Hopefully on a day-to-day basis. Although if whatever happened to the Official Laptop of SMQ a few minutes ago happens again, all bets are off...
• Early Practice Trend: The Mohawk! Maurice Purify has one. Owen Schmitt has one. Victor Filipe's is short and spiky ("the pretty Mohawk"), and teammate John Bacon is going with a look more out of "The Warriors."
Maurice Purify, trendsetter
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• Nobody Knows the Mundanity I've Seen: They stretch! They grip footballs! They run backward at full speed! Whoosh!
Besides the severely restricted, all-passes-barred view allowed to the media, Notre Dame's trip of quarterbacks are taking equal reps to begin the race to wide-eyed, blitzed-out pain at Georgia Tech. Charlie Weis, for his part, sounds a little, well, sounds a little like George W. Bush, actually:
[...]
"In the spring I spent so much time in due diligence trying to be completely fair to all four guys," Weis said, referring also to since-departed fourth option, Zach Frazer (Connecticut). "What we have now -- democracy has come to an end."
Although Weis did later specify his desire for a "jack of all trades, master of none" and admit, as an addendum to his optistic response re: Jimmy Clausen's fully repaired elbow, "none of them are going to be slinging it 30 or 40 times, OK?" Unless that's just what he wants you to think...
The rare tangible tidbit from the South Bend Tribune: Along with a staff-wide trip to talk with the Carolina Panthers' coaches, Weis personally visited West Virginia for "more ideas to be able to teak our offense." Good news for Demetrius Jones? Perhaps.
• As Jerell Turns: A twist in the ongoing saga of devastating `05 blue chip Jerell Powe, destined from the beginning for Ole Miss despite non-existent grades, charges of illiteracy and, eventually, a lawsuit against the NCAA: Powe's lawyer told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger Tuesday the vagabond defensive tackle could wind up at Miami. "Powe's goal has been to attend Ole Miss," according to attorney Don Jackson (employed by whom, precisely? I don't know), but the Rebels at this point seem to want nothing to do with him, and it's not clear at all he might actually become eligible anytime soon, or - on top of what he's lost already - for how long he'll be able to sustain that eligibility. Jackson has been "in contact" with a few programs, Miami the most promising among them, but it would be fairly shocking if a major program was still willing when it comes down to it to put in the bureaucratic effort to go out on a limb with a scholarship offer on as towering a risk as Powe represents at this point. He'd likely be at least four years removed from his last game before he was cleared to see the field again, if that's still possible.
• A New Favorite: The Lansing State Journal describes Michigan State's Jon Misch thusly:
Misch: Unspecified, but probably sporting a Mohawk under there.
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• Conspiracy Theory of the Week: Frank Beamer's "not blaming anybody," but maybe, just maybe, he thinks, Georgia sent a spy to Virginia Tech's open practices before UGA's 31-24 win in the Peach Bowl. Shocking results from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll: "Wah Wah. Sour grapes" carries the day.
• Quickly:
ACC
Adorable Boston College kicker Steve Aponavicius is competing for his job. Still? That kid's pure gold! ... To redshirt or not to redshirt? With could-be starter Willy Korn, that is the question for Clemson ... Florida State starts by shifting its lineup, especially on the offensive line, where junior Matt Hardrick been dismissed for the proverbial team rules ... Georgia Tech's walk-on, backup punter? The program says 'safety' now, of his own initiative ... Miami's real probelm? The 'Canes sucked on offense ... NC State's running a three-man quarterback derby itself, and Nebraska refugee Harrison Beck's the arm of the group ... And The Raleigh News-Observer dooms UNC kicker Connor Barth's startup t-shirt business to the inevitable NCAA kibosh. Totalitarian crackdowns apply to kickers, too.
Big 12
Jamaal Charles is worried about his high school mate Robert Joseph, dismissed from Texas for a stint in Travis County Jail ... Three-year linebacker starter Adam Carper out for the season with a persistent knee injury at Iowa State ... Unofficially, Todd Reesing has moved ahead of Kerry Meier as the starting quarterback at Kansas ... Playing running back is a sacrifice for Nebraska's defensive-minded Major Culbert ... Jorvorskie Lane sets his goals: 1,000 yards, 24 touchdowns, a school record. Uh, with Mike Goodson?
Big East
Brian Kelly: ex-campaign man, spin master, "a media man's dream" ... Pitt had high hopes for incoming Pat Bostick - Phil Steele projected him as the Panthers' starting quarterback - but the freshman abruptly left the team Tuesday with no rhyme or reason ... OMG OMG OMG: Ray Rice tweaks his hamstring? Get that man outta there!
Big Ten
Iowa's returning starters at corner? Not so great. Enter Cedric Everson ... Tony Brinkhaus and Steve Shidell: two peas in a pod ... Joe Paterno, shockingly, longs for the long lost bye week.
Pat Hill brought the fun back to practice, forgot the confetti.
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I could have sworn to God Antoine Cason declared early for the NFL Draft. But here he is, projecting a bowl game before he leaves Arizona ... Arizona State's Nate Kimbrough and Tyrice Thompson have a rather, um, interesting relationship (no not that interesting) ... Canfield? Moevao? Still no good idea on the Oregon State QB race ... Pete Carroll wants his freshmen in practice, dammit! What is this business about clearing their grades? ... At least one SC newcomer is catching on, quite literally ... Take away four interceptions, 22 tackles for loss and 155 total tackles and what are you left with? Um, optimism at linebacker?
SEC
Hypothetical running back ideal Jimmy Johns is taking snaps at fullback, too ... Nick Saban's begun a peer intervention group among his players ... Arkansas guard Colin Tucker has given up football ... The Razorbacks' heralded "Springdale Five"? After one year, they're down to one ... Oft-injured Auburn linebacker Steve Gandy is also done with football after suffering his fourth concussion during a weekend practice. He hopes to continue helping out as a coach ... AU defensive tackle Pat Sims: unblockable ... Maligned Florida safety Kyle Jackson wants his starting job back ... Florida nabbed New Jersey defensive end from Notre Dame in January, and plans to play him immediately ... Incoming Georgia receiver/tight end Aron White has been assigned his own graduate assistant ... Keiland Williams' calves? In the news? Preposterous. It's Early Doucet's calves that are really ridiculous ...
Mid-majors
Two-a-days begin today for TCU, in 110-degree central Texas hell ... Nevada's Colin Kaepernick has adjusted his motion to become a passer, not a thrower ... Coordinator Bryan Harsin wants to wait another week and a half, but Boise State reporters are ahead of the curve: just tell us it's Bush Hamdan, already ... Bronco Mendenhall: detail-oriented humanitarian? Or just petrified about his kickoff team's coverage skills? ... How often is great white tailback hope Kyle Bell asked about his knee? Too many to count, at least for his teammates ... And trying to inject a little life into Fresno State, Pat Hill does, uh, Dolly Parton? Dame Edna?
The Rap Sheet
Crimes, misdemeanors and eligibility-crippling issues legal, academic, institutional and otherwise.
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"Very remorseful," Tennessee running back LaMarcus Coker, who was indefinitely suspended - again - by Phil Fulmer Tuesday for tantilizingly vague reasons:
Fulmer did not specify why Coker missed those practices, and the reasons were just as vague this time.
"He has been working diligently to work with a medical situation, and we've worked with him through it, but that doesn't excuse where we are at this point and what brought us to this point," Fulmer said after reading a prepared statement. "I can't really tell you what it is."
When asked if he could elaborate on Coker's medical condition, Fulmer said: "It goes back a ways. It's just part of the whole scenario. Because of the laws -- and his privacy -- I can't really comment on it. There's more to it."
Losing Coker is a huge deal if the suspension sticks - he's the Vols' only real existing hope at running back coming into the fall, after a couple years of dramatically diminished returns on the ground for the team as a whole (Monterio Hardesty? Don't give me that, I saw Cal's shameful effort on that one run) - certainly big enough to warrant a little reckless speculation until somebody's willing to talk:
• Skipped the little rope maze at the bank.
• Actually admitted to still being "a PC guy."
• Was spotted wearing a Nike headband, infuriating Official Outfitter of Tennessee Athletics Adidas.
• Missed workouts to stand in line for newest Harry Potter (it's a little late arriving to Knoxville, from what I understand).
• Showed up in Fulmer's office with a peace offering of cream-filled donuts, against longstanding team policy that specifies the coach exclusively devours raspberry-filled.
...and the Number One reason LaMarcus Coker was suspended indefinitely from Tennessee football...
• Two words: "Rap video."
Update [2007-8-8 12:11:39 by SMQ]: Resident Vol guru Joel first speculated Coker's suspension was over a little weed, which would be trez passe, but now veers back in favor of "mystery" with more speculation of an existing, undisclosed medical condition (one that presumably is not "Marijuana Affinity Disorder"), which, if true, might qualify Coker for a grievance under the long arm of the ADA, right? Can someone be legally suspended for a legitimate medical condition?
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On their way out, an inmate hollered at Robinson, telling him how stupid he was for stealing shirts. Hunter made the junior go to the inmate's cell, so Robinson could hear more of what the man -- who was waiting to be transferred to prison -- had to say.
"If that doesn't wake you up and get the point across, nothing will," Hunter said.
...while passing the inmate 50 cartons of cigarettes for his role in the morality play...
Released, from prison, suspended Texas freshman Andre Jones, who told Texas officials he was "a victim of mistaken identity" and not with still-jailed teammate Robert Joseph during the armed robberies that led to the pair's arrest last week. Jones was out on $40,000 bond.