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Here's the latest on Notre Dame's opponents during their respective fall camps.

San Diego State via http://www.goaztecs.com

The San Diego State football team entered its second week of 2008 fall camp Tuesday with a single afternoon workout at its on-campus facility.

After practice, Aztec head coach Chuck Long praised the team's offensive line and singled out the play of linebacker Jerry Milling, quarterback Ryan Lindley, wide receiver Roberto Wallace, defensive end B.J. Williams and cornerback Davion Mauldin.

Wallace is slated to be a key figure in a wide receiving corps that lost its top two performers from a year ago in Chaz Schilens and Brett Swain, both of whom were selected in the 2008 NFL Draft.

"As a group, they've [the wide receivers] come a long way," Long said. "(Darren) Mougey, Vincent Brown and Roberto Wallace are the guys in the front. Mekell (Wesley) is right there and Jon Toledo's been hurt and has got to get back into the flow of it. (Freshman) Dominique Sandifer also may get some time this year, just like Vincent did last year (as a true freshman)."

On Wednesday, the Aztecs will log its second of three, two-a-day practices scheduled for this week, culminating in Saturday's annual Family Day Scrimmage at Qualcomm Stadium.

Michigan via http://www.mgoblue.com

Below are tidbits about the Wolverines after nine days of camp:

• Coach Rodriguez stressed that the mental fatigue of camp is playing as big a role as physical fatigue. The staff increases the tempo near the end of practices to help the players acclimate and overcome mental fatigue.

• The team's quarterbacks continue to improve daily. An emphasis has been put on fundamentals due to each quarterback's limited collegiate experience, but the coaching staff is pleased with the breadth of the playbook that they have been able to handle. Nick Sheridan and Steven Threet have each been taking snaps with the first team. Justin Feagin has practiced through shoulder fatigue but remains in the mix.

• Coach Rodriguez's ideal situation would be to have eight offensive linemen that he could use in game situations. The offensive line has had its ups and downs in fall camp. Steve Schilling has remained consistent and David Molk has improved. Mark Ortmann and Tim McAvoy have been solid and freshmen Ricky Barnum and Rocko Khoury have been the best of the newcomers on the offensive line.

• The tight end position is up for grabs with Mike Massey, Carson Butler, Martell Webb and Kevin Koger battling daily.

• Special teams will be a focal point of the program with starters contributing in all facets. The coaching staff will try and find the best 11 players for each spot. Morgan Trent has stood out on special teams, as has K.C. Lopata who has kicked well in camp. Sean Griffin has snapped well all fall and Zoltan Mesko continues to impress with his punting.

• Coach Rodriguez took time to single out a crop of freshmen that he thinks will contribute in 2008. Sam McGuffie and Michael Shaw have looked good on offense and have practiced with intensity all camp. Boubacar Cissoko, Mike Martin, Brandon Smith and J.B. Fitzgerald have all looked good on the defensive side of the ball.

• The program's walk-ons will play an ever increasing role in the future. Coach Rodriguez wants to build the best walk-on program in the country, with a full roster of 125 to 130 players in Maize and Blue in the future. Tim North, Jimmy Potempa, Zach Johnson, Jordan Reilly and Kevin Leach have all looked good in camp and could contribute on special teams as well as at their primary positions.blockquote>

 

Michigan State via http://www.enlightenedspartan.com

The Big Green Machine demonstrated against itself on Sunday that maybe it can move the ball through the air this year... in its first fall scrimmage, QBs Brian Hoyer and Kirk Cousins looked very sharp, and our wideouts hung onto the ball. Hoyer was 20-27 for 227 yards, with 2 TDs and 2 INTs... and Kirk Cousins was 13-13 for 73 yards and a touchdown. Also, in a glimpse to the future, Keith Nichol was a solid 8-10 for 112 yards and 2 TDs. The scrimmage was a "jersey scrimmage" and was orchestrated for certain situations, as opposed to a game-like scrimmage.

But, as impressive was wideouts BJ Cunningham, who had six catches for 99 yds. Fred Smith and Keshawn Martin each caught a TD pass as well. Leading the way on defense was Greg Jones, who had nine tackes, and 2 1/2 tackles for loss.

Coach Dantoino was not as impressed with the communication in the secondary, but said that may be due to some injuries. Injuries include DBs Brynden Trawick, Roderick Jenrette, FB Andrew Hawyke, and WR Deon Curry. The Doctor noted the injuries were 2-3 days hurts, but not serious.

Purdue via http://www.purduesports.com

With fall training camp underway, the Boilermakers will take a break from their routine Thursday for the annual media day festivities. Among the highlights of the event each fall is the first official press conference of the season with head coach Joe Tiller.

Stanford via http://www.gostanford.com

Stanford held its first scrimmage of its fall camp this afternoon on Elliott Field and while head coach Jim Harbaugh gave both sides of the ball positive reviews, he also acknowledged there was still plenty of room for improvement before the Cardinal kickoff the season against Oregon State on August 28th.

"We had a crisp, physical workout," said Harbaugh. "This team comes with the right mindset to practice each and every day. We've had very little fluctuation in our practices. I'm very happy with the consistency we are showing. Everyone knows there's plenty of room for improvement on both sides of the ball."

Quarterbacks Tavita Pritchard, Alex Loukas and Jason Forcier all took turns running the offense. Although he did not name a starter for the Oregon State game, Harbaugh did indicate that Pritchard was on top of the depth chart as of now, followed by Loukas and Forcier.

"There's not a huge difference between the three of them," said Harbaugh. "We feel we have three guys who we can win with. We treat all of them as starters."

"Early on, they were all struggling a bit. Maybe they were pressing a bit. But from the sixth practice on, they have all made great strides."

Said Pritchard: "All three of us are competing hard and making plays. We have three guys here who can get the job done. Our team is fully confident in any of us running the offense."

Running backs Anthony Kimble and Toby Gerhart continue to impress and show no signs of the injuries that plagued them last season. Each back was used early and often in the scrimmage, with Kimble picking up gains of 15 and eight yards on consecutive plays.

Gerhart picked up 10 yards on an inside handoff sand also was on the receiving end of an eight yard touchdown pass from Pritchard.

Blaise Johnson also opened eyes with a pair of touchdown runs to go along with another run that resulted in a 20-yard gain.

Placekicker Aaron Zagory connected on a 27-yard field goal. Bo McNally also had an interception.

North Carolina via http://www.tarheelblue.com

With one segment left in Tuesday's afternoon practice--the first time the Tar Heels have practiced in the afternoon since last week--Butch Davis gathered his team and allowed them to take their pads off for the day's final 15 minutes. Somewhat surprisingly, at least one player would have rather kept the pads on. "That's my weapon right there, the pads," said safety Melvin Williams with a smile. "I like to hit, so I felt like one of my weapons was gone. But we had played hard today, so he gave us a little break."...Freshman Quentin Coples echoed the same sentiment--and showed a good, aggressive nature for a rookie. As he jogged to his next assignment after the pads had been removed, Coples said, "Man, this is for the birds. I want to hit something."...Williams has been pairing with Da'Norris Searcy as the second-team safety and says they already have good chemistry. "We have the same style of play, because we love to hit," Williams said. "We've gotten to where we understand what the other guy will do in most situations."...

ACC commissioner and former UNC athletic director John Swofford took in part of Tuesday's practice before walking across the street to get a first-hand look at the Boshamer Stadium renovations...Pass-blocking isn't always the favorite part of practice for most running backs, but the UNC backs went through a boisterous pass-blocking session against Tar Heel linebackers. Anthony Elzy was especially enthusiastic--and backed up his talk with several solid blocks. Ryan Houston also dropped a pancake block on an unsuspecting defender that drew several shouts of approval...

There is some talk in the Carolina weight room that Brooks Foster might be the strongest wide receiver in college football. The senior is now bench pressing 405 pounds, but he says he's most proud of his power clean of 360. "My goal is to be the strongest receiver in college," Foster said. "At the combine, I want to try and get the bench record." The South Carolina native has come a long way from the freshman who admittedly didn't like to do any football conditioning activities. "I've learned you need to be good in the weight room to be good at football," he said. "As a receiver, it keeps you from getting injuries, helps you get in and out of cuts better, gives you more power and more endurance."...

The highlight of Tuesday's practice was a spirited short-yardage goal-line session between the offense and defense. Luckily, officials were on hand to rule on whether the offense was able to get into the end zone--calls that were fiercely contested when they went against the defense...Tomorrow's practice notes will come after the evening session rather than the morning practice.

Washington via http://uwfootball.blogspot.com

TE Mike Gottleib has a pulled hamstring and Walt Winter has been elevated to #1 TE. You would have thought that Izbicki would have moved to #1 but off field problems this past summer is one reason it isn't happening. Another eason is Winter just might be the best blocker and blocking is a more important requirement at this time than pass catching at TE. Kavario Middleton is still swimming like all freshman do. Once he gets the play book down he is still going to need a year in the program to put on the muscle required to block efficiently. With two and a half weeks till the Oregon game Gottleib is going to be most likely ready to play anyway.

Coach Willingham expects Curtis Shaw to return to the program once his family issues are worked out. No timetable on that one but we have heard whispers that it may not till be spring.

Alameda Ta'amu has made a good impression this camp and is expected to join the rotation at defensive tackle. Senio Kelemente should join the team no later than the end of the week. Craig Noble should be getting his test results very soon. If they are positive expect him to hop a plane and be here the next day.

Pittsburgh via http://pittsburghpanthers.com

General scrimmage impressions:
"It was solid work. I thought there were enough game-changing plays on both sides of the ball. I was hoping for a little bit more. From the veteran standpoint, we decided to hold LaRod Stephens-Howling and Bill Stull. They both could have gone. If we would have played a game today, they both would have played. We limited LeSean McCoy. He had 11 carries, averaged six yards a carry. I was very pleased with him, except his one turnover. I'd like to say it was an outstanding day of football, but we turned the ball over. He ran good, he made guys miss. Chris Burns looked good, the returners looked good, and all the running backs. Jonathan Baldwin made three great plays. He made two by the sideline. Unfortunately, both of them were out of bounds. It's pretty evident that we need to find a way to get him ready to go. He has a chance to help us. Andrew Taglianetti keeps showing up from a defensive standpoint. We're going to start working him on special teams. He can really help us in that area. Overall, solid scrimmage. We didn't get anyone really hurt today, but we have a lot of work to do."

Boston College via http://www.bceagles.com

For the first time this preseason, Boston College worked under a warm sun as the football team prepares for its second scrimmage on Wednesday night. Senior Kevin Akins, who was recently moved from linebacker to corner, picked off two passes during the two and a half hour session.

Akins shined on the defensive side but the wide receivers made some spectacular plays as well. Junior Rich Gunnell scampered for a long touchdown catch down the right sideline while sophomore Ifeanyi Momah used his 6-6 frame and soft hands to leap over the corner and juggle in a catch.

Freshman Colin Larmond, Jr. also grabbed a long reception on the left side with a man on his hip.

The Eagles get back to their double sessions on Wednesday with a practice in the morning followed by the second scrimmage of camp in the afternoon.

Navy via http://www.navysports.com

The Navy defense forced seven turnovers, recorded 17 tackles for a loss and came up with seven sacks in a dominating performance against the offense on Saturday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Navy's first team offense had nine possessions and managed just two field goals against the first team defense, while the second team offense did not score in nine possessions and turned the ball over four times against the second team defense.

Bright spots on the offensive side of the ball were few and far between. Senior slot back Jarod Bryant rushed for 33 yards on two carries, 29 of those yards came off a beautiful run on an option pitch by senior quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada. Freshman fullback Alex Teich continues to make a strong push to be the backup fullback, rushing for 48 yards on 12 carries. Senior quarterback Joe Taylor, playing with the third unit, rushed for 55 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. It was the offense's only touchdown of the day. Senior kicker Matt Harmon made both field goal attempts with ease; the first from 42 yards and the second was from 47 yards out.

Syracuse via http://www.syracuse.com

Life is good. The Orange hit the practice field this morning at 7:30 dressed in shells (helmets, shoulder pads and shorts). Temperatures were in the 50s. Nothing like natural air conditioning. Not a cloud in the sky, either. By the time SU finished up around 10, someone broke out the popcicles. Defensive tackle Arthur Jones slurped down a grape one and called it "a nice treat." It's a funny scene seeing so many large football players walking to the locker room with helmets in one hands and popcicles in another.

Team has another practice tonight at the Dome. Head coach Greg Robinson said he moved the practice to break things up and give his team some night work. Orange probably needs a little more recovery time between doubles now that it has entered the grind of camp.

 

 

The Trojans hit the field for a scrimmage at the Coliseum this afternoon. The hour long session was dominated by the defense. They were jumping all over the short routes and the only big play of note was a 45 yarder along the sideline from Green to the talented young Brandon Carswell.

Aaron Corp got the start and had a few nice quarterback scrambles. That mobility is part of why some people think that the young QB should get the Virginia start over Mitch Mustain (should Mark Sanchez still be out with his knee injury). The first team fumbled near the goal line before half time.

The defensive domination was lead, surprisingly, by an athletic looking d-line. Here's to hoping that continues. The defensive line is no doubt one of the few question marks heading into the season. We're young in that department but that youth includes some budding stars (Everson Griffen, one of those stars, was on the sidelines today).

Mustain ended practice by throwing an interception to young CB Brian Baucham.

Nothing but more great fall camp ahead, right up until the big opener against Virginia.