My Sports News Digest

While it remains to be seen whether any conference would pull the trigger on filling a Sunday void created by the NFL’s labor squabbles, we now know that there will be at least on Div. 1-A game played on the Sabbath in 2011. West Virginia confirmed via press release Friday that their Friends of the Coal Bowl rivalry game with Marshall has been moved to Sunday, Sept. 4, at 3:30 p.m.  The game, originally scheduled for the day before, will be played at the Mountaineers’ Milan Puskar Stadium and nationally televised by ESPN. The shifted game falls on Labor Day [...]

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A couple of days after Penn State’s president was quoted as “we do not expect to have this drawn out very long”, the fate of the Fiesta Bowl’s NCAA license will be drawn out for at least a few weeks longer. In a press release issued Thursday afternoon, it was announced that “the NCAA membership committee that licenses postseason bowl games is delaying its decision on the Fiesta Bowl as it gathers more information on the bowl’s future.”  Also at stake is the license of the Insight Bowl, which is run by the same organization as the Fiesta. Fiesta officials [...]

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For those curious as to the state of Nebraska’s quarterback position, last year’s starter Taylor Martinez (no relation) still sits atop the depth chart.  For now. The Cornhuskers entered spring practice under first-year offensive coordinator Tim Beck by declaring the quarterback competition wide open despite the fact that Martinez had started 12 games in 2010.  After the 15 spring sessions, Martinez has been given a (very) tepid endorsement by head coach Bo Pelini over the likes of junior Cody Green and redshirt freshman Brion Carnes. And a reminder that the battle for the starting job has yet to fully play itself [...]

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On the same day the MAC officially introduced UMass as its newest member, news has surfaced that a player from the conference was acting like a male member over the weekend and, as a result, has found himself on the wrong side of the law.  Again. According to KentWired.com, Kent State safety Zachary Gonosz was arrested over the weekend following an incident outside of a downtown Kent drinking establishment.  The sophomore was subsequently charged with underage drinking, displaying a fake I.D. and assault. The assault charge stemmed from a rather bizarre confrontation with the owner of a cab company that allegedly [...]

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There may be yet another chance for Stephen Garcia, after all. As you probably recall, Garcia was suspended earlier this month by head coach Steve Spurrier on an indefinte basis for what  the university later referred to as “unacceptable behavior”. The latest boot, of course, came a mere few weeks after Garcia served an initial suspension for the opening of spring practice for a certain incident that occurred in Atlanta in the days leading up the Chic-Fil-A Bowl. The two suspensions within that short amount of time were Garcia’s fourth and fifth of his so-called “career” in Columbus. Yet, somehow, [...]

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Unfortunately for head coach Mike Stoops, any optimism he may have had regarding the severity of the knee injury suffered by starting linebacker Jake Fischer has officially been dashed. As feared, Arizona announced Wednesday afternoon that Fischer has a torn ACL and will miss at least the start of the 2011 season.  Fischer incurred the injury during Saturday’s spring game. Surgery is expected to take place at some point in the near future, at which point the program may have a better handle on the LB’s availability for at least a portion of the upcoming season. “It’s unfortunate that it [...]

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Thus far this spring, Alabama and Florida have unveiled statues honoring their latest title-winning head coach and three Heisman Trophy winners, respectively, during or before their annual spring games.  Auburn also announced recently that they will memorialize their trio of Heisman winners in larger-than-life bronze at some point in the future. We’ve received our fair share of complaints from readers, both in the comments section underneath posts and via email, regarding this seemingly abrupt rush to “deify” sports figures.  Take heart, though, anti-statue people; you have some high-profile company. During tonight’s episode of HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel — [...]

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Earlier this month, Kentucky head coach Joker Phillips booted former four-star tight end Alex Smith for violating unspecified team rules. Two weeks later, another 2010 contributor is on the outside of the UK football program looking in. Spokesman Tony Neely confirmed to the Lexington Herald-Leader earlier Tuesday that linebacker Jewell Ratliff (pictured, No. 39) has been dismissed from the team by Phillips for, you guessed it, violating unspecified team rules.  Ratliff had been listed No. 2 on the Wildcats’ depth chart behind senior starter Danny Trevathan. As a true freshman in 2010, Ratliff saw action in 12 games, although mainly on special teams.

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