Lineup
FEATURES
PRO FOOTBALL
32 No More Kid Stuff
The rookie learning curve is steep:
• How Texans defensive tackle Amobi Okoye studies up
By Lee Jenkins
• Why Vikings running back Adrian Peterson must slow it down
By Damon Hack
Plus: Joe Thomas, Patrick Willis, Dwayne Bowe and Darrelle Revis
BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
38 Rocktoberfest
Colorado's more than a Cinderella story. It's a multifaceted juggernaut
By Jack McCallum
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
44 Against All Odds
Les Miles's fourth-down gambles paid off in LSU's victory over Florida
By Austin Murphy
OH BOY.
There he goes again. Bruce Pearl's got his shirt off
With a freewheeling offense and pressing D, the purposely annoying coach has revitalized Tennessee basketball
By Grant Wahl
P.50
Departments
6 Leading Off
14 Letters
17 Players
• James Carville, LSU superfan
• First Person: Tony Romo
• Marion Jones comes clean
• Recalling the NFL's darkest days
28 Faces in the Crowd
72 Life of Reilly
Sign up for Packers tickets now— and wait until 3074 by Rick Reilly
Inside...
60 The NFL
• The Broncos' gambles backfire
64 College Football
• Kansas rewrites its horrid history
65 High School Football
• Good kickers are a hot commodity
68 NASCAR
• Two future stars get a few laps in
70 The NHL
• The Russians are going!
Cover
PHOTOGRAPH BY JIM McISAAC/GETTY IMAGES
INSET PHOTOS: Sean Gardner/Reuters (LSU)
Bill Frakes (Pearl)
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL 2007
›› From the battle for No. 1 to the Heisman Trophy race, the college football season is heating up, and SI.com has everything you need to stay on top of the action. Online coverage highlights include....
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1. Photos: Female athletes off the field
2. Peter King: Brett Favre still shines
• 3. King: Matt Leinart should put team first
› OUR PICKS
• 1. Jack McCallum on Andrew Bynum
2. Tom Verducci's Five Cuts every day
3. NHL: Michael Farber's On the Fly column
SPECIAL THIS WEEK
TAKKLE SM
SI/TAKKLE.com
Top 100 High School Football Players
NO. 1: DARRELL SCOTT, RB • SAINT BONAVENTURE HIGH VENTURA, CALIF.
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ON CAMPUS
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TNT
PHOTO
BOB DONNAN/US PRESSWIRE (OKOYE)
32 SO FAR, SO GOOD Texans rookie defensive tackle Amobi Okoye (center), the youngest player in NFL history, has already learned how to revel in a sack.
PHOTO
BILL FRAKES (PEARL)
PHOTO
TOP: BOB ROSATO
PHOTO
DAMIAN STROHMEYER
TWO PHOTOS
ROBERT BECK (2)
TWO PHOTOS
JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (BYNUM, LEINART)
PHOTO
JOHN PYLE/CAL SPORT MEDIA (SCOTT)