USC launches Marqise Lee Heisman campaign

By John TaylorNov 7, 2012, 12:51 PM EST

Prior to the start of the 2012 season, USC quarterback Matt Barkley was the presumptive Heisman front-runner among most seasoned observers.

As we’re now 10 weeks into the year, it’s one of Barkley’s teammates who’s getting the stiff-armed push from the school. And deservedly so.

In its first official push of the year, USC Wednesday released a video championing wide receiver Marqise Lee for the Heisman and several other high-profile awards. The video is really well done — mainly due to the electrifying subject — and contains several opposing coaches heaping praise on a player who, as just a true sophomore, is being called the most NFL-ready receiver the game has seen in years.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ZLh1_Z3_0fk]
Yeah, the kid’s kinda good, and the video evidence tells just a part of the story as Lee is statistically one of the top receivers in the country: second in receptions per game (9.8); second in receiving yards per game (142.9); and second in touchdown receptions (12). Lee did a significant amount of damage in the loss to Arizona, setting a school and Pac-12 record with 345 yards receiving.

And, just like the last wide receiver to take home the Heisman (Desmond Howard, 1991), Lee is doing some of his damage in the return game as well, with his 29.4 yards per kickoff return good for 11th in the nation. The week after setting the above-mentioned receiving mark, he broke the school and conference mark with 251 kick return yards against Oregon.

I don’t know if Lee deserves to win the Heisman like Howard, but he’s at least earned the right to be a part of the discussion.

Utah State player upgraded to fair condition after collapse

Associated PressMar 25, 2023, 1:50 AM EDT

Stephen Lew/Getty Images

Utah State redshirt freshman wide receiver Josh Davis is in fair condition on Friday, one day after collapsing at spring football practice following sudden cardiac arrest, the university announced.

Davis, initially was listed in critical condition, was breathing on his own. He is in the intensive-care unit at McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden, Utah.

Davis’ parents arrived in Utah on Thursday evening.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Davis, who is from Carlsbad, California, collapsed at Merlin Olsen Field and was immediately treated by the training staff, the university said. He was taken to Logan Regional Hospital.

The university said Davis was stabilized in the Logan hospital before being moved to Ogden.

Alabama suspends freshman defensive back after drug arrest

Associated PressMar 20, 2023, 10:32 PM EDT

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama freshman defensive back Tony Mitchell has been suspended from the team following his arrest on a drug charge.

Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Monday after the first practice of spring that Mitchell was suspended from the team “and all team activities until we gather more information about the situation and what his legal circumstance is.”

The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office arrested Mitchell and another man, Christophere Lewis, last week on a charge of possession of marijuana with the intent to sell or deliver, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. Lewis also was charged with carrying a concealed gun without a permit.

“Everybody’s got an opportunity to make choices and decisions,” Saban said. “There’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You’ve gotta be responsible for who you’re with, who you’re around and what you do, who you associate yourself with and the situations that you put yourself in. It is what it is, but there is cause and effect when you make choices and decisions that put you in bad situations.”

Mitchell, who is from Alabaster, Alabama, was a five-star prospect rated the 34th-best player and No. 3 safety in the 247Composite rankings.

Mitchell was driving the vehicle during a traffic stop. After deputies smelled marijuana, Mitchell picked up a baggie of marijuana from the passenger floorboard, according to the department’s Facebook post.

Sheriff’s deputies found “an additional significant amount of marijuana, a set of scales, a loaded handgun between the passenger seat and center console, and a large amount of cash,” according to the department’s Facebook post.