ADN

Around the Bristol, Conn., offices today, and everyone's asked me the same question: "So, what's the real deal at Arizona State?"
Well, from what I've heard, the real deal is what's been written in most of the Arizona newspapers. Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter chose sophomore Rudy Carpenter over senior Sam Keller, just a day after choosing Keller over Carpenter.

Come again? It appears the most recent quarterback decision was primarily the result of a meeting in which some ASU players told Koetter that they wanted Carpenter to be their quarterback.

Where is Keller now? Where is he headed next? Nobody knows for sure. But it sure looks like it won't be Arizona State.

People close to Carpenter praise his knowledge of the game, work ethic and commitment. They've also questioned some things about Keller. But it seems unnecessary to kick the man now, especially considering how sudden and shocking Koetter's reversal must have been for him. Those who support Keller will undoubtedly question Koetter's decision.

A person close to Carpenter says he was seriously considering transferring. But would he really have followed through with it?

Why not wait and see whether Keller got injured -- like last season -- or not perform as well as Carpenter performed down the stretch in 2005? Those close to Carpenter say his competitiveness would not have allowed him to sit on the sideline for just one season.

And so, Arizona State suddenly goes from having the strongest quarterback tandem in the nation to a rising star in Carpenter who led the nation in passing efficiency last season. And who, suddenly, has the weight of an entire program and his coach's future, on his shoulders.

That said, I thought I'd give a ring to new Arizona State offensive coordinator Roy Wittke, who graciously took my call. I was warned that Wittke had no desire to break down the details of Koetter's decision to switch from Keller to Carpenter, but would gladly break down Carpenter.

Schad: What have the last few days been like for you?
Wittke: It's been an interesting time. It's been difficult, but we have to do what's best for our team.

Schad: This is your first year there. What was your first impression of Rudy Carpenter?
Wittke: Well, he's a classic gym rat. He always wants to talk football. He's always asking questions. He's like that kid that raises his hand four or five times and sticks around afterward to make sure he asks things right and it pays off for him. And he's very accurate, not only from a physical standpoint, but also from a decision making standpoint.

Schad: What was the first thing you noticed when breaking down the film?
Wittke: His efficiency. And I'm stating the obvious. He's just a guy that is very steady, very smooth and very consistent with everything that he does. I was a little bit surprised when I first saw the tape about how mobile he is. He doesn't get credit for that. On tape he doesn't appear to have an overpowering arm, but his arm strength and range when you see him live and you're on the practice field is more impressive than what it appears to be on film. He throws a very catchable ball.

Schad: How do Rudy's teammates feel about him?
Wittke: Rudy rallies people around him naturally. He is a guy that you'll find in the office or in the film room with two or three wide receivers. Or with a few of our tight ends during the summer going over some cut-ups. He's a guy that understands and knows our system very well and understands not only what he's supposed to do, but what the rest of the people around him are supposed to do. And in a very positive sense, he is always trying to improve the play of his teammates.

Schad: How do you think Rudy might handle now being "the guy"?
Wittke: I don't think it will change him. I think he'll continue to be the strong leader that he is. He's a guy that people take to and it's because he's action first. He's got a great work ethic. He's tremendously competitive. And he's a guy that exemplifies our team motto of "Answer the scratch." He's all about football and he's about our team and doing whatever he can do.

Schad: Who does he remind you of?
Wittke: His total immersion into football reminds me of a kid we had at Eastern Illinois who's at Dallas now in Tony Romo. Different physically, but in overall accuracy and understanding of the game and that gym-rat mentality. Tony was the same type of leader. Neither one of them were guys that necessarily would grab a kid by the facemask and shake them, but more of a leadership-by-example and helping people along.

Schad: What's something Coach Koetter does that you've thought is neat?
Wittke: You know, our practice and preparation here is really centered around the development of our quarterbacks. I was really impressed when I watch Rudy and Sam on tape, it seemed they threw the ball so well under pressure and there is a reason for it. When our guys throw our individual routes, coach has often done this and now I'll do it, we actually take a bag or a shield and put pressure on them, so they're forced to throw under duress.

Schad: Hold on. You literally charge at them?
Wittke: Yeah, it's fun. Sometimes straight on. Sometimes from the side. That's how they learn to deal with pressure.

Carpenter seemed to thrive under pressure at the Insight Bowl last season, passing for 467 yards and four touchdowns, with no interceptions. It will be fascinating to see how he deals with the pressure of being a starting quarterback, on a team that clearly has his back, with no reason to look over his shoulder.

LOS ANGELES -- As expected, UCLA coach Karl Dorrell announced Monday that Ben Olson has beaten out Patrick Cowan and will start at quarterback for the Bruins on Sept. 2 when they open the season against Utah at the Rose Bowl.


Olson played briefly in relief of starter Drew Olson last season, completing 2-of-4 passes for 11 yards.


"I think everything considered, it was very good competition between both those guys," Dorrell said. "Pat did a nice job of developing and taking steps forward and pushing [Ben]. I told the quarterbacks my decision last night. Pat was disappointed, but I know he's a fighter and he'll be ready to go when his name is called upon if need be.


"We are fortunate to have two really good, solid quarterbacks. Unfortunately, you can only use one of them."


The 23-year-old Olson enrolled at UCLA last winter after transferring from BYU. He had been on a church mission for the previous two years after redshirting as a freshman in 2002.


Olson, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound sophomore, was one of the country's top recruits before deciding to attend BYU. The left-hander passed for 2,989 yards and 32 touchdowns as a senior at Thousand Oaks High in 2001.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Oklahoma tailback Adrian Peterson burst onto the college scene in 2004 looking like a man among boys. When the pads came off, however, he seemed more like a boy among men. In the few interviews he did, he sounded like the unsure 19-year-old he was.

Fast-forward two years, and there is a noticeable difference. Peterson is comfortable, smiling, engaging in give-and-take with the media. Peterson has had good times and bad in a Sooners uniform, and has come out on the other side of both. He played well enough as a freshman to rush for 1,925 yards and 15 touchdowns and finish second to Matt Leinart in the Heisman Trophy balloting.

Adrian Peterson ran for 1,104 yards in '05.As a sophomore, he suffered an ankle injury in the season opener, aggravated it a couple of weeks later and missed a good chunk of four games. Running pretty much on one ankle, with few of the moves he showed as a freshman, Peterson still gained 1,104 yards and scored 14 touchdowns.

As much as he knew instinctively when he got on the field, he learned a larger lesson when he couldn't get out there.

"I guess you'd say [I'm] more determined, a little more hungry to go out there and try to get something done," Peterson said. "I've been preparing myself to get ready for this season. My whole attitude and approach has changed this season. With the ankle injury, sitting back and being able to watch my guys play without me [taught me not] to take that for granted and to take advantage of every opportunity."

That maturity you hear is the only thing standing between Oklahoma and an offensive disaster this fall. With the dismissal of quarterback Rhett Bomar from the team earlier this month, Peterson became the offense.

When Bomar was still around, Peterson said he hoped for at least 20 carries per game. After the dismissal, coach Bob Stoops was quoted as saying Peterson might get 35 to 40 carries per game. That might be an exaggeration. No Division I-A back has ever carried the ball 40 times per game.

But Stoops is not afraid to use Peterson. One of the reasons Peterson rushed for nearly 2,000 yards as a freshman is that he carried the ball 339 times, 26.1 times per game.

Peterson refers to himself "running wild" as a freshman and said he's a much better back now. The difference, he said, is the "little things. Being patient for the hole. Waiting for the hole to develop. Your footwork, little things like that that you don't think matter much make a big difference. So just focus on doing the little things, and [that will] make things a lot easier."

Peterson had an outstanding offensive line in 2004, which he does not have this season. The question is whether Stoops will have a choice. If fifth-year senior quarterback-turned-wide-receiver-and-back-again Paul Thompson can play catch-up on the tweaks in the offense provided by new coordinator Kevin Wilson, perhaps Peterson won't attract as much attention from the defense.


Adrian Peterson's goal for 2006 is 2,200 rushing yards.Until that time, however, Peterson will be the man. The emphasis on him might help his chances of winning the Heisman he nearly won two years ago. Another sign of his maturity is that he didn't go mealymouthed when the subject of the Heisman arose.

"It's something that I would love to win, something that I have wanted to win since I was little," Peterson said. "But it's not my main focus. I feel like if we take care of everything else, any individual awards will come along with it."

He is a little more coy about what he would like to achieve this season, more out of a sense of privacy than insecurity, though.

"I set my goals, and I set my goals high, because I always have," Peterson said. "I guess I'll call out a number." He giggled. "About 2,200 or so. Like I said, I set my goals high. It's nothing crazy, or that I feel overconfident, or anything. It's just how I am. I guess that's why I'm this successful. I set my goals high."

These mysterious goals, Stoops said, might keep Peterson from leaving after this season for the NFL. You probably could get better odds on a San Francisco-Oakland Super Bowl this coming February, but there is a chance.

"There are some college goals that are worth attaining, if that's what he wants," the coach said. And Stoops said he will tell Peterson if it's time for him to go to the NFL.

"I told [former OU All-American safety] Roy Williams, I saw his eyes before the [2002 Cotton Bowl] Arkansas game. I could tell he was bored with this. Everybody felt he would be a top-10 pick, and he was. He asked me, and I said, 'Yeah, you ought to go.' He was a fourth-year junior.

"It shouldn't be assumed," Stoops said of Peterson. "He has goals he wants to attain."

The question: Does Peterson achieve more individually because he will represent a greater part of the offense, or does he achieve less because defenses will focus on him more than ever?

On such answers are seasons built.

Nobody's perfect.

Rivals.com missed on Virginia offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, giving him a three-star ranking in 2002. We missed on Ohio State's A.J. Hawk, another three-star in the class of 2002. They were the fourth and fifth picks in April's NFL Draft.


Associated Press

Wake Forest's Micah Andrews.
But coaches are flawed, too.

Utah was one of the only schools to offer a scholarship to a two-star recruit from La Mesa, Calif., named Alex Smith. The quarterback went on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft.

Ferguson, Hawk and Smith are classic examples of sleepers. Maybe you didn't pay attention to them during recruiting. Maybe you didn't pay attention to them when they came in during mop-up duty. But eventually, they will be noticed.

This is your guide to who could break out this season.

These are the rules for being a sleeper on this list: The player was not a four- or five-star recruit, did not make a postseason all-freshman team and did not make a preseason all-conference team.

Here's your countdown of the top sleepers for 2006:

Rivals.com 2006 Preseason Impact Sleepers
1. Minnesota running back Amir Pinnix, Jr.
The Gophers have had two 1,000-yard rushers in each of the last three seasons. While that likely won't happen this year with the departure of Laurence Maroney, the ineligibility of Gary Russell and the suspension of JUCO transfer Brylee Callender, Pinnix should put up big numbers even behind a rebuilding offensive line. In his only game as the featured back, Pinnix carried the ball 32 times for 206 yards and a touchdown against Michigan State while Maroney was sidelined.
2. Virginia Tech running back Branden Ore, So.
Ore spent the 2005 season playing behind leading rusher Cedric Humes and Mike Imoh, but he still managed to rush for 647 yards and 5.9 yards per carry. The injury to Imoh gave Ore a chance to emerge at midseason. He ran for 470 yards, including three 100-yard games, over a six-game span to end the regular season. This year, he's the Hokies' top option at running back.
3. Wisconsin running back P.J. Hill, R-Fr.
Hill nearly claimed the backup job to Brian Calhoun as a true freshman in 2005 before a broken leg kept him out for the season. Now, he's slated to take over full-time for Calhoun. Entering the season his is the No. 1 running back ahead of junior Jamil Walker and Dywon Rowan. He'll look to continue the Badgers' tradition of powerful running backs.
4. Alabama linebacker Terrence Jones, Sr.
A Tuscaloosa County High graduate, Jones has spent the last three seasons as a backup. This year, his time has come. He'll start in All-American DeMeco Ryans' spot at strongside linebacker and provide a veteran presence on a defense that lost Ryans, linebacker Freddie Roach and five other starters. He showed he's ready to seize the opportunity by receiving the Lee Roy Jordan Headhunter Award after spring practice.
5. Iowa linebacker Mike Humpal, Jr.
The Hawkeyes lost the Chad Greenway-Abdul Hodge linebacker combo to the NFL this offseason, but coach Kirk Ferentz could have another find in Humpal. The junior will move into Greenway's spot at outside linebacker. Humpal had 25 tackles as a backup last year and has the athleticism (a state wrestling champion and state runner-up in hurdles in high school) to become another one of the Hawkeyes' tackling machines.
6. Wake Forest running back Micah Andrews, Jr.
Andrews, the son of former Auburn and Atlanta Falcons running back William Andrews, has spent the last two seasons sitting behind Chris Barclay. The ACC Player of the Year in 2005, Barclay led the league in rushing three times. In Andrews' first chance to steal the spotlight, he ran 34 times for 254 yards in the 2005 opener against Vanderbilt while Barclay sat out because of a suspension.
7. Texas Tech safety Darcel McBath, So.
McBath, a former three-star prospect who was offered a scholarship by Notre Dame, moved from cornerback to safety in the spring and claimed the starting free safety job formerly occupied by Dwayne Slay. If he can avoid the injuries that have slowed his career so far, McBath could become an all-conference player.
8. UCLA running back Chris Markey, Jr.
Markey has spent the last two seasons in the shadow of Maurice Drew at UCLA, but this year it will be his turn in the spotlight. He has taken advantage of Drew's absence in the past, running 24 times for 161 yards against Northwestern in the Sun Bowl after Drew was injured. A year earlier as a true freshman, Markey filled in for an injured Drew against Oregon and ran for 131 yards. He also added 84 yards receiving.
9. Oklahoma State linebacker Chris Collins, T-Fr.
Collins, who was at one time a four-star Rivals100 member, has not played football since his junior year of high school when he was charged with sexual assault on a 12-year-old girl. He originally committed to Texas during his junior year of high school in 2004, but the Longhorns backed off their recruitment. Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy gave him a second chance when Collins enrolled in January. The case is still pending, but Collins will likely start for the Cowboys after being the talk of spring practice and fall camp.
10. Texas A&M safety Devin Gregg, So.
Gregg had 31 tackles in six games (three starts) as a true freshman before claiming a regular starting spot at free safety during the spring. He will play a big part in Gary Darnell's new 4-2-5 scheme †™‚¢‚¢¢¢¬…¡‚¬‚¢¢¢‚¬Å¡‚¬¦¢

‚¬Å“ an alignment Aggies fans hope will improve the nation's worst pass defense.
Best of the rest (in alphabetical order)
Purdue running back Kory Sheets, So.
Northwestern quarterback C.J. Bacher, So.
Colorado running back Hugh Charles, Jr.
Nebraska running back Cody Glenn, So.
Boston College wide receiver Tony Gonzalez, Sr.
Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter, So.
Rutgers quarterback Mike Teel, So.
Indiana running back Marcus Thigpen, So.
Oregon State wide receiver Anthony Wheat-Brown, Jr.
Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson, So.
Kansas linebacker Eric Washington, Sr.
The Rivals Five
Veterans who need to emerge: Penn State quarterback Michael Robinson was last season's revelation, erasing memories of lackluster seasons by leading his team to a Big Ten title his senior year. Here are five players you already know who need to emerge this season:
1. Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge, Jr.
The Volunteers hope new offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe can unleash Ainge's potential. Also helping is his tight grip on the starting spot, which he has shared with Brent Schaeffer and Rick Clausen the last two years.
2. Georgia Tech quarterback Reggie Ball, Sr.
Working in his favor is All-American wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Working against him is a 49.8 completion percentage and 37-41 touchdown-to-interception ratio in three years as a starter.
3. Miami wide receiver Lance Leggett, Jr.
The former five-star recruit averaged 20.5 yards per catch and had four TDs as a true freshman, but regressed last year. Miami will need him to return to that form this year, especially considering the recent troubles of senior receiver Ryan Moore.
4. Florida State running back Lorenzo Booker, Sr.
Booker ran for a career-high 887 yards as a sophomore but dipped to 552 last year while splitting carries with Leon Washington. Although he set a career high with 329 receiving yards in 2005, more than 68 all-purpose yards per game will be expected of Booker.
5. Oregon State quarterback Matt Moore, Sr.
Even Biletnikoff winner Mike Hass could not save Moore from throwing 19 interceptions, which tied for the most in the nation. Moore will have to cut down on turnovers if the Beavers are to return to a bowl game.

5 replies and all by Buffmaster. Now THATS dedication baby.

It's my thread, and since your a Leg, you need to step off.

Oh... it's like that... well then, this is an A and B conversation, so why don't you C your way out of it!! /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

Buff, don't be trying to run away now...

C'mon in here and lets talk bout Colorado, lol...

Colorado is the worst team in the history of College football, maybe in three years I'll be able to be proud of them again.

LMFAO...

Dude, it was SO bad...I couldn't even come in here to talk shit...LoL...I don't even know where the school is they lost to, I just know that it was bad...Great start to the college football season tho, alot of new faces...Great games...