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¹ 2008 Spring Football/Summer Workouts (updates) ©
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[h1]Team preview: USC[/h1]
Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook
Updated: July 11, 2008, 2:30 PM ET
Editor's Note: ESPN Insider has teamed with Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook to provide a comprehensive look at all Division I-A teams. To order the complete 2008 edition of Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, visit www.blueribbonyearbook.com or call 1-866-805-BALL (2255).
(All information as of June 20, 200
[h4]Southern California Trojans[/h4]
[table][tr][td]LOCATION[/td] [td]Los Angeles[/td] [/tr][tr][td]CONFERENCE[/td] [td]Pac-10[/td] [/tr][tr][td]LAST SEASON[/td] [td]11-2 (.846)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]CONFERENCE RECORD[/td] [td]7-2 (t-1st)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]OFF. STARTERS RETURNING[/td] [td]4[/td] [/tr][tr][td]DEF. STARTERS RETURNING[/td] [td]7[/td] [/tr][tr][td]NICKNAME[/td] [td]Trojans[/td] [/tr][tr][td]COLORS[/td] [td]Cardinal & Gold[/td] [/tr][tr][td]HOME FIELD[/td] [td]L.A. Memorial Coliseum (92,000)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]HEAD COACH[/td] [td]Pete Carroll (Pacific '73)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]RECORD AT SCHOOL[/td] [td]76-14 (7 years)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]CAREER RECORD[/td] [td]76-14 (7 years)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]ASSISTANTS[/td] [td]⢠Steve Sarkisian (BYU '97), Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
⢠Nick Holt (Pacific '86), Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line
⢠John Morton (Western Michigan '97), Passing Coordinator/Wide Receivers
⢠Brendan Carroll (Pittsburgh '01), Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator
⢠Todd McNair (Temple '8, Running Backs/Special Teams Coordinator
⢠Ken Norton, Jr. (UCLA '9, Linebackers
⢠Pat Ruel (Miami '72), Offensive Line
⢠Rocky Seto (USC '99), Secondary
⢠David Watson (Western Illinois '01), Defensive Line[/td] [/tr][tr][td]TEAM WINS (Last five yrs.)[/td] [td]12-13-12-11-11[/td] [/tr][tr][td]FINAL RANK (Last five yrs.)[/td] [td]2-1-2-6-3[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2007 FINISH[/td] [td]Beat Illinois in Rose Bowl.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2008 Schedule | 2007 Results | 2007 Stats[/td] [/tr][/table]
COACH AND PROGRAM
It has become a rite of passage. As the calendar dives into the New Year and NFL franchises dispose of their head coaches, the rumor mill starts, and sure enough USC head coach Pete Carroll's name is thrown into the mix of every high-profile job. The courting process never lasts long, though. Carroll always saying he's willing to listen, only to withdraw his name from consideration after a phone call or two.
Word is that he wouldn't even consider returning to the NFL without full control of an organization, but he's never verified that, so rumors being rumors, who knows? The spectrum is two-fold, as it's easy to consider each mindset:
⢠As competitive as they come, Carroll -- who turns 57 years old in September -- wants to prove he wasn't given a fair shake in head-coaching stops with the New York Jets and the New England Patriots. His career NFL head coaching record stands at 33-31, and of course, the allure of joining Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer as coaches that have won Super Bowls and NCAA championships has to be enticing. And then there's always the money, not that Carroll is hurting at USC.
⢠The other theory is no less compelling. Why leave the best college coaching job in the land? He more or less has a lifetime contract at USC. And no one can debate that Carroll -- whose .844 career winning percentage is tops among active coaches with only Urban Meyer and Bob Stoops having also won 80 percent of their games -- is better suited for the college game with his rah-rah attitude and his laid-back, ideal-for-the-West Coast personality. He never gelled with the Northeast media of Boston and New York City.
For the time being, though -- that being this season -- Carroll remains as the coach of the Trojans. And that means USC should compete for the BCS Championship.
Over the last six seasons (2002-07), Carroll has guided USC to six top-4 Associated Press poll finishes, including back-to-back national crowns in 2003 and 2004, an NCAA-best six BCS bowl appearances, a conference record six straight Pac-10 crowns and an NCAA-record six straight seasons with at least 11 victories.
The final tally has the Trojans at 70-8 over that stretch. And look no further than this April's NFL draft for why the nation's top recruits flock to USC. The Trojans had 10 players selected, including a mind-boggling seven in the first two rounds. Yes, seven Trojans were taken among the first 63 picks.
Now, for just about any other program in the nation, that would spell doom, perhaps not in terms of a rebuilding project, but you don't lose that kind of talent and compete for a national crown the following year. And especially not with one of the toughest schedules in the land -- the season-opener at Virginia, followed by a visit from what some consider the nation's top team, Ohio State, on Sept. 13. Also, what should be a much-improved Notre Dame squad also visits on Nov. 29.
"I think we owe it to our kids to play as many big-time games as possible, isn't that why they come to USC?" said USC assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. "We're never going to back away from any game; we played Idaho last season to open as a favor to a former assistant, and we hated it. The players hated it, the coaches hated it.
"Our goal every season is to win the Pac-10. That should be the goal of every program, to win their conference. We don't care about playing in the BCS title game, if it happens, great, but you can't let the system control your schedule. If we lose a nonconference game early, so be it, our players and our fans deserve seeing us play Ohio State and Virginia and Auburn and whoever else wants to play us. We will never back off that thought process."
The return of Sarkisian, who turned down the Oakland Raiders' head-coaching job last year, is a huge plus for USC. It's seems implausible that his "internship" under Carroll will last much longer, as the former BYU quarterback is more than ready to either run his own program or perhaps join former USC assistant Lane Kiffin as an NFL head coach. Actually, it's worth mentioning that the entire staff is back from last season, each in their same position.
"I've noticed the difference in having the staff back," Carroll said after spring practice. "There was a difference in our preparation and not having to train a new coach in a position. It was really nice in our continuity and our ability to move ahead. The continuity and teaching with the players was solid and it was a good boost. You could tell we were very competitive with what we tried to get done."
[table][tr][th=""]Inside the Pac-10[/th] [/tr][tr][td]
Take an Inside look at the Pac-10 with Blue Ribbon's 2008 team reports
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Arizona Wildcats[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Arizona State Sun Devils[/td] [/tr][tr][td]California Bears (Free Preview)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Oregon Ducks[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Oregon State Beavers[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Stanford Cardinal[/td] [/tr][tr][td]UCLA Bruins[/td] [/tr][tr][td]USC Trojans[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Washington Huskies[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Washington State Cougars[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2008 Blue Ribbon Index[/td] [/tr][/table]
QUARTERBACKS
What was expected to be the most-anticipated spring-time quarterback competition in the country never really materialized. Before the spring game Carroll officially chose his starter, although by that point, it was more or less the worst-kept secret in Los Angeles.
And so it begins, the era of the next chosen one -- junior Mark Sanchez (6-3, 225).
While USC fans, and the coaching staff, were hardly doing back flips when John David Booty broke a finger last season, it did allow Sanchez the chance to start three games. That experience gave him a huge head start over the likes of Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Booty, who had barely seen the field before taking over the USC offense.
Not that Sanchez was Joe Montana in those starts, winning two-of-three with a road loss at Oregon. His numbers for the season were decent, 69-of-114 (60.5 percent), 695 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions. For his collegiate career, all of 14 games, Sanchez has thrown for 758 yards, seven TD passes and six picks.
Of course, like any quarterback walking around the USC campus, Sanchez has the pedigree that would suggest future greatness. He was the 2004 Parade All-American Player of the Year, and he has the physical and athletic tools that project as an NFL starting signal caller. However, that talent hasn't really translated as of yet on game days outside of a stellar effort against Notre Dame last year in which he tossed four touchdowns and zero interceptions. Then again, Notre Dame struggled last year, so Sanchez still has to prove he's capable of that kind of performance against elite teams.
Sarkisian thinks Sanchez is ready to make the next step.
"I love the kid, he's going to be a fantastic player," Sarkisian said. "The experience he got last year, going into Notre Dame and Oregon, is invaluable. He has great command of the offense, and I love his leadership.
"I'm not sure how differently the offense will look from last year to the casual observer, but Mark's very athletic, more than any quarterback we've had here, he can really run and he can create with his feet. But schematically, there won't be much difference."
Carroll purposely chose Sanchez as the official starter the week of the spring game to see how he responded.
"That put him in that setting to see how he operated and how guys responded to him and how he picked up," Carroll said. "We saw that. He came out more energetic, more demonstrative and took more of a leadership position in the huddle."
Carroll agrees with Sarkisian that Sanchez is more of an athlete than USC quarterbacks of the past.
"He's a little more resourceful of an athlete than John David was," Carroll said. "JD was more of a pocket guy. Mark is quicker to take off and move. His subtle movements are quicker to slide and bob and weave in the pocket. He's also quicker to take off and run.
"Matt Leinart was a guy who was resourceful and moved around well and avoided the rush and would run at times -- and wished he could run better. Mark and Matt are very similar in that manner. I think what that provides for us, there will be some times when Mark will make movements that create space and get a second look down the field that could possibly give us some shots at big plays."
Another quarterback who can create plays is No. 2 on the depth chart, sophomore Mitch Mustain (6-3, 205). After sitting out last season as a transfer from Arkansas, Mustain was expected to seriously challenge Sanchez, but for whatever reason, it didn't happen this spring. While Sarkisian and Carroll say the competition will continue into the fall, there's no way barring injury that Sanchez doesn't start the opener at Virginia. And multiple reports out of Los Angeles had Mustain being a distant second to Sanchez.
Mustain was 8-0 as a freshman starter at Arkansas in 2006 and dating back to 8th grade, his record as a starting quarterback is a ridiculous 61-2. His transfer to USC surprised some observers of college football, especially given the fact Sanchez has two years of eligibility remaining. He's obviously the presumptive starter for 2010, but one can't imagine he left a starting role in the SEC to sit on the bench for three years and start one season in the Pac-10. At Arkansas in 2006, Mustain completed 69-of-132 passes (52.3 percent) for 894 yards, 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He was the national prep player of the year the season after Sanchez in 2005.
Behind Sanchez and Mustain is mobile redshirt freshman Aaron Corp (6-3, 185).
RUNNING BACKS
The story last season was why the heck nine All-American high school running backs in a span of two years would each choose USC as their collegiate destination. This isn't exactly the 1950s, when perhaps that could have come as a surprise the first day of practice.
The story this season, though, is which of those prep sensations will emerge as the 1-2 combination that Sarkisian envisions. At least one player took himself out of the equation, though; Emmanuel Moody transferred to Florida last August. He's expected to start there this season.
As for the situation at Troy, last season's leading rusher -- with 969 yards and 10 TDs -- Chauncey Washington exhausted his eligibility and was selected in the seventh round of the NFL draft, leaving a bevy of underclassmen battling for carries.
While he's not the leading returner rusher, look for sophomore Joe McKnight (6-0, 180) to become the team's primary ball carrier. Actually, not primary in the sense of 20 carries a game, more like the Reggie Bush's lighting to LenDale White's thunder. And while we're not huge fans of comparing a current player to those of the past, the comparison in this instance is impossible to ignore.
As a freshman McKnight rushed for 540 yards and three scores at 5.7 yards per carry. He also caught 23 balls for 203 yards and a score. However, much like Bush, he came on strong in the latter half of his rookie campaign, highlighted by his 206 all-purpose yards in USC's Rose Bowl win. The Trojans are committed to getting McKnight 15-18 touches a game this season, if not more.
"Ideally, we'd have three guys share the carries this year, but the best players will get enough carries," Sarkisian said. "Joe has never been the full-time tailback, not even in high school, it's new to him, but we're going to run him as much as anyone on the team.
"We have a lot of confidence in Joe, he's a dynamic runner and this spring, he was playing with a lot of confidence."
The post-spring game depth chart has four players listed in bold as the No. 1 tailback, and while that makes for the kind of competition Carroll loves, USC will not share carries between that many players.
The two heavy favorites along with McKnight are junior Stafon Johnson (6-0, 210), who rushed for 673 yards and five TDs at 6.9 yards per carry last season, and sophomore C.J. Gable (6-1, 195), who rushed for 143 yards on just 13 carries before abdomen surgery ended his season after two games.
"This is a very good position for us," Carroll said. "We have lots of versatility here. We have guys with great speed, guys who run very aggressively and guys who have a bit of both. We'll find the special qualities of each player and we'll use what they're skilled at. Stafon has a breakout year last season, Joe is one of the most exciting players in college football and C.J. looked to be all the way back this spring. He can run tough, can make you miss, is a very good pass blocker, probably our best, and can catch the ball well."
Others in the mix include junior Allen Bradford (6-0, 225) and redshirt freshmen Broderick Green (6-1, 230) and Marc Tyler (6-0, 215).
At fullback is sophomore Stanley Havill (6-1, 225). He rushed for 134 yards and two scores and caught 34 balls for 248 yards in 2007. Behind Havill is junior walk on Adam Goodman (6-2, 235).
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
The wide receiving corps was without question the most disappointing position for USC last season. Outside of a reserve, the entire group is back, which may or may not be good news. But Sarkisian saw dramatic improvement this spring.
"Without question the most improved position on the team this spring in terms of consistency, it was an inexperienced group last year, hadn't had a lot of reps, we had drop balls, guys running wrong routes," he said. "They had the talent, they just couldn't capture the consistency we needed."
Both starters are back in senior split end Patrick Turner (6-5, 220) -- who made 48 catches for 569 yards and three TDs in 2007 -- and junior flanker Vidal Hazelton (6-3, 210), who caught 50 balls for 540 yards and four scores.
However, neither is a lock to start, especially Turner. Sophomore David Ausberry (6-4, 225) appears to be the next great USC wideout; last season he caught 26 passes for 240 yards and two TDs.
Sophomore Ronald Johnson (6-1, 190) is also pushing for more playing time after catching seven balls for 110 yards in 2007.
"We've grown up some here," Carroll said. "You can really see the maturity that has taken place. Hazelton is really in command; he had a great spring despite being a little nicked up. He's finish up on top of the chart. Johnson has grown and has become familiar with a lot of the things he can do. He's always been a great deep threat, but we like what he's doing. David will be a big factor for us."
And then there's another Arkansas transfer, sophomore Damian Williams (6-1, 190). He started five times as a freshman with the Razorbacks and caught 19 balls. He should see plenty of reps, if not start.
"Probably the guy that was the biggest surprise of the spring is Damian," Carroll said. "He's got downfield ability, his catch and run is good. He's got good feel for getting open inside, and we expect him to continue to grow."
After losing 2007 John Mackey Award winner Fred Davis to the NFL, the Trojans are inexperienced at tight end. The candidates to start are junior Anthony McCoy (6-5, 255), who caught two passes last year, and redshirt freshman Rhett Ellison (6-5, 235).
"McCoy had a great spring; the target that we saw a couple of years back is definitely alive and well," Carroll said. "He's blocked well. Rhett has done a beautiful job. Both will play with the first group. There is not a lot of depth there."
OFFENSIVE LINE
This unit more or less started from scratch this spring, with even the eternal optimist Carroll saying, "The biggest question mark in our program is who will be the starters on the offensive line. It's certainly the most competitive position on the team. It might take a while to sort out, and we might start by rotating guys. We want to identify the top five players and see where they fit."
Four of last season's five starters have departed, including three-time All-American tackle Sam Baker -- a first-round pick in the 2008 NFL draft -- and first team All-Pac-10 guard Chilo Rachal, who departed for the NFL a season early and was drafted by San Francisco in the second round.
Worse, the lone returning starter has been as injury plagued as any player since Carroll's arrival. Still, senior guard Jeff Byers (6-4, 285) is among the coach's favorite players.
"Jeff's downfield blocking sets the tone for the style of play that we like," Carroll said. "He will be the steadying influence, and we'll count on his senior leadership. He flies better than anyone we've ever had, making use of his legs and his guts to finish plays. He creates an attitude about the way we play, and I'm grateful for that."
Byers started 12 games last season after missing the majority of 2005 and 2006 with hip and back injuries. He also had hernia surgery before spring practice but was 100 percent for camp. After Byers, honestly, it's anyone's guess, including Carroll. The depth chart starters after the spring game included junior Charles Brown (6-6, 290) at left tackle, sophomore Kristofer O'Dowd (6-5, 300) at center, junior Alex Parsons (6-4, 285) at right tackle and the combination of sophomore Zach Heberer (6-5, 300) and junior Thomas Herring (6-6, 300) at right guard.
"Charles Brown had a very good spring; he really is capable of being a big-time left tackle," Carroll said. "We like the way he took over the role.
"O'Dowd might have been my favorite surprise of spring in that he really came back and took over the communication aspect of the line, which is really helpful developing a young group. He's really solid and physical."
In starting the first three games at center last season O'Dowd became the first freshman in program history to start in the middle. Brown also started a game in 2007.
Also vying for playing time is sophomore tackle Butch Lewis (6-5, 280) and junior tackle Nick Howell (6-5. 275). A couple of freshmen could also be in the mix.
KICKERS
A year removed from the tragic death of kicker Mario Danelo, the Trojans' kicking game is in solid shape after the stellar efforts of David Buehler (6-2, 225).
Pressed into duty a year earlier than expected, Buehler converted 16-of-19 field goals and 52-of-54 extra points. And his kickoffs ranked among the conference's best, with 35-of-84 leaving teams inside their own 20-yard line. He also had 18 touchbacks, including five in the Rose Bowl. His long was 47 yards, but he drilled his lone attempt in 2006 from 49 yards, so length isn't a problem.
"David is one of the top place-kickers in the nation and has a monster leg," Carroll said. "He really pounded the ball this spring."
Behind Buehler are junior walk on Jordan Congdon (5-9, 180), who was Nebraska's kicker in 2004 and 2005, and sophomore walk on Joe Houston (5-8, 160).
DEFENSIVE LINE
While seven starters return on the defense, it's worth mentioning that the four departed starters were among the first 63 players selected in the 2008 NFL draft. And defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis and linebacker Keith Rivers were each top-10 picks with end Lawrence Jackson also being a first-rounder.
But don't feel bad for USC, as this defense could easily outperform last year's and that's saying something. Some of the final numbers from a season ago include:
⢠Allowed 16.0 points and 273.2 yards per game, both of which ranked second nationally among FBS programs.
⢠Ranked fourth in rushing defense (84.2) and sixth in pass efficiency defense (102.1).
⢠Placed third in sacks at 3.5 per and 15th in pass defense at 189.0. USC allowed just nine passing touchdowns, the lowest total in the country.
Those numbers are all the more impressive considering the Trojans were decimated by injuries on defense, especially over the first half of the season.
"Defensively, I think we can pick up where we left off last year," Carroll said. "This is a very athletic, aggressive defense. It should be the strength of our team, as there are just a few personnel changes from last year. But to be successful on defense in 2008, we need to get more turnovers than last year.
"Other than the nose tackle spot, I feel we're coming into the season with a good savvy group that knows what we are doing and gives us some flexibility."
The first order of business is obviously replacing Ellis -- a two-time All-American and 2007 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year -- and Jackson up front. Any great defense starts with a pass rush, and those two combined for 29.5 tackles for loss and 19 sacks in 2007. Carroll thinks this should be the most versatile defense he's had at Troy, and a major reason for that, if not the No. 1 reason, is senior Clay Matthews (6-4, 240). The son of the former USC All-American and legendary Cleveland Browns linebacker of the same name, Matthews was a backup linebacker and special teams maven last season. He finished with just 17 tackles, including three for loss, two forced fumbles and two blocked field goals. The former walk on that earned a scholarship in 2006 was also chosen USC's co-Special Teams Player of the Year. This spring, Matthews became much more than a part-time contributor. This fall, look for Matthews to start at one of the end spots.
"Clay was one of the most productive guys of spring," Carroll said. "He had a great spring playing the Leo spot. He gives us great speed. He's a 4.5 guy and has great savvy and instincts when we drop him. He's given us a real boost and added to the speed of the front four.
"He can play the Sam backer; he has the ability to play both spots (end/linebacker). A lot of the physical things are similar. Right now we want to keep him at end. He's had a very highlighted spring. ... It's the right thing to do. We want him on the field as much as we can."
Look for USC to rotate three ends, with Matthews also playing some linebacker. Perhaps the most talented lineman on the roster is sophomore end Everson Griffen (6-3, 265). As a freshman last season he finished with 21 tackles, 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. And in starting the season-opener at Idaho, he became the first USC freshman to start an opener on the defensive line since Tim Ryan in 1986.
The other end in the mix is senior Kyle Moore (6-6, 275). He started 11-of-13 games in 2007 and finished with 35 tackles and two sacks. He also had two interceptions and five deflections. Few are better in the Pac-10 batting down passes.
At tackle is senior Fili Moala (6-5, 295), a three-year starter. An All-Pac-10 candidate, Moala started all 13 games last season and finished with 32 tackles, 5.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks.
"He really gives us good experience and he knows the job well," Carroll said. "He's difficult to block, and his experience and leadership is really valuable to an otherwise pretty young group."
As for the nose tackle, look for the duties to be shared between junior Averell Spicer (6-2, 290) and sophomore Christian Tupou (6-2, 275). Neither has a ton of experience. Spicer -- who sat out spring practice with a knee injury -- made nine tackles and a sack last season, while Tupou barely saw the field. This is the No. 1 question mark of the defense.
"Averell had a great chance for the No. 1 position, but because he was out [this spring], it opened it up for Christian Tupou and he really had a great spring," Carroll said. "He had the best day a defensive lineman had all spring on a day when we only had five linemen practicing. He sucked it up and had a fantastic day. He's learning well and has such a great motor, we think he'll be a factor."
Spicer is expected back at 100 percent come fall practice.
Others in the mix up front include senior end Gerald Washington (6-6, 260) and redshirt freshman end/tackle Trey Henderson (6-3, 265).
LINEBACKERS
How stacked is USC at linebacker? Well consider Thomas Williams wasn't able to crack the starting lineup last season and he was a fifth-round pick in the NFL draft, and that's more or less all one needs to know.
So gone are Rivers and Williams; and yet this unit could -- should -- be stronger than a season ago. And the main reason for that is a pair of Rose Bowl Defensive MVPs in seniors Rey Maualuga (6-3, 250) and Brian Cushing (6-4, 240).
It's hard to fathom that Maualuga -- who plays middle linebacker -- is still in college, first off because it seems like he's been around longer than Ty Detmer was at BYU, and secondly, he would've been among the top linebackers selected in the draft if he declared.
In being chosen first-team All-Pac-10 for the second straight year -- despite being slowed by multiple nagging injuries including a hip -- Maualuga tallied a team-high 79 tackles, 10.5 stops for loss, six sacks and an interception. He was voted 2008 Rose Bowl Defensive MVP after coming up with three sacks and an interception that he returned 19 yards, and is on the short list of Butkus Award favorites. And some of his crushing tackles have already become the stuff of YouTube legend; the kind of hits that hurt more Monday morning than Saturday afternoon.
Cushing, who plays the strong side, was the 2007 Rose Bowl Defensive MVP that was expected to vie for All-Pac-10 honors a season ago but injuries -- including a sprained ankle in the opener against Idaho -- limited him to eight starts. His numbers included 25 tackles and a sack.
"The linebacker spot is really a special spot of us," Carroll said. "With Rey coming back at full speed and Brian coming back from injury, those two guys jacked it up in the second half of spring with spectacular play."
The third starting position is still up for grabs entering fall camp. However, no matter who wins the competition, both senior Kaluka Maiava (6-0, 225) and junior Luther Brown (6-3, 230) should see plenty of reps. Maiava has two career starts and finished last season with 44 tackles and two sacks, while Brown contributed 25 stops in 2007.
"Luther is zeroing in on trying to win that Will spot, but he can also play the other two spots which gives us versatility, much like Thomas Williams did," Carroll said.
Sophomores Michael Morgan (6-3, 220) and Malcolm Smith (6-2, 215) -- the brother of former USC All-American and current New York Giants wideout Steve Smith -- should also see action. Redshirt freshman Chris Galippo (6-2, 235) impressed coaches this spring and is expected to replace Maualuga in the middle in 2009.
"Chris had a real solid spring, he's learned a tremendous amount and will be able to play at the Mike position for us in games early in the season," Carroll said.
Both Maiava and Smith were injured this spring but were expected at 100 percent come the start of practice in August.
"Mike Morgan had a very good spring, he's a good coverage guy and a good blitz guy and has done fine against the run and has tackled very well," Carroll said.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
The secondary is loaded, as in arguably the best in the country loaded. As in, well, let's allow Carroll -- who spent 14 college and NFL seasons as a secondary coach -- to expand.
"The secondary really has a chance to be the best we've had," he said. "There's speed, playmaking and leadership in this group. There are three top flight corners and three top flight safeties at least."
The anchor of this unit is junior strong safety Kevin Ellison (6-1, 225). A first-team All-Pac-10 selection in 2007, Ellison finished with 57 tackles including eight for loss, two sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.
"He's probably not flashy and maybe doesn't have all the numbers, but people don't take into account all the stuff Kevin does for us as far as getting other guys lined up, how smart he is and how good a leader he is by example and his work ethic," Holt said. "I think his productivity [in 2008] as far as numbers might even get better. There are guys on these All-American lists that possibly wouldn't play for us quite honestly."
Then again it's not even a guarantee that Ellison ranks as the best safety on his own team, with junior Taylor Mays (6-4, 225) having earned numerous All-American honors last season. His vitals included 65 tackles and an interception.
Providing depth at safety are junior Will Harris (6-1, 205) and sophomore Marshall Jones (6-0, 185). Neither has much experience, but barring an injury to Ellison or Mays, they aren't expected to see much action.
One starting job at corner is locked via senior Cary Harris (6-0, 180), while the other one is somewhat up for grabs with junior Shareece Wright (6-0, 180) being the heavy favorite and projected No. 1 coming out of spring camp. Harris tallied 48 tackles and seven pass breakups last season, while Wright had 29 tackles including 3.5 for loss and four passes breakups. Holt has said multiple times that Wright has a chance to be "special." And Holt's not exactly Carroll is terms of throwing around accolades. There were glimpses last season, especially toward the latter stages, but, say Carroll and Holt, there was a different player flying around the practice field this spring.
If Wright indeed corrals the starting job, look for senior Josh Pinkard (6-1, 215) to be the nickel back. He started in 2005 at corner and broke fall camp as the starting free safety two years ago before knee injuries sidelined him. Also in the mix is junior Kevin Thomas (6-1, 185), who missed last season with foot, ankle and shoulder injuries.
PUNTERS
Former walk on Greg Woidneck (6-0, 200) is back for his senior campaign as a three-year starter. And while he's firmly entrenched as the No. 1 on the depth chart, 2007 wasn't exactly a year to remember with USC placing among the bottom 20 teams nationally in net punting.
First and foremost, he had three punts blocked, although one wasn't his fault. That's four in two years, which is unacceptable at any program, never mind USC.
His strength is angling balls inside opponents' 20-yard line, as he did with 40 percent of his 60 punts last season. Overall, he averaged 37.9 yards with a long of 56 yards. A year previous, as a sophomore, he averaged 38.3 yards with a long of 59.
"Greg is an effective punter," Carroll said. "He really kicked beautifully this spring."
Behind Woidneck on the depth chart is sophomore walk on Billy O'Malley (6-1, 190).
SPECIAL TEAMS
For the most part, it wasn't the typical USC year on special teams last season. At best, the unit as a whole was average, and even that may be a stretch.
However, make no mistake, there is talent in the return game, especially with Sarkisian guaranteeing Blue Ribbon that even with an expanded role in the offense that -- much like Reggie Bush -- McKnight would remain the team's primary punt returner.
As a freshman, McKnight was solid, averaging 8.4 yards on 19 returns with a long of 45. He shared duties, depending on where the ball was expected to come down, with sure-handed Desmond Reed. If the punt was likely to come down inside or around USC's 30 yard line or so, Reed handle the chore. This year, McKnight is expected to return all punts, with Johnson No. 2 on the depth chart.
"Joe McKnight is a guy that is a very good punt returner; we are excited that he'll have the full duties coming fall," Carroll said. "He's an exciting, breakaway type."
The kick returns will be shared by Johnson and Gable. The latter averaged 24.8 yards on 25 returns last season and already ranks 13th in program history in kick return yardage, while Gable returned just two at 17 yards per.
"We'll have Ronald Johnson and Gable back there at the same time, so you can't kick away from them," Carroll said. "Both guys as freshmen had very good productive years as returners, and we expect a lot from those guys."
Troy graduated its holder and long snapper, and Carroll said replacing four-year starter Will Collins is the team's No. 1 challenge on special teams. Coming out of spring, sophomore walk on Cooper Stephenson (6-3, 215) was listed No. 1 on the depth chart with juniors Alex Parsons and Christian Putnam (5-11, 200) behind him.
"Cooper Stephenson is going to be our long snapper as of right now," Carroll said at the conclusion of spring practice. "We'd like to have a more competitive situation going into the fall." As for holder, look for junior wide receiver Garrett Green (6-2, 205) to win the job, with Woidneck also an option.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
[table][tr][th=""]
On paper at least, this team doesn't rank with the back-to-back national champions of yesteryear, but defensively, it's as strong as any since Carroll's arrival.
The wild card is obviously the aerial attack, inclusive of Sanchez, the wide receivers and the tight ends. There's no doubting this team's ability to run, but this isn't the Southwest Conference of the 1970s with Barry Switzer running the ball 60 times a game; this is the Pac-10, and the Trojans are going to need at the least a passing game on par with a season ago.
Sanchez certainly has the pedigree and the makeup to become the next great one and lead USC on another mini-dynasty the next two seasons, but he simply didn't show enough in three starts last year to guarantee that.
The schedule, as alluded to before, is brutal -- although USC's three toughest opponents (Ohio State, Arizona State and Oregon) visit the Coliseum -- and it's hard to envision USC entering January undefeated. But as the case has been each of the last six seasons, the Trojans will have a say about the national championship picture come late November.
At the least, a seventh straight Pac-10 crown seems all but a lock, as Arizona State is a distant second in terms of talent pool. And if USC defeats Ohio State on Sept. 13, watch out -- it could be a wire-to-wire run at No. 1.
In the interest of full disclosure, we picked USC to finish 13-0 and win the national title last season. Maybe we were just a year off.
For the most comprehensive previews available on all Division I-A teams, order the "Bible" of college football, the 2008 Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, at www.blueribbonyearbook.com or call 1-866-805-BALL (2255).
[h1]Team preview: Oregon[/h1]
Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook
Updated: July 11, 2008, 2:31 PM ET
Editor's Note: ESPN Insider has teamed with Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook to provide a comprehensive look at all Division I-A teams. To order the complete 2008 edition of Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, visit www.blueribbonyearbook.com or call 1-866-805-BALL (2255).
(All information as of June 20, 200
[h4]Oregon Ducks[/h4]
[table][tr][td]LOCATION[/td] [td]Eugene, Ore.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]CONFERENCE[/td] [td]Pac-10[/td] [/tr][tr][td]LAST SEASON[/td] [td]9-4 (.692)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]CONFERENCE RECORD[/td] [td]5-4 (t-4th)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]OFF. STARTERS RETURNING[/td] [td]6[/td] [/tr][tr][td]DEF. STARTERS RETURNING[/td] [td]7[/td] [/tr][tr][td]NICKNAME[/td] [td]Ducks[/td] [/tr][tr][td]COLORS[/td] [td]Green & Yellow[/td] [/tr][tr][td]HOME FIELD[/td] [td]Autzen Stadium (54,000)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]HEAD COACH[/td] [td]Mike Bellotti (UC Davis '73)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]RECORD AT SCHOOL[/td] [td]106-52 (13 years)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]CAREER RECORD[/td] [td]127-77-2 (18 years)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]ASSISTANTS[/td] [td]⢠Steve Greatwood (Oregon '90), Associate Head Coach/Offensive Line
⢠Chip Kelly (New Hampshire '90), Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
⢠Nick Aliotti (UC Davis '76), Defensive Coordinator
⢠Gary Campbell (UCLA '73), Running Backs
⢠Michael Gray (Oregon '84), Defensive Line
⢠John Neal (Ole Miss '95), Secondary
⢠Tom Osborne (Washington State '83), Tight Ends/Special Teams
⢠Don Pellum (Oregon '86), Linebackers/Recruiting Coordinator
⢠Robin Pflugrad (Portland State '80), Wide Receivers[/td] [/tr][tr][td]TEAM WINS (Last five yrs.)[/td] [td]8-5-10-7-9[/td] [/tr][tr][td]FINAL RANK (Last five yrs.)[/td] [td]41-59-14-48-24[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2007 FINISH[/td] [td]Beat South Florida in Sun Bowl.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2008 Schedule | 2007 Results | 2007 Stats[/td] [/tr][/table]
COACH AND PROGRAM
For a football program that changes uniforms more often than the Pep Boys change tires, the coaching staff remains surprisingly, well, uniform. Head coach Mike Bellotti enters his 14th season in Eugene and brings back all of his assistant coaches from 2007, the first time in four years without any turnover.
Why mess with a good thing? Bellotti is 106-52 at Oregon and has led the program to 11 bowl appearances in 13 years. He has won two Pac-10 championships and is one of only six coaches in conference history to win 100 games at one school.
Why leave? The winningest coach in the 112-year history of the program earned just more than $1.9 million last season in salary, incentives and bonuses. In May, he agreed to a contract amendment that bumped his paycheck by nearly $400,000. He's not making Phil Knight money, but at least he's in Pete Carroll's neighborhood.
Bellotti, 57, confirmed his commitment to the Ducks last December when he rebuffed an overture from UCLA.
"You're always flattered when others want to talk to you, but that's because of the success we've enjoyed based on our players, our support staff and our administration," he said. "I have been, and continue to be, 100 percent committed to the University of Oregon and our pursuit of a national championship."
Oregon was in the championship picture for a time last season, climbing as high as No. 2 in the polls after improving to 8-1 with back-to-back victories against USC and Arizona State. But that's when the letters ACL became less popular than IRS for Ducks fans. They lost Heisman Trophy hopeful Dennis Dixon, two other quarterbacks and a total of seven starters to season-ending injuries. They also lost three consecutive games, including their first shutout (16-0 at UCLA) since 1985 and their first Civil War loss to Oregon State in Eugene since 1993. Oregon was able to rally and build momentum for 2008 with a 56-21 blowout of USF in the Sun Bowl as the Ducks set a bowl record for scoring and collected their first bowl victory since 2001.
The Ducks led the Pac-10 and ranked sixth nationally in rushing at 251.7 yards per game. They led the league in total offense (467.5 yards per game) and scoring (38.2 points per game) and set school records for points (496) and rushing yards (3,272). Oregon also led the country in tackles for loss (9.4 per game) and topped the Pac-10 in turnover margin (plus-nine) and red-zone defense.
They won't have Dixon or record-setting running back Jonathan Stewart in 2008, but the Ducks are still swimming in a pool of playmakers.
"People keep asking if I'm concerned about our skill positions," offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said. "But a year ago, no one had confidence in Dennis Dixon and things turned out pretty well. We ended up leading the Pac-10 in almost everything."
Defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti said a veteran unit that returns seven starters could be "very good, if not dominant," which bodes well. The Ducks have allowed fewer than 25 points per game in six seasons under Bellotti. They went 58-15 in those years and won at least nine games each season; they were 48-37 in the other seven years and did not reach the nine-win mark.
Bellotti has asked his defense to carry the Ducks while the offense breaks in a new passer and a few other starters.
"They're certainly capable of doing that," he told The Oregonian. "I would hope that would be something they would take great pride in and take to heart and understand that this team is counting on them."
[table][tr][th=""]Inside the Pac-10[/th] [/tr][tr][td]
Take an Inside look at the Pac-10 with Blue Ribbon's 2008 team reports
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Arizona Wildcats[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Arizona State Sun Devils[/td] [/tr][tr][td]California Bears (Free Preview)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Oregon Ducks[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Oregon State Beavers[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Stanford Cardinal[/td] [/tr][tr][td]UCLA Bruins[/td] [/tr][tr][td]USC Trojans[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Washington Huskies[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Washington State Cougars[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2008 Blue Ribbon Index[/td] [/tr][/table]
QUARTERBACKS
Seven candidates are trying to fill Dixon's cleats. Despite missing the last two regular-season games with a knee injury, he was a unanimous choice as Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year after completing 68 percent of his passes for 2,136 yards, 20 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He also carried 105 times for 583 yards and nine touchdowns. Pittsburgh drafted Dixon in the fifth round.
Sophomore Nate Costa (6-1, 220) exited spring practice atop the depth chart despite not participating in contact drills. He was third string last fall behind Dixon and Brady Leaf before suffering torn knee ligaments in an October practice. He appeared in two games as a freshman in 2006, completing 5-of-5 passes for 73 yards.
His chief competition is classmate Justin Roper (6-6, 205), who was pressed into action and matched a Sun Bowl record with four touchdown passes in his first career start. He has a strong arm but lacks Costa's mobility and experience with a spread offense.
"Nate ran the spread in high school and was pushing for time last year when he got hurt," Kelly said. "Justin's not as athletic as Nate and needs to continue to work on running the offense and getting more comfortable. They both just need experience."
Also returning is sophomore Cody Kempt (6-2, 210), who completed just 6-of-23 passes for 52 yards and two picks in a rough debut at UCLA after Leaf injured an ankle. Junior transfer Cade Cooper (6-3, 215) and blue-chip freshmen Darron Thomas (6-3, 202) and Chris Harper (6-2, 230) also battled in the spring. Cooper was national JUCO Offensive Player of the Year in 2006 after completing 67 percent of his passes for 3,103 yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions and leading Snow (Utah) College to an 11-1 record. He transferred to BYU, but left the program after tearing ligaments in his left foot in the Cougars' spring game.
Thomas and Harper are both dual-threat quarterbacks. Thomas passed for 2,576 yards and 11 touchdowns and ran for 904 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior at Aldine High in Houston. Harper accumulated more than 1,500 yards of offense and scored 19 touchdowns last fall at Northwest High in Wichita, Kansas.
Harper had an eye-opening performance in the Oregon spring game, breaking off several big runs and completing a 53-yard bomb. Bellotti has had success with a two-quarterback system in the past and Harper may get some early playing time.
"I can see him coming in and providing the same type of spark that Tim Tebow did as a true freshman at Florida," Bellotti told reporters after the spring game. "With the ball in his hands, he's as dangerous a quarterback as we've had."
Sophomore transfer Jeremiah Masoli (6-0, 205) arrives this summer and adds even more insurance at the position. He led City College of San Francisco to the JUCO national title last season, completing 61 percent of his passes for 3,592 yards, 30 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He also rushed for 448 yards and 11 scores.
"We thought very highly of him and you don't have to look far to find you can never have enough quality quarterbacks," Kelly said. "We started last season with five scholarship quarterbacks. Justin was a fifth-string kid and the only healthy one we had left at the end."
RUNNING BACKS
Stewart left a year early for the NFL and was drafted by Carolina in the first round, with the 13th overall pick. He broke the school single-season rushing record (1,722 yards) and climbed to No. 2 on the all-time list (2,891 yards), capping his career with a 253-yard MVP performance in the Sun Bowl. Senior Jeremiah Johnson (5-10, 205) gets first crack at replacing "Snoop," with junior Andre Crenshaw (5-11, 195), newcomer LeGarrette Blount (6-2, 229) and sophomore Remene Alston (5-8, 200) filling out the depth chart.
Johnson averaged better than six yards per carry for the third straight season in 2007 and has ambitious goals for 2008 -- 2,000 yards and a first-round draft selection. He ran for 644 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2006 and was posting nice numbers last fall (73.7 all-purpose yards per game) before tearing his right ACL in an Oct. 13 rout of Washington State. He didn't participate in contact drills this spring, but ran a 4.47 40-yard dash on testing day -- three months after surgery. Crenshaw (415 yards) is the top returning rusher after avoiding injuries and tacklers (5.1 yards per attempt) last season. He carried 15 times for 113 yards and two touchdowns in a 55-34 win at Washington. Alston was the scout team's offensive MVP for nine straight weeks in 2006 and appeared in seven games in 2007.
Crenshaw's consistency this spring was overshadowed by a thunderous performance from Blount, a junior transfer from East Mississippi Community College who "is better than I thought he might be at this stage," Bellotti said. He rushed for 2,360 yards and 24 TDs in two JUCO seasons. In two scrimmages and a spring game, Blount had a combined 27 carries for 185 yards, two touchdowns and dozens of broken tackles.
Blount's combination of power, vision, balance and speed reminds many of former UO star Reuben Droughns. "I don't do too much juking," Blount told the Daily Emerald. "I'm going to try to either run through you or run past you, but if I get past you, you're not catching me."
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
There is not much experience behind senior Jaison Williams (6-5, 240) with the losses of receivers Garren Strong and Cameron Colvin to graduation and the absence of talented but troubled junior Derrick Jones. Jones caught 19 passes for 199 yards last season, but is not on the roster and was not enrolled this spring. In February, he was arrested on drug and contempt charges, his second bust in six months.
Williams led the Ducks with 55 receptions for 844 yards and eight touchdowns in 2007, but his critics will tell you those numbers should have been much higher. In the Oregon blogosphere, he is known as "50/50" by so-called Quack addicts, a derisive reference to his chances of catching the ball.
Kelly thinks concerns about Williams' hands have been blown out of proportion.
"Jaison is continuing to work at that, including eye training in the offseason," he said. "One thing is that he's always open. A lot of guys, you don't know how good their hands are because they can't get open. Jaison is a tough matchup with his size. There aren't many corners in the country who can physically handle him."
Sophomores Jamere Holland (6-1, 190) and slot-receiver Jeff Maehl (6-1, 17 are the other projected starters. Holland is a transfer from USC with sprinter's speed. He clocked the third-fastest time in the nation in the 100-meter dash (10.36) as a high school senior and ran the leadoff leg for the Trojans' NCAA regional champion 4x100-meter team. His rise on the depth chart was almost as fast.
"What moved him up was when he touched the ball, things happened," Bellotti said. "He's very explosive with the ball in his hands, and I like his attitude. I like his effort."
The injury-depleted Ducks converted Maehl from safety last November and he responded with nine catches for 118 yards and a touchdown in three games. Second-stringers going into fall camp are sophomores Aaron Pflugrad (5-10, 172) and Drew Davis (6-1, 202) and senior Terence Scott (5-11, 170). Pflugrad, whose position coach also happens to be his father, started four games in the slot and caught 17 passes for 168 yards. Junior Rory Cavaille (6-3, 210) nursed a hip injury this spring and super fast redshirt freshman Elvis Akpla (6-2, 185) was limited by a knee injury, but he did catch a touchdown pass in the spring game.
Two highly regarded newcomers join the squad this fall. JUCO transfer Ellis Krout (6-4, 190) had 62 receptions for 930 yards and 13 touchdowns last year at Gavilan (Calif.) College. Freshman Dion Jordan (6-6, 215) caught 54 passes for 804 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2006, but he missed part of his senior season after suffering second- and third-degree burns on his arms and legs in a garage fire. Jordan was also a champion hurdler and high jumper at Arizona's Chandler High.
Junior Ed Dickson (6-5, 240) possesses next-level talent at tight end. He caught 43 balls for 453 yards and three touchdowns last season and also scored a conversion on a direct snap in the Michigan win. Sophomore Malachi Lewis (6-3, 215) played in all 13 games in 2007 and is the backup. Dickson (67 yards) and Lewis (a one-handed 53-yarder) had the two longest plays in the spring game. Redshirt freshman David Paulson (6-4, 250) and sophomore Sam Doman (6-4, 22 add quality depth.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Chances are "beefcake" isn't the first word that comes to mind when discussing offensive linemen. Cheesecake or devil's food cake, maybe. That didn't stop the Ducks' "big uglies" from posing for a calendar this winter in a brave and charitable endeavor to raise money for the National Childhood Obesity Foundation.
With five seniors in the starting five, the Ducks aren't thin on experience -- or talent. Center Max Unger (6-5, 300) and left tackle Fenuki Tupou (6-6, 322) are both on the Outland Trophy watch list and Unger is also on the Rimington Trophy list. Unger was a first-team all-conference selection and Tupou made the second team in 2007. All-American and Big East Defensive Player of the Year George Selvie had 14.5 sacks and 31.5 tackles for loss last season for USF, but he notched only one assisted tackle working against Tupou in the Sun Bowl.
"It all starts up front," Kelly said. "Max is terrific and Fenuki really came along last year. They're the two best linemen in the league, I would argue."
Mark Lewis (6-4, 30 is a returning starter at right guard. Left guard Jeff Kendall (6-3, 297) and right tackle Jacob Hucko (6-7, 317) ended spring working with the first unit, but have to hold off sophomore tackle C.E. Kaiser (6-4, 290), sophomore guard Jordan Holmes (6-4, 295), senior guard Jon Teague (6-2, 301) and sophomore tackle Mark Asper (6-7, 320). There's some flexibility and versatility. Kendall can play center, Kaiser can move inside to guard and Unger has practiced at left tackle.
KICKERS
Senior Matt Evensen (6-1, 194) made 16-of-20 field goals (long of 47) and was perfect on 52 extra-point attempts last year. He also had 17 touchbacks on kickoffs. During the spring, he hammered a 53-yarder through the uprights in a scrimmage and a 50-yarder in the spring game. Evensen would love another shot at rival Oregon State before he graduates. He missed a potential game-winner from 53 yards with 26 seconds left in regulation last year and the Ducks dropped a 38-31 heartbreaker in two overtimes. In 2006, the Beavers blocked his 44-yard attempt with 20 ticks left to preserve a 30-28 victory.
Junior Morgan Flint (5-9, 16 is the backup for place kicks and senior walk on Justin Dougherty (6-6, 220) could get work on kickoffs. Sophomore Daniel Padilla (6-2, 210), Evensen's heir apparent, is not listed on the post-spring two-deep and could redshirt after making 3-of-4 field goals and 7-of-7 PATs last season.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Senior Nick Reed (6-2, 255) is one of the best pass rushers in the country still playing on Saturdays. With junior Will Tukuafu (6-4, 279), the Ducks have a pair of energetic ends ready to blast into a backfield near you again in 2008. Reed landed on the Lott Trophy watch list this season after leading the Pac-10 with 22.5 tackles for loss (third nationally) and tying for the league lead with 12 sacks in 2007. The first-team all-conference honoree was a Ted Hendricks Award finalist. Tukuafu earned honorable mention all-conference recognition with 8.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.
Their reserves include senior Mike Speed (6-4, 25 and sophomore Brandon Bair (6-7, 250), who had shoulder surgery in January and did not participate in spring contact drills. Oregon's most notable offseason position change involved sophomore Kenny Rowe (6-3, 215), who was second on the team with five sacks. He moved from end to linebacker, switching roles with redshirt freshman Terrell Turner (6-3, 245), but he could still line up on the edge in third-and-long situations.
The Ducks lost starting tackles Jeremy Gibbs and David Faaeteete, leaving this position thin -- and getting thinner. Senior starters Ra'Shon Harris (6-5, 321) and Cole Linehan (6-4, 295) have both reportedly shed about 20 pounds from their listed weights in order to play harder and last longer.
Linehan has made 11 career starts (five in 2007), but Harris has never started during a career interrupted by a torn triceps muscle in 2006. He did play in 12 games last year and had four tackles against UCLA, including two stops behind the line of scrimmage.
"We want to be the best defense in the nation, not just the Pac-10," Harris told reporters after registering an interception and half a sack in the spring game. "You know you can quote that in big words. We want to be the best defense in the nation."
The tackle rotation includes junior Simi Toeaina (6-4, 30, sophomore Tonio Celotto (6-3, 26 and two heralded newcomers. Junior transfer Justin Thompson (6-5, 290) of El Camino (Calif.) College chose Oregon over Ohio State, LSU, Cal, Oklahoma, Miami, Nebraska and Tennessee.
Thompson arrives this fall, while junior transfer Blake Ferras of City College of San Francisco (6-6, 280) enrolled early but injured an ankle at the start of spring drills. One of the most noteworthy moments of the spring was a failed experiment at defensive end by 6-8, 260-pound seldom-used Oregon basketball center Frantz Dorsainvil. Despite never playing organized football growing up in Haiti and Montreal, he showed up on the first day of practice and gave it the old college try. He worked out for a couple of weeks but ultimately returned to the basketball team.
LINEBACKERS
Injuries took a heavy toll here and contributed to an average performance in 2007. Health concerns of returning players and the loss of starters Kwame Agyeman and A.J. Tuitele make this one of the most unpredictable units on the team and one of the most scrutinized during August two-a-days.
Projected starters after spring practice were senior John Bacon (6-3, 230) in the middle, junior Kevin Garrett (5-11, 215) on the weak side and senior Jerome Boyd (6-2, 220) on the strong side. Bacon started the first nine games before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Arizona State. Season highlights included five solo stops at Michigan and a 49-yard interception return against Washington. He was on limited duty in the spring.
Boyd started all 13 games and had a breakout year, earning honorable mention all-league honors with 79 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and three sacks. He had a career-high 11 stops at Stanford and was chosen the team's most improved player for 2007. Boyd was on the sideline in the spring with an injured toe. Garrett is the least experienced, but finished strong last season with 5.5 tackles for loss in the last three games.
Sophomore Casey Matthews (6-2, 220) is more of a No. 1B than a No. 2 behind Bacon. He missed the last two games last season with a shoulder injury, but he was in top form this spring with 10 tackles and two sacks in the spring game. His father, Clay, was a four-time Pro Bowl linebacker and played 19 seasons in the NFL with Cleveland and Atlanta.
Sophomore Spencer Paysinger (6-3, 222) backs up Garrett and junior Riley Showalter (6-3, 226) is on the second line in the Sam slot. There's an abundance of young talent in redshirt freshmen Brandon Hanna (6-2, 235), Terrance Pritchett (6-2, 20 and Eddie Pleasant (5-11, 225). Incoming freshman Dewitt Stuckey (6-0, 215) from Lincoln High in Stockton, Calif., is a four-star recruit who could have an immediate impact if he stays out of trouble. He was arrested in May after a brawl at a fast food restaurant, but investigators determined he did not participate and charges were quickly dropped. Stuckey set the school's single-season (204 in 2007) and career (46 marks for tackles.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Even without departed free safety Matthew Harper, this secondary is a primary weapon. Senior rover Patrick Chung (6-0, 210) and junior cornerbacks Jairus Byrd (6-0, 20 and Walter Thurmond III (6-0, 185) have made a combined 84 career starts and helped the Ducks rank third in the Pac-10 in pass-efficiency defense in 2007. Only Arizona State allowed its opponents to complete a lower percentage of passes (52.8 to 53.0), and only Oregon State had more interceptions (23 to 20).
Chung is a physical ball hawk who briefly considered bolting for the NFL after garnering first-team All-Pac-10 and second-team All-America (Associated Press) acclaim last year. He ranked third in the league with 9.0 tackles per game and his team-high season total of 117 stops was the highest by a Ducks defensive back in 13 years.
Byrd paced the Pac-10 with seven interceptions, finished third in the conference in passes defended (22) and tied for seventh in fumble recoveries (three). The honorable mention all-league choice scored his first career touchdown with a 33-yard fumble return against the Beavers.
Thurmond also received honorable mention recognition after tallying 103 tackles, including a team-high 76 solo stops, and finishing tied for the conference lead in passes defended (23) and tied for sixth in interceptions (five).
Junior T.J. Ward (5-11, 191) emerged as the frontrunner at free safety this spring, but defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti said the competition will resume this fall with redshirt freshman Javes Lewis (6-1, 185) and sophomore Marvin Johnson (5-10, 205). Ward appeared in every game in 2007 and contributed 21 tackles.
Others fighting for playing time in nickel and dime packages are sophomore cornerback Talmadge Jackson III (5-10, 182), junior cornerback Willie Glasper (5-11, 184) and redshirt freshman rover Todd Doxey (6-0, 170), who had a very productive spring. With Chung on the way out and Byrd and Thurmond potentially leaving early, the Ducks need to give the reserves plenty of game experience to prepare for 2009.
"A lot of young guys have stepped up and proved that they'll be ready for the fall," Thurmond said.
PUNTERS
Senior Josh Syria (6-3, 232) was an honorable mention all-conference pick in 2007 after finishing third in the Pac-10 with a 41.7-yard average. His strong leg, quick release and accurate placement provided a nice boost for the Ducks, who averaged just 39.3 yards per punt the previous season.
Sophomore walk on Tim Taylor (5-11, 185), a transfer from Santa Barbara (Calif.) City College, is the backup.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Ducks ranked second in the Pac-10 in kickoff returns, fourth in kickoff coverage and sixth in punt returns in 2007, but several key personnel are gone. Stewart was third in the conference with a 26.7-yard kickoff return average and Andiel Brown was second in punt returns with a 10.4-yard average. Long snapper Eric Steimer and holder Brady Leaf also completed their eligibility.
Roper took over as holder when Leaf got hurt and will continue those duties this season. Sophomore Spencer Young (6-0, 191) was the No. 1 snapper this spring, but the Ducks signed junior transfer Zach Taylor (6-4, 223) from Blinn (Texas) College to do the job.
The depth chart has Crenshaw and Holland as the kick returners, with Maehl and Holland returning punts. Crenshaw averaged 20.3 yards on six kickoff returns last season, and if Holland isn't the fastest man on the team, he's hot on his heels.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
The Ducks have 51 returning lettermen and 25 players who started at least one game last year, including some of the best players in the Pac-10 at their positions -- Dickson, Unger and Johnson on offense; Reed, Chung and Byrd on defense. But without a proven starter at quarterback to run the intricate, timing-based offense, it's difficult to imagine Oregon finishing any higher than third in the Pac-10 behind USC and Arizona State. [table][tr][th=""]
The season starts slowly (Washington and Utah State at home), gradually picks up speed (at Purdue, home against Boise State), then plummets off a cliff with Pac-10 road games at USC, Arizona State and Cal over a five-week span. At least there's a soft landing, with mid-November home dates against Stanford and Arizona and an open date before the Civil War at Oregon State. The Ducks are 13-2 after a bye week under Bellotti; they also have a weekend off before playing the Sun Devils.
Oregon could get worn down by that tough midseason stretch and extend a recent history of late-season swoons. They are 2-6 in regular-season games played after Oct. 31 the last two seasons (after going 25-10 in those games in Bellotti's first 11 years). Still, if the defense can keep the Ducks close, you can't count them out. Oregon has won 44-of-55 games decided by a touchdown or less under Bellotti.
For the most comprehensive previews available on all 119 Division I teams, order the "Bible" of college football, the 2008 Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, at www.blueribbonyearbook.com or call 1-866-805-BALL (2255).
[h1]Team preview: Wake Forest[/h1]
Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook
Updated: July 9, 2008
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(All information as of June 20, 200
[h4]Wake Forest Demon Deacons[/h4]
[table][tr][td]LOCATION[/td] [td]Winston-Salem, NC[/td] [/tr][tr][td]CONFERENCE[/td] [td]ACC (Atlantic)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]LAST SEASON[/td] [td]9-4 (.692)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]CONFERENCE RECORD[/td] [td]5-3 (t-2nd)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]OFF. STARTERS RETURNING[/td] [td]5[/td] [/tr][tr][td]DEF. STARTERS RETURNING[/td] [td]9[/td] [/tr][tr][td]NICKNAME[/td] [td]Demon Deacons[/td] [/tr][tr][td]COLORS[/td] [td]Black & Gold[/td] [/tr][tr][td]HOME FIELD[/td] [td]Groves Stadium (31,500)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]HEAD COACH[/td] [td]Jim Grobe (Virginia '75)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]RECORD AT SCHOOL[/td] [td]46-39 (7 years)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]CAREER RECORD[/td] [td]79-72-1 (13 years)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]ASSISTANTS[/td] [td]⢠Billy Mitchell (East Carolina '72), Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs/Kickers
⢠Steed Lobotzke (Air Force '92), Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line
⢠Brad Lambert (Kansas State '87), Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
⢠Tim Billings (Southeast Oklahoma State '80), Defensive Backs
⢠Tom Elrod (Wake Forest '97), Quarterbacks
⢠Keith Henry (Catawba '89), Defensive Ends
⢠Brian Knorr (Air Force '96), Wide Receivers
⢠Ray McCartney (Guilford '80), Defensive Tackles/Recruiting Coordinator
⢠Steve Russ (Air Force '94), Tight Ends/Fullbacks
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]TEAM WINS (Last five yrs.)[/td] [td]5-4-4-11-9[/td] [/tr][tr][td]FINAL RANK (Last five yrs.)[/td] [td]68-68-69-14-25[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2007 FINISH[/td] [td]Beat Connecticut in Meineke Car Care Bowl.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2008 Schedule | 2007 Results | 2007 Stats[/td] [/tr][/table]
COACH AND PROGRAM
In many ways, Wake Forest's nine-win season in 2007 was more remarkable -- and more significant -- than the Deacons' breakthrough 11-win campaign in 2006.
That first successful season could have been a fluke. It seemed to come out of nowhere. Not only was it the Deacons' first ACC title in 37 years, those 11 wins were the first time in school history that a Wake Forest football team won more than eight games in a season.
Now the Deacons have topped eight wins twice in a row ... and appear to be poised for another good year.
"We've still got a ways to go, but 20 wins in the last two years -- we've proven we can sustain success," head coach Jim Grobe said.
The back-to-back success is evidence that Grobe's long rebuilding effort has paid off -- not with one good team, but with a good program. After decades as the ACC's doormat, Wake Forest now looks like a perennial contender in the league.
"Things have changed a little bit," Grobe said. "Our fans now have some pretty high expectations. So do our players. People are starting to feel like we have a chance to be a pretty good football team every year."
Of course, with success comes new problems.
One of the keys to Grobe's successful rebuilding effort was the stability of his coaching staff. He brought coordinators Steed Lobotzke (offense) and Dean Hood (defense) with him from Ohio University, and they provided a measure of continuity as Grobe averaged just more than five wins in his first five seasons. But Wake Forest's success in the last two seasons has turned Grobe's top aides into hot properties.
Hood cashed in, leaving the Deacons to become head coach at Eastern Kentucky. Quarterback coach Tim Mullen left to become the offensive coordinator at West Virginia. Grobe was able to promote his longtime linebackers coach, Brad Lambert, to succeed Hood, while he moved Tom Elrod, another longtime staffer, to quarterbacks coach. Still, the coaching shuffle had to hurt continuity.
Another problem generated by success is pressure. In 2006, Wake Forest, picked last in the Atlantic Division, got deep into the season before anybody realized the Deacs were ACC contenders. A year later, their opener at Boston College was billed as a key divisional matchup -- and it actually did turn out to decide the Atlantic Division championship.
"Coming in, I didn't realize how much pressure the kids were under," Grobe admits. "We didn't play well early. There was so much pressure -- they didn't want to be one-hit wonders."
That seemed to be the situation as the Deacons opened 0-2. After a home victory over Army, Wake Forest found itself down 24-3 to Maryland with the Terps poised to score again. That's when everything changed. Cornerback Alphonso Smith picked off a Jordan Steffy pass and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. That sparked a remarkable come-back, completed when freshman tailback Josh Adams scored the winning touchdown in overtime.
Wake Forest ended up winning nine of its final 11 games, capping the successful season with a victory over Connecticut in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
Now Grobe has to sustain success in the face of heavy graduation losses on the offensive line, at tight end and among his receiving corps. But that's what his carefully constructed program is designed to do. When seniors graduate, he has experienced replacements waiting to take over -- usually upperclassmen.
A year ago, Grobe had to replace six-of-11 starters off the defense that helped win him an ACC championship. Now the defense is basically intact, while the offense has the holes to fill, especially up front.
"The biggest concern is experience," he said when asked about his offensive line concerns. "We're just as talented as we've been in the past ... as we were last year, but experience is a problem, also depth."
Any offensive growing pains should be alleviated by the return of quarterback Riley Skinner, the starter each of the last two seasons and one of the most efficient quarterbacks in college football.
"[Skinner is] one of those guys who cares very little about stats and cares very little about guys patting him on the back," Grobe told the Winston-Salem Journal. "He just wants to win football games. And that's the thing you love about having him at quarterback."
Skinner has been the starter in 18 of the 20 games Wake Forest has won over the last two seasons. That's already tied for the most career winning starts for a Deacon quarterback -- and he still has two more years to go.
While Skinner's presence should guarantee production on the offensive side, the return of nine defensive starters should guarantee excellence on that side of the ball.
"Not only do we have experienced players, we have some playmakers," he said, thinking specifically of the return of all-star quality performers such as Smith at cornerback, Aaron Curry at linebacker and safety Chip Vaughn.
"Potentially we can be really good," Grobe said of his defense. "But potential just means we haven't done it yet. I do like the makeup of our defensive team. We have a lot of veteran guys. My biggest fear is complacency. Our defensive forced a lot of turnovers last year, and we scored on a lot of them. My fear is that if you're not careful, we'll expect those things to happen."
Complacency never used to be a problem at Wake Forest. It's one of the prices of success.
QUARTERBACKS
Two years ago, Riley Skinner (6-1, 200) was an unknown redshirt freshman -- an afterthought of a recruit who was a third-teamer on Grobe's preseason depth chart. [table][tr][th=""]Inside the ACC[/th] [/tr][tr][td]
Take an Inside look at the ACC with Blue Ribbon's 2008 team reports
[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [h2]Atlantic[/h2] [/td] [/tr][tr][td]Boston College Eagles[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Clemson Tigers
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Florida State Seminoles[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Maryland Terrapins[/td] [/tr][tr][td]NC State Wolfpack[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Wake Forest Demon Deacons[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [h2]Coastal[/h2] [/td] [/tr][tr][td]Duke Blue Devils[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Miami Hurricanes[/td] [/tr][tr][td]North Carolina Tar Heels
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Virginia Cavaliers[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Virginia Tech Hokies[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2008 Blue Ribbon Index[/td] [/tr][/table]That was before injuries sidelined the first two quarterbacks on the roster. Thrust into the starting job, Skinner led the Deacons to the best season in school history. A year later, the Jacksonville, Fla., native led the nation in passing percentage and guided Wake Forest to a nine-win season.
And all that's been done with an offensive simplified to allow the young quarterback to excel.
"As he gets older, we can go back to what we used to be," offensive coordinator Steed Lobotzke said. "We can run the option. We can go no-huddle. We can put in a little more."
The Deacon coaches don't expect Skinner to ever put up the kind of spectacular numbers that made Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan an All-American.
"He won't have the really flashy passing numbers, but he'll make tremendous plays at the end of games," Lobotzke said. "The game we threw the most last year -- 363 yards against Boston College -- we lost."
The plan is to use Skinner to manage a balanced offense, not to carry it on his shoulders.
"We don't want to ask Riley to be All-ACC every game," Lobotzke said.
Skinner threw for 2,204 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, even though he missed two games after he suffered a separated shoulder in the opener against Boston College. His place was taken in those two games by Brett Hodges (6-1, 180), another fourth-year junior who was, at least before Skinner's unexpected emergence, projected as the Deacons' quarterback of the future.
"Having Brett is a great feeling," Lobotzke said. "Brett can make all the plays. He has all the moves. But there's no doubt who the guy is."
Hodges filled in well for Skinner a year ago. He came in midway though the Boston College game and completed 17-of-23 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown. He hit his first seven passes the next week against Nebraska and led the Deacons past Army in the third game of the season. Overall, he completed 65.2 percent of his 66 pass attempts for 359 yards and a touchdown.
The Deacons have high hopes for redshirt freshman quarterback Skylar Jones (6-1, 176), but not right away.
"Down the road, he could be a factor," Lobotzke said. "This is a special athlete."
Senior quarterback Ryan McManus (6-1, 191) is an important player as a holder on place-kicks. He also gets action as a coverage guy on special teams.
RUNNING BACKS
Wake Forest's drive for the 2006 ACC title was almost derailed by a succession of injuries at tailback. It got so bad that the Deacons finally shifted top wide receiver Kenny Moore to running back.
The one temptation Grobe resisted was to break the redshirt year of Josh Adams (6-0, 180). Outsiders could see just how tempting that had to be to the Deacon staff when they got a look at Adams perform last season. The redshirt freshman rushed for 953 yards (third best in the ACC) and 11 touchdowns, while catching 34 passes for 123 more yards and another touchdown.
He still has three more seasons of eligibility after winning ACC Rookie of the Year and second-team All-ACC honors in 2007.
"He brings a certain level of speed, he can run over people, he can catch the ball; he's the total package," Lobotzke said. "We can't get him the ball often enough."
Adams started the season slowly, but he had his breakout game in the come-from-behind victory over Maryland, when he rushed for 91 yards and scored the winning touchdown in overtime. He topped 100 yards three times, including a 140-yard effort against Florida State. He followed that with a 131-yard performance against Navy, then finished the regular season by rushing for 111 yards and two touchdowns against Vanderbilt.
Sharing the load at tailback will be redshirt freshman Brandon Pendergrass (5-9, 190), who has the same kind of potential.
"Not many people know about him," Lobotzke said. "He's got a compact body. He's powerful runner." The Deacon staff would like to give those two young runners almost all the work at tailback. If Wake Forest runs into serious injury problem at the position -- as the Deacs did two years ago -- it's possible that freshman Lovell Jackson (5-10, 170) from Tampa, Fla., might get an early call.
A number of young tailback candidates will also be vying for playing time, including redshirt freshmen C.J. Washington (5-8, 160), Willie Dixon (5-11, 205) and Jose Domenech (6-1, 215).
Because of graduation losses at wide receiver and tight end, Lobotzke envisions an expanded role for the Deacon fullbacks this fall.
"Our fullback will be more than an I-formation fullback," the offensive coordinator said. "We don't even call it a fullback any more. We call it an 'F' back. He's got to play some tight end and line up as a stand-up receiver."
Rich Belton (6-1, 259) is a fifth-year senior who missed most of the spring with an injury, but he brings a lot of ability to the position. He has rushed for 294 yards in his career, averaging a solid 4.0 yards a carry. He's also caught 25 passes for 165 yards.
His absence during spring workouts allowed fourth-year junior Mike Rinfrette (6-3, 260) to make the switch back to fullback after playing last season at linebacker. Rinfrette saw action in 12 games at fullback in 2006, although he rushed just six times for 18 yards.
Still, the presence of two large, powerful blocker/runner/receivers is a strength that Lobotzke wants to take advantage of. He also has junior Anthony Williams (5-11, 203), a strong runner who saw most of his action last season as a special teams performer.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
Graduation claimed All-ACC wide receiver Kenny Moore (98 catches for 1,011 yards in 2007), plus veteran Kevin Marion (18 catches for 192 yards), leaving the Deacs with some rebuilding to do at wideout.
"The losses caused us to do some things with our offense," Lobotzke said. "We've reduced our three-wide receiver set. And when we do use it, a lot of the time, we'll walk out the tight end or fullback and have him line up as a wideout."
The Deacs do return fifth-year senior Chip Brinkman (6-1, 210), who started the last nine games last season and finished with 27 catches for 225 yards.
"Chip Brinkman, possession receiver -- that's a classic term for Chip," Lobotzke said. "He's not going to blow you away with his speed. But he's big, he enjoys blocking and he catches everything thrown at him."
Lobotzke is hoping that fifth-year senior D.J. Boldin (5-11, 220) can provide some of game-breaking ability that Moore gave the Deacs over the last two years.
"He has sure hands, good speed and he's a good run blocker," the Deacon assistant said. "He can do all the things we ask."
Boldin, the younger brother of NFL wide receiver Anquan Boldin, caught 15 passes in nine games as a freshman in 2005, then sat out the next season with an injury. He returned last year to catch 11 passes for 127 yards.
The Deacons have high hopes for sophomore Jordan Williams (6-3, 180), the only freshman to see action for the Deacons last season. His first career catch proved to be a 62-yard touchdown strike against NC State. For the year, he averaged almost 16 yards on each of his nine receptions.
"He is young, but he can make plays that remind you of Kenny," Lobotzke said. "But remember, Kenny didn't start making a lot of plays until his junior year."
Third-year sophomore Marshall Williams (6-1, 177) will also bring good speed to the position. Redshirt freshman Devon Brown (5-9, 183) is another young receiver with promise. Also vying for playing time will be redshirt freshman Danny Dembry (6-2, 173), juniors Casey Hill (5-11, 16, Matt Hartford (5-11, 180) and Chris Langley (6-2, 184) and senior Andrew Wright (6-3, 192).
Graduation also hit the tight end position hard, claiming John Tereshinski (28 catches for 355 yards) and Zack Selmon (12 catches for 124 yards). Those two combined for 17 starts last season as the Deacons often went with two tight ends.
"We'll reduce our two tight end sets a lot," Lobotzke said.
The Deacons are hoping fourth-year junior Ben Wooster (6-5, 226) is ready to step into a starring role after seeing spot action last year. He did start twice, but he caught just two passes for 12 yards -- one for a touchdown.
"Ben Wooster had a great spring," Lobotzke said. "Ben's tall and he can open his stride and run. He worked a lot from the split position -- he made a lot of plays in spring from the standup position."
There's not a lot of experience behind Wooster. Redshirt freshman Cameron Ford (6-4, 212) has potential but needs more strength. J.T. Dixon (6-4, 230), a 2008 recruit who enrolled early and went through spring drills, and sophomore Kenneth Coe (6-6, 234) hope to contribute.
OFFENSIVE LINE
This is what Grobe has been working and planning for since he got to Wake Forest. He has always insisted his goal has been to develop a program consistent enough and well-planned enough to have replacements ready when graduation hits a position hard.
Graduation decimated Wake Forest's offensive front, and worse, an offseason academic stumble delivered an unexpected blow to the position. All-ACC center Steve Justice, a three-year starter, graduated, as did tackle Louis Frazier and guard Matt Brim. To make things worse, the Deacons also lost guard Chris DeGeare -- expected to be the team's top returning offensive lineman -- to academics.
Yet, Grobe and his staff think they have replacements in place.
"That looks worse than it is," said Lobotzke, who doubles as the Deacs' offensive line coach. "This spring, I was not so much rebuilding as tweaking things. Where we'll get hammered is if we have any injuries. Our depth is largely young players, even true freshmen, and you hate to play a true freshman on the offensive line."
Justice was one of the best players Wake Forest has seen in recent years. But fourth-year junior Trey Bailey (6-2, 289) has the tools to be a successful center.
"It hurts to lose a player of Steve's quality, but center is a position we definitely feel good about," Lobotzke said. "Trey is a player we've felt good about for years. One of the concerns is to have him take care of the snap, especially in the shotgun. We've probably lost a step -- Steve was really quick -- but Trey is a good pass blocker and good at pulling."
The return of fourth-year junior Barrett McMillin (6-3, 28 gives Lobotzke a good building block at one guard.
"McMillan has played a lot of good football for us -- he's like having a starter back," the Deacs' line coach said.
Indeed, McMillin has started seven games in his career. And both protected starters at tackle -- fourth-year junior Joe Birdsong (6-4, 290) and fourth-year junior Jeff Griffin (6-3, 29 -- have starting experience as well after splitting one tackle spot a year ago.
The least experienced starter at the moment is third-year sophomore Russell Nenon (6-4, 304). Before DeGeare's unexpected departure, he was supposed to spend this season breaking in as the team's third guard.
"Now, Russell has to come on," Lobotzke said. "I was going to play him regardless, but now he'll have to start. He played some at the end of last season. He played some good football down the stretch in a reserve role. I'd rather have Chris as the starter, but it's not the end of the world."
The team's biggest concern is to develop a handful of effective backups in case of injury and/or fatigue. There are some good young players on hand, but all need development time.
Three members of the 2008 recruiting class enrolled early and participated in spring practice. One of those -- Joe Looney (6-3, 315) -- is likely to see action this season.
"He's fresh off the boat," Lobotzke said. "He's fast, physical. He showed me a lot of stuff. We'll probably work him in as our third guard, even though he's a true freshman."
Center Chance Raines (6-2, 270) could also play as a freshman -- provided he can overcome his inconsistency on snaps that he showed in spring. Either he or redshirt freshman Ryan Britt (6-4, 290) will back up Bailey.
The third early arrival -- tackle Garrick Williams (6-4, 314) -- is likely to redshirt. Depth at tackle will come from two redshirt freshmen, Mike Hoag (6-6, 290) and Doug Weaver (6-8, 290).
"Mike Hoag and Doug Weaver are bigger than the starters, but they're still trying to figure it out," Lobotzke said. "We'll try to work them in and hopefully by midseason they'll be ready to help us."
Also in line to help out are sophomore tackle Cannon Gaskin (6-4, 269) and junior guards Gage Crews (6-4, 305) and Boomer Peterson (6-5, 303).
KICKERS
Senior Sam Swank (6-2, 206) is the best all-around kicker in the ACC, and is already established as the best in Wake Forest history.
Swank, who also handles the team's kickoff and punting chores, enters the season with 60 career field goals -- more than any other active player in the NCAA. He's hit 60-of-76 attempts in his career (78.9 percent), including an astonishing 9-of-12 from beyond 50 yards.
A year ago, Swank his 18-of-21 field goal attempts -- including 6-of-9 from beyond 40 yards -- and converted 44 extra points without a miss. It says something about his ability that 2007 was viewed as a down year for the Deacon place-kicker.
"You have to realize that last season, Sam was coming off offseason surgery (for a hernia he suffered in the Orange Bowl)," Grobe said. "He was as accurate as always, but he lost a little distance. We're hoping that with another year since the surgery, he'll have regained his strength and be the old Sam Swank."
That's the guy who set an NCAA record in 2006, when he became the first kicker in college history to make four 50-yard field goals in a single game.
If something happened to Swank, Grobe has redshirt freshman Shane Popham (5-11, 180) ready to step in. But the plan is for Popham to take over place-kicking duties next season.
DEFENSIVE LINE
With nine defensive starters and a host of experienced backups still in position, new Deacon defensive coordinator Brad Lambert doesn't have many holes to fill. But he does point to the graduation loss of premier pass rusher Jeremy Thompson (6.5 sacks, 11.0 tackles for loss) at defensive end.
"Huge loss in Jeremy -- he was very productive," Lambert said. "We still have good experience, but we lose a lot of production. He was just a dynamic guy."
Softening the blow is the return of Matt Robinson (6-2, 24 a sixth-year guy who has fought his way back from a broken kneecap that required surgery and cost him the entire 2006 season.
"He's really the ultimate warrior," Lambert said. "He's had to deal with such a bad injury. He brings a passion. We all call him 'Grandpa.' "
Robinson began last year as a starter, but he suffered a sprained ankle in the opener and missed the next three games. He fought his way back once again and started the final seven games, finishing with a sack and 20 tackles. While he doesn't have Thompson's sheer physical ability, he's the leader of the Deacon defensive front.
"He's the heart and soul of us," Lambert said. "He's so intense with such a great work ethic. He's a workaholic. He's not the biggest guy, and he's not the best looking when he walks on the field, but he gets it done."
Starting on the other side will be fifth-year senior Anthony Davis (6-5, 251) who was the top sub at defensive end a year ago, when he recorded 20 tackles.
"Anthony has played a lot -- he's just got to take that next step," Lambert said.
Fifth-year senior Antonio Wilson (6-1, 255) has been a spot player in the past, but redshirt freshmen Tristan Dorty (6-2, 235), a converted linebacker, and Kyle Wilbur (6-5, 230) were impressive in the spring and could push Wilson for the top backup role at defensive end, or maybe even Davis as the starter.
"We'd like to play five guys [at defensive end]," Lambert said.
If he needs more, he can look at sophomore Tripp Russell (6-3, 24 and freshman Will Wright (6-4, 240).
The inside spot is anchored by massive Boo Robinson (6-2, 326), a fourth-year junior who started 13 games a year ago and recorded 26 tackles, including three sacks.
"Boo is a massive kid," Lambert said. "But he's very athletic. He's made a lot of plays for us."
Sophomore Michael Carter (6-3, 317), who had four tackles in a very limited role last season, is coming off an impressive spring and could give Robinson more help at nose tackle. Junior Michael Lockett (6-0, 274) is a bit undersized, but he adds depth at the position.
The other tackle spot will go to fourth-year junior John Russell (6-3, 27, who technically backed up graduated senior Zac Stukes a year ago.
"John really shared the job with Zac last year -- Zac started because he was the senior," Lambert said.
Russell, who did earn three starts in 2007, finished with 34 tackles and a sack. He'll be backed up by junior Ted Rudolph (6-4, 27, who has finally landed at defensive tackle after starting as a tight end and playing at defensive end.
LINEBACKERS
It's hard to imagine a more talented, more experienced crop of linebackers than the trio of starters the Deacons will field this season. All three are fifth-year seniors, and at least two of them are prime All-ACC candidates.
That starts with strong-side linebacker Aaron Curry (6-3, 240), who was a second-team All-ACC pick last season when he recorded 99 tackles, including three sacks, 13.4 tackles for loss and four interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns.
"Aaron was hugely productive," Lambert said. "He can run fast; he plays with huge passion and drive and work ethic. He's big and strong and he can run."
In the middle, Stanley Armoux (6-1, 245) was almost as productive with 66 tackles, including 3.5 sacks, two interceptions and 7.5 tackles for loss. His pass breakup in the final seconds clinched the bowl win over UConn.
"Aaron and Stanley are kind of the leaders of our defense," Lambert said. "They make all the on-field adjustments and calls."
Going into last season, the Deacon coaches were worried about new starter Chantz McClinic (5-10, 225) at weak-side linebacker.
"McClinic was the wild card," Lambert admitted. "We moved him from defensive back and didn't know what we were going to get."
Now, McClinic is a proven veteran -- one who started 11 games in 2007 (he missed two games with an ankle injury) and recorded 45 tackles, including 4.5 sacks.
Lambert's bounty goes far beyond his three starters.
"Our whole room is back at linebacker, except for Mike Rinfrette, who moved to fullback," the Deacon defensive boss said.
Sophomore Hunter Haynes (6-2, 224) is a budding star at weak-side linebacker. He earned freshman All-ACC honors last season in a reserve role, when he had 41 tackles, in-cluding two sacks. Sophomore Matt Woodlief (5-11, 254) is a solid backup in the middle, where he had 19 tackles a year ago. Junior Dominique Midgett (6-2, 242) has been stuck behind Curry for two seasons, but he contributed 17 tackles a year ago.
"He gives us great depth," Lambert said.
A number of newcomers offer even more options at linebacker. Jonathan Jones (6-3, 21 is actually a junior, but he's playing linebacker for the first time since making the shift from safety. Redshirt freshman Gelo Orange (6-1, 215) had a good spring. Kyle Jarrett (6-2, 215) was bothered last spring by a sore knee, but he's another freshman with potential.
Also bidding for playing time are juniors Lee Malchow (6-5, 220) and Michael Potteiger (6-0, 205) and redshirt freshmen Collin Granger (6-0, 215) and Joe Hall (6-2, 205).
DEFENSIVE BACKS
It's very likely that Alphonso Smith (5-9, 191) turned Wake Forest's 2007 season around when he returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown against Maryland at a time when the Deacons were 1-2 on the season and down 24-3 to the Terps. It sparked a rally that produced an overtime win and a five-game winning streak.
The fifth-year senior cornerback has been doing things like that since he arrived on the Wake Forest campus. Smith has 14 career interceptions, already 16th best in ACC history. A year ago, he nabbed eight interceptions and returned three for touchdowns.
"Alphonso had one of those years," Lambert said. "A lot of opportunities came his way. A lot of guys get those opportunities and don't make those plays. He's very intelligent. It's fun to watch him -- he's everywhere. He's very athletic. He can run. He's a little on the short side. But always he wants to go up against [towering FSU receiver] Greg Carr and that kind of player."
Smith finished with an ACC-best 18 passes defended. He added 60 tackles, including two sacks. All of that production earned him first-team All-ACC honors and several All-America spots.
Opposite Smith at the other corner spot will be fourth-year junior Brandon Ghee (6-0, 182), who started 11 games last season after sitting out in 2006. He had 10 pass breakups and 66 tackles playing opposite Smith.
"This year sets up well for him," Lambert said. "He's a little bigger, a little taller. He has all the tools and now he's settled in. He was good last year, and he had a great spring. We've told him that because of what Alphonso did last year, we expect Brandon to get some more action."
The Deacons have veteran depth at cornerback in fifth-year senior Kerry Major (5-11, 179) and fourth-year junior Channing Schofield (5-11, 193). Major, who started two games before Ghee's emergence, played in all 13 games and finished with 21 tackles and an interception. Schofield, also a key special team's performer, also played in every game, finishing with 28 tackles.
"You'll usually see one of them out there when we go nickel," Lambert said.
A year ago, the two safety spots were big concerns with two new starters. Now, the return of fifth-year seniors Chip Vaughn (6-2, 220) and Kevin Patterson (5-10, 185) make this a strong spot. Vaughn led the team in tackles in 2007 with 105. He had an interception and 4.5 tackles for loss. Patterson, a converted cornerback, started nine games a year ago and finished with 52 tackles and an interception.
Backing them up will be rapidly emerging sophomore Alex Frye (6-3, 190), who excelled a year ago as a special teams performer.
Even more secondary depth will come from a crop of redshirt freshmen who were recruited with the idea of replacing the heavy graduation loss after this season -- when Smith, Major, Vaughn and Patterson will all be gone.
The most impressive of the bunch last spring were cornerbacks Michael Williams (6-1, 170) and Josh Bush (5-11, 185). Both bring a lot of speed, which could be put to more use this season on return teams.
Highly regarded safety prospect John Stamper (6-0, 185) is also a Deacon with a future, although he was hobbled last spring. Also in the mix are safeties Junior Petit-Jean (6-0, 190), Cyhl Quarles (6-3, 215) and Peter Grimm (6-1, 190), plus junior Geoff Wissing (6-1, 19.
PUNTERS
Sam Swank will handle the punting chores as well as his place-kicking duties.
The senior is not quite as exceptional as a punter as he is as a kicker, but he's solid. A year ago, he averaged 39.8 yards a kick -- down from his 2006 average of 41.2. That's proba-bly a function of his recovery from offseason hernia surgery; a healthy Swank ought to return to his earlier form.
Shane Popham, the No. 2 place-kicker, is also listed as Swank's punting backup. But unlike place-kicking, where he is expecting to inherit the starting job next year, the plan is to bring in a new punter next season.
"I'd like to get back to having one guy kick and one guy punt," Grobe said.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Grobe was only half joking last spring when he told reporters that his biggest concern going into the 2008 season was finding a replacement for long snapper-Nick Jarvis.
"He never had a bad snap for us in a game," Grobe said.
The value of that consistency was demonstrated last year against Duke, when Jarvis was punished for missing a class. He "lost" his starting job for the game and was replaced by a backup.
"His first snap was perfect, but he took so long he got a delay of game penalty," Grobe said. "Then he panicked and snapped it over Sam's head."
The Deacon coach didn't find a reliable snapper during spring drills. Finding one will be a major priority once preseason practice opens.
"We'll find somebody, but it will probably be two or three weeks into August before we settle on a guy," he said.
Grobe is also anxious to find a punt returner to replace Kenny Moore, who handled the position flawlessly for two seasons.
"We were so confident about him that we never worried about it," Grobe said. "We almost took him for granted."
He'd like to use senior cornerback Alphonzo Smith as a kick returner, but that creates another problem.
"But he's our best guy at blocking punts -- and he can't do both," Grobe said.
Backup wide receiver Devon Brown has good hands and good speed. He'll get a long look.
Grobe is more confident about his kickoff returners, even though Kevin Marion and Moore handled 38 of the team's 51 returns last season. He plans to use tailbacks Josh Smith and Brandon Pendergrass in that role.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
[table][tr][th=""]
A year ago, the critics wondered how Wake Forest would handle success.
The Deacons answered with a nine-win season that stands as evidence that Grobe's program is here to stay.
It won't be easy to win a division title with the ACC's current imbalance. Three years ago, there appeared to be little difference between the Atlantic and Coastal Divisions. Now it looks like six of the ACC's seven best teams play in Wake Forest's Atlantic Division.
The Deacons are partly responsible for that imbalance. When the divisions were set up, Wake Forest was supposed to be the Atlantic patsy -- the equivalent of Duke in the Coastal Division. Now the Deacons are one of the league's powers -- only Virginia Tech has a better ACC record over the last two seasons.
Wake Forest has the tools to make another title run. As always, it will depend on the health of key players and luck in close games. Grobe needs for his rebuilt offensive line to hold up and for one or two of his young receivers to step up.
If everything goes right, Wake Forest could be playing in the ACC title game for the second time in three years. And even if everything goes wrong, the Deacons should still have a better season than what used to be the norm in Winston-Salem.
For the most comprehensive previews available on the Division I-A teams, order the "Bible" of college football, the 2008 Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, at www.blueribbonyearbook.com or call 1-866-805-BALL (2255).
Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook
Updated: July 11, 2008, 2:30 PM ET
Editor's Note: ESPN Insider has teamed with Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook to provide a comprehensive look at all Division I-A teams. To order the complete 2008 edition of Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, visit www.blueribbonyearbook.com or call 1-866-805-BALL (2255).
(All information as of June 20, 200
[h4]Southern California Trojans[/h4]
[table][tr][td]LOCATION[/td] [td]Los Angeles[/td] [/tr][tr][td]CONFERENCE[/td] [td]Pac-10[/td] [/tr][tr][td]LAST SEASON[/td] [td]11-2 (.846)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]CONFERENCE RECORD[/td] [td]7-2 (t-1st)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]OFF. STARTERS RETURNING[/td] [td]4[/td] [/tr][tr][td]DEF. STARTERS RETURNING[/td] [td]7[/td] [/tr][tr][td]NICKNAME[/td] [td]Trojans[/td] [/tr][tr][td]COLORS[/td] [td]Cardinal & Gold[/td] [/tr][tr][td]HOME FIELD[/td] [td]L.A. Memorial Coliseum (92,000)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]HEAD COACH[/td] [td]Pete Carroll (Pacific '73)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]RECORD AT SCHOOL[/td] [td]76-14 (7 years)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]CAREER RECORD[/td] [td]76-14 (7 years)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]ASSISTANTS[/td] [td]⢠Steve Sarkisian (BYU '97), Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
⢠Nick Holt (Pacific '86), Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line
⢠John Morton (Western Michigan '97), Passing Coordinator/Wide Receivers
⢠Brendan Carroll (Pittsburgh '01), Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator
⢠Todd McNair (Temple '8
, Running Backs/Special Teams Coordinator ⢠Ken Norton, Jr. (UCLA '9
, Linebackers ⢠Pat Ruel (Miami '72), Offensive Line
⢠Rocky Seto (USC '99), Secondary
⢠David Watson (Western Illinois '01), Defensive Line[/td] [/tr][tr][td]TEAM WINS (Last five yrs.)[/td] [td]12-13-12-11-11[/td] [/tr][tr][td]FINAL RANK (Last five yrs.)[/td] [td]2-1-2-6-3[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2007 FINISH[/td] [td]Beat Illinois in Rose Bowl.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2008 Schedule | 2007 Results | 2007 Stats[/td] [/tr][/table]
COACH AND PROGRAM
It has become a rite of passage. As the calendar dives into the New Year and NFL franchises dispose of their head coaches, the rumor mill starts, and sure enough USC head coach Pete Carroll's name is thrown into the mix of every high-profile job. The courting process never lasts long, though. Carroll always saying he's willing to listen, only to withdraw his name from consideration after a phone call or two.
Word is that he wouldn't even consider returning to the NFL without full control of an organization, but he's never verified that, so rumors being rumors, who knows? The spectrum is two-fold, as it's easy to consider each mindset:
⢠As competitive as they come, Carroll -- who turns 57 years old in September -- wants to prove he wasn't given a fair shake in head-coaching stops with the New York Jets and the New England Patriots. His career NFL head coaching record stands at 33-31, and of course, the allure of joining Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer as coaches that have won Super Bowls and NCAA championships has to be enticing. And then there's always the money, not that Carroll is hurting at USC.
⢠The other theory is no less compelling. Why leave the best college coaching job in the land? He more or less has a lifetime contract at USC. And no one can debate that Carroll -- whose .844 career winning percentage is tops among active coaches with only Urban Meyer and Bob Stoops having also won 80 percent of their games -- is better suited for the college game with his rah-rah attitude and his laid-back, ideal-for-the-West Coast personality. He never gelled with the Northeast media of Boston and New York City.
For the time being, though -- that being this season -- Carroll remains as the coach of the Trojans. And that means USC should compete for the BCS Championship.
Over the last six seasons (2002-07), Carroll has guided USC to six top-4 Associated Press poll finishes, including back-to-back national crowns in 2003 and 2004, an NCAA-best six BCS bowl appearances, a conference record six straight Pac-10 crowns and an NCAA-record six straight seasons with at least 11 victories.
The final tally has the Trojans at 70-8 over that stretch. And look no further than this April's NFL draft for why the nation's top recruits flock to USC. The Trojans had 10 players selected, including a mind-boggling seven in the first two rounds. Yes, seven Trojans were taken among the first 63 picks.
Now, for just about any other program in the nation, that would spell doom, perhaps not in terms of a rebuilding project, but you don't lose that kind of talent and compete for a national crown the following year. And especially not with one of the toughest schedules in the land -- the season-opener at Virginia, followed by a visit from what some consider the nation's top team, Ohio State, on Sept. 13. Also, what should be a much-improved Notre Dame squad also visits on Nov. 29.
"I think we owe it to our kids to play as many big-time games as possible, isn't that why they come to USC?" said USC assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. "We're never going to back away from any game; we played Idaho last season to open as a favor to a former assistant, and we hated it. The players hated it, the coaches hated it.
"Our goal every season is to win the Pac-10. That should be the goal of every program, to win their conference. We don't care about playing in the BCS title game, if it happens, great, but you can't let the system control your schedule. If we lose a nonconference game early, so be it, our players and our fans deserve seeing us play Ohio State and Virginia and Auburn and whoever else wants to play us. We will never back off that thought process."
The return of Sarkisian, who turned down the Oakland Raiders' head-coaching job last year, is a huge plus for USC. It's seems implausible that his "internship" under Carroll will last much longer, as the former BYU quarterback is more than ready to either run his own program or perhaps join former USC assistant Lane Kiffin as an NFL head coach. Actually, it's worth mentioning that the entire staff is back from last season, each in their same position.
"I've noticed the difference in having the staff back," Carroll said after spring practice. "There was a difference in our preparation and not having to train a new coach in a position. It was really nice in our continuity and our ability to move ahead. The continuity and teaching with the players was solid and it was a good boost. You could tell we were very competitive with what we tried to get done."
[table][tr][th=""]Inside the Pac-10[/th] [/tr][tr][td]
QUARTERBACKS
What was expected to be the most-anticipated spring-time quarterback competition in the country never really materialized. Before the spring game Carroll officially chose his starter, although by that point, it was more or less the worst-kept secret in Los Angeles.
And so it begins, the era of the next chosen one -- junior Mark Sanchez (6-3, 225).
While USC fans, and the coaching staff, were hardly doing back flips when John David Booty broke a finger last season, it did allow Sanchez the chance to start three games. That experience gave him a huge head start over the likes of Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Booty, who had barely seen the field before taking over the USC offense.
Not that Sanchez was Joe Montana in those starts, winning two-of-three with a road loss at Oregon. His numbers for the season were decent, 69-of-114 (60.5 percent), 695 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions. For his collegiate career, all of 14 games, Sanchez has thrown for 758 yards, seven TD passes and six picks.
Of course, like any quarterback walking around the USC campus, Sanchez has the pedigree that would suggest future greatness. He was the 2004 Parade All-American Player of the Year, and he has the physical and athletic tools that project as an NFL starting signal caller. However, that talent hasn't really translated as of yet on game days outside of a stellar effort against Notre Dame last year in which he tossed four touchdowns and zero interceptions. Then again, Notre Dame struggled last year, so Sanchez still has to prove he's capable of that kind of performance against elite teams.
Sarkisian thinks Sanchez is ready to make the next step.
"I love the kid, he's going to be a fantastic player," Sarkisian said. "The experience he got last year, going into Notre Dame and Oregon, is invaluable. He has great command of the offense, and I love his leadership.
"I'm not sure how differently the offense will look from last year to the casual observer, but Mark's very athletic, more than any quarterback we've had here, he can really run and he can create with his feet. But schematically, there won't be much difference."
Carroll purposely chose Sanchez as the official starter the week of the spring game to see how he responded.
"That put him in that setting to see how he operated and how guys responded to him and how he picked up," Carroll said. "We saw that. He came out more energetic, more demonstrative and took more of a leadership position in the huddle."
Carroll agrees with Sarkisian that Sanchez is more of an athlete than USC quarterbacks of the past.
"He's a little more resourceful of an athlete than John David was," Carroll said. "JD was more of a pocket guy. Mark is quicker to take off and move. His subtle movements are quicker to slide and bob and weave in the pocket. He's also quicker to take off and run.
"Matt Leinart was a guy who was resourceful and moved around well and avoided the rush and would run at times -- and wished he could run better. Mark and Matt are very similar in that manner. I think what that provides for us, there will be some times when Mark will make movements that create space and get a second look down the field that could possibly give us some shots at big plays."
Another quarterback who can create plays is No. 2 on the depth chart, sophomore Mitch Mustain (6-3, 205). After sitting out last season as a transfer from Arkansas, Mustain was expected to seriously challenge Sanchez, but for whatever reason, it didn't happen this spring. While Sarkisian and Carroll say the competition will continue into the fall, there's no way barring injury that Sanchez doesn't start the opener at Virginia. And multiple reports out of Los Angeles had Mustain being a distant second to Sanchez.
Mustain was 8-0 as a freshman starter at Arkansas in 2006 and dating back to 8th grade, his record as a starting quarterback is a ridiculous 61-2. His transfer to USC surprised some observers of college football, especially given the fact Sanchez has two years of eligibility remaining. He's obviously the presumptive starter for 2010, but one can't imagine he left a starting role in the SEC to sit on the bench for three years and start one season in the Pac-10. At Arkansas in 2006, Mustain completed 69-of-132 passes (52.3 percent) for 894 yards, 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He was the national prep player of the year the season after Sanchez in 2005.
Behind Sanchez and Mustain is mobile redshirt freshman Aaron Corp (6-3, 185).
RUNNING BACKS
The story last season was why the heck nine All-American high school running backs in a span of two years would each choose USC as their collegiate destination. This isn't exactly the 1950s, when perhaps that could have come as a surprise the first day of practice.
The story this season, though, is which of those prep sensations will emerge as the 1-2 combination that Sarkisian envisions. At least one player took himself out of the equation, though; Emmanuel Moody transferred to Florida last August. He's expected to start there this season.
As for the situation at Troy, last season's leading rusher -- with 969 yards and 10 TDs -- Chauncey Washington exhausted his eligibility and was selected in the seventh round of the NFL draft, leaving a bevy of underclassmen battling for carries.
While he's not the leading returner rusher, look for sophomore Joe McKnight (6-0, 180) to become the team's primary ball carrier. Actually, not primary in the sense of 20 carries a game, more like the Reggie Bush's lighting to LenDale White's thunder. And while we're not huge fans of comparing a current player to those of the past, the comparison in this instance is impossible to ignore.
As a freshman McKnight rushed for 540 yards and three scores at 5.7 yards per carry. He also caught 23 balls for 203 yards and a score. However, much like Bush, he came on strong in the latter half of his rookie campaign, highlighted by his 206 all-purpose yards in USC's Rose Bowl win. The Trojans are committed to getting McKnight 15-18 touches a game this season, if not more.
"Ideally, we'd have three guys share the carries this year, but the best players will get enough carries," Sarkisian said. "Joe has never been the full-time tailback, not even in high school, it's new to him, but we're going to run him as much as anyone on the team.
"We have a lot of confidence in Joe, he's a dynamic runner and this spring, he was playing with a lot of confidence."
The post-spring game depth chart has four players listed in bold as the No. 1 tailback, and while that makes for the kind of competition Carroll loves, USC will not share carries between that many players.
The two heavy favorites along with McKnight are junior Stafon Johnson (6-0, 210), who rushed for 673 yards and five TDs at 6.9 yards per carry last season, and sophomore C.J. Gable (6-1, 195), who rushed for 143 yards on just 13 carries before abdomen surgery ended his season after two games.
"This is a very good position for us," Carroll said. "We have lots of versatility here. We have guys with great speed, guys who run very aggressively and guys who have a bit of both. We'll find the special qualities of each player and we'll use what they're skilled at. Stafon has a breakout year last season, Joe is one of the most exciting players in college football and C.J. looked to be all the way back this spring. He can run tough, can make you miss, is a very good pass blocker, probably our best, and can catch the ball well."
Others in the mix include junior Allen Bradford (6-0, 225) and redshirt freshmen Broderick Green (6-1, 230) and Marc Tyler (6-0, 215).
At fullback is sophomore Stanley Havill (6-1, 225). He rushed for 134 yards and two scores and caught 34 balls for 248 yards in 2007. Behind Havill is junior walk on Adam Goodman (6-2, 235).
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
The wide receiving corps was without question the most disappointing position for USC last season. Outside of a reserve, the entire group is back, which may or may not be good news. But Sarkisian saw dramatic improvement this spring.
"Without question the most improved position on the team this spring in terms of consistency, it was an inexperienced group last year, hadn't had a lot of reps, we had drop balls, guys running wrong routes," he said. "They had the talent, they just couldn't capture the consistency we needed."
Both starters are back in senior split end Patrick Turner (6-5, 220) -- who made 48 catches for 569 yards and three TDs in 2007 -- and junior flanker Vidal Hazelton (6-3, 210), who caught 50 balls for 540 yards and four scores.
However, neither is a lock to start, especially Turner. Sophomore David Ausberry (6-4, 225) appears to be the next great USC wideout; last season he caught 26 passes for 240 yards and two TDs.
Sophomore Ronald Johnson (6-1, 190) is also pushing for more playing time after catching seven balls for 110 yards in 2007.
"We've grown up some here," Carroll said. "You can really see the maturity that has taken place. Hazelton is really in command; he had a great spring despite being a little nicked up. He's finish up on top of the chart. Johnson has grown and has become familiar with a lot of the things he can do. He's always been a great deep threat, but we like what he's doing. David will be a big factor for us."
And then there's another Arkansas transfer, sophomore Damian Williams (6-1, 190). He started five times as a freshman with the Razorbacks and caught 19 balls. He should see plenty of reps, if not start.
"Probably the guy that was the biggest surprise of the spring is Damian," Carroll said. "He's got downfield ability, his catch and run is good. He's got good feel for getting open inside, and we expect him to continue to grow."
After losing 2007 John Mackey Award winner Fred Davis to the NFL, the Trojans are inexperienced at tight end. The candidates to start are junior Anthony McCoy (6-5, 255), who caught two passes last year, and redshirt freshman Rhett Ellison (6-5, 235).
"McCoy had a great spring; the target that we saw a couple of years back is definitely alive and well," Carroll said. "He's blocked well. Rhett has done a beautiful job. Both will play with the first group. There is not a lot of depth there."
OFFENSIVE LINE
This unit more or less started from scratch this spring, with even the eternal optimist Carroll saying, "The biggest question mark in our program is who will be the starters on the offensive line. It's certainly the most competitive position on the team. It might take a while to sort out, and we might start by rotating guys. We want to identify the top five players and see where they fit."
Four of last season's five starters have departed, including three-time All-American tackle Sam Baker -- a first-round pick in the 2008 NFL draft -- and first team All-Pac-10 guard Chilo Rachal, who departed for the NFL a season early and was drafted by San Francisco in the second round.
Worse, the lone returning starter has been as injury plagued as any player since Carroll's arrival. Still, senior guard Jeff Byers (6-4, 285) is among the coach's favorite players.
"Jeff's downfield blocking sets the tone for the style of play that we like," Carroll said. "He will be the steadying influence, and we'll count on his senior leadership. He flies better than anyone we've ever had, making use of his legs and his guts to finish plays. He creates an attitude about the way we play, and I'm grateful for that."
Byers started 12 games last season after missing the majority of 2005 and 2006 with hip and back injuries. He also had hernia surgery before spring practice but was 100 percent for camp. After Byers, honestly, it's anyone's guess, including Carroll. The depth chart starters after the spring game included junior Charles Brown (6-6, 290) at left tackle, sophomore Kristofer O'Dowd (6-5, 300) at center, junior Alex Parsons (6-4, 285) at right tackle and the combination of sophomore Zach Heberer (6-5, 300) and junior Thomas Herring (6-6, 300) at right guard.
"Charles Brown had a very good spring; he really is capable of being a big-time left tackle," Carroll said. "We like the way he took over the role.
"O'Dowd might have been my favorite surprise of spring in that he really came back and took over the communication aspect of the line, which is really helpful developing a young group. He's really solid and physical."
In starting the first three games at center last season O'Dowd became the first freshman in program history to start in the middle. Brown also started a game in 2007.
Also vying for playing time is sophomore tackle Butch Lewis (6-5, 280) and junior tackle Nick Howell (6-5. 275). A couple of freshmen could also be in the mix.
KICKERS
A year removed from the tragic death of kicker Mario Danelo, the Trojans' kicking game is in solid shape after the stellar efforts of David Buehler (6-2, 225).
Pressed into duty a year earlier than expected, Buehler converted 16-of-19 field goals and 52-of-54 extra points. And his kickoffs ranked among the conference's best, with 35-of-84 leaving teams inside their own 20-yard line. He also had 18 touchbacks, including five in the Rose Bowl. His long was 47 yards, but he drilled his lone attempt in 2006 from 49 yards, so length isn't a problem.
"David is one of the top place-kickers in the nation and has a monster leg," Carroll said. "He really pounded the ball this spring."
Behind Buehler are junior walk on Jordan Congdon (5-9, 180), who was Nebraska's kicker in 2004 and 2005, and sophomore walk on Joe Houston (5-8, 160).
DEFENSIVE LINE
While seven starters return on the defense, it's worth mentioning that the four departed starters were among the first 63 players selected in the 2008 NFL draft. And defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis and linebacker Keith Rivers were each top-10 picks with end Lawrence Jackson also being a first-rounder.
But don't feel bad for USC, as this defense could easily outperform last year's and that's saying something. Some of the final numbers from a season ago include:
⢠Allowed 16.0 points and 273.2 yards per game, both of which ranked second nationally among FBS programs.
⢠Ranked fourth in rushing defense (84.2) and sixth in pass efficiency defense (102.1).
⢠Placed third in sacks at 3.5 per and 15th in pass defense at 189.0. USC allowed just nine passing touchdowns, the lowest total in the country.
Those numbers are all the more impressive considering the Trojans were decimated by injuries on defense, especially over the first half of the season.
"Defensively, I think we can pick up where we left off last year," Carroll said. "This is a very athletic, aggressive defense. It should be the strength of our team, as there are just a few personnel changes from last year. But to be successful on defense in 2008, we need to get more turnovers than last year.
"Other than the nose tackle spot, I feel we're coming into the season with a good savvy group that knows what we are doing and gives us some flexibility."
The first order of business is obviously replacing Ellis -- a two-time All-American and 2007 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year -- and Jackson up front. Any great defense starts with a pass rush, and those two combined for 29.5 tackles for loss and 19 sacks in 2007. Carroll thinks this should be the most versatile defense he's had at Troy, and a major reason for that, if not the No. 1 reason, is senior Clay Matthews (6-4, 240). The son of the former USC All-American and legendary Cleveland Browns linebacker of the same name, Matthews was a backup linebacker and special teams maven last season. He finished with just 17 tackles, including three for loss, two forced fumbles and two blocked field goals. The former walk on that earned a scholarship in 2006 was also chosen USC's co-Special Teams Player of the Year. This spring, Matthews became much more than a part-time contributor. This fall, look for Matthews to start at one of the end spots.
"Clay was one of the most productive guys of spring," Carroll said. "He had a great spring playing the Leo spot. He gives us great speed. He's a 4.5 guy and has great savvy and instincts when we drop him. He's given us a real boost and added to the speed of the front four.
"He can play the Sam backer; he has the ability to play both spots (end/linebacker). A lot of the physical things are similar. Right now we want to keep him at end. He's had a very highlighted spring. ... It's the right thing to do. We want him on the field as much as we can."
Look for USC to rotate three ends, with Matthews also playing some linebacker. Perhaps the most talented lineman on the roster is sophomore end Everson Griffen (6-3, 265). As a freshman last season he finished with 21 tackles, 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. And in starting the season-opener at Idaho, he became the first USC freshman to start an opener on the defensive line since Tim Ryan in 1986.
The other end in the mix is senior Kyle Moore (6-6, 275). He started 11-of-13 games in 2007 and finished with 35 tackles and two sacks. He also had two interceptions and five deflections. Few are better in the Pac-10 batting down passes.
At tackle is senior Fili Moala (6-5, 295), a three-year starter. An All-Pac-10 candidate, Moala started all 13 games last season and finished with 32 tackles, 5.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks.
"He really gives us good experience and he knows the job well," Carroll said. "He's difficult to block, and his experience and leadership is really valuable to an otherwise pretty young group."
As for the nose tackle, look for the duties to be shared between junior Averell Spicer (6-2, 290) and sophomore Christian Tupou (6-2, 275). Neither has a ton of experience. Spicer -- who sat out spring practice with a knee injury -- made nine tackles and a sack last season, while Tupou barely saw the field. This is the No. 1 question mark of the defense.
"Averell had a great chance for the No. 1 position, but because he was out [this spring], it opened it up for Christian Tupou and he really had a great spring," Carroll said. "He had the best day a defensive lineman had all spring on a day when we only had five linemen practicing. He sucked it up and had a fantastic day. He's learning well and has such a great motor, we think he'll be a factor."
Spicer is expected back at 100 percent come fall practice.
Others in the mix up front include senior end Gerald Washington (6-6, 260) and redshirt freshman end/tackle Trey Henderson (6-3, 265).
LINEBACKERS
How stacked is USC at linebacker? Well consider Thomas Williams wasn't able to crack the starting lineup last season and he was a fifth-round pick in the NFL draft, and that's more or less all one needs to know.
So gone are Rivers and Williams; and yet this unit could -- should -- be stronger than a season ago. And the main reason for that is a pair of Rose Bowl Defensive MVPs in seniors Rey Maualuga (6-3, 250) and Brian Cushing (6-4, 240).
It's hard to fathom that Maualuga -- who plays middle linebacker -- is still in college, first off because it seems like he's been around longer than Ty Detmer was at BYU, and secondly, he would've been among the top linebackers selected in the draft if he declared.
In being chosen first-team All-Pac-10 for the second straight year -- despite being slowed by multiple nagging injuries including a hip -- Maualuga tallied a team-high 79 tackles, 10.5 stops for loss, six sacks and an interception. He was voted 2008 Rose Bowl Defensive MVP after coming up with three sacks and an interception that he returned 19 yards, and is on the short list of Butkus Award favorites. And some of his crushing tackles have already become the stuff of YouTube legend; the kind of hits that hurt more Monday morning than Saturday afternoon.
Cushing, who plays the strong side, was the 2007 Rose Bowl Defensive MVP that was expected to vie for All-Pac-10 honors a season ago but injuries -- including a sprained ankle in the opener against Idaho -- limited him to eight starts. His numbers included 25 tackles and a sack.
"The linebacker spot is really a special spot of us," Carroll said. "With Rey coming back at full speed and Brian coming back from injury, those two guys jacked it up in the second half of spring with spectacular play."
The third starting position is still up for grabs entering fall camp. However, no matter who wins the competition, both senior Kaluka Maiava (6-0, 225) and junior Luther Brown (6-3, 230) should see plenty of reps. Maiava has two career starts and finished last season with 44 tackles and two sacks, while Brown contributed 25 stops in 2007.
"Luther is zeroing in on trying to win that Will spot, but he can also play the other two spots which gives us versatility, much like Thomas Williams did," Carroll said.
Sophomores Michael Morgan (6-3, 220) and Malcolm Smith (6-2, 215) -- the brother of former USC All-American and current New York Giants wideout Steve Smith -- should also see action. Redshirt freshman Chris Galippo (6-2, 235) impressed coaches this spring and is expected to replace Maualuga in the middle in 2009.
"Chris had a real solid spring, he's learned a tremendous amount and will be able to play at the Mike position for us in games early in the season," Carroll said.
Both Maiava and Smith were injured this spring but were expected at 100 percent come the start of practice in August.
"Mike Morgan had a very good spring, he's a good coverage guy and a good blitz guy and has done fine against the run and has tackled very well," Carroll said.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
The secondary is loaded, as in arguably the best in the country loaded. As in, well, let's allow Carroll -- who spent 14 college and NFL seasons as a secondary coach -- to expand.
"The secondary really has a chance to be the best we've had," he said. "There's speed, playmaking and leadership in this group. There are three top flight corners and three top flight safeties at least."
The anchor of this unit is junior strong safety Kevin Ellison (6-1, 225). A first-team All-Pac-10 selection in 2007, Ellison finished with 57 tackles including eight for loss, two sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.
"He's probably not flashy and maybe doesn't have all the numbers, but people don't take into account all the stuff Kevin does for us as far as getting other guys lined up, how smart he is and how good a leader he is by example and his work ethic," Holt said. "I think his productivity [in 2008] as far as numbers might even get better. There are guys on these All-American lists that possibly wouldn't play for us quite honestly."
Then again it's not even a guarantee that Ellison ranks as the best safety on his own team, with junior Taylor Mays (6-4, 225) having earned numerous All-American honors last season. His vitals included 65 tackles and an interception.
Providing depth at safety are junior Will Harris (6-1, 205) and sophomore Marshall Jones (6-0, 185). Neither has much experience, but barring an injury to Ellison or Mays, they aren't expected to see much action.
One starting job at corner is locked via senior Cary Harris (6-0, 180), while the other one is somewhat up for grabs with junior Shareece Wright (6-0, 180) being the heavy favorite and projected No. 1 coming out of spring camp. Harris tallied 48 tackles and seven pass breakups last season, while Wright had 29 tackles including 3.5 for loss and four passes breakups. Holt has said multiple times that Wright has a chance to be "special." And Holt's not exactly Carroll is terms of throwing around accolades. There were glimpses last season, especially toward the latter stages, but, say Carroll and Holt, there was a different player flying around the practice field this spring.
If Wright indeed corrals the starting job, look for senior Josh Pinkard (6-1, 215) to be the nickel back. He started in 2005 at corner and broke fall camp as the starting free safety two years ago before knee injuries sidelined him. Also in the mix is junior Kevin Thomas (6-1, 185), who missed last season with foot, ankle and shoulder injuries.
PUNTERS
Former walk on Greg Woidneck (6-0, 200) is back for his senior campaign as a three-year starter. And while he's firmly entrenched as the No. 1 on the depth chart, 2007 wasn't exactly a year to remember with USC placing among the bottom 20 teams nationally in net punting.
First and foremost, he had three punts blocked, although one wasn't his fault. That's four in two years, which is unacceptable at any program, never mind USC.
His strength is angling balls inside opponents' 20-yard line, as he did with 40 percent of his 60 punts last season. Overall, he averaged 37.9 yards with a long of 56 yards. A year previous, as a sophomore, he averaged 38.3 yards with a long of 59.
"Greg is an effective punter," Carroll said. "He really kicked beautifully this spring."
Behind Woidneck on the depth chart is sophomore walk on Billy O'Malley (6-1, 190).
SPECIAL TEAMS
For the most part, it wasn't the typical USC year on special teams last season. At best, the unit as a whole was average, and even that may be a stretch.
However, make no mistake, there is talent in the return game, especially with Sarkisian guaranteeing Blue Ribbon that even with an expanded role in the offense that -- much like Reggie Bush -- McKnight would remain the team's primary punt returner.
As a freshman, McKnight was solid, averaging 8.4 yards on 19 returns with a long of 45. He shared duties, depending on where the ball was expected to come down, with sure-handed Desmond Reed. If the punt was likely to come down inside or around USC's 30 yard line or so, Reed handle the chore. This year, McKnight is expected to return all punts, with Johnson No. 2 on the depth chart.
"Joe McKnight is a guy that is a very good punt returner; we are excited that he'll have the full duties coming fall," Carroll said. "He's an exciting, breakaway type."
The kick returns will be shared by Johnson and Gable. The latter averaged 24.8 yards on 25 returns last season and already ranks 13th in program history in kick return yardage, while Gable returned just two at 17 yards per.
"We'll have Ronald Johnson and Gable back there at the same time, so you can't kick away from them," Carroll said. "Both guys as freshmen had very good productive years as returners, and we expect a lot from those guys."
Troy graduated its holder and long snapper, and Carroll said replacing four-year starter Will Collins is the team's No. 1 challenge on special teams. Coming out of spring, sophomore walk on Cooper Stephenson (6-3, 215) was listed No. 1 on the depth chart with juniors Alex Parsons and Christian Putnam (5-11, 200) behind him.
"Cooper Stephenson is going to be our long snapper as of right now," Carroll said at the conclusion of spring practice. "We'd like to have a more competitive situation going into the fall." As for holder, look for junior wide receiver Garrett Green (6-2, 205) to win the job, with Woidneck also an option.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
[table][tr][th=""]
Grading the Trojans
[/th] [/tr][tr][td]Unit[/td] [td] Grade
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Offense[/td] [td] A-
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Special teams[/td] [td] B
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Defense[/td] [td] A
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Intangibles[/td] [td] A
[/td] [/tr][/table]If the last two seasons are becoming the norm more than the exception in terms of not being able to lose a game and win the national championship, USC has to rank with the favorites to hoist the BCS trophy come season's end. On paper at least, this team doesn't rank with the back-to-back national champions of yesteryear, but defensively, it's as strong as any since Carroll's arrival.
The wild card is obviously the aerial attack, inclusive of Sanchez, the wide receivers and the tight ends. There's no doubting this team's ability to run, but this isn't the Southwest Conference of the 1970s with Barry Switzer running the ball 60 times a game; this is the Pac-10, and the Trojans are going to need at the least a passing game on par with a season ago.
Sanchez certainly has the pedigree and the makeup to become the next great one and lead USC on another mini-dynasty the next two seasons, but he simply didn't show enough in three starts last year to guarantee that.
The schedule, as alluded to before, is brutal -- although USC's three toughest opponents (Ohio State, Arizona State and Oregon) visit the Coliseum -- and it's hard to envision USC entering January undefeated. But as the case has been each of the last six seasons, the Trojans will have a say about the national championship picture come late November.
At the least, a seventh straight Pac-10 crown seems all but a lock, as Arizona State is a distant second in terms of talent pool. And if USC defeats Ohio State on Sept. 13, watch out -- it could be a wire-to-wire run at No. 1.
In the interest of full disclosure, we picked USC to finish 13-0 and win the national title last season. Maybe we were just a year off.
For the most comprehensive previews available on all Division I-A teams, order the "Bible" of college football, the 2008 Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, at www.blueribbonyearbook.com or call 1-866-805-BALL (2255).
[h1]Team preview: Oregon[/h1]
Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook
Updated: July 11, 2008, 2:31 PM ET
Editor's Note: ESPN Insider has teamed with Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook to provide a comprehensive look at all Division I-A teams. To order the complete 2008 edition of Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, visit www.blueribbonyearbook.com or call 1-866-805-BALL (2255).
(All information as of June 20, 200
[h4]Oregon Ducks[/h4]
[table][tr][td]LOCATION[/td] [td]Eugene, Ore.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]CONFERENCE[/td] [td]Pac-10[/td] [/tr][tr][td]LAST SEASON[/td] [td]9-4 (.692)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]CONFERENCE RECORD[/td] [td]5-4 (t-4th)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]OFF. STARTERS RETURNING[/td] [td]6[/td] [/tr][tr][td]DEF. STARTERS RETURNING[/td] [td]7[/td] [/tr][tr][td]NICKNAME[/td] [td]Ducks[/td] [/tr][tr][td]COLORS[/td] [td]Green & Yellow[/td] [/tr][tr][td]HOME FIELD[/td] [td]Autzen Stadium (54,000)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]HEAD COACH[/td] [td]Mike Bellotti (UC Davis '73)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]RECORD AT SCHOOL[/td] [td]106-52 (13 years)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]CAREER RECORD[/td] [td]127-77-2 (18 years)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]ASSISTANTS[/td] [td]⢠Steve Greatwood (Oregon '90), Associate Head Coach/Offensive Line
⢠Chip Kelly (New Hampshire '90), Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
⢠Nick Aliotti (UC Davis '76), Defensive Coordinator
⢠Gary Campbell (UCLA '73), Running Backs
⢠Michael Gray (Oregon '84), Defensive Line
⢠John Neal (Ole Miss '95), Secondary
⢠Tom Osborne (Washington State '83), Tight Ends/Special Teams
⢠Don Pellum (Oregon '86), Linebackers/Recruiting Coordinator
⢠Robin Pflugrad (Portland State '80), Wide Receivers[/td] [/tr][tr][td]TEAM WINS (Last five yrs.)[/td] [td]8-5-10-7-9[/td] [/tr][tr][td]FINAL RANK (Last five yrs.)[/td] [td]41-59-14-48-24[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2007 FINISH[/td] [td]Beat South Florida in Sun Bowl.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2008 Schedule | 2007 Results | 2007 Stats[/td] [/tr][/table]
COACH AND PROGRAM
For a football program that changes uniforms more often than the Pep Boys change tires, the coaching staff remains surprisingly, well, uniform. Head coach Mike Bellotti enters his 14th season in Eugene and brings back all of his assistant coaches from 2007, the first time in four years without any turnover.
Why mess with a good thing? Bellotti is 106-52 at Oregon and has led the program to 11 bowl appearances in 13 years. He has won two Pac-10 championships and is one of only six coaches in conference history to win 100 games at one school.
Why leave? The winningest coach in the 112-year history of the program earned just more than $1.9 million last season in salary, incentives and bonuses. In May, he agreed to a contract amendment that bumped his paycheck by nearly $400,000. He's not making Phil Knight money, but at least he's in Pete Carroll's neighborhood.
Bellotti, 57, confirmed his commitment to the Ducks last December when he rebuffed an overture from UCLA.
"You're always flattered when others want to talk to you, but that's because of the success we've enjoyed based on our players, our support staff and our administration," he said. "I have been, and continue to be, 100 percent committed to the University of Oregon and our pursuit of a national championship."
Oregon was in the championship picture for a time last season, climbing as high as No. 2 in the polls after improving to 8-1 with back-to-back victories against USC and Arizona State. But that's when the letters ACL became less popular than IRS for Ducks fans. They lost Heisman Trophy hopeful Dennis Dixon, two other quarterbacks and a total of seven starters to season-ending injuries. They also lost three consecutive games, including their first shutout (16-0 at UCLA) since 1985 and their first Civil War loss to Oregon State in Eugene since 1993. Oregon was able to rally and build momentum for 2008 with a 56-21 blowout of USF in the Sun Bowl as the Ducks set a bowl record for scoring and collected their first bowl victory since 2001.
The Ducks led the Pac-10 and ranked sixth nationally in rushing at 251.7 yards per game. They led the league in total offense (467.5 yards per game) and scoring (38.2 points per game) and set school records for points (496) and rushing yards (3,272). Oregon also led the country in tackles for loss (9.4 per game) and topped the Pac-10 in turnover margin (plus-nine) and red-zone defense.
They won't have Dixon or record-setting running back Jonathan Stewart in 2008, but the Ducks are still swimming in a pool of playmakers.
"People keep asking if I'm concerned about our skill positions," offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said. "But a year ago, no one had confidence in Dennis Dixon and things turned out pretty well. We ended up leading the Pac-10 in almost everything."
Defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti said a veteran unit that returns seven starters could be "very good, if not dominant," which bodes well. The Ducks have allowed fewer than 25 points per game in six seasons under Bellotti. They went 58-15 in those years and won at least nine games each season; they were 48-37 in the other seven years and did not reach the nine-win mark.
Bellotti has asked his defense to carry the Ducks while the offense breaks in a new passer and a few other starters.
"They're certainly capable of doing that," he told The Oregonian. "I would hope that would be something they would take great pride in and take to heart and understand that this team is counting on them."
[table][tr][th=""]Inside the Pac-10[/th] [/tr][tr][td]
QUARTERBACKS
Seven candidates are trying to fill Dixon's cleats. Despite missing the last two regular-season games with a knee injury, he was a unanimous choice as Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year after completing 68 percent of his passes for 2,136 yards, 20 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He also carried 105 times for 583 yards and nine touchdowns. Pittsburgh drafted Dixon in the fifth round.
Sophomore Nate Costa (6-1, 220) exited spring practice atop the depth chart despite not participating in contact drills. He was third string last fall behind Dixon and Brady Leaf before suffering torn knee ligaments in an October practice. He appeared in two games as a freshman in 2006, completing 5-of-5 passes for 73 yards.
His chief competition is classmate Justin Roper (6-6, 205), who was pressed into action and matched a Sun Bowl record with four touchdown passes in his first career start. He has a strong arm but lacks Costa's mobility and experience with a spread offense.
"Nate ran the spread in high school and was pushing for time last year when he got hurt," Kelly said. "Justin's not as athletic as Nate and needs to continue to work on running the offense and getting more comfortable. They both just need experience."
Also returning is sophomore Cody Kempt (6-2, 210), who completed just 6-of-23 passes for 52 yards and two picks in a rough debut at UCLA after Leaf injured an ankle. Junior transfer Cade Cooper (6-3, 215) and blue-chip freshmen Darron Thomas (6-3, 202) and Chris Harper (6-2, 230) also battled in the spring. Cooper was national JUCO Offensive Player of the Year in 2006 after completing 67 percent of his passes for 3,103 yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions and leading Snow (Utah) College to an 11-1 record. He transferred to BYU, but left the program after tearing ligaments in his left foot in the Cougars' spring game.
Thomas and Harper are both dual-threat quarterbacks. Thomas passed for 2,576 yards and 11 touchdowns and ran for 904 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior at Aldine High in Houston. Harper accumulated more than 1,500 yards of offense and scored 19 touchdowns last fall at Northwest High in Wichita, Kansas.
Harper had an eye-opening performance in the Oregon spring game, breaking off several big runs and completing a 53-yard bomb. Bellotti has had success with a two-quarterback system in the past and Harper may get some early playing time.
"I can see him coming in and providing the same type of spark that Tim Tebow did as a true freshman at Florida," Bellotti told reporters after the spring game. "With the ball in his hands, he's as dangerous a quarterback as we've had."
Sophomore transfer Jeremiah Masoli (6-0, 205) arrives this summer and adds even more insurance at the position. He led City College of San Francisco to the JUCO national title last season, completing 61 percent of his passes for 3,592 yards, 30 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He also rushed for 448 yards and 11 scores.
"We thought very highly of him and you don't have to look far to find you can never have enough quality quarterbacks," Kelly said. "We started last season with five scholarship quarterbacks. Justin was a fifth-string kid and the only healthy one we had left at the end."
RUNNING BACKS
Stewart left a year early for the NFL and was drafted by Carolina in the first round, with the 13th overall pick. He broke the school single-season rushing record (1,722 yards) and climbed to No. 2 on the all-time list (2,891 yards), capping his career with a 253-yard MVP performance in the Sun Bowl. Senior Jeremiah Johnson (5-10, 205) gets first crack at replacing "Snoop," with junior Andre Crenshaw (5-11, 195), newcomer LeGarrette Blount (6-2, 229) and sophomore Remene Alston (5-8, 200) filling out the depth chart.
Johnson averaged better than six yards per carry for the third straight season in 2007 and has ambitious goals for 2008 -- 2,000 yards and a first-round draft selection. He ran for 644 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2006 and was posting nice numbers last fall (73.7 all-purpose yards per game) before tearing his right ACL in an Oct. 13 rout of Washington State. He didn't participate in contact drills this spring, but ran a 4.47 40-yard dash on testing day -- three months after surgery. Crenshaw (415 yards) is the top returning rusher after avoiding injuries and tacklers (5.1 yards per attempt) last season. He carried 15 times for 113 yards and two touchdowns in a 55-34 win at Washington. Alston was the scout team's offensive MVP for nine straight weeks in 2006 and appeared in seven games in 2007.
Crenshaw's consistency this spring was overshadowed by a thunderous performance from Blount, a junior transfer from East Mississippi Community College who "is better than I thought he might be at this stage," Bellotti said. He rushed for 2,360 yards and 24 TDs in two JUCO seasons. In two scrimmages and a spring game, Blount had a combined 27 carries for 185 yards, two touchdowns and dozens of broken tackles.
Blount's combination of power, vision, balance and speed reminds many of former UO star Reuben Droughns. "I don't do too much juking," Blount told the Daily Emerald. "I'm going to try to either run through you or run past you, but if I get past you, you're not catching me."
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
There is not much experience behind senior Jaison Williams (6-5, 240) with the losses of receivers Garren Strong and Cameron Colvin to graduation and the absence of talented but troubled junior Derrick Jones. Jones caught 19 passes for 199 yards last season, but is not on the roster and was not enrolled this spring. In February, he was arrested on drug and contempt charges, his second bust in six months.
Williams led the Ducks with 55 receptions for 844 yards and eight touchdowns in 2007, but his critics will tell you those numbers should have been much higher. In the Oregon blogosphere, he is known as "50/50" by so-called Quack addicts, a derisive reference to his chances of catching the ball.
Kelly thinks concerns about Williams' hands have been blown out of proportion.
"Jaison is continuing to work at that, including eye training in the offseason," he said. "One thing is that he's always open. A lot of guys, you don't know how good their hands are because they can't get open. Jaison is a tough matchup with his size. There aren't many corners in the country who can physically handle him."
Sophomores Jamere Holland (6-1, 190) and slot-receiver Jeff Maehl (6-1, 17
are the other projected starters. Holland is a transfer from USC with sprinter's speed. He clocked the third-fastest time in the nation in the 100-meter dash (10.36) as a high school senior and ran the leadoff leg for the Trojans' NCAA regional champion 4x100-meter team. His rise on the depth chart was almost as fast."What moved him up was when he touched the ball, things happened," Bellotti said. "He's very explosive with the ball in his hands, and I like his attitude. I like his effort."
The injury-depleted Ducks converted Maehl from safety last November and he responded with nine catches for 118 yards and a touchdown in three games. Second-stringers going into fall camp are sophomores Aaron Pflugrad (5-10, 172) and Drew Davis (6-1, 202) and senior Terence Scott (5-11, 170). Pflugrad, whose position coach also happens to be his father, started four games in the slot and caught 17 passes for 168 yards. Junior Rory Cavaille (6-3, 210) nursed a hip injury this spring and super fast redshirt freshman Elvis Akpla (6-2, 185) was limited by a knee injury, but he did catch a touchdown pass in the spring game.
Two highly regarded newcomers join the squad this fall. JUCO transfer Ellis Krout (6-4, 190) had 62 receptions for 930 yards and 13 touchdowns last year at Gavilan (Calif.) College. Freshman Dion Jordan (6-6, 215) caught 54 passes for 804 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2006, but he missed part of his senior season after suffering second- and third-degree burns on his arms and legs in a garage fire. Jordan was also a champion hurdler and high jumper at Arizona's Chandler High.
Junior Ed Dickson (6-5, 240) possesses next-level talent at tight end. He caught 43 balls for 453 yards and three touchdowns last season and also scored a conversion on a direct snap in the Michigan win. Sophomore Malachi Lewis (6-3, 215) played in all 13 games in 2007 and is the backup. Dickson (67 yards) and Lewis (a one-handed 53-yarder) had the two longest plays in the spring game. Redshirt freshman David Paulson (6-4, 250) and sophomore Sam Doman (6-4, 22
add quality depth.OFFENSIVE LINE
Chances are "beefcake" isn't the first word that comes to mind when discussing offensive linemen. Cheesecake or devil's food cake, maybe. That didn't stop the Ducks' "big uglies" from posing for a calendar this winter in a brave and charitable endeavor to raise money for the National Childhood Obesity Foundation.
With five seniors in the starting five, the Ducks aren't thin on experience -- or talent. Center Max Unger (6-5, 300) and left tackle Fenuki Tupou (6-6, 322) are both on the Outland Trophy watch list and Unger is also on the Rimington Trophy list. Unger was a first-team all-conference selection and Tupou made the second team in 2007. All-American and Big East Defensive Player of the Year George Selvie had 14.5 sacks and 31.5 tackles for loss last season for USF, but he notched only one assisted tackle working against Tupou in the Sun Bowl.
"It all starts up front," Kelly said. "Max is terrific and Fenuki really came along last year. They're the two best linemen in the league, I would argue."
Mark Lewis (6-4, 30
is a returning starter at right guard. Left guard Jeff Kendall (6-3, 297) and right tackle Jacob Hucko (6-7, 317) ended spring working with the first unit, but have to hold off sophomore tackle C.E. Kaiser (6-4, 290), sophomore guard Jordan Holmes (6-4, 295), senior guard Jon Teague (6-2, 301) and sophomore tackle Mark Asper (6-7, 320). There's some flexibility and versatility. Kendall can play center, Kaiser can move inside to guard and Unger has practiced at left tackle.KICKERS
Senior Matt Evensen (6-1, 194) made 16-of-20 field goals (long of 47) and was perfect on 52 extra-point attempts last year. He also had 17 touchbacks on kickoffs. During the spring, he hammered a 53-yarder through the uprights in a scrimmage and a 50-yarder in the spring game. Evensen would love another shot at rival Oregon State before he graduates. He missed a potential game-winner from 53 yards with 26 seconds left in regulation last year and the Ducks dropped a 38-31 heartbreaker in two overtimes. In 2006, the Beavers blocked his 44-yard attempt with 20 ticks left to preserve a 30-28 victory.
Junior Morgan Flint (5-9, 16
is the backup for place kicks and senior walk on Justin Dougherty (6-6, 220) could get work on kickoffs. Sophomore Daniel Padilla (6-2, 210), Evensen's heir apparent, is not listed on the post-spring two-deep and could redshirt after making 3-of-4 field goals and 7-of-7 PATs last season.DEFENSIVE LINE
Senior Nick Reed (6-2, 255) is one of the best pass rushers in the country still playing on Saturdays. With junior Will Tukuafu (6-4, 279), the Ducks have a pair of energetic ends ready to blast into a backfield near you again in 2008. Reed landed on the Lott Trophy watch list this season after leading the Pac-10 with 22.5 tackles for loss (third nationally) and tying for the league lead with 12 sacks in 2007. The first-team all-conference honoree was a Ted Hendricks Award finalist. Tukuafu earned honorable mention all-conference recognition with 8.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.
Their reserves include senior Mike Speed (6-4, 25
and sophomore Brandon Bair (6-7, 250), who had shoulder surgery in January and did not participate in spring contact drills. Oregon's most notable offseason position change involved sophomore Kenny Rowe (6-3, 215), who was second on the team with five sacks. He moved from end to linebacker, switching roles with redshirt freshman Terrell Turner (6-3, 245), but he could still line up on the edge in third-and-long situations.The Ducks lost starting tackles Jeremy Gibbs and David Faaeteete, leaving this position thin -- and getting thinner. Senior starters Ra'Shon Harris (6-5, 321) and Cole Linehan (6-4, 295) have both reportedly shed about 20 pounds from their listed weights in order to play harder and last longer.
Linehan has made 11 career starts (five in 2007), but Harris has never started during a career interrupted by a torn triceps muscle in 2006. He did play in 12 games last year and had four tackles against UCLA, including two stops behind the line of scrimmage.
"We want to be the best defense in the nation, not just the Pac-10," Harris told reporters after registering an interception and half a sack in the spring game. "You know you can quote that in big words. We want to be the best defense in the nation."
The tackle rotation includes junior Simi Toeaina (6-4, 30
, sophomore Tonio Celotto (6-3, 26 and two heralded newcomers. Junior transfer Justin Thompson (6-5, 290) of El Camino (Calif.) College chose Oregon over Ohio State, LSU, Cal, Oklahoma, Miami, Nebraska and Tennessee.Thompson arrives this fall, while junior transfer Blake Ferras of City College of San Francisco (6-6, 280) enrolled early but injured an ankle at the start of spring drills. One of the most noteworthy moments of the spring was a failed experiment at defensive end by 6-8, 260-pound seldom-used Oregon basketball center Frantz Dorsainvil. Despite never playing organized football growing up in Haiti and Montreal, he showed up on the first day of practice and gave it the old college try. He worked out for a couple of weeks but ultimately returned to the basketball team.
LINEBACKERS
Injuries took a heavy toll here and contributed to an average performance in 2007. Health concerns of returning players and the loss of starters Kwame Agyeman and A.J. Tuitele make this one of the most unpredictable units on the team and one of the most scrutinized during August two-a-days.
Projected starters after spring practice were senior John Bacon (6-3, 230) in the middle, junior Kevin Garrett (5-11, 215) on the weak side and senior Jerome Boyd (6-2, 220) on the strong side. Bacon started the first nine games before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Arizona State. Season highlights included five solo stops at Michigan and a 49-yard interception return against Washington. He was on limited duty in the spring.
Boyd started all 13 games and had a breakout year, earning honorable mention all-league honors with 79 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and three sacks. He had a career-high 11 stops at Stanford and was chosen the team's most improved player for 2007. Boyd was on the sideline in the spring with an injured toe. Garrett is the least experienced, but finished strong last season with 5.5 tackles for loss in the last three games.
Sophomore Casey Matthews (6-2, 220) is more of a No. 1B than a No. 2 behind Bacon. He missed the last two games last season with a shoulder injury, but he was in top form this spring with 10 tackles and two sacks in the spring game. His father, Clay, was a four-time Pro Bowl linebacker and played 19 seasons in the NFL with Cleveland and Atlanta.
Sophomore Spencer Paysinger (6-3, 222) backs up Garrett and junior Riley Showalter (6-3, 226) is on the second line in the Sam slot. There's an abundance of young talent in redshirt freshmen Brandon Hanna (6-2, 235), Terrance Pritchett (6-2, 20
and Eddie Pleasant (5-11, 225). Incoming freshman Dewitt Stuckey (6-0, 215) from Lincoln High in Stockton, Calif., is a four-star recruit who could have an immediate impact if he stays out of trouble. He was arrested in May after a brawl at a fast food restaurant, but investigators determined he did not participate and charges were quickly dropped. Stuckey set the school's single-season (204 in 2007) and career (46 marks for tackles.DEFENSIVE BACKS
Even without departed free safety Matthew Harper, this secondary is a primary weapon. Senior rover Patrick Chung (6-0, 210) and junior cornerbacks Jairus Byrd (6-0, 20
and Walter Thurmond III (6-0, 185) have made a combined 84 career starts and helped the Ducks rank third in the Pac-10 in pass-efficiency defense in 2007. Only Arizona State allowed its opponents to complete a lower percentage of passes (52.8 to 53.0), and only Oregon State had more interceptions (23 to 20). Chung is a physical ball hawk who briefly considered bolting for the NFL after garnering first-team All-Pac-10 and second-team All-America (Associated Press) acclaim last year. He ranked third in the league with 9.0 tackles per game and his team-high season total of 117 stops was the highest by a Ducks defensive back in 13 years.
Byrd paced the Pac-10 with seven interceptions, finished third in the conference in passes defended (22) and tied for seventh in fumble recoveries (three). The honorable mention all-league choice scored his first career touchdown with a 33-yard fumble return against the Beavers.
Thurmond also received honorable mention recognition after tallying 103 tackles, including a team-high 76 solo stops, and finishing tied for the conference lead in passes defended (23) and tied for sixth in interceptions (five).
Junior T.J. Ward (5-11, 191) emerged as the frontrunner at free safety this spring, but defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti said the competition will resume this fall with redshirt freshman Javes Lewis (6-1, 185) and sophomore Marvin Johnson (5-10, 205). Ward appeared in every game in 2007 and contributed 21 tackles.
Others fighting for playing time in nickel and dime packages are sophomore cornerback Talmadge Jackson III (5-10, 182), junior cornerback Willie Glasper (5-11, 184) and redshirt freshman rover Todd Doxey (6-0, 170), who had a very productive spring. With Chung on the way out and Byrd and Thurmond potentially leaving early, the Ducks need to give the reserves plenty of game experience to prepare for 2009.
"A lot of young guys have stepped up and proved that they'll be ready for the fall," Thurmond said.
PUNTERS
Senior Josh Syria (6-3, 232) was an honorable mention all-conference pick in 2007 after finishing third in the Pac-10 with a 41.7-yard average. His strong leg, quick release and accurate placement provided a nice boost for the Ducks, who averaged just 39.3 yards per punt the previous season.
Sophomore walk on Tim Taylor (5-11, 185), a transfer from Santa Barbara (Calif.) City College, is the backup.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Ducks ranked second in the Pac-10 in kickoff returns, fourth in kickoff coverage and sixth in punt returns in 2007, but several key personnel are gone. Stewart was third in the conference with a 26.7-yard kickoff return average and Andiel Brown was second in punt returns with a 10.4-yard average. Long snapper Eric Steimer and holder Brady Leaf also completed their eligibility.
Roper took over as holder when Leaf got hurt and will continue those duties this season. Sophomore Spencer Young (6-0, 191) was the No. 1 snapper this spring, but the Ducks signed junior transfer Zach Taylor (6-4, 223) from Blinn (Texas) College to do the job.
The depth chart has Crenshaw and Holland as the kick returners, with Maehl and Holland returning punts. Crenshaw averaged 20.3 yards on six kickoff returns last season, and if Holland isn't the fastest man on the team, he's hot on his heels.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
The Ducks have 51 returning lettermen and 25 players who started at least one game last year, including some of the best players in the Pac-10 at their positions -- Dickson, Unger and Johnson on offense; Reed, Chung and Byrd on defense. But without a proven starter at quarterback to run the intricate, timing-based offense, it's difficult to imagine Oregon finishing any higher than third in the Pac-10 behind USC and Arizona State. [table][tr][th=""]
Grading the Ducks
[/th] [/tr][tr][td]Unit[/td] [td] Grade
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Offense[/td] [td] B
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Special teams[/td] [td] A
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Defense[/td] [td] A-
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Intangibles[/td] [td] B
[/td] [/tr][/table]To make a run for the roses, the Ducks must avoid injuries to about a dozen key players and avoid a repeat of last year's stretcher parade. Costa has to live up to lofty expectations and his young receivers must exceed theirs. The defense has to finish among the league's top two or three units after ranking seventh (382.0 yards per game) in 2007. Even if all that happens, the Bucks appear headed toward an eight- or nine-win season at best thanks to a treacherous schedule. The season starts slowly (Washington and Utah State at home), gradually picks up speed (at Purdue, home against Boise State), then plummets off a cliff with Pac-10 road games at USC, Arizona State and Cal over a five-week span. At least there's a soft landing, with mid-November home dates against Stanford and Arizona and an open date before the Civil War at Oregon State. The Ducks are 13-2 after a bye week under Bellotti; they also have a weekend off before playing the Sun Devils.
Oregon could get worn down by that tough midseason stretch and extend a recent history of late-season swoons. They are 2-6 in regular-season games played after Oct. 31 the last two seasons (after going 25-10 in those games in Bellotti's first 11 years). Still, if the defense can keep the Ducks close, you can't count them out. Oregon has won 44-of-55 games decided by a touchdown or less under Bellotti.
For the most comprehensive previews available on all 119 Division I teams, order the "Bible" of college football, the 2008 Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, at www.blueribbonyearbook.com or call 1-866-805-BALL (2255).
[h1]Team preview: Wake Forest[/h1]
Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook
Updated: July 9, 2008
Editor's Note: ESPN Insider has teamed with Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook to provide a comprehensive look at the Division I-A teams. To order the complete 2008 edition of Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, visit www.blueribbonyearbook.com or call 1-866-805-BALL (2255).
(All information as of June 20, 200
[h4]Wake Forest Demon Deacons[/h4]
[table][tr][td]LOCATION[/td] [td]Winston-Salem, NC[/td] [/tr][tr][td]CONFERENCE[/td] [td]ACC (Atlantic)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]LAST SEASON[/td] [td]9-4 (.692)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]CONFERENCE RECORD[/td] [td]5-3 (t-2nd)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]OFF. STARTERS RETURNING[/td] [td]5[/td] [/tr][tr][td]DEF. STARTERS RETURNING[/td] [td]9[/td] [/tr][tr][td]NICKNAME[/td] [td]Demon Deacons[/td] [/tr][tr][td]COLORS[/td] [td]Black & Gold[/td] [/tr][tr][td]HOME FIELD[/td] [td]Groves Stadium (31,500)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]HEAD COACH[/td] [td]Jim Grobe (Virginia '75)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]RECORD AT SCHOOL[/td] [td]46-39 (7 years)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]CAREER RECORD[/td] [td]79-72-1 (13 years)[/td] [/tr][tr][td]ASSISTANTS[/td] [td]⢠Billy Mitchell (East Carolina '72), Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs/Kickers
⢠Steed Lobotzke (Air Force '92), Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line
⢠Brad Lambert (Kansas State '87), Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
⢠Tim Billings (Southeast Oklahoma State '80), Defensive Backs
⢠Tom Elrod (Wake Forest '97), Quarterbacks
⢠Keith Henry (Catawba '89), Defensive Ends
⢠Brian Knorr (Air Force '96), Wide Receivers
⢠Ray McCartney (Guilford '80), Defensive Tackles/Recruiting Coordinator
⢠Steve Russ (Air Force '94), Tight Ends/Fullbacks
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]TEAM WINS (Last five yrs.)[/td] [td]5-4-4-11-9[/td] [/tr][tr][td]FINAL RANK (Last five yrs.)[/td] [td]68-68-69-14-25[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2007 FINISH[/td] [td]Beat Connecticut in Meineke Car Care Bowl.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2008 Schedule | 2007 Results | 2007 Stats[/td] [/tr][/table]
COACH AND PROGRAM
In many ways, Wake Forest's nine-win season in 2007 was more remarkable -- and more significant -- than the Deacons' breakthrough 11-win campaign in 2006.
That first successful season could have been a fluke. It seemed to come out of nowhere. Not only was it the Deacons' first ACC title in 37 years, those 11 wins were the first time in school history that a Wake Forest football team won more than eight games in a season.
Now the Deacons have topped eight wins twice in a row ... and appear to be poised for another good year.
"We've still got a ways to go, but 20 wins in the last two years -- we've proven we can sustain success," head coach Jim Grobe said.
The back-to-back success is evidence that Grobe's long rebuilding effort has paid off -- not with one good team, but with a good program. After decades as the ACC's doormat, Wake Forest now looks like a perennial contender in the league.
"Things have changed a little bit," Grobe said. "Our fans now have some pretty high expectations. So do our players. People are starting to feel like we have a chance to be a pretty good football team every year."
Of course, with success comes new problems.
One of the keys to Grobe's successful rebuilding effort was the stability of his coaching staff. He brought coordinators Steed Lobotzke (offense) and Dean Hood (defense) with him from Ohio University, and they provided a measure of continuity as Grobe averaged just more than five wins in his first five seasons. But Wake Forest's success in the last two seasons has turned Grobe's top aides into hot properties.
Hood cashed in, leaving the Deacons to become head coach at Eastern Kentucky. Quarterback coach Tim Mullen left to become the offensive coordinator at West Virginia. Grobe was able to promote his longtime linebackers coach, Brad Lambert, to succeed Hood, while he moved Tom Elrod, another longtime staffer, to quarterbacks coach. Still, the coaching shuffle had to hurt continuity.
Another problem generated by success is pressure. In 2006, Wake Forest, picked last in the Atlantic Division, got deep into the season before anybody realized the Deacs were ACC contenders. A year later, their opener at Boston College was billed as a key divisional matchup -- and it actually did turn out to decide the Atlantic Division championship.
"Coming in, I didn't realize how much pressure the kids were under," Grobe admits. "We didn't play well early. There was so much pressure -- they didn't want to be one-hit wonders."
That seemed to be the situation as the Deacons opened 0-2. After a home victory over Army, Wake Forest found itself down 24-3 to Maryland with the Terps poised to score again. That's when everything changed. Cornerback Alphonso Smith picked off a Jordan Steffy pass and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. That sparked a remarkable come-back, completed when freshman tailback Josh Adams scored the winning touchdown in overtime.
Wake Forest ended up winning nine of its final 11 games, capping the successful season with a victory over Connecticut in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
Now Grobe has to sustain success in the face of heavy graduation losses on the offensive line, at tight end and among his receiving corps. But that's what his carefully constructed program is designed to do. When seniors graduate, he has experienced replacements waiting to take over -- usually upperclassmen.
A year ago, Grobe had to replace six-of-11 starters off the defense that helped win him an ACC championship. Now the defense is basically intact, while the offense has the holes to fill, especially up front.
"The biggest concern is experience," he said when asked about his offensive line concerns. "We're just as talented as we've been in the past ... as we were last year, but experience is a problem, also depth."
Any offensive growing pains should be alleviated by the return of quarterback Riley Skinner, the starter each of the last two seasons and one of the most efficient quarterbacks in college football.
"[Skinner is] one of those guys who cares very little about stats and cares very little about guys patting him on the back," Grobe told the Winston-Salem Journal. "He just wants to win football games. And that's the thing you love about having him at quarterback."
Skinner has been the starter in 18 of the 20 games Wake Forest has won over the last two seasons. That's already tied for the most career winning starts for a Deacon quarterback -- and he still has two more years to go.
While Skinner's presence should guarantee production on the offensive side, the return of nine defensive starters should guarantee excellence on that side of the ball.
"Not only do we have experienced players, we have some playmakers," he said, thinking specifically of the return of all-star quality performers such as Smith at cornerback, Aaron Curry at linebacker and safety Chip Vaughn.
"Potentially we can be really good," Grobe said of his defense. "But potential just means we haven't done it yet. I do like the makeup of our defensive team. We have a lot of veteran guys. My biggest fear is complacency. Our defensive forced a lot of turnovers last year, and we scored on a lot of them. My fear is that if you're not careful, we'll expect those things to happen."
Complacency never used to be a problem at Wake Forest. It's one of the prices of success.
QUARTERBACKS
Two years ago, Riley Skinner (6-1, 200) was an unknown redshirt freshman -- an afterthought of a recruit who was a third-teamer on Grobe's preseason depth chart. [table][tr][th=""]Inside the ACC[/th] [/tr][tr][td]
And all that's been done with an offensive simplified to allow the young quarterback to excel.
"As he gets older, we can go back to what we used to be," offensive coordinator Steed Lobotzke said. "We can run the option. We can go no-huddle. We can put in a little more."
The Deacon coaches don't expect Skinner to ever put up the kind of spectacular numbers that made Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan an All-American.
"He won't have the really flashy passing numbers, but he'll make tremendous plays at the end of games," Lobotzke said. "The game we threw the most last year -- 363 yards against Boston College -- we lost."
The plan is to use Skinner to manage a balanced offense, not to carry it on his shoulders.
"We don't want to ask Riley to be All-ACC every game," Lobotzke said.
Skinner threw for 2,204 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, even though he missed two games after he suffered a separated shoulder in the opener against Boston College. His place was taken in those two games by Brett Hodges (6-1, 180), another fourth-year junior who was, at least before Skinner's unexpected emergence, projected as the Deacons' quarterback of the future.
"Having Brett is a great feeling," Lobotzke said. "Brett can make all the plays. He has all the moves. But there's no doubt who the guy is."
Hodges filled in well for Skinner a year ago. He came in midway though the Boston College game and completed 17-of-23 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown. He hit his first seven passes the next week against Nebraska and led the Deacons past Army in the third game of the season. Overall, he completed 65.2 percent of his 66 pass attempts for 359 yards and a touchdown.
The Deacons have high hopes for redshirt freshman quarterback Skylar Jones (6-1, 176), but not right away.
"Down the road, he could be a factor," Lobotzke said. "This is a special athlete."
Senior quarterback Ryan McManus (6-1, 191) is an important player as a holder on place-kicks. He also gets action as a coverage guy on special teams.
RUNNING BACKS
Wake Forest's drive for the 2006 ACC title was almost derailed by a succession of injuries at tailback. It got so bad that the Deacons finally shifted top wide receiver Kenny Moore to running back.
The one temptation Grobe resisted was to break the redshirt year of Josh Adams (6-0, 180). Outsiders could see just how tempting that had to be to the Deacon staff when they got a look at Adams perform last season. The redshirt freshman rushed for 953 yards (third best in the ACC) and 11 touchdowns, while catching 34 passes for 123 more yards and another touchdown.
He still has three more seasons of eligibility after winning ACC Rookie of the Year and second-team All-ACC honors in 2007.
"He brings a certain level of speed, he can run over people, he can catch the ball; he's the total package," Lobotzke said. "We can't get him the ball often enough."
Adams started the season slowly, but he had his breakout game in the come-from-behind victory over Maryland, when he rushed for 91 yards and scored the winning touchdown in overtime. He topped 100 yards three times, including a 140-yard effort against Florida State. He followed that with a 131-yard performance against Navy, then finished the regular season by rushing for 111 yards and two touchdowns against Vanderbilt.
Sharing the load at tailback will be redshirt freshman Brandon Pendergrass (5-9, 190), who has the same kind of potential.
"Not many people know about him," Lobotzke said. "He's got a compact body. He's powerful runner." The Deacon staff would like to give those two young runners almost all the work at tailback. If Wake Forest runs into serious injury problem at the position -- as the Deacs did two years ago -- it's possible that freshman Lovell Jackson (5-10, 170) from Tampa, Fla., might get an early call.
A number of young tailback candidates will also be vying for playing time, including redshirt freshmen C.J. Washington (5-8, 160), Willie Dixon (5-11, 205) and Jose Domenech (6-1, 215).
Because of graduation losses at wide receiver and tight end, Lobotzke envisions an expanded role for the Deacon fullbacks this fall.
"Our fullback will be more than an I-formation fullback," the offensive coordinator said. "We don't even call it a fullback any more. We call it an 'F' back. He's got to play some tight end and line up as a stand-up receiver."
Rich Belton (6-1, 259) is a fifth-year senior who missed most of the spring with an injury, but he brings a lot of ability to the position. He has rushed for 294 yards in his career, averaging a solid 4.0 yards a carry. He's also caught 25 passes for 165 yards.
His absence during spring workouts allowed fourth-year junior Mike Rinfrette (6-3, 260) to make the switch back to fullback after playing last season at linebacker. Rinfrette saw action in 12 games at fullback in 2006, although he rushed just six times for 18 yards.
Still, the presence of two large, powerful blocker/runner/receivers is a strength that Lobotzke wants to take advantage of. He also has junior Anthony Williams (5-11, 203), a strong runner who saw most of his action last season as a special teams performer.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
Graduation claimed All-ACC wide receiver Kenny Moore (98 catches for 1,011 yards in 2007), plus veteran Kevin Marion (18 catches for 192 yards), leaving the Deacs with some rebuilding to do at wideout.
"The losses caused us to do some things with our offense," Lobotzke said. "We've reduced our three-wide receiver set. And when we do use it, a lot of the time, we'll walk out the tight end or fullback and have him line up as a wideout."
The Deacs do return fifth-year senior Chip Brinkman (6-1, 210), who started the last nine games last season and finished with 27 catches for 225 yards.
"Chip Brinkman, possession receiver -- that's a classic term for Chip," Lobotzke said. "He's not going to blow you away with his speed. But he's big, he enjoys blocking and he catches everything thrown at him."
Lobotzke is hoping that fifth-year senior D.J. Boldin (5-11, 220) can provide some of game-breaking ability that Moore gave the Deacs over the last two years.
"He has sure hands, good speed and he's a good run blocker," the Deacon assistant said. "He can do all the things we ask."
Boldin, the younger brother of NFL wide receiver Anquan Boldin, caught 15 passes in nine games as a freshman in 2005, then sat out the next season with an injury. He returned last year to catch 11 passes for 127 yards.
The Deacons have high hopes for sophomore Jordan Williams (6-3, 180), the only freshman to see action for the Deacons last season. His first career catch proved to be a 62-yard touchdown strike against NC State. For the year, he averaged almost 16 yards on each of his nine receptions.
"He is young, but he can make plays that remind you of Kenny," Lobotzke said. "But remember, Kenny didn't start making a lot of plays until his junior year."
Third-year sophomore Marshall Williams (6-1, 177) will also bring good speed to the position. Redshirt freshman Devon Brown (5-9, 183) is another young receiver with promise. Also vying for playing time will be redshirt freshman Danny Dembry (6-2, 173), juniors Casey Hill (5-11, 16
, Matt Hartford (5-11, 180) and Chris Langley (6-2, 184) and senior Andrew Wright (6-3, 192).Graduation also hit the tight end position hard, claiming John Tereshinski (28 catches for 355 yards) and Zack Selmon (12 catches for 124 yards). Those two combined for 17 starts last season as the Deacons often went with two tight ends.
"We'll reduce our two tight end sets a lot," Lobotzke said.
The Deacons are hoping fourth-year junior Ben Wooster (6-5, 226) is ready to step into a starring role after seeing spot action last year. He did start twice, but he caught just two passes for 12 yards -- one for a touchdown.
"Ben Wooster had a great spring," Lobotzke said. "Ben's tall and he can open his stride and run. He worked a lot from the split position -- he made a lot of plays in spring from the standup position."
There's not a lot of experience behind Wooster. Redshirt freshman Cameron Ford (6-4, 212) has potential but needs more strength. J.T. Dixon (6-4, 230), a 2008 recruit who enrolled early and went through spring drills, and sophomore Kenneth Coe (6-6, 234) hope to contribute.
OFFENSIVE LINE
This is what Grobe has been working and planning for since he got to Wake Forest. He has always insisted his goal has been to develop a program consistent enough and well-planned enough to have replacements ready when graduation hits a position hard.
Graduation decimated Wake Forest's offensive front, and worse, an offseason academic stumble delivered an unexpected blow to the position. All-ACC center Steve Justice, a three-year starter, graduated, as did tackle Louis Frazier and guard Matt Brim. To make things worse, the Deacons also lost guard Chris DeGeare -- expected to be the team's top returning offensive lineman -- to academics.
Yet, Grobe and his staff think they have replacements in place.
"That looks worse than it is," said Lobotzke, who doubles as the Deacs' offensive line coach. "This spring, I was not so much rebuilding as tweaking things. Where we'll get hammered is if we have any injuries. Our depth is largely young players, even true freshmen, and you hate to play a true freshman on the offensive line."
Justice was one of the best players Wake Forest has seen in recent years. But fourth-year junior Trey Bailey (6-2, 289) has the tools to be a successful center.
"It hurts to lose a player of Steve's quality, but center is a position we definitely feel good about," Lobotzke said. "Trey is a player we've felt good about for years. One of the concerns is to have him take care of the snap, especially in the shotgun. We've probably lost a step -- Steve was really quick -- but Trey is a good pass blocker and good at pulling."
The return of fourth-year junior Barrett McMillin (6-3, 28
gives Lobotzke a good building block at one guard."McMillan has played a lot of good football for us -- he's like having a starter back," the Deacs' line coach said.
Indeed, McMillin has started seven games in his career. And both protected starters at tackle -- fourth-year junior Joe Birdsong (6-4, 290) and fourth-year junior Jeff Griffin (6-3, 29
-- have starting experience as well after splitting one tackle spot a year ago.The least experienced starter at the moment is third-year sophomore Russell Nenon (6-4, 304). Before DeGeare's unexpected departure, he was supposed to spend this season breaking in as the team's third guard.
"Now, Russell has to come on," Lobotzke said. "I was going to play him regardless, but now he'll have to start. He played some at the end of last season. He played some good football down the stretch in a reserve role. I'd rather have Chris as the starter, but it's not the end of the world."
The team's biggest concern is to develop a handful of effective backups in case of injury and/or fatigue. There are some good young players on hand, but all need development time.
Three members of the 2008 recruiting class enrolled early and participated in spring practice. One of those -- Joe Looney (6-3, 315) -- is likely to see action this season.
"He's fresh off the boat," Lobotzke said. "He's fast, physical. He showed me a lot of stuff. We'll probably work him in as our third guard, even though he's a true freshman."
Center Chance Raines (6-2, 270) could also play as a freshman -- provided he can overcome his inconsistency on snaps that he showed in spring. Either he or redshirt freshman Ryan Britt (6-4, 290) will back up Bailey.
The third early arrival -- tackle Garrick Williams (6-4, 314) -- is likely to redshirt. Depth at tackle will come from two redshirt freshmen, Mike Hoag (6-6, 290) and Doug Weaver (6-8, 290).
"Mike Hoag and Doug Weaver are bigger than the starters, but they're still trying to figure it out," Lobotzke said. "We'll try to work them in and hopefully by midseason they'll be ready to help us."
Also in line to help out are sophomore tackle Cannon Gaskin (6-4, 269) and junior guards Gage Crews (6-4, 305) and Boomer Peterson (6-5, 303).
KICKERS
Senior Sam Swank (6-2, 206) is the best all-around kicker in the ACC, and is already established as the best in Wake Forest history.
Swank, who also handles the team's kickoff and punting chores, enters the season with 60 career field goals -- more than any other active player in the NCAA. He's hit 60-of-76 attempts in his career (78.9 percent), including an astonishing 9-of-12 from beyond 50 yards.
A year ago, Swank his 18-of-21 field goal attempts -- including 6-of-9 from beyond 40 yards -- and converted 44 extra points without a miss. It says something about his ability that 2007 was viewed as a down year for the Deacon place-kicker.
"You have to realize that last season, Sam was coming off offseason surgery (for a hernia he suffered in the Orange Bowl)," Grobe said. "He was as accurate as always, but he lost a little distance. We're hoping that with another year since the surgery, he'll have regained his strength and be the old Sam Swank."
That's the guy who set an NCAA record in 2006, when he became the first kicker in college history to make four 50-yard field goals in a single game.
If something happened to Swank, Grobe has redshirt freshman Shane Popham (5-11, 180) ready to step in. But the plan is for Popham to take over place-kicking duties next season.
DEFENSIVE LINE
With nine defensive starters and a host of experienced backups still in position, new Deacon defensive coordinator Brad Lambert doesn't have many holes to fill. But he does point to the graduation loss of premier pass rusher Jeremy Thompson (6.5 sacks, 11.0 tackles for loss) at defensive end.
"Huge loss in Jeremy -- he was very productive," Lambert said. "We still have good experience, but we lose a lot of production. He was just a dynamic guy."
Softening the blow is the return of Matt Robinson (6-2, 24
a sixth-year guy who has fought his way back from a broken kneecap that required surgery and cost him the entire 2006 season."He's really the ultimate warrior," Lambert said. "He's had to deal with such a bad injury. He brings a passion. We all call him 'Grandpa.' "
Robinson began last year as a starter, but he suffered a sprained ankle in the opener and missed the next three games. He fought his way back once again and started the final seven games, finishing with a sack and 20 tackles. While he doesn't have Thompson's sheer physical ability, he's the leader of the Deacon defensive front.
"He's the heart and soul of us," Lambert said. "He's so intense with such a great work ethic. He's a workaholic. He's not the biggest guy, and he's not the best looking when he walks on the field, but he gets it done."
Starting on the other side will be fifth-year senior Anthony Davis (6-5, 251) who was the top sub at defensive end a year ago, when he recorded 20 tackles.
"Anthony has played a lot -- he's just got to take that next step," Lambert said.
Fifth-year senior Antonio Wilson (6-1, 255) has been a spot player in the past, but redshirt freshmen Tristan Dorty (6-2, 235), a converted linebacker, and Kyle Wilbur (6-5, 230) were impressive in the spring and could push Wilson for the top backup role at defensive end, or maybe even Davis as the starter.
"We'd like to play five guys [at defensive end]," Lambert said.
If he needs more, he can look at sophomore Tripp Russell (6-3, 24
and freshman Will Wright (6-4, 240).The inside spot is anchored by massive Boo Robinson (6-2, 326), a fourth-year junior who started 13 games a year ago and recorded 26 tackles, including three sacks.
"Boo is a massive kid," Lambert said. "But he's very athletic. He's made a lot of plays for us."
Sophomore Michael Carter (6-3, 317), who had four tackles in a very limited role last season, is coming off an impressive spring and could give Robinson more help at nose tackle. Junior Michael Lockett (6-0, 274) is a bit undersized, but he adds depth at the position.
The other tackle spot will go to fourth-year junior John Russell (6-3, 27
, who technically backed up graduated senior Zac Stukes a year ago."John really shared the job with Zac last year -- Zac started because he was the senior," Lambert said.
Russell, who did earn three starts in 2007, finished with 34 tackles and a sack. He'll be backed up by junior Ted Rudolph (6-4, 27
, who has finally landed at defensive tackle after starting as a tight end and playing at defensive end.LINEBACKERS
It's hard to imagine a more talented, more experienced crop of linebackers than the trio of starters the Deacons will field this season. All three are fifth-year seniors, and at least two of them are prime All-ACC candidates.
That starts with strong-side linebacker Aaron Curry (6-3, 240), who was a second-team All-ACC pick last season when he recorded 99 tackles, including three sacks, 13.4 tackles for loss and four interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns.
"Aaron was hugely productive," Lambert said. "He can run fast; he plays with huge passion and drive and work ethic. He's big and strong and he can run."
In the middle, Stanley Armoux (6-1, 245) was almost as productive with 66 tackles, including 3.5 sacks, two interceptions and 7.5 tackles for loss. His pass breakup in the final seconds clinched the bowl win over UConn.
"Aaron and Stanley are kind of the leaders of our defense," Lambert said. "They make all the on-field adjustments and calls."
Going into last season, the Deacon coaches were worried about new starter Chantz McClinic (5-10, 225) at weak-side linebacker.
"McClinic was the wild card," Lambert admitted. "We moved him from defensive back and didn't know what we were going to get."
Now, McClinic is a proven veteran -- one who started 11 games in 2007 (he missed two games with an ankle injury) and recorded 45 tackles, including 4.5 sacks.
Lambert's bounty goes far beyond his three starters.
"Our whole room is back at linebacker, except for Mike Rinfrette, who moved to fullback," the Deacon defensive boss said.
Sophomore Hunter Haynes (6-2, 224) is a budding star at weak-side linebacker. He earned freshman All-ACC honors last season in a reserve role, when he had 41 tackles, in-cluding two sacks. Sophomore Matt Woodlief (5-11, 254) is a solid backup in the middle, where he had 19 tackles a year ago. Junior Dominique Midgett (6-2, 242) has been stuck behind Curry for two seasons, but he contributed 17 tackles a year ago.
"He gives us great depth," Lambert said.
A number of newcomers offer even more options at linebacker. Jonathan Jones (6-3, 21
is actually a junior, but he's playing linebacker for the first time since making the shift from safety. Redshirt freshman Gelo Orange (6-1, 215) had a good spring. Kyle Jarrett (6-2, 215) was bothered last spring by a sore knee, but he's another freshman with potential.Also bidding for playing time are juniors Lee Malchow (6-5, 220) and Michael Potteiger (6-0, 205) and redshirt freshmen Collin Granger (6-0, 215) and Joe Hall (6-2, 205).
DEFENSIVE BACKS
It's very likely that Alphonso Smith (5-9, 191) turned Wake Forest's 2007 season around when he returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown against Maryland at a time when the Deacons were 1-2 on the season and down 24-3 to the Terps. It sparked a rally that produced an overtime win and a five-game winning streak.
The fifth-year senior cornerback has been doing things like that since he arrived on the Wake Forest campus. Smith has 14 career interceptions, already 16th best in ACC history. A year ago, he nabbed eight interceptions and returned three for touchdowns.
"Alphonso had one of those years," Lambert said. "A lot of opportunities came his way. A lot of guys get those opportunities and don't make those plays. He's very intelligent. It's fun to watch him -- he's everywhere. He's very athletic. He can run. He's a little on the short side. But always he wants to go up against [towering FSU receiver] Greg Carr and that kind of player."
Smith finished with an ACC-best 18 passes defended. He added 60 tackles, including two sacks. All of that production earned him first-team All-ACC honors and several All-America spots.
Opposite Smith at the other corner spot will be fourth-year junior Brandon Ghee (6-0, 182), who started 11 games last season after sitting out in 2006. He had 10 pass breakups and 66 tackles playing opposite Smith.
"This year sets up well for him," Lambert said. "He's a little bigger, a little taller. He has all the tools and now he's settled in. He was good last year, and he had a great spring. We've told him that because of what Alphonso did last year, we expect Brandon to get some more action."
The Deacons have veteran depth at cornerback in fifth-year senior Kerry Major (5-11, 179) and fourth-year junior Channing Schofield (5-11, 193). Major, who started two games before Ghee's emergence, played in all 13 games and finished with 21 tackles and an interception. Schofield, also a key special team's performer, also played in every game, finishing with 28 tackles.
"You'll usually see one of them out there when we go nickel," Lambert said.
A year ago, the two safety spots were big concerns with two new starters. Now, the return of fifth-year seniors Chip Vaughn (6-2, 220) and Kevin Patterson (5-10, 185) make this a strong spot. Vaughn led the team in tackles in 2007 with 105. He had an interception and 4.5 tackles for loss. Patterson, a converted cornerback, started nine games a year ago and finished with 52 tackles and an interception.
Backing them up will be rapidly emerging sophomore Alex Frye (6-3, 190), who excelled a year ago as a special teams performer.
Even more secondary depth will come from a crop of redshirt freshmen who were recruited with the idea of replacing the heavy graduation loss after this season -- when Smith, Major, Vaughn and Patterson will all be gone.
The most impressive of the bunch last spring were cornerbacks Michael Williams (6-1, 170) and Josh Bush (5-11, 185). Both bring a lot of speed, which could be put to more use this season on return teams.
Highly regarded safety prospect John Stamper (6-0, 185) is also a Deacon with a future, although he was hobbled last spring. Also in the mix are safeties Junior Petit-Jean (6-0, 190), Cyhl Quarles (6-3, 215) and Peter Grimm (6-1, 190), plus junior Geoff Wissing (6-1, 19
.PUNTERS
Sam Swank will handle the punting chores as well as his place-kicking duties.
The senior is not quite as exceptional as a punter as he is as a kicker, but he's solid. A year ago, he averaged 39.8 yards a kick -- down from his 2006 average of 41.2. That's proba-bly a function of his recovery from offseason hernia surgery; a healthy Swank ought to return to his earlier form.
Shane Popham, the No. 2 place-kicker, is also listed as Swank's punting backup. But unlike place-kicking, where he is expecting to inherit the starting job next year, the plan is to bring in a new punter next season.
"I'd like to get back to having one guy kick and one guy punt," Grobe said.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Grobe was only half joking last spring when he told reporters that his biggest concern going into the 2008 season was finding a replacement for long snapper-Nick Jarvis.
"He never had a bad snap for us in a game," Grobe said.
The value of that consistency was demonstrated last year against Duke, when Jarvis was punished for missing a class. He "lost" his starting job for the game and was replaced by a backup.
"His first snap was perfect, but he took so long he got a delay of game penalty," Grobe said. "Then he panicked and snapped it over Sam's head."
The Deacon coach didn't find a reliable snapper during spring drills. Finding one will be a major priority once preseason practice opens.
"We'll find somebody, but it will probably be two or three weeks into August before we settle on a guy," he said.
Grobe is also anxious to find a punt returner to replace Kenny Moore, who handled the position flawlessly for two seasons.
"We were so confident about him that we never worried about it," Grobe said. "We almost took him for granted."
He'd like to use senior cornerback Alphonzo Smith as a kick returner, but that creates another problem.
"But he's our best guy at blocking punts -- and he can't do both," Grobe said.
Backup wide receiver Devon Brown has good hands and good speed. He'll get a long look.
Grobe is more confident about his kickoff returners, even though Kevin Marion and Moore handled 38 of the team's 51 returns last season. He plans to use tailbacks Josh Smith and Brandon Pendergrass in that role.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
[table][tr][th=""]
Grading the Demon Deacons
[/th] [/tr][tr][td]Unit[/td] [td] Grade
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Offense[/td] [td] B
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Special teams[/td] [td] A
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Defense[/td] [td] A
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Intangibles[/td] [td] B+
[/td] [/tr][/table]A year ago, the critics wondered how Wake Forest would handle success.
The Deacons answered with a nine-win season that stands as evidence that Grobe's program is here to stay.
It won't be easy to win a division title with the ACC's current imbalance. Three years ago, there appeared to be little difference between the Atlantic and Coastal Divisions. Now it looks like six of the ACC's seven best teams play in Wake Forest's Atlantic Division.
The Deacons are partly responsible for that imbalance. When the divisions were set up, Wake Forest was supposed to be the Atlantic patsy -- the equivalent of Duke in the Coastal Division. Now the Deacons are one of the league's powers -- only Virginia Tech has a better ACC record over the last two seasons.
Wake Forest has the tools to make another title run. As always, it will depend on the health of key players and luck in close games. Grobe needs for his rebuilt offensive line to hold up and for one or two of his young receivers to step up.
If everything goes right, Wake Forest could be playing in the ACC title game for the second time in three years. And even if everything goes wrong, the Deacons should still have a better season than what used to be the norm in Winston-Salem.
For the most comprehensive previews available on the Division I-A teams, order the "Bible" of college football, the 2008 Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, at www.blueribbonyearbook.com or call 1-866-805-BALL (2255).
big j 33
Supporter
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I'm officially following and reading through this thread, I've been sleeping on it for too long. With NCAA 09 coming out I'm too damn hyped forcollege football. I've been ready since the season ended.
I'll be at every home game cheering on my Noles.
I'll be at every home game cheering on my Noles.
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I got Tickets waitin for me at the Wake @ FSU ...
big j 33
Supporter
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Good to hear Gunna,
I should be at every home game, and I'll do whatever I have to to get tickets to the FSU/UF game, by ANY means necessary
I should be at every home game, and I'll do whatever I have to to get tickets to the FSU/UF game, by ANY means necessary
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Its at Doak this yr?
big j 33
Supporter
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Yup.
I'll try my best to get student tickets, but at the worst I'll buy the cheapest ones from a scalper and just go to the student section.
I'll try my best to get student tickets, but at the worst I'll buy the cheapest ones from a scalper and just go to the student section.
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Alright, for copyright reasons (I don't know if it's cool, should be if I give credit), these are from the Rivals site, TigerIllustrated.com
Jamie Harper, out of FL ended up a 4 Star #1 rated FB but he had been like a top 10 or so RB (which he should be classified as):
Andre Ellington, another 4 Star back:
MBen32's boy Marquan Jones, 4 star WR and an early enrollee:
Buster Hunter, 3 star LB, early enrollee:
Dwayne Allen, 4 star TE out of NC:
Spencer Adams, 4 star S/national champ in the 110 & 400 meter hurdles (as far as I know) aka FAST AS *$$+ out of NC:
Jonathan Willard, 4 star LB aka TIG:
And last but not least. Antoine McClain, 4 star OT, 6'6" 310 lbs out of AL:
Jamie Harper, out of FL ended up a 4 Star #1 rated FB but he had been like a top 10 or so RB (which he should be classified as):
Andre Ellington, another 4 Star back:
MBen32's boy Marquan Jones, 4 star WR and an early enrollee:
Buster Hunter, 3 star LB, early enrollee:
Dwayne Allen, 4 star TE out of NC:
Spencer Adams, 4 star S/national champ in the 110 & 400 meter hurdles (as far as I know) aka FAST AS *$$+ out of NC:
Jonathan Willard, 4 star LB aka TIG:
And last but not least. Antoine McClain, 4 star OT, 6'6" 310 lbs out of AL:
flexo vs bender
Banned
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you do know that they dont run 400 hurdles in high school
not to mention there is no national champion in high school
not to mention there is no national champion in high school
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Explain. I don't think Rendrick is a Biletnikoff candidate, but dude has been pretty damn good when he's been on the field. Problem is hecan't stay healthy and I don't know if you can blame him for the nasty broken arm he had or the broken wrist. I think he had hamstring problems, whichI think you could attribute to being too big (No momo)/not flexible enough, but if you've watched him, I don't see how you can say he's a"pretty bad WR". He's an extremely good blocker, has decent speed and can definitely create match-up problems out there. You could see we justweren't the same team without him or Jacoby Ford.
Don't get me wrong, I don't know/think he'll get drafted especially if he can't stay healthy, but you can't blame that on him being abad WR.
PS. He's in the background of this pic, sorry that he's wearing a shirt:
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Okay, fine...I'm not a track follower. But...
"Clemson two-sport recruit Spencer Adams won the 110-meter hurdles in 13.75 seconds and the 400hurdles at 50.99 at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, N.C. Adams plays safety in football."
And there's another article that says he won the 60-meter indoor hurdles with a 7.75 at the 2008 National Scholastic Indoor Championships
flexo vs bender
Banned
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not completely sure about this, but i do believe they dont consider times run after graduation as high school.
as Nike Outdoor Nationals are after graduation. do u kno if he wont state for 300 hurdles.
interesting to see what his time was.
as Nike Outdoor Nationals are after graduation. do u kno if he wont state for 300 hurdles.
interesting to see what his time was.
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Ahh...okay, my bad then. I guess that's even more impressive if he ran it against non-HSers? The way it had been presented to me was that he was thenational champ, guess it's not completely accurate.
"...holds North Carolina state record in 300-meter hurdles...defending 4-A state champ in 110-meter hurdles...anchored a record-breaking 4x100-meter relayteam in AAU...All-USA Track and Field Hurdler by USA Today"
"After running the fastest time in the preliminary rounds (7.82) on Friday, he returned Saturday in his semifinal heat to again post the fastestperformance, running 7.73 seconds. It was the sixth-fastest time in U.S. high school history."
Spencer Adams Bio
That was just from the recruiting season, who knows what else he's done since. Either way, he's nice with hurdles and a top 5 Safety recruit.
Okay, enough of overwhelming y'all with Clemson @@*@ in here, bed time.
"...holds North Carolina state record in 300-meter hurdles...defending 4-A state champ in 110-meter hurdles...anchored a record-breaking 4x100-meter relayteam in AAU...All-USA Track and Field Hurdler by USA Today"
"After running the fastest time in the preliminary rounds (7.82) on Friday, he returned Saturday in his semifinal heat to again post the fastestperformance, running 7.73 seconds. It was the sixth-fastest time in U.S. high school history."
Spencer Adams Bio
That was just from the recruiting season, who knows what else he's done since. Either way, he's nice with hurdles and a top 5 Safety recruit.
Okay, enough of overwhelming y'all with Clemson @@*@ in here, bed time.
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Spencer Adams is fast as hell. The dude can burn. Good size too. Looks like a promising secondary with he Loston and Holloman. Holloman might be a LB and thereis way too much chatter about Loston for me to stay solid on him signing with Clemson.
Rendrick just always seems to be hyped up and never does much on the field. I know injuries play a big role but he seems like he is more of workout warriorthan on field performer. I bet he is a good blocker. Dude is the size of a DE. I hope he has a good year because I don't mind him but he seems like moretalk than performance. Reminds me of Kevin Grady from Michigan.
Rendrick just always seems to be hyped up and never does much on the field. I know injuries play a big role but he seems like he is more of workout warriorthan on field performer. I bet he is a good blocker. Dude is the size of a DE. I hope he has a good year because I don't mind him but he seems like moretalk than performance. Reminds me of Kevin Grady from Michigan.
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Originally Posted by GUNNA GET IT
I got Tickets waitin for me at the Wake @ FSU ...
Ready to see your boys Adams and Skinner get murdered on the field.
I hope.
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god damn i need to work out more.
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On a unrelated note but going with the theme of players with their shirts off. Here is 2010 (Junior to be) Safety Marvin Robinson from Lake Region FLA. Yeahthis is not what your typical 16 year old looks like.
He is coming up to Michigan sometime soon. Family loves the university and hopefully everything goes well.
He is coming up to Michigan sometime soon. Family loves the university and hopefully everything goes well.
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^ That mutha %+$##$ right there is no way in hell any younger than 24
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Dude looks like Willis McGahee...
In two years.
What the hell is in the water in Fla? I though Nigel Bradham was crazy...But Damn....
In two years.
What the hell is in the water in Fla? I though Nigel Bradham was crazy...But Damn....
god damn i need to work out more.
Boy, you could work out every day and still not look like that. Plus, unless your playing football, I don't see the reason to get that big andcarry all that weight around. IMO of course....
But yeah, I need to get in the gym too...and work on this chilsed from granite 170 lb frame....
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Yeah Marv is quite the stud. I can't believe he is listed at 16 years old. The kid came to Michigans camp after his freshman year and he was one of thebest safety prospects there. Carr verbally offered him before he left.
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Gunna, let me hold two of them tickets.
I need to get down to Doak to see a game. My homegirl offered me her dad's extra FSU tickets several times, but I never took her up on it.
Now she just started grad school out at USC. I told her she better find me a couple for the OSU game. I'd be booking my flight tomorrow.
I need to get down to Doak to see a game. My homegirl offered me her dad's extra FSU tickets several times, but I never took her up on it.
Now she just started grad school out at USC. I told her she better find me a couple for the OSU game. I'd be booking my flight tomorrow.
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I don't know why this N' insists on practicing in just compression shorts..he was doing this in hs as well..
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Plus, unless your playing football, I don't see the reason to get that big and carry all that weight around. IMO of course....
word, I had lost like 15 lbs when I was training formy 5k run last summer but Im back @ 193
that boy got along way to go before he look like Willis.
Willis built like a Tank
Rashard Mendenhall reminds me of a Young Mcgahee
Gunna, let me hold two of them tickets.
[BET Commercial]No No my brother, You got to get ya own. [/BET commercial]
DLO, aw man, I forgot to tell you I was in the 'A' last week, but it was work related ( and I was working with an expense account that had been cut inhalf for the trip) .
I stayed at the Atlanta Airport MarriottNice place!
