Weekend Top 25 results

After another dominating performance by North Carolina DE Julius Peppers against Clemson on Saturday, I'm projecting the gifted 6-6, 290-pounder as the early favorite to become the Houston Texans' first draft choice and the first pick overall in the 2002 NFL draft.

	DE Julius Peppers leads North Carolina in interceptions with three, including this one vs. Florida State.

While Peppers is a fourth-year junior, there have been indications for a while that he would bypass his final season of college eligibility and enter the draft.

After Peppers led the nation with 15 sacks last season, there was some speculation that he was considering a jump to the NFL as a third-year sophomore. Fortunately for the Tar Heel faithful and UNC head coach John Bunting, a candidate for Coach of the Year, that wasn't the case.

Peppers has keyed a dramatic turnaround of UNC's fortunes this season. In seven games, Peppers has recorded 43 tackles, including 17 stops behind the line of scrimmage, 8½ sacks and a team-best three interceptions.

The Tar Heels dropped their first three games, allowing more than 40 points against Oklahoma and Texas. Since then UNC has won five straight, with the Peppers-led defense limiting opponents to an average of just 13 points per game. On Saturday, in the Tar Heels' eye-catching 38-3 victory over Clemson, Peppers and company did a great job containing multidimensional QB Woodrow Dantzler.

In Clemson's 45-37 victory over N.C. State the previous week, Dantzler was able to vault back into the Heisman Trophy race, beating the Wolfpack with both his arm and his improvisational running ability.

However, with Peppers wreaking havoc from the outside and sophomore free safety Dexter Reid (seven tackles, one sack) anchoring the secondary, the UNC defense limited Dantzler to just 116 yards of total offense. Dantzler completed just 10-of-25 passes for 73 yards and was held to 43 rushing yards. Peppers and the fast-rising Tar Heels won't be in action again until Nov. 1, when they travel to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech (ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET). Rambling Wreck QB George Godsey will have to deal with the intimidating Peppers that night.

The Tar Heels have to be one of the most impressive 5-3 teams in the history of college football. The three teams they lost to -- Oklahoma, Maryland and Texas, all on the road -- are now in the Top 10. And their five victories have come against teams that went to bowl games last season, with Georgia Tech, another bowl team from a season ago, next on UNC's schedule.

FRESHMEN PAY DIVIDENDS FOR BULLDOGS
A number of first-year performers were pivotal in leading their teams to victories Saturday.

Freshman WR Fred Gibson of Georgia put on a show, establishing himself as an impact performer. Gibson hauled in nine receptions for 201 yards and two TDs in Georgia's hard-fought, 43-29 victory over Kentucky, becoming a vital target for redshirt-freshman QB David Greene. At 6-foot-4, 185 pounds and athletically gifted, Gibson also excels as a big-time kick returner, averaging 28.6 yards on 10 returns this season.

Gibson's 201-yard day broke the previous school record, which had stood since 1942 (Lamar Davis, 198 yards vs. Cincinnati). Keep in mind, the Bulldogs have produced some top-level wideouts over the years, led by Lindsay Scott, Hines Ward and Andre Hastings. So breaking this record is an impressive accomplishment.

In the recruiting process, Gibson reportedly came down to either Georgia or Florida. Obviously a prized recruit for coach Mark Richt, Gibson also might play on the Bulldogs' basketball team. Prior to a Georgia North-South high school all-star game, Gibson won a slam-dunk competition.

A key to Gibson's success has been the outstanding play of redshirt-freshman QB David Greene. The incredibly poised lefty appears unflappable in pressure situations. For the season, Greene has completed an impressive 63.6 percent of his passes for 1,724 yards, 11 TDs and just four interceptions. Against Kentucky, Greene accounted for four TDs (three passing, one rushing) while throwing for a season-high 364 yards.

The 5-1 Bulldogs likely will be without RB Musa Smith when they take on Florida this week in Jacksonville. Smith sat out the Kentucky game and is listed as doubtful due to a groin/hip injury. If Smith is unable to go, the Bulldogs will feature big backs Jasper Sanks and Verron Haynes. Georgia is off next week before Auburn visits Nov. 10.

Another top-notch freshman wideout, Terrence Murphy of Texas A&M, stood out this weekend. A former high school QB who was not heavily recruited, Murphy has proven once again that impact performers can sometimes slip through the cracks. Against Kansas State on Saturday, Murphy had five receptions for 107 yards and one TD. He's currently the Aggies' second-leading receiver with 23 catches for an impressive 18.2-yard average and three TDs.

Super blue-chip RB Cedric Benson of Texas also had a sensational Saturday. Benson accounted for 159 yards of total offense and a pair of TDs in the Longhorns' 41-7 victory over Colorado, proving that he's one of the dynamic newcomers in college football.

MISSOURI'S GAGE AMONG BIG 12'S ELITE RECEIVERS
While Texas WRs Roy Williams and B.J. Johnson -- along with Oklahoma's group of talented wideouts -- tend to steal the spotlight in the Big 12, one of the more unheralded blue-chip receivers in the conference -- and the nation -- is Missouri's Justin Gage.

A former prep QB and DB who didn't make the transition to receiver until the 2000 season, Gage, an athletically gifted 6-5, 200-pounder, is posting numbers that make him worthy of All-American consideration.

In the Tigers' 38-34 victory over Kansas on Saturday, Gage was virtually uncoverable (11 catches, 148 yards, one TD). And a penalty against the Tigers nullified what would have been a 35-yard TD reception by Gage. For the season, he has 45 receptions for 518 yards and three TDs.

This week, Gage will be working against the Texas Longhorns and highly regarded Quentin Jammer, an NFL cornerback prospect.