Buckeyes have backs other than Beanie
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Even though the injured Chris "Beanie" Wells will not play for No. 3 Ohio State against Ohio on Saturday, the Buckeyes have plenty of other options.
Really. They do.
For instance, Maurice Wells is more than just those droopy dreadlocks that hang out the back of his helmet. Brandon Saine and Dan Herron are both scatbacks who can turn a slit of an opening into a long touchdown.
"Any time a player goes down, especially a starter, it can be difficult for a team," said Maurice Wells, who is not related to Chris. "But with any team, you have to learn how to bounce back. ... We'll have to go with what we've got. All the guys have practiced hard and prepared well."
Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel confirmed on Thursday afternoon that Beanie Wells would not play against the Bobcats. He declined to speculate about the Sept. 13 game at No. 1-ranked Southern California.
Asked if he was worried Beanie Wells might not be able to play against the Trojans, Tressel split the difference.
"No, not at all. Not at all," he said. "But that's easy to say today."
In the meantime, the Buckeyes are preparing for a Beanie-less game.
"I met with the guys today and I said, 'I'm sure that our goal is to get you all a dozen to 15 carries and it just isn't set yet how that's going to happen. But as soon as we really come to grips with what the situation is going to be we'll let you know" running backs coach Dick Tressel said after Wednesday's practice.
Wells injured the area near the pad below his right big toe at some point during Saturday's 43-0 win over Youngstown State. He later took a handoff at the YSU 2, tried to plant his foot and then fell back in pain, fumbling away the football.
After being helped off the field before a stunned and silent crowd, Wells was taken to the locker room. He returned later, walking carefully while wearing a protective boot on his foot. On Tuesday, he could be seen walking gingerly around Ohio State's training facility, carrying the boot and with nothing but a sock on his foot.
Jim Tressel cited Wells' inability to practice as one of the reasons he would be held out of the Ohio game. Another unspoken reason is that the Buckeyes are five-touchdown favorites in the game, so why risk making any injury worse?
Here's a primer on the candidates to fill in for Wells:
-Maurice Wells, 5-foot-10, 196, senior: has the most experience. Has had an erratic career, seldom wowing anyone when he has gotten in for Chris Wells and Chris Wells' predecessor, Antonio Pittman. Has just 242 career yards rushing.
"I'm quick. I'm more of a slasher-type running back," he said. "I might not break 10 tackles on a play but I might make a guy miss here and there."
-Brandon Saine, 6-foot-1, 217, sophomore: rushed for 267 yards and scored three touchdowns a year ago. Also good as a receiver out of the backfield. He runs a 4.35 40-yard dash and was a high school state champion in the 100 and 400.
"(He is) arguably one of the fastest backs in the country," tight end Rory Nichol said.
-Dan "Boom" Herron, 5-10, 193, freshman: redshirted last year but has climbed the depth chart this spring and summer. Fast but also physical.
"Everyone says Boom's so small, but that's why we call him Boom -- because he can hit you," offensive lineman Alex Boone said.
To hear some Ohio State fans talk, you'd think the Buckeyes will go to an empty backfield if Beanie can't play. Despite being overlooked now, as he has for much of his career, Maurice Wells isn't offended by such slights.
"Not at all. Beanie is a major part of the offense. This past season he was the MVP," he said. "He's made some big plays in big games. A lot of the fans really haven't seen too much of the other running backs. So it's an unknown. They don't know what they can do. I don't take offense to that at all."
Besides, the biggest concern for the Buckeyes isn't necessarily Ohio this week so much as that looming presence of USC a week later.
The coaches don't feel the same doom and gloom as the fans. In fact, they're excited to see what the new guys will do.
"This is an exciting week (if we) take those three to war," Dick Tressel said. "Everybody here is saying, 'Wow, what are you going to do?' Well, we're going to have a ball."
Then, in a week when there hasn't been much laughter around Ohio State, he laughed.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Illini running back Rashard Mendenhall to skip senior season and enter NFL draft
SKOKIE, Ill. (AP) -- Rashard Mendenhall will skip his senior year at Illinois and enter the NFL draft after rushing for a school-record 1,681 yards while leading the Illini to the Rose Bowl.
"I am blessed in the fact that I was able to have the kind of year that I had, and my team was able to have the kind of year it had," Mendenhall said at news conference Thursday at Niles West High School, where he played before joining the Illini.
After five straight losing seasons, Illinois went 9-4 and upset No. 1 Ohio State in Columbus late in the season on the way to its first Rose Bowl appearance in 24 years. Although the season ended with a 49-17 loss to Southern California, Mendenhall went out in style.
He broke off a 79-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter and turned a screen pass into a 55-yard gain a few minutes later. He finished with 155 yards on 17 carries and caught five passes for 59 yards.
Besides setting the school's single-season rushing mark, the 5-foot-11 Mendenhall also set records for rushing touchdowns (17), total touchdowns (19), 100-yard games (eight), all-purpose yards (1,999) and scoring (114 points) in his first season as the Illini's featured back.
Mendenhall is confident he'll be drafted in the first round after getting feedback from the NFL, and some draft experts expect him to go that high.
The list of running backs already includes Texas' Jamaal Charles, Michigan's Mike Hart, Tulane's Mike Forte and Rutgers' Ray Rice. And it could get longer if West Virginia's Steve Slaton and Arkansas' Darren McFadden, a two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up, skip their senior seasons.
"I'm just confident in my abilities and where I'll go in the draft," Mendenhall said.
Mendenhall probably would have been a candidate for the Heisman Trophy had he returned, and Illinois would have been a favorite in the Big Ten. The Illini still could contend with quarterback Juice Williams leading the offense.
"Rashard had an amazing season," coach Ron Zook, who is in Hawaii for the Hula Bowl, said in a statement. "His performance this year showed that he will be a very talented back at the next level. I am excited for Rashard as he enters this next phase of his football career. I can't thank him enough for his dedication to the Illinois football program and wish him nothing but the best in the NFL."
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Junior-college star will be a walk-on at BYU
PROVO, Utah -- Snow College safety Andrew Rich, honored as one of the best players in junior-college football, turned down scholarships to play as a walk-on at Brigham Young.
"I just felt like, overall, BYU is the place where I am supposed to be," Rich said. "It just felt right."
He was offered scholarships at Boise State and California.
Rich will get the privileges that scholarship athletes receive at BYU without the scholarship. He will get an opportunity to earn one.
"I am going to work hard, and if I get (a scholarship), I get one," said Rich, who played prep football at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
He will have four years to use three seasons of eligibility at BYU.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
Bowden shoots down speculation Florida State might have to forfeit wins
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida State coach Bobby Bowden isn't concerned the Seminoles will have to forfeit games for using ineligible players this season.
"We didn't intentionally play an ineligible player," he said Thursday. "We didn't know anyone was ineligible. We held out two guys, (Kevin) McNeil and (Joslin) Shaw. We felt like it was the right thing to do."
Bowden has 373 career victories, the most in major college history and two ahead of Penn State's Joe Paterno. One of Bowden's wins came by forfeit in 1983 when Tulane's 34-28 on-field victory was reversed because it used ineligible players.
About two dozen Florida State players have been suspended for the Music City Bowl against Kentucky for cheating on an online exam. Bowden and his coaches are reconstructing a team that expects to be without some top players.
"We are pretty set on what we are going to do in that regard," Bowden said after Thursday's practice.
What's left of the Seminoles will practice Friday and Saturday before breaking for Christmas. The players who will travel to the bowl game return to practice Dec. 26 and Dec. 27 before leaving for Nashville.
Several starters were among the players in a music history class last spring where students were apparently given answers during an exam.
An academic adviser, Brenda Monk, resigned after being asked about the cheating and a student tutor was fired. Citing federal privacy laws, Florida State has not identified the athletes being disciplined.
Florida State officials reported the incident to the NCAA in September and are eager to get it resolved without sanctions that could darken Bowden's final seasons at the school.
The 78-year-old coach signed on for one more year with an option for another earlier this month at the same time offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher was named as his successor.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Tebow wins Heisman Trophy
NEW YORK (TICKER) -- Tim Tebow already has played his way into the NCAA record book. On Saturday, the Florida quarterback added another chapter to his story.
Tebow won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the first sophomore to win college football's most prestigious award courtesy of a remarkable statistical campaign.
Since the inaugural Heisman was presented to Chicago quarterback Jay Berwanger in 1935, the previous 71 winners of the famed trophy had been seniors or juniors.
"It's surreal. I'm overwhelmed," Tebow said. "I just think its awesome that you are known forever as a Heisman Trophy winner. It's something very special."
But Tebow broke that trend this year after becoming the first player in major college history to pass for 20 touchdowns (29) and rush for 20 scores (22) in the same season.
Tebow edged Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, who also finished second last year. Tebow received 1,957 points and 462 first-place votes, while McFadden finished with 1,703 points and 291 first-place votes.
"Darren is a great player and I'm honored to have met him over the past three days," Tebow said. "He will be one of the first guys picked in the NFL draft."
"Last year there was a clear-cut winner, but this year it was kind of up for grabs, so it was a little nerve-racking," McFadden said.
Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan was third, and Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel fourth.
"51 touchdowns is an unbelievable year," Daniel said of Tebow. "Everyone knew it was going to him so I'm just happy to be here."
Tebow becomes the third Florida Heisman winner, joining Steve Spurrier (1966) and Danny Wuerffel (1996).
"I want to accept this award on behalf of my coaches, teammates and the entire Gator Nation," Tebow said. "This award is more about them than it is for me. I am very proud to represent the University of Florida."
Tebow completed over 68 percent of his passes this season for 3,132 yards, serving as the engine of a Florida (9-3) offense which led the Southeastern Conference in scoring and total yardage.
The 235-pound Tebow set an SEC record with his 51 total touchdowns. The southpaw's 22 rushing TDs also set a new conference record and established an all-time NCAA mark for quarterbacks.
McFadden was one of the favorites to win the award when the season started, but his candidacy took a major hit in October when he rushed for a total of just 336 yards in four games. But the junior bounced back in November and finished the campaign with 1,725 yards and 15 TDs on the ground.
McFadden delivered his best statistical performance of the season against South Carolina on November 3, when he tied an SEC record with 321 rushing yards.
The multi-talented McFadden showcased his skills on the national spotlight three weeks later, when he spearheaded Arkansas' thrilling 50-48 triple-overtime upset of then-No. 1 Louisiana State on November 23.
McFadden rushed for 206 yards and three TDs and also passed for a score against LSU's vaunted defense.
"I'm just very humbled to be back in New York," McFadden said. "I was here with two quarterbacks last year, and now I'm back with three others. I'm just glad to have been invited back."
Copyright 2007 PA SportsTicker. All Rights Reserved
Missouri quarterback instrumental in school's rise to prominence
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- A week after Missouri's unexpected national title run ended, Chase Daniel has a chance to bring the Tigers another honor the program has never achieved.
The junior quarterback is one of four finalists for the Heisman Trophy, along with Florida's Tim Tebow, Hawaii's Colt Brennan and Arkansas running back Darren McFadden.
Daniel wasn't the only reason Missouri came within one victory of playing for its first national championship and was the No. 1 team in the country for the first time in 38 years. He was the most important reason.
"I've always felt football is the greatest team sport there is, they all have different skills and they make it work. "Except for one position, quarterback," coach Gary Pinkel said. "He's got it all."
Including an invite to the Heisman presentation in New York on Saturday night.
Daniel and Missouri (11-2) were bounced from a shot at the national title -- and a spot in the Bowl Championship Series -- by Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game last Saturday.
It was a disappointing end to one of the greatest regular seasons in Missouri history, but the loss did little to diminish what Daniel has done.
Not your prototypical quarterback coming out of powerhouse Southlake Carroll High near Dallas, the 6-footer had to look outside Texas for a school to play for.
With a steely resolve, Daniel has developed into one of the best in the nation. He was one of six quarterbacks to reach 4,000 yards passing this season (4,170 yards), throwing 33 TDs and completing 70 percent of his passes.
"If you can play, if you prepare well, it shouldn't matter," Daniel said, referring to his height. "Nowadays, a 6-5 guy has to show he can't play and a 6-foot guy has to show he can."
Unflappable in the pocket, unerring in his decision-making, one of Daniel's greatest strengths has been spreading the ball around in Missouri's potent spread offense. Big-play threat Jeremy Maclin set an NCAA freshman record for all-purpose yards, tight ends Martin Rucker and Chase Coffman were kept busy and running back Tony Temple usually kept defenses honest.
It helps that Daniel is operating virtually the same offense he ran in high school.
"He knows the thing inside and out as well as the coach," offensive coordinator Dave Christensen said. "I think he's probably the best guy in the country to run this offense."
Daniel's best game might have been a week before the loss to Oklahoma, when he wowed Kansas by going 40-for-49 for 361 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in a victory that gave Missouri its first Big 12 North title.
"I'm sure we just sent him to New York," Kansas cornerback Aqib Talib said. "He's got my vote."
Daniel followed prolific Brad Smith at quarterback at Missouri, and began challenging his record-setting predecessor during Smith's senior season. Pinkel knew the transition would be smooth when Daniel replaced Smith in 2006. Daniel first gave a hint of what was to come when he led a fourth-quarter comeback at Iowa State in 2005 as a redshirt freshman.
Last year, Daniel's first as the starter, Missouri finished 8-5 and made an appearance in the Sun Bowl, a nice upgrade from two Independence Bowls when Smith was the quarterback. On Sunday, the No. 7 Tigers settled for a Cotton Bowl bid matchup against No. 25 Arkansas (8-4) -- and Heisman finalist running back Darren McFadden.
Although it seemed a letdown at the time, the Cotton appearance represents the Tigers' best in more than four decades. Daniel's contribution cannot be overstated and Pinkel made a comparison with Peyton Manning while describing his progression.
"He's also a tenacious competitor," Pinkel said.
"I felt last year he pressed a little bit when maybe things weren't going right and that's digging to find something negative. He still gets frustrated sometimes but I think his frustration stops and he deals with it, and he can make a great play right afterward."
Daniel's role model is Brett Favre, naturally, because Favre is not afraid to take risks.
"I've always looked up to him and liked what he's done," Daniel said. "He's an edgy guy and he has a cannon for an arm."
Daniel might not have all of Favre's skills, but he just might end up with something the Green Bay Packers' star doesn't have -- a Heisman Trophy.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Houston Nutt's compensation a step up for him, Ole Miss
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) -- Mississippi's biggest boosters wanted a proven coach and got their man. Now they'll have to pay the toll for landing Houston Nutt.
Ole Miss had been among the most thrifty SEC schools before hiring Nutt on Monday. But the new coach's average salary is twice that of his predecessor and Athletic Director Pete Boone says it will be up to the fans to help pay for the hire they have so enthusiastically embraced.
It's really going to have to come from our donor base ... and we've been very enthusiastic about comments we've heard from them, and our ticket sales," Boone said.
Nutt jumped into the upper echelon of coaching salaries when Boone signed him to a four-year, $7.4 million contract. His average salary of $1.85 million is twice as much as what his predecessor Ed Orgeron was paid and $500,000 more than he made at Arkansas.
The university will pay a base salary of $200,000 and the rest will be provided by outside sources.
Nutt has three one-year options worth a total of $6.6 million built into the contract and can win incentives up to $380,000. The school will pay him $240,000 for winning a national championship, $90,000 for a Southeastern Conference title and $25,000 apiece for SEC and national coach of the year.
There also are smaller awards for appearances in championship games, a Bowl Championship Series game or a lesser postseason game.
He also gets two automobiles, season tickets for football and basketball, use of a private stadium box, country club membership and moving expenses.
"Salaries, that's the one thing that I used to get embarrassed about, but I don't anymore. The only reason why I got embarrassed was because of what my mom and dad made," Nutt said.
Nutt said his parents were teachers who never made more than $30,000 a year. It's likely just one of the cars the school provides him will be worth more than that. While the pay package might seem high, Nutt said increasing stress on football coaches has led to the escalating salaries.
"It's a big-time pressure job nowadays," he said. "You look around the world, that's what everybody's getting paid. It's hard, but along with that comes scrutiny. And it's scrutiny every day."
Nutt will be among the nation's highest paid coaches, but still makes only half what Alabama's Nick Saban will earn over the life of his eight-year contract. Saban's $4 million average salary is the most in college football.
Auburn's Tommy Tuberville, Florida's Urban Meyer, Georgia's Mark Richt, Tennessee's Phillip Fulmer and South Carolina's Steve Spurrier all average about $2 million or more per season.
When he started the search to replace Orgeron, Boone said he hoped to find a coach who would take a low base salary and a large package of incentives. But when Nutt became available after resigning Monday, Boone knew he would need a large financial package to snatch him off the market.
It may seem like a gamble, but if Nutt can put a winner on the field, he'll also be putting fans in the stands and luxury boxes.
"He's just proven," Boone said. "He has a low probability of failure or a high probability of success. How often can you get a coach in the SEC that's had his kind of success?"
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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