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Golden Triangle College Football Preview 2010

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THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com2 SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010 COLLEGE FOOTBALL

THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010 3COLLEGE FOOTBALL

101 Airport Road • Starkville, MS • 662-323-8021

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2010 SCHEDULE

Sept. 4 MEMPHISSept. 9 AUBURNSept. 18 At LSUSept. 25 GEORGIAOct. 2 ALCORN STATEOct. 9 At HoustonOct. 16 At FloridaOct. 23 UABOct. 30 KENTUCKYNov. 13 At AlabamaNov. 20 ARKANSASNov. 27 At Ole Miss

HOME GAMES IN CAPS

Mississippi State footballcoach Dan Mullen isshown last season afterhis team defeated theUniversity of Mississippito win the Egg BowlTrophy. To Mullen’s right,Ole Miss coach HoustonNutt and to Mullen’s left,University of Alabamacoach Nick Saban. Photoc r e d i t s : M S U s p o r t s information, Ole Misssports information, KentGidley, University ofAlabama.

How to reach usSports

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In Alabama:1-888-477-1555

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Fax:662-329-8937

FOOTBALL2010

A publication ofTHE DISPATCH

P.O. Box 511Columbus, MS

39703(662) 328-2424

Editor andPublisher

Birney Imes

SportsAdam MinichinoHenry Matuszak

David MillerJames Bailey

(correspondent)

Cover DesignJackie Taylor

PhotographersLuisa PorterKelly Tippett

Graphic ArtistsJackie Taylor

Holona Yarber

ABOUT THE COVER

MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGSMS OPP

SCORING 307 321 Points Per Game 25.6 26.8

FIRST DOWNS 229 219 Rushing 140 98 Passing 78 108 Penalty 11 13

RUSHING YARDAGE 2731 1752 Yards gained rushing 3072 2054 Yards lost rushing 341 302 Rushing Attempts 555 442 Average Per Rush 4.9 4.0 Average Per Game 227.6 146.0 TDs Rushing 21 18

PASSING YARDAGE 1732 2640 Comp-Att-Int 153-266-17 187-332-17 Average Per Pass 6.5 8.0 Average Per Catch 11.3 14.1 Average Per Game 144.3 220.0 TDs Passing 9 18

TOTAL OFFENSE 4463 4392 Total Plays 821 774 Average Per Play 5.4 5.7 Average Per Game 371.9 366.0

KICK RETURNSNo.-Yds 61-1514 57-1253 PUNT RETURNSNo. -Yds 15-151 13-173 INT RETURNSNo.-Yds 17-417 17-147 KICK RETURN AVE 24.8 22.0 PUNT RETURN AVE 10.1 13.3 INT RETURN AVE 24.5 8.6 FUMBLES-LOST 23-13 22-8 PENALTIES-Yds 67-590 67-517

Average Per Game 49.2 43.1 PUNTS-Yards 51-1986 60-2372

Average Per Punt 38.9 39.5 Net punt average 34.0 35.0

TIME OF POSS/Game 31:46 28:13 3RD-DOWN Conversions 53/159 56/154

3rd-Down Pct 33% 36% 4TH-DOWN Conversions 14/25 9/18

4th-Down Pct 56% 50% SACKS BY-Yards 18-88 20-130 MISC YARDS 13 0 TDS SCORED 37 41 FGs-ATTEMPTS 16-21 12-16 ON-SIDE KICKS 0-2 0-1 RED-ZONE SCORES 33-44 32-39 RED-ZONE TDs 21-44 22-39 PAT-ATTEMPTS 35-35 39-41ATTENDANCE 376,544 264,578

Gms/Avg PGm 7/53792 5/52916 Neutral Site Games 0/0

2009 Team Statistics

2009 RESULTS

Sept. 5 JACKSON ST W 45-7Sept. 12 At Auburn L 49-24Sept. 19 At Vanderbilt W 15-3Sept. 26 LSU L 30-26Oct. 3 GA TECH L 42-31Oct. 10 HOUSTON L 31-24Oct. 17 At MTSU W 27-6Oct. 24 FLORIDA L 29-19Oct. 31 At Kentucky W 31-24Nov. 14 ALABAMA L 31-3Nov. 21 At Arkansas L 42-21Nov. 28 OLE MISS W 41-27

HOME GAMES IN CAPS

Head CoachDan Mullen

Assistant Coachesn Manny DiazDefensive Coordinator/Linebackersn John HevesyOffensive Line / Running Game Coordinatorn Mark HudspethWide Receivers / Passing Game Coordinatorn Tony HughesSafeties / Recruiting Coordinatorn Greg KnoxRunning Backsn Les KoenningOffensive Coordinator / Quarterbacksn Scott SallachTight Endsn Melvin SmithCornerbacks/Nickelbacksn Chris WilsonCo-Defensive Coordinator / Defensive Linen Jon ClarkAssistant AD/Football Operationsn Matt BalisHead Strength Coachn Rockey FelkerDirector of Player Personnel /High School Relationsn Mark OuimetAssistant Recruiting Coordinator

Coaching Staff

SHERROD HAS PERFECT BLENDCourtesy of Mississippi State Sports Information

Mississippi State senior offensive lineman Derek Sherrod will try to help the offense equal the success it had running the football last season. The Bulldogs led the Southeastern Conference in rushing yards per game.

BY DAVID [email protected]

STARKVILLE — MississippiState senior Derek Sherrod mightbe the most unassuming footballplayer you will meet.

Sure, he stands 6-foot-6 andweighs more than 300 pounds, butaside from appearance you won’tfind him leading the pregame hypecircle or jumping and hollering onthe field.

Sherrod prefers a methodicalapproach to his preparation and howhe plays the game. He’d rather com-bine his natural ability with anuncanny sense of detail and focus toget his job done.

But don’t let the smile and thesmarts fool you, Sherrod is one ofthe Southeastern Conference’s topoffensive linemen.

Sherrod was the key bookend forMSU’s punishing ground game that

led the SEC in yards per game lastseason. But even with the successAnthony Dixon and Chris Relfenjoyed running the ball last seasonand the prep acclaim he achieved,the Caledonia High School graduatewanted to work on becoming a com-plete left tackle.

Sherrod’s aim was to continuefundamental work, an aspect MSUoffensive line coach John Hevesymentioned when he was askedabout his offensive linemen.

“(Sherrod) has become more

technical and fundamental in every-thing he does,” Hevesy said. “Plus,he’s become a more powerful playerinstead of just being a technician.The guy works his butt off.”

By the time a player hits his sen-ior season, he hopes to be at the topof his game and ready to tap everyounce of potential. Sherrod believeshe’s on schedule with where hethought he’d be when he sawreserve duty as a freshman in ’07.

“I really do feel like I’m at thebest of my ability,” Sherrod said.“Working out with (strength) coach(Matt) Balis, he’s going to get you tomaximize everything you got. I can’tsay enough about our summer pro-gram and what we got done in theweight room. I feel stronger, I feelquicker, and the rest of the focusnow is on having a good camp.”

Along with center J.C. Brignone,

Caledonia High School product mixes technique, strength to be driving force on offensive line“(Sherrod) has becomemore technical and fundamental in everythinghe does.”

Mississippi State offensive linecoach John Hevesy

See SHERROD, 15

THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com4 SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010 COLLEGE FOOTBALL

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MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS

City Station FrequencyAberdeen WWZQ-AM* 1240Amory WAMY-AM* 1580Batesville WBLE-FM 100.5Biloxi/Gulfport WBUV-FM/WQYZ-FM 104.9/92.5Bude WMJU-FM* 104.3Columbia WCJU-FM* 104.9Corinth WKCU-AM* 1350Ferriday, La. KWTG-FM* 104.7French Camp WFCA-FM* 107.9Greenville WDMS-FM* 100.7Greenwood/Indianola WTCD-FM* 96.9Grenada WOHT-FM* 92.3Hattiesburg WMXI-FM* 98.1Jackson WZNO-FM* 105.9McComb WAKK-FM* 104.9Memphis, Tenn. KQPN-AM* 730Meridian WMOX-AM* 1010Monticello WRQO-FM* 102.1Philadelphia WWSL-FM* 102.3Tupelo WXWX-FM* 96.3Tylertown WTYL-FM* 97.7Vicksburg WVBG-FM* 105.5Waynesboro WABO-AM 990West Point WKBB-FM* 100.9Winona WONA-FM* 95.1Yazoo City WBYP-FM*/WELZ-AM* 107.1/1460

NOTE: All stations above will carry Mississippi State’s 2010 football games.The stations denoted with a * also will carry MSU coach DanMullen’s weekly call-in show, DawgTalk, from 7-8 p.m. Thursdaysbeginning Sept. 2 (exceptions - Sept. 6 and Nov. 22). Fans can callinto the show by dialing 866-998-4893.

MSU Football Game / DawgTalk Call-in Show Radio Affiliates

OFFENSE

WR 9 Leon Berry 6-0 205 SR

87 Chris Smith 6-2 210 So

WR 1 Chad Bumphis 5-10 195 SO

3 Brandon Heavens 5-10 175 So

LT 79 Derek Sherrod 6-6 305 SR

75 Blaine Clausell 6-7 305 Fr

LG 55 Quentin Saulsberry 6-2 305 JR

68 Templeton Hardy 6-3 300 So

C 70 J.C. Brignone 6-1 300 SR

71 Sam Watts 6-4 305 RFr

RG 67 Tobias Smith 6-3 305 SO

74 Mark Melichar 6-5 300 Sr

RT 62 Addison Lawrence 6-4 300 JR

76 Phillip Freeman 6-6 305 SR

TE 32 Marcus Green 6-1 235 JR

88 Kendrick Cook 6-3 250 JR

85 Brandon Henderson 6-2 245 SR

RB 2 Robert Elliott 6-0 215 JR

-OR- 28 Vick Ballard 5-11 215 JR

27 LaDarius Perkins 5-10 190 RFR

8 Montrell Conner 6-2 225 RFR

FB 35 Patrick Hanrahan 5-11 235 SR

23 Sylvester Hemphill 5-11 235 SO

QB 14 Chris Relf 6-4 240 JR

-OR- 17 Tyler Russell 6-5 225 RFR

SPECIALISTS

PK 37 Sean Brauchle 5-10 180 SR

-OR- 40 Derek DePasquale 5-8 180 SR

P 38 Heath Hutchins 6-1 205 SR

-OR- 39 Baker Swedenburg 6-0 190 FR

DEFENSE

DE 90 Pernell McPhee 6-4 285 SR

57 Johnathan McKenzie 6-6 265 RFR

DT 97 Josh Boyd 6-3 295 SO

95 James Carmon 6-7 345 JR

DT 94 Fletcher Cox 6-4 300 SO

60 Devin Jones 6-0 270 SO

DE 36 Nick Bell 6-3 265 SO

99 Sean Ferguson 6-3 255 JR

LB 10 Cameron Lawrence 6-2 225 SO

48 Emmanuel Gatling 6-0 220 SR

LB 50 Chris White 6-4 245 SR

58 Brandon Wilson 6-0 245 SO

LB 34 K.J. Wright 6-4 250 SR

51 Deonte Skinner 6-2 235 RFR

LCB 15 Maurice Langston 5-10 180 SR

26 Damein Anderson 5-11 195 JR

SS 4 Charles Mitchell 5-11 205 JR

7 Wade Bonner 5-10 200 JR

FS 13 Johnthan Banks 6-2 180 SO

42 Zach Smith 5-11 195 SR

RCB 25 Corey Broomfield 5-10 180 SO

20 Louis Watson 5-11 180 SO

Post-Spring Depth Chart

Mullen leads rejuvenated team into seasonBY CHRIS TALBOTTThe Associated Press

STARKVILLE — Here’s a wordnot often heard around here thistime of year: Enthusiasm.

As the start of football seasona p p r o a c h e s ,Mississippi Statecoach Dan Mullenfeels it everywherehe goes. Mullen wasworried the faithfulwould lose it over thelong offseason, butthere are no signs offan fervor tailing off

for the Bulldogs.“We kind of created this frenzy,”

Mullen said. “As you’re looking at itat this point, season ticket sales areup. When you go to different meet-ings and clubs around the stateeveryone’s really excited for the sea-son, so I think we’ve really raisedexpectations for State fans and real-ly brought them back to life.”

That kind of reaction to a 5-7 sea-son is unusual. But it’s not the finalresult that has Mississippi Statefaithful amped. It’s the way the once

lifeless Bulldogs played, pushingseveral opponents to the brinkdespite what was considered thenation’s toughest schedule.

The team was always on theattack and everyone loved it.

“He wants us to compete, alwayscompete,” safety Charles Mitchellsaid. “He brought lots of energy tothis program and fun, a lot of enthu-siasm.”

There’s that word again, but theBulldogs learned enthusiasm onlygets you so far last season in a num-ber of close games. Mullen hasspent the offseason preaching thevalue of finishing plays and finishinggames.

The schedule isn’t much easierthis year, though. The Bulldogs’

road schedule is brutal with gamesat LSU, Houston, Florida, Alabamaand Ole Miss. That has had Mullenwatching those record season ticketsales this season.

“In the Southeastern Conference,when you’re playing on the roadthere’s a lot of tough environments,”Mullen said. “That’s why it’s criticalthat we do sell out our stadium, thatwe do sell out our season tickets andwe have great support at homebecause if you’re going to have agreat year it always starts with win-ning home football games.”

Mullen has several notable gapsto fill if Mississippi State is going tomake the postseason for just thesecond time since 2000. He feelsconfident in the defense, whichreturns Mitchell, defensive endPernell McPhee and linebacker K.J.Wright.

But there are several pressingquestions on offense, the mostnotable are at quarterback and run-ning back. Though Chris Relfrushed for 133 yards and accountedfor three touchdowns in a 41-27 win

BY DAVID [email protected]

STARKVILLE — Onelook at K.J. Wright is allyou need to tell he’s a foot-ball player.

At 6-foot-4, 250 pounds,“built like a linebacker” isan understatement for theMississippi State seniorweak-side linebacker.

MSU defensive coordi-nator and linebackerscoach Manny Diaz saidWright’s length and speedmake him unique, and thathe envisions him having amonster year.

Diaz, a first-year assis-tant coach at MSU, ravesabout Wright’s potential asif he’s a prized incomingfreshman, almost giddyabout what’s to come inthe team’s new defensivesystem.

Even with coachingexperience at Florida Stateand North Carolina State,the former MiddleTennessee State defensivecoordinator admits proto-type athletes don’t comealong very often.

“He’s so long andrangy, and when he goessomewhere he takes less

steps than you and I to getthere,” Diaz said. “Hisarms are so long, and theadvantage of having longarms is in tackling — it’slike reach for a boxer —so physically he’s gifted interms of all those types ofthings.”

NFL talent evaluatorsalready know Wright’s tal-ent and ideal measurables.NFL.com’s Gil Brandt hasthe Olive Branch nativeranked as the No. 5 draft-eligible linebacker for2011.

Wright smiled whenasked about the NFL and

MAKING MOSTOF ALL OF HISPHYSICAL GIFTS

Courtesy of Mississippi SportsInformation

K.J. Wright had 82 tackles, including six anda half for loss last year. Hewill be counted on to playa bigger role this seasonin a new defense.

Mullen

See MULLEN, 15

“His arms are solong, and theadvantage of having long arms isin tackling — it’slike reach for aboxer — so physically he’s gifted in terms ofall those types ofthings.”

Mississippi State co-defensive coordinator

Manny Diaz

See WRIGHT, 15

Wright hopes to use his potential, size to play bigger role in Bulldogs’ new defense

“I think we’ve really raisedexpectations for State fansand really brought themback to life.”

Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen

BY ADAM [email protected]

OXFORD — Kentrell Lockettknows just about every side ofJerrell Powe.

He has seen the domestic side ofthe famed grill master, who isknown for his barbecue skills andhis knack for making catfish, jamba-laya, and other culinary delights.

Lockett also has seen the smash-mouth side of his University ofMississippi teammate, who last sea-son at defensive tackle tied for theteam lead in tackles for loss andearned second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors.

Lockett also has come to love theside of Powe many people might notknow. That side of Powe guides hisgenerosity off the field and his feroc-ity on it, and has put him into posi-

tion to have a chance to realize adream to play professional football.

“It is the type of character hehas,” Lockett said. “Many peopleprobably wouldn’t be at this point ifthey would have went through whathe has been through. It just shows alot about him, the determination,the character, the motivation, to getback to the caliber player he was inhigh school and back to the weight.It just shows the type of standard heholds for himself to get back and dowhat he needs to do.”

Powe has slimmed down from ahigh weight in the 380-pound range

BY CHRIS TALBOTTThe Associated Press

OXFORD — Universityof Mississippi coachHouston Nutt made a splashby adding a single player tohis roster in August, withfans counting the wins for-mer Oregon quarterbackJeremiah Masoli can add tothe schedule.

Nutt hastried to tem-per expecta-tions byremindingfans of thet a l e n t e dplayers theRebels havelost since

last January.Gone is Dexter

McCluster, who becamethe first SoutheasternConference player with1,000 yards rushing and500 yards passing.

“Where’s that 1,500yards going to comefrom?” Nutt asked.

Nutt asked the samequestion about the 1,000receiving yards from ShayHodge, who also hasmoved on to the NFL.

And then there’s thedeparture of Jevan Snead,who caught Nutt by sur-prise when he decided to

BY ADAM [email protected]

OXFORD — JeremiahMasoli said all of the rightthings earlier this month atthe University ofMississippi football team’smedia day.

It’s notoften a walk-on — letalone onewho alreadyhas earnedan under-g r a d u a t edegree —is a featured

speaker. That obligationusually falls only to the headcoach.

But given the attentionsurrounding Masoli’s deci-sion to transfer to Ole Miss,it was natural for the formerUniversity of Oregon quar-terback to take the podium.

“I’m just another piece of

THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010 5COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Rodney A. RayAT T O R N E Y AT L A W

301 Fifth Street SouthSuite B

Columbus, Mississippi 39701

Phone: (662) 329-0110Licensed in the States of Mississippi and Florida

Experience • Integrity • Results© The Dispatch

OLE MISSSCHEDULE

Sept. 4 JACKSONVILLE ST.Sept. 11 At TulaneSept. 18 VANDERBILTSept. 25 FRESNO STATEOct. 2 KENTUCKYOct. 16 At AlabamaOct. 23 At ArkansasOct. 30 AUBURNNov. 6 LA-LAFAYETTENov. 13 At TennesseeNov. 20 At LSUNov. 27 MSU

HOME GAMES IN CAPS

OM OPPSCORING 384 230Points Per Game 29.5 17.7FIRST DOWNS 266 211R u s h i n g 122 106P a s s i n g 132 89P e n a l t y 12 16RUSHING YARDAGE 2387 1824Yards gained rushing 2673 2243Yards lost rushing 286 419Rushing Attempts 503 470Average Per Rush 4.7 3.9Average Per Game 183.6 140.3TDs Rushing 22 10PASSING YARDAGE 2844 2267A t t - C o m p - I n t. 377-205-21 396-198-13Average Per Pass 7.5 5.7Average Per Catch 13.9 11.4Average Per Game 218.8 174.4TDs Passing 22 12TOTAL OFFENSE 5231 4091Total Plays 880 866Average Per Play 5.9 4.7Average Per Game 402.4 314.7KICK RETURNS: No.-Yds 46-1068 62-1411PUNT RETURNS: No.-Yds 28-292 13-109INT RETURNS: No.-Yds 13-260 21-417KICK RETURN AVE 23.2 22.8PUNT RETURN AVE 10.4 8.4INT RETURN AVE 20.0 19.9FUMBLES-LOST 20-10 23-11PENALTIES-Yards 72-564 78-564Average Per Game 43.4 43.4PUNTS-Yards 56-2304 81-3243Average Per Punt 41.1 40.0Net punt average 36.7 35.4TIME OF POSS/Game 29:53 30:073RD-DOWN Conversions 73/177 57/1923rd-Down Pct 41% 30%4TH-DOWN Conversions 10/19 11/214th-Down Pct 53% 52%SACKS BY-Yards 36-248 17-114MISC YARDS 0 65TDS SCORED 49 25FGs-ATTEMPTS 15-20 18-25ON-SIDE KICKS 0-1 1-2RED-ZONE SCORES 38-43 30-44RED-ZONE TDS 27-43 15-44PAT-ATTEMPTS 45-48 24-24ATTENDANCE 390,368 299,677Games/Avg Per Game 7/55767 5/59935Neutral Site Games 1/77928

2009 Team Statistics

2009 RESULTS

Sept. 6 At Memphis W 45-14Sept. 19 SE LOUISIANA W 52-6Sept. 24 At S. Carolina L 16-10Oct. 3 At Vanderbilt W 23-7Oct. 10 ALABAMA L 22-3Oct. 17 UAB W 48-13Oct. 24 ARKANSAS W 30-17Oct. 31 At Auburn L 33-20Nov. 7 N. ARIZONA W 38-14Nov. 14 TENNESSEE W 42-17Nov. 21 LSU W 25-23Nov. 28 At Miss. St. L 41-27Jan. 2 Okla. St. W 21-7

HOME GAMES IN CAPS

Head CoachHouston Nutt

Assistant Coachesn Tyrone NixAssistant Head Coach/DefensiveCoordinator/Linebackersn Kim DameronSafetiesn Ron DickersonWide Receiversn Mike MarkusonCo-Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Linen Derrick NixRunning Backsn Terry PriceDefensive Linen Dave RaderCo-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacksn James ShibestSpecial Teams Coordinator/Tight Endsn Chris VaughnRecruiting Coordinator/Cornerbacksn Lanier GoethieGraduate Assistantn Clark IrwinGraduate Assistantn Mike BeaumontAssistant Athletics Director for FootballOperationsn Andy CommerCoordinator of Video Servicesn Ken CrainHead Equipment Managern Don DeckerHead Football Strength Coachn Clifton EalyAssistant Athletics Director for CommunityRelations

Coaching Staff

UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI REBELS

City Station Frequency

Amory WAFM-AM 1580

Biloxi WBUV-FM 104.9

Brookhaven WBKN-FM 92.1

Corinth WXRZ-FM 94.3

Greenwood WTCD-FM 96.9

Hattiesburg WFMM-FM 97.3

Hazelhurst WDXO-FM 92.9

Jackson WFMN-FM 97.3

Kosciusko WLIN-FM 101.1

Lexington, Tenn. WZLT-FM 99.3

Louisville WLSM-FM 107.1

McComb WAZA-FM 107.7

Memphis, Tenn. WHBQ-AM 560

Meridian WZKR-FM 103.3

Natchez WKSO-FM 97.3

Oxford WQLJ-FM 93.7

Philadelphia WHOC-AM 1490

Prentiss WJDR-FM 98.3

Tupelo WWMR-FM 102.9

Vicksburg WVBG-AM 1420

Waynesboro WABO-AM 990

West Point WROB-AM 1450

Yazoo City WBYP-FM 107.1

NOTE: Broadcasts can be heard on the Internet through

OleMissSports.com’s RebelVision.

Ole Miss Football Radio Network

OFFENSE

SE 16 Markeith Summers 6-3 205 SR

85 Ja-Mes Logan 6-2 195 RFR

5 Melvin Harris 6-7 205 SO

LT 78 Bradley Sowell 6-7 315 JR

70 Emmanuel McCray 6-4 300 RFR

LG 73 Alex Washington 6-4 305 JR

60 Josh Tatum 6-5 300 SO

67 Chris Gill 6-5 282 RFR

C 76 A.J. Hawkins 6-4 305 SO

56 Evan Swindall 6-3 295 RFR

RG 75 Rishaw Johnson 6-4 305 JR

62 Michael Brown 6-5 305 RFR

RT 79 Bobby Massie 6-6 310 SO

54 Logan Clair 6-5 315 RJR

TE 83 Ferbia Allen 6-4 235 SO

32 Reggie Hicks 6-2 245 SR

FL 10 Jesse Grandy 5-10 165 SO

21 Lionel Breaux 6-0 198 SR

QB 12 Nathan Stanley 6-4 215 SO

1 Randall Mackey 6-5 190 JR

8 Jeremiah Masoli 6-5 220 SR

RB 34 Brandon Bolden 5-11 215 JR

27 Enrique Davis 6-0 220 JR

2 Rodney Scott 5-8 200 SO

FL 33 E.J. Epperson 6-2 250 SO

45 H.R. Greer 5-11 225 SO

SPECIALISTS

PK 81 Bryson Rose 6-0 193 SO

46 David Hankins 6-3 222 JR

P 97 Tyler Campbell 6-2 210 SO

96 Andrew Ritter 6-3 205 SO

DEFENSE

End 7 Wayne Dorsey 6-6 265 JR

55 Cameron Whigham 6-2 255 FR

Nse 57 Jerrell Powe 6-2 320 SR

99 Ted Laurent 6-1 303 SR

DT 96 Lawon Scott 6-2 310 SR

94 LaMark Armour 6-21/2 280 SR

End 40 Kentrell Lockett 6-5 260 SR

90 Gerald Rivers 6-5 245 SO

WLB 15 Joel Kight 5-9 225 SO

98 Alex Williams 6-4 225 FR

MLB 51 Jonathan Cornell 6-1 235 SR

42 D.T. Shackelford 6-1 235 SO

SLB 9 Allen Walker 6-1 230 SR

52 Mike Marry 6-2 237 FR

LCB 4 Marcus Temple 5-10 188 JR

3 Charles Sawyer 5-11 175 FR

SS 20 Johnny Brown 6-0 212 SR

5 Frank Crawford 6-0 185 FR

FS 35 Fon Ingram 6-0 205 SR

1 Damien Jackson 6-2 205 JR

RCB 6 Jeremy McGee 5-10 185 SR

25 Ryan Campbell 6-0 180 RFR

Post-Spring Depth Chart

Matthew Sharpe/University of Mississippi Sports InformationUniversity of Mississippi senior defensive lineman Jerrell Powe has persevered through off-the field difficulties andis now ready to have a major impact in what likely will be his final season with the Rebels.

PERSEVERANCE PAYS FOR POWEWayne County High standout had to wait to take field, but has transformed into force up front

Nutt

See POWE, 14

“Many people probablywouldn’t be at this point ifthey would have wentthrough what he has beenthrough.”

University of Mississippi seniorKentrell Lockett, talking about

teammate Jerrell Powe

See OLE MISS, 14

MackeyStanley

Masoli

Rebels glad to have three at QBAddition of Masoli provides needed depth, gives team new set of options

the puzzle,” Masoli said.“Whatever the team needsme to do, I am going to do.That’s my personal expecta-tions as well as team goals.”

Later that morninginside the team’s indoorpractice facility, NathanStanley said all of the rightthings — and answered thesame question numeroustimes. The sophomorequarterback, who movedatop the depth chart afterJevan Snead left school ayear early to declare for theNFL draft, didn’t pout aboutMasoli’s arrival, or the facthe could receive a chal-

lenge for playing time fromformer East MississippiCommunity College All-American Randall Mackey.

Instead, Stanley showedhe remains a team player.

“We were thin at quarter-back and bringing him in isdefinitely going to help usout at quarterback,” Stanleysaid. “I’m going to keep con-tinuing to do what I do andwhat I’ve done the last twoyears. Whatever happenshappens.”

Ole Miss’ ability to man-age its quarterback situa-tion figures to be a keyquestion this season. Notonly will the Rebels have toreplace Snead, who threw20 touchdowns and 20 inter-ceptions last season, theyalso will have to replace All-SEC running back DexterMcCluster (1,717 all-pur-pose yards, 11 touchdowns)

Ole Misshas newsense ofoptimismPicked to finish lastin SEC West, Nutt’steam out to surprise

See QBSs, 14

BY ADAM [email protected]

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. —Dont’a Hightower is readyto go — and the timing isperfect for the Universityof Alabama football team.

One season after win-ning the school’s 13thnational championship,the Crimson Tide enterthe 2010 season having toreplace nine starters ondefense.

That unit wasn’t aslouch.

Led by linebackerRolando McClain and noseguard Terrence Cody,Alabama allowed only 11.7points per game en routeto a 14-0 finish, aSoutheastern Conference

Championship, and anational title.

Hightower’s returnfrom a left knee injury thatforced him to miss thefinal 10 games of the 2009couldn’t have come at abetter time.

With 16 career starts,Hightower’s goal this sea-son is to forge a new iden-tity for himself and to helpa new Crimson Tidedefense trample a path toanother championship.

“I think we can be justas good as we were lastyear,” said Hightower, a 6-foot-4, 258-pound junior.“We lost Terrence Codyand guys like that, but wehave (nose guard) Josh

BY ADAM [email protected]

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. —Greg McElroy has grownup on the football field.

From apprentice tobackup to starter tonational champion,McElroy has traveled along road to the top of thecollege football world atthe University of Alabama.

And while the seniorhopes to lead the CrimsonTide to another champi-onship this season, he alsowould like the opportunityto continue to grow off thefootball field at a placewhere the best of the bestget to study.

In December, McElroyapplied for a RhodesScholarship and is in theprocess of revising anessay he plans to submitas part of his application.

The essay, which wasinitially titled, “My

Intellectual Journey: FromChildhood, to Present Dayto the Future, How IProgressed as anIndividual,” has beenrevised to include an intel-lectual problem to over-come. McElroy now isexamining if football talentis more learned or if it anatural skill.

“It is all outside thebox, it is all intellectual, itis all abstract,” McElroysaid. “There is no rightway to do it. You just haveto develop your own prod-uct, for lack of a betterterm.”

McElroy said his paperstarted as an intellectualautobiography and a dis-cussion of where he want-ed to take his life. He saidhe met with an advisor andthe project evolved into anexamination of intellectualproblems he has faced and

THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com6 SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010 COLLEGE FOOTBALL

ALABAMASCHEDULE

Sept. 4 SAN JOSE ST.Sept. 11 PENN STATESept. 18 At DukeSept. 25 At ArkansasOct. 2 FLORIDAOct. 9 At S. CarolinaOct. 16 OLE MISSOct. 23 At TennesseeNov. 6 At LSUNov. 13 MSUNov. 18 GEORGIA ST.Nov. 26 AUBURN

HOME GAMES IN CAPS

City Station Frequency

Alexander City, Ala. WBNM-AM 1050

Anniston, Ala. WHMA-FM 95.5

Appalachicola, Fla. WFCT-FM 105.5

Arab, Ala. WAFN-FM 92.7

Ashland, Ala. WCKF-FM 100.7

Auburn, Ala. WMXA-FM 96.7

Birmingham, Ala. WJOX-FM 94.5

WJOX-AM 690

Brewton, Ala. WKNU-FM 106.3

Butler, Ala. WPRN-FM 107.7

Centre, Ala. WEIS 990 / 100.5

Chattanooga, Tenn. WUUQ-FM 97.3 / 99.3

Clanton, Ala. WHPH-FM 97.7

Columbia, Tenn. WMRB-AM 910

Columbus, Ga. WEAM-AM 1580

Columbus, Miss. WSSO-AM 980

WSSO-AM 1230

WSSO-AM 1400

Corinth, Miss. WADI-FM 95.3

Cullman, Ala. WJDN-AM 1460

Decatur, Ala. WWTM-AM 1400

Dothan, Ala. WAGF-AM 1320

WAGF-FM 101.3

Fayette, Ala. WLDX-AM 990

Florence, Ala. WTYK-FM 93.9

Fort Payne, Ala. WFPA-AM 1400

Ft Walton Beach, Fla. WTKE-FM 98.1

Gadsden, Ala. WAAX-AM 570

Georgiana, Ala. WFXX-FM 107.7

City Station Frequency

Haleyville, Ala. WJBB-AM 1230

Huntsville WUMP-AM 730

WVNN-AM 770

WVNN-FM 92.5

Jackson, Ala. WHOD-FM 94.5

Jackson, Miss. WJFN-AM 970

Jasper, Ala. WJLX 1240/101.5

Lewisburg, Tenn. WAXO-AM 1220

Linden, Ala. WINL-FM 98.5

Mobile, Ala. WZEW-FM 92.1

Monroeville, Ala. WMFC-AM 1360

WMFC-FM 99.3

Montgomery, Ala. WXFX-FM 95.1

Opp, Ala. WAMI-FM 102.3

Panama City, Fla. WBPC-FM 95.1

Pell City, Ala. WFHK-AM 1430

Pensacola, Fla. WTKE-FM 98.1

Russellville, Ala. WGOL-AM 920

Scottsboro, Ala. WKEA-FM 98.3

WWIC-AM 1050

Selma, Ala. WHBB-AM 1490

WDXX-FM 100.1

Spartanburg, S.C. WASC-AM 1530

Tallassee, Ala. WACQ-AM 1130

Tuscaloosa, Ala. WFNN-FM 95.3

WTSK-AM 790

Vernon, Ala. WJEC-FM 106.5

West Point, Ga. WCJM-FM 100.9

Winfield, Ala. WKXM-AM 1300

WKXM-FM 97.7

Crimson Tide Sports Network

ALA OPPSCORING 449 164Points Per Game 32.1 11.7FIRST DOWNS 288 188R u s h i n g 153 66P a s s i n g 117 105P e n a l t y 18 17RUSHING YARDAGE 3011 1094Yards gained rushing 3296 1509Yards lost rushing 285 415Rushing Attempts 601 395Average Per Rush 5.0 2.8Average Per Game 215.1 78.1TDs Rushing 31 5PASSING YARDAGE 2631 2324Att-Comp-Int 346-212-5 449-210-24Average Per Pass 7.6 5.2Average Per Catch 12.4 11.1Average Per Game 187.9 166.0TDs Passing 17 11TOTAL OFFENSE 5642 3418Total Plays 947 844Average Per Play 6.0 4.0Average Per Game 403.0 244.1KICK RETURNS: No.-Yds 34-793 80-2005PUNT RETURNS: No.-Yds 39-587 17-156INT RETURNS: No.-Yds 24-319 5-31KICK RETURN AVE 23.3 25.1PUNT RETURN AVE 15.1 9.2INT RETURN AVE 13.3 6.2FUMBLES-LOST 16-7 17-7PENALTIES-Yards 69-598 86-729Average Per Game 42.7 52.1PUNTS-Yards 58-2407 96-4036Average Per Punt 41.5 42.0Net punt average 34.7 34.3TIME OF POSS/Game 33:31 26:293RD-DOWN Conversions 76/194 58/1943rd-Down Pct 39% 30%4TH-DOWN Conversions 10/17 9/244th-Down Pct 59% 38%SACKS BY-Yards 32-265 20-112MISC YARDS 0 0TDS SCORED 52 18FGs-ATTEMPTS 30-36 12-17ON-SIDE KICKS 0-0 3-3RED-ZONE SCORES 51-59 16-24RED-ZONE TDS 28-59 8-24PAT-ATTEMPTS 43-47 16-16ATTENDANCE 644,084 279,178Games/Avg Per Game 7/92012 4/69794Neutral Site Games 3/81791

2009 Team Statistics

2009 RESULTS

Sept. 5 Va. Tech W 34-24Sept. 12 FLA. INTRTL W 40-14Sept. 19 N. TEXAS W 53-7Sept. 26 ARKANSAS W 35-7Oct. 3 At Kentucky W 38-20Oct. 10 At Ole MISS W 22-3Oct. 17 S. CAROLINA W 20-6Oct. 24 TENNESSEE W 12-10Nov. 7 LSU W 24-15Nov. 14 At MSU W 31-3Nov. 21 CHATTANOOGA W 45-0Nov. 27 At Auburn W 26-21Dec. 5 Florida W 32-13Jan 7 Texas W 37-21

HOME GAMES IN CAPS

Head CoachNick Saban

Assistant Coachesn Burton Burns - Associate Head Coach /Running Backs

n Curt Cignetti - Receivers / Recruiting Coordinator

n Bo Davis - Defensive Line

nJim McElwain - OffensiveCoordinator/Quarterbacks

n Joe Pendry - Assistant HeadCoach/Offensive Line

n Jeremy Pruitt - Secondary

n Kirby Smart - DefensiveCoordinator/Secondary

n Bobby Williams - Tight Ends / Special Teams

n Sal Sunseri - Assistant HeadCoach/Linebackers

n Scott Cochran - Head Football Strengthand Conditioning Coach

n Mike Vollmar - Associate AthleticsDirector for Football

Coaching Staff

UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE

OFFENSE — Virtually everyplaymaker is back, led byHeisman Trophy winner MarkIngram. He and sophomore TrentRichardson form perhaps thenation’s best backfield duo. Bothwere preseason first-team All-SEC picks by league media.Then, there’s wide receiver JulioJones — an All-America calibertalent — and quarterback GregMcElroy. The line has threestarters back, including LT JamesCarpenter. Redshirt freshmanD.J. Fluker is expected to takeover on right side. Despite all thetalent, Alabama needs WRsMarquis Maze and Darius Hanksto be more consistent threats.

DEFENSE — One of thenation’s top defenses the pasttwo seasons will have a drastical-ly different look. Gone are threeAll-Americans and two first-roundNFL draft picks. Rising star DEMarcell Dareus is hard to blockbut must clear an NCAA hurdlefirst. LB Dont’a Hightower returnsfrom a knee injury to fill ButkusAward winner Rolando McClain’sspot. SS Mark Barron is an All-American. There are talentedyounger players all over theplace, including CB DreKirkpatrick and LB Nico Johnson.Coordinator Kirby Smart hasgone from working with the sec-ondary to coaching linebackers.

BY JOHN ZENORThe Associated Press

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It was theUniversity of Alabama football team’s nightof glory. A national championship secured.Another entry in a proud history.

And coach Nick Saban was, well,being coach Nick Saban: A perfectionistwith a lesson to teach.

“Coach Saban came down on us imme-diately after the game because of the waywe played in the fourth quarter,” quarter-back Greg McElroy said.

Yep, Alabama was already planning astatue of the coach and celebration backon campus, but Saban was workingtoward next season — now this season —after that 37-21 victory against Texas inPasadena, Calif., secured the Tide’s sev-enth AP national title.

And there was plenty of work to do,even though Alabama is widely regardedas the favorite to repeat in both theSoutheastern Conference and nationally.

Just don’t call the Tide “defending”

Courtney Davies/University of Alabama Sports InformationUniversity of Alabama linebacker Dont’a Hightower said he is back to 100 percentafter a knee injury cut short his 2009 season. He will be counted on to return to formto help replace linebacker Rolando McClain, who is now in the NFL.

Alex Gilbert/University of Alabama Sports InformationUniversity of Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy led the Crimson Tide to a 14-0record and a national championship last season. He said he has improved and feelsmore comfortable leading coach Nick Saban’s offense.

Crimson Tide At A GlanceSaban keeping team grounded

See HIGHTOWER, 13

See McELROY, 13

See SABAN, 13

McELROY KEEPSGROWING ASLEADER OF TIDERhodes Scholarship candidate feels stronger,confident entering second season as starter

Dusty Compton/APAlabama coach Nick Saban gives instruction at a practice Aug. 7 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Hightower eager to return to field

do what we wanted to do.We didn’t finish how wewanted to finish and sendour seniors off in the win.We have to use this asmotivation in the off sea-son. We’ll work hard andfocus on all the things wedidn’t do tonight. We’llneed to do the little thingsto get that taste out of ourmouth so that we’re readyto go next September, onthat Thursday againstSouth Carolina.”

The Golden Eagleshave kept that promise byworking hard throughspring practice andthrough offseason work-outs, and look to continuetheir winning ways when

THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010 7COLLEGE FOOTBALL

SOUTHERN MISSSCHEDULE

Sept. 2 At S. CarolinaSept. 11 PR. VIEW A&MSept. 17 KANSASSept. 25 At La. TechOct. 2 MARSHALLOct. 9 EAST CAROLINAOct. 16 At MemphisOct. 30 UABNov. 6 At TulaneNov. 13 At UCFNov. 20 HOUSTONNov. 26 At Tulsa

HOME GAMES IN ALL CAPS

SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI GOLDEN EAGLES

Jack Duggan/Courtesy of Southern Miss Sports InformationRedshirt freshman offensive lineman Jonathan Guerry, left, a former standout at New Hope High School, will be amember of the traveling squad and will compete for playing time this season.

BY ADAM [email protected]

It’s all about trust for JonathanGuerry.

That might sound like a simpleconcept, but Guerry is just startingto build relationships and to showhis teammates he can be counted onin his second season as a member ofthe Southern Mississippi footballteam.

Guerry, whohelped anchor theoffensive line at NewHope High School,redshirted his fresh-man season with theGolden Eagles. Hespent all of his timewith the scout team,working to help pre-

pare the defense for what it wouldsee in games.

The role was a change of pace fora player who always has been aleader and a key component ofoffenses.

“The main difference is how tech-nical every step is, how technicalevery thought is, and how criticalwhere you are looking is,” Guerrysaid. “In high school, you can getaway with being a good athlete. Ifyou mess up, you may lose a stepbut you can knock them down.Here, if you lose a step they’re goingto knock you down. Everything ispicked up a few steps.”

Guerry was a second-team All-State selection by The Clarion-Ledger and the MississippiAssociation of Coaches as a seniorat New Hope High. He was votedMost Valuable Offensive Lineman in

Region 4-4A, and graded out at 93percent average as a senior.

Still, the No. 81 offensive tacklein the country according toESPN.com has had to wait his turn.Guerry admits his “head was spin-ning” the first few days in practice atSouthern Miss. He said the speed ofthe game is quicker and that every-one is moving faster, not just run-ning backs and linebackers.

Guerry feels he worked hard inthe spring and in the offseason toshow his teammates he is commit-ted. He feels he is in a good positionat left guard, the position he playedin high school, to contribute thisseason.

Southern Miss offensive linecoach Chris Kapilovic agrees.Kapilovic said the coaches movedGuerry to tackle as an experimentto see how he fared. He said it lookslike guard is a more natural positionfor Guerry, who was listed at 6-foot-4, 290 pounds last season and is upto 302 pounds this season.

“He has definitely improved,”Kapilovic said. “He is in the rotationwith the twos (second-string play-ers), and we’re giving him everypossible opportunity to compete forplaying time.”

Kapilovic said all players whoredshirt have to make significantadjustments. He said the redshirtstypically aren’t in team meetingslearning schemes and techniques.With only 15 practices in the springand a handful in the bank in the pre-season, Kapilovic said Guerry hasn’thad much time to master the termi-nology and the techniques used bythe offensive linemen.

That’s where the trust comes in.Guerry, who is behind Joe

Duhon and James Brady on thedepth chart, said he worked hard inthe spring and in the offseason to beprepared for the start of trainingcamp. He said he will “bust his buttevery day” to show the coaches andhis teammates he knows his stuffinside and out. In his words, he hasto prove to everyone he can “walkthe walk.”

So far, Guerry feels he is makingprogress. He said he didn’t mindmoving to tackle to help providedepth at the position after a playerquit the team. He said he was justbeginning to feel comfortable attackle when the coaches decided tomove him back to guard.

“It is more physical,” Guerry saidof playing guard in college. “Thereis a lot of banging around in theinside when you are going against300-pound linemen who are just asbig and faster than you. It is not

BY TERESA M. WALKERThe Associated Press

Case Keenum and histalented trio of receiverswill give the University ofHouston a strong chanceat proving offense, everynow and then, really canwin championships.

“There’s no secret, forus to be successful he’sgot to play at a high level,and I think our team likesthat,” Houston coachKevin Sumlin said.

Conference USA’s mostvaluable player is back forhis senior year coming offa season in which hethrew for 5,671 yards —the third-highest total inFootball Bowl Subdivisionhistory. He threw for 44touchdowns with only 15interceptions in 2009.

James Cleveland,Tyron Carrier and PatrickEdwards all are back ashis targets after each hadmore than 1,000 yardsreceiving for the nation’stop scoring offense lastseason. The Cougars aver-aged 42.2 points a game in2009, a figure that should-n’t dip much this year.

Houston lost the C-USA championship toEast Carolina last year onthe road in a 38-32shootout. But Keenum is

among nine offensivestarters back, and Sumlinhas a new defensive coor-dinator in Brian Stewart.

Conference USA is aleague where the West isdominated by offense andthe East filled with bruising

defenses. That is why UCF,which has led C-USA intotal defense each of thepast two seasons, is thefavorite in the East. UCFhas the league’s 2009defensive player of the yearback in end Bruce Miller

for his senior season.“The team with the

best defense will alwayswin the Conference USAtitle,” said Southern Misscoach Larry Fedora, whohas nine defensivestarters back himself.

Two-time defendingchamp East Carolina is inrebuilding mode withRuffin McNeill, one ofthree new coaches in theleague — along withLarry Porter at Memphisand Doc Holliday at

Marshall.C-USA might have the

toughest non-conferenceschedule in the FBS with24 games against bowlteams, including OhioState, Oklahoma State,Rutgers, South Carolina,Virginia Tech and WestVirginia. That couldmake it challenging to fillthe league’s now sevenbowl tie-ins after going 2-4 in bowls last season.

A look at the teams inpredicted order of finish:

EASTUCF — Key players:

DE Bruce Miller, CB JoshRobinson, RB BrynnHarvey, WR Kamar Aiken,QB Rob Calabrese.Returning starters:offense 8, defense 7.

Notes: The Knightshave one of the easiernonconference slateswith a visit from N.C.State and trip to KansasState. UCF also hostsEast Carolina andSouthern Miss, whichcould balance their visitNov. 5 to Houston. ...Miller ranked fifth nation-ally with 13 sacks but willface more double-teamswithout tackles TorellTroup and TravisTimmons.

Keenum, Houston thinking about league title after missing outCONFERENCE USA PREVIEW

Justin Shaw/APUniversity of Houston quarterback Case Keenum talks with the media July 25 at Conference USA football mediaday in Memphis, Tenn.

Guerry

See C-USA, 12

See GUERRY, 12

See SOUTHERN MISS, 12

“He has definitelyimproved. He is in therotation with the twos,and we’re giving himevery possible opportunityto compete for playingtime.”

Southern Miss offensive linecoach Chris Kapilovic, talking

about redshirt freshman Jonathan Guerry

Guerry wants to be trusted teammateFormer New Hope High standout eager to show he can contribute on offensive line this year

Steve Coleman/APSouthern Mississippi quarterback Austin Davis (12) willface stiff competition from quarterback MarteviousYoung this season.

From Special Reports

The list of accomplish-ments for the SouthernMiss football program is along, storied one and the2009 Golden Eagle squadhelped to add to thatledger.

Southern Miss capturedits 16th-straight winningseason, while also reach-ing a postseason bowlgame for the eighth con-secutive year.

The squad was in themix for the ConferenceUSA East Division crownuntil the final week of theregular season, but EastCarolina rallied to defeatSouthern Miss inGreenville, N.C., for thefirst time in the last eightmeetings at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium to earnthe crown.

Southern Miss thentraveled to play in the R+LCarriers New OrleansBowl for the second con-secutive season, where itfell to Middle Tennessee42-32 and gave coachLarry Fedora and his teamsomething to work forheading into this season.

“It’s a bad taste in yourmouth,” Fedora said of theseason-ending loss follow-ing the game. “We didn’t

USM STILL HASBAD TASTE FROMEND OF SEASON

THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com8 SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010 COLLEGE FOOTBALL

EMCC quarterback Randall Mackeywill play for Ole Miss this year.

Head football coach Buddy Stephens led EMCC to a North Division championship his first year in Scooba – and the Lions

took it all his second year.

EMCC celebrates its 75-71 win over Mississippi Gulf Coast to claimthe MACJC state football championship.

As the fi nal seconds ticked off the clock at last year’s MACJC state championship game, everyone in the stands agreed on one thing … they had never seen a game like it. East Mississippi and Mississippi Gulf Coast tore up Sullivan-Windham Field in Scooba, trading blow for blow, score for score.

When it was over, the Lions of EMCC had won by the nearly unbelievable score of 75-71. That’s 75-71, no overtimes. The reaction from people who weren’t there was always the same: “We’re talking about football, right?”

Yes, at EMCC, we’re talking about football. We’re talking about players and coaches with the kind of commitment it takes to chase a dream, the endurance to weather a long campaign, the discipline to stay focused. Weexpect no less in the classroom from all our student athletes, whether they compete in football, basketball, baseball, softball or golf.

Commitment. Endurance. Discipline. EMCC.

EMCC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs andactivities. Contact Dr. Jackie Stennis with inquiries regarding this policy, (662) 476-5000 or [email protected].

For more information, call (662) 476-5000 or (662) 243-1900.

EMCC Football ScheduleSept. 2 Miss. Gulf Coast 7 p.m.Sept. 9 HINDS 7 p.m.Sept. 16 NORTHWEST MISS.* 7 p.m.Sept. 23 Itawamba* 7 p.m.Sept. 30 Coahoma* 6:30 p.m.Oct. 7 NORTHEAST MISS.* 7 p.m.Oct. 16 PEARL RIVER (HC) 2 p.m.Oct. 21 Miss. Delta* 6 p.m.Oct. 28 HOLMES* 7 p.m. Home games in bold * North Division game

Welcome to Lion Country Home of the MACJC state

football champions!The state champion EMCC Lions went on to win the

Mississippi Bowl with a 27-24 win over Arizona Western. n.

BY JAMES BAILEYSpecial to the Dispatch

SCOOBA — “I want towin a state championshipas a starting quarterback,”East MississippiCommunity College’sBrad Henderson saidrecently.

The two yearsHenderson spent backingup Randall Mackey, a for-mer All-America quarter-back with the Lions, hasgiven him confidence andsecurity. The formerStarkville High Schoolstandout played in all 12games last season, com-pleting 60 percent of hispasses for 475 yards andfive touchdowns. He alsohad four rushing touch-downs on 35 carries.

As the 2010 seasonapproaches, there arehigh expectations on theScooba campus, even ifthe Lions will move onwithout Mackey, who isnow a junior at theUniversity of Mississippi.

Mackey guided theLions to a two-year recordof 19-3. Last year, coachBuddy Stephens’ teambeat Mississippi GulfCoast C.C. to win theMississippi Association ofCommunity and JuniorCollege state champi-onship. EMCC thendefeated Arizona Western27-24 to win the 2009Mississippi Bowl inDecember in Biloxi.

The victory helpedEMCC finish 11-1 andearn a No. 4 final rankingin the National JuniorCollege Athletic

Association poll. EMCCenters this season havingclaimed back-to-backMACJC North Divisiontitles with consecutive 6-0league marks.

Henderson believes histwo years on the sidelineshave been invaluable inlearning the rhythm andmovement of college foot-ball.

“Just to watch Randallmanage the game helpedme a lot,” Henderson said.“I have game experience,so I know the pace of thegame.”

In the offseason,Henderson concentratedon increasing his speedand his ability to readdefensive backs. He saidhis knowledge of theLions’ offense will givehim an advantage andlessen the ability of oppos-ing defensive backs toanticipate his moves.

“Even though a defen-sive back may try to read aquarterback’s eyes, I havethe advantage,”

TODAY’S PAPERn MORE JUNIOR COLLEGE:Coverage of the ItawambaCommunity College footballteam and the local playerson the Indians’ roster thisseason appears in theSports section.

MORE EMCCn Noxubee County HighSchool standout Fred Tateis expected to be a leaderon defense this year for the Lions. Page 11

See HENDERSON, 11

EAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE LIONS

Courtesy of East Mississippi Community College Sports InformationSophomore quarterback Brad Henderson is in place to take over for Randall Mackey and try to lead the EastMississippi Community College football team to another state title.

HENDERSON HASSHOT TO BE MANAfter serving as backup to Mackey last season,Starkville High product set to be starting QB

BY BRETT MARTELThe Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La.— Les Miles and JordanJefferson might be betteroff today if LSU had neverrecovered that late onsidekick at Mississippi lastseason.

Few things could havegalvanized critics of thecoach and his quarterbackmore than the ensuingexhibition of clock mis-management that left theTigers unable to set up agame-winning field goalfrom the Rebels’ 5-yardline as time ran out.

As the 2010 seasonapproaches, LSU fans arestill talking about the final30 seconds of that 25-23loss to Ole Miss lastNovember, and Miles isstill answering for it.

“I scrutinized thecoaching — me and oth-ers,” Miles said recently.“Some of those situations Iwas — even though pre-pared for (it) — (I) had notenvisioned the time con-

straints. So what we’vedone is we’ve added that toour game week prepara-tion. Maybe we’re a littlemore prepared, a little bitmore ready to play inthose situations.”

With the meltdown inMississippi symbolizingthe larger issue of LSU’sslide from SoutheasternConference’s elite, Milesand Jefferson enter a newcampaign on the defen-sive.

For Miles, the good willhe engendered by winningthe 2007 national title hasbegun to fade after a pairof mediocre seasons.

During 2008 and 2009,LSU went a combined 8-8against the SEC and 0-6against rivals Florida,Alabama and Ole Miss.

Only games against

BY JOHN ZENORThe Associated Press

AUBURN, Ala. —Auburn University footballcoach Gene Chizik likedwhat he heard from fansduring the offseason.

Now the question is, willfans like what they seewhen the Tigers take thefield during his second sea-son.

The first season was upand down and mostlydeemed a success — partlydue to uncertain expecta-tions — with an OutbackBowl win, eight victoriesand a near-miss against rivalAlabama.

Perception has changedsomewhat.

The roster is deeperthanks to a top five recruit-ing class and several defen-sive backs returning frominjuries. Maybe that helpsexplain the enthusiasm thathas greeted Chizik in recentmonths from a fan base hun-gry to see signs of closingthe gap with the nationalchampion Crimson Tide.

“It’s the same passionand energy and excitementat every place,” Chizik said.“That’s really cool for me,because that was one of thethings I wanted to do, is real-ly pull the Auburn familyback together.

“I feel it and I sense itwhen I go talk to people. It’sreally a neat thing.”

The Tigers stirred hopeby racking up a school-record 5,613 yards last sea-son, and raised concerns byyielding more yards thanany other Auburn defense(4,863). The final two gameswere a nutshell version:Auburn gave up 621 yardsto Northwestern in theOutback Bowl — and won.

The Tigers heldAlabama to 291 yards —and lost 26-21 on a latetouchdown drive.

The offense potentiallyhas more firepower, evenwith the graduation of tail-back Ben Tate. The defensegets a boost with safetiesZac Etheridge, AaironSavage and Mike McNeilback from serious injuries;Savage and McNeil missedall of last season.

And linebackers JoshBynes and Craig Stevensmight get some relief fromnewcomers after playing vir-tually every snap last sea-son.

Some of the optimismstems from new quarter-back Cameron Newton,who has been praised byteammates and coaches forboth his athleticism andleadership since arriving inJanuary.

His running abilityseems to make the 6-foot-6,247-pound junior collegetransfer potentially a betterfit for Gus Malzahn’s hurry-up offense than last year’sstarter Chris Todd. Theone-time Florida backupbeat out several contendersin the spring.

Now, the hard part.“As I’ve told him, as I’ve

told everybody else, he’sgot to get on the field nowand deliver,” Chizik said.“That’s the last piece of thepuzzle and the most criticalpart. “He can do whateverhe wants in practice. He’sgot to take that to the gamefield and deliver.”

He’ll have a veteranoffensive line and a moreexperienced receiving corpsto help him out. Left tackleLee Ziemba put a pro careeron hold and returned for hissenior season to head a linethat includes four seniorstarters.

THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010 9COLLEGE FOOTBALL

BY JOHN ZENORThe Associated Press

Take heart,Southeastern Conference:Tim Tebow and MountCody are gone.

That’s right, there willbe no Tebow barrelingover defenders for theUniversity of Florida, andno Cody clogging up themiddle for the Universityof Alabama.

“The two teams thatlost the most just on paperis probably Alabama andFlorida,” Alabama coachNick Saban said.

But that was expected,since those two teamsarguably had the most tolose.

However, they’re stillthe odds-on favorites tomeet in the SEC champi-onship game for a thirdstraight year, with the win-ner likely competing for anational title — again.Florida and Alabama havecombined to win the BCSchampionship three of thelast four years; the otherone went to SEC rival LSU.

As an added treat,Florida and Alabama meeton Oct. 2 in Tuscaloosa,Ala. That at least guaran-tees they couldn’t play asunbeatens in the SEC titlegame.

Chasing the defendingchampion Tide in theWestern Division will betwo teams led by transferquarterbacks, Arkansasand Ryan Mallett andMississippi and newcomerJeremiah Masoli. Not tomention an LSU team try-

ing to get back on top andAuburn playing catch-upwith in-state rivalAlabama.

“Every team on our endof it is going to improve,”Saban said.

Florida could face a chal-lenge from Georgia andreceiver A.J. Green. SouthCarolina’s Steve Spurrierhas Stephen Garcia backrunning his offense.

“The East is completelywide open,” Gators coachUrban Meyer said.

There was plenty ofturnover around the leaguein the two most high-profilepositions: Head coach andquarterback.

Tennessee replacesLane Kiffin with coachDerek Dooley. Vanderbiltwelcomes first-time col-lege head coach RobbieCaldwell — thanks toBobby Johnson’s midsum-mer retirement — andKentucky’s Joker Phillipsgot to remove the in-wait-ing part of his title.

With Tebow in theNFL, Mallett is the onlybona fide returning star atquarterback, thoughAlabama’s Greg McElroystill hasn’t lost as a startersince eighth-grade.

BY PAUL NEWBERRYThe Associated Press

ATLANTA — Excuse theSoutheastern Conference if it viewsthe national championship race as arather private affair — neighboragainst neighbor, battling it outthrough the fall until there are onlytwo teams left standing, setting up afinal showdown in Atlanta on thefirst Saturday in December.

Oh sure, there’s still that little for-mality known as the BCS champi-onship game. But down in Dixie,that extra contest is viewed as noth-ing more than a chance to really rubit in, just in case anyone wishes todefy this indisputable gospel:

When it comes to college foot-ball, the SEC is SECond to none.

“Every team in the conferencetakes pride in being in the SEC, andwe’re not afraid to say that,”Arkansas tight end D.J. Williamssaid. “We feel like we’re in the bestconference, and that’s where thebest competition is. Not to take any-thing away from great teams inother conferences, but that’s justhow we feel as a conference.”

The case is compelling.The last four national champions

have come from the same confer-ence: Florida, LSU, Florida again,then Alabama last season — a streakof dominance unmatched in the 74-year history of The Associated

Press rankings, much less the far-shorter history of the BowlChampionship Series.

The last two seasons, Alabamaand Florida faced off in the SECchampionship game ranked No. 1and No. 2, their Georgia Domeshowdown serving as a de factonational title game, even if both hadto wait another month and win onemore time to be officially crowned.

“In football, it’s about winning,”Tennessee defensive end ChrisWalker said. “There’s obviously talentin other conferences, but if you wantto go by winning, I think we’re it.”

No argument there.

Dave Martin/APUniversity of Alabama football coach Nick Saban reacts after a 32-13 win against Florida in the SoutheasternConference Championship game on Dec. 5, 2009, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. When it comes to college football, the SEC is SECond to none.

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE

SECond to noneDespite recent conference realignments, league rules college football land

MORE PREVIEWSn The Dispatch will feature previews of the majorDivision I conferences beginning Sunday, Aug. 22, tocoincide with the release ofthe preseason AssociatedPress Top 25 poll.

GAME 2n Auburn at MississippiState, 6:30 p.m.,Thursday, Sept. 9 (ESPN)

See LSU, 10

See PREVIEW, 10See SECOND TO NONE, 10

CRIMSON TIDE,GATORS STILLLEADING WAY

MISSISSIPPI STATE 2010 SEC OPPONENT PREVIEWS

Travis Spradling/APLSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson (9) cuts upfield on ascramble, his foot carving up a big chunk of the soggy turfin the second half of the Capital One Bowl against PennState on Jan. 1, 2010, in Orlando, Fla. Defensive end EricLatimore (56) is in pursuit. Penn State won 19-17.

Auburn hopes it willlive up to fans’ hopes

Miles, Jefferson on hotseat entering season

GAME 3n Mississippi State atLSU, 6 p.m., Saturday,Sept. 18 (ESPNU)

BY CHARLES ODUMThe Associated Press

ATHENS, Ga. — TheUniversity of Georgia foot-ball team has a new startingquarterback and a newdefense.

Those could be good rea-sons to embrace an oldoffensive philosophy.

Redshirt freshman quar-terback Aaron Murra hasnever taken a snap in agame. No other currentquarterback had taken asnap in a practice before thissummer.

On defense, the Bulldogshave scrapped their four-man front for a new 3-4scheme under new defen-sive coordinator ToddGrantham.

That combination meansGeorgia will have to playsome old-school football towin in the demandingSoutheastern Conference.

“We must run the ballwell this year,” coach MarkRicht said.

A strong running gamewas the constant forGeorgia in Vince Dooley’squarter-century as coachfrom 1964-88. Dooley wonsix SEC championships andthe 1980 national title bykeeping the ball on theground with such backs asHerschel Walker, RodneyHampton, WillieMcClendon and Lars Tate.

Richt prefers a run-passbalance to a run-dominat-ed attack, and juniorreceiver A.J. Green is theteam’s biggest star. Evenso, the Bulldogs wouldseemingly benefit fromrunning the ball and takingpressure off Murray andthe defense.

Murray will be surround-ed by 10 returning starterson offense, including threeseniors and two juniors onthe offensive line. WashaunEaley and Caleb King are

considered co-starters attailback after sharing thecarries the second half oflast season. Senior fullbackShaun Chapas is a reliableblocker.

“I’d be very disappointedif we don’t run the ball well,and if we do run the ball wellit’ll take pressure off Aaronor whoever is at quarter-back,” Richt said.

Georgia finished its 8-5season with an upset win atGeorgia Tech before beat-ing Texas A&M in lastyear’s Independence Bowl.The encouraging endingwasn’t enough to make upfor a disappointing seasonfilled with too many defen-sive lapses.

Richt fired defensivecoordinator Willie Martinezand two other defensiveassistants before the bowlgame. Grantham was hiredfrom the Dallas Cowboys’staff.

Grantham has placed afourth linebacker on thefield. He also has added anew attack mentality to theunit.

“It’s going to allow me toput more pressure,” saidJustin Houston, who hasmoved from defensive endto outside linebacker.

Houston led Georgiawith 7 1/2 sacks as a sopho-more last season. Heexpects even bigger num-bers in the new scheme.

“In that other system Ihad to read and I couldn’talways attack,” Houstonsaid. “In this system I’mattacking a lot more.

“It feels great knowing Ibasically have just oneassignment, to attack. It’s alot of pressure off me. It’sjust one thing I’ve got to do”

Georgia looking forstrong ground game

GAME 4n Georgia at MississippiState, TBA, Saturday,Sept. 25

THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com10 SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010 COLLEGE FOOTBALL

LSUContinued from Page 9

PreviewContinued from Page 9

The Tide’s stingydefense must replace two-time All-America nose-guard Terrence “Mount”Cody and Butkus Award-winning linebackerRolando McClain. Butthere’s still running backMark Ingram — theTide’s first Heisman win-ner — and fellow Alabamaoffensive threats JulioJones and TrentRichardson.

The Meyer-Saban bat-tle remained intact,though, when the Floridacoach changed his mind aday after announcing hewas stepping down lastDecember after a healthscare.

“The battery isrecharged,” Meyer said inJuly.

And so is the battle forNo. 1 in the SEC.

EASTFLORIDA— Key players: QB

John Brantley, RB Jeff Demps,CB Janoris Jenkins. Returningstarters: 6 offense. 5 defense.

Notes: Overlooked with lossof Tim Tebow, three top receiversare also gone. Brantley hasplayed in 16 games with 10touchdowns and one intercep-tion. Coach Urban Meyer said a

“bunch” of newcomers fromloaded recruiting class will play.Defensive coordinator TerylAustin replaces Charlie Strong.

GEORGIA — Key players:WR A.J. Green, QB AaronMurray, LT Clint Boling.Returning starters: 10 offense; 5defense.

Notes: Switching to three-man front on defense under newcoordinator Todd Grantham. DEJustin Houston and RB RichardSamuel moved to LB. Entirestarting offensive line returnsafter allowing league-low 12sacks. Backfield is strong, led byWashaun Ealey and Caleb King.P Drew Butler is one of thenation’s best.

SOUTH CAROLINA — Keyplayers: QB Stephen Garcia, WRAlshon Jeffery, DE CliffMatthews. Returning starters: 8offense, 7 defense.

Notes: RB Kenny Miles andtop four rushers return, joined bytop recruit Marcus Lattimore.Shawn Elliott is third offensiveline coach in as many years;Gamecocks allowed 37 sackslast year. Garcia is the league’sleading active passer, but hasbeen erratic for nation’s 102-ranked scoring offense.

TENNESSEE — Key play-ers: WR Gerald Jones, TBTauren Poole, DE Chris Walker.Returning starters: 5 offense, 6defense.

Notes: New coach DerekDooley inherits culture and rosterissues. Must replace two toprushers and passers, and four

leading tacklers. Battling for QBjob are freshman Tyler Bray andjunior college transfer MattSimms, son of ex-Giants QB Philand brother of current Titans’player Chris. RB Bryce Brownand QB Nick Stephens left teamin offseason.

KENTUCKY — Key players:WR/RS Randall Cobb, TBDerrick Locke, DE DeQuinEvans. Returning starters: 5offense, 7 defense.

Notes: Joker Phillips onlysecond black head football coachin SEC. QBs Mike Hartline,Morgan Newton and RyanMossakowski battling for startingjob. Wildcats have won at leastseven games four straight yearsfor the first time since 1909-12.Cobb and Locke were AP’s first-and second-team all-purposeplayers, respectively.

VANDERBILT — Key play-ers: QB Larry Smith, RB/RSWarren Norman, LB ChrisMarve. Returning starters: 6offense, 5 defense.

Notes: Robbie Caldwell has atough audition as interim headcoach after replacing BobbyJohnson in mid-July. Vandy faces10 teams that made bowl gameslast season. LB Chris Marve wasSEC’s No. 2 tackler. Starting QBLarry Smith returns but had justfour TD passes against sevenINTs last season for league’sworst scoring offense (16.3 ppg).

WESTALABAMA — Key players:

RB Mark Ingram, QB GregMcElroy, LB Dont’a Hightower.

Returning starters: 8 offense, 2defense.

Notes — DE Marcell Dareus’status was unclear entering fallcamp with an NCAA investigationinto who paid for a trip to Miami’sSouth Beach. Backfield ofIngram and sophomore TrentRichardson might be nation’sbest duo. Only two defensivestarters return, but replacementsinclude several highly toutedyoungsters.

ARKANSAS — Key players:QB Ryan Mallett, WR GregChilds, LB Jerry Franklin.Returning starters: 9 offense, 7defense.

Notes — Most returningstarters among SEC teams.Mallett and all his key targets areback from league’s top scoringand passing offense. One of thedeepest, best receiving corpsaround. Bobby Petrino promotedGarrick McGee to offensive coor-dinator. Team leaders in 18 cate-gories return, but defense wasSEC’s worst.

AUBURN — Key players: QBCameron Newton, LT LeeZiemba, LB Josh Bynes.Returning starters: 7 offense. 8defense.

Notes — Only SEC coachingstaff to return intact. DBs AaironSavage, Mike McNeil and ZacEtheridge trying to return fromserious injuries. Newton won theNo. 1 job in the spring after trans-ferring from JUCO. RB MichaelDyer headlines one of the Tigers’top-rated recruiting classes inyears.

MISSISSIPPI — Key players:QB Jeremiah Masoli, RBBrandon Bolden, DT JerrellPowe. Returning starters: 3offense, 6 defense.

Notes — 9 returning startersis fewest in SEC, but Masoli’stransfer from Oregon is a poten-tially huge boost. Rebels returnplayers responsible for less than42 percent of passing, rushingand receiving yards. Defensiveline remains formidable withJerrell Powe manning the middle.

LSU — QB Jordan Jefferson,LB Kelvin Sheppard, CB PatrickPeterson. Returning starters: 6offense, 4 defense.

Notes — Defense lost 4 of itstop 5 tacklers. Nonconferencegames against North Carolinaand West Virginia. Redshirtfreshman RB Michael Ford couldbe big factor in backfield.Peterson and Sheppard are twoof the league’s top defenders.

MISSISSIPPI ST. — Keyplayers: QBs Chris Relf and TylerRussell, OT Derek Sherrod, DEPernell McPhee. Returningstarters: 6 offense, 8 defense.

Notes: Coach Dan Mullensaid bulldozing QB Chris Relfis “completely different” in hisapproach and demeanor fromlast season. He’s listed as co-No. 1 with Russell. JUCOtransfers RB Vick Ballard and6-foot-7, 345 JUCO DT JamesCarmon could play roles aftergoing through spring. Newcoaches Manny Diaz andChris Wilson will run thedefense.

Last season, the SEC had thebest outside record among the sixBCS conferences (47-10, .825), easi-ly outpacing the next-best Big East(36-10, .783), as well as the twoleagues generally considered itsmain challengers, the Big Ten (36-15, .706) and Big 12 (39-17, .696).

To those who think the SECbeefs up its out-of-conference cre-dentials against cupcake opposition,that argument was snuffed out by a15-8 mark against schools fromother BCS leagues. The Big East(11-9) was the only other confer-ence to finish above .500 in that cat-egory, while the AtlanticConference (12-15), Big Ten (9-11),Pac-10 (9-11) and Big 12 (8-10)lagged far behind.

LSU senior safety Jai Eugenenotices a striking contrast when theTigers play outside the conference.

“There is a difference in gamespeed,” he said. “Everything movesa little faster in the SEC. Also, the

SEC is definitely more physical.”The biggest battles are played

out inside the SEC. Auburn-Alabama. Alabama-Tennessee.Tennessee-Florida. Florida-Georgia. Georgia-Auburn. Auburn-LSU. LSU-Arkansas.

“The passion and tradition ofeach program is so strong, it makesthose rivalries just huge,” Georgiacoach Mark Richt said. “Everygame you play feels like a big, biggame. When I was at Florida State(as an assistant), that wasn’t alwaysthe case. It didn’t seem like everygame we played was a big monstergame, but every game we play nowfeels like a monster. It’s very diffi-cult to stay at that peak perform-ance week in and week out. But ifyou don’t, you’re going to be in trou-ble.”

What makes the SEC thenation’s top college football confer-ence? Here are a few theories:

n Tradition. Everyone knows

that success tends to breed moresuccess, and no league has a deep-er group of teams that have been tothe mountaintop. Half of the SEC’s12 members have captured at leastone Associated Press national title,led by Alabama with seven. In fact,four different schools (Alabama,Florida, LSU and Tennessee) havefinished No. 1 in the AP poll overthe last 12 years. No other leaguecan match that depth — or theurgency among the rank-and-file tokeep winning titles. Fans get a littlegreedy once they’ve seen theirteam hoist the biggest trophy of all.

n Coaching. The best are drawnto the SEC like moths to light,spurred by the chance to win cham-pionships and the willingness ofschools to dole out big money inhopes of keeping up with theirneighbors. Nick Saban left the NFLfor a $4 million-a-year job atAlabama and needed all of threeseasons to lead the Crimson Tide

back to the top. Urban Meyer is anoffensive mastermind who restoredthe tradition established at Floridaby Steve Spurrier. Les Miles pickedup where Saban left off at LSU,Richt has guided Georgia to a pairof SEC titles, and Bobby Petrinoappears on the verge of takingArkansas to national prominence.

n Big money. The SEC is rollingin dough, thanks to huge televisionpackages (a $2.25 billion contractwith ESPN, a $55 million-a-year dealwith CBS) and some of the largeststadiums in the country, which aregenerally filled to capacity.Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium andAlabama’s Bryant-Denny holdmore than 100,000, Georgia’sSanford Stadium and LSU’s TigerStadium seat more than 92,000,while Florida, Auburn and SouthCarolina all have facilities that canaccommodate at least 80,000. Onlytwo stadiums in the conference seatfewer than 60,000.

SECond to noneContinued from Page 9

non-conference teamshelped LSU finish 8-5 in2008 and 9-4 in 2009.

When the SEC releasedits preseason poll lastmonth, LSU was picked tofinish fourth in the confer-ence’s West Division.

“We deserve it, having alot of young guys comingin and not finishing thingsright in the last couple ofyears,” cornerback PatrickPeterson said. “It’ll give usmotivation to fix things.”

LSU must fix an offensethat ranked 112th amongDivision I Football BowlSubdivision teams last sea-son with averages of 123yards rushing and 182yards passing. Otherwise,it may not be just the SECgames that give the Tigerstrouble.

In 2010, LSU has atougher non-conferenceslate, opening its seasonagainst North Carolina inAtlanta on Sept. 4 and host-ing West Virginia on Sept.25.

Miles said having moreexperience at quarterbackshould help LSU handlethe tougher schedule.

Jefferson, who’d shownpromise in a pair of startsas a freshman in 2008,became the full-timestarter as a 19-year-oldsophomore last season.That marked the secondstraight year LSU had ayoung, inexperiencedquarterback, a trend thatbegan when RyanPerrilloux was kicked offthe team in the winter of2008.

Last season, Jeffersonwas sacked 34 times, rais-ing concerns about hisability to read defensesand be decisive. Still, heheads into 2010 as the pro-jected starter.

“I do have a lot to prove,a lot of things I should’veimproved on last year,”Jefferson said. “My wis-dom has gotten betterfrom my failure in certaingames, and I’m looking tobe a leader.”

BY WILL GRAVESThe Associated Press

LEXINGTON, Ky. —Sleep doesn’t come easyto Joker Phillips. Neverhas.

Five hours a night andhe’s good. Six and theKentucky coach finds hecan barely hold his headup in the afternoon.

Considering the chal-lenge Phillips faces in hisfirst year on the job, get-ting too much sleep won’tbe a problem.

A jumbled quarter-back situation. A rebuiltoffensive line. A defensethat will be patchwork inplaces. An insomnia-inducing schedule. Oh,and expectations, anotion historicallyreserved for the school’sbasketball team.

Phillips is fine withthat. More than fine,actually. The former play-er and longtime assistantwho took over when RichBrooks retired inJanuary knows there areworse problems to havethan trying to get theWildcats to a bowl gamefor a fifth straight season.

The 47-year-old nativeof tiny Franklin, Ky., hasbeen around the programfor most of the last 30years. He’s familiar withthe pattern: Short burstsof success followed bylong stretches of medioc-rity or worse. It’s time fora change.

“This year is critical,”he said. “For us, if we canget to a bowl game andbuild on this thing thisyear, I think we’ll be real-ly good for a long time.”

To do it the Wildcatswill have to continue tobuild on a theme popular-ized by Brooks, whobrought the programback from the dead. To

change people’s mindsabout Kentucky, he said,the Wildcats would haveto start beating someteams it hasn’t beaten ina long time.

Kentucky checkedSoutheastern Conferencepowers Georgia and LSUoff that list duringBrooks’ tenure. Phillipsknows it’s time to addFlorida, South Carolinaand Tennessee to the list.

“It used to be some ofthe teams thought youcan count that(Kentucky) as a ‘W’ rightoff the bat,” he said.“People expect us to wina lot of those games now.

To do it the Wildcatswill have to find someconsistency at quarter-back. Senior MikeHartline starts trainingcamp as the de factostarter mostly by default.He has the most experi-ence, but Phillips has leftlittle doubt it’s a three-way race betweenHartline, sophomoreMorgan Newton and red-shirt freshman RyanMossakowski.

Newton’s mobilitycould give him an edge,particularly while playingbehind a retooled offen-sive line that will featurefour new starters. YetPhillips has stressed theneed for the Wildcats tobe more dynamic in thepassing game.

Big plays through theair were difficult to comeby, forcing Phillips to usetalented wide receiverRandall Cobb in theWildcat formation wherehe would try to makeplays with his legs.

BY MARK LONGThe Associated Press

GAINESVILLE, Fla. —The buzzwords surround-ing the University ofFlorida football team lastfall were “repeat,” “per-fection,” and “legacy,”remnants of winning the2008 national champi-onship, returning nearlyevery starter and beingthe overwhelmingfavorite to do it again.

A year later,Gainesville is filled with“uncertainty.”

The Gators have a newquarterback, four newassistant coaches, arevamped defense andfew proven playmakers.They lost stars TimTebow, Brandon Spikes,Aaron Hernandez and JoeHaden, nearly lost coachUrban Meyer, andentered fall practice with-out a clear-cut identity forthe first time in years.

“It’s a little different feel-ing,” Meyer said. “But it’sstill Florida. It’s still abunch of good athletes. Notgood, probably great ath-letes running around thatfield. It’s a year of accounta-bility and development.And if that happens. we’llhave a good team. If it does-n’t, we won’t.”

Meyer compared thisseason to 2007, the yearafter Florida won its sec-ond national title and theyear Tebow took over asthe starting quarterback.Expectations were highback then, but the Gatorsdidn’t have enough talentor experience to avoidfour losses.

But Meyer and hisplayers don’t expectanother rebuilding year.Not even close, really.Following several strongrecruiting classes, theybelieve this is a reloading

year that could includeanother trip to Atlanta forthe conference title game.The Gators begin playSept. 4 against Miami(Ohio).

Florida has represent-ed the Eastern Divisionthree times in the lastfour years, with the loneloss coming last yearagainst Alabama. That 32-13 drubbing still res-onates with players andcoaches.

“When you have a lossso devastating as that one,you want to go into thatnext season hungry,”quarterback JohnBrantley said. “A lot ofpeople really have beendoubting us. That’s anoth-er big thing. We like to betested like that. That’swhat gives us a chip onour shoulders.”

Brantley has waitedthree years — evenlonger considering hisbackground — for achance to take overFlorida’s offense. Hegrew up in nearby Ocalarooting for the Gators.His father played quarter-back at Florida and hisuncle was a standout line-backer at Florida.

The youngest Brantleyhas even bigger shoes tofill. He’s stepping in afterTebow, a three-timeHeisman Trophy finalistwho helped the Gatorswin 26 of 28 games thelast two years. Tebow wasMr. Everything at Florida,serving as the team’semotional leader and theoffense’s go-to guy. Healso got as much recogni-tion for what he did offthe field as he did on it.

GAME 7n Mississippi State atFlorida, TBA, Saturday,Oct. 16

MISSISSIPPI STATE 2010 SEC OPPONENT PREVIEWS

Florida has highhopes, key questions

Phillips excited aboutchallenge at Kentucky

GAME 9n Kentucky atMississippi State TBA,Saturday, Oct. 30

BY NOAH TRISTERThe Associated Press

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.— The University ofArkansas football teamcame within 10 minutes ofshaking up theSoutheastern Conferencelast season before losing afourth-quarter leadagainst top-rankedFlorida.

Perhaps the Hogs weremerely a year away.

“At the end of thegame, we were in positionto win against a top team,”Arkansas tight end D.J.Williams said. “We see itas where we are as a teamnow — able to competewith everybody.”

There will be no tem-pering of expectations atArkansas now. TheRazorbacks fully believethey can challenge fortheir first SEC title.Although they’re stillunderdogs in a divisionthat includes defendingchampion Alabama, theHogs expect to field one ofthe nation’s most dynamicoffenses thanks to quarter-back Ryan Mallett.

Mallett threw for 3,624yards and 30 touchdowns aseason ago, and from themoment he announced hewas passing up the NFLdraft to stay in school, theRazorbacks have beenwondering if this might betheir year.

“The expectations aresomething that I put rightout in front of the team,”coach Bobby Petrino said.“I told them that it wasgreat to have the expecta-tions, the excitement’sgood. It was a good moti-vating factor throughoutthe summer, but now whatit’s all about is work.”

The 6-foot-6 Mallett willagain be the center ofattention, a role he’s com-

fortable with. After sittingout a season following atransfer from Michigan, hetook over as the starter in2009 and led Arkansas toan SEC-best 36 points pergame. The Razorbackswent 8-5 with close lossesat Florida and LSU.

Not only is Mallettback, but all his top tar-gets return as well.Williams has caught 98passes in three seasons,and wide receivers GregChilds, Joe Adams, JariusWright and CobiHamilton complementeach other well.

The Razorbacksreceived a scare whenMallett broke his foot inFebruary, but they said allalong he’d be ready forfall practice, and sureenough, he’s back on thefield.

With Mallett apparent-ly healthy, Arkansas’biggest remaining ques-tion mark is on the otherside of the ball. TheRazorbacks have beenamong the worst defen-sive teams in the SEC thelast two seasons.

The Hogs had highexpectations in 2009 too,but Georgia delivered aSeptember reality check,coming to Fayetteville andemerging with a wild 52-41 victory.

The Razorbacks haven’theld an opponent in singledigits since October of2007. The defense showedsigns of improvement inthat 23-20 loss to Floridalast year, harassing TimTebow throughout in a gal-lant bid for an upset, butthat game was a bit of anaberration.

Razorbacks eyeingtheir next big step

GAME 11n Arkansas at MississippiState, TBA, Saturday,Nov. 20

BY JAMES BAILEYSpecial to the Dispatch

SCOOBA — Reveling in two successfulcampaigns and a No. 7 preseason ranking inthe National Junior College AthleticAssociation football poll, East MississippiCommunity College isn’t far removed frombeing the proverbial doormat of the communi-ty college ranks.

The football program has seen more thanits share of highs and lows in EMCCPresident Rick Young’s seven years leadingthe school.

“When I first became president, we werethe team everyone wanted to schedule forhomecoming,” Young said. “But I becameimmersed in the football program, rode thebus to out of town games, and familiarizedmyself with all its aspects.”

Young views the Lions’ athletic departmentas an essential component of the school.

“In community colleges, we are able toreach a lot of young people through sports,”Young said. “We stress the academic aspectsfirst. Our student-athletes should have a solideducational foundation to build upon, and,more importantly, hopefully we provide anopportunity for students to become betterpeople.”

Third-year football coach Buddy Stephensbelieves success starts at the top in any suc-cessful organization.

“We’ve got what every coach would

desire: an administration that understandsbeing successful on and of f the field,”Stephens said. “Dr. Young is a very ground-ed human being, an excellent administrator,and is also very accessible. He talks with alot of our recruits when they visit here. Itmeans a lot for a mom and dad to come oncampus and meet with the college presi-dent.”

EMCC Vice President and Director ofAthletics Mickey Stokes brings 26 years ofexperience and service to the school. Heechoes Stephens’ appreciation of the supportfrom the school’s president and its Board ofTrustees.

“My goal as athletic director is for eachsport to win a state and national champi-onship,” Stokes said.

This year, Stephens is eager to build on lastyear’s success. The Lions are the reigningMississippi Association of Community andJunior College state champions. They went onto claim the 2009 Mississippi Bowl title with a27-24 win against 2010 preseason No. 2-

ranked Arizona Western in December inBiloxi.

Stephens admits his team never willreplace Randall Mackay or coach Ed Holley,but believes you just find players or coacheswho will fit in.

“Every season you have to impress whathappened in the past is history. That was thepast,” Stephens said. “Each individual teamhas to make its niche and mark in history.”

Construction on a new stadium that couldbe used for multiple sports started earlierthis year. School officials remain optimisticthe artificial turf facility could be completedthis year.

Stokes is in his third year as athleticdirector overseeing all six campus sportsprograms. He is committed to assisting stu-dent athletes achieve positive results athleti-cally and academically. He also oversees allsports’ facilities, support staff, and managesthe sports budgets.

Stokes ensures all sports programs abideby the rules and regulations of the state andnational community college athletic associa-tion. He also monitors eligibility for all sixsports programs on campus.

With the enthusiasm and support ofYoung, Stephens, and Stokes, EMCC foot-ball is poised to continue its MACJC Northwinning streak of 15 consecutive games andto earn a playoff berth and an opportunity toplay again for a state championship.

THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010 11COLLEGE FOOTBALL

HendersonContinued from Page 8

Henderson said. “Thatgives me enough time tofind a receiver and throwthe ball.”

This year, Hendersonvalues his leadership roleand the opportunity to helpfreshmen adjust to theirsurroundings. He believesleadership is a valuableasset for a starting quarter-back, and plans to lead byexample.

“For the kids who arejust coming in, you have toreassure them and keepeverybody composed andjust be a good leader,”Henderson said.

First-year offensivecoordinator Andy Siegal,who coached at theUniversity of SouthernMississippi last year, isimpressed with the Lions’talent, especially at quar-terback position. Hebelieves Henderson does agood job leading theyounger players.

“Brad is a very goodplayer with a strong arm,”Siegal said. “We are chal-lenging Brad to lead thenew guys by showing themhow to practice, how toapproach our classes, andtake notes. It carries moreweight when a sophomoreleads the way.”

Henderson said thisyear’s receivers make upfor what they lack in expe-rience with speed. EMCC’soffense will continue torun the spread, but it willinclude some new twistsinstalled by Siegal.

“Coach Siegal hasbrought in some new stuffI really like, but we arekeeping a lot of the offensewe had last year,”Henderson said. “We are aprimarily pass offense.”

Henderson knows theLions’ success the past twoseasons has increasedexpectations, and that a lotof the burden to lead theteam will fall to him. Hebelieves the Lions are ontrack to build on that suc-cess and, ultimately, to wina national championship.

In the past two years,Henderson has played intwo North Division cham-pionships and the school’sfirst MACJC state champi-onship in a backup roll.

This year, as the teamleader, Henderson is deter-mined to steer the Lions toanother state champi-onship and an invitation toplay for a national title.

“My goal as athletic director isfor each sport to win a state andnational championship.”

East Mississippi Community CollegeAthletic Director Mickey Stokes

EMCCSCHEDULE

Sept. 2 At Miss. Gulf Coast

Sept. 9 HINDS

Sept. 16 NORTHWEST MISS.

Sept. 23 At Itawamba

Sept. 30 At Coahoma

Oct. 7 NORTHEAST MISS.

Oct. 16 PEARL RIVER

Oct. 21 At Miss. Delta

Oct. 28 HOLMES

HOME GAMES IN CAPS

EAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE LIONS

BY JAMES BAILEYSpecial to the Dispatch

SCOOBA — Last year,former Noxubee CountyHigh School all-confer-ence defensive back FredTate found a perfect fit tohone his coverage andtackling skills 20 milessouth of home at EastMississippi CommunityCollege.

In his first year with theLions, Tate had 37 tackles,four assists, and 15 passbreakups that played sig-nificantly in EMCC’s 11-1record and championshipseason.

For a college corner-back, speed kills. Aspeedy wide receiver canrun past you and leave anuntested defensive backdazed and confused.

On the other hand, adefensive back whosework ethic is defined by afocus on improving speedwill pay dividends. Thosesplit-second bursts ofspeed to step in front of anunsuspecting receiver, to

intercept, and to run fordaylight motivate consci-entious defensive backs.

Tate is just that type.He wants to excel at a

level that will assist EMCCwin another championship.His offseason conditioningprogram motivated him torun, run, and run more sono wide receiver will everbest him.

“In the offseason, mymain concern was speed,”Tate said. “I’ve been work-ing on my speed andpatience. I like playing onvisitor’s side. It motivatesme when you hear thefans talking to you. I wanta national championshipthis year. Johnny Cockrellis our other cornerback,and we make a good teamin the secondary.”

Another aspect impor-tant to Tate is leading thenew players.

“I want to be a positiveinfluence,” Tate said. “I tryto lead these guys andstress the need to workhard. The new guys ask alot of questions, and I’m

glad to help out in any way.”Tate believes patience

also is a key element for asuccessful defensive back.Associate head coach anddefensive coordinatorWilliam Jones believesTate possesses that char-acteristic.

“Fred came to us froma very successful champi-onship team at NoxubeeCounty,” Jones said. “He’svery accomplished, com-petitive, and a good stu-dent who possess the abil-ity to play Division I foot-ball next year. Fred hasimproved physically. Hisman-on-man ability hasimproved a lot. With oneyear under his belt, he isrefining the tools of histrade. All our defensivebacks are faster, leaner,and better conditionedathletes.”

Jones stresses defen-sive backs are the thirdlevel of defense. Theycover receivers whetherman-on-man or zone andoffer run support.

“Our corners play cover-

2 defensive short zone,deep-third coverages andalso have to be ready forrun support,” Jones said.“Fred is 208 pounds and hecan physically play theposition well.

Jones returns eightplayers in the secondary.

“Fred will really help usout this year with his expe-rience,” Jones said. “Wefeel good about our sec-ondary. They watched filmtogether, played together,worked out together, andthat makes a difference.

Tate is looking forwardto the first game this sea-son against MississippiGulf Coast C.C. and liningup on the corner closest tothe opposing team’sstands. The sound hewants to hear is the foot-ball hitting his handswhile breaking up a passor when he uses his 4.5speed to step in front of anunsuspecting wide receiv-er to make an interceptionand then scampers downthe sidelines to give histeam six points.

Bob Smith/Courtesy of East Mississippi Community College Sports InformationEast Mississippi Community College coach Buddy Stephens has been a driving force behind the resurgence of the school’s football program.

SUCCESS STARTS AT TOP FOR EMCCFrom school president Young to AD Stokes to coach Stephens, leaders have made commitment to re-make football

Bob Smith/Courtesy of East Mississippi Community College Sports InformationNoxubee County High School standout Fred Tate had astrong first season last year as a member of the EastMississippi Community College football team. He will becounted on this season to be a bigger leader.

Sophomore Tate to be leader in secondary

a national television audi-ence.

Heading into the year,the Golden Eagles return42 letterwinners from lastseason, including ninestarters on a defense thatfinished 10th in the nationin turnover margin. Theoffense returns just fourstarters and used thespring to replace four play-ers on the offensive line.

Players back for the2010 season include All C-USA second-team selec-tions DeAndre Brown atwide receiver and KoreyWilliams at linebacker.Center Cameron Zipp,defensive linemenAnthony Gray andCordarro Law, linebackerRonnie Thornton, defen-sive back C.J. Bailey, andreturn man TracyLampley also return afterearning honorable men-tion picks last season.

Lampley and punterPeter Boehme also gar-nered C-USA All-Freshman team honors.

The OffenseSouthern Miss will see

changes near the top of thecoaching ladder, as BlakeAnderson takes over at offen-sive coordinator to add to hisquarterback coaching respon-sibilities.

Anderson, who has tutoredquarterbacks Austin Davis andMartevious Young, will retainthat duty while also calling theplays for the Golden Eagles inthe booth. Chris Kapilovicreturns as the offensive linecoach and has picked up theresponsibility as the run-gamecoordinator. Kapilovic’s line ledthe way for a rushing offensethat produced a 1,000-yardrusher the previous four sea-sons and was No. 33 national-ly in 2009.

Barney Farrar returns asthe tight ends coach and PatWashington is back to tutorrunning backs. New to theoffensive coaching squad isKasey Dunn, who will overseewide receivers.

Dunn joins the SouthernMiss family after spending thepast two seasons as runningbacks coach for the SeattleSeahawks.

Four starting offensive line-man graduated and three of theteam’s top four receivers alsodeparted. Returning from injurywill be redshirt junior quarter-back Austin Davis and redshirtsenior Martevious Young. Upfront, only center Cameron Zippand receiver DeAndre Brownreturn. The offense put up morethan 5,000 yards again in 2009for the third straight year.

QuarterbacksDavis, a junior from

Meridian, returns as theexpected starter after missingthe second half of the 2009with a foot injury. In his fivestarts, Davis completed 69 per-cent of his passing attempts(108 of 156) for 1,165 yardsand 10 touchdowns and twointerceptions.

After Davis’ injury, Young ledthe Golden Eagles through thefinal eight games. He will pushfor the starting spot this fall.Young, who had only thrown for8 yards in his previous two yearsof play, completed 57 percent ofhis passes (132 of 230) for1,861 yards with 16 touchdownsand just three interceptions. Healso added 294 yards and onetouchdown on the ground andwas the team’s third leadingrusher.

Running BacksWith the departure of the

school’s all-time leading rush-er, Damion Fletcher, and thedynamic Tory Harrison, thecoaching staff will need toreplace nearly 70 percent ofthe team’s rushing offensefrom 2009. The duo combinedfor 1,662 yards of the team’s2,358 total yards in 2009.

They also combined for 18of the Golden Eagles’ 23 rush-ing touchdowns. V.J. Floyd anda stable of heralded but youngtailbacks will look to pick upwhere Fletcher and Harrisonleft off. Floyd has rushed for398 yards in his Golden Eaglecareer, and has shown he iscapable off handling the load.His breakout performancecame in 2008 at home againstthe University of Alabama atBirmingham, when he rushed21 times for 114 yards and onetouchdown.

Redshirt sophomoreDesmond Johnson and sopho-more Tracy Lampley return asthe only other Golden Eagleswith experience. Lampleyaccounted for 122 yards in2009 with one touchdown,while Johnson added 72 yardsand a touchdown in oneappearance against AlcornState in the season opener.

Redshirt freshmanKendrick Hardy had an excel-lent spring and will push Floydand the other experiencedbacks for playing time.

Wide ReceiversIn Fedora’s offense, wide

receivers thrive, and 2010should be no different. Afterreturning from an injury at theend of the 2008 season, juniorDeAndre Brown leapt back intothe spotlight by leading theteam in receptions andyardage for the second con-secutive year.

Brown caught 47 passes for785 yards and nine touch-downs in 2009, and is expect-ed to eclipse those numbersthis season.

Behind Brown, three lead-ing receivers have departedand will be replaced by young,but inexperienced talent.Quentin Pierce, the team’sfifth-leading receiver a yearago, is the team’s second mostexperienced wideout. Piercecaught 25 passes for 247 yardsand two touchdowns last sea-son, and has improved throughthe spring.

Johdrick Morris and RyanBalentine, two receivers whohave shown flashes of bril-liance, also will compete forplaying time.

Tight EndsWhen senior tight end

Leroy Banks departed for acareer in the NFL, SouthernMiss lost its third-leadingreceiver. In 2010, seniorJonathan Massey and sopho-more Ryan Hanks will carry theload at the end of the offensiveline.

Massey, the most veterantight end on the Golden Eagles’roster, caught seven passes in2009 for 62 yards and a pair oftouchdowns in the Kansasgame.

Hanks, a native of Pace,Fla., caught one pass in 2009for two yards, but it was a 2-yard touchdown reception thatwas instrumental in a come-back against Virginia.

Offensive LineFour starters have departed

and only senior centerCameron Zipp returns to a linethat produced a 1,000-yardrusher for the fourth consecu-tive year and eclipsed 5,000yards for the third straight sea-son.

Kapilovic and Fedora willlean on Zipp’s leadership whilethey find the right fit at all fouroutside positions. To get imme-diate help, Southern Misssigned junior college playersJason Weaver (ArizonaWestern Community College)and Lamar Holmes (ItawambaC.C.) and will look to plugthese experience linemen inearly.

Returning players with in-game experience include red-shirt sophomore Joe Duhon,junior Thomas Edenfield, red-shirt senior Alex Michael,Darius Barnes, and junior BenSchoenberger (Junior).

Southern Miss also haspotential in redshirt freshmenJonathan Guerry, Ed Preston,and Nathaniel Worrell.Redshirt sophomore DyronWhite and redshirt juniorJames Brady also return.

New to the program will beO.C. Brown, Seth Reedy,Taylor Peterson, and DavidFowler.

The DefenseFor the second consecutive

year, Southern Miss ended theseason with one of the fourstoutest defenses in C-USA,and finished in the top 20nationally in total sacks in2009. The unit also excelled inturnover margin, ranking in thetop 10.

To improve on its 2009campaign, the Black and Goldwill need to improve a passdefense that finished No. 109nationally.

Todd Bradford is back tolead the defense as coordina-tor. Nasty Bunch alum Deke

Adams will continue his dutiesas the leader of the defensiveline, while Dave Duggan headsup the linebacker corps.

New to the coaching stafffor 2010 is Grady Brown, whowill coach the cornerbacks.

Defensive LineThe Golden Eagles will

return an interior line that wasamong the best against the runin C-USA in 2009 and defen-sive ends who were ferociousin the backfield.

Under the tutelage of Adams,the defensive line accounted for56 percent (50 of 88.5) of theteam’s tackles for loss. Thoseplayers also improved from No.93 in total sacks in 2008 to No.18 a year ago.

Along the interior, AnthonyGray, Terrance Pope, LoganHickman, and John Hendersonreturn with a wealth of experi-ence. The foursome combinedto play in 51 games in 2009.Khyri Thornton and Joel Rosswill provide run clogging poten-tial along the interior in 2010.

Headlining the defensiveends is Cordarro Law, who ledthe team in tackles for loss with14.5 last season. TheWhitfield, Ala., native also wassecond on the team in sackswith 7.5. Deddrick Jones andDavid Boyce will again join himat the end position.

Roshaad Byrd, whose sea-son was cut short due to injuryin 2009, also will return.

Andrew Burns, who playedprimarily in special teams situ-ations, also will add depthalong the line. Redshirt fresh-men Octavius Thomas andCarlos Powell also will contendfor playing time.

LinebackersAll three starting lineback-

ers, who combined for 317tackles and were the top threetacklers on the team, return.Korey Williams (121 total tack-les) comes back in the middle.

Ronnie Thornton (114 totaltackles) returns at the weakside, while speedster MartezSmith (82 total tackles) is backat strong side.

Joining them will be TimGreen, Hendrick Leverette,Jeremy Snowden, and ScottieWilliams.

Sophomore Jamie Collins,who played both linebackerand nickel back in 2009, hasmoved into the linebacker rota-tion after serving as Smith’sbackup last season.

Defensive BacksPerennial starter C.J.

Bailey suffered an injury at theclose of the 2009 season andwas unable to participate inmany spring practice activities.Because of his absence,Fedora has been able to seewhat the future holds at theposition.

Redshirt sophomore MarcalRobinson showed fans what heis capable off in the 2009 NewOrleans Bowl when he defend-ed and broke up two passesand shut down his side of thefield. Robinson will push Baileyfor playing time this season.

The spring also allowedredshirt freshmen DeronWilson, Alex Smith, JerrionJohnson, and Gerald West tocome into their own. The four-some was impressive in thespring, and each brings a phys-ical presence to the secondary.

University of Alabamatransfer Alonzo Lawrence alsois eligible to play after sittingout a season due to NCAAtransfer rules.

At safety, Chico Hunter,Justin Wilson, and KendrickPresley return having gained awealth of experience in 2009.Wilson, who had two intercep-tions in 2009, and Bailey will belooked to for senior leadership.

The Special TeamsIn 2009, Southern Miss was

among the nation’s best andthe nation’s worst in specialteams categories.

Freshman sensation TracyLampley became the primaryhandler of the punt return andkick return duties and handledthe job as well as anyone in thecountry, finishing the seasonNo. 6 nationally in punt returnyardage. He also added a 50-yard return for a score againstMemphis.

At kickoff returns, Lampleyand departed senior FreddieParham led the way and eachhad one touchdown return.Lampley finished No. 15nationally as a kick returner,while Parham was No. 40. Thekickoff returns unit ranked No.14 nationally and No. 2 in C-USA.

Another freshman, PeterBoehme, impressed as theyear went on. Boehme handledthe punt duties for SouthernMiss. He placed 26 of his 54punts inside the opponent’s 20,and added 12 boots of 50-or-more yards while only tallyingthree touchbacks.

The kicking duties remainup in the air. Last season,Justin Estes was 10 of 13 infield goals and 28 of 33 inextra-point attempts, whileDaniel Hrapmann was 4 of 7and 14 of 18, respectively.

Redshirt freshman MatthewLittle had an impressive spring,and incoming signee CoreyAcosta will challenge for thestarting position.

THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com12 SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010 COLLEGE FOOTBALL

C-USAContinued from Page 7

SOUTHERN MISS —Key players: WR DeAndreBrown, QBs MarteviousYoung and Austin Davis,and LBs RonnnieThornton, Korey Williamsand Martez Smith.Returning starters:offense 4, defense 9.

Notes: After tearing aligament in his left foot lastseason, Davis now has tofight off Young, who threwfor 1,861 yards and 16 TDs.Coach Larry Fedora alsohas Brown, who is expect-ed to return to his 2008form when he set the sin-gle-season record with 67catches. ... Schedule toughstarting Sept. 2 at SouthCarolina, but Houston vis-its Nov. 20.

MARSHALL — Keyplayers: LB Mario Harvey,WR Antavious Wilson, RBMartin Ward. Returningstarters: offense 7,defense. 7

Notes: Tough noncon-ference schedule startingat Ohio State and includes

a visit from West Virginiaand trip to Bowling Green.The Thundering Herdhosts UCF and won’t playHouston... Harvey had117 tackles and sevensacks. ... Ward, a sopho-more, replaces DariusMarshall, who ran for1,131 yards and 11 TDs.

EAST CAROLINA —Key players: WR DwayneHarris, FS EmmanuelDavis, CB TravisSimmons. Returningstarters: offense 5,defense 2.

Notes: McNeill at leasthas three offensive linestarters back, and Harris,who had 83 catches for 978yards last season. But QBPatrick Pinkney is gone.

UAB — Key players:WR Frantrell Forrest, FSHiram Atwater, LBLamanski Ware.Returning starters:offense 8, defense 9.

Notes: Replacing QBJoe Webb is the biggestchallenge after he provid-

ed 73 percent of theoffense, though DavidIsabelle likely has theedge. He ran 32 times for288 yards last year. ...UAB has 11 of its top 12tacklers back.

MEMPHIS — Key play-ers: RG Dominik Riley, DEWinston Bowens, LBJamon Hughes. Returningstarters: six offense, sixdefense.

Notes: Porter must findoffense after losing CurtisSteele and receivers DukeCalhoun and CarlosSingleton, who scored 24of 33 TDs last season. Allfive offensive line startersreturn. ... Tyler Bass is theonly QB who has taken asnap for Memphis andmay be moved to receiver.

WESTHOUSTON — Key

players: QB Keenum;WRs Cleveland, Carrierand Edwards; RB BryceBeall, LB MarcusMcGraw. Returningstarters: offense nine,

defense seven.Notes: The Cougars

are switching to a 3-4defense with new coordi-nator Stewart, trying totrim the 33 minutes oppo-nents held the ball pergame in 2009. ...Mississippi State visits onOct. 9, and Houston wrapsup the regular season witha trip to Texas Tech onNov. 27.

SMU — Key players:QB Kyle Padron, DTMargus Hunt, WRsAldrick Robinson andCole Beasley. Returningstarters: offense 6,defense 7.

Notes: SMU had thebiggest win improvementin FBS with seven morevictories in 2009. ...Padron completed 67 per-cent of his passes for 1,922yards and had a school-record 460 yards in beat-ing Nevada in the HawaiiBowl. ... The Mustangsopen at Texas Tech onSept. 5 and host

Washington State on Sept.18 while dodging bothUCF and Southern Missin league play.

UTEP — Key players:RB Donald Buckram, QBTrevor Vittatoe, WR KrisAdams, LB Royzell Smith.Returning starters:offense 7, defense 4.

Notes: Buckram aver-aged 132.8 8 yards pergame last season. ...Vittatoe is second amongreturning players toKeenum in career yardspassing with 9,683 andcareer TD passes with 75.

TULSA — Key players:WR/KR DamarisJohnson, QB G.J. Kinne,DE Odrick Ray, DE CoryDorris. Returningstarters: offense 9,defense, 5.

Notes: Johnson totaled2,693 yards catching pass-es, running and returningpunts and kicks. ...Schedule isn’t easy withtrips to Oklahoma Stateand Notre Dame in non-

conference play.RICE — Key players: RB

Sam McGuffie; QB NickFanuzzi; DE ChetaOzougwu; DT ScottSolomon. Returningstarters: offense 9, defense9.

Notes: The Owls are ayear older after matchingLouisiana Tech in 2009with the youngest startinglineup in the nation. ...McGuffie sat out 2009 fol-lowing his transfer fromMichigan. ... Schedule isbrutal starting with Texasat Reliant Stadium inHouston.

TULANE — Key play-ers: QB Ryan Griffin, WRCasey Robottam, CBPhillip Davis. Returningstarters: offense 7,defense 4.

Notes: Coach BobToledo must replace RBAndre Anderson and WRJeremy Williams, whocombined for 56 percentof offense. ... Schedule fea-tures seven home games.

GuerryContinued from Page 7

easy. It is just a different type ofchallenge.”

Guerry hopes to earn asmuch playing time as possiblethis season. He said he tried inthe offseason to be a role modelby working hard in the weightroom and showing his team-mates how things needed to bedone. He said he is excited to bea member of the travel squadand that he will continue to do

everything so he can earn histeammates’ trust.

“I was struggling in thespring at picking stuff up, butthey know I am getting outthere and performing andshowing them I can do it,”Guerry said. “I feel like I havecome a long way in the year anda few months I have been here.I still feel like I have a long wayto go, and I am going to keep

striving every day to get better.”Kapilovic is excited to hear

that talk from Guerry. He saidthe race for starting positions is“wide open” and that he hopesall of the offensive linemen canjell into a cohesive unit that isbuilt on trust.

That shouldn’t be a problemfor Guerry.

“I am just going to do thebest I can,” Guerry said. “My

redshirt year humbled me a lot,and it definitely let me know Iwasn’t as good as I thought Iwas. You go from being aDivision I prospect and gettingletters, phone calls, and e-mailsfrom so many different collegesthat it gives you a big head. Youget a little bit cocky. When I gothere it was very humbling.They did a good job of knockingme down a few notches. It was

good for me. It does that toeverybody.

“(Redshirting) made mehungry. I was really ready toplay the game. (Last year waslike) doing all of the work dur-ing the week to get a paycheckand at the end of the week notgetting a paycheck. It made meknow I wanted to be on thefield, not sitting there (on thesidelines).”

Matt Bush/APSouthern Mississippi football coach Larry Fedora speaks Aug. 7 at the Eagle Media Day at the Reed GreenColiseum in Hattiesburg.

Southern MissContinued from Page 7

THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010 13COLLEGE FOOTBALL

SabanContinued from Page 6

champions.“The championship’s a

part of history and we’renot going to defend any-thing,” Saban insists.

He’s hammered thatmuch home to his players:Don’t live in last year. Tideplayers at least seem to belistening after two straightperfect regular seasons.

“He’s so strong-mindedyou don’t even feel likeyou won anything,” cor-nerback Dre Kirkpatricksaid.

Certainly not yet thisseason, whatever theexpectations.

For a change, the front-runner status stems large-ly from a loaded offense,led by Heisman Trophywinner Mark Ingram, fel-low backfield mate TrentRichardson, wide receiverJulio Jones and steadyleader McElroy. It’s a col-lection of talent the Tidehas traditionally beenmore likely to boast on theother side of the ball.

The defense is stillpacked with All-Americantypes — only now they’reprep All-Americans tryingto make the leap to theSEC. Like the sophomoretrio of cornerbacksKirkpatrick and B.J. Scottand linebacker NicoJohnson.

Third-team AP All-American strong safetyMark Barron is the onlyreturning defensive playerwho started more thanfour games last season.Linebacker Dont’aHightower missed 10games after a knee injury.

Defensive end MarcellDareus was a star of thenational championshipgame and is a ferocious

pass rusher. His status toopen the season is uncer-tain with an NCAA investi-gation into a trip he — andplayers from otherschools — reportedlytook to Miami in thespring.

The Tide must replaceAll-Americans TerrenceCody, Rolando McClainand Javier Arenas ondefense, as well as first-round NFL draft pickKareem Jackson.

“I do like the talentlevel we have,” Saban said.“I do like the attitude thatthe players have workedwith. I think this is goingto be a defensive team thatimproves throughout thecourse of the season.”

Alabama won’t havemuch time for the youngdefenders to grow up. TheTide faces Penn State onSept. 11, then visits Duke.

Plus, fellow SEC powerFlorida visits newly expand-ed Bryant-Denny Stadiumon Oct. 2 in a rematch of thepast two league champi-onship games.

It’s a treacherousschedule for a team tryingto repeat as national cham-pions, but a nice one forbreaking in a biggerBryant-Denny.

The stadium will nowhold 101,821, making it thefifth-largest in football aftera 9,000-seat addition. Fittingaccommodations for a —sorry, coach — defendingnational champion.

The Saban statue, likehis team, remains a workin progress and is expect-ed to be erected sometimeduring the season.

Saban has been herebefore. His LSU team wona share of the national title

in 2003, then “fell” to 9-3the following season.

McElroy has also beenpart of title teams, playingon three Texas highschool state champions.It’s given him some idea ofhow to handle this.

“As a guy who’s beenaround special teams, real-ly successful teams, Idon’t want to have thatcomplacency, that sense ofrelaxation,” McElroy said.“I want to feel pressed. Iwant to strive for some-thing. We understand thisyear is completely differ-ent from last year. No oneis going to hand us the tro-phy now because of whatwe accomplished this.”

A repeat title likely willrequire some good for-tune — like Cody’s two

blocked field goals in atwo-point win overTennessee.

Josh Chapman isexpected to replace Codyin the middle of the linethis season. The 310-pounder has played in 29games and was a third-down specialist behindCody but doesn’t quitehave the same space-clog-ging size.

The backfield is theTide’s biggest strength.Both Ingram, the school’sfirst Heisman winner, andthe sophomoreRichardson ran for 100-plus yards against Texas.

Then there’s Jones, aphysical, playmakingreceiver who was slowedsomewhat by injuries lastseason.

Dusty Compton/APUniversity of Alabama running back Mark Ingram (22)runs a drill at practice Aug. 9 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Ingramwon the Heisman Trophy last season.

Dusty Compton/APUniversity of Alabama linebacker Tana Patrick (2) and teammate Dont’a Hightower (30) go through drills at practice Aug. 9 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

McElroyContinued from Page 6

what he can learn attend-ing Oxford. He didn’t envi-sion the paper taking theturn and likes the newdirection.

McElroy already hasearned his undergraduatedegree in Marketing and isin graduate school. The low-est grade he has earned atAlabama is a B+ in aManagement andLeadership class.

“I was just open-mindedwhen I started writing it,”McElroy said. “I sent it in toour advisor and he has beenhelping me along the wayand some things that havebeen successful in the past.It is really tough to tell whatthey want.”

McElroy doesn’t believethere is a correlation betweenthe abstract thinking he isdoing for his essay and thesplit-second decisions he hasto make on the football field.He feels the two thoughtprocesses are different waysof handling problems but thathis ability to think criticallyprovides some help.

“On the football field it isall reaction,” McElroy said.“I don’t think your booksmarts or your grade-pointaverage or anything likethat really translates to whatyou do on the field. I think itallows you to study yourplaybook and grasp infor-mation faster, and graspmore information and tostudy game plans longer.”

Nearly 90 students areselected every year for theRhodes Scholarship, whichenables an individual to studyfor one or two years at OxfordUniversity in England. Twopeople will be selected out ofa pool of candidates fromAlabama, Florida, andTennessee. The list of appli-cants is cut to 12 based oneach candidate’s essay andrecommendations. The final-ists are then graded on a hostof categories.

Florida State Universitysafety Myron Rolle wasawarded a RhodesScholarship and studied atSt. Edmund Hall, OxfordUniversity for the 2009-10academic year.

The Tennessee Titansselected him in the sixthround of the 2010 NFL draft.

McElroy would love tofollow Rolle’s footsteps intothe NFL. First, he has mat-ters to attend to at Alabama.

That road will feature plen-ty of more scrutiny than hefaced last year. Earlier thisyear, McElroy was one of 30quarterbacks named to the2010 Davey O’Brien NationalQuarterback Award WatchList. The candidates wereselected based on their per-formances in 2009 and theexpectations they face enter-ing this season.

McElroy might face themost scrutiny. The 6-foot-3,220-pounder led Alabama toa 14-0 record and the pro-gram’s 13th national cham-pionship last season.Despite the fact McElroypassed for 17 touchdowns,the second most in a singleseason in school history,2,508 yards and threw onlyfour interceptions, Alabamaranked only eighth in theSoutheastern Conference inpassing offense (187.9 yardsper game) and fourth intotal offense (403 ypg).

McElroy was ninth inpassing average (179.1),fourth in total offense(185.1), and fourth in pass-ing efficiency (140.5).

The flip side wasMcElroy’s stewardship of thefootball helped Alabama havethe third fewest turnovers inthe nation (12). He also wasnamed MVP of the SECChampionship Game.

While proud of what heaccomplished, McElroyfeels more comfortable incoach Jim McElwain’s sys-tem and as a team leader.He said he isn’t sure howmuch different or what kindof new identity the offensewill have this season, but hesaid there is plenty of roomfor improvement.

“I think I have grown alot,” McElroy said. “I think Ihave come a long way in mydevelopment and understand-ing defenses. I feel real confi-dent. That is probably thebiggest thing. I feel extremelyconfident in my preparationand what I have done in thepast 12 months to get ready

for this moment.”McElroy also should

have a better feel for whatHeisman Trophy winningrunning back Mark Ingram,junior wide receiver JulioJones, and sophomore run-ning back Trent Richardsonwill be able to do. Thereturn of offensive linemenBarrett Jones and JamesCarpenter also should helpprovide solid protection. Allfive players were namedpreseason first-team All-SEC by the media. McElroywas a second-team pick.

Jones, who roomed withMcElroy in training camp,said McElroy is a “laid-back” teammate who likesto play video games in hisspare time. He saidMcElroy has been trying toget him to play FIFA socceron PlayStation III and hasbeen “kicking his butt”when he does play.

“He is a great guy, and agreat guy to be around,”Jones said. “Greg is intelli-gent in his schoolwork and infootball. He goes through allof his reads and he makes theright decisions. He doesn’ttry to force anything in there,and if he doesn’t feel comfort-able with it he won’t throw it.He plays everything by thebook.”

McElroy refined thoseskills earlier this year in areturn trip to the ManningPassing Camp in Thibodaux,La., where he talked withIndianapolis Colts standoutquarterback Peyton Manningabout how to play the positionand how to maximize hiswork with his receivers sotheir timing is perfect.

McElroy’s diligence is onereason he hasn’t lost a foot-ball game since the eighthgrade. And while he hasn’talways been the starter forhis teams, individual acco-lades don’t carry a lot ofweight with McElroy or othermembers of Alabama’soffense. The players andcoaches stressed earlier thismonth at the team’s mediaday that statistics are great aslong as they create wins.

McElwain said membersof the offense — players andcoaches — have “ripped egosout” and are invested in thesystem together.

At the forefront,McElroy serves as the “con-summate guy who studieseverything we do,”McElwain said.

McElroy, who playedwith injured ribs in thenational title game victoryagainst Texas, said he isproud to be part of such aselfless group.

“I think everybody onthe team from an offensivepoint of view is extremelyfocused on the details,”McElroy said. “I think thatis a big reason why we havebeen so successful. Therewere times last year whenwe hit lulls and we weretired and we didn’t play aswell, but for the most part,we always bounce back. Wevery rarely had a two-gameskid as an entire offense,and I think that is a credit toguys working hard andtheir preparation and guysgiving their very best everytime they step out there.”

A lot of the credit goes toMcElroy, who has moldedhimself into a leader of thebest team in college football.He said several times at SECMedia Days last month thathe “just want(s) to make a dif-ference,” and there is everyreason to believe he will dothat again this year.

“A lot of people ask, ‘Howare you being motivated?’ ”McElroy said at SEC MediaDays. “The way I look at it, ifyou’ve been to the mountaintop, why would you settlefor anything less? Our moti-vation is coming from some-place else this year. It’s com-ing from our accomplish-ments to become a goodteam.

“We’re proud of what weaccomplished last year. Itwas a great run, great mem-ories that we’ll have for therest of our lives. If you lookat us, none of us are wearingour rings. We understandthat whatever happened lastyear isn’t going to give usadvantage this year. We’regoing to give it our besteffort each week. It’ll be atough task, and it’s some-thing we’re ready for.”

HightowerContinued from Page 6

Chapman. I don’t know if he is oneof those guys everybody knowsabout, but I guarantee you’re goingto know about Chapman before theend of the season. We have a lot ofyoung guys who are going to comein and help us on defense.”

Hightower and junior safetyMark Barron are expected to be theleaders on the defense this season.It should not be a stretch forHightower, who had 64 total tackles,including six quarterback hurries,as a freshman. His performanceearned him All-America honors. Inthe process, he started 12 of 14games and became one of two fresh-men to be a regular starter in 2008.

This season, some might expecthim to duplicate the performance ofMcClain, the 2009 Butkus Award win-ner, who is now a member of theNFL’s Oakland Raiders. McClainpaced the Crimson Tide with 53 solotackles, 105 total tackles, tied for theteam lead with 14.5 tackles for losshad four sacks, and two interceptions.

Hightower is humbled by thecomparison to McClain, but says heis a different player. He saidMcClain is more of a true insidelinebacker, while he feels he is ahybrid, or someone who can moveoutside and back inside.

Being compared to one of theschool’s all-time greats can providemotivation. Hightower, though, need-ed only to remember the time hespent off the field waiting to get back.He said those memories will give himplenty of drive this season.

“Hunger was one of the thingsthat motivated me the most,”Hightower said. “Not being out

there is one thing, but when youhave played football all of your lifeand it gets taken away from you, it isa real big thing. It is good to be backon the field.”

Hightower said he was trying tokill somebody the first time he putthe pads back on again after notwearing them for five or six months.He said he couldn’t move like heremembered and that he was tryingnot to overdo it on his knee.

Earlier this month at the footballteam’s media day, Hightower con-firmed he feels 100 percent back.

“I feel like I am the player I wasand a little bit more, knowing I amgoing to have a lot more on myshoulders this year being one of theteam leaders and one of the guyswho is going to have to make all ofthe checks on the defense. I feel likethe expectations are going to be a lit-tle bit higher, so I feel like I have topush myself a little bit more in all

different areas. I am looking for-ward to this year.”

Hightower’s teammates know hewas injured but they aren’t surethere is a difference in his play.

“Dont’a Hightower has steppedup a lot,” junior linebacker JerrellHarris said. “He has really takencontrol from a leadership standpointand is trying to be the head man andtrying to be more vocal and justhelping everybody out.”

Said Sophomore defensive backDre Kirkpatrick, “He is working likehe always has. I feel like the injuryhasn’t even affected him.”

Defensive coordinator / line-backers coach Kirby Smart also hasnoticed Hightower’s play. He saidHightower already had assumed aleadership role but that he is doingeven more.

“He looks better this fall and hestill has a way to go,” Smart said.“He looks better this spring. Dont’areally has challenged the youngerplayers to learn the defense and tocompete at practice. As long as hecontinues to do that he can take onthat role we need him to do.”

Hightower plans to apply every-thing he learned from sitting andwatching this season. He said hestill intends to be physical and to doeverything he can to make McClain,Cody, and the rest of the formerAlabama players proud — and to re-carve his own identity.

“I am not a guy who uses finesseto get around blocks,” Hightowersaid. “I am one of the guys who putsthe guard back in the hole andmakes a play. I feel like I am thesame player, if not better.”

“I feel like I am the player Iwas and a little bit more,knowing I am going to havea little more on my shoulders this year beingone of the team leadersand one of the guys who isgoing to have to make allof the checks on defense.”

Alabama junior linebacker Dont’a Hightower

THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com14 SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010 COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Ole MissContinued from Page 5

turn pro after his juniorseason.

“The bottom line is hehelped us win 18 games,”Nutt said. “So you’re miss-ing so much.”

Expectations for Nutt’sthird season at Ole Missweren’t that high becauseof those losses and more.The Rebels were picked tofinish at or near the bot-tom of the SoutheasternConference WesternDivision by just abouteveryone.

Then Masoli enteredthe mix and no one’s reallysure what to expect fromOle Miss now.

There’s no question hecan contribute, especiallyin Nutt’s Wild Rebeloffense, after leading theDucks to the Pac-10 titleafter accounting for 28touchdowns.

But can he stay out oftrouble? Two brushes withthe law in six months costhim his place at Oregonand the Heisman TrophyBuzz that was building. Canhe win the job? He has 29practices to learn Nutt’stwo-pronged playbook and

must supplant starter NateStanley. And if he does, canhe overcome the problemscreated by four newstarters on the offensiveline?

“It’s scary when you’rerelying on a center who’snever taken a snap in theSEC,” Nutt said.

But Masoli is a 5-foot-11, 220-pound run-passthreat who might be justthe answer for that untest-ed line. The walk-on wasjust digesting the play-book a few days into campwhen he first met withreporters, but he couldalready see the possibili-ties of Nutt’s Wild Rebeloffense.

“I’m a true dual-threatquarterback,” Masoli said.“I can run it and I can pass.To be in this offense undercenter will give me a greatchance to showcase thosetalents.”

The thought that hecan guide a young, butpromising offensethrough a reasonableearly season schedule andrev things up in Octoberhas players excited.

PoweContinued from Page 5

to the 312-320 range. Thehours of training and con-ditioning and disciplininghimself to do the rightthings off the field havebeen worth the wait.

This year, the seniordefensive tackle intends toinvest that dedication andhave a season to remem-ber.

“I always wanted to besuccessful in life,” Powesaid. “I just never wouldquit. I always wanted to doit for my family. When guysquoted me wrong in thepaper, it gave me motiva-tion to feel like I have toprove these guys wrong.There never was anydoubt. It always what iswhat is the next stumblingblock (and how am I goingto get past it).”

Powe was a member ofOle Miss’ 2005 signingclass out of Wayne CountyHigh School, but he attend-ed Hargrave MilitaryAcademy, where he playedin 2005.

In 2006, the NCAAClearinghouse said Powehad completed his require-ments with “significant”assistance. In the legalquagmire that followed,comments by Powe’s moth-er, Shirley, were printed innewspapers. The com-ment, “Jerrell really is agood child, but he just can’tread” gained national atten-tion, and proved to be justthe beginning of theordeal.

Powe’s mother latersaid she never made the

comment. Jerrell said hismother was misquoted.The prolonged struggle toplay football left Poweshaken.

“Early on after he wasdenied I talked to him andhe was crying and he said,‘Why me?’ ” said Lockett,who was a freshman at OleMiss in 2007.

The NCAA deniedPowe’s eligibility threetimes. In 2007-08, college’sgoverning body barredhim from playing butallowed him to enroll at OleMiss and to receive finan-cial aid. The NCAA wantedPowe to show he couldhandle the academicdemands of college for oneyear before he took thefield.

In 2008, theSoutheastern Conferenceruled Powe was eligible toplay for the Rebels. Thedecision left Powe, whoRivals.com had rated a five-start recruit, eager to getstarted. But Powe had bal-looned to 380 pounds andneeded time to regain theconfidence, technique, andinstincts that made himone of the nation’s toprecruits.

Lockett knew Powewould be able to re-capturethat form.

“Back then, you knew ifyou polished that stone upit is going to shine in a cou-ple of years, and it is shin-ing now despite all of thethings he has beenthrough,” Lockett said.

Ole Miss defensive

coordinator/linebackerscoach Tyrone Nix haswatched Powe sculpt hisbody to a manageableweight and become a forceagain up front. He said it is“remarkable” Powe hascome from where he wasto reach his senior year. Hesaid Powe never acceptedjust getting to Ole Miss andsteeled himself to get backinto top condition and to dowhat he needs to do off thefield.

“He has challenged him-self and it shows up physi-cally, the commitment togetting his body in tip-topshape so he can get themaximum out of his abili-ty,” Nix said. “The disci-pline it takes to get to thatpoint and maintain speaksvolumes about the kid’scharacter, about his loveand passion for the game,and his demand to be thebest he can be.”

Nix said it has surprisedhim to see Powe makesuch progress. He said itoften is difficult from theoutside looking in to deter-mine if a player has the for-titude and the drive to com-mit themselves to a goaland to see it through to theend. He said Powe is at thatpoint with less than threeweeks to go before the sea-son opener againstJacksonville State.

“I expect great things(from Jerrell) because thatis what he has produced,”Nix said. “He is in the bestshape of his life, so, hope-fully, we’re going to see the

best performance he hasput up so far.”

Ole Miss coachHouston Nutt also believesPowe can accomplish bigthings this season. The 6-foot-2, 320-pounder alreadyhas been named to threepreseason watch lists —Outland Trophy (best inte-rior lineman), BronkoNagurski Trophy (bestdefensive player), andRotary Lombardi Award(best lineman). He alsowas a first-team pick to thepreseason All-SEC team.

Nutt, who is in his thirdseason in Oxford, saidPowe’s love for Ole Misshelped him persevere.

“He’s such a good team-mate and a good leader,”Nutt said. “By just listeningto him, he had one goal: Hewanted to play at Ole Miss,and nothing was going tostop him. That’s the atti-tude that you want. Thosekinds of guys are success-ful. They’re going to get adegree, they’re going tomake plays for you onSaturday, and they’re goingto do what’s right and begood citizens. We took himto Birmingham (Ala.) forMedia Days (last month),and he did an awesome job.He stole a lot of heartsdown there. A lot of peoplemet him for the first time.He handled himself great.He’s genuine, unselfish,and has a good heart, andhe can play football.”

Powe also can cook.Lockett, who said he is

“great friends with Powe,

often teams with Powe toplay host to barbecues. Hesaid they typically havecompetitions to see whosebarbecue is better. Thefriends at the party benefitthe most because Powemakes sure everyone getstheir share before taking alittle for himself. Thelifestyle is part of the disci-pline he follows to stay inshape, but Lockett said it ispart of Powe’s character.

“He doesn’t really do itfor himself,” Lockett said.“He does it for everybody.He will sit there and grillpounds of chicken andslabs of ribs and he willmaybe eat a rib or a pieceof chicken, but everythingelse will be for everybody.He is not going to eat untilhe is full. He is going to dothis for y’all and tell every-body, ‘Y’all have fun.’ ”

Powe also can play foot-ball. ESPN’s Mel Kiperrated Powe the No. 2 sen-ior defensive tackle in theland, while Lindy’s has himas the nation’s No. 5 defen-sive tackle and the No. 8NFL talent in the SEC.

Powe’s face lights upwhen asked if he wouldconsider a possible returnfor another year at OleMiss. There is the possibil-ity Powe could be grantedanother year of eligibility,but his reaction to thequestion says it all.

“I think I have paid myrespect because I definitelywant to move on,” Powesaid. “If I have to use thatother year, I will, but I think

I have paid my respect.”While it is tempting to

think ahead to a possiblecareer in the NFL, Powe isfocused on this season. Hesaid it is a source of motiva-tion to be a first-round NFLdraft pick. To realize thatgoal, though, he said hewill continue to eat all ofthe right things and to con-tinue to hone his techniqueso he can take the nextstep.

It’s a step Powe haslooked forward to eversince the denials gave himpause about his chosenpath, but never caused himto doubt himself

“I always thought itwould be easier to go backand to tell people what youdid as opposed to what youdidn’t do,” Powe said whenasked why he stayed at OleMiss through all the set-backs. “There never hasbeen no doubts. I alwayswant to be successful, and Iknew what I wanted to do,and I knew what I had todo. I just had to get downon the weight.”

Lockett always believed,too. Together, they willlead a defense that returnssix starters and will showthe nation a side to Poweeveryone needs to see.

“His character and hissense of humor are goingto rub off on you immedi-ately and you’re going to belike, ‘Oh, OK I see why heis in the predicament he isin and where he came froma couple of years ago,’ ”Lockett said.

ContributedRandall Mackey was an All-American last season as a sophomore at East MississippiCommunity College. He led the Lions to a state title and an 11-1 record. He will compete with Nathan Stanley and Jeremiah Masoli for playing time at quarterbackthis season at the University of Mississippi.

David Brown/University of Mississippi Sports InformationNathan Stanley appeared in five games at quarterback last season for the Universityof Mississippi. Jevan Snead’s decision to leave school with one year of eligibilityremaining helped Stanley move to the top of the depth chart. Now he will competewith Jeremiah Masoli and Randall Mackey to see who can win the job as starter.

QBsContinued from Page 5

and All-SEC wide receiver ShayHodge (70 catches, 1,135 yards, eighttouchdowns).

The addition of Masoli, a 5-foot-11,220-pounder, could lessen the impact.Last year, he led Oregon to its firstPac-10 title since 2001 and its first RoseBowl appearance since 1995. He start-ed for two years and threw for 2,147yards and 15 touchdowns and rushedfor 668 yards and 13 touchdowns in2009.

But off-the-field problems plaguedMasoli. He was suspended for the2010 season after pleading guilty to areduced charge of misdemeanor sec-ond-degree burglary for his role in atheft at an Oregon fraternity inJanuary. Masoli was allowed to prac-tice with the team in spring drills, butcoach Chip Kelly kicked him off theteam after he was cited for possessionof less than an ounce of marijuana anddriving on a suspended license after atraffic stop in June.

Nutt said the decision of RaymondCotton to leave the program (he hasmoved on to South Alabama) left theRebels with only Stanley and Mackeyat quarterback, and that didn’t makehim feel comfortable. He said heunderstands the risk in bringingMasoli into the program, but he saidhe did his homework and trustsMasoli knows this is his last chance.

“One of the biggest points we made

was you need us more than we needyou, and I think he understood that,”Nutt said.

Masoli, who will play this season ifthe NCAA approves a waiver request,reiterated that point at Ole Miss mediaday, thanking everyone at the schoolfor allowing him to transfer. He saidNutt was the reason he picked OleMiss from the half dozen schools heresearched.

Masoli hopes to gain the samecomfort level in Nutt’s offense. Hisskills appear to be suited for the “WildRebel” offense, and, like Mackey, hehas the ability to make defenders missand to make big plays with his armand with his feet.

On the other hand, Stanley, who is6-5, 215 pounds, is more of a “pro stylequarterback” who will operate in thepocket. With three quarterbacks, OleMiss has greater flexibility to run mul-tiple looks and to have two quarter-backs — even three — on the field atthe same time.

“You can guarantee there will beabout five times in a game where ourquarterback has to make somethinghappen because the defenses in thisleague are too good,” Nutt said.“They’re too fast, so that gives you anadvantage when you have a quarter-back that says, ‘OK., somethingbreaks down I can escape, I can makesomething happen.’ ”

Mackey, who is 6-foot, 190 pounds,can do that, too. Last year, he led thenation with 3,122 yards passing, fin-ished second in the nation with 32touchdown passes, and rushed for 579yards and five touchdowns to helpEMCC (11-1) win a state title.

Stanley appeared in five games forthe Rebels last season. He was 11 of 23for 163 yards and one touchdown. Heshowed promise in the spring, going11 of 16 for 166 yards and two touch-downs in the annual Grove Bowl.

Senior defensive lineman JerrellPowe was one of the players whohelped welcome Masoli to Oxford. Hejoked at media day that he told Masolihe needed to get used to a biggerdefenders he’ll see in theSoutheastern Conference.

Like many college football players,Powe watched other games last sea-son and was impressed with whatMasoli could do. He said he and sever-al of the Rebels encouraged Nutt toadd Masoli and that they are anxiousto see how he can help the program,even if it means taking a chance on aplayer who has been in trouble.

Nutt said at media day Stanleywould be his starting quarterback ifthe season started Aug. 9. It remainsto be seen which quarterback will do— and say — the right things to earnthat job for the Sept. 4 opener againstJacksonville State.

THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010 15COLLEGE FOOTBALL

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SherrodContinued from Page 3

Sherrod has the most start-ing experience entering the2010 season. He also is oneof the few remaining play-ers from MSU’s last bowlteam in ‘07, making hisinfluence on the team’suntested backups vital.

MSU guard QuentinSaulsberry remembers thestruggles of his first yearsas a starter in ‘08, when hewas played out of position atright tackle. The example inhis first season as a full-timestarter was Sherrod.

“We always say, ‘Hedoesn’t say too much buthe leads with action,’ ”Saulsberry said. “Derek isreal crucial to our offensiveline having success. Theleadership and the exam-ple — he helps other play-ers get better. He paysattention to details, takesgood steps, gets good handplacement. ... He likes tomake sure everything is

right, so I look to him a lot,to see how he practices andgets better every day.”

MSU’s quarterback situ-ation could result in a full-time starter or a rotationlike last season, whenChris Relf subbed forstarter Tyson Lee in down-and-distance situations.Sherrod’s role won’tchange with quarterbacks.He’s going to protect theedge. His pass protection isjust part of his skill-set, ashis quickness and versatili-ty give Hevesy the option ofpulling him on counter

plays. Dixon’s 51-yardtouchdown run againstHouston is a perfect exam-ple, as Sherrod hoppedover a fallen defender tohook a linebacker whosniffed out the play andshot the gap. Dixon cut offSherrod’s block and scam-pered for the score.Sherrod finished the playby throwing the linebackerto the ground.

To Sherrod, plays likethat require just as muchmental work as athleticism.

“You have to be a smartplayer to do your best,“Sherrod said. “You couldbe the biggest, strongest,and fastest, but if you don’tknow your plays you’re notgoing to get far. Headinginto this year, I feel myknowledge of the game hasimproved tremendously.That’s the biggest reason Iexpect to play much betterthan I did last season.”

“I feel my knowledge of thegame has improvedtremendously.”

Mississippi senior offensive lineman

Derek Sherrod

WrightContinued from Page 4

whether moving to a newposition helps his draftstock. He knew he wouldhave to answer the ques-tion at SoutheasternConference Media Days.

“Like I tell people all thetime, ‘If I have zero tacklesand we win, I’m just ashappy,’ ” Wright said. “Mything and focus is doinganything I can to help myteam win. The NFL is notmy main concern.”

The Bulldogs’ newattacking defense, whichsimplifies reads and utilizesstrong line play, will haveWright playing away fromthe line of scrimmage afterspending the past threeseasons manning thestrong side.

Wright describes thenew defense as “realdynamic,” which couldhelp the senior improve onthe 82 tackles, six and ahalf tackles for a loss, twosacks, and two forced fum-bles he recorded in ’08.

Plus, he thinks thedefense could help his draftstock.

“A lot of NFL teams runit, and it’s something we’regoing to pride ourselves ondoing a real good job of,”Wright said. “It’s real multi-ple, and you’re going to seeus make a lot of plays.”

So whether Wright isthinking about the leaguedirectly or indirectly, healready has a believer inDiaz, his fourth defensivecoordinator in his MSUcareer.

Despite playing withsimplified reads, Wrightand the rest of the defense

experienced a learningcurve after Diaz and for-mer University ofOklahoma defensive linecoach Chris Wilson joinedthe team in the spring.

Wright’s positionchange added to the tran-sition, but he didn’t takelong to acclimate to play-ing in more space, Diazsaid.

“When you show up foryour last spring practice,and all of a sudden there’s anew guy explaining newways of doing things andnew terminology, that’s alittle unsettling,” Diaz said.“You can tell from the 15thday of spring to the first dayof fall camp he’s reallymade a lot of improvementand is more comfortablewith his job, and the under-standing we don’t need himto be good, we need him tobe great for us to be a greatdefense.”

To go from good togreat, Wright will need tonurture a young lineback-ing corps that lost currentPhiladelphia Eagle and All-SEC performer JamarChaney.

And though seniorChris White will anchor themiddle, the team will havea new strong-side starterand untested backups.

MSU’s linebacker depthtook another hit whenKarlin Brown and TerrellJohnson left the program.

Last year, MSU’s threestarting linebackers werethe team’s top three tack-lers. Freshman CameronLawrence, who was fea-tured primarily on special

teams, had 14 tackles asthe next nearest linebackeron the stat sheet.

Experience is danger-ously thin, but Wrightbelieves the team can workaround it.

“The young guys arejust getting into it, and it’s abig responsibility for meand Chris to teach themhow to practice and teachthem the plays,” Wrightsaid. “Leadership was oneof the things me and thecoaches talked about thisoffseason. It’s all aboutkeeping the confidence inthem because the more welearn and the more we repit, that’s when the fun startsand we’ll be able to domi-nate offenses.”

Physically, Wright saidhis focus has been aboutplaying with proper “bend,”as taller players typicallyhave a tougher time gener-ating full force in footballtechnique.

Wright and the rest ofthe defense have spent con-siderable time working onflexibility with strengthcoach Matt Balis, so Diaz iskeen to see Wright imple-ment improved mechanicsand become a more explo-sive tackler.

“Coach Balis and hisstaff, from January on, real-ly made an emphasis to getour guys, in everythingthey do, to be in a footballposition — bending theknees, bending the hipswhere your power is in ourlower body,” Diaz said,“(and) not just to tackle aguy, but to put a bruise onthe running back.”

against the University of Mississippi inthe Egg Bowl, is he ready to take over asfull-time starter? And if he’s not, is red-shirt freshman Tyler Russell the right fitfor Mullen’s run-first offense?

Mullen has said the competition is tooclose to call and showed last year hedoesn’t mind playing two signal callers.But Relf has been preparing himself totake over the team after playing in 10games last season while sharing time

with starter Tyson Lee, and has gottenpositive reviews.

“I think he’s had a great offseason,”Mullen said. “He picked up where he leftoff this offseason. If you look at what he’sdone and the improvements he’s made,he didn’t just sit and get satisfied withthat game. I think that really gave himsome confidence to grow as a quarter-back this offseason and become a muchbetter all-around player.”

MullenContinued from Page 4

THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com16 SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010 COLLEGE FOOTBALL