Arkansas Kicker Impresses Predecessors

When Zach Hocker lined up to attempt a 51-yard field goal at South Carolina, Kendall Trainor knew it was an important moment. Everything Hocker had done to that point had been impressive. His demeanor toward every kick never wavered. His mechanics had been practically flawless. The 50-yard threshold can present a few challenges, Trainor said Thursday afternoon. "Generally at 50 yards is when you start saying, ‘I’ve got to do some things a little bit differently," said Trainor, who made four field goals of 50 yards or more during his Arkansas career (1985-88). "I told my wife he’s going to have to do exactly what he’s done on every other kick this season in order for him to have an opportunity to make this." "Quite honestly, he didn’t do anything different than on any other kick I’ve seen him take this year." Hocker’s 51-yard field goal, which was part of Arkansas’ 41-20 win, left another impression on his coaches, teammates and Razorbacks fans. It helped him improve to 10-for-11 on field goals this season, including 5-for-6 on kicks of 40 yards or more. It also left a smile on the faces of some former Arkansas kickers as well, who have welcomed Hocker into their unofficial 50-yard field goal fraternity. Hocker became just the sixth Arkansas kicker to boot a field goal of 50 yards. The list includes Trainor (four), Bill McClard (three), Todd Wright (three), Ish Ordonez (two) and Steve Little (nine). Trainor, McClard, Little and, now, Hocker, are the only four to make field goals of 51 yards or longer at Arkansas.

Ole Miss Rebels, Houston Nutt remains hopeful on Masoli

Houston Nutt hopes Friday night brings good news about the availability of his senior quarterback, Jeremiah Masoli, for Saturday’s game at Tennessee. The Ole Miss coach said after Thursday’s practice that Masoli, who suffered a concussion in last week’s 43-21 win at Louisiana-Lafayette, was still not cleared to face the Vols (3-6, 0-5 SEC) at Neyland Stadium. But he’s improved through the week, Nutt said, lending optimism that he’ll play. "I’m hoping , tonight, trainer Tim Mullins can say he’s going to be alright," Nutt said. "That’s what I’m hoping." Masoli left the ULL game in the first half after suffering the concussion on a helmet-to-helmet hit. Nutt said he vomited some Sunday, and Mullins has been putting Masoli through twice-daily tests to gauge his progression. Nutt was talking with Masoli shortly after Thursday’s practice ended, a workout in which Masoli participated about as much as he did the day before. "A few more plays," Nutt said. "Yesterday, he had a few more plays than he did the day before. About the same as he did yesterday, and then Tim’s just got to let me know, man. He’s the one who’s got to give him the helmet. To say hey, you can go out there and play. That’s the bottom line." That could come as late as Saturday morning. Nutt said Masoli would be prepared to do that if need be.

Alabama RB Mark Ingram Doak Walker Award semifinalist

Alabama running back Mark Ingram has been named a Doak Walker Award semifinalist, the school announced Thursday.
Ingram, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, was a finalist for the award in 2009. The winner last year was Standford's Toby Gerhart.
This year's semifinalists include Wisconsin junior John Clay, Oklahoma State senior Kendall Hunter, Oregon sophomore LeMichael James, Oklahoma senior DeMarco Murray, Louisville senior Bilal Powell, Oregon State junior Jacquizz Rodgers, Nevada senior Vai Taua, Kansas State senior Daniel Thomas and TCU sophomore Ed Wesley.
Ingram has rushed for 641 yards on 106 carries with nine touchdowns in seven games. He averages 6 yards per carry, and 91.6 yards per game.
Ingram ranks fourth all-time at Alabama with 3,027 rushing yards, and is second in rushing touchdowns with 38. He has 12 career 100-yard rushing games, which ranks third in program history.
Three finalists will be announced live on ESPNU on Nov. 22, and the award will be presented to the winner Dec. 9 on ESPN.
The award is named after Southern Methodist Hall of Fame running back Doak Walker, won the Heisman Trophy in 1948.

Kentucky's Wildcat Murphy voted to academic All-District Team

University of Kentucky offensive lineman Billy Joe Murphy has been elected to the ESPN Academic All-District IV team as voted by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Murphy, a junior from Gamaliel, Ky., has a 3.63 grade-point average with a major in Kinesiology. He has been a three-year member of the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll. On the field, he has played in every game this year, including two starting assignments at right tackle. The versatile Murphy has practice or played both guard and tackle positions, showing his versatility and intelligence.
By winning on the district level, Murphy now advances to the national ballot for the ESPN Academic All-America team, which will be announced in December. District IV includes universities from the states of Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama.
Two other Wildcats, offensive linemen Brad Durham and Stuart Hines, also had earned a nomination for the Academic All-America process. To be a nominee, a player must have a career GPA of at least 3.30, be a sophomore or higher in athletic and academic standing, be a starter or key reserve and have played in at least half of the team’s games that season.

Kenny Rogers says he witnessed Cecil Newton asking Mississippi State coaches for money to sign Cam Newton

Kenny Rogers, live on the radio in Dallas this afternoon, said he listened in person last year as Cecil Newton told two Mississippi State coaches that it would take between $100,000 and $180,000 for Newton's son Cam to sign with the Bulldogs. Rogers is a former Mississippi State football player. Rogers told ESPN 103.3 in Dallas that, on Friday night, Nov. 27, 2009, the night before Ole Miss played Mississippi State, he and Cecil Newton sat inside the Hilton Garden Inn in Starkville, Miss., and discussed where Cam Newton would sign with two Mississippi State football coaches. Cam Newton was on his official visit to Mississippi State that weekend. Rogers said that Cecil Newton told the two Mississippi State coaches, whom he would not identify, that State would have to pay between $100,000 and $180,000 to get Cam Newton to sign with the Bulldogs. A call to Cecil Newton's cell phone said the caller was not accepting messages. A call to Cecil Newton's home phone said the voice mail was full. Rogers also said that he has no idea if anyone connected to Auburn paid money to sign Cam Newton or if Cecil Newton asked anyone connected to Auburn for money to sign his son. Rogers said he had no contact himself with anyone at Auburn. The Birmingham News reported last Friday that, according to a source familiar with the situation, Auburn checked thousands of phone records and determined there was no contact between Rogers and anyone associated with Auburn. Cecil Newton told The News last Thursday night, Nov. 4, that neither he nor his son Cam received any money in exchange for signing with Auburn and that suggestions to the contrary were "unfounded."

NCAA spokesperson Stacey Osburn told The Birmingham News by email that "the solicitation of cash or benefits by a prospective student-athlete or another individual on his or her behalf is not allowed under NCAA rules." During the radio interview, Rogers said, on Nov. 29, 2009, the day after the Egg Bowl, he talked with Cecil Newton at a Shell station on Highway 82 leading out of Starkville as both were leaving town.

Rogers said Cecil Newton asked him, "What do you think is going to happen? Do you think it (the deal) is going to go through?" Rogers said he told Newton, "I'll call Bill Bell." Bell is a former teammate of Rogers at Mississippi State. Bell is the president of Bel-Mac Roofing in Santa Rosa, Fla. Rogers said he left a message for Bell that Sunday. Why? "If somebody's asking for that kind of money, I don't have that kind of money," Rogers said. "I called somebody I was close to to see if he knew anybody."

Rogers said that it was Bell who called another of their former Mississippi State teammates, John Bond, to tell him of Cecil Newton's solicitation. Bond has said that, when he learned of the solicitation, he reported it to then-Mississippi State AD Greg Byrne. An employee at Bell's office said that Bell is in Costa Rica until Friday night.

On the radio, Rogers' attorney, who was present during the interview, said that the NCAA has contacted them. He did not say if Rogers has spoken to the NCAA yet or if he would.

Vols' depth problems hitting secondary hard

The Vols (3-6, 0-5 Southeastern Conference) already were thin in the secondary at the start of the season after Dooley dismissed would-be starting safety Darren Myles Jr. following his second arrest. During spring practice, cornerback Naz Oliver tore a knee ligament. The team's woes were compounded when starting Marsalis Teague suffered a turf toe injury during their Oct. 23 loss to Alabama and Dooley indefinitely suspended cornerback Art Evans for a violation of team rules. Sophomore Prentiss Waggner has moved from safety to cornerback to fill their spot, leaving freshman Brent Brewer as the only strong safety listed on Tennessee's depth chart. "It really prevents you from pressuring more than you'd like," Dooley said. "Where it really worries you is if you're going to dial up some blitzes." The Vols need blitzes if they want to stop Ole Miss (4-5, 1-4). The Rebels rank 13th in the FBS in rushing with an average 221.6 yards on the ground per game, thanks to tailback Brandon Bolden and quarterback Masoli's ability to make clutch runs.

Masoli, who suffered a concussion Saturday against Louisiana-Lafayette and hasn't yet been cleared to play against Tennessee, also has a habit of throwing on the run.

Newtons admit pay for play in phone talks

More accusations surfaced Tuesday night when ESPN reported on its website that Newton and his father each had a phone conversation with a Mississippi State recruiter that acknowledged a pay-for-play arrangement for the prized recruit.

"I’m not going to entertain something that took place not three months, not six months, not a year but two years ago," Newton said. "I’m not going to sit up here and say anything about it, whether I did or did not do it, because I don’t want to beat a dead horse talking about it. It’s not going to affect me any way, shape or fashion."

It didn’t against FCS opponent Chattanooga last weekend, when he passed for four touchdowns and 317 yards, all in the first half.

Georgia coach Mark Richt is expecting Newton’s best again.

"All that stuff was swirling last week and it didn’t bother him," Richt said. "Usually when a guy starts playing ball or even practicing ball, it doesn’t matter what’s going on away from the field. That’s a haven for an athlete. He gets a chance to be in his element and shut everything out, shut the world out, just go have fun and play some ball."

Mississippi State defense poses a challenge for Tide running game

The Crimson Tide is looking to rebound after a 24-21 loss to LSU last weekend, and will likely need to involve talented running backs Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson.

However, on today's SEC coaches' teleconference, Saban said the Mississippi State defense is not easy to run against.

"They create a lot of negative plays with their aggressive, pressure style that they use, in terms of the blitzes, the pressures, the fire zones and things that they do," Saban said.

"They probably create more negative plays than anybody we've played all year, and it's important to get a hat on a hat, and they're physical up front, so we expect a really tough game on the line of scrimmage."

Auburn's Chizik declines to address latest report on Cam Newton

All Auburn coach Gene Chizik would say Wednesday about Cam Newton is that the star quarterback will start for the second-ranked Tigers against Georgia on Saturday. Chizik declined to answer questions about an ESPN report that Newton told a Mississippi State recruiter that his father wanted him to go to Auburn because "the money was too much." Citing unidentified sources, ESPN reported late Tuesday that Newton and his father, Cecil, each had a phone conversation with a Mississippi State recruiter and acknowledged a pay-for-play arrangement. Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said that he and his assistants are the only people on the Bulldogs staff registered with the NCAA as recruiters, but he sidestepped other questions Wednesday about the latest allegation against Newton. Chizik offered a passionate defense of Newton on Tuesday, calling a report about cheating accusations when Newton was at Florida "pure garbage."

Georgia to try to take down No. 2 Auburn

Oregon and Auburn also hold the top two spots in the BCS standings. It’s become apparent that no matter how much winning TCU and Boise State do, they need the Ducks or Tigers to lose to have a shot at playing for the national championship. No. 1 in the AP poll has been beaten twice this season, South Carolina knocked off Alabama and Wisconsin beat Ohio State. Oklahoma was in first-place in the BCS when it lost to Missouri. Yes, they were all upsets, but all those top-ranked teams lost on the road to ranked opponents. The last time the No. 1 team in the AP poll lost to an unranked team was Sept. 25, 2008, when Oregon State upset Southern California. You’d have to go back to 2007 to find the last time an unranked team beat No. 1 in November. That wild season it happened twice, when Illinois beat top-ranked Ohio State on Nov. 11 and Arkansas beat LSU on Nov. 23. Illinois and Arkansas each had seven victories at the time of their big wins. The Illini ended up in the Rose Bowl that season and Arkansas went to the Cotton Bowl.

Kentucky RB Locke to play vs. Vandy

"I’m going to play this week," said Locke in quotes released by the school. "I feel pretty good. I felt good out there today. I felt good yesterday. The main thing was to see how I felt banging around a little bit. I banged on them pretty good today. "Two weeks into it I still couldn’t feel my arm. I couldn’t just raise my arm. I could only move my arm about 45 degrees. My nerve just kind of basically shut down in my deltoid, so I couldn’t really function. Now I’m getting my strength back and I can move it." Locke originally suffered a pair of stingers on Oct. 9, and his availability has been a weekly question mark ever since.

Even given the fact that he’s missed one-third of the season, the senior’s 574 rushing yards are still nearly double that of the Wildcats’ second-leading rusher. His seven rushing touchdowns also lead the team.

Florida’s Meyer denies leaking Newton records

Florida coach Urban Meyer says he didn’t leak any information about Auburn quarterback Cam Newton’s academic record in Gainesville. Meyer adds that no one on his staff would have leaked confidential academic information, calling it a "ridiculous claim and simply not true."

Foxsports.com reported Monday that Newton had faced possible expulsion from Florida for academic cheating before transferring to Blinn Junior College in Texas. The report also says Newton was caught cheating three times and was to appear for a hearing in front of Florida’s Student Committee during the spring semester of 2009.

Meyer says "for anyone to think that I or anyone on our staff may have leaked information about private student records to the media doesn’t know us very well. It’s a ridiculous claim and simply not true."

Auburn rallies around Cam Newton

Auburn football coach Gene Chizik made an impassioned defense of Cam Newton on Tuesday in the face an online report said his quarterback committed academic fraud at Florida, but he wasn't the only one in the athletic family showing support.

Athletics Director Jay Jacobs issued a statement earlier in the day that "these allegations and rumors about Cam Newton are unfortunate and sad." Even women's basketball coach Nell Fortner showed up for her press briefing before her season-opener wearing a Cam Newton jersey.

 "I think he has represented this university well,'' Fortner said. "At Auburn, this is our athletic family. It's our family, and it's time to step up and it's time for everybody else to start stepping up and say, 'Hey, man, I think this story, it has no legs, and it's just ridiculous that is has gone on this far. So that's my opinion, and I'm just ready to step up and say enough's enough."

UF's Meyer emphatically denies role in Newton's controversy

"Our entire focus right now is on preparing for our biggest game of the year against South Carolina," Meyer said. "For anyone to think that I or anyone on our staff may have leaked information about private student records to the media doesn’t know us very well. It’s a ridiculous claim and simply not true."

"In the past 24 hours, a lot of allegations have surfaced that date back two years ago and further," AU athletic director Jay Jacobs said. "These allegations and rumors about Cam Newton are unfortunate and sad because they seem intent on tearing down the reputation of a young man who has done everything we've asked him to do. Cam has been and continues to be completely honest with us."

"Cam is, by all accounts, a great kid. Any discussion of academic records is a clear violation of federal privacy laws. We will not go down that path or stoop to that level as others have apparently done. We will, however, emphatically say that Cam is eligible to play football at Auburn University both academically and athletically. I am proud of this young man and the progress he has made to be a better football player and a better man. We are truly blessed that Cam is a part of the Auburn family, and we support him 100 percent."

Regardless, what this boils down to is an apparent smear campaign and hatchet job all rolled into one embarrassing attempt at character assassination.

Report accuses Cam Newton of academic cheating while at Florida

According to Thayer Evans of FOX Sports.com, and citing an unnamed source, there were three different instances of academic cheating by Newton while at the University of Florida. That, not the laptop incident or Tim Tebow deciding to stick around for his senior season, led Newton to leave the Gainesville school early in December of 2009 and make his way to a Texas junior college.

Newton was arrested for the theft of a laptop from a Florida student’s dorm room in November 2008. He again violated the university’s honor code by putting his name on another student’s paper and turning it in, according to the source. Newton was caught after the instructor asked the real author of the paper why he had not turned in his work, the source said.

According to the source, after the student said he had turned in a paper, he and the instructor went through all the submissions and discovered that Newton had put his name on the paper in question.

Newton subsequently turned in a second paper to the instructor, but it was later found to have been purchased off the Internet, according to the source. The source said Newton was to appear for a hearing in front of Florida’s Student Conduct Committee during the spring semester of 2009, but instead transferred to Blinn College.

Evans, who was one of several national writers to come out recently with a “Don’t vote for Cam for the Heisman” platform, also reports that Newton wasn’t even enrolled at UF when he decided to transfer. Newton’s father didn’t exactly help his son’s case in this latest imbroglio.

"I wasn’t there," the elder Newton said. "I cannot confirm or deny. At a time like this, I’m taking a defensive posture."

Five Big Ten players headline Bednarik Award semifinalists

The Big Ten led all conferences with five semifinalists, followed closely by the SEC’s four and the ACC’s three. The Big 12 had two players named, while the Pac-10 and independents had one apiece. LSU is the only school with two players to make the second-to-last cut.

The list of 16 players will be cut to three finalists Nov. 22, with the 2010 award being announced Dec. 9. The Bednarik, which has been presented annually since 1995, current Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald won the award the first two years, and the award went to Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh last year.

Here’s the full list of this year’s semifinalists:

Sam Acho, Texas, DE, SR
Prince Amukamara, Nebraska, DB, SR
Da’Quan Bowers, Clemson, DE, JR
Chimdi Chekwa, Ohio State, DB, JR
Adrian Clayborn, Iowa, DE, SR
Nick Fairley, Auburn, DL, JR
Justin Houston, Georgia, DL, JR
Brandon Jenkins, Florida State, DL, JR
Greg Jones, Michigan State, LB, SR
Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue, DL, SR
Luke Kuechly, Boston College, LB, SO
Drake Nevis, LSU, DL, JR
Stephen Paea, Oregon State, DT, SR
Patrick Peterson, LSU, DB, JR
Manti Te’o, Notre Dame, LB, SO
J.J. Watt, Wisconsin, DL, JR

Razorbacks lose another starter to regular season-ending injury

Arkansas senior cornerback Ramon Broadway is out for the remainder of the regular season with a dislocated ankle, Razorbacks coach Bobby Petrino said Monday. The Shreveport, La., native had a pin inserted in the injured ankle Sunday. His status for a bowl game is unknown, Petrino said. Broadway suffered the injury on the first possession of Arkansas’ 41-20 win over South Carolina Saturday night. One of two defensive captains, Broadway started all nine games this season at the boundary cornerback position. Broadway is the second Arkansas starter to suffer a season-ending injury in as many weeks. Receiver Greg Childs underwent surgery Friday to repair a knee injury suffered against Vanderbilt on Oct. 30. Petrino said injured defensive tackle Byran Jones (ankle) might return for this Saturday’s game against UTEP. The freshman missed the South Carolina game but did some running on a treadmill over the weekend, Petrino said.

Auburn's Newton, Fairley named semifinalists for prestigious awards

Junior quarterback Cam Newton and junior defensive tackle Nick Fairley have been named semifinalists for a pair of prestigious awards presented by the Maxwell Football Club, the club announced Monday. Newton has been named one of 16 semifinalists for the 74th Maxwell Award for the College Player of the Year, while Fairley is one of 16 candidates for the 16th Chuck Bednarik Award for the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year. Newton leads all Football Bowl Subdivision players this season with 35 touchdowns scored or passed for, smashing the previous Auburn single-season record of 26 set by Pat Sullivan in 1970. He has accounted for more touchdowns than 71 entire FBS teams this season.
Fairley leads the SEC with 18.0 tackles for loss this season, which is third most in the nation, and tied for fourth most in a single season in Auburn history since tackles for loss began being charted in 1981. Fairley, who ranks second in the SEC in sacks with 7.5, had at least one tackle for loss in every game this season until playing limited snaps against Chattanooga last Saturday. He has had four games in which he recorded at least 2.5 tackles for loss.

Fairley has been named the SEC's Defensive Player of the Week once and the league's Defensive Lineman of the Week on three other occasions, making him the first defensive player in Auburn history to earn four SEC weekly awards in one season.