SB Nation Atlanta: All Posts by Jared Dubin

East Carolina Vs. South Carolina Final Score: Dylan Thompson Leads Gamecocks in 48-10 Rout

2012-09-08T19:53:26Z

South Carolina blasted the visiting East Carolina Pirates 48-10 behind a stellar performance from quarterback Dylan Thompson on Saturday. Thompson completed 21-of-37 passes for 330 yards and three scores to lead the No. 9 Gamecocks to a resounding victory.

Despite a subpar performance from star running back Marcus Lattimore, who carried 13 times for just 40 yards, South Carolina was dominant from start to finish on Saturday afternoon, overwhelming the Pirates in every aspect of the game. Rory Anderson caught four passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns to lead South Carolina receivers in all three categories. Eleven different Gamecocks caught a pass in this game.

East Carolina quarterback Rio Johnson was picked off three times by the South Carolina defense, including once for a touchdown by Jimmy Legree. Sophomore backup Shane Carden entered the game and fared a little better, but he was picked off once as well.

Box Score Hero: Thompson's 21-of-37 for 330 yards and three touchdowns stand above the rest.

Rankings Ramifications: It's unlikely that a big win over a small-conference opponent will vault the Gamecocks too much higher in the rankings, but if one of the top eight teams in the country lose, they will certainly move up. If one struggles to a close win against a subpar opponent, they could move up as well.

But Did They Cover?: The Gamecocks easily covered the 23-point spread.

For More On This Game: For your South Carolina coverage, head over to Garnet And Black Attack.

Next Week's Schedule: South Carolina -- Sept. 15 Vs. UAB; East Carolina -- Sept. 15 Vs. Southern Miss.

Miami Vs. Kansas State Recap: Collin Klein Dominant As Wildcats Roll Hurricanes

2012-09-08T19:39:05Z

The No. 21 Kansas State Wildcats dominated the visiting Miami Hurricanes Saturday afternoon behind a four-touchdown performance from quarterback Collin Klein. Klein threw a touchdown pass and ran for three more scores on 22 carries in the Wildcats' 52-13 victory over the Hurricanes.

Kansas State had nine players combine to rush the ball an astounding 60 times for 289 yards and six touchdowns in all. Running back John Hubert ran 19 times for 107 yards and a touchdown, while Daniel Sams carried three times for 47 yards and two scores of his own.

Kansas State's running attack was so dominant that Klein had to throw just 11 passes against a Hurricane pass defense that gave up 441 passing yards to Chase Rettig of Boston College just last week. Klein completed nine of those attempts for 210 yards, an average of 19.1 yards per attempt.

Miami's defense again struggled mightily, as they allowed 499 yards of offense to the Wildcats to go along with their 52 points. The Hurricanes carried 34 times for 208 yards against the Eagles last week, but could only muster 43 yards on 29 carries against Kansas State's defense. Standout freshman running back Duke Johnson was held to just 22 yards on seven carries after going 135 yards on seven carries against Boston College, including two touchdown runs of greater than 50 yards.

Miami quarterback Stephen Morris was eventually pulled in favor of freshman Ryan Williams, who threw a touchdown pass to Clive Walford for the Hurricanes' only touchdown of the afternoon.

Box Score Hero: Collin Klein, who threw for 210 yards and a touchdown and ran for three more scores.

Rankings Ramifications: Nobody ahead of Kansas State lost as of the time the game ended, but with many teams still to play, it's possible the Wildcats could move up in the rankings with a loss or a poor performance from one of the top-20 teams.

But Did They Cover?: The Wildcats easily covered the 7-point spread.

For More On This Game: For more on Miami Hurricanes football, visit the Seventh Floor. For Kansas State football coverage, head over to Bring On The Cats.

Next Week's Schedule: Miami -- Sept. 15 Vs. Bethune-Cookman. Kansas Stats -- Sept. 15 Vs. North Texas

Giovani Bernard Injury: UNC Star Apparently Out For Wake Forest

2012-09-08T19:09:14Z

University of North Carolina running back Giovani Bernard will apparently miss Saturday's game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons with a left knee injury. The sophomore from Davie, Florida was expected to play this week as coach Larry Fedora, usually tight-lipped about injuries, said the running back could have reentered last week's game against Elon after his injury.

In last week's 62-0 victory, Bernard carried nine times for 93 yards and a touchdown. A 59-yard scoring run was the longest of his career. He also caught two passes for 10 yards and a score, and returned a punt 70 yards for a touchdown. In doing so, he became just the sixth player in FBS to score a rushing, receiving and return touchdown in the same game over the past 10 years.

Freshman Romar Morris received 10 carries after Bernard's injury last week, and should factor into the game plan against the Demon Deacons. Another freshman, Marquise Williams, received six carries against Elon, and Junior A.J. Blue received nine. None have the pure talent of Bernard, but all figure to see action at some point against Wake Forest.

For more on Tar Heel football, visit our blog Carolina March and SBNation's College Football hub.

Devon Walker Injury: Tulane Safety Was Former Walk-On

2012-09-08T18:41:02Z

Tulane safety Devon Walker received CPR on the field during the Green Wave's game against Tulsa on Saturday afternoon after sustaining an apparent head and/or neck injury just before halftime. Walker was attempting to make a play on a Tulsa player, but inadvertently collided with his own teammate instead. He at one point stopped breathing, but it was confirmed that he was both breathing and responsive by the time he was loaded into the ambulance.

Walker, a former walk-on senior from New Orleans, La., appeared in 30 games for the Green Wave in his first three seasons, providing depth in the secondary and playing on special teams. He totaled 47 tackles, four pass breakups and one forced fumble entering the 2012 season.

Walker impressed the coaching staff this summer by attending the team's 6:00 a.m. workouts before summer school classes, they told John Reid of The Times Picayune. Walker paid for the summer school classes out of his own pocket.

“He wasn’t getting his summer school paid for, but he would show up with the rest of the team and do the summer conditioning even though the scholarship athletes were getting their room and board paid,’’ Tulane secondary coach Jason Rollins said.

The coaches rewarded Walker's hard work and contributions to the team by giving him a scholarship for his senior season, just the third walk-on scholarship Tulane coach Bob Toledo has handed out in his four years as Green Wave coach, he told The Times Picayune.

“I think it’s great, I always try to do it at the first meeting (before preseason camp), and the kids get all excited when they know a guy deserves it,’’ Toledo said. “It proves to these other freshmen or walk-ons that if they work hard, they may have a chance down the road to earn a scholarship and maybe we’ll get more walk-ons.’’

Walker spent the summer in a competition for the starting safety job with Shakiel Smith. The coaching staff was considering him because of his knack for recognizing formations quickly, according to Rollins within the same Times Picayune article.

Walker started the first game of the season and totaled nine tackles, including seven unassisted and one tackle for loss.

Stay tuned to SB Nation's NCAA Football hub for updates to this story, as well as for further college football coverage.

Miami Vs. Kansas State: Collin Klein Leads Wildcats To Big Halftime Lead

2012-09-08T17:43:41Z

Quarterback Collin Klein totaled three touchdowns - two on the ground, one through the air - in the first half of Kansas State's game against the Miami Hurricanes, leading the No. 21 Wildcats to a 24-6 halftime lead.

Klein completed 2-of-3 passes for 26 yards and ran for 23 more on the game's opening drive, and got the scoring started with a one-yard touchdown run. After a fumble by Miami running back Eduardo Clements, Klein rushed for another score to put the Wildcats up 14-0.

A Jake Wieclaw field goal brought the Hurricanes within 14-3 at the end of the first quarter. Kansas State responded with a field goal of their own, and after a Miami punt, Klein threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Curry Sexton to extend the lead to 24-3.

Miami kicked another field goal on their last drive of the first half to cut the lead back down to 18 points.

Klein is 6-of-7 for 98 yards and a touchdown at halftime, and also has 15 carries for 35 yards and two scores. For the Hurricanes, Stephen Morris is 10-of-12 for 142 yards, but has gotten almost no help from his running game or defense. Miami has 14 carries for just 19 yards, and they have given up 217 yards of offense to the Wildcats in the first half after surrendering 537 yards to Boston College last week.

For more on Miami Hurricanes football, visit our Seventh Floor Blog and SBNation Tampa Bay. For Kansas State football coverage, head over to Bring On The Cats and SBNation Kansas City.

Andrelton Simmons Injury Update: Fredi Gonzalez Says Shortstop Will Join Team Monday In Milwaukee

2012-09-08T17:26:22Z

Atlanta Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons will rejoin the team in Milwaukee on Monday for their series with the Brewers, according to manager Fredi Gonzalez, via the Braves official Twitter account.

Simmons had been on a rehab assignment with the Class-A Lynchburg Hillcats. He hit a home run Friday in the Hillcats' 2-1 playoff victory.

Simmons has been out of action for the Braves since suffering a broken hand in a July 8 game against the Philadelphia Phillies. He sustained the injury sliding head first into second base, and has missed about eight weeks of games.

Simmons was called up from Double-A Mississippi on June 2. In 125 plate appearances before sustaining the injury, he batted .296/.336/.452. Atlanta's record stood at 46-39 when Simmons was injured, and they have gone 33-21 in his absence.

Paul Janish has filled in at shortstop for the Braves for the most part with Simmons out, though super-utility man Martin Prado has played there occasionally as well. Simmons' return should provide a boost to Atlanta defensively, as that is a large part of the rookie's value.

For more on the Braves, head over to our blog Talking Chop and SBNation Atlanta. Baseball Nation is your source for news and analysis around Major League Baseball.

Braves Vs. Mets Lineups: Kris Medlen Looks To Continue Atlanta's Shutout Steak

2012-09-08T17:06:21Z

The Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets will continue their three-game weekend series this afternoon at Citi Field. The Braves took the first game of the series on Friday behind a strong pitching effort from Paul Maholm, who along with five relief pitchers combined for Atlanta's third straight shutout. The Braves are now 6.5 games back of the first place Washington Nationals, and are in the lead for the first National League Wildcard spot.

Both teams have released their lineups for Saturday afternoon. First, the home Mets:

1. Mike Baxter (L) RF

2. Daniel Murphy (L) 2B

3. David Wright (R) 3B

4. Ike Davis (L) 1B

5. Lucas Duda (L) LF

6. Ruben Tejada (R) SS

7. Jordany Valdespin (L) CF

8. Josh Thole (L) C

9. Jeremy Hefner (R) P

And for the visiting Braves:

1. Michael Bourn (L) CF

2. Martin Prado (R) SS

3. Jason Heyward (L) RF

4. Chipper Jones (S) 3B

5. Freddie Freeman (L) 1B

6. Dan Uggla (R) 2B

7. Brian McCann (L) C

8. Jose Constanza (L) LF

9. Kris Medlen (S) P

First pitch will be at 4:05 p.m. ET.

For more on the Braves, visit our blog Talking Chop and SBNation Atlanta. For your Mets coverage, head over to Amazin Avenue and SBNation New York. Baseball Nation is your source for news and analysis around Major League Baseball.

NFL Cuts: Bucs Claim Julian Vandervelde Off Waivers from Eagles

2012-09-01T20:10:02Z

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have claimed offensive lineman Julian Vandervelde off waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.

Tampa Bay did not have to waive any players to make room for Vandervelde on their roster.

Vandervelde, an offensive guard, played his college ball at the University of Iowa. He was a Second Team All-Big Ten player in 2010, as well as a four-time Academic All-Big Ten player. Vandervelde was drafted by the Eagles in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He appeared in just one game last season.

The news comes on the heels of two-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman Davin Joseph suffering a season-ending left patellar tendon injury. Joseph has underwent surgery Tuesday and was placed on the injured reserve list.

In his absence, the Bucs had been searching for some offensive line help, and it appears that Vandervelde fits the bill. Vandervelde is more likely to provide line depth than start.

For more on the Buccaneers, check out our blog Bucs Nation or SBNation Tampa Bay.