J.P. Giglio and Lorenzo Perez, Raleigh News & Observer: Raleigh's finest chime in with their Late Hits column.
Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette: Mark Mangino is Kansas' big man on campus after the Jayhawks ended their frustrating streak to Nebraska (subscription, so story is in comments).
Ferd Lewis, Honolulu Advertiser: Can the Hawai'i Bowl draw flies now that hometown Hawaii won't be eligible for postseason play?
Chris Dempsey, Denver Post: Was that Nebraska coach Bill Callahan, or Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf, the former Iraqi Information Minister?
Ron Higgins, Memphis Commercial Appeal: Louisiana State's trip to Alabama brings back memories of Billy Cannon's fabled 89-yard punt return to beat Mississippi in 1959 (registration).
Chad Hartley, Reno Gazette-Journal: The WAC's game of the year is Thursday, when Boise State plays Fresno State.
Sean Keeler, Des Moines Register: Certain Iowa players need to learn how to win before celebrating.
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The Hlist
Mike Hlas
Cedar Rapids Gazette
FIRST DOWNS
1. Rout Ends Drought: Kansas Coach Mark Mangino got cards and letters last week.
"Basically, they were pleas," he said. "People were just begging me to do whatever I could — to coach my best — because they couldn’t deal with (losing to) Nebraska anymore."
Kansas then ended its 36-game losing streak to the Cornhuskers with a 40-15 romp. Six previous KU coaches failed to beat Nebraska.
"We needed to do something about this streak thing," Mangino said. "It was starting to get on my nerves."
2. Stoops Conquers: You can’t beat both Stoops brothers in the same season. OK, you can if you’re USC, which squashed Bob Stoops’ Oklahoma club and Mike Stoops’ Arizona team last year by a total of 104-28.
But Mike and Arizona got payback on UCLA for the Bruins’ win over Bob’s Oklahoma squad earlier this season when the Wildcats mauled UCLA, 52-14, for the Bruins’ first loss of the year.
"Slowly but surely we noticed them losing their heart," said Arizona running back Mike Bell.
Maybe the Wildcats found theirs. It was just their second win in their last 21 home Pac-10 games.
3. Category 27-7 Hurricane: The visiting Miami Hurricanes devastated previously unbeaten Virginia Tech, 27-7.
"We could have gone out there and stunk the joint up and still would have won 10-0," Miami offensive line coach Art Kehoe said. "That’s how overwhelming our defense was. . . . Why did people think we were going to come up here and get our [rears] kicked? Don’t tell us we’re going to get our butts whipped. It ain’t happening.
The next time we play a game, I’ll bet people aren’t gonna make us an underdog."
Since Miami’s next game is against Wake Forest, it seems a safe conclusion.
4. Lion Kings: Penn State shut out Wisconsin for the first three quarters en route to a 35-14 triumph in a battle of what had been Big Ten co-leaders.
"I thought we should have held them to zero points," Nittany Lions linebacker Paul Posluszny grumbled.
"Exactly a year ago, we were 0-6 in the Big Ten," said Penn State quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno, son of head coach Joe Paterno.
"Joe told us not to come in on Monday. The next day, he came in and said, 'Hey, look, it’s time for us to turn this thing around.' And we’ve gone 11-1 since then."
FUMBLES
1. Big Red Mess: Nebraska went 9-3 in the 2003 regular season, then fired coach Frank Solich. Since the start of last season under Bill Callahan, the Cornhuskers are 10-10 overall, 5-9 in the Big 12.
As of 5:30 p.m., Monday, an Omaha World-Herald online poll had 3,045 votes for "No" and 1,062 for "Yes" to the question "Will NU defeat either Kansas State or Colorado to become bowl eligible?"
Tom Shatel wrote this in Sunday’s World-Herald:
"This was Kansas dominating Nebraska, without Raef LaFrentz or Kirk Hinrich.
"This was Nebraska getting out-coached, out-played and out-passioned by Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk.
"This, ladies and germs, is not acceptable for Nebraska football."
2. Tame Tigers: Another Big 12 North bust is Missouri. The Tigers fell to 5-4 with their uninspiring 41-12 loss at North-leading Colorado.
"Maybe they feel too much pressure in a game like this," Missouri Coach Gary Pinkel said.
"I’ve been playing in championship games since I was in Pop Warner," Tigers safety David Overstreet said. "I never let any pressure stop me from doing anything."
Anything but giving Colorado a ballgame, anyway.
3. Calf Not Golden: A 3-month-old calf named Shanna, born in Virginia Tech’s Dairy Science Complex, predicts the Hokies’ football scores on the morning of games.
After Shanna’s game-day morning meal, she licks Tech agriculture barn manager Shane Brannock’s left hand once for every point Tech’s foe will score and licks his right hand once for each point the Hokies will score.
Brannock said Shanna’s prediction for the Hokies’ home-opener against Ohio was 47-3, Hokies. Tech won, 45-0. Shanna forecasted a 27-10 win for the Hokies over Boston College. Tech won, 30-10.
Well, no bovine is perfect. Shanna said the Hokies would handle Miami, 34-17. Anyone who bet with the calf didn’t eat steak Saturday night.
4. Meow!: The Carolina Panthers cheerleaders are called the TopCats. Two of them, Renee Thomas and Angela Keathley, face charges for a bar fight in Tampa Sunday at 2:10 a.m.
Witnesses at Banana Joe’s say the two TopCats were engaged in sexual activity in a bathroom stall. Customers got angry because they tied up the stall. Arguing escalated after they left the stall. A third woman was punched in the eye, reportedly by Thomas, who identified herself to police as TopCat Kristen Owen.
Thomas will be charged with one count of battery, and with giving a false name, causing harm to another, because of its impact on Owen. Keathley was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Owen wasn’t even in Tampa. The Two TopCats who were there apparently planned to attend Sunday’s Carolina-Tampa Bay game. They weren’t there to perform.
The Hlist realizes the previous sentence is debatable.
FROM THE PAPERS
"To be sure, considering the literal and figurative investment in recent years, starting with its $2 million-a-year coach and his 16-17 record, have things ever sunk this low for (Texas) A&M?"
— Richard Oliver of the San Antonio Express-News on Dennis Franchione’s Aggies slipping to 5-4 after their 56-17 loss at Texas Tech.
FINAL WORD
"You." — North Carolina State Coach Chuck Amato.
That was his reply to ABC reporter Suzy Shuster at halftime of the NCSU-Florida State game when Shuster asked him what he had seen that "you could attack."
"I joke," Amato said after the game. "I joke a lot."
Mike.Hlas@gazettecommunications.com
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