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Clint Trickett will start at quarterback for Florida State Seminoles at Clemson

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Associated Press
Saturday, September 24, 2011

Florida State freshman quarterback Clint Trickett will make his first career start for the 11th-ranked Seminoles at No. 21 Clemson today.

The school announced about an hour before the game that Trickett would play for injured starter EJ Manuel. Trickett had taken all the snaps at practice this week as Manuel dealt with an injury to his left, non-throwing shoulder that he hurt in Florida State's 23-13 loss to top-ranked Oklahoma last weekend.

Trickett has completed 14 of 23 passes for 310 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.

Manuel had thrown for 666 yards and six touchdowns this season. He was also Florida State's leading rusher this season with 79 yards.


No. 21 Clemson Tigers 35, No. 11 Florida State Seminoles 30

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Times staff
Saturday, September 24, 2011

Tahj Boyd threw for three touchdowns and ran for another to lead the No. 21 Clemson Tigers to a 35-30 victory over the No. 11 Florida State Seminoles today in Clemson, S.C.

It was the ACC opener for both teams, and FSU (2-2, 0-1) played without starting quarterback EJ Manuel, who injured his shoulder last week against No. 1 Oklahoma. Manuel had thrown for 666 yards and six touchdowns this season. He was also Florida State's leading rusher this season with 79 yards.

Clint Trickett started in his place, completing 24 of 38 for 336 yards with three touchdowns.

The Seminoles rushing attack continued to struggle, totalling only 29 yards.

Boyd threw a pair of touchdowns to Sammy Boyd, one of 24 yards in the first quarter and another of 62 yards in the fourth. His other touchdown toss was 12 yards to Dwayne Allen in the second quarter.

Boyd finished 23 of 37 for 344 yards for Clemson (4-0, 1-0).

The Seminoles are off next week before playing Oct. 8 at Wake Forest.

One man's plan for realigning college football

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By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, September 24, 2011

Southeastern Conference

Sunbelt Division: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Miami, North Carolina State, South Carolina, USF

Old SEC Division: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tennessee

Comments: It's a conference that features Florida's big four: Florida, FSU, Miami and USF, with three in one division. … We would have loved to have put Florida in a division with the other three state schools, but we didn't want to take the Gators out of the division with traditional SEC teams, and thus lose rivalry games with Tennessee and Georgia. Plus, the potential would remain for a conference title-game matchup against FSU, Miami or USF. …The Sunbelt Division, with a heavy ACC influence, would feature two big-time rivalry games: FSU-Miami and Clemson-South Carolina.

Midwest Conference

North Division: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Purdue, Wisconsin

Southwest Division: Arkansas, Houston, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, TCU

Comments: Don't you just love reassembling much of the old Southwestern Conference, including Arkansas? Also, it keeps the Oklahoma-Oklahoma State and Oklahoma-Texas rivalries alive, as well as a slew of Texas intrastate games. … Some might be surprised that Houston makes the 64-team cut, especially ahead of Baylor, but a city of Houston's size (it's usually in the top 10 media markets) is too big to ignore. … The North Division is made up of Big Ten schools plus Notre Dame. We really wanted to shift Notre Dame back east to play with Penn State, Pitt and Boston College, as well as rivals Michigan and Michigan State, but we couldn't work it geographically. That's okay. The Irish will still get to play Purdue and Northwestern.

Pacific Conference

Coastal Division: Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC

Mountain Division: Boise State, BYU, Colorado, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Utah, Washington

Comments: The emergence of Boise State in recent years lifts it into the 64-team field, perhaps at the expense of Washington State. … Yes, we realize Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri are not in the mountains, but we dig the name of that division. As far as shifting those schools west? There aren't enough West Coast teams for a 16-team league, so a few schools had to be shifted. If they don't like it, we can move them to a lower conference; we're guessing Air Force, Washington State and a few other schools would gladly take their places. … The Coastal Division looks a lot like the old Pac-10 with plenty of in-state rivalry games.

Big East Conference

Atlantic Division: Cincinnati, Louisville, Maryland, Connecticut, Rutgers, Virginia, Virginia Tech, North Carolina

Eastern 8 Division: Boston College, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, Syracuse, West Virginia

Comments: Penn State has been in the Big Ten since 1990, but we still don't think of it as a Big Ten team as much as an Eastern team. This would allow the Nittany Lions to renew old rivalries with Pitt, Syracuse and West Virginia. … Because of geography (and to spruce up the competitiveness of the conference), we had to rob a few teams from the Midwest and South. The biggest name is Ohio State. You wouldn't want to separate Ohio State and Michigan. And you don't want to separate Michigan and Michigan State. Yes, it seems odd to break up the old Big Ten this way, but this is a new day in college football. … Virginia Tech adds another heavyweight, and the Hokies could develop natural rivalry games with Virginia and Maryland. … You might ask why Rutgers and Connecticut, teams with meek reputations in football, made the 64-team list. You have to think of media. Rutgers brings the New York City market, and UConn is in ESPN's back yard.

Left out

A few schools with long-standing football traditions were left out, such as Indiana, Duke, Iowa State, SMU, Wake Forest and Vanderbilt. They were kept off the 64-team list by their media-market size, lack of success over the past couple of decades or both.

The military academies — Army, Navy and Air Force — were left out. Their players work just as hard as any in the nation, but only 64 teams can make the list. The commitments of these military athletes extend far beyond the football field. Again, we're not eliminating these programs, just sending them to a non-BCS conference — which is where they are now.

UCF fans will howl at the Knights' exclusion, especially because USF made the cut. Frankly, USF's football program has its act together much better than UCF's. Despite being around for a much shorter time, USF is in a better conference and has had more postseason success. Plus, Tampa-St. Petersburg is a bigger market than Orlando.

Conference realignment in college football is all the rage these days. Teams are scrambling to find new conferences, and conferences are scrambling to find new teams. It's bedlam. • Let us handle it. If we were grand poobah of college football, how would we arrange it all? We prefer four 16-team conferences for football only. Other sports, including basketball, would be different. • Under our football system, the BCS conferences would have 64 teams, perfect for an eventual playoff system. That means a few schools with rich football traditions would be relegated to smaller, non-BCS conferences, just like many are now. • Maybe it could be worked out like European soccer, with last-place teams in big conferences each year dropped to small conferences, and first-place teams in small conferences moved up to big conferences. • For now, this is how we would set it up.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons: By the numbers, what they're saying

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Times staff
Saturday, September 24, 2011

Bucs vs. Falcons

4:15 p.m., Raymond James Stadium, Tampa

Radio: 620-AM, 103.5 FM

Line/over-under: Bucs by 11/2; 451/2

Week 1 Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5Week 6Week 7Week 9Week 10Week 11Week 12Week 13Week 14Week 15Week 16Week 17
Lions

Lions 27, Bucs 20

(0-1)

at Vikings

Bucs 24, Vikings 20

(1-1)

Falcons

4:15 p.m. today

Colts

8:30 p.m. Oct. 3, ESPN *

at 49ers

4:05 p.m. Oct. 9, Ch. 13

Saints

4:15 p.m. Oct. 16, Ch. 13 *

Bears #

1 p.m. Oct. 23, Ch. 13

at Saints

1 p.m. Nov. 6, 1 p.m.

Texans

1 p.m. Nov. 13, Ch. 10 *

at Packers

1 p.m. Nov. 20, Ch. 13

at Titans

1 p.m. Nov. 27, Ch. 13

Panthers

1 p.m. Dec. 4, Ch. 13 *

at Jaguars

1 p.m. Dec. 11, Ch. 13

Cowboys

8:20 p.m. Dec. 17, NFL *

at Panthers

1 p.m. Dec. 24, Ch. 13

at Falcons

1 p.m. Jan. 1, Ch. 13



The poll

Which was the biggest play in the Bucs' 24-20 victory against the Vikings last week?

52 percent: LeGarrette Blount's 27-yard touchdown run

18 percent: Preston Parker's 6-yard reception on third and 4

13 percent: Dez Briscoe's 19-yard catch (plus 15-yard roughing the passer penalty)

9 percent: LeGarrette Blount's winning 4-yard touchdown run

8 percent: Arrelious Benn's 25-yard touchdown reception

Total: 458 votes

By the numbers

0-4 Bucs' record against the Falcons since Raheem Morris took over as coach

5.8 Bucs' average margin of loss in the four games

74.0 QB rating of the Bucs' Josh Freeman in his four games (all losses) against Atlanta

65.9 QB rating of the Falcons' Matt Ryan against the Bucs, his worst against any team; still, he is 5-1 against them

0 Bucs sacks of Ryan in the past two meetings

What they're saying

For Tampa Bay, the challenge of stopping Matt Ryan and Michael Turner and Roddy White and … (deep breath) … Tony Gonzalez and Julio Jones and Harry Douglas and all the rest will be formidable enough given the Buccaneers will go into the game with a defense ranked 28th in the league, including 31st against the run at 156 yards per game. They better control the ball — and the clock — and get LeGarrette Blount involved often.

Chris Harry Sports Illustrated

This was a great win on the road, particularly coming from 17 down, but Josh Freeman and the Bucs need to get going earlier in the game. That said, he may be the best fourth-quarter QB in the game. The Bucs will take this momentum into their divisional matchup with Atlanta.

Brian Billick, Fox Sports

The picks

Terrific comeback last week for Josh Freeman. There's something about this kid that's impossible not to like. It won't surprise me at all if, in 10 years, we look at the careers of the two quarterbacks in this game and say Freeman's been a better pro than Matt Ryan. And believe me, that's not meant to be a knock on Ryan. It's how strongly I feel about Freeman. Bucs, 20-16.

Peter King Sports Illustrated

This is the first division game for both. The Falcons haven't been as good on defense as they expected. The Bucs haven't been as good on offense. I look for a physical game with a lot of Michael Turner. The Bucs have speed issues on offense, which will show up against the Falcons. Look for a big game by the Atlanta running game. Falcons, 23-17.

Pete Prisco CBS Sportsline

Both offenses look to be hitting their stride. The Falcons get the edge on the road because of the sharpness of Matt Ryan, who has won his last five starts against Tampa Bay. Falcons, 28-24.

Sam Farmer Los Angeles Times

Why stop now?

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By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, September 24, 2011

High praise

Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton, the top pick out of Auburn, has turned some heads, racking up 422 and 432 passing yards, respectively, in his first two starts. That's as many 400-yard games as Brett Favre, Jim Kelly and John Elway had combined in 47 seasons. NFL.com senior analyst Gil Brandt put it simply: "I've scouted thousands of players and wouldn't make this statement lightly: Through two games, Cam Newton is the most impressive rookie quarterback I've seen come into the league."

Free fall

One year ago, the Chiefs were on their way to becoming one of the league's feel-good stories and Todd Haley a coach of the year candidate after surprisingly taking the AFC West title. Boy, how times have changed. The Chiefs are 0-2, boasting the league's worst-ranked offense and defense. To top it off, star running back Jamaal Charles is out for the season with a torn left ACL. Haley is feeling some heat. Writes the Kansas City Star's Adam Teicher, "The Chiefs' fall has been so precipitous — they've been outscored 89-10 in their first two games — that it's natural to wonder whether Haley could be the next casualty."

Tryout of the week

With Bengals longtime quarterback Carson Palmer still sitting out — holding true to his stance he'll retire if he's not traded — he has been offered a career change. The Cincinnati Cyclones of the East Coast Hockey League (the equivalent of Double-A baseball) announced they've offered Palmer a tryout.

It will take place Thursday, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

"His skating ability, stick-handling skills and slap shot have yet to be seen," Cyclones coach Jarrod Skalde said in a statement released by the team. "But growing up in the hockey hotbed of Fresno, Calif, one can only think he's a natural."

Is Terrell Owens going to be invited, too?

Today's most intriguing matchup pits Patriots quarterback Tom Brady a three-time Super Bowl champion and magazine cover boy — against Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick — a relative unknown seventh-round pick out of Harvard who used to watch Brady star on TV from his dorm room. • The AFC East rivals meet as Buffalo, one of the league's surprise stories at 2-0, hopes to beat New England for the first time since 2003 (spanning 15 games). • "We're a team full of guys looking to make a name for themselves, looking to make a name for our team," Fitzpatrick said during a conference call last week. "Although most of us are unheralded and nobody really knows us, we think we're pretty good, and we think we've got a lot of talent on the roster. • "A lot of our guys are so young. They don't realize they're not supposed to go out and score 39.5 points (per week). They feel that's normal. For us, it's keeping that confidence and keeping that swagger and going out and getting the job done."

Power rankings

1. Packers 2. Patriots

3. Jets 4. Saints

5. Lions

Upset special

Bears (1-1) over Packers (2-0)

Unlike last season's NFC title game, quarterback Jay Cutler finishes this game and shocks the Packers.

Tweet of the week

While Vikings punter Chris Kluwe is not a household name for NFL fans, he has nearly 30,000 followers on Twitter (@ChrisWarcraft) and tweeted an interesting photo last week. Following Wednesday's league memo about faking injuries — and the repercussions for doing so — Kluwe posted a picture of a message on the Vikings' whiteboard under the headline NFL Memo on Faking Injuries: "Anyone who fakes an injury shall be publicly shamed by having their official position changed to 'punter' or 'kicker.' Remember gentlemen, this isn't soccer."

Headline of the week

"No champagne yet, but Lions taking on look of champions"

Detroit Free Press, on the 2-0 Lions

The NFL, Times wires and the Boston Herald contributed to this report. Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@sptimes.com.

Georgia shuts down Mississippi

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Times wires
Saturday, September 24, 2011

OXFORD, Miss. — As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Georgia linebacker Cornelius Washington smacked aside a Mississippi offensive lineman, wrapped up quarterback Randall Mackey and slammed him to the turf for a 17-yard loss.

It was a fitting end for Georgia's defense, which allowed just 183 total yards in Saturday's 27-13 victory.

"Our defense came out in the second half and played a dominant game," Georgia coach Mark Richt said.

"The defense finished this game extremely well. One play could have made it ugly and nasty for us, but our defense just didn't (allow) that."

As Georgia's defense thrived, the offense proved capable. Aaron Murray was 17-of-26 for 268 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a touchdown. Freshman Isaiah Crowell ran for 147 yards for the Bulldogs, who have won eight straight in the series dating to 1997.

Georgia dominated early with the 5-foot-11, 215-pound Crowell gashing Ole Miss on the ground for several big gains. Murray's sneak made it 7-0, and his 2-yard pass to fellow Plant High graduate Orson Charles gave the Bulldogs a 17-0 lead with 6:01 left in the first half.

"The first half was great offensively," Murray said. "We didn't make mistakes, and we were efficient. You could tell that we've made some big strides since Week 1 (a 35-21 loss to Boise State)."

The Rebels briefly made things interesting. After a reverse handoff, Mackey hit an open Donte Moncrief for a 38-yard touchdown to pull within 17-7. Then Ole Miss recovered an onside kick.

Three plays later, though, Mackey threw an interception.

The loss is another blow to Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt's job security. The Rebels are 5-11 dating to last season and have lost 10 of 11 SEC games. Athletic director Pete Boone said he wanted to see more "fire" from the team after last week's 30-7 loss to Vanderbilt.

The Rebels were slightly more competitive. But the results were the same.

"Obviously, 183 yards of offense isn't enough to win in this conference or any conference," Ole Miss offensive coordinator David Lee said. But I did think there was improvement. I thought our guys fought."

Expansion: Texas A&M president R. Bowden Loftin said he expects his school to be in the SEC "shortly." "I think the legal issues are basically gone," he said. Baylor and other Big 12 schools had threatened to sue A&M for leaving the conference.

Gamecocks win it with defense

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Times wires
Saturday, September 24, 2011

COLUMBIA, S.C. — For the first time in his seven seasons at South Carolina, Steve Spurrier's team is 4-0. But like most of his Gamecocks teams, he can't get the offense where he wants it.

No. 12 South Carolina beat Vanderbilt 21-3 on Saturday. But Stephen Garcia threw four interceptions (prompting Spurrier to throw his headset and playcalling sheet), and Marcus Lattimore was held to fewer that 100 rushing yards.

"I apologize to Gamecock fans for such a putrid offensive performance," Spurrier said.

Garcia, a Jefferson High graduate, shrugged off his performance at first: "A win is a win. If we would have lost, hell yeah, it would have been frustrating.

A few minutes later, he seemed to realize his nonchalance at his mistakes drives Spurrier nuts.

"I hope this is the last week we play like this offensively," Garcia said. "I don't think we can survive playing like this."

The Gamecocks allowed 77 yards (the fewest since 66 against Wake Forest in 1987) and five first downs. They recovered two fumbles and had six sacks.

"We got manhandled up front," Commodores coach James Franklin said. "Their athleticism up front was obvious."

Auburn 30, FAU 14: Interceptions by Jermaine Whitehead and Neiko Thorpe helped the host Tigers pull away. Up 10-6, Whitehead returned his 25 yards for a score 1:26 into the third. Onterio McCalebb took a screen pass 51 yards for an Auburn touchdown 5:27 later. Then Thorpe's 46-yard return set up a field goal. The Owls offense entered at 92.5 yards per game but finished with 307.

Miss. St. 26, La. Tech 20 OT: Nickoe Whitley's interception was followed by Chris Relf's winning 17-yard touchdown pass to LaDarius Perkins for the host Bulldogs. Tied at 20, Mississippi State's Johnthan Banks intercepted a pass at the goal line with 2:32 left.

Georgia 27, Miss. 13: Aaron Murray went 17-of-26 for 268 yards and two touchdowns, one to former Plant High teammate Orson Charles, and ran for a touchdown for the visiting Bulldogs. Freshman Isaiah Crowell rushed for 147 yards on 30 carries for Georgia, which has won eight straight in the series dating to 1997. Murray sneaked in to make it 7-0 and hit Wells for a 2-yard score to make it 17-0 with 6:01 left in the first half.

Expansion: Texas A&M president R. Bowden Loftin said he expects to be in the SEC "shortly." "I think the legal issues are basically gone," he said. Baylor and other Big 12 schools had threatened to sue A&M for leaving.

Sprint Cup scouting report: New Hampshire

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Times staff
Saturday, September 24, 2011

SPRINT CUP SCOUTING REPORT

This could be an ideal start to the Chase for the Championship for Stewart-Haas Racing. Tony Stewart won last week at Chicagoland, breaking through for his first victory this season. Now comes teammate Ryan Newman, who sits on the pole for today's Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and earned his lone victory this season in the July race at Loudon. "I'd be lying if I didn't say we were excited about coming back" to the track, Newman told media members Friday. The 1.053-mile oval might not be such good news for Carl Edwards, who has just two top-10 finishes in 14 starts there.

Times staff


Denny Hamlin trying not to let one bad Chase race beat him

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Times wires
Saturday, September 24, 2011

LOUDON, N.H. — One and done? Title hopes up in smoke? For drivers who ran out of gas or good luck in Monday's Chase for the Championship opener, they have kept the faith that their championship pursuits aren't spoiled because of a bad start.

But that start doesn't help.

Denny Hamlin, inconsistent all season, is 12th in points and already 41 behind leader Kevin Harvick. Hamlin struggled all day at Chicagoland and staggered to a 31st-place finish.

Matt Kenseth (10th in the standings) and Jeff Gordon (11th), among others, ran out of gas in the final lap. But Gordon is only 25 points out of first. Not enviable, but no reason to panic — not with nine races left starting with today's Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Hamlin, though, could find his hopes extinguished with a similar poor run today in the No. 11 Toyota. He qualified 28th Friday, worst among 12 Chase drivers.

"We're struggling right now just to get consistency and I can't pinpoint one particular place where we need to work," Hamlin said. "… It's painful at this moment."

A year ago, Hamlin was on the brink of his first championship heading into the finale at Homestead. He entered the race atop the standings but spun and slid through the grass, paving the way for Jimmie Johnson to win the Cup for a fifth straight year.

For Hamlin, it wasn't just a bitter end to the season — it seemed to set the tone for this one.

He had only one top 10 in the first eight races. He got hot late, but has only one victory (after leading the series with eight last season) and qualified for the Chase with a wild card.

"I don't think anyone has huge expectations for us this Chase," Hamlin said. "I personally do and still do. I think that we've really underachieved quite a bit, so you get frustrated."

Seven drivers are 10 to 20 points behind Harvick, including Johnson.

"It's just too early to be overly concerned," Johnson said.

He should know.

Johnson opened the 2006 Chase with a 39th-place finish, then used five straight top-two finishes to win his first title. He was 25th last year in the opener. So every driver usually gets at least one finish they can toss out over 10 pressure-packed races.

Yet Hamlin, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, knows any chance at salvaging his season rides on New Hampshire, where he was third in the July race.

"We still have a shot if we get just … find the consistency that we had last year," he said

Cross country: Nature Coast boys dominate Zak Lucas Invitational

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By Derek J. LaRiviere, Times Correspondent
Saturday, September 24, 2011

BROOKSVILLE — Nature Coast has started taking the strides toward becoming one of the top programs in the area, and its domination Saturday of the boys race in the 35th annual Zak Lucas Invitational was evidence of that.

Led by winner Cody Van Natter, the Sharks placed five runners in the top six overall and seven in the top 11. Nature Coast was one spot away from a perfect score with Hernando's Parker Steinkamp, who finished fourth, as the only competitor to break-up the string.

"I knew we had a good shot at this one," Nature Coast coach Eric Milholland said. "So we worked hard this week, and there's no doubt our boys were running on tired legs. It was good to see them push themselves."

Van Natter crossed the line in 16 minutes, 56 seconds, and he was the only participant to finish in less than 17 minutes. Teammates Kevin Ciccone (17:06) and Tyler Moore (17:13) were not far behind. Although the times were slower than the usual winners of this race, Van Natter was happy with his performance.

"We had a real tough week of practice," he said. "We're pushing ourselves harder because we're trying to get ready for the end of the season. We have bigger goals."

Last season's champ, Pasco's Anthony Plourde, won in 16:24. Five runners in that race finished with better times on the McKethan Lake course than Van Natter this year, including Van Natter, who was fourth in 16:52.

While Nature Coast (17 points) easily outpaced runnerup Springstead (91) for the team trophy, the girls side was won by Crystal River (47). Wharton (67) came in second with Nature Coast (75) and Springstead (95) rounding out the top four.

Lecanto's Chloe Benoist (20:45), second in last season's race, won the title this year.

Springstead's Devon Rennie (21:09) came in second to Benoist, and teammate Ty'Rhonza Harris (21:32) joined her in the top 10 with a seventh-place finish.

"We've got a chance to be very good," Springstead coach Ron Myers said.

Kyle Busch keeps wins, money rolling in

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Times wires
Saturday, September 24, 2011

LOUDON, N.H. — Kyle Busch can see the time when his own NASCAR truck team thrives without him behind the wheel.

That time is not now.

Not with sponsors clamoring to sticker his truck with ads. Kyle Busch Motorsports runs best when its owner is at the wheel.

"They want the guaranteed chance to go to Victory Lane," Busch said.

He dominated again Saturday, leading all but 10 of 175 laps to win the F.W. Webb 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

"It was fun for us," Busch said, "maybe not for others."

Busch started from the pole and earned his 30th victory in the series, sixth this season.

FORMULA ONE: Sebastian Vettel took the pole for today's Singapore Grand Prix in 1 minute, 44.381 seconds around the 3.148-mile circuit. The German will clinch his second straight world title if he earns 13 more points than Fernando Alonso and eight more than Red Bull teammate Mark Webber, who starts second, and Jenson Button.

NHRA: Tony Schumacher led Top Fuel qualifying at the Texas Fall Nationals in Dallas with a run of 3.863 seconds at 319.07 mph. Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also led their classes.

Cardinals 2, Cubs 1

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Times wires
Saturday, September 24, 2011

Cardinals 2, Cubs 1

ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals got within two of the wild-card leading Braves when Cubs closer Carlos Marmol walked home the tying run with two outs in the ninth, then threw a game-ending wild pitch. Manager Tony La Russa was accidentally hit in the jaw during the celebration: "Guys were excited, (stuff) flying all over that dugout. Right, left, elbows, high fives, low 10s."

Nationals 4, Braves 1

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Times wires
Saturday, September 24, 2011

Nationals 4, Braves 1

WASHINGTON — The Braves were shut down by Chien-Ming Wang, who drove in a run with his first career hit, and had their wild-card lead cut to two with four games left. "It's nice to watch the scoreboard and do all that kind of stuff, but we've got to win our games," Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said. Losing pitcher Brandon Beachy is 0-1 with a 5.27 ERA in his last five starts. "That's the growing pains of a young pitcher," Gonzalez said.

North Suncoast: Sunday morning quarterback

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By Matt Baker, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, September 24, 2011

What we learned

1. River Ridge now has two options in its backfield. Undefeated and gaining momentum, the Royal Knights seem to adjust well too. When lead back Austin Schwarz was bottled up in the first half against Mitchell (four carries, minus-6 yards, one lost fumble), first-year coach Ryan Benjamin uncovered his newest project, Tyler Green. What did Green do? Just carried the ball 18 times for 174 yards in a 20-10 win. With these two combining for almost 250 yards on the ground, River Ridge might be for real.

2. When Matt Breida doesn't play defense, it's scary. In his first game playing exclusively offensive snaps, the Nature Coast running back made his point against Central. He nearly broke the Hernando County single-game rushing record of 363 yards (Central's DuJuan Jones, 2006) with a 355-yard night on only 16 carries.

3. Land O'Lakes needs to recover quickly. The Gators are reeling — by their standards, at least — dropping two in a row and three of their last four, including a 54-19 playoff loss to Jefferson. The offense has struggled, scoring only one touchdown in defeats to Pasco and Hernando, and mustering only 112 yards of offense against the Leopards. The Gators have the talent to make a playoff run, but they have to rediscover a ground game and control the line of scrimmage starting this week against Springstead.

4. Things are looking up at Fivay, Zephyrhills and River Ridge. The Royal Knights' 3-0 start means River Ridge has already surpassed its win total for all of last season. It can prove it's a playoff contender if it can hang with Nature Coast this week. Fivay is 2-1, doubling its varsity victory total from its football debut last fall. A win over Wesley Chapel this week would make it one of the favorites for the runnerup spot in 5A-6. Another contender is Zephyrhills, which lost to Wesley Chapel by 18 points last year but took a 22-point win Friday. The Bulldogs are locks to win more games this fall than they have the last two years combined (four).

5. Don't sleep on Sunlake. Alas, the Seahawks gave up their first points of the year — 16, in fact, in a 33-point win over Springstead, even if one touchdown came on a fumble return for a score. But Sunlake forced two fumbles and used a balanced offense to knock off one of the area's most consistent programs and start the season 3-0. The Seahawks are physical and have enough athletes to battle Nature Coast, Hernando and rival Land O'Lakes for their first trip to the playoffs.

Times correspondent Derek J. LaRiviere contributed to this report.

Looking ahead

River Ridge (3-0, 1-0) at Nature Coast (2-2, 1-0): The Royal Knights held a powerful Mitchell ground game to 101 rushing yards. How will River Ridge fare against RB Matt Breida and the Sharks?

Wesley Chapel (2-1, 0-1) at Fivay (2-1, 1-0): The Falcons have reeled off two big wins in a row, knocking off Springstead and Anclote. Wesley Chapel was shaken against Zephyrhills and needs a victory to avoid an 0-2 start to district play that could destroy its playoff hopes.

Game balls

RB Matt Breida, Nature Coast: The junior had one of the top performances in Hernando County history, rushing for 355 yards on 16 carries and scoring six touchdowns in a 52-0 win over Central. Breida has 853 rushing yards in four games, not bad for a former defensive back.

QB Tyler Degen, Fivay: The 6-foot-1 junior threw two first-half touchdown passes and completed 10 of 16 attempts in the Falcons' 21-14 win over Anclote.

RB Tyler Green, River Ridge: Playing the position for the first time at the varsity level, the junior rushed for 174 yards on 18 carries in a 20-10 victory over Mitchell.

ATH Chris Gregory, Anclote: The 6-foot junior returned the second-half kickoff 95 yards for a score and later added a two-point conversion run in the Sharks' 21-14 loss to Fivay.

Hernando linemen: The Leopards racked up more than 300 rushing yards, held Land O'Lakes to only 28 yards on the ground and came away with seven sacks in a 28-7 win.

FB/LB Jeremiah Jackson, Hernando: The sophomore standout proved he's a legit Division I prospect, rushing for 76 yards and a touchdown and recording three sacks against Land O'Lakes.

LB Kyle Forchion, Land O'Lakes: The junior returned a fumble 40 yards for a touchdown in a 28-7 loss to Hernando.

TE Max Livingstone, Ridgewood: The 6-foot-3, 220-pound junior capped off a fourth-quarter comeback for the Rams, catching a 30-yard touchdown pass from Bob Peck with 13 seconds left to knock off Hudson 16-10. It was Ridgewood's first win of the season.

LB Malik Moore, River Ridge: With two sacks in the fourth quarter and double-digit tackles for the game, Moore was a major part of containing the Mitchell offense.

Pasco defense, special teams: The Pirates scored more touchdowns on punt returns, fumble recoveries and interceptions (four) than on offense (three). Pasco has allowed only six points in the last three games.

QB Jamal Roberts, Zephyrhills: One of Pasco County's quickest players ran for four touchdowns and threw for another in a 38-16 victory over Wesley Chapel.

RB Jerome Samuels, Sunlake: The 6-foot-2 senior rushed for three touchdowns, two in the first quarter, to help the Seahawks jump to an early lead and a 3-0 start after a 49-16 victory over Springstead.

Audibles

"It means everything."

LB Jeremiah Jackson, on Hernando ending a two-game skid and opening district play with a win over Land O'Lakes

"We didn't deserve to win that game."

Kent Reed, Ridgewood coach, who probably isn't really complaining with the result: 16 unanswered points in a 16-10 win over Hudson that gave the Rams their first victory this year

Pinellas: Sunday morning quarterback

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By Bob Putnam and Bryan Burns, Times Staff Writers
Saturday, September 24, 2011

Sunday morning quarterback

This week's games had one theme: blowouts. Countryside won by 51 points. So did Largo. And that was not even the biggest margin of victory. St. Petersburg Catholic won by 77 to give new coach Steve Dudley his first win. Of the 16 games in the county, eight were decided by 28 points or more. Here is the recap from Week 4:

Super seven

1. Countryside (3-0): Balanced attack helps Cougars cruise to 51-0 win over Seminole in first district game.

2. Lakewood (3-0): First-year starting quarterback Tracy Johnson has best game yet in 40-11 rout of Dunedin.

3. Largo (2-2): Jarvis Stewart runs wild and defense gets second shutout of the year in 51-0 win over Osceola.

4. East Lake (2-2): Brutal early season schedule continues as Eagles lose 38-19 to defending Class 2B state champion Ocala Trinity Catholic.

5. Gibbs (2-1): Bye week comes at opportune time as Gladiators prepare for tough stretch of district opponents the next few weeks.

6. Tarpon Springs (3-1): Louis Pappas only throws one touchdown pass but runs for two scores in a 34-20 win over Dixie Hollins.

7. Clearwater Central Catholic (3-1): Big 20-7 win over public school rival Palm Harbor University gives Marauders confidence heading into district play.

Knocking on the door: Pinellas Park (3-1), Palm Harbor University (3-1), Canterbury (4-0), Indian Rocks Christian (4-0)

Notable performances

WR/DB Vinny Capobianco, Indian Rocks Christian: The senior was instrumental in the Golden Eagles staying unbeaten with a 42-28 win over Bradenton Christian. He returned a kickoff for a touchdown, had a reception for a score and set up another with an interception.

QB Tracy Johnson, Lakewood: The Spartans' signal-caller had four touchdown passes of 30 yards or greater in rout of Dunedin. Johnson finished 10-of-18 for 290 yards.

RB Brent O'Neal, Canterbury: The senior feature back for the undefeated Crusaders averaged an astounding 36 yards a carry against Calvary Christian after rushing seven times for 251 total. O'Neal scored three touchdowns in the 57-14 win.

RB Diomi Roberts, Countryside: Roberts piled up 158 yards and three touchdowns on seven carries, helping the Cougars rack up nearly 500 yards of total offense against Seminole.

RB Jarvis Stewart, Largo: Stewart was a scoring threat each time he touched the ball in the Packers' rout of Osceola, rushing for 183 yards and four touchdowns on 13 carries.

Offensive player of the week

RB Ryan Green, St. Petersburg Catholic: Undoubtedly, Green will want a copy of Friday's game video against Cornerstone Charter. The junior running back scored six times to help the Barons put up a basketball-like total against the independent school from Orlando in an 83-6 laugher. Green rushed for five touchdowns, including a 56-yarder in the third quarter. He also had a 35-yard, first-quarter punt return for a touchdown.

Defensive player of the week

FS Jonathan Crawford, Largo: Crawford, a 6-foot-1, 178-pound freshman safety, was key in helping the Packers rebound from the loss to Countryside. Crawford picked off two Osceola passes, highlighting a superb, all-around defensive effort in the Packers' 51-0 blowout win. Largo recorded its second shutout of the young season and has surrendered just 49 points through four games this year.

Bryan Burns and Bob Putnam, Times Staff Writers


Hillsborough: Sunday morning quarterback

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By Eduardo A. Encina, Laura Keeley and Joey Knight, Times Staff Writers
Saturday, September 24, 2011

What we learned

1. Sickles will have a say in the Class 6A-8 race. Sickles heard all the talk about Hillsborough County's "District of Doom" being a three-horse race between powers Armwood, Jefferson and Hillsborough. But the Gryphons have an impressive stable of backs — senior LaDondra Crittenden, sophomore Yhaquille Grant and junior Marcos Vega — and a prolific ground game. Ask King, which allowed 357 rushing yards in a 49-23 loss to the Gryphons.

2. Keep an eye on Durant out there in eastern Hillsborough County. The two Class 7A-8 playoff spots will have to be split between Newsome, Plant City and Durant. And if RB Jamarlon Hamilton can replicate his second-half performance (19 carries, 146 yards and two touchdowns) while QB Nick Fabrizio is unleashing his own mix of keepers and passes, don't be surprised if it's the Cougars that are still playing after the curtain falls on the regular season.

3. Robert Davis is as tough as he is prolific. Playing through a wince-inducing shoulder sprain, Davis still ran for 97 yards, returned a fumble for a touchdown and had seven tackles in Carrollwood Day's 47-10 romp of Shorecrest. Look for Davis and QB Deuce Gruden (ankle) to be held out of contact most of the upcoming week as coaches try to save them for Friday's critical district game against Admiral Farragut (see below).

Looking ahead

Tampa Bay Tech (2-2) at Plant (4-0). These programs aren't traditional rivals, but over the last two seasons, they've developed a nice series, with TBT winning in 2009 and Plant prevailing last year 10-0. This year's matchup adds an interesting caveat: New TBT offensive coordinator Mo Harris is a former Plant running backs coach and Robert Weiner disciple.

Armwood (4-0, 1-0) at Jefferson (1-1, 0-0). It's a matchup of two of the perennial Hillsborough County powerhouses. And while these Dragons may not be quite as fearful as the 2010 version, it's still true that Jefferson hasn't lost a home game since 2008.

Admiral Farragut (3-1, 1-1) at Carrollwood Day (3-1, 1-1). We still don't know how the logjam known as the Class 2A, District 5 race finish, but we can say this one will go a long way toward sorting things out. Dare we call this a playoff elimination game?

By the numbers

13 Offensive plays Armwood needed to score 61 first-half points against Leto

42 Unanswered points scored by Newsome after the first quarter against East Bay

6 Total completed passes for Durant and Brandon combined in the Cougars' 36-24 triumph

96 Total offensive yards by Steinbrenner in a 13-6 win (yes, win) over Freedom

Audibles

"The coaches came into halftime and ripped me pretty bad because of those two turnovers. … I kind of liked when Coach ripped me, it got me going and got me mad."

Nick Fabrizio, Durant quarterback, on the halftime "talk" that got him and the rest of the Cougars back on track in their 36-24 victory over Brandon

"It wasn't a statement. It was just really one football game. It's a long road ahead. We've still got Armwood, Hillsborough and Jefferson coming up back-to-back-to-back. We'll find what kind of team we have then."

Brian Turner, Sickles coach, playing down the impact of the Gryphons' 49-23 win over King in their district opener.

Game balls

RB Corey Bennett, Tampa Catholic. Bennett, the first freshman to get a game ball this year, ran for 121 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries in the Crusaders' 33-14 win over Bloomingdale.

DB Danny Fernandez, Steinbrenner. Returned an interception 24 yards for the winning touchdown in the Warriors' 13-6 district win against Freedom.

RB Jamarlon Hamilton, Durant. Ran for 146 yards in the second half and carried the ball on 16 of Durant's final 18 plays in the Cougars' 36-24 win over Brandon. Hamilton also scored three touchdowns.

QB Alex McGough, Gaither. Threw touchdown passes to three receivers in the Cowboys' 39-0 romp over Wiregrass Ranch.

RB Dazmond Patterson, Plant City. Patterson and the Raiders made easy work of Riverview. Patterson totaled 308 yards and three touchdowns in a 56-0 victory over the Sharks.

DL Kadesh Reaves, Tampa Bay Tech. The 5-foot-11, 288-pounder scooped up a fumble and ran it back 72 yards for a touchdown, tying the game at 14 and shifting the momentum in the Titans' 38-14 win over Chamberlain.

You've got to see the Hot List St. Petersburg Times' columnist John C. Cotey keeps his fingers on the pulse of high school sports all weekend, then turns those fingers loose on a keyboard. See what he says is trending at tampabay.com/hometeam.

Tampa Bay Rays season in review

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By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, September 24, 2011

What this Rays team ultimately will be remembered for will be determined in the next four (or five or six) days: celebrating as the first team to make the postseason after being nine games out in September, or agonizing over the missed opportunities in falling just short. But there has been plenty that's been memorable along the way.

Most valuable

3B Evan Longoria, below, even after missing a month, and struggling for another five weeks after returning, has had a great season, maybe the best of his four. He is not only pushing 30 homers and 100 RBIs but, despite a .244 average, is making them count. He leads the team with 35 game-tying or go-ahead RBIs, and his success seems to translate, as he has a .305-21-69 stat line in the 68 wins when he has been in the lineup and .157-7-23 in 60 losses. (Although, they have a better record without him, 18-11, than with, 68-60.) Of the position players, he has been most valuable.

But this is an odd team in an unusual season. And that calls for an unconventional evaluation. Because the truly most valuable Ray is one who participates in barely 20 percent of their games. What RHP James Shields has done, beyond his team-high 15 victories (a season after losing 15 with a 5.18 ERA) has made possible a lot of what the Rays accomplished.

The innings Shields piled up (240⅔), including a major-league high 11 complete games, covered and compensated for a shorthanded bullpen. The high level of his work — including 24 quality starts (seven or more innings, three runs or fewer) — despite the sixth-lowest run support in the AL (3.70 runs per 9 IP) kept the Rays in all but two of his 32 outings (they are 20-12). And the mentoring he provided to their young starters has been immeasurable.

For all those reasons, Shields is most valuable.

Runnersup: Longoria, Kyle Farnsworth, Ben Zobrist

Most pleasant surprises

The Rays came into the season void of any pitchers who had proven they could handle the final inning. Kyle Farnsworth was given the first shot based on his limited experience — 27 career saves, with only one in the previous four seasons — and clenched it, converting 23 of his first 27 chances, with a 1.87 ERA, until elbow issues surfaced

But a bigger surprise had to be 1B Casey Kotchman, left. The local kid was reduced to signing a minor-league contract coming off a miserable year in Seattle and started at Triple A, but he got breaks when Manny Ramirez bailed and Dan Johnson failed and spent much of the season among the AL's top hitters while again leading the majors in fielding percentage.

Runnersup: Farnsworth, Joel Peralta, Sam Fuld

Most disappointing

This might be the toughest decision of the three because of the depths of disappointment in SS Reid Brignac and C John Jaso.

The Rays needed Brignac, left, to do more (his .187 average third lowest and his five extra-base hits the fewest of all players with 250 PAs) after handing him the job by trading Jason Bartlett in what turned out to be one of their biggest losses. The lingering questions are whether they overevaluated or Brignac underperformed, and if they give him another shot.

But Jaso regressed more, as he not only didn't hit (dropping from a .263 average and .750 OPS to .220 / .646) but also was a mess behind the plate (allowing 50 of 59 stolen bases, failing to block balls) and created an even bigger hole going forward. Brignac "wins" this, but it's close.

Runnersup: Jaso, Manny Ramirez, Kelly Shoppach/Dan Johnson

5 key numbers

10 Losses when tied or ahead after 8 innings.

17-18 W-L vs. A's, Mariners and Orioles.

52 Games (of 157) with 2 or fewer runs; 6-46 record.

.227 Batting average with runners in scoring position, 28th in MLB.

18,543 Average attendance, second-lowest in MLB.

Making their pitch

As madly frustrating as the offense was, the pitching was spectacularly good. Going into the final five games, the Rays were second in the AL with a 3.61 ERA, allowing a league-low .236 average (which would be the best since the 2001 Mariners) and 598 runs. Their starters have thrown an AL-high 1,030⅓ innings (with an AL-best 3.50 ERA, 15 complete games and 77 of at least 7 IP), are all homegrown and all under 30 (extending their record streak to 759 games). Related, the Rays lead the majors with a .988 fielding percentage.

Dearly departed

Among the key players who left the Rays:

Jason Bartlett, SD .251-2-40

Carl Crawford, BOS .259-11-55

Carlos Pena, CHIC .231-28-80

Grant Balfour, OAK 5-2-2 2.48

Matt Garza, CHIC 9-10 3.35

Joaquin Benoit, DET 4-3-2 3.02

Randy Choate, FLA 1-1-0 1.82

Rafael Soriano, NYY 2-2-2 3.62

Dan Wheeler, BOS 2-2-0 4.38

All stats through Friday

Your move, rook

Among the contributions of the team-record tying 16 rookies (and 10 pitchers) this season:

• RHP Jeremy Hellickson has 13 wins (and 10 losses in which the Rays scored a total of nine runs) and an AL-best 2.90 ERA and .208 opponents average.

•OF Desmond Jennings is two steals from becoming the first AL rookie with 10 HRs and 20 SBs since 2003.

Notable accomplishments

• A major-league record 52 games into the season without making multiple errors, then SS Sean Rodriguez making three in the May 30 game.

Ben Zobrist having a good week during an April 28 doubleheader in Minnesota with seven hits (including two homers) and 10 RBIs.

• Logging a fourth straight winning season, matching the fourth longest active streak in majors.

Johnny Damon, left, becoming the second player in history with 200 homers, 400 steals and 100 triples and the fourth to play in 140 games for 16 consecutive seasons.

• Potentially becoming first AL team since 1976 to go a full season without scoring 10 or more at home.

David Price striking out a team-record 14 at Toronto on Aug. 28.

B.J. and Arizona's Justin Upton becoming the first brothers to go 20-20 in a season.

• Winning 44 road games, and an AL-most 91 2010-11.

Sam Fuld becoming a legend.

From small things ...

Of the 78 teams to start a season 1-8, the Rays are one of nine to finish above .500. The most wins after 1-8 start:

Teams W-L

1921 Cards 87-55

1916 Giants 86-66

1922 Reds 86-68

2011 RAYS 86-70

1995 Reds* 85-59

* Only team of the 78 to make the postseason

Split personality

One of the bigger mysteries this season has been why the Rays hit so much worse at home than on the road. Stats with MLB rank:

Home Road

Avg. .235 (28) .251 (16)

R/G 3.70 (24) 4.90 (4)

OPS .693 (23 .742 (5)

HR/G .91 (17) 1.12 (5)

U.S. rallies, shares lead at Solheim Cup

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Times wires
Saturday, September 24, 2011

DUNSANY, Ireland — The United States staged a dramatic rally to win the fourball session 3-1 and tie Europe 8-all on Saturday at the Solheim Cup.

The Americans won the last three matches, leaving the sides tied heading into the 12 singles matches today. The United States is trying to win the biennial match-play competition for the fourth straight time.

The Americans need 14 points to retain the title, while Europe needs 141/2 points to win for the first time since 2003.

"I thought we played with a lot of heart (Friday), but coming back and tying up the matches (Saturday) was just really huge," U.S. captain Rosie Jones said.

Europe won the morning foursomes for a 7-5 lead.

Veteran Laura Davies became the all-time Solheim Cup points scorer when she and Melissa Reid beat Americans Brittany Lang and Michelle Wie 4 and 3 and put Europe up 8-5 at Killeen Castle.

Davies has 24½ points in 45 matches in 12 events, overtaking Annika Sorenstam, who won 24 points in 37 matches in eight appearances.

Rookie Stacy Lewis earned her first point when she and fellow first-timer Ryann O'Toole beat Europeans Sandra Gal and Christel Boeljon 2 and 1.

O'Toole has proved herself with 21/2 points. "I feel very calm and confident," she said.

Morgan Pressel and Cristie Kerr reduced the lead to 8-7 when they beat Europe's Suzann Pettersen and rookie Caroline Hedwall by one hole.

Paula Creamer and Seminole's Brittany Lincicome completed the U.S. comeback when they rallied from one down at the turn to defeat Maria Hjorth and Azahara Munoz 3 and 1.

"Those last three points were huge for us," said Creamer, who has won 31/2 points. "Just the momentum, the team room will have a great vibe. We're all very pumped up. We want to do really well. Especially going into singles, we feel like everybody is where we want to be."

Baddeley, Mahan tied at Tour Championship

ATLANTA — Aaron Baddeley holed out for eagle on the fourth hole then had four straight birdies on the back nine of East Lake to tie Hunter Mahan for the lead at the Tour Championship.

Baddeley shot 6-under 64 to finish at 9-under 201, and Mahan holed a birdie putt of just more than 20 feet on the par-3 18th for 66.

Mahan is No. 21 in the FedEx Cup and didn't think he had a chance at the $10 million prize.

But of the top five players in the standings, only Luke Donald remains in serious contention, and Mahan learned when he finished his round that he was projected to win golf's richest prize.

"I honestly didn't think that was a possibility," he said.

Jason Day recovered from a ragged start and had 69, leaving him two back with K.J. Choi (70). Donald (70) was three back.

Webb Simpson, No. 1 on the official FedEx Cup list, is tied for 15th. If he were to finish in the top 12, he could still claim the $10 million even if Mahan wins the Tour Championship.

"It's kind of weird," Mahan said. " … It's one of those things where you can't even worry about it just because you can't do the math that fast."

Jackets blow lead but take out Heels

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Times wires
Saturday, September 24, 2011

ATLANTA — Georgia Tech did not panic when a two-touchdown lead slipped away. That gave quarterback Tevin Washington and the triple-option offense an opportunity to shine.

Washington threw a long touchdown pass and ran for two scores, including a 5-yarder with about 5½ minutes left that gave No. 25 Georgia Tech a 35-28 win over North Carolina on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets improved to 4-0 for the first time since 1990, the season they shared the national title with Colorado.

"After the first few games, we thought we would try and make this more exciting," joked coach Paul Johnson, whose team won its first three games by an average of more than 37 points. "I was proud of our guys and especially the way we came back in the fourth quarter."

The Tar Heels fought back from a 28-14 deficit entering the fourth quarter, tying the score on running back Giovani Bernard's 55-yard run with 7:22 left.

Georgia Tech needed only four plays to respond in its conference opener.

Running back Roddy Jones took a pitch from Washington and ran 48 yards to the UNC 9. Two snaps later, Washington carried it in for the winning score with 5:20 left.

Washington had a fumble and an interception, but he mostly ran the offense just as it's drawn up. He went 10-of-14 for 184 yards and ran 25 times for 74 yards.

"I knew I was going to have to make some plays in the running game," he said. "Just making sure I didn't try to do too much and just do my job."

No. 13 Va. Tech 30, Marshall 10: Running back David Wilson rushed for 132 yards, running back Josh Oglesby scored twice, and the visiting Hokies improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2006. Quarterback Logan Thomas went 22-of-33 for 229 yards and rushed for a score.

Temple 38, Maryland 7: Running back Bernard Pierce set a school record with five rushing touchdowns, and the visiting Owls beat the Terrapins for the first time. "You have to respond in college football, and I think that we showed that we can compete and we can play with anybody," said first-year coach Steve Addazio, a former Florida offensive coordinator.

BC 45, UMass 17: Quarterback Chase Rettig went 14-of-22 for 196 yards with three touchdowns and linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis returned a fumble 96 yards for a score to lead the host Eagles.

Southern Mississippi 30, Virginia 24: Quarterback Austin Davis finished 27-of-41 for 313 yards with three touchdowns as the visiting Golden Eagles held on. Davis' biggest completion came with less than three minutes left — a swing pass that receiver Tracy Lampley took 41 yards on third and 23. Cavaliers quarterback Michael Rocco was intercepted three times.

Duke 48, Tulane 27: Quarterback Sean Renfree and running back Juwan Thompson rushed for two touchdowns apiece to lead the host Blue Devils, who scored 21 in the first quarter. Renfree went 21-of-30 for 278 yards and a score for the Blue Devils, who didn't punt until midway through the fourth quarter.

Sports in brief

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Times wires
Saturday, September 24, 2011

Basketball

Jordan rakes in more offcourt money than ever

Michael Jordan has made more money off the court in the past year than he did during his playing career, even though nearly a decade has passed since he retired for good, Forbes magazine says.

It estimates Jordan, 48, earned $60 million mainly through endorsement deals with Nike, Gatorade, Hanes, Upper Deck, 2K Sports and Five Star Fragrances. He also is the majority owners of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats and owns five restaurants and a car dealership in North Carolina.

His annual earnings are greater than any other sports figure's except for Tiger Woods, the magazine estimates. Woods was No. 1 on Forbes' highest-paid athlete list this year.

At the peak of Jordan's playing career, which ended after the 2002-03 season, he was making $50 million off the court through sponsorships. Forbes says the Lakers' Kobe Bryant is the leading current NBA player in income, netting $53 million, including endorsements and salary.

WNBA: Atlanta will be without center Erika de Souza for the rest of the Eastern Conference final against Indiana because she left to join the Brazilian team for an Olympic qualifying tournament in Colombia. Atlanta trails the best-of-three final 1-0. Game 2 is today.

soccer

Man U ties, loses perfect start to year

Peter Crouch scored on a header in the 57th minute, giving Stoke a 1-1 tie with visiting Manchester United on Saturday and ending the Red Devils' perfect start to the Premier League season.

Nani scored in the 27th minute for Man U, which was without injured forward Wayne Rooney. Manager Alex Ferguson said Rooney, who leads the league with nine goals, will be sidelined more than a week because of a hamstring injury.

Manchester United and rival Manchester City are both 5-0-1 in the league, but United remains first on goal difference. Manchester City defeated visiting Everton 2-0.

Egypt: Former U.S. coach Bob Bradley signed a contract to take over the national team, charged with reviving the fortunes of a team that recently failed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations. Bradley, 53, agreed a deal worth $37,000 a month until after the 2014 World Cup.

Et cetera

Cycling: Lance Armstrong denied he's receiving training help from a banned Italian doctor or his son but said, "Those guys are my friends, and that's not going to change." He criticized Italian newspaper reports last week that linked Dr. Michele Ferrari to a major doping ring. Ferrari, banned by Italian cycling, was the seven-time Tour de France winner's adviser for years; Armstrong cut their professional ties in 2004.

horses: To Honor and Serve won the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby by 21/4 lengths over Belmont Stakes winner Ruler on Ice at Bensalem. The 3-year-old colt missed the Triple Crown races with a minor ligament problem. The win was the fifth in nine career races and raised his earnings above $1 million for Charlotte Weber's Live Oak Plantation in Ocala.

Running: World champion Jenny Barringer Simpson won the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York in 4 minutes, 22.3 seconds. American Bernard Lagat, coming off a silver medal in the 5,000 at worlds, earned his first victory in the men's race in his fourth try, finishing in 3:50.5.

Tennis: Ivan Ljubicic served 26 aces to edge Gilles Muller 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-5) and advance to the Moselle Open final in Metz, France, against top-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who beat Alexandr Dolgo­polov 6-4, 6-4.

triathlon: Three-time Olympian Hunter Kemper won a record seventh men's title and defending champion Laura Bennett, a 2008 Olympian, won her third women's title at the elite national championships in Buffalo, N.Y. Both have competed in St. Petersburg's St. Anthony's Triathlon.

Times wires

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