CFB notebook: Edwards apologizes for comments about Michigan players

Braylon Edwards apologized that he singled out players in a tweet he sent over the weekend in which he was critical of Michigan's performance against Notre Dame, but he told The Detroit News that he stands by his general assessment. Edwards, an analyst for the Big Ten Network and a former Michigan receiver, was criticized by Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh on Monday for his tweet that called Wolverines offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz "weak" and characterized Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson as "scared." He also said Michigan is so "f---ing" predictable. Edwards was suspended indefinitely by the Big Ten Network. In his apology, delivered via Twitter, Edwards said, "I would like to address the tweet from this past Saturday. I should not have attacked Ruiz and Patterson that hard or period individually. I apologize as a former student athlete and NCAA analyst. With that being said UM football still needs to step up so no apologies there." Edwards expanded on his tweets in an interview with the News. "I admit I was excessive and emotional and inebriated. Mix those together," he told the newspaper. "But the focus of my tweets remains intact. I stand by that. I was over-excessive Saturday night at 10:29, but I don't back down on my overall stance as an alum and a fan. I've always defended Michigan. Even this year, I was high on Michigan." --Alabama and Clemson remained the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in both Associated Press and USA Today coaches college football polls. Alabama received six more first-place votes than it did a week ago in the AP poll while Clemson lost six of its first-place votes. The top three remained the same in the AP poll, with No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Clemson followed by No. 3 Georgia. Ohio State took over the No. 4 spot from Washington, which dropped from No. 4 to No. 9 in the AP poll after its 21-16 loss to Auburn, which moved up two spots to No. 7. LSU made the biggest jump, going from No. 25 last week to No. 11 this week after its 33-17 victory over Miami, which fell from No. 8 to No. 22. Virginia Tech rose from No. 20 to No. 12 after its 24-3 victory over Florida State, while Michigan fell seven spots to No. 21 after its loss to Notre Dame. --LSU linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson will miss the rest of the season with an injury, coach Ed Orgeron said. Chaisson appeared to injure his knee in the fourth quarter of the Tigers' 33-17 win over Miami (Fla.) on Sunday. LSU had high hopes for Chaisson, who was expected to succeed Arden Key as the team's edge rusher in its 3-4 alignment. Also, Orgeron announced that starting right tackle Adrian Magee will miss two or three weeks after sustaining an injury. --Oregon tight end Cam McCormick suffered a broken bone in his leg and will miss the rest of the season. McCormick caught six passes for 89 yards and a touchdown last season as a redshirt freshman. McCormick was a surprise winner of a position battle during fall camp when he beat out junior Jacob Breeland for the starting tight-end spot. --Arkansas State wide receiver Dahu Green is expected to miss the remainder of the season after sustaining a broken ankle. Green was injured during the second quarter of the Red Wolves' 48-21 win over FCS program Southeast Missouri State on Saturday. Green sat out last season under NCAA transfer rules following his departure from Oklahoma. Green had two receptions for 23 yards for the Red Wolves, who visit top-ranked Alabama (1-0) on Saturday. --Indiana running back Cole Gest is expected to miss the remainder of the season after sustaining a torn ACL in the season-opening 38-28 victory over Florida International. Gest stepped up in place of 2017 leading rusher Morgan Ellison, who was suspended indefinitely by the football program for violating unspecified team rules. Gest rushed five times for 17 yards before sustaining his injury. He totaled 428 yards on the ground last season. --Nick Fitzgerald is back atop Mississippi State's depth chart. The senior quarterback and team captain served a one-game suspension for a violation of team policy last week, when he was demoted to the scout team as the Bulldogs prepared for the season opener against Stephen F. Austin. Keytaon Thompson took all of the first-team reps and was excellent in victory. With MSU preparing for its first true road game against a Power 5 opponent in a decade this weekend at Kansas State, Fitzgerald was back with the first team when the Bulldogs started practice on Sunday.