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EVERYONE LIKES THAT CADILLAC SHINE

When it comes to two athletes co-existing successfully at the same position, the popular couple to aspire to is last year's Auburn tandem of Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown.

Twice in the same day this week, USF athletes referenced the Tigers twosome, who got along well enough to be drafted in the top five in April, with Brown to the Dolphins and Williams to the Bucs.

First, USF's Amarri Jackson spoke of his relationship with fellow 6-foot-5 sophomore receiver Johnny Peyton and how they've become close friends despite competing for the same position.

"We look at it like Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams when they were at Auburn," Jackson said. "They played the same position, rotated, both went in the first round. If they could do it, then why can't we?"

Within minutes, USF sophomore running back Chad Simpson, who rushed for 91 yards against Florida A&M last week, spoke of the Auburn duo as a combination he hopes to emulate next season with redshirt freshman Ricky Ponton, who had 83 yards and a touchdown against the Rattlers.

"Me and Rick should be like Cadillac and Ronnie Brown," he said. "I like that. I wouldn't have it any other way. Each week we're competing (as top backups to Andre Hall). Some days, I'm first, some days, he's first, and we push each other that way."

The statistics don't lie. They don't even deceive.

Florida State averaged 435.5 yards and 31.8 points at Doak Campbell Stadium last season. Those numbers dropped to 279.8 yards and 16.2 points away from there as the Seminoles struggled to win - even against Syracuse and Wake Forest.

The Seminoles hit the road for the first time this season against Boston College and have a new quarterback, redshirt freshman Drew Weatherford.

How will he do?

We'll see, but he hopes to better the 2004 numbers.

- BRIAN LANDMAN, Times staff writer

Mississippi State is feeling like the villain in Tulane's post-Katrina tale of perseverance.

Their campus flooded and their home stadium damaged by the killer hurricane, the Green Wave fled to northwest Louisiana and figure to be heavy fan favorites when they play host to the Bulldogs in Shreveport.

That makes the Bulldogs the bad guys by default.

"Everybody's going to be pulling for Tulane, much like it was for the (New Orleans) Saints" last week, Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom said. "We've got to understand that. It's not that they hate us or anything. It's just that they're reaching out to Tulane because of what's happened."

Indiana, attempting to build a new tradition and perhaps drawing on the Bucs Super Bowl theme, has placed a large boulder, "The Rock," near the end zone for players to touch as they enter the field. Changing the results on the field might be another matter.

1. Ohio State tight end Ryan Hamby received hate mail after dropping a potential touchdown pass in a 25-22 loss to Texas. "They're just dumb things. You almost want to say, "You know, in the scheme of life there are things going on around the world. It's just a game.' "

2. Ohio's 16-10 overtime victory over Pittsburgh marked the first time Ohio had played in a nationally televised game since the year Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon.

3. After Notre Dame won its first four games in 2002 on its way to an 8-0 start under Tyrone Willingham, the Irish appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the accompanying headline: "What a Difference a Coach Makes."

4. Vanderbilt sealed the locker of late running back Kwane Doster, formerly of Robinson High, for the season, and will honor him today at halftime of the home opener against Mississippi. Doster, who would have been a senior, was shot to death Dec.26 in Tampa. "We are not going to bring his number out of retirement until his eligibility is up," said linebacker Herdley Harrison, a close friend of Doster's. "We consider him on the roster. He's definitely a part of our team." Vanderbilt players already have a Dot1 decal on the front of their helmets for the No.1 he wore.

5. North Carolina players donated their per diem from a trip to play Georgia Tech to victims of Hurricane Katrina. The per diem and other contributions from players and coaches totaled more than $10,000.

0: Passes attempted by Oklahoma in the second half of its 31-15 victory over Tulsa.

75: Combined yards rushing for South Carolina in two games.

33-11-1: Clemson's record in matchups with opponents making their first trip to Death Valley, where it hosts Miami today.

128-16: Points allowed and scored in two games by Temple.

"It's the first time in four years that I've had players that actually like to practice and don't complain about how long the practice was. And you don't have to talk to their agents about tackling in practice. You have to talk to the moms a little bit - they're a little touchy."

- Former University of Miami and Cleveland Browns coach Butch Davis on serving as assistant offensive line coach for his son's seventh-grade team.

Information from the Associated Press, the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times was used in this report.