A look at Thursday’s junior college football openers

Independence (0-0) at No. 6 Butler (0-0), 7 p.m. — This is Butler’s one tuneup before a two-game stretch that defines the trajectory of its season.

The Grizzlies, after Thursday’s game against the lowly Pirates, travel to No. 2 Iowa Western and then return home to face No. 11 Hutchinson, two other teams with NJCAA title aspirations.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Grizzlies had yet to finalize their 63-man roster.

Bethany JV (0-0) at No. 11 Hutchinson (0-0), 7 p.m. — The Blue Dragons seem to have found their next star in former Alabama running back Alvin Kamara, who was ranked as the nation’s No. 2 all-purpose running back by Rivals.com for the class of 2013. Kamara (5-foot-10, 195 pounds) led Norcross (Ga.) High to the Class 6A championship as a senior, rushing for 2,264 yards and 26 touchdowns.

Kamara, however, comes with some baggage. He was suspended twice while redshirting at Alabama last season — once for behavioral reasons, another for an undisclosed violation — and was granted a release in mid-January. He was then arrested in his hometown of Norcross, Ga., in February for driving on a suspended license, no driver’s license, no seatbelt and a failure to appear.

Kamara committed to play for Tennessee in June and will be eligible to play for the Volunteers in 2015.

This story was originally published August 27, 2014 at 3:44 PM with the headline "A look at Thursday’s junior college football openers."