Daily Football Roundup 9-5

The NFL's Nonconformist

By REED ALBERGOTTI

Al Harris's job isn't difficult to understand. As a starting cornerback for the Green Bay Packers, he's supposed to find the best receiver on the other team and cover the guy like spray paint. Most of the time that receiver has fewer catches and touchdowns than he did in previous games, which is why Mr. Harris played in last season's Pro Bowl. What's more difficult to understand is how he has a job at all.

The modern NFL isn't so much an impulsive battle between players in the trenches as a chess match between coaches and their intricate systems. Modern defenses like "Tampa 2" require every player's movements to be scripted down to the inch. If a cornerback veers off his assignment (let's say he chases a receiver who's going deep when he's supposed to keep an eye on the receivers closer to the line of scrimmage) the entire defense can crumble like a house of cards, leaving gaping holes for a quarterback to exploit.

Go to the Wall Street Journal for the rest of the story.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Big football win has Abilene Christian pumped up

By TROY PHILLIPS

In NCAA Division II football, you can count the elite on one hand. A select few manage to squeeze all they can out of 36 scholarships.

For this reason, Abilene Christian’s 44-27 victory Saturday at then-No. 3-ranked Northwest Missouri State shook up the D-II power base and gave the Lone Star Conference an out-of-league boost.

"Outside conference play, it’s probably our most significant D-II win," said Lone Star commissioner Stan Wagnon, who attended the game in Maryville, Mo. "It’s hard to get much bigger than Northwest Missouri."

Go to the Fort Wort Star-Telegram for the rest of the story.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A sound beating for Javs

By George Vondracek

KINGSVILLE -- One wouldn't necessarily say that Texas A&M-Kingsville was doomed before the Javelinas missed their initial flight out of San Antonio for last Thursday's season-opening football game against North Dakota -- it merely created another hurdle.

But getting past the 11,000-plus vocal and fervent faithful packed into the Alerus Center in Grand Forks for the game proved to be too much.

"You couldn't hear anything, and they knew your names. It's something we should be used to, but some guys weren't used to it at all," said receiver Clavens Charles, whose 56-yard pass to Damian Couthren on a flea flicker set up A&M-Kingsville's first score. "It kind of got to the point where we couldn't understand what was going on, we couldn't get the signals to get the plays in. It was just a lot of mental errors and a lot of penalties that cost us."

Go to the Corpus Christi Caller for the rest of the story.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

McElroy: Northeastern much better than 2-9 team of last year

By Brad Keith

Northeastern State was 2-9 in 2007, and dropped its first game under new head coach Kenny Evans, 22-3, at Arkansas Tech last week.

Tarleton State Head Coach Sam McElroy, however, isn’t buying that the Riverhawks aren’t very worthy challengers for his No. 19-ranked Texans.

“They had some turnovers and some things go wrong at bad times last week, but overall, I think they have a pretty good football team. They moved the ball well for the most part, and defensively, they kept (Arkansas Tech) off the board for most of the game.” The defense is indeed the strength of the Riverhawks, McElroy said, and the coaches and media members in the North Division of the Lone Star Conference agree. So do the numbers from NSU’s season opener.

Go to the Stephenville Empire Tribune for the rest of the story.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A&M-Commerce meets Angelo State in home opener

By DAVID CLAYBOURN

They both made strong showings but lost to football teams from the tougher Southland Conference in their season openers.

Angelo State and Texas A&M University-Commerce are both hoping the going is a little easier when the two Lone Star Conference teams meet in the Lions’ home opener at 7 p.m. Saturday at A&M-Commerce Memorial Stadium.

Angelo State lost 21-14 to Texas State after failing to hold on to a 14-7 lead entering the fourth quarter. The Rams outgained the NCAA Division I-FCS member Bobcats by a 306-288 margin in yardage.

Go to the Greenville Herald Banner for the rest of the story.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RiverHawks look ahead to Tarleton

By TRAVIS METCALF

Last week was a trying week for first-year Northeastern State University football coach Kenny Evans.

First, his brother Greg was taken to the hospital after an apparent heart attack. Then he watched his RiverHawks last Thursday lose a tough game at Arkansas Tech 22-3, a game in which the RiverHawks led 3-2 into the third quarter.

“For me, the biggest thing is that we played with great effort and intensity,” Evans said. “I spent the night before the game at St. Francis Hospital making sure (Greg) was OK. A real life situation had taken over.”

Go to the Tahlequah Daily Press for the rest of the story.