College football notes: Vernon Adams slated to start against EWU
Former Eastern Washington quarterback Vernon Adams is No. 1 on the Oregon depth chart and scheduled to start against his former school when the Eagles play at Oregon on Sept. 5.
The school’s official athletics website, GoDucks.com, reported Friday that Adams is “slated to start” against EWU.
Adams, an FCS All-American, joined the No. 7 Ducks just two weeks ago after passing the final math class he needed to graduate from EWU.
On the depth chart released Friday, Adams was listed above Jeff Lockie, who was Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota’s backup last season.
Adams, a two-time Big Sky Conference offensive player of the year, threw for 10,438 yards and 110 touchdowns in three seasons for the Eagles.
Under NCAA rules he needed to complete his undergraduate coursework – specifically, a final math class – to transfer from EWU. The rules allow players with eligibility who have graduated to transfer to another school without having to sit out a season.
Adams joins Oregon after the departure of Mariota, who left school early to go pro.
Illinois fires coach before season opener
A week before the start of the football season, a difficult summer for the University of Illinois became chaotic as coach Tim Beckman was fired after an investigation found he tried to influence medical decisions and pressure players to play with injuries.
Beckman’s firing follows the resignations this month of the top two officials on campus, revelations that they had used private emails accounts to avoid public scrutiny of school business, and a pair of lawsuits in which former women’s basketball and women’s soccer players claim they were mistreated by coaches.
FCS champions prepare for hostile environment
In their short life as a Division I football program, the North Dakota State Bison have notched signature wins on the road at Iowa State, Kansas State, Kansas, Colorado State and Minnesota. Bison coach Chris Klieman says none of those places is as intimidating as the University of Montana’s home field.
Even when the air is clear.
The four-time defending Football Championship Subdivision winners open the season today at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in front of what Klieman calls “27,000 sitting on that mountain” in Missoula, where the first D-I game of the season is expected to go on even though the air quality on Friday was rated “very unhealthy” because of forest fires in the region.
The Grizzlies rarely lose at home, where they have won 89 percent of their games and were 7-0 last season.
LSU’s Cameron treated for prostate cancer
LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron says he has been treated for prostate cancer, but has been given “a clean bill of health” and plans to maintain his regular coaching duties.
The 54-year-old Cameron has been the offensive coordinator at LSU for two seasons and has also spent numerous seasons coaching in the NFL.