Dread gallery #20 takes a look at college football action from week 11 (Nov. 6-8).

1. Texas Tech DE Brandon Sharpe is congratulated by Darcel McBath after breaking up a pass during 4th quarter of 56-20 home win over Oklahoma State.

Episode #21 of dread gallery is about Week 10 in the NFL.

1. Devin Hester is stopped for no gain by Michael Griffin on a punt return during 3rd quarter of Titans 21-14 win at Chicago.

It's hard to imagine a team allowing more than 500 yards and being outgained by more than 150 yards in the same game and still winning that game comfortably. But that's what happened Sunday in Atlanta as the Falcons continued to impress with a 34-20 victory over New Orleans. Even Chris Berman mentioned it during "The Blitz" portion of Sportscenter, inferring that this time the numbers lied. Total yards: Saints 521 Falcons 361. But after a FG gave the Falcons a 17-6 lead in the 2nd quarter, they maintained at least a 10-point lead for the rest of the game.

Just before halftime the Saints decided to go for it on 4th and 4 instead of attempting a 46-yard FG, and Chris Houston broke up the pass intended for Lance Moore. Then in the 4th quarter Houston nicely cut in front of Moore on a post pattern and intercepted a pass in the end zone, stopping a drive that had begun at the Saints' 10-yard line. It was Houston's 2nd INT this season. Laurent Robinson, finally healthy after missing several games due to a knee injury, didn't play much, but he was on the field and throwing a key block when Jerious Norwood scored on a 67-yard TD catch that put the Falcons up 27-6. Norwood was so far in the clear that he started high-stepping when he reached the Saints 30-yard line. He had to switch back to high gear when CB Usama Young started gaining on him. Probably the only disappointing thing about the game was that Mike McKenzie suffered a broken kneecap and will miss the rest of the season. It's the same knee in which he tore the ACL last year. See the original story from the Times-Picayune that speculates about whether he will come back to the Saints or not.

Without any doubt the Detroit Lions are the feel-good story of the 2008 season. After you play them, you feel good. And not many teams needed to feel good more than the Jaguars coming into week 10. After a tumultuous week that included the suspension of LB Mike Peterson, the Jaguars appeared to be in such disarray that some Yardbarkers predicted that they would actually lose to the lowly Lions. Not happening. So lowly are the Lions that Jerry Porter and Troy Williamson, who had done pretty much nothing all season, both scored their 1st TD of the season as Jacksonville won 38-14. For the second week in a row Rashean Mathis had an opportunity for an INT early in the game. This week he didn't drop it, getting his 3rd pick of the season to set up a FG. For the rest of the game Mathis had his hands full with WR Calvin Johnson, who caught a couple of deep passes. It will be interesting to see if Peterson regains his starting position next week, when the Jaguars host Tennessee.

Green Bay S Atari Bigby was in the unenviable position of having to try to keep Vikings star RB Adrian Peterson out of the end zone late in the 4th quarter of Sunday's game at Minneapolis. At first Bigby took a bad angle trying to cut Peterson off at the Packers 25-yard line then had to switch to chase mode. Bigby finally caught him at the 5 but couldn't make the tackle until Peterson had reached the ball over the goal line for the winning TD with 2:22 remaining in the Vikings 28-27 win.... Steven Jackson was wearing a hood over his dreads on the sideline at the Meadowlands as he missed another game due to a quad injury. Of course, I probably wouldn't want to be seen either if I was on a team that was trailing 40-0 in the 1st half. The Rams dropped to 2-7, losing to the Jets 47-3.... That was no mirage in the desert Monday night. We all actually did see Vernon Davis go high and beautifully grab an 18-yard TD pass over Cardinals S Adrian Wilson just before halftime. It was Davis' 1st TD of the season, and although he got a penalty after the play for taking his helmet off, it was such a great play that not even Coach Singletary could be unhappy about the penalty. The 49ers lost a thriller to Arizona 29-24..... Finally, the Titans improved to 9-0 with a 21-14 road win over the Bears, but the game will not be part of any Chris Johnson highlight reels. The best word to describe Johnson's numbers for the game: ugly. As in 14 carries for 8 yards rushing ugly. Just turn the page and go get 'em next week, Chris.

DREAD STARS

BenJarvus Green-Ellis - Patriots - 105 yards rushing and 1 TD on 26 carries in 20-10 win over Bills (dare I say who needs Laurence Maroney?)

Jerious Norwood - Falcons - 105 total yards and 1 TD from scrimmage and also had 55-yard kickoff return in Falcons 34-20 win over Saints

HOUSE OF DREAD

The end zone at the Georgia Dome gets half of this week's award. 2 TD were scored by players with dreads in the Falcons win - Norwood's 67-yard catch and a 16-yard catch by Roddy White. The other half goes to the end zone at University of Phoenix stadium thanks to Vernon Davis' TD catch and a 5-yard TD catch by the Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald.

DREADEST

In a quiet week, DeAngelo Williams is the player of the week. The Panthers RB had 19 carries for 140 yards, including a 69-yard TD in which he got to the house just before Nnamdi Asomugha caught him from behind (photo) as the Carolina won at Oakland 17-6.

NEXT WEEK

Last year the Bills and Browns played in a snowstorm in Cleveland. Let's hope for more of the same when they play Monday night near Buffalo. The Jaguars, 1-3 at home, have to start winning at home now, even if the Titans are coming to town. And like the Jaguars, the Cowboys' playoff hopes are in jeopardy. Dallas is at Washington in a big one Sunday night.

Remember the '07-'08 college basketball season, when a lot of people kept saying that the Memphis Tigers were going to be done in by their poor free throw shooting? Remember when that's exactly what happened, as Memphis blew a late lead against Kansas in the championship game? I get a similar feeling this football season about Alabama's place kicking. Maybe Crimson Tide fans aren't scared to death about their kicker, but I bet they are at least a bit nervous. You just know that the Tide's biggest weakness, at some point before the '08 season is over, is going to rear its ugly head and cost the team big time. It nearly happened Saturday, when LSU DT Ricky Jean-Francois rose up and blocked a low-trajectory, 29-yard FG attempt at the end of the 4th quarter of a tie game. Given the option of attempting another FG in overtime, Alabama instead kept the offense on the field until they scored as the Tide won in Baton Rouge 27-21 to remain undefeated at 10-0.

LSU, which fell meekly to Florida and Georgia, went down kicking and screaming against Alabama, but go down they did as the Tide wrapped up the SEC West title. Senior S Rashad Johnson of Alabama was the star of the game with 3 big INT, one of which he returned for a TD (his second straight game with a TD). The first of the three came in the 1st quarter on a pass that deflected off of LSU WR Demetrius Byrd. Immediately after reaching for a pass behind him and tipping the ball, Byrd was clobbered by LB Rolando McClain while Johnson caught the deflection. Byrd stayed down for a couple of minutes but just got his bell rung and was good to go on the Tigers' next possession, and was in the end zone with a 30-yard TD catch before the 1st quarter was over. Byrd, who is going to have a shot at the NFL next year, is probably underused by LSU. After finishing with 4 catches for 51 yards against Alabama, he has just 28 catches for the season in 9 games. He would get that many in about 3 games if he had gone to Texas Tech. But I doubt that he regrets going to LSU, not after winning the BCS title game last season. Alabama's star WR, freshman Julio Jones, is definitely not underused by his team. He had another excellent game against LSU. He had a couple of dropped passes, but whenever the Tide needed a play, the ball was thrown to Jones, including the 24-yarder to the LSU 1-yard line on their first play in OT, setting up the game winning TD. Alabama finishes with home games against Mississippi State and Auburn, mediocre teams that will be highly motivated. But then Florida will be waiting and ready in the SEC championship game.

Western Michigan, flying under the radar in the MAC due to the great success this season by Ball State, improved to 8-2 with a 23-17 win in Detroit over disappointing Illinois. Senior DBs E.J. Biggers and Louis Delmas, teammates at North Miami Beach HS before heading to WMU, were factors in the game. Biggers had an INT and 44-yard return in the 2nd quarter, setting up a 44-yard TD drive that gave the Broncos a 20-7 lead. Delmas led WMU with 12 tackles (6-6), one of which he probably would like to forget. On a play in the 4th quarter, apparently he decided to show how tough he is on a pass thrown to Illinois' 274-pound TE Michael Hoomanawanui. As Hoomanawanui caught the ball, Delmas, 5-11 196, took his best shot to try to knock the ball loose. The result: the hit didn't even budge Hoomanawanui, while Delmas bounced off him and crashed to the ground, losing his helmet in the process. Delmas was seeing stars for a few seconds, but only missed a play or two. By the way, I notice that WMU has 6 players from North Miami Beach HS on the roster as well as another half dozen or so from elsewhere in south Florida. The Broncos play at Ball State on Tuesday, Nov. 25.

Another safety in the path of danger on Saturday was Georgia Tech's Morgan Burnett. The 198-pound sophomore was all by himself facing the task of keeping North Carolina's bruising 245-pound RB Ryan Houston out of the end zone. To say the least it was not a pretty sight for Burnett as Houston, not surprisingly, scored easily. UNC whipped Tech 28-7 and now is in a 3-way tie for 1st place in the ACC Coastal with Miami and Virginia Tech at 3-2. Georgia Tech falls to 4-3.

Elsewhere, the announcer on ESPNU barely got the words out of his mouth that West Virginia had trouble covering kickoffs before return ace Mardy Gilyard took the opening kickoff back 104 yards to give Cincinnati a 7-0 lead. UC blew a 20-7 lead in the 4th quarter, but won in OT 26-23 at Morgantown to create a 3-way tie for 1st place in the Big East. UC,WVU, and Pittsburgh are all 3-1.... Another return ace, LeRoy Vann of FAMU, scored his FIFTH return TD of the season, on a 61-yard punt return. Vann also had a sack that forced a fumble as FAMU routed North Carolina A&T 45-7.... Corey Surrency scored his first TD since week 2, on a WR screen from 14 yards out in Florida State's 41-27 win over Clemson... Kevin Patterson scored on a 53-yard INT return, giving Wake Forest a 28-3 lead on the way to a 28-17 win over Virginia. Wake Forest and Florida State are tied for 1st in the ACC Atlantic at 4-2.... Junior Mertile scored the winning TD for FIU (photo) on a busted play. The play was supposed to be a reverse run by star freshman T.Y. Hilton, but he dropped the handoff. After recoving the ball, Hilton noticed that Mertile was uncovered and hit him with a 38-yard TD pass with 2:04 remaining for a 22-21 win over Arkansas State.... Iowa State, starving for a win after 7 straight defeats, led at Colorado 24-14 in the 4th quarter. But CU scored TD with 7:05 left and 1:30 left to lead 28-24. Iowa State then drove to the CU 1-yard line. With 3 seconds left, Iowa State tried an option play. But when RB Alexander Robinson took the pitch, he was immediately swarmed by 3 CU defenders at the 3-yard line. He had no chance. Iowa State is now 2-8, while Colorado keeps bowl hopes alive at 5-5.... Finally, Indiana State took their 24-game losing streak to Youngstown, Ohio on Saturday. You can imagine how the Youngstown State fans felt when Indiana State took a 21-7 lead in the 2nd quarter. But, of course, there would be no happy ending for the Sycamores. YSU rallied to win 35-21. It will be the biggest upset of the season if Indiana State doesn't make it 26 straight losses. They play #4 Northern Iowa next week.

There are no additions to the list this week.

DREAD STARS

Darrius Gates - Indiana State - 110 yards rushing on 17 carries in the loss to Youngstown State

Naaman Roosevelt - Buffalo - 8 catches for 148 yards and 1 TD in 37-17 home win over Miami (Ohio)

Mike Hicks - Tennessee-Martin - 12 catches for 132 yards and 2 TD in 37-20 loss to Auburn

Julio Jones - Alabama - 7 catches for 128 yards in 27-21 OT win at LSU

DuJuan Harris - Troy - 101 yards rushing on 23 attempts in 17-7 win over Western Kentucky

Curtis Steele - Memphis - 123 yards rushing and 1 TD on 19 carries in 31-26 win at SMU. He would have had more had he not suffered a hamstring injury early in 3rd quarter.

Armanti Edwards - Appalachian State - 152 yards rushing on only 9 carries, and went 9 for 17 passing for 176 yards and 2 TD as ASU continued to roll, 49-7 over Tennessee-Chattanooga. By the way, all of those yards came before halftime as Edwards sat out the 2nd half.

Brandon Banks - Kansas State - 93-yard TD run and 4-yard TD catch in 41-24 loss at Missouri

Ryan Houston - North Carolina - 74 yards rushing and 2 TD on 13 carries in 28-7 home win over Georgia Tech

Tony Dixon - Kentucky - 2 TD runs (from 3 and 14 yards out) in 42-38 home loss to Georgia.

The Rodgers brothers - Oregon State - Jacquizz had 144 yards rushing and 1 TD on 31 carries and added a TD catch, while James had 6 catches for 115 yards in 34-6 win at UCLA.

Eric Ware - Central Arkansas - 5 catches for 174 yards (including 71-yard TD) and added 23 yards rushing in 42-6 win over Northwestern State

Thomas Harris - Alabama A&M - 7 catches for 152 yards (including 68-yard TD on first play of the game) in 24-10 loss to Prairie View

Justin White - Weber State - 6 carries for 113 yards rushing (including 80-yard TD) in 59-27 win at Idaho State

Rashad Jennings - Liberty - 24 carries for 147 yards rushing and 2 TD (from 32 and 36 yards out) in tough 38-26 win at VMI

HOUSE OF DREAD

The end zone at Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium gets one half of this week's award. 3 TD were scored by players with dreads in Auburn's 37-20 win over UT-Martin - the 2 TD catches by UTM's Mike Hicks and a 95 -yard return for TD of the opening kickoff by Auburn's Tristan Davis. The other half goes to the end zone at Oliver C. Dawson Bulldog Stadium, home of MEAC leader South Carolina State. William Ford had 2 TD runs and Dusten Dubose had a 9-yard TD catch as SCSU whipped Howard 56-0.

DREADEST

Rashad Johnson of Alabama is co-player of the week. See the original story article from the Mobile Press-Register for details of his 3 key INT in Alabama's win at LSU. He shares the award with Virginia Tech freshman RB Darren Evans, who set a new VT single-game record with 253 yards rushing (on 32 carries) in a 23-13 win over Maryland. Evans' only TD came on a 1-yard run that gave VT a 14-3 lead late in 2nd quarter.

NEXT WEEK

Big ones in the ACC: Virginia Tech at Miami on Thursday, Boston College-Florida State and Wake Forest-North Carolina on Saturday. Vanderbilt (4 straight losses) tries again to become bowl eligible in a game at Kentucky. And it's the last chance to see Delaware State. They're at Norfolk State (on tape) Saturday night.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the sickest nine of all? Well, I think that even "mirror mirror" would have a difficult time answering that question, considering the large number of choices available. I don't know why, but there are a lot of college football players with dreads wearing uniform #9. Just by memory I could name almost a dozen. That got me to wondering just how sick #9 really is. And after checking most (but not all) of the Div. 1 football websites, you'd have to say it is indeed very, very sick. in fact, it's a full blown epidemic. There are no fewer than three dozen players! Short dreads, long dreads, sick dreads and everything in between, here are this season's college football players with dreads who represent the 9 (in alphabetical order):

Tyler Adetona - Indiana - FR WR

Marvin Austin - North Carolina - SOPH DT

Dominique Battle - Cincinnati - FR DB

Dominic Bolden - Liberty -SR WR

Kenny Brown - Stillman - SR WR

Tristan Davis - Auburn - SR RB

Louis Delmas - Western Michigan - SR DB

Marquise Elston - Jacksonville State - SR DB

DeLeon Gause - Boston College - SOPH DB

Richard Goodman - Florida State - SOPH WR

Chris Harris - Eastern Kentucky - SR DT

Cedric Hill - South Florida - SR TE

Tarvoris Hill - FAU - SOPH DB

Adrian Hodges - Bowling Green - FR WR

Robert Hodges - Western Illinois - SR DB

Steven Honore - Southeastern Louisiana - SR DE

Marquise Law - Colorado State - FR WR

Thaddeus Lewis - Duke - JR QB

Seymour Loftman - Eastern Illinois - JR DB

Clarence McPherson - Morgan State - SR DE

Kenny Mitchell - Georgetown - SR RB

Martavious Odoms - Michigan - FR WR

Trey Payne - Sam Houston State - SR WR

T.J. Porter - Pittsburgh - JR WR

Jamal Rogers - Miami (Ohio) - SOPH WR

Ja'Corey Shepherd - Rice - SR DB

Richard Sherman - Stanford - JR WR

Rodney Sumter - Jacksonville - SOPH WR

Carl Teague - Stony Brook - JR LB

Justin Thurston - Southern Illinois - SR LB

Gary Tinsley - Minnesota - FR LB

Woodny Turenne - Louisville - SR DB

Daryl Vereen - Tennessee - FR DB

Allen Walker - Mississippi - SOPH LB

Jeremy Ware - Michigan State - JR DB

Alfred Williams - Alabama A&M - SR LB (photo, transferred to AAMU for senior season after playing 3 seasons at Duke)

Eddie Young - California - JR LB

Please add to the list if I omitted anyone.

Although they took very different paths to the NFL, former college teammates (at UCF) Atari Bigby and Asante Samuel certainly are prospering very nicely. Samuel, who pretty much has been a star since the day he was drafted, deservedly signed a huge contract with the Eagles this season after being underpaid during most of his 5-year stay in New England. Bigby, who for some reason went undrafted, bounced around a bit before finding a home with the Packers. His big payday likely will be in the near future.

I have been a big fan of Bigby probably since his senior year in high school. Probably my favorite article written about him was a piece done in 2003 in the Orlando Sentinel, just before the start of his junior season at UCF. I searched to see if the article was still available anywhere and was very pleased to find a page that not only had the article on Bigby, but also had an excellent article about Samuel right next to it, from the Providence Journal, just before he began his rookie season with the Patriots. So please, climb into the way back machine and return to the year 2003, to find out some things you might not know about Atari and Asante, two of the better DBs in the NFL. (FYI: The original story link is to a page from a UCF blog. The stories on Bigby and Samuel are the last two articles on the page.)

A look at action from week 9 of the NFL. 1. Detroit DBs Travis Fisher (21) and Daniel Bullocks make tackle too late as Rashied Davis dives into end zone for TD, bringing Bears to within 23-20 during 3rd quarter of their 27-23 win.

Dread gallery #18 takes a look at week 10 of College Football (Nov. 1-2).

1. Florida State CB Patrick Robinson reaches in front of Demaryius Thomas for his 1st INT of the season during 4th quarter of Georgia Tech's 31-28 win.

Generally speaking, it was a good week for rookie RBs with dreads and not so good for DBs with dreads. One exception was Colts S Bob Sanders, who returned to action after missing 5 games due to injury. Even with Sanders, the Colts still had trouble stopping the run Sunday night against New England, but they got the win 18-15 mostly because the defense bent but did not break. The Patriots had 34:24 time of possession but managed only 1 TD along with 3 FG. Rookie BenJarvus Green-Ellis scored the TD on a 6-yard run for a brief 12-7 lead in the 3rd quarter. Sanders had 8 tackles (6-2) and had the INT that ended a Patriots drive with about 4 minutes left in the game. See the original story article from the Indianapolis Star for more about Sanders.

Al Harris and Atari Bigby both returned to the Green Bay secondary after long absences due to injury. Late in the 1st quarter of the Packers' 19-16 loss at Tennessee, Kerry Collins was hit as he threw, resulting in the pass being a duck. Harris settled under the ball for what looked like an easy INT - until teammate Nick Collins got in his way. 2 DBs fighting each other for an INT and the ball falls harmlessly to the ground. What a waste. The Packers' defense was solid for most of the game, but with the game on the line late, they had no clue how to stop the Titans. Rookie Chris Johnson starred on the Titans' last drive of the 4th quarter, which ended with a missed FG, and on the Titans' only drive in OT, which ended with the game-winning FG. Can you believe it? The Titans are now 9-0.

The Chiefs, on the other hand, are now 1-7. And not only are they down to their 3rd string QB, they also had to play their 3rd string RB Sunday after Kolby Smith went down with an injury. Rookie Jamaal Charles stepped up with his first career 100-yard game, but it wasn't enough as Kansas City blew a 24-3 lead and lost at home to Tampa Bay 30-27 in OT.

The Arizona Cardinals whipped the Rams 34-13 in St.Louis to increase their lead to 3 games in the NFC West. Rookie Tim Hightower, promoted to starter ahead of Edgerrin James, had his first career 100-yard game. Larry Fitzgerald had a subpar (for him) game with 6 catches for 81 yards. Rams RB Steven Jackson played after missing last week's game due to injury, but he was ineffective, gaining only 17 yards on only 7 carries and dropping a pass that would have been a TD. The play that summed up the day for the Rams came in the final minute before halftime. Arizona led 17-7 and had 2nd and 10 at their own 44-yard line. Kurt Warner underthrew a pass toward the right sideline, and Rams CB Jonathan Wade went up for what should have been an easy INT. But the ball bounced right off his hands (of stone) and deflected right to Cards WR Jerheme Urban, who had clear sailing to the end zone after Wade fell down. So instead of the Rams having a chance to cut into their deficit before halftime, suddenly it was 24-7 and just about game over.

The Jaguars have not hit rock bottom yet, but they're getting close. Jacksonville dropped to 3-5, becoming the first team to lose to the Bengals 21-19 at Cincinnati. I don't want to put all of the blame for the loss on Rashean Mathis, but he certainly didn't help matters any during the 1st half. I'm not pleased with, but I can live with the fact that Mathis got beat by Chad Johnson for 2 TD as the Bengals went up 14-0. Chad has proven over the years that he is difficult to cover (just ask him). But the play that really bothered me came before those 2 TD, early in the Bengals opening possession. A short pass by Ryan Fitzpatrick to the right sideline didn't have enough on it. Mathis broke on the ball perfectly, and it looked like a sure INT. But Rashean for some reason dropped the easy-to-catch, waist-high pass, and it fell incomplete. If he makes that pick, it's a sure TD, the Jags lead 7-0, and it's a whole different game. But instead, the Jaguars trailed the whole game and ended up losing their 2nd straight game in which they were a 7-point favorite. 3-5 teams have reached the playoffs before, so I'm not giving up hope yet.

Elsewhere, Dunta Robinson also had a play he would like to be erased from his record. With Houston trailing 14-7 at Minnesota in the 2nd quarter, Robinson leaped trying to break up a short pass to Bernard Berrian. But Berrian made the catch, and when Robinson fell down, Berrian got away for a 49-yard TD.... There was one good play by a DB with dreads this week. Dallas rookie Mike Jenkins intercepted an Eli Manning pass and returned it 23 yards to the house for his first career TD. But all that meant was that the Cowboys lost to the Giants 35-14 and not 35-7.... Josh Cribbs got his 1st return TD of the season, taking a kickoff back 92 yards in the Browns' 37-27 loss to Baltimore.... Cardinals rookie LB Ali Highsmith suffered a torn ACL Sunday and is out for the season..... And Davone Bess of the Dolphins had modest stats (2 catches for 28 yards) in a win at Denver, but one of the catches was outstanding. It looked like Davone's feet went out from under him as he tried to stop for a pass slightly behind him; but even after falling, he reached out with both hands and snatched the pass about a foot above the ground. CBS announcer Dan Dierdorf described the play as "brilliant". I still can't understand why nobody drafted him.

DREAD STARS

Tim Hightower - Cardinals - 22 carries for 109 yards, including 30-yard TD in win at St.Louis

Jamaal Charles - Chiefs - 106 yards rushing on 18 carries in 30-27 OT loss to Tampa Bay

Cedric Benson (I kid you not) - Bengals - 24 carries for 104 yards and 1 TD as Bengals got 1st win of season

HOUSE OF DREAD

For the first time this season, there is no HOD award. In none of the 14 games were there at least 2 TD scored by players with dreads. Many had 1, but none had 2.

DREADEST

Chris Johnson (photo, sticking out his tongue after scoring a TD) is this week's player of the week. Johnson gained 89 yards rushing and 72 yards receiving as the Titans beat Green Bay in overtime. Johnson had 45 of the Titans' 55 yards on the game-winning drive in OT. His 3-yard TD run in the 2nd quarter was his 6th TD of the season. Can you say rookie of the year?

The final score of the Miami Hurricanes' last-ever game at the Orange Bowl was 48-0. Almost unbelievably, considering UM's home dominance over the years, Miami was the team on the short end of that score last November. Virginia 48 Miami 0 - a score that will live in infamy for some Canes fans. And a score that demands an immediate response. Miami got their chance to respond Saturday at Charlottesville, but more than revenge the Hurricanes' larger motivation was the ACC Coastal division race. Somehow, someway Miami stayed very much alive in that race with a come-from-behind 24-17 victory in overtime. If you are a Virginia fan, you no doubt are still fuming after the Cavaliers, riding a 4-game winning streak, let Miami off the hook big time.

A muff by Travis Benjamin on a punt return helped Virginia take an early 3-0 lead. Benjamin then appeared to be very tentative, almost timid, on his next two punt returns (both of which he decided not to catch) and eventually was replaced by Thearon Collier. Virginia led 17-10 at halftime but failed to increase their lead despite having three possessions in UM territory in the 3rd quarter. The Canes kept hanging around and sure enough, down to their last chance, after doing nothing on offense the entire 2nd half, they drove 95 yards on 15 plays, tying the game when WR Laron Byrd, despite being interfered with by UVa CB Vic Hall, caught a 26-yard TD pass from Jacory Harris with 55 seconds left. Virginia came right back and was about to move into FG range, but UM LB Sean Spence forced QB Marc Verica to fumble at the 32-yard line, ending the threat. Harris tossed a TD pass to Aldarius Johnson to give the Canes the lead in OT, and UVa fumbled again on their first snap in OT, ending the game. It was so big a win for Miami that I could actually sense a bit of happiness in the normally calm Coach Shannon during his post-game interview on TV. Miami and Virginia are both 3-2 in the ACC, two of the 5 teams in the Coastal division that have 2 losses.

Leading the Coastal at 4-2 is Georgia Tech, which broke a 12-game losing streak to Florida State with an improbable 31-28 victory at Atlanta, their first win over FSU since 1975. Tech actually led for most of the game, 24-10 at one point, but after QB Josh Nesbitt left the game due to injury in the 3rd quarter, the momentum changed, and FSU rallied. And when Patrick Robinson got his 1st INT of the season with 5:49 left in the 4th quarter, the Seminoles began what looked certain to be the game-winning drive. FSU marched to the Georgia Tech 3-yard line, but on 2nd and goal, RB Marcus Sims unbelievably fumbled at the 1-yard line, and Tech recovered in the end zone for a touchback with 45 seconds left. Tech S Morgan Burnett was credited with 4 passes broken up but was unable to add to his nation-leading INT total. FSU WR Corey Surrency missed the game due to a suspension.

Florida avenged another one of their losses from last season, crushing Georgia 49-10. Right now I'd have to say the Gators will be #1 when the season ends, but only if they can reach the BCS title game. It would be a tough one for Gators fans to take if a team this good is denied because of a dumb loss to Ole Miss.... South Florida is moving near the top of the list of the most disappointing teams in the country. USF is now tied for last place in the Big East after losing to Cincinnati 24-10 on Thursday. Twice in the 4th quarter the Bulls drove inside UC's 10-yard line, only to come away empty both times. And you could see the frustration in Jessie Hester after one of those drives. Hester was wide open in the end zone on 4th down when the UC DB fell down, but Matt Grothe didn't see him and instead threw incomplete to the closely-covered Marcus Edwards, a result that caused Hester to disgustedly throw his arms into the air. At 6-3 overall (1-3 in Big East) USF is already bowl eligible, but you're not allowed to go to a bowl game if you finish in last place, are you? Probably the highlight of the game was when Cincinnati WR Mardy Gilyard, after running through the end zone trying to catch a pass and crashing into the crowd, injuring a small child, picked up the kid to comfort him, looking like a father holding his son.... West Virginia remained undefeated in the Big East, handing Connecticut their first home loss 35-13. Sophomore CB Brandon Hogan, making the switch from WR last season, got his first 2 career INT for WVU.

Elsewhere, Rashad Johnson had a 32-yard INT return for TD as Alabama remained undefeated with a 35-0 shutout of Arkansas State.... Marshay Green and Kendrick Lewis had INT as Mississippi beat Auburn 17-7 in a battle of 4-4 teams.... I can't put Appalachian State freshman WR Brian Quick on the list of dread stars this week - not until I find out if he has dreads or not. In the photo in the ASU media guide, probably from last year, he has very little hair. But seeing him on the sideline last Friday, you can tell that he now has braids. But you couldn't tell if he has dreads because he was wearing a skull cap. The camera was on Quick because he destroyed Wofford with 4 catches for 172 yards and 3 TD in Appalachian State's 70-24 win, which avenged last year's loss at Wofford. After one of the TD, with ASU far ahead, Quick decided to dunk the ball over the goalpost, something not difficult at all for him since he stands 6-5. Keep an eye on him in the future.... And speaking of illegal end zone celebrations, did you see Gartrell Johnson Saturday night? After scoring a TD in the 4th quarter to give Colorado State the lead over BYU, Johnson ran over to Miami Dolphins (and former CSU) LB Joey Porter and gave him a chest bump. Porter was in the house since the Dolphins had a game Sunday in nearby Denver and was standing just beyond the end zone, in perfect position to celebrate with Johnson. Of course, Johnson picked up a 15-yard penalty, but I absolutely loved it. CSU lost though 45-42.

Here are this week's addition to the list (Nov. 5):

Jerron McMillian - Maine - FR DB

Mark Richardson - Buffalo - FR LB

DREAD STARS

David Richmond - San Jose State - 8 catches for 138 yards and 2 TD (from 65 and 35 yards out) in 30-24 win at Idaho.

DuJuan Harris - Troy - 143 yards rushing and 1 TD on 20 carries and added a 29-yard TD catch in 31-30 loss at UL-Monroe

Graig Cooper - Miami (F) - 131 yards rushing on 24 attempts in 24-17 OT road victory over Virginia

Mardy Gilyard - Cincinnati - 4 catches for 98 yards, including 26-yard TD, in 24-10 home win over South Florida

Gartrell Johnson - Colorado State - 102 yards rushing and 1 TD on 18 carries and 2 catches for 21 yards in tough 45-42 home loss to BYU

Victor Anderson - Louisville - 113 yards and 1 TD on 23 attempts and had 3 catches for 28 yards in 28-21 road loss to Syracuse

Traye Simmons - Minnesota - 2 INT, one of which was returned 23 yards for a TD in 24-17 home loss to Northwestern

Norman Whitley - East Carolina - 135 yards rushing and 1 TD on 28 carries in 13-10 OT victory at UCF

Patrick Jackson - Louisiana Tech - had 27-yard TD catch and 1-yard TD run in 38-35 win over Fresno State

Lamark Brown - Kansas State - 3 TD runs (from 4, 11, and 1 yards out) . Unfortunately, the first of those TD didn't come until K-State trailed 31-0 on their way to a 52-21 loss at Kansas.

The Rogers brothers - Oregon State - Jacquizz had 133 yards rushing and 55 yards receiving, while James had 8 catches for 102 yards in 27-25 win over Arizona State

Larry Warner - Southern Illinois - 256 yards rushing (!) and 2 TD on 21 carries in 40-21 win over North Dakota

Rashad Jennings - Liberty - 188 yards rushing and 2 TD on 32 carries in 31-28 upset loss at Presbyterian

Dominic Bolden - Liberty - 4 catches for 111 yards and 2 TD

McKinson Souverain - Bethune-Cookman - 120 yards rushing and 2 TD on 27 carries, and went 7 for 12 passing for 140 yards and 1 TD with 1 INT in 24-14 win over North Carolina A&T

Desmin Ward - Eastern Illinois - 94 yards rushing and 3 more TD in 34-6 win over Murray State

Antonio Robinson - Nicholls State - 4 catches for 102 yards in 20-17 victory over Cental Arkansas

Will Scott - North Carolina Central - 4 catches for 119 yards, including TD of 32, 36, and 32 yards in 34-14 win over Edward Waters

DeAngelo Branche - Norfolk State - 87 yards rushing and 2 TD in 49-12 road win over Howard

David Irizarry - Winston-Salem State - 107-yard TD return of missed FG, 38-yard punt return (setting up short TD drive), and had an INT with 1:37 to play in WSSU's huge upset of Hampton 35-30 (see original story from WSSU website for more)

HOUSE OF DREAD

It's a 2-way tie this week. The end zone at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana was the house of dread as 5 TD were score by players with dreads in Purdue's 48-42 win over Michigan. Kory Sheets had 4 TD for Purdue, on 2, 3, and 5-yard runs and a 7-yard reception, and Martavious Odoms scored on a 73-yard punt return for Michigan. And, the end zone at Bailey Memorial Stadium in Clinton, South Carolina was the house of dread in Presbyterian's big upset over Liberty. Rashad Jennings had TD runs of 2 and 6 yards, and Dominic Bolden had TD catches of 42 and 58 yards for Liberty; S.J.Worrell had a 1-yard TD run for PC.

DREADEST

Kory Sheets (photo) shares the player of the week award. The Purdue senior RB had 118 yards rushing and 43 yards receiving to go along with his 4 TD. Coach Tiller did not kick him off the team after Sheets made some selfish comments following a loss 2 weeks ago, but he did forbid Sheets from talking to the press. So Kory is letting his play do the talking from now on. The other player of the week has to be Armanti Edwards of Appalachian State. In ASU's 70-24 slaughter of Wofford, Edwards was an almost unreal 17 for 19 passing for 367 and 5 TD with 0 INT. And he added 73 yards rushing and 1 TD on 14 carries for good measure.

NEXT

Alabama figures to add to LSU's misery as Coach Saban returns to Baton Rouge. Will Florida have a letdown against Vanderbilt? I doubt it, even though Vandy has an extra week to prepare. Big ones in the ACC worth watching: Georgia Tech at North Carolina and Clemson at Florida State. In Div. 1-FCS, Northern Iowa and De'Veon Harris are on TV against Missouri State, and Bethune-Cookman, the only D-1 school in Florida that hasn't been televised this season, is on tape Saturday night at Hampton.

Dread Gallery part 17 features Week 8 NFL action.

1. Asante Samuel tackles Falcons WR Brian Finneran after an 8-yard catch during 1st quarter of Eagles 27-14 victory.

Dread Gallery part 16 takes a look at college football action from week 9 (Oct.25)

1. Travis Benjamin catches pass for 48-yard gain during 1st quarter, setting up a FG during Miami's 16-10 victory over Wake Forest.

Apparently Mike Singletary intends to coach the same way he played - like a madman. Just ask Vernon Davis. With the 49ers well on their way to an embarrassing 34-13 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks, Davis was called for a selfish personal foul penalty in the 4th quarter, and to say the least the new San Francisco head coach was not pleased. In fact, so angry was Singletary that he kicked Davis out of the game. Actually told him to leave the sideline, that the team was better off without him. Davis looked like a child being sent to his room by his parents as he headed off the field alone.

Singletary screamed "I want winners!" after the game. Well, if that's the case, he probably shouldn't have agreed to coach the 49ers, who are working on their 6th straight losing season. He just needs to calm down a bit because if he doesn't, he will find out in a hurry that he can't bench everyone. That only makes matters worse. As for Davis, he defends himself after the game in the original story from the San Francisco Chronicle. Obviously nobody likes to get singled out the way he was. Hopefully he uses this as a learning experience and starts to become the team leader his coach wants him to be.

Watching the Jaguars this season is like watching the movie "Groundhog Day". The only difference is that the final outcome isn't always the same. Sometimes the Jags win, sometimes they lose. But it sure seems like they play the same game every week: fall behind early, struggle to catch up, finally catch up and/or take the lead, and then defense collapses in 4th quarter. Coming off a bye week after a 3-3 start against a difficult schedule (their losses were to Titans, Bills, and Steelers), the Jaguars figured to at least defeat the 2-4 Cleveland Browns, if not dominate them. The Jaguars were favored by 7 at home. But it was more of the same. Jacksonville struggled again, losing to the Browns 23-17 to fall to 1-3 at home. The Browns gained 327 yards, and about half of that came on 3 big pass plays that set up 13 of their points. The Jags nearly pulled it out at the end, throwing into the end zone 3 times from the Browns 26-yard line during the closing seconds. All three were incomplete, including one in which Matt Jones tipped the ball twice but couldn't quite get a handle on it. Reggie Nelson returned to action after missing the last three games with a knee injury and had 5 tackles. Reggie Williams finally scored his 1st TD of the season, a 5-yard catch during the 2nd quarter. Even though he hadn't scored since last December, he did remember how to do his TD dance. For Cleveland, Donte' Stallworth scored his 1st TD in a Browns uniform, a 3-yard catch during the 1st quarter. And Terry Cousin, the ex-Jaguar, got away with what should have been a pass interference penalty on one of those plays in the end zone with about 16 seconds left. It was kind of obvious, but I'm sure the officials didn't want to make a call that would decide the game.

Elsewhere, Asante Samuel got his 3rd INT of the season during the 1st half of the Eagles 27-14 win over the Falcons. Later, in the 3rd quarter, Samuel did his impersonation of Sheldon Brown by trying to tackle Falcons RB Michael Turner. Asante is probably wondering why he ever tried to do that. Let's just say that he come out on the short end of that collision. At least he avoided serious injury (although he had to briefly leave the game).... Steven Jackson missed the Rams 23-16 loss to New England with a strained quad.... Finally, as expected, Steve Breaston of the Cardinals got his hair braided. I wasn't paying much attention to the Cardinals game, so I don't know if he's going with dreads or cornrows. He was wearing a cap on his head, so it was impossible to tell. Hopefully we'll know by next week.

DREAD STARS

DeAngelo Williams - Panthers - 108 yards rushing and 1 TD on 17 carries and added 2 catches for 15 yards as Carolina came back from 17-3 deficit to beat Arizona 27-23

Larry Fitzgerald - Cardinals - 115 yards on 7 catches in loss at Carolina

Mike Peterson - Jaguars - 10 tackles in loss to Browns

Dunta Robinson - Texans - 9 tackles (7-2) and got 1st INT of season in 35-6 win over Bengals

HOUSE OF DREAD

A 3-way tie this week with 2 TD each. The end zone at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium was the HOD due to the already-mentioned TD by Reggie Williams and Donte Stallworth. The end zone at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte was the HOD due to DeAngelo Williams' 15-yard TD run and a 2-yard TD run by Arizona rookie Tim Hightower. And the end zone at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field was the HOD due to 2 TD by this week's player of the week, Roddy White.

DREADEST

Falcons WR Roddy White (photo) gets the award this week with 8 catches for 113 yards and 2 TD (from 55 and 8 yards out) in a tough loss to the Eagles.

NEXT WEEK

DeAngelo Hall wanted out of Atlanta and got his wish. But he's still losing (with Raiders) while Falcons are 4-3. Hall faces his former teammates in Oakland. Green Bay has won 2 in a row, but they get a tougher test this week at Tennessee. The Jaguars aren't going to be the first team to lose to Cincinnati, are they? And the Rams have a chance to get back in the NFC West race if they can win at home against Arizona.

Who wants to win the Big East? Like it or not, whether it's deserved or not, the Big East champion gets an automatic bid to a BCS bowl game. So who's it going to be this year? Just when you thought it might be Pittsburgh, the Panthers let Rutgers come into Heinz Field and score 54 points. That is not a misprint. After impressive back-to-back road victories over South Florida and Navy to increase their winning streak to five, unpredictable Pitt lost at home to 2-5 Rutgers 54-34 and dropped out of 1st place. That leaves West Virginia as the only remaining team undefeated in conference play at 2-0. Of course, WVU, the preseason favorite, has yet to play a Big East road game. WVU visits UConn next week. The Huskies, now tied for 2nd place with Pitt at 2-1, broke open a close game with 20 points in the 4th quarter to defeat Cincinnati (1-1) 40-16. I didn't see Andre Dixon on the field for any plays at all this game, but I guess that's not news any more.

And that brings us to the South Florida-Louisville game. After watching USF lose 24-20, you wonder why they were ranked in the top 20. Not to take anything away from Louisville, but USF did a pretty good job of beating themselves. I mean, how many times do you have to jump offside on defense before you stop doing it? I don't know because the Bulls never stopped. Louisville led most of the way until the Bulls went ahead with a TD with 9:22 to play. The lead lasted barely two minutes. Louisville's drive for the game-winning TD certainly won't be on Jerome Murphy's highlight reel. Beaten on one play, the Bulls junior CB took a pass interference penalty to save what he thought would be a TD. Two plays later, he was beaten again as U of L's Scott Long caught a 24-yard TD pass for a 24-20 lead with 7:07 remaining. USF's next two possessions ended with a punt and an interception. Then, with a chance to get the ball back one last time, the Bulls were called for a holding penalty as Louisville missed a FG. You've got to be kidding. The penalty gave Louisville a first down, and they ran out the clock. Senior CB Woodny Turenne had his 4th INT of the season as Louisville improved to 1-1. USF, which had 14 penalties for 109 yards, is 1-2 and has no room for any more error if they plan on finishing 1st.

When I tuned to the MTSU-Mississippi State game, the first thing I noticed was that Alex Suber was not on field in the Blue Raiders secondary. It didn't take long to find out why, and the reason is just as bad as I feared. Suber is out for the season with a broken jaw. The junior CB leads the team in passes defensed, is tied for the lead with 2 INT, and is 5th in tackles. Get well soon, Alex. MTSU WR Malcolm Beyah is having a spectacular freshman season. But against Mississippi State he had one those moments you just never want to have. Open in the end zone with the nearest defender at least 5 yards away, Beyah dropped a perfectly thrown pass that would have tied the game at 7. MTSU settled for a FG and went on to lose 31-22 and fall to 2-6.

The box score in the paper simply enough reads "Collier 2-31", but anyone who saw the Wake Forest-Miami game knows that Thearon Collier played an important role in the Hurricanes 16-10 victory. Both of Collier's receptions came on the Canes final drive of the game, including a huge 25-yarder on 3rd and 10, as the Canes kept the ball for the final 3:13. No TD this week for Travis Benjamin, but he was UM's leading receiver with 4 catches for 72 yards.... No TD again this week for Corey Surrency, but he came close in Florida State's 30-20 home win over Virginia Tech. Running a fade route, Surrency adjusted to the ball nicely and made an over-the-shoulder catch while falling to the ground, only to have the ball briefly pop loose when he hit the ground. The officials did not see his bobble and ruled it a TD, and Corey got up and celebrated, trying to sell it as a catch. But the camera does not lie, and the replay official quickly and correctly ruled it an incomplete pass.... Junior CB Vic Hall of Virginia got his 2nd INT of the season, ending Georgia Tech's last drive and preserving UVa's important 24-17 road win. Virginia has won 4 in a row after starting 1-3..... Senior LB Alfred Williams had the game-clinching INT in Alabama A&M's 17-16 victory over Alabama State in the Magic City Classic.... And senior CB Trey Buice had a 45-yard interception return to the house as Ball State remained undefeated with a 38-16 win over Eastern Michigan.

In Division 1- FCS, Wofford hammered Elon 55-20 at Elon, setting the stage for their nationally televised (ESPN 2) showdown Friday night against Appalachian State, in which the Southern Conference championship is likely to be decided. And finally, the #1 ranked FCS team, James Madison, had a great escape for the second straight game. JMU defeated Villanova 23-19 on the last play of the game on a TD catch by a player who wasn't even the intended receiver. Unbelievable. Click on the original story from the Philadelphia Inquirer for the details.

Here are this week's (10-29-08) additions to the list:

David Caldwell - William & Mary - JR DB (and I only know about him because he had a 62-yard interception return for a TD against Rhode Island)

Kennith Thompson - Fordham - SR DB

DREAD STARS

Julio Jones - Alabama - 6 catches for 103 yards as the Tide continues to roll with 29-9 win at Tennessee

Brandon Banks - Kansas State - 145 yards on 5 catches, including 77-yard TD in 58-35 loss to Oklahoma

T.J.Porter - Pittsburgh - 109 yards on 4 catches in loss to Rutgers

Morgan Burnett - Georgia Tech - had team-leading 11 tackles (9-2) and nation-leading 6th INT of season in loss to Virginia

Curtis Steele - Memphis - 178 yards rushing on 29 carries and scored 2 TD in 4th quarter of 36-30 win over Southern Mississippi

Gartrell Johnson - Colorado State - 130 yards rusing on 26 carries and added 28 yards on 5 catches in 38-34 road win over San Diego State

DuJuan Harris - Troy - 2 short TD runs in 45-17 road win over North Texas

Jorrick Calvin - Troy - 9 tackles (7-2), including 2 for loss, 1 INT, and 95-yard kickoff return for TD as Troy remains in 1st place (4-0) in the Sun Belt Conference

Darrell McNeal - Louisiana-Monroe - had a 4-yard TD run and 13-yard TD catch to give ULM 21-0 lead, but FAU rallied to win 29-28

Quan Warley - Western Carolina - 102 yards rushing on 22 carries, including 9-yard TD that gave WCU 24-0 lead, but Georgia Southern scored 4 TD in 4th quarter to rally and win 38-31 in OT

Rolf Bathold - Robert Morris - had 1 forced fumble and a 65-yard interception return for TD in 35-3 win over Wagner

Devan James - Morgan State - 103 yards rushing and 2 TD on 26 attempts in 20-3 win over Delaware State

Larry Warner - Southern Illinois - 167 yards rushing on 26 carries in 23-17 road win over Missouri State

Raymond Fry - Portland State - 164 yards receiving and 1 TD on 6 catches in 36-13 win over Idaho State

Antonio Robinson - Nicholls State - only 2 catches but both went for TD (13, 58 yards) as Nicholls State got 1st win, 38-35 over McNeese State

Rashad Jennings - Liberty - 23 carries for 127 yards and 2 TD in 42-0 rout over Charleston Southern

Dominic Bolden - Liberty - 117 yards on 5 catches and added 34 yards rushing and 1 TD on 2 carries

Miguel Barnes -Tennessee-Martin - 117 yards and 1 TD on 23 carries in thrilling 31-30 win over Jacksonville State

Mike Hicks - Tennessee-Martin - 112 yards receiving and 2 TD on 5 catches as UTM moves into 1st place in OVC (4-1)

HOUSE OF DREAD

It's a 4-way tie this week with 3 TD. You already know about the TD for Liberty, Troy, and UTM. Also, the end zone at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem was the house of dread, as Bethune-Cookman QB McKinson Souverain ran for 3 TD in the 4th quarter in a 27-6 win over WSSU.

DREADEST

At 1-7, San Diego State is having another dismal season, but there was nothing dismal Saturday about the performance of Atiyyah Henderson (photo). The junior RB from Rockledge,FL had a career high 177 yards rushing and scored 2 TD, including a 72-yarder, on 25 carries in a tough home loss to Colorado State. Henderson shares player of the week with South Carolina State RB William Ford, who had 182 yards rushing and 1 TD on 25 carries as SCSU thumped Hampton 35-13 in a MEAC showdown. SCSU moves into 1st place at 4-0, while Hampton falls to 4-1.

NEXT

Thursday South Florida is at Cincinnati. On Friday a D1-FCS showdown: #3 Wofford at #2 Appalachian State. Saturday I'm going to watch Florida State at Georgia Tech, but the Florida-Georgia game really is a can't miss. Miami tries to keep ACC hopes alive at red-hot Virginia. Delaware State, featuring many players with sick dreads, hosts South Carolina State on tape delay late Saturday night. And although there will be very few players with dreads on the field, Texas-Texas Tech is also a can't miss.

Knowing that he needed a special athlete to play quarterback in his option offense, Paul Johnson, when he was named Georgia Tech head coach last December, joked with Morgan Burnett about moving him to QB. But the coach knew better. Although he might have made an excellent QB, Burnett simply is one of those players who was born to play defense. Burnett, 6-1 198 from North Clayton HS, thrilled Georgia Tech fans in February '07 when he decided to stay home for college and sign with the Yellow Jackets, and now he's thrilling them on the field every week. After an outstanding debut season in '07, Burnett has been even better as a sophomore, playing the strong safety/ rover position.

Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith nicknamed Nathan Vasher "the interceptor" early in his NFL career, but I think you'd have to say that title belongs to Burnett now. 3 picks last year, and a nation-leading 6 so far in '08. And, as the article from the AJC mentions, he's on pace to break the ACC career interception record. After watching the show Burnett is putting on and watching Johnson's offense sputter at times, some Tech fans probably are wondering if Burnett can go both ways. How about it coach?