SPORTS N STUFF

Gary Patterson guided TCU to its best season in 70 years on the way to becoming the first Associated Press Coach of the Year from outside the six conferences with automatic BCS bids.

Patterson led the Horned Frogs to a perfect regular season, their first Mountain West Conference title, their first BCS appearance and even had them vying for a spot in the national championship game.

Im really kind of humbled by the whole thing, Patterson said in a telephone interview. The best way I know how to deal with it is to put my nose down and keep getting ready for Boise.

No. 3 TCU plays No. 6 Boise State (13-0) in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 4.

In a close vote released Wednesday, Patterson received 21 votes from the AP college football poll panel to edge Brian Kelly. The former Cincinnati coach, now with Notre Dame, received 19 votes and Alabamas Nick Saban, who won the award last season, got 14 votes.

Chip Kelly of Oregon received three votes and Boise States Chris Petersen and Texas Mack Brown each got one vote.

Pattersons ninth season with the Horned Frogs has been his best, but TCUs success this season is no great surprise. The Frogs have consistently been a threat to bust the BCS under Patterson, who was promoted from defensive coordinator after Dennis Franchione left Fort Worth for Alabama in 2000.

Patterson is 85-27 at TCU and has led the Horned Frogs to five seasons of at least 11 wins the past seven years. This season, the Horned Frogs went 12-0 for their first undefeated regular season since 1938, when TCU won its only AP national championship.

Patterson said hes become a more well-rounded coach during his time at TCU.

I had to change my personality. Im a passionate guy on game day. Im all over the place, he said. Im better at helping kids with their lives. When you first become an assistant youre all about Xs and Os but I tried to become better at (helping players) after practice.

The Horned Frogs came into this season ranked No. 17 in the country, but Patterson needed to replace seven starters on a defense that was one of the best in the nation in 2008.

We were not happy with the way we played defense in the spring, Patterson said.

He and his staff quickly rebuilt another fast, swarming defense around All-American pass rusher Jerry Hughes. The Horned Frogs ranked No. 1 in the country in yards allowed and sixth in points allowed.

Hughes is the perfect example of TCUs ability to spot and develop talent.

He was a 210-pound running in high school, but Patterson switched him to defensive end where Hughes has blossomed into a future NFL draft pick.

We want to be known as the best developmental program in Texas, Patterson said.

This seasons TCU team has developed into a dominant one. The Frogs have blown out most of their opposition – nine victories by at least 25 points – and come up big on the road. TCU has won at Virginia, Clemson and Utah.

Its a very strong underneath current of confidence and thats the reason they have played on the road so well, Patterson said of his teams personality. Not a high emotion group, not a bunch of yellers and screamers.

TCUs success has turned the 49-year-old Patterson into a rising star in coaching, a guy whos name frequently comes up when another job opens up. Last year, there was speculation hed end up at his alma mater, Kansas State.

This season, when Notre Dame was looking for a coach, Patterson was mentioned as a possible candidate.

But he agreed to a new contract earlier this month intended to keep him at TCU through 2016. Patterson said TCU has everything he needs and he doesnt think reaching the BCS means the job is done in Fort Worth.

For us its been a dream come true, but we understand theres a fine line between penthouse and outhouse, he said. People my thing we reached the pinnacle. No, we havent. We want to play for the national championship. We want to be the USC of Texas. The private school that competes for championships.

Southern California tailback Joe McKnight did not travel with the Trojans to the Bay Area for Saturdays Emerald Bowl.

“He has some paperwork he needs to do and its best for him to stay in LA so he can be available to finish it, Trojans coach Pete Carroll said.

Carroll did not have a timetable for McKnights return.

“We dont know right now how long this will take, he said.

USC has previously said it was said it was investigating whether McKnight used an SUV registered to a Los Angeles businessman. The Trojans also declared three players academically ineligible on Monday.

Tony Pike threw a few crisp passes to Mardy Gilyard on a cold, sunny afternoon. The defense started getting ready to try to stop Tim Tebow in the biggest bowl game in Cincinnatis history.

After a tumultuous week, it all felt good.

The Bearcats (12-0) began practice for the Sugar Bowl on Thursday, one week after coach Brian Kelly told his players at their annual football banquet that he was headed for Notre Dame. The past seven days have been filled with anger, rumors and a lot of uncertainty.

Finally, they got back to football on Thursday, working out in front of Nippert Stadiums empty seats.

“This was kind of therapy for all of us – the kids included – to get back out here and do what they love, said offensive coordinator and interim coach Jeff Quinn.

Mentally, they were aching for it.

No BCS bowl team had a worse week than Cincinnati. After taking final exams, the players got together for their awards banquet at a downtown hotel while hearing rumors that Kelly was leaving for Notre Dame. At the end of the evening, he told them the rumors were true.

Some of the players had tears, others wore angry expressions when the left their meeting with Kelly, who was introduced in South Bend, Ind., the next day. Cincinnati immediately started a search for his replacement, causing more rumors to fly.

On Wednesday, Central Michigan head coach Butch Jones agreed to a five-year contract, came to Cincinnati and met with the players before being publicly introduced as Kellys replacement. Then he went back to Michigan, leaving it up to Quinn to start getting the team ready for its first Sugar Bowl appearance against fifth-ranked Florida on Jan. 1.

Jones plans to stay in the background leading up to the bowl, letting the players and coaches carry on the way they have throughout the best season in school history. Quinn, who was announced as interim coach the day that Kelly left, addressed the team after practice Thursday at the 30-yard line, nodding his head and pointing his finger to emphasize his points during his speech.

“It was just about getting back out here and putting everything that happened last week away, Pike said. “It kind of stinks that the media gets surrounded with coach Kelly and the coaching stuff, and at the same time we just finished a 12-0 season and you dont hear much about that. It was about being able to get back to football and letting the business part of it go.

Their focus isnt completely sharp yet. Senior offensive tackle Jeff Linkenbach acknowledged that the past seven days still seemed like a blur.

“A little bit, yeah, he said. “And last week was finals week on top of that. So it was a little rough with that. Then we had some time off, time to refocus and clear your mind.

“Its a rough situation, but were ready to move on and try to get ready to play Florida. Anytime you have change, it takes some time to get used to it. I think weve accomplished that in the week we had off.

The Bearcats will practice through next Tuesday, take off for Christmas, then fly to New Orleans on Dec. 26 to get ready for the game.

Pike said the first practice without Kelly was sharp, an indication that the time off worked.

“I think guys had to get away for a few days, Pike said. “The level of focus is where it was the last week of the season. From what I saw today, guys are locked in and ready to buy into what these coaches are saying.

Mike MacIntyre had to change his Christmas plans at the last second. Hes more than happy about it.

San Jose State has hired the Duke defensive coordinator to replace Dick Tomey as football coach. MacIntyre, who assumes his first head job, was formally introduced Thursday.

“I grew up a coachs son so today is a great moment for me, MacIntyre said. “Coach Tomey is a legend in our field and Ive followed him from afar.

MacIntyre teared up a little when speaking of his father, former Vanderbilt coach George MacIntyre, who suffers from multiple sclerosis and was unable to attend the news conference.

“Hes a man I love and admire very much, MacIntyre said. “I wish he could be here.

San Jose State went 2-10 this season under Tomey, who announced his retirement last month. Tomey spent five seasons with the Spartans, going 25-35 and leading them to a bowl game in 2006.

The 44-year-old MacIntyre spent the past two seasons at Duke. He has also worked as a secondary coach in the NFL with Dallas and the New York Jets and spent five seasons as an assistant at Mississippi.

In MacIntyres first season, Dukes defense allowed 23.4 points per game, its lowest total in 20 seasons, and held three opponents to less than 10 points for the first time since 1976.

“David Cutcliffe (Dukes head coach) has been like a second father to me, MacIntyre said. “He showed me what its like to build a program.

MacIntyre also served on Cutcliffes staff at Ole Miss from 1999-02, helping the Rebels to appearances in the Independence Bowl (1999, 2002) and Music City Bowl (2000).

“After I met with Tom Bowen (San Jose State athletic director) and he told me, I sat there for a moment and then called my wife, MacIntyre said. “It was a special moment. I sat there and told myself, Its time. This is what I wanted, Ive worked for it, Ive earned it and now I have to go do it.

The University of South Florida has retained a person from outside the school to assist with an investigation of the accusation that football coach Jim Leavitt struck one of his players in the locker room.

The school announced Wednesday that an expert specializing in workplace issues is part of the review that began after AOL FanHouse reported Leavitt grabbed sophomore Joel Miller by the throat and hit him in the face twice during halftime of a game on Nov. 21.

Leavitt has strongly denied the accusation.

The investigation was launched by school president Judy Genshaft and athletic director Doug Woolard. The university said external expert Thomas Gonzalez is working with USF associate vice president Sandy Lovins on the review.

San Jose State has hired Duke defensive coordinator Mike MacIntyre to replace Dick Tomey as football coach.

MacIntyre will be formally introduced at a news conference Thursday. The 44-year-old MacIntyre spent the past two seasons at Duke. He has also worked as a secondary coach in the NFL with Dallas and the New York Jets and spent five seasons as an assistant at Mississippi.

San Jose State went 2-10 this season under Tomey, who announced his retirement last month. Tomey spent five seasons with the Spartans, going 25-35 and leading them to a bowl game in 2006.

The Gridiron Club of Greater Boston president Steve Grogan announced that Boston College linebacker Mike McLaughlin (Woburn, MA) and Brown University wide receiver Buddy Farnham (Andover, MA) are recipients of the 71st annual George Bulger Lowe Award, New Englands Heisman Trophy and one of Americas oldest college football accolades.

The Bulger Lowe Award recognizes the New Englands best offensive and defensive players in the NCAA Bowl and Championship Divisions, formerly known as Divisions IA and IAA. McLaughlin and Farnham head an all-star slate of players, coaches and officials to be honored by club at its annual Bob Whelan College Football Awards Night on Thursday, January 14, 2010.

The club also announced that the winners of the 64th annual Nils V. Swede Nelson Award for exceptional achievement in sportsmanship, academics, and athletics, are linebacker Mark Herzlich (Wayne, PA) of Boston College in the Bowl/Championship divisions and defensive lineman Alex Rubino (Sparta, NJ) of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Division II/III.

Other honors conferred that evening by the Gridiron Club will be:

The 14th annual Joe Zabilski Award, which recognizes the top players in Divisions II and III, to running back Jim Bower (South Paris, ME) of Maine Maritime Academy and defensive back Josh Mathieu (Fitchburg, MA) of Westfield State College .

Head Coach of the Year awards to Sean McDonnell of New Hampshire in the Bowl/Championship Divisions and E.J. Mills of Amherst College in Divisions II/III.

Assistant Coach of the Year awards to Hank Hughes, assistant head coach for defense at the University of Connecticut in the Bowl/Championship Divisions and Tom Dexter, defensive coordinator at Colby College , in Divisions II/III.

The Joseph V. McKenney Award for top collegiate football official to CAA Side Judge Christopher Smith (Belmont, MA.)

The John Baronian Award for Lifetime Contribution to Football to Robert Bo Lyons, who coached Northeastern University football for nine years after a stellar career as a player and assistant coach under Joe Zabilski.

In a release, the group noted that the Awards Dinner information will be held Thursday, January 14 at Burlington Marriott Hotel.

The Gridiron Club of Greater Boston promotes the game of football at all levels and nurtures the ideals of citizenship, sportsmanship, leadership, and athletic and academic achievement.

Challenging as it will be to replace coach Turner Gill at Buffalo, athletic director Warde Manuel knew this day would inevitably come.

What makes Manuels job easier in finding a qualified successor, after Gill accepted an offer to coach at Kansas this weekend, is the remarkable job Gill did in bringing respectability to what had been one of nations most laughable football programs.

The proof was evident on Sunday.

In the 12 hours since word leaked regarding Gills departure, Manuel said hes received more inquiries from what he described as quality candidates than he did throughout his previous search in 2005, when he took a shot on Gill, a first-time coach, for a job very few expressed much interest in.

I just have to feel that I wont get hung up as much or at all compared to where I was last time. Its a different job now, Manuel said during a press conference to discuss Gills departure and Buffalos plans to launch a national search for his successor. Turner Gill has left this place much better than when he found it. For that I will forever be grateful.

The Bulls were transformed in four seasons under Gill. In finishing with a 20-30 record, he led Buffalo to its first Mid-American Conference championship last year, and took the Bulls to their first bowl game, a 38-20 loss to Connecticut in the International Bowl.

Thats a remarkable turnaround for a team that, prior to Gills arrival, went 10-69 since joining the MAC in 1999.

He has brought Buffalo in a four-year period to places that I didnt expect so quickly, said Manuel, who wished Gill well at Kansas. Well miss all of that. But we will move on.

As his first step, Manuel named Bulls offensive coordinator Danny Barrett interim coach, and noted that the former Canadian Football League star quarterback is considered a candidate to take over the job on a full-time basis.

Though he declined to provide a timetable for the search, Manuel said he hopes to have it completed before the end of the bowl season, which runs through the BCS national championship on Jan. 7.

Barrett, who just finished his third season at Buffalo, will be the only candidate considered among Bulls assistants. He previously served as head coach and assistant general manager for the CFL Saskatchewan Roughriders. During a 14-year CFL career split with four teams, the Cincinnati product finished with 23,419 yards passing and 133 touchdowns.

The challenge for Buffalo is finding a candidate who had Gills inspirational ability to change the losing culture in Buffalo, and also have the high-profile background to recruit players out of places such as Texas. Gill, whos from Texas, was a former Nebraska star quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist.

I dont think I can replicate Turner, Manuel noted. But what I want to replicate is somebody who cares as deeply about the kids, who has the knowledge and passion for the game.

Manuel acknowledged he had mixed emotions. Gill, after all, was the first coach Manuel hired upon taking over the AD job in August 2005.

Its a mixed bag for me, he said. Sad for us in Buffalo that hes moving on to Kansas, but for him and his family, Im very happy. Its an exciting new chapter for him.

Bulls players accepted Gills decision, understanding this was a good opportunity for their coach.

Hes moving on to a better place, bigger conference, a more prestigious school, so its good for him, said quarterback Zach Maynard, who was a first-time starter as a sophomore this season.

Added senior offensive lineman Peter Bittner: You cant be mad because you realize how good an opportunity it is for him. And I couldnt be happier.
Buffalo school president John Simpson credited Gill for being a remarkable leader.

Turner has done a marvelous job rebuilding our football program and bringing positive national attention to the university, Simpson said. We wish him and his family the very best.

The same contingent that anointed Andre Ware and Gino Torretta now has blown the most obvious Heisman Trophy call in at least two decades.

Alabama sophomore running back Mark Ingram won the closest Heisman race in the 75-year history of the award Saturday night, edging Stanfords Toby Gerhart to become the first player in Alabamas storied history to claim the stiff-arming statue. Texas quarterback Colt McCoy finished third, followed by Nebraska senior defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who earned more points (815) than any fourth-place finisher in history.

Perhaps that final clause is reason to upgrade the voting committee to mere simpleton status; at least some members of the panel demonstrated a remedial grasp of the game. Then again, the fact that Suh finished behind the guy he single-handedly dispatched from contention last week rates as pure comedy.

Why dont the trophys presenters officially redesignate the Heisman as the award given annually to the best back on the nations best team, because thats what it has become. The last 12 have been given to quarterbacks or running backs, and seven of the last nine have played on teams bound for the national title game.

Ingram has rushed for 1,542 yards and 15 touchdowns, helping lead the Crimson Tide (13-0) to the SEC crown and a spot in the national championship game against Texas. Those statistics didnt place him among the nations top 10 in yards a game; in fact, he wasnt even the most productive back in his own division (Mississippi States Anthony Dixon averaged 126.5 yards a game). But unlike Gerhart, who had superior numbers but played for a four-loss team, Ingram was the featured offensive player on one of the nations featured teams.

That offensive player distinction is important because Alabama has three defensive players who probably are more valuable: linebacker Rolando McClain, defensive back/return specialist Javier Arenas and defensive tackle Terrence Cody. And featured is important because Alabama insiders will tell you Ingram probably isnt the best back on the Alabama roster. That would be true freshman Trent Richardson, last seasons top prep tailback who could supplant Ingram in the Alabama backfield next season.

So Ingram might be among the top five players on his own team. The notion that he is the best college football player in the nation, however, is absurd. Anybody who watched Suh play a single quarter this season can have no doubt as to the identity of that player. If NFL general managers voted for the Heisman, Suh would have been a unanimous winner. Just wait until the NFL Draft.

Said Sports Illustrateds Andy Staples: Heisman voters are asked to choose the Most Outstanding Player in the United States, but they usually only consider quarterbacks, running backs and receivers who also return kicks. If the competition is correctly thrown open to every player, there is no question Suh was the nations most outstanding player this season.

For the uninitiated, heres a quick recap of Suhs season:

In spite of constant double-teaming, Nebraskas 6-foot-4, 300-pound King Kong led all BCS-conference lineman in tackles (82) and solo tackles (50).

He became the first defensive lineman in the two-platoon era of football to lead his team in tackles in consecutive seasons.

Aside from those staggering tackle totals, Suh also recorded 12 sacks, 23 tackles for loss, an NCAA-leading 10 passes batted down at the line of scrimmage, 24 quarterback hurries, three blocked field goals, one interception and one forced fumble. Compare those numbers with the statistics of Cody, a superb player who undoubtedly will be voted the other first-team AP All-American at defensive tackle. He had 25 tackles, six tackles for loss, two knockdowns, three quarterback hurries and two blocked kicks.

Suh will graduate Saturday a semester early with honors in engineering. Perhaps thats not germane to his Heisman campaign, but its another reason to marvel at Big Suh.

On the field, Suh wasnt just really good this season like Ingram and Gerhart; he was beyond exceptional. In fact, Suh just completed arguably the most remarkable defensive season in NCAA history, a season that earned him a sweep of the Nagurski, Lombardi, Bednarik and Outland trophies and gave Heisman voters the perfect opportunity to award the lump of bronze to a pure defensive player (sorry, Charles Woodson doesnt count). And the Heisman voters blew it… again.

Talents like Suh come around approximately every other decade. Maybe the Heisman panel will figure that out by the time the next Suh arrives to grace the college game.

Navys Ricky Dobbs almost certainly will set an NCAA single-season record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback when the Midshipmen play Army in Philadelphia today. And yet, a nifty, shifty quarterback who already has crossed the goal line 23 times this season, including five times in one game, doesnt even merit a whisper in all the talk these days about Heisman Trophy front-runners.

Dobbs, a junior from Douglasville, insists he pays no attention to any of the building Heisman hype, even if winning the award was always a boyhood dream.

No, its not disturbing to me at all, he said of not being included in the Heisman conversation. Ive always believed that good things happen to those who wait, so I dont get into things I cant control. Obviously something like that would be a blessing, something I always hoped for. But right now, I have to focus on helping my team and doing whatever it takes to win the next game.

Anyway, the 6-foot-1, 198-pound Midshipman had other big-time dreams growing up. He was born on the same day — Jan. 31, 1988 — that Doug Williams, playing for the Washington Redskins, became the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl. So why would anyone be surprised to hear Dobbs say, Id like to be the next black quarterback to win that game.

And then of course, there is the loftiest goal of all.

President Barack Obama already beat me to the punch, Dobbs said in a recent interview. But Id like to be the next black president of the United States.

Dobbs already has picked out the election year — 2040 — when he will be 52 years old, presumably long-retired from what he would like to believe will be a brilliant NFL career, even though he faces a five-year commitment to the Navy once he graduates in June 2011. But after two years of active duty, when hes 24, Dobbs can apply to the secretary of the Navy for a waiver. If granted, he would then serve an additional six years in the Naval Reserve and be free to play football again.

When the Navy football team visited the White House in April, honoring the team for winning its sixth straight Commander in Chief Trophy for beating Army and Air Force in the same season, Dobbs made sure to sign the helmet presented to the president five times. He said on his official Navy football blog that he wanted to make sure Obama remembered his name.

He inspired me a lot, gave me another chance as far as feeling reassured that its definitely a possibility now, Dobbs said. Hes a great man to follow.

That is precisely what Dobbs coaches and teammates in Annapolis also say about their quarterback.

The kid just has an it factor, Ivin Jasper, Navys offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, told The New York Times last month. He just has something about him. He finds a way to make plays.

He finds a way to make people around him better.

Dobbs has become a master at running Navys tricky and often devastating triple-option offense, with the quarterback constantly reading an opponents defense on the fly, deciding after the snap whether to hand off, throw the ball or keep it himself.

He leads Navy in rushing with 924 yards and has thrown for 840 more, including four touchdown passes. The next rushing touchdown he scores will break the all-time single-season record by a quarterback of 23 that he shares with Floridas Tim Tebow and the Air Force Academys Chance Harridge.

Dobbs slick skills also have allowed Navy (8-4) to throw major scares into ranked teams such as No. 8 Ohio State (a 31-27 Navy loss in the season opener) and No. 17 Pittsburgh (a 27-14 loss), even if the Midshipmen are almost always at a disadvantage in weight and speed against foes fielding teams filled with highly recruited blue-chip players.

Thats what made Navys 23-21 victory over Notre Dame last month so special. It marked the second time in the past three years the Mids had defeated the Irish, both times in South Bend, and Dobbs led a spirited Navy comeback in 2008 that fell just short in the final minute that would have made it three straight. In fact, recently fired Charlie Weis might be the only coach in Notre Dame history who can honestly say he lost his job because he couldnt beat Navy.

It was like conquering giants, Dobbs said. They were bigger and faster and stronger, but you cant measure heart. A lot of schools that recruited us said we werent big enough or fast enough to play for them, so all of us pretty much have a chip on our shoulders when we play those big football schools.

Weis and countless other Division I head coaches barely bothered to recruit Dobbs out of high school. He said Georgia Techs Chan Gailey was interested but wanted him to play wide receiver or defensive back.

My dream was to play quarterback, Dobbs said. I was 5-9 and 165 coming out of high school. That was the main reason they werent that interested. But quarterback was where I wanted to be.

Dobbs eventually settled on Navy, spending a postgraduate high school year at the Naval Academy Prep School before being admitted.

The way I looked at it, this was the best school you could go to as far as opportunities after college , he said. You can go to the NFL from any school, really. I chose to go here because it guarantees jobs and security after football . My family wont want for things like I did growing up. I never had medical insurance until I came here. I didnt go to a dentist until I was 17. So that was a big part of me going to Navy, and it was a great choice for me.