College Sports 101

By GENARO C. ARMAS – 1 hour ago

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Another season opener, another milestone win for Joe Paterno. Evan Royster ran for three touchdowns and Derrick Williams had an 89-yard kickoff return for another score as Paterno tied Bobby Bowden atop the career list for major college coaches in No. 22 Penn State's 66-10 rout of Coastal Carolina on Saturday.

JoePa, who opened his record 43rd season on the sideline, now has 373 career victories, just like Bowden, his good friend from Florida State. The Seminoles start their season next week.

Hands on hips, pacing the sideline in his traditional gameday attire of khakis and black sneakers, Paterno couldn't keep still, even in a blowout win over an overmatched Championship Subdivision team.

He had reasons for concern early, if only briefly.

JoePa ties Bowden with win No. 373....

Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer was beaten at his own game.

Just when it appeared "Beamer Ball," was about to bail out a sluggish offense again on Saturday, it was East Carolina, not the Hokies, who came up with the big special teams play.

And after T.J. Lee returned his own blocked punt 27 yards for a touchdown with 1:52 left in a 27-22 upset win over the 17th-ranked Hokies, Beamer and Hokies were stunned.

"It hurts to lose on a blocked kick at the end," Beamer said.

Hokies blow lead, drop season opener to East Carolina 27-22....

Baton Rouge, LA (Sports Network) - Charles Scott ran for a career-high 160 yards and two touchdowns, as seventh-ranked LSU opened defense of its national championship with a 41-13 rout of Appalachian State at Tiger Stadium.

Appalachian State (0-1), the three-time defending champion of the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA), pulled off the shocker of 2007 last September with a season-opening win at the Big House against Michigan, but could not muster the same magic in Death Valley.

No magic for Appalachian State in Death Valley....

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LSU has moved up the kickoff time of its home opener Saturday against Appalachian State because of concerns over the approach of Tropical Storm Gustav.

A spokesman for the school's board said Gov. Bobby Jindal's office asked for the change from 4 p.m. to 10 a.m.

Spokesman Charles Zewe said the switch was required because of concerns over traffic, as evacuees are expected to be heading north through Baton Rouge.

Gustav looming, LSU moves up kickoff time Saturday....

By CHARLES ODUM

ATLANTA (AP) — Paul Johnson's triple-option offense was so effective that even Georgia Tech's first fumble with its new coach led to a touchdown.

Quarterback Josh Nesbitt, making his first start, ran for two touchdowns — including one after recovering his fumble — and Georgia Tech beat Jacksonville State 41-14 on Thursday night to spoil Ryan Perrilloux's debut with the Gamecocks.

Perrilloux was 22-for-37 passing for 136 yards, including two touchdown passes to Maurice Dupree, but he threw two first-half interceptions as Georgia Tech built a 27-0 lead. Morgan Burnett had each of the interceptions.

Nesbitt, Dwyer lead Ga. Tech past Jax State, 41-14....

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- This is one quarterback debate Steve Spurrier would rather not have to deal with.

The South Carolina coach might go with backup Chris Smelley next week against Vanderbilt, but he said Friday that starter Tommy Beecher's four-interception performance in a 34-0 win against North Carolina State wasn't all the junior's fault.

"A couple of throws he could've thrown better," Spurrier said. "But we opened the gates on him about three times. I mean we didn't even touch the guy. It was pitiful. I'm embarrassed to say that I tried to coach some of the things that happened out there."

Beecher finally left the game late in the third quarter with what the Gamecocks called a head injury. Spurrier said Beecher did not have to get checked out by the doctor.

Spurrier to wait on naming starting QB....

John Ourand & Michael Smith
SportsBusiness Journal

CBS has signed the SEC to a 15-year broadcast TV deal that includes a wide variety of digital and streaming rights for football and basketball. The conference also continues to negotiate with ESPN for a cable deal, and an agreement is expected to be signed in the upcoming weeks.

The SEC still is considering launching its own channel, though that is now considered a long-shot.

CBS renews SEC broadcast deal through 2023....

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- UCLA quarterback Ben Olson broke his foot and will be sidelined for at least two months.

Olson, whose career has been marked by injuries, broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot during practice on Saturday, and X-rays taken Sunday revealed the fracture. He suffered the same injury during spring practice.

A decision on whether he will have surgery is expected to be made in a few days.

Kevin Craft, a junior college transfer, and redshirt freshman Chris Forcier are expected to compete for the Bruins' starting job.

Broken foot sidelines UCLA quarterback Olson at least 8 weeks....

ESPN.com news services

USC quarterbacks Mitch Mustain and Aaron Corp might not have much time to compete for Mark Sanchez's starting job.

Sanchez collapsed in obvious pain before the Trojans began stretching drills on Friday. His injury came as he jumped while tossing a warm-up pass. He was later wheeled off the field before undergoing X-rays.


Sanchez was later diagnosed with a dislocated kneecap. He hopes to return for the Trojans' Aug. 30 opener at Virginia.

"Mark's injury is not as bad as a lot of people feared it was, so we'll take the reps until he gets back and we'll see what happens then," Mustain told the Los Angeles Times on Saturday after practice.

Corp, who passed for three touchdowns in USC's final drill on Saturday, said he's happy his teammate's injury is minor.

USC quarterback's injury not as bad as first thought....

By Mark Schlabach
ESPN.com

ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia coach Mark Richt has suspended linebacker Darius Dewberry for the Bulldogs' first two games for his role in an incident at an Athens-area hospital Sunday morning.

Dewberry, a junior who is the top backup at strongside linebacker, was seen on a hospital videotape overturning trash cans and causing other damage.

Police initially failed to identify Dewberry. Richt did so later.

"Yeah, it's embarrassing," Richt said, "It's sad. It's certainly been a distraction. There is no way you can say it's not a distraction because it has been."

Dewberry was at the hospital while teammates Donavon Baldwin and Marcus Dowtin were being treated for injuries suffered in a bar fight early Saturday morning.

Dewberry is the fifth Georgia player suspended from playing in the Aug. 30 opener against Georgia Southern. The Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 in the season's first USA Today Top 25 coaches' poll released Friday.

Georgia LB Dewberry suspended 2 games after hospital incident....

Associated Press

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky football coach Rich Brooks says quarterback Curtis Pulley has been kicked off the team for violating team rules.

Brooks made the announcement Tuesday at the team's preseason media day. Last week, Brooks had said Pulley would miss playing time for his recent brushes with the law but still had a chance to win the starting job for the Wildcats.

Pulley was arrested on traffic charges last month in Hardin County. In June, he also received a citation for marijuana possession in Louisville. Pulley missed last season because of academic reasons.

Kentucky kicks QB Pulley off team for rules violations....

ESPN.com news services

Georgia was widely considered the hottest team in college football at the end of the 2007 season.

A panel of Division I-A coaches remembered, voting the Bulldogs the preseason No. 1 in the USA Today Top 25 coaches' poll, released Friday.

Georgia garnered 22 first-place votes in the poll, with No. 2 USC and No. 3 Ohio State each receiving 14 first-place votes. Oklahoma, with three first-place votes, and Florida, with five first-place votes and returning Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, were fourth and fifth, respectively.

Georgia is preseason No. 1 ahead of USC in coaches' poll....