Colleges

Colorado ready to turn to Boise State coach

By wire services
Published December 16, 2005

BOISE, Idaho - Boise State coach Dan Hawkins said Thursday he'll go to Colorado to finalize negotiations to become Buffaloes coach.

"Officially, nothing's been decided," he said. "There are certain things that have to happen. You can go 99 yards on a football field, but you have to go that last yard, otherwise you don't get a touchdown."

The CU board of regents is scheduled to meet today to approve Hawkins' contract. If that goes as expected, Hawkins could be introduced as Gary Barnett's replacement later in the day.

"What it gets down to is challenge and opportunity vs. continuing to do what you've been doing," said Hawkins, 53-10 at BSU. "I'm going to prove myself again."

The coach acknowledged the challenges at Colorado, which has been under scrutiny in the wake of a recruiting scandal and, more recently, a state audit that did not look kindly at the way Barnett ran his personal camps and at the program in general.

I-AA AWARDS: Eastern Washington quarterback Erik Meyer won the Walter Payton Award as the division's top offensive player. Meyer, an All-American, threw for 3,616 yards in the regular season, including 26 touchdowns and five interceptions. Cal Poly defensive end Chris Gocong won the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player, and New Hampshire's Sean McDonnell won the Eddie Robinson Award as the top coach after guiding the Wildcats to a 10-0 regular-season record.

LITTLE ALL-AMERICA: Tyler Emmert was selected to the AP team released two days before he'll try to lead Carroll College to its fourth straight NAIA title. The senior quarterback enters his final game against St. Francis, Ind., 50-3 as a starter at the private Catholic school in Helena, Mont. The team is made up of players from NCAA Division II and III schools, as well as from the NAIA. Emmert was the only NAIA player on the first team. Complete team, 9C.

BUFFALO: Former Nebraska quarterback Turner Gill was hired as coach, taking over a program that has never had a winning season since joining I-A in 1999.

LSU: Quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who separated his left shoulder in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 3, will be limited in practice as the Tigers begin preparations for the Dec. 30 Peach Bowl against Miami.

MARYLAND: Kansas State linebackers coach Chris Cosh was named defensive coordinator, replacing retired Gary Blackney.

VIRGINIA: Reserve defensive back Ryan Best won the ACC's Brian Piccolo Award, given since 1972 to a conference player whose courage epitomizes the spirit of the former Wake Forest and Bears running back who died from cancer. Best was diagnosed with a form of Hodgkin's disease after last season but played in 10 games this season.

W. VA.: Second-team All-America center Dan Mozes apologized for hosting a loud party Saturday that resulted in a citation from Morgantown police. "It's always going to be in the back of my mind. But what happened happened. It's my fault," Mozes said.

SOCCER: First-year FSU coach Mark Krikorian was named Soccer America's national coach of the year after leading the women, unranked in the preseason, to the College Cup and a Top 5 ranking.

VOLLEYBALL: Top-seeded Nebraska (33-1) and Washington (31-1) advanced to the NCAA women's championship by sweeping semifinals in San Antonio, Texas. The Cornhuskers beat Santa Clara 30-24, 30-19, 30-21, and the third-seeded Huskies defeated Tennessee 30-25, 30-19, 30-21. The final is at 6 p.m. Saturday.

[Last modified December 16, 2005, 00:55:10]