Names in the News

Congrats to Todd Cunningham, Daniel Adamson, Andrew Edge and Alex Jones for being drafted today in the MLB draft. Good luck in the next step on your journey. Todd Cunningham becomes the highest drafted Jacksonville State baseball player since Todd Jones in 1989 by going to the Atlanta Braves. Many thanks to Coach Jim Case for recruiting, coaching, and raising a team that can win the OVC tournament and put 4 players in the MLB draft.

Less than a week until the new TV ad for the upcoming football season. You will see some familiar faces as some current team members will be in the ad. The TV ad will be running in the same markets as the current JSU TV ads.

And here is one more article about conference realignment: Click Here

5 Spring Football Questions

5 Interesting Questions Surrounding JSU's Spring Football Practice?

1) Who are some of the top newcomers?

Without a doubt, Gamecock fans have every reason to be excited about linebacker Rashad Smith. The Panhandle Native was originally an NC State signee and has been turning heads in practice ever since he arrived.

Another player to watch for is Wide Receiver Rayce Whiddon, possibly the best of all the Whiddons to play at JSU. Rayce has speed and moves and will provide a new weapon for the Gamecocks.

Its not fair to call him a newcomer but a player to watch this year who has not played much in the past is Safety, Keginald Harris. Keggie is a playmaker that brings size to the Safety position. JSU really has some playmakers in the secondary with Harris and all-world talents, AJ Davis, and TJ Heath.

2) Who is the backup QB?

What once looked like a crowded spring at quarterback, is now painfully thin. Brooks Robinson moved to safety. Talented Alabama transfer Thomas Darrah is hurt. The job probably falls to Mike Whittier, who transferred in to JSU from South Dakota. The race to back up Ivory will get much more interesting in the Fall with the arrival of Coty Blanchard and Darrah recovering from shoulder surgery.

3) Will a Tailback Emerge?

Last year, it was tailback by committee with bruising Calvin Middleton and shifty Jamal Young sharing the workload. A name to watch is Richard Freelon. The Mississippi native set some records as a high school senior and is coming off a redshirt. Brandon George has apparently left the team.

4) Who will start at wide receiver?

The bad news for Coach Matt Wannebo is that JSU lost both starting wide receivers, Greg Smith and James Wilkerson. The good news is that there is a wealth of talent to replace them. Who will be the starter? Senior Jeff Cameron comes off a mid-career redshirt year. Cameron is known for his physicality and route running. Also, be on the lookout for James Shaw, a guy Coach Crowe has always described as a playmaker and it finally showed on the field last year. Shaw just seems to glide over the field picking up big yardage in the process. LaRay Williams is another talented receiver with big play potential. Last year, La Ray caught 15 passes for 270 yards.

While Cameron, Shaw and Williams have the experience, watch out for the young guns. As set forth above, Rayce Whiddon has turned heads with his athleticism since stepping on campus. Finally, don't forget about Allen Bonner who had a tremendous freshman campaign. He is a playmaker. John Houston Whiddon is coming back from an injury and had a key play in last Saturday's scrimmage. He has the experience and work ethic to make a difference this year.

5) Will the next Patrick Tatum please stand up?

From a need perspective, there might be no bigger loss than Patrick Tatum leaving the team. The Gamecocks must find a replacement. Rod Byrd is a leading candidate at punter. If he fills the job, JSU will have one of the most physical punters in the Country. As to kickers, FSU's backup transferred to JSU and is expected to battle incoming freshman Joel Smith for the starting job.

Spring Football Update

There have been a few practices, but it's too early to tell who may be emerging and gaining playing time yet. The team will conduct a scrimmage today.

We have a few players trying to get healthy...sore shoulders, injuries treated from last year etc. As practices continue, we hope to have more information to pass on to you.

Particularly of interest this spring is quarterback play, replacing both starting safeties, and maintaining the defensive consistency that we saw last year. The defense looks like it will be just as good, with Keginald Harris stepping up at one safety position. Look for Jason Horton and Brooks Robinson to compete for the strong safety position. Don't be surprised by one or two other names that will be mentioned in that competition.

Many QB's will look to get some playing time next season. We'll see Ivory get plenty of reps this spring with the first unit.

More updates to come. Don't forget the spring game on April 10th. I'm hearing some plans to make this spring game the best one yet. Hope to see you there.

One Year

Last week, during spring break, on March 18th, our little blog celebrated one year in existence. We give a big thank you to those who read it and add comments. Big thanks also to those players and coaches at JSU who have given us access to discuss the athletic programs and the people involved.

We hope to be better this next year. With spring football practice underway, we’ll look for information that you would like to know. Who are the new players making an impact? Who has to step up this year to help us get to the playoffs? We’ll do the same with baseball, softball, and other spring sports.

Keep visiting our website. Let us know what you would like to see in the blog, or who you would like to hear from. We welcome your comments. Thanks again for your support.

Perrilloux's Draft Projections

As the NFL Combine is going on this week, Gamecockillustrated.com thought Jacksonville State's Ryan Perrilloux should be there. He's not. We went to the NFL Combine website, www.nflcombine.net, to find out more about the selection process. On that website, it says:

"Participants are determined annually by a Selection Committee. The Directors of both National and BLESTO scouting services, which combined represent twenty-five NFL teams, are joined by members of various NFL player personnel departments to form the committee. The participating NFL executives can rotate on a yearly basis, and remain anonymous. ALL eligible players are reviewed and voted on by the committee members. Each athlete receiving the necessary number of votes, by position, is then extended an invitation. While it is not a perfect science, the goal of the committee is to invite every player that will be drafted in the ensuing NFL Draft."

We hope they missed the boat on Ryan. From what projections are appearing on the internet now, they did. Ryan is now listed as a potential first day draft pick on this website, where they have moved from a forecast of Free Agent, to Second Day Draft Pick, now to First Day Draft Pick. Taking a look at this link, Ryan is rated as the #10 QB in this year's draft. I happen to think he would beat at least a couple of the guys they have ranked ahead of him. This website is projecting Perrilloux as a 3rd Round Pick.

Of course, none of these website rankings are from an NFL team, they are just guesses. We'll see what happens when the draft is held next month. JSU fans are wishing the best for Ryan, and hope he gets selected by a team where he will get a shot to show what he can do on the field. Good luck, RP.

Coach Jimmy Ogle at Marshall County Alumni Chapter Dinner

The Marshall County Alumni Chapter met tonight in Guntersville. Coach Jimmy Ogle was on hand to speak.

Coach Ogle gave the crowd an overview of the recruiting class, highlighting the character, grades, and leadership ability this group brings to JSU's football team. He also mentioned (with a smile) that the speed and football ability will help too. Ogle mentioned that the recruiting class includes 11 players from Alabama, 3 junior college transfers, 3 from GA and 2 from FL. Coach Ogle mentioned local student-athlete, Chase Williams from Boaz, to the crowd. Respectful, leader, thoughtful, and determined were some of the words people that know Chase used to describe him tonight. Ogle also mentioned that Chase Williams was just named the Gadsden Times Defensive Player of the Year. Coach Ogle also told the alumni chapter about Alabama's Mr. Football, Coty Blanchard, JSU's first Mr. Football. It sounds like anyone following high school football this year knows about Coty.

Coach Ogle asked that we put these dates on our calendars: Spring practice begins March 5. Spring Break will give them a week off, but they will start back right after spring break, and will have 10 more practices. There will be some Saturday scrimmages for people to come watch. Fan Day and the Spring Game will be April 10th. The game is scheduled to start at 3 PM. Come early for fan day, to get pictures and autographs of one of the most talented teams we've had on campus ever.

Coach Ogle opened the floor for questions. First one was "Who is going to play quarterback?" Ogle responded that "we have several guys that can play. Marquez Ivory has the inside track. He is a great leader in the huddle, and people listen to him. He is talented and a very good passer. He started against Ga. Tech last season. Thomas Darrah is a transfer from Alabama. He's in the process of getting himself ready for the season, and wants to lead the team. He's got the ability, and can be an important player. Then there's Coty Blanchard. He's Mr. Football, and we'll see what he can do." After that answer, many are wondering if Jimmy will be running for political office soon.

Another question came up about the schedule...who do we play first, when is that game, etc.

Our first game is against Ole Miss on September 4th. Their QB left school early, and they don't have their top running back either. We're trying to determine just who will play for them. Our next game is against UT Chattanooga. We need to beat them. It's the first game in our "new" stadium. It's a long time rivalry. We must be ready. (Side note here...Chattanooga's recruiting class was ranked in the top 10 in FCS football again this year. I'm not sure how the classes are graded. Someone could use some help. I believe this is 3 out of the last 4 classes.)The week after the Chattanooga game is the GA State game in Atlanta. They are putting a good program together over there, and this is a great stage to show what JSU can do. Exciting opportunity to play in the Georgia Dome. The rest of the games are confernece games, 4 home and 4 away.

Coach Ogle added one more thing before he was through. This team played through a tough scenario this past season. There was nothing to hope for. We were not going to be in the playoffs no matter what. But our 12 seniors led this group to an outstanding season, almost beating FL State, and having the best team by record in the OVC. These guys did it becuase they wanted it. They did it because of their character, and they did it because they are a team. If this team was in a building that was on fire, they would not stop until everyone got out. They do it together as a team and have strong team leadership. They finish the job.

We had this event at Papa Dubi's Cajun Restaurant in Guntersville. The food was terrific. If you are planning to be here in Guntersville anytime soon, you should plan to eat here. We had a lot of food, and great service.

A great job by the Marshall County Alumni Chapter, thanks to the Chapter President, Katie Boggus. Thank you for having us tonight. We really enjoyed talking with the good JSU people of Marshall County. If you were at the meeting and have any thoughts you would like to add, please click on Add Comments below and let us know.

Photo of Coach Ogle courtesy of Steve Latham, Jacksonville State University

Football Highlight Video 2009

Another great video by Snapsquad.

Click Here to open the video in a new window.

New Guys

Signing day for football recruits is drawing close. The last couple of years have brought some very good student-athletes to JSU. We expect this year to be the same. Several have given a verbal committment, and there will be more to come.

There are 3 student-athletes (at least) already enrolled in classes. Thomas Darrah was the first to be mentioned, and there have been local articles about him transferring from Alabama. This will be the third year in a row that someone that played on a national championship team will be playing for the Gamecocks. Another QB, Mike Whittier, has enrolled after transferring from South Dakota State. He is a dual-threat qb. See more about him by clicking HERE. The third person is offensive lineman, Taylor Johnstone, who transferred from Georgia Southern. Johnstone brings size to the line with his 6'5" frame. He weighs in at over 300 lbs. HERE is a link to a little more information about Johnstone.

Since these three players are enrolled, we should get a look at them this spring.

The 2009 Top Ten Notable Happenings in JSU Sports

Here's our unofficial list of the top ten happenings in JSU sports this year. It's been a very good year, and I believe next year can be even better.

1- Softball team gets an At-Large bid and sweeps Tennessee and plays Alabama in the Super Regionals. I didn't get to go to Knoxville, but it was great seeing the team on ESPN.

2- Volleyball team goes to NCAA tournament after going 17-1 in the OVC regular season and winning the OVC tournament. They go on to win their first match against Florida A&M. Went to the OVC tournament and the atmosphere in the Pete was electric. This was a very exciting team.

3- JSU Football Wins The OVC TItle "On the Field."

4- Men’s tennis team captures the OVC title and goes on to play FSU in the Nationals.

5 JSU Rifle wins 5th straight OVC championship and won their 2nd small bore title in the past 3 years.

6- Jim Skidmore inducted into the Alabama Athletic Trainer’s Association Hall of Fame.

7- Josh Cain (academic) and TJ Heath earn All-American honors. Both well-deserved and a great representation of JSU's student-athletes.

8- NCAA lifts playoff ban after marked improvement in the APR.

9(tie)- Baseball team beats #1 ranked UGA -- twice

9(tie)- JSU football plays Florida State, and gets national coverage as we come within one minute of winning the game.

10- Launch of www.gamecockillustrated.com - this one's a stretch as far as notability, but we have had fun doing it.

Al Muskewitz Team of the Decade

A great blog posting by the Anniston Star's Al Muskewitz on JSU's Team of the Decade. Go to WWW.Gamecockcorner.blogspot.com to check it out.

I have to go back and look at the stats, but I hate to see Chapman,Reggie Wade and James Wilkerson not make the All-Decade Team.

Jamie Strange Doing Great Things At JSU

There are many great things occurring right now that are related to the Jacksonville State Football Program. We finished the season with a Top 15 program, a Payton Award top 6 finalist, dominated the OVC awards and have a new stadium that will compare favorably to any FCS team in the Country. However, one of the best stories related to JSU football is one that has nothing to do with new buildings, talented players or wins and losses. Instead, JSU is leading the nation with a new "Habitudes" player development program that helps our players learn the skills to be successful off the field, long after their playing careers are over.

The man behind this program is JSU's Fellowship of Christian Athletes representative and Director of Player Development, Jamie Strange. Strange came to Northeast Alabama in 2005 from Raleigh, North Carolina and was primarily working with high schools in the area. Over the years, Jamie and Coach Crowe developed a friendship and Coach Crowe opened the doors for Strange to expand JSU's FCA program.

In 2006, Coach Crowe came to the realization that he wanted more. He wanted to take a formalized approach to helping to instill values in players that would give them the skills to succeed in life, separate and apart from the football field. Thus, Coach Crowe approached Jamie and asked him to help implement a player development program separate and apart from his FCA work. The Habitudes program was written by Dr. Tim Elmore of the Growing Leaders organization.

The idea was easy. However, implementing the program was another matter. First, they would have to find funding. Second,, applying the program to a football team was a novel concept. The only other school in the country that had implemented the Habitudes program was the University of Texas.

The Gamecock Nation, as it always does, responded to the financial challenge. John Thomas, a prolific offensive lineman during the late 80s’, who is now a successful health care executive donated $50,000 to fund the program. This solved the financial hurdle.

The second challenge -- implementing the program was met by every single member of the Gamecock coaching staff. Along with Strange, the coaches actually lead the program. Thus, in addition to spending 70-80 hours each week recruiting, leading practice and breaking down film, the coaches have to learn the program and lead the breakout sessions that occur each week. Strange says "every coach is committed to this. . . and every coach has to be actively involved in preparing for the lesson and getting feedback from the players."

The Habitudes program involves a mandatory weekly character/leadership class for all of the players. The players meet every week both in season and out of season. Habitudes is a four year curriculum. According to Strange, the first year was about "developing the leader within yourself" and was focused on personal leadership and character development. The second year (which is where JSU is now) is about connecting with others - in other words as Strange describes it helping those around you develop and succeed." Strange says "our focus this year is developing one another and building that team aspect of things and looking at other people and make them more valuable." Implementation of these concepts will surely help JSU as a team, but will also help the players in their personal relationships, family and careers.

Another part of the program is service to the community. Strange says that serving others is rewarding in its own right and gives the players perspective on the blessings that they have. As a result, JSU players have taken an active role in several community projects such as Habitat for Humanity, a Fishing Rodeo and working with special needs kids. Strange says that community service will always be part of the program as the years go forward.

Strange would not give any names but believes that Habitudes has had a positive impact on many players, many of whom have reported that they have never had anyone work with them on these types of issues. The great news is its not too late to develop the "habitudes" for success. Strange has a core belief that every player, though , regardless of their background has the ability to succeed and be a high character leader wherever life leads them.



Strange believes there is a high degree of "buy in" among the players and that the philosophy is that this area is just as important as offensive and defensive meetings. He emphasizes to the players that character is analagous to the image of an iceberg and that "the ten percent above the surface is your talent and skill - what people see, but the 90% below the surface is your character." Strange notes that NFL Players and other that have run into problems have often focused on the 10% above the surface to the detriment of the 90% below. The emphasis to the players is that talent will take you places but it won't keep you there.

It is too early to tell how successful the program is going to ultimately be at JSU, but the fact cannot be ignored that the football team's ARP is at an all time high and off the field incidents seem to be at an all time low. As one player parent said: "the character building is most definitely working and the results are tangible."

Separate and apart from the Habitudes initiative is Strange's leadership of JSU's FCA program. FCA activities include spiritual direction, guidance and game day chapel services. It is common for up to 80% of the players to attend game day chapel services. Strange says the game day chapel services are a time where the players pray together as a team and have a focus on honoring God with their talents on the field. Strange also leads the post-game prayers for the teams in games played at JSU.

The FCA also has weekly meetings that are open to everyone on campus which are led by the students.. Strange says it is common for 30-50 people that attend the weekly meetings. The FCA also coordinates speaking engagements for JSU athletes. There are several JSU players , including Brandon George, Reggie Wade, Josh Cain and Brandt Thomas, that have gone out in the community and spoken to local high schools about FCA. At one event, where Josh Cain represented JSU, 4,000 people attended and approximately 700 responded to the invitation. Strange noted that Cain was a spiritual leader of the team.

The FCA program is, of course, funded by private donations and unlike the Habitudes program is entirely voluntary for the players. One of the big sources of funding is a golf tournament hosted annually by Coach Crowe and the J-Club.

In closing, a message to our readers. The great thing about this story is that we can all be a part of it. Jamie’s FCA work is entirely donor funded . Jamie needs our support to continue, expand and grow the FCA program at JSU. Please take the time to support this worthy cause. You can send a donation made payable to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes addressed as follows:

FCA
P.O. Box 8215
Anniston, AL 36202

Keep up the good work Jamie!

Disruptive Plays - an update

Back on July 30th, we blogged about a statistic called Disruptive Plays. You can see the article HERE. In short, the Disruptive Play stat, or DP's, is a measure that is a cumulative total of key defensive stats. In the previous article, you can see that over the past 5 seasons, Devin Phillips had the highest total with 36 in 2007.

Here is an update this year with the top 4 so far:

TJ Heath - 29
Kevin Dix - 12.5
Brandt Thomas - 11.5
Josh Cain - 10

It looks like Heath has a great shot at putting up a huge number this year that will easily be the highest in several years.

From the Journal-Gazette in Illinois

This article starts with some comments on TN State, follow by some good comments about JSU. Here is a link, but you can just read it below.

No comment (hint, hint) from Tennessee State coach

By BRIAN NIELSEN, Sports Editor
bnielsen@jg-tc.com

At least coach James Webster appears to have avoided a suspension after his Tennessee State football team fell from atop the Ohio Valley Conference.

“First of all I thought coach (Matt) Griffin and his coaching staff did a very good job preparing his team,” Webster said three days after losing to Griffin’s Murray State team 9-6. “Other than that I don’t have any comments and I won’t comment because any comments I make will not be acceptable to the OVC.”

Reprimanded three years ago by the OVC for publicly criticizing officials, Webster lets us guess about his implications this time.

“The team that was on the field was not the same team we had on the field at Eastern Kentucky,” Webster said. “We had some issues going on last week that we couldn’t control.”


One week after knocking off nationally ranked and preseason OVC favorite Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee State lost quarterback Carl McNairl to an injury and fell from the league’s unbeaten ranks by losing to a Murray State team that entered the game 0-2 in the conference.

Eastern Kentucky regained its spot atop the league at 4-1 by edging UT Martin 31-25, Eastern Illinois moved into second place at 3-1 by holding off a Tennessee Tech comeback bid for a 23-15 win and Tennessee State fell to 2-1.

“We had a great opportunity and now we are down with everyone else,” Webster said.

Three other teams are still in contention with two losses each. Murray State, maybe turning into contention in the fourth year of Griffin’s rebuilding project, is one of them.

“I haven’t even looked at it,” the Racers coach said. “To be real honest with you, I haven’t looked at the standings in a couple of weeks.”

Anyone looking at standings sees several teams bunched together as one reporter called it in Tuesday’s OVC teleconference.

“Bunched all together is the best way to put it,” Eastern Kentucky coach Dean Hood said. “You watch everybody on tape and nobody is beating the tar out of anybody except for Jacksonville State. Everybody else it’s one play one way or the other.”

That might be encouraging news for everyone except for Eastern Illinois, which has a 1 p.m. Saturday game at Jacksonville State.

Jacksonville State would be atop the OVC standings at 2-0 but the Gamecocks are ineligible for the league title or an NCAA playoff berth this year because of an Academic Progress Report penalty.

The Gamecocks still have No. 12 and No. 13 national rankings in Football Championship Subdivision polls, standing 4-2 after starting the season with losses to Football Bowl Subdivision teams Georgia Tech and Florida State.

Featuring FCS passing efficiency leader Ryan Perrilloux, the Gamecocks lead the OVC in scoring offense (37.3 points per game), scoring defense (15.5 ppg), total offense (434.8 yards per game), total defense (307.0 ypg), passing offense (263.3 ypg), passing defense (169.7 ypg), passing efficiency (173.5 rating) and passing defense efficiency (108.2).

Oh yeah, they lead the whole nation averaging 26.6 yards per kickoff return.

“They’re an exceptional football team in all of those areas,” Eastern Illinois coach Bob Spoo said. “I don’t know that they have a weakness. They play very well in every category.”

Jacksonville State coach Jack Crowe denies any ideas of being invincible in the OVC.

“We’ve got plenty of weaknesses,” he said. “The head coach may be the biggest one. by the way. We’ve tried to organize ourselves. You have an open week, you look at yourselves. We understand what we have done poorly. There are things that concern me. I’m not going to say those and give Bob a scouting report, not that he needs a scouting report. He knows what he’s doing.”

Contact Brian Nielsen at bnielsen@jg-tc.com or 238-6856.

BEST TEAM IN THE OVC STANDINGS (updated)

Here are the updated standings, which include conference games only.

Wins against the so-called Big Boys

As JSU's athletic program continues to climb to new heights, we thought it would be interesting to see which programs have had wins against the so called Big Boys of college sports in the last season that they played. Here is a breakdown:

Softball - Tennessee (twice), Memphis, Indiana State, Ole Miss, Nebraska ;

Volleyball - Auburn, Alabama, Wake Forest ;

Basketball - Umass - technically in 2008 (08-09 season) ;

Baseball - Indiana , Georgia (ranked #1 at the time) and Georgia again.

Football - Florida State- our computer went down with one minute left in the game.

Rifle - A dominant program. Won the Ole Miss invitational last year. There were 13 teams there. I don't have the list, but I'm sure Ole Miss would have been there. This team has countless wins over larger schools.

Tennis - No signature win over a large school, but went to the NCAA's last year and gave FSU a tough match.

Good job JSU!

Q & A with Wide Receivers Coach Matt Wannebo

Following the blow-out of Tn. Martin, Gamecockillustrated.com, sat down with wide receievers coach Matt Wannebo. Wannebo, a former college quarterback, is a nine year veteran of the Gamecock staff, but is in his first year coaching wide receivers.

Q: How has the transition from defensive coach to wide receivers coach been for you?

A: Its been really good. It started in the Spring. Coach Crowe asked me to do it. I figured you ask the players to switch positions and expect them to do it . . . for the team because you think its going to work out best. So- I took a players approach and [decided] I was going to do what's best for the team and what's best for the program. The transition has been good because we had older kids at the [wide receiver] position. Jeff did a good job last year. So I said [to the players] if something is being done different and you like the way it was before let me know.

Q: Does going up against JSU's outstanding corners in practice help our wide receivers?

A: Absolutely. [It gives our guys a chance to see if certain new things are going to work because its against good competition.] Also, you don't have to push them or tell them to give effort because [when our wide receivers go against our defensive backs] they know that they are going to be embarrassed if they don't do as well as they can ...

Q: We have really shared the wealth this year among the receivers. How is the chemistry?

A: Its really good because we have good kids at the position that are very unselfish, they don't complain and they don't worry about certain things. [For instance, against] Alabama A & M, Greg Smith was open a couple of times. Greg never came back and said "throw me the ball, I'm open." Before that, we were playing Georgia Tech, [James] Wilkerson was open a couple of times and never complained about the ball not being thrown to him. So when you have older guys that are setting that example, . . . it makes things a little bit easier.

Also, Ryan Perrilloux does such a nice job of sharing the ball and moving the ball around and making sure they are doing the right things. It helps you as a coach and helps you as an offense. Its like I told them- [Ryan] is like a point guard in basketball, everybody better run their route and get their head around because you don't know where the ball is going to go. He can throw every pass and he can thow to every spot so you better be ready. [The receivers] know that if they don't do the route or drop the ball, next time out its going to someone else. He goes to who he trusts and who does things right.

Q: Comment on James Wilkerson (22 catches/4tds in 09):

A: His experience pays off real well for him. He is low keyed about things. He doesn't like you to think he is as good of a player as he is. He likes to sneak up on you and surprise you how well he can do things. [Just when you don't respect him] he will hit you. . . . He likes to kind of lay back and low key it and then just jump all over you. He has very good skills, hand set skills catching the ball. He is a very good receiver, very good blocker. [Coming into the season], I didn't know he was that good of a player.

Q: Tell us about James Shaw, a wide receiver that has really come into his own this year (14 catches, 2TDs):

A: It was a matter of putting him in the right spot [after multiple position changes] and leaving him there. . . We have kind of filled him in [spots] as needed, which might have been a little bit [difficult for] him but it goes back to [our] guys being unselfish. Wherever James was needed, he went ahead and did it. Now he is playing one position and able to concentrate on that.

Q: How about another guy that has emerged, La Ray Williams (9 catches/21.9 yards per catch):

A: He is getting the opportunity. We always talk about the third year in the program, get your feet underneath you, get some experience some of the seniors graduate now its his chance to go ahead and play. . . .

Q: What about the freshman sensation Alan Bonner, a guy that was highly recruited, how did you all land him and what are your thoughts as his position coach:

A: That was Ronnie Letson that recruited him and did a nice job of finding him. [Sometimes you can't tell everything on tape], after Ronnie saw him in person he made it a priority that [Bonner] was someone we were going to go after. . . . Ronnie did a really nice job of moving in and going ahead and talking to him and getting him to come here and visit and the timing was right. . .

[Alan] is just another added dimension. You try to get as many good players as you can at a position. At a freshman, he just adds another good player to our [wide receiver] position.

Q: Is Jeff Cameron (23 catches in 08' redshirting this year) still in the program?

A: Yes. He is sitting out right now. . . But the coaches on defense keep coming over and saying he is doing a great job of practicing against them.

Q: Are you excited about having him, John Houston Whiddon and all the young guys that will be coming back next year:

A: The nice thing about it is you have three seniors [La Ray will be the third one] that the younger guys learning in can learn from the seniors how to do things right, how to play the game the right way, how to work the right way and do things that you are supposed to do. That's a little bit of what Greg Smith brings to the program [this year] he's been there before and done that and people see that, but he's such a sharing person that makes sure he does things the way they are supposed to be done. Everybody sees that .. . that they learn that they should be unselfish and play the game the same way he plays it.

Q: Is it hard to keep this team grounded given the way you have dominated FCS opponents?

A: When they are around us, they do the right things and say the right things. [However,] when they leave us and get on campus, . . . whenever everybody starts patting them on the back, . . .you wonder if they are going to stay grounded. But [these guys] have such a good work ethic when they come over here . . . they figure if they prepare right and practice well they ought to do well.

Q: Tell us about Ryan Perrilloux:

A: I tell the scouts that [despite being the #1 recruit in America and MVP of the SEC Championship Game], he came into the program here and didn't have any sense of entitlement. He did not demand or expect anything. He treats everybody on the team, whether you are walk-on, scholarship, equipment man, trainer, whatever- he treats everybody the same way. He has a great personality. He keeps everybody involved, he keeps everybody going. He has the days when he is in a bad mood, . . but the thing that . . . people don't realize, [is despite all of his laurels], he is great with everybody on the team no matter who you are.

Thanks Coach Wannebo.

BEST TEAM IN THE OVC STANDINGS (updated)

This includes conference games only...

Payton Award Candidates- A Statistical Comparison

Ryan Perrilloux is having a great season. The Sports Network listed 12 pre-season candidates for the Payton award and Ryan was one of them. While anything could still happen, it is arguable that 5 players have seperated themselves from the pack. Click below for a spreadsheet looking at the performance to date of these five players.

Click Here for a look at the comparison.

From the OVC Notebook

You can link to it here...or just read the excert below by James D. Horne.

IS HE THAT GOOD?: Jacksonville State senior quarterback Ryan Perrilloux was named the OVC Player of the Week again this week, making it the fourth straight week he's done that.

It also made the LaPlace, La., native the first player in OVC history to accomplish that feat.
So that means Perrilloux has to be pretty good, doesn't it?

"I don't think there's any doubt outside of Bo Jackson he's the best player I've ever seen play," JSU coach Jack Crowe said. "And I'm talking about a great athlete who can play at a very high level."

And what's been the biggest key to Perrilloux's success?

"He's playing consistently," Crowe said. "I think everything was there last year. But he just didn't play with consistency game after game. That consistency has been there to this point, and I think there's never really been a question to how good he is. He was the No. 1-recruited player coming out of high school. So that covers a lot of ground."

BEST TEAM IN THE OVC STANDINGS (update)

This is conference games only:

Eastern KY. 3-0
JSU 1-0
Tn. St. 1-0
UTM 1-1
EIU 1-1
Tn. Tech 1-1
Peay 0-2
Murray 0-1
SEMO 0-3