Southern California is gearing up to face the leading rushing team in the country, and Sedrick Ellis smiles at the thought of it. The 6-foot-1-inch, 285-pound sophomore is the successor to standout nose tackle Mike Patterson in top-ranked USC’s defensive line, and he’s ready to get down and dirty in his second collegiate start when the Trojans (1-0) entertain Arkansas (1-1) in their home opener Saturday night.
Arkansas averaged 338.5 yards on 47 carries in beating Missouri State 49-17 and losing to Vanderbilt 28-24.
“You have to have a certain amount of confidence in yourself,” Ellis said. “If you don’t have that confidence, you’re not going to do what you’re supposed to do.”
Lining up next to Ellis is LaJuan Ramsey, a 6-3, 290-pounder who’s replacing Shaun Cody at defensive tackle. Neither Ellis nor Ramsey played much last year.
“They’re gone,” Ellis said, referring to Patterson and Cody. “It’s LaJuan’s and my challenge to replace them. I do realize there’s a focus on the defensive line. I think we’ll be fine.”
USC coach Pete Carroll is glad his team will play a running team like Arkansas after a pass-happy team like Hawaii.
“It’s a big switch,” he said. “We go from A to Z on the spectrum. It will pose a different stress on our defense. There are many more teams like Arkansas who will mix their running game and their passing game.”
Losing the sympathy vote
Mississippi State is feeling like the villain in Tulane’s post-Katrina tale of perseverance. With Tulane’s campus flooded and the home stadium damaged by the hurricane, the Green Wave fled to northwest Louisiana and figures to be a heavy fan favorite when it hosts the Bulldogs in Shreveport, La.
That makes the Bulldogs the bad guys by default.
“Everybody’s going to be pulling for Tulane,” Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom said. “It’s not that they hate us or anything. It’s just that they’re reaching out to Tulane because of what’s happened.”
No time to breathe
College football coaches know it does no good to complain about the schedule. But if any coach has the right to gripe, it’s Tennessee’s Phillip Fulmer. The No. 5 Volunteers begin Southeastern Conference play Saturday with a trip to No. 6 Florida. Next week they go to No. 3 LSU. On Oct. 22, Tennessee goes to Alabama, its bitter rival. Two weeks later, the Vols are at No. 10 Notre Dame.
That’s a pretty tough road for a team with national championship hopes.
“The schedule is what it is,” Fulmer said. “Everybody in the SEC plays a tough schedule.”
For their next tricks …
Iowa State coach Dan McCarney and Texas’ Mack Brown find themselves in the same position this weekend. They have to get their teams past victories over Top 10 teams.
“We’re very pleased, obviously, with the win over Iowa,” McCarney said. “It was a great victory. But we know it’s time to move on, and we’re doing that.”
The Cyclones beat a Top 10 team for the first time in McCarney’s 11 seasons. They’re idle this weekend and face Army on Friday.
The second-ranked Longhorns (2-0) are coming off an impressive 25-22 victory at then fourth-ranked Ohio State.
“It was a fun week and a great game,” Brown said. Now we look forward to Rice.”
Brown wants to make sure that his Longhorns, suddenly considered legitimate contenders for the Big 12 and national titles, don’t have a letdown against a Rice team they’ve beaten in 37 of the last 38 meetings. The Owls lost their season opener 63-21 at UCLA, where No. 21 Oklahoma plays this week.
Playing through pain
The pain can be so excruciating that Willie Jones sometimes can’t walk downstairs after getting out of bed. But the reward, the exhilaration, is worth it for the Florida State defensive end.
Jones, a 22-year-old junior, has arthritis in his right hip. His practice time is limited to about 15 minutes a day. His playing time is measured, too–24 plays in the Seminoles’ first two games. Doctors say he’ll need hip-replacement surgery by the time he’s 30.
“He’s a guy who could just be going to school and getting his degree, but he comes out and suffers for the team,” said Kamerion Wimbley, the player Jones backs up. “It’s incredible. I don’t know if I could do the same thing.”
Said Jones: “The doctors told me I would always be in pain and I’ll have hip replacement down the road. They really didn’t think I would be able to go through with my football career. I told them that was a chance I am willing to take. I didn’t want it to end.”
The No. 8 Seminoles play No. 17 Boston College on Saturday.
Extra points
After upsetting Arkansas, Vanderbilt plays five consecutive home games, which makes it a strong contender for the Top 25 in the next month. … In two games, Nebraska’s linebackers have scored two more touchdowns (four) than its I-backs. … Senior Brian Luke has replaced junior Adam Barmann, last year’s primary starter, as Kansas’ quarterback. Luke is 28-for-50 passing for 333 yards in two games this season, and Barmann is 5-for-12 for 56 yards. … Eleventh-ranked Louisville played six games on days other than Saturday last year and has three on the schedule this season.
