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6A I Thursday, August 31, 2006 | The Red & Black
SPORTS
Florida’s Leak considered for prestigious award
GAINESVILLE, Fla. —
Florida senior quarterback
Chris Leak has been named
to the Davey O’Brien
National Quarterback Award
Preseason Watch List, the
Davey O’Brien Foundation
announced Monday.
Celebrating its 30th year in
2006, the Davey O’Brien
Award is the oldest and most
prestigious award in the
country for college quarter
backs.
Leak, who is set to begin
his fourth year as the Gators’
starting quarterback, is the
NCAA Division I-A active
leader in touchdown passes
(65) and stands third among
active signal callers in pass
ing yards (8,271). He ranks in
the UF all-time top-five in
pass attempts, completions,
passing yards and passing
touchdowns.
In 2004, Leak was named a
semifinalist for the award.
Danny Wuerffel is the only
O’Brien Award recipient in
school history, having earned
the honor in both 1995 and
1996. The Gators last placed
a quarterback in the final
group for the award in 2001,
when Rex Grossman was
named to the final three.
Longshore to lead
Cal against Vols
BERKELEY, Calif. — Nate
Longshore will start at quar
terback for ninth-ranked
California in Saturday's sea
son opener at No. 23
Tennessee after beating out
Joe Ayoob for the job.
Coach Jeff Tedford
announced his decision after
practice at Memorial
Stadium on Tuesday night.
The quarterback guru is
convinced Longshore has
fully recovered from last sea
son's broken leg and a minor
back injury last week.
“They’ve both had great
camps, (but) somebody has
got to take the first snap,”
Tedford said. “It’s very possi
ble they’ll both play. Nate has
run the offense very well.
There wasn't a lot of differ
ence between them, but Nate
has been real consistent.”
The Golden Bears have
their highest preseason rank
ing in 54 years despite a sum
mer of uncertainty at quar
terback, where Tedford has
tutored a series of valued
NFL prospects in his career.
Longshore also beat out
Ayoob last season, but broke
his leg near the ankle in the
first half of Cal’s first game.
Ayoob took over and started
nine games as a junior, but
lost the job to third-stringer
Steve Levy after throwing 11
interceptions in his final four
games.
Levy, who won’t travel to
Knoxville as punishment for
his involvement in an offsea
son bar fight, led Cal to victo
ries over Stanford and
Brigham Young in the Las
Vegas Bowl.
Norwestern, Miami
honors fallen coach
OXFORD, Ohio — The
decals on the helmets. The
patches on the uniforms. The
pregame speeches on the
nearby plaza. The halftime
tribute on the scoreboard.
Everywhere that
Northwestern and Miami
players look during their sea
son opener on Thursday
night, they’ll be reminded of
the person who made the
game possible. Coach Randy
Walker died of an apparent
heart attack two months ago,
a loss deeply felt at both
schools. Expect some tears
behind the facemasks.
“We really can’t imagine it
yet,” Northwestern line
backer Nick Roach said. “It
will come with all those
pregame jitters we always
have.
“I’m sure it will just be
amplified even more once we
get out on the field and get to
warming up and see the other
team and the ‘41 WALK’ on
the front of our helmets. So
I'm sure it will be pretty
intense.”
Walker wore No. 41 when
he played at Miami as a tail
back. He also coached there
for nine years, and was
Miami’s all-time leader in
coaching wins when he left
for Northwestern in 1999.
He agreed to play his alma
mater in Oxford this year, set
ting up a feel-good homecom
ing. Only one other Big 10
team has played the
RedHawks on their home
field — Iowa had to rally for a
29-24 win in 2002.
“It means a great deal to
us, simply because very rarely
do we get this opportunity,”
said safety Joey Card, one of
only two returning starters
on Miami's defense. “It’s good
that Randy Walker gave us
the opportunity. It also
speaks to the tradition we
have at Miami.”
Both teams will wear hel
met decals with a red No. 41
and “WALK” spelled out in
purple.
The Wildcats also will wear
a rectangular “WALK” patch
on the front of their jerseys
for the entire season. Walker’s
life will be celebrated with
clips on the videoboard at
halftime.
— Courtesy of Associated
Press, gatorzone.com
TOM O’CONNOR | The Red is Black
A Freshman Carrie Patterson (27) was named SEC
Freshman of the Week following a strong weekend.
Volley Dogs’ accolades highlight weekend
By TYLER ESTEP
testep@randb.com
The No. 15 Georgia
women’s soccer team (2-0)
will face its first true test of
the young season Friday as
it hosts the No. 20 BYU
Cougars (2-0) at the Turner
Soccer Complex.
The Lady Dogs have been
impressive on both sides of
the ball thus far, scoring six
goals, including five in
Sunday’s win over Mercer.
In the meantime, the
team has yet to see anything
other than a zero in its oppo
nents’ score column, posting
two shutouts.
“It’s very exciting to come
out of the first weekend 2-0
and not give up any goals.
The results have allowed for
more national exposure for
our team which is just fan
tastic,” said head coach
Patrick Baker.
“To get through and not
give up a goal period is a
great testament to our team
as a whole.”
“We know we can always
rely on our backline to win
the ball so we can keep hav
ing chances,” said freshman
forward Carrie Patterson.
“Our backline always stays
strong, so they definitely
play a huge role in our
game.”
Patterson received the
first of what looks to be
many accolades this year,
being named SEC Freshman
of the Week.
The Atlanta native
scored two goals and
notched two assists, includ
ing the game-winning goal
against Jacksonville and a
helper on the game-winner
against Mercer.
The No. 20 Cougars will
prove a certain test for
Patterson and the rest of the
Bulldogs. A victory for either
team could prove to be a
catalyst for the rest of the
season.
Friday will be the first—
ever meeting between the
two soccer powers.
“We’re preparing for a
very talented team; there’s
not much history, but we’re
trying to find out as much
information about them as
we can,” Baker said of the
match—up.
“I think it’s going to be
very similar to the Clemson
(exhibition) game. Whoever
can defend the best and get
the most chances will have a
good chance to take con
trol.”
“If we play the way that
we can, then we’ll definitely
compete with them. It’s just
a matter of whether we can
just link up like we know
how.”
Having Patterson repli
cate her opening perform
ances would be key for a vic
tory.
“Hopefully if we’re con
nected we can put the ball in
the back of the net,” she
said.
Also, sophomore defend
er Kristin Garman was
named to the Top Drawer
Soccer National Team of
the Week late Wednesday
night.
Garman led the defense
in the two weekend
shutouts but also had five
shots on goal against
Jacksonville.
By LAWRENCE CONNEFF
lconneff@randb.com
Three members of the
Georgia volleyball team were
named to the All-Tournament
team last weekend for their
performances at the season
opening Georgia Invite.
Fans should recognize the
name of one of the selections,
outside hitter Maria Taylor,
as a mainstay of the team’s
lineup from a year ago.
The second, however, may
raise an eyebrow or two.
Sophomore Brooke Peugh
was one of two Volley Dogs,
along with freshman setter
Nikki Hawkins, to earn All-
Tourney recognition follow
ing her first action in a
Georgia uniform.
Peugh, the Bulldogs’ new
starting middle blocker,
spent last season in El Paso,
Texas, leading the UTEP
Miners to a 21-10 record, their
best since 1989.
But following her fresh
man campaign, she decided
to “look for a school she
thought would be a better
fit,” said head coach Steffi
Legall.
“I knew Georgia needed a
middle (blocker) when I
transferred,” Peugh said. “I
came for my visit and really
liked the girls and the team
chemistry I saw on and off
the court.”
Peugh, a two-time
Conference-USA Player of
the Week, arrived at the
University in the spring and
was expected to be a key
player in the Bulldogs’ lineup
immediately.
“When she gets a chance,
she puts the ball away, — and
that’s what you want out of
your middle blocker,” Legall
said.
“Oftentimes, we compare
her to a fire engine that is on
full alert because she tries to
draw the attention to herself
with her fast play so that the
opponent’s blockers are
focusing on her. It opens up
spots for our outside hitters.”
She got off to a fast start,
registering kill totals of 14, 12
and 15 in the Volley Dogs’
first three games.
“It’s been the smoothest
transition. There’s been no
problem whatsoever transi
tioning from the coaches at
PHILLIP BLUME | The Red is Black
A Brooke Peugh digs in at
a match last weekend.
UTEP to the coaches here (at
Georgia),” Peugh said.
The Bulldogs (2-1) will
venture to Atlanta this week
end for the Georgia Tech
Invitational, where they will
take on Georgia State,
Georgia Tech and Northern
Iowa.
At last: College football season debut
features SEC matchup in Starksville
THURSDAY COLLEGE SCHEDULE
Boston College at Central Michigan, 6 p.m. (ESPN 2)
Temple AT Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Florida International AT Middle Tennessee State, 7 p.m.
Rhode Island AT Connecticut, 7:30 p.m.
Northwestern AT Miami (OH), 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Minnesota AT Kent State, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN360)
Toledo AT Iowa State, 8 p.m.
South Carolina AT Mississippi State, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Alcorn State AT Louisiana-Monroe, 8 p.m.
Sacramento State AT Boise State, 9 p.m..
Northern Arizona AT No. 24 Arizona State, 10 p.m.
Eastern Washington AT Oregon State, 10 p.m.
UTEP AT San Diego State, 10:30 p.m. (CST)
By MARSHALL DUNCAN
mduncan@randb.com
After months of waiting
and anticipation, the 2006
college football season begins
tonight, highlighted by a
primetime SEC showdown
between South Carolina and
Mississippi State.
The game will be televised
on ESPN and begins at 8:02
p.m. In addition to this SEC
matchup, 16 other games will
take place Thursday night.
The Gamecocks led off the
2005 season on a Thursday as
well, defeating Central
Florida in head coach Steve
Spurrier’s debut.
Spurrier is looking to lead
the Gamecocks to even more
success in his second year
after a 7-5 campaign, which
included wins over Tennessee
and Florida, but is not look
ing past the opener.
“I think our players really
want to play and play well,”
Spurrier said in his Sunday
press conference. “But we are
anxious to see what happens
and see how we match up
against Mississippi State.”
Mississippi State is going
into its third year under head
coach Sylvester Croom and
looks to hold its own in a very
talented SEC West.
While MSU has struggled
the past two seasons under
Croom, he is confident in this
year’s team.
“This is a chance to show
our fans and the whole nation
what Mississippi State foot
ball is all about and where we
are at this point,” Croom said
in a Wednesday news confer
ence. “There is not much else
to say — it's time to play foot
ball."
The Bulldog Nation should
be watching to preview future
opponents. Georgia is up
next for South Carolina next
weekend, while Mississippi
State comes to Athens in
October.
Tonight’s game also will
lead in to a season of changes
in college football.
The 2006 Division I-A sea
son allows teams to schedule
an additional regular season
game, meaning some teams
(including Georgia) will play
12 games.
Additionally, the national
championship game will
come one week after the four
BCS bowl games on January
8, 2007. The game will be a
matchup of the #1 versus #2
team in the country accord
ing to the BCS poll.
NO. 15 LADY
BULLDOGS (2-0) VS
NO. 20 BYU (2-0)
When: 7 p.m., Friday
Where: Turner Soccer Complex
Cost: Free
WEEKEND FESTIVITIES
>- Dedication of the Turner
Soccer Complex before kickoff
>- Free Georgia Soccer ‘Ringer’
T-shirts for first 250 fans
> Win $50 in the “Kick for Cash”
halftime contest
>- Win free pizza in the “Dizzy
Bat Goal” halftime contest
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
AT GEORGIA TECH
INVITATIONAL
VS Georgia State, Friday, 10 a.m.
VS Georgia Tech, Friday, 6 p.m.
VS Northern Iowa, Saturday,
11:30 a.m.
Soccer Dogs to
take on Cougars