COLLEGE FOOTBALL

POUND FOR POUNDING

Every FCS team wants to shock the FBS big boys.
Who's gonna do it?

Appalachian state had a goal at Michigan last year: "Score 14 points," says QB coach Scott Satterfield. But QB Armanti Edwards ran and passed ASU to an historic 34-32 win. On Aug. 30 at LSU, Edwards has another upset shot. Here are four more FCS stars aiming for FBS heavies.

FBS WEAKNESS

BYU
vs. Northern Iowa, Aug. 30
The Cougars can score against anybody. But in their only two losses last year, to UCLA and Tulsa, they gave up 82 points and 616 passing yards. With only five starters back on D—and none in the secondary—defense could again cost BYU.

MARYLAND
vs. Deleware, Aug. 30
Four offensive line starters are back to block for senior QB Jordan Steffy. But that O-line was among the worst in the nation last year, allowing 40 sacks. Will Steffy have time to go deep to speedy Darrius Heyward-Bey?

VIRGINIA
vs. Richmond, Sept. 6
The Cavs' run D allowed only three 100-yard rushers last year. But in those games, Virginia went 0–3. With the entire D-line—including DE Chris Long—gone from that unit, expect a lot more backs to crack the century mark.

COLORADO
vs. E. Washington, Sept. 6
CU got lit up for 29.5 ppg last season, mostly through the air. The Buffs' pass defense allowed 261.3 ypg and 27 passing scores. And it doesn't help that All-Big 12 CB Terrence Wheatley now plays on Sundays.

FCS STRENGTH

NORTHERN IOWA
Preseason No. 3 UNI won at Iowa State last year, 24-13. In Provo, the Cougars better keep an eye on Panthers star Johnny Gray. At 5'9", 185 pounds, he was too small to get much FBS interest. But he's now one of FCS' most versatile utilitymen (910 rec. yards, 16.9 yards per punt return). Gray had only 75 total yards vs. ISU; now he's looking to make BYU pay.

DELAWARE
Notre Dame transfer Ronald Talley blasted the Irish staff for asking him to move from defensive end to tackle. When he landed at Delaware as a transfer, Blue Hens coaches agreed with him. Now the 6'4", 270-pound senior and bookend Matt Marcorelle (a combined 19.5 TFLs in 2007) plan to wreak havoc on the Colonial Athletic Association—but first they'll practice on Maryland.

RICHMOND
Senior RB Josh Vaughan has exactly zero starts at Richmond. But don't be fooled—he backed up All-America runner Tim Hightower (1,924 yards in 2007) the past three years. Vaughan still has 1,495 career rushing yards, 14 TDs and four 100-yard games. At six feet, 232 pounds and with 4.61 speed, he's on some 2009 draft boards as one of the top power backs in the FCS.

E. WASHINGTON
QB Matt Nichols had an unreal season (3,744 yards passing, 34:9 TD-to-INT ratio), and expects this year to be even more astounding. He's got two legit deep threats in tall WRs Aaron Boyce and Brynsen Brown—and he plans to turn them loose on Colorado. "We're going guns-a-blazin,' pulling every trick out of the bag," Nichols says. "We can do things against any defense in the country."

CALL FOR BACKUPS

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Spiller and Grant are more than just backups.

By Ted Bauer

Okay, they don't start. But don't call Clemson's C.J. Spiller and Alabama's Terry Grant backups. In one of the biggest openingweek matchups, Spiller and Grant could prove as important as James Davis and Glen Coffee, the starting running backs for the Tigers and Tide, respectively.

Spiller, in fact, is gaining a reputation as the nation's top reserve weapon. In two seasons paired with Davis, the junior has 1,706 rushing yards and 13 TDs. And despite Davis' starting 25 of 26 games, Clemson coaches won't utter the dreaded "b" word to describe Spiller's status. "I look at them as co-starters," says running backs coach Andre' Powell.

It helps that Spiller and Davis are so comfortable with the arrangement. Last season, Tommy Bowden gave each of his assistants an objective to focus on; Powell's was to find ways to rotate his two backs. When he met with them, he didn't have to do any convincing. "We'll rotate ourselves" they said. Spiller and Davis have as much to do with signaling who goes in and out of the game as the staff does. And on passing plays with both on the field, they can audible who stays to block and who releases.

Grant, meanwhile, led Bama last fall with 891 rushing yards and eight scores. But Coffee, who started just three games last season, now tops the depth chart, in part because of his pass-catching skills. Grant's no slouch hauling in dump-offs, though: In the spring game he scored twice, including on a 75-yard screen when he outran the defense. "I don't care how my yards come," Grant says. "Are we winning? That's the real question."

The answer, on opening weekend, could depend on which team has more in reserve.

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