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Weinke improves; status upcoming

By Compiled from Times staff, correspondent and wire reports

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 5, 2000

TALLAHASSEE -- Quarterback Chris Weinke showed signs of improvement, taking several snaps from center during practice. The Heisman Trophy contender still is unable to work with the starting offense because of his sprained left ankle.

Coach Bobby Bowden said Weinke's passes looked good during practice. Coaches hope to get a clear indication of the senior's status by tonight.

"If nobody would touch him, I wouldn't even worry about it," Bowden said. "I don't think Butch (Davis, Miami coach) would go along with that."

Weinke, who ranks third in the nation in passing efficiency, continues to receive treatment for the injury he suffered in the third quarter of a 59-7 win over Maryland on Thursday.

"I do feel like there's been improvement each day," Weinke said. "Hopefully that continues up until game time on Saturday. I didn't really do that much more today than I did (Tuesday)."

WHAT NOISE?: The offense practiced in Doak Campbell Stadium to help get a feel for what Saturday's game will be like playing in the Orange Bowl.

WOODS TO PLAY: Nose guard Chris Woods, hampered by a sprained left ankle, is expected to see limited time Saturday.

-- ALEX ABRAMS

Palmer is improving

GAINESVILLE -- Florida quarterback Jesse Palmer's stint on the disabled list didn't last long.

The senior, who was not expected to play Saturday, practiced Wednesday and might be able to play against Louisiana State.

After missing two practices this week, Palmer dressed and practiced at almost full speed, coach Steve Spurrier said.

"He did pretty well; he should be available," Spurrier said. "We'll have all of them available."

If Palmer is unable to start, Spurrier said, he was unsure about who would start. Tuesday, Spurrier said the most likely candidate would be redshirt freshman Rex Grossman, with freshman Brock Berlin seeing significant playing time.

"I don't know if (Grossman) knows enough about our offense to do what we are doing now," Spurrier said. "It's a lot of stuff, a lot of decisions. He's a freshman. I am in a quandary, but we will have somebody to start."

Spurrier said he would like to make the decision after today.

BERLIN'S BUDDIES: If Berlin plays this weekend, he will see some familiar faces.

The Shreveport, La., native considered becoming a Tiger and has several friends on the team, most notably quarterback Josh Booty.

"He's one of my best friends. ... He's been like a big brother to me my whole life," Berlin said. "Our families are real close, and so I'm looking forward to getting to play against him. He was actually one of my role models growing up."

WILLIS OUT: Spurrier said wide receiver Alex Willis, who missed the Mississippi State and Kentucky games with an injured ankle, most likely will be out Saturday.

-- DEBI JONES

Leavitt works team late

TAMPA -- Coach Jim Leavitt kept his team an extra 30 minutes for the second straight day.

"We had a better practice today than we did yesterday," Leavitt said. "They worked hard to prepare for one of the best teams in the country."

INJURY REPORT: With wide receiver DeAndrew Rubin (knee) and nose guard Lee Roy Selmon Jr. (knee, ankle) not practicing this week, Leavitt said, it was "doubtful at best" that they would play Saturday against No. 17 Southern Mississippi.

"I think both are out," Leavitt said. "I'm not saying they are definitely out because miracles do happen. But usually if they are not practicing by Wednesday, they don't play."

Hugh Smith, Chris Iskra and Cory Porter will see more playing time with Rubin out, and Greg Walls will most likely start in place of Selmon.

DON'T BLAME WILLIAMS: In the first three games of the season, senior running back Rafael Williams averaged more than 100 yards. He was on track to beat Dyral McMillan's record of 1,017 yards in a season. But in the past two games, Williams has rushed for 61 total yards, and quarterback Marquel Blackwell has been the leading rusher.

"It's not his fault he's not getting the carries," Leavitt said. "We've just been doing things differently. Rafael hasn't changed. He's been impressive. He's the unsung hero of this team."

-- ROBYN DISNEY

Making up for missed time

CORAL GABLES -- After a deluge that drenched most of south Florida on Tuesday and caused practice to be shortened slightly, the sky cleared and Miami worked for more than two hours.

"It was a good practice today," coach Butch Davis said. "We really needed the efficiency today, and to come out and work on some things particularly in the passing game and the kicking game. We had an extra 10 or 15 minutes of practice today to catch up on some things. We had cut out some peripheral things (Tuesday) and came back and took care of those today."

INJURY REPORT: Senior defensive lineman Damione Lewis (foot) returned to practice, and cornerback Leonard Myers (foot) missed practice. Fullback Will McPartland (concussion) also sat out practice.

-- TIMES WIRES

Confidence overflowing

TALLAHASSEE -- Players are confident about facing Grambling in Indianapolis for Saturday's Circle City Classic. The Tigers (4-1) could be FAMU's toughest opponent this season.

"In the tapes we've been looking at, they've passed and run pretty well, so we've got to come out on our p's and q's," defensive back Darnell Vickers said. "We've got to keep finding a way to keep revving it up to a higher level."

The Rattlers secondary expects to be challenged.

"We have to stop their passing game. It's pretty decent," safety John Battle said. "We have our hands full with this Grambling offense."

Wide receiver Jacquay Nunnally said the Rattlers don't have anything special planned for Grambling's defense.

"We didn't put in anything new, Nunnally said. "We're just going to try to execute our old plays. Everybody wants to win, and when everybody on this team wants to win, it's easy to get a victory."

-- JABARI RITCHIE

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