Neckst Level Leathernecks | A Western Illinois Leathernecks Dynasty (NCAA 06)

[TheAStev]

Sorry for the lack of recent updates, been a busy couple weeks. Hoping to get back to regular posts here soon!

[TheAStev]

Life has gotten busy for the last few months, but I hope to start back up on some semi-regular posts soon. I may not be able to post as often as when I first started, but I've been itching to get back to the Leatherneck dynasty and finally have some extra time. Hoping to get back into the posting flow tonight or tomorrow!

[TheAStev]

Around the NCAA: Week 2 Recap

Down goes #1: Tennessee drops opening game to Cal

NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Sep 4, 2006
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	2	USC (39)	0	0	1503
2	3	Florida (21)	1	0	1429
3	6	California (1)	1	0	1394
4	5	Auburn	1	0	1288
5	7	Oklahoma	1	0	1153
6	8	Ohio State	0	0	1088
7	9	South Carolina	1	0	1043
8	1	Tennessee	0	1	1017
9	10	Virginia Tech	1	0	963
10	11	Boise State	0	0	892
11	12	Georgia	1	0	843
12	13	Iowa State	1	0	786
13	14	Iowa	1	0	730
14	4	Georgia Tech	0	1	658
15	16	Texas A&M	1	0	624
16	17	Texas	1	0	573
17	15	UCLA	0	1	565
18	18	Michigan	2	0	524
19	19	Miami (FL)	1	0	476
20	20	LSU	1	0	430
21	22	Wake Forest	0	0	342
22	23	Purdue	0	0	300
23	24	NC State	1	0	291
24	25	Kansas State	0	0	222
25	NR	Maryland	1	0	212

Heisman Watch - Updated: Sep 4, 2006
NAME	POS	SCHOOL		SEASON STATS
Jared Zabransky (R-Sr.)	QB	Boise State		--
Calvin Johnson (Jr.)	WR	Georgia Tech		8 rec, 159 yds, 2 TD
Reggie Ball (Sr.)	QB	Georgia Tech		22/32, 378 yds, 3 TD
Kevin Grady (So.)	HB	Michigan		52 car, 395 yds, 4 total TD
David Clowney (Sr.)	WR	Virginia Tech		8 rec, 135 yds, 4 TD

NCAA Players of the Week: Week 2
Offense: WR Wendell Octave (Idaho): 351 all-purpose yards, 5 total TD vs. Western Illinois
Defense: OLB Luke Adkins (Colorado State): 10 tkls, 3 TFL, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR vs. Fresno State

Notable Week 2 Scores
#15 Texas A&M 48, The Citadel 14
#11 Georgia 42, UCF 14
#4 Auburn 34, Toledo 31
#7 South Carolina 22, Memphis 18
#5 Oklahoma 38, Tulsa 16
#13 Iowa 31, Western Michigan 6
Notre Dame 28, #14 Georgia Tech 26
#9 Virginia Tech 45, Kent State 13
#3 California 38, #8 Tennessee 31
#12 Iowa State 35, Army 12
#2 Florida 45, Southern Miss 6

Notable Week 2 Injuries
QB Jason Beck (R-Sr.) - BYU | Foot fracture | 6 weeks
QB Jordan Christensen (R-Sr.) - Fresno State | Broken elbow | Season
QB Jack Rolovich (R-Jr.) - Hawaii | Broken tailbone | 11 weeks
HB Reggie Davis (Sr.) - NC State | Dislocated ankle | 10 weeks
HB Booker Stanley (R-Sr.) - Wisconsin | Torn pectoral | 8 weeks
FB Henry Melton (R-Fr.) - Texas | Foot stress fracture | 6 weeks
WR Calvin Davis (R-Sr.) - Iowa | Complete ACL tear | Season
WR D'Juan Woods (R-Sr.) - Oklahoma State | Broken tailbone | 11 weeks
LT Doug Free (R-Sr.) - Northern Illinois | Broken fibula | 7 weeks
LT Ryan Harris (Sr.) - Notre Dame | Dislocated knee | 6 weeks
DE Daniel Bazuin (R-Sr.) - Central Michigan | Foot stress fracture | 8 weeks
OLB Ernest Jones (R-Jr.) - NC State | Torn pectoral | 11 weeks
OLB Bo Ruud (R-Jr.) - Nebraska | Torn groin | 8 weeks
FS Reshard Langford (Jr.) - Vanderbilt | Broken collarbone | Season

Week 3 National Broadcasts
Tulane (1-0) at #4 Auburn (1-0)
Penn State (0-1) at Notre Dame (1-0)
Oregon State (1-0) at #10 Boise State (0-0)
#1 USC (0-0) at Arkansas (1-0)
Washington (1-0) at #5 Oklahoma (1-0)
UNLV (1-0) at #12 Iowa State (1-0)
#13 Iowa (1-0) at Syracuse (0-0)
#6 Ohio State (0-0) at #16 Texas (1-0) | GAME OF THE WEEK

[TheAStev]

All players available for FAU matchup
Freshman tight end Junior James returns from his one-game suspension and no injuries are being reported as the Leathernecks will have a fully healthy roster heading into this weekend's meeting with Florida Atlantic. With many young pieces on the roster, WIU will continue to give multiple players reps as they look to build chemistry on the field.

Three prospects leave WIU off Top 5
Four-star cornerback Craig Rankin (Crestwood, MO), three-star halfback Courtney Manning (St. Joseph, MI), and three-star linebacker Marcus Mills (Elmwood Park, IL) all narrowed their potential school lists to five - all of which cut Western Illinois out of contention. This leaves nine recruits on the Leatherneck in-season recruiting board as they will narrow their focus on those who remain.

WESTERN ILLINOIS IN-SEASON RECRUITING BOARD
C Aaron Flynn | 3*** | 6'4", 270 lbs. | Palos Hills, IL | Stagg | Top 8
WR Jordan Barnes | 3*** | 5'11", 190 lbs. | Whitehall, OH | Whitehall-Yearling | Top 8
T Danny Mitchell | 3*** | 6'7", 335 lbs. | Fond du Lac, WI | St. Mary's Springs | Top 8
T Justin Elliott | 3*** | 6'3", 335 lbs. | South Euclid, OH | Charles F. Brush HS | Top 8
HB Scott Graves | 3*** | 6'0", 195 lbs. | Indianapolis, IN | Park Tudor | Top 8
CB CJ Patterson | 3*** | 6'4", 180 lbs. | Meridian, ID | Owyhee | Top 8
G Jason Freeney | 3*** | 6'0", 347 lbs. | Park Forest, IL | Rich East | Top 8
CB Sean Jude | 3*** | 5'11", 160 lbs. | Romulus, MI | Romulus | Top 8
SS Josh Washington | 3*** | 6'6", 205 lbs. | Danville, IL | Danville | Top 8
CB Craig Rankin | 4**** | 5'11", 170 lbs. | Crestwood, MO | Lindbergh | Left WIU off Top 5
HB Courtney Manning | 3*** | 5'7", 175 | St. Joseph, MI | St. Joseph | Left WIU off Top 5
MLB Marcus Mills | 3*** | 6'5", 239 lbs. | Elmwood Park, IL | Elmwood Park | Left WIU off Top 5

[TheAStev]

Western Illinois welcomes Florida Atlantic in home opener

Another first-time opponent for Western Illinois

Matchup Preview *|* September 9, 2006
	@
Florida Atlantic Owls (0-0, 0-0 Away)		Western Illinois Leathernecks (0-1, 0-0 Home)
Injury Report NONE NONE

Western Illinois will take on the Florida Atlantic Owls in their 2006 home opener at Hanson Field as both teams look to get their first win of the season. While the Leathernecks are coming off a blowout loss to Idaho, their offense is showing signs of improvement from last season, in the way of gaining yards and scoring points. Their 563 yards of offense and 45 points scored are good for second and seventh in the nation, respectively, on the young season. Whether or not WIU can keep up this offensive pace, time will tell.

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Scouting Report: Florida Atlantic

TOP 5 PLAYERS
P Mike Brown | R-Jr. | 85
G Stetson Wilson | Sr. | 80
HB BJ Manley | Jr. | 80
WR Tito Pollice | R-Sr. | 78
DE Josh Jenkins | R-Sr. | 78

Although not quite as young as the Leathernecks, Florida Atlantic has a young roster with just 12 seniors. The offense is the better unit, even with its two biggest playmakers sitting out this season as transfers - former Georgia Tech HB Rashaun Grant and former Texas WR Nate Jones. Without Grant and Jones, FAU will look to a pair of Sun Belt 2nd Team members in HB BJ Manley and WR Tito Pollice to make plays this season. Getting them the ball will be first-year starter QB McKinson Souverain, who threw for 14/22, 262 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception in limited action behind Danny Embick last season. The offensive line is the veteran group of the offense, featuring three seniors and two juniors, and the leader of the group is senior RG Stetson Wilson.

A relatively weak Owls defense that is without another transfer in former Tulsa DT Walter Boyd will be looking for other names to step up in 2006. Junior DT Jason Flemming is coming off of a 9 sack campaign in 2005 and, along with senior DE Josh Jenkins, will look to cause problems up front for the Leathernecks. A linebacker unit featuring two first-time starters is led by junior OLB Cergile Sincere, who had 71 tackles and 5 sacks in 2005. The secondary features just one returning starter in FS Taheem Acevedo, leaving question marks in a secondary that WIU quarterback Josh Young will look to exploit this weekend. Two true freshmen will start in FAU's season-opening defense - MLB Nick Fisher and CB Ryan McKenzie. Will they be able to step up and make plays against a fellow true freshman quarterback?