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LSU head coach Ed Orgeron named senior Danny Etling his starting quarterback for the Tigers’ Week 1 clash with BYU on Sept. 2.

Etling beat out freshman and former 4-star recruit Myles Brennan for the job.

However, the Advocate‘s Ross Dellenger reported Brennan was “a very close second.” He will now serve as Etling’s backup.

Despite the challenge from Brennan, Etling was always the leader in the clubhouse to draw the start on opening day.

After replacing Brandon Harris under center a season ago, the 23-year-old completed 59.5 percent of his passes for 2,123 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions over the course of 11 appearances.

Etling was particularly impressive down the stretch when he shredded Texas A&M for 324 yards and two scores before he was an efficient 16-of-29 for 217 yards and two touchdowns in a 29-9 Citrus Bowl win over Lamar Jackson and the Louisville Cardinals.

Looking ahead, Etling will attempt to build on that strong finish and get the Tigers off to a fast after they stumbled to start the 2016 campaign.

In what is truly anecdotal observations, my sense of the Washington State Cougars’ fanbase over the past couple of seasons has been one of relative happiness. Two straight bowl seasons resulting in 17 total wins, plus another, more unexpected, bowl appearance in 2013 has left the fanbase riding fairly high.

It’s tough to put a number on just how good WSU, let alone any fan base, is feeling. But ESPN went ahead and took a shot.

The worldwide leader released their Fan Happiness Index yesterday, pegging WSU as 13th in the nation. That’s ahead of everyone in the Pac-12 except for the Washington Huskies at 11th and the Stanford Cardinal at 7th.

What led them to such a high number? High marks in program power and recruiting trend got them most of the way there. Another benchmark helped considerably as well: rivalry dominance. Assuming they mean literally everyone WSU might be rivals with other than Washington (Oregon Ducks, Oregon State Beavers, Idaho Vandals) then sure, they’re right!

Curiously, WSU scored low marks on coaching stability (I can’t see Mike Leach going anywhere) but less curiously on revenue growth (yeah) in the survey.

The Ohio State Buckeyes topped the Fan Happiness Index follow by the Florida State Seminoles and Alabama Crimson Tide. As far as the Pac-12 goes, the UCLA Bruins snuck into the top-25 at 24th. Arizona finished worst in the conference at 116th.

So, what say you? Too high, too low or Goldilocks for the Cougs at 13?

After practice on Tuesday, Jimbo Fisher announced season-ending injuries to two members of the offensive live. Fisher confirmed what we broke on Saturday, that redshirt freshman center Baveon Johnson underwent meniscus surgery and will miss the entire 2017 season. Likewise, redshirt freshman Jauaun Williams underwent shoulder surgery and will miss the 2017 campaign.

Fisher also gave an update on linebacker Matthew Thomas who has been out of practice with an “illness.” He remained adamant when saying he expects the senior back. WR Da’Vante Phillips, who is suspended, is still with the team per Fisher.

After the recording cut out (due to Facebook’s length policy) Fisher announced that he expects defensive back Tarvarus McFadden to handle punt return duties and defensive back Derwin James at kick returner with wide receiver Keith Gavin.

The head coach also displayed his displeasure with the targeting rule that carries over from season-to-season. Defensive back Trey Marshall will miss the first half against Alabama after a fourth quarter targeting call in last December’s Orange Bowl.

You can see the full press conference below, or you can click on this link.

One of the larger areas of concern for Missouri heading into 2017 was the situation at cornerback, where the Tigers had to replace both starters (Aarion Penton and John Gibson) and returned only one player (Logan Cheadle) with significant experience.

Back in June, I named two sophomore corners (DeMarkus Acy and Christian Holmes) among Missouri’s most important players. It is now just Acy. Head coach Barry Odom revealed that Holmes recently suffered a shoulder injury and will miss much or all of the 2017 season after undergoing surgery on it.

This technically has no impact on the starting lineup; by most indications, Cheadle had an excellent fall camp and was appearing likely to start opposite Acy. But Holmes was an obvious No. 3 on the list and was likely to see significant playing time. It is a serious blow to depth at the position.

Missouri also had junior Finis Stribling IV and redshirt freshman Jerod Alton at the position, along with true freshmen Terry Petry and Adam Sparks. Both Petry and Sparks are listed under 175 pounds (Sparks is 172, Petry 160) and might need to add strength before becoming regulars in the SEC.

It’s also possible that 6’1, 190-pound senior Anthony Hines could move back from safety to corner. Sophomore T.J. Warren might be another candidate, though he has bulked up (he’s listed at 5’11, 210) and moved to the nickel linebacker position.

Holmes is a true sophomore, so he will take a redshirt and will have three years of eligibility remaining. His future is still bright, but now all eyes are on other youngsters to see who can step up.

In other injury news, junior slot receiver Richaud Floyd remains in concussion protocol, senior tailback Ish Witter has a mild hamstring injury, junior Nate Strong is recovering from a knee injury, and freshman tight end Logan Christopherson has an ankle injury, which means a likely redshirt for him.

Let’s play a game.

I’m going to describe someone, and you see if you can figure out who I’m talking about. He was a two-year starting quarterback at one of the premier high school football programs in the state of Texas and led his team to a state championship. He also played baseball in high school and was a .300+ hitter. He enrolled at a power-five program and spent his freshman year splitting playing time with another quarterback. He eventually got frustrated by his coach’s inability to settle on one QB and chose to transfer to Oklahoma where he knew he would have to compete with an established starter for playing time. He’s often criticized for being undersized for a QB. Did you figure it out yet?

If you answered either Baker Mayfield or Kyler Murray, you are correct.

When Murray first arrived in Norman in December 2015, it looked as though his college career would continue to mirror Mayfield’s to a tee. He would sit out a year following his transfer, earn his chops on the scout team and assume the starting position for three years following Mayfield’s departure. Six months later, a surprise Big 12 ruling threw a wrench in his plans. The announcement that Mayfield would be granted a fifth year of eligibility meant that Murray would be resigned to carrying the clipboard for another year.

Three years ago, it would have been inconceivable to think that the No. 1 quarterback in the class of 2015 would have to wait three whole years before becoming a full-time starter in college, but that is the reality that Murray is now facing. Outwardly, he seems to remain upbeat about his role on the team. “The opportunity, when it presents itself, it’ll come,” Murray told the Tulsa World regarding Mayfield’s decision to return for a fifth season. “That was his decision. I can’t control what he does. I’m just gonna keep working hard for this team.”

While Murray’s opportunity to take the reigns as a starter may have to wait another year, his chance to help his team might not. By many accounts, Murray might be the fastest player on OU’s entire roster. His blazing speed gives Lincoln Riley a plethora of options for utilizing him in the offensive scheme.

The most obvious use for Murray would be to run a scheme similar to the “Belldozer” package from a few years ago. A Murray variation would obviously look different as he is much smaller and quicker than Blake Bell, but the idea of having a package specifically designed for a running quarterback could make its way back into the Oklahoma Sooners’ offensive repertoire this season. OU will be looking for guys to step up to fill the production void in the backfield left by the departures of Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon. A run-first scheme centered around Murray could also save Mayfield a bit of wear-and-tear.

Another possible use for Murray’s unique combination of speed and arm strength could be trick plays. He could potentially line up out wide as a receiver and end up throwing the ball. Don’t be surprised if Riley dials up something (maybe something similar to what Alabama did with Ardarius Stewart?) to try and catch opposing defenses off guard.

While Murray’s abilities as an athlete may earn him the majority of his snaps this season, his true value to the Sooners goes far beyond that. Murray’s experience and abilities far exceed that of your average backup quarterback. He gives OU an assurance that not all is lost should Mayfield go down with an injury.

The drop-off between the OU’s starter and backup quarterbacks has been steep in past years, and it has cost them dearly. If Sam Bradford had a backup like Murray in 2007, Bob Stoops might have won a second national championship ring. God forbid something should happen to Mayfield, Murray could prove to be invaluable to keeping the Sooners’ Big 12 title and College Football Playoff hopes alive.

Murray will no doubt get his chance to show the world what he can do over the next few years. For now, he remains the quarterback equivalent of homeowners insurance. You hope you never need it, but if your house burns down you’ll sure be glad you have it.

Richt breaks down process of naming Rosier starter

Today, head coach Mark Richt named Malik Rosier starter for the Hurricanes opener against Bethune-Cookman. So, what did Rosier do to that led to this accomplishment?

“Focus, discipline, and accuracy,” Richt said. “(Rosier) showed up focused every day on his job, was disciplined in his fundamentals, his footwork, his reads, his passing fundamentals. And then he was on his target. He did a very good job.”

However, Richt’s decision to go with Rosier was not a landslide one. Rosier had the better fall camp to be sure, but only lightly nudged out Evan Shirreffs (who was named the #2) for the right to take the opening snap at Hard Rock Stadium on September 2nd. Rosier was Brad Kaaya’s backup the past 2 seasons and none of the other quarterbacks did enough to unseat him as the top returning QB on the roster.

“(Rosier) did stand out above the rest. It wasn’t an unbelievable amount but it was apparent that he was having the best camp. And Evan did extremely well. But I felt there was enough of a difference to feel comfortable that Malik’s the guy.”

Many expected dynamic true freshman QB N’Kosi Perry to beat out the returning veterans and come right in and take a hold of the starting position. However, Perry showed he still had some growing up to do on the field and, along with fellow freshman Cade Weldon, both were plagued with accuracy issues and mental errors in camp.

“You could see the skillset of N’Kosi and Weldon,” Richt said. “Not only are they smart and all that, but they have the ability to make plays, whether it’s with their wheels or their arm. When they get it right, it looks really good. But, on a consistent basis, even if (there’s a mistake) one out of five plays, it’s way too many. I told N’Kosi, I told Cade, just keep competing everyday, you never know what can happen.”

There’s been plenty of talk that even if Perry was not named the starter initially, he would still be worked into gameplans via special packages designed to take advantage of his running ability. Richt said nothing to shut that idea down, but he won’t be switching QB’s back and forth.

“I won’t do that (switch QB’s back and forth). Richt said. “Could a (backup) get in the game? Maybe a series in the first half or something like that, I would consider that because I think guys are capable of that, but I’m not sure yet, haven’t gone that far yet.”

Mark Richt speaks to the media after naming Malik Rosier his starting quarterback. Stefan Adams/State of the U

Richt also said no decision has been made on redshirting either of the freshman QB’s.

“Well, you don’t really have to decide until game 4. Sometimes you may say ‘I think I want to redshirt a guy’ but if someone goes down (you may need him).”

Richt had a gem of a quote when talking about his QB competition with Jim Kelly when he was a member of the Hurricanes back in the day, and how he stuck it out at Miami instead of transferring after being named backup QB.

“I used to call him `Lucky Jim’ because the guy was lucky,” Richt started. “I can truthfully say he was better than I was. My mom still would not admit that… it’s not easy being No. 2. There was a moment where I’m like `I’m leaving’ I left the team for like a week, and I didn’t like how it felt. I felt like a quitter, and I didn’t want to be a quitter. So I groveled, went back to coach Schnellenberger and asked him if I could come back on the team. When I said I was leaving, it was after the spring game, he said, `If you change your mind let me know.’ He did open the door for me. Within a few days, I was like, ‘This doesn’t feel right. I love this place. I love my teammates. I’m not leaving.’ Did I play a lot of ball here? No. But God blessed my decision to stick it out and try to do what was in the best interest of the team.”

Making decisions in the best interest of the team can be noble, but, just as coaches leave schools for better jobs and higher paychecks, sometimes players have to do what’s right for them at the moment. Having said all that, though, Richt would be “shocked” if any of his stable of QB’s left the program at this time.

“Everybody has to make choices in life,” Richt started. “They all know they’re learning, they all know they’re growing, they all know they’re getting better. They understand there’s competition everywhere you go. You can go somewhere for greener grass, well guess what? They got a bunch of dudes there too. They know the system. You’re going to be behind the 8-ball if you go somewhere else.”

Walton, Berrios react to QB news

For the players, there was a sense of relief finally knowing they have “their guy” at QB and getting rid of the elephant in the room so they could focus on doing their jobs.

“It’s nice to turn that page… there’s finally one set in stone person now. Just knowing (the starter), it’s one less question mark,” senior WR Braxton Berrios said. “And that was a big question mark we’ve been hearing… It was nice to hear, nice to get it done.”

“It was great: as an offense we feel great about it,” junior RB Mark Walton said. “Whoever coach would have announced, I would have been excited for them. I think Malik did a great job this camp, think he’ll lead us in the right direction as a quarterback.”

Previously, Rosier started only one game in college, the 2015 lateral-filled thriller at Duke. What did Rosier show in that win over the Blue Devils?”

“That he can do it,” Berrios (who had 3 catches for 18 yards in that game) said. “He finally had a game where he was walking in, would be the starting quarterback. He took a shot that first series in the end zone and threw a perfect ball. From then on he solidified himself where `I can do this.’ We’ve always known that.”

Coach Richt mentioned that “focus, discipline, and accuracy” set Rosier apart. The team took notice of Rosier’s mentality in leading the team, and are excited about the strides he’s made in his play compared to last year.

“I like the way his game developed,” Walton said. “He’s more calm in the pocket now, also can run, makes it complex for the defense. He’ll make it easier for me, too… He lets the plays develop, when he throws the ball it’s on the money for the receivers to catch it. Also he puts the ball in tight windows, makes it difficult for the defense to intercept the ball. I just like his game all-around.”

“His maturity, decision making (improved),” Berrios said. “He’s always had great athleticism, it was in his younger years he’d get flustered, get rushed, just make bad decisions, decisions you can’t make as a QB, turn the ball over. Really in that aspect of decision-making he’s grown tremendously. From freshman year to now, it’s a tremendous difference… He had a tremendous camp, he really did.”

Notes

• Walton bruised his hip in the first scrimmage 2 weekends ago, but said there was nothing to worry about and the injury was a minor one: he’ll be ready to go on September 2nd against Bethune-Cookman.

The Arizona State Sun Devils may have a lot of question marks on the defensive side of the ball, but few of them come in the linebacking corps. The senior-laden starting unit will likely be the most important unit on the defense, because if they break down, it’s going to be a bad time for the Sun Devils.

SAM

Senior DJ Calhoun — The hard-hitting ‘backer has been a mainstay through four years in the front seven, providing a burst stopping the run and getting to the quarterback. Calhoun led the Sun Devils with 77 total tackles in 2016 with 11¹⁄₂ coming behind the line of scrimmage, including 4¹⁄₂ sacks.

WILL

Redshirt junior Christian Sam — Sam missed all but one game a season ago with an injury sustained against NAU, but he has looked ready to go during fall camp. He recorded 98 tackles his sophomore season and will be an asset when it comes to eliminating big plays from what should be short gains of which ASU gave up a lot last season in his absence.

DEVIL

Senior Koron Crump — The explosive rusher is back for more quarterback hits in 2017 after being one of two non-specialist Sun Devils to be named to an All-Pac-12 team in 2016. His nine sacks placed him tied for third in the Pac-12 and first among returners. He also generated takeaways, intercepting a pass, forcing three fumbles and recovering three fumbles.

Who else to watch

The second unit at practice has consistently been junior Abraham Thompson, redshirt sophomore Khaylan Thomas, and redshirt sophomore Malik Lawal, with freshman Kyle Soelle and junior Deion Guignard rotating in. With that stable of eight rotating in, the linebackers should be set up for success in 2017.

With only a few exceptions of late, Michigan State fans have learned to get excited about their team despite a lack of national support. 2017 is no different, although there is one brave man willing to stand up and show his support for MSU.

Although, he is doing so safely on the other side of the country.

Jon Wilner was the only voter in the AP Poll to include Michigan State in his top 25 rankings. Wilner is a writer for The San Jose Mercury News.

Michigan State wasn’t Wilner’s only bold prediction. The West Coast writer was one of nine voters not to have Alabama as their top team, Wilner put the Florida State Seminoles one spot ahead of the Alabama Crimson Tide. He also put the Texas Longhorns at No. 9.

When it comes to defending his MSU pick, it comes down to something pretty simple for Wilner – the Spartans head coach. From Wilner’s AP poll post on the Mercury News website:

No reason to expect the Spartans to execute complete turnaround from three-win season, except that Mark Dantonio is a helluva coach.

Wilner expanded on his thought process a little more with Matt Charboneau.

“It was basically a combination of three things,” Wilner wrote in an email to the Detroit News reporter. “Every year, some teams outperform expectations, and I try to factor that unpredictability into my ballot; it’s a matter of picking the right upside surprises. Second, I don’t think Dantonio has forgotten how to coach, and there should be no sense of satisfaction among the players. Lastly, the schedule: No Wisconsin, no Nebraska and Notre Dame at home. I think they can win seven or eight, which would make them a ranked team by the end of the season.”

Wilner’s wild predictions didn’t exactly line up with his fellow voters. Of the 62 voters, Wilner’s ballot was the second least like the actual poll. Charboneau, on the other hand, had the 19th most consistent poll.

In defense of Wilner, there is at least one other person in the college football world who thinks MSU should start the season ranked, but the other person is still unknown. Michigan State also received one vote for the top 25 in the coaches poll.

Preseason Week 2 is in the books with plenty of former Rutgers Scarlet Knights in action again either tuning up or doing their best to catch on for the regular season. Week 1 recap here.

In Thursday’s action, Derrick Nelson of the Ravens traveled to the home of old friend Leonte Carroo in Miami. The Ravens were dominant again in a 31-7 win, not allowing a sack. Carroo coming off a 33 yard touchdown in week 1 did not record a catch, but the entire Dolphin offense struggled. Jeremy Zuttah returned to the Ravens but not in time to play in the game.

Also in the Sunshine state, George Johnson of the Buccaneers crossed the state over to Jacksonville. It was a defensive slugfest with Tampa Bay prevailing 12-8. Johnson registered no tackles, but did have one quarterback hit in the win.

Saturday, Logan Ryan got his first home game in a Titans uniform against geographic “rival” Carolina. Ryan added one tackle and the Titans offense looked like a completely different group, winning 34-27.

Bengals Clark Harris and Tyler Kroft looked to stay hot, hosting Kansas City. Cincinnati instead got walloped 30-12, but not because of their kicking game with Harris snapping. Bengal kickers went 4-4 on field goals and did well in the field position battle. Kroft recorded no stats but played 20 snaps on offense at tight end and fullback. He was lauded in the offseason for the work he put in to make himself stronger.

Steve Longa played some snaps with Detroit’s starters who completely suffocated the Jets. He finished second on the team with four tackles, having played more snaps than any other Lion ‘backer. Tim Wright did not play again in the 16-6 triumph.

Devin McCourty and Jon Freeny enjoyed Houston as each registered three tackles, but the Patriots lost 27-23. Duron Harmon did not register any stats.

For the Bears, Michael Burton and Marcus Cooper (2 tackles) got the better of Carlton Agudosi and Kaleb Johnson of the Cardinals in the valley of the sun, 24-23. The first team offensive line for the Cardinals was not nearly as good as their backups so big changes might be in store for the unit. Agudosi returned to practice Thursday but I don’t believe he played. Unfortunately, the top 5 receivers seem to be locked in so he will have to really show something the last two preseason games. Burton finds himself in a similar position for Chicago who might not keep a fullback on their roster.

Kevin Snyder and Quentin Gause headed to the Bay Area to play San Francisco, in Santa Clara of course. Denver demolished the 49ers 33-14. Gause bounced back with two tackles, while Snyder added one.

Quentin also posted a nice photo from last week’s action on twitter with Kevin Snyder and Michael Burton …

Anthony Cioffi’s Raiders hosted their former L.A city rival, the Rams. The Super Bowl or bust Oakland fans left disappointed as they fell 24-21 at the Coliseum. The starting defense was unimpressive which may shake things up this week in Oakland. Cioffi helped his case with two tackles.

Sunday, Mohamed Sanu (Falcons) traveled to the Steel City to take on Pittsburgh. Sanu caught both his targets for 25 yards but Atlanta fell 17-13.

Brandon Coleman got another matchup with a former Knights receiver, this time Andre Patton. Coleman caught one ball for 8 yards in the Saints 13-7 win. Patton didn’t register stats, but expect some changes with the Chargers offensive struggles yet again.

Monday in Cleveland, Jason McCourty and Kenny Britt hosted the New York football Giants Andrew Turzilli. The Browns pulled out a Monday Night Football victory, 10-6. Turzilli did not record a reception but Britt caught his one target for 8 yards in the win. Jason McCourty did his share with 4 tackles for the victors.

Other local NFL scores: Eagles 20, Bills 16.

The jersey may be different but McCourty got the better of Beckham this time. Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Chomping at Bits comes stocked with the best Florida Gators links and news we can find, and some other stuff. Got a link you think we should check out? Email us at AlligatorArmy@gmail.com, subject line CAB, or find us on Twitter at @AlligatorArmy or on Facebook at Facebook.com/AlligatorArmy.

Jim McElwain says Gators will “beat the heck out of Michigan”: McElwain made the comment at a pep rally with UF students on Sunday. The rally was streamed live on Periscope. (Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel; Nick Cole, SEC Country)

Redshirt freshman QBs could have big impact in SEC: You know that Florida has a redshirt freshman quarterback vying for the starting job in Feleipe Franks, but two of the Gators’ SEC opponents this season – Tennessee and Texas A&M – have not yet named starters, but have redshirt freshmen frontrunners. (Steve Megargee, Gainesville Sun)

Q&A with Duke Dawson: The senior is one of the few familiar faces in Florida’s secondary. (Scott Carter, Florida Gators)

ESPN reveals Marvel comic book covers for first week of games: The Gators get one for their bout with Michigan. (Talal Elmasry, SEC Country)

Projecting the Gators’ offensive depth chart: The quarterback competition is still somewhat of a toss-up. (Ryan Young, SEC Country)

Gorjok Gak and Egor Koulechov open World University Games play: Gak is playing for Australia while graduate transfer Koulechov is playing for Israel. (Andrew Kovar, Florida Gators)

CeCe Jefferson and Jabari Zuniga named to Ted Hendricks Award preseason watch list: More Gators make another one of these seemingly endless watch lists. (Katie Callahan, Florida Gators)

Channing Tindall wants to visit Florida before commitment: The nation’s No. 1 outside linebacker wants to see a game in The Swamp before announcing his decision, which he plans to do at the end of September. (Zach Abolverdi, SEC Country)

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