Sorry I haven’t published in a while.  Olympics and job hunt took over!  If you’ve seen my site, you’ll see that I do a ‘What We Learned’ from that weekend’s college football games.  Three weeks til that returns!

Houston – Philip Causey suffered a season-ending knee injury, the team’s only major injury coming out of camp…Backup junior center Blake Sargent will be sidelined for at least the first month of the season. He underwent surgery on the shoulder that he injured in spring practice on Monday morning…Defensive tackle Joey Mbu is one of the true freshmen that figures to be in the mix for some playing time this fall…The strong safety spot is still up for grabs, according to coach Kevin Sumlin. Both Kent Brooks and Colton Valencia will play, at this point, it’s just a matter of who goes out there and lines up for the first snap.

Rice – Sr. LT Jake Hicks (calf), Jr. TE Taylor Cook (knee) and Jr. RB Sam McGuffie (undisclosed) were slowed during camp but are now fit…Rice coaches say that McGuffie is one of the toughest players they’ve seen…Rice has lost 41 of last 42 meetings with Texas, including last 22 in Austin. Owls haven’t won in Austin since 1965…UT has averaged 53.6 points in its last three games home games against Rice…Linebacker Trey Briggs (ACL) has been cleared but won’t play in the season opener.

SMU – Walk-on kicker Chase Hover is slated to handle kickoffs and place kicking…Kenneth Acker has won the open starting job at right cornerback and Victor Jones at outside linebacker…Torlan Pittman is back at nose as expected after missing last year dealing with a legal issue…SMU has been lobbying hard this week for a shot to replace Texas A&M, who has filed paperwork to leave the conference

Tulane – Strong safety Taylor Echols spent much of fall camp battling for the top spot with Kyle Davis. But Echols incurred a concussion last week and has been sidelined since. Bob Toledo said Davis will get the start on Saturday against Southeastern Louisiana..A week after getting ejected from practice for losing his temper, defense tackle Shane Delery is now suspended for the Green Wave’s first game on Saturday…Tulane freshman defensive back Renaldo Thomas practiced last Friday for the first time since losing consciousness during a drill two weeks ago.  Coaches said he will not play defense the first week or two, but may play special teams

Tulsa – Tulsa WR Damaris Johnson arrested, booked on complaint of felony embezzlement charge on Thursday morning…Bob Stoops said he has always been a fan of Tulsa coach Bill Blankenship and that he has respect for the Tulsa program and success they’ve had

UTEP – Right tackle James Nelson, who has a high ankle sprain, will miss up to a month, but Aubrey Alexius’ quadriceps, Jerel Watkins’ ankle and James Robinson’s knee could be healthy in time for next week’s game at SMU…Freshman James Martin will start in place of Nelson…

East Carolina– Head coach Ruffin McNeill expects his top four outside linebackers to get nearly an equal share of the action against South Carolina…Set to miss the showdown against the Gamecocks due to injury are defensive back Desi Brown (doubtful, right shoulder), inside linebacker Kyle Tudor (doubtful, left knee), and offensive linemen Drew Gentry (out, left knee) and Mack Helms (out, concussion). Defensive end John Lattimore (knee) and defensive tackle Leroy Vick (knee) are both out for the season…Defensive back Emanuel Davis and receiver Michael Bowman were suspended by McNeill following their arrests by Greenville police on June 17.  They will sit out Saturday’s opener.

Marshall– Troy Evans was indefinitely suspended after he was arrested Tuesday in connection to several armed robberies that took place over the weekend…True freshman Rakeem Cato earned the starting nod at quarterback…Tight end Eric Frohnapfel is the other true freshman to get the starting nod…Aaron Dobson, appearing recovered from a nagging hamstring injury, will start at the X receiver spot…Tron Martinez OR Travon Van who will be taking Mountaineer Field first as the team’s starting running back. In other words, the two will most likely split carries.

Memphis – Despite suspending five players for their opener against Memphis, Mississippi State defeated the Tigers 59-14…A year after starting against MSU at quarterback, Cannon Smith started against the Bulldogs at strong safety…The Tigers committed four penalties on their first nine offensive plays…Freshman Taylor Reed and Andy Summerlin rotated at quarterback, with Reed getting the majority of the snaps, completing 23/35 passes for 149 yards, with a touchdown and interception

Southern Miss – Southern Miss was cited for numerous secondary violations: USM football coach Larry Fedora, while attending a high school game his son was playing in November of 2008, gave a radio interview at the game, which is not permitted by NCAA rules; The USM football strength and conditioning staff created videos of summer workouts and put them on a YouTube channel the staff created for the public to view in 2011; A rivals.com media member, Lanny Mixon, attended an event for football prospects on campus on Feb. 26, 2011, and published photos of prospects at the event, which is against NCAA rules; A non-coaching member of the football staff helped the coaching staff send in signals during the 2011 football spring game; A football camp brochure was 17×25 inches, with three inches being a tear-out registration form. The NCAA allows only a 17×22-inch brochure; A student-athlete, a football kicker, who had not signed a student-athlete statement and drug testing consent form, was allowed to participate in practice activities in 2009…

UAB – Nolen Smith looks like he is a pure receiving threat at tight end and coaches are looking for him to put up big numbers, despite playing a new position…Three true freshmen, including kicker Ty Long, are penciled in for the UAB starting lineup when the Blazers open the season against Florida at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Sept. 10.  Other freshmen expected to start are tight end Kennard Backman and defensive end Diaheem Watkins.

UCF – Brynn Harvey is coming off of an ACL injury, which caused him to miss the 2010 season.  He was a first team  All-Conference USA player in 2009…Senior starter Josh Linam is the sole linebacker with significant game-day experience…UCF returns three players — Jeff Godfrey, Latavius Murray and Ronnie Weaver — who rushed for at least 10 touchdowns apiece last season.

Houston – Four true freshmen on the travel roster: running back Daniel Spencer and receiver Mark Roberts on offense and defensive lineman Joey Mbu and linebacker Derrick Mathews on defense.  Because the running back position is crowded, Spencer has been lining up at receiver…Houston senior quarterback Case Keenum was pegged as a third-team All-American at quarterback by Rivals.com…The Cougars officially announced today that it will be playing a home-and-home with BYU in 2013 (Houston) and 2014 (Provo)…DB Damian Payne, a Houston native, has transferred in from Utah.

Rice – LT Jake Hicks has returned to practice this week after missing time with a leg injury…Despite signing a minor-league baseball contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, tight end Luke Wilson still has his two years of football eligibility in tact…Even though Driphus Jackson is getting reps with the second-team offense, Nick Fanuzzi remains the backup to Taylor McHargue.

SMU – Coach Jones had the following to say to the school newspaper: “Darius Johnson and Cole Beasley had really good camps. Our defensive line has had really good camp as well. Torlan Pittman is getting back fired up the way he was. The defensive line has really stood out to me…”

Tulane – Running back Orleans Darkwa, who is going through hamstring and toe injuries, could miss the season opener…Shane Delery got tangled up in some shoving and lost his temper, getting ejected from practice toward the end when a play carried on past the whistle during Thursday’s practice…6’6, 308 lb right tackle Eric Jones won a team diving contest…True freshman linebacker Matthew Bailey is looking like he is going to start at linebacker…

Tulsa – Tulsa and Fresno State have agreed to a home-and-home football series, it was announced on Thursday.
Fresno State will play at Tulsa on Sept. 29, 2012. The two-game contract will conclude in 2014, when the Golden Hurricane visits Fresno…Sophomore Stetson Burnett is dueling junior Brian DeShane for the starting right guard position in a battle that could go right up until kickoff of the OU game…Quarterback Shavodrick Beaver has decided to transfer from the program.

UTEP – Wide receiver Cliff Tucker returns to football for the first time since starring for Chapin High five years ago. He’s certainly shown he can contribute right away, but for the most immediate impact, the names to watch are junior college transfer Mike Edwards and redshirt freshman Jordan Leslie…Guards Jerel Watkins (sprained ankle) and James Robinson (sprained knee) are still out, and while coach Mike Price said their injuries aren’t season threatening, he did raise the possibility they could miss the opener…

East Carolina – East Carolina’s 6-foot-8 receiver Justin Jones injured his knee and could be out for an extended period of time…True freshman wide receiver Danny Webster will make his big splash playing in place of senior Michael Bowman, who will serve a one-game suspension for the Pirates’ Sept. 3 season opener against the Gamecocks because of an off-the-field incident this summer. On the other side, redshirt freshman Justin Hardy will try to fill the big shoes of Jones…Junior transfer defensive end John Lattimore will miss the entire 2011 season because of a right lower leg injury suffered during practice last Friday. He will have two years of eligibility remaining when he is expected to be cleared to return next spring or summer.

Marshall– Joe Johnson, a defensive back who arrived last summer with some hype, was dismissed from the team on Thursday for a violation of team rules…Marshall officially welcomed defensive back Cedric Walker to the football program on Tuesday.  Marshall is the third school he has been associated with, after committing to Temple last winter and signing with Florida International…After utilizing 12 true freshmen last season in head coach Doc Holliday’s maiden voyage, the Herd is likely to not redshirt as many as 17 frosh in 2011.  They are: quarterback Rakeem Cato, tight end Eric Frohnapfel, wide receivers Tommy Shuler and Craig Wilkins, running back Remi Watson, right guard Sebastian Johansson, strong safety D.J. Hunter, middle linebacker Jermaine Holmes, safety Evan McKelvey, linebackers Deon Meadows, Cortez Carter and Armonze Daniel, cornerbacks Keith Baxter and Corie Wilson, linemen Jarquez Samuel and Damien Moody, and safety Raheem Waiters…Cato might be the starting quarterback.

Memphis – Sophomore Andy Summerlin has been named the team’s starter…Jerrell Rhodes has been impressing coaches and looks ready for a breakout season.

Southern Miss – Starting left guard Caleb Thomas returned to the lineup on Friday after missing several practices, including last Saturday’s scrimmage, with an undisclosed injury…The Golden Eagles feature four backs capable of being impact players this year – Kendrick Hardy, Desmond Johnson, Jamal Woodyard and Jeremy Hester…Senior defensive tackle Terrance Pope enjoyed his first day back on Thursday to playing full-contact after missing 12 days following arthroscopic knee surgery, but Woodyard sat out with an ankle injury.

UAB – Defensive tackle Elliott Henigan and running back Pat Shed are sidelined for now because of unspecified injuries. Henigan is slated to be out for 3-4 weeks and Shed is out for 2-3 weeks…UAB sophomore Caleb Lester has worked his way onto the first team at safety.

UCF – According to Coach O’Leary, multiple freshmen have stepped up and are poised to play this year…Jeff Godfrey has the starting quarterback job and has shown a lot of poise this camp.  He’s really gotten better…O’Leary talked about his social media policy as well.  “I have two coaches who monitor Twitter, etc.  We will embarrass the person if they need to be.  I ask them though ‘Why do you need Facebook or Twitter to make friends?'”

East Carolina – DB Doug Mayo-Tapp and DE Ryan Mahoney were added to the 105-man roster … Mayo-Tapp replaces DB Desmond Lawrence, who left the team to focus on his Pirate track career, and Mahoney replaces OL Kenneth Freeman, who is out indefinitely with a knee injury…East Carolina senior quarterback Dominique Davis has been named to the Manning Award Watch.  This is the fourth watch list Davis has made heading into the 2011 campaign as he earned a place on the Maxwell Award, Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award and College Football Performance Awards Quarterback Trophy charts…Junior college transfer John Lattimore, a defensive end, has arrived in camp and is expected to be cleared to participate later this week.

Marshall – True freshman Jermaine Holmes has been a beast so far at middle linebacker and coaches expect big things from him…Chris Royal has returned to Marshall, but as a student assistant coach. He played for the Herd between 2002-2005 and had been recently playing in the Arena League…True freshman Rakeem Cato gets more and more impressive as practice goes on.

Memphis – Billy Foster seems to have shown some good signs at the running back position. He will again have a dual role as a wide receiver…The paperwork required by the NCAA to determine if Alabama transfer Keiwone Malone can become eligible at the University of Memphis this fall likely will be sent to the NCAA by the end of the week.  Memphis is hoping to get him eligible this year and have him forgo the year he has to sit out because he has an ill relative and that is a loophole in the NCAA transfer rules…Jerrell Rhodes has been recovering from an ankle injury…Veteran receiver Marcus Rucker also sat out for the 11th straight day while rehabilitating from a knee injury sustained on the opening day of workouts. His status is day to day.

Southern Miss – The coaches have said that the offense has been dominated by their counterparts this fall camp…The receivers are looking good, especially true freshman Chris Briggs, who coaches feel can be a go-to receiver…Senior defensive tackle Terrance Pope rode a stationary bike for the first time since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery over the weekend, and freshman defensive tackle Michael Brinson and red-shirt junior cornerback Marcal Robinson chucked the green jersey and got back to work.

UAB – Backup running back Dontavious Jackson is looking good at practice and is part of a pack to be the main backup…Linebacker Greg Irvin has been making big plays so far this fall…Safety Chase Daniel continues to be limited by a sprained ankle suffered early in camp…Jonathan Perry, Joe Bento and Austin Brown are all in the mix for the backup quarterback job.

UCF – Tight end Adam Nissley has worked to become more of a receiving threat and so far during fall camp, it looks as if the Knights will be able to rely on him to be more of one…Coach George O’Leary is looking for linebacker Jonathan Davis as a playmaker.  So far, he has dropped him from first team to third team.  But Davis responded and has worked his way to the top of the depth chart once again…Senior Rob Calabrese, who was slotted as a starting wide receiver and third string quarterback, tore his ACL and is out for the season…Another quarterback, Louisville star DaMarcus Smith was declared ineligible by the NCAA Clearinghouse.  The loss of Calabrese and Smith leaves the Knights with two quarterbacks on their roster