College notepad

By Joel Buchsbaum, Contributing editor
As published in print Sept. 13, 1999

• The biggest trend in college football is that teams are finally following the NFL’s lead and making a concerted effort to block kicks. If you don’t think this is a critical factor, just ask Texas. Look at a team like North Carolina State, which has already had four key blocks and can thank blocks for its win over the Longhorns.

• Georgia Tech QB Joe Hamilton established himself as a leading Heisman Trophy candidate with his performance against Florida State. Going against the No. 1 team in the nation in a hostile environment without a strong running game, Hamilton was almost perfect and was the difference between the Yellow Jackets getting blown out and taking the game down to the final gun.

• Speaking of Florida State, Dan Kendra is starting to look like a fullback. The question still is whether he can stay healthy.

• Florida State’s Peter Warrick, who is probably the leading candidate for the Heisman, is being used by the Seminoles in a multitude of ways, which has led to him getting the ball more than in the past.

• West Virginia QB Marc Bulger is off to a shaky start. He is playing behind an all-new offensive line, and he looks as though he is in the same situation that Brock Huard was in at Washington last year. Instead of stepping up and throwing the ball correctly, he is hanging back and throwing a lot of passes off his back foot.

• Notre Dame’s inability to execute and manage the clock properly in the last two minutes of games looks as though it will be their Achilles’ heel this season. It’s hard to imagine a major-college team doing a poorer job of managing the clock and making decisions at the end of both halves as it did in the Purdue game. That was the difference in that game. It should be noted that, since the days of Lou Holtz, the Fighting Irish has historically been a poor two-minute-drill team. Holtz never even practiced the two-minute drill, saying it was enough to practice the passing game.

• Hard-luck South Carolina S Arturo Freeman, who missed the ’98 season, will likely miss at least the first month of this season with a ruptured spleen. At one point, Freeman was projected to possibly go in the first three rounds of the NFL draft.

• Although Ohio State lost to Miami (Fla.), the Big Ten looks like the strongest conference in the nation this season. Speaking of Miami, it has just incredible team speed, especially at wide receiver. And, Daniel Franks may be the best tight end in America.

• Highly regarded Youngstown State rover-S Dwyte Smiley missed all of spring practice with a leg injury and hasn’t played yet this fall after injuring his other leg. Right now both legs are still giving him trouble.

• Texas A&M RB Tiki Hardeman has regained his eligibility.

• Nebraska OL Jason Schwab will miss the entire year with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament.

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1999 - 2000 Season