Tide loses Kenny Bell to broken leg

By John TaylorNov 25, 2012, 8:04 AM EST
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When Alabama takes the field this weekend for the SEC championship game, they’ll do so without their top deep-threat in the passing game.

And, if they beat Georgia and make it to the BcS title game, they’ll likely be without that threat as well.

Following the Tide’s Iron Bowl thumping of Auburn, head coach Nick Saban confirmed that wide receiver Kenny Bell suffered a broken leg in the win.  Saban said Bell will have a rod inserted into his tibia in the near future.

The prognosis of UA’s medical staff is that the junior will not be able to resume running for 5-6 weeks.  Such a timeline would put Bell’s availability for the Jan. 7 BcS title game — again, if the Tide can beat the Bulldogs — in serious jeopardy.

While Bell had just 17 catches on the season, his 26.3 yards per catch is far and away tops on the team.  he also had three

Mike Riley came off Nebraska’s books with $6.2 million buyout in January

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By John TaylorNov 17, 2018, 9:44 AM EST
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It was thought that Nebraska had been paying three current/former head coaches throughout the 2018 season.  Instead, it was just two.

When Mike Riley was fired by the Cornhuskers in late November of last year, he was owed a buyout of just over $6.6 million that was to be paid in monthly installments of nearly $166,000 through February of 2021.  However, Nebraska officials confirmed this week, the university paid Riley a $6.2 million buyout in January of this year that wiped the former coach off NU’s books.

Riley took a job at Oregon State shortly after his dismissal by Nebraska, with his $50,000 salary very slightly mitigating his buyout number.

“We went ahead and absorbed it [earlier this] year to get it behind us, and we felt that we had a good enough year revenue-wise that we could handle that,” athletic director Bill Moos said by way of the Lincoln Journal Star. “Those things, for the most part, are behind us, and we’re moving forward at this point.”

Bo Pelini, fired by the Cornhuskers in November of 2014, is being paid nearly $130,000 every month through February of next year to pay off his $6.54 million buyout.  Riley’s replacement, Scott Frost, is in the first year of a seven-year, $35 million contract.

After Week 12 results, Houston-Memphis to decide AAC West

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By John TaylorNov 17, 2018, 9:03 AM EST
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It wasn’t pretty, but it did the job.

Coming out of a first half that was at times head-scratching… and odd… and downright weird with a 7-5 lead on SMU, Memphis put up a touchdown in the third quarter and another two in the fourth to pull away for a 28-18 road win.  Running back Patrick Taylor accounted for two of those second-half touchdowns on nine- and six-yard runs as he finished with a game-high 112 yards, his third 100-yard effort of the season.

The Tigers’ Darrell Henderson, who came into the game second in the nation averaging 8.74 yards per carry, was held to 4.7 yards on his 16 carries.  That was his second-worst yards per carry average of the season, behind only the 3.8 (4-15) put up against Missouri Oct. 20.

The Mustangs had even less success on the ground, rushing for just 25 yards on 26 carries.  Ben Hicks passed for 344 yards, his third 300-yard game in the past four games, in a losing effort.

With the win, Memphis improved to 4-3 in the conference, one game behind Houston, which moved to 5-2 with a win Thursday night, for first place in the AAC West.  Those two teams will square off next Friday, with the winner advancing to the conference championship game and playing either UCF, Cincinnati or Temple. The undefeated Knights hold the edge in the East heading into tonight’s huge matchup with the Bearcats, although a loss would leave all three, including the Owls, in play for the East crown.

Prior to last night’s loss, SMU (4-3) could’ve staked its claim to the West by winning its last two games.  SMU could still finish in a three- or four-way tie for the division, Tulane (4-3) included, although Memphis would win all tiebreakers regardless of how many teams are involved.

Major Applewhite, Ed Oliver issue statements addressing sideline flap

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By John TaylorNov 17, 2018, 8:24 AM EST
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We can all move on because apparently there’s nothing to see here.

Ed Oliver, who had missed the previous three games because of a knee injury, was sidelined for a fourth Thursday night as Houston squared off with Tulane in a key AAC West matchup.  Shortly before the half, Oliver, who was on the sidelines of the game supporting his teammates, was approached by head Major Applewhite about what was later learned to be the lineman’s choice of jacket, which according to the head coach is reserved for players who are active in the game.

Oliver took exception to Applewhite’s directive — and the fact that the coach put his hands on his jacket — leading to a heated confrontation heading into the halftime locker room in which the star defensive tackle had to be physically restrained from going after Applewhite by a UH football staffer.

After the game, Applewhite explained that “[t]here’s a rule for our team. Everybody follows the rule.”  Friday night, both of the involved parties issued statements through the school in which they stated they’re ready to “move forward together.”

MAJOR APPLEWHITE
“Ed is a passionate human being, and that is why he is the best player in the country. Last night was not indicative of his character and it was a passionate moment within our program. We can, and we will, both learn from this situation as we move forward together.”

ED OLIVER
“Last night is not who I am. I’m very passionate about the game of football and last night there was a misunderstanding. I was caught in an emotional moment. I have the utmost respect for Coach Applewhite and I appreciate the support of Coach Applewhite and my teammates during this time. I love my brothers, my team and my city and I’m looking forward to moving forward with them together. Go Coogs!”

It’s expected that, if healthy, the All-American defensive tackle will play in the regular-season finale next week.

After $1 million donation, UCF is adding a lazy river to new athletes village that will be open for tailgating

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By Bryan FischerNov 16, 2018, 7:24 PM EST
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College football traditionalists will have none of this, but Wet ‘n Wild may soon be a term you hear to describe future UCF football games.

Thanks to a $1 million donation this week from a pair of alumni, the school announced that they are finalizing plans for ‘Recovery Cove’ as part of a new $30 million UCF Athletics Village. As the name implies, the area will be for athletes of all sports to come to relax and recover and now will feature a pool, a lazy river and various other amenities.

“Florida weather is one of our greatest competitive advantages,” athletics director Danny White said. “UCF student-athletes have very demanding schedules. Having a recovery and leisure space so close to the Wayne Densch Center for Student-Athlete Leadership and the Garvy Center for Student-Athlete Nutrition will significantly enhance the UCF student-athlete experience. Recovery Cove will also deliver one of college football’s most unique game-day premium experiences for UCF fans.”

Yes, it that last little bit wasn’t clear, Recovery Cove will be opened up before football games for tailgating. The school eventually expects to even make quite a bit of money off the project as fans and others pay to get in and use the facilities before and after the Knights take the field at nearby Spectrum Stadium.

A timeline for the project was not released but any construction will naturally begin in the offseason. While we’ve seen pools at stadiums in the state before (such as Jacksonville’s TIAA Bank Field), Recovery Cove certainly is stepping things up in a new and unexpected way in Central Florida.