08 October 2008 Morning Headlines

Auburn’s playbook is shrinking. Offensive coordinator Tony Franklin said last week that he planned to eliminate a majority of the team’s plays to help ease confusion. That didn’t help — players said they were more confused than ever during the Tigers’ 14-13 loss at Vanderbilt last weekend. So what now? Yep, more pages are headed to the trash can. “It’s pretty much the same stuff we’ve been doing, we’re just practicing the things that we’re really good at,” quarterback Kodi Burns said. “We’re just throwing some things out of there that we really don’t run. All you’re really going to see is a little more basic offense and us executing things a lot better.” – Montgomery Advertiser

The latest from Shane Matthews is this: the Gators don’t have very good timing in their passing game because they spend more time working on their running game in practice, and that Tim Tebow is a great player but not a real good passer. – Gainesville Sun

Don’t expect to see East Carolina football coach Skip Holtz calling in to ESPN’s “Dr. Lou” segment any time soon. That’s where coaches and players call in to see the advice of “Dr. Lou,” who in reality is former coaching great Lou Holtz, who just happens to be Skip’s father. Instead, Skip will keep his questions private about his upcoming game with Virginia at high noon on Saturday in Charlottesville. When he makes his weekly phone call to Dad, there will be discussion about the Cavaliers. “I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of that,” Holtz said Tuesday about the Dr. Lou episodes that are featured as part of ESPN’s college football game coverage. “Every time we talk on the phone, I make sure he’s not taping me so that I don’t make a surprise appearance on Thursday night’s ‘Dial Dr. Lou.’” – Daily Progress

Florida WR/RB Percy Harvin missed his second consecutive practice Tuesday with a sprained right ankle, but the junior is expected to play Saturday against No. 4 LSU. “We hope to get him back tomorrow,” coach Urban Meyer said. – Florida Times-Union

Never one to pull a punch or mince a word, Purdue football coach Joe Tiller Tuesday had some candid thoughts about the struggles of his offense. Six points, 158 yards passing and 241 total yards last Saturday in a loss to Penn State simply weren’t good enough. “We have to make throws in an area where our receivers can catch the football,” Tiller said. “Accuracy has hurt us most.” So, does that mean fifth-year quarterback Curtis Painter is the problem? “Whether he likes it or not, that’s what people think,” Tiller said. So, is that what Tiller thinks? “Ain’t no receivers throwin’ the ball,” Tiller said. “Go figure.” Painter completed 13 of 22 passes for 112 yards against the Nittany Lions. His last throw was “horrible,” according to Tiller, and was the last straw that finally got Painter yanked. Tuesday, Tiller confirmed what he said after the game — that Painter would be his starting quarterback Saturday in Columbus against Ohio State. – South Bend Tribune

The Red River Rivalry is bringing more than just fans to North Texas this Saturday. It’s bringing cash to the local economy, too. According to a new study released by the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau on Monday, the annual football game between Texas and Oklahoma is expected to generate $34 million in economic impact in Dallas County, up $4 million from last year’s game. Much of the additional revenue is related to the bigger Cotton Bowl. The city of Dallas spent $57 million renovating the stadium, increasing seating capacity from 76,000 to 92,000. Despite the slowdown in the economy, Dallas CVB Chief Executive Phillip Jones does not expect Texas and OU fans to hold back on spending this weekend. “We are not seeing any downturn in hotel bookings at this point, and it seems to be holding steady which is good news for us,” Jones said. “Both of these fan bases are comfortable and frequent travelers to Dallas, driving two to three hours to attend one of the long-held traditions for both schools.” The study said that of the $34 million pumped into the local economy, $20.2 million will remain in Dallas County as local income and tax revenue. – Star-Telegram

Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville turned down all media requests for assistant coaches on Saturday and Sunday, a drastic departure from the open policies he has supported for most of his 10-year tenure on the Plains. Tuberville said he wanted to allow offensive coordinator Tony Franklin to concentrate on his coaching duties. Franklin’s post-game talks had grown increasingly unpredictable as Auburn’s offense failed to deliver on sky-high preseason expectations. Last week, Franklin was even more self-deprecatory than usual when asked about the boos at Jordan-Hare Stadium. – Mobile Press-Register

It’s been six years since BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall worked as New Mexico’s defensive coordinator. But whenever the Cougars and Lobos meet, as they will Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium, the ties between Mendenhall and his mentor, Lobo coach Rocky Long, are hard to ignore. Following the 2002 season, Mendenhall left Albuquerque for Provo to become BYU’s D-coordinator. Three years later, he was hired as the Cougars’ head coach. Mendenhall, who coached at UNM for five seasons, starting in 1998, has tried to apply lessons he learned from Long. – Deseret News

T’S not quite a “misery loves company” street, but that neighborhood is only a few zip codes away for two men. On Saturday, there will be someone else at Mountaineer Field who surely could grasp — and does — the doubts and second-guessing that constantly shadow West Virginia football Coach Bill Stewart, who is up to his ‘Eers in great expectations. Larry Coker and Stewart are a lot alike. Both were small-college players who developed into football sideline lifers, then came to marquee head coaching jobs generally late in their careers. Both got their jobs in Big East Conference programs that knew big-time success. Both were anointed to follow younger, glamour guys in their profession. Both were hired after the players in their programs roundly supported their promotion. Both — maybe because they came across as aw-shucks genuine — have been regarded by many followers of their programs as not up to the task. – Daily Mail

Fast forward to now. Tuberville and Petrino, in his first year at Arkansas, are so busy trying to fix their teams’ problems that their history is irrelevant. When Petrino said, “We’ve put that all behind us” and Tuberville added, “Business is business,” that’s the end of the discussion. Because the problems at the moment for both coaches are all that matters. Auburn’s offense has gotten so bad that Tuberville won’t allow emotional offensive coordinator Tony Franklin to talk to the media. But at least the Tigers are 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the Western Division, having squeaked out a pair of Southeastern Conference victories over Mississippi State and Tennessee by a combined three points. That’s not exactly a juggernaut, especially for an Auburn team picked to win the Western Division. But in Fayetteville, Petrino is still trying to get his first SEC victory (2-3 overall, 0-3 in the West) against a killer schedule. This weekend at Auburn, the Razorbacks are playing their fourth ranked team — the No. 20 ranked Tigers — in as many weeks. – Commercial Appeal

University of Miami football coach Randy Shannon said he’s working to stay patient. He’s comforted by the fact that athletic director Kirby Hocutt and president Donna Shalala are patient with him. “They’re the ones always telling me ‘Calm down,’ ” he said. “I get frustrated, upset, disappointed. They say you can’t get disappointed about everything.” Shannon said every week, it’s a case of plugging holes. Last week it was pass defense and finishing strong, this week, it’s starting better and run defense. However, he said if it would be the same problem every week, that would be a bigger concern. Despite that, he feels this season’s 2-3 team is better than last season’s club that got off to a 4-1 start. “A lot better,” he said. “Last year it was Darnell Jenkins right, Darnell Jenkins left. Offensively, we’re better than we were. Defensively, some games we were phenomenal. The last two games we haven’t been, especially in the passing game. Special teams is tremendously better even though we have one guy doing it all.” – Florida Today

The fight to become the SEC’s standard bearer is never a delicate one. No one knows this better than LSU defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois, who says his defensive line getting a clean shot on a player can equate to “a car wreck without a seat belt.” Apparently that goes for any Gator, including quarterback Tim Tebow. Let Florida-LSU week officially begin. “If we get a good shot on [Tebow], we’re going to try our best to take him out of the game,” Jean-Francois said. “With his size and his heart, it’s hard to get a clean shot.” When asked how Tebow might deal with the pain of the perfect LSU hit, Jean-Francois said, “If he does get hurt, there’s a trained medical staff at Florida, so you can go to the training room on Sunday.” – Atlanta Journal Constitution

It was only a week ago that Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said he would be embarrassed if somebody said his players “looked like they quit or were soft or lazy.” On Monday, he was that somebody. “I thought we played a little soft,” he said, referring to Saturday’s home loss to Illinois. ‘that was the most disappointing part about it.” Missed assignments “are going to happen, and you make a few mistakes — you shouldn’t be making them each and every game, the same mistakes — but to play a little soft was disappointing. We’ve got to get a little tougher. “You can run full speed and still be soft. It’s a physical ballgame, and there comes a point in time where you have to play physically. You can’t catch people. You can’t allow them to block you — you’ve got to want to block them. … Unless we become a tougher football team mentally and physically, we’ll have a lot of problems.” – Detroit Free-Press

After watching practice from the driver’s seat of an equipment cart Monday, USC quarterback Mark Sanchez sounded hopeful, if not completely optimistic, that he would be able to play Saturday against Arizona State. “I’d be upset to be on the sideline but very supportive,” said Sanchez, who suffered a bone bruise in his left knee against Oregon. “Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that.” “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Coach Pete Carroll said. Mitch Mustain, the sophomore transfer from Arkansas, was elevated last week from No. 4 to No. 2 on the depth chart. He is feeling confident after completing five of eight passes for 111 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown to receiver David Ausberry, against Oregon. – Los Angeles Times

Five weeks into the football season, Jimmy Clausen is beginning to fulfill his potential. He’s thrown twelve touchdown passes, and only six interceptions. And no interceptions the past two games, both Notre Dame wins. It appears the baptism by fire he experienced as a freshman, is now paying off for the Irish! “There’s not a chance in the world we would be 4-1 right now, if he hadn’t played last year”, Charlie Weis said Tuesday. Ironically, for all the playing time Clausen did get as a freshman, it was the time he spent not playing that’s been the most critical. For two games last season, Charlie Weis sat him down, and told him to just watch. Ever since coming back, he’s been a better payer. “The light switch came on for him when sat those couple of games last year, to tell you the truth” Weis says. – WSBT Channel 2

Mark Sanchez, selected Pacific 10 Conference offensive player of the week for the third time this season, said he hoped to be cleared to practice today, but No. 8-ranked USC began moving forward with Mitch Mustain taking first-team snaps. “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Coach Pete Carroll said. Said offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian: “We’re going with the mentality that Mitch is the guy or Mark’s coming back late in the week.” – Los Angeles Times

What the the country saw in Terrelle Pryor last weekend, Jim Tressel saw long ago. That, not his gifted athleticism and strong arm, is what first got the Ohio State football coach’s attention. Starting his first must-win game in a hostile environment at Camp Randall Stadium, Pryor didn’t flinch after the Badgers took a 17-13 lead with six minutes to play. There was a look of confidence in his face as Pryor knew what had to be done. The 18-year-old freshman quarterbck nodded his head a couple of times, put his mouthpiece in, grabbed his helmet and carried his team to a 20-17 win. That’s the can-do attitude Tressel recruited. “There’s no question about it. When you watched Terrelle compete in high school — whether it was football or basketball — he was a determined, competitive young guy,” Tressel said. “He’s that way in practice. When he doesn’t do something as well as he thinks he can, that disappoints him.” – Canton Repository

Rudy Carpenter attended Arizona State’s practice Tuesday night, but his role was reduced. The senior quarterback, wearing red athletic shorts and a protective boot on his left foot, stood beside coach Dennis Erickson and watched the first-team offense runs plays. Carpenter, the Pac-10’s most durable quarterback, has made 36 consecutive starts, but an ankle injury suffered last week against California has placed that streak in jeopardy. For now, Carpenter is questionable. Erickson would like to have him practice Thursday, just to shake off the rust. But he’s not against letting Carpenter play even if he doesn’t practice. The way Erickson sees it, if Carpenter is fully recovered, “it’d be dumb not to play him.” – Arizona Republic

Despite consecutive victories and a 1-0 Big East start, West Virginia coach Bill Stewart yesterday talked about his Mountaineers ’stumbling a bit … out of the blocks.” He attributed the Mountaineers’ 3-2 start, which included a two-game losing streak before this abbreviated winning one, to youth and inexperience. Stewart mentioned other stumbling Big East programs having to plug voids left by departed players and having to “reinvent guys.” ‘that’s the same thing with us right now,” Stewart said as he prepared for Syracuse (1-4, 0-1 Big East) at noon Saturday in Mountaineer Field. “We don’t have Owen Schmitt and Steve Slaton. We have some talent. We have some skill. We just have to let it mature and develop.” – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Alabama Football Coach Nick Saban isn’t so concerned about his team’s intensity this week, although he expects all business on the practice field. He wants his players to remember the things that have led to success and improve in those areas where the Crimson Tide can be better. … Saban said that players should have learned that “intensity fuels our success. That is something we need to maintain in practice and preparation and improving over this bye week. “We don’t need to be looking in the rear view mirror. We need to be looking ahead. Part of that is getting some rest this week and part of it is improving in areas where we have not been consistent. That is something we will focus on in these three days of practice.” – Scout.com

Arizona State QB Rudy Carpenter, the Pac-10’s most durable quarterback, has made 36 consecutive starts, but an ankle injury suffered last week against California has placed that streak in jeopardy. Talk about bad timing: ASU takes a three-game losing skid into the Los Angeles Coliseum on Saturday to face No. 8 Southern California, a team the Sun Devils haven’t defeated since 1999. For now, Carpenter is questionable. Dennis Erickson would like to have him practice Thursday, just to shake off the rust. But he’s not against letting Carpenter play even if he doesn’t practice. The way Erickson sees it, if Carpenter is fully recovered, “it’d be dumb not to play him.” Until then, backup Danny Sullivan works with the first team. – Arizona Republic

USC moved full speed ahead Tuesday with its game plan for Arizona State, but there remains some question about who will run the offense when the eighth-ranked Trojans play the Sun Devils on Saturday at the Coliseum. Quarterback Mark Sanchez suited up in full pads for the workout, jogged at times from one part of the field to another and tossed a few passes during warmups, but team trainers directed him to the sideline to rest his sore left knee. Meanwhile, sophomore transfer Mitch Mustain continued to take first-team snaps in preparation for what could be his first start for the Trojans. “I’m going to prepare to go even if he comes back,” Mustain said. Mustain looked sharp during part of the workout but struggled at times with fatigue. “Tuesdays are never perfect,” offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said. During a blitz period, Mustain was under fire behind an offensive line that was without senior left guard Jeff Byers, who sat out to rest a sore knee. “Spotty,” was how Coach Pete Carroll described Mustain’s performance during the drill. “Guys have to protect him better.” – Los Angeles Times

Virginia Tech wide receiver Ike Whitaker was arrested on public intoxication charges early Friday, Oct. 3, outside Oge Chi’s dance club. Whitaker, who was recently suspended by head coach Frank Beamer, said he is still on scholarship and will finish out classes to complete his degree. The hearing for Whitaker’s case is scheduled for Nov. 6 at the Montgomery General District Court in Blacksburg. After being released on his own recognizance Friday morning, Whitaker’s parents drove down from Germantown, Md., and picked him up that afternoon. He has since spent the weekend relaxing with his family at home and plans to come back to Blacksburg today or Wednesday. Last Wednesday, Whitaker sat down with Beamer and learned he would be indefinitely suspended for missing a morning meeting. Beamer then told Whitaker he should transfer to play his final year of eligibility at another school. “He said ‘best thing for you to do is finish your degree and look to transfer,’” Whitaker said. – Collegiate Times

The trash talking has officially begun between No. 11 Florida and No. 4 LSU, who play Saturday night in a prime-time, nationally televised game at Gainesville. LSU DT Ricky Jean-Francois made the first bulletin-board remark from Baton Rouge. “If we get a good shot on (Florida QB Tim Tebow), we’re going to try our best to take him out of the game,” Jean-Francois told the Orlando Sentinel. “With his size and his heart, it’s hard to get a clean shot. “I think every lineman wants to get a good hit on a Heisman Trophy winner. If he does get hurt, there’s a trained medical staff at Florida so you can go to the training room on Sunday.” Tebow will use Jean-Francois’ words as motivation but wasn’t upset by the comments. “I’m a competitor. I think he wasn’t meaning it like a lot of people took it,” Tebow said Tuesday. “You try to use anything as motivation, but I don’t think he really meant everything that he said. “Part of it was true,” Tebow jokingly added, “we do have a good training staff.” – St. Petersburg Times

Purdue might have quarterback inefficiency, but there is no controversy: Curtis Painter is the starter. Purdue coach Joe Tiller pulled Painter in the fourth quarter against Penn State, but reiterated that Painter will start Saturday at No. 12 Ohio State. Painter was yanked after completing 13-of-22 passes for 112 yards, including a bad interception that led to a field goal that gave the Nittany Lions a 20-point lead. Tiller isn’t concerned about Painter’s mind-set following the benching. – Indianapolis Star

Josh Nesbitt and Brad Jefferson made their returns to the Georgia Tech practice field Tuesday. Nesbitt returned after straining his right hamstring against Mississippi State on Sept. 20. Jefferson’s absence was longer; he dislocated his wrist against Jacksonville State in the Aug. 28 opener. Said Jefferson, who was the starting middle linebacker entering the season: “I was real excited to be back out there with my brothers back on the field, having fun, just doing our thing.” Nesbitt practiced with a little more reserve. He is not 100 percent, he said, and doesn’t know when he will be. “I know what I can do, and [coaches] trust me to tell them what I can do,” Nesbitt said. “I’m not going to go out there and be half the person that I am. I think that would knock the team off track. So when I’m 100 percent, I will be back out there.” Nesbitt’s return coincided with backup Jaybo Shaw being held out of contact drills as a precautionary measure. Shaw was “dinged” on his head against Duke, coach Paul Johnson said. It isn’t certain how this will affect Shaw’s potential to play Saturday against Division I-AA opponent Gardner-Webb. Johnson hopes Nesbitt will be 100 percent by Saturday and can start. – Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Texas Longhorns regularly call themselves a “blue-collar” team. Chris Ogbonnaya might want to apply for the position of foreman. Ogbonnaya (pronounced OH-bon-EYE-uh) is the Longhorns” do-everything tailback. He’s the Longhorns” top receiving threat out of the backfield. He’s regarded as the best blocker. He even made a touchdown-saving tackle during a career-best performance in last week’s 38-14 victory at Colorado. If he manages to find the end zone that’s a bonus. “I don’t care about the fame or the glory that comes with this game,” said Ogbonnaya, who played at Strake Jesuit. “All I care about is the “W” at the end of the day. I want to win games as a senior. I’m trying to finish on a good note.” Heading into Saturday’s showdown with top-ranked Oklahoma in the annual Red River Rivalry, Ogbonnaya could play a central role for the No. 5 Longhorns in the backfield. He was tabbed the No. 1 tailback Monday in what has been a revolving depth chart all season. – Houston Chronicle

How bad have injuries wrecked the Pac-10? Washington State, down two quarterbacks, held an all-campus tryout Monday for a scout-team quarterback. The session attracted 29 students, 200 spectators and several media outlets. “Actually, we just picked him this morning, and I don’t know his name,” Washington State coach Paul Wulff said Tuesday. The winner: Peter Roberts, a former quarterback at Woodinville (Wash.) High. Considering the way things have gone this season, he should be starting when Washington State visits Arizona State on Nov. 15. – Arizona Republic

From the moment Joe McKnight arrived at USC last season, sportswriters drew comparisons and fans waited for the new tailback to start hurdling linebackers, flipping into the end zone. Even the coaches got swept up, a little too eager for the plays that can turn games around. Most of all, McKnight wanted it. Maybe the young man from Louisiana tried too hard to run in the footsteps of the Heisman Trophy winner who preceded him. “I mean, it’s a lot of pressure,” he says in a muted drawl. “I tried to live up to expectations.” – Los Angeles Times

They call him ‘money Mike.” Arizona receiver Mike Thomas wants to earn his nickname, so to speak, by playing pro football. He hopes his 48-yard punt return for a touchdown in Saturday’s win over Washington will help toward that goal. “I know it helps,” Thomas said of his punt-returning skills improving his NFL chances. “I’m going to jump after it and see what I can do. . . . It’s important at the (next) level. A guy like me at 5-8, 5-9, you’ve got to have something extra, and I’ve got that.” Thomas, a senior who already has proved he’s an all-Pac-10 level receiver, took on the primary punt return duties after last year’s graduation of cornerback Antoine Cason, who also helped his draft status on special teams. Thomas’ second-quarter touchdown punt return, pushing the Wildcats’ lead to 24-7, was the first of his career and moved him from third to second in Pac-10 punt returns. Through five games, Thomas has returned 16 punts for 229 yards for a 14.3 yards-per-return average. – Arizona Republic

Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said he would try to contact Missouri coach Gary Pinkel to discuss Chase Daniel’s comments about the Cornhuskers being a dirty team. The Tigers star quarterback said a Nebraska player spit on him before Saturday night’s game, which Missouri won 52-17. Daniel also told reporters after the game that Nebraska players threw footballs at the Tigers as they were warming up. Pelini said he didn’t hear about Daniel’s comments until after he woke up Sunday morning. – Associated Press

Arizona’s Willie Tuitama has the Wildcats atop the Pac-10 entering Saturday’s showdown at Stanford. Through five games, he is completing a career-best 66.2 percent of his passes. He’s also thrown 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions, both coming in a loss at New Mexico. “He’s a really good ball player,” Stanford co-defensive coordinator Ron Lynn said during Tuesday’s Pac-10 teleconference. “You can see tremendous development, and while I didn’t see him play in person last year, I watched a lot of his games. He’s just continued to develop to the point where, when he doesn’t have something, he’s much more patient.” Tuitama, limited two years ago because of head injuries, ranks 16th nationally in passing efficiency. USC’s Mark Sanchez, questionable this week with a knee injury, ranks seventh. In four games, Sanchez has 13 touchdown passes and three interceptions. – Arizona Republic

For the first time this season, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano took a long, hard look at his 1-4 team. And he was very candid about what he saw. “Probably, maybe I overestimated a little bit,” Schiano said of the current team’s talent level, compared to those of seasons past. “Probably we haven’t played at some veteran positions as well as we’re capable of. “And probably we haven’t coached as well as we’ve needed to. So when you add those three things up — maybe one area on one day and one area on another play — the result is where we are.” – Newark Star-Ledger

Greg Robinson, head coach of the Syracuse University football team, said Monday that sophomore tailback Delone Carter will play Saturday at West Virginia. Carter has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury. “Delone is going to be ready to roll,” Robinson said during his segment on the Big East coaches weekly conference call. “He practiced yesterday, and I was pleased with the work.” – Syracuse Post-Standard

Colorado state law currently limits assistant coaches to one-year contracts, but coach Dan Hawkins and AD Mike Bohn said it was not unrealistic to envision the multiyear pacts for assistants that are becoming commonplace in the Big 12 Conference and elsewhere. Only six employees in the CU system currently have multiyear deals, including four in the athletic department (Bohn, Hawkins, men’s basketball coach Jeff Bzdelik and women’s basketball coach Kathy McConnell-Miller). “Laws are made by people and can be changed by people,” Hawkins said. – Rocky Mountain News

USC quarterback Mark Sanchez suffered a bone bruise in his left knee against Oregon and “has a chance to play” this week against Arizona State, Coach Pete Carroll said Sunday. Mitch Mustain, who passed for a touchdown against Oregon, would start if Sanchez could not play, Carroll said. Mustain completed five of eight passes for 111 yards and a touchdown with one interception against Oregon. – Los Angeles Times

The torn medial collateral ligament in UCLA senior linebacker Kyle Bosworth’s left knee is healing slowly, and could result in him redshirting and returning for a fifth season. Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel said as much in discussing Bosworth’s status Tuesday, comparing the starting weakside linebacker’s situation to that of injured tight end Logan Paulsen, who is out with a broken foot. “(Bosworth) is a ways away,” Neuheisel said. “He’s going to end up being in that same Logan category, where you’re not sure (of coming back this season).” Bosworth hurt the knee Sept. 13 at BYU, and has not returned to practice. In fact, the knee remains wrapped in a heavy brace and he walks with a decided limp. – LA Daily News

Washington State athletic director Jim Sterk said Monday he does not believe the faltering economy will directly affect the university’s plan to begin expansion of Martin Stadium in January. “We’re moving forward, but you can never say never,” Sterk said. “We have to make sure we have all the financing in place.” Sterk said the Cougars have raised or received solid commitments for half of the $40 million cost of constructing 16 to 20 luxury suites, 31 to 35 loge boxes and 1,200 club seats on the stadium’s north side. Sterk said the other $20 million will be raised by selling revenue bonds and/or from money generated by the premium seat sales. – Seattle Post-Intelligencer

For the first time this season, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano took a long, hard look at his 1-4 team. And he was very candid about what he saw. “Probably, maybe I overestimated a little bit,” Schiano said of the current team’s talent level, compared to those of seasons past. “Probably we haven’t played at some veteran positions as well as we’re capable of. “And probably we haven’t coached as well as we’ve needed to. So when you add those three things up — maybe one area on one day and one area on another play — the result is where we are.” – Newark Star-Ledger

It has been three years since the Gophers football team was ranked among the top 25 nationally. It last occurred in October 2005, just before Minnesota, then No. 22, lost to No. 23 Wisconsin 38-34 at the Metrodome. This week, the Gophers (5-1) received one top-25 vote in the coaches poll. A victory at Illinois on Saturday certainly would mean more votes. Maybe a top-25 ranking? Minnesota coach Tim Brewster paused for a moment. “No, I don’t think so,” Brewster said Monday. “At some point, that will play itself out if we’re deserving. But right now, I don’t think there’s any concern whatsoever about the polls. It’s just doing what we’ve got to do to give ourselves a chance to win. “(A ranking) would be a nice thing for our team and our fans, without question. But this challenge coming up this week may be even a bigger one than we had going to Columbus (Ohio State won 34-21 two weeks ago). Illinois may be as good an offensive team as I’ve seen in the country.” – Pioneer Press

The day after Notre Dame missed two more field goals, making the Irish 1-for-7 for the season and 7-for-20 since the start of 2007, coach Charlie Weis said it’s time for Plan B. Because his options are limited, Plan B likely will involve junior Ryan Burkhart assuming the field-goal duties from Brandon Walker, whose two misses in a 28-21 victory over Stanford on Saturday were his 11th and 12 in 19 attempts dating to last season. Walker’s misses have been somewhat confounding because he has proved himself reliable on extra points, and his leg is strong enough that distance is rarely an issue. ”We definitely have to explore Ryan kicking field goals,” Weis said Sunday. ”Because in Brandon’s case, it’s not obviously a case of being able to kick it high enough or far enough. When you’re 1 out of 7 kicking field goals, it just doesn’t cut it.” Walker made four of his first five attempts after winning the job last season. The left-footed sophomore is 2-for-14 beyond 30 yards since then. In fairness, poor snaps and holds have contributed to the unit’s unreliability. What the statistics don’t reflect are the many times Weis has opted not to attempt a field goal because he knew the unit was struggling. – Chicago Sun Times

A wallet belonging to U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., was stolen when his rental car was broken into over the weekend, police said. Martinez, his wife and son had driven from Chicago to attend the Stanford-Notre Dame football game on Saturday, and the wallet was inadvertently left on the front seat of the car in the driveway of Notre Dame professor emeritus Jay Dolan in nearby Granger, Ind. A neighbor later found Martinez’s wallet in his yard. The senator’s credentials were intact, but $180 in cash was missing. – Indianapolis Star

Jarvis Jones, who is an AJC Super 11 selection and ranked as the state’s No. 2 prospect by Rivals, confirmed that he will no longer be taking an official visit to Texas on Oct. 18. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Jones, however, did not say whether he planned to reschedule the Texas visit, and if so, for which date. Jones is in the process of setting up an official visit to Southern Cal for early November. His other finalists are Clemson, LSU, Georgia, Florida and Miami. The secretive Jones has yet to reveal any other official visits. – Atlanta Journal Constitution

The commitment of Orlando (Fla.) Dr. Phillips junior wide receiver Ricardo Miller (6-3, 203 pounds) to Michigan last Monday kicked off a week of good news involving the class of 2010 for the Wolverines. Michigan followed up the commitment of Miller with a pledge from Ann Arbor Huron wide receiver Jeremy Jackson on Wednesday. The 6-4, 195-pound Jackson is the son of Michigan running backs coach Fred Jackson. He held offers from the likes of Texas, Florida, Louisville, Iowa and others before committing to Michigan. – Detroit Free Press

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt is regarded as one of the top recruiters in the nation and he has signed top-rated recruiting classes in the Big East in each of the past three seasons, even though the Panthers have not registered a winning season during that period. That brings up an interesting question: If Wannstedt can recruit as well as he has without winning, how much better could he be with a successful season? This past weekend might have given him and his staff a taste of it as they were out recruiting (the Panthers are off this week) on the heels of their 26-21 upset of then No. 10 South Florida. “I got several e-mails and calls from recruits after the game, and we had a recruiting meeting and [the other coaches on the staff] had the same experience,” Wannstedt said yesterday via teleconference. “We had two coaches stay and recruit in Florida after the game and it was very receptive. And then we had guys in New Jersey and we had guys in eastern Pennsylvania last week and everybody was echoing the same sentiments about how positive it is out there, and that’s good.” Wannstedt said that the victory has changed the outlook for the season. – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Jefferson County defensive end Chris Crenshaw made eight tackles and sacked the quarterback once during the Warriors’ 14-12 victory over Swainsboro on Friday. His effort came in front of Georgia Tech recruiting coordinator Giff Smith. “He had asked me [earlier] which game I wanted him to come to,” said Crenshaw, who committed to the Jackets in June. “We had a chance to talk some before the game.” Crenshaw’s commitment was called into question last month when he told GoGamecocks.com that he was interested in South Carolina. But as he has done for the past three weeks, Crenshaw says he’s sticking with the Jackets. – Atlanta Journal Constitution