Georgia running back and Heisman Trophy candidate Knowshon Moreno is good…real good.
Check out the hops he displayed last week in UGA’s romp over Central Michigan.
Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1166 of 1503)
The San Francisco 49ers placed quarterback Alex Smith on injured reserve with a fractured throwing shoulder. Smith will miss the entire season.
What’s been known since Saturday night is that Smith has a fracture in the same shoulder that was badly separated last year. The results of the MRI have been examined by Dr. James Andrews, the orthopedic surgeon who operated on Smith’s shoulder in December. Presumably it was Andrews’ recommendation that prompted the 49ers to put Smith on IR. Smith has said that surgery is an option for the latest injury.
Smith’s future with the team also is dubious. Last week Scot McCloughan said that the team couldn’t afford to keep Smith next season if he is not a starter. Smith is scheduled to earn just under $10 million in base salary in 2009.
It’s kind of ironic that the same week Aaron Rodgers successfully made his debut in Green Bay, Alex Smith appears finished in San Francisco. The top two quarterbacks from the 2005 NFL Draft are heading in different directions and before this season, it looked like Rodgers was the one whose career was in flux. If J.T. O’Sullivan strings together a decent season, we’ll see how the 49ers handle the situation with Smith.
Time to check out the big games, top matchups and potential upsets as college football heads into Week 3.
Top 25 Action:
No. 5 Ohio State (2-0) at No. 1 USC (1-0), Saturday 8:00 PM ET ABC
OSU head coach Jim Tressel said Tuesday that Heisman candidate Beanie Wells will play Saturday in Southern Cal. The Buckeyes are going to need all the offensive firepower they can get against one of the best front sevens in the nation. USC quarterback Mark Sanchez shredded Virginia for over 300 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1, but OSU’s defense is loaded with experienced talent. This is one of the most anticipated college football games of the year and should be a tight contest, although oddsmakers have made the Trojans 10.5-point favorites. (Check out our offical Ohio State-USC smack talk thread as well.)
No. 13 Kansas (2-0) at No. 19 South Florida (2-0), Friday 8:00 PM ET ESPN2
This is a tremendous matchup to kick off the Week 3 schedule as Kansas and its high-powered offense take on South Florida, which has the No. 1 ranked defense in college football. In their two wins, the Jayhawks averaged over 450 yards a game, but they go up against a Bulls’ defense Friday night that has only allowed an average of 161.5 yards per game. Oddsmakers have listed South Florida as a 3-point home favorite.
No. 10 Wisconsin (2-0) at No. 21 Fresno State (1-0), 10:30 PM ET ESPN2
Marshall rolled out to a 14-0 lead on the Badgers last week before Wisconsin eventually settled down and hammered the Thundering Heard 51-14 to improve to 2-0 on the year. Fresno State dismantled Rutgers 24-7 in New Jersey in Week 1 and should be well rested coming off a bye last week. One thing to keep an eye on is the health status of Wisconsin TE Travis Beckum, who missed the Badgers’ first two games this year with a bad hamstring. Beckum is highly regarded as one of the top tight end prospect in college football and is expected to play this weekend.
No. 2 Georgia (2-0) at South Carolina (1-1), Saturday 3:30 PM ET CBS
Before being upset by Vanderbilt last week, the Game Cocks were supposed to be Georgia’s first real test of the 2008 season. One has to assume that South Carolina is going to come out fired up after being bounced from the top 25 following their loss to the Commodores. The Bulldogs absolutely hammered Central Michigan last week, but can’t take anything for granted this Saturday playing a pissed off Steve Spurrier squad. SC is a 7.5-point home underdog.
Upset Watch:
UCLA (1-0) at No. 18 BYU (2-0)
Washington gave BYU all it could handle in Week 2 before the Cougars eventually eked out a 28-27 win. And the last time we saw the Bruins, they were upsetting Tennessee in the first week of the season. While this wouldn’t be a huge upset, it would be the second time in two chances that UCLA knocks off a ranked opponent. And with Fresno State, Oregon, California, ASU and USC on their schedule, the Bruins will have plenty of opportunities to make some noise and possibly become one of the best surprises of the season. BYU is currently an 8-point favorite.
Other notable games:
No. 14 East Carolina at Tulane – Saturday, 3:00 PM ET
No. 3 Oklahoma at Washington – Saturday, 7:45 PM ET
Arkansas at No. 8 Texas – Saturday, 3:30 PM ET
Shawne Merriman has decided to pull the plug on the 2008 season and opt for surgery to repair two torn ligaments in his knee. He’ll miss the remainder of the season.
The loss of Merriman, whose hard hits earned him the nickname “Lights Out,” is a big one for a team that has Super Bowl expectations.
“Shawne informed me he did not feel right and thought it best to shut it down,” Chargers general manager A.J. Smith said in a statement. “The road to winning the AFC West just got more difficult, but not impossible. Nothing is impossible. Shawne is a great player and an inspirational leader. He will be missed. We wish him a successful surgery and a speedy recovery.”
I’m no doctor but this had to be the right decision all along. Merriman was risking his career by playing on his damaged knee, a knee that four doctors advised him he had to have surgery on. Now he can have the surgery, go through the proper rehab steps and get back on the field again when he’s ready.
Obviously this is a huge blow for the Chargers. Merriman provides a great edge rush and he often disrupts opposing teams’ rhythm by getting pressure on the quarterback and in the backfield. It’ll be interesting to see if San Diego can bounce back from their last-second loss to the Panthers with a trip to division rival Denver this week.
Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel says that injured running back Chris “Beanie” Wells will play against USC this Saturday. Tressel will evaluate Wells’ progress throughout the week to determine how much the Heisman candidate will play.
Ohio State’s co-captains said Wells did individual work Monday but did not participate in team drills at practice.
Wells missed the fifth-ranked Buckeyes’ Week 2 matchup against Ohio. He sustained an injury to his right big toe in the season opener against Youngstown State.
“I saw him on the side a little bit running,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said on a conference call with reporters Monday night. “He looked good, kind of doing drills, testing it out. From what I could tell he looked really great, but who really knows but him?”
Wells wasn’t in a walking boot and seemed to be moving well as he watched the Ohio game from the sidelines.
“He’s doing a lot on his own right now,” wide receiver Brian Robiskie said. “I’m hearing that he’s doing pretty good and everything with him is just day-to-day right now. If he gets the OK and they tell him he’s ready in go, there’s no doubt in my mind he’s going to play.”
This is obviously outstanding news for the Buckeyes and for college football fans in general who are anticipating such a great matchup. But it’ll be interesting to see how much the injury will affect Wells’ mobility. Ohio State didn’t have the same offense last week with Maurice Morris in the backfield and will need Beanie to be close to 100% going against one of the best front seven’s in the nation.
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