Ainge steps up to lead Vols' offense
Knoxville, Tenn. | Tennessee has plenty of uncertainty at receiver this season.
But whoever catches the pass shouldn't have to worry about the man throwing it. Erik Ainge, who improved last year after a shaky 2005 performance, is now completely in command of the offense, Coach Phil Fulmer said.
As a nod to Erik Ainge's ability and maturity, Fulmer and offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe have put him in charge of a no-huddle offense, which they hope will serve to confuse defenses.
"He's basically like a coach on the field," Fulmer said of Erik Ainge. "He'll be a good stabilizing player for the offensive football team. Erik understands defenses much better. He'll be able to adjust at the line of scrimmage. I'm real encouraged by his understanding of what we're trying to do."
The role of star wide receiver is wide open with the loss of
Robert Meachem, who set the school record last year with 1,298 receiving yards but passed on his senior season and was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints.
Couple that with the losses of Jayson Swain and Bret Smith, and it's not a pretty picture.
The remaining receivers with any play experience - juniors Lucas Taylor and Josh Briscoe and sophomore Austin Rogers - have only a combined 29 career catches.
"I could not ask any more from the guys at return. Obviously losing Robert Meachem and Jayson Swain and Bret Smith is a big loss, a big loss for us - for anybody that loses that many people at the same position going into a season," Fulmer said.
Taylor, Briscoe and Rogers all figure to play a role in the offense, but a playmaker may be found
instead from the younger guys in the receiving corps, including sophomore Quintin Hancock, junior college transfer Kenny O'Neal and signee Brent Vinson could step into that role.
Florida's Harvin slowed by Achilles' tendinitis
Florida receiver Percy Harvin was limited in practice Tuesday because of Achilles' tendinitis.
Coach Urban Meyer said it was unclear how long the injury would affect Harvin, who emerged last season as one of the team's big-play threats.
"It's just a pain in the butt," Meyer said. "It's frustrating for him."
Harvin, a sophomore, had 428 yards rushing, 427 yards receiving and scored five touchdowns last season for the national champion Gators. He earned MVP honors in the Southeastern Conference championship game, totaling 167 yards of offense and scoring two touchdowns.
Indiana's WR out 2 weeks
Indiana receiver James Hardy is expected to miss two weeks
after breaking a finger on his left hand at practice. Hardy was injured on a play during the morning practice Monday.
Hardy, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound junior from Fort Wayne, is the Hoosiers' top player.
He had a breakout season as a freshman, catching 61 passes for 863 yards and 10 touchdowns. He became the first receiver in school history to post double-digit catches in back-to-back games.
Lorenzen named starting quarterback at UConn
Junior college transfer
Tyler Lorenzen won quarterback competition for Connecticut and is slated to start the opener, Sept. 1 at Duke.
Coach Randy Edsall installed Lorenzen as the starter. The 6-foot-5, 226-pound left-hander threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns last season at Palomar Community College in San Marcos, California.
LSU sells record number of season tickets
LSU has sold a record 68,230 season tickets for its upcoming football season, the school said.
Last year, LSU sold 67,700 season tickets.
"We've sold every season ticket that we can sell," said Brian Broussard, assistant athletic director for ticket operations.
See More
at www.wilmingtonstar.com
|
