The Fifth Quarter: Week 1 Winners & Losers

Finally, thankfully, welcome to a brand new season of college football — ya know, that sport played on a (sometimes) green field? — giving us a much-needed respite from an offseason rife with off-field scandals, arrests and, of late, more conference turbulence.

While the title’s been tweaked a bit, the review of the weekend’s action below is still the same ol’ one-stop slice of Les Miles-approved college football turf it was last year.  And, just as it was last year, and as will be the case every week from here on out, any omission below is not on purpose, it’s merely intentional.

WINNERS

“OR-ih-guhn”? Try “Or-ih-DONE”
Their starting quarterback is facing a felony charge and is indefinitely suspended.  One of their leading returning receivers was ruled ineligible for at least the opener.  Their most experienced offensive lineman could be lost for the entire 2011 season.  And then there’s the whole Willie Lyles imbroglio looming in the background.  So, with all of that off-field mess going on, what does No. 4 LSU do?  Go out and beat the No. 3 and reigning BcS runners-up Oregon 40-27, that’s what they did.  It was far from pretty, with the Tigers the beneficiaries of four UO turnovers and 12 penalties while producing a meager 273 yards of offense.  And Jordan Jefferson‘s replacement under center, Jarrett Lee, was, well, Jarrett Lee, minus the backbreaking pick-sixes featured prominently on his QB calling card.  While Lee kept up the LSU tradition of throwing for less than 100 yards in four full quarters of football, he did avoid any type of turnover while also adding a touchdown pass as an unexpected bonus.  And that vaunted Ducks rushing attack?  Stonewalled, averaging just 3.4 yards on their 28 carries.  Add it all up, and it turned into a somewhat improbable win for The Mad Hatter, and set the Bayou Bengals on a course that could still end with a January trip to New Orleans.  Stay out of the bars, though.  Just sayin’ is all.

This spud’s for you
We can hear the critics now. “But PAAAWWWLLL, it wasn’t (insert Alabama, LSU, the 2006/2008 Florida Gators or the 1977/1979 Pittsburgh Steelers here)!”  You know what?  It doesn’t matter; No. 5 Boise State went into the heart of SEC country and is headed back to Idaho with a win over a ranked member of the preeminent conference in college football.  And it wasn’t even the margin of victory that was most impressive; rather, it was how the Broncos completely stomped all over No. 19 Georgia’s manhood in every single facet of the game.  Say what you want about their blue turf and their soft conference slate and whatever else, but the Broncos have shown in nearly every “national stage” moment of the past few years that that’s exactly where they belong.  One of these days, they’ll get the nationwide respect they deserve.  Because it was “just” UGA, however, that likely won’t be the case.  Again.

Just a bro bein’ a bro
Steve Spurrier shocked nearly every interested observer by announcing earlier this week that sophomore Connor Shaw would start the opener at quarterback against East Carolina instead of two-year-plus starter Stephen Garcia.  Fortunately for Spurrier and his Gamecocks, Garcia’s chill like that and doesn’t allow such slights to affect him in the least.  Trailing 17-0 to Conference USA’s East Carolina with Shaw in charge of the offense, Garcia was inserted into the lineup.  Two touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown later, the No. 12 Gamecocks were well on their way 56-37 season-opening win.  Regardless of whether it was just mind games or Spurrier truly believed Shaw was the best option, the Ol’ Ball Coach has no choice but to start Garcia in the SEC opener next weekend.

Scoreboard, Mother Nature
For the first time in the school’s long and storied history, a Michigan football game was called due to weather, with the Wolverines coming away with a 34-10 win over Western Michigan in a game that consisted of less than three quarters of play.  The Notre Dame-USF game in South Bend was suspended twice as well due to lightning in the area — the game ultimately took 5:59 to complete — prompting the stadium to be evacuated for the first time ever that anyone could recall.  Additionally, the Iowa-Tennessee Tech game was delayed for well over an hour due to a storm that blew through the area.  And that’s not all; the McNeese State-Kansas and Montana-Tennessee games were also delayed because of weather, as well as the Eastern Michigan-Howard game being postponed until Sunday.  We said it before and we’ll say it again: Craig James was the color man on the UM game; all this weather was The Big fan Upstairs’ way of saying #firecraigjames before somebody gets hurt.

Don’t tread on us — if you don’t mind
Long the butt of jokes, most of which were well deserved, the Big East decided to whip some ass on the opening weekend of the 2011 season.  Following West Virginia’s victory over Marshall on Sunday, the beleaguered football conference sports a spotless 8-0 mark after Week One.   Sure, four of the wins came against schools outside of Div. 1-A, and just one came against a school in a BcS conference (Syracuse over Wake Forest), but it’s the Big East and a non-basketball sport we’re talking about.  Baby steps, y’all.  Baby steps.

The prodigal son returns
Skip Holtz graduated from Notre Dame.  His father, Lou Holtz, won a national championship as head coach of the Irish and has a statue outside the stadium dedicated in his honor.  It was certainly an emotional return for the younger Holtz to South Bend as head coach of USF, made even more so by the Bulls “stunning”, rain-delayed “upset” over the No. 16 Irish.  After the game, Holtz brushed aside any notion of his past adding more weight to the present. “This game wasn’t about me – that would be selfish,” Holtz said following the 23-20 win. “This is a big win for our program. Our players weren’t even born when I was here. I wasn’t going to make it about me.”  Regardless of whether the Irish were overrated — again — it was a huge win for the USF football program.  And, even as he may not admit it publicly, it was huge for Holtz as well.

Neither Wile E. Coyote nor ACME were anywhere in sight
Saturday morning I busted the chops of the fledgling University of Texas at San Antonio just a wee bit.  Now, I come to praise them.  And their fans.  In UTSA’s first game ever, the Div. 1-AA (FCS) school ran over, through and around Div. II Northeastern State by the score of 31-3.  Not only was it the Roadrunners’ first-ever win, it was the first win for head coach Larry Coker – of the Miami Hurricane Cokers — since December of 2006.  Arguably even more stunning than UTSA breezing to the first win was the attendance; a whopping 56,743 were at the Alamodome to witness the momentous occasion.  So, not only do the Roadrunner players and coaches deserve a hearty “atta boy”, the program’s fans deserve a healthy round of applause for the phenomenal support they displayed.

Now go clean that pig sty of a room, young man…
The fact Nick Isham started Louisiana Tech’s opener against Southern Miss is not really all that remarkable in and of itself; after all, he came to the Bulldogs as a three-star recruit out of high school.  What makes Isham’s start remarkable, though, is the fact that he’s not even old enough to vote.  That’s right, Isham is a mere 17 years old, and won’t turn 18 until next month.  And the youngster actually acquitted himself well in a 19-17 loss to Southern Miss, completing 20-of-36 passes for 176 yards.  While he didn’t throw  a touchdown, he didn’t throw an interception either. And, oddly enough, Tech’s opponent also has some experience with young players at the position; Brett Favre was the same age as Isham when he made his debut for the Golden Eagles a couple of decades ago.

LOSERS

A win is a win is a loss
I get the fact that, including the best offensive player in the country as well as arguably the best one on the defensive side of the ball, Auburn suffered a tremendous amount of attrition this offseason and should not be expected to play at the level they reached last year this early in the season.  What also should not be expected — or accepted — is needing a last-minute touchdown at home against a WAC opponent that hasn’t had a winning season since Bill Clinton was in office.  The good news for the Tigers is they get Florida Atlantic at the end of this month.  The bad news?  They get Mississippi State and Clemson before then, and South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida and LSU in consecutive weeks after.  Attrition or not, Gene Chizik can’t allow another performance like that if he hopes to sniff five wins let alone a minor bowl berth.

Off the Mark, back on the hot seat
I really, really like and respect Mark Richt.  There are probably just a handful of coaches in big-time college football who I’d prefer coach one of my sons over Richt.  The reality is, however, the natives are beginning to get restless — again — and, after back-to-back disappointing seasons, the howling will likely be more vocal than at any point the past couple of years.  The thing is, after what UGA did in the Georgia Dome Saturday night, it’s not exactly unwarranted. Simply put, that was embarrassing, a veritable home game that turned into a romp for the supposedly inferior Boise State Broncos.  Coming off a 6-7 season, a beatdown at the hands of a “mid-major” was the last thing Richt’s warm backside needed.  Hey, speaking of hot seats…

Hornets, don’t you think you were a little hard on the Beavers?
If Mike Riley‘s seat was hot before the start of the season, that thing’s a veritable fireball after the opener.  Unbelievably, Riley’s Oregon State team dropped a game, in Corvallis no less, to Div. 1-AA (FCS) Sacramento State, a game in which they actually came back from a 21-6 fourth-quarter deficit.  And we can’t figure out what’s worse, the fact that OSU had to mount a two-score comeback at all, or the fact that they… ahhh, screw it.  It’s all equally bad for Riley & Company, especially when they look at the schedule and see No. 11 Wisconsin coming to town next weekend.

It’s, like, just the first weekend, man
Based on the first weekend, the Pac-12 probably can’t wait for Texas and Oklahoma to head west.  While the conference went 8-4, the losses — and even a couple of the wins — were not befitting a conference looking to improve their national image.  Of course, there was Oregon’s beatdown at the hands of LSU as well as the above-mentioned loss to a 1-AA school by OSU.  And UCLA’s 38-34 loss to Houston of Conference USA.  And Colorado’s loss to Hawaii in their first game as a member of the conference.  Throw in USC’s two-point win over Big Ten doormat Minnesota and Washington’s three-point win over 1-AA Eastern Washington, and it was a weekend that commissioner Larry Scott would likely rather forget.  Unless he adds UT and OU next week, of course.

Ya know what? Go ahead and grab that clipboard for a bit
Nick Saban came into the game against his alma mater Kent State with an open mind and a clear agenda as it pertains to the quarterback position: get both AJ McCarron and Phillip Sims equal reps and let the signal-calling chips fall where they may.  While both players tossed two interceptions during the 48-7 win, McCarron was the better of the two statistically — 226 passing yards and the lone touchdown pass for McCarron to 73 yards on just nine fewer attempts for Sims — and appeared more comfortable and poised for most of the game than did his counterpart.  After Saturday’s game, expect Sims to see more of the sideline next week at Penn State than he did this weekend.  And for McCarron to get a second consecutive start, with this one not including as much time off the field.

What the…
Leading BYU 13-7 with just over five minutes to play, and facing a third-and-27 from their own 21, the prudent call for Ole Miss would be to run the ball and, if you don’t convert, punt the ball to the Cougars and play defense, right?  Wrong.  Inexplicably, first-year Rebels offensive coordinator David Lee called for a pass play out of the shotgun.  Needless to say, things didn’t go according to Lee’s plan as quarterback Zach Stoudt was blindsided by BYU defender Kyle Van Noy, causing a fumble that was recovered in the end zone by, who else, Van Noy.  That proved to be the winning score for the Cougars, with what led to that score proving to be a WTF moment for any Ole Miss fan who witnessed it.

First-degree fashion felony
That’s PGA touring pro John Daly Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley‘s choice of game-day attire there on the right.  Nothing else needs to be written.  Or, more to the point, nothing else can be written as I’m temporarily blind.

First-degree aggravated fashion felony
Call me old, call me stuck in the past, call me whatever you want, just don’t try to convince me those uniform abominations Georgia and Boise State wore Saturday night were anything but uniform abominations.  My goodness, I flipped the channel from Oregon-LSU on ABC over to ESPN and my first thought was, “why the hell are they showing an Arena League game? I thought BSU-UGA was supposed to be on?”  Those things were called Nike Combat Uniforms at their unveiling; the only thing I was combating was vertigo and the urge to vomit.  Penn State and Alabama and the like may not be cool or hip or whatever, but I’ll take those over that any day of the week and twice on Saturdays.  Now, you kids, go and get off my lawn…

ODDS & ENDS

– Tom Wort was chosen by his teammates as the first defensive player who would wear the No. 12 jersey of Austin Box, the Oklahoma linebacker who tragically passed away this offseason.  Following the Sooners’ 47-14 win over Tulsa, Wort was awarded the game ball by his team.

– Everett Withers, named North Carolina’s interim head coach following the firing of Butch Davis, picked up his first career win Saturday, an easy 42-10 romp over James Madison.  In a move that simply oozes class, Withers announced that he would be giving the game ball for the win to Davis.  Withers, you’re a good man regardless of what happens in your coaching future.

– On Aug. 24, Richmond head coach Latrell Scott was forced to resign following a drunk-driving arrest.  10 days later, interim head coach/offensive coordinator Wayne Lineburg took the Spiders on the road to Duke — and came away with a 23-21 win.  While the circumstances certainly made this win all the more satisfying, it certainly doesn’t come as a shock; the Spiders have beaten the Blue Devils the last three times the schools have squared off (2006, 2009).

– Injuries are an unfortunate part of football that carry no rhyme or reason to their occurrence. Unfortunately for several programs, injuries took a harsh toll on their roster in week one. Mizzou lost two defensive playmakers in defensive end Jacquies Smith dislocated his elbow and linebacker Will Ebner suffered a high ankle sprain that could sideline him for several weeks. Additionally, a pair of starters returning from season-ending injuries got off to a bad start in 2011. UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince got hurt — again — against Houston and Michigan cornerback Troy Woolfolk was carted off the field with an ankle injury. Even one of the new guys — Iowa freshman running back Mika’il McCall — broke his ankle against Tennessee Tech and will miss the rest of the season.

– Seven true freshmen were among the 69 Alabama players who saw action during the Tide’s 48-7 rout of Kent State.  I don’t know whether those numbers are high, low or about normal, but it sure seems like a helluva lot.

– As expected, Joe Paterno coached Penn State’s season opener from the press box as the living legend continues to recover from injuries suffered in a collision during summer camp.  Fortunately, an elaborate system involving the telegraph and toga-clad couriers made for a seamless transition and allowed JoePa to stay in constant communication with the sidelines.

– JoePa wasn’t the only “experienced” coach to view his team’s first game from above.  After being forced off the bus on the way to Gainesville Friday due to severe hip discomfort, Howard Schnellenberger took in Florida Atlantic’s loss to Florida from the coaches box.  Schnellenberger had undergone hip replacement surgery last month, which led to the discomfort and the very brief hospital stay.

FOR STATISTICAL PURPOSES ONLY

– In his first start at the collegiate level, North Carolina’s Bryn Renner set an ACC record by completing 22-of-23 passes (95.7 percent) in the Tar Heels’ 42-10 win over James Madison.  In fact, none of Renner’s pass attempts actually hit the ground; his lone incompletion was a second-quarter interception.  Renner completion percentage was just shy of former Tennessee QB Tee Martin‘s 95.8 percent back in 1998.

– After throwing for 310 yards in his first game back since suffering a torn ACL last year, Houston’s Case Keenum is now just 3,144 yards away from becoming the NCAA’s all-time leader in passing yardage.

– Following USC’s too-close for-comfort win over Minnesota, head coach Lane Kiffin said that his squad currently has “two good players”.  One of those players Kiffin was obviously referring to was wide receiver Robert Woods, who caught a school-record 17 passes in the 19-17 win.  The sophomore also caught three touchdown passes from quarterback Matt Barkley, who we assume is the second good player Kiffin referred to.

– Speaking of Barkley, the junior put his own notch in the USC record book, setting a school record with 34 completions.

– Landry Jones did nothing to hurt his status as a preseason Heisman favorite, throwing for 375 yards and a touchdown.

– Florida’s Chris Rainey became the third player since 1996 to have a rushing, receiving and return (blocked punt) touchdown in the same game.

– Tajh Boyd was 20-for-30 for 264 yards and three TDs in his debut as Clemson’s starter.

– Arkansas wide receiver Joey Adams‘ two punt returns for touchdowns (61, 78) tied an SEC record for most in a single game.

– Chandler Harnish accounted for six touchdowns — five passing, one rushing — to give Northern Illinois coach Dave Doeren his first career win.

– Questionable all week due to an injury, Washington’s Chris Polk rushed for 125 yards in the Huskies win — barely — over Eastern Washington.

– Cincinnati dropped 72 points on poor Austin Peay, the third-most the Bearcats have scored in the school’s history.

– UCF scored a school-record eight rushing touchdowns in a 62-0 pasting of Charleston Southern.

– This is a leftover from Friday night, but it’s still worth a mention: Baylor had 263 total yards in 45-10 loss to TCU last season. At halftime of their eventual 50-48 win over the Horned Frogs, the Bears had 367 yards.

– Ohio State tight end Jake Stoneburner was on the receiving end of three Joe Bauserman touchdown passes in the Buckeyes’ season-opening 42-0 cruise over Akron.  Entering the game, Stoneburner had two receiving TDs in his entire career.

– With Luke Fickell‘s win in his first game as Ohio State’s head coach, Jack Ryder remains the last coach to lose his debut at the school.  That was back in 1892, incidentally.  And the winning coach that day?  None other than Joe Paterno.

AP

A pair of standout Syracuse signal callers will not so unexpectedly be honored by their alma mater, the school announced Sunday.

In a press release, Syracuse confirmed that former quarterbacks Donovan McNabb and Don McPherson will have their respective jerseys raised to the Carrier Dome roof during retirement ceremonies this coming season.  The latter will be honored during the Oct. 5 game against Clemson, the former during a Nov. 2 game against Wake Forest.

McNabb and McPherson will become the sixth and seventh players honored in this manner by the Orange, joining the likes of Jim Brown, Larry Csonka, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little and John Mackey.

“It is our pleasure to honor Donovan McNabb and Don McPherson and recognize their importance to the history of Syracuse football. Both of these men were catalysts for some of the greatest success in college football during their respectful tenures at Syracuse. We want to recognize these extraordinary men during our inaugural season in the ACC as we look to establish new success,” said Syracuse athletic director Dr. Daryl Gross in a statement. “We celebrate two individuals who were significant in branding Syracuse football as a national power. The nation’s eyes were fixated on these two amazing student-athletes as they helped elevate and maintain SU football’s prominence.

“We truly hope all SU fans will join us during the season to salute the jersey retirement of these two tremendous individuals and their families  as we look to compete at the highest level in the ACC as New York’s College Team.”

McNabb led the Orange to three Big East titles and two BCS bowl berths during his time with the Orange.  He was also the first player in conference history to be named first-team All-Big East four times.

15 years after last playing for the Orange, McNabb still holds Syracuse career records for most touchdown passes thrown, total offense, touchdown responsibility, and highest passing efficiency.

“It is an honor,” McNabb said. “Obviously the number 44 had its impact on the program and now #5 will be honored, too. Hopefully we will have more in the future. When you play high school football your goal is to earn a scholarship and a starting position and win the national championship. You do not think about individual honors such as this. It is really unbelievable. Syracuse prepared me for life away from the game. I came in with a mindset that after football I wanted to be in broadcasting. Syracuse taught me responsibility, maturity and played such a big role in developing me into the man I want to be, to be looked at not only as a great athlete, but a great person.”

McPherson was a 1987 All-American who finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting; won the Maxwell Award, which honors the college football player of the year; the Davey O’Brien Award, which recognizes the best collegiate quarterback; and was the first recipient of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He led the Orange that year to an undefeated regular season and a Sugar Bowl berth.

He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

“There are so many people who are responsible for this honor who should be standing next to me when this happens,” McPherson said. “In sports we wear jerseys because we are part of a team. The number on the jersey is meant to identify the player wearing it. To have my jersey singled out is more a moment of reflection than accomplishment. It makes me think about what I did to deserve this and that makes me think about all of the people who came before me, were at Syracuse with me and who have been there since I graduated. A significant part of my journey has been having somebody like Coach Mac in my life. When Daryl Gross called to tell me about this event, I started to write down the names of those who have impacted who I am and it quickly became too long to list everyone. I am blessed.

AP

Meandering our way through the offseason, a single one-liner at a time…

– Mike Leach might be returning to the Big 12… as an opposing coach.

– 10 of the 12 teams in the Big Ten are investing a combined $1.72 million more this year in football assistant coaches pay than they did last year.

– The Des Moines Register has a 45-minute conversation with Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, replete with video and everything.

– From, again, the Des Moines Register: recruits who keep an open mind are simply playing by the rules.

– al.com takes a look at the surprising development at slot receiver for Auburn this spring.

– If you’re interested in hearing third-generation Michigan State player Riley Bullough singin’ and strummin’, click HERE.

– Michigan will, for now, open the season as 26-point favorites vs. Central Michigan.

– With skill commitments in tow, Vanderbilt will now switch its recruiting focus to the trenches.

AP

In 2012 as a high school senior, Derrick Nash led the state of Michigan in rushing.  In February, the running back signed a National Letter of Intent to play his college football at Central Michigan in what he called “the greatest moment in my life.”  Three months later, Nash received the worst news of his young life.

Leukemia, diagnosed following a trip to the emergency room for what was thought to be mono or the flu.

The prom, his graduation ceremony and even his first year of college football have been replaced by chemotherapy sessions at University Hospital in Ann Arbor.  The good news is Nash was told by doctors that “everything would be fine. I would be able to get better” and play football again after sitting out the 2013 season.

Nash, though, wasn’t sure that would be with the Chippewas, telling Hugh Bernreuter of mlive.com that he was “worried [CMU] coaches were going to give up on me.”  That was one fear in this whole process for which there was no need.

“One of the first things we told him was that he was going to play football again and that he was going to play for CMU,” Chips head coach Dan Enos (pictured) said. “Keeping him on scholarship was a no-brainer. It’s the right thing to do. That’s the philosophy from the president through the athletic director to the coaches. You do the right thing.”

Added Enos, “I can’t wait until he can run onto our field before a game wearing a CMU uniform. That’ll be a great moment for a lot of people.”

Nash will continue undergoing chemo treatments for the next five months or so, but could be released from the hospital as early as late this month.  The website writes that Nash “expects to receive a medical redshirt season and begin working toward the 2014 season” following his release.

Thoughts and prayers go out to Nash as he continues his battle to beat this insidious disease.  And here’s to hoping he realizes his dream by running out on to the field in September of 2014 with his teammates as the Chips take on Purdue.

AP

With “voluntary” summer workouts set to commence in short order, Tulsa has found itself suffering an unexpected bit of personnel attrition.

The school confirmed to Tulsa World late this past week that kicker Daniel Schwarz and wide receiver Adam Boyd will not be a part of the football program for the 2013 season and will apparently seek transfers.  As is ofttimes the case, no reasons for the departures were given.

The bigger of the two departures by far is that of Schwarz.  As a freshman last season, Schwarz was the Golden Hurricanes’ starting kicker, connecting on 12-of-18 field goal attempts and 52-of-59 extra points.  He finished second on the team in scoring with 88 points.

Taking over the kicking duties will apparently be Carl Salazar, a walk-on who has spent time at both Air Force and Oklahoma.

Boyd, a two-star member of Tulsa’s 2012 recruiting class, took a redshirt for his true freshman season.

AP

Thanks to family issues back home, Tulane will be without one its most experienced members of its receiving corp for the 2013 season.

According to the Baton Rouge Advocate, Wilson Van Hooser has asked for a release from his Tulane scholarship and will transfer out of the football program.  The reason for the transfer has nothing to do with problems with the coaching staff or off-field issues or anything of that sort.  Rather, the senior wide receiver wants to move back home to be closer to his mom, who the paper writes has undergone seven back surgeries and several other procedures looking into her brain over the past several months and is currently bedridden.

“I needed to make a big-boy decision, because I’m graduating, my older brother is getting married and Fudge (brother and Tulane teammate Walker Van Hooser) is moving into a position he’s really excited about,” Van Hooser told the Advocate. “I need to step up for my family, and I need to be the one to be back in Montgomery (Ala.) to help out as much as I can.”

While Van Hooser is leaving the Green Wave, he wants to play his final season of college football.  In a classy gesture, Van Hooser said that the Tulane coaching staff has reached out to their counterparts at Auburn and Troy in an attempt to help the player find a roster spot for the 2013 season.

That gesture wasn’t lost on Van Hooser.

“I was so impressed with the way the coaches handled it, and I hoped they would be okay with my decision,” the receiver said. “But I didn’t expect them to sympathize, and they did. These things aren’t easy.”

Van Hooser has played in 37 games the past three years, totaling 55 catches for 805 yards and nine touchdowns.  His best year came during his redshirt sophomore season in 2011 with 36 receptions for 487 yards and four touchdowns.  While he had just 11 catches in 2012, he averaged over 21 yards per reception and his five touchdown catches were tied for second on the team.

Getty Images

A little over a month after signing on as a member of North Carolina’s 2011 recruiting class, Delvon Simmons was released from his Tar Heels scholarship and ultimately landed at Texas Tech.

Two years later, the defensive tackle is on the move yet again.

RedRaiderSports.com is reporting that Simmons has decided to transfer out of the Tech football program.  Apparently this doesn’t come as a shock to those who cover the team on a daily basis as Chris Level of that Rivals.com website wrote on Twitter that the player has “gone back and forth on wanting to transfer several times; this time, it’s happening.”

The Tech athletic department has yet to publicly confirm the defensive lineman’s impending departure.

As for potential transfer destinations, Simmons is already slated to visit USC this weekend.  Simmons was close to signing with the Trojans coming out of high school before (briefly) opting for the Tar Heels.

Additionally, Simmons is reportedly considering Miami, Penn State and Pittsburgh.

Simmons, who will be forced to sit out the 2013 season if he stays at the FBS level, will have two years to use two seasons of eligibility beginning in 2014.

For the 2011 recruiting class, Simmons was a four-star recruit rated as the No. 1 player in the state of Pennsylvania; the No. 5 defensive tackle in the country; and the No. 80 player at any position in the country.  He started all 13 games for the Red Raiders in 2012 after playing in 10 games as a true freshman in 2011.

Getty Images

Ladies and gentlemen, the college football offseason!

According to FOX8-TV in Cleveland, Akron football player Seth Cunningham is facing a charge of aggravated robbery following an incident late Thursday night.  And by “incident,” we mean the cornerback allegedly held up a tobacco pipe store at gunpoint.

Per the television station, “Cunningham, 21, entered the 24-hour store on Pearl Road Monday and waved a 9mm handgun in the air. He stole a water pipe worth $447 before taking off.”

Brunswick (Ohio) police caught up with and arrested Cunningham, who they allege admitted to the robbery.  He was taken to a county jail but was subsequently released after a $30,000 bond was posted.

The Zips subsequently confirmed that Cunningham has been indefinitely suspended from the football program.

The senior cornerback played in nine games in 2012.

Meandering our way through the offseason, a single one-liner at a time…

– Michigan offensive coordinator Al Borges has no problem with Devin Gardner fine-tuning his game with the help of a quarterback guru.

– The Omaha World-Herald says all the talk of more neutral site games in college football is a bunch of hot air.

– Graduating from Texas, former UT great Vince Young says the sheepskin trumps any pigskin glory he achieved with the Longhorns.

– Polynesian players are prospering at Utah.

– PennLive.com: Michael Mauti‘s rise to Penn State icon was about so much more than his play.

– al.com: Auburn legend Terry Beasley fights back during week of despair, health scares

– With Nick Saban set to be inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame this weekend, some of the Tide coach’s knickknacks (get it?) will be on display.

– More than $91,000 raised for Mott Children’s Hospital by Michigan football.

AP

In December, it was announced that Daniel Jenkins would be transferring out of the Arizona football program after finishing second among Wildcat running backs in rushing yards last season.  In January, the running back took to Twitter to announce that he would be transferring to Washington State to continue his collegiate playing career.

Four months later?

Lt. Frank Drebin, take it away…

Friday night, UA head coach Rich Rodriguez announced that Jenkins had decided to leave Wazzu and transfer back to the Wildcats.  No reason was given for Jenkins’ decision to transfer back into the program from which he had left just five months ago.

Jenkins participated in spring practice at WSU and would’ve been eligible to play for the Cougars in 2013 as he had graduated from UA in December.  Now, he will be eligible to play for the Wildcats this season as a graduate transfer.

In 2012, Jenkins was third on the team in rushing behind the nation’s leading rusher Ka’Deem Carey (1,929 yards) and quarterback Matt Scott (506) with a career-high 293 yards.  As a four-star member of UA’s 2009 recruiting class, Jenkins was rated as the No. 12 all-purpose back in the country by Rivals.com.

AP

Shortly before National Signing Day this past February, it was reported that Marquise Williams was no longer enrolled at North Carolina. A couple of months later? That’s no longer the case.

UNC confirmed Friday that the quarterback is again enrolled at the school and is attending classes.  Academics prevented Williams from enrolling for the spring semester, which kept the player from participating in spring practice.

Last season, the former four-star recruit served as the primary backup to starter Bryn Renner, who returns to the Tar Heels this fall for his senior season.

Mitch Trubisky exited spring as the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart as a true freshman.  Trubisky was an early enrollee after signing on as a member of the Tar Heels’ 2013 recruiting class.

As a redshirt freshman last season, Williams accounted for 127 yards passing and 186 yards rushing.  He scored four total touchdowns.

AP

Two months after being slapped with a suspension, Darius Millines, along with a teammate, has seen his career at Illinois come to an untimely end.

An Illini official confirmed to the Associated Press that Millines and defensive end Darrius Caldwell have been dismissed from the football program.  As expected, the only reason given was an unspecified violation of team rules.

The school has yet to offer up any public comments on what led to head coach Tim Beckman‘s decision to dismiss the duo.

In early March, the wide receiver was indefinitely suspended for the same set of reasons.  As a junior last season, Millines was second on the team with 319 receiving yards on 32 catches.

Caldwell played in 12 games as a redshirt freshman last season, credited with 17 tackles, five tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

AP

We don’t yet know to where Wes Lunt will transfer, but we do know where it won’t be.  Reportedly.

According to Jeremy Fowler of CBSSports.com, Oklahoma State is restricting the quarterback from transferring to Southern Miss as well as any SEC school.  Such restrictions would severely limit desirable destinations for Lunt as he had been considering five schools; three of them — Southern Miss, Tennessee and Vanderbilt — are now off-limits because of his former school in general and his ex-coach specifically.

Still on Lunt’s radar are Illinois and Louisville.  Lunt either has or will in very short order visit the Illini, who are currently considered the front-runners by default.

A school spokesperson confirmed the head-scratching restrictions to Fowler, and stated it was between OSU head coach Mike Gundy and Lunt when asked why the player would not be released to that set of schools.  It’s unclear why Gundy — ya know, the “I’m a man, I’m 40″ rant guy when it came to defending one his players from the sharp barbs of the mean ol’ media — placed such restrictions on Lunt.

The Southern Miss football program is now headed by Todd Monken, who served as Gundy’s offensive coordinator in 2011 and 2012; the Cowboys and Golden Eagles are not slated to face each other during the regular season at any point over the next nine years.  After sitting out the 2013 season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules, Lunt will have three years of eligibility remaining; the only SEC school Oklahoma State will face in the regular season during that four-year timeframe is Mississippi State in 2013.

Ironically, Gundy spoke to at least two different schools this offseason about their head coaching vacancies, and would’ve been free to move to those programs without restriction.  The two schools he’s known to have spoken with about their openings?  Arkansas and Tennessee, both members of the SEC.

Excellent work, Coach Gundy.  You and your university and T. Boone should be very proud of the pettiness and double-standards on full display.  Stay classy, Stillwater.

UPDATED 6:26 p.m. ET: According to Zach Kerker, sports director at 1450 in Springfield, Ill., Lunt’s high school coach stated that his former player is also restricted from transferring to Pac-12 schools as well as Central Michigan (on OSU’s non-conference schedule in 2015 & 2016).  The reason behind the restrictions?  ”They could play in bowl games,” the coach said.

Pitiful.  Absolutely pitiful situation.

While uncertainty still abound when it comes to one high-profile member of Florida State’s 2013 recruiting class, another has seen his status clarified in a positive way by an arm of the NCAA.

FSU announced Friday that defensive end DeMarcus Walker has been cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse following months of uncertainty.  Walker was an early enrollee at FSU but did not participate in spring practice due to the Clearinghouse issue.

Reportedly, the issue stemmed from an online course he had taken in high school.

“Nole Nation I just got the best news ever I’m cleared academically now,” Walker wrote in a tweet posted to his Twitter account. “I swear ever(y) school on the schedule is in trouble now. #FEAR THE SPEAR.”

Walker was a four-star member of FSU’s recruiting class this year, rated as the No. 5 strongside defensive end in the country and the No. 11 player at any position in the state of Florida.  He was rated by Rivals.com as the No. 57 player in the country.

In part because of attrition and in part because of his talent, Walker is expected to contribute immediately to the Seminoles’ line rotation.

AP

Thanks in large part to it being a (very) low point in the offseason college football news cycle, another blast directed at Nick Saban has dominated the headlines over the past couple of days.

The Alabama head coach was referred to as “the devil himself” as well as accused of lacking a personality by Florida assistant Tim Davis at a booster function.  What differentiates this from Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin‘s “Nicky Satan” blast earlier this year is the fact that Saban and Davis had a previous working relationship, leading the former to label the latter’s comments as “terribly disappointing” and seemingly being left hurt by the jabs.

During an appearance via the telephone on the Dan Patrick Show Friday, Saban addressed that topic as well as multiple other issues — including the acknowledgement that preparations for the rematch with Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M are already ongoing.  Check out the video below.

Meandering our way through the offseason, a single one-liner at a time…

– al.com: While you’re going after Nick Saban, he’s going about his business.

– Speaking of Saban, have you ever wondered what the Alabama head coach would look like with Dana Holgorsen‘s hair?  If so, today’s your lucky day.

– Losing U.S. Open tennis could lead to CBS televising early-season SEC games.

– Charlie Weis likes the hope fans have in the Jayhawks, but doesn’t want their faith to be blind.

– Auburn’s defensive line going back to basics in order to shore up its run defense.

– Eric Weddle has become an unofficial ambassador for the Utah football program.

– Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer and ESPN sideline reporter Jeannine Edwards are engaged to be married.

– Former Ole Miss quarterback Tom Luke has returned to his alma mater as the football program’s assistant athletics director for player development.

– This Georgia Tech grad assistant’s attempt at recruiting via photoshopping is bad. “Not bad meaning good but bad meaning bad,” says Run DMC.

– Not football-related, but Ohio is the most swearingest f—–g state in America.  O-F’N-H!!!

– Not football-related either, but RIP Dick Trickle.  Smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em…