NCAA Endzone

The Press-Register is reporting that University of Florida president Dr. Bernie Machen will be presenting a college football playoff plan to his colleagues in the SEC on June 1.

Florida, Gators, college, football, SEC

College coaches will have to recruit the old-fashioned way next year.

The NCAA’s board of directors approved a ban Thursday to eliminate all text messages from coaches to recruits beginning in August, then left open the possibility of revisiting that legislation as early as 2008.

High-school athletes face far fewer restrictions. A recruit, for instance, could still message a college coach although the coach could not respond under the new rule.

The move comes a week after the NCAA’s management council recommended passage of the ban, which also eliminates communications through other electronic means such as video phones, video conferencing and message boards on social networking Web sites.

E-mails and faxes would still be permissible and subject to current NCAA guidelines, which include some time periods that prohibit coaches from contacting recruits in any form.

What it means to coaches is fewer opportunities to attract players through today’s high-tech tools, and rely more on the post office, e-mails and phone calls.

The proposal was creating concern among today’s tech-savvy coaches even before Thursday’s 13-3 vote.

On Monday, Grant Teaff, executive director of the American Football Coaches Association, responded to the management council’s decision by sending a letter to the board asking it to delay a vote until compromise legislation could be worked out.

The Student-Athlete Advisory Council had complained that text messaging was too costly and so intrusive that it sometimes bordered on harassment. Some of those stories prompted the board to ignore the coaches’ plea and vote anyway.

In an unusual move, however, the board also indicated it would listen to new proposals. Typically, rules are approved or rejected without comment.

NCAA, recruiting

BCS officials concluded three days of meetings Wednesday with no major changes being made to the system used to crown a college football champion.

The commissioners from the 11 major conferences and Notre Dame athletic director Kevin White discussed a wide range of Bowl Championship Series issues, including the standings and automatic qualification standards, and decided to stand pat, said Southeastern Conference spokesman Charles Bloom

“The commissioners handled the business of the BCS and general maintenance of the system,” Bloom said. “It was a very productive meeting, but there were no major changes.”

Last season, the BCS produced another controversial championship game. When the final BCS standings were released, Florida jumped over Michigan and into the title game against Ohio State. The debate over whether the Gators or Wolverines should have played the Buckeyes raged for weeks.

Then the Wolverines lost 32-18 to Southern California in the Rose Bowl and the Gators beat the Buckeyes 41-14 to win the national championship, and the controversy subsided.

Michigan’s nearly reaching the title game brought about renewed calls for the BCS to make only conference champs eligible to play for the national championship.

But there was no support for this idea from BCS members.

Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema recently called for the BCS to change its rule allowing a maximum of two teams per conference in the five big-money bowl games. The Badgers finished 12-1 and ranked No. 7 in the nation last season but could not play in the BCS because Ohio State and Michigan qualified.

The removing of the two-team cap was voted down at the meetings.

Also discussed, albeit very briefly was the subject of a college football playoff - something the fans want, but the NCAA and conference commissioners don’t. It was no surprise when a true playoff scenario was voted down and rejected.

BCS, NCAA, playoffs

Oregon State has extended coach Mike Riley’s contract through the 2012 season.

He will make a guaranteed base salary of $850,000, rising incrementally to $1.1 million in the final year, and additional bonuses.

The contract includes rollover provisions and bonuses for Riley’s assistants if the Beavers go to bowl games.

“The program has made tremendous strides on and off the field, and having stability at the top is a proven plan for future success. Coach Riley is a well-respected person and is a great ambassador for Oregon State University.” Beavers athletic director Bob De Carolis said in a statement.

Riley signed a seven-year deal when he replaced Dennis Erickson in February 2003, for his second stint with the Beavers. Over seven total seasons as Oregon State’s head coach, Riley is 38-34, and 30-20 over the past four seasons.

Oregon State finished last season 10-4, capped by a 39-38 victory over Missouri in the Sun Bowl. It was the Beavers’ third straight bowl game victory.

“We’ve done some very good things at Oregon State over the last few years, and this is another sign of the commitment this university has to not only the football program, but the entire athletics department,” Riley said.

Oregon State, Mike Riley

Miami Hurricanes junior safety Anthony Reddick underwent successful surgery Monday to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will likely miss the entire 2007 season.

The surgery was performed by Dr. John Uribe at Doctors Hospital in Coral Gables. Reddick will begin rehabilitation immediately.

Reddick has had a turbulent career in Miami. In 2004, he was named to the All-ACC freshman team. He finished that season with 73 tackles, one sack and one interception.

Reddick then missed nearly the entire 2005 campaign after tearing his right ACL in the second quarter of the Hurricanes’ season opener against Florida State. He registered six tackles before suffering the injury.

In 2006, Reddick was one of several players suspended for a sideline-clearing brawl with Florida International. He missed four games after video showed him swinging his helmet during the melee.

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Three players have been booted from the LSU program this past week.

Freshman defensive back Troy Giddens, freshman offensive lineman Zhamal Thomas and sophomore offensive lineman Kyle Anderson were dismissed for unbecoming conduct, the university said.

“There is a standard that we insist upon with members of our football team when representing this university, our community and the state of Louisiana,” coach Les Miles said in a statement. “When that standard isn’t met some adjustments must be made.”

LSU refused to say what the students had done.

However, both Giddens, 19, and Thomas, 20, were arrested last week, accused of breaking into a campus apartment, stealing a backpack that held money and credit cards and using a stolen credit card to buy more than $200 worth of items online. Each player was booked with simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling and identity theft.

Anderson, 20, meanwhile, was booked early Monday with second-degree battery after getting into a fight at a popular campus hangout.

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The annual football game between the University of Oklahoma and University of Texas will be played at the Cotton Bowl at least through 2015, Dallas city officials announced.

Although a formal contract has not been signed, an agreement is in place between the schools, the city and the State Fair of Texas, said Meranda Cohn, chief of staff for Dallas Mayor Laura Miller. The Dallas City Council must also approve the contract.

Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione said he was pleased all sides agreed to keep the game at the Cotton Bowl.

The teams have played in Dallas every year since 1929, but it was unclear in recent months if the organizers of the annual game would leave for another venue after the current agreement ran out after the 2010 game. In February, Cotton Bowl officials announced that in 2010 they were moving the New Year’s Day bowl game to the Arlington, Texas, site of the Dallas Cowboys’ new stadium, set to open in 2009.

Miami Hurricanes, LSU Tigers, Red River Rivalry

Sources close to former Arkansas QB Mitch Mustain have said that the sophomore to be will transfer to USC sometime in May.

Mustain has attended USC’s spring game and practices and is currently attending classes at Arkansas, where the semester ends May 8.

Mustain, considered by some the nation’s top recruit before last season, enrolled at Arkansas in large part because coach Houston Nutt hired Mustain’s high school coach, Gus Malzahn, as offensive coordinator.

But Arkansas didn’t utilized Malzahn’s no-huddle, spread offense and he left for Tulsa, where he’ll be co-offensive coordinator. Mustain, who was benched at the end of last season, then announced his intention to transfer.

It was the start of a dreadful off-season for the Razorbacks and head coach Houston Nutt - who had to face bad press, angry parents and disgruntled players.

Arkansas won the SEC West last season and began 10-1 before losing the final three games of the season.

Arkansas, Mitch Mustain, USC

Coaches have spent the last several years upgrading their gadgets and learning the new tricks of recruiting. Now it may be time to turn back the clock.

The NCAA Division I management council has recommended a ban on all electronically transmitted correspondence, including text messages, between coaches and recruits. E-mails and faxes would be exempt from the new rule but would be limited by current NCAA guidelines.

Unlike restrictions on phone calls and in-person visits, there are no coach limits on text messaging.

The Board of Directors must still pass the legislation, and if approved at its April 26 meeting, the ban would take effect in August. Typically, the board passes such recommendations, but if it’s delayed or rejected, coaches would revert to their previous policy of no limits.

The Student-Athlete Advisory Council, which represents college athletes, complained during this week’s meetings that the number of text messages had become intrusive and costly.

For some coaches, the changes could become problematic.

Before this week’s vote, Santa Clara coach Kerry Keating, a former UCLA assistant, said coaches need to contact recruits through modern means, the same way teenagers often chat with friends and family, to build relationships.

The NCAA was concerned that unlimited text messages created a loophole that permitted coaches to send a message asking recruits to call them — calls that would violate NCAA rules if the coach made the call.

Dealing with the rapid technological advances has become tricky for the NCAA. Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel has seen it all before.

“I’ve gone through the evolution of stopping at the payphones in the cold and freezing to death [while] calling recruits, to cell phones, to word processors — you used to hand write everything you did,” he said. “Obviously, the text was the next thing. E-mail became a part of the world, you know, I think you’re used to change and you’re used to change being legislated as to how it affects things. So I’ll be anxious to see how this is taken care of.”

Because it normally takes at least one year to pass a rule, new features and devices sometimes appear in the marketplace faster than the NCAA can regulate. So the management council took the unconventional route by passing a broader measure over its usually more specific ones.

The all-or-nothing approach wasn’t the only one under initial consideration. The Ivy League made two proposals: One that would have limited text messaging and another that called for an outright ban. The first measure failed in January.

It also passed a proposal that would allow college athletes to try out for professional teams while still taking classes. The current rules prohibit student-athletes from trying out while still enrolled in school. The new measure would allow athletes to receive money from pro teams to make a 48-hour trip. Or they could also pay the bill themselves and not be bound by the time limit.

The stipulation: An athlete could not miss classes for the tryout.

NCAA, text messaging, college football

The NCAA has approved the same 32 bowl games for the 2007 football season as last year.

The NCAA Postseason Football Licensing Subcommittee, meeting in San Francisco this week, reviewed all 32 applications and renewed the licenses for all of them.

“It shows the good work and management that these bowl organizers have done to create a positive experience for the student-athletes,” acting subcommittee chairman Jeff Hathaway said Wednesday.

The 32 bowls are: Alamo, Allstate Sugar, AT&T Cotton, AutoZone Liberty, BCS National Championship, Bell Helicopter Armed Forces, Brut Sun, Capital One, Champs Sports, Chick-fil-A, Emerald, Fed Ex Orange, Gator, Gaylord Hotels Music City, GMAC, Humanitarian, Insight, International, Meineke Car Care, Motor City, New Mexico, Outback, Pacific Life Holiday, Papajohns.com, PetroSun Independence, Pioneer Pure Vision Las Vegas, R+L Carriers New Orleans, Rose, San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia, Sheraton Hawaii, Texas and Tostitos Fiesta.

The subcommittee also said about 1.6 million fans attended last season’s bowl games and about $217.6 million in bowl revenue was distributed to the participating teams and conferences.

NCAA, college football, bowl games

The Washington Nationals wore Virginia Tech baseball caps during Tuesday night’s game against the Atlanta Braves as a tribute to the victims of Monday’s shooting rampage at the school.

“It was an honor to wear that hat,” Washington center fielder Ryan Church said after his team’s 6-4 loss. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.”

Nationals players wore a few different versions of the hats; most were burgundy with “VT” in orange or white. Manager Manny Acta, pitching coach Randy St. Claire and other coaches wore white “VT” caps with burgundy stitching.

Left fielder Chris Snelling’s cap will be sent to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., while Acta and some players autographed their hats, which will be sent to Virginia Tech.

“The Nationals have you in our hearts and in our prayers,” relief pitcher Chad Cordero wrote above his signature.

The Nationals said the idea of wearing the Virginia Tech caps came from a fan from Calvert County, Md., who e-mailed team president Stan Kasten.

“When I read it, I thought, ‘Wow. This is really nice,’” Kasten said. “It was the very least we could do.”

He said the team ran the tribute past Major League Baseball beforehand and commissioner Bud Selig and chief operating officer Bob DuPuy “were instantly supportive.”

The Nationals held moments of silence for the victims of Monday’s shooting before their home games Monday and Tuesday. Washington’s RFK Stadium is a drive of about 4 hours from the university’s Blacksburg campus.

“This happening in our backyard, we’re more sensitive to this than anybody,” Kasten said.

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is from Virginia Beach and went to college at Virginia Tech rival Virginia.

“It was special, especially for me, them kind of being the school we always wanted to beat, more than anybody else,” Zimmerman said. “It kind of shows you how little sports mean. … It makes you realize how lucky we have it and not to take any days for granted.”

Virginia Tech, Washington Nationals, shootings

Syracuse tailback Delone Carter, the Orange’s leading rusher last season, likely will miss the upcoming season as he recovers from a dislocated hip, head coach Greg Robinson said Monday.

“It’s a serious injury,” Robinson said. “Hip injuries take time. Realistically, we have to believe that Delone won’t be playing this fall.”

Carter was hurt Saturday during a 7-on-7 passing drill. Robinson said the injury happened as Carter ran a pass route and bumped into a defender.

“I could tell he was in pain, real pain,” Robinson said.

Robinson said the university’s medical staff managed to get the ball of Carter’s hip joint back in the socket. During surgery Sunday at Crouse Hospital, Dr. Wayne Eckhardt, an assistant team doctor, pinned the bone back to secure the hip socket.

The soft-spoken Carter, who will be on crutches initially, began rehabilitation on Monday and was expected to leave the hospital Tuesday.

Robinson said Eckhardt was “very satisfied” with the operation and believes Carter will make a full recovery. Still, there always is a chance the injury could be career-ending.

“He’s aware there are no guarantees,” Robinson said. “But I do believe the odds are strongly in his favor. Whatever the circumstance, Delone will be able to deal with it.”

Robinson said it will take six months before doctors know how the healing process is proceeding.

Carter, a former Mr. Football in Ohio, shared tailback duties in 2006 with junior Curtis Brinkley. Carter, a freshman, led the Orange in rushing with 713 yards and scored four touchdowns, all in a double-overtime victory over Wyoming.

Robinson said Brinkley, who had offseason knee surgery, has been very productive in spring ball, and the loss of Carter means several players will be vying to replace him. That group will include junior Paul Chiara, who barely was beaten out by Carter and Brinkley last August and eventually found a role in the offense as a fullback and H-back. Robinson said Daniel Bailey and Jeremy Sellers also would be considered.

Syracuse, Greg Robinson, Delone Carter

The Confederate flag shouldn’t fly at the Statehouse, South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier said Saturday after the Gamecocks’ annual spring game.

Spurrier’s comments came in response to questions about something he said Friday night when he received an award from a volunteer organization. According to people at that event, Spurrier said the flag should come down.

“My opinion is we don’t need the Confederate flag at our Capitol,” Spurrier said. “I don’t really know anybody that wants it there, but I guess there are a lot of South Carolinians that do want it there.”

City Year board chairman Kerry Abel said Spurrier’s remarks at his group’s awards banquet Friday night caught everyone by surprise.

Spurrier’s predecessor, Lou Holtz, joined Clemson’s football coach Tommy Bowden and both schools’ basketball coaches in calling for the flag to be removed from the Capitol dome in 2000, when the NAACP started a boycott of the state.

The flag was removed from the dome in 2000, but placed at the Confederate Soldier Monument on Statehouse grounds. The state chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said that was not good enough and continued its boycott. The initial boycott drew wide support from inside and outside the state, but encouragement for the ongoing effort has waned in recent years.

The NCAA has prohibited the state from holding predetermined championships such as the basketball regionals since 2001 because of the Confederate flag.

Spurrier said Saturday that no one had asked him his opinion of the flag in the two seasons he has coached at South Carolina.

Steve Spurrier, South Carolina, Confederate Flag

Last season, the NCAA wanted to speed up football games. Next season, it wants more plays.

On Thursday, the rules oversight panel approved two major timing changes that would revert the rules to what they were in 2005 — stopping the clock on possession changes and not starting it on kickoffs until the receiving team touches the ball.

Some coaches complained the 2006 changes, which resulted in about 14 fewer plays per game, had altered the game too much. Others said it prevented teams from rallying late in games.

In February, the football rules committee recommended going to back to the old system. After meeting with the American Football Coaches Association in March, the oversight panel agreed.

“The dramatic number of plays taken out of the game was a concern to everybody, including the rules committee,” said Ty Halpin, a spokesman for the oversight panel. “These guys practice all week to play in the game and we found there were less opportunities for them. That was a big part of the rationale.”

The impact of last year’s rules were evident on and off the field.

Game times were reduced by an average of about 14 minutes, meeting a goal the committee had set.

On the field, though, there were problems. Trailing teams often sprinted onto the field after a punt, kickoff or turnover late in games to preserve precious time, while teams holding the lead delayed getting onto the field because they could use 25 seconds without running a play.

Another visible problem occurred on kickoffs. Since the clock started when the kicker touched the ball, some teams intentionally ran offsides to expend more time.

While this year’s changes likely mean games will again be longer, the panel approved several other measures intended to help keep game times closer to 3 hours.

Kickoffs will be made from the 30-yard line, like in the NFL, instead of the 35. That, Halpin said, should ensure more returns and shorter stoppages.

After media timeouts during televised games, teams will have less time to run plays. Previously, teams had a 25-second play clock; now it will be 15 seconds. Halpin said it could prevent the long stoppages when teams are merely simply trying to save time.

One of the most time-consuming procedures, replay reviews, will not change. The football rules committee withdrew its proposal to impose a 2-minute limit, in part, because of the potential for technical difficulties.

The committee will also begin considering a play clock that alternates between 40 seconds and 25 seconds, depending on whether the clock has stopped. The NFL uses that system, and the committee thinks it could speed up games.

NCAA, rules changes, football

Navy will return to the Poinsettia Bowl if it wins at least six games this season.

If eligible, Navy would play the second selection from the Mountain West Conference. The date for this year’s game hasn’t been set, although it will be played before Christmas.

Last season, Navy cut a similar, one-year deal with the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Navy earned a bowl bid for the fourth consecutive season and lost 25-24 to Boston College.

The Midshipmen played in the inaugural Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego two years ago, and beat Colorado State 51-30.

The Poinsettia Bowl is sponsored by the San Diego County Credit Union.

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Ralph Heywood, an All-American end at Southern California in 1943 who later served in three wars as a U.S. Marine, has died. He was 85.

He died Tuesday in Bandera, Texas, the school said. The cause was not given.

Heywood captained the 1943 USC team that went 8-2, including a 29-0 victory over Washington in the Rose Bowl. He led the Trojans in receiving in 1942 with 12 catches for 205 yards and 1943 with 11 receptions for 196 yards.

He earned All-American honors in 1943 despite being called into the Marine Corps after five games. He had a 32-year career as an officer in the Marines.

He is survived by his wife, Charlotte (Suzie), stepson Robert, stepdaughter Geri and three grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held Monday at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.

Navy, USC, Poinsettia Bowl

Brigham Young linebacker Terrance Hooks and tight end Vic So’oto were suspended from spring drills after they were accused of breaking into two apartments in search of someone who threw a water balloon.

BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall suspended Hooks and So’oto for the final week of spring practice, including the Blue-White scrimmage April 14, and possibly longer.

Hooks and So’oto were arrested early Saturday on suspicion of burglary, Orem police Lt. Doug Edwards said. Both were released on bail Monday and an initial court court appearance was scheduled for April 16.

The Utah County Attorney received the case Monday and was considering what charges were warranted.

The players were trying to find two people who hit Hooks’ girlfriend with a water balloon from an apartment balcony after a dance in the parking lot, Edwards said.

Hooks and So’oto entered the building but went to the wrong door and kicked it in after nobody answered, Edwards said.

The people inside the apartment called security while the players pounded on another door and shouted. Hooks then kicked the second door in, Edwards said.

Police arrived while Hooks was on his way to the bedroom where the people suspected of throwing balloons had retreated, Edwards said.

So’oto, Hooks and his girlfriend were arrested. A pair of 22-year-olds accused of throwing the balloons were cited for criminal mischief.

Mendenhall said the length of the players’ suspensions will depend partly on what happens with the legal case.

“This is a matter we take very seriously,” the coach said in a statement Monday.

So’oto’s attorney, Tasi Young of Provo, said he was confident that his client’s case would be resolved. Hooks’ attorney had no immediate comment.

BYU, burglary, football

New Gophers coach Tim Brewster said he would make it a priority to keep the state’s best high school football players from leaving Minnesota.

Less than four months into his tenure, he’s already making an impact.

Champlin Park linebacker Sam Maresh, a highly sought after prospect, made a verbal commitment to play for the Gophers in 2008.

It’s quite a coup for Brewster, who has raised eyebrows around the state with his determination and seemingly endless optimism for a program that has lacked both for years.

Maresh was also considering Iowa and Wisconsin, two Big Ten border rivals who have stolen their fair share of Minnesota prep stars from the Gophers in recent seasons.

The 6-foot-2, 240-pound linebacker, who is also a two-time state champion wrestler heading into his senior season with the Rebels, said he was won over by Brewster’s enthusiasm and wanted to commit early to take the pressure off his final year in high school.

Even more important for the Gophers in the big scheme, Maresh said he never really considered Minnesota an option when former coach Glen Mason presided over a program that was mediocre at best in his 10 seasons.

Days after he was hired to replace Mason in January, Brewster visited Maresh at Champlin Park and offered him a scholarship on the spot. The coach kept in contact with the recruit for the last three months, hard work that paid off on Tuesday.

Maresh is considered one of the top three prospects in the state, along with Cretin-Derham Hall receiver Michael Floyd and Eden Prairie defensive lineman Willie Mobley.

Minnesota, recruiting, Tim Brewster