College football

Safety commits to USF

By GREG AUMAN, Times wires
Published January 21, 2005

TAMPA - South Florida won't move to the Big East until this fall, but the Bulls have their first oral commitment from Big East territory in Jerome Murphy, a safety from Elizabeth, N.J., who has accepted a scholarship offer and is USF's 10th commitment.

"I saw myself playing there," said Murphy, who also was recruited by home state Rutgers and canceled visits to Western Michigan and Tennessee State after visiting USF last weekend.

The 6-foot, 175-pound safety had eight interceptions as a senior while catching six touchdowns for the largest high school in New Jersey. He said he was drawn to USF because the Bulls will play a few road games close to his home each year without having to deal daily with the 23-degree temperatures he faced at school Wednesday.

ACC RELEASES SCHEDULES: Florida State will host archrival Miami Sept. 5 in the season-opener for both teams, the ACC announced.

Florida State will play in the Atlantic Division along with Boston College, Clemson, Maryland, North Carolina State and Wake Forest. Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech will play in the Coastal Division. The division champs will play for the league's BCS berth on Dec. 3 in the inaugural ACC Championship Game in Jacksonville.

GAMECOCKS CHARGED: Six current and former South Carolina football players were charged Thursday with stealing $18,000 worth of equipment from Williams-Brice Stadium last November.

Offensive lineman Woodly Telfort is charged with grand larceny, a felony. He admitted taking a $4,000 laptop, according to an arrest warrant.

Quarterbacks Syvelle Newton and Dondrial Pinkins have been charged with a misdemeanor, petit larceny, along with defensive lineman Freddy Saint-Preux and safety Rodriques Wilson. Arrest warrants say all four players took photos of themselves.

A warrant is pending for a sixth player the school did not identify.

TEMPLE WILL STAY I-A: Temple University, which has had one winning season in the past 20 years, said it will continue to play on the Division I-A level even though it is no longer in a conference. The Philadelphia school was dropped by the Big East for failing to meet attendance and other requirements.

SOONER REINSTATED: Oklahoma reinstated defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek, who was kicked off the team in September after being involved in a bar fight.

[Last modified January 21, 2005, 00:30:24]