Hurricane seasons begins

- Tropical Storm Erin rips through SE Texas and kills 7.

Tropical Storm Erin kills at least 7

08:23 AM CDT on Friday, August 17, 2007

HOUSTON - Recovery efforts were in full swing early Friday as water-logged Texas dealt with the rainy remnants of Tropical Storm Erin, which authorities said could be a prelude to Hurricane Dean as it gathered strength in the Atlantic.

At least seven people died Thursday in Erin's thunderstorms, which dropped up to 10 inches of rain in parts of San Antonio and Houston. Officials throughout central and southern Texas braced for the possibility of more rain Friday morning. Meanwhile, the National Weather Service forecasts up to 7 inches of rain in West Texas on Friday.

"The ground's already saturated, then with the amount of rain we got today it's just running off and causing flash flooding, so if we get additional rain it will be a major concern for us," said Orlando Hernandez, emergency management coordinator for Bexar County, where San Antonio is located.

Dean, a Category 2 storm, appeared to be days away from the Gulf Coast, but officials were gearing up for the possibility of the season's most severe storm yet.

"It's so far out, but it's not too early to start preparing," said Katherine Cesinger, a spokeswoman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry. "We have more notice than with Erin. We're glad for that especially since (Dean) is projected to bring some strength."

Dean's top sustained winds at 4 a.m. EDT were 100 mph, up from 75 mph a day earlier. Its center was in between St. Lucia and Martinique, two eastern Caribbean islands less than 50 miles apart, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was moving west at near 24 mph.

Overnight rain prompted the evacuation early Friday of three areas along the Medina River and Medina Lake in Bandera County, said Barbara Kincaid, a county dispatcher. About 50 people were evacuated from the Lake Hills subdivision on Medina Lake, she said. Most of the river evacuations were RVs parked along the river. There were no reports of injuries.

"We just had a tremendous amount of rain," Kincaid said. "All the rivers are swollen."

Weather officials were also closely monitoring possible flooding along the Cibolo Creek in Comal County and the Pedernales River in Johnson and Blanco counties, said Larry Eblen a meteorologist with the Austin-San Antonio office of the National Weather Service.

On Thursday, a man was swept away in San Antonio after apparently getting out of his vehicle in floodwater, a police spokeswoman said. Three people died in a head-on collision on a rainy highway in Comal County, but Department of Public Safety Trooper Rick Alvarez said the cause of the crash was still under investigation.

In Houston, two people died after the waterlogged roof of a storage unit outside a Houston grocery store collapsed, according to Houston fire and Harris County hospital officials.

A truck driver drowned in Harris County when his 18-wheeler went into a flooded retention pond, according to county's Office of Emergency Management.

Summer storms have poured record rainfall across Texas and parts of Oklahoma and Kansas, with floods killing 22 people since mid-June. One July storm dropped 17 inches of rain in 24 hours and brought Texas out of a more than decade-long drought.

The dangers of a slow-moving storm system are well known in Houston, where Tropical Storm Allison stalled for several days in 2001, soaking the flat, low-lying city. After passing Houston, it returned, dumping about 20 inches of rain in eight hours. About two dozen people died, most of the city was without power and entire neighborhoods were destroyed.

Still, state and local officials said Erin was a relatively calm rehearsal for the hurricane season.

"It was a good dry run. I hope it stays dry," Corpus Christi Mayor Henry Garrett said after Erin had moved ashore as a tropical depression and largely spared the Gulf Coast city.

Houston-based Transocean Inc. said it was taking precautions to deal with the storms. The operator of the largest deepwater drilling rig fleet in U.S. waters in the Gulf of Mexico said Thursday it had evacuated 11 nonessential workers late Wednesday as a precaution. About 125 people remain on board the moored, semisubmersible rig about 160 miles southeast of New Orleans.

Shell Oil Co. evacuated 188 people this week from offshore facilities in Erin's path and said Thursday it was already monitoring Dean.

Hurricane specialists expect this year's Atlantic hurricane season -- June 1 to Nov. 30 -- to be busier than average, with as many as 16 tropical storms, nine of them strengthening into hurricanes. Ten tropical storms developed in the Atlantic last year, but only two made landfall in the United States.




- Financials News

- Fed cuts rates to help sagging market and credit crisis. The consumer's free-spending, credit-intensive habits are killing the markets..........

Fed cuts discount rate

08:44 AM CDT on Friday, August 17, 2007
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve approved a half-percentage point cut in its discount rate on loans to banks Friday, a dramatic move designed to stabilize financial markets roiled by a widening credit crisis.

The decision means that the discount rate, the interest rate that the Fed charges to make direct loans to banks, will be lowered to 5.75 percent, down from 6.25 percent.

The Fed did not change its target for the more important federal funds rate, which has remained at 5.25 percent for more than a year. The move was not expected to have an immediate impact on consumer borrowing, however.

However, it has been infusing billions of dollars in money into the banking system over the past week to keep that rate from rising above the target level.

In premarket trading, U.S. stock futures reversed previous declines after the Fed's announcement.

Private economists praised the action by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues, saying it should help steady jittery markets although many expect a cut in the federal funds rate to follow.

"This is fine for temporary relief, but I think they will still have to cut the funds rate because the markets will still be turbulent," said David Wyss, chief economist at Standard & Poor's in New York.

The move to cut the discount rate will not have a major impact on consumer interest rates in the way that cutting the federal funds rate triggers an immediate drop in banks' prime lending rate, the benchmark for millions of consumer and business loans.

However, Friday's move was expected to help with a severe cash crunch facing many businesses, including mortgage companies, which are having trouble getting loans for short-term financing needs.

In a statement explaining the action, the Fed said that while incoming data suggest the economy is continuing to expand at a moderate pace, "the downside risks to growth have increased appreciably."

White House deputy press secretary Tony Fratto declined to comment on the announcement but said, "We have full confidence in the Federal Reserve on these issues and respect their independence."

The Fed said it was "monitoring the situation and is prepared to act as needed to mitigate the adverse effects on the economy arising from the disruptions in financial markets."

The Fed said that "financial market conditions have deteriorated and tighter credit conditions and increased uncertainty have the potential to restrain economic growth going forward."

The cut in the discount rate was approved by the Fed's board, which controls this rate. However the policy statement policy announcement was approved unanimously by the Federal Open Market Committee, the larger group of Fed board members in Washington and Fed regional bank presidents who set the federal funds rate.

Economists saw that as a significant signal that the Fed stood ready to cut the funds rate, which has been at 5.25 percent since June 2006 when the Fed wrapped up a two-year rate tightening campaign aimed at slowing economic growth enough to keep inflation under control.

The discount rate covers only loans that the Fed makes directly to banks. By moving it to 5.75 percent, the Fed put it closer to the funds rate. The central bank also announced other technical changes to make it easier for banks to get discount loans, such as extending the time the credit will be supplied to up to 30 days.

The nation's once high-flying housing market is sinking deeper into gloom, and credit, the lifeblood of the economy, is drying up. Many economists believe these problems, including declining consumer confidence, could lead to a recession.

Since setting a record close of 14,000.41 just a month ago, the Dow Jones industrial average has shed 1,154.63 points in a string of triple-digit losing days that have raised anxiety levels not just on Wall Street but on Main Street as well.

The markets have been pummeled by a rapidly spreading credit crisis that began with rising defaults in subprime mortgages -- home loans made to people with weak credit histories. Now the problems are spreading to other borrowers.

Countrywide Financial Corp., the nation's largest mortgage banker, was forced to borrow $11.5 billion on Thursday so it could keep making home loans. It was a move that rattled investors who have watched a number of smaller mortgage companies go under because of credit problems.

The shockwaves have extended to giant Wall Street investment firms such as Goldman Sachs, which announced earlier this week that it was pumping $2 billion into one of its struggling hedge funds and was asking other investors put to put in another $1 billion. BNP Paribas, France's largest bank, last week froze three funds that had invested in the troubled U.S. mortgage market.

The Fed and other central banks already had infused the banking system with billions of dollars in an effort to keep short-term interest rates from surging and making credit even more difficult to obtain.

However, those billions did not calm investors worried about which big hedge fund or mortgage company will be the next to announce serious problems. For that reason, investors have become fearful to supply money through credit markets to companies even if they have strong credit records.



- Gas prices keep going down, unless you live downtown, where it's consistently 40 cents higher than the rest of the city. Bastards.

Texas gas prices keep falling 7:47 AM CT

08:29 AM CDT on Friday, August 17, 2007
Associated Press

IRVING, Texas - Retail gasoline prices continued to plummet across the state this week, according to a weekly survey.

Regular grade gasoline averaged $2.68 per gallon at self-serve pumps across the state, down 5 cents from last week, according to the weekly AAA Texas gasoline price survey released Friday. Nationally, regular self-serve prices fell by an average of 5 cents a gallon to $2.76.

The cheapest gas in Texas was in Corpus Christi, where regular self-serve prices fell by an average of a nickel a gallon to $2.54. The state's most expensive gas remained in Amarillo, where it fell a nickel a gallon to $2.83.

"During these summer months, gas prices have dropped in nine of the past 11 weeks," said auto club spokesman Paul Flaningan. "Despite a two-week spike in July, state prices are at their lowest levels of the summer so far, although they are more than 60 cents higher than they were in February of this year."

------

These are average per-gallon prices of regular, self-serve gasoline in Texas metro areas and the change from last week, according to today's Triple-A Texas Weekend Gas Watch:

Amarillo -- $2.826, down 4.9 cents

Austin-San Marcos -- $2.712, down 4.8 cents

Beaumont -- $2.650, down 5.5 cents

Corpus Christi -- $2.536, down 4.5 cents

Dallas -- $2.656, down 5.7 cents

El Paso -- $2.746, down 6.0 cents

Fort Worth -- $2.647, down 3.7 cents

Galveston-Texas City -- $2.658, down 3.9 cents

Houston -- $2.629, down 5.0 cents

San Antonio -- $2.696, down 4.3 cents

Texarkana (Texas only) -- $2.675, down 5.0 cents





- How is this possible? Southwest on pace to top American Airlines?

I've done my part to help Southwest. In the past year, I have flown 6 times I think. In 4 of those roundtrip flights, I have flown Southwest.

I enjoy the open seating, the free drink coupons I get in the mail, Love Field for its close proximity to me, its easy in-easy out nature, the lack of huge crowds like you get at DFW, the friendlier staff of Southwest (they actually want to help you), and of course the cheap fares. I'm a Southwest guy now.

Southwest on pace to top AA in traffic

08:04 AM CDT on Friday, August 17, 2007
Associated Press

WASHINGTON – Southwest Airlines Co. is on pace to unseat American Airlines this year as the world's biggest airline, measured by passenger traffic.

The domestic-only discount carrier already has eclipsed American's combined domestic and international traffic during the first five months of 2007, according to a government tally released Thursday.

Southwest carried 40.3 million passengers on domestic routes between January and May, an increase of 4.2 percent from last year.

"We're thrilled to watch our customer base grow," said Brandy King, a Southwest spokewoman, who attributed the growth to the company's tradition of friendly customer service. "With so many airlines offering low fares, I think customer service makes all the difference in the world."

American, owned by AMR Corp., carried 40 million passengers during the January-May period, down 1.8 percent from last year's levels. American's international traffic for that five month period was 8.7 million, up 0.3 percent in the first five months; its domestic traffic of 31.3 million was down 2.4 percent.

Last year, Dallas-based Southwest was the No. 2 airline worldwide, according to International Air Transport Association passenger traffic statistics. It carried about 96.3 million passengers, ranking behind Fort Worth, Texas-based American, which carried about 100 million passengers.

American, which could not immediately be reached for comment, has been the top U.S. airline for the past five years, according to the Transportation Department's Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Rounding out the top five were Delta Air Lines Inc., UAL Corp.'s United Airlines and Northwest Airlines Corp.

Overall passenger traffic on U.S. airlines in the first five months of the year was up 1.8 percent from last year, with 307.9 million total passengers.

In May, U.S. airlines carried 64.7 million passengers, up 0.4 percent from the same month last year.





- Rangers bullpen cracks, gives up 4 in the 8th to break a 2-2 tie. Rheinecker (who I lobby to get cut off the team) goes 7.1 IP with only 2 ER. Salty Dog continues to have some rough outings in the field. I'll live with them for now, while he's 22 and the team sucks. He'll improve, he's too talented not to. Rangers still take 2 of 3.

Sweep eludes Rangers in 6-2 loss to KC

12:14 AM CDT on Friday, August 17, 2007
By EVAN GRANT / The Dallas Morning News
egrant@dallasnews.com

ARLINGTON – Jarrod Saltalamacchia is going to the Instructional League to learn more subtleties of catching.

All the teaching he will receive and the drills he'll endure won't provide any better of a lesson than real big-league experience. He got some experience, the painful kind, in a 6-2 loss to Kansas City.

Saltalamacchia was a second late with a tag in Kansas City's four-run eighth inning. The go-ahead run scored on the play. The Royals added three more runs on a two-out, bases-loaded double.

As Saltalamacchia has been getting experience behind the plate, manager Ron Washington has acknowledged that sometimes the game still moves a little fast for the 22-year-old rookie. That seemed to be the case on Thursday.

With nobody out and runners on the corners, Mark Teahen bounced a ball to first base. Brad Wilkerson charged it, scooped and threw home in one motion. Saltalamacchia got out in front of the plate, but perhaps a half step too far. When he caught the ball, he seemed to catch it and then make a tag rather than doing it all in one motion. As a result, Mark Grudzielanek slid underneath the tag for the go-ahead run.

"I think maybe I tried to go out and get the ball a little bit," said Saltalamacchia, who said he's had only one or two tag plays at home since being called up. "I think the more experience you have, the more comfortable you feel making any kind of play. It's all about feeling comfortable back there."

Reliever Willie Eyre later allowed a two-out, bases-loaded double to account for the rest of Kansas City's big inning.

The Rangers believe Saltalamacchia's strongest position is catcher, and his handling of pitchers in his first four starts has impressed Washington. But he has only 24 major league starts behind the plate. Blocking home and making a sweeping tag is often an acquired art for a catcher. It's also fairly uncommon, so catchers don't get many opportunities to master it.

The Rangers hope his experience this season combined with the tutorial he'll receive in the instructional league will help him master the art.




- I guess we can scratch the thought of Carlos Zambrano coming to Arlington. Cubs lock him up.

Zambrano deal for five years, $90 million in Chicago
ESPN.com news services

CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs right-handed pitcher Carlos Zambrano isn't going anywhere.

Zambrano has signed a five-year contract extension valued at $90 million, ESPN Radio 1000 is reporting.

Zambrano and the Cubs have been negotiating since the beginning of the season, but the impending sale of the team by the Tribune Company put the deal on hold. Zambrano has had a solid season, and the value of the deal is approximate $10 million more than it would have been in April.





- Cards win again (2.5 back), Cubs win as well (0.5 back). Hold on to your hats.

Molina, Wainwright help Cards sweep Brewers
• Summary: Adam Wainwright gave up two hits in seven shutout innings and Yadier Molina put on a rare power display with two homers as the defending World Series champion Cardinals moved within 2½ games of the NL Central-leading Brewers by completing a three-game sweep with an 8-0 victory.

DeRosa's five hits, four RBIs lead Cubs' rout of Reds
• Summary: The Cubs used a seven-run explosion in the bottom of the seventh to distance themselves from the Reds and climb to within a half game of the first-place Brewers.
- Nebraska News/Notes



- Thursday Practice Report

Red Report: Lucky returns
Thursday, Aug 16, 2007 - 09:50:48 pm CDT
I-back Marlon Lucky, who had missed four practices after taking a shot to the head in a scrimmage last Saturday, returned to practice Thursday on a limited basis.

“Hopefully (today) he can be full-go,” running backs coach Randy Jordan said.

I-back Cody Glenn missed his sixth straight practice. The exact nature of Glenn’s injury remains somewhat of a mystery.

“I wish I knew,” Jordan said. “One minute I’m thinking it’s the hammy, one minute I think it’s the foot. I just know he’s banged up.”

Meanwhile, true freshman Prince Amukamara, projected as a cornerback, was catching passes out of the I-back position from backup quarterback Zac Lee after Thursday’s practice. Jordan, who supervised the drill, said to not read anything into it.

NUNN STRONGER: There’s a reason senior wide receiver Terrence Nunn looks a little bigger. It’s because he’s gained 16 pounds and now weighs 194.

“I feel a lot stronger. Coach K did an outstanding job with me during the summer,” Nunn said, referring to strength and conditioning coach Dave Kennedy.

“It helps me a lot, with blocking and running routes and staying stronger throughout the whole season.”

Nunn said the weight gain hasn’t affected his speed.

BY THE NUMBERS

60: Yards of longest field goal made in pre-practice by true freshman kicker Adi Kunalic. “With plenty of room to spare,” place-kicker Jake Wesch said.

Scouting report

Safety Bryan Wilson

Bryan Wilson, a senior from Granada Hills, Calif., has seen his playing time escalate in the last two seasons.

He hopes the pattern continues this year.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Wilson is working at strong safety behind projected starter Larry Asante. But because the Nebraska safety positions are generally interchangeable, Wilson figures to see ample playing time in a four-man rotation along with projected starting free safety Tierre Green and Green’s top backup, Rickey Thenarse.

Wilson transferred to NU in 2005 from Pierce College in Los Angeles.

“The first year here, I wasn’t in much,” Wilson said. “Last year, toward the end of the season, I got in on third downs in nickel packages. This year, competing for a starting job, and having a chance to start, it’s a great opportunity.”

Opponent watch: Colorado

The Boulder Daily Camera reports that redshirt freshman Cody Hawkins has the edge in the starting quarterback race.

Coach Dan Hawkins, the quarterback’s father, said he might make an official announcement after evaluating Saturday’s scrimmage. The younger Hawkins is battling junior college transfer Nick Nelson.

The Buffaloes open their season Sept. 1 at home against Colorado State.




- National News/Notes


- Emmanuelle Moody of USC, by way of Coppell, has transferred out of SoCal. From the looks of my SI College Football Preview I got in the mail yesterday, I'd want out too. There are 6 top RB's vying for playing time out there. In fact, there's a picture of all them together, with SI wondering who's going to play. Not an ideal situation at all. All were HS All-Americans and highly regarded. Mack Brown has the private jet and sales pitch all ready to go..............

USC tailback Moody to transfer

'It's not the best fit for him,' says uncle of former Coppell star

06:26 PM CDT on Thursday, August 16, 2007
By BRANDON GEORGE / The Dallas Morning News
bgeorge@dallasnews.com

USC tailback Emmanuel Moody, the former Coppell standout and the Trojans' second-leading rusher last season, has been released from his scholarship and will transfer to another school, according to his uncle, Michael Chang.

Chang, Moody's father figure throughout his life, said he's talked to his nephew daily in recent weeks and said Moody decided he needed "a fresh start."

Chang said Moody met with USC coach Pete Carroll on Tuesday night and asked to be released and that USC signed off on the release Wednesday.

USC's tailback position was 10-deep coming into preseason practices. Moody is one of three Trojan tailbacks, however, who appear on the regional cover of Sports Illustrated's college football preview edition.

"It's not just competition, man. It's more than that," Chang said. "He's competing against California guys, and there is more than his inability to play on that football field. It's just not the best fit for him right now."

Moody could not immediately be reached for comment. According to a Los Angeles Times story, Moody said last week that he "felt forgotten" coming into preseason practices because of an ankle injury that forced him to miss the final four games last season and a hamstring injury that caused him to sit out almost all of spring practice. Chang said Moody also suffered a bruised upper thigh during the Trojans' scrimmage Sunday, causing him to miss practices earlier this week.

"Guys on the scout team last year were getting better looks than he was," Chang said. "To me, it was like, 'What is really going on?' "

Chang said Moody (6-1, 205), a sophomore who rushed for 459 yards and two touchdowns on 79 carries last season, would move back home to Coppell on Monday and begin his search for a new college. Wherever he picks, Moody will have to sit out a season because of NCAA Division I-A transfer rules.

"We're thinking about maybe closer to home, maybe a Texas school," Chang said, "But we're keeping our options open. We want to make a point that it's an open market right now."

As junior at Coppell, Moody orally committed to Texas in March 2005. He withdrew his commitment after making an official visit to USC in September 2005 and in January 2006, he committed to USC, a university he called his "dream school" all along.

Chang said, however, that Moody hasn't mentioned anything about possibly playing for the Longhorns.

"We haven't even thought about that," Chang said, "and Texas is probably the last thing on our mind right now."






- SI checks out the top RB duos in the nation. This could be one of the stronger years for RB's in a while. There's tons of talent out there.

Another thing to love about college football. While college basketball deals with early entries by their stars, and pro sports deals with expansion and watered down talent, college football always has star power, year after year. The talent level is always top notch.

1. Arkansas
Drawing comparisons to SEC greats such as Bo Jackson and Herschel Walker, Darren McFadden alone would be enough to make the Razorbacks backfield formidable. But it's Felix Jones -- the side dish to McFadden's entrée -- that turns it from formidable to feared.

McFadden ran for 1,647 yards and 14 touchdowns and finished second in the Heisman balloting behind Troy Smith last season, while Jones ran for 1,168 yards and six scores. The tandem Louisiana-Monroe coach Charlie Weatherbie dubbed "Wind and Lightning" became the first Arkansas duo to break the 1,000-yard mark in the same season and finished 1-2 in the SEC in rushing.

"Arkansas has never had that caliber of a backfield like we have right now," Razorbacks' coach Houston Nutt said.

The mixture of McFadden's raw strength and speed and Jones' elusiveness has given an air of unpredictability with the "Wildcat" formation (or "WildHog" as they're calling it in Fayetteville these days), where McFadden lines up at quarterback and can either hand it off, run himself or throw (he threw for three TDs on nine passes in '06).

"Our players do get excited because they feel like something's going to happen when a coach calls for that formation," Nutt said.

It's a versatile backfield unlike any other in the country. Just take a look at the media's preseason picks for the all-SEC first-team: The Hogs duo filled both RB slots, with McFadden earning a unanimous selection.

1A. Clemson
They're dubbed "Thunder and Lightning," but as Bowden attests, Davis and Spiller's games are much more alike. "That's a nice little nickname, but they both got a little 'Lightning' and they both got a little 'Thunder,' " he said.

Davis, the "Thunder," and Spiller, the "Lightning," combined for 2,125 yards and 27 touchdowns on the ground last year. While they finished with 710 yards less than the Razorbacks' duo, they had 106 less carries -- and seven more scores. That gives them somewhat equal billing on this list.

The 5-foot-11, 205-pound Davis led the way with 1,187 yards and 17 TDs, while Spiller (5-11, 190 pounds) ran for 938 yards and 10 scores, averaging an astounding 7.3 yards per carry.

The tandem is the centerpiece of the Tigers' offense, but don't expect to see them in the same backfield too often. Bowden expects to use Spiller, who had 1,415 all-purpose yards in '06, in a variety of ways, like Florida did with Percy Harvin.

"We'll have to be more creative because the natural reaction is to put them both in the backfield," Bowden said. "[But] if you put them both in the backfield, in say a split-back scenario, one's a blocker if the other one's running. What we have to do is be a little more creative in getting them on the field, maybe C.J. in the slot, maybe C.J. in quick-motion, maybe C.J. in a bubble screen as opposed to both of them in the backfield."

3. Texas A&M
Now, if you're talking truly polar opposites, there's no more fitting yin and yang than the Aggies' Jorvorskie Lane and Mike Goodson.

"You got the strength and power of Jorvorskie and all of sudden you got the speed and elusiveness of Michael," Aggies coach Dennis Franchione said. "It kind of compliments each other, and we try and utilize it the best we can in certain situations."

Lane, at 6-foot, 268 pounds, is a wrecking ball, while the 6-foot, 197-pound Goodson brings game-breaking speed. The duo teamed up for 1,572 yards and 23 scores with each shouldering a different load. Goodson led the team with 847 yards and averaged 6.7 yards per carry to lead the Big 12, while Lane had 725 yards and a 4.4 yards-per-carry average to go along with his 19 touchdowns. He also delivered in short-yardage situations, earning a first-down or a TD on 26 of 29 carries on third or fourth down.

What makes them so effective is an understanding of their role on the team and a desire to pull for each other and deliver that perfect balance with Lane punishing the defenders, then Goodson sprinting past them.

"They're great team guys," Franchione said. "You call a play and one of them will say, 'That's my play' and you call the next play the other will say, 'That's my play.' They want to carry it all they can but they're as happy for the other one's success as you can ever ask for, too."

4. USC
Mind you, the '06 Trojans running game was the worst of Pete Carroll's tenure, but the talent in this crowded backfield will get things back on track.

Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian expects a strong 1-2 punch to emerge out of the nine backs on the roster (second-leading rusher Emmanuel Moody reportedly transferred this week fearing playing time), though it has the feel of a running-back-by-committee. The leader of the group to start the season will be senior Chauncey Washington, who ran for a team-high 744 yards and nine TDs in an injury-plagued '06, though he'll get a push from C.J. Gable (434 yards, four scores). USC's biggest threat may be fantastic freshman Joe McKnight, who has created quite the buzz at practice. Little-used sophomores Allen Bradford and Stafon Johnson should also get carries.

The likely combo is a mix of Washington and Gable with a sprinkle of McKnight.

5. Oklahoma
Gone is one of the best backs in NCAA history. But, as we saw when Adrian Peterson was injured last season, they won't be hurting in the backfield in Norman this fall.

The Sooners return the two biggest contributors during Peterson's absence in senior Allen Patrick, who rushed for 761 yards and four touchdowns, and Chris Brown, a sophomore, who had 343 yards and six TDs. Those two probably would have been enough to make this one of the better tandems, but coach Bob Stoops may also have a budding star in redshirt freshman DeMarco Murray. Murray was the story of the spring for Oklahoma, registering 327 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries (11.3 yards per carry) in three spring scrimmages. He also happens to be the fastest guy on the team, running the 40 in 4.43 seconds. Murray's looking for time in the backfield, but he could also get some reps at receiver.

6. LSU
Alley Broussard has left the team, but the talent that remains will still be a nightmare for opponents.

Offensive coordinator Gary Crowton has said the Tigers will likely use a platoon at the position, something which was effective last season when they had five backs with at least 46 carries. The Tigers return the versatile Jacob Hester (457 yards and six TD on the ground and six TD catches last season) and speedsters in Keiland Williams (436 yards, five TDs in '06), Charles Scott (277 yards, five TDs) and redshirt freshman Richard Murphy, who may be the fastest back on the roster.

It's not a true tandem, but you can take your pick with this talented group.

7. Iowa
This, ladies and gentlemen, is probably the most underrated duo in the nation.

Albert Young saw a major drop-off in an injury-plagued junior season, as he went from 1,334 yards in '05 to 779 yards last year. But Young is healthy and will team with Damian Sims, who stepped in during Young's absence and compiled 591 yards and six touchdowns last season.

They may not get the ink of other tandems on this list, but with third-year sophomore quarterback Jake Christensen stepping in as a first-time starter, the onus is on Young and Sims to carry the offense.

8. Boston College
You can't say the tandem of Callender and Whitworth doesn't know how to share. As sophomores, Whitworth had 189 carries, while Callender had 142. As juniors, Whitworth had the ball 174 times, Callender 146.

This highly underrated bruiser-speedster combo has indeed shared the spotlight, and while Whitworth has led the team in rushing the past two seasons (847 yards in '05, 837 in '06), it could be Callender who comes to the forefront with new coach Jeff Jagodzinski installing a zone-blocking scheme that favors the more elusive runner.

9. Georgia
If the spring is any indication, this group could finish the season much higher.

The Bulldogs return a somewhat disappointing duo in '06's leading rusher, 220-pound senior bruiser Kregg Lumpkin (798 yards, six touchdowns), and senior Thomas Brown, who had 256 yards and one score before tearing his ACL midway through the season.

But the guy who was the talk of this backfield during the spring should make it a major player. Redshirt freshman Knowshon Moreno, a 5-11, 207-pounder, ran for 68 yards and two scores on 11 carries during the G-Day game. He may windup as the featured runner by season's end, but in the mean time the brunt of the carries will go to chain-moving monster Lumpkin.

10. West Virginia
I know, I know, Noel Devine hasn't played a down of college football yet. But Devine has said coach Rich Rodriguez will use his 4.4 speed and explosive moves on kick returns, as a slot receiver -- and most importantly -- in the same backfield as Heisman candidate Steve Slaton.

Two factors hamper this duo's preseason standing: 1) The fact that Rodriguez will likely work to make Devine an all-purpose threat, making him more a combo WR/RB than just a runner; and 2) Pat White. The opportunity for Devine to carry the ball will be very limited with him fighting Slaton and the nation's top-running QB for touches. But I wouldn't be surprised if the Mountaineers' duo vaults into the top four before season's end.

Ten Worth Mentioning
Auburn (Brad Lester and Ben Tate), Arizona State (Keegan Herring and Ryan Torain), Maryland (Ball, Lattimore), Michigan State (Jehuu Caulcrick, Javon Ringer), Miami (Fla.) (Graig Cooper and Javarris James), Navy (Adam Ballard and Reggie Campbell), North Carolina State (Toney Baker and Andre Brown), Oklahoma State (Dantrell Savage and Keith Toston), Oregon (Jonathan Stewart and Jeremiah Johnson) and South Carolina (Cory Boyd and Mike Davis).





- TCU looking to sneak into BCS. Better get right at QB first. And maybe beat SMU.

Party crashers?
TCU hoping 2007 season ends with BCS berth

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- TCU won't be lacking for motivation this season.

Even before the chance to avenge back-to-back losses to Mountain West Conference foes BYU and Utah last year that spoiled what was still another 11-win season, the Horned Frogs have a series of emotion-filled games.

There's the opener against Baylor for the second year in a row, this time at home, and a trip to Texas to play the Longhorns for the first time since the final Southwest Conference season in 1995. And the Frogs play SMU for the first time since 2005, when they were upset by the Mustangs a week after winning at Oklahoma.

"For us, you've got small goals, like to be undefeated in Texas," coach Gary Patterson said. "We've got to get ourselves in position to understand we've got to come play and we've got to play early."

TCU won its first three games last season to extend the longest winning streak in Division I-A to 13, capped by knocking off another Big 12 bowl team in Texas Tech. But the Frogs followed that glorious moment by losing their first two MWC games.

"We need to really focus on Baylor and not worry so much about the rest of the season," tailback Aaron Brown said. "If we focus on Texas or SMU, or Air Force, and worry about all that, then Baylor will run right through us. Then it will be too late, and we'll be looking like we did when we lost to SMU."

That loss to SMU was the only blemish in 2005, when TCU made its MWC debut by going undefeated in conference play and still had to settle for a bowl game in Houston.

Last year, consecutive losses to BYU and Utah quickly ended any chance TCU had to defend that league title, though the Frogs rebounded to win eight straight games. A 37-7 rout of Northern Illinois in the Poinsettia Bowl capped their third 11-win season in four years.

"The past two years, we've had to learn lessons the hard way," defensive end Chase Ortiz said. "This year, we're trying to do the things that it takes to not let that little slip happen, and have an all-the-way-through successful season."

With All-MWC ends Tommy Blake and Ortiz back with seven other starters on a dominating defense, the Horned Frogs are heavily favored to win another MWC title. They are also considered a possible Bowl Championship Series contender if they survive the opening month.

The Frogs ranked among the top three nationally last season in rushing defense (61 yards per game), total defense (235 yards a game) and scoring defense (12.3 points per game). Only one team other than BYU or Utah scored more than 17 points against them.

Safety Marvin White, the team leader last season with 86 tackles and four interceptions, is gone. But 11 of the top 13 tacklers return.

While the Frogs should be able to stop other teams, they have to determine who will be handing or throwing the ball to Brown -- the team's top returning rusher (801 yards, nine TDs) and receiver (34 catches, 455 yards, one TD). The junior tailback was tabbed the MWC preseason offensive player of the year.

With record-setting quarterback Jeff Ballard gone, either sophomore Marcus Jackson or redshirt freshman Andy Dalton will start.

Jackson got some experience as Ballard's backup and threw two second-half TD passes in the season-opening victory at Baylor. While Dalton didn't play, he was at every game and was solid in preseason drills.

"We'll find out who has the best chemistry that makes everybody else better," Patterson said. "Both of them are very young, so that bodes well for down the road."

The plan is for Jackson and Dalton to both play in the first game, though Patterson said it won't be a rotation.

Regardless who is at quarterback, the Frogs are aiming high _ and having to prove themselves again.

They have one other source of inspiration from last season: Boise State, which came from the non-BCS Western Athletic Conference to finish 13-0 with a dramatic upset of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Plenty of people thought the Broncos should have been playing for the BCS championship.

"Boise State kept winning a lot of ball games and finally they got lucky enough, they hit the right cycle, the right place at the right time and it worked for them," Patterson said. "That's what we have to do. The only thing we can control is keep doing it, then someday it happens."


- The NoTex Rant Top 25

#25 - Missouri
#24 - Hawaii
#23 - Oklahoma St.
#22 - Alabama
#21 - Texas Tech
#20 - South Carolina
#19 - Boston College
#18 - Boise State
#17 - Rutgers


- #16 - Cal-Berkley
The Bears are counting on their money player to deliver


Ordinarily, the news that Cal wide receiver DeSean Jackson had accepted money for his on-field performance would have NCAA investigators winging their way toward Berkeley. But fortunately for Jackson and the Bears, there's no prohibition against playing for pay when it's a family affair.

The first time cash changed hands was when DeSean was four years old and playing catch with his big brother Byron. When Byron noticed that little DeSean was having trouble holding on to his Nerf-ball tosses, he added a financial incentive, offering DeSean five dollars if he could hang on to the next throw. DeSean made the catch, and for the next three years, through DeSean's flag football career, it seemed that every time Byron put a five-spot on the table, his little brother's hands were made of glue.

Perhaps as soon as next year, Jackson will make far more than five dollars to catch footballs because he just might be the top receiver in the country and could jump to the NFL. But for at least one more season Jackson, a junior, will be Cal's money receiver, figuratively speaking. Last fall he caught 59 passes for 1,060 yards and nine touchdowns in a breakout season, but the feeling -- or fear -- around the Pac-10 is that Jackson could easily surpass those numbers this year.



In 2006 he was adjusting to new quarterback Nate Longshore, who had missed the previous season with a broken left leg. After a year together Jackson and Longshore are completely familiar with each other, which should make them even more dangerous. The presence of seniors Lavelle Hawkins and Robert Jordan, an additional pair of productive receivers, will also help keep defenses from concentrating too heavily on Jackson. And with the departure of star tailback Marshawn Lynch (drafted 12th overall by the Buffalo Bills), Cal figures to throw the ball more often this season. "All the pieces are in place for us to have a big-time passing game," Jackson says. "There should be a lot of balls for everybody. I'm hoping I can add in a few big plays."

Cal is counting on more than a few, especially since Jackson, who has been timed at 4.3 seconds in the 40, can be just as dangerous when the ball is kicked to him. Of his seven touchdowns of 40 yards or longer last year, four were punt returns, of 95, 80, 72 and 65 yards. "The things that set him apart are his instincts and his vision," says Bears coach Jeff Tedford. "We just try to put him in as many different positions to use his gifts as we can."

Byron, a former San Jose State receiver, will be watching DeSean with a mixture of pride and relief. "Good thing I stopped paying him," Byron says, "or I'd be broke by now."



- Thank you Bob Sturm for alerting me to this guy.



- They've steadily gone downhill since their debut, but this song still holds up.



- The greatness of Bobcat Goldthwaite and that dude who makes the noises in Police Academy 4.



- Mahoney



- Funny stuff




- Picks O'the day

Yesterday - 1-1
YTD - 115-95

1) LA Angels +120/+130 - Hoping for a split of the doubleheader, so you take them in both games, hope they split and you're going to get paid +money in either game and end up coming out on top net-wise. Or if they sweep, you really win.
2) NYY/DET over 10 - These teams are going to score some runs this series
3) STL +130 - I'm hopping on board the Card's gambling bandwagon, until it gets derailed.
4) STL/CHI over 9 - It's Wrigley, of course there's going to be more than 9 runs scored.
5) PHI +120 - Philly has won 7 of 10. Their starter is 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA in his last 3 starts.
6) ARIZ -145 - Arizona has won 7 of 10 as well, and Webb is putting together quite a streak of scoreless IP (33 and counting). He's 3-0 in his last 3 starts.