Week of July 15--Best CFB Stories on the Net

[RJ Esq]

ACC vs. nation

The Atlantic Coast Conference is loaded on defense but, as Caulton Tudor explains, the league may not have enough offense to field a team that can compete against the best in the country and contend for a BCS title


<!-- /components/story/story_default.comp -->Caulton Tudor, Staff Writer
Football coaches are fond of saying it's all about blocking and tackling. If they're right, the ACC should have a banner season in 2007. The league's collection of defensive linemen, linebackers, defensive backs and beefy blockers will rival, and possibly upstage, those of most other college conferences.
But if the keys to winning are passing, catching and running, '07 quickly could become an extension of the disappointing 2006 season.
For the second straight season, ACC teams will begin play with very few players of national distinction in the skill positions.
The ACC's potential for big-play production is down from last season, when Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson was voted to The Associated Press All-America first team and finished 10th in the Heisman Trophy voting.
If there's a first-team All-America skill-position player on the 12 ACC rosters for 2007, he's well hidden.
The league's top quarterback, Boston College's Matt Ryan, is on almost none of the preseason national all-star watch lists.
Ryan's in-league competition is such that Florida State junior Drew Weatherford, No. 3 at the position in today's rankings by The News & Observer, may not keep his starting job through preseason practice. With the hiring of Jimbo Fisher as offensive coordinator, Weatherford ended spring drills listed with junior Xavier Lee as a co-No. 1.
Other than Ryan and Wake Forest sophomore Riley Skinner, ACC quarterbacks are short on experience, statistics and expectations. Duke's Thaddeus Lewis, Miami's Kyle Wright, N.C. State's Daniel Evans, Virginia's Jameel Sewell and Virginia Tech's Sean Glennon started regularly in '06, but all five were inconsistent.
Clemson, Georgia Tech, Maryland and UNC will have new starters at quarterback, but only Georgia Tech's Taylor Bennett emerged from spring drills fairly certain of having the job.
The outlook for ACC running backs is better, but that also comes with a twist. Two teams, Clemson and NCSU, have an embarrassment of riches. Other teams -- Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia and perhaps Wake -- may have more spaces than aces.
With James Davis and C.J. Spiller, Clemson has one of the nation's best tailback combinations. The Wolfpack, with Andre Brown and Toney Baker, isn't far behind. But individually, none of these four has the goods to begin the season among the country's top 10 running backs.
Three dominant runners -- Boston College's Andre Callender, Georgia Tech's Tashard Choice and Virginia Tech's Branden Ore -- could do better than the Clemson and NCSU foursome when all-star votes are tallied.
At wideout, the departure of Johnson leaves ACC receivers without a resident ruler.
Would-be successors abound. But two of the league's most talented players -- UNC's Hakeem Nicks and Maryland's Darrius Heyward-Bey, both sophomores -- could suffer from a lack of quarterback experience on their teams. Florida State junior Greg Carr, once touted as a future superstar, battled injuries and butterfingers at times last season but should benefit from Fisher's influence on the passing game.
At tight end, only N.C. State's Anthony Hill has so much as a hint of national esteem.
Without doubt, the ACC's most impressive offensive collection is its interior linemen. Three players -- tackles Barry Richardson of Clemson and Gosder Cherilus of Boston College and Wake Forest center Steve Justice -- will begin the season on most of the All-America watch lists.
Two other tackles -- Georgia Tech's Andrew Gardner and Miami's Jason Fox -- have NFL potential, as do NCSU guard Curtis Crouch and Georgia Tech center Kevin Tuminello. Virginia doesn't have an easily identifiable all-star candidate, but its offensive front will be the league's deepest and most experienced.
The ACC's top-ranked overall player is Miami safety Kenny Phillips, arguably the No. 1 defensive back in the country.
A junior, Phillips has played free and strong safety for the Hurricanes and easily could excel as a cornerback in college and possibly in the NFL. With a big season, he's a near lock for a top-10 draft position and the favorite to win the Jim Thorpe Award, which goes to the nation's top defensive back.
Behind Phillips, there's not a long drop among the league's other top defensive backs. Brandon Flowers of Virginia Tech and DeJuan Tribble of Boston College rate close behind Antoine Cason of Arizona as the best shut-down corners in the nation. Florida State's secondary should be loaded, with corner Tony Carter and safety Roger Williams. Georgia Tech safety Jamal Lewis, Virginia Tech corner Victor Harris, and Wake corner Alphonso Smith would be preseason all-star picks in some leagues.
The remainder of the ACC's defenders are almost as impressive.
With Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi, Virginia Tech's starting linebackers are probably the nation's best, even though Southern California, Penn State and Ohio State are loaded (as usual).
Miami end Calais Campbell and Florida State tackle Andre Fluellen should contend for first-team All-America honors, and Virginia end Chris Long will be in the hunt.
Among the specialists, placekickers Sam Swank of Wake and Connor Barth of UNC rate among the elite nationally, as do NCSU returner Darrell Blackman and Georgia Tech punter Durant Brooks. Overall, the ACC's personnel is not awful, but it is awfully uncertain in the touchdown-production category. If the league can't improve in that department, it won't have a legitimate national title contender for the third straight season.

 

[RJ Esq]

Woods' report encouraging

By Mike Baldwin
Staff Writer
STILLWATER — Oklahoma State officials are encouraged by early reports concerning wide receiver Artrell Woods, who suffered a serious back injury during a routine weight lifting session Friday morning.
<TABLE width=300><TBODY><TR><TD><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>adsonar_placementId=1298127;adsonar_pid=64749;adsonar_ps=-1;adsonar_zw=300;adsonar_zh=190;adsonar_jv='ads.adsonar.com';</SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="http://js.adsonar.com/js/adsonar.js"></SCRIPT><FORM id=qas_frm name=qas_frm action="" method=get target=""><INPUT type=hidden name=ie52_mac_only></FORM><IFRAME id=adsonar_serve587313 name=adsonar_serve587313 marginWidth=0 marginHeight=0 src="http://ads.adsonar.com/adserving/getAds.jsp?previousPlacementIds=&placementId=1298127&pid=64749&ps=-1&zw=300&zh=190&url=http%3A//newsok.com/article/3083558/%3Fprint%3D1&v=5" frameBorder=0 width=300 scrolling=no height=190></IFRAME></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


Multiple sources said it's too early to draw any conclusions, but Woods was moving his toes and flexed some muscles after undergoing surgery for 3 1/2 hours Friday at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City.
One source said Woods was out of bed and standing on Saturday, and doctors may have him attempt to walk today.
"I was told surgery went well,” offensive coordinator Larry Fedora said via cell phone, driving back from a vacation in Florida. "We're concerned about his health, but are encouraged that our medical staff and doctors are providing the best care possible.”
Sources said a disc was put back in place during surgery after Woods suffered a vertebrae injury from a "freak accident” during a step-up drill that is designed to build leg strength.
"I'm driving back from vacation, so I don't have any details,” wide receivers coach Gunter Brewer said in a brief cell phone conversation, "but when I talked to him on the phone at the hospital, he was in good spirits.”
The injury occurred Friday morning during a common drill for high school, college and pro athletes. In the drill, the athletes place between 75 and 100 pounds of weight behind their shoulders and step up and down off a box. The routine doesn't require a spotter.
According to sources, Woods twisted an ankle and suffered the injury after he lost his balance.
It's too early to speculate whether Woods will play football again. It could be several days, possibly weeks, before doctors can address Woods' long-term prognosis.
In a press release, OSU head athletic trainer Rob Hunt said Woods is expected to be moved out of intensive care this weekend and could be discharged from the hospital "in the next several days.”
Coach Mike Gundy and his staff have been on vacation the past week and are scheduled to meet on Monday to begin preparation for the upcoming season. Gundy was unavailable for comment but was expected to arrive in Oklahoma on Saturday.
Woods primarily played on special teams and had two receptions last year as a true freshman. After a strong spring performance, Woods was one of the leading candidates to start opposite all-Big 12 wide receiver Adarius Bowman.
Woods arguably was the offensive MVP in the spring game after hauling in four catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
"Artrell is one of our starters, a big part of what we do offensively,” Fedora said. "You hope for the best.”
The NFL's David Pollack, a linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals, is rehabilitating a similar vertebrae injury. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis announced last week Pollack won't play this season.
A three-time All-American at Georgia, Pollack fractured his C-6 vertebra while making a tackle in a Sept. 17 game against the Cleveland Browns. Pollack was in a restrictive halo for three months and underwent surgery on Jan. 3.
Pollack suffered no paralysis and has resumed daily activities. His agent, R.J. Gosner, said Pollack's goal is to resume his NFL career, but Pollack said in a statement last week that the nature of the injury forces him to take it a step at a time.
"I'm grateful for my recovery to this point and I'm working out every day to get my full strength back,” Pollack said. "Any final decision on football is still down the road for me.” In OSU's statement, Woods' family conveyed their gratitude for the show of support they have received since the injury. His family also requested future inquiries regarding Woods' recovery be directed to OSU officials.

 

[RJ Esq]

Urban Meyer flip-flops on booted LB

<SCRIPT type=text/javascript><!--google_ad_client = "pub-0237893561790135";google_alternate_color = "ffffff";google_ad_width = 300;google_ad_height = 250;google_ad_format = "300x250_as";google_ad_type = "text_image";//2007-06-19: entriesgoogle_ad_channel = "0603066557";google_color_border = "FFFFFF";google_color_bg = "FFFFFF";google_color_link = "003399";google_color_text = "333333";google_color_url = "999999";//--></SCRIPT><SCRIPT src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT><IFRAME name=google_ads_frame marginWidth=0 marginHeight=0 src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-0237893561790135&dt=1184556090578&lmt=1184556090&alt_color=ffffff&format=300x250_as&output=html&correlator=1184556090578&channel=0603066557&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fanblogs.com%2Fflorida%2F007055.php&color_bg=FFFFFF&color_text=333333&color_link=003399&color_url=999999&color_border=FFFFFF&ad_type=text_image&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Freader%2Fview%2F&cc=100&flash=9&u_h=768&u_w=1280&u_ah=738&u_aw=1280&u_cd=32&u_tz=-420&u_java=true" frameBorder=0 width=300 scrolling=no height=250 allowTransparency></IFRAME>
Dave Curtis' Swamp Things blog notes that Florida Gator coach Urban Meyer has flip-flopped and will allow dismissed LB Jon Demps to return to the team this fall.

Linebacker Jon Demps, who missed Florida's spring football practices with off-field issues, said Saturday he has worked out with the Gators for the last two weeks and plans to be part of the team when the season starts. ...
Demps played four games as a freshman in 2005 and none last season thanks to problems with his left anterior cruciate ligament. Coach Urban Meyer said in February that Demps was "no longer with the team." Demps missed the spring, and as of Saturday night, he was not listed on the 2007 roster at UF's sports Web site, www.gatorzone.com. Saturday, Demps did not elaborate on his absence.
​

Demps was kicked off the team a few weeks after the 2006 seasons for a marijuana-related incident.
This really couldn't come at a better time for the Gators, who were very lean at linebacker during spring practice and will be breaking in three new starting LBs this fall.
Of course, I'm sure that had nothing to do with Meyer changing his mind on Demps, right? Right.

 

[RJ Esq]

Miami Quarterback Injured After Crash

Posted Jul 16th 2007 6:07PM by Brian Grummell
Filed under: Miami Football, ACC

Miami (FL) freshman quarterback Robert Marve survived an auto accident but sustained several injuries. He was a passenger in a vehicle driven by teammates that "flipped over on Interstate 75".

Marve, who was in the back seat sleeping when the accident happened, sustained lacerations on both his left hand and wrist and disfigurement of his left ring finger, according to [Marve's high school coach Robert] Weiner, who was with Marve in the emergency room of Naples Community Hospital on Monday.

Weiner said Marve was set to have surgery on the hand later Monday afternoon but that doctors were uncertain if he had ligament or tendon damage. Marve suffered no injuries to his throwing hand or any other injuries, aside from stiffness in his body, the coach said.​

Kid's lucky to be alive. The "disfigurement" sounds kind of gruesome though. He's expected to miss about a month of workouts before he can return to the team. Freshman receiver Jermaine McKenzie and sophomore linebacker Colin McCarthy were also in the vehicle and are reported safe.

The late night/early morning cause of the accident is unclear, with differing accounts between police documents and the players. No arrests were made, and there was no intimation of alcohol use or abuse.

 

[RJ Esq]

Posted by TideDruid on July 16th, 2007
Gosh, when things go bad, they go bad fast.
Brandon Fanney was arrested and is facing charges due to an altercation in front of a bar located just off campus early Saturday morning. He is a “Jack” Linebacker, which is a position where we’re VERY thin. Heaven help us if another players gets arrested.
One strange fact I’ve noticed is that all 3 arrests happened the same weekend that Nick Saban was out of town.

 

[RJ Esq]

OSU's Woods Lost to Weightlifting Injury

Posted Jul 16th 2007 6:06PM by Jeff Adams
Filed under: Oklahoma State Football, Big 12, NCAA FB Injuries

Oklahoma State wide receiver Artrell Woods will miss the 2007 season after undergoing back surgery following an accident in the weight room on Friday.

"Artie will not play in 2007 but he is recovering well and has started rehabilitation," [Oklahoma State head coach Mike] Gundy said. "Our focus continues to be on Artie and his recovery. He is a part of our team and we look forward to having him back in Stillwater on a daily basis."​

Woods suffered a "fracture dislocation" of vertebrae and an incomplete spinal cord injury. He later had a spinal decompression and infusion done in a 3½-hour procedure. Woods was released from the intensive care on Sunday.

Anytime spinal injuries and back surgeries are mentioned we are dealing with scary, scary stuff. Woods now joins Nebraska running back Kenny Wilson - who suffered a broken femur while moving a TV – on the off-season heavy-lifting victims list.

 

[RJ Esq]

ILLINOISE DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR BAILS

Illinois defensive coordinator Vince Okruch has left the Illinois football program on “temporary leave of absence for personal reasons,” meaning [NAME REDACTED] has to promote Dan Disch and Curt Mallory to co-defensive coordinators for the Illini. “Personal reasons” is as specific as any comment or press release gets on the matter–it could be anything, really: alien possession, persistent case of scabies, Guillain-Barre syndrome, leaving to get that real estate license he always craved…unless you lock onto this key bit from Chicago Sports:
During the season there were rumors of friction between the head coach and defensive coordinator.

Hey! You excited and improving over there?
…fueling our hypothesis is that Okruch has a potential job waiting at Northwestern and and/or tired of [NAME REDACTED]’s endless pawing of his defenses. [NAME REDACTED]’s time at Florida was marked by a refusal to delegate to assistants, even in the most crucial of situations. Charlie Strong, a hyperaggressive DC, watched his defenses fall back into soft zones in the second half with doomed, eventually blown leads; Ed Zaunbrecher, offensive coordinator, watched as [NAME REDACTED] called for a double reverse pass to end Florida’s potential comeback in the 2003 Capital One bowl against Michigan, placing the ball in poor Vernell Brown’s hands to win it with Rex Grossman running a pass route downfield.
(We’re very sorry about that hole in the drywall, Mom. If it makes you feel better, we just put a matching one in our own wall just remembering that game. Happy kitties make the rage go away, happy kitties make the rage go away…)

Yayyyyyyy happy kitties not 2003 Outback Bowl BLOOD BLOOD BLOOD AARRRRGGHHH!!!!
If we’re in on this hand of blogger’s bluff, we guess Okruch tired of the second-guessing micromanagement and took a hike to “explore other career options,” leaving Illinois with two co-dcs with exactly no experience as DCs at the college level. This means [NAME REDACTED] now will attempt to mold the defense into a facsimile of his masterfully forgiving 2001 Saints defense. This means putting drywall repairman on speed dial, Illinois fans. Now.

 

[TheGarfather]

Not sure if any of your articles mentioned it, but I saw at espn.com that Brian Toal is not 100% and may take a red-shirt year. A loss to be sure, but they have depth there and will cover it up relatively well. RBs and LBs are two positions that team is not short of.

 

[RJ Esq]

Thanks, Garf. I've heard rumors of that too.

 

[RJ Esq]

WFU's Berry to miss season
Junior linebacker will be sidelined by academic woes
By Dan Collins
JOURNAL REPORTER
Tuesday, July 17, 2007


The biggest reason that Wake Forest didn’t feel overly distraught about losing linebacker Jon Abbate to the NFL was Eric Berry.
Yesterday, Coach Jim Grobe said that Berry, a redshirt junior, will be academically ineligible for the 2007 season.
Berry, who spent last season as the backup to Abbate, will return to Wake Forest this fall in hopes of regaining his eligibility by 2008. Abbate, a first-team All-ACC linebacker who led the Deacons in tackles three straight seasons, signed with the Houston Texans after his junior season.
Berry played in all 14 games, but started only the game at Florida State while Abbate was injured. Berry made four tackles against the Seminoles, and finished the season with 26 tackles and three sacks.
Four of Berry’s tackles were for losses.
“I’ll be honest with you, losing Jon Abbate didn’t have me nearly as concerned as losing Eric Berry,” Grobe said. “Because from what Eric had done when he took Jon’s place at Florida State, I just felt like we had an experienced, talented linebacker. Now, with Eric out of the mix, my concerns become not so much the talent we will be able to put in our starting lineup, but the depth.”
Dominique Midgett, a 6-2, 242-pound redshirt sophomore from Greensboro, emerged from spring practice as second-string middle linebacker behind Berry. Midgett played on special teams last season, and made two of his four tackles in a 34-14 romp against Liberty.
When practices begin early next month, Midgett will be challenged by two freshmen who redshirted last season, Hunter Haynes and Matt Woodlief. Haynes was listed in March at 6-2, 224 pounds, but Grobe said he felt that Haynes is now probably closer to 230 pounds.
Woodlief, a standout at Bandys High School in Catawba, was listed at 5-11, 240 pounds, but according to Grobe is probably closer to 250 pounds.
“We’ve got some good players,” Grobe said.
“The thing we’re going to miss was the experience we had with both Jon Abbate and Eric Berry.
“It’s a shame because that linebacker group was going to be one of the best anywhere around. Now, I think we have a chance to be talented. We just won’t have near the depth we would have had.”
Size is especially important at inside linebacker, but Grobe said he won’t hesitate to move his linebackers from outside to inside. Grobe said that Stanley Arnoux, who started 13 games last season at outside linebacker, may be moved inside.
Arnoux, a redshirt junior, is 6-1, 245 pounds.
“More than (the positions), it’s a matter of finding your three best and then your next best,” Grobe said. “If we have to move them around we don’t really care about that.
“We’re just trying to find six good linebackers that we can play because you just can’t get through with three starters.”
Berry practiced in the spring, during which time his weight soared to 288 pounds - 28 pounds more than he carried last season. Grobe said he was impressed with Berry’s performance, but noted several times that Berry would need to lose weight to have enough stamina to play regularly this season.
Because he was redshirted as a freshman in 2004 and played in 2005 and 2007, Berry will have one year remaining under the NCAA regulation that allows four years of eligibility during a five-year period.

 

[RJ Esq]

THE MINNESOTA FOOTBALL THING=WAY F’D UP

We’ll just begin with a nice blanket statement here. If you don’t want to read about really, really sordid details concerning the Minnesota sexual assault case, then don’t click the link, m’kay? M’kay. Think about happy puppies instead, or maybe a nice plate of pad thai, or something.

Yes. That’s something quite pleasant.
The Minnesota Star-Tribune has the sordid details, and they’re as bad as you might imagine. A cell phone video captured a football player allegedly ejaculating onto the face of a woman who, drunk off eight shots of vodka, was hovering somewhere around a .30 BAC, could not possibly have consented, and has no memory of the incident.
The case has a decent chance of prosecution, as one of the football players recorded the whole thing on his cell phone, providing key evidence for the prosecution. U r so smrt!
If true: assholes. That’s all we can say. Total assholes all around. You’re all complete fucking shitbag die-in-a-ditch-now assholes.

 

[RJ Esq]

Nebraska's Purify Set for Plea-Spree

Posted Jul 17th 2007 6:28PM by Jeff Adams
Filed under: Nebraska Football, Big 12, NCAA FB Police Blotter

Nebraska wide receiver Maurice Purify found himself in hot-water, not once (bar fight), but twice (DUI) this off-season. With two pending court cases, Purify's status might have remained in doubt for at least part of the 2007 season. Fortunately for Nebraska fans, it appears his attorney has found a clever work-around.

"Purify's attorney, Jon Braaten of Lincoln, filed a motion Monday in Lancaster County Court that requests a plea arrangement for the DUI to take place in front of the same judge and at the same time that was set for Purify's plea to charges relating to the tavern altercation.

The exact nature of Purify's plea agreement won't be known until Wednesday when he appears before a judge. Purify's attorney has requested that sentencing for both cases also take place Wednesday."​

I'm certainly no attorney, but this sounds made up. Entering pleas and settling two court cases at the same time? Does this fly for the rest of us bums, or is this type of legal maneuvering saved solely for high-profile athletes?

The bottom-line is that clearing up Purify's legal status should also help settle his status with the football team. He was suspended indefinitely following his second arrest, but Coach Bill Callahan had delayed making a permanent decision until his legal situation was better understood.

 

[RJ Esq]

Wisconsin Assistant to Sit Out 2007 Season

Posted Jul 17th 2007 8:55PM by Bruce Ciskie
Filed under: Wisconsin Football, Big 10, NCAA FB Coaching, Wisconsin

Longtime University of Wisconsin assistant coach Henry Mason could miss the entire 2007 season because of a spinal cord injury that has landed him in the hospital.

Head coach Bret Bielema (right) announced the hiring of DelVaughn Alexander as an interim wide receivers coach on Tuesday. Alexander will work under a six-month contract, and the plan - for now - is for Mason to return to the UW staff at some point in the future.

In a statement, Bielema cited the need for Mason to return to 100% before returning to coaching. He also said Alexander has experience working with current Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst, which should aid in the transition.

Mason's presence certainly would be missed if the absence were to be more long-term than this. His work was key in the recruitment of star receivers Chris Chambers and Lee Evans. In the university statement, Mason thanked all the well-wishers who sent cards and letters to him, and he said he intends to return to the program and work full-time as soon as he can.

The impact of Mason's loss on the current team may not be great, but Bielema's staff will have to work hard on the road to make up for the loss of Mason's recruiting skill.

 

[RJ Esq]

Gophers Dismiss Four Players

Posted Jul 18th 2007 5:15PM by Bruce Ciskie
Filed under: Minnesota Football, Big 10, NCAA FB Police Blotter, Breaking News

It's a clear and emphatic message that patience for off-field missteps will be quite low, if not completely non-existent.

New University of Minnesota football coach Tim Brewster today dismissed four players from the Gopher roster. The four were allegedly involved in a sexual assault back in April. Three of the players, Alex Daniels, Keith Massey, and E.J. Jones, were arrested in April but never charged and released a few days after their arrest. The fourth, starting cornerback Dominic Jones, was arrested over the weekend and charged Monday with third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Investigators say they have cell phone video footage of Dominic Jones (half-brother of Keith Massey but no relation to E.J. Jones) in a sex act with a woman who was so drunk that investigators described her as "physically helpless".

While Jones has been charged, the other three players have yet to be charged. That didn't stop Brewster from taking swift action Wednesday, as he chose not to wait until the legal process played itself out, or whatever excuse we get for inaction in cases like this.
Brewster cited violations of team and university rules for the dismissals, and his words in a statement should make it abundantly clear that this will not become a rampant problem in his football program.

"It is an honor and a privilege to wear the uniform of the University of Minnesota and we have exceedingly high expectations for each of our student-athletes. We spend a considerable amount of time addressing our players regarding their personal conduct and we will not compromise our values. We are establishing a culture of integrity and we will demand that our players are held accountable for their actions."​

If that's not enough, Brewster also has the support of athletic director Joel Maturi:

"I am in full support of the decision of coach Brewster and I appreciate how he has handled this very difficult situation. While this issue is deeply disappointing, the Athletics Department is sending a clear and unmistakable message that it will never compromise its code of conduct. We have a level of expectation that we communicate to our student- athletes regarding their conduct both on and off the field. In the end, individuals decide right and wrong for themselves and then live with the consequences. Unfortunately, these consequences also touch the lives of many other people."
​

Given the "high expectations" Brewster has for his players, it's not unreasonable to think that the players violated his code of conduct, even if no laws were actually broken in this case. It's a case that has brought the football program a good deal of negative publicity and outright embarrassment. Even if you think that officials should be cautious about stuff like this in light of the Duke lacrosse case, it's still hard to argue that these dismissals aren't justified.

As for the football impact, losing Jones is a huge shot to a defense that was already laced with question marks after their performance in the bowl loss to Texas Tech. He was a top tackler on last year's team despite his lack of size, and he also showed some explosiveness as a kick returner. Daniels and Massey were going to be key reserves on new coordinator Everett Withers' defense.

 

[RJ Esq]

Air Force football loses offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach


BY JAKE SCHALLER, THE GAZETTE
July 19, 2007 - 12:20AM
An offseason marked by change continues for Air Force’s football program — just two weeks before the start of fall practice.

Tim Horton, who was hired by new coach Troy Calhoun to be Air Force’s offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, resigned late Tuesday and accepted an offer to coach running backs at Arkansas, his alma mater.

Horton will replace Danny Nutt, who stepped down Tuesday afternoon. Nutt is battling “a serious condition that includes bleeding from his brain stem,” according to a University of Arkansas statement.

Calhoun, who is on vacation and was traveling Wednesday, released a short statement that said, in part: “Air Force football would like to wish Tim and (his wife) Lauren Horton, along with their kids, the very best as they return home to Arkansas.”

Calhoun will fill Horton’s roles by shifting responsibilities among assistants on staff. Offensive line coach Clay Hendrix and quarterbacks coach Blane Morgan also will be co-offensive coordinators. Running backs coach Jemal Singleton also will have the title of running game coordinator.

Those assistants will help with game plans, while Calhoun will call plays during games. Calhoun had planned to handle most of the play-calling responsibilities even if Horton had stayed, said Air Force sports information director Troy Garnhart.

Calhoun is unsure who will fill Horton’s role as wide receivers coach. He will not hire from outside the academy before the season.

Horton was just more than six months into his second stint at Air Force. He coached wide receivers at the academy from 1999 to 2004 and running backs in 2005. He spent the 2006 season at Kansas State before he was lured back by Calhoun and the chance to be a coordinator.

But that was not enough to keep him from returning home. Horton grew up in Arkansas and was a four-year letter-winner and three-year starter at split end for the Razorbacks in the late 1980s. His father, Harold, also played and coached for Arkansas and is the vice president of the Razorback Foundation, which raises money for the Arkansas athletic department.

“I have a lot of respect for that program (Air Force),” said Horton, who played on Southwest Conference championship teams in 1988 and 1989 at Arkansas. “When you leave a position of leadership and to come this late in the game, it was very, very difficult. Troy Calhoun, the head football coach there, was great to me. To be honest, I am here because of family. My mom and dad live here. My sister lives here. My wife, Lauren, is from Conway. I am back because it was time to for me to get back close to family. Leaving at this time is very, very difficult.”

At Arkansas, Horton will coach one of the nation’s top backfields. Standout running back Darren McFadden rushed for 1,647 yards and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting last season as a sophomore. Classmate Felix Jones rushed for 1,168 yards last year.

Horton is the second assistant Calhoun has hired who left the academy before coaching a game. Calhoun hired Brian Schneider as special teams coordinator in early January. In mid-February, Schneider accepted a similar job with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders. Calhoun decided not to bring on a new special teams coordinator but to have all his assistants help with special teams.