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SUNDAY, AUGUST 28, 2011 PAGE 9C
NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH
Smith could be big player for ND Senior safety has big-play potential which he showed off last season.
By BRIAN HAMILTON Chicago Tribune
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — In a game last Nov. 13, Utah’s quarterback dropped back and Harrison Smith demonstrated how expertly positioned he was, in every sense. After a play-action fake, the pass sailed toward the far sideline. The Notre Dame safety, finally confident with the nuances of his position, sniffed out the sequence immediately. He picked up a crossing receiver, sprinted far across the field and vaulted to
undercut the wideout for the interception. “When I think of myself, I think of myself as a guy who can make those plays,” Smith said. “But actually showing everybody I can make those plays is a totally different thing.” To be a Bowl Championship Series team in 2011, Notre Dame probably requires elite defensive play. That will require many things, but a safety as disruptive as he is reliable is high on the list. Enter Smith, who had five interceptions in four games to end 2010, including three in the Sun Bowl. Gone is the confusion of position shuffles past and absorbing a new scheme. Smith is a safety, and sound, and then some.
“I think he saw things as quick early in the year, but was he as decisive?” Irish safeties coach Chuck Martin said. “Your deep zone defenders have to read stuff, make decisions and shoot their gun. He was more aggressive and confident later based on getting all that experience.” Smith led the Irish with seven interceptions. The auspicious part: Smith claims it wasn’t the lucky residue of big gambles. Doing his duty put him where he needed to be — conduct easier to carry into the Sept. 3 opener against South Florida. “None of those are plays where I was taking risks,” Smith said. “I was doing my job on all those plays. Some of them I had an idea of what the offense was going to
do, and that let me get to those areas fast enough to get the ball.” Still, the unfailingly honest senior concedes his self-assurance required mending after the coaching change. By the time the last snowflake fell on the Sun Bowl, he had arrived. Many anticipate the Irish defense has too. “The truly great ball disrupters understand they’re really having the ball go where they want it to go, so they’re not shocked when it goes there,” Irish defensive coordinator Bob Diaco said. “Then to have the horsepower to get to that spot before the opAP PHOTO ponent is another thing. Harrison has both, and it’s a wonderful Notre Dame linebacker Harrison Smith was fifth on the team in thing for our defense.” tackles last season.
ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
K A N S A S J AY H A W K S
MIAMI HURRICANES
Hurricanes finally speak out
Kansas RBs ramping up competition By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer
LAWRENCE, Kan. — The running back competition at Kansas is entering its final week. Sophomore James Sims appears to be in line for the start in the season opener Sept. 3 against McNeese State, but carries are still up for grabs. Freshmen Darrian Miller and Anthony Pierson are making a push for playing time during fall camp, and redshirt freshman Brandon Bourbon has been impressive after recovering from a broken ankle that he sustained last spring. Jayhawks coach Turner Gill knows that his team will have to shorten games to have a chance of winning this season. So he plans to lean on his entire running back-bycommittee to keep the chains moving and keep his suspect defense off the field. Said Gill: “We have a good, solid core of running backs that are going to help our football team this year.” James Sims had an encouraging freshman season for Kansas, rushing for more than 700 yards and nine touchdowns while sharing time at running back. At most schools that would be enough to guarantee Sims the starting job as a sophomore. That’s not the case with the Jayhawks. While he may be the most complete player in a heated running back competition, Sims is finding a stiff test from redshirt freshman Bourbon and true freshmen Miller and Pierson heading into their season opener Sept. 3 against McNeese State. “It’s just pushing me to work harder,” Sims said, “and every time I touch the ball, you have to do something with it. Because every day is competition, you know?” That’s precisely the atmosphere second-year coach Gill is trying to create. The Jayhawks struggled to a 3-9 finish last season, which included an embarrassing 6-3 loss to North Dakota State in their opener, a 59-7 blowout defeat to rival Kansas State, and three straight Big 12 losses to conclude the season by a combined score of 103-24.
QB Harris, others don’t say much about convicted Ponzi schemer Nevin Shapiro. By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer
AP FILE PHOTO
Trent Richardson isn’t new to the pressure cooker of a national spotlight. Alabama’s starting tailback was among the country’s top recruits, a star in the championship game and a key presence in Alabama’s backfield during the national title run
Richardson knows the spotlight TB is ready for limelight By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Trent Richardson is no longer one of college football’s most talked about backups. The tailback for No. 2 Alabama figures to be the centerpiece of the offense after taking over for Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram. Richardson has already been on the cover of Sports Illustrated twice. He has drawn attention for his sculpted physique, weight room prowess and powerful runs. He’s even had some Heisman buzz of his own. But Richardson doesn’t seem all that impressed by any of those things going into his third season. “He’s not the type of person that gets hyped up by what fans are saying,” older brother Terrell Richardson said. “He doesn’t want to go out there like, ‘I’m going for the Heisman.’ He just wants to show people he can play football.” There’s no doubt about that.
Richardson has spent the past two seasons bulldozing and outrunning defenders and even corralling some of the headlines from Ingram. He’s shown enough potential for stardom that losing Ingram has caused little, if any, concern leading up to the season opener against Kent State. Coach Nick Saban isn’t worrying about how Richardson will handle his new role — and increased attention. “I don’t see a big difference,” Saban said. “Trent is who he is, and he’s always been a good leader, a hard worker and a guy that affects other people because of the kind of person that he is. Now that his circumstances have changed, and he can be the lead dog at running back, that doesn’t really create a new person. “He’s always been a good player because of who he is.” Richardson has run for 1,451 yards and 14 touchdowns the past two seasons, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. He also caught
23 passes and returned kicks last season, racking up a teamhigh 36 plays of 15 yards or more. He started two games when Ingram was injured last season, seeing limited action in a route of San Jose State and rushing for 144 yards and a touchdown against Penn State — only his third 100-yard game. And with a new quarterback — still to be named — a veteran offensive line and no more receiver Julio Jones, there’s little doubt that Richardson is not only the lead running backs, but the leader on offense. He’s says he’s mindful of Ingram’s frequent advice “to never be complacent and stay humble.” Ingram is now with the New Orleans Saints as a firstround pick. “He was a humble player. Mark always kept us up,” said Richardson, a graduate of Emmitt Smith’s alma mater in Pensacola, Fla. “He always told me, ‘Nobody’s going to take you down at one time, one player.’ He was always talking about that. When we were out there doing reps or whatever, he’s al-
ways going to tell me, ‘Hey, I want you to be better than me.”’ The 5-foot-11, 224-pounder might be bigger, stronger and faster. The former Florida state weightlifting champion said he was measured at 6 percent body fat going into spring practice. Richardson said during the spring that coaches have stopped him at 475 pounds on the bench press, and he “did that easy.” They’ve limited him to 600 pounds on the squat since his freshman year and 365 in the power clean, “and I was doing that in high school.” Noseguard Josh Chapman, regarded as one of Alabama’s strongest players, said Richardson returned this season “stronger and leaner.” He said the back often joins him in doing squats. “Sometimes I try to run away from it,” Chapman said. “The man’s strong. With him being a running back getting hit, he’s still squatting the house.” As for a tailback trying to lift weights with him, Chapman said: “That’s a whole different type of running back. I always tell him he ain’t human.”
O H I O S TAT E B U C K E Y E S
Replacing defensive starters is key once again Buckeyes always seem to be looking for new stars on ‘D.’ This year is no different. By RUSTY MILLER AP Sports Writer
COLUMBUS, Ohio — It an almostannualritual:OhioStateloses several starters on defense and finds several very good replacements. That’s again the case for the18thranked Buckeyes, who lose seven
stoppers including lineman Cam Heyward, their top two tacklers in linebackers Brian Rolle and Ross Homan, and frontline guys in the secondary Jermale Hines, Devon Torrence and Chimdi Chekwa. Yet no one seems to be overly concerned in preseason camp. “We lost a lot of guys who we’re really going to miss,” lineman John Simon said. “But we’re always reloading. We’ve got a bunch of great athletes who can step up to the plate. Our motto is, ‘Next Man Up.’ So we’ve got guys stepping up ev-
ery day.” Among those clamoring to step into the void are Simon, Nathan Williams and Johnathan Hankins on the line, Andrew Sweat, Etienne Sabino, Storm Klein, Ryan Shazier, Curtis Grant and Jordan Whiting at linebacker and Travis Howard, Dionte Allen, Dominic Clarke, Orhian Johnson, C.J. Barnett, Bradley Roby and Tyler Moeller in the backfield. Some (Simon, Williams, Sweat, Johnson) started most of last season, others saw plenty of action, still others are in the mix for
the very first time. So despite heavy losses from a unit that was fourth in the nation in total defense (262.2 yards per game), third against the rush (96.7 ypg), eight vs. the pass (165.5), fifth in scoring defense (14.3) and fourth in turnover margin (+1.15), no one is sitting around expecting the Buckeyes to be a sieve on that side of the ball. The coaches have learned to expect inexperienced unknowns to jump right in and replace household names.
“I remember a similar situation where James Laurinaitis had to go in (in 2005). He was a freshman the second play of the Michigan game when Bobby Carpenter breaks his leg,” said interim head coach Luke Fickell, then the linebackers coach. “I know I was a lot more nervous than (Laurinaitis) ever was. Sometimes you look back on those things and you go, ’You know what? Those guys have confidence in what they’re doing and they’re not going to shy away when it’s their turn.”’
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Seeming upbeat as usual, Miami quarterback Jacory Harris did not hesitate when asked about the fast-approaching start of the Hurricanes’ season. “I expect to play,” Harris said. “Yes, sir.” The NCAA will decide soon if that becomes reality. Harris and many other Miami players implicated by the extrabenefits scandal that threatens to negatively impact the program for years spoke out for the first time Saturday about the mess. None provided any specifics about the claims that former booster and imprisoned Ponzi scheme architect Nevin Shapiro made to Yahoo Sports, alleging that he provided extra benefits to Hurricane players and recruits from 2002-10. But many, like Harris, expressed some sense of optimism that they may be cleared in time to play Sept. 5, when Miami opens at Maryland. • “These people, they know what to do,” defensive lineman Marcus Forston said. • “I’m very hopeful,” wide receiver Travis Benjamin said. • “We know we’re all we’ve got right now, this team,” safety Ray Ray Armstrong said. They are among 12 current players known to be under investigation by the university, and presumably the NCAA, for their involvement with Shapiro. A person with knowledge of the process has told The Associated Press that eight players — Harris, Sean Spence and Benjamin among them — have been declared ineligible by the university, which then turned the matter over to the NCAA and asked that a reinstatement process be expedited. The school has confirmed that they asked the NCAA for rulings on Thursday. The school has not confirmed how many players are ineligible, nor any of the names involved. On Saturday, Miami coach Al Golden — while not discussing any players specifically — seemed to suggest much of the university’s investigation revolves around incidents that happened sometime around 2008. “I was sad for the guys, because I think we all as individuals, we hope to grow, we hope to mature, we hope to learn from mistakes,” Golden said. “These guys are no different. If what has been alleged, if there ends up being some truth to it and they do have to serve some penalties, it’s three years ago. So not only are they different than they were last year, now we have to go back three years. That’s why I feel bad for them.”