COLLEGE NEWS AND NOTES
by Brent Beaird
April 24, 2012
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BCS MEETINGS: The commissioners will consider four options for changes to the BCS, two of which call for what amounts to a four-team playoff. Just lip service?
Not from the sound of Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky. "It's my sense in the room that there is an interest in change, some meaningful change, going forward," Banowsky said. "I don't know how dramatic that will be, but I don't think we're talking about making tweaks to the old system."
If Banowsky is correct, that would suggest few are interested in the first of those four options, titled "BCS With Adjustments" in a memo obtained by USA Today this month. That option appears to be exactly that - tweaks to the current system that would not result in a playoff.
A summary of the other three options to be discussed:
The Plus-One model: This option calls for two teams to be selected for a championship game after all bowl play is completed. It remains unclear, under this model, whether bowls including the two top matchups would be designated as "semifinal" games. If the current BCS points system remained in place, however, determining which bowl games could produce championship finalists would be projectable.
Four-team Event model: This option would establish four national semifinalists, who would be seeded and compete for a spot in a championship game. Among the variables in play with this option are whether the games would be played as part of the bowl system, at neutral sites or at campus sites.
Four Teams Plus model: This option would allow for the Rose Bowl - traditionally pitting the Big Ten and Pac-12 champions - to maintain that matchup while still having a stake in the national championship picture. Under this scenario, the national championship finalists would be selected from the Rose Bowl champion and the winners of two other bowls in years in which the Big Ten or Pac-12 champion is among the nation's four highest-ranked teams.
Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive wouldn't debate the merits of one option over another but did make his feelings clear on the Rose Bowl-friendly option.
"It's not one of my favorites," Slive said. "I think what we're trying to do is simplify, in many ways, what we're trying to do. And I don't think that adds to the simplification of the postseason."
To be sure, nothing will be simple about settling on a new system. While there appears to be a consensus that the current BCS structure is in need of reform, how that reform should manifest itself opens a wide range of questions.
"Within each option, there is a whole series of questions about that option," Slive said. "Where do games get played, for example? When do they get played? How do they get played? How many get played? All of that. There is an option, but then there is a whole series of questions underneath that."
Slive said conference commissioners have met three times to discuss the future of college football's postseason, but only established the four possibilities at the most recent meeting. Slive described the BCS as a nontraditional organization, merely a series of contracts between network television, conferences and the bowls. As such, the interests of one conference may not align with those of another.
And therein will lie the debating to take place in Ft. Lauderdale.
"We'll air them out, we'll discuss them, then each of us will come back together and say, 'This option X is something we can work with, option Y we can work with, but we can't work with options A and B," Slive said. "Somebody else may come back with just the opposite set of options and, ultimately, the conferences have to get together." (tidesports.com)
SEC TEAM NOTES
ARKANSAS: John L. Smith, who is leaving Weber State before ever coaching a game at his alma mater, will coach on a one-year deal. Smith coached with former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino at Arkansas, Michigan State, Louisville and Utah State. Petrino was fired earlier this month for failing to disclose his relationship with Jessica Dorrell, whom he hired as an assistant and gave $20,000 in gifts to. Smith was the special teams coach at Arkansas the past three years and approached the school about the job.
Smith is a very familiar face at Arkansas and should help keep things relatively normal for Arkansas' team, which returns enough talent to compete for an SEC West title and maybe more this year. (espn.com)
SPRING GAME: Big plays and consistent quarterbacking by Tyler Wilson's gave the Red Team a 65-0 victory against the overmatched White Team Saturday in front of a school record 45,250 in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Wilson capped an incredible spring going 31 of 41 (75.6 percent) for 467 yards and 2 touchdowns. He did not throw a single interception in any of the four scrimmages, and according to defenders Eric Bennett and Ross Rasner Wilson only threw 2 throughout the 15 practices. The Red offense racked up 698 total offensive yards, including 535 through the air on 38 of 51 passing and 163 on 27 rushing attempts. They racked up 34 first downs and scored on 9 of 11 drives, and one of the non-scoring drives started with 24 seconds left in the half. Ronnie Wingo Jr. had his best scrimmage as a Razorback with 14 carries for 88 yards and 3 touchdowns. Fellow senior back Dennis Johnson also showed well with 12 rushes for 73 yards and 1 touchdown.
Wilson's go-to receivers all spring have been senior receiver Cobi Hamilton, senior tight end Chris Gragg and sophomore receiver Marquel Wade. That proved to be no different Saturday. Hamilton was 'Mr. Reliable' catching 11 balls for 156 yards and was key on third down.
Gragg hauled in 9 for 130 yards and 2 touchdowns and would have had another if not for a wide-open drop in the back of the end zone.
Wade finished with 6 catches for 136 yards and 1 touchdown, and a shoestring tackle by Houston Pruitt stopped Wade from getting another on a deep completion with 5 seconds left before the half. (hawgsports.com)
FLORIDA: Florida's offensive line just received an added shot of talent. After starting all 12 games of his sophomore season at left tackle for the Maryland Terrapins, Max Garcia has decided to transfer to Florida. Foregoing the chance of doing it via an announcement ceremony, Garcia instead decided to release his choice via Twitter:
"Once a Terp always a Terp, but it is a great day to be a Florida Gator !! #GatorNation." Garcia was once a three-star prospect coming out of Norcross (Ga.) High and has said his decision to transfer is so he can play closer to home. He chose Florida instead of a pool of schools that included Southern Cal, Wisconsin, Georgia and Ole Miss. He will have to sit out the 2012 season before returning with two years of eligibility. Garcia's eligibility will come at a good time for the Gators. Florida will lose Xavier Nixon, Sam Robey and James Wilson to graduation next spring. Nixon and Wilson are both slated to be starters on the left side of the line this fall. Garcia will likely be tossed into a position battle with D.J. Humphries if he plans on playing left tackle. On the right side, his competition would be with Matt Patchan and Chaz Green, who have been sharing the right tackle job this spring. (gainesvillesun.com)
KENTUCKY: The final seconds of Saturday's Blue/White Game didn't need to tick off the clock. The starters, behind an aerial attack, overcame a 14-0 deficit to the backups, beat the backups 35-28 in the Blue/White Game on Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium. Maxwell Smith, quarterbacking the "Kentucky" team, hit sophomore receiver Demarco Robinson for touchdown passes of 69 and 21 yards. Junior tailback Raymond Sanders had two touchdowns on the ground for Kentucky. Smith finished 29 of 45 for 353 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Wildcats' only touchdown came when quarterback Jacob Russell scrambled 54 yards down the sideline in the first quarter for a touchdown. The second team offense struggled to find a rhythm all day, as the starting defense blitzed the backups for six sacks on the day. Their only other score came with less than a minute to go, when Russell hit Anthony Kendrick in the back of the end zone. (catsillustrated.com)
MISSISSIPPI STATE: Whether quarterback Tyler Russell is measured by the 33-22 win he delivered the Maroon team in what amounted to be little more than a dress rehearsal resembling a football game on a 55-yard field or his statistics - 24 of 43 passing for 312 yards and two touchdowns - is up to those fans. During a spring when the show was finally all his, Russell was in control as he led the offense to score after score in front of an announced crowd of 22,604 fans.
Russell was in sync with his receivers and tight ends as his running backs faded - but were still effective - into the background. The Maroon offense piled up 428 yards on 78 plays, scoring touchdowns on passes of 40 and 17 yards and runs of 55, 11 and 3 yards.
The leader, of course, was Russell. Afterward, he said this spring he was driven by a "disappointing" 7-6 season in 2011, when the Bulldogs fell well short of their aspirations of winning an SEC West championship. Russell split time with then-senior Chris Relf and missed the Bulldogs' win against Wake Forest in the Music City Bowl.
Russell did most of his damage in the first half, completing 23 of 39 passes for 286 yards. Russell was also sacked five times, however. Freshman defensive tackle Quay Evans accounted for three sacks for minus-18 yards in the first half.
White team quarterback Dak Prescott completed 10 of 27 passes for 205 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions.
Receivers Jameon Lewis and Joe Morrow combined for 241 yards and two touchdowns for the Maroon. Lewis a game-high 10 passes for 144 yards (1 yard more than his total all of last season) and one touchdown in the Bulldogs' Maroon and White game Saturday.
The shortened field was the result of a stage setup for the postgame concert by Sugarland. The stage provided a couple of interesting moments, especially for the White offense. Receiver Chad Bumphis, on a triple reverse, was hit - but not dropped - for a safety near the staging area.
The defense deflected 14 passes. Maroon defensive back Louis Watson and linebacker Benardrick McKinney each had interceptions.
White team linebacker Ferlando Bohanna led all players with eight tackles. Defensive end Corvell Harrison-Gay, a reserve, finished with seven tackles, including five for losses and three sacks.
Even cornerback Johnthan Banks lined up at receiver, catching one pass for 17 yards.
Running back Josh Robinson led the way with 63 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown run, and LaDarius Perkins had seven carries for 55 yards and a touchdown. (clarionledger.com)
OLE MISS: After 60 minutes of football and the score tied, Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze put both sides in a position to make a play. Quarterback Bo Wallace responded throwing a 23-yard touchdown pass to Donte Moncrief that set up a Red 24-23 win.
Barry Brunetti, Wallace's competitor in the quarterback derby, didn't get the same chance: he handed the ball to Randall Mackey, who threw a touchdown pass to Ja-Mes Logan. Mackey took the two-point conversion snap, but was stopped at the goal line.
Actually, Freeze didn't dismiss the notion of playing both of them come Sept. 1 against Central Arkansas. "If I had to say today, I would say we probably play two," Freeze said.
Wallace completed 16 of 26 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 17 yards, but was sacked three times and intercepted once.
Brunetti completed 4 of 10 passes for 62 yards and also rushed for 109 yards on 14 carries. Mackey was recently moved from quarterback to receiver after falling into third place in the competition behind center. He threw two touchdown passes on trick plays, going 2 for 2 for 44 yards. (clarionledger.com)
TENNESSEE: Coach Derek Dooley in the SEC coach teleconference on Tuesday morning talked about the football team having a grade point average of 2.06 last fall including 1.9 among scholarship players. A total of 30 players are on academic probation including 6 walk-ons. Two scholarship players are gone.
SPRING GAME: Quarterback Tyler Bray was by no means perfect on Saturday in the Orange and White game, but that didn't matter much. He may have completed only 54 percent of his passes and failed to lead the White team on a two-minute drive to win the game in the Orange's 17-14 victory, but his performance showed where he's improved the most this spring; his maturity.
He was light years better than his performance last year and it was a fitting end to a spring to where Bray matured over the month-long work. Although his numbers weren't overly impressive, Bray finished 14 of 26 for 151 yards and a touchdown, he was much better than his abysmal 5 of 30 performance in last year's spring outing. With a thin wide receiver corp hitting the field Saturday, the Vols certainly needed some wide receivers other than Da'Rick Rogers step up. To fill the void, true freshman Cody Blanc and sophomore walk-on Jacob Carter both performed well for the White and Orange team, respectively.
Blanc finished with three catches for 38 yards while Carter continued on his spring tear leading the Orange team in receiving with six catches for 42 yards. Dooley praised both for good springs and finishing strong. Marlin Lane rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Orange team to a 17-14 victory in the DISH Orange and White Game on Saturday afternoon in Neyland Stadium. (knoxvillenewsentinel.com)
TEXAS A & M: Following last Saturday's scrimmage, Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin told the media that he would watch the tape on his quarterbacks and evaluate them. At Monday's spring practice he told reporters, "We do not have a starting quarterback."
What the public saw Saturday was Jameill Showers beginning to runaway with the starting job and Sumlin assured that nothing had been decided. Friday marked another chapter in that decision process as A&M hosted what they are calling "Friday Night Lights" where the public was again invited out to see the team scrimmage but this time under the bright lights of Kyle Field at night.
What resulted Friday was another stealing of the show by Showers. He continues to be a step, or two, ahead of the other quarterbacks as he threw over 100 yards and connected on several very pretty passes to his receivers.
It may not have been as wowing of a scrimmage for Showers as last week's was but he made the necessary throws and made them with ease.
Showers connected to Kenrick McNeal early in the scrimmage on an out route and made his best throw of the scrimmage on a deep pass to Mike Evans that was placed perfectly. Everything Showers is doing is leading him to the forefront of the battle for the starting role. At this point it seems like it is going to take an impressive performance from any of the other quarterbacks to leapfrog Showers in the race for the next quarterback at Texas A&M. (dallasnews.com)
ACC TEAM NOTES
FLORIDA STATE: Some notables from coach Jimbo Fisher's visit to Pensacola, his first Spring Booster Tour stop of the year. "I don't say this very often, I'm the ultimate Coach-talk guy," Fisher said. "But we're going to be pretty good. I'm not scared to say it because I know what we're walking down the road with. I know their attitude, I know the kind of ability we have and I know the kind of depth we have. We're going to be a really good football team, I really believe that."
Fisher on OT Cameron Erving: "After we moved Cameron Erving over there, I told him he has to give me the first million," Fisher joked. "He was going to be a high draft pick as a D-tackle, but he's going to be a high, high, high, high draft pick as a left tackle."
OTHER FISHER NOTES: A host of notable players were out for spring drills including defensive end Bjoern Werner, cornerback Xavier Rhodes and running back Devonta Freeman Fisher said that have had no setbacks in their recovery this spring.
Three potential starters were hurt during spring practice: sophomore defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan suffered a slightly torn MCL and meniscus, linebacker Vince Williams fractured his tibia and wide receiver Rashad Greene suffered a slight concussion. Jernigan and Williams were both expected to be out 4-6 weeks, which has them back in plenty of time for offseason workouts.
Greene was held out of Saturday's spring game and missed the final three practices of the spring. Fisher said they proceeded with caution given the nature of the injury but he is cleared for activity. "If we would have had another week of practice, (Greene) would have been back," Fisher said. "It was a slight ding, and they're just so cautious of it. There were only three practices left (in spring following Greene's injury) and he's going to be a great player so why take a chance to get that second (concussion)? If there was practice this week, he would go."
The final hurdle seemed to be defensive back Tyler Hunter, who sustained a shoulder injury during the spring game on Saturday. Fisher said the injury was not serious, saying "he didn't even come in for treatment on Sunday." Hunter is expected to play an integral role in FSU's secondary in 2012.
Fisher said that the battle for the No. 2 quarterback spot (Jacob Coker or Clint Trickett) and the right tackle spot (Bryan Stork and Bobby Hart is still ongoing.
Fisher had high praise for DE Brandon Jenkins: "He dominated spring ball more than any other guy I've had in the past 10 years." Fisher said that he's seen many future NFL players return for their senior seasons and play tentative so they don't get hurt, something Jenkins did not do this spring. (warchant.com)
GEORGIA TECH: After being held to three first-half points, the White team erupted for 28 points in the second stanza to beat the Gold team, 31-7 in Georgia Tech's annual spring football game Friday night. "I think we had a productive spring," head coach Paul Johnson said. "I saw some positives (tonight). Overall, I think some guys made real progress. I'm happy we got out of the game tonight without any injuries."
A crowd of 18,125 attended the game, part of Tech's "Friday Night on the Flats (presented by PNC Bank)" - an evening of festivities that included pre- and post-game concerts as well as fireworks.
There were very little fireworks on the field in the first half as the defense dominated, taking advantage of patchwork offensive lines for both squads. Tech entered the spring game missing a number of injured offensive linemen, which meant players playing out of position, and freshmen and walk-ons playing key roles. The defense recorded sacks on three consecutive first-half plays during one stretch. "Tonight was a little hard to tell because we wanted to stay fairly vanilla and we couldn't do much with our injury situation on the offensive line," Johnson said. "We were down to 10 guys (offensive linemen). We had guys playing guard who have been playing guard two days."
White led 3-0 at halftime after David Scully kicked a 41-yard field goal with two seconds remaining. It was the defense that actually started the scoring onslaught in the second half. Sophomore safety Correy Dennis' fumble return for a touchdown gave White a 10-0 lead early in the third quarter.
The offense then began to find its rhythm and all three of Tech's top quarterbacks played a role. Senior Tevin Washington, the returning starter at QB, scored the game's first offensive touchdown on a one-yard run for a 17-0 White lead.
Redshirt freshman QB Vad Lee, who ended up playing for both teams, led the White on an impressive scoring drive. Lee's 47-yard pass to sophomore Deon Hill - with Hill accounting for most of that yardage with a nice run - went to the one-yard line. After a delay-of-game penalty on Lee, he hit Tony Zenon with a short pass over the middle for the touchdown.
Sophomore Synjyn Days, who led all rushers with 79 yards on 15 carries, scored the Gold team's only points of the night on a QB keeper to pull within 24-7.
Lee and the White team closed the scoring with a nifty TD pass to senior wide receiver Chris Jackson.
Johnson was asked by the media, following the game, to summarize his three quarterbacks. "I think all three bring something to the table. It's really a matter of who can improve most and (September 3rd). The guys behind Tevin (Days and Lee) both bring different things."
Washington rushed 14 times for 67 yards and a touchdown, and he completed 4-of-6 passes for 46 yards. Lee completed 9 of 17 passes for 120 yards and two TDs. Hill and Zenon, both A-backs, had three receptions each. Tech, which went 8-5 in 2011, will open the 2012 season Sept. 3 at Virginia Tech. (jacketsonline.com)
MARYLAND: Maryland football's feel-good spring will continue until at least Wednesday, though just for the defense. With a convoluted 67-53 victory in Saturday's Red-White Spring Game, the defense (Red) earned the much coveted steak and lobster meal Wednesday.
The offense will dine on beans and franks and the 2,000-or-so fans on hand will try to digest just what they saw from a total Terrapin team that still has a lot of questions and from a scoring system that left many scratching their heads.
In fact, the defense overcame a 36-16 deficit in the second quarter to charge back and claim the win and the all-important Wednesday dinner. The defense could earn points stopping a drive, scoring a three-and-out, on tackles or sacks and blocking field goals. They did a lot of each, including a whopping 13 quarterback sacks on starter C.J. Brown and his only backup, Ricky Schultz, though there were some quick whistles on some of those.
They did a lot of each, including a whopping 13 quarterback sacks on starter C.J. Brown and his only backup, Ricky Schultz, though there were some quick whistles on some of those. Brown was 17 of 33 for 199 yards and an interception, and his numbers were much better until late when he was throwing to try to rally the White Team. (terrapinstimes.com)
MIAMI: Though the schedules for Miami and FAU are set for the 2012 season, the two schools announced today a three-game series that will fill non-conference spots in three of the next four years. Via a school release, FAU will visit Miami on Aug. 31, 2013 and in 2016 with the Hurricanes visiting the Owls in 2015. Long-time coach Howard Schnellenberger retired from FAU this past year and was the head coach at Miami in the 1980?s, leading the Hurricanes to a national championship in 1983. The series will be the first meeting between the two schools. (cft.com)
N. C. STATE: N.C. State's first-string defense came through with three sacks and two interceptions to help the Black team trounce its White squad counterparts 32-7 in the Kay Yow Spring Game on Saturday in front of 24,797 fans at Carter-Finley Stadium.
NC State coach Tom O'Brien knows that the spring game will give some motivation to the players to improve during the offseason. NC State returns the majority of its starters from last year's 8-5 squad, but will need to reload at linebacker, wide receiver and tight end.
O'Brien was just relieved that there weren't any obvious injuries during the game. "I thought we were competitive here until the third quarter," O'Brien said. "I thought that was the best thing of the game. The continuity was not there and that is a fact of being in spring practice. The defense, those kids in the secondary have grown up a lot. I think they showed that today."
The five quarterbacks that played for the two teams were sacked a combined 10 times, though that number was skewed by a touch counting as a sack. Redshirt sophomore defensive end Theo Rich had a game-high two sacks for the White team.
Fifth-year star senior quarterback Mike Glennon split time with redshirt freshman Brian Taylor for the White team. Glennon went 12 of 20 passing for 154 yards and was picked off by junior cornerback David Amerson. Glennon tossed for 121 yards in the first half. (wolfpacker.com)
NATIONAL TEAMS
NOTRE DAME: For many, the decision seems so easy. Anybody but Tommy Rees. Rees, who completed 7 of 14 for 84 yards, not only threw an interception, but still showed difficulty throwing the end zone fade with accuracy. He also had a pass batted down at the line of scrimmage by Sheldon Day, yet another one of Rees' shortcomings from the past.
Everett Golson completed 11 of 15 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns Saturday in the 83rd annual Blue-Gold Game, making him the favored choice of many to be the starting quarterback for the Irish when they travel to Ireland to play Navy in the 2012 opener. Golson whipped the football around Notre Dame Stadium with ease. He used his feet to buy himself time to make those throws. He looked agile and athletic. He extended plays. He made the pedestrian receiving corps look better than it is. He rushed for another 30 yards. He looked like a winner, at least to the naked eye.
Anybody but Rees. Andrew Hendrix only threw nine passes, completing four for 51 yards. But one of those completions was a 25-yard touchdown toss to Tyler Eifert. He threw an interception right into the hands of Ishaq Williams. But he added a 10-yard run and, all things being equal, looks to be - on the surface -- a better choice than Rees. Not a final solution, but a better alternative.
Gunner Kiel is a true freshman, but at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, he fits the part perfectly. He completed 5 of 10 passes for 57 yards, including a 25-yarder, and plowed into cornerback Josh Atkinson on one of his two runs. Why not just turn the reins over to him, live with the growing pains, and then reap the rewards on the backside? The decision seems so easy. Anybody but Rees. (irishillustrated.com)
OHIO STATE: the Buckeyes played their Scarlet and Gray game in front of a crowd that was already in midseason form - all 81,112 of 'em (AP story said the attendance was exaggerated.) For those of you keeping score at home, that's roughly 2,500 more than what Alabama had at its spring game. Back to football, the Scarlet team defeated the Gray team 20-14 (whatever that means), the former of which was led by quarterback Braxton Miller. The sophomore went 24 of 31 on the day with one interception.
True freshman receiver Michael Thomas had a really nice day, catching 12 passes for 131 yards. Thomas could be an under-the-radar guy who makes a bit impact this fall.
Afterward, Meyer said the offense would be a lot more balanced with the running game than it was today (also, Jordan Hall was held out with what was said to be a sprained ankle). The Buckeyes were atrocious in the passing game last season, and according to Meyer, today's scrimmage was about scoping where the improvements needed to be made.
"We did some things offensively that we wouldn't normally do," Meyer said. "We are going to be a very balanced offense. We are taking one of the worst passing teams in America, a year ago, and we need to find out if we can pass. We know we can run the quarterback, we didn't run him one time today. We need to find out if we can throw the ball. That was the objective today. I have a better opinion of the guys now." (cft.com)
PENN STATE: Penn State may have a new coach, Bill O'Brien, but this is a headline we've had filed away for the better part of the last year. In the first spring game for the football program since 1949 that didn't involve the legendary Joe Paterno, and despite O'Brien's reputation as a QB/offensive guru, it was the new coach's defense that stole the spring show, albeit with a very basketball-esque score of 77-65. While the defense stole the show in front of 60,000-plus fans at Beaver Stadium, it will be the play of the quarterbacks that will be much discussed and dissected in the coming days.
Nittany Lion QBs threw five interceptions on the day, and were sacked eight times for good measure. The three contenders for the starting job - Matt McGloin, Rob Bolden and Paul Jones - each threw at least one pick, with Bolden tossing three of them.
That performance prompted BlueWhiteIllustrated.com to write "McGloin may have continued to separate himself from the three-part quarterback race, but it wasn't because he blew away his competition."
Despite McGloin appearing to up his status as the front-runner, QBs coach Charlie Fisher did not indicate that his boss is ready to tab anyone as the starter heading into the summer. Even as the statistical numbers were gaudy in an unseemly kind of way, O'Brien, at least publicly, is comfortable with the state of the most important position on the field.
As for when a decision on a starter will be named, O'Brien explained that "we have to let it soak a little bit, let it soak for ourselves as a staff, and then we'll make a decision headed into training camp on who we're going with or who the top two are."
Perhaps the most interesting development came after the game, when McGloin seemed to take a shot at the previous coaching staff.
"We're communicating more. We're having more fun out there," the senior said according to the Rivals website. "The most important thing is, we're being told the truth. Coach [O'Brien] is being honest with us. In the past, that really hasn't happened too much.
They're telling you what you're doing wrong each and every day and they're telling you where you're at each and every day. That's something that didn't really happen in the past. I'm happy about that, and I really appreciate it. (cft.com)
OTHER FOOTBALL NOTES
CBS announced that the Navy-Notre Dame game will be televised at 9 a.m. ET on Sept. 1. And, no, this isn't TV running amok. The game is being played in Dublin, Ireland.
** In other TV news, Baylor and SMU have moved their game from Sept. 1 to Sept. 2. Kickoff will be at 6:30 p.m. ET and televised by Fox Sports Net. That makes the ninth non-Saturday game scheduled to be televised on that first weekend - four on Thursday, two on Friday, two on Sunday and one on Monday. Obviously, there could be more.
** Ohio State is spending $7 million on improvements to the scoreboard and audio system at Ohio Stadium this summer; everything is expected to be in place by the end of August.
** With Texas A&M's move to the SEC comes word that the school has hired a design firm to look into the renovation of Kyle Field. Official capacity is 82,600. (rivals.com)
Brent Beaird writes for Lindy's Sports, Gator Bait magazine and Samsportsline.com. He can be heard on 1010XL sports radio in Jacksonville, Florida. Brent, who is a Heisman Trophy voter, can be contacted at brentbeaird@aol.com
E-MAIL BRENT AT brentbeaird@aol.com
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