Sooners called, Cincinnati said OK
CINCINNATI -- Oklahoma was on the phone with an offer.
The Sooners were looking to fill out their nonconference schedule with a game against an up-and-coming program. With Brian Kelly as coach, the Cincinnati Bearcats seemed like a good fit.
But, would they agree to come to Norman?
In a heartbeat.
The Bearcats (1-0) will play the fourth-ranked Sooners (1-0) on Saturday, the first game in a home-and-away series. Oklahoma will play at Cincinnati in 2010, the one condition that the Bearcats set for the series.
"We took this game on as an opportunity to measure ourselves against the very best," Kelly said. "When we came here, our first goal was to get our football team to change their mind-set relative to how they compete and what they compete for. It's about championships.
"The second level, now that we've broken the Top 20 last year, is to measure ourselves against the very best in the country, that next progression. We know we can win a championship in the Big East. Now we want to know where we stand on a national stage, and there wasn't a better opportunity for us out there than to go to Norman, Okla."
It's a trip they're eager to make.
In Kelly's first season, the Bearcats tied their school record with 10 wins and finished with their highest ranking at No. 17. Their shot at a Big East title ended when they lost to West Virginia 28-23 on Nov. 17.
That first season marked the Bearcats as a team on the rise. Now, they want to see if they can pull off an upset that would suggest they have arrived.
"Going against one of the top teams in the country, this would do a lot for us coming out with the win," receiver Dominick Goodman said. "It would put the program where it needs to be at."
It would be considered a big upset by everyone except the Bearcats. They return the nucleus of the team that finished No. 17 last season. The only significant change is the switch at quarterback from Ben Mauk to Dustin Grutza, who threw for three touchdowns and ran for another in an opening 40-7 win over Eastern Kentucky.
Told that the most recent line showed Cincinnati a 21½-point underdog, defensive end Connor Barwin said, "It rose! I heard it was 21 yesterday. So it's already going up. You like that. Hopefully they think that of us down there, too."
The Bearcats seem to be enjoying their long-shot status and their chance to see how they stack up against one of the nation's top teams on the road. The attitude of their head coach has rubbed off on them.
"This is fun," Kelly said, his eyes widening. "This is what you do this for. You want to coach a team to go to Oklahoma. You want to go into that environment. It doesn't get any better than that. If I'm going to spend 80 hours here during the week, I'd like to go play somebody that really it means something -- not that the other games don't."
When a reporter asked a question that started off with, "Suppose you win ...," Kelly replied in mock indignation.
"Suppose you win? Suppose you win?" he said. "Again, we're measuring our program against the best. We're here to win championships. We need to find out where we are. And I want to be able to take our football team, go to Oklahoma and measure it against the best. I'll have better answers for you after the game."
By agreeing to visit Cincinnati in two years, the Sooners have taken a much different approach than Ohio State. The Buckeyes were scheduled to visit in 2012, but informed Cincinnati after its breakthrough season that it wanted to opt out of the game unless it was moved to Columbus. Cincinnati went along with the switch, and will get $1 million from OSU for the game.
Asked why the Sooners would be willing to visit but not Ohio State, Kelly chuckled and thought for a few seconds about what he'd like to say.
"Uh, how about -- now you might all fall down on this -- how about no comment?" Kelly said.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Former UCLA offensive coordinator Norvell hired at Oklahoma
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops hired former college teammate Jay Norvell as his co-offensive coordinator Thursday, filling the position that came open when Kevin Sumlin left to become Houston's head coach.
Norvell, who played at Iowa with Stoops in the early 1980s, will be in charge of the Sooners' wide receivers.
"He brings with him expertise in both coaching and recruiting and we feel there are significant contributions that he can make to our program," Stoops said.
Norvell briefly joined Stoops' staff in 2002, but left after about a month to be an assistant on Bill Callahan's staff with the Oakland Raiders. He then spent three years on Callahan's staff at Nebraska before serving as UCLA's offensive coordinator last season.
"I'm so excited to work with Bob and the staff there," Norvell said. "I have so much respect for that program. The talent of the team, the quality of the staff and the tremendous support all mean so much to me. I've worked at a lot of schools and I know that this is a special situation.
Norvell also previously coached wide receivers for the Indianapolis Colts and had stints as an assistant at Iowa State, Wisconsin and Iowa. He played one season in the NFL with the Chicago Bears.
"I know the Big 12 and I know the defenses in that league," he said. "I feel like I can contribute in both coaching and recruiting."
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Vanderbilt wide receiver Earl Bennett headed to NFL
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Vanderbilt wide receiver Earl Bennett announced Thursday he will pass up a final year of eligibility and make himself available for the NFL draft.
Bennett leaves as the leading receiver in Southeastern Conference history with 236 catches in three seasons. He has 28 more catches than Craig Yeast, who played four years at Kentucky.
"If I came back, there was always a risk that I could get injured," Bennett said. "There were a lot of pluses and a lot of minuses. I couldn't go wrong with my decision whether I came back or whether I left."
Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said he supported Bennett's decision to skip his senior season.
"This is one of the great things about America. You've got choices to make," Johnson said. "I have no doubts that Earl will be a fantastic player in the NFL."
Bennett did have incentive to stay: a chance to break the NCAA Division I Bowl Subdivision reception record. He would have needed 81 catches next season to pass Purdue's Taylor Stubblefield, who finished with 316.
"It's not all about records," Bennett said. "It's about your character and how you carry yourself on and off the field. Hopefully, people will remember me by my character."
Bennett finished 2007 with 75 receptions for 830 yards and five touchdowns. He is the only receiver in SEC history to have three 75-catch seasons.
Bennett has 20 career touchdown catches and ranks ninth in league history with 2,852 yards receiving.
In his freshman year, Bennett set an SEC record with 79 catches for 876 yards and nine touchdowns with current Denver Broncos starter Jay Cutler at quarterback for Vanderbilt.
"I had a great three years at Vanderbilt," Bennett said. "There's nowhere I would have rather been."
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Brown's stepson involved in bizarre play in Holiday Bowl
SAN DIEGO -- Leave it to the Holiday Bowl -- and with a hand from Texas coach Mack Brown's stepson -- to produce a bizarre play like this.
Chris Jessie, a member of his stepfather's football operations staff, was a few feet on the field and reached out to touch a live ball in the second quarter Thursday night, taking away what would have been a huge turnover for the Longhorns and setting up a touchdown for Arizona State.
Trailing 21-0 and with the ball at the Longhorns' 15, ASU's Rudy Carpenter was sacked by linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy and the ball went squirting toward the Longhorns' sideline.
Jessie was about a yard onto the field and motioning toward a player when he reached down and appeared to touch the ball. Texas defensive tackle Roy Miller slapped the ball away from the sideline and defensive end Aaron Lewis recovered around midfield.
After review, officials ruled that Jessie touched the ball, which is an unsportsmanlike act. Texas was penalized half the distance to the goal, giving the Sun Devils fourth-and-3 at the 7. Carpenter then threw a touchdown pass to Chris McGaha.
The Holiday Bowl has a history of crazy plays and wild finishes.
The best-known play was Jim McMahon's desperation 41-yard heave that Clay Brown caught in a crowd of defenders with three seconds left to give BYU a 46-45 win in 1980 after the Cougars trailed by 20 with less than three minutes to play.
In 1989, Penn State defensive back Gary Brown -- later a running back in the NFL -- stripped BYU quarterback Ty Detmer and rumbled 53 yards for a touchdown with 45 seconds left to seal a 50-39 win for the Nittany Lions.
Before he was a Super Bowl MVP and NFL Hall of Famer, Steve Young was a triple threat for BYU in 1983. He ran for a score, threw a touchdown pass and then caught the game-winning throw, a 14-yarder from Eddie Stinnett with 23 seconds left to give BYU a 21-17 win over Missouri.
Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington caught an 18-yard TD pass from wide receiver Keenan Howry in the 2000 game, a 35-30 win over Texas.
In 2001, Texas scored 27 points in the fourth quarter, including Ivan Williams' 3-yard run with 38 seconds left for a 47-43 win over Washington.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
Vols assistant Taylor says he didn't expect a shot at being offensive coordinator
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee assistant coach Trooper Taylor said Thursday he never thought he was a serious candidate for the Volunteers' vacant offensive coordinator position.
Oklahoma State on Wednesday hired the Voles' wide receivers coach as co-offensive coordinator.
I knew that I probably wasn't going to be in the mix for the coordinator's job here, and that's not a negative for coach (Phillip) Fulmer," Taylor said. "What everybody's got to understand is he's going to do what's best for this program, and unless he feels really good about it in his heart, he's not going to make that kind of decision. I have no problem with that."
Taylor, who has coached at Tennessee for four years, also interviewed Sunday for the offensive coordinator job at his alma mater, Baylor.
But he said he got "a vibe" that he wouldn't be considered as a replacement for Vols offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe, who was hired as head coach at Duke on Saturday. Both coaches will remain with Tennessee through the Outback Bowl against Wisconsin on Jan. 1 in Tampa, Fla.
Taylor, 37, said his decision to leave the Vols was a difficult one made easier by the opportunity to call plays. He said he informed his wide receivers of his decision in an emotional meeting Wednesday night.
"You can tell there's been a lot of tears being shed, and they keep coming," he said.
Fulmer said the Vols will miss Taylor, who also oversees player development and is considered a strong recruiter, but remains upbeat about the opportunity to bring in two new assistant coaches.
"You would not believe the people that have contacted me and the reception that I've had from people that I've contacted about coming to the University of Tennessee," Fulmer said. "I think it's a very good time for us to mix it up a little bit and be excited about the possibilities of what we can do."
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Fisher to replace Bowden at FSU
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA (TICKER) -- Jimbo Fisher officially has been tabbed as Bobby Bowden's successor at Florida State.
The school announced Monday that the 42-year-old Fisher has agreed in principle to a succession plan that will have him take over the Seminoles' program when Bowden retires.
Florida State did not release terms of Fisher's deal but ESPN.com reported last week that he was expected to a sign a three-year contract which will pay him under $1 million per season.
"I am humbled and honored by this announcement," said Fisher, who is in his first season as Florida State's offensive coordinator. "I said when I came here that I wanted to learn under the best coach in the history of college football."
Florida State is in the process of finalizing a one-year contract extension for the 78-year-old Bowden, the winningest coach in major college football history with 373 victories.
"We should have all of that completed within the next couple of weeks," Florida State athletic director Bill Proctor said.
Bowden has posted a 300-86-4 record in 32 years at Florida State, leading the Seminoles to 31 consecutive winning seasons since his second year at the school in 1976.
Still, Florida State has struggled in recent years - going just 13-11 in the last two seasons, including 7-5 this year - and some Seminoles' fans have called for his retirement.
However, Florida State president T.K. Wetherell has said that Bowden can coach at the school for as the long as he wants and Bowden has given no indication that he is ready to retire.
"I think Jimbo's willingness to wait here while being chased for every job available speaks volumes about both him and this program," Bowden said.
Prior to joining Bowden's staff, Fisher spent seven seasons as the offensive coordinator at Louisiana State, helping guide the Tigers to a share of the national championship in 2003.
He also served an offensive coordinator at Auburn (1993-98) and Cincinnati (1999).
"I've known Jimbo Fisher for a long time," Bowden said. "I've followed his career at several different levels. I've seen him succeed everywhere he's been."
In the meantime, Fisher will be continue in his role as Florida State's offensive coordinator. The Seminoles (7-5) face Kentucky in the Music City Bowl on December 31.
"Bobby Bowden is still the head coach and I'm lucky enough to still be the offensive coordinator," Fisher said. "The whole staff is out there right now making sure we sign players that want to compete for championships."
Copyright 2007 PA SportsTicker. All Rights Reserved
Brennan says coach's last-minute words helped him get to New York
HONOLULU (AP) -- Colt Brennan believes last-minute lobbying by Hawaii coach June Jones helped the record-breaking quarterback become a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
"I think it did help me. I do," said Brennan, who was selected Wednesday as one of four Heisman finalists, joining Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, Arkansas running back Darren McFadden and Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel.
Brennan was scheduled to leave Honolulu late Thursday to attend Saturday night's presentation. He will be joined in New York with his girlfriend, parents, sister, grandmother, close friends and school officials.
"I'll have a nice suit and maybe a lei or something," he said.
While promoting and defending Brennan, Jones earlier this week said Brennan is not a so-called "system quarterback" like Tebow, the Heisman front-runner.
"I loved what coach Jones said," Brennan said. "If you know coach Jones, he doesn't care what people think."
Jones, a former NFL quarterback and coach, also questioned if Tebow could run Hawaii's run-and-shoot offense, saying the Gators' star is not a "natural passer," and plays in a "college system."
"I'm kind of glad he said that because now people know what it's like to be called a 'system quarterback,"' Brennan said. "You could see how that burned a lot of people."
Tebow, trying to become the first underclassman to win the Heisman Trophy, has brushed aside Jones' comments. He is the first major college player to run for 20 touchdowns and throw 20 TD passes in the same season.
He ran for 838 yards and a Southeastern Conference-record 22 touchdowns in his first year as a starter. Tebow has also completed 68 percent of his throws for 3,132 yards, with 29 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Brennan praised Tebow's abilities, but said his coach has helped spur discussion and debate.
"Who is better? Who deserves it? All those questions get thrown out there," said Brennan, who has passed for 4,174 yards and 38 touchdowns, while rushing for eight more scores. He also set the major college record for career touchdown passes with 131.
Whether Jones' comments were actually able to garner Brennan a few votes is unknown. Tebow is still the favorite to win.
Brennan made a pitch for himself, saying he fought through injuries but got the victories in a season where every other team lost. Hawaii (12-0) is the only unbeaten team left in major college football.
"The (games) that counted the most are the ones that I showed up to and played the best," he said. "I think that's my biggest selling point at the Heisman."
When asked who he thought was the best college football player this year, Brennan paused and replied with a smile, "That's a tough one. I'm going to have to take the Fifth."
He said that he could "stir it up," but will keep his mouth shut for the sake of his backup, Tyler Graunke, who will most likely start when the Warriors open the 2008 season at Florida.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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