Arkansas St. at Texas A&M
Coach Mike Sherman kicks off his Aggie career against a team familiar — or not so familiar — to the Longhorns.
Texas opened up the 2007 season against the Arkansas State Indians, while A&M will get the first look at the Arkansas State Red Wolves — after the school officially changed its mascot.
But no matter what name is sewn on their jerseys, the Red Wolves will need some luck to
have a chance against the Aggies.
Texas A&M may have to open the year without its human battering ram, senior running back Jorvorskie Lane. The 285-pound Lane is listed as questionable with a neck injury after suffering a stinger Aug. 13 at practice.
“He’s been held out of any major conditioning,” Sherman told The Associated Press. “We’ll play it by ear. He hasn’t been cleared to do a whole heck of a lot, so I have some concern there.”
Luckily, the Aggies have running back Mike Goodson and quarterback Stephen McGee to
compensate for Lane’s absence, which should make Sherman’s college debut easier.
The speedy Goodson rushed for 711 yards last season and is a constant threat to break a long run.
McGee, who was the team’s leading rusher in 2007 under coach Dennis Franchione, looks
to rack up more passing yards in Sherman’s pro-style offense that emphasizes drop-back passing.
Regardless, Sherman will need a dominant performance to impress Aggie fans starved for success after the fruitless Franchione era.
Chattanooga at No. 4 Oklahoma
The Sooners face only their second Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) opponent in Bob Stoops’ nine years at Oklahoma, the first being a 49-0 drubbing of Indiana State in 1999.
And with an offense that returns nine players, Oklahoma is looking for a similar performance.
Sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford burst onto the scene in 2007 with an NCAA freshman record 36 touchdown passes and can only improve with anoffensive line composed entirely of seniors.
And the team’s new no-huddle approach will look to give Bradford more opportunities against off-balance defenses.
With a full year under his belt, Bradford said the game has slowed down for him.
“Now I can anticipate thingsand see things,” Bradford told The Oklahoman. “That just helps on reads and eliminating things
before the play starts.”
On defense, the Sooners replace both corners and two linebackers but don’t expect a drop off in production after a solid spring.
Chattanooga’s weak odds of winning took a hit when allconference running back Bryan
Fitzgerald went down with a year-ending knee surgery. To make matters worse, both of his backups are struggling with injuries.
Eastern Washington at No. 14 Texas Tech
Everyone knows the classic story of Texas Tech: obscene passing numbers and bloated final scores with a shaky defense at best.
That last part may be changing this season, as the Red Raiders have emerged as a popular pick to surprise in the Big 12 South.
To go along with their prolific offense, Tech boasts an experienced defense (eight returning starters) that looked much improved in 2007 after Ruffin Mc-Neill took over as defensive coordinator after a frustrating 49-45 loss to Oklahoma State last September.
Normally it would be a stretch to say a quarterback could repeat the numbers Graham Harrell put up last year (5,705 yards, 48 touchdowns), but in Mike Leach’s wide open offense, it wouldn’t be a surprise.
Harrell also has the benefit of throwing to one of the top targets in the country in sophomore wide receiver Michael Crabtree. He hauled in 22 touchdowns and almost 2,000 yards receiving en route to winning the Biletnikoff Award in 2007.
Both are capable candidates to become Texas Tech’s first Heisman Trophy winner.
Unlike Oklahoma, the Red Raiders draw one of the top teams in the FCS in Eastern Washington.
It’s unlikely that Tech will overlook the Eagles, especially after Appalachian State gave the FCS instant credibility with their upset of Michigan last year.
“Coach Leach talks about [that game] a lot,” safety Darcel Mc-Bath told The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. “I definitely don’t want to make Sports Center forthat. We can’t let that happen.”
Oklahoma State at Washington State
After the drama surrounding Mike Gundy’s infamous postgame tirade about the benching of then-quarterback Bobby Reid in 2007, Zac Robinson can work without distractions in 2008.
Robinson’s stellar play helped make Gundy’s decision easier to stomach. He set a school record for total yards with 3,671 and headed the most balanced attack in the country as the Cowboys piled up 3,161 yards rushing and 3,161 yards passing.
Running back Kendall Hunter gained 696 yards on the ground, backing up Dantrell Savage in 2007, and will see more looks now that Savage graduated. Despite his 5-foot-8-inch, 180-pound frame, Gundy isn’t concerned about his new starting running back’s durability and is encouraged by his selflessness.
“[Hunter] is not really concerned with his personal statistics,” Gundy said. “He’s more concerned about the team.”
Gundy needs to be concerned with his defense where, after surrendering 500-plus yards five times in 2007, the Cowboys count on six junior college transfers to turn the ship around. Gundy plans to ease the transfers into the swing of things.
“If they can step in and play 12-15 plays, it will be a lot better,” Gundy said. “I think we’ll see more results through the middle and latter part of the season.”
Washington State comes in after failing to reach a bowl for the fourth-straight year, which cost head coach Bill Doba his job.
Be the first to comment on this article!