Another Big Day for Da'Rel?

Forgive Da’Rel Scott if he is salivating heading into Saturday’s game against Middle Tennessee State. After a 197-yard performance in the opener against Delaware, Scott is preparing to face a struggling run defense that allowed an average of almost 200 yards on the ground per game last season.

Scott’s leg infection is no longer an issue, though Ralph Friedgen got a little testy when I asked about it yesterday because I guess it is an injury and Ralph doesn’t like to talk about injuries during the week. Scott did not have his “extra gear” last week, which allowed him to be caught from behind at times. A handful of players I talked to say he never gets caught from behind in practice.

If at full strength, how many yards does he get Saturday? Here is a quote from Middle Tennessee State Coach Rick Stockstill that Steve Yanda got in a phone interview:

“I think this will be a true test for us this week,” Stockstill said. “Last year, we had a lot of guys hurt on defense the last three or four weeks of the season. I didn’t think we tackled very good the last half of the season, either. I thought we did better against Troy last week but not good enough yet. We have got to try to get a lot of guys around the ball. I don’t think one guy is going to be able to tackle [Scott]. We have got to get two or three guys around him when he has got the ball.”