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The Daily Journal’s weekly college football preview section | Saturday, September 29, 2012

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GAMEDAY: WEEK 5

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2012

THIS WEEK

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OLE MISS

Record: 3-1 Today: At No. 1 Alabama (4-0) TV: 8:15 p.m., ESPN Next: Oct. 6, home vs. Texas A&M The buzz: The Rebels would like nothing better than to shock the world tonight, but a better effort than last year’s 52-7 loss at home to the mighty Crimson Tide would be a good start for a new coaching staff in its first SEC game.

Coverage begins: On Page 3

MISSISSIPPI STATE

Record: 4-0 (1-0 SEC) Today: Off Next: Oct. 6 at Kentucky The buzz: The Bulldogs are still on track for a possible 7-0 start before an Oct. 29 visit to No. 1 Alabama.

Read more: On Page 4

SOUTHERN MISS

Record: 0-3 Today: Home vs. Louisville (4-0) TV: 7 p.m., CBS Sports Network Next: Oct. 6, home vs. Boise The buzz: The Golden Eagles will look to turn their season around in dramatic fashion with an upset win today.

Read more: On Page 9

GAMEDAY: WEEK 5

Sports editor: John L. Pitts Page design: Daily Journal staff Sports staff: Parrish Alford (Ole Miss beat writer), Brett Brown, Brad Locke (Mississippi State beat writer), Gene Phelps, Robbie Robertson, Brandon Speck.

On the cover: Alabama’s Big Al mascot leads the team onto the field before the last week’s game in Tuscaloosa. (Butch Dill, AP)

DAILY JOURNAL

Winless Southern Miss? Strange but true

I

f I had told you before the season began that one of the state's three major-college football teams would be winless after three games, who would've guessed it would be Southern Miss?

After all, it's the first 0-3 start for the Golden Eagles since 1976.

Many current Southern Miss players were toddlers the last time the team had a losing record – 3-7-1 in 1993. What followed was a remarkable string of 18 winning seasons – the best of which came last year, a 12-2 campaign capped by a Conference USA championship and a Hawaii Bowl victory.

Now, it looks like the bill for all that success has come due.

The Golden Eagles lost 49-20 to open the season at Nebraska – hardly a surprise. But what has followed has been shocking.

East Carolina went into Hattiesburg on Sept. 15 and won 2414 – snapping a streak of 13 consecutive Golden Eagles victories in home openers. |

Then, last weekend, Southern Miss went to Western Kentucky – a team that's just two seasons removed from a 2-22 streak.

JOHN L. And they left PITTS town on the wrong end of a 42-17 beatdown.

It's a brutal start for a new coaching staff, led by a welltraveled veteran assistant coach, 60-year-old Ellis Johnson.

And it could get worse.

The Golden Eagles play No. 19 Louisville (4-0) at home today, followed by a visit from Boise State (2-1) and a trip to Central Florida (2-1). Unless things get turned around in a hurry, the Golden Eagles could be 0-6 heading into an Oct 20 homecoming game against Marshall.

It does get easier after that –

the remaining teams on the Southern Miss schedule are a combined 3-15. Grab a win in the next three weeks and the Golden Eagles could run the table against the weak back half of the schedule to finish 7-5.

But it's a tall order for a team that's suddenly anemic on offense and shockingly ineffective on defense.

It's worth noting that the last two losing seasons for the Golden Eagles came in the first three years for Jeff Bower, the coach who engineered the first 14 of those consecutive winning seasons once he got things pointed in the right direction.

But the college football universe has changed since 1993.

Fans and ADs are a lot less patient, a lot less willing to give a program time to find itself.

“We'll get there,” Johnson insists.

But the clock is already ticking loudly in Hattiesburg.

John L. Pitts (john.pitts@journalinc.com) is sports editor of the Journal

FIVE GAMES TO WATCH

TENNESSEE AT GEORGIA: The SEC team to start giving more attention is Georgia, which is 4-0 after last week’s dismantling of Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs are averaging 47.5 points per game and this is an important Eastern Division matchup.

LSU AT TOWSON: You do not want to be the Towson Tigers heading into Baton Rouge a week after LSU’s Tigers struggled to extract a two-point road win against Auburn’s Tigers. The real

story here, though, is why there are so many teams nicknamed “Tigers.”

TEXAS AT OKLAHOMA STATE: Texas had last weekend off to enjoy rival Oklahoma’s shocking loss in Norman to Kansas State, but Mack Brown’s Longhorns can’t get caught overlooking today’s visit to Stillwater. Mike Gundy’s Cowboys had a bye week, too.

UCLA AT COLORADO: Bruins fans need to erase that easy “W” they had penciled in for today’s trip to Boulder.

What looked like a picnic at Pikes Peak should be filled with some trepidation now that UCLA is the team coming in after a loss and Colorado is the team coming in after a win.

OHIO STATE AT MICHIGAN STATE: The Big Ten has been sliding from national relevancy since No.1 Ohio State and No.2 Michigan met in 2006, could use a pick-me-up showdown after last weekend’s poor group effort.

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ON TV

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TODAY

11 a.m.

Penn St. at Illinois, ESPN Minnesota at Iowa, ESPN2 N.C. State at Miami, ESPNU Missouri at UCF, Fox Sports South Ball State at Kent State, CSS Baylor at West Virginia, FX Penn at Dartmouth, NBCsn 11:21 a.m.

Arkansas at Texas A&M, SEC Net. 2:30 p.m.

Ohio State at Michigan State, ABC Tennessee at Georgia, CBS Clemson at Boston College, ESPN2 Virginia Tech at Cincinnati, ESPNU Idaho at North Carolina, FSS Florida A&M vs. Southern, NBCsn Troy at South Alabama, CSS 3 p.m.

Arizona St. at California, FX 5 p.m.

Florida State at South Fla., ESPN Towson at LSU, ESPNU 6 p.m.

South Carolina at Kentucky, ESPN2 TCU at SMU, FSS Ga. State at William & Mary, CSS 6:30 p.m.

Texas at Oklahoma State, Fox

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2006 Lexus ES 330

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7 p.m.

Wisconsin at Nebraska, ABC Louisville at Southern Miss, CBSsn 8:15 p.m.

Ole Miss at Alabama, ESPN2 9:30 p.m.

Oregon State at Washington, ESPN All times converted to Central SEC Network includes WCBI (Columbus/Tupelo) and WLMT (Memphis)

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2012

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Freeze preps young Rebels for first SEC game DEPTH CHARTS, 7 KEYS TO THE GAME, 8

BY PARRISH ALFORD DAILY JOURNAL

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – All road games are not necessarily hostile environments.

In terms of crowd noise and fans expressing ill will for opponents, today’s tech lingo might look like this: Alabama > Tulane.

A crowd of slightly more than 28,000 watched Ole Miss OLE MISS defeat Tulane 39-0 AT ALABAMA last weekend in New Orleans, and the overwhelming majority were Ole Miss fans.

There will be more than 100,000 at Bryant-Denny Stadium tonight, few with the Rebels’ best intentions at heart.

With that in mind, Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze pumped in crowd noise to the Rebels’ practices this week – some of it generic, but much of it Crimson Tidespecific.

“Crowd noise is always a concern with the communication that we do at the line of scrimmage,” Ole Miss offensive

coordinator Dan Werner said. “But I don’t think it could be any louder than the crowd noise we had out here.”

Working from the idea that stadiums aren’t generally quiet places, Freeze has the speakers at practice every day.

Usually it’s music blaring, and the scene resembles a mix of a football practice and concert. At times in camp he mixed in specific crowd noise, too.

“This week wasn’t the first time we’ve done this,” Werner said. “It was smart of coach Freeze to do it during camp.”

GETTING LOUD

Not only did the noise blare from distant speakers. Freeze strapped speakers to the back of a golf cart and had managers drive up behind his offense.

“Coach gives us the worst possible scenarios with those speakers. I don’t think it could be worse than that. We have our own little system on the O-line to recognize when the ball’s going to be snapped. I think we’ll be fine,” left tackle Emmanuel McCray said.

Sometimes that system involves who is at quarterback. It’s possible Freeze could use backup Barry Brunetti a little more if Bo Wallace is bothered by his shoulder early on. Wallace took a hit on

his throwing shoulder at Tulane and didn’t practice on Tuesday but did the remainder of the week.

Statistically, Alabama ranks in the top 10 national in ever major category.

The Crimson Tide also presents a different look with a 3-4, rather than the four down linemen that most college teams prefer.

McCray says the Rebels have to be ready for anything and to make the right calls on the line.

“They do everything. They’re good at changing it in the middle of the play, and they don’t have to change personnel,” he said.

And when Alabama is on offense, the crowd noise will adjust to the Tide’s needs.

Not so for the visitors, and a lot of Ole Miss players – like freshman running back Jaylen Walton – will be experiencing the environment for the first time.

“When you play football you’re playing before many different fans. The only thing that changes is the numbers. If you’ve been doing it forever, just keep RUSTY COSTANZA | THE TIMES-PICAYUNE your focus on the field and play your Ole Miss running back Randall Mackey game,” Walton said. and wide receiver Donte Moncrief celebrate a touchdown against Tulane. parrish.alford@journalinc.com

TONIGHT’S GAME AT A GLANCE

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Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium (101,821), Tuscaloosa, Ala. Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. Television: ESPN Radio: Ole Miss Network; Sirius 94, XM 200 Records: Ole Miss 3-1, 0-0 SEC, Alabama 4-0, 1-0 SEC Series: Alabama leads 48-9-2 Last year: Alabama, 52-7 Coaches – Alabama: Nick Saban 145-54-1 overall (17th year); 54-12 at Alabama (7th year).; Ole Miss: 33-8 overall (4th year), 3-1 at Ole Miss.

Statistical Leaders – Alabama: RB T.J. Yeldon, 40 carries, 254 yards, 2 TDs. QB A.J. McCarron 51-for-81 passing, 819 yards, 10 TD, 0 INT. WR Amari Cooper 9 catches, 138 yards, 1 TD. Ole Miss: RB Jeff Scott 31 carries, 268 yards, 3 TDs. QB Bo Wallace 55-for-86 passing, 717 yards, 7 TD, 4 INT. WR Donte Moncrief 19 catches, 343 yards, 4 TD. LB Mike Marry 22 tackles.

Trends: Alabama is 24-1 against Ole Miss in Tuscaloosa. The Rebels’ only victory was in 1988. … Ole Miss has lost eight straight in the series, last defeating Alabama 43-28 in Oxford in 2003, Eli Manning’s senior season.

Notes: The Rebels have lost their last eight against ranked opponents, last winning against a ranked team by beating No. 18 Oklahoma State 21-7 in the Cotton Bowl following the 2009 season. … Ole Miss currently leads the SEC in rushing with 259.8 yards a game. … The Rebels are No. 62 in passing offense but are in the top 30 in rushing, scoring and total offense. … RB Jeff Scott ranks fifth in the SEC in rushing (89.3 ypg) and WR Donte Moncrief ranks fifth in receiving (85.8 ypg).

Summing it up: “I’ve done this a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of good defenses, and there’s usually something you think you can attack like, ‘Hey if we get in this formation they’re unsound with this.’ I just don’t see it with them. You have to work hard to get 4 yards, and it shows in their stats. Look at their stats the last three or four years.” – Ole Miss offensive coordinator Dan Werner on Alabama’s defense.

Prediction: Alabama 35-12.

Parrish Alford

OLE MISS

www.olemisssports.com S1 Central Arkansas W, 49-27 S8 UTEP W, 28-10 S15 Texas L, 66-31 S22 at Tulane W, 39-0 S29 at Alabama. 8:15 p.m.

O6 Texas A&M, 6 p.m.

O13 Auburn O20 Open date O27 at Arkansas N3 at Georgia N10 Vanderbilt N17 at LSU N24 Mississippi State

ALABAMA

S1 S8 S15 S22 S29 O6 O13 O20 O27 N3 N10 N17 N24

www.rolltide.com Michigan W, 41-14 W. Kentucky W, 35-0 at Arkansas W, 52-0 Florida Atlantic W, 40-7 Ole Miss, 8:15 p.m.

Open date at Missouri at Tennessee Mississippi State at LSU Texas A&M W. Carolina Auburn

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GAMEDAY: WEEK 5

DAILY JOURNAL

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GAMEDAY: WEEK 5

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2012

DAILY JOURNAL

Mullen building his best recruiting class?

EDITOR’S NOTE: With Mississippi State off this weekend, here’s an update on the Bulldogs’ 2013 recruiting efforts.

proach is one I think has been really, really successful.”

As Simmons noted, while Mississippi has a deep pool of talent for its size,

BY BRAD LOCKE there are a lot of suitors weaving their DAILY JOURNAL way across the state. MSU has to battle not only Ole Miss and Southern Miss, Dan Mullen might be putting together but bigger schools like Alabama and his best recruiting class yet.

LSU. The fourth-year Mississippi State According to 247sports, MSU has coach has always placed a big emphasis three four-star commitments and no on winning the in-state five-stars. Among SEC teams, this class recruiting battles, and ranks ninth, just behind Vanderbilt. the majority of his Does that mean Mullen, whose team signees since 2009 have is 4-0 and ranked 21st in the country, come from Mississippi. can’t close the gap on the rest of the The 2013 commitment SEC? Not necessarily. class, currently 18 Simmons said the ranking can be strong, has 10 from “misleading, because in a lot of ways 10 within the borders. through 25 in the country are very simiMullen According to lar classes. You can still win with the 247sports.com, MSU’s ninth-best class in the SEC. current crop is the 21st best in the coun“This group that Mississippi State’s try. put together so far is definitely in posi“Dan Mullen is showing that if you tion, if they close in on a couple more put the right emphasis on the state, guys, to really have an outstanding then you can have some success, and group.” it’s going to result in wins on the field,” MSU’s class is 12th in the SEC in the said Barton Simmons, a national reRivals.com rankings. cruiting analyst for 247sports. “Their ap“If your school is getting guys they |

MISSISSIPPI STATE S1 S8 S15 S22 S29 O6 O13 O20 O27 N3 N10 N17 N24

www.hailstate.com Jackson State W, 56-9 Auburn W, 28-10 at Troy W, 30-24 South Alabama W, 30-10 Open date at Kentucky, 11:21 a.m.

Tennessee Middle Tennessee at Alabama Texas A&M at LSU Arkansas at Ole Miss

MSU LEADERS

RUSHING L. Perkins Derrick Milton Josh Robinson Nick Griffin Tyler Russell Total

GP Att 4 57 3 21 4 22 4 11 4 10 4 146

PASSING Tyler Russell Dak Prescott Total

GP Cmp-Att-Int Pct Yards 4 59-106-1 55.7 822 3 2-6-0 33.3 37 4 61-112-1 54.5 859

RECEIVING Chris Smith Chad Bumphis Marcus Green Arceto Clark Jameon Lewis Total DEFENSE C. Lawrence Nickoe Whitley B. McKinney Deontae Skinner C. Broomfield Johnthan Banks Taveze Calhoun Denico Autry Darius Slay Matthew Wells F. Bohanna Jamerson Love

GP 4 4 4 4 4 4

Yrds 389 133 110 47 33 737

Avg 6.8 6.3 5.0 4.3 3.3 5.0

No. Yards 13 177 12 271 6 85 5 101 5 61 61 859 GP Solo 4 16 4 14 4 11 4 12 4 9 4 10 4 7 4 5 4 7 4 8 4 3 3 4

like, it doesn’t really matter what they're ranked with us, because some schools recruit specifically to a system,” said Woody Wommack, who covers the Southeast for Rivals.

FINISHING STRONG

There are a handful of big prospects MSU is still trying to lure in, including South Panola safety Tony Conner, Holmes Community College receiver Jonathon Rumph and Itawamba AHS running back Ashton Shumpert.

But Wommack said three current commits have the potential to make this class special: offensive lineman Deon Mix, tailback Kailo Moore and quarterback Cord Sandberg.

“Those are three guys you can build around, really,” Wommack said. “If all three of those guys end up making it up there, you can point to this class and say this is where Mullen really made his bones and built a team that could be very competitive three or four years down the road.”

A strong finish in this class could have a big impact on future signing classes.

“As (Mullen) continues to get sus-

tained success,” Simmons said, “their recruiting classes are going to continue to snowball and get better year after year.” brad.locke@journalinc.com

MSU 2013 COMMITMENTS (18) WR Scott Austin, Biloxi WR Shelby Christy, Dutchtown (Geismar, La.) OL Jamaal Clayborn, Jackson Academy (Flowood) S Kivon Coman, Hargrave Military (Chatham, Va.) OL Kent Flowers, Simmons (Hollandale) WR B.J. Hammond, Gadsden City, Ala. ATH Dezmond Harris, McAdory (McCalla, Ala.) DE Chris Jones, Houston DE Ulric Jones, Oxford, Ala. OL Deon Mix, South Panola (Batesville) RB Kailo Moore, West Bolivar (Rosedale) CB Gabe Myles, Starkville TE Artimas Samuel, Hargrave Military (Chatham, Va.) QB Cord Sandberg, Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.) WR DeVante Scott, Copiah-Lincoln CC (Wesson) TE Trent Simpson, Oxford, Ala. OL Jake Thomas, Columbus ATH Brandon Wells, Bogue Chitto

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TD Long Avg 5 44 97.2 1 24 44.3 0 15 27.5 0 22 11.8 1 20 8.2 9 44 184.2 TD Long Avg 8 72 205.5 0 29 12.3 8 72 214.8

Avg TD Long Avg 13.6 0 45 44.2 22.6 5 72 67.8 14.2 3 30 21.2 20.2 0 46 25.2 12.2 0 21 15.2 14.1 8 72 214.8 Ast 12 10 13 10 9 5 5 7 4 3 7 6

Total 28 24 24 22 18 15 12 12 11 11 10 10

TFL INT 1.5 0 0.5 1 1.5 0 1.5 0 2.5 0 1.0 3 0 0 3.0 0 0 4 1.5 1 0 0 0 0

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EASTERN Florida Georgia South Carolina Kentucky Tennessee Missouri Vanderbilt WESTERN Alabama LSU Mississippi State Ole Miss Arkansas Texas A&M Auburn

SEC 3-0 2-0 2-0 0-1 0-1 0-2 0-2 SEC 1-0 1-0 1-0 0-0 0-1 0-1 0-2

SEC STANDINGS

PF 95 89 48 0 20 30 16 PF 52 12 28 0 0 17 20

PA 37 23 23 38 37 72 65 PA 0 10 10 0 52 20 40

All 4-0 4-0 4-0 1-3 3-1 2-2 1-3 All 4-0 4-0 4-0 3-1 1-3 2-1 1-3

PF 122 190 145 92 153 116 87 PF 168 157 144 147 106 135 70

PA 51 66 39 116 97 102 88 PA 21 41 53 103 145 37 94

2011 Home 4-0 2-0 2-2 3-0 4-0 3-0 2-2 1-1 3-1 2-1 2-2 2-1 3-1 1-1 2011 Home 4-0 2-0 4-0 3-0 2-2 3-0 1-3 2-1 3-1 1-3 2-1 1-1 3-1 1-1

Div. 2-0 2-0 2-0 0-1 0-1 0-2 0-2 Div. 1-0 1-0 1-0 0-0 0-1 0-0 0-2

T25 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-2 0-1 0-2 0-2 T25 2-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-2

Str. W5 W4 W8 L2 W1 L1 L1 Str. W8 W4 W6 W1 L3 W2 L1

T25 = Games against teams in Top 25 (AP, USA Today, Harris) at time of matchup

TODAY’S GAMES

Off: Auburn, Florida, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt

LAST WEEK

Saturday, Sept. 22 LSU 12, Auburn 10 Rutgers 35, Arkansas 26 Florida 38, Kentucky 0 Georgia 48, Vanderbilt 3 South Carolina 31, Missouri 10 Alabama 40, Florida Atlantic 7 Ole Miss 39, Tulane 0 Mississippi State 30, South Alabama 10 Tennessee 47, Akron 26 Texas A&M 70, S.C. State 14

Series First meeting Ark., 41-24-3 Tenn., 21-18-2 First meeting S.C., 15-7-1 Ala., 45-9-2

Sagarin says Missouri by 3 A&M by 22 Georgia by 17 LSU by 43 S.C. by 21 Alabama by 30

Note: The Sagarin ratings appear online at USAToday.com

NEXT WEEK

Saturday, Oct. 6 Arkansas at Auburn, 11 a.m.

Mississippi State at Kentucky, 11:21 a.m.

LSU at Florida, 2:30 p.m.

Georgia at South Carolina, 6 p.m.

Texas A&M at Ole Miss, 6 p.m.

Vanderbilt at Missouri, 6 p.m Off: Alabama, Tennessee

TOWSON AT NO. 3 LSU

THE BUZZ: LSU is looking for an easy and dominant win to maintain its high national ranking and regain some confidence after a narrow 12-10 victory at heavy underdog Auburn last week.

After the Towson game, LSU launches into a difficult stretch of its SEC schedule that includes currently unbeaten Florida and South Carolina in back-to-back weeks.

For Towson, the game offers a chance, however remote, of a historic victory. And a chance to play a night game at Tiger Stadium, which is cool.

KEY STAT: Since coach Les Miles arrived in Baton Rouge in 2005, LSU is 48-4 against unranked teams, including a current streak of 16 straight victories.

TENNESSEE AT NO. 5 GEORGIA

THE BUZZ: Georgia is attempting to match Florida’s 3-0 start in the SEC’s Eastern Division and remain unbeaten before next week’s key game at No. 6 South Carolina.

Tennessee, which lost 37-20 to Florida in its first SEC game, needs a conference win to show progress is being made in coach Derek Dooley’s third season.

KEY STATS: Georgia has scored more than 40 in each of its first four games for the first time in school history. ... Tennessee is 1-8 in its last nine SEC games.

NO. 6 SOUTH CAROLINA AT KENTUCKY

THE BUZZ: South Carolina can tie SEC East-leading Florida for the division lead. The Gamecocks also seek their first 5-0 start under coach Steve Spurrier and a good tuneup for next week’s showdown with Georgia.

Kentucky, shut out 38-0 at Florida last week, is trying to end a two-game losing streak.

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SEC games at a glance

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(All game times converted to Central) Kickoff TV Sirius/XM 11 a.m. FSS 113 / 199 11:21 a.m. SEC Network 94 / 200 2:30 p.m. CBS 91 / 91 6 p.m. ESPNU 113 / 199 6 p.m. ESPN2 92 / 198 8:15 p.m. ESPN 94 / 200

Matchup Missouri at Central Florida (2-1) Arkansas at Texas A&M Tennessee at Georgia Towson (2-1) at LSU South Carolina at Kentucky Ole Miss at Alabama

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2012

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INSIDER

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JOURNAL RANKINGS

Parrish Alford, Brad Locke and John Pitts rank the SEC after Week 3: Ranking (1sts) Last week 1. Alabama (3). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2. LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3. Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 4. South Carolina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 5. Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 6. Mississippi State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 7. Tennessee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 8. Missouri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 9. Texas A&M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 10. Ole Miss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 11. Auburn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 12. Arkansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 13. Vanderbilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 14. Kentucky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 KEY STAT: South Carolina has won seven of its last eight road games dating back to last season. It opened this season with a 17-13 win at Vanderbilt.

ARKANSAS AT TEXAS A&M

THE BUZZ: With a visit from the struggling Razorbacks and a trip to Ole Miss next, the Aggies have a real chance to rebound in SEC play after falling to Florida in their opener.

KEY STAT: Arkansas has won three in a row in this series, 42-38 last year.

MISSOURI AT CENTRAL FLORIDA

THE BUZZ: Mizzou quarterback James Franklin, who struggled (92 yards) with a bad shoulder last week against South Carolina, will be under the microscope in today’s game.

KEY STAT: Only one Missouri O-lineman – sophomore center Mitch Morse – is starting where he was projected to play at the opening of August practices.

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GAMEDAY: WEEK 5

DAILY JOURNAL

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2012

GAMEDAY: WEEK 5

DAILY JOURNAL

More signs of balance between SEC East,West Fifth-ranked Georgia has the conference’s leading rusher in Todd Gurley (101.5 ypg) and a defensive star in lineBATON ROUGE, La. – The blazing backer Jarvis Jones, who ranks second in starts of Florida, Georgia and South Car- the league in tackles for losses. Florida’s olina are raising doubts about preseaMike Gillislee is the SEC’s second-leadson assumptions that the West is best in ing rusher (100.5 ypg), and the Gators the Southeastern Conference. lead the SEC in pass defense efficiency, Sure, the Western Division remains allowing a completion rate of less than home to the top nationally ranked teams 52 percent while intercepting six passes. in the league: No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 “We felt like we had some very outLSU. But the next few weeks – LSU travstanding teams in the East, and so far els to No. 11 Florida on Oct. 6 and hosts they are proving it,” said Georgia coach No. 6 South Carolina on Oct. 13 – will Mark Richt. clarify the extent to which the SEC’s balTennessee coach Derek Dooley won’t ance of power is shifting eastward. argue with that. His team is showing “It looks like it has turned that way, signs of improvement this season with with Florida undefeated, Georgia and us 3-1 record, the lone loss coming against right there,” South Carolina coach Steve the Gators.

Spurrier said, although he also noted “There’s a lot of good teams on this that none of teams’ victories have come side,” Dooley said of the East. “We’ve against an opponent that currently has a only played one of them, so it’s hard for winning record. “We don’t know how me to evaluate the rest. I know the one good we are, just like a lot of teams.” we played is a good football team.”

Florida, which has this week off, will be undefeated when it hosts LSU in a WEST HAS RULED game Gators offensive coordinator Of the six straight national titles won Brent Pease called “a defining moment by the SEC, four of the last five, includto see where we’re at.” ing the past three, have been won by eiAP The leaders in the East have been ther Alabama, Auburn or LSU, all teams Georgia has rather quietly climbed to No. 5 in the Associated Press poll. winning with dominant defenses and from the West. Florida – during the powerful run games, a formula familiar Urban Myer era – was the lone team to the Crimson Tide and the Tigers. from the Eastern Division to win naThat is a bit of a departure for tional championships in that span, in Spurrier, who made his name as a coach 2006 and 2008. at Florida with a wide open pass-oriDuring the past two seasons, the team ented offense called the “Fun ‘N’ Gun.” representing the East in Atlanta strugThe 2012 Gamecocks rank second in gled to mount much of a challenge to the SEC in points allowed (9.8 per game) the West Division winner. LSU crushed Collegiate Wear and fourth in total defense (300.2 yards Georgia, 42-10, last season, only to lose by per game). The best-known players on in the BCS title game to Alabama, which their roster are defensive end Jadeveon had finished second in the SEC West.

Clowney (third in the league in tackles Certainly, when last season ended, the for losses) and running back Marcus power in the SEC appeared heavily conLattimore (80 yards rushing per game). centrated in the West, not only because of the Crimson Tide and Tigers, but because of Arkansas finishing fifth in the final AP Poll.

Arkansas has subsequently fallen on hard times with the scandalous departure of coach Bobby Petrino and a 1-3 start under interim coach John L. Smith.

Alabama still looks all but invincible, but LSU less so after narrowly escaping with a 12-10 victory at Auburn last weekend. exclusively at “Alabama and LSU deserve to be the standard,” said Ole Miss first-year coach Hugh Freeze, whose team visits Alabama tonight. “But I don’t think those schools in the East are far off at all.”

LSU defensive end Barkevious Mingo was a major part of the Tigers squad that blew out the Bulldogs in the second half of last season’s SEC title game. He said he would be surprised to see the winner of the West roll so easily this December.

AP “It definitely will be a real game,” South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore, Mingo said. “You have Florida, South Carwww.mlmclothiers.com left, and QB Connor Shaw are a formi- olina, Georgia. Those teams are pretty dable combination for the Gamecocks. good – really good, not pretty good.”

BY BRETT MARTEL ASSOCIATED PRESS

108 SOUTH SPRING

©JPC’12

842-4165

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DEFENSE DE 49 Ed Stinson 8 Jeoffrey Pagan NG 54 Jesse Williams 62 Brandon Ivory DE 92 Damion Square 90 Quinton Dial SLB 42 Adrian Hubbard 19 Jonathan Atchison MLB 33 Trey DePriest 35 Nico Johnson WLB 35 Nico Johnson 32 C.J. Mosley JLB 47 Xzavier Dickson 30 Denzel Devall CB 13 Deion Belue 24 Geno Smith CB 28 Dee Milliner 10 John Fulton S 37 Robert Lester 3 Vinnie Sunseri S 6 HaHa Clinton-Dix 27 Nick Perry

Jr. So. Sr. So. Sr. Sr. So. Jr. So. Sr. Sr. Jr. So. Fr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Sr. So. So. Jr.

SPECIAL TEAMS PK 5 Jeremy Shelley KO 43 Cade Foster HO 10 A.J. McCarron P 29 Cody Mansell PR 22 Christion Jones KOR 22 Christion Jones 28 Dee Milliner

Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. So. So. Jr.

OFFENSE WR 12 8 LT 70 61 LG 72 68 C 56 61 RG 76 74 RT 71 77 TE 83 17 WR 85 10 WR 16 28 QB 14 11 RB 1 3

Donte Moncrief (6-2, 217, So.) Terrell Grant (6-2, 210, Jr.) Emmanuel McCray (6-5, 319, Jr.) Derrick Wilson (6-3, 305, Jr.) Aaron Morris (6-5, 325, So.) Justin Bell (6-3, 337, R-Fr.) Evan Swindall (6-2, 300, Jr.) Ben Still (6-4, 295, Fr.) A.J. Hawkins (6-3, 315, Sr.) Jared Duke (6-7, 335, Jr.) Pierce Burton (6-7, 290, Jr.) Patrick Junen (6-6, 320, Jr.) Ferbia Allen (6-4, 250, Sr.) Jamal Mosley (6-4, 260, Sr.) Ja-Mes Logan (6-2, 190, Jr.) Vince Sanders (6-1, 190, So.) Collins Moore (6-1, 187, So.) Korvic Neat (5-8, 160, Jr.) Bo Wallace (6-5, 210, So.) Barry Brunetti (6-0, 215, So.) Randall Mackey (5-11, 195, Sr.) Jeff Scott (5-7, 175 Jr.)

DEFENSE E AP

Ole Miss wide receiver Ja-Mes Logan runs past Tulane cornerback Lorenzo Doss on his way to scoring a touchdown last week.

DT

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Based on the best pregame information available; subject to change.

CRIMSON TIDE INSIDER

Former Northeast Mississippi Community College cornerback Deion Belue of Tuscumbia, Ala., is a starter for Alabama’s highly regarded defense.

Belue was a two-year starter for the Tigers and a 2011 NJCAA second-team All-American.

He’s the Tide’s seventh-leading tackler (10 tackles, 8 solo), with 2 tackles-for-loss, an interception and three pass breakups.

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Depth Chart: Rebels

ALABAMA

OFFENSE LT 71 Cyrus Kouandjio So. 63 Kellen Williams Jr. LG 65 Chance Warmack Sr. 78 Chad Lindsay So. C 75 Barrett Jones Sr. 70 Ryan Kelly R-Fr. RG 61 Anthony Steen Jr. 77 Arie Kouandjio So. RT 76 D.J. Fluker Jr. 79 Austin Shepherd So. TE 89 Michael Williams Sr. 84 Brian Vogler So. TE/H 31 Kelly Johnson Sr. 82 Harrison Jones So. QB 10 A.J. McCarron Jr. 12 Phillip Ely R-Fr. RB 42 Eddie Lacy Jr. 4 T.J. Yeldon Fr. WR X 2 DeAndrew White So. 9 Amari Cooper Fr. WR Z 83 Kevin Norwood Jr. 7 Kenny Bell Jr. WR H 22 Christion Jones So. 8 Cyrus Jones Fr.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2012

NT E

LB LB CB S FS CB

10 38 93 95 94 99 55 33 52 15 4 20 1 13 6 23 7 5 25 8 3 21

C.J. Johnson (6-1, 231, So.) Jason Jones (6-3, 255, Sr.) Uriah Grant (6-1, 298, Sr.) Bryon Bennett (6-2, 294, So.) Issac Gross (6-3, 270, Fr.) Gilbert Pena (6-2, 326, Sr.) Cameron Whigham (6-2, 255, Jr.) E.J. Epperson (6-3, 253, Sr.) Mike Marry (6-2, 248, Jr.) Joel Kight (5-9, 222, Sr.) Denzel Nkemdiche (5-10, 197, R-Fr.) Aaron Garbutt (6-2, 200, Sr.) Dehendret Collins (5-11, 175, Jr.) Brishen Mathews (5-11, 202, Jr.) Wesley Pendleton (5-11, 180, Sr.) Anthony Standifer (6-0, 182, Fr.) Trae Elston (6-0, 190, Fr.) Frank Crawford (6-1, 180, Jr.) Cody Prewitt (6-3, 210, So.) Chief Brown (6-0, 195, R-Fr.) Charles Sawyer (5-11, 175, Jr.) Senquez Golson (5-9, 188, So.)

SPECIAL TEAMS PK 81 P 82 KO 91 HO 94 LS 59 KOR 6 21 PR 22 28

Bryson Rose Jim Broadway Nathan Noble Chris Conley Will Denny Jaylen Walton Senquez Golson Philander Moore Korvic Neat

(5-11, 202, Sr.) (6-0, 183, Sr.) (6-4, 211, Fr.) (5-8, 190, Jr.) (5-10, 240, So.) (5-8, 167, Fr.) (5-8, 182, So.) (5-9, 188, Jr.) (5-8, 160, Jr.) |

6th

Scoring offense (36.8 ppg)

PARRISH ALFORD’S COMMENTS Lone catch vs. Tulane went for 23-yard touchdown.

Helped Rebels rush for 304 yards at Tulane.

Current SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week.

First full season as a starter.

SEC co-offensive lineman of week vs. UTEP. Recovered one of offense’s six fumbles at Tulane.

1 catch for 9 yards at Tulane.

Juked a Tulane defender to reach end zone.

Look for his role to increase.

Worked through banged shoulder during the week.

Fifth-leading rusher in the SEC. 2 tackles against Tulane.

Expected back after missing Tulane with injury.

Rebels will need his quickness tonight.

Has worked his way into the starting lineup.

Leads team with 22 tackles.

Leads team with 3 TFLs. Big-time diving INT against Tulane.

Survived secondary makeover to start at Tulane.

6 tackles, INT in first start last week.

End zone INT preserved shutout last week.

Moved from safety early this week.

Coaches said he had his best game at Tulane.

Has hit last 3 field goals after missing first 4.

Averaging 42.2 yards..

Rose could work in here too.

Backup punter recently awarded scholarship.

Consistent.

100-yard TD return vs. Texas.

3 returns, minus-5 yards at Tulane.

SEC RANKINGS

3rd Total offense (488.0 ypg)

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12th 10th Scoring defense (25.8 ppg)

Total defense (373.2 ypg)

Ole Miss on area radio: Amory, WAFM-FM (95.7); Corinth, WXRZ-FM (94.3); Holly Springs, WKRA-FM (92.7); Oxford, WQLJ-FM (93.7); Oxford/Water Valley, WTNM-FM (105.5) Tupelo, WWMR-FM (102.9).

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GAMEDAY: WEEK 5

DAILY JOURNAL

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GAMEDAY: WEEK 5

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2012

DAILY JOURNAL

Scouting report: Ole Miss at Alabama KEYS FOR VICTORY

yards against the Longhorns.

They will work the run game again tonight.

QB Bo Wallace will make right reads, but his runs may be shorter, because of Alabama’s speed on defense.

Wallace will have to do a good job of getting down early and protecting the shoulder that took a hit against Tulane.

Look for the Rebels to take a few deep shots against the Alabama secondary. Tulane marked the first time this season that Wallace and wide receiver Donte Moncrief did not hook up for a touchdown of more than 50 yards.

1. PROTECT THE FOOTBALL If this looks like a repeating key, it is, but ballprotection is a repeating problem.

The Rebels fumbled six times against Tulane and were fortunate enough to recover three.

That’s unlikely to happen today.

Ole Miss players talked about Tulane’s ability to strip the ball. Perhaps that was a wake-up call for a team that will be faster, more physical and more successful at forcing fumbles.

2. FIND THE FOOTBALL It’s not enough for Ole Miss DBs to be in position. They have to turn around and play the ball.

Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron has thrown 10 TD passes and no interceptions. He’ll be accurate, so the Tide won’t stop itself in the passing game, much the way Texas did not stop itself.

The Rebels will have to find the ball and make a play.

3. BE QUICK Physicality is not the MO of the Ole Miss defensive line. That’s OK if you utilize your speed.

The Rebels need to maintain the discipline of playing with their eyes, something they did not do against Texas, then be quick off the ball and in position. Physics may take over in some instances, as Hugh Freeze says, but more times than not that discipline leads to a defense that is disruptive.

CRUCIAL MATCHUP

AP

Alabama defensive end Quinton Dial sacks Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen.

WHAT TO WATCH

WHEN ALABAMA HAS THE BALL It’s run first for Alabama, which has at least one rushing touchdown in 22 of its last 23 games.

Clearly, the Crimson Tide does other things well. Quarterback A.J. McCarron has been extremely efficient, throwing 10 touchdown passes with no interceptions. He’s gone 176 throws without a pick, 15 shy of breaking a school

record currently held by Brodie Croyle.

True freshman T.J. Yeldon and junior Eddie Lacy provide a solid 1-2 punch in the backfield.

WHEN OLE MISS HAS THE BALL The Rebels lead the SEC in rushing at 259.8 yards a game, much of that accumulated against lesser opponents. Texas does not fit that bill, though, and the Rebels were able to rush for 170

OLE MISS O-LINE VS. ALABAMA D-LINE Alabama is big and experienced and has an All-American anchoring the middle in center Barrett Jones.

There is no trickery. The Crimson Tide will line up and run its offense, and it can do that, because of the trust in the offensive line.

Ole Miss did not fare well with a big and experienced offensive line from Texas.

Hugh Freeze talked about his players being out of position against Texas, but at times they were in the right place, he said, “and physics took over.”

That possibility exists against Alabama, and the Rebels, who dominated Tulane, will have to be more physical this week.

Parrish Alford

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2012

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Winless Golden Eagles brace for No. 19 Cardinals as No. 19 Louisville visits.

The Cardinals are led by sophomore quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who has already passed the 1,000-yard passing mark in four games this season.

Southern Miss defensive coordinator Tommy West likened Bridgewater’s play to that of a fifth-year senior.

BY BEN WELCH

SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL

HATTIESBURG – A winless football team looks for bright spots where it can.

So when Southern Miss head coach Ellis Johnson tried to find a ray of light after last week’s thrashing at Western Kentucky, he LOUISVILLE praised the AT SOUTHERN MISS Golden Eagles’ kicking game.

“Special teams continue to be at least solid and sometimes extremely bright,” Johnson told reporters on Monday. “We got some good returns. We didn’t have any disasters occur.”

However, the same was not said about the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. The Eagles are three games into the season and appear to have only have one phase of the game under control.

Southern Miss currently ranks 115th out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in total yards per game, is tied for 113th in points per game and ranks 116th in passing yards per game. They rank behind triple-option teams Georgia Tech and Navy in passing.

Defensively, the Golden Eagles rank 113th in points allowed per game; four

ANOTHER QB STARTER?

The Eagles will likely counter Bridgewater with their third different starting quarterback in four games.

A neck injury to Chris Campbell and a knee injury to Anthony Alford could pave the way for redshirt freshman Ricky Lloyd to make his first career start.

Lloyd has seen action in two games this season, completing 50 percent of his AP passes. Against Western Kentucky, Lloyd Western Kentucky had plenty to celebrate came in and completed four of his five after rocking Southern Miss last week. attempts for 72 yards and a touchdown.

The offense has been inconsistent, of the seven teams ranked lower also but the most important improvement is happen to be C-USA members. They needed by the Eagle defense. also rank 118th in opponents third Southern Miss will see a similar rundown conversion percentage and 111th ning attack from Louisville as they saw in opponents rush yards per game. last weekend. Western Kentucky used a Southern Miss is allowing 5.5 yards per combination of Antonio Andrews and rush this season.

Leon Allen, who both rushed for more The test will not get any easier today, than 100 yards to tear apart the Eagle

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defense. Today, the Cardinals will turn to junior running back Senorise Perry and Jeremy Wright. Perry averages 85 rushing yards per game, while Wright averages just over 76.

“We did what I really hoped we wouldn’t do: take a step back,” West said. “We didn’t tackle well. We have to tackle better; that’ll help a lot.”

A boost on offense could come from receiver Tracey Lampley, who moved into third place all time in all-purpose yards at Southern Miss last weekend.

Lampley has touched the ball just seven times on offensive plays this season. He’s also averaged just 27 yards receiving and zero yards on the ground in the first three games. His biggest impact has been seen on special teams, where he’s averaging 36.8 yards on five kickoffs and has a 19-yard punt return.

“If I had the ball in my hand, I could make something happen,” Lampley said after last week’s loss.

“This is a big-time challenge,” Johnson said. “It’s a big-time opportunity. It’s what you come to college football and play for.”

Ben Welch is a writer for the Student Printz, the Southern Miss student newspaper.

TONIGHT’S GAME AT A GLANCE

Where: Roberts Stadium (36,000), Hattiesburg Kickoff: 7 p.m. TV: CBS Sports Network Records: Southern Miss 0-3, Louisville 4-0 Rankings: Louisville No. 19 AP, No. 17 Coaches Series: Southern Miss, 18-10-1 Last meeting: Louisville 31-28 in 2010 Beef O’Brady’s Bowl, the Cardinals’ fifth straight win in the series.

Coaches – Southern Miss: Ellis Johnson, 17-31 overall (5th season), 0-3 at Southern Miss; Louisville: Charlie Strong, 18-13 overall (3rd season).

Statistical leaders – Southern Miss: RB Desmond Johnson 31-165-0; QB Chris Campbell 19 of 37, 229, 2 TDs, 0 INTs; WR Tracy Lampley 5-82-0, TE Markese Triplett 5-75-1; LB Jamie Collins 27 tackles (17 solo), 6.5 TFLs, 3 pass breakups. Louisville: RB Senorise Perry 62-340-3, RB Jeremy Wright 66-305-5; QB Teddy Bridgewater 91 of 124, 1,049, 7 TDs, 2 INTs, WR Andrell Smith 14-189-1, Damian Copeland 13-150-0; S Calvin Pryor 28 tackles (22 solo).

Trends: Southern Miss opponents have outscored the Golden Eagles 56-7 in the third quarter this season. ... Louisville is 3-11 in Hattiesburg.

Notes: Southern Miss and Louisville were Conference USA rivals from 1996 until 2005, winning seven league titles between them, until Louisville left for the Big East .... The current Southern Miss depth chart lists 19 upperclassmen as starters, including seven seniors on offense. ... The Southern Miss run defense ranks 111th nationally, while Louisville’s ranks 16th. ... Louisville is 4-0 for the first time since 2006.

Summing it up: “When you’re not performing well in so many different areas, you have to start back at the head coach’s feet. We’ve got to start back at square one and evaluate everything we’re doing, from personnel to schemes to practice and just see what we can come up with and improve our football team.” – Ellis Johnson, Southern Miss head coach.

Prediction: Louisville, 21-12 John L. Pitts

SOUTHERN MISS S1 S8 S15 S22 S29 O6 O13 O20 O27 N3 N10 N17 N24

southernmiss.com at Nebraska L, 49-20 Open East Carolina L, 24-14 at Western Ky. L, 42-17 Louisville, 7 p.m.

Boise State at Central Florida, 7 p.m.

Marshall, 6 p.m. at Rice, noon UAB, 6:30 p.m. at SMU UTEP, 7 p.m. at Memphis, 3:30 p.m.

S1 S8 S15 S22 S29 O6 O13 O20 O27 N3 N10 N17 N23

www.uoflsports.com Kentucky W, 32-14 Missouri St. W, 35-7 North Carolina W, 39-34 at Fla. International W, 28-21 atSouthern Miss, 7 p.m.

Open at Pittsburgh, TBA South Florida, TBA Cincinnati, 7 p.m.

Temple, TBA at Syracuse, TBA UConn, TBA at Rutgers, 6:30 p.m.

LOUISVILLE

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GAMEDAY: WEEK 5

DAILY JOURNAL

|

GAMEDAY: WEEK 5

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2012

DAILY JOURNAL

State colleges: At a glance ALCORN STATE

League: Southwestern Athletic Conference (NCAA FCS) Record: 1-3 (1-1 SWAC) Last week: Lost 56-0 to Arkansas State Today: Homecoming vs. Alabama State (2-2) The buzz: The Braves have managed just 31 points this season and rank last in the SWAC in scoring offense. ... QB Greg Jenkins leads the league in total offense (232. ypg) and Bobby Wenzig leads in punting (46.6 ypp).

BELHAVEN

League: Mid-South (NAIA) Record: 1-3 (1-1 MSC) Last week: Beat Campbellsville (Ky.) 70-28 Today: at Virginia-Wise (1-4) The buzz: For a second week in a row, senior kicker James Bryan was named MSC Special Teams player of the Week. He broke a school record with 10 PAT kicks and averaged 51 yards per punt last week for the Blazers. He leads the NAIA with a 47.7 punting average.

DELTA STATE

League: Gulf South (NCAA Division II) Record: 1-3 (0-1 GSC)

Last week: Lost 20-12 to North Alabama in Gulf South opener Thursday: Lost to Abilene Christian 34-28 The buzz: Thursday’s loss marks the third consecutive homefield loss for the Statesmen – their first such streak since a five-game skid in 1997. ... Three DSU turnovers staked Abilene to a 17-0 lead. but the Statesmen finished with a 498320 edge in total offense.

JACKSON STATE

League: Southwestern Athletic Conference (NCAA FCS) Record: 1-3 (1-1 SWAC) Last week: Lost 28-21 to Southern Today: Home vs. Prairie View (0-4) The buzz: DB Cameron Loeffler was named SWAC Newcomer of the Week after registering seven tackles with a sack against Southern. ... JSU is last in the league in turnover margin, at minus10, with six lost fumbles and six interceptions.

MILLSAPS

League: Southern Athletic (NCAA D-III) Record: 3-0 Last week: Off Today: At Centre (3-1) The buzz: QB Garrett Pinciotti leads

the SAA in passing yards per game (234.7), touchdowns (9) and completion percentage (62.5). He has not thrown an interception this season.

MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE

League: American Southwest Conference (NCAA D-III) Record: 1-2 Last week: Off Today: at Hardin-Simmons (1-2) The buzz: The Choctaws have won 2 of the last 3 against Hardin-Simmons. ...

Hardin-Simmons, the ASC’s top passing attack (345.7), will challenge the league’s second-best pass defense (130.0) ... M.C. announced Thursday that it will seek a return to D-II, to join Delta State in the Gulf South Conference.

MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE

League: Southwestern Athletic Conference (NCAA FCS) Record: 1-3 (1-1 SWAC) Last week: Lost 45-14 to Northwestern (La.) State Today: Off The buzz: Valley’s Brandon Stansell leads the SWAC in rushing, with 380 yards on 60 carries. He ran for 87 yards on 16 carries last weekend.

Daily Journal reports

SCHEDULES, RESULTS S1 S8 S15 S22 S29 O6 O13 O20 N3 N10 N17

ALCORN STATE (1-3) Grambling (Shreveport, La.) W, 22-21 at James Madison L, 42-3 Ark.-Pine Bluff* L, 24-6 at Arkansas State L, 56-0 Alabama State* (HC) 2 p.m.

Southern* 2 p.m. at Alabama A&M* 1 p.m. at Prairie View A&M* 1 p.m. at MVSU* 1 p.m.

Texas Southern* 2 p.m.

Jackson State* 1 p.m. *–SWAC game

S1 S8 S15 S22 S29 O6 O13 O20 O27 N3 N10

BELHAVEN (1-3) at Cumberlands (Ky.) L, 21-10 Louisiana College L, 24-13 at Cumberland (Tenn.)* L, 36-30 Campbellsville* W, 70-28 at Virginia-Wise 6 p.m.

Kentucky Christian 1:30 p.m.

Bluefield* (HC) 1:30 p.m. at Lindsey Wilson* 1:30 p.m. at Faulkner* 1:30 p.m.

Pikeville 1:30 p.m.

Bethel* 5 p.m. *-Mid-South Conference game

S1 S8 S22 S27 O6 O13 O20 O27 N3 N10

DELTA STATE (1-3) Fort Valley State L, 31-23 at Elizabeth City State W, 26-7 North Alabama* L, 20-12 Abilene Christian L, 34-28 at Tarleton State 7 p.m.

West Georgia* 6 p.m. at Valdosta State* 2 p.m.

West Alabama* (HC) 4 p.m. at Univ. of Indianapolis 5 p.m. at Shorter* 12:30 p.m. *-Gulf South Conference game

S1 S8 S15 S22 S29

JACKSON STATE (1-3) at Mississippi State L, 56-9 Tenn. State (at Memphis) L, 38-12 at Texas Southern* W, 45-35 Southern* L, 28-21 Prairie View A&M* 4 p.m.

O6 O13 O20 N3 N10 N17

at Arkansas-Pine Bluff* at Alabama State* MVSU* (HC) at Grambling State* Alabama A&M* at Alcorn State*

A30 S8 S15 S29 O6 O13 O20 O27 N3 N10

MILLSAPS (3-0) Mississippi College W, 23-17 at LaGrange W, 54-7 at Point W, 54-28 at Centre* 12:30 p.m.

Huntingdon 1 p.m.

Sewanee* 1 p.m. at Rhodes* 1 p.m. at Trinity (Texas) 1:30 p.m.

Austin 1 p.m.

Birmingham Southern* 1 p.m. *-Southern Athletic Association game

A30 S8 S15 S29 O6 O13 O20 O27 N3 N10

MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE (1-2) at Millsaps L, 23-17 Webber International W, 31-24 at West Alabama L, 41-3 at Hardin-Simmons* 6 p.m.

Sul Ross State* 1 p.m. at Howard Payne* 2 p.m. at Texas Lutheran* 1 p.m.

East Texas Baptist* 3 p.m.

Louisiana College* 1 p.m. at Mary Hardin-Baylor* 1 p.m. *-American Southwest Conference game

S1 S8 S15 S22 O6 O13 O20 O27 N3 N10 N17

MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE (1-3) Concordia College L, 20-19 at Alabama State* L, 29-7 at Southern* W, 6-0 at Northwestern State L, 45-14 Alabama A&M* (HC) 2 p.m.

Grambling State* 2 p.m. at Jackson State* 3 p.m. at Ark.-Pine Bluff* TBA Alcorn State* 1 p.m.

Prairie View A&M* 1 p.m. at Texas Southern* TBA *–SWAC game

KRYSTIN MCCLELLAN | THE JONESBORO SUN

Alcorn State running back Arnold Walker is taken down by the Arkansas State defense during the second quarter of last week’s game.

6 p.m.

1 p.m.

3 p.m.

4 p.m.

TBA 1 p.m. *–SWAC game

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Moutaineers gear up for Big 12 scoring spree

BY RALPH D. RUSSO ASSOCIATED PRESS

West Virginia is ready to start a new era, with what is primed to be a classic Big 12 scoring spree, and Urban Meyer will coach a Big Ten game for Ohio State for the first time.

Florida State, meanwhile, is on letdown alert.

The No. 9 Mountaineers host one of the two TOP 25 games this weekend PREVIEW matching ranked teams. No. 25 Baylor comes to Morgantown, W.Va., for West Virginia’s first Big 12 game.

The Mountaineers fled the Big East last year, paying the conference $20 million for an early release so they could play in the Big 12 this year.

The timing was excellent because West Virginia (3-0) brings a team capable of contending for a Big 12 title into its new neighborhood. Heisman Trophy contender Geno Smith is piling up huge passing stats (1,072 yards and 12 touchdowns) and leading an offense that is averaging 47 points – or four less points than what Baylor (3-0) is averaging.

Nick Florence has proved to be a more-than-capable replacement for Heisman winner Robert Griffin III. He has passed for 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns.

MORE TOP 25 FUN

The other ranked matchup is unlikely to be as much fun.

No. 14 Ohio State visits No. 20 Michigan State as the Big Ten begins conference play after a rather uninspiring four weeks of nonconference games.

Meyer’s first Buckeyes team is saddled with NCAA sanctions, so it can’t go to a bowl game or play for the Big Ten championship.

But Ohio State could still end up being the best team in the conference.

“I think by the end of the year this might be a hell of a football team,” Meyer said. “I mean, it

might be sooner than that.”

To be that, Ohio State needs to work on its defense. The Buckeyes are last in the conference, allowing 395 yards per game. Ohio State features two of the best defensive linemen in the country in Johnathan Hankins and John Simon. Tying up blockers isn’t the problem. Wrapping up ball carriers has been.

That could be an issue when facing Le’Veon Bell, the Spartans’ 245-pound tailback who is third in the nation in rushing at 152 yards per game.

Michigan State can win the Big 12 title, but will need to fix an offense that has struggled to find a complement for Bell in the passing game.

All of the top six teams in the nation are big favorites this week, but it might be worth keeping an eye on No. 4 Florida State. The Seminoles are on the road for the first time this season, facing South Florida in a nonconference game.

Coming off last week’s 49-37 victory against Clemson, Florida State has to avoid a letdown against a Bulls team that has talent but is hard to figure. USF lost at Ball State last week. One thing is for sure, the Bulls can make their season by beating Florida State.

RUSSO’S PICKS

No. 1 Alabama 48, Ole Miss 14 No. 2 Oregon 42, Washington State 21 No. 3 LSU 60, Towson 7 No. 4 Florida State 28, South Florida 13 No. 5 Georgia 35, Tennessee 24 No. 6 South Carolina 38, Kentucky 14 No. 9 West Virginia 48, No. 25 Baylor 38 No. 12 Texas 31, Oklahoma State 21 No. 14 Ohio St. 24, No. 20 Michigan St. 21 No. 15 TCU 45, SMU 14 No. 17 Clemson 34, Boston College 24 No. 18 Oregon State 28, Arizona 27 No. 19 Louisville 37, Southern Miss 28 No. 22 Nebraska 28, Wisconsin 21 No. 24 Boise State 28, New Mexico 13 Last week: 16-3 Season record: 72-14

There’s more college football coverage at our website, including a link to our new college football page: collegefootball.ap.org/djournal

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2012

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TODAY’S NATIONAL SCHEDULE EAST

Stony Brook (3-1) at Army (0-3), 11 a.m.

Penn (0-2) at Dartmouth (2-0), 11 a.m.n Delaware (4-0) at New Hampshire (2-2), 11 a.m.

CCSU (0-4) at Sacred Heart (0-3), 11 a.m.

Buffalo (1-2) at UConn (2-2), 11 a.m.

Baylor (3-0) at West Virginia (3-0), 11 a.m.

It’s a reunion between head coaches Art Briles of Baylor and Dana Holgorsen of West Virginia.They were together on Mike Leach’s staff at Texas Tech from 2000-02 and their teams are averaging a combined 98 points a game this season.

Colgate (1-3) at Yale (1-1), 11 a.m.

Princeton (0-2) at Columbia (1-1), 11:30 a.m.

Fordham (3-1) at Lehigh (4-0), 11:30 a.m.

Monmouth, N.J. (3-1) at Albany, N.Y. (3-1), noon Bryant (0-4) at Wagner (1-3), noon St. Francis (Pa.) (2-2) at Duquesne (3-1), 12:10 p.m.

Brown (1-1) at Georgetown (3-1), 1 p.m.

Clemson (3-1) at Boston College (1-2), 2:30 p.m.

Villanova (3-1) at Maine (1-2), 2:30 p.m.

San Jose St. (3-1) at Navy (1-2), 2:30 p.m.

Ohio (4-0) at UMass (0-4), 2:30 p.m.

Virginia Tech (3-1) at Cincinnati (2-0) at Landover, Md., 2:30 p.m.

Cornell (1-1) at Bucknell (1-2), 5 p.m.

Lafayette (3-0) at Robert Morris (0-3), 5 p.m.

SOUTH

N.C. State (3-1) at Miami (3-1), 11 a.m.

Missouri (2-2) at UCF (2-1), 11 a.m.

Middle Tennessee (2-1) at Georgia Tech (2-2), 11 a.m.

Eastern Kentucky (3-1) at UT-Martin (3-1), 11 a.m.

Duke (3-1) at Wake Forest (3-1), 11:30 a.m.

A victory on the road today would let the Blue Devils equal their best win total of the past decade and would leave them two wins from qualifying for a bowl for the first time since 1994.

Savannah St. (0-3) at Howard (2-1), noon Marist (2-2) at Jacksonville (3-1), noon Wofford (3-0) at Elon (2-2), 12:30 p.m.

Western Carolina (1-3) at Furman (1-3), 12:30 p.m.

Norfolk St. (2-2) at SC State (1-3), 1 p.m.

Alabama St. (2-2) at Alcorn St. (1-3), 2 p.m.

Tulsa (3-1) at UAB (0-3), 2 p.m.

Coastal Carolina (2-2) at Appalachian St. (2-2), 2:30 p.m.

Tennessee (3-1) at Georgia (4-0), 2:30 p.m.

Idaho (0-4) at North Carolina (2-2), 2:30 p.m.

Old Dominion (4-0) at Richmond (3-1), 2:30 p.m.

Louisiana Tech (3-0) at Virginia (2-2), 2:30 p.m.

Troy (2-2) at South Alabama (1-3), 2:30 p.m.

Florida A&M (2-2) vs. Southern (1-2) at Atlanta, 2:30 p.m.

Louisiana-Monroe (1-2) at Tulane (0-3), 2:30 p.m.

SE Missouri (2-2) at Jacksonville St. (1-2), 3 p.m.

North Texas (1-3) at FAU (1-3), 4 p.m.

Prairie View (0-4) at Jackson St. (1-3), 4 p.m.

Drake (2-2) at Campbell (1-3), 5 p.m.

Presbyterian (1-3) at Davidson (0-3), 5 p.m.

Samford (3-0) at Georgia Southern (2-1), 5 p.m.

Bethune-Cookman (2-2) at Hampton (0-3), 5 p.m.

Florida St. (4-0) at South Florida (2-2), 5 p.m.

Ark.-Pine Bluff (3-1) at Tennessee St. (4-0), 5 p.m.

Chattanooga (1-3) at The Citadel (3-1), 5 p.m.

Grambling St. (0-3) at Alabama A&M (4-0), 6 p.m.

UTEP (1-3) at East Carolina (2-2), 6 p.m.

South Carolina (4-0) at Kentucky (1-3), 6 p.m.

Towson (2-1) at LSU (4-0), 6 p.m.

FIU (1-3) at Louisiana-Lafayette (2-1), 6 p.m.

Tennessee Tech (2-2) at Murray St. (1-3), 6 p.m.

Georgia St. (0-4) at William & Mary (0-4), 6 p.m.

Northwestern St. (2-2) at McNeese St. (3-1), 7 p.m.

Louisville (4-0) at Southern Miss (0-3), 7 p.m.

Ole Miss (3-1) at Alabama (4-0), 8:15 p.m.

MIDWEST

Penn St. (2-2) at Illinois (2-2), 11 a.m.

Minnesota (4-0) at Iowa (2-2), 11 a.m.

The Gophers are off to their first 4-0 start since 2008, but they’re just 1-9 in their last 10 trips to Iowa City.

Ball St. (3-1) at Kent St. (2-1), 11 a.m.

Indiana (2-1) at Northwestern (4-0), 11 a.m.

Dayton (1-3) at Butler (2-2), noon Miami (Ohio) (2-2) at Akron (1-3), 1 p.m.

Austin Peay (0-4) at Eastern Illinois (2-2), 1:30 p.m.

Illinois St. (4-0) at South Dakota (1-2), 2 p.m.

Marshall (2-2) at Purdue (2-1), 2:15 p.m.

Rhode Island (0-3) at Bowling Green (1-3), 2:30 p.m.

Ohio St. (4-0) at Michigan St. (3-1), 2:30 p.m.

Cent. Michigan (2-1) at Northern Illinois (3-1), 2:30 p.m.

North Dakota St. (3-0) at Northern Iowa (1-3), 6 p.m.

Missouri St. (0-4) at S. Dakota St. (3-1), 6 p.m.

Indiana St. (2-2) at S. Illinois (2-2), 6 p.m.

Toledo (3-1) at W. Michigan (2-2), 6 p.m.

Cal Poly (3-0) at North Dakota (3-1), 6:05 p.m.

Texas Tech (3-0) at Iowa St. (3-0), 7 p.m.

Wisconsin (3-1) at Nebraska (3-1), 7 p.m.

SOUTHWEST

Arkansas (1-3) at Texas A&M (2-1), 11:21 a.m.

Nevada (3-1) at Texas St. (2-1), 1 p.m.

Houston (0-3) at Rice (1-3), 2:30 p.m.

SE Louisiana (1-3) at Lamar (2-2), 3 p.m.

Western Kentucky (3-1) at Arkansas St. (2-2), 6 p.m.

The Hilltoppers, fresh off a big victory at home against Southern Miss, have won 10 of their last 12 games.Their last loss in Jonesboro – where they have played rarely – was in 1948.

TCU (3-0) at SMU (1-2), 6 p.m.

Cent. Arkansas (3-1) at Stephen F. Austin (1-3), 6 p.m.

Texas (3-0) at Oklahoma St. (2-1), 6:50 p.m.

FAR WEST

Colorado St. (1-3) at Air Force (1-2), 1 p.m.

Montana St. (4-0) at Southern Utah (2-2), 2:30 p.m.

Sacramento St. (2-2) at Idaho St. (1-2), 2:35 p.m.

Arizona St. (3-1) at California (1-3), 3 p.m.

Portland St. (1-3) at Northern Arizona (3-1), 4:05 p.m.

UCLA (3-1) at Colorado (1-3), 5 p.m.

Boise St. (2-1) at New Mexico (2-2), 5 p.m.

Montana (2-2) at Eastern Washington (2-1), 6:15 p.m.

UTSA (4-0) at New Mexico St. (1-3), 7 p.m.

The Texas San Antonio Roadrunners have already equaled their win total from 2011 (4-6), their first season as a team.

UNLV (1-3) at Utah St. (3-1), 7 p.m.

Weber St. (0-4) at UC Davis (1-3), 8 p.m.

Oregon St. (2-0) at Arizona (3-1), 9p.m.

San Diego St. (2-2) at Fresno St. (2-2), 9 p.m.

Oregon (4-0) at Washington St. (2-2), 9:30 p.m.

All times converted to Central

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GAMEDAY: WEEK 5

DAILY JOURNAL

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2012

GAMEDAY: WEEK 5

DAILY JOURNAL

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