College football

Outback Bowl [Times photo: Stefanie Boyar] Darrius Carter, front left, a South Carolina Gamecocks cheerleader, and Andrew Masters, an Ohio State Buckeyes cheerleader fire up the crowd at the TECO Energy Parade, part of the Ybor Bowl Blast on Monday night. In time, Holtz delivers TAMPA -- It isn't his 232 career victories in 30 years of coaching that make him so dangerous. It isn't his .669 lifetime winning percentage. Nor is it the 23 teams he has guided to postseason bowls, or the 11 bowl trophies he has won. Outback: Keys to Victory More bowl coverage Grossman might sit a little bit MIAMI -- Florida quarterback Rex Grossman managed to stay out of coach Steve Spurrier's doghouse all season long. 'Noles want to ring in 2002 on positive note JACKSONVILLE -- Don't try to tell the Florida State Seminoles that today's Gator Bowl against Virginia Tech is meaningless. No Heisman guarantees Winning the Heisman Trophy does not guarantee success in the bowl game that follows. More than the sum of his runs Eric Crouch can run, but he's valued at Nebraska for a few other attributes as well. Southern California area not thrilled about game LOS ANGELES -- Indifferent. One word. And that's it. Graham hopes to return for UF MIAMI -- Earnest Graham walked out of practice Saturday afternoon and declared that while he isn't 100 percent healthy, he will be ready to play in the Orange Bowl. Gator: Keys to victory Florida State Programs looking for redemption Tennessee and Michigan, after blowing BCS bowl bids, meet in the Citrus Bowl. Different backgrounds, same goal There is a fine line between underachievement and overachievement. Unexpected BCS teams get taste of Sugar NEW ORLEANS -- Like his jut-jawed uncle, Luke Butkus takes a no-nonsense approach to football. Everybody's watching Oklahoma's defense DALLAS -- If Kenny Sandlin weren't busy today, he would kick back and watch the Oklahoma defense.

This time, Notre Dame turns to Willingham
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- An unprecedented fiasco has given way to an unprecedented hire at Notre Dame.

Lightning
Loss brings back bad memories
Lightning coach John Tortorella calls the 4-1 loss the most disappointing since the home opener against the Panthers.

Rookie defenseman gets rare opportunity to play
TAMPA -- The Lightning has played some of its best hockey since acquiring Josef Boumedienne from New Jersey on Nov. 9.

NFL
If it's December, Jets must be folding
If you look closely, the marks are there, the narrow red ones you usually find on a choking victim. They have to be there. How else can you explain the Jets' recurring condition?

College basketball
Huskies' Williams shines at home
FAIRBORN, Ohio -- There's no place like home for Tamika Williams.

Soccer
Blackwatch comes out on top again
TAMPA -- For the second consecutive year, Blackwatch soccer coach Kelvin Jones slapped together a team made up of former club players to play in the Tampa Bay Sun Bowl,

Outdoors
Daily fishing report
With the decrease in water temperature and arrival of cold fronts, bottom fishing has become exceptional in some areas.

Preps
Florida ends all-star losing skid
ATLANTA -- Famous for big plays, skill players and an opportunistic mentality, Florida ended a four-game losing streak in the Georgia-Florida High School All-Star Football Game with a 40-13 victory Saturday at the Georgia Dome.

Cold week in Georgia
TAMPA -- Ollie Hoyte, Gilbert Perez and Broderick Bunkley were certainly expecting a different environment when they traveled to Atlanta for the Florida-Georgia High School All-Star game, but what they got was beyond their wildest dreams.