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PREVIOUS NUGGETS |
10.27.05: Renewal
of USM-NCSU series set for television ... Conference USA
Standings, Scores & Schedule |
10.26.05: Pirate
basketball set for lights, camera, action ... Conference USA
Standings, Scores & Schedule |
10.25.05: Stokes'
first squad opening act for Homecoming ... Conference USA
Standings, Scores & Schedule |
10.24.05: College
Football Headliners: Stars & Storylines ... Conference USA
Standings, Scores & Schedule |
10.23.05: C-USA
Football Standings, Scores & Schedule |
10.22.05: C-USA
Football Standings, Scores & Schedule |
10.21.05: ECU
injury report a mixed bag for U of M game ... NCAA tinkers
with experimental basketball rules ... C-USA Football
Standings, Scores & Schedule |
10.20.05: Storm-weary
Tulane blown off course again ... Video company repents for
N.C. State incident ... C-USA Football Standings, Scores &
Schedule |
10.19.05: Southern
Miss star receiver lost for season ...
C-USA Football Standings, Scores & Schedule |
10.18.05: Pick
artist Parker reinforces ECU's renaissance ... Conference
USA Standings, Scores & Schedule |
10.17.05: Conference
USA Standings, Scores & Schedule ... College Football
Headliners: Stars & Storylines |
10.16.05: Conference
USA Standings and Scoreboard |
10.15.05: C-USA standings, scores &
schedule |
10.14.05: Va.
Tech ponies up bonanza for Beamer, staff ... Lefty-inspired
hoops tradition goes primetime ... C-USA standings, scores &
schedule |
10.13.05: Texas
baseball stadium gets $13 million name ... Conference USA
standings, scores & schedule |
10.12.05: C-USA,
Sun Belt bowl matchup moving to UL-L ... Feds: Wolfpack
basketball player in USA illegally ... One- time Dye
assistant calling it quits at Temple ... C-USA standings,
scores & schedule |
10.11.05: Mazey
benched; Godwin to fill in as head coach ... Pinkney earns
3rd career player of week honor ... Conference USA
standings, scores & schedule |
10.10.05: College
football headliners: stars & storylines ... Conference USA
standings, scores & schedule |
10.09.05: Scoreboard
and updated C-USA standings |
10.08.05: Conference
USA schedule, standings & scores |
10.07.05: Coley
twins mean double trouble for USM foes ... Golden Eagles
hoops squad loses leading scorer |
10.06.05: Dye's
ECU Hall of Fame homecoming tripped up by illness ... Utah
coach sanctioned for slamming ACC referees |
10.05.05: C-USA
reshuffles games in wake of hurricanes ... Memphis player
booted after Beale Street incident |
10.04.05: Tip-Off
Classic pits UAB against Massachusetts ... Conference USA
standings, schedule & scores |
10.03.05: College
football headliners: stars & storylines ... Conference USA
standings, schedule & scores |
10.02.05: Scoreboard:
C-USA teams & ECU opponents |
10.01.05: BCS
poll's shaky start signals same ol', same ol' ...
Katrina-forced transfer cleared to play at Cincy |
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News Nuggets, 10.28.05
NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...
Previous Day Nuggets...
Next Day Nuggets...
Compiled from staff reports
and electronic dispatches
UTEP QB Palmer gaining his own slice of respect
EL PASO Texas-El Paso
quarterback Jordan Palmer might never win the Heisman Trophy or be the No. 1
overall pick in the NFL draft.
But Palmer, who is having his
own type of success, doesn't view being the younger brother of someone who
has achieved those milestones as a burden.
Palmer, whose brother, Carson,
won the Heisman at Southern California in 2002 and was the top pick in the
2003 draft, has made impressive strides this season and played a key role in
UTEP's 5-1 start.
``My goal isn't to be better
than my brother. It's just to be as good as I can be,'' Jordan Palmer said.
``It's not my goal to win the Heisman or to be the first pick in the draft.
That's crazy. Only one or two guys can get those things every year.''
UTEP, which plays Saturday at
Rice, is coming off a 31-3 win over Marshall, a game in which the 6-foot-5,
230-pound Palmer threw three touchdown passes.
The Miners, Owls and Thundering Herd
are first-year members of Conference USA, which has expanded to 12 teams
split into two divisions since last year.
UTEP, which resides in the West
Division, is not on East Division member East Carolina's 8-game league slate
this season, but the conference's rotating schedule of inter-divisional
match-ups will pit the teams against each other every other year, on
average, in the future.
Palmer's 47 career passing TDs
and 5,752 total yards both rank second in school history, and he's on pace
to overtake several other UTEP records.
The junior ranks 20th
nationally in total offense, averaging 278.7 yards per game.
Coach Mike Price said it all
started late last season, when Palmer demonstrated a firm grasp of the
offense. He continued the trend in spring workouts and it's evident this
fall.
``Jordan has really improved a
lot,'' Price said. ``He's getting better every week and he's got a great
attitude. He works hard. He's a special guy from a special family.''
Palmer threw for 2,818 yards
with 26 touchdowns and 18 interceptions last season. He has 1,668 yards
passing with 14 TDs and seven interceptions this season, and he has started
UTEP's last 18 games, going 13-5.
For Price, the growth is
reminiscent of another of his quarterbacks Ryan Leaf in the mid-1990s at
Washington State.
``In one year, Ryan made a lot
of progress,'' Price said. ``That's exactly what Jordan has done.''
Price, who also coached
college standouts Drew Bledsoe and Jason Gesser at Washington State, said
Palmer ``is only going to get better.''
``His arm is good enough to
throw the long ball, to throw the post, or to throw it with touch on the
screen,'' Price said. ``He just needs to get better at reading defenses, the
mental side.''
Palmer has made mistakes. He
threw for a career-high 431 yards passing, but also had three interceptions
on Oct. 1 in UTEP's only loss 27-20 at C-USA opponent Memphis.
He responded by completing 39
of 57 attempts 68 percent for 493 yards and six TDs in the next two
games, wins over Tulane and Marshall.
Palmer called the Memphis loss
``a good learning tool.''
``I made a lot of tough
throws, but I missed a ton of easy ones. When you do that, it's easy to
fix,'' he said. ``Sometimes, you're off. So I just tried to work on
consistency.''
Palmer took a phone call from
his older brother shortly after losing to Memphis.
``He said, `Forget it. I've
been there and done that. Everyone does it,''' Palmer recalled.
The Palmer brothers talk every
other day or so, but their chats aren't deep on football. They'll mention
which opponent each quarterback is facing and which defense they'll see, but
the conversation quickly drifts.
``We usually talk about
important stuff like girls and cars,'' Jordan Palmer said.
Palmer wasn't heavily
recruited out of Mission Viejo (Calif.) High School in 2002. He didn't start
at quarterback until he was a senior.
``It's still pretty new,''
Palmer said. ``That's why experience is so huge for me. Every game counts.
In some ways, it's like it's my second year playing football.''
Palmer redshirted at UTEP the
same season his brother won the Heisman.
He chose the Miners over
Fresno State but considered California, which made a late recruiting pitch
after missing on other prospects.
Price wasn't coaching in El
Paso at the time, but thinks Palmer made a wise decision. Had he chosen a
California school, Price believes Palmer would have faced frequent
comparisons with his brother.
``Out here, he's more of his
own man,'' Price said.
Carson Palmer is 5 years
older, but the two have always been close. In the UTEP media guide, Jordan
lists Carson as his sports hero.
``He is a great brother,''
Palmer said. ``He always let me tag along with him even though he was older.
He's been my best friend forever. We were brothers way before we were
quarterbacks.''
C-USA Football Standings, Scores & Schedule
CONFERENCE
USA STANDINGS
(Through games
of Saturday, Oct. 22, 2005)
EAST DIVISION
TEAM
C-USA ALL
Southern Miss
3-1 4-2
Central Florida 3-1
4-3
Memphis
3-2 4-3
East Carolina
2-2 3-4
Marshall
2-2 3-4
UAB
1-3 3-4
WEST DIVISION
TEAM
C-USA ALL
Tulsa
4-1 5-3
Texas-El Paso
3-1 5-1
Houston
2-2 4-3
Tulane
1-3 2-4
Southern Methodist 1-4 2-6
Rice
0-3 0-6
THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
[C-USA
teams in bold; ECU opponents in red.]
SATURDAY, OCT.
29
Southern Mississippi at N.C. State, 12 pm
Wake Forest at
Duke, 12 pm
Central Florida at East Carolina, 2 pm
Texas-El Paso at Rice, 6 pm
Marshall at Tulane, 7 pm
LAST WEEK'S SCORES
[C-USA
teams in bold; ECU opponents in red.]
FRIDAY, OCT.
21
Central Florida 34, Tulane 24
Southern Mississippi 37, UAB 28
SATURDAY,
OCT. 22
Tulsa 20,
Southern Methodist 13
Memphis 27,
East Carolina 24
Texas-El Paso 31, Marshall 3
Houston 28, Mississippi State 16
Navy 41, Rice 9
Wake Forest 27, N.C. State 19
Florida State 55, Duke 24
West Virginia at South Florida,
postponed
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News Nuggets are
compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data
published by ECU, Conference USA and its member
schools; and reports from Associated Press and
other sources. Copyright 2005
Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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