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UF's Snell understands pain of coach leaving

GAINESVILLE -- Florida players empathize with those at Alabama and Kentucky, who recently lost their coaches to other schools.

"When players put their trust and hearts in the coaches, they've got to believe that this is a system that's going to help them succeed," offensive lineman Shannon Snell said. "And when a coach does that, there's nothing worse in the world. It really s---- for the programs that have their coaches leave, but it's something you've got to deal with.

"When coach Spurrier left, he was selling that pitch to us in our household that he was going to be here for the next four years of our life, and when he jumped ship, it was kind of shocking. It's just something you're going to have to deal with whether in high school, college or pros. I was hurt. I was hurt deeply."

Also, receiver Taylor Jacobs and cornerback Keiwan Ratliff were named to the AP All-SEC first team. Coaches also selected Jacobs to the first team.

MIAMI: Big East coaches named Ken Dorsey and Willis McGahee offensive co-players of the year, while the Hurricanes' Larry Coker was named coach of the year.

Dorsey is the second Miami quarterback to earn offensive player of the year honors in consecutive seasons. Gino Torretta won the award in 1991 and 1992.

Dorsey led the Big East in passing (256.1 yards per game), total offense (254.4) and passing efficiency (148.0 rating). Dorsey is 38-1 in three seasons.

McGahee ranked fourth in the nation in rushing with 140.5 yards per game. The sophomore scored a school-record 27 touchdowns and had 10 100-yard games.

Coker guided Miami to its seventh Big East title and the No.1 national ranking with an 12-0 record. It was the team's second straight undefeated season.

Miami led all schools with 13 first-team selections.

SOUTH FLORIDA: Quarterback Marquel Blackwell has been named the independent player of the year by collegefootballnews.com.

Blackwell, a senior, was chosen from among the six Division I-A schools not affiliated with a conference, including Notre Dame. This season he completed 230 of 403 passes (57.1 percent) for 2,590 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also rushed for 302 yards and five touchdowns.

Blackwell was intercepted three times, which led the nation in interception ratio, 0.74 per 100 attempts. He finished the season with the second-longest streak of attempts without an interception in the NCAA. Blackwell's 235 straight is No.2 behind Trent Dilfer's 271 at Fresno St. in 1993.

Also named to the all-independent first team were wide receiver Hugh Smith, punt returner DeAndrew Rubin, safety J.R. Reed, linebacker Kawika Mitchell and punter Devin Sanderson.

Nation

ARIZONA: Justin Levasseur will face trial Feb. 3 in Cambridge, Ill., after he was charged with carrying 87 pounds of marijuana in his car.

COLORADO: Running backs Chris Brown and Bobby Purify are questionable for the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28. Brown has been out since Nov. 16 with a bruised sternum. Purify has played sparingly since spraining an ankle Nov. 29

GEORGIA: Backup tailback Tyson Browning was one of two people robbed at gunpoint early Monday at a home in East Athens.

Browning answered the door of a friend's home and had a handgun thrust in his face by an unknown assailant, according to an Athens-Clarke County police report.

Another person in the apartment, Marlon Haynes, told police that the gunman pointed the gun at Browning's head, told them to get down and said, "Give it up, give me the money."

Haynes gave the man two necklaces and a watch, and Browning gave him $40 in cash. The man left through the front door, according to the report.

KENTUCKY: Defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson will forego his senior season and enter the draft.

NOTRE DAME: Coach Tyrone Willingham was named Sportsman of the Year by the Sporting News.

WASHINGTON: Wide receiver Wilbur Hooks Jr. was arrested and is under investigation for hit-and-run and reckless driving after his car crashed into another vehicle in Seattle.

Hooks was released from King County Jail. Police said there was no indication of drug or alcohol use in the crash. The City Attorney office was unable to say Tuesday whether he had been charged.

Police said Hooks was traveling more than 80 mph in a 30 mph zone early Monday when the 22-year-old senior failed to stop at a red light and collided with another car at an intersection.

Hall of Fame

George "Sonny" Franck, an All-America tailback at Minnesota from 1938-40, was the oldest of the 15 former players inducted Tuesday in New York.

The others are Auburn split end Terry Beasley, Princeton running back Cosmo Iacavazzi, Arizona State receiver John Jefferson, Southern California safety Ronnie Lott, Pittsburgh quarterback Dan Marino, Navy tailback Napoleon McCallum, Michigan offensive guard Reggie McKenzie, Georgia Tech defensive back Randy Rhino, Texas offensive tackle Jerry Sisemore, Kansas State linebacker Gary Spani, Tennessee defensive tackle Reggie White and Missouri tight end Kellen Winslow.

The coaches inducted are Carmen Cozza, who spent 32 seasons at Yale, and Earle Bruce, who coached at Tampa, Iowa State, Ohio State, Northern Iowa and Colorado State.

-- Times staff writer Antonya English contributed to this report.

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