State Football Roundup: Moss listed as a starter for Sunday's game

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GREEN BAY - The Green Bay Packers will focus on their game-plan today, as they return to practice for Sunday’s regular season opener against San Francisco at Lambeau Field.

Both teams are keeping things close to the vest – and in some ways, they’re acting blindly. Packers’ coach Mike McCarthy says up to 40-percent of plays in the first couple weeks of the regular season have not been scouted. The Packers are trying to keep the 49’ers guessing about pass coverage – specifically, who will play at safety when Charles Woodson becomes a roamer on passing downs. Also, McCarthy has not declared a starter at corner opposite Tramon Williams. Jarrett Bush has been considered as the starter on the weak side. But he could share time with Sam Shields, and perhaps Davon House when he recovers from a shoulder injury. Meanwhile, the 49’ers have given away very little during their exhibition games – and they’re not saying how they’ll use newly-acquired receivers Randy Moss, Mario Manningham, and A.J. Jenkins. Moss is listed as a starter. Niners’ coach Jim Harbaugh is trying to boost a passing offense that generated only one catch in last January’s NFC Championship Game. Tight end Vernon Davis has been San Francisco’s top receiver. The Packers ran some plays against a Davis impersonator at training camp.

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Oregon State coach Mike Riley says it’s the biggest non-conference game his school has ever hosted. The 13th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers will play the Beavers on Saturday in Corvallis. It’s the first time a Big Ten team has played there since 1971, when Oregon State topped Iowa by two touchdowns. The Badgers are 1-0 after getting by Northern Iowa by five points at home last Saturday. Oregon State will play its season opener, after its game at Nicholls State of Louisiana was washed out by Hurricane Issac last week. The Beavers went 3-9 a year ago – and one of those losses was to Wisconsin, 35-0 in Madison. Riley said the postponement gave his team a chance to practice more and get some injured players healthy. Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema said he expects to see a much-improved Oregon State team than the one from a year ago. Because the Beavers had not played yet, they could not provide game-film to the Badgers – so Bielema refused to give Oregon State his film from the win over Northern Iowa. But Riley said he go the film anyway from a source he wouldn’t name.

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Hartland Arrowhead has moved into first place in the large school division of the AP state high school football poll. Last week’s leader, Waunakee, dropped to second. Sun Prairie is third, followed by Sussex Hamilton and Brookfield Central. The top-eight teams in the large school division are all 2-0. West De Pere continues to lead the middle-sized schools. Walworth Big Foot is second, followed by Waukesha Catholic Memorial, Wisconsin Lutheran, and Kewaskum. They’re all at 2-0. In the A=P small school poll, Fond du Lac St. Mary's Springs held its first-place spot from a week ago. Edgar is second, followed by Lancaster, Eau Claire Regis, and Colby. All those teams are also at 2-0.

Tags: wisconsin sports, football, proam, packers, badgers, prep