Seminoles return to normal routine, prep for NC State
AUTO RACING: Hendrick Motorsports replaced driver Kasey Kahne’s crew chief for the rest of the season. The team named Darian Grubb the crew chief for Kahne’s No. 5 Chevrolet for the remaining nine races of the NASCAR season. Kahne is in the playoffs and finished 21st Sunday in Joliet, Ill. Grubb replaced Keith Rodden, who was the crew chief for 99 races.
COLLEGES: Auburn coach Gus Malzahn dismissed former starting QB Sean White following a suspension and a subsequent arrest. The 15th-ranked Tigers’ backup QB was arrested early Sunday on a charge of public intoxication. He had also been suspended for the first two games . ... Oregon State QB Jake Luton is back with the Beavers after taking a scary hit in the fourth quarter of their loss to Washington State and being removed from the field on a stretcher. Luton had movement in all of his extremities. According to The Oregonian, Luton’s father, Judd, posted on Facebook that his son had a “probable thoracic spine fracture.” ... Washington State LB Peyton Pelluer broke his foot against Oregon State and is done for the season . ... Florida coach Jim McElwain said CB Duke Dawson is “highly questionable” to play at Kentucky on Saturday because of a head injury, which he suffered in the second half against Tennessee . ... Mississippi WR A.J. Brown has a sprained MCL in his left knee, but could be ready for the team’s game against No. 1 Alabama on Sept. 30.
NBA: Defense lawyers insist that former Suns Marcus and Markieff Morris had nothing to do with a 2015 beating that resulted in felony assault charges against them. Their lawyers delivered opening statements in a Phoenix courtroom in which they put blame on others and questioned the motives of the victim. The twin brothers could face prison time and discipline from the NBA if convicted, including at least a 10-game suspension. Markieff now plays for the Wizards and Marcus was a key offseason addition for the Celtics . ... New Celtics G Kyrie Irving said he doesn’t care if anyone took it personally that he left Cleveland, even Cavaliers star LeBron James. Appearing Monday on ESPN’s “First Take,” Irving said he doesn’t feel like he owed James an explanation for asking for a trade . ... C Mason Plumlee agreed to a three-year, $41 million deal with the Nuggets.
SOCCER: Rafael Marquez is back with Mexican club Atlas more than a month after the U.S. Treasury Department named him on a sanctions list for alleged drug trafficking ties. Atlas said he’s practicing with the team again and will continue his legal fight. ... Former England captain Wayne Rooney pleaded guilty to drunk driving, leading to a court-imposed two-year driving ban and 100 hours of community service.
TENNIS: The Next Gen ATP Finals, a season-ending event for top 21-and-under players in Milan, Italy from Nov. 7-12, will not have line judges. The Hawk-Eye Live system will employ the same technology currently used for replay reviews at other tournaments when players contest a line judge’s call. The only official at each match will be the chair umpire . ... Seventh-seeded Angelique Kerber beat local favorite Naomi Osaka 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the Pan-Pacific Open in Tokyo.
TALLAHASSEE — Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher insisted he did not watch much football during the past weekend of his team’s two-week layoff because of Hurricane Irma.
Instead, Fisher did something he prefers more than “anything in the world.”
He got to enjoy some quality time with his sons Trey, 16, and Ethan, 12.
Fisher said he watched Trey, a sophomore quarterback, lead Tallahassee North Florida Christian to a 46-18 win for over Foley (Ala.) Snook Christian Academy on Friday night, before fishing in a little Jon boat with Ethan and watching game film with Trey on Saturday.
Fisher also tuned in just enough to get the gist of No. 2 Clemson’s blowout win over No. 19 Louisville, the first marquee ACC matchup of the season with FSU’s game against Miami postponed until Oct. 7.
“It’s just fun to be a dad,” Fisher said on Monday. “We don’t get to that very often, and that’s a shame, getting to do it with these other kids and not your own.
“You got to do it and find as much time as you can.”
After two weeks off following a season-opening loss to Alabama, FSU returns to the action this week, hosting NC State (2-1) at noon Saturday in Doak Campbell Stadium.
The game will be the first start for true freshman quarterback James Blackman, who Deondre Francois in the starting lineup. Francois suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee that will sideline him for the rest of the season.
Blackman, a Glades Central alum, and the Seminoles are surely anxious to get back on the football field against an opponent after the Miami postponement and the cancellation of their Sept. 9 game with Louisiana-Monroe.
“We all are. We all want to play,” Fisher said when asked about his team’s eagerness. “It feels weird to know that other people are playing and you’re not playing. There’s no doubt about that. But [there is] no sense to get upset about it. It is what it is, and you’ve got to play what you play.
“Like I said, it was for a reason. It was a lot bigger than football. And there’s still a lot of families that are still suffering and have things going on with them that we know they’re still trying to get helped out and throughout this state. To me, that’s the important thing. Now that we’re back in ball, maybe we can give some of those folks a few hours of pleasure when they get to watch us play, and sometimes that’s a good relief of coming back, that normality is coming back.”
The Seminoles have kept a relatively steady practice schedule during the layoff, with typical sessions on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays the past two weeks, with lighter sessions on Thursdays and/or Friday.
On Friday, the Seminoles started their day with an 8 a.m. breakfast and practiced at noon to replicate their game day schedule when hosting NC State.
Practicing against each other for two consecutive weeks strained some of the players’ focus at times, Fisher said, but with an actual game to be played later this week, the Seminoles are enthused about returning to their normal routine.
“They’ve gotten after it really good,” Fisher said. “We’ve had really intense practices. I think both sides out there keep it competitive for each other. From what I’ve seen so far, we’ve done a pretty nice job.”