Thou shall not slam the officials
Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh was reprimanded by the Pac-10 for criticizing the conference’s officials following last weekend’s loss at Notre Dame.
“Pac-10 rules prohibit comments by a coach about officiating other than to the conference office,” commissioner Tom Hansen said in a statement. “Coach Harbaugh violated that rule by publicly criticizing the officials.
Harbaugh was angry about a fair-catch interference call against the Cardinal’s Nate Wilcox-Fogel in the second quarter of a 28-21 loss to the Irish. Instead of recovering a muffed punt in Notre Dame territory, the penalty gave the Irish the ball at the Cardinal 48 and led to the score that put Notre Dame up 21-7.
Hansen backed up the officials who made the call, saying Wilcox-Fogel did interfere.
Hey, Joe, where you gonna coach from now?
One of the most closely watched injuries in college football belongs to an 81-year-old man who hasn’t played a snap in six decades.
Of course, when that man is Penn State coach Joe Paterno, every step is watched, every word scrutinized.
The Hall of Famer said Tuesday his sore right leg still hurts enough that he won’t decide until week’s end on whether he’ll coach undefeated Penn State (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten) from the sideline or the pressbox for Saturday night’s contest at Wisconsin.
Coaching from the sideline remains a week-to-week proposition. He relegated himself to the box for the No. 6 Nittany Lions’ win last week over Purdue, after spending the entire victory the previous week over Illinois on the field.
Paterno hurt himself demonstrating an onside kick at practice the week before the season opener against Coastal Carolina.
On Tuesday, Paterno’s gait looked slightly more steady than the slow and pronounced limp he’s had on the field at times recently.
“I’m going to live with it a couple weeks, maybe even more than that. But hey, that’s why I get the big money,” Paterno snickered.
Taking it slow and easy
Florida receiver Percy Harvin missed his second consecutive practice Tuesday, but coach Urban Meyer expects the speedster to play Saturday against No. 4 LSU.
Harvin sprained his right ankle last Saturday at Arkansas and was placed in a protective boot. Harvin leads 11th ranked Gators with 19 catches for 284 yards and three TDs. The junior also has 27 carries for 177 yards and two scores.
On the mend
Ball State receiver Dante Love, recovering from a career-ending spinal injury, might be released from a rehabilitation center this week.
Love took a head-on hit during the Cardinals’ 42-20 win over Indiana on Sept. 20 and underwent surgery a day after the game.
“I want everyone to know that Dante is improving daily,” coach Brady Hoke said Monday. “He is really making great strides. … He is positive and upbeat.”
No. 25 Ball State (6-0), which was ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time this week, plays at Western Kentucky (2-4) on Saturday night. The Cardinals are off to their best start since going 9-0 to begin the 1965 season.
Just reward
Colorado coach Dan Hawkins and the university have agreed to a contract extension that could keep him with the Buffaloes through 2012.
The new contract was announced Tuesday. It takes effect on July 1. Hawkins originally signed a five-year, $4.25 million contract, not including incentives, that was to run through Dec. 31, 2010.
Hawkins is 11-9 in his third year at Colorado, and the Buffaloes are 3-2 this season.
Associated Press
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