Times wires
Monday, October 22, 2012

nhl

league: deal framework is on table

NEW YORK — A framework for a new labor deal is on the table, deputy commissioner Bill Daly said, but the league's Thursday deadline for a deal to be in place so a full season can be played got closer Monday with no movement toward making it happen.

After a weekend of information-gathering talks between Daly and players association special counsel Steve Fehr, no plans had been made to resume formal negotiations, which broke off last Thursday. Talks are likely to resume at some point this week, ESPN reported.

Today is the 38th day of the lockout. The first three weeks of the regular season have been canceled, 135 games through Nov. 1. The main sticking point is how to divide league revenue between the sides. At worst, they remain about $550 million apart over a five-year collective bargaining agreement, depending on which of the union's three proposals made last week is used and at what rate the revenue ends up growing. They could be separated by as little as $320 million.

Talks broke off after the union presented counteroffers to the NHL's latest proposal and all were dismissed.

The league previously set this Thursday as the deadline for reaching a deal so play could begin Nov. 2 and a full 82-game schedule could be played. Asked whether there was a chance for the sides to get something in place this week, Daly responded, "That's more of a question for the union than it is for me. We think there's a framework of a deal on the table."

Fehr said the NHL wants to set the terms of any meeting: "Strange. That is not the way to reach an agreement."

soccer

Antiracism shirt rift healed at Man U

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has settled his public dispute with Rio Ferdinand following the defender's refusal to promote an antiracism campaign, blaming a "communication problem."

Ferguson had said Ferdinand embarrassed him by declining to wear a T-shirt in support of the campaign, having told the media his whole team would wear the shirts before its English Premier League match against Stoke on Saturday. Ferguson had said he might discipline Ferdinand.

He backed down Monday, saying "I've spoken to Rio. I think there was a communication problem. He felt I should have spoken to him on Friday, and I obviously didn't anticipate that he'd have a problem wearing the shirt."

Ferdinand was one of many league players to boycott the campaign as a protest against what they believe is a lack of strong action by organizations in recent high-profile racism cases.

His brother, Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand, was at the center of the most high-profile case of the past year. Chelsea's John Terry yelled a racial slur at Anton, who is black, during an October 2011 match and was banned for four matches and fined about $350,000. Many players believe the punishment was too lenient.

ET CETERA

nba: Kobe Bryant skipped the Lakers' practice to rest his sore, bruised right foot, injured in Sunday's preseason loss to the Kings. Metta World Peace practiced with a splint on his right middle finger. He dislocated the finger against Sacramento but popped it back in and kept playing. … The Heat was picked to repeat as league champion and LeBron James to win another MVP award in NBA.com's poll of all 30 general managers. The Lakers were picked to win the West.

tennis: Defending champion Roger Federer eased to victory in the first round of his hometown Swiss Indoors, beating qualifier Benjamin Becker 7-5, 6-3 in Basel. … Tampa resident John Isner outlasted Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 7-5 at the Valencia Open in Spain.

Times wires

Times wires
Monday, October 22, 2012

COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the moments after star quarterback Braxton Miller was thrown to the ground and didn't get up, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said he saw an unbeaten season flash before his eyes.

"Yeah, it did," he said.

Miller hasn't been the sole reason that the Buckeyes have a perfect record and a top-10 ranking after going 6-7 a year ago. But he's the biggest reason.

Miller lay motionless for several minutes after Purdue defensive back Josh Johnson's tackle late in the third quarter Saturday. After several minutes, he sat up then was helped to his feet. With great effort, and flanked by trainers, he slowly walked to the sideline then was carted to the locker room. He was treated at a hospital and released.

Shortly after the Buckeyes' 29-22 comeback victory in overtime, Meyer sent word that he had visited Miller in the hospital and that he was fine.

Now, despite looking as if his season might be ended by a concussion or neck injury just 72 hours earlier, Miller will practice with the team today.

"He's very strong. He takes care of himself," Meyer said. "I don't want to say (I am) amazed, but he's a tough guy."

CHIZIK'S MOM DIES: The mother of Auburn coach Gene Chizik died early Monday morning, school spokesman Kirk Sampson said.

Rita Chizik, 86, was a Clearwater resident and the widow of Gene Chizik Sr., a Pinellas County schools administrator and coach. No details were offered on her death.

"My thoughts and prayers are with Coach Chizik and family in the death of his mother, Rita. Thanks to AU Family for lifting up the Chiziks," Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs tweeted.

OVEREXPOSURE: Texas coach Mack Brown once welcomed the Longhorn Network. Now he sounds as though it has become a headache and a window for opposing coaches to get an unfair peek into his program.

"I didn't ask for it," Brown said, noting he's worried that the six hours a week he spends taping three TV shows and the network's access to the first 30 minutes of daily practice may tip opposing coaches to player injuries, tendencies and schemes.

ACC SUSPENSIONS: The Atlantic Coast Conference issued one-game suspensions to North Carolina freshman Shakeel Rashad for colliding with a Duke player during a substitution, and three officials from the Duke-UNC and Florida State-Miami games. The FSU-Miami officials will receive letters of reprimand, while crew chief and referee David Epperley was suspended "for failure to properly administer the 10-second runoff rule" at the end of the first half, which would have cost FSU had Jimbo Fisher not told officials he could call a timeout and kick a field goal.

IDAHO: Jason Gesser was named interim head coach and will lead the Vandals in their remaining four games, replacing Robb Akey, who was fired on Sunday.

MARYLAND: Quarterback Perry Hills has a torn ACL in his left knee and is done for the season.

MISSOURI: Quarterback James Franklin will likely miss his second straight game Saturday against Kentucky. Franklin, who has a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee, appears to have a good chance of playing at Florida on Nov. 3.

OKLAHOMA: Suspended defensive tackle Stacy McGee was reinstated and should play Saturday against Notre Dame.

WYOMING: Coach Dave Christensen was suspended one week and fined $50,000 over an onfield confrontation with Air Force coach Troy Calhoun in an Oct. 13 loss.

Basketball

SEC PICKS: Defending national champion Kentucky was picked as preseason favorite to win the Southeastern Conference title, getting 17 of the 24 first-place votes in balloting by a panel of media members. Florida was first on five ballots. Missouri point guard Phil Pressey was preseason player of the year, getting six votes to five for Florida's Kenny Boynton.

MINNESOTA: Athletic director Norwood Teague said the unpaid leave for assistant coach Saul Smith after his weekend arrest for drunken driving is indefinite and the discipline is up to Teague, not Smith's famous father, head coach Tubby Smith.

WAKE FOREST: Sophomore forward Daniel Green will miss the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in an exhibition game.

By Matt Santiago, Times Correspondent
Monday, October 22, 2012

Go shallow then deep: Cash in on the current great fall fishing by loading the well with frisky sardines and hitting the flats. Focus on the deeper troughs and potholes that surround area flats and bars. Even a pothole or cut with 6 inches of difference between it and the surrounding flat can make it a honey hole or highway for foraging gamefish. Broken bottom areas where grass, sand, oyster or rock meet are great. Sand holes of any size are often deeper than the surrounding grass and have been holding good numbers of trout and redfish. As the tides get low the same fish you are targeting on the bars and shallow flats will move into deeper cuts and nearby channels and stage there waiting for the tide to come back up.

Voice of experience: Leave enough time and tide to get out of very shallow areas, so you don't find yourself high and dry until the tide comes back up. Unfortunately, I am speaking from experience.

Matt Santiago can be reached at (813) 205-2327, CaptainMattSantiago@gmail.com and online at FishingGuideTampa.com.

Times wires
Monday, October 22, 2012

TALLAHASSEE — Florida State RB Chris Thompson, who had a strong start to his senior season and was closing in on a rare Seminoles rushing milestone, is done for the year and possibly for his college career, coach Jimbo Fisher announced Monday afternoon.

That will increase the role of James Wilder Jr., the former Plant High standout who will be the "co-No. 1" tailback with Devonta Freeman, Fisher said. Wilder has a team-high seven rushing touchdowns.

MRI results of a left knee injury Thompson suffered in Saturday's 33-20 win over Miami revealed he had a torn ACL. It is his second season-ending injury in a year.

"He was upset, very disappointed. Having a great year, doing everything right," Fisher said. "He's what's right about college football. I say it all the time. But this game takes no prisoners. It's a very unforgiving game."

Last season, the starting tailback missed all but five games after breaking vertebrae in his back in the first half of a game at Wake Forest. He spent all of the offseason training and strengthening his back for a return.

That return took a hit six plays into the second quarter of the Seminoles' eighth game.

On a 32-yard screen pass, Thompson went down on a seemingly routine tackle near midfield. Trainers rushed to attend to him. Soon, FSU announced he had a knee injury and was out for the rest of the game.

Thompson was leading the Seminoles with 687 yards rushing. Had he reached 1,000, he would have been the first FSU running back to do so since Warrick Dunn in 1996.

FSU is exploring options of medically redshirting Thompson. The NCAA typically doesn't give medical redshirts for players who have had season-ending injuries after playing more than one-third of the season. Because of the nature of his two long-term injuries in consecutive years, the Seminoles hope a medical redshirt can be obtained after this season.

Combining his missed games from last season with the ones he will miss this season, Thompson will have been forced out of 13-14 games with serious injuries. That's the equivalent of a full season. He also missed two games his freshman year following the death of a grandparent.

Thompson's injury also adds to the rather long list of Seminoles who have suffered season-ending injuries. Among them is DE Brandon Jenkins, who entered his senior season with preseason All-America honors.

"It's going to be challenging, we're going to go through things, but it will be great. We're prepared," Wilder said. "Coach always told us to be prepared for any opportunity when our time is called upon."

USF: Pass D subpar

TAMPA — One particular area of disappointment for USF coach Skip Holtz during Saturday's loss at Louisville was the Bulls' pass defense, and this weekend USF faces Syracuse, which has the Big East's top passing attack, averaging 308 yards.

"This is not exciting to say walking into what we're walking into, but I don't think our pass defense is what it needs to be," Holtz said on the Big East's weekly coaches' teleconference. "The pass defense is one of the biggest things. It's not just coverage, but Saturday one of the things that showed up was pass-rush lanes. You can't just tape your ears back every play and go flying back there for the quarterback, especially against an athletic one like we did last week."

Syracuse ranks 15th nationally in pass offense, with senior Ryan Nassib throwing for 2,159 yards and 13 touchdowns and completing 65 percent of his passes; WR Marcus Sales is tied for the conference lead in touchdown catches, and he and Alec Lemon are both in the Big East's top four in catches and receiving yards. USF ranks last in the league in pass efficiency defense, in part because the Bulls have no interceptions.

Holtz said he's seeing progress in USF's running game, as well as the run defense from its front seven, but he was more concerned about problems against the pass after seeing another opponent march down the field for a winning touchdown after USF had rallied for 15 straight points in the fourth quarter to take the lead with 3:09 to play.

Asked about USF's close losses and why the Bulls might be better than their 2-5 record, Holtz was blunt: "I don't know. Somebody else might have to answer that question."

KICKOFF: USF's next home game after Syracuse, Nov. 3 against Connecticut, has been set for a 7 p.m. kickoff, on ESPNU.

Greg Auman, Times staff writer

UM: Streaker revealed?

MIAMI GARDENS — We may now know the identity of the man who caused momentary chaos at the Miami-Florida State game Saturday night.

Travis Moscow is claiming credit for being the semi-clothed streaker who ran into the middle of a play in the first quarter of the game. Using his Twitter page, Moscow explained the post-arrest process.

"I was held at the field jail untill the game was over, then they took us to DADE COUNTY JAIL, for the night, Got out at 11AM … ," Moscow tweeted to Sports Illustrated blogger Jimmy Traina.

The picture on Moscow's website looks like the man who was crushed by a security guard at the end of the dash.

Michael Casagrande, Sun Sentinel

Times wires
Monday, October 22, 2012

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Marty Hurney admits the "losing environment" for the Panthers must end. He won't be part of the effort.

Hurney was fired as general manager Monday, one day after quarterback Cam Newton expressed frustration with a 1-5 start. The Panthers have the worst record in the NFC. A 19-14 loss to Dallas was Carolina's fourth straight defeat.

Hurney, GM since 2002, took responsibility for the failures. He spoke to owner Jerry Richardson before Sunday's game and had an inkling he might be fired if the Panthers lost. He met with Richardson for two hours after the game and was fired Monday.

"It's simple. We're 1-5. We are 1-3 at home," Hurney said. "We laid in egg in front of the Giants on national TV (a 36-7 loss) and came back the last two weeks and lost against teams we felt like we had a good chance to beat. It can't continue to go this way."

Hurney said he fought for his job but in the end couldn't blame Richardson. The team needs more leadership, he said, "somebody to step up in the locker room … and say enough is enough."

Defensive end Charles Johnson, the team's highest-paid player, said on Twitter: "Marty wasn't the reason we are losing! … Unbelievable!"

Director of football operations Brandon Beane will handle day-to-day matters for now.

more panthers: Cornerback Chris Gamble, the team's all-time interceptions leader, was put on injured reserve with a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He will need surgery, coach Ron Rivera said.

chargers deny stickum: No player used Stickum in an Oct. 15 loss to the Broncos or in any other game, coach Norv Turner said. The NFL is investigating whether they did. … Nate Kaeding, the most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history (180-of-207, 87 percent), was put on injured reserve with a groin injury, and the Chargers plan to release him when he's healthy.

Chiefs: Brady Quinn will take over as starting quarterback and Matt Cassel will be the backup beginning Sunday against the Raiders. "I think that will get everyone's attention," coach Romeo Crennel said of his 1-5 team. Quinn started for the first time since 2009 in the Chiefs' loss to the Bucs two weeks ago because Cassel sustained a concussion the previous week against Baltimore. Kansas City had last week off. Against the Bucs, Quinn was 22-of-38 for 180 yards, two interceptions and a touchdown in a 38-10 loss. Crennel said he expects Quinn to get better. Quinn said he was excited about starting. Cassel said he was frustrated but "I'm a big boy. I'm not going to hang my head."

falcons: Defensive tackle Corey Peters, a starter the past two seasons, practiced for the first time this season after being on reserve injured with a foot stress fracture. He is eligible to play Sunday at Philadelphia.

giants: Coach Tom Coughlin said he talked to Ahmad Bradshaw about the running back's outbursts during Sunday's 27-23 win over Washington. Bradshaw slapped Victor Cruz in the back of the helmet after the receiver missed a block on a third-quarter run and screamed at Coughlin minutes later to run the ball more. Coughlin didn't give specifics of their conversation.

jaguars: Team rushing leader Maurice Jones-Drew will miss Sunday's game at Green Bay, and maybe more games, because of a foot injury sustained Sunday against Oakland. Rashad Jennings will start in his place.

packers: Safety Charles Woodson has a broken collarbone and will be out about six weeks.

saints: Interim coach Joe Vitt rejoined the team after ending his six-game bounty-case suspension with Sunday's game against the Bucs.

Times wires
Monday, October 22, 2012

GENEVA — Seven lines of blanks, from 1999 to 2005. There will be no Tour de France winner in the record book for those years.

Once the toast of the Champs-Elysees, Lance Armstrong was formally stripped of his seven Tour titles Monday and banned for life for doping.

The decision by the sport's governing body, the International Cycling Union (UCI), marked an end to the saga that brought down the most decorated rider in Tour history and exposed widespread cheating in the sport.

"Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling, and he deserves to be forgotten in cycling," UCI president Pat McQuaid said at a news conference. "This is a landmark day for cycling."

Tour officials followed the announcement by saying they not only would remove Armstrong as the winner from 1999-2005 but would leave those races without a winner. It is an acknowledgement that given the extent of doping during that period, it would be difficult to give the titles to other riders without knowing if they were clean.

"We wish that there is no winner for this period," Tour director Christian Prudhomme said in Paris. "For us, very clearly, the titles should remain blank."

Prudhomme also wants Armstrong to pay back prize money from his wins, an amount the French cycling federation tallied at $3.85 million.

Armstrong's fiercely defended reputation as a clean athlete was shattered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency two weeks ago, when it released a 200-page report detailing evidence of drug use and trafficking by his Tour-winning teams.

The agency released the report to show why in August it ordered Armstrong banned from competition and stripped of all his results, including the Tour titles, back to Aug. 1, 1998. Monday's judgment by the UCI was the necessary next legal step to formalize the penalties.

Neither Armstrong, who continues to maintain he never doped, nor his representatives had any comment. Armstrong was defiant in August when he chose not to fight the antidoping agency's charges at an agency arbitration hearing. He said the process was rigged against him and he wanted to spare his family and cancer charity stress and damage.

The condemnation by McQuaid was bittersweet for many riders and cycling fans. The UCI backed Armstrong in trying to seize control of the doping investigation at times over the years. It accepted $125,000 in donations from Armstrong at a time when two of his doping controls were questionable.

"It would be better if we hadn't done it," McQuaid said.

Also Monday:

• McQuaid said the UCI board will meet Friday to discuss going after Armstrong's 2000 Olympic bronze time trial medal and possibly setting up a "Truth and Reconciliation" commission to air the sport's remaining secrets.

• Insurance company SCA Promotions said it will seek to reclaim $7.5 million it paid to Armstrong after a 2006 arbitration proceeding stemming from its refusal to pay him a U.S. Postal Service team bonus after he won his sixth Tour de France. The company was wary of the doping allegations against him then.

• Oakley sunglasses became the latest sponsor to drop Armstrong.

By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Monday, October 22, 2012

If the 2012 Greg Schiano Bucs played the 2011 Raheem Morris Bucs, who would win?

This year's Bucs, and it wouldn't even be close.

The 2012 Bucs are more talented and experienced than last year's. Quarterback Josh Freeman is better. He has more and better weapons. The defense can stuff the run and has a few budding stars.

The Bucs are 2-4 but easily could be 4-2 or 5-1 right now. Heck, they even could be undefeated if a few balls (or officials' whistles) had gone this way or that.

Know what all this means?

Nothing. Not a doggone thing.

In today's NFL, all that matters is the scoreboard. Did you win, or did you lose? Are you going to the playoffs, or are you going home? They don't save postseason spots for teams that try really hard and keep games close. They don't hand out trophies just because you're better than you were last year.

Even Schiano knows that.

"Look,'' he said, "at the end of the day, it's either a win or a loss.''

That's why no one — not the fans, not the players, not the coaches, not anyone in the organization — should be happy about just hanging around in every game. Not only could the Bucs be 4-2 or 5-1 right now, they should be 4-2 or 5-1 right now.

Here's why the Bucs should be pounding their fists on a table instead of pumping them in the air. Here's why there is no silver lining in their 2-4 start.

Each game was ripe for the taking

The Bucs have lost four games by a combined 22 points — seven, six, two and seven points. Those losses came against the Giants, Cowboys, Redskins and Saints, and at first glance, you would think that's impressive. But here's the thing: The combined record of those teams is 13-13, and that includes the Giants and their 5-2 record. Those teams are 9-13 against teams other than the Bucs.

The Redskins are rebuilding. The Cowboys are down, and so are the Saints, who came to town Sunday with a third-string head coach and one of the worst pass defenses in football. Let's face it, the Saints aren't that good.

And yet the Bucs blew a 14-point lead against the Saints. They blew a 14-point lead against the Giants, too. They had a seven-point lead against the Cowboys and led the Redskins with less than two minutes left.

To lose any one of those games would be a punch to the gut. To lose all four is hard to comprehend. It leads you to believe the issue is more about coaching and the inability to close than just coming up on the short end of a back-and-forth game.

The coaching hasn't been up to snuff

It's unreasonable to think Schiano and a staff put together at the last minute could immediately coach up a team like they're Bill Belichick and company. A year ago, Schiano was at Rutgers and couldn't be expected to tell you the difference between Doug Martin and Dean Martin. He does get a bit of a learning curve.

But either this staff is stubborn or slow to adjust. Or both.

Consider how long it took for these coaches to let Freeman wing the ball down the field (with great success, by the way). Consider how long it took them to figure out Martin is better running off the edge than up the gut. Consider how the defensive line pressured the coaches into knocking off those goofy stunts and allowing it to run north and south.

Consider how the coaches kept blitzing the Giants' Eli Manning over and over as he torched the Bucs for more than 500 yards. Consider how they insisted on running LeGarrette Blount three times up the middle Sunday from inside the 2 even though Blount has never been a good goal-line back. Consider how they still don't have a clue how to stop a decent passing attack. "Our Achilles heel,'' Schiano called it.

And consider how Schiano has been like a bull at a cocktail party, insisting his kneel-down and field-goal antics are the way to play no matter what other coaches or officials say. Perhaps he could have spent more time working on his goal-line offense than practicing some peewee field-goal stunt the NFL says is illegal. At least then the Bucs might be 3-3.

Close is good, just not good enough

Look, is there something to be said for improvement? Of course. Schiano took over a team that lost 10 straight games to end last season and has it playing competitively. He does appear to have changed the culture.

Maybe you can't go from one of the worst teams in the league to being a contender without taking baby steps. But that doesn't mean you should be satisfied with those baby steps.

"I had no idea how this group of guys would react once we got under the fire of the game,'' Schiano said. "I see where we are now. I like this team. I like the guys. They're trying their guts out. As a coaching staff, we have to get better, and as a team we have to get better.''

He's right. They do have to get better. They're on pace to win about six games. You can't be satisfied with that, especially after writing more than $140 million worth of checks to improve the team in the offseason. Are they better than last year's Bucs? Yeah. Too bad last season's Bucs aren't on the schedule.

By Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer
Monday, October 22, 2012

TAMPA — In the case of a critical penalty called against the Bucs on Sunday, actions did not speak as loudly as words.

The NFL clarified its position Monday on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Bucs in their 35-28 loss to the Saints.

The league agreed with Bucs coach Greg Schiano that the defensive line shift before the snap on a 51-yard field goal attempt by Saints kicker Garrett Hartley was legal.

But it ruled that the words used by linebacker Mason Foster to order the shift were not.

"Tampa Bay was penalized yesterday for unsportsmanlike conduct for using disconcerting signals, defined as 'words designed to disconcert an offensive team at the snap,' in Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 of the NFL rule book," league spokesman Jon Zimmer said.

Two officials signaled a false start on the Saints, but referee Jerome Boger ruled the Bucs were guilty of using disconcerting signals and penalized them 15 yards. The Saints went on to complete a 95-yard drive for a touchdown and a 35-21 lead in the fourth quarter.

The Bucs said Foster approached the defensive line and yelled, "Move!'

Saints guard Jahri Evans said officials were alerted before the play about a possible attempt to create a false start.

"I think that's just what (the Bucs are) being taught," Evans said. "And that's what we told the refs, they can't try to draw us offsides in that situation or in any part of the game.

"I haven't seen that in a long time. I played Division II, and they didn't even do that in DII. It was definitely done to draw us offsides, and we all knew it."

Saints defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis said he had not seen that play run in the NFL.

"I haven't seen it in the pros because it's against the rules," Ellis said. "You're allowed to do your shifts, but you're not allowed to yell to try to get the offense to go offsides."

Schiano has said the special teams maneuver is a "legal play'' the Bucs used a few weeks ago against the Redskins. On that play, Redskins kicker Billy Cundiff was short on a 57-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the first half.

But given the subjective nature of the call, Schiano indicated it might be removed from the game plan.

Schiano was asked Monday about confusion over the ruling.

"You can add me to the list," he said. "Quite frankly, it's a legal play. We've done it before. We did it in the Washington game right there before the half. Exact same thing. One time we went left to right; the other time we went right to left.

"I'm not quite sure, but I'm not going to get into (officiating). I know what we do, and I feel very comfortable with it. Now, the fact of the matter is that it got called Sunday, so I don't know if you should be looking for that (play) very much anymore because that would be downright stubborn, right? But as far as I'm concerned, that's a legal play."

The play has Foster approaching the line of scrimmage quickly just before the snap and yelling a one-word order as the defensive line shifts from left to right. Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 of the rule book says teams cannot use "acts or words … designed to disconcert an offensive team at the snap."

After the shift against the Saints, the Bucs appeared to have a player lined up directly over the long snapper, which also is not allowed.

"When you look at field goal rushes and punt rushes, they're always very close," Schiano said. "Can it be called? … I'm not in there right where the guy is, and he's got a better view, so I leave that up him.

"If we did, if we even make it close, that's out fault. We've got to make sure that we don't even make it close and that we're in legal alignment."

Times wires
Monday, October 22, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO — Marco Scutaro looked up through the pouring rain, caught Matt Holliday's popup for the final out and punched his ticket to the World Series for the first time at age 36.

In an NL Championship Series that Scutaro absorbed a hard and admitted late slide from Holliday that strained the second baseman's left hip, what a fitting ending.

Scutaro tied the NLCS record with 14 hits to earn MVP honors, capping his remarkable run with three singles and a walk in San Francisco's 9-0 victory over the Cardinals on Monday night in the decisive Game 7.

A well-traveled veteran, Scutaro arrived from the Rockies in a July 26 trade and made an instant impact for the Giants. He then raised his game to another level.

Scutaro batted .500 (14-for-28) in the NLCS in leading the Giants' comeback from a 3-1 deficit. The 14 hits tied the record for an LCS shared by the Yankees' Hideki Matsui, St. Louis' Albert Pujols and Boston's Kevin Youkilis.

Scutaro's six multihit games in the series set an LCS record, breaking the mark of five shared by five: Harold Baines in 1992, Devon White in 1993, Eddie Perez in 1999, Pujols in 2004 and Youkilis in 2007.

BELTRAN DENIED: Cardinals RF Carlos Beltran may be one of the great postseason hitters in history, but he still hasn't had a chance to prove it on the biggest stage of all.

Beltran's bid to play in the World Series fell one victory short for the third time in as many uniforms. He lost in the seventh game of the NLCS as a Houston Astro in 2004 and as a New York Met in 2006.

The futility of Beltran's quest was encapsulated in his at-bat in the fifth inning against Giants RHP Matt Cain. He hit a ball to right that the wind knocked down, as if some supernatural force were working against him. Hunter Pence was able to get under the ball and make the catch for the third out.

"When you play rightfield in this ballpark you don't know what the ball is going to do," said Beltran, who had a couple of fielding misadventures during the series and was playing on a hurt left knee.

Beltran went 1-for-4 in the game and finished the NLCS 6-for-20 (.300) with a homer and two RBIs.

TWO WHEELS GOOD: Life has been a blur for Pence since he was traded to the Giants from the Phillies in July. If not for his daily commute to AT&T Park during homestands, he would never have a chance to slow down and enjoy his new vistas.

Monday, Pence wound up somewhere he has never been before: in a Game 7, a spot he said "you dream about as a kid."

Pence rides a motorized scooter with a top speed of 20 mph, perfect for his five-minute commute along the sidewalks of the Embarcadero. If it is not too crowded, he said, he allows himself to drink in the views of the Bay Bridge.

It is not easy to draw double takes in a city where eccentricity is celebrated, but at 6 feet 4 inches and more than 200 pounds, Pence tends to stand out on his scooter. Some pedestrians even recognize him as the Giants' starting right fielder. "They'll say, 'Hey, that's Hunter Pence,' " he said.

Pence, who bears a passing resemblance to actor Woody Harrelson, hopes people understand he is not being rude if he does not acknowledge their greetings; he does not want to loosen his grip on the handlebars lest he lose his balance.

SUNNY SKIES: All that concern about a rainy Game 7 proved to be mostly unnecessary.

After a rainy night in San Francisco, the sun came out in the morning and both teams were able to take batting practice on the field before the game. A light drizzle fell briefly while the Cardinals took BP, but the game started without a delay.

"It's good not to have that being an issue in a big game like this," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.

The ground crew put the tarp on the field as soon as the Giants won Game 6, and the field was in good condition despite the overnight rain.

GAME 7 HISTORY: This marked just the second Game 7 ever played in San Francisco.

The first one, coming a half-century ago, provided one of the most dramatic endings ever for a winner-take-all postseason game.

With the Yankees protecting a 1-0 lead in the ninth inning at Candlestick Park, the Giants put runners on second and third with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Willie McCovey then hit a screaming liner that 2B Bobby Richardson grabbed to end the Series.

AROUND THE MAJORS: Yankees RHP Michael Pineda, who missed the season after having surgery to repair a torn labrum, isn't expected to return until June at the earliest, GM Brian Cashman said. … The Padres announced that the fences at Petco Park, one of baseball's friendliest pitcher's parks, will be moved in next season from 11 to 12 feet in the power alleys. … The Mariners named former major-leaguer Dave Hansen as hitting coach, replacing Chris Chambliss. … The Twins named Tom Brunansky as hitting coach, Bobby Cuellar as bullpen coach and Terry Steinbach as bench coach and catching instructor. … The Rockies appointed Mark Wiley to a new position of director of pitching operations.

Matt Baker, Times staff writer
Monday, October 22, 2012

Mallory Etcheberry made the most of her final shot at a trip to state.

The Academy at the Lakes senior fired 3-over 75 on a windy Monday to win the Class A, Region 3 title at Black Bear Golf Club in Eustis.

"She put in a lot of hard work," Wildcats coach Kevin Crowley said, "and it's paid off for her."

Etcheberry overcame a double bogey on the sixth hole with a consistent, par-laden round to advance to her first state tournament.

She'll have plenty of company from the North Suncoast at next week's two-day event in Howey-in-the-Hills.

Bishop McLaughlin freshman Brooke Dalton became the school's first state qualifier by finishing second at 84 after saving par on the last few holes.

"Brooke hung in there," Hurricanes coach Jim Globokar said. "She knew she was close to qualifying and finished strong."

Fivay followed its second consecutive district championship by placing second with a score of 426 — 43 shots behind winner Mount Dora Bible — to reach its first state tournament. Taylor Rhodes led the Falcons with 96, followed by Amber Mariano (102), Ashlyn Arrington (106) and Lauren Mariano (117).

Wesley Chapel's Hana Lee shot 88, the third-lowest round of the day, to just miss qualifying for state.

Nature Coast finished third as a team (404). Kae Elliott was the tournament's No. 4 finisher with 91 to lead the Sharks.

Other notable performers: Hernando's Eugenia Urso (97), Gulf's Sarah Usewick (104), Pasco's Kaylee Britton (105) and Nature Coast's Kaitlyn Glynn (105).

2A-4: Mustangs ousted

CLEARWATER — Mitchell was the top team from Pasco County in Monday's Class 2A, Region 4 tournament at Countryside Country Club with 381, 57 strokes behind winner Steinbrenner. Ashley Richardson shot a team-best 87 for the Mustangs. Steinbrenner was led by individual medalist Kayla Poff at 74. Teammates Kelsey Holbert (79) Brooke Deal (85) and Claire Decker (86) were among the top 10. Palm Harbor University was runnerup at 367.

Bob Putnam, Times staff writer

By Stephen F. Holder, Times Staff Writer
Monday, October 22, 2012

TAMPA — When the Bucs went with RB LeGarrette Blount over Doug Martin in Sunday's much-debated goal-line series that resulted in no points, it was a decision that was made long ago.

Based on preseason and training camp performances, the staff designated Blount as the short-yardage back, coach Greg Schiano said Monday.

"You go back to the preseason and the Miami game when we pounded it away, then you go back to the Washington game (Sept. 30), and he pounds it in there and puts it in the end zone," Schiano said. "After the preseason, we kind of felt that way, and then we kept going with it."

In the wake of Blount's failure to reach the end zone on three straight tries against the Saints (QB Josh Freeman lost yardage on a fourth-down rollout), the Bucs will re-evaluate Blount's role in such situations, Schiano said.

"All these decisions, whether it's who's playing receiver, or running back, kick returner, front line — doesn't matter — everything is constantly being evaluated," he said. "And as you have a larger body of results to make decisions off, you hope that we make the best decisions with more information. And that's what we'll do."

Schiano didn't heap all the blame on Blount. He said on one unspecified play a schematic issue led to the play being stuffed. He also said the offensive line's push partly might have been an issue.

Asked whether Blount's struggles as a short-yardage back in previous seasons were taken into consideration, Schiano said, "I've watched some of the tapes, but I'm not going to sit here and say that I (assume) that is what a player can do. There are different circumstances that go behind scheme, where your mind is, all those things."

TAKE A SHOT: After the three stuffed runs by Blount, Freeman ran a fourth-down bootleg from the 1-yard line and rolled right, but DE Cameron Jordan did not bite on the fake handoff. That left Freeman with a two bad options: Try to beat Jordan to the corner and run for the end zone, or make a low-percentage throw to TE Luke Stocker, who was well covered.

Freeman tried to run and lost 4 yards. "Next time, in hindsight, once you realize you can't outrun him, (I should) try and lay it up and give Luke Stocker a chance in the back of the end zone," Freeman said.

LB Will Herring made the stop against Freeman.

QUICK TURNAROUND: The Bucs leave Wednesday for their Thursday night game against the Vikings in Minneapolis.

That has turned things upside-down at One Buc Place as the team dramatically adjusts its schedule.

The Bucs didn't practice Monday but delved right into preparation for the Vikings. Coaches went back to the facility after Sunday's game and began formulating the game plan. When the team plays on the following Sunday, that task normally begins Monday evening and spills into Tuesday.

Schiano emphasized one thing above all, and it wasn't preparation: "I think the key is you have to be sure your guys are physically able to perform. You sit there and say it's the same (for both teams). Well, it's not exactly the same because we have to travel. But that's life. We'll have a Thursday night game in the future where the other team's got to travel. The reality is none of that matters."

INJURY UPDATE: Neither the Bucs nor Vikings had practices, but both were required to release injury reports projecting which players would have been able to practice. For the Bucs, LB Adam Hayward (ankle), WR Vincent Jackson (calf), CB Brandon McDonald (ankle) and LG Carl Nicks (foot) were considered limited. For the Vikings, missing would have been RB Adrian Peterson, T Matt Kalil, DE Jared Allen, CB Antoine Winfield and TE John Carlson.

Bob Putnam, Times staff Writer
Monday, October 22, 2012

CLEARWATER — Steinbrenner already has done some impressive things in girls golf. The Warriors, now in their fourth year, do not just win tournaments, they dominate them, going undefeated in the regular season and winning district team titles the past two seasons.

But after accumulating a roomful of trophies and medals, the girls knew their was still something left to accomplish: a region title.

That goal was fulfilled in Monday's Class 2A, Region 4 tournament at Countryside Country Club. Displaying a potent mix of overpowering golf, increased discipline and hard-earned experience, Steinbrenner took control of the tournament from the start, shooting 324 overall.

"This title was something the girls really set out to do," Warriors coach Mark Mann said. "They played well all season and weathered some tough conditions at times out on the course. But they were really prepared, too. They got in a couple of practice rounds this past week just to be ready."

The conditions were not tailor-made for scoring, especially with a consistent wind that left flags waving at times.

By the end, the leaderboard was crowded with familiar names. As expected, Steinbrenner dominated with a lineup so even anyone can emerge as the leader.

On Monday, it was Kayla Poff's turn. After shooting 88 at last week's district tournament, Poff won individual regional honors with 74. Teammates Kelsey Holbert (79) Brooke Deal (85) and Claire Becker (86) were among the top 10.

"We have a lot of good solid players," Mann said. "They've all been together the past two years and done some nice things. We were able to battle through some wind and the girls had some nice putts on the back end."

Palm Harbor University, which won a district team title last week, was runnerup at 367.

Freedom's Terese Romeo (75) advanced as an individual by shooting in the mid 70s for the second time in the postseason. Osceola's Haydyn Gibson, who won last week's district tournament, shot 78 to also make state as an individual.

2A-3: No advancement

At Windermere, no local player finished among the top 12 of the girls Class 2A, Region 3 tournament, denying Hillsborough County of a female region representative at state. Host school Olympia won the team title (320), with Orlando Dr. Phillips sophomore Sophie Bennetti (71) capturing medalist honors.

Joey Knight, Times staff writer

Bob Putnam, Times Staff Writer
Monday, October 22, 2012

CLEARWATER — Palm Harbor University, which won a district team title last week, clinched a berth in the girls state tournament on Monday, finishing second at the Class 2A, Region 4 tournament at Countryside Country Club.

The Hurricanes shot 367 to finish 43 shots behind winner Steinbrenner.

The Hurricanes' Lauren Coe, a North Florida recruit, led her team with 84. Two other PHU golfers shot in the 90s, Perrianne D'Amico (90) and Jojo Baker (92).

Steinbrenner, when went undefeated in the regular season and won district team titles the past two seasons, took control from the start, shooting 324 overall.

Steinbrenner's Kayla Poff earned individual medalist honors, shooting 74. Teammates Kelsey Holbert (79) Brooke Deal (85) and Claire Decker (86) were among the top 10.

Osceola's Haydyn Gibson, who won last week's district tournament, shot 78 to also make state as an individual.

Times wires
Monday, October 22, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO — In a postseason full of twists and turns, the Giants are headed back to the World Series after a big comeback against the defending champs.

Hunter Pence got the Giants going with a weird double, Matt Cain pitched his second clincher of October and San Francisco closed out Game 7 of the NL Championship Series in a driving rainstorm, routing the Cardinals 9-0 Monday night.

"The rain never felt so good,'' NLCS MVP Marco Scutaro said.

San Francisco won its record-tying sixth elimination game of the postseason, completing a lopsided rally from a 3-1 deficit.

"These guys never quit," manager Bruce Bochy said. "They just kept believing and they got it done."

The Giants, who won it all in 2010, will host Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera and the Tigers in Game 1 on Wednesday night.

Verlander is set to pitch the opener. Bochy insisted before Monday's game he had not planned any further in advance.

Scutaro produced his sixth multihit game of the series and matched an LCS record with 14 hits and Pablo Sandoval drove in a run for his fifth straight game.

After falling behind 3-1 in the series at Busch Stadium, the Giants outscored the wild-card Cardinals 20-1 over the final three games behind stellar starting pitching from Barry Zito, Ryan Vogelsong and Cain.

They also benefited from some strange bounces.

On Pence's double that highlighted a five-run third, his bat broke at the label on impact, then the broken barrel hit the ball twice more. That put a rolling, slicing spin on the ball and caused it to change directions, leaving shortstop Pete Kozma little chance to make the play. Kozma broke to his right, figuring that's where the ball would go, but it instead curved to left-center.

Injured closer Brian Wilson, with that out-of-control bushy black beard, danced in the dugout and fans in the sellout crowd of 43,056 kept twirling their orange rally towels even through rain in the late innings, a downright downpour when Sergio Romo retired Matt Holliday on a popup to Scutaro to end it.

Romo embraced catcher Buster Posey as fireworks went off over McCovey Cove beyond rightfield.

The NL West champion Giants won their first postseason clincher at home since the 2002 NLCS, also against the Cardinals.

These 2012 Giants have a couple of pretty talented castoffs of their own not so different from that winning combination of 2010 "castoffs and misfits" as Bochy referred to his bunch.

The Giants have All-Star Game MVP Melky Cabrera to thank for helping his teammates secure home-field advantage in the postseason, while Cain was the winning pitcher the National League's 8-0 victory in July. Cabrera was suspended 50 games Aug. 15 for a positive testosterone test, then wasn't added to the roster by the Giants after his suspension ended.

After rain fell on the Cardinals during batting practice, the skies turned blue and the weather cooperated. Anxious players on both sides hung over the dugout rails as the game began.

Cain joined St. Louis' Chris Carpenter as the only pitchers with victories in two winner-take-all games in the same postseason. Carpenter, who lost Games 2 and 6 in this series, did it last year.

Cain also pitched the Giants' Game 5 NL Division Series clincher at Cincinnati, when San Francisco became the first team in major league history to come back from an 0-2 deficit in a five-game series by winning three consecutive road games.

"I think to do it, the guys actually have to believe it can happen," Posey said.

Cain delivered on an even bigger stage Monday as San Francisco saved its season once again. The Giants won their 20th NL pennant and reached their 19th World Series.

Cain walked off the mound to a standing ovation when Jeremy Affeldt entered with two outs in the sixth. Affeldt then got Daniel Descalso to pop out with two runners on.

Yadier Molina had four hits but got little help from the rest of the Cardinals, who went 1-for-21 with runners in scoring position over their final three games.

Cain added an RBI single to his cause and got some sparkling defense behind him.

The play of the game went to shortstop Brandon Crawford, who made a leaping catch of Kyle Lohse's liner to end the second inning with runners on second and third that would have been a run-scoring hit.

Times wires
Tuesday, October 23, 2012

CHICAGO — The Bears solidified their spot at the top of the NFC North with a 13-7 win over the Lions on Monday night, and last-place Detroit's efforts to get back into the race took a hit.

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler threw for 150 yards and his team's only touchdown, which came before he was slammed to the ground on a sack by Ndamukong Suh midway through the second quarter.

Cutler was on the ground for a few minutes and was attended to by a team trainer before jogging off the field. He was replaced by Jason Campbell for one play. Cutler returned and threw an incomplete pass as the Bears went three and out.

Cutler didn't return on the Bears' next possession. After Detroit's Mikel Leshoure lost a fumble to Julius Peppers on the Chicago 18-yard line, Campbell entered as Cutler had his ribs evaluated in the locker room.

Cutler started the second half. He finished 16-of-30 and also had 34 yards rushing.

Back from their week off, the Bears took advantage of a dropped pass by Calvin Johnson, who was wide open for a potential big gain on third down on Detroit's opening possession. On the Bears' ensuing drive, Cutler hit Brandon Marshall for a 7-yard touchdown.

Detroit's only score came on a 12-yard pass from Matt Stafford to Ryan Broyles with 1:43 left in the game. Stafford finished 28-of-46 for 261 yards. He also was intercepted once, to end the drive before the touchdown.

By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 23, 2012

TAMPA — Close games are something Skip Holtz is used to dealing with as a head football coach.

In his final three years at East Carolina, Holtz went 15-4 in games decided by six points or fewer. Those wins accounted for 58 percent of the Pirates' total from 2007-09. USF, in the same span, won one fewer game overall but went just 3-6 in close contests (12 percent of their total wins).

So the question upon Holtz's hiring at USF was which trend would persist: His success in close games, or USF's struggles?

The Bulls went 4-2 in tight games in a promising first season under Holtz, beating Rutgers by one point, edging Louisville and Miami by three in overtime and holding off Clemson with a five-point win.

In the past two seasons, however, the Bulls have gone 2-7 in games decided by six or fewer, including Saturday's 27-25 loss at Louisville.

A big part of this is an unshakable penchant for losing leads late. In 32 games under Holtz, USF has lost seven games in which it had a fourth-quarter lead and another four in which the score was tied in the final quarter. Only four times have the Bulls rallied from fourth-quarter deficits to win — and in two of those, they lost fourth-quarter leads and had to win in overtime.

Holtz said the team's familiarity with close losses makes each new one more difficult, a painful reminder that changing a single play might change the final outcome. This experience hasn't yet helped the Bulls handle such situations to greater success.

"It does get harder," Holtz said. "It gets harder because you begin to question. Everybody wants an answer why.

"You can summarize (the Louisville loss) a lot of different ways. You can say in their minute and a half (at the end), they went down and scored; in our minute and a half, we didn't. You can say on their fourth and goal, they got in by that much, and on our fourth and goal, we didn't make it by that much. You probably change one of about 30 plays in that game, the outcome's different. But you can't. So what we have to do is improve those 30 plays."

JUST NOT RUTGERS: Saturday is an ironic Homecoming game for USF freshman LB Tashon Whitehurst, who backed out of a commitment to Syracuse the week before signing day to choose the Bulls, in part because they were much closer to his Gainesville home. Whitehurst, who turned heads with a blocked punt against Florida State and could be a starter next season, said Orange coach Doug Marrone was understanding when he called about his change but oddly relieved it wasn't another Big East rival that beat him.

"He was excited. Not really excited, but he was happy for me because he thought I was going to say Rutgers," said Whitehurst, whose family will be in attendance Saturday. "He didn't want me to go to Rutgers. He was like, 'That's a great choice for you and I hope you have a good future. That's a good decision for yourself, close to home.' "

THIS AND THAT: USF women's soccer, closing the regular season strong with a 10-5-2 record, hosts Louisville on Sunday at 1 in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament. The Bulls, with an RPI of 56, could help their chances at an NCAA berth by beating the Cardinals (RPI 43). … USF men's soccer needs a strong finish just to make the Big East tournament, and a win Saturday at St. John's helped considerably. If the Bulls (2-2-3 in Big East) win Friday at DePaul (0-6-1), most scenarios have them in the Big East field, and some with a home game as well.

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 23, 2012

TAMPA — According to the league office, the umpire in the Bucs-Saints game Sunday heard Tampa Bay LB Mason Foster yell "Huh, huh!' just before the snap on a 51-yard field goal attempt by Garrett Hartley.

The Bucs insist Foster said, "Move!" and that they did not deserve an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which sustained a Saints drive that resulted in a touchdown and a 14-point lead. The Bucs lost 35-28.

GM Mark Dominik said he spoke Tuesday with the league's director of officials, Carl Johnson, who told him all the defensive line shifts, and Foster's movement, was legal. But Johnson said umpire Tony Michalek said he heard disconcerting words — "Huh, huh'' — at the snap, resulting in the penalty.

It's the same line shift the Bucs used on the final play of the first half Sept. 30 against the Washington Redskins several weeks ago when Billy Cundiff missed a 57-yard field goal. Foster said he didn't use any word that could be interpreted as creating a false start, but Dominik said unlike the Washington example, they don't have an audio transcript to prove it. Dominik said some reasons to use the play are to force a false start or put linemen in better position to block a kick.

"The reason why we do the play — this is not a play (coach) Greg (Schiano) took from Rutgers or college — it's a play we see at the NFL level, that we'd already had success with and that's why we did it again," Dominik said. "But I'll let the coaching staff and the organization decide whether we see it again or use it again. But at the end of the day, it's a legal play assuming what the linebacker says to his shift or his move call. At that point, it's up to the umpire what he heard."

Schiano has become a storyline around the league for some unconventional plays, including attacking during the Giants kneeldown in Week 2.

"I'm not amused. But I think it comes with the territory," Schiano said. "We're not afraid to do what we think is right. Maybe it's a little different than what's been done."

TALL TASK: The Bucs' biggest challenge Thursday will be stopping Vikings RB Adrian Peterson, a physically gifted, violent runner who is tied for third in the league in rushing (652 yards).

Peterson appears to have not lost a step despite tearing his left ACL and MCL in December.

"He's a freak of nature," Vikings QB Christian Ponder said.

Schiano said Peterson, a four-time Pro Bowl player, is "as good as they get," and the 6-foot-1, 217-pounder "runs with an attitude."

"He's one of a kind," DT Roy Miller said. "Not too many running backs can run past you, and run through you, juke you — there's not too many guys that have it all. He's such a big back, when he breaks through the line, you watch on film and a lot of the corners and the secondary, they get scared to tackle and they don't know what to do. We're just going to have to help out and slow him down before he gets to the second level."

SECOND GUESS: Sheridan acknowledged that, in hindsight, using only a three-man rush on some third downs against Saints QB Drew Brees backfired.

"We weren't able to pressure him well enough with three where he was going to throw on timing," Sheridan said. "In my mind, it's easy to say this after the fact, when he felt it was a three-man rush, he held onto the ball and waited for the downfield routes to get open. And even though we had eight guys back and the windows were very, very small, he still fired it in there, hit some 10-, 15-yard hits. Shoulda, coulda, woulda thrown the house at him and at least the ball is going to come out sooner."

Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@tampabay.com

By Antonya English, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 23, 2012

GAINESVILLE — When Florida offensive coordinator Brent Pease called the Gators' offensive line "the strength of our team" four days after quarterback Jeff Driskel was sacked eight times in Game 2 against Texas A&M, he caused a few eyebrows to rise.

But now, with Florida (7-0) ranked No. 3, Pease's evaluation is starting to make sense. The unit that was manhandled last season as the Gators struggled with an offense ranked 73rd nationally in rushing (143.0) has turned into a steady, productive group that has matured and been reinvented under the tutelage of veteran line coach Tim Davis.

Heading into Saturday's Georgia game, Florida is gaining almost 70 yards more on the ground (212.71), in part because of the offensive line's improvement. The Gators' running game ranks third in the SEC.

"I think we're a unit that is a little more tied together," Florida coach Will Muschamp said. "There are two units that need to be the closest units on your football team; that's the offensive line and the secondary. Because generally, if they're not on the same page, it's not good for your football team. They have been that way, and I think our communication is much better because of that.

"But I think as much as anything we have some competitive guys. Going into last season, Xavier Nixon and Jon Halapio were the only guys that had played extensive snaps in the Southeastern Conference. So it was a pretty daunting task what those guys were trying to undertake in a new scheme and a new system. They're a year older, a year more mature, experienced, stronger."

The new-look O-line is still working on pass protection, having allowed 21 sacks, but part of that is having a first-year starter in Driskel who hasn't learned to get rid of the ball quickly. But the offensive line has held its own against some of the nation's toughest defensive fronts, including LSU and South Carolina, giving it a newfound confidence.

"I feel like we can do that against anybody, really," said Halapio, a St. Pete Catholic alum. "Just the way we practice, the way our mentality is this year. We're just really relentless, especially up front. Yeah, pretty much, we can wear down anybody. I feel pretty strong about that."

"Yes, we're going against some better athletes, but especially as an offensive line, we've come a far ways from last year," junior center Jonotthan Harrison said. "We're more meshed as a unit. We've been working this whole offseason for a situation like this."

Davis, who is in his first season with the Gators, has 29 years of coaching experience in college and the NFL. He has stressed technique and extremely physical play.

"I think you look at all the reasons why we've made a huge step forward, and Tim Davis has a huge part of that, as well," Muschamp said. "He's an outstanding football coach. He was a guy I worked with when I was with the Miami Dolphins. His track record speaks for himself when he was at Wisconsin and Southern Cal."

Davis is also credited with helping develop a young group of players quickly. When the Gators lost three offensive linemen to injury against Vanderbilt, they didn't miss a beat with the replacements.

"Coach Davis is a good coach," said offensive lineman Chaz Green, a Tampa Catholic alum. "He's really good with attention to detail. He's good at developing guys, so I think that they've made tremendous leaps from camp to now. Pretty much, it's all about us. We try to pride ourselves on sticking to the group. We know that we have to work as a unit. One guy can't do this, another guy do that. It's just unity and everybody working together."

Antonya English can be reached at english@tampabay.com.

By Gary Shelton, Times Sports Columnist
Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Everybody wants to turn back time. Everyone wants to be young again. Everyone wants to revisit their glory days.

That goes for Notre Dame, which hasn't been great since dinosaurs were puppies.

And for Miami, which hasn't been essential since the days of boogie shoes.

And for Tennessee, which was something to behold back when it played its games on black-and-white televisions.

Pretty much, that is what college football has become. It is a mad scramble of former brand name programs all chasing yesterday. Florida wants to be what Florida used to be, and FSU wants to be what FSU used to be, and Minnesota wants to be what anyone used to be. Oklahoma has slipped, and Texas has fallen, and Michigan can't get up.

Ah, but you should have seen them all back in the day.

Back then, back in the day of Hula Hoops or Speedy Alka-Seltzer or your grandmother wearing a mood ring, why, these programs made the earth tremble.

Grrr.

Times have changed. A great many of college's name-brand programs seemed to have fallen off of the mountain about the same time, and since then, they've been trying to climb back up. Isn't that the question of this season? Is Notre Dame back? Is Florida State back? How about Florida?

All of those programs won national championships. Today, all of them want to be the next Alabama, a brand-name program that lost its way and then found it again.

The truth? Most of these teams are still like an '80s band trying to squeeze out one more hit. None of them are fully back. Blame scholarship limits. Blame so many games on TV.

So who is closest to being back?

1. Florida: 86%

The Gators haven't been gone long. It just feels that way after two seasons of 8-5 and 7-6.

Even now, Florida lacks the offensive explosion of its three championship teams. But the Gators play a nasty brand of defense, and if they beat Georgia on Saturday, the path to the BCS title game is clear.

2. Notre Dame: 81%

Oh, the Irish are miles from the best days of their history. No one counts the horsemen at Notre Dame these days. But if this year's fifth-ranked Notre Dame team can win another title, that will signify a return to the elite. After all, it has now been 24 years since Notre Dame won a title. If the Irish get past No. 8 Oklahoma Saturday, they might have a chance.

3. Ohio State: 78%

The Buckeyes haven't been a vital team lately, either. They haven't won a title for a decade, and NCAA sanctions guarantee they won't get in the mix this year, either. But if Urban Meyer's health holds, he may give Ohio State enough juice to get back into the title picture.

4. Florida State: 75%

Admit it. After the Seminoles beat Clemson on Sept. 22, you thought they were close to the '90s, when they won two national titles. That was before FSU lost to N.C. State, however, and suddenly, FSU was back to not being back.

5. Southern California: 70%

The Trojans really haven't been the same since the house that Reggie Bush built turned out to be, well, against the rules. The last three seasons have included a fifth and two third place finishes. This year, the Trojans are a quiet 6-1, however. They aren't that far away.

6. Michigan: 58%

The Wolverines are 5-2, but whenever critics want to make fun of Alabama's schedule, they seem to start with Michigan. Why not? Michigan's only title in 64 years came in '97.

7. Nebraska: 48%

The Cornhuskers won two national titles in the '70s and three more in the '90s. This year? Do you need to know more than the 63 points they gave up to Ohio State?

8. Texas: 37%

The Longhorns were 13-12 over the past two seasons. This year, they are a shaky 5-2, and in their past three games, they've given up 161 points. These days, no one is talking about the 2005 national title.

9. Miami: 9%

For a very long time, the Hurricanes were college football's neighborhood bully. No one matched their success or their swagger. Over the past seven seasons including 2012, however, the 'Canes have lost 39 games. Even if you don't think about the NCAA in the distance, things are not good in Miami.

10. Minnesota: 0%

Go ahead, laugh. But back around the time of Vaudeville, the Gophers won four national titles. The bad news? Vaudeville isn't coming back. Neither are the Gophers.

There are others. Penn State. Tennessee. Pitt. Michigan State. Hey, you can even count Princeton, which dominated the early days, including winning one title after a pulsating 1-1 record.

All of them are trying to relive history. All of them want one more day in the sun.

On the other hand, so does Speedy Alka-Seltzer.

Listen to Gary Shelton weekdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 97.8-FM the Fan.

By Ed Walker, Times Correspondent
Tuesday, October 23, 2012

What's hot: Although gag grouper have been the big news for North Suncoast near-shore anglers lately, another species has arrived in force to spice things up over the shallow grouper rocks — jumbo Spanish mackerel. The big macks have given anglers a good reason to keep a flat line or freelining rig ready. Some of the biggest specimens in the world are found off North Pinellas and Pasco County each year during fall. Lately, mackerel have been running over 5 pounds, with some much larger.

Tips: When the big macks move in over the grouper grounds we modify our program. Alongside chopped chum that brings the gags close, a block of ground chum maintains a scent trail. Pods of mackerel follow this scent to the back of the boat, where wounded scaled sardines will ignite a feeding frenzy.

Ed Walker charters out of Tarpon Springs. He can be contacted at lighttacklecharters.com or at (727) 944-3474.