Clarett and Ohio State are taking the nation by surprise

Sporting News, The, Sept 30, 2002 by Tom Dienhart

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M@IL BONDING

TOM DIENHART ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

I think Texas is the only team that can give Miami a run for its money. What do you think?

Dwight James, Atlanta

Dwight: I agree with you at this point, but I don't want to count out Oklahoma and Florida State yet. As for Texas, I want to see how the Longhorns do against a high-quality team before judging them worthy to hang with Miami.

The October 12 matchup with Oklahoma in Dallas is the biggest on the schedule, and the Longhorns will also test their mettle in games at Kansas State and Nebraska and against Iowa State and Texas A&M at home. But before those games, Texas has to show it can run consistently and tighten its defense up the middle.

Any team's hopes of beating Miami will rest with controlling the ball with a strong ground game, which would keep the Hurricanes' deadly offense on the sideline. To do that, a team must control Miami's rugged defensive front. Failing to do that could doom Texas in a game against Miami to a repeat of the teams' last meeting: a 46-3 thrashing of the Longhorns in the 1991 Cotton Bowl.

SPEED READS

* There was no better endorsement for giving minorities more opportunities to be head coaches than last Saturday. With a win at Michigan State, Tyrone Willingham got Notre Dame off to its best start since 1993; New Mexico State's Tony Samuel engineered an upset of New Mexico, and Fitz Hill's San Jose State squad beat defending Big Ten champ Illinois.

* Alabama has no reason to beef about not getting any of its NCAA penalties overturned. In fact, it should be happy it didn't get the death penalty. The NCAA had every right to shut down the program for fouling up while it already was serving a probation. But the Indianapolis gumshoes didn't have the guts to shut down a program of the Tide's magnitude.

* Kentucky should sign coach Guy Morriss to a long-term deal. The Wildcats are hamstrung by NCAA probation resulting from actions of the previous staff, and Morriss should be accorded a buffer as he rebuilds the Wildcats. The team is off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 1984.

INSIDE DISH

By TOM DIENHART

The key to Florida's stunning 30-13 victory at Tennessee? The Gators stuffed the Vols' running game. Entering the game, most thought the battle of ground attacks was a mismatch in Tennessee's favor that would decide the outcome. But Vols coach Phillip Fulmer surprised Florida by trying to establish the run with FB Troy Renting instead of handing off to TBs Jabari Davis and Cedric Houston. Perhaps Fulmer believed the rainy conditions were a better fit for a bigger back. Whatever the reason, Florida had an easier time slowing the lumbering Fleming. The Gators also were helped by their coaching staff's recent decision to move Byron Hardmon from outside to inside linebacker, where he is more of a force against the run. It showed against the Vols.... Call it false motivation, perhaps, but Virginia Tech claims some members of Texas A&M's defense said the Hokies should be a I-AA team. "Today, we showed them how a Division I-AA team plays," Hokies DE Cols Colas said after Tech's smothering, 13-3 win. Though no Aggie recalls making such a statement, Virginia Tech's defense was motivated nonetheless, limiting A&M to 38 yards rushing and 118 passing in the Aggies' first nonconference home loss since 1988.... A 4-0 record aside, Notre Dame's top attribute might be its ability to stay focused, considering the issues the team has had to overcome. Among them: Tyrone Willingham was the Irish's second choice to be coach after George O'Leary's hiring turned sour; RB Julius Jones left school for academic reasons; QB Matt LoVecchio transferred to Indiana despite being in the hunt for the starting job; three members of the defense were suspended before the season, depleting depth in the secondary, because of their arrests for off-field actions. Yet the Irish look like a New Year's Day bowl team--and still are managing surprises. The latest was the play of former walk-on QB Pat Dillingham, who stepped in for injured Carlyle Holiday and led the team to a 21-17 comeback win at Michigan State. That ended the Spartans' five-game winning streak over the Irish. Looks like they'll need to print more of those "Return to Glory" T-shirts in South Bend.... There is a cloak-and-dagger aspect to the Kansas State program under coach Bill Snyder that leaves many miffed. For instance, Snyder never discusses injuries. Two weeks ago, QB Ell Roberson stood on the sideline during the Eastern Illinois game with a towel wrapped around his left, non-throwing hand. But last Saturday, he replaced Marc Dunn early in the second quarter of the Southern California game and engineered an impressive 27-20 victory. Known as a great runner, Roberson showed flashes of passing brilliance--he was 10-of-15 for 134 yards and one touchdown--to key the win. He also ran for 70 yards. But entering the week, there was no word whether Roberson would start October 5 at Colorado. Vintage Snyder.... Though he threw for 346 yards in Georgia's 45-7 Tomp over Northwestern State, Bulldogs QB David Greene has some concerned. His footwork in the pocket has been spotty; he seems to get antsy and steps up too quickly. As a result, many of his recent passes have floated or sailed past their targets. With backup D.J. Shockley sidelined because of a broken bone in his foot, Greene must regain his form.