Preseason Week 1 in Conference USA’s East Division

East Carolina – Offensive lineman Drew Gentry is sidelined indefinitely with a knee injury.  Kenneth Freeman has been added to the squad to replace Gentry…Defensive back Desi Brown (shoulder) and offensive lineman Doug Polochak (shoulder), who was expected to start at left guard, have sat out three consecutive days of practice…Saturday’s scrimmage will help clear up lock jams at running back, wide receiver, linebacker and on both lines, where starting nods are on the line…

Marshall – The Herd is still looking for leading receiver Aaron Dobson to return from a hamstring injury that’s plagued him for most of spring practice and has held him out of fall practice so far. Dobson was the team’s leading receiver with 44 catches for 689 yards last year…Four quarterbacks, Eddie Sullivan A.J. Graham, Rakeem Cato and Blake Frohnapel, are fighting for the starting nod. It looks like Cato is the leader tho…

Memphis – The Tigers might be looking to freshmen to help them often this year.  Three rookie running backs, Joe Price, Carl Harris and Artaves Gibson, are all vying for time behind starter Jerrell Rhodes…Wake Forest transfer Skylar Jones, JC transfer Andy Summerlin, Will Gilchrist and true freshman Taylor Reed are fighting to be the starting quarterback.  Summerlin has the edge but none of the four is very experienced…OL Ronald Leary and WR Marcus Rucker were the only two returning players to have started every Tiger game in 2010…

Southern MissTray Becton-martin, who was signed as a wide receiver in February, has made a nice transition to cornerback early in camp and the coaching staff is looking for him to be able to contribute right away…Coach Larry Fedora said he’s been impressed with some of the freshman wide receivers, offensive and defensive lineman…The team held their first scrimmage of the preseason and Kendrick Hardy led all rushers with 62 yards on seven carries including a long touchdown run of nearly 60 yards. Desmond Johnson added 52 yards on 10 carries…Austin Davis was 17-of-28 for 180 yards with two touchdowns

UAB – Freshmen Darrin Reaves and Bashr Coles are both pushing for a spot in the running back rotation…Shaquille Roberson is still waiting to be cleared academically by the NCAA…Tight end Kennard Backman, a true freshman, has looked really good and the Blazers feel may have a chance to playing a big role this year…

UCF – The Knights held their first scrimmage and had some players put up impressive stats.  On a day where the defense was out to shine, backup quarterback Blake Bortles put together a nice stat line, completing 14-of-21 passes for 173 yards, including one touchdown and interception each…Starting quarterback Jeff Godfrey was seven-of-12 for 88 yards…Six receivers caught three balls each…Latavius Murray led the running game with 69 yards on 13 carries…On defense, Deion Green has 1.5 sacks, while Barry Snider, Toby Jackson and Darius Nall had one each

Potential ACC Upsets Part 2

Miami – Potential upset: Week three vs. Kansas State

Don’t look now, but the Wildcats are bringing in some very talented players.  They’ve brought in Chris Harper and Bryce Brown, two highly regarded transfers, in the past year.  The Big 12 media members think so highly of Brown that they named him to the Preseason All Big 12 Team, without ever playing a down in Manhattan.  Continue reading

College Park Regional

Baylor – The Bears got off to an extremely hot start in the 2011 season, winning 24 of their first 27 games, including wins over Illinois, UCLA, Fresno State, San Diego State and two wins over Arizona.  This just prepared Baylor for the grueling Big 12 season, one which would see them face eight NCAA teams from their conference alone.  They compiled a 11-5 record against those conference foes, and a 19-10 record against all NCAA Tournament opponents. Continue reading

>Military Bowl

>East Carolina vs. Maryland

   This game makes for an interesting case as Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen will no longer be the coach of the Terps after the game.  After winning ACC Coach of the Year in 2010, the Maryland Athletic Department decided to buy out Friedgen.

   Maryland (8-4) is back in a bowl game for the first time since beating Nevada 42-35 in the 2008 Humanitarian Bowl in Boise.  Maryland’s return to the postseason came after the Terps dropped their last seven games of 2009 and finished 2-10.
   
   The Pirates are centered around a passing game that is among the best in the nation, averaging 319.3 yards with 37 touchdowns.

   Dominique Davis shattered team records with 36 TD passes, 3,699 yards and 358 completions — 99 more than the previous mark. The junior, in his first season at East Carolina, connected on 64.9 percent of his throws and had 14 interceptions.

   Davis threw 18 TDs and four picks while posting a 145.2 rating over the last five games.
Receivers Dwayne Harris and Lance Lewis are Davis’ top targets. Harris has a Conference USA-high 93 receptions along with 1,055 yards and 10 touchdowns.  Lewis’ 78 catches are third in the league, and he has a team-best 13 TD receptions and 979 yards.
   
   While East Carolina’s offensive power is clear, the defense has had major problems. The unit is the worst in the country, allowing averages of 43.4 points and 478.8 yards — 220.8 rushing.  The Pirates have given up 54.8 points per game over the last five contests.

   Terps freshman Danny O’Brien is coming off a stellar performance in the season finale, going 33 of 47 for 417 yards and throwing four touchdowns to Torrey Smith. O’Brien has thrown for 2,257 yards, 21 scoring passes and six interceptions.

   Torrey Smith is tied for the ACC lead with 12 TD catches and has 1,045 receiving yards.

Prediction:  East Carolina 49, Maryland 40