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FIRST & GOAL The Red & Black | Friday, September i, 2006 | 3B FAYE LASH | WESTERN KENTUCKY SPORTS COMMUNICATION A Western Kentucky running back Lerron Moore runs over tacklers in a game last season. TV SCHEDULE Friday, Sept. 1 Nevada @ Fresno State 10 p.m. ESPN2 Saturday, Sept. 2 Vanderbilt @ No. 14 Michigan Noon ESPN Montana @ No. 16 Iowa Noon ESPNU North Texas @ No. 3 Texas Noon FSN Western Kentucky @ No. 15 Georgia 12:30 p.m. LFS/GP Northern Illinois @ No. 1 Ohio State 3:30 p.m. ABC/GP Rutgers @ North Carolina 3:30 p.m. ABC/GP Stanford @ No. 21 Oregon 3:30 p.m. ABC/GP Akron @ No. 19 Penn State 3:30 p.m. ESPN2 LA Tech @ No. 20 Nebraska 3:30 p.m. FSN Florida Atlantic @ No. 18 Clemson, 3:30 p.m. ESPNU No. 9 California @ No. 23 Tennessee, 5:30 p.m. ESPN East Carolina @ Navy 5:30 p.m. CSTV UAB @ No. 10 Oklahoma 7 p.m. TBS Virginia @ Pittsburgh 7 p.m. ESPNU Utah @ UCLA, 7:00 p.m. FSN Washington State @ No. 4 Auburn, 7:45 p.m. ESPN2 No. 2 Notre Dame @ Georgia Tech, 8 p.m. ABC No. 6 Southern California @ Arkansas, 8:45 p.m. ESPN Houston @ Rice, 9 p.m. CSTV BYU @ Arizona, 10:15 p.m. TBS Sunday, Sept. 3 Memphis @ Ole Miss 4:30 p.m. ESPN TCU @ Baylor, 5:30 p.m. FSN Kentucky @ No. 13 Louisville 8 p.m. ESPN Monday, Sept. 4 No. 11 Florida State @ No. 12 Miami (FL), 8 p.m. ESPN - compiled by Katy De Luca By MATTHEW BORENSTEIN mborenste@randb.com Don’t think playing in front of a crowd about nine times what it is used to will intimidate the Western Kentucky football team. Because if the past holds true, it won’t. “There was no look in their eye that they were intimidated,” said Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, whose Tigers beat the Hilltoppers in front of 80,632 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2005 and in front of 85,046 in 2003. “That won’t bother them one bit this week.” In Western kentucky’s 11 other games last year, the average crowd was 11,697, not close to the possible 92,746 that would All a sold- out Sanford Stadium. But the two games at Auburn and a game at Kansas State in 2004 helped many of the Hilltoppers know what to expect, Western Kentucky senior running back Lerron Moore said. “I’m not looking forward to it being different,” he said. “It’s all the same,” said By ALEX BYINGTON abyington@randb.com To say the transition from high school to college is daunting is quite the under statement. The differences are even more apparent when going from a highly recruited Florida Class 5-A Player of the Year to your college posi tion coach’s personal punch ing bag. But as true freshman defensive tackle Geno Atkins prepares to begin his college Hilltoppers offensive coordi nator T.J. Weist, who knows the SEC well. He played receiver at Alabama and then was a graduate assistant there in 1988 and ‘89. He said he’s given his players advice on what it takes to play in an SEC stadium. But there still is a differ ence, especially in the first 10 plays when players are hyped, said Western Kentucky All-American kick er Chris James, a graduate of Starr’s Mill High School in Fayetteville. “A lot of guys are wired, then they go and kill them selves,” said James, who expects to have 60 to 70 friends that have never seen him play in college in the stands. “And then are dead for the rest of the game.” The Auburn game wasn’t just a chance for the Hilltoppers to get used to playing in an SEC team. Georgia was able to use the tape to scout Western Kentucky against an SEC opponent. “That’s been a big film that we’ve watched,” Georgia tailback Thomas Brown said. “Really, the first film that we career against Western Kentucky this weekend, defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner remembers the early struggles. “I think he was a little bit in shock because he goes from being recruited, me sit ting in his living room telling him how much I love him, to me just beating him down,” Garner said. Garner’s tough love paid off though, as Atkins has responded in a positive way, refusing to buckle under did watch was of that game from last year. They run a similar offense to us. ... It helped.” What did Georgia see? They saw a team that climbed to the No. 1 ranking- in Division I-AA before it lost its last four games and fin ished the season unranked and out of the I-AA playoffs. “Not only did it put a bad mark on the season,” James said. “It made for a bad off season. ... You still hear about it, everyone wants to know how you go from being the No. 1 team to being unranked.” They saw Moore, who has rushed for more than 3,500 yards in his three seasons and should set the school record this year. They saw kick returner Dennis Mitchell, an all-con ference sprinter who is fifth among active I-AA punt returners.And they saw a I- AA program that has played in five of the last six I-AA playoffs and won the national title in 2002. Western Kentucky will not be underestimated, Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “It doesn’t matter if the pressure. “At first it was hard because I had to get used to things — get adjusted to the speed (and) learn the defense,” Atkins said. Of course, Garner saw the process a little differently. “Early on, it was interest ing. I was really on him pret ty hard. He was just sort of going through the motions and not showing any emo tions. I even questioned how much he loved the game,” Garner recalled. “But he responded, and I take my hat they’re I-AA,” Richt said. “We’ll play as hard as we can play and if we don’t, we’ll off to him. He came back, and I saw a new side of him.” Despite the hard transi tion, Atkins felt early on that through hard work and determination, anything was possible, even playing as a true freshman. “It feels great (to be get ting a chance to play right away) because that’s what I came to do. Coach (Garner) told me that if I worked hard, I’d be able to play.” Since 2002, Georgia coaches haven’t been hesi tant when calling the num- take their ass out of the game. That’s all there is to that.” ber of true freshmen defen sive linemen — Kedric Goldston and Darrius Swain played as freshmen in 2003, and defensive tackle Jeff Owens started 13 games last season. Atkins looks to have the same potential as his prede cessors, though he admits playing between the hedges does leave him a little wary. “It’s kind of scary because I’ve never been in a stadium with 93,000 people — it’s going to be a new experi ence,” Atkins said. Defensive tackle makes the jump into the big time 20% Savings for Faculty, Staff and Students on Contact Lenses and Eyewear. (excluding disposables) THOMAS EYE CENTER Dr. Stuart J. Thomas Team Optometrist for the UGA Athletic Association www.thomaseyecenter.com 1077 Baxter St. 706-549-7757 THE POWER TO TEXT FREELY WITH SPRINT. Get 300 free text messages a month for 12 months. In-store exclusive offer for students with a valid college ID. After 12 months, pay the regular monthly fee. 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