Top college football news stories for Week 9...
**Snow Advisory - Those ever-reliable weather forecasters are predicting up to 8 inches of snow to fall in State College on Saturday, making Illinois wide receiver A.J. Jenkins, Penn State running back Silas Redd and other skill players even-riskier starts.
Malcolm Agnew, RB, Oregon State - Paul Buker of The Oregonian reports that Oregon State running back Malcolm Agnew looked good in practice on Tuesday. Agnew left in the second half last week for precautionary reasons after taking a hit to the head. ...more
Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson - Clemson tight end Dwayne Allen said the pain in his injured right toe was so bad that "after the game, if I wasn’t in a room filled with other men and other players I would have been in tears." ...more
Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin - Wisconsin running back Montee Ball (head) and safety Dezmem Southward (shoulder) are expected to be ready Saturday against Ohio State. "Montee has been with us all week," coach Bret Bielema said after practice Thursday. "Shouldn't have any problem."
Giovani Bernard, RB, North Carolina - According to interim head coach Everett Withers, North Carolina running back Giovani Bernard's 11 carries against Clemson were part of the game plan, not a result of an ailing hip injury. ...more
Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma St - Bill Haisten of Tulsa World writes that Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon was examined on Monday and Tuesday and expects to play. ...more
Brandon Bolden, RB, Ole Miss - Ole Miss running backs Brandon Bolden and Jeff Scott are both fine and expected to practice after getting dinged up last week against Arkansas, according to coach Houston Nutt. ...more
John Brantley, QB, Florida - Florida quarterback John Brantley (ankle) is probable for Saturday's game against Georgia, coach Will Muschamp said. ...more
Reggie Bullock, RB, East Carolina - One week after returning from injury with a 100-yard, three touchdown performance, Reggie Bullock is out for ECU against Tulane with a leg injury. ...more
DeVonte Christopher, WR, Utah - Utah receiver DeVonte Christopher is expected to play this weekend against Oregon State after missing the past two games with an ankle injury. ...more
Kevin Dorsey, WR, Maryland - Maryland wide receiver Kevin Dorsey (undisclosed) will miss his second straight game Saturday against Boston College. ...more
Andre Ellington, RB, Clemson - Clemson running back Andre Ellington (ankle) is listed as questionable on the team's official injury report, and will be a game-time decision Saturday night against Georgia Tech. ...more
Bryan Ellis, QB, UAB - UAB quarterback Bryan Ellis is out for the season following an injury he suffered against Tulsa. ...more
Gavin Escobar, TE, San Diego St - San Diego State tight end Gavin Escobar has shed his hard cast and now has something much more flexible in place on his broken hand. The new brace allows for freedom of movement for all his fingers and allows him to catch the ball. ...more
George Farmer, WR, USC - USC receiver/running back George Fa
Ray Graham, RB, Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh running back Ray Graham is out for the season with a knee injury. The Big East's leading rusher went down in the first quarter of last night's 35-20 win over Connecticut. Also, wide receiverCameron Saddler was lost for the season with an injury to his sternum. ...more
Rashad Greene, WR, Florida State - Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher now said that freshman wide receiver Rashad Greene "ain't playing" before later stating that "I doubt he will play." ...more
Sterling Griffin, WR, South Florida - USF will be without the services of wide receiver Sterling Griffin for the next couple weeks due to an ankle injury suffered in Saturday's loss to Cincinnati. Griffin leads the Bulls with 40 receptions and 493 receiving yards. ...more
Joe Halahuni, TE, Oregon State - Oregon State tight end Joe Halahuni is day-to-day after picking up a sprained ankle in the win over Washington State Saturday. ...more
Tyler Hansen, QB, Colorado - Colorado quarterback Tyler Hansen's status won't be known until at least Thursday. Hansen suffered a mild concussion in Saturday's loss to Oregon and must still pass the protocols for concussions before being given the okay to resume practice. Coach Jon Embree said the earliest that could happen would be Thursday. ...more
Justin Hardy, WR, East Carolina - Updating a previous story, ECU wide receiver Justin Hardy will miss a few weeks after a fluke injury suffered during practice last week. ...more
Chris Hawthorne, PK, Minnesota - Minnesota kicker Chris Hawthorne (leg strain) could miss the game against Iowa this weekend. ...more
Andre Heidari , PK, USC - USC kicker Andre Heidari sat out practice Tuesday with a bruised ankle. Apparently, Heidari found himself in a scrum of Notre Dame players after a kickoff and got his leg stepped on. ...more
Jeremy Hester, RB, Southern Miss - After taking a huge hit to the head Saturday against SMU, Jeremy Hester was back at practice Sunday despite stitches for facial abrasions and new dental work. ...more
LaMichael James, RB, Oregon - Oregon running back LaMichael James (elbow) left the Ducks' practice facility carrying his helmet and shoulder pads. ...more
Darius Johnson, WR, SMU - SMU wide receiver Darius Johnson remains probable to play against Tulsa this weekend. ...more
Desmond Johnson, RB, Southern Miss - Desmond Johnson, who began the year atop the USM backfield depth chart, but has missed all of the games since the opener, is close to returning from a sprained MCL. ...more
Darius Johnson, WR, SMU - SMU lists stud wide receiver Darius Johnson as probable for their next game after he suffered bruised ribs against Southern Miss. ...more
Marcus Jones, WR, Minnesota - Minnesota true freshman wide receiver Marcus Jones (knee) will not play against Iowa this Saturday. ...more
Dwight Jones, WR, North Carolina - North Carolina wide receiver Dwight Jones (thigh) is listed as probable for Saturday's game against Wake Forest. ...more
Deon Long, WR, New Mexico - New Mexico redshirt freshman receiver Deon Long continues to be plagued by a toe injury -- an injury that has forced him to miss the last seven quarters for the Lobos. ...more
Trey Miller, QB, Navy - Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo told The Baltimore Sun that quarterback Kriss Proctor (dislocated elbow) is probably a "longshot" to play this week, thus it's very likely that Trey Miller will see the start against the Irish. ...more
Malcolm Mitchell, WR, Georgia - Georgia wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell is listed as doubtful for this weekend's game against Florida. ...more
Darrin Moore, WR, Texas Tech - Texas Tech receiver Darrin Moore(ankle/knee) practiced on Tuesday, and it is assumed that he will play again this week. ...more
Derek Moye, WR, Penn State - Penn State wide receiver Derek Moye (foot) will miss the game against Illinois this Saturday. ...more
Kyle Padron, QB, SMU - There is no quarterback controversy at SMU. In fact, backup quarterback Kyle Padron will miss the Tulsa game with a back injury. ...more
Dan Persa, QB, Northwestern - Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa was proclaimed "good to go" by coach Pat Fitzgerald for the game against Indiana this weekend. ...more
Bernard Pierce, RB, Temple - Temple running back Bernard Pierce saw a season-low 17 carries last weekend against Bowling Green because he is "banged up," according to head coach Steve Addazio. Pierce didn't practice all week leading up to the game. ...more
Grant Ressel, PK, Missouri - Missouri kicker Grant Ressel strained his hip flexor in practice and is questionable to play Saturday against Texas A&M. Punter Trey Barrow would take over the place kicking duties should Ressel be unable to go. ...more
Jerrell Rhodes, RB, Memphis - Wide receiver Marcus Rucker (knee) returned to practice Monday and running back Jerrell Rhodes (ankle) could return this week for Memphis. ...more
Thomas Roberson, WR, Tulsa - Tulsa wide receiver Thomas Roberson missed last Saturday's game against Rice with an undisclosed injury. ...more
Marcus Sales, WR, Syracuse - Syracuse wide receiver Marcus Sales, who had been kicked off the team for drug charges, saw those charges dropped in court Wednesday. ...more
Allen Sampson, WR, Hawaii - Hawaii receiver Allen Sampson will miss the rest of the season due to a torn ACL in his right knee. ...more
Anthon Samuel, RB, Bowling Green - Bowling Green freshman running back Anthon Samuel has missed some practice this week due to post-concussion symptoms. ...more
Raymond Sanders, RB, Kentucky - Kentucky running back Raymond Sandersis unlikely to play against Mississippi State this weekend after suffering a high-ankle sprain against Jacksonville State. ...more
Pat Shed, RB, UAB - UAB running back Pat Shed will miss his second straight game this weekend against Marshall with a knee injury. ...more
Isi Sofele, RB, California - California running back Isi Sofele didn't practice Tuesday and coach Jeff Tedford offered little in the way of explanation other than to say his starting running back took a bit of a beating against Utah. ...more
Trent Steelman, QB, Army - Army quarterback Trent Steelman (leg) will miss Saturday's game against Fordham. ...more
Jovan Stevenson, RB, Oregon State - Oregon State running back Jovan Stevenson continues to be bothered by a right leg injury. Although he practiced Wednesday, he was limited in what he was allowed to do. ...more
Bobby Swigert, WR, Boston College - Boston College wide receiver Bobby Swigert (shoulder) is questionable to play Saturday against Maryland. ...more
Darron Thomas, QB, Oregon - After Thursday's Oregon practice, the feeling is that quarterback Darron Thomas is going to get the call this weekend. He jogged out of practice today and was wearing a knee brace on his left knee, but it appears, as much as can be gleaned from other sources, the he'll be back under center. ...more
Marc Tyler, RB, USC - USC running back Marc Tyler (shoulder, knee) and receivers Marqise Lee (shoulder) and Brandon Carswell (undisclosed) practiced on Tuesday in non-contact jerseys. ...more
Dominique Whaley, RB, Oklahoma - Mike Baldwin of The Oklahoman reports that Oklahoma running back Dominique Whaley (flu) should be able to play this week against Kansas State. ...more
Salath Williams, WR, Pittsburgh - Pitt receiver Salath Williams will have surgery on his right shoulder and will miss the rest of the season. ...more
Robert Woods, WR, USC - USC receiver Robert Woods (ankle) did return to practice but was Wednesday and Thursday. Coach Lane Kiffin said that the Trojans needed to get Woods back after he did very little in practice. ...more