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By JABARI RITCHIE, Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times, published November 24, 2000
Alabama bracing for NCAA investigation TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Plans by the NCAA to question football players and coaches about possible rules violations put a new wrinkle in Alabama's search for a successor to head coach Mike Dubose.
Alabama officials said representatives of the NCAA will be in Tuscaloosa in "the near future."
"No question, the timing of this is awkward," athletic director Mal Moore told the Tuscaloosa News. "It comes when we are looking for a new coach, right at the end of a long and difficult season."
Moore would not discuss specifics of the pending visit, in part to protect the confidentiality of the athletes and coaches who will be questioned, and in part because school officials don't know precisely what will be discussed.
There is rampant speculation about former players or current coaches who might be the focus of NCAA questions. Reports surfaced last summer that the NCAA interviewed at least two athletes, Eric Locke and Travis Carroll, who transferred to Tennessee and Florida, respectively.
NCAA investigators also have interviewed Chris Reier, a former high school teammate of Carroll who signed with Alabama but transferred to Jacksonville, where he plays baseball.
BYU'S EDWARDS READY FOR FINALE: Brigham Young's 1984 national championship, constructed with a "Bo Diddley Tech schedule," is sure to be debated long after retiring coach LaVell Edwards is gone. That's okay with Edwards, who is just glad he put BYU on the map.
"It caused people to come from all over the country to spend three or four days looking at the campus," Edwards said. "I looked at that as a positive thing."
Edwards has spent 39 seasons at BYU, the last 29 as head coach. His last game is today when the Cougars (5-6, 3-3 Mountain West) travel to Utah (4-6, 3-3).
Edwards was named Coach of the Year in 1984 and has a 256-101-3 record, sixth on the NCAA's career victories list.
Edwards' innovative passing game produced a string of star quarterbacks. Gary Sheide gave way to Gifford Nielsen, Marc Wilson, Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Robbie Bosco and Ty Detmer, the 1990 Heisman Trophy winner.
Bosco, a BYU assistant, led the 1984 team that finished 13-0 and beat Michigan 24-17 in the Holiday Bowl. It remains the only time the No. 1 team didn't play in a January bowl game. Barry Switzer, then the coach at Oklahoma, accused BYU of playing a "Bo Diddley Tech schedule" in reference to games against Tulsa, Hawaii, New Mexico, Texas-El Paso and Utah State.
MIAMI: The Bowl Championship Series rankings are out of the Hurricanes' hands, but Miami still controls its Big East destiny. A win Saturday over Boston College would lock up the league title.
The Eagles are 1-12 at Miami, their one win coming on Doug Flutie's last-second pass to Gerald Phelan in 1984 to eliminate Miami from the national title hunt.
"One of the steps to winning the national championship is to win the Big East every year, and we're in a good position to win it outright and be right back in the national championship race," Miami offensive tackle Joaquin Gonzalez said.
Though the Hurricanes beat Virginia Tech this month, they haven't secured the conference title because the Big East doesn't use head-to-head results when determining the league champion. The Hokies conceivably could win the title if Miami were to lose to Boston College and drop out of the Top 10 in the polls.
FLORIDA A&M: The Rattlers had a light morning workout in Tallahassee, wrapping up preparations for Saturday's game against fifth-seeded Western Kentucky in the first round of the Division I-AA playoffs.
The Hilltoppers, whose only loss came three weeks ago at South Florida, may have a better defense than any of FAMU's previous opponents -- or any team in the division. Western Kentucky allows on average fewer than 12 points and fewer than 200 total yards per game, and it ranks first in the division in turnover margin and scoring defense.
The Rattlers say they will be able to score.
"In their conference, they play almost no teams that have a passing game similar to ours," wide receiver and kick returner Isaac Brown said. "Our main thing is to continue to do what we're doing because they're the team that is going to have to make the most adjustments."
FAMU's passing offense, ranked 11th in the country, is rated higher than any the Hilltoppers have faced this season. -- JABARI RITCHIE
MISSISSIPPI 45, NO. 23 MISSISSIPPI ST. 30: Deuce McAllister ran for three touchdowns and threw for another to lead host Mississippi in the highest-scoring game between the rivals. Ole Miss (7-4, 4-4 Southeastern Conference) snapped a two-game losing streak in the annual Egg Bowl, named for the Golden Egg Trophy. Mississippi State (7-4, 4-4) ended the season on a two-game losing streak.
TUSKEGEE 28, ALABAMA ST. 27: Ricky Reed blocked a field-goal attempt as time expired to give visiting Tuskegee the victory in the Turkey Day Classic. The Tigers finished the regular season 11-0, their first undefeated season since 1929, and will play Winston Salem State in the Pioneer Bowl on Dec. 16 in the Georgia Dome.