By JIM VERTUNO
AP Sports Writer
The Longhorns begin their season Saturday night against Louisiana-Monroe, marking the 10th straight year Texas' first game has been against a team from a non-Bowl Championship Series conference. Seven of those came against Sun Belt Conference teams.
The results have been predicable. Texas has won those games by an average score of 49-6.
Few would expect otherwise Saturday, considering the Longhorns have Heisman-trophy contender Colt McCoy at quarterback and 15 returning starters from a team that went 12-1 last season.
The Warhawks? They went 4-8 a year ago and struggled in the Sun Belt.
Even so, the Longhorns promise there's no chance of looking past Louisiana-Monroe. Especially knowing the Warhawks went on the road to Alabama in 2007 and rolled out with a 21-14 win.
No sooner was he finished talking about Louisiana-Monroe's best players and the Warhawks' team speed, then the first question in his weekly news conference was: In a blowout, what are his plans for when to pull the starting offense and will he let the second-team keep running the wide-open attack?
Later, he was dodging questions about when he'd pull McCoy for backup quarterback Garrett Gilbert, a freshman. Exasperated, Brown said he plans to play Gilbert at some point this season.
He shouldn't be too surprised considering the recent history. The run of blowouts would be even worse if not for a 21-13 win over Arkansas State in 2007.
The last time Texas faced a school from a BCS conference in the first game was 1999, Brown's second season. Unranked North Carolina State blocked three punts and beat No. 17 Texas 23-20.
Since then, it's been mostly Texas routs by scores like 66-7, 65-0 and 60-3.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah coach Kyle Whittingham says he won't announce the Utes' new starting quarterback before Thursday night's season opener against Utah State.
Junior college transfer Terrance Cain has been taking most of the snaps with the first-string offense and is widely expected to be the new starter. Cain has been competing for the job with freshman Jordan Wynn.
Washington not afraid to use freshmen against LSU
For one thing, Sarkisian isn't hesitating about using some of his younger players.
When the first official depth chart of the fall was released on Monday, true freshmen James Johnson (wide receiver) and Desmond Trufant (cornerback) were listed as possible starters against the Tigers. Another handful of true freshmen are listed on the depth chart, highlighting the relative lack of depth in the Huskies program when Sarkisian arrived.
Using freshmen is a trait Sarkisian brought along from USC - the best players, no matter their age or experience, are going to be on the field.
Along with the freshmen being expected to play early, the Huskies also revealed a reshuffled offensive line, much to the surprise of the linemen themselves. After spending most of the fall camp at left guard, Ben Ossai was moved back to his former position of left tackle. That moved Cody Habben from left tackle to right tackle, a move he was surprised about when told on Monday morning. Greg Christine will start at right guard, but like many positions, Sarkisian said nearly every spot is an open, ongoing competition.
That offensive line will be trying to give quarterback Jake Locker a chance to show off in more of a pro-style offensive system, versus the hybrid spread offense that the Huskies used a year ago.
It'll also be Locker's first time on the field since last September when he broke the thumb on his throwing hand trying to be a lead blocker on a reverse.
Washington was among the Pac-10 teams - Stanford and UCLA were others - that LSU HC Miles mockingly referred to as "real juggernauts" while criticizing Southern California's strength of schedule to a pro-LSU gathering in New Orleans in the summer of 2007.
Miles said Locker's ability to scramble and throw on the run could give LSU trouble.
Then again, Tigers defenders see that in practice. LSU starter Jordan Jefferson also is adept at using his speed and agility. And LSU has been preparing freshman Russell Shepard to line up at a variety of spots.
Several LSU players said Shepard has thrived in practice in the single wing formation, popularly known as the "wildcat."
"It's a killer," offensive lineman Ciron Black said of the formation. "It's going to gash a lot of people. They're not going to see it coming. The scheme that coach has got in right now is phenomenal."
By JOHN ZENOR
AP Sports Writer
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) - Nick Saban knows Southeastern Conference teams do have some margin for error when it comes to competing for a national championship.
A loss? It's survivable. Two? The breaks can still fall your way.
Still, Alabama's coach cringes at the mere possibility, however improbable, that either his team or No. 7 Virginia Tech could drop from the national title picture with an opening loss Saturday night.
The matchup at the Georgia Dome before Labor Day even arrives hardly seems like make-or-break for either team. No. 5 Alabama still has an SEC schedule to play in a league that has produced three consecutive national champions without a perfect season.
The Hokies have a nonconference game with Nebraska to boost their stock before even getting to Atlantic Coast Conference play against the likes of Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Miami.
But the Crimson Tide got a clear picture of the potential risk-rewards of starting with such a marquee opponent last season. This time it's Virginia Tech. Then it was No. 9 Clemson in the Dome.
Alabama won and eventually went from unranked to No. 1. Clemson lost and wound up with a coaching change.
Beamer, the Hokies coach, sees the potential benefits, but doesn't expect a loss to be crippling for the season.
It might not seem like the ideal time for the Tide to face such a difficult opener. Quarterback Greg McElroy, tailback Mark Ingram and three starting offensive linemen will be making their first college starts. Plus, there's still some question about the status of Ingram and star receiver Julio Jones dating back to a fishing trip that they took courtesy of an Athens businessman in the spring. The university has said the businessman wasn't a Tide booster and there were no NCAA violations, and forwarded the findings on to the SEC.
Asked if there was any word on Ingram and Jones' status, Saban said: "Not at this point."
Ala has eight returning starters from last year's defense that ranked third nationally in total yards allowed and second against the run consisting of All-America nose guard Terrence Cody, All-America linebacker Rolando McClain and a rising star in Dont'a Hightower as well as cornerback Javier Arenas. Saban did point out the not-so-dazzling performances against Florida and Utah to end last season. Alabama lost 31-20 in the SEC championship game and 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl. The pass rush was merely average in the SEC last season. The Tide's 26 sacks ranked just seventh in the Southeastern Conference. The three-man front is built more for bulk than speed, which might help explain why the run defense was more effective than the pass rush. Washington, Deaderick and Cody are all at least 6-foot-4 and average more than 310 pounds, though that's skewed somewhat by Cody's 354-pound frame. Even backup end Marcell Dareus weighs in at more than 300.
End Bobby Greenwood, last year's top pass rusher with five sacks, is gone.
The biggest loss from last season was All-America safety Rashad Johnson, the team's No. 2 tackler and interception leader.
QB McElroy takes reins at Alabama. The fourth-year junior has attempted just 20 collegiate passes as Wilson's backup. He's had plenty of time to study football, biding his time for three years first behind Daniel and then Wilson. McElroy didn't start until his senior year at Southlake Carroll High School after Daniel, the 2004 national high school player of the year, left for Missouri. Not much o’all experience.
Hokies QB Taylor has job all to himself this year. Taylor also did some work at home this summer with his teammates, and attended the Manning Passing Academy in Louisiana, working with Peyton and Eli Manning and other top quarterbacks.
The Hokies had six passing touchdowns last year; Taylor had just two in 173 tries, and threw seven interceptions while ranking second on the team with 738 yards rushing.
Michigan's Rodriguez plans to play 3 QBs in opener
Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez says he plans to use Robinson and two other quarterbacks in the season opener Sept. 5 against Western Michigan.
Rodriguez spent about the first 10 minutes of his news conference Sunday answering questions about freshmen Tate Forcier and Robinson, who are competing for snaps along with junior Nick Sheridan, who started four games last year.
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AP Sports Writer
The Longhorns begin their season Saturday night against Louisiana-Monroe, marking the 10th straight year Texas' first game has been against a team from a non-Bowl Championship Series conference. Seven of those came against Sun Belt Conference teams.
The results have been predicable. Texas has won those games by an average score of 49-6.
Few would expect otherwise Saturday, considering the Longhorns have Heisman-trophy contender Colt McCoy at quarterback and 15 returning starters from a team that went 12-1 last season.
The Warhawks? They went 4-8 a year ago and struggled in the Sun Belt.
Even so, the Longhorns promise there's no chance of looking past Louisiana-Monroe. Especially knowing the Warhawks went on the road to Alabama in 2007 and rolled out with a 21-14 win.
No sooner was he finished talking about Louisiana-Monroe's best players and the Warhawks' team speed, then the first question in his weekly news conference was: In a blowout, what are his plans for when to pull the starting offense and will he let the second-team keep running the wide-open attack?
Later, he was dodging questions about when he'd pull McCoy for backup quarterback Garrett Gilbert, a freshman. Exasperated, Brown said he plans to play Gilbert at some point this season.
He shouldn't be too surprised considering the recent history. The run of blowouts would be even worse if not for a 21-13 win over Arkansas State in 2007.
The last time Texas faced a school from a BCS conference in the first game was 1999, Brown's second season. Unranked North Carolina State blocked three punts and beat No. 17 Texas 23-20.
Since then, it's been mostly Texas routs by scores like 66-7, 65-0 and 60-3.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah coach Kyle Whittingham says he won't announce the Utes' new starting quarterback before Thursday night's season opener against Utah State.
Junior college transfer Terrance Cain has been taking most of the snaps with the first-string offense and is widely expected to be the new starter. Cain has been competing for the job with freshman Jordan Wynn.
Washington not afraid to use freshmen against LSU
For one thing, Sarkisian isn't hesitating about using some of his younger players.
When the first official depth chart of the fall was released on Monday, true freshmen James Johnson (wide receiver) and Desmond Trufant (cornerback) were listed as possible starters against the Tigers. Another handful of true freshmen are listed on the depth chart, highlighting the relative lack of depth in the Huskies program when Sarkisian arrived.
Using freshmen is a trait Sarkisian brought along from USC - the best players, no matter their age or experience, are going to be on the field.
Along with the freshmen being expected to play early, the Huskies also revealed a reshuffled offensive line, much to the surprise of the linemen themselves. After spending most of the fall camp at left guard, Ben Ossai was moved back to his former position of left tackle. That moved Cody Habben from left tackle to right tackle, a move he was surprised about when told on Monday morning. Greg Christine will start at right guard, but like many positions, Sarkisian said nearly every spot is an open, ongoing competition.
That offensive line will be trying to give quarterback Jake Locker a chance to show off in more of a pro-style offensive system, versus the hybrid spread offense that the Huskies used a year ago.
It'll also be Locker's first time on the field since last September when he broke the thumb on his throwing hand trying to be a lead blocker on a reverse.
Washington was among the Pac-10 teams - Stanford and UCLA were others - that LSU HC Miles mockingly referred to as "real juggernauts" while criticizing Southern California's strength of schedule to a pro-LSU gathering in New Orleans in the summer of 2007.
Miles said Locker's ability to scramble and throw on the run could give LSU trouble.
Then again, Tigers defenders see that in practice. LSU starter Jordan Jefferson also is adept at using his speed and agility. And LSU has been preparing freshman Russell Shepard to line up at a variety of spots.
Several LSU players said Shepard has thrived in practice in the single wing formation, popularly known as the "wildcat."
"It's a killer," offensive lineman Ciron Black said of the formation. "It's going to gash a lot of people. They're not going to see it coming. The scheme that coach has got in right now is phenomenal."
By JOHN ZENOR
AP Sports Writer
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) - Nick Saban knows Southeastern Conference teams do have some margin for error when it comes to competing for a national championship.
A loss? It's survivable. Two? The breaks can still fall your way.
Still, Alabama's coach cringes at the mere possibility, however improbable, that either his team or No. 7 Virginia Tech could drop from the national title picture with an opening loss Saturday night.
The matchup at the Georgia Dome before Labor Day even arrives hardly seems like make-or-break for either team. No. 5 Alabama still has an SEC schedule to play in a league that has produced three consecutive national champions without a perfect season.
The Hokies have a nonconference game with Nebraska to boost their stock before even getting to Atlantic Coast Conference play against the likes of Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Miami.
But the Crimson Tide got a clear picture of the potential risk-rewards of starting with such a marquee opponent last season. This time it's Virginia Tech. Then it was No. 9 Clemson in the Dome.
Alabama won and eventually went from unranked to No. 1. Clemson lost and wound up with a coaching change.
Beamer, the Hokies coach, sees the potential benefits, but doesn't expect a loss to be crippling for the season.
It might not seem like the ideal time for the Tide to face such a difficult opener. Quarterback Greg McElroy, tailback Mark Ingram and three starting offensive linemen will be making their first college starts. Plus, there's still some question about the status of Ingram and star receiver Julio Jones dating back to a fishing trip that they took courtesy of an Athens businessman in the spring. The university has said the businessman wasn't a Tide booster and there were no NCAA violations, and forwarded the findings on to the SEC.
Asked if there was any word on Ingram and Jones' status, Saban said: "Not at this point."
Ala has eight returning starters from last year's defense that ranked third nationally in total yards allowed and second against the run consisting of All-America nose guard Terrence Cody, All-America linebacker Rolando McClain and a rising star in Dont'a Hightower as well as cornerback Javier Arenas. Saban did point out the not-so-dazzling performances against Florida and Utah to end last season. Alabama lost 31-20 in the SEC championship game and 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl. The pass rush was merely average in the SEC last season. The Tide's 26 sacks ranked just seventh in the Southeastern Conference. The three-man front is built more for bulk than speed, which might help explain why the run defense was more effective than the pass rush. Washington, Deaderick and Cody are all at least 6-foot-4 and average more than 310 pounds, though that's skewed somewhat by Cody's 354-pound frame. Even backup end Marcell Dareus weighs in at more than 300.
End Bobby Greenwood, last year's top pass rusher with five sacks, is gone.
The biggest loss from last season was All-America safety Rashad Johnson, the team's No. 2 tackler and interception leader.
QB McElroy takes reins at Alabama. The fourth-year junior has attempted just 20 collegiate passes as Wilson's backup. He's had plenty of time to study football, biding his time for three years first behind Daniel and then Wilson. McElroy didn't start until his senior year at Southlake Carroll High School after Daniel, the 2004 national high school player of the year, left for Missouri. Not much o’all experience.
Hokies QB Taylor has job all to himself this year. Taylor also did some work at home this summer with his teammates, and attended the Manning Passing Academy in Louisiana, working with Peyton and Eli Manning and other top quarterbacks.
The Hokies had six passing touchdowns last year; Taylor had just two in 173 tries, and threw seven interceptions while ranking second on the team with 738 yards rushing.
Michigan's Rodriguez plans to play 3 QBs in opener
Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez says he plans to use Robinson and two other quarterbacks in the season opener Sept. 5 against Western Michigan.
Rodriguez spent about the first 10 minutes of his news conference Sunday answering questions about freshmen Tate Forcier and Robinson, who are competing for snaps along with junior Nick Sheridan, who started four games last year.
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