This week’s college football notes

By Hugo Guzman  |   Saturday, February 18, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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I'll see your $110 million and raise you.

First, the University of Oklahoma raised $110 million for its athletic department in just two years. Now, in-state rival Oklahoma State has fired back. Dallas mega-millionaire T. Boone Pickens announced earlier this year that he was contributing another $165 million to Cowboy athletics.

Normally, that would prompt school officials to name the football stadium after Pickens, but they've already done that. Plans are to increase seating in the facility from 48,000 (cozy by Big 12 standards) to 73,000. This was a stadium that only added lights in 1985.

Meanwhile, Joe and Connie Mitchell of Glen Rose, TX, tossed another $3 million into the OSU pot for an "academics center."

Speaking of academics ...

You often hear of football players being bounced from the squad for academic reasons, but Notre Dame tight end Joey Hiben is bouncing himself. One of the highest-rated high school football players to commit to Notre Dame a year ago, the 6-4, 248-pound Hiben now says he wants to focus on studying architecture, even though he plans to remain at Notre Dame. Maybe that's a good move -- Hiben played in seven Irish games last fall without catching a pass.

These guys are offensive ...

If any college team needed a new offensive coordinator, it was Syracuse, which was 1-10 in 2005 with an offense that was, well, offensive. So second-year head coach Greg Robinson has hired Phil Earley to coach the Orange quarterbacks and Brian White as offensive coordinator. Earley was the quarterbacks coach at Auburn, White coached the Wisconsin running backs (which means Brian Calhoun) and is a former OC in Madison.

Purdue coach Tom Tiller promoted offensive line coach Bill Legg to direct the Purdue attack, replacing St. Louis Rams' hire Jim Chaney. Chaney called his own plays last season, and Legg is expected to do the same.

And so were these guys ...

A University of Georgia faculty committee on athletics met with University police chief Jimmy Williamson recently to find more creative ways to deal with alcohol-related problems at UGA football games. According to Williamson, between 200 to 300 fans, mostly students, are ejected from the stadium at every home game.

UGA President Michael Adams condemned fans' drunken behavior, the excessive number of arrests and resulting garbage from the Nov. 12 Auburn game as "despicable."

Maybe they liked that "Glory Road" movie.

FSU Seminoles transfers Fred Rouse and Cornelius Lewis are reportedly considering UTEP as a possible new home. Rouse, a redshirt freshman WR for the Seminoles, was a starter at times in 2005 before clashing with several members of the coaching staff. Lewis was a redshirt freshman guard.

"Anytime you're dealing with transfers, there is no letter of intent," said UTEP coach Mike Price. "Until they walk on and start playing, they can go any place. You'd have to ask them where (they) want to go."

Oops.

University of Tennessee football signee Jacques McClendon broke an NCAA rule -- he says inadvertently -- when he and his mother attended a Lady Vols basketball game as guests of a booster. UT Athletic department officials were preparing to report the matter to the Southeastern Conference as a secondary violation.

McClendon, a star offensive lineman from Baylor School in Chattanooga, sat in the front row in courtside seats assigned to boosters who have contributed at least $40,000 a year.

Officials would not reveal the details of the report they plan to file Thursday. They would not say who gave the tickets to the McClendon's or who owns the seats.

Yet another sports movie.

Warner Brothers is planning a film about the 1970 airplane crash that killed most of the Marshall University football team. Tentatively titled "We Are ... Marshall," it will depict the chartered plane crash that killed 75 players, coaches and supporters on November 14, 1970, and its effects on the school. Randy Moss will probably not be offered a part.

Buoniconti, Citadel make up

The Citadel and former linebacker Marc Buoniconti, who was paralyzed making a tackle during a game more than 20 years ago, have agreed to let bygones be bygones. The college's board of visitors voted Wednesday to retire Buoniconti's No. 59 jersey and invited him to campus during Corps Day weekend March 18. Buoniconti was injured Oct. 26, 1985, in a game at East Tennessee State, and at one point filed a lawsuit against the school. Teammate Joel Thompson has worked to bring the school and Buoniconti back together, setting up a Web site to give The Citadel faithful a way to help raise funds for paralysis research.

There must be something there he likes.

A.J. Christoff is back at Stanford for his third tour as defensive coordinator, this time under Walt Harris. Christoff formerly served the same function with Paul Wiggin in 1983 and Buddy Teevens in 2003. Last year, he coached the San Francisco 49ers' secondary.

Some advice to a younger guy?

Speaking to a gathering of Penn State boosters in Camp Hill, PA, former Philadelphia Eagle and Hall of Fame linebacker Chuck Bednarik, 80, suggested to 79-year-old Nittany Lions' coach Joe Paterno that he retire.

"You've had (your time); you've been a success; you'll get in the Hall of Fame. Stop it. Let somebody else take over," Bednarik said.
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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