Statistically Speaking - Week Four

Apologies for not doing a 'statistically speaking' last week. Busy week for me, coupled with the fact that I needed time to recover from the Ferrum win - phew.

*With Jeff Highfill passing for 196 yards this past Saturday against LaGrange, he can now find his name in the top 10 passers all-time at Bridgewater - and he's not even halfway through his junior season. He's now No. 10 with 1,485 passing yards.

*You defensive guys listen up. I was finally able to compile the defensive statistics in Bridgewater football history as far back as the records would allow. Come to find out during my research, defensive stats were really only seriously kept starting in 1985. I was able to track interceptions back as early as 1971. I've posted the career top 10 lists for tackles, sacks, pass deflections and interceptions on the record book page of BridgewaterFootball.com. Here the active players who are closest to cracking the top 10 before their careers are over;

-Craig Smith (LB) has 165 tackles, good for 26th all-time
-David Clements (DL) has 10.5 sacks, good for 11th all-time
-Jeff Jones (now a TE) has 7.0 sacks, good for 21st all-time
-Tony Burt (DL) has 6.5 sacks, good for 22nd all-time
-Brandon Orndorff (DL) has 5.5 sacks, good for 28th all-time
-Josh Knight (DB) has 8 interceptions, good for 15th all-time

*Let's take a look at what NCAA statistical rankings the team and individuals find themselves in after four weeks;

-Team, Total Offense (440.5) - 17th
-Team, Rushing Offense (248.3) - 10th
-Team, Scoring Offense (39.8) - 6th
-Team, Scoring Defense (12.0) - 42nd
-Team, Turnover Margin (+1.0) - 46th
-Team, Team Kickoff Returns (23.9) - 39th
-Team, Team Punt Returns (14.4) - 26th
-Team, Team Net Punting (33.0) - 46th
-Phillip Carter, Rushing (99.5) - 41st
-Jeff Highfill, Passing Efficiency (147.4) - 34th
-Brandon Copeland, Punt Returns (15.6) - 19th
-David Argaud, Kickoff Returns (24.5) - 48th
-Luke Taylor, Field Goals Per Game (1.0) - 15th

Several of the players listed above lead the ODAC in their respective categories, like Carter's rushing yards per game, Highfill's pass efficiency, Copeland's yards per punt return and Taylor's field goals per game. David Clements (DL) is tied for the conference lead in sacks per game at 0.75.

*Now for the most interesting statistic, IMHO. The Eagles are a perfect 18-for-18 on red zone chances, 15 of which were touchdowns. It's by far the best red zone offensive production. So much so that Bridgewater is only one of four teams (out of the 234 in Division III) that have been perfect within the 20-yard line with 10 or more tries. There are two schools 11-for-11, and Mount Union is 10-for-10. Maybe this is one good way of looking at Highfill's fourth quarter interception in the Ferrum game. He was on the Panthers' 21-yard line.

Mangled Finger Or Not, BC’s Kelly Wants Shot At H-SC (Daily News-Record)

Daily News-Record - By Jeremy Cothran

BRIDGEWATER — As football practice wound down on a crisp, placid autumn afternoon, Bridgewater College linebacker Brandon Kelly joined the rest of his teammates for the weekly "up-down" drills, a ritual that spares no one.

Kelly, who’s still recovering from a crushed finger, could have skipped the drills and instead practiced with the other injured players performing run-of-the-mill pushups.

But there was no chance of that happening. It’s Hampden-Sydney week.

Kelly is slated to make his return at the weakside linebacker position Saturday, almost six weeks after he mangled his right hand performing a drill in practice. The injury itself was visually gruesome – imagine a finger positioned in ways it shouldn’t be – but it was harder for Kelly to swallow the notion he would have to miss almost half of his senior year.

"We were going through blitz drills," Kelly said. "It was the fifth day of camp. I came back to the huddle and saw it bent completely out of place. Turned out I had a crushed knuckle. Didn’t think it was going to be so bad until I got to the doctor. They said I had to have surgery, and I was worried I wasn’t going to come back this year."

Most of his teammates initially did not consider the injury to be so debilitating. Kelly’s roommate, Brandon Orndorff, called his friend after practice, ready to rag on him and question his manhood.

"I called him and asked him if he was done being a wuss," the Eagles’ nose guard said, "and he was like, ‘Actually, I’m going to be out for a while.’"

The prognosis was six weeks. The Eagles’ coaching staff targeted BC’s game against Guilford on Oct. 14 for his return, but Kelly had other ideas.

"This is the game I had marked down," the Bland native said. "I’ve been thinking about this one for a while."

Orndorff, in particular, is thrilled with Kelly’s anticipated return, noting the senior had "worked his butt off" to get ready for the 2006 season. He would just like to see Kelly change some of his nightly habits, which have earned him the nickname, "Verizon."

"He’s always on the phone," Orndorff said. "He’s got a girlfriend now, and they talk about an hour every night. He’s the same good ol’ guy, though."

Having Kelly back in the fold gives defensive coordinator Grant Higgison an interesting dynamic. Kelly is fast, athletic and has game experience at the position. The only two negatives is that he’s still rusty coming off of the injury, and he’ll have to play with a soft cast on his hand.

"It’s hard to say," Higgison said regarding Kelly’s defensive impact. "He hasn’t put on any pads yet, but he’s got speed and he’s been around the block. It’s a huge help, especially at that position."

The Eagles (4-0) started the season with senior Venancio Biela, who was benched after BC’s 30-27 overtime win against Ferrum. Junior safety Tony Gilliam ascended to the role for Bridgewater’s 58-21 romp over LaGrange (three tackles) last weekend and will see a majority of the snaps against the Tigers (1-2), who were picked to finish second in the ODAC behind BC.

"We just needed more production out of the position," Higgison said. "We needed someone who could match what [linebackers] Craig [Smith] and Brandon [Borst] were giving us."

If healthy, Kelly shouldn’t have any problems filling those shoes. He played in nine games last year, finishing with 20 tackles and was projected to be the starter at weakside this year. He’ll likely only see about 10 to 15 snaps against HS-C, according to Higgison, to spell Gilliam and get his legs back under him.

"We’ve got to make sure that he’s 100 percent physically ready," Higgison said. "He’s basically a one-armed guy out there, and that’s a liability. It would be like having a [defensive back] with a bum ankle."

There also were certain risks involved. Because Kelly is making his return this season, he’s effectively ruining his shot at a medical redshirt, which he could have applied for after his injury. It’s a tough decision to make in Division III, because of the costs involved in private education – BC’s pricetag hovers around $27,000.

"I’m not real sure," Kelly said of his decision process. "I didn’t think about taking a year off. I would have probably done it if [the doctors] said I couldn’t make it back for the Guilford game. But I’m hoping we’ll go a long way in the playoffs and it feels like a full season."

Clark, Football Program, Featured in VSR

Head Coach Mike Clark and the Bridgewater football program will be the featured story in the upcoming issue of the Virginia Sports Report (VSR).

VSR Editor Sammy Eanes has worked it out with the Bridgewater bookstore to have at least 100 copies available for Homecoming this Saturday. The cover price is $5.95.

The VSR is a new publication which calls itself Virginia's sports source. It covers all sports in the state of Virginia, from the high school level to college to the pros. The October issue, featuring the Eagles' football program, is only the second edition of the VSR.

You can go on their web site and subscribe to the VSR for 10 monthly issues (no issue June/July) for only $39.95. A subscription also buys you an exclusive membership to their web site which gives you more interviews, more stats, more sports, and videos.

To subscribe or simply find out more information about the VSR, visit their web site at VirginiaSportsReport.com.

BC Ranked No. 6 by Football Gazette

Following the Eagles 58-21 win over LaGrange, Don Hansen moved Bridgewater up to No. 6 in his Football Gazette Division III poll.

D3football.com dropped the Eagles to No. 9, with UW-La Crosse jumping Bridgewater after a 17-point win over a nationally ranked NAIA school. Click here for their new top 25.

Bridgewater moved up two spots in the AFCA poll to No. 8.

Eagles Pick On LaGrange (Daily News-Record)

Daily News-Record - By Jeremy Cothran

BRIDGEWATER — When Josh Knight gets hungry on Saturdays, there’s little chance of finding him devouring a large pizza with the works or gorging himself on gas station subs.

He’d rather get his hands on a little pigskin, delivered made-to-order from rookie quarterbacks.

Bridgewater College’s senior cornerback intercepted two passes Saturday as the Eagles beat LaGrange 58-21 at Jopson Field in their final tune-up for the Old Dominion Athletic Conference football season.

Senior linebacker Craig Smith and junior corner Earl Chaptman also snatched passes for the Eagles’ defense, whose aggressive style created turnovers but also gave up big plays to the Panthers (0-4), a first-year varsity program.

Knight was particularly ferocious, dishing out plenty of trash-talk to LaGrange’s wide receivers and picking up a personal-foul penalty for arguing with a referee.

“The receivers were jawing all day, and I was just going to let them know they was going to catch no balls,” Knight, a former Harrisonburg High School star, said of his on-field chats. “I also told their quarterback to stop throwing to my side. ‘Quit throwing to me, or you’re going to pay for it.’

“And he did.”

After three weeks of seeing primarily run-oriented offenses, the Eagles’ secondary was salivating at the chance to face a passing offense. But its aggressiveness allowed the Panthers to hook up for two long scoring plays.

“If you look at it,” Smith said, “[the cornerbacks] were coming at passes with their hands out, trying to intercept it. They were getting a little pick-happy.”

It was evident on LaGrange’s first offensive series, in fact its very first play.

Panthers quarterback Brian Groover fired a quick out to receiver Erik Hardison, the ball barely missing the anticipatory hands of Chaptman. That allowed Hardison to scamper 53 yards to the Eagles’ 13. Chaptman redeemed himself three plays later with a leaping interception in the end zone.

“The margin of error on passing plays is zero,” Eagles coach Michael Clark said. “Some of the big plays they had, it was because we were being aggressive. We’re not going to be gun shy, though.”

The Panthers’ four turnovers helped set up advantageous field position for BC (4-0), which had no problems weaving in and around LaGrange’s defense. A healthy senior tailback Winston Young, making his first start since Sept. 2, rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. His battery mate, Phillip Carter, added 111 yards and a pair of scores to give the Eagles two 100-yard rushers for the first time this season.

Young said he is slowly starting to work his way back into form after bruising his ribs at McDaniel.

“I’m getting there,” Young said. “It’s not where I want to be yet, but yeah, definitely, there is a little bit of rust.”

Another factor for Young may be the flack jacket he’s wearing to protect his ribs. Because of his physical, between-the-tackles running style, Young is subjected to punishing hits as defenders try to stand him up and wait for tackling help.

“I try not to think of it,” he said of his protective armor. “It’s just a subconscious thing.”

The effective running game contributed to an efficient afternoon for junior quarterback Jeff Highfill, who finished a crisp 10-for-15 for 196 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles utilized play-action on both of Highfill’s strikes, a 58-yard bomb to senior receiver Michael Oakes with 8:02 remaining in the first quarter and a perfectly feathered 22-yard pass to senior Warren Hedgepeth late in the third quarter.

Highfill also ran for a score – which he’s done in every game this season.

“I’m feeling more comfortable,” the Roanoke native said. “My goal is to get better every day and every game. Just keep improving. As the season goes on, as I get more time with the receivers, I can work on more stuff. It’s just natural as the season goes on that I’ll get better.”

The Eagles’ defense took it on the chin a bit in the second quarter – after BC had raced to a 30-0 lead – on two quick touchdown strikes by backup Panthers quarterback Koty Moorehead. The freshman got LaGrange on the board with a 20-yard pass to receiver Dustin Afman, who was wide open in the end zone thanks to blown coverage. Moorehead scored again with no time remaining before halftime when his 66-yard Hail Mary pass tipped off two Eagles defenders to freshman running back Mario Wallace.

Panthers coach Todd Mooney was pleased with the improvement his team showed Saturday. LaGrange had passed for only 193 yards in its first three contests, but outgained the Eagles 261-259 through the air at Jopson.

“We’ve just been focused on building on our success,” Mooney said. “We had some better things happen today.”

Once the game got out of hand, many of the Eagles’ backups got some much-needed playing time. Former Harrisonburg High School quarterback Nick Lincoln entered the game late in the third quarter and tossed two touchdowns. Clark said he also used the second team’s on-field time as a mini-audition for the nickel packages he will have to employ once BC opens play in the ODAC.

It all begins this week with “Championship Week,” the moniker Bridgewater has attached to its annual showdown with Hampden-Sydney. That was evident immediately after the game as the Eagles’ coaching staff immediately posted the week’s practice schedule after the game.

“This isn’t a normal week,” Clark said.

Smith Named to National Team of the Week

Craig Smith, senior linebacker, was named to D3football.com's National Team of the Week for his week three performance against Ferrum.

Smith recorded 14 tackles (six solo) in the Eagles' overtime victory against Ferrum. He was instrumental in Bridgewater 's goal-line stand in overtime. On second-and-1 and on third-and-1, Smith made the tackles to keep the Panthers out of the end zone.

To view the complete D3football.com Team of the Week, click here.

Wrong Spot At Right Time (Daily News-Record)

Bridgewater College’s Desmond Jalloh was out of position last weekend when he made the game-saving play against Ferrum.

Daily News-Record - By Jeremy Cothran

BRIDGEWATER — It’s a good thing Desmond Jalloh made the game-saving play in Bridgewater College’s 30-27 overtime defeat of Ferrum on Saturday.

Otherwise, he would have had to face an unhappy coaching staff afterward.

The Eagles’ starting safety revealed Tuesday that he was out of position when he tipped away Panthers quarterback Jermaine Pitts’ last-gasp pass.

Originally, the play called for Jalloh to cover Ferrum tight end Chris Silk, who was left wide open in the corner of the end zone. The junior from Roanoke instead made a decision on the fly to pressure Pitts, who had rolled out on play-action, and leapt high in the air to knock down his pass.

"Well, to be quite honest," Jalloh said with a sly smile, "I wasn’t quite in the right spot. We anticipated a load option [play] and I made a read on the fake handoff. [Pitts] sold it really well. He rolled out, I anticipated and sprinted out towards him."

It was far from the game’s only defensive miscue after the Panthers rushed for 493 yards.

"We messed up so many times," BC linebacker Brandon Borst said. "But I guess if you’re going to make a mistake, why not win the game?"

Jalloh’s performance Saturday (14 tackles, one pass defense) was good enough to earn him the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week award. It also earned him plenty of praise from Eagles coach Michael Clark.

"When we grade players," Clark said after practice Tuesday, "we don’t count an aggressive mistake that leads to a successful play. It was a missed assignment, but it was a big play."

After examining the play on film, both Clark and Jalloh didn’t consider the error as egregious as it might have been Saturday. The Eagles’ coach said because of the intense pressure Jalloh was bringing on Pitts, the Panthers’ QB would have had a hard time throwing over the safety’s large frame (6-foot-1, 195 pounds) in order to accurately complete the pass.

"His arm strength wasn’t good enough," Jalloh said. "Plus, our cornerback Earl Chapman was in the area. He’s got real good closing speed. He would have intercepted it or knocked it down."

Still, the Ferrum game was a reality check for an Eagles defense that started the season with two straight shutouts. Jalloh said many of the Panthers’ players were more than happy to point out that fact after scoring their first touchdown in the opening quarter.

But, aside from a few bruised egos, the safety said BC’s defense remains confident, despite struggling to contain the Panthers’ wishbone and zone-read option attack.

"We’ve still got our swagger. We drink a bottle of swagger juice before every game," Jalloh said. "Plus, we’re not going to face an offense like that again."

Not every Eagle would agree.

BC held a physical practice in full pads Tuesday, leading to a few instances of flared tempers and trash talking. After the day’s last play, linebacker Craig Smith – who himself made two game-saving tackles – took off his helmet and verbally laced into his teammates.

"We ain’t that damn good," the senior captain said. "Especially when some team runs for 400-something yards on us."

Jalloh thinks the Eagles’ upcoming game against first-year varsity program LaGrange on Saturday is the chance to re-establish their toughness. The Panthers are averaging a puny 2.3 points and 84.3 yards per game.

And with Bridgewater – ranked No. 8 in Division III -- about to make the transition to the chuck-it-up passing offenses of the ODAC, the Eagles need to get matters sorted out quickly.

"We want to make our defense a no-fly zone," Jalloh said. "If you’re going to come out with that air attack, we want to show that it’s not acceptable."

The Cave Springs High School graduate did admit that there are "fundamental things" the Eagles need to fix, and while he’s still got his confidence, there was a bit of a wake-up call.

"It brought us back to reality," Jalloh said. "Ferrum was a hungry team, and the teams we’re going to play are only going to get hungrier. But they’re chasing us, and we’re chasing championships."

Jalloh Named ODAC Defensive POTW

Bridgewater's Desmond Jalloh, a junior safety, was named the Defensive Player of the Week by the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC).

He finished Saturday’s contest with a career-high 14 tackles including seven solo and one for a loss. His biggest play came on the game’s final snap in which he knocked down a Ferrum pass on a fourth and goal set from the one yard-line to preserve BC’s overtime triumph.

Click here for the ODAC report from week three.

Eagles Ranked No. 8 by D3football.com

Even with Ferrum pushing Bridgewater to overtime, the Eagles moved up two spots in the D3football.com Top 25 to No. 8, jumping over idle UW-La Crosse and Occidental.

Bridgewater moved up one spot in the Football Gazette poll, from No. 8 to No. 7.

The Eagles debut at No. 10 in the AFCA's first top 25 of the season.

JV Defeats Shenandoah, 21-0

Bridgewater's junior varsity team defeated Shenandoah on Sunday afternoon at Jopson Field by a final of 21-0.

The Eagles first score came as freshman wide receiver Corey Johnson hauled in a touchdown from fellow wideout, junior Michael Colaw. BC then made it 14-0 on a Will Osborne (freshman running back) run. The last score came when freshman quarterback Vince Reese found Colaw.

Bridgewater JV is now 1-1 on the season and will travel to Shenandoah to face the Hornets again on Thursday, October 5 at 7:00 pm.

Somehow, Eagles Beat Ferrum (Daily News-Record)

Daily News-Record - By Jeremy Cothran

FERRUM — As pandemonium erupted in a sea of white jerseys at Adam’s Stadium, a Ferrum College linebacker could only wonder aloud — as tears welled in his eyes — what went wrong.

“How did we lose that game?” Shaun Green said, his voice cracking.

It almost seems ironic. How could the Panthers (0-2), having sliced and diced the Bridgewater defense like a ripe tomato in a late-night kitchenware commercial, fail to net a single foot when given three shots? How did the Eagles (3-0), who seemed destined to suffer their first loss, escape this southern Virginia hamlet with a 30-27 overtime victory?

By making three gutsy stops.

After sophomore Luke Taylor kicked a 41-yard field goal to put the Eagles up 30-27 in the first overtime, it was the Panthers’ turn to take over on offense. Ferrum, which had gained a ridiculous 493 yards rushing, methodically worked its way to the 1-yard line using a variety of misdirection option runs.

“I told my team in the huddle,” BC linebacker Craig Smith said, “to keep playing hard. It’s what we’ve always done and it’s what we’ll continue to do. No matter what.”

It was at about that point when Smith (14 tackles) heeded his own advice. The fifth-year senior stopped Kere Whitehead not once, but twice, for no gain as the Panthers’ stocky running back tried to leap over the pile.

“We just ripped through the gaps,” BC defensive coordinator Grant Higgison said. “We tried to stuff the dive and the quarterback. It was a hell of a play. Craig Smith right there. We tell those linebackers that you’re our toppers. If anything goes over the top, you hit it in the face. I could take [those plays] to a clinic and show what a topper does.”

Then, facing a fourth-and-1, Ferrum opted not to attempt a chip-shot field goal to tie the game. But instead of running or handing off, quarterback Jermaine Pitts dropped back to pass and spotted tight end Chris Silk wide open in the corner of the end zone. His pass, however, was tipped at the line of scrimmage by junior safety Desmond Jalloh, sending the Eagles storming onto the field.

The Panthers’ failures at the game’s end did little to take the sparkle off of a scintillating effort by Pitts, who rushed for 242 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. His efforts broke the Ferrum record for rushing yards in a game (235) set by former Seahawks All-Pro running back Chris Warren in 1988 against Rhodes.

But as dominating as his performance was, he still could focus only on the end results.

“I’ll be honest with you,” Pitts said afterward. “It hurts. It hurts more than anything. People say it shouldn’t matter because it’s not the conference. I mean, we could have lost 48-0 and it wouldn’t have hurt this bad.”

Ferrum coach Dave Davis said he had no intention of kicking a potential game-tying field goal because of the ease with which his team was moving the ball.

“The play we selected was the right play,” Davis, in his 13th season as Ferrum’s head coach, said of his fourth-and-1 call. “We just didn’t execute. It takes both. I couldn’t see from the sideline, but I heard [Silk] was wide-open. The defense just made a great play.”

The decision to go for it may also have stemmed from an early fourth-quarter Ferrum possession in which the Panthers advanced the ball – courtesy of Pitts’ 68-yard scramble – all the way to the BC 5 before stalling. The ensuing field goal was blocked.

Of course, the Eagles could have avoided a lot of the drama by ending the game in regulation, which they seemed poised to do.

Taking over possession at the 41-yard line after a Ferrum punt with 1:41 remaining and the game tied at 27, BC went into its two-minute, no-huddle offense. Junior quarterback Jeff Highfill completed three straight passes to receiver Brandon Copeland, and fullback Robbie Matthews ran 8 yards to bring the ball to the Panthers’ 21 with 48 seconds left.

It was right then that Highfill — playing in front of about 30 friends and family members who made the 40-minute drive from his hometown of Roanoke — erred.

Looking for receiver Michael Oakes on a deep corner, Highfill (15-of-24, 176 yards, two passing touchdowns) stared down his receiver, which allowed Panthers cornerback David Coleman to read the pass perfectly and intercept it.

“We were trying to do our rally offense,” Copeland said. “Bad things happened. I’m just glad the defense stepped up today, along with kicking and special teams.”

Which means Taylor can now add game-winning kick to his resumé. The rotund 5-foot-9, 224-pound sophomore from Williamsburg, who had never been in a similar situation, barely pushed across the 41-yarder in BC’s overtime possession, drawing plenty of congratulations and a little ribbing from his teammates.

“All that eating you’ve been doing is paying off,” one Eagle chirped while Taylor was speaking with reporters after the game.

Even the game’s other hero had some good-natured jokes at Taylor’s expense.

“Oh man, ol’ blue shoes,” Smith said, mocking Taylor’s bright blue kicking cleats. “We rag on him a lot. He stretched my jersey out, too. When I got injured last year [Achilles tendon tear] he wore my No. 25 and stretched it out.”

Next up for the Eagles, ranked No. 10 by d3football.com, is a chance to stretch their non-conference record to 4-0 for the first time since 2002. BC will host LaGrange, which is in its first year playing varsity football, to Jopson Field on Saturday at 1 p.m.

BC Getting Defensive (Daily News-Record)

The Eagles have shut out their first two football opponents.

Daily News-Record - By Jeremy Cothran

BRIDGEWATER — After two games last season, the Bridgewater College football team had allowed 56 points, including 19 in the second half of a shocking 36-35 comeback victory by McDaniel.

This year, against the same two opponents, the overall points total has been substantially reduced. To zero.

Zip. None. Nada.

And it’s not like the Eagles are doing anything different.

"Scheme-wise," BC defensive coordinator Grant Higgison said after practice Thursday, "we haven’t changed anything."

The Eagles (2-0) do have linebacker Craig Smith back from an Achilles heel injury, but BC still had to replace nine impact players on defense, including both starting safeties, two injured linebackers, two defensive tackles, one defensive end and two nickelbacks who could almost be considered starters because of all the four- and five-receiver sets the Eagles see in the pass-happy Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

Given that, coach Michael Clark had been pleasantly surprised with his defense. He’s just curious to see how the Eagles respond when they allow a point.

"I think the real test comes when somebody does score," Clark said. "It’s not the fact that they scored, but how do we respond? How do we handle ourselves in a 14-14 game in the fourth quarter? We welcome the test, because it’s going to define us."

The key for Bridgewater in 2006 has been the dominant play of its defensive line and linebackers. The Eagles have allowed only 307 yards of total defense, an average of 153.5 per game – including just 78.5 per game on the ground.

Hence the reason that two run-heavy teams – Shenandoah and McDaniel – have seen bagels next to their score lines.

"Tim Keating and Paul Barnes told me after our games," Higgison said, referring to the Green Terror and Hornets coaches, "‘Your kids really play hard.’ To me, that’s a big compliment. Now, we’ve made mistakes, but when the kids are playing fast, then you can cover up for them."

In the Eagles’ defensive schemes, it all starts with the line. It is the only unit on defense that can go two-deep at almost every position, which allows Higgison to rapidly rotate players in and out to keep them fresh. The catalyst has been senior defensive end Tony Burt, who leads the squad in tackles for losses (five) and is tied for the team lead in sacks (two). The Western Branch High School graduate and proud "757" representative has recovered from what he and Higgison both classified as subpar sophomore and junior seasons.

"I told him in the offseason," Burt said, "that I wanted him to get on me for every mistake or if he saw me slacking. This is my last year, and I want to make a name for myself. And he said he would. He’s definitely lived up to his part of the bargain."

BC also can look to outside linebacker Brandon Borst as another key playmaker this season. The senior leads the team in tackles with 12 and is second in stops behind the line with three. He plays the wild-card role in Higgison’s schemes, lining up all over the field.

"He’s our wild man," Burt said. "Always hustling, always in the weight room. He just gives that 101 percent. Always flying to the ball."

What Burt takes pleasure in is how the Eagles’ defense has sucked the life out of their opponents as the games progressed. He pointed to the McDaniel game on Sept. 2 – a 41-0 victory – as the defining point of his thesis. On the first kickoff after halftime, Green Terror running back Matt Buschman took the ball on a short kickoff and, before he could really even start running, was obliterated on a helmet-to-helmet, fumble-causing shot by reserve freshman safety Aubrey Dicks.

"It kind of deflated them," Burt said. "When other teams watch film of our defense, we want them to say, ‘Man, they don’t slack up. We’re going to have to stay on our blocks. We’re really going to have to bring our A games.’"

Clark conceded that the Eagles’ two previous opponents – with a combined record of 0-4 – are not a true litmus test. That test might come Saturday, when BC – ranked No. 10 in Division III -- travels to defending USA South champion Ferrum (0-1).

But for now, Clark will allow the players and the staff to enjoy a little bit of the spoils.

"I have a Bill Parcells quote hanging in my office," Clark said, referring to the Dallas Cowboys’ skipper, "that says, ‘Be proud of your work, but don’t admire it.’

"I’m pleased with two goose eggs."

NOTES: Eagles tailback Winston Young will dress for Saturday’s game against Ferrum, but will not start, according to Clark. Young is still recovering from a rib injury sustained in BC’s season-opening win over McDaniel. Junior tailback Phillip Carter has been named the starter. The Eagles will also be without freshman cornerback Seth Little, who Clark said he wants to rest because of two sprained ankles.

Former Player Needs Your Prayers

BridgewaterFootball.com has learned that Papi Rodriguez, a 2003 Bridgewater graduate, was involved in a motorcycle accident in Florida and was taken to an intensive care unit.

The two-year starter at safety finished with 112 tackles and six interceptions for his career.

The family just asks that you keep Papi in your thoughts and prayers. They really appreciate everyone's support during his road to recovery.

Pictured: Rodriguez getting off the bus in Salem, Virginia, for Stagg Bowl XXX (Photo courtesy D3football.com)

Statistically Speaking - Week Two

Well, fortunately I have some good stuff again this week - one item thanks to a Bridgewater fan who posts on D3football.com's message board, mizzou_mafia.

Let me begin this week with his find...

* It's obvious that the Eagles have given up zero points. What's maybe not as obvious is that it's very rare a team surrenders nothing through their first two games. So much so that Bridgewater is the only Division III school to record two straight shutouts to begin the 2006 season. "Oh, well it must be more common in previous years then," you say. Oh, but what a minute - in 2005, only one school (Hobart) started the season with two shutouts. In 2004, no one did. In 2003, Rowan, Mass.-Dartmouth, North Central and Amherst did. In 2002, only Tufts did. In 2001, Amherst was the only one. So in the last six years, Bridgewater is one of only eight schools to record such a feat. The seven other teams couldn't push their shutout streak to three games - can the Eagles?

* There are a handful of true freshmen making an instant impact for the Eagles this season, most notably Seth Little (DB), David Rodgers (TE) and Louis Sanchez (OL). But who has really stepped up has been Jeremy Lewis at linebacker. With the injuries to Antwaine Campo and Brandon Kelley, Lewis has been able to play quite a bit thus far this season. So much so that he is currently averaging the fifth-most tackles a game among freshmen defenders in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) with six tackles (five solo) through the first two games of the season. That's an average of 2.5 solo tackles a game - nearly the same amount future All-American (and NFL prospect) Jermaine Taylor averaged his first year for the Eagles. BC fans can only hope he becomes as good.

* The Bridgewater defense recorded 16 tackles for a loss against Shenandoah last weekend, which was twice as many as what Guilford and Hampden-Sydney tallied, and two more than what Catholic, Randolph-Macon and Washington & Lee combined for.

* Brandon Copeland returned six punts for 118 yards against the Hornets, which happens to be the third-most punt return yardage in conference history for a game. Bridgewater enjoyed an average starting field position at their 42-yard line because of it. His 14.9 yards per punt return average on the season is currently tops in the ODAC and 13th-best in the nation.

* Speaking of NCAA statistical rankings, the Eagles are ranked in the top 50 in the following team and individual categories;
-35th, Total Offense – 409.5
-21st, Total Defense – 153.5
-17th, Rushing Offense – 242.5
-28th, Scoring Offense – 35.5
-1st, Scoring Defense – 0.0
-30th, Team Kickoff Returns – 25.0
-34th, Team Punt Returns – 13.6
-12th, Luke Taylor (K) in Field Goals Per Game – 1.5
-15th, Tony Burt (DE) in Tackles For Loss Per Game – 3.0

* Last week I filled you in on what players were on the outside looking in on the career offensive top 10s. Let me catch you up including the Shenandoah game;

-For scoring, junior Kyle Beach (K) is still 11 points from cracking the top 10.

-For rushing, senior Robbie Matthews (FB) had 52 yards rushing and is now 494 away from the top 10 rushing list.

-For passing, junior Jeff Highfill (QB) threw for 131 yards and now needs only 260 to join the top 10 list.

-For receiving, junior Brandon Copeland (WR) recorded 36 receiving yards, putting him 349 yards closer to the top 10.

If you missed last week's 'Statistically Speaking', click here.

Until next time...

BC Jumps to No. 10 in D3football.com Poll

With the Eagles blanking their second straight opponent this past Saturday, and three teams ranked above them losing (No. 6 Mary Hardin-Baylor, No. 7 Linfield and No. 11 Union), Bridgewater moved from No. 13 to No. 10 in this week's D3football.com Top 25.

It's the highest ranking by D3football.com of the Eagles since they were tabbed No. 7 in their 2004 preseason poll.

Bridgewater moved up two spots in the Football Gazette poll, from No. 10 to No. 8.

The AFCA will release their poll later this week.

Bridgewater Routs Shenandoah (Daily News-Record)

Daily News-Record - By Jeremy Cothran

BRIDGEWATER — When it comes to pushing the envelope, traditionally conservative Shenandoah University barely registers a blip on the football radar.

But there the Hornets were at sun-soaked Jopson Field on Saturday, starting an unproven third-string freshman quarterback and cheekily opening the game with an onside kick.

Not that it helped at all.

For the second week in a row, Bridgewater (2-0) shut out a non-conference opponent, rushing past Shenandoah 30-0. And for the second week in a row, the BC offense — especially the passing game — showed signs of early-season rust.

Eagles coach Michael Clark said the air attack needs to get on track sooner rather than later if BC wants to stop seeing eight- and nine-man defensive fronts. The Eagles did gain 318 total yards – 147 passing -- but they were unable to string together a long scoring drive and quadrupled their punting total from last week’s 41-0 rout of McDaniel, going from one to four.

"People are going to force us to throw the football," Clark said later in Nininger Hall. "We have to throw it efficiently. The receivers are going to have to go one-on-one and be able to win."

BC quarterback Jeff Highfill had an up-and-down game Saturday, completing several clutch throws early but also overthrowing open receivers and tossing an early interception. Afterward, he credited the Hornets’ defense for disguising itself well.

"They threw some coverages at us that didn’t work out well for the plays we called," Highfill said. "And the other thing, I’ll take credit for it -- it was the formations. We’ve started to do more signaling and I made a few formation mistakes. That’s on me."

The Roanoke native was money when it counted. Facing a third-and-20 from the Hornets’ 46-yard line — with the Eagles leading 9-0 late in the second quarter — Highfill zipped an 18-yard pass to senior receiver Michael Oakes on a corner route. BC went for it on fourth down, and Highfill (8-of-17, 147 yards) found Brandon Copeland over the middle for a 16-yard gain. On the next play, the 6-foot-3 junior scampered 10 yards down the left side for the score.

It may have saved the offense from a halftime tongue thrashing.

"Yeah, [Coach Clark] was real happy with the last drive at the end of the half," Highfill said. "We made a statement there. He said we need to come out, stop relying on the defense, and make a statement."

His roommate and No. 1 safety outlet agreed.

"We had to pick up the intensity and get a little more focused," Copeland said, sporting a large pair of fashionable sunglasses on top of his head. "We were over-thinking ourselves. I guess that’s why you can say we’ve started a little shaky."

If 71 points in two games for the Eagles can be considered "shaky," then there are few adjectives to describe BC’s defense, which spent a good portion of the game in the Hornets’ backfield. It also continually frustrated SU quarterback Twaun Rhodes.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound freshman from Richmond completed just three of eight passes with one interception and fumbled the ball twice. He also rushed 10 times for minus-26 yards in his first-ever collegiate action.

Rhodes offered his props to the Eagles’ defense for his less-than-stellar stat line.

"That’s a disciplined team," Rhodes said. "They ran a couple of stunts and a couple of blitzes on the edge, but for the most part they were disciplined and knew what they had to do."

Hornets coach Paul Barnes testily defended his choice of Rhodes over senior Blake Derby, adding it was a "football decision," and not related to an injury.

But was it a prudent decision to start a freshman, on the road, against the No. 13 team in Division III?

Barnes thought so.

"Why? I mean, we’re going to face tougher tests in our conference. … So why not here? It’s not like we’re playing Superman,” he said. “I mean, they are a good football team, but I expect our team to go out there and win. And whoever I put out there, I expect to do the job."

Rhodes did little to test BC’s defense until late in the fourth quarter against the second-team unit. But with Shenandoah (0-2) facing a fourth-and-13 in the Eagles’ red zone, Rhodes’ pass was picked off by defensive back Kyan Thomas to seal the victory.

BC was without senior tailback Winston Young, who is nursing injured ribs. He was replaced by junior Phillip Carter, who rushed for 90 yards on 12 carries and scored the game’s opening touchdown with an 8-yard, tackle-breaking run in the first quarter.

Still, Carter was unimpressed with his performance, but noted that he’s pretty hard on himself.

"I always think I can do better," Carter said.

So do the Eagles, who get perhaps their toughest test next weekend when they travel to defending USA South Conference champion Ferrum (0-1).

New Tailback Ready To Go (Daily News-Record)

Bridgewater faces Shenandoah in football today.

Daily News-Record - By Jeremy Cothran

BRIDGEWATER — When Phillip Carter chooses to express himself, he often takes a trip down the left – i.e., creative — side of his brain.

Sometimes, it’s finding his inner shutterbug through digital photography, or perhaps impromptu poetry. Often, it’s via spontaneous, violent thrashes of a No. 2 pencil in his sketchbook.

Bridgewater College football coach Michael Clark, however, plans for Carter to express himself in a different avenue today – right through, around and over Shenandoah’s defense.

The Eagles (1-0) have a 1 p.m. date with the Hornets (0-1) at Jopson Field, and Carter will start at tailback in place of the injured Winston Young. It’s a role Carter has prepared himself for the entire summer, at the urging of Clark.

"Coach [Clark] always tells us that we’re ‘one play away,’" Carter said after practice this week. "We know that anybody can step up and make plays in this program."

Carter rushed for 77 yards on 12 carries with a touchdown in the second half of BC’s 41-0 romp over McDaniel on Sept. 2. Rocket Gadsden will move up to the No. 2 spot.

Offensive coordinator Joey Soltis said the Eagles’ backups – in particular Carter — are more than ready to carry the load.

"If Winston had graduated [last year]," Soltis said, "this is the guy everybody would be talking about."

At 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Carter is a punishing runner, an attribute the BC staff worked hard to refine this summer. The knock on the Spotsylvania native’s game last year was that he hit the hole too soft, and you couldn’t trust him in passing situations, but those are issues Soltis said have all been rectified.

"He’s really been one of our most improved players," Soltis said.

And much like the way Carter defines himself through artistic expression, BC has been known to get a little creative with the play calling whenever it faces Shenandoah. Last year, the Eagles relied on not one, not two but three trick plays for touchdowns, a well-known favorite of former offensive coordinator Bob Colbert – now the head coach at St. Vincent – but an area that hasn’t yet been tapped by Soltis.

BC emphasized during the offseason that its trademark trick plays – "special" plays in the Eagles’ parlance – would remain part of the repertoire. Whether they’re unveiled against Shenandoah remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure -- don’t expect any such wizardry from the Hornets.

Shenandoah, a traditionally run-heavy team under coach Paul Barnes, carried the ball 40 times against Catholic in its season-opening loss. But it’s the 2004 contest, a comfortable 35-13 victory by BC, that still gives Clark nightmares. The Hornets ran 94 plays from scrimmage, a majority of them on the ground, and chewed up 41 minutes on the clock.

Clark said the key to stuffing the Hornets’ offensive game plan is to put SU in obvious passing situations. Starting quarterback Derby Blake was ineffective for Shenandoah last week, completing only four of 16 passes and tossing a late interception. SU will be without backup and former Bridgewater quarterback Richard Glick, who will miss the remainder of the season with a broken leg.

Clark noted the Hornets added some variety to their ground game this year. After watching film of SU’s 17-6 loss to Catholic, he noticed Shenandoah dropped its traditional wing-T formation in favor of an I-formation with multiple receivers in an attempt to spread the field and create more running lanes.

"It’s an offense in transition," Clark said. "That being said, they’ve had a lot of success against us running the ball. We’ve got to be prepared."

Offensively, the Eagles are riding high after carving up the Green Terror for 505 yards. Junior quarterback Jeff Highfill was BC’s leader through the air (187 yards, two touchdowns) and on the ground (105 yards, one touchdown), but the Eagles’ coaches are asking for more consistency from the Roanoke native, who looked effective throwing the ball down the field but often overthrew or skipped short passes.

"He was exceptionally good with the driver," Clark said with a chuckle, "bad with the short putts."

Just as importantly, BC hopes its vaunted rushing attack remains in gear. BC gained 318 yards against McDaniel, despite having Young for only a quarter and a half.

To remain productive, the Eagles probably will have to rely on their resident artiste, who embraces many disciplines. Well, everything except painting.

"It’s not my thing," Carter said, "but I’ll get dirty."

Which, of course, is music to a coach’s ears.

Statistically Speaking - Week One

Each week, I'll attempt to give you something statistically interesting to chew on. Tall order, but here goes nothing...

* We all know that Bridgewater currently has a 35-game ODAC win streak, but what you probably didn't know was that the Eagles ended a different 35-game streak this past Saturday. Prior to our defense holding the Green Terror to zero points to start the 2006 season, Bridgewater hadn't shut out a Division III opponent since September 13, 2003, when the Eagles defeated Shenandoah 42-0 nearly three years ago.

*Jeff Highfill became Bridgewater's fourth starting quarterback out of the last five to pass for more than 150 yards and rush for another 100 in a game. His 178-yard passing and 105-yard rushing performance against McDaniel this past weekend joins Jacob Lewis, Brandon Wakefield and Jason Lutz. Lewis recorded 226 and 124 against Hanover in 2005, Wakefield had 202 and 109 versus Emory & Henry in 2003, and Lutz did it multiple times, with the last coming in the 2001 playoffs against Widener when he put up 227 and 142. The Eagles won all four games.

*Tony Burt, a senior defensive end, was in on five tackles for loss and three sacks against the Green Terror. His performance is so impressive that with 153 other Division III teams in action this past week, only one player would be in on more tackles for loss and sacks. Beloit's Joe Goldufsky tallied six tackles for loss, while Puget Sound's Jake Parks recorded four sacks.

*Last year, I took it upon myself to compile Bridgewater's career top 10 lists for scoring, rushing, passing and receiving. I updated them throughout last season and have done so through the McDaniel game this year. I'm sure you've seen it before, found under 'Record Book' on BridgewaterFootball.com. Senior Winston Young (RB) has been climbing the top 10 charts for scoring and rushing since 2005, but what you probably don't know are the current players who are on the outside looking in. Let me introduce...

-For scoring, junior Kyle Beach (K) added two extra points against McDaniel to bring his career scoring total to 121. He has hit 79-of-87 extra points and 14-of-22 field goals. Beach is only 11 points from cracking the top 10.

-For rushing, senior Robbie Matthews (FB) added 22 yards this past weekend to bring his career total to 1,118. He has a bit of work to do, needing 546 more yards to enter the top 10 rushing list.

-For passing, junior Jeff Highfill (QB) threw for 178 yards against the Green Terror, pushing his career passing mark to 984 yards. He needs only 391 to join the top 10 list.

-For receiving, junior Brandon Copeland (WR) came into the season with 577 yards through the air. This past Saturday, he added another 66, bumping his career total to 643. He will need 385 more to jump into the top 10 for receiving yardage.

Well, that's all I have for this week. I don't expect to have this much each time, but you never know what will happen. No individual or team game records were broken against McDaniel, but you better be certain I'll keep my eye out on them.

Until next time...

More newspaper articles...

September 6 - Evening Sun - Gettysburg grad excels in the trenches - feature on Brandon Orndorff (DL)

August 28 - The Daily News-Record - A-Z, How The 2006 Football Season Shapes Up

August 28 - Richmond Times-Dispatch - The ODAC has evolved into a pass-happy party

August 28 - The Roanoke Times - Phillips, Highfill in top slots

August 25 - The News Leader - Eagles Reload

Burt, O-Line, Named to National TOW

Every week since 1999, D3football.com has collected the best player at each position for their Team of the Week (TOW).

Following week one of the 2006 season, Bridgewater's defensive end Tony Burt and the offensive line were recognized on the National TOW for their performance against McDaniel. Below are their capsules;

OL Matt Capriani, Mark Shomper, Grant Holsinger, Anthony Cotton, Keaton Culver, Bridgewater (Va.)
Bridgewater totaled 505 yards of total offense in a 41-0 victory against McDaniel. The Eagles rushed for 318 yards, averaging 7.4 yards per carry. The offensive line gave up only one sack on the day.

DL Tony Burt, Sr., Bridgewater (Va.)
Burt led the Bridgewater defense in Saturday's 41-0 shutout over McDaniel, finishing with five total tackles with four coming behind the line of scrimmage. He also finished with two of the Eagles’ five sacks and two quarterback hurries.

Click here for the entire D3football.com Team of the Week for week one.

Eagles Move into Gazette Top 10

Following Bridgewater's 41-0 thumping of McDaniel on Saturday, the Eagles moved from No. 12 to No. 10 in Don Hansen's Football Gazette Division III Top 40.

The Eagles are now the second-highest ranked south region team in the Gazette poll, behind Wesley who is ranked seventh.

Bridgewater remained ranked No. 13 in D3football.com's Top 25.

BC Romps At McDaniel (Daily News-Record)

Daily News-Record - By Jeremy Cothran

WESTMINSTER, Md. – Jeff Highfill took the snap in the third quarter and glanced at his No. 1 receiver, Brandon Copeland. Covered. He checked out a few more options, didn’t see anything he liked, and took off like he was shot out of a cannon, outracing the entire McDaniel defense en route to a 44-yard touchdown.

It was that kind of day for the Bridgewater College football team, which piled up the offense, got the bounces and exorcised some demons Saturday in a 41-0 victory over the Green Terror at Scott S. Bair Stadium.

Gone were lingering memories of last year’s 36-35 loss to McDaniel at Jopson Field, a game Bridgewater led by 19 at halftime.

“There was still a lot of memory there,” BC coach Michael Clark said.

Saturday’s victory may prove to be costly, however. Senior tailback Winston Young left the game in the second quarter after sustaining a rib injury. It was unclear how much time he would miss, but even without Young, the Eagles were clicking on all cylinders Saturday.

“They kicked our butts,” McDaniel coach Tim Keating said, shaking his head.

BC outgained McDaniel 505-174 yards, and the defense shut out the Terror at Bair Stadium for the first time since 1987. It was a physical performance, as well. Seven McDaniel players were forced out of the game because of injury, including a helmet-popping, fumble-causing shot by freshman safety Aubrey Dicks on the opening kickoff in the third quarter that sent sophomore tailback Matt Buschman to the sideline with an apparent concussion.

Highfill was the catalyst of the Eagles’ offense, tossing two first-quarter touchdowns, running for another and directing a balanced attack that ran for 318 yards through a porous McDaniel defense. Junior tailback Phillip Carter gained 81 yards, 43 on a touchdown run, and Highfill ran for 105 yards, leaving Keating surprised by the quarterback’s scrambling ability.

“I had no idea,” Keating said. “He’s a really, really nice player. I knew he was a very good option quarterback, and they ran a little bit of option, but you could see him become a team leader out there.”

The Eagles’ offense caught a few breaks, too. Facing a fourth-and-9 on the opening drive, Highfill dropped back and zipped a bullet pass to Copeland (three receptions, 66 yards and a touchdown), who could not handle it. The ball tipped off his hands and landed directly on the stomach of sophomore wide-out Andy Ropp, who ran 25 yards to the Terror 10. Three plays later, Highfill flipped a pass to tight end Jeff Jones for a 5-yard score.

Keating thought he had the mobile quarterback in Saturday’s rivalry contest, but the Eagles’ defense put the shackles on senior Brad Baer, limiting the Westminster native to 7-for-17 passing for just 73 yards. Senior linebacker Brandon Borst and senior defensive end Antonio Burt were in Baer’s face all afternoon.

“I thought it was going to be a tough game,” Baer said, “but nothing like this.”

Baer gashed the Eagles’ defense for a pair of big gains on scrambles during McDaniel’s opening drive, but BC adjusted quickly and Baer was unable to create anything out of the passing game. He was constantly harassed, pressured and hurried, which forced him to throw on the run and over the heads of receivers.

“We were all really fired up,” senior linebacker Craig Smith said. “We didn’t really make any adjustments to [Baer]. We just buckled down and everything started coming to us.”

Fired up may be putting it lightly. Just before the opening kickoff, Borst stormed onto the sideline and slammed a giant sledgehammer into the turf – a BC award for hard work similar to Virginia Tech’s lunch pail – and waved his arms toward the Bridgewater fans.

“Oh, he’s a madman,” senior linebacker Venancio Biela said. “But he really did deserve that award. He put the hammer down.”

One area of concern for BC was its inability to take advantage of its red-zone possessions. Even though the Eagles scored five touchdowns, it was the team’s 22- and 19-yard field goals that left Clark shaking his head.

“We don’t need to be kicking field goals inside the 10-yard line,” Clark said.

Eagles Lose Key Receiver (Daily News-Record)

Daily News-Record - By Jeremy Cothran

BRIDGEWATER — At first, the hit didn’t seem that dangerous. Turns out, it’s a loss Bridgewater College football coach Michael Clark can hardly afford to stomach.

Blake Warring was running a slant route in practice last week and got bumped hard by linebacker Craig Smith. At first, the junior wide receiver thought nothing of it and returned to practice. After a couple of plays, he noticed the pain wasn’t going away and he retreated to the sidelines.

That’s where he’ll be all season.

Warring suffered a fractured rib and lacerated kidney at the Aug. 22 practice, an injury that will cost him the entire 2006 season.

It won’t be an alien experience for the hard-luck Warring. In 2005, he missed all but two games of the season after tearing the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a 49-20 victory over Shenandoah. Warring also tore a ligament in his left knee during a playoff loss to Washington & Jefferson in 2004.

"It’s real frustrating," Warring said as he watched the Eagles practice Thursday. "I just have to get ready for next year."

With Warring shelved for the year, Clark promoted senior Michael Oaks to start opposite junior Brandon Copeland in the Eagles’ season-opener against McDaniel on Saturday. He knows that finding an able body to replace the 6-foot-1, 180-pound speedster from Miami will not be easy.

"It’s such a tragedy for Blake," Clark said. "He’s about as premier a wide receiver as you can get in Division III football that nobody knows about. Well, McDaniel knows about him because he had a great game against them."

Warring had a field day against the Green Terror last year in BC’s 36-35 loss, catching five balls for 115 yards and a 38-yard touchdown.

Oaks caught 24 passes for 299 yards last year in a limited offensive role. Clark said Oaks needs to step up so defenses don’t smother Copeland.

"It’s the nature of the business," Clark said. "The wide receiver position is one where we have some depth, just not deep-threat depth. We’ll have to see. Somebody has to step up and show us what they can do."

Warring noticed that his injury was more serious than originally thought when he began urinating blood the night he was hurt. He checked into Rockingham Memorial Hospital and was sent by helicopter to the University of Virginia Hospital, where he spent two-plus days before being released on Aug. 25.