26 at Baylor, 3:30 p.m.

TOLEDOSep. 1 New Hampshire, 7 p.m.Sep. 10 at Ohio St., NoonSep. 16 Boise St., 8 p.m.Sep. 24 at Syracuse, TBAOct. 1 at Temple, NoonOct. 8 E. Michigan, 3 p.m.Oct. 15 at Bowling Green, NoonOct. 22 Miami (Ohio), 7 p.m.Nov. 1 N. Illinois, 7 p.m.Nov. 8 W. Michigan, 8 p.m.Nov. 18 at Cent. Michigan, 8 p.m.Nov. 25 at Ball St., 2 p.m.

TROYSep. 3 at Clemson, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 17 at Arkansas, 7:30 p.m.Sep. 24 Middle Tennessee, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 1 UAB, TBAOct. 8 at Louisiana-Lafayette, TBAOct. 15 Louisiana-Monroe, TBAOct. 25 at FIU, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 at Navy, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 12 North Texas, TBANov. 19 FAU, TBANov. 26 at W. Kentucky, 1 p.m.Dec. 3 at Arkansas St., TBA

TULANESep. 3 SE Louisiana, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 10 Tulsa, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 17 at UAB, 4 p.m.Sep. 24 at Duke, TBAOct. 1 at Army, NoonOct. 8 Syracuse, 8 p.m.Oct. 15 UTEP, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 Memphis, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 29 at East Carolina, TBANov. 5 at SMU, 3 p.m.Nov. 10 Houston, 8 p.m.Nov. 19 at Rice, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 26 at Hawaii, 11 p.m.

TULSASep. 3 at Oklahoma, 8 p.m.Sep. 10 at Tulane, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 17 Oklahoma St., 10 p.m.Sep. 24 at Boise St., 8 p.m.Oct. 1 North Texas, 7 p.m.Oct. 15 UAB, 8 p.m.Oct. 22 at Rice, TBAOct. 29 SMU, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 3 at UCF, 8 p.m.Nov. 12 Marshall, TBANov. 19 at UTEP, 8 p.m.Nov. 25 Houston, Noon

UABSep. 10 at Florida, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 Tulane, 4 p.m.Sep. 24 at East Carolina, TBAOct. 1 at Troy, TBAOct. 8 Mississippi St., NoonOct. 15 at Tulsa, 8 p.m.Oct. 20 UCF, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 at Marshall, NoonNov. 5 Houston, 7 p.m.Nov. 12 at Memphis, 4:15 p.m.Nov. 17 Southern Miss., 8 p.m.Nov. 26 at FAU, TBA

UCFSep. 3 Charleston Southern, 7 p.m.Sep. 10 Boston College, 8 p.m.Sep. 17 at FIU, 6 p.m.Sep. 23 at BYU, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 Marshall, 4 p.m.Oct. 15 at SMU, TBAOct. 20 at UAB, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 Memphis, 4 p.m.Nov. 3 Tulsa, 8 p.m.Nov. 12 at Southern Miss., 8 p.m.Nov. 19 at East Carolina, TBANov. 25 UTEP, 7 p.m.

UCLASep. 3 at Houston, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 10 San Jose St., 10 p.m.Sep. 17 Texas, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 24 at Oregon St., TBAOct. 1 at Stanford, TBAOct. 8 Washington St., TBAOct. 20 at Arizona, 9 p.m.Oct. 29 California, TBANov. 5 Arizona St., TBANov. 12 at Utah, TBANov. 19 Colorado, TBANov. 26 at Southern Cal, 10 p.m.

UCONNSep. 1 Fordham, 7:30 p.m.Sep. 10 at Vanderbilt, 7:30 p.m.Sep. 16 Iowa St., 8 p.m.Sep. 24 at Buffalo, 6 p.m.Oct. 1 W. Michigan, TBAOct. 8 at West Virginia, TBAOct. 15 South Florida, TBAOct. 26 at Pittsburgh, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 Syracuse, TBANov. 19 Louisville, TBANov. 26 Rutgers, TBADec. 3 at Cincinnati, TBA

UNLVSep. 1 at Wisconsin, 8 p.m.Sep. 10 at Washington St., TBASep. 17 Hawaii, 10 p.m.Sep. 24 S. Utah, 9 p.m.Oct. 8 at Nevada, 4:05 p.m.Oct. 15 at Wyoming, 2 p.m.Oct. 29 Colorado St., 6 p.m.Nov. 5 Boise St., 10:30 p.m.Nov. 12 at New Mexico, 10 p.m.Nov. 19 at Air Force, 6 p.m.Nov. 26 San Diego St., 10 p.m.Dec. 3 at TCU, 2:30 p.m.

UTEPSep. 3 Stony Brook, 9 p.m.Sep. 10 at SMU, TBASep. 17 at New Mexico St., 8 p.m.Sep. 24 at South Florida, TBASep. 29 Houston, 8 p.m.Oct. 15 at Tulane, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 Colorado St., 8 p.m.Oct. 29 Southern Miss., 8 p.m.Nov. 5 at Rice, TBANov. 12 East Carolina, 8 p.m.Nov. 19 Tulsa, 8 p.m.Nov. 25 at UCF, 7 p.m.

UTAHSep. 1 Montana St., 8 p.m.Sep. 10 at Southern Cal, 7:30 p.m.Sep. 17 at BYU, 9:15 p.m.Oct. 1 Washington, TBAOct. 8 Arizona St., TBAOct. 15 at Pittsburgh, TBAOct. 22 at California, TBAOct. 29 Oregon St., TBANov. 5 at Arizona, TBANov. 12 UCLA, TBANov. 19 at Washington St., TBANov. 25 Colorado, 3:30 p.m.

UTAH ST.Sep. 3 at Auburn, NoonSep. 10 Weber St., 8 p.m.Sep. 24 Colorado St., 8 p.m.Sep. 30 at BYU, 8 p.m.Oct. 8 Wyoming, 8 p.m.Oct. 15 at Fresno St., 10 p.m.Oct. 22 Louisiana Tech, 3 p.m.Nov. 5 at Hawaii, MidNov. 12 San Jose St., 3 p.m.Nov. 19 at Idaho, 5 p.m.Nov. 26 Nevada, 3 p.m.Dec. 3 at New Mexico St., 8 p.m.

VANDERBILTSep. 3 Elon, 7:30 p.m.Sep. 10 UConn, 7:30 p.m.Sep. 17 Mississippi, 12:20 p.m.Sep. 24 at South Carolina, TBAOct. 8 at Alabama, TBAOct. 15 Georgia, TBAOct. 22 Army, TBAOct. 29 Arkansas, TBANov. 5 at Florida, TBANov. 12 Kentucky, TBANov. 19 at Tennessee, TBANov. 26 at Wake Forest, TBA

VIRGINIASep. 3 William & Mary, 6 p.m.Sep. 10 at Indiana, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 at North Carolina, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 24 Southern Miss., TBAOct. 1 Idaho, TBAOct. 15 Georgia Tech, TBAOct. 22 NC State, TBAOct. 27 at Miami, 8 p.m.Nov. 5 at Maryland, TBANov. 12 Duke, TBANov. 19 at Florida St., TBANov. 26 Virginia Tech, TBA

VIRGINIA TECHSep. 3 Appalachian St., 12:30 p.m.Sep. 10 at East Carolina, TBASep. 17 Arkansas St., 4 p.m.Sep. 24 at Marshall, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 1 Clemson, TBAOct. 8 Miami, TBAOct. 15 at Wake Forest, TBA

Oct. 22 Boston College, TBAOct. 29 at Duke, TBANov. 10 at Georgia Tech, 8 p.m.Nov. 17 North Carolina, 8 p.m.Nov. 26 at Virginia, TBA

W. KENTUCKYSep. 1 Kentucky, 9:15 p.m.Sep. 10 Navy, 7 p.m.Sep. 17 Indiana St., 7 p.m.Oct. 1 Arkansas St., 4 p.m.Oct. 6 at Middle Tennessee, 7:30 p.m.Oct. 15 at FAU, TBAOct. 22 Louisiana-Lafayette, 4 p.m.Oct. 29 at Louisiana-Monroe, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 5 FIU, 4 p.m.Nov. 12 at LSU, 8 p.m.Nov. 19 at North Texas, 4 p.m.Nov. 26 Troy, 1 p.m.

W. MICHIGANSep. 3 at Michigan, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 10 Nicholls St., 7 p.m.Sep. 17 Cent. Michigan, NoonSep. 24 at Illinois, TBAOct. 1 at UConn, TBAOct. 8 Bowling Green, 2 p.m.Oct. 15 at N. Illinois, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 at E. Michigan, 1 p.m.Oct. 29 Ball St., 2 p.m.Nov. 8 at Toledo, 8 p.m.Nov. 16 at Miami (Ohio), 8 p.m.Nov. 25 Akron, TBA

WAKE FORESTSep. 1 at Syracuse, 8 p.m.Sep. 10 NC State, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 17 Gardner-Webb, 6:30 p.m.Oct. 1 at Boston College, TBAOct. 8 Florida St., TBAOct. 15 Virginia Tech, TBAOct. 22 at Duke, TBAOct. 29 at North Carolina, TBANov. 5 Notre Dame, TBANov. 12 at Clemson, TBANov. 19 Maryland, TBANov. 26 Vanderbilt, TBA

WASHINGTONSep. 3 E.Washington, 7 p.m.Sep. 10 Hawaii, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 17 at Nebraska, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 24 California, TBAOct. 1 at Utah, TBAOct. 15 Colorado, TBAOct. 22 at Stanford, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 Arizona, TBANov. 5 Oregon, TBANov. 12 at Southern Cal, 3:30 p.m.Nov. 19 at Oregon St., TBANov. 26 Washington St., TBA

WASHINGTON ST.Sep. 3 Idaho St., 5 p.m.Sep. 10 UNLV, TBASep. 17 at San Diego St., 6:30 p.m.Oct. 1 at Colorado, TBAOct. 8 at UCLA, TBAOct. 15 Stanford, TBAOct. 22 Oregon St., TBAOct. 29 at Oregon, TBANov. 5 at California, TBANov. 12 Arizona St., TBANov. 19 Utah, TBANov. 26 at Washington, TBA

WEST VIRGINIASep. 4 Marshall, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 10 Norfolk St., TBASep. 17 at Maryland, NoonSep. 24 LSU, TBAOct. 1 Bowling Green, TBAOct. 8 UConn, TBAOct. 21 at Syracuse, 8 p.m.Oct. 29 at Rutgers, TBANov. 5 Louisville, TBANov. 12 at Cincinnati, TBANov. 25 Pittsburgh, TBADec. 1 at South Florida, 8 p.m.

WISCONSINSep. 1 UNLV, 8 p.m.Sep. 10 Oregon St., NoonSep. 17 at N. Illinois, 3:30 p.m.Sep. 24 South Dakota, TBAOct. 1 Nebraska, 8 p.m.Oct. 15 Indiana, NoonOct. 22 at Michigan St., 8 p.m.Oct. 29 at Ohio St., 8 p.m.Nov. 5 Purdue, TBANov. 12 at Minnesota, TBANov. 19 at Illinois, TBANov. 26 Penn St., TBA

WYOMINGSep. 3 Weber St., 9 p.m.Sep. 10 Texas St., 6 p.m.Sep. 17 at Bowling Green, TBASep. 24 Nebraska, 7:30 p.m.Oct. 8 at Utah St., 8 p.m.Oct. 15 UNLV, 2 p.m.Oct. 29 at San Diego St., 10 p.m.Nov. 5 TCU, 2 p.m.Nov. 12 at Air Force, 2 p.m.Nov. 19 New Mexico, 2 p.m.Nov. 26 at Boise St., 2 p.m.Dec. 3 at Colorado St., 2 p.m.

MAJOR COLLEGE SCHEDULES 61THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

Division 3-6ABrandon (7-6)Coach Brad PetersonAug. 19 VicksburgAug. 26 PearlSept. 2 at ClintonSept. 9 at NW RankinSept. 23 at TerrySept. 30 Forest HillOct. 7 at PetalOct. 14 MeridianOct. 21 Oak GroveOct. 28 at NatchezNov. 4 Hattiesburg

Forest Hill (5-6)Coach Clifton CottonAug. 19 ProvineAug. 26 at WingfieldSept. 2 at CallawaySept. 9 Jim HillSept. 23 Oak GroveSept. 30 at BrandonOct. 7 NatchezOct. 14 at HattiesburgOct. 21 at TerryOct. 28 PetalNov. 4 at Meridian

Hattiesburg (4-7)Coach Trey DickersonAug. 19 MurrahAug. 26 at LaurelSept. 2 Warren CentralSept. 16 at Harrison CentralSept. 23 at PetalSept. 30 MeridianOct. 7 at TerryOct. 14 Forest HillOct. 21 NatchezOct. 28 Oak GroveNov. 4 at Brandon

Meridian (14-1)Coach Larry WeemsAug. 19 at ClintonAug. 26 Wayne CountySept. 2 at CantonSept. 9 QuitmanSept. 23 NatchezSept. 30 at HattiesburgOct. 7 Oak GroveOct. 14 at BrandonOct. 21 at PetalOct. 28 TerryNov. 4 Forest Hill

Natchez (9-3)Coach Lance ReedAug. 19 at Wilkinson CountyAug. 26 Jefferson CountySept. 2 at Ferriday (La.)Sept. 9 Warren CentralSept. 23 at MeridianSept. 30 TerryOct. 7 at Forest HillOct. 14 PetalOct. 21 at HattiesburgOct. 28 BrandonNov. 4 at Oak Grove

Oak Grove (8-5)Coach Nevil BarrAug. 18 SumrallAug. 26 at PurvisSept. 9 at LaurelSept. 16 GulfportSept. 23 at Forest HillSept. 30 PetalOct. 7 at MeridianOct. 14 TerryOct. 21 at BrandonOct. 28 at HattiesburgNov. 4 Natchez

Petal (9-3)Coach Steve BuckleyAug. 20 Wayne CountyAug. 27 PicayuneSept. 2 at Madison CentralSept. 9 at BrookhavenSept. 23 HattiesburgSept. 30 at Oak GroveOct. 7 BrandonOct. 14 at NatchezOct. 21 MeridianOct. 28 at Forest HillNov. 3 at Terry

Terry (4-7)Coach Paul AndersonAug. 19 McCombAug. 26 at RaymondSept. 2 RidgelandSept. 9 at FlorenceSept. 23 BrandonSept. 30 at NatchezOct. 7 Hattiesburg

Oct. 14 at Oak GroveOct. 21 Forest HillOct. 28 at MeridianNov. 3 Petal

Division 2-5ACallaway (9-3)Coach Daryl JonesAug. 19 at NW RankinAug. 26 at Warren CentralSept. 2 Forest HillSept. 9 at MurrahSept. 23 ProvineSept. 30 at Neshoba CentralOct. 7 LanierOct. 14 RidgelandOct. 21 at CantonOct. 28 at StarkvilleNov. 3 Yazoo City

Canton (3-8)Coach Peter BrownAug. 19 WingfieldAug. 26 Velma JacksonSept. 2 MeridianSept. 9 at BaileySept. 23 RidgelandSept. 30 at Yazoo CityOct. 7 Neshoba CentralOct. 14 at StarkvilleOct. 21 CallawayOct. 28 at ProvineNov. 4 Lanier

Lanier (3-8)Coach Damion LonginoAug. 19 at South DeltaAug. 26 MurrahSept. 1 at Jim HillSept. 8 McClainSept. 23 at StarkvilleSept. 30 RidgelandOct. 7 at CallawayOct. 14 Yazoo CityOct. 21 at ProvineOct. 28 Neshoba CentralNov. 4 at Canton

Neshoba Central (5-6)Coach Chuck FriendAug. 19 at QuitmanAug. 26 West LauderdaleSept. 2 LouisvilleSept. 9 at NE LauderdaleSept. 23 at Yazoo CitySept. 30 CallawayOct. 7 at CantonOct. 14 ProvineOct. 21 at RidgelandOct. 28 at LanierNov. 4 Starkville

Provine (5-7)Coach Willie CollinsAug. 19 at Forest HillAug. 26 Jim HillSept. 2 at MurrahSept. 9 ClintonSept. 23 at CallawaySept. 30 at StarkvilleOct. 7 Yazoo CityOct. 14 at Neshoba CentralOct. 21 LanierOct. 28 ClintonNov. 4 at Ridgeland

Ridgeland (13-1)Coach Kenny BurtonAug. 19 MendenhallAug. 26 ClintonSept. 2 at TerrySept. 9 KosciuskoSept. 23 at CantonSept. 30 at LanierOct. 7 StarkvilleOct. 14 at CallawayOct. 21 Neshoba CentralOct. 28 at Yazoo CityNov. 4 Provine

Starkville (5-6)Coach Jamie MitchellAug. 19 at Noxubee CountyAug. 26 Madison CentralSept. 2 TupeloSept. 9 at West PointSept. 23 LanierSept. 30 ProvineOct. 7 at RidgelandOct. 14 CantonOct. 21 at Yazoo CityOct. 28 CallawayNov. 4 at Neshoba Central

Yazoo City (2-8)Coach Tony WoolfolkAug. 19 at GermantownAug. 26 at Humphrey's County

Sept. 2 GreenwoodSept. 9 Yazoo CountySept. 23 Neshoba CentralSept. 30 CantonOct. 7 at ProvineOct. 14 at LanierOct. 21 StarkvilleOct. 28 RidgelandNov. 3 at Callaway

Division 5-4ALaurel (7-5)Coach Milton SmithAug. 19 at South JonesAug. 26 HattiesburgSept. 2 at West JonesSept. 9 Oak GroveSept. 16 at St. StanislausSept. 30 at West LauderdaleOct. 7 QuitmanOct. 14 at Newton CountyOct. 21 NE LauderdaleOct. 28 NE Jones

Newton County (6-5)Coach Charlie BorenAug. 26 SE LauderdaleSept. 2 at Choctaw CentralSept. 9 at Leake CentralSept. 16 FlorenceSept. 30 NE JonesOct. 7 at NE LauderdaleOct. 14 LaurelOct. 21 at West LauderdaleOct. 28 Quitman

Northeast Jones (4-8)Coach Keith BraddockAug. 19 at HeidelbergAug. 26 West JonesSept. 2 South JonesSept. 9 at NewtonSept. 16 Kemper CountySept. 23 RaleighSept. 30 at Newton CountyOct. 7 West LauderdaleOct. 14 at NE LauderdaleOct. 21 QuitmanOct. 28 at Laurel

Northeast Lauderdale (8-5)Coach Steve NelsonAug. 19 at NewtonAug. 16 Jackson Aca.Sept. 2 at SE LauderdaleSept. 9 Neshoba CentralSept. 16 PhiladelphiaSept. 23 at MortonSept. 30 at QuitmanOct. 7 Newton CountyOct. 14 Northeast JonesOct. 21 at LaurelOct. 28 at West Lauderdale

Quitman (8-5)Coach John DouglassAug. 19 Neshoba CentralAug. 26 Greene CountySept. 2 at HeidelbergSept. 9 at MeridianSept. 16 at North ForrestSept. 23 SE LauderdaleSept. 30 NE LauderdaleOct. 7 at LaurelOct. 14 West LauderdaleOct. 21 at NE JonesOct. 28 at Newton County

West Lauderdale (1-10)Coach Glen SandersAug. 19 ForestAug. 26 at Neshoba CentralSept. 2 PhiladelphiaSept. 9 SE LauderdaleSept. 16 at MortonSept. 23 at NewtonSept. 30 LaurelOct. 7 at NE JonesOct. 14 at QuitmanOct. 21 Newton CountyOct. 28 NE Lauderdale

Division 5-3AChoctaw Central (7-5)Coach Troy SavellAug. 19 at Leake CentralAug. 26 at UnionSept. 2 Newton CountySept. 9 Cherokee (N.C.)Sept. 22 EnterpriseSept. 30 at HeidelbergOct. 7 Kemper CountyOct. 14 SE LauderdaleOct. 21 at NewtonOct. 28 Philadelphia

Heidelberg (1-10)

Coach Jeff GibsonAug. 19 NE JonesAug. 26 at HazlehurstSept. 2 QuitmanSept. 9 at Bay SpringsSept. 16 at BaileySept. 23 at LakeSept. 30 Choctaw CentralOct. 7 NewtonOct. 14 PhiladelphiaOct. 21 at SE LauderdaleOct. 28 at Kemper County

Kemper County (2-9)Coach Darryl CarterAug. 19 at LumbertonAug. 26 at Nanih WaiyaSept. 2 NoxapaterSept. 9 LouisvilleSept. 16 at NE JonesSept. 23 Noxubee CountySept. 30 at SE LauderdaleOct. 7 at Choctaw CentralOct. 14 NewtonOct. 21 at PhiladelphiaOct. 28 Heidelberg

Newton (6-6)Coach Ed StanleyAug. 19 NE LauderdaleAug. 26 at Scott CentralSept. 2 Leake CountySept. 9 NE JonesSept. 16 at McLaurinSept. 23 West LauderdaleSept. 30 PhiladelphiaOct. 7 HeidelbergOct. 14 at Kemper CountyOct. 21 Choctaw CentralOct. 28 at SE Lauderdale

Philadelphia (12-1)Coach Teddy DyessAug. 19 MortonAug. 26 KosciuskoSept. 2 at West LauderdaleSept. 9 at Leake CountySept. 16 at NE LauderdaleSept. 23 Leflore CountySept. 30 at NewtonOct. 7 SE LauderdaleOct. 14 at HeidelbergOct. 21 Kemper CountyOct. 28 at Choctaw Central

Southeast Lauderdale (10-3)Coach Boo SmithAug. 18 ClarkdaleAug. 26 at Newton CountySept. 2 NE LauderdaleSept. 9 at West LauderdaleSept. 16 LumbertonSept. 23 at QuitmanSept. 30 Kemper CountyOct. 7 at PhiladelphiaOct. 14 at Choctaw CentralOct. 21 HeidelbergOct. 28 Newton

Division 5-2ALake (4-6)Coach Jeff BrelandAug. 19 SebastopolAug. 26 at RichtonSept. 2 at PelahatchieSept. 9 ClarkdaleSept. 16 at EnterpriseSept. 23 HeidelbergSept. 30 at PisgahOct. 13 UnionOct. 21 at Scott CentralOct. 28 Leake County

Leake County (first year)Coach Gerry AndersonAug. 19 at East OktibbehaAug. 26 Leake CentralSept. 2 at NewtonSept. 9 PhiladelphiaSept. 16 Williams-SullivanSept. 23 at Velma JacksonSept. 30 UnionOct. 7 at Scott CentralOct. 21 PisgahOct. 28 at Lake

Pisgah (5-6)Coach Barry BeanAug. 19 PelahatchieSept. 2 at St. Andrew'sSept. 9 at Enterprise-LincolnSept. 16 Madison-St. Joseph'sSept. 23 at PuckettSept. 30 LakeOct. 7 at UnionOct. 14 Scott CentralOct. 21 at Leake CountyOct. 28 Enterprise

Scott Central (10-3Coach Mickey BoundsAug. 26 NewtonSept. 2 at Leake CentralSept. 9 MortonSept. 16 at Bay SpringsSept. 23 ForestSept. 30 at MRAOct. 7 Leake CountyOct. 14 at PisgahOct. 21 LakeOct. 28 at Union

Union (6-7)Coach Brad BrelandAug. 19 Nanih WaiyaAug. 26 Choctaw CentralSept. 2 at ClarkdaleSept. 9 at EnterpriseSept. 16 Leake CentralSept. 23 at Madison-St. Joseph’sSept. 30 at Leake CountyOct. 7 PisgahOct. 13 at LakeOct. 21 at SebastopolOct. 28 Scott Central

Division 7-2ABay Springs (0-10Coach Ryan MilnerAug. 25 at StringerSept. 2 at RaleighSept. 9 HeidelbergSept. 16 Scott CentralSept. 23 North ForrestSept. 30 at EnterpriseOct. 7 at SumrallOct. 14 ClarkdaleOct. 21 at MizeOct. 28 Taylorsville

Clarkdale (3-9)Coach Chris RichmondAug. 18 at SE LauderdaleAug. 26 at SebastopolSept. 2 UnionSept. 9 at LakeSept. 16 RichtonSept. 23 Nanih WaiyaSept. 30 at TaylorsvilleOct. 7 EnterpriseOct. 14 at Bay SpringsOct. 21 St. PatrickOct. 28 Mize

Enterprise (5-6)Coach Joel SpeedAug. 26 LamarSept. 2 at PoplarvilleSept. 9 UnionSept. 16 LakeSept. 22 at Choctaw CentralSept. 30 Bay SpringsOct. 7 at ClarkdaleOct. 14 MizeOct. 21 at TaylorsvilleOct. 28 at Pisgah

Mize (10-4)Coach Kenny RobinsonAug. 18 at MageeAug. 26 Mt. OliveSept. 2 at WessonSept. 9 at PuckettSept. 16 RaleighSept. 23 PrentissOct. 7 TaylorsvilleOct. 14 at EnterpriseOct. 21 Bay SpringsOct. 28 at Clarkdale

Taylorsville (13-1)Coach Bud BlackledgeAug. 26 at PrentissSept. 2 CollinsSept. 9 at RaleighSept. 16 at Greene CountySept. 23 SeminarySept. 30 ClarkdaleOct. 7 at MizeOct. 14 BassfieldOct. 21 EnterpriseOct. 28 at Bay Springs

MAIS Divison 4-AALamar (5-6)Coach Mac BarnesAug. 19 Heritage Aca.Aug. 26 at EnterpriseSept. 2 Winston Aca.Sept. 9 at Central HindsSept. 16 at Jackson Aca.Sept. 23 Leake Aca.Sept. 30 Newton Aca.Oct. 7 at East RankinOct. 14 Wayne Aca.Oct. 21 at Sylva-Bay Aca.

Oct. 28 Simpson Aca.

Simpson Academy (9-3)Coac Billy Wayne HankinsAug. 19 Leake AcademyAug. 26 at PresbyterianSept. 2 at Brookhaven Aca.Sept. 9 Wayne AcademySept. 16 at Sylva-Bay Aca.Sept. 23 Central HindsSept. 30 at Winston Aca.Oct. 7 Adams ChristianOct. 14 MRAOct. 28 at Lamar

Sylva-Bay Academy (12-1)Coach Chad OdomAug. 19 Winston Aca.Aug. 26 at East RankinSept. 2 at Manchester Aca.Sept. 9 Heidelberg Aca.Sept. 16 Simpson Aca.Sept. 23 at Columbia Aca.Sept. 30 at Central HindsOct. 7 Porter's ChapelOct. 21 LamarOct. 28 at Wayne Aca.

Wayne Academy (7-5)Coach Teddy TaylorAug. 19 South Choctaw (Ala.)Aug. 26 at Newton Aca.Sept. 2 at RichtonSept. 9 at Simpson Aca.Sept. 16 Brookhaven Aca.Sept. 23 Winston Aca.Sept. 30 at Columbia Aca.Oct. 7 Heidelberg Aca.Oct. 14 at LamarOct. 28 Sylva-Bay Aca.

MAIS Division 4-ABen's Ford (La.) (0-10)Coach Aaron ThomasAug. 19 at Wilkinson ChristianAug. 26 Heidelberg Aca.Sept. 2 Porter's ChapelSept. 9 at Park PlaceSept. 23 at Riverdale (La.) Aca.Oct. 7 AmiteOct. 14 at Prentiss ChristianOct. 28 Newton Aca.

Heidelberg Academy (8-3)Coach Jason SoulesAug. 19 RichtonAug. 26 at Ben's Ford (La.)Sept. 2 AmiteSept. 9 at Sylva-Bay Aca.Sept. 23 Newton Aca.Sept. 30 at Wilkinson ChristianOct. 7 at Wayne Aca.Oct. 14 at Porter's ChapelOct. 21 Prentiss ChristianOct. 28 Park Place

Newton County Academy (7-5)Coach Robert RobertsAug. 19 at Oak Hill Aca.Aug. 26 Wayne Aca.Sept. 9 Porter’s ChapelSept. 16 Prentiss ChristianSept. 23 at Heidelberg Aca.Sept. 30 at LamarOct. 7 Tri-County Aca.Oct. 14 Leake Aca.Oct. 21 at Park PlaceOct. 28 at Ben’s Ford (La.)

Park Place (2-8)Coach Preston GordonAug. 19 Tallulah (La.) Aca.Aug. 26 at Winona ChristianSept. 2 Prentiss ChristianSept. 9 Ben's Ford (La.)Sept. 16 at Porter's ChapelSept. 23 Hebron ChristianOct. 7 at Central HolmesOct. 14 at Humphrey's (La.) Aca.Oct. 21 Newton Aca.Oct. 28 at Heidelberg Aca.

Porter's Chapel (5-6)Coach Wade PatrickAug. 19 Union (La.) ChristianAug. 26 Deer CreekSept. 2 at Ben's Ford (La.)Sept. 9 at Newton Aca.Sept. 16 Park PlaceSept. 23 Benton Aca.Sept. 30 at Tri-County Aca.Oct. 7 at Sylva-Bay Aca.Oct. 14 Heidelberg Aca.Oct. 21 Manchester Aca.Oct. 28 at Prentiss Christian

Prentiss Christian (3-8)Coach Eddie Carnley

Aug. 19 Columbia Aca.Aug. 26 at Wilkinson ChristianSept. 2 at Park PlaceSept. 9 SumrallSept. 16 at Newton Aca.Sept. 23 Hillcrest ChristianOct. 7 at Tallulah (La.) Aca.Oct. 14 Ben's Ford (La.)Oct. 21 at Heidelberg Aca.Oct. 28 Porter's Chapel

MAIS 8-Man Division 1Calhoun Academy (1-9)Coach Cameron WrightAug. 19 Sharkey-IssaquenaAug. 26 at Central Aca.Sept. 2 Marvell (Ark.) Aca.Sept. 9 Kemper Aca.Sept. 16 at Calvary ChristianSept. 23 North SunflowerSept. 30 Delta Aca.Oct. 7 at Briarfield (La.) Aca.Oct. 21 Russell Christian

Calvary Christian (4-6)Coach Kirby NewellAug. 19 Central Aca.Aug. 26 at Kemper Aca.Sept. 9 at North SunflowerSept. 16 Calhoun Aca.Sept. 23 at Russell ChristianSept. 30 at Marvell (Ark.) Aca.Oct. 7 Kemper Aca.Oct. 14 Delta Aca.Oct. 21 at Central Aca.

Central Academy (10-2)Coach Ronnie ScipleAug. 19 at Calvary ChristianAug. 26 Calhoun Aca.Sept. 2 at Delta Aca.Sept. 9 Marvell (Ark.) Aca.Sept. 16 at Kemper Aca.Sept. 30 Russell ChristianOct. 7 at North SunflowerOct. 14 at Franklin (La.) Aca.Oct. 21 Calvary Christian

Delta Academy (2-7)Coach Chad KellyAug. 19 Briarfield (La.) Aca.Aug. 26 at Marvell (Ark.) Aca.Sept. 2 Central Aca.Sept. 9 at Russell ChristianSept. 16 Marvell (Ark.) Aca.Sept. 23 Kemper Aca.Sept. 30 at Calhoun Aca.Oct. 14 at Calvary ChristianOct. 21 North Sunflower

Kemper Academy (10-0)Coach Pete McCleskeyAug. 19 at VeritasAug. 26 Calvary ChristianSept. 2 North SunflowerSept. 9 at Calhoun Aca.Sept. 16 Central Aca.Sept. 23 at Delta Aca.Oct. 7 at Calvary ChristianOct. 14 at Russell ChristianOct. 21 Marvell (Ark.) Aca.

Marvell (Ark.) Academy (6-3)Coach Herman CoatesAug. 19 at North SunflowerAug. 26 Delta Aca.Sept. 2 Calhoun Aca.Sept. 9 at Central Aca.Sept. 16 at Delta Aca.Sept. 30 Calvary ChristianOct. 7 at Russell ChristianOct. 14 North SunflowerOct. 21 at Kemper Aca.

North Sunflower (6-3)Coach Thomas ThompsonAug. 19 Marvell (Ark.) Aca.Sept. 2 at Kemper Aca.Sept. 9 Calvary ChristianSept. 16 Russell ChristianSept. 23 at Calhoun Aca.Sept. 30 at Sharkey-IssaquenaOct. 7 Central Aca.Oct. 14 at Marvell (Ark.) Aca.Oct. 21 at Delta Aca.

Russell Christian Academy (2-8)Coach Nate BallardAug. 19 at Christian CollegiateAug. 26 at Clinton ChristianSept. 2 Rebul Aca.Sept. 9 Delta Aca.Sept. 16 at North SunflowerSept. 23 Calvary ChristianSept. 30 at Central Aca.Oct. 7 Marvell (Ark.) Aca.Oct. 14 Kemper Aca.Oct. 21 at Calhoun Aca.

AREA DIVISION SCHEDULES 63THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

FOOTBALL PREVIEW64 THE MERIDIAN STARThursday, August 18, 2011

meridian star 2011 football tab

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