Miles says LSU has to 'want to run the football'

The past two seasons for LSU has seen their production on the ground drop. In 2008, the Tigers averaged just under 167 yards per game. The bottom really dropped out last season as they averaged an embarrassing 122.7 yards per game, ranking them 90th out of 120 Div. 1-A schools. Needless to say, reversing that trend will be one of the most important jobs facing Les Miles as he enters the sixth year of his LSU career on the hottest seat of his tenure.
"We'll have a renewed affirmation and feel and want to run the football," Miles said according to the Shreveport Times. "What is everybody doing? What are others doing? I think it's not we have to do it differently, but that you have to do it with great approach. I think that's a real strong feeling that we have."
In the two years since winning the BCS title, LSU is a mediocore 17-9 overall. Perhaps more importantly,or damning situation is the fact they are an even 8-8 in SEC play, a mark that's wholly unacceptable to those who pull the football strings.
The title bought Miles a little breathing room, but the good feelings that came with that run are rapidly diminishing. If Miles doesn't turn the program around, particularly the offensive part of the equation and contend for at least a divisional crown this season, he could find himself on the outside looking in when 2011 rolls around.

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'Three-man race' for UK's starting QB job

Phillips said Hartline, Newton and Mossakowski will all get equal reps during the early part of spring and hopes to narrow it down to a two-man race by the fall.
"It is a three-man race for sure," Phillips said. "We have two (Hartline and Newton) that won games in the SEC and a third one (Mossakowski) who we think is a guy who can compete and win in the SEC. We have to give people reps early and get it down to two as quickly as we can and if the separation is not big enough, then we will have to carry out the competition among those two in fall camp."
Mossakowski was redshirted in 2009 while recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum. Phillips said before the Music City Bowl that Mossakowski hadn't fully regained his arm strength. While in Frankfort, Phillips said that while he hasn't seen Mossakowski throw since the season ended, he still expects him to push Hartline and Newton in the spring.
"I expect him to be ready to compete," Phillips said. "From all indications from the players and the trainers, he is ready to go out and compete, and we just expect that from him. I have seen him in some drills but not the throwing drills. He looks good in the drills I have seen. Whether or not he is going full speed, we will see what happens in spring football."
Besides the quarterback position, the offensive line will be an area of interest in the spring as the Wildcats attempt to replace four starters from what was regarded as the best offensive line of the Rich Brooks era: left tackle Zipp Duncan, left guard Christian Johnson, center Jorge Gonzalez and right tackle Justin Jeffries.

Dooley getting to know Vols

"I've really spent a lot of time the last couple weeks sitting down with all of our players individually, start forging the relationship," Dooley said Wednesday at the Big Orange Tipoff Club. "I do know this, if you can do two things as a
coach that will make the players do anything for you, it's No. 1, they've got to believe you care about them as people. If they don't believe that you care about them as people they're never going to perform the way you want them to perform.
"That takes time, it's no different than any type of relationship, if you show that you care about the other person there's going to be a little more special relationship between the two, and that's the process we're beginning."
The other part for Dooley and the rest of the staff will be proving that they know what they're doing on the field, though they can't really start that just yet.
That doesn't mean there isn't any coaching going on, particularly with the conditioning program already up and running with four sessions each week. Talent evaluation has clearly been ongoing as well based on the announcement from Austin Johnson that he'll be moving from fullback to linebacker. But those issues are tied to physical performance, and at this point UT would appear to be more concerned about the mental aspect.
"Trying to forge those two, that to me is the trick," Dooley said. "That's what great coaches do, that's part of being a good teacher. I told these guys, 'I'm never going to ask you to trust me.' But I do believe that once we implement our structure, they're going to say this can help us win and they believe in these coaches. I don't think it's something that I can impose on them, but it's something that you do over time."

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Tebow hopes new Throwing motion creates some believers

The man with one Heisman Trophy, two national titles came to the league's annual scouting combine with a new look he hopes will improve his draft stock.
"It's not necessarily changing the whole throwing motion, it's where I'm holding the ball," Tebow said. "I'm holding it higher and not having that loop in there. My release point isn't different at all."
Tebow needs to wow the scouts who think it could take up to two years for him to make the transition from combination college quarterback to a pocket passer. Tebow, as usual, has tossed aside conventional wisdom in an effort to show NFL executives what kind of player he is.
"I talked to a lot of different quarterbacks coaches and a lot of people who said 'Wait till after the draft to change the motion,'" Tebow said. "But I'm not afraid of what anybody thinks. If I need to change it, then I'm going to do it now."
NFL executives will then have two months to make a decision about where Tebow fits into this year's draft.
In the meantime, the other high-profile quarterbacks presumably ahead of Tebow on this year's draft boards are under some sort of pressure.
Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen is still recovering from toe surgery. Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, the 2008 Heisman winner, missed all but three games last season with a shoulder injury. Texas' Colt McCoy couldn't finish the national championship game because of an injury to his throwing arm.
All three missed their scheduled media interviews Friday, which in past years has been an indication that players are undergoing additional medical checks. NFL officials could not confirm that happened Friday, saying only that the quarterbacks had "other obligations."
None of the big four, including Tebow, are expected to throw until their pro days next month. Tebow is the only one, so far, who has indicated he will do any of the drills this week.

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Yo Jerry, I mean...Gamecocks...Show me the Money

There was not much to celebrate from South Carolina’s appearance in the Papa Johns Bowl.
But at least the Gamecocks didn’t lose money on the trip.
The Gamecocks basically broke even on its four-night stay in Birmingham, Ala., according to the bowl budget the school released to The Stateon Friday.
The financial figures show USC received an allocation of $997,200 from the SEC on the bowl game a 20-7 loss to Connecticut and spent $995,583.
The biggest single-line expenditure was the $329,866 doled out for security and coaches’ bonuses. Associate athletics director Charles Waddell said of the $270,000 in bonus money, $50,000 went to Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier,due o his contract that states he receive $50,000 for any bowl played Dec. 31 or earlier, and $100,000 for games on Jan. 1 or later. Even though the Papajohns.com Bowl was played Jan. 2, Waddell pointed out the game is at the bottom among the SEC’s nine bowl tie-ins.
“The intent of the Spurrier’s bowl incentive was a New Year’s Day bowl, something significant,” Waddell said. “Well, Papa John’s, that was our last choice.”
Waddell said former offensive- line coach Eric Wolford, who left in December to become Youngstown State’s head coach, also received a bonus, equal to a month’s salary.
Waddell said USC limited expenses by staying two fewer nights in Birmingham than it did in Tampa before for the 2009 Outback Bowl. The school spent $130,000 on hotel accommodations and meals for players and staff in Birmingham, plus $54,000 for the band and $25,000 for the rest of the travel party.
Waddell said the SEC devises its bowl allocations in such a way that discourages wasteful spending so there will be more money to divvy up at the end of the year.
Last year the conference gave its schools an average of $2.12 million in bowl revenues.
“What they’re trying to do is to cover your expenses, not make a lot of money,” Waddell said. “Because then everything else above the allocation goes into the pot to be split among the 12 schools.”

Bulldogs Playing the game... where is Waldo?

Georgia's pressing issue, who will replace Joe Cox as the Bulldogs' starting quarterback?
Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo told reporters that none of the three contenders for the job, junior Logan Gray, and redshirt freshmen Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger, currently have an edge over the others and the trio will come into spring ball March 4 with an equal shot at winning the job.
"There is not a clear-cut No. 1 guy going into the spring," Bobo said. "Logan Gray will take the first reps with the No. 1 offense, but we are planning on rotating all three and giving all three equal amounts of looks with the first group."
The coordinator also hinted that a winner of the competition may not emerge during the spring, and that the battle could continue deep into August.

Three Strikes and you're Out policy back with Vols...even if you don't inhale

All student athletes at UT will be subject to a three strikes and you're out drug policy as of July 1, UT director of public relations Tiffany Carpenter confirmed on Thursday.Previously, athletes had to fail four drug tests before being dismissed. Three positive drug tests had long been cause for dismissal before UT revamped its policy in 2007 and added a fourth strike for a positive marijuana test."There's a pretty strong record if someone makes it to the third step, they are going to end up being dismissed. Very few are able to go back," UT athletic director Mike Hamilton told the News Sentinel in January, adding that it was time for student athletes, coaches and staff members at UT do a "gut check" in regards to discipline.Carpenter added that UT is also considering some type of gun policy for student athletes, but there are legal issues attached to it.The Vols have faced plenty of negative publicity over the past few months.Football players Janzen Jackson, Nu'Keese Richardson and Mike Edwards were arrested in November and charged with attempted armed robbery.Richardson and Edwards were dismissed. Jackson was allowed to remain on the team when his charges were later dropped.Basketball players Tyler Smith, Cameron Tatum, Brian Williams and Melvin Goins faced misdemeanor charges after guns and drugs were found during a traffic stop.Smith was dismissed. Tatum, Williams and Goins remain on the team.The arrests certainly had an effect, as some prospective athletes told the News Sentinel in January that they were no longer considering attending UT because of concern about discipline, or lack thereof.

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Nothing to hide for Vols' Dooley, including whereabouts

Dooley just needs some time to get settled and accomplish a few things before he really starts talking. When he does appear in public though, like he did during a lengthy chat at Big Orange TipOff Club on Wednesday, it can be hard to slow him down.
“There’s this perception that I’m hunkered down avoiding the media,” said Dooley, who was hired Jan. 15 to replace Lane Kiffin. “I told UT sports information officials Bud Ford and John Painter, that I hadn’t done anything. Nothing has happened.
“I know everybody wants to know, ‘What are we doing over there?’ ”
Dooley spent nearly 45 minutes trying to answer that question and many more from the audience during one of his few appearances since taking over the Vols last month.
He addressed everything from personnel issues on the offensive line to his family, cracked jokes about his mother’s affinity for public speaking and made clear that he wouldn’t be wearing any orange blazers on the sidelines. Dooley even fielded a couple questions about his media policy and the availability of his assistants.
That was about the only issue that wasn’t definitively answered, but considering how many areas he’s had to address during his short tenure, it’s also probably not the top priority at this point.
“Everybody says, ‘Well, what have you been working on?’ ” Dooley said. “It’s the same thing they’re doing at every other school.
“No. 1, we’re doing our offseason program, and what we do is we’re working four days a week , Monday and Thursday is speed improvement, Tuesday and Friday is more agility and football movements. No. 2, we’re doing a lot of junior recruiting, which means evaluating and identifying the high school players, who we want to get to know better, putting out offers. No. 3, of course, we’re putting in our new systems, offense, defense and special teams, so there’s a lot of meetings, getting to know the coaches, ideas popping.
“Then, No. 4 is what I’ve really been putting a lot of energy in, getting that support around all this.”

LSU moves Russell Shepard to wide receiver

According to the Shreveport Times, Russell Shepard, the No. 1-rated high school quarterback in the nation in 2009, will no longer work primarily at quarterback for LSU, coach Les Miles said today.
"He's all at wide receiver and in his mind," Miles said during a pre-spring practice briefing with reporters in the football facility. "He'll get ball handling and running back play as a sidelight to his receivers position."
Shepard, a Parade All-American at Cypress Ridge High in Houston who threw for 1,843 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior quarterback in 2008, practiced with the quarterbacks last season as an LSU true freshman but played quarterback in games only in the run-based "Wildcat" formation and never attempted a pass. He also played tailback and receiver and finished the season with 277 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 45 carries. He led the team with a 6.2-yards-per-carry average and caught five passes for 34 yards.
"This gets him on the field every down," Miles explained. "When you're at situational quarterback, it's very difficult to be on the field every play. So if he starts with base at wide receiver, then we think that it allows us to play him."
Miles did leave a crack in the window open for some possible use of Shepard at quarterback for strategic surprise.
"The good news is he's had quarterback play in his freshman year, so he'll be picking up bits and pieces of those opportunities," he said. "Who knows where he'll take a lot of the snaps from? But I can tell you that the opportunity to give him the ball will be easier, at receiver."

Tyrik Rollison tells Facebook community he is ‘moving on from Auburn’

The father of Auburn quarterback Tyrik Rollison has confirmed that his son is leaving the Tiger football program.
Speaking to AuburnSports.com, Michael Kelly said his son will transfer to Sam Houston State at the end of the spring semester.
"He wanted to get closer to home," said Kelly of his son, who was the top-rated dual-threat QB by Rivals.com coming out of Sulfur Springs, Texas. "He and I both really appreciate the opportunity Auburn gave him. I actually tried to talk him out of leaving, but he has his mind made up."
Rollison would've been one of five players competing for the starting job starting this spring.
With Rollison's departure, that leaves "only" Neil Caudle, Cam Newton, Clint Moseely and Barrett Trotter left to compete. Caudle spent most of the 2009 season as the primary backup to starter Chris Todd.

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Ole Miss students want say in Colonel Reb replacement

The Ole Miss student body decided it wants to have a say in the school’s new mascot search.
Out of 3,366 votes cast, 2,510 were in favor of the student body having a voice in finding a replacement for Colonel Reb, who was removed from the field as Ole Miss tried to shy away from racially divisive stereotypes. There were 856 no votes.
Sparky Reardon, Ole Miss’ Dean of Students, said there will be a student committee selected to put together mascot options.
“We want to make sure it’s representative of our student body,” Reardon said. He also said that administration and alumni would be involved, though the details hadn’t been finalized.
Artair Rogers, the president of UM’s associated student body, was happy with the outcome.
“My goal was primarily to give voice to the students,” Rogers is quoted as saying in a news release sent out by the school.
Some Ole Miss alums have said they expect the school to do away with the school’s athletic nickname as well.
Dan Jones, UM’s chancellor, said in a news release that won’t happen.
“Our students think of themselves as Ole Miss Rebels,” Jones is quoted as saying in the news release. “They are today’s Ole Miss Rebels and they want a new on-field mascot that represents their spirit and energy. They will lead the effort to create a mascot that they think will improve school spirit and the game-day experiences for themselves and others.”
While there’s still substantial support for Colonel Reb on campus, many Ole Miss students said it was time to move on and find some other symbol to represent the school.
But not everyone was thrilled with that decision.
“My mascot is Colonel Reb,” said student Corey Clark, from Southaven. “And if we’re not going to have him, then I don’t want another mascot. That’s why I voted no. We’ve been fine without a mascot for several years and I don’t mind it staying that way.”
Reardon said the turnout for Tuesday’s vote was typical of a normal student-body election.
Even if the student body had voted no, there still was the possibility that school administration would introduce a new mascot. The difference is there would be no guarantee of student involvement in the decision.

UGA's Average 2009 Home Football Attendance Ranks Sixth Nationally

Georgia's average home football attendance of 92,746 ranked sixth best in the country for the 2009 season, according to statistics released by the NCAA this week. The sixth-place finish marks the 24th time in the last 27 years that Georgia has ranked among the nation's top six teams in average home attendance. It is also the 28th time in the last 29 years the Bulldogs have finished among the top seven teams. The 92,746 represents a sellout in all six Bulldog home games. Georgia was second compared to the rest of the teams from the Southeastern Conference with Tennessee at No. 5 (99,220). Michigan (108,993), Penn State (107,008), Ohio State (105,261) and Texas (101,175) comprised the top four attendance leaders in order. Other SEC teams in the top 15 included LSU at No. 7 (92,489), Alabama at No. 8 (92,012), Florida at No. 9 (90,635) and Auburn at No. 13 (84,614). The Bulldogs' average also helped the SEC finish first among all conferences with average home attendance. The SEC's average of 76,288 outdistanced the Big Ten (71,769), Big 12 (62,875), Pac-10 (54,186) and the ACC (51,249). uga sports.

Vols on a roll and save some dough with new staff

Tennessee will still pay their new coaching staff just a under a million dollars less than what Lane Kiffin's 1st and only year that the staff made in 2009.
According to a release issued by the school, Derek Dooley and his new staff will be paid a total of $4.525 million in 2010. Last season, Kiffin and his assistants pulled in $5.325 million.
Dooley's six-year contract is worth $1.8 million annually, whereas Kiffin was paid $2 million in his only season in Knoxville.
"In the few short weeks working with coach Dooley, it is evident that he is going to do a tremendous job as coach at the University of Tennessee," athletic director Mike Hamilton said in a statement. "A great deal of that anticipated success is due to the first-class staff he has assembled to assist him. I look forward to watching them work in the months and years ahead."
The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox will be the highest-paid assistant with a three-year deal worth $600,000 a year, followed by offensive coordinator Jim Chaney (three years, $425,000), assistant head coach/wide receivers Charlie Baggett and linebackers coach Lance Thompson (three years, $375,000).

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Ole Miss WR Andrew Harris leaves team

Ole Miss receiver Andrew Harris has left the football team, according to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.
A school spokesperson confirmed the move to the paper, but did not specify why Harris decided to bolt the program.
Speculation is that Harris was unhappy with his playing time and that led to the move.
Last season, Harris caught three passes for 50 yards and a touchdown. For his career, Harris had six receptions for 90 yards and the one touchdown.
Harris, who was a rising junior, he was a big, physical receiver who always looked the part and was a really good blocker, but could never really find a niche with the Rebels.

How ready are you for spring football practice?

The team at SEC Football Online think a lot of things have changed over the years that make Spring practice a necessity. With the maturation of today's athletes, and everyone looking for an edge, if you aren't practicing and getting better, you won't play.
Nowadays folks aren't just "practicing" to play a game, but they are practicing to get better in hopes of auditioning for an NFL spot. Of course, only a small number of athletes will ever see an NFL field, but we think in their minds the competition is so fierce (especially in the SEC) that Spring practice is almost needed to prepare athletes for what is to come. Especially with so many freshman getting the chance to play in today's game. Can you imagine a RB hitting the field as a freshman having never received a hit from an SEC linebacker? Wow(Ouch). Then again, maybe the NCAA should ban spring contact practices and let them condition, and learn plays and skills. Then let them come in a week earlier in the fall. This would help in academics also, these guys need the chance to be just a student. So...What do you think?

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Vols Berry signs with sports agency in Knoxville

Tennessee All-American defensive back Eric Berry has signed with the A3 Athletics sports agency based in Knoxville, according to a company spokesman.
Berry, who has been widely projected as a top-five pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, joins numerous other Vols who have signed with agents Chad Speck and Jared Karnes who work out of the Market Square A3 agency office.
Former UT standouts Albert Haynesworth (Washington Redskins), Kelley Washington (Baltimore Ravens) and Anthony Herrera (Minnesota Vikings) are other A3 Athletics' sports agency clients, along with departing Vols' offensive tackle Chris Scott and outgoing UT basketball player Tyler Smith.

SEC Leads the way...NCAA sees slight dip in '09 attendance

Attendance at NCAA football games was down slightly in 2009 compared with the record 2008 season.The NCAA reported Monday that almost 48.3 million fans attended games at the 630 NCAA schools, including home, neutral-site and postseason games. That's down about 1 percent from the 48.8 million in 2008.NCAA associate director of statistics Gary K. Johnson said crowds were bound to level off after years of increases. He said the economic downturn could have been a factor. Average attendance at Football Bowl Subdivision games was 46,281. Michigan led the nation with an average crowd of 108,933. Penn State, Ohio State and Texas also averaged better than 100,000 a game. As they have the biggest stadiums in the nation, it makes sense that three Big Ten schools Michigan (108,933), Penn State (107,008) and Ohio State (105,261) led the country in average attendance. The only other school to average over 100K was Texas at 101,175.
The Southeastern Conference for the 12th straight season, led all conferences in average attendance at 76,288 a game, with five of their schools holding spots in the Top Ten. The SEC Rocks!

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Vols Top football prospects in the Knoxville area

Top football prospects in the Knoxville area.
Prospect Pos. School
Zach Cooper OL Catholic
Invited to U.S. Army junior All-American combine. Part of a talented group at Catholic.
Steven Isom WR Alcoa
Rangy, lanky wideout. Could surprise people in recruiting this year. Illness and Alcoa's dependence on the run slowed him last year.
Kyler Kerbyson OT Catholic
Offered by Vandy, Duke and Arkansas. That list will grow.
Zach Sharp PK Maryville
Has taken some unofficial visits. Strong leg and accurate.
Taharin Tyson FB Alcoa
Developed, muscular prospect who is often overlooked because of Alcoa's talent pool.
Darrell Warren DE Alcoa
A freak athlete, Warren may be the best prospect in the area.
Mike Wegzyn QB Catholic
Transfer student from Michigan who has received strong interest from Vanderbilt.
Devrin Young RB Bearden
Shifty, fast and already offered by Stanford. U.S. Army junior combine invitee.
- Jesse Smithey and Dave Hooker

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USC's McNair in NCAA crosshairs...New HC Kiffin

A Ex-Vols Kiffin team in the lime-light, hey where that's ESPN? About the only news , aside from appearances by former head coach Pete Carroll and current head coach(ex-Vols HC) Lane Kiffin, to come out of USC's hearings in front of the NCAA has involved their current running backs coach
Nothing specific, mind you, as the Trojans are very stridently adhering to a gag order put in place by the NCAA's Committee on Infractions.
Because of the gag order, we're left to ponder what it means that RB coach Todd McNair was, as the Los Angeles Times put it, grilled for two of the scheduled three days regarding his knowledge of the Reggie Bush "situation". What was said by McNair to the committee members will likely go a long way toward determining what, if any, sanctions are handed down.
McNair is rumored to have at the very least some knowledge of the illegal benefits.that were allegedly given to the former USC back and his family.
The good news for McNair is that Friday likely wrapped up his appearances before the committee.
Whether that's good news for the football program remains to be seen.

Auburn's Chizik, and staff gets a bump in pay

Gene Chizik and his cohesive staff of assistants will all be a little richer next season and beyond.
Chizik’s salary has been raised from $1.9 million to $2.1 million and his assistants have followed suit with respectable raises of their own, maintaining their status as one of the best-compensated groups in the country, the Opelika-Auburn News confirmed Friday. All of the contracts, including Chizik’s, will be rolled over another year as well.
Chizik’s raise bumps him one spot higher in the SEC head coach pay rankings, moving him above South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier into eighth of 12.
Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn received a 43 percent raise, making him Chizik’s top paid assistant and the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the SEC. Malzahn made $350,000 in 2009 and will make $500,000 in 2010, a little more than $30,000 more than LSU’s Gary Crowton.
The rest of the assistants received 10 percent raises.
Defensive coordinator Ted Roof will make $407,000 and assistant head coach/wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor will earn $352,000. Malzahn, Roof and Taylor are all signed to three-year deals through 2012, while the rest of the assistants are now locked up through the end of the 2011 season.
Here is a list of the rest of the salaries:
* Tracy Rocker — defensive line — $330,000
* Jeff Grimes — offensive line — $319,000
* Curtis Luper — recruiting coordinator/running backs — $286,000
* Tommy Thigpen — safeties — $275,000
* Phillip Lolley — cornerbacks — $231,000
* Jay Boulware — special teams/tight ends — $231,000
Chizik and his coaches combine to make $5.031 million — $571,000 more than 2009.
Auburn went 8-5 in 2009, a three-win improvement from Tommy Tuberville’s final season. The louder noise was made this offseason, though, as Chizik and Co. helped lock up one of the highest-ranked recruiting classes in program history, a consensus top five group of 32 signees.
Auburn was the only SEC team not to have any turnover on its coaching staff during the offseason.
“I think that’s a very big selling point to recruits. They want to go where you have stability,” Scout.com’s Southeastern recruiting manager Chad Simmons said in an interview earlier this month.
“Obviously the head coach is important, but how many times has a head coach recruited these kids one on one? Not very often. Their recruiting coach, their position coach, the other guys they build the relationships with, those are the guys that are important about these guys making their decisions and picking their school.
“I definitely think keeping that staff in tact is very big, not only for now but the future as well.”
Auburn hopes these raises and extensions will make that a trend.

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LSU Football to Begin Spring Practice Next Week

LSU will get an early start on the 2010 football season next week as the Tigers open spring practice beginning with an afternoon workout on Thursday, Feb. 25 at the Charles McClendon Practice Facility.
Next Thursday's practice is the first of three workouts scheduled for the Tigers that week. LSU will also practice on Friday and Saturday in what will be the first of five weeks of spring drills. LSU will go through 15 practices during the spring, culminating with the LSU National L Club Spring Game, which is scheduled for Saturday, March 27 in Tiger Stadium.
LSU coach Les Miles, who enters his sixth season with the Tigers, welcomes back 42 letterwinners (21 offense, 18 defense, 3 special teams) and 12 starters (6 offense, 4 defense, 2 special teams) from last year's squad that posted a 9-4 overall record and participated in the Capital One Bowl.
Miles has guided LSU to a 51-15 overall mark in his five years with the Tigers. Miles' 51 victories represent more wins over a five-year span than any other coach in LSU history.
The Tigers open the 2010 season against North Carolina on Sept. 4 in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. LSU is currently taking ticket requests for that game from both season ticket holders as well as the general public. To request tickets for the season-opener against North Carolina, go to for NCAA Football Tickets click here

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Ole Miss Player Dies After Collapsing During Routine Conditioning...update

Bennie F. Abram, 20, a non-scholarship athlete who transferred to the University of Mississippi from Itawamba Community College last fall, died yesterday at Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi in Oxford.Abram, a 5-foot-9, 186-pound junior from Southaven (Desoto Central High School) who joined the football team as a safety in January, was taken to the hospital by ambulance after collapsing during the first day of the team's routine conditioning. The session began early this morning, before classes started. About 15 minutes into the conditioning portion of the session, trainers noticed that Abram was experiencing some difficulty, began administering aid and called 911. Abram died at 12:11 p.m., several hours later. An exercise science major, Abram was enrolled in Ole Miss' School of Applied Sciences."We are deeply saddened over the loss of this young man. Our hearts go out to his parents and the entire Abrams family, and we will keep them in our thoughts and prayers throughout the days ahead." Ole Miss Chancellor Dan Jones "This is a tragic loss for the Abram family and the Ole Miss family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. I am thankful to our athletics training staff and the hospital staff for their professional response." Ole Miss Athletics Director Pete Boone, "Bennie was a fine young man and a hard worker. He was a great person to be around and a well-mannered young man. His loss is so tragic. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and all who knew Bennie." Ole Miss Head Football Coach Houston Nutt.

Where is Dooley? Fear not Ye Vols' Fans, He is No Kiffin

The Vols fans anxiety is probably more to do with the last guy than this one. Most football coaches become office fixtures between the end of recruiting and the beginning of spring. Kiffin started his day with the same old question, "How do I get on ESPN today?" His recurring answer was that of, "Ridicule a more successful coach." It surprisingly worked, who would have guessed that. This might have worked for Dooley if he had felt compelled to inform the media in Bristol, Conn., that he was the brains behind Nick Saban's national championship at LSU or that Urban Meyer couldn't match Xs and Os with Ron Zook. Although Dooley has been on the job just over a month, he apparently has concluded that antagonizing Saban or Meyer won't help him win a championship. Instead, he seems that he will take a more conventional approach in attempting to revive UT football. That indeed is hard work. So maybe you should rejoice in Dooley's few public appearances. Perhaps he's hunkered down to the enormous task of trying to win more games than he loses in 2010. There's enough work to be done in the offensive line alone to turn a coach into a recluse. We don't have to tell you Dooley is a hard worker. He coached under Saban for seven years. Some assistants don't last seven weeks under Saban, but seven years? That speaks for Dooley's work ethic and stamina. When you work for Saban, you learn to multi-task to the extent that you can welcome a newborn into your family and make an afternoon football practice on the same day. Our intuition tells us, that if you work that long for Saban, you also develop an affinity for his coaching model, which features an all-controlling head coach. Exerting that much control takes time, particularly when you are so new on the UT job that you can't distinguish Kingston Pike from Tazewell Pike, much less identify five SEC-caliber offensive linemen. In the meantime, maybe UT should place a "men at work" sign in front of the football office. Vols' more restless fans might appreciate that.

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Meyer on spring ball 'I'll be there'

This is almost like a version of Where is Waldo? Where is Urban Meyer's? Is he on vacation with his family, possibly on a cruise? Is he in a medical clinic with Tiger Woods? Is he resting at his lake house?
None of these, he's actually right here in Gainesville.
On Friday, he was at the University of Florida's Mark Bostic Golf Course for his tournament, the Urban Meyer Scramble for Kids. Meyer is in a group, with Sister Hazel's Andrew Copeland, ready to play.
"I feel good, real good," Meyer said. "Being out here for this tournament is real important."
Meyer said he will be ready for the start of spring football practice March 17.
"I'll be there," said Meyer, who praised the work of interim head coach Steve Addazio and his other assistants for the No. 1 ranking of the 2010 recruiting class.
This is the second appearance he's made for the tournament. He attended and spoke at a dinner Wednesday night at the Touchdown Terrace.

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Ole Miss player dies during workout

Sad news for Ole Miss this morning. Walk-on safety Bennie Abram, 20, died after collapsing during a workout on campus this morning, according to the Lafayette County coroner’s office. Abram played at DeSoto Central and at Itawamba Community College before coming to Ole Miss this spring. The cause of death is still being investigated. Coroner Rocky Kennedy said autopsy results take anywhere from two weeks to a few months depending on the tests that are run.
Ole Miss officials have not immediately returned messages seeking comment.

Gators DT Gary Brown dismissed from team

Florida has dismissed redshirt freshman DT Gary Brown from the team, following his arrest early Sunday morning on two misdemeanor counts of battery stemming from an incident at an off-campus party.
Brown, who did not see action for the Gators in 2009, is accused of striking a woman in the face with his open hand as she attempted to get people to leave a party at a Gainesville apartment complex. When another woman tried to intervene, she was allegedly scratched by Brown as he tried to slap her arms away, police reports state.
On Monday, Florida athletic officials said he had been suspended from all team activities, but as of today he is no longer a part of the team.
"Gary Brown has had a history during his time here of not meeting a set of expectations we have for the student athletes in our football program and therefore he is no longer part of our program,'' said Steve McClain, UF associate athletic director of communications.
Brown, 19, was expected to be a promising star for the Gators; he was the No. 2 defensive tackle in the nation coming out of high school last year.
Both alleged victims have filed sworn complaints against Brown.
He was released on his own recognizance Monday following a court appearance, and ordered not to have contact with the alleged victims.
Brown was the 27th reported arrest for the Gators under UF head coach Urban Meyer.

'Bama DB suspended for spring, maybe longer

University of Alabama defensive back Robby Green has been suspended for a violation of team and NCAA rules and will not participate in spring practice, multiple sources have told The Tuscaloosa News.
It is unclear when the junior from New Orleans might be reinstated, but sources indicated the suspension may extend beyond spring drills.
The suspension comes at a time when Alabama goes into the spring with questions in the seconday. Alabama lost six senior defensive backs from last year’s team, and a seventh, Kareem Jackson, to early National Football League draft entry. Green figured to be a prominent challenger for a starting position in the secondary this spring.
Green was unavailable for comment as players are not made available to media during the offseason.
Green played in all 14 games and made six starts for the Crimson Tide last season, making 33 tackles, six pass break ups and one interception. He primarily played on special teams and in UA’s nickel and dime defensive sets, which call for extra defensive backs. Green, who played at one of the South’s top prep programs in John Curtis Christian in New Orleans, signed with Alabama in 2008 after choosing the Crimson Tide over LSU. His only interception last season helped secure a 24-15 home win over the Tigers late in the fourth quarter.
Without Green, returning safeties on scholarship for spring drills include only starter Mark Barron and reserves Robert Lester and Rod Woodson. At cornerback, UA returns limited experience, including sophomore Dre Kirkpatrick, LSU transfer Phelon Jones and B.J. Scott. Incoming freshman defensive backs include Nick Perry, DeMarcus Milliner, John Fulton, Deion Belue, Dequan Menzie and Jarrick Williams. Two of those , Milliner and Fulton are already enrolled at UA and will participate in spring practice.

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Mallett breaks foot, out at least three months

University of Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett sustained a broken bone in his left foot during conditioning drills Wednesday morning. Mallett is expected to miss spring practice and fully recover in three to four months.
"It is unfortunate since Ryan works extremely hard and has made a commitment to the Razorbacks," said UA head coach Bobby Petrino. "I am confident in our athletic trainers and medical staff and believe they are the best in the country. Ryan is a strong competitor who I know will put all his effort into overcoming his injury and continuing to lead this team."
In 2009, Mallett set or matched 16 different school records and finished the season completing 225-of-403 passes for 3,624 yards and 30 touchdowns. Mallett was an All-Southeastern Conference second-team selection by the league coaches and media and he was named one of 10 finalists for the Manning Award. He led the SEC in total offense (276.5) and passing yards per game (278.8).

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The Vols fans restlessness is probably more to do with the last guy than this one. Most football coaches become office fixtures between the end of recruiting and the beginning of spring
Kiffin startedto the same question: "How do I get on ESPN today?"
His recurring answer: "Ridicule a more successful coach."
It worked. And it would have worked for Dooley if he had felt compelled to inform the media empire in Bristol, Conn., that he was the brains behind Nick Saban's national championship at LSU or that Urban Meyer couldn't match Xs and Os with Ron Zook.
Although Dooley has been on the job just over a month, he apparently has concluded that antagonizing Saban or Meyer won't help him win a championship. Instead, he seemingly will take a more conventional approach in attempting to revive UT football. And what's more conventional than hard work?
So maybe you should rejoice in Dooley's few public appearances. Perhaps he's hunkered down to the enormous task of trying to win more games than he loses in 2010. There's enough work to be done in the offensive line alone to turn a coach into a recluse.
I don't have to tell you Dooley is a hard worker. He coached under Saban for seven years, which is equivalent to 21 human years.
Some assistants don't last seven weeks under Saban. Seven years? That not only speaks to Dooley's work ethic and stamina, but to the endurance and patience of his wife. When you work for Saban, you learn to multi-task to the extent that you can welcome a newborn into your family and make an afternoon football practice on the same day.
My guess is that if you work that long for Saban, you also develop an affinity for his coaching model, which features an all-controlling head coach. Exerting that much control takes time, particularly when you are so new on the UT job that you can't distinguish Kingston Pike from Tazewell Pike, much less identify five SEC-caliber offensive linemen.
In the meantime, maybe UT should place a "men at work" sign in front of the football office. Its more restless fans might appreciate that.

Bulldogs could benefit from schedule in 2010

Over the past two seasons, as the Dogs were trying to survive absolutely killer schedules, We kept looking ahead at the 2010 and 2011 schedules and thinking that if Mark Richt could solve his defensive problems and find a quarterback, he’d be looking at a definite window of success.
The rotation of SEC West teams that the Dogs face definitely turns advantageous this season (no Bama or LSU) and the most challenging opponent on the nonconference schedule looks to be their in-state rival.
CollegeFootballNews.com is thinking along the same lines. In doing their roundup of the SEC composite schedule for 2010, they see Georgia’s “realistic best case record” as 11-1, the “worst case” record as 7-5 and peg the Dogs’ “likely finish” at 10-2.
Their summary paints a pretty optimistic scenario: “Georgia won’t be the best team in the SEC, but it has the schedule to look that way. Any SEC East team worth its salt would take this slate in a heartbeat. There’s no Alabama or LSU to deal with, Florida, as always, is at a neutral site, Tennessee is a home game, and the road games are at South Carolina, Mississippi State, Kentucky, and Auburn. Throw in a home date against Vanderbilt and anything less than a New Year’s Day bowl appearance will be a mega-disappointment. Even the nonconference schedule works out well with the Georgia Tech game at home and the one tough road trip at Colorado. On the negative side, the game against the Buffs is coming off a road trip to Mississippi State for the only back-to-back road games of the year, and the week off doesn’t come until late November.”
One little problem: CFN also predicted a 10-2 finish for the Dogs in 2009. So-o-o

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Mississippi State's Dan Mullen to receive contract extension

Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen is set to receive a one-year contract extension with no increase to his $1.2 million annual salary when the state College Board meets Thursday in Jackson, according to the board’s agenda that was released this morning.
Mullen went 5-7 in his first year as State’s head coach, ending the season on a high note with an Egg Bowl win over Ole Miss.
Mullen’s new contract will run through the 2013 season. It brings his contract back to the four-year maximum allowable under Mississippi law. Mullen receives $250,000 in base pay from the athletic department and $950,000 from the private Bulldog Foundation.
The College Board’s approval of such items is usually considered a formality.

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Gators coach Urban Meyer finally taking extended time off

Florida football coach Urban Meyer is two weeks into his indefinite leave of absence. And that pretty much is all anyone outside of Meyer's inner circle knows about the situation.Where Meyer is spending his mandated time off and what he's doing is unknown. So are the results of the stress and heart tests Meyer said he was going to have this month, or whether he has already had them or will have to undergo more.Interim head coach Steve Addazio's additional duties - or even if he has any - and the assistant coaches' official assignments have not been announced, either."The situation is very fluid and things will continue to change," said Steve McClain, UF's associate athletics director for communications. "Right now the focus is on making sure Urban's healthy."Meyer's leave of absence was supposed to begin following Florida's 51-24 victory over Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1. He did take some time off - a day and a half, he said when he held an impromptu news conference during halftime of UF's basketball game against South Carolina on Jan. 23 - but still remained active in recruiting.Meyer didn't travel but did call recruits and was involved in the on-campus recruiting visits. According to McClain, though, that is far less than Meyer's normal January routine. In past years, Meyer would be on the road every permissible day and often would visit several cities and schools in one day."If you compare it to what he was usually doing, it was very different," McClain said. "He made a lot of changes."

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Closer look at Alabama's 2010 recruiting class

Big names DeMarcus Milliner and Jarrick Williams could compete for jobs in the secondary, and C.J. Mosley is a highly regarded linebacker.
There weren’t many. Five-star defensive back Keenan Allen backed out of his commitment earlier in the week as the only defection. Every other committed player signed by midmorning , taking all intrigue out of the rest of the day.
There were four offensive linemen signees after two big names (Shon Coleman and James Stone) went with rivals Auburn and Tennessee Wednesday. But Saban didn’t sound disappointed in the group he landed.
Of the incoming class, 11 are already in Tuscaloosa, the most early enrollees Saban has had. … Kicker Cade Foster was one of those already at Alabama, so his school had a cardboard cutout of the player at the table where teammates signed paperwork. Foster’s parents even posed for pictures with the likeness of their son.
Player Hometown (high school) Pos. Ht. Wt.
Alfy Hill Shallotte, N.C. (West Brunswick) LB 6-4 245
Speed rusher could add depth and earn playing time at defensive end.
DeMarcus Milliner Millbrook, Ala. (Stanhope Elmore) DB 6-1 180
One of 11 already enrolled, Milliner already is working through the Tide’s massive playbook and hopes “to be on top” of the depth chart by fall.
Cade Foster Southlake, Texas (Southlake Carroll) PK 6-1 213
With the loss of Lou Groza Award finalist Leigh Tiffin and not much backing him up, Foster’s strong leg could be making the tour of SEC stadiums this fall.
Player Hometown (high school) Pos. Ht. Wt.
Deion Belue Tuscumbia, Ala. (Deshler) DB 6-0 170
Ronnie Carswell Macon, Ga. (Westside) WR 6-0 180
Corey Grant Opelika, Ala. (Opelika) RB 5-9 186
Adrian Hubbard Lawrenceville, Ga. (Norcross) LB 6-6 227
Brandon Ivory Memphis, Tenn. (East) DL 6-4 335
Harrison Jones Germantown, Tenn. (Evangelical Christian) TE 6-4 235
Arie Kouandjio Beltsville, Md. (DeMatha Catholic) OL 6-5 335
Wilson Love Mountain Brook, Ala. (Mountain Brook) DL 6-3 275
Keiwone Malone Memphis, Tenn. (Mitchell) WR 5-11 165
DeQuan Menzie Columbus, Ga. (CLJC/Carver HS) DB 6-0 195
C.J. Mosley Theodore, Ala. (Theodore) LB 6-2 225
Nick Perry Prattville, Ala. (Prattville) DB 6-1 193
Blake Sims Gainesville, Ga. (Gainesville) ATH 6-0 195
Brian Vogler Columbus, Ga. (Brookstone) TE 6-7 242
DeAndrew White Houston, Texas (North Shore) WR 6-0 180
Jarrick Williams Mobile, Ala. (Blount) DB 6-1 203
Jay Williams Thomasville, Ala. (Thomasville) P 6-3 208
Already Enrolled at Alabama (11)
Cade Foster Southlake, Texas (Southlake Carroll) PK 6-1 213
Jalston Fowler Mobile, Ala. (Vigor) RB 6-1 245
John Fulton Manning, S.C. (Manning) DB 6-0 178
Brandon Lewis Pleasant Grove, Ala. (EMCC/Pleasant Grove) DL 6-3 265
Chad Lindsay The Woodlands, Texas (The Woodlands) OL 6-2 288
Darius McKeller Jonesboro, Ga. (Jonesboro) OL 6-6 319
Anthony Orr Madison, Ala. (Sparkman) DL 6-4 270
Austin Shepherd Buford, Ga. (North Gwinnett) OL 6-5 315
Phillip Sims Chesapeake, Va. (Oscar Smith) QB 6-2 224
Petey Smith Tampa, Fla. (Armwood) LB 6-1 245

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Vandy names Kiser as new offensive coordinator

Jimmy Kiser, a veteran Vanderbilt coach best known for mentoring quarterback Jay Cutler to Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2005, has been elevated to offensive coordinator, Commodore Head Coach Bobby Johnson said Thursday. The promotion of Kiser, who formerly served as the team's quarterback coach and co-passing game coordinator, is the key element in an reassignment of duties that affects four offensive coaches following the unit's disappointing performance last year. "I'm excited about the opportunity, and excited about continuing to work with a group of great coaches," Kiser said. "All of us will be focused on the same goal, to make sure we are doing everything possible to get better as an offense and give our team the very best chance for victory." Duties for Kiser, former coordinator Ted Cain, running backs coach Des Kitchings and wide receiver mentor Charlie Fisher are affected by Johnson's reassignment. "After much examination of our staff dynamics," Johnson said. "I believe these changes will give us the best combination of leadership and responsibilities for our offensive staff. The offensive staff reassignments include: • Promotion of Kiser as offensive coordinator. He will continue to mentor Commodore quarterbacks. • Kitchings, entering his third year on the staff, adds duties of running game coordinator to his role as running backs coach. • Fisher will become passing game coordinator after sharing those duties with Kiser for the last four years. • Cain continues as tight ends coach and becomes the Commodores' special teams coordinator. The reassignments will not affect Robbie Caldwell, the team's Assistant Head Coach and offensive line coach. The move by Johnson comes following a two-year lack of offensive production by the Commodores. While the team's defense ranked among the SEC's upper half and high nationally in 2008-09, the offense has lagged behind league teams in many statistical categories. The lack of production since the 2006 season can be traced to several elements, including unexpected departures in personnel, career-and season-ending injuries to top players, and inexperience at several key positions. A coordinator at North Carolina State from 1997-99 and Memphis at 2001, Kiser's promotion comes a year after he took over responsibility for calling Vanderbilt offensive plays.

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Bulldogs Blast from the Past the recruiting of Herschel Walker

Just a blast from the past for you die-hard Georgia fans. This is about Herschel Walker’s recruitment back in February of 1980 by a young TV reporter named Bill Hartman, then with Atlanta’s Channel 5.
Hartman was in Wrightsville on National Signing Day to talk to Walker and his coaches about his recruitment when he stumbles upon Walker driving a shiny new black Pontiac Trans Am. Ever the inquiring journalist, Hartman immediately gets to the bottom of who bought the Trans Am. (Walker’s parents, Hartman determines). At that point, the Goal-line Stalker had not signed with Georgia and it was still a pretty intense recruiting battle between the Bulldogs and Clemson and others. Georgia Tech was also involved.
A couple of really cool things caught our attention . Number one, Hartman interviews Georgia head coach Vince Dooley and a Georgia Tech assistant coach about Walker right there at Johnson County High School. Modern recruiting rules would never allow such a thing. Number two, the report, the second in a series, was three minutes and 12 seconds long. An entire sportscast doesn’t last that long these days.
As we all know now, Walker eventually signed with Georgia , but not until Easter Sunday, and went on to become arguably the greatest college running back of all time.

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Colt McCoy says recovery `really coming along' after Injury in BCS championship against Bama

Colt McCoy says he's throwing 40-50 balls a day in an intense rehabilitation program that he hopes will have him ready to fully participate in the NFL draft combine that begins next week.
McCoy says the nerve injury in his right shoulder is "really coming along" and is close to being 100 percent. The former Texas quarterback says it will be up to his doctors if he will throw at the combine, but that he will do everything he is able to do in Indianapolis.
On Monday night, McCoy was recognized with the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's top quarterback.
In the BCS championship game Jan. 7 against Alabama, McCoy took a hard tackle on the Longhorns' fifth offensive play. That pinched a nerve and caused his throwing arm to go numb, and he didn't return to the game that Texas lost.

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Boise State's Petersen won't miss the now Vols' Dooley

Dooley has spent time trying to figure things out on the other side of Wilcox, and that experience was a big factor in his decision to hire him.
The loss of Wilcox could be a setback for a team with national championship hopes this season, but at least it might be partially offset by Dooley making the road to another conference title a bit easier.
"I was very, very impressed from the second Dooley got there," Petersen said. "He is well, well organized, well thought of in coaching circles without question. I think he did a very nice job at Louisiana Tech, and every year we could feel those guys taking steps in the right direction and he was doing some very good things there.
"I think Tennessee plucked him out at just the right time, I really do."
Ideally though, Petersen might have liked him to look elsewhere to pluck a coordinator.

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Georgia gets commit No. 3 from N. Clayton’s Amarlo Herrera

Georgia added it’s third commitment of the 2011 recruiting class Monday afternoon.
Amarlo Herrera, a linebacker at North Clayton High School, accepted the Bulldogs’ scholarship offer while meeting with coach Mark Richt on the UGA campus. He had the day off from school and traveled to Athens with his coach, Rodney Hackney.
“He already knew I was going to do it so it wasn’t much of a surprise,” Herrera said of his 3:30 p.m. visit with Georgia’s head man. “I had made my decision a while ago because I always wanted to go to Georgia. I said if they offered me I was going to go with them. This just made it official.”
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound linebacker got that official offer on Jan. 27, just before he attended the Bulldogs’ Junior Day in Athens.
Herrera said one of his main attractions to UGA was defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and his 3-4 defense.
“I like the 3-4,” Herrera said. “We already run it in high school, so it should be an easy transition for me.”
As for whether he would play inside or outside in Grantham’s set, Herrera wasn’t sure. “I’d say outside right now, but Grantham says I could play any one of them.”
Had the Bulldogs not offered, Herrera said he would have considered Georgia Tech, Ohio State, Florida or Texas Tech.
Herrera joins safeties Corey Moore of Griffin and Chris Sanders of Tucker in the Bulldogs’ Class of 2011. Herrera said he does not plan to take any other visits and is unconcerned about being able to stick with his commitment until national signing day of next year.

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In Alabama, Saban has more Facebook fans than God

Nick Saban may not be bigger than God in Alabama, but he has more fans on Facebook.
The all-powerful football coach edged out the all-powerful deity to claim the top spot in a ranking of Facebook fan page membership in the state. The omnipotent one, God, not Saban, did manage to finish ahead of Starbucks, Rick and Bubba and Chick-fil-A.
The Fan Page Analytics ranking (what ever this is)is part of an independent, automated analysis of fan pages on the popular social networking site. Created by a Boulder, Colo., computer programmer, the new system ranks fan page popularity by city, state and country and shows how Facebook users connect with people around the world.
The programmer behind the analysis, Pete Warden, said Friday that the concept of "fanning," or joining what amount to online fan clubs, is just more common in sports than in faith, "so I'm not too surprised that coaches beat out God."
But in his blog he noted that God is "almost always in the top spot" in the South, with some exceptions. Oklahomans picked the Sooners first and God third, and Florida favored Starbucks over the Almighty. Urban Meyer didn't even make Florida's list!
Stephen Jones, senior pastor at Birmingham's Southside Baptist Church, said he was surprised to learn Saban edged out God for the top spot in Alabama. But not terribly surprised.
"If the Blessed Virgin Mary was going to appear in a field in Alabama, and Nick Saban was going to appear, who do you think would draw the most people?"

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Gator arrested on 2 counts of battery charges

Florida redshirt freshman defensive lineman Gary Brown was arrested on two counts of misdemeanor battery early Sunday morning.Brown has been suspended from team activities, according to UF spokesman Steve McLain.According to the arrest report, Brown, 19, allegedly struck one female victim in the face and scratched another female victim's arms when he refused to leave a party late Saturday night. Neither victim required medical attention. Brown was booked into Alachua County jail early Sunday morning.Brown is the 26th football player to be arrested in Florida coach Urban Meyer's five-year tenure.

NCAA proposes other Rule Changes for the Coming Football Season

The NCAA also proposed several other rules changes for the 2011 season, which now must be approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel:
– Players who draw flags for taunting gestures on their way to a touchdown would have the penalty assessed from the spot of the foul, taking away the score. Penalties that occur in the end zone would continue to be assessed on the extra-point attempt, 2-point conversion try or ensuing kickoff.
– Tougher standards on allowing a concussed player to return to a game, forcing them to be cleared by a doctor before returning to competition.
– Television monitors will be allowed in the press box coaches’ booths beginning in 2011. The home team has responsibility for insuring that coaches’ booths for both teams have identical television capability.
– Ending the requirement that players’ pants always cover the knees.
– Eliminating the intentional “wedge” on kickoffs and punts, a rule the NFL adopted last season.
– Recommending conferences that do not have a pregame warm-up policy use a 10-yard, no-player zone between the 45-yard lines beginning 60 minutes before kickoff.

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Good thing Tebow graduated: NCAA set to ban eye-black messages

A.P. announced yesterday that the NCAA’s Football Rules Committee proposed another new rule aimed at player expression, most notably for Florida fans, banning all words, logos, numbers or other symbols on the players’ eye black. The AP reports the rule will take effect for the 2010 season.Tim Tebow is the most prominent example of a player using his eye black as a personal billboard, having used it the past two seasons to print a bible verse and promote his faith. After the 2009 BCS Championship Game, 92 million people Googled “John 3:16,” the verse Tebow wore during the game. With the new rule, such a phenomenon would never have taken place.The NFL also has a “no messages on the eye black” rule, meaning Tebow will no longer adorn his famous bible verses during games.But Tebow is far from the only athlete to print messages on his eye black. Thousands of players do it, dating back to Reggie Bush’s days at USC and earlier. The eye-black messages often honor the player’s hometown, area code, nicknames like “Muck City” or messages like “I (heart) u mom,” which former Gators receiver Louis Murphy wore during the 2009 championship game.But not all eye black messages have the best intentions. Urban Meyer lamented during the middle of the 2009 season that sometimes he has to be an “eye black cop.” The NFL and now NCAA are wary of curse words or other taunting messages on the eye black which could cause fights on the football field. And Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor got in some hot water last season when he honored disgraced quarterback Michael Vick on his eye black.

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NCAA moves to toughen already controversial excessive-celebration penalty..SEC officials need Glasses

You hear about the move by the NCAA Football Rules Committee this week to further toughen the unsportsmanlike-conduct/excessive-celebration penalty?
The penalty, which stirred much controversy hereabouts when it was incorrectly called on Georgia’s A.J. Green against LSU last season, will get tougher in the 2011 season if approved by one more NCAA committee.
Basically, the change would make unsportsmanlike conduct a live-ball foul, meaning, for example, that a taunting gesture en route to a touchdown would nullify the score and be penalized from the spot of the foul.
The change would not impact penalties for celebrations in the end zone after a score, such as the one against Green, because those dead-ball fouls would continue to be assessed on the ensuing kickoff or extra-point/two-point conversion attempt.
Of course, the problem with the Green penalty was that it never should have been called. The SEC said two days later that video evidence did not support the flag, which came after Green scored the go-ahead touchdown. A 15-yard penalty was assessed on the ensuing kickoff and jump-started LSU’s game-winning touchdown drive.
At the least, the Green penalty underscored the subjective and inconsistent nature of such calls.
And now the stakes could be raised.
This week’s move to toughen the consequences of live-ball unsportsmanlike-conduct flags came in a Wednesday vote by the Football Rules Committee. In a comment posted on the NCAA’s website, committee chairman and Oregon athletics director, Mike Bellotti says:
“Our committee firmly believes in the team concept of college football. Taunting and prolonged individual acts have no place in our game, and our officials have generally handled these rules well. This is just another step in maintaining our game’s image and reflecting the ideals of the NCAA overall.”
The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel must approve the change before it can take effect.
What Do you say about this?

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GameDay Successful Before at UK Wildcats

Saturday, a sold-out Rupp Arena greeted ESPN College Basketball GameDay with what was expected to be the largest crowd in the history of the show.
And, it wasn't the first time GameDay had a big day in Lexington.
Wildcat football fans came out in great numbers on Oct. 20, 2007, when the University of Kentucky played host to the football version of the show. The GameDay regulars were impressed by the crowd and atmosphere for the event, which was held on a lawn on the west side of the W. T. Young Library.
“Tremendous turnout,” the show's senior coordinating producer, Michael Fountain, said at the time. “Looks like 10 or 11,000. If we could get this every week, life would be good.”
The ESPN crew complimented the Kentucky fans for their friendliness, attentiveness to the show, and courtesy when features on other teams were being shown. The crew also was gratified by the welcome shown by the University.
“We have never experienced such overwhelming hospitality from a school and a city in the 14 years of road shows,” long-time host Chris Fowler said.
The good feelings and memories stayed with the crew. Many months later, Desmond Howard was asked about his favorite stop during his time on the tour.
“My favorite place thus far is Lexington, Kentucky,” Howard said. “When we went out there, the fans came out in droves. Behind us was their band, just circled the whole crowd and looked picturesque. It was a beautiful sight. They showed great sportsmanship, a lot of respect.”

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