The Ankle, CSU, Leonard, Colt v Harrell 2

Dave Reardon with an ankle update:

"(Today) should be a good indication," Brennan said. "Mornings are the hardest part because the ankle's stiff. But I wanted to get out there and run around. By Saturday night it should be healed up enough (to play)."

Stephen Tsai has an update too:

At Jones' request, Brennan traded crutches for a heavily padded medical boot when he is not practicing.

"I think the boot helps because it makes it easier to move around," Brennan said. "At the same time, I'm walking, and that's good."

Jones said: "He's good enough he can play in that boot."

And Jason Rivers missed practice again with a sore back. Also from Tsai's article:

• Tyson Kafentzis is suspended for two games because of his role in a fight at practice.


• JoPierre Davis and Mario Cox talk about the growing enthusiasm of players wanting to be on special teams.


• Ryan Perry will be reunited with high school classmates on the Charleston Southern team.

Back to Dave's article, he talks to CSU coach Jay Mills about tomorrow's game.

"Obviously you do your team and your program a disservice if you enter without the goal of winning the contest," Mills said in a phone interview earlier this week. "We look at this as an opportunity to continue our growth. Our ultimate goal is to win a national championship at the FCS (Division I-AA) level. This gives us a chance to raise the bar."

Reardon talks to linebacker Adam Leonard about his role in Greg McMackin's defense.

In Saturday's 49-14 victory at UNLV, Leonard came at the Rebels from all kinds of different angles, finishing with 11 tackles. He also had 12 stops the week before against Louisiana Tech, including a sack for 19 yards.

Leonard's effort at UNLV was somewhat overshadowed by middle linebacker Solomon Elimimian's 14 stops that earned him a WAC Player of the Week honor.

But Leonard was just as disruptive and destructive. UH's defensive scheme against the Rebels involved Leonard and Elimimian among eight Warriors crowded at the line of scrimmage.

Leonard also mentions that he's still not fully recovered from knee surgery, but hopes to be 100% by midseason. Those two byes on either side of the NMSU game should help.

And I guess this is a popular subject, or maybe the same person is asking it, but Rivals.com's Olin Buchanan follows CFN's Pete Fiutak (see previous post) in answering a question about why Texas Tech's Graham Harrell isn't getting the same buzz as Colt Brennan.

Critics may argue that his stats are inflated because he plays inferior defensive teams in the WAC, but he threw for at least 350 yards last season against Alabama, Purdue, Oregon State and Arizona State - all BCS-conference teams that went to bowls. On top of that, Hawaii was 3-1 in those games. Brennan also threw for 388 yards and five touchdowns in a loss to Boise State, which won the Fiesta Bowl.

This season, Brennan already has passed for 1,262 yards and 12 touchdowns. Harrell has thrown for more yards (1,317) and touchdowns (14) than Brennan, but last season Harrell threw for just 204 yards and no touchdowns in a loss to TCU, 236 yards and one touchdown in a loss to Colorado and 250 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Oklahoma.

Just gotta point out that Alabama didn't go to a bowl and (woops!) UH was 2-2 against BCS teams last year, but that's not the point!