War Scheduled In Cornbread Country

SOUTH PITTSBURG -- The fans of the defending 1A state champion South Pittsburg Pirates are very passionate about their team.

Nevertheless, the fans of the 2A Boyd-Buchanan Bucs are proud of the 2003 state title and are equally as passionate about their football program.

When the two teams meet tonight in Beene Stadium in South Pittsburg pride and undefeated seasons are going to be on the line.

South Pittsburg and Boyd-Buchanan have developed an extremely intense rivalry over the years and this year’s game should be special.

Boyd-Buchanan has won six of the last eight meetings in this series, but South Pittsburg has won the last two meetings.

Here’s a story that appeared in the 2008 Tennessee Football magazine on South Pittsburg followed by complete preseason team capsules of both teams.

South Pittsburg: ‘Cornbread and Thoroughbreds’

By Scott Herpst

SOUTH PITTSBURG --- Nestled here in the Cumberland Plateau in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains near the Alabama and Georgia state lines is tiny South Pittsburg, Tennessee (pop. 3,300).

A trip to South Pittsburg is a step back in time - literally, Mayberry come to life.
Parking downtown is free and people buy clothes and other dry goods at Hammers Department Store. The taste of the town is the old-fashioned burgers and milkshakes from the Dixie Freeze, cooked the same way they were decades ago.

Most outsiders associate South Pittsburg with cornbread.

The town is home to the world-famous National Cornbread Festival, where for two days every April, thousands flock to celebrate of one of the south's delicious specialties.

Nevertheless, for the other 363 days out of the year, this is a football town.

Drive into South Pittsburg on a Friday night during the fall and you'll see a city bathed in orange and black. Storefronts proudly display their Pirate spirit with signs and posters in the windows. Atop every street post flies Pirate flags.

"It's like raising thoroughbreds," said Carl Mount, South Pittsburg alum who has been the team's statistician for the past 23 years. "Some people in town came up with the saying this past year that we're known for thoroughbreds and cornbread. Just like raising good thoroughbreds is a tradition in Kentucky, our tradition here is raising up good football players."

“Just like raising good thoroughbreds is a tradition in Kentucky,” said Carl Mount, a South Pittsburg High School alumnus who has been the team’s statistician the past 23 years, “our tradition here is raising up good football players.”

South Pittsburg is the only school in Tennessee that has played in a state final in every decade since the TSSAA began classification in 1969. Standing at the city limit is a huge orange and black sign detailing all of the state-title teams.

The Pirates won that first Class A championship in 1969 and others in 1994, ’99 and last season when they steamrolled their way to a 15-0 record, capped by a dominating 52-20 victory over McKenzie in Murfreesboro.

“There’s nothing like it,” coach Vic Grider said. “The only thing I can compare it to is the day my daughter was born. That’s the ultimate thing in my life right now, but winning a state championship is pretty special. Not so much for me but for the kids. They take so much pride in it, and it’s something that no one can ever take away from them.”

Principal Allen Pratt came to South Pittsburg from Maryville in 1997 as an assistant coach. After a brief stint as a head coach in northwest Georgia earlier this decade, Pratt returned to South Pittsburg.

“When the football season goes well, your school year goes well,” Pratt said. “Our school year was super great this year, and it’s attributed to the success of our football team.”
Jim “Hootie” Dunwoody played at South Pittsburg in the late 1950s and has filmed or taped the football games for more than 30 years.

“The tradition has been part of my life for about 60 years,” Dunwoody said. “I remember my father was taking me to games by the time I was 8 or 9 years old.

“If you go anywhere in the state and tell someone you’re from South Pittsburg, 90 to 95 percent of the time people will ask you about the Pirates,” he said. “We’ve become that well-known, and the winning never gets old.”

Steeped in tradition

From football’s beginnings at the high school in the early 1920s, South Pittsburg was a force. The team won more than 80 percent of its games in the first three decades.

“Tradition is a way of life for us here,” Mount said. “It doesn’t matter what aspect of life you’re talking about — whether it’s football or business or whatever — people are attracted to winners, and the desire to win and be No. 1 is what makes us Americans.”

The name Grider has become synonymous with South Pittsburg football.Don Grider, a Pirates player in the 1950s, played four seasons at Tennessee Tech before returning home to begin teaching and coaching. His first year as head coach, the Pirates beat Tennessee Prep School for the inaugural Class A state crown, and he remained head coach until 1992.

Although he never won another state championship, he guided the Pirates to state finals in 1974, ’85 and ’86.

He died shortly before the start of the 2007 season, following a long battle with diabetes. He is buried on a hill in a cemetery overlooking the football stadium.Mount played for Grider in the mid-1970s and remembers him as a strong-willed person.

“It didn’t matter what color you were or who your mama and daddy was,” Mount said. “If you got the job done, you played.”

Grider passed the torch to Danny Wilson, now the head coach at Cleveland High School, in 1993. A year later, the Pirates played in their first state final since 1986 and won their second TSSAA championship.

Wilson left after the 1996 season for a job in Maryville, his hometown, but the school didn’t have to look far to find his replacement. The successor was already on the staff.

Like father, like son

Some have said it was Vic Grider’s destiny to be head coach of Pirates. He played for his father from 1981 to ’85 and grew up on the Pirates sidelines. He is set to begin his 17th season on the coaching staff, with two state titles as head coach. Brother Heath Grider, who played from 1987 to ’90, was an assistant on both of those championship teams.

The brothers are proud to have built on their father’s legacy.

“I do take pride in it, but it’s so much more than me and my family, though,” Vic Grider said. “We are just the people who were put in this spot to lead this program at times. This all goes back years before we got here.”

He said he loves his job.

“Dad once said, ‘It’s fine to be lucky and fortunate to be where you’re at, but you better take advantage of it,’ and I think we’ve done that,” he said. “There is not a day goes by that I don’t feel fortunate to do what I get to do.”

Legends of the fall

Pirates stars become legends for life in South Pittsburg.

Longtime fans can recite the starting lineups for all four state championship teams. Townspeople love telling about the great ones — such as Jimmy Wigfall, a star tailback in 1969, and 1976 grad Bo Haden, who played professionally after a career at the University of Louisville.Brothers Marcus and Vincent Banks were standouts on the 1994 championship team.

Eddie Moore was a second-round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins. He led the Pirates to the 1999 state title before starring at linebacker at the University of Tennessee.
Mount likes to tell the story of David White.

“David played fullback and middle linebacker for us, and he was one of Don’s favorites,” Mount said. “He was maybe the toughest guy I ever saw play here. He was cut up so bad over his eye once during a game that you could put your finger down in the cut and wiggle it around. The trainer was going to sew him up with no Novocain, and David is saying, ‘Hurry up. I’ve got to get back in there.’ He had blood running from his eye all down his face, but as soon as he got sewed up, he was right back out there.”

Vic Grider said South Pittsburg has had a lot of great players but “made a living off of those average ones.”

“Good teams always have one or two great players, but it’s those average ones that usually determine a football game,” he said. “We’ve been fortunate to have a bunch of those guys who are willing to do anything they need to do to make South Pittsburg football successful.

“Don’t get me wrong. It’s a thrill to coach guys like Eddie Moore, Sam Pickett, Tim Starkey and Robert Robinson, but some of my best memories are about those guys no one talks about much.”
Said Mount: “I was just a kid from the other side of the tracks, but I was somebody because I played Pirate football.”

It’s all about pride

“It was a pride thing back then to wear the Orange and Black uniform, and it’s a pride thing now,” Dunwoody said. “It’s just instilled in you from the start.”
Beating Marion County is as important to most South Pittsburg players and fans as winning the state championship. The county-seat school seven miles away in Jasper is another program rich in tradition with four state championships.

“Every game against Jasper is special,” Dunwoody said.

The South Pittsburg and Marion County series is the longest-running continuous rivalry in the state. Before state classification put the schools in separate leagues, the game often determined conference championships. For years it was played on Thanksgiving Day.

“I remember my senior year we both came into the game 9-0,” Mount said. “The winner advanced to the playoffs and the loser stayed home. Games like that just add fuel to the fire.
“Athletes come and go in cycles, but even in down years, the gate from that one game will carry a program,” he added. “We have to keep the flames burning so we don’t lose the rivalry. There’s a lot at stake in keeping it a big rivalry.”

While big home crowds are a part of South Pittsburg tradition, the Pirates take thousands on the road for playoff games.

“This last (state) championship game was literally ‘the last one in town, turn off the lights,’” Dunwoody said. “The only ones that weren’t in Murfreesboro that night were the ones that absolutely couldn’t go. Everyone else was there.”

Vic Grider said he was even more overwhelmed than usual at the support for the 2007 title game.

“That’s the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen,” he said. “I don’t know who they all were, but I know they couldn’t have all been South Pittsburg people because we’ve only got 3,300 in this town.”

Said senior lineman Trevor Barnes: “When you come out on a Friday night and they are all cheering, there’s no better feeling in the world. But walking out up there in Murfreesboro and seeing the stands packed with people was just crazy.”

BOYD-BUCHANAN BUCCANEERS 2A-3
HEAD COACH: Grant Reynolds (3rd year, 8-15) COUNTY: Hamilton
2007 RECORD: 4-7 REGION RECORD: 3-1
LETTERMEN (RET/LEFT): N/A STARTERS (OFF/DEF): 7/7

SPEED READ An experienced offensive line and the return of their starting quarterback have the Bucs thinking region championship in 2008.

TOP PLAYERS Nic Hughes (Sr., QB), Seth Emery (Sr., LB), Cole Webster (Sr., OL/DL), Jordan Nason (Sr., FB/LB), Garrett Payne (Sr., OL), Taylor Gilley (Sr., RB/DB), Ben Beasley (Jr., RB), Devin Caldwell (Jr., OL/DL), Taylor Shull (Jr., ATH)

TEAM PLAYBOOK Excitement for Boyd-Buchanan's 2007 season was tempered very early last fall when Nic Hughes, one of the state's most promising young signal-callers, suffered a knee injury in the first game of the year. However, to the Bucs' credit, the team and coaches were able to regroup in time to make a run at the Region 2A-3 title. Now with Hughes 100 percent once more, the Bucs are thinking more than just a region crown. The Pro-I offense starts with the 6-2, 215-pound Hughes while Taylor Gilley and Jordan Nason combined for nearly 1,000 yards on the ground last fall. All three will benefit from an experienced line up front led by three-year starter Cole Webster, senior Garrett Payne and rising junior Devin Caldwell. Boyd-Buchanan boasts one of the region finest pair of linebackers in seniors Nason (64 tackles, seven sacks) and Seth Emery (over 100 tackles, six sacks, three interceptions), although additional depth must be found to compliment Webster and Caldwell on the line. The Bucs aren't blessed with an abundance of speed, but their grind-it-out style could have them in yet another showdown with region rival Tyner for the title.

SOUTH PITTSBURG PIRATES 1A-3
HEAD COACH: Vic Grider (12th year, 113-27) COUNTY: Marion
2007 RECORD: 15-0 REGION RECORD: 7-0
LETTERMEN (RET/LEFT): 31/13 STARTERS (OFF/DEF): 5/6

SPEED READ Until someone proves otherwise, the Pirates remain as the team to beat in all of Class A.

TOP PLAYERS David Jones (Sr., RB/LB), Montrell Mitchell (Sr., RB/LB), Kartrez Bibbs (Sr., RB/CB), Ty Robinson (Sr., WR/DB), Will Maynor (Sr., OL/DL), Trevor Barnes (Sr., OL/DL), Keaton Jones (Sr., OL/DL), Matthew Wayne (Sr., OL/DL), Chase Robinson (Sr., TE/DE), Terrell Robinson (Jr., QB/DB)

TEAM PLAYBOOK For all of its rich history, there's one thing South Pittsburg has never done - win back-to-back state championships. That could easily change this season as the Orange and Black appears to be back in a big way. While the Pirates will certainly miss the services of 13 valuable contributors from last season's state title team, the cupboard is far from bare. David Jones is coming off a "quiet" 2007 season that only saw him rush for 1,127 yards and 15 touchdowns to nab All-State honors. Add to that the fact that Jones was the region's Defensive Player of the Year and the Most Valuable Player of the Clinic Bowl. But while keeping up with Joneses is one thing, keeping up the Robinsons is another. Athletic junior Terrell Robinson will take the rein under center while seniors Ty Robinson and Chase Robinson are big targets at receiver and tight end respectively. On defense, the Pirates will also bring back secondary speedster Kartrez Bibbs, who missed 12 games last year, and his 4.4 speed. The only question - if there is one - centers around an offensive line that will have to be somewhat rebuilt, but retooling in the trenches is nothing new for the Pirates, who seems to thrive on finding new stars each season. Although the team doesn't have as much depth as usual, it has its usual abundance of speed and athleticism and that should be good enough for a 15th region title and just possibly a fifth state championship.

South Pitt vs. Boyd Buc (All-Time)
2007 SP 47-7
2006 SP 19-14
2004 BB 49-0
2003 BB 24-6 & BB 20-7
2002 BB 44-12
2001 BB 46-13
2000 BB 26-12
1999 SP 17-14 & SP 35-21
1998 SP 41-6 & SP 34-10
1997 SP 39-21
1996 BB 17-6
1995 SP 56-6
1994 SP 49-0
1993 SP 48-0
1992 SP 60-6
1991 SP 34-16
1978 SP 41-8
1977 SP 54-6

Total wins SP-14 BB-7
Largest Margin of Victory. SP by 54 in 1992. BB by 49 in 2004

Vols Looking For 'Sharpness' at Georgia

Tennessee wrapped up its Georgia preparations Thursday with a 90-minute workout at Haslam Field. The Vols took advantage of UT's fall break to begin and end their practice at little earlier than normal.

"Practice on Tuesday was really good," head coach Phillip Fulmer said. "Yesterday was a mental day more than it was a physical day, and it was just OK. There were some corrections that needed to be made and today was pretty sharp. As always, Thursdays are supposed to be dress rehearsals for us with minimal mistakes.

"Hopefully, that sharpness will carry over into the game."

The Vols and Bulldogs take the field Saturday at Sanford Stadium in a 3:30 p.m. Eastern time kickoff. CBS Sports and the Vol Network carry the television broadcast and radio play-by-play.

UT captains for Saturday's game are defensive end Robert Ayers, safety Eric Berry, offensive linemen Ramon Foster and Anthony Parker, tailback Montario Hardesty and linebacker Ellix Wilson.

"These guys have served as good leaders for our football team and we're looking forward to going into Georgia with them on Saturday as captains," Fulmer said.

Austin Rogers is this week's CAREacter Star Athlete of the Week. Rogers is coming off his first multiple-catch game this season after hauling in a pair of receptions for 14 yards against Northern Illinois. The Nashville product has four receptions this year for 44 yards.

Previous winners this season of the CAREacter Star Athlete of the Week have been Lucas Taylor, Wes Brown and Stephen Darville. The award combines on-field performance with citizenship and community service efforts.

InSIDe the Vols Blog -- Check out former UT cornerback Jabari Greer and his opinions on pop culture in the latest blog entry to "InSIDe the Vols" on UTSports.com ( www.utsports.com/inside-ut/sid-blog.html).

SELECT SINGLE GAME UT FOOTBALL TICKETS AVAILABLE
Individual game tickets for three remaining University of Tennessee home football contests, including the next home game against Mississippi State, remain available for purchase online at utsports.com, via phone at (800) 332-VOLS and at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Kickoff for the Oct. 18 Mississippi State contest is 7 p.m., with VideoSeat carrying the pay-per-view telecast.

Other games available are Wyoming (Nov. 8) and Kentucky (Nov. 29). Tickets for Wyoming are $40 each plus shipping and handling. Tickets for Mississippi State and Kentucky are $50 each plus shipping and handling.

www.utsports.com

Tennessee Vs. Mississippi State At 7 p.m.

The Tennessee Volunteeers home game on Oct. 18 against Mississippi State is now scheduled for a 7 p.m. EDT kickoff.

The game will be televised pay-per-view by VideoSeat for a second time this season.

The Vols (2-3) have won eight of nine games against the Bulldogs, including a 33-21 in Starkville, Miss. last season.

Vanderbilt Named National Team of the Week

DALLAS (FWAA) - With their 14-13 win over 13th-ranked Auburn, the Vanderbilt Commodores (5-0) are the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week for games of the weekend of Oct. 4.

Mackenzi Adams threw a pair of touchdown passes as the Commodores improved to 5-0 for the first time since 1943. The Vanderbilt defense limited Auburn to just 208 yards and registered five sacks by five different players.

Vanderbilt's 3-0 start in SEC play is the school's best since 1950. The win over Auburn snapped a 13-game losing streak to the Tigers that dated back to the 1955 Gator Bowl. Coming in ranked No. 19, the Commodores also produced their first win as a ranked team since 1956.

Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Bowl National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Oct. 4 included:

· Army (1-4): Collin Mooney ran for 187 yards and four touchdowns to help the Black Knights end a 10-game losing streak with a 44-13 win at Tulane.

· North Carolina (4-1): Converted safety Shawn Draughn ran for 109 yards and a score as the Tar Heels recorded their first win over a ranked non-conference opponent since 1997 with their 38-12 win over No. 24 Connecticut.

· Pittsburgh (4-1): LeSean McCoy ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns as the Panthers upset 10th-ranked South Florida, 26-21, in Tampa.

The FWAA has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the fifth season that the award has been sponsored by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Members of the FWAA board of directors and All-America committee decide the weekly honor. Each Monday during the 2008 college football season, the FWAA will name the Tostitos Bowl National Team of the Week through Dec. 1.

Since 1971, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl has hosted six games that have decided the college football national championship, including three Bowl Championship Series title games. This season the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game will be played on Jan. 5, 2009 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., and the Insight Bowl will be played on Dec. 31, 2008 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.

For more information on the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week, go to footballwriters.com or fiestabowl.org.

2008 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Teams of the Week ·
Weekend of Aug. 30: Alabama·
Weekend of Sept. 6: East Carolina·
Weekend of Sept. 13: USC·
Weekend of Sept. 20: Boise State·
Weekend of Sept. 27: Oregon State·
Weekend of Oct. 4: Vanderbilt

SEC Notes Oct. 6

The SEC has a national-best (tied with Big 12) six teams ranked in this week's Associated Press, USA Today and Harris Interactive Top 25 polls. Alabama is ranked second in the AP poll, third in the Harris Interactive poll and fourth in the USA Today poll.

LSU is ranked third in the USA Today and Harris polls and fourth in the AP poll. Georgia is ranked 10th in all three polls, Florida is ranked 11th in the Harris Interactive and AP polls and 12th in the USA Today poll, Vanderbilt is ranked 14th in Harris Interactive and USA Today polls and 13th in AP poll and Auburn is ranked 20th in the AP and Harris Interactive polls and 23rd in the USA Today poll. Kentucky received votes in all three polls while South Carolina got a vote in the USA Today poll and Ole Miss received two votes in the Harris Interactive poll.

The SEC leads the nation in non-conference winning percentage with a 27-5 record (84.4 percentage). In 15 SEC intra-conference games, there have been 11 games decided by 10 points or less (73.3 percent), most of any conference in the country. Of conferences playing more than five intra-conference games to date, the SEC has the highest rating of games less than 10 points and also the average scoring margin of intra-conference games at 10.07.

In 38 home dates, SEC stadiums have been filled to 98.46 percent capacity. A total of 2,919,334 fans (an average of 76,825 per game) have been to SEC stadiums this season.

Florida leads the SEC with 10 scoring drives of less than two minutes each. Alabama leads the SEC with seven scoring drives of more than five minutes each.

South Carolina junior linebacker Eric Norwood is this week's SEC Community Service Team Player of the Week and will be featured on Raycom Sports' telecast of the Kentucky-South Carolina game on Saturday.

Kentucky's defense has yet to allow a touchdown in the redzone this season in six opportunities.

Alabama and Auburn are the only SEC teams to score first in every game this season.

SEC offenses are averaging 354.0 points and 26.2 points per game this season. Both numbers are lower than last year but higher than the 2006 numbers.

On defense, the SEC teams are averaging 17.4 points and 288.4 yards per game. If both held up, they would be the lowest numbers in the expansion era (1992). LSU and Florida are 1-3 in overall scoring drive efficiency this year in the SEC. The Tigers score on 46.15 percent of their posessions while Florida scores on 43.86 percent of its drives (Georgia is second at 45.61 percent).

The Tigers and Gators play on CBS Sports at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday from "The Swamp" in Gainesville. Other games on the SEC slate include Tennessee visiting Georgia on CBS Sports at 3:30 p.m. ET and Kentucky hosting South Carolina at 12:30 p.m. ET on Raycom Sports. Vanderbilt visits Mississippi State at 1:30 p.m. CT and Auburn hosts Arkansas at 4 p.m. CT.

SEC Media Relations

Crompton's Blog

I'm sure Jonathan Crompton is a nice young man. And he probably doesn't deserve to have to go through the pain and agony this Tennessee football season has put the former Parade All-American quarterback through.

And I'm not sure that his failures are all his fault. But somebody has to take the blame and too many people are pointing the finger at Crowmpton.

The North Carolina native writes a weekly blog for Sporting News Today. This week he defends his coach.

Don't judge Coach Fulmer on this slow start
Oct. 2, 2008

By Jonathan Crompton, For Sporting News Today

It's tough being where we're at. That's why we have to come together as a team and overcome this start.

Personally, I know I have to play better in order to give us a chance to win. It's frustrating because I have been practicing really well, but that hasn't translated to the games. There are several different aspects I need to improve on, but like I said, I just have to do a better job to give our team a better shot.

The quarterback competition this week, that's part of it. It's something I have to do for the team right now. Coach Dave Clawson, our offensive coordinator, talked to me in his office about it. He just told me, `Hey, this is something we have to do.' And I understand, because I haven't been playing up to my ability.

My family and friends have been doing a really good job supporting me through this, and they always will. I'm focused on keeping our guys up, too.

That's part of quarterbacking. You have to be a leader. You have to make sure you have your head up no matter what.

Right now, my goal is to go out there and work hard, play better and player smarter. That's what Nick (Stephens) and I both are doing, just going out there every day to get better.

There's been some negative talk in the media about coach Phillip Fulmer and our performance, but for all that guys that are here, for the guys in the locker room, he is Tennessee football.

That's all we've known growing up, is Coach Fulmer. He built the program to what we know it, so people shouldn't judge him on our 1-3 start.

We're just trying to stay together as a team. We're not trying to point fingers at anybody. We win as a team and we lose as a team. Everybody knows that last year we started out slow, and we ended up in the SEC championship game. This year, we're off to a slow start, but we can still end up in the championship game if we put our minds to it.

-- As told to Benson Taylor

Fans Treated to Free UT Football DVD with Game Program Purchase

Football fans visiting Neyland Stadium for Saturday's game against Northern Illinois will be welcomed with a special offer from the Vol Network. The first 1,500 fans to purchase a souvenir game program will receive a FREE Tennessee Football DVD.

The video showcases the sights and sounds of the University of Tennessee football program and the many traditions that make it such a cherished part of so many people's lives. Special features include: the Vol Walk, the "Volunteer Navy", running through the "T", the "Kickoff Call-In Show", the Pride of the Southland Marching Band, and special interviews by former Tennessee football players.

Souvenir program vendors can be found in and around Neyland Stadium beginning five hours prior to kickoff. This year's official game program has over 175 pages of full-color content including updated stats, rankings, player features and lineups.

Monday's Chalktalk

News and Notes From Around College Football for September 29, 2008

NFF News
With more than $300,000 in scholarships and 15 all- expense paid trips to New York City at stake, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) is set to announce Wednesday more than 160 semifinalists for college football's most prestigious academic honor -

The 2008 Draddy Trophy presented, by HealthSouth. One of college football's most sought after and competitive awards, the Draddy Trophy recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership. From the 160- plus candidates from all divisions of play creating the pool of semifinalists, the NFF Awards Committee will select the 15 finalists for the award, which will be announced on Oct. 23. Each of the Draddy Trophy finalists will win a $18,000 NFF National Scholar- Athlete Award for his post-graduate education.NFF Chairman Archie Manning will be the keynote speaker for the Murphy Enterprise Center's 2008 Leadership Luncheon at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas on Friday, Nov. 14.To become a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association, please contact NFF Director of Special Projects Hillary Jeffries at 800-486-1865 or via email at hjeffries@footballfoundation.com.

Two-Minute Drill
College Football Hall of Famers Doug Flutie, Bob Griese, Lou Holtz, Mark May, and Andre Ware are among the broadcast teams for ABC Sports and ESPN football this autumn... Hall of Famer and 2007 NFF Gold Medal co-recipient Roger Staubach was honored for his efforts in the construction of Pope John Paul II High School Stadium in Plano, Texas, last week. The Navy great performed the ceremonial coin toss as John Paul II faced Trinity Christian-Addison last Friday night... Georgia broadcasting legend Larry Munson officially retired from the Bulldogs' radio booth... SEC schools participated in the "Together We Can" food drive collected 40,000 pounds of food for underserved families in the region during 12-day activities. For every yard gained by both teams in the Raycom SEC Game of the Week, Regions Bank will donate a new tree to the Arbor Day Foundation's work to reforest areas in the southeastern part of the country... Duke head coach David Cutcliffe entertained students and faculty at "Chat With Coach Cut" activities on the Durham, N.C., campus last week... Tulane hosted "Bring Your 'A' Game - Celebrating Education in New Orleans," as the Green Wave took on SMU at the Superdome... Navy and UNLV have scheduled a first-ever four-game series from 2014-17. Navy also has been designated as one of the teams represented in the 2010 San Diego County Poinsettia Bowl pending eligiblity after the '10 regular campaign... NCAA Football has launched a special link via NCAAFootball.com to download schedules for all schools... Thom Gossom, Jr. , the first African- American athlete to graduate from Auburn, recently released his memoir "Walk On," which depicts his struggles on and off the football field in the 1970s... Mike Flynt, who started playing linebacker for Sul Ross State (Texas) at age 59, released his new book "The Senior" detailing his experiences as the oldest contributing member of a college football team in NCAA history... HBO Sports has opened production on "Breaking the Huddle: The Integration of College Football," noting integration of college football in the South and the Civil Rights movement of the '60s. It will debut on Dec. 16. The program uses extensive research from the College Football Hall of Fame archives and culminates with the famed Southern California- Alabama of Sept. 1970. ESPN's acclaimed primetime E60 newsmagazine program Tuesday at 7 p.m. (EDT) features Hawai'i graduate assistant coach Brian Kajiyama and his courage of fighting through a cerebral palsy affliction since birth... The Big Ten Network will premiere Hail to the Victors: Greatest Stories of Michigan Football, a new show which traces the lineage of the storied program, following the Michigan-Toledo game on Oct. 11. Narrated by Thom Brennaman, Hail to the Victors will examine some of the most successful seasons of Michigan football with archived interview footage with legendary coach Bo Schembechler.Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium will honor American Indian tribes with the new Minnesotal Tribal Nations Plaza. An 18-foot sky marker for each of the state's 11 tribal nations will be placed outside the main gate of the new stadium... Cal recently kicked off a $250 million football fundraising drive, pushing the purchase of premium seats at its new stadium... North Texas students will vote Oct. 13-17 on an expanded fee structure to help finance a new on-campus stadium for the Eagles... Dick Jacobson of Iowa State has contributed $5 million to ISU - most of the gift to help revamp Jack Trice Stadium... Smithville Communications has made a $250,000 donation to Indiana athletics... Ellen and Dr. Brent Feller have made a $500,000 contribution for Iowa athletics facilities... Sacramento State has received a $50,000 endowed scholarship from the family of the late Hank Elespuru... Arkansas State Athletics received its largest single donation from Charles Luter for improvements to its athletic academic facility.College Football Hall of Famer Joe Theismann was recently named the 2008 Davey O'Brien Legends Award recipient in recognition of his life-long contributions to football. Theismann will be presented with the award at the 32nd Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner on Feb. 16, 2009, at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas... Miami (Fla.) added five former standouts to its Football Ring of Honor: RB Edgerrin James, QB Jim Kelly, DT Cortez Kennedy, C Jim Otto and QB Gino Torretta... R. C. Slocum, Texas A&M's winningest football coach, was inducted into the schools's athletic hall of fame... College Football Hall of Famer John Gagliardi (St. John's, Minn.) was named the 2009 recipient of AFCA's Amos Alonzo Stagg Award... Beth Holtz, wife of former Notre Dame football coach and 2008 College Football Hall of Fame inductee Lou Holtz, has been awarded an honorary monogram by the Notre Dame Monogram Club. Coach and Mrs. Holtz founded the Lou and Beth Holtz Charitable Foundation in 1998 to help support disadvantaged persons of all ages and homeless shelters in South Bend, Ind., and Columbia, S.C.... DB Ron Allen is the most recent inductee into the Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame... Baylor's 2008 Hall of Fame class includes football great Ray Crockett and former director of athletics Tom Stanton, who spearheaded the fundraising efforts for the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Southwest Conference wing... Kansas State inducted retired head coach Bill Snyder and university president Jon Wefald into its Athletics Hall of Fame as key participants in the "Miracle in Manhattan" turnaround of the Wildcats' football program... New Mexico State added Pervis Atkins, Denvis Manns and Walt Williams to its Aggie Football Legends Ring of Honor... The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation released its "Watch List" for its 2008 Dodd Trophy.Connecticut and IMG College have signed a multi-year year agreement for broadcast and marketing rights... Arkansas has extended its corporate partnership with Collegiate Licensing Co. for five years.Charles Walemon "Cotton" Price, 90, quarterback and captain of the 1939 national champion Texas A&M squad, died last Wednesday. The 1937-39 letterman paced the '39 squad to a 11-0 record... Dick Lynch, 72, 41- year member of the New York Giants' radio broadcasting crew and a standout at Notre Dame and in the NFL, died last week... Former San Jose State HB and decorated World War II pilot Bert Robinson, 86, passed away... Wally Hilgenberg, a standout lineman at Iowa, passed away at 66... Plato Gus Andros, all- conference guard for the 1946 Oklahoma team, died at 86.To become an NFF member, please contact NFF Director of Membership Ron Dilatush at 800.486.1865 or via email at rdilatush@footballfoundation.com.

Key NFF Dates
Oct. 19: First Release of 2008 BCS Standings - Irving, Texas
Dec. 9: NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf=Astoria - New York, N.Y.
Jan. 5, 2009: National Hall of Fame Salute at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl - Glendale, Ariz.
Jan. 9, 2009: Presentation of MacArthur Trophy to BCS champion - Miami, Fla.

2009 BCS Schedule
Jan. 1: Rose Bowl presented by Citi - Pasadena, Calif., ABC
Jan. 1: FedEx Orange Bowl - Miami, Fla., Fox
Jan. 2: Allstate Sugar Bowl - New Orleans, La., Fox
Jan. 5: Tostitos Fiesta Bowl - Glendale, Ariz., Fox
Jan. 8: FedEx BCS National Championship Game - Miami, Fla., Fox

Colt McCoy Davey O'Brien Weekly Winner

McCoy posts five touchdowns as the Longhorns cruise past Arkansas

FORT WORTH, Texas (September 29, 2008) - The Davey O'Brien Foundation has named Colt McCoy of the University of Texas the O'Brien Quarterback of the Week for week five. McCoy, a junior, led the Longhorns to a dominating 52-10 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks last Saturday in front of 97,833 fans at Royal Memorial Stadium.

"Colt is playing as well as any quarterback in the country," Texas head coach Mack Brown said in post game comments. "It would be hard to imagine anyone playing better. Colt's confidence is just oozing."

After breaking the Longhorns' school record for career passing touchdowns in the previous game against Rice, McCoy continued his quarterback prowess on Saturday in Austin. With just two incompletions, he passed for 185 yards and three touchdowns, bringing his season total to 14. He also ran for a game-high 84 yards and two touchdowns. With a 209.71 quarterback rating, he now ranks second in the nation.

"Colt is playing at a really high level," offensive coordinator Greg Davis said of the Texas quarterback after Saturday's game. "He is working during the week at a very high level."

The six-foot-three quarterback is currently in his third season as the Longhorns' starting quarterback after taking over for 2005 O'Brien Winner, Vince Young. McCoy started all 13 games in the 2007 season, passing for 3,303 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Prior to enrolling at Texas, McCoy was coached by his father, Brad McCoy, at Jim Ned High School in Tuscola, Texas. He finished his high school career with a 34-2 record as a three-year letterman at quarterback. With 9,344 yards and 116 touchdowns, he ranks as the all-time leading passer in Texas 2A history.

Texas will begin conference play next Saturday as they head to Boulder to face the Colorado Buffaloes. Following Saturday's win, McCoy is already focused on this upcoming Big 12 North/South conference match-up.

"We did what we needed to do," McCoy said when asked about Texas' win over Arkansas. "Our total mind-set is on conference play."

The O'Brien Quarterback of the Week is determined by a subset of the Davey O'Brien National Selection Committee. The subset of the committee is chaired by Verne Lundquist (CBS Sports) and consists of Dennis Dodd (CBS SportsLine), Ivan Maisel (espn.com), Joe Schad (ESPN/ABC), Dick Weiss (New York Daily News) and Kelly Whiteside (USA Today). This subset will select the quarterback of the week based on their performance during the prior weekend's game, taking into consideration individual statistics, contribution to team performance, strength of opponent, etc.

The O'Brien honors the nation's best college quarterback of the year. Currently all 119 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) quarterbacks are candidates for the award until Semifinalists are announced on October 27. Finalists will be announced November 24. The 2008 Winner will be announced December 11.

About The O'Brien Fan Vote
Fans can now register and vote for The O'Brien Fan Vote online at http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001WYDIJD9cZ81S6p8kojdG5cWMAJz-tlqj--Ev8d2tz9Cvq8eW447Ym85zSpZbUENNZCB8EEZN40cw218kM4BpeaO6W8jKAZ0gN3o5ZPY4vwKDQ8KwvCEU5Q== to show their support for their favorite college quarterback. Fans will be able to choose from any of the 119 FBS quarterbacks beginning on Tuesday, September 2, leaving room for the possibility of a quarterback who is not on the Watch List to win the award. The top three quarterbacks who garner the most votes will be added to The O'Brien Semifinalist List, and the Fan Vote will then count as 5% in determining the Finalists and Winner. The 2008 Winner will be announced during The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing December 11 on ESPN. The recipient will be honored February 16, 2009, at the 32nd Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

Fans can also download an interactive "widget" at http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001WYDIJD9cZ81ZjmFsrr5s4G5W8ANtlOuSLZvme64DfzfCw0ZCZMtbsfW9TFio1szDlVaLhMDB8ib8EejVa2_erRbrq7dPyUZ9c2X5XeMgigBz10dcgxf1-HXDcElZarpkQPKAZ6IcF-6_Tc0kcxBV7w== featuring a voting link and the ability to post and share on Web sites, social networks and blogs.

About The Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award®
The O'Brien honors the nation's best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O'Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O'Brien is overseen by the Davey O'Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $750,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.

American Airlines is the official travel partner of The O'Brien.

Vol Quarterbacks Still Competing

Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer said Wednesday that no decision has been made and no time table established for announcing the starting quarterback for this weekend's game against Northern Illinois.

"Obviously, we've got problems that we're trying to fix in a couple of different spots," Fulmer said. "We're particularly trying to evaluate the quarterbacks and make a good decision from that standpoint. We're not quite there yet, but we're making strides that way."

Junior Jonathan Crompton and sophomore Nick Stephens are sharing the reps as first-string quarterback this week. Crompton has started the season's first four games.

"Both of them are competing and we're doing some things with Gerald (Jones)," Fulmer said.

"Both of them are really working. But we've been a good practice team; it's what we've done in the game that counts and we've got to make that carry over.

"We're certainly not going to give up on anybody, regardless of what happens."

Fulmer said he has been impressed these last two days with the defensive tempo that has carried over from last weekend's fine performance at Auburn. Tennessee limited the Tigers to just 226 yards of total offense in a 14-12 loss.

"I really like the way those young ends (Ben Martin and Chris Walker) are playing, I really like the way Gerald Williams is playing. Those guys are making some significant progress. And LaMarcus Thompson in the absence of Ellix (Wilson) -- Ellix not being 100 percent this week; I do think he will be available for the game -- has shown some progress. And Daryl Vereen moved to linebacker. He came back and looks like a very fast linebacker rather than a limited safety. "Building that depth is really good."

Also returning to practice this week has been junior tight end Jeff Cottam (back), who Fulmer expects to see at least limited work in Saturday's game.

The Vols host Northern Illinois in a 7 p.m. Eastern time kickoff at Neyland Stadium.

UT-NORTHERN ILLINOIS ON PAY-PER-VIEW Saturday's Tennessee-Northern Illinois game is being televised on a pay-per-view basis across the state of Tennessee. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern time (6 p.m. Central).

The announcing team for the game telecast will be Randy Smith (play-by-play) and former Vol and NFL quarterback Pat Ryan (color analysis).

Cable systems across the state of Tennessee are scheduled to carry the telecast from the VideoSeat pay-per-view service. The game also is being made available as a pay-per-view event to Tennessee Dish Network subscribers and DirecTV subscribers. Channel numbers and ordering information for home dish owners will be forthcoming next week.

ESPN GamePlan is expected to offer the contest to fans living outside the state of Tennessee via the ESPN GamePlan package. The game will be blacked out on ESPN GamePlan in the state of Tennessee and cannot be ordered as part of ESPN's package.

UT WELCOMES FANS TO NORTHERN ILLINOIS GAME

The University of Tennessee welcomes football fans to campus Saturday.

Kickoff for the Volunteers' game against Northern Illinois is scheduled for 7 p.m. Neyland Stadium gates open at 5 p.m. This is the first meeting between the teams.

The traditional Vol Walk from Gibbs Hall to the stadium starts at 4:45 p.m., and the Pride of the Southland Marching Band leaves the music building at 5:20 p.m.

The university also welcomes families of UT students on campus for the Parents Association's Family Weekend. Activities occur on Friday and Saturday.

Interstate closed near campus

As always, fans driving to the game are encouraged to arrive early. Interstate 40 is closed between Hall of Fame Drive and James White Parkway downtown, but all of the exits that lead to campus remain open.

Eastbound motorists have access to several exits: Alcoa Highway (exit 386B) to Neyland Drive, 17th Street (exit 387) to Cumberland Avenue or Henley Street (exit 388) to downtown. The last eastbound exit is 388A, James White Parkway.

Westbound motorists should use Hall of Fame Drive (exit 389) to Neyland Drive.

After the game, fans traveling westbound on I-40 should stay in the left lanes to avoid traffic delays where I-640 merges with I-40. Local traffic should use alternate routes westbound, including Middlebrook Pike.

For more information about the I-40 closure, visit Here or SmartFix40.

Game day policies remain same
Under state law, no smoking will be allowed anywhere inside the gates of Neyland Stadium. No one inside the gates will be allowed to leave and then be readmitted.

Only fans with permits can park on campus. UT encourages fans to use shuttle buses from the Knoxville Civic Coliseum and the UT Agriculture Campus.

A no-fly zone extends over the stadium from one hour before the game until one hour after it ends, prohibiting flights within a 3-nautical-mile radius and lower than 3,000-feet altitude, except as authorized by air traffic control.

Solicitation near stadium gates and along Phillip Fulmer Way is prohibited.

UT reminds visitors that all items, including purses, are subject to search at the gates. Certain items remain prohibited inside the stadium, and those items cannot be stored at any stadium gate.

Prohibited items include the following:

• alcoholic beverages• cans, bottles or coolers• radios without headphones• open umbrellas• video cameras• stadium seats with arms• large bags or parcels, including backpacks and large purses• weapons of any kind, including pocketknives
Fans are allowed to bring the following items inside the stadium:
• cushions and seats without arms• diaper bags that accompany infants• small cameras, pagers, cell phones and binoculars

For those driving on campus, Peyton Manning Pass, Middle and Lower Drives, Estabrook Drive and Phillip Fulmer Way from Middle Drive to Tee Martin Drive will be closed 30 minutes before kickoff. Directional parking will be used in Area 9 and Lots 4, 5A and 5B.
For more game day information, please visit UT Game Day.

www.utsports.com