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College football around the state

By DEBI JONES, ALEX ABRAMS, BRANDON WRIGHT, Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 23, 2001

UF gains two for Marshall

GAINESVILLE -- Florida will have two more key players for its opener Sept. 1 against Marshall.

All-America cornerback Lito Sheppard and center David Jorgensen won their appeals of a one-game suspension, coach Steve Spurrier said Wednesday. They were charged with breaking unspecified team rules.

"Lito Sheppard and Dave Jorgensen have been vindicated and it seems like maybe they were falsely accused," Spurrier said. "All that embarrassment Lito Sheppard took all summer, somebody needs to apologize for it, so I'll apologize for whoever charged him with it." Jorgensen said he had no hard feelings: "You never know anything for sure until you get it in writing. Questions can still be raised and people can make accusations."

ELIGIBILITY: Wide receiver Dallas Baker did not receive a qualifying test score and will not be eligible this season, Spurrier said. Baker likely would have redshirted, Spurrier said.

Spurrier did not know specifics about Larry Kendrick, who was supposed to have a meeting Tuesday evening about his eligibility. Kendrick was at practice Wednesday afternoon, but was unavailable for comment. -- DEBI JONES

FSU sophomore stars

TALLAHASSEE -- Sophomore Greg Jones made a strong case for the starting tailback job during the second scrimmage, carrying eight times for 79 yards and one touchdown.

Coaches will name the starter next week. Jones, a 6-1, 235-pound power back, is competing with Davy Ford and Nick Maddox.

Offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden said he is considering a two-tailback system.

RIX OFF TARGET: Starting quarterback Chris Rix looked out of synch, completing 8 of 20 passes for 107 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Freshman Adrian McPherson went 11-for-20 for 157 yards and one touchdown. "The quarterbacks were better than they were last week," coach Bobby Bowden said. "They made some nice plays, and they made some poor throws."

CORNERBACK DEMOTED: Sophomore Rufus Brown began the scrimmage as the first-team cornerback, but was demoted to the third team after giving up several big plays, including a 14-yard touchdown to P.K. Sam. -- ALEX ABRAMS

USF looks at backups

TAMPA -- Although USF's No. 1 offense and defense were on the field for 16 plays of the final scrimmage, the bulk of the night was spent looking at backups.

In the 16 plays, quarterback Marquel Blackwell was 7 of 12 for 106 yards. The defense had two noncontact sacks.

For the remaining 35 snaps, run with full contact, quarterbacks Ronnie Banks and Kevin Verpaele did the bulk of the offensive work, all against backup defenses. Junior transfer DeJuan Green gained 40 yards before sustaining a possible broken jaw.

"I was real happy with our No. 1's on both offense and defense," coach Jim Leavitt said.

Leavitt said Verpaele, a defensive back working at quarterback, is closing in on Banks' backup job. -- BRANDON WRIGHT, TIMES WIRES

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