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University of Tampa basketball coach Richard Schmidt remains an old-school teacher as he approaches 600 wins

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By Laura Keeley, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, November 19, 2011

TAMPA — As Richard Schmidt sits in his office at the University of Tampa on the brink of earning his 600th win as a college coach, he remembers where it all began.

"I started out at as low of a level as you could," Schmidt said. "With the freshman team at Westport (Ky.) High School, and I really didn't know anything about coaching."

Little did Schmidt know that he'd be learning from the future Louisville assistant men's basketball coach and athletic director, Bill Olsen.

"He ended up being one of my best friends and taught me a lot about basketball," Schmidt said. "He asked me one day, 'Could you coach the freshman team?' And I said, 'Sure, Coach, but you're going to have to give me a lot of help.' "

The tips Schmidt, 69, picked up from Olsen, coach Denny Crum and the Louisville program, and from driving about two hours over the state line to Bloomington, Ind., to watch Bob Knight's Hoosiers practice on Sunday nights, propelled him to the 1977 Kentucky state title as the head coach of Louisville's Ballard High. He then took an assistant coaching job at Virginia, followed by a two-year stint as the head coach at Vanderbilt, before finally coming to Tampa to resurrect the Spartans basketball program, which had been dormant since 1971. He arrived in 1982 and the program was back in business in 1983.

He has been the only coach the Spartans have known during their renaissance, guiding the program to 571 victories in 28 seasons. Add in his 28 wins from Vanderbilt and Schmidt is 599-282, fourth most among active Division II coaches.

"He's a basketball purist, in the same mold as Bobby Knight, from Louisville, Ky., grassroots basketball country," said DeCarlo Deveaux, an All-American and the school's all-time leading scorer who also coached under Schmidt for three years. "He may be the last of a dying breed, as far as his attention to detail. I used to joke with him, 'You have more patience than (the prophet) Job, more than I'll ever have.' "

Schmidt's not sure when that next victory will come. The team plays at 7:30 Tuesday at home against Florida Memorial.

Budget cuts at Tampa have eliminated full-time assistant coaches and left him with about half as many scholarships to award as the other Sunshine State Conference schools, and this season's squad features three walk-on starters, including one that didn't even start for his high school team.

But not long ago, Schmidt was coaching All-Americans such as Deveaux, who graduated in 1994, and Rashad Callaway, who made the Division II Bulletin All-American team and graduated in May. In 2009, unranked Tampa beat No. 2 Valdosta State 78-74 in double overtime. Going back further, the Spartans beat crosstown rival USF 79-71 in 1987 and even upset a Jim Valvano-coached North Carolina State team that went on to win the regular-season ACC championship in 1986.

Schmidt is still surrounded by the memories in his office. Wooden plaques denote the team's past accomplishments, including the best field-goal percentage defense in Division II in 2001, a stifling 36.6 percent. The Spartans were also featured in Sports Illustrated's 1985-86 college basketball preview issue, which is hung right inside Schmidt's office door.

"It's difficult when you don't have good teams like you used to, I can tell you that. It wears on you sometimes," Schmidt said. "It still is fun, though, I enjoy seeing the kids develop and get better. I like to see them accomplish something."

In many ways, he's still the same coach he was back when he started in a Kentucky high school gym.

"He's a simple man in his approach to things, you just do it the right way," Deveaux said.

"He's a country guy. Like, he would say, 'That's bad enough to knock the buzzards off a gut wagon,' " Deveaux, a Miami native, added, laughing. "It was an intense moment, and he'd be dead serious, but I mean, you couldn't help but laugh."

Callaway, who played for Schmidt last season, smiles at his coach's simplicity.

"Coach has a magnetic, Etch A Sketch type thing, like little kids play with, and that's what he uses to draw plays," Callaway said. "I'll never forget this, we were playing in the conference championship my freshman year against Florida Southern and it's on TV. My friend recorded it and we watched it afterward, and during a timeout, the announcer goes, 'Mr. Schmidt is over there with an Etch A Sketch. I'd give that to my 5-year-old grandkid.' "

Schmidt also taught his players lessons that couldn't be diagramed on that Etch A Sketch. When Deveaux's older brother Drexel, who also played at Tampa, was murdered during the younger Deveaux's senior year, Schmidt traveled with him to the funeral before rejoining the team in time for their game that night at Florida Southern. And he always welcomes players who couldn't make it home to his house for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"Will he ever get the accolades that would put him on a pedestal and in the limelight? No, probably not," Deveaux said. "He didn't want the limelight. He just wants success for his players."


For Miami Hurricanes kicker Jake Wieclaw, 'pressure kicks' are routine

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By Ian Lanphier, Times Correspondent
Saturday, November 19, 2011

TAMPA — When Miami kicker Jake Wieclaw lined up for the winning field goal with two seconds left in Saturday's game against USF, his mind was on his Thursday practice routine.

"We kind of go over pressure situations every week in practice, so it's something I'm fairly used to," Wieclaw said. "(The kick was) exactly that. We have our pressure situations usually on Thursday, so, yeah, it's nothing new."

Wieclaw said he knew the 36-yard kick was good as it left his foot, sending the Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Bulls in a defensive struggle. This came after he had a 41-yard attempt blocked by USF's Ryne Giddins late in the third quarter.

Coach Al Golden said he tried to recreate the feeling of those Thursday pressure kicks to relieve Wieclaw's nerves as USF called back-to-back timeouts to try to ice him.

"We were just trying to keep him loose," Golden said. "Every Thursday … we try to do what we call pressure kicks, and we're constantly making noise and jumping around, and I knew they were going to start calling timeouts, so I said, 'Hey, pressure kicks.' And the whole team knew what I was talking about, so we just had some fun, and he relaxed and went up there and made a great swing at it."

Miami arrived at that moment with a key late drive to get into scoring position in a game where points were at a premium. Senior quarterback Jacory Harris led the Hurricanes on a 15-play, 61-yard drive in which they converted on three third downs and ran the final 5:43 off the clock.

It was Miami's third drive of at least 12 plays in the game, helping it win time of possession by controlling the ball for 38:10, more than 16 minutes longer than USF.

Harris managed the game well, going 27-of-35 for 259 yards without any turnovers, though he was sacked six times.

Golden said Harris showed poise to get the Hurricanes in position for the win, which made them bowl eligible.

"The great thing about that drive there was that a lot of guys touched the ball and it was a real team effort," Golden said. "Excellent drive under pressure, and I thought Jacory was pressing a little bit tonight, and I thought he let it come to him that last drive, which was great."

NASCAR battle study in contrast

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Times wires
Saturday, November 19, 2011

HOMESTEAD — Nine weeks ago, NASCAR's Tony Stewart scanned a list of the 12 drivers who had qualified for the Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship and circled the names of seven he thought had a chance to win the championship.

Stewart didn't include himself.

"Are you (kidding) me?" Stewart said of his chances of winning the title.

Stewart wasn't sandbagging. He hadn't won in the 26-race regular season and began the Chase in ninth place.

But he won the first Chase race at Chicagoland. And the next week at New Hampshire. Then after a couple of stumbles, he won at Martinsville. And at Texas.

Stewart used those four wins to pull within three points of leader Carl Edwards, who has won just once all season — in March at Las Vegas — but has been the most consistent driver in the sport.

Today at Homestead-Miami Speedway, it will come down to a winner-take-all season finale between a couple of Midwesterners. Edwards, 32, of Columbia, Mo., is looking for his first Cup championship. Stewart, 40, of Columbus, Ind., seeks his third.

There couldn't be a bigger contrast in personalities.

Stewart, 40, is often grouchy and wears a scowl behind the stubble on his puffy cheeks and double chin. He indulges on Burger King, one of his sponsors. Edwards, 32, is all dimpled smiles all the time, baby-faced and a fitness freak who endorses and eats low-fat Subway sandwiches.

In Stewart vs. Edwards, it's more than Chevy vs. Ford. It's Cave Man vs. Cover Boy. Mr. Mean vs. Mr. Clean.

It has been a friendly battle so far, but the racing gloves will come off on when, after 10,383 laps and 13,836 miles, NASCAR crowns its latest champion.

"I respect him as a driver, but this isn't about friendships this weekend," Stewart said last week. "This is a war. This is a battle. This is for a national championship. … I'd wreck my mom to win a championship."

Then, turning to Edwards, he added with a smile: "I'll wreck your mom to win a championship."

Edwards didn't miss a beat.

"He's got the talking part figured out," Edwards said before turning to Stewart. "Problem is, you haven't led the points yet this year, have you?"

Actually Stewart has led twice including the week after his win at New Hampshire. The hard-charging Stewart has shaved 16 points off Edwards' lead over the past four races, leaving Edwards with a three-point advantage, the third-closest margin going into the finale since 1975.

While Stewart has been the dominant driver in the Chase, Edwards will be difficult to beat. He won here last year and in 2008, and has four top-fives and six top-10s in seven Homestead starts. He owns the top average finish (5.7) at Homestead and average finish for the season (9.5).

"The biggest thing Carl has going for him is this is a great racetrack for him," said Kevin Harvick, who is third in the standings but, like 10 other Chase drivers, mathematically eliminated. "But coming here racing for a championship and coming here just to win a race are two different things.

"That's the position they have been in in the past, just to come here and win a race and not have to worry about parts failures or anything like that. Tony's biggest advantage is he's just so confident.

" … They have that winning momentum, and Carl has a racetrack that they've had a lot of success at."

Stewart doesn't have an explanation for how his team caught fire once the Chase began:

"Maybe it's just something as simple as getting all that bad luck out of the way early in the year, and it seems like the last seven weeks have been back-to-normal scenarios."

And if he were to end up in Homestead holding up the championship trophy, how would that pre-Chase prediction look?

"I'll declare myself," Stewart said, "a bumbling idiot."

Inept USF Bulls offense leaves Skip Holtz wary of risk

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By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, November 19, 2011

TAMPA — On the opening drive of the second half, on second and 1 and again on third and 1, USF gave the ball to leading rusher Darrell Scott, only to see him stopped for no gain. The Bulls punted from their 38-yard line, playing field-position football, but the lack of confidence in USF's short-yardage package set the tone for a second half that offered little more than punts from the Bulls' offense.

When Bobby Eveld took over for an injured B.J. Daniels on the next series, he came up a yard short on a third-down pass, and again, the Bulls punted on fourth and 1 from their 40. The next drive, Scott was stopped again on third and 1, and at midfield, Holtz played it safe, punting rather than risk going for it.

On USF's last drive, an Eveld pass to Scott came up 3 yards short on third down, and even at the Miami 48, facing a fourth-and-3 play knowing a field goal would give the Bulls the lead with less than six minutes, Holtz didn't have the confidence to do anything other than punt for field position.

"I almost went for it. … I was going to go for it, but we had three 1-yard situations we couldn't make, and I thought our defense was playing too hard to look them in the eye and say, 'Sorry, I gave you a short field.' Punt them into the hole, play the field-position game, that was what we planned coming in," Holtz said. "Did I want to go for it? Yeah, I wanted to go for it.

"I felt like we had a play I thought could get us a yard, but I did not want to put our defense in a short field position when they played as well as they did, having given up three points all night."

USF's offense never made it into the Miami red zone — the closest the Bulls got was the 23-yard line on their field-goal drive, with the last two plays there being USF's only ones beyond the Miami 32 the entire game. The Bulls punted four times on Miami's side of the field, but the field-position advantage was never enough to translate into points.

BACK AND FORTH: USF and Miami combined for 17 punts, but the Hurricanes had a decided advantage there. Miami averaged 9.6 more yards per punt than USF did with Justin Brockhaus-Kann. He had six punts inside the 20 and seven that resulted in fair catches, but over the course of the game, the yards were decidedly in Miami's favor.

On one fourth-quarter exchange, USF's defense dropped Miami for minus-17 yards on a drive, but USF got the ball back 9 yards back of where they'd had it before, because Brockhaus-Kann's punt went 26 yards and Miami's went 49.

THIS AND THAT: Miami went 8-for-19 on third downs, converting three each on their two scoring drives. … DT Keith McCaskill had two sacks to lead a defensive front that got to Jacory Harris six times, the most Miami has allowed all season. … LB DeDe Lattimore had 2.5 tackles for loss, and the team finished with 11 on the game.

Stenhouse wins turnaround title

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Saturday, November 19, 2011

HOMESTEAD — Ricky Stenhouse nearly lost his job 18 months ago.

He was finishing near the back of fields and floundering for Roush Fenway Racing. Team owner Jack Roush stuck with him, pushing him in meetings, challenging him at racetracks and dogging him all the time.

It worked wonders — and led to a championship.

Stenhouse, 24, won the Nationwide series title long before the checkered flag dropped at Saturday's season finale. He clinched his championship about 30 laps into the 200-lap race when six cars dropped out of the Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

For Stenhouse, it was a long time coming.

"They believed in me when we were struggling," Stenhouse said. "Everyone rallied together. It just means the world to bring this championship to Jack."

Stenhouse finished second in the race behind Brad Keselowski. Carl Edwards was third.

Edwards, who is aiming for his first Sprint Cup title today, clinched the owner's title for Roush, who seeks to become the first owner in NASCAR history to win both Cup and Nationwide championships in one season.

Edwards and Stenhouse parked nose to nose and did a double burnout to celebrate.

Roush said he always believed Stenhouse would turn things around: "He just wanted it so bad, and he was good at doing what he did," Roush said.

JUNIOR OKAY WITH NO. 3: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is ready to see the famed No. 3 car back on the track. Car owner Richard Childress asked Earnhardt if it would be okay for his grandson, Austin Dillon, to drive one of NASCAR's most revered numbers in Nationwide next season. Junior had no problem and said he wouldn't mind if Dillon eventually drove the No. 3 in the Sprint Cup series. Junior's late father, seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt, made that number famous while driving for Childress.

Unpredictable Wolfpack crushes Clemson

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Times wires
Saturday, November 19, 2011

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina State coach Tom O'Brien never saw this coming. Neither did seventh-ranked Clemson, which suddenly looks lost at the wrong time.

Mike Glennon threw three touchdowns and the Wolfpack shut down the Tigers' explosive offense to win 37-13 Saturday, a surprisingly dominant performance by a team still trying to become bowl eligible.

Tobais Palmer had a dazzling 43-yard catch-and-run touchdown to highlight N.C. State's big night. The Wolfpack scored 27 in the second quarter then increased the lead and never let the Tigers build any momentum.

"I really have no explanation for what just happened," O'Brien said with a smile.

It was N.C. State's first win against a top-10 team in five seasons under O'Brien, and it continued the mystifying ways of a team that has struggled with consistency all year.

The Wolfpack followed a shutout of North Carolina with an inept performance in last week's loss at Boston College. Yet N.C. State responded by emphatically ending a seven-year losing streak to a team that had wrapped up the Atlantic Division crown.

The Tigers averaged a league-best 37 points and 478 yards but didn't reach the end zone until the final 90 seconds. They didn't crack 200 yards until late in the third quarter.

"I'm disappointed in how we played," coach Dabo Swinney said. "Embarrassed, really."

NO. 24 NOTRE DAME 16, BC 14: Jonas Gray rushed for a touchdown, David Ruffer kicked three field goals and the host Irish recovered an onside kick with just less than two minutes left to win their fourth straight game.

WAKE 31, MARYLAND 10: Tanner Price threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns, and the host Demon Deacons snapped a three-game losing streak to become bowl eligible.

GA. TECH 38, DUKE 31: Tevin Washington accounted for 321 total yards and had a 39-yard touchdown run that helped the visiting Yellow Jackets hold on.

Schools put on their guard

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Times wires
Saturday, November 19, 2011

First Penn State. Now Syracuse. Concerned that allegations of child sex abuse in two big programs could trigger more cases, universities are urging employees to reread their reporting policies while more closely scrutinizing the people who work in their athletic departments.

Those reminders were circulating even as news of the scandals kept unfolding.

On Friday, the NCAA notified Penn State it would investigate the school for lack of institutional control resulting from the child sex abuse allegations against Joe Paterno's former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky. The evening before, Syracuse placed basketball coach Jim Boeheim's top assistant, Bernie Fine, on leave after old allegations resurfaced that he molested two former ball boys. Sandusky and Fine have denied the accusations.

In his letter to Penn State, NCAA president Mark Emmert restated a message schools have been receiving simply by watching the news.

"It is critical that each campus and the NCAA as an Association re-examine how we constrain or encourage behaviors that lift up young people rather than making them victims," Emmert wrote.

Last week at Michigan, president Mary Sue Coleman wrote an open letter to the university community reminding people to call 911 or the police department if they see a crime in progress. "This is a chance to remind one another that a community's values are lived out in the actions of each of us as individuals," she wrote.

At St. John's, athletic director Chris Monasch said the incidents offered a good opportunity to emphasize to staffers "that if there is an issue that's inappropriate, you have to deal with it immediately."

"A cover-up only makes it more severe," Monasch said.

VOLLEYBALL: Host Tampa reached its third straight Division II Elite Eight after defeating Eckerd 25-23, 25-20, 25-16 in the South Region final. The Tritons (27-5) handed the Spartans (32-1) their only loss on Oct. 28.

Rookie Brett Connolly getting tough love from Tampa Bay Lightning coach Guy Boucher

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By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, November 19, 2011

TAMPA — Rookie Brett Connolly is getting some tough love from Lightning coach Guy Boucher, who admitted, "I am being tough on him."

Consider Thursday's 4-1 victory over the Penguins, in which Connolly scored the winning goal. Despite that, the right wing was benched most of the game and had a season-low 6 minutes, 8 seconds of ice time.

"Defensively, he's got to do better, plain and simple," Boucher said. "He's 19 years old, but after two months (of the season) he's got to be accountable, same as the other players."

Boucher said Connolly's defensive mistake led to Pittsburgh's goal, and his one-on-one play, positioning and tendency to do "fly-bys" (leaving the defensive zone too early) need to be addressed.

"As an organization, we have a choice," Boucher said. "We can let him go and play offense and reap the negative aspects of that three or four years down the road, or we take care of it now."

Connolly knows he needs work.

"In order for me to be a contributor, I have to be better on the defensive side of the rink, too," he said Saturday. "I'm working on it every day in practice."

He also has video sessions with Boucher and assistants Dan Lacroix and Marty Raymond.

"It's all for me to get better and improve," Connolly said.

Said Boucher: "There's no more, 'You're a kid, you can make all those mistakes.' You can't, period."

ANOTHER STEP: D Mattias Ohlund, who has not played a regular-season game, skated with the team for the first time since his Oct. 11 knee surgeries.

"It felt okay," Ohlund said. "It's a first step. There's a ways to go."

Boucher called the development huge for a team struggling defensively. There is no official timetable for Ohlund's return, but Boucher said it could be as soon as a week or two.

"It's a mental battle to not look too far ahead," Ohlund said. "It is what it is, but (Saturday) was a good day."

CASHMAN OKAY: Former Lightning assistant Wayne Cashman is recuperating at his Ocala home after surgery Tuesday to repair a substantial hernia.

"I'm feeling better every day," Cashman said. "I have to force myself to rest for a couple of weeks, and I'll be fine."

Cashman, 66, had the four-hour procedure at Ocala's Munroe Regional Medical Center to repair an injury with roots in a colon resection Cashman had last year. Cashman said his stomach muscle, cut for the resection, "never got strong enough to hold my stomach, and it just split. They had to put a screen on the front of my stomach."

Cashman, who played 17 seasons with the Bruins, was a Tampa Bay assistant from 1992-96 and also had assistant jobs with the Sharks, Flyers (he was their head coach for 61 games in 1997-98) and Bruins.

"It's just a matter of rest now," Cashman said of his surgery, "and letting it heal."

ODDS AND ENDS: LW Ryan Malone, who missed four games with an upper-body injury, was in the lineup. … Tampa Bay's six-game home winning streak entering Saturday was tied with the Capitals for the league's longest. … F Blair Jones and D Bruno Gervais were scratched.


Gene Deckeroff calls his 400th Florida State football game

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By Laura Keeley, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, November 19, 2011

TALLAHASSEE — When the Seminoles chose Florida graduate Gene Deckerhoff to be their radio broadcast voice in 1979 over the late Tom Mees, who went onto ESPN, and Craig Sager, who calls NBA games for CBS, they probably weren't envisioning he'd still be at work 33 years later.

But here he was, calling his 400th Florida State football game Saturday. Add the 1,032 FSU basketball games and 466 Tampa Bay Buccaneers games, and Deckerhoff has called just under 1,900 contests in his career.

He has been behind the microphone for three national championship games and lists the Seminoles' 2000 Sugar Bowl win over Virginia Tech first on his list of top-10 games. In the No. 10 spot is the 2009 Gator Bowl, a 33-21 win over West Virginia that was Bobby Bowden's last game. After the first quarter ended, his top-five calls, starting with a 75-yard Deion Sanders punt return for a touchdown and ending with 1988's "puntrooski" that sealed a 24-21 win over Clemson, were played on the jumbotron to the crowd's delight.

Recent airline flight cuts at smaller airports, such as the Tallahassee Regional Airport, have made Deckerhoff's job tougher, he said, and he has had to drive to Atlanta twice this year after an FSU night contest to catch a Sunday morning flight to a Buccaneers game. But if he could call 400 more Seminoles' games, he would.

"If the good Lord says I can, that'd be great," Deckerhoff, 66, said. "I love doing both Florida State and Tampa Bay, and I'd love to do both as long as I can stay healthy."

LOCAL IMPACT: Two Tampa Bay area players made appearances on offense during the first half.

WR Christian Green, a redshirt freshman and Tampa Catholic alumnus, caught two passes on FSU's opening drive, but only one will officially count.

On second and 13 from the Seminoles' 27-yard line, Green lined up in a five-receiver set. QB EJ Manuel found him open down the right sideline, and Green was tackled around the Cavaliers' 30-yard line. A holding call on LT Zebrie Sanders, though, turned a potential 50-yard gain into a 10-yard penalty.

Manuel did go right back to Green on the next play, but the quick swing out to the right side, Green's 22nd catch of the year, was stopped for a 4-yard loss. The Seminoles punted two plays later. Manuel threw at Green again on a deep sideline route on a second-and-10 play midway through the second quarter, but the throw was out of bounds.

Plant alumnus and true freshman James Wilder Jr. came into the game for the first time on a third-and-1 play from the FSU 38-yard line early in the second quarter. Lined up in the I-formation, Wilder took the handoff but was stopped by DE Jake Snyder at the line of scrimmage. The chains were brought out to measure, and Wilder was a yard short.

Gene Deckerhoff calls his 400th Florida State football game

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By Laura Keeley, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, November 19, 2011

TALLAHASSEE — When the Seminoles chose Florida graduate Gene Deckerhoff to be their radio broadcast voice in 1979 over the late Tom Mees, who went onto ESPN, and Craig Sager, who calls NBA games for CBS, they probably weren't envisioning he'd still be at work 33 years later.

But here he was, calling his 400th Florida State football game Saturday. Add the 1,032 FSU basketball games and 466 Tampa Bay Buccaneers games, and Deckerhoff has called just under 1,900 contests in his career.

He has been behind the microphone for three national championship games and lists the Seminoles' 2000 Sugar Bowl win over Virginia Tech first on his list of top-10 games. In the No. 10 spot is the 2009 Gator Bowl, a 33-21 win over West Virginia that was Bobby Bowden's last game as coach. After the first quarter ended, his top-five calls, starting with a 75-yard Deion Sanders punt return for a touchdown and ending with 1988's "puntrooski" that sealed a 24-21 win over Clemson, were played on the jumbotron to the crowd's delight.

Recent airline flight cuts at smaller airports, such as the Tallahassee Regional Airport, have made Deckerhoff's job tougher, he said, and he has had to drive to Atlanta twice this year after an FSU night contest to catch a Sunday flight to a Bucs game. But if he could call 400 more Seminoles' games, he would.

"If the good Lord says I can, that'd be great," Deckerhoff, 66, said. "I love doing both Florida State and Tampa Bay, and I'd love to do both as long as I can stay healthy."

LOCAL IMPACT: Two Tampa Bay area players made appearances on offense for FSU.

WR Christian Green, a redshirt freshman and Tampa Catholic alumnus, caught two passes on the opening drive, but only one officially counted.

On second and 13 from the Seminoles' 27-yard line, Green lined up in a five-receiver set. QB EJ Manuel found him open down the right sideline, and Green was tackled around the Cavaliers' 30-yard line. A holding call on LT Zebrie Sanders, though, turned a potential 50-yard gain into a 10-yard penalty.

Manuel went back to Green on the next play, but the quick swing out to the right side, Green's 22nd catch of the year, was stopped for a 4-yard loss. FSU punted two plays later. Manuel threw at Green again on a deep sideline route on second and 10 midway through the second quarter, but the throw was out of bounds.

Green caught one pass in the second half, a 6-yarder on the final drive.

Plant alumnus and true freshman James Wilder Jr. came in for the first time on a third-and-1 play from the FSU 38-yard line early in the second quarter. Lined up in the I-formation, Wilder took the handoff but was stopped by DE Jake Snyder at the line of scrimmage and came up short.

Defense carries Penn State

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Times wires
Saturday, November 19, 2011

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The last time Penn State won a game without Joe Paterno as coach was 1965. That day, it used a strong defense to beat Maryland behind the man who mentored Paterno, Rip Engle.

On Saturday, No. 21 Penn State earned its first win since Paterno was fired with a similarly stingy defense.

Stephfon Green ran for two touchdowns and the Nittany Lions held Ohio State scoreless in the second half of a 20-14 victory.

"We talked about the last two teams to win here were '78 and '08," interim coach Tom Bradley said. "I said to them, 'I want to know: How are you going to be remembered?' "

They'll be remembered as at least co-champs of the Big Ten's Leaders Division. Next, they go to Wisconsin, the winner playing Michigan State in the conference's first title game on Dec. 3.

Jay Paterno, the Nittany Lions' offensive coordinator and son of the fired coach, already was thinking ahead.

"As I've been trained to do my whole life, immediately I began to think about next week," he said of what was going through his head as he walked off the field. "Essentially, we're in the Big Ten semifinal. I started to think about Wisconsin. And I'll have some nightmares tonight."

Joe Paterno was an assistant under Engle before promoted in 1966. In Engle's last game, Dec. 4, 1965, Penn State beat Maryland 19-7. The last time it won without Joe Paterno on staff was Nov. 12, 1949, 28-7 at Temple.

The teams exchanged handshakes at midfield after the opening coin toss — although there were some boos from fans.

It was a gesture of respect and sportsmanship in the wake of the scandal that has hit Penn State. Former assistant Jerry Sandusky was arrested two weeks ago for allegedly molesting several young boys. Paterno was fired. The university president and athletic director lost their jobs, and the NCAA is investigating.

Bradley said he spoke about how everyone was watching to see how the Nittany Lions would react and behave.

"I challenged the guys on the team to show a lot of character and resolve," he said, "which they did."

Georgia Bulldogs slide into SEC title game

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Times wires
Saturday, November 19, 2011

ATHENS, Ga. — Mark Richt's belly slide across Georgia's locker-room floor had a good start and painful finish — just the opposite of his team's path to the SEC title game.

Georgia's defense made up for a day of struggles on offense Saturday as the No. 13 Bulldogs beat Kentucky 19-10 to win the SEC's Eastern Division.

This is Georgia's fourth trip to the title game in Richt's 11 years but first since 2005. Richt was a little rusty on his postgame celebration technique, as he found out when he tried to slide across the plastic which covered Georgia's water-soaked locker room.

"I thought it would be great to run across and slide like back in the day," he said. "What I didn't realize was the other side of the plastic was dry, and I stuck."

Richt said he couldn't breathe, then players jumped on top of him. "It was a bad idea," he said with a painful smile. "It hurt."

Georgia has won nine straight after an 0-2 start that included a home loss to South Carolina.

Plant High product Aaron Murray threw a touchdown to Marlon Brown on the first play of the fourth quarter and Blair Walsh hit four field goals. Kentucky was held to 23 yards rushing on 21 carries.

Georgia struggled on offense after losing top rusher Isaiah Crowell to a left ankle injury after only two carries. With backup Carlton Thomas out because he violated a team rule, the Bulldogs were left with Ken Malcome and Brandon Harton, who rushed for 101 yards, at tailback.

NO. 6 ARKANSAS 44, MISS. ST. 17: Tyler Wilson made sure Arkansas didn't stumble on its way to Baton Rouge, La.

Wilson had a school-record 32 completions (Joe Ferguson had 31 against Texas A&M in 1971) and threw for 365 yards and three scores for the host Razorbacks, who travel to No. 1 LSU next week for a game with conference and national title game implications.

"There's no beating around the bush anymore," Arkansas defensive end Jake Bequette said. "We've got a huge game on Friday, and we'll have the whole country watching.

NO. 3 BAMA 45, GA. SOUTHERN 21: Trent Richardson rushed for 175 yards and scored three touchdowns for the host Crimson Tide in a win against a Division I-AA opponent. Alabama seniors set a school four-year mark for wins with their 46th. But Georgia Southern's triple option burned the nation's top defense for 302 rushing yards.

NO. 14 S. CAR. 41, CITADEL 20: Alshon Jeffery's one-armed grab, his first touchdown in a month, helped the host Gamecocks to reach nine wins for just the fourth time. "It was a great throw and I just made a great catch," said Jeffery, who grew up about an hour's drive from campus.

AUBURN 35, SAMFORD 14: The host Tigers reeled off 14 straight points in the fourth quarter to close out their I-AA foe, which is coached by Pat Sullivan, a former Auburn legend. Sullivan was honored before the game to commemorate the 40th anniversary of his 1971 Heisman Trophy win.

Sports in brief

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Times wires
Saturday, November 19, 2011

Soccer

Beckham primed for finale, title

CARSON, Calif. — David Beckham has reached the finale of his five-year Hollywood saga. The English superstar today plays for his first MLS championship with Los Angeles (9 p.m., ESPN) hoping to lift the MLS Cup alongside Landon Donovan in vindication of his groundbreaking American experiment.

After posting his best season stateside (two goals, 15 assists), the midfielder, whose five-year contract expires at the end of the title game, needs one more victory to earn something he didn't even realize he wanted when he moved to Los Angeles amid all that fanfare in 2007.

"It's only the last year or two that I started to understand the playoff system, to be honest," Beckham said, grinning. "It's something I've got used to now. We've had success in the last three years, but we want the big one. We want the MLS Cup."

For the second straight season, the star-studded Galaxy won the Supporters' Shield as the best regular-season team (19-5-10, 67 points), which would be the ultimate achievement in any other big soccer league. It then rolled to three straight playoff victories and now is favored in the MLS Cup against Houston, which must play without injured star Brad Davis.

The neutral-site game serendipitously will be played at Home Depot Center, the Galaxy's home pitch south of downtown Los Angeles.

Drugs

Yannick Noah: Spain's athletes big dopers

French former tennis great Yannick Noah accused Spanish athletes of widespread doping in a newspaper interview and said the only way to level the playing field would be to allow everyone to use banned drugs.

The 1983 French Open champion and father of former Gator and current Chicago Bull Joakim Noah told Le Monde that Spanish athletes are consistently beefier than French ones and the only conclusion is that they must be doping.

France was wrong to impose stringent testing on its athletes, he said

Baseball

Report: HGH testing in new labor agreement

Baseball's new labor contract will include blood testing for human growth hormone beginning next year and a rise in the minimum salary to $480,000, the Associated Press and New York Times reported.

Players and owners hope to sign the deal by Tuesday.

Cubs: Pitcher Carlos Zambrano was okay with 10 stitches near his right ear after being hit by a line drive in a Venezuelan Winter League game, his team's general manager, Sam Moscatel, said.

Times wires

NCAA Soccer Tournament, second round: USF Bulls vs. Central Florida Knights

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By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, November 19, 2011

.TONIGHT

USF men's soccer vs. Central Florida

What: NCAA Tournament, second round

When/where: 6; Corbett Soccer Stadium, Tampa

Records: USF 12-3-3, UCF 12-5-3

Notable: The game is a rematch of last year's first round, when UCF eliminated the Bulls 3-0 in Orlando. … Admission is free at the Bulls' new stadium.

Greg Auman, Times staff writer

Tampa Bay Lightning loses to New Jersey Devils 4-2

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By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, November 19, 2011

TAMPA — The Lightning has been plagued by slow starts all season, and it was again Saturday night against the Devils.

Actually, it had a slow 21/2 periods before coming to life. But despite two goals in 90 seconds in the third period that cut into New Jersey's three-goal lead, Tampa Bay fell 4-2 at the St. Pete Times Forum.

The loss snapped the Lightning's six-game home winning streak. But it sure was exciting at the end, a stark contrast to what had come before as Tampa Bay (9-8-2) couldn't find the energy or sharpness to break the Devils' stifling trap.

Special teams also betrayed the Lightning. It allowed two power-play goals and one short-handed in the second period to fall behind 3-0. It also was 0-for-6 on the power play, including 1:21 of five-on-three and 39 seconds of four-on-three.

But Marty St. Louis scored 8:24 into the third period and Ryan Shannon snapped one past goaltender Marty Brodeur at 9:54 to make it 3-2. But that was as close as the Lightning got despite outshooting New Jersey 10-4 in the period.

The final goal came when Lightning goalie Dwayne Roloson flipped the puck to no one (actually, he was going for defenseman Matt Gilroy) in front of the net and Ryan Clark scored with 2:03 left.

Roloson was so mad at himself he almost smashed his stick on the net, but he restrained himself.

Whether it was a lack of energy on the part of both teams or that both play strangulating trap defenses, the first period ended 0-0, though the Devils led 10-3 in shots.

The second period wasn't much better for the Lightning, which tied the Devils 10-10 in shots but fell behind 3-0 on two power-play goals and one short-handed.

Dainius Zubrus made it 1-0 1:09 into the period at the end of a short-handed two-on-one after a bad giveaway in the offensive zone by St. Louis.

It was 2-0 at 6:05 when Patrik Elias scored a power-play goal with a nice deke on Roloson to his backhand after getting behind the Tampa Bay defense. That goal was tough to take because Elias was holding the stick of Lightning defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron when Bergeron was called for hooking to give New Jersey the man advantage.

The Devils scored another power-play goal with 2:16 left when Clarkson put in a loose puck in front of the net. Defenseman Pavel Kubina was in the penalty box after what seemed a questionable holding call.

Though the Lightning might not have agreed with the calls, give New Jersey credit for taking advantage.

Devils 0 3 1 4
Lightning 0 0 2 2

First PeriodNone. PenaltiesMoore, TB (interference), 13:25; Hall, TB (hooking), 17:54; Elias, NJ (hooking), 19:08.

Second Period1, New Jersey, Zubrus 5 (Carter), 1:09. 2, New Jersey, Elias 8 (Clarkson, Larsson), 6:05 (pp). 3, New Jersey, Clarkson 7 (Henrique, Kovalchuk), 17:44 (pp). PenaltiesVolchenkov, NJ (interference), 3:51; Bergeron, TB (hooking), 4:39; Purcell, TB (interference), 8:24; Hedman, TB (holding), 8:53; Fayne, NJ (high-sticking), 14:34; Kubina, TB (holding), 16:29.

Third Period4, Tampa Bay, St. Louis 5 (Shannon, Kubina), 8:24. 5, Tampa Bay, Shannon 1 (Downie, Brewer), 9:54. 6, New Jersey, Carter 2, 17:57. PenaltiesCarter, NJ (holding), 2:37; Salvador, NJ (delay of game), 3:32; Zubrus, NJ (hooking), 4:10; Lecavalier, TB (hooking), 4:53; Gilroy, TB (holding), 13:52. Shots on GoalNew Jersey 10-10-4—24. Tampa Bay 3-10-10—23. Power-play opportunitiesNew Jersey 2 of 8; Tampa Bay 0 of 6. GoaliesNew Jersey, Brodeur 4-3-0 (23 shots-21 saves). Tampa Bay, Roloson 6-5-1 (24-20). A18,894 (19,204). T2:28. Referees—Steve Kozari, Brian Pochmara. LinesmenSteve Miller, Derek Nansen.


Orange keeps its focus

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Times wires
Saturday, November 19, 2011

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — His top assistant missing from the bench, coach Jim Boeheim tried to keep his team focused on basketball, not scandal.

It seemed to work. The Orange had an easy day on the court, even as its program was still trying to come to grips with molestation allegations against assistant coach Bernie Fine.

Playing for the first time since Fine was accused of sex abuse, No. 5 Syracuse romped over Colgate 92-47 Saturday, capping a tumultuous week with a 40-minute break from the lurid headlines swirling around the team.

Syracuse placed Fine on administrative leave "in light of the new allegations" that he molested two former ball boys for years. City police are investigating, while Fine has dismissed the allegations as "patently false," expressing confidence that he will be vindicated.

Fine's usual seat by Boeheim was left vacant. This is Fine's 36th season working for the head coach.

Boeheim again defended his friend against the claims.

"I've been friends for 50 years with Coach Fine," he said. "That buys a lot of loyalty for me, and should."

Orange center Fab Melo honored Fine by tapping his empty seat during the game.

"He treated me like a son, and I treated him like a father," Melo said. "Of course, we miss him. It was different to be on the bench and don't see him there."

Dion Waiters scored 16, James Southerland 14 and C.J. Fair 13 for the Orange (4-0).

Bearcats shocked

CINCINNATI — A stunning loss has Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin considering lineup changes only three games into the season.

Khalid Mutakabbir led Presbyterian's comeback from a 15-point deficit, hitting a go-ahead 3-pointer with 7.6 seconds left, and the Blue Hose pulled off a 56-54 upset of the 20th-ranked Bearcats (2-1).

"I've got a team that had a false sense of security about who we are," Cronin said.

The Blue Hose trailed by 15 midway through the second half before Mutakabbir hit one big shot after another.

NO. 2 KENTUCKY 85, PENN ST. 47: Doron Lamb had 26 points for the Wildcats (3-0) in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off tournament in Uncasville, Conn.

NO. 8 L'VILLE 69, BUTLER 53: Kyle Kuric hit two 3-pointers in the final five minutes as the Cardinals (3-0) handed the Bulldogs a rare home loss.

NO. 14 WISCONSIN 69, WOFFORD 33: Josh Gasser scored 16, and the host Badgers (3-0) finished the first half on a 19-2 run.

NO. 18 VANDY 86, N.C. STATE 79: John Jenkins had 28 points, and the Commodores (3-1) closed on a 10-2 run in the semifinals of the TicketCity Legends Classic in East Rutherford, N.J.

MIAMI 75, N. FLORIDA 62: Garrius Adams had 14 points, and the host Hurricanes (3-0) held off a furious rally.

STETSON 74, SAINT LEO 69: The visiting Lions (2-2) kept it close against a Division I-A foe before Aaron Graham hit four free throws in the final 31 seconds.

Mourners honor coaches killed in crash

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Times wires
Saturday, November 19, 2011

STILLWATER, Okla. — Alumni, students and athletes filed through Oklahoma State's arena Saturday to honor the women's basketball coaches killed Thursday in a plane crash, recalling how coach Kurt Budke served as a father figure to many of his players and assistant coach Miranda Serna's infectious smile.

Hundreds signed two large banners laid out in Gallagher-Iba Arena, while about two dozen bouquets adorned a makeshift memorial inside. Although the school is holding a public memorial for Budke and Serna on Monday, many people said they wanted to come earlier.

"They were really a positive influence on campus," OSU junior and wrestler Jordan Oliver said. "They were two people who will be dearly loved and missed at this university."

Others described Budke as a committed family man who would strike up conversations with students, and they talked about how Serna honored all the mothers in the athletic department with a hand-delivered rose each Mother's Day.

The crash also killed former Oklahoma state Sen. Olin Branstetter, 82, who was flying the plane, and his wife, Paula.

Investigators ruled out weather as a factor. National Transportation Safety Board investigator Jason Aguilar said skies were clear and winds calm.

NO. 10 MARYLAND 70, UMBC 59: Tianna Hawkins had 19 points and 18 rebounds, and Lynetta Kizer scored 12 in her return from a suspension for the visiting Terrapins (4-0).

NO. 13 OKLAHOMA 58, NEW MEXICO 56: Whitney Hand put back her miss with 18.6 seconds left to help the visiting Sooners (2-0) rally.

NO. 14 GEORGETOWN 66, HOUSTON 36: Tia Magee had 15 points and nine rebounds, and the host Hoyas (2-2) rebounded from consecutive road losses.

NO. 15 RUTGERS 61, LA SALLE 48: Khadijah Rushdan had 20 points for the visiting Scarlet Knights (3-0), who overcame 35 percent shooting.

NO. 17 KENTUCKY 88, SO. MISS 71: A'dia Mathies scored 20, and the host Wildcats (4-0) put the game out of reach with a late 15-2 run.

NO. 18 DEPAUL 99, PORTLAND 64: Anna Martin had 29 points as the Blue Demons (3-1) hit 15 3-pointers at the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu.

TULANE 65, NO. 20 LSU 62, OT: Danielle Blagg's three-point play with 1.6 seconds left lifted the host Green Wave to an upset of the Tigers (2-1).

USF Bulls offense fails at most crucial times

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By John Romano, Times Sports Columnist
Saturday, November 19, 2011

TAMPA

When the game was finally done, nobody broke rank.

From the coaches to the players, everyone walking out of the USF locker room mumbled the same message about winning and losing as a unit.

That's important to know. It's admirable and it's impressive.

In this case, it is also a lie.

USF lost 6-3 to Miami on Saturday because the offense couldn't make a play. And because the head coach asked the defense to save the Bulls one too many times.

"I don't have anything negative to say about this game or our effort," linebacker Michael Lanaris said. "Everyone played their guts out."

That much is true. You could see it when the game was over, when Miami had converted a field goal on the final play of the day, and USF players were left sprawled on the field.

Quenton Washington and Kayvon Webster had collided while trying to block the field goal, and knocked each other senseless. Julius Forte was on his back in either frustration or exhaustion, or a mixture of both. Mike McFarland pounded the ground with his fist.

"Right up until the last play I thought we were going to get it done. I thought I was going to block that field goal but I got squeezed," defensive end Ryne Giddins said. "When it went through, it was just a sick feeling. A sick, sick feeling."

If ever a defense deserved more, this was the day. USF kept the Hurricanes out of the end zone on 13 different drives. It held Miami to its lowest scoring output since a game against eventual national champ Florida early in the 2008 season.

The USF defense was far from flawless on Saturday, but it was relentless. It was smart, aggressive and proud.

"We may have shut them down as well as anybody has all year but, again, we came up short," defensive coordinator Mark Snyder said. "I tell my guys all of the time, if the other team doesn't score it can't win. But, yeah, I was proud of them.

"Talking to them after the game was hard. It was really hard. There were a lot of tears in there. A lot of hurt in there."

Maybe the result was predictable. Maybe Miami was just the better team, and when the game was on the line the Hurricanes were going to prove it.

But there were moments that make you wonder if something could have been done differently. There were decisions that are worth revisiting.

When it became clear this was not going to be a high-scoring game, USF coach Skip Holtz seemed determined to play it conservatively. At times, he seemed as if he was practically waiting for overtime to arrive.

And, truth be told, that wasn't an awful strategy. His starting quarterback was on the sideline with a shoulder injury, and his offense had failed to get into the red zone the entire afternoon.

So Holtz declined to gamble drive after drive.

Three times the Bulls had fourth and 1 in the third quarter. Punt, punt, punt. Twice, they had fourth and long around midfield in the fourth quarter. Punt, punt.

Finally, USF had a fourth-and-3 play on the Miami 48 with less than six minutes remaining. One final punt.

Holtz's strategy had merit. He said his defense was playing too well to turn the ball over to Miami on a short field. That wouldn't have been fair to the defense, he said.

"I didn't feel it was the right thing to do at that time," Holtz said.

Each punt could be defended as the right decision. Taken individually, they all probably made sense at that particular point.

The problem is they all added up to critical mass. The USF defense had played well, but it had not completely shut down UM quarterback Jacory Harris.

Chances were they were eventually going to crack. And when they did, USF did not give itself a chance to get the ball back.

When it became clear a winning field goal was a possibility, the Bulls did not use any of their timeouts. Instead, they let the Hurricanes run the clock down to 2 seconds.

It was as if the Bulls had so little faith in their offense that they preferred to gamble on UM missing the field goal instead of trying for their own winning drive.

"As a defense, you want these games. You want to win 2-0," defensive end Patrick Hampton said. "We just keep getting beat on these two-minute drives, and it hurts."

From a distance, this game will look like another collapse by the USF defense. Just like the final three minutes against Rutgers, just like the final 87 seconds against Cincinnati.

Don't believe it.

The box score will show USF lost on a last-minute drive, but the defense deserved better.

Two-minute drill

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Saturday, November 19, 2011

Players of the day

Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin

The senior rushed for 224 yards and two TDs and caught a TD in a 28-17 win over Illinois.

Chris Givens, WR, Wake Forest

The junior caught eight passes for 191 yards and a TD in a 31-10 win over Maryland.

Jawan Jamison, RB, Rutgers

The freshman rushed for 200 yards and two TDs in a 20-3 win over Cincinnati.

Branden Oliver, RB, Buffalo

The sophomore ran for 235 yards and two TDs in a 51-10 win over Akron.

Path to perfection

Remaining games for the nation's unbeatens:

Houston: at Tulsa, C-USA title game #

LSU: Arkansas, Georgia (SEC title game at Atlanta)

# Opponent undetermined but would host as team with better conference record

One-loss teams

Team Opp. Score Date

Alabama LSU 9-6 * Nov. 5

Arkansas at Alabama 38-14 Sept. 24

# Boise State TCU 36-35 Nov. 12

# Oklahoma Texas Tech 41-38 Oct. 22

Oklahoma St. at Iowa St. 37-31 * Friday

# Oregon LSU 40-27 ** Sept. 3

# Stanford Oregon 53-30 Nov. 12

Virginia Tech Clemson 23-3 Oct. 1

* Overtime ** At Arlington, Texas # Played late Saturday

Team of the day

Indiana

With a 55-3 loss at Michigan State, the Hoosiers (1-10) are the only team from a BCS conference without a win over a Division I-A team. Its only victory is over I-AA South Carolina State. In next week's finale, Indiana hosts Purdue.

Apology of the day

Lee Corso, ESPN

The analyst let out a profanity at the end of College GameDay. On the campus of Houston, Corso got tangled up with an SMU cheerleader's megaphone, prompting a two-word outburst as he tried to predict the winner. Corso then put on the Houston mascot head — a few seconds too late. "I got a bit excited," Corso said later. "I apologize and can promise it won't happen again."

Under-the-radar game of the day

Columbia 35, Brown 28 2OTs

The Lions' band, banned then unbanned, saw the hosts make a goal-line stand for the season's first win. The self-proclaimed Cleverest Band in the World used alternate words to the school fight song — "we always lose, lose, lose; but we take solace in our booze" — during last week's 62-41 loss at Cornell. It apologized Thursday.

Acceptance of the day

BYU

The Cougars formally said yes to the Armed Forces Bowl. BYU (7-3 entering its late game against New Mexico State), an independent, was granted a provisional invitation in April. It needed only to be eligible with six wins.

Quote of the day

"I think we came together because of the foundation that Gary Pinkel has built. He has built it on a rock. If you build your foundation on a rock and the storms come, it will survive."

Dave Steckel, Missouri defensive coordinator and fill-in coach for Pinkel, who was suspended by the school for last week's DWI arrest; the Tigers beat Texas Tech 31-27

Information from Times wires was used in this report.



Downward spiral of the day | Illinois

T he Illini began the season 6-0, its best start since 1951. Since then, it is 0-5, including Saturday's 28-17 home loss to No. 15 Wisconsin. For one half Saturday, Illinois looked like that 6-0 team, taking a 17-7 lead. The second half resembled —well — the second half of its season with four turnovers. "As soon as we turned it over the first time," coach Ron Zook said, "then it seems like they began to think and we went back into the old mood." Zook already was feeling pressure. Last week, he began a news conference by saying he would walk out if a reporter asked about his job security. When one did, he walked out. After Saturday's loss, defensive end Michael Buchanan exchanged words with a fan clamoring for Zook's firing. Offensive coordinator Paul Petrino defended the staff: "I wouldn't be so happy and so trying to run everyone out of town. It's a really good staff. It's a bunch of guys who bust their butts."

Shoulder injury to USF Bulls quarterback B.J. Daniels is concern for already-struggling offense

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By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, November 19, 2011

TAMPA — As ineffective as USF's offense was throughout Saturday's 6-3 loss to Miami, the prospect of more games without starting quarterback B.J. Daniels isn't a pretty one, given the offense's play in five series with backup Bobby Eveld.

The Bulls struggled to move the ball with consistency after Daniels injured his throwing shoulder on the second drive of the second half, totaling 75 yards on 17 plays and never threatening to break a 3-3 stalemate.

"Obviously it didn't come out the way we wanted it to. That one hurts a lot," said Eveld, a sophomore from Jesuit High who hadn't played since September. "I felt prepared. I didn't get too nervous when I went in there, so that was good. … I did miss a couple of reads. I don't think it had to do with comfort (level). It was just a couple of looks I hadn't seen."

USF had no information on the severity of Daniels' injury — he tried to throw on the sideline after going down on a scramble, grimacing in pain as he threw — but the Bulls have a short turnaround before playing host to Louisville on Friday morning.

"That's always something that can really hurt your team when your starting quarterback goes down. I think the whole team may have flinched for a second, because he's really putting up some great numbers this year and doing a great job protecting the football," Eveld said.

Eveld went 5-for-9 for 36 yards, but the Bulls went 0-for-5 on third downs with him running the offense, and eventually, Miami's offense clicked in the final six minutes, driving 61 yards for the winning field goal as time expired.

Because the offense couldn't stay on the field for sustained drives — Eveld's longest was 2 minutes, 17 seconds — the defense couldn't get off the field. Miami held a huge edge in time of possession in the second half (19:55 to USF's 10:05). After forcing three consecutive three and outs, USF's defense couldn't stop Miami on three straight third downs on the final drive.

Coach Skip Holtz had expressed concerns about his quarterback depth early in the year, when Eveld struggled in mop-up duty in September, throwing an interception late against Ball State and two in relief against I-AA Florida A&M.

Holtz also made it clear that the offensive blame shouldn't rest squarely on Eveld, that other players contributed to the struggles. The Bulls' best chance under Eveld saw them at the Miami 39, and he connected on a screen pass to Victor Marc to the 23, only to see that negated by a motion penalty. On USF's next-to-last play, freshman Andre Davis dropped a screen pass that looked like an easy first down.

"We convert one first down and we jump offsides, we have another that looks like a sure thing and we drop the ball," Holtz said. "It's not just on Bobby. There were a lot of people that had the opportunity to pick up the slack, and we weren't able to get it done."

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