The Herald-Sun 2014
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW
University of North Carolina Tar Heels RYAN SWITZER
Duke University Blue Devils Jamison Crowder
N.C.C.U. Eagles Adrian Wilkins
Page 2
THE HERALD-SUN | DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Duke Blue Devils
Duke’s Jamison Crowder (3) celebrates his touchdown against UNC with teammate Johnell Barnes (4) last season.
The Herald-Sun | File photo by Bernard Thomas
Crowder’s commitment benefits Duke By STEVE WISEMAN
swiseman@heraldsun.com; 919-419-6674
D U R H A M
DUKE ROSTER 2014 No. Name Pos QB 1 Thomas Sirk S/CB 2 Evrett Edwards 3 Jamison Crowder WR 4 Johnell Barnes WR CB 5 Johnathan Lloyd QB 6 Nicodem Pierre QB 7 Anthony Boone RB 9 Josh Snead 10 Ryan Smith WR CB 11 T.J. Douglas QB 12 Parker Boehme QB 13 Kane Banner CB 14 Bryon Fields 14 Johndre Bennett WR S 15 Quay Mann 15 Mackenzie Sovereign QB S 16 Jeremy Cash QB 16 Robert Collins 17 Issac Blakeney WR CB 17 Hud Mellencamp 19 Quay Chambers WR S 20 Jake Kite CB 21 Alonzo Saxton II DE 22 Britton Grier RB 23 Joseph Ajeigbe 24 Zavier Carmichael LB S 26 Corbin McCarthy S/CB 27 DeVon Edwards RB 28 Shaquille Powell RB 29 Shaun Wilson LB 30 Danny Fowler CB 31 Breon Borders LB 32 Chris Holmes CB 32 Jamie Cockey 33 Deondre Singleton S DE 34 Jonathan Jones RB 34 Eric Adams K 35 Ross Martin S 36 Christian Conway S 37 Phillip Carter S 38 Grant Hall CB 39 Zach Muñiz S 40 Dwayne Norman P 41 Will Monday 42 Dezmond Johnson DE LB 43 Tinashe Bere K/P 43 Danny Stirt LB 44 Nick Hill 44 Eamonn Vain-Callahan RB RB 45 Jackson Conway S 45 Kyle Wellner DT 46 Keilin Rayner LB 47 David Helton LB 48 Deion Williams
Ht Wt 6-4 215 5-11 190 5-9 175 6-0 170 6-0 190 6-2 205 6-0 225 5-9 190 5-7 165 6-1 185 6-2 220 6-2 190 5-11 180 5-11 200 5-9 190 6-2 205 6-2 205 6-1 200 6-6 225 5-11 165 6-3 205 6-0 185 5-11 170 6-1 245 5-9 210 6-0 210 5-10 200 5-9 175 5-10 205 5-9 180 5-11 190 6-0 175 6-2 215 5-8 175 5-11 180 6-3 225 5-8 175 5-10 185 5-10 200 6-1 195 5-10 180 5-11 170 6-1 210 6-4 210 6-4 260 6-1 220 5-10 165 6-2 235 5-9 195 5-10 215 6-2 210 6-3 260 6-4 240 6-0 230
Cl R-So. R-Fr. Sr. So. Fr. Fr. R-Sr. R-Sr. So. R-Fr. R-Fr. So. So. Jr. R-Fr. Sr. R-Jr. Sr. R-Sr. Jr. R-Fr. R-Fr. Fr. R-Jr. R-Fr. Fr. R-So. R-So. Jr. Fr. So. So. R-Fr. Jr. So. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. R-Fr. So. Fr. Jr. R-Jr. R-Sr. Fr. So. R-Jr. Jr. Jr. So. R-So. Sr. Jr.
No. Name Pos DE 49 Danny Doyle C 50 Austin Davis LB 50 Wyatt Smith 51 Dominic McDonald LB OG 51 William Perrott 53 Kameron Schroeder OL LB 54 C.J. France LB 55 Lucas Fisher DE 56 Kyler Brown 57 Thomas Hennessy LS DE 58 Michael Mann LB 59 Kelby Brown OL 60 Mike Fagan LS 61 Colin Duffy C 62 Matt Skura OL 63 Zach Harmon OG 64 Jake Brodner OG 65 Cody Robinson OG 66 Carson Ginn OG 67 Lucas Patrick OG 68 Alex Skidmore LS 69 Bronson Bruneau OL 70 Christian Harris OT 71 Casey Blaser OL 72 Jake Sanders OT 73 Takoby Cofield OL 74 Trip McNeill OT 75 Sam Marshall OT 76 Gabe Brandner OG 77 Laken Tomlinson OT 78 Sterling Korona OT 79 Tanner Stone TE 80 David Reeves 81 Davis Koppenhaver TE 82 Chris Taylor WR 83 Anthony Nash WR 84 Trevon Lee WR TE 85 Dan Beilinson 86 Terrence Alls WR TE 86 Connor Peters 87 Max McCaffrey WR TE 88 Erich Schneider TE 89 Braxton Deaver DE 90 Taariq Shabazz DT 91 Jamal Bruce DT 92 Edgar Cerenord DT 93 A.J. Wolf 94 Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo DE DT 95 Jamal Wallace K 95 Jack Willoughby DT 96 Allen Jackson 97 Quaven Ferguson DT DT 98 Carlos Wray DT 99 Mike Ramsay
Ht Wt 6-1 200 6-4 285 6-0 220 6-2 240 6-2 255 6-5 275 6-0 230 6-4 240 6-4 245 6-3 235 6-4 235 6-2 230 6-1 330 6-0 200 6-4 305 6-3 280 6-2 245 6-3 295 6-6 305 6-4 305 6-4 275 6-5 225 6-6 290 6-5 285 6-5 330 6-4 310 6-5 300 6-7 285 6-6 275 6-3 330 6-7 290 6-6 300 6-5 255 6-4 210 6-1 170 6-5 200 6-1 175 6-5 255 6-1 180 6-4 235 6-2 195 6-7 240 6-5 240 6-3 225 6-1 285 6-1 300 6-4 270 6-4 240 6-4 280 6-2 195 6-5 260 6-2 305 6-2 290 6-2 295
Cl Fr. R-Fr. So. R-Fr. Sr. Fr. R-Sr. R-Jr. R-Jr. R-So. R-So. R-Sr. Fr. Fr. R-Jr. Fr. So. R-Jr. R-Jr. R-Jr. So. Fr. Fr. R-So. Fr. R-Sr. Fr. R-Jr. R-Fr. R-Sr. R-Fr. R-So. R-Jr. Fr. Fr. R-So. Fr. R-So. R-Fr. Sr. Jr. R-So. R-Sr. Fr. R-Sr. Fr. R-So. R-Sr. R-Sr. Sr. R-So. Fr. Jr. R-Fr.
G
iven his success as par t of Duke’s breakout football season last fall, ever yone wondered if Jamison Crowder would leave the Blue Devils a year early to tr y pro football. Ever yone, that is, except Crowder himself. The junior wide receiver who electrified Duke’s of fense during a school-record 10-win season said he was coming this season minutes after last season ended. He never wavered because his decision had more to do with football. “I was going to finish,” Crowder said. “I’m going to get my degree just like I promised by mom.” As the season has drawn closer, evidence of the risk Crowder is taking happened all around him. T wo of Duke’s top players, linebacker Kelby Brown and tight end Braxton Deaver, suffered seasonending knee injuries during August. One twist of the knee could doom Crowder’s season and possibly impact his professional future. Ye t , o n c e a g a i n , Crowder is steadfast in his decision. “I told our chaplain,” Crowder said, “if you really think about it, just be thankful ever y time that you make a cut. I just want to be thankful that I can go out and run and cut and be injur y free. Something
2014 DUKE SCHEDULE Aug. 30 ......................................ELON .........................................6 p.m. Sept. 6 .......................................at Troy . ......................................7 p.m. Sept. 13 ..................................KANSAS ............................... 3:30 p.m. Sept. 20 ..................................TULANE ..........................................TBD Sept. 27 ........................... at Miami (Fla.) ...................................TBD Oct. 11 ............................at Georgia Tech ..................................TBD Oct. 18 ...................................VIRGINIA .........................................TBD Nov. 1 ................................ at Pittsburgh ....................................TBD Nov. 8 .................................. at Syracuse . .....................................TBD Nov. 15 ........................... VIRGINIA TECH ..................................TBD Nov. 20 ....................... NORTH CAROLINA ................... 7:30 p.m. Nov. 29 ............................WAKE FOREST ...................................TBD Home games in CAPS
I’ve been working on this summer is to really increase my spiritual relationship.” On both fronts, Duke is the beneficiar y of Crowder’s character because the Blue Devils get the benefit of his explosiveness on the football field one more year. In his three seasons with the Blue Devils, Crowder has already caught 198 passes for 2,597 yards and 17 touchdowns. He’s had more than 1,000 yards in receiving in each of the last two seasons, including 1,360 last season. Crowder star ts this
season needing 85 catches to match former Duke teammate Connor Vernon’s ACC record of 283 career pass receptions. Vernon also holds the ACC record for career receiving yards at 3,749. Crowder needs 1,152 yards this season to tie for that record. Duke coach David Cutclif fe said Crowder has the tools that make him as good as any receiver in the ACC. “He plays better without the ball than he plays with it,” Cutcliffe said. “That’s a big deal See Duke/Page 5
THE HERALD-SUN | DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
Thursday, August 28, 2014
PAGE 3
North Carolina Tar Heels
Switzer late season spark boosts optimism for 2014 BY HAROLD GUTMANN
hgutmann@heraldsun.com; 919-419-6674
C H A P E L
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o college football player has retur ned more punts for touchdowns in a season than Ryan Switzer did last year as a true freshman – and Switzer’s five scores all came in the final five games. Switzer’s breakthr ough mir r or ed a stunning comeback by Nor th Carolina, which became just the second team from a BCS conference to make a bowl game after star ting 1-5 since the season expanded to 12 games in 2006. The Tar Heels won six of their final seven games last season despite a season-ending injur y to quar terback B r y n R e n n e r. T h e y now return 16 starters, including almost all of their skill position players – underclassmen scored 46 of their 55 touchdowns in 2013. “That was one of those seasons where
2014 north Carolina SCHEDULE Aug. 30 ................................... LIBERTY .....................................6 p.m. Sept. 6 ...........................SAN DIEGO STATE . .........................8 p.m. Sept. 20 .......................... at East Carolina .................................TBA Sept. 27 ............................... at Clemson ......................................TBA Oct. 4 ................................VIRGINIA TECH ..................................TBA Oct. 11 ............................. at Notre Dame ....................... 3:30 p.m. Oct. 18 .............................GEORGIA TECH . ................................TBA Oct. 25 .................................. at Virginia .......................................TBA Nov. 1 ................................at Miami (Fla.) ...................................TBA Nov. 15 ..............................PITTSBURGH ....................................TBA Nov. 20 ....................................at Duke ............................... 7:30 p.m. Nov. 29 .................................N.C. STATE .......................................TBA Home games in CAPS
you didn’t want it to be over,” UNC coach Larry Fedora said. “Our guys that were getting better and better ever y week. More confidence ever y week. It was fun. It was fun coaching them at that point. It was fun because we were young; it was fun that they were enjoying it. You were watching them grow leaps and bounds. Every week, your chest starts swelling up because you see a guy like Ryan Switzer, (running back) T.J. Logan or (cornerback) B r i a n Wa l k e r, e a c h week, get better and better. I really believe that gave us a lot of momentum going into the of f
season. “And, not only that, it was the way we started the season that gave us a lot of momentum going into the offseason because nobody wants to do that again. So hopefully we learned a good lesson.” Switzer epitomizes the excitement that the young returnees have brought to the program, which is ranked 23rd in the preseason Associated Press and coaches polls. The 5-foot-10 West Virginia native had his chances early on – Fedora said he missed three See switzer/Page 5
The Herald-Sun | File photo by Christine T. Nguyen
North Carolina’s Ryan Switzer (3) catches a pass during practice in August.
North Carolina ROSTER 2014
No. Name Pos Ht Wt 1 Francis, Khris TB 5-9 200 2 Lawrence, Des CB 6-1 185 3 Smiley, Sam S 5-11 185 3 Switzer, Ryan WR 5-10 180 4 Artis, Allen DB 6-1 205 5 Thorpe, T.J. WR 6-0 200 6 Henderson, Caleb QB 6-3 220 CB 5-11 195 6 Stewart, M.J. 7 Proehl, Austin WR 5-10 175 S 6-0 195 7 Scott, Tim TB 5-10 185 8 Logan, T.J. 8 Otis, Norkeithus Bandit 6-1 235 LB 6-2 220 9 Hughes, Travis LB 6-2 235 10 Schoettmer, Jeff QB 6-3 215 10 Trubisky, Mitch QB 6-4 220 11 Coker, Kanler Ram 5-11 190 11 Simmons, Malik CB 5-11 190 12 Moore, Andrew 12 Williams, Marquise QB 6-2 220 13 Hollins, Mack WR 6-3 200 14 Davis, Quinshad WR 6-4 215 Ram 5-11 200 15 Miles, Donnie CB 6-0 190 16 Dixon, Alex DE 6-4 250 17 Drennon, Dajaun 18 Cabrera, Josh WR 6-3 200 K 5-10 190 18 Moore, Thomas CB 5-10 175 19 Davis, Kedrick K 6-0 190 19 Weiler, Nick K 6-0 190 20 O’Briant, Will LB 5-11 235 20 Tomlin, Tyrell DB 5-11 175 21 Dickerson, Jalen TB 5-10 190 21 Morris, Romar LB 6-1 225 23 Collins, Cayson P 6-3 200 23 Mangili, Joey S 6-2 210 24 Bonilla, Ayden RB 5-10 175 25 Baxter, Reid 25 Jackson, Kameron S 5-11 195 26 Green, Dominquie S 5-11 190 27 Jackson, Thomas WR 5-11 185 LB 5-11 200 27 Rankin, Darien 28 DiMaggio, Dante WR 6-2 190 CB 5-11 185 28 Walker, Brian S 6-1 205 29 Battle, Jeff 29 Vippolis, Taylor WR 5-9 175 P 5-10 200 30 Hibbard, Tommy RB 5-11 190 30 Royal, Tyler 31 Albright, Cameron S 6-2 210 P 6-1 185 31 Bozymski, Blake LB 6-2 210 32 Jackson, Joe LB 6-2 235 33 Staub, Nathan LB 6-0 205 34 Holcomb, Cole TB 6-0 220 34 Hood, Elijah DB 5-11 190 35 Ripberger, Chris 35 Washington, Damien WR 6-1 190 Ram 6-0 205 36 Mangum, Ryan CB 5-11 180 37 Jiles, T.J. FB 6-3 250 38 Wooten, Carson RB 6-0 230 39 Gonet, Connor K 5-10 190 39 Spelman, Philip Ram 5-11 180 40 Craig, Ben
Cl So. So. Jr. So. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Sr. So. Sr. Sr. Jr. R-Fr. So. Jr. So. Jr. So. Jr. R-Fr. Jr. R-Fr. Fr. Sr. So. So. R-Fr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Fr. So. Fr. R-Fr. Jr. So. Fr. Jr. Fr. So. Jr. So. Sr. So. Fr. R-Fr. So. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. So.
No. Name Pos Ht Wt 40 Heavner, Luke QB 6-1 180 41 Downing, Daniel S 6-0 190 41 Price, Shaquille CB 6-1 210 42 Brunson, Charles TB 5-11 200 42 Rashad, Shakeel Bandit 6-2 245 43 Boyer, Jackson WR 6-3 195 43 Rogers, Jessie DE 6-4 270 44 Gnonkonde, Junior DE 6-4 250 Bandit 6-3 255 45 Bart, Mikey 47 Mastromatteo, Dan LB 6-2 235 TE 6-6 230 49 Albright, Eric DL 6-5 275 49 Clarke, Jeremiah LB 6-4 225 51 Bales, Alex 52 Pettway, Kemmi Bandit 6-2 235 LB 6-2 210 53 Carney, Malik OG 6-4 305 54 Dancy, Will 54 Steinbacher, Michael LB 6-2 220 LB 6-0 185 55 Petty, Marlon 57 Coleman, Schuyler OT 6-5 315 DS 6-2 225 60 Murphy, Kyle DS 6-2 240 61 Fry, Conor OL 6-2 290 62 Uptegraff, Mark OL 6-6 300 63 Hite, Harris 64 Bernhardt, Thomas OL 6-3 290 OL 6-4 295 65 Cohen, Jared OT 6-5 315 66 Colvin, Myers OL 6-5 285 67 Samuel, Caleb C 6-3 290 68 Crowley, Lucas OL 6-4 305 69 Trull, Jonathan DS 6-0 230 70 Marrs, Alex OG 6-5 295 70 Peterson, Caleb OT 6-6 300 71 Heck, Jon OT 6-4 305 72 Holts, Kiaro OG 6-5 295 73 Henson, Brad DT 6-3 295 74 Brown, Devonte C 6-1 270 74 Smith, Arien OT 6-6 300 75 Spain, Bentley OT 6-6 315 76 Prince, R.J. OT 6-5 290 77 Ferranto, John OG 6-4 315 78 Turner, Landon TE 6-3 250 80 Tabb, Jack 81 Singleton, Kendrick WR 6-2 205 TE 6-4 230 82 Fritts, Brandon 83 Campbell, Cam WR 6-2 200 DL 6-1 235 84 Dibble, Ian 84 Howard, Bug WR 6-4 200 85 Perry, Devin WR 6-2 195 TE 6-4 235 87 Hudson, Garrett 88 Fieulleteau, Jordan WR 6-3 210 89 Stogner, Dalton WR 6-4 205 P 6-3 190 90 Daly, Corbin DT 6-5 280 90 Jones, Nazair DL 6-2 235 91 Sugg, Jonathan DL 6-1 270 93 Dinkins, Robert 94 Champagne, Allen DL 6-4 285 K 6-2 195 95 Blakey, Thomas DL 6-4 285 95 Powell, Tyler DT 6-3 295 96 Farmer, Ethan K 6-0 200 98 Jones, Freeman 98 Thomason, Justin DT 6-4 275
Cl Jr. So. So. So. Jr. R-Fr. Jr. So. So. So. Sr. Fr. So. R-Fr. Fr. Jr. R-Fr. Fr. R-Fr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Jr. R-Fr. Fr. Jr. Fr. So. Fr. Sr. So. So. Jr. R-Fr. Sr. Jr. Fr. R-Fr. So. Jr. Sr. Jr. Fr. Jr. So. So. Fr. R-Fr. R-Fr. So. Fr. R-Fr. R-Fr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Jr.
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Page 4
THE HERALD-SUN | DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
Thursday, August 28, 2014
N.C. State Wolfpack N.C. State looking to regroup BY AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer
R A L E I G H
I
nconsistency, injuries and inexperience made a mess of Dave Doeren’s first year at North Carolina State. He’ll soon find out how much the Wolfpack learned from the program’s worst season in a half-century. N.C. State (3-9, 0-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) lost its last eight games and finished winless in the league for the first time since 1959. Seven starters return to the offense and defense to provide potential for growth, assuming Doeren can get a young team past last year’s struggles. “I think you use whatever you can to motivate them,” Doeren said. “I’m not a guy that walks around talking about the past all day long either. I don’t believe in that. When it’s relevant and it can help you, then we’ll talk about it.” At least he has his quarterback this time: Florida transfer Jacoby Brissett. Brissett sat out last year while the Wolfpack bounced between Brandon Mitchell and Pete Thomas due to injur y and poor play. Brissett’s mobility fits Doeren’s no-huddle scheme, though Doeren has cautioned that his quarterback can’t carr y the bur-
den to make every play. Help could come from bigplay receiver Br yan Underwood, who is back from a broken collarbone, and leading rusher Shadrach Thornton. “There’s been players stepping up left and right ever y day in camp, making plays and just pretty much making my job easier — a lot easier,” Brissett said. “And it’s just giving me the (comfor t) of knowing that I have outlets that will do everything I want them to do, what we want them to do. It just makes us better.” Defensively, N.C. State returns some experience up front with Ar t Norman and T.Y. McGill, and in the secondar y with Juston Burris, Hakim Jones and Jack Tocho. But linebacker is a concern, par ticularly after possible starter M.J. Salahuddin suffered a knee injur y that will keep him out indefinitely. “It’s in the past but it’s always going to be in the back of our heads,” redshirt freshman linebacker Jerod Fer nandez said of 2013. “Nobody wants to go 3-9, and we’re ... sure not going to go 3-9 again this year. We’re going to play hard, and we’re going to use that as motivation.” ••• Here are five things to watch for the Wolfpack this season:
Associated Press
North Carolina State quarterback Jacoby Brissett looks to pass during an NCAA football practice in Raleigh, N.C. W R C O N S I S T E N C Y: Sophomores Bra’Lon Cherry, Jumichael Ramos and Marquez Valdes-Scantling must grow into reliable targets. Doeren said Cherry has been the most improved among last year’s young receivers, while Januar y enrollee Bo Hines could contribute as a freshman. MORE DBS: N.C. State will use a 4-2-5 defensive formation as its base scheme See regroup/Page 5
N.C. State ROSTER 2014 No. Name 2 Jalan McClendon 2 Josh Jones 3 Jumichael Ramos 4 Jerod Fernandez 5 Rodman Noel 5 Josh Taylor 6 Tim Buckley 7 Sean Paul 8 Dravious Wright 9 Jarvis Byrd 10 Shadrach Thornton 11 Juston Burris 11 Garrett Leatham 12 Nicholas Lacy 12 Jacoby Brissett 13 Bra’Lon Cherry 14 Malcom Means 14 Woody Cornwell 15 Johnathan Alston 19 Maurice Morgan 19 Evan Brabrand 20 Hakim Jones 20 Brady Bodine 21 Elliott Davis 21 Matt Dayes 22 Dayton Campos 22 Troy Vincent, Jr. 24 Shawn Boone 25 Niles Clark 26 Tony Creecy 26 Trace Batten 27 Dakwa Nichols 27 Kalen McCain 28 Jaylen Samuels 28 Josh Sessoms 29 Jack Tocho 30 Mike Stevens 30 Gavin Locklear 31 NaQuan Brown 31 Germaine Pratt 32 Stephen Morrison 32 Niklas Sade 33 Ty Linton 33 Charlie Twitty 34 Ben Grazen 34 Dexter Wright 35 Kentavius Street 36 Wil Baumann 36 Max Stoffer 37 Jackson Maples 38 Garrett Bradbury 39 Brandon Pittman 41 Cole Boroughs 42 M.J. Salahuddin 43 Coult Culler 44 Devin O’Connor
Ht Wt Pos Cl 6-5 200 QB FR 6-2 212 S R-FR 6-2 199 WR SO 6-0 224 LB R-FR 6-4 223 LB SR 5-11 187 QB SO 6-0 197 S R-JR 5-11 191 CB SO 5-10 206 S SO 5-10 190 S GS 6-1 206 RB JR 6-1 211 CB R-JR 6-4 220 QB R-JR 5-9 180 CB R-FR 6-4 231 QB R-JR 5-11 189 WR SO 6-1 189 CB R-FR 6-1 195 QB FR 6-0 206 WR SO 6-2 246 WR R-JR 6-2 186 QB FR 6-2 205 S R-JR 5-10 196 RB FR 6-1 174 CB FR 5-9 205 RB SO 5-9 209 WR R-SR 5-9 195 CB FR 5-10 184 S FR 5-11 199 CB R-SO 5-11 213 RB GS 5-10 200 S FR 5-9 188 RB R-FR 6-1 190 S FR 5-11 240 TE/FB FR 6-2 200 S R-SO 6-0 201 CB SO 5-10 186 CB FR 5-10 176 WR R-FR 6-1 203 WR SR 6-3 230 S FR 5-11 190 WR FR 6-3 219 PK SR 6-2 250 LB FR 5-9 189 CB R-SO 5-9 190 RB R-FR 6-2 210 S FR 6-2 287 DE FR 6-6 187 P SR 6-3 218 LB FR 6-0 190 PK FR 6-3 257 TE FR 6-2 236 LB SR 6-0 194 CB R-SO 6-2 231 LB JR 6-5 241 LB FR 6-3 236 TE R-SO
No. Name Ht Wt Pos Cl 45 Artemis Robinson 6-0 228 LB R-FR 46 Ernie Robinson 6-1 225 LB R-SO 47 Tyler Purvis 6-2 231 FB GS 47 William Stephenson 6-3 182 P R-SO 48 Bryan Smith 6-1 244 LB R-FR 48 Cole Cook 6-6 232 TE FR 49 Bradley Chubb 6-4 247 LB FR 50 Tony Adams 6-2 301 C FR 52 Cole Blankenship 6-2 290 C R-FR 52 Ben Garnett 6-0 231 LS JR 53 Tyler Jones 6-3 290 OL FR 54 Joe Thuney 6-5 296 OG R-JR 54 Davion Allred 6-0 228 DE R-FR 55 Deonte Holden 6-4 215 DE FR 56 Bryce Kennedy 6-3 303 OG R-SO 57 Peter Daniel 6-6 266 OT R-FR 58 Airius Moore 6-0 220 LB FR 59 John Tu’uta 6-2 270 C R-SO 60 Quinton Schooley 6-3 301 C JR 61 Ali Kassem 6-5 343 OG SR 62 R.C. Brunstetter 6-3 215 LS FR 64 Tylar Reagan 6-4 300 OT R-FR 66 Will Richardson 6-5 282 OT FR 67 Clark Eyers 6-5 245 DT R-SO 67 Evan Pritt 6-3 258 OL R-FR 69 Thomas Teal 6-1 296 DT R-SR 70 Terronne Prescod 6-5 342 OG FR 71 Alex Barr 6-7 314 OG R-JR 72 Patrick Roane 6-7 303 OT R-FR 73 Andy Jomantas 6-7 295 OT/OG GS 74 Tyson Chandler 6-7 345 OT GS 75 T.Y. McGill 6-1 289 DT SR 76 Eric Shute 6-5 286 OL FR 78 Rob Crisp 6-7 285 OT R-SR 79 Tyler Smith 6-3 268 DT SR 80 Bryan Underwood 5-9 180 WR R-SR 82 Bo Hines 6-1 190 WR FR 83 Lucas Wilson 6-5 233 TE R-FR 84 Marquez Valdes-Scantling 6-3 208 WR SO 85 Micah Till 6-5 279 TE FR 86 David J. Grinnage 6-5 269 TE R-SO 87 Pharoah McKever 6-6 256 DE R-FR 87 Maurice Trowell 5-11 179 WR FR 88 Stephen Louis 6-2 212 WR FR 89 Benson Browne 6-5 270 TE R-JR 90 Mike Rose 6-3 271 DE R-JR 91 Drew Davis 6-3 252 DE R-SO 92 Hampton Billips 6-7 223 DE FR 93 Justin Jones 6-2 294 DT FR 94 Monty Nelson 6-2 312 DT SO 95 Art Norman 6-0 254 DE GS 96 Scott Thompson 5-11 244 LS SR 96 Kenton Gibbs 6-2 287 DT R-FR 97 Deshaywn Middleton 6-1 311 DT FR 98 B.J. Hill 6-4 300 DT FR 99 Joe Wright 6-7 237 DE R-SO
2014 N.C. StatE SCHEDULE Aug. 30 .................................GEORGIA SOUTHERN ...............................12:30 p.m. Sept. 6 .........................................OLD DOMINION . ............................................6 p.m. Sept. 13 ......................................at South Florida ....................................... 3:30 p.m. Sept. 20 ...................................... PRESBYTERIAN . .................................................TBA Sept. 27 ...................................... FLORIDA STATE ..................................................TBA Oct. 4 ................................................at Clemson .......................................................TBA Oct. 11 .....................................BOSTON COLLEGE ...............................................TBA Oct. 18 ............................................ at Louisville ......................................................TBA Nov. 1 ...............................................at Syracuse .......................................................TBA Nov. 8 ...........................................GEORGIA TECH . .................................................TBA Nov. 15 .........................................WAKE FOREST . ..................................................TBA Nov. 29 ..................................... at North Carolina ................................................TBA Home games in CAPS.
THE HERALD-SUN | DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
Thursday, August 28, 2014
AROUND THE MEAC
Bethune-Cookman and S.C. State all over again? BY JOHN McCANN
JMCCANN@HERALDSUN.COM; 919-419-6601
T
D U R H A M
he only suspense the past several years in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference has been about which team would emerge as the third-best squad in the league, because Bethune-Cookman and S.C. State have had locks on the first two spots. Bethune-Cookman and S.C. State, MEAC co-champs a year ago, are picked to finish in first and second places, respectively, this time around. And it’s all good, because it’s all earned, Nor folk State coach Pete Adrian said. “You’ve got to beat ‘em,” Adrian said. Adrian’s Spartans did that to Bethune-Cookman last season with a 27-24 road win over the Wildcats. Nor folk State was 3-9 last season and returns linebacker Lynden Trail, the preseason defensive player of the year in the MEAC. Last year, Trail had 8.5 sacks, and his five forced fumbles tied for the most in the nation in the Football Championship Subdivision Former N.C. Central wide receiv-
Regroup from page 4
this year. Doeren said adding that fifth defensive back will get more speed on the field. “I know we love getting more DBs on the field,” Tocho said. “We’re looking forward to the switch. We’ve adapted well in practice.” RUN DEFENSE: Will the Wolfpack be able to stop the run? N.C. State was next-to-last in the ACC in rushing defense (180.2 yards per game) but gave up a league-worst
Switzer from page 3
or four opportunities for touchdowns in the first five games – but it wasn’t until the second half of the season when he gained confidence and exploded onto the national scene, eventually earning first-team all-America honors as a returner from the Football Writers Association of America. “On the field he’s fearless,” Fedora said. “He’s got that little man syndrome – ‘I’ll just show you, watch.’ He’s going to prove it to everybody. He can be from point A to B, at full speed in a matter of two steps. But he can also stop on a dime and be going laterally and be at full speed in two steps, also. And then he’s got great vision on top of that.”
ers coach Lamar Manigo is a firstyear tight ends coach at Nor folk State. Adrian also used the off-season to pick up Donald Hill-Eley, who a year ago was the head coach at Morgan State. Hill-Eley is Nor folk State’s offensive coordinator. The head coach at Morgan State is former Maryland wide receivers coach Lee Hull, who said close to 60 Bears stayed around Baltimore over the summer to get better at their crafts. Roughly 19 of those Morgan State players were in summer school, but the rest kept showing up on campus out of a sheer commitment to be better than last season when the Bears were 5-7, Hull said. “They’ve bought in,” Hull said. Neither Florida A&M nor Savannah State will be in the conversation for the MEAC title on account of NCAA penalties brought on by academic issues. Those two teams could become spoilers, though. “The thing that’s different for me is I’ve got film, and I’ve also had an opportunity to recruit,” second-year Savannah State coach Earnest Wilson said. Wilson said he took over a Savannah State program that didn’t even have a strength-and-conditioning
program. Before last season, Savannah State’s players lifted weights willynilly, and, to be quite honest, most of the guys weren’t really hitting the weights, Wilson said. Savannah State was 1-11 in 2013, and FAMU was 3-9. If it does come down to BethuneCookman and S.C. State for first and second place in the MEAC, then N.C. A&T has first dibs on third, according to the league’s head coaches and directors of spor ts information. Not that it’s going down quite like that, A&T coach Rod Broadway said. “We’re going to play for it. We’re not conceding anything to anybody,” Broadway said. “We’re getting closer to being one of the top teams in this league.” Br oadway left a successful Grambling State team to take charge at A&T in 2011, when the program had been saddled with a reduction in both scholarships and practice time due to players performing poorly in the classrooms prior to his arrival. He’s spent the past few years singing the blues about A&T not being ver y good.
5 yards per carry — a total inflated by Boston College’s Andre Williams running for 339 yards in a 38-21 win. N.C. State allowed a 100-yard rusher in each of its last three games. FINISHING GAMES: The Wolfpack certainly had chances to avoid that winless ACC record. N.C. State was tied with Syracuse midway through the fourth quarter before yielding two touchdowns. It trailed rival North Carolina 21-19 entering the fourth but couldn’t rally. It led at Duke 20-17 with 6½ minutes left before giving up three touchdowns in 26 seconds. “Our main focus is finishing,” McGill said, “because that’s
what we didn’t do last year and that’s what gave us the record we had.” EARLY CONFIDENCE: N.C. State needs a good start. Doeren’s team opens at home against Georgia Southern and Old Dominion, then travels to South Florida (2-10 last year) followed by a home game against Presbyterian. Things get tougher from there, starting with a visit from reigning national champion Florida State and Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston on Sept. 27. There’s also trips to Atlantic Division opponents Clemson, ACC newcomer Louisville and Syracuse in that fivegame stretch.
After averaging 20.7 yards per punt return to break Charlie Justice’s 65-year-old school record, the next step for Switzer is to bring that electrifying ability to the offense. A running back in high school, Switzer needed time to develop into a college-level receiver. But he said he’s ready to make gamechanging plays out of the slot after catching 32 passes for 341 yards last season. “I feel a lot more comfortable in the offense this year,” Switzer said. “I knew it well last year, but that’s it. I was just trying to not mess up. Now that I have that confidence in my ability and I have the offense down pat, I’m looking to do a whole lot more, whether it’s out of the backfield or in the passing game. I feel like the coaches are going to try and get me the ball in space as many times as possible and let me do what I do best.”
The departure of tight end Eric Ebron, the 10th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, has opened up opportunities down the field for Switzer. But first he learned the nuances of the position, from blocking on the perimeter to finding space against a zone defense. He also put on weight so he could absorb heavier hits from defenders. He’s so pleased with the results that he entered training camp with thoughts of being a Heisman candidate. Fedora, who’s known for making bold predictions (last year he said he wanted 12 touchdowns from Ebron and 100 receptions from receiver Quinshad Davis), liked Switzer’s swagger. “Last year he didn’t scratch the surface as a receiver,” Fedora said. “He could break out in that position, he really could.”
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Duke From page 2
at that position. He’s going to catch a bunch of balls. Physically he’s got the incredible short-space quickness, incredible body control, concentration, focus and the toughness it takes to play receiver. He’ll make tough catches for you.” Crowder showed that back on Oct. 20, 2012. Duke trailed 30-26 with 19 seconds left when Crowder caught a 5-yard touchdown pass over the middle – twisting around the Tar Heel defenders – to give Duke a 33-30 win. Just a sophomore, he had his signature moment. That’s also when he realized that boyhood dreams of being a professional athlete could indeed be a reality someday. “That’s when it really set in that I could really have a shot of making it at the next level,” Crowder said. He built that momentum last season, catching six or more passes in 11 of Duke’s 14 games. His best game was Duke’s last, the Chick-fi-A Bowl against Texas A&M. Crowder had 12 catches for 163 yards (both season-high totals) in a game the Aggies rallied to win 52-48. But his pro dream would wait another year. Talking at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome shor tly after the game, Crowder immediately declared his intention to return to Duke, play his senior year and get his degree. He didn’t need to think it over. He didn’t need to wait for the NFL’s Draft Advisor y Board to give him a draft projection. “I’m staying to finish up and get my degree,” Crowder said that night. “That’s pretty much it. I’m coming back next year.” Since then, he’s worked not only on his on-field talents, but ensuring he remains a positive influence on his teammates. He was successful there, too. After helping lead the team’s players-only practices all summer, his teammates voted Crowder a team captain along with quarterback Anthony Boone, offensive guard Laken Tomlinson, safety Jeremy Cash and Brown. While doing that, Crowder also vowed to grow his spirituality, another example of the influence his parents, James and Brenda Crowder, continue to have on him. “My background, my upbringing, my mom, my parents they are ver y religious and they instilled cer tain religious values in me,” Crowder said. “I just want to increase my spirituality. Seeing guys like Kelby and Kyler (Brown) have that faith, it rubbed off on me and a few other of my teammates.” That’s a big reason why the injuries around him, to Brown and Deaver, don’t have Crowder fretting his decision to play for Duke again this season. “Just praying before practice for the other guys and myself,” Crowder said. “That’s something I hope to continue going into our games and practices on down the road. Just make sure that no one gets injured. But you can’t worr y yourself about it. Injuries are a part of the game. You’ve got to just play and if you don’t suffer any injuries, just be thankful and feel blessed.” Thankful and blessed would also apply to Duke fans who are certainly glad to see Crowder in a Blue Devils uniform for one more year.
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THE HERALD-SUN | DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
Thursday, August 28, 2014
ACC ATLANTIC DIVISION CAPSULES Boston College
Clemson
Florida State
Coach: Steve Addazio 2013 record: 7-6 overall, 4-4 in ACC (Tied for Third in Atlantic Division) Overview: Boston College coach Steve Addazio is hoping a fifth-year transfer quarterback and a lot of extra scrimmages will help make up for some big losses offensively. Entering his second season as the Eagles coach, Addazio is trying to replace the school’s all-time leading rusher, receiver and scorer after taking the program to a bowl game after a two-year absence. Quarterback Tyler Murphy, a graduate from Florida that he helped recruit to Gainesville while an assistant there, is someone that could provide some of that offense. The Eagles lost Heisman Trophy finalist Andre Williams, the all-time leading rusher, receiver Alex Amidon, who holds the all-time mark for yardage and catches, and kicker Nate Freese, the top scorer, all to graduation. -Murphy, who played nine games for the Gators last season before missing the final three with an injury, comes in as a dual-threat that the Eagles hope will help fill some of the void offensively. The 6-foot-2 Murphy is expected to run a spread offense, something a bit more open than the straightahead style attack that BC ran with Williams last season. Player to watch: Bobby Vardaro, LG – The redshirt senior as 32 career starts, making him one of the nine most experienced players in the ACC. Vardaro is one of three returning offensive linemen from a unit that was very effective last season. Game to watch: Boston College at Syracuse, Nov. 29. Syracuse is one of eight teams on the schedule that went to bowl games last season, including non-conference opponents Southern Cal and Colorado State. The Eagles and the Orange both went 7-6 last year, and postseason eligibility could be at stake in the regular season finale this time.
Coach: Dabo Swinney 2013 record: 11-2 overall, 7-1 in ACC (Second in Atlantic Division) Overview: Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris is not about to let the Tigers’ attack take a step backward, despite missing two record-setting playmakers from a year ago in receiver Sammy Watkins and quarterback Tajh Boyd. Morris has been bothered much of the offseason by what he sees as a lack of respect for an offense that averaged more than 40 points and 500 yards a game the past two seasons. Morris believes quarterback Cole Stoudt, the son of NFL passer Cliff who was backup the past three seasons, has worked to earn his shot and can run the offense as effectively as Boyd, who set the Atlantic Coast Conference mark with 107 touchdown passes. The Tigers’ offense was fortunate to have sure-handed pass catchers like tight end Dwayne Allen and receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Watkins the past three seasons for Boyd. Clemson enters this year with more questions than answers about its pass catchers: Charone Peake’s health after missing most of last year with a knee injury; sophomore Mike Williams’ ability to stretch the field like Watkins, the fourth overall pick in last May’s NFL Draft; sophomore tight end Jordan Leggett becoming an effective safety valve like Allen was. Player to watch: Vic Beasley, DE – Beasley topped the ACC with 13 sacks last season. Beasley chose to return for his senior season instead of leaving for the NFL draft. Along with veterans like end Corey Crawford, tackles Grady Jarrett and Josh Watson, the line could bring the defense the attention Clemson’s offense has enjoyed the past few seasons. Game to watch: Clemson at Florida State, Sept. 20. The Tigers open at Georgia and play at defending national champion Florida State three weeks later. The Tigers-Seminoles winner has gone to the Atlantic Coast Conference title game as Atlantic Division champions each of the past five seasons and this one figures to be no different.
Coach: Jimbo Fisher 2013 record (ACC finish): 14-0, 8-0 in ACC (First place Atlantic Division, ACC champions, BCS champions) Overview: The Seminoles returned to their historical perch last season, winning the school’s third national championship. With Fisher having won 45 of the 55 games he’s coached at FSU since replacing the legendary Bobby Bowden, the Seminoles are the league and national favorites once again. Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jameis Winston returns for his redshirt sophomore season looking for more success. He’s one of seven starters returning on an offense that scored an NCAA-record 723 points last season. His top target will be senior wide receiver Rashad Greene, who caught 76 passes last season. Four starters on the offensive line are back to protect Winston. Defensively, new coordinator Charles Kelly has three starters back in his secondary, led by cornerback P.J. Williams. Linebacker Terrance Smith and defensive end Mario Edwards anchor a defense that allowed just 3.98 yards per play last season, the lowest perplay average in the country. Player to watch: Jameis Winston, QB – Winston is among the most exciting players in the country, having thrown for 4,057 yards and 40 touchdowns as a freshman in 2013. He also ran for four touchdowns. What can he do for an encore? Whatever it is, it will be interesting to watch as Winston plays what’s likely to be his final year of college football before heading to the NFL. Game to watch: Florida State at Clemson, Sept. 20 FSU’s ACC opener figures to be its best chance for a loss. Of course, that’s what everyone thought last year before the Seminoles went to Clemson and romped to a 59-14 win. Once again, Clemson is the only other ranked team in the Atlantic Division and the only other team in the division with athleticism anywhere close to Florida State’s.
Louisville
N.C. State
Syracuse
Coach: Dave Doeren 2013 record: 3-9 overall, 0-8 in ACC (Seventh in Atlantic Division) Overview: Dave Doeren’s first season as head coach at N.C. State was not one he’d want to remember – the Wolfpack failed to win an ACC contest for the first time since 1959. But there should be a big improvement this season as N.C. State returns seven players on each side of the ball. Tailback Shadrach Thornton fished sixth in the ACC in rushing while honorable mention all-ACC linebacker Robert Caldwell was third in the conference in tackles with 105, including 14.5 tackles for loss. Of course, a lot will depent on the production N.C. State gets at quarterback. One year after Brandon Mitchell and Pete Thomas combined to throw more interceptions than touchdowns, junior transfer Jacoby Brissett will take over the starting role. Brissett has four starters returning on the offensive line in tackles Tyson Chandler and Joe Thuney, guard Alex Barr and center Quinton Schooley. Senior tackle Rob Crisp, an all-league candidate, is also healthy after missing last year with an injury. Brissett also has senior receiver Bryan Underwood, one of the top deep threats in the league. Thornton, whose 1,462 rushing yards is the second-most among returning ACC players, heads up a capable running back corps that includes sophomore Matt Dayes and senior Tony Creecy, a Southern High product. Defensively the team returns three members of the secondary and three players on the defensive line including senior end Art Norman, who had a team-high 4.5 sacks last season and 25.5 tackles for loss in his career. Player to watch: Bryan Underwood, WR – The senior had 10 touchdown catches two years ago, all coming in a run of eight straight games to open the season. It was the longest streak in school history and one shy of matching the Atlantic Coast Conference record. That included his 2-yard TD catch on fourth down with 16 seconds left to upset No. 3 Florida State 17-16. Game to watch: N.C. State at North Carolina, Nov. 29. After winning five straight in the rivalry series, the Wolfpack have dropped the last two games to the Tar Heels.
Coach: Scott Shafer 2013 record: 7-6, 4-4 in ACC (Fourth in Atlantic Division) Outlook: The Orange had a decent first season in the ACC in 2013 with their defense holding them back from an even better finish. That group will be more experienced this season with seven starters returning, led by senior linebackers Cameron Lynch and Dyshawn Davis. They combined for 19 tackles for losses and 6.5 sacks last season. The defensive front will have three senior starters in defensive ends Micah Robinson and Robert Welsh and nose tackle Eric Crume. On offense, quarterback Terrel Hunt emerged as the starter for games in and finished the season in strong fashion. He had only one interception while throwing five touchdown passes over Syracuse’s final three games. Hunt will have three starting receivers returning, led by Ashton Broyld (52 catches, 452 yards). The Orange also have four starting offensive linemen back so an offense that averaged 22.7 points per game last season has a good chance of being even more productive. Player to watch: Ashton Broyld, WR – A junior who led the Orange in receiving as a sophomore last season, Broyld should be Hunt’s top target and a key cog in the Syracuse offense again this season. After not catching a touchdown pass last season, expect Broyld to be a touchdown-maker this season. Game to watch: Syracuse at Clemson, Oct. 25 The Orange suffered three lopsided losses last season, enduring blowouts at the hands of Florida State (59-3), Georgia Tech (56-0) and Clemson (49-17). FSU comes to the Carrier Dome this season but appear just as likely to leave with a win. Georgia Tech fell off the Syracuse schedule. So the trip to Death Valley in late October will be a good measuring stick for Shafer’s program.
Coach: Bobby Petrino 2013 record: 12-1, 7-1 in American Athletic Conference (Second place) Outlook: Two of the key components from one of Louisville’s finest football season aren’t accompanying the Cardinals to the ACC. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is one of 11 starters and 18 lettermen who have departed in addition to coach Charlie Strong, now the head man at Texas. Louisville, though, does have 13 starters back, just not many playmakers on offense. Four offensive linemen are back, which isn’t a horrible place for coach Bobby Petrino to start. Will Gardner, a sophomore, will get a crack to run Petrino’s offense at quarterback. The defense, though, is where the Cardinals have holes to fill and plenty of question marks. Only four starters return from a group that led the nation in total defense. One of them is All-American defensive end Lorenzo Mauldin (9.5 sacks in 2013). He’ll be surrounded by all newcomers along the defensive line. Cornerbacks Charles Gaines and Terrell Floyd are productive in the secondary, having combined for nine interceptions last season. Junior-college transfer linebacker Trevon Young will be asked to do plenty by new Louisville defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. Player to watch: Devante Parker, WR – He caught 55 passes last season with Bridgewater running the show, the most of any Cardinals receiver still on the roster this season. Parker will be asked to produce even more to give Gardner the weapon he’ll need. HE did have 12 touchdown catches last season, giving him 28 in his career. Game to watch: Miami at Louisville, Sept. 1. Oh why not? Let’s get this out of the way early. Louisville’s ACC debut comes in primetime on Labor Day in a rematch of last year’s Champs Sports Bowl. The Cardinals blasted Miami 36-9 in Bridgewater’s swan song (Strong’s too, for that matter). Louisville needs another big win to say hello to its new league.
Wake Forest Coach: Dave Clawson 2013 record: 4-8, 2-6 in ACC (sixth in Coastal Division) Outlook: The improbable 2006 ACC championship seems a distant memory after Wake Forest missed a bowl game and turned in its fifth consecutive losing season. That series of poor football cost Jim Grobe, the most successful coach in Wake Forest history, his job after 77 wins in 13 seasons. Clawson arrives from Bowling Green seeking to regain Wake’s success. The problem is the Deacons have few experienced, talented players at his
disposal this season. Wake Forest will work with a new quarterback in true freshman John Wolford. Orville Reynolds, a senior, moves from wide receiver to running back to add experience to the backfield. But leaves sophomore wide receiver Tyree Harris as the leading returning receiver. On defense, three of the four starters are back in secondary that showed promise last season. The front line will be completely revamped and will struggle to make up for the loss of honorable mention all-American nose guard Nikita Whitlock. Player to watch: John Wolford, QB – He won the starting job in training camp despite having only been on campus two months. Wake Forest hasn’t
had a true freshman starting quarterback in its season opener since 1974, so Wolford faces long odds if he is to find success. Clawson, though, saw enough in his play to pick him after sophomore Tyler Cameron and junior Kevin Souza failed to impress in spring practices. Game to watch: Wake Forest at Louisiana-Monroe, Aug. 28. One of the losses that showed Wake’s season was headed in the wrong direction last season was a 21-19 home loss to LouisianaMonroe in Winston-Salem. Clawson’s first assignment will be to reverse that result and he’ll do it with a true freshman quarterback and only two senior starters.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
THE HERALD-SUN | DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
PAGE 7
ACC COASTAL DIVISION CAPSULES Duke
Georgia Tech
Miami
Coach: David Cutcliffe 2013 record: 10-4, 6-2 in ACC (Coastal Division champions) Outlook: Duke turned in one of the school’s best football seasons, winning eight games in a row to close the regular season and win the Coastal Division title. Losses to Florida State (in the ACC title game) and Texas A&M (in the Chick-fil-A Bowl) did little to stem the Blue Devils momentum. Personnel losses since the end of last season have created question marks, though. Running back Jela Duncan is academically ineligible, quarterback Brandon Connette (27 touchdowns rushing and passing) transferred and two all-ACC players – linebacker Kelby Brown and tight end Braxton Deaver – were lost for the season to preseason knee injuries. That said, Duke has plenty of talent back for another winning season and a third consecutive bowl game. Quarterback Anthony Boone, wide receiver Jamison Crowder, offensive guard Laken Tominson are senior captains who’ll lead the offense. Redshirt senior running back Josh Snead will lead the running game. On defense, safety Jeremy Cash is a force in the secondary who’ll be surrounded by young, athletic defensive backs like Breon Borders, Bryon Fields, DeVon Edwards and Deondre Singleton. Three new starters man the defensive line, but they’ve all had extensive playing time like defensive end Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo. Player to watch: David Helton, LB – Last season, Helton led the ACC in tackles with 133 while playing weak-side linebacker. With Kelby Brown’s injury, Helton shifts to middle linebacker this season. Together, Brown and Helton created plenty of havoc. Helton will be asked to have another strong season even though Brown is no longer sharing the field with him. Game to watch: North Carolina at Duke, Nov. 20. The Bl-ue Devils own wins over the rival Tar Heels in consecutive seasons and, not coincidentally, they’ve been to back-to-back bowl games. This year’s falls in the middle of a November stretch where Duke plays home games with Virginia Tech, UNC and Wake Forest in three consecutive games.
Coach: Paul Johnson 2013 record: 7-6 overall, 5-3 in ACC (Tied for Second in Coastal Division) Overview: Paul Johnson’s first two years at Georgia Tech are looking better and better — and increasingly distant in the past. Since winning a combined 20 games in 2008 and 2009, Georgia Tech has averaged seven wins the last four years. The Yellow Jackets, looking for their first Top 25 finish since 2009, are trying to end an ugly streak of five straight losses to state rival Georgia. The league’s media picked Georgia Tech to finish only fifth in the division this year. Justin Thomas is expected to replace quarterback Vad Lee (Durham Hillside), who transferred to James Madison. The running game should be strong as usual in Johnson’s spread-option attack. There are questions on both lines. Johnson experimented with the shotgun, including a diamond formation, with Lee last year. He said it will be back to basics with Thomas under center. Johnson said he is determined his offense again will be efficient in the triple-option plays which make Georgia Tech one of the nation’s top rushing teams. Thomas (5-11, 185) is small but could pile up big gains with his speed. Tim Byerly, a more physical runner, is the top backup. The defense should benefit from a second year with coordinator Ted Roof, who last year brought back a 4-3 look. Georgia Tech shut out Elon and Syracuse last year but gave up more than 30 points in losses to Miami, BYU, Clemson and Georgia. Player to watch: Adam Gotsis, DT -- A native of Australia, Gotsis is lone returning starter on the defensive line. Gotsis had 14.4 tackles for losses, including 5.5 sacks, as a sophomore in 2013. Among the players who must be replaced are ends Jeremiah Attaochu, a second-round pick by the Chargers, and Emmanuel Dieke, who was invited to the Giants’ camp Game to watch: Georgia Tech at North Carolina, Oct. 18. Georgia Tech has won five straight games over UNC, including a 68-50 win at Kenan Stadium two years ago.
Coach: Al Golden 2013 record: 9-4 overall, 5-3 in ACC (Tied for Second in Coastal Division) Overview: Al Golden’s fourth season at Miami is already different than any of his first three — since the NCAA probe revolving around the actions of a former booster is finally a thing of the past. With star running back Duke Johnson healthy again after his 2013 season ended early because of a broken ankle, and plenty of playmakers on both sides of the football, the Hurricanes are expected to be in the mix for the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Coastal Division title. But there is a major question still to be answered, that being who will be the starting quarterback when the season begins at Louisville on Sept. 1. Ryan Williams would have been the presumed starter but is still recovering from a torn knee ligament, though is expected back at some point this season. Transfer Jake Heaps and true freshman Brad Kaaya seem like the top contenders for the job, and neither has thrown a pass at Miami. The winner of the quarterback job will get plenty of help from Johnson, not to mention a talented crop of receivers. Miami had 10 receivers with catches of 25 or more yards last season. If defenses are going to be kept honest and not able to stack the box against Johnson, finding a way to keep the deep ball in the repertoire would seem crucial. The Hurricanes’ defense has been on the field an average of 34 minutes per game over the last two seasons, the second-highest total among all major college teams. Player to watch: Duke Johnson, RB – The junior rushed for 115 yards per game, which would have ranked second in the ACC, and averaged 6.3 yards per carry before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in the eighth game. Expect eight-man fronts until Miami’s passing game proves itself. Game to watch: Miami at Lousiville, Sept. 1. Miami’s 2013 season ended with a one-sided loss to Louisville in the Russell Athletic Bowl, and the Hurricanes open this season as the Cardinals’ opponent for their ACC debut.
North Carolina
Pittsburgh
Virginia
Coach: Larry Fedora 2013 record: 7-6 overall, 4-4 in ACC (Fifth in Coastal Division) Overview: North Carolina has optimism from a strong finish and motivation from watching a rival’s surprise trip to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. And that has the Tar Heels talking about making their own run in the wide-open Coastal Division. The Tar Heels say they have the players to keep coach Larry Fedora’s no-huddle offense humming, the experience to make an up-and-down defense show some consistency and a game-changing special teams performer in punt returner Ryan Switzer. The Tar Heels have finished at least .500 in league play each year under Fedora, with his first team finishing tied atop the division but missing a trip to the ACC title game due to NCAA sanctions. Last year’s group clawed back from a 1-5 start and beat Cincinnati in a Belk Bowl rout. Quarterback Marquise Williams returns as a run-pass threat, though he is fighting to keep the starting job against redshirt freshman Mitch Trubisky. Receiver Quinshad Davis had 10 touchdown catches, while Switzer tied an NCAA single-season record with five punts returns for touchdowns as a freshman. Freshmen and sophomores scored 46 of UNC’s 55 touchdowns last year, a promising sign for the season that begins Aug. 30 against Liberty. Player to watch: Ryan Switzer, WR/PR -- Can Switzer bring his game-changing plays to the offense? The sophomore had 32 catches for 341 yards and three scores as a receiver last year, but Fedora is expecting a leap forward. Game to watch: North Carolina at Duke, Nov. 20. If the Tar Heels want to win the division, they could start by figuring out how to beat Georgia Tech and Duke. Fedora is 0-4 against those division opponents. A national TV audience will be watching as this rivalry game gets the ESPN Thursday Night treatment.
Coach: Paul Chryst 2013 record: 7-6, 3-5 in ACC (Sixth in Coastal Division) Outlook: The Panthers had plenty of offense last season, averaging 26.3 points per game. Losing quarterback Tom Savage to injury late in the season will help Pitt move up in the Coastal Division standings this year. Quarterback Chad Voytik took over and helped Pitt beat Bowling Green 30-27 in the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl. This season, Voytik will team with sophomore wide receiver Tyler Boyd to give the Panthers a serious threat. Sophomore Isaac Bennett is also back for his sophomore year after rushing for 797 yards and seven touchdowns last year. Four starters on the offensive line are back, too. Defensively all-American defensive lineman Aaron Donald is gone to the NFL and only five starters are back. With him, Pitt allowed 27 points a game last season. Defensive end David Durham and linebackers Anthony Gonzalez and Todd Thomas will be counted on to somehow help improve Pitt’s defense. Player to watch: Tyler Boyd, WR – Boyd had a break out first collegiate season, catching 85 passes to break Sammy Watkins’ ACC freshman record. A freshman all-American last season, he’ll compete for first-team All-ACC honors this season. Game to watch: Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh, Oct. 16. Pitt’s chances for a Coastal Division title will be determined by a three-game stretch in October. The Panthers face division rivals Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Duke in consecutive home games. Beating the Hokies, to avenge last season’s 19-9 loss in Blacksburg, Virginia, will go a long way toward determining how good Pitt is.
Coach: Mike London 2013 record: 2-10, 0-8 in ACC (Seventh in Coastal Division) Outlook: The Cavaliers regressed in London’s fourth season in 2013, losing their final nine games and going winless in the ACC. The offense failed to average 20 points per game while the defense was blitzed at a 33.2 points per game clip. Quarterback David Watford is back to run the offense after throwing 15 interceptions with just eight touchdown passes. He only completed 57.1 percent of his throws. Top target Jake McGee, a tight end, led Virginia with 43 catches so he’s back to give Watford a weapon. Running back Kevin Parks showed his ability by rushing for 1,031 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s back, too. But the Cavaliers must clean up their turnovers after committing 26 (more than two per game) last season. The defense has nine starters back from a unit that allowed 404 yards per game. It’s hard to determine if that’s a good thing or a bad thing because opponents scored 30 or more points seven times last season. Player to watch: Kevin Parks, RB: A true dual threat, Parks amassed a combined 1,370 yards in rushing and receiving yards last season. He, Watford and McGee should give Virginia something for opposing defenses to worry about this season if all three can cut down on the turnovers. Game to watch: Virginia at BYU, Sept. 20. The Cavaliers won their season opener at home over BYU last season 19-16. Virginia even received votes in the following week’s Associated Press top 25 poll. The only team the Cavaliers beat the rest of the season was VMI. This year, Virginia plays home games with UCLA, Richmond and Louisville to open the season. The first road game is a trip to Provo, Utah. A win may be necessary to keep London employed.
Virginia Tech Coach: Frank Beamer 2013 record: 8-5 overall, 5-3 in ACC (Tied for Second in Coastal Division) Overview: It’s a year of change at Virginia Tech, and the Hokies hope it is for the better. Coach Frank Beamer entered his 28th training camp still trying to determine a successor for quarterback Logan Thomas, with Texas Tech transfer Michael Brewer and Mark Leal battling for the job. For the past two seasons, when the Hokies went 7-6 and then 8-5, offensive consistency has been a problem mostly because of the absence of a reliable
running game. They hope to fix that this season behind Trey Edmunds, who has rebounded fully from a broken left leg, and diminutive speedster J.C. Coleman. Help also will come from the return of tight end Ryan Malleck, an effective receiver who missed last season with a torn left rotator cuff. He’ll not only bolster the passing game, but a young offensive line. Loeffler also expects a second season running his system to pay big dividends. The opposite plan had guided Bud Foster’s defense for years, and will again. The unit is led by the passing rushing duo of Dadi Nicholas and Luther Maddy up front, and anchored by a secondary that should rival any in college football.
The safeties are seniors Kyshoen Jarrett and Detrick Bonner, and the cornerbacks are Kendall Fuller and Brandon Facyson, who started as freshmen. The foursome combined for 15 of the team’s 19 interceptions a year ago. Player to watch: Kendall Fuller, CB – The freshman’s 17 passes defended last season were tied for seventh nationally and led to Fuller being named the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year and a consensus freshman all-America. Game to watch: Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech, Sept. 20. These two schools represented the Coastal Division in every ACC championship game before Duke ended the streak last season.
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THE HERALD-SUN | DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
Thursday, August 28, 2014
NCCU/MEAC NCCU’s Wilkins — this Eagle can fly BY JOHN McCANN
JMCCANN@HERALDSUN.COM; 919-419-6601
I
D U R H A M
2014 N.C. Central SCHEDULE Aug. 30 .............................. at East Carolina ........................... 8 p.m. Sept. 6 ............................ELIZABETH CITY ST. . ..................... 5 p.m. Sept. 13 .................................CHARLOTTE ............................... 8 p.m. Sept. 20 ..................................at TOWSON . .............................. 6 p.m. Oct. 4 .........................................HOWARD .................................. 2 p.m. Oct. 11 ....................................at S.C. State ............................... 2 p.m. Oct. 18 ...............................at Morgan State . ........................ 2 p.m. Oct. 25 ................................SAVANNAH ST. ............................ 2 p.m. Nov. 1 .......................... at Bethune-Cookman .................... 4 p.m. Nov. 8 .......................................HAMPTON . ............................... 2 p.m. Nov. 15 ..............................at Norfolk State ........................... 2 p.m. Nov. 22 ......................................N.C. A&T ................................... 2 p.m.
f ever a guy’s reputation preceded him, it’s the one belonging to N.C. Central return man Adrian Wilkins. He’s so good that his less-than-spectacular showing during the team’s first fall scrimmage appeared just all special teams. to be a non-issue for I’m trying to do special first-year NCCU coach teams and receiver this Jerry Mack. year,” Wilkins said. “We know what Wilkins said Adrian can his off-season do,” Mack The things included a said. focus on route that young The things running. that young man did last Mack said man did last season after Wilkins has season after catching kicks catching kicks been getting in more reps were, well, were, well, at the receiver the best in the best in position, and the Football his hands are Championship the Football Championship better. Subdivision. The guy is After Subdivision. a beast, Mack earning said. spots on “The proof is in the several All-America pudding,” Mack said. teams a year ago, Wilkins (5-8, 170) Wilkins, a redshirt junior from Forest City, is on the smaller side, but he could play on begins this campaign Sundays, Mack said. as a preseason The NFL certainly is all-Mid-Eastern Athletic the end game, Wilkins Conference pick. said. He was all-league in “That’s been my goal. 2013 when he was That’s what I want to the College Football do. That’s why I’m in Performance Awards Football Championship college,” Wilkins said. Mack got raw with Subdivision National Return Specialist of the Wilkins during spring drills in April. The Year after scoring five Eagles were practicing touchdowns on special at Rocky Mount High teams, more than any School, showing love other FCS player. to their fans in Eastern Wilkins said he can North Carolina. do more, particularly As Wilkins tends to on offense as a wide do, he made a big play, receiver. Last season, Wilkins yet followed it with some uncharacteristic was NCCU’s leading showboating. pass catcher with 37 Mack wasn’t grabs for 427 yards. While he was all-MEAC having that. He as a return man, he said benched Wilkins for the remainder of the he can be an all-league practice, a move that receiver, too. caught the eye of “Last year, it was
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Broadway has changed his tune. “I was just telling the tr uth,” Broadway said. “We’ve brought in some players. Our talent level has improved so much. Compared to the first couple of teams we had, we’re not even the same team anymore, athletically.” Broadway said he inherited a roster that had 29 players on par tial scholarships, and A&T wasn’t allowed to have spring football practice. A&T was 7-4 last season. “A&T scares you, and this guy really can coach,” S.C. State coach Buddy Pough said. “You’ve got some other guys that are really starting to come along.” Delaware State last season was 5-6 overall but did better in the MEAC than A&T and tied for third in the league after recent seasons finishing in the lower half of the conference.
NCCU redshirt senior defensive lineman Ty Bown: There was Wilkins, who the previous season had more all-purpose yards (123.5 yards per game) than anybody in the MEAC, and Mack could not have cared less. “It just showed me that nobody is bigger than the team,” Brown said. The sort of boasting Wilkins did on the practice field could cost the Eagles a sizable chunk of yardage during a critical moment in a real game, said Mack, explaining the benching. “You can’t let that passion get the best of you,” Mack said. Mack was right, Wilkins said. “It didn’t mess with my mind, because I knew what he was doing, and I knew I made a mistake,” Wilkins said. Wilkins said he got out of character because some of the guys on defense were playing dirty. He said he got too amped when he made them pay. Mack said Wilkins has been a better teammate since then. “You could just notice a difference and a change in his detail and his sense of urgency,” Mack said. It could mean bad news for the rest of the MEAC.
It’s not about reinventing football in order to knock off Bethune-Cookman and S.C. State, Delaware State coach Kermit Blount said. “I don’t think it’s what we’re going to do different. I think it’s how we’ve prepared to be different,” Blount said. This is a seasoned Hornets bunch, Blount said. Guys won’t be satisfied with almost winning but coming up shor t the way they did a year ago after letting Bethune-Cookman off the hook, Delaware State sophomore right tackle Jeron Searles said. “We don’t play games expecting to play well. We play games expecting to win,” Searles said. Not much is expected of N.C. Central, predicted to finish eighth in the MEAC under first-year coach Jerr y Mack, who was the wide receivers coach at South Alabama. NCCU was 5-7 in 2013. Mack will be working with a real piece of dynamite in Adrian Wilkins, who exploded
The Herald-Sun | File photo by Christine T. Nguyen
N.C. Central wide receiver Adrian Wilkins (21) runs the ball during the game against Duke last season.
N.C. Central ROSTER 2014
No. Name Cl Pos Ht Wt 1 Michael Jones So. DB 5-9 175 2 Ryan Smith R-Jr. DB 6-0 180 3 Quentin Atkinson Jr. WR 6-0 190 4 Jazz King R-Sr. WR 5-11 197 5 Andre Clarke R-Sr. RB 5-10 230 6 Ty Brown R-Sr. DL 6-4 235 7 Jeremy Thompson R-So. LB 6-1 225 8 Quinn Billerman Jr. QB 6-3 215 9 Anas Hasic Jr. WR 6-0 215 10 Jordan Miles R-So. LB 5-11 225 11 Nathan Scruggs R-Jr. TE 6-2 235 12 Tony Tate R-So. WR 6-0 170 13 Delqwan Jackson Jr. WR 6-1 180 14 Kevin Thompson R-Jr. RB 5-9 180 15 Malcolm Bell R-So. QB 6-1 190 16 Jarrod Neal Fr. QB 6-0 170 17 Cameron Hughes R-Sr. DB 6-0 180 18 Mykael Martin Fr. DB 6-0 170 19 Nathaniel Tilque Fr. P 6-2 185 20 Jamarcus Johnson Fr. DB 5-10 170 21 Adrian Wilkins R-Jr. WR 5-8 170 22 Shaheed Swinson R-So. RB 5-8 160 23 Theo Livingston R-Jr. DB 5-10 200 24 Haki Dennis R-Jr. DB 5-8 185 25 Idreis Augustus R-Jr. RB 5-7 190 26 Kevin Staton Sr. TE 6-2 255 27 Hakiem Swann So. DB 5-8 165 28 Deyonta Wright Jr. RB 5-9 175 29 Neil Williams R-Jr. LB 6-2 220 30 Brandon McLaren R-So. PK/P 5-9 170 31 Tre Smith R-So. LB 6-3 205 32 C.J. Moore Sr. DB 6-2 195 33 Ronald Conyers So. DB 5-11 190 34 Dorrel McClain Fr. RB 5-11 190 35 Michael Gray Fr. LB 6-1 220 Fr. DB 5-10 175 36 Nolan Corpening R-Jr. DB 6-0 190 37 Tony Williams IV Sr. LB 5-9 210 38 Wallace Cooper 39 Sayyid Muhammad R-Sr. DB 6-0 190 Fr. DB 5-10 190 40 Davanta Reynolds 41 Jonathan “Petey” Williams Fr. 5-8 160 42 Felix Small Sr. DL 6-2 250 44 Daryl Campbell-Pierre R-Fr. DB 5-11 205
for five special-teams touchdowns on three kickoffs and two punts a year ago. “I’m a little disappointed in that finish,” Mack said about the MEAC prediction. That’s why the games are played, Pough said. “You never know who comes out of where, the Hamptons of the world. You don’t know what a Connell Maynor is gonna do,” Pough said. “Somebody can come out of nowhere in a hear tbeat.” Maynor’s Winston-Salem State teams for the past several years dominated the Division II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. In the MEAC, he takes over a Hampton team that was 4-8 last season. The Pirates losing on a regular basis would be a different experience for Maynor. “Who said we’re going to lose?” Maynor offered. Bethune-Cookman was 10-3 last season, and South Carolina State was 9-4. Both Pough and Bethune-Cookman coach Brian Jenkins
No. Name Cl Pos Ht Wt 45 Demontray Ryland R-Sr. LB 6-2 245 46 Josh Wade R-Jr. DL 6-1 250 47 Kelvon Davis So. RB 5-8 180 48 Mike Robinson Fr. DB 6-1 185 50 Ja’Quan Smith R-Fr. DL 6-2 260 51 Darius Spruill R-So. DL 6-1 260 52 Reggie Hunter R-Fr. LB 6-0 205 53 Ty Gatson R-So. OL 6-3 280 54 Keiton Burgess So. OL 6-3 310 55 Carl Jones R-So. OL 6-1 285 56 Clevonne Davis Jr. OL 6-2 295 57 Phillip Mitchell R-So. DL 6-5 295 58 Frederick Henry-Ajudua So. DL 6-2 250 59 Emmanuel Henry-Ajudua So. LB 6-1 240 61 Zachary Giles R-Jr. OL 6-0 310 65 Sterlin Houston Fr. OL 6-4 300 66 D’Andre Ellis R-So. DL 6-1 260 69 Darius James R-Jr. OL 6-3 305 70 Jayson Black R-So. OL 6-3 320 71 Desmond Cooper R-So. OL 6-6 330 74 Jamaal Symmonett R-So. OL 6-3 305 78 Christopher Pressley Sr. OL 6-5 360 80 Derrick Mason Fr. WR 5-10 170 81 Andre Dickson So. TE 6-4 200 82 Armani Lanier Fr. WR 6-1 205 83 Brandon Galloway Fr. WR 6-2 190 84 Jalen Thorpe Fr. 6-1 185 85 Chris Murphy So. WR 6-0 180 86 Micah Martin Jr. LS 6-2 220 87 Darius Williams R-So. WR 5-10 175 88 Jvon Simmons Fr. TE 6-2 220 89 Daniel Rhodes R-So. DL 6-1 255 90 Antonio Brown R-Fr. DL 6-3 250 91 Richard Mitchell Jr. DL 6-5 250 92 Michael Riley So. DL 6-3 260 R-Fr. DL 6-0 260 93 JaCory Fitzgerald R-Fr. DL 6-1 295 94 George McGue Fr. DL 6-3 240 95 Daquan Herring 96 Roderick “Dee” Harris So. DL 6-1 260 R-So. DL 6-0 295 98 Justin Williams Jr. LB 5-10 210 n/a Kris Johnson Sr. DB 5-10 180 n/a Greg Roper Fr. RB 5-11 185 n/a Ramone Simpson
said the goal for their squads is finally winning a game in the FCS playof fs, not just winning another MEAC title that guarantees a spot in the playoffs. That said, Jenkins, also would not go along with the notion that this MEAC season would come down to Bethune-Cookman and South Car olina State and then everybody else in the league. “You’ve got to give everyone respect at the star ting line. That’s just (the) bottom line,” Jenkins said. “If things were flipped and other schools were put up there on the pedestal, I would feel some type of way.” Howard coach Gar y “Flea” Har rell said he is recharged after stepping away from the game for personal reasons in 2013. While Harrell was gone, S.C. State and Bethune-Cookman kept doing what they do. But this is 2014, Harrell said. “They’re not going to give them the title right now,”
Har rell said. “They’ve got to go out and earn it, and they’ve got to come through Howard University to earn it.” Howard a year ago was 6-6 under interim coach Rayford Petty, who is the defensive coordinator for the Bison. This season, Howard visits Bethune-Cookman, but the Bison do not play S.C. State. This will be Har r ell’s last run around the MEAC with Howard quar terback Greg McGhee, who was the league’s of fensive player of the year last season, and he’s predicted to be the best player in the conference this time around. In 2011, McGhee was the rookie of the year in the MEAC. Bethune-Cookman and S.C. State deser ve all of the respect in the world, McGhee said. Just don’t forget about Howard, he said. “That’s why we workout, too,” McGhee said. “That’s why we’re on full scholarships. That’s why we’ve got coaches. That’s why we’re also a football organization.”