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Chris Womack
Sports Editor
■cwomackmj@gmail .com
Some marquee players stepped up during the
second week of college football and put their name in
contention for the sport’s most prestigious award, the
Heisman Trophy.
Golden boy, Matt Barkley from the University of
Southern California Trojans, is the frontrunner to win the
Heisman this year. The Trojan signal caller has thrown
for 559 yards and 10 touchdowns through two games
so far. As quarterback for his team, Barkley is directly
connected with their success or failure. Therefore, if the
Trojans keep winning, Barkley’s chances of winning the
trophy will increase.
The Oregon Ducks have an all-around player in
their sophomore running back De’Anthony Thomas from
Los Angeles. He reminds many of former USC running
back Reggie Bush because of his versatility and ability
to play running back, receiver, and even return kicks.
Through two games he has posted 166 rushing yards,
five total touchdowns, and 81 receiving yards. Thomas’
chances to win the Heisman rest on his ability to damage
defenses in so many ways.
West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith may be
this year’s Heisman dark horse. He has been showing
his superior talent at the quarterback position in an of
fense that loves to throw the ball. In a 69-34 win over
Marshall, Smith completed 32 of 36 passes for 323 yards
and four touchdowns, while rushing for 65 yards and
one touchdown. Smith’s Heisman chances rest with how
well his team plays, and his ability to post great numbers
every weekend.
Although this is only the second week of the sea
son, these three players have stood out among others. It
will be interesting to see if they can continue their great
play, and make a run towards winning the coveted Heis
man Trophy.
THE BEGINNING OF
A NEW NFL SEASON
Jordan Hollingsworth
Associate Sports Editor
Jhollingsworth91 @gmail .com
With so much going on this past summer, this
NFL season looks to have great potential. So much play
er movement will require many organizational adjust
ments and more time in the film room. It’s really hard to
predict how this year is going to turn out, so all fans can
do is watch with anticipation and be glad this new NFL
season is finally here.
After last week’s season-opening loss to Dallas,
the New York Giants already have become the first de
fending Super Bowl champions, since the Denver Bron
cos in 1999, to lose their first regular-season game the
following year.
Now we get to see if rookies Andrew Luck, Trent
Richardson, and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin
111 have what it takes to lead their teams at the highest
level of competition.
Also, a few major transactions were made this
offseason, such as Peyton Manning signing with the
Denver Broncos, Randy Moss going to the San Francis
co 49ers, and Tim Tebow being traded to the New York
Jets, who are looking to redeem themselves after failing
to make the playoffs last year.
The New Orleans Saints will be looking to battle
through obstacles this season after all of the bounty ac
cusations, resulting in the one-year suspension of head
coach Sean Payton and the indefinite suspension of for
mer defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who was the
main culprit behind it all. With Drew Brees under center,
the Saints still are a major threat.
Also, Nike was named the official sponsor of the
NFL, taking the rights away from Reebok. The contract
is good for five years, worth around $1.1 billion. The
apparel switch adds more flare to the season, as Nike is
arguably the most marketable sports apparel brand.
Alyssa P. Rooks
Staff Writer
When former Morehouse football star Ramon
Harewood thought about making his NFL debut, he
probably never imagined that more than 10 million
Monday Night Football fans would watch him make
his first blocks as a pro football player.
That’s exactly what happened Monday after
Harewood had missed his first two NFL
seasons with the Baltimore Ravens because of his inju
ries. Playing before home fans at M&T Bank Stadium,
Harewood started at left guard and helped bring Balti
more a 44-13 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Standing at just over 6 feet 6 inches and weigh
ing just less than 340 pounds, Harewood is to say the
least a physical giant and is considered to be a great
asset to the Ravens’ offense this season.
The three-time all-SIAC lineman was the first
athlete from a Historically Black College or Univer
sity to be drafted in the 2010 NFL Draft, where he was
picked in the sixth round as the 194th overall pick by
the Ravens. Signing a three-year contract
for $1.2 million, which included a $74,171 signing
bonus, Harewood will become a free agent in the
spring of 2013 if the Ravens choose not to extend his
contract.
“Even though I did not get to play with [Hare
wood], I think it’s great that he made it to the NFL,”
Sean Moore, a current junior wide receiver for the
Maroon Tigers, said. “Most people believe that if you
go to a small school there is little to no chance
of going on to play professionally, but he obviously
proves that wrong.”
Harewood now is the fourth former Maroon
Tiger to play in the NFL, coming behind
David Graham (1982-87), Isaac Keys (2004-2005) and
Kalvin Pearson (2002-2009).
Harewood started his career by having season
ending knee surgery prior to the
2010 season. Then, after ankle surgery in 2011, Hare
wood missed another season,
and was not included on the Ravens’ 53-man roster.
This year however, after making it through
training camp unscathed, he not only
earned a spot on the current roster, but became the
starter at guard after playing tackle most of the pre
season.
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SEPTEMBER 12- 19, 2012